The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-01-17

|
Prudence oompels my retreat, Messire Lee
bra. shall 60, whatever you may think at
to say of me hereafter for you are now too
much excited to be capable of rejecting on all
the circumstances of our position. Rage has
bereft you Of your reason"
Sand you are benumbed and paralysed by
cowardioe r. retorted Pierre Lsbrnn. do as
You will to show you that am % prudent as
yourself, I shali march with my division to
| oover and assist tho retreat"
He then took q troop Of two Thousand foot
soldiers and fastened with them to the field
Of battle The number of the French was now
SO much reduced, and there we're SO many gaps
in their line, that the Flemipgs were enabled
to assail them at the same time in front and
in resr. The golden knight observed at once
Lebrun's movement and its intention he saw
clearly that st. Pol was about to make his
escape with the baggage, and he sprang TO the
side of Guy to inform him of this plan of the
enemy. A few moments after several Flemish
bands dispersed themselves over the plain.
Messire John Borluut, with the men of Client,
hurried along the wall of the city and fell on
Lebrun's flank while the butchers, with their
Dean, Jan Breydel, made detour round the
castle Of Nedermosschere, and fell on the rear
of the French camp.
st. Polls soldiers had not reokoned on fight
ing they were busted in packing together q
crowd of precious things, when the axes of tho
butchers, with death in their train, took them
by surprise. st. Pol, being well mounted, made
good his escape, without bestowing further
thought on the fate of his troops Soon the
camp was won, and in few moments not o
Freedman remained alive within it; while
fha 80 n"&S,o
and silver goblets. and of the countless trea-
sures which the French had brought with
them.
On the field of battle the conflict had not
yet ceased; about Thousand horsemen still
persisted in their defence; they had resolved
to sell their lives as dearly as possible Among
them were more than hundred noble knights,
who had vowed not to survive this defeat and
so fought on with a calm and despairing cour-
age: But ut length they were driven on to-
wards the walls of the city into the Bitter
marsh, and their steeds sank into the treacher-
ons banks of the Ronduite brook. The knights
could no longer manage or assist their horses,
80 they sprang upon the ground, ranged them
selves in circle, and continued the fight with
desperate energy. Many of them were how
ever, stifed in the Bitter marsh, which soon
became o lake of blood, wherein were seen
heads, and arms, and legs of slain warriors
mingled with helmets and broken swords, and
which has preserved a memorial Of this dismal
| tragedy in its presents name, "The Bloody
Marsh.n
When some LiIyards, Among whom were
John van Gstel, and q number Of the men of
| Brabant, saw that escape WAS impossible, they
| mingled with the Flemings, and shouted,
"Flandersi the Lion Hail, hail Flanders r.
| They thought thus to elude tho notice of
| their oountrymen but . cothworkeg rushed
from she throug towards John van Gistel aud
struck him . blow on the head which crushed
| his skull into fragments, muttering the while.
Did not my father tell you, traitor, that
You would not die In your bed ~ s- @
The others wereeoon recognized by the make
Of their weapons, and hewn down or pierced
without pity, as traitors and recreants.
The young Guy felt profound pity for The
ramsining knights who maintained so brave
and obstinate a defence, and called to them to
surrender, assuring them that their lives
should be spared. Convinced that neither
courage nor intrepidity could avail them, they
yielded, and were dissrmed and given into the
custody of John Borluut. The most illustrious
of these noble captives was Thibaud H., sub
sequentIy Duke of Lorraine; the remainder
were ali of noble race, and famed as valiant
knights; their number was about sixty. as
| And now there remained on the field not a
sipgle enemy to be vanQuished only here and
thore in the distance were seen q few fugitives
Fastening to secure safe retreat. The FTem-
ings, amazed that their fighting was over, and
maddened with rage and excitement, rushed
in crowds in puEAuit of these lhapless French
men; near the Plague hospital at st. Mary
Magdalen. they overlook q company of st.
Polls troops, and put every man to DEATH a
little further on they found Messire William
van Mossohere, the Lilyard, who had fled from,
the field with few followers. Seeing himself
surrounded, he fell on his knees and begged
for mercy, pledging himselfto serve Robert de
| Bethune as loyal vassalI But no one listened
to him; the axes of the butchers ended his
pleadings and bis/1ife. And thus passed the
rest of she day until within reach of the
| Flemings no,Frenchman, nor ally or friend of