cheerfully fcrve them at their expenfe, and to thdr ruin j that they were not to place any dépendance on him, for he would always be their enemy, and oppofc them in every inftatice ; that he would not hold any thing of them, but from his lord the cad of Flanders, to whom he owed fervice and obe-dience. This lord kept well the promifc he had made them s for he waged a mortal war againft Ghent, and did them many injuries. He reinforced the caftle with men and ftores, by which means thofe in Ghent were much annoyed. On the other hand, the lord d'Anghien, whofe name was Walter, though a young fquire, but well inclined, did them much mifchief. The war was •thus fharply carried on during the whole feafon, The Ghent men dared not venture out of their town but in large troops ; for whenever they met their enemies, if in fuperior numbers, they wçrç all /lain without mercyf Thus was the war embittered between the earl of Flanders and Ghent, which afterwards coft a hun-dred thoufad lives twice told ; and with great dit* ficulty could any end be put to it and peace re-cftabliftied, for the leaders in Ghent knew they had done fuch evil deeds againft the earl of Flanders and the duke of Burgundy that they were per-fuaded no treaty could be made or fworn to, what-ever the outward appearance of it might be, but that their lives would be facrificed. This made them firm in their refolutions, and refolved to keep up the divifion and war againft the 172