A Gate, Bruges

A Gate, Bruges.

I could not see that any business, save a little petty traffic, was transacted here, and it is said that nearly one-third of the inhabitants of Bruges are paupers. Beggars and guides annoyed us so persistently that, in self-defence as well as pity, we finally hired a "commissionaire" and gave all our spare pennies to the mendicants. I think we also saved a wretched cabman from committing suicide, by hiring his dilapidated vehicle at the astonishing price of twenty-five cents an hour! Cabs are, in fact, so cheap and slow in Bruges that I should have taken one from morning till night, if I had only had plenty of time. Shaken about in one of these decrepit vehicles, driven over atrocious cobble-stone pavements, yet cheered by our approving consciences for having thus encouraged industry, we entered the old marketplace and looked upon the famous belfry of Bruges. It is a majestic structure, three hundred and fifty feet in height, richly adorned with fine stone-carving, and ending in a lofty octagon, whose openwork balcony commands a noble view.

An Old Canal, Bruges

An Old Canal, Bruges.

A portion of the edifice from which it rises is still a government office, but part of it has now degenerated into a meat market. Times change, indeed, and we change with them. This tower, built more than five hundred years ago, has played a prominent part in the eventful history of Bruges, and when its time-honored chimes ring out upon the air, one can imagine them trying to arouse the lifeless city to a realization of her former glory; reminding her that in the fifteenth century she was wealthier than even Antwerp; that ships from Venice, Genoa, and the distant East unloaded here their precious cargoes; that once, as a result of civil war, two hundred wagons were kept busy for a fortnight transporting loads of gold, silver, and valuable goods to the victorious city, Ghent; that twenty foreign ministers lived then within her gates; that here a German King was held prisoner twelve days, despite the threats of royal armies; and that the Queen of France, on seeing the splendid dresses of the ladies of Bruges, exclaimed, "I thought that I alone was Queen, but here are hundreds whose costumes rival mine." Moreover, it was the people of Bruges who dared to say to the ambassador of France, "Go tell your King that he is perjured, that we have elected a new sovereign, and that it is our privilege, not his, to choose our masters."

The Bei.Fry Of Bruges

The Bei.Fry Of Bruges.

Old Canal And Street

Old Canal And Street.

The City Hall, .Bruges

The City Hall, .Bruges.

It is difficult to realize the prosperity which the Netherlands enjoyed three hundred years ago; but they supplied Charles V. with nearly one-half of his royal income: four times as much as was furnished by Spain, or by those Eidorados of the New World, - Mexico and Peru. The Low Countries then contained more than two hundred walled cities, all of which were in a flourishing condition. In all these towns belfries were constructed, fully as much for secular as for sacred purposes. In times of peace, it is true, they musically chimed the passing hours, and called the worshiper to prayer; but they were also deep-voiced sentinels, whose brazen clangor summoned citizens to arms, and brought them at a moment's notice, rushing from the remotest lanes, into the central square. The name, Antwerp, is said to be derived from Flemish words which signify, "On the Wharf." If so, the title is appropriate, for it is on the wharves of Antwerp that the prosperity of the city is best understood. It is a town of great activity, and its superb quays - built by Napoleon I., when Antwerp formed a prominent part of his colossal empire - are crowded now with ships and steamers, and serve as a reminder of Bonaparte's gigantic plans and indefatigable industry. Yet, busy as Antwerp is to-day, it gives us but a hint of what its commerce was in the sixteenth century. Then twenty-five hundred ships could find shelter in its harbor, and it was no uncommon occurrence for five hundred arrivals and departures to be registered in a single day. Two thousand loaded wagons, also, from the neighboring provinces passed daily through the city's gates; and in addition to Antwerp's own commercial houses, more than a thousand foreign firms contended here in friendly rivalry. No city in all Christendom could equal Antwerp then in wealth and splendor. Her merchants lived in almost regal luxury; within her massive warehouses were precious goods from every land; and her superb cathedral, palaces, and public buildings, enriched with noble works of art, made her the marvel of the world.