Chapter III: Foreword: ix

I. INTRODUCING FLANDERS AND THE FOUR PILGRIMS 1

II. VIEUX BRUGES AND COUNT BALDWIN OF THE IRON ARM 15

III. BRUGES IN THE DAYS OF CHARLES THE GOOD 30

IV. HOW BRUGES BECAME "THE VENICE OF THE NORTH" 54

V. DIXMUDE AND FURNES 78

VI. NIEUPORT AND THE YSER CANAL 94

VII. WHEN YPRES WAS A GREATER CITY THAN LONDON 116

VIII. COURTRAI AND THE BATTLE OF THE SPURS 146

IX. GHENT IN THE DAYS OF THE FLEMISH COUNTS 169

X. THE AGE WHEN GHENT WAS GOVERNED BY ITS GUILDS 192

XI. PHILIP THE GOOD AND THE VAN EYCKS 218

XII. TOURNAI, THE OLDEST CITY IN BELGIUM 242

XIII. THREE CENTURIES OF TOURNAISIAN ART 268

XIV. THE FALL OF CHARLES THE BOLD--MEMLING AT BRUGES 285

XV. MALINES IN THE TIME OF MARGARET OF AUSTRIA 311

XVI. GHENT UNDER CHARLES THE FIFTH--AND SINCE 344

XVII. AUDENAERDE AND MARGARET OF PARMA 367

XVIII. OLD ANTWERP--ITS HISTORY AND LEGENDS 393

XIX. THREE CENTURIES OF ANTWERP PRINTERS 411

XX. ANTWERP FROM THE TIME OF RUBENS TILL TO-DAY 438

XXI. WHERE MODERN FLANDERS SHINES--OSTENDE AND "LA PLAGE" 464

XXII. THE SPELL OF FLANDERS 480

BIBLIOGRAPHY 485

INDEX 489

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
CATHEDRAL OF ST. SAUVEUR, BRUGES (_in full colour_)
(_See page 47_) _Frontispiece_

MAP OF BELGIUM AND THE NETHERLANDS,
SHOWING THE OLD FLEMISH PRINCIPALITY _facing_ 1

BÉGUINAGE BRIDGE, BRUGES 35

TOMB OF MARIE OF BURGUNDY, CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME, BRUGES 51

PALAIS DU FRANC, BRUGES (_in full colour_) 59

THE BELFRY, BRUGES 63

THE MINNEWATER, BRUGES 71

SHRIMP FISHERMEN, COXYDE 93

TOWER OF THE TEMPLARS, NIEUPORT 99

AN ANCIENT PAINTING OF THE FLEMISH KERMESSE BY TENIERS 115

CLOTH HALL, YPRES 119

HOTEL MERGHELYNCK, YPRES 139

CHURCH OF ST. PETER, YPRES 141

STATUE OF PETER DE CONINCK AND JOHN BREIDEL, BRUGES 154

CASTLE OF THE COUNTS, GHENT 170

RUINS OF THE ABBEY OF ST. BAVON, GHENT 184

POST OFFICE, CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS, BELFRY AND
CATHEDRAL, GHENT 195

DE DULLE GRIETE, GHENT 208

WORKROOM, PETIT BÉGUINAGE DE NOTRE DAME, GHENT 210

"SINGING ANGELS," FROM "THE ADORATION OF THE
LAMB"--JEAN VAN EYCK 236

"GEORGE VAN DER PAELE, CANON OF ST. DONATIAN,
WORSHIPPING THE MADONNA"--JEAN VAN EYCK (_in full colour_) 239

GENERAL VIEW OF TOURNAI AND THE FIVE-TOWERED CATHEDRAL 256

THE BELFRY, TOURNAI 262

A TRIPTYCH OF THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS BY ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN 272

SHRINE OF ST. URSULA, HOSPITAL OF ST. JEAN, BRUGES 296

AN ILLUMINATION BY GHEERHARDT DAVID OF BRUGES,
1498; ST. BARBARA (_in full colour_) 300

"THE LAST SUPPER"--THIERRY BOUTS 307

QUAI VERT, BRUGES 310

CATHEDRAL OF ST. ROMBAUT, MALINES 312

TOWER OF THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. ROMBAUT, FROM
THE RUELLE SANS FIN 318

_IN HET PARADIJS AND MAISON DES DIABLES_; TWO FIFTEENTH
CENTURY HOUSES, MALINES 333

PORTRAIT OF JEAN ARNOLFINI AND HIS WIFE BY JEAN
VAN EYCK 340

MAISON DE LA KEURE, HOTEL DE VILLE, GHENT 347

PORTRAIT OF THE DUKE OF ALVA BY A. MORO 352

"THE ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS"--HUGO VAN DER GOES 362

OLD GUILD HOUSES, QUAI AUX HERBES, GHENT 365

HOTEL DE VILLE, AUDENAERDE 370

WOODEN DOORWAY, CARVED BY VAN DER SCHELDEN,
HOTEL DE VILLE, AUDENAERDE 375

CHURCH OF STE. WALBURGE, AUDENAERDE 383

A FLEMISH TAPESTRY OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY 386

THE _VIELLE BOUCHERIE_, ANTWERP 399

"THE BANKER AND HIS WIFE"--MATSYS 403

"WINTER"--PETER BREUGHEL 405

"DRAGGING THE STATUE OF THE DUKE OF ALVA THROUGH
THE STREETS OF ANTWERP"--C. VERLAT 418

COURTYARD OF THE PLANTIN MUSEUM, ANTWERP 428

ANCIENT PRINTING PRESSES AND COMPOSING CASES,
PLANTIN MUSEUM, ANTWERP 436

"THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS"--RUBENS 439

"COUP DE LANCE"--RUBENS 442

"_LA VIERGE AU PERROQUET_"--RUBENS 445

PETER PAUL RUBENS 448

"AS THE OLD BIRDS SING THE YOUNG BIRDS PIPE"--JACOB
JORDAENS 453

HOTEL DE VILLE, ANTWERP 456

THE "SALLE DES JEUX," IN THE KURSAAL OSTENDE 476

THE SPELL OF FLANDERS