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On the following day, the Count d'Artois arrived with the main body of his army and encamped within half a league of the castle of Courtrai, on the Mont-de-Plaisance, now called in Flemish "Pottelberg," between the river Lys, and the road to Sweveghem. Towards evening, the French attempted another attack on the Gate of Lille, which lasted all night, but they were vigorously repulsed by the Flemings with some loss. This was, however, a mere skirmish in which the chivalry of France took no part, the knights having retired to their tents, where they amused themselves with games of chance, leaving to their villains combats of slight importance.

On Wednesday, the 11th of July, 1302, a little before sun-rise, a bright fire was suddenly lit on the battlements of the castle of Cour trai, and the Châtelain of Sens made a sortie at the head of the greater part of his men, and advanced without opposition till he arrived in front of the convent of Grey Sisters, from whence he caused burning arrows to be discharged into the Flemish camp. This was a signal to the Count d'Artois to prepare for the attack, indicating at the same time the spot where it could most easily be made. The French Prince immediately moved towards the east. The result of the battle shows that the Flemish Generals had wisely chosen their ground on a marshy plain, intersected with streams which rendered the enemy's cavalry, their principal arm, almost entirely useless.

Augury was not wanting to cast its prophetic influence on the fate of the day: above the French army was seen hovering a cloud of crows, while multitudes of white birds, probably pigeons, flew over the heads the Flemings. Writers vary as to the respective strength of the two armies: it seems probable, from what contemporaneous authorities have said, that the French mustered in all about 50,000 men, while the Flemings numbered 60,000. The latter force was variously composed of the people of Bruges, Ghent, Furnes, Alost, Ypres, Oudenarde, and other cities and communes of Flanders, but there was no want of discipline amongst them; the greater part belonged to the corporations and military brotherhoods; all had their respective leaders, and were well armed with lances, long swords, and those terrible maces studded with iron spikes, to which the Flemings had given the singular name of "Goeden dag" or "good day."

Though upwards of fifty Flemish nobles were at this time prisoners with their sovereign in France, and others, belonging to the party of the Leliaenen*, had joined the French ranks, scandalously bearing arms against their country, a great number of knights and nobles still fought under the banners of Flanders, and took an honourable part in the endeavour to regain her freedom.

There were besides many distinguished warriors, one of whom, named Hugo d'Arckel, surnamed Butterman, was noted for his enormous stature and prodigious strength; he commanded a band of free adventurers, and had, in the first instance, offered his services to the King of France, but his terms for pay being too high his offer was rejected,

• The Flemings who sided with the French were, at this time, called Leliaerts, or Leliaenen, partisans of the Lily; on the other hand, the patriots were known as the Clauwaerts, from the word klauwen (claws,) with which the Lion of Flanders threatened the fleur de lys.

and Butterman, out of spite, passed over to the Flemings, who received him with great satisfaction. Amongst the leaders of the Flemish army, besides Guy of Namur, William of Juliers, Pierre de Coninck, and Jean Breydel, were Baldwin of Paperode, the Vicomte d'Alost, Jean Borluut, one of the heroes of the celebrated battle of Woeringen, and the Sire de Renesse, who had joined the army with the contingent from Flemish Zealand.

The Count d'Artois divided his army into ten bodies. The first, under the command of the Seigneur Jean de Barlas, consisted of 1400 picked men at arms, all mounted, Provençaux, Navarrese, Spaniards, and Lombards; with nearly 10,000 infantry, armed with bow and sword and shield. The second, composed of 500 horsemen, with corslets, was led by the brave knights Guy de Nesle and Renauld de Trie. The third, formed of 700 knights splendidly equipped, and distinguishable by their arms richly painted on their shields, amongst whom were Henry de Ligny, the Châtelain of Lille, William de Vallery, and the Lords of Beaune, of Haverskerke, of Suriens, and of Séville, were under the orders of the Constable Rodolphe de Nesle. The fourth, of horse, 800 strong, was commanded by Count Louis de Clermont.

The fifth body, consisting of 5000 horsemen, was under the immediate command of Count Robert d'Artois himself, and beside him rode Thibaut, Duke of Lorraine, the Count of Boulogne, the merciless Jean Sans Quartier, son of the Count of Holland and Hainault, and all the nobility of Artois.

Jacques Chastillon, Count of St. Pol, uncle to the Queen of France and Governor of Flanders, was at the head of the sixth, composed of 700 knights; he had with him the Sire de Raneel, a Flemish noble, but devoted to the French; Gilles de Haelgi, the Sire de Créqui, and Nicaise de Rochefort. The seventh corps, 1000 strong, was commanded by the Count d'Aumâle, accompanied by the Count d'Eu, and the Chamberlain de Tancarville. The eighth was led by Ferry, son of the Duke of Lorraine, having with him his brother Mathys, lord of Teintra, and the Count of Saxony; his force consisted of 800 horse. Godfrey of Brabant and his son John, lord of Vierzon and châtelain of Tournay, were at the head of the ninth, formed of 500 Brabançon and Hainault knights. Finally the tenth body was commanded by Guy de St. Pol, consisting of 200 horsemen, led by Simon de Piémont, and Boniface of Mantua, with the bulk of the army, more than 30,000 French, Lombard, Provençal, and Navarrese infantry. This army was the finest and choicest that the King had ever sent to the field, and numbered in its ranks the flower of the nobility and chivalry of France.

The Flemish leaders, observing the great superiority of the French cavalry, and finding that it was impossible to refuse to give them battle, placed their whole confidence in the justice of their cause, thinking that God would aid them through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, whose miraculous image was honoured in the church of the Abbey of Groeninghe, and through that of St. George, under whose banner they were about to fight. They chose for the field of battle the plain of Groeninghe, situated on the eastern side of the city, and crossed by the road to Ghent. Having the river Lys behind them, they were free from the fear of attack on that side, and their troops, deprived of all means of flying, had no alternative but to conquer or die, for there was no hope of quarter from the enemy. Their front was covered by the stream of Groeninghe, their right by the intrenchments of the city, and their left by a continuation of the stream, which making a sweep past the walls of the abbey, united itself with the Lys. This stream was at that time, thirteen feet wide and seven feet deep, and the ground beyond, consisting of deep marshes, was almost impassable for cavalry. The position of the Flemings was therefore as strong as natural circumstances could make it.

The sun was already above the horizon, and the two armies were in sight, when a thick fog rose and obscured his light. Guy of Namur drew no unwelcome presage, from the fact in addressing his soldiers: "The sun is darkened," he said; -" so be it! we shall not be incommoded during the fight, and therefore gain an easier victory. Close your ranks, and strike manfully, Flemings, and be wary, for our enemies with bloodthirsty hate will attack us like wolves. You know the pride and cruelty of the French, and you know only too well what will be our punishment if they gain the day. You fight for your lives and properties, your wives and children. Our cause is just; God will protect and not abandon us this day. Call upon Him from the bottom of your hearts, and pray for his help in this hour of danger!" At the close of this brief harangue, William of Juliers caused his banner to be unfurled, and a loud shout of acclamation greeted the well-known standard.

Jean de Renesse, on his part, exhorted the division which he commanded to fight valiantly: he advised them to confess piously in order that they might meet death without dread; he counselled them not to suffer their ranks to be broken by the enemy, and to direct their attacks against the horses rather than their riders, for the latter once dismounted would be unable, from the weight of their arms, to rise again. "Let our war cry," he added, as he closed his speech, "be Flanders to the Lion," ("Vlaenderen den Leeuw.")

In pursuance of the advice of Jean de Renesse, the greater part of the Flemings, without quitting their ranks, confessed as they could to the monks and clergy who were with the army. A priest held aloft the holy Viaticum and gave the general benediction. At this solemn moment, all the soldiers kneeling in religious silence, took up a handful of earth and pressed it to their lips, in token of their desire to share in the Holy Communion, and of their devotion to the sacred cause of their country.

The Flemish chiefs caused also a proclamation to be made throughout the army, prohibiting any man from plundering or making a single prisoner, adding that whoever disregarded this order would be put to death after the battle. Then, in order still more to stimulate the courage of their troops, Guy of Namur and William of Juliers created several knights in front of the army, at the head of whom were Pierre de Coninck and his two sons, and Jean Breydel, who were also granted the privilege of commanding other knights, a right which they did not possess before. The Generals then rode through the ranks to see that all their orders had been obeyed, and the standard of St. George being displayed they dismounted, and sending back their horses into the city, each took his lance and stationed himself beneath his own banner, there, at the head of their men, to conquer or fall.

U. S. MAG., No. 198, MAY, 1845.

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In the mean time the Count d'Artois and the other French leaders rode forth to reconnoitre the position and strength of the Flemish army, which they found strongly intrenched behind the stream of Groeninghe, with a body of archers and slingers thrown out in front, where they were protected by another stream called the Neerlander.

The Sires de Barlas, de Piémont, and de Mantone, old and experienced warriors, and themselves leading bands of archers, sought out the Constable and thus addressed him: "For the love of God, Sire," they said, "allow us to begin the fight, without exposing the flower of the chivalry of the whole world to this rude mass of Flemings, who are a set of desperate men, possessing no knowledge of warfare. We know their customs well; they have quitted Courtrai, and encamped themselves here to fight without danger or to fly, leaving their miserable baggage and provisions in the city. Remain here with your heavy cavalry in battlearray, and with our light horsemen who understand skirmishing and charging, and our archers and infantry who are very numerous, we will cut them off on the side of the town, attack them simultaneously in several places, and give them work for the greater part of the day in a multitude of slight skirmishes. The Flemings are in the habit of eating and drinking all day, they will want a good many provisions; if we can prevent them from obtaining any, it is impossible they can hold out, and they will abandon the field. As soon as you are informed of their retreat fall on them with your heavy cavalry, and you will gain an easy victory without exposing any one."

The Constable, Raoul de Nesle, approved highly of this sensible advice, but the Count d'Artois, in the pride of his heart, would not listen to a word. It fared ill with him in consequence.

It was now seven in the morning, and the French had drawn within two bow-shots of the enemy, on the edge of the marsh. The Count d'Artois gave the signal for attack. The foremost knights who thought to clear the brook, plunged into the mire up to their horses' shoulders, and were slain by the Flemish archers without the possibility of making any resistance.

The Constable saw the danger of attempting to force a passage on this side, and earnestly prayed the Comte d'Artois to withdraw and combine a different mode of attack, but his advice only served to exasperate the impetuous Prince, who, furious with rage, exclaimed: "By the Holy Trinity, this is true Lombard counsel; are you afraid of these wolves, Constable, or have you by chance fingered their skins?" meaning by the latter question to imply that the Constable favoured the Flemings because his daughter Adela was married to William of Termonde, the second son of Count Guy. "Sire," answered the Constable, full of passion, "if you will follow me into the thick of the enemy, I will lead you so far that you will never come back." Several other nobles who had noticed the difficulty of the passage, now added their entreaties to those of the Constable, but he would listen to no one, and gave orders for its being forced, which was not effected without heavy loss.

In the mean time the cross-bowmen advanced and found the means of passing the first stream in another place; covering the cavalry, they spread themselves over the plain, where the Sire Jean de Barlas, who commanded them, drew them up in close order. The Flemish archers retired before this body, steadily though not without loss, and the cross

bowmen, flushed with success, casting aside their bows, drew their swords, and covering themselves with their shields, pursued them to the brink of the stream of Groeninghe, which formed the second and last intrenchment of the Flemish army. They were even preparing to cross the stream when the Sire de Valepaïele, riding up to the Comte d'Artois, cried out, "Sire, these 'vilains' are doing so much that they will bear away the honour of the day; if they are to be allowed to win the battle, what have the nobles come here to do?" "Well then," replied the Prince, "let us to the attack!"

The French chivalry had in the first instance been divided into ten bodies; but when their leaders saw that the Flemings were drawn up in one line only, it was reduced to three, one of which was left under the command of the Comte de St. Pol to act as a reserve. At the signal given by the Comte d'Artois, the two other bodies set spurs to their horses and galloped across the plain, without giving their own infantry time to open out to admit of their charge; the consequence was that the latter were thrown into inextricable confusion, and, unable to advance or retire, perished in great numbers by the ill-timed valour of their own friends. Nor did the chivalry accomplish its object of forcing the stream; its deep, miry banks, effectually checked the progress of the heavy destriers, who floundered and sank in the soil, and it was only when a bridge had been formed of their bodies and those of their riders that a few were enabled to struggle across, and when they did so, it was but to fall before the long, heavy lances of the firm-set Flemish battalions.

Another omen at this moment infused fresh courage into the army of Guy of Namur, it was the sudden apparition of a large sea-gull floating above the French troops; transported with joy at the sight, Count Guy exclaimed, " For all the lands I am worth, I would not that that bird had flown over our heads. Now, my friends, victory is certain." The brave discover resources in every accident.

Still the charge was sustained; the number of knights who crossed the stream was greatly augmented, and the fury of the assailants increased at the sight of their brothers in arms who had fallen. William of Juliers had hitherto borne up against the impetuous shock, but his position became critical, for Godfrey of Brabant, who led on the French host, charged so violently that he overthrew both William and his standard-bearer. They recovered themselves, however, and returned so desperately to the fight, that Godfrey was unhorsed and slain on the spot. The Brugeois who were at the inner extremity of the Flemish line bore the attack less firmly than the soldiers of Count William, and began to waver, but Jean de Renesse, who commanded them, detaching a part of the reserve, came to their support and attacked the French in flank, with loud cries of "Vlaenderen den Leeuw." The two lords of Nesle were killed, though the Flemings would willingly have saved the Constable's life, and Jean Borluut called out to him to surrender, but this brave knight, indignant at the Count d'Artois' suspicions, was resolved not to survive the bloody day, and with shivered sword and cloven helm he fell amid a heap of slain.

Few, however, experienced any show of forbearance, and many noble princes and valiant knights demanded quarter in vain; the terrible Goeden dag, as it crushed their prostrate forms, was the only answer to their cries for mercy; none whom this formidable weapon could reach

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