fchifm in the church afflicted him greatly, as he often expreffed himfelf to me, who lived with him on the moft intimate and friendly footing. And notwithftanding that I have feen and perfonaHy known upwards of two hundred powerful princes in my various travels, I have never found any more courteous and amiable than this duke of Brabant* and my very good lord the count Guy de Blois, who. commanded me to indite this chronicle. Thefe were the two princes of my time, of the greateft liberality, humility and goodnefs, who lived magni-ficently on their revenues, without malice or any way opprefling their fubjects by taxes, andiffuing any hurtful edicts through their territories. But I will now return to the principal fubject of this chapter. When the dukes of Juliers and Gueldres^ who were brothers by marriage, and whofe hearts were too much attached to the Englifh ; for they had long been the allies of the kings of England, and ftrongly united to each other, heard of the dignities conferred by the emperor on the duke of Brabant, they were much exafperated ; not from any wifh to do good or correct the wicked, but that fuch honours fhould be conferred on their enemy: more particularly that he fhould have the appoint-ment of Languefride, and execute the office with feverity, for it affected their lands. This institution had been firft formed for the feeurity of thtfe mer-chants of Hainault, Brabant, France, Elandersand Liege, who travelled thence to Cologne, Treves, Lucca, Confiance, and other cities and fairs in Germany. Merchants could not enter thofe coun-tries, 64