it with fcaling ladders : there never can be fo good an opportunity as the prefent, for neither the go* vernor nor the men at arnjs ^re in it, but with the king of France near St. Omer, and they have , not the leaft fear or fufpicions of auy one/ Peter du Bois inftautly ^ffented to the propo-fal, and faid ; ' Francis, if you fucceed in. this . expedition, no man will ever have behaved bet-ter, and every one will praife you for fo gallant an action/ cIdp not know,' replied he,.* how it may turn out, but my courage does not fail me, and my heart tells me thatthis night I {hall gain Oudenarde/ • ' Francis Atremen then chofe four hundred men in whom he had the greateft confidence, and, tor wards night-fall, fet out on his road to Oudenarde. It was in the month of September, when the nights are tolerably long, arçd fuch beautiful weather that it was a pleafure to be out in it. About midnight they arrived in the meads of Oudenarde, having ladders with them. As they were traversing the jnarfiies, there was a poor woman gathering gra& for her cb tos, who, hiding herfelf, heard their con-. verfation, and knew from it that they were Ghent men going to furprife the town, for she faw them .carrying ladders.. She was at firft much frightenr ed, but recovering courage, faid to herfelf, that ihe would haften to the town and inform the guard of what fhe had heard and feen. She made for the town by a fhort path fhe was acquainted with, and arrived afthe ditches before the Ghent pen, when fhe began to jnoan and complain, fo ••.iië