Meanwhile Lanchals's house had been searched; it was found to be full of weapons, but Lanchals himself was not there--fresh proof of his nefarious designs--and in the market-place a reward of fifty _livres de gros_ was publicly offered for his arrest. Though the patriots Van Keyt and Van Bassevelde had been dead three years, their skulls were still impaled above the Halles--one on each of the turrets which flank its façade. To suffer them to remain there, now that the city was in their power, were an insult to the dead, and the burghers determined to remove them, were actually engaged in doing so, when suddenly the Regent's ministers appeared on the scene, conciliatory, quaking. He was ready, they said, to pardon the people's sedition. 'Pardon us!' roared a thousand throats, and a thousand fingers pointed to the ghastly relics of Maximilian's vengeance. 'Pardon us! The miscreant who offers us pardon is ten times more guilty than we.' 'What then would you have?' faltered Paul de Baenst. 'A new burgomaster and a new _écoutète_,' replied the guildsmen, 'instead of Peter Lanchals and Jan van Nieuwenhove, who merit death.' So terrified was Maximilian that he dared not refuse the demand, and Josse de Decker was named burgomaster, and Peter Metteneye _écoutète_. For two days Maximilian remained shut up in his palace; on the 4th of February he ventured out, and from the balcony of the Halles endeavoured to explain, but the people refused to hear him. 'Wait,' they shouted, 'wait until the deputies of Ypres and Ghent come'; nor was this all. He was forced to listen in silence to a long letter from the sheriffs of Ghent, which must have been gall and wormwood to him, a letter promising help, announcing the defeat and death at Courtrai of his favourite Hornes, and offering congratulations that Bruges was now out of danger. Nor until he had heard the command given to make diligent search for his counsellors, in order to bring them to justice, was he at length suffered to return to his palace. On the morrow fresh news came from Ghent. Adrien of Rasseghem had just torn up the _kalfvel_ of 1485. 'For God's sake do not disarm. Be not deceived by Maximilian's specious promises, but keep good watch over him until the meeting of the Estates-General, and make sure of the persons of his counsellors.'