went abroad alone, for when He quitted his bouffe he was furiounded by two or three hundred white hoods, and never went down the town but in cafes of *bfol ucc neceflity. He always made himfelf be much entreated before hç would give any advice on events which happened, at horn* or abroad, againft the privileges of the town. Whenever he did give advice or harangue the .people, he fpoke fo well, and with fo much art, that his auditors were highly pleafed with his lan-guage: they commonly were unanimous in be-lieving all he fpoke as truth. John Lyon, with much art, thus harangued : * I do not (ay that we fhould any way weaken or diminish the inheritance of my lord of Flanders § for, if we wifhed. it, we are not able to do it : reafon and juftice forbid k. I am, therefore, of opinion, that we fhould be cautious how by any event we may incur his difpleafure ; for every fub-jed ought to be on good terms with hi* lord. The earl of Flanders Is our good lord, ijujcb feared and renowned : he has always maintained us in fuU peace and profperity, which we fhould ever ac-knowledge, and endure the more (as we are bounden to do) than if he had haraffed us, ' and made it difficult for us to keep our own. - True it is, that at this prefent moment, he is wickedly ad-vifed againft us and the franchifes of the good town of Ghent : that we of Ghent are no more in his good graces is apparent by the diggers (he re-fiding in Bruges), who came to break in on our inheritance, and carry away our river, by which • ' ' meafure