Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-07-19
MIFFLINToWN PENNA WEDNESDAY.
Warfare In ChivaIrous Times.
One instance of promiscuous slaugh

One instance of promiscuous slaughter
Is remarkable for the high esteem to
which 1t sometimes raised its chief per
petrator. In the famous war between
the citizens Of Ghent and the earl OF
Flanders there was no worse episode
than when the lord of d'Anghien took
the town of Grammont by storm one
fine Sunday in Jure, and showed no
mercy to man, woman or child. Num-
bers of old people and women were
burned in their beds, and the town.
being set ON fire in more than 200 places,
was reduced to ashes, even the churches
included. Fair son." said the earl OF
Flanders, greeting his returning rela-
tive, "you are a valiant warrior, and, If
it rleases God, will he a gallant one;
you have made handsome beginning
History cannot but rejoice that the
young dukes first feat of arms was also
his last, and that. not many days later,
he lost his life in skirmish. OF course,
all persons found within town taken
by assault were by the rules of war liable,
and all the male adults likely, to be
killed. Only by timely surrender
could the besieged cherish any hope
for their lives or fortunes; and even the
offer of surrender might be refused,
and an unconditional submission be in
sisted on instead. There is no darker
blot on the character of Edward Ill.
than the savage disposition he displayed
when, with respect to the brave defend :
ers of Calais, he WIS only restrained from
exercising his strict war-risht Of putting
them to death by the representations
made to him of the danger he might i'll
cur Of an equally sanguinary retaliation
in the future. There WAS i'll general a
strong feeling against making ladies'
prisoners Of war; nor could the French
ever forgive our countrymen for allow
ing the soldiers Of the Black Prince to
take prisoner the duchess Of Bourbon,
mother to the king, aud to obtain ran
som for her release. To the French ap-
pears to have been due whatever adj
vance WIS made III the more humane
treatment of prisoners. Both the
Spaniards aid Germans were wont to
fasten their prisoners with iron chains;
but of the French FroisSart says ex-
pressly: They neither imprisoned
their captivcs nor put on them shackles
and fetters, as the Germans do III order
to obtain a better ransom-curses ON
them for it. They are without pity or
honor, and ough never to receive any
quarter. The French entertained their
prisoners well and ransomed them cour-
teously. without being too hard with
them" In this spirit Bertrand du
Guesclin let his English prisoners go at
large on their parole for their ransom, a
generosity toward their foes which the
English on no occasion knew how to
requte. Froissart gives one striking
illustration of the greater barbarity of
the Spaniaris toward their prisoners,
which should not be forgotten in en-
deavoring to form general estimat, of
the character of the military type of
life in the palmiest days of chivalry. In
a war between CASTLE and Portugal,
whenever the Castilians took any priso-
ners. they tore out their eyes, tore of
their arms and legs. andin such plight
sent them back to Lisbon. 1t speaks
highly for the conduct of the LisbOners
that they did not retaliate such treat
ment, but allowed their prisoners every
comfort they could expect in their cir
cumstances.