visitors soundly for their presumptuous haggling, declaring that as to the fiefs and arriere-fiefs he would see to it that no double burdens were borne.

“And when you shall have determined to accord my request,—­which you will assuredly do (and I do not mean to burden you further unless I am forced to it),—­send some of your deputies after me to Lille or St. Omer, and there, with my chancellor and my council, I will determine the apportionment and we will speak also of other matters touching my province of Flanders.”

It was this vehement oratory—­and this vehemence was repeated on many occasions—­that did more to alienate Charles from his hereditary subjects than his actual demands.  There is little doubt that his period of residence in their midst brought with it hatred rather than liking.  No political error of his serves to explain the Flemish attitude towards the duke as does his method of address, the gratuitous contempt displayed towards burghers whose purses were needed for his game.  The aide was granted, indeed, but it was levied with sullen reluctance.

What cause Charles had to make his preparations, what were the proceedings of the English exiles may be seen from the following letters to his mother and to the town of Ypres.  The first is probably in answer to her questionings; the second is a specimen of the epistles showered upon the border towns.

    “TO MY VERY REDOUBTABLE LADY AND MOTHER,

    MADAME THE DUCHESS, AT AIRE: 

“May it please you to know that in regard to what the Sgr. de Crevecoeur has written you about the king’s proclamations that he intends to maintain his treaties and promises to me, etc., and has no desire to sustain the Earl of Warwick, and wishes my subjects to be reimbursed for the damages inflicted by him and his, assuredly, my Lady and Mother, the contrary has been and is well known before the said publications and after.  The Earl of Warwick is my foe and could not, according to the treaty existing between the king and me, be received in Normandy or elsewhere in the realm ... [complaints about the procedure have been sent to king and parliament and councillors, without redress, etc.] What is more, the Admiral of France has sent thither a spy under pretext of carrying a letter to Sgr. de la Groothuse, which man was charged to spy upon my ships and by means of a caravel named the Brunette, sent for this purpose by the admiral, to cut the cables to set them adrift and founder—­or to capture certain ships with such captains, knights, and gentlemen as he could find, and myself, too, if they were able.

“Furthermore, the said spy was charged to spy on my towns, etc., and those of the caravel called the Brunette were charged, if they failed in taking my ships, or in cutting their cables, to set fire to them—­all in direct conflict with the terms of the treaties, and procedures that the king would never have tolerated had he had the slightest intention of maintaining his word ... [Charles does not consider Groothuse to blame at all, etc.][11]

Letter from Charles of Burgundy to the Magistrates of Ypres, June 10, 1470