ke off their caps to him turned him a cold
shoulder, and went back into their houses. Then he began to be afraid;
and so soon as he had dismounted at his house, he had all the doors and
windows shut and barred. Scarcely had his varlets done so, when the
street in which he lived was covered, front and back, with folk, and
chiefly small crafts-folk. His hostel was surrounded and beset, front
and back, and broken into by force. Those within defended themselves a
long while, and overthrew and wounded many; but at last they could not
hold out, for they were so closely assailed that nearly three quarters of
the city were at this assault. When Artevelde saw the efforts a-making,
and how hotly he was pressed, he came to a window over the street, and
began to abase himself, and say with much fine language, 'Good folks,
what want ye? What is it that doth move ye? Wherefore are ye so vexed
at me? In what way can I have angered ye? Tell me, and I will mend it
according to your wishes.' Then all those who had heard him answered
with one voice, 'We would have an account of the great treasure of
Flanders, which you have sent to England without right or reason.'
Artevelde answered full softly, 'Of a surety, sirs, I have never taken a
denier from the treasury of Flanders; go ye back quietly home, I pray
you, and come again to-morrow morning; I shall be so well prepared to
render you a good account, that, according to reason, it cannot but
content ye.' 'Nay, nay,' they answered, with one voice, 'but we would
have it at once; you shall not escape us so; we do know of a verity that
you have taken it out and sent it away to England, without our wit; for
which cause you must needs die.' When Artevelde heard this word, he
began to weep right piteously, and said, 'Sirs, ye have made me what I
am, and ye did swear to me aforetime that ye would guard and defend me
against all men; and now ye would kill me, and without a cause. Ye can
do so an if it please you, for I am but one single man against ye all,
without any defence. Think hereon, for God's sake, and look back to
bygone times. Consider the great courtesies and services that I have
done ye. Know ye not how all trade had perished in this country? It was
I who raised it up again. Afterwards I governed ye in peace so great,
that, during the time of my government, ye have had everything to your
wish, grains, wools, and all sorts of merchandise, wherewith ye are well
provided an