The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, No. 579 by Various
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Various >> The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, No. 579
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THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.
VOL. XX, No. 579.] SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1832. [PRICE 2d.
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[Illustration: ANTWERP.]
ANTWERP.
This Engraving may prove a welcome pictorial accompaniment to a score
of plans of "the seat of war," in illustration of the leading topic of
the day. The view may be relied on for accuracy; it being a transfer of
the engraving in "Select Views of the Principal Cities of Europe, from
Original Paintings, by Lieutenant Colonel Batty, F.R.S.[1]" We have so
recently described the city, that our present notice must be confined
to a brief outline.
Antwerp, one of the chief cities of the Netherlands, is situated on the
river Scheldt, 22 miles north of Brussels, and 65 south of Amsterdam:
longitude 4 deg. 23' East; latitude 51 deg. 13' North. It is called by Latin
writers, _Antverpia_, or _Andoverpum_; by the Germans, _Antorf_; by
the Spanish, _Anveres_; and by the French, _Anvers_.[2] The city is of
great antiquity, and is supposed by some to have existed before the time
of Caesar. It was much enlarged by John, the first Duke of Brabant, in
1201; by John, the third, in 1314; and by the Emperor Charles V. in
1543: it has always been a place of commercial importance, and about
twenty years after the last mentioned date, the trade is concluded to
have been at its greatest height; the number of inhabitants was then
computed at 200,000. A few years subsequently, Antwerp suffered much in
the infamous war against religious freedom, projected by the detestable
Philip II. (son of Charles V.) and executed by the sanguinary Duke
of Alva, whose cruelty has scarcely a parallel in history. In this
merciless crusade, Alva boasted that he had consigned 18,000 persons
to the executioner; and with vanity as disgusting as his cruelty, he
placed a statue of himself in Antwerp, in which he was figured trampling
on the necks of two statues, representing the two estates of the Low
Countries. Before the termination of the war, not less than 600 houses
in the city were burnt, and 6 or 7,000 of the inhabitants killed or
drowned. Antwerp was retaken and repaired by the Prince of Parma, in
1585. It has since that time been captured and re-captured so frequently
as to render its decreasing prosperity a sad lesson, if such proof were
wanting, of the baleful scourge of war. The reader need scarcely be
reminded that the last and severest blow to the prosperity of Antwerp
was occasioned by the overthrow of Buonaparte, when, by the treaty of
peace signed in 1814, her naval establishment was utterly destroyed.[3]
The population has dwindled to little more than one-fourth of the
original number, its present number scarcely exceeding 60,000.
The annexed view is taken from the _Tete de Flandre_, a fortified
port on the left bank of the river Scheldt, immediately opposite to the
city, and now in the possession of the Dutch. The river here is a broad
and noble stream, and at high water navigable for vessels of large
tonnage. A short distance below the town the banks are elevated, like
part of Millbank, near Vauxhall Bridge; and the situation has much the
same character. The river is here about twice the width of the Thames
at London Bridge, and it flows with great rapidity.
Lieut.-Colonel Batty observes, "there is perhaps no city in the north of
Europe which, on inspection, awakens greater interest" than Antwerp. It
abounds in fine old buildings, which bear testimony to its former wealth
and importance. The three most aspiring points in the View are--1. the
Church of St. Paul, richly dight with pictures by Teniers, De Crayer,
Quellyn, De Vos, Jordaens, &c.; 2. the tower of the Hotel de Ville, the
whole facade of which is little short of 300 feet, a part of the front
being cased with variegated marble, and ornamented with statues; 3. the
lofty and richly-embellished Tower of the Cathedral of Notre Dame,
forming the most striking object from whichever side we view the city.
The interior is enriched with valuable paintings by Flemish masters; the
height of the spire is stated at 460 feet.[4]
The distance from the mouth of the Scheldt to Antwerp is usually
reckoned to be sixty-two miles, allowing for the bending of the river.
At Lillo, an important fortress, the appearance of the city of Antwerp
becomes an interesting object, and the more imposing the nearer the
traveller approaches along the last reach of the Scheldt.
Antwerp has been the birthplace of many learned men--as, Ortelius, an
eminent mathematician and antiquary of the sixteenth century, and the
friend of our Camden; Gorleus, a celebrated medallist, of the same
period; Andrew Schott, a learned Jesuit, and the friend of Scaliger;
Lewis Nonnius, a distinguished physician and erudite scholar, born early
in the seventeenth century. Few places have produced so many painters of
merit, as will be seen at page 380, by a well-timed communication from
our early correspondent P.T.W.
[1] Copied by permission of the proprietors and publishers, Messrs.
Moon, Boys, and Graves.
[2] The name of Antwerp, says an ingenious correspondent, at p. 287,
vol. xiv. of _The Mirror_, is derived from _Hand-werpen_, or
_Hand-thrown_: so called from a legend, which informs us that on
the site of the present city once stood the castle of a giant,
who was accustomed to amuse himself by cutting off and casting
into the river the right hands of the unfortunate wights that
fell into his power; but that being at last conquered himself,
his own immense hand was disposed off, with poetical justice, in
the same way. We quote this passage in a note, as it is only
worthy of place _beneath_ facts of sober history.
[3] See Antwerp described from a _Tour in South Holland_ in the
_Family Library_, at p. 109. vol. xviii of _The Mirror_.
[4] See Antwerp Cathedral, _Mirror_, vol. xiv, p. 286.
* * * * *
A MALTESE LEGEND.
Hark, in the bower of yonder tower,
What maiden so sweetly sings,
As the eagle flies through the sunny skies
He stayeth his golden wings;
And swiftly descends, and his proud neck bends,
And his eyes they stream with glare,
And gaze with delight, on her looks so bright,
As he motionless treads the air.
But his powerful wings, as she sweetly sings,
They droop to the briny wave,
And slowly he falls near the castle walls,
And sinks to his ocean grave.
Was it arrow unseen with glancing sheen,
The twang of the string unheard,
Sped from hunter's bow, that has laid him low,
And has pierced that kingly bird?
That has brought his flight, from the realms of light,
Where his hues in ether glow,
To float for awhile in the sun's last smile,
Then dim to the depths below?
No! the pow'rful spell, that had wrought too well,
Was sung by a maiden true,
And it breath'd and flow'd, to her love who row'd,
His path through the seas of blue.
As she saw his sail, by the gentle gale,
Slow borne to her lofty bower,
Her heart it beat, in her high retreat,
She sang by a spell-bound power:
"Zephyr winds, with gentlest motion
Urge his bark the blue waves o'er;
Cease your wild and deep commotion
Waft him safely to the shore.
"Lovely art thou crested billow,
On thy whiteness rests his eye,
Thou art to his bark a pillow,
Thou dost hear his ev'ry sigh.
"Would I were yon dolphin dancing
Round his fragile vessel's stern;
Ev'ry gaze my soul entrancing,
I would woo him though he spurn."
Here she rais'd her eyes, to the once bright skies,
For she heard the deep sea groan,
And her song it stopp'd, and her hands they drop'd,
Her face grew white as the foam;
For the lovely blue, was hid from her view,
By a black and mighty cloud!
She saw in each wave, a watery grave,
And again she sang aloud:
"But the clouds are rolling heavy,
Fitful gusts distend his sail;
See the whirlpool's foaming eddy,
Hear the seagull's mournful wail.
"Now his vessel greets the thunder,
Now she rests on ocean's bed,
Where in shrines of pearl and amber,
Youthful lovers, love, though dead.
"Gracious Heaven! in mercy spare him,
Shield him with thine arm of pow'r;
On thy wings, oh! Father, bear him
Through this dark and troubled hour.
"In yon convent then to-morrow
Will I give to thee my days;
Flee this world of grief and sorrow,
Endless sing thee hymns of praise.
"But if thou hast bid us sever,
Till we reach the heavenly shore,
I will steer my bark, where never,
Waves nor death shall part us more.
"We will roam the plains of ocean,
Tread the sands where rubies shine,
Drink from starry founts the potion
Mortals taste, and grow divine.
"But his vessel's sinking slowly,
And mine hour of death is near;
Yet I shrink not,--sweet and holy
Is the end that knows no fear."
Scarce the words had died, and the crimson tide,
Flow'd calm in her heaving breast,
When she flew to the wave, to share his grave,
And taste of his final rest.
And the fishermen boast, who dwell on that coast,
That after the ev'ning bell
Has toll'd the hour, in sleet and in shower,
They float on a golden shell.
And all night they roam, where the breakers foam,
When the moonbeams streak the waves,
But when morn awakes and the twilight breaks,
They glide to their coral caves.
_Leeds._
T.W.H.
* * * * *
Manners and Customs.
EARLY INHABITANTS OF BRITAIN.
(_To the Editor._)
In your Correspondent _Selim's_ laudable endeavour to vindicate
the ancient inhabitants of this island from the character of barbarians
given them by Caesar, he has made some errors, which, with your
permission, I will attempt to rectify. First, I beg leave to dissent
from the derivation of the word Druid, "Druidh," a wise man, as such
a word is not to be found in the Welsh language. In one of your early
volumes[5] there is a letter from a Correspondent, deriving the word (in
the above language it is written Derwydd) from Dar and Gwydd, signifying
chief in the presence, as the religious ceremonies of the Druids were
considered to be performed in the presence of the Deity. This may seem
far fetched; but, according to the genius of the language, any word
commencing with _g_, and having another word prefixed, the sound of
the _g_ is always dropped: therefore, those words would be written
Dar-wydd, only a difference of one letter from the proper word.
With regard to the statement of the Druids being "ever foremost in the
battle strife," as your Correspondent has quoted Caesar, I am surprised
that he has overlooked this passage: "The Druids were exempt from all
military payment, and excused from serving in the wars;" indeed, one of
the main objects of Bardism was to maintain peace, and the use of arms
was therefore prohibited to its members; though in later times it was
one of the duties of the king's domestic bard, on the day of battle,
to sing in front of the army the national song of "Unbennaeth Prydain"
(the Monarchy of Britain,) for the purpose of animating the soldiers.
It is not possible that a people possessing the three orders of Druid,
Bard, and Ovate, who, (leaving their poetry out of the question for the
present,) were able to raise the immense piles of Abury and Stonehenge,
could be the barbarians they are thought to be; and those who could
raise such immense blocks of stone deserve at least credit for
ingenuity. Now, it does not appear to me to require a great stretch of
fancy to believe that the requisite knowledge was obtained of the
architects of the Pyramids, Temples, and cities of Egypt and the east:
and this is not improbable; as, according to the Triads, the Cymmry (or
Welsh) came from the Gwlad yr Haf,[6] (the summer country) the present
Taurida; and further, Herodotus says, that a nation called Cimmerians,
(very much like their own name,) dwelt in that part of Europe and the
neighbouring parts of Asia. Other historians are of similar opinion, and
considering the numerous emigrations from Egypt, caused by religious
persecutions and conquests, it is very likely that some of their priests
or learned men were among those exiles, and that they communicated their
knowledge to the same description of persons belonging to the nations
with whom they sojourned. The founders of Athens and Thebes were exiles;
and the Philistines, noted for their constant wars with the Jews, were
originally expelled from Egypt. I have been informed that there has been
found in the southern part of the United States, the remains of a
building similar in its appearance to Stonehenge. Did a remnant of those
Druids or Priests erect this and the Temples of Mexico, and leave behind
them those implements of war and industry that have been found in the
soil and in the mines of America? and to equal the manufacture of which,
all the resources of modern art have proved inadequate. It appears that
there existed at a most remote period, a sort of Freemasonry of priests,
bards, and architects, who, and their successors extended themselves
over the whole world; for, to whom else can be ascribed those stupendous
structures, the ruins of which at the present day excite our admiration
and wonder, and may be traced over Asia, Egypt, along the shores of the
Mediterranean, in Britain and America. That the ancients knew of America
is not improbable, when we recollect the extent of the voyages of the
Phoenicians and Carthaginians, and what has been said of the great
Island of Atlantis; it is not likely that Prince Madog would have
sailed in search of a distant land if he had not heard something of its
existence. In the fifth century, a chieftain named Gafran ab Aeddan,
went in search of some islands called Gwerddonau Lliou, (Green Isles
of the Floods,) supposed to be the Canaries; but whether he succeeded
in reaching them is not known, as he was never heard of after he left
Britain. This is a proof that the Welsh at least, had heard of distant
lands in the Atlantic Ocean: another curious fact is, that the worship
of the sun was prevalent in all the countries in which those remains
have been found. In conclusion, I beg leave to say that the people could
not be very barbarous, who were in the habit of hearing such precepts
as "the three ultimate objects of bardism--to reform _manners_ and
_customs_, to secure _peace_, and to extol every thing that is good."
_Llundain_.
CYMMRO.
[5] Vol. iv. p. 10 and 50.
[6] Welsh name of Somersetshire.
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BATHING--ANCIENT AND MODERN BATHS.
Perhaps neither of the exercises that are indispensable to the health
and comfort of man has so kept pace with his progressive improvement as
bathing; and though of late years this effectual promoter of cleanliness
has not in some parts of the world been sufficiently attended to,
yet the custom is by no means on the decrease; nor can any fear be
entertained, with propriety, that so excellent and so natural an
expedient should ever be suffered to decline, from want of consideration
of its benefits and advantages. But it must be owned, that while bathing
in many countries is resorted to as a matter-of-course affair among all
classes, in England it is in a great measure disregarded by most of the
middle classes, and almost entirely so by those in the lower station of
life, who perhaps require this exercise more than their richer
neighbours.
A medical writer of the present day observes, with some grounds for
complaint, that while "in almost all countries, both in ancient and
modern times, whether rude or civilized, bathing was a part of the
necessary and everyday business of life, in this country alone, with
all its refinements in the arts which contribute to the happiness or
comfort of man, and with all its improvements in medical science and
jurisprudence, this salutary and luxurious practice is almost entirely
neglected."[7] But in many countries, particularly in the east, bathing
is as much resorted to as ever; and its really powerful effects in
invigorating the frame and promoting the porous secretions, (without
which life itself cannot be long continued,) require only to be once
known to be persevered in.
Among the ancients, bathing was far more generally practised than at
the present day. In the city of Alexandria, there were 4,000 public
baths; and the height of refinement in this luxury among the Romans is
almost incredible. In addition to the private baths, with which almost
every house was supplied, public baths were built, sometimes at the
public cost, and often at the expense of private individuals, who
nobly conceived their wealth to be laudably expended in giving each of
their fellow-citizens the means of procuring, free of expense, bodily
cleanliness and comfort. These baths were generally very extensive, and
fitted up with every possible convenience;--the passages and apartments
were paved with marbles of every hue, and the tesselated floors were
adorned with representations of gladiatorial engagements, hunting,
racing, and a variety of subjects from the mythology. In the
_Thermae_ at Rome, ingenuity and magnificence seem exhausted; and
the elegance of the architecture, and the vast range of rooms and
porticos, create in the beholder surprise and admiration, mingled with
feelings of regret for their neglected state. A quadrans (about a
farthing) admitted any one; for the funds bequeathed by the emperors and
others were amply sufficient to provide for the expensive establishments
requisite, without taxing the people beyond their means. Agrippa gave
his baths and gardens to the public, and even assigned estates for their
maintenance. Some of the _Thermae_ were also provided with a variety
of perfumed ointments and oils gratuitously. The chief _Thermae_[8]
were those of Agrippa, Nero, Titus, Domitian, Caracalla, and Diocletian.
Their main building consisted of rooms for swimming and bathing, in
either hot or cold water; others for conversation; and some devoted
to various exercises and athletic amusements. In some assembled large
bodies to hear the lectures of philosophers, or perhaps a composition
of some favourite poet; while the walls were surrounded with statues,
paintings, and literary productions, to suit the diversified taste of
the company.
Eustace describes these _Thermae_ at some length:--"Repassing the
Aventine Hill, we came to the baths of Antoninus Caracalla, that occupy
part of its declivity, and a considerable portion of the plain between
it and Mons Caeliolus and Mons Caelius. The length of the _Thermae_
was 1,840 feet; breadth, 1,476. At each end were two temples, one to
Apollo and another to Esculapius, as the tutelary deities of a place
sacred to the improvement of the mind, and the health of the body. In
the principal building were, in the first place, a grand circular
vestibule, with four halls on each side, for cold, tepid, warm, and
steam baths;[9] in the centre was an immense square for exercise, when
the weather was unfavourable to it in the open air; beyond it a great
hall, where _one thousand six hundred seats of marble_ were placed
for the convenience of the bathers; at each end of this hall were
libraries. The stucco and paintings, though faintly indeed, are yet in
many places perceptible. Pillars have been dug up, and some still remain
amidst the ruins; while the Farnesian Bull and the famous Hercules,
found in one of these halls announce the multiplicity and beauty of the
statues which once adorned the Thermae of Caracalla."
Before they commenced bathing in the _Thermae_, the Romans anointed
themselves with oil, in a room especially appropriated to the purpose;
and oil was again applied, with the addition of perfumes, on quitting
the bath. In a painting which has been engraved from one of the walls
in the baths of Titus, the room is represented filled with a number
of vases, and somewhat resembles an apothecary's shop. These vases
contained a variety of balsamic and oleaceous compositions for the
anointment, which, when ultimately performed, prepared the bathers for
the _sphaeristerium_, in which various amusements and exercises were
enjoyed. The subsequent operation of scraping the body with the strigil
has given way to a mode of freeing the body from perspiration and all
extraneous matter, by a sort of bag or glove of camel's hair, which is
used in Turkey; while flannel and brushes are substituted in other
parts.
The vapour-baths now used in Russia resemble very much those among the
ancient Romans. These are generally rudely built of wood, over an oven,
and the bathers receive the vapour at the requisite heat, reclining on
wooden benches,--while, more powerfully to excite perspiration, they
whip their bodies with birch boughs, and also use powerful friction.
They then wash themselves; and, as these vapour-baths are often
constructed on the banks of a river, throw themselves from the land
into the water; or sometimes, by way of variety, plunge into snow, and
roll themselves therein. This violent exercise and sudden transition
of temperature is almost overpowering to persons unhabituated to the
custom, and will oftentimes produce fainting,--though the patient, on
recovering, finds himself refreshed, and experiences a delightful sense
of mental, as well as bodily, vigour and energy. The enervating effects
of the extreme luxury and refinement practised in the Greek and Roman
baths are obviated in the Russian mode: to which may partly be ascribed
the power which the latter people have in undergoing fatigue and the
various hardships of their rigorous climate. Tooke says that without
doubt the Russians owe their longevity, robust health, their little
disposition to fatal complaints, and, above all, their happy and
cheerful temper, mostly to these vapour-baths. Lewis and Clarke, in
their voyage up the Missouri, have noticed the use of the vapour-bath in
a somewhat similar contrivance to the Russians among the savage tribes
of America;--so it appears that this effectual promoter of cleanliness
is one of the most simple, original, and natural, that can be employed
for that paramount duty.
C.R.S.
[7] Culverwell on Bathing.
[8] [Greek: thermai]--hot springs.
[9] These baths, impregnated with medicinal herbs, and other
preparations, are at the present day gaining great repute for
the cure of cutaneous diseases, and other complaints.
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The Sketch Book.
* * * * *
RECOLLECTIONS OF A WANDERER.
_An Incident on the Coast._
Towards the close of an afternoon in the dreary month of December, a
small vessel was descried in the offing, from the pier of a romantic
little hamlet on the coast of ----. The pier was this evening nearly
deserted by those bold spirits, who, when sea and sky conspire to frown
together, loved to resort there to while away their idle hours. Only a
few "out-and-outers" were now to be seen at their accustomed station,
defying the rough buffetings of the blast, which on more tender faces
might have acted almost with the keenness of a razor. Though the evening
certainly looked wild and stormy to an unpractised eye, still to those
who "gauge the weather" it was unaccompanied with those unerring
symptoms which usually usher in a gale. However, the appearance of the
night was so uninviting, as to have induced the local craft to run some
time before along shore for shelter; and the movements of the strange
vessel were consequently a matter of speculation to those on land. There
is something to our minds exceedingly interesting in a solitary vessel
at sea--it is a point on which you may hinge your attention--a living
thing on the desert-bosom of the main. For sometime her movements were
apparently very undecided, but though the weather seemed to be looking
up, she suddenly put about helm, and ran without further wavering right
for the shelter held out at Lanport. In less than twenty minutes she was
safe alongside the pier. She was one of the larger class of fishing
vessels and was well manned. The attention of the bystanders was now
directed to an individual who seemed to be a passenger, and who
immediately landed after conversing for a short while with the master.
The gentleman brought ashore an immoderately large carpet-bag, and
forthwith marched for the chief street of Lanport. When we say chief,
we, perhaps, ought to add that it was the only assemblage of buildings
in the village, which by the comparative uniformity of their
arrangement, could lay claim to such a title. On reaching the foot of
the declivity, the traveller, who was evidently much jaded with his
marine excursion, espied with symptoms of satisfaction, the antiquated
sign-post of an "hostelrie" swinging before him in the breeze. Without
further investigation, but with "wandering steps and slow," he
decided on taking up his quarters at the "Mermaid Inn and Tavern, by
Judith, (or Judy as she was called by some) Teague." This determination
of the traveller would, however, have turned out to be "Hobson's choice"
had his eyes wandered in quest of a rival establishment, for here Mrs.
Judy Teague reigned supreme amongst "licensed victuallers," no rival
having hitherto been found bold enough to enter the field against her.
The leisurely advance of the traveller up the street, had given all the
old gossips and that numerous class who esteem other people's business
of infinitely greater consequence than their own, full opportunity to
remark on his dress and appearance; in which as faithful chroniclers we
have not gathered that there was anything remarkable--save and except
the enormous carpet-bag aforesaid, about which its owner seemed as
solicitous as the traveller in Rob Roy. A stranger was, at the period
we are describing, a _rara avis in terris_ indeed at Lanport; and it
may be conceived that the news of this arrival was discussed round every
hearth in the place within half an hour at the utmost. Mrs. Teague is
recorded to have advanced to the door with unwonted rapidity (bearing
in mind that she had halted a little since she was on the wrong side of
forty, from a rheumatic affection,) to meet such an "iligant-looking
guest;" and certain it is that he had not been two hours in the house,
before it was evident that both parties were on an excellent footing
together. The old lady was seen to come from the best--the parlour we
mean to say--of the Mermaid, with very unusual symptoms of good humour
on her countenance, considering (as Betsy the "maid of all work"
whispered to "Jack Ostler,") that her visage had generally a "vinegar
cruet" association; though we would not take upon ourselves to assert
that brandy had not a greater share in its composition.