of residence in their midst brought with it hatred rather
than liking. No political error of his serves to explain the Flemish
attitude towards the duke as does his method of address, the
gratuitous contempt displayed towards burghers whose purses were
needed for his game. The _aide_ was granted, indeed, but it was levied
with sullen reluctance.

What cause Charles had to make his preparations, what were the
proceedings of the English exiles may be seen from the following
letters to his mother and to the town of Ypres. The first is probably
in answer to her questionings; the second is a specimen of the
epistles showered upon the border towns.

"TO MY VERY REDOUBTABLE LADY AND MOTHER,

MADAME THE DUCHESS, AT AIRE:

"May it please you to know that in regard to what the Sgr. de
Crevecoeur has written you about the king's proclamations that he
intends to maintain his treaties and promises to me, etc., and has
no desire to sustain the Earl of Warwick, and wishes my subjects
to be reimbursed for the damages inflicted by him and his,
assuredly, my Lady and Mother, the contrary has been and is well
known before the said publications and after. The Earl of Warwick
is my foe and could not, according to the treaty existing between
the king and me, be received in Normandy or elsewhere in the realm
... [complaints about the procedure have been sent to king and
parliament and councillors, without redress, etc.] What is more,
the Admiral of France has sent thither a spy under pretext of
carrying a letter to Sgr. de la Groothuse, which man was charged
to spy upon my ships and by means of a caravel named the
_Brunette_, sent for this purpose by the admiral, to cut the
cables to set them adrift and founder--or to capture certain ships
with such captains, knights, and gentlemen as he could find, and
myself, too, if they were able.

"Furthermore, the said spy was charged to spy on my towns, etc.,
and those of the caravel called the _Brunette_ were charged, if
they failed in taking my ships, or in cutting their cables, to
set fire to them--all in direct conflict with the terms of the
treaties, and procedures that the king would never have tolerated
had he had the slightest intention of maintaining his word ...
[Charles does not consider Groothuse to blame at all, etc.][11]

_Letter from Charles of Burgundy to the Magistrates