• Tieged at this moment, do not be * caft down ; fof God knows, and all the principal towns, that you have juftice on your fide in this war, which muft jmake your labours more effective.* Thus did the citizens of iJegç write to thofe of Ghent, in ordçr •to coqifort them. *': The earl of Flanders had inyefted Ghent on the fides towards Bruges and Courtray r but on thofe •.towards Bruflels and les Quatre Meftiers*, he •could not, on account of the Scheld and Lys* I map. therefore fay, every thing confiçfered, that •Ghent is one of the ftrongeft places in the world ; it would be «cceffary to have two hundred thou-fand men, if any one wiflied to block up all the paifes : bef des, the "armies ought to be near the xivera, or, m time, of need, they would not be able to co-operate with each other j for Ghent is very populous* 'andftdlof determined men. They found, on nurrtber»g the inhabitants at this qme, they had eighty thoufand men, all fitfor hearing arms, under fixty and above fifteen, years. • \tëhen: tfoe earl had been before Ghent about a CQonth,.and his men under the lord d'Anghien, • le Ha^e his fon, with the young fénéfchal of Hainauk, had hii various flrirmifhes with thofe of Ghent, in wkich foUnetimes they woo* and at others loft, asln fuch cafe^iwill happen, he was advifed to fend the i,.,,,-,.,,,,:, , ..» ,%t , „ , f,.».^t t,.,,P ,. it ,) fe'.„»,;•„„ • T|e tefntpry compre4epte4 ajodef" tà# name pf JLejQpê|Çf Meftiers, was fopnerfy fubjedl to the bi&cjp of Utrecht, and con-tained'thirty, villages. Hplfe,.|Axèle^ Bqcholle and A/Tenedc àre'thè f&fc piSuaptf ttfrn* : the f#olâttire* not tnclofed with' y^s^Mli^J\M^ u ' c: • :\. ••; :* . 2S4