104 * DUTCH FRUGALITY TOWARDS THE DEAD. In this church is a superb monument raised to the memory of William the First, the great Prince of Orange, in the east end of the church, which is semicircular, and a range of semicircular pillars support the roof: within these pillars is a large space railed off, and paved with black and white marble, under which is the family vault of the House of Orange; in the centre is the monument, a sarcophagus on which is placed a marble figure of the above prince, in his robes after death: at his feet is a dog, the expression of whose countenance is very much admired; above is a marble canopy supported by four buttresses of white marble, and twenty columns of black and gold in fine style: the epitaph, in small obscure characters, is inscribed upon a tablet held up by two boys in bronze, and at each corner of the tomb stands a bronze figure, the first representing Liberty with a cap, inscribed with aurea libertas; the second is Fortitude, the third Religion, and the fourth Justice, not blind, but ardently gazing upon the balance in her hand. Under an arch at the head of the tomb is a bronze statue of the same prince, and at the other. end a figure of Fame just taking wing. The other internal parts of this edifice are adorned with the usual mortuary decorations in Holland, long sable lines of escutcheons. I am as little fond of describing, as I am sure my reader must be of reading, minute descriptions of monuments; but I have been particular here, because the Dutch, with REVOLUTIONARY MODERATION. 105 their accustomed frugality, do not much indulge in mausoleums and statues. In France, the late revolution, in its savage phrenzy, with hands still reeking with the blood of the dying, tore open the tombs of princes, and their favorites, and disfigured the consecrated depositary with the shattered fragments of their marble mausoleums: that revolution, which, with the guillotine in front, and the broken cross in the rear, threatened to spread over and waste the whole of civilized Europe, marched to Holland, where thousands flocked to its standard; but it there very rarely inebriated the mind, and never overpowered the national love of economy; it taught them to despise and expel their living princes, but with pious frugality they spared the costly asylums of their illustrious dead. Р CHAPTER VII. SPIRITED REMONSTRANCE-ANECDOTE OF A REGICIDE-INTERESTING ANECDOTE OF FRANK HALS AND VANDYKE A DUTCH BLOOMFIELD -DELIGHTFUL PASSAGE TO THE HAGUE-DUTCH DISCUSSION OF DESDEMONA'S WISH-RYSWICK--APPROACH TO THE HAGUE---DUTCH REVIEW----OLD AND NEW CONSTITUTIONS COMPARED--BRIEF REVIEW OP THE ANTIENT CONSTITUTION OF HOLLANDALSO OF THE POLITICAL HISTORY---REMARKS ON THE PRINCES OF THE HOUSE OF ORANGE. IT is but just to state, however, that, during their political change, many of the people displayed great firmness, and none more than the manufacturers of this town, who in the year 1803 presented to the executive government of the Batavian republic, a very spirited remonstrance against the temporary suspension of an edict passed in 1802, prohibiting the importation of foreign manufactures, of which the following is an extract:— "Should we be left destitute," said they, "of that just and lawful support, which we still hope to obtain, we "shall be compelled to demand, that the laws which for"bid the exportation of manufacturing tools and imple"ments be repealed, in order that we may be enabled to sell our valuable tools and implements, which will then ANECDOTE OF A REGICIDE. 107 "become altogether useless to us, to foreigners who know how to appreciate their value, or to transplant our ma"nufactories into countries where they daily experience "the encouragement which they so highly deserve." Not far from the old church, the tower of which is alarmingly out of its perpendicular, is the identical house in which William I. was murdered by a bigoted hireling of the King of Spain in 1584. A Dutch inscription, placed over two holes in the wall on the stairs, made by the pistol bullets after they had passed through his body, communicates the savage circumstance. The bigots of Spain celebrated the murderer as a martyr, and his family were ennobled, and pensioned. A solitary instance of honors being paid to a regicide. Well has our immortal bard observed -If I could find example Of thousands, that had struck anointed kings, Nor brass, nor stone, nor parchment bears not one, Winter's Tale. The old church had not sufficient attractions to induce me to enter it. The tombs of Admirals Tromp and Heine are there. Opposite the new church, in the great square, is the Stadt or Town House, the front of which 108 ANECDOTE OF FRANK HALS AND VANDYKE. is extensive, and very curious: in this house are some excellent pictures by Frank Hals, who died in 1666: this artist is justly celebrated for the beauties of his colouring and penciling. A pleasant anecdote is related of Vandyke's having so high an opinion of the genius of this artist, that he went to Haerlem, where Hals lived, for the sole purpose of visiting him, and introduced himself as a gentleman on his travels, who had but two hours to spare, and wished in that time to have his portrait painted : Hals, who was enjoying his bottle at a tavern at the time, sprang from his companions, and on the first canvas he could lay his hands upon, commenced the portrait with all possible celerity; after he had proceeded some way, Vandyke desired to look at his progress, and observed, with great pleasantry in his countenance, that the work seemed to be so very easy, that he thought he could do the same upon which he took up the palette and pencils, requested Hals to sit down, and painted his portrait in a quarter of an hour: the moment Hals saw it, he exclaimed with rapturous astonishment, "No one but "Vandyke could have achieved such a wonder!" and embraced him with transport. Vandyke was desirous of Hals accompanying him to England, where he promised to make his fortune, but he declared that the enjoyment of his bottle and his friend was too powerful to permit him to accept of so generous and promising a proposal. Of this |