On Friday, the 28th day of August, when the town was quite emptied of its wealth, and the houses and churches unroofed, and the lead carried away, a fire burst out at the lodgings of the lord de Ravenstein, near to the church of our Lady, about an hour after midnight; but it was not known whether it had happened accidentally or had been done on purpose, to force the men at arms out of the place, or to burn such as remained. The count, however, ordered it to be extinguished by all who could assist, and great exertions were made to accomplish it; but, in the mean time, it spread to the town-house, in which was a magazine full of powder, that caught fire, and exploded with such force as to break through the roof of the church of our Lady; but, as this was arched with stone, the fire did not extend rapidly,--and some relics, and the ornaments of the church, were saved: all of them that came to the count's knowledge he had carried to Bovines,--for many had been stolen and taken away before he came thither. Great numbers were burnt by this fire, and their plunder, that had remained packed in the street, was destroyed. Those plunderers who attempted to save effects from the fire were miserably burnt,--and the flames followed them so closely that it seemed as if Divine vengeance was resolved to punish the pride and insolence of this town by totally destroying it. While Dinant was in flames, a large embassy came from Liege to the duke of Burgundy at Bovines, to negotiate a treaty of peace,--and the sight of the destruction of Dinant made a serious impression on them. The count de Charolois, observing that all attempts to put out the fire were ineffectual, determined that the whole should be destroyed, and caused such parts, in the town and suburbs, as had hitherto escaped to be set on fire, so that all was burnt. He then sent for great numbers of peasants from the neighbourhood, to demolish the walls, towers and fortifications, to each of whom he gave three patars[54] a-day, with every thing they might find in the ruins. They laboured so diligently that, within four days after the fire had ceased, a stranger might have said, 'Here was Dinant!' for there now neither remained gate nor wall, nor church, nor house, for all had been burnt and razed to the ground. It unfortunately happened, that when the great church caught fire, many prisoners of note that had been therein confined were burnt, and such as had retreated to different towers and forts also perished. Thus was destroyed the town of Dinant by reason of its presumption and folly! FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 53: Huy,--on the Meuse, 12 miles from Liege.] [Footnote 54: Patars,--a low-country coin: five are equal to sixpence sterling.--_Cotgrave._] CHAP. LIII. THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF DINANT, MAKES DISPOSITIONS TO MARCH HIS ARMY INTO THE TERRITORIES OF LIEGE.--SEVERAL TOWNS SURRENDER TO HIM.--A PEACE IS CONCLUDED BETWEEN THEM.