• 164 The commifiarics from the earl replied, 'they had well revenged themfelves/ f Oh no,' an-fwered the magistrates : c we do not fay that what John Pruniaux has done at Oudenarde was by way of revenge? for we can clearly prove by the treaty of peace, if we choofe, and we appeal to the tefti-mony of the duke of Burgundy, that Oudenarde was to have been difmantled by* us, or put in the ftate it is now in : but, at the entreaty of the duke, we did not then infift upon it/ The commiffaries replied j * It appears then, by what you have faid, that you ordered it to be done, and you cannot now excufe yourfelves from this charge : fince you knew that John Pruniaux was gone to Oudenarde, (whither he had marched with a large army, and had furprifed it under ibadow of the peace,) and that he was deftroying the fortifi-cations" and throwing the walls into the ditch, you ought to have gone thither and forbidden him to commit fuch outrages, until you fhould have laid your complaints before the earl. Of the wounding* and ^faulting your citizens, you (hould have qfl-dreffed yourfelves to the duke of Burgundy, who had made the peace, and remonftrated with him on the bufinefs. By this means, your quarrels would have been made up -,. but you have not done fo. My lord of Flanders therefore informs you, that fince you have thus contemptuoufly behaved your-felves towards him, and then petition him with fwords in your hands, he will one day take fuch cruel revenge on you that all the world fhall ever afterwards fpeak of it/ • /'They