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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
and commanded by Charles VI. himself ; as soon as the artillery -had been 
once fired, its part was played, and when the militia of Ghent had to 
encounter hand to hand the veteran chivalry of Trance, there could be no 
doubt of the result. 
This battle did not, however, terminate the struggle. Aided by the 
English, the men of Ghent invested the town of Ypres on the 8th June, 1383. 
They were supplied with artillery, but of so feeble a nature, that not one 
single man of the besieged was wounded by it, although the siege lasted till the 
8th August, and though, as we learn from the chroniclers, two cannon, which 
were placed before one of the gates, never ceased firing day and night, from 
the 15th June, each discharge being preceded by a trumpet-call. They 
fired 450 shots, and beat in the doors of the gate, but the siege was 
abandoned. 1 2 
The Flemings and the Liegeois were in turn allies of Brabant during the 
wars with Guelders in the closing years of the century; and we learn from 
the accounts of Malines, 3 which town at this time (1388) belonged to 
Flanders, that its cannon and engines were sent to the war; and Froissart 3 
relates the effect of the cannon at the siege of Grave in that year. 
Indeed throughout Belgium this epoch was very favourable to the rapid 
development of these new weapons, for the constant struggles between the 
people and the feudal powers led to the adoption of every project which 
might contribute to their chance of victory. 
For the history of English cannon, during the second half of the four¬ 
teenth century, we have but scanty materials. Few documents bearing 
on our subject have yet been discovered, and we can with difficulty obtain 
information as to the size and nature of the cannon employed by the English 
at this time. According to Froissart, they appear to have been used, not 
only for throwing shot and arrows, but also (in the earlier and first meaning 
of the word), as tubes for propelling Greek fire and other incendiary com¬ 
positions. He tells us 4 that when the French under King John were 
besieging the castle of Breteuil in 1356, then in the occupation of the 
English troops, the French filled up the ditch of the castle, and entered a 
beffroy 5 which they had made. The garrison saw this beffroy and knew the 
best way to assail it. They were provided with cannon to throw fire and 
great arrows; and they made their arrangements to assail the beffroy and to 
defend themselves. Before firing their cannon, however, they attacked the 
occupiers of the beffroy hand to hand, and great feats were performed on 
both sides; but when 
“ ils se furent plente ebattus, ils commencerent a traire de leurs canons, et a 
jeter feu sur ce beffroy, et dedans, et avec ce feu traire epaissement grands carreaux 
1 Yereecke. Histoire militaire de la ville d’Ypres, p. 53, et seq. 
2 Accounts 1387—88. Henrard, Histoire de l’artillerie en Belgique. Bruxelles, 1865, p. 35. 
3 Froissart, Yol. III. ch. 114, p. 707. 
4 Ibid. Yol. I. Part 2, ch. 21, p. 332. 
6 The beffroy was a large moveable tower on wheels. For a description of the beffroy and its use 
in sieges, see Napoleon’s Etudes, Yol II. p. 16. j and for an admirable picture of one, see M. 
Yiollet Be Due’s “Architecture Militaire.” 
