The citizens of Ghent looked on this aft as a perforai injury done to them: when complaints of it were, brought before the magiftrates, they were much enraged, and knew not what to fay. Thcçe were great murmurings throughout the town; and the majority of the inhabitants faid the carl of Flanders had done it, fo that fcarcely any one that was a rcfpcftable charaftcr could offer any thing in his defence. The inftant John Pruniaux, who was at the time the principal leader and matter of the white hoods, heard this news, without faying a word to the ma-giftrates of the town, (I know not if he mentioned his plan to the other captains, his companions, but I fhould fuppofe he did,) affembled the greater part y of the white hoods, and others equally inclined to ,do evil, and marched out of Ghent, taking the road to Oudenarde. - When he came thither there was not any guard nor centinel, for they fufpeftcd nothing; he fcized the gate, and-entered the town with his men, who amounted to more than fiye thoufand. When morning came, he fet labourers to work, with car-penters and mafons whom he had brought with him i and they never ceafed working until they had deftroyed the two gates, the towers and the walls, which they flung into the ditch on the fide towards Ghent. . ' Now, how could thofe excufe themfelves who had confentcd to this wickedv deed ? for they re-mained in Oudenarde upwards of a month, dc- " ftroying the gates and walls. If they h^d remanded their 162