All the fervency of this adjuration failed to convince the deputies of their duty, as conceived by the orator.  They declared that they had levied troops and would levy more, for defence, but that the four members of Flanders were agreed that they would contribute nothing to offensive measures.  Charles must accept their decision as his sainted father had done.  The details of all the aid they had given him, 2500 men for Neuss and many other contributions, were recapitulated.  Flanders had been generous indeed.  The concluding phrases of their answer were as follows: 

“As to your last letters, requiring that within fifteen days every man capable of bearing arms report at Ath, these were orders impossible of execution, and unprofitable for you yourself.  Your subjects are merchants, artisans, labourers, unfitted for arms.  Strangers would quit the land.  Commerce, in which your noble ancestors have for four hundred years maintained the land, commerce, most redoubtable seigneur, is irreconcilable with war.”

This answer gave the true key to the situation.  The Estates of Flanders were determined to be bled no further for schemes in which they did not sympathise.  When this memorial was presented to Charles he broke out into fresh invective about the base ingratitude of the Flemish:  “Take back your paper,” were his last words.  “Make your own answer. Talk as you wish, but do your duty.”  This was on July 12th.  Charles had no further time to waste in argument.  He was still convinced that the burghers would, in the end, yield to his demands.

With a small escort Charles left Bruges, and reached Calais on July 14th, where he had been preceded by the duchess, eager to greet her brother, who had actually landed on July 4th, with the best equipped army—­about twenty-four thousand men—­that had ever left the shores of England, and the latest inventions in besieging engines.

The expedition proved a wretched failure—­a miserable disappointment to the English at home, who had been lavish in their contributions.  Charles seems to have been put out by the place of landing.  His own plan is clear from the letter quoted.  He wished the two armies of Edward and himself to sweep a large stretch of territory as they marched toward each other.  The one thing that he objected to was a consolidation of the two forces.  Incapacity to turn an unexpected or an unwelcome situation to account was one of the duke’s most deeply ingrained characteristics.  He showed no inventiveness or resourcefulness.  He held his own army at a distance from the English, much to the invader’s chagrin, who was forced to march unaided over regions rendered inhospitable by Louis’s stern orders, and outside of cities ready to hold him at bay.  “If you do not put yourself in a state of security, it will be necessary to destroy the city, to our regret,” was the king’s message to Rheims, and the most skilful of French engineers was fully prepared to make good the words.