HE is the most famous saint of whom you have heard, but probably know little or nothing. His name is irrevocably associated with English triumph on the field of battle. Shakespeare is the culprit, of course, to whose essential contribution we must add the historical reality of Henry V and some uplifting theatrical and film interpretations. It’s pure histrionics, but when we listen to that call to arms on St Crispin’s Day we cannot but stand a little taller.
St Crispin, whose saint’s day is on October 25, may be little more than illuminated briefly by the halo of heroism, for the timing of his inspiration was a coincidence. An English army, weary and short of food, had been plodding for two and a half weeks through Normandy with the objective of returning home via Calais. They were confronted near the village of Azincourt by a larger French force—a battle was inevitable. Both armies bedded down for the night. According to contemporary reports, Henry V decreed his men should spend it in silence on pain of having an ear cut off, but Shakespeare had him moving among the watchfires, addressing his men as ‘brothers, friends and country-men’ and encouraging them ‘with cheerful semblance and sweet majesty’. It was a proper prelude to the rousing speech imagined by the Bard as some 8,000 English men faced double their number on St Crispin’s Day 1415.
Denne historien er fra October 23, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 23, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
