The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-01-24

his troops any repose, he marched to Lille.
thence he s proceedsd to Douay. which be cap.
tured, taking the garrison prisoners; and Cas-
sol yielded after o very brief resistance. After
taking some other garrisons of lesser note, he
was obliged to return for not an enemy re-
manned on the soil of Flanders; and 40 he
deemed small band of picked soldiers sufH-
cient for all imposes Of defence, he disbanded
The land was still and at rest; trade and
commerce fourished with renewed vigor; the
wasted fields were sown with better hope of q
Flanders bad acquired new life and new
strength. Men thought with reason that ths
lesson France had received was sufficient.
sire to renew the strife; but the reproaches
| which burst from all France, the lamentations
of the knights whose brothers had fallen at
Courtrai, and, above all, the instigations Of
Joanna, who thirsted for revenge compelled
him at length to declare war. He collected
force of eighty Thousand men, amongst whom
| were twenty Thousand cavalry; but 1t was far
inferior to the former army, inasmuch as 1t
consisted chiefly of mercenaries or OF recruits
levied by force. The command was intrusted
to Louis, King of Navarro; he was instructed,
Douay and other French frontier towns from
the Flemings; and with this commission, he
pitched his camp on a plain near Vitry, few
miles from Douay. &c.
No sooner did the Flemings hear that fresh
army was being assembled in France than the
cry ITO arms p resounded through the length
an enthusiasm known from every village the
Inhabitants poured forth with weapons of all
! kinds on they came singing and shouting in
such numbers, that John Of Namur was obliged
to send many of them back to their abodes,
fearing that it would be impossible to provide
for SO enormous host. Those who had for
merly been Lifyards fonged now to wipe out
the stain, and implored, with tears in their
eyes, to be allowed part in the CONFLICT, and
this was readily granted them. Besides John
of Namur, most of the knights who had shared
Al, r<w11 c~f
Guy, William van 0uliok, John van Renesse,
John Borluut, Peter Deconinck. Jan Breydel,
and many Others, were amongst them. Adolf
| van Nieuwland had not yet recovered from his
wounds, and could not therefore accompany
them.
The Flemings marched against the enemy in
two divisions, and at first took up a position
about three leagues from the French camp;
but they soon advanced to the Scarpe a small
| river Fines. The Flemings daily chal-
lenged the French but as the generals on both
passed on without any result. The cause of
| this pacific attitude was, that John of Namur
had sent ambassadors to France to treat with
! the king for the liberation of the old Count
and of Robert, and to conclude, if possible, n
treaty of peace. But the French court could
| not agree on the terms to be proposed or &C.
copied, and the answer was unfavorable.
The Flenings meanwhile began to murmur,
and lopged to fall on the French, in spite of
the prohibition of their general; and the dis
content became at last SO alarming, that John
Stoooo
and attack the enemy. A bride of five boats
was thrown across the stream and the Flemish
army passed over, singing and shouting with
but an ambiguous message from France Kept
them still for some days longer on the further
side Of the river. At length the army would
be no longer restrained, and the murmurs
threatened to become serious. Everything
was ready for tho attack, and the army was
put in motion when the French, not daring 10
meet II; hastily broke up their camp, and re-
selves in pursuit, and slew . great number of
them; they possessed Themselves besides of
the castle of Harne. where the King of Navarro
had taken up his quarters. Their stores, tents,
and everything the French army had brought
with them, fell into the hands of the FIemings
and after few insignificant skirmishes, the
French were driven back into France over
whelned with dsgrace.
When the Flemish generals saw that no
enemy remained in the open field, they dis
banded part of their force, and retained only
as many soldiers as were necessary to keep the
French frontier garrison in check, and TO pre-
vent their plundering expeditions.
For a long time there were occasional battles
and enterprises of lesser Importance and of
various succsss. At length Philip collected q
third army to avenge the defeat of Courtrai.
The command was given to Walter de Chatil-
Ion, and he was instructed, on his arrival in
Flanders, to take with him all the troops in
garrison the frontier, which would make
his army far more than one hundred Thousand
strong
Philip, one of the sons of the old Count of
Flanders, had inherited the territories of
Tye:ta and Loretto in Italy. As soon as he
heard of the French levi, he fastened to
Flanders with his troops, and was appointed
by his brothers to the chief command of the
army He assembled about fifty thousand
men, and marched on St. Omer to await the
French assault.
The two armies soon met; for two days
there were only come lesser actions, in one of
which, no viewer, Peter de Contrenel, one of the
French generals, fell, with his sons and many
of his Eoldiers. Walter dared not stake all on
q decisive battle; In the night he decamped,
and marched on Utrecht; and this 30 quietly,
that the Flemings knew nothing of his de-
parture, until they opened their eyes with as
tonishment in the morning on vacant en-;
French towns, and the army returned laden
with spoil
The King of France saw at length that it
was impossible to subjugate Flanders by force
of arms, and sent Amadeus of Savoy to Philip
| with proposals of peace. The children of the
captive Count were eager for the liberation of
| their father and brother, and inclined gladly
to peace; they therefore smoothed all difficult