In the third wing were the men of Furnes, with the vassals of Arnold of Oudenarde, and Baldwin of Papenrode. The Guildsmen of Furnes had sent a thousand slingers and five hundred halberdiers; the former stood in the front rank, and were clothed entirely in leather, that they might wield their slings without impediment. About their loins was fastened a white leather girdle, which held the round pebbles with which they supplied their slings; and in their right hands they carried a leather thong, in the middle of which was a hollow depression. These were the slings—a fearful weapon—which they wielded with such fatal precision, that the heavy missiles which they discharged at the foe very seldom missed their aim. Behind these stood the halberdiers; they were sheathed in iron, and bore heavy helmets on their heads. Their weapon was a battle-ax, with a long handle; and above the steel of the ax was a thick, sharp-pointed piece of iron, with which they were accustomed to pierce both helmet and armor, so that they gained the name of helm-cleavers. The men of Oudenarde and of Papenrode, who were ranged on the same side, bore weapons of all kinds. The first two ranks, indeed, consisted entirely of archers; but the others carried spears, clubs, or broadswords. The last wing, which completed the square, comprised all the cavalry of the army (eleven hundred well-mounted men), whom Count John of Namur had sent to his brother Guy. These horsemen seemed as though they were made of steel and iron; nothing else was to be seen except the eyes of the rider flashing through the vizor, and the feet of his steed, which appeared beneath his trappings of mail. Their long broadswords rested on their mailed shoulders, and their graceful plumes fluttered behind them in the breeze.
The army was thus drawn up, in obedience to the command of their general. A deep silence reigned throughout the host; the few questions of curiosity asked by the men-at-arms were in so low a tone, that they reached no further than the ears to which they were addressed. Guy and all the other knights who had contributed no troops were still in Courtrai; and although the whole army was drawn up in position, none of them had as yet made his appearance.
Suddenly the banner of Count Guy was descried beneath the gate of the city. Messire van Renesse, who commanded the troops in the absence of the general-in-chief, gave the word:
"To arms! Close up your ranks! Heads up! Silence!"
At the first word of the noble knight Van Renesse, every man brought his weapon into its proper position; then they closed their ranks, and stood in perfect order. Scarcely was this done, when the cavalry opened its ranks to allow the general and his numerous suite to pass into the centre of the square.
In advance rode the standard-bearer with the banner of Flanders. The Black Lion on his golden field floated gracefully over the head of his horse; and he seemed to the joyous Flemings as though he were stretching out his claws as omens of victory. Immediately behind the banner came Guy and his nephew William van Gulick. The youthful general wore a magnificent suit of armor, on which the escutcheon of Flanders was skilfully cmbossed; from his helmet a gorgeous plume fell down over the back of his horse. The armor of William van Gulick bore only a broad red cross; from beneath his coat-of-mail his white priestly vestment fell down over the saddle. His helmet bore no plume, and his whole equipment was simple and unadorned. Immediately after these illustrious lords followed Adolf von Nieuwland. His armor was perfect in its grace and finish. Gilded studs concealed the joints of his coat-of-mail; he bore a plume of green, and his gloves were plated with silver. Over his shirt-of-mail might be discerned a green veil, the guerdon bestowed on him by the daughter of the Lion in token of her gratitude. Near him rode Matilda, on a palfrey white as driven snow. The noble maiden was still pale; but the arrival of her brother Adolf had put her sickness to flight. A sky-blue riding-habit of costly velvet, embroidered with silver lions, fell in long folds over her feet to the ground, and the silken veil which was fastened to the point of her peaked hat swept the mane of her palfrey.
Behind them followed a troop of about thirty knights and noble damsels, all adorned with costly magnificence, and with countenances as serene and joyous as though they were riding to a tournament. The procession was closed by four squires on foot; the first two bore each a rich suit of armor and a sword, while the others carried each a helmet and a shield. Amid the solemn silence of the whole army, this brilliant cavalcade reached the middle of the square, when all halted.
Guy beckoned to him his herald-at-arms, and gave him a parchment, the contents of which he was to publish to the assembled host.
"Only add to it," said he, "the warlike name of the Lion of Flanders; for that always gladdens our good folks of Bruges."
The curiosity of the soldiers was manifested by a slight movement, followed by a silence of deepest attention; they saw that some mystery lay hidden in all these forms of solemnity, for it was not for nothing that the daughters of their nobles wore their richest adornments. The herald advanced, sounded his trumpet thrice, and then proclaimed aloud:
"We, Guy of Namur, in the name of our Count and our brother, Robert de Bethune, the Lion of Flanders, to all who shall read or hear this our
