den attack from
a party of the citizens commanded by Jean de Vilde, who, assaulting them
in the front and rear, threw them into great disorder, and killed more
than eight hundred men, of whom one hundred were men at arms. When
Charles and the King of France came up, they took up their quarters in
two villas situated near to the wall of the city. In the two or three
days which followed, Louis was distinguished for the quiet and regulated
composure with which he pressed the siege, and provided for defence
in case of sallies; while the Duke of Burgundy, no way deficient in
courage, and who showed the rashness and want of order which was his
principal characteristic, seemed also extremely suspicious that the King
would desert him and join with the Liegeois. They lay before the town
for five or six days, and at length fixed the 30th of October, 1468,
for a general storm. The citizens, who had probably information of their
intent, resolved to prevent their purpose and determined on anticipating
it by a desperate sally through the breaches in their walls. They
placed at their head six hundred of the men of the little territory of
Fraudemont, belonging to the Bishopric of Liege, and reckoned the
most valiant of their troops. They burst out of the town on a sudden,
surprised the Duke of Burgundy's quarters, ere his guards could put on
their armour, which they had laid off to enjoy some repose before
the assault. The King of France's lodgings were also attacked and
endangered. A great confusion ensued, augmented incalculably by the
mutual jealousy and suspicions of the French and Burgundians. The people
of Liege were, however, unable to maintain their hardy enterprise,
when the men at arms of the king and Duke began to recover from their
confusion, and were finally forced to retire within their walls, after
narrowly missing the chance of surprising both King Louis and the Duke
of Burgundy, the most powerful princes of their time. At daybreak the
storm took place, as had been originally intended, and the citizens,
disheartened and fatigued by the nocturnal sally, did not make so much
resistance as was expected. Liege was taken and miserably pillaged,
without regard to sex or age, things sacred or things profane. These
particulars are fully related by Comines in his Memoires, liv. ii, chap.
11, 12, 13, and do not differ much from the account of the same events
given in the text. S.]

CHAPTER XXXVII: THE SALLY

He look'd,