VI.

CONCERNING THE MEN OF LIÈGE AND PERIVOIS THEIR LEADER.

JOHN OF BAVARIA, called the Pitiless, brother of Duke William, although Bishop of Liège, refused to take orders, and even spoke of marrying. Not being inclined to keep his promise towards them, the Liègeois, strong in their numbers and always remarkable for their independence, turned out their Bishop and took to themselves a new one a young man only eighteen years of age, a cousin of Saint Lambert of Liège, by name Thierry de Herries.

The real government of the bishopric, however, rested with Thierry's father, Henry lord of Perivois, a very skilled and prudent warrior, whom the Liègeois elected as their maimbourg and captain. The nobility and some of the towns of the Liège territory still held out for John of Bavaria, but Perivois marched against them and took them one by one, putting John's garrisons to the sword. Especially in the town of Bouillon which John had fortified, the commons of Liège took it and the castle by assault, and slew all those that were found within.

John by way of revenge entered into the Liège country, which he sacked and ravaged, carrying back with him a great booty into Hainault; on which the Liègeois with their captain at their head pursued him back into that country, ravaged, burned, and sacked more pitilessly than ever John had done; and though the Hainault noblemen and chivalry assembled all their forces for the purpose of punishing the commons of Liège, the latter were too powerful for them and retired back into their own country with all the booty they had made.

Meanwhile the Liègeois neglected no means of establishing the claims of their new Bishop. They exposed their case to the King of France. They sent an embassy to Pope Gregory at Rome beseeching him to degrade John of Liège from his episcopal rank, which he still persisted in holding, though not in orders; and when that Pontiff would not comply with their request, being of the party of the Duke; they forthwith sent to Pope Benedict at Marseilles, who agreed to all their demands and despatched his bulls accordingly in their favour.

Now when Bishop John found himself in danger, having lost

the greater part of his good towns and fortresses, he retreated to Utrecht, which still held for him, and sent messages to Duke William his brother, and Duke John his sister's husband piteously beseeching them to give him aid. Those Princes were naturally wroth at the insolence of the low-bred citizens of Liège, and were not slow to give their brother aid.

At the approach of the Dukes, the Liègeois quitted Maestricht, which they were besieging, and went back to their city—that is about five leagues from the former place. A great parley was held by the town councils whether or no they should attack the Dukes, and the lord of Perivois was strongly of opinion that they -being unused to the art of war,-should remain in their towns and fortifications, where they were well lodged, fed, and defended, and leave the army of the Dukes to separate and disband, as it must do from famine, when the Liègeois would have easy work in destroying it. But the citizens were puffed with pride at their former successes and determined to come to blows with the men of Duke John and Duke William. 'In their vaunted chivalry,' said they, in the year 1406 we offered them battle, and we were only twenty thousand then, and they fled from before us; and now we can bring three score thousand into the field. In all our combats with them we have had the advantage: let us destroy these proud nobles now and for ever at one blow!' It was all in vain, therefore, that their captain argued prudence: they determined to go out and meet the Dukes; and Perivois, seeing that his advice was disregarded, did the next best thing he could for his people, and made all the provisions for the coming contest that a brave and prudent captain should.

The deliberation being over, he gave his orders that on the morning of the 13th September in the year of grace 1408 all the citizens should be armed and ready to issue out of the city at sound of bell. Accordingly at the appointed time they marched out to the number of at least fifty thousand, as anyone might see, having among them five or six hundred horsemen well armed in the French fashion, and five or six score of English archers, who had come to serve in their pay. With the hosts went great multitudes of carts and chariots, with culverins, ribaldequins, and all the munitions necessary thereto. So prepared, the men of Liège marched out as far as Tongres, five leagues from Liège, where the enemy was now come. The men of Liège were full of spirit and longing for battle; and their captain rejoiced to see them in this

warlike mind, but exhorted them above all to keep discipline and be of one mind, as the troops on the other side were. It was Saturday evening they came to a field called the field of Hasbain, where they gallantly took up their ground, having the banner of Saint Lambert and those of the trades planted on the top of the hill. Although my lord of Burgundy very well deserved the title of Sans Peur, which he gained for his actions on this famous day of Hasbain, a great prince, be he ever so fearless, must be prudent too; and seeing the great force of the men of Liège, and knowing the valour and skill of their commander, Duke John, was for delaying a little either to make an arrangement with the commons, or if possible to withdraw from them their leader, or at any rate he was minded not to fight until the succours which he expected came up. There was his brother of Nevers who was marching to him with four hundred lances; Amé de Very was on the way from Savoy with three hundred basinets: the Duke looked out, too, for the Lorraines and the men of Count Waleran de St. Pol, and when he saw his own small army, and thought of that immense host of the commons that was coming against him, the heart of this great Prince was not without anxiety. For woe betide those who were to be conquered in the battle! The robbers and murderers, pillagers of Liège would give no quarter, nor in their turn would noble knights think of sparing base citizens and workmen who had put such insults upon chivalry.

Perivois would fain have negotiated too; but in truth he was not free of his choice, and, though leader of the men of Liège, could only lead them whithersoever they chose. Did he refuse to do their will, he risked to be murdered by them; were he to fight and be beaten by the enemy, there was a certain gibbet before him. Meanwhile he was condemned to have his counsels disregarded and his knightly experience made light of by boors and tradesmen ; to have his prudent voice drowned by their noisy clamours.