The Lion of Flanders. Vol. II. Fate

wide breach in the Flemish line. Through this opening poured all the French who had forded the brook, in order to fall on the rear of the Flemish divisions. This was a critical and perilous maneuvre for the Flemings —were the foe once on their front and in their rear, they would have had no room to wield their "good-days," and would have been reduced to defend themselves with halberds, clubs, and swords alone; and this would have given the French an immense advantage: for, being mounted, their blows were better aimed, and more deadly in effect; it was easy for them to cleave the heads of those on foot, or to strike them from their bodies. William van Gulick fought like a lion; he stood alone with his standard-bearer and Philip van Hofstade, surrounded by thirty of the enemy, who strove to capture his banner; but as yet every arm which had been put forth to seize it had been severed by his sword. At this moment, Arthur de Mertelet, a Norman knight, sprang over the brook, with a considerable number of horsemen, and dashed at full speed toward William van Gulick. Their arrival crushed the hopes of the Flemings; for the number of the foe was now too great, and their superiority too manifest; and when the Norman saw William's banner, he charged toward it with the speed of an arrow, and put his lance in rest to pierce the standard-bearer. Philip van Hofstade, perceiving his intention, dashed through the French foot-soldiers to stay the course of De Mertelet. The shock of the meeting of the two knights was so impetuous, that the lance of each pierced the heart of his antagonist; warrior and horse were in one moment bereft of motion; it seemed as though a preternatural influence had suddenly cooled their rage; one would have thought each was leaning on his spear with all his weight, in order to thrust it deeper into the body of his antagonist; but this was but for a moment; De Mertelet's horse made a slight convulsive movement, and the corpses of both fell to the ground.

Messire John van Renesse, who commanded the right wing, seeing the danger of William van Gulick, left his position, and, with Breydel and his Guildsmen, fell back behind the line of battle on the rear of the French. Nothing could resist men like the Butchers of Bruges; they exposed themselves to every weapon with naked breast, and before their death-scorning valor everything gave way. Their axes hewed the legs of the horses, or clave the skulls of their falling riders. A moment after their arrival, the ground was so cleared that scarcely twenty Frenchmen remained behind the line of battle. Among them was Godfrey of Brabant, who blushed not to fight against those who were his brethren both by birth and by language. When John van Renesse espied him, he shouted to him:

''Godfrey, Godfrey 1 your course is run—you shall die!""

"Apply your words to yourself," replied Godfrey, aiming at the head of Messire John a tremendous blow; but Van Renesse, with a dexterous and rapid movement of his sword from below, struck him so violently under the chin that he rolled out of his saddle to the ground. More than twenty Butchers fell immediately upon him, and he received innumerable wounds, the last of which was mortal. Meanwhile Jan Breydel and some of his men had penetrated further and further among the enemy, and had fought long enough to win the standard of Brabant; he regained his Butchers, defending his prize at every step with furious courage, and then, tearing the banner in pieces and throwing its pole scornfully from him, he exclaimed: "Shame and dishonor to the traitors!"

The men of Brabant burning to avenge this insult, rushed with redoubled rage upon the foe, and made the most extraordinary efforts to gain and to tear in pieces the banner of William van Gulick; but its bearer, John Ferrand, struggled with the strength of madness, with all who dared to approach him. Four times was he thrown to the ground, and four several times did he rise again, still grasping his banner, though covered with wounds. William van Gulick had already laid dead at his feet a large number of the French; and every fresh blow of his huge broadsword struck down a foe. At length, wearied, covered with wounds, and exhausted by loss of blood, he grew pale, and felt his strength failing him. Filled with anger and vexation he retired to the rear to refresh himself and rest a while. John de Vlamynck, his squire, loosed the the plates of his armor and stripped him of his heavy mail, that he might breathe more freely. In the absence of William, the French had regained some of the ground they had lost, and the Flemings manifested a disposition to retreat. This threw Van Gulick into an agony of despair, and induced John de Vlamynck to adopt a singular device, which bore witness in its results to the fame of his master's bravery. He hastily put on the armor of Messire William, and threw himself into the thick of the enemy with the cry: "Give way,—back,—men of France! William van Gulick is here again!" He accompanied these words with a shower of well-directed blows, and stretched a considerable number of the bewildered foe on the ground; until at length the French gave way, and thus afforded the disordered troops time to close their ranks again.

Raoul de Nesle had thrown himself with the utmost impetuosity on the five thousand citizens of Ghent under John van Borluut; but all the efforts of the courageous Frenchmen to break their line were in vain. Thrice had the men of Ghent driven him back with prodigious slaughter, and without his obtaining the slightest advantage. John Borluut thought it too rash to abandon his position in order to pursue the soldiers of Raoul, and so bethought himself