HINTS of OCCURRENCES , &c.

67

Our plan was to examine this celebrated town at leifure; to proceed to Antwerp, on account of its colle&ionof paintings; and then haften to England. But the confufion throughout the Netherlands difappointed us;for travellers were often fubje£t to ill treatment, one party attacking them if they wore cockades, as the fignal ofrefiftance, and others if they did not wear them.

Brussels is not only the capital of Brabant, but of the Auftrian Netherlands. We were charmed with thediftant profpe£t; and though it be irregular on a near infpe6tion ; the beauty of many of the houfes and fquares ;the magnificence of its cathedral, town-houfe, and other public buildings, render pleafing even fuch a view of itas we were permitted to take.

The park belonging to the imperial palace is preferved, though the palace be no more; and it is a great privi-lege to the inhabitants, to be permitted to walk in it. We contemplated with peculiar intereft, the villa at itsextremity, which Charles the Fifth built after abdicating the empire.

The cohesions of Italian and Flemifh paintings in the palaces of this city would have afforded us high gratifi-cation : but civil war is unfavorable to tafte, and we found it advifeable to drop all thoughts of attempting to viewthem.

The lower part of the city, called Rivage, is cut into canals, in the manner of the Dutch towns. A canal ex-tends from Bruffels to the Schelde, about fifteen miles : the boats are drawn by horfes at the rate of three miles anhour: and the fare of a paffenger is a little more than two pence Englifh money for every hour.

We paid a fhort vifit to the church of St. Gudula, an old Gothic building, promifing little externally; butwithin highly adorned. The choir has feveral fine monuments, and is furrounded by feveral pretty chapels. Thechapel of the Three Hoffs is very remarkable. It is conftru6ted wholly of marble, and the altar is of folid filver.Thefe hofts are faid to have been (tabbed by a Jew, and to have bled. They are expofed on high feftivals, withtheir bloody (tains, in a chalice richly fet with diamonds ; and on the anniverfary of the fuppofed attempt of thefacrilegious Jew, they are carried in proceflion round the city, attended by the governor of the province, themagiftrates, and all the regular and fecular clergy.

In the hurry occafioned by the civil war, we could only glance at the two Englifh cloifters, one of which is ofDominican ladies, of which a lady of the Norfolk family is always abbefs. It was founded by Cardinal Howardin the reign of Charles the Second.

L 1

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