Dear gracious friends. We have learnt that you oppose with great disobedience our dear cousin the Duke of Brabant etc., who is your rightful lord and sovereign, and with whom you are bound by honouring him and by your oath of allegiance as fiefs and subjects to their rightful lord. You also write a great many points relating to his lordship and to the revenues that his lands owe him by God and by right, which lead to great harm. Moreover, you are not satisfied with the nuisance and damage that you and the others are thus causing, but you are doing your utmost, very persistently to make all his other good cities, lands and subjects disobey him, contrary to God and contrary to all law, reason and reasonableness, disregarding the good government that he daily grants and has always granted you and all his lands. We marvel greatly at this course of action on the part of you and your party leaders, and it does not cheer us. We therefore write to you, to urge and demand that you cease to do this unreasonableness to our dear cousin and your rightful lord, and that you be submissive to him in all matters, and render him service, fidelity and obedience, as you are indebted to him, and that you let the other subjects do the same. This in such a way that he is grateful for it. If you do not do so, then we must help our cousin in such a manner as our friendship and family ties command. Please return your reply with this messenger. Sealed with our small seal, given on Monday 1 July 1420.