The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-11-22
teornlng Star ard Catholic Messenger.


HaW oRLFANs sTTN DAY now MBER % 's74
feeling of consolation remained behind in heI
heart. Deconinck and Breydel executed Their
lords commands with carefulness and speed /; a
female attendant and fresh clothing were pro.
in the camp at Damme with the fugitiyes OF
Bruges.
CHAPTER XIV.
During the week which succeeded to the
events last narrated, more than three Thousand
citizens left Bruges, AID betook themselves
either to Deconinck's camp at Ardenburg, or
to Damme, where the Dean of the Butchers
was in command. The French garrison. mean
while, increasing in confidence and security as
the able bodied men left the city, abandoned
themselves TO every species of license, and
treated those of the inha btants that remained
as though they had been their very slaves
Nevertheless there were only too many at
Bruges who so far from taking umbsags at
the presence of the Foreigners, consorted with
them in all cheer fulness, as if they had been
their very brethren. But these were such as
had denied their country, and sought by their
cowardice to curry favor with the stranger;
they were even proud of their by-name of
Lilyards, as if 1t had been q title of honor.
The rest were indeed Edwards, true sons of
Flanders, who hated the yoke, and were long
ing for the time " hen they could cast it off;
but the worldly goods which they had earned
to themselves by the sweat of their brows were
too dear to their hearts to be abandoned to the
discretion of foreign marauders.
It was these Edwards, and the wives and
children of the fugitives, who were made to
"a fba han oka tt,ac al IF
an insolent foe. Having nothing now to check
them in the qualification of their cowardly re-
venge the invaders tyrannised and plundered
without mercy or moderation they carried off
by force the goods out of the shops, and paid
for them with insults or blows. Irritated with
this oppression, the citizens with one accord
ceased to expose their goods for sale, and the
French could no longer procure provisions
even for ready money. Not loaf of bread,
not piece of meat, was to be had; all were
hidden away, out of the way of the enemy's
search Before four days were over, the garri-
son was in such distress for food, that foraging
parties were, sent to soonr the neighboring
country in quest of supplies. Luckily for
them, the deficiency was in part provided for
by the care of their Lilyard friends but not
withdrawing their assistance, grievous
scarcity regned within their gates ALI the
houses of the Edwards were shut up, all bust
ness of sale and purchase was ut an end ; the
whole city seemed asleep, with the exception
of the cowardly Lilyards and the violent and
restless soldiers. The working people, being
deprived of all employment, could no longer
pay their assessments, and were obliged to Turk
about in order to conceal themselves from Van
Gisteps perquisitions On Saturdays, when
tax gatherers went round for the silver penny,
they found no one at home it was as if all the
people of Bruges had abandoned their city.
Many of the guildsmen made representatio
to Van Gistel that, inasmuch as they were
earning nothing, they were unable to pay the
dues; but the unnatural Fleming turned deaf
ear to all remonstrance, and proceeded to levy
the arrears by force. A great number of the
citizens were then cast into prison some-for
resisting, or for making public complaint
were even put to death.
Messire de Mortenay, the French governor of
tho city and commander of the garrison, more
merciful than the Flemish tax gatherer, when
he perceived the extremity to which the peo-
pie were reduced, would gladly have diminish
ed the burden which pressed so heavily upon
them and with this view sent an account of
the alarming and distressing state Of things to
his superior, De Chatillon, then at Courtray,
requesting his authority for the abolition of the
obnoxious tax. Van Gistel, however, we'll
aware that his countrymen cried shame upon
him an apostate, and, like every apostate,
hating those whom he had betrayed, seized
the opportunity to urge De Chatillon to in
creased severity. He painted the rebel
lious spirit of the men of Burgess in the black
est colors, and called loudly for chastisement
on their headstrong obstiracy representing
that their alleged inability to procure en-
ployment was mere preteuce, and that they
wilfully abstsined from work in order that
they might have a plausible pretext for re-
fusing payment of the tax.
De Chatillon's wrath at this intelligence ex-
ceeded all bounds. Every thing he had done
for carrying out the kings commands seemed
to have been without result; the Flemish peo-
pie were unsubdued, and to all appearance still