The dinner at the palace d'Aremberg was magnificent, and passed off with a good deal of good-humour, and some laughter at the expense of Lord Eyrecourt. The Lady Adelaide this day made a double conquest,—of the Duke d'Aremberg, who became deeply captivated with her beauty and accomplishments; and of Lord Eyrecourt, who declared that it was vastly supersingular that at last the barb of Cupid rankled in his bosom, and that he was in a fair way of being caught in the toils of matrimony!
The ensuing morning, at an early hour, Lord Eyrecourt presented himself in the Rue Ducale, where the love-struck Lord loud and lustily rang at the door of the palace of Tyrconnel. The duchess happened at the time to be looking out from the front window, and observed to Lady Adelaide, "See, my love, who now approaches this mansion; I foresaw, my dear daughter, all this, and that during his presence the last evening, that you had made a deep and firm impression, aye, and conquest to boot, of this self-sick Adonis. So I pray that you see him, and hearken to his most precious proposals, for such you will find to be the object of this his matutinal visit; which said intended proposals I know to a certainty thou wilt reject. Hence I entertain no apprehensions whatever, sweet daughter of mine, in this perilous rencontre," said the duchess, smiling; "for I well know that all his matrimonial propositions thou wilt firmly reject. I shall just in due and stately form receive him, and then retire to my cabinet, whence I can with facility overhear all the ridiculous rhapsodical speeches of this painted popinjay. Do you, notwithstanding, my dear daughter, hear him with a sufficient sum of due patience, meet respect, and with all becoming attention and gratitude; for any man offering his hand to a fair lady is entitled, by all the rules and achievements of the courts of chivalry, love, and courtesy, to a meet and becoming audience. But be brief as thou canst; and the sooner that with due distant and becoming politeness, he were despatched it were all so much the better, and then we shall fully have an end to all his faribolés mal appliqués."
"Fear not," said the Lady Adelaide, "my dearest mother, my fullest obedience."
Here another loud and lusty pull at the hall-bell announced an arrival, when almost immediately Lord Eyrecourt was announced, and ushered in by the footman in waiting. His Lordship, with much grimace, and a smirking visage withal, made two low bows on his entrè, and advanced with a gait which was a halting attempt between a chassé and a pirouëtte. But although this was all self sufficiently done, it was truly and practically the tramp and gait of an elephant, if indeed we could for a moment suppose that mighty creature could stalk on his hind legs; but in other respects "the half-reasoning" quadruped of Africa was every way the superior of the animal who now made his approach.
"Good-morrow to your Grace," lisped forth this conceited popinjay. "Good-morrow too, sweet and most lovely Lady Adelaide; permit, fairest lady, your lowly servant a bèso las mànos!"
Here the duchess thought it decorous to withdraw, and her Grace retired to her cabinet.
"Hail, fairest gem of Erin, bright star of Belgium, and the brilliant sun of Brussels! at sight of thee every eye is enamoured, and every heart takes fire; in witness whereof behold me your lowly servant abroad at this most unfashionable hour, thus prevailing upon myself to come forth and throw my person and my fortunes at your feet, even before that Phœbus hath mounted his meridian car, and the world has become well warmed, to place myself and coronet thus lowly at your feet!"
"Oh rise, my Lord, from that——what, kneel to a mere mortal! I pray you be seated, and I shall endeavour to reply to all the compliments with which your Lordship is so prodigally pleased to overpower me. I must, my Lord, acknowledge, that your Lordship indulges somewhat too freely in mixed metaphor; and I must needs add, you deal somewhat too superabundantly in rhapsodies.—Well, my Lord, let us see what I am like unto? 'A gem of Erin!' pray what is that? Oh, no doubt whatever but it must mean a simple piece of Kerry crystal!—oh, vastly pretty indeed; and almost as nearly transparent as your Lordship's flattery. Well, good, my Lord! what comparison comes next?—Oh, I am 'a Star!' in this I cannot confess that your Lordship's wit shines superlatively.—Pshaw, my Lord, a star is merely a minor light, and visible only at night! Nay now, after all, this simile is only but just so, so. However, I am amply repaid by that which so brilliantly succeeds, 'the Sun of Brussels!' Well, come, that I must needs admit is a resplendent metaphor; but the sun of Brussels I must fain likewise confess I have found too often to my cost, to be a very warm and burning sun. What comes next?—Oh, quite portentous!—I blaze, burn, and destroy, setting eyes in a flame, and hearts on fire, and so forth, in a most formidable comet-like fashion! What this can actually mean, unless it prove a sort of periphrasis, and be slyly intended for a Salamander, I cannot indeed divine. Then if my conjectures prove correct, only think, O glorious Apollo, after the complete extinction of all the tropes, figures, flowers, and poesies, culled from amid the verdant valleys of thine own lofty Parnassus, for thy votary-like Icarus to tumble from the Olympian sky, and to suffer his divine goddess, the object of his idolatrous veneration, to degenerate into a fire-loving earthly Salamander! Oh, by prose and verse, but this is vastly funny!"
"Ah, cruel, cruel, remorseless Lady Adelaide, is it thus you sportively jest at my pains, and mock my misery!—I die for you!"
"Really, my Lord, this is all so very sudden—the symptoms too so very alarming, I feel quite agitated—dejected! Pray, let me advise you, my Lord, to call in the advice of Sir Patricius Placebo, whose skill is undisputed!"
"No, fair torturer! you, Lady, and you alone, who caused the malady, can cure it!"
"My Lord, seek out one more deserving of the honour which you so nobly proffer me, but I never can be yours; nor shall I ever give my hand unless I also can give my heart. And now, my Lord, farewell, accept my humble gratitude and sincerest thanks for the high distinction which you have so graciously paid me, and which I shall ever remember with the utmost respect and gratitude."
Having so said, Lady Adelaide deeply courtesied, and withdrew.
"Odds my life now," exclaimed the disappointed peer, "but this is most passing strange, supersingular, and not to be matched! What, refuse the heir apparent of an earldom, (and with modesty let me express it,) with my person and qualifications! Insufferable! It is not to be endured!"
As Lord Eyrecourt, much discomfitted, departed from the Rue Ducale, he met the Duke d'Aremberg going in that direction; they saluted as they passed, while he continued his sorrowful soliloquy:—
"The Lady Adelaide is downright mad to refuse me; but it seems she soars at higher game, and looks to 'the pride of place.' She said she would never give her hand without bestowing her heart, doubtless then this honour she has already conferred upon the youthful d'Aremberg.—It is but too fatally evident! Oh, woe is me to come out in the cold air of the morn, before the world had become well warmed; and finally thus to be so totally eclipsed! Oh, some ominous morning I shall be found hanging from the top of Saint Michael's Tower, or my unfortunate corpse be seen floating in the Antwerp canal!
CHAPTER VIII.
LETTER II.
THE DUCHESS OF TYRCONNEL TO MRS. CARTWRIGHT.
Dated, Brussels, September, 169—
My dear Madam,
"Oh, give me joy! for yesterday my beloved husband, to our unexpected happiness, returned to my arms! Oh, how it delights me he has returned; and has received permission from the higher powers to remain at Brussels. My Adelaide is wild with joy, and so am I.
"Yes, the duke has returned, and I behold every object with redoubled interest—with renewed delight; all seems to me to be newly created. The climate is more charming, the air is more sweetly perfumed with aromatic gales, the melody of the birds is more harmonious; every sky which I see is a Breughel sky. And now I behold daily illustrations of the old masters, which I did not observe before, in the scenery which surrounds me, the various buildings, manners, customs, and costume, and all so faithfully portrayed to the life, in the performances of Berghem, Breughel, Rubens, and Teniers.
"Sweeter too, to me, at eve, is the song of the nightingale: our house fronts the park, which is the favourite retreat of this sweetest of warblers; and night after night, long after Saint Gudule hath tolled the midnight hour, have I sat stationed at my latticed casement, the breeze of heaven blowing on my brow, and the cold moon-beam gleaming on my cheek, while I listened with mute delight to the melancholy songster of the night. And often while the bitter tear fast trickled down my cheek, methought—I acknowledge my weakness—methought that I had listened to some poor widowed bird who mourned her absent mate, singing, as the old proverb runs, with a thorn wounding her breast! But oh, now I think quite differently; for now it is quite clear to me that the warbling of the nightingale is more musical than melancholy; for surely, after all, it sweetly trills the notes of love, and not the strains of sorrow!
"You are pleased, my dear Mrs. Cartwright, to express so much satisfaction, in verity, more than its deserts, of my poor account of Lille; and at the same time expressing your desire that I should write to you from this truly delightful city, and give you a true and distinct account of Brussels, that I am flattered, and even tempted to take you at your word, and I shall do my best, to the fullest to gratify your wishes.
"And now, my dear friend, pour commencèr avec le commencement, as they say in France, and why not in Belgium? The appellation of Pays-Bas, or the Low Country, is given to the seventeen provinces of Belgium, from the circumstance that in many places the ground is lower than the level of the sea. The sovereign princes of this realm were at first styled Foresters of Flanders, afterwards they were designated Counts, and then Dukes of Brabant. If you should wish to learn the portrait of a Forester of Flanders, here it is:—Behold him arrayed in ducal bonnet and hunting gear, armed with sabre, dirk, and hunting spear, at the same time accompanied and surrounded by all the accessoires of the chase; his hawk, or falcon, resting upon his hand, and his greyhounds and spaniels following at his heels; meanwhile attended by his jager and his jongeling.[35] Thus accompanied and equipped for the chase, sallied forth the manly Prince Forester of Flanders in the olden time.
"The etymon of Brussels is uncertain; however it is not for me to hazard an opinion upon the subject, which I freely leave to the more solemn adjudication of learned linguists, pertinent philologists, and sapient scholiasts. I shall merely observe, that some pretend that it is derived from a neighbouring marsh, which is called Brocksel; while others more strenuously contend that the name springs from the word Broussailes, (Brambles,) because the town, say they, had been built upon a spot which had formerly been covered with brambles. The foundation of Brussels is counted from the year, anno salutis, 900. But it did not rank as a city until 1040.
"The city of Brussels, says Guicciardini, the celebrated historian of Italy and of Belgium, (or the Pays-Bas,) resembles in its conformation, or outline, the form of the human heart, and the similitude certainly is striking and correct.
"Puteanus, the historian, observes, that every thing is septenary at Brussels; which made many to consider the number seven as completely of cabalistic import in this fair and renowned city.
"The circumference of Brussels is seven miles in extent. Anciently seven different noble families held their several castles within the city, from whom sprung the seven Patrician families, from whose numbers the magistrates were annually chosen.
"This city, under the reign of Charles V., boasted at one time of having seven sovereigns residing within its walls; namely, the Emperor Charles V.; his son Philip, then king of Naples; Maximilian, king of Bohemia, and his consort, the queen of Hungary, who was regent of the Pays-Bas; the king of Tunis, in Africa, named Muley Hassan; the Duke of Savoy; the king of Cyprus; and the Duchess of Lorraine, who was queen of Jerusalem.
"There are seven large squares:—1. The great market. 2. Le grandè sablon. 3. The fish market. 4. The corn market. 5. The wood market. 6. Le Place Louvaine. 7. The beef market.
"There are seven fountains which ornament this city.[36]
"The gates of the city are seven in number:—1. The porte of Louvaine. 2. Of Namur. 3. Of Halle. 4. Of Anderlecht. 5. Of Flanders. 6. Of Lacken. 7. Of Cologne.[37]
"The principal churches of the city are likewise seven in number:—1. Saint Gudule. 2. Our Lady of the Chapel. 3. Saint Gery. 4. Saint Nicholas. 5. Saint Catherine. 6. Saint James of Caudenberg, (this is the chapel of the court.) 7. Our Lady de finis Terræ.
"Brussels, so justly celebrated, is a large, populous, and magnificent city, of considerable extent and beauty; adorned with magnificent squares, sumptuous palaces, public buildings, public walks, public fountains, and venerable gothic structures. It is partly built on the winding banks of the river Senne, and partly upon a hill, which commands an extended view of the rich valleys which surround it, producing fruits and vegetables of the best and most luxuriant kind; indeed tillage in no country whatever is better understood and practised than it is in the Pays Bas. This city had been the capital of the Spanish, it has now, since change of masters, become the capital of the Austrian Netherlands.
"Brussels once afforded an asylum to Charles II. of England, brother to our gentle, but unfortunate, James II. It was here that the emperor Charles V. resigned his dominions to his son Philip in 1535; and the chair upon which he sat during the performance of the abdication, is religiously preserved in the cathedral of Sainte Gudule. And here too Christiana, Queen of Sweden, voluntarily abdicated her crown in 1654.
"The lower part of the city is crowned with that noble pile of florid gothic architecture, called La Maison de Ville, or town-hall of Brussels, which is situated in the grand market-place; its noble steeple, from its great elevation, is a most conspicuous object in, every direction, and is seen at a great distance; it rises to the height of three hundred and sixty-four feet, and is surmounted by a colossal bronze statue, (which is gilt,) and seventeen feet high, of Saint Michael the Archangel, to which I fear I must somewhat profanely add the soubriquét of 'weathercock,' or vane; for to such vile use have they turned the saint, and this too, credit me, in a Catholic country! This is wondrous strange. Saint Michael is represented brandishing his sword to the winds of heaven; and from this dizzy and elevated height the reeling saint wheels to and fro as the wind doth blow. But be it known to you, that Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of the city. This fine structure, although irregularly built, (for the steeple is not in the centre of the building,) is nevertheless a noble specimen of gothic-florid architecture. The building La Maison de Ville occupied a space of forty years before its completion. One hundred niches are occupied by statues[38] of saints. The rooms in the interior, where the estates of Brabant assemble, abound and are adorned with beautiful specimens of the ancient Gobelin tapestry; they are principally historical, three are after Janssens, the history of Clovis; the inauguration of Philip the Good; and the abdication of Charles V. in favour of his son Philip.
"Opposite to the town-hall of Brussels stands a remarkable structure, called La Maison du Roi, built by order of the Archduke Albert and his Duchess Isabella; her Highness conceiving that 'Notre Dame de Wavre' had not only most graciously delivered the good and royal city of Brussels from the plague, but also had most humanely vouchsafed the blessings of peace, erected in front of this mansion an image of the Virgin, and placed underneath an inscription, which is as follows, and the good prelate will translate it for you:—
'A Peste, Fame, et Bello, libera nos Maria Pacis; hic votum pacis
publicæ, Isabella consecravit.'[39]
"The collegiate church, or cathedral, of Sainte Gudule,[40] is a venerable and interesting pile, presenting a fine specimen of gothic architecture. It was built about the year 1047, by Lambert, surnamed Balderic, Duke of Brabant.
"The choir contains many fine paintings by Rubens, Vandyke, Philip of Champagne, Artois de Haese, Mille, Janssens, and others. The sculpture is also fine, produced by the chisels of Vervoont, Van Nerven, P. Danckers, Van Delen, Henry du Quesnoy, Voorspoel, and others. The windows of the chapel of the miraculous host, which is within the aisles of Sainte Gudule, are formed of stained glass, and are exceedingly fine; they were executed by Diepenbeke, Rogiers, De Vrint, and C. Floris. Many of them were presents from crowned heads, from John XI. king of Portugal, Maria III. queen of Hungary, Francis I. king of France, and the emperor Charles V.; the window presented by Charles is behind the altar of the miraculous Host.
"Many sovereign princes are interred within the walls of Saint Gudule, among others the Archduke Albert, sovereign of the Pays Bas, and his Duchess Isabella Clara Eugenia, Infanta of Spain. Here is the mausoleum of Ernest, Archduke of Austria. John II. Duke of Brabant, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Edward King of England, lie here interred. The tomb is in the choir, it is of black marble, a lion of bronze, weighing six thousand pounds, couches on the monument; the lion is the well-known heraldic emblazonment of the house of Brabant.
"In the nave of Sainte Gudule are fourteen admirable statues carved in stone, which are upwards of ten feet in height; they represent our Saviour, the Virgin, and twelve apostles. Four of them are readily distinguished as having been executed by the admirable skill of a first-rate artist—they are the productions of Quesnoy. The altar of the choir is exceedingly fine, and is principally composed of white marble. Within the same choir formerly were held two chapters of the order of the Golden Fleece, one was in 1435, and the other in 1516. Here Charles V. conferred that order on Francis I. King of France.
"In nearly the centre of the choir stands that splendid and exquisite specimen of sculpture in wood, the celebrated pulpit, which formerly had belonged to the Jesuits of Lovaine. It is of carved oak, and was executed by Henry Verbrugger of Antwerp. The subject is the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise by the Archangel, who in so doing extends the flaming sword. The grief and compunction of our first parents is finely conceived: while the angel expels Adam and Eve, his left hand gracefully extended, with the right he smites with his sword the head of the serpent, which is represented as eagerly devouring the apple. In front, and on the convexity of the pulpit, an angel upholds a medallion of the Virgin and the Child; and in the concavity within is the station of the preacher. Behind the pulpit arises the tree of life, two boughs of which, curving right and left, support a circular canopy, which is formed to represent clouds. The dove, as typical of the Holy Spirit, is observed hovering over the preacher's head; groups of cherubim are wreathed around, and the canopy is crested by upright figures of the Virgin, the Saviour, and St. John. I have been thus minute, my dear friend, as it would indeed be difficult to speak of this noble piece of carving in sufficient terms of adequate praise.
"The governor's palace, the ancient residence of kings, who were sovereigns of the Pays Bas, is situated in the park. It is an old and venerable pile, with large gothic windows and various grotesque decorations. It is called La Palais de la Cour.[41] The building was begun in 1300 by John II. Duke of Brabant; in 1452 it was enlarged by Philip the Good, and completed by his successors.
"On entering the palace one beholds a saloon of extraordinary grandeur, from whence a gallery leads to the chapel, the architecture of which is extremely fine, and of admirable symmetry. The other apartments in the palace are extremely spacious, and of corresponding magnificence. The exterior of the building is adorned with cupolas, towers, pinnacles, &c. A large area presents itself in front of the palace, which is handsomely enclosed by ornamented ballustrades of stone, in good taste, and at intervals columns arise, which are surmounted by statues of various illustrious characters, viz.—Charles V., his son Philip, the Duke of Burgundy, &c. &c. At the extremity of the park, near to the gate of Louvaine, stands a handsome house, which the Emperor Charles V. caused to be built subsequent to his abdication.
"The park, which presents an agreeable and fashionable promenade, is laid out as a large garden with the greatest taste, intersected in every direction by wide and handsome walks, on each side adorned with lofty overshadowing lindens. The grounds are interspersed with numerous sunny lawns, ornamented with fountains and numerous busts and statues, some of which are exquisitely sculptured. There is a Magdalen by Quesnoy—the statues of Diana and Narcissus by Gripelo—Venus and her doves by Ollivier, &c. In the centre of the park stands a magnificent marble basin, well stocked with gold and silver fish. On either side of the principal walk, which is a fashionable promenade, extend deep valleys, shaded by noble lime trees, which afford a cool and agreeable retreat from the summer's sun.
"There is another promenade which is fully as frequented as the park, called 'l'Alle Verte.' It is situated on the right bank of the canal, which communicates with Antwerp, &c. This walk and drive extend a mile and half from the walls or ramparts of the city. The view from the canal bridge is exceedingly beautiful. This public walk is delightfully shaded by a triple row of trees planted on the banks of the canal. The scene is rendered peculiarly delightful by the prospect which is presented to the spectator's eye, the numerous villas in the vicinity, the passing and repassing of boats on their way to the cities of the Pays Bas and of Holland. These objects cannot fail to please, seen through the extensive vista of the lofty limes, which opportunely afford a cool and covered shade to the merry groups assembled in this favourite spot. Here crowds of fashionables assemble before dinner, and revisit its walks in the cool of the summer evenings. The boulevards, or ramparts, which are planted with rows of trees on each side, also form an agreeable walk or ride.
"The halls of La Palais de la Cour are adorned with a valuable and select collection of paintings by the most celebrated and first-rate Flemish masters. The library, which is open to the public, is placed in the same building, and contains one hundred and twenty thousand volumes. Among the manuscripts are a Greek Bible, a Terence, a Virgil, and a Cicero.
"There are many handsome palaces in Brussels: one belongs to the house of Orange, another to the Countess de Soissons, Prince Vaudement, Prince de la Tour et Taxis; palace de Berghem, de Ligne, d'Epinoy, de Rubempre, d'Aremberg, &c., &c. Some beautiful gardens—de Croy, de Hornes, de Westerloo, &c., &c.
"Many of the streets are of considerable extent, containing lofty houses of handsome appearance, and withal having curiously decorated grotesque gables. The exterior of some of the houses are plastered or painted white, some are coloured yellow, and others a pale green colour.
"I must yet revert to the great market-place to observe (for I was too much absorbed in my account of La Maison de Ville to do so before) that it is one of the most remarkable in Europe. It is a regular parallelogram of great dimensions. Although the four sides differ extremely in form and architecture, yet, nevertheless, they unite to form a noble coup d'œil. Some inimitable, pieces of sculpture adorn it.[42]
"The number of churches, chapels, convents, and monasteries in Brussels, is very considerable. Le grand Beguinage, which is the most remarkable, is a nunnery which was founded by Sainte Begge, daughter of Pepin of Landen, from which lady it derives its name. This institution resembles a small village; it is surrounded with walls, and enclosed with a fosse. It contains a number of handsome streets, where every nun has allotted her own dwelling. The usual number of the sisterhood is from seven to eight hundred, and sometimes more. Every one takes charge of her own property. The vow of chastity is taken during the time of their residence in the Beguinage; and when they leave the nunnery they are free to marry. They are governed by four superiors chosen from their own body, and a curate chosen by the Bishop of Antwerp.
"The territory of Brussels includes a number of abbeys, convents, and priories, of different religious orders. All these monasteries are magnificently built, and their churches are very fine.
"The forest of Soignies contains three priories of regular canons of the order of Saint Augustin:—1. The monastery of Groendal. 2. The priory of Rouge Cloitre: in the library of this priory there is a considerable collection of ancient manuscripts.—3. The priory of the Seven Fountains.
"The beautiful forest of Soignies extends almost to the very gates of Brussels. It contains sixteen thousand five hundred and twenty-six acres. It is stored with abundance of game, and princes have often within its extended wilds partaken the divertisements of the chase. This noble forest belongs to the corporation of Brussels. It supplies wood in very great abundance as well for timber as for fuel.
"The principal commerce of Brussels consists in camlets, fine lace, and tapestry. The population is estimated at about fifty thousand inhabitants.[43] The ordinary language spoken here is either Flemish or French; and indeed I may observe that the French spoken here (always, of course, excepting les gens de condition) is, in sooth, ordinary enough.
"I have observed some curious customs here, which according as they recur to my recollection I shall detail to you, without assuming any regular mode or form.
"In Brussels, and in other Belgic towns, I have seen dogs of the wolf species or breed harnessed to small carriages, sometimes three abreast; to others four, or even five abreast, and drawing very considerable burdens. I have often seen baskets of fish, &c. thus conveyed.
"The kermise, or village-fair, is maintained with full as much esprit as ever it had been in the days of Teniers, Ostade, or Van Bredäel. Music and dancing are the favourite pastimes of the Belgians of all classes and descriptions; and indeed such is the extreme infatuation for dancing that it is pursued more as a passion than sought as an amusement. The lower class of the Belgians are extremely partial to garlands of living flowers. Often these are suspended on a pole or tree, around which they dance; and often are garlands to be seen suspended on cords across a street, in the manner that lamps are hung in the good city of Paris.
"The Belgic brazen pitcher is still to be seen either bearing home milk to the dairy, or drawing water from the numerous wells in the vicinity of this capital. The shape and form of this aforesaid pitcher is familiar to those conversant with the paintings of Rubens, Cuyp,[44] Jourdaens, and Equilinus, in many of which it is introduced.
"The Brussellois dames wear the wedding ring in different guise from what we do. We wear it on the third finger of the left hand, because it is said, or sung, or supposed to communicate with the human heart by means of some nerve or vein unseen; and the idea is not devoid of prettiness. Here, however, the wedding ring is worn on the third finger of the right hand, without any reason whatever being assigned for the custom that I could ever hear or learn. Rings, it seems, here constitute a favourite article in the dress of our sex, the fingers being often covered with them. The lower class of females, citizens' daughters and wives, and servant-maids, wear long, heavy pendants, or ear-rings, made of some yellow metal to resemble gold, and so weighty that one's pity is ever on the stretch, lest the patient's ears should succumb under the burden. Large heavy crosses are likewise worn of the same kind of metal, probably gilt brass, and suspended from a chain of the same materiel.—Their peripatetic dress too is somewhat curious. They wear a veil, or mantle rather, of black stuff or silk, which head habiliment had been introduced by the Spaniards. It is called 'La faille,' and is worn like the coiffeuré placed on the Madona heads of Carlo Dolce, Trevisano, Caracci, and Raffaele.
"The walking dress of the bourgeois is curious in its way, but not so remarkable as the dress of the female as before described. His head is enveloped in a hat of a size somewhat so cumbersome that it resembles the kaplaken of a Dutch schipper, save and except with this essential difference, that it is encompassed by a yellow tinsel band, and turned up in front á la coûtume Espagnóle. Around the neck and shoulders is flung a large cloak, somewhat resembling, and evidently borrowed from the càpa ròpa larga of the Spaniard. A Flemish pipe, with its numerous circling curves, is stuck in his lips, from whence clouds of smoke are whiffed forth as he onward wends his way. The cloak reaches to the knee; thence downward leather gaiters make their appearance; and a cane obtruded from the dexter arm completes the walking habiliments of the Brussels' bourgeois of the present day.
"With almost unspeakable delight I told you of my dear Lord's return. But now, my dear, pray prepare for more wonders still! Know then that at length we have ascertained who 'the unknown knight of Chester walls' proves to be. Oh, it is, my dear, positively a tale of romance—an incident in chivalry. He is indeed, I do assure you,
————"'No carpet knight
That spent his youth in groves or pleasant bowers.'
No! there is the spirit of romance with the truth of history commingled in his story.
"But, my dear, the post is going off. The duke, who has only just returned home, has but within these few moments communicated this passing strange event, which you shall have positively and particularly detailed in my next.
"In great haste, ever, my dearest Madam, I remain most cordially and affectionately thine,
(Signed) Katherine Tyrconnel."
CHAPTER IX.
TRANSLATION.
How great the powerful influence of friendship is may chiefly be understood from this, that throughout the numerous society of the human race, which nature herself hath knitted together, yet still so contracted is the space and narrowed into so small a compass, that all friendship rests entirely associated either between two individuals, or solely amid the few.
Cicero on Friendship.
The Duke of Tyrconnel set forth from his splendid mansion in the Rue Ducale, one sunny afternoon to take his usual equestrian exercise; and while riding onward upon the boulevards, or ramparts of Brussels, which are so delightfully shaded by trees, and enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounded him, his horse was rapidly pacing in a full trot, and his Grace was proceeding without any attendant; when it so chanced that his horse picked up a stone in one of the fore-feet. The duke on the instant sprang from his saddle to free the horse's hoof from this impediment; and while employed in the act, a stranger of noble deportment and appearance advanced, who had been also enjoying the fineness of the day in promenading this shady avenue. He most courteously advanced, and tendered with peculiar politeness, and all the meet grace and due courtesy of chivalry, to assist the duke by holding the check-rein of the bridle. When, surprising to behold, the horse almost instantly loudly neighed, and joyfully licked the stranger's hand! Our readers will readily guess that this distinguished stranger, whom this noble animal so instinctively recognised, was no other than his late valiant master, the truly gallant colonel of the brave Brandenburgh hussars, who had presented, upon their parting on the plain of battle, this noble charger to the illustrious duke. The duke and the stranger had met each other as deadly foes in the direful day of civil war; and in the dreadful onset of personal combat, performing each prodigies of valour, they encountered as foes, yet they parted as friends!—respect, admiration, and love occupying those hearts so lately swollen by hostile passions. They now were both mutually rejoiced once more to meet, and soon were locked in a cordial embrace.
"This," said the duke, "certainly, gallant friend unknown, was wholly unexpected—unhoped for quite!"
"Indeed," rejoined the stranger, "so may it please your Grace, it was entirely as unexpected as it is now hailed and welcomed by me! And most happy too am I to remark that no change, no vicissitude of war, nor variance of politics, nor all the fleeting circumstances of these most eventful times, have had effect or influence upon your Grace, whom I am truly happy to observe are still the same, unchanged by circumstance or time—another Aristippus, whom every situation becomes and every fortune adorns, be it prosperous or adverse!"
"With equal joy," replied the duke, "I behold thee too unchanged—the same. Welcome, thrice welcome! my friend, my preserver! Although when first we met it was the meeting of foes upon the hostile plain, I wearing the badge of green, and thou the orange scarf of William. We met as direful foes, but we parted with mutual regard and veneration. The bow of heaven, which the Creator hath placed on high, is formed of those glorious tints. It was in the shades of colour only in which we differed. Ere long may the glorious bow of promise, of hope, and of peace, irradiate Erin's western sky, until the glowing orange and the glaring green shall melt and blend, and the primitive colours of the arc of promise be softened down and subdued into the arc of peace!"[45]
"Amen, my lord, I say and repeat it most fervently from my heart; and may heaven yet, in its kindest mercy, grant that some future great, wise, and liberally-minded monarch of England, forsaking his ease and quiet, may yet graciously visit the shores of your noble island, as the harbinger of peace, crowned with the olive and the bay; and without the aid of the camera-obscura of his courtiers, view with his own royal eye the wants and sufferings of your poor islanders; and may his royal and munificent heart heal the wounds and redress the sufferings of those who can never cease to love him!—for the hearts of your countrymen are grateful as they are brave. May they yet be placed within the pale of that Constitution from which they are now debarred!"
"That, gallant Sir, indeed I devoutly wish; and most fully join and concur in your philanthropic prayer! Wherever a contrary tendency to what you assert has occurred in Ireland, it has arisen from oppression, distress, and poverty. For wherever there is no home to be found there can be no happiness; and it will be too surely found that an oppressed and starving population are ever fatally prompt to join the standard of rebellion; for surely the noise and bustle of a camp and the soul-stirring trumpet are less appalling than the cries of starving infants in their parent's wretched hovel, open and exposed to all the winds of heaven, where can be found nor raiment, nor fuel, nor food! But come, let us change to a more pleasing subject. There," holding up his hand, "there, noble stranger, is your parting present which you gave me, your ruby cameo ring of victory. By night and by day, I have never since ceased to wear it in remembrance of him who gave it."
"And see," said the gallant stranger, (opening his waistcoat,) there is the diamond star with which you so graciously presented me. It has never been taken from my heart, where I placed it at the moment when you gave it me!"
"I feel with force and with gratitude this kind expression of your feeling; and now I needs must insist that you take back your own noble steed—he is yours again! He has become, I fain must own, like myself, somewhat older—I will not say how long!—since last we parted, but it is no matter! However the noble animal is still in his prime; he is spirited, and you may observe he looks sleek, his coat is smooth, and withal in good condition. Meantime, from this you may safely infer that he hath had no severe master in me; and now I justly restore him to his rightful owner."
"Nay, nay, my Lord Duke, that cannot be! What once I have presented I never can consent to receive back again—never! My Lord, it is utterly impossible! But still I am not unwilling to compromise this mooted point between us. If so your Grace be inclined, I shall feel much pleasure in accompanying you occasionally in your equestrian excursions, and then I will mount once more my quondam war-horse."
"With all my heart, most gracious Sir! And now, gallant and courteous stranger, having redeemed my gage, I must, without further parley, beseech to know thy name and rank, for such I am assured belongs to thee, to learn the name of him to whom I am so vastly—so deeply indebted, and one whom I so duly estimate and honour!"
"That, my Lord Duke, is easily told, and in a very few words, if worthy the inquiry.—My name is David Bruce, of Turnberry Castle, in Ayrshire, a Baronet of Nova-Scotia, whom chance, or fate, or circumstances, all combined, placed me a volunteer in the Brandenburgh hussars, where I arose from that humble station to command the regiment, by merits not my own."
"Pardon my interruption, Sir David Bruce," rejoined the duke, "that is, in sooth, the only part of thy reply upon which I must put a decided negative!"
"Well," replied the baronet, with a cheering smile, "your too favourable construction, my Lord Duke, I may not be prepared to gainsay."
"No, no;" continued the Duke of Tyrconnel, "you could not—you cannot—it is too palpable—it is too self-evident! Your courage and powerful arm in the day of battle are strong as your lofty adamantine mountains, while in peace your heart is soft and tender as the thistle-down of your own dear native land! Come, come, no reply, young baronet, you must needs gang with me, as you say in Scotland; and we must indeed be better acquainted!—You surely will not refuse to dine with me to-day, when I shall have great pleasure to present you to my duchess and my daughter as my friend, and the gallant preserver of my life! Come, Sir David, no ambages, no circumlocution, no apology will I take! Nay, nay, you must not hide behind the screen of modesty, and denied or refused I must not be!—So I shall certainly expect you."
"Your Grace's invitation carries with it so much of interest and of kindness, that it is not for me to refuse such inducements, and I gratefully and willingly accede to it. My Lord Duke, I shall duly obey your kind and hospitable summons."
"At three o'clock then," added the duke, "I shall hope for the pleasure of seeing you at my mansion in the Rue Ducale."
Here the duke and the baronet cordially shook hands, and parted; the duke to resume his ride, and Sir David Bruce to complete his morning's promenade.
Sir David Bruce, punctual to the hospitable summons, was the first guest to arrive in due time at the Maison de Tyrconnel. As he entered the drawing-room—"The knight of Chester walls, le chevalier inconnu," was inadvertently vociferated by the duchess, accompanied by the all wondering chorus of all that were present—"It is astonishing——indeed it is most astonishing!"
"Amazing, and quite surpassingly strange!" exclaimed Sir Patricius Placebo, aided with one or two plentiful accompaniments of his accustomed recipe from his magnificent Carolus snuff-box, which we often noticed before.
"DOSS MOI, TANE STIGMEN!
A hem!—Indeed quite astonishing!—most surpassingly strange!"
Most true it is that Sir David Bruce was the unknown stranger who encountered the Duchess of Tyrconnel and family while promenading the walls of Chester; and he it was who so generously and disinterestedly had relinquished the packet-boat which had conveyed them to Calais.
The duke said, introducing Sir David Bruce to his duchess, "permit me, my dear, to present to you and the circle of my family, the noble gentleman who now stands before you, Sir David Bruce of Turnberry Castle in Ayrshire, to whose noble courage and generosity of heart I am indebted for my life in the fatal battle of the Boyne, for such I must ever consider it. Greet, then, I beseech you, and welcome him! in him you behold the gallant preserver of my life, and him I hold and shall reverence as my sincere friend so long as I shall exist!"
"My Lord Duke, I shall most faithfully obey your injunctions," added the duchess; "but there I must not pause—there remains yet another account of gratitude beside.—For exclusive of being the protector, my Lord, of your life, to which, in the first instance, we all owe and duly feel the deepest gratitude, yet still another debt of obligation remains to be discharged—I speak of the truly generous relinquishment of the packet which had been engaged by Sir David Bruce to convey him to Calais, and which he so nobly and generously relinquished to us! This can never be forgotten, at least by us, although it possibly may not be so accounted by Sir David Bruce."
"I really can see no very great merit, my Lady Duchess, in all this; I conceive I only did what I ought to do, and that any one would have done for ladies placed under similar embarrassments as you all were circumstanced. Permit me to inquire how your Grace likes Brussels?"
"Why, well, Sir David, passing well, it is sometimes just a little tristé, and the atmosphere, to be sure, is somewhat humid, but——"
"And yet," said Lady Aylesbury, (who had just then arrived,) with a malicious smile, rudely interrupting her; "and yet, Madam, it has, methinks, proved a very convenient sejour for some gens de condition, who have for some years availed themselves of the privilege, when it would not have proved altogether so prudent——yes, Madam; altogether so prudent, to have ventured elsewhere!"
"Oh, true, quite true, Lady Aylesbury, I had nearly forgotten it quite; but for the verity of your remark, your spouse, as well as my own, can fully attest, as both are placed in the same state of periclitation!"
Lady Aylesbury looked extremely awkward and mortified at this just rebuke; she bit her nether lip, and hung down her silly head, writhing under the deserved lash which her malicious remark had provoked.
Sir David Bruce, who happened to be at the other end of the room, and seated next to Lady Adelaide, said to her in an under tone, "Lady Aylesbury is so spiteful and malicious, that I am certain she must be nearly related to Euryale, one of the Gorgons, own-sister to Medusa, who was subject neither to old age nor death!"
"It would indeed appear so, Sir David," said Lady Adelaide, with a sportive smile.
The Duke of d'Aremberg at this moment entered the room, who was introduced in due form to Sir David Bruce; they conversed together, and seemed mutually pleased with each other.
The Duke d'Aremberg now approached the Duchess of Tyrconnel: "Pray, has your Grace read the last essay from the pen of——, and what does your Grace think of its merits?"
"As I do, my Lord Duke, of all his writings, which are only calculated to produce mischief, deep, dark, and dangerous; every parent should dread him and his insidious pen—he is the high-priest of infidelity!"
"I knew and anticipated this, for I am always certain to obtain a satisfactory and a decided opinion from your Grace, whose just judgment I can so fully rely upon."
When this praise, so deservedly awarded to the duchess, met the ear of Lady Aylesbury, with a malicious smile she turned her malignant, envious eye on the duchess, to observe if her Grace was elated by this praise: but she looked in vain. But these looks passed not unobserved by the duchess, who deeply blushed, conscious of the mal-motives which directed them; and conscious too that she every way merited the praise which was so justly bestowed: she felt pleased, but not elated; she felt conscious of the talent she possessed, but both her judgment and her modesty prevented her overrating them.
The dinner passed over pleasantly enough, and the gentlemen not tarrying long over their glass, soon joined the ladies in the drawing-room. Lady Adelaide was solicited to play and sing, and complied by seating herself at the harpsichord, supported on the one side by the Duke d'Aremberg, and on the other by Sir David Bruce, who was most attentive in turning over the leaves of the music book, and he seemed quite charmed and entranced with Lady Adelaide's singing. Indeed it was not difficult to a bye-stander to discover that this day the Lady Adelaide had achieved a double conquest, and that she held captive the hearts of the duke and the baronet.