The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1874-12-20

| to the mobiles who still remained loyal to their
| fatherland and at the same time he sent direc-
| tions to William van Gulick and John van |
Renesse to fall back on Courtrai.
The alarming tidings were spread in few |
| moments over the whele city. As the rnmor |
diffused itself, the number of the enemy was |
| exaggerated in wonderful manner, and now |
| the French host was moro than one hundred
Thousand strong. One may imagine with what
terror and grief the sorrowful intelligence
struck the women and children. In every
street were weeping mothers embracing their
| terrified daughters with loving compassion.
| The children began to cry because they saw
their mothers weep and tremble, and without
any notion of the danger that threatened them.
Their agonized sobs, and the expression of
mortal terror their countenances contrasted
singularly with the lofty and impatient bear
ing of the men.
From all sides hastened the guildsmen to the
| place of rendezvous; the clstter of tie iron
plates, with which many were covered, min.
gled, like jocnnd song, with the wailiug cries
Of the women and children. Whenever party
of men met in the street, they halted moment
to exchange q few words, and kindle each
others courage to the Fl ght for victory or death
Here and there might be seen a father at the
door of his house, embracing one by one his
children and their mother; then dashing the
tears from his eyes, and disappearing like an
arrow in the direction of the Friday Market
place aud the mother would linger on the
, threshold of the house, gazing on the corner
round which the father of her children had
vanished. That farewell seemed to her sep
araton for ever; tears rolled down from be-
meath her eyelids,-s pressed her children to
! her throbbing breast, and turned back despair
ingly into her home.
Already the guildsmen stood in long files in
the market-place. Breydel had kept his prom
Use; he counted amongst his men twelve thou
sand guildsmen of all crafts. The axes of the
butchers glittered like mirrors in the sunshine
. and dazzled the beholder with their broad an6
fiery fashngs. Over the heads of the cloth
workers arose two thousand "good. days." will
> keen iron heads, and one division of them car
ried crossb bows. Gay standing in th
=. e. middle of the square, surrounded by q retinu
:. of about twenty knights; he was awaiting tn
:. return of the remaining craftsmen, who ha'
"a been dispatched into the city to collect wagor
:, and herses. A clothworker whom Deconinc
had sent to the great bell.tower, advance
l., into the market place at this moment with tn
great standard of Bruges. No sooner had tn
guildsmen caught sight of the Blue Lion tina
they raised q dea1enlnS ShOuG OF JOY, ana eve
he anew was repeated the war-cry which ha
oi given the signal of vengeance that nigt
'h of blood:
~ "Flanders and the Lion all that is Frenc
VI is false"
'ie And then they brandished their weapons,
though already in the presence of the foe.
ec When all that was necessary had been di
~ posed in the wagons, the bugles gave for
NO their shriI tones, and the men of Bruges le
TO their city, with waving banners, by the ga
sA of Ghent. The women were now left witho
0A' any protection their distress was greater th
ever; they saw nothing before them but m
ins cry and death. In the afternoon, Matilda il
uiu W the city with all her maidens and attendant
i'n this hasty departure led many to imagine tt
pon they would find more secure retreat in Co
AAn trai. They hastily gathered together a f
DC" necessaries, shut up their houses, and follow
on' in the steps of their husbands through the q
ouE of Ghent. Numberless families in I
'es' manner with bleeding feet the whole dstal
niie from Bruges to Courtrai, and watered W
hot their bitter tears the grass which skirted
oy way; while in Bruges reigned q Stiffness
'teo of the grave.
an
um- CHATTER Az