file which includes the original        
illustrations4       ,see #dahcj-;h4htm 
or #dahcj-;h4zip3                       
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu
b_/#dahcj_/pg#dahcj-;images4html7       
or                                      
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#da
hcj_/dahcj-;h4zip7         ,images of   
the original pages are available through
       ,internet ,archive_/,american    
,libraries4 ,see                        
http3_/_/archive4org_/details_/spelloffl
anderso#jjvose      ,,the ,,spell ,,of  
,,flanders             99       99      
99       99       99       ,,the ,,spell
 ,,series        ,each volume with one  
or more colored plates and many         
illustrations from original drawings or 
special photographs4      ,octavo1 with 
decorative cover1 gilt top1 boxed4      
,per volume #b4ej net1 carriage paid    
#b4gj       ,,the ,,spell ,,of ,,italy  
,by ,caroline ,atwater ,mason           
,,the ,,spell ,,of ,,france       ,by   
,caroline ,atwater ,mason       ,,the   

,,spell ,,of ,,southern ,,shores        
,by ,caroline ,atwater ,mason           
,,the ,,spell ,,of ,,england       ,by  
,julia de ,w4 ,addison       ,,the      
,,spell ,,of ,,holland       ,by ,burton
 ,e4 ,stevenson       ,,the ,,spell ,,of
 ,,switzerland       ,by ,nathan        
,haskell ,dole       ,,the ,,spell ,,of 
,,the ,,italian ,,lakes       ,by       
,william ,d4 ,mc,crackan       ,,the    
,,spell ,,of ,,tyrol       ,by ,william 
,d4 ,mc,crackan       ,,the ,,spell ,,of
 ,,japan       ,by ,isabel ,anderson    
,,the ,,spell ,,of ,,spain       ,by    
,keith ,clark       ,,the ,,spell ,,of  
,,flanders       ,by ,edward ,neville   
,vose       ,,the ,,spell ,,of ,,the    
,,holy ,,land       ,by ,archie ,bell   
,,the ,,page ,,company       #ec        
,,beacon ,,street1 ,,boston1 ,,mass4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,illustration3 ,cathedral of ,st4       
,sauveur1 ,bruges  7,see page #dg7      
,,the ,,spell ,,of ,,flanders  ,an      
,outline of the ,history1 ,legends and  

,art of ,belgium's ,famous ,northern    
,provinces  ,being the story of a       
,twentieth ,century ,pilgrimage in a    
,sixteenth ,century ,land just before   
the ,outbreak of the ,great ,war  by    
,,edward ,,neville ,,vose  ,illustrated 
,boston ,the ,page ,company ,,mdccccxv  
,copyright1 #aiae1 by the ,page ,company
  ,all rights reserved  ,first          
,impression1 ,april1 #aiae  ,the        
,colonial ,press  ,c4 ,h4 ,simonds      
,company1 ,boston1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4          
,to       ,,albert ,i41       ,king of  
the ,belgians1 the guiding star of a    
brave nation and      the hero of the   
,battle of ,flanders in the ,great ,war1
 this book      is dedicated            
,,publishers' ,,note   ,lord            
,beaconsfield once said3 ,flanders has  
been trodden by the feet and watered by 
the blood of countless generations of   
,british soldiers4 ,this famous         
passage--which has received a new       
confirmation to-day--is typical of many 
references among ,english writers and   

statesmen to ,flanders as a general term
 covering all of what is now known as   
,belgium4 ,among the citizens of that   
brave little ,kingdom1 however1 and     
among most ,continental writers1        
,flanders is recognised as being the    
name of only the northern part of       
,belgium4 ,small as that country is1 it 
has for centuries been bi-lingual1 the  
northern portion speaking ,flemish1 the 
southern ,french2 and for centuries the 
history of the ,flemish provinces was as
 distinct from that of the ,walloon     
province to the southward as the early  
history of ,california or ,texas was    
from that of ,new ,england4  ,although  
eventually united under one ,government 
with the ,walloons and with what is now 
,holland1 it was during the long period 
of their semi-independence that the     
,flemings achieved many of the artistic 
and architectural monuments that have   
made ,flanders for all time one of the  
most interesting regions in the world4  
,while this book1 therefore1 does not   

attempt to describe the whole of        
,belgium1 it does present a pen picture 
of the northern part of the country as  
it existed almost at the moment when the
 devastating scourge of the ,great ,war 
swept across it4     ,,foreword   ,this 
book is the record of a vacation tour in
 the beautiful old ,flemish towns of    
,northern ,belgium beginning in ,may and
 ending in ,july of the ,summer of      
#aiad4 ,the assassination of the        
,austrian ,archduke ,ferdinand and his  
wife at ,sarajevo took place while our  
little party was viewing the medival    
houses and churches of ,ghent and       
,audenaerde1 but in the many discussions
 of that event to which we listened     
there was no whisper of the awful fate  
which the march of events was so soon to
 bring upon one of the most charming1   
peaceful and happy countries in the     
world4  ,many of the descriptions in the
 following pages were written in or near
 the towns described1 and within a day  
or so after the visit narrated4 ,then   

each old ,flemish monument was in as    
perfect a state of preservation as the  
reverent pride and care of the ,belgian 
populace and the learned and skilful    
restorations of the ,belgian government 
could together accomplish4 ,the fact    
that since these accounts were written  
many of these very towns have been swept
 by shot and shell1 have been taken and 
retaken by hostile armies1 have formed  
the stage upon which some of the direst 
tragedies of the world's greatest and   
most terrible war have been enacted1    
will--it is hoped--give them a permanent
 interest and value4 ,as a painting of  
some famous city as it appeared many    
years or centuries ago is of the utmost 
historical interest1 even though by an  
inferior artist1 so these halting word  
pictures of towns that have since been  
wholly or partially destroyed may help  
the reader to recall the glories that   
have passed away4  ,in accordance with  
the plan described in the first chapter1
 the tour of ,flanders followed a       

decidedly zigzag itinerary1 frequently  
visiting some town more than once4 ,the 
purpose of this was to follow1 in a     
fairly chronological sequence1 as far as
 possible1 the development of ,flemish  
history1 architecture and art4 ,the     
outline of the intensely fascinating    
history of the old ,flemish communes    
that has been thus presented may prove  
of interest to many readers who have    
been thrilled by the superb bravery of  
the little ,belgian army in its defence 
of ,flanders against overwhelming odds4 
,as these glimpses into the past clearly
 show1 the men of ,belgium have engaged 
in a battle against foreign domination  
from the earliest ages4 ,that it was at 
times a losing struggle never for a     
moment diminished the ardour of their   
resistance1 or the depth of their       
devotion to liberty and the right to    
rule themselves4 ,and when we consider  
how1 during these centuries of conflict1
 and in defiance of obstacles that would
 have daunted a less strong-hearted     

people1 the men of ,flanders found the  
inspiration1 the patience and the skill 
to erect some of the noblest examples of
 medival architecture1 to create a      
school of painting that ranks as one of 
the most priceless heritages of the     
ages1 and to excel in a half a score of 
other lines of artistic endeavour1 we   
surely must all agree that here is a    
people we would not willingly see perish
 from the earth4  ,if to be neutral is  
to stand by and silently acquiesce in   
the destruction of ,belgium as an       
independent nation1 then the author of  
this book is not neutral4 ,in every     
fibre of his being he protests against  
such a course as a crime against        
liberty1 against humanity4 ,happily1    
from every corner of the ,united ,states
 come unmistakable evidences that the   
,american people as a whole are not1 at 
heart1 neutral on this subject4 ,the    
embattled farmers who stood on the      
bridge at ,concord and fired the shot   
heard round the world have thrilled the 

imagination and stimulated the          
patriotism of every ,american schoolboy1
 but no less heroic is the spectacle of 
the little ,belgian army under the      
personal leadership of its noble ,king  
standing like a rock on the last tiny   
strip of ,belgian soil and stopping the 
onrush of the most powerful fighting    
organisation in the world4 ,at ,nieuport
 and ,dixmude and along the bloodstained
 ,yser ,canal1 the men of ,belgium      
fought for the same cause of liberty for
 which our forefathers fought at ,bunker
 ,hill4 ,whatever our sympathies may be 
with respect to the larger aspects of   
the great world war--and as to these we 
may most properly remain neutral--our   
national history and traditions1 the    
very principles of government to which  
we owe all that we have and are1 cannot 
but confirm us in the profound          
conviction that no conclusion to this   
war can be just and right1 or permanent1
 that does not once more restore the    
,belgian nation and guarantee that it   

shall remain completely and forever     
free4  ,on the other hand1 while news of
 the damage done to some famous ,flemish
 church or ,hotel de ,ville causes the  
author sensations akin to those that he 
would experience on learning of the     
wounding of a friend1 this book will    
contain no complaint regarding ,german  
destruction of these monuments of       
architecture4 ,at ,ypres and ,malines1  
where the havoc wrought cannot fail to  
have been fearful1 the damage was done  
in the course of battles in which the   
most powerful engines of destruction    
ever invented by man were used on both  
sides4 ,much as we may deplore the      
results1 we cannot blame the individual 
commanders4 ,at ,antwerp1 ,ghent1       
,bruges and many other famous ,flemish  
cities the ,germans appear to have made 
every effort to avoid wanton destruction
 and preserve the most notable historic 
edifices4 ,after the war is over and we 
have learned exactly what structures    
have been destroyed1 and under what     

circumstances1 we can justly place      
whatever blame may attach to such a     
catastrophe where it belongs--but not   
until then4 ,for the present we can only
 hope that the damage may be less than  
has been reported1 and that in many     
instances it will be possible for the   
,belgians--so skilful in the work of    
restoration--to reconstruct the sections
 of famous buildings that have been     
damaged4  ,when the war is over many    
thousands of ,americans and ,english    
will be eager to visit the battle-fields
 of ,flanders and see for themselves the
 scenes of conflicts that will forever  
hold a great place in human history4    
,the author ventures to hope that this  
little book may be found serviceable to 
such tourists as it contains much       
information not to be found in any guide
 book4 ,if it aids any of them--or any  
of the far larger host of travellers    
whose journeys in far-off lands must be 
made by their home firesides--to        
understand ,flanders better it will have

 achieved its purpose4 ,it is one of the
 many ironies of the war that towns like
 ,ypres and ,malines1 which were rarely 
visited by ,american tourists when they 
were in their perfection1 will1 no      
doubt1 be visited by thousands now that 
the clash of arms has brought them at   
the same moment destruction and immortal
 fame4      ,,edward ,,neville ,,vose4  
,,contents              ,,chapter       
,,page             ,,publishers' ,,note 
vii             ,,foreword              
ix          ,i4 ,,introducing ,,flanders
 ,,and ,,the ,,four ,,pilgrims          
#a         ,,ii4 ,,vieux ,,bruges ,,and 
,,count ,,baldwin ,,of ,,the ,,iron     
,,arm             #ae        ,,iii4     
,,bruges ,,in ,,the ,,days ,,of         
,,charles ,,the ,,good                  
#cj         ,,iv4 ,,how ,,bruges        
,,became ,,the ,,venice ,,of ,,the      
,,north                #ed          ,v4 
,,dixmude ,,and ,,furnes                
#gh         ,,vi4 ,,nieuport ,,and ,,the
 ,,yser ,,canal                         

#id        ,,vii4 ,,when ,,ypres ,,was  
,a ,,greater ,,city ,,than ,,london     
#aaf       ,,viii4 ,,courtrai ,,and     
,,the ,,battle ,,of ,,the ,,spurs       
#adf         ,,ix4 ,,ghent ,,in ,,the   
,,days ,,of ,,the ,,flemish ,,counts    
#afi          ,x4 ,,the ,,age ,,when    
,,ghent ,,was ,,governed ,,by ,,its     
,,guilds             #aib         ,,xi4 
,,philip ,,the ,,good ,,and ,,the ,,van 
,,eycks                         #bah    
,,xii4 ,,tournai1 ,,the ,,oldest ,,city 
,,in ,,belgium                          
#bdb       ,,xiii4 ,,three ,,centuries  
,,of ,,tournaisian ,,art                
#bfh        ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,fall ,,of    
,,charles ,,the ,,bold--,,memling ,,at  
,,bruges           #bhe         ,,xv4   
,,malines ,,in ,,the ,,time ,,of        
,,margaret ,,of ,,austria               
#caa        ,,xvi4 ,,ghent ,,under      
,,charles ,,the ,,fifth--,,and ,,since  
#cdd       ,,xvii4 ,,audenaerde ,,and   
,,margaret ,,of ,,parma                 
#cfg      ,,xviii4 ,,old                

,,antwerp--,,its ,,history ,,and        
,,legends                      #cic     
,,xix4 ,,three ,,centuries ,,of         
,,antwerp ,,printers                    
#daa         ,,xx4 ,,antwerp ,,from     
,,the ,,time ,,of ,,rubens ,,till       
,,to-,,day               #dch           
,,xxi4 ,,where ,,modern ,,flanders      
,,shines--,,ostende ,,and ,,la ,,plage  
#dfd       ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,spell ,,of   
,,flanders                              
#dhj             ,,bibliography         
#dhe             ,,index                
#dhi         ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations
                                        
,,page     ,,cathedral ,,of ,,st4       
,,sauveur1 ,,bruges 7in full colour7    
7,see page #dg7                         
,frontispiece      ,,map ,,of ,,belgium 
,,and ,,the ,,netherlands1     ,,showing
 ,,the ,,old ,,flemish ,,principality   
facing #a      ,b,,guinage ,,bridge1    
,,bruges                                
#ce      ,,tomb ,,of ,,marie ,,of       
,,burgundy1 ,,church ,,of ,,notre       

,,dame1 ,,bruges           #ea          
,,palais ,,du ,,franc1 ,,bruges 7in full
 colour7                        #ei     
,,the ,,belfry1 ,,bruges                
#fc      ,,the ,,minnewater1 ,,bruges   
#ga      ,,shrimp ,,fishermen1 ,,coxyde 
#ic      ,,tower ,,of ,,the ,,templars1 
,,nieuport                              
#ii      ,,an ,,ancient ,,painting ,,of 
,,the ,,flemish ,,kermesse ,,by         
,,teniers           #aae      ,,cloth   
,,hall1 ,,ypres                         
#aai      ,,hotel ,,merghelynck1 ,,ypres
                                        
#aci      ,,church ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter1  
,,ypres                                 
#ada      ,,statue ,,of ,,peter ,,de    
,,coninck ,,and ,,john ,,breidel1       
,,bruges              #aed      ,,castle
 ,,of ,,the ,,counts1 ,,ghent           
#agj      ,,ruins ,,of ,,the ,,abbey    
,,of ,,st4 ,,bavon1 ,,ghent             
#ahd      ,,post ,,office1 ,,church ,,of
 ,,st4 ,,nicholas1 ,,belfry ,,and       
,,cathedral1 ,,ghent                    

#aie      ,,de ,,dulle ,,griete1 ,,ghent
                                        
#bjh      ,,workroom1 ,,petit           
,b,,guinage ,,de ,,notre ,,dame1 ,,ghent
                   #baj      ,,singing  
,,angels1 ,,from ,,the ,,adoration ,,of 
,,the     ,,lamb--,,jean ,,van ,,eyck   
#bcf      ,,george ,,van ,,der ,,paele1 
,,canon ,,of ,,st4 ,,donatian1          
,,worshipping ,,the ,,madonna--,,jean   
,,van ,,eyck 7in full colour7       #bci
      ,,general ,,view ,,of ,,tournai   
,,and ,,the ,,five-,,towered ,,cathedral
           #bef      ,,the ,,belfry1    
,,tournai                               
#bfb      ,a ,,triptych ,,of ,,the      
,,seven ,,sacraments ,,by ,,rogier ,,van
 ,,der ,,weyden      #bgb      ,,shrine 
,,of ,,st4 ,,ursula1 ,,hospital ,,of    
,,st4 ,,jean1 ,,bruges                  
#bif      ,,an ,,illumination ,,by      
,,gheerhardt ,,david ,,of ,,bruges1     
#adih2 ,,st4 ,,barbara 7in full colour7 
#cjj      ,,the ,,last                  
,,supper--,,thierry ,,bouts             

#cjg      ,,quai ,,vert1 ,,bruges       
#caj      ,,cathedral ,,of ,,st4        
,,rombaut1 ,,malines                    
#cab      ,,tower ,,of ,,the ,,cathedral
 ,,of ,,st4 ,,rombaut1 ,,from     ,,the 
,,ruelle ,,sans ,,fin                   
#cah      ,,in ,,het ,,paradijs ,,and   
,,maison ,,des ,,diables2 ,,two         
,,fifteenth     ,,century ,,houses1     
,,malines                               
#ccc      ,,portrait ,,of ,,jean        
,,arnolfini ,,and ,,his ,,wife ,,by     
,,jean     ,,van ,,eyck                 
#cdj      ,,maison ,,de ,,la ,,keure1   
,,hotel ,,de ,,ville1 ,,ghent           
#cdg      ,,portrait ,,of ,,the ,,duke  
,,of ,,alva ,,by ,a4 ,,moro             
#ceb      ,,the ,,adoration ,,of ,,the  
,,shepherds--,,hugo ,,van ,,der ,,goes  
#cfb      ,,old ,,guild ,,houses1 ,,quai
 ,,aux ,,herbes1 ,,ghent                
#cfe      ,,hotel ,,de ,,ville1         
,,audenaerde                            
#cgj      ,,wooden ,,doorway1 ,,carved  
,,by ,,van ,,der ,,schelden1     ,,hotel

 ,,de ,,ville1 ,,audenaerde             
#cge      ,,church ,,of ,,ste4          
,,walburge1 ,,audenaerde                
#chc      ,a ,,flemish ,,tapestry ,,of  
,,the ,,fifteenth ,,century             
#chf      ,,the ,,vielle ,,boucherie1   
,,antwerp                               
#cii      ,,the ,,banker ,,and ,,his    
,,wife--,,matsys                        
#djc      ,,winter--,,peter ,,breughel  
#dje      ,,dragging ,,the ,,statue ,,of
 ,,the ,,duke ,,of ,,alva ,,through     
,,the ,,streets ,,of ,,antwerp--,c4     
,,verlat                                
#dah      ,,courtyard ,,of ,,the        
,,plantin ,,museum1 ,,antwerp           
#dbh      ,,ancient ,,printing ,,presses
 ,,and ,,composing ,,cases1             
,,plantin ,,museum1 ,,antwerp           
#dcf      ,,the ,,descent ,,from ,,the  
,,cross--,,rubens                       
#dci      ,,coup ,,de ,,lance--,,rubens 
#ddb      ,,la ,,vierge ,,au            
,,perroquet--,,rubens                   
#dde      ,,peter ,,paul ,,rubens       

#ddh      ,,as ,,the ,,old ,,birds      
,,sing ,,the ,,young ,,birds            
,,pipe--,,jacob     ,,jordaens          
#dec      ,,hotel ,,de ,,ville1         
,,antwerp                               
#def      ,,the ,,salle ,,des ,,jeux1   
,,in ,,the ,,kursaal ,,ostende          
#dgf   ,illustration3 ,,map ,,of        
,,belgium ,,and ,,the ,,netherlands1    
,,showing ,,the ,,old ,,flemish         
,,principality     ,,the ,,spell ,,of   
,,flanders     ,,chapter ,i             
,,introducing ,,flanders ,,and ,,the    
,,four ,,pilgrims   ,flanders6 ,why1    
where is ,flanders8  ,there6 ,i told you
 she'd ask that question4 ,you'll have  
to start right at the beginning with    
her1 and explain everything as you go   
along4  ,we were planning our next      
vacation tour in ,europe1 which we had  
long before agreed to do together this  
year4 ,that meant a party of four--the  
,professor1 as ,i always called him1 and
 his charming young wife1 my wife1 and  
myself4 ,like the plays in which the    

characters appear on the stage in the   
order that their names are printed on   
the programme1 the arrangement ,i have  
just given is significant4 ,the         
,professor is always first1 a born      
leader-of-the-way4 ,and ,i am usually   
last1 carrying the heavy bundles4  ,not 
that ,i am complaining4 ,no doubt ,i was
 born to do it4 ,moreover1 the          
,professor and ,i have been chums since 
boyhood4 ,we worked our way through prep
 school and college together1 came to   
,new ,york together1 and--in a modest   
way--have prospered together4 ,at least1
 we felt prosperous enough to think of  
going to ,europe4 ,for some years he has
 been the head of the department of     
history in an important educational     
institution within the boundaries of the
 greater city1 while ,i have devoted    
myself to journalism--and am therefore  
dubbed the ,editor1 whenever he wishes  
to refer to me as a personage instead of
 a human being1 which1 happily1 is not  
very often4 ,of the two ladies in the   

proposed party ,i do not need to        
speak--not because there is nothing to  
say1 but because they can speak for     
themselves4 ,in fact1 one of them has   
just spoken1 has asked a question1 and  
it has not yet been answered4           
,flanders1 my dear1 said the ,professor1
 speaking in his most sententious       
manner--as if delivering a lecture in   
his classroom--is the most interesting  
and the least visited corner of ,europe4
 ,it has more battle-fields and more    
,gothic churches per square mile than   
can be found anywhere else4 ,in other   
parts of ,europe you can see medival    
houses1 here and there--usually in      
charge of a smirking caretaker1 with his
 little guidebook for sale1 and hungrily
 anticipating his little fee4 ,in       
,flanders there are whole streets of    
them1 whole towns that date from the    
sixteenth century or earlier--but for   
the costumes of the people1 you could   
easily imagine yourself transported by  
some enchantment back to the days of    

,charles the ,bold1 or even to the time 
of the ,crusaders4  ,yes1 ,i added1 and 
there is no region in the world where   
the history of the past seems more real1
 more instinct with the emotions that   
govern human conduct to-day1 than these 
quaint old ,flemish towns4 ,you stand in
 front of a marble skyscraper on ,fifth 
,avenue and read a bronze tablet that   
tells you that here the ,revolutionary  
forces under old ,colonel ,putnam1 or   
whoever it was1 delayed the advancing   
,british and covered ,general           
,washington's retreat4 ,now1 does that  
tablet help you to reconstruct your     
history8 ,no1 you are quite aware that  
the fight took place when ,fifth ,avenue
 was open country1 but your imagination 
will not work when you try to make it   
picture that scene for you right there  
on ,fifth ,avenue where the tablet says 
it happened4  ,now1 it's different in   
,flanders4 ,you read in the history     
about how the burghers of ,bruges1 when 
the ,duke of ,burgundy1 ,philip the     

,good1 tried to overawe the city by     
placing an army of archers in the       
market-place1 swarmed out of their      
houses and down the narrow1 crooked     
streets like so many angry bees4 ,there 
are the same old houses1 the identical  
narrow1 crooked streets--a bit of an    
effort and you can picture it all--and  
how the ,duke and his archers were      
driven back and back1 while the burghers
 swarmed in ever increasing numbers1 and
 the great tocsin in the belfry shrieked
 and clanged to tell the valiant weavers
 that their liberties were in danger4   
,and take that other famous event1 when 
they flung the murderers of ,count      
,charles the ,good--who lived and died  
five hundred years before the other     
,prince who1 like him1 was surnamed the 
,good--from the tower of the very       
cathedral in which they had murdered    
him4 ,why1 you can climb the tower and  
look off across the same sea of         
red-roofed houses and down upon the same
 square1 paved with cruelly jagged      

stones1 as did the condemned men when1  
one by one1 they were led to the edge of
 the parapet and sent hurtling down4    
,the point is well taken1 interrupted   
the ,professor1 only that particular    
church is no longer standing--it was    
destroyed during the ,french            
,revolution4 ,but really that makes     
little difference--there are plenty of  
other towers in ,bruges that have       
witnessed stirring scenes4 ,and all over
 ,flanders it is the same way--nothing  
is easier than to make your history live
 again1 for everywhere you have the     
original setting practically unchanged4 
,it's all very well for you men1        
observed ,mrs4 ,professor1 when her     
husband and ,i paused to get our breath1
 who admire1 or pretend to admire1      
battles and executions and that sort of 
thing1 but if there is nothing else to  
see except places with such dreadfully  
unpleasant associations ,i1 for one1    
don't want to go there4  ,on the        
contrary1 ,i hastened to reply1 seeing  

that the ,professor was much disturbed  
at this unexpected result of all our    
eloquence1 ,flanders has a lot of things
 to interest the ladies4 ,think of its  
famous laces and lacemakers--we can     
still find the latter at work in places 
like ,bruges1 ,malines and ,turnhout--of
 its rare old tapestries from           
,audenaerde and ,tournai1 and the fine  
linens of ,courtrai4 ,then there are    
wood carvings the like of which you will
 travel far to see1 and old ,flemish    
furniture everywhere4  ,to say nothing  
of the pleasure of learning a little    
more about the great ,flemish school of 
art in the very home towns of its most  
celebrated artists1 added the           
,professor1 who was much elated to see  
that the frowns were leaving the fair   
face of his better half4  ,that's much  
better1 she announced4 ,i've always     
thought fine hand-made lace the most    
wonderful product of feminine patience  
and skill1 and ,i should certainly love 
to watch them make it4  ,for my part1   

remarked the fourth member of the party1
 who had been strangely silent during   
all this discussion1 while ,i like to   
learn a little about the history of the 
old towns ,i visit1 and see the fine    
things--whether paintings1 or           
town-halls1 or lace or tapestry--for    
which they are famous1 what ,i like the 
best is to study the people themselves4 
,i mean the live ones1 not those who are
 dead and gone that our husbands are    
talking about4 ,i love to sit on the    
sidewalk on pleasant evenings and have  
dinner and black coffee while watching  
the people of the town go by4 ,it's     
better than a play4 ,and on rainy days  
there is always some quaint             
old-fashioned inn or caf where the whole
 scene looks like a painting by         
,jordaens or ,teniers4 ,the beamed      
ceiling and the pictures on the walls   
are grimy with the smoke and steam of   
countless dinners1 the buxom landlady   
sits in state behind an array of bottles
 of all sizes and colours and labelled  

at all prices1 her equally plump        
daughters wait on the tables1 the very  
guests--including ourselves--form a part
 of the picture4 ,why1 it makes me want 
to be back there again1 just to think of
 it6  ,the ,madame is right6 exclaimed  
the ,professor heartily--all of our     
friends call my wife the ,madame because
 she speaks ,french as fluently as      
,english4 ,our first object on this trip
 will be pleasure4 ,a little knowledge  
of the history of ,flanders1 of tapestry
 and lacemaking1 of architecture and    
art1 may enhance our enjoyment of what  
we see1 because we will thereby         
understand it better and appreciate its 
interest or beauty more keenly4 ,but we 
are not going over as historical        
savants1 or as authorities on art--or   
pretend that we know any more about such
 subjects than we really do--  ,which is
 just enough to enable us to derive     
sincere pleasure from seeing them1 and  
having them explained to us1 without    
troubling our heads about this1 that or 

the other element of technique1 ,i      
interrupted1 completing the ,professor's
 sentence for him4  ,and the best part  
of the day will be1 just as ,madame     
says1 added ,mrs4 ,professor gaily1 the 
dinners on the sidewalks1 where we can  
watch the people as they go about and   
tell each other of what we have seen    
since morning4 ,and1 hurray6 for the    
,flemish inns6  ,well1 as to ,flemish   
inns1 observed the ,madame1 what ,i said
 related to eating a dinner in one4     
,when it comes to sleeping in them there
 are other things to think of besides   
beamed ceilings and picturesque         
interiors4  ,a few years ago we had an  
experience at ,antwerp that taught us   
the folly of arriving at a great        
continental city late at night without  
having hotel accommodations secured in  
advance4 ,we had started at eight in the
 morning from ,hamburg1 intending to    
stop at ,antwerp just long enough to    
transfer our belongings to a train for  
,brussels that1 according to the        

time-table1 would leave fifteen minutes 
after our train arrived4 ,now1 from     
,hamburg to ,antwerp is quite a long    
ride--short as the distance looks on the
 map--and when we finally arrived at our
 destination1 half an hour late1 it was 
long after midnight and our train for   
,brussels had gone4  ,we were both tired
 out1 and hastily decided that we would 
put up at ,antwerp for the night and go 
on to ,brussels in the morning4 ,as we  
emerged from the great ,gare ,centrale  
we found despite the lateness of the    
hour1 about a dozen red-capped hotel    
runners1 each of whom clamoured for our 
patronage4 ,they all looked very much   
alike1 the names on their caps meant    
nothing to us as we were not familiar   
with the ,antwerp hotels1 and we        
selected one at random4 ,to our dismay  
we discovered1 when it was too late1    
that1 whereas most of them had hotel    
busses in waiting--into which they      
leaped and were driven off--our cicerone
 was not so provided4 ,he attempted to  

reassure us by saying that the ,grand   
,hotel de ---- was close by--a fact that
 produced the opposite effect from that 
intended1 as we knew that the immediate 
vicinity of a large railroad station is 
seldom a desirable neighbourhood4       
,however1 the other porters were now    
gone and1 unless we were disposed to    
sleep in the station1 there was nothing 
to do but follow along4 ,to our further 
alarm our guide presently turned into a 
most unprepossessing street on which    
several drinking places were still open1
 or were only on the point of closing4  
,into one of these he led us4 ,after a  
short conference with the proprietress1 
who was sitting behind the bar counting 
the day's receipts1 he took a candle and
 a huge key and led us out into the     
court1 then up a flight of stairs placed
 on the outside of the house1 and       
through several narrow passageways4 ,but
 for the flickering candle everything   
was completely dark1 and when he finally
 ushered us into an immense room with a 

medival four-post bed in its darkest    
corner we involuntarily looked for the  
trap-door down which the murderous      
inn-keepers of the stories were wont to 
cast their victims4  ,lighting a pair of
 candles on the mantelpiece from his1   
and wishing us a civil ',bon soir1' our 
red-capped guide now left us--to our    
great relief4 ,although we tried to     
dismiss our fears as childish1 we both  
felt more insecure and helpless than we 
cared to admit1 even to each other4     
,none of our friends knew that we were  
in ,antwerp4 ,if we disappeared they    
would hardly think to look for us       
there--and still less on this shabby    
street1 the very name of which we did   
not know4  ,we barricaded the door      
against a sudden surprise1 inspected the
 walls with a candle for signs of the   
secret door 7at the head of the winding 
stairway up which the wicked innkeeper  
so often creeps upon his prey1 according
 to the chronicles7 and at last1 the    
fatigue of the day overcoming our fears1

 we slept4 ,it was broad daylight when  
we awoke1 and the street was alive with 
people--mostly cartmen and peasants it  
seemed4 ,with some difficulty we found  
our way down to the room where we had   
seen the landlady the night before4 ,she
 greeted us warmly1 our fears of the    
night had fled--and we sat down and     
ordered1 and enjoyed1 a most excellent  
breakfast4 ,the hotel was quite a       
popular one1 we learned1 much frequented
 by people from near-by towns1 and we   
had never been safer in our lives4 ,yet1
 just the same1 we both vowed firmly    
that ',never ,again' would we take      
similar chances--and we never have4  ,i 
have thought of that incident more than 
once while talking over our ,flemish    
tour with the ,professor1 ,i observed1  
and have decided upon this plan4 ,when  
we find a hotel that suits us all1 as   
regards cleanliness1 cuisine and        
safety--or rather the sense of security1
 for ,i daresay we would be safe enough 
in many that we would hardly care to    

patronise--we will stay overnight in    
whatever town we may chance to be       
visiting4 ,if1 on the other hand1 we    
have not had time to find such a place1 
we'll take a train back to ,antwerp or  
,brussels1 where there are hotels that  
we know all about4 ,we'll get           
second-class billets d'abonnement every 
two weeks anyway1 so the rail trip will 
only cost us our time4  ,and are        
,antwerp and ,brussels both in          
,flanders8 inquired ,mrs4 ,professor4   
,between you1 you have given me an idea 
that ,i should like to visit ,flanders1 
but you have none of you answered my    
question as to where it is4  ,i think ,i
 can answer you1 my dear1 replied her   
husband4 ,there are1 as you probably    
know1 two little provinces in the       
northern part of ,belgium called ,east  
and ,west ,flanders4 ,the boundaries of 
the ,flanders of history and of art1    
however1 cover a considerable wider area
 than these two provinces4 ,over in     
,france a considerable part of the      

,department du ,nord was for centuries  
subject to the ,counts of ,flanders4 ,on
 the other side1 to the eastward1 the   
cities of ,antwerp and ,malines were for
 many centuries independent of the      
,counts of ,flanders1 but their people  
spoke ,flemish1 their houses1 churches  
and town-halls were built in the best   
style of ,flemish architecture1 and they
 became famous centres of ,flemish art  
and learning4 ,to my mind1 therefore1   
they both belong to ,flanders4          
,brussels1 however1 while its ,hotel de 
,ville and ,grande ,place are splendid  
examples of ,flemish architecture1 is   
more ,french than ,flemish1 and belongs 
to the ,walloon or ,french part of      
,belgium4  ,now1 as the ,editor here has
 proposed a plan which seems to me a    
good one as regards our hotels1 ,i will 
venture to suggest one as regards our   
itinerary4 ,it will make comparatively  
little difference which towns we visit  
first1 and as some are more closely     
identified with the early history of    

,flanders than the others ,i propose    
that we visit these older towns first4  
,at the time of the ,crusades ,ypres1   
for example1 had two hundred thousand   
inhabitants when the population of      
,london was less than thirty-five       
thousand and ,antwerp was an obscure    
little town4 ,nieuport and ,furnes were1
 at that time1 the chief seaports of    
,flanders4 ,now they are miles from the 
sea4 ,dixmude1 near by1 was another     
important city of those olden days4 ,now
 all these places are country           
villages--'the dead cities of           
,flanders1' they are called1 and        
scarcely a tourist from ,america ever   
visits them1 although they are fairly   
familiar to our ,english cousins4  ,if  
we start our pilgrimage in ,flanders    
with ,bruges1 which was the first       
capital of the ,county of ,flanders1 and
 with these old towns--all of which are 
hard by--we can plan our journeys       
chronologically1 so to speak1 visiting  
first the monuments that date from the  

twelfth to the fourteenth centuries1    
then those of the fifteenth and         
sixteenth centuries1 and so on4 ,in that
 way we not only can keep the little    
history we know straight1 but we can    
trace with our own eyes the gradual     
development of ,flemish architecture and
 art4  ,this plan was unanimously voted 
to be a capital one--in theory1 at any  
rate--and thus it was that in our       
subsequent wanderings about ,flanders1  
under the guidance of the indefatigable 
,professor1 we often crossed our trail1 
and now and then visited the same place 
more than once4 ,in practice it did not 
accomplish quite all that was expected  
of it by its learned originator--but    
what plan ever does1 or ever will8 ,that
 it enhanced the interest of the trip   
manyfold we all agreed2 it often        
sustained our flagging zeal1 and it     
helped us to know ,flanders--the        
,flanders of the past especially--far   
better than we would have done in any   
other way4     ,,chapter ,,ii  ,,vieux  

,,bruges ,,and ,,count ,,baldwin ,,of   
,,the ,,iron ,,arm   ,it is not the     
purpose of this veracious chronicle to  
recount the doings and sayings1 the     
incidents or lack of incident1 on the   
voyage across4 ,suffice it to say that  
in due season the good ship ,lapland    
turned its prow away from the white     
cliffs of ,dover and straight toward the
 low-lying shores of ,flanders4 ,as she 
crossed the ,north ,sea scores of       
fishing boats with brown sails hovered  
around her1 while throngs of seagulls   
soared overhead1 or now and then dashed 
madly into her foaming wake to grasp    
some morsel flung from deck or porthole1
 or fight fiercely with each other for  
its possession4 ,presently1 in the haze 
ahead1 a faint outline of land could be 
distinguished1 and soon we could see    
through our glasses the heaped up dunes 
that mark the battle line between the   
,north ,sea and the fertile ,flemish    
polders behind them4 ,here and there the
 shore was strengthened by rows of      

pilings to keep the waves of ,winter    
from washing it away4 ,as a sight1      
however1 it was dreary and uninviting   
enough--not at all like the picturesque 
headlands of ,merrie ,england we had    
been looking at only a few hours before4
  ,now1 for a time1 the ship kept its   
course parallel to the shore1 but at a  
distance of a mile or more4 ,gradually  
the coast became more inhabited1 and    
soon we could see a row of stone and    
brick buildings facing directly on the  
beach which some one said was           
,blankenberghe4 ,no doubt there were    
other rows of houses behind the first1  
but either they were lower1 or in the   
haze our glasses could not distinguish  
them4 ,then the panorama of the ,flemish
 coast unrolled a little further and we 
saw the long curved breakwater of       
,zee-,brugge1 with its white lighthouse4
 ,this is an artificial port connected  
with the ancient capital of ,flanders by
 a ship canal4 ,entrance to the canal   
from the sea is effected by a large lock

 which was faintly visible4 ,another    
beach city1 ,heyst1 next appeared--the  
ship seeming to stand still while the   
shoreline marched slowly past4 ,then    
came a smaller place1 which from our    
maps we concluded must be ,knocke4 ,here
 the coastline of the present ,kingdom  
of ,belgium ends1 the little ,river     
,zwyn--once famous as the channel up    
which one hundred and fifty ships a day 
made their way to ,bruges in the days of
 its greatness--forming the boundary4   
,the ,dutch are apparently not          
interested in sea bathing1 for there    
were no more watering places4 ,in fact  
the whole coast seemed to be dead and   
deserted1 and we were glad when the     
,lapland began to turn her prow inland4 
,we were now in the broad estuary of the
 ,scheldt1 and soon the tiny city of    
,flushing appeared4 ,it was over on the 
other side of the ship and we all       
scampered across to take our first near 
look1 as ,mrs4 ,professor expressed it1 
of the land we had come to see--for     

,flushing belonged for centuries to the 
great overlords of ,flanders1 the ,dukes
 of ,burgundy and their successors4 ,it 
looked very small and compact from the  
towering deck of the big liner1 but also
 very quaint and interesting1 and we all
 agreed that as a sample of what we had 
come so far to see it was the reverse of
 disappointing4  ,soon the propellers of
 the ,lapland began to revolve again and
 the little ,dutch city slowly slipped  
out of sight in the fast gathering gloom
 of a coming shower4 ,as night came on  
the engines presently came to rest once 
more and we anchored to await daylight  
and flood tide which1 the officers said1
 would come together4 ,at four o'clock  
the following morning the ,professor and
 ,i were on deck in order to miss as    
little as possible of the voyage up the 
greyest of grey rivers1 as the ,scheldt 
has been called4 ,the ,lapland had      
started while we were asleep1 and we    
were already in ,belgium4 ,this         
circumstance disappointed the ,professor

 not a little as he had set his heart on
 seeing the remains of the ,dutch forts 
at the boundary line that for nearly one
 hundred and fifty years--from the      
,treaty of ,munster in #afdh to the     
,french occupation in #agid--;closed the
 river to ocean commerce4 ,meanwhile1   
grass grew in the streets of the all but
 deserted city of ,antwerp4 ,the ,french
 tore down the hated forts and for      
nearly forty years the ships from       
oversea went up the river unmolested4   
,then came the ,revolution of #ahcj and 
the establishment of the ,kingdom of    
,belgium1 whereupon the ,dutch proceeded
 to impose heavy navigation duties upon 
all ships passing through the lower part
 of the river4 ,while this did not      
stifle the trade of ,antwerp1 it        
seriously crippled it1 since the duties 
formed a handicap in the keen           
competition for traffic between the     
,belgian port and those of ,holland and 
,germany farther to the eastward4 ,it   
was not until #ahfc that the ,belgian   

,government was able to arrange a treaty
 whereby all river dues were abolished  
in return for the payment of a lump sum 
of #cf1jjj1jjj francs--of which only    
one-third was paid by ,belgium1 as other
 powers were interested in obtaining    
freedom of navigation on this important 
river and gladly contributed the        
remainder4 ,the imposing monument by    
,winders on the ,place ,marnix at       
,antwerp1 which was erected in #ahhc1   
commemorates this important event1 to   
which the port owes its present         
prosperity4  ,as the ,lapland slowly    
steamed up the river we could look down 
from her lofty decks upon the broad and 
intensely cultivated plain1 stretching  
as far as eye could penetrate in the    
misty distance4 ,here and there we could
 see compact little groups of farm      
buildings1 usually arranged around a    
central courtyard and with their outer  
walls well-nigh windowless1 as if the   
peasant proprietors still counted on the
 possibility of a siege such as their   

ancestors no doubt often had to sustain 
against the wandering marauders and     
freebooters who for centuries infested  
the country4 ,along every road and      
canal1 and beside nearly every          
cross-country path1 we could see long   
lines of trees set out at regular       
intervals and cutting the landscape into
 sections of varying sizes and shapes4  
,now and then a little hamlet could be  
seen1 with its red-tiled roofs nestling 
close together and a tiny church steeple
 rising from the centre4 ,often the     
roofs of the houses nearest to the river
 were below the top of the high dykes   
which here enclose the ,scheldt on      
either side4 ,close to the banks an     
occasional fort commanded the           
river--outlying links in the great chain
 of fortifications that was thought to  
be impregnable until the huge ,german   
siege guns so quickly battered it to    
pieces4  ,presently some one with a     
keener vision than the rest cries that  
the spire of the ,cathedral of ,antwerp 

is in sight and we all crowd forward and
 peer eagerly through the mist until at 
last we make out vaguely the shape of   
that marvel of ,flemish architecture    
rising above the flat plain4 ,at each   
turn of the river it draws nearer and we
 can see more clearly its delicate      
tracery of lace-work carved in stone1   
while one by one other spires loom up   
through the grey dawn4  ,the traffic in 
the river becomes more dense as we      
proceed slowly onward--huge red-bottomed
 tramp steamers with their propellers   
half out of the water and churning      
furiously in a smother of foam1 clumsy  
canal boats with ,flemish or ,german    
names lying at anchor close to the      
banks1 barges with dingy brownish sails 
and all manner of strange cargoes4      
,then1 suddenly1 we swing around the    
last turn and the entire city lies      
before us1 its houses with their high   
peaks and dormer windows rising tier    
above tier1 while at the left we catch  
glimpses through the lock gates of the  

vast inner docks with their hundreds of 
masts and funnels4 ,curiously enough the
 view to the right is entirely          
different--the green fields and         
farmsteads stretching in this direction 
from the very edge of the river as far  
as the eye can see4  ,but now we are    
warping up against the ,red ,star ,line 
pier and all eyes are gazing down upon  
the motley crowd that has assembled thus
 early in the morning--it is not yet    
seven o'clock--to welcome the new       
arrivals from ,america4 ,the customs    
inspection proves to be a mere          
formality1 half of our trunks and bags  
are chalk-marked by the obliging        
inspector without lifting a tray or     
disturbing any of their contents4 ,a    
commissionaire is waiting to bear them  
away to the cabs and1 after generously  
bestowing five cents on this worthy for 
his trouble1 we are off for the ,gare   
,centrale--for the ,madame has decreed  
that we must all proceed forthwith to   
the home of a certain ,tante 7,aunt7    

,rosa1 not far from ,brussels1 where we 
can get our land legs safely on before  
starting on our tour under the guidance 
of the ,professor4  ,throughout the     
morning it has rained heavily at        
intervals1 and as the rapide for        
,brussels steams out of the station the 
grey clouds are pouring down their      
contents in torrents4 ,this circumstance
 disturbs us not at all1 for we have    
agreed to pursue our course regardless  
of the weather and are prepared for     
anything short of a flood or blizzard4  
,and right here it may be as well to    
state that any one who proposes to      
travel in ,flanders must make up his or 
her mind to ignore the vagaries of the  
weather altogether4 ,at ,brussels the   
weather records show that it rains more 
or less during three hundred days in    
each year1 and while there are many days
 when the showers are brief1 and some   
periods when it is clear for several    
days1 it is better to come prepared for 
anything4 ,somewhere in the direction of

 the ,english ,channel there seems to   
exist a vast cloud factory1 for day     
after day one sees the huge cloud masses
 rolling slowly eastward or southward   
across the country4 ,usually they are   
high overhead1 with frequent intervals  
of brilliant sunshine1 and the showers  
few and far between4 ,at other times the
 clouds hang low and dark and the rain  
falls steadily1 not in furious driving  
showers such as occur frequently during 
the summer time at ,new ,york1 but with 
a monotonous continuity that is the     
despair of travellers who are equipped  
only for fair weather4 ,it is no        
exaggeration to state that one may look 
out of his hotel window upon a cloudless
 sky and find that by the time he has   
descended to the street it is raining4  
,happily the reverse is equally         
possible1 and frequently we looked out  
of the window while at breakfast at     
pouring rain and dripping roofs1 only to
 find by the time we were ready to go   
out of doors that the shower was over1  

the sky clear and the sidewalks nearly  
dry4 ,it is this rapid alternation of   
showers and sunshine that makes         
,flanders the land of flowers and       
vegetables1 giving the former their     
brilliant colouring and the latter their
 indescribable succulence and freshness4
  ,another tip for the would-be         
traveller in ,flanders is to come well  
prepared for cold weather even in ,june1
 ,july or ,august4 ,the nights are      
always cool1 and the prevailing winds   
are from the north or the northwest--the
 former cold1 the latter wet4 ,many     
,americans contract serious colds       
because they come clad only for hot     
weather4 ,warm underwear1 on the other  
hand1 is best for the ,flemish summer   
climate1 with overcoats and wraps for   
evening wear4 ,raincoats1 it is needless
 to say1 should be in every             
suitcase--even for a day's outing1 while
 a very handy article indeed is a       
parapluie-canne1 or umbrella cane1 such 
as can be purchased in ,brussels for ten

 francs and upwards4  ,in less than     
three-quarters of an hour our fleet     
train was rolling into the ,gare du     
,nord at ,brussels2 but ,madame was in a
 hurry1 so we became for the time birds 
of passage only and in another hour were
 already entrained again and speeding   
toward the steaming dinner that she     
assured us la ,tante ,bosa had awaiting 
us4 ,of the reception that we found when
 we arrived at last1 and of the dinner  
which was presently spread before us1   
there is no need to say more than that  
the latter proved to be all that we had 
been led to anticipate4 ,served in the  
true ,belgian style--customary alike in 
,flanders and in the ,walloon           
provinces--it occupied our attention for
 the greater part of the afternoon1 the 
courses following one another leisurely1
 with intervals between during which the
 men folk strolled about the garden and 
smoked4 ,two days later we started on   
the ,professor's itinerary1 completely  
refreshed after the fatigue of our      

voyage2 and after a bit of shopping at  
,brussels1 our pilgrimage into the heart
 of ,flanders began4  ,it was a little  
after noon when we reached the old city 
of ,bruges1 and while we were eating our
 luncheon the ,professor explained      
briefly the origin of the city and of   
the ,county of ,flanders4 ,in order to  
understand the kaleidoscopic history of 
,flanders it is necessary to forget     
entirely the ,europe of to-day4         
,throughout the ,middle ,ages ,europe   
was sub-divided into hundreds of        
separate sovereignties--duchies1        
counties1 principalities large and      
small1 whose rulers bore a score of     
titles4 ,these1 as a rule1 acknowledged 
allegiance to some higher prince1 while 
the most powerful yielded deference only
 to some ,king or ,emperor4 ,but this   
allegiance was usually a very shadowy   
affair1 and the actual government rested
 absolutely in the hands of the local   
,count1 or ,duke1 or whatever else his  
title may have been4 ,the history of    

,flanders is1 therefore1 in a sense1 the
 history of its ,counts1 for as their   
power waxed or waned the country itself 
grew powerful or weak4 ,gradually1      
however1 the great cities of ,flanders  
acquired from the earlier and better    
,counts rights and privileges that made 
them1 in many respects1 sovereign       
powers1 and the most fascinating and    
instructive part of the history of      
,flanders is the record of the brave    
struggle made by its burghers to        
maintain their liberties in the face of 
a steadily advancing tide of tyranny and
 oppression4  ,the first ,count of      
,flanders1 who won his title and his    
domains during the period of storm and  
stress that followed the breaking up of 
the great empire of ,charlemagne1 was a 
,flemish chief1 called ,baldwin of the  
,iron ,arm4 ,he chanced one day to see  
,judith1 the beautiful daughter of      
,charles the ,bald1 the son of          
,charlemagne1 fell in love with her1 and
 carried her off for his bride4 ,judith 

had been previously married to          
,ethelwolf1 ,king of ,wessex in         
,england1 when he was a very old man2   
and had taught her stepson1 who         
afterward became ,alfred the ,great1    
much of his learning4 ,the old ,king    
,charles1 her father1 for a time opposed
 the marriage with ,baldwin1 but finally
 it was celebrated with much splendour  
at ,auxerre in #hfc1 and ,baldwin was   
thereupon given the title of ,count of  
,flanders4 ,on his return1 ,baldwin     
built a great fortress on an island     
formed by the intersection of the ,river
 ,roya with its little tributary1 the   
,boterbeke4 ,this was called the ,bourg1
 and soon contained within its strong   
walls the nucleus of the future city of 
,bruges4  ,mrs4 ,professor interrupted  
at this point to ask if the name ,bruges
 was derived from ,bourg1 to which our  
learned friend replied that it was not1 
but that most historians ascribed the   
name to the bridge 7in ,flemish1 brigge7
 from the island to the mainland2 while 

some take it from the purple heather    
7brugge7 which grows plentifully        
hereabout1 and in ,august can be seen   
alongside the railway tracks and in     
great clusters by the country roadsides4
  ,the first afternoon's programme was  
to discover as much as we could of the  
old ,bourg of ,baldwin of the ,iron     
,arm4 ,not much of it is left in the    
,bruges of ,albert the ,first4 ,the     
,roya still runs where it did in the    
days of the first ,counts of ,flanders1 
but only along the ,dyver1 a terrace of 
middle-class residences1 can it be seen 
by the tourist4 ,since the eighteenth   
century it has been vaulted over for    
much of its course through the city1 and
 the ,boterbeke runs through            
subterranean channels for the entire    
distance from where it enters the city  
limits to its junction with the ,roya at
 the corner of the rue ,breidel4 ,it    
flows close to the ,cathedral1 or       
possibly beneath it1 and directly under 
the ,belfry1 which is built on piles4   

,for part of its course it runs1 like a 
subway1 under the rue du ,vieux ,bourg4 
,the only building in modern ,bruges    
that dates from the first ,baldwin's    
time is the crypt of ,st4 ,basil1 under 
the ,chapel of the ,holy ,blood4 ,here1 
or assuredly hard by1 the founder of the
 long line of ,flemish ,counts1 and his 
beautiful and talented ,countess1 no    
doubt worshipped2 and1 in the main1 the 
little chapel probably looks today very 
much as it did a thousand years ago4 ,in
 one corner1 apparently outside of the  
original outer walls of the structure1  
the concierge showed us a miniature     
model of the ancient castle of the first
 ,counts of ,flanders as archeologists  
have reconstructed it1 with the little  
,chapel of ,st4 ,basil adjoining it4 ,on
 the opposite side1 and near the        
entrance1 is a smaller chapel which some
 authorities state was the one built by 
old ,iron-,arm1 the main structure      
dating from the middle of the twelfth   
century4 ,be this as it may1 here is    

unquestionably the very oldest relic of 
the ancient ,bourg and one of the oldest
 places of worship in all ,flanders4    
,after our inspection of ,st4 ,basil we 
decided to devote the rest of the       
afternoon to tramping around the streets
 of the ,vieux ,bourg1 or1 in other     
words1 the section of the city within   
the circle of picturesque old quays that
 mark the approximate boundaries of the 
island-fortress where the first ,counts 
of ,flanders laid the foundations of    
their power4 ,to be sure1 none of the   
houses now standing date from a much    
earlier period than the fifteenth       
century1 but all were so quaint and     
charming that we cared little for the   
archeologists with their dates1 and felt
 ourselves transported without an effort
 to the days when might made right and  
the whole world was governed by the     
simple law that he may take who has the 
power1 and he may keep who can4 ,we     
little dreamed1 as we journeyed about   
amid these peaceful surroundings1 that  

within a single month the world was to  
revert to the rule of might once more2  
that1 to quote from ,kipling's noble    
poem1 stricken ,belgium1 and1 indeed1   
all civilisation could say3      ,our   
world has passed away1       ,in        
wantonness o'erthrown4     ,there's     
nothing left to-day       ,but steel and
 fire and stone4      ,once more we hear
 the word       ,that sickened earth of 
old--     ',no law except the sword1    
,unsheathed and uncontrolled4'          
,,chapter ,,iii  ,,bruges ,,in ,,the    
,,days ,,of ,,charles ,,the ,,good   ,to
 those for whom the past possesses      
elements of romance1 of mystery and of  
fascination that our more prosaic and   
orderly modern world lacks1 ,bruges     
offers endless opportunities for        
enjoyment4 ,to be sure1 the streets are 
a bit more crowded than they were twenty
 years ago1 and one sees more frequent  
groups of people1 carrying little       
red-backed ,baedekers and evidently     
intent on seeing all the sights1 than   

formerly4 ,but these are evils of which 
all old travellers complain1 as one     
compares notes with them at the hotel   
after the day is over4 ,one caretaker   
told us1 with evident pride1 that thirty
 thousand tourists visited ,bruges in   
#aiac4 ,if one divides this total by    
three hundred and sixty-five1 and the   
result again by the score or more of    
places that every tourist wants to see1 
it will be perceived that the number in 
any one place at the same time is not   
likely to be excessive4 ,in point of    
fact our little party was almost        
invariably alone1 save when we          
encountered a party of personally       
conducted travellers rushing at         
break-neck speed from place to place4   
,if1 after seeing all the points of     
interest enumerated by the faithful     
red-coated guide1 philosopher and       
companion above mentioned1 one should   
stray down one or another of the narrow1
 crooked streets in the older parts of  
the town he is certain to find bits of  

medival ,bruges here and there so well  
preserved and perfect that if the few   
passers-by only wore the picturesque    
costumes of the olden days the illusion 
would be complete4 ,take1 for example1  
the rue de l',ane ,aveugle1 the ,street 
of the ,blind ,donkey1 with its         
attenuated sidewalks along which a      
tight-rope walker could hardly advance  
without stepping off1 its roadway too   
narrow for two blind donkeys to pass    
abreast1 and its charming archway from  
the ,hotel de ,ville to the ,maison de  
l'ancien ,greffe ,flamand2 or the rue du
 ,poivre1 with its tiny one-story       
houses1 many of them with one room      
down-stairs and one overhead--the latter
 lighted by the quaintest of gable      
windows--surely we have stepped backward
 half a dozen centuries1 for nothing    
like this could have continued to exist 
until the prosaic present6  ,in fact    
these queer little one-story houses     
abound in all parts of the city1 and the
 ,madame was constantly darting across  

the roadway to peer within whenever she 
saw a door ajar4 ,she generally returned
 highly indignant that any one could    
think of existing in such narrow        
quarters4 ,i'd as soon live in a tomb6  
she exclaimed1 nodding in the direction 
of one little house which consisted of  
one room and only one1 being devoid even
 of the attic room with its customary   
dormer window4 ,inside sat an old lady1 
gazing tranquilly out of doors and doing
 nothing whatever4 ,indeed1 as the      
,madame pointed out1 there was little   
enough to do as far as housework was    
concerned4 ,in the morning everybody in 
,flanders washes the stone floors of    
their living-rooms1 and frequently the  
sidewalk and out to the middle of the   
street as well4 ,this done1 the         
housework for the day is over1 except   
for preparing the meals4 ,we had hoped  
to see old ladies by the score sitting  
at the doorways making lace1 but on only
 one street--the rue du ,rouleau--did we
 catch a glimpse of any1 and they went  

indoors as we approached them4 ,it was  
only the estaminets that we could       
inspect within4 ,whenever we found what 
appeared to be an exceptionally old     
house that bore the legend ,hier        
,verkoopt men drank the ,professor and  
,i often used to go in and order a glass
 of ,vieux systme1 simply to get a look 
at the interior4 ,if1 as sometimes      
happened1 mijnheer and his vroue were   
very accommodating and kind1 we summoned
 the ladies--despite the fact that the  
sign without appeared to mean for men   
only--and together we explored the old  
house from garret to cellar4  ,more than
 once1 as we journeyed about among these
 delightfully old and quaint            
surroundings1 the longing to see some   
one whose costume would1 in a measure1  
suggest the period when these structures
 were built came back to us4 ,oh6       
exclaimed ,mrs4 ,professor1 as we sat   
one afternoon in a particularly cosy    
corner of one of the oldest interiors we
 had yet seen1 if two or three knights  

in armour--or in their lovely costumes  
of velvet1 silk and old lace--would     
stalk in and sit down at that table over
 there it would make the picture        
complete4 ,we found1 however1 one spot  
in ,bruges1 dating from the twelfth     
century1 in which even the costumes were
 unchanged4 ,this was the ,bguinage1    
close to the ,minnewater and the ancient
 city ramparts--a city of the past      
where1 shut off by high brick walls from
 the noise and bustle of the outer      
world1 peaceful figures clad in sombre  
grey and white move noiselessly about as
 if the big figures on the calendar read
 #aaad instead of #aiad4  ,except for   
two institutions of the kind in         
,holland1 ,belgium is the only country  
in ,europe in which these ,bguinages    
have survived--all of them in ,flanders4
 ,no institution of the present day     
recalls so vividly the conditions that  
existed at the time when ,flanders was  
the name of a wild marsh country peopled
 by yet wilder men4 ,in #hgg the        

,emperor made the title of ,count of    
,flanders hereditary--the oldest title  
of the kind in ,europe4 ,baldwin ,,ii1  
son of ,baldwin of the ,iron ,arm and   
the beautiful ,judith1 married ,alfrida1
 the daughter of ,alfred the ,great4    
,the second ,baldwin was renowned       
chiefly for his work in fortifying the  
towns of ,bruges1 ,ghent1 ,ypres and    
,courtrai as a means of protection      
against the robber chiefs who           
still--despite the energetic warfare of 
his father--infested this entire region4
 ,the necessity for protection against  
robbers1 and occasional incursions of   
savage ,danes from the ,north ,sea1     
caused population to flock speedily into
 these walled towns1 and thus laid the  
foundation for the wonderful civic      
development of the next four centuries4 
,the son of ,baldwin ,,ii1              
,arnulph--often called ,arnulph the     
,great--continued the policy of         
strengthening the cities1 and also      
established or restored nearly a score  

of monasteries and convents for the     
protection of men and women against the 
many dangers of that lawless age4 ,the  
famous chapter of ,st4 ,donatian's at   
,bruges was one of these1 and while the 
,bguinage dates from a somewhat later   
epoch in the town's history1 it         
admirably exemplifies many of the       
principles that made these early        
religious orders the strongholds1 not   
only of piety in a period of            
semi-barbarism1 but of learning and     
civilisation4  ,illustration3           
,b,,guinage ,,bridge1 ,,bruges4  ,the   
,bguinage at ,bruges is much smaller    
than the famous ,grand ,bguinage at     
,ghent1 which so many tourists visit1   
but is far more ancient--its arched     
gateway dating from the thirteenth      
century and its gloomy and barn-like    
chapel from #afje4 ,how old the houses  
are no one seemed to know1 but probably 
many of them are older than the chapel4 
,the little bridge by which one enters  
its quiet precincts was first built in  

#abig1 of wood1 according to the        
records1 but its present picturesque    
stone arches date from #aegj--;a        
respectable antiquity1 even for ,bruges4
 ,we found several of the little houses 
untenanted for some reason1 but even the
 empty ones were spotlessly clean4 ,the 
,bguines live in small communities or   
convents1 under the superintendence of a
 ,lady ,superior called de ,juffer2 or  
in houses where two or three live       
together4 ,in the convents there are    
usually about twenty inmates4 ,each has 
her little cell1 but these we were not  
permitted to see4 ,we did1 however1     
inspect the kitchen and dining-room of  
one of the convents--and the large sunny
 workroom1 in which the ,bguines were   
assembled4 ,each was chatting aloud as  
she worked1 but whether in ,flemish or  
,latin we could not tell4 ,on every face
 there rested the same expression of    
absolute peace and quietness1 nor did a 
single one betray the slightest interest
 or curiosity at our presence4  ,in the 

early annals of ,bruges no story is more
 dramatic than that of the murder of    
,charles the ,good4 ,it is1 in fact1 the
 theme of the great ,flemish novelist   
,hendrick ,conscience's most famous     
book1 ,de ,kerels van ,vlaanderen1 and  
has been told by several contemporary   
chroniclers4 ,when ,charles became      
,count of ,flanders the feudal system   
was slowly displacing the anarchy that  
had resulted from the breakdown of all  
centralised government as the ,norsemen 
swept over northern ,europe4 ,charles   
was an ardent believer in the new order1
 but was opposed in his policy of       
building up a strong feudal state by the
 ,karls1 a class of free landholders of 
,saxon descent1 who stubbornly refused  
to swear allegiance to any feudal       
over-lord4 ,the greatest of these was   
the house of ,erembald4 ,desiderious    
,hacket1 the head of the family1 was    
,chtelain of ,bruges1 ranking next to   
the ,count himself2 while his brother   
,bertulph was ,provost of ,st4          

,donatian1 the principal ecclesiastical 
position in the ,county1 and chancellor 
of the ,count4 ,the head of the feudal  
lords was ,tancmar1 ,lord of ,straten4  
,between the powerful houses of         
,erembald and ,straten there was a      
deadly feud1 which culminated in a      
challenge to mortal combat delivered to 
,walter1 a nephew of ,tancmar1 by       
,richard de ,raeske1 a baron allied by  
marriage to the house of ,erembald4  ,to
 the amazement of all ,flanders the     
challenge1 delivered in the presence of 
,count ,charles and all his court1 was  
refused4 ,walter1 whom the historians   
call the ,winged ,lie1 proclaimed that  
he would fight only with a free man1 and
 that the ,lord of ,raeske1 by wedding a
 serf1 had become a serf himself4 ,this 
was in accordance with a law recently   
promulgated by ,charles1 but the house  
of ,erembald1 perceiving that its very  
existence was threatened by the charge1 
fiercely repelled the accusation and was
 supported not only by all of the       

,karls1 but by most of the feudal       
nobility as well--the latter no doubt   
fearing lest one of their own houses    
might be attainted in a similar manner  
at any moment4  ,the country was plunged
 into what was virtually civil war1 when
 ,charles was suddenly summoned by his  
feudal over-lord1 the ,king of ,france1 
to come to his aid at ,clermont4 ,on his
 return1 assured of the ,king's powerful
 support1 ,charles undoubtedly meditated
 the complete overthrow of the          
,erembalds1 whom he had steadfastly     
claimed as his vassals since the ,winged
 ,lie had denounced them as serfs4 ,he  
arrived at ,bruges late in the evening1 
and early the following day1 ,march #a1 
#aabg1 repaired to ,st4 ,donatian to    
hear mass4 ,it was a foggy morning and  
the ,count went almost unattended4      
,hardly had he knelt before the altar   
when a party of followers of the        
attainted house of ,erembald swarmed    
into the church and he was struck down  
before he had time to rise1 much less to

 defend himself4  ,if1 in his lifetime1 
the ,count was a dangerous foe to the   
,erembalds1 in his death he proved to be
 far more deadly4 ,as his body lay on   
the stone floor of the great church1    
clad in the crimson robe the chroniclers
 so often allude to1 and surrounded with
 flaming torches1 the heads of the house
 hastily consulted as to what was to be 
done with it4 ,to inter the body at     
,bruges would be to risk an outbreak of 
popular passion at the murder1 and it   
was decided to secretly convey it away4 
,this plan was rudely frustrated by a   
mob of citizens who forcibly prevented  
the removal of the body1 which was      
therefore laid to rest with imposing    
ceremonies in the very church where the 
,count had been assassinated4           
,meanwhile the story of the murder      
spread far and wide1 and1 in a few days1
 a huge host was marching on ,bruges    
from every part of ,flanders4 ,for a    
time the burghers stood by the ,chtelain
 and the ,provost1 but when the city was

 entered by stratagem and the ,erembalds
 driven back into the ,bourg the mass of
 the citizens went over to the side of  
the avengers4 ,after a short defence the
 ,bourg in turn was captured--its       
defenders failing to guard one small    
gate by which their enemies entered     
unopposed--and the remnant of the       
,erembalds fled into the very church    
that had been defiled by their kinsmen's
 crime1 ,st4 ,donatian4 ,here1 for a    
time1 they were left in peace while the 
victors pillaged the rich palaces in the
 ancient ,bourg4  ,the day before the   
capture of the ,bourg ,bertulph1 the    
,provost managed to escape and fled to a
 little village near ,ypres4 ,here1     
after remaining in hiding for some three
 weeks1 he was captured4 ,the next      
morning he was brought to ,ypres1       
walking on foot all the way1 although a 
horse was offered him4 ,that he was     
going to his death he well knew1 and    
asked for a priest to whom he confessed4
 ,the old man--who had been a soft1     

luxurious prelate1 proud and haughty in 
his days of power--made his last journey
 like a martyr4 ,as the prisoner and his
 captors neared the gates of the city a 
great throng came forth to meet them1   
beating the ,provost with their staves  
and fists and pelting him with the heads
 of fish4 ,arrived in the market-place  
he stood amid the huge jeering throng1  
not one of whom looked with pity on him1
 and there1 for his greater shame1 he   
was fastened naked to a cross like a    
common thief4 ,on his refusing in a     
steadfast voice to reveal the names of  
any of those implicated in the ,count's 
murder1 those who were assembled in the 
market-place to sell fish tore his flesh
 with their iron hooks1 and beat him    
with rods1 and thus they put an end to  
his days4  ,the news of this tragedy was
 brought to the little band still being 
besieged at ,st4 ,donatian and caused   
great grief and terror4 ,of the very    
considerable army of ,erembalds and     
their partisans who had taken refuge in 

the ,bourg only thirty now remained1    
most having been killed1 while some no  
doubt had escaped4 ,king ,louis1 with a 
host of ,french knights1 had joined the 
men of ,flanders in the attack and it   
was seen that further resistance was    
hopeless4 ,the only terms were instant  
surrender or instant death1 and as they 
looked across the country from the      
church tower they could see no hope of  
succour and surrendered4 ,after keeping 
them prisoners for a fortnight1 ,louis  
directed that all save one1 who was of  
somewhat nobler lineage than the rest1  
should be flung from the tower of the   
now thrice historic ,st4 ,donatian4     
,this sentence was duly carried out4    
,the cruel soldiers told the condemned  
that they were about to receive a proof 
of the ,king's mercy and they remained  
ignorant of their terrible fate until1  
one after another1 they stood on the    
lofty tower overlooking the city for a  
brief moment and were then dashed down  
headlong to the jagged pavement below4  

,the bodies were denied ,christian      
burial and thrown into a marsh outside  
of the city1 and it is related that for 
many years thereafter no man after      
nightfall would willingly pass that way4
  ,the house of ,erembald was well-nigh 
annihilated during this short1 but      
sanguinary1 war4 ,the sole survivor of  
the band captured in the church was     
beheaded by ,king ,louis as soon as he  
crossed the ,french frontier1 while most
 of the great names in the family were  
heard of in ,flanders no more--some     
having perished in battle1 others in    
exile4 ,only one1 ,hacket the ,chtelain1
 returned after the cry for vengeance   
had died down1 was placed on trial for  
the murder1 proved his innocence1 and   
eventually recovered much of his former 
power and wealth4 ,the charge of serfdom
 was never raised again1 and his        
descendants for many generations stood  
high in the rolls of the ,flemish       
nobility4  ,the church of ,st4 ,donatian
 no longer stands1 having been destroyed

 during the ,french ,revolution4 ,in the
 small museum of antiquities in the     
,halles adjacent to the ,belfry we were 
shown some stone railings1 carved in    
imitation of rustic woodwork1 that the  
concierge assured us had come from the  
ruins of the famous church4 ,from a     
painting made in #agaj the student can  
obtain a fair idea of the appearance of 
the structure1 which can hardly be said 
to have been imposing externally4 ,it   
stood opposite the ,hotel de ,ville1 and
 the statue of ,van ,eyck in the centre 
of the little shaded square is said to  
mark the spot where ,charles the ,good  
fell at the hands of his assassins4 ,the
 stones with which the ,cathedral was   
built were carried away1 and some of    
them were used to build a chteau a short
 distance outside of the city4          
,according to the peasants in the       
neighbourhood1 ill-luck has always      
followed those who lived there4 ,if so1 
the spirit of the murdered ,count would 
seem to have been as dangerous in the   

nineteenth century as it was in the     
twelfth4  ,every morning here at        
,bruges1 and elsewhere throughout our   
pilgrimage1 the ,professor and ,i       
sallied forth between five and six      
o'clock to explore as many of the       
by-ways and quaint out-of-the-way       
corners as we could before breakfast4   
,the sun rises in ,belgium long before  
five1 in fact it is light as early as   
three in the summer time1 but we found  
very few people astir1 and those who    
were up were usually engaged in the     
morning scrubbing of floors and         
sidewalks--a fact that made us keep     
pretty much to the middle of the road on
 these expeditions4 ,cleanliness is     
certainly honoured next to godliness in 
,belgium1 for this morning ablution of  
the premises is universal--the big      
department stores at ,brussels observing
 the custom as faithfully as the tiniest
 estaminet in the remotest hamlet4      
,every one1 rich and poor1 performs this
 rite1 and the tourist could safely eat 

his breakfast off the doorstep of any   
house when it is over4 ,nor is the rest 
of the interior neglected1 for every pot
 and pan that we could see within the   
little houses as we passed their doors  
shone with a lustre that bespoke        
perpetual polishing4 ,on the other hand1
 the good vroue herself1 or her         
maidservant1 was not so clean1 and it is
 in this respect that the people of     
,holland are superior1 for they somehow 
manage to keep themselves as immaculate 
as their little houses4  ,it was at     
,bruges that the ,professor had his     
first experience with the ,belgian      
species of barber4 ,instead of the      
massive reclining chair1 with which all 
,americans are familiar1 one finds in   
all parts of ,belgium1 save the big     
tourist hotels and resorts1 stiff little
 arm-chairs with immovable head rests   
that look as if they could never serve  
the purpose for which they are intended4
 ,in point of fact they do fairly well1 
once one becomes accustomed to them4    

,razors in ,belgium1 however1 are almost
 invariably dull--especially with the   
lady barbers who abound in the smaller  
villages4 ,avoid these sirens if you    
value your skin1 for they certainly will
 slice off a bit of it4 ,on ,sundays and
 holidays1 it appears1 their husbands   
officiate1 but week days the better half
 does her best to accommodate the       
public--but her best is none too good1  
and the experience is usually a painful 
one for the unwary tourist4  ,the shave 
over1 the barber says1 ,s'il vous plat1 
monsieur1 or its equivalent in ,flemish1
 motioning meanwhile toward a small wash
 basin that is placed in front of the   
chair4 ,to the uninitiated this is      
somewhat bewildering1 but the professor 
desires that monsieur will kindly wash  
his own face4 ,the ablution performed1  
he proceeds to rub a piece of alum over 
the face1 after which he sprays it with 
perfumed water1 then dries and powders  
it much in the manner of the ,american  
barber4 ,when one becomes accustomed to 

this performance--which costs two to    
three cents in the villages and five to 
ten cents in the large towns--he is apt 
to prefer it to the ,american method4   
,certainly it is vastly superior to the 
hot towel torture so deservedly         
caricatured some years ago by ,weber and
 ,fields4 ,in the smaller villages of   
the industrial provinces we found that  
the first and second class distinction  
that one encounters everywhere in       
,belgium extends even to the barber's   
chair4 ,the rough clad workman is simply
 shaved--a few fierce scrapes with the  
razor and it is all over--and is left to
 wipe off the remnants of lather as best
 he can1 usually with a red bandanna    
handkerchief4 ,for this the charge is   
only two cents--the alum1 the spraying  
and the powder being reserved for       
first-class patrons only4  ,on our way  
back to the hotel from these early      
morning promenades the ,professor and ,i
 kept on the look-out for some          
patisserie where brioches or cuches au  

beurre could be had with a pot of       
coffee4 ,this formed our usual breakfast
 for1 it may as well be admitted right  
now1 we did not feel that we could      
afford the extravagance of a three-franc
 breakfast at the hotel4 ,the ladies    
were ready to join us by eight          
o'clock--before that hour it would be   
useless to look for a place open for    
business--and we conducted them to the  
patisserie we had discovered4 ,the      
brioche1 it may be remarked1 is a light 
spongy preparation--half cake and half  
biscuit--while the cuche au beurre is   
apparently made from a kind of light    
pie-crust1 rolled thin and built up in  
several layers with butter between4     
,when served fresh and hot from the oven
 the latter is most delicious1 but when 
cold it is as tough and soggy as a      
day-old griddle-cake4 ,the usual charge 
for these delicacies was five centimes  
7one cent7 each1 and as three made a    
very substantial meal1 and the coffee   
cost three or five cents per cup1 our   

total expenditure for four people was   
less than two francs4 ,if1 as often     
happened--in addition to getting        
everything hot and delicious--we were   
served on little tables out of doors    
with a view of a cathedral or ,hotel de 
,ville thrown in1 we felt that we were  
getting a very good bargain indeed4  ,of
 the ,bruges of ,charles the ,good the  
most important existing monument is the 
great ,cathedral of ,st4 ,sauveur1 which
 was rebuilt by him after having been   
partially destroyed by fire in #aaaf1   
the work being completed in #aabg4      
,probably very little of the structure  
as we see it to-day dates from this     
period1 as the edifice has been enlarged
 and restored many times1 much of it    
dating from the fourteenth and part from
 the sixteenth century--the era when    
architecture in ,flanders flourished as 
never before or since4 ,the tower was   
begun in #aaaf1 continued in #aceh1 and 
its upper portions added during the last
 century1 so that nearly eight hundred  

years elapsed before it was finally     
completed in its present form4 ,many    
writers speak of this tower as clumsy   
and unsightly1 but to me it is one of   
the most majestic and stately structures
 in ,flanders4 ,at any rate1 there is no
 other tower like it1 and the way in    
which it lifts its castle-like mass of  
tawny brick high above the tiny houses  
that surround it is profoundly          
impressive4 ,the lower part of the tower
 is ,romanesque1 being1 no doubt1 the   
portion erected under the supervision of
 ,charles the ,good4 ,the rest is       
,gothic1 if so unecclesiastical a style 
can be so denominated4  ,the interior of
 ,st4 ,sauveur dates in the main from a 
much later period than ,charles the     
,good1 and as we visited this           
interesting edifice several times an    
account of its later constructions and  
paintings will be found in a chapter    
devoted more particularly to the art    
treasures of ,bruges4 ,it is not the    
purpose of this book to weary the reader

 with detailed descriptions of this and 
every other monument in ,flanders4 ,for 
those who are interested in             
architectural details there are numerous
 works written by experts and discussing
 exhaustively--if not                   
exhaustingly--every feature of technical
 importance4 ,our little party was not  
learned and these random jottings will  
therefore record only such facts as     
seemed interesting to the average       
,american visitor4 ,nor would it be     
possible to attempt a detailed account  
of the pictures and sculptures1 either  
at ,st4 ,sauveur or elsewhere4 ,many of 
the great ,flemish churches are         
literally museums of early ,flemish art 
and a mere catalogue of their contents  
would fill many pages4 ,for the most    
part the works are of mediocre merit1   
but nearly every church possesses one or
 more masterpieces--which the uninformed
 visitor can generally distinguish by   
the fact that a charge is made to       
uncover them4 ,at times this practice   

becomes a bit annoying1 particularly    
when--in addition to paying the fee--one
 has to hunt around for half an hour to 
find the sacristan1 who may live two or 
three blocks away2 but1 after all1 it is
 the tourist who is under obligation for
 the privilege of visiting the churches 
when they are closed to the general     
public1 and all the fees in ,flanders   
add only a trifle to the expense account
 of one's tour4  ,in ,st4 ,sauveur on   
the occasion of our first visit we were 
especially interested in a curious      
painting of the ,crucifixion located in 
the ,baptistry and said to be the       
earliest picture of the famous ,bruges  
school in existence4 ,the savants assign
 a date prior to #adjj to this work1 the
 author of which is unknown4  ,the name 
of ,charles the ,good is also associated
 with the ,church of ,notre ,dame1 part 
of the present structure dating from his
 reign4 ,the bulk of the edifice was    
erected during the fourteenth and       
fifteenth centuries4 ,the spire was     

begun in #addj1 torn down and rebuilt1  
being finally completed nearly a century
 later4 ,there is a legend that the     
architect1 in despair over the fact that
 it leans considerably to the east1     
threw himself from its summit4 ,at      
present it is one hundred and twenty-two
 metres in height1 which is said to be  
the greatest elevation ever attained by 
a structure of this kind built of brick4
 ,it can hardly be described as         
beautiful1 the dark red of the top      
portion being out of harmony with the   
rich tawny grey of the lower part1 but  
it forms a splendid feature in the      
sky-line of the city4 ,perhaps the most 
charming view of it is that obtained    
from the opposite side of the ,lac      
d',amour4 ,another excellent point of   
view is from the ,dyver with the outline
 of the tower1 reflected in the still   
waters of the ,roya4  ,the interior of  
this church is1 like the tower1 built of
 brick1 only the great supporting       
pillars being of stone4 ,the general    

effect of the interior is greatly marred
 by a wooden rood-loft that separates   
the nave from the choir4 ,in this church
 there is an interesting ,adoration of  
the ,magi by ,daniel ,seghers1 a painter
 of the later ,antwerp school1 who      
became a ,jesuit but continued to       
practise his art and was especially     
renowned for the flowers and butterflies
 with which he adorned his pictures4    
,this work1 which was finished in #afcj1
 is thought by many to be the artist's  
masterpiece4 ,another notable treasure  
is the statue of the ,virgin and ,child 
by ,michael ,angelo1 executed in #aejc4 
,illustration3 ,,tomb ,,of ,,marie ,,of 
,,burgundy1 ,,church ,,of ,,notre       
,,dame1 ,,bruges4  ,the most famous of  
the possessions of ,notre ,dame1        
however1 are the superb tombs of        
,charles the ,bold and his daughter     
,marie of ,burgundy1 to be seen only by 
paying a small fee to enter the chapel  
in which they are placed4 ,that of      
,marie is the older1 and by far the     

finer of the two1 and consists of a     
sarcophagus of black marble upon which  
rests a life-sized recumbent figure of  
the famous princess--the greatest       
heiress in ,europe--who died at the age 
of twenty-five as a result of an injury 
received when hunting in #adhb1 less    
than five years after her marriage to   
,maximilian who later became ,emperor4  
,at the command of her son1 ,philip the 
,handsome1 this masterpiece of stone and
 bronze was begun by ,pierre de ,beckre 
in #adie and completed in #aejb4 ,around
 the altar-tomb are exquisitely carved  
statues of saints and angels1 with      
twining plants and scrolls and the      
heraldic shields of all the provinces   
and not a few of the cities within      
,marie's wide domains4 ,the figure of   
the princess lies above all this with   
her hands folded as if in prayer1 a     
crown upon her head and two hounds lying
 at her feet4 ,the bronze has been      
cunningly carved to represent the finest
 lace and richly gilded until it seems  

to be pure gold4 ,the body of ,charles  
the ,bold was brought from ,nancy in    
#aeej at the command of ,charles the    
,fifth1 his grandson1 and eight years   
later the funeral monument was begun by 
order of ,philip ,,ii4 ,it was completed
 in #aefb1 and is designed in imitation 
of that of ,marie4 ,the figure of the   
terrible ,duke is shown clad in armour1 
with his helmet at one side and a lion  
crouching at his feet4  ,here1 in this  
little chapel1 said the ,professor1 one 
can see the beginning and the end of the
 most interesting period in the long    
history of ,bruges1 the alpha and omega 
of her greatness4 ,at the time of       
,charles the ,good the little ,bourg on 
the ,roya was slowly emerging from      
obscurity and beginning to assume the   
aspect of a great capital4 ,for three   
hundred and fifty years its power and   
fame grew until 'the ,venice of the     
,north' was everywhere recognised as one
 of the most beautiful and brilliant    
cities in the world4 ,then suddenly1    

almost within the span of a single      
generation1 the fickle sea abandoned it 
and it became the quiet inland city that
 it is to-day1 living largely upon the  
memories of its splendid past4 ,when the
 beautiful ,marie was brought home to   
the ,princenhof1 dying from her fall at 
,wynandael1 the decline had already     
begun1 and when the remains of her      
father were placed beside her here in   
,notre ,dame the end had already come   
and the city's merchants and prosperity 
had departed4     ,,chapter ,,iv  ,,how 
,,bruges ,,became ,,the ,,venice ,,of   
,,the ,,north   ,after the murder of    
,charles the ,good had been so          
thoroughly avenged1 the ,king of ,france
 sought to foist one of his own         
underlings upon the people of ,flanders1
 but they would have none of him1 and he
 fell fighting before the gates of one  
of the ,flemish cities4 ,dierick of     
,alsace was the popular hero and became 
,count on the death of this rival4 ,the 
,king of ,france sought once more to    

interpose1 but the burghers of ,bruges  
retorted proudly3 ,be it known to the   
,king and to all princes and peoples1   
and to their posterity throughout all   
time1 that the ,king of ,france hath no 
part in the election of a ,count of     
,flanders4  ,of all the ,counts of      
,flemish blood ,dierick proved to be the
 greatest and the wisest who ever ruled 
over the land4 ,during his long reign of
 forty years 7from #aabh to #aafh7 and  
that of his son1 ,philip of ,alsace1 who
 ruled until #aaia1 the country         
prospered and grew rich4 ,both princes  
encouraged commerce1 industry and the   
arts1 and were liberal in their policy  
toward the cities4 ,it was during this  
,golden ,age of ,flemish history--the   
longest period of happiness the country 
ever knew--that municipal charters were 
granted to the cities of ,bruges1       
,ghent1 ,ypres1 ,furnes1 ,gravelines1   
,nieuport1 ,dunkerque and ,damme4       
,while the memory of ,dierick of ,alsace
 deserves to be fondly cherished by the 

people of ,flanders as that of a wise   
and liberal ruler1 his most famous      
exploit was bringing back the relic of  
the ,precious ,blood from ,jerusalem4   
,like most princes of his time1 ,dierick
 joined in the ,crusades1 but1 unlike   
many of them1 he left his government so 
strong and secure that no harm came to  
the country during his absence4 ,it was 
the second ,crusade1 and ,dierick       
departed in #aadg1 and returned in      
#aaej1 bringing with him this relic1 a  
portion of the most precious possession 
of the ,holy ,church of ,palestine1     
consisting of a small crystal vial      
filled with what was alleged to be the  
blood of ,christ1 preserved by ,joseph  
of ,aramathea who prepared the body for 
burial4 ,deeming himself unworthy to    
bear so holy a relic1 the ,count        
entrusted it to his chaplain1 who never 
parted with it until the returning      
crusaders delivered it to the chaplains 
of the court who placed it in the chapel
 built by ,baldwin of the ,iron ,arm1   

where it still remains in its original  
receptacle4  ,on the #bnd of ,may every 
year from #acjc until now--save for a   
brief interruption during the stormy    
times of the ,french ,revolution--the   
city of ,bruges has celebrated its      
possession of this holy relic by the    
great ,procession of the ,holy ,blood4  
,at first simply a religious ceremony1  
the procession gradually took on        
spectacular features such as the        
,flemings love1 including               
representations of the ,apostles1 the   
,nativity1 ,king ,herod1 and so on4 ,at 
present ,la ,noble ,confrerie du        
,precieux ,sang1 or ,honourable ,society
 of the ,holy ,blood1 is a very wealthy 
and aristocratic organisation1 even its 
affiliated members--of whom there are   
several thousands1 of every             
nationality--esteeming their connection 
with it a great honour4  ,during the    
,french ,revolution mobs stripped the   
chapel of everything that could be torn 
down or broken1 leaving it such a wreck 

that the municipal authorities were     
considering tearing it down1 but were   
happily prevented from doing so by      
,napoleon4 ,the lower chapel was1       
however1 used as a jail for drunken and 
disorderly persons--and even as a pound 
for stray dogs--until #ahah4 ,the upper 
chapel meanwhile was roofless and       
windowless1 a sad wreck of so ancient   
and famous a structure4 ,both have since
 been restored1 the lower--or ,chapel of
 ,st4 ,basil--being now just as it was  
in #aaej1 and1 in the opinion of many   
critics1 the most beautiful and perfect 
specimen of ,romanesque architecture in 
,europe4 ,we had already inspected the  
lower chapel while exploring the ,vieux 
,bourg of ,baldwin of the ,iron ,arm our
 first day at ,bruges1 but had not spent
 much time in the upper one4 ,here the  
most interesting object was naturally   
the chasse1 or casket1 containing the   
holy relic after which the chapel is    
named4 ,this is on one side of the      
little museum of the chapel and is of   

silver-gilt1 standing four feet1 three  
inches high4 ,it was made in #afag by a 
silversmith of ,bruges and1 while not   
regarded as a masterpiece of its kind1  
is very graceful and elegant4 ,the      
chapel itself is richly decorated and   
has some excellent stained glass        
windows1 all of this work dating from   
the middle of the last century4         
,adjoining the ,chapelle du ,saint-,sang
 is the ,hotel de ,ville4 ,this         
structure is a very fine example of     
,flemish municipal architecture1 dating 
from the last quarter of the fourteenth 
century4 ,here the ,counts of ,flanders 
formerly took the oath to respect the   
rights and privileges of the city1 this 
formality taking place in the last      
window to the right4 ,originally there  
were statues of former princes on the   
faade and six of these were coloured by 
,jean ,van ,eyck in #adce4 ,all were    
destroyed during the ,revolution4 ,part 
of the interior is still used by various
 government officials1 while up-stairs  

the tourists usually visit the ancient  
,salle ,echinivale1 or ,council         
,chamber4 ,this was restored in #ahie   
and decorated with a series of twelve   
mural paintings representing notable    
scenes in the history of the city4 ,of  
these eleven are by ,albrecht de        
,vriendt1 and the last by his brother1  
,julian1 the first artist dying just    
before his work was completed4 ,as these
 pictures form an interesting epitome of
 the history of the city1 the subjects  
are given herewith3                     
#a4--,return of the ,brugeois from the  
,battle of the ,golden         ,spurs at
 ,courtrai in #acjb4                    
#b4--;,foundation of the ,order of the  
,golden ,fleece by         ,philip of   
,burgundy at ,bruges in #adcj4          
#c4--;,dierick of ,alsace bringing the  
,holy ,blood to the         chapel of   
,st4 ,basil in #aaej4          #d4--,the
 interior of the ancient ,hospital of   
,st4 ,jean4          #e4--,magistrates  
of ,bruges renewing the privileges of   

the         ,hanseatic ,league4         
#f4--;,count ,philip of ,alsace granting
 a charter to ,bruges         7#aaij74  
#g4--,magistrates visiting the ,studio  
of ,jean ,van ,eyck         7#adcc74    
#h4--,the printing by movable type in   
,bruges by ,jean         ,britto in     
#addf4          #i4--;,count ,louis of  
,maele laying the foundation of the     
,town-hall 7#acgf74                     
#aj4--;,jacob ,van ,maerlant1 father of 
,flemish poetry1 born         at ,damme4
          #aa4--,the ,free-fair4        
#ab4--,opening of the new ,zwyn canal in
 #adjd4  ,illustration3 ,palais du      
,franc1 ,bruges  ,one of the most       
interesting of the almost innumerable   
medival buildings in ,bruges is the     
,palais du ,franc which1 with its many  
quaint turrets and gables1 overlooks the
 fish market on the ,quai ,vert4 ,the   
associations and history of this        
sumptuous bit of sixteenth century      
architecture date from the twelfth      
century--#aaij to be exact--when ,philip

 of ,alsace granted a charter to the    
region stretching to the northward from 
the city to the sea1 and from           
,aardenburg 7now just across the ,dutch 
frontier7 to ,dixmude4 ,this wide tract 
of territory was called the ,franc or   
,liberty of ,bruges1 and comprised      
ninety-one parishes and the towns of    
,ostende1 ,blankenburghe1 ,eccloo1      
,lissweghe1 ,aardenburg1 ,sluys and     
,dixmude4 ,of these only the first two  
are known to the tourists of the present
 day1 while one must needs search the   
map very closely to find one or two of  
the others at all1 but in the time of   
,philip all were busy centres of trade  
and industry4 ,this was the hereditary  
land of the ,karls1 whose revolt against
 the attempt of ,charles the ,good to   
force them under the feudal yoke cost   
that monarch his life4  ,the charter was
 called the ,keurbrief and laid the     
foundation for the administration of a  
code of justice that1 rude as it was1   
meant liberty for those who otherwise   

would have been utterly at the mercy of 
any feudal lord or wandering knight4 ,it
 was the ,magna ,carta of a large part  
of the ,count's dominions and even its  
stern eye-for-eye and life-for-life     
doctrine was tempered by equivalents in 
cash that might be paid4 ,the life of a 
,karl was worth twice as much as that of
 a monk or priest1 while for each injury
 there was an appropriate fine4 ,he who 
broke a dyke must lose the hand that did
 the damage1 besides forfeiting all his 
goods2 for false weights the penalty was
 a fine of three livres for each        
offence4 ,fencing one's property against
 game entailed branding with a red hot  
iron1 or trial by the ,count--who might 
confiscate the goods of the guilty      
party1 but his life and liberty were to 
be safe4 ,this cruel game law was not   
repealed for nearly three centuries1 and
 must have entailed much hardship4 ,on  
the whole1 however1 the charter was     
liberal for its day1 and the country    
under it flourished exceedingly--a sure 

evidence of wise laws4  ,the ,keurbrief 
was administered by the ,magistrates of 
the ,franc in the ,palais du ,franc1    
which was therefore a sort of special   
court4 ,the present edifice is not the  
one erected by ,philip1 or used by him  
for the purpose1 but dates from the     
early part of the fifteenth century4    
,part of it is still used as the ,palais
 de ,justice1 but that part of the      
present structure is for the most part  
modern4 ,the most interesting portion of
 the edifice1 and the only one shown to 
tourists1 is the ,court ,room containing
 the magnificent ,chemine du ,franc1 or 
chimney-piece1 erected in honour of the 
,ladies' ,peace negotiated by ,margaret 
of ,austria while ,regent of the        
,netherlands in #aebi4 ,the work was    
executed from designs by ,lancelot      
,blondeel1 a painter of ,bruges1 and was
 completed in #aecj4 ,the fireplace     
itself is of black marble1 surmounted by
 a frieze in white marble containing    
four bas-reliefs representing the       

history of the chaste ,suzanne4 ,one    
cannot but wonder what was the          
connection of thought that suggested    
this story in conjunction with the      
commemoration of the ,treaty of         
,cambrai1 but at all events here it is4 
,the reliefs are of varying excellence1 
the one showing ,suzanne about to be    
seized by her aged admirers being very  
sharp and clear1 while the fourth which 
shows the culprits being stoned to death
 is rather indistinct4  ,the upper part 
of the monumental chimney is of oak and 
occupies almost the entire side of the  
room4 ,in the centre stands ,charles ,v1
 represented as a ,count of ,flanders1  
nearly life size and finely carved4 ,at 
his right are statues of ,maximilian and
 ,marie of ,burgundy1 and at the left   
,ferdinand of ,aragon and ,isabella of  
,castile--these being the ,emperor's    
ancestors on his father's and mother's  
sides respectively4 ,on the throne      
behind the ,emperor are the busts of    
,philip the ,handsome and ,joanna of    

,spain1 his father and mother1 and below
 these are the portraits in small       
medallions of ,charles de ,lannoy1 who  
won the victory of ,pavia where ,francis
 ,i1 the ,king of ,france1 was captured1
 and ,margaret of ,austria1 who         
negotiated the treaty4 ,as the last     
mentioned portrait is almost invisible  
in the shadow of the ,emperor it hardly 
seems as though the chimney-piece does  
justice to the loyal and talented woman 
whose successful diplomacy the entire   
work is intended to commemorate4 ,as an 
example of sixteenth-century            
wood-carving1 however1 and as a most    
important historical monument1 this     
chimney-piece is by no means the least  
interesting of the many things to be    
seen at ,bruges4  ,illustration3 ,,the  
,,belfry1 ,,bruges4  ,unlike most       
tourists1 the ,professor seemed to be in
 no hurry to inspect the famous ,belfry1
 although we had passed it a score of   
times during our stay4 ,facing the      
,grande ,place1 and towering three      

hundred and fifty-three feet into the   
air1 it could not be overlooked1 while  
its loud chimes--which rang every       
quarter of an hour1 and can be heard for
 many blocks around--insured that it    
could not be forgotten4 ,moreover1 we   
more than once took our evening meal at 
a little restaurant just across the     
,place from it and saw its graceful     
octagonal parapet on one occasion       
outlined against the fast-flying grey   
clouds of a summer storm and the next   
day against the blue sky of one of the  
few perfect ,june days it was our       
fortune to enjoy4 ,too soon1 he said1 in
 answer to our inquiring glances--the   
,belfry belongs to the period of        
,bruges' splendour1 while the buildings 
we have seen thus far date from the     
formative period when she was still     
little more than a fortress on a marsh4 
,the original structure dates from the  
very early ,counts of                   
,flanders--possibly from the time of the
 first ,baldwin--but was practically    

destroyed by a fire in the year #abhj4  
,it was then that the present edifice   
was begun1 at a period when the         
commercial and industrial importance of 
the city was already very great4 ,the   
city's seal and archives were stored in 
a strong room within the belfry walls1  
where four wrought iron doors secured by
 ten locks and ten keys guarded them    
against abstraction by the emissaries of
 some ,count who might desire to curtail
 the privileges of the city4 ,eight of  
these keys were kept by the deans of the
 eight leading guilds--the butchers1    
bakers1 shoemakers1 tailors1 weavers1   
brokers1 carpenters and blacksmiths--who
 thus virtually controlled the          
government4 ,this room the ,professor   
desired to see above all else in the old
 structure4 ,we found the four wrought  
iron doors1 but the archive chamber no  
longer contains archives or the city's  
seal4 ,it was a most interesting old    
room1 nevertheless1 and one that ought  
to particularly interest the builders of

 the elaborate burglar-proof and        
earthquake-proof vaults that extend     
below so many great banking houses in   
,america4 ,alas6 neither the four doors 
nor the ten locks rendered this ancient 
strong-room for the protection of the   
city's liberties proof against the      
cunning and power of tyrants1 and the   
precious charters it once held were     
gradually taken away1 despite the stout 
handiwork of one ,erembald1 blacksmith1 
who received eighty-one pounds for      
forging the doors in the year #abij4    
,to reach the bells one mounts a steep1 
dark staircase which is said to contain 
four hundred and two steps1 although we 
did not count them4 ,the chimes are     
claimed to be the finest in ,europe1 and
 comprise forty-nine bells weighing in  
the aggregate fifty-six thousand1 one   
hundred and sixty-six pounds4 ,they were
 cast by ,george ,dumery in #agdc and   
are noted for their soft tone4 ,the     
tambour which operates the chimes that  
ring every quarter of an hour weighs    

nineteen thousand1 nine hundred and     
sixty-six pounds and is pierced by      
thirty thousand1 five hundred square    
holes in which are fixed the pegs that  
pull the strings commanding the hammers 
hanging outside the bells4 ,by altering 
the position of these pegs the tunes can
 be varied1 but the programme played    
while we were in the city was as        
follows3  ,at the hour3 ,rondo1 #aeth   
sonata1 by ,mozart2 at the quarter past3
 ,le ,carillon de ,dunkerque1 a popular 
air2 at the half3 ,the ,day of          
,happiness1 by ,mozart2 at the          
three-quarters past3 ,the ,three        
,drummers1 a ,flemish popular air4 ,the 
official bell-ringer is ,m4 ,toon       
,nauwelaerts1 a native of ,lierre1 where
 his ancestors have been bell-ringers   
for more than a hundred years4 ,although
 a young man1 ,m4 ,nauwelaerts won an   
international competition of            
bell-ringers organised by the city of   
,bruges in #aiaa4  ,the view from the   
summit of the ,belfry is one of the most

 superb in ,flanders1 especially if the 
visitor is so fortunate as to have      
fallen on one of those days when the    
clouds roll in great fleecy masses of   
dazzling white that form a wondrous     
background for the grim grey tower of   
,st4 ,sauveur and the tapering red spire
 of the cathedral4 ,as one looks down   
upon the sea of tiny red-roofed houses  
far below he is transported in fancy to 
the time1 centuries ago1 when watchmen  
peered off across these very parapets   
day and night to sound the alarm of an  
approaching foe1 or announce the        
approach of their mighty ,count or some 
noble visitor4 ,in so doing he can      
realise what the old ,belfry has meant  
to the city on the ,roya4 ,for six      
hundred years1 wrote ,m4 ,gilliodts1 one
 of the city's learned archivists1 this 
belfry has watched over the city of     
,bruges4 ,it has beheld her triumphs and
 her failures1 her glory and her shame1 
her prosperity and her gradual decay1   
and1 in spite of so many vicissitudes1  

it is still standing to bear witness to 
the genius of our forefathers1 to awaken
 alike memories of old times and        
admiration for one of the most splendid 
monuments of civic architecture which   
the ,middle ,ages have produced4  ,the  
best time of all in which to study and  
admire the external aspect of this noble
 structure is when the sun is sinking to
 rest and its rays fall slantingly      
across the sombre pile of tawny brick1  
touching up its projections here and    
there with high lights that contrast    
sharply with the deep shadows behind    
them1 and listen--as did so often our   
poet ,longfellow--to the wonderfully    
sweet chimes as they ring the quarter   
hours3      ,low and loud and sweetly   
blended1     ,low at times and loud at  
times1     ,and changing like a poet's  
rhymes     ,ring the beautiful wild     
chimes     ,from the ,belfry in the     
market     ,of the ancient town of      
,bruges4  ,the ,halles themselves1 of   
which the ,belfry is the chief ornament1

 are notable for their considerable     
size1 forming a rectangle one hundred   
and forty-three feet broad and two      
hundred and seventy-six feet deep4 ,the 
archeological museum in one wing--which 
is in course of removal to the          
,gruuthuise ,palace--enabled us to see  
the interior of the structure1 the      
extent of which indicates the volume of 
business that was transacted there when 
,bruges was known as the ,venice of the 
,north4 ,the great commercial activity  
of ,bruges during the period of its     
prosperity1 from the twelfth to the     
fifteenth centuries1 was due primarily  
to the fact that the ,counts of         
,flanders decreed that it should be the 
sole port of entry for the entire       
country4 ,the burghers quickly perceived
 the priceless value of this privilege1 
and by their enterprise and liberality  
made the city the foremost metropolis in
 ,europe in the volume and variety of   
its international trade4 ,with ,london  
its relations were especially intimate  

and cordial1 each city granting to the  
merchants of the other privileges that  
in those days were almost unheard of4   
,for example1 the merchants of ,bruges  
in time of war were granted forty days  
of grace in which to dispose of their   
property and provide for their personal 
safety4 ,on one occasion1 while a war   
was actually going on1 they were given a
 special truce of ninety days in which  
to traffic freely with the subjects of  
the ,king of ,england4 ,the reason for  
these unusual favours was that ,bruges  
was the great market where the wool of  
,england1 on which the prosperity of the
 country depended1 was disposed of4 ,not
 infrequently the archives record       
instances where the ,kings of ,england  
treated with the chief magistrates of   
,bruges on terms of complete equality1  
as if with a sovereign power4  ,nor was 
,england the only country represented in
 the market places of ,bruges during    
this period4 ,the ,doges of ,venice     
often treated directly with the         

,burgomasters of the ,italian city's    
,flemish rival1 while the powerful      
,hanseatic ,league established here     
their chief establishment for the       
,netherlands4 ,the list of the ,nations1
 as the groups of foreign merchants were
 called1 makes curious reading at the   
present day4 ,there were ,english1      
,scotch1 ,french1 ,lusitanians1         
,castilians1 ,venetians1 ,genoans1      
,florentines2 merchants from ,aragon1   
,biscay1 ,lucca1 ,milan1 ,lombardy and  
,navarre4 ,the ,german merchants from   
the ,hanseatic towns of ,lubeck1        
,hamburg1 ,cologne1 ,dantzig and ,bremen
 numbered no less than forty houses in  
the year #acfb1 while the ,italian and  
,spanish firms resident in the city were
 still more numerous4 ,many of these    
concerns were among the foremost trading
 and banking houses of the ,middle      
,ages1 with mercantile transactions     
extending into every part of the known  
world and strong enough financially to  
loan money to princes4 ,when the ,duke  

of ,pembroke was captured by ,du        
,guesclin in the ,hundred ,years' ,war  
between ,england and ,france it was in  
,bruges that his countrymen borrowed the
 seventy thousand pounds demanded as    
ransom4  ,as befitted the first         
mercantile city in the world1 business  
methods were more advanced at ,bruges   
than anywhere else4 ,it is claimed that 
the first insurance policies ever drawn 
up were devised and signed in ,bruges   
about the year #acjj4 ,a form of        
registration of land titles was in use  
there as early as the fifteenth century4
 ,its ,bourse1 or central exchange for  
merchandise of all kinds1 is claimed to 
have been the first ever established4   
,in a single day in the year #adef no   
less than #aej foreign vessels arrived  
at ,bruges through its canals and the   
,river ,zwyn1 and while these were1 of  
course1 small craft as compared to those
 of the present day there was then no   
port in the world that could boast of an
 equal quantity of shipping4            

,industrially1 the town was no less     
important1 having some fifty thousand   
artisans belonging to fifty-two         
different guilds4  ,the silting up of   
the ,zwyn1 rendering the approach and   
departure of shipping difficult and     
uncertain1 started a downward movement  
that in less than a century destroyed   
all of this great activity and          
prosperity4 ,had it come alone it is    
probable that the sturdy merchants of   
,bruges would have found a way to       
overcome this adverse factor to their   
continued success1 either by digging a  
new channel to the sea or by dredging1  
but misfortunes--as is their proverbial 
wont--did not come singly4 ,in #adhh1 as
 a result of a conflict between the city
 and ,maximilian1 the stores and        
exchanges were closed for three months  
and all business came to a standstill4  
,seven years later it was said that     
nearly five thousand houses stood vacant
 and abandoned1 no one caring either to 
buy or rent them4 ,one by one the great 

merchants of the city closed their      
counting-rooms and went away2 one by one
 the artisans departed4 ,the last of the
 ,nations to desert the declining city  
was the ,hanseatic ,league1 which stood 
by it loyally until #aeaf1 when it      
removed its offices to ,antwerp1 by that
 time the acknowledged metropolis of the
 ,north4  ,illustration3 ,,the          
,,minnewater1 ,,bruges4  ,the           
,minnewater1 or ,lac d',amour1 is--apart
 from its exquisite beauty--of interest 
as another memento of the city's former 
commerce4 ,this was the chief harbour   
for shipping1 and1 no doubt1 was        
thronged with sailing craft1 while its  
banks must have swarmed with merchants  
checking their arriving or departing    
cargoes1 stevedores carrying bales and  
boxes to and fro1 clumsy wagons and     
carts for transporting merchandise to   
the warehouses of the city and all the  
varied noise and bustle of a great      
seaport4 ,it is strangely silent and    
deserted now1 and the grass grows tall  

around the round tower built in #acih by
 ,jan van ,oudenaarde1 and the white    
swans float slowly and majestically     
beneath the black arches of the         
adjoining bridge which is eight years   
older than the tower4 ,it is said that  
he1 or she1 who stands on the central   
arch of this bridge at midnight and     
expresses a desire will have the wish   
fulfilled1 but we did not try it4       
,before leaving this charming spot1     
however1 we went along the banks of the 
little lake to a point where1 looking   
back1 we had the round tower and the    
bridge in the middle distance1 the lake 
in the foreground1 and the towers of the
 city on the horizon4 ,this view is1    
without doubt1 the finest the old town  
affords4  ,the visitor to ,bruges who is
 interested in the past should devote at
 least half a day to a pilgrimage to    
,damme1 distant about an hour's walk    
along the canal that leads from the new 
port of ,bruges to the sea4 ,in #aahj   
this now all but forgotten town was made

 an independent commune with two        
burgomasters1 and for two centuries     
thereafter it enjoyed a great and       
increasing prosperity4 ,it became the   
chief entrept for the great commercial  
city of ,bruges during its period of    
splendour1 and most of the leading      
merchants maintained offices there4 ,its
 warehouses were crowded with           
merchandise from every corner of        
,europe--wines from ,france and ,spain1 
beer from ,england1 wool from ,scotland1
 silk from ,italy1 all manner of cloths 
and stuffs1 spices of all kinds1 metals 
of every variety known to the metal     
workers of those days1 rare and precious
 goods of every description4  ,to-day   
the very scene of all this mercantile   
activity has vanished4 ,gone are the    
busy warehouses1 the docks and wharves1 
even the very harbour in                
which--according to ancient             
chroniclers--a score of ships of the    
largest size then built could anchor    
easily4 ,all that remains is a          

diminutive ,grande ,place surrounded by 
several ancient edifices1 and the ruins 
of a huge church4 ,in the centre of the 
,place is a modern statue of ,jacob van 
,maerlant1 called the ,father of        
,flemish ,poets4 ,fame has surely never 
played any more astounding trick than   
that out of the great host who lived in 
this busy commercial town in the days of
 its prosperity--portly burgomasters1   
skilled in winning the plaudits of the  
populace2 shrewd1 far-sighted merchants 
grown rich from the commerce with       
distant lands2 skilled artisans and     
craftsmen in a hundred guilds--all1 all 
are forgotten1 while an obscure poet1   
whom very likely many of those who knew 
him derided as a fool1 is alone         
remembered as the one great man of      
,damme4  ,facing the ,grande ,place is  
the ancient ,hotel de ,ville1 which1 in 
addition to being the most notable      
monument of the dead town1 is also an   
estaminet where the living can get a    
little refreshment4 ,the main floor of  

this edifice is divided into three large
 rooms4 ,the first one is the estaminet1
 with its array of bottles and its beer 
pump contrasting most incongruously with
 the remaining vestiges of its ancient  
grandeur4  ,adjoining this is a large1  
irregular and unfurnished room1 bare of 
ornamentation save for two corbels1 or  
,gothic brackets1 which support the main
 rafters of the ceiling4 ,these are of  
wood1 elaborately carved4 ,one          
represents ,van ,maerlant in his study1 
seated at a desk1 with what ,m4 ,havard 
calls a chaste ,suzanne bathing in a tub
 over his head4 ,the other shows ,king  
,david with his harp1 and is embellished
 with sundry other figures4  ,the       
remaining room is by far the most       
interesting1 for it was here that       
,charles the ,bold publicly betrothed   
,margaret of ,york4 ,the room1 which is 
officially termed the ,salle des        
,dlibrations1 or ,council ,hall1 has a  
fine old fireplace said to have been    
restored during the seventeenth century4

 ,it is decorated with two female       
figures in hoop skirts and bears the    
motto ,parcere subjectis et debellare   
superbos4 ,this quotation from ,vergil  
7neid #f3hec7 sounds rather pompous and 
out of place in the council chamber of  
this now completely vanquished and      
ruined city1 and must have seemed so    
even in the seventeenth century1 but it 
may have been a survival of an          
inscription placed over the original    
fireplace in the days when ,damme dared 
to close its gates even against the men 
from ,bruges itself1 and the puissant   
,counts of ,flanders had to use force to
 compel it to open them4  ,it was in the
 year #adfh that this room in which we  
are now standing had its one great day  
and became1 for a brief space1 the      
setting of one of those splendid medival
 scenes that bards and novelists so     
fondly recall1 and that--in our age of  
up-to-date inventions--the              
moving-picture men are so busily        
reconstructing and re-enacting4 ,the    

,princess had landed at ,sluys1 near the
 mouth of the ,river ,zwyn1 where the   
,duke of ,burgundy paid her a brief     
visit in secret--possibly to see what   
she looked like1 for this was a marriage
 of state and intended to further his   
far-reaching ambitions4 ,probably if she
 had been as homely as a witch the      
wedding would have taken place just the 
same1 but as the reverse was the case   
the preliminary inspection must have    
been very gratifying4 ,the following day
 the royal lady and her company rode to 
,damme in a fleet of barges gorgeously  
decorated with gold1 rich velvets and   
rare silks4 ,here she was lodged in this
 very ,council ,chamber of the ,hotel de
 ,ville1 and here the ,duke came in     
great state to perform the public       
ceremony of betrothal4 ,the wedding ring
 was given in the presence of the       
,english ,bishop who had accompanied the
 ,princess1 and ,charles announced that 
he would await her presence on the      
morrow at ,bruges1 where the wedding    

itself was to be celebrated in the      
,cathedral4  ,the wedding procession as 
it departed for ,bruges the next day    
must have been another brave sight for  
the proud citizens of ,damme4 ,the      
bride1 reclining in a litter borne by   
four white horses1 wore a magnificent   
gown of cloth of gold1 a crown on her   
forehead1 a jewelled necklace1 and a    
mantle clasped with precious stones4    
,around her pranced her ladies of       
honour1 mounted on white horses gaily   
bedecked with crimson satin4            
,immediately behind this picturesque    
group came five decorated chariots      
bearing a score of beautiful ladies from
 the ,english court1 and following these
 came the guard of honour1 or escort1   
provided by the ,duke--a squadron of    
counts1 barons and knights1 with their  
faithful squires1 their horses covered  
with gold and silver1 the riders        
resplendent in bright coloured velvet   
and rich lace4 ,the good people of the  
,middle ,ages dearly loved a pageant1   

and this surely was one to rejoice the  
heart of every citizen of ,damme1 for   
here was the pride of the chivalry of   
all ,europe--fair ladies and brave men  
from oversea and from every corner of   
the great ,duke's wide                  
dominions--thronging the ,grande ,place 
as the procession formed1 and then      
falling into their respective places as 
the long line passed out through the    
city gate and proceeded on the straight1
 tree-lined grande route that led to    
,bruges4     ,,chapter ,v  ,,dixmude    
,,and ,,furnes   ,the tourist who       
desires to get away from the main       
thoroughfare of ,european travel1 to    
explore out-of-the-way corners1 and     
discover for himself wonders and        
beauties that the learned ,mr4 ,baedeker
 never heard of1 cannot do better than  
to turn away to the westward from the   
great ,ostende-,brussels express route  
and visit the all but forgotten cities  
of ,dixmude1 ,furnes and ,nieuport4 ,all
 but forgotten1 that is1 in ,june1      

#aiad4 ,the world has heard of them     
since1 and it will be many hundreds of  
years before it forgets them again6     
,these little places1 which when we     
visited them were nothing but sleepy and
 quiet country towns1 were great and    
prosperous cities in the period when    
,bruges was slowly rising toward its    
zenith1 and the ,professor therefore    
decreed that they must come next on our 
itinerary4 ,we accordingly spent an     
evening studying the correspondences1 or
 connections1 of the ,state ,railway and
 the chemin de fer vicinal1 or local    
steam tramway1 and started at daybreak  
the next morning4  ,right here it may be
 said that the ,belgian ,state ,railway 
did its best to compensate us for       
whatever shortcomings we found in the   
weather or in the country generally4    
,perfect its service can hardly be said 
to have been1 but it was excellent and  
amazingly cheap4 ,our party purchased   
every two weeks billets d'abonnement    
that cost us just forty-one francs each1

 or about #h4jj1 and entitled us to ride
 on any ,state-owned railway line in the
 country day or night for fifteen days4 
,these were second-class1 the third     
costing twenty-three francs1 and first  
sixty francs4 ,the last1 by the way1 is 
a useless luxury1 as on the local lines 
the first-class compartments are        
identical with the second-class except  
for a white tidy placed at the back of  
the cushions4 ,frequently there was not 
even the tidy1 but the sign1            
,reserv--,voorbehouden1 converted an    
ordinary second-class compartment into  
first-class--a distinction that gave the
 traveller very little for his money1   
save the privilege of riding alone4  ,on
 the main express routes that radiate   
outward from ,brussels in every         
direction there were a number of        
rapides1 or fast express trains1 that   
made very good time indeed--a speed of a
 kilometre per minute being about the   
average4 ,on the international express  
trains1 some of which are first-class   

only1 the speed was somewhat higher1 but
 these we never had occasion to use4    
,after the rapides came the express     
trains1 generally marked direct or      
semi-direct1 according to whether or not
 they made any intermediate stops before
 reaching their final destination4      
,these were only moderately fast1 and1  
if they did stop anywhere1 lingered so  
long that the time gained by their      
previous speed was largely lost4 ,then  
came the type of local train called     
omnibus or ordinaire1 that stopped at   
every station4 ,to the ,american these  
trains would seem astoundingly slow1    
even for a land that is never in a      
hurry4 ,each stop is dragged out1 minute
 after minute1 until it seems certain   
that either a terrible accident must    
have occurred ahead1 or the train crew  
has gone on strike4 ,actually1 more than
 once1 we did see part of the crew      
returning from an estaminet hard by     
whither they had gone to have a friendly
 glass4 ,finally1 however1 the          

red-capped station master blows his     
whistle and the train reluctantly pulls 
away4 ,to make a trip of sixty          
kilometres 7forty miles7 by one of these
 trains took1 on more than one occasion1
 two hours and a quarter1 and the train 
arrived on time6  ,this last point is a 
feature of the ,belgian railway trains4 
,they are almost invariably on time1 and
 lateness is a matter for strict        
examination on the part of the officials
 and severe penalties for those         
responsible4 ,however1 there does not   
seem to be much credit attached to being
 on time when the schedule allows for a 
stop of from two to fifteen minutes at  
each station4 ,the man primarily        
responsible for the movement of the     
trains is not the conductor or engineer 
but the chef de gare1 or station-master4
 ,he1 or his deputy if the station is a 
large one with many trains1 must be on  
hand when each train pulls in1 and give 
the signal for its departure4 ,his      
dark-red cap1 embroidered with gold     

braid1 is therefore in evidence at every
 station1 and until this high           
functionary gives the word no train     
moves4 ,as it is1 each leaves exactly on
 time--but not a second before1 no      
matter if every passenger has been in   
place and the doors slammed and fastened
 for the last five minutes6  ,the       
foregoing description of the ,belgian   
,state ,railway refers1 of course1 to   
the service as it existed down to the   
end of ,july4 ,since then the           
destruction of tracks1 bridges and      
tunnels by one army or another has put  
most of the system out of operation4    
,one of the saddest phases of the war is
 that every one of the thousands of     
employs of the ,belgian ,state          
,railway--from the highest supervising  
official to the humblest track          
walker--was working faithfully and      
efficiently1 and planning the future of 
his frugal life1 upon the assurance that
 promotion and an old-age pension would 
reward his zeal4 ,this obligation toward

 its employs the ,belgian ,government   
has ever faithfully observed1 and in the
 course of our travels we met many      
middle-aged men who told us that they   
were looking forward to the day when    
their terms of duty would end and they  
would be pensioned on half pay to enjoy 
a few years of well-earned repose4      
,probably not one of these men ever     
seriously dreamed that an event could   
occur that would1 in the course of a few
 swift weeks1 blot out the record of his
 life work1 and deprive him of all      
opportunity for promotion1 for pension1 
and even for employment4 ,no doubt the  
death toll of the battles on the plains 
of ,flanders has been heavy among these 
courteous1 capable and industrious      
men--many of whom were liable for       
military service in time of war--but let
 us hope that peace1 when it comes1 will
 bring to each survivor his old post    
again1 with the old good service record 
unforgotten1 and that he will receive   
the pension he rightfully expects and   

that his country would gladly give--at  
last4  ,to those who enjoy rambling     
through the byways of history there is  
no town richer in associations1 yet less
 spoiled by the visits of the all but   
ubiquitous tourist1 than ,dixmude4 ,at  
present this little city is situated    
fifteen miles from the sea1 yet all the 
ancient chroniclers aver that prior to  
the thirteenth century it was a seaport 
with a commerce overseas and a not      
inconsiderable fishing fleet4 ,as one   
looks across the miles and miles of     
pleasant fields1 interspersed with      
waving windmills and tiny villages1 this
 part of the ancient city's history     
seems utterly incredible1 but it is too 
well authenticated to be disputed4 ,ten 
times1 so the histories tell us1        
,dixmude was besieged and bravely       
defended by its citizens4 ,more than    
once it was destroyed by fire and       
rebuilt1 but at last the blight that    
destroyed the prosperity of its larger  
and more powerful neighbours1 ,ypres1   

,bruges and ,ghent1 struck at the heart 
of its industries as well and it sank by
 imperceptible degrees into its long    
sleep4  ,like the abode of the ,sleeping
 ,princess1 of whom ,tennyson wrote1 one
 might almost fancy that all life had   
stopped centuries ago at the wave of    
some magic wand4 ,the summer's sun and  
winter's rain and snow of half a        
thousand years have left but the        
faintest traces on its old houses and   
its great parish church of ,st4         
,nicholas4 ,the pride and joy of this   
church is its altar screen1 or jub1 said
 to have been designed by ,urban        
,taillebert1 the architect of the       
,church of ,st4 ,martin at ,ypres and   
many other celebrated works of around   
the year #afjj4 ,there is also an       
,adoration of the ,magi by ,jordaens1   
and the usual collection of minor works 
of art4 ,to us1 however1 this old church
 was far more interesting externally    
than within1 its huge clock tower       
resembling nothing else that we had seen

 in ,flanders or elsewhere4 ,the ,grande
 ,place1 from which one can obtain a    
fine view of the old church with a row  
of ,lilliputian houses nestling below   
it1 is big enough to accommodate all the
 present inhabitants of the town in one 
corner4 ,in its prime ,dixmude is said  
to have had thirty thousand inhabitants1
 and all the room on the ,place was1 no 
doubt1 needed on market days1 but it    
does not have a fifteenth of that number
 now1 and the wide1 grass-grown expanse 
of cobble-stones is entirely deserted4  
,the jub1 or altar screen1 already      
mentioned1 is the one great sight of the
 little town1 and every one asks without
 fail whether you have yet seen it4 ,it 
is assuredly well worth seeing1 being   
wonderfully graceful and dainty1 and1   
perhaps1 the finest thing of its kind in
 ,northern ,europe4 ,the other famous   
chef d'oeuvre of ,dixmude is culinary   
instead of artistic4 ,this is a kind of 
brioche called zieltjenskoeken1 or      
gateaux d'ames--a sort of soul cooky1 as

 it were4 ,twice a year1 on certain     
religious occasions1 the inhabitants of 
,dixmude consume vast quantities of     
these confections1 which are claimed to 
possess the property--if eaten on the   
prescribed days--of delivering one's    
soul from purgatory and sending it      
straight to ,paradise4 ,we were         
unfortunately unable to verify this1 as 
our visit did not come on the right day1
 but we found the butter of             
,dixmude--which has enjoyed a great     
reputation for centuries--to be all that
 was claimed for it1 although the       
,professor insisted on putting a shake  
of salt on his1 to the great horror of  
the maid who served our dinner4  ,had   
some ,madame ,thebes told us what the   
near future had in store for this sleepy
 and quaint old city we would have spent
 days instead of hours in it1 but last  
,june its importance did not seem to    
justify giving it a chapter so we       
planned to visit ,furnes the same day4  
,to-day the name of ,dixmude has been   

heard to the farthest ends of the world1
 its great square echoes to the tramp of
 armed men1 its old church--after       
standing for so many centuries--is said 
to have fallen before the withering     
storm of shrapnel and shells that for   
days rained down upon its defenders4 ,it
 has been taken and retaken by each side
 in the gigantic combat more than once4 
,it is asleep no longer1 forgotten no   
longer2 and1 in years to come1 reverent 
visitors from many nations will visit   
what may remain of the ancient town4    
,for these the chief interest will not  
lie in the walls of the ruined church or
 the relics of the departed jub1 if any 
there be1 but out in the open1 pleasant 
fields where1 in trenches that the      
kindly hand of nature will gradually    
obliterate1 the brave men of four       
nations met in one of the fiercest and  
bloodiest death grapples of the great   
war4  ,but last ,july both ,madame      
,thebes and the cannon were silent1 so  
again taking our faithful omnibus after 

the dinner--which we obtained at one of 
the little restaurants overlooking the  
,grande ,place--we next journeyed       
northward to ,furnes1 which is only a   
few miles distant across the flat       
,flemish plain4 ,furnes1 according to   
the antiquarians1 dates from as early as
 the year #hjj1 and its day of greatness
 had come and gone centuries ago4 ,its  
crooked streets1 quaint gabled houses1  
and picturesque corners seemed more     
medival than any place we had           
visited--surpassing even ,dixmude in    
this respect4 ,it was here1 by the way1 
that ,leopold ,i was welcomed to the    
country when he arrived after being     
chosen to be the first ,king of the     
,belgians in #ahca4 ,the ,hotel of the  
,nobele ,rose1 near the ,grande ,place1 
is said to have been the ,palace of the 
,countess ,gertrude of ,flanders in     
#ajic1 and if so1 must be one of the    
oldest houses in ,flanders4 ,the widow  
of ,count ,philip of ,alsace is also    
said to have resided here in #abah4     

,more celebrated1 in years to come1 than
 any of these incidents1 will be the    
fact that ,furnes was for many months of
 the ,great ,war the headquarters of the
 brave ,belgian army1 and the place of  
residence of ,belgium's heroic ,king4   
,the great annual event at ,furnes is   
the famous ,procession1 which takes     
place the third ,sunday in ,july4 ,it   
dates from #aajj or thereabouts1 when1  
according to the legend1 ,count ,robert 
of ,flanders was on his way back from   
the ,holy ,land1 bringing with him a    
piece of the true cross4 ,his voyage    
across the ,mediterranean1 through the  
,straits of ,gibraltar and past the     
stormy ,bay of ,biscay1 was without     
incident1 but as he was nearing home a  
fearful storm in the ,english ,channel  
threatened to send his frail bark to the
 bottom4 ,the waves were running        
mountain high and all the party expected
 each moment to be their last when the  
,count suddenly bethought himself of his
 holy relic and vowed that1 if his life 

were spared1 he would present it to the 
first church of which he might see the  
spire4  ,immediately the storm ceased1  
the wind died down1 the sea became as   
smooth as a mill-pond1 and as the happy 
mariners looked toward the shore of     
their dear ,flanders a ray of sunlight  
fell upon the tower of ,ste4 ,walburge  
in ,furnes4 ,to this church1 therefore1 
in fulfilment of his vow1 ,count ,robert
 presented the relic1 now doubly        
precious by reason of this miracle4 ,to 
commemorate this event the canons of the
 church organised a procession which    
took place every year and was marked by 
various historical representations of   
the return of ,count ,robert4 ,about    
#afej an act of sacrilege committed by a
 soldier1 who was publicly executed for 
his crime1 led to the procession taking 
on certain penitential features by way  
of expiation on the part of the city for
 this sin4 ,from that time on the       
procession has included representations1
 for the most part by peasants dressed  

up for the parts1 of ,abraham and the   
,prophets1 the ,flight into ,egypt1 the 
,visit of the ,three ,wise ,men to the  
,cradle at ,bethlehem1 so often painted 
by the artists of the ,flemish school1  
the ,stable and the ,birth of ,christ1  
the ,court of ,herod1 ,jesus in the     
,midst of the ,doctors1 the ,penitent   
,magdalen1 the ,entry of ,christ into   
,jerusalem1 the ,feast at ,cana1 the    
,garden of ,olives1 the ,betrayal of    
,judas1 and a series of scenes          
representing the crucifixion1 burial and
 resurrection4 ,following these tableaux
 come the penitents1 walking masked and 
barefooted1 clad for the most part in   
brown ,capuchin robes1 and singing or   
chanting certain lines in ,flemish4     
,many of the leading actors in the      
tableaux have speaking parts1 all of    
them in ,flemish and delivered with     
varying degrees of histrionic skill to  
the crowd that lines the streets4 ,the  
whole performance1 apart from its great 
antiquity1 is of interest as being a    

local and original representation of the
 ,biblical story--a sort of ,flemish    
passion play1 less refined and artistic 
than that of the ,swiss peasants of     
,oberammergau1 but none the less        
conscientious1 earnest and sincere4  ,at
 one time ,furnes ranked next to ,ghent 
and ,bruges among the cities of         
,flanders in official importance1 if not
 in population and industry1 its        
chtellenie comprising fifty-two         
villages4 ,in #abig it was besieged by  
,robert1 the ,count of ,artois1 who fell
 five years later at the great battle of
 ,courtrai4 ,at ,furnes the ,french arms
 were successful and the city was       
captured and sacked1 more than two      
thousand houses being burned in two     
days1 according to the contemporary     
chronicles4 ,philip the ,bold1 the first
 of the ,burgundian ,dukes to rule over 
,flanders1 rebuilt its fortifications1  
and the city was deemed worthy under    
,philip the ,good to be designated as   
the place of residence of the ,french   

,dauphin1 who subsequently became ,louis
 ,,xi1 when that remarkable young man   
was in exile through his father's       
displeasure4 ,it may well have been here
 that the wiliest and most unscrupulous 
of all the ,kings of ,france planned    
that tortuous and secretive policy      
that--steadily pursued year after       
year--brought the powerful ,house of    
,burgundy low at last and made ,france  
one nation instead of two or three4     
,the quaint old ,grande ,place of       
,furnes1 while smaller than that of     
,dixmude1 is equally picturesque4 ,on   
one side is the old ,meat ,market1      
dating from the first quarter of the    
seventeenth century2 and hard by is the 
,maison des ,espagnols1 or ,house of the
 ,spaniards1 formerly used as a         
town-hall and erected in the thirteenth 
century4 ,the present ,hotel de ,ville  
also faces the ,place and is well worth 
a visit1 although none of its rooms are 
sufficiently notable to merit a detailed
 description4 ,the ancient ,chtellenie1 

now used as ,court ,house1 was begun in 
#afab--the year the ,hotel de ,ville was
 finished--and is chiefly memorable as  
the meeting-place of the ,spanish       
,inquisition4 ,this body held its       
sessions in the antechamber on the first
 floor and not in the main hall1 which  
is decorated by a mural painting by de  
,vriendt representing ,philip the ,fair 
swearing to observe the rights and      
privileges of the city4 ,the            
establishment of the ,inquisition by his
 namesake and grandson1 ,philip ,,ii1   
affords a ghastly commentary on the     
manner in which that monarch kept the   
similar pledges with which he began his 
reign4 ,another fine old edifice on the 
,grande ,place is the ,belfry1 square   
for half its height1 then octagonal1 and
 finally surmounted by a bulbous spire1 
heavy and clumsy1 but none the less     
exceedingly quaint and picturesque4 ,not
 a few of the ancient houses around the 
,place and in the adjacent streets were 
sufficiently medival to have merited a  

visit had our stay in this fine old     
,flemish town been longer2 but1 so far  
as we could learn1 none possessed any   
particular historical interest4         
,besides ,ste4 ,walburge1 already       
mentioned--which was evidently planned  
to be a cathedral1 but of which only the
 choir was ever completed--,furnes      
possesses the church of ,st4 ,nicholas1 
which has a noble square tower1 also    
unfinished4 ,both churches are          
disappointing within1 although the      
former is1 no doubt1 of great interest  
to architects as an example of the      
ogival style1 while the latter is       
,gothic and dates from the fourteenth   
century4 ,the choir stalls in ,st4      
,walburge are notable examples of the   
,flemish woodcarvers' art1 although far 
less ancient than the church itself4    
,if the time of your stay is midsummer1 
as it will be if you come to ,furnes to 
see the ,procession1 do not go away     
without a day on the dunes at ,coxyde4  
,this beach is less well known1 as yet1 

than those at ,ostende1 ,heyst and      
,blankenburghe farther to the east but  
it is increasing in popularity very     
rapidly4 ,a land company1 with head     
offices at ,brussels1 is engaged in     
erecting summer houses among the dunes  
which look too ,american in architecture
 and manner of construction for this    
country where houses are generally built
 as if intended to last a thousand      
years4 ,a little chemin de fer vicinal  
runs from ,furnes to ,coxyde4 ,in       
addition to the splendid beach and the  
dunes1 which have a dreary grandeur that
 is always fascinating1 the shrimp      
fishermen1 or pecheurs de crevettes1    
will make the short trip well worth     
while4  ,illustration3 ,,shrimp         
,,fishermen1 ,,coxyde4  ,these          
weather-beaten men1 with their rough    
oilskin hats and suits1 are the modern  
representatives of an ancient ,flemish  
industry--shrimp fishing having been    
carried on along these coasts literally 
from time immemorial4 ,they are very    

picturesque1 both while at work on      
horseback dragging in their nets1 and   
while lounging along the shore1 pipe in 
mouth4 ,jean ,delvin has a fine painting
 representing them in the ,museum at    
,ghent1 while one of the most powerful  
of ,meunier's statues is devoted to the 
same subject4     ,,chapter ,,vi        
,,nieuport ,,and ,,the ,,yser ,,canal   
,when the war is over1 and the era of   
commemoration begins1 ,belgium1 if she  
is free1 should erect at ,nieuport1     
close to the great locks that mark the  
outlet of the ,yser ,canal--or at some  
point along the canal where the fighting
 was the fiercest--a monument higher    
than that at ,leipzig where the ,germans
 recall their victory over ,napoleon1   
higher than the great lion that guards  
the field of ,waterloo4 ,at its summit  
should stand a heroic-sized figure in   
imperishable bronze of a ,belgian       
infantryman1 one of the round-capped    
demons whose indomitable will and       
unwavering courage held this last bit of

 ,belgian soil against overpowering     
numbers for days4 ,it was here that     
,germany's magnificent rush from        
,antwerp to the ,channel ports was      
stopped1 and it was the last remnant of 
the little ,belgian army that1 turning  
on its foe like a lion at bay1 hurled   
back every assault until the little     
,yser ,canal ran red and until1 at last1
 the great reinforcing hosts of the     
allies came4  ,the little straggling    
town of ,nieuport1 peaceful and sleepy  
as it looked last summer1 is not a      
stranger to battles and sieges4 ,in the 
time of ,william the ,conqueror         
,lombartzyde1 now a little hamlet on the
 chemin de fer vicinal behind the dunes 
from ,nieuport to ,ostende1 was the     
shipping port of this region1 but great 
storms filled the harbour with sand and 
the citizens established a ,new ,port on
 another branch of the ,yser in #aafj4  
,it was fortified three years later1 and
 for several centuries was one of the   
strong towns defending the ,low         

,countries on the ,french frontier4 ,its
 strategic importance made it the scene 
of many battles and sieges4 ,it was     
destroyed by the ,english and their     
allies1 the men of ,ghent1 in #achc4    
,the lonely tower or ,donjon of the     
,templars1 standing on the edge of the  
town1 is all that remains of a monastery
 of that order which was ruined at that 
time4  ,the city itself1 however1 was   
quickly rebuilt1 and among other        
memorable sieges beat off a great       
,french force in the year #adhi4 ,in    
#aefh the ,spanish1 under ,cond1 beat a 
,french army commanded by ,turenne not  
far from the city4 ,another famous fight
 before the walls of the old town took  
place in the year #afjj during the long 
war between ,spain and her revolted     
,provinces4 ,count ,maurice of ,nassau1 
at the head of twelve thousand men from 
the ,united ,provinces1 had invaded     
,flanders1 which still remained under   
the power of ,spain1 and marching       
rapidly from the ,scheldt past ,ostende1

 proceeded to besiege ,nieuport4 ,the   
,archduke ,albert1 hastily raising an   
army of fifteen thousand ,spaniards1    
advanced unexpectedly on the ,dutch1 who
 were taken completely by surprise4     
,perceiving that he was caught in a     
trap1 ,count ,maurice--in order to give 
his men the courage of despair--ordered 
the ,dutch fleet to withdraw1 and told  
his soldiers that they must either      
conquer or be prepared to drink all the 
water behind them4  ,meanwhile an       
advance guard of the ,dutch army was    
driven back by the advancing ,spaniards 
who1 thinking they had met the whole    
army1 sent couriers to ,bruges and      
,ghent announcing the victory4 ,bells   
were rung to celebrate the ,archduke's  
supposed success which1 as the event    
proved1 was a strategic victory for     
,nassau as it delayed the enemy several 
hours4 ,it was three o'clock in the     
afternoon when the advancing ,spaniards 
found themselves face to face with the  
main army of the republic1 drawn up on  

the very beach outside the city walls4  
,perceiving their sturdy ranks and      
unyielding front the ,archduke          
hesitated1 but the ,spaniards urged him 
not to let them lose their prey1 whom   
they regarded as hateful rebels and     
heretics4  ,thus encouraged1 the        
,archduke gave the order to advance and 
the battle soon became general4 ,the    
fate of the day was decided by the      
artillery of the ,dutch which1 by a     
fortunate order of their far-sighted    
commander1 had been lifted off from the 
sand and mounted on platforms made from 
boughs1 brush and such timber as was    
handy4 ,that of the ,archduke1 mounted  
in haste directly on the beach1 embedded
 itself in the sand at each discharge   
until it became useless1 while that of  
the republicans became more accurate and
 deadly4 ,at the same time the rays of  
the setting sun falling directly in the 
eyes of the ,spanish soldiers1 who were 
facing westward1 blinded them and caused
 them to fire wildly4 ,the ,archduke    

performed prodigies of valour1 having   
two horses killed under him and being   
himself slightly wounded1 but as        
darkness began to fall on the bloody    
beach ,count ,maurice ordered a charge  
by a force of cavalry he had held in    
reserve4 ,this fresh force proved       
irresistible1 the ,spanish lines began  
to give way on all sides1 and the       
retreat quickly turned into a rout4     
,even the proud ,archduke had to seek   
safety in flight1 and the day1 which had
 begun so auspiciously1 ended in one of 
the greatest disasters of the disastrous
 war4  ,nieuport and its sister cities  
in this1 until lately1 half-forgotten   
corner of ,flanders were1 in former     
times1 renowned for other contests      
happily less bloody than these famous   
battles4 ,here1 during the ,middle      
,ages1 flourished a group of societies  
devoted to rhetoric4 ,in place of the   
still more ancient tourneys1 where armed
 knights fought with lance and sword1   
these ,chambers of ,rhetoric held annual

 contests of oratory4 ,from one end of  
,flanders to the other the movement     
spread2 and these debating societies did
 much to cultivate a regard for learning
 and dialectic skill among the mass of  
the population4 ,sternly suppressed by  
,alva1 implacable foe of every form of  
free thought1 these societies were      
revived after the ,spanish scourge was  
withdrawn1 and some of them continue to 
the present day4  ,the visitor who      
wandered around the long1 slightly hilly
 streets of the ,nieuport of last ,july 
would have had little trouble in        
locating plenty of the monuments of its 
famous past1 although the beach has now 
receded two or three miles to the       
northward and pleasant fields extend    
along the edge of the wide marshes which
 then were probably part of the sea4 ,a 
curious old lighthouse with a pointed   
tower stands about midway between the   
present town and ,nieuport ,bains1 as   
the beach town is called1 showing where 
the coastline lay some three hundred and

 fifty years ago4 ,even this spot is now
 too far inland for the light to be seen
 at sea and a new lighthouse has been   
built on the rampart of dunes that runs1
 like a miniature mountain range1 almost
 to ,ostende toward the east1 and       
westward to ,coxyde and beyond4         
,illustration3 ,,tower ,,of ,,the       
,,templars1 ,,nieuport4  ,our first     
visit at ,nieuport was to the ,tower of 
the ,templars1 a huge square pile of    
brick standing in the midst of a potato 
patch4 ,this prosaic environment        
detracted not a little from the         
sentimental interest of the edifice1 and
 we were unable to get into the         
structure1 although one of the gens     
d'armes of the village was said to have 
a key to the low wooden door at its     
base4 ,equally disappointing was a visit
 to the ancient ,halle aux ,draps1 or   
,cloth ,hall1 now used on certain days  
as a local butter market4 ,here again1  
the door was locked and no one seemed to
 know who had the key4 ,curiously       

enough1 although situated very close to 
the ,french frontier1 we found in this  
little town and its neighbours1 ,dixmude
 and ,furnes1 very few people who       
understood ,french4 ,flemish is the     
universal language hereabouts           
apparently1 but it was only on this     
little trip that we were at all         
inconvenienced by our inability to speak
 it4 ,elsewhere in ,flanders--even at   
,ypres and ,audenaerde1 where our       
friends said we would have trouble--we  
were able to make our ,french           
universally understood4  ,on the ,grande
 ,place1 close to the ,cloth ,hall1 we  
found a little inn1 called the ,hotel du
 ,pelican1 where the ,professor proposed
 that we should get some liquid         
refreshment4 ,we failed1 however1 to    
obtain any response to our raps and     
thumps on the door1 and concluding that 
the establishment must be run for       
pelicans only we took ourselves and our 
patronage elsewhere4 ,the ,church of    
,notre ,dame1 which stands just off the 

,grande ,place1 we found to be a most   
quaint and interesting old structure    
dating1 it is said1 from the thirteenth 
century4 ,while less imposing externally
 than ,st4 ,nicholas at ,furnes its     
massive square baroque tower was very   
striking1 and formed a fine picture in  
conjunction with the more slender tower 
of the ,cloth ,hall hard by4 ,the       
approach to the main entrance of the    
church was beneath some lofty trees and 
we did not see a solitary human being   
either outside of the edifice or within 
it4 ,this church has an interesting jub 
or rood loft1 a fine wooden pulpit1 and 
we also noticed a curious winding       
stairway that seemed to lead upward     
within one of the pillars at the        
intersection of the transept and the    
choir4 ,as the tower is not built at    
this point1 but at one end of the       
edifice1 it was quite a mystery where   
this stairway went and what its purpose 
might be1 but as it seemed exceedingly  
narrow and dark we did not explore it1  

nor did we find any one to whom we could
 apply for information about it4  ,it   
was in this church1 by the way1 or      
possibly in one of those at ,dixmude or 
,furnes1 that the ,madame developed a   
violent antipathy to a certain painting 
that seems to be one of the most        
cherished possessions of nearly every   
church in ,flanders4 ,as old ,cotton and
 ,increase ,mather delighted in scaring 
and harrowing their audiences with word 
pictures of the tortures of the burning 
fiery pit1 so nearly every old ,flemish 
artist seems to have delighted in       
portraying most vividly the sufferings  
and martyrdoms of the saints1 and one   
subject in particular appears to have   
caught the fancy of every one of them4  
,this was the beheading of ,john the    
,baptist4 ,at times the head is shown   
rolling in the dust or mire of the      
street1 at times it is represented as   
being served on a platter--but to one   
and all of these works of art the       
,madame objected4 ,this circumstance    

added not a little to the happiness of  
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,professor1 who were     
continually contriving to lead her      
artfully around to inspect some new     
wonder1 which proved to be another      
representation of this agreeable scene4 
,as works of art they were nearly all   
atrocities1 but as jokes on the ,madame 
they were one and all great successes1  
and it was really surprising how many of
 them there were4  ,the ,hotel de       
,ville1 a somewhat commonplace looking  
structure1 is said to contain a small   
collection of paintings1 but we were    
unable to make any of the phlegmatic    
gens d'armes whom we found lounging     
close by take enough interest in our    
questions to inform us where admission  
might be obtained4 ,in fact the whole   
town seemed singularly uninterested in  
tourists1 apparently caring not a bit   
whether they came or stayed away4 ,while
 the war will undoubtedly change this1  
still any one desiring to visit it will 
do well to make the trip from ,ostende  

or ,furnes1 returning for the night to  
some point where hotel accommodations   
are more adequate4 ,in our case we went 
over to ,ostende1 where there are many  
good hotels4 ,no doubt a pleasant week  
or month could be spent in this corner  
of ,flanders1 but for such a stay the   
best plan would be to go to one of the  
many little seaside resorts between     
,coxyde and ,ostende for one's hotel or 
pension1 and explore the hinterland from
 there4  ,the ride by the little chemin 
de fer vicinal from ,nieuport to        
,ostende is a very interesting one4 ,at 
the outset the line crosses the huge    
locks that join the canals to ,ostende  
and ,furnes with the tidal river ,yser4 
,there are seven or eight bridges in    
all1 the different canals and channels  
being separated by tiny islands4 ,had   
,madame ,thebes only suggested that we  
explore the ,yser ,canals while we were 
there last ,july how much more          
interesting this part of the book would 
be6 ,unfortunately they looked then much

 as hundreds of other ,belgian canals   
had looked and we gave them only a      
passing glance4 ,while the newspapers in
 their accounts of the great battle of  
,flanders usually spoke of the ,yser    
,canal as though there was but a single 
canal1 in reality there are three canals
 that flow into the tiny ,yser ,river at
 this point4 ,one of these runs parallel
 with the coast to ,ostende1 and then   
onward to ,bruges and beyond2 the second
 runs behind the range of dunes westward
 to ,furnes1 where it divides and       
crosses the ,french frontier in two     
branches1 one going to ,bergues and the 
other to ,dunkerque4 ,it is the third   
branch that achieved immortality in the 
,battle of ,flanders4 ,this runs        
straight inland1 at right angles to the 
other two1 following the tortuous       
channel of the old river much of the way
 to ,dixmude4 ,a short distance beyond  
,dixmude the canal ceases to follow the 
,river ,yser1 which here flows eastward 
from a source well across the ,french   

boundary1 and ascends the ,yser's       
smaller tributary1 the ,yperle1 to      
,ypres4 ,it did not seem like very much 
of an obstacle from a military          
standpoint1 but brave hearts can make   
the most of a small advantage4 ,below   
the big locks the little river runs in  
its own bed to the sea4 ,here the tide  
was out the day of our visit and a few  
small fishing boats were lying tipped   
over sideways in the mud1 while two or  
three ,english ladies were busily       
sketching the not over-picturesque      
scene4 ,there will be a great many      
people sketching in this vicinity by and
 by6  ,about two miles from ,nieuport   
the train passes the church of          
,lombartzyde1 within which is a statue  
of the ,virgin known among mariners far 
and wide as the ,bonne ,mre de          
,lombartzyde1 and who is devoutly       
believed able to protect the faithful   
seaman from perils by sea1 to aid the   
farmer in his harvest1 to cure the sick 
and succour the distressed4 ,many are   

the little ships1 patiently carved by   
fingers hardened by toil and exposure1  
that have been reverently hung before   
the good ,virgin's shrine4 ,there are   
perhaps fewer now than formerly1 but    
faith in her protection and power is    
still strong and will probably always   
continue to be so1 for the ,flemings are
 intensely loyal to the church4  ,not a 
few of those who visit these little     
towns1 rich in mementoes of the past1   
but otherwise apparently very sleepy and
 dull1 wonder what the inhabitants do   
for amusement4 ,no one who has ever     
spent a ,sunday in a ,belgian country   
village need ask this question4 ,from   
one end of the country to the other1 in 
the ,borinage or mining provinces of the
 southwest as well as in the ,flemish   
counties of the north1 the male         
population devotes the greater part of  
the day to what may unhesitatingly be   
termed the ,belgian national            
sport--archery4 ,in the early part of   
the ,middle ,ages ,flemish archers were 

as famous as the longbowmen of ,merrie  
,england1 and on many a hard fought     
field they gave a good account of       
themselves4 ,curiously enough1 the      
archery societies into which they formed
 themselves for practice have survived  
all the wars and changes of the         
centuries1 have continued in spite of   
the invention of gunpowder and the      
perfection of firearms--an industry in  
which ,lige1 in southern ,belgium1 has  
led all other cities--and seem to be as 
vital a part of the national life of the
 country as ever they were4 ,the fact   
that the bow and arrow is an anachronism
 troubles your ,belgian peasant not at  
all2 he shoulders his long bow as       
cheerfully on a ,sunday morning as if he
 were carrying the latest model of      
smokeless powder repeater1 with ,maxim  
silencer and all modern improvements1   
instead of a weapon that was out of date
 and useless five hundred years ago4    
,as practised in ,belgium1 archery      
contests are carried on in two ways4    

,there is first what is known as the    
,tir  l'oiseau or ,perche4 ,in the      
centre of the village green of the      
smaller towns1 and in some open space in
 the suburbs of the larger places1 the  
traveller cannot fail to notice what    
looks like a flag pole1 the top of      
which1 however1 tapers to a slender     
point1 from just beneath which four     
short arms point upward diagonally1     
while three cross arms are placed       
horizontally below them4 ,on these are  
fixed the oiseaux1 or birds--blocks of  
cork covered with tinsel or             
gaily-coloured paper1 each with a tuft  
of feathers stuck at the top4 ,the      
archers gather below the pole and shoot 
upward1 aiming at the birds and         
endeavouring to knock them off cleanly4 
,each shoots in turn1 and the           
prizes--which have been duly announced  
by posters for days beforehand--go to   
those capturing one of the birds1 the   
value varying according to its position4
 ,in the contests entitled ,tir du ,roi1

 the archer bringing down the last bird 
wins the largest prize and is called the
 ,roi1 or ,king1 and as by that time the
 archers have one and all consumed a    
goodly portion of their favourite       
beverages there is general              
hilarity--especially if the victor is a 
popular favourite4 ,immemorial custom   
decrees that the ,king should deal      
liberally with his subjects and dispense
 in libations whatever sum he may have  
gained as a prize1 after which he is    
usually escorted1 or if necessary       
carried1 home in great state with a band
 in advance and all the members of the  
contest following in a disorderly1 but  
jolly1 crowd4  ,the second form of      
contest is known as the ,tir au berceau1
 and consists of shooting at a target4  
,the birds1 in this case1 are fastened  
about the bull's eye4 ,the archers stand
 at a distance of one hundred metres    
from the target1 which is usually placed
 at the rear of a walled court or       
garden4 ,generally a series of wooden   

arches placed at intervals along the    
line of fire serve to arrest any arrows 
that go wild1 while the back of the     
target is reinforced strongly with      
straws about a foot long laid lengthwise
 with the line of the shooting and      
packed under great pressure4 ,there is  
invariably a public caf or estaminet    
attached to the places where archery    
contests au berceau are conducted1 while
 such places are always found close by  
the spot where a ,tir  l'oiseau takes   
place4 ,between shots the men consume   
liberal quantities of lambic1 faro1 or  
the beer of some neighbouring brewer1   
and discuss politics or the news of the 
day4 ,a circumstance that renders       
disorders comparatively rare is that    
each archery society consists of men of 
a single party4 ,the ,catholics have    
their favourite places that are         
patronised exclusively by ,catholics1   
while the ,socialists in the southern   
provinces1 where that party is strong1  
have their own societies and places of  

rendezvous4 ,the clergy are heartily    
interested in the ,catholic contests1   
giving liberal prizes and attending in  
considerable numbers to cheer the       
victors and console the vanquished4     
,during the early part of the war       
numerous references were made in the    
despatches to the marvellous accuracy of
 the ,belgian riflemen4 ,to one who has 
attended scores of these archery        
contests it is not surprising that the  
,belgians are good shots4 ,out of date  
though the bow and arrow is1 yet the    
sport cannot fail to train the eye and  
hand1 and constant rivalry in such a    
pastime has made the ,belgians literally
 a nation of sharpshooters4 ,on one     
occasion the writer and a friend took a 
couple of shots with a carbine in one of
 the little shooting galleries that     
accompanied a village kermesse4 ,we both
 missed4 ,a young man standing by1 who  
worked in the village sugar mill1       
politely asked which of the various     
pipes and other objects we were aiming  

at4 ,we indicated one of them and1 zip6 
his bullet had shattered it4 ,half a    
dozen shots in quick succession at      
different objects we pointed out proved 
equally accurate4 ,it was an exhibition 
of marksmanship such as one frequently  
sees on the stage in the ,united        
,states1 but being made by a casual     
bystander in a village street it was    
most impressive4 ,nor was the lad1 as ,i
 took pains to inquire1 noted           
particularly for his skill in this      
direction--having seldom won prizes in  
the official contests4  ,all ages join  
in this sport1 the small boys erecting  
diminutive poles in the fields around   
the villages1 where they imitate their  
elders with toy bows and arrows1 while  
men of seventy or eighty take their turn
 with beardless youths in the prize     
competitions4 ,while ,i was visiting in 
the ,borinage two years ago the uncle of
 my hostess shouldered his two-metre bow
 and started off to a meet despite his  
eighty-seven years4 ,what is more1 his  

hand had lost none of its strength and  
firmness1 and his eyes none of their    
keenness1 for twice while ,i was present
 he brought down one of the birds1 and  
,i later learned that he had won one of 
the principal prizes4 ,only the year    
before he had been crowned ,king at one 
such contest1 and the first time he ever
 won that coveted honour was when he was
 sixteen--or seventy-one years before4  
,i doubt whether there is any athletic  
game in the world of which the devotees 
can point to a longer record of success4
  ,this fine old athlete had two        
brothers older than himself alive at the
 time1 the combined ages of the three   
aggregating two hundred and eighty      
years4 ,one of them1 aged ninety-four1  
recently expressed some anxiety as to   
what would become of him in the event of
 the death of the daughter with whom he 
was living4  ,what will ,i do if ,amlie 
should die8 he asked of one of his other
 daughters4  ,why1 papa1 then you would 
come and live with me1 she replied1     

adding with a flash of characteristic   
,belgian humour1 and when ,i am dead    
you'll go to live with ,flicienne 7a    
grand-daughter still in her 'teens74 ,as
 this provided safely for his future for
 at least another fifty years1 the old  
gentleman was greatly relieved1 feeling 
perhaps that if he survived ,flicienne  
her children would by that time be old  
enough to take care of him4  ,while     
archery is everywhere the dominating    
pastime of the working class it is by no
 means the only form of popular         
amusement4 ,the bicycle has not yet gone
 out of vogue in ,belgium1 and societies
 exist in hundreds of cities and        
communes for the encouragement of       
bicycle racing4 ,the day of our arrival 
in the village where ,tante ,rosa spread
 for us the banquet mentioned in the    
second chapter1 we were so fortunate as 
to witness the final sprint of a        
twenty-five kilometre race4 ,a score of 
contestants had pedalled ten times over 
a course consisting for the most part of

 roadways paved with ragged             
cobble-stones1 the rest being dirt roads
 filled with mud puddles owing to a     
recent rain4 ,the riders1 as they rushed
 by1 were literally covered with mud and
 had evidently struggled hard to gain   
one of the five prizes which aggregated1
 as we afterwards learned1 the          
munificent sum of eighty francs1 sixteen
 dollars1 of which the winner received  
thirty--six dollars6  ,another favourite
 form of recreation is the racing of    
pigeons1 and societies for the promotion
 of this sport exist in every part of   
the ,kingdom4 ,frequently the birds fly 
from one end of the country to the other
 and many examples of remarkable speed  
have been reported1 the winners bringing
 comparatively high prices3  ,no better 
idea of the variety of popular          
amusements can be given than to take the
 programme of one little commune that ,i
 had an opportunity of copying1 entitled
 ,ftes ,communales de #aiad--this       
announcement being printed in ,french   

and ,flemish4 ,while many of the events 
were evidently organised by various     
societies the officials of the commune  
assumed responsibility for the proper   
conduct of the contests1 and either     
provided the prizes or contributed a    
substantial sum toward them1 the rest   
being raised by a fee exacted from each 
contestant which varied from one franc1 
thirty centimes for the smaller events  
to five francs for the more important   
ones4 ,with one hundred contestants this
 would yield one hundred and thirty     
francs1 to which the commune usually    
added fifty1 making one hundred and     
eighty francs available in all4 ,for the
 chief events the prizes aggregate      
#a1jjj to #b1jjj francs--quite a        
respectable sum for a commune of six    
thousand inhabitants4 ,the difference   
between archery contests au berceau and 
la perche has already been explained4   
,the programme1 much abbreviated1       
follows3          ,sun41 ,apr4          
#ai4--;,archery contests1 both au       

berceau and         perche4             
,sun41 ,apr4 #bf4--;,archery contest1 au
 berceau1 and rifle         contest     
7carbines74          ,fri41 ,may        
#a4--;,fte du ,travail 7,labor ,day7    
,archery         contest and popular    
ball on a public         square in the  
evening--dancing in         the street1 
rain or shine4          ,sun41 ,may     
#aj4--,rifle contest4          ,thurs41 
,may         #ba4--;,archery contest4   
,sun41 ,may4 #bd4--;,annual ,fair with  
archery contests of         both kinds1 
rifle contest and grand         concert 
in evening with two bands4              
,sun41 ,may #ca4--,kermesse1 with       
archery contests of both         kinds  
and a popular out-door ball in          
the evening4          ,sun41 ,june      
#g4--;,bicycle ,race--outdoor course    
around         the village ten times1   
#be kilometres4          ,sun41 ,june   
#ad4--;,archery contest au berceau and  
,tir du         ,roi 7perche74          
,sun41 ,june #ba4--,kermesse in another 

quarter of the commune1         with    
rifle contest and concert in            
evening1 followed by popular ball4      
,sun4 to ,tues41         ,july #e1 #f1  
#g1--;,annual ,kermesse in the centre of
 the         commune1 with archery      
contest 7perche7         on ,sunday1 au 
berceau on ,monday1 and         ,tir du 
,roi with public games and              
sports on ,tuesday4 ,itinerant amusement
         enterprises of all kinds make  
these annual kermesses a miniature      
,coney ,island while they last4         
,sun41 ,july #bf4--,tir du ,roi and     
,grand ,fte ,gymnastique1               
followed by concert1 ,fte de ,nuit and  
a ball4          ,sun41 ,aug4 #i4--;,fte
 d',enfance1 distribution of prizes to  
school children with public exhibition  
of school gymnastics1 etc4              
,sat4 and ,sun41         ,aug4 #ae and  
#af4--,kermesse in a third quarter1 with
 archery         contests and concert4  
,sun4 ,mon4 and         ,tues41 ,aug4   
#cj to ,sept4 #a4--;,annual ,kermesse1  

with archery contests         of both   
kinds1 concert and sports and           
games4          ,sun41 ,sept4           
#bj4--;,archery au berceau and rifle    
contest4          ,sun41 ,oct4          
#be4--,same4          ,sun41 ,nov4      
#ba4--;,archery1 perche4          ,sun41
 ,dec4 #ac4--,rifle contest4  ,it must  
be confessed that this programme is     
somewhat monotonous1 but in the larger  
towns it is considerably amplified and  
varied4 ,still to one who was brought up
 in a small country village in ,new     
,hampshire it seems very good1 both as  
an evidence of the popular desire for   
healthy and rational out-door enjoyment1
 and of the disposition of the          
,government to promote and foster       
legitimate amusements of all kinds4 ,the
 kermesse is an ,european rather than a 
,belgian institution and requires no    
description further than that it is a   
jolly good time for everybody4 ,it has  
existed in ,flanders and throughout the 
,walloon provinces from time immemorial1

 as ancient paintings and still more    
ancient historical references           
conclusively show4 ,its most interesting
 feature to the ,american visitor is the
 night dancing out of doors on the rough
 cobble-stones of the town square or on 
the soft grass of the village green4    
,lighted by flaring gas torches1 or     
sometimes only by the moon and such     
stray beams as fall on the dancers from 
the open doors and windows of adjacent  
cafs1 the spectacle of the gaily dancing
 couples carries the observer back to   
the days when the world was young1 and  
love and laughter and happiness reigned 
supreme4  ,illustration3 ,,an ,,ancient 
,,painting ,,of ,,the ,,flemish         
,,kermesse1 ,,by ,,teniers4             
,,chapter ,,vii  ,,when ,,ypres ,,was ,a
 ,,greater ,,city ,,than ,,london   ,as 
we returned from our trip to ,dixmude1  
,furnes and ,nieuport1 the ,professor   
announced that our next destination     
would be ,ypres4 ,if he had said that it
 would he ,chingwangtao1 or the ,comoro 

,archipelago1 the ladies could hardly   
have stared at him more blankly4 ,they  
had never heard of it4 ,since ,october  
the whole world has heard of it1 and the
 name of the all but forgotten old town 
is familiar to every schoolboy--and will
 continue so for generations to come4   
,the record of our visit that follows   
was written amid the pleasant and       
peaceful scenes that it describes4 ,when
 we were there the swans were swimming  
majestically in the waters of the moat  
that still surrounded the remnants of   
the old city walls1 but we were told    
that for military purposes all this was 
obsolete4 ,no doubt it was1 but the     
brave old town was none the less        
able--with the help of its stubborn     
,english defenders--to withstand the    
most furious1 determined and bloody     
assaults in all history4 ,to the ,german
 host the medival term la morte d',ypres
 was revived in those awful weeks of    
,october and ,november1 #aiad1 for the  
grim1 low-lying ramparts of the town    

meant death to countless thousands4     
,whether anything whatever is still     
standing of the old structures described
 in this chapter it is at present       
impossible to say4 ,the ,british        
trenches were under a well-nigh         
continuous storm of shells for many     
weeks1 and the town itself must         
undoubtedly have suffered severely4     
,late in ,november it was reported that 
the old ,cloth ,hall had been destroyed 
by the furious ,german bombardment1 or1 
at least1 severely injured4 ,the account
 of the various points of interest in   
the famous old town as they appeared in 
peaceful ,june--together with some brief
 sketches of its former greatness--may  
be all the more interesting now that its
 ruins lie in the lime-light of the     
world's attention4 ,as compared with the
 half-dozen tourists that averaged to   
visit ,ypres each day before the war the
 return of peace will see it become the 
,mecca for daily thousands4 ,to these   
the remains of the town itself should   

vie in interest with the trenches of the
 famous battle-fields of the ,great     
,war1 for during a period two or three  
times as long as the entire duration of 
the nation known as the ,united ,states 
of ,america1 ,ypres was one of the      
greatest and richest cities in the      
world4  ,it was hard to believe it1     
however1 as we rumbled into the railroad
 station and1 stepping out upon the     
almost deserted platform1 took our first
 look at the place4 ,as is usually the  
case in ,flanders1 the train deposits   
the visitor some distance from the      
centre of the town4 ,the very first view
 was full of delight and promise of     
better things in store1 however1 for as 
we emerged from the station we found    
ourselves facing a pretty little park or
 square on the opposite side of which we
 could see a bit of the ancient city    
walls which stretched away toward the   
right most invitingly4  ,postponing the 
pleasure of inspecting these renowned   
ramparts till a later occasion1 we made 

our way through narrow winding streets  
direct to the ,grande ,place1 pausing   
now and then to admire the quaint gabled
 houses on the rue au ,beurre 7,butter  
,street74 ,at the ,grande ,place the    
,professor led us directly to the huge  
,cloth ,hall1 which completely fills one
 side of it1 for here--he said--we would
 find the best introduction to the      
history and romance of the city4 ,the   
concierge proved hard to find1 and we   
wandered up-stairs and through a        
deserted corridor1 trying several doors 
that proved all to be locked1 before we 
located the familiar sign4 ,our fees    
being duly paid--fifty centimes each1   
which was little enough for the         
privilege of inspecting the finest      
monument of its kind in ,flanders1 or   
for that matter in all ,europe--one of  
the doors was obligingly unlocked and we
 found ourselves immediately in the     
great ,guild ,hall4  ,illustration3     
,,cloth ,,hall1 ,,ypres4  ,the ,halle   
aux ,draps1 or ,cloth ,hall1 is the     

largest civil edifice in ,belgium1 and  
without doubt one of the largest in the 
world4 ,it is four hundred and          
thirty-three feet long by more than two 
hundred in width--or larger than        
,madison ,square ,garden4 ,its huge     
bulk1 and that of the former cathedral  
hard by1 contrast strangely with the    
present dimensions of the little city4  
,yet when they were built ,ypres was the
 powerful rival of ,bruges and ,ghent1  
then at the apex of their glory1 and one
 of the foremost cities in the world4   
,the ,cloth ,hall was begun in #abjj and
 completed in #acjd1 or two years after 
the ,battle of the ,spurs1 a victory won
 by the guildsmen of ,ypres and ,bruges 
against the chivalry of ,france4 ,during
 that period the city had two hundred   
thousand inhabitants1 its woollen       
weavers operated four thousand looms1   
and more than four hundred guilds       
responded to the calls to arms that     
sounded1 at frequent intervals1 from the
 belfry4  ,the greatest wonder of the   

edifice is the immense gallery1 or hall1
 which occupies the side next to the    
,grande ,place4 ,this extends for the   
entire length of the building1 broken   
only by the belfry in the centre which  
forms a sort of transept across it4 ,in 
height it reaches clear to the roof1 the
 huge roof beams forming its ceiling4   
,there is a veritable forest of these1  
massive1 sturdy1 and as perfect as the  
day they were hewed from the fair oaks  
of the countryside roundabout4 ,the     
concierge will not fail to tell you1 if 
you pause to admire this majestic       
timber-work of six hundred years ago1   
that from that day to this no spider has
 ever spun its web there--nor is any    
spider ever seen4 ,like the story of the
 snakes in ,ireland1 it would be a big  
pity to spoil this by finding one and   
pointing it out--one must needs be a    
good runner to do it1 and be very sure  
which road leads to the railway station1
 for it might go hard with him--but we  
could not see any the day we were there4

 ,in fact1 the legend has been repeated 
by many writers since the sixteenth     
century and is now such a matter of     
local pride that no doubt the concierge 
who permitted one to get in and set up  
housekeeping in this spiderless         
,eden--for it certainly must look like  
the ,promised ,land to a spider--would  
not only lose his or her job1 but be    
severely punished by the indignant city 
fathers into the bargain4  ,looking at  
the ,cloth ,hall from across the ,grande
 ,place it has the aspect of being a low
 building1 but within this gallery one  
gains precisely an opposite             
impression--of unusual loftiness4 ,just 
how high the vast room is can best be   
estimated by noting the wooden faade of 
an ancient house that has been taken    
down and erected against one wall in its
 entirety4 ,with its three stories and  
high peaked top this structure appears  
to be literally lost1 looking like an   
undersized pea in an extra big pod4 ,the
 great inner walls of the main gallery1 

facing the windows that look out upon   
the ,grande ,place1 have been decorated 
by modern frescoes of great historical  
and artistic interest painted by two    
artists of widely different methods and 
ideals4 ,the portion into which one     
first enters1 extending to the break    
formed by the tower1 was decorated by   
,ferdinand ,pauwels1 ,director of the   
,royal ,academy of ,dresden4 ,both the  
art critics1 and those who make no      
pretence to superior knowledge in such  
matters1 agree that this work has been  
magnificently done4 ,the vastness of the
 wall spaces made it possible to paint  
the pictures on a scale of size and with
 a wealth of detail surpassing the fine 
frescoes of the ,hotel de ,ville at     
,bruges and the general effect upon the 
beholder is impressive in the extreme4  
,the pictures represent notable events  
in the town's history down to the       
fourteenth century1 and were begun in   
#ahgb and completed in #ahha4 ,the      
subjects selected by the artist are as  

follows3      #a4--,visit of ,count     
,philip of ,alsace to the ,hospital of  
,our ,lady in #aahg4      #b4--;,count  
,ferdinand of ,portugal orders the      
,magistrates     to fortify the town in 
#abad4      #c4--;,countess ,jeanne of  
,constantinople setting prisoners       
free on ,good ,friday1 #abjf4           
#d4--e4--,the ,magistrates give the     
,countess ,margaret the     ransom of   
her son ,william1 who was made prisoner 
during the #gth ,crusade4               
#f4--;,building the ,west wing of the   
,guild ,hall in the time     of ,guy of 
,dampierre1 #abhe4      #g4--h4--,return
 of the armed forces of ,ypres in #acjb 
after the ,battle of the ,spurs4        
#i4--,the ,plague1 known as la ,morte   
d',ypres1 in #acdg4                     
#aj4--aa4--;,banquet offered in this    
very hall to ,mahaut1     ,countess of  
,flanders1 and ,matthew1 ,duke of       
,lorraine     on their marriage in      
#acad4      #ab4--;,an episode of the   
siege of ,ypres by the ,english     and 

the men of ,ghent in #achc4  ,as will be
 noted1 the pictures are not arranged in
 exact chronological order1 but1 taken  
together1 they form a wonderful         
pictorial summary of the city's         
history--down to the ,fall of #aiad1    
which merits a separate gallery by      
itself4 ,to us the most impressive of   
the series was the vast picture in two  
sections showing the triumphant return  
from the ,battle of ,courtrai and the   
tragic representation of the ,black     
,death1 which swept through all the     
densely populated ,flemish towns2 but   
was more destructive at ,ypres than     
elsewhere4 ,the visitation here         
represented was by no means the only one
 in the city's history1 and for         
centuries la morte d',ypres was a name  
of terror throughout the countryside4   
,in the section of the ,great ,hall     
beyond the belfry the mural paintings   
are the work of ,louis ,delbeke1 a      
painter of ,ypres4 ,his pictures were   
the subject of violent criticism when   

they were first exhibited1 and are      
entirely unlike those in the other      
portion of the chamber4 ,the artist     
endeavoured to give his work an archaic 
appearance1 in keeping with the         
antiquity of its surroundings1 and it   
was his intention to symbolise the      
various manifestations of the public    
life of the city--,civic ,freedom1      
,commerce1 ,industry1 ,charities1       
,literature and so on4 ,the work was    
interrupted by his death and has never  
been completed4  ,another room of great 
interest is the ,salle ,echevinale1     
where for five centuries the magistrates
 of ,ypres held their sessions4 ,between
 #acbb and #adfh local artists painted  
on the wall above the three ,gothic     
arches in this room a frieze comprising 
portraits of the early ,counts and      
,countesses of ,flanders1 beginning with
 ,louis of ,nevers and ending with      
,charles the ,bold4 ,when the ,french   
occupied the town in #agid they covered 
these emblems of superstition and       

portraits of tyrants with a thick coat  
of whitewash which was only accidentally
 knocked off in #ahdd1 exposing a bit of
 the ancient and still brilliantly      
coloured painting4 ,the discovery       
created quite a sensation1 as the very  
existence of this work had been         
forgotten1 and a native artist was      
commissioned to remove the whitewash and
 restore the paintings1 which he did in 
a manner that is not entirely           
satisfactory1 but none the less gives us
 an opportunity to view once more this  
interesting work--one of the earliest   
pieces of mural painting in ,flanders4  
,on the north wall of this room is a    
modern fresco by ,godefroid ,guffens1   
representing ,the ,state ,entry of      
,philip the ,bold in #achd1 while on the
 other side of the room is a monumental 
,flemish chimney-piece carved by        
,malfait of ,brussels1 with mural       
paintings on each side by ,jean         
,swerts--like ,guffens1 a painter of the
 modern ,antwerp school4 ,these         

represent the ,magistrates of ,ypres    
issuing an order regarding the          
maintenance of the poor1 in #aeae2 and  
the visit of the ,magistrates to one of 
the ,free ,schools founded in           
#abec--thus illustrating the early      
interest taken by the commune in free   
education and public charities4         
,leaving this interesting building we   
went across a small roughly paved square
 to the ,church of ,st4 ,martin1 which  
dates from the thirteenth century1 and  
was for many centuries a cathedral4 ,the
 unfinished square tower was erected in 
#adcc4 ,the choir is ,romano-ogival1    
while the nave and aisles are early     
,gothic1 and the edifice has many other 
peculiar features of interest to        
students of architecture4 ,it contains  
the usual paintings1 of which none are  
of remarkable interest1 and some        
excellent choir stalls4 ,the most famous
 of the ,bishops of ,st4 ,martin1 while 
it was a ,cathedral ,church1 was        
,jansenius1 one of the leading figures  

in the ,reformation1 who died of the    
,plague in #afch4 ,his great work on    
,st4 ,augustine occupied twenty-two     
years of his life while at ,ypres and   
caused a tremendous discussion4 ,it was 
finally declared to be heretical1 but   
its teachings had already given rise to 
an ardent group of followers of the     
learned ,flemish churchman1 who were    
called ,jansenists4 ,the archives of the
 city and church contain much           
interesting material regarding this     
celebrated medival theologian4 ,his     
tomb1 which still stands in the church  
of which he was once the head1 formerly 
contained a long and highly eulogistic  
inscription1 which1 by an order from the
 ,pope in #afee1 was cut down to the    
bare remnant that still remains4  ,the  
,grande ,place of ,ypres is another of  
the surprises that this tiny city has to
 offer to those unacquainted with its   
history1 for it is one of the largest in
 all ,flanders--a veritable ,sahara of a
 ,place on a hot summer day1 albeit a   

,sahara bordered with many pleasant     
oases where cooling drinks1 if they do  
not bubble up from the ground1 can at   
least be had without much difficulty4   
,during most of the week the vast paved 
space is almost deserted1 save for an   
occasional peasant's cart that rumbles  
slowly and clumsily across it1 but on   
market-days it is full of picturesque   
and swarming life4 ,then the peasants   
come in from the countryside by the     
thousand1 while the itinerant hucksters 
and pedlars who1 in ,belgium travel from
 one fair or market-place to another1   
set up their canvas-covered booths in   
long streets from one side of the       
,grande ,place to the other4 ,the       
country people press along between these
 rows of tiny shops and haggle          
energetically with the proprietors for  
whatever takes their fancy4 ,an         
astounding variety of wares are offered 
for sale on these market days--dress    
goods of every description in the great 
,cloth ,hall1 which for a brief moment  

reflects a feeble glimmer of its ancient
 glory2 ready-made garments for man1    
woman and child2 footwear1 headwear1 and
 every conceivable kind of hardware1 of 
tinware1 of crockery4 ,in short1 the    
display is a veritable department store1
 for the most part cheap stuff1 it is   
true1 but now and then one runs across  
laces for which the prices asked are    
quite high4 ,then1 of course1 there is  
the inevitable array of everything      
possible to eat--from the butchers'     
stalls in the basement of the ,cloth    
,hall to the huckster selling live      
chickens from a bag on the corner1 and  
the scores of stands selling fruits and 
vegetables of every seasonable variety4 
,at last1 however1 the market comes to  
an end1 the hucksters and market        
gardeners take down their booths and    
drive away in their heavy ,flemish      
carts2 the country people1 after a more 
or less protracted visit to the places  
of refreshment around the ,place and in 
the adjacent streets1 go homeward1 and  

the ,grande ,place settles down again   
into its sleep of centuries4 ,while we  
were there the moon was at its full1 and
 as its white light fell upon the       
grass-grown ,place and the huge grey    
mass of the ,cloth ,hall it was not hard
 to picture the old days come back again
 and review1 in fancy1 some of the      
stirring times that the old houses      
around it have looked down upon4 ,the   
great bell in the ,cloth ,hall tower    
rings and from far and wide come        
hurrying throngs of sturdy artisans1    
with their lances1 pikes and clubs4 ,the
 ,serments1 or oath-bound corporations1 
take their positions gravely and in good
 order--men of substance these1 portly1 
well-fed1 and prosperous4 ,then the     
,mtiers1 or lesser craftsmen1           
assemble--no doubt more noisily and     
boisterously1 as would be expected from 
their rougher class and lower breeding4 
,each of the four hundred guilds        
assembles around its respective banner1 
the ,count and others of the nobility   

come riding up2 and with them1 on terms 
of full equality1 the commanders of the 
citizen soldiery confer4 ,then1 as the  
trumpets sound1 or mayhap the great bell
 peals again1 the hosts march off in    
serried ranks to the city gates1 or to  
take their positions along the walls4   
,the old streets echo to the sound of   
their tramping feet1 the noise of their 
shouts and cries dies away1 and once    
more the still moonlight falls upon the 
deserted old ,place4  ,as we sat in one 
of the cafs facing the ,cloth ,hall1 our
 minds filled with these and other      
fancies of the olden days--the          
moonlight1 the old houses all around us1
 and the many quaint and ancient things 
we had seen during the day all          
contributing to the dreamy sense of     
enchantment--the ,professor told us     
something of the legend and history of  
that far-off thirteenth century when    
much of the ,ypres we had seen that day 
was built4 ,it was an age when men      
firmly believed in magic and fairies and

 delighted in tales of mystery and      
enchantment4 ,some of the most famous   
stories told by the old ,flemish        
chroniclers relate to the career of     
,baldwin ,,ix1 who came to be known as  
,baldwin of ,constantinople4 ,after the 
long and wise reigns of ,dierick of     
,alsace and his son ,philip1 ,flanders  
had become one of the richest and most  
prosperous countries in ,europe4 ,the   
,french1 who looked upon its fertile    
plains and fair cities with covetous    
eyes1 composed these lines1 which no    
doubt expressed their sincere           
conviction3      ,la plus belle ,comt   
est ,la ,flandre1     ,la plus belle    
,duch est ,la ,bourgogne1     ,la plus  
belle ,royaume est ,france4  ,baldwin   
was not only ,count of ,flanders1 but   
also ,count of ,hainaut1 of which ,mons 
was the capital--his dominions therefore
 extending from the ,north ,sea to the  
,river ,meuse and including much of the 
,ardennes4 ,it was in this region--the  
true fairy-land of ,belgium--that the   

,count met with an adventure1 according 
to certain of the chroniclers1 which    
gave his reign a most sinister          
beginning4 ,it happened in this wise4   
,the ,count was very fond of hunting1   
and very neglectful of the duty his     
loyal subjects felt that he owed to     
them--of getting married and securing   
children to insure the succession4 ,for 
nothing was more disastrous to a country
 than to have its line of princes die   
out1 leaving their title to be fought   
for by all who felt themselves strong   
enough to seize it4 ,the ,count was to  
have married ,beatrice of ,france1 the  
most beautiful princess in ,christendom1
 but to the neglect of this important   
matter he went hunting in the ,ardennes1
 where from time immemorial the wild    
boars have been very large and fierce4  
,here1 after a day of poor sport1 the   
,count came upon a black boar of        
enormous strength which killed several  
of his dogs and even wounded one of his 
companions4 ,pursuing the savage beast  

eagerly the ,count lost sight of his    
followers and when he finally brought it
 to bay he was alone4 ,with a blow from 
his javelin he finally killed it1 and   
then cut off its monstrous head4 ,as he 
paused to get his breath he heard a     
slight rustle in the bushes and there   
was the most beautiful lady he had ever 
seen1 seated on a palfrey4 ,upon his    
inquiring who she was1 and why she was  
there in the forest alone1 she replied  
that she was an ,eastern princess and   
had come to find and wed the richest    
,count in ,christendom1 adding that she 
had learned that the ,count of ,flanders
 was the noblest lord in all the ,west1 
and it was therefore that ,count for    
whom she was seeking4  ,to this the     
,count1 who had already fallen deeply in
 love with the beautiful stranger1 whose
 dark eyes flashed upon him with a      
glance at once mysterious and           
entrancing1 replied that he was the     
,count of ,flanders and the richest     
,count under ,heaven4 ,he then and there

 proposed to the damsel1 offering to    
marry her at once1 nor did he perceive  
that the wild boar he had lately slain  
had disappeared1 and even the blood of  
the battle was gone1 while as for the   
huge head that he had cut off with his  
own hands the palfrey upon which the    
,eastern princess was seated stood on   
the very spot4 ,he then blew so loud a  
recall upon his horn that it was heard  
for miles through the great forest1 and 
presently the lesser counts and knights 
who formed his train came riding up4 ,to
 these he introduced the strange        
princess and1 despite the prudent       
counsels of some that it might be well  
to learn more about the lady1 he        
forthwith repaired to ,cambrai where    
they were married in great splendour4   
,the ,countess1 beautiful as she was1   
did not become popular1 the people      
attributing to her the heavy taxes they 
had to pay4 ,it was also whispered that 
she never attended the elevation of the 
,host at mass1 always leaving before the

 bell was rung4  ,notwithstanding her   
unpopularity1 and the gossip of the     
busybodies1 the ,count still loved his  
bride who bore him two children1 ,jeanne
 and ,margaret1 and ever remained as    
wonderfully beautiful as the day they   
first met in the forest4 ,as they were  
celebrating ,easter one year at         
,wynandael with a great feast a pilgrim 
arrived from the ,east with news that   
the ,saracens were besieging            
,constantinople4 ,he was forthwith      
invited into the great hall of the      
castle and food placed before him1 which
 he ate eagerly4 ,just then the         
,countess entered1 with a train of      
ladies4 ,at sight of her the pilgrim    
stopped eating and trembled1 while the  
,countess turned deadly pale and        
whispered to her lord to send that      
stranger away as he was wicked and meant
 only evil by coming there4 ,but the    
,count bade the pilgrim say whereat he  
was alarmed1 whereupon the stranger rose
 and in a loud voice bade the devil who 

filled the body of the ,countess to     
depart from it4 ,at this the ,countess  
rose and confessed she was indeed one of
 the devils cast out of ,paradise who   
had inhabited the body of the most      
beautiful maiden of the ,east1 the soul 
having departed from it4 ,with this     
confession1 at which all present were   
naturally appalled1 she rose in all her 
beauty before them and vanished through 
a window of the hall1 nor was she ever  
seen or heard of again4  ,other         
chroniclers and historians deny this    
story1 pointing out that the ,count was1
 in fact1 happily married to ,marie of  
,champagne and that it was the beautiful
 ,french ,countess and no princess of   
satanic origin who bore his two         
daughters1 ,jeanne and ,margaret4 ,this1
 in truth1 was the case1 but many of the
 superstitious ,flemings believed the   
tale about the devil none the less1 and 
the ,count's brilliant but tragic later 
career caused the story to be repeated  
and handed down for many generations4   

,only five years after coming to the    
throne ,count ,baldwin announced his    
intention of going on a crusade1 and in 
the presence of a vast throng both he   
and ,marie took the cross in the church 
of ,st4 ,donatian at ,bruges4 ,this was 
in #aaii1 but the ,count was not able to
 leave his dominions at once and in the 
following year he and ,marie came to    
,ypres to dedicate the foundation stone 
of the great ,cloth ,hall4 ,he finally  
set out in #abjc1 but the ,venetians    
compelled the crusaders1 in payment for 
their passage1 to make a campaign which 
resulted in the capture of              
,constantinople1 the founding of the    
,latin ,empire1 and the election of     
,count ,baldwin as the first ,emperor4  
,marie1 meanwhile1 had gone to ,syria by
 another route and there she died of the
 plague1 only learning in her last hour 
that her husband had become an ,emperor 
and that she was an ,empress4 ,her death
 was the first of the reverses of       
fortune in ,baldwin's meteoric career4  

,a year later1 in #abje1 he fell wounded
 in a battle before the walls of        
,adrianople--or1 perhaps1 slain4        
,certain it is that he disappeared from 
the world of men and for a space of     
twenty years was heard of no more4      
,then1 in the heart of the great forest 
that in those days stretched from       
,tournai to ,valenciennes1 some         
wood-cutters found a long bearded1      
white-haired old man1 his face covered  
with scars1 living the life of a hermit 
in a hut none of them remembered ever   
having seen before4 ,gradually this     
wonder attracted more and more of the   
people thereabout to see the stranger1  
and men began to say that he resembled  
the good ,count ,baldwin4 ,some of the  
nobles who had known the ,count heard of
 it1 visited the hut in the forest1 and 
declared that this was indeed ,count    
,baldwin and the ,emperor4  ,if he was  
the ,count his country needed him       
sorely1 for the ,king of ,france1       
,philip ,augustus1 had during his twenty

 years' absence all but made ,flanders a
 ,french province4 ,when it became clear
 that ,baldwin was either dead or a     
prisoner of the pagans ,philip had      
seized his two daughters--,jeanne being 
then a girl of fourteen1 and ,margaret  
still in her cradle--claiming their     
wardship as the dead ,count's suzerain4 
,five years he kept them1 nor did he    
permit them to return till he had       
married ,jeanne to a kinsman of his own1
 ,ferdinand of ,portugal1 who he thought
 would be a mere puppet in his hands4   
,ferdinand1 however1 proved to be a man 
of determination and resisted ,philip's 
seizure of ,st4 ,omer and ,aire1 two    
,flemish towns4 ,philip invaded         
,flanders with a great army1 capturing  
,cassel and destroying ,damme and all   
the merchandise stored there1 ,lille1   
,courtrai and many smaller towns4       
,ferdinand1 unable to resist the        
superior forces of ,philip              
single-handed1 brought about an alliance
 with ,king ,john of ,england4 ,the     

battle of ,bouvines shattered this      
alliance1 and for twelve years          
,ferdinand languished in a ,french      
prison1 while ,king ,john was forced to 
grant the ,magna ,carta to his ,english 
subjects4 ,thus a victory for tyranny in
 ,flanders resulted indirectly in a     
greater victory for the cause of freedom
 in ,england4 ,jeanne1 while her husband
 was in prison1 was the titular         
,countess of ,flanders1 but ,philip kept
 her completely under the influence of  
his counsellors4 ,margaret1 meanwhile1  
had been married1 but her husband was   
unable to make head against the         
far-reaching power of the ,king of      
,france4  ,it was under these           
circumstances that the hermit who men   
thought resembled ,count ,baldwin came  
on the stage4 ,if he was an impostor his
 coup was shrewdly planned1 for ,jeanne 
was as hated by the ,flemings as her    
father had been loved4 ,if he was really
 the good ,count and the ,emperor his   
arrival in ,flanders seemed to that     

distracted country like a direct        
interposition of ,providence4 ,a great  
delegation from ,valenciennes went out  
to the forest and hailed him as their   
,count and then he at last admitted that
 he was indeed ,baldwin of              
,constantinople4  ,his tale was a       
strange one1 but more easily believed in
 those wild days than it would be now4  
,he had1 he asserted1 been wounded      
before ,adrianople and made a prisoner  
by the ,bulgarians4 ,while a captive a  
,bulgarian princess saw him1 fell in    
love1 and contrived to effect his escape
 after he had promised to marry her4    
,once free1 however1 he repented of his 
pledge to marry an infidel1 and murdered
 his benefactress4 ,this wicked deed was
 quickly followed by his recapture by   
the barbarians1 who made him a slave and
 even a beast of burden4 ,escaping at   
last1 after many years1 he had become a 
hermit in penance for his great sin4    
,the men of ,valenciennes believed this 
story1 and pardoning his self-confessed 

crime as of little moment1 since it     
affected only an infidel1 proclaimed him
 their ,count4 ,the great towns of      
,flanders flung open their gates to him 
wherever he went1 and finally he held   
his court in ,bruges4 ,his neighbours1  
the ,dukes of ,brabant and ,limbourg1   
and his former ally1 the ,king of       
,england1 acknowledged his claims1 while
 his daughter ,jeanne fled to ,france   
for protection4  ,the chief reason for  
believing that ,baldwin was an impostor 
is the fact that at this crisis of his  
career he failed signally to show any of
 the decision and judgment that twenty  
years before had made the true ,baldwin 
,emperor4 ,to be sure1 twenty years of  
slavery1 and the haunting memory of the 
beautiful ,marie of ,champagne who had  
followed him to her death1 and of the   
,bulgarian princess whom he had so      
basely slain1 may have enfeebled his    
intellect4 ,he was now an old man4 ,at  
all events1 after a period of indecision
 he did the very thing he never should  

have done--he appealed to ,philip for   
aid against his daughter4 ,summoned to  
,pronne1 where the ,king of ,france was 
then holding court1 he was subjected to 
a trial by the royal ,council1 which    
clearly showed its determination to     
convict him as an impostor4 ,perceiving 
that he had blundered into a trap1 the  
old man fled from the castle and escaped
 to ,flanders4 ,here1 however1 the      
appeal to ,philip and its result1       
together with much ,french gold         
judiciously expended in behalf of       
,jeanne1 caused the nobility to turn    
cold4 ,he determined to lay his cause   
before the ,pope1 but while on his way  
to ,rome was captured and sold to       
,jeanne who ordered him to be hanged in 
chains in the market-place at ,lille    
between two hounds4 ,if he was the true 
,baldwin1 after all1 few careers in     
history offer wider contrasts of glory  
and shame4  ,illustration3 ,,hotel      
,,merghelynck1 ,,ypres4  ,whether one   
stays at ,ypres a day or a week he will 

not lack for objects of interest1 for   
the ,cloth ,hall and the ,cathedral are 
but the beginning of the list4 ,a day is
 hardly too much to devote to the rue de
 ,lille alone1 for here are the ,hospice
 ,belle1 with a number of valuable old  
paintings1 and the ,hotel-,muse         
,merghelynck4 ,the latter is an         
institution as unique as it is          
admirable4 ,built in #aggd by ,franois  
,merghelynck1 a ,treasurer and ,grand   
,bailiff of ,ypres1 this fine mansion is
 filled with furniture and objets d'art 
of the eighteenth century coming from   
,flanders1 ,holland and ,france and     
collected with rare taste and judgment4 
,in its entirety it represents the      
residence of a nobleman of the period1  
complete down to the smallest detail1   
with every article in its proper place1 
as if the owner had just stepped out and
 might be expected back at any moment4  
,the seven principal rooms are panelled 
with carved wood4 ,the dining-room is   
decorated with bas-reliefs representing 

all of the principal implements of      
husbandry4 ,these were carved by ,antony
 ,deledicque of ,lille and have been    
compared with the work in some of the   
smaller rooms in the ,palace of         
,versailles4 ,the music-room is         
similarly embellished with              
representations of musical instruments1 
and all have fine panel friezes and     
gilded carvings4 ,in each room the      
proprietor of the mansion1 ,arthur      
,merghelynck1 the great-grandson of the 
original owner1 has collected a complete
 equipment of eighteenth-century        
furniture4 ,the dining-room has rare    
porcelain from ,tournai1 with the       
precious gilt marks of the choicest     
make1 the music-room has an old-time    
harpsichord1 the kitchen possesses an   
array of old-time pewter1 copper and    
brassware4 ,in the chambers the same    
plan has been faithfully carried out1   
even to placing the owner's uniforms and
 gala raiment in the wardrobes4         
,permission to visit these delightful   

rooms is freely granted to all visitors 
to ,ypres without charge1 other than an 
optional fee to the attendant4 ,we were 
told that natives of the city are not   
admitted1 but forgot to ask the         
caretaker if this was true4  ,a little  
farther down this same rue de ,lille is 
an old edifice that for many years has  
been called the ,house of the ,templars4
 ,it has been restored and is now used  
as the ,post ,office--it was for a long 
time a brewery--but it is not now       
believed that this was ever the ,house  
of the famous medival order4 ,the       
,templars1 however1 did erect at ,ypres 
their first house in ,europe1 and it may
 well be that this structure was copied 
from it4 ,beyond this interesting       
edifice we encountered a grim-looking   
old church1 that of ,st4 ,peter1 within 
the doorway of which is a most curious  
medival ,calvary4 ,this church is one of
 the oldest in ,flanders1 having been   
built in #ajgc by ,robert the ,frisian1 
one of the early ,counts4 ,on this      

street also stands the ,hospice ,st4    
,jean which was founded in #abgg4 ,it   
contains one fine timbered ceiling room1
 with panelled walls1 called the nuns'  
workroom1 and some paintings by ,kerel  
van ,yper1 an obscure local artist of   
the sixteenth century4  ,illustration3  
,,church ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter1 ,,ypres4   
,in this section we were so fortunate as
 to see the lace workers1 of whom there 
are still several hundred1 making point 
de ,valenciennes outside the doors of   
their tiny houses4 ,mrs4 ,professor     
never tired of watching these           
women1--who are for the most part       
middle-aged1 while some of them are very
 old--as their nimble fingers           
dexterously shifted the innumerable     
little bobbins to and fro1 while the    
delicate fabric slowly took the design  
upon which they were working4 ,it is    
said that more ,valenciennes lace is    
made here at ,ypres1 and at ,courtrai   
and among the little ,flemish towns     
between these two cities1 than in the   

,french city from which this fine point 
derives its name4  ,it is along the rue 
de ,lille that the visitor will 7let us 
hope67 find the wooden house that is the
 last1 or nearly the last1 survival of a
 type of architecture that was once very
 common in ,ypres4 ,it is inferior to   
the one in the ,cloth ,hall1 which also 
came from this street1 but is still in  
use--although it seemed to be closed    
when we passed it4 ,a few steps further 
on we came to the ,porte de ,lille with 
its three semi-circular towers1 erected 
in #acie4 ,the ,porte is connected with 
the open country beyond by a bridge     
across the wide moat1 in which a stately
 white swan was swimming4 ,the ancient  
walls1 built by the famous military     
engineer ,vauban1 extend here for a long
 distance in both directions and are in 
a fairly good state of preservation4 ,at
 the ,porte de ,thourout1 where the     
fortifications end on the northeastern  
side of the town1 there is an open-air  
swimming pool which1 according to the   

local guidebook is free during certain  
hours for men ,saturday and ,sunday1 for
 women ,wednesday1 for soldiers         
,thursday and ,friday1 and for ladies   
,tuesday4 ,the distinction between the  
women who can come on ,wednesday and the
 ladies who are admitted ,tuesday is not
 stated4  ,from the ,porte de ,lille we 
walked along the top of the ramparts    
toward the railway station--a promenade 
full of interest and charm4 ,the broad  
moat in which a dozen snow white swans  
were swimming1 the huge trees arching   
overhead1 the quaint little houses to   
our right1 with now and then a narrow   
street bending back into the town as if 
inviting us to follow and explore       
it--everything seemed to combine to make
 this one of our pleasantest experiences
 in ,flanders1 and we regretted that we 
did not have weeks instead of days in   
which to study this rare old town and   
visit some of the charming old ,flemish 
villages by which it is surrounded4     
,the causes for the decline of the city 

from the proud position it occupied in  
the ,middle ,ages to its comparative    
insignificance to-day can be sketched in
 a very few words4 ,like the rest of    
,flanders1 it had flourished exceedingly
 in consequence of the ,hundred ,years' 
,war between ,france and ,england4 ,as  
commerce and industry in these two great
 neighbouring countries declined1 that  
of the ,low ,countries--which were then 
enjoying a prolonged period of          
comparative peace--augmented with       
abnormal rapidity4 ,it was inevitable   
that when peace across the frontier was 
restored much of the trade that ,france 
had temporarily lost should return to   
it4 ,a series of great sieges cut off   
the wool traffic with ,england that     
formed the foundation of the city's     
industry and prosperity4 ,the first of  
these was in #achc when the guildsmen of
 ,ypres successfully beat off a powerful
 army from ,ghent1 aided by a large     
contingent from ,england4 ,the plague1  
that terror of every overcrowded        

industrial town in those days1 swept off
 thousands of people in #acdg and in    
#adij1 and a third of the inhabitants in
 #aeeb4 ,these disasters still further  
crippled the cloth industry4 ,in #aehc  
and #aehd an eight months' siege and the
 plague together reduced the population 
so fearfully that when the town at last 
surrendered to the ,prince of ,parma    
barely five thousand remained4 ,after   
the religious wars were over it         
recovered some of its ancient           
prosperity1 but between #afdh and #afgh 
it was besieged no less than four times1
 being a border town and one of the     
first to be attacked as the fortunes of 
war swayed1 first one way and then the  
other4 ,roused by the ravages of the    
plague the magistrates cleaned the city1
 passed stringent sanitary regulations1 
paved the streets and built a costly    
system of sewers--,ypres being one of   
the first cities in ,europe to have     
these modern improvements4 ,wise as     
these steps were1 they came too late to 

arrest the decline of the town's        
industries and commerce4 ,one by one the
 artisans gave up the battle against the
 forces that were sapping the           
foundations of their prosperity and     
moved away--some to ,ghent and ,bruges1 
both of which were already beginning to 
decline2 others to far-off ,england1    
where they remained to lay the          
foundations of the vast textile industry
 that has since grown up across the     
,channel1 but which traces its origin   
back to the artisans of ,ypres in the   
days when the fame of that until lately 
all but forgotten town was known from   
one end of the world to the other4      
,,chapter ,,viii  ,,courtrai ,,and ,,the
 ,,battle ,,of ,,the ,,spurs   ,our next
 expedition1 after the delightful visit 
at ,ypres1 was to ,courtrai1 which is   
only twenty-two miles distant1 although 
the two plodding little omnibus trains  
that we took1 one after the other1 were 
more than an hour getting us there4 ,it 
was an hour most pleasantly spent1      

however1 for we were constantly on the  
lookout for the fields of flax that we  
had read covered the valley of the      
,river ,lys as far as eye could see4 ,if
 this was ever so it certainly was not  
the case in the summer of #aiad1 for    
there were more and larger fields of    
barley and other small grains than of   
flax4 ,still1 we saw a great many       
plantings of the latter1 and as the     
plant was in full bloom the sight was a 
very pretty one--the delicate green of  
each field being faintly tinged with the
 blue of the tiny flowers4 ,it did not  
seem to be very tall1 but it was still  
early ,june and a very backward summer4 
,we also passed many fields in which the
 flax of the previous season was stacked
 to bleach1 evidently the crop from     
several fields being concentrated into  
one for this purpose4 ,the water of the 
,river ,lys1 from which some authorities
 say the ,french ,fleur de ,lys derives 
its name1 is said to be superior to that
 of all other rivers for the retting of 

flax1 and at all events the raising and 
preparation of this important staple has
 been the leading industry in this      
region for centuries1 although ,ghent is
 more important as a flax manufacturing 
centre4  ,presently our destination1 of 
which the ,flemish name is ,kortrijk1   
came in sight1 and we started--with the 
,professor leading the way1 as          
usual--for the ,grande ,place4 ,here we 
found a market going on1 with numerous  
booths and stalls arranged in crooked   
little streets1 and crowds of thick-set 
peasant women with big baskets examining
 the wares displayed gingerly as if     
afraid that too great a display of      
interest would cause the merchants to   
enhance their prices4 ,amid this bustle 
and confusion we worked our way slowly  
to the centre of the ,place where stood 
the small ivy-covered ,belfry1 which    
dates from early in the fourteenth      
century1 and is one of the prettiest in 
,flanders4 ,when the city was sacked in 
#achb1 after one of its many sieges1 the

 ,belfry was one of the few edifices to 
escape injury4 ,repaired or restored in 
#adbc1 in #aeai1 and again in #agag1    
this little monument of the ,middle     
,ages has come down to us in an         
admirable state of preservation4        
,originally connected with a small      
public market1 les petites halles1 it   
gradually came to be surrounded with    
private houses until only its spire was 
visible1 but in #ahii these were torn   
down and the ,belfry left isolated as it
 is now4 ,the clock originally placed on
 this tower is said by the historian    
,froissart to have been l'un des plus   
biaux que on seuist trouver decha ne    
dela la mer--one of the most beautiful  
here or abroad--but was removed by      
,philip the ,bold1 the first of the     
,burgundian ,dukes to rule over         
,flanders1 to ,dijon1 the capital of    
,burgundy4 ,this was in #achb1 but in   
#acie the people of ,courtrai had       
replaced it by another equally          
ingenious4 ,we tried to enter the old   

tower1 but found one entrance guarded by
 the alarming sign1 ,haute              
tension--danger de la mort1 indicating  
that the electric light company used the
 lower part of the edifice as a         
transforming station4 ,there was another
 small doorway1 but it did not appear to
 have been opened for a long time1 and  
we could find no one who knew who had   
the key4  ,when we first announced our  
intention to spend a ,summer in         
,flanders many friends protested1 ,but  
you do not speak ,flemish--how do you   
expect to get along8 ,right here it may 
be stated that this bugbear proved      
without foundation4 ,even in ,ypres1    
where our ,belgian acquaintances said we
 surely would have trouble1 we found    
only two or three of those with whom we 
had occasion to converse who did not    
understand ,french at least well enough 
to give us the information we required4 
,on a few occasions1 when touring the   
poorer quarters of some old ,flemish    
town1 we were non-plussed for a moment1 

but the children helped us out in these 
emergencies by running off eagerly to   
find some one who spoke ,french4        
,everywhere we found the people         
accommodating and courteous1 never surly
 as one author says those he met in     
these very same towns were when he      
visited them half a dozen years ago4 ,to
 be sure1 our visits seldom took us into
 the very little towns1 where1 no doubt1
 ,flemish is often spoken               
exclusively--as our experience in       
,nieuport showed4  ,the most curious    
fact about the little ,kingdom of       
,belgium is that it is sharply          
bi-lingual1 the line of demarcation     
between the ,french and the ,flemish    
speaking provinces running across the   
country from southwest to northeast a   
little to the south of ,brussels2 that  
city1 however1 being far more ,french   
than ,flemish4 ,most of the towns have  
two names1 which usually mean the same  
but are often so different in form that 
it is a wonder the people themselves do 

not get mixed up now and then4 ,for     
example1 the ,french name for the       
capital of the province of ,hainaut is  
,mons1 meaning mountain1 while the      
,flemish name is ,bergen1 which means   
the same thing but looks very different4
 ,the important railroad junction of    
,braine-le-,comte between ,mons and     
,brussels bears the queer ,flemish name 
of 's ,graven-,brakel4 ,even the postage
 stamps and the paper money are printed 
in the two languages1 while the silver  
money is apparently minted in equal     
quantities of each4 ,all public employs 
are required by law to know both        
languages1 so that the public has no    
trouble either at the railway stations  
or post-offices4 ,according to official 
statistics published while we were      
there1 #ch4ag per cent4 of the          
population of the country speak only    
,french2 #dc4ch per cent4 speak only    
,flemish2 while #ah4ac per cent4 speak  
more than one language and a few speak  
,german only4 ,of the bi-linguals over  

#fj per cent4 declared that they        
ordinarily spoke ,flemish4  ,facing the 
,grande ,place1 and only a few steps    
from the ,belfry1 is the ,hotel de      
,ville1 an unprepossessing structure    
externally1 although the historians say 
that it was once much better looking4   
,it has1 at all events1 been restored1  
and the statues of the ,counts of       
,flanders that were destroyed during the
 ,revolution replaced by modern ones    
carved by a local sculptor4 ,after      
finding the concierge we were shown a   
small collection of modern paintings by 
,belgian artists bequeathed to the city 
by one of its wealthy sons4 ,this1      
however1 was merely en route1 as it     
were1 to the great show-place of        
this--as of all other ,flemish hotels de
 ville--the ,salle du ,conseil4 ,here   
the pice de rsistance is the great      
chimney-piece1 carved in #aebe by       
unknown sculptors1 who probably were    
natives of the city as there were       
several of good renown residing and     

working there at that period4 ,the      
elaborate carvings with which this      
masterpiece is decorated comprise three 
tiers4 ,at the top the figures represent
 the virtues3 ,faith1 ,humility1        
,charity1 ,chastity1 ,generosity1       
,temperance1 ,patience and ,vigilance4  
,in the middle section a series of      
pictures carved in stone typify the     
vices3 ,idolatry1 ,pride1 ,avarice1     
,sensuality1 ,jealousy1 ,gluttony1      
,anger and ,idleness4 ,the lowest tier  
contains reliefs that are supposed to   
show the punishment for these vices1    
although the idea is not always quite   
easy to follow4 ,in niches projecting   
from the middle section are fine        
statues1 carved from wood1 of ,charles  
,v in the centre1 with ,justice and     
,peace on the opposite sides4 ,at the   
right and left sides of the             
chimney-piece are two more tiers of     
carvings1 but of inferior interest to   
those on the front4 ,the beamed ceiling 
of this fine room is worthy of at least 

a glance1 for on the corbels supporting 
it are some of the most curious carvings
 to be seen in ,flanders1 representing  
the conquests of woman over             
man--beginning with ,adam and ,eve and  
,samson and ,delilah1 and including     
several examples from pagan mythology4  
,we were next conducted down-stairs to  
the ,salle ,echevinale1 where there is  
another fine chimney-piece which1       
however1 was much less interesting than 
the one we had just seen4 ,this room is 
further embellished with several        
frescoes by ,guffens and ,swerts1       
examples of whose work we had already   
seen at ,ypres4 ,the former artist      
painted the large composition entitled  
the ,departure of ,baldwin ,,ix for     
,constantinople1 and the latter the more
 interesting picture of the             
,consultation of the ,flemish leaders in
 this very room the day before the      
,battle of ,courtrai4 ,smaller frescoes 
depict other notable scenes in the old  
town's history1 while small carvings    

near the ceiling represent the chief    
virtues of an upright judge4  ,on a hot 
,july day1 in the year #acjb1 there took
 place1 just outside the ancient walls  
of the city1 the most famous event in   
the history of ,courtrai4 ,this was the 
great ,battle of the ,spurs4 ,in order  
to understand the significance of this  
conflict--which justly ranks as one of  
the decisive battles of the world--it is
 necessary to go back three-quarters of 
a century to the ,baldwin of            
,constantinople1 or the impostor who    
assumed his name and came to an         
ignominious end on the gibbet at ,lille4
 ,this was in the year #abbe4 ,the      
following year ,philip ,augustus forced 
or persuaded ,margaret1 ,baldwin's      
younger daughter1 to leave the loyal    
,fleming to whom she had been married   
almost since childhood and wed one of   
his retainers1 ,william of ,dampierre4  
,then1 during a period of more than     
fifty years1 the ,kings of ,france were 
able to exert a steadily increasing     

influence in ,flanders and reduce the   
country more and more completely to a   
,french province4 ,finally1 in #abif1   
the exactions of the ,french            
monarch--who1 at that time1 was ,philip 
the ,fair--became so humiliating that   
,margaret's son1 ,guy of ,dampierre1    
then the reigning ,count1 rebelled4 ,a  
brief war followed1 ending in ,guy's    
utter defeat and imprisonment1 and in   
#acjj all ,flanders was formally annexed
 to the ,french crown4  ,instead of     
submitting tamely to this act of        
aggression1 the ,flemish burghers were  
roused to fight more furiously for their
 fatherland than they had ever done for 
their ,count4 ,at ,bruges a true leader 
of the people appeared in the person of 
,peter de ,coninck1 the dean of the then
 all-powerful ,guild of the ,weavers1   
and one of the most picturesque figures 
in medival history4 ,small and          
ill-favoured in face and figure1 with   
only one eye1 and speaking no language  
but ,flemish1 he was able to arouse the 

citizens to the wildest pitch of fury   
against their aggressors4 ,another      
popular hero of the hour was ,john      
,breidel1 ,dean of the ,butchers'       
,guild1 and reputed to be one of the    
richest men in ,bruges2 while a third   
was ,william of ,juliers1 ,provost of   
,maestricht--a ,churchman turned soldier
 for the cause of liberty4 ,these three 
raised the standard of the ,lion of     
,flanders to which rallied the          
,clauwaerts1 as the ,nationalist        
partisans were called2 while the friends
 of ,france were named--after the ,lily 
of ,france--the ,liliaerts4 ,the latter 
naturally included the magistrates and  
office-holders of the leading towns1 and
 in #acja1 when ,philip made a triumphal
 progress through the chief cities of   
his new dominions1 he was everywhere    
received with much outward pomp4        
,illustration3 ,,statue ,,of ,,peter    
,,de ,,coninck ,,and ,,john ,,breidel1  
,,bruges4  ,at ,bruges the official     
reception was the most gorgeous of all1 

the rich gowns of the wives and         
daughters of the burghers causing ,queen
 ,isabella to exclaim1 ,i thought ,i was
 alone ,queen1 but here ,i see six      
hundred6 ,the mass of the people1       
however1 were cold and sullen1 and when 
the ,king proclaimed some public games  
no one would take part in them4 ,hardly 
had the royal party left the city before
 an insurrection broke out4 ,de ,coninck
 was arrested1 but his followers burst  
into the prison1 and1 for a time1 the   
leaders of the ,liliaerts were behind   
the bars4 ,a ,french force soon entered 
the city and set them free1 and ,de     
,coninck fled to ,damme1 where the ,lion
 of ,flanders waved unmolested over a   
rapidly increasing host of ,clauwaerts4 
,on the #agth of ,may1 #acjb1 a still   
stronger army of ,french entered the    
city1 and it was rumoured that a general
 massacre of the ,clauwaerts was planned
 for the morrow4 ,without waiting for   
the blow to be struck1 the men from     
,damme and the surrounding towns1 under 

the leadership of ,de ,coninck and ,john
 ,breidel1 poured into the city before  
daybreak and roaring ,schilt end        
vriendt--a battle-cry and password that 
no ,frenchman could pronounce--they     
overwhelmed the partisans of the ,lily4 
,so sudden and unexpected was the       
attack1 in the darkness and among narrow
 streets with which they were not       
acquainted1 that the two thousand       
,french knights who had entered the city
 so gaily on the previous day could     
offer no resistance and were slaughtered
 almost to a man4 ,barely forty escaped 
to tell ,king ,philip of the massacre1  
while no record was made of the number  
of ,liliaerts among the ,flemings       
themselves who were in the heaps of dead
 that for three days thereafter were    
being buried in the fields outside of   
the city4 ,this was the famous ,matin de
 ,bruges1 hardly a glorious day's work  
considered as a feat of arms1 but bold  
enough when regarded as a defiance by   
the artisans of a single industrial town

 of the most powerful monarch of the    
age4  ,philip1 as was to be expected1   
was furious1 and at once gathered an    
army the like of which had never before 
been seen in ,france2 while all         
,flanders1 with the exception of ,ghent 
which the ,french still held1 rallied to
 the support of ,de ,coninck and his    
comrades4 ,scores of ,flemish nobles    
were at that time languishing in ,french
 prisons1 but those who were free to    
come enlisted under the ,lion of        
,flanders4 ,the army of defence         
consisted for the most part1 however1 of
 workingmen--members of the great guilds
 of ,bruges1 ,ypres1 ,audenaerde and the
 other ,flemish towns1 with seven       
hundred even from ,ghent4 ,each guild   
marched under its gorgeous banner1 the  
men armed with long pikes1 iron lances1 
short swords1 and a sort of club which  
they derisively called goedendag1 or    
good morning4 ,on the eve of the battle 
a conference was held by the leaders of 
the army of defence1 this being the     

scene depicted in the fine fresco in the
 ,hotel de ,ville4  ,about nine or ten  
in the morning of the following day the 
,french army1 some forty thousand       
strong1 was seen approaching1 led by the
 youthful ,count of ,artois4 ,after a   
reconnoitre two experienced officers    
advised the young ,prince not to attack 
the ,flemings at once1 but to worry them
 with his archers and separate them from
 the town where their baggage and       
provisions were4 ,these people have to  
eat three1 or four times a day--when    
they start to retreat1 fall on them1 you
 will quickly win1 they counselled him4 
,this sage advice did not appeal to the 
impetuous young ,count1 or to his       
valiant knights1 who were burning with  
eagerness to avenge the ,matin de       
,bruges4 ,they confidently expected that
 at the very sight of their host1 for   
the most part mounted knights1 the      
cowardly townsmen would turn and run4   
,nor did they pay much heed to the      
shrewdness and skill with which the     

,flemish leaders had chosen their       
position4 ,in the marshy ground in front
 of the ,flemish army were many streams 
and canals1 the water concealed by      
brushwood1 while the ,river ,lys and the
 fortifications of the town protected   
them against an attack on either flank  
or in the rear4  ,as the ,french knights
 rode forward the first ranks plunged   
into the hidden canals and streams with 
which the marsh--since known as the     
,bloed ,meersch1 or ,bloody ,marsh--was 
intersected4 ,then1 as five centuries   
later at ,waterloo1 each succeeding rank
 pushed in the one before it1 the canals
 became choked with drowning men and    
struggling horses1 and it was not until 
these obstacles were literally filled   
with dead bodies that any part of the   
great ,french host could approach the   
,flemish lines4 ,then the ,flemish      
guildsmen were for a moment hard        
pressed1 but they quickly rallied and   
the proud ,french nobles were beaten    
down beneath their cruel pikes and clubs

 by hundreds4 ,the ,count of ,artois    
himself led the reserves into the mle   
when the day was all but lost and fought
 his way clear to the great standard of 
the ,lion of ,flanders1 at the foot of  
which he fell4 ,their leader killed1 the
 ,french sought to flee1 but the rout   
and slaughter lasted through the long   
summer twilight and far into the night4 
,according to an ancient chronicle1     
twenty thousand ,frenchmen went down to 
death that day1 including seven thousand
 knights1 eleven hundred nobles1 seven  
hundred lords1 and sixty-three counts1  
dukes or princes4 ,as to these          
statistics they differ in every history1
 but certain it is that the flower of   
,french chivalry perished in unheard of 
numbers before the onslaught of the     
,flemish townsmen1 and it is said that  
in all ,france there was no great house 
that did not mourn a father1 a brother  
or a son4  ,to the men of ,flanders1 on 
the other hand1 the victory was complete
 beyond their wildest dreams4 ,they     

piously gave thanks to ,notre ,dame de  
,groeninghe1 the ,abbey overlooking the 
,bloody ,marsh1 and hung up seven       
hundred golden spurs taken from the     
battlefield in the ,church of ,notre    
,dame4 ,for a time ,philip the ,fair    
sought to prolong the conflict1 but his 
losses had been too terrible in this    
battle for him to risk another one      
against the now thoroughly aroused      
guildsmen1 and a few years later a      
treaty was signed that completely       
rescinded the act of annexation and     
recognised the independence of ,flanders
 once more4  ,in the little ,museum of  
,paintings we found a most interesting  
picture of the famous battle by the     
great ,belgian artist1 ,nicaise de      
,keyser4 ,it is said that the historian 
,voisin suggested this subject to the   
painter1 then a young man of            
twenty-three1 and he devoted eight      
months to its execution4 ,exhibited at  
the ,salon at ,brussels in #ahcf1 it    
made a sensation through its merit1 the 

historical importance of the subject and
 the youth of the artist1 and was       
purchased by the city of ,courtrai by   
means of a popular subscription4 ,it    
represents the decisive moment of the   
battle when the ,count of ,artois1      
unhorsed and disarmed1 is about to be   
killed by the leader of the butchers'   
guild1 ,john ,breidel4 ,the museum      
contains a number of other interesting  
works by ,belgian painters1 chiefly     
modern1 including one by ,constantin    
,meunier1 and a number by natives of    
,courtrai4 ,this last feature is        
characteristic of all these little      
museums and is a most happy idea4 ,in   
,france the museums of fine arts in the 
provincial towns often form in          
themselves admirable memorials of the   
famous artists who were born or worked  
there1 the names of the most important  
being carved about the frieze or brought
 to mind in some equally prominent way4 
,in years to come it is to be hoped that
 these little ,flemish towns can follow 

this example and erect suitable         
structures to house their art           
treasures--of which such a collection as
 this one at ,courtrai forms a fine     
nucleus--and in so doing strive to      
commemorate all of those to whom the    
town is indebted for its artistic fame4 
,in the case of ,courtrai the roster    
would be a long one1 for local          
authorities have recorded the names of  
more than two hundred painters1         
sculptors1 architects1 engravers1       
metal-workers1 miniaturists and         
master-makers of tapestries4  ,unlike   
many ,flemish towns1 ,courtrai is less  
renowned for its churches than for its  
civic monuments4 ,the great church of   
,st4 ,martin1 whose picturesque ,gothic 
tower rises high above the ,grande      
,place1 although the edifice itself is  
some hundred yards distant from the     
,place itself1 dates from #achb1 when an
 older church on the same site was      
burned by the victorious troops of      
,charles ,,vi when they sacked the city 

after the ,battle of ,rosbecque4 ,it was
 completed in #adci and contains a      
number of interesting paintings and     
carvings1 several of them by local      
artists and sculptors4 ,the more        
important ,church of ,notre ,dame1 with 
its square unfinished tower1 dates from 
#abaa and was founded by ,baldwin of    
,constantinople4 ,at that time the      
,counts of ,flanders had a castle at    
,courtrai and it was at the side of this
 that ,count ,baldwin and his fair wife 
,marie located their great church1 of   
which the foundation stone was laid     
before the ,count departed on the       
crusade from which he was destined never
 to return4 ,in the ,chapel of the      
,counts1 which was built in the         
fourteenth century1 are mural paintings 
of the ,counts and ,countesses of       
,flanders1 the earlier ones dating from 
the century during which the chapel     
itself was constructed4  ,the artistic  
masterpiece of this church is the       
,raising of the ,cross1 by ,van ,dyck4  

,this fine picture was painted for this 
very church and was delivered by the    
artist in #afca1 the church still       
possessing his receipt for the one      
hundred livres de gros 7about two       
hundred and twenty dollars7 paid for it4
 ,in #agid the picture was carried to   
,paris and placed in the ,louvre1 and on
 its restoration to the ,netherlands was
 several years in the museum at         
,brussels1 being returned to its proper 
place in ,notre ,dame in #ahag4 ,during 
the night of ,december #fth-#gth1 #aijg1
 it was mysteriously stolen1 its        
disappearance causing a great commotion1
 but ,january #bcrd it was discovered in
 a field at ,pitthem1 where it had lain 
exposed to the rain and sunshine since  
its removal from the church4 ,apparently
 the robbers had become frightened and  
abandoned it1 or possibly were prevented
 from returning to get it by the hue and
 cry that had been raised4 ,at any rate1
 it did not seem to be much the worse   
for its little outing1 and was duly hung

 up again where any tourist who has a   
franc to spare can see it4  ,it was in  
,notre ,dame that the victors after the 
battle of ,courtrai hung up seven       
hundred golden spurs1 more or less1     
picked up from the battle-field4 ,these 
were hung in a little side chapel at    
present decorated by two black lions1   
but the original spurs were taken away  
when the ,french sacked the city after  
the disastrous battle of ,rosbecque4  ,a
 little beyond this interesting old     
church the rue ,guido ,gezelle--named   
after the poet who for many years was a 
vicaire at ,notre ,dame and whose bust  
stands in a little bosquet1 or wooded   
parklet1 hard by--conducts us to the    
famous old ,broel towers which guard an 
ancient bridge across the ,lys4 ,these  
fine specimens of medival military      
architecture are in an admirable state  
of preservation4 ,the ,spuytorre1 or    
,southern tower1 was first built by     
,philip of ,alsace in the twelfth       
century1 was pillaged1 and perhaps      

wholly destroyed1 by ,charles ,,vi and  
restored or rebuilt by ,philip the      
,bold1 ,duke of ,burgundy1 in #achf4    
,there was not much to see in this      
tower1 save some dungeons below4 ,the   
,inghelbrugtorre1 or ,south tower1 was  
built at the same time as the bridge1 in
 #adaa-adac4 ,there was formerly an     
archeological museum in this tower1 but 
we were told that it had been removed to
 the ,grandes ,halles1 near the railroad
 station1 which have recently been      
restored4 ,we subsequently visited the  
collections there1 which were very      
interesting but too miscellaneous to be 
described4 ,returning from the towers by
 the rue de ,groeninghe we paid a brief 
visit to the fine monument of the       
,battle of ,groeninghe1 which is the    
,flemish name for the ,battle of the    
,spurs4 ,at the summit a bronze ,pucelle
 of ,flanders brandishes a goedendag1   
one of the celebrated war-clubs that did
 such deadly work on that famous day4   
,this monument1 by ,godefroid ,devreese1

 a native of ,courtrai1 was erected by  
popular subscription in #aije4  ,it is  
in these smaller ,flemish towns that the
 visitor who takes the time to journey a
 little away from the closely built     
houses and rough paved streets of the   
city will find himself after a few      
minutes of brisk walking out in the     
green fields and winding lanes of the   
open country4 ,the trip is well worth   
the small exertion1 for nowhere in the  
world can one see such marvellous wild  
flowers--fleurs des champs--as in       
,belgium4 ,every wheat field is         
sprinkled with the most wonderful       
poppies1 of a rich deep red that even   
the choicest artificial flowers in      
,america cannot equal2 with blue        
corn-flowers growing tall and big and of
 an indescribably deep blue that at     
times shades into purple2 and along the 
edges is a thin fringe of small purple  
flowers1 shaped like morning glories but
 much smaller1 the ,english name of     
which ,i do not know4 ,in the grass of  

the pasture lands are innumerable tiny  
white marguerites1 with here and there a
 tuft of daisies4 ,along the country    
lanes one can pick a score of other     
varieties of wild flowers which here    
bloom all summer long1 not to mention   
the exquisite purple heather that makes 
every hillside glow with colour in      
,august and throughout the fall4 ,to us1
 however1 the wheat fields with the     
poppies and corn-flowers were by far the
 most charming as we wandered up and    
down ,west ,flanders in the month of    
,june4 ,often one or the other grew so  
profusely as to give the whole field a  
rich mass of colour1 at times all red1  
in other places a solid blue4  ,as we   
strolled along through these flower     
gardens of the fields we enjoyed still  
another treat1 for everywhere in        
,belgium the skylarks abound in myriads4
 ,to one who has never heard them there 
are few enjoyments more exquisite than  
to watch and listen as these tiny       
minstrels of the sky go through their   

little performance4 ,suddenly1 almost   
before the eye can locate it1 one shoots
 upward from the waving wheat in front  
of us1 his rich trills fairly making the
 air vibrate with melody4 ,higher and   
yet higher he goes1 his little wings    
struggling wildly1 as if the effort of  
flying and singing at the same time was 
too much for him4 ,never1 for an        
instant1 however1 does the music stop1  
and as his tiny form rises farther and  
farther into the air he gradually begins
 to drive forward in a wide curve--but  
still rising and still fluttering       
madly--until he becomes a mere speck    
against the sky4 ,then1 all at once1 the
 fluttering wings spread outward and are
 still1 and he begins to volplane slowly
 downward in a long slow sweep1 while   
his notes become if possible more shrill
 and vibrating than ever4 ,then1 like a 
flash1 as he nears the ground1 he darts 
sharply out of sight and the song is    
over4  ,all day long the pleasant1      
flower-bedecked fields ring with this   

music--at times a dozen are singing in  
the air at once4 ,when the sun is high  
the birds often rise until completely   
out of sight1 only their falling music  
telling the listener that they are still
 there4 ,toward evening the flights are 
shorter1 but as the calm of approaching 
night settles over the broad and        
peaceful fields it seems as if the songs
 are sweeter than at any other time4    
,two of the greatest ,english poets have
 given us wonderful word pictures of    
this marvellous little bird1 which      
surely sings as sweetly in ,belgium as  
in ,england4 ,shelley in his famous     
,ode1 describes the song itself2 his    
metre imitating the breathless rush of  
the aerial notes3          ,hail to     
thee1 blithe spirit6           ,bird    
thou never wert1         ,that from     
,heaven1 or near it1           ,pourest 
thy full heart         ,in profuse      
strains of unpremeditated art4          
,higher still and higher           ,from
 the earth thou springest1         ,like

 a cloud of fire2           ,the deep   
blue thou wingest1         ,and singing 
still dost soar1 and soaring ever       
singest4  ,in ,wordsworth's noble lines 
the thought is less upon the song1 but  
dwells upon the mother bird and her     
hidden nest3      ,ethereal minstrel6   
pilgrim of the sky6       ,dost thou    
despise the earth where cares abound8   
,or1 while the wings aspire1 are heart  
and eye       ,both with thy nest upon  
the dewy ground8     ,thy nest1 which   
thou canst drop into at will1           
,those quivering wings composed1 that   
music still6     ,,chapter ,,ix  ,,ghent
 ,,in ,,the ,,days ,,of ,,the ,,flemish 
,,counts   ,during the ,middle ,ages    
,ghent was1 for nearly five centuries1  
one of the greatest cities in the       
,occidental world4 ,if you have ever    
been in ,flanders1 wrote ,jean          
,froissart1 near the close of the       
fourteenth century1 you are aware that  
,ghent is the sovereign city of         
,flanders in power1 in wisdom1 in       

government1 in the number of its houses1
 in position and in all else that goes  
to make a great and noble city1 and that
 three great rivers serve to bring to it
 ships from every part of the world4    
,after further eulogising the three     
rivers referred to1 which were the      
,scheldt1 the ,lys and the ,lieve1 the  
chronicler of ,valenciennes added that  
the city could put eighty thousand men  
in the field1 and that it would require 
a host of two hundred thousand warriors 
to capture it4 ,these statements1 though
 no doubt exaggerations1 do not seem to 
the tourist so impossible of belief as  
corresponding figures regarding the     
former greatness of the other cities in 
,flanders1 for ,ghent is still a great  
and noble city1 while some of its once  
puissant rivals are now little more than
 country villages4 ,in fact1 to the     
visitor who approaches the centre of the
 town from either of its two principal  
railway stations--it has five in        
all--the city seems to be essentially a 

modern one1 with fine streets similar in
 every way to those to be found in      
,antwerp or ,brussels1 and it is        
therefore with a shock of surprise that 
he suddenly finds himself riding past   
one hoary old structure after another   
whose frowning grey walls and massive   
architecture bespeak an antiquity       
strangely at variance with their        
surroundings4  ,to the ,professor1 and  
to all students of the thrilling history
 of this famous old ,flemish town1 the  
most interesting of these reminders of  
the ,ghent of five hundred or one       
thousand years ago is the imposing      
,chteau des ,comtes1 or ,castle of the  
,counts1 the ruins of which stand in the
 very heart of the town with the busy   
life and bustle of the ,ghent of to-day 
surging about them4 ,hither1 as soon as 
our belongings were safely deposited in 
the hotel1 we came--almost as a matter  
of course4 ,in part this magnificent    
relic of the feudal ages dates from the 
ninth century1 when it was called the   

new castle1 ,novum ,castellum1 to       
distinguish it from a still older castle
 situated hard by that was destroyed    
about the year #ajaj4 ,two of the three 
stories composing this original         
structure are still intact and can be   
seen by the visitor when he inspects the
 cellar of the keep4 ,here the columns  
and arches are of later construction1   
but the walls--which are over five and a
 half feet thick--are the work of       
builders who put these stones in place  
more than a thousand years ago4 ,it was 
in #aahj1 according to the ,latin       
inscription that can still be read just 
inside of the main entrance from the    
,place ,ste4 ,pharalde1 that ,philip of 
,alsace--son of the ,dierick of ,alsace 
who brought the ,holy ,blood to the     
chapel of ,st4 ,basil at                
,bruges--erected the present structure4 
,its purpose was to check the unbounded 
arrogance of the inhabitants of ,ghent1 
who had become too proud of their riches
 and of their fortified houses1 which   

looked like towers4 ,the ,count had been
 in ,palestine two years before and had 
greatly admired some of the strong      
castles erected there by the crusaders  
and instructed his builders to imitate  
these models1 which he no doubt         
described to them4  ,illustration3      
,photograph by ,e4 ,sacr4 ,,castle ,,of 
,,the ,,counts1 ,,ghent4  ,after        
inspecting the remains of the earlier   
castle we mounted the staircase at the  
left of the entrance tower4 ,this leads 
to the top of the outer castle wall and 
can be followed entirely around the     
great ellipse formed by the complete    
structure4 ,from every side fine views  
can be had of the surrounding city and  
the moat and ,river ,lieve which guard  
the castle on the opposite side from the
 ,place4 ,coming to the square tower    
behind the entrance gateway we were     
shown a room on the first story formerly
 used as a prison and torture chamber4  
,from the top of this tower the banner  
of the ,count was hoisted when the men  

of ,ghent were called upon to follow    
their over-lord to war4 ,the gateway    
below1 at the corner of the ,place ,ste4
 ,pharalde and the rue de la ,monnaie1  
has a tragic interest from the fact that
 here were placed the two railings1     
called les bailles1 between which those 
sentenced to death by the ,council of   
,flanders were executed4 ,executions    
also often took place in the outer      
courtyard between the exterior wall and 
the ,keep1 or inner structure4 ,in this 
yard1 in #adde1 the procession of the   
,order of the ,golden ,fleece formed for
 its march to the church of ,st4 ,bavon1
 and one can imagine how gay with       
banners and fair ladies the old castle  
must have been on that occasion4  ,the  
inner castle1 usually styled the        
,palace1 was the actual residence of the
 ,counts of ,flanders whenever they     
chanced to be stopping in the city4     
,thanks to the skilful restoration of   
the government1 the various parts of    
this edifice can be seen in             

approximately their original condition1 
save for the rich tapestries and the    
scant but solid furniture with which the
 rooms were formerly made habitable4    
,the chambers of the ,count and         
,countess are particularly fine         
specimens of the living quarters of the 
medival nobility1 quite apart from their
 many historic associations4 ,below the 
former is the entrance to the           
underground prison built by ,philip of  
,alsace4 ,it is eighteen feet deep1 and 
extends ten and one-half feet below the 
level of the courtyard1 while one of the
 walls is seven and the others six feet 
thick4 ,a little air filters in from a  
zig-zag opening in one wall1 but no     
light4 ,the prisoners were let down into
 this horrible cavern by means of a     
ladder1 or a basket attached to a rope1 
after which even the opening by which   
they entered was closed and they were   
left alone in the dark4 ,for more than  
six centuries this cell was in constant 
use1 and one cannot but wonder whether  

milady the ,countess in her sweet       
chamber overhead ever had her dreams    
troubled by visions of the despairing   
victims in their beds of slime who were 
here awaiting the ,count's decision as  
to their final fate4 ,it seems that this
 prison1 fearful though it must have    
been to those incarcerated there1 was   
not one of those oubliettes of which the
 ,bastille and many another medival     
castle had so many4 ,so far as known1 it
 was only used for prisoners awaiting   
trial1 or as a species of solitary      
confinement for serious crimes4 ,in     
#afeg a school-teacher accused of       
teaching heretical doctrines to his     
pupils was confined here thirteen       
months1 but there is no record of any   
one being flung down into this pit to be
 forgotten4 ,still1 it must be said that
 such proceedings would not be likely to
 become a matter of record1 and very    
little is known about what went on      
behind these grim walls when the ,counts
 of ,flanders and ,dukes of ,burgundy   

held absolute and undisputed sway4 ,any 
one who asked inconvenient questions    
would very probably have come here      
himself6  ,the ,great ,hall1 which is   
about one hundred and twenty-five feet  
long by from fifty to sixty feet in     
width1 is a chapter in the history of   
,flanders by itself4 ,here the ,counts1 
and their successors1 the ,dukes of     
,burgundy1 held many of their great     
banquets and state functions of various 
kinds4 ,louis of ,maele in #acdf and    
,philip the ,good in #adde gave state   
banquets in this hall of which long     
accounts have been preserved in the     
contemporary chronicles4 ,the latter1   
which was held on the occasion of the   
seventh meeting of the ,knights of the  
,golden ,fleece already mentioned1 must 
have been quite a tremendous affair4 ,at
 one end of this ,hall the ,council of  
the ,vieux-,bourg used to pronounce     
sentence upon prisoners1 and half a     
dozen famous treaties and many of minor 
importance were proclaimed in this room4

 ,no doubt1 also1 the ,great ,hall was  
used as the chief living-room of the    
castle on less formal occasions1 when   
the ,count and ,countess perhaps dined  
on a raised dais at one end1 while the  
throng of courtiers and retainers       
feasted noisily farther down the hall4  
,on such occasions one can imagine how  
the great stone fireplace1 a dozen feet 
wide and seven or eight feet high1 must 
have roared1 while the torches and      
candles used to supplement the feeble   
light from the narrow windows flared and
 sent their smoke up to the grimy       
rafters overhead4 ,the great room1 now  
so empty and silent1 was then gay with  
the variegated costumes of the olden    
time1 while its walls echoed to the     
songs and laughter of the boisterous    
throng4  ,there are half a score of     
other rooms to be seen3 the kitchen with
 its fireplace big enough to roast an ox
 whole2 the residence of the ,castellane
 or keeper of the castle2 the small     
audience chamber near the bedrooms of   

their highnesses--which was used on     
ordinary occasions instead of the great 
hall--and several others4 ,of them all  
the most interesting is the ancient     
stable1 which is entered from the castle
 yard4 ,it seems hard to believe that   
this vast vaulted room1 with its        
splendid columns and ,romanesque arches 
was ever designed or used as a stable1  
but such the historians all aver was the
 case4 ,in appearance it resembles an   
early church or chapel4 ,in a glass case
 at one side is a gruesome collection of
 skeletons that were uncovered here in  
#aijd1 presumably those of prisoners who
 were secretly executed no one knows how
 many years ago4 ,after the fourteenth  
century the castle ceased to be occupied
 by the sovereigns as a residence1 and  
the stable1 no longer needed for horses1
 became a torture chamber and continued 
to be used for this purpose until the   
close of the eighteenth century4 ,it is 
here that the beautiful and unfortunate 
,jacqueline1 ,countess of ,hainaut and  

,holland1 is said to have been confined 
by ,philip the ,good when that amiable  
monarch was trying to persuade her to   
part with her patrimony4 ,she resisted  
bravely and was finally released1 but   
her powerful and wily antagonist        
subjugated her at last4 ,the ,professor 
read1 or was told1 that there is another
 prison cell below the waters of the    
moat1 and also a passage1 miles in      
length1 leading out to the open country 
and intended for escape in case a foe   
besieging the castle seemed likely to   
take it1 but these we were not able to  
discover nor did the official guide to  
the castle appear to know anything about
 them4  ,speaking of sieges1 the castle 
has witnessed more than one4 ,the ,novum
 ,castellum1 which preceded the present 
edifice1 was besieged in #aabh by       
,dierick of ,alsace4 ,in #acjb1 a few   
months before the ,battle of the ,spurs1
 the citizens of ,ghent rose en masse   
against the sheriffs of ,king ,philip of
 ,france1 who took refuge here4 ,the    

infuriated crowd1 armed with pikes1 axes
 and swords1 beat upon the gates and    
finally set fire to the castle4 ,at this
 the besieged gave up1 and all within   
were forced to run a fearful gauntlet4  
,without the castle gates the people    
formed a dense mass1 bristling with     
pikes and spears1 through which a narrow
 lane was kept open4 ,as the late       
defenders of the castle emerged they had
 to pass down this avenue of steel1 and 
whoever had committed any crime against 
the burghers never reached the farther  
end alive1 whether he was one of the    
lord high sheriffs or a page4 ,in #acch 
the ,count himself1 ,louis of ,maele1   
was here besieged by ,jacques ,van      
,artevelde1 and forced to make terms    
with the great tribune4  ,the later     
history of the structure itself is      
interesting and curious4 ,already in    
#acjb hovels had been built against the 
castle walls on the land side4 ,in #acej
 a mint was installed within the castle1
 where it remained until suppressed in  

the sixteenth century1 and from the same
 year the ,court of the ,count held     
sessions here4 ,it was used less and    
less as a residence after this1 but from
 #adjg to #aggh was the seat of the     
,council of ,flanders1 which succeeded  
the ,court of the ,counts4 ,in #aggi the
 buildings used by the court were sold  
and in #agig and #agih those of the     
,assembly of the ,vieux ,bourg also     
passed into private hands4 ,the         
,castellany of the ,vieux ,bourg was for
 many years a public inn1 and in #ahjg a
 factory was established in the ,keep1  
the ,great ,hall being used as a        
machine-room4 ,the ,castellany then     
became a cotton spinning mill1 was      
partly burned in #ahbi1 but rebuilt and 
continued in use as a mill until #ahhd4 
,meanwhile other small buildings were   
erected around the old walls until they 
were entirely concealed1 and a guidebook
 of this period states that of the old  
castle nothing now remains but the      
entrance4 ,in #ahhg some archeologists  

stirred the municipal and national      
governments to action with a view to    
saving and restoring this splendid      
monument of the ,middle ,ages1 the      
,gateway having already been acquired by
 the nation in #ahgb4 ,the work of      
demolishing the buildings that had      
clustered about the old walls and of    
restoration lasted from #ahhi till      
#aiac1 when at last the structure was   
brought into the condition that the     
visitor beholds to-day4 ,in its present 
form it is unquestionably one of the    
most interesting and important examples 
of feudal architecture in ,europe4      
,within its sombre walls the student    
has1 in records of stone1 an epitome of 
the history of ten centuries4  ,the     
,professor informed us that1 in the     
course of his researches1 he had run    
across a reference to some legend or    
popular tradition concerning a siege of 
,ghent in the year #icj1 or thereabouts1
 by the ,kings of ,england1 ,scotland   
and ,ireland4 ,the city1 according to   

this tale1 was bravely defended by      
,dierick1 ,lord of ,dixmude1 and all the
 attacks of the besiegers were repelled 
for many months4 ,their majesties from  
across the ,channel were naturally much 
incensed at this unexpected resistance1 
and warned the burghers and their       
valiant chief that if they did not      
surrender within twenty-four hours1 they
 would raze the city to the ground and  
sow corn on its ruins4 ,notwithstanding 
this threat1 to the fulfilment of which 
the kings aforesaid took a mighty oath1 
the men of ,ghent fought stubbornly on1 
and finally the besiegers were forced to
 give up their enterprise4 ,the ,english
 monarch1 however1 in order to fulfil   
his vow and thereby ease his conscience1
 humbly begged permission of the victors
 to allow him to throw a grain of corn  
in the market-place4 ,this modest       
request was granted1 but to prevent any 
such stratagem as the one that proved so
 successful in the famous siege of      
,troy1 a tiny hole was made in the city 

wall and the monarch required to crawl  
through alone1 returning the same way   
after the corn-throwing performance was 
over4 ,from this circumstance the name  
of ,engelande-gat was derisively given  
to the little street leading from the   
,bestroom-,porte to ,st4 ,michel--a name
 which ,pryse ,l4 ,gordon in his book on
 ,holland and ,belgium1 written in      
#ahcd1 stated was still retained at that
 time4 ,we were unable to find it1      
however1 in one of our early morning    
tramps1 although we found a rue         
d',angleterre which runs into the ,place
 ,st4 ,michel directly in front of the  
church1 and may have derived its name   
from that of the earlier street which1  
quite possibly1 it may have replaced4   
,the great plan of the city drawn by    
,hondius shows a vast number of streets 
and lanes that to-day have entirely     
disappeared4 ,the legend1 however1 may  
have had some basis in fact1 although   
the three kings were no doubt a fanciful
 embellishment added by the peasants as 

they repeated the story of some early   
attack4 ,there were plenty of small     
potentates in those days prowling about 
to seize whatever was not well defended1
 or gave promise of rich booty1 without 
going across the ,channel to look for   
them4  ,it was at about this period1 in 
fact a little earlier1 that another of  
the famous monuments of ,ghent was      
erected4 ,this is the ,abbey of ,st4    
,bavon1 which alone would justify a     
visit to the city if there were nothing 
else to see4 ,a primitive abbey on this 
site is said to have been founded about 
the year #fca by ,st4 ,amand1 an early  
missionary1 who dedicated it to ,st4    
,peter4 ,one of this prelate's converts 
was a rich nobleman named ,allowin1 who 
took the name of ,bavon on his          
conversion and retired into a monastery4
 ,a second abbey took the name of ,st4  
,bavon1 the deceased monk having been   
canonized1 and around these two         
religious institutions a little         
settlement grew up that was destined to 

expand into the mighty city of ,ghent4  
,at ,st4 ,bavon1 therefore1 the visitor 
beholds not merely the ruins of an      
ancient and famous abbey but the        
birthplace of the city that has played  
so great a part in the history of       
,flanders and of ,europe4 ,when ,baldwin
 ,,ii died his widow1 the daughter of   
,alfred the ,great1 had him buried at   
the monastery of ,st4 ,peter1 to which  
she made liberal donations4 ,successive 
,counts and ,countesses followed this   
example1 the two abbeys becoming rich   
and powerful1 and the town soon became  
the home of numerous merchants who took 
advantage of the protection afforded by 
these religious institutions1 and also  
of the strategic location of the town at
 the junction of three rivers4 ,the     
,quai au ,bl and the ,quai aux ,herbes  
date from this epoch1 the merchants     
speedily establishing a market for the  
sale of grain and other products4 ,the  
,fish ,market and the famous ,march du  
,vendredi1 or ,friday ,market1 soon     

followed and ,ghent had begun the       
development that was destined to make   
it1 for three centuries1 one of the     
greatest trading centres in the world4  
,the present buildings of the ,abbey    
date from the eleventh and twelfth      
centuries1 the original structures      
having been destroyed during the tenth  
century4 ,it was during the thirteenth  
and fourteenth centuries that the ,abbey
 attained the zenith of its power4      
,here1 in #acfi1 was solemnised the     
marriage of ,philip the ,bold1 ,duke of 
,burgundy1 with ,margaret1 the daughter 
of ,louis of ,maele1 the last of the    
,counts of ,flanders to be known by that
 title only4 ,this event virtually ended
 the long line of ,flemish ,counts1 for 
the title thereafter became one of many 
similarly held by the powerful ,dukes of
 ,burgundy and their successors and was 
only used on state occasions1 or when it
 served their purpose4 ,the unfortunate 
,michelle1 the first wife of ,philip the
 ,good1 was interred here4 ,by a strange

 irony of fate it was ,charles the      
,fifth of all men1 the valiant          
,protector of the ,faith1 head and front
 of the monarchs who remained           
steadfastly loyal to the ,catholic      
,church1 who began the work of          
destroying this splendid and ancient    
monastery4 ,to build the great fortress 
by which he held in awe the turbulent   
citizens of ,ghent he ordered the       
demolishment of a considerable part of  
its buildings and the erection on its   
site of his citadel1 the ,chteau des    
,espagnols4 ,the ,calvinists continued  
the work of destruction in #aeha1 the   
,french wrecking the buildings still    
further1 and the revolt of #ahcj        
completing the ruin of what was in its  
day of prosperity one of the finest     
monastic institutions in ,europe4       
,since #ahcd the ruins have been        
carefully protected against further     
injury2 and1 as they stand1 give the    
observer a most imposing realisation of 
their former grandeur4 ,the ,refectory1 

or dining-hall1 is still fairly intact1 
and is used as a museum of sculptures   
saved from the wreck of the other       
buildings1 and including some found in  
other parts of the city4 ,one of these  
is a tombstone thought to be that of    
,hubert ,van ,eyck1 while another is the
 ,homme du ,beffroi1 one of the four    
stone statues erected in #acch on the   
corners of the ,belfry4 ,a baptismal    
font found in the ruins of the ,abbey   
contains a curious bas-relief           
representing ,adam and ,eve being       
expelled from ,paradise4 ,it is not1    
however1 in these detached items that   
the visitor will find the chief interest
 and inspiration of the ancient ,abbey1 
but in the general views that in every  
direction give a conception of the      
former vast extent and richness of the  
buildings4 ,in their present condition  
the ruins form a series of pictures of  
wonderful beauty1 not only in the       
remains of their architectural and      
artistic splendour1 but because ,nature1

 kinder than man1 has covered the scars 
made by the despoilers with her choicest
 tapestries of trailing vines and       
glowing flowers and spread her softest  
carpets of verdure along the silent and 
deserted cloisters4  ,illustration3     
,,ruins ,,of ,,the ,,abbey ,,of ,,st4   
,,bavon1 ,,ghent4  ,returning to the    
heart of the city1 another memento of   
the earliest period of the city's growth
 attracted our attention4 ,this was the 
,chteau of ,girard le ,diable 7,girard  
the ,devil7 the first of the monuments  
to be encountered if one arrives by the 
,southern railway station4 ,this        
edifice1 now completely restored and    
used as the depository of the provincial
 archives1 dates from #abaf4 ,apart from
 the exterior1 however1 which reproduces
 the original appearance of the castle1 
the only portion of interest to the     
visitor is the crypt which is over one  
hundred feet long and nearly forty-five 
feet in width1 making it one of the     
largest in ,flanders4 ,the vaulted roof 

is supported by massive round columns   
and forms a notable example of the      
ogival style of architecture4 ,we sought
 in vain to find what the noble ,sir    
,girard did or did not do to receive his
 satanic appellation4 ,from the records 
he appears to have been a tolerably     
worthy citizen1 holding1 as did his     
father before him1 the position of      
,chtelain of ,ghent4 ,a fortunate       
marriage1 apparently1 gave him the means
 to erect this exceptionally fine       
castle1 which has--like many of the old 
buildings in the city--had a most varied
 history4 ,for two or three centuries it
 remained the residence of the          
,chtelains of ,ghent1 then1 for a time1 
was used by the city as an arsenal1 was 
occupied by the ,hironimites1 and then  
became in succession a school1 a        
mad-house1 an orphan asylum1 a house of 
correction1 and a fire house4 ,its      
spacious halls now contain the precious 
charters of the ,counts of ,flanders and
 innumerable historic documents of      

,ghent and the other cities of the      
province4  ,the most ancient church in  
,ghent is that of ,st4 ,nicholas in the 
,march aux ,grains4 ,it was founded in  
#iab1 or slightly more than a thousand  
years ago4 ,the original edifice was    
burned in #aabj1 so that the present    
structure dates from that century4 ,a   
picturesque feature of the exterior is  
the row of tiny one-story houses        
snuggling up against the side of the    
great church on the rue ,petite         
,turquis4 ,the west window is an        
extremely lofty lancet of great beauty4 
,the doorway on this side was for many  
years crowded between commonplace       
three-story houses1 the church builders 
of ,flanders apparently caring very     
little how the imposing majesty of their
 noble churches might be marred by      
adjacent buildings1 but these have now  
been removed and this front of the      
structure cleared4  ,among the treasures
 of this church are the relics of ,st4  
,anne1 said to have been brought from   

,jerusalem by ,godfrey of ,bouillon4 ,in
 the sacristy is some oil from the tomb 
of ,st4 ,nicholas of ,myra and ,bari1   
after whom the church was named4 ,this  
saint died in #cdb and is the subject of
 many picturesque medival legends4 ,even
 in infancy he is alleged to have       
observed the fasts1 refusing the breast 
of his nurse4 ,he used to look          
particularly after children1 young      
women1 sailors and travellers4 ,on one  
occasion he came to an inn where the    
wicked inn-keeper fed his guests with   
the flesh of young children4 ,st4       
,nicholas immediately went to the tub   
where the bodies of the innocents lay in
 brine and1 reviving them1 restored them
 all alive and whole again to their     
parents4 ,this incident is frequently   
depicted by ,flemish painters4 ,after   
his death the bones of the ,saint were  
buried at ,myra1 but were stolen some   
centuries later--according to certain   
monkish chronicles--and1 after many     
adventures in which the spirit of the   

deceased prelate participated1 the oil  
which was found in his sarcophagus was  
brought here4 ,jean ,lyon1 ,dean of the 
guild of boatmen1 and one of the heroes 
of the ,white ,hoods in their resistance
 to the cruel ,louis de ,maele1 was     
buried in this church4  ,one of the     
other churches of ,ghent1 the ,cathedral
 of ,st4 ,bavon1 dates in part from the 
same early period as the other monuments
 described in this chapter4 ,originally 
dedicated to ,st4 ,john1 the name was   
changed to ,st4 ,bavon in #aedj and it  
became a cathedral nine years later4 ,it
 is not1 however1 the cathedral--of     
which the nave and transepts were not   
completed until #aecc to #aeei--;but the
 earlier church of ,st4 ,jean that      
figures in the history of ,ghent under  
,counts of ,flanders4 ,of this church   
the crypt1 which dates from the eleventh
 or twelfth century1 and the choir1     
dating from the thirteenth century1     
still remain4 ,our exploration of the   
cold and gloomy crypt served to bring   

back the earlier period of the history  
of ,ghent in two ways--not only is its  
present appearance undoubtedly much the 
same as it was eight or nine centuries  
ago1 when the city of the weavers was   
just beginning to make its power and    
fame known in the land1 but the         
historian sees here the tombs of many of
 the great men of the city4 ,for the    
most part there were merchant princes1  
aristocrats1 the leaders of the         
,liliaert faction--those who sided with 
the ,king of ,france and took his lilies
 as their emblem4  ,under its early     
,flemish ,counts1 the history of ,ghent 
was1 on the whole1 one of rapid and     
almost uninterrupted expansion4 ,the    
merchants who flocked to the little town
 around the ,abbeys of ,st4 ,peter and  
,st4 ,bavon were followed by similar    
throngs of artisans1 and as the commerce
 of the city grew apace so its          
industrial importance expanded4 ,on the 
death of ,philip of ,alsace1 who had    
erected the ,chteau on the ,place ,ste4 

,pharalde to hold the city in check1 its
 burghers wrested from the feeble hands 
of his widow the famous ,keure of #aaia1
 a sort of local ,magna ,carta which    
confirmed all pre-existing privileges   
and granted others4 ,the same year the  
,treaty of ,arras1 by which ,baldwin    
,,viii ceded ,arras and the ,county of  
,artois to ,philip ,augustus1 the wily  
and land-grasping ,king of ,france1 made
 ,ghent virtually the capital of        
,flanders--a position that had hitherto 
been occupied by ,bruges4 ,like its     
rival on the ,roya1 ,ghent had become an
 important centre for the woollen trade 
with ,england1 and also for all the     
branches of woollen manufacture1 the    
scarlets of ,ghent being renowned far   
and wide4 ,the thirteenth century--in   
consequence of the folly of ,baldwin of 
,constantinople who1 as we have seen1   
went off on a fanatical enterprise to   
the ,far ,east1 leaving the richest     
county in the world at the mercy of his 
enemies--saw a steady decline in the    

power of the ,counts2 and1 while the    
,kings of ,france profited mightily by  
this situation1 the shrewd burghers of  
,ghent1 ,bruges1 ,ypres and the other   
powerful ,flemish communes were not     
backward in extending and securing their
 own powers also4 ,the result was that  
the successive ,counts and ,countesses  
were forced to submit to repeated       
encroachments on their authority4 ,in   
#abbh ,count ,ferrand established a     
,council of thirty-nine members which   
soon became a virtual oligarchy and the 
actual ruler of the city4 ,this body1   
while maintaining at first fairly       
friendly relations with the ,counts1    
soon began to treat with other nations  
and the other cities in ,flanders as if 
it was the actual sovereign4 ,then1 as  
the ,king of ,france1 toward the close  
of the thirteenth century1 began to give
 evidence of an intention to seize the  
rich county of ,flanders for            
himself--thus despoiling both the       
,counts and the burghers at the same    

time--,ghent joined heartily in the     
general movement toward a national      
resistance4 ,in #abig the ,count ,guy   
granted the city a new ,keure1 or       
charter1 even more liberal than that of 
#aaia1 and formed an alliance with      
,england against the common foe4 ,this1 
however1 came to nothing1 and all       
,flanders was over-run by the victorious
 ,french troops4 ,ghent1 after a brief  
resistance1 yielded1 and the ,french    
,king1 making liberal concessions to win
 the support of the most powerful of all
 the ,flemish communes1 the ,liliaerts1 
or supporters of the ,lily of ,france1  
were temporarily holding the upper hand 
when the astounding tidings came of the 
,battle of the ,spurs4     ,,chapter ,x 
,,the ,,age ,,when ,,ghent ,,was        
,,governed ,,by ,,its ,,guilds   ,it was
 on the #abth of ,july1 #acjb1 that the 
guildsmen of ,flanders--chiefly1 as we  
have seen1 those from the two cities of 
,bruges and ,ypres--humbled the chivalry
 of ,france and demonstrated the fact   

that the guilds of the great ,flemish   
communes were a power to be reckoned    
with4 ,obviously1 when the greatest     
monarch of the day had been so          
decisively beaten there was no longer   
any question as to the relative         
importance of the guilds and the local  
,counts of ,flanders4 ,the latter1      
though still figuring prominently in the
 history of the time1 were unable to    
cope with the might of their united     
subjects1 and only by the help of their 
overlords of ,france1 by bribery and    
even by downright treachery1 were they  
able to maintain themselves on their    
tottering thrones at all4 ,this period  
is the most interesting in the long     
history of ,flanders1 for it was during 
the fourteenth century that the land of 
the ,flemings just missed becoming a    
nation1 and1 possibly1 a republic4 ,that
 it failed was due to the fact that1    
while there existed a splendid and      
indomitable spirit of freedom in every  
true ,flemish breast1 the sense of      

loyalty was local instead of national4  
,to his guild and his commune the       
,fleming was intensely loyal1 but his   
patriotism--fine as it was--was too     
narrow4 ,each commune acted solely for  
itself1 uniting with the others in time 
of great and impending peril1 but often 
sending its armies to fight a sister    
commune over some trifling dispute as   
soon as the common danger was over4 ,the
 princes were able1 by cunningly taking 
advantage of this defect in the ,flemish
 character1 to play one commune against 
another and1 by dividing the hosts of   
the guildsmen1 to establish finally a   
tyranny too powerful to be thrown off4  
,for one hundred and fifty years after  
the ,battle of the ,spurs1 however1 the 
guilds--although now and then           
temporarily defeated--were1 in the main1
 supreme throughout the length and      
breadth of ,flanders1 and it was still  
another century before the last spark of
 civic freedom at ,ghent was finally    
extinguished4  ,two days after the great

 fight at ,courtrai the victors1 headed 
by the redoubtable ,peter de ,coninck1  
,william of ,juliers and ,guy of ,namur1
 entered the city of ,ghent and         
converted the too lukewarm magistrates  
to the popular side4 ,the patrician     
,liliaerts were expelled from the       
magistracy and many were killed or      
driven from the city4 ,the ,count fought
 stubbornly on1 nor did the war with    
,france end immediately1 but in almost  
every instance the guildsmen were able  
to maintain the results of their great  
victory and firmly establish the        
foundation of their power4 ,in the      
government of the commune of ,ghent     
their voice was a potent one4 ,naturally
 the wool-spinners and weavers were the 
dominant organisations1 while the       
petits-mtiers1 or minor industries1 were
 also represented4  ,the apprentice     
system was rigidly enforced among all   
the guilds1 but the policy of the       
organisations was liberal in this       
respect--for example1 an apprentice was 

often sent for a year's journey in other
 cities or countries in order to obtain 
a wider knowledge of his craft4 ,the    
guildsmen had a hearty and honest pride 
in good and skilful workmanship1 and the
 officers of the guilds supervised the  
quality of the goods turned out and     
imposed penalties for poor workmanship  
or the use of inferior materials4 ,each 
guild had its own house or              
meeting-place1 and while the fine guild 
houses on the ,march aux ,grains date   
from a somewhat later period1 they were 
no doubt preceded by earlier structures4
 ,it was one of the dreams of the       
,professor to rummage about in these    
ancient edifices1 poring over the       
archives of the guilds and inspecting   
the rooms and halls where their ofttimes
 stormy meetings were held4 ,in this he 
was destined to be disappointed1 for    
while the exteriors of several of these 
historic buildings have been carefully  
restored1 the interiors are now devoted 
to private uses and contain little of   

interest to the visitor4 ,the archives  
have been1 for the most part1 preserved 
in the ancient castle of ,girard the    
,devil4 ,some of the old guild banners  
still exist1 but the guild houses       
themselves are only the empty shells of 
the powerful organisations that once    
made them their homes4  ,illustration3  
,photograph by ,e4 ,sacr4 ,,post        
,,office1 ,,church ,,of ,,st4           
,,nicholas1 ,,belfry ,,and ,,cathedral1 
,,ghent4  ,the most famous structure in 
,flanders dates from this epoch in the  
town's history4 ,this is the ,belfry    
that has looked down on the red roofs of
 ,ghent for nearly six hundred years4   
,the first ,belfry was begun in #aahc1  
but the present structure was built in  
#acac-acci1 since when it has been      
several times modified and restored--not
 always successfully4 ,the latest       
restoration was carried out by the      
municipal authorities as a preparation  
for the ,international ,exposition held 
at ,ghent in #aiac and was carefully and

 intelligently done4 ,there are three   
hundred and fifty-five steps in the     
staircase by which visitors ascend the  
tower1 and the climb is one that richly 
repays those who make it4 ,on a clear   
day one can see beyond ,bruges to the   
northwest1 as far as ,antwerp to the    
east and ,audenaerde to the south4 ,so  
densely peopled is the ,flemish plain   
that these great cities lie almost close
 enough together to be within sound of  
great ,roland4  ,this was the renowned  
bell which the burghers of ,ghent had   
cast and hung high on their ,belfry as  
an emblem of the city's freedom from    
tyranny and a tocsin to summon the      
sturdy guildsmen to its defence when    
danger threatened4 ,it bore the         
following inscription in ,flemish3      
,mynen naem is ,roelant1 als ick clippe 
dan ist brant     ,als icke luyde1 dan  
ist storm in ,vlaenderlandt4  ,freely   
translated1 this is what the bell gave  
as its autobiography3      ,my name is  
,roland2 when ,i speak softly there is  

fire at hand1     ,but when ,i roar     
loudly it means war in ,flanderland4    
,the original ,roland was cast in #acad1
 or twelve years after the ,battle of   
the ,spurs4 ,it weighed twelve thousand1
 five hundred pounds and was the pride  
of the city1 but was destroyed by order 
of ,charles ,v when he forced the       
burghers abjectly to submit to his      
despotism in #aedj4  ,in the lower part 
of the tower is the secret room where   
from #adjb the burghers kept1 behind    
triple doors as at ,bruges1 the charters
 and privileges of the city4 ,the famous
 dragon at the tip of the spire was for 
centuries said to have been brought from
 the ,orient at the time of ,baldwin of 
,constantinople1 but recent researches  
in the archives of the city have shown  
that it was made at ,ghent in the year  
#acgg-gh4 ,adjoining the ,belfry is the 
,cloth ,hall erected for the most       
important of the city's four hundred    
guilds4 ,the upper hall is now used as a
 ,bureau of ,information for ,tourists1 

while the lower one is a ,rathskeller4  
,here the columns and vaulted roof      
greatly resemble the crypt of ,girard   
the ,devil's castle1 save that the      
little tables and excellent ,munich and 
,pilsen to be had there make it         
decidedly more cheerful4 ,the edifice   
was begun in #adbe and finished1 or1 at 
least1 the work was stopped1 in #adda4  
,behind the ,cloth ,hall1 but nestling  
close against it1 is the quaint little  
entrance to the communal prison1 which  
was built in #agda when the prisoners   
were confined on the lower floor of the 
,cloth ,hall4 ,over the door at the top 
of the faade is the celebrated          
bas-relief representing the legend of   
the ,mammelokker4 ,the carving really   
tells all there is to the story2 which  
is1 in brief1 that1 on one occasion1    
when an old man was condemned to die of 
starvation1 his daughter--who just then 
had a baby whom she was                 
nursing--secretly gave the breast to her
 aged parent1 thus saving his life4     

,while the ,belfry was being built by   
the burghers of ,ghent1 ,france and     
,england were drifting into the ,hundred
 ,years' ,war4 ,the ,count of ,flanders1
 ,louis de ,nevers1 was ardently loyal  
to ,france and utterly blind to the     
interests of the great woollen          
manufacturing communes over which he    
ruled and to those of his own dynasty4  
,in #accf1 no doubt at the instance of  
the ,king of ,france1 he ordered all the
 ,english merchants in ,flanders to be  
arrested and their goods confiscated4   
,the ,king of ,england1 ,edward ,,iii1  
promptly retaliated by prohibiting the  
exportation of wool from ,england to    
,flanders and the sale of ,flemish      
woollens in his ,kingdom4 ,in a few     
months the ,flemish communes of ,ghent1 
,bruges and ,ypres found themselves     
facing utter ruin as a result of this   
economic conflict4 ,the spinners and    
weavers were idle1 the markets deserted1
 actual starvation existed1 and many of 
the guildsmen were forced to wander off 

into the countryside to beg for food4   
,it was at this critical moment that the
 great figure of ,jacques ,van          
,artevelde appears upon the stage of    
,flemish history4 ,son of a rich wool   
and cloth merchant who had been long    
prominent among the ,clauwaerts1 or foes
 of ,french domination1 ,jacques ,van   
,artevelde was a man of wealth and      
position who by ancestry and calling was
 inclined to the popular rather than the
 aristocratic side4 ,on ,december #bh1  
#accg1 he harangued the men of ,bruges  
in behalf of peace with ,england1 in    
spite of the obstinate and fatuous      
policy of the ,count4 ,as a result of   
his eloquence1 abundantly enforced by   
the ruin and misery then prevailing on  
every side1 the people decided          
unanimously to establish a revolutionary
 government1 which was accomplished     
peacefully on the third of the following
 month4 ,van ,artevelde was recognised  
as the foremost of the five captains    
then chosen to administer the government

 of the city1 and was given a larger    
guard than his colleagues4 ,the helpless
 ,count of ,flanders1 unable to resist1 
was obliged to ratify the new policy of 
the burghers1 and by the middle of the  
year #acch the embargo was formally     
raised on both sides1 the woollen       
industry started up once more1 and      
,flanders was declared to be neutral as 
regarded the contest between its two    
powerful neighbours4 ,in short1 the wise
 policy of ,van ,artevelde was          
completely triumphant and the country   
again placed on the road to renewed     
prosperity4  ,under the direction of the
 great tribune the weavers were now the 
dominant factor in the government of    
,ghent1 and soon the influence of ,van  
,artevelde made itself felt in ,bruges1 
,ypres and all the other ,flemish       
communes1 where the guild leaders became
 likewise the heads of the magistracy4  
,the ,count strove to reassert his      
power1 but ,van ,artevelde stormed the  
,castle and the prince was forced to    

accompany the men of ,ghent to the      
annual procession at ,tournai wearing   
their colours4 ,the ,white ,hoods1 as   
the warriors of the popular party were  
called1 destroyed the castles of several
 of the lesser nobility who dared to    
resist their authority and throughout   
all the land ,van ,artevelde reigned    
supreme4 ,edward ,,iii1 after vainly    
endeavouring to win the ,count of       
,flanders to his side by flattering     
matrimonial offers1 ended by treating   
directly with ,van ,artevelde as if with
 a sovereign prince4  ,it was the genius
 of the great ,ghent captain that       
conceived the brilliant idea of         
overcoming the reluctance of the        
,flemish communes to take sides with    
,england against their feudal suzerain1 
the ,king of ,france1 by having ,edward 
claim the crown of ,france1 and it was  
in consequence of his arguments that the
 ,english monarch finally took this bold
 but adroit step4 ,on the #bfth of      
,january1 #acdj1 the communes formally  

recognised ,edward as their suzerain on 
the ,march du ,vendredi at ,ghent--one  
of the many great events that have taken
 place on that historic spot4 ,the ,king
 made ,ghent his headquarters1 and it   
was in the old ,castle of the ,counts   
that his third son1 known in ,english   
history as ,john of ,gaunt 7,ghent71 was
 born4 ,in the same year occurred the   
great ,battle of ,sluys1 in which       
,edward ,,iii led the ,english ships of 
war into the harbour of that town where 
the ,french ,king ,philip had assembled 
a vast fleet4 ,the defeated ,frenchmen  
leaped overboard in hundreds only to be 
slain by the ,flemings as they swam     
ashore4 ,no man dared tell the ,king of 
,france of this great disaster until the
 royal jester broke the news by         
exclaiming1 ,the ,english cowards6 ,oh1 
the ,english cowards6 ,on the ,king's   
inquiring what he meant by this1 the    
jester replied1 ,they were afraid to    
jump into the sea as our brave          
,frenchmen did at ,sluys6  ,this        

brilliant year1 however1 saw the climax 
of the power of ,van ,artevelde4        
,already the other ,flemish communes    
were beginning to grumble at his rule1  
outbreaks occurring at ,audenaerde1     
,dendermonde and ,ypres4 ,king ,edward  
began to besiege ,tournai with the aid  
of ,van ,artevelde1 but on the ,french  
,king agreeing to a truce he returned to
 ,england1 leaving his faithful ally to 
take care of himself as best he could4  
,to make matters more difficult1 he     
failed to pay the subsidies he had      
promised1 and the tribune was violently 
accused of having played the people     
false4 ,meanwhile the guildsmen began to
 dispute between themselves1 and on     
,monday1 ,may #b1 #acde1 in spite of the
 entreaties of ,van ,artevelde1 the     
fullers and weavers engaged in a bloody 
battle on the ,march du ,vendredi in    
which the former with their ,doyen1 or  
leader1 were massacred4 ,this sad day   
was called the ,kwade ,maendag1 or ,bad 
,monday4  ,early in ,july ,van          

,artevelde had a last interview with    
,edward at ,sluys4 ,on his return to    
,ghent a mob of malcontents1 led by men 
in the pay of ,count ,louis of ,nevers1 
besieged the great tribune in his house1
 crying that he had betrayed the        
country4 ,after vainly trying to argue  
with them1 he reluctantly permitted     
himself to be drawn away from the window
 by his followers1 who sought to        
persuade him to seek safety in flight4  
,it was too late1 however1 as the mob   
had already burst into the house and one
 of them struck ,van ,artevelde dead on 
his own threshold4 ,for nearly nine     
years he had been virtually a king in   
,flanders1 his policy bringing          
unexampled prosperity to the country and
 to his native city4  ,although often   
called a demagogue and a tyrant1        
,jacques ,van ,artevelde ranks as one of
 the foremost statesmen of his time4 ,he
 died the victim of a faction and of    
treachery rather than a popular revolt  
against his policies1 for the ,english  

alliance was steadfastly continued after
 his death4 ,to-day his statue stands on
 the ,march du ,vendredi1 where1 in     
#acdj1 he burned the papal interdict    
against ,flanders4 ,it represents him in
 the act of delivering the famous speech
 by which he won the allegiance of his  
fellow citizens to the ,english         
alliance4 ,count ,louis profited little 
by his treachery1 for a little over a   
year later1 ,august #bf1 #acdf1 he fell 
in the great battle of ,crcy where the  
,english archers1 fighting by the side  
of many ,flemish guildsmen1 gave the    
death blow to medival chivalry and      
utterly crushed the power of ,france4   
,the weavers1 who under ,van ,artevelde 
had become the dominant power in all of 
the ,flemish communes1 soon had good    
reason to regret his fall1 for the new  
,count1 ,louis of ,maele--named like    
most of the ,counts of ,flanders from   
the place where he was born1 the great  
castle of ,maele--was able by liberal   
promises and the restoration of ancient 

charters and privileges to win the      
support of most of the cities4 ,at      
,ghent the butchers1 fish merchants1 and
 boatmen's guilds submitted1 followed by
 the fullers and minor industries4 ,the 
weavers1 although their numbers had been
 greatly reduced by the plague1 held out
 stubbornly1 but were massacred on the  
,march du ,vendredi1 ,tuesday1 ,january 
#ac1 #acdi1 their captain and their     
,doyen1 ,grard ,denys--the man who had  
slain ,van ,artevelde--being flung into 
the ,lys4 ,the victors called this      
bloody day ,de ,goede ,disendach1 or    
,good ,tuesday1 and it certainly amply  
revenged the ,bad ,monday four years    
before when the weavers were the        
aggressors4 ,the members of the         
unfortunate guild were now hunted down  
like dogs throughout all ,flanders1     
great numbers fleeing to ,england where 
they established the weaving            
industry--,king ,edward wisely welcoming
 the exiles and giving them every aid in
 his power to settle in his ,kingdom4   

,later the competition of these         
fugitives and their descendants gave    
,flanders good cause to rue the folly of
 the internal strife that thus drove    
away some of the best workmen in the    
country4  ,the numerical superiority of 
this guild1 however1 and the fact that  
its members were necessarily more       
skilled than the fullers1 led to its    
gradual recovery1 and by #acei the      
weavers were again admitted to a share  
in the government of the communes and   
the fullers were relegated to the       
inferior position to which their smaller
 numbers and less skilled work entitled 
them4 ,louis of ,maele made ,bruges     
virtually his capital1 but during the   
greater part of his reign of forty years
 was able to continue on fairly peaceful
 terms with the turbulent city of ,ghent
 by means of a careful and detailed     
adjustment of the order of precedence   
between the various guilds which was    
devised about the year #aceb and        
continued in effect for nearly two      

centuries4 ,in #acfi the daughter of the
 ,count married ,philip the ,bold1 ,duke
 of ,burgundy and brother of the ,king  
of ,france--an event full of dire       
significance for the guildsmen as it led
 to their having1 in after years1 the   
powerful ,dukes of ,burgundy as their   
over-lords instead of the comparatively 
feeble ,counts of ,flanders4 ,in #acgg  
,count ,louis held a great tournament in
 the ,march du ,vendredi4 ,despite the  
long conflict between the guilds the    
city was at this period very prosperous4
  ,the ,count1 however1 who was always  
short of money1 sold to the citizens of 
,bruges the right to construct a canal  
from their port to the ,river ,lys4 ,at 
this ,ghent1 headed by the ,boatmen's   
,guild1 flew to arms and a civil war    
broke out in #acgi1 the men of ,ghent   
fearing that they might lose their      
monopoly of the grain traffic4 ,after   
various successes and reverses the      
,count besieged the city and had very   
nearly reduced it by starvation when    

,philip ,van ,artevelde1 son of the     
famous tribune1 came forward and was    
made ,captain-,general of the city1 in  
#achb4 ,the new leader1 and a motley    
crowd of five thousand half-starved     
followers1 marched on ,bruges1 where the
 ,count1 at the head of a host of over  
forty thousand1 attacked them under the 
walls of the city4 ,the larger army1    
however1 was a mere                     
rabble--over-confident and half         
intoxicated--and ,van ,artevelde won a  
complete victory4 ,the ,count of        
,flanders was compelled to hide for the 
night under a heap of straw in a poor   
woman's hovel1 and later escaped to     
,lille and so to ,france4 ,van          
,artevelde treated the captured city    
with generosity and was soon captain of 
all ,flanders4 ,his next battle was with
 the ,king of ,france1 but this time he 
was less fortunate1 and at ,rosbecque1  
,november #bg1 #achb1 the ,flemish host 
was cut to pieces and its leader slain4 
,louis of ,maele himself died two years 

later1 leaving the reputation of being  
the worst and weakest of the line of    
,flemish ,counts1 as well as the last4  
,it was at his request that the ,french 
had invaded the country1 which they     
swept with fire and sword after the     
defeat of the ,flemish guildsmen1 but   
the victory was of no benefit to the    
broken-down old man who no longer dared 
to show himself in ,flanders and died at
 ,paris in poverty and neglect4  ,as an 
offset to these remarks regarding the   
weakness of ,louis of ,maele it is only 
fair to that worthy to relate a little  
legend generally attributed to his      
reign4 ,it is said that on a certain    
occasion the magistrates of             
,ghent--which was at the time renowned  
as the most opulent city in             
,europe--were invited to a great feast  
given in honour of some foreign king4   
,those in charge of the arrangements    
forgot1 however1 to put cushions on the 
chairs and the men of ,ghent accordingly
 threw their richly embroidered cloaks  

upon them1 and retired when the feast   
was over without putting them on again4 
,when reminded of this the ,chief       
,magistrate replied1 ,the ,flemings are 
not accustomed to carry their cushions  
with them4 ,not only the grandees but   
the bourgeois citizens at this period   
were said to wear purple and fine linen4
 ,the baths1 stooven1 frequented by both
 sexes1 became the scenes of great vice 
and disorder and one ancient chronicler 
reports an incredible number of murders 
as occurring during a single year at    
gaming tables and drinking places4 ,all 
this would seem to show that ,louis of  
,maele was not so bad a sovereign--for  
at least the country prospered under his
 rule--but in reality he had1 as we have
 seen1 very little to do either with the
 actual government or public policy     
during his long reign4  ,no visitor to  
,ghent fails to take a look at ,de      
,dulle ,griete1 or ,mad ,margery1       
,philip ,van ,artevelde's big cannon    
that stands in the ,mannekens ,aert4    

,according to ,froissart1 ,van          
,artevelde took with him to the siege of
 ,audenaerde a bombard which was fifty  
feet in length1 and shot stones of      
immense weight4 ,when they fired off    
this bombard it might be heard five     
leagues off in the daytime1 and ten at  
night4 ,the report of it was so loud1   
that it seemed as if all the devils in  
hell had broken loose4 ,mad ,margery    
seems to have shrunk considerably since 
,froissart's time1 for she is now       
nineteen feet long and three feet in    
diameter at the mouth4 ,the gun was made
 of wrought iron and weighs thirty-four 
thousand1 one hundred and sixty-six     
pounds1 and was capable of throwing a   
stone weighing seven hundred and eight  
pounds4  ,illustration3 ,,de ,,dulle    
,,griete1 ,,ghent4  ,another interesting
 monument dating from the same period in
 the city's history as the ,belfry is   
the ,hospital of the ,biloque or        
,biloke4 ,some of the buildings are of  
much more recent construction1 but the  

,gothic chapel was built early in the   
thirteenth century1 apparently about    
#abbh1 with a double gable and immense  
timber roof4 ,the former ,refectory     
offers an example of early brick work at
 one of its ends1 le beau pignon1 that  
is a joy to architects1 and has often   
been described and illustrated in the   
technical books4 ,the timber roof of    
this structure is also noteworthy4 ,it  
is now used as a hospital for old men4  
,this edifice is a century later than   
the chapel1 while some of the other     
buildings date from the seventeenth and 
eighteenth centuries4  ,ghent contains  
two ,bguinages1 a circumstance that     
gives not a little trouble to visitors  
who in trying to visit one are about    
always--at least that was our experience
 on two occasions--directed to the      
other4 ,both are large1 but one is more 
notable for its antiquity and the other 
for its size and the perfection of its  
appointments4 ,the first ,bguinage in   
,ghent was founded by ,jeanne of        

,constantinople in #abcc as a place of  
refuge for women disciples of the church
 who in those evil days felt the need of
 protection1 but did not desire to enter
 the conventual life4 ,little houses    
sprang up and the institution proved so 
popular that a second ,bguinage was soon
 established which came to be called the
 ,petit ,bguinage4 ,protected by the    
successive ,counts1 and particularly by 
the patronage of the ,countesses of     
,flanders1 both institutions flourished 
and expanded steadily4 ,the present     
,petit ,bguinage de ,notre ,dame dates  
largely from the seventeenth century1   
and the ,chapel and streets of tiny     
houses inhabited by the ,bguines are    
most picturesque4 ,it has accommodations
 for three hundred sisters4 ,the ,grand 
,bguinage de ,ste4 ,elisabeth was       
confiscated during the ,french          
,revolution and the property presented  
to the almshouses of the city of ,ghent4
 ,the ,committee in charge of the       
almshouses suffered the ,bguines to     

remain undisturbed1 however1 until #ahgb
 when strained relations resulting from 
this arrangement led to the ,bguines    
giving up their establishment1 which was
 modernized by the authorities and many 
of its interesting features destroyed4  
,the church remains1 having become a    
parish church1 and the rue des          
,prbendires retains its original        
appearance4 ,meanwhile1 the ,duke of    
,arenberg purchased ground for a new    
,grande ,bguinage at ,mont ,st4 ,amand1 
and here a little city of small houses1 
designed in fifteenth-century ,flemish  
style1 and a new chapel were erected1   
the work being completed in #ahgd4      
,illustration3 ,,workroom1 ,,petit      
,b,,guinage ,,de ,,notre ,,dame1        
,,ghent4  ,we spent a very charming     
afternoon visiting the ,grande          
,bguinage4 ,passing through the lofty   
gateway we were greeted by the          
pleasant-faced ,bguine who receives all 
visitors and who directed us how to     
reach the buildings we were permitted to

 see4 ,as at ,bruges1 the cells were not
 shown to visitors4 ,altogether at ,st4 
,amand there are fourteen convents and  
eighty houses1 the former accommodating 
twenty or thirty inmates and the latter 
two or three1 with occasionally some    
lady from the outer world who is taken  
as a lodger4 ,each little house is      
numbered and also has a name1 usually   
that of some saint4 ,arriving at the    
convent we had been permitted to visit  
we were first conducted down a long1    
clean corridor1 painted a glaring white1
 to a parlour or reception room1 of     
which there appear to be several4 ,then1
 after the ,lady ,superior had been     
notified of our presence and had come to
 welcome us1 we were taken to the       
refter1 or dining-room4 ,the inventor of
 the kitchen cabinet could have taken   
points from this curious apartment4     
,along the walls and between the windows
 are a dozen or more cupboards1 of which
 one belongs to each ,bguine4 ,here she 
keeps her napkins1 dishes and cooking   

utensils1 and even her bread and        
provisions4 ,a board can be pulled out  
near the middle1 which serves as a      
table4 ,these cupboards are so          
constructed that no ,bguine can see into
 that of her neighbour1 and apparently  
they take their meals one at a time1 as 
one was eating her frugal repast when we
 entered1 and when we passed through the
 room again a little later her little   
private refectory was closed and another
 one was seated at her little shelf or  
table4 ,adjoining this queer dining-room
 was a large kitchen1 with an extremely 
big cook stove1 on which a half-dozen   
little pots were simmering gently4 ,one 
,bguine1 we were told1 has the duty of  
attending to the kitchen for three      
weeks1 then another1 each taking turns4 
,the ,bguines prepare their own meals to
 suit themselves1 the one in charge of  
the kitchen merely looking after the    
actual process of cooking4  ,we next    
visited the workroom1 where a group of  
,bguines were busily engaged in making  

lace4 ,the bright sunshine streaming    
through the large windows on the silent 
group of workers1 each clad in her      
sombre garb of black and white1 made a  
pretty picture4 ,all seemed to be       
care-free and contented1 though the     
expression on their faces could hardly  
be described as one of happiness4 ,as in
 all conventual institutions1 the       
inmates are required to go through quite
 a series of devotional exercises from  
morning mass to the ,benediction ,night 
,prayers4 ,the scene in the little      
chapel attached to each convent1 or in  
the large chapel of the entire          
,bguinage1 when the sisters are         
assembled for service is a very         
picturesque one and gives the visitor an
 impression likely long to be           
remembered4  ,speaking of the peculiar  
dining customs of the ,bguines reminds  
me that in ,flanders the judicious      
should not overlook the importance of   
doing justice to the culinary treats    
that are provided by even the little    

hotels4 ,for those travellers who look  
upon eating as one of the disagreeable  
necessities of existence1 to be shirked 
or evaded as far as possible1 and1 in   
any event1 to be hurried through with   
quickly lest something be overlooked    
that the immortal ,mr4 ,baedeker said   
must be seen1 this is one feature of    
,flemish life that will make no appeal4 
,on the other hand1 for those who are   
neither mentally nor bodily dyspeptic2  
who agree with the ,french aphorism that
 the animals feed1 while man eats2 and  
who are still able to enjoy a good meal 
well planned1 well cooked1 and well     
served1 a trip through ,flanders will   
bring a new pleasure every day4 ,a peep 
into any ,flemish kitchen will convince 
the most sceptical that here1 at all    
events1 one's stomach is not likely to  
be forgotten4 ,pots and kettles1        
casseroles and pans1 pitchers and jugs1 
large and small1 hang around the walls  
or rest upon long shelves--all of       
brightly polished copper and ready for  

instant service4  ,the great meal of the
 day in all parts of ,flanders is the   
dinner1 and it cuts the day in          
two--coming between noon and two o'clock
 and usually lasting an hour or more4   
,the evening meal1 or supper1 is much   
less important1 save in a few hotels    
catering largely to tourists4 ,to get up
 a real ,flemish dinner1 cooked and     
served in the best style of which the   
,flemish cooks are capable1 the         
housewife first ascertains when the     
local butcher has fresh-killed meat and 
plans accordingly4 ,vegetables in       
,flanders are always good1 in their     
respective seasons1 but to get the      
finest quality of meats one must buy    
just after the butcher has made a       
killing4 ,to ,americans1 who have been  
accustomed all their lives to eat meat  
that has been kept on ice1 it almost    
seems as though one has never tasted a  
roast of beef or a shoulder of mutton   
before--so deliciously sweet1 tender and
 juicy are they when cooked and eaten   

before the ice has robbed them of their 
richness and flavour4  ,it was while we 
were browsing around ,ghent that the    
ladies discovered a bit of handicraft   
that seems worth mentioning4 ,we        
subsequently saw the same thing at      
,brussels and ,antwerp1 so that it      
appears to be distinctly a ,belgian     
industry4 ,in a large window they       
noticed two women engaged in what from  
over the way might have been taken for  
lace-making4 ,mrs4 ,professor hurried   
across at once to investigate and she   
and the ,madame spent half an hour      
watching the operation4 ,each of the two
 women was engaged in repairing1 the one
 a pair of trousers and the other an    
overcoat4 ,in each case the repair      
consisted of literally weaving a new    
segment of cloth in place of the damaged
 portion4 ,first cutting out all of the 
latter they frayed out an edge of the   
goods at some point where there was     
sufficient material turned under for    
their purpose4 ,this done they took     

short strands of each of the various    
coloured yarns and1 with infinite       
patience and skill1 wove them together  
in an exact reproduction of the design  
of the original textile4 ,so cleverly   
was the work done that when completed   
the reparation could not be detected4   
,it is possible that repairing of this  
kind is done in ,america but none of us 
had ever seen or heard of it4 ,in       
,belgium it seemed to be fairly common1 
being styled ,reparation invisible1 and 
the price varying from one to three or  
four francs for each hole repaired1     
according to the nature of the goods and
 the design4 ,we also saw rugs being    
repaired in the same manner1 as well as 
ladies' dress goods of every            
description4  ,it is one of the most    
deplorable features of the war that its 
most fearful destructiveness should have
 been wreaked upon a little country     
where every small economy and patient   
utilisation of trifles had been         
practised for centuries4 ,all ,belgium  

is pre-eminently a land of thrift1 of   
painstaking husbanding of small         
resources1 and to beggar half the       
population of such a country means a    
calamity to each family group and       
individual far more poignant than would 
be the case where frugality was less    
deeply ingrained as a national          
characteristic4     ,,chapter ,,xi      
,,philip ,,the ,,good ,,and ,,the ,,van 
,,eycks   ,as the sunset is often the   
most beautiful hour of the day1 so the  
splendour of the old ,flemish communes  
reached its zenith at the moment when   
many of them were about to sink into    
their long sleep4 ,this was the period  
of ,burgundian rule4 ,upon the death of 
,louis of ,maele the ,county of         
,flanders ceased to be a separate       
sovereignty1 as it had been since       
,baldwin of the ,iron ,arm1 for the     
husband of ,margaret1 the old ,count's  
daughter1 was ,duke of ,burgundy and    
brother of the ,king of ,france--a      
foreign prince whose interests in       

,france far out-weighed in his mind his 
interests in ,flanders4 ,the new ruler1 
,philip the ,bold1 was acknowledged as  
,count of ,flanders in #achd1 but was   
only able to enter ,audenaerde by       
stratagem after a siege1 and was defied 
openly by the sturdy burghers of ,ghent4
 ,the following year1 however1 ,philip  
effected a family union by which he     
virtually controlled the two important  
,states of ,brabant and ,hainaut4 ,his  
eldest son was married to ,margaret1    
daughter of the ,regent of ,hainaut1    
while the latter's son married ,philip's
 daughter4 ,these marriages were        
celebrated at ,cambrai1 in ,april1      
#ache1 and at the same time the ,duchess
 of ,brabant recognised ,philip's second
 son as heir to the ,duchy4 ,brabant at 
that time was less rich and powerful    
than ,flanders1 but its chief cities1   
,brussels and ,louvain1 were growing    
rapidly4 ,hainaut1 on the other hand1   
had been termed by one of its leaders a 
poor country of proud men--its chief    

cities1 ,mons and ,valenciennes1 being  
places of third-rate importance1 and its
 present vast mineral wealth then       
undreamed of4 ,the marriages of ,cambrai
 are worth remembering1 however1 as     
explaining the rapidity with which the  
,house of ,burgundy extended its sway   
over nearly all of what is now ,belgium4
  ,ghent still resisted its new ,count1 
but an army of one hundred thousand     
,french and ,burgundians--gathered      
primarily to invade ,england--destroyed 
the seaport of ,damme1 which had been   
rebuilt since its previous destruction  
by the ,french1 and plundered the ,four 
,trades1 as the fertile region          
thereabout was called4 ,ghent1 however1 
had suffered enough to make it sue for  
peace and acknowledge ,philip's         
sovereignty4 ,the invasion of ,england  
project came to nothing--as have so many
 others before and since--but it had at 
least enabled ,philip to establish his  
power in ,flanders4  ,on ,philip's death
 in #adjd1 he was succeeded by his son1 

,john the ,fearless 7as the old         
chroniclers call him74 ,the life of this
 prince belongs to the history of       
,france rather than ,flanders1 as he had
 little use for his ,flemish towns      
except to extort money from their       
burghers--who granted him such sums as  
he required on his renewing             
acknowledgment of their liberties and   
privileges4 ,in #adjg ,john caused the  
murder of his great rival in the        
government of ,france1 the ,duke of     
,orleans4 ,then came the battle of      
,agincourt1 where the power of ,france  
was ruined by ,henry the ,fifth1 and in 
#adai the son of the ,duke of ,orleans  
avenged the murder of his father twelve 
years previously by murdering ,john the 
,fearless at ,montereau4  ,the son of   
,john the ,fearless was ,philip1 called 
by the chroniclers the ,good4 ,a better 
term would have been the ,magnificent1  
for goodness was hardly his chief       
characteristic4 ,the murder of his      
father caused ,philip to take the side  

of ,england in the long conflict between
 that country and ,france that was still
 raging--a policy that pleased his      
,flemish communes1 which depended for   
their prosperity on the wool trade4     
,meanwhile ,philip took advantage of the
 matrimonial difficulties of ,jacqueline
 of ,bavaria1 ,countess of ,hainaut and 
,holland1 to compel that beautiful but  
unfortunate princess to abdicate in his 
favour4 ,the dungeon in the ,castle of  
the ,counts at ,ghent1 where the fair   
,jacqueline was for a time confined1 has
 already been mentioned4 ,he also       
succeeded in making himself ,duke of    
,brabant1 thus uniting in his own person
 the government of these rich provinces 
with that of ,flanders and ,burgundy and
 his other possessions in ,france4  ,in 
#adcj ,philip married the ,princess     
,isabel of ,portugal1 a                 
great-granddaughter of ,john1 ,duke of  
,lancaster4 ,this marriage cemented the 
,english alliance1 and the ,english made
 ,philip ,regent of ,france1 over which 

they still claimed sovereignty4 ,it was 
,philip who captured and indirectly     
caused the execution of ,jeanne d',arc  
at the darkest period of ,french        
history4  ,the now all-powerful ,duke of
 ,burgundy signalized his marriage by   
establishing at ,bruges the famous      
,order of the ,golden ,fleece4 ,this    
consisted of himself1 as founder and    
sovereign prince1 and twenty-four       
knights--naturally the highest in the   
land--and in renown and lustre the new  
order quickly took rank as the very     
pinnacle of medival chivalry4           
,membership was an honour than which    
there was none higher1 while members    
also enjoyed a personal security against
 the tyranny of princes in being        
amenable only to their comrades of the  
order4 ,the head of such an institution 
naturally exerted powers equal1 and1 in 
some respects1 superior1 to those of any
 crowned monarch4 ,the ftes with which  
,philip celebrated the establishment of 
the order were without precedent in the 

history of ,europe for magnificence1 and
 the old city of ,bruges was for days   
thronged with the bravest knights and   
the fairest ladies to be found in the   
,duke's widespread dominions4  ,up to   
this date the policy of ,philip had     
coincided with the interests of his     
great communes in ,flanders and his     
popularity throughout the county was    
unbounded4 ,not only did friendship with
 ,england protect and stimulate trade   
between the two countries1 but the      
misery and ruin of ,france also         
contributed to extend the commerce of   
the great towns just over the frontier  
whose trade and industries were         
unmolested4 ,in #adce ,philip concluded 
the treaty of ,arras with ,charles      
,,vii1 ,king of ,france1 by which1 for  
the sake of peace1 the ,french ,king    
ceded to him a number of counties in    
,france and made him1 during his        
lifetime at least1 an independent prince
 owing no homage to the ,french ,crown4 
,this treaty naturally enraged the      

,english1 who at once declared war on   
,burgundy1 destroying many ,burgundian  
vessels and raiding its coast towns4 ,in
 revenge ,duke ,philip marched on       
,calais with an army of thirty thousand 
,flemings whom he induced to join in the
 war against their ancient ally chiefly 
through their confidence in his good    
intentions and against their own better 
judgment4 ,the siege proved to be a long
 one1 and the ,flemings becoming        
discontented finally set fire to their  
camp and crying1 ,go1 go1 wy zyn all    
vermanden6 7,go1 go1 we are all         
betrayed67 marched back to ,flanders1   
leaving their ,duke raging at his       
discomfiture4  ,this fiasco determined  
,philip to adopt a new policy toward the
 communes and compel them to obey his   
orders4 ,on ,may #bb1 #adcg1 he camped  
outside of the city of ,bruges with a   
considerable force of knights and       
,picard footmen1 informing the burghers 
that he was on his way to ,holland4 ,the
 next day1 telling his men ,that is the 

,holland we have come to conquer6 as he 
pointed to the city1 ,philip led his    
forces to the market-place4 ,the tocsin 
in the old belfry instantly sounded the 
alarm1 and angry guildsmen and burghers 
came pouring down the narrow streets in 
thousands4 ,philip's small force1 taken 
at a disadvantage1 was forced to retreat
 to one of the gates4 ,it was shut1 its 
heavy bolts securely drawn4 ,already    
some of the ,french force had been      
killed1 and in a few moments the ,duke  
himself would have perished but for     
,burgomaster ,van de ,walle1 who brought
 a smith and broke the lock4 ,the ,duke 
escaped with most of his followers1 but 
many who were caught in the rear lost   
their lives4 ,this was the ,bruges      
,vespers--to distinguish it from ,bruges
 ,matin1 the year of the ,battle of the 
,spurs4  ,philip now set about humbling 
the proud city in grim earnest1 cutting 
off the commerce upon which its         
prosperity depended1 and even its food  
supplies4 ,to add to the horrors of the 

siege the plague broke out within the   
city1 while leprosy was also prevalent4 
,no less than twenty-four thousand died 
of pestilence and famine before the     
brave burghers at last gave in4         
,philip's terms were hard4 ,the city    
officials were required to meet him     
bareheaded and barefooted the next time 
he deigned to visit the defeated        
commune1 and on their knees give him the
 keys of the city4 ,a heavy fine was    
imposed and forty-two leading burghers  
were excluded from amnesty and          
beheaded--including ,van de ,walle1 who 
had saved his life at the ,bouverie     
gate4 ,this was the ,great ,humiliation1
 as it is sometimes called1 but--finding
 that continued hostility to the chief  
trading centre in his dominions was     
driving foreign traders away--the ,duke 
now took ,bruges again into his favour  
and never again molested it during his  
long reign4  ,the proud city of ,ghent  
was the next to feel the weight of the  
powerful ,duke's displeasure4 ,rebelling

 in #addh against the imposition of a   
tax on salt1 called the gabelle1 the    
city defied the ,duke's authority for   
five years4 ,meanwhile ,philip gradually
 cut off its supplies1 as he had done   
with ,bruges4 ,ghent was more populous1 
however1 and its burgher armies took the
 field and carried open war as far as   
,audenaerde1 which they besieged4       
,several small battles were fought1 the 
advantage resting mainly with the ,duke1
 until on ,july #bc1 #adec1 the decisive
 conflict took place4 ,the ,duke's      
forces were encamped at ,gavre1 a few   
miles from the city4 ,spies within the  
gates told the burghers that it would be
 easy to surprise the camp and destroy  
,philip's army4 ,the tocsin therefore   
was sounded and the hosts of guildsmen  
and burghers marched out to attack the  
enemy4 ,the ,duke's forces1 aware of the
 manner in which the ,flemings were to  
be betrayed1 were placed where the open 
ground favoured the ,burgundian         
horsemen4 ,in spite of this advantage1  

the contest was a stubborn one1 both the
 ,duke and his son ,charles narrowly    
escaping death on one occasion4 ,at last
 the ,flemings began to give way1 and   
the battle became a slaughter1 more than
 twenty thousand of the guildsmen being 
slain on the field1 while all prisoners 
were hanged4 ,this struggle was called  
the red sea of ,gavre4 ,as the men of   
,ghent were fleeing toward their city   
,philip sought to pursue them by the    
shortest way and intercept their flight4
 ,he accordingly called for a guide4 ,a 
peasant of the neighbourhood            
volunteered1 and1 after leading the     
,burgundian army across fields and      
by-paths for several hours1 conducted   
the victors--not to the gates of ,ghent1
 but back to their own camp again6 ,this
 nameless hero was incontinently hanged 
to the nearest tree1 but he no doubt    
saved the city from pillage and rapine  
that night4  ,philip by this victory    
completely crushed the spirit of the    
communes1 for none dared resist when    

,ghent the all-powerful had failed4 ,he 
seems to have had at least a fleeting   
realisation1 however1 that victories of 
this sort were not matters for          
unmitigated satisfaction4 ,the day after
 the battle the women of ,ghent were    
searching the ghastly heaps of dead for 
the bodies of their husbands1 their     
brothers and their lovers when ,philip  
exclaimed--possibly touched by the sad  
sight--,i do not know who is the gainer 
by this victory4 ,as for me1 see what ,i
 have lost--for these were my subjects6 
,the privileges of ,ghent were somewhat 
curtailed1 and the dearly loved guild   
banners carried away by the conqueror1  
but ,philip1 on the whole1 was very     
moderate4 ,the obnoxious gabelle1 the   
cause of the war1 was removed1 and all  
citizens guaranteed their individual    
liberties4 ,the following year1 ,philip1
 possibly to celebrate his now          
undisputed supremacy1 gave a series of  
ftes at ,lille that surpassed even those
 held on the occasion of his marriage at

 the foundation of the ,order of the    
,golden ,fleece4 ,upon one dining table 
stood a cathedral1 with a choir singing 
within2 another held a huge pie1 inside 
of which an orchestra of twenty-eight   
musicians played2 a third contained a   
pantomime representing ,jason in search 
of the golden fleece4 ,these ftes and   
tournaments lasted for days1 and were   
the wonder of ,europe4  ,during the     
remainder of his reign of fifty years   
,philip never again had occasion to make
 war on his ,flemish subjects1 and while
 he seriously curtailed the power and   
importance of the communes1 his rule    
was1 on the whole1 a period of great    
prosperity for ,flanders4 ,both         
merchants and artisans were waxing rich1
 while the chief cities were being      
beautified on every hand4 ,it was under 
,philip the ,good that the cathedral at 
,antwerp was begun1 and the town halls  
of ,mons1 ,louvain and ,brussels        
erected4 ,it was also during his reign  
that ,william ,caxton learned the art of

 printing at the house of ,colard       
,manson at ,bruges1 but the prejudice of
 the burghers led to his banishment as a
 foreigner--thus depriving ,bruges of   
the lustre of his achievements4 ,the    
greatest event of ,philip's reign1      
however1 was one of which the glory is  
shared by both ,bruges and ,ghent--the  
establishment in ,flanders of the school
 of painters in oils whose masterpieces 
loom so large in the history of art4    
,like most men whose commanding         
personality dominates the age in which  
they live1 ,philip the ,good was many   
sided4 ,the ,professor admires him      
because he was1 in his judgment1 one of 
the greatest constructive statesmen of  
the ,middle ,ages--aiming steadily      
throughout his long reign to weld       
together1 by fair means or foul1 a      
compact ,burgundian nation4 ,on the     
other hand1 ,i look upon him as a foe   
rather than a friend of true progress1  
because he crushed the self-governing   
communes and guilds1 the bulwarks of    

personal liberty in feudal ,europe4     
,mrs4 ,professor cares nothing for      
either of these aspects of his career1  
but looks upon him as great for all time
 because he was an ardent friend and    
patron of the fine arts4  ,in this she  
is undoubtedly right1 for no greater    
glory belongs to any of the long line of
 princes who ruled over ,flanders than  
that which is associated with his       
reign--the birth at ,bruges of the art  
of painting with oils and of the        
wonderful school of painting represented
 by the early ,flemish masters4 ,in his 
,history of ,flemish ,painting ,prof4   
,a4 ,j4 ,wauters recounts the names and 
some faint traces of the work of a few  
,flemish painters who lived prior to the
 period of ,philip the ,good4 ,at ,ghent
 there are two interesting frescoes     
dating from about the end of the        
thirteenth century4 ,at that city in    
#accg the first guild of sculptors was  
organised1 under the patronage of ,st4  
,luke1 and similar corporations were    

instituted at ,tournai in #acda1 in     
,bruges in #acea1 at ,louvain by #acfj  
and ,antwerp by #achb4 ,to this guild   
from the very earliest period the       
painters belonged1 sometimes the        
goldsmiths and goldbeaters being also   
associated with them4 ,in the same way  
the illuminators of ,bruges and ,ghent1 
and the tapestry workers of ,arras1     
,tournai1 ,valenciennes and ,brussels   
were organised into guilds1 and these   
associations of men whose work was in a 
high degree artistic soon resulted in   
the transformation of the artisan into  
the artist4  ,philip the ,good was not  
the first of his line to give           
encouragement to art and artists4 ,one  
,jehan de ,hasselt was court painter to 
,count ,louis of ,maele1 while at the   
same period the better known ,jehan de  
,bruges was peintre et varlet de chambre
 for the ,king of ,france4 ,by the end  
of the fourteenth century not only the  
great ,dukes of ,burgundy and the ,kings
 of ,france but many minor princes had  

their chosen painters1 imagers1         
illuminators and tapestry workers4      
,philip the ,bold1 the first of the     
,dukes of ,burgundy to rule over        
,flanders1 retained his father-in-law's 
painter1 ,jehan de ,hasselt1 on his     
pay-roll for some time1 and later       
employed a resident of ,ypres1 ,melchior
 ,broederlam1 whose masterpiece was an  
altar-piece for the ,carthusian         
monastery at ,dijon founded by his      
patron4 ,part of this has been preserved
 and is now in the museum of ,dijon4 ,it
 is of interest as the first great      
painting of the early ,flemish school   
and represents the ,annunciation and    
,visitation1 the ,presentation in the   
,temple1 and the ,flight into ,egypt4   
,john the ,fearless1 the next ,duke of  
,burgundy1 likewise had his official    
painter1 but it was not until the reign 
of ,philip the ,good that any of these  
,ducal artists1 with the exception of   
,broederlam1 achieved more than mediocre
 results4  ,the reason for this may have

 been the medium with which all painters
 in those days were accustomed to work4 
,this was called tempera1 the colours   
being mixed with water1 the white of an 
egg or some other glutinous substance1  
then dried in the sun and varnished     
over4 ,the colours1 however1 soon became
 dull and pale--often fading away       
altogether1 especially in course of     
restoration--and the process of drying  
was slow and unsatisfactory4 ,to        
,flanders belongs the honour of the     
great discovery of the art of painting  
with oils that revolutionised this      
branch of the fine arts and made the    
master-works of the artists of the brush
 imperishable for all time4  ,this      
epoch-making discovery1 which is justly 
looked upon as the birth of modern      
painting1 was made by the two brothers  
,van ,eyck about the year #adaj4 ,the   
early accounts attribute the invention  
wholly to ,jean1 the younger of the two 
brothers1 relating that on a certain    
occasion he had placed a painting on    

wood1 which had cost him much time and  
labour1 in the sun to dry when the heat 
of the sun caused it to crack4 ,seeing  
his work thus ruined at a blow ,jean    
sought to find some substance that would
 obviate the necessity of drying his    
paintings in the sun and1 after many    
experiments1 discovered that linseed oil
 and nut oil were by far the most rapid 
in drying4 ,he further found that the   
colours mixed better in oil than with   
the white of an egg or glue4 ,they also 
had more body1 a far richer lustre1 were
 impermeable to water and--what was best
 of all--dried just as well in the shade
 as in the sun4 ,later scholarship is   
not inclined to give the entire credit  
for this discovery to ,jean alone1      
however1 and his elder brother ,hubert  
is looked upon by some as the one to    
whom the glory is due4 ,probably it was 
the joint result of innumerable         
experiments made by both1 each profiting
 by the mistakes and successes of the   
other--just as was the case with the    

,wright brothers in perfecting the      
greatest invention of our own times4    
,there were1 of course1 other pioneers  
who contributed to the great discovery4 
,the brothers were born at ,maeseyck    
7,eyck-sur-,meuse7 near ,maestricht1 and
 took the name of the village as their  
own in a way that was then very common4 
,literally they called themselves       
,hubert and ,jean of ,eyck4 ,they first 
obtained service under the prince-bishop
 of ,lige1 and were illuminators of     
manuscripts and statues as well as      
painters4 ,the increasing wealth and    
luxury of ,flanders under the ,dukes of 
,burgundy drew the two brothers to that 
country and they appear to have been in 
the employ of the ,count of ,charolais1 
afterwards the ,duke ,philip the ,good1 
at about the date assigned by the early 
historians as that when the art of      
painting with oils was discovered4 ,the 
,count was residing at that time in the 
,chteau des ,comtes at ,ghent with his  
young wife ,michelle1 sister of the     

,duke of ,orleans4 ,in #adai1 when the  
news of the murder of ,john the         
,fearless1 ,duke of ,burgundy1 by the   
,duke of ,orleans on the bridge of      
,montereau arrived at ,ghent1 ,philip   
rushed into his wife's room crying1     
,michelle1 ,michelle6 ,your brother has 
killed my father6 ,the shock of this    
terrible intelligence1 and the          
subsequent suspicion of her husband that
 she knew of the plot1 caused the poor  
little ,french princess to pine away and
 die two years later4 ,as a tribute to  
her memory the guild of ,st4 ,luke was  
asked by the ,duke to grant the freedom 
of the guild to her favourite painters1 
the two ,van ,eycks1 which was done4    
,jean1 however1 did not remain at       
,ghent1 but took service for a time     
under ,john of ,bavaria1 whose capital  
was at ,the ,hague4 ,in #adbe he became 
painter and varlet de chambre of ,philip
 the ,good1 a position he retained until
 his death4 ,for a time he seems to have
 travelled about with his ducal master1 

but he eventually settled at ,bruges1   
where most of his best work was done4   
,hubert1 meanwhile1 remained at ,ghent1 
painting for the rich burghers of that  
prosperous city4 ,here he presently     
received an order from ,jodocus ,vydts  
for an altar-piece for a chapel he had  
founded in the ,cathedral of ,st4 ,bavon
 in his native city of ,ghent4 ,hubert  
began work immediately1 planned the     
great work and lived to partially       
complete it when overtaken by death in  
#adbf4 ,hubert was recognised as a great
 painter in his day1 the magistrates of 
,ghent on one occasion going in state to
 his studio to inspect a picture he was 
painting--which was no doubt the        
altar-piece for ,st4 ,bavon4 ,he was1   
however1 wholly forgotten by early      
historians of art in ,flanders1 and it  
is only recently that he has been given 
his proper place as one of the first of 
the great masters of the ,flemish       
school4  ,the subject chosen by ,hubert 
for the proposed altar-piece was the    

,adoration of the ,lamb1 and the artist1
 while true to the conventions of the   
age in which he lived1 achieved a work  
that is still full of interest and      
charm4 ,like ,shakespeare's plays this1 
the first great masterpiece of the      
,flemish school1 belongs not to an age  
but to all time4 ,in its entirety the   
work consists of twenty panels and      
comprises more than three hundred       
separate figures4 ,how far it had been  
completed at ,hubert's death there is no
 way to tell1 although it is customary  
to attribute to him the architectural   
frame1 the central panel showing the    
lamb1 and the large upper panels4 ,other
 critics believe that ,jean practically 
painted the whole picture when he was   
commissioned by the donor to complete   
it4 ,the books on ,flemish art devote   
many pages to an analytical description 
of this picture1#a which was finally    
completed by ,jean in #adcb4 ,the ,duke 
,philip1 his patron1 and the magistrates
 of ,bruges visited his studio in state 

to inspect the finished picture1 which  
was afterwards publicly exhibited at    
,ghent4 ,when it is considered that this
 is the very first painting in oil that 
has come down to us it is in every      
respect a most marvellous performance4  
,the three large central panels in the  
upper portion are especially noble and  
impressive1 that of ,god the ,father1 in
 the centre1 being finely expressive of 
majesty and repose4 ,in the panel to the
 left of the ,virgin ,mary is a group of
 youthful angels singing1 who are so    
skilfully painted that one can readily  
tell from looking at them which is      
singing the dominant1 which the         
counter-tenor1 and which the tenor and  
the bass1 according to an early critic4 
,we were told by a ,belgian cur with    
whom we talked about this wonderful     
picture shortly before our visit to     
,ghent that the work is so fine in its  
details that in the case of the figures 
in the foreground who are holding open  
in their hands copies of the ,scriptures

 the very passage at which each book is 
opened can be distinguished6 ,we        
verified this remarkable assertion by   
the aid of a glass loaned us by an      
attendant4  ,footnote #a3 ,see ,the     
,early ,flemish ,painters1 by ,j4 ,a4   
,crowe and ,g4 ,b4 ,cavalcaselle1 pp4   
#di-fc2 and ,belgium1 ,its ,cities1 by  
,grant ,allen1 pp4 #afd-age4  ,the      
subsequent history of the painting is   
interesting4 ,philip ,,ii1 who carried  
many ,flemish masterpieces away to      
,spain1 admired this one1 but contented 
himself with a copy by ,michel ,coxcie1 
for which he paid four thousand         
ducats--which was quite likely more than
 the ,van ,eyck brothers received for   
the original4 ,about #aegh the          
,calvinists of ,ghent wished to present 
the painting to ,queen ,elizabeth in    
return for her support of their sect4   
,for a time it was placed in the ,hotel 
de ,ville at ,ghent1 but was finally    
restored to the cathedral4 ,after       
several other escapes from destruction  

or shipment abroad the work was finally 
dismembered out of deference to the     
views of ,joseph ,,ii of ,austria1      
during the period of ,austrian rule in  
,flanders4 ,he objected to the nude     
figures of ,adam and ,eve as unsuited to
 a church1 and these were accordingly   
removed4 ,the entire work was carried   
away during the ,french ,revolution1 but
 was returned some years later4 ,the    
wings1 however1 were not restored to    
their original position1 and were       
finally sold to a ,london dealer for    
four thousand pounds sterling4 ,he1 in  
turn1 sold them to the ,king of         
,prussia1 and they are now in the       
,museum of ,berlin4 ,the wings now at   
,st4 ,bavon are the copies made by      
,coxcie4 ,the original panels of ,adam  
and ,eve were stored for many years in  
the cellars of ,st4 ,bavon1 and then    
were exchanged with the ,belgian        
,government for the ,coxcie wings just  
mentioned4 ,they are now in the         
,brussels ,museum4 ,the ,adam and ,eve  

at ,st4 ,bavon are not even copies of   
the originals4  ,illustration3 ,,singing
 ,,angels ,,from ,,the ,,adoration ,,of 
,,the ,,lamb4--,,jean ,,van ,,eyck4     
,jean ,van ,eyck enjoyed the confidence 
and affection of ,philip the ,good until
 his death1 and was often sent on       
diplomatic missions of great importance4
 ,on one occasion he was sent to        
,portugal with an embassy appointed to  
propose a marriage between his ducal    
patron and the ,princess ,isabel4 ,jean 
was also commissioned to paint the      
portrait of the fair ,isabel so that his
 master could judge for himself whether 
her charms were as great as he had      
fancied them to be4 ,this portrait was  
duly painted and in the inventory of the
 possessions of ,margaret of ,austria   
there was a painting by ,jean ,van ,eyck
 called ,la belle ,portugalaise1 which  
was1 no doubt1 the very one painted for 
,duke ,philip4 ,it must have been       
pleasing1 for he married the lady4 ,as  
late as #aeaf ,la belle ,portugalaise   

was still in existence at ,malines4 ,it 
represented a lady in a red habit with  
sable trimmings1 attended by ,st4       
,nicholas4 ,it has since                
disappeared--one of the many thousands  
that were lost or destroyed during the  
wars of the sixteenth to the eighteenth 
centuries1 but both historically and    
artistically one of the most interesting
 of them all4 ,there are a considerable 
number of authenticated paintings by    
,jean ,van ,eyck still in existence4    
,several of these are in the original   
frames with the artist's famous motto1  
,als ik kan 7,as ,i can71 more or less  
legible4 ,it is by no means unlikely    
that in time to come one or more of     
those now lost will be discovered1 thus 
adding to the priceless heritage that   
the world owes to his immortal brush4   
,illustration3 ,george ,van der ,paele1 
,canon of ,st4 ,donatian worshipping the
 ,madonna ,jean ,van ,eyck  ,two of the 
most celebrated of ,jean ,van ,eyck's   
paintings can be seen at ,bruges4 ,one  

of these is in the ,museum and shows    
,george ,van der ,paele1 ,canon of ,st4 
,donatian1 worshipping the ,madonna4 ,of
 the portrait of the worthy donor ,max  
,rooses1 the ,director of the           
,plantin-,moretus ,museum at ,antwerp1  
says3 ,the ,canon's face is so          
astoundingly true to life that it is    
perhaps the most marvellous piece of    
painting that ever aspired to reproduce 
a human physiognomy4 ,this firm1 fat    
painting renders at once the cracks of  
the epidermis and the softness of the   
flesh4 ,beside this head with its       
lovingly wrought furrows and wrinkles   
gleam the dazzling white of the surplice
 with its greenish shimmer1 the intense 
red of ,mary's mantle1 ,st4 ,donatian's 
flowing cape1 and the metallic          
reflections of ,st4 ,george's           
breastplate4 ,equally fine as an example
 of faithful portrait painting is the   
picture of the artist's wife which also 
hangs in this interesting little gallery
 of old masters4  ,four years after     

,jean ,van ,eyck's death1 which occurred
 in #addj1 another ,flemish painter of  
note acquired citizen's rights at       
,bruges4 ,this was ,petrus ,christus4   
,the most celebrated of his paintings   
depicts the ,legend of ,ste4 ,godeberte4
 ,the story was that this young lady's  
parents had planned a rich marriage for 
her1 whereas she preferred to enter a   
convent4 ,the prospective bride and her 
groom visited a jeweller's to select the
 wedding ring and there encountered ,st4
 ,eloi1 or ,elisius1 who was both a     
goldsmith and a bishop4 ,the ,saint1    
knowing the wishes of the maiden1 placed
 the ring upon her finger himself1      
thereby dedicating her to the service of
 the ,lord4 ,this picture was painted   
for the ,goldsmiths' ,guild of ,antwerp1
 passed into the collection of ,baron   
,oppenheim1 of ,cologne1 and is now in a
 private gallery4  ,besides the         
,adoration of the ,lamb1 the ,cathedral 
of ,st4 ,bavon possesses enough other   
notable works of art to equip a small   

museum4 ,one of these is the wooden     
pulpit1 carved by ,p4 ,h4 ,verbruggen1  
and representing the glorification of   
,st4 ,bavon4 ,another is the famous tomb
 of ,bishop ,triest carved by ,jerome   
,duquesnoy in #afed4 ,this represents   
the ,bishop reclining on a couch1 and   
has been termed the most beautiful piece
 of statuary in the country4 ,still a   
third masterpiece is ,st4 ,bavon        
withdrawing from the ,world1 by ,rubens4
 ,there are a score of other paintings  
and pieces of sculpture of interest and 
importance1 but all are so over-shadowed
 by the famous polyptych that the       
average tourist scarcely notices them   
unless he goes back to this remarkable  
church several times4 ,in front of the  
,chteau of ,girard1 and close to the    
cathedral1 stands the impressive        
monument to the two ,van ,eycks erected 
by the city in #aiac4 ,it is by the     
sculptor ,georges ,verbanck and         
represents the brothers receiving the   
homage of the nations4     ,,chapter    

,,xii  ,,tournai1 ,,the ,,oldest ,,city 
,,in ,,belgium   ,as the ladies were    
somewhat fatigued by our rambles around 
,flanders it was decided that they would
 spend two or three quiet days with la  
tante ,rosa while the ,professor and ,i 
made daily excursions into wonderland1  
returning to the home of our hostess    
every night4 ,the nearest point of      
interest was the city of ,tournai1 the  
oldest city in all ,belgium4 ,there was 
no direct railway line1 however1 and--as
 on many other occasions during our     
pilgrimage--we had no little trouble    
studying out a correspondence1 or set of
 connections1 that would take us there  
and back without loss of time4 ,we      
started each morning before six o'clock 
and found the trains at that time of day
 made up mostly of fourth-class coaches 
filled with working people4 ,the        
,belgian ,state ,railway sells billets  
d'abonnement for these trains at        
incredibly low rates--a few sous a month
 for short trips from one town to the   

next1 and a few francs a month for rides
 half way across the ,kingdom4 ,i have  
known clerks residing in the extreme    
southern end of the ,department of      
,hainaut1 close to the ,french frontier1
 who ride every day to ,mons1 ten or    
fifteen miles distant1 and there take a 
train for ,brussels4 ,the object of this
 low rate of fare is the paternal desire
 of the ,government that labourers      
should be able to obtain work wherever  
it may be found and still retain their  
homes in the villages in which they were
 born and raised4 ,home ties are very   
strong in ,belgium1 and the people      
cheerfully travel considerable distances
 under this plan rather than move away  
from their relatives and friends4       
,economically it is a very good thing   
for the country as a whole1 since it    
enables the labourer out of work to look
 for a place in a hundred different     
towns and the employer to draw his help 
from an equally wide area4 ,thus in     
times that are not abnormally bad there 

are very few industrial plants without  
their full quota of hands1 and very few 
hands out of work4  ,the fourth-class   
coaches are built like the third-class1 
with cross divisions making several     
compartments1 but the division walls do 
not extend to the roof so the passengers
 can toss things to one another over    
them4 ,separate cars are provided for   
men and women1 many scandals having     
resulted from the promiscuous herding of
 both sexes which prevailed some twenty 
years ago4 ,the occupants of the men's  
cars are of all ages1 from tiny lads who
 seem to be hardly more than eight or   
nine--but are no doubt older1 as the    
,belgian laws no longer permit minors of
 that age to work--to grandsires of     
eighty4 ,all are roughly clad1 ready to 
take up their respective tasks the      
moment they arrive--no one thinks of    
having a separate suit for travelling as
 most of the workmen who commute to and 
from an ,american city would do4 ,in the
 women's car the occupants are mostly   

young girls from fifteen to twenty1 with
 a sprinkling of little girls and some  
women up to thirty1 but very few who    
appear to be older than that4 ,they     
always seem to be happy1 singing and    
carrying-on with the utmost abandon4    
,they are ready to start a flirtation at
 a moment's notice and occasionally1    
when their car halts in a station next  
to some other train in which there are  
young men near the windows1 the whole   
bevy of charmers devotes itself to      
making conquests--opening the windows   
and shouting a volley of good-natured   
raillery to which1 if they are natives  
and used to it1 the youngsters retort in
 kind4 ,then1 as the trains start1 the  
laughing crowd throws kisses by handfuls
 and the flirtation is over4  ,as our   
train jolted along1 with frequent stops 
to take on and let off fourth-class     
passengers1 the ,professor explained to 
me that to be consistent to his plan we 
really should have visited ,tournai     
first4 ,however1 it was far out of the  

way as a starting point1 and its history
 did not dominate that of all ,flanders 
in the way that the early history of    
,bruges did4 ,in fact1 while in early   
times subject to the ,counts of         
,flanders1 it was often subject to the  
,french ,crown for generations at a     
time1 and is usually regarded as a      
,walloon rather than a ,flemish city4   
,its influence on ,flemish art and      
architecture1 however1 led us to include
 this ,ville d',art in our itinerary4   
,according to the scholars ,tournai is  
the ,turris ,nerviorum of ,csar1 the    
capital of the ,nervii1 and one of the  
oldest towns north of the ,alps4 ,in    
#bii it was the scene of the martyrdom  
of ,st4 ,piat1 who founded a church on  
the site of the cathedral4 ,as the      
visitor gazes at that magnificent       
structure he can reflect that the ground
 on which it stands has been consecrated
 to divine worship for more than sixteen
 hundred years4 ,during the fourth and  
fifth centuries ,tournai was the capital

 of the branch of the ,franks that ruled
 over the greater part of what is now   
,belgium1 but the history of these early
 days when the ,roman ,empire was       
tottering to its fall is very meagre1   
and more than half legend at best4 ,the 
first kings of the ,merovingian line are
 shadowy1 mythical personages who stalk 
across the pages of history like the    
ghost in ,hamlet--far off1 dim1 but     
awe-inspiring4  ,childeric is one of the
 most picturesque of these early kings4 
,expelled from the tribe owing to his   
youthful gallantries1 he fled to the    
court of ,basinus1 ,king of the         
,thuringians4 ,the queen1 ,basina1      
welcomed him even more warmly than her  
husband1 and hardly had ,childeric      
returned home1 on being recalled by the 
tribe some years later to rule over     
them1 than she followed him4 ,arrived at
 his court1 she announced that she had  
come to marry him because he was the    
bravest1 strongest and handsomest man   
she had heard of4 ,she added1 navely1   

that if she knew of another who         
surpassed him in these particulars not  
even the sea could keep her from such a 
rival4 ,basina1 who from all accounts   
should be the patron saint of the       
suffragettes1 won her suit and they were
 married4 ,on the night before the      
ceremony mony1 according to an ancient  
chronicle1 she bade ,childeric go into  
the courtyard of the palace at ,tournai 
to see what he might see4 ,he went at   
her bidding three times4 ,on the first  
occasion he beheld a long procession of 
lions1 unicorns and leopards1 struggling
 and snapping at one another1 but all   
without a sound1 nor did the beasts cast
 any shadow4 ,the second time he saw    
huge bears shambling across the         
courtyard which vanished even while he  
was gazing at them4 ,then came packs of 
wolves which ran in circles and leaped1 
but silently4 ,on his last visit he saw 
dogs of huge size and many colours1 and 
innumerable cats which always looked    
behind them4 ,from these portents       

,basina explained to him the qualities  
of the race of kings of which he was to 
be the ancestor4 ,clovis1 one of the    
greatest of the early ,frankish kings1  
was the child of ,childeric and ,basina4
  ,in the sixth century ,tournai figured
 prominently in the narrative of the    
furious wars between ,fredegonda and    
,brunehault1 one of the great epics of  
the early ,middle ,ages4 ,fredegonda1   
who was the daughter of a bondsman1     
became by virtue of her beauty and      
imperious will the wife of ,chilperic1  
,king of the ,franks4 ,brunehault1      
equally beautiful1 but a king's daughter
 as well as the wife of a               
king--,sigebert1 brother of             
,chilperic--began the contest to avenge 
the death of her sister ,galeswintha1   
whom ,fredegonda had caused to be slain4
 ,chilperic and ,fredegonda were        
besieged at ,tournai in #ege1 but the   
latter caused the murder of ,sigebert1  
upon whose death the besieging army     
dispersed4 ,incidents in this siege are 

depicted in the stained-glass windows of
 the cathedral4 ,the contest between the
 two fierce queens lasted more than half
 a century1 ,brunehault at the last     
being torn to pieces by wild horses1    
when more than eighty years old1 by the 
son of her life-long rival4  ,in #hhj   
the ,norsemen fell upon the city and its
 inhabitants fled to ,noyon1 where they 
remained for thirty-one years4 ,in its  
subsequent history the old town         
sustained more than its share of sieges1
 the common lot of all frontier places1 
and changed hands oftener than any other
 ,european city4 ,for many generations  
it was subject to the early ,counts of  
,flanders4 ,philip ,augustus then       
annexed it to ,france1 to which it      
belonged until the reign of ,francis ,i4
 ,in #acdj occurred the most famous of  
all its sieges4 ,it belonged at that    
time to ,france and was attacked by the 
,english under ,edward ,,iii1 a huge    
army of ,flemings under ,jacques ,van   
,artevelde1 the ,duke of ,brabant and   

the ,count of ,hainaut with their       
followers and many others--a host       
estimated by ,froissart at one hundred  
and twenty thousand men4 ,that          
delightful historian devotes more than a
 dozen chapters to a gossipy account of 
the siege1 which lasted more than eleven
 weeks and was only raised by the       
approach of a ,french army when the     
supply of provisions was reduced to     
three days' rations4 ,in #aeac ,tournai 
was captured by ,henry ,,viii1 who gave 
the see to ,cardinal ,wolsey1 but soon  
sold it back to the ,french4 ,the huge  
round tower a little distance to the    
right as one enters the city from the   
railway station was erected by the      
,english ,king during his short rule4   
,in #aeba the city was captured by      
,charles the ,fifth1 becoming a part of 
his domains1 and in #aeha it sustained  
another famous siege4 ,in common with   
the rest of ,flanders and the ,low      
,countries1 the city had revolted       
against the atrocities of ,philip ,,ii4 

,it was besieged by the ,prince of      
,parma and heroically defended by       
,christine1 ,princess of ,epinoy1 whose 
statue stands in the ,grande ,place4    
,she was herself wounded and had lost   
more than three-fourths of the garrison 
before she surrendered4  ,tournai once  
more passed into the hands of the       
,french in #affh1 when it was captured  
by ,louis ,,xiv and afterwards          
elaborately fortified by ,vauban1 was   
retaken by ,marlborough in #agji1       
returned to ,austria five years later1  
and captured once more by the ,french   
after the battle of ,fontenoy in #agde4 
,four years later it was again restored 
to ,austria1 but was twice taken by the 
armies of the first ,french republic1   
remaining ,french territory till the    
battle of ,waterloo4 ,it would be a     
difficult matter to say how often its   
fortifications have been built1         
demolished1 rebuilt and again destroyed4
  ,the most noteworthy of these later   
sieges was that of #agde1 during the    

,war of the ,austrian ,succession1 which
 brought the ,english and ,french into  
conflict even along the frontiers of    
their far-off ,american colonies4       
,austrian ,flanders became the arena of 
the decisive campaign in this war--in   
which its inhabitants had absolutely no 
interest or concern whatever--and       
,tournai was the prize for which the    
armies fought4 ,it was during this and  
the preceding century that ,flanders    
became the cockpit of ,europe--foreign  
armies sweeping over its fertile plains 
in wars the very purpose of which was   
unknown to the peasants who helplessly  
saw their cattle and crops swept away   
and their farmsteads and villages       
destroyed4 ,it is curious to remark how 
frequently the ,english were engaged in 
these conflicts1 particularly in the    
vicinity of ,tournai4 ,in the words of  
,lord ,beaconsfield1 ,flanders has been 
trodden by the feet and watered with the
 blood of successive generations of     
,british soldiers4  ,an ,english force  

formed the nucleus and the backbone of  
the allied army1 which was commanded by 
the ,duke of ,cumberland1 brother of    
,king ,george ,,ii4 ,the ,french forces 
were led by ,maurice de ,saxe1 the      
greatest military leader of that        
generation1 as ,marlborough had been of 
the one before it4 ,king ,louis         
,,xv--for almost the only time in his   
long reign--played the part of a man    
throughout this campaign4 ,when ,saxe   
explained his plan of campaign1 which   
involved a scheme of field              
fortifications1 the carpet generals     
protested loudly that ,frenchmen were   
well able to meet their foes on open    
ground4 ,louis silenced these arm-chair 
critics and replied to his great        
field-marshal1 ,in confiding to you the 
command of my army ,i intend that every 
one shall obey you1 and ,i will be the  
first to set an example of obedience4   
,for a time the allies1 which consisted 
of ,english1 ,hanoverian1 ,dutch and    
,austrian troops--very few ,flemings    

taking part in this campaign on either  
side--were in doubt whether ,saxe       
intended to attack ,mons1 ,st4 ,ghislain
 or ,tournai4 ,with his usual rapidity  
of action1 the ,french leader1 when his 
forces suddenly appeared before         
,tournai1 had that city completely      
invested before the allies knew where he
 was4 ,it was early in the month of     
,may1 and very rainy1 when the allied   
army started from ,brussels and marched 
through the mud toward the beleaguered  
city4 ,on the evening of ,may tenth1    
eleven days after the siege had begun1  
they arrived within sight of the        
quintuple towers of the cathedral and   
the adjacent belfry4 ,their position was
 southeast of the city1 on the route to 
,st4 ,ghislain and ,mons1 and the towers
 were therefore sharply outlined against
 the sunset as the army1 standing on    
rising ground1 gazed across the rolling 
country that was to be the morrow's     
battlefield4  ,saxe had made the most of
 the slowness of the allies' advance by 

choosing the ground where he would give 
battle1 and strengthening his position  
with field redoubts1 using the little   
village of ,fontenoy as a base4 ,the    
allies attacked from the direction of   
the little village of ,vezon1 while     
,louis ,,xv watched the battle from a   
hill near the intersection of the ,mons 
road with that leading from ,ramecroix  
to ,antoing4 ,the attack began at two   
o'clock in the morning1 the ,english    
advancing in a hollow square1 and it was
 not until after two in the afternoon   
that ,saxe1 after bringing every man in 
his forces into action1 had the         
satisfaction of seeing the great square 
falter and turn slowly back--halting    
every hundred yards to beat off its     
foes4 ,the fiercest unit in the ,french 
army was a brigade of ,irish volunteers 
who fought like tigers1 the men flinging
 themselves against the stubborn        
,english square again and again4 ,a     
learned historian1 who has devoted more 
than eighty pages to a description of   

the battle1 fails to give so clear an   
idea of its decisive moment as does the 
poet ,thomas ,osborne ,davis in half as 
many lines3      ,thrice at the huts of 
,fontenoy the ,english column failed1   
,and twice the lines of ,saint ,antoine 
the ,dutch in vain assailed2     ,for   
town and slope were filled with fort and
 flanking battery1     ,and well they   
swept the ,english ranks and ,dutch     
auxiliary4     ,as vainly through ,de   
,barri's wood the ,british soldiers     
burst1     ,the ,french artillery drove 
them back1 diminished and dispersed4    
,the bloody ,duke of ,cumberland beheld 
with anxious eye1     ,and ordered up   
his last reserves1 his latest chance to 
try4     ,on ,fontenoy1 on ,fontenoy1   
how fast his generals ride6     ,and    
mustering came his chosen troops1 like  
clouds at eventide4      ,six thousand  
,english veterans in stately column     
tread2     ,their cannon blaze in front 
and flank1 ,lord ,hay is at their head4 
,steady they step a-down the slope1     

steady they climb the hill1     ,steady 
they load1 steady they fire1 moving     
right onward still1     ,betwixt the    
wood and ,fontenoy1 as through a furnace
 blast1     ,through rampart1 trench and
 palisade1 and bullets showering fast2  
,and on the open plain above they rose  
and kept their course1     ,with ready  
fire and grim resolve that mocked at    
hostile force2     ,past ,fontenoy1 past
 ,fontenoy1 while thinner grew their    
ranks1     ,they broke1 as broke the    
,zuyder ,zee through ,holland's ocean   
banks4             99       99       99 
99       99      ',push on my household 
cavalry6' ,king ,louis madly cried4     
,to death they rush1 but rude their     
shock2 not unavenged they died4     ,on 
through the camp the column trod--,king 
,louis turns his rein4     ',not yet1 my
 liege1' ,saxe interposed2 'the ,irish  
troops remain4'     ',lord ,claire1' he 
said1 'you have your wish2 there are    
your ,saxon         foes6'     ,the     
,marshal almost smiles to see1 so       

furiously he goes1     ,how fierce the  
looks these exiles wear1 who're wont to 
be so gay6     ,the treasured wrongs of 
fifty years are in their hearts to-day4 
,on ,fontenoy1 on ,fontenoy1 nor ever   
yet elsewhere1     ,rushed on to fight a
 nobler band than these proud exiles    
were4             99       99       99  
99       99      ,like lions leaping at 
a fold1 when mad with hunger's pang1    
,right up against the ,english line the 
,irish exiles sprang2     ,bright was   
their steel1 'tis bloody now1 their guns
 are filled with         gore2          
,through shattered ranks and severed    
files and trampled flags they           
tore4     ,the ,english strove with     
desperate strength2 paused1 rallied1    
staggered1 fled2     ,the green hillside
 is matted close with dying and with    
dead4     ,across the plain and far away
 passed on that hideous wrack     ,while
 cavalier and ,fantassin rush in upon   
their track4     ,on ,fontenoy1 on      
,fontenoy1 like eagles in the sun1      

,with bloody plumes the ,irish          
stand--the field is fought and won6  ,on
 our first day's visit the ,professor   
devoted most of the time to the         
cathedral and the remains that still    
exist of the earliest period of         
,tournai's long and varied history4 ,as 
we approached the city1 past the vast   
excavations around ,antoing connected   
with the lime pits and kilns and cement 
works that there abound1 we could see   
the five spires of the cathedral in the 
distance4 ,antoing is only a mile and a 
half from ,fontenoy1 and the            
battlefield--marked by a monument       
erected in #aijg--;is happily free from 
the pits that scar so much of the       
countryside thereabouts1 and no doubt   
looks to-day very much as it did on the 
day of the great fight4  ,the cathedral 
of ,tournai is the oldest1 the most     
vast1 and decidedly the most imposing   
religious edifice in ,belgium4 ,its five
 great towers dominate the entire city  
and are visible for miles across the    

surrounding plains4 ,the oldest portions
 of the present structure date from     
about #hhj1 when the inhabitants of     
,tournai returned after the invasion of 
the ,norsemen4 ,the side porches of the 
naves belong to this earliest period4   
,in #ajed a fire destroyed the upper    
part of the cathedral and it was shortly
 after this that the towers were built4 
,there were originally seven of these1  
the one in the centre being a gigantic  
square structure rising above all the   
others4 ,the group as it then stood was 
without a rival in ,europe1 but the two 
towers to the east of the central one   
were removed with the ancient choir and 
the height of the central tower reduced4
 ,in their present form1 however1 the   
towers compose a magnificent assemblage4
  ,illustration3 ,,general ,,view ,,of  
,,tournai ,,and ,,the ,,five-,,towered  
,,cathedral4  ,the four outer towers1   
which surround the now much shorter     
central one1 are two hundred and        
seventy-two feet high1 and1 although    

apparently alike at the first glance1   
are not entirely so--a circumstance that
 enhances rather than detracts from the 
picturesqueness of the group4 ,placed at
 the crossing of the nave and the       
transept these towers1 from without1    
suggest the fantastic idea that instead 
of one there are two cathedrals1 each   
facing the other1 and with the central  
tower uniting them4  ,in reality1 the   
edifice is large enough to make two     
cathedrals and more1 the interior being 
four hundred and twenty-six feet in     
length and two hundred and twenty feet  
in width across the transept4 ,built at 
different epochs1 this imposing edifice 
constitutes a veritable history in stone
 of the development of medival          
architecture4 ,the nave was completed in
 #ajgj and the transept in the eleventh 
and twelfth centuries4 ,both are in the 
,romanesque style1 while the            
choir--originally ,romanesque--was      
rebuilt in #abdb-acbe in the early      
,gothic style4 ,it is both longer and   

almost fifty feet higher than the older 
nave--a fact that leads the observer    
looking at the structure from without to
 mistake it for the nave itself4 ,in    
addition to the main edifice there is a 
small parish chapel built against the   
north side of the cathedral1 a ,gothic  
edifice dating from #aeaf-aeah1 while   
attached to it by a passage over a      
picturesque arch called ,le fausseporte 
is the ,bishop's palace4 ,here there is 
another chapel1 the ,chapel of the      
,bishops1 dating from the twelfth       
century4  ,like most religious          
structures in ,belgium1 the cathedral   
was for many years surrounded1 and      
almost entirely obscured1 by small      
private houses of all kinds built up    
against it4 ,these have now been        
removed1 although there are still a few 
more that we were told were destined to 
come down in order to give a better view
 of the structure from one side4 ,there 
are three entrances1 of which two are   
noteworthy4 ,one of these1 called the   

,porte ,mantille1 is on the north side  
facing the ,place des ,acacias1 and     
dates from the twelfth century4 ,it is  
the oldest part of the exterior1 and    
looks it1 the round arch of the doorway 
being surrounded by quaint ,romanesque  
sculptures4 ,the winds of seven hundred 
winters have worn these bas-reliefs down
 considerably1 but they are still       
surprisingly clear1 the faces1 armour   
and costumes of the figures being quite 
distinct4 ,they are among the oldest    
stone carvings in ,europe and show that 
the art of sculpture was practised at   
,tournai within a century or two after  
the retirement of the ,norsemen4  ,even 
more interesting is the fine faade just 
behind the groined porch that faces the 
,place de l',evch4 ,from a distance this
 end of the cathedral is hardly         
pleasing1 the sixteenth-century porch   
concealing the early ,romanesque faade  
and being out of harmony with it4 ,after
 passing within the arches1 however1 the
 visitor forgets all this and is lost in

 wonder and admiration at the wealth of 
stone carving that decorates the walls  
on both sides of the main entrance4     
,there is no such decoration in stone to
 be seen in all ,flanders1 for the      
churches of ,tournai escaped the fury of
 the iconoclasts--,tournai1 at that     
time1 belonging to ,france4 ,here the   
sculptors of ,tournai have achieved a   
veritable masterpiece4 ,the work is in  
three tiers and belongs to three        
different periods4 ,the lowest tier1    
carved in blue stone quarried in        
,tournai itself or near by1 is the most 
remarkable1 and is regarded by the      
critics as the finest in artistic merit4
 ,it dates from the thirteenth century  
and represents ,adam and ,eve and       
various prophets and fathers of the     
church4 ,the second zone is in white    
stone1 now grey with age1 and was the   
work of the sixteenth century4 ,it      
comprises a series of small panels      
carved in bas-relief1 those at the left 
depicting--so the authorities at        

,tournai tell us--a religious           
procession1 and those at the right      
various incidents in the history of     
,king ,childeric4 ,the highest tier     
comprises a series of large statues in  
high relief of the apostles1 the ,virgin
 ,mary1 ,st4 ,piat and ,st4             
,eleuthereus4 ,although the figures are 
boldly conceived and well executed1 and1
 in the main1 fairly well preserved1    
they are artistically less important    
than the others4 ,in its entirety1      
however1 this entrance--le portail1 the 
entrance1 as the people of ,tournai     
style it--is a place of wonderful       
interest1 a place to be visited again   
and again under different lights and in 
different moods4  ,passing into the     
interior of the cathedral the visitor is
 again given the impression that here he
 is not in one church but at least two  
and possibly more4 ,the ancient nave1   
with its vaulted roof supported by three
 series of ,romanesque arches placed one
 above another1 seems somehow to be     

complete by itself and to have no       
relation to the far-off choir which is  
partially cut off from it by an         
elaborately carved rood loft1 which--in 
its flamboyant ,renaissance style--seems
 out of place and tends to mar the      
general effect of the vast interior4    
,the pillars in the nave are not        
uniform1 but have a wide diversity of   
capitals--some decorated with the lotus 
or conventional foliage1 others with    
beasts or birds or quaint1 fantastic    
heads4 ,at the intersection of the nave 
and transept the great pillars          
supporting the central tower are of     
tremendous proportions and the view     
looking upward from this point is one of
 extraordinary grandeur4 ,here1 too1 the
 rood loft1 or jub1 can be studied to   
best advantage4 ,the work of ,corneille 
,floris of ,antwerp and executed in     
#aegb1 it is undoubtedly one of the     
masterpieces of sculpture of its period4
 ,the ,doric columns are of red marble1 
the architectural outlines of the       

structure in black marble1 and the      
medallions and other bas-reliefs in     
white4 ,passing through one of the three
 arches of this portal we come to the   
noble choir4 ,this is the most beautiful
 portion of the cathedral1 its vast     
height and the richly coloured light    
that streams downward from its fine     
stained-glass windows creating a very   
atmosphere of majesty and inspiration4  
,while we were inspecting the choir and 
the ambulatory1 which contains several  
paintings and carvings of no little     
interest1 the ,professor discovered that
 the hours had been slipping by faster  
than we had imagined and as there were  
several relics of the earliest period of
 the city's history that we wished to   
visit on our first day we decided to    
betake ourselves to the ,grande ,place  
and postpone our visit to the far-famed 
treasury of the cathedral to another    
day4 ,we found a little place to dine   
directly facing the ,belfry1 and with   
the ,princess of ,epinoy1 in her coat of

 mail and brandishing her battle-axe1   
standing on her monument hard by4 ,the  
,place is a very large one1 but most of 
the houses facing it have been so       
modernized as to lose much of their     
medival aspect1 although the ancient    
,cloth ,hall--which has recently been   
restored--no doubt looks much as it did 
when in its prime4  ,the ,belfry was    
naturally our first stopping place after
 we had done justice to the excellent   
dinner in half a dozen courses that two 
francs had secured for us4 ,this edifice
 dates from #aahg1 and stands slightly  
back from the apex of the triangle      
formed by the ,grande ,place4 ,according
 to some authorities the peculiar shape 
of the ,place is due to the intersection
 of two ,roman roads at the point where 
the ,belfry now stands4 ,externally the 
tower1 which is two hundred and         
thirty-six feet high1 strikingly        
resembles the ,belfry of ,ghent4        
,within1 after climbing a winding       
stairway for some distance1 we were     

shown several large rooms with heavy    
timber ceilings that were once used as  
prison cells4 ,they looked fairly       
comfortable1 as compared with the       
dungeons in the ,chteau des ,comtes1 and
 one of them was then in use by the     
small son of the concierge as a         
play-room and was littered with         
toys--mostly of his own manufacture1    
apparently4 ,the doors to these cells   
were of massive construction and locked 
by keys nearly a foot long1 or at least 
it seemed so1 though we did not measure 
them4 ,the view from the top of the     
edifice is picturesque and well worth   
the climb4 ,a melodious set of chimes is
 installed near the top1 which ring     
every half hour4 ,the big bell1 la      
,bancloque1 which called the people to  
arms1 was cast in #acib1 and must have  
been rung quite frequently during the   
stirring days when ,tournai was being   
fought for by armies from half the      
countries in ,europe4  ,illustration3   
,,the ,,belfry1 ,,tournai4  ,from the   

,belfry we visited the ancient ,church  
of ,st4 ,brice which stands in one of   
the very oldest quarters of the city4   
,almost facing the church are two       
buildings known as the ,roman houses4   
,although hardly dating from the time of
 the ,romans they are undoubtedly very  
ancient4 ,only the outer walls1 however1
 remain of the original construction1   
the interiors dating from a much later  
period4 ,one of these houses was        
untenanted when we were there1 and the  
other was an estaminet4 ,we entered it  
and ordered drinks1 and asked if we     
could see the up-stairs rooms1 but      
apparently they were not very tidy as   
the landlady declined to show them1     
assuring us that there was nothing to   
see4 ,at ,no4 #ah on the same street1   
rue ,barre-,saint-,brice1 is another    
estaminet in a house of very ancient    
construction4 ,after quite a search we  
found the caretaker of the church4 ,as  
old as the oldest part of the cathedral 
this structure is a remarkable example  

of ,romanesque architecture4 ,externally
 it looks from the rear like three stone
 barns built close together1 but its    
square tower is lofty and imposing1     
although much injured by a silly sort of
 hat which was stuck on early in the    
last century4 ,the most interesting     
object within was a quaint ,tournai     
tapestry representing a variety of      
,biblical subjects4  ,in the year #afec 
archeologists and historians throughout 
,europe were greatly excited over one of
 the most interesting finds of ancient  
relics ever recorded4 ,in the house now 
,no4 #h on the ,terrace ,saint-,brice1  
on one side of the church1 was dug up at
 a depth of eight feet a veritable      
museum of arms and jewels since known as
 the ,treasure of ,childeric ,i1 whose  
marriage with ,basina was preceded by so
 many portents4 ,more than a hundred    
gold coins of the ,byzantine ,emperors  
were found1 several hundred golden bees1
 a quantity of silver money of great    
antiquity1 divers clasps and            

buckles--all mingled with the remains of
 human bones1 which may have been those 
of the ,merovingian ,king and his       
imperious spouse4 ,one ring bore a bust 
of a man with long hair holding a lance1
 with the inscription ,childerici       
,regis4 ,after passing through various  
hands the collection came into the      
possession of ,louis ,,xiv1 and         
eventually into the ,bibliotheque       
,royale at ,paris4 ,here1 in #ahca1 it  
was stolen4 ,the thieves were pursued   
and threw their booty into the ,seine1  
where a few pieces were afterwards      
recovered and are now in the numismatic 
collection of the ,bibliotheque         
,nationale at ,paris4  ,not far from    
this interesting old quarter are some   
picturesque remains of the ancient city 
walls1 two ivy covered towers facing a  
moat in which there is still some water4
 ,these are called the ,marvis ,towers1 
and were erected during the thirteenth  
century4 ,on our way back to the station
 we made a little detour in order to see

 the curious ,pont des ,trous--literally
 the ,bridge of the ,holes1 meaning     
loopholes--the most ancient specimen of 
medival military architecture in        
,belgium4 ,the tower on the side        
farthest from the centre of the city was
 built prior to #abei1 the other in     
#acjd1 and the bridge with its three    
ogival arches in #accj4 ,across the     
bridge at short intervals are narrow    
loopholes to enable the defenders to    
fire at foes approaching by way of the  
,river ,scheldt4 ,one of the towers is  
said to contain a fine vaulted room1 but
 as we were unable to find any one who  
knew who had the key to the little door 
at its foot we did not see this room or 
the passage-way across the bridge4      
,between this bridge and the railway    
line we noticed a high stone wall of    
ancient construction which1 from its    
location1 may also have been a fragment 
of the city walls4 ,further on is the   
,henry ,,viii tower1 which was built by 
the ,english monarch after he captured  

the city in #aeac1 as part of a citadel 
intended to hold the citizens in check4 
,the tower is slightly over seventy-five
 feet in diameter and the walls at the  
base are said to be twenty feet thick4  
,the rest of the citadel has long since 
disappeared and this vestige of it is   
now the centre of a pleasant little park
 much frequented on sunny days by       
nursemaids and children4 ,amid these    
peaceful surroundings it was1 when we   
saw it1 hard to picture the old tower as
 having ever been the scene of fierce   
conflicts with furious foes striving to 
batter a breach in its massive walls or 
scale it with long ladders1 while its   
defenders fired volley after volley     
through its tiny windows and flung down 
big stones or boiling tar from its      
parapet4  ,the strategy of the early    
part of the present war did not call for
 a protracted defence of ,tournai1 with 
the result that1 as this is being       
written1 the old city is reported to    
have suffered little or no damage4 ,in  

view of the frequency with which it had 
been contended for in former wars it is 
to be hoped that this one--which has so 
far been more destructive than all      
previous wars put together--will pass   
quaint old ,tournai by and that the     
great cathedral with its five towers and
 marvellous stone carvings may be spared
 for generations yet to come4           
,,chapter ,,xiii  ,,seven ,,centuries   
,,of ,,tournaisian ,,art   ,the citizens
 of ,tournai of to-day have given to    
their beautiful city the name of ,ville 
d',art4 ,to be sure1 the same title is  
claimed for ,bruges and ,ghent1 for     
,antwerp and ,malines4 ,the first two   
are justly proud of their many beautiful
 monuments of the past and their        
associations with the work of the early 
,flemish painters1 ,antwerp of its      
connection with the later development of
 painting in ,flanders and the most     
artistic of the early printers1 ,malines
 of its lace and its splendid examples  
of religious architecture and art4      

,tournai1 however1 has a broader title  
to the phrase than any of them in that  
the artistic activities of its gifted   
sons have not been confined to one      
medium or two1 but have been            
independently developed along half a    
score of different lines and during a   
period covering more than seven         
centuries4 ,not only is the city a rich 
repository of the artistic productions  
of past ages1 but it is still more      
notable in having been one of the most  
prolific producers of beautiful and     
artistic things4 ,to the true           
connoisseur a stay of several weeks in  
this fine old border town would be none 
too long to afford opportunity to study 
all of its collections and rummage in   
out-of-the-way corners for stray        
specimens that the dealers and bargain  
hunters have overlooked4 ,unfortunately1
 neither the ,professor nor ,i can lay  
claim to more than a rudimentary        
knowledge of such matters and in the    
chronicle of our rambles in the ,city of

 ,art there may be much to make the     
judicious grieve4 ,it is not1 however1  
so much in order to give an account of  
what we saw that this chapter is written
 as in the hope that it may suggest how 
much there is to see for those whose    
eyes are better trained and more        
discriminating than ours4  ,tournai     
looms large in the history of early     
,flemish painting1 for it was here that 
the next important group of masters     
after the ,van ,eycks appeared4 ,as     
early as the first half of the          
fourteenth century paintings on cloth   
were executed at ,tournai1 followed by  
what was termed flat painting for       
panels4 ,about #adjf the first of the   
great artists whose names have come down
 to us settled at ,tournai4 ,this was   
,robert ,campin4 ,he acquired the right 
of citizenship in #adaj and died in     
#addd1 being thus a contemporary of the 
,van ,eycks4 ,he is known to have       
painted many works1 but until recently  
none of these had been definitely       

identified4 ,now1 thanks to the earnest 
and patient study of ,belgian scholars1 
he seems likely to be given his rightful
 place as one of the greatest of the    
early ,flemish masters--after having    
been completely forgotten for nearly    
five hundred years6 ,his most important 
work is an altarpiece in the possession 
of the ,mrode family at ,brussels1 while
 the ,frankfort ,museum and the ,prado  
at ,madrid contain some fine examples of
 his skill4  ,it is known that ,robert  
,campin was the master of two other     
,tournai artists1 ,rogier ,van der      
,weyden and ,jacques ,daret1 of whom the
 former soon far surpassed his teacher  
in renown4 ,daret entered the atelier of
 ,robert ,campin in #adah1 when a lad of
 fourteen1 obtained the title of        
apprentice in #adbg1 and became a member
 of the ,guild of ,st4 ,luke in #adcb4  
,one of his pictures1 a panel showing   
the ,nativity1 was in the collection of 
the late ,mr4 ,j4 ,pierpont ,morgan4    
,van der ,weyden1 whose ,walloon name   

was ,roger de la ,pasture1 became one of
 ,campin's apprentices in #adbg--the    
same date as ,daret--and was admitted to
 the guild of the painters at ,tournai  
in #adcb4 ,he spent much of his time at 
,brussels1 however1 and is sometimes    
considered as belonging to that city    
rather than ,tournai4 ,a ,descent from  
the ,cross now at the ,escorial is his  
most famous picture4 ,it was painted for
 the ,archers' ,company at ,louvain and 
a copy of it1 made by the master        
himself1 was hung in the ,church of ,st4
 ,pierre in that city4 ,about #adcj ,van
 der ,weyden was commissioned to paint  
four large panels for the ,hall of      
,justice in the new ,hotel de ,ville at 
,brussels4 ,two of these showed ,trajan1
 the ,just ,emperor1 and the other two  
depicted the ,justice of ,herkenbald1   
and for more than two centuries the     
series was regarded as the finest group 
of paintings in the ,low ,countries4    
,they were destroyed at the bombardment 
of ,brussels in #afie1 but tapestries   

copied from the originals still exist in
 the ,museum at ,berne1 having been     
captured by the ,swiss when ,charles the
 ,bold was defeated at ,granson4  ,in   
#addc the artist began what in the      
judgment of the art critics was his most
 important work1 an altarpiece          
representing ,the ,last ,judgment for   
the chapel of a hospital at ,beaune1    
near ,dijon in ,burgundy1 where it still
 remains4 ,the museum at ,antwerp       
contains a triptych of the ,seven       
,sacraments by this master1 showing the 
interior of a cathedral suggestive of   
that of ,tournai--and1 in fact1 it was  
for the ,bishop of ,tournai that it was 
originally painted4 ,nearly every       
important art gallery in ,europe        
contains one or more works by ,van der  
,weyden1 who not only was very          
industrious1 receiving numerous orders  
from the great men of his day1 but      
fortunate in having most of his         
masterpieces preserved from the         
destruction that overtook so much of the

 work of the early ,flemish artists4    
,the former ,cloth ,hall of ,tournai1   
erected in #afaj1 was completely and    
very successfully restored in #ahhd1 and
 is now used to house an admirable      
little collection of paintings and a    
museum of antiquities4 ,the paintings   
are1 for the most part1 the work of     
,tournai artists1 and most of its three 
hundred and eighty titles are of local  
rather than international interest4     
,there are several works1 however1 of   
the highest rank1 and the museum as a   
whole serves admirably to illustrate the
 fact that the traditions and           
inspiration of the first great masters  
of ,flemish painting1 whose work has    
made the name of ,tournai illustrious   
for all time1 have never been wholly    
forgotten in their native city4 ,to be  
sure1 there is nothing to represent     
,robert ,campin or ,jacques ,daret1 nor 
had the caretaker ever heard of either  
of them--a fact hardly to be wondered   
at1 since the works of the former have  

not yet been fully identified by the    
critics4 ,van der ,weyden is credited   
with a ,descent from the ,cross in the  
museum catalogue1 but many critics hold 
this to be a copy of a lost work by     
,hugo ,van der ,goes4 ,those in charge  
of the museum have wisely included some 
excellent photographs of the more famous
 works by ,van der ,weyden in the       
leading ,european galleries--a plan that
 might well be followed with respect to 
the other notable works by ,tournaisian 
artists4 ,the masterpiece of the        
collection is the well known ,last      
,honours to ,counts ,egmont and ,horn1  
by ,louis ,gallait1 the greatest of     
,tournai's modern artists1 whose statue 
stands in the little park before the    
railway station4 ,a replica of this fine
 but gruesome work was painted by the   
artist for the ,antwerp museum4 ,the    
,tournai museum contains nearly a dozen 
other works bequeathed to the city by   
this painter1 including several         
admirable portraits--a branch in which  

he was especially skilful4 ,the powerful
 ,abdication of ,charles ,v by this     
master hangs in the ,brussels museum1   
and his notable ,last ,moments of the   
,comte d',egmont in the museum of       
,berlin4  ,illustration3 ,a ,,triptych  
,,of ,,the ,,seven ,,sacraments ,,by    
,,rogier ,,van ,,der ,,weyden4  ,equally
 fine in a very different way1 but less 
widely known1 is a spirited painting by 
a comparatively unknown artist1 ,van    
,severdonck1 representing the ,princess 
of ,epinoy valiantly defending a breach 
in the walls during the siege of        
,tournai in #aeha4 ,we were unable to   
obtain a photograph of this admirable   
work as it is so hung that it is        
difficult to get a good light upon it4  
,a fine portrait of ,st4 ,donatian is   
attributed in the catalogue to ,jan     
,gossaert or ,mabuse 7from ,maubeuge    
where he was born74 ,by some critics it 
is assigned to ,bellegambe1 who was born
 at ,douai in ,french ,flanders and was 
a contemporary of ,gossaert4 ,the museum

 also contains works by ,hennebicq1 who 
painted the historical picture of       
,philip ,augustus granting a charter to 
the city of ,tournai in the ,hotel de   
,ville2 ,hennequin1 the teacher of      
,gallait2 ,stallaert1 whose ,death of   
,dido is in the museum of ,brussels1 and
 several other natives of ,tournai who  
are less well known4 ,from ,robert      
,campin1 who settled at ,tournai about  
#adjf and died in #addd1 to ,louis      
,gallait1 whose three great masterpieces
 were painted between #ahdj and #ahej1  
and to ,stallaert and ,hennebicq1 who   
laid aside their brushes in the first   
decade of the present century1 there    
extends a period of five hundred years  
during which the noble art of painting  
has been practised and taught at        
,tournai by men of commanding genius--a 
record in the history of art that no    
town in the world of similar size has   
ever equalled4  ,it is worthy of remark1
 in passing1 that the art of sculpture  
which was practised at ,tournai with    

such notable success as early as the    
thirteenth century1 and steadily        
thereafter for several hundred years1   
has not survived to the present day4    
,there are no modern sculptors in the   
list of ,tournaisian artists1 but the   
cathedral is a veritable museum of the  
stone carvings of the past4 ,the men of 
the chisel1 moreover1 must be credited  
with giving some of the inspiration that
 made the work of the early artists of  
the brush so notable4 ,van der ,weyden1 
particularly1 shows the influence of    
sculpture and a marked appreciation of  
its effects in the framework and        
backgrounds of many of his pictures4    
,moreover1 for several centuries the    
sculptors of ,tournai enjoyed a renown  
that extended throughout ,flanders and  
northern ,france4 ,in the churches of   
,tournai and of many other cities       
examples of their work can be seen that 
show a continuous record of achievement 
from the twelfth to the sixteenth       
centuries4  ,closely allied to the      

carvers of stone were those who worked  
in metals and of these ,tournai had its 
full share4 ,a street of the ,goldsmiths
 7rue des ,orfvres7 near the ,grande    
,place indicates the importance of that 
industry in ancient times4 ,the best    
example of this branch of ,tournaisian  
art is to be found in the treasury of   
the cathedral4 ,this is the superb      
,chasse1 or ,reliquary of ,st4          
,eleuthereus1 which is considered to be 
one of the finest products of the       
goldsmith's art during the ,middle      
,ages4 ,while the name of the maker of  
this masterpiece is unknown1 it is      
unquestionably of ,tournaisian origin   
and was completed in #abdg4 ,built in   
the form of a sarcophagus1 and made of  
silver1 heavily gilded1 it is almost    
bewildering in the richness and         
intricacy of its decorations and        
filigrees4 ,at one end is a large seated
 figure of ,christ1 at the other of ,st4
 ,eleuthereus1 while the sides contain  
figures of the ,virgin and the          

,apostles4 ,around1 above and below     
these chief figures the artist has      
placed a labyrinth of minor ones1 of    
churches and landscapes1 of columns1    
arches and architectural embellishments1
 all carved with a richness of design   
that cannot be adequately described4    
,still older1 for it dates from #abje1  
is the ,chasse de ,notre ,dame1 another 
treasure of the cathedral4 ,this was    
made by ,nicolas de ,verdun1 a citizen  
of ,tournai1 and is of wood1 painted and
 adorned with curious bas-reliefs       
representing incidents from the ,new    
,testament4 ,a third chasse1 which on   
account of its great value is kept under
 lock and key in the treasury1 like that
 of ,st4 ,eleuthereus1 is called the    
,chasse des ,damoiseaux4 ,it is made of 
silver and bears in relief1 and         
enamelled1 the arms of some of the      
patrician families of the city in the   
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries1    
when the ,confrerie des ,damoiseaux held
 many brilliant tournaments in ,tournai 

and other cities4 ,this chasse1 the     
keeper told us1 was not made at         
,tournai1 but at ,bruges4 ,although very
 beautiful1 it is not considered so     
notable a work of art as its companion4 
,during the fourteenth and fifteenth    
centuries ,tournai rivalled ,dinant as a
 producer of fine copper and brassware1 
and in this industry the artistic       
instincts of its citizens soon led them 
to produce pieces of remarkable         
distinction4 ,one of the finest of these
 is the baptismal font in the church of 
,notre ,dame at ,hal1 made in #addf4    
,the artisans of ,tournai turned out a  
prodigious number of fine products of   
the copper-smith's art during the two   
centuries mentioned--lamps1             
candlesticks1 chandeliers1 funeral      
monuments1 crucifixes and other         
religious articles2 and1 in fact1 it was
 not until the eighteenth century that  
this industry declined1 only to give    
place to the manufacture of gilded      
bronze ware4  ,the cathedral and the    

museum of antiquities contain some      
choice examples of another great        
,tournaisian art industry of the ,middle
 ,ages--the manufacture of rich         
tapestries4 ,during the fourteenth      
century the renown of the products of   
,tournai in this field was already      
considerable1 and between #addj and     
#adhj its artisans surpassed even those 
of ,arras4 ,in richness of colouring1   
diversity and sprightliness of subjects1
 beauty of design and workmanship1 the  
tapestries of ,tournai rank among the   
finest art productions of the ,middle   
,ages4 ,in #adgg1 when ,louis ,,xi      
seized ,arras and dispersed its workmen1
 many of them fled to ,tournai1         
,audenaerde and ,brussels1 establishing 
the industry in those cities4 ,tournai1 
where it had already made great         
progress1 was the first to benefit by   
this emigration and for a time became   
the leading tapestry-making centre in   
,europe4 ,it was the school of ,tournai 
that was the true forerunner of the     

still more famous tapestry weavers of   
,brussels in depicting historical and   
mythological scenes of the utmost       
vivacity and richness1 while the        
ateliers of ,audenaerde specialised more
 largely in quieter pastoral scenes and 
landscapes4 ,philip the ,good1 the most 
fastidious connoisseur of his age1      
ordered several tapestries at ,tournai1 
including the history of ,gideon in     
eight panels to decorate the ,hall of   
the ,order of the ,golden ,fleece4 ,in  
the cathedral the most notable of the   
,tournai tapestries illustrates vividly 
the story of ,joseph1 while one of the  
best in the museum depicts the history  
of ,abraham--the angels announcing the  
birth of ,isaac4 ,the border of a       
,tournai tapestry usually bears the mark
 of the ateliers of that city1 a castle 
tower1 which is plainly to be seen on   
the one last mentioned4 ,the cathedral  
also possesses a remarkable tapestry of 
,arras1 made by ,pierrot ,fr in #adjb1  
and depicting incidents connected with  

the lives of ,st4 ,piat and ,st4        
,eleuthereus and the plague at ,tournai4
 ,this masterpiece originally hung above
 the stalls in the choir1 and more than 
half of it has been destroyed at one    
time or another4 ,the remainder has been
 placed in a continuous panel1 like a   
panorama1 around a semi-circular chapel 
back of the treasury1 and constitutes   
one of the most curious relics of the   
medival art to be seen in ,europe4      
,according to some authorities the      
designs for this work were drawn by one 
of the artists of the ,tournai school of
 painters from which ,van der ,weyden   
subsequently received his instruction4  
,at all events the scenes are extremely 
nave1 and the artist has inserted sundry
 little devils who are giving expression
 to their contempt of the various       
religious ceremonies depicted in some of
 the sections in a manner that1 to say  
the least1 is most unconventional4  ,the
 wars and troubles of the sixteenth and 
seventeenth centuries very nearly       

extinguished the art industries of      
,tournai1 the number of master-weavers  
of tapestries declining from two hundred
 and fourteen between #aech and #aeec to
 forty in #afic1 and twenty-nine in     
#agch4 ,it was only a few years after   
the last date1 however1 when a new art  
industry became established in the city4
 ,in #agea a native of ,lille1 named    
,franois ,pterink1 began the manufacture
 at ,tournai of fine porcelains4 ,dinner
 sets elaborately decorated and daintily
 formed1 vases1 statues and statuettes  
of biscuit equal to the finest products 
of ,svres1 ,saxony or ,england1 were    
turned out in considerable quantities   
for more than a century1 and the        
porcelains of ,tournai became so        
renowned that princes vied with one     
another to secure these works of art4   
,it is still possible for the collector 
to secure some of these fine products1  
the trademarks being a rude castle tower
 or two crossed swords with tiny crosses
 at their intersecting angles4 ,in the  

finest tableware these are usually in   
gold1 but red or some other colour      
should not be despised1 as the genuine  
,tournai ware is becoming rare and      
already brings high prices4 ,these      
marks1 it should be added1 have been    
imitated1 and the amateur will do well  
to consult expert advice before         
purchasing4  ,still another noteworthy  
art industry of ,tournai merits at least
 a word in passing4 ,from the very      
earliest period after the art of making 
stained or painted glass was invented   
the ateliers of the ,ville d',art have  
excelled in this fine branch of         
handicraft4 ,during the fifteenth       
century ,tournaisian artists made the   
seven stained glass windows in the      
transept of the cathedral that depict in
 glowing colours the history of the     
contest between ,childeric and ,sigebert
 and the donations and privileges       
granted to the bishop and the cathedral 
by ,chilperic4 ,not only are these      
scenes of the utmost interest           

historically1 but the student of        
costumes and customs during the ,middle 
,ages and the student of early ,flemish 
art will both find in them abundant     
material for study4 ,it has already been
 said that the cathedral of ,tournai is 
in itself a history of ,flemish         
architecture covering a period of       
well-nigh a thousand years4 ,it is also 
a veritable museum of ,flemish art1 and 
especially of ,tournaisian art1 in      
almost all of its many branches4  ,in   
the eighteenth century the apparently   
inextinguishable artistic spirit of     
,tournai found expression in the        
production of carpets that recalled the 
best period of its tapestry weavers4    
,the carpet in the cabinet of ,napoleon 
at ,fontainebleau and the celebrated    
carpet of the ,legion of ,honour1 which 
was shown in the ,french pavilion at the
 recent exposition at ,turin1 were made 
at ,tournai during this period4 ,at the 
same epoch the goldsmiths and           
coppersmiths1 whose activities had never

 entirely ceased during the centuries of
 trouble1 began once more to turn out   
their artistic products in considerable 
quantities1 nor have these ateliers     
entirely ceased operations at ,tournai  
to this day4 ,truly the name ,ville     
d',art has been fairly won and kept by  
this little city1 if seven centuries of 
almost uninterrupted artistic endeavour 
and achievement count for anything6  ,it
 is a somewhat remarkable feature of    
modern ,belgium1 however1 that while its
 cities abound in beautiful and artistic
 things1 the common people--both the    
working classes and the bourgeoisie1 or 
fairly prosperous middle-class of small 
merchants and manufacturers--seem to    
have very little interest in pictures or
 works of art1 and little or no desire  
to acquire them4 ,the average ,belgian  
home is utterly bare of ornament1 save  
perhaps a crucifix or a religious image 
or chromo--if these can be termed       
ornamental4 ,reproductions of the fine  
masterpieces of painting and statuary in

 which this little country is so rich   
are incredibly scarce and difficult to  
procure--save only the very famous      
pictures1 of which copies have been made
 to sell to tourists in the larger      
cities4 ,even these the native ,belgian 
apparently never buys1 and the art      
stores carry very few coloured prints of
 moderate price such as are to be seen  
everywhere in the ,united ,states4 ,in  
fact1 of those we saw a considerable    
proportion were of ,american            
manufacture4 ,of course these remarks do
 not allude to the stores handling      
original paintings by ancient and modern
 masters1 costly water-colours and      
etchings4 ,these are purchased in       
,belgium1 as everywhere else1 by the    
wealthy class1 whose homes are as rich  
and artistic as any in the world4 ,it is
 the absence of interest by the two     
classes first mentioned that seems to me
 so remarkable in a country that for    
centuries has been passionately devoted 
to art in all its manifestations1 and1  

for its population and area1 is without 
doubt the world's largest producer of   
beautiful things4  ,on the other hand1  
the ,belgian of even the humblest social
 standing is invariably fond of flowers4
 ,in the cities every woman on her way  
to or from market buys a bouquet for the
 table1 while in the country there is no
 garden without its little flower-bed1  
or flower-bordered paths1 or rambling   
rosebushes climbing up the high brick   
garden wall or arching over the         
entrance4 ,this shows an intense and    
inborn love of the beautiful4 ,why is   
it1 then1 that men and women whose daily
 lives are spent in creating beautiful  
things--rare lace1 fine wood-carvings1  
rich brass or copper ware--are content  
with homes that are as bare of ornament 
as any prison cell8     ,,chapter ,,xiv 
,,the ,,fall ,,of ,,charles ,,the       
,,bold--,,memling ,,at ,,bruges   ,there
 are few careers in history more        
fascinating1 more spectacular1 more     
dramatic1 than that of the last ,duke of

 ,burgundy who ruled over               
,flanders--,charles the ,bold4 ,heir to 
dominions that included all of what is  
now ,belgium and ,holland1 nearly a     
third of ,france1 and portions of what  
is now ,germany1 ,charles was by far the
 most powerful of the feudal lords of   
his day1 surpassing the ,king of        
,france1 and even the ,emperor in the   
splendour and wealth of his court and in
 the number of feudal princes and       
knights whom he could summon to his     
standard4 ,he not only had dreams of    
becoming a king himself1 but was1 on one
 occasion1 offered a crown--the ,emperor
 ,frederick ,,iii proposing to make him 
,king of ,brabant4 ,this he refused--a  
serious error1 for he could easily have 
extended his royal title1 once legally  
acquired1 over the rest of his          
dominions4  ,in all the pomp and        
pageantry of power1 however1 ,charles   
was every inch a king--magnificent in   
his hospitality1 exceedingly ceremonious
 and punctilious in court etiquette1 and

 fond of showing his vast power on every
 occasion4 ,on the other hand1 he was   
profoundly ignorant of the fact that the
 real source of his wealth and strength 
was in the great industrial communes of 
,flanders1 ,brabant and ,lige1 and the  
cruelty with which he destroyed the     
cities of ,lige and ,dinant cost him the
 affection and good will of all his     
people4 ,his great antagonist was ,louis
 ,,xi of ,france--also one of the most  
picturesque figures in history--but the 
exact antithesis of ,charles in almost  
every respect4 ,while ,charles never    
received a delegation unless seated on a
 throne1 the loftiness and grandeur of  
which filled every eye1 ,louis dressed  
plainly--often wearing the grey cloak of
 a pilgrim1 and almost invariably a     
pilgrim's hat1 with a leaden image of   
some saint in the hat-band4 ,on one     
occasion1 when he paid a visit to his   
subjects in ,normandy1 riding in company
 with the gorgeous ,duke of ,burgundy1  
the peasants exclaimed1 ,is that a ,king

 of ,france8 ,why1 the whole outfit1 man
 and horse1 is not worth twenty francs6 
,charles1 like his father1 held his     
ducal court wherever he might happen to 
be--both princes often carrying a       
lengthy train of baggage1 including even
 furniture and tapestries1 from one     
castle to another4 ,bruges1 however1 is 
identified with some of the most        
important events of his career1 and he  
held his court there much oftener than  
at the ancestral capital of ,burgundy1  
,dijon4 ,during the last years of the   
reign of his father1 ,philip the ,good1 
,charles acted as ,regent1 and it was   
during this period of his rule that he  
astonished and terrified ,europe by the 
ferocity with which he avenged an insult
 to his parents' honour by utterly      
destroying the prosperous city of       
,dinant and slaughtering most of its    
male inhabitants4 ,on his accession to  
the ducal throne1 however1 the great    
communes of ,ghent1 ,bruges1 ,malines   
and ,brussels were able to extort from  

their new ,duke all of the privileges   
that his father had taken away during   
his long reign4 ,charles granted these  
with fury in his heart1 vowing openly   
that before long he would humble these  
presumptuous burghers4 ,fortunately for 
the liberties of the ,flemish towns1    
their ,duke's attentions were speedily  
called elsewhere and he found no        
opportunity to carry out his threats4   
,fomented by the emissaries of ,louis   
,,xi1 the turbulent citizens of         
,lige--already a large and prosperous   
manufacturing town1 as advanced in the  
metallurgical arts as the ,flemish      
cities were in the textile              
industries--rose in insurrection against
 their ,bishop-,prince1 an ally of      
,charles4 ,with an army of one hundred  
thousand feudal levies ,charles quickly 
suppressed this revolt4 ,the following  
year ,louis ventured to place himself in
 ,charles' power by paying him a visit  
at his powerful castle of ,pronne4 ,this
 famous historical incident is          

brilliantly described by ,sir ,walter   
,scott in ,quentin ,durward4 ,to the    
king's alarm and very extreme personal  
danger1 the people of ,lige took the    
moment of this visit to rise again4     
,charles was furious1 and1 not unjustly 
considering ,louis to be the author of  
this attack on his authority1 had that  
monarch locked up in a room in the      
castle4 ,nor was he placated until      
,louis signed a treaty still further    
extending the power of the ,dukes of    
,burgundy in ,france1 and agreed to join
 ,charles in the expedition to punish   
his unruly subjects4 ,this time the city
 after being captured was given over to 
the half-savage ,burgundian soldiery to 
be sacked1 some forty thousand of its   
inhabitants perishing4  ,returning to   
,flanders1 ,charles bitterly denounced  
the cautious policy of the burghers in  
refusing to pay tax levies for his      
armies unless they knew how the money   
was to be spent4 ,heavy and hard        
,flemish heads that you are1 he cried to

 a delegation from ,ghent1 you always   
remain fixed in your bad opinions1 but  
know that others are as wise as you4    
,you ,flemings1 with your hard heads1   
have always either despised or hated    
your princes4 ,i prefer being hated to  
being despised4 ,take care to attempt   
nothing against my highness and         
lordship1 for ,i am powerful enough to  
resist you4 ,it would be the story of   
the iron and the earthen pots4          
,presently ,louis1 repudiating the      
recent treaty as being extorted by      
force1 invaded ,charles' dominions and  
captured several cities on the ,somme4  
,charles sought to retake them and was  
repulsed both at ,amiens and ,beauvais1 
the defenders at the latter place being 
urged to stronger resistance by ,jeanne 
,hachette1 one of the heroic figures of 
,french history4 ,charles now turned his
 attention to the ,german side of his   
dominions1 and here also the implacable 
enmity of ,louis stirred up enemies for 
him in every direction4 ,in ,alsace the 

people rose in revolt and slew the cruel
 governor ,charles had set over them1   
while the ,swiss defeated the ,marshal  
of ,burgundy4 ,charles set forth to     
re-establish his authority with an army 
of thirty thousand men1 the flower of   
his feudal levies4 ,the ,swiss1 alarmed1
 sued for peace1 assuring the powerful  
,duke that there was more gold in the   
spurs and bridles of his horsemen than  
could be found in all of ,switzerland4  
,charles1 however1 was bent on punishing
 these impudent mountaineers and ordered
 the invasion of their country4 ,the    
defenders of the little fortress of     
,granson surrendered on the approach of 
his army1 but in flagrant violation of  
the terms he had just granted the ,duke 
of ,burgundy ordered the entire garrison
 to be hanged4 ,this act was speedily   
avenged1 for the ,swiss a few days later
 utterly routed the ,burgundian forces  
just outside of ,granson4 ,the          
mountaineers in this battle advanced in 
a solid phalanx against which ,charles' 

horsemen and archers could make no      
impression4 ,the blow to the pride and  
prestige of the ,duke was far more      
serious than the loss of the engagement 
and the scattering of his army4 ,with   
great difficulty he raised fresh levies1
 the ,flemish communes granting aid only
 on condition that no further subsidies 
should be demanded for six years to     
come4 ,the battle of ,granson took place
 ,march #b1 #adgf4 ,by ,june he had     
raised another and a larger army1 and on
 the #bbnd met the ,swiss again at      
,morat4 ,on reviewing his host before   
the battle1 ,charles is said to have    
exclaimed1 ,by ,st4 ,george1 we shall   
now have vengeance6 but the vengeance   
was not to be always on one side1 for   
the ,swiss1 making their battle-cry     
,granson6 ,granson6 in remembrance of   
their countrymen1 whom ,charles had     
treacherously slain1 almost annihilated 
his army4 ,the ,swiss showed no mercy   
and took no prisoners1 while the number 
of killed on the ,burgundian side       

amounted to eighteen thousand4 ,charles 
escaped with his life1 accompanied by a 
small body of his knights4  ,for a time 
it seemed as if his rage and despair at 
these two defeats would cause the proud 
,duke to lose his reason1 nor could his 
threats or entreaties secure more       
assistance from ,flanders4 ,he managed1 
however1 to keep the field1 and with a  
small force sat down to besiege         
,nancy--which had been lost to him again
 after ,morat4 ,the town held out       
stubbornly1 as all towns did1 now that  
,charles' cruelty and treachery to those
 who surrendered were known1 and the    
,burgundian forces suffered much        
hardship from the cold1 for it was now  
mid-winter4 ,on ,january #eth ,charles  
gave battle to an advancing force of    
,swiss1 was again crushed and the       
greater part of his little army killed4 
,after the battle the ,duke could not be
 found1 and no man knew what had become 
of him4 ,the following day a page       
reported that he had seen his master    

fall1 and could find the place4 ,he led 
the searchers to a little pond called   
the ,etang de ,st4 ,jean4 ,here1 by the 
border of a little stream1 they found a 
dozen despoiled bodies1 naked and frozen
 in the mud and ice4 ,one by one they   
turned these over4 ,alas1 said the      
little page presently1 here is my good  
master6 ,disfigured1 with two fearful   
death wounds1 and with part of his face 
eaten by wolves1 it was indeed the body 
of the great ,duke4  ,even his enemies  
did honour to the dead prince4 ,clothed 
in a robe of white satin1 with a crimson
 satin mantle1 his body was borne in    
state into the town he had vainly sought
 to conquer1 and placed in a velvet bed 
under a canopy of black satin4 ,his     
remains were interred in the church of  
,st4 ,george at ,nancy1 where they      
remained for more than fifty years4 ,the
 ,emperor1 ,charles ,v1 then had them   
brought to ,bruges and placed in the    
church of ,st4 ,donatian4 ,his son1     
,philip ,,ii1 removed them1 five years  

later1 to the wonderful shrine in the   
,church of ,notre ,dame where they      
remained until the ,french ,revolution1 
when they were scattered to the winds as
 the bones of a tyrant4 ,the            
sarcophagus1 however1 of the ,duke and  
his gentle daughter1 ,marie1 still      
remain1 as we have seen1 and are among  
the finest in existence4  ,the death of 
the powerful ,duke of ,burgundy made a  
profound impression throughout ,europe1 
and still remains1 as ,mr4 ,boulger in  
his admirable ,history of ,belgium says1
 one of the tragedies of all history4   
,his downfall was mainly due to the     
implacable hostility of ,louis ,,xi1    
whom he had once publicly humiliated at 
,pronne and affected at all times to    
despise4 ,many of the ,swiss and        
,germans who fought against him in his  
last fatal campaign were hired          
mercenaries in the pay of the ,king of  
,france1 while some of his most trusted 
followers and advisers were traitors in 
constant correspondence with his wily   

and unscrupulous antagonist4 ,had       
,charles sought to conciliate his great 
,flemish communes instead of intimidate 
them his reign might have been prolonged
 by their powerful aid1 and his dream of
 establishing a kingdom of ,burgundy    
have been realised4 ,as it was1 he      
failed signally in most of his          
undertakings1 and with all his fury and 
vainglory and cruelty lost in ten years 
the huge power that his father had taken
 fifty years to accumulate4  ,marie1    
,charles' only daughter1 was left by his
 sudden and unexpected death the        
greatest heiress in ,christendom1 but   
also well-nigh helpless to rule over or 
even hold her widespread dominions4 ,to 
prevent the ,king of ,france from taking
 advantage of this situation her        
,flemish counsellors advised her to     
accept an offer of marriage from        
,maximilian1 son of the ,emperor        
,frederick ,,iii1 and in ,august of the 
same year that saw the battle of        
,granson they were quietly married at   

,bruges4 ,this event made ,flanders a   
still smaller unit than before in a vast
 aggregation of states that in the      
course of events was being combined     
under the rule of the ,house of         
,hapsburg1 nor did ,marie's untimely    
death1 less than five years later1 in   
any wise delay the process of           
consolidation4  ,bruges1 during the     
stormy reign of ,charles the ,bold and  
the quarter of a century of anxiety and 
troubles for its burghers that followed 
after the battle of ,nancy1 was steadily
 losing its population and material     
prosperity1 and1 at the same time1      
acquiring its greatest claim to         
fame--for it was between the year #adfb 
and #adia that ,memling1 the foremost of
 the early ,flemish painters1 executed  
the wonderful series of masterpieces    
that have come down to us4 ,and it is to
 ,bruges that the student of art must   
come to see the famous ,fleming at his  
best1 for there are more of his         
important works here than in all the    

rest of the world put together4  ,in    
common with many others in the early    
,gothic school very little is known of  
the early life of ,hans ,memling1 but   
the recent discovery in an old          
manuscript of a note stating that he was
 born at or near ,mayence gives a most  
interesting clue both as to his         
birthplace and the origin of his name4  
,in the ,rhineland district near        
,mayence there is a small tributary to  
the great river called ,memling1 and a  
village named ,memlingen4 ,it is        
probable1 therefore1 that--just as the  
brothers ,van ,eyck called themselves   
,hubert and ,jean of ,eyck--so their    
most famous successor called himself    
,hans of ,memling4 ,for lack of         
authentic details regarding his early   
career legend has supplied a most       
interesting history--that he was wild   
and dissolute in his younger days1 was  
wounded while fighting with ,charles the
 ,bold at ,nancy1 dragged himself to the
 door of the hospital of ,st4 ,jean at  

,bruges1 and was there tenderly nursed  
back to health and strength1 in         
gratitude for which he painted for the  
kind sisters the little gallery of fine 
works that are still preserved in the   
original chapter house of the           
institution4 ,all of this romance1 and  
that of his love for one of the sisters1
 makes a charming background for many of
 the accounts of his life and work1 but 
the painstaking scholarship of modern   
days has shown that at the time when he 
was supposed to be lying wounded and    
destitute at the hospital he was in fact
 very prosperous1 having lately bought  
the house in which he lived and his name
 appearing as one of the leading        
citizens of whom the commune had        
borrowed money4 ,it is perhaps          
pleasanter on the whole to think of the 
artist as rich and honoured instead of  
at the other extreme of the social      
scale--but the legend is1 after all1 so 
much more romantic that we cannot give  
it up without regret4  ,at ,bruges the  

first spot for the admirer of ,memling  
to visit is1 of course1 the hospital of 
,st4 ,jean1 and at the hospital the     
first thing to see is the world-famous  
shrine of ,st4 ,ursula4 ,little it is1  
yet beyond price in value4 ,it was      
constructed as a casket to contain the  
relics of the ,saint and was completed  
in #adhi4 ,in design it is a miniature  
,gothic chapel two feet ten inches high 
and three feet long1 with three little  
panels on each side which contain       
,memling's famous pictures setting forth
 the life and martyrdom of the ,saint   
and the eleven thousand other virgins   
who shared her fate4 ,the story of the  
famous pilgrimage to ,rome and its      
melancholy ending at ,cologne has been  
told so often that it need not be       
repeated here4 ,ask one of the sisters  
to tell it to you in her charming broken
 ,french--for they are ,flemish1 these  
sweet-faced sisters1 and1 as a rule1    
understand neither ,french nor ,english4
  ,illustration3 ,,shrine ,,of ,,st4    

,,ursula1 ,,hospital ,,of ,,st4 ,,jean1 
,,bruges4  ,this fact is said to have   
served them in good stead on the        
terrible day when the bandit-soldiery of
 the ,french ,republic clamoured at the 
doors of the hospital in #adid4 ,the    
shrine6 the shrine6 they cried1 give us 
the shrine6 7,la chsse1 la chsse1 donnez
 nous la chsse67 ,the nuns1 who had     
never heard it called by that name1 but 
knew it only by its ,flemish name of    
,ryve1 replied that they did not possess
 such a thing as a chsse1 and their     
voices and expressions so clearly showed
 their truthfulness and innocence of any
 deceit that the rabble of soldiers went
 away and the shrine was saved4 ,early  
in the nineteenth century the ,mother   
,superior refused a most tempting offer 
to purchase the shrine1 replying1 ,we   
are poor1 but the greatest riches in the
 world would not tempt us to part with  
it4  ,while the paintings on the shrine 
are the most famous of ,memling's works1
 they are not regarded by the critics as

 being his best4 ,as ,mr4 ,rooses       
expresses it1 ,the artist seems to have 
been less intent on perfection of detail
 for each figure than on the marvellous 
polychromy of the whole4 ,the hospital  
of ,st4 ,jean possesses three of the    
master's greatest works--two triptychs  
entitled ,the ,marriage of ,st4         
,catherine and ,the ,adoration of the   
,magi1 and the diptych representing the 
,madonna and ,martin ,van ,nieuwenhove4 
,the museum at ,bruges contains still   
another masterpiece1 a picture showing  
in the centre ,st4 ,christopher1 ,st4   
,maurus and ,st4 ,giles--the first      
bearing the ,infant ,christ upon his    
shoulders--while the two shutters       
contain the usual portraits of the      
donors4 ,one of ,memling's most         
important works was a picture of ,the   
,last ,judgment which was painted for an
 ,italian1 ,jacopo ,tani1 and placed on 
board ship to be sent to ,florence by   
sea4 ,the ship was captured by          
privateers in the ,english ,channel1 and

 as its owners were citizens of ,dantzig
 it was presented by them to the ,church
 of ,our ,lady in that city1 where it   
still remains4 ,there are several       
admirable works by this master at the   
museums of ,brussels and ,antwerp1 while
 others are scattered throughout        
,europe1 and one particularly fine      
example of his art was brought to       
,america by the late ,benjamin ,altman  
and now hangs in the ,altman collection 
at the ,metropolitan ,museum at ,new    
,york4  ,while the chief interest to the
 visitor at the hospital of ,st4 ,jean  
is the remarkable collection of works by
 ,memling1 the old buildings themselves 
merit more than a casual glance4 ,some  
of them date from the twelfth century1  
and the view looking back at the ancient
 waterfront from the bridge by which the
 rue ,st4 ,catherine here crosses the   
river is particularly picturesque4 ,the 
old brick structures go down to the very
 water's edge1 and sometimes below it1  
and the entire pile from this side must 

look much as it did in ,memling's day4  
,another artist whose work sheds lustre 
on the old town of ,bruges was          
,gheerhardt ,david4 ,for nearly four    
centuries his name and even his very    
existence were forgotten1 his paintings 
being attributed to ,memling--in itself 
a high evidence of their merit4 ,recent 
studies by ,james ,weale and other      
scholars have given us quite a complete 
life of this artist1 who lived between  
#adfj and #aebc1 and a number of his    
works have been identified4 ,all of     
these seem to have been painted at      
,bruges1 and some of the more notable   
ones still remain there4 ,the municipal 
authorities commissioned him to paint   
two great pictures representing notable 
examples of justice such as ,van der    
,weyden had done for the ,hotel de      
,ville at ,brussels4 ,these depict the  
flaying alive of the unjust ,judge      
,sisamnes by ,cambyses1 ,king of        
,persia1 and are still preserved in the 
museum at ,bruges4 ,the museum also     

possesses another masterpiece by this   
artist1 ,the ,baptism of ,christ4       
,others that have been identified       
through painstaking study of the old    
archives of the city and contemporary   
sources are located in the ,national    
,gallery at ,london and in the museum of
 ,rouen4  ,the prosperity of ,bruges was
 declining very fast while ,david was   
painting the last of his religious      
pictures and the merchants were steadily
 leaving the city for ,antwerp1 which   
was now rising into importance4 ,the    
artists1 whose prosperity depended upon 
the wealth of the burghers were also    
drifting to the new commercial          
metropolis on the ,scheldt and the      
famous school of ,bruges was near its   
end by the middle of the sixteenth      
century4 ,the last artists who worked at
 ,bruges were of minor interest4        
,adriaen ,ysenbrant1 ,albert ,cornelis  
and ,jean ,prvost belong to this period1
 and their most important works are     
still preserved in the city where they  

were executed4 ,the ,virgin of the      
,seven ,sorrows1 in the church of ,notre
 ,dame1 is attributed to the first1 a   
triptych in the church of ,st4 ,jacques 
to the second1 while the museum has     
several pictures by ,prvost1 including  
an interesting ,last ,judgment1 and     
another striking representation of the  
same subject by ,pieter ,pourbus1 of    
which there is a copy in the ,palais du 
,franc4 ,the masterpieces by ,jean ,van 
,eyck in this museum have already been  
mentioned1 and the small but exceedingly
 rich collection also includes a fine   
production entitled ,the ,death of the  
,virgin1 which is now generally         
attributed to ,hugo ,van der ,goes--one 
of the comparatively few works by that  
master that have come down to us4 ,there
 are also several other works by ,p4    
,pourbus1 and a powerful allegorical    
picture by ,jean ,prvost representing   
,avarice and ,death4 ,there is          
undoubtedly no collection of paintings  
in the world of which the average value 

is so great as that of the little group 
in the hospital of ,st4 ,jean1 and the  
one in the ,bruges museum--while it has 
quite a few of minor interest and       
value--would also bring a very high     
average if subjected to the bidding of  
the world's millionaire art lovers4     
,illustration3 ,an ,illumination by     
,gheerhardt ,david of ,bruges1 #adih2   
,st4 ,barbara  ,bruges possesses another
 museum of great interest which dates   
from the days of the last ,dukes of     
,burgundy4 ,this is the ,gruuthuise     
mansion1 of which the oldest wing was   
built in #adbj1 and much of the finer   
portion about #adgj by ,louis1 or       
,lodewyk1 ,van der ,gruuthuise1 who here
 entertained ,charles the ,bold and his 
pretty daughter--becoming one of the    
latter's chief advisers on the death of 
her father and one of the two ,flemish  
noblemen who witnessed her marriage4    
,the stately old palace is therefore    
rich with historic associations4 ,as we 
entered its broad courtyard1 however1 we

 were most unfavourably impressed by its
 rough-paved surface with the grass     
growing thick between the stones4       
,surely this must have looked very      
different in the days when knights and  
fair ladies swarmed here like bees1 and 
the city1 which has so carefully        
restored everything else1 would do well 
to at least park this otherwise very    
pretty little enclosure4 ,the interior  
is both pleasing and disappointing4 ,the
 edifice itself is superb as a survival 
of a nobleman's palace of the fifteenth 
century1 and as an example of ,flemish  
interior architecture4 ,the grand stone 
staircase1 the massive fireplaces1 also 
in white stone1 and one or two of the   
rooms in their entirety give a fine     
impression of the splendour of the      
establishment maintained by the great   
,lord of ,gruuthuise in the days when he
 counted ,king ,edward ,,iv of ,england 
and ,richard ,crookback among his       
guests1 and was engaged in collecting   
the marvellous library now in ,paris4   

,everywhere1 over the fireplaces1 and in
 various stone carvings1 one reads the  
proud motto of the powerful builders of 
this palace1 ,plus est en nous4  ,when  
the palace was in course of restoration 
some years ago the workmen uncovered a  
secret chamber behind the great stone   
fireplace in the kitchen1 concealed     
within the masonry of the huge chimney1 
and within it the skeleton of a man4 ,a 
secret staircase was also discovered    
here which led to two underground       
passages branching off in opposite      
directions4 ,strangely enough neither of
 them has ever been explored1 but one is
 supposed to lead to the vaults beneath 
the adjoining church of ,notre ,dame1   
and the other to some point outside the 
city walls4 ,some have conjectured that 
it leads to the ,chteau of ,maele1 some 
four miles distant1 but probably it went
 to the manor of the ,lords of          
,gruuthuise at ,oostcamp4 ,within this  
mansion a modern ,sir ,walter ,scott    
could easily conjure forth a new series 

of ,waverley novels treating of the     
stirring days when ,bruges was virtually
 the capital of ,flanders and ,flanders 
was the brightest jewel in the          
,burgundian crown4  ,all this is most   
fascinating1 and1 as far as it goes1    
helps us to reconstruct in fancy the    
great days of the past4 ,the            
disappointing feature about the palace  
is the museum itself1 which1 although   
interesting and valuable1 utterly spoils
 many of the fine rooms by converting   
them into mere exhibition places4 ,in a 
measure the authorities have followed   
the admirable plan of the owners of the 
,hotel ,merghelynck at ,ypres1 and the  
immense kitchen1 for example1 contains  
only kitchen utensils of the ,middle    
,ages--a most complete and interesting  
collection4 ,the same is also true of   
the large dining-room on the same floor1
 but as one proceeds farther the        
atmosphere of antiquity becomes lost and
 it is all nothing but museum4 ,the     
palace contains a splendid collection of

 old lace1 the gift of the ,baroness    
,liedts1 but it seemed to us that it    
would have been much better to have     
housed this and the various collections 
of antiquities in some less famous and  
historic structure and endeavoured to   
restore all of these rooms to           
approximately their condition when      
,charles the ,bold stalked through them4
  ,the period of ,philip the ,good and  
his terrible son was the one in which   
medival ,bruges took on substantially   
its present form4 ,in addition to the   
,gruuthuise ,palace scores of important 
edifices1 public and private1 were built
 or rebuilt at this time1 while hundreds
 of smaller houses were constructed--of 
which many remain in existence to-day4  
,the greatest and most famous edifice   
dating in large part from this epoch is 
the cathedral of ,st4 ,sauveur whose    
grim1 castle-like tower dominates the   
entire city4 ,the lowest part of the    
tower dates from #aaaf-aabg--;as already
 related in the chapter on ,bruges under

 ,charles the ,good--when the church was
 rebuilt after a fire that destroyed the
 primitive structure erected on the site
 a century or more earlier4 ,between    
#abej and #acdf1 or for almost a        
century1 the men of ,bruges were slowly 
piling up a noble church in the early   
,gothic style1 but another fire in #aceh
 necessitated rebuilding the nave and   
transept--a task which occupied the next
 ten or fifteen years4 ,in #adhj work   
was begun upon the five chapels of the  
choir and nine years later the ,pope1   
,innocent ,,viii1 granted a special     
,bull of ,indulgence in favour of       
benefactors of this work1 which appears 
to have been delayed for lack of funds4 
,work of various kinds was continued    
until the middle of the sixteenth       
century1 but1 in the main1 the great    
church was nearly as we see it now by   
the year #aeaa4 ,the upper part of the  
tower is comparatively modern1 dating   
from #ahdf1 and the spire from #ahga4   
,while it has been criticised by some as

 ungainly and cumbrous1 the effect of   
this tower1 from whatever angle it may  
be viewed1 is very pleasing4 ,the high  
lights and shadows on a sunny morning1  
or late in the afternoon1 make it far   
more beautiful than its sister of ,notre
 ,dame1 while against the grey cloud    
masses of a typical ,flemish sky its    
huge tawny mass stands out sharp and    
clear1 the embodiment of majesty and    
strength4  ,the interior of the church  
is very large1 measuring three hundred  
and thirty-one feet by one hundred and  
twenty-five feet1 with an extreme width 
of one hundred and seventy-four feet    
across the transepts4 ,its polychrome   
decorations and stained glass windows   
are modern4 ,in another place the wealth
 of art treasures in this church would  
merit a chapter1 but in ,bruges they are
 so overshadowed by the many            
masterpieces to be seen elsewhere that  
we felt somewhat satiated after such a  
feast and spent very little time looking
 at the pictures here4 ,the most famous 

one is a ,martyrdom of ,st4 ,hippolytus1
 by ,dierick ,bouts1 which is           
interesting because so few examples of  
this primitive master are in existence4 
,it is a triptych1 the central panel    
showing the saint about to be torn to   
pieces by wild horses1 on the left an   
incident in the life of the saint1 and  
on the right the donors4 ,the last      
picture has been attributed by many     
critics to ,hugo ,van der ,goes1 and for
 many years the entire picture was      
thought to be the work of ,memling4     
,bouts delighted in unpleasant subjects1
 which he depicted with great realism4  
,illustration3 ,,the ,,last             
,,supper4--,,thierry ,,bouts4  ,dierick1
 or ,thierry1 ,bouts settled at ,louvain
 about the middle of the fifteenth      
century4 ,beyond the fact that he came  
from ,haarlem nothing is known of his   
early life and training1 but as ,van der
 ,weyden of ,tournai had done some      
important work at ,louvain it is likely 
that ,bouts may have derived some of his

 inspiration from studying the methods  
of that master4 ,he was a contemporary  
of ,memling4 ,two of his paintings1 ,the
 ,last ,supper and the gruesome         
,martyrdom of ,st4 ,erasmus1 were       
executed for the wealthy brotherhood of 
the ,holy ,sacrament and were hung in   
the church of ,st4 ,peter4#b ,bouts     
became the official painter for the city
 of ,louvain and produced a ,last       
,judgment for the hall of the chevins   
which has since been lost1 and two      
panels for the council-room of the      
,hotel de ,ville representing ,the      
,judgment of ,otho4 ,these are now in   
the museum at ,brussels4 ,the ,queen    
having accused an earl of offending her 
honour1 the latter is decapitated4 ,the 
head is then given to his ,countess1    
together with a glowing bar of iron4 ,in
 the second panel she is shown          
triumphantly holding both1 the hot iron 
refusing to burn her and thereby        
vindicating her husband's innocence4    
,the result of the ordeal is shown in   

the distance where the false ,queen is  
being executed at the stake4 ,these     
pictures were ordered1 in imitation of  
those painted by ,van der ,weyden for   
the ,hotel de ,ville at ,brussels1 as   
part of a series of panels designed to  
instill the love of virtue and justice  
into the minds of the magistrates and   
people4 ,the artist's death prevented   
his completing two other panels that the
 archives of ,louvain show had been     
ordered4 ,besides this ,martyrdom of    
,st4 ,hippolytus a comparatively small  
number of other works from his brush are
 listed in the catalogues of various    
,european museums4  ,footnote #b3 ,they 
were probably destroyed during the      
burning of ,louvain by the ,germans4    
,of the other structures in ,bruges of  
to-day there are a score that merit a   
visit from those who are interested in  
the city's splendid past1 and that date 
for the most part from the last years of
 the ,burgundian period4 ,in the rue des
 ,aiguilles there still exists a        

fragment of the ,hotel ,bladelin1 the   
town house of ,peter ,bladelin1 who was 
for many years ,controller-,general of  
,finance1 ,treasurer of the ,order of   
the ,golden ,fleece1 and the trusted    
agent of the ,dukes in all manner of    
business and private affairs4 ,peter    
subsequently built the town of          
,middleburg1 for the church in which    
,van der ,weyden painted one of his most
 famous pictures4 ,the ,ghistelhof in   
the same street also dates from this    
epoch1 and was built by the ,lords of   
,ghistelle4 ,then there is the ,hotel   
d',adornes and the church of ,jerusalem1
 which was formerly the private chapel  
of the rich brothers ,anselm and ,john  
,adornes4 ,there is still a fine medival
 atmosphere lingering about this group  
of buildings1 although much altered from
 what they were in their prime4 ,the    
church itself is most curious1 and      
beneath the choir is a crypt that leads 
to a reproduction of the ,holy          
,sepulchre1 said to be a facsimile of   

the one in the garden of ,joseph of     
,arimathea4 ,it would take a volume to  
cite all of the fine old structures of  
which traces still exist in this1 the   
most picturesque of all the ,flemish    
cities4 ,the reader who desires to find 
them all cannot do better than to take  
,ernest ,gilliat-,smith's brilliant     
,story of ,bruges with him and look for 
them1 one by one4 ,for those who cannot 
devote a week or more to this delightful
 task a quicker way to see the ,bruges  
of ,charles the ,bold is to stroll      
slowly along the ,quai ,vert1 the ,quai 
des ,marbriers and the ,quai du ,rosaire
 and let the beautiful vistas of the    
,vieux ,bourg with its quaint red roofs 
and noble towers become engraved upon   
the memory1 for here1 more completely   
than anywhere else1 one can see the     
,bruges of the past much as it looked in
 the day of its greatest splendour when 
it was about to sink into its long      
sleep4  ,thus far ,bruges has not       
suffered seriously from the war1 and it 

is profoundly to be hoped that no       
bombardment such as crumbled its fair   
neighbour ,termonde into utter ruin will
 create similar havoc amid these        
indescribably beautiful scenes4 ,a few  
hours would suffice to destroy artistic 
and architectural treasures of a value  
that would make the destruction of      
,louvain seem of little consequence in  
comparison4  ,illustration3 ,,quai      
,,vert1 ,,bruges4     ,,chapter ,,xv    
,,malines ,,in ,,the ,,time ,,of        
,,margaret ,,of ,,austria   ,since this 
chapter was written the ill-fated city  
of ,malines has been swept with shot and
 shell for many days together1 its once 
happy and prosperous inhabitants driven 
far and wide--many of them into foreign 
lands--and it is doubtful if a single   
one of the various ancient edifices     
which we visited last ,june has escaped 
injury4 ,notwithstanding these sad facts
 it has seemed best to retain the       
chapter substantially as it was written1
 inasmuch as it affords a pen picture of

 the old town as it looked on the very  
eve of its destruction4 ,let us hope    
that when the war is over it will be    
found that most1 if not all1 of its     
famous old structures can be restored   
again4 ,as the scene of some of the most
 stubborn conflicts of the great war1 it
 is likely that the city will be more   
generally visited by tourists than was  
the case when its architectural and     
artistic treasures were uninjured1 save 
by the gentle hand of time4 ,to those   
who thus visit it the following account 
of the ,malines that was may prove      
interesting4  ,situated midway between  
,antwerp and ,brussels1 on a route      
formerly traversed by scores of rapides 
every day1 the ancient city of          
,malines--which is the ,french spelling1
 the ,flemish being ,mechelen--was      
exceptionally easy to visit1 yet during 
the three days that we spent wandering  
along its entrancing old quays and      
streets and inspecting its many         
monuments we saw not a single tourist4  

,this was the more remarkable because   
,malines is not only one of the very    
oldest cities in ,northern ,europe1 but 
was for centuries among the most famous4
 ,for a considerable period it was the  
capital of all the ,netherlands1 and it 
is still the religious capital of       
,belgium--the archbishop of its         
cathedral church exercising authority   
over the bishops of ,bruges1 ,ghent1    
,lige1 ,namur and ,tournai4  ,no matter 
from which side one approaches the city 
the first object to be seen is the vast 
square tower of the ,cathedral of ,st4  
,rombaut1 and as this huge              
structure--the eighth wonder of the     
world1 according to ,vauban--dominates  
the town1 so the church itself has      
dominated the history of the city on the
 ,river ,dyle for more than eleven      
centuries4 ,according to tradition ,st4 
,rombaut1 or ,rombold1 to use the       
,english spelling1 sought to convert the
 savage tribes inhabiting the marshes   
that extended along the river about the 

middle of the eighth century1 the date  
of his martyrdom being placed at #gge4  
,a ,benedictine abbey was shortly       
afterwards established near his tomb1   
which steadily grew in importance and   
power until by the twelfth century it   
had become one of the most important    
religious institutions in the region4   
,during the thirteenth century the      
prince-bishops of ,malines became the   
virtual sovereigns of the city1 one of  
them--,gauthier ,berthout1 sometimes    
called the ,great--defeating the ,duke  
of ,gueldre1 who attempted in #abfg to  
assert his authority over that of the   
prelate4 ,at this period many of the    
religious institutions of ,malines were 
established under the patronage of      
,gauthier ,berthout and his successors4 
,illustration3 ,,cathedral ,,of ,,st4   
,,rombaut4 ,,malines4  ,meanwhile the   
comparative immunity of the city from   
the ravages of the wars that so often   
raged at that period between the various
 feudal lords of the region caused great

 numbers of artisans to settle there1   
particularly weavers1 while the cloth   
merchants' guild came to be recognised  
as entitled to a voice in the civil     
affairs of the commune4 ,ships1         
according to the chronicles1 came up the
 ,river ,dyle in such numbers as to make
 the commercial activity of the town    
rival that of ,antwerp--a statement that
 is hard to believe when one gazes at   
the tiny ,river ,dyle of to-day4        
,however1 the ships in those days were  
very small1 and the river1 like so many 
others in ,belgium1 was no doubt broader
 then than it is now that the marshes   
have all been drained4 ,the weavers and 
other artisans were a turbulent lot1 and
 it soon became evident that the bishops
 lacked the power to hold them in check4
  ,this led to a series of alienations  
of the temporal power over the commune  
to neighbouring princes whose armies    
were strong enough to keep the unruly   
burghers in restraint4 ,the first of    
these was effected in the year #acjj    

between the prince-bishop1 ,jean        
,berthout1 and ,jean ,,ii1 ,duke of     
,brabant4 ,in #acjc the news of the     
great victory gained over the nobility  
by the ,flemish communes at ,courtrai   
caused the citizens to revolt against   
their new master1 the ,duke1 who        
besieged the city and finally reduced it
 by starvation4 ,until this time the    
,dyle had never been bridged1 its waters
 flowing over a broad marshy bed4 ,this 
made the siege the more difficult as the
 attacking forces were separated by the 
river1 and it was five months before the
 sturdy burghers yielded4 ,to this day  
an annual procession1 called the        
peysprocessie1 perpetuates the memory of
 this famous siege4  ,during the next   
half century the civil authority over   
the city became a veritable shuttlecock 
of politics and war1 shifting back and  
forth between the ,dukes of ,brabant and
 the ,counts of ,flanders4 ,it was      
bought and sold like a parcel of real   
estate1 but eventually rested with the  

,counts of ,flanders1 who had first     
acquired it by purchase in #accc1 and   
were finally left in undisputed         
possession by a treaty signed in #aceg4 
,four years later a violent insurrection
 of the weavers and other artisans broke
 out that was only mastered after the   
city had been in their possession       
fifteen days1 but with the advent of the
 ,dukes of ,burgundy to the supreme     
power over all of ,flanders1 ,brabant1  
,hainaut and ,holland1 the unruly       
workmen were no longer strong enough to 
resist these redoubtable princes4 ,great
 numbers of them emigrated to other     
cities1 and the cloth industry1 after   
languishing for a time1 finally         
disappeared4  ,like most ,flemish towns1
 ,malines has its principal railway     
station located on its very outskirts1  
and as far as possible from the ,grande 
,place4 ,a tram car was standing in     
front of the station on the morning of  
our first visit1 but it seemed that it  
did not start for ten minutes4 ,a score 

of roomy two-seated carriages invited   
our patronage1 but we valiantly decided 
to walk4 ,we soon regretted our decision
 as the walk proved to be long and hot1 
with very little of interest to see1 as 
the houses in this part of the town are 
comparatively modern4 ,at the bridge    
across the ,dyle we paused for a few    
moments to admire the fine views that   
can here be had of the old ,church      
,notre ,dame au del de la ,dyle to the  
westward and the equally picturesque    
,notre ,dame d',hanswyck to the         
eastward4 ,just beyond the river is the 
entrance to the ,botanical ,gardens1 and
 as our first visit chanced to be on a  
,friday we walked in unmolested and     
enjoyed the welcome shade and the       
beautiful landscape effects of this     
charming little park4 ,later on we      
learned that ,friday is the only        
week-day on which admission is free1 a  
fee of ten cents being exacted on other 
days4  ,as is the case in most ,belgian 
cities1 the street from the station to  

the heart of the town1 although         
continuous and straight1 changes its    
name more than once4 ,at the outset it  
is the rue ,conscience1 then the rue    
d',egmont1 and from the bridge across   
the ,dyle to the ,grande ,place it is   
named ,bruul4 ,entering the ,place from 
this side we paused to admire the       
tremendous tower of the cathedral which 
here burst upon us in all its majestic  
grandeur1 although the edifice is       
situated a little to the west of the    
,place itself4 ,in front of us1 on the  
right1 was a singularly dilapidated     
ruin1 which we learned was the old      
,cloth ,hall4 ,part of it is used as a  
police station1 part is vacant with its 
window openings devoid of sashes or     
glass staring blankly at the sky1 while 
part is devoted to housing a small      
museum of municipal antiquities4 ,the   
first ,cloth ,hall at ,malines was      
destroyed by fire in #acdb1 and the new 
one that was begun to replace it was    
never finished1 owing to the ruin of the

 cloth industry during the struggles    
between the artisans and their          
overlords1 and a belfry which it was    
proposed to erect similar to that at    
,bruges was never begun4 ,the museum    
contains a number of pictures by        
,malines artists1 of historical rather  
than artistic interest1 a ,christ on the
 ,cross1 by ,rubens1 and a variety of   
relics of the city's famous past4       
,curiously enough1 there is not a single
 piece of lace in the collection1 nor   
anything to represent the great cloth   
weaving industry--the two branches of   
manufacture to which the city owes so   
much of its former wealth and fame4     
,adjoining the ,halle aux ,draps to the 
north is a fine modern post-office built
 from designs drawn by the great        
,malines architect of the sixteenth     
century1 ,rombaut ,keldermans1 for a new
 ,hotel de ,ville1 which was never      
built4 ,unfortunately its principal     
faade overlooks the narrow rue de       
,beffer instead of the ,grande ,place1  

and its beautiful details cannot be seen
 as effectively as could be desired4 ,in
 the ,vieux ,palais1 the ancient        
,schepenhuis1 or house of the bailiffs1 
situated a little south of the ,place1  
we were shown the original design by    
,keldermans4 ,it is kept in a sliding   
panel on the wall and1 although somewhat
 dim with age1 can still be studied in  
detail4 ,the modern architects of the   
post-office have reverently followed the
 plans of the great master so that at   
least this one of his many brilliant    
architectural dreams has come true1 and 
now stands carved in imperishable stone 
just as his genius conceived it nearly  
four centuries ago4  ,to the ancestor of
 this architect1 ,jean ,keldermans1 is  
generally attributed the honour of      
designing the tower of ,st4 ,rombaut1   
the architectural glory of ,malines and 
one of the most magnificent structures  
of the kind in the world4 ,there are a  
thousand places throughout the city     
where the photographer or painter can   

obtain attractive views of this         
masterpiece1 but perhaps the best of all
 is from a point some distance down the 
,ruelle sans ,fin 7,little ,street      
without ,end7 where a quaint medival    
house forms an arch across the narrow   
street1 while behind and far above it   
rises the majestic tower4 ,from whatever
 standpoint one regards the great tower1
 whether gazing up at its vast bulk from
 directly beneath--a point of view that 
the camera cannot reproduce--or from any
 of the little streets that radiate away
 from it1 its grandeur and beauty are   
equally impressive4  ,illustration3     
,,tower ,,of ,,the ,,cathedral ,,of     
,,st4 ,,rombaut ,,from ,,the ,,ruelle   
,,sans ,,fin4  ,begun in #adeb1 work on 
the great tower advanced slowly4 ,in    
#adfh1 according to a memorial tablet   
near the southern side of the tower1    
,gauthier ,coolman was buried there4 ,it
 was the custom in the ,middle ,ages to 
thus recognise the magister operis1 or  
creator of the work1 but it is generally

 acknowledged that ,jean ,keldermans is 
entitled to share in the credit for this
 achievement4 ,jean was the first in a  
family of famous architects1 his        
brothers ,andr1 ,mathieu and ,antoine   
,i1 following the same profession1 and  
their skill being handed down to later  
generations1 of whom the most famous    
were ,antoine ,,ii1 ,rombaut and        
,laurent4 ,at the beginning of the      
sixteenth century work on the great     
tower was stopped1 owing to lack of     
funds1 after attaining a height of three
 hundred and eighteen feet4 ,the plans1 
of which sketches are still preserved at
 ,brussels1 called for carrying the     
spire upward to a total height of five  
hundred and fifty feet1 and in the      
ambulatory of the cathedral we found a  
plaster cast showing the spire as it was
 proposed to erect it4 ,the stones to   
complete the work were already cut and  
brought to ,malines1 but were carried   
away between #aehb and #aehd by the     
,prince of ,orange to build the town of 

,willemstadt4 ,apart from its height1   
this tower is remarkable for its great  
bulk1 measuring no less than twenty-five
 metres in diameter at the base4  ,on   
each side for most of its height the    
architect designed a series of lofty    
,gothic windows4 ,of these the lowest   
are filled in with masonry1 except for a
 tiny window in the centre4 ,in the     
higher ones stone blinds fill in the    
openings1 while the topmost pair are    
wide open to the sky4 ,the well-known   
legend about the over-excitable citizen 
of ,malines who cried ,fire6 one night  
after seeing the full moon through these
 windows gave the people of the town for
 many years the nickname of             
,maanblusschers1 or moon extinguishers1 
and also gave rise to the slur in the   
last three words of the following ,latin
 distich in which an old monkish poet   
compares the six chief cities of        
,belgium3      ,nobilibus ,bruxella     
viris1 ,antwerpia ,nummis1     ,gandavum
 laqueis1 formosis ,bruga puellis1      

,lovanium doctis1 gaudet ,mechlinia     
stultis4      ,brussels is renowned for 
its noble men1 ,antwerp for its money1  
,ghent for its halters1 ,bruges for its 
pretty girls1     ,louvain for its      
scholars1 ,malines 7,mechelen7 for its  
fools4  ,this seems rather hard on      
,malines1 and also on ,ghent1 the       
allusion to that city referring to      
numerous occasions when its sovereigns  
humbled the burghers by forcing them to 
plead for mercy with halters around     
their necks4  ,on the outside of the    
tower1 close to its present summit1 is a
 clock the face of which is claimed to  
be the largest in the world4 ,as the    
same claim is made for the great clock  
on an industrial establishment in       
,jersey ,city ,i will simply give the   
dimensions of the one at ,malines and   
let those interested make the comparison
 for themselves3 ,diameter of face1     
#ac4e metres2 circumference1 #da metres2
 length of hour hand1 #c4fb metres2     
height of figures1 #a4if metres4 ,the   

minute hands were originally #d4be      
metres long1 but are missing on all four
 sides4 ,this renders the time-piece    
hardly one to be consulted if one is    
catching a train1 as the exact minute   
can only be estimated from the position 
of the hour hand4 ,furthermore1 the     
gilding on the hour hands and on most of
 the figures has become so dim that only
 the strongest eyes can distinguish the 
former1 and some of the latter can only 
be made out from their position4 ,as the
 city appeared to be exceedingly proud  
of the size of this clock it seemed     
strange that the authorities did not    
authorise the expenditure of the small  
sum necessary to re-gild it4  ,it is a  
hard climb to the top of the tower1 but 
one well worth making1 not only for the 
fine panorama of the city that unfolds  
itself wider and wider as one mounts    
higher1 but for the opportunity thus    
afforded of seeing the fine carillon1 or
 set of chimes1 and the curious         
mechanism operating the clappers that   

strike the hours4 ,just before reaching 
the floor upon which these are placed   
the guide conducts the visitor to a trap
 door from which one can look down into 
the interior of the cathedral--a        
thrilling experience to be enjoyed only 
by those who are not inclined to be     
dizzy4 ,the massive timber work         
supporting the huge bells was           
constructed in #affb1 but the oldest of 
the bells dates from #adih1 or six years
 after the discovery of ,america4 ,the  
two biggest bells are named ,salvator   
and ,charles1 of which the larger one   
weighs #h1hhd kilos1 or more than nine  
tons1 and requires twelve men to ring   
it4 ,there are four other big bells and 
forty-five for the entire carillon1 most
 of which were cast by ,pierre ,hmony of
 ,amsterdam1 the ,stradivarius of bell  
founders1 in #afgd4 ,altogether they    
form four octaves1 the giants chiming in
 with the others as the music demands4  
,the keyboard which operates the little 
hammers is operated by both hand and    

foot power1 and the carillonneur who    
operates it is worthy of the splendid   
instrument at his command1 being ,josef 
,denyn1 the son of an equally famous    
carillonneur1 and reputed to be the     
finest in ,europe4 ,m4 ,denyn not only  
gives frequent concerts at ,malines1 but
 also at ,antwerp and ,bruges1 as well  
as in many ,european cities outside of  
,belgium4  ,we made a special trip to   
,malines one ,monday afternoon in ,june 
solely to listen to one of these        
concerts1 which takes place on that day 
between eight and nine in the evening1  
during the months of ,june1 ,august and 
,september4 ,the sleepy old town was    
thronged with automobiles1 for the      
renown of these famous concerts has     
spread far and wide1 and some of the    
cars1 we were told1 had come from points
 as far away as ,ostende1 ,blankenburghe
 and ,heyst1 while scores were from     
,antwerp and ,brussels4 ,the crowd      
gathered quietly in the streets         
surrounding the great tower and a great 

silence seemed to pervade the entire    
city as the hour of eight approached4   
,then1 faint and far at first1 came the 
first dulcet tones from this great organ
 of the sky1 until--as the music swelled
 and more of the larger bells began to  
blend their notes in the harmony--the   
very air seemed vibrant with celestial  
sounds4 ,the selection1 as we afterwards
 learned1 was one of the ,volksliederen1
 or pieces of folk music for the        
rendition of which ,m4 ,denyn is famous4
 ,as we listened we realised as never   
before the part the ancient carillon was
 meant to take in the daily life of the 
people4 ,it is1 in truth1 as a ,french  
author has beautifully expressed it1 the
 orchestra of the poor1 giving          
expression through its wondrous notes to
 their joys and their sorrows4 ,on the  
occasion of great ftes its music is     
light and gay1 in attune with the       
popular rejoicing2 in times of public   
grief the carillon gives utterance to   
notes of lamentation2 when a famous     

citizen is being borne to his last      
resting-place through the streets lined 
with silent mourners the carillon sends 
the deep notes of its funeral dirges    
across the city2 in time of war or      
sudden danger the great bells roar the  
wild tocsin of alarm2 in time of peace  
their softest notes breathe a sweet     
prayer of peace and benediction at      
eventide4  ,while we were visiting the  
tower we were shown the tambour cast in 
copper by means of which the clock      
strikes the hours1 the half hours and   
the quarters4 ,this was cast in #aghc1  
and two years were required to make the 
sixteen thousand1 two hundred square    
holes into which drop the teeth that    
actuate the striking hammers4  ,the     
interior of ,st4 ,rombaut1 while        
majestic and imposing1 is hardly as     
masterly as the tower4 ,on the occasion 
of our first visit a high mass was being
 celebrated and we reverently joined the
 throng of worshippers4 ,in addition to 
the choir there was a body of some two  

hundred young men in the centre of the  
cathedral who participated in the       
singing1 a cur beating time for them4   
,their strong manly voices blended      
finely with the higher notes of the     
distant choir boys and the deep tones of
 the organ4 ,from the top of the choir  
long crimson streamers were suspended1  
terminating at the back of the high     
altar and giving a rich note of colour  
to the interior1 while the light from   
the stained glass windows overhead      
poured downward in many-coloured rays   
upon the throng of black-robed priests1 
with a sprinkling of higher dignitaries 
clad in purple4 ,truly a picture that   
filled the eye with the pageantry of    
religion1 even as the rolling notes of  
the sonorous chants filled the ear6     
,after the service was over1 and the    
great cathedral1 but now so crowded1 was
 deserted1 we started on our tour of    
inspection4 ,it would be a tedious task 
to chronicle all of the objects of      
interest4 ,the carved stalls of the     

,gothic choir are far less elaborate in 
workmanship than those at ,amiens4 ,the 
altar by ,faid'herbe1 a native of       
,malines1 is imposing1 but not of       
remarkable merit4 ,the carved pulpit in 
the nave1 however1 is a veritable       
masterpiece of wood carving by ,michel  
,van der ,voort of ,antwerp1 and dates  
from #agbc4 ,below1 ,st4 ,norbert is    
shown flung from his horse by a         
thunderbolt1 above is the ,crucifixion  
at the left1 with the ,virgin and ,st4  
,john standing below the cross1 while at
 the right is shown a charming          
representation of the ,fall1 with ,eve  
offering the apple to ,adam1 both       
figures embowered in a mass of foliage  
that twines up the stairway to the      
pulpit and lifts its branches far       
overhead4 ,the masterpiece of the       
paintings is an altarpiece by ,van ,dyck
 representing the ,crucifixion1 a       
notable representation of the gradations
 of grief in the faces of the ,virgin   
and ,mary ,magdalen4 ,the attendant     

requires a franc to uncover this        
picture4 ,the ,adoration of the         
,shepherds1 by ,erasmus ,quellen1 in the
 opposite arm of the transept1 while    
less famous1 is a noble piece of work4  
,as would be expected from its great    
religious importance1 ,malines has      
numerous minor churches that contain    
much of interest to the visitor4 ,the   
largest of these is ,notre ,dame au del 
de la ,dyle1 situated across the ,river 
,dyle from the oldest part of the city1 
but dating from the fifteenth century4  
,here the tourist usually asks to see   
,the ,miraculous ,draught of ,fishes1 by
 ,rubens1 a highly coloured triptych    
that is only uncovered when one pays a  
franc to the attendant4 ,as this master 
produced some seventeen hundred known   
works it would cost a small fortune to  
see them all at a franc apiece1 but this
 one dates from the artist's best period
 and is fully worth the price charged to
 see it4 ,it is vigorous in treatment1  
and the ,fishmongers' ,guild1 which     

purchased it from the artist in #afah   
for sixteen hundred florins1 certainly  
got very good value for their money4    
,the wings are painted on both sides4   
,this church also contains the curious  
,virgin with the ,broken ,back4         
,according to the popular legend her    
sharp leaning to the right is due to the
 fact that one day1 when the sacristan  
of the church failed to wake up in time 
to ring the angelus the lady obligingly 
did it for him1 but wrenched her spine  
in the effort4 ,her smug smirk of       
satisfaction1 as if over a duty well    
performed1 no doubt also dates from the 
same incident4  ,hardly less interesting
 is the ancient church of ,notre ,dame  
d',hanswyck1 situated on the same side  
of the ,dyle as the other ,notre ,dame  
just described4 ,a chapel was erected on
 the site of this church soon after the 
country was converted from paganism by  
,st4 ,rombaut1 and a large church was   
built near the end of the thirteenth    
century4 ,this1 however1 was pillaged by

 the iconoclasts in #aeff1 riddled by   
shot from the cannon of the ,prince of  
,orange in #aegb1 and finally completely
 demolished eight or nine years later by
 the ,gueux4 ,it was not until #affc    
that the present edifice was begun4 ,it 
was designed by ,luke ,faid'herbe1 the  
famous sculptor of ,malines and a pupil 
of ,rubens1 and was built under his     
personal supervision4 ,the church itself
 is a veritable museum of the works of  
this master4 ,the finest and most famous
 of these are the two bas-reliefs in the
 dome1 one showing ,the ,nativity1 and  
the other ,the ,saviour ,falling ,under 
the ,burden of the ,cross4 ,the pulpit1 
by ,theodore ,verhaegen1 is a fine      
example of ,flemish wood carving4 ,in   
this church the chief treasure1 from the
 standpoint of its priests and          
parishioners1 is the miraculous statue  
of the ,virgin1 which dates from #ihh1  
or earlier1 according to some           
authorities4 ,it is made of wood1       
painted and gilded1 and is life size4   

,not the least miraculous feat of this  
interesting relic of the ,middle ,ages  
is its escape from destruction1 at the  
hands of the iconoclasts1 the ,gueux1   
and the ,french revolutionists4 ,at the 
period when the church itself was       
destroyed the statue was hidden in a    
secret subterranean passage for nearly a
 century2 during the ,french ,revolution
 it was successively lodged in various  
houses in the rue d',hanswyck--each time
 being replaced in the church1 after the
 danger was over1 amid great popular    
rejoicing4  ,another church that is a   
small art gallery is that of ,st4 ,jean1
 not far from the cathedral4 ,here is   
the fine ,adoration of the ,magi1 by    
,rubens1 which many critics consider one
 of the four best of his ceremonial     
works4 ,it was painted in #afag1 the    
year before ,the ,miraculous ,draught of
 ,fishes1 at ,notre ,dame de la ,dyle1  
when the artist was fresh from his      
studies in ,italy1 and before his       
success had caused him to employ a      

throng of students to assist in the     
production of his works4 ,furthermore1  
it was executed for this very church1   
which still possesses his receipt for   
the final payment1 written in ,flemish1 
dated ,march #bd1 #afbd1 and signed by  
the artist1 ,pietro ,paulo ,rubens4 ,the
 price was eighteen hundred florins1 but
 for good measure the church obtained   
three small paintings by the great      
master to be hung below the triptych4   
,in #agid these pictures were taken to  
,paris and the ,adoration of the ,magi  
was not restored to its original        
position until after the fall of        
,napoleon4 ,two of the small pictures1  
,the ,adoration of the ,shepherds and   
,the ,resurrection1 are now in the      
museum of ,marseilles--having never been
 returned--while the third1 ,christ on  
the ,cross1 after changing hands several
 times1 was at last purchased by an     
amateur who recognised its authorship   
and history and restored it to the      
church of ,st4 ,jean4 ,the two little   

pictures on either side of it1 often    
attributed to ,rubens1 are by ,luc      
,franchoys the younger4 ,this church    
also boasts some marvellous ,flemish    
wood carvings4 ,around the two pillars  
of the transept where it intersects the 
nave are some bas-reliefs1 six          
altogether1 by ,theodore ,verhaegen and 
his pupils1 that if there was nothing   
else to see would alone justify a visit 
to ,st4 ,jean1 while the pulpit by the  
same master1 representing ,the ,good    
,shepherd ,preaching to ,his ,people1 is
 one of the most noteworthy of the      
numerous examples of pulpit carving to  
be seen in ,flanders4 ,below the organ  
are two more admirable bas-reliefs      
carved in ,flemish oak by ,pierre       
,valckx1 a pupil of ,verhaegen4  ,of the
 many other churches in the old town it 
would be tedious to speak4 ,nowhere in  
all ,flanders did we see so many        
black-robed priests walking solemnly    
about--although they do not lack in any 
part of the country4 ,all ,belgium1 in  

fact1 is full of priests1 monks and     
nuns1 owing to the expulsion of the     
religious orders from ,france some years
 ago4 ,we frequently engaged them in    
conversation to ascertain more about the
 monuments we were visiting and         
invariably found them courteous and     
well-informed1 and not infrequently we  
were indebted to them for suggestions or
 information of much value4 ,at the same
 time1 it must be said that it seems to 
a layman as though there are far too    
many for so small a country1 but their  
fine spirit of devotion during the      
war--when thousands of them shared      
cheerfully the hardships of the         
soldiers--will never be forgotten4  ,of 
the civil edifices in ,malines the most 
important is the ,hotel de ,ville4      
,architecturally it is disappointing1   
save for the older portion1 which was   
called ,beyaerd1 and was purchased by   
the commune in #achc4 ,the greater part 
of the edifice was reconstructed during 
the eighteenth century4 ,the many rooms 

in the interior are pleasing but hardly 
notable1 nor are the paintings and      
sculptures important save to the        
historian4 ,in the ,vieux ,palais1 the  
room in which the ,great ,council of the
 ,netherlands held its sessions from    
#adgd to #afah1 is still preserved in   
its original state1 while one of the    
ancient paintings on the wall shows the 
,council in session4 ,in this building  
also is the curious statuette of the    
,vuyle ,bruydegom called ,op-,signorken1
 whose grinning face and quaint medival 
costume are reproduced on many          
postcards4 ,the history of this worthy  
is best told in ,french--and in         
whispers6  ,illustration3 ,,in ,,het    
,,paradijs ,,and ,,maison ,,des         
,,diables3 ,,two ,,fifteenth ,,century  
,,houses1 ,,malines4  ,in our tramps    
around the narrow1 crooked streets of   
the old town1 and along its picturesque 
quays1 we found many fine examples of   
fifteenth and sixteenth century         
architecture4 ,on the ,quai au ,sel is  

the ,house of the ,salmon1 the ancient  
guildhouse of the fishmongers1 which    
dates from #aecj1 and on the ,quai aux  
,avoines we visited the little estaminet
 entitled ,in het ,paradijs1 with its   
two painted reliefs of the ,fall and    
,expulsion from ,eden1 and the ,maison  
des ,diables--so called from the carved 
devils that decorate its wooden faade of
 the sixteenth century4 ,the ,grand     
,pont across the ,dyle to these old     
quays itself dates from the thirteenth  
century1 as its grimy arches testify4   
,after the defeat and death of ,charles 
the ,bold at ,nancy his widow1 ,margaret
 of ,york1 transferred her residence to 
,malines1 and here she raised and       
educated the two children of her        
daughter1 ,marie of ,burgundy1 ,philip  
the ,handsome and ,margaret of ,austria4
 ,their father1 the ,emperor            
,maximilian1 was so occupied with       
affairs of state over his widely        
scattered realm that he seldom came to  
the city1 but from #adhj onward the     

,states ,general of the ,netherlands    
often met here1 and in #adia ,philip the
 ,handsome presided at a chapter of the 
,order of the ,golden ,fleece at the    
cathedral of ,st4 ,rombaut4 ,on his     
premature death1 in #aejf1 ,maximilian  
again became ,regent1 as ,philip's      
eldest son ,charles was barely six years
 old4 ,the following year ,maximilian   
made his daughter ,margaret of ,austria 
,governess-,general of the ,netherlands 
and guardian of ,philip's children4     
,margaret at once chose ,malines1 where 
she had herself been educated1 as her   
seat of government and there she reigned
 as ,regent until her death twenty-three
 years later4 ,this period was the      
golden age in the history of the city on
 the ,dyle1 its brief day of splendour4 
,in her infancy ,margaret had been      
betrothed to the son of the ,king of    
,france1 ,louis ,,xi--the cunning enemy 
of her house whose plots had brought    
about the ruin of her grandfather1      
,charles the ,bold4 ,she was only three1

 and the ,prince ,dauphin1 afterwards   
,charles the ,eighth1 was only twelve4  
,nine years later a more advantageous   
alliance caused him to renounce this    
betrothal1 and ,margaret was            
subsequently married by proxy to the son
 of the ,king of ,spain4 ,on her voyage 
from ,flushing to ,spain a storm arose  
which nearly wrecked her ship1 and after
 it had somewhat subsided she and her   
companions amused themselves by each    
writing her own epitaph4 ,that composed 
by ,margaret1 then a sprightly girl of  
eighteen1 is well known3      ,cy gist  
,margot la gentil' ,damoiselle1     ,qu'
 ha deux marys et encor est pucelle4    
,eventually1 however1 she arrived safely
 at ,burgos1 but her young husband1     
,prince ,john of ,asturias1 died        
suddenly seven months later of a        
malignant fever4 ,at the age of         
nineteen1 therefore1 ,margaret had      
already missed being ,queen of ,france  
and ,queen of ,spain4 ,after two years  
at the ,spanish court1 where she was    

very popular1 she returned to ,flanders1
 arriving in #aejj1 just in time to be  
one of the godmothers at the christening
 of her nephew1 ,charles1 at the church 
of ,st4 ,jean in ,ghent4 ,the following 
year ,margaret married ,philibert ,,ii1 
,duke of ,savoy1 surnamed the ,handsome1
 who was the same age as herself4 ,this 
time her married life proved to be only 
a little longer than the other1 for her 
husband died in #aejd4 ,left twice a    
widow while still in the bloom of youth1
 the ,duchess devoted herself to poetry 
and the erection of a church at ,brou in
 her second husband's duchy of ,savoy4  
,there1 on the walls1 woodwork1 stained 
glass windows and tombs she repeated her
 last motto3      ,,fortune 4           
,,infortune 4 ,,fort 4 ,,une  which has 
generally been interpreted to mean that 
,fortune and ,misfortune have tried     
sorely 7fort7 one lone woman 7une74     
,the palace of ,margaret of ,york stood 
on the rue de l',empereur1 where some   
vestiges of it still remain1 but        

,margaret of ,savoy and of ,austria     
found this edifice inadequate to the    
requirements of a ,regent and acquired  
the ,hotel de ,savoy opposite4 ,this has
 been restored and is now used as the   
,palais de ,justice1 but--apart from its
 pretty courtyard and one fine          
fireplace--we found very little to      
recall the glories of the period when   
the great men of all the ,netherlands   
gathered here4 ,the edifice was largely 
reconstructed by ,rombaut ,keldermans1  
and it was here that the boyhood of the 
future ,emperor ,charles the ,fifth was 
passed1 watched over by his ,aunt       
,margaret4 ,at the time of her accession
 as ,regent ,margaret was twenty-seven  
years old--a fair young woman with      
golden hair1 rounded cheeks1 a grave    
mouth1 and beautiful clear eyes1        
according to one observer4 ,her father1 
the ,emperor ,maximilian1 was very fond 
and proud of her1 and the greatest      
treasure in the library in the ,vieux   
,palais is a graduale1 or hymnbook1     

which he presented to her in recognition
 of her services in educating his       
grandchildren4 ,on one of the pages in  
this book is an illuminated picture     
showing ,maximilian himself seated on a 
throne surmounted by the arms of        
,austria1 with ,margaret and the        
youthful ,charles and his sister forming
 part of the group gathered in front of 
him4 ,the other illustrations in this   
priceless volume1 all of which we were  
permitted to examine1 consist of        
religious subjects4  ,the events        
connected with the regency of ,margaret 
of ,austria belong to the history of    
,europe4 ,more than once she aided her  
father in solving the great problems of 
government and diplomacy with which he  
was confronted1 notably in the prominent
 part she took in the negotiations      
resulting in the ,league of ,cambrai1   
which was directed against ,france--the 
nation to which she always showed an    
unrelenting hostility for the slight put
 upon her in childhood4 ,in #aeaf       

,charles became of age1 and two years   
later--while the new ,king of ,spain was
 visiting his ,spanish                  
subjects--,margaret was again proclaimed
 ,regent of the ,netherlands4 ,in #aeai 
,maximilian died1 and five months later 
,charles was elected ,king of the       
,romans1 and was chosen ,emperor the    
following year1 succeeding to the widest
 dominions ever ruled over by one man in
 the history of ,europe4 ,in fact it is 
doubtful if any sovereign since has     
exercised so vast a power1 as the ,kings
 and ,emperors of later years have had  
their authority more restricted1 while  
that of ,charles was absolute4  ,in     
#aebi ,margaret brought about the       
negotiations that resulted in the famous
 ,ladies' ,peace between the ,pope1 the 
,emperor ,charles1 and the ,kings of    
,france1 ,england and ,bohemia4         
,margaret represented ,spain1 and       
,louise of ,savoy1 her sister-in-law and
 the mother of ,francis1 the ,king of   
,france1 represented that monarch4 ,the 

result of the conferences was a treaty  
that was highly advantageous to ,spain1 
and a great diplomatic victory for      
,margaret2 but as all ,europe was tired 
of war the terms were accepted and peace
 proclaimed amid great popular          
rejoicings1 the fountains at ,cambrai   
flowing wine instead of water4 ,the     
splendid mantelpiece in the ,hotel de   
,franc at ,bruges was erected to        
commemorate this treaty1 although it    
hardly does justice to the prominent    
part taken by ,margaret in negotiating  
it4 ,the conclusion of the ,treaty of   
,cambrai marks the climax of ,margaret's
 career and also that of the ,house of  
,austria4 ,in addition to the vast      
empire ruled over by ,charles1 his      
brother ,ferdinand was ,king of         
,bohemia1 and his sisters ,eleanor1     
,isabel1 ,marie and ,katherine1 ,queens 
of ,france1 ,denmark1 ,hungary and      
,portugal respectively4 ,all owed their 
brilliant positions to the patience and 
skill of their ,aunt ,margaret who1 as  

her correspondence shows1 was looking   
forward to the time when she could hand 
over the government of the ,netherlands 
to the ,emperor and spend her remaining 
days in quiet seclusion4  ,under her    
wise rule the ,netherlands had attained 
the greatest prosperity ever known4     
,industry and commerce flourished1 peace
 and safety reigned throughout her broad
 dominions4 ,at her court in ,malines   
,margaret gathered a brilliant group of 
artists1 poets and men of letters4      
,mabuse 7,jan ,gossaert71 ,bernard ,van 
,orley and ,michel ,coxcie were among   
the famous ,flemish artists patronised  
by the ,duchess4 ,rombaut ,keldermans   
received many commissions as architect  
from the great ,lady of ,savoy and her  
,imperial nephew for important edifices 
not only at ,malines but at ,antwerp1   
,brussels1 ,ghent and throughout the    
,low ,countries4 ,in #adea the ,pope1   
,nicholas ,v1 had proclaimed a ,holy    
,year at ,malines and enormous numbers  
of pilgrims visited the city in         

consequence4 ,their lavish gifts made   
possible the rapid erection of most of  
the splendid religious edifices with    
which the city is so amply provided1 and
 it was during the reign of ,margaret   
that these structures were completed and
 decorated4 ,among the beautiful        
buildings executed during this period   
may be mentioned the ,belfry at ,bruges1
 the tower of ,st4 ,rombaut1 the ,hotel 
de ,ville at ,ghent1 the spire of the   
cathedral at ,antwerp1 the cathedral of 
,ste4 ,gudule at ,brussels1 and many    
minor churches throughout the ,low      
,countries4  ,margaret displayed rare   
taste for works of art1 and her palace  
was a veritable treasure house of       
masterpieces1 as an inventory prepared  
at her direction shows4 ,one of the most
 famous of these was the portrait of    
,jean ,arnolfini and his wife by ,jean  
,van ,eyck1 which--after many           
vicissitudes--has now found a permanent 
resting place in the ,national ,gallery 
at ,london1 unless some militant        

suffragette adds another chapter to its 
chequered history4 ,another treasure has
 been less fortunate1 namely the        
portrait of ,la belle ,portugalaise1    
wife of ,philip the ,good1 which was    
painted by ,jean ,van ,eyck under       
circumstances already described in      
another chapter4 ,this famous picture   
disappeared during the religious wars   
and has never been discovered4 ,the     
inventory lists a great many other      
paintings1 of which some are still in   
existence and some have been lost4 ,the 
descriptions are often quaint and       
charming1 and may have been dictated by 
the ,duchess herself1 as for example3   
,une petite ,nostre-,dame disant ses    
heures1 faicte de la main de ,michel    
7,coxcie7 que ,madame appelle sa        
mignonne et le petit dieu dort1 and ,ung
 petit paradis ou sont touxs les aptres4
 ,other artists of note in the          
collection were ,bernard ,van ,orley1   
,hans ,memling1 ,roger ,van der ,weyden1
 ,dierick ,bouts1 ,jerome ,bosch and    

,gerard ,horembout4  ,illustration3     
,,portrait ,,of ,,jean ,,arnolfini ,,and
 ,,his ,,wife ,,by ,,jean ,,van ,,eyck4 
,among the men of letters whom ,margaret
 gathered around her were ,jean         
,molinet1 her librarian and a poet who  
often celebrated her charms2 ,jean      
,lemaire de ,belges1 who became her     
historian2 ,erasmus1 ,nicolas ,everard1 
,adrian of ,utrecht1 ,cornelius         
,agrippa1 ,mass1 ,rnacle de ,florennes1 
,louis ,vivs1 and many others4 ,her     
library was as choice as her collection 
of paintings and included a ,book of    
,hours and several other illuminated    
manuscripts now in the ,bibliotheque    
,royale at ,brussels1 and many of the   
medival classics4 ,history records few  
great personages whose personality1     
considered from every aspect1 is more   
pleasing than that of this gracious     
lady1 whose very pets are known to us   
through the frequent references made to 
them by her literary courtiers4 ,her    
career1 though shaded by sadness and    

disappointment1 was a great and noble   
one1 and1 while she lived1 the land over
 which she ruled remained in almost     
uninterrupted peace and prosperity--the 
wars of the ,emperor being for the most 
part waged far away on the plains of    
,italy or in ,france4  ,on the last day 
of ,november1 #aecj1 the ,regent        
,margaret passed away at her palace at  
,malines in the fiftieth year of her age
 and the twenty-third of her regency4   
,for forty-five days the bells of the   
churches throughout the city tolled at  
morning1 noon and night in expression of
 the profound grief of the people at    
their great loss4 ,the dirges may well  
have been for the departure of the      
city's greatness as well1 for the death 
of its great patroness proved the       
beginning of its decline4 ,the new      
,regent1 ,marie of ,hungary1 removed her
 court to ,brussels1 and although       
,malines1 by way of compensation1 was   
made the seat of an arch-bishopric it   
never recovered its former splendour and

 sank rapidly into the quiet town that  
it was when the great war added a new   
and tragic chapter to its history4      
,,chapter ,,xvi  ,,ghent ,,under        
,,charles ,,the ,,fifth--,,and ,,since  
,but for the great disaster at ,nancy1  
it is altogether probable that ,charles 
the ,bold would1 before very long1 have 
sought to chastise the burghers of      
,ghent as he did those of ,lige1 but his
 unexpected death1 and the ruin of his  
plans1 gave the citizens at least a     
brief period of respite from the tyranny
 that had been pressing more and more   
heavily upon them since the bloody sea  
of ,gavre4 ,his daughter1 ,marie1 was   
only nineteen when her father's fall    
placed her at the mercy of the turbulent
 communes1 and at ,ghent as well as     
,bruges she was forced to grant a       
charter restoring the many privileges   
that ,charles and ,philip the ,good had 
taken away4 ,she was even helpless to   
save the lives of two of her most       
trusted counsellors1 who were accused by

 the men of ,ghent of treacherous       
correspondence with their wily enemy1   
,louis ,,xi1 and--in spite of her       
entreaties and tears in their behalf in 
the ,march de ,vendredi--were publicly  
beheaded in the first year of her brief 
reign4  ,shortly after the untimely     
death of this princess whose popularity 
might have held the communes in check1  
her husband1 ,maximilian1 began the long
 war that finally resulted in           
establishing his authority over all of  
,flanders4 ,this accomplished1 he       
established his daughter1 ,margaret of  
,austria1 as ,regent and during the     
twenty-three years of her wise and      
gentle reign the country remained for   
the most part at peace and its commerce 
and prosperity returned4  ,it was during
 the struggle with ,maximilian that the 
,rabot was constructed at ,ghent1 in    
#adhi4 ,the previous year the ,emperor  
,frederick ,,iii1 father of ,maximilian1
 had threatened the city at this point1 
where its fortifications were weakest1  

and the two famous pointed towers were  
built as part of the protective works   
designed to render a similar attack     
impossible4 ,although somewhat mutilated
 in #ahfj1 the twin towers still stand1 
and with the curious intervening        
structure constitute one of the finest  
bits of military architecture of the    
fifteenth century that has come down to 
us4 ,historically1 they form a monument 
of the victory gained by the commune    
over ,frederick and his son in their    
first attempt to curtail its liberties  
and privileges4  ,on the #bdth of       
,february of the year #aejj the city of 
,ghent learned that a baby boy had been 
born at the ,cour de ,princes1 to its   
sovereigns1 ,philip the ,handsome and   
,joanna of ,spain1 who was destined to  
become the most powerful monarch in the 
world4 ,on the day when this fortunate  
baby was baptised with the name of      
,charles1 the city gave itself up to    
rejoicings that might well have been    
tempered had it known the fate that was 

in store for it at the hands of its     
illustrious son forty years later4 ,as  
it was1 joy reigned1 and at night ten   
thousand flaming torches flared1 the    
great dragon in the belfry spouted      
,greek fire1 and on a rope suspended    
from the top of the belfry to the spire 
of ,st4 ,nicholas a tight-rope dancer   
performed prodigies of skill for the    
cheering crowds that thronged the       
streets below4  ,fifteen years later1   
when ,charles was declared of age1 it   
was at ,ghent that he was proclaimed    
,count of ,flanders4 ,the following year
 he became ,king of ,spain1 and in #aebj
 ,emperor2 thus at the age of twenty    
ruling over all the ,netherlands1       
,germany1 ,austria1 ,northern ,italy1   
,spain and the vast empire in the new   
world--then in course of conquest by    
,pizzaro1 ,corts and the other ,spanish 
conquistadores4 ,while the city's most  
famous son was advancing to the zenith  
of human power and wealth1 its own      
fortunes were steadily declining4 ,the  

long contest with ,maximilian and the   
competition of ,england had struck a    
death blow to the cloth industry1 which 
languished for a time and then gradually
 decayed and disappeared4 ,the ,cloth   
,hall was therefore left unfinished1    
which accounts for its insignificance as
 compared with similar structures in    
other ,flemish towns where the textile  
trade was far less important than that  
of ,ghent in the days of its greatest   
prosperity4 ,the city continued1        
however1 to be the centre of the grain  
trade as before1 and the fine faade of  
the ,maison des ,bateliers 7,house of   
the ,boatmen's ,guild71 on the ,quai au 
,bl1 was built at this epoch1 in #aecd4 
,illustration3 ,photograph by ,e4 ,sacr4
 ,,maison ,,de ,,la ,,keure1 ,,hotel    
,,de ,,ville1 ,,ghent4  ,a still more   
notable structure1 the ,hotel de ,ville1
 dates in part from the time of         
,charles4 ,this edifice in reality      
comprises a group of buildings erected  
at different epochs and for diverse     

purposes4 ,architecturally the most     
beautiful of these is the ,maison de la 
,keure1 which forms the corner of the   
,march au ,beurre and the rue ,haut     
,port1 extending for most of its length 
on the latter somewhat narrow street4   
,this was designed and built by         
,dominique de ,waghenakere of ,antwerp  
and the famous ,rombaut ,keldermans of  
,malines1 and was erected between #aeah 
and #aecd4 ,the actual edifice          
represents only a quarter of the fine   
design of the architects and lacks an   
entire story with various decorative    
features which would have greatly       
improved its appearance and made it one 
of the finest ,hotels de ,ville in      
,flanders4 ,as it is1 this part is by   
far the best of the entire structure4   
,the ,maison des ,parchons facing the   
,march au ,beurre was built in #afjj to 
#afbj and is in the ,italian            
,renaissance style and vastly inferior  
to the fine ,gothic structure of a      
century earlier4 ,the other portion of  

the building comprises a ,hall for the  
,states of ,flanders1 in the ruelle de  
,hotel de ,ville1 built in the          
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries2   
the grande conciergerie joining this to 
the earlier ,gothic ,maison de la ,keure
 and built in #agjj2 and a ,chambre des 
,pauvres built by order of ,charles ,v  
in #aeca1 of which the present faade    
dates from #agej4  ,the inner rooms of  
this collection of buildings1 of        
different ages and different            
architectural styles1 are of relatively 
minor interest4 ,the ,grande ,salle de  
,justice de la ,keure is somewhat       
imposing with its large fireplace1 but  
its lack of other decorations makes it  
rather cold and gloomy and we were glad 
to leave it4 ,much more beautiful is the
 ,salle de l',arsenal1 built half a     
century later4 ,in the ,chapel of ,st4  
,john the ,baptist1 which adjoins the   
,salle de ,justice in the most ancient  
part of the edifice1 and is now used as 
a ,salle des ,mariages1 is a fine       

picture representing ,marie of ,burgundy
 begging her people to forgive ,hugonet 
and ,humbercourt1 her two ministers     
who--despite her tearful pleas--were    
executed in the ,place ,ste4 ,pharalde  
hard by4  ,on the death of ,margaret of 
,austria the ,emperor appointed his     
sister1 ,marie of ,hungary1 ,regent of  
the ,netherlands4 ,the steady decline of
 its trade and the increasing poverty of
 the people caused the city of ,ghent to
 seethe with discontent1 and in #aeci an
 outbreak occurred that gave the ,regent
 great alarm4 ,under the leadership of a
 group of demagogues the ,mtiers or     
lower associations of artisans1 overawed
 the magistrates and seized ,livin ,pyn1
 an aged and honourable member of the   
,council and ,dean of the ,mtiers who   
was unjustly accused of giving the      
,queen ,regent a false report on the    
situation and of having stolen the great
 banner of the city4 ,this unfortunate  
old man was subjected to fearful        
tortures in the ,chteau des ,comtes1 but

 resolutely refused to confess to any of
 the acts charged against him4          
,nevertheless1 he was finally executed  
on the ,place ,ste4 ,pharalde--one of   
the most pitiful and unjust of the many 
cruel tragedies enacted there4 ,broken  
and weakened from the tortures to which 
he had been subjected1 he had to be     
carried to the place of execution1 where
 his indomitable spirit was such that   
before bowing before the axe of the     
executioner he sternly reproached his   
judges with their cowardice1 and        
predicted that the people would soon    
have occasion to regret the fatuous     
course they were pursuing4  ,the dying  
old man spoke the truth4 ,the ,emperor  
was then in ,spain and matters connected
 with the government of his             
world-encircling realm demanded for the 
moment his attention1 but he was none   
the less kept well informed as to what  
was going on in his native city1 where  
affairs meanwhile progressed from bad to
 worse1 until a veritable state of      

anarchy prevailed4 ,when ,charles       
learned of the virtual insurrection     
against his authority that prevailed1   
and of the death of ,livin ,pyn1 he was 
furious and vowed to inflict upon the   
rebellious city a vengeance that would  
deter all other cities in the empire    
from ever following its example4        
,slowly1 but with a deliberateness that 
boded ill for the foolhardy rabble who  
for the moment guided the destinies of  
the commune1 the ,emperor made his      
preparations for a trip to the ,low     
,countries4 ,two months after the       
execution of ,pyn it became known in the
 city that their puissant sovereign was 
on his way4 ,the news filled the        
mutineers with terror4 ,no longer was   
,ghent in the proud position she had    
occupied under the ,counts of ,flanders 
and the first ,dukes of ,burgundy--the  
premier city of the realm and a foe to  
be respected and even feared4 ,the power
 of ,charles ,v was too vast for even   
the most ignorant to think of armed     

resistance to his authority1 now that he
 was about to assert it in person4 ,many
 of those responsible for the period of 
anarchy fled1 others went into hiding4  
,early in the year #aedj the ,emperor   
arrived at ,cambrai1 proceeding next to 
,valenciennes and ,brussels4 ,meanwhile 
a strong force of ,german soldiers      
entered the city--meeting with no       
resistance from its now thoroughly      
terrified inhabitants1 many of whom no  
doubt wished they could restore the dead
 ,doyen des ,mtiers1 whom they had so   
cruelly sacrificed1 to life again that  
he might plead their cause with the     
dreaded ,emperor4 ,they had good reason 
to tremble1 for in a few days the       
ring-leaders of the late troubles began 
to be arrested and all men were         
forbidden1 under penalty of death1 to   
harbour them or aid them to escape their
 sovereign's wrath4 ,a few days later   
nine of the mutineers were executed on  
the ,place ,ste4 ,pharalde where ,livin 
,pyn had perished at their hands six    

months before4 ,the magistrates were now
 filled with terror and abjectly pleaded
 for mercy4 ,the ,emperor haughtily     
replied that he knew how to be merciful 
and also how to do justice1 and that he 
would presently give judgment on the    
city in such a manner that it would     
never be forgotten and others would take
 therefrom an example4  ,this           
disquieting response was followed by the
 ,emperor's famous visit to the top of  
the cathedral tower in company with the 
,duke of ,alva4 ,it was on this occasion
 that the latter1 with the ferocity that
 afterwards made his name a by-word for 
cruelty for future ages1 counselled his 
sovereign to utterly destroy the        
rebellious city4 ,to this the ,emperor  
responded with the bon mot that showed  
at once his sense of humour and his     
moderation4 ,pointing to the            
wide-spreading red roofs of the populous
 city he asked1 ,how many ,spanish skins
 do you think it would take to make a   
glove 7,gand1 the ,french spelling of   

,ghent1 also means glove7 as large as   
this8  ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,of   
,,the ,,duke ,,of ,,alva ,,by ,a4       
,,moro4  ,meanwhile1 under the direct   
supervision of the ,emperor1 a huge     
citadel began to be erected on the site 
of the ancient little town surrounding  
the ,abbey of ,st4 ,bavon--a choice that
 involved the destruction of many of the
 ,abbey buildings4 ,the ,emperor1 while 
this work was going on1 remained at the 
,princenhof where he held his court1 but
 gave no sign as to what the fate of the
 city was to be4 ,it was not until      
,april #bith1 #aedj1 that he finally--in
 the presence of a great throng of      
princes1 nobles and the members of his  
,grand ,council1 with the city          
magistrates on their knees at his       
feet--gave his long delayed decision4   
,in a loud voice the ,imperial herald   
first read a list of thirty-five crimes 
committed by the people of the city1    
declaring them guilty of dslalt1        
dsobyssance1 infraction de traicts1     

sedition1 rbellion et de lze-magest4 ,in
 consequence of these crimes the        
sentence deprived them forever of their 
privileges1 rights1 and franchises4 ,it 
directed that the charters1 together    
with the red and black books in which   
they were registered1 should be turned  
over to the ,emperor to do with them as 
he pleased1 and it was forbidden ever   
again to invoke or appeal to them4 ,it  
pronounced the confiscation of all the  
goods1 rents1 revenues1 houses1         
artillery and war material belonging to 
the city or to the ,mtiers4 ,it         
confiscated the great bell ,roland and  
decreed that it must be taken down4 ,it 
further directed that three days later  
the magistrates1 thirty members of the  
bourgeois or middle class1 the ,doyen of
 the weavers1 six men from each ,mtier  
and fifty creesers should beg pardon of 
the ,emperor and ,queen4 ,the suppliants
 on this occasion were dressed in black1
 with heads and feet bare1 and cords    
about their necks1 and were compelled to

 beg the pardon of the ,emperor on their
 knees in the market-place4 ,besides    
this public degradation the magistrates 
were required to wear the cords about   
their necks thereafter during the       
exercise of their functions4 ,it is     
said1 however1 that before very long the
 hemp was converted into a rich cord of 
gold and silk1 which they wore as a     
scarf--as if it were a badge of honour  
instead of one of disgrace4  ,the walls 
of the city were to be still further    
demolished1 and the sovereign reserved  
the right to specify later which towers1
 gates and walls should be torn down to 
erect the citadel4 ,finally1 a heavy    
money indemnity was exacted1 and the    
following day a new code of laws in     
sixty-five articles was promulgated--the
 famous ,concession ,caroline--which    
served as the basis of government until 
the end of the old rgime during the     
,french ,revolution4 ,the city1 no      
doubt1 breathed a sigh of relief that   
the ,emperor exacted no further toll of 

human life1 but the conditions were none
 the less heavy enough4 ,in brief1 these
 terms ended1 once and for all1 every   
vestige of self-government1 and swept   
away all of the privileges for which the
 burghers had fought for so many        
centuries4 ,the year #aedj marks the    
end1 therefore1 of the long and         
brilliant history of the ,flemish       
communes--for no other city dared resist
 the ,emperor's authority after         
this--and thereafter ,flanders became a 
mere province in the wide dominions of  
sovereigns who seldom visited its cities
 and frequently did not even speak the  
language of its people4  ,among the     
tombstones in the ,cathedral of ,st4    
,bavon one that deserves more than a    
passing glance is that of ,bishop       
,triest4 ,designed by the celebrated    
sculptor1 ,jerome ,duquesnoy1 it is a   
notable example of ,flemish sculpture1  
besides possessing an added interest by 
reason of the fact that the artist      
sought to destroy it when complete4     

,more important1 however1 than the      
monument and its story is the fact that 
,bishop ,triest was the father of the   
art of horticulture for which ,ghent is 
so renowned today4 ,it was in his       
gardens--which were famous throughout   
the seventeenth century--that rare and  
exotic plants were for the first time   
planted out of doors in ,flanders and   
trained to grow in the form of pyramids1
 arches1 summer-houses1 and a hundred   
fantastic shapes4 ,the ,belvedere       
,gardens of the worthy prelate became   
the model for other gardeners1 and the  
seed1 planted in fertile soil1 from     
which sprang a great industry4  ,not    
content with cultivating his own gardens
 the ,bishop sought to encourage in     
every way the humble gardeners of the   
city1 giving them his august protection1
 his friendly counsel1 making loans to  
the needy1 and uniting them into a      
society under the patronage of ,st4     
,amand and ,ste4 ,dorothy4 ,this noble  
example was speedily followed by the    

city1 which also encouraged the         
horticulturists4 ,in #afdj ,william de  
,blasre1 an alderman of the city1       
constructed the first hothouse ever seen
 in ,europe4 ,it was a hundred feet     
long1 made of wood and glass1 heated    
with huge stoves1 and sufficiently high 
to accommodate the exotic plants that1  
in summertime1 were set outdoors4 ,this 
novelty made a great stir and brought   
many visitors to ,ghent4 ,soon afterward
 a society of horticulturists was       
founded1 and by the end of the century a
 botanical garden was established4  ,in 
the opening years of the nineteenth     
century this institution very nearly    
came to an end4 ,it was costly to keep  
up1 produced little or no revenue1 and  
,napoleon1 who was then ,first ,consul  
and included ,ghent in his rapidly      
widening dominions1 decided that it     
should be suppressed4 ,a friend of the  
garden skilfully took advantage of a    
visit of ,josephine to ,ghent to enlist 
her aid in persuading her husband to    

spare it4 ,inviting the future empress  
to visit the establishment1 he contrived
 that the plants and flowers should     
plead their own cause4 ,between two     
palms at the entrance he had a huge     
placard suspended bearing the words3    
,ave1 ,csar1 morituri te salutamus4     
,then1 along the different walks1 each  
flower and plant bore a card            
proportionate to its size and containing
 a verse alluding to its approaching    
destruction4 ,naturally surprised at    
this outburst of poetry on the part of  
the nymphs of the garden1 as the flowers
 styled themselves in their effusions1  
,josephine inquired the reason for it4  
,this gave her conductor his            
opportunity1 and he pleaded for the     
preservation of the garden with such    
ardour and eloquence that he won her    
assurance that if her wishes had any    
weight his beautiful garden should be   
preserved and its nymphs should not     
perish in exile4 ,the event proved that 
he had secured a powerful ally1 for the 

edict of the ,first ,consul was         
rescinded and the garden was saved4     
,to-day ,ghent boasts of her title of   
the ,city of ,flowers4 ,the ,botanical  
,garden is protected by a ,royal        
,society1 there are many private        
collections that are worth going far to 
see1 and more than five hundred         
establishments1 large and small1 are    
engaged in horticulture as an industry1 
the annual exports amounting to millions
 of dollars4 ,bishop ,triest can        
therefore be thanked for giving         
,flanders one of its great industries4  
,speaking of ,napoleon1 it is not       
generally remembered that ,ghent was1   
for the brief space of one hundred days1
 the capital of ,france4 ,when ,napoleon
 returned from ,elba1 and was received  
with open arms by the very troops sent  
to attack him1 ,louis ,,xviii fled      
incontinently to ,ghent where he set up 
a feeble court at his residence on the  
rue des ,champs4 ,here ,guizot1         
,chateaubriand1 and his other ministers 

met formally every morning to discuss   
with ,his ,majesty the chances of his   
ever getting back to ,paris             
again--,paris where1 by the way1 the mob
 was singing mockingly3      ,rendez    
nous notre pre de ,gand         ,rendez 
nous notre pre6  ,it would take a       
satirist like ,dickens or ,thackeray to 
describe the scene when the fat monarch 
sat down to his mid-day meal1 in the    
presence of whoever might wish to watch 
the curious spectacle4 ,he conquered    
enormous quantities of food1 but        
depended on ,wellington and ,blcher to  
conquer the army of ,napoleon4 ,the     
forms of sovereignty were none the less 
carefully observed1 as the little court 
waited day by day for the great event   
that all men could see was drawing      
steadily nearer4 ,at last1 as the       
thunder of ,napoleon's guns startled the
 allies from their dance at ,brussels1  
and the tramp of his advancing squadrons
 shook the fields of ,waterloo1 this fat
 little fly on the chariot wheel of     

,european politics prepared once more   
for flight4 ,coaches were made ready to 
carry the entire court to ,ostende1     
where an ,english vessel awaited them if
 the battle went against the allies4    
,all day long the horses stood in the   
courtyard1 the drivers whip in hand4    
,history does not record what           
gastronomic feats ,his ,majesty         
performed that day1 but late at night   
the tidings came that the ,grande ,arme 
was in retreat1 and that ,king ,louis   
could return to his kingdom4  ,ghent    
shares with ,bruges the glory of being  
the birthplace of ,flemish painting4    
,the famous ,adoration of the ,lamb1 by 
the brothers ,van ,eyck1 was ordered by 
a wealthy burgher of ,ghent for the     
cathedral of ,st4 ,bavon--where the     
greater part of the original work still 
rests4 ,it was at ,ghent that ,hubert1  
the elder brother1 planned the          
masterpiece and completed his share of  
it4 ,but ,ghent also had masters        
belonging to the early ,flemish school  

whose fame she does not have to share   
with any other city4 ,one of these was  
,josse or ,justus1 usually called       
,justus of ,ghent1 who visited ,italy in
 #adfh and there painted several        
pictures4 ,another was ,hugo ,van der   
,goes who gave promise of becoming as   
great a master as ,jean ,van ,eyck when 
he suddenly gave up his chosen          
profession and entered the ,monastery of
 ,rouge-,cloitre1 near ,bruges4 ,he was 
admitted to the ,guild of ,painters at  
,ghent in #adfg1 and left the world of  
action in #adgf--;eventually becoming   
insane and dying six years later4 ,there
 is a story to the effect that he once  
painted a picture of ,abigail meeting   
,david for a burgher of ,ghent who lived
 in a house near the bridge called the  
,muyderbrugge1 and while engaged on this
 work--which was painted on the wall    
above a fireplace--fell in love with his
 patron's daughter4 ,the painting proved
 a great success1 but the stern parents 
frowned on the suit of the young artist1

 and the daughter1 in despair1 entered  
the convent of the ,white ,ladies known 
as the ,porta ,coeli1 near ,brussels4   
,the house1 which was said to have been 
entirely surrounded by water1 has long  
since disappeared1 together with the    
painting1 but the story may be the      
explanation for the abandonment by the  
artist of a promising career when he was
 still in the prime of life4 ,one of the
 finest pictures in the ,modern ,gallery
 at ,brussels is that by ,e4 ,wauters   
representing the madness of ,van der    
,goes4 ,the painter is shown seated and 
staring eagerly at some phantasm before 
him--perhaps a vision of the fair       
,abigail--while a group of little choir 
boys are striving1 under the leadership 
of a monk1 to exorcise the evil demon   
that possesses their famous brother by  
means of sacred songs and chants4 ,it is
 said that this method of cure was      
indeed attempted while he was at        
,rouge-,cloitre1 but without success4   
,the best work of both of these artists 

is1 unfortunately1 far from             
,flanders--being found in ,italy1 where 
,flemish painters were in their day very
 highly regarded4 ,the ,last ,supper1   
which was the greatest masterpiece of   
,justus1 was painted as an altarpiece   
for the brotherhood of ,corpus ,christi 
at ,urbino and still hangs in the church
 of ,sant' ,agatha in that ,italian     
town4 ,the ,adoration of the ,shepherds1
 which was the greatest work of ,van der
 ,goes1 is in the ,uffizi ,gallery at   
,florence4 ,at ,bruges there are two    
paintings attributed to this master1    
,the ,death of the ,virgin1 in the      
museum1 and the panel representing the  
donors in ,the ,martyrdom of ,st4       
,hippolytus in the church of ,st4       
,sauveur4 ,the greater part of the      
paintings by ,van der ,goes in ,belgium 
were destroyed by the iconoclasts in the
 sixteenth century1 including several of
 which his contemporaries and other     
early writers spoke in the highest      
terms4 ,frequent mention is made of his 

skill as a portrait painter1 and ,prof4 
,a4 ,j4 ,wauters1 after a careful study 
of his known works throughout ,europe1  
ascribes to him the famous portrait of  
,charles the ,bold in the museum at     
,brussels4 ,the early writers state that
 private houses at ,bruges and ,ghent1  
as well as churches1 were filled with   
his works4 ,let us hope that some of    
these--hidden away during the religious 
wars or at the time of the              
iconoclasts--may yet be discovered and  
identified4  ,ghent1 during the         
fifteenth century1 was the artistic     
centre of ,flanders1 and the names1 but 
not the works1 of many of its painters  
have come down to us4 ,one of the most  
celebrated of these in contemporary     
annals was ,gerard ,van der ,meire1 to  
whom tradition has assigned the triptych
 of ,the ,crucifixion in the cathedral  
of ,st4 ,bavon4 ,this artist rose to    
high rank in the ,guild of ,st4 ,luke1  
to which he was admitted in #adeb1 and a
 considerable number of paintings in    

various ,european galleries are         
attributed to him4 ,an ,italian writer  
ascribes to him one hundred and         
twenty-five of the exquisite miniatures 
in the famous ,grimani ,breviary1 now in
 the library of ,st4 ,mark's at ,venice4
 ,if this were true1 ,van der ,meire was
 indeed a great artist1 but this book   
was illustrated after his death4        
,illustration3 ,,the ,,adoration ,,of   
,,the ,,shepherds4--,,hugo ,,van ,,der  
,,goes4  ,according to the ,royal       
,commission of ,art and ,archeology of  
,belgium1 ,ghent contains more          
noteworthy antiquities than any other   
town in the ,kingdom4 ,the ,commission1 
it appears1 divides the antiquities into
 three classes1 according to their      
relative importance1 and credits ,ghent 
with thirteen of the first class1 ten of
 the second and six of the third--or    
twenty-nine in all4 ,the figures for the
 other ,flemish cities are3 ,antwerp1   
seven first1 five second1 six third1    
total eighteen2 ,bruges1 four first1 six

 second1 six third1 total sixteen2      
,tournai1 three first1 six second1 six  
third1 total fifteen2 ,malines1 four    
first1 eight second1 two third1 total   
fourteen4 ,many places are credited with
 two or three each4 ,we tried to get a  
copy of the ,report of the ,commission  
giving the names of the antiquities in  
each class1 and the reasons for ranking 
them1 but were unable to do so during   
our stay in ,belgium4 ,it would have    
been a learned check on the list of     
places we had found most interesting4   
,quite likely we would have found that  
the ,commission gave the first rank to  
some antiquity we did not see at all1   
and maybe never heard of6 ,however1 we  
saw enough to occupy every minute of our
 brief vacation1 and the majority of    
those we missed--wilfully at least--were
 churches1 of which ,flanders has enough
 to fill three books like this were one 
to faithfully report them all4  ,in     
,ghent there are1 as at ,bruges1 many   
interesting private houses scattered    

throughout the city4 ,the ,professor and
 ,i on our morning walks looked up many 
of these1 but the list would be tedious 
to enumerate4 ,one of the most famous is
 the ,arrire-,faucille1 formerly the    
home of a rich seigneur1 but since #aija
 used as a ,royal ,conservatory of      
,music4 ,its castle-like tower is very  
picturesque1 but we saw nothing of      
interest in the interior4 ,near by are  
two very old houses with typically      
,flemish gables1 called the ,zwarte     
,moor and the ,groot ,moor4 ,built in   
#adha1 or thereabouts1 the ,confrerie of
 ,st4 ,george had its headquarters here 
for many years4  ,illustration3 ,,old   
,,guild ,,houses1 ,,quai ,,aux ,,herbes1
 ,,ghent4  ,the guilds have already been
 mentioned1 and the faades of all of the
 more famous of the guild houses have   
been carefully restored4 ,these include 
the ,maison des ,mesureurs de ,bl and   
the ,maison des ,francs ,bateliers on   
the ,quai aux ,herbes1 the ,maison des  
,maons and the ,maison des ,bateliers   

non francs4 ,the ancient ,grand         
,boucherie1 recently restored1 is       
another interesting monument4 ,it seems 
that the ,butchers' ,guild at ,ghent    
owed its prosperity to the fact that    
,charles ,v chanced one day to fall in  
love with the pretty daughter of a      
,ghent butcher4 ,this young lady        
obtained for her son and his descendants
 an imperial monopoly of the            
slaughtering and meat-selling business  
which survived all the various dynastic 
changes till the ,french ,revolution4   
,the butchers were called ,prinse       
,kinderen1 or ,prince's ,children1 and  
seem to have made a very good thing out 
of the blot on their family escutcheon4 
,another old edifice is the ,maison de  
l',etape1 or ,staple ,house1 a granary  
dating from the thirteenth century1     
which stands beside the guild houses on 
the ,quai aux ,herbes4 ,in short1 the   
tourist can easily find enough of       
interest in this rare old ,flemish city 
to occupy many days of leisurely        

sight-seeing4 ,ghent1 like ,bruges1 has 
thus far been spared the destruction    
that has overtaken so many of the       
smaller ,flemish towns during the war   
and1 as far as is at present known1 all 
of its twenty-nine monuments are still  
intact4     ,,chapter ,,xvii            
,,audenaerde ,,and ,,margaret ,,of      
,,parma   ,it was on a pleasant morning 
in ,june that the ,professor and ,i set 
forth on a little expedition to the     
famous town of the tapestry weavers1    
leaving the ladies to rest and shop at  
,brussels4 ,the poplar-trees that line  
the country roads and canals in all     
parts of ,belgium were in full bloom and
 their light cotton-clad seeds were     
drifting like snow in every direction4  
,moreover1 contrary to our experience   
for some time past1 the sun seemed      
likely to shine all day and our old     
friend ,j4 ,pluvius was in complete     
retreat4 ,our route lay for a           
considerable distance through a charming
 hop country1 the plots being much      

smaller than one sees in ,kent or in    
,central ,new ,york ,state1 but very    
numerous1 and1 no doubt1 aggregating a  
considerable acreage4 ,farther along we 
passed through a superb stretch of hilly
 country where many of the houses and   
barns had thatched roofs and were so    
picturesque1 both in themselves and in  
their surroundings1 that we would fain  
have descended at one of the little     
stations and spent the day exploring and
 photographing this charming corner of  
,flanders4 ,the most beautiful spot of  
all bore the pretty name of             
,louise-,marie--the thatch-roofed houses
 nestling cosily together upon a        
hillside4 ,this little station1 by the  
way1 is on the line from ,blaton to     
,audenaerde 7in ,flemish ,oudenaarde71  
as we were approaching our destination  
from the south instead of directly from 
,brussels4 ,presently the great tower of
 ,ste4 ,walburge loomed up ahead on our 
right1 and we could even catch a glimpse
 of the famous ,hotel de ,ville4        

,instead of stopping1 however1 our train
 went on past the church1 past the town1
 past everything1 until we began to fear
 that our faithful omnibus had suddenly 
gone crazy and fancied itself a rapide  
bound for goodness knows where4 ,at     
last1 however1 the station came in      
sight1 but we even sped past that1      
coming to rest finally some distance    
down the railroad yard4 ,as we walked   
back toward the ,sortie-,ausgang gateway
 we debated whether we would drive back 
to the town in a cab or take a tram4    
,emerging on the street we promptly     
decided to walk1 since neither cab nor  
tram-car could be seen4  ,there was no  
danger of losing our way1 for there1    
straight down the long street before us1
 we could see the huge mass of ,ste4    
,walburge towering far above the little 
houses around it4 ,after a leisurely    
walk of five or six minutes we arrived  
at a large bleak-looking square1 called 
the ,place de ,tacambaro1 at the centre 
of which stood a monument that--had we  

been in a carriage or on a tram-car--we 
would have passed without more than a   
passing glance4 ,as it was1 we paused to
 read the inscriptions and found that1  
for ,americans1 they told a story of no 
little interest4 ,it appears that this  
is a memorial erected in honour of the  
volunteers from ,audenaerde who died in 
,mexico in the service of the           
unfortunate ,emperor ,maximilian4 ,the  
south side of the monument1 which       
represents a reclining female figure by 
the sculptor1 ,w4 ,geefs1 bears the     
following inscription3          ,ordre  
de ,jour          ,officiers et         
,soldats6 ,vous avez pris votre part des
 travaux         et des luttes dans la  
guerre du ,mexique1 votre         valeur
 dans les combats1 votre discipline     
dans les fatigues des longues           
marches ont honor le         nom ,belge4
          ,au moment de vous rembarquer 
pour aller revoir votre         patrie  
recevez les adieux de vos frres d'armes 
du         corps expeditionaire franais4

          ,dans quelques semaines vous  
aurez revu les rivages de votre         
patrie y conservez1 je l'espre1 bon     
souvenir de leux         qui ont soufert
 et combattu  vos cotes1         ainsi  
que du ,marchal de ,france         qui a
 eu l'honneur de         vous commander4
          ,le ,marchal de ,france1      
,commandant en ,chef4                   
,,bazaine4  ,proceeding along the       
street1 which still led straight toward 
the great church1 we discussed the      
strange fate that had led these valiant 
,flemings to give their lives in a war  
of conquest so many thousands of miles  
away--a futile sacrifice as the event   
proved1 with this little monument as    
their sole reward4  ,almost before we   
were aware of it we found ourselves at  
the ,grande ,place with the ,hotel de   
,ville right in front of us4 ,we were on
 the west side of the little structure1 
which on the rue ,haute adjoins the     
ancient ,halle aux ,draps4 ,an old      
doorway gives on the rue ,haute1 but is 

no longer used1 the entrance being now  
through the ,hotel de ,ville4  ,while   
the two principal churches of the town  
have suffered severely from the         
fanatical ravages of the iconoclasts1 or
 image breakers1 the ,hotel de ,ville   
can be seen in almost its pristine      
magnificence4 ,architecturally this     
monument is generally considered as one 
of the finest1 not only in ,flanders1   
but in the whole of ,europe4 ,little it 
undeniably is1 although it towers up    
bravely above the low two-story         
buildings surrounding it1 but its very  
smallness gives its marvellous faade the
 richness and delicacy of the finest    
lace4 ,begun in #aebe1 it was completed 
twelve years later at a cost of #fe1ged 
livres parisis1 #af sols1 #b deniers4   
,those who are curious can ascertain the
 modern equivalent of the ,paris pound  
of #aecg1 but even when we add the #af  
sols1 #b deniers1 it seems as though the
 burghers got very good value for their 
money4  ,illustration3 ,,hotel ,,de     

,,ville1 ,,audenaerde4 ,photograph by   
,e4 ,sacr4  ,late ,gothic is the period 
to which this gem in the galaxy of      
splendid ,flemish town halls belongs4   
,it is considered the masterpiece of its
 architect1 ,henri ,van ,pde1 who also  
designed the superb ,hotel de ,ville at 
,brussels and that at ,louvain4 ,the    
many little niches on the front once    
contained statues of the noble lords and
 dames of ,flanders1 including no doubt 
several of the great house of ,lalaing1 
the ,count ,philippe de ,lalaing having 
laid the corner stone4 ,unfortunately   
these were all destroyed during the     
religious wars and the ,french          
,revolution and have never been         
replaced4 ,this seems a great pity1 as  
,flanders still possesses many          
stone-carvers of great skill1 and the   
kindly hand of time would soon mellow   
the new work to harmonise with the old4 
,as it is1 every niche contains the iron
 projection that formerly held its      
statue in place1 so that the work of    

restoration would consist of simply     
carving each of the little statues in   
the sculptor's own atelier1 wherever it 
might be1 and afterwards placing them in
 position4  ,one of the original statues
 still remains in place1 however1 and is
 entitled to the honour of being styled 
the oldest citizen of ,audenaerde4 ,this
 is none other than ,hanske 't          
,krijgerke1 ,petit ,jean le ,guerrier1  
or ,little ,john the ,warrior1 who1 with
 his diminutive standard bearing the    
arms of the city1 stands on the topmost 
pinnacle of the tower4 ,his gaze is ever
 toward the ,south1 with a far-away look
 in his eyes1 across the ,grande ,place 
and toward the distant hills4 ,during   
the three hundred and seventy-eight     
years that he has been standing there1  
braving the winter rains and the summer 
sunshine1 how many changes have taken   
place in the great outside world while  
little ,audenaerde has stood still6     
,even without its statues the principal 
faade of the ,hotel de ,ville merits    

more than a passing glance4 ,in the     
admirable harmony of its proportions1   
the delicate beauty of its details1 in  
the excellence of the stone             
carvings--almost perfectly              
preserved--that form wreaths and        
festoons of stone about its ,gothic     
windows1 there is nothing finer to be   
seen in all ,flanders4 ,the high pointed
 roof1 with its tiny dormer windows1 is 
exactly as the architect intended it1   
and the charming little tower seems as  
perfect as the day the last of the      
sixteenth-century masons left it4  ,the 
interior is worthy of the exterior4 ,on 
the first floor a large hall1 called the
 ,salle du ,peuple--,hall of the        
,people--extends from one side of the   
building to the other4 ,this contains a 
fine stone fireplace surmounted by a    
splendidly carved ,gothic mantelpiece   
with statues of ,ste4 ,walburge in the  
centre and ,justice and ,power on either
 side4 ,below are the arms of ,austria1 
,flanders1 and of ,audenaerde4 ,this    

masterpiece was carved by ,paul ,van der
 ,schelden4 ,the walls on each side of  
the fireplace are decorated with modern 
mural paintings depicting ,liederick de 
,buck1 the first ,forester of ,flanders1
 ,dierick of ,alsace1 ,baldwin of       
,constantinople1 and ,charles the       
,fifth4 ,between the windows overlooking
 the ,grande ,place are the ,arms of    
,castile and ,aragon1 while at the ends 
of each of the great beams that support 
the ceiling are carved the arms of the  
various kingdoms and principalities     
belonging to ,charles ,v4  ,already we  
perceive that the shadow of the great   
,emperor rests heavily on this little   
city of ,audenaerde1 and as we proceed  
further in our explorations the more    
dominating and omnipresent does his     
personality become4 ,even the very arms 
of the city bear a mute evidence to his 
generosity and sense of humour4 ,it is  
related that on a certain occasion the  
,emperor and his stately train          
approached the city without being       

perceived by the sentinel stationed in  
the tower of this very ,hotel de ,ville 
to announce his arrival4 ,on reaching   
the gates1 therefore1 the ,imperial     
cortge found no one to welcome the great
 monarch4 ,the ,burgomaster and the     
members of the ,council1 who should have
 been there in their robes of state1    
were conspicuous by their absence4 ,had 
this happened to his ancestor ,charles  
the ,bold1 whose fiery temper brooked no
 discourtesy1 even when unintended1 it  
might well have gone hard with the      
unfortunate officials4 ,as it was1 the  
,emperor overlooked the slight1 but not 
long afterwards he maliciously inserted 
a pair of spectacles in the arms of the 
city1 remarking that in future they     
would thus be able to see more clearly  
the approach of their sovereign4        
,illustration3 ,,wooden ,,doorway1      
,,carved ,,by ,,van ,,der ,,schelden1   
,,hotel ,,de ,,ville1 ,,audenaerde4     
,adjoining the ,salle du ,peuple is a   
smaller chamber1 the ,salle des chevins1

 or the ,council ,chamber of the ancient
 commune4 ,here there is another stone  
fireplace slightly inferior to the one  
in the larger hall1 but resembling it in
 general design4 ,the statues here      
represent the ,virgin ,mary in the      
centre1 with ,justice and ,hope on      
either side4 ,the chief masterpiece in  
this room1 however1 is the wooden       
doorway carved by ,van der ,schelden1   
who was instructed by the burghers to   
make it as beautiful as possible4 ,how  
faithfully the artist performed his task
 the result shows4 ,around its top stand
 wooden cupids surmounting a richly     
carved entablature containing the arms  
of ,charles ,v in the centre with those 
of ,flanders and of ,audenaerde on      
either side4 ,the first is supported by 
two griffins1 the second by two lions   
and the last by two savages4 ,the panels
 of the door itself and of the sidewalls
 forming the complete portal are richly 
carved1 each design being different from
 all the others4 ,for this bit of       

wood-carving the frugal burghers paid   
the sum of one thousand1 eighteen livres
 parisis1 or nine hundred and           
twenty-three francs--something over     
#age--;and the artist furnished the     
wood6  ,formerly the walls of this room 
were decorated with tapestries of       
,audenaerde1 but at the time of ,louis  
,,xiv these were all removed and taken  
to ,paris4 ,most of the tapestries in   
the town overlooked by le ,grande       
,monarque were subsequently taken away  
by ,napoleon1 so that the ,hotel de     
,ville of the city that gave these      
treasures to the world1 and that should 
possess the finest collection of them1  
has been stripped completely bare4 ,in  
their stead the ,council ,chamber at    
present contains a collection of        
paintings of no special artistic merit  
but of great historical interest4 ,there
 is1 of course1 a portrait of ,charles  
,v1 wearing the insignia of the ,order  
of the ,golden ,fleece4 ,a portrait of  
,louis ,,xiv on horseback and bearing a 

marshal's baton1 by ,philippe de        
,champaigne1 forms a poor substitute for
 the tapestries filched by ,his         
,majesty4 ,this collection also         
comprises several portraits of          
personages famous in later ,flemish     
history4 ,of these the most noteworthy  
is that of ,margaret of ,parma1 which   
hangs close to that of her father1 the  
,emperor4  ,just across the ,grande     
,place from the ,hotel de ,ville stands 
the ,tower of ,baldwin1 undoubtedly the 
oldest structure in the city1 and       
erected by ,baldwin ,v1 a ,count of     
,flanders who died in #ajfg1 making it  
date from the ,norman ,conquest4 ,the   
concierge of the ,hotel de ,ville       
informed us that this little tower1     
which adjoins another ancient edifice   
now used as a brewery1 was the          
birthplace of ,margaret1 but this does  
not appear to be altogether certain4    
,some authorities state that the honour 
belongs to a little two-story house with
 a high1 steep-sloping roof that also   

faces the ,place4 ,if the walls of these
 old houses had the ears that           
proverbially belong to all walls1 and   
were still further provided with lips to
 whisper the secrets they overheard1    
they could no doubt settle this         
question2 and at the same time throw    
some additional light upon a famous bit 
of medival romance and scandal4  ,of all
 the natives of the ancient town of     
,audenaerde the most famous was         
,margaret1 afterwards the ,duchess of   
,parma1 and for many years ,regent of   
the ,low ,countries1 over which she     
ruled with an almost imperial sway4 ,her
 father was the great ,emperor1 ,charles
 ,v1 who dallied here for several weeks 
as guest of the ,countess de ,lalaing1  
wife of the ,governor of ,audenaerde1   
while his soldiers were besieging       
,tournai in the year #aeba4 ,the        
attraction that kept him so far from his
 army was a pretty ,flemish maiden named
 ,jehanne or ,jeanne ,van der ,gheynst4 
,according to the none too trustworthy  

,strada1 this young lady was a member of
 the ,flemish nobility1 but according to
 the city archives it appears that she  
belonged to a family of humble tapestry 
workers residing at ,nukerke1 a suburb  
of ,audenaerde4 ,at all events1 her     
pretty face attracted the attention of  
the youthful ,emperor--whether at a     
ball1 as ,strada says1 or while she was 
serving as maid of the ,countess de     
,lalaing1 as many writers assume1 or    
perhaps at a village ,kermesse which    
,charles might well have attended       
incognito4 ,after the little ,margaret  
was born the mother received an annual  
income of twenty-four livres parisis    
from the ,emperor4 ,in #aebe she married
 the ,matre de ,chambre extraordinaire  
of the ,counts of ,brabant1 and died in 
#aeda4 ,charles took his little daughter
 and had her brought up as a princess4  
,in #aecg1 when she was only fifteen    
years old1 she was married by the       
,emperor to ,alexander1 the ,duke of    
,urbin1 a cruel and dissolute ,italian  

prince who1 however1 died the same year4
 ,the following year she was married to 
,octavio ,farnese1 a grandson of ,pope  
,pius ,,iii1 who was then only fourteen4
 ,she was herself strongly opposed to   
this marriage1 but the ,emperor was     
obdurate and she finally yielded4 ,her  
son1 ,alexander ,farnese1 was the famous
 ,duke of ,parma who became the foremost
 military leader on the ,spanish side   
during the sanguinary war between       
,philip ,,ii and the ,netherlands4 ,on  
the death of her father1 ,margaret was  
made ,regent of the ,low ,countries by  
her half-brother ,philip ,,ii4 ,she     
arrived at ,ghent1 ,july #beth1 #aeei1  
and on ,august #gth the ,king presented 
her to the ,states ,general1 saying that
 he had chosen her as his representative
 because she was so close to him by     
birth and because of the singular       
affection she has always borne toward   
the ,low ,countries where she was born  
and raised and of which she knew all the
 languages4 ,she retired from the       

,regency in #aefg1 but was called back  
once more in #aehj at the personal      
request of the ,king4 ,as her son       
,alexander was then at the zenith of his
 power1 and opposed to her resuming the 
regency1 she finally declined the honour
 which was reluctantly given to him4    
,she died in #aehf at the age of        
sixty-six4  ,it was her fortune1 or     
rather misfortune1 to rule over the     
,netherlands at a period when the       
seething forces of religious unrest and 
protest were becoming too violent to be 
restrained4 ,had ,philip ,,ii1 her      
half-brother1 been less bigoted1 less   
cruel1 and less blind to the best       
interests of the country and of his own 
dynasty1 it is possible that the great  
popularity of the ,duchess--who was     
sincerely loved by the majority of her  
subjects and respected by all--might    
have enabled the ,government to restrain
 the rising passions of the people4 ,if1
 instead of a policy of savage          
repression1 the ,king of ,spain had     

authorised ,margaret to pursue a policy 
of moderation and conciliation1 the     
fearful history of the next eighty      
years--the blackest page in human       
history--might never have been written4 
,unfortunately1 moderation and          
conciliation were as foreign to the     
nature of that sombre monarch as to     
,torquemada himself1 and fanaticism     
fought fanaticism with a fury that was  
as devoid of intelligence as it was of  
mercy4  ,the first act in the drama of  
blood was the sudden outbreak of the    
frenzy of the iconoclasts1 or           
image-breakers1 which swept over the    
greater part of the ,spanish            
,netherlands in the month of ,august1   
#aeff4 ,scarcely a church1 a chapel1 a  
convent or a monastery1 escaped the     
devastation that resulted from these    
fanatical attacks4 ,paintings1 statuary1
 altars and chapels1 even the tablets   
and monuments of the dead--the          
accumulated art treasures of            
centuries--were torn to pieces or       

carried bodily away4 ,in some places the
 work of destruction was completed in a 
few hours1 in others organised bands of 
pillagers worked systematically for days
 before the local authorities--taken    
completely by surprise--recovered their 
wits and put a stop to the work of      
desecration4 ,the loss to art and       
civilisation effected by the iconoclasts
 in ,flanders is beyond computation4    
,the ,regent acted with energy and      
decision1 her spirited appeals to the   
magistrates finally bringing them to    
their senses and resulting in a speedy  
restoration of order4 ,philip1 who had  
just cause for resentment1 meditated    
vengeance1 however1 and in #aefh        
replaced the too gentle ,margaret by the
 ,duke of ,alva4  ,for the ,professor   
the ,hotel de ,ville contained still    
another room of inexhaustible interest4 
,this was the museum of the commune     
which occupies the entire second floor4 
,for some reason--certainly not from    
fear of the suffragette1 which is a     

non-existent species in ,belgium--this  
is closed to the public1 but we were    
admitted by courtesy of the ,secretary  
of the ,commune4 ,the collection is of  
the utmost value to the historian and   
archeologist1 but is rather badly kept4 
,among the most interesting objects were
 four chairs once used by ,charles ,v2  
the ancient keyboard of the carillon    
which formerly hung in the belfry of the
 town hall but is now installed in the  
tower of ,ste4 ,walburge1 and some      
water-colour designs for tapestries4 ,a 
large painting of the ,last ,judgment   
covered a considerable part of one wall4
 ,this is attributed to ,heuvick1 and   
originally hung in the ,salle des       
chevins4 ,it was the ancient custom to  
have a painting of this subject1 covered
 by curtains1 in the olden justice      
halls4 ,when a witness was about to be  
sworn the curtains were suddenly drawn  
back and the sight of the picture1 which
 represented with great vividness the   
destruction of the damned1 was intended 

to prevent false testimony4 ,the        
collection also included a variety of   
ancient arms and coins1 several curious 
medival strong boxes1 and two huge      
snakes which hung from the rafters      
overhead4 ,there are no snakes in       
,belgium to-day1 but our guide assured  
us that a crocodile had once been taken 
in the ,river ,scheldt near ,audenaerde1
 so the snakes may have been natives    
after all--assuming1 of course1 that the
 crocodile story is correct4  ,back of  
the ,hotel de ,ville proper is the still
 more ancient ,cloth ,hall1 dating from 
the beginning of the thirteenth century4
 ,its small1 high windows were built    
slantingly1 to prevent archers from     
sending arrows directly into the        
interior4 ,at some comparatively recent 
period two large windows were cut       
through1 the walls on each side1 but a  
goodly number of the earlier windows    
still remain1 and the beams that support
 the high1 pointed roof are still as    
sound as the day they were laid in      

position4  ,illustration3 ,,church ,,of 
,,ste4 ,,walburge1 ,,audenaerde4  ,to   
the west of the ,grande ,place1 and     
scarcely a stone's throw from ,baldwin's
 ,tower1 rises the vast grey mass of    
,ste4 ,walburge1 with ten or twelve tiny
 fifteenth or sixteenth century houses  
nestling snugly up against it4 ,this    
splendid church dates from the very     
foundation of the city1 an early chapel 
erected on this site having been sacked 
and burned by the ,norsemen in #hhj4    
,twice after this the church was        
destroyed in the wars between ,flanders 
and ,france1 but in #aaej was begun an  
edifice of which some portions still    
remain4 ,when ,john the ,fearless1 ,duke
 of ,burgundy1 chose ,audenaerde as his 
,flemish place of residence the burghers
 determined to enlarge and beautify     
their church and erected the            
semi-circular portion of the choir in   
#adjf to #adjh4 ,soon afterwards the    
great nave was begun1 but was not       
completed for fully a century1 in #aeae4

 ,the tower1 one of the finest in the   
world1 advanced still more slowly and   
was not entirely finished until #afbd4  
,its original height was three hundred  
and seventy-three feet1 but in #ahjd the
 wooden spire was struck by lightning   
and burned4 ,it has never been rebuilt1 
and the present height of the tower is  
two hundred and ninety-five feet4 ,as it
 is1 it dominates the little city and   
commands a wide view across the broad   
valley of the ,scheldt in every         
direction4 ,it was a stiff climb1 up a  
perpetually winding stone stairway1 to  
the top1 but the view well repaid us for
 the exertion4  ,the interior of the    
edifice suggests a great metropolitan   
cathedral rather than the chief church  
of a small provincial town4 ,the choir1 
which suffered severely from the ravages
 of the iconoclasts1 has recently been  
restored with great skill1 and is now   
one of the most beautiful in ,europe4   
,this church contains several paintings 
by ,simon de ,pape1 a native of         

,audenaerde1 whose father was the       
architect of the spire burned in #ahjd1 
also an ,assumption of the ,virgin ,mary
 by ,gaspard de ,crayer1 a follower of  
,rubens1 who painted more than two      
hundred religious pictures4 ,this1 like 
all the others1 is of mediocre merit4   
,to the student of history and of       
ancient art one of the most interesting 
treasures of the church is its          
collection of tapestries of ,audenaerde4
 ,three of the more important ones      
represent landscapes--in fact the       
majority of ,audenaerde tapestries that 
,i have seen may be thus described--with
 castles1 churches1 and farmhouses in   
the centre and roses1 tulips and other  
flowers in the foreground4 ,like most   
,audenaerde tapestries also they are    
crowded with winged creatures--birds    
flying or singing in the trees and hens1
 turkeys and pheasants strolling in the 
grass4 ,a tapestry of a different genre 
is one belonging to the ,confrerie de la
 ,ste4 ,croix1 which shows an ,oriental 

landscape with ,jerusalem in the        
distance1 and at the four corners the   
figures of ,herod1 ,pilate1 ,anna and   
,caiphas4  ,tapestry weaving was        
introduced into ,flanders during the    
time of the ,crusades1 the reports of   
the returning crusaders regarding the   
splendid carpets and rugs of the ,orient
 arousing a desire on the part of the   
,flemish weavers to imitate them4       
,castle walls1 however thick and        
strongly built1 were apt to be damp and 
cold and a great demand speedily sprang 
up for the new productions for wall     
coverings4 ,starting at ,arras and      
,tournai1 the manufacture of tapestries 
spread to all the cities in the valley  
of the ,scheldt and received a          
particularly important development at   
,audenaerde1 which soon became the      
leading tapestry centre of ,flanders4   
,the weavers adopted ,saint ,barbara as 
their patron1 and in #adda were         
organised into a corporation4 ,in their 
original charter it was stipulated that 

each apprentice must work three years   
for his first employer4 ,despite the    
severity of this regulation the         
manufacture of tapestries expanded with 
such rapidity that in #aeci no less than
 twenty thousand persons--including men1
 women and children--were employed as   
tapestry weavers at ,audenaerde and its 
environs4  ,among the famous ,flemish   
artists who painted designs for the     
tapestry weavers of ,audenaerde may be  
mentioned ,floris1 ,coxcie1 ,rubens1    
,david ,teniers1 ,gaspar de ,witte1     
,victor ,janssens1 ,peter ,spierinckx1  
,adolphus de ,gryeff1 and ,alexander    
,van ,bredael1 while there were a host  
of others4 ,gradually1 however1 the     
artisans began to be discontented with  
their rate of pay1 which the master     
tapestry makers kept at a low figure1   
and the advent of the religious wars    
found them eager to join any movement of
 revolt4 ,after the outburst of the     
iconoclasts and the arrival of the ,duke
 of ,alva many fled to the ,dutch       

provinces and to ,england1 never to     
return4 ,this emigration continued well 
into the seventeenth century1 as various
 decrees passed by the magistrates      
between #afjd and #afba1 confiscating   
the possessions of such emigrants1      
testify4  ,illustration3 ,a ,,flemish   
,,tapestry ,,of ,,the ,,fifteenth       
,,century4  ,another cause that         
contributed to the ruin of the tapestry 
industry at ,audenaerde was the active  
effort made by the ,kings of ,france1   
,louis ,,xiii and ,louis ,,xiv1 to      
induce the best weavers and             
master-workmen to emigrate to ,paris4   
,philippe ,robbins1 one of the most     
celebrated master-weavers of            
,audenaerde1 was invited to come to     
,france in #afbb and was afterwards     
proclaimed at ,beavais to be the ,chef  
de tous les tapitsers du ,roy4 ,many of 
the weavers who went to ,paris and      
,brussels on their own account          
established ateliers where they         
manufactured what they proclaimed to be 

veritables tapis d',audenaerde1 and this
 competition still further injured the  
industry which soon afterward           
disappeared entirely from the city that 
gave its name to this type of tapestry  
and has never since been re-established 
there4 ,with the departure of its       
weavers the little city on the ,scheldt 
rapidly declined in importance1 and for 
the past two centuries has been the     
sleepy little market-town that it is    
to-day4  ,on the other side of the      
,river ,scheldt1 which flows through the
 town and is crossed by several bridges1
 is the interesting ,church of ,notre   
,dame de ,pamela1 which dates from the  
thirteenth century1 having been         
constructed in the remarkably short     
space of four years and completed in    
#abci4 ,it thus belongs to the          
transitional period between the         
,romanesque style and the pure ,gothic  
and is of interest to the student of    
architecture as one of the most perfect 
examples of this period in ,flanders4   

,the general effect of the interior1    
especially when viewed from the foot of 
the organ loft1 is noble and imposing in
 the highest degree4 ,our visit was     
during a sunny afternoon1 and the effect
 of the long beams of light falling from
 the lofty windows of the nave across   
the stately pillars below was           
indescribably beautiful4 ,truly this    
masterpiece of stone expresses in its   
every line the truth of ,montalembert's 
beautiful remark that in such a church  
every column1 every soaring arch1 is a  
prayer to the ,most ,high4  ,one of the 
most curious of the paintings in ,notre 
,dame de ,pamela is a triptych by ,jean 
,snellinck1 a painter of ,antwerp and a 
forerunner of ,rubens who was greatly in
 vogue among the tapestry weavers of    
,audenaerde4 ,this work represents the  
,creation of ,eve in the central panel1 
the ,temptation at the left and the     
,expulsion from ,eden at the right4 ,the
 figures are all finely painted1        
especially those in the left wing1 and  

the entire work is an admirable example 
of early ,flemish art4 ,the church also 
possesses an interesting work by ,simon 
de ,pape representing the invention of  
the cross4 ,beneath the organ loft were 
three tapestries of ,audenaerde         
workmanship which the caretaker         
obligingly spread out on the church     
floor for our inspection4 ,all were in a
 poor state of preservation4 ,one       
represented a woodland scene with three 
peasants on their way to market in the  
foreground4 ,the second had a curious   
group of fowls in the foreground1 while 
the third showed a sylvan scene with a  
mother and three daughters1 each of the 
girls bearing a basket of flowers4      
,both ,ste4 ,walburge and ,notre ,dame  
de ,pamela suffered severely from the   
fury of the iconoclasts1 although the   
storm broke in ,audenaerde at a later   
period than in the larger cities farther
 to the eastward4 ,the cur of ,ste4     
,walburge and four priests of ,notre    
,dame de ,pamela were thrown by the     

rioters into the ,scheldt and drowned   
,october #dth1 #aegb1 while both        
churches were sacked4  ,on our way back 
from visiting the smaller church we     
paused on the quay named ,smallendam to 
admire the superb view of ,ste4         
,walburge across the river4 ,a bit      
further on we entered a quaint little   
estaminet bearing the inviting name of  
,in der ,groote ,pinte which we freely  
translated as the big pint4 ,apparently 
our ,flemish was inexact1 for the       
beverage with which we were served was  
not notable for quantity4 ,it proved1   
moreover1 to be exceedingly sour and    
unpleasant1 and we left our glasses     
unfinished4 ,in the course of a tour    
around the town we inspected what       
remains of the ancient ,chteau de       
,bourgogne1 the early residence of the  
,dukes of ,burgundy4 ,the principal     
building is now used by a ,justice of   
the ,peace1 and we found little of      
interest save some old walls and a      
massive inner courtyard4 ,at the        

hospital of ,notre ,dame1 opposite the  
great tower of ,ste4 ,walburge1 we found
 two more ,audenaerde tapestries in an  
admirable state of preservation1 while a
 dozen fine medival doorways in         
different parts of the town attracted   
our attention4 ,for so small a place    
there are a great many religious        
institutions1 many of them of great     
antiquity4 ,among these may be mentioned
 the ,convents of the ,black ,sisters   
7,couvents des ,soeurs-,noires71 the    
,abbey of ,maegdendale1 the ,convent of 
,notre ,dame de ,sion1 and the          
,bguinage--the last an especially       
charming little spot with a delightful  
street entrance dating from the middle  
of the seventeenth century4  ,it is hard
 to believe1 as one wanders about the   
half-deserted streets of this sleepy old
 ,flemish town1 that in its day of      
greatness it was a city of no mean      
power1 holding its own sturdily against 
the greatest princes in the world4 ,of  
its ancient walls and towers not a      

single trace remains1 yet those vanished
 ramparts four times in less than two   
centuries defied the armies of the      
neighbouring--but1 alas1 not always     
neighbourly--city of ,ghent1 even the   
redoubtable ,philip ,van ,artevelde     
retiring from in front of them          
discomfited in #achb4 ,three centuries  
later1 in #afhd1 ,louis ,,xiv was beaten
 off from an assault on these same      
walls1 but in revenge he ordered the    
bombardment of the city4 ,this resulted 
in a conflagration from which it had not
 fully recovered half a century later4  
,in #agjh the ,duke of ,marlborough and 
,prince ,eugene of ,savoy won a great   
victory over the ,french under the walls
 of ,audenaerde4 ,to this day along the 
frontier between ,france and ,flanders  
the peasant women lull their babies to  
sleep with a crooning ballad which      
begins3      ,malbrook s'en va't en     
guerre1     ,mirlonton1 mirlonton1      
mirlontaine2     ,malbrook s'en va't en 
guerre1     ,dieu sait quand il         

reviendra4     ,il reviendra  ,pques1   
,mirlonton1 mirlonton1 mirlontaine1     
,il reviendra  ,pques1     ,ou  la      
,trinit4 7bis7  ,small wonder that even 
the nursery songs tell of war and chant 
the name of the great ,duke two hundred 
years after the ,battle of ,audenaerde1 
for during three centuries the ,flemish 
plains were the battlefield of ,europe4 
,happily the present war has not as yet 
smitten ,audenaerde with any serious    
damage1 although ,le ,petit ,guerrier1  
from his perch on the belfry of the     
,hotel de ,ville1 has no doubt looked   
down upon long lines of marching men and
 gleaming bayonets4     ,,chapter       
,,xviii  ,,old ,,antwerp--,,its         
,,history ,,and ,,legends   ,while      
,bruges and ,ghent were in their prime  
as centres of ,flemish commerce and     
industry a rival that was destined      
ultimately to supplant and eclipse them 
both was slowly growing up along the    
banks of the ,river ,scheldt at a point 
where that important stream1 which flows

 entirely across ,flanders1 becomes a   
tidal estuary4 ,from the most ancient   
times the prosperity of ,antwerp--which 
in ,french is called ,anvers1 in        
,flemish ,antwerpen--has been closely   
connected with the river4 ,according to 
the legends a giant named ,antigonus    
once had a castle where the city now    
stands and exacted a toll of all who    
passed up or down the river4 ,evasion of
 this primitive high tariff was punished
 by cutting off both the culprit's      
hands4 ,of course this giant just had to
 be killed by the hero1 whose name was  
,brabo1 and who was said to have been a 
lieutenant of ,csar4 ,brabo cut off the 
dead giant's right hand and flung it    
into the river in token that thenceforth
 it should be free from similar         
extortions4 ,the visitor will find this 
legend recalled in the city's           
arms--which has two hands surmounting a 
castle--and in many works of art4 ,brabo
 is said to have become the first       
,margrave of ,antwerp1 and to have      

founded a line of seventeen ,margraves1 
all bearing the same name1 but the deeds
 and even the existence of these princes
 is as mythical as those of their       
ancestor--or the famous legend of       
,lohengrin1 which belongs to this period
 of ,antwerp's history4  ,like ,london1 
,antwerp is situated sixty miles from   
the sea4 ,in olden days commerce was    
rather inclined to seek the more inland 
ports1 as being safer from storms and   
less exposed to sudden attacks4 ,the    
size of ocean-going ships was1 moreover1
 slowly but steadily increasing from    
generation to generation1 and this      
increase favoured ,antwerp1 which had a 
deep1 sure channel to the sea1 as       
against its early rival ,bruges1 whose  
outlet1 the little ,river ,zwyn1 was    
gradually silting up4 ,the fact that the
 town was situated just outside of the  
dominions of the ,counts of ,flanders   
probably helped its early growth1 for   
the jealous men of ,bruges might        
otherwise have obtained from the ,counts

 decrees restricting1 and perhaps       
prohibiting1 its expansion4 ,as it was1 
the great ,counts ruled all of the left 
bank of the ,scheldt from ,antwerp to   
the sea1 and also the waters of the     
river as far as one could ride into it  
on horseback and then reach with        
extended sword4  ,the ,tte de ,flandre1 
opposite the centre of the older part of
 the city1 marks the end of ,flanders   
proper in this direction4 ,as already   
explained by the ,professor1 however1   
,antwerp is none the less essentially a 
,flemish city in its art and            
architecture1 its language and          
literature1 and for many centuries of   
its brilliant history1 and for these    
reasons deserves a place in this book4  
,like the ,county of ,flanders1 the     
region surrounding ,antwerp was an      
outlying march or frontier district of  
the ,empire1 and its rulers therefore   
derived their feudal title from the     
,emperor4 ,about the year #aajj the     
,emperor bestowed the march on ,godfrey 

of the ,beard1 ,count of ,louvain and   
first ,duke of ,brabant4 ,to the ,dukes 
of ,brabant it thereafter always        
belonged until that title1 with so many 
others1 became merged in those acquired 
by the ,dukes of ,burgundy and united in
 their illustrious descendant1 ,charles 
,v4 ,on the whole1 the ,dukes1 being    
absentees1 were easy rulers--the shrewd 
burghers seizing upon their moments of  
weakness to wrest new privileges from   
them1 and relying upon their strength   
for protection in times of danger4 ,from
 time immemorial the burghers claimed a 
monopoly right to trade in fish1 salt   
and oats4 ,other trading privileges     
followed1 and by the time of the first  
,duke of ,brabant the town was already  
an important one1 with a powerful ,burg1
 or fortress1 surrounding five acres of 
land and buildings4 ,among the latter   
was the ,steen1 or feudal prison1 a part
 of which still stands close to the     
river and is used as a museum of        
antiquities4  ,the early ,dukes greatly 

extended the commercial rights and      
privileges of the town1 ,henry ,,iii    
granting a charter that allowed its     
citizens to hold bread and meat markets 
and trade in corn and cloth4 ,duke ,john
 ,i granted rights in his famous ,core  
van ,antwerpen1 dated nearly five       
hundred years before the ,declaration of
 ,independence1 that were remarkable for
 wisdom and liberality4 ,within the town
 of ,antwerp1 the charter read1 all men 
are free and there are no slaves4 ,no   
inhabitant may be deprived of his       
natural judges1 nor arrested in his     
house on civil suit4 ,in #acdi ,duke    
,john ,,iii granted a charter that not  
only confirmed all of its ancient       
privileges1 but gave exceptional rights 
and liberties to foreigners--causing    
many of them to come and settle there4  
,among these was the right granted to   
any dweller within the city to sue3     
citizens according to local customs1    
foreigners according to the laws of     
their own lands4 ,as at ,bruges and     

,ghent all these precious charters were 
kept in a box having many locks1 of     
which the keys were kept by delegates of
 the ,broad ,council of the city4 ,this 
box1 said ,mr4 ,wilfred ,robinson1 in   
his valuable historical sketch of       
,antwerp1 might only be opened in the   
presence of all the civic authorities1  
while they stood around it bareheaded   
and holding lighted tapers in their     
hands4 ,truly it must have been a quaint
 and solemn scene6  ,some fifty years   
prior to the charter last mentioned     
,duke ,john ,,ii married one of the     
daughters of ,edward ,i1 ,king of       
,england1 and gave that monarch the city
 of ,antwerp as a fief4 ,edward ,,iii   
used the city as a naval base1 and in   
#acci signed there with ,jacques ,van   
,artevelde a treaty of alliance with the
 communes of ,brabant and ,flanders4    
,the ,kings of ,england did not1        
however1 retain their suzerainty over   
,antwerp very long1 for it next         
passed--once more by marriage--to the   

daughter of ,louis of ,maele1 ,count of 
,flanders4 ,the city sought to resist1  
and ,count ,louis was obliged to besiege
 it and punished the burghers severely  
for their disobedience4 ,on his death it
 passed to ,philip the ,bold1 ,duke of  
,burgundy1 along with the entire ,county
 of ,flanders of which it was then a    
part1 and thereafter remained under the 
,burgundian ,dukes and their successors4
  ,in #addf ,philip the ,good--whose    
policy had proved so disastrous to      
,bruges and ,ghent--laid the foundation 
for the commercial greatness of ,antwerp
 by a liberal charter which he granted  
to the ,merchant ,adventurers of        
,england4 ,the ,english merchants had   
already left ,bruges1 where the ,river  
,zwyn was fast silting up1 and now came 
to ,antwerp and established there a most
 extensive trade4 ,they were followed by
 the merchants of the other nations1 and
 in less than seventy-five years after  
the granting of the charter the         
population of the city had doubled      

twice--from less than seventeen thousand
 to over forty--four thousand           
inhabitants4  ,it was during this period
 that many of the most interesting      
structures of old ,antwerp--the portion 
of the city between the ,steen and the  
cathedral and north of the ,hotel de    
,ville--were built4 ,we spent several   
interesting mornings tramping these     
quaint old winding streets1 some of     
which are still as medival in aspect as 
any to be seen in ,europe4 ,the ,vielle 
,boucherie1 recently restored1 dates    
from the reign of ,louis of ,maele4 ,in 
its time it contained stalls for        
fifty-three butchers4 ,the streets      
surrounding this quaint structure of    
ragged brick are well nigh as ancient   
and interesting as the monuments which  
one encounters here and there while     
exploring them4 ,the ,steen itself      
dates1 as we have seen1 from the very   
earliest period of the city's history1  
but is only a remnant of what it was4   
,in the days of the ,spanish            

,inquisition this grim old structure    
became a place of dread1 and its gloomy 
dungeons--which the cheerful and smiling
 guide showed us by candlelight1 for two
 cents a head--were in constant use for 
the entertainment of guests of the      
,margraves and their successors1 the    
,burgundian ,dukes1 for nigh on to eight
 centuries4  ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,vielle ,,boucherie1 ,,antwerp4  ,in   
#adhe the rivalry between ,antwerp and  
,bruges reached the point of open war4  
,the men of ,bruges built a fort        
commanding the ,river ,scheldt at a     
point near ,calloo1 mounting on it no   
less than sixty cannon4 ,the ,antwerp   
burghers met this challenge by building 
a similar fort at ,austruwel1 and then  
attacked and captured the ,flemish fort 
on ,april #bc--,st4 ,george's ,day4 ,a  
yearly procession still commemorates    
this victory in the long contest to     
maintain the freedom of the river4 ,a   
fleet of forty-nine merchant vessels    
that the ,flemings had detained came    

triumphantly up the river1 and the      
conflict for supremacy between the old  
sea gateway of the ,netherlands and the 
new was settled once for all--as far as 
poor ,bruges was concerned--in favour of
 ,antwerp1 the new maritime queen of the
 ,north4  ,the river itself seemed to   
favour the prosperity of ,antwerp1 as if
 proud and eager to become the          
handmaiden of so valiant and beautiful a
 city1 for the western entrance of the  
,scheldt gradually deepened at about    
this period--from causes that in those  
days no one tried to understand4 ,this  
gave the port a deep channel to the sea 
to accommodate the growing draught of   
ocean-going ships4 ,the discoveries of  
,columbus and ,vasco da ,gama helped the
 port also4 ,until then ,venice had     
enjoyed a monopoly of the sugar trade of
 the ,east4 ,now it came sea-borne to   
,antwerp1 and the formerly profitable   
overland sugar trade between ,venice and
 ,germany was ruined4 ,this caused the  
,portuguese to establish a factory at   

,antwerp4 ,the ,spaniards followed1     
while the ,english and ,italians        
enlarged their warehouses4 ,several     
great ,german trading houses opened     
premises in the city1 although the      
,hanseatic ,league did not abandon      
,bruges for ,antwerp until #aede--;being
 the very last to go4  ,while the       
decline of ,bruges led the painters of  
that city to desert it for its          
fast-growing rival on the ,scheldt1     
,quentin ,matsys1 the greatest of the   
early ,antwerp artists1 does not seem to
 have derived much of his inspiration   
from the masterpieces of the ,bruges    
school4 ,the early chronicles give a    
most romantic account of the life of    
this painter1 who was born at ,louvain  
about #adff4 ,according to these more or
 less legendary stories he was at first 
a blacksmith1 and changed to a painter  
through love for a damsel whose father  
was a great patron and admirer of that  
art4 ,another account has it that he    
took up painting owing to illness1 first

 colouring images of the saints such as 
were then given to children during the  
carnival4 ,blacksmith he certainly was1 
as his father had been before him1 and  
the wonderful cover for the well in     
front of the cathedral is his handiwork4
 ,it seems probable1 however1 that he   
first learned the art of painting at    
,louvain1 probably as an apprentice to  
the son of ,dierick ,bouts4 ,at ,antwerp
 he soon fell in love with a beautiful  
girl1 who may have been the model for   
some of his charming ,madonnas4 ,the    
story is told by one old chronicler that
 the maiden's father opposed the match  
because the young suitor was not a      
sufficiently skilful artist4 ,on a      
certain occasion ,matsys1 finding his   
intended father-in-law out1 painted a   
fly on one of the figures in a painting 
belonging to him4 ,on his return the    
owner of the painting started to brush  
the fly off and1 seeing his mistake1    
heartily admitted that the young artist 
who had painted it merited all praise   

and gave his consent to the nuptials4   
,the museum at ,antwerp is rich in      
masterpieces by ,matsys1 including his  
greatest work1 ,the ,entombment4 ,this  
is a triptych1 the panels showing       
,herod's banquet with the head of ,john 
the ,baptist lying on the table1 and    
,st4 ,john in the boiling oil4 ,the     
,madonna1 in the same museum1 is one of 
the sweetest faces ever painted among   
the hundreds of ,madonnas that abound in
 medival art1 and one cannot but feel   
that it is the very face that won the   
heart of the artist and caused him to   
adopt painting as his profession4 ,its  
resemblance to the face of the ,madonna 
now in the ,berlin museum strengthens   
this theory4 ,at ,antwerp also there are
 to be seen ,the ,holy ,face1 a         
companion painting to the ,madonna just 
mentioned1 and the gruesome yet         
appealing ,veil of ,veronica1 showing   
the livid face of the ,saviour with     
drops of blood from the cruel crown of  
thorns trickling down across it4 ,the   

museum at ,brussels possesses another   
masterpiece1 and the oldest dated       
picture by this artist1 ,the ,legend of 
,st4 ,anne1 which was completed in #aeji
 for the brotherhood of ,st4 ,anne at   
,louvain4 ,he also painted several      
strong and striking portraits1 of which 
the best is that of ,erasmus at the     
,stdel ,institute at ,frankfort4 ,matsys
 was one of the first ,flemish artists  
to present subjects of every-day life as
 well as religious episodes and         
characters4 ,the ,banker and his ,wife1 
at the ,louvre in ,paris1 is the finest 
example of this kind4 ,there are        
authenticated works by this master in a 
number of ,european museums1 while a    
considerable number of his pictures have
 become lost or have not as yet been    
identified4  ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,banker ,,and ,,his ,,wife4--,,matsys4 
,matsys is the greatest name in the     
history of ,flemish art between the     
masters of ,bruges and the school of    
,rubens4 ,it was his success that made  

,antwerp the ,florence of the ,north4   
,among ,matsys' successors ,frans de    
,vriendt1 better known as ,frans        
,floris1 was one of the most notable4   
,he was a member of the ,antwerp guild  
of ,st4 ,luke at the age of             
twenty-three1 and produced a vast number
 of works1 many of which can still be   
seen scattered among the churches and   
art collections of ,flanders4 ,he had   
over one hundred pupils1 of whom ,martin
 de ,vos achieved the greatest fame4 ,as
 this painter worked after the          
destruction of the image-breakers many  
of his religious subjects survive to    
this day4 ,the ,antwerp museum contains 
no less than twenty-three of his works1 
as against only four by his master4     
,both of these artists1 however1 were   
profound admirers of the ,italian       
school1 and the work of ,floris         
especially--though vastly admired in his
 day--is now looked upon as more        
,italian than ,flemish1 more imitative  
than original4  ,this cannot be said of 

the next really great painter to appear 
in ,flanders1 ,peter ,breughel the      
,elder4 ,born at the little village of  
,breughel1 near ,breda in ,brabant1     
about #aebf1 this artist studied for a  
time in ,italy--as did all of his       
contemporaries--and then settled at     
,antwerp4 ,here he obtained the themes  
of many of his most famous compositions4
 ,in the port1 in the tavern1 in the    
fairs of neighbouring villages1 says    
,prof4 ,a4 ,j4 ,wauters1 meeting now a  
young couple in the giddy dance1 or a   
drunkard stumbling in his path1 he      
sought the humble spectacle of homely   
things1 the noisy mirth of rustic       
festivities1 and was always in quest of 
every-day subjects1 which earned for    
him1 at the hands of posterity1 the     
surname of ',breughel of ,peasants4' ,he
 later removed to ,brussels1 where he   
received many commissions1 particularly 
from the ,emperor ,rudolph ,,ii1 who    
greatly admired his work4 ,several of   
his chief masterpieces are therefore in 

the ,imperial ,museum at ,vienna1 but   
the ,royal ,museum at ,antwerp contains 
four of his works1 while several others 
are scattered about ,europe4            
,illustration3 ,,winter4--,,peter       
,,breughel4  ,to the lover of ,flemish  
paintings ,breughel is one of the most  
characteristic and charming of them all4
 ,his art is distinctively ,flemish1 in 
subject1 treatment and inspiration4     
,somewhat influenced perhaps by ,jerome 
,bosch1 a ,brabant painter of the       
previous century renowned for his weird 
and eccentric conceptions1 ,breughel is 
never conventional4 ,his work is that of
 a humourist1 a satirist who sees the   
follies of the world but laughs at them4
 ,his pictures are admirable in their   
colouring1 execution and the grouping of
 the figures1 and they are especially   
interesting in their vivid portrayal of 
the every-day ,flemish life of the times
 in which he lived4  ,the visitor to    
,antwerp cannot fail to observe the     
images of the ,virgin placed at the     

corners of nearly every street in the   
older quarter of the city4 ,these are   
said to be due to the ,long ,wapper1 a  
somewhat humorous but none the less grim
 and terrifying fiend who was wont1 many
 centuries ago1 to play weird pranks    
upon the good people of ,antwerp after  
nightfall4 ,he used to lie in wait for  
wayfarers upon deserted by-streets in   
the uncanny hours between midnight and  
dawn4 ,pouncing upon his terrified      
victims1 he would carry them off1       
sometimes never to return4 ,now and then
 he assumed the form of a lost baby1 to 
which1 being found by some charitable   
mother1 the breast was given4 ,presently
 the good woman discovered to her horror
 that the foundling was swelling and    
becoming heavy1 and when she put it down
 the ,wapper assumed his own shape and  
ran off shrieking4 ,at times he peered  
into church windows and howled and      
gibbered at the worshippers1 and        
afterwards frightened them terribly as  
they went homeward1 or1 stretching his  

body to an incredible length1 he peered 
into the upper windows of people's      
houses4 ,men feared to speak evil of the
 ,long ,wapper1 for something terrible  
was certain to happen to those who did4 
,at last it was found that he would     
never pass an image of the ,virgin1 and 
that is why so many were erected that   
finally the evil fiend had no more      
streets left in which to play his mad   
pranks and left ,antwerp for the lonely 
moors and dunes along the seacoast where
 he is still said to be seen4  ,the     
place most frequented by the ,long      
,wapper was a little stream which came  
to be called the ,wappersrui in         
consequence1 and a bridge across it the 
,wappersbrucke4 ,here he often strode   
out of the water with his long thin legs
 extending far down into its dark depths
 like two black stilts4 ,once he had    
reached the embankment he shrank        
instantly to a diminutive size--usually 
taking the form of a schoolboy4 ,these  
first appearances were generally between

 daylight and dark1 when the twilight   
made it difficult to distinguish faces  
clearly1 and he always took the place of
 some boy who happened to be absent4 ,a 
favourite game of the boys1 who were    
then returning from school1 was called  
shove-hat4 ,in this game one boy tossed 
his hat on the ground and the others    
shoved and kicked it about with their   
feet while its owner sought to regain   
it4 ,when it came the turn of the ,long 
,wapper to throw down his hat the first 
one to give it a kick broke his wooden  
shoe to pieces and fractured his toes1  
for the hat proved to be a heavy iron   
pot4 ,then the street echoed with a     
jeering ,ha1 ha1 ha6 but the ,wapper had
 disappeared4  ,his pranks upon grown-up
 people were apt to be far more serious 
in their consequences than those just   
described4 ,often he paused at some     
tavern door and joined the party seated 
there in a game of cards1 which         
invariably resulted in a violent quarrel
 in the course of which one or more of  

the players was usually killed4 ,on     
another occasion he appeared in broad   
daylight selling mussels4 ,encountering 
four women sitting outside their door at
 work he opened a mussel and offered it 
to one of them4 ,she tasted it1 but it  
turned into dirt in her mouth4          
,apologising1 he opened another1 which  
all could see was a sound1 fine mussel1 
and offered it to another of the women4 
,no sooner was it in her mouth than it  
turned into a huge spider4 ,the women   
thereupon set upon him1 but he defended 
himself so rudely that two of them were 
nearly killed1 when he suddenly         
vanished1 leaving only an echo of wild  
laughter4  ,in the country to the east  
of ,antwerp there are many quaint       
legends still told at the peasants'     
firesides on stormy winter nights about 
the ,kaboutermannekens who in ancient   
times frequented that neighbourhood4    
,near the village of ,gelrode there is a
 small hill on the sides of which are   
many little caves which were formerly   

the abode of these fairies1 the hill    
being called the ,kabouterberg to this  
day in consequence4 ,there is a similar 
hill1 called ,kaboutermannekensberg1    
between ,turnhout and ,casterle4 ,they  
were also called ,red ,caps or          
,klabbers1 and were usually clad in red 
from head to foot1 and often had green  
hands and faces1 according to those who 
were so fortunate as to see them4 ,these
 little gnomes or elves seem to have    
resembled their kind as reported in the 
folk-lore of other northern countries1  
being the willing and loyal slaves of   
those who treated them kindly1 and the  
bitter1 and sometimes dangerous1 enemies
 of those who misused them4  ,still     
another local sprite--this time a spirit
 of evil resembling in some respects the
 ,long ,wapper--was known as ,kludde4   
,this fiend was often met with after    
dark in many parts of ,flanders1 and    
even in ,brabant4 ,at times ,kludde     
would appear to the peasants as the dusk
 of twilight was deepening into the     

intense darkness of night on the        
,flemish plains1 in the guise of an old1
 half-starved horse4 ,if a farmer or    
stable-boy mistook him for one of his   
own horses and mounted on ,kludde he    
instantly rushed off at an incredible   
speed until he came to some water into  
which he pitched his terrified rider    
headlong4 ,this accomplished to his     
satisfaction he vanished1 crying        
,kludde1 ,kludde6 as he went away1      
whence came his name4     ,,chapter     
,,xix  ,,three ,,centuries ,,of         
,,antwerp ,,printers   ,the joyous entry
 of the boy prince who was afterward to 
become ,charles ,v was the signal for   
ten days of rejoicing by the citizens of
 ,antwerp4 ,this was early in the year  
#aeae2 and1 in truth1 the city prospered
 mightily under the rule of the great   
,emperor1 who favoured it on many       
notable occasions4 ,the bankers and     
merchant princes of ,antwerp became     
renowned the world over for their wealth
 and magnificence4 ,anthony ,fugger1 who

 was the banker of ,maximilian and      
,charles ,v1 left a fortune of six      
million golden crowns1 and it is said   
that his name survives to this day as a 
synonym for wealth--the common people   
calling any one who is extremely rich a 
rykke ,fokker1 a rich ,fugger4 ,it is   
related that another rich ,antwerp      
merchant1 ,gasparo ,dozzo1 on being     
privileged to entertain the ,emperor in 
his house1 cast into the fire a         
promissory note for a large loan he had 
formerly made to his sovereign4  ,this  
period of wealth and prosperity         
continued till the very end of the reign
 of the ,emperor1 but under his         
successor1 ,philip ,,ii1 the city was   
plunged into misfortunes and miseries as
 swift and as appalling as those that   
befell in the terrible ,fall of #aiad4  
,in #aeef ,philip opened a chapter of   
the ,knights of the ,golden ,fleece at  
,st4 ,mary's1 afterward the cathedral1  
in ,antwerp--thereby recognising the    
supremacy of this town over the others  

in his ,flemish dominions4 ,among the   
new knights to whom he gave the accolade
 were ,william the ,silent and the      
,count of ,horn4 ,little men thought on 
that day of festivity and good will what
 the future held in store for them all6 
,on ,august #ah1 #aeff1 the miraculous  
statue of the ,blessed ,virgin was taken
 from its place in ,st4 ,mary's church  
and carried through the streets of the  
city in a solemn procession--as it had  
been for nearly two hundred years4 ,this
 time there were murmurs of disapproval 
from the crowds that lined the streets1 
some stones were thrown1 and the        
procession hastily returned to the      
church4 ,the next day a small mob1      
composed for the most part of boys and  
men of the lowest class1 entered the    
church and destroyed the statue and the 
entire contents of the sacred edifice1  
including some seventy altars1 and      
paintings and statues almost without    
number4 ,the organ1 then the wonder of  
,europe1 was ruined1 and the rabble     

dressed itself in the costly vestments  
of the clergy and carried away the      
treasures of the church and even the    
contents of the poor boxes4 ,this was   
the beginning of the work of the        
image-breakers1 as they came to be      
called1 which spread throughout         
,flanders until scarcely a religious    
edifice had escaped the destruction of  
its movable contents1 while a few here  
and there were burned4 ,as noted in the 
chapter on ,audenaerde1 ,margaret of    
,parma was ,regent at this time and     
acted resolutely to suppress the        
disorders--which were largely due to the
 supine attitude of the local           
magistrates at the beginning4  ,she had 
all but succeeded in restoring peace and
 quiet throughout ,flanders when ,philip
 suddenly decided to send an army there1
 and selected the ,duke of ,alva to     
command it4 ,the story of the eighty    
years' war that followed is familiar to 
every ,american through ,motley's       
account of it1 although that brilliant  

writer is more concerned with the       
details relating to the ,dutch provinces
 than those regarding the portion of the
 ,netherlands that remained subject to  
,spain4 ,two events1 however1 in the    
long war were so directly concerned with
 ,antwerp1 and loom so large in its     
history1 that they cannot be passed over
 here4 ,both have a renewed interest in 
view of the history of ,antwerp's latest
 siege in #aiad4 ,these are the ,spanish
 ,fury1 and the great siege of the city 
by the ,duke of ,parma4  ,alva1 who     
superseded the gentle ,margaret of      
,parma as ,regent of the ,netherlands1  
quickly took stern measures for the     
repression of further disorders at      
,antwerp1 which he regarded as a hot-bed
 of heresy4 ,a huge citadel was built at
 the southern end of the town1 near the 
,scheldt1 in #aegb1 in the centre of    
which ,alva erected a bronze statue of  
himself4 ,on the marble pedestal the    
inscription related how the most        
faithful minister of the best of ,kings 

had stamped out sedition1 repelled the  
rebels1 set up religion1 and restored   
justice and peace to the country4 ,so   
far were these boasts from being true   
that only the following year1 in #aegc1 
,alva stole away to ,spain secretly1 his
 government a failure1 his army         
mutinous1 and half of the country he had
 been sent to rule in open and          
successful revolt4 ,war with ,england   
had ruined the commerce of ,antwerp1    
,alva's fiscal policy and incessant     
taxes had half beggared the people of   
the entire country1 while thousands of  
the noblest and bravest in the land had 
met death on the scaffold or in the     
torture chambers of the ,inquisition4   
,requesens1 the next ,regent1 was unable
 either to stem the rising tide of      
revolt or to pay his soldiers--,king    
,philip failing to send funds until the 
pay of the ,spanish veterans was at one 
time twenty-two months in arrears4 ,the 
sudden death of ,requesens in #aegf left
 matters in a nearly chaotic condition4 

,the veterans who had been fighting in  
,zeeland against the ,dutch mutinied and
 returning to ,flanders captured the    
town of ,alost1 where they forced the   
citizens to give them food and shelter4 
,on ,november #dth1 #aegf1 the mutineers
 marched to ,antwerp1 some two thousand 
strong1 where they joined the ,spaniards
 and mercenaries in the citadel4 ,they  
were under the command of an ,eletto1 or
 elected leader4 ,jerome ,roda1 a       
,spaniard1 had proclaimed himself the   
commandant of the fortress until the new
 ,regent1 ,don ,john of ,austria1 should
 arrive in ,flanders4 ,under these two  
worthies the combined forces in the     
citadel1 some five thousand men in all1 
proceeded to attack the city4 ,the      
citizens1 on their side1 had for some   
time feared such an attack and should   
have been able to repel it4 ,there were 
fourteen thousand armed burghers1 four  
thousand ,walloons and an equal number  
of ,german troops--twenty-two thousand  
in all4 ,it may have been that they felt

 unduly secure against an attack on that
 day because it was ,sunday4 ,it is     
certain that they were badly commanded4 
,shortly after noon the ,spaniards      
rushed from the citadel and across the  
broad open esplanade cleared a few years
 before by ,alva1 shouting their war    
cry1 ,sant ,jago y cierra ,espaa4 ,the  
,eletto was the first to fall1 but the  
rush of furious soldiers was not to be  
stopped by a single volley4 ,the        
,walloons put up a brave fight but part 
of the ,germans treacherously lowered   
their pikes and let the ,spaniards pass 
down the rue ,st4 ,georges4 ,on the     
,place de ,meir the defenders made      
another stand1 but were swiftly swept   
back in a confused and disorganised mass
 by the ,spanish cavalry4 ,at the ,hotel
 de ,ville the burghers fought fiercely 
until the mutineers set fire to the     
edifice4 ,in the conflagration that     
followed not only this noble structure1 
one of the finest in ,europe1 but the   
adjoining guild houses and some eighty  

other buildings were consumed4 ,of the  
,hotel de ,ville only the blackened     
walls remained4 ,by nightfall the       
,spaniards and the ,german mercenaries1 
most of whom had joined the victors in  
order to share in the spoils1 were      
masters of the doomed city4  ,that night
 the scenes of pillage and rapine as the
 savage and half drunken soldiers swept 
through the streets and ransacked the   
houses of all who did not instantly pay 
a stiff ransom1 exceed the descriptive  
powers of the contemporary historians4  
,one of the burgomasters was stabbed to 
end a quarrel as to his ransom4 ,many   
burghers were killed near the town hall1
 or were burned within it like rats4    
,for three days the city was given up to
 be sacked4 ,the number who were killed1
 including women and children1 has been 
variously estimated at from seven       
thousand to seventeen thousand of the   
citizens and defenders of the city1 and 
from two hundred and fifty to six       
hundred of the ,spaniards4 ,the loss in 

property amounted to many millions1 but 
no accurate estimate could be made of   
it1 as many who suffered most in this   
respect lost their lives as well4       
,cartloads of plunder were sent out of  
the city1 while much of it was actually 
sold by those who did not care or dare  
to keep it in a temporary market-place  
at the ,bourse4 ,some were said to have 
concealed their wealth by having sword  
hilts and breastplates made of solid    
gold4 ,like the ill-gotten gains of the 
,spaniards in ,america1 however1 none of
 this booty--the reward of treachery1 of
 assassination1 of cruelty and the      
sudden setting free of all the basest   
elements in human nature--profited its  
captors very greatly4 ,in a few days    
after the arrival of ,don ,john1 the new
 ,regent1 the mutinous soldiers were    
paid off and marched away to ,maestricht
 and presently to other battlefields1   
from ,flanders to ,lombardy1 where1 no  
doubt1 most of the golden breastplates  
and sword hilts fell--in due time--to   

other conquerors4 ,such was the ,spanish
 ,fury--until #aiad the worst blot on   
civilisation that history records4      
,soon after the ,spaniards left the city
 permission was given to the people to  
destroy the citadel that the tyrant     
,alva had built to overawe the town4    
,the entire population flocked to this  
welcome task--men1 women and children1  
each taking a shovel1 a basket or a     
barrow4 ,it is related that even the    
great ladies of the city took part in   
the work of demolition--so hated had the
 grim fortress become4 ,the statue of   
the cruel ,duke that he had so          
vaingloriously erected in the centre of 
the citadel only five years before was  
torn down and dragged through the       
streets by a cheering throng4 ,charles  
,verlat has given the world a vivid     
picture of this incident which hangs in 
the ,antwerp museum4  ,illustration3    
,,dragging ,,the ,,statue ,,of ,,the    
,,duke ,,of ,,alva ,,through ,,the      
,,streets ,,of ,,antwerp4--,c4 ,,verlat4

  ,six years later the ,duke d',alenon1 
who had been made nominal sovereign over
 the ,low ,countries by ,william the    
,silent1 planned to treacherously attack
 and sack the city with his ,french     
soldiers1 some three thousand1 five     
hundred strong4 ,this time1 however1 the
 citizens were not caught napping and   
when the tocsin in the cathedral called 
the alarm the burghers rushed out in    
thousands4 ,the ,french swashbucklers   
proved to be less stubborn fighters than
 the ,spanish veterans and soon were    
driven back in a confused mass to the   
city gates1 most of them being killed   
and the cowardly ,duke only saving      
himself by flight4 ,this episode has    
been derisively called the ,french      
,fury4 ,it happened ,january #ag1 #aehc4
  ,the following year ,alexander        
,farnese1 the ,duke of ,parma--and the  
son of the ,duchess of ,parma1 whose    
career as ,regent of the ,netherlands   
was briefly described in the chapter on 
,audenaerde1 her birthplace--determined 

to besiege ,antwerp1 which1 since the   
,spanish ,fury1 had fallen into the     
hands of the revolted ,provinces4       
,unfortunately for its defenders1       
,william the ,silent had just died at   
the hands of an assassin and his plans  
for the protection of the city by       
flooding all of the marshes surrounding 
it were not followed4 ,the butchers     
opposed flooding all of their pasture   
lands and the important ,kowenstein     
,dyke was not cut4 ,the ,prince of      
,parma1 who was the greatest military   
leader of his age1 swiftly captured the 
forts on the ,flemish side of the river1
 seized the ,kowenstein ,dyke--which    
extended on the ,brabant side from a    
point opposite ,calloo to               
,starbroeck--and began to build a bridge
 across the river itself4 ,this daring  
project1 if successful1 would completely
 isolate ,antwerp from the sea and its  
,dutch allies and render certain its    
ultimate subjection by starvation4  ,the
 bridge was built partly on piles1 as   

far out as the water was sufficiently   
shallow1 then the intervening gap was   
spanned by means of thirty-two large    
vessels anchored at both ends and lashed
 together by chains and heavy cables4   
,the structure was completed in         
,february1 #aehe1 to the amazement of   
the besieged burghers and the great joy 
of the ,prince's army4 ,it would seem a 
small affair to the pontoon bridge      
builders of to-day1 being two thousand1 
four hundred feet long and twelve feet  
wide1 but at that time it was deemed one
 of the most notable achievements ever  
known4 ,the defenders of the city sent  
huge fireships down the river to destroy
 the bridge4 ,one of these actually     
exploded against the structure and      
another off ,calloo1 destroying more    
than eight hundred ,spanish soldiers and
 endangering their intrepid leader      
himself4 ,the bridge was wrecked1 but   
,farnese repaired it before the people  
at ,antwerp learned of the success of   
their attempt4  ,a tremendous attack was

 next made on the ,kowenstein ,dyke1    
with a view to cutting it--a feat that  
could have been done without any trouble
 if the ,prince of ,orange's counsels   
had been followed a few months earlier4 
,a fleet of one hundred and fifty ,dutch
 ships joined in the battle from the sea
 side1 while a strong force of          
,flemings1 ,english and ,dutch from     
,antwerp attacked the dyke from the land
 side4 ,after a fierce struggle it was  
cut1 the waters rushed through and one  
vessel loaded with provisions for the   
beleaguered city made its way past4     
,that night ,antwerp rejoiced1 but in   
the darkness the ,prince of ,parma made 
another furious assault and finally     
drove back the allies1 capturing        
twenty-eight ships of the ,dutch fleet  
and filling in the dyke once more4 ,this
 victory--which as a feat of arms was   
one of the most brilliant of the        
war--sealed the fate of the city1 which 
finally capitulated ,august #agth4 ,so  
important was this success to the       

,spanish1 cause that ,isabella1 the     
daughter of ,king ,philip1 was awakened 
by her father during the night by the   
tidings1 ,antwerp is ours6 ,its fall    
settled approximately the extent of the 
region that was left to the ,spanish    
,crown out of the wreck of its former   
empire in the ,low ,countries4          
,thenceforth all of the provinces to the
 west and south of ,antwerp--the region 
now comprised in the ,kingdom of        
,belgium--remained subject to the ,king 
of ,spain and his ,austrian successors  
until the great ,french ,revolution4    
,the remaining provinces became the     
,dutch ,republic and now form the       
,kingdom of ,holland4  ,the ,spanish    
,fury and the great siege had together  
well-nigh destroyed the commerce of the 
port1 and the heavy fine imposed by the 
conquerors upon the city for its        
rebellion completed its ruin4 ,packs of 
wild dogs are said to have roamed       
unmolested through the outlying         
villages1 which stood deserted1 while   

even wolves were seen4 ,grass grew in   
the once crowded streets of the city1   
and famine added to the miseries of its 
fast declining population4 ,it would    
hardly be conceivable that a quarter of 
a century of hideous misrule could have 
so utterly obliterated the prosperity of
 this once opulent city1 but for the    
fearful object lesson afforded in #aiad 
that war is still as potent a breeder of
 destruction and despair as it was in   
that dark age4  ,enough1 however1 of    
wars and sieges and the sack of cities4 
,antwerp's past includes many pleasanter
 stories as well--stories of progress   
and achievement4 ,to those who are      
interested in the noble art of printing1
 and the various branches of the fine   
arts that serve as handmaids to the     
printer1 ,antwerp possesses one of the  
rarest treasure-houses in the world4    
,this is the ,museum ,plantin-,moretus1 
for three centuries the head office and 
workshop of the great printing-house    
whose name it bears4  ,christopher      

,plantin1 the founder of this famous    
establishment1 was by birth a           
,frenchman--having first seen the light 
of day in the vicinity of ,tours in the 
year #aead4 ,fleeing from the plague    
with his father to ,lyons1 he went from 
there to ,orleans1 to ,paris1 and       
finally to ,caen in ,normandy1 where he 
learned the art of printing from ,robert
 ,mace4 ,here also he met ,jeanne       
,rivire1 who became his wife in #aede or
 #aedf4 ,the couple soon went to ,paris1
 where ,plantin learned the art of      
bookbinding and of making caskets and   
other articles of elegance from leather4
 ,in #aedi he came to ,antwerp and the  
following year was enrolled as a citizen
 and also as a member of the famous     
guild of ,st4 ,luke with the title of   
printer4 ,he does not appear to have    
followed this profession1 however1 but  
speedily gained much renown for his     
exquisite workmanship as a bookbinder   
and casket maker1 finding several       
wealthy patrons and protectors-among    

them ,gabriel de ayas1 ,secretary of    
,philip ,,ii1 then the most powerful    
monarch in ,christendom4  ,in the year  
#aeee1 while on his way to deliver in   
person a jewel-case he had just made for
 this client1 he met with an adventure  
that changed the course of his career4  
,it was quite dark before he had        
completed his errand1 and as he made his
 way along the narrow1 ill-lit streets  
of the old city he was set upon by a    
party of drunken revellers who mistook  
him1 with the casket under his arm1 for 
a guitar player against whom they had   
some grievance4 ,one of the party ran   
the unfortunate casket-maker through the
 body with his sword1 and he had barely 
strength enough to drag himself home1   
more nearly dead than alive4 ,skilful   
medical and surgical aid finally saved  
his life1 but left him unable to do any 
manual work4 ,he therefore gave up his  
casket-making and resumed the trade of  
printer1 which he had learned at ,caen4 
,instead of a misfortune1 as it no doubt

 seemed at the time1 this sword thrust  
proved the turning point in his career1 
for in his new profession he was        
destined to achieve undying fame4       
,there were at this time no less than   
sixty-six printing establishments in the
 ,low ,countries1 of which thirteen were
 at ,antwerp1 some of the latter        
rivalling the best printers of ,paris1  
,basel and ,venice in the beauty of     
their productions4 ,plantin's first book
 was issued the year of his accident1 in
 #aeee1 and was entitled ,la            
,institutione di una fanciulla nata     
nobilmente4 ,during the next seven years
 his presses turned out a limited number
 of works1 but in #aefb his office was  
raided by order of the ,regent1         
,margaret1 the ,duchess of ,parma1 and  
three of his workmen seized and         
condemned to the galleys for a heretical
 book they had printed unknown to him1  
entitled ,briefve instruction pour      
prier4 ,plantin fled to ,france1 and to 
avoid confiscation he had some of his   

friends1 acting as creditors1 sell and  
buy in his printing plant4 ,the         
following year--having convinced the    
,government of his orthodoxy--he        
returned to ,antwerp and organised a    
company consisting of himself and four  
partners1 including some of his         
pretended creditors4 ,while this        
arrangement lasted1 from #aefc to #aefg1
 more than two hundred books were       
printed1 and forty workmen kept         
constantly employed4 ,his work was      
already considered notable for the      
beauty of its type and excellence of the
 paper used4  ,soon after the           
partnership was dissolved ,plantin      
undertook what was destined to be the   
greatest work of his career1 and one of 
the most notable in the history of      
printing1 the famous ,biblia ,regia4    
,this was an edition of the ,bible in   
four ancient languages1 ,latin1 ,hebrew1
 ,greek and ,chaldean4 ,the ,hebrew type
 was purchased from a ,venetian printer1
 while the last two were cast expressly 

for this book4 ,his friend ayas         
interested ,philip ,,ii in the project  
and that monarch sent the great scholar 
,arias ,montanus from ,alcala to        
supervise the work4 ,at the suggestion  
of ,cardinal ,granville1 ,syriac was    
added to the other texts1 so that1      
including ,french1 there were six       
languages in all4 ,the first volume of  
this ,polyglot ,bible1 as it came to be 
called1 appeared in #aefi and the eighth
 and last in #aegc4 ,the work proved to 
be exceedingly costly1 and to help meet 
the expense the ,king of ,spain advanced
 #ba1bjj florins1 and granted ,plantin a
 monopoly for its sale throughout the   
,spanish dominions for the period of    
twenty years4 ,a similar monopoly was   
granted by the ,pope1 the ,emperor1 the 
,king of ,france and the ,republic of   
,venice4 ,in spite of all this1 the book
 brought its printer no profits1 but    
kept him in debt for the rest of his    
life4 ,pensions promised by ,philip ,,ii
 to himself and his son-in-law1         

,raphelingen1 were never paid4  ,between
 the editor of the great ,bible and its 
printer a strong friendship sprang up4  
,this man1 wrote ,arias on one occasion1
 is all mind and no matter4 ,he neither 
eats1 drinks1 nor sleeps4 ,and again1   
,never did ,i know so capable and so    
kindhearted a man4 ,every day ,i find   
something fresh to admire in him1 but   
what ,i admire the most is his humble   
patience towards envious colleagues1    
whom he insists on wishing well1 though 
he might do them much harm4  ,besides   
the ,biblia ,regia ,plantin1 now at the 
height of his fame1 managed to turn out 
a vast quantity of printed matter4 ,high
 in royal favour by reason of this      
worthy work1 he had no difficulty in    
obtaining for himself and his heirs a   
profitable monopoly for printing and    
selling missals and breviaries          
throughout ,spain's wide dominions4     
,while the largest printers at ,paris   
rarely employed more than six presses1  
,plantin kept twenty-two constantly at  

work1 had agents at ,paris and ,leyden1 
and sent a member of his family every   
year to attend the fairs at ,leipzig and
 ,frankfort4 ,in #aege his office is    
said to have had seventy-three kinds of 
type1 weighing over seventeen tons4  ,in
 #aegj he was appointed by ,philip to   
the newly created office of             
,prototypographer in the ,netherlands4  
,masters and men in the printing trade  
had to apply to him for certificates as 
to their fitness1 while he was also     
required to draw up a list of forbidden 
books4 ,in this1 curiously enough1 one  
of the earlier products of his own press
 found a place--a rhyming version of the
 ,psalms in ,french by ,clement ,marot4 
,this office does not seem to have paid 
much salary1 if any1 or to have given   
its first possessor anything but a lot  
of worry4  ,the ,plantin ,press was     
located at various places about the city
 until #aegf1 when it was established on
 the rue ,haute near the ,porte de ,st4 
,jean4 ,three years later ,plantin      

purchased from the owner of this        
property the premises occupied by the   
present museum and extending from the   
rue ,haute through to the ,friday       
,market1 with a large gateway opening   
into the latter4 ,plantin had been only 
eight months in this new location when  
the ,spanish ,fury broke out4 ,he was   
away on a journey himself1 but his      
son-in-law1 ,moretus1 had to pay a heavy
 fine to save the printing-office from  
pillage4 ,the next few years were full  
of trouble and anxiety4 ,for a time     
,plantin had to leave ,antwerp1 going to
 ,leyden1 where he met ,justus ,lipsius 
and was made printer to the ,university4
 ,during the great siege of ,antwerp he 
fled1 with many other ,catholics1 to    
,cologne1 where he thought for a time of
 establishing his chief printing-office4
 ,after the siege he hurried home1 but a
 short time later his health began to   
fail4  ,illustration3 ,,courtyard ,,of  
,,the ,,plantin ,,museum1 ,,antwerp4    
,it was in the house on the ,friday     

,market that the dying printer gathered 
his family about him4 ,his only son had 
died in infancy1 but his five daughters 
had all lived to be married1 three of   
them to men associated with him in the  
printing office4 ,the eldest1 ,margaret1
 married ,francis ,raphelingen1 the     
chief proof-reader and an able linguist2
 while the second1 ,martina1 married    
,jean ,moretus1 the father of a long    
line1 of which the eldest sons bore the 
same name so that they came to be       
distinguished by numbers1 the first     
being ,jean ,moretus ,i--like a line of 
kings4 ,this son-in-law was ,plantin's  
business manager4 ,the third daughter   
aided the mother1 who ran a linen       
business in the frugal way that many    
,flemish housewives have of helping     
their husbands4 ,a fourth1 ,magdalen1   
when only a child1 corrected proofs on  
the ,biblia ,regia in five languages1   
and later married her father's ,paris   
agent4 ,the fifth married a brother of  
,jean ,moretus ,i1 who became a         

diamond-cutter4  ,plantin had from a    
very early date adopted the motto       
,labori et ,constantia1 together with   
the emblem of a hand holding a pair of  
open compasses1 which may be seen over  
the ,friday ,market gateway to the      
museum4 ,this emblem1 with the motto    
entwining it in the form of a scroll1 or
 appearing above1 below or across it in 
a hundred variations1 is the mark by    
which connoisseurs can distinguish the  
products of the ,plantin ,press4 ,it    
must have been constantly in the mind of
 the great printer himself1 for on his  
deathbed he composed the following      
,french couplet1 which expresses and    
describes his own character better than 
any epitaph could do3      ,un ,labeur  
courageux muni d'humble ,constance      
,resiste  tous assauts par douce        
,patience4  ,on ,july #a1 #aehi1 this   
giant among printers breathed his last1 
and was buried in the ambulatory of the 
cathedral1 his friend ,justus ,lipsius  
writing the inscription for his         

tombstone4 ,while his name is not       
associated with the earliest beginnings 
of the art of printing1 and the products
 of his press do not therefore command  
the almost fabulous prices paid for the 
rarest productions of some of the first 
printers1 ,christopher ,plantin was not 
only the greatest printer of his age1   
but one of the greatest in the history  
of the art4 ,almost from the first he   
knew how to gather about him the        
foremost scholars and artists of his    
time1 making his establishment not      
merely a printing-office but an         
institution of learning1 a home of the  
fine arts4 ,arias ,montanus1 editor of  
the ,biblia ,regia1 aided by a host of  
the most learned churchmen of ,europe2  
,justus ,lipsius1 lecturer before       
,princes at the ,universities of ,leyden
 and ,louvain2 ,mercator and ,ortelius1 
the geographers1 from whom the world    
learned the right way to make maps and  
atlases2 ,crispin1 ,van den ,broeck1    
,martin de ,vos1 and a score of the     

foremost ,flemish artists1 who were     
employed by ,plantin to illustrate his  
books2 these and many more no doubt were
 frequent visitors at the printing-house
 during the lifetime of its founder4    
,these noble traditions were fully      
maintained under his successors4 ,jean  
,moretus ,i ruled over the destinies of 
the house until his death1 in #afaj1    
leaving it to his two sons1 ,jean ,,ii  
and ,balthazar ,i4 ,the latter was the  
greatest of the dynasty of printers     
after ,plantin and ,jean ,moretus ,i4   
,he was a warm friend of ,rubens1 who   
illustrated many of the publications of 
the house during this period4 ,in the   
fourth generation1 represented by       
,balthazar ,,iii1 who ruled for half a  
century1 from #afdf to #afif1 the family
 was ennobled1 but after this period the
 house confined its output and commerce 
to missals and breviaries1 under the    
monopoly granted by ,philip ,,ii for the
 countries under the rule of ,spain4    
,this business was completely destroyed 

by an edict prohibiting the importation 
of foreign books into the ,spanish      
dominions1 and in #ahjj the printing    
office ceased operations4 ,it resumed   
activity on a small scale once or twice 
during the nineteenth century1 but      
finally closed in #ahfg1 after an       
existence of three hundred and twelve   
years1 and in #ahgf the last            
representative of the house1 ,edouard   
,moretus1 sold the entire establishment1
 with all its priceless collections and 
furnishings1 to the ,city of ,antwerp   
for the sum of #a1bjj1jjj francs1 to be 
maintained as a museum4  ,during the    
splendid period of activity in the first
 half of the seventeenth century1 the   
throng of famous men in the libraries   
and the corrector's room of the old     
establishment surpassed that of the days
 of ,plantin and ,jean ,moretus ,i4     
,rubens1 ,van ,dyck1 ,erasmus ,quellin  
and a host of other artists2 ,lvinius   
,torrentius1 bishop and poet1 ,kiliaen1 
the lexicographer1 and scores of other  

learned men2 ,princes and ,dukes        
innumerable1 the patrons and protectors 
of the house--all these and many more   
were constant visitors4 ,to the student 
the museum of to-day recalls these great
 names with a freshness and vividness   
that the ordinary museum fatally lacks1 
for here are countless mementoes of     
their presence in the very proofs and   
prints they handled and corrected1 in   
the letters they wrote1 in the sketches 
drawn by the greatest artists of        
,flanders and engraved by the foremost  
engravers of the time4  ,as a detailed  
description of the ,plantin ,museum can 
be found in all the guidebooks1 while an
 excellent handbook regarding its       
treasures by ,max ,rooses1 its renowned 
curator1 can be purchased for a franc1  
it would be unnecessary as well as      
tedious to recount them here4 ,to those 
who have but a little time at their     
disposal a liberal honorarium to the    
attendant in each room--all of whom are 
garbed in brown with a quaint cap of the

 same colour1 as the printers of the    
house were wont to be dressed in the    
great olden days--will bring forth a    
wealth of curious and interesting       
information not to be found in any book1
 anecdotes of distinguished visitors1   
bits of lore about this or the other    
treasure1 that will make the trifling   
investment well worth while4 ,in our    
case we made our first visit in this    
way1 roaming about the splendid old     
rooms and dipping into this case or that
 at random--like butterflies amid a     
bower of roses4 ,visitors were few that 
day and we had each attendant to        
ourselves4 ,later on we made another    
visit1 armed with letters of            
introduction to ,m4 ,denuc1 the learned 
assistant curator1 and through his      
courtesy revisited each room once more4 
,a single book--one of the marvellous   
collections of early ,bibles--was1      
according to the attendant in that room1
 made the object of an offer of a       
million francs1 or maybe it was a       

million dollars1 by a well-known        
,american millionaire4 ,the collection  
in its entirety1 if dispersed by        
auction1 would doubtless fetch many     
millions--but it belongs exactly where  
it is4 ,like the collection of ,van     
,eycks and ,memlings in ,bruges1 it     
would be a world calamity to despoil it 
or disperse it4 ,even the very          
furnishings of the chambers up-stairs   
are associated with the house of        
,plantin1 were used by the family for   
many years2 the paintings that crowd the
 walls like an art gallery are for the  
most part by ,rubens--portraits of      
leading members of the family4 ,then    
there are numberless drawings1 prints   
and engravings that represent the work  
of half of the greatest artists of the  
,flemish school during the century of   
its greatest splendour--an inimitable1  
indescribable collection6  ,among other 
pictorial treasures we saw a collection 
of views of old ,antwerp that the       
,professor said he would gladly have    

spent a month in1 if only his vacation  
were a little longer4 ,then there were  
the books--and again words fail to      
convey an adequate idea of the richness 
and interest of the collection4 ,there  
are nearly a score of early ,german     
,bibles1 including a fine copy of       
,gutenberg's ,bible latine of #adej2    
rare ,german and ,italian incunabula1   
choice examples of the work of the early
 ,flemish printers1 including ,les dicts
 moraulx des philosophes1 printed by    
,colard ,manson at ,bruges in #adgg4    
,there are examples of early ,french1   
,dutch and ,italian printing2 there are 
,aldines1 ,estiennes1 ,elzevirs2 books  
from the first printing presses of      
,switzerland1 ,spain and ,portugal4     
,truly the historian of the early art of
 printing might come here and complete  
his work within these charmed walls--he 
would need no other materials6          
,naturally the collection of books      
printed by the house itself is large1   
though not complete1 and there are a    

great many products of other ,antwerp   
presses4 ,most valuable of all is the   
collection of manuscripts1 which        
includes a huge ,latin ,bible completed 
in #adjb and ornamented with the most   
marvellous miniatures4 ,here are also   
several superb ,books of ,hours and many
 other books with choice miniatures4    
,the printing-rooms also deserve all the
 time the tourist can spare4 ,the       
proofreaders' room is a gem1            
architecturally1 artistically1 and from 
its historic associations with one of   
the world's finest arts4 ,a few old     
proof sheets are still lying on the high
 desks1 near the stained glass windows  
with their tiny panes4 ,the typeroom has
 still some of the old fonts of type and
 original matrices1 while the composing 
and pressroom has two presses of the    
sixteenth century1 and many quaint and  
curious devices then in use4 ,all these 
rooms1 together with the large state    
rooms1 which contain the manuscripts and
 choicest examples of early printing1   

surround a charming courtyard which is  
still kept bright with flowers as it was
 in the days of the founders of the     
great house4 ,the ,city of ,antwerp is  
justly proud of this noble monument to  
its great family of great printers1     
which serves to keep green the memory of
 their achievements and of their fine   
artistic taste and skill as no other    
form of memorial could do4              
,illustration3 ,,ancient ,,printing     
,,presses ,,and ,,composing ,,cases1    
,,plantin ,,museum1 ,,antwerp4          
,,chapter ,,xx  ,,antwerp ,,from ,,the  
,,time ,,of ,,rubens ,,till ,,to-,,day  
,if there is one name more honoured in  
,flanders than any other--more often    
employed as the name of hotels1         
restaurants or cafs2 more frequently on 
the lips of guides1 caretakers and      
sacristans2 more constantly in the mind 
of every tourist1 be he or she          
,american1 ,english or ,continental--it 
is the name of the greatest of ,flemish 
painters1 ,peter ,paul ,rubens4 ,no book

 on ,flanders1 and most assuredly no    
work touching on ,antwerp1 would be     
complete without some reference to the  
life and work of this prince among      
painters1 yet no task can be more       
superfluous1 since nothing can be said  
that will add in the slightest degree to
 his fame4 ,he ranks in the history of  
art with the greatest masters in the    
world--with ,michael ,angelo1 ,leonardo1
 ,rembrandt1 ,raphael1 ,titian and      
,velasquez--and it is probable that more
 books have been written about him than 
about ,antwerp itself4  ,occasional     
references have been made in previous   
chapters to notable paintings by ,rubens
 to be seen in various churches         
throughout ,flanders--particularly to   
,the ,miraculous ,draught of ,fishes at 
,malines1 which is said to have been    
saved from the destruction of that city1
 having been carried away before the    
first of its many bombardments4 ,it is  
at ,antwerp1 however1 that the tourist  
who desires to study the work of ,rubens

 will find him at his best and in       
greatest profusion4 ,and the most famous
 spot enriched by his unrivalled art is 
the cathedral4 ,here hang his two       
greatest devotional works1 ,the         
,elevation of the ,cross and ,the       
,descent from the ,cross4 ,the former   
was painted in #afaj and gave the young 
artist--he was then only                
thirty-three--instant and enduring fame4
 ,the companion work was completed the  
following year4 ,neither was originally 
painted for the cathedral4 ,the         
,elevation of the ,cross1 the earlier   
and inferior of the two1 was intended to
 be the altarpiece for the church of    
,ste4 ,walburge1 while the other was    
painted for the ,society of             
,arquebusiers1 to adjust a difficulty   
that had arisen over apportioning the   
cost of a wall separating ,rubens' house
 from that of the guild4 ,both1 however1
 are in an ideal location where they now
 are1 and form an admirable starting    
point from which to see1 first the      

cathedral1 and then the work of ,rubens 
as a whole4  ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,descent ,,from ,,the                  
,,cross4--,,rubens4  ,the ,cathedral of 
,notre ,dame is without doubt the most  
beautiful ,gothic church in ,belgium1   
and has thus far happily escaped the    
ravages of the present war--passing     
unscathed through the furious ,german   
bombardment of the city4 ,begun in #aceb
 it was1 like other churches of its     
size1 centuries in reaching completion4 
,the exquisite lace-work in stone of the
 north tower was completed during the   
sixteenth century1 but was not wholly   
finished when the iconoclasts ravaged   
the interior of the edifice4 ,originally
 the church of ,st4 ,mary1 it became the
 ,cathedral of ,notre ,dame in #aefj4   
,the nave and transepts were not vaulted
 until #afaa-af1 or the very period when
 ,rubens was painting the famous        
pictures that now hang in the south     
transept4 ,work on the south tower was  
discontinued in #adgd1 which seems a    

pity1 as its completion would have made 
the cathedral one of the most perfect   
specimens of ,gothic architecture in the
 world4 ,as it is1 the single tower     
dominates the old part of the city and  
is a familiar feature of its sky line4  
,the chimes of the cathedral are famous1
 and are often played by ,jef ,denyn of 
,malines4 ,there are forty bells of     
various sizes1 of which the greatest was
 named ,charles ,v1 and requires the    
strength of nineteen men to swing it4   
,this bell was founded some eight years 
before the young ,duke ,charles made his
 joyous entry into ,antwerp1 and no     
doubt rang lustily on that occasion4    
,the interior of the cathedral is very  
vast1 comprising six aisles1 but is too 
well known to require description4      
,among the numerous paintings with which
 the chapels are adorned is one1 a      
,descent from the ,cross1 by ,adam ,van 
,noort1 the teacher of ,jordaens1 and   
said to be the first who taught ,rubens 
how to handle a brush4 ,in the second   

chapel on the south is an interesting   
,resurrection by ,rubens1 which was     
painted in #afab for the tomb of his    
friend ,moretus1 of the famous          
printing-house of ,plantin4 ,the fourth 
chapel on the same side contains the    
tomb of ,christopher ,plantin1 with an  
inscription by his colleague and friend1
 ,justus ,lipsius1 and several family   
portraits4 ,the visitor will find many  
other points of interest in this vast   
church1 which is a veritable museum of  
art1 architecture1 history and human    
progress4 ,the high altarpiece is       
another famous ,rubens1 an              
,assumption--a subject which he painted 
no less than ten times4 ,there are half 
a dozen other notable paintings by other
 artists1 but the majority are of minor 
artistic importance4 ,the rich ,gothic  
choir stalls1 however1 are worth more   
than a passing glance1 for the          
wood-carvings here are very fine1       
although modern--having been begun in   
#ahdj1 and completed forty years later4 

,the elaborately carved pulpit was made 
in the eighteenth century by the        
sculptor ,michel ,vervoort1 and was     
intended for the ,abbey of ,st4         
,bernard4  ,after the completion of the 
two great masterpieces now in the       
cathedral ,rubens was by universal      
acclaim acknowledged to be the foremost 
painter in ,flanders and of his time4   
,his studio was besieged by artists     
desirous of becoming the pupils of the  
brilliant master4 ,as early as #afaa he 
wrote that he had already refused more  
than a hundred applicants4 ,in #afad he 
painted ,the ,conversion of ,st4 ,bavon1
 now in the cathedral of ,st4 ,bavon at 
,ghent2 in #afag ,the ,adoration of the 
,magi in the church of ,st4 ,john at    
,malines1 and ,the ,last ,judgment1 now 
in the ,pinacothek of ,munich2 in #afah 
,the ,miraculous ,draught of ,fishes at 
,malines2 in #afai ,the ,last ,communion
 of ,st4 ,francis1 now in the museum at 
,antwerp1 and1 according to ,fromentin1 
his greatest masterpiece2 in #afbj the  

,coup de ,lance1 now at the museum of   
,antwerp1 and his finest work according 
to some other authorities4 ,in #afbb-bc 
he produced the twenty-four superb      
paintings of the ,galerie des ,medicis4 
,the ,lion ,hunt1 and the ,battle of the
 ,amazons1 now in the ,pinacothek at    
,munich1 belong to this decade1 together
 with the six paintings of the history  
of ,decius in the ,liechtenstein        
,gallery1 and thirty-nine pictures for  
the church of the ,jesuits1 of which all
 but three were destroyed at the burning
 of the church in #agah4 ,the three are 
in the museum of ,vienna4               
,illustration3 ,,coup ,,de              
,,lance4--,,rubens4  ,here1 in the space
 of a little over ten years1 were nearly
 a hundred masterpieces--works of such  
magnitude that two or three would have  
sufficed to immortalise any other       
painter4 ,yet in addition to these      
labours he designed for the             
tapestry-workers of ,brussels the life  
of ,achilles in eight parts1 the history

 of ,constantine in twelve1 and many    
other cartoons of extraordinary merit4  
,his friend1 ,moretus1 in accordance    
with the high traditions of the house of
 ,plantin1 came to him for designs for  
many books1 and he drew borders1        
designs1 title-pages and vignettes1 and 
illustrated himself a book on cameos4   
,he even painted triumphal arches and   
cars for ceremonial processions1 and    
these works in his hands acquired a     
permanence of artistic value that is in 
itself one of the highest tributes to   
his genius4 ,the fine portraits of      
,albert and ,isabella1 now in the museum
 at ,brussels1 were painted for a       
triumphal arch in the ,place de         
,meir--yet they are masterpieces of     
portraiture1 perfect and splendid down  
to the minutest detail6  ,according to a
 report made in #ahgi1 by the           
,commission ,anversoise charge de runir 
l'ouevre de ,rubens1 en gravures ou en  
photographies1 there are altogether no  
less than two thousand1 two hundred and 

thirty-five pictures and sketches by    
this amazingly prolific artist1 and four
 hundred and eighty-four designs--a     
total of two thousand1 seven hundred and
 nineteen known works4 ,at ,antwerp     
alone there are upwards of one hundred  
pictures1 of which more than a score are
 masterpieces of world-wide renown and  
incalculable value4 ,besides the great  
trio at the cathedral1 and the family   
portraits in the ,plantin ,museum1 the  
museum catalogues more than thirty      
subjects of which the ,spear ,thrust    
7,coup de ,lance71 ,adoration of the    
,magi or ,wise ,men1 the ,last          
,communion of ,saint ,francis1 the      
,christ on the ,straw 7 la ,paille71    
,the ,prodigal ,son1 and ,virgin        
,instructed by ,saint ,anne are among   
the more notable4 ,both here and at the 
,plantin ,museum the student of ,rubens 
can find many interesting prints1       
sketches and minor examples of the great
 master's work4 ,at the museum also is  
the interesting ,holy ,family known as  

,la ,vierge au ,perroquet 7,virgin with 
the ,parrot7 which was presented by     
,rubens to the ,guild of ,st4 ,luke when
 he was elected ,president of that      
famous organisation in #afca4 ,near the 
,place de ,meir is the house of ,rubens1
 largely a replica of the original built
 in the eighteenth century--few vestiges
 of the building in which the great     
painter held his almost royal court     
remaining4 ,it is worth a visit1 but is 
far inferior to the ,plantin ,museum as 
a memorial and in the interest and      
importance of its contents4             
,illustration3 ,,la ,,vierge ,,au       
,,perroquet4--,,rubens4  ,on his death  
in #afdj--twenty years too early--the   
artist was buried in the church of ,st4 
,jacques1 an edifice rivalling the      
cathedral in size and interest4 ,it was 
the burial-place of many of the         
wealthiest families in ,antwerp4 ,the   
,rubens chapel is in the ambulatory1    
behind the high altar1 and contains a   
picture of the ,holy ,family which1     

according to the critics1 is one of the 
worst of the artist's pictures4 ,several
 of the faces are those of his own      
family1 which probably was the reason   
why his widow placed it here4  ,besides 
the paintings in various churches and   
museums in ,flanders there are          
twenty-three by ,rubens in the museum at
 ,brussels1 seventy-seven in the        
,pinacothek at ,munich1 ninety at       
,vienna1 sixty-six at ,madrid1          
fifty-four in the ,hermitage at ,st4    
,petersburg and the same number in the  
,louvre at ,paris1 sixteen at ,dresden1 
thirty-one at ,london1 while a          
considerable number can be seen in      
various public and private art          
collections in the ,united ,states4 ,he 
is everywhere1 writes ,prof4 ,wauters   
with justifiable enthusiasm1 and        
everywhere triumphant4 ,no matter what  
pictures surround him1 the effect is    
invariable2 those which resemble his own
 are eclipsed1 those that would oppose  
him are silenced2 wherever he is he     

makes you feel his presence1 he stands  
alone1 and at all times occupies the    
first place4444 ,he has painted         
everything--fable1 mythology1 history1  
allegory1 portraits1 animals1 flowers1  
landscapes--and always in a masterly    
way4444 ,is he perfect8 ,no one is4 ,has
 he faults8 ,assuredly4 ,he is sometimes
 reproached with having neither the     
outline of ,raphael1 the depth of       
,leonardo da ,vinci1 the largeness of   
,titian1 the naturalness of ,velasquez1 
nor the chiaroscuro of ,rembrandt4 ,but 
he has the outline1 the depth1 the      
largeness1 the naturalness and the      
chiaroscuro of ,rubens2 is not that     
enough8  ,to appreciate fully the       
magnitude of this greatest of all       
,flemings it is necessary to recall1 for
 a moment1 the times in which he lived4 
,fourteen years after the capture of    
,antwerp by the ,prince of ,parma1      
,philip ,,ii determined--when on his    
deathbed--to give the ,spanish          
,netherlands partial independence by    

transferring the sovereignty over the   
loyal provinces possessed by the ,crown 
of ,spain to his daughter ,isabella and 
her husband1 the ,archduke ,albert4 ,the
 arrival of the ,archdukes1 as they were
 called1 in #aeii1 was made the occasion
 of a joyous entry that1 on the whole1  
was justified by their                  
,government--which was a great          
improvement over anything that had      
preceded it since the days of the       
unspeakable ,alva4 ,to be sure1 the war 
with the ,states of ,holland still      
dragged on1 and the ,scheldt was closed4
 ,but the burghers wisely sought to     
replace the loss of their sea trade by  
encouraging industries4 ,silk and satin 
manufactures during the seventeenth and 
eighteenth centuries gave employment to 
upwards of twelve thousand hands1 and   
diamond-cutting became an industry of   
growing importance4 ,while the          
commercial stagnation was severely felt1
 the city did not decline like ,bruges1 
but held much of its population and     

recovered some of its former wealth4    
,the ,archdukes1 who were relieved of   
the paralysing necessity of referring   
every important act to ,madrid1 did     
their best to heal the terrible wounds  
of the early years of the war and       
restore some degree of tranquillity and 
prosperity to their dominions4          
,religious persecutions ceased4 ,eager  
to win the love of their subjects1 the  
,archdukes welcomed ,rubens to ,antwerp 
when he returned to his native city on  
the death of his mother in #afjh1 and in
 order to keep him from returning to    
,italy made him their court painter in  
#afji4 ,during the remainder of his     
lifetime their favour never ceased1 and 
on many occasions ,rubens was sent as a 
special ambassador of the ,government on
 important diplomatic missions4 ,his    
courtly manners and stately appearance  
favoured him1 as well as his now        
tremendous artistic reputation4 ,he was 
knighted by ,charles ,i1 while on a     
visit to ,england1 and created a ,master

 of ,arts by the ,university of         
,cambridge4 ,among his friends he       
numbered--besides his royal patrons1    
,moretus1 the printer1 and ,rockox1 the 
burgomaster--many of the most famous    
scholars and statesmen of his time4 ,he 
was interested in literature and science
 as well as art in all its branches and 
wrote a vast number of letters on an    
astounding variety of subjects--one     
calculation places the total number at  
eight thousand6  ,illustration3 ,,peter 
,,paul ,,rubens4  ,as if his own        
achievements were not enough1 the genius
 of ,rubens was the torch that set      
aflame a renaissance of ,flemish        
painting that made the later ,flemish   
school1 which justly bears his name1 the
 peer of any in the long history of art4
 ,of his many pupils the greatest is    
,anthony ,van ,dyck1 who was born at    
,antwerp in #aeii and entered the studio
 of the master at the age of fifteen4   
,in the little church of ,saventhem1 not
 far from ,brussels1 is the most famous 

of ,van ,dyck's early paintings which   
shows his precocious talent4 ,rubens had
 urged his promising pupil to visit     
,italy1 and not only gave him a letter  
of introduction but provided funds for  
the long journey4 ,the youth set forth1 
but in a little village on the way there
 happened to be a kermesse into the     
merriment of which he entered heartily4 
,among others with whom he danced was a 
beautiful country girl with whom the    
artist fell so deeply in love that he   
was unable to proceed any further1 but  
devoted himself for days to courting    
her4 ,meanwhile his funds ran out1 and  
he bethought himself with horror1 when  
it was too late1 that this meant the    
abandonment of the trip to ,italy4 ,in  
his extremity he applied to the parish  
priest and offered to paint an          
altarpiece for the village church on    
very moderate terms4 ,it is related that
 the priest smiled indulgently at the   
youth's pretensions that he was a       
historical painter and put him off1     

saying that there were no funds4 ,van   
,dyck1 however1 persisted1 and offered  
to paint the picture if provided only   
with the canvas1 and leave the matter of
 the price to the cur's liberality4     
,these terms could hardly be refused1   
and the young artist set to work with   
such energy that in a few weeks the     
picture was finished4 ,the priest       
admired the work greatly1 particularly  
the beautiful figure of the ,saint--the 
subject selected having been ,saint     
,martin dividing his ,cloak among the   
,beggars--and sent for a connoisseur    
from ,brussels to decide if he should   
keep the picture4 ,the verdict was      
favourable1 and the price paid to the   
artist enabled him to proceed on his    
journey to ,italy4 ,it is not reported  
whether the future painter of kings and 
courtiers ever returned to visit his    
fair inamorata of the kermesse1 but this
 pretty story1 which is told in a rare  
little book1 ,sketches of ,flemish      
,painters1 published at ,the ,hague in  

#afdb1 was written by a contemporary1   
and may quite possibly have been true4  
,at any rate1 there is the painting     
itself to prove it4  ,on his return to  
,antwerp in #afbe ,van ,dyck left behind
 him in ,italy more than a hundred      
paintings1 in itself a prodigious       
achievement4 ,he now began to work in   
his native city with a rapidity and     
perfection resembling his master's and  
produced the altarpieces that are among 
the master works of ,flemish churches4  
,here also he painted a marvellous      
galaxy of portraits of the great artists
 of his time and of the ,flemish1       
,french and ,spanish nobility4 ,his     
marvellous etchings also belong to this 
period1 so that ,antwerp is associated  
with much of his finest work in two     
great branches of art4 ,in #afcb the    
artist went to ,london1 which he had    
visited on one or two previous          
occasions1 and became painter to the    
court of ,charles ,i4 ,here he remained 
for the rest of his lifetime1 painting  

more than three hundred and fifty       
pictures portraying the royal family and
 nobility of ,england4 ,he died in      
#afda1 or only a year after his master1 
leaving a record of varied achievement  
comprising more than one thousand1 five 
hundred works4 ,the museum at ,antwerp  
possesses twelve of his paintings1 of   
which one of the most interesting is the
 ,christ on the ,cross painted for the  
,dominican nuns in recognition of the   
care and tenderness with which they had 
nursed his father during the old man's  
last illness4 ,the catalogue of the     
museum somewhat conceals the artist's   
name under the ,flemish form1 ,antoon   
,van ,dijck1 which hardly suggests the  
brilliant and debonnaire ,sir ,anthony  
of ,whitehall and the beauties of       
,england under ,charles the ,first4     
,there are sixty-seven works by this    
master in ,vienna1 forty-one at ,munich1
 thirty-eight at ,st4 ,petersburg1      
twenty-four at the ,louvre1 twenty-one  
in ,madrid and nineteen in ,dresden1 but

 ,england possesses the largest         
collections of his productions1 most of 
those he painted at ,london still       
remaining in the public and private     
galleries of that country4  ,it would be
 a tedious task to recount the names and
 works of the throng of lesser artists  
who studied at the feet of ,rubens and  
,van ,dyck during the fruitful years    
when those masters were giving their    
talents to the world with such amazing  
prodigality4 ,erasmus ,quellin ,i1 the  
,elder1 was one of the first--a sculptor
 who founded a family of notable        
sculptors and painters who lived and    
gained renown at ,antwerp for more than 
a century4 ,faid'herbe1 whose work      
abounds at ,malines1 was another        
sculptor of the highest rank who was a  
direct pupil of ,rubens2 ,dusquesnoy1   
,grupello and ,verbrugghen were renowned
 sculptors who owed much to his         
influence4  ,illustration3 ,,as ,,the   
,,old ,,birds ,,sing ,,the ,,young      
,,birds ,,pipe4--,,jacob ,,jordaens4    

,after ,rubens and ,van ,dyck the       
greatest name in the ,flemish school of 
this brilliant period was that of ,jacob
 ,jordaens1 who learned his art under   
,rubens' old master1 ,adam ,van ,noort1 
and married his teacher's beautiful     
daughter ,catherine1 who posed for many 
of his pictures4 ,the numerous family   
gatherings depicted by this master are  
famous1 one of the most characteristic  
of them all being the well-known ,as the
 ,old ,birds ,sing the ,young ,birds    
,pipe in the ,antwerp museum4 ,his      
satyrs and peasants and rural scenes are
 among the finest products of the       
,flemish school4 ,the religious pictures
 of ,gaspard de ,crayer and ,gerard     
,zeghers1 the portraits of ,cornelius de
 ,vos1 and the animal pictures of       
,francis ,snyders and ,john ,fyts all   
belong to this epoch when ,antwerp1     
although sinking in commercial and      
political importance1 was making herself
 for all time one of the art capitals of
 the world4  ,in pictures of homely     

,flemish life ,david ,teniers1 who      
belongs to the next generation of       
,antwerp artists1 achieved a fame that  
places him in a sense in a class by     
himself1 for none of the earlier masters
 surpassed him in his particular field4 
,he1 too1 was prolific--one catalogue   
enumerating no less than six hundred and
 eighty-five of his works4 ,of the same 
genre is the work of ,adrian ,brauwer1  
whose early death prevented him from    
leaving so great a legacy to posterity4 
,besides these masters of the first     
rank1 ,antwerp boasts an almost         
innumerable throng of minor             
artists--pupils of ,rubens1 ,van ,dyck  
and their successors--much of whose work
 is of excellent merit4 ,any half-dozen 
of these would have rendered another    
city notable in the history of art1 but 
here their achievements are lost as are 
the heroic deeds of the private soldiers
 in a great army4 ,the mind cannot      
retain so many names1 cannot appraise   
and classify so bewildering a mass of   

productions4  ,for this reason the      
tourist who is a philosopher will not   
regard too seriously the dicta of the   
learned as to which of these lesser     
paintings is or is not of the first rank
 in the order of merit4 ,what of it if  
the guidebook does not indicate by its  
little stars that this is a picture for 
one to go into raptures over1 if the    
sacristan or guide passes it coldly by8 
,if it appeals to us by all means let us
 pause and admire it1 let us study it1  
find out about it1 learn something of   
its history and that of the unknown     
artist who painted it4 ,indeed1 if on   
such closer inspection it still appeals 
to us1 let us buy it if we can--but at  
all events let us enjoy it to the       
utmost1 for of such joys ,flanders is   
full4 ,in out of the way corners        
everywhere one can find genre pictures  
like those of ,tenier1 brilliantly      
coloured groups suggestive of ,rubens1  
scenes of bucolic feasting in imitation 
of ,jordaens4 ,and here and there1 who  

knows1 perhaps one may yet discover an  
original by one of these greater artists
 or their rare predecessors1 and retire 
on the proceeds6 ,who knows8  ,the      
visitor to the ,royal ,museum of ,fine  
,arts at ,antwerp should not leave      
without devoting at least a day to the  
modern paintings4 ,to an ,american1     
accustomed to museums where long walls  
filled with dreary mediocrities are     
illuminated only at rare intervals with 
something altogether fine and           
satisfactory1 these modern galleries are
 a treat4 ,picture after picture1 room  
after room--all are beautiful and       
worthy1 many are splendid4 ,the         
collection of modern paintings is not   
large as ,european galleries go1 some   
five hundred and fifty altogether1 but  
the general average of quality is       
exceptionally high--much superior in    
this respect it seemed to us than the   
far larger collection at ,brussels1     
though it is not so regarded by the     
critics4 ,the interiors of ,henri de    

,braekeleer1 and his charming ,nursery  
,garden1 for example1 what could be     
finer8 ,the ,ancient ,fishmarket at     
,antwerp by ,frans ,bossuet1 a native of
 ,ypres2 the ,lull before the ,storm1 by
 ,p4 ,j4 ,clays1 of ,bruges1 one of     
whose paintings is in the ,metropolitan 
,museum at ,new ,york--all these are    
notable4 ,so are the historical pictures
 of ,baron ,leys1 ,guffens1 ,louis      
,gallait and ,charles ,verlat--but the  
list is too long4 ,these pictures are   
not to be described1 they must be seen4 
,individually the savants may quarrel as
 to their merits1 but1 taking them all  
together1 these paintings--for the most 
part by ,flemish artists--prove that the
 great traditions of ,rubens and ,van   
,dyck1 ,jordaens and ,teniers1 have not 
been forgotten in their native land and 
that modern ,flemish art is a worthy    
successor to the greatness of the past4 
,the lover of the beautiful has yet     
another treat in store for him when he  
visits the famous old ,hotel de ,ville4 

,it had hardly been completed1 in #aefe1
 by ,cornelis de ,vriendt when it was   
partially destroyed during the ,spanish 
,fury4 ,rebuilt a few years later in its
 present form1 it contains some of the  
most beautiful rooms to be seen in all  
,europe4 ,the vestibule and grand       
staircase are richly decorated with     
coloured marble1 while imposing frescoes
 depict the zenith of ,antwerp's        
commercial and artistic splendour4 ,the 
great reception-room is decorated with  
four superb historical frescoes by      
,baron ,leys1 while the exquisite ,salle
 des ,mariages is completely surrounded 
with allegorical paintings portraying   
the history of the marriage ceremony by 
,lagye1 a pupil of ,leys4 ,in the rooms 
of this edifice the history of the      
famous old city lives again1 while in   
its splendid fireplaces and minor       
decorations one can see examples of     
every branch of ,flemish art4           
,illustration3 ,,hotel ,,de ,,ville1    
,,antwerp4  ,while the ,hotel de ,ville 

is most gratifying to the eye and the   
imagination1 it is not1 however1        
intimately associated with many         
important events in the history of the  
city4 ,albert and ,isabella1 while they 
ruled1 were virtually independent       
sovereigns1 but on the death of ,albert 
without issue1 in #afba1 the country    
reverted to ,spain4 ,thereafter1 for    
more than two centuries1 the city1      
together with ,flanders1 ,brabant and   
the other loyal provinces of the        
,netherlands1 became the football of    
,european politics1 and ,belgium        
received its sinister name of the       
cockpit of ,europe4 ,the people1 as a   
whole1 took little interest in the great
 wars of the ,spanish and of the        
,austrian ,successions that were fought 
largely to decide who should rule over  
them1 since there seemed no likelihood  
of their in any event ever being able   
again to rule over themselves4          
,marlborough1 after his great victory at
 ,ramillies1 occupied the city with     

,english troops in #agjf1 and in #agae  
the ,hotel de ,ville was the scene of   
the signing of the treaty that ended the
 war4 ,by this treaty the ,spanish      
,netherlands were ceded to ,austria1    
becoming subject to the ,emperor        
,charles ,,vi4 ,thirty years later the  
,french victory at ,fontenoy made them  
masters of the city1 and ,louis ,,xv had
 a joyous entry the following year4 ,two
 years later1 in #agdh1 the country was 
handed back to ,austria and ,charles    
made a joyous entry in turn1 the people 
apparently welcoming any change of      
government with complete impartiality4  
,the ,empress ,maria ,theresa was       
popular in her ,netherlands dominions1  
but her son ,joseph ,,ii made ,austrian 
rule so odious that there was a revolt1 
and in #agij ,antwerp was taken by the  
patriot army1 to the immense joy of its 
citizens4 ,the ,austrians soon crushed  
the revolution and reoccupied the city1 
but the great victory of the ,french    
republicans1 under ,dumouriez1 at       

,jemappes destroyed the power of        
,austria in the ,netherlands1 and in    
#agib the army of the sans-culottes     
entered ,antwerp4 ,the defeat of        
,dumouriez at ,neerwinden resulted in   
the ,imperial forces again occupying the
 city in #agic1 but the ,french victory 
at ,fleurus the following year turned   
the tables again and ,antwerp once more 
became subject to the republic4  ,all   
these years the ,scheldt had been firmly
 closed1 ,joseph ,,ii having made a     
feeble attempt to free the river1 which 
had collapsed at the first shot from the
 ,dutch forts4 ,in #agie the free       
navigation of the river was decreed by  
the ,french1 and a ship came up and was 
received in state by the delighted      
burghers4 ,it is stated that the value  
of real estate in the city increased    
tenfold in consequence of this decree4  
,on the other hand1 the sans-culottes   
very nearly rivalled the image-breakers 
in the vigour with which they destroyed 
the city's religious monuments4 ,the    

cathedral and churches were despoiled1  
and it was even proposed to tear down   
the cathedral1 because 7they said71 it  
cannot be reckoned a monument of any    
value except for the lead1 iron1 copper 
and timber it contains4 ,fortunately    
,napoleon seized the reins of power at  
,paris at about this time1 and put an   
end to such nonsense4 ,in #ahjc the     
,first ,consul visited ,antwerp1        
which--as he afterwards said--was like a
 loaded pistol pointed at the heart of  
,england4 ,filled with this idea1 he    
systematically sought to revive the     
commerce of the port and erected great  
docks there for his war vessels1        
portions of which still remain4 ,in     
#ahad1 after the ,emperor's defeat and  
abdication1 ,antwerp1 under ,gen4       
,carnot1 was the last ,french stronghold
 in the ,netherlands to yield4  ,after  
the second defeat of ,napoleon at       
,waterloo ,antwerp succeeded in         
recovering most of the paintings that   
had been carried away to ,france by the 

republicans in #agid4 ,the treaty that  
followed the last ,napoleonic war gave  
all of what is at present ,belgium to   
the ,king of ,holland1 ,william ,i1 who 
favoured ,antwerp in many ways4 ,as the 
,scheldt still remained free the        
commerce of the port was considerable   
and prosperity seemed to be returning4  
,in #ahcj began the revolution that     
resulted in the independence of         
,belgium4 ,one of its first events was  
the bombardment of the city of ,antwerp 
by the ,dutch troops holding the        
citadel4 ,the following year ,prince    
,leopold of ,saxe-,coburg-,gotha was    
elected by the ,national ,congress as   
,king of the ,belgians under the title  
of ,leopold ,i4 ,the war with ,holland  
was not yet over1 however1 and in #ahcb 
the ,english1 ,french and ,belgian      
troops began a siege of the citadel at  
,antwerp1 which was still in the hands  
of the ,dutch4 ,the fortress had one    
hundred and forty-three guns1 and the   
besiegers two hundred and twenty-three1 

and it is stated that sixty-three       
thousand projectiles were fired against 
it4 ,the fortress was a mass of ruins   
before its sturdy defenders capitulated4
  ,from #ahcb until #aiad ,antwerp and  
the liberty-loving ,flemings of ancient 
,flanders remained free1 happy and      
increasingly prosperous under the wise  
and moderate rule of their chosen       
,kings4 ,leopold ,i reigned until his   
death in #ahfe1 and proved to be one of 
the wisest monarchs in history4 ,for    
,antwerp his greatest achievement was   
the final freeing of the ,river ,scheldt
 in #ahfc1 after more than ten years of 
diplomatic negotiations1 from the tolls 
which the ,dutch had insisted in levying
 since #ahci4 ,under his successor1     
,leopold ,,ii1 one of the most efficient
 chief executives it was possible for a 
nation to have1 the fine ,belgian public
 service system was developed and the   
prosperity of its cities and citizens   
promoted in every practical way4 ,in the
 two decades following the freeing of   

the ,scheldt the commerce of the port of
 ,antwerp increased six-fold1 while that
 of its rivals1 ,london and ,liverpool1 
doubled and that of ,hamburg and        
,rotterdam tripled4 ,since then the     
business of the port has advanced even  
faster1 and the imposing modern business
 buildings that now line the ,place de  
,meir1 one of the handsomest commercial 
streets in the world1 afford abundant   
testimony to its prosperity and         
wealth--as do the fine residences of its
 merchants to be seen in drives through 
the outskirts of the city4 ,under       
,albert ,i the wise policies of his     
predecessors were continued1 and the    
little country was enjoying peace and   
contentment such as never came to it    
during the centuries of foreign         
oppression and tyranny that began with  
the acquisition of ,flanders and        
,brabant by the ,dukes of ,burgundy4 ,it
 is the greatest moral issue in this war
 whether ,belgium1 after being free for 
less than eighty-five years1 shall once 

more pass into the hands of a foreign   
power4 ,its people have demonstrated    
conclusively that under the limited     
monarchy they have chosen they are      
capable of governing themselves far     
better than the best of their           
self-appointed masters ever did in the  
bad old days that1 they had hoped1 had  
forever passed away4     ,,chapter ,,xxi
  ,,where ,,modern ,,flanders           
,,shines--,,ostende ,,and ,,la ,,plage  
,our last stopping place in ,flanders   
was the one that many tourists visit    
first1 the gay watering place of        
,ostende4 ,here a little fleet of fast  
,channel steamers convey the traveller  
to ,dover in four or five hours1 while  
an excellent service of through express 
trains connect the ,dover end of the    
water route with ,london1 and the       
,ostende end with ,brussels1 ,berlin and
 half the capitals of ,europe4 ,our stay
 in ,flanders1 however1 was drawing to a
 close1 and we were headed for          
,liverpool1 where the new ,aquitania was

 waiting to bear us home4  ,the tourist 
who expects in ,ostende to find much    
that is reminiscent of the ,flanders of 
the sixteenth century1 of which so much 
has been said in the other chapters of  
this book1 will be disappointed4 ,to be 
sure1 it is not a young city1 being     
mentioned in the chronicles of ,flanders
 as far back as the eleventh century4   
,in the ,eighty ,years' ,war between    
,spain and her revolted ,dutch colonies 
,ostende was for a long time held by the
 ,dutch1 who beat off two severe attacks
 by the ,spaniards in #aehc and #aehf1  
the former led by the all but invincible
 ,farnese1 ,prince of ,parma4 ,in the   
year #afjj the ,battle of the ,dunes    
took place at ,nieuport1 in which the   
troops of the ,archduke ,albert were    
defeated by a ,dutch army under         
,maurice1 ,prince of ,nassau4 ,this     
victory1 while it gave great            
encouragement to the enemies of ,spain  
by demonstrating that the renowned      
,spanish soldiers were not invincible1  

was otherwise barren of results1 and in 
#afja the ,archdukes determined to      
besiege ,ostende1 which was the last    
stronghold of the ,dutch in ,flanders4  
,prior to the war with ,philip ,,ii     
,ostende had been little more than an   
obscure fishing-village1 but since it   
had been fortified by the ,dutch1 and   
had so successfully maintained itself   
against all assaults1 the place was fast
 becoming a thorn in the foot to the    
government of the ,archdukes4 ,queen    
,elizabeth1 whose defeats of ,philip's  
armadas had made ,england mistress of   
the seas1 was determined that ,spain    
should not regain so important a        
strategic base1 and had kept an ,english
 garrison there under an ,english       
commander4 ,since ,albert's accession   
the town had been greatly strengthened  
by new ramparts1 bastions and           
fortifications of every type1 then known
 in the engineering art of warfare4 ,to 
protect ,flanders against this hostile  
fortress in its very midst the          

,archdukes were obliged to erect        
eighteen forts around ,ostende and keep 
them constantly garrisoned and supplied4
 ,this cost ninety thousand crowns a    
month and kept the rich province in a   
state of perpetual war4 ,towns in the   
vicinity were compelled to pay tribute  
in order to escape pillage1 and         
commerce--then1 as always1 dependent    
upon peace--languished4  ,the ,estates  
of ,flanders under these direful        
conditions offered the ,archdukes three 
hundred thousand florins a month as long
 as the siege to rid them of this       
menacing stronghold might last1 and     
three hundred thousand florins          
additional as a bonus to be paid in     
instalments--a third when the city was  
invested1 a third when a breach was made
 in the fortifications1 and the balance 
when the place was taken4 ,these terms  
are curiously similar to those employed 
in drawing building loans at the present
 day and show that the ,flemings had    
lost none of their ancient caution4  ,on

 ,july #eth1 #afja1 the ,archduke       
,albert arrived before ,ostende and     
formally began its investment4 ,the     
,infanta ,isabella came with him1 and   
often shared camp life with her husband 
during the weary months that followed4  
,the siege from the very first developed
 into a contest of engineers and        
military strategists on the taking and  
the defence of fortified places the like
 of which had never before been known in
 ,europe4 ,in fact nearly all ,europe   
was directly engaged in the conflict4   
,on the ,archdukes' side were           
,spaniards1 ,italians and ,walloons2 on 
the ramparts of the defenders were lined
 up side by side ,english1 ,dutch1      
,french1 ,german and ,scotch forces4    
,the fortress was commanded by ,sir     
,francis ,vere4 ,the operations of the  
siege consisted of mining and           
counter-mining1 the erection and        
destruction of batteries1 storming of   
outlying works--all the devices of      
attack and defence known to the military

 science of the day4 ,never before had  
the world seen such cannons and engines 
of destruction4 ,the siege became       
,homeric1 epic1 a seventeenth-century   
,siege of ,troy4  ,the great difficulty 
of the besiegers was their inability to 
cut off the town from receiving new     
provisions and supplies1 and a constant 
stream of reinforcements1 by sea4 ,the  
,dutch1 ,english and ,french ships came 
and went almost at will4 ,all the summer
 and fall of #afja the siege dragged on1
 and through the cold winter that       
followed4 ,in #afjb ,sir ,francis ,vere 
and a large part of the garrison were   
relieved and a new commander and        
garrison installed without the          
,archdukes being able to prevent the    
manoeuvre4 ,in #afjc ,ambrose1 the      
,marquis ,spinola1 a young scion of a   
rich ,genoese family1 offered to take   
charge of the siege of ,ostende and to  
capture the city4 ,as the ,archduke     
,albert had made a complete failure of  
the job1 and was unpopular besides among

 his troops1 whom he had not been able  
to pay with any regularity1 he welcomed 
this offer and ,spinola assumed the     
command4 ,his wealth enabled him to pay 
and feed his soldiers1 while his youth  
and ambition made him a wary and        
energetic commander4 ,day and night he  
took part in person in supervising the  
mines1 assaults1 trenches and erection  
of new positions4 ,gradually1 under his 
vigorous leadership1 the besiegers began
 to burrow their way into the town4     
,maurice of ,nassau1 unable to pierce   
,spinola's network of entrenchments     
around the town created a diversion by  
besieging and capturing ,sluys4 ,in     
spite of this1 however1 ,spinola clung  
doggedly to his prey and on ,september  
#acth1 #afjc1 ,sand ,hill1 after a      
resistance of three years1 was captured4
 ,seven days later the ,governor1 who   
now controlled nothing but the heart of 
the town1 capitulated and on ,september 
#bbnd1 the garrison marched out with all
 the honours of war4 ,hardly a soul of  

the former population of ,ostende       
remained at the time of its capture1 and
 it is said that the ,archduchess       
,isabella wept at the sight of the mound
 of earth1 all that remained of the city
 which she had been so anxious to       
capture4 ,it was estimated that the     
place1 which had been little more than a
 village1 cost the besiegers one hundred
 thousand lives and the defenders sixty 
thousand4 ,the siege had lasted three   
years1 two months and seventeen days1   
but the thorn had at last been          
extracted4  ,for several years after    
this ,ostende remained a city without   
inhabitants1 the ,archdukes rebuilding  
the place but population coming to it   
but slowly4 ,in #agbb ,the ,east and    
,west ,india ,company of the ,austrian  
,netherlands was founded at ,ostende1   
chiefly by ,antwerp capitalists and     
merchants1 who were deeply interested in
 the enterprise4 ,factories were        
established in ,india1 but the ,emperor 
,charles ,,vi dissolved the company in  

#agca in order to secure ,english and   
,dutch support for his ,pragmatic       
,sanction4 ,the next century was one of 
stagnation1 the town reverting to a     
fishing-place1 but almost at the moment 
of ,belgian independence--or from about 
#ahcj--;it began to be renowned as a    
watering-place4 ,it owes much of its    
present prosperity to ,leopold ,,ii1 who
 made it a place of royal residence     
during the summer1 and whose royal      
palace still looks down upon the ,digue 
not far from the racetrack4 ,the coming 
of the cross-channel steamers still     
further stimulated its growth1 and at   
present it is one of the most beautiful 
and picturesque of all the ,flemish     
cities4  ,our visit was unfortunate--as 
we regretfully told one another at the  
time--in that it came in ,july1 before  
the season had really opened4 ,august is
 the time to come1 the waiters and hotel
 porters all assured us1 for then the   
,grand ,dukes come from ,russia1 the    
long special trains from ,germany roll  

in one after another loaded to capacity1
 the ,channel steamers arrive three     
times a day with decks black with       
,english tourists1 and ,ostende's many  
kinds of gaiety are in full swing4      
,however1 the opening of the ,august    
season in #aiad was conducted under     
circumstances that made us rather glad  
we were there in ,july4 ,the ,germans   
came1 to be sure1 but the gaiety        
departed4  ,no one in ,ostende foresaw a
 bit of the terrible future when we were
 there in ,july4 ,the long curving beach
 was crowded with people1 little people 
for the most part1 and most of the queer
 little beach-houses--summer cottages on
 wheels--were gradually getting rented4 
,the beach is splendidly broad and      
smooth1 but the slope seaward is so     
slight that at low tide one must needs  
go very far out to get into the water at
 all4 ,this did not seem to trouble     
anybody very much1 for we saw few who   
ever went near the water1 most of the   
pleasure-seekers staying on the warm1   

dry sand up near the big sloping sea    
wall of the ,digue4 ,for families with  
small children the little summer-houses 
seemed rather attractive1 as papa and   
mamma could sit within1 sheltered from  
sun or rain1 while the youngsters       
rollicked all day long in the deep sand4
  ,the ,digue just mentioned is a high  
artificial seawall or embankment1 faced 
with sloping stone on the sea side and  
surmounted by a broad boulevard--the    
,esplanade4 ,it slopes gradually on the 
landward side1 one row of stately hotels
 and lodging-houses facing directly on  
the ,esplanade1 while on the side       
streets the buildings drop each below   
the other until they reach the level of 
the town1 which is some forty or fifty  
feet lower than the summit of the       
embankment4 ,here the fashionable crowds
 promenade at the proper times1 while   
the unfashionable promenade all day long
 and far into the night4 ,even in ,july 
the sight is a most fascinating one1 and
 the ,bohemianism of the crowd and its  

diversity of national types most        
interesting4 ,here1 as everywhere in    
,belgium1 the cafs and hotels place     
their tables and chairs far out into the
 roadway1 so that we can sit outdoors in
 the manner that the ,madame so much    
enjoys and eat our dinner1 or sip our   
coffee and cognac1 while watching the   
ever-changing crowds go by4  ,at        
,ostende the scale of expenses for      
everything1 rooms1 meals1 service1      
pleasure1 cigars1 tips1 and even for the
 ,english newspapers1 increases or falls
 according to the proximity or          
remoteness of the ,digue4 ,if you are on
 top of it--look out6 ,to ,americans the
 charges1 even in the finer big hotels1 
do not seem particularly                
excessive--though in ,august they are   
usually much higher than in ,july--but  
there is a constant succession of       
incidental expenses that make the       
voyager as a rule hurry more than once  
to the banker where his letter of credit
 can have another illegible notation    

made on it4 ,externally the hotels are  
very imposing and stately--making a     
brave show as one looks down the long   
line that extends for several miles from
 the harbour entrance westward to       
,westende and beyond half way to        
,nieuport4 ,within they are pretty much 
like all ,belgian hotels of the better  
class4 ,for the novelty of the thing we 
thought of renting one of the tiny      
apartements meubls1 that1 each with a   
charming broad window--usually open all 
day long like a piazza--look out        
directly upon the sea4 ,the price was a 
thousand francs a month1 which seemed   
too much for what was after all little  
more than one big room with an alcove4  
,the landlady informed us that she      
attended to all the details of the      
mnage1 cooking and serving the meals and
 providing maid service1 but that       
messieurs must provide the provisions1  
both solid and liquid4  ,the great show 
place of ,ostende is1 of course1 the    
,kursaal1 a huge structure of glass1    

iron and stone belonging to no          
particular school of architecture1 but  
in the main making a pleasing impression
 and serving very well indeed for the   
somewhat diversified uses for which it  
is intended4 ,in the daytime the        
,kursaal is a place of relatively little
 interest1 although well-dressed people 
flock through it at all hours4 ,at night
 it is the scene of much animation1 and 
is1 as it was meant to be1 the centre of
 the gay life of the town4 ,a large     
orchestra gives a concert every evening 
in a very pretty concert hall1 which1   
when we were there1 contained numerous  
little tables for refreshments1 although
 ,i have seen pictures in which the room
 was filled with seats in solid rows1   
like a theatre4 ,it was much more       
comfortable the way we found it1 and the
 concert was very enjoyable4 ,at the    
intermission1 however1 we observed that 
nearly everybody rose and flocked off   
into an anteroom leading out of the     
concert hall4 ,the ,professor and ,i    

decided that there appeared to be       
something doing in that direction and   
followed the crowd1 leaving the ladies  
to look after our wraps1 and promising  
to return and get them if we found      
anything worth while4  ,i fear that the 
narrative of our experience may sound a 
bit like an extract from ,innocents     
,abroad1 but ,i will relate the thing as
 it happened and make no pretence that  
we were a bit more sophisticated than we
 really were4 ,the crowd seemed to be   
headed through a long and handsome      
corridor toward a distant room4 ,we     
followed along1 passing on the way what 
looked more or less like the office of a
 hotel1 with a register book and two or 
three clerks1 to which we paid no       
attention4 ,arrived at the end of the   
corridor we found ourselves in a large  
circular room around which were a number
 of small tables on which visitors were 
rolling balls down toward a group of    
pockets--some such a game as one sees at
 ,coney ,island or any popular ,american

 amusement resort4 ,the price was two   
francs for three shots1 and barkers were
 shouting lustily to all comers to try  
their luck4 ,on one side a doorway was  
heavily curtained with velvet draperies 
and here occasional groups of the guests
 were silently disappearing4 ,we        
approached this mysterious passageway   
and sought to pass like the others when 
two tiny lads in brilliant livery       
demanded our cards4 ,on our replying    
that we had none1 a large man1 also in  
livery1 appeared from somewhere behind  
the draperies and courteously informed  
us that special membership or admission 
cards were required from all who wished 
to proceed further4  ,we thereupon      
returned to the ladies and reported what
 we had seen1 and took our turn at      
looking after the wraps while they      
visited the circular room4 ,they        
likewise returned1 reporting that       
admission beyond the curtains had been  
refused4 ,after the concert was over we 
decided to make another attempt--as both

 the ,professor and ,i surmised what    
attraction lay beyond the mysterious    
portal4 ,pausing at the hotel office we 
had previously noticed1 we asked bluntly
 how admission to the hidden room could 
be secured1 and were told that a card   
would be given each of us on the sole   
formality of registering4 ,this we      
accordingly did1 giving our names1 hotel
 address1 home address and one          
reference4 ,this done1 we each received 
a card admitting two and departed to    
find the ,madame and ,mrs4 ,professor4  
,arriving at the doorway armed with the 
cards we had received1 we were ushered  
at once into a very handsome room where 
perhaps three hundred people were       
gathered about half a dozen roulette    
tables4 ,no one paid the slightest      
attention to us1 nor did any employ     
appear to care whether we played or     
contented ourselves with merely looking 
on4 ,practically every one in the room1 
however1 was playing--with all the tense
 earnestness that this game of chance   

seems to impress upon its devotees4     
,white chips1 we observed1 cost five    
francs1 reds twenty1 round blues a      
hundred--or twenty dollars4 ,there were1
 in addition1 a large ovalshaped blue1  
marked five hundred and an oblong one   
marked one thousand4 ,in less than three
 minutes one player lost eight of the   
thousand franc chips1 and then1 this    
being apparently enough for the evening1
 lit a cigar and started for home4      
,while he was playing we observed an    
over-painted young woman who had just   
lost her last stake solicit a loan from 
him4 ,he tossed the girl a hundred-franc
 chip and left without pausing to see   
whether she won or lost with it4 ,we    
were more curious4 ,she lost4           
,illustration3 ,,the ,,salle ,,des      
,,jeux ,,in ,,the ,,kursaal1 ,,ostende4 
,at about this period of the evening the
 ,madame raised a commotion by          
discovering that her reticule was open  
and a piece of money had fallen out onto
 the thick carpet4 ,the ,professor and  

,i instantly got down to look for it1   
and even the croupiers at the adjoining 
gaming table paused to take in the      
incident4 ,two or three attendants and  
waiters hurried up to help when the     
,madame spied her lost coin and         
triumphantly seized it4 ,it was a one   
centime piece--worth a fifth of a cent6 
,i have never seen a more               
disgusted-looking group of attendants1  
and doubt if so small a coin had ever   
been seen before in this northern ,monte
 ,carlo4 ,the ,madame1 however1 was     
serenely indifferent to their opinion4  
,this was the nearest1 ,i may add1 that 
we came to losing any money there4  ,at 
the end of the ,esplanade is the        
,estacade1 a pier that extends well out 
to sea4 ,pleasure steamers start here   
for short trips along the coast1 and    
turning to the right at this end of the 
town one comes to the harbour and the   
broad basin where hundreds of little    
brown-sailed shrimp fishing-boats       
congregate4 ,several of these came in   

while we were there and sold their      
cargoes1 almost as soon as they were    
tied up1 to groups of eager market-women
 with big baskets4 ,several girls sat   
along the quay wall mending huge nets   
also used in the shrimp fishery4 ,the   
little back streets in this vicinity1   
and around the quaint fish-market1 are  
the oldest in the town--and the most    
crooked4  ,the principal business street
 of the little city is the rue de       
,flandre and its continuation1 the rue  
de la ,chapelle1 which together take one
 from the ,digue de ,mer straight to the
 railway and boat stations4 ,on one side
 of this street is the ,place d',armes1 
where a military band played every      
evening1 and facing which is the ,hotel 
de ,ville4 ,our last day was spent      
poking about this part of the town in a 
pouring rain1 with an occasional peep   
into huge cafs designed to accommodate a
 thousand guests1 but which were then   
almost deserted4 ,the rain ceased       
suddenly toward nightfall and we        

returned to the ,digue for a farewell   
look at the crowds and the long beach4  
,it was night before we had seen enough1
 and then1 after ordering and enjoying  
to the utmost our last ,flemish dinner1 
we made our way to the ,gare ,maritime  
to take the night boat for ,dover4 ,as  
we steamed out past the long ,estacade  
and looked back upon the gleaming lights
 along the ,digue we saw the moon rising
 redly above the masts in the little    
harbour4 ,this was our last view of     
,flanders1 and1 as we regretfully saw   
the lights of the city sink out of sight
 behind the tossing waves that gleamed  
brightly under the moonbeams1 we knew   
that our pilgrimage was over4           
,,chapter ,,xxii  ,,the ,,spell ,,of    
,,flanders   ,in this little book the   
author has endeavoured to portray as    
clearly as his limited powers of        
expression permitted1 some of the many  
elements that make the spell that       
,flanders lays upon the minds and hearts
 of those who know it and love it well4 

,it is a complex influence1 composed of 
many and widely diverse factors4 ,if in 
the narrative a thread of history has   
been permitted to obtrude itself1       
sometimes perhaps at undue length1 it is
 because before all else ,flanders is a 
land whose interest lies in its long and
 romantic history1 and in the marvellous
 manner in which its artists and        
sculptors have portrayed its famous     
past4 ,as ,mr4 ,griffis in ,belgium1 the
 ,land of ,art1 has well expressed it1  
,no other land is richer in history or  
more affluent in art than is ,belgium4  
,in none have devout1 industrious1      
patriotic and gifted sons told their    
country's story more attractively4 ,by  
pen and in print1 on canvas1 in mural   
decoration1 in sculpture1 in monuments  
of bronze and marble1 in fireplaces and 
in wood-carving1 the story may be read  
as in an illuminated missal4 ,belfries1 
town halls1 churches1 guild houses1 have
 each and all a charm of their own4 ,if 
these pages have caught ever so little  

of that charm they have served their    
purpose4  ,to the student of history1 of
 art and architecture1 of tapestry and  
lace-making1 of the origin of the great 
woollen and linen industries1 of guilds 
and the organisation of labour1 of the  
commune or municipal republic in its    
earliest and finest development1        
and--before all else--of liberty in its 
age-long conflict with tyranny and      
oppression1 ,flanders is a land of      
endless interest and inspiration4       
,nowhere else in the world can there be 
found within so small a compass so many 
monuments of the past1 so many of the   
milestones of human progress4 ,that some
 of these relate to a past so remote as 
to be all but forgotten1 while others   
are hidden away in spots where few      
tourists ever penetrate1 only enhances  
the pleasure of those who are so        
persevering or so fortunate as to find  
them4  ,like rare wine1 ,flanders has   
mellowed with age1 the storms and       
sunshine of succeeding centuries        

touching its fine old houses1 its noble 
churches and splendid town halls and    
guild houses but lightly--imparting the 
majesty of antiquity without the sadness
 of decay4 ,its dramatic and tragic     
history--some of which was so terrible  
in the making--lives again1 without the 
old-time rancour and hatred1 as the     
foundation upon which artists with      
chisel1 brush or pen have created some  
of the finest of the world's            
masterpieces4  ,that to-day ,flanders   
has once more1 as so often in the past1 
become the battleground of warring      
,europe gives an element of             
inexpressible sadness to these feeble   
attempts to sketch its glories as they  
were only a few short months ago4       
,already some of the splendid monuments 
described in these pages have been      
shattered by engines of war more        
destructive than all those of all former
 wars taken together4 ,the noble ,hotel 
de ,ville at ,ypres1 the fine old church
 of ,st4 ,nicholas at ,dixmude1 the     

incomparable cathedral of ,malines--we  
know that these at least have suffered  
fearfully1 that they may have been      
injured beyond any hope of restoration4 
,in this last sad chapter of ,flemish   
history1 it is a pleasure to be able to 
record the fact that the people of the  
,united ,states have for the first time 
entered its pages--and in a work of     
mercy4 ,to the ,american people have    
been given the opportunity1 the means   
and the disposition to play a noble part
 in this later history of much troubled 
,flanders--to feed the starving1 care   
for the widowed and orphaned            
non-combatants of the great war1 to help
 bind up the nation's wounds and restore
 hope and courage to its fearfully      
afflicted people4 ,this is our part in  
the history of ,flanders--our duty to   
the people of the brave nation of which 
,flanders forms so important and so     
famous a part4 ,may all of those on whom
 the spell of ,flanders falls do their  
share1 however small1 to help in this   

great work so long as the need lasts6   
,and when the great war is over let no  
,american tourist omit ,flanders from   
his or her ,european itinerary4 ,its    
churches and town halls1 its quaint     
crooked streets and sixteenth-century   
houses1 have received a new and greater 
baptism of fire that has made them1 one 
and all1 shrines to which every lover of
 liberty should make a pilgrimage4 ,even
 the pleasant ,belgian fields1 with     
their bright poppies and corn flowers1  
have a more profound interest now that  
so many of them have been stained with a
 deeper red than the poppies ever gave4 
,,the ,,end     ,,bibliography          
,,allen1 ,,grant3 ,belgium3 ,its        
,cities4      ,,altmeyer3 ,des ,causes  
de la ,dcadence du ,comptoir hansatique 
de ,bruges4      ,,armstrong1 ,,edward3 
,emperor ,charles ,v4       ,,balau1    
,s43 ,soixante-dix ,ans d',histoire     
contemporaine de ,belgique4             
,,boulger1 ,,demetrius ,c43 ,belgian    
,life in ,town and ,country4       --   

,belgium of the ,belgians4       -- ,the
 ,history of ,belgium4      ,,bumpus1   
,t4 ,f43 ,cathedrals and ,churches of   
,belgium4       ,,charriant1 ,h43 ,la   
,belgique ,moderne4      ,,christyn1 ,j4
 ,b43 ,les ,dlices des ,pays-,bas4      
,,conscience1 ,,henri 7or ,,hendryk73   
,de ,kerels van ,vlaanderen     7,the   
,lion of ,flanders74       -- ,many of  
the other works of this great ,flemish  
author have       been translated into  
,english1 ,french or ,german4           
,,conway3 ,early ,flemish ,artists4     
,,crowe1 ,,sir ,j4 ,a4 and              
,,cavalcaselle1 ,c4 ,b43 ,the ,early    
,flemish     ,painters1 ,notices of     
their lives and work4       ,,de ,,flou1
 ,,charles3 ,promenades dans ,bruges4   
,,delepierre1 ,,octave3 ,annales de     
,bruges4       -- ,chasse de ,ste4      
,ursule4       -- ,histoire de ,charles 
le ,bon4       -- ,histoire de ,marie de
 ,bourgogne4       -- ,galerie des      
,artistes ,brugeois4       -- ,old      
,flanders1 or ,popular ,traditions and  

,legends of ,belgium4       -- ,sketch  
of the ,history of ,flemish ,literature4
      ,,destr,e1 ,j4 and ,,van ,,den    
,,ven1 ,p43 ,tapisseries des ,muses     
,royaux du ,cinquantenaire  ,bruxelles4 
,,destr,e1 ,,oliver ,,georges3 ,the     
,renaissance of ,sculpture in           
,belgium4      ,,duclos1 ,,ad43 ,bruges1
 ,histoire et ,souvenirs4               
,,edwards1 ,,george ,,wharton3 ,some    
,old ,flemish ,towns4       ,,fris1     
,,victor3 ,histoire de ,gand4           
,,froissart1 ,,sir ,,john3 ,chronicles  
of ,england1 ,france1 ,spain     and the
 ,adjoining ,countries4                 
,,fromentin1 ,,eug,,ne3 ,the ,old       
,masters of ,belgium and ,holland       
7,les matres d'autrefois74              
,g,,nard1 ,p43 ,anvers  travers les     
,ages4       -- ,la ,furie ,espagnole1  
in ,annales de l',acadmie d',archologie 
d' ,anvers4      ,,geffroy1 ,,gustave3  
,les ,muses d',europe3 ,la ,belgique4   
,,gilliat-,,smith1 ,,ernest3 ,the ,story
 of ,bruges4      ,,gordon1 ,,pryse ,l43

 ,belgium and ,holland4      ,,griffis1 
,w4 ,e43 ,belgium the ,land of ,art4    
,,haggard1 ,a4 ,c4 ,p43 ,louis ,,xi and 
,charles the ,bold4       -- ,two ,great
 ,rivals 7,franois ,i and ,charles ,v74 
,,havard1 ,,henry3 ,la ,flandre a vol   
d'oiseau4      ,,holland1 ,,clive3      
,belgians at ,home4      ,,hymans1      
,,henri3 ,anvers1 in ,les ,villes d',art
 clbres4       -- ,bruges et ,ypres1 in 
same series4       -- ,gand et ,tournai1
 in same series4       ,,jameson1 ,,mrs4
 ,,anna ,,brownell3 ,sacred and         
,legendary ,art4       -- ,legends of   
the ,madonnas4       -- ,legends of the 
,monastic ,orders4       ,,kervyn ,,de  
,,lettenhove3 ,huguenots et ,gueux4     
-- ,la ,flandre pendant les trois       
derniers ,sicles4      ,,kintschots1    
,l43 ,anvers et ses ,faubourgs4         
,,kirk1 ,j4 ,f43 ,history of ,charles   
the ,bold1 ,duke of ,burgundy4          
,,klingenstein1 ,l43 ,the ,great        
,infanta ,isabel4       ,,mac ,,donnell1
 ,,john ,,de ,,courcy3 ,belgium1 her    

,kings1 ,kingdom     and ,people4       
,,michiels1 ,a43 ,rubens et l'cole      
d',anvers4      ,,motley1 ,,john        
,,lothrop3 ,the ,rise of the ,dutch     
,republic4       -- ,history of the     
,united ,netherlands4       ,,nam,,che3 
,histoire ,nationale de la ,belgique4   
,,omond1 ,,george ,w4 ,t43 ,brabant and 
,east ,flanders4       -- ,belgium4     
,,pirenne1 ,h43 ,histoire de la         
,belgique4       ,,reiffenburg3 ,mmoire 
sur le ,commerce des ,pays-,bas au ,x,ve
     et au ,x,v,ie ,sicle4       --     
,histoire de l',ordre de la ,toison     
d',or4      ,,robertson1 ,,william3     
,history of the ,reign of the ,emperor1 
,charles the ,fifth4      ,,robinson1   
,,wilfrid ,c43 ,antwerp1 an ,historical 
,sketch4      ,,rooses1 ,,max3 ,art in  
,flanders4       -- ,christophe         
,plantin1 ,imprimeur anversois4       --
 ,catalogue du ,muse ,plantin-,moretus4 
-- ,geschiedenis de ,antwerpsche        
schilderschool4      ,,royal ,,academy  
,,of ,,belgium3 ,biographie ,nationale4 

,,schayes1 ,a4 ,g4 ,b43 ,histoire de    
,architecture en ,belgique4             
,,scott1 ,,sir ,,walter3 ,quentin       
,durward4      ,,scudamore1 ,,cyril3    
,belgium and the ,belgians4             
,,singleton1 ,,esther3 ,art of the      
,belgian ,galleries4      ,,skrine1     
,,francis ,,henry3 ,fontenoy and the    
,war of the ,austrian     ,succession4  
,,smythe1 ,c43 ,the ,story of ,belgium4 
,,stephens1 ,f4 ,g43 ,flemish ,relics4  
,,strada1 ,,famiano3 ,de ,bello ,belgico
 7in ,french1 ,histoire de     la       
,guerre de ,flandre74       ,,thorpe1   
,,benjamin3 ,netherlandish ,traditions1 
in his ,northern     ,mythology4        
,,tremayne1 ,,eleanor ,e43 ,the ,first  
,governess of the ,netherlands1         
,margaret of ,austria4       ,,van ,,de 
,,vyvere1 ,,paul3 ,audenaerde et ses    
,monuments4      ,,vilbort1 ,,joseph3   
,renaissance de la ,littrature flamande1
 les     ,romans non traduits de ,henri 
,conscience4       ,,waagen3 ,handbook  
of ,painting in the ,german1 ,flemish   

and     ,dutch ,schools4      ,,wauters1
 ,,professor ,a4 ,j43 ,the ,flemish     
,school of ,painting4       ,,zimmern1  
,h43 ,the ,hansa ,towns4     ,,index    
,a      ,aardenburg1 #ei4      ,adornes1
 ,anselm and ,john1 of ,bruges1 #cji4   
,adrian of ,utrecht1 #cda4              
,agincourt1 ,battle of1 #bbj4           
,agrippa1 ,cornelius1 #cda4      ,aire1 
seized by ,philip ,augustus1 #ace4      
,albert1 ,archduke1 and ,regent of      
,spanish ,netherlands1 defeated in      
,battle of the ,dunes1 #if-ih2          
portrait by ,rubens1 #dda2       arrival
 at ,antwerp1 #ddg2       welcomes      
,rubens1 #ddh2 #deg2       siege of     
,ostende1 #dfe-dfi4      ,albert ,i1    
,king of the ,belgians1 makes           
headquarters at ,furnes in the          
,great ,war1 #hg2       continues wise  
policies of predecessors1 #dfb2         
peace and contentment under reign of1   
#dfb-dfc4      ,alenon1 ,duke of1 #dai4 
,alfred the ,great1 taught by ,judith1  
afterwards ,countess of ,flanders1      

#bf2       daughter ,alfrida marries    
,baldwin ,,ii1 #bd2 #ahb4      ,alfrida1
 daughter of ,alfred the ,great1 #cd2   
#ahb4      ,allen1 ,grant1 ,belgium1 its
 ,cities1 cited1 #bce4      ,allowin1   
afterwards ,st4 ,bavon1 #aha-ahb4       
,alost1 seized by ,spanish mutineers1   
#dae4      ,alsace1 revolts against     
tyranny of ,charles the ,bold1 #bhi4    
,alva1 ,duke of1 recommends destruction 
of ,ghent1 #ceb2       made ,regent of  
,spanish ,netherlands1 #cha2 #chf2      
policy a failure1 #dad-dae2 #daf2       
citadel and statue demolished1 #dah-dai2
 #ddg4      ,amiens1 repulses ,charles  
the ,bold1 #bhi2 #cbf4      ,angelo1    
,michael1 ,virgin and ,child at ,bruges1
 #ea2       compared with ,rubens1 #dch4
      ,antigonus1 legend of1 #cic-cid4  
,antoing1 village near ,fontenoy1 #bec2 
#bee-bef4      ,antwerp1 an experience  
in1 #h-aa2       crippled by closing of 
the ,scheldt1 #ah-ai2       first view  
of1 #bj-ba2 #ga2 #agj2 #bbh2            
,ville d',art1 #bfh2       painting by  

,van der ,weyden at1 #bgb2       works  
by ,memling at1 #bii2       merchants   
leave ,bruges for1 #cjj2 #cab2          
renowned for its money1 #cbj2 #cbc2     
#cbd2       ,cathedral spire completed1 
#cci-cdj2       monuments classified1   
#cfc2       legend of ,antigonus and    
,brabo1 #cic-cid2       ,scheldt        
displaces the ,zwyn as a highway of     
commerce1 #cid-cie2       under ,dukes  
of ,brabant1 #cie-cig2       under      
,dukes of ,burgundy1 #cig-cih2          
,vielle ,boucherie and ,steen1 #cii2    
new trade routes favour city1 #cii-dja2 
,quentin ,matsys1 #dja-djc2       other 
early ,antwerp painters1 #djc-dje2      
legends of the ,long ,wapper1 ,kludde1  
etc41 #dje-daj2       prosperity under  
,charles ,v1 #daa2       outbreak of the
 iconoclasts1 #dab-dac2       failure of
 the ,duke of ,alva1 #dad-dae2       the
 ,spanish ,fury1 #dae-dah2       citadel
 and statue of ,alva demolished1        
#dah-dai2       the ,french ,fury1 #dai2
       the great siege1 #dai-dbb2       

ruin resulting from the ,fury and the   
siege1 #dbb-dbc2       the great        
printing house of ,plantin-,moretus1    
#dbc-dcg2       home of ,rubens1        
#dch-dci2       ,cathedral1 description 
of1 #dci-ddb2       life and            
achievements of ,rubens1 #ddb-ddg2      
mild government of ,archdukes1 #ddg-ddh2
       ,van ,dyck1 #ddi-deb2            
,quellin1 ,jordaens1 ,david ,teniers and
 lesser ,antwerp artists1               
#deb-dee2       ,royal ,museum of ,fine 
,arts1 #dee-def2       ,hotel de ,ville1
 #def-deg2       later history from the 
,archdukes to the ,great ,war1 #deg-dfc4
      ,archery contests in ,belgium1    
#aje-aaj4      ,ardennes1 #acj4         
,arenburg1 ,duke of1 #baa4              
,arnolfini1 ,jean1 and wife1 portraits  
of1 by ,jean ,van ,eyck1 #cdj4          
,arnulph the ,great1 strengthens        
,flemish cities1 #ce2       founds ,st4 
,donatian's at ,bruges1 #ce4            
,arras1 ,treaty of #aaia1 #ahi2         
,treaty of #adce1 #bbb-bbc2             

tapestry workers organised1 #bcj2       
tapestries of1 #bgh-bgi2       starting 
point otapestry weaving1 #che4          
,artois1 ,count of1 besieges ,furnes1   
#ij2       leads ,french at ,battle of  
the ,spurs1 #aeg2       death1 #aei2    
#afj2       ,county of ,artois ceded to 
,france1 #ahi4      ,audenaerde1        
tapestries1 #e2       guildsmen from at 
,battle of the ,spurs1 #aeg2 #bjb2      
siege of by ,philip ,van ,artevelde1    
#bjh2       besieged b,philip the ,bold1
 #bah2       besieged by men from       
,ghent1 #bbe2       ,louis ,,xi drives  
tapestry weavers from ,arras to1 #bgh2  
tapestry ateliers specialise in pastoral
 scenes1 #bgi2       country around1    
described1 #cfg-cfh2       monument to  
volunteers who died in ,mexico1         
#cfi-cgj2       description of ,hotel de
 ,ville1 #cgj-cgf2       birthplace of  
,margaret of ,parma1 #cgg2              
communal museum in ,hotel de ,ville1    
#cha-chb2       ,cloth ,hall1 #chb-chc2 
church of ,ste4 ,walburge1 #chc-che2    

tapestry weaving at1 #che-chg2          
church of ,notre ,dame de ,pamela1      
#chg-chi2       ,chteau de ,bourgogne1  
#cij2       many religious institutions 
of1 #cij2       sieges and battles of   
the past1 #cia-cib2 #dac4      ,austria1
 ,war of the ,austrian ,succession1     
#bej2       ,austrian troops at         
,fontenoy1 #bea2       arms of1 at      
,audenaerde1 #cgc2       ,flanders      
during ,warof the ,austrian ,succession1
 #deh2       under ,austrian ,empire1   
#deh-dei4      ,auxerre1 marriage of    
,baldwin ,i and ,judith in #hfc1 #bf4   
,b      ,baldwin of ,constantinople1    
,count of ,flanders1 #abi-aci2          
painting of1 at ,courtrai1 #aeb2 #aec2  
#afb2 #ahi2 #aig2       portrait of1    
#cgc4      ,baldwin of the ,iron ,arm1  
first ,count of ,flanders1 #bf2         
remains of old ,bourg1 #bg2       traces
 of chapel1 #bh2 #ee-ef2 #eg2 #bah4     
,baldwin ,,ii1 marries ,alfrida1 #cd2   
fortifies ,flemish towns1 #cd-ce2 #ahb4 
,baldwin ,v1 ,count of ,flanders1 tower 

of1 at ,audenaerde1 #cgf4      ,baldwin 
,,viii1 signs ,treaty of ,arras1 #ahi4  
,basina1 marriage to ,childeric at      
,tournai1 #bdf-bdg2 #bfe4      ,basinus1
 ,king of the ,thuringians1 #bdf4       
,battle of the ,spurs1 #eh2 #aai2       
account of1 #aef-afj2 #agg2 #aia2       
effects of1 #aib-aic2 #aif2 #bbd2 #cad4 
,bazaine1 ,marshal of ,france1 #cgj4    
,beaconsfield1 ,lord1 quoted1 #bea4     
,beaune1 painting by ,van der ,weyden   
at1 #bga4      ,beauvais1 repulses      
,charles the ,bold1 #bhi2 #chg4         
,bguinage1 at ,bruges1 #cc-cf2          
origin of institution1 #cd-ce2          
,grand ,bguinage at ,ghent1 #ce2        
description of1 #bji-bac2       ,petit  
,bguinage at ,ghent1 #baj2       at     
,audenaerde1 #cij4      ,belfry1 at     
,bruges1 built above the ,boterbeke1    
#bg2       history and description of1  
#fc-fg2       at ,courtrai1 #adg-adh2   
at ,ghent1 #ahd2       description of1  
#aie-aih2       at ,tournai1 description
 of1 #bfb-bfc2       at ,bruges1        

completed under ,margaret of ,austria1  
#cdj4      ,belgian coast1 #af2         
,belgian barbers1 #dd-df2       ,belgian
 ,state ,railway train service1 #gi-hc2 
,belgian popular sports1 #aje-aae2      
,belgian thrift1 #baf-bag2              
,belgian ,state ,railway1 working       
peoples' trains1 #bdb-bde4              
,bellegambe1 #bgd4      ,bergues1 canal 
from ,nieuport to1 #ajd4      ,berthout1
 ,gauthier1 ,bishop of ,malines1 #cab4  
,berthout1 ,jean1 ,bishop of ,malines1  
#cad4      ,bertulph1 ,provost of ,st4  
,donatian1 #cg2       executed at       
,ypres1 #dj-da4      ,bicycle racing in 
,belgium1 #aaa-aab4      ,billets       
d'abonnement1 #c2 #gi2       for        
working-people1 #bdb-bdc4      ,biloque 
7or ,biloke7 ,hospital at ,ghent1 #bji4 
,bladelin1 ,peter1 town house at        
,bruges1 #cji2       founder of         
,middleburg1 #cji4      ,blankenberghe1 
from the sea1 #af2       part of the    
,franc of ,bruges1 #ei2 #cbd4           
,blasre1 ,william de1 constructs first  

hothouse at ,ghent1 #cef4      ,blaton1 
#cfh4      ,blondeel1 ,lancelot1 #fa4   
,blcher1 #cei4      ,bosch1 ,jerome1    
#cda2 #dje4      ,botanical ,garden at  
,malines1 #caf2       at ,ghent1        
#cef-ceh4      ,boterbeke ,river1       
intersection with the ,roya1 #bf2       
subterranean channel of1 #bg4           
,boulger1 ,history of ,belgium1 quoted1 
#bic4      ,bouts1 ,dierick1 life and   
principal works1 #cjg-cji2 #cda2 #dja4  
,bouvines1 ,battle of1 #acf4            
,brabant1 ,duchy of1 #acg2       united 
to ,flanders by marriages of ,cambrai1  
#bah-bai2       ,philip the ,good       
becomes ,duke of1 #bba2       ,duke of1 
at siege of ,tournai1 #bdi2 #bhf2       
,dukes of1 contend with ,counts of      
,flanders for ,malines1 #cae2           
,dukes of1 rule over ,antwerp1 #cie-cig4
      ,brabo1 legend of1 #cic-cid4      
,braekeleer1 ,henri de1 ,nursery ,garden
 in ,antwerp ,museum1 #def4             
,braine-le-,comte1 ,flemish name for1   
#aej4      ,brauwer1 ,adrian1 #ded4     

,breidel1 ,john1 ,dean of ,butchers'    
,guild at ,bruges1 #aed2       at the   
,matin de ,bruges #aee-aef2       at the
 ,battle of ,courtrai1 #aeg-afj4        
,breughel1 ,peter the ,elder1 principal 
works and characteristics1              
#djd-dje4      ,brioches1 #df4          
,britto1 ,jean1 printer at ,bruges1 #eh4
      ,broederlam1 ,melchior1 early     
painter of ,ypres1 #bcj-bca4      ,broel
 ,towers at ,courtrai1 #afd4      ,brou1
 in ,savoy1 #cce-ccf4      ,bruges1     
repels ,philip the ,good in #adcg1 #d2  
murder of ,charles the ,good1 #d-e and  
#cf-db2       lace makers at1 #e2       
the first capital of ,flanders1 #ac2    
first visit to1 #bd2       founding of1 
#bf2       derivation of name1 #bf-bg2  
,vieux ,bruges 7old ,bruges71 #bg-bh2   
more tourists than formerly1 #cj2       
some quaint old streets1 #ca2           
lacemakers on rue du ,rouleau1 #cb2     
fortified by ,baldwin ,,ii1 #cd2        
from ,charles the ,good to ,marie of    
,burgundy1 #eb-ec2       charter granted

 by ,philip of ,alsace1 #ee2            
description of ,hotel de ,ville1 #eg-ei2
       ,belfry and chimes1 #fe-fg2      
,halles1 description of1 #fg-fh2        
period of greatest commercial activity1 
#fh-gj2       silting up of the ,zwyn1  
#gj-ga2       ,baldwin of               
,constantinople holds court at1 #acg2   
artisans from ,ypres move to1 #ade2     
revolt against the ,french1 #aed2       
visit of ,king of ,france1 #aee2        
the ,matin de ,bruges1 #aee-aef2        
guildsmen from ,bruges at ,battle of the
 ,spurs1 #aeg2 #aga2       superseded by
 ,ghent as capital of ,flanders1 #ahi2  
#aij2 #aib2 #aig2       influence of    
,jacques ,van ,artevelde in1 #bjj2      
capital of ,louis of ,maele1 #bje2 #baj2
       ,philip the ,good establishes    
,order of the ,golden ,fleece1 #bba-bbb2
       the ,bruges ,vespers1 #bbc-bbd2  
the ,great ,humiliation1 #bbd-bbe2      
,guild of  ,st4 ,luke organised1        
#bbi-bcj2       ,jehan de ,bruges1 #bcj2
       ,ville d',art1 #bfh2 #bgg2       

principal capital of ,charlesthe ,bold1 
#bhg2       marriage of ,maximilian and 
,marie of ,burgundy1 #bid2              
,memling at ,bruges1 #bid-bii2          
,gheerhardt ,david1 #bii-cjj2           
other early ,flemish painters1 #cjj-cjb2
       the ,gruuthuise ,palace1         
#cjb-cje2       ,cathedral of ,st4      
,sauveur1 #cje-cjg2       other fine old
 medival buildings1 #cji-caj2 #cab2     
renowned for its pretty girls1 #cba2    
#cbc2       ,treaty of ,cambrai1        
#cch-cci2       ,belfry completed under 
,margaret of ,austria1 #cdj2 #cdd2      
paintings by ,van der ,goes1 #cfb2      
monuments classified1 #cfc2 #cff2 #cic2 
#cid2 #cig2 #cih2       attempt to close
 the ,scheldt1 #cii-djj2 #dja2 #dcd2    
#ddh2 #def4      ,brunehault1 rival of  
,fredegonda1 #bdg-bdh4      ,brussels1  
#i2       relation to ,flanders1 #ab-ac2
       more ,french than ,flemish1 #ac2 
weather at1 #bb-bc2       passage       
through1 #bd2 #aej2 #agj2 #bai2         
,hotel de ,ville built by ,philip the   

,good1 #bbh2       tapestry workers     
organised1 #bcj2       part of the      
,adoration of the ,lamb in ,museum1     
#bch2 #bdc2       work of ,van der      
,weyden at1 #bga2       ,abdication of  
,charles ,v1 by ,gallait at1 #bgc2      
,stallaert's ,death of ,dido at1 #bgd2  
tapestry weavers of ,arras driven to1   
#bgh2       extorts privileges from     
,charles the ,bold1 #bhg2       works by
 ,memling at1 #bii2       works by      
,dierick ,bouts at1 #cjh2       renowned
 for its noble men1 #cba2 #cbd2 #cci2   
,cathedral of ,ste4 ,gudule erected1    
#cdj2       manuscripts of ,margaret of 
,austria in ,bibliotheque ,royale1 #cdb2
       ,marie of ,hungary removes       
capital to1 #cdb2 #cea2 #cei2           
,madness of ,hugo ,van der ,goes in the 
,modern ,gallery1 #cfa2       portrait  
of ,charles the ,bold by ,van der ,goes1
 #cfb2 #cfg2 #cfh2       ,henri ,van    
,pde architect of ,hotel de ,ville1     
#cga2       ,legend of ,st4 ,anne1 by   
,quentin ,matsys1 #djc2 #ddc2 #ddd2     

,modern ,gallery compared with ,royal   
,museum at ,antwerp1 #def2 #dfd4        
,burgundy1 ,dukes of1 #d2 #ag2 #agd2    
the marriages of ,cambrai1 #bah-bai2    
power extended by ,treaty of ,arras1    
#bbb-bbc2       further extended at     
,pronne1 #bhh2       defeated by ,swiss 
at ,granson1 ,morat and ,nancy1         
#bij-bib2       ,kingdom of ,burgundy   
almost established1 #bic2 #cae2 #cea2   
early chteau at ,audenaerde1 #cij2 #cie2
       acquire ,antwerp1 #cih2          
tyranny of1 #dfb4      ,byzantine       
,emperors1 coins of1 found at ,tournai1 
#bfe4       ,c      ,caen1 ,normandy1   
,plantin learns art of printing in1     
#dbc2 #dbd4      ,csar1 ,julius1 #bde2  
#cic4      ,calais1 siege of by ,philip 
the ,good1 #bbc4      ,calloo1 #cii2    
#dbj2 #dba4      ,calvinists1 partially 
destroy ,abbey of ,st4 ,bavon1 #ahd2    
propose to present ,adoration of the    
,lamb to ,queen ,elizabeth1             
#bcg4      ,cambrai1 #fa2               
,marriages of1 #bah-bai2       ,league  

of1 #ccg2       ,treaty of1 #cch-cci2   
#cea4      ,campin1 ,robert1 early      
painter of ,tournai1 #bgj2 #bgc2 #bgd4  
,carnot1 ,gen41 defence of ,antwerp1    
#dfj4      ,cassel1 captured by ,philip 
,augustus1 #ace4      ,castle of the    
,counts 7,chteau des ,comtes71 at       
,ghent1 #agj-agi2       stormed by      
,jacques ,van ,artevelde1 #bjj2         
birthplace of ,john of ,gaunt1 #bja2    
#bcc2 #bfb2       ,livin ,pyn tortured  
at1 #cdi4      ,caxton1 ,william1 learns
 printing at ,bruges1 #bbh4      ayas1  
,gabriel de1 patron of ,christopher     
,plantin1 #dbd2       interests ,philip 
,,ii in ,biblia ,regia1 #dbf4           
,chapel of the ,holy ,blood at ,bruges1 
crypt of ,st4 ,basil1 #bg-bh2           
receives relic from ,dierick of ,alsace1
 #ee-ef2       ,procession and          
,confrerie1 #ef2       ruined during    
,french ,revolution1 #ef-eg2            
restoration1 #eg2 #eh4                  
,charlemagne1 breaking up of empire of1 
#bf4      ,charles the ,bald1 creates   

title of ,count of ,flanders1 #bf4      
,charles the ,bold1 #c2       tomb at   
,bruges1 #ea-ec2       betrothal at     
,damme1 #ge-gg2 #abd2 #bga2             
meteoric career and death1 #bhe-bid2    
#bie2 #cjb2 #cje2 #caj2 #ccc2 #cdd2     
portrait of1 #cfb4      ,charles ,i1    
,king of ,england1 knights ,rubens1     
#ddh2       employs ,van ,dyck as court 
painter1 #dea-deb4      ,charles ,v1 the
 ,emperor1 #eb2 #fb2       statue at    
,courtrai1 #aeb2       destroys ,abbey  
of ,st4 ,bavon1 #ahc-ahd2       orders  
bell ,roland removed1 #aig2             
captures ,tournai1 #bdi2                
,abdication of1 painting by ,louis      
,gallait1 #bgc2 #bib2       christened1 
#cce2       educated by ,margaret of    
,austria1 #ccf2       becomes ,king of  
,spain1 #ccg2       elected ,king of the
 ,romans1 #cch2       chosen ,emperor1  
#cch2       rejoicings at ,ghent over   
birth of1 #cdf2       vast extent of    
dominions at age of twenty1 #cdf-cdg2   
#cdh2       revolt of ,ghent in #aeci1  

#cdi-cej2       withdraws all the city's
 ancient privileges1 #cej-cee2          
origin of ,butchers' ,guild of ,ghent1  
#cfe2       portrait of1 at ,audenaerde1
 #cgc2       many reminders of1 at      
,audenaerde1 #cgd2       inserts        
spectacles in arms of ,audenaerde1 #cgc2
       statue of1 #cge2       portrait  
of1 #cgf2       father of ,margaret of  
,parma1 #cgg-cgh2 #cha2 #cie2       aids
 prosperity of ,antwerp1 #daa2 #dab2    
great bell at ,antwerp named for1 #dda4 
,charles the ,good1 murder of1 #d-e and 
#cf-db2       rebuilds ,cathedral of    
,st4 ,sauveur1 #dg2       erects part of
 church of ,notre ,dame1 #ej2           
,bruges in the days of1 #eb-ec2 #ed2    
#cje4      ,charles ,,vi1 ,emperor of   
,austria1 #deh2 #dfi4      ,charles     
,,vi1 ,king of ,france1 sacks ,courtrai1
 #afa-afb2       wins battle of         
,rosbecque1 #bjg2 #bah4      ,charles   
,,vii1 ,king of ,france1 concludes      
,treaty of ,arras1 #bbb-bbc4            
,charles ,,viii1 ,king of ,france1 #ccd4

      ,charolais1 ,count of1 #bcc4      
,chateaubriand1 minister of ,louis      
,,xviii1 #ceh4      ,childeric1 marriage
 with ,basina at ,tournai1 #bdf-bdg2    
incidents in life of1 carved on portal  
of the ,cathedral1 #bfj2       relics   
of1 discovered1 #bfd-bfe2 #bha4         
,chilperic1 ,king of the ,franks1 #bdg2 
besieged at ,tournai1 #bdh2 #bha4       
,chimes1 at ,bruges1 #fe-fg2       at   
,malines1 #cbb-cbe2       at            
,audenaerde1 #cha2       at ,antwerp1   
#ddj4      ,christus1 ,petrus1 early    
painter of ,bruges1 #bdj4      ,claire1 
,lord1 at ,battle of ,fontenoy1 #bed4   
,clauwaerts1 partisans of ,flemish      
independence1 #aed2       ,jacques ,van 
,artevelde1 leader of1 #aii4            
,clays1 ,p4 ,j41 #def4      ,clovis1    
,king of the ,franks1 #bdg4             
,concession ,caroline1 promulgated by   
,charles ,v in #aedj1 #cee4             
,columbus1 discovery of ,america helps  
,antwerp1 #djj4      ,cond1 defeats     
,french under ,turenne1 #ie4            

,conscience1 ,hendryk1 ,flemish         
novelist1 #cf4      ,conynck1 ,peter de1
 ,dean of ,weavers at ,bruges1 #aed2    
leader at the ,matin de ,bruges1        
#aee-aef2       at ,battle of ,courtrai1
 #aeg-afj2 #aic4      ,coolman1         
,gauthier1 #cai4      ,cornelis1        
,albert1 early painter of ,bruges1 #cja4
      ,corts1 #cdg4      ,counts of     
,flanders1 rule over part of ,france1   
#ab2       origin of ,county1 #be2      
the first ,count1 ,baldwin of the ,iron 
,arm1 #bf2       model of first castle1 
#bh2       ,emperor makes title         
hereditary1 #cd2 #ed2 #aea2       castle
 of1 at ,ghent1 #agj-agi2       foster  
,abbey of ,st4 ,bavon1 #ahb2       make 
,ghent their capital1 #ahi2             
decline in power of1 #aij2              
weakness after ,battle of the ,spurs1   
#aib-aic2       obtain temporal power   
over ,malines1 #cae2 #cea2              
,scheldt their frontier1 #cid-cie4      
,courtrai1 linens1 #e2       fortified  
by ,baldwin ,,ii1 #cd2 #eh2             

destroyed by ,philip ,augustus1 #acf2   
lace makers at1 #ada2 #adf2             
,belfry1 #adg-adh2       ,hotel de      
,ville1 #aea-aec2       ,battle of      
,courtrai1 #aeb-afj2       churches of1 
#afa-afc2       ,broel towers at1 #afd2 
#aic2 #cad4      ,coxcie1 ,michel1 #bcg2
 #bch2 #cci2 #cda2 #chf4      ,coxyde1  
dunes at1 #ib-ic2       pcheurs de      
crevettes1 #ic4      ,crayer1 ,gaspard  
de1 #chd2       religious pictures of1  
#dec4      ,crcy1 ,battle of1 #bjc4     
,crispin1 #dca4      ,crowe and         
,cavalcaselle1 ,the ,early ,flemish     
,painters1 cited1 #bce4      ,cuches au 
beurre1 #df-dg4      ,cumberland1 ,duke 
of1 defeated at ,fontenoy1 #bea-bee4    
,d      ,damme1 receives charter from   
,philip of ,alsace1 #ee2       birth of 
,van ,maerlant 7mural painting71 #ei2   
period of prosperity and present aspect1
 #gb-ge2       betrothal of ,margaret of
 ,york by ,charles the ,bold1 #gf-gg2   
destroyed by ,philip ,augustus1 #ace2   
rallying place for ,clauwaerts before   

the ,matin de ,bruges1 #aee2            
destroyed by ,philip the ,bold1 #bai4   
,danes1 invasions of1 #cd4      ,daret1 
,jacques1 early painter of ,tournai2    
#bgj2 #bgc4      ,david1 ,gheerhardt1   
life and principal works1 #bii-cjj4     
,davis1 ,thomas ,osborne1 poet1 ,battle 
of ,fontenoy quoted1 #bec-bee4          
,delbeke1 ,louis1 #abc4                 
,deledicque1 ,antony1 #aci4             
,delvin1 ,jean1 #ic4      ,dendermonde  
7,termonde71 #bjb2 #caj4      ,denuc1   
assistant curator of ,plantin ,museum1  
#dcd4      ,denyn1 ,josef1 official bell
 ringer at ,malines1 #cbc-cbd2 #ddj4    
,denys1 ,grard1 ,dean of ,weavers at    
,ghent1 #bjd4      ,devreese1           
,godefroid1 sculptor of ,courtrai1 #afe4
      ,dierick of ,alsace1 ,count of    
,flanders1 #ed2       wise rule1 #ed-ee2
       brings ,holy ,blood from         
,jerusalem1 #ee-ef2 #ei2 #abi2 #aga2    
besieges ancient castle at ,ghent1 #agg2
       portrait of1 #cgc4      ,dierick1
 ,lord of ,dixmude1 legendary hero1     

#agi4      ,dijon1 capital of ,burgundy1
 #adh2       paintings by ,melchior     
,broederlam at1 #bcj-bca2       ,the    
,last ,judgment by ,van der ,weyden1 at 
,beaune1 #bga2 #bhg4      ,dinant1 #bgg2
 #bhf4      ,dixmude1 at time of the    
,crusades1 #ac2       part of the ,franc
 of ,bruges1 #ei2       history of1 #hc2
       church of ,st4 ,nicholas1 #hd-he2
       gteaux d'ames1 #he2       ravages
 of the war1 #hf2       ,yser ,river and
 canal1 #ajc-ajd2       church of ,st4  
,nicholas destroyed by the ,germans1    
#dhb4      ,dozzo1 ,gasparo1 rich       
,antwerp merchant1 #daa4      ,dumery1  
,george1 #fe4      ,du ,guesclin1 #gj4  
,dumuriez1 general of first ,french     
,republic1 #dei4      ,dunes1 viewed    
from the sea1 #ae2       at ,coxyde1    
#ib-ic2       ,battle of the ,dunes1    
#if-ih2 #dfe4      ,dunkerque1 receives 
charter from ,philip of ,alsace1 #ee2   
canal from ,nieuport to1 #ajd4          
,duquesnoy1 ,jerome1 #bda2 #cee2        
influenced by ,rubens1 #dec4      ,dyle1

 river1 at ,malines1 #cab2 #cad2        
views from1 #caf2 #cag2       grand pont
 across1 #ccc2 #ccd4      ,dyver1 at    
,bruges1 #bg2       view of ,notre ,dame
 from1 #ej4       ,e      ,eccloo1 part 
of the ,franc of ,bruges1 #ei4          
,edward ,i1 ,king of ,england1 obtains  
,antwerp as a fief1 #cig4      ,edward  
,,iii1 ,king of ,england1 #aih2         
treats with ,jacques ,van ,artevelde1   
#bjj2       wins ,battle of ,sluys1     
#bja2       welcomes ,flemish weavers1  
#bjd-bje2       besieges ,tournai1      
#bdh-bdi2       at ,antwerp1 #cig4      
,edward ,,iv1 ,king of ,england1 guest  
of the ,lord of ,gruuthuise1 #cjc4      
,egmont1 ,count of1 ,last ,honours to   
and ,last ,moments of by ,louis         
,gallait1 #bgc-bgd4      ,eleanor1      
,queen of ,france1 #cci4                
,elizabeth1 ,queen of ,england1 #bcg2   
sends ,english garrison to ,ostende1    
#dfe-dff4      ,epinoy1 ,christine1     
,princess of1 heroic defence of         
,tournai1 #bdi2       statue of1 #bfb2  

painting of1 #bgd4      ,erasmus1 #cda4 
,erembald1 house of1 #cg2       murder  
of ,charles the ,good1 #ch2             
besieged in church of ,st4 ,donatian1   
#ci2       flung from church tower1 #da2
       house nearly annihilated1 #db4   
,erembald1 blacksmith at ,bruges1 #fe4  
,ethelwolf1 ,king of ,wessex1 #bf4      
,eugene1 ,prince of ,savoy1 #cia4       
,everard1 ,nicholas1 #cda4       ,f     
,faid'herbe1 ,luke1 sculptor of         
,malines1 #cbf2       designs church of 
,notre ,dame d',hanswyck1 #cbi2         
pupil of ,rubens1 #dec4      ,farnese1  
,octavio1 ,duke of ,parma1 #cgh4        
,ferdinand of ,aragon1 #fb4             
,ferdinand1 ,king of ,bohemia1 #cci4    
,ferdinand of ,portugal1 ,count of      
,flanders1 #abb2 #ace-acf4      ,fr1    
,pierrot1 tapestry maker of ,arras1     
#bgi4      ,ferrand1 ,count of          
,flanders1 #aij4      ,flanders1        
location of1 #a and #ab-ac2             
historical interest of1 #c-e2           
,bruges first capital of1 #ac2          

plan of chronological tour of1 #ad2     
climate1 #bb-bd2       travel hints1    
#bc2       origin of the ,county1 #be2  
just misses becoming independent1       
#aib-aic2       the cock-pit of ,europe1
 #bej-bea2 #bhf2       end of           
independence in #aedj1 #cee2       arms 
of1 at ,audenaerde1 #cgc2       the     
,scheldt its ,eastern boundary1         
#cid-cie4      ,flemish architecture1   
#c2       art1 #f2       inns1 #g-aa2   
language1 #ab-ac2       coast1 #ae-af2  
cleanliness1 #dc-dd2       language in  
,west ,flanders1 #ii-ajj2       ,belgium
 bi-lingual1 #adi-aej2       ,flemish   
dinners1 #bac-bae4      ,fleurus1       
,battle of1 #dei4      ,floris1         
,corneille1 #bfa4      ,floris1 ,frans1 
#chf2       life and chief works1       
#djc-djd4      ,flowers in ,belgium1    
#afe-aff2       fondness of people for1 
#bhd2       ,bishop ,triest encourages  
horticulture at ,ghent1 #cee-cef2       
first hothouse1 #cef2       ,botanical  
,gardens at ,ghent1 #ceg-ceh4           

,flushing1 #ag2 #ccd4      ,fontenoy1   
,battle of1 #bej-bee2       battlefield 
and monument1 #bef2 #deh4               
,franchoys1 ,luc1 #cca4      ,francis   
,i1 ,king of ,france1 #fb2       loses  
,tournai1 #bdh2       concludes ,treaty 
of ,cambrai1 #cch-cci4      ,fredegonda1
 ,queen of the ,franks1 #bdg-bdh4       
,frederick ,,ii1 ,emperor1 offers crown 
to ,charles the ,bold1 #bhe2 #bid2      
defeated by burghers of ,ghent1 #cde4   
,froissart1 #adh2       eulogy of       
,ghent1 #afi2       description of ,mad 
,margery1 #bjh-bji2       describes     
siege of ,tournai1 #bdi4      ,fugger1  
,anthony1 fame of his wealth1 #daa4     
,furnes1 at time of the ,crusades1 #ac2 
receives charter from ,philip of        
,alsace1 #ee2       history1 #hf-hg2    
#ij2       the ,procession of1 #hg-hi2  
principal buildings1 #ij-ib4      ,fyts1
 ,john1 animal pictures of1 #dec4       
,g      ,galeswintha1 sister of         
,brunehault1 #bdh4      ,gallait1       
,louis1 ,last ,honours to ,counts       

,egmont and ,horn1 #bgc2       other    
notable works1 #bgc-bgd2       in       
,antwerp ,museum1 #def4      ,gavre1    
,battle of1 #bbe-bbg2 #cdd4      ,geefs1
 ,w41 sculptor1 #cfi4      ,george ,,ii1
 ,king of ,england1 #bea4               
,gertrude1 ,countess of ,flanders1 #hg4 
,ghent1 fortified by ,baldwin ,,ii1 #cd2
       receives charter from ,philip of 
,alsace1 #ee2       attack on ,nieuport 
in #achc1 #ie2       repulsed at ,ypres1
 #add2       artisans from ,ypres move  
to1 #ade2       loyal to ,french in     
#acjb1 #aef2       greatness in the     
,middle ,ages1 #afi-agj2       ,chteau  
des ,comtes1 #agj-agi2       ,abbey of  
,st4 ,bavon1 #aha-ahe2       chteau of  
,girard the ,devil1 #ahe-ahf2           
church of ,st4 ,nicholas1 #ahf-ahh2     
cathedral of ,st4 ,bavon1 #ahh2         
rapid growth in power1 #ahi-aia2        
takes popular side after ,battle of the 
,spurs1 #aid2       guilds1 #aid-aie2   
,belfry1 #aie-aih2       ,cloth ,hall   
7,halles71 #aig2       the ,mammelokker1

 #aih2       ,jacques ,van ,artevelde1  
#aii-bjd2       expulsion of weavers1   
#bjd-bje2       ,philip ,van ,artevelde1
 #bjf-bjg2       resists ,philip the    
,bold1 #bah2       rebels against       
,philip the ,good1 #bbe2       crushed  
at ,gavre1 #bbf-bbg2 #bbh2       ,guild 
of ,st4 ,luke organised1 #bbi2 #bcj2    
#bcc2       the ,adoration of the ,lamb1
 #bcd-bch2 #bfb2       ,ville d',art1   
#bfh2       extorts concessions from    
,charles the ,bold1 #bhg2               
denounced by ,charles1 #bhi2 #cab2      
renowned for its halters1 #cba2         
,hotel de ,ville completed1 #cdj2 #cdd2 
the ,rabot1 #cde-cdf2       rejoicings  
over birth of ,charles ,v1 #cdf2        
decline of cloth industry1 #cdg2        
,hotel de ,ville1 description of1       
#cdg-cdi2       outbreak of #aeci1 #cdi2
       execution of ,livin ,pyn1 #cej2  
,emperor withdraws liberties and        
privileges1 #cej-cee2       ,bishop     
,triest and beginnings of horticulture1 
#cee-ceg2       ,botanical ,garden1     

#ceg-cei2       ,louis ,,xviii at1      
#ceh-cei2       ,justus of ,ghent and   
,hugo ,van der ,goes1 #cfj-cfb2         
,gerard ,van der ,meire1 #cfc2          
ranks first in monuments1 #cfc2         
some of its minor monuments1 #cfc-cff2  
,margaret of ,parma presented as ,regent
 at1 #cgi2 #cia2 #cid2 #cig2 #ddb4      
,ghistelle1 ,lords of1 #cji4            
,gilliat-,smith1 ,ernest1 ,story of     
,bruges1 cited1 #caj4      ,gilliodts1  
archevist of ,bruges1 quoted1 #ff-fg4   
,girard the ,devil 7,girard le ,diable71
 chteau of1 #ahe-ahf2 #aie2 #aig2       
#bda4      ,godfrey of the ,beard1 ,duke
 of ,brabant1 #cie4      ,godfrey of    
,bouillon1 #ahg4      ,gordon1 ,pryse   
,l41 cited1 #ahj4      ,gossaert1 ,jan  
7or ,mabuse71 painting by1 at ,tournai1 
#bgd2       at court of ,margaret of    
,austria1 #cci4      ,granson1 ,battle  
of1 #bga2 #bij2 #bia2 #bid4             
,granville1 ,cardinal1 #dbf4            
,gravelines1 #ee4      ,griffis1        
,belgium1 the ,land of ,art1 quoted1    

#dhj4      ,groeninghe1 ,abbey of1 #aei2
       ,flemish name for ,battle of the 
,spurs1 #afd4      ,grupello1 sculptor  
of ,rubens school1 #dec4                
,gruuthuise1 ,louis 7or ,lodewyk7 ,van  
der1 #cjb2 #cjc4      ,gruuthuise       
,palace1 #fh2 #cjb-cje4      ,gryeff1   
,adolphus de1 #chf4      ,gueldre1 ,duke
 of1 #cac4      ,gueux1 #cbh2 #cbi4     
,guffens1 ,godefroid1 fresco at ,ypres1 
#abd2       at ,courtrai1 #aeb4         
,guido ,gezelle1 poet1 #afc4            
,guilds1 at ,bruges1 #fd and #gj2       
the #djj guilds of ,ypres1 #abh2        
guild leaders in #acjb1 #aed2       at  
,battle of ,courtrai1 #aeg2       power 
of1 #aib-aic2       guild houses in     
#adth century1 #aid-aie2       slaughter
 of the fullers1 #bjb2       slaughter  
of the weavers1 #bjd2       expulsion of
 weavers1 #bjd-bje2       at ,malines1  
#cac-cae2       house of ,boatmen's     
,guild at ,ghent1 #cdg2       fine guild
 houses of ,ghent1 #cfe2       origin of
 ,butchers' ,guild1 #cfe4      ,guizot1 

minister of ,louis ,,xviii1 #ceh4       
,guy of ,dampierre1 ,count of ,flanders1
 #abb2 #aec-aed2       grants ,ghent a  
new ,keure1 #aia4      ,guy of ,namur1  
#aic4       ,h      ,hachette1 ,jeanne1 
heroine of ,beauvais1 #bhi4             
,hacket1 ,chtelain of ,bruges1 #cg2 #db4
      ,hainaut1 ,county of1 #acj2       
united to ,flanders by marriages of     
,cambrai1 #bah-bai2       ,philip the   
,good becomes ,count of1 #bba2 #bdc2    
,count of1 at siege of ,tournai1 #bdi4  
,hal1 baptismal font at1 #bgg4          
,hanseatic ,league1 #eh2       at       
,bruges1 #fi2       abandons ,bruges for
 ,antwerp1 #ga2 #dja4      ,hay1 ,lord1 
at ,battle of ,fontenoy1 #bed4          
,hmony1 ,pierre1 #cbc4      ,hennebicq1 
painter of ,tournai1 #bgd4              
,hennequin1 painter of ,tournai1 #bgd4  
,henry ,,iii1 ,duke of ,brabant1 grants 
privileges to ,antwerp1 #cif4           
,henry ,v1 ,king of ,england1 wins      
,battle of ,agincourt1 #bbj4      ,henry
 ,,viii1 captures ,tournai1 #bdi2       

tower of1 #bff-bfg4      ,herkenbald1   
,justice of1 painting by ,van der       
,weyden1 #bga4      ,heuvick1 early     
painter of ,audenaerde1 #chb4           
,heyst1 #af2 #cbd4      ,hironimites1   
#ahf4      ,horembout1 ,gerard1 #cda4   
,horn1 ,count of1 ,last ,honors to1     
#bgc2 #dab4      ,hugonet1 minister of  
,marie of ,burgundy1 #cdi4              
,humbercourt1 minister of ,marie of     
,burgundy1 #cdi4      ,hundred ,years'  
,war1 #gj2 #adc2 #aih4       ,i         
,iconoclasts 7or ,image ,breakers71 at  
,malines1 #cbh2 #cbi2 #cgj2             
outbreak of1 #chj-cha2       at         
,audenaerde1 #chi2       at ,antwerp1   
#dab-dac2 #ddj4      ,innocent ,,viii1  
#cje-cjf4      ,inquisition1            
meeting-place at ,furnes1 #ia2 #dae4    
,isabella of ,castile1 #fb4             
,isabel1 ,queen of ,denmark1 #cci4      
,isabella1 ,queen of ,france1 #aee4     
,isabella1 ,regent of the ,netherlands1 
#dbb2       portrait by ,rubens1 #ddd2  
arrival at ,antwerp1 #ddg2              

encourages ,rubens1 #ddh2 #deg2       at
 siege of ,ostende1 #dfg2       weeps at
 ruin of the town1 #dfi4      ,isabel of
 ,portugal1 marries ,philip the ,good1  
#bba2       portrait of1 #bch2          
picture of1 in collection of ,margaret  
of ,austria1 #cdj-cda4       ,j         
,jacqueline1 ,countess of ,hainaut and  
,holland1 #agf-agg2       forced to     
abdicate1 #bba4      ,jansenius1 ,bishop
 of ,st4 ,martin at ,ypres1 #abe-abf4   
,janssens1 ,victor1 #chf4      ,jean    
,,ii1 ,duke of ,brabant1 #cad4          
,jeanne d',arc1 #bba4      ,jeanne of   
,constantinople1 ,countess of ,flanders1
 #abb2 #acb2 #ace2         #acf-aci2    
founds first ,bguinage at ,ghent1 #baj4 
,jehan de ,bruges1 early painter1 #bcj4 
,jehan de ,hasselt1 early painter1 #bcj4
      ,jemappes1 ,battle of1 #dei4      
,joanna of ,spain 7,jeanne de ,castile71
 #fb2 #cdf4      ,john1 ,prince of      
,asturias1 #ccd-cce2       sudden death1
 #cce4      ,john1 ,don1 of ,austria1   
,regent of the ,netherlands1 #dae2 #dah4

      ,john of ,bavaria1 #bcd4          
,john ,i1 ,duke of ,brabant1 grants the 
,core van ,antwerpen1 #cif4      ,john  
,,ii1 ,duke of ,brabant1 gives ,antwerp 
to ,edward ,i1 #cig4      ,john ,,iii1  
,duke of ,brabant1 extends rights of    
foreigners at ,antwerp1                 
#cif-cig4      ,john the ,fearless1     
,duke of ,burgundy1 #bbj2       court   
painter of1 #bca2 #bcc2 #chc4      ,john
 of ,gaunt 7,ghent71 ,duke of           
,lancaster1 birth of1 #bja2 #bba4       
,john1 ,king of ,england1 alliance with 
,ferdinand of ,portugal1 #acf4          
,jordaens1 ,jacob1 ,adoration of the    
,magi at ,dixmude1 #hd2                 
characteristics1 #dec2 #dee2 #def4      
,joseph ,,ii1 ,emperor of ,austria1     
#bcg2       revolt against1 #deh-dei4   
,josephine1 ,empress of ,france1 saves  
,botanical ,garden at ,ghent1           
#ceg-ceh4      ,judith1 first ,countess 
of ,flanders1 #bf2       traces of her  
chapel1 #bh2 #cd4      ,justus of       
,ghent1 early ,flemish painter1         

#cfj-cfb4      ,justus ,lipsius1 meets  
,christopher ,plantin1 #dbi2            
writes his epitaph1 #dcj2 #dca2 #dda4   
,k      ,kaboutermannekens1 legends of1 
#djh-dji4      ,karls1 refuse allegiance
 to feudal overlords1 #cg2       support
 the ,erembalds1 #ch2       receive     
,keurbrief from ,philip of ,alsace1     
#fj-fa4      ,katherine1 ,queen of      
,portugal1 #cci4      ,keldermans1      
,andr1 ,antoine ,i1 ,antoine ,,ii1      
,jean1 ,laurent and ,mathieu1           
all architects of ,malines1 #cai-cbj4   
,keldermans1 ,rombaut1 architect of     
,malines1 #cah2 #cbj2       rebuilds    
,hotel de ,savoy1 #ccf2       receives  
many commissions from ,margaret of      
,austria1 #cci-cdj2       designs       
,maison de la ,keure at ,ghent1 #cdh4   
,kerel van ,yper1 painter of ,ypres1    
#ada4      ,kermesse1 its antiquity1    
#aae2 #cgh2 #ddi4      ,keyser1 ,nicaise
 de1 #afj4      ,kiliaen1 the ,flemish  
lexicographer1 #dcc4      ,kipling1     
quoted1 #bi4      ,kludde1 legends of1  

#dji-daj4      ,knocke1 #af4       ,l   
,lac d',amour1 ,bruges1 see ,minnewater4
      ,laevinius ,torrentius1 #dcc4     
,lagye1 ,victor1 #deg4      ,lalaing1   
,countess of1 #cgg2 #cgh4      ,lalaing1
 ,philippe1 ,count of1 #cga4            
,lannoy1 ,charles de1 #fb4      ,larks  
in ,belgium1 #aff-afh4      ,legend of  
,baldwin of ,constantinople1 #acj-acc2  
of siege of ,ghent in #icj1 #agi-ahj2   
of ,st4 ,nicholas1 #ahg2       of the   
,mammelokker1 #aih2       concerning the
 wealth of the ,flemish burghers1       
#bjg-bjh2       of the marriage of      
,childeric and ,basina1 #bdf-bdg2       
of ,memling's wound at ,nancy1 #bie-bif2
       of the ,vuyle ,bruydegom at      
,malines1 #ccb-ccc2       of ,antigonus 
and ,brabo at ,antwerp1 #cic-cid2       
of ,lohengrin1 #cid2       of ,quentin  
,matsys1 #dja-djb2       of the ,long   
,wapper of ,antwerp1 #dje-djh2       of 
the ,kaboutermannekens1 #djh-dji2       
of ,kludde1 #dji-daj2       of ,van     
,dyck at ,saventhem1 #ddi-dea4          

,lemaire des ,belges1 ,jean1 #cda4      
,leopold ,i1 ,king of the ,belgians1    
first welcomed to ,belgium at ,furnes1  
#hg2       elected ,king1 #dfa2         
frees the ,scheldt in #ahfc1 #dfa4      
,leopold ,,ii1 ,king of the ,belgians1  
an efficient chief executive1 #dfa-dfb2 
,palace at ,ostende1 #dgj4      ,leys1  
,baron ,henri1 #def2       paintings in 
,hotel de ,ville at ,antwerp1 #deg4     
,liederick de ,buck1 portrait of1 #cgc4 
,liedts1 ,baroness1 lace collection at  
,bruges1 #cjd4      ,lige1 #ajf2 #bhf2  
insurrections at1 #bhg-bhh2       city  
sacked1 #bhh2 #cab2 #cdd4      ,lieve1  
river1 at ,ghent1 #afi2 #agb4           
,liliaerts1 partisans of ,france1 #aed2 
#ahi2 #aia2 #aid4      ,lille1 destroyed
 by ,philip ,augustus1 #acf2            
,baldwin of ,constantinople executed at1
 #ach-aci2 #bjg2       ftes held by     
,philip the ,good at1 #bbg2 #bhj4       
,lissweghe1 #ei4      ,lombartzyde1 #ie2
       statue of the ,virgin1 #ajd-aje4 
,longfellow1 quoted1 #fg4      ,long    

,wapper of ,antwerp1 legends of1        
#dje-djh4      ,louis of ,maele1 ,count 
of ,flanders1 #ei2 #age2       besieged 
at ,ghent1 #agh2 #ahc2 #bjd2            
marriage of daughter1 #bje-bjf2         
defeated by ,philip ,van ,artevelde1    
#bjf2       death1 #bjg2       wealth of
 ,ghent during reign of1 #bjg-bjh2 #bah2
       court painter of1 #bcj2 #cig4    
,louis of ,nevers1 ,count of ,flanders1 
#abd2 #aid2 #aih2       vainly resists  
popular party1 #aii-bjj2       hires    
assassination of ,jacques ,van          
,artevelde1 #bjb-bjc2       death at    
,crcy1 #bjc4      ,louis the ,fat1 ,king
 of ,france1 #da-db4      ,louis ,,xi1  
,king of ,france1 lives at ,furnes while
 ,dauphin1 #ij2       drives tapestry   
weavers from ,arras1 #bgh2              
implacable foe of ,charles the ,bold1   
#bhf2       foments insurrection at     
,lige1 #bhg-bhh2       stirs up ,german 
resistance to ,charles1 #bhi2           
causes downfall of ,charles1 #bic2 #bid2
 #ccd2 #cdd4      ,louis ,,xiii1 ,king  

of ,france1 #chg4      ,louis ,,xiv1    
captures ,tournai1 #bej2 #bfe2          
removes tapestries from ,audenaerde1    
#cgf2       portrait of1 #cgf2 #chg2    
bombards ,audenaerde1 #cia4      ,louis 
,,xv1 ,king of ,france1 at ,battle of   
,fontenoy1 #bea-bee2       ,joyous      
,entry at ,antwerp1 #deh4      ,louis   
,,xviii1 ,king of ,france1 at ,ghent1   
#ceh-cei4      ,louise of ,savoy1 #cch4 
,louvain1 #bai2       ,hotel de ,ville1 
#bbh2       ,guild of ,st4 ,luke        
organised1 #bcj2       work of ,van der 
,weyden at1 #bga2       ,dierick ,bouts 
at1 #cjg-cjh2 #caj2       renowned for  
its scholars1 #cba2 #cga2 #cie2         
birth-place of ,quentin ,matsys1 #dja2  
#djc4      ,lyon1 ,jean1 ,dean of       
,boatmen's ,guild1 #ahh4      ,lys1     
river1 #adf2       superior for retting 
flax1 #adg2 #aeh2 #afd2 #afi2 #bjd2     
#bjf4       ,m      ,mabuse1 see ,jan   
,gossaert4      ,mace1 ,robert1 teaches 
art of printing to ,christopher         
,plantin1 #dbc4      ,maele1 ,chteau of1

 near ,bruges1 #cjc4      ,mahaut1      
,countess of ,flanders1 #abb4           
,malfait of ,brussels1 #abd4            
,malines1 lace makers at1 #e2           
centre of ,flemish architecture1 art and
 learning1 #ab2       ,ville d',art1    
#bfh2       extorts privileges from     
,charles the ,bold1 #bhg2       terrible
 destruction in the ,great ,war1 #caa2  
situation and importance1 #cab2         
early history1 #cab-cae2       ,cloth   
,hall and museum1 #cag2 #cah2           
,cathedral of ,st4 ,rombaut1 #cah-cbc2  
chimes1 #cbc-cbe2       interior of     
,cathedral1 #cbe-cbg2       renowned for
 its fools1 #cba2       ,notre ,dame au 
del de la ,dyle1 #cbg-cbh2       ,notre 
,dame d',hanswyck1 #cbh-cbi2            
church of ,st4 ,jean1 #ccj-cca2         
,hotel de ,ville1 #ccb2       ,vieux    
,palais1 #ccb-ccc2       some fine old  
houses1 #ccc2       ,margaret of        
,austria1 early life1 #ccc-ccf2         
her court at ,malines1 #ccf2 #cdb2      
death1#cdb-cdc2       monuments         

classified1 #cfc2 #dci2 #ddb2           
,cathedral sadly injured1 #dhb4         
,mammelokker1 bas relief and legend of1 
#aih4      ,manson1 ,collard1 printer at
 ,bruges1 #bbh2 #dce4      ,margaret of 
,austria1 ,regent of the ,netherlands1  
#fa-fb2       childhood and early life1 
#ccc-ccf2       ,palace at ,malines1    
#ccf2       ,regent of the ,netherlands1
 #ccg2       negotiates the ,ladies'    
,peace1 #cch-cci2       brilliant court1
 #cci2       taste for art and          
literature1 #cdj-cdb2       untimely    
death1 #cdb-cdc2 #cde2 #cdi4            
,margaret1 ,countess of ,flanders1 #abb2
 #acb2 #ace2 #acf2 #aec4      ,margaret1
 daughter of ,louis of ,maele1 #ahc2    
#bje-bjf2 #bah4      ,margaret of       
,parma1 portrait at ,audenaerde1 #cgf2  
birth and marriages1 #cgg-cgh2          
,regent of the ,netherlands1 #cgi2      
popularity1 #cgi-chj2       suppresses  
outbreak of the ,iconoclasts1 #chj-cha2 
superseded by ,duke of ,alva1 #cha2     
#dac2 #dai2 #dbe4      ,margaret of     

,york1 betrothal to ,charles the ,bold  
at ,damme1 #ge-gg2       resides at     
,malines1 #ccc2 #ccf4      ,maria       
,theresa1 ,empress of ,austria1 #deh4   
,marie of ,burgundy1 tomb at ,bruges1   
#ea-ec2       statue1 #fb2 #bic2        
marries ,maximilian1 #bid2              
children of1 #ccc2 #cdd2 #cde2 #cdi4    
,marie of ,champagne1 ,countess of      
,flanders1 #acc2       dedicates ,cloth 
,hall at ,ypres1 #acd2       death in   
,syria1 #acd2 #afb4      ,marie1 ,queen 
of ,hungary1 #cci2       ,regent of the 
,netherlands1 #cdb-cdc2                 
insurrection at ,ghent during reign of1 
#cdi-cej2 #ced4      ,marlborough1 ,duke
 of1 captures ,tournai1 #bej2       wins
 ,battle of ,audenaerde1 #cia2          
recalled in peasant nursery song1       
#cia-cib2       takes ,antwerp after    
,battle of ,ramillies1 #deh4            
,marot1 ,clement1 #dbh4      ,marvis    
,towers at ,tournai1 #bfe4      ,mass1  
#cda4      ,matsys1 ,quentin1 life and  
principal works1 #dja-djc4              

,matthew1 ,duke of ,lorraine1 #abb4     
,maurice1 ,count of ,nassau1 wins       
,battle of the ,dunes1 #if-ih2 #dfe2    
captures ,sluys1 #dfh4      ,maximilian1
 ,emperor1 #ea2       statue of1 #fb2   
conflict with ,bruges1 #ga2             
marriage to ,marie of ,burgundy1 #bid2  
#ccc2       ,regent of ,flanders1 #ccd2 
fondness for daughter1 ,margaret of     
,austria1 #ccg2       death1 #cch2 #cde2
 #cdg2 #daa4      ,maximilian1 ,emperor 
of ,mexico1 #cfi4      ,memling1 ,hans1 
at ,bruges1 #bie-bif2       works of1 in
 ,hospital of ,st4 ,jean1 #bif-bih2     
other notable paintings1 #bih-bii2 #cjg2
       in collection of ,margaret of    
,austria1 #cda4      ,mercator1 #dca4   
,merghelynck ,museum at ,ypres1         
#aci-adj2 #cjd4      ,meunier1          
,constantin1 statue of pecheur des      
crevettes1 #ic2       painting at       
,courtrai1 #afj4      ,michelle1 first  
wife of ,philip the ,good1 #ahc2        
death of1 #bcc-bcd4      ,middleburg1   
paintings by ,van der ,weyden at1 #cji4 

,minnewater1 #cc2       view of ,notre  
,dame from1 #ej2       formerly chief   
harbour of ,bruges1 #ga-gb4             
,molinet1 ,jean1 #cda4      ,mons1      
capital of ,hainaut1 #acj2              
,flemish name for1 #aej2 #bai2          
,hotel de ,ville1 #bbh2 #bdc2 #beb4     
,montalembert1 quoted1 #chh4            
,montanus1 ,arias1 supervises ,biblia   
,regia1 #dbf2       opinion of          
,christopher ,plantin1 #dbg2 #dca4      
,morat1 ,battle of1 #bia4      ,moretus1
 ,balthazar ,i1 #dcb4      ,moretus1    
,edouard1 sells ,plantin-,moretus museum
 to city of ,antwerp1         #dcb4     
,moretus1 ,jean ,i1 marries ,martina1   
daughter of ,christopher ,plantin1      
#dbi2 #dca2 #dcb2       tomb in the     
,cathedral1 #dda2       employs ,rubens1
 #ddc2       friend of ,rubens1 #ddh4   
,moretus1 ,jean ,,ii1 #dca-dcb4         
,montereau1 murder of ,john the         
,fearless at1 #bbj4      ,morte         
d',ypres1 la 7the ,death of ,ypres71    
#aag2 #abb2 #abc2 #add4      ,motley1   

cited1 #dac4       ,n      ,nancy1 siege
 of1 #bia2       death of ,charles the  
,bold before1 #bib2 #bie2 #ccc4         
,namur1 #cab4      ,napoleon1 saves     
,chapel of the ,holy ,blood1 #ef2 #id2  
#bhb2 #ccj2 #ceh2         #ceh-cei2     
removes tapestries from ,audenaerde1    
#cgf2       at ,antwerp1 #dfj4          
,nauwelaerts1 official bell ringer of   
,bruges1 #ff4      ,neerwinden1 ,battle 
of1 #dei4      ,nicholas ,v1 ,pope1     
#cdj4      ,nicholas de ,verdun1 #bgg4  
,nieuport1 at time of the ,crusades1    
#ac2       receives charter from ,philip
 of ,alsace1 #ee2       some famous     
sieges of1 #ie2       ,battle of the    
,dunes1 #if-ih2       ,chambers of      
,rhetoric1 #ii2       ,tower of the     
,templars1 ,cloth ,hall and church of   
,notre ,dame1         #ii-aja2       the
 ,yser ,river1 locks and canals1        
#ajc-ajd2 #dfe2 #dgc4      ,norsemen1   
anarchy resulting from invasions of1    
#cf2       capture ,tournai1 #bdh2 #bef2
 #bei2       burn church at ,audenaerde1

 #chc4      ,notre ,dame1 ,cathedral of1
 at ,antwerp1 #bj2 #bbh2       well     
cover made by ,quentin ,matsys1 #dja2   
description of1 #ddj-ddb4      ,notre   
,dame de ,pamela1 church of1 at         
,audenaerde1 #chg-chi4      ,notre      
,dame1 church of1 at ,bruges1 #ej-ec2   
remains of ,charles the ,bold placed in1
 #bib2 #cjc2 #cjf4      ,notre ,dame1   
church of1 at ,courtrai1 #afb-afc4      
,notre ,dame au del de la ,dyle1 church 
of1 at ,malines1 #caf2                  
description1 #cbg-cbh4      ,notre ,dame
 d',hanswyck1 church of1 at ,malines1   
#caf2       description1 #cbh-cbi4      
,notre ,dame1 ,cathedral of1 at         
,tournai1 #bde2       description1      
#bee-bfb4       ,o      ,order of the   
,golden ,fleece1 #eh2 #agb2 #age2       
established by ,philip the ,good1       
#bba-bbb2       ftes at ,lille1 #bbg2   
,tournai tapestries ordered for1 #bgi2  
chapter at ,malines1 #ccd2       at     
,antwerp1 #dab2       portrait of       
,charles ,v wearing insignia of1 #cgf4  

,ostende1 part of the ,franc of ,bruges1
 #ei2 #ajb2       canal from ,nieuport  
to1 #ajc2 #cbd2 #cei2       on main     
tourist routes1 #dfd2       great siege 
of #afja-afjc1 #dfe-dfi2       renown as
 a watering place since #ahcj1 #dgj2    
description of the ,digue1 the          
,esplanade and the beach1 #dga-dgb2     
summer prices at1 #dgb-dgc2       the   
,kursaal1 #dgc-dgg2       the ,estacade1
 #dgg-dgh2       last glimpses of1      
#dgh-dgi4      ,orleans1 ,duke of1 #bbj2
 #bcc4      ,ortelius1 #dca4            
,oudenaarde1 ,jan van1 #gb4       ,p    
,pape1 ,simon de1 early painter of      
,audenaerde1 #chd2 #chi4      ,parma1   
,duke of1 captures ,ypres1 #add2        
besieges ,tournai1 #bdi2       son of   
,margaret of ,parma1 #cgh2       ,regent
 of the ,netherlands1 #cgi2 #dad2       
siege of ,antwerp1 #dai-dbb2 #ddg2      
siege of ,ostende1 #dfe4      ,pauwels1 
,ferdinand1 #aba-abb4      ,pavia1      
,battle of1 #fb4      ,pembroke1 ,duke  
of1 #gj4      ,pronne1 #ach2            

,louis ,,xi visits ,charles the ,bold   
at1 #bhh2 #bic4      ,pterinck1         
,franois1 maker of fine porcelains at   
,tournai1 #bhj4      ,philibert ,,ii1   
,duke of ,savoy1 #cce4      ,philip of  
,alsace1 ,count of ,flanders1 grants    
charters to many ,flemish               
cities1 #ee2 #ei2       grants the      
,keurbrief1 #ei-fa2 #hg2 #abi2          
builds ,spuytorre at ,courtrai1 #afd2   
erects ,chteau des ,comtes at ,ghent1   
#aga2 #agc2 #ahi4      ,philip          
,augustus1 ,king of ,france1 #ace-acf2  
#ach2 #aec2       ,treaty of ,arras1    
#ahi2       annexes ,tournai1 #bdh2     
painting of1 at ,tournai1 #bgd4         
,philip the ,bold1 ,duke of ,burgundy1  
#ij2 #abd2       removes clock at       
,courtrai1 #adh2       rebuilds         
,spuytorre at ,courtrai1 #afd2          
marries ,margaret of ,maele1 #ahc2      
significance of this event1 #bje-bjf2   
acknowledged as ,count of ,flanders1    
#bah2       arranges the marriages of   
,cambrai1 #bah-bai2       death1 #bbj2  

court painter of1 #bcj-bca2 #cig4       
,philippe de ,champaigne1 #cgf4         
,philip the ,fair 7,philippe le ,bel71  
,king of ,france1 #aec2       annexes   
,flanders1 #aed2       at ,bruges1 #aee2
       rage over the ,matin de ,bruges1 
#aef2       defeated at ,courtrai1      
#aeg-afj2       sheriffs of1 besieged at
 ,ghent1 #agg4      ,philip the ,good1  
,duke of ,burgundy1 #d2 #eh2 #ij2 #age2 
#agf2       becomes ,count of ,flanders1
 ,hainaut and ,holland1 and ,duke of    
,brabant1 #bbj-bba2       founds ,order 
of the ,golden ,fleece1 #bba-bbb2       
siege of ,calais1 #bbb-bbc2             
repulsed at ,bruges 7,bruges vespers71  
#bbc-bbd2       humbles ,bruges1        
#bbd-bbe2       crushes ,ghent at       
,gavre1 #bbe-bbg2       holds ftes at   
,lille1 #bbg2       divergent estimates 
of character1 #bbh-bbi2 #bca2           
visits studio of ,jean ,van ,eyck1      
#bce-bcf2       orders portrait of      
,isabel of ,portugal1 #bch2       orders
 tapestries at ,tournai1 #bgi2 #bhg2    

#cje2 #cdj2 #cdd2       grants liberal  
charter to ,antwerp1 #cih4      ,philip 
the ,handsome1 ,duke of ,burgundy1 #ea2 
#fb2 #ia2       education1 #ccc2        
premature death1 #ccd2 #cdf4            
,philip ,,ii1 ,king of ,spain1 #ia2     
#bcf-bcg2 #bdi2 #bib-bic2       unwise  
policy provokes revolt1 #cgi-chj2       
sends ,duke of ,alva to punish          
iconoclasts1 #cha2 #dab2 #dac-dae2      
rejoices at fall of ,antwerp1 #dbb2     
#dbd2       aids ,plantin to publish    
,biblia ,regia1 #dbf2 #dbg2 #dcb2 #ddg2 
#dfe4      ,philip of ,valois1 ,king of 
,france1 #bja-bjb4      ,pierre de      
,beckre1 #eb4      ,pius ,,ii1 #cgh4    
,pizarro1 #cdf4      ,plantin1          
,christopher1 early life1 #dbc-dbd2     
establishes printing house at ,antwerp1 
#dbe2       issues the ,biblia ,regia1  
#dbf-dbg2       extent of business1     
#dbg-dbh2       moves to ,friday        
,market1 #dbh-dbi2       death1         
#dbi-dcj2       extent of achievements1 
#dca2       tomb in the ,cathedral1     

#dda4      ,plantin-,moretus ,museum1 at
 ,antwerp1 #dbc2 #dcb-dcg2              
portraits by ,rubens1 #ddd2             
sketches by ,rubens1 #dde4              
,pourbus1 ,pieter1 #cja4      ,prvost1  
,jean1 #cja4      ,procession of the    
,holy ,blood at ,bruges1 #ef2           
,procession at ,furnes1 #hg-hi2         
,peysprocessie at ,malines1 #cae4       
,pyn1 ,livin1 execution of1 #cdi-cej2   
#cea2 #ceb4       ,q      ,quellin1     
,erasmus1 ,the ,adoration of the        
,shepherds at ,malines1 #cbg2           
#dcc2       founds family of sculptors  
and painters1 #deb-edc4      ,quentin   
,durward by ,sir ,walter ,scott1 cited1 
#bhh4       ,r      ,rabot at ,ghent1   
#cde-cdf4      ,raeske1 ,richard de1    
#cg4      ,ramillies1 ,battle of1 #deh4 
,raphelingen1 ,francis1 chief           
proof-reader of ,christopher ,plantin1  
#dbg2       marries ,margaret1 eldest   
daughter1 #dbi4      ,rnacle de         
,florennes1 #cda4      ,reparation      
invisible1 #bae-baf4      ,requesens1   

,regent of the ,netherlands1 #dae4      
,richard1 ,duke of ,gloucester1 later   
,richard ,,iii1 ,king of ,england1      
#cjc4      ,rivire1 ,jeanne1 wife of    
,christopher ,plantin1 #dbc2       aids 
husband with a linen business1 #dbi4    
,robbins1 ,philippe1 master tapestry    
weaver of ,audenaerde1 #chg4            
,robert the ,frisian1 ,count of         
,flanders1 #ada4      ,robert ,,ii1     
,count of ,flanders1 #hg-hh4            
,robinson1 ,wilfrid1 ,antwerp1 an       
,historical ,sketch1 quoted1 #cig4      
,rockox1 burgomaster of ,antwerp1 #ddh4 
,roda1 ,jerome1 #dae4      ,roland1 the 
great bell at ,ghent1 #aif-aig2         
inscription on1 #aif2       taken down  
by ,charles ,v1 #ced4      ,rooses1     
,max1 ,director of ,plantin-,moretus    
,museum1 quoted1 #bci-bdj2         #bih2
       description of ,plantin ,museum1 
cited1 #dcc4      ,rosbecque1 ,battle   
of1 #afb2 #afc2 #bjg4      ,roya1 at    
,bruges1 #bf2 #bg2 #eb4      ,rubens1   
,peter ,paul1 ,st4 ,bavon withdrawing   

from the ,world at ,ghent1         #bda2
       ,christ on the ,cross at         
,malines1 #cag2       ,miraculous       
,draught of ,fishes at ,malines1        
#cbg-cbh2       ,adoration of the ,magi 
at ,malines1 #ccj2 #chf2 #dcc2          
rank among the masters1 #dch2       two 
masterpieces in ,cathedral at ,antwerp1 
#cci-ddj2       ,resurrection in the    
,cathedral1 #dda2       at height of    
fame1 #ddb-ddd2       enormous          
productivity1 #ddd-dde2       death1    
#dde2       ,prof4 ,wauters' estimate   
of1 #ddf-ddg2       patronised by the   
,archdukes1 #ddh2       diplomatic      
missions1 #ddh2       letters1 #ddi2    
#dee2 #def4      ,rudolph ,,ii1 ,emperor
 of ,austria1 #dje4       ,s      ,st4  
,amand1 early missionary1 #aha4         
,st4 ,basil1 crypt of1 at ,bruges1      
#bg-bh2       restoration1 #eg2 #aga4   
,st4 ,bavon1 ,abbey of1 at ,ghent1      
#aha-ahe2 #ahi2       destruction of1 by
 ,charles ,v1 #cec4      ,st4 ,bavon1   
,cathedral of1 at ,ghent1 #agb2         

crypt1 #ahh-ahi2       altar-piece by   
the ,van ,eycks1 #bcd-bch2       other  
works of art in1 #bdj-bda2 #cee2 #cfj4  
,st4 ,brice1 church of1 at ,tournai1    
#bfc-bfd4      ,st4 ,donatian1 church   
of1 at ,bruges1 #ce2       scene of     
murder of ,charles the ,good1 #ch2      
besieged by foes of the ,erembalds1     
#ci-da2       ,erembalds flung from     
tower1 #da2       destroyed in ,french  
,revolution1 #db2       relics and      
approximate site1 #db-dc2 #bib4         
,st4 ,eleuthereus1 statue of1 on portal 
of ,cathedral1 #bfj2       ,chasse of1  
#bgf-bgg2       life of1 depicted on    
tapestry in ,cathedral1 #bgi4      ,st4 
,george1 church of1 at ,nancy1 #bib4    
,st4 ,ghislain1 #beb4      ,ste4        
,gudule1 ,cathedral of1 at ,brussels1   
#cdj4      ,st4 ,jacques1 church of1 at 
,antwerp1 #dde-ddf4      ,st4 ,jean1    
,hospital of1 at ,bruges1 legend of     
nursing ,memling1         #bie-bif2     
,shrine of ,st4 ,ursula1 #bif-bih2      
other works by ,memling at1 #bih2       

description of1 #bii2 #cja4      ,st4   
,jean1 church of1 at ,ghent1 name       
changed to ,st4 ,bavon in #aedj1        
#ahh4      ,st4 ,jean1 church of1 at    
,malines1 #ccj-cca4      ,st4 ,luke1    
,guild of1 first organised in ,flemish  
towns1 #bbi-bcj2       admits brothers  
,van ,eyck at ,bruges1 #bcd2       at   
,tournai1 #bgj-bga2       at ,ghent     
admits ,van der ,meire1 #cfc2           
admits ,frans ,floris at ,antwerp1 #djc2
       admits ,christopher ,plantin at  
,antwerp1 #dbc2       elects ,rubens    
,president1 #dde4      ,st4 ,martin1    
church of1 at ,courtrai1 #afa-afb4      
,st4 ,martin1 church of1 at ,ypres1     
#abe-abf4      ,st4 ,mary1 church of1 at
 ,antwerp1 #dab2       becomes          
,cathedral of ,notre ,dame in #aefj1    
#ddj4      ,st4 ,michel1 church of1 at  
,ghent1 #aha4      ,st4 ,nicholas1      
church of1 at ,dixmude1 #hd-he2 #dhb4   
,st4 ,nicholas1 church of1 at ,ghent1   
#ahf-ahh4      ,st4 ,omer1 seized by    
,philip ,augustus1 #ace4      ,st4      

,peter1 monastery of1 at ,ghent1        
#aha-ahb2 #ahi4      ,st4 ,peter1 church
 of1 at ,louvain1 #cjg-cjh4      ,st4   
,piat1 martyrdom at ,tournai1 #bde2     
statue of1 on portal of ,cathedral1     
#bfj2       life of1 depicted on        
tapestry in ,cathedral1 #bgi4      ,st4 
,rombaut1 ,cathedral of1 at ,malines1   
#cab2 #cac2       first view of1 #cag2  
the tower and its builders1 #cah-cbc2   
the chimes1 #cbc-cbe2       interior and
 art treasures1 #cbe-cbg2 #cbh2         
tower completed1 #cdj4      ,st4        
,sauveur1 ,cathedral of1 at ,bruges1    
#dg-ej2 #cje-cjg2 #cfb4      ,ste4      
,ursula1 ,shrine of1 #bif-bih4          
,ste4 ,walburge1 church of1 at          
,audenaerde1 #cfh2 #cfi2 #chb2          
description of1 #chc-che2 #chi4         
,ste4 ,walburge1 church of1 at ,furnes1 
#hh and #ib4      ,saventhem1 #ddi-dea4 
,savoy1 ,duchess of1 see ,margaret of   
,austria4      ,saxe-,coburg-,gotha1    
,leopold1 ,prince of1 elected ,king of  
the ,belgians1         #dfa4      ,saxe1

 ,maurice1 victor at ,fontenoy1         
#bea-bee4      ,scheldt1 estuary1 #ag2  
the greyest of grey rivers1 #ah2        
history of navigation on1 #ah-ai2       
view from1 #ai-bj2       river traffic  
on1 #bj2       ,antwerp from1 #ba2      
monument on ,place ,marnix1 #ai2 #afi2  
at ,tournai1 #bff2 #cjj2       snakes   
in1 #chb2       at ,audenaerde1 #chg2   
#chi2       legend of ,brabo1 #cic-cid2 
displaces the ,zwyn as highway of       
commerce1 #cid-cie2       fight for     
mastery of1 #cii-djj2       deepens as  
commerce grows1 #djj2 #dja2 #dad2       
closed during reign of the ,archdukes1  
#ddg2       opened to navigation in     
#agie1 #dei2       docks erected by     
,napoleon1 #dfj2       free under the   
,dutch1 #dfj2       freed permanently by
 ,leopold ,i in #ahfc1 #dfa2            
growth of commerce since1 #dfb4         
,scott1 ,sir ,walter1 ,quentin ,durward1
 cited1 #bhh2 #cjd4      ,seghers1      
,daniel1 #ea4      ,shelley1 ,ode to the
 ,skylark1 quoted1 #afg-afh4            

,sigebert1 brother of ,chilperic1 #bdh2 
#bha4      ,sluys1 part of the ,franc of
 ,bruges1 #ei2       landing place of   
,margaret of ,york in #adfh1 #gf2       
,battle of1 #bja2       captured by     
,maurice of ,nassau1 #dfh4              
,snellinck1 ,jean1 ,creation of ,eve at 
,audenaerde1 #chh-chi4      ,snyders1   
,francis1 animal pictures of1 #dec4     
,spanish ,fury1 the1 #dae-dah4          
,spierinckx1 ,peter1 #chf4              
,spinola1 ,ambrose1 ,marquis of1        
captures ,ostende1 #dfh-dfi4            
,stallaert1 ,death of ,dido1 #bgd4      
,steen1 #cif2 #cih2       description   
of1 #cii4      ,strada1 the historian1  
cited1 #cgh4      ,swerts1 ,jean1 mural 
paintings at ,ypres1 #abe2       at     
,courtrai1 #aeb4       ,t               
,taillebert1 ,urban1 #hd4      ,tancmar1
 ,lord of ,straten1 #cg4      ,tani1    
,jacopo1 #bih4      ,tapestry1 #e2      
workers organised into a guild1 #bcj2   
in church of ,st4 ,brice at ,tournai1   
#bfd2       weaving at ,tournai1        

#bgh-bhj2 #cgf2       at ,audenaerde1   
#chd-cij4      ,templars1 ,tower of1 at 
,nieuport1 #ie2 #ii2       ,house of1 at
 ,ypres1 #adj-ada4      ,teniers1       
,david1 #g2 #chf2       master of scenes
 of homely ,flemish life1 #dec-ded2     
#dee2 #def4      ,tournai1 tapestries1  
#e2       forest of1 #acd2              
besieged by ,edward ,,iii1 #bjb2        
,guild of ,st4 ,luke organised1 #bbi2   
tapestry workers organised1 #bcj2       
oldest city in ,belgium1 #bdb2          
,turris ,nerviorum of ,csar1 #bde2      
capital of ,merovingian ,kings1         
#bde-bdh2       many sieges1 #bdh-bej2  
,battle of ,fontenoy1 #bej-bee2         
,belfry1 #bfb-bfc2       ,roman houses  
and church of ,st4 ,brice1 #bfc-bfd2    
relics of ,king ,childeric1 #bfd-bfe2   
,marvis ,towers1 ,pont des ,trous1 and  
tower of ,henry ,,viii1 #bfe-bfg2       
,ville d',art1 #bfh-bfi and #bha-bhb2   
,robert ,campin1 ,jacques ,daret and    
,van der ,weyden1 #bfi-bgb2       ,cloth
 ,hall and ,museum of ,fine ,arts1      

#bgb-bge2       later artists1 #bgd-bge2
       sculptors at1 #bge-bgf2          
gold and silversmiths at1 #bgf-bgg2     
coppersmiths at1 #bgg-bgh2              
tapestry weavers1 #bgh-bhj2             
porcelains of1 #bhj-bha2                
manufactures of stained glass1 #bha-bhb2
       manufacture of fine carpets1     
#bhb2 #cab2       monuments classified1 
#cfc2 #cgg2       tapestry weaving at1  
#chc4      ,trajan1 the ,just ,emperor1 
painting by ,van der ,weyden1 #bga4     
,triest1 ,bishop1 tomb in ,cathedral of 
,st4 ,bavon at ,ghent1 #bda2            
encourages horticulture at ,ghent1      
#cee-cef2 #ceh4      ,turenne1 defeated 
by ,cond near ,nieuport1 #ie4           
,turin1 ,exposition of1 ,tournai carpet 
shown at1 #bhb4      ,turnhout1 lace    
makers at1 #e2       fairy hill near1   
#dji4       ,u      ,urbin1 ,duke of1   
#cgh4       ,v      ,valckx1 ,pierre1   
sculptor1 #cha4      ,valenciennes1     
#acd2 #acg2       lace made at ,ypres1  
#ada2 #bai2       tapestry workers      

organised1 #bcj2 #cea4      ,van        
,artevelde1 ,jacques 7or ,jacob71       
besieges ,louis of ,maele at ,ghent1    
#agh2       rise to power1 #aii-bjj2    
alliance with ,edward ,,iii1 #bja2      
,battle of ,sluys1 #bja-bjb2            
assassination1 #bjb-bjd2 #bdh-bdi2 #cig4
      ,van ,artevelde1 ,philip1 brief   
career1 #bjf-bjg2       big cannon of1  
#bjh2       at siege of ,audenaerde1    
#cia4      ,van ,bredael1 ,alexander1   
#chf4      ,van den ,broeck1 #dca4      
,van ,dyck1 ,anthony1 ,the ,raising of  
the ,cross at ,courtrai1 #afb-afc2      
,the ,crucifixion at ,malines1 #cbg2    
#dcc2       pupil of ,rubens1 #dii2     
,saint ,martin dividing ,cloak among the
 ,beggars1 #dii-dea2       at ,antwerp1 
#dea2       court painter of ,charles   
,i1 #dea2       chief works1 #dea-deb2  
#def4      ,van ,eyck1 ,hubert1         
tombstone at ,abbey of ,st4 ,bavon1     
#ahd2       discovery of art of painting
 with oils1 #bca-bcc2       in service  
of ,philip the ,good1 #bcc-bcd2         

plans and begins ,the ,adoration of the 
,lamb1 #bcd-bce2       death1 #bcd2     
monument1 #bda2 #bfi2 #bgj2 #bie2 #cfj4 
,van ,eyck1 ,jean1 colours statues for  
,hotel de ,ville at ,bruges1 #eh2       
#ei2       discovery of art of painting 
with oils1 #bca-bcc2       enters       
service of ,philip the ,good1 #bcc-bcd2 
completes ,the ,adoration of the ,lamb1 
#bce2       later paintings1 #bch-bci2  
death1 #bdj2       monument1 #bda2 #bfi2
 #bgj2 #bie2 #cja2       ,la ,belle     
,portugalaise at ,malines1 #cda-cdb2    
#cfj4      ,van der ,gheynst1 ,jehanne  
7or ,jeanne71 #cgg-cgh4      ,van der   
,goes1 ,hugo1 #bgc2 #cja2 #cjg2         
life and principal works1 #cfj-cfb4     
,van ,maerlant1 ,jacob1 ,flemish poet1  
#ei2       statue at ,damme1 #gc-gd4    
,van der ,meire1 ,gerard1 painter of    
,ghent1 #cfc4      ,van ,nieuwenhove1   
,martin1 painting of1 by ,memling1 #bih4
      ,van ,noort1 ,adam1 teacher of    
,rubens1 #dda4      ,van ,orley1        
,bernard1 #cci2 #cda4      ,van der     

,paele1 ,george1 painting of1 by ,jean  
,van ,eyck1 #bci-bdj4      ,van ,pde1   
,henri1 #cga4      ,van der ,schelden1  
,paul1 sculptor1 #cgc2       wooden     
doorway at ,audenaerde1 #cge4      ,van 
,severdonck1 #bgd4      ,van de ,walle1 
burgomaster of ,bruges1 #bbd2 #bbe4     
,van der ,voort1 ,michel1 sculptor of   
,antwerp1 #cbf4      ,van der ,weyden1  
,rogier 7,roger de la ,pasture71        
#bgj-bgb2 #bgc2       influence of      
sculpture on1 #bge2 #bhj2 #cjj2 #cjg2   
#cjh2 #cji2 #cda4      ,vauban1 military
 engineer1 constructs walls of ,ypres1  
#adb2       fortifies ,tournai1 #bej2   
#cab4      ,verbanck1 ,georges1 #bda4   
,verbruggen1 ,p4 ,h41 sculptor1 #bda2   
#dec4      ,vere1 ,sir ,francis1        
,english commander at ,ostende1         
#dfg-dfh4      ,verhaegen1 ,theodore1   
sculptor1 #cbi2       fine carvings at  
,malines1 #cca4      ,verlat1 ,charles1 
#dah-dai4      ,vervoort1 ,michel1 #ddb4
      ,vivs1 ,louis1 #cda4      ,voisin1
 ,belgian historian1 #afj4      ,vos1   

,martin de1 many works of1 at ,antwerp1 
#djd2 #dca4      ,vriendt1 ,albrecht and
 ,julian de1 frescoes at ,bruges1       
#eh-ei2       at ,furnes1 #ia4          
,vriendt1 ,cornelius de1 #def-deg4      
,vos1 ,cornelius de1 portraits of1 #dec4
      ,vydts1 ,jodocus1 #bcd4       ,w  
,waghenakere1 ,dominique de1 architect1 
#cdh4      ,walloon provinces1 #ac2 #bd4
      ,walter of ,straten1 #cg4         
,waterloo1 ,battle of1 #id2 #aeh2 #bej2 
#cei2 #dfj4      ,wauters1 ,prof4 ,a4   
,j41 ,history of ,flemish ,painting1    
cited1 #bbi2       attributes portrait  
of ,charles the ,bold to ,van der ,goes1
 #cfb2       on ,peter ,breughel the    
,elder1 quoted1 #djd-dje2       eulogy  
of ,rubens1 quoted1 #ddf-ddg4           
,wauters1 ,emile1 painting of the       
madness of ,hugo ,van der ,goes1 #cfa4  
,weale1 ,james1 cited1 #bii4            
,westende1 #dgc4      ,white ,hoods1    
#ahh2       destroy castles of ,liliaert
 nobles1 #bjj4      ,william of         
,dampierre1 ,count of ,flanders1 #aec4  

,william ,i1 ,king of ,holland1 #dfj4   
,william of ,juliers1 ,provost of       
,maestricht1 #aed2 #aic4      ,william  
the ,silent1 ,prince of ,orange1 #cbj2  
#cbh2 #dab2 #dai2       death1 #dai2    
plans for defence of ,antwerp           
disregarded1 #dbj-dba4      ,winders1   
sculptor1 #ai4      ,witte1 ,gaspar de1 
#chf4      ,wolsey1 ,cardinal1 #bdi4    
,wordsworth1 quoted1 #afh4              
,wynandael1 #ec2 #acb4       ,y         
,yperle1 tributary to the ,yser1 #ajd4  
,ypres1 at the time of the ,crusades1   
#ac2       fortified by ,baldwin ,,ii1  
#cd2       execution of ,provost of ,st4
 ,donatian at1 #dj-da2       receives   
charter from ,philip of ,alsace1 #ee2   
stubborn defence in the ,great ,war1    
#aaf-aah2       ,halle aux ,draps1 or   
,cloth ,hall1 #aah-abe2       church of 
,st4 ,martin1 #abe-abf2       ,grande   
,place1 #abf-abi2       ,muse           
,merghelynck1 #aci-adj2       rue de    
,lille and ancient city walls1 #ada-adc2
       causes of decline1 #adc-ade2     

language spoken at1 #aei2               
guildsmen of1 at ,battle of the ,spurs1 
#aeg2 #aij2 #aib2 #aih-aii2             
influence of ,jacques ,van ,artevelde   
in1 #bjj2 #bjb2       ,melchior         
,broederlam1 early painter of1 #bcj-bca2
 #cjd2       ,hotel de ,ville destroyed 
by the ,germans1 #dhb4      ,ysenbrant1 
,adriaen1 early painter of ,bruges1     
#cja4      ,yser ,canal1 limit of the   
,german advance1 #id2       the locks1  
the river and the three canals1         
#ajc-ajd4       ,z      ,zee-,brugge1   
from the sea1 #af4      ,zeghers1       
,gerard1 religious pictures of1 #dec4   
,zwyn1 ancient channel to ,bruges1      
#af-ag2 #ei2       silting up of1       
#gj-ga2       replaced by the ,scheldt1 
as channel of commerce1 #cid-cie2 #cih4