moht tnd Coiirtray i but thofe df Bruges atfd Yprcs were irrefolute. They had dtfagrced with the handicraft trades, declaring it would be a great folly to go fo far to lay fiege to Lille ; for the earl, their lord, might form an alliance with the king of • France, as he had formerly done, and receive froth • him much affiftanCe. 1 " • Thefc doubts kept the principal towns of Flan-ders at this rime from entering into* the war, fo that no fiege was formed. To prevent the eari from entering into any treaty with his fon-in-law the duke of Burgundy, they fent ambaflkdors, with moft amicable letters, to the king of France, to fup-plicate him, for the love of God, not to take any part to their difadvantagè 3 for their only wifh was love, peace, obedience and fervice } and that their lord had very wrongfully and wickedly oppreffed and haraffed them : that what they were now doing was only for the prefervation of their franchifes, which their lord wanted to deftroy. The king was fomewhat inclined in their favour, though he fhewed not any appearance of it in pub-lic. The duke of Anjou, his brother, did the fame j for, although the earl of Flanders was their coufin, he was not in their good graces, on account of having entertained the duke of Brittany for a long time much againft their wills. They therefore troubled not themfelves about his affairs : neither did, pope Clement, who faid, that God had fent him this rod becaufe he was his enemy and would riot acknowledge him as pope. • CHAP. 174 .