ABSTRACT
Henry V. has left a deep mark on the pages of national history. As a general he was obviously superior to Edward III., with whom he is naturally compared; in private life he soon threw off the recklessness of his youth, and from his father's death to the days of his own marriage practised the strictest continence. Though on two occasions he had been summoned to France, his main activities had been devoted to the government of England during the King's absences, where he had shown himself a level-headed administrator so far as he had been tested. The personnel of the Council was fairly representative of the various estates of the governing classes, but the presence of Beaufort himself and his brother the Duke of Exeter at the board, together with others who later became identified with his party, enabled him to control its action.
