On the 18th of August, the whole of the burgundian army moved toward Dinant, having their baggage in the center. The lord de Cohen bore the standard of the bastard of Burgundy, who commanded the van, the count de Charolois having the main body under his orders,--and the count de Marie, grandly attended, had charge of the rear battalion. On its near approach to Dinant, the garrison briskly played off their artillery, while a detachment made a sally, and set fire to a large farm-house above an abbey; but they were roughly treated on their return: they hastened to the town as quickly as they could, and abandoned their suburbs, so that the duke's men were near entering the town with them. In this manner were the suburbs of Dinant won, although inclosed by a ditch and good walls as strong as those of a town. In these suburbs was a handsome church of the Franciscans, a nunnery, a parish church, and beyond them an abbey of white monks. In gaining this advantage, the count de Charolois lost not more than five or six men. When these suburbs had been won on the side toward Bovines, those in the town lost no time to set fire to those on the opposite side, before the count de St Pol could advance thither, and made it impracticable for any lodgement to be made there. On the following night, the count de Charolois fixed his quarters in the abbey of white monks, and had a bombard pointed against the gate of the town; and within the inclosures of the Franciscans a large detachment was posted, who kept up a good guard during the night. This bombard battered the gate so well that it broke it down,--but the inhabitants lost no time in walling of it up with stones and bags of earth. In another quarter, the constable, who was quartered on the river side, below the mountain, battered down with his artillery a corner tower that terminated that side of the wall. CHAP. LII. DINANT IS FORCED TO SURRENDER TO THE WILL OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.--THE TREATMENT IT RECEIVES, FOR A PERPETUAL EXAMPLE TO OTHER TOWNS IN A LIKE SITUATION. On the ensuing Tuesday, all the walls of the abbey of the Franciscans, and the other inclosures, were thrown down, to erect a battery against the town; and the artillery was briskly played on both sides. Four of the count de Charolois' men were killed by arrows from the walls, and among others the master-cannonier of the bombard, as he was picking up a rod from the ground. The burgundian army now advanced nearer the walls, and the count de Charolois posted himself at the Cordeliers, only a stone's cast from the gate,--and this day the duke his father came from Namur to Bovines. Provision was now so dear in the army that a twopenny loaf sold for twelve pence, and other food in proportion,--and they were forced to go three or four leagues to seek forage for their horses.