COMPLAINTS OF THE FLEMINGS.

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for war; and the duke resolved to begin by besieging Calais, which he now claimed as part of the county of Artois, and his by inheritance. The consent of the free states of which his dominions were composed was necessary. Among the arguments which were used to the people of Ghent, one was, that the possession of Calais by the English was very injurious to all Flanders, for the Flemings who went thither to purchase wool, tin, lead, or cheese, were forced to pay in money, according to what rate of alloy the English pleased to put on it, or else in ingots of gold or silver; and this, it was urged, was not done in other countries. The fact proved rather a want of probity on the one part, than any abuse of power on the other. The debasement of the coin was the act of the Flemish government; and the direct consequences of such a measure were felt by the people in their dealings with a nation whose currency was of a different standard. On the part of England, indeed, this was a measure, not of exaction, but of self-defence, enjoined by the statutes of the realm, because of "the great deceit' in the gold and silver money of Flanders and Scotland: such deceit, when that money was current in divers parts of the realm, having been "to the great damage of the king and of his people." And, as if to preclude all pretext for complaint from the Flemings, the act had been made general, prohibiting the circulation of any foreign coin whatsoever in England, and requiring that whatever was received in payment at Calais should there be "put to bullion."* The loss, however, was represented to them as a grievance which they endured from the English ; and the Ghentese consented, by acclamation, to support the war, and the whole of Flanders entered into it with equal eagerness.† "What

* 2 Hen. 4. c. vi.

"The duke declared to them," says Hall, "the right, title, and interest that he had to the town of Calais, and the county of Guisnes, as a very patrimony belonging to his inheritance: shewing, farther, that the said town was the gulph and swallower up of all the gold and silver of his countries and dominions; forasmuch as there was the staple of wool, tin, lead, and other merchandize, for the which the Englishmen would take no

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was Calais?" they said: they could make a meal of it at any time!"”* Holland also entered into the duke's views, and agreed to assist him with ships for the intended siege. The same ready concurrence was not found in Zeeland: there the people of Zierekzee, who had in those days a good port, listened to the overtures of England, and chose to continue their profitable trade with that country; and when the bailey of Middleburgh embargoed an English ship, which was bound for the fair at Antwerp, and imprisoned the crew, the inhabitants, regarding this as a breach of their privileges, forced open the prison, released the prisoners, and restored the ship and cargo. †

There were none who entered into the enterprise with more alacrity than the men of Ghent. All the burghers of that city, of whatsoever rank, were required to appear within three days before the sheriffs, and enrol themselves, on pain of forfeiting their franchises, and to provide themselves with all necessary habiliments for war. No armour or weapons of any kind were to be taken out of the country, and the punishment for breaking this order was to be ten years' exile. Those who had been ordered to perform certain pilgrimages in expiation for their sins, were now excused from performing them so long as the war should last, and for fourteen days after; and all who had quarrels were placed, for the same term, under the protection of the law. The number of men for which Ghent had engaged was 17,000: every town and village of its de

common current money, but only gold and silver, to the great impoverishment of his seigniories and regions: saying, farther, that Calais only was the common stop between his countries and Bretagne and Spain, so that southward nor westward his subjects could not pass, without the danger of that town wherefore, these detriments considered, he determined (if they would assent) shortly to recover and conquer that town, and the county of Guisnes. To this purpose all the council and common people not only agreed, but also promised aid, both of men and money. Lord! how the Flemings bragged, and the Hollanders cracked, that Calais should be won, and all the Englishmen slain; swearing and staring that they would have it within three days at the most, thinking verily that the town of Calais could no more resist their puissance than a pot of double beer, when they fall to quaffing." (P. 181.)-"But they reckoned before their host, and so paid more than their shot came to."-Ib. 182.

Sueyro, ii. 279.

† Ib. 277, 278.

PREPARATION IN FLANDERS.

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pendence knew its quota, and every family the sum at which it was taxed. The carriages which were required came in too slowly for the impatience of those by whom the preparations were directed. A proclamation, therefore, was issued, that if they were not forthcoming within three days, the deacon of the Black Hoods and his attendants should be sent round to seize on all the best without exception: upon which the farmers and peasants, in fear lest the Black Hoods should visit them, immediately sent their carts to the appointed place. Every man was to provide himself with a lance and a short mallet, either of lead or iron, spiked on the head. Two mallets would be reckoned as equal to one lance; but those who should present ⚫ themselves without such arms were warned that they would not pass muster, and that they would be punished. The people of Bruges were, on this occasion, heartily in unison with those of Ghent, and that city began already to feel the license of war. Most of its

people who had been ordered on this service had forthwith forsaken their trade, and spent their time and money in drinking houses, where drunkenness led to quarrels, and quarrels to blows, bloodshed, and frequent deaths. *

The Flemings had persuaded themselves that, at their approach, the English would, for very fear, abandon Calais and fly to England; and, therefore, they were particularly desirous that a fleet should be ready before they arrived before the town, hoping thus to cut off the garrison from all means of escape. "They needed not," says Monstrelett, "have been so uneasy on this head, for the English were well inclined to defend themselves; and, in truth, king Henry and all England would as soon have lost their thirty years' conquests in France as the single town of Calais." When the emperor Sigismund was in this country, he advised Henry V. to keep the towns of Dover and Calais as he would his two eyes, because they gave him the com

* Monstrelet, vii. 341–347.j

† P. 358.

mand of the narrow seas. * That able and ambitious prince needed no admonishment to teach him the importance of a place which gave him entrance at any time into France; and the nation were not less persuaded of the advantage of retaining a conquest which had been so hardly and honourably gained. The governor, sir John Ratcliffe, had no sooner despatched intelligence of the duke of Burgundy's designs to the king's council, than the earl of Montaigne, who was son to the duke of Somerset, and the lord Camois, were sent with 1500 men and " great foison of victuals," to reinforce and supply the garrison, while a large force was preparing to attack the besieging army. Thus strengthened, the English did not wait to be besieged in Calais, but made an attempt to surprise Boulogne. They found the French too vigilant to be surprised, and too strong to be assaulted; but they burned some of the shipping, and, carrying off what booty was within their reach, returned without loss. Soon afterwards they made a foraging party in the opposite direction, toward Gravelines. The Flemings in that quarter collected, against the advice of their leaders, insisted upon attacking them, and were defeated, with the loss of from 300 to 400 killed, and "full sixscore prisoners." Their next expedition was into the Boulonnois. It happened, that on the same night a part of the besieging force, which Jean de Croy, the bailey of Hainault, had assembled on the borders of Picardy, set out from a village called Le Wast, two leagues from St. Omer, on a like expedition into the English marches. Neither party knew of the other's intent, nor were they likely to have met; but when the bailey approached the English border, he sent out some men-at-arms, who were well acquainted with the country, to gain intelligence. They returned with news that they had fallen in with the rear of an enemy's detachment, near the bridge of Milay, about daybreak, and had reconnoitred them; had seen that

Libel of English Policy. Hakluyt, i. 187.

AFFAIR NEAR GRAVELINES.

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they were very numerous, and that they were advancing into the Boulonnois. A council was held; and the resolution was to pursue the English, in the hope of finding an opportunity for attacking them when they were engaged in plundering the villages; but if not, to give them battle wherever they might meet.

The scouts were not long before they descried the smoke and fires from villages and little towns, which marked the track of the English in their destructive inroad; but some prisoners fell into the hands of the English, who, being then informed that an enemy was at hand, and in considerable force, collected their men upon a rising ground between Gravelines and Campagne-les-Boulonnois. The greater part of their force was not seen, being upon the slope of the hill on the farther side, when the advanced party of the Burgundians began the action; and the main body, confiding in their seeming advantage of numbers, hastened on, eager for the engagement. From three to four score of the English on the summit were slain in the first charge, and the others took to flight. They were rallied on the other side of the declivity by their comrades ; the Burgundians, when they came to the brow, lost heart as well as hope at the unexpected sight of this larger body; halted, in dismay, for the arrival of their own main force; and in this state of mind, which prepared them for defeat, were resolutely charged by the English. Instantly they gave way, wheeled round, and fled with all speed towards Ardres, as the nearest place of safety. Thither they were pursued full gallop, even within the barriers, and some of them were killed close to the ditches of the town. Upwards of a hundred were slain or taken. Among the former was Robert de Bournonville, surnamed Le Rouge, and six other distinguished persons: among the latter were many men of note. Jean de Croy had been wounded by an arrow, and his horse killed. He, however, and the lord Denlez, made their way to the abbey at Lisle, sorely grieved at their defeat; and certain gallants, who had