The ghent men were very sensible of the duke's kindness in thus graciously recalling them to his affection, and of the mildness of the expressions in his letter. They handsomely feasted the herald; and on the letter being publicly read, the whole town were unanimous for begging pardon of their lord, and, without further delay, sent a deputation back with the herald.
On their appearing before the duke, they, with the utmost humility, requested pardon for their offences, and besought him that he would have the goodness to restore them to his favour, offering, at the same time, to submit themselves and their town to his will. They also requested that he would retire to Gaveren, and dismiss his men at arms, and they would there wait on him to hear and do his will.
The good duke granted their requests; but, on returning to Gaveren, over the field of the late battle, he was so shocked at the multitudes of dead bodies that he wept bitterly, as it was said. As he saw several women searching for the bodies of their friends, to bury them, he caused proclamation to be made, that no one should molest them, whatever might be his rank, under pain of death.
On the 25th day of July, the abbot of St Bavon, in Ghent, the prior of the Carthusians, and many persons of note, waited on the duke at Gaveren, and, falling on their knees, begged mercy for the inhabitants of Ghent, who offered to surrender every thing up to him, saving their lives. The duke replied, that, from love to God, he pardoned all their misdeeds, provided they would agree to the preliminaries proposed at Seclin, and concluded at Lille by the three estates of Flanders and the burghers of Bruges. They promised, in the name of their townsmen, to abide wholly by this treaty, and most humbly thanked the duke for his great benignity and kindness.
CHAP. XLVIII.
HERE FOLLOW THE ARTICLES OF THE TREATY BETWEEN PHILIP THE GOOD, AND THE TOWN OF GHENT.
The treaty of Ghent consisted of the following articles. In the first place, the inhabitants of Ghent, to the number of two thousand men, shall come out, to the distance of one league from that town, to wherever their prince may appoint, barefooted and bareheaded, to beg his mercy. They were to be headed by all the counsellors, sheriffs, and hoguemans of the town, naked, excepting their shirts and small clothes. They were to fall on their knees before the duke, his son, or any other person whom the duke should please to send thither as his representative, saying,—that that they had wickedly and traitorously rebelled against him in arms,—that they had insolently contemned him, and begged his pardon for all their evil deeds.
Item, on every Thursday throughout the year, the gate leading to Oudenarde shall be closed, because it was through that gate they marched to besiege Oudenarde, and that it may remind them thereof.
Item, the gate leading toward Rupelmonde shall be closed for ever, in remembrance of their having issued out of it to offer battle to their lord at Rupelmonde.
Item, they shall pay to the duke, for the losses he may have sustained by this war, two hundred thousand riddes of gold, seventy to the marc.