¶ Howe therle of Heynalt 〈…〉〈…〉yed the townes of S〈…〉〈…〉ne / and Dorchyes. Cap. liiii. (Book 54)
THe sige enduring they without wer well prouyded of vytels and at a metely pri ce for it came to them fro all partes. On a mornynge the erle of Heynalt with .v. hun¦dred speres / departed fro the hoost and passed by Lysle / and brent the good towne of Seclyne and many vyllages there a∣bout: and their currours ranne to the subarbes of Lens in Artoyse. And after that the erle toke an other way / and rode to the towne of Durchi∣es: the whiche was taken & brent / for it was nar closed: and also they burnt Landas / Ly〈…〉〈…〉 and dyuers other good townes there about / and o∣uer ranne the countrey and gate great ••yllage. And than retourned agayne to the hoost 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Turney: also the flemynges often tymes assay led them of Tourney / and had made shyppes / belsroys / and instrumentes of assaut: so that e∣uery day lightly there was skirmysshyng & dy∣uerse hurt / of one and other. The stemmynges toke moche payne to trouble them of Tourney▪ among other assautes ther was one endured at a day ther was many feates of armes done for all the lordes and knyghtes that were in Tour∣nay were therat: for thassaut was made in shyp¦pes and vessels wrought for the same intent / to haue broken the baryers and the posterne of the arche. But it was so well defended / that the slē¦mynges wanne nothyng: ther they lost a shypp̄ with a sixscore men the which were drowned / & at night they withdrue right sore traueyled. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 so this siege enduryng / the soudyours of sayut Amandeyssued out and came to Hanon in Hey¦nalt / and burnt the towne and vyolated the ab∣bey / and dystroyed the mynster / & caryed away all that they might to saynt Amande / and an o∣ther tyme y• same frenche soudyours passed the wood of saynt Amande / and came to the abbey of Uycongue and made a great fyre at the gate to haue burnt it. Whan thabbot sawe what par∣ell his house was in / hastely he toke his horse & rode out priuely through the wood and came to Ualencennes / desyring the prouost ther to lend hym a certayne crosbowes. And whan̄e he had his desyre / he brought thē behynde Rames and set them in the wood towarde the hyghe way to procelet. And ther they shotte agaynst the geno∣wayes and frenchmen / beyng before the gate of Uycongne: and whan they sawe and felt y• qua¦rels lyght among them commyng fro the wood they were a frayed / & retourned as fast as they myght: and so the abbey was saued.