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so dense a smoke issued from the opened coffin that nothing could be distinguished. Albeit it is doubtless still entire, though the town of Ausbourg asserts the possession of the thighs and some other relics of the saint.

The collegiate church of St. Michael,-under whose auspices, though now more generally called by the name of St. Gudule, it was originally consecrated to religious worship in 1047,—was commenced and endowed in the year A. D. 1010, by Lambert, count of Louvaine; but the present edifice, begun in 1226, and occupying forty-seven years in building, was not finished until A. D. 1273. The two large towers, from which there is an extensive prospect, including Malines and Antwerp on one side, and Halle and Ninove on the other, were added in 1518, and the clock was fixed in 1535. There is also a fine peal of bells, of which the largest weighs 15,322 lbs. In 1435 the first chapter of the order of the Golden Fleece was held here by Philip the Good, when the banners of knights were affixed to the several stalls; and in 1516 another chapter was held by Charles V., who increased the number of knights from thirty to fifty. The church was pillaged by the Calvinists in 1579, when the pictures and ornaments were, in a great measure, defaced or destroyed, almost all the relics were dispersed, and the pulpit, which was cast in copper, was broken in pieces. A like scene of devastation took place in 1794, when the storm of revolutionary outrage burst forth in all its violence, and the edifices of religion were sacked and desecrated by the lawless soldiery of the tyrant of Europe. On this occasion the banners of the knights were torn down, the painting carried off, and every excess of profanation committed. Buonaparte himself, however, during his visit to Brussels, in 1803, contributed 20,000 francs towards the restoration of St. Gudule's; and the king of Holland having devoted a like sum to the purpose in 1820, considerable repairs are still in progress, and the beautiful tracery, fret-work, and sculpture on the exterior of the principal front, has been recently restored.

This sacred edifice is a magnificent specimen of ancient Gothic. Standing upon the brow of the hill upon which the town is built, it is a noble object from a distance; but it is so closely environed by building as to detract greatly from the effect which would otherwise be produced by a nearer survey, and the paltry tenements which have been attached to the north side of it are not only a grievous eye-sore, but a positive disgrace to the inhabitants of Brussels. The church is in the form of a cross, having three aisles, with a pyramidal tower rising from the transept. The principal entrance is approached by thirty steps, leading to a noble portal; on either side of which, as it opens into the nave beneath the organ, are statues of St. Pharailde and St. Renilde, sisters of St. Gudule. Over the organ is a statue of St. Michael; and an alteration which has lately been made in the organ-loft has disembarrassed the view of a beautiful painted window, by Floris, representing the Last Judgment. The nave is separated from the aisles by lofty columns, against which are placed the statues of the Apostles, ten feet in height. Of these, the figures of Paul, Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthias, are executed in a superior style by Jerome de Quesnoi, and attract universal admiration; the rest are also fine specimens of

workmanship, but less esteemed. Among the several objects, however, which are worthy of the attention of the connoisseur, the most remarkable is the pulpit, of carved oak, standing on the north side of the nave. This splendid work of art was originally executed in 1699, for the church of the Jesuits at Louvain, by Henry Verbruggen, of Antwerp; and, after the suppression of their convents, was purchased by Maria Theresa, who presented it to the church of Gudule in 1776, to supply the place of that which had been destroyed by the Calvinists. The design represents the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise; and the pulpit itself, which is in the form of a terrestrial globe, is supported by figures as large as life, of our first parents, and the angel, who, followed by Death, pursues them with a flaming sword from the garden. While Eve fixes upon the angel a look of extreme despondency, the face of Adam is partly concealed by his hands, and partly by his flowing hair. The canopy above the pulpit is supported by the tree of knowledge; and the Virgin Mary stands erect on the summit, with the infant Jesus in her arms, holding a cross or crosier, with which weapon he is bruising the serpent's head. A double staircase forms the ascent to the pulpit, on the balustrades of which, formed by branches of the tree, various animals are reposing-those on the side of Adam being emblematic of masculine strength, as the eagle and the ostrich, while on that of Eve are the parrot, the monkey, and such other representations of female garrulity.

At the upper end of the nave are two statues, by Plumier, of Faith and Temperance, formerly belonging to Grimberghem Abbey. A handsome lobby divides the nave from the choir, into which the entrance is formed by wrought-iron doors, inlaid with brass, of the most exquisite workmanship. The choir itself is lofty, and ornamented with painted windows, by Dieperbeck, representing different subjects connected with the national history. The high altar, which is of white marble, was erected in 1743, from a design by Donckers. It is of the composite order, and adorned by sculptures designed by Verhaegen, executed by the elder Deroi. From the tabernacle above, which is very elegant, the Host is made to descend into the hands of the priest, and to reascend into its place, by machinery. Two statues, by Delvaux, occupy either side of the sanctuary; and from the spring of the arch above are suspended the arms of the dukes of Burgundy. To the left of the choir is a black marble tomb, erected by the Archduke Albert, about the year 1610, above the vault, in which are deposited the remains of John II., duke of Brabant (obit. A. D. 1312); his wife Margaret, daughter of Edward, king of England (1316); Philip the Good (1430); and the Prince Antoine (1431). This mausoleum is surmounted by a lion of bronzed copper, resting on the shield of Brabant. It was cast by Jerome de Montfort, and weighed 6,000 lbs. On the occurrence of the death of the infant Prince Royal, on the 16th May, 1834, the vault was opened for his interment, when a sword and velvet cap, richly embroidered with pearls, but much injured by worms, were discovered upon the tomb of John II. In one of the niches made for the reception of the coffins was also found a vase, enclosed in a strong oaken box, in a state of perfect preservation, except that the nails by which it was rivetted were entirely eaten by the rust. On one side of the

vase were engraven the ducal arms, encircled by a garland; and on the other an inscription, of which the following is a translation :-" In this vase is enclosed the heart of the most illustrious Prince Ernest, archduke of Austria, governor of the Belgians, who died at Brussels on the 20th of Feb. 1595. He bequeathed his heart to this capital." There is a monument to the Archduke Ernest on the right of the high altar, opposite to that of the dukes of Brabant. The prince is represented in a recumbent posture, surrounded by instruments of war, and the words Sol Deo Gloria are inscribed on the marble. It should be added, that the above objects were replaced in their former situation after the funeral of the young prince on the 24th of May, 1834.

In the church of St. Gudule there are several small chapels or oratories, some of which are worthy of attentive observation. Perhaps the most interesting is that of Saint Sacrement de Miracles, of which the dedication commemorates a singular event in the religious annals of the country. During the general persecution of the Jews throughout Europe, in the latter part of the fourteenth century, their sufferings in the Low Countries are said to have been considerably aggravated in consequence of an insult offered by some of their ill-fated race to the Redeemer. One Jonathan, a rich Jew, of the province of Hainault, having conceived the idea of desecrating the sacred Host, offered a reward of 1200 florins to any of his fraternity who would furnish him with some consecrated wafers. Tempted by this bribe, John of Louvain entered the church of St. Catherine by a window, on the night of the 4th of October, 1369, and having stolen sixteen wafers from the tabernacle, conveyed them to Jonathan, and received the promised reward. Accused of this, or of some other act of blasphemy, Jonathan was soon afterwards assassinated: his widow transferred the wafers to the keeping of the Jews of Brussels; and, on the 12th of April, 1370, being Good Friday, they were exposed to public profanation in the synagogue. Some were contented with simple blasphemy; but others sacrilegiously poniarded the wafers, when blood straightway flowed from the wounds, and that, as some say, so copiously as to inundate the place. These worthies, it should seem, had as little doubt of the real presence as the Papists themselves, unless, indeed, which is far more probable, the whole story was invented as a pretext for the slaughter of the wretched Israelites, and the plunder of their wealth. The legend proceeds to state, that a converted Jewess, being charged to transmit these objects of their malice to their brethren at Cologne, instead of fulfilling her mission conveyed them, with a full account of what had taken place in the synagogue, to the Cure of Notre Dame de La Chapelle. A general massacre of the Jews immediately ensued, and their possessions were confiscated to the Church. After a violent contest between the Curé of La Chapelle, to whom the wafers had been restored, and the Chapter of St. Gudule, who claimed them in right of their superiority over St. Catherine, from whence they had been stolen, it was at length agreed that thirteen should remain at Notre Dame, and the other three, of which one was particularly large, should belong to St. Gudule. The former were destroyed by the Calvinists, but the latter were saved by the priests amid the general pillage, and being hidden by a pious woman for six years in a crevice, are still deposited in a crystal chalice, mounted

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in silver, and enriched with precious stones, for the special admiration of the faithful, who still regard them as miraculous. An annual solemnity, in commemoration of this Jewish outrage, was instituted by the reigning duke, which has since been changed for a jubilee, last held in the year 1820. Of the lofty and elegant chapel, in which they are preserved, the first stone was laid in 1534, by Philip of Lannoy, in the name of the Queen of Hungary, who then held the government of the Pays-Bas; and the building was completed in five years. The antique windows of stained glass, by Roger, are greatly admired. The tabernacle is of gold. Beneath a painting of the Virgin, on the right of the altar, is a slab of white marble, bearing the inscription, Monumentum Gubernatorum Belgii, which closes the entrance of a vault containing the remains of the Archduke Albert, (ob. 1621); the Infante Isabelle, his wife (1633); and other princes of the Austrian dynasty. It should be added, that a series of eighteen pictures, illustrative of the legend of the miraculous hosts, and presented to the church by the states of Brabant, are suspended in the nave; and four beautiful pieces of tapestry, on which the same event is represented, are exhibited to the public during the annual fête in July. In a recess, opposite to the chapel of the Saint Sacrement, is a picture by Coxcie, representing the Devil in the act of blowing out the Lamp of St. Gudule, which an angel is sent to rekindle at her prayer. From this tradition respecting the life of this saint she is usually painted with a lighted lamp in her hand.

In 1649, the Archduke Leopold laid the first stone of the chapel of Notre Dame de la Deliverance, which occupied four years in building. It was erected by voluntary contributions on the part of the inhabitants of Brussels, and is said to have cost more than 56,000 florins. The four painted windows by Delabaer, after designs by Van Thulden, are fine specimens of the art. Over the altar, which is of black and white marble, and executed by Verspoel, in the Corinthian order, there is a good picture of the Assumption, by Champagne. There is also in this chapel the tomb of Count d'Isembourg, likewise from the chisel of Verspoel. Two soldiers support a full-length figure of the count, above whom a genius is raising a curtain. The family mausoleum of P. J. Dennetiéres is distinguished merely by his arms, executed by Van Delen.

Such are the principal objects of examination in the church of St. Gudule, at Brussels. There are, moreover, some good pictures in the other chapels, particularly those by J. Van Cleef, in that of Saint Mary Magdalen; of which the subjects are-a Holy Family, the Visitation of Elizabeth, the Preaching of the Baptist, and the Baptism of Christ.

There is generally a sermon at St. Gudule's every Sunday morning, at ten o'clock, and grand mass at eleven. The former is chiefly attended by the bourgeoisie; but a large congregation usually flocks to the latter, attracted by the solemn services of Beethoven or Cherubini, which are the favourite accompaniments of this imposing ceremony in Brussels, where it is conducted with un wonted magnificence. It is, indeed, an absorbing spectacle to behold the maitre-autel blazing with the light of many tapers; to observe the procession slowly moving among the prostrate worshippers; the acolytes, bearing lamps, and clothed in white and crimson draperies; the thurifers, tossing aloft their perfumed

censers; the priests, with folded hands, and robed in richly embroidered surplices; and the mitred dignitaries, with golden crosses and ivory wands, and clad in vests of costly magnificence; and to hear the notes of the pealing organ rolling along the vaulted roof of the spacious temple, cannot fail to produce a powerful effect upon the imagination. And yet no sooner do the valedictory sounds of the organ die away, than the whole impression which the ceremony seems calculated to produce appears to fade with them. Here and there a lingering votary kneels before some favourite saint, or lolls in her chair to mutter over her breviary; but the fashionables lose no time in making their way to the Park, where the principal promenade is soon crowded to excess with groups of both sexes. A soirée, or the theatre, closes the devotion of the Sabbath.

THE VOLUNTARY SYSTEM IN THE CHURCH.

MR. EDITOR, The press has for some time been teeming with publications which have most satisfactorily exposed the evils of the voluntary system, as displayed amongst those who separate from the Established Church; and most desirable it is, as every friend of the Establishment must confess, that such works, when written in a firm but temperate spirit, should be widely circulated amongst all ranks and classes of society, and this for several reasons. In the first place, such exposures may be the means of opening the eyes of some at least of our Dissenting brethren, who have unhappily adopted that system; and by enabling them to see its real character, may lead them, perhaps, to join the ranks of the Church. Such works may also tend to deter others from leaving us, who, whilst they approve our doctrines and Liturgy, may be in danger of being drawn away from our communion by the specious and theoretical arguments which are often advanced in favour of what is called the voluntary principle. It is not, however, my present intention to refer further to either of these points. There is yet another benefit which, I conceive, may be derived from a general acquaintance with the workings of the voluntary system, which has a more direct reference to our own Church; it may, I would trust, be the means of preventing that system from gaining a more extensive footing than it has at present within the pale of our ecclesiastical establishment. I say, than it has at present; for however it may be generally overlooked, the voluntary system, with much of its evil effects, has already, to a very considerable extent, crept in amongst us and it is to this I

Amongst the best of these may be mentioned, without of course pretending to approve of all their contents, an admirable article in the Quarterly Review, which, though now of some date, should not be lost sight of; Dr. Dealtry's Charge, which is most worthy of preservation; the Glasgow Tracts on Establishments, which have not received the attention they deserved; Mr. Molesworth's Overbury; Letters on the Voluntary System, which appeared originally in that able paper the Gloucester Chronicle, and are since printed as a tract, now known to be from the pen of the Rev. S. Maitland; Letters by the Rev. Michael Augustus Gathercole, the terminals of whose name are L. S. E., &c. &c.

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