For Edward it was a serious check not to have dared to attack the king
whose kingdom he made a pretence of conquering; and he took it grievously
to heart. At Brussels he had an interview with his allies, and asked
their counsel. Most of the princes of the Low Countries remained
faithful to him, and the Count of Hainault seemed inclined to go back to
him; but all hesitated as to what he was to do to recover from the check.
Van Artevelde showed more invention and more boldness. The Flemish
communes had concentrated their forces not far from the spot where the
two kings had kept their armies looking at one another; but they had
maintained a strict neutrality, and at the invitation of the Count of
Flanders, who promised them that the King of France would entertain all
their claims, Artevelde and Breydel, the deputies from Ghent and Bruges,
even repaired to Courtrai to make terms with him. But as they got there
nothing but ambiguous engagements and evasive promises, they let the
negotiation drop, and, whilst Count Louis was on his way to rejoin Philip
at St. Quentin, Artevelde, with the deputies from the Flemish communes,
started for Brussels. Edward, who was already living on very
confidential terms with him, told him that "if the Flemings were minded
to help him to keep up the war, and go with him whithersoever he would
take them, they should aid him to recover Lille, Douai, and B4thune, then
occupied by the King of France. Artevelde, after consulting his
colleagues, returned to Edward, and, 'Dear sir,' said he, 'you have
already made such requests to us, and verily if we could do so whilst
keeping our honor and faith, we would do as you demand; but we be bound,
by faith and oath, and on a bond of two millions of florins entered into
with the pope, not to go to war with the King of France without incurring
a debt to the amount of that sum, and a sentence of ex-communication; but
if you do that which we are about to say to you, if you will be pleased
to adopt the arms of France, and quarter them with those of England, and
openly call yourself King of France, we will uphold you for true King of
France; you, as King of France, shall give us quittance of our faith; and
then we will obey you as King of France, and will go whithersoever you
shall ordain.'"

This prospect pleased Edward mightily: but "it irked him to take the name
and arms of that of which he had as yet won no tittle." He consulted his
allies. Some of them