The joy experienced by the conquered, here described by La Marche, as he looked back at the event from the calm retirement of his old age, was not visible to all eye-witnesses.  The progress of this war was watched eagerly from other parts of Philip’s dominion.  His army was full of men from both the Burgundies, who sent frequent reports to their own homes.  Some passages from one of these reports by an unknown war correspondent run as follows: 

“As to news from here, Monday after St. Magdalen’s Day, Monseigneur the duke got the better of the Ghenters near Gaveren between ten and eleven o’clock.  They attacked him near his quarters....  The duke risked his own person in advance of his company in the very worst of the slaughter, which lasted from the said place up to Ghent, a distance of about two leagues.  The slain number three or four thousand, more or less, and those drowned in the river of Quaux about two hundred....  This Tuesday, the date of writing, the army departs from their quarters to advance on Ghent to demand the conditions lately offered them, and the bearer of this letter will tell you what is the result.  M. the duke and his army marched up to Ghent and I have seen the bearing of the citizens.  They are very bitter and despondent.  M. the marshall has been parleying.  I hear that matters have been settled.  I hear that the Ghenters’ loss is thirteen to fourteen thousand men.  I cannot write more for I have no time owing to the haste of the messenger.”

This was written July 23d.  There is another despatch of July 31st, giving the last news, which was “very joyous.”  The public apology had just been enacted—­

“and afterwards, in token of being conquered and as a confession that my said seigneur was victorious, those of Ghent have delivered up all their banners to the number of eighty.  And on this day my said lord has created seven or eight knights and heralds in honour of his triumph, which is inestimable."[20]

The duke’s victory was certainly “inestimable” in its value to him, yet, in spite of the rigour enforced on this defeated people, they were not as crushed as they might have been had they submitted in 1445.  Philip was clever enough to be more lenient than appeared at first.  Ancient privileges were confirmed in a special compact, and the duke swore to maintain all former concessions in their entirety except in the points above specified.  Liberty of person was guaranteed, and it was expressly stipulated that if the bailiff refused to sustain the sheriffs in their exercise of justice, or tried to arrogate to himself more than his due authority, he should forfeit his office.  Lastly, and more important than all, the duke made no attempt to revive the demand for the gabelle—­salt was left free and untaxed.  As a matter of fact, too, the duke was not exigeant in the fulfilment of every item of the treaty and, two years later, he increased certain privileges.  He had cut the lion’s claws but he had no desire to pit his strength again with Flemish communes.  He had taught the audacious rebels a lesson and that sufficed him.[21]