On the 25th of October, sir Anthony bastard of Burgundy marched from Dendermonde, together with the garrison of Alost, which he had summoned to join him, toward Ghent, having dispatched thirty of his best-mounted horsemen to show themselves before the gates and endeavour to entice the garrison to come out. The ghent men, having had intelligence of sir Anthony's coming, were ready to sally forth, and attacked these thirty men so hardly that they were astonished. With the ghent men were some english adventurers, who had come thither to seek fame and wealth, and were on horseback: the men of Ghent, in great numbers, were on foot, and pushed forward with such speed that the bastard was surprised at seeing them so near him. In this difficulty, he earnestly entreated his men to dismount; but, in spite of his orders and entreaties, only two men at arms dismounted, and three archers. I know not how it happened, but they were panicstruck, and all fled, so that with great difficulty the two men at arms were remounted, but the three archers were killed. The bastard, vexed to the soul, collected twenty of his men, and remained in the rear of his runaways, and saved them from further loss. It is, however, possible that this flight saved all their lives; for the ghent men, informed, as I have said, of their intent, had assembled another body of men, who were to sally from a different gate, and destroy all the bridges the Picards would have to repass, and thus inclose them between the two divisions so that none could escape. Thus did this misfortune preserve from death sir Anthony and all his men, excepting the three archers. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 142: Harlebeck,--on the Lys, four leagues NE. from Courtray.] CHAP. XXXIX. THE MARSHAL OF BURGUNDY BURNS THE SMALL TOWN OF ECKELOO.--THE GHENT MEN ARE DEFEATED BEFORE ALOST, WHICH THEY INTENDED TO BESIEGE. The garrisons in Courtray and Oudenarde, knowing that there was a strong company of ghent men in Eckeloo, which is a considerable village, three leagues from Ghent, assembled under the command of the marshal and sir James de Lalain, and marched thither in handsome array. The ghent men no sooner saw them approach than they fled into the wood that was hard by. All could not escape, so that upwards of forty were left dead in the village. The place was then burnt, because the inhabitants would not desist from carrying provisions to Ghent, nor from ringing the alarm bell whenever they perceived any Burgundians appear. It was for this that all the villages five leagues round were set on fire,--and such as the Picards left, the ghent men burnt themselves.