ached bursting point?
It was clearly in Flanders that each king was likely to find his most
efficient allies; and so it was there that they made the most strenuous
applications. Edward III. hastened to restore between England and the
Flemish communes the commercial relations which had been for a while
disturbed by the arrest of the traders in both countries. He sent into
Flanders, even to Ghent, ambassadors charged to enter into negotiations
with the burghers; and one of the most considerable amongst these
burghers, Solver of Courtrai, who had but lately supported Count Louis in
his quarrels with the people of Bruges, loudly declared that the alliance
of the King of England was the first requirement of Flanders, and gave
apartments in his own house to one of the English envoys. Edward
proposed the establishment in Flanders of a magazine for English wools;
and he gave assurance to such Flemish weavers as would settle in England
of all the securities they could desire. He even offered to give his
daughter Joan in marriage to the son of the Count of Flanders. Philip,
on his side, tried hard to reconcile the communes of Flanders to their
count, and so make them faithful to himself; he let them off two years'
payment of a rent due to him of forty thousand livres of Paris per annum;
he promised them the monopoly of exporting wools from France; he
authorized the Brugesmen to widen the moats of their city, and even to
repair its ramparts. The King of England's envoys met in most of the
Flemish cities with a favor which was real, but intermingled with prudent
reservations, and Count Louis of Flanders remained ever closely allied
with the King of France, "for he was right French and loyal," says
Froissart, "and with good reason, for he had the King of France almost
alone to thank for restoring him to his country by force."

Whilst, by both sides, preparations were thus being made on the Continent
for war, the question which was to make it burst forth was being decided
in England. In the soul of Edward temptation overcame indecision. As
early as the month of June, 1336, in a Parliament assembled at
Northampton, he had complained of the assistance given by the King of
France to the Scots, and he had expressed a hope that if the French and
the Scots were to join, they would at last offer him battle, which the
latter had always carefully avoided." In September of the same year he
employed similar language in a Parliament held