I pledge my word to answer thy demand,

And I will show thee reasons why no sooner.

VAN DEN BOSCH.

A murrain on thy reasons! draw thy sword.

ARTEVELDE (draws his sword and flings it from him). I'll fight thee when I please, and not before.

VAN DEN BOSCH.

Art thou a coward? wherefore wilt not fight?

ARTEVELDE.

There is a time for all things. Here I stand,

Unarm'd before thee, and I will be heard.

That which so much thou tak'st to heart, was done
Purely to save thy credit, much indeed
Endanger'd by thy wilfulness and haste.

I would have done myself no less offence
To do thee so much service. Say thine arm
Had cut me off the messenger from Bruges.
Ghent hears the rumour-magnifies at once
The untold terms to unconditional peace,
And, mad with rage for comfort thus repelled,
Had turn'd upon thee to thine overthrow.
But listen what instead I've brought to pass:
The terms were told,—such sanguinary terms

As we had cause to look for; on that ground,
I mov'd the people to a last attempt

Of desperate daring, and we go to-night,

Five thousand men, to seek the earl at Bruges.
Now, Peter Van den Bosch, give ear to me:
Thy mouth has been, this many a day, stuffed full
Of vengeance dire denounced against this earl.
The blood of Heins, of Launoy, and Van Ranst,
(True friends of thine if truth and friendship be!)
Sinks in the ground, nor honoured nor avenged,
Save by the mouthing of an idle threat.
Dead men and living, vows after vows sent up
In hot succession to the throne of Heaven,
Deep ravage done amongst thy native fields,
Strange tortures suffered by thy countrymen,
Call thee with common voice to turn thy wrath
To just account;—and is it come to this,
That for the matter of but one day's feud
With one tried friend that never did thee hurt,
Thou canst forget all else, and put thy cause
To imminent hazard at the utmost verge
Of all its fortunes and its ultimate hope!
If so, I cry thee mercy; I mistook thee;

For I had counted on thy aid to-day

To do the things that thou so oft hast threatened.

VAN DEN BOSCH.

Van Artevelde, I never yet forgave

So deep an injury as thou hast done me;
But seeing how things bear, I'll pass it by,
Until this last adventure have an end.

Then shalt thou reckon with me for the past.

ARTEVELde.

For that I stand prepared. Meanwhile I pray thee,

Let needful harmony subsist between us;

Nor let the common welfare feel this feud.

Take thou thy charge in this day's work; come down And I will give it thee. From me thou❜lt find

All fit observance.

VAN DEN BOSCH.

I will take my charge.

[Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

THE FIELD OF MERLE, IN THE ENVIRONS OF BRUGES.

VAN ARTEVELDE, VAN DEN BOSCH, VAN Ryk, VAN MUCK, and others.

ARTEVELde.

Not a step farther; give the word to halt,
And send the waggons here; we can't be better.
God grant that hither they may come to seek us!
Here is the fighting ground, and there the slough
In which they needs must perish should they yield.
We can't be better.

VAN DEN BOSCH.

Let it then be here.

I've probed the slough.

ARTEVELDE.

That I did too; 'tis deep.

VAN DEN BOSCH.

He is a taller man than you or I,

That finds the bottom with his head above.

ARTEVELDE.

It is an hour to sunset.

VAN RYK.

Nay, 'tis more.

ARTEVELDE.

A little more, Van Ryk. I would to God

The sun might not go down

Without a battle fought!

upon us here

If he got ne'er a better should be wroth,

And burn in effigy my lady's steward.