in H 3 I .^EUNIVERtyv. . inc. turn r.. A TOUR THROUGH VALLEY OF THE MEUSE. .T FICY. A .SOFTHEWALI - $W G^ LONDON: ClIAI'MAX & HALL, 18(5 STHANO. LONDON : \ I/KTK1.I.V HKOTHKHS AM) I'lllSTKKS AND KMiJlVV>.li-. A TOUR THROUGH VALLEY OF THE MEUSE: WITH THE LEGENDS OF THE WALLOON COUNTRY AND THE AEDENNES. BY DUDLEY COSTELLO. "UN VOYAGEUR EST UNE ESPECE D' HISTORIES ; SON DEVOIR EST DE KACONTEK FIDELEMENT CE Qu'lL A VU, OU CE QU'lL A ENTENDIT DIRE." CHATEAUBRIAND. SECOND EDITION. LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, 186 STRAND. MDCCCXLVI. Stack Annex TO HIS EXCELLENCY M. SILVAIN VAN DE WETEK, ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY AND MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY rmoa fois fHajcstp ti)e Itfng of tfie Belgians, WHOSE COURTESY AND KINDNESS, NO LESS THAN HIS HIGH LITERARY ATTAINMENTS AND GREAT POLITICAL ABILITY 1 , HAVE SECURED HIM THE REGARD AND RESPECT OF ALL CLASSES OF ENGLISHMEN, THIS VOLUME, OcsrrtpttOr of tijc most picturesque 5ccncrp in iSelflium, IS, WITH PERMISSION, RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED BY HIS OBLIGED AND OBEDItNT SERVANT, DUDLEY COSTELLO. CHAPTER I. .......... 1 Across the Channel The Flying Beacon The Fierce Hairdresser The Baths at Dunquerque Summer Flowers Letting an Apart- ment The Statue of Jean Bart The Valley of Roses The Musical F6te Route from Dunquerque to Bergues Scenery at Rexponne The Art of Packing The Corking Pins Belgian Beer Town- hall of Vpres Lace Makers Diligence to Courtrai Hotel deVille Vandyke The Battle of Ihe Spurs Road to Bruges The Pretty Aubergiste Religious Character of the Brugeois Railroad to Liege. CHAPTER II. 17 Liege General Appearance of the City Its Early History Disco- very of Coal Employment of Children in Coal Pits Calamities of Li6ge The Warde des Steppes Henry of Gueldres Condition of the Lidgeois Henri de Dinant The Perron of Li6ge The Clergy and the Nobles Radus des Prez Outrage on Henri de Dinant Siege of Lie'ge Henri de Dinant quits Lie'ge His Return He finally leaves the City His Patriotism Scandalous Life of the Bishop The Pope's Remonstrance Death of Henry of Gueldres Le Mai St. Martin Jean sans Fiti6 Li6ge in the Fifteenth Century Cruelty of the Duke of Burgundy. CHAPTER III 45 The Walloon Language Error of Sir Walter Scott Flemish never spoken in Liege Origin of the Walloon Language Its Character- istics The Popular Dialect War Cries The Lord's Piayer Hun- garo- Walloons Fetes de la Reine Paskeies Political Songs Noels TheCramignon Paskeie Walloon Chronicles Walloon Dramas Decline of Walloon Literature Walloon Poet Recent Efforts. CHAPTER IV. 7 Walloon and Belgian Superstitions Kaboutermannekens Sotays Brownies The Verd Bouc The four Sons of Aymon TheGattes d'Or Exorcism Popular Superstitions The Court of the Cuckoo The Bete de Staneux Ridiculous Usages May-day Ceremonies. CHAPTER V 83 The Valley of the Meuse Departure from Liege Manufactories Chateau of Jemtppes Tradition of Ameilthe One-eyed The Witch's Tree Flemalle The Chatflaine's Revenge The Chateau de Chokier Jean de Lardier Paquette the Innocent Banishment of de Lardier VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. (Continued) 83 Fidelity of Paquette Her despair Her murder Aigremont William de la Marck Treachery of Jean de Home Execution of De la Marck Chateau de Warfusee Clermont Ramioul Abbey of Flone-Amay Tihange. CHAPTER VI. 101 Huy The Houyoux Marguerite de Navarre The Cathedral In- terior Portail de la Vierge Peter the Hermit Singular Capture of Huy Love of Liberty The Mehaigne Search for the Ruins of Moha The Castle of Moha. CiiAPTr.R VII 108 Gc, trude of Moha Thibaut de Champagne Albert of Moha The Tournament of Andenne Emulation of the Young Damoiseaux Their Tilting Match Fatal Issue of the Combat Vow of the Count ;nl Countess Stone Crosses Henry of Brabant Cession of Moha Birth of Gertrude Death of Count Albert Education of Gertrude War of the Succession Gertrude's Beauty Thibaut of Champagne Betrothal of Gertrude Theobald of Lorraine Gertrude's Marriage Battle of Bouvines War against Lorraine Hatred of the Emperor Sodaria The Duke Poisoned Geitrude a Widow Her Return to Moha The Letter Thibaut in Provins Thibaut's Arrival at Moha Gertrude's Second Marriage A Marriage of Love Thibaut's Inconstancy Gertrude's Death Destruction of Moha. CHAPTER VIII 140 Scenery of the Mehaigne The Sire de Fallais The Sire de Fumal Marie de Fumal Collard Buldin The Casting of the Pear Pro cession to St. Sauveur The Pilgrimage Insolence of Baldin Pre- parations for Marie's Marriage The Rescue Death of Baldin Marriage of Richard and Marie Treason of Henry of Gueldres Richard's Vigilance Discomfiture of the Bishop The Field of Dam- martin The Sire de Waremme De Hemricourt and his Steed The Combatants Preparations for the Fight The Battle. CHAPTER IX. 155 The Chateau de Beaufort La Guerre de la Vache Destruction of Beaufort Andenne Ancient Inscription Rocks of Samson Tomb of Sybilla of Lusignan Tomb of the Sire de Goumesuie Abbey of Marche les Dames Namur. CHAPTER X. 163 Namur The Blancq' Klocq' View on the Sambre The Suit-Fighters The Melans and the Avresses The Field of Battle The Canon of St. Aubaiu Poem on Stilt-Fighting Rules of the Combat The CONTENTS. Vll FAGK CHAPTER X. (Continued) 163 Brigades Edicts against the Stilters Revival of the Games The last Fight Renewed Prohibition Attempts at Revival The Bleus and Nankinets The last Exhibition. CHAPTER XI 179 Namur and Dinant Beauty of the Valley Forest of Marlagne Convent of Bare- footed Carmelites Chateaux and Villages Lustin Profondeville Burnot Riviere Rouillon The Adventure of Jrhaii Coniu The Valley of the Bocq Intermittent Spring -Chateau de Poilvaehe Crevecreur and Bouvignes Siege of Bouvignes The three Ladies of Creveceeur Their heroic Death Masses for their souls Dinant. CHAPTER XII 190 Dinant Its former Flourishing condition Commerce Insulting Message to the Burgundians Revolt The Duke of Burgundy's Pre- parations Renewed insults The Duke's vow -Violent Outrage of the Dinantiiis The Town besieged and captured Cruelty of the Burgundians Plunder of the City The City burnt Its entire de- struction Marguerite de Valois at Dinant Her singular reception Her danger Her stratagem- Another risk Her escape Mar- guerite at Florennes Her safe return to France. CHAPTER XIII 207 Dinant Beauty of its situation The Citadel and River Belgian Sportsmen- The H6tel de la Poste Excellence of Provisions Jam- bon de Bastogne Fine Scenery The Roche a Bayard Traditions of the Four Sons of Aymon Charlemagne's Revenge Bayard's Escape Cause of Charlemagne's Hatred The Adventure of Rinaldo Processions. CHAPTER XIV 224 Excursion to the Chateau de Walzen Walloon Guide Magnificent Amphitheatre The River Lesse Profusion of Fruit The Old Castle of Walzen -A Dinner al fresco Paradise for Bees Exaggeration Pont sur Lesse The Weir Excursion to Freyr The Chateau The Cicerone Discovery of the Grotto Anseremme. CHAPTER XV 234 The Collegiate Church of Dinatit Saint Perpetuus Dangerous Rock above the Church Its Removal Excursion to Montaigle Refuge at Sommieres The Cur of Sommieres Road to Montaigle Ruins of the Castle Picturesque Situation Formerly a Roman Station The Legend of Gillfs de Chin Processions of Dragons The Dragon of Mors Le Lumecon Exploits of Gilles de Chin Procession at Wasmes- Banners and Pict'jros Death of Gilles de Chin His Statue His Epit:iph. a 2 viii CONTENTS. T4GB CHAPTER XVI 250 Poilvache Early History of the Castle originally called " The Eme- rald" Changed to Poilv:ique Its destruction The Gatte d Or Bertha of Bierloz Her beauty and perfidy Her strange death The ruins Beauty of Scenery Tour de Moniot The Gleaners Possible Feud. CHAPTER XVII 259 Preparations for the Ardennes Horses The Side-saddle The Law Suit Riding Habit The Musical Tailor The Serenade The Side saddle again The Black Barb Departure for Givet Road to Givet Frontier Douaniers Difficulty of Entrance -Guarantees- Admission to La bc-lle France Givet Legend of the Comte de Chimay His fondness for Hunting Its Consequences His Impri- sonment The Young Cross-bowman The Discoveiy The Message The Messenger The Rescue The Count's Speech and Revenge His Death. CHAPTER XVIII. 277 The last Evening at Dinant Thunder and Lightning Road to the Ardennes The Chateau de Celles Beauty of its situation Its struc- ture Decay of the interior Its antiquity The Chateau of Ardenne The Chateau of Ciergnon Scenery of the Ardennes Cross Roads Village of Haii-sur-Lessc Approach to the Cave The Cave Its great Beauty Variety of forms Its numerous halls The Salle du Dome Effect of daylight The Nigrum Inscriptions Road to Rochefort. CHAPTER XIX -2(Hi Hotel at Rochefort Picturesque Situation of the Town Stratagem of the Comte de Rochefort The Leper Knight Appearance of the Ardennes Beauty of the Scenery Appearance of St. Hubert The Abbey The Abbey Church Origin of the Name of the Ardennes St. Hubert's Stole Ceremonials for the Cure of Hydrophobia Con- troversies The keys of St. Hubert Prayer to the Saint Brotherhood of St. Hubert Rules and Regulations Singular Customs Auction in the Open Air. CHAPTER XX 303 The Cattle of St. HubeU The forest of Arden Truth of Shaksperes description Scenery Beech Trees La Roche The Aeronaut Blanchard Preparations for the Ascent Blanchard's trick His threatened punishment Fate of the Balloon The Patron Saint and the Virgin Ardennes Marche The Calvaire The Forest Champion Bastogne Arlon The Controversy Inscription on the Alt:ir Farewell to the Ardennes. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, FROM ORIGINAL SKETCHES I? Y DUDLEY C O S T E L L (), ENGRAVED ON WOOD BY HENRY VIZ E TELLY. PORTAIL DB LA VlEROE AT HuY ..... Frontispiece. THE VALLEY OF THE MEUSE AT NAMOR, AND THE FOREST OF ARDENNES Title-page. THE DILIGENCE EN ROUTE FROM CALAIS 1 INITIAL LETTER "I" THE LIGHT-HOUSE AT DUNQUERQUE . 1 THE PERRON OF LIEGE 17 INITIAL LETTER "L" BELGIAN MARKET WOMAN ... 17 ARMS OF HENRY DE GELDRE, BISHOP OF LIEGE ~2i ANCIENT PERRON OF LIEGE 2& ARMS OF HENRI DE DINANT 30 ARMS OF RADUS DES PKEZ 31 INITIAL LETTER "T" . 45 THE CRAMIGNON (10 LA BETE DE STANEUX .67 INITIAL LETTER "I" BELGIAN DWARF . . . 07 CHATEAU DE CHOKIER .S3 INITIAL LETTER "I" . . 83 ARMS OF AMEIL DE LEXHY .... ... 86 ARMS OF JEAN DE CHOKIER 01 STANDARD OF ST. LAMBERT <7 STANDARD FEARER 100 ROINS or THE CASTLE OF MOHA 101 X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. TT.I IN-ITIAL LETTER '-T "PEASANTS BEFORE A CROSS . . . 101 SEAL OF GERTRUDE DE MOHA 108 INITIAL LETTER "I "-KNIGHT 108 LE CHAMP DES CROIX 117 SEAL OF DUKE FERRY OF LORRAINE 127 SEAL OF DUKE THEOBALD OF LORRAINE ..... 132 HERALD ............ 154 CHATEAU DE BEATTVORT 155 INITIAL LETTER "T" GLEANER 155 STILT FIGHT AT NAMCR 163 SINGLE COMBAT WITH STILTS . 17S RUINS OF THE CASTLE OF CREVECOLUR 170 INITIAL LETTER "N" PEASANT GIRL 179 INITIAL LETTER "D" SAILING BOAT 100 DINANT -207 THE ROCHE A BAVARD 2'J3 CHATEAU DE WALZEN 22 1 INITIAL LETTEK %< A" PICTURESQUE BELGIAN HOUSE . . 224 THE WEIB, ON THE LESSE 229 CHATEAU DE FREYR . . . 231 ANSEREMME ........... 231 RUINS OF THE CASTLE OF MONTAIGI.K 235 EFFIGY OF GILLES DE CHIN 249 TOUR DE MONIOT 256 ARMS OF JEAN DE CROY 268 THE CASTLE OF COUVIN . . .... 271 CHATEAU DE CELI.ES 277 RUINS OF THE CHATEAU DE ROCHEFORT ..... 290 LA Rof HE 305 PREFACE. OF the numberless English travellers who every summer cross the channel, and a great proportion of whom traverse Belgium, there are comparatively few who, after visiting the churches and town-halls of Flanders, and feasting their eyes on the splendours of Flemish art at Bruges, at Ghent, at Antwerp, and elsewhere, pause on their way before they reach the Rhine, or bestow more than a cursory glance on the beautiful country which lies between them and that much sought river. Some there are who linger at Liege long enough to make the steam-boat excursion to Namur and back ; others also avail themselves of the southern railroad from Brussels to strike the Meuse at Namur, and hastily descend the stream, leaving the beau- Xll PREFACE. ties of the upper valley, as far as Givet, entirely unex- plored; but by far the greater number speed rapidly on. intent upon seeking at a greater distance those charms of scenery and associatioii which are to be found so much nearer home. The facility of communication afforded by the South Eastern Railway* is now so great that a tra- veller, bent upon reaching his destination without delay, may find himself, four and twenty hours after leaving London, in the midst of some of the most picturesque scenery in Europe, the general features of which he may examine in a few days, or enjoy its details at leisure throughout the summer months. Additional inducements to examine this part of Belgium also offer themselves in the progress which is being made by the construction of the Sambre and Meuse railway, an enterprise not only of the greatest utility in a commercial point of view.- 1 - but one that will enable those who travel for pleasure, to visit * The journey from London to Ostend by the South Eastern Railway occupies only nine hours under ordinary circumstances ; four hours by land and five by sea. The distance from Ostend to Liege, by railway, is performed in about seven hours ; so that, allowing for delays, the whole may be completed in the twenty-four hours. The route by sea, direct from London to Ostend, is rather longer. t See the admirably lucid and satisfactory Report of Mr. Sopwith. with ease scenery which hitherto has been almost unap- proachable. AVithout desiring to institute a comparison between the Rhine and the Meuse, for they differ essentially in their characteristics, or endeavouring to deter those whose aspirations lead them towards " the exulting and abounding river," the object of these pages is to show that the Meuse possesses beauties of its own, which will amply reward all who seek them ; that its history, its language, its customs, and its traditions, are replete with interest ; and the lover of nature, and the inquirer into the past, may alike find food for admiration and reflection as he wanders between its banks. Across the Channel The Plying Beacon -; The Fierce Hairdresser The Baths at <^ --' *' - ~-w-^.^"~ Dunquerque Summer Flowers Let- ting an- Apartment The Statue of Jean Bart The Valley of Roses The Musical Fete Route from Dunquerqne to Berguea Scenery at Rexponne The Art of Packing The Corking Pins Belgian Beer TownHallof Ypres Lace Makers Diligence to Courtrai Hotel de Ville Vandyke The Battle of the Spurs Road to Bruges The Pretty Auber- giste Religious Character of the Brugeois Railroad to Liege. T WAS early in the month of August, last year, when, having projected a journey to the Continent, by the route of the Valley |i,, of the Meuse, we left London by the South Eastern Railway for Dover, intending to pro- ceed direct to Ostend. The wind, however, blew so fresh when we reached the coast, that the shortest passage became the most desirable, and we accordingly THE FLYING BEACON. changed our plans and crossed over to Calais, pitying ourselves, of course, for our brief sufferings, but with little feeling of commiseration for a party of pleasure, some hundred and fifty unhappy wretches, who left Dover Harbour in another steamer, on a day's excur- sion to Boulogne and back ; lucky, indeed, if they managed to get safely there, to say nothing of the comforts of the return voyage ! Kestored to our proper equilibrium at Dessin's, we sought the earliest means of leaving Calais, and soon found ourselves on the road to Dunquerque, whose tall lighthouse beckoned us on so long after night fell, that we began to fancy we were pursuing a gigantic will-o'- the-wisp, rather than approaching a steady, respectable beacon. At length we contrived to lose sight of the light, under the shadow of the thick avenue of Limes that terminates at the gates of Dunquerque, and the brief formality of passport-giving over, in a few minutes more we were comfortably housed in the Hotel de Flandres, our wants most carefully attended to by the quaint old head- waiter, who speaks more English than French, and has passed the greater part of his life afloat, as captain's steward on board of British men-of- war; his reverence for the maritime prowess of his countrymen is consequently not very profound. It is scarcely necessary to add, that he does not entertain the warlike sentiments of la Jeune France; indeed, the feeling of enmity towards England is little prevalent in French Flanders, the utility of commerce being there THE FIERCE HAIRDRESSER. 3 held in higher estimation than the noise and smell of gunpowder. One exception I found in Dunquerque, in the person of a fierce-looking hairdresser, whose profes- sional services I required ; but even his hostility, though he dealt in very bitter words, was limited to a demon- stration after the manner of the Philistines, by cutting his enemies' hair as closely as it could well be shorn. As we wished to bathe somewhere on the coast before we travelled further, we made inquiry here, hav- ing no desire, if it could be avoided, to go on to Ostend. The answer was highly in favour of the new " Etablisse ment des Bains," at Dunquerque, and after inspecting them, we were quite satisfied to remain. They are very well conducted and cheap ; the bathing also is good, on a fine, hard sand, though the water is not deep. The whole of the coast, from Calais northward, is a constant succession of low sand-hills, called "Dunes" (whence the name of Dunquerque), and it is consequently unpicturesque ; but what the shore wants in beauty is, in a great degree, made up in wild- ness, and in the extreme fragrance of the hardy flowers that cling to the unpromising soil. It is seldom that a French town can be commended, on account of the odours that belong to it, but Dunquerque is one of the few, and deserves all praise, as well on this account as on that of its great cleanliness, exceeded by no place that I have met with in any part of Flanders. It is the delicious perfume of these summer flowers, wafted by the sea breeze, that makes one never tire of 4 THE BATHS AT DUNQUEBQUE. the walk from the town to the beach, though the dis- tance from the foot of the glacis to the pier-head is at least a mile. In the extreme heat of the day the Etablissement offers a most agreeable retreat, where English and French newspapers, plenty of books and maps, a good pianoforte, and an excellent billiard- table, afford the means of filling up the time as plea- santly as can be desired. Once a fortnight there is a grande soiree, when all the elite of Dunquerque assemble ; but every evening there is impromptu dancing, for the natives are so far French in feeling, as to think that a salle de danse should contrive always to fulfil its destiny. Of this fondness for dancing, or, rather, as an illus- tration of the laisser-aller that characterises our mer- curial neighbours, whenever amusement is in question, the following instance may serve : Preferring the quiet of a lodging, wherever it can be had, to the bustle of an hotel, after some search, for Dunquerque is defi- cient in accommodation of this kind, we discovered a very nice apartment. The terms, moderate enough, were soon settled, and we said we would send down our baggage in the course of the morning; to this, how- ever, an objection was raised, the hostess said she was very sorry, but it was not possible for us to come in till the next day. " But why not ? " we replied ; " nothing seems to be wanting, the rooms appear quite ready." " Oh, yes, the apartment is ready ; but I am going LETTING AN APARTMENT. 5 to give a little soiree musicale this evening to a few friends, and you see, therefore, the impossibility of my having the honour of relinquishing it to you." As the necessity for entertaining her friends ap- peared greater than that of letting her lodgings, we were compelled to submit, but we thought it might have been as well if the words, "a louer presentement," in the bill in the window, had been changed to " to be let when convenient." For those who seek a relaxation from bustle and fatigue, and wish to know how quietly and cheaply it is possible to live, a better place than Dunquerque can scarcely be named, and during the fortnight that we stayed we found it all we could desire. But even the quietest spots are not without their moments of excitement, and one afternoon we found the whole town in commotion, in consequence of a musical fete that was about to take place in honour of the hero of Dunquerque, the famous Jean Bart. As the naval illustrations of France are not very numerous, it is natural that she should wish to make the most of all whom she can by possibility claim as belonging to her; and therefore it is that she is proud of Jean Bart, who happened, by the chance of war, to be born a Frenchman,* though his feelings, habits, and language * Dunquerque, which had for two centuries acknowledged the authority of Spain, and never belonged to France, was besieged and taken by the Due d'Enghien, afterwards the Grand Conde, on the 18th of October, 1646. Jean Bart was born 22nd October, 1650. A 2 6 THE FETE OF JEAN BART. THE VALLEY OF ROSES. and maritime education were essentially Flemish. Dunquerque, however, has reason to boast of her son, and it will not be long before the principal square in the town is adorned by the statue of the celebrated chef d'escadre. The excavation for the pedestal had already been begun, and it was to meet some of the contingent expenses that the musical fete was got up. Twice had the weather proved unpropitious, but on this occasion the heavens were serene, and all the world hurried out to the Rosendael, or Valley of Eoses, a rather pretty but somewhat cockney kind of tea- garden, about half a mile outside the town, in the direction of Furnes. The price of admission was not ruinous, the tickets being ten sous each, a modicum determined on for the benefit of " Messieurs les Marins" who were especially invited by the affiches to attend ; but whether the jolly tars had other occupations, something else to do with their money, or were in- different to the memory of the Flemish privateer, certain it is that the aforesaid Messieurs mustered in very small numbers, leaving the honour of France in the keeping of a very warlike knot of gentlemen of the National Guard, the greater part of whom were per- formers upon wind instruments. The music was good, but as the selections were all from the newest operas, the fete might as well have been given in honour of Donizetti, or any other modern composer; however, the receipts, though not over abundant, constituted the real tribute to the memory of Jean Bart, and perhaps, ROUTE FROM DUNQUERQUE TO BERGUES. t at the time I am writing, the inauguration of the statue of another hero may have been added to the Pantheon of France. At the end of a fortnight, having profited suffi- ciently by our stay, we took our departure from Dun- querque, not coastwise through Ostend, as we had originally purposed, but by a pleasanter though more circuitous route inland. Meeting with a voiturier from Bergues, we made an agreement with him to take us as far as Ypres, there being no diligence to that place, and on the day agreed on he came punctual to his appoint- ment. From Dunquerque to Bergues the road runs by the side of the canal that communicates with Lille, nor is there anything worthy of observation, except the singularly-mournful cemetery, filled with black crosses, that greets us as we turn towards the ramparts of Bergues. Beyond that town the country assumes a very different aspect, the marshes disappear, giving place to the most luxuriant vegetation, and fields of the richest culture ; it is the great butter district of this part of France, and stands in high estimation in the department. But the road itself is as beautiful as the soil is fertile, passing, at the village of Rexponne, through an avenue of lofty trees, the natural inclina- tion of whose boughs forms a perfect Gothic arch of the most graceful foliage for upwards of a mile, till it reaches the frontier village of Oest-Kappel. A few yards further, and we stand on the territory of Belgium, where the Custom-House authorities lie in waiting to 8 THE ART OF PACKING. vex the traveller's baggage, disturb his equanimity, and disarrange the system of his packing. It is well known to all who are in the habit of travelling, that the great art of packing consists in a nice arrangement of parts, without which the best-intentioned carpet-bags cannot contain one-half of what is intended to be crammed into them. Discompose the judicious order of the first plan, and even your own master-hand cannot restore it exactly to what it was before ; as in a fine picture there are certain touches that cannot be imitated, so in a dis- turbed carpet-bag there are nooks and corners which will not be filled ; the harmony that once pervaded the whole has departed. If the process of restoration be submitted to a stranger, and that stranger be a Custom- House officer, adieu to everything Like the once- admired internal economy. Thus it befel with us at Rousbrugge, where our baggage was remorselessly seized, thrown down into the dusty road, and rifled as ft lay there. Already had our portmanteau yielded up its contents ; wistful eyes had already scrutinised many an article of apparel, eager to pronounce it unworn; already was the hand of the searcher deep in the bowels of a stout sac-de-nuit, when, with a sudden exclamation, French in its origin, but Belgian by appropriation, the groping was discontinued and the hand withdrawn, its owner wringing and squeezing it with irrepressible manifestations of pain. The fact was, that in the precipitation of his search the curious official had accidentally come in contact with a THE CORKING-PINS. BELGIAN BEER. 9 chevaux-de-frise of stiff, sharp corking-pins, which were lying perdus in the middle of the bag, and the salutation they gave him instantaneously checked his ardour; he huddled the displaced articles into their receptacle, crushed them down by brute force, closed the bag, gave up the keys, and troubled us no further. Whether it be worth while to adopt the corking-pin system of defence on principle, I leave to the consider- ation of future travellers. After passing through Eousbrugge, the quantity of hop-gardens on every side plainly intimated that we had exchanged the wine of France for the beer of Belgium: it remained to be seen whether the latter was likely to be a tolerable substitute. Accordingly, at Poperinghes, where we stopped for half an hour to bait our horses, I called for some of their best, which was handed to me in a glass mug with a handle. One draught was sufficient ; I then perfectly comprehended the reason why every man we met had a pinched face and a sharp nose, with beer like that of Poperinghes such a result was inevitable. A word, en passant, on the subject of the staple drink of the Low Countries. There are great varieties of beer, the principal being the Biere de Louvain, the Biere de Diest, the Faro and Lembick of Bruxelles, and a particular kind, brewed in the latter city, called Biere d'Orge; the last of these is tolerable, the first only is good, the rest are execrable, at least to an English palate. 10 TOWN-HALL OF YPRES. LACE-MAKERS. The pleasing character of the country increases as we approach the ancient city of Ypres, whose numerous towns are seen at a considerable distance, for the road takes a wide sweep before it makes direct for the town. Ypres is a quiet, pleasant-looking place, with its pic- turesque gable-ends, its spacious square, and magnifi- cent Town-hall, a gorgeous specimen of the archi- tecture of the fourteenth century. The hand of resto- ration has been busy with its pinnacles and the rich fret-work of its windows, and ah 1 has been effected in perfect taste : for the sake of uniformity, one wishes that" the east end, which was built in 1720, were made to resemble the rest of the building ; it does not, however, injure the effect of the fagade. We loitered for half an hour in the cathedral, beside the tomb of Jansen, and gazed upon the portrait of the persecuted bishop, as he stands in the long file of the prelates of Ypres. Our admiration of the finely-carved pulpit was freely given ; nor were some curious antique pictures, of the age, if not by the hand, of Memling, passed over without admiring comments. But our chief amusement, on this fine summer's day, was in wandering through the streets, and watching the groups of lace-makers assem- bled at work in the open air, in the broad shadow of the churches or lofty houses. At every window, also, numbers of girls were seated, all intent on the Valen- ciennes lace which they make so deftly, and of which they show you the pattern so willingly, smiling with the utmost good humour, and speaking in low, soft DILIGENCE TO COURTEAI, 11 voices, a language (Flemish) which, for once, one is sorry not to understand. We had a pleasant walk, too, on the grassy ramparts, where the ditches, hroad and deep as canals, were covered with water-lilies, as if these fortifications had never known anything of war's alarms. In the afternoon we set out in a diligence, open in front, that held nine persons inside, and was of course full. There was some little difficulty at first in bestowing the passengers, but a steady jog-trot soon settled everybody in his proper place, and we got on very comfortably, being edified on the way by experi- ments in the art of war, on the part of certain braves Beiges, part of the peaceful garrison of Ypres, who were practising street firing and other military evolutions on the high road to Menin. Of Menin, little is there to say, nor did we remain there long enough to observe more than that it ap- peared clean, and not altogether so dismal as some have described it. About seven in the evening we reached Courtrai, crossing the picturesque bridge over the river Lys, beside which still stand the massive towers of its an- cient castle, no longer an ofience to the city, as in the days of feudal domination. It is something to discover an hotel that is both good and cheap, and in these particulars "Les Armes de France," in the street leading from the bridge to the great square, may claim honourable pre-eminence. Here we rested well, and gave the next day to the "sights," which, as Courtrai is 12 HOTEL DE VTT.T.F, AT COURTRAI. VANDYKE. not visited by every traveller, it may be worth while to enumerate. The Hotel de Ville stands first, not on account of its external architecture, for that dates only from the 17th century, but for the curious and ela- borate carved chimney-pieces and other interior deco- rations, which are rendered familiar to the lovers of art through Haghe's beautiful lithographic drawings. One can never do wrong to enter the first open church in any of the Belgian cities, and in that of Notre-Dame, into which we made our way somewhat circuitously, we met with what fully repaid us for a much longer detour, the famous Raising of the Cross, by Vandyke. It is one of those pictures which, like those in the gallery at Antwerp, exalt the master almost to the level of his master, Rubens ; and again and again we returned to it before we left the church. Threading our way up a narrow street, at the corner of which stood an image of the Virgin in the midst of a forest of paper lanthorns, to be lit up in her honour at dusk, we stumbled upon the Museum, where, for a few sous, we were admitted to contrast the state of existing art in Belgium with what it was in the days of its glory. Without instituting a direct comparison, the modern Flemings have good reason to be proud of names such as those of Wappers and De Keyser, the last of whom has illustrated Courtrai by a noble picture which is now in the Museum. The subject is the celebrated Battle of the Spurs, fought in the year 1302, in the meadows BATTLE OF THE SPURS. ROAD TO BRUGES. 13 of Groeninghe, eastward of the city, where Robert d'Artois and nearly the whole of the chivalry of France fell before the "goedendags" of the roused communes of Flanders. The moment chosen by the painter is that of the Count d'Artois' overthrow, when horse and man were driven to the earth beneath the thun- dering blows of the terrific butcher of Ghent, who one knee on the Count's breast is preparing to give the fatal coup de grace. Eobert d'Artois, still clinging to his steed, has fallen backwards, and extending his sword in the vain hope of finding a nobleman to whom he might surrender, " rescue or no rescue." His proffer is met with savage disdain; for the fierce Flemings, resolved to give no quarter, replied to the unhappy Prince that "they did not understand French." The accessories of the picture are beautifully filled up, and the whole is remarkable for boldness of con- ception, vigorous drawing, and great harmony of co- louring. A long price has been paid for it by the municipality of Courtrai, I think 15,000 francs, yet it is worth the money. Of the field of battle itself, little is now distinguishable, the railroad of Ghent runs across it, and a small chapel, in which hangs a single spur of gold, is the only memorial on the spot. Instead of proceeding by the railway direct to Ghent, we chose the little-frequented road from Courtrai to Bruges, across a country cultivated like a garden. The harvest was not yet gathered, but its abundance spread over the fields like waving gold. Beyond these 14 THE PRETTY AUBERGISTE. rich plains the way lies through a thick forest, with sunny glades and long shady vistas, offering every charm of which a level country can boast. At a little road- side inn, on the skirts of the forest, appropriately dedicated to St. Hubert, there issued forth, to offer refreshment to the passengers in the diligence, as pretty a girl as one could well hope to look upon though bound to the city of Bruges, esteemed the head-quarters of Flemish beauty. Her dark hair, lustrous eyes, slender waist, and graceful figure, sug- gested no unapt resemblance to the fair Isabelle de Croy, when she waited on Maitre Pierre, at Plessis les Tours; and a deep, demure-looking old priest, who formed one of the party in the diligence, might have sat for the portrait of the false merchant. Her liqueurs were not left untasted ; and under their influence, the driver flogged his horses into a brisker pace, and we trotted merrily along till we reached the barrier at Bruges, where a careful perquisition was made, to see if we carried any contraband provisions, for the regula- tions of the good city will not admit the wing of a chicken duty free. Nothing having been discovered, we were allowed to move on, and in due time were installed in the hostelry called "Den Gouden Beer," imaged forth as a formidable bear wearing a golden collar. To give any detailed description of places so well known as Bruges and Ghent would be a work of supererogation, for all that can be told has been RELIGIOUS FEELING OF THE BRUGEOIS. 15 written by countless travellers, to say nothing of Murray's excellent "Hand-book." Under such cir- cumstances, one wishes rather to record impressions than furnish a catalogue of remarkable objects. Again, as in former years, I was struck with the devotional character of the religious worship offered by the Flemish people, more apparent, perhaps, at Bruges than any where else in Belgium, for there everything lends itself to the feeling : the air of loneliness which pervades the city, the sombre costume of its inhabitants, and the quaint style of its architecture. The expression of this sentiment is witnessed in its most picturesque form in the church of the Hospital of St. John, at the hour of the vesper mass, where the majority of the devotees are women, whose long black cloaks and hoods impart much of solemnity to the scene. While the last rays of evening struggle faintly through the narrow, darkened windows of the building, the blaze of light at the altar illumines the rich coffer of St. Ursula, which stands there displayed to the faithful, and falls upon the fantastically- shaped head-dresses of the sisters of the order, who still adhere to the costume of the fifteenth century ; the air is filled with the odour of incense, the pealing tones of the organ swell upon the ear, the sonorous voices of the priests, and the choral response of the sisters, melt into the general harmony; the mind is abstracted from the present, and if religion itself be not impressed upon the spectator, a feeling akin to it, at least, is produced ; for " the place becomes 16 MODERN EESTO RATIONS. religious, and the heart runs o'er" with an emotion which little else could excite. It will gratify all lovers of Gothic architecture to know that in Bruges, as in most of the Belgian cities, the restoration of time-worn edifices is going on actively and in excellent taste ; and that the cathedral of St. Salvator like that of St. Gudule, at Bmxelles is rapidly regaining its former external beauty. Much also is being done to illustrate its monuments of art, pictorial as well as architectural, and of this evidence is afforded in a mag- nificent work now in progress, intituled " Les Sjrfen- deurs de I' Art en Belgique." Several days were devoted to Ghent, Antwerp, and Bruxelles, and some hours to Mechlin and Louvain, whose splendid town-hall is the architectural gem of Belgium; and then, taking up that route which our visit to those cities had interrupted, we sped on by the railroad to Liege, the spot from whence we proposed to begin our tour through the valley of the Meuse. Liege General Appearance of the City Its Early History i Discovery of Coal Employment of Children in Coal Pits Calamities of Liege The Warde des Steppes Henry of Gueldres Condition of i the Liegeois Henri de Dinant The Perron of Liege The Clergy and the Nobles Radus des Prez Outrage on Henri de Dinant Siege of 1 Liege Henry de Dinant quits Liege His Return He finally leaves the City His Patriotism Scandalous Life of the Bishop The Pope's Remonstrance Death of Henry of Gueldres Le Mai St. Martin Jean sans Pitie Liege in. the Fifteenth Century Cruelty of the Duke of Burgundy. IEGE is a city of striking appearance, whether it be approached by land or water. Seated in a broad and fertile valley, at the base of lofty hills, which shelter it on the north and west, and open to the south in the direction of the noble river whose rapid waters divide it from the populous faubourg of Outre-Meuse, it occupies a space on which the eye rests with pleasure as it embraces the general mass B 2 18 GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE CITY. or examines its details. It is perhaps from above the new bridge that Liege is seen to the greatest advantage, with the Meuse in the foreground, sweeping past the high-raised gardens that ornament its left bank, crowned by the lofty buildings of the Seminary and Royal College, and the picturesque towers and spires of the churches of St. Jacques and St. Paul, while far away stretches the town, gradually climbing the heights of St. Laurent and St. Walburge, above which rise the frowning battlements of the citadel The general aspect of Liege, contrasted with the quaint old cities of Flanders, is comparatively modern ; but on the quays that extend below the Pont des Arches ranges of buildings appear, carved and decorated with all the fantastic ornament that used to mark the dwell- ings of the citizens during the 15th and 16th centuries ; the streets which intersect these masses are so extremely narrow as to be almost impassable for carriages, and many that are used for thoroughfares are accessible only to the foot passengers. It is in this quarter, chiefly, that vestiges remain of the old town, which, more perhaps than any other in Europe, has experienced the horrors and desolation of internal and foreign warfare. But the necessities of a large population, and the restored commerce of a great city, such as Liege, have led to a great deal of improvement within the last few years; and new streets and buildings have risen in every part, replacing what was old and dilapidated, and giving an air of life and health to the whole. So great has been MODERN IMPEOVEMENTS. 19 the change wrought within the last fifteen years that any former recollection of the town was of little service in enabling us to find our way from the point where we were set down, the principal hotels in the neighbour- hood of the theatre not being at that time in existence. It may, at first sight, appear almost superfluous to dwell upon a place which, since the establishment of railroads, may be called the turnpike-gate of northern Europe ; but there is so much in the early history of Liege connected with the history of the Meuse, that a brief detail of some of the most remarkable events which have befallen the former, becomes to a certain extent necessary. It may not, at the same time, be uninteresting to say something of the language and literature of the Walloon country, of which Liege was the capital. From a very early period the Liegeois like their Flemish brethren of Ghent and Bruges were dis- tinguished for an ardent love of liberty, and a firm determination to maintain the rights and privileges which, as the city grew into importance, they wrung from their successive rulers. Alternately oppressed by the harsh control of their bishops, who exercised a power both spiritual and temporal, and the tyranny of the nobles, who constituted a numerous and formidable body, the history of Liege is, for several centuries, the recital of one continuous struggle the struggle of the many against the few the weak against the strong whose parallel may everywhere be found in the history 20 ITS EARLY HISTORY. of feudal Europe, in all save the terrific visitations which it endured at the hands of its merciless masters. Founded as early as A.D. 559, by St. Monulphus, Bishop of Tongres; enlarged and embellished by St. Lambert, who, after his martyrdom in 708, became the patron saint of the city ; increasing and prospering under St. Hubert ; fostered by Charlemagne ; and endowed with churches and colleges by the celebrated Bishop Notger, Liege had, towards the close of the tenth century, assumed a prominent position amongst the cities of Europe. The early discovery of coal, and its utility for all manufacturing purposes, contributed in no slight degree towards the wealth for which Liege soon became distinguished, and her commerce became widely extended. The history of this discovery, as it is related by Gilles d'Orval and other old chroniclers, is curious, though the period at which they fix it is probably later than the real date. " Under the reign," says Gilles d'Orval, " of Albert de Cuyck (at the commencement of the thirteenth century), a certain old man, of venerable appearance, with long white hair and a flowing beard, and wearing a white robe, passed one day through a street of Liege, called Coche, and, observing a blacksmith at work, who was complaining bitterly that with all his toil he could scarcely earn a livelihood, owing to the great expense of firewood, stopped and addressed him. ' Cease your lamentations,' he said, ' and go to the neighbouring mountain where the monastery stands ; DISCOVERY OF COAL. 21 you will there find certain veins of black earth, which you must dig out and burn : it will heat your iron far better than wood.' Having uttered these words, the old man disappeared." Brusteme tells the same story in different words : '* Passing through the Rue de Coche, the old man encountered the blacksmith, who was at his work, and politely accosting him, wished him ' good day,' and profit in his labour. ' What profit/ replied the black- smith, ' do you think I can derive ? Nearly the whole of what I gain I am obliged to lay out in buying charcoal, or what the Franks call cokis ; there remains very little profit after that.' ' Friend,' returned the old man, ' go to the mountain where the monks live, dig there, and you will find a black earth very useful for your calling.' After saying this, the blacksmith saw him no more. He, however, made no mystery of what had been said to him, and the mountain being examined, coal was discovered, to the great advantage of the whole country." At a later period it was found out that the lucky blacksmith's name was Hulloz, and etymologists have hence derived the word " Houille," the generic name for coal throughout the Pays de Liege and the north of France. The old man of course passed for an angel, for the historian Fisen observes " Angelus fuisse creditus est." The Pere Bouille, in his " Histoire de Liege," ac- counts for Fisen's opinion in an ingenious manner. " It is at least probable," he observes, " that this old 22 DISCOVERY OF COAL. man was an English traveller, since coal had, according to the testimony of Matthew Paris, been used in England as far back as the year 1145 ;" an interpreta- tion at which the Pere Saurnery, who quotes the tra- dition,* is exceedingly angry, accusing Bouille of never having read the authority whom he cites, which is not unlikely, as he places the year 1145 in the reign of Henry the Third, and calls the historian " Mathias," not " Matthew" Paris.f But whatever the obliga- tions of ancient Liege to angels or Englishmen, it is somewhat singular, in connection with the tradition, that modern Liege should be indebted to an English- man for placing her manufactures on the footing on which they now are. The well-known establishment of Seraing will be a lasting monument of the benefits conferred on the country by the late Mr. Cockerill, whose name is never mentioned by the working classes of Liege without reverence and affection. * Delices des Pays cle Liege, 5 torn, folio, 1738 44 f The reader who recollects the Reports on the manner of working the coal mines in England, which were published by the House of Commons in 1843, may wish to learn how these matters were ordered in Liege a century ago ; he will be struck by certain points of resem- blance as regards the employment of children in the pits. Saumery says : " Comme ils ne trouveroient point facilement des Aprentis, ils ont soin de s'en faire, qui leur servent d' abord de compagnons. A peine les enfans ont atteint 1'age de 9 a 10 ans, qu' on les descend dans les fosses. Apprendre a marcher sur les mains, en meme terns que sur les pies, est leur premier exercise. II est vrai que pour les mettre en etat de trainer la petite voiture, on leur attache a chaque main une espece de petit bane, eleve de 4 5 pouces ; et on les forme, en tres peu de terns ii ce menage ; dont je ne crois pas qu' on THE WABDE DES STEPPES. 23 The first calamity that befel the city, arose from the ambitious designs of Henry, Duke of Brabant, at the commencement of the thirteenth century; when, after the death of Albert, Count of Moha, he laid claim to that rich inheritance, and brought on the feud which is known as the war of the succession of Moha. The Bishop of Liege, who also claimed the county, as a reversionary fief of the church, took up arms to defends his rights, and a sanguinary contest ensued. Fortune favoured the first attempts of the Duke of Brabant ; he entered the province of Liege with an immense force, and ravaging the country with fire and sword, surprised the capital on the 3rd of May, 1212, and quickly made himself master of the place. In four days the city was delivered up to pillage, and was then only saved from the flames by the oath of fidelity, which the clergy and people swore to observe. puisse rendre d' autre raison, sinon que les peres, y ayant ete formes, les dispositions qui y sont necessaires, se transmettent aux enfans avec le sang. Qui ne se representera des Lapins, des Blereaux et des Renards creuser des terriers pour les servir de retraite et d'azile, voyant ces innocens condamnes par le sort de leur naissance & des travaux si denibles, et qui paraissent si peu proportionnes a la delicatesse de leur age! Quoiqu'il en soit, plus de 30 personnes, parfaitement instruites de ces travaux, et qui m'ont offert de m'en faire instruire par mes yeux, m'ont assure que ces enfans ainsi courbes tirent les voitures de char- bon, avec une vitesse incroyable, non-seulement de 20 et 30 pas, mais de toute la longueur de la veine, eut-elle un quart de lieue, ou plus ; en un mot, qu'au bout de 12 ou 15 jours, cet exercise est pour eux un amusement et un jeu, et qu'ils ne sont jamais si contens, que lorsqu'ils aont dans les fosses." The children were, however, only employed six hours a day. HENRY OF GUELDRES. But compulsory oaths are never binding, and easily released by the Pope from theirs, the Liegeois shook off their apathy, and burning with the desire of ven- geance, retrieved their lost fame at the celebrated battle called the Warde des Steppes, which was fought on the 13th of October, 1213. The Duke of Brabant was completely defeated, and only obtained peace on the most degrading conditions : he was obliged to deliver up his sons as hostages, and come to Liege and walk uncovered and barefooted from the gate of St. Walburge to the cathedral of St. Lambert. For a period the city prospered in peace and quiet- ness, but evil days were in store, and soon after the election of Henry of Gueldres to the episcopal throne of Liege, a troublous time began. Henry was the son of Gerard the Third, Count of Gueldres, and Margaret of Brabant. Too young to receive the order of priesthood he had obtained a dispensation from the Pope to govern his dominions, and hence the title which he at first bore of " The Elected of Liege." He was ill-fitted to exercise either the temporal or spiritual functions confided to him. Incapable of moderating his passions, he gave himself up to the most shameful debauchery, oppressed his people, wasted the property of the church, and trafficked in benefices, selling them to HENRY OF GUELDRES. 25 the highest bidder, or bestowing them, on the creatures who ministered to his vices. A knight rather than a priest, he was constantly at war with his neighbours and subjects : he revelled in luxury, and, passionately fond of dress, never showed himself in public without being covered with rich furs and precious jewels. To sum up all and complete a worthy picture, he possessed little or no information, and could scarcely read.* The reign of this prince, which was one of the most stormy in the history of Liege, originated the bloody revolutions of which the city was the theatre for nearly five hundred years. He was the first violently to in- fringe those privileges of the Liegeois which, originally known as the " Loi Charlemagne," and founded upon traditions of the old Koman law, had been confirmed to them by successive princes, and especially by Bishop Albert de Cuyck, at the close of the twelfth century, in the great charter which bears his name. A few words may here be necessary, as to the social condition of the people and their rulers at this time. Like most of the cities of Belgium during the middle ages, Liege was a fortified town, and contained within its walls a few buildings of importance, such as the churches, the monasteries, the bishop's palace, the hotel de ville, and the maison des eclievim, called the Destroit. It was, for the most, peopled by merchants and artisans, who had sought shelter behind its ramparts from the * Zantfliet apud Martene, Hocsem apud Chapeavilii, et cetera, c 26 CONDITION* OF THE LIEGEOIS. tyranny and rapacity of the feudal nobles of the open country. The streets narrow, unpaved, crooked, and of unequal length were composed of houses almost entirely built of wood. Each profession, placed under the patronage of some saint, occupied a separate street or quarter, and the workmen of the different trades formed separately organised societies, with their own governor or elder. At the beginning of the thirteenth century Liege was divided into six great vindves, or quarters, a name that is still retained, distinguished from each other by their different blazons and war- cries. The inhabitants of five of these vindves were divided into great and little ;* the sixth consisted of the nobles, who had isolated themselves in the quarter called Des Prez, on the opposite side of the Meuse. Those of the citizens who were termed " the great," were the rich burgesses who followed the knights to war, and aided them in case of need in their enterprises against the people ; " the little " were the artisans of the common trades, a vast assemblage of the poor and suffering, always oppressed, incessantly under the ap- prehension of fresh taxes and ruinous fines, and a prey to the most odious and arbitrary despotism. It was from amongst the class of nobles that the echevins were elected magistrates who were not only the judges but the governors of the city ; and these, in * ' Ceis borgois on nommoit les grans, et les gens laburans des commons mestiers, on nommoit les petits." HEXRICOURT, " Miroir des Nobles de la Hesbaye." HENRI DE DINANT. "27 their turn, chose from their body two chiefs of the cor- poration, who were then called " maitres a temps" and at a later period " burgomasters." These men, imbued with all the prejudices of their caste, not only looked down with contempt upon the working-classes, but kept the burgesses also in a state of hard subjection a system that led eventually to the union which over- threw them. There was yet another power in Liege, the Church to whom it might have been supposed the people had a right to look for support against their secular masters, but the clergy had hitherto taken part with their oppressors. A time was, however, at hand which completely changed the aspect of affairs : it was brought to pass by the genius and courage of one man, who merits as high a place in his country's annals as Eienzi has won in those of Rome. This man was Henri de Dinant. Sprung from the nobility, he shared in none of the sentiments of his class in relation to the common people ; his sympathies, on the contrary, were entirely enlisted in their favour, and all the actions of his life tended to endear him to them. He was affable and free of speech, and went amongst them without reserve, his earnest desire being to awaken them to the con- sciousness of their invaded rights, and rouse them to shake off the yoke under which they groaned. He ex- plained to them the nature of their privileges, and taught them the doctrine of unity, by which alone they '28 THE PERRON OF LIEGE. co aid hope for success. He was eminently qualified by nature to become popular, his countenance was expressive, his character noble and elevated, his courage tried, and he possessed a power of eloquence that captivated all who heard him. It was little won- der, therefore, that he became the idol of a people who had never dreamt that commiseration for their suffer- ings could exist. A favourable opportunity was alone wanting to enable the future tribune to execute the vast projects which he had formed; and he who knew as well how to take advantage of one as how to wait for it, saw it at length arrive. A murderous outrage, committed on a citizen by one of the dependents of a canon of St. Lambert, fur- nished the occasion. The echevins, willing enough to strike a blow against the authority of the Church, demanded that the culprit, who had taken sanctuary, should be given up to the laws. The canons, claiming the right of punishing their own servants, resisted, and the magistrates, impelled by the popular effervescence, pronounced sentence of banishment against the offender, which was proclaimed at the Perron of Liege.* The canons, conceiving their privileges violated, appealed * The Perron was a column of bronze, surmounted by a fir-cone of the same metal, the symbol of associ- ation and independence amongst the inhabitants of the North. The base of the column was supported by four lions. The word "Perron" is derived from Finns rotunda. THE CLERGY AND THE NOBLES. 29 to the bishop, who excommunicated the echevins, and threw an interdict upon the city. Henri de Dinant, who never for a moment lost sight of his projects for the freedom of his fellow- citizens, availed himself of this state of things to remind the people of their rights, and his friends and agents were active in the good work ; he knew how to influence the passions of the multitude, and, following his advice, the citizens sometimes lent their aid to the nobility, sometimes to the clergy, thus gradually widening the breach between the two rival powers. A second event, similar in character to the first, still further advanced his object. The bishop, appealed to this time by the people, promised himself to govern the city, and re- strain the nobility. The echevins, who foresaw in this assumption of power, the ruin of their own authority, violently opposed it, and recourse was had to arms. Observing the wise counsels of Henri,* the people remained neuter in the struggle, and the nobles for a time obtained the mastery over the clergy. It was thus, by showing the people how to profit by the dissensions between their rulers, and making it apparent to them that their weight was always suffi- cient to turn the scale, he taught them the true value of the power which he sought to place in their hands. It would occupy far too great a space in this volume, destined materially for another purpose, to detail the * " Si dist Henri, ne muchies point en ces querelles." Chronique Manuscrite. c 2 30 HEXRI DE DIS'ANT. events of the struggle for liberty, in which Henri de Dinant played so conspicuous a part. The account is full of interest ; but I must necessarily limit myself to the mere facts. Elected by the people their own maitre a temps, and thus invested with legitimate authority, his first care was to organise a powerful force of citizen-militia, raising at once a third estate, to the astonish- " f c ' ment and unconcealed dread of the other two.* His next act was one of decided oppo- sition, refusing his assent to a demand made by the bishop upon the military services of the citizens, to prosecute a war against the Countess Marguerite of Flanders, which he declared to be contrary to the great charter of the Liegeois : Henry of Gueldres was com pelled to abandon his purpose, and left the city, vow- ing vengeance against the tribune. The nobles, whose influence he was daily diminishing, were no less inimi- cal to him, and sought to remove him by assassination, but the project failed, and the exasperated populace rising against them, they also fled from Liege to join the bishop. The civil war now began, and was con- tinued with various success, the advantage, however, being chiefly with the people, who, headed by Henri de Dinant, exacted heavy atonement for former wrongs. * " Adont sont li esquevins esmayez et dient : nos astons dechius comme mesqueins ; nos avons brasseitune male brasse, si nos le con- vient boire." JEAN D'OUTREMEUSE. EADUS DES PREZ, 31 At length two serious defeats, sustained in one day by the partisans of Henry of Gueldres, led to propositions of accommodation, and a hollow peace was concluded. The circumstances under which it was broken are too illustrative of the character of the age to be omitted. To meet the expenses of the late war, Henri de Dinant had caused the levy of a new tax to be borne by all alike. The echevins vainly pleaded their ex- emptions : Henri went from door to door raising the tax, and came in turn to the Destroit. The echevins were assembled, and amongst them was Eadus des Prez, one of the most influential personages in Liege, a proud and impetuous young man, full of ardour and courage, who fore- saw that if the principle of general taxation were admitted, there was an end of the privileges of his order. Furious at the boldness of the tri- PRS bune, he rushed towards him, and with a fierce expression of countenance, " Traitor," he cried ; " vile and disloyal man, you have long plotted our ruin and sought our overthrow ; but know, that be- fore that day comes yourself shall die." " Give a mark, Messire, as the burgesses have decreed," replied Henri, coldly ; " any of you who refuse to pay the tax shall be declared alien and banished." " Thou banish me from Liege !" exclaimed Eadus, exasperated ; "from Liege ! where my ancestors have dwelt since the days of Charlemagne and Ogier of Denn-marche, while thine 32 OUTRAGE ON HENRI DE DINAXT. were only petty citizens of Dinant, who fled hither, doubtless, for their misdeeds ! Thou shall never say so more there is one who knows how to prevent it." With these words, the knight drew a dagger that hung from his girdle, and rushing upon Henri, stabbed him three times in the breast. The tribune fell for dead, and the eclievins, seized with terror, precipitately abandoned the Destroit, and took refuge beyond the Meuse in their own vindve, calling in their flight upon all their friends to arm, to avoid being surprised by the people. Knights, squires, and men-at-arms were soon ready, and flew to defend the approaches to the Pont des Arches. Radus raised the drawbridges in the principal streets leading to the river, so as to cut off all communication, except by a narrow passage supported on a few beams, over which it was with difficulty that five men could pass abreast. The Des Prez posted themselves at the entrance of this dangerous passage, and swore that no citizen, nor even the foul fiend himself, should cross it. While these preparations were being made beyond the Meuse, the disturbance rose to its height in the city. The news of the assassination spread with the rapidity of lightning; the citizens flocked in crowds to the Destroit, hoping that it was only a false alarm ; but the lifeless form of Henri de Dinant, exposed to their gaze as it was borne homewards, roused them to ungovern- able fury. The deep tones of the tocsin now swelled above the tumult; the shops and houses were all closed. The workmen seized the weapons with whose CONFLICT AT THE POXT DES ARCHES. OO use they were now familiar, and in large bodies has- tened towards the Pont des Arches, uttering the well- known cry of " Liege and St. Lambert ! " At the foot of the bridge they encountered the stern array of men-at-arms, headed by Kadus des Prez and his brothers, John and Kaes, and the noble knights of their lineage. In vain the multitude strove to break through the determined phalanx : at eveiy blow that was struck a citizen fell, and for a time they were held completely at bay. At length the brave companions of Des Prez began to give ground, and upwards of two hundred of the assailants crossed the bridge ; the narrow passage across the timbers was crowded with those who followed, when suddenly a loud noise was heard the beams cracked and bent, and, yielding to the enormous pressure, they fell, and more than a hundred perished in the river, leaving a wide gulph between the bold burgesses who had crossed and the mass of their fellow- citizens who vainly strove to aid them. At the sight of this fearful catastrophe, a loud cry of distress arose. " Hahay ! hahay !" was heard on all sides ; " we must succour our brothers across the Meuse." Some threw themselves into boats, others tried to swim across the river ; but none succeeded in reaching the opposite shore. Meantime, the brave citizens, whom no succour could reach, continued to struggle fiercely with the Des Prez. They had no hope left ; before them was the whole chivalry of Liege behind them a fearful abyss : to sell their lives dearly 34 CONFLICT AT THE POXT DES ARCHES. was all that remained, and they fought with despera- tion. But their numbers diminished every moment their strength failed them, and driven back by the knights, of whom they scorned to ask quarter, the wounded and the wearied found with the dead a grave in the rapid river.* The people swore to revenge them, but night coming on put a stop to the conflict. They returned to the market-place, and there learnt, to their great delight, that Henri de Dinant was not dead, and that his wounds, though severe, were not dangerous. This was happy news for the citizens, and contributed in no slight degree to raise their courage. They resolved to attack the vinave of the Des Prez on the following day, but the nobles, fearing the issue of the struggle, withdrew in the night; the bishop followed their example, and there only remained with the citizens the provost of St. Lambert and a few canons who had embraced the popular party. The bishop " gros de jiel et de passion," as an old chronicler observes " resolved from henceforth to do everything in his power to reduce his refractory subjects. He implored the succour of the neigh- bouring princes, collected all the vassals of the Church, and by these means set a large army on foot, with which he invested the city, vowing to reduce it to ashes, having first given it up to unrestrained plunder. * Jean d'Outremeuse has preserved the date of this terrible event : it befel on the 19th April, 1256. SIEGE OF LIEGE. 35 This last design was opposed by Kadus des Prez at the head of the chivalry of Liege, who succeeded in turning aside the bishop's anger from the city and concentrating it upon Henri de Dinant. It was resolved to summon Henri and his principal abettors to judgment in the camp of Vottem, and in the event of their non-appear- ance to pass formal sentence upon them, which was accordingly done. Henri, on his side, was not idle, and made every preparation for resistance. The siege commenced, and hemmed in on all sides, the Liegeois soon felt the evils attendant upon it. Provisions failed, and the sufferings of famine increased the horrors of war. The citizens began to waver ; but Henri and his immediate adherents were firm, till, moved by consi- deration for the people, he consented to their desire to make terms for themselves, knowing well that he must be excepted from any treaty. It happened as he fore- saw ; the terms were hard, and, above all, the bishop demanded that Henri and his friends should be sur- rendered to him unconditionally. The deputies who had been sent refused the conditions, and returned sadly to the city. When they were made known, a general desolation prevailed throughout Liege : the women wept, and the men abandoned themselves to a gloomy despair. It was then that Henri de Dinant demonstrated the nobility of his character. He sum- moned the citizens to the great market-place, and thus addressed them : " Good people," he said, " I have loyally served you night and day ; it is on your account 36 HENRI DE DIXAXT QUITS LIEGE. that I find myself in this strait ; I am still, however, no less devoted to you than before, and I come to offer you my body that you make take it to the bishop. But be sure of this, that when once I am dead, you will fall into a state of slavery worse than the former one; think, besides, of the shame that will fall upon the city if you conclude a peace without comprehending all the citizens : better that it should be entirely ruined than thus dishonoured ! " The result of this address was the endeavour to obtain better terms from the bishop; but the prince was inexorable. A momentary re-action showed itself amongst the citizens ; but it subsided again, and no thought prevailed but submission. It was in vain that the Liegeois urged Henri de Dinant to remain amongst them, assuring him that they would care for his personal safety ; he felt that they were unworthy of the sacrifices which he made, and slowly passing through the crowd, he shook the dust from off his feet, and turned his back upon the ungrateful city, without the hope of finding " a world elsewhere." Peace was concluded the same day, but the con- ditions were harder than those at first rejected. All the privileges for which the Liegeois had fought were annihilated ; the bishop possessed himself of the castle of St. Walburge, which he converted into a citadel, compelled the citizens to pay a large sum to defray the expenses of the war, and exacted a heavy fine because Henri de Dinant had not been delivered up to him. RETURN OF HENRI DE DINANT. 37 The knights and nobles returned to Liege, in the suite of Henry of Gueldres; the burgesses swore to serve him faithfully henceforward, and he, on his part, pro- mised to administer equal justice. These promises were idle words. The old rule was resumed, and fresh discontents arose ; but the citizens had now no military organisation, and were without a leader. They sighed for Henri de Dinant, and finally resolved on sending a secret message to him, urging him to return to Liege. In spite of his experience of the fickleness of the people, his love for the city was too strong to suffer him to resist their importunity, and he once more presented himself at the gates. He was received with rapture, hailed as the father of his country,* and con ducted in triumph to his former dwelling. The bishop was absent at the moment, but the echevins prepared for the struggle which they knew to be imminent. It was averted only by the representation of the Dean and Chapter of St. Lambert, who went to Henri de Dinant, and set before him the fact that his presence in the city, far from benefiting the people, would only be the cause of greater evil. " The citizens," they said, " are weakened, ruined, and incapable of offering a long resistance to the bishop ; they will soon lose courage, and will abandon or give you up to make then- peace. Leave us, then, and thus prevent the * " Revertendi processit obviam ingens armatorum multitude, patrem populi salutantium." Fiseii. 38 HE FINALLY QUITS LIEGE. misfortunes with which your country is threatened." Henri had only too much reason to admit the truth of these arguments; he felt that it was his duty, under such circumstances, to avoid the occasion of more blood being spilt; and once more sacrificing all he held dear, he silently quitted the city in the middle of the night, and never again re-entered its walls. Meantime the bishop had heard of his arrival, and hastily returned to Liege, but Henri was already gone. He, however, wreaked his spite against him, as far as lay in his power, by causing Ins house to be levelled to the ground, and from some of the timbers a gibbet was constructed, on which he the same day hung the unfortunate Gerard Baisier, one of the chiefs of the people, whose great crime was being the friend of Henri de Dinant. The tribune, after quitting Liege, took refuge with the Countess of Namur; but driven from thence, by the persecutions of the bishop, he fled to the court of Margaret of Flanders. Here he was hospitably received, and here, it is supposed, he passed the remainder of his days, having resisted the offer of the countess to enable him to wage war against Liege. " I have never yet committed treason," was his reply ; '' and I never mean to do so. The bishop is my sovereign, and Liege is my country ; I will never fight with you against either." * Such is the last record * "Onques mains trahison ne fys, onques ne feray," &c. JEAN OUTERMEUSE. SCANDALOUS LIFE OF THE BISHOP. 39 that remains of this noble-hearted man. How the rest of his life was past is unknown; his name, however, survives in Liege as one of the watchwords of liberty ! In closing this episode of the city's history, some- thing more remains to be said of its unworthy prince. After the final subjugation of Liege, the bishop abandoned himself without restraint to all his incli- nations; he set no bounds to his licentiousness, and to find the means of gratifying his passions, he alienated the Church property, sold benefices, and taxed the people in a thousand ways, so that he was universally hated, and the name by which he became known was the disgraceful one of " Grand Ribaud de la Cite!' At length, having long disgusted the people, he committed a crime which converted his most faith- ful friends, the family of the Des Prez, into his bit- terest enemies. Coene le Frison, of Jupille, one of that noble race, had a beautiful daughter, named Bertha, for whose hand the greatest lords of Liege aspired. Henry of Gueldres saw and fell in love with her, and from that moment revolved the means of gratifying his hateful passion. He had even the audacity to attempt it in her father's castle, where he was received as a guest, and unhappily, by violence, he succeeded. Alarmed by Bertha's cries, Coene rushed to the spot, but too late to save his daughter's honour or avenge her. Henry had precipitately taken flight, and reached Liege in safety. His remorse, after the act, was in the 40 HIS DISPOSITION. first instance unfeigned, for he knew how dangerous would prove the hatred of his former friends. He endeavoured in vain to enter into terms of composition with them ; their only answer was defiance and threats of revenge. The matter was referred by the Des Prez to the chapter of Liege, but Henry had no dread of the reproof of his canons. One of them, however, the Archdeacon Thibant de Plaisance, a man nearly eighty years of age, had the courage to reproach him with his scandalous life, and Henry, beside himself with pas- sion, struck him to the ground. His temerity would have cost him his life, but for the interference of the archdeacon, who contented himself by saying, that as he purposed visiting the Holy Sepulchre before his death, he should, after having made the pilgrimage, inform the Pope of the whole aifair. Thibant, a few days afterwards, set out from Liege, and was on his return towards Eome from Syria, when he learnt that he had in his absence been elected to the pontifical throne, under the name of Gregory the Tenth. Like Louis the Twelfth of France, he forgot his personal injuries when he became a sovereign, and strove, by mildness only, to reclaim the Bishop of Liege. He addressed to him a long, pastoral letter, in which he enumerated all Ms offences, and exhorted him to re- pentance : the only effect it produced was to elicit from Henry an exclamation, that the Pope was evidently afraid of him, and a threat that all the evil he had yet done was nothing to what he intended to commit here- HIS DEATH. 41 after. The Pope, finding that nothing could move him, ended by citing him to appear before the council of Lyons, and there, in 1274, he solemnly deposed him from his see. Deprived of his ecclesiastical authority, he began a new career of rapine and adventure, and made himself a terror to the Liegeois, by pillaging castles and villages, and holding the inhabitants to ransom. The hatred against him in Liege was so general, that a price was set upon his head, a reward of twenty livres de gros being offered to whoever should take him dead or alive. Justice at last reached him, he fell, in the year 1283, by the hands of Coene le Frison, who had long dogged his footsteps : the father at length avenged his daughter's outraged honour ! The events which succeed in the history of the struggle between the commons and their rulers, must be sketched more briefly. The next great effort that was made by the people to shake off the heavy yoke of their oppressors, is commonly known in the annals of Liege, as "La Mai St. Martin"* It was one fatal to the power of the nobles, who were utterly defeated, in the year 1312, in an attempt which they made to crush the citizens. The contest was bloody and fearful, excesses of the worst kind were committed, and the flower of the * La Mai, la male journee, the evil day. D 2 4'-> JEAN SANS PITIE. chivalry of Liege was well-nigh swept away.* As a separately formidable body, they were no longer to be feared ; the social war continued, but henceforward it was between the Prince and the people. The latter were now recognised as no longer existing by their sovereign's will, for in the peace of Anyleur, concluded the year succeeding the Mai St. Martin, we meet with the following remarkable words, " The candidate for admission to the magistracy must belong to one of tlte trades ! " John of Bavaria, who was elected to the bishopric of Liege in 1390, when he was only seventeen years of age, made his reign terribly conspicuous in the city's annals by the bloody characters in which it was written, and earned for himself the well-deserved epithet of "Jean sans Pi tie." The Burgundians now, for the first time, enter upon the scene, led by the fearless duke who murdered his cousin, Louis of Orleans, in the Rue Barbet, in Paris, and who afterwards perished by assassination on the bridge of Montereau. He gained the decisive victory of Othee f over the Liegeois, and restored the power which he had lost to John of Bavaria, who cruelly retaliated upon his sub- jects. The best blood flowed on every side, and to such an extent did he cany his thirst for vengeance, * See for the details of this event, and many other curious parti- culars in the history of Liege, the " Recits Histoiriques sur 1'ancien pays de Liege," by M. L. Polain, Bruxelles, 1842. t It was at Othee also that he gaine the surname of " Jean sans Pitie." LIEGE IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 43 that the city appeared one vast slaughter-house. " The sanguinary rage of the bishop," says Merzerai, "was not confined to the chiefs of the revolt, but extended to women and children, priests and nuns. Around Liege, and the cities in its alliance, were only to be seen forests of wheels and gibbets, and the Meuse was choked with the bodies of the unhappy citizens, who, tied back to back, were thrown in pairs into the river." He abrogated the charter of the Liegeois, and despoiled them of all the privileges which they had been three centuries in acquiring, but his triumph was fortunately of short duration. Ten years afterwards the people re-conquered their rights, and John of Bavaria resigned the bishopric. The conspiracy of Wathieu d'Athin, or " Le Jour des Rots," though involving many sad calamities, must be passed over, to advert to the days of Charles the Bold, when the heaviest misfortunes occurred that ever befel Liege. In the year 1465, the wealth and power of the city were great, its commerce was in the highest degree nourishing, and upwards of 120,000 inhabitants were numbered within its walls. The reigning bishop was Louis de Bourbon, elected to his high office at eighteen years of age. A pleasure-loving prince, and unequal to the consideration of serious questions, his thoughts were completely centered in his own gratification, and his rapacity kept pace with his wants. He soon sowed the seeds of discontent amongst his people ; and chiefs 44 CRUELTY OF THE DUKE OF BUBGUXDY. to lead them in revolt speedily appeared in Eaes de Heers and Bare de Surlet, who sought to strengthen their hands by entering into secret negociations with Louis the Eleventh of France, on the faith of whose promises they so implicitly relied, that when the dis- sensions between Bourbon and the Liegeois had reached their height, the latter hesitated not at once to declare open war against the Duke of Burgundy, who espoused the quarrel of his cousin, the bishop. The history of this war has been too often told to render a repetition of it necessary here.* The heroic conduct of the six hundred Franchimontois, the perfidy of Louis the Eleventh, and the cruelty of the Duke of Burgundy, are indelibly engraven on its pages. The sacrifice of sixty thousand citizens, and the almost total destruction of the city, attest the sanguinary spirit of the age. With the extinction of the feudal system, which gradually gave way in the course of the fifteenth cen- tury, ends the necessity for reference to the history of Liege, as far as the present work is concerned. The legends of the Meuse belong almost entirely to the period which has been dwelt upon, and it was princi- pally with the view of connecting the capital with the country that this chapter was written. * Philippe de Comines, Le Mayeur, Bouille, &c. The Walloon Language Error of Sir Walter Scott Flemish never spoken in Liege Origin of the Walloon Language Its Charac- teristicsThe popular Dialect War Cries The Lord's Prayer Hungaro-Walloons Fetes de la Reine Paskeies Political Songs Noels The Cramignon Paskeie Walloon Chronicles Walloon Dramas Decline of Walloon Literature Walloon Poet, Recent Efforts. HKOUGHOUT the country that borders the Meuse between Liege and Givet, em- bracing the Condroz and a part of the Ardennes on the right bank, and the dis- tricts of the Hesbaye and Entre-Sanibre- et-Meuse on the left, the language of the people is perfectly distinct from those of its various neighbours. With the frontier of Prussia on one hand, and Brabant on the other, it resembles neither German nor Flemish, but remains what it has ever been, a language apart. This language is the Walloon. Its origin and character have given rise to much discussion amongst the learned, and many ingenious theories have been raised by different philologists, who have sought to derive it from all but its most obvious source some tracing it exclusively from the Latin, others from the German, others again from the Celtic, 46 ERROR OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. and some unhesitatingly ascribing to it a Flemish parentage. This last derivation is esteemed by the Liegeois themselves, " the unkindest cut of all ;" and it is on this account that, whenever the romances of Walter Scott are spoken of in Liege and translations of his works are widely spread throughout Belgium one of the comments invariably made is on the great error he committed, when, in Quentin Durward, he makes the citizens of Liege speak Flemish ; for they justly assert that there is not a single monument, or street, or corner, in the old city, whose appellation is in the slightest degree connected with the Flemish tongue, to say nothing of the living proofs that exist in the still surviving literature of the Walloons, and the daily speech of the people. Jealous, as the Liegeois naturally are, of the little nationality that time has left them, they deeply feel the attempt to confound their language with the unhar- monious tongue of the Low Countries ; and Sir Walter's mistake injures them the more from its having been carelessly adopted by others Victor Hugo, in his recent work " Le Rhin," being one of the most notable examples. But it is not by foreigners alone that this heresy has been propagated. Paquot, a learned man, and himself a native of the province of Liege, asserts in one of his works,* that a part of the inhabitants of Liege, * " Memoires pour servir a 1'histoire litteraire du pays de Liege." ORIGIN OF THE WALLOON LANGUAGE. 4/ particularly in the faubourg of St. Walburge, formerly spoke Flemish. He, however, adduces no proof, while, on the other hand, an authority of the greatest weight, the noble chronicler, Jacques de Henricourt,* who wrote, not in the last century, but in the year 1360, expressly states that it was the custom in the thirteenth century for the Liegeois nobility to place their sons as pages in the castles of the county of Looz, for the purpose of learning Flemish. This testimony is decisive against Paquot ; but negative proofs are not the only ones in confirmation of a different origin for the Walloon. That origin is undoubtedly Gaulish, though few traces remain of so remote a parentage: they are chiefly to be found in the names of places whose ety : mology is derivable from no existing language. Its principal modifications arose from the influence of the Latin of the cloister during the dark ages, an influence that eventually formed the " Langue Eomane." As that learned archaeologist, the Baron de Reiffenberg, remarks :f " The Walloon is the ' Langue Eomane,' or French language, directly sprung from the de- generate Latin ; from the Latin which became the pre- vailing language of the Gauls. The Celtic, the tu- desque, and other words borrowed from different tongues which are to be found in it, form only a secondary element ; but the syntax of those languages has doubtless considerably affected it." * "Miroir des Nobles de la Hesbaye," p. 281. f " Cronique de Philippe Mousques." Introduction. 48 ITS CHARACTERISTICS. Sanmery, who was not so deeply skilled in philo- logy, observes in the "Delices du pays de Liege": " Let it not be imagined that the populace of Liege speak French. Then 1 language is only a Gaulish patois such as the Walloon ; but so disfigured that the French understand but a few words of it, and then only by paying great attention when it is spoken. They are themselves perfectly understood by this people (the Liegeois), but they labour under the dis- advantage of not understanding them. It must be owned that certain works of imagination, such as sonnets, epigrams, madrigals, satires, bonmots, and witty expressions in this patois, possess a delicacy and energy which it would be difficult to translate into any other language, and more particularly into the French. No person of intelligence who understands this lan- guage can refuse it his admiration." Although there is every reason for believing that the Walloon idiom was spoken and written during the earliest periods of the history of Liege, yet no monu- ments exist to prove it anterior to the ninth century. It was certainly the common language of the people in the time of Bishop Notger, for he is described as employing it when he preached to them, whereas, in addressing the clergy he always spoke Latin : " Vulgar! plebem, clerum sermone latino Erudit et satiat magna dulcedine verba."* The jongleurs, who about this time first made their * Chapeauville," Gest Pontif.Leod. Script :" Fisen, " Hist.Eccl.Leod." WAR CRIES. 49 appearance, necessarily used the common tongue, and the songs, chansons de gestes, and romances of chi- valry which succeeded, and which formed the delight of the people, were composed in the popular dialect. The war cries uttered on the field of battle are irrefragable monuments of the language spoken by the combatants. In 1213 the battle of the Warde des Steppes was gained by the Liegeois over the Bra- baii9ons. In the army of Liege were the contingents brought by the Counts of Limburg, of Namur, of Looz, &c. ; and many of the latter were unfortunately slain by the Liegeois, owing to their speaking Tudesque, and being consequently mistaken for Brabanc,ons. This distinction between the dialects of Liege and Looz prevails at the present day. The idiom employed by Bishop Notger in the eighth century continued to be the medium through which the people were addressed by the preachers, and was so popularly identified, that when, in the year 1451, the apostolic legate, Nicolas Cusani, wished to interfere in the affairs of the clergy of Liege, the latter refused to obey him, alleging that the bull conferred on him as legate no jurisdictional power over the Walloons, but only over the Germans.* The Lord's Prayer was also invariably recited in Walloon at Liege. The subjoined version, though somewhat Frenchified by the author who gives it,t * Foullon, " Hist. Episc. Leod." f Davity, " Description de 1' Europe." Paris, 1660, in folio. E 50 THE LORD'S PRAYER HUNGARO- WALLOONS. may serve to denote some of the characteristics of the language. " Nos peer kest a cier, santifie se ti norn. Ti royame nos avienn. Ta volontei so faite en 1'terr com a cier. Dine no nos pein k'tidien ajourdhu : et pardon no pechei com no pardonn no detteu. Et nos indus nin en tentation, mein delivre no de mal. Amen." As a proof of the identity of the Walloon language at an interval of four hundred years, the following story is cited by M. Henaux, who has devoted much time to the consideration of the subject: "In the month of July, 1477, seven Hungarians, who had just made the pilgrimage to Aix la Chapelle, came by invitation to Liege. To the surprise of everybody, they spoke the most perfect Walloon, absolutely identical with that spoken in the city. Inquiry as to the cause being made, the strangers stated that they formed part of a colony of Liegeois, who, in consequence of famine in their native country, had left it and settled at Agra in Hungary, in the year 1052. The King of Hungary had readily admitted them into his dominions, and gave up to them an uncultivated district, which soon became covered with houses, and was called by the natives the "Walloon Villages" (Gallica loca). To ascertain the truth of this statement, the ancient chronicles of the city, preserved in the cathedral, were examined, and in them were found the details of the famine in the year 1052, which expatriated so many of the Liegeois. The FETES DE LA REINE. burgomasters and echevins accordingly signed and put the city's seal upon an attestation, which they gave to the Hungaro-Walloons, recognising that the latter derived their origin from the Pays de Li6ge. With the exception of certain changes in the or- thography, and some augmentations to the vocabulary, the Walloon language of the present day differs little from that of the fifteenth century ; in pronunciation it remains the same. The earliest work in Walloon, to which a positive date can be affixed, appeared in the year 1060, and consisted of a collection of popular enigmas in verse : it was made by Egbert, a monk of Liege, and met with much success. There are many evidences of the peculiar poetical tendencies of the WaUoons, and they are particularly noticeable in the accounts which have been handed down of the Saturnalia which, under the name of Fetes de la Heine, were celebrated in Liege about the middle of the twelfth century. On these occasions the clergy, as well as the people, appeared in grotesque dresses, and danced in the churches and streets, accompanying their songs, which were not remarkable for decency, with the beating of drums and the music of other instruments. Political songs were also much in vogue, indicating the popular feeling ; and the satirical humour which has always been the first characteristic of Walloon poetry, rendered them extremely piquant. The first of these pasJceies (the Walloon word for poetical satires), of which mention 52 PASKEIES. is made, was composed and sung by the Liegeois on the capture of the castle of St. Walburge, in the year 1250, and from that time there appears to have been no lack of them. The scandalous life of Henry of Gueldres originated many of these satires ; that which was made on the occasion of his infamous abuse of the hospitality of Coene le Frison, was sung in all the streets, and his deposal at the Council of Lyons gave rise, says Melart, to numberless " satyres, vadevilles, et chansons diffamantes et bouffones."* These political songs have all unfortunately been lost in the destruction which has swept away so many of the public records and monuments of ancient Liege ; but the ordinary songs of the people, anterior to the political era, and transmitted carefully from father to son, yet survive. Most of these were of a semi- religious type, and were usually sung on Sundays and fete days, in the public squares, the cloisters, and often in the cemeteries, diversifying the games with which the people amused themselves. In the evening they assembled before the chapels or images of saints, at the corners of the streets, to sing canticles in the popular dialect a custom that still prevails in the faubourgs and the country. Among these rhythmical legends are many Noels, which are very curious in several points of view. The following specimen, which is extracted from a collection of Walloon songs * " Hist, de la Ville de Huy.," 1. iii. p. 157. NOELS. fto ami poems recently published, will give some idea of their nature : * NOEL. MARE'iE. Doux Diew, so-j'ewaraye ! qu'est c'qui j'6 dire ? In ang' ves les doze heure est v'nou d'a cire, Qu'a v'nou dire af biergi, qu' estit a champs, Q,ue 1' Messeie esteut v'nou, qu'on d'mandef tant ; Oh ! ouiss' corez-v' si vit', kiper' Bietme ? L' av' oiou dire ossi d' ouss' qui vos v'nez ? [Sweet God, how astonished I am ! what is it I hear ? An angel towards midnight is come from Heaven : Has come to tell the shepherds, who were in the fields, That the Messiah was come, so much asked for ; Oh ! where do you run so quickly, Father Bietme ? Have you heard it also where you come from ?] BIETME. Oh ! i n'y a rin d'pus vraye, kimer Mareie ; | Tots les voesins coret po 1'alle veie ; Ji 1'a veiou 1'prumi, j'el pout bin dire, II est ne d'vin on sta, ci rivet des cire, Comm' li pus pauv' de mond', ca i n'a rin Qu' in' krippe et on pou d'four po 1'mett' divin. * " Choix de Chansons et Poesies Wallonnes." Recuellies par MM. B*** et D***. Liege, 1844. The collection is interesting, but it would have been more valuable had a glossary been added. f As a slight guide to the pronunciation of Walloon, the reader must remember that the "a circumflex" is pronounced like "o." J Kimer, Scottice, Kimmer. E 2 54 XOELS. [Oh ! there is nothing more true, gossip Mary ; All the neighbours run to see him ; I have seen him the first, I can well say so ; He is born in a stall, this little king of Heaven, Like the poorest in the world, for there is nothing But a crib and a little hay to put him in.] On bouf, in agn' sofflet po 1' rischafe ; Sins coula, ji n' se k'mint qu' i pout dure ; Li biname tron' tot, i mour di freud ; Ji m'li va vit' poerte on bon cofteu ; Li pauv' mere esst ossi tote egealaye, N'av' nin on pau de legn' po fe n' blamaye ? [An ox (and) an ass breathe to warm him ; Without that, I don't know how he could live. The well-beloved trembles all over, he will die of cold ; I am going quickly to take him a good covering ; The poor mother is also quite frozen, Have you not a little wood to make her a fire ?] MARElE. Si fait, passez por cial qwand vos irez, Ji m' li va fa on fa, vos li poetrez ; J'a eco des lign'rai, j'el's i donret, Des beguins et des fahe et on bonnet, Et s' li poetret j' ossi saqwant pan'hai, On pau de souc, de bourre et de lessai. [Oh, yes, call for that when you go, I will make her a faggot, you will take it ; NOELS. I have also some linen, which I will give her, Some hoods and veils, and a cap. I will also take her some small loaves, A little sugar,* some butter and milk. This kind of dialogue is carried on through several stanzas; and after all the proposed offerings have been named, Bietme politely offers his arm to Mary to assist her through the dirt. Mareie, tinez-m'po 1'bress', ca vos toumri, I fait bin trop mava, vos v' degrettri. [Mary, take my arm, for you will tumble, The road is much too bad, you will make yourself all over mud.] Arrived near the spot where the infant Jesus is lying, Mary exclaims : Qu'est c'qui j'veu la lava, est c'la qu'il est ? Ji veu comme in 'clarte dri ci croupet. [What is that I see yonder, is it there he is ? I see something like a light behind that tuft.] Bietme replies : Awet, kimer Mareie, la nos 1'trouv'ran ; Vos n'avez maie veiou on s'fait efant. * This was probably an addition to the old Noel, when sugar be- came the common substitute for other modes of sweetening. 56 NOELS. II est blanc comme in 'niv', s'esst-i-rondlet ; On 1'magn'reut bin tot crou, si bai qu'il est. [Yes, gossip Mary, there we shall find him ; You never in your life saw so well-made a child : He is white as an egg, and so plump ; One could eat him undressed, he is so lovely.] Mary, who has been followed by several companions, is afraid to go in, and says to Bietme : Vos inturrez 1'prumi, kiper' Bietme, Ca por nos n'savan k'mint qu'i fat fe. Nos loukran apres vos ; mi feye, vinez, Tinez-m'di dri po 1'cotte, et s'-mi suvez ; Ai sogn' tot z-intrant de fe 1'honneur, Et di v'jette a g'no d'vant noss' Saveur. [You will enter the first, Father Bietme, For we do n't know what we ought to do. We will look at him after you ; r i faith, come, Hold me behind by the jacket, and so follow me ; Take care all as you enter to do him honour, And to throw yourselves on your knees before our Saviour.] Bietme is the pink of politeness ; he replies : Avou voss' permission, tot 'li k'pagneie ; Bonjou, binamaye Dam' nos v'vinan veie ; N's apoertan on qwatron di novais oil Et in' mich qui n'est cute i n'y a qu'on jovi. NOELS. 57 S'a-j'eco on cofteu, po afule Voss' pauv' pitit efant qu'esst egeale. Bonjou, sdveur de mi am', mi biname, Qu'a-j'ma m'cour di v've'i tant edure ! Louki, kimer 'Mareie, a foec' di freud Les lam' tourmet d'ses ouie, gross' comm' des peu. Ca, vos direz a 1'mer, cou qu'vos estez, Et fan vite in' blamaye po 1'reschafe. [With your permission, all the company ; Good day, well-beloved lady ; we have come to see you ; We have brought a quarter of a hundred of new laid eggs, And a loaf, which was only baked yesterday. I have also a covering, to wrap up Your poor little child, who is frozen. Good day, saviour of my soul, my well-beloved, My heart is sore to see you suffer so ! Look, gossip Mary, the cold is so severe It makes the tears fall from his eyes, as large as peas. Now, tell the mother who you are, And make a fire quickly to warm her.] Mary next performs the hospitable objects of her mission, expressing herself all the while in the same simple and quaint language as if she were rather ministering to the wants of a neighbour's child than to the Son of God and before taking leave she asks permission to kiss him. The Noel closes with a moral reflection. 58 NOELS. Several of these Noels begin with an expression of doubt as to the truth of the joyful advent, expressed sometimes in a dialogue between a herald-angel and a shepherd, sometimes in a discussion between two peasants. In the former case the angel generally speaks French, the shepherd Walloon, as in the fol- lowing Noel, which is written in the dialect of Verviers. UN ANGE. Allons, pasteur, qu'on se reveille ! Un Dieu vient de naitre en ce lieu ; II est venu vous rendre heureux ; C'est 1'objet sans pareil. II fait eclater en touts lieux Ses merveilles. UN BERGER. Quu d'hez-v'do, binamaie ? Quu v'nez-v'tant barbotter ? Allez ! v's estez troviblaie Du nos v'ni tant temter. Rutournez au pus vite Au pais d'oii qu'vos v'nez, Ni mi, ni m'sour Magrite Nos n'nos saurin lever. [What is it you say, well-beloved ? What is it you have come to prate about ? Go along ! you must be crazy to come here to tempt us so. Return as fast as you can to the country from whence you came. Neither myself nor my sister Margaret will stir for you.] 59 L' ANGE. Que dites vous, berger fidele?- Vous vous trompez on ne peut plus ; Yenez reconnaitre Jesus, Le fils de 1'Eternel Qui vient reparer vos abus D'un saint zele. LE BERGER. C'esst on' furieus' misere ; On n' saureut gott' doirmi, Avon lu tintamores Q,uu vos v'nez fer voci. Jans ! faut veie su c'est veur Cou qu' vos nos racontez. Portaut nos a' polans creure Tot veiant ciss' clorte. [It 's a great annoyance ; one cannot get a wink of sleep for the uproar that you come and make here. Jans ! we must see if it is true what you come and tell us. How- ever, we may even believe you, seeing this bright light.] The remainder of the Noel exhibits the conviction and adoration of the shepherd. There was one popular song of great antiquity in Liege, which had nothing to do with either politics or religion, though it was often looked upon with dread, as the precursor of popular disturbances. This was the famous Crdmignon, known better as a dance than a song, but always accompanied by the latter. As 60 THE CKAMIGNON. soon as winter was gone and the fetes of the different parishes began, the Cramiynun made its appearance, and lasted through the summer and autumn. It was danced sometimes by girls, sometimes by young men, but more frequently by both together, hand in hand, forming a chain of great length, which went winding and turning through the streets, along the quays, across the squares, and into every nook and comer of the city, waking the inhabitants, if any slept, with the loud chorus, its accompaniment. To lead the dance, it was necessary to possess great physical force and strength of lungs; this was called " mine I'Cratnignon" as it is expressed in the old verse Prinde voss baston, Simon, Es mine li Cramisrnon. THE CRAMIGNON. 61 The words of the song are trivial, and express the determination of a certain gentleman, named Piron, not to dance unless he is supplied with every separate article of dress, each of the most approved kind. It begins thus : I. nse ) }- bis. -s ; J Piron n' vout nin danse S'i n' a des nous soles Et des soles tot ronds ) %. Q] g ( Po fe danse Piron. J [Piron will not dance at all unless he has new shoes ; and shoes quite round to make Piron dance.] 2. Piron n' vout nin danse "k A < } bis. S i n a des riouves chassesj Des chassettes Totes vettes, Et des soles tot ronds Po fe danse Piron. And so on through all the articles of the toilette. But although the words of the Cramignon are insigni- ficant, the music to which it is set is pleasing, and, like that of the Noels, the melody is rather plaintive than gay- The rulers of the Liegeois did not always look upon the Chanson d 'Cramignon as merely an innocent pastime. Under the apprehension of riots, edicts were Ci'i THE PASKEIE. frequently proclaimed against it. One of these, in 1 685, has for its object, " to prevent that custom of the citizens of both sexes from assembling and running through the streets in great numbers, under pretence of amusement, during the festivals of the parishes ;" and prohibiting any meetings or dances after nine o'clock in the evening. The Cramignon, however, survived these ordinances, though it is now all but forgotten. I have said that one of the tendencies of the Walloon muse was towards satire ; satire is, indeed, its principal characteristic, though it is by. no means wanting in gracefulness of expression, picturesqueness of imagery, or power of thought. Amongst the most remarkable specimens of this kind, the Paskcie, called " Les Aiwes di Tongue" (the Waters of Tongres), written in 1700, is perhaps the best known. It was the production of a lawyer, named De Eickmau, and, though composed only for the author's amusement, had the effect of entirely discrediting the efficacy of the mineral springs of Tongres, which, according to this poem, were of no value, while the medical men who gave it their recommendation, did so merely on account of the money which they received for their good word. The few last lines state this opinion in terms suffi- ciently intelligible : Et ji v's assur' qui 1'pus grand bin, Qu'ill fret, ci seret as flamins, WALLOON CHRONICLES. 63 Q.U' a ciss" fin la ont foirt payi Trint' deux docteurs avou 1' gazli. Herod' ni d'na nin tant d'argint Po fer mori les ennocints. [And I assure you, that the greatest good they will do will be to the Flemings, who for this purpose have well- paid thirty-two doctors. Herod never gave so much money to procure the deaths of the Innocents.] But, as may readily be supposed, the literature of the Walloons was not limited to poetical effusions, though these alone have, for obvious reasons, survived. Not only were all the municipal acts and public treaties written in Walloon, but it finally extended to the ecclesiastical courts, and was the exclusive language of the early historians. A brief enumeration of some of the principal of these may suffice :: Luc de Tongren wrote a history of the Liegeois in 1070; the Life of St. Bathilde was composed by Lambert le Begue in 1173; Enguerran de Bar, a canon of the cathedral, wrote his " Chronique des Liegeois " in 1203 ; another work, bearing the same name, by the Canon Ea- dulphus, appeared in 1210; and the " Chronique des Vavassours," drawn up by Bishop de Pierrepoint, followed in 1225; Guillaume de Pettersen, Jean de Bal, and Jean Dupin subsequently wrote histories in Walloon, and in 1390 the celebrated Jean d'Outre- meuse gave his famous Chronicle to the world, which still remains inedited. I WALLOON DRAMAS. The " Miroir des Nobles cle Hesbaye," written by Messire Jacques de Hemricourt in 1398, is the best known work of that period extant. It has passed through several editions, and is valuable for the gene- alogical information which it contains.* The long years of anarchy and suffering which deso- lated Liege for the greater part of the fifteenth century, appear to have thrown an interdict upon all literary exertion, which extended to the seventeenth; and during this interval, the ascendancy of the French language became so great as entirely to supersede the Walloon, for all the purposes of biography or history. The popular dialect, in fact, only retained its hold through the medium of poetry; but, as if to avenge herself for the neglect which had fallen upon the sister muse, the triumphs of the latter were more brilliant than they had ever been before. The eighteenth cen- tury may, indeed, be looked upon as the Augustan era of Walloon poetry, when it flourished in every shape, heroic, lyrical, and dramatic. We have already spoken of " Les Aiwes di Tongue," or " Tonk," as it is sometimes written, and this was followed, about 1725, by the "Pasquee critique et calotene so les Affaires del Medicene," an amusing and elegantly- written poem. In 1757 appeared the first of a series of Walloon dramas, intituled " Li Ligeoi Egagi," a burlesque opera, by J. J. Fabry; followed successively * The best edition is that published in folio at Brussels, in 1672, by the Sieur de Salbray. DECLIN 7 E OF WALLOON LITERATURE. fi5 by " Les Ypocontes," of S. de Harlez ; " Li Voiegge di Chofontaine," of de Cartier; and "Li Fiesse di Houte-si-Plou," of H. G. de Vivario. All these works had great success, and the merit of Hamal's music, to which they were married, may be inferred from the fact of its having elicited the frequent praise of the celebrated composer Gretry. But even before the popular admiration for these poems had subsided, the French language again predominated, and the Society of Emulation, founded in 1779, succeeded in banishing the Walloon from literature and society, a task the less difficult, as the necessity for a richer and more copious language became apparent. Some swans, however, still sang their dying strains, the most notice- able amongst whom was Martin Simonis, who flou- rished so lately as 1831. He was a workman in an iron-foundry, and a true scion of the " genus irritabile, ' the caprices of his muse, at war with the constituted authorities, consigning him not unfrequently to the public prison. His greatest misfortune, however, was an uncontrollable fondness for pequet* and from his indulgence in it he was rarely to be found sober. When reproached by a friend for this fatal predilection, and urged to abandon it, his reply was, Kiment, vos pinsez fiilremint, vos! qui flair eu la comme qoula on mesti qui in' a coste si cher a apprinde! " (What ! do you really * 1 he name of the juniper- bush, in Walloon, is pequet ; and geneva, however made, is called by the same name. F 2 WALLOON POETS. think, now, that I shall leave off an art that has cost me so much to learn ?) At the present moment efforts are being made amongst the litterateurs of Liege to revive, if not the Walloon language, at least a knowledge of what it was, and foremost among these literary patriots is the author of " The Travels of Alfred Nicolas," a work that obtained some celebrity in Belgium about ten years ago. The " Wallonades," which he has lately pub- lished,* are written in an easy, agreeable manner ; and although the satire of the principal poem, called " Montfort," is directed entirely against the wandering propensities and insatiable curiosity of our countrymen, the English reader will hardly fail to be amused by it. M. Simonon has also in the press a collection of " Poesies en Patois de Liege;" a " Dictionnaire Ety- mologique de la langue Wallonne " is in preparation ; and to the " Etudes Historiques et Litteraires par le Wallon," by Ferdinand Henaux, I have myself been much indebted. * Liege. Felix Oudart, editeur. 1845. LA BF.TE DE STAKE OX. CHAPTER IV. Walloon and Belgian Superstitions Kaboutermannekens Sotays Brownies The Verd Bouc The four Sons of Aymon The Gattea d'Or Exorcism Popular Superstitions The Court of the Cuckoo The Bete de Staneux Ridiculous Usages May-day Ceremonies. N the Walloon country, and indeed in almost all parts of Belgium, a great deal of superstition still prevails amongst the peasantry. The belief in the existence and agency of good and evil spirits is more or less prevalent, and mountain sprites, dwarfs, and domestic goblins abound. The dwarfs are generally located in caverns and subterraneous places; they are called in Flemish, Halvermannekens* and Kaboutermanne- kens,-\- names which sufficiently express their presumed appearance. The inhabitants of the village of Hasselt, in the Campine, say that a great number of these * Half men. f Little fellows. 68 KABOUTERMAXXEKEXS. dwarfs came into that part of the country, on the occa- sion of a great war ; that they dwelt in holes dug in the ground in the middle of a wood, and that they sometimes came into the village to ask for one thing or the other, but never did harm to any one. When the wives of these dwarfs became old, their husbands, giving them a small fresh loaf, made them enter a hole in the ground, and carefully closed the aperture : the credulous peasants add, that the poor old she -dwarfs were quite content to die in this manner. At the village of Gelrode, the country people show a hill, called Kabouterberg, in which are excavated several caves, and gravely declare that these grottoes were the abodes of dwarfs, who served the miller who dwelt there, and that when the latter was desirous of whetting his grindstone, he had only to place it at the door of his mill, with a slice of bread and butter and a glass of beer, and in the night a dwarf came, who, for this trifling reward, performed the work, and the miller found the stone ready when he wanted it. The same assistance was given him when he wanted to have his linen washed. It is related, also, that, at a village near Mechlin, a miller, the favoured race, apparently, being engaged in sifting flour, and not having time to finish his task, put off the rest to the following day, and, going home, accidentally left behind him a slice of bread and butter, which had formed a part of his supper. Next morning he was very much SOTAYS. 09 astonished to find that the flour was sifted, and the bread and butter gone. He resolved to repeat the experiment, and the same result ensued. On the third night, curious to know who the labourer could be who worked at night for such slight payment, he hid him- self behind some sacks of flour, and about midnight saw a little dwarf make his appearance, perfectly naked, who immediately set to work. The miller, a modest man (a rarity in Brabant), and moved with pity at the nakedness of the laborious dwarf, added, on the following night, a complete suit of clothes to the un- sifted flour and bread and butter ; after which the good little spirit never showed himself again without being dressed from head to foot. In some of the Flemish provinces the dwarfs are called Dwergen, Aardrnannetjes, Drollen or Trollen, and Werkgeesten. In Holland there is a popular belief in a dwarf whom they call Ongeborene Jan (Unborn John) ; another Oo/ti Hendrick (Uncle Henry) ; others, Zwarte Piet (Black Peter), and Joris op de stelten (George on stilts). In the Pays Liegeois the domestic offices volun- teered by spirits are performed by goblins of larger growth : they correspond exactly to the Brownie of the Scottish borders and the "lubber friend" of Milton. The name they bear is Sotays. It is said of them, that no labourer works so hard, is so active, and, above all, so disinterested. The Sotay thrashes the corn and winnows it, he mows, he cleans out the stable and the 70 BROWNIES. cowhouse, nor does he omit to curry and nib down the horses, for which he has a particular regard. By day- light all the work of the house is finished without any one having seen how or by idiom. The sole reward, and all he asks, for this labour is a bowl of milk the " cream-bowl duly set." Were these goblins numerous, their employment would render labour cheap. It would seem, however, that they are not always to be depended upon, for the Monk of St. Gall relates an anecdote of one of these spirits, whom he calls a demon, or larva, whose pursuits were somewhat questionable. He says that the goblin used to amuse himself by playing every night with the hammer and anvil of a smith, and, in return for the use of these instruments, was in the habit of filling the smith's pitcher with excellent wine, which he stole from the bishop's cellars hard by ; that the bishop discovered the theft, and having exorcised the spirit, succeeded in making him assume the shape of a man, when he had him flogged and put in the pillory " as if he had been a robber ! " No one can say that the prelate's view of the case was not a sensible one. The Sotays, though a kind, beneficent race, could manifest strong feelings of resentment if treated with ingratitude. The proud and ambitious Lord of Mont- fort was made to experience this change in a signal manner. He had contrived, though in what way we are not told, to form a close alliance with the King of the Sotays, called Verd Bouc, who, to the great regret of the villages, farms, and peasants' cabins, abandoned THE FOUR SONS OF ATMON. 71 the country and established himself in the noble manor of Montfort, not far from Tilf, on the banks of the Ourthe. With such a powerful ally, the Lord of Mont- fort succeeded in everything he undertook. His granaries, his coffers, and his caves were alike well filled. His flocks were the most numerous, his war horses the finest, the best- conditioned, and the strongest in the country. If he went to war with his neighbours an occurrence not very rare by the aid of the Sotays he always gained the victory ; and if his disputes were terminated by negociations, the ingenuity and sensible counsels of the Sotays always secured him the advantage. In short, the Lord of Montfort was only too well off, and, like most people in that con- dition, he abused his position. Covetous of more than the spirits could perform or ascribing less merit to their exertions than they deserved, he went so far as to quarrel with the Verd Bouc, and treat him with con- tumely, a proceeding which it was not in the nature of the goblin to forgive, for vengeance was an attribute dear to him in his double capacity of king and spirit. An occasion for exercising it was not long wanting. The four famous sons of Aymon, being at that time in the Ardennes seeking adventures, arrived in the neigh- bourhood of Montfort, and travelling near the castle, were set upon by the people of the count, who, for- getting they had to deal with knights- errant, sought to levy a toll from them. The only payment which they received was in hard blows, for the sons of Aymon 1-2 THE GATTES bestired themselves lustily, and quickly putting them to flight, followed up their advantage, and attacked their master in his stronghold. The castle, however, was strong, and it is probable then- efforts to reduce it would have failed if they had not been aided by the Verd Bone, who, in the guise of a ram probably a battering ram knocked down several thick walls and made a breach through which the Paladins could enter. Hence- forward all resistance was vain. The terrible Rinaldo drove back all before him, knights, squires, and pages were swept down like corn : the Sotays threw a yellow powder into the eyes of the men-at-arms ; and at length the formidable blade of the Enchanter Maugis severed the head of the guilty Lord of Montfort. History ^ays nothing more of the castle; but it appears that the Sotays, having had enough of great people, resumed their primitive habits, and returned to their country abodes. Amongst other pursuits, they addicted them- selves to metallurgy, in which they became tolerably proficient, and the peasants dwelling near Dinant in the olden time much famed for the manufacture of pots and kettles often experienced the good offices of the amateur tinkers. If a cauldron were cracked or a saucepan out of order, it was only necessary to place it on the door- step and go away directly, and in the course of two minutes the damage was found to be repaired gratis . To almost every ruin in the provinces of Namur and Liege and their number is "legion" popular EXOECISM. 73 superstition assigns a class of evil spirits, called by the Walloons " gattes d'or," golden goats, from the Wal- loon " gdtt" goat. It is said that these familiar demons guard a concealed treasure in the depths of a precipice under the ruins, and the common people add, that if a man be rash enough to attempt to discover the hidden treasure, the gattes employ a charm, or use a species of fascination, which draws the unwary seekers towards them, leading him on till he is lost in the bowels of the earth, when the gattes disappear and he perishes. The crevices and cavities of the rocks, on which most of the old ruins stand, are pointed to by the peasants as the entrances to the abodes of these spirits. It is not long since an instance occurred which shows that the belief in the existence of concealed trea- sure, indicated by the traditions respecting the Sotays, is not confined to persons of the least educated class. A garde chasse, who had long superintended the dis- trict in which the ruins of Logne are situated, was one day making his rounds beneath the old walls, when his attention was arrested by sounds that seemed to pro- ceed from a cavity below them, and, looking upwards, lie saw a slight smoke issue from the aperture. Curious, as well as bound by his duty, to ascertain the cause of a circumstance so unusual, he carefully and cautiously ascended the mountain side, and as he neared the cavern the sounds became more distinct, and were regular in their intervals. He groped his 74 POPULAK SUPERSTITIONS. way silently into the aperture, and had not proceeded far before, at a turn of the rock, he perceived three per- sons, two of them in peasants' costume ; the third in the dress of a priest. The former were busy with crow and pickaxe excavating the solid rock, which had already yielded beneath their efforts to a considerable extent. A small wood fire blazed on the ground, and over its flame stood the priest, with censer and mass-book in hand, chaunting litanies in a low and earnest tone. The garde chasse was surprised, as well he might be, at witnessing such a scene in the bowels of the earth, but his notions of duty were too strict to admit of his long remaining a passive spectator. He accordingly broke in upon the incantation, for such it proved to be, and then discovered that the priest was no other than the cure of a neighbouring village ; and from the broken exclamations of the peasants, he gathered that, under the auspices of the Church, they were seeking for one of the treasures supposed to have been guarded by a gutte d'or. The success of the experiment may be inferred from the interruption ; but the cure did not escape merely with the disappointment of Douterswivel, the story got abroad, and reaching the ears of the Bishop of Namur, the reverend treasure-seeker was sus- pended for some time from the exercise of his clerical functions. The superstitious opinions which are generally held by the Walloon people are common to all the Belgian peasantry, as they originally were to all the nations POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.