fuppofed the king would, the enfuing fummer, return before that town with a very powerful army. Peter du Bois and thofe of hi* party were unwilling to believe it, adding, they fhould be very glad to fee the king come thither, for they had formed fuch ftrong alliances with the king of England as to be certain of afMance. At this time, there were in Ghent two valiant men, of good life and converfation, of moderate birth and fortune, neither of the higheft nor of the richeft, who were very much vexM at this war againft its natural lord the duke of Burgundy f but were afraid openly to declare their fenti-ments^ from the examples which had been made by Peter du Bois. One of them was a mariner ; the other the moft confiderable butcher in the market, called James d'Ardembourg. By thefe two men was the bufinefs first brought about. In addition to them, I muft . include a worthy knight of Flanders, named fir John d'Elle, a prudent, intelligent man, who interefted himfelf much in this affair ; but, if it had not been through the means of the two aforementioned perfons, he would not have Interfered in it fo happily ; nor, as it may eafily be believed, could all the knights of Flanders have succeeded. 1 This fir John d'Elle was much beloved by many in the town of Ghent, and he went in and out at his pleafure ' without being fufpected by .any one. At the beginning he was afraid of talking either about war.or peace ; nor would he have ever done fo, if it had not been previoufly mentioned by Roger de Cremin and James d'Ar-G 3 * dembourg, 85