deftru&îve to all pofleflions, although at laft he was forced to it : he had hitherto reigned in great profperity and peace, and had as many pleâfurcs v and enjoyments as any earthly lord can have. The wars which enfued were caufed by fo trifling an event, that if the earl had poffefled any pru-dence, it ought not to have produced that effeft ; and thofe who read this book, or who may have it read to them, will fay, that it was the work of the devil. You know wife men think the devil, who is fubde and full of artifice, labours night and day to caufe warfare wherever he finds peace and Har-mony, and feeks by diftant means, and by degrees, how to accomplifh his ends. And thus it fell out lh Flanders, as you will clearly fee fnd learn from the different treaties and ordinances which follow, relative to thefe matters. During the time that earl Lewis of Flanders was *in his greatcft profperity, there was a citizen of Ghent called Joàn Lyon : he was wife, fubtlc and , bold, but cruel, enterprifing and cool in bufinefs, and very much in favour with the earl, as it fhould . feem; for he employed him to affaffinate, in a fe-cret way, a man of Ghent, that was difagrecable to him, and who aftcd contrary to the wifhes of the carl. John Lyon fought a quarrel with him, and killed him. ^ . This man was greatly lamented by all j and, for grief of what he had done, John Lyon went and refided at Douay, where he lived for three years, keeping a handfome ftate, for which the fearl paid* John Lyon, on account of this murder, was in- ~ ftandy 96 . .