ready to boil especially if it be put in any thing that is bright and shining and the Surface of the Water rises in these Pits just as Water does when 't is ready to boil over the Fire I doubt not to say that the Water here is actually boiling hot There was at each of these Pits a Place where we could put a Finger to the Water but could no more endure a Hand or Finger in it than in Water that boils over the Fire These Waters are certainly as hot as Water can be They will boil Eggs in a little time and the People take them up from these Springs and use them as Nature has fitted them upon Occasion to scald the Hair off from a Swine or Feathers from a Fowl All the Waters both here at Porcet and in the City have this Property that in the Throughs and Passages of Stone or Wood through which they run they leave in a little Time a great Quantity of heavy sandy Stone The People are forced to how this very often out of those Passages otherwise they would be quite stopp'd up The Porcetan Waters are reckon'd to have the most of this Quality and to have it from hence that they carry along with them somewhat more of that fine Sand which is the matter of this Stone though as I said these Waters are so clear and clean that no such thing can be discern'd in them 'T is judg'd that this Stone comes from the mixture of these little Grains of Sand together with the Particles of Salts that are in these Waters and which are coagulated by the cold Air. This Stone gathers no where but where the cold Air together with the Coldness of the Stone or wooden Troughs which the Water runs through do chill it And they say the least calcining and almost the laying them by a hot Fire reduces this Stone to a meer loose Sand again presently the Saline Particles being taken out by the Fire These Baths at Porcet are chiefly frequented for Pleasure by People that are well who may tumble in them as long as they please without any harm The Circumstances would not permit us to try this Pleasure We were here led into a House to see what they call een Druogh Bade that is a dry Bath We went into a little close Room which was laid over a hot Spring All the Furniture in it was a wooden Chair and a Tin Pipe of about Three or Four Inches in Diameter It consisted of several Joints to be taken off or put on as it was requir'd to be shorter or longer That which was to be always uppermost of these was crook'd to a right Angle In the middle of the Floor of this Chamber was a round Hole fit for the Pipe to set in this was stopp'd with a leaden Plugg We felt the Chamber very hot at our first Entrance but when the Plugg was taken out and the Steam ascended it quickly grew so hot that we could not endure it We put our Hands to the Hole whence it came up but could not endure to hold them there the Steam came up so very hot This Steam is by that Pipe and the crooked end of it directed to any particular Part of the Body that is disaffected that the force of the Heat may fall chiefly upon that Part. Next this Chamber was another little one with a Bed in it which they go into from hence to lie warm and Sweat some time There are several of this sort of Steam-Baths here and in Aix Passage from Aix to Juliers BEing straitned in time we were forced hence before we could be aweary of so pleasant and diverting a Place On the 27th of May we took a Charrette which we had hired to our selves to carry us from hence to Colen we had therefore in our Charrette but one Horse but a stout one and we paid for this Passage Three Guilders for each Person though it was reckon'd it would take us up Two good Days travelling by Reason that the Ways were become very bad with much Rain which had fallen We were to have gone from hence at Ten a Clock but staid for our Foreman till One who hid himself and loiter'd to see if the Rain would hold up it being an extream wet Morning When we went again to our Lodging and he thought he should lose the carrying us he soon after came to us with his Charrette We spent a good Hour in crossing the Valley of Aix as we may call it because that City stands at one side of it Our way through it was upon a broad pitch'd Causway It was much broken and out of repair and we went on very slowly On the other side of the Valley from Aken we met a little Brook swell'd into a River with the Rains it was ting'd of a reddish yellow Colour by the Grounds that it came from Here we pass'd through a large Village and soon after mounted a Hill the pitch'd way went along with us still to the top of Hill and there left us to lament the want of it though it was none of the best for we were no sooner from it but we expected every length of the Charrette almost to be thrown into some Slough of Mud. A great part of our Way from hence towards Juliers was through a very rich Country full of good Enclosures and furnish'd with Orchards Pasture-Grounds Corn-Fields and Hop-Grounds but some of the dirtiest Countries that ever I saw in my Life We went through a great many Villages in this way to Juliers and it seems a Country well peopled but the Houses of these Villages were the wretchedest that we had met with in all our Journey They were large indeed but the Walls of them were of Clay unwhited They are built with Timber and are loftier than our common Cottages which are of the same Colour in England Some of them had a Glass Window which might be cover'd with a quarter of a Yard of broad Ribbon and a great many had none at all They usually stood with their end to the Road and in that end there is in the middle two great Gates like our Barn Doors in England a little way from that is a little House Door They commonly look like the meanest sort of Barns in England They were covered with a very thick covering of Thatch and Clay together which must require good Timber to bear it We were now within the Province or Dutchy of Juliers one of those which makes Dutchy of Juliers up the Circle of Westphalia and were within the Dominions of the Duke of Neubourg who is at present Elector Palatine The Dutchy of Juliers goes in some part of it to the Rhine on the East where it also meets and bounds upon the Bishoprick of Colen it goes to the Maese with some part of it on the West where 't is bounded with that and the Bishoprick of Liege On the South its Limits are the Dutchies of Luxemburg and Limburg On
being 1699. will be the Year of showing them I did not think it worth while to be so particular as to ask him at what time of the Year this mighty Favour is granted to the World The hot Springs in and about Aix are in a Hot Sp◠〈◊〉 very great Number but divided into three sorts as coming from three different Beds of Earth and impregnated with something a different Mineral The one sort are those within the inner City which are the Caesarian the Little Bath and the Bath of St. Quirinus Another sort are those which rise in the outer City which are the Cornelian Bath the Rose Bath and the Poors Bath The third sort are those that rise in a Neighbouring Village call'd Porcet from the multitude of Wild Swine which formerly had their Haunts there these Baths are at the distance of about an English Mile from those in the City and rise in a higher part of the Valley All these Springs are very plentiful insomuch that among them all they are judg'd to vent Ten Thousand Tuns of Hot Water in a day And they are so impregnated with Salts that they will yield for every Tun of Water a Pound of Salt They come with such a heat out of the Spring that they are forced to let them stand in Bathing-places a cooling Fifteen or Eighteen hours before they are tolerable or fit to Bath in Over the Places where the Springs rise they have built Houses which are divided into several little Rooms in one Room is the Pit or Cavity to Bath in and in a little Room by it is a Bed to Sweat in when they go out of the Bath One House will have three four or five of these Baths in it they are laid with flat Stones such as are on Floors at the sides and bottom are commonly about twelve or fifteen Feet long and eight or ten Feet in breadth and four or five Feet in depth at the deepest These Houses have also each of them a Room where they that need it sit to have the Water pump'd upon them The Drinking of these Hot Waters at Aix Drinking is within a few Years become a great and common Practice They drink only of the Water in the outer City A Pump is set for this purpose upon one of the Streams of that Spring which supplies the Cornelian Baths which from the Chymical Experiments made with it the Physicians call A Sulphureo-falso-Nitrous Water The Pump stands in the Street but is lock'd up so as that none can draw of it when the time of Drinking is over It has by it two Piazza's and an open Court for the Drinkers to walk in From it there are three Spouts on three sides of a Square which one Man who stands at the other easily keeps running for the greatest number of Drinkers The Water comes from the Pump as warm as Milk from the Cow and fit to drink It seems to have no ill Taste or Smell I think our Chalybeate or Purging Waters in England taste worse They drink of this Water rising gradually to about an Hundred Ounces at the most which may be computed at about four Quarts in a Morning It has in several Bodies several ways of Operation With some it passes chiefly by Sweat with some by Urine and with some by Stool and they are directed to follow the Inclination of Nature in the thing But if they sweat with it they must go to Bed and cover themselves warm and put on dry and clean Cloaths when they rise The Waters usually pass away in those whom they agree with in the space of three or four hours and then they are fit for Dinner They order the Drinking and Bathing of several People very differently according to the Necessity of several Distempers and as is found most agreeable to the Constitutions But that which seem'd the most general and frequent Method was to drink in the Morning betimes and to Bath in the Afternoon about four or five hours after Dinner We were told that the hottest of these Springs are at Porcet we went therefore to Porcet see them We took the lower way in going thither and had a very Pleasant Walk through some Meadows for a while We came to a good Stream which we saw had upon it an under-shot Mill which it could very well drive When we were above this Mill we found our selves upon a Foot Causway which had on each side of it a brisk Stream of Water We were told and putting our Hands into both found that the one of these was warm and the other cold they both come down from the Hills about Porcet and rise not far from one another These two Rivulets which hitherto run distinct had upon each of them a Mill which they drove by falling upon the Wheels which we call an over-shot Mill. Just above that Mill which the warm Water drove there is a large Mill-Pond supported with a Dyke on one side because of the fall of the side of the Hill and on the other side defended by a Dyke from the Brook of fresh and cold Water which runs close by it This Pond breeds excellent Carps and in great plenty They are not thought to eat so well taken immediately from hence and dress'd as from other Waters though they will grow very large and fat here Therefore they usually take them from hence young and put them to feed and grow in other Ponds The Miller makes of the selling these young Carps from hence for that purpose above an Hundred Rix Dollars per Annum We observ'd that a small Spout of Water from the cold Brook was continually running into this Pond to give it a dash of fresh Water yet for all this we could feel a manifest Warmth in the Water of the Pond and that although we were somewhat the warmer for our walking When we came to Porcet we found the hot Springs rise in a narrow Valley between Two steep Hills There are we were told above Thirty distinct Springs of hot Water here many of which run waste and we saw a Stream of smoaking Water tumbling down by us in the Valley with some Noise which smoak'd as much as boiling Water thrown down There are Fifteen bathing Houses built here and they have among them Thirty Baths We were guided to Two Pits of hot Water which are open to the Air which are reckon'd to have in them the hottest Springs of any in this Place The Pits were about Four or Five Yards over with Brick Walls round the sides of them which went to the bottom of the Pits and stood above Ground almost Breast high the Water in them seem'd to be about Five or Six Feet in depth It seem'd to have somewhatof a pale blueish Colour but was so clear that we could see the bottoms of the Pits very easily And from thence we saw innumerable little Bubbles continually rise up such as one shall see in Water over the Fire when it becomes
things are done by the Corruptions grown now inveterate in that Church And it must needs be wish'd that a more Active and Powerful Principle than Men are now commonly guided by could be found or awakned to set them upon a due and just Care and Endeavour for the common Defence and Support of the Reformation I propose further to be serviceable in the Publishing of this Account to those of our young Gentry who go to travel in Countries of the Roman Communion and who often need such Intimations as they have here what they should observe and such Assistance to understand what they may observe For want of which some perhaps are charm'd with the Pomp and Finery and Pleasantness of the Roman Worship and the great Appearances of Devotion among the pretended Religious Orders and the several Eraternities which belong to them And if they are not seduced by this means and by the Caresses and Wheedles of the Romish Priests to joyn themselves to the Church of Rome yet their Prejudices against it become hereby much less than were just and so they are educated in that Indifferency which threatens our Ruine Some again for want of being rightly instructed in these Matters and taught to distinguish between these Corrupt Additionals and the Christianity plainly and clearly taught us in Holy Scripture are liable and expos'd to fall into the Fatal Mistake of imagining that all Revealed Religion is but such a Cheat as the Popish Priests have made of their Frame and a meer Invention to maintain a Multitude of needless and useless Persons They shall see here that all the Mixture which is liable to the Imputation of Priest-craft and wordly Artifice is separated and rejected as our happy Reformation in the Church of England has done it from the true Christianity of the Holy Scriptures The chief Business and Design of this Relation is as I have intimated to give an Account of the Present State of the Romish Religion But I chose to do that in this Form that the Reader might be sometimes diverted from that Matter and the Relation might not be tedious by being all the same And I hope it may be of some Vse and Instruction also to some Persons that I have intermingled the Matter with the Story and Adventures of a Journey and with somewhat of the History and Geography of the Places that were visited and other Things which I thought worth observing There are some few things in Latin Verse not translated because in England every one that is capable to read such a Book with any Entertainment or Advantage understands Latin well enough to interpret it themselves or else they have near them or at Hand those who are able to do it for them God grant this Endeavour may be serviceable to Truth and Peace and so to the Glory of God and the Happiness of my Countrey AN ACCOUNT OF A JOURNEY Through some Parts of GERMANY In the Year of our Lord 1698. Passage from Rotterdam to Antwerp ON the 13th of May N. Stile in the Year 1698. we went on Board the Ship which on that day was bound from Rotterdam to Antwerp There goes every Day of the Week one from hence I think excepting Sundays As soon as we came on Board there was demanded of us by an Officer and paid to him 25 Stivers for each Person for our Freight to Antwerp We set sail about four a Clock Afternoon and with a good Gale of Wind which was very fair for us we came to Dort by six There our Skipper lay by and loiter'd till eight by which time the Wind was much abated and we could advance but very slowly Therefore we came to an Anchor and lay that Night somewhat short of Trentesas This Place we pass'd by the next Morning leaving it on our Right-hand after about an hours sailing with a Wind not favourable and but very small It is a small Village of Holland consisting of Fishermens and Waggoners Houses It is in the Post-Road from France into Holland They that come from Brabant land here from the Boat which they take at Moredyck on the other side After this we saw on the side of Brabant which was our left side as we went down here the Steeples of two little Towns of Brabant which belong to the States-Geneâ—â— the one called Sevenberg the other Clundert But the Countrey there is a dead Flat about them and affords no Prospect We came nearer afterwards to Willemstadt as we pass down the Water call'd Hollands-Deep This is a very small City consisting chiefly of one long Street which is broad and strait at the upper end of it stands a good large Church which is all they have or need The nearest part of the City is about half a Mile from the Water but there is a great Canal which carries good big Vessels up into the Town We see from the Water the Walls of this Town which are encompass'd with a good Ditch The Ramparts are planted with Trees between the Bodies of which appear the tops of the Houses and of some other Trees planted within the City all which together yield a very agreeable Prospect King William is the Proprietor of this City and also of a large tract of Lands on this side of Brabant as well as of more on the other side towards the Maeze Without stopping we sailed on by this City till about Noon when we were come to the Islands of Zeeland where we were forced to Zeelandâ— lie still for want of Water the Tide being out The Place we lay by is called Philips-Land a little Island on our Right-hand We saw a Church and somewhat of a Village upon it as we passed by and stopt a little way below it within sight of it We were in a new Ship that was upon her first Voyage having never been abroad before and yet she knew her way almost as well as the Skipper For when we had here an Occasion to upbraid him for his Ignorance he confessed he had been this Voyage some Years ago in his younger time but had now almost forgot his way And this appear'd true for he thought it necessary to go over a Flat whereas there was a Channel round it and the Compass was not very large We saw a Ship bigger than ours and deep loaden sail half round us in that Channel while we were labouring and likely to have been fast upon the Flat tho' the Tide was then almost at the highest and we had but few people on Board and no heavy Lading at all After the Labour of two hours of more to proceed about the length of an English Mile and with the help of several strong Hands of Passengers added to those of the Skipper and his Mate we got into the right Channel We advanced very slowly having but little Wind and the disadvantage of a strong Tide which run against us as it was ebbing in the narrow Channel which runs by Tolen called the Vossemaer with all
our Labour we could sometimes hardly make head against the Stream we could therefore get but a little beyond Tolen this Night The Water comes into this narrow Channel from a Branch of the Schelde call'd the Ooster or Eastern Schelde The River Schelde Schelde in French Escaut in Latin Schaldis rises in the County of Picardyâ— it runs by Tournay Oudenard and Ghent after which having receiv'd the River Lyss it runs on to Dendermonde from thence to Antwerp and empties it self into the Sea among the Islands of Zeeland It divides it self here into two Branches one of which is call'd the Ooster or Eastern Schelde the other the Hondt or Western Schelde The Eastern Channel divides the Islands of Zeeland into two parts call'd the Eastern and the Western The chief and firmest of these Islands which make up the Province of Zeeland are Seven in Number Three of which lie on the East side of this Channel which are Schouwen Duyvelandt so call'd from the multitude oâ— Pidgeons it breeds and Tolen The Island Tolen has its Name from the City foremention'd Tolen It is a City well wall'd and compass'd with a good Ditch the Ramparts are high and planted with Trees in two Rows The City is but small the Houses are built with Brick after the manner common in Holland It seems to have but very little Trade or Business stirring in it It has had this Name from former times in which the Counts of Zeeland setled Officers here to take Toll of all Ships that past this way The other Four Islands which lie on the West side of the foremention'd Channel are North Bevelandt South Bevelandt with Wolversdyck between them this is now almost ruin'd by the two Waters which run on the two sides of it and Walcheren This last Island lies West of all the rest towards the Sea from which it is defended by such Sand-hills as lie along the Coast of Holland Besides these Seven there are several other little Risings of Ground which keep themselves always above Water scatter'd about among these Islands these bear good Grass but are not inhabited The Islands of Zeeland where they can be plow'd and sown bear excellent Wheat and in great plenty insomuch that 't is said An Acre of Land here will bear double the Crop of one in Brabant tho' one may also see very good Crops of Wheat in some Places there The Ground here is very rich but the Water is not sweet nor the Air good nor have they any Quantity of Wood for Fuel instead of which they burn Turf The Inhabitants apply themselves to the Sea and trade to all Parts a multitude of them employ themselves in Fishing and furnish their Neighbours with Fish they stock the plentiful Fish-Market at Antwerp Some think and the Daenish Histories pretend to it that the Islands of this Province were first possess'd and inhabited by a People out of Denmark where indeed there is an Island call'd Zeeland on which stands Copenhagen and 't is supposed the People came from thence and call'd this new Countrey by the Name of that from whence they came But if this were not so this Name might fitly be given to this Province for the Situation of these Islands They have been wont to reckon that there were Eight wall'd Cities upon these Islands one of these call'd Romers-wael is now no more the chief of all is Middleburg which stands upon the Island Walcheren a City rich populous and flourishing in Trade to all parts There were also reckon'd formerly upon these Islands 102 Villages but many of these are gone to wrack by the Sea They who go about to describe the Province of Zealand commonly say they can hardly pretend to give the present State of it because perhaps while they write the Sea may be making some considerable Alterations in it This is a thing which frequently happens sometimes the Sea joyns two little Islands together by throwing up a Bank of Sand between them sometimes it cuts off one part of an Island from the rest by throwing a Channel of Water in between them The People are forced to defend the Countrey with high Dykes or Banks of Earth rais'd up and these Banks themselves need a Defence to keep the Water from washing them away for they being but a loose Mold this very easily comes to pass if the Water can come at them To prevent which they make use of a Device which will seem strange to most People in England but which is very frequent here and on the Banks of many of the great running Waters in Holland They take the time of Low-water and lay and fasten upon the Shoar a Mattress of Straw which is two or three Inches thick which reaches from the lowest Ebb of Low-Water to the highest Rise of Spring-Tides and allows something more for the swelling of the Water by a strong West or North west Wind which usually raises the Water considerably here Out of the Vossemaer where we lay the second Night we sail'd the next Morning being the 15th of May into the Eastern Channel of the Schelde where we had the Land of Brabant still on our left side and the Island of South-Bevelandt on our Right In this Passage we sail along a Channel which is on both sides mark'd out by tall Boughs of Trees stuck fast in the Ground and which stand a good height above high-Water these are set the length of some Leagues and without them it were impossible to find the Channel which is but narrow and has no other Marks about it On the Right side of it is a large Tract of South-Bevelandt which has been long under Water It is so wide and the Land beyond it lies so low that one can hardly see any Land on that side This Tract contain'd 15 or 16 Villages of which nothing now is left but the Names of them still remain in the Maps in the Places where they stood On this drowned part of this Island stood the City of Romerswael Romerswael mention'd before opposite to Bergen-op-Zoom in Brabant and not above a League distant from it This was formerly the Capital City of this Island In this City to which it belong'd as a Privilege the States of Zeeland met to recognize and submit to a new Count of Zeeland in the Year 1549. The Water broke in upon this end of the Island and separated that part on which this City stood from the rest and since that time has so encroach'd upon it by degrees that the whole with the City is utterly ruin'd and drown'd there remains only where the City stood some pieces of the old Wall and a few Fishermens Cottages In this Passage we sail'd by Bergen-op-Zoom Bergen-op-Zoom but at a good Distance from it yet we have some Prospect of the Town and Fortifications because it stands upon a Ground which rises a little It is for this Reason call'd Bergen from Berg which signifies a Hill and op-Zoom for
this piece When they are open they show on the inside of them more of his excellent Work for he has drawn on one side the Visit which the Virgin Mary made to her Cousin Elizabeth On the other side I think he has represented the three Kings as they call them paying their Adorations to our Saviour at Bethlehem Rubens they say has set a very good Picture of his Wife on the former of these to represent the Virgin Mary Who was as Tradition tells us very handsome but very wanton and scandalous This puts me in mind of what is said to be a common practice among the Romanists in Italy and elsewhere which is That the Pictures made and set up in the Churches to represent the Virgin Mary are commonly good and lively Draughts of those lewd Women whom the wicked Painters most admir'd One sees them indeed usually the most beautiful Representations that the Painters Art can possibly reach But concerning this practice I think it may be asked them tho' not reasonably question'd Whether the Pictures of such Women in those places do adorn the Altar or profane the Church It is easie to determine how little a help to Devotion such Pictures must be especially while they represent more truely those Women who are known to be vile and filthy than the blessed and pure Virgin who was the Mother of our Lord. These Folding-doors when shut have another Picture on the outside newly drawn and very well done which if one should look upon it after reading the Heathen Story of Hercules one would conclude were a swinging Hercules with his Club. This is set to represent St. Christopher and so at its times this Altar serves St. Christopher for the Devotion to him It is a Picture of a very large Gigantick Man walking but who seems scarce able to go under the load he bears and therefore supporting himself with his Club which reaches up to his Arm-pit And all this ado is only to carry a very little Boy that sits astride upon his Shoulder and seems very waggishly to laugh at the pains which he takes to carry him The foolish Legend says Our Saviour put a trick upon St. Christopher in the appearance of a little Child He stood crying by a Brook of Water which he made show as if he must go over but was afraid it would drown him upon which the Saint took up the Child and toss'd him upon his Shoulder thinking to carry him as insensibly as a Fly but by that time he was got to the middle of the Water the weight of this Child grew so great that he was hardly able to walk or stand under him and full glad was St. Christopher whose Back was almost broke when he was gotten to the other side to be rid of his Burden Because he thus carried Christ as they say he had this Name of Christopher which signifies a carryer of Christ This indeed is a Story which the wisest among them do not think fit to build upon and therefore they pretend that this Picture is also symbolical and represents his carrying our Saviour about in the Country where he preach'd the Gospel which was chiefly in Lycia where they say he converted just 46000 People to the Christian Faith and suffer'd Martyrdom under the Decian Persecution But even this matter also is owned to be uncertain and a modest Author says We know nothing that is well assur'd of his Actions However he is commemorated as a Saint in Heaven by the Church of Rome on the 25th of July and that Church at a venture makes this Prayer with relation to Him at the Mass of that Day Grant we beseech thee Almighty God that by the Intercession of the Blessed St. Christopher whose Festival we celebrate we may be fortified in the Love of thy Name through our Lord c. It would be much too long a task to take particular notice of all the several Altars in this Church But certainly in the Church of the Blessed Virgin we must not omit to pay our Respects to the High Altar which iâ—dedicated to her And here besides the excellent Architecture worth taking notice of we see an excellent piece of the famous Rubens's drawing Assumption of the Virgin Mary This is the Altar-piece which represents the pretended Assumption or Ascention of the Virgin Mary into Heaven There is painted a beautiful Woman cloath'd with rich Silks mounting towards Heaven with Clouds under her Feet a Glory all above her and many Angels about her some admiring some adoring and some seeming to shoulder her upwards At the bottom of the piece is a Tomb open and many Men and Women about it some looking down into the Tomb some staring upwards and sheltring their Eyes with their Hands as if they would defend them from being dazled by the Glory above them They say she did die indeed and was buried but within three days afterwards she rose again from the dead and was taken up into Heaven And one would think by this representation of the matter that most certainly she ascended into Heaven as the Scripture says our Saviour did that is in the sight of many people and visibly attended by Angels in his glorious Triumph Thus is this matter constantly represented to the People in the Pictures of her Assumption and thus are they taught poor People by Pictures which in the Church of Rome are the Lay-mens Books to believe lies For there is not one bit of all this that is true The Apostles were Witnesses of our Saviour's Ascension and have testify'd it sufficiently to the World but as for that of the Blessed Virgin tho' the Romanists pretend many of them were Witnesses of that yet there is not a word said of it in any of their Writings nor do any of the Writings of the Ancients make any mention of it 'T is confest by a modest Author That after the Scripture speaks of her as standing by the Cross of our Saviour at the time of his Crucifixion and her being then recommended to St. John to be respected and taken care of by him as if she were his own Mother there is no more said of her in any Author that is certain either concerning the rest of her Life or concerning her Death Authors say indeed says he that she having liv'd at Ephesus with St. John died there at the Age of 72 Years in the Year of our Saviour 56 or 57 but this is not at all certain he owns as well as is not her Assumption which it would without doubt have been if it had been true For if ever the Spirit of God had design'd such Honours for the Virgin Mary as are paid her by the Church of Rome this Circumstance which is one great foundation and encouragement of them would have been order'd by the Divine Providence to have been ascertain'd beyond all reasonable doubt or contradiction as is the Ascension of our Blessed Saviour Another Author says Goddeau Hist de
purpose But to curse excommunicate murther and damn People as Hereticks because they do not believe and comply with such Stuff as this must be as much beside true Christian Charity as the other is beside a true Faith But let us look a little also into the Trick of the Fraternities and see how these are contriv'd and manag'd for the making provision for these idle useless Drones call'd Religious among whom the Christian Faith like stagnating Water has been so monstrously corrupted for want of being exercis'd duly in Works truly good And upon consideration of the matter we shall find these Fraternities to be as great and wicked a Corruption of Christian Religion as any is in the Roman Church or indeed as any can be To these Monks belongs the Fraternity of the Cord of St. Francis by Virtue of which many of the People are joyn'd to them coming to publick Worship constantly in their Meeting-Places and receiving all Administrations of the Divine Ordinances from them I shall give some Account of this from what themselves say of it in a Book written to recommend it to the People call'd The little Spiritual Wine-press or a short Account of the Original Worthiness Miracles Conditions Priviledges Fruits Indulgences of the far renowned Archbrotherhood of the holy Five Wounds and Sufferings of Christ nam'd the Cord of St. Francis It is pretended indeed that this Fraternity is set up to honour and commemorate the Sufferings of Jesus Christ but we shall find by understanding it that 't is rather design'd to honour St. Francis and to maintain these his Brothers To show how acceptable to God the Remembrance of Christ's Sufferings is they tell this Story of St. Francis He had they say such Compassion and Devotion to the bitter Sufferings of Christ that he would often burst out with Tears and cry and moan most bitterly as if Men were putting him to the greatest Torment Therefore Christ also honour'd him with the Marks of his holy Five Wounds to renew in the World the Remembrance of his Benefits and Love shown to us in his bitter Sufferings So the World is to remember the Sufferings of Christ by the Wounds of St. Francis and I doubt not 't is one Conformity of the pretended Saint to Jesus Christ that Men must expect to be sav'd by the Merits of his Wounds too They say that St. Francis hearing that Scripture read Provide neither Gold nor Silver nor Brass in your Purses nor Scrip for your Journey neither Shoes he immediately threw off his Shoes disposed of the little Money he had and his Purse too and laid aside his Girdle and instead of it girt himself with a Cord. But certainly if this Scripture is to be taken in the strict literal Sence for a common Rule St. Francis should have let alone the Cord and not have girt himself at all for even the Cord might be reckon'd a Girdle But for all that they tell us that through this Cord Almighty God has done many wonderful Works so that not only the Cord but also the Water in which the Cord had been wash'd would heal Diseases which signifies in what great Esteem men ought to hold this Cord. But is it possible for any man seriously to think it worth while for the Infinite Wisdom and Power to alter the Course of Nature and work Miracles for the Honour of this Cord Certainly nothing can be more impious and blasphemous than the ascribing to the great Sovereign and Author of the World the working Miracles on so trifling Occasions as they many times find for them in the Histories of their Saints which is as if the Divine Power like a paultry Jugler would show Tricks for the sake of showing them To go on Pope Leo X. granted to the Order of the Minor Brothers the Power to administer the Cord to all Christian People with great Indulgences and Priviledges Many Great and Noble Persons have born this Cord openly namely 4 Popes 48 Cardinals 2 Emperors 12 Kings many other Noble and a multitude of meaner People Sixtus the Fifth Pope of Rome through his pious and religious Charity establish'd in the Year 1586. this Archbrotherhood of the Cord of Assise for the purposes following In the first place to renew the remembrance of the Sufferings of Christ as is pretended but it might have been let alone for all this because Jesus Christ himself has left us a fit and sufficient memorial of them in the Sacrament of his Supper 2. He having observ'd how great Devotion many People bore to the H. Francis who yet had no opportunity to forsake the World and live under the direction of any of his 3 Holy Rules he therefore instituted this Brotherhood that they might at least in the wearing of this Cord become the followers of St. Francis be excited to all Virtue and might live and die in the love of God 3. And also that all faithful People through the whole World who afford daily Sustenance and Food to the minor Brothers may from the same Religious receive Spiritual Gifts and Assistances And this without doubt is the chief reason for this wise Institution to encourage and oblige an easie and abus'd Devotion to contribute real Benefits for the empty return of Imaginary ones Further to recommend this Brotherhood or wheedle the People are told that among other Privileges granted by God himself to the H. Father Francis this is one That he should release every Year upon the day of his Festival all the Souls of those of his three Orders and the Souls of those who have been Benefactors to them from the dismal Fire of Purgatory The mighty Privileges and Benefits belonging to this Fraternity are too many to be here enumerated but I shall mention some of them Those that enter themselves herein shall enjoy all the Indulgences and Favours granted to the minor Brothers They shall be partakers of the merits of all the Fasts Prayers Watchings and other good Works which are done through the whole World by those who live cloister'd in eternal Idleness the Order of minor Brothers the Clarisses the third Rule and by the whole Brotherhood of the Cord. They shall receive Plenary Indulgence upon the day of their coming into the Brotherhood once and at the day of their Death Upon all the Feast-days of our Saviour and upon all the Festivals of our good Lady upon St. Francis's day All-Saints-day and through the whole good Week before Easter This is granted by Leo the 10th Note That the Brothers and Sisters of the Archbrotherhood ought to seek of their Father Consessor who must also be a Minorite these great Indulgences and Absolutions Plenary Indulgence to all those of the Brotherhood who shall joyn in the monthly Procession of the Archbrotherhood and to those who are not of the Brotherhood but shall join in that Procession an Indulgence of an hundred Years At Ruremond Venlo c. upon the first Sunday of the Month at Brussels Bruges c.
is so very plentiful that in time of Peace it affords Provision for the greatest Concourse of People In the time of the Emperour Charles the Fifth 't is said there came together at once to this City 7 Crown'd Heads besides several other lesser Sovereign Princes and all of them were attended with a great Retinue They were reckon'd to bring together 18000 Horses yet there was no want of Provision for this great Company Between the two Walls of the City are the Court or Palace with the Park belonging to it the Palaces also of several of the Nobility of these Countries besides Gardens of the Citizens and some Meadows which make the City the more Healthy and Pleasant The River Senne which rises in the Province of Hainault on that side next to Brabant runs through the lower part of this City It divides it self into two Channels a little before it enters the City and then comes in almost at an equal distance on each side the Port of Anderlecht It makes several Islands in the City uniting and dividing its Streams several times It runs on in Brabant to Vilvorde a little Town upon the Canal and from thence falls into the Dyle below Mechlin This little River affords the Water which furnishes the great Canal This City is plentifully furnish'd beside with Springs of Water which feed some publick Fountains and serve also the private Houses and it is as good Water as is to be met with perhaps in any of the Countries of Europe Brussels has long been and still is the Seat of the Chancery of Brabant The Office of Chancellor is a great Dignity and of great Importance for he is reckon'd in effect the Governour of Brabant and a sort of Deputy to the Duke himself Other Courts also to which all this Province come upon several Occasions are held here There is in this City likewise an Ecclesiastical Court for the Diocess of Cambray to which all Causes Ecclesiastical come which do happen within that part of the Diocess that runs into Brabant Besides these things which occasion many People to come hither in these latter times Brussels has been the Seat and usual Residence of the Governour of the Belgick Provinces who has here kept his Court which has occasion'd a Concourse of the Principal Nobility and Gentry of these Countries and the building so many Houses for them as there are here It has Fifty two Colledges as they are call'd of Tradesmen which we in London call Companies and these are distributed into Nine Parts which are called here the Nations At Brussels the Art of making Tapestry now flourishes and some of the best in the World is made here some of the choice of which is seen in the Elector of Bavaria's Apartments in the Palace It is thought worthy to be the Furniture also of some of the finest Rooms in the Palaces of other Princes of Europe The present Governour of the Spanish Dominions in the Belgick Provinces under Charles the Second King of Spain is Maximilian Emmanuel Duke of both the Bavaria's and of the Palatinate Archdapifer of the Sacred Empire Elector Count Palatine of the Rhine Landtgrave of Leuchtenberg c. A Prince of great Renown tho' but in the prime of his Years glorious for Martial Conduct and Valour of which he has given many eminent Proofs He is a person of unwearied Activity and Vigour of a great Spirit has large Dominions and perhaps much larger Hopes He was absent when we were here at his laborious Pleasures of Hunting in which he takes great Delight so we could not see him The Palace stands in some of the highest part of the City It is built round a very large Court Behind it is a Descent of a great many Steps to the Gardens which lie in a little Valley between that and the Park There is an open Gallery of a good length on this side along which stands several Stone-Statues which represent some of the Ancient Dukes of Brabant From the Garden-Wall the Ground rises very steep and shows the Park above it to the lowest Rooms of the Palace The Park is planted with Lime-Trees in Rows and stock'd with Dear there are in it some wild Grotto's of Rock-work and all together affords a very pleasant short prospect to the Rooms on this side of the Palace We went out of the Park into a Garden where the Water-works are shown those we saw are in a long Stone-Building which stands in the Form of a Piazza the inside of which with the Pillars and Arches on the Front of it are cover'd with Mother of Pearl Sea-shels pieces of cragged Stones Sea-plants and the like The Water in one Division within sets on work several sorts of Handicrafts men as a Smith a Carpenter a Brace of Sawyers and others In another there is a pretty Cascade of Water in one there is an attempt of a perpetual Motion which cannot be describ'd so as to give a just Idea of it to one that has not seen it In short there are two men set at the two ends of a Ballance he at the left end as they are before us is heavier than he who is at the right end Therefore he descends and lifts the other up The other when lifted up holds a little Bucket to a small Spout of Water which falls into it and when that is full this man becomes heavier by vertue of his Water than the other and thereupon weighs the other up but in descending he spills his Water and the other immediately brings him up again While the Water is filling his Buckeâ— a small Wooden Ball slowly descends three rows of Wires falling from one to the other and at last drops into the Lap of the lower man by that time it is there the man with the Bucket descends with the weight of his Water and then this man rising carries up the Ball and throws it upon the uppermost row of Wires there are two Balls and the matter is so order'd that one or other of them is always in motion In another Division a Duck drinks but without lifting her Head I saw her empty several times a Shell of Mother of Pearl which the Servant held to her full of Water There is one Machine casts out the Water in the common Figure of a Start Other Water-works there are which we could not see by reason of the Absence of the person that must show them The Stables belonging to the Palace are very Magnificent and capable of holding above an hundred Horses Over them is a large Chamber which they call the Armoury Here are kept the Weapons and Armour used in former times but all that is here belong'd to Princes Some to the Dukes of Burgundy who were the Sovereigns of these Provinces before they fell to the House of Austria There is the Armour of several Emperours some very fine Armour of the Emperour Charles the Vth the Armour of some of the Princes who govern'd these Countries under the
it a Dutch Rhime signifying that The best means to drive away from our selves the Plague is to Honour St. Charles with Alms. There are Litanieâ— hang'd up in Frames before a place to pray at which the People are taught to say to St. Charles In the same enclosure are contain'd also as an Inscription tells us the Relicks of St. Dorothy who is there said to be a Patroness for breeding and Child-bearing Women I cannot find how this comes about or on what this esteem of her is built for she was as story says a Virgin Martyr The Church of Rome commemorates her on the 6th of February and in the Mass for the Day is this extravagant Prayer used Grant O Lord we may obtain the Pardon of our Sins by the Intercession of the Blessed Dorothy Virgin and Martyr who was always acceptable to Thes by the merit of her Chastity and by the Profession which she made of thy Vertue through our Lord Jesus Christ c. It is evident by this and many other of their Prayers that they even equal the Saints to our Saviour in the Office of Mediation Here they ask the greatest benefit Pardon of Sin by vertue of her Intercession and this Intercession of hers they expect shall prevail by the merit of her Chastity and Vertue Sometimes they mention the sufferings of Martyrs as what they hope shall prevail for them and even satisfie for their Sins Which things show how much they differ from true Christianity which as the Apostle has taught us acknowledges but one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus At an Altar of the Virgin Mary in this Church these Compliments are given her by Inscriptions about it Sedes Sapientiae and again Virgo Maria Illuminatrix Let it be judg'd whether these are not Attributes that signifie something may be expected from the Virgin Mary her self and that it is not true what the explaining People of the Church of Rome pretend That they only pray to the Saints to pray for them When the Virgin Mary is call'd the Seat of Wisdom and an Inlightner would not any one who believes this of her think that he might expect Wisdom and Illumination from her And when a Saint is call'd a Patron in such and such particular Cases the People are led to understand that 't is the Saint that helps in such cases by vertue of a Power given him from Almighty God For if praying and interceding be all their business one Saint may pray for any thing as well as another In this Church there is an Altar dedicated to the Holy Trinity as an Inscription tells us in these words Deo Triuno Sacrum The Altar-peice is a Picture such as they usually make for the dishonourable and Impious Representation of the H. Trinity One sees painted an old Man sitting in the Clouds with a tripple Crown on his Head a younger Man sits by him on his right hand holding a Cross and over them is a Pigeon hovering with a Glory about it The Church of St. Michael is said to be the oldest in Louvain It stands upon the Innermost Wall and the Gate-way through the Wall goes under the Church For this reason one cannot think that this was the first Church built here because no People would have set their Church upon the outermost Wall of the City as this was at first By a Printed Paper posted up within the Portal of this Church it was said That a plenary Indulgence was to be obtain'd there by all those who shall come and offer at the Altar of the Holy Trinity on the Feast and Octave of the H. Trinity which was now approaching for the Redemption of Christian Slaves out of the hands of the Turks And those of the Fraternity of the Holy Trinity who should come hither for this purpose were to enjoy all the Indulgences Benefits Priviledges which belong and are granted to the Fraternity of the Cord of St. Francis or to that of the Rosary or that of the Girdle of St. Augustine Very much but perhaps not all worth two pence Within the Church is an Altar to the Holy Trinity which seems much out of repair and deserted for which reason perhaps the aforesaid bait is laid to draw People hither There is a wretched Image of an Old Man over it which was all I could make out perhaps because it stands somewhat dark This Church is but mean in all respects There are in it two or three Altars to St. Michael where we see an ugly Image of him treading upon a Dragon By one of these Altars is a Box to receive Money and by it an Inscription which says That Offerings of Chairty should be given there to the Angel St. Michael that he may stand by us in the time of our need And he is there said to be the Patron against the Head-ach and burning Feavers We had spent as much time here as we could afford and were endeavouring to get from hence to Namur We found that there was no stated Carriage between these two places That we could not hire our Carriage for our selves but at an unreasonable rate and no man cared indeed to carry us that way it being out of the Road of business at present But to Maestricht or Brussels we might go because this was the time of year for using the Waters of Aix la Chapelle and this occasion'd them a great deal of employment in that Road. We had not secur'd our places in the Coach for Namur from Brussels and must perhaps have been forc'd to stay there longer than we could afford if we had gone back thither and so we resolv'd to go from hence for Maestricht thinking that perhaps we might from thence go conveniently for Namur This passage they reckon'd to us at 14 Hours but by reason of the badness of the Ways and the slowness of their travelling we made it I believe near 20 hours for it took us up two long days to get to Maestricht Passage from Louvaine to Maestricht ON Whitmonday according to the Roman stile we took our places in a Charrette that was bound for Maestricht We were in all 6 or 8 Persons in the Charrette and were drawn by 3 Horses We paid each person for this passage two Pattacoons at 48 Stivers each which came to 9 Guilders 12 Stivers for two of us We began our Journey about 11 a Clock before Noon went through a great part of the City and out at the Thienen Port so we left Park Abby a little on our left hand This is a House belonging to the Order of the Premonstratenses who were taken notice of before at Antwerp The place still retains the Name it had before it was taken to this Use The House stands in a Park a place made very pleasant by a little Wood near it and fine Fish-ponds a little Brook and curious Meadows This account is given of the place and tho' we could not see it I think fit to mention
wears as well as for other parts of buildings Sometimes where the Hill was very high and steep it was yet cover'd with mold and that all Planted with Vineyards from the top almost to the bottom these were new dress'd and stuck all over with the little Stakes which the Wires of the Vines were to lay hold on and so to hold up the Grapes a little from the Ground There are a great many of these Vineyards in the way and about Leige it self This had been an extream pleasant passage if we could have been sure of good weather and could have stood in the open part of the Boat for we had but little Windows in the Roof to look out at LEIGE THIS City call'd in Latin Legia Leodium and Leodium in Dutch Luyck and by the French Liege is Head of a large Bishoprick and Principality which is reckon'd a part of the Empire included within the Circle of Westphalia It lies along the Maese for the Bishoprick of Leige most part and on both the sides of it On the North and West it bounds upon the Dutchy of Brabant running a great way beyond Maestricht North-wards On the East it has on one part the River Maese for its boundary on another the Dutchy of Limburg Southward it borden upon Champaign and the Dutchy of Luxemburg It enjoys generally a very good Healthy Air and a good Soil it is plentifully furnisht with Corn Fruits Hops and has a great many Vineyards It makes a great deal of Wine but the most part of that is but small We drank the best Beer at Leige that we met with in all our Journey it is not inferiour to the best in England There are many Hills especially in the Upper part of this Principallity and they contain Mines of Lead of Iron in great abundance and they have also Veins of Vitriol and Brimstone They yeild also a great abundance of Coal which is plentifully burnt in this City Coâ—ls and the Country about from hence is Maestricht and other places upon the Maese furnisht with this fuel It is a very good black and shining Coal We observed both here and at Maestricht and at Aix la Chapelle a frugality in the use of this Coal which seems worth taking notice of The most of it is in great peices it being as it were hewn out of a Rock but in the working of these out and in the removing them from place to place there will be a great deal of Coal dust made This dust they carefully preserve and use it thus They take a certain sort of a fat Clay which looks somewhat of the colour of brick Earth and make it into a Morter working it with a convenient quantity of Water being thus prepar'd they mingle the Coal-dust with it as much as it will receive and work the whole Mass well together When they have done so they with their hands make up the mingled stuff into Oval balls somewhat lesser than Bricks These they lay to dry and harden and then they burn them They seem to take fire but slowly and to need for this the mixture of some of the pure Coal among them but when they are well kindled they give a great heat and they hold fire a long time They look of the colour of Bricks when burnt and cold again At Aix la Chapelle we observ'd they stuck this stuff up against the Wall in Cakes to dry there and there it would stick very fast till they beat it down for their use The Coal Mines which are chiefly used at present here are said to be very rich and not above a League distant from the City They afford besides what is spent here and in the Neighbouring parts enough to sell to other Countries at a cheap rate for an hundred thousand Crowns Yearly By vertue of the many Veins of Iron in this Country they cannot want Chaly beat Waters Accordingly within this Principallity is the famous Spaa which lies in the Marquisate of Spaa of Francimont not far from the City of that Name Distant from Leige on the East side of the Maese 5 Leagues from Limburg but one and a half To these Waters there is Yearly a great concourse of People from the Neighbouring and remoter Countries The Company begin to come together in the Month of July and continue there all the Hot weather The Bishopâ— of Leige stiles himself Bishop and Prince of Leige Duke of Bullion Marquiss of Francimont and Count of Lootz and Hasbain These are places to which these Titles belong under his Jurisdiction This Principallity contains 24 Wall'd Cities above 1200 Villages many Baronies and Toparchies We must take notice of Bouilson for the sake of the great and famous Godfrey of Bouillon so renown'd in the Holy War Godfrey of Bouillon There is now but the Castle or Fort on the top of a Hill which belong'd to that Family which by its Scituation and the works about it is judg'd Impregnable At the bottom of the Hill is a large Village where formerly stood a larger wall'd City of this Name This Castle has a Jurisdiction over a little Compass about it which has been Anciently Honour'd with the Title of a Dutchy and is still call'd the Dutchy of Bouillon from the Old City which was the Metropolis of it It in cludes a Tract of Villages intermingled with some limbs of the Great Forrest of Ardenne Bouillon lies upon the River Semoy which runs into the Maese a little below Chasteau Regnault It is distant from Sedan upon the Maese not above two Leagues This Dutchy was the Hereditary Patrimony of Duke Godfrey aforesaid This brave Man with his two Brothers Eustathius and Baldwin offer'd himself among the first for the Expedition to recover the City of Jerusalem and the Holy Land out of the Hands of the Mahometans in the Year 1096. In order to furnish himself the better for this Enterprize his Zeal to the Undertaking was so great that he sold this Dutchy to Audebert then Bishop of Leige with greater glory says my Authour to the Seller than to the Buyer In this War he and his Brothers gave eminent proofs of great Valour and Conduct So that in the Year 1099 Jerusalem was taken from the Infidels Duke Godfrey himself was the first Man that mounted the Walls and was followed by his Brother Eustathius This being observ'd when the Action was over Duke Godfrey was by an Unanimous Vote of the Army made King of Jerusalem He accepted the Honour and took the Government of it but refused to be Crown'd saying He would never think of wearing a Crown of Gold in that City where his Saviour had worn a Crown of Thorns He died within a Year after this and his Brother Baldwin was Crown'd King who is therefore reckon'd the first Christian King of Jerusalem There was in the Time of Guicciardine a Bishop of Leige Bishop of Leige whom he calls the most Reverend and Serene Prince and Lord
the Lord Ernest who was Brother to the Elector and Duke of Bavaria and Arch-Bishop of Cologne The present Prince and Bishop of Leige Joseph Clement is also Arch-Bishop of Cologne and Brother to the present Elector of Bavaria the Governour of the Spainsh Netherlands The common Revenue of the Bishop and Prince of Leige is said to be more than 30.000 Ducats per An. Besides which he that gains the Love of his People is assisted in extraordinary exigences with considerable Subsidies And he has in his Gift many Prebends and other Ecclesiastical Benefices He is chosen by the Members of the College of St. Lambert approv'd by the whole Body of the People and as all other Bishops of the Roman Church in a slavish subjection must be confirm'd by the Bishop of Rome The Episcopal See being transfer'd as has been said from Tongeren to Maestricht by St. Servatius it continued there under a long Succession of Bishops to the time of Lambertus In his time one Hubert of Aquitaine a Son they say of a Lord of that Country left his Country and came to visit Brabant led by the same of the prosperous Condition of Christian Religion in these parts He went to Maestricht and there contracted an intimate Friendship with the good Bishop Lambert After some time he had a desire to see Rome also which he went to fulfill While he was there news came to Rome that the People of Maestricht had Murder'd Bishop Lambert upon which the Pope of that time who was Sergius created Hubert Bishop of Maestricht and sent him thither It so happen'd that he was receiv'd by the Citizens with great appearances of kindness and Civility But he was so distated with the Murther of his good Friend their Bishop Lambert that he apply'd his thoughts from the very first to the removing of the Episcopal Seat to some other place And after some time the necessary preparations being made by Laws and the Approbation of the Pope being obtain'd he did in the Year 713 remove the Episcopal Chair to the City of Leige carrying with him thither the Body of his Friend St. Lambert He built the Noble Church which bears the name of S. Lambert and founded the College of Cannons belonging to it and liv'd the rest of his Life here in great Reputation for Piety and Vertue and since his Death he is thought worthy of that Veneration which the Church of Rome pays to some of the departed Saints and to those whom they account such The Pallace of the Bishop is a stately and Magnificent Pallace Structure It goes round 3 Courts the innermost of which is a Garden but I believe in no good Condition at present We would have seen the inside of the Pallace but they said the Rooms were unfurnish'd and we perceiv'd they had no mind to let us see what condition it was within from whence we supposed there was now nothing fine or worth showing to Strangers The usual Residence of this Prince he being Arch Bishop of Cologne is at Bonne upon the Rhine which may occasion this Pallace to be neglected The outermost Court of the Pallace is commonly pass'd through It is an Area bigger than that of the Royal Exchange in London and surrounded like that with a Piazza which is supported on the outside with a great number of Pillars Under the Piazza are Shops The beginnings of this Noble Building were made by the Excellent Erardus à Marca Bishop of Leige and Cardinal of whom more will be said anon The City of Leige is seated for the greatest City part of it on the West side of the Maese which runs along by it a great way The River makes here a very short turn in two Channels One of which and the lesser of the two compasses a good large Island which is all built and must be accounted part of the City to which it is join'd by several Bridges The bigger Channel of the Maese turns short of the other and runs between this Island and the place call'd the Wyke another part of the City which lies on the East side of the Maese It is a large place well built containing several Streets and seem'd to have its proportion of Trade with the rest of the City to which it is join'd by a good Stone Bridge cross the Maese which has 6 Arches under it A great number of Vessels lay all along by the City on both sides of the River We went along a good way by the Water side to observe what the Ware-houses there are stor'd with The greatest number were of those stockt with Iron and Iron-Utensils Some had great numbers of Bars of Iron others Iron Pots Backs for Chimneys Stoves Frying-pans Nails c. There were also great Stores of Marble squar'd for Floors many great Stores of Coals Some of Butter and Cheese some with Pitch and Tar and Cordage for Ships This City is very large and very full of People and seems to have a great Trade It stands part of it in a flat about the Maese aad a great deal of it runs up some very steep Hills The bigness of it cannot well be judged of by the sight though one can take several prospects over it all as we did with a great deal of pleasure because it hides it self from the sight in several steep Hollows and Descents There are some Vineyards above the City at the top and on the steepest part of the Hill within the compass of the Wall The Streets of the City have no beauty they are very narrow and few of them strait the buildings are much like the Old City of London They are commonly 3 or 4 Stories in height but those Stories are not very high ones The New buildings which are the repair of the Mischief which the Mareschal de Boufflers did with his Bombs in the late War are generally built after the common new Fashion and like our new buildings in London they are mostly built with Brick or Stone It was but a very small part of the Town which was hurt in proportion to the whole It is chiefly a little tract from St. Lamberts Church down to the Water-side and along by the Water somewhat above and below the Bridge to the Wyke The City House was ruin'd The front Wall of it is good part standing it does not seem by the remainders to have been a very great or Magnificent Building It stood upon the Great Market as it is call'd which is indeed the widest and most spacious place that we saw in this City but not very big We went up a very long Street and a steep Hill to the Cittadel which stands above the whole City Where having ask'd leave of the Corporal who was then in Duty there we were permitted to walk upon the brow of the Hill which overlooks the whole City and views the Country for a good way about upwards and down the River Here we could see the short turn which the River makes Our
prospect was for the most part bounded with Hills that were near enough for us to view distinctly what is upon them We saw some which show'd at the steep sides of them the Rocks which lifted them so high But the greatest part of our prospect presented to our sight a rich and useful Country The sides of the Hills cover'd with Vineyards the tops with Corn Fields the lower grounds were divided between Meadows Hop-grounds of which we saw many and Orchards and Gardens we see all this intermixed with many Houses and some little Villages it is certainly one of the most various and delightful prospects that which we had here VVe lookt down from hence over the tops of the Steeples in the City If our time and the fear of Rain would have permitted we could willingly have staid a great while here We went down from hence into the City another way on purpose to go through a Vineyard which we saw below us to observe something of the manner of such a thing which was new to us and went down a very steep descent by it which was made something the more easie by steps of Stone laid into the Hill but not without some care for our Necks This City is plentifully furnisht with curious Springs of delicate Water These feed some publick Fountains which run continually Many private Houses have a good Spring to serve them In Leige there are 8 Collegiate Churches 34 Parochial Churches and of those belonging to religious Houses so many as to make the number amount to above an Hundred in all The great Church of the City is Dedicated Church and Treasury of St. Lambert to St. Lambert who was mention'd before and he is honour'd as the Patron or Protector of the City There is by it a large Cloyster which goes round a Garden-Platt that is now neglected The Arch'd Roof of one side of the four that the Cloyster consists of was beat with the Bombs The Church is very large but has little Finery in it At the West end is a Chappel to St. Lambert at the bottom of the broad middle Isle with the Altar set within against the Partition We got Admission into the Quire upon our desire to see there the Treasure of St. Lambert What was shown us for this is as follows After they that show'd it had taken away from above the Altar at each end a Silk Curtain and behind that two boards there appear'd two things in Silver which were wrought into the form of a Church they were set one over another and seem'd to be all the four about 3 Feet long and a Foot and half in height One of them had a blew Enamel as I suppose for we kept with other Viewers a due distance in several Partitions upon it They did not stir these from the Places and they were set so that if they had Ends or another side of Silver we could not see it and therefore I do not doubt but we saw all of them that was to be seen There were three Men about the showing of these one with a Surplice on and the other two in Scarlet Gowns such as they wear when they attend at Divine Service Some People besides us that saw them fell upon their Knees at the appearance of the two first Pieces and continued so till the last were shown and all were cover'd again There hung up a large Silver Lamp before the High Altar by four times 3 good big Silver Chains and they very long ones too The Piece of Painting over the Altar represented the pretended Assumption of the Virgin Mary Over the Altar and over those things foremention'd at the bottom of the Picture stood four Farge and tall Silver Candlesticks with long Tapers of Yellow Wax in them In the middle of these upon a large Pedestal which seem'd to be Silver stood a very tall Cross which appear'd to be Silver gilt the Body upon it was Silver The Quire here is very large In the middle of it stands a large Tomb all of Brass On the West end of the Tomb is the Effigies of a Man as big as the Life in a Bishops habit kneeling upon a Cushion with his hands joyn'd and lifted up in a praying Posture and with his Face towards the Altar At the other end stands a Skeleton to represent Death who is put looking towards him and in the Posture of beckening to him and calling him between these two and upon the aforesaid Tomb lies a Chest which is somewhat roundish both in the upper and lower Parts of it along by this lies a Bishop's Brosier and â—all this work is in Brass Round the top of the Tomb there is an Inscription in Latin which signifies That Erard à Marca who govern'd this Diocess 36 Years built this Tomb for himself while he was yet aliveâ—nd in Health He has left behind him the repute of every good Man and is remembred with great Veneration and esteem as a great Benefactor to his Diocess He repaird many things in this City which were fallen to decay He rebuilt some necessary Castles from the Ground and the Walls of some of the Cities belonging to this Principallity he died much lamented in the Year 1538. We went into the Church of St. Andrew which is on the great Market-place at the time of Compline There hung up about the Church many Coats of Arms painted upon little Wooden Shields Under one was written with a Name these words Pastor hujus Paroechiae under another with a Name Captain of this Parish under another Lieutenant of this Parish There is a great deal of Marble in this Church about the Altar Pieces and well polisht of curious sorts and very handsomely built up and much of the flower'd Work of it was guilt with Gold The High Altar of the Church was very finely adorn'd we could not conveniently go up near enough to see what the Painting over it contain'd At the top of the Work about it and near the top of the Church was set up a very large Canopy of Scarlet Velvet as I remember with a Gold-galoon up on the Seams and a deep Gold-fringe round at the lower edge of it In the middle of this was an Embroidery of Silver to represent a Dove with Raies of Gold embroider'd all about as darting from it This was put up for the sake of Whitsontide we saw in some other Places the like thing upon this Occasion The Ornaments before the Altars here were very rich being of Scarlet and other colour'd Silks with many broad Gold-flowers upon them and some of them had a deep Gold-fringe laid across from one end to the other about a Foot distant from the top according to the usual manner At the East end of the North Isle was an Altar which had over it a piece of Painting that I shall take notice of In the upper part of it there is set their common absurd and impious Representation of the Holy Trinity towards the middle of
which they say burnt down Four thousand Houses It burnt down almost all the inner City and the greatest part of the outer But this Mischief is now perfectly recover'd the Water they say repairing the Harms of the Fire and indeed they have such Plenty of Water in this City that with good and orderly Management they might easily prevent its receiving much Harm by Fire There are many plentiful Springs of fresh and very good Water in the Town besides those which are hot and medicinal they feed several Publick Fountains which continually run wast The Water runs from some of them at ten or twelve feet high from the Ground from thence it falls into a great Stone Trough or Cistern and from thence is receiv'd for use by the Citizens The â—â—ot Baths here are of great Repute and bring great Gain to the City The Concourse oâ— People was very great at this time insomuch that we spent a great deal of time to get a Lodging and were forced to take up with a very indifferent one at last There were People here from Portugal and from England to use these Waters Charlemaigne made this City the Seat of his Empire on this side the Alps and by an old Custom the Emperors of Germany have been wont to be crown'd here It continued down to the Emperor Ferdinand the Brother of Charles the Fifth who was crowned King of the Romans in this City in the Year 1531 and was afterwards Emperor upon the Resignation of Charles the Fifth But this Custom has been of late relinquish'd and the present Emperor was crown'd at Frankfort the Place where according to Rule the Emperours are elected Charlemaigne spent good part of his Life here and at last died in this City in the Year of our Lord 814 and was buried in the Church which he built after he had liv'd 72 Years and reigned 47. After his Times in the Pragmatick Sanction this is call'd a Royal City and Imperial and Head of all the Provinces and Cities of the Teutonick or German Empire 'T is so call'd again in the time of Frederick the Second by some Charter of his dated January 1166. It has been a free City and govern'd by Magistrates and a Senate within themselves When it was deserted and neglected by the Emperors it was glad of the Favour and Countenance of its nearest and strongest Neighbours and some time it was under the Protection of the Duke of Juliers afterwards it came to own the Duke of Brebant for its Protector It was taken by the Marquis Spinola in the Year 1614 and from that time it seems to have been in some measure subject to the King of Spain For as we were told he receives a Revenue from this City and its Territory yearly which having been pawn'd to the States General together with many others for Money lent during the War they were said to raise here upon that score about 90000 Florins per An. This City is situate in a Valley but at one side of it so that part of the City runs up a good way on the side of a neighbouring Hill From the Wall on that side one has a wide and pleasant Prospect all over the City and a large neighbouring Valley to the Hills which bound that and our sight It looks very pleasantly by virtue of the Mixture of Trees with the Houses and of Orchards and Gardens especially towards the out-side of the outermost City There are within the City besides the hot Mineral Waters some cold Springs of Medicinal Water but these are now of little or no use especially since the drinking of the warm Water is come in Fashion The Streets are generally broad and airy The great Market-Place is very large bigger than what we had seen in some bigger Cities Upon this stands the Town-House a stately handsome Building and which looks great enough to become so Famous a City 'T is built of Stone and is observable at a distance by two high Towers which stand up at the two ends of the Front The Citizens built this House at their own Charge about the Year 1353. In the middle of the Great Market-place before it stands a Noble Fountain which was erected in the Year 1620. From a height of 14 or 15 feet or perhaps more there are 4 good Spouts of Water which continually run into a great brass Bason of 10 feet in Diameter and about 30 in Circumference it is said to contain in it 12000 Pounds of Brass From this Bason the Water descends again by six Channels into a large Stone Receptacle from whence it is convey'd in Pipes under Ground to the Houses of particular Citizens The whole Fountain is encompass'd by a tall strong iron Rail At the top of the Fountain stands an Effigies of Charlemaigne bigger than the Life in Brass He is arm'd Cap-a-pe has an Imperial Crown on his Head a Scepter in his Right Hand and a Globe in his Left his Face is set Eastward as looking towards Germany About the Pedestal which he stands on is this Inscription in Latin S. Carolus Magnus Patronus Restaurator hujus Urbis He it seems is reputed by the Papists the Patron or Protectour of this City The Hills within the adjoining Territory of this City are plentifully stor'd with Minerals Towards the Eastern Bounds which border upon the Dutchy of Juliers and the Brass Abbacy of Cornelis Munster they dig a good quantity of Lapis Calaminaris With this they make Brass in this City They put a good quantity of this Stone together with the red Copper of Swedeland and in a Furnace melt them together the Stone melts and incorporates with the Copper and changes the red into a yellow Colour and encâ—ases the quantity of the Metal from 70 Pounds to an 100. The Dutch and Germans do not distinguish these Metals as we do by the Names of Copper and Brass but call both Copper the one Red and the other Yellow Copper They dig from their Hills some Iron and an Ore that yields Brimstone and Vitriol and they have very rich Mines of Lead besides Plenty of Coal and Wood also for Fuel and Stone for Building In this City is one of the chief Manufactures of Needles perhaps in the World tho' Needles the Wyre which they make them of is not made here but comes from some other Parts of Germany We went to see some of the Work about the making of these They say they pass from first to last through 60 hands I believe they must reckon from the taking of the Iron out of the Ground to the sewer with the Needle to make up that Number and account to every Person as they should do two Hands They have a vast Machine which is mov'd with a Water-mill in which they brighten and smooth them because they become rusty by many Millions at a time during the several Works about them We did not see it going but could easily see how the thing is done They are
the North it meets the Dutchy of Cleves The Extent of this Dutchy is reckon'd to be about Twelve Leagues in length and Four in breadth The chief Cities of it are Juliers Dueren Aldenhoven Aken Berchem c. John William Duke of Cleve Juliers and Mons or Berghen c. the last Prince of that House died in the Year 1592. aged Forty Seven without Issue His Dutchess died suddenly in the Year 1596. Mendoza Commander of the Spanish Armies invaded the Country and notwithstanding the Opposition of Sibylla Sister of the late Duke with the Assistance which she could get from her Neighbours he possess'd himself of several of the Cities of that Jurisdiction At length this Princess dying the Family became extinct in the Year 1609. Upon this a Controversie arose between the Marquis of Brandenburg the Duke of Neubourg the Duke of Deux Ponts and the Marquis of Burgaw all Pretenders to the right of Succession by their Descents At length the Controversie fell to be between the Marquis of Brandenburg and the Duke of Newbourg only the Pretensions of the other being laid aside These Two went to fighting about the matter the Brandenburger being assisted by the States General of the United Provinces and the Duke of Neubourg by the Spaniards When they were well aweary of this Sport and could not determine the Controversie in this Way they agreed to divide the Spoil and the Elector of Brandenburg was allotted the Dutchy of Cleve and the Counties of Marck and Ravensberg and the Duke of Neubourg the Dutchies of Mons or Bergen and that of Juliers When we came near Altenhoven and from Altenhoven thence to Juliers the Country was mostly open and Champion but plow'd and sown and shew'd many good Pieces of Wheat and Rye and good beginnings of Barley Altenhoven is a wall'd little City and the Head of a Jurisdiction round it within the Province of Juliers but the meanest City that we had seen We observ'd the Wall to be in a ruinous Condition and the Gate which we went in at was beaten down almost to the Ground We went over Heaps of Rubbish in going through it We saw in our way through the City but one House that look'd any thing well and that was a Brick Building which seem'd an Inn all the rest was old and ruinous We only pass'd through without stopping and went out at another Gate in the same Condition with the former We had the River Roer to pass just before Roer we enter'd the City of Juliers This River call'd in Latin Rura or Rora has this Name they say from Roricus a Son of Clodoveus King of the Franks who was drown'd in it It is made up of a Confluence of some little Brooks which meet on the Frontiers of this Province It runs down by Dueren and from thence to this City and at Roermonde a City to which it gives that Name because it has there its Outlet which belongs to the Spanish Guelderland it enters the Maese We went over a very long Bridge upon this River just before we enter'd Juliers it is built of Timber and on the upper side of it against the Stream there was set very great Piles of Wood which were lock'd fast to the Timber of the Bridge and from thence went down slaunting into the Water The River was mightily swell'd with the Rain and with great Noise hardly went under the Bridge It was deeply ting'd with a reddish yellow the Colour of the Soil of the Country It s looking so broad and great made me aâ—k whether any Boats were wont to come up hither from the Maese but they answer'd there were none I cannot tell whether it might not be made Navigable JVLIERS Between Seven and Eight a Clock at Night we came into this City it is but little but a very ancient City Some Authors think it was built by Julius Caesar others think it was the Work of Drusus the Son-in-Law of Augustus Caesar who for his Conquests upon the German People was call'd Germanicus It is the head City of this Dutchy The Latines call it Juliacum the Germans Julich or Gulich and the French Juliers In the Year 1622. it was taken by the Spaniards under the Command of the Marquis Spinola The French King caused it to be restor'd to the Duke of Neubourg in the Pyrenoean Treaty made in the Year 1659 and since that time it has remain'd under the same Sovereign It is now well fortified having about it a good Wall and a Ditch and it is defended by a strong Citadel all which things seem to be in a good Condition and we found a good Garrison of Soldiers in it The Streets are most of them strait and broad so that one sees the Wall at one or both ends of them There is one great Church in the City which is Collegiate and several others which belong to the Religious Orders The great Church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary The Painting over the High Altar represents her feign'd Assumption She is there painted as ascending in the Clouds with many Angels about her attending and admiring her triumphal Ascent Above her are the Pictures of an old Man and a young holding between them a Crown as ready to put it upon her Head and over them is a Dove with his Wings spread and looking towards her There are some Jesuites in this City but they have no House as yet They have here in this Church a Chapel and Altar which they attend which is also dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Altar is adorn'd with a Picture of her Assumption In this Church there stood upon their Carriages Three little Images dress'd fine which had been carried in a Procession on the Sunday before being Trinity Sunday and perhaps were to represent to the People the Trinity whom they were to worship They were to be carried again we were told upon the Thursday following The lowermost of these in a Bishop's Habit was nam'd to us St. Nicholas the next to it was call'd St. Ambrose who was also furnish'd with his Miter and Grosier the upermost of all was St. Crispinus the Patron of the Shooe-makers St. Crispin Trade amongst the Romanists They had set him with a Crown on his Head and with the Robes of a King of Scarlet Silk but with the Knife that Shooemakers use to cut out their Leather with in his Right Hand which he held up instead of a Scepter Why they make him a King I cannot tell 'T is said that he and his Companion Crispinian were Shooemakers by Trade but also great Preachers of the Gospel and that they suffer'd Martyrdom at Suissons in the Persecution of the Emperour Dioelesian It is an absurd Story that is made of the Acts of their Martyrdom but because it is not long I will relate it as Bishop Godeau Hilt de â— Eglise Tom. 2. p. 28 c. gives it from Surues The Governour and Persecutour Richiovarus caused them to be seiz'd and
Juliers to Colen COnsidering them we got up very early the next Morning having a long and tedious Journey as the Ways were to reach to Colen We passed through a Valley for about the space of half an Hour upon a pav'd Cusway from Juliers between rich Pastures and Corn-Fields Then we gradually mounted to a higher Country but the Soil being a sort of Clay it was very wet still Soon after our ascending we enter'd a vast Wood which our Foreman or Charioteer call'd the Wood of Steintrasse from a Village of that Name which Steintrasse we pass'd through at the edge of it There was a very broad Track through the Wood which is the Road and it is pretty strait so that we commonly could see some Miles before us but as broad as the Road was we could hardly pick out a tolerable Path the Ground was every where so soft and full of Water The tall Wood was chiefly Oak and Beach there was a great deal of Underwood for the most part and that was Alder chiefly which grows on moist Grounds best all the Wood seem'd very flourishing and large in its kind There were cut in this Wood many Thousands of Pallisado's I suppose design'd by the Government for the Improvement of some Fortifications In all this Passage which was of several Hours through this Wood we saw to wild Beast though without doubt there are of several sorts here only one Deer walk'd cross the Road at a distance before us We spent I believe at our slow Rate of travelling Three Hours in and by this Wood. This Village of Steintrasse was all over Mud and Dirt. The People trod almost to the mid-Leg in Dirt when they stept out of their Houses The Walls of their Houses were unwhited Clay and the Cover Thatch and Clay mingled We saw on one side some plough'd Grounds belonging to the Village About Eleven a Clock before Noon we came to the River Erpe or Erffe which we Erpe River were to pass to Berghem on the other side of it This River rises on the Frontires of this Dutchy Southward and runs into the Rhine by Nuys in the Bishoprick of Colen It was now exorbitantly swell'd by the Rains and put us in some Care how we should get over it There is a Foot Causway rais'd a little through the Meadows which goes to a small bridge over the River but now Bridge and Causway both were cover'd with Water And though it was common for Charrettes with their Passengers to ford it conveniently enough we could not have done this now without being wet even in our Charrette almost to the Waste and besides our Horse who must for sometime swim would have been hard put to it to have had any thing more to draw besides the Charrette and Driver We therefore with the Company of Two other Charrettes went into a sorry Naken to be ferry'd over The River run very fierce but we went cross on the lower side of the Foot Causway which somewhat defended us from the force of the Stream We got over safe Thanks be to God and went to our Dinner at Berghen while we left our Foreman and his Horse to take theirs on the other side This is a small wall'd City but seems poor and inconsiderable but is the head of a small Jurisdiction about it Here is a Synagogue of Jews publickly tolerated After Dinner we pursued our Journey tho' very slowly because our Horse fell sick And besides this after we had gone a little way upon a Level we began to mount the Hills which we saw when we were on the other side of the River We could see this Ridge of Hills for a great length together both upwards and down the River and it seem'd to go on both Ways beyond our sight Northward and Southward It lies along very steep on this side towards this River which occasions a sudden shoot of the Water from it and by consequence the great swelling of this River These Hills are however in many Places such as that they are plow'd and sown and there are Orchards and Pasture-Grounds upon them to serve the Villages which are thick set upon them And these are shelter'd by frequent Woods which possess the steepest Parts of the Hills When we had mounted upwards above an Hour and observ'd that the Country rose still above us and that our Horse grew more faint we took pity upon him and contented our selves since we could not possibly get to Colen with him this Night to rest here that he might not be too far spent and might be the better able to carry us on the next Morning We were the rather induced to this because the Weather was now clear'd up and we were in hopes the rest of the Afternoon would be fair and we were got a good way up the Western side of the Hill on which the Sun now shone very pleasantly we could have a large Prospect about the Country and were upon a good dry Place for walking And to all this after we had enquired at several Houses in this scattering Village and were denied at length we came to one which promis'd us a Bed It was a new House too and so we supposed might not be so nasty as the old ones seem'd to be Besides we were promis'd here that if our Horse should not be able to travel next Morning the House would furnish us with a good Ichendorp one that should do our Business The Name of this Village is Ichendorp It lies scatter'd about in several Patches of Houses distant from one another on this side of the Hill They have a handsome large Church built of Brick I had a mind to see both the Country Parson and his Church It cost me a Mile's walk to find his Dwelling I came to a sorry House where they told me he lodg'd but he was not within so I could see neither I spent some time of the Afternoon in walking among the Woods which were near our Lodging and from thence had a large View of the Country Here Nightingales and other singing Birds abound and at this time fill'd the Woods with their charming Musick We went by Day-light to our Bed which we found a very sorry one and therefore lay down in our Cloaths as in like Cases we were often forc'd to do in this Journey We had one Relief in the Badness of our Lodging that if we could not sleep we were entertain'd with the Nightingales in the neighbouring Woods who sung sweetly all the Night We roused betimes and found our Horse somewhat recruited and thought able to carry us to Colen and in the space of Six Hours he brought us thither with much ado From our Lodging we ascended a good while Towards the top of the Hill we found our selves in a Wood and had several successive Ascents in that We were some Hours upon this Ridge of Hills before we came to look down on the other side of it and we pass'd through
so much coveted and valued it is for a pretence of Indulgences to those who shall visit them and they are granted for the sake of Offerings for 't is always understood even when 't is not express'd that no Man obtains any Indulgence by being present at a Mass at any Altar or Chappel whatever unless he drops there his Offering great or small and which must be given according to his ability Against a Pillar on the other side of this Church is a Picture of a Man at full length which is pretended to be a true Picture of St. Francis and drawn as I remember from the Life it has a pale meagre look which perhaps he could not help but it is melancholy and peevish too which is a Fault in one that is pretended to be a mighty Saint to their commendation be it spoken these his Children look much better Under the Picture is written what is pretended to be the Blessing which St. Francis used over the People to deliver them from Plagues and Diseases It is all of it the same word for word which Moses by God s Direction taught the Jewish Priests to use but I think it is not the whole of that I must not lanch into the Praises of St. Francis or which is all one go about to give an account of his Life this is an Ocean in which if I had one of these Brothers for Pilot I should yet be in danger of being lost as others have been I shall therefore refer my Reader to the Liber Conformitatum Sancti Franscici cum Jesu Christo in Fol. written by a worthy Minorite wherein he shall see how little St. Francis came below Jesus Christ in his Life or â—iracles if the Author may be believ'd But I would have him read too the Alcoran of the Minorites that he might be disposed to say Glory be to the God of Truth and eternal Shame to the Father of Lies and his Children This Commonwealth City will suffer the Lutherans at Colen profession and publick exercise of no other Religion in it but their own that is the Roman and Popish Religion Some few Lutherans dwell among them but are forced when they will go to publick Worship to cross this vast and rapid River the Rhine and go about half an hour's Journey on the other side to the City of Mulheim which is in the Dutchy of Bergen or Mons and under the Jurisdiction of the Duke of Neubourg whom we are now coming to visit Passage from Colen to Dusseldorp VVHEN we came to Colen we projected to have gone down the Rhine by Water but upon enquiry they told us That at present no Boats went downwards The reason of which was that the Rhine was so swell'd with the great Rains and had so overflow'd the Neighbouring Country that they could not well find the Course of the Channel and if any high Wind should rise it would be very dangerous This put us who could not stay upon a necessity of Travelling by Land all the way down this River from hence Our Passage upon this account was more chargeable and I doubt not more tedious too for this very swift River would I believe have carried us much faster than we went by Land at our slow rate of Travelling We were resolv'd however to see the chief Cities downwards from hence which stand upon the Rhine and by our Land-travel had the better Opportunity of seeing what the Country is all the way On the 31st of May then we hired our Passage in a Charrette for Dusseldorp we paid but a Gilder for each Person as I reckon'd it was in the Money of the Country thirty Stivers Money They reckon sixty of their Stivers in their Rix-Dollar but a Rix-Dollar Spanish or Dutch which is otherwise call'd a Pattacoon and goes ordinarily for forty eight Stivers in the Netherlands they reckon'd worth seventy two of their Stivers To set down therefore our Expences as exactly as I could while we were in these Parts in a just proportion to the Netherland Money I consider'd the proportion between seventy two and forty eight and found the former number exceed the latter just one third part Therefore when I set down our Expences in this Money which I did till I came to Nimmeguen I reckon'd in our Account two thirds of the number of Stivers which they had of us But it may be observ'd that altho' we had the same propottion to observe after this yet the Money of Colen would go no further than in the Jurisdiction of the Duke of Neubourg and the Money of Colen and Neubourg would not afford us the value we took it at in the Country of the Electour of Brandenburg but we chang'd but little of our Gold at a time and so suffer'd the less loss The Gold we carried was French Louis d' Or 's which yielded us the same Rate through all our Journey We had but one Person in our Charrette besides two of us and so had but one Horse to draw us It is reckon'd a Passage of six or eight Hours by Land after this manner of Travelling I believe we were near twelve Hours in passing two of which were spent where we baited Our Journey was for the greatest part of it on the same side of the Rhine that Colen standâ— on and also within the Bishoprick of Colen All our way was through a till'd Corn Country and open Fields The ways of this day's Journey were very good as the Weather was and we had some pleasure in our Passage I believe the goodness of the way not so much due to two dry days as to this that the Ground of this whole Passage was somewhat lighter and less a Clay than that we had in crossing the Country but had in it very good Crops of Wheat and Rye and I believe the chief Reason of it to be that this way is not so much frequented or travell'd as the other by reason that for the most part People may pass upon the Rhine to be sure 't is freed from heavy Carriages which do most harm to the ways and which the Conveniency of the River frees these from The Valley seems on this side to be four or five Miles wide between the Hills we came over and the Rhine and it seem'd to be a flat on the other side as far or farther In our way this morning we met a flock of foolish Pilgrims they were Men Women and Children Our Road was for the most part at a good distance from the Rhine and out of sight of it We pass'd by Wering in the morning leaving it at a distance on the right Hand it seems a good large Town and stands on the Bank of the Rhine in the Bishoprick of Colen About the middle of our way we staid to refresh our selves at a Village call'd Dormagen this with some other Dormagen little Villages with a small compass about them on this side of the Rhine are reckon'd to the
which is a great Brick Building like the common Seats of the Barons of these Countries which are commonly call'd Castles Several of which we met with in our Journey and after the Model of some of our old Mannours in England and the whole is encompass'd by a broad deep Moat which was almost big enough to have serv'd for a Town Ditch We may say it is deep because it was of a great depâ—â— From the top to the Water that was in it The Foundation of this Tower down to the Water and somewhat above Ground was made of great square Free-Stone above this all the Building is Brick I do not remember that I saw any where in the Wall on the outside of the Court any Places to let in Light or from whence any could look out It is built very high but in Three Parts The lowest part goes up of an equal bigness to about the height of Three or Four good Stories round the top of that there seem'd to be a Battlement The second part above this is somewhat less than this lower one and stands as within it a little That also like the first goes up all of a bigness and seems as tall as the lower and to have a Battlement at the top The third and highest part is set a little within the second seems not so tall as the other and has Battlements at the top The whole Building seem'd compleat and sound and had no appearance of any ruine or decay about it The Building about the Court look'd decay'd We purposed it being now almost dark to come the next Morning and examine it a little further but our Foreman hurried us away very early and so disappointed us From the Circumstances of the Place I judge this must have been a Watch-Tower or a sort of Castle to view and command here a considerable Pass between it and the Rhine We left this wretched Place betimes in the Morning on the 3d. June and pass'd on for Emmerick The first part of our Journey for about an Hour and a half was over a vast wet moorish Common there were some Cattle feeding in it here and there up to the mid-leg in Water and it seem'd that the Places where the Water stood so were the best for them for these look'd the greenest Our Path through it was sunk a little below the rest sometimes and then full of Water After we left this Common our Way was but indifferent till we had pass'd about Two Thirds of our Journey towards Wesel and then we had a dry Way upon some Downs When we came to the River Lippe that and the Riuer Lippe Rhine were so swell'd with Rains that we could not use the ordinary Ferry here nor go the direct and usual Way to Wesel We waited a great while therefore for a Naken which could carry us where the Ferry-Boat could not and which was on the other side the Lippe and almost a quarter of a Mile above our Place When that was come we hung our Charrette at one end of it stow'd our Two Horses and above a Dozen People in it and mounted the Stream of Lippe which was now very broad till we came to the convenient landing Place This River call'd by Tacitus Luppia comes down from the Dutchy of Westphalia where it has upon it the City of Lipstadt It falls into the Rhine on the right side We had near an English Mile to go from the Place where we landed of this River to Wesel It is they say navigable a great way up into the Country Wesel call'd in Latin Vesalia is one of Wesel the chief Cities in the Dutchy of Cleve It stands upon the right Bank of the Rhine and the more convenient for Trade by reason of the Neighbourhood of the Lippe which is navigable up into the Country This City has been several times taken and retaken between the Armies of the Spaniards and of the States General At last Frederick Henry Prince of Orange Commander of the Armies of the States took it by Stratagem and Surpise in the Year 1629 in the Quarrel between the Marquis of Brandenburg and the Duke of Neubourg fore-mention'd It remain'd with several other Cities in the Dutchy of Cleve in the Possession of the States as a Pawn for Money lent the Electour of Brandenburg in that War And being thus as it were between Two Masters it was not so well look'd to or provided for as it should have been and so was easily taken by the French in the Year 1672 when they made their sudden and unexpected Invasion into Holland But this with the other Cities were restor'd to the Electour of Brandenburg by the Treaty of Nimeguen since which time it has remain'd under that Prince And now it seems better look'd too As we enter'd into it we observ'd a good Fortification about it There is a good Garrison of Soldiers in it they examin'd us strictly at the Gate what we were and whither we were bound The Streets are fair and large the Houses well built much after the Holland Fashion There appear'd in it abundance of Shops and they plentifully stor'd with all sorts of Commodities Many People were passing in the Streets and every thing look'd in a good Condition so that in general it seems at present to be rich populous and flourishing It seems to be chiefly inhabited by those of the Reform'd Religion We passed through a great part of it and saw no where any Marks of the Romish Superstion in publick Yet the Papists have here some of those they call Religious Houses and this is a pleasant and convenient Place for them We did not stay here but just long enough to eat a little Breakfast which we needed the more for having travell'd this Morning three or four Hours and for being disappointed of a Supper the Night before by reason of the Nastiness of the Provision that had been made for us so we had no Opportunity to view much or make any Enquiries concerning this Place Our Way from hence was through a low A Dyke on the Rhine rich Country all enclosed and used The bigger half of our Way to Emmerick was upon a high-rais'd Causway which runs along this part of the Country at some Places at a good Distance from the Rhine at some places just upon it We came upon it about an hour before we came to Rees For the most part as we pass'd this Dyke we had a great deal of Water on our left Hand which was from the Swelling of the Rhine which at this time covered along here some thousands of Acres of good Land some Meadows and some plough'd Ground In some places it came to the very Dyke so deep that it left nothing but the Tops of the Willows which run along by the Divisions of the Meadows to be seen And at the same time we were so far off the Channel that we could not see any thing like it Oftentimes we found the Land
within the Dyke on our right Hand full of Water too it being a low Country but such as that a great deal of it was plough'd and sown tho' â— doubt for little Advantage to the Husbandman this Year This Dyke was for the most part too narrow for two of our little Charrettes to go abrest but some places were made broader where if any met they might pass by one another and they could see one another at a Distance so that the first that came staid till the other was pass'd by The bad Weather was the Occasion that the Road upon the Dyke was a little broken and the Tracks of the Wheels sometimes deep on one side and sometimes on the other and there was no choice of Way by reason it was so narrow This put our Driver to a great deal of Care and us in a seeming Danger of being often tumbled over in which Case we must of Necessity have tumbled down the Dyke and have hazarded some Limbs where we had fall'n dry or drowning if we had fallen into the Rhine The River I said washes this Dyke in some places and that it may not wash it away the Country People fortifie it with wattled Boughs and Bushes stak'd down upon the Ground We did not go into Rees but our Foreman baited his Horse at a Place near it where we refresh'd our selves with a Glass of extraordinary good Mum. Rees appear'd to us a little City well fortified Rees This sort of Way lasted with us to Emmerick and by Reason of our slow and careful going upon it I believe it took us up four or five Hours We were glad and thankful to the good Providence of God when we came to Emmerick that we were got safe and without any ill Accident through so much appearing Danger Emmerick commonly call'd by the People of Emmerick the Country Embrick by the Latines Embrica Emmerica and Emmeriacum is one of the largest Cities in the Dutchy of Cleves This has followed the Fate of Wesel and is also now in the Possession of the Electour of Brandenburg It is a large City but seems not to be so big as Wesel nor in so flourishing a Condition It stands on the Rhine too on the right Side There were but few People that appear'd here in the Streets and it seems to have no great Trade or Business There was a Collegiate Church founded here by S. Willibroerd Bishop of Utrecht about the Year of our Lord 700 whether it remains such still or not I was not inform'd But the two Parish-Churches of the Town are both in the Possession of the Papists besides which they have also here six or seven Churches belonging to Religious Houses The Jesuits have here a College and a great School and are very rich I came too late to visit them and was now hastening homewards The Magistrates of this City under the Electour of Brandenburg are of the Calvinist Sort. These have however I was told but one Place of Worship It is indeed too little for them and therefore they are about building a larger The Walls and Cover of it are up It is a large square Brick Building The Protestants also have here one good Congregation and a Publick Toleration and Place of Worship We were resolved to go from hence to Cleve but were told it would be a Trouble and excessive Charge to go with a Charrette because we should have two broad Waters to pass over and the Road was not very good We enquir'd then what a sort of Foot-path there might be thither for we were by this time well aweary of the sorry Charrettes we had been so much in and this they said would be but a Walk of two Hours They told us the Foot-path was very good therefore we hir'd a sturdy Fellow for a Guilder to carry our Portmantle and resolv'd to walk it We set out about six a clock in the Morning from Emmerick At the Walls of the Town we took a Boat to cross the Rhine It was a large and deep Boat and I believe contriv'd to bear a little Tossing which it must needs be sometimes liable to by a Reason of the great Breadth of the River here We were so early that we had very few Passengers with us and no Horse nor Charrette By the help of a large Sail and a small Gale of Wind we cross'd the broad River in a little time Our Way was sometimes overflow'd with Water and we were forc'd to go about At the Middle of our Walk we were come to the second Water we had to pass which as it was now swell'd seem'd as broad at least as the Channel of the Rhine This is ordinarily no very broad Channel it comes out of the Rhine at some Distance above Emmerick on the left Side the River and goes into it again below near Griethuyseâ—â— the Country People call'd it to us the Old Rhine Here is I think a Ferry-boat which is ordinarily used near the Place where we pass'd this Water but this now could not be used We met more Company at the Water and loaded a Naken with People and Horses and a Charrette at one end of it so that it sunk almost to the Brim We were convey'd a good Way among Orchaâ—ds and between Hedges and Rows of Willows in this Boat which signified that a great deal of Ground was here overâ—low'd We were a great while a getting over but came safe and had a very dry convenient Walk on the other side and reach'd to Cleve by eight a Clock in the Morning CLEVE This is certainly a very ancient City and was perhaps first built and inhabited by the Romans who gave it the Name it has from its Situation 'T is very probable it might begin with a Castle or Fort as many Cities have done and the Tradition of the Place is that a Castle was built here by Julius Caesar The City is call'd Cleve by the French and Cleef by the Inhabitants and both these Names are evidently deriv'd from the Latin Words Clivis or Clivia which signifie the steep side of a Hill and such there is great deal of here The present Castle which they say is upon the Place where that of Julius Caesar was built and where they pretend to show some Remainders of his Building stands just upon the Brink of a deep Precipice From thence the Hill descends more gradually another way to a little River which runs by the City and falls into the Rhine not far below it and carries good large Boats for Goods or â—assengers to and from the Rhine On this gradual descent of the lowest Hill and partly up the side of another above it the City is built It is but a small City but is well peopled being a very pleasant and healthy Situation and though it is not the biggest it is nevertheless the chief City of the Province It gives the Name to the whole Dutchy of Cleef and has been the usual Seat and Residence of
agreeable to a German Soul At another Place the Water comes up through a Pipe very quick and raiseâ— a wooden Ball about Four Foot high from the top of the Pipe and keeps it at that heighth twirling in the Air. As one enters this Place there stands an Obelisk of Stone on the Pedestal are laid five great Globes of Stone and upon them the tall Pillar stands At the top of this is an Effigies of Prince Maurice of polish'd Steel The Memory of this great Man is very fresh and much honour'd here and we shall have something more to say of him anon In this City the Magistracy under the Electour of Brandenburg are of the Calvinist sort but he tolerates every other sort of Religion here with the Indifferency of the Dutch in that matter The Anabaptists have a Congregation here The Protestants have a good large Church encompass'd with a Church-Yard but the Papists are a great Proportion of the People of the City They are in Possession of the great Church as 't is call'd and of the Revenues belonging to it This stands high and is visible long before one comes to the City by two Turrets at the West end of it This is a Collegiate Church and entertains about fifteen Chanoines The Person that show'd it us said they possess all the Revenue that they ever had but it is but small We saw nothing fine in the Church but all was in a pretty good Condition There are two large Monuments of Dukes of Cleve which contain them and their Dutchesses and their Children but are very naked and plain Here they pretend to have the Relicks of some of the famous Companions of St. Ursula who St. Uâ—sula were says Story but Eleven thousand in all and all Virgins they came from Brittaine were taken in a Storm at Sea and drove above an hundred Miles within Land up the Rhine to the Country near Colen There they died all together by the barbarous Huns and Alans when they over-run that Country Some think that the making them amount to so extravagant a Number was occasion'd by mistake and that they were indeed but Eleven in all besides St. Ursula Some ignorant Monk took these Notes XI M V as signifying Eleven thousand Virgins whereas they were intended to fignifie Eleven Martyr'd Virgins But however after him the infallible Tradition of the Roman Church votes for the greater Number among the People and the Governours of the Church are willing to let it run so because that Number will best serve to countenance the abundant Relicks of these Virgins which in many Places are pretended to Bishop Godeau says That in many Churches of France there are Heads shown which are pretended to have been the Heads of some of the Companions of St. Ursula In this Church within a strong Iron Grate to preserve these precious Relicks are seen a Number of Skulls I suppose about eight or nine which they say were the Heads of some of these Virgins and a multitude of little Pieces of Bones are laid up against the Wall which they pretend were theirs and under these things is a Tomb where they say three of their Bodies are interr'd The Church of Rome solemnly commemorates these Virgins on the 21st of October but under the Name of St. Ursula and her Companions without determining the Number because though they believe it not themselves they are willing to continue the pious Fraud if any such there be among their People In the Mass for the Day at a Venture they make the following Prayer O Lord our God may it please thee to grant us the Grace to Reverence with a continual Devotion the Victories of thy Holy Virgins and Martyrs Ursula and her Companions to the â—â—d that although we cannot worthily solemâ—â—â—e their Triumph we may nevertheless be faithful to render them our humble Respects by c. There is also an Order of Nuns that are particularly devoted to St. Ursula they are a Branch of the Augustines but distinguish themselves from the rest by their Devotion to St. Ursula we met with their Houses in many Places of this Journey They began in Italy 't is said where they were approv'd by Pope Gregory XIII in the Year 1572. Yet after all 't is most probable there never was any such Person and Godeau honestly says in his Church History that the Story is full of manifest Falsities I waited upon the Protestant Minister here Lutherans for the sake of seeing his Church and acquainting my self with their way of administring the publick Worship He receiv'd me very civilly and testified great Respects for the Church of England He has also mighty Veneration and Esteem for our King whose Renown and Praises he has publish'd in Latin and High Dutch Verse I saw in his House a Picture in black and white of Martin Luther it represented him with a fuller Face than I had seen before but he said it was very exactly taken from a Picture of him which had been drawn from the Life in the Country where he liv'd It was all done with a Pen and is no bigger then might be cover'd with a little Hand That which seem'd most curious in it is a small Writing in High Dutch Language but in Latin Letters so curiously laid about it that some very artificially makes the Folds of his Gown some is turn'd about upon his Head and makes a Bush of curl'd Hair and two Lines over each Eye form his Eye-brows The Writing contains several remarkable Passages of his Life As the Picture hung up against the Wall tho' but at a little Distance I could not perceive that any of this was Writing but when it was in my Hand I could distinguish the Letters plainly and spell the Words I went into his Church which is a good large one and will hold a multitude of People yet by the Encrease of his Congregation they are forc'd to enlarge their Room The Communion-Table stood here upon an Ascent of one Step at the East End of the Church The Book of Liturgy was upon it and is used there I saw it contain'd their Spiritual Songs and Psalms and Forms of Prayer Over it against the Wall was somewhat a confus'd Picture representing the Benefit which good Men received by the Blood of Christ before his Coming as well as in the Times of the Gospel It might be said to be an Emblem of that Text Jesus Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever Here again I understood that the Rites and Methods of Administring the Publick Worship in the Lutheran Congregations are different in several Provinces and Countries yet Lutherans wherever they come join with Lutherans and scruple not to conform to what they find practised in such indifferent Matters We were told of a small Collection of Roman Antiquities at a Place call'd Bergendale about a Mile from the City we went to it in the Way to Zante upon the Hill being charmed with the Pleasantness of it For
deriv'd from the Latin Batavia and shows this to be the Country which the Romans call'd by that Name At that Point of Land is a large and regular Fortification call'd Schenckenscans Schenckenscans This belongs to the States-General and lies so as it Commands both these Channels of the Rhine Nimmeguen is situated on the left Bank of the Wael It is a large City the Area of it something more then half a Circle It is encompass'd with a good Wall and a Ditch and fortified with a convenient number of Bastions It stands upon a Ground which rises considerably from the River but very gradually But at that side which is uppermost upon the River the Ground stands very high and comes a steep Cliff to the Water Upon that Place is built a large and strong Castle which commands the River upwards and downwards and some of the adjacent Country This Castle they pretend was built by Julius Caesar or rather restor'd and improv'd by him The Streets of this City are generally broad and airy they are strait and some of them very long It seems to be a very sweet and healthy Place to live in and to have a good Trade They brew here a soft Small Beer which is in great Repute all over the United Provinces under the Name of Nimmeguesce Mol. It becomes pretty clear even while it Mol. remains soft whereas their other sorts of Peer are commonly very thick while they are soft and by that time they are a little fin'd they grow hard But this Drink is too a crude and very flatulent Drink it is wholesomest to drink it mingled with a little dash of French White Wine or Rhenish and then it becomes very Diuretick We went to see Domini Smetius one of the Calvinist Ministerâ— of the City for the sake of his Collection of Rarities which consists I perceiv'd chiefly in Medals and Coins of which he says he has of all sorts about Ten Thousand He receiv'd us somewhat â—â—iâ—â—ly but at length condescended to shew us what he had The oldest piece of History represented on those we saw was that of the Rape of the Sabine Women by the Romans I much doubt however whether it were made at the time or not We saw one of Tâ—tus Vâ—spasiâ—â— on which was commemorated his Conquest of Judea it was but Copper He show'd us a Gold Medal of Queen Elizabeth of an Oval Form which commemorated our Deliverance from the Spanish Invasion design'd in 1588. Several other ancient and modern ones we saw but while we were very busie in this pleasing Entertainment some good Women of his Acquaintance came in a Coach and call'd him out whom we thought at that time very impertinent This broke us off at present and we had not an Opportunity to come again The great Church of the Town is a stately and magnificent Building It is dedicated to St. Stephen the Protomartyr It was formerly a Collegiate Church 'T is now possess'd and used by the Calvinists which is the Religion of the Magistrates here as in all the Dominions of the States General And if any of those Magistrates should pretend to such a Liberty of Conscience as to go to any one of the Religious Assemblies of any other sort that are tolerated amongst them he would soon be deposed from his Magistracy This City was formerly subject to the Archbishop of Colen in Ecclesiastical Matters The Profession and Exercise of the Popish Religion is tolerated here but they have no publick endow'd Churches There are here some Convents of the Religious Orders for Men and for Women And there is a Congregation of Protestants who are allow'd a publick Church Passage from Nimmeguen to Rotterdam THE next Day we took the Ship which went for Rotterdam at Eight a Clock in the Morning It was very full of Passengers We paid for each Person one Guilder two Stivers for our Passage and at going off they spung'd something of us for our Portmantle and for the Ship Servants We could not be in the Roof the most commodious Room in the Ship because there was one of the Magistrates of Rotterdam with some of his Family in it and though they did not fill it yet they would possess it all and when we found every Body else gave way to his Worship with the Deference due to a Petty Prince we were forced to do so too and stow'd our selves but inconveniently in the Skipper's Kitchin For it was a Day of excessive Rain and forced us to be under cover We paid four times Passage Money between this and Dort At Nimmeguen a Stiver for each Person at Tiel a Stiver and half at Bommel two Stivers at Gorcum two Stivers and an Oâ—tie that is a quarter of a Stiver We were forced at each of the three last mention'd Places to stop till an Officer came on board us to gather this and this stay lost us usually almost an Hour We had a Gale of Wind but it was directly against us at North West This made our Way long by Reason of the frequent Tacks it forced us to make Towards Night it fail'd us and we could advance no faster than as the Stream drove us yet we got down before Ten a Clock at Night to Dort The Tide gave us little or no Hindrance because at this time it did not come up so far as usually especially with a Westerly Wind by Reason of the great Force of the River which was exceedingly swell'd with the great Rains and Land-Floods In a dry Season with such a Wind we were told the Tide will mount to Gâ—rcum or beyond whereas now it came not so high On this Occasion I shall take notice of what I have observ'd and learnt concerning the lowness of this Province of Holland The Rain and Snow which falls in the Winter-time lies upon their Ground and covers all their Meadows all over the Country with Water so that the whole Country looks like a Sea and no â—â—y Ground appears but here and there where a Village or a City stands a little above the Water and where there are high raised Banks which they call Dykes to go upon between them This Water must in Spring-time be all thrown out of the Meadows by Mills These throw it into the great Canals which are the usual Passages about the Country These Canals communicate with the Rivers by Sluces which are open'd at a low Tide and then the Water which they are fill'd with from the Meadows will some of it fall off But if there be at the time of dreining a westerly Wind especially a strong one It keeps the Waters of the Rivers so high that the Canals will not empty themselves into the Rivers at all or but very little at the lowest of the Tide For this Reason when there is a westerly Wind the Mills are bound to observe a Water Mark. And when the Canal which they throw the Water into is risen to that Mark they must stop and and work
no more till it is sunk below it again But if there be a good easterly Wind that drives the Waters of the Rivers so much out that the Mills are not bound to observe their Mark because every fall of the Tide will let out Water enough to empty the Canals sufficiently but at such a time I have seen the Canals Brim full by that time the Tide would give leave to open the Sluces and let the Water out Somewhat above Gorcum on our Left Hand as we come downwards we see the famous Castle of Lovenstein It is a very solitary Place Lovenstein and has no other Building â—ear it It stands on a small point of Land between two great Rivers This Castle is the Place where the States confine any considerable Persons who are condemn'd to be Prisoners for Life At this narrow point of Land the Maese comes into the Chanel call'd the Wael and from this Place the united Streams were anciently call'd the Merwe down to Ulaarding which is below Rotterdam and almost at the Sea but now the Name of the Maese prevails in common Use When we were near Gorcum we took notice of that large Track of Ground which suffer'd by an Inundation the last Winter in Innundations frosty Weather in which some People and many Cattle were drown'd The Water of the Maese being swell'd by a Bank of Ice which clogg'd the River it run over the Dyke on the right side a little above Gorcum at two Places and run over a great Compass of the Country within for with running over the Dyke it wore it away It was some time before the Mischief could be cured by clearing the Chanel of the River and a dangerous Work to go about it but the City of Gorcum were necessitated to adventure the Danger of it to save themselves from the Inundation which would soon have been at least in all their lower Rooms The Occasion of the stopping of the broken Ice at this Place seems to have been an Island which lies here in the middle of the River a good spot of which appear'd above the Water cover'd with Grass notwithstanding that at this time the River was extreamly swell'd The Breaches of the Dyke still remain'd when we came by which was at the beginning of June and the Water appear'd to lie all over the Country so that of Necessity the Ground must be lost for this Year and I cannot tell whether or no it will ever be recover'd A little below this a great deal was lost long since by an Innundation near Dort which is not recover'd to this Day When we came near Dort between several little Plats of Ground which have nothing on them but Grass we saw on the Left Hand of us that broad Water call'd Den Bies Bos which is all of it an old Inundation which happen'd in the Year 1421 at a time I suppose of a great Land-Flood meeting with a Spring-tide and that drove in from the Sea perhaps with a high westerly Wind which things concurring are very dangerous to these Countries The Wael and the Maese swell'd to that degree that they broke in upon this Country between Brabant and Holland and drowned Seventy Populous Villages and in them more than an Hundred thousand Persons The Tradition of the Country says there was no Person sav'd but a Child in a Cradle with a Cat and that the Cat help'd to save the Child by flying from one side to the other of the Cradle as the Waves threatned to overturn it Upon one of those Plats of Ground foremention'd there stands a piece of a tall Brick Wall the Remains of a great House which formerly stood there Some of the Lands adjoining to Dort have been since recover'd but far the greatest part remain still under Water We reach'd but to Dort this Day but we came time enough to get in and lodg'd in the City At six a Clock next Morning we set Sail again it was almost a Calm The breath of Wind that did move was against us We advanced so slowly that we fear'd we should make a Day of this Passage therefore as others did we went into a Boat with Oars which call'd on purpose at ours and at other Ships for such Passengers as were in hast We gave them six Stivers each Person for our Passage were about an Hour and half in their Boat and got to Rotterdam by ten a Clock some Hours before our Ship could arrive so I had by that time dispatc'd some Business I had to do and was ready to return to the Hague the same Day We were very thankful to Almighty God as we had Reason for the favourable Assistance and Protection of his Good Providence through this Journey which was such that we were never so much as in fear of being robb'd or abus'd by Thieves in a Journey of several Hundred Miles And though we sometimes apprehended several other Dangers yet we escap'd them all without suffering any unlucky Accident Deo O. M. Conservatori sit Laus et Gloria in Secula Seculorum Amen FINIS THE TABLE A. AIX la Chappelle Conveniency and Charge of passing from Liege thither with some Account of the Country between Page 246. It s Original 251. and Description ibid c. The Manufacture of Needles there 257. Religion there ibid. An Account of the Hot Springs and the use of them 279 Altar to our Saviour's Humanity expressly 325 Anna the Mother of the Blessed Virgin an Altar to her with an Altar-Piece and Inscription observable 325 Angels the Worship of them censur'd 131. How practised in the Church of Rome 134 c. Fraternity of the Guardian Angels in order to a happy Death 135 c. Antwerp Original 10. Situation 12. Prosperity and whence 13. Commodiousness for Habitation 15. Present Extent 17. Decay and the Causes of it 19. Practices of Religion there 21 c. The Conveniency and Rate of passing from thence to Brussels by Water 122 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin how represented 49. The Story censur'd 50 c. Publication of the Festival 52. Devotions on the Day 55 B BElls the Superstitious Use and Consecration of them 293 Benediction of the Holy Sacrament how perform'd 82 and 320 Borromeus St. Charles his Story 204. Patron against the Plague 205. To be honour'd with Alms for that purpose ibid Bouillon A Dutchy belonging to the Bishop of Liege and how it came to pass 232 Brandenburg Estates of the Electour 357 Brussels Canal of Brussels 123 c. City its Original and present Extent 125. Commodiousness 126. Civil State 127. Electour's Palace 128 c. New Buildings 131. Religion there 132 c. C MOunt Calvary imitated 32 Carmelites the Brothers of our Lady 81. Their present Contest with the Jesuites ibid. Rich Chappel and Image of the Virgin at Antwerp 83. Their House at Aix an Account of the Scapulary and the Brotherhood of it belonging to them 206 c. Charlemaigne his Residence and Chappel at Aix 276