LETTER XLIV.
SIR,Brussels, June 4, 1732.
When I left Paris, I kept on the Pavement all the Way to Chantilly, which may pass for the finest Seat in the Kingdom, since the great Additions made to it by the Duke of Bourbon, who is the Lord of it. The Forest likewise, of Chantilly, is as fine as any thing that ever Art and Nature form’d. ’Tis a magnificent Palace, the Stables are stately, and the Park is adorned with the finest Pieces of Water in the World. Lewis XIV, who was always very desirous of being the Master of this House, wanted to purchase it of the late Prince. The latter made Answer to him, That it was at his Service, only he begged him, he would make him the Keeper of it from that Moment. The King perceived, that the Prince resigned it to him with some Reluctance, and therefore spoke no more of it.
The Duke de Bourbon, who is certainly the richest Prince in Europe, that is not a Sovereign, lives very much at Chantilly, since he is no longer in the Ministry. There is always a very numerous Court, and he lives there more like a King, than a Prince of the Blood.
After having walked sufficiently about Chantilly, I went and lay at Senlis, and next Day arrived in good Time at Cambray, a City famous upon several Accounts; but its Beauty does not answer its Reputation. Cambray, the Capital of the Cambresis, was formerly an Imperial City, and its Archbishop was a Sovereign and Prince of the Empire. France having seized Cambray, there remains nothing more to the Archbishop, of so many fine Prerogatives, but the empty Title of a Prince of the Empire; which he still retains, tho’ he has no Vote nor Session at the Diet. Since 1712, that I came for the first Time into France, the Church of Cambray has had four Archbishops. I then found the See possessed by the Illustrious Francis de Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon, Preceptor of the late Duke of Burgundy, Father of Lewis XV. He had for his Successor John d’Estrées; but the latter died before he had taken Possession of the Archbishoprick. The celebrated Cardinal Dubois succeeded to him; but he did not enjoy that Dignity long, for he died at Versailles the 10th of August 1723. The Abbé de S. Albin, the natural Son of the Duke of Orleans, the Regent, was appointed Archbishop of Cambray at an Age when he had need of Dispensations from Rome, to qualify himself for that Dignity.
I think ’twill not be impertinent to make some little mention of the Cardinal Dubois, and, perhaps, you will not be sorry to hear a few Particulars of him. In the first Place, these were his Titles; William Cardinal Dubois, Priest Archbisho
p and Duke of Cambray, Prince of the Holy Empire, Count of the Cambresis, Abbat of St. Just de Nogent under Couffy, of Bourgueil, Airvaux, Cercamps, St. Winoxberg, and St. Bertin of St. Omer; Principal and Prime Minister, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Great Master and Superintendant General of the Couriers, Posts and Relays of France; one of the forty Members of the French Academy and that of the Belles Lettres: And chose by the Prelates and other Deputies at the General Assembly of the Clergy of France, to be their first President.
The Cardinal Dubois was not of extraordinary Extraction, but was born with great Talents, and an uncommon Genius. He was Preceptor to the Duke of Orleans, afterwards Regent of the Kingdom; which was the Reason that the Prince and he were so well acquainted with each other’s Thoughts, that the least Sign given by the One, was understood by the other. The Abbat Dubois was employed in the Negociations of Peace in England, and at Utrecht. When the Duke of Orleans came to be Regent, he sent him to take care of the King’s Interests at the Court of King George I. of Great Britain; with whom he concluded the famous Treaty of the Quadruple Alliance. When the King came of Age, the Regent being desirous to have a first Minister that he could confide in, chose the Abbat Dubois, whom he first made an Archbishop, and then obtain’d a Cardinal’s Hat for him. ’Tis said, that the Cardinal was beginning to forget his Obligations to his Benefactor, and thinking to shake off all Submission to him, when he died at Versailles, after having enjoyed his splendid Fortune but a few Years. His Illness was of no long Continuance, but very painful. La Peyrome, the King’s chief Surgeon, made an Operation upon him for a Disorder
which the Cardinal’s Enemies ascribe to his Incontinence, before he was Archbishop. He dreaded the Operation very much, and was loth to undergo it, tho’ the Surgeons assured him, that nothing else could save his Life. The Duke of Orleans, to whom the Minister’s Life was dear, made use of his Authority, and obliged the Cardinal to submit to the Operation, which did not answer his Royal Highness’s Hopes; for in a few Days after it, his Favourite died. The Eagerness with which the Duke of Orleans seized the Ministry, confirmed the Public in their Opinion, that the Cardinal had entertained a Thought of asserting his own Independency.
The Cardinal was not much lamented; for he was blunt, violent and outrageous; which was not the Way to acquire the Good-will of a Nation, which loves that Decency and Politeness should be kept up in every Thing. Satire, or, if you please, Calumny, gave it out, that the Cardinal was married at Tours, when he was made Archbishop, and that his Wife liv’d in that City; that he gave it in Charge to M. de Breteuil, the Intendant of Tours, to prevail upon her, if possible, not to discover that she was his Wife; but that she refused to relinquish the Advantage; that thereupon M. de Breteuil sent for the Parish Register where the Marriage was solemnized, and tore out the Leaf in which their Names were entered; and that the Woman was going to make a great Noise, but was threatened with Confinement, and by that Means obliged to be silent.
I will not engage for the Truth of all, or any Part of this Story; but ’tis what the scandalous Chronicle has given out, and what has reach’d even to Rome; so that when it was told to the late Pope, with a great many other Passages concerning the Cardinal, he was heartily vexed, that he
had advanced him to the Purple; and I have been assured, that it was such a Grief to the Holy Father, that it help’d to shorten his Days.
The Duchess de F—— was with the Cardinal one Day, when being in one of his sullen Moods, his Eminency, in plain Terms, bade her go and pick Violets. The Lady complaining of him to the Duke of Orleans, the Regent, the Prince made Answer, You are much in the right, Madame; the Cardinal Dubois is a Brute, but, nevertheless, he has a good Head-piece.
This Cardinal made a Compliment of much the same Nature to the Cardinal de Noailles, who telling him one Day as he came from an Audience of the Duke of Orleans, That the said Prince would not give Ear to his Representations, but bade him go and —— himself, you understand the rest; the Cardinal Dubois made Answer, And really, Brother, the best Thing your Eminency can do, is to obey.
These Stories put me in mind of another that was current all over Paris, a little after the Cardinal Dubois was advanced to the Purple. The Lacqueys of these two Cardinals happening to be at a certain Place together, they had a Dispute about their Master’s Pre-eminency. Our Master, said the one, is the oldest Cardinal, Duke and Peer, and a Commander of the Kings Orders. The others said, Ours is a Prince of the Empire, Duke of Cambray, and Prime Minister. Ours, replied the former, consecrates Bishops; therefore, to be sure, he has the Preference above the Cardinal Dubois—— A very pretty Argument this! said one of Dubois’s Lacqueys, Why, if there’s any thing in Consecration, my Master is the greater Lord, in that respect too: For yours may consecrate Bishops, but mine consecrates G-d every Day of his Life. And, indeed; if the Fellow meant his Master’s Swearing by all that’s Sacred,
he was not in the wrong; for the Cardinal had a very bad Habit of Swearing, like any Grenadier.
The Cardinal left no great Estate behind him; and whether it was owing to his Disinterestedness, or to his want of Time to amass Wealth, his Fortune being but of a short Duration, his Heirs had not much Reason to rejoice at his Death. The Duke of Orleans soon forgot him, and nothing preserved his Memory so long in France itself, but certain Satires and Epitaphs made upon him by the Wits; which might have been transmitted, perhaps, to Posterity, if there had not been too much Gall in them. The Cardinal Dubois lies interr’d in the Church of St. Honore, where his Brother was a Canon. This Clergyman set up a Marble Tomb for him, where the Cardinal is represented on his Knees, inclin’d towards the Altar of the Choir, but his Head seems to turn from it; upon which the Critics remark, that he durst not, since his Death, look towards what he had profan’d in his Life.
The Cardinal Dubois obtained in Favour of Cambray, that the Congress should be held there for accommodating the Differences between the Emperor and Spain. The French made great Boast of this Matter, and vaunted how much it was to the Honour of the Duke of Orleans, that all the Powers of Europe should send Ambassadors to him, to submit their Fortunes to his Arbitration. The same Things were said with regard to the Congress of Soissons. They are come, said the Court-Flatterers, into our own Country, to desire Peace of us. They were not so modest as the Allies were heretofore; for when Lewis XIV. sent his Ambassadors to Aix la Chapelle, Nimeguen, Ryswic, Gertruydenberg, Utrecht, Rastadt, &c. we did not say, That the King came to beg a Peace of us; whereas the French always said, That they gave Peace to
Europe. Be this as it will, they have no very great Reason to boast of the two last Congresses that were held in their Country; which tho’ both were opened with a World of Splendor, yet both came to nothing. The Treaty of Vienna, concluded the 19th of April 1725. O. S. put a Period to the Cambray Congress; the Operations of which, during four Years Continuance, amounted to nothing more than forming fine Rules for the Ceremonial, and the maintaining of a good Order among the Domestics. The Baron de Ripperda, afterwards created a Duke and Grandee of Spain, and also Prime Minister to their Catholic Majesties, being a Person of great Vivacity, was so tir’d with the Dilatoriness of the Congress of Cambray, that he went to Vienna, with the Name of the Baron de Puffenberg, and established so strict a Friendship betwixt his Master and the Emperor, that the like was never, perhaps, known before between those two Courts, even when the House of Austria possessed the Throne of Spain. This very much eclipsed the Glory of the Congress of Cambray, and the Congress of Soissons received as great a Check afterwards by the Treaty of Seville.
From Cambray, I went to Valenciennes, the last Place in French Flanders, and one of the most considerable Towns in that Province. The Governor of it is the Prince de Tingry, who is the Son of the famous Duke de Luxembourg, the Marshal of France; whose Honour our Writers have endeavoured to sully, by accusing him of having held a Correspondence with the Devil, and of gaining so many Victories over us by that Means. The Prince de Tingry distinguished himself very much during the last War, by the Name of the Chevalier de Luxembourg. He contributed a great deal to the Support of Lisle when it was besieged, by throwing a Convoy of Powder into it
in the Night-time. He is look’d upon by all the Officers, as one of the chief Generals in France. Considering his Birth, Merit, Services, and those of his Father too, he ought to have had the Marshal’s Staff a long time ago; and ’twas thought he would have been included in the last Promotion, but he happened to be left out[81]. He is now one of the oldest Lieutenant-Generals. I cannot help mentioning his Politeness and Civility, having infinite Reason to acknowledge his Favours to myself.
Mons, the Capital City of Hainault, is not so large a City as Valenciennes, but I believe has more Gentry in it; and that, if it had a French Garison, would have more Parties of Pleasure. The Duke d’Aremberg is Governor both of this City, and of Hainault, of which he is Hereditary Grand Bailiff; but he resides at Brussels, and never comes into this Province, except to hold an Assembly of the States. This Nobleman is a Sovereign Prince of the Empire, Lieutenant-General and Colonel of a Regiment of Foot, Governor of Hainault, and of the City of Mons, Knight of the Golden Fleece, and lately a Captain of the Halbardiers of the Emperor’s Guard. He was but in his Cradle when he received the Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece from King Charles II. after his Father had been killed in Hungary. He is the only Nobleman in all the Netherlands, that has recognized the House of Austria alone, for his Sovereign. His Mother, who is the Daughter of the late Marquis de Grana, Governor of the Netherlands, prevented him from engaging with any other Side, and always rejected the Advantages
that were offered to her on the Part of Philip V. After the Netherlands were reduced to the Obedience of their lawful Sovereign, by the Battle of Ramillies, the Duchess d’Aremberg and her Son were the first to acknowledge King Charles III. The Son had a Flemish Regiment in that Prince’s Service, and was very young when he made his first Campaign under my Lord Marlborough. ’Twas under him and Prince Eugene of Savoy, that he made all his future Campaigns, wherein he always signalized his Valour, but particularly at the Battle of Belgrade. ’Tis certain, that if the Duke had stay’d longer at Vienna, he would have had some important Employment long ere now. He has all the Qualities necessary for a good General, and an able Minister, and has every Endowment that renders a Man amiable. The Emperor values him, and Prince Eugene of Savoy lov’d and esteem’d him: But the Duke seems to have no Inclination to improve these Advantages, and prefers the tranquil Pleasures of Brussels, to the Tumult of the Court of Vienna.
I don’t mention the Battle of Malplaquet, which was fought in the Neighbourhood of Mons; nor the Siege of that City; which, to be sure, have been often repeated in your Ears, and what I have already told you of upon other Occasions.
From Mons to Brussels, there’s a famous Causey. We pass thro’ Halle, whose Church is very much frequented by the Devotees of this Country, and has a miraculous Image of the Holy Virgin, to which the Princes of the House of Austria have made great Presents.
The City of Brussels is not populous, in Proportion to its Bigness, nor is the Town itself so pleasant as its Out-parts. The Houses are generally old, and it may be said, that excepting the Churches, and the Town-house, there is not
a Structure worth the Mention. One very great Inconvenience of Brussels, is its irregular Situation, which is all up-hill and down-hill; so that if it was as large as Paris, it might truly be called the Hell of Horses: And another very great Nuisance is the little Care taken of the Streets, where one is always bespatter’d with Dirt, or choak’d with Dust.
The Palace which was burnt, was an old Edifice, with commodious Apartments, but irregular. Its Ruins, which are still to be seen, look like those of the Palace of Priam: Why they are not removed, I know not. The Archduchess, Governess of the Netherlands, lives in the Palace of Orange, belonging to the Prince of Nassau, the Hereditary Stadtholder of Friesland. She has not much Room there, but her most Serene Highness prefers it to the Palace of Egmont, the Apartments of which are more spacious and commodious, tho’ ’twas offered her by the Duke d’Aremberg, who is the Proprietor of it.
This Princess had like to have perished in the Flames of the Palace, which was set on Fire by the Indiscretion of the Confectioners, who were preparing Sweetmeats for a Ball, which the Archduchess intended to give the next Day. The Fire caught the Sugar, and spread into the Confectionary. The Officers thought they should be able to suppress it without any Noise, but it mastered them. ’Twas four Hours, however, before it alarmed the Palace; and in the mean time, they say, a great Part of the Building, and of its Furniture, might have been saved, if the Burghers had been permitted to have given their Assistance: But for fear of Confusion, and of the Embezzlement of Goods, which generally happens in such Calamities, the Gates of the Palace were kept shut a long Time, and the Soldiers pushed off such Burghers
as offered to come near, so that the whole was consumed. The Archduchess was saved, as it were, by a Miracle; for a little Dog that lay with her, scratching her Face, awaked her, when she perceived the Smoke, and called out to her Women. At the same Instant, her Guards broke open the Door, so that she had only time to slip on a Gown, and one Stocking. The Floor was quite burnt, and fell in, the Moment that she was gone out of her Chamber. She made a Shift to save her Dog, and that was all. Her most Serene Highness went instantly to Prayers in her Chapel; but the Flames spreading to that Sanctuary, she was obliged to retire to the House of the Prince de Rubempré, her Master of the Horse, whose House fronted her Palace, and which, from thence, she saw consumed to the Ground, with all its Treasure; but nothing seemed to give her so much Pain, as the Misfortune of her Domestics, and the Danger to which they were exposed. But even here the Archduchess could not be safe; for Rubempré’s House was so near her own, that ’twas fear’d the Fire would have reach’d it; so that she was obliged to retire to the Palace of Orange, then occupied by the Count de Visconti, the Grand Master of her Houshold, and her First Minister. The Princess de Rubempré furnished her with Stockings, and the Countess de Visconti, with Shifts and other Apparel; and ’twas in these borrowed Cloaths, that a Daughter, descended from so many Emperors, did, next Day, receive the Compliments of all the Nobility. Her Wardrobe was quite destroyed, and nothing saved but the Plate.
Every body agrees, that the Archduchess preserved an extraordinary Serenity of Mind, under so great a Misfortune. She was continually encouraging some, and comforting others. The only Thing that heartily grieved her, was the unhappy
Fate of Mademoiselle d’Uhlefeldt, Lady of the Golden Key, whose Mother was one of the Ladies of Honour. This unfortunate young Lady, thinking her Mother still asleep, was caught by the Flames as she was running to her Apartment to awake her. She was snatch’d as soon as possible out of the Flames, but was all over parched from Head to Foot, and died the next Day, after having received the Sacraments of the Church, and the Farewels of her Mother; with a Constancy the more to be admired, because she was very young, very dear to her Mother, and on the Point of making a very advantageous Settlement. The whole Court was charm’d, to see with what Resignation she bore her Misfortune. She said several times, that she died with Pleasure, since God had saved the Archduchess and her Mother. Her most Serene Highness honoured her with her Tears, and caused a magnificent Funeral to be performed for her, in the Church of the Reverend Fathers the Jesuits; at which all the Nobility of Brussels was present, and every Soul was sorry for the Loss of her.
In searching among the Ruins of the Palace, most of the Archduchess’s Jewels were found again, and only some Ear-pendants of great Value, and a Gold Toilet, were missing.
The Archduchess is the eldest of the Emperor’s three Sisters. She is jolly, but dances nimbly and gracefully. The Princess has a noble and majestic Aspect. She appears to be extremely grave, and talks little, but with Dignity; and she is Mistress of several Languages. When she came into the Netherlands, as she parted thro’ Louvain, she returned an Answer in Latin, to the Deputies of the University, who harangued her in that Language. She is Mistress of History, Geography, and many other fine Sciences; and without flattering her,
she may be said to be a Mirror of Virtue and Piety. ’Tis impossible for any one living to be more charitable; and she does not know what it is to refuse Access to the Unfortunate. She wishes it were in her Power to serve all that ask Favour at her Hands, and is very much perplexed when she is obliged to give a Denial. That Portion of the Day, which she does not devote to God, she bestows upon Business, to which she gives very great Application: And her most Serene Highness is so easy of Access, that ’tis no manner of Difficulty to obtain an Audience of her.
The same Honours are paid to her here, as are paid to the Emperor at Vienna. She always eats alone, and for most part in Public. Her Ladies wait on her at Table. She lends a gracious Ear to those that speak to her, and returns the kindest Answers. She was never known to express the least Disgust with any of her Domestics.
Her Second in Affairs is the Count Don Julio Visconti, by Birth a Milanese, a Person of Honour, and of a good Family, a Man of Integrity and Sincerity, impossible to be byass’d by any thing but Justice, a good Œconomist, and always disinterested. Tho’ the People of this Country are not the most ready to speak well of their Governors or Superiors, they all agree, that M. de Visconti is a Minister not to be corrupted. He is pretty tall, and has a grave stern Countenance. He has such a Weight of Affairs upon his Hands, that he cannot always give the like Attention to every thing, but refers many Things to his Secretary, Henry Crumpipen by Birth a Westphalian, who was born with all the Talents for Business. He is good-natur’d, civil, courteous, ready to do Kindnesses, has an extraordinary Memory, and is a Man of a singular Application. He is universally beloved
here, and every one allows, that he is as uncorrupt as his Master.
M. de Visconti is lately appointed Viceroy of Naples, and is to be relieved here by the Count Frederik de Harrach; who is not only a Person of a great Family, but has a very amiable Temper, and the Carriage of a Person of Quality. He was at Cambray during the Congress, where, tho’ he had not the Character of Ambassador, he was let into all Affairs, the Emperor’s Plenipotentiaries being ordered to communicate every thing to him. After that, he was sent as a Minister to take care of the Emperor’s Affairs at the Court of Turin, From thence he was recalled, and sent Ambassador from his Imperial Majesty, as King of Bohemia, and first Secular Elector, to the Diet of Ratisbon; which Post he is quitting, in order to come hither, to be Prime Minister to the most Serene Archduchess. I make no doubt but he will be acceptable to the Flemings; for he is affable and engaging, active, laborious, generous and liberal, and loves Expence and Pleasures. As he has a Fortune of his own, and another by his Wife, who is a Princess of Lichtenstein, he is in a Condition to please the People of[82]Brussels, who expect their Ministers, &c. to lay out a great deal of Money with ’em; and therefore daily regret the Loss of Maximilian Emanuel the Elector of Bavaria, because that Prince expended seven or eight Millions with them every Year, which he drew from Bavaria. The Archduchess, say the People of Brussels, spends nothing, and her Court is rather a Convent; yet if they considered that this Princess has but four hundred and sixty, or at most, but five hundred thousand Florins Revenue,
they would, no doubt, be more sparing in their Reflection. With this Sum, which is a Trifle for so great a Princess, her most Serene Highness maintains a very large Houshold, pays everybody well, and keeps out of every body’s Debt; which is what can’t be said of any Governor or Sovereign of the Netherlands, who always went away from these Provinces in Debt. The Inhabitants have been accustomed to make Complaints Time out of Mind, and I believe, if the Question was put to every single Native of Brabant or Flanders, there would be very few that could tell what sort of Government they would have, and what Master would suit them best: For, since the Death of Charles II. King of Spain, they have been under four several Dominions, and have had eight or nine Governors, who have all given them Cause to murmur. The only one that ever had their Applause, was the Marshal Count de Daun, now Governor of Milan, which, perhaps, was as much owing to his succeeding the Marquis de Prie, whose Recal every body desired, as to the advantageous Alterations he made in the Government.
The Court of Brussels is really not the most inviting Court in the World. The Ceremonial at Vienna is observed here almost in every thing. The Archduchess is served like the Empress, and nobody has the Privilege of eating with her; only the Duke of Lorain was indulg’d that Liberty, but ’twas at one of the Hunting Seats, and then the Ladies attended him as they did the Archduchess. When the Elector of Bavaria came hither with the Princes his Brothers, in their Return from France, he said ’Twas very comical, that he who lay every Night with an Archduchess at Munich, could not have the Pleasure of dining with an Archduchess at Brussels.
The Ladies of this Country, who have Titles, of whom there are many whose Husbands are
Grandees of Spain, insisted, at first, on the Privilege of being seated on a Stool in the Presence of her most Serene Highness; but they were disappointed in their Claim; and notwithstanding they urged, that the other Governesses of the Netherlands had granted them this Distinction, they were answered, That those other Governesses were not Sisters of the Emperor; and that if they were such, they did not keep to the Ceremonial of the Court of Vienna, where all Ladies, Princesses as well as others, stand in Presence of the Archduchesses. Others claim’d the Privilege to come to the Palace in a Coach and Six, and some have actually presumed to drive in with such Equipage: But the Guards, who are better instructed in the Ceremonial than such Ladies, sent them back again, and told them, That it was not proper for any but her most Serene Highness, to come with six Horses. The Ladies turned back, not a little mortified; and for some time took it in such Dudgeon, that they would not appear at Court; but when they saw that nobody regarded their Pouting, and were apprehensive of an Order from Vienna, they came to Court again, and now do as they ought.
The Nobility and Gentry of this Country are extremely haughty. There are some Families which are really of very great Quality, but a great many, who, tho’ they have very pompous Titles, would be very much at a Loss to prove their noble Parentage. If you would take their Word for it, they were all heretofore Counts of Hainault, Flanders, Dukes of Brabant, Guelderland, and so on. Their Ancestors have performed important Services to the State, but most of them are now retired, or if they serve, it is in Spain or France. To go to Vienna, to make Court to the Emperor! oh fy! say they, ’tis fatiguing to
Death. The Manners of the Germans are so different, proceed they, from ours; their Service is so unpolite! To be confined in that Place called Hungary! don’t mention it to us. There’s not a Mortal to converse with. These Gentlemen, after all, have Reason on their Side: For many of ’em, tho’ they have never served the Emperor, and perhaps, never seen him, have been preferred to Regiments, Governments, and the most distinguished Employments in the Netherlands; and as they have had such good Success, they would be to blame to act otherwise. They serve in Spain, and come to Brussels to receive their Reward.
It must be owned, nevertheless, that tho’ few of the Flemings, under whom I generally include all the Subjects of the Austrian Netherlands, go to Vienna, ’tis partly owing to the Narrowness of their Fortunes. The Nobility, being not rich, are not able to lay out much Money; and they live therefore with very great Œconomy, like private People. They seldom make Invitations to Dinner, and not one of ’em keeps an open Table. Yet there are more Equipages here with the Ducal Mantle, than in Vienna itself. All those Dukes and Princes, made by the Kings of Spain, formerly assumed only the Title of Excellency; but since they have been under the German Government, they are called my Prince, and Monsieur. They would fain usurp the Title of Highnesses, which is given them by their Domestics, and many poor Gentlemen, who interlard it with abundance of Monseigneurs. The Duke d’Aremberg is the only Nobleman who supports the Expence of a Man of Quality; and tho’ he is the Person to whom most Honour is due, yet he is one that least requires it.
Brussels is a great Sufferer by the frequent Absence of the Prince of la Tour and Taxis, Hereditary
Post-master of the Empire, and the Netherlands. When this Nobleman is at Brussels, he lives with very great Splendor and Magnificence. His House is open to all Men of Quality, and ’tis the Asylum of Foreigners. The Princess de la Tour, who is a Princess of Lobkowitz, is wonderfully civil; and by her noble and gracious Deportment, and her agreeable Conversation, attracts all persons of Merit; and all Foreigners are charmed with her[83]. The Natives have a Regard for the Family of la Tour, but ’tis attended with Envy. The Prince de la Tour, tho’ not a Sovereign, is nobly ally’d. His Mother was a Furstenberg: His Wife is a Lobkowitz: His Son is married to a Princess of Brandenbourg-Culmbach; and his Daughter to the Prince Alexander of Wurtemberg: So that all who question the Antiquity or Nobility of the Family of la Tour, are, I think, very much in the wrong. I will not dispute that there are Families more ancient, tho’ those of la Tour have printed several Volumes in Folio, to prove the great Antiquity of their Origin, as well as their Descent from the Torres, who were so long at Variance with the ancient Viscontis. And I can’t help thinking, that a Family, which has been ally’d for many Generations with the greatest in the Empire, and whose Son has been a [84]Canon or Count of the Cathedral of Cologn, may be rank’d among our best Families in Germany.
Of all the Ladies, the Princess de la Tour is most distinguished by the Archduchess; for which the other Ladies envy her, but this is very natural: For the Princess de la Tour was born at
Vienna, and, as it were, brought up with the Archduchess; and Friendships so early contracted are generally the most lasting. Besides, the Princess de la Tour discovers such an Attachment to the Archduchess, that ’tis not surprising that she should honour her with her Confidence.
I have told you, that the Pleasures of the Court of Brussels are not very gay, and I’ll assure you those of the City are much of the same dull Taste. There’s a very fine Theatre here, but the Comedy acted on it is horrible. The Assemblies here are very melancholy, and will be more so when the Countess de Visconti is gone, since, were it not for that Lady, there would be no such Pleasures here. Whoever saw Brussels in the Time of the War, and sees it now, scarce knows the Place again. Every thing falls to decay, and it has hardly any Trade stirring, but in Lace, Camblets and Tapestry; the Fabric of which is, indeed, brought to very great Perfection. Lenir’s Manufacture of Tapestry excels all the rest for the Beauty of its Colours, and he furnishes England and Italy with it. Devos, who works for Germany, made the fine Tapestry of Prince Eugene of Savoy, and the History of Charles V. for the Emperor Charles VI. Vermillon sends a great many of his Works to Portugal, France, and Muscovy. Van der Borg the Son has lately made a fine Piece of Tapestry for the Archduchess, representing the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf, and Moses receiving the Tables of the Law. The Father of Van der Borg, who is as good a Workman as the Son, has made magnificent Tapestries for the Chamber of the States, which represent the joyful Entry of Philip the Fair, Duke of Brabant. They are in the Town-house, and worth seeing.
Here lives the Marshal de Zumjungen, who commands the Emperor’s Troops in this Country.
He is a Person of very great Merit, and has been raised by his Valour and Services to the chief Military Employments[85]. He is descended of an ancient Patrician Family of Francfort, and professes the Lutheran Religion. He was at first but a common Soldier, and has gone thro’ all the Degrees of Preferment. He is a General of very great Experience, and is very well beloved by the Officers. He makes Foreigners very welcome, and lives very handsomely, without being at extraordinary Expence.
The Governor of Brussels is the Marshal de Wrangel, a venerable old Man, and much respected. He is a Sweed, and, like M. de Zumjungen, has gone thro’ all the Military Employments from a Dragoon. He is not very rich, but lives handsomely upon what he has, and always keeps a very good Table.
The Prince de Rubempré is of the Family of Merode, one of the most distinguished in the Netherlands. He is Master of the Horse to the Archduchess, and Knight of the Golden Fleece, a very courteous Nobleman, and one of the richest in the Low Countries.
The Prince of Nassau is Captain of her most Serene Highness’s Band of Pensioners, and Knight of the Order of St. Hubert. He is the younger Brother of the Prince of Nassau-Siegen, who, after the Death of William III. King of Great Britain, assumed the Title of Prince of Orange; which he still goes by in Spain, where he is a Pensioner to the King. The Prince of Nassau, of whom I here make mention, was also formerly in the Service of Spain. He married the Sister of the Marquis de Nesle in France, and went some Years
ago into the Service of the Emperor, who made him one of his Lieutenant-Generals. I make no Doubt but his Birth, and the assiduous Application he gives to the Office which he holds under the Archduchess, will soon procure him the Honour of the Golden Fleece.
I shall set out in a few Days to make the Tour of Flanders, a Country so well known, and of which you have heard so often from Officers, who are continually going and coming to it, that I think, I need not confirm to you what you know of it already. Therefore, only expect a superficial Account of it. You shall hear from me by the next Post. Mean time, I have the Honour to be, &c.
