CARVED WOODEN MANTLEPIECE
CARVED WOODEN MANTLEPIECE IN THE PALAIS DE JUSTICE, BRUGES,TO COMMEMORATE THE PEACE OF CAMBRAYView larger image
Clémont Marot and Jean Second also celebrated 'the Ladies' Peace' in verse, though their poems are not of a very high order.
FrancisI.awaited the issue of the Congress at the abbey of Mont Saint Martin, and on hearing of the conclusion of peace he set out on the 9th of August to pay Margaret a visit at Cambray, and was present at the festivities given by his mother at the Hôtel Saint Paul. Margaret was anxious to conciliate Francis, who was so soon to become the husband of her niece Eleanor, and during the days they all spent together at Cambray she succeeded in making greatfriends with him; and Massé, who was an eye-witness, tells us that he left on the 20th for Paris 'quite delighted' with his visit.
A few weeks later we find him writing pathetic letters to Margaret begging her to use her influence with the emperor that his sons (who were kept in Spain until their ransom was paid) might be better treated, for he heard through his officer, Bodin, that they were not as happy as he could wish. Margaret was touched at this mark of the king's confidence, and wrote a long letter to the emperor, begging him to grant Francis's request, for 'Monseigneur, God has given you the blessing of beautiful children, so that you may better feel what a father's love is worth, and can sympathise with the sorrow of the said king; wherefore I beg of you to ... grant his request, which is so just and reasonable....—Your very humble aunt,Margaret.'
Shortly after, the long-delayed marriage between Francis and Eleanor was consummated, the king receiving his sons from the hands of his bride at Bayonne, where he met them at the frontier. The Marshal of Montmorency, who accompanied King Francis, thus writes to Margaret from St. Jean de Luz:—'Madame, I found the queen, whom I have been to see the last few days since her arrival at the frontier, so wise, beautiful, and honest a lady, who conversed with me in as kind and pleasant a manner as possible ... and we ought again to thank God for having given us so good and virtuous a lady, of whom it seems to me that I cannot express to you a third part of the good andhonestetéthat I found in her.'
Margaret also received constant news from England concerning the progress of Queen Katharine's affairs.In September 1529 Eustace Chapuys had written to her from London telling her of an audience he had had with King Henry, and later with Queen Katharine. The conference with the king, he said, would have been much longer and more to the purpose had not his Majesty been in a hurry to go to dinner in order to repair afterwards to the hunting-field ... as he is in the habit of doing at this season of the year. As usual the conversation turned chiefly on the queen's business, the king treating the matter as one in which he was deeply concerned, and which he had much at heart, and trying to appear very learned in canon law. After dinner the king gave permission for Chapuys to be conducted to the queen's apartments in order that he might deliver the emperor's letter to her. During the interview her Majesty thanked him for all he had said in her favour. On the 27th of September Chapuys wrote another long despatch to Margaret giving lengthy details of a further audience with the king, in which the subject of the queen's divorce was once more fully discussed.[141]
Immediately after the ratification of the Treaty of Cambray Margaret and Louise entered into a negotiation to consolidate the peace by a double marriage between the emperor's children and those of King Francis. From Bologna, where he had gone for his double coronation, Charles sent Margaret the necessary powers to treat in his name. In this document, which is published amongst the State papers of the Cardinal of Granvelle, he says:—'Because of the very great, perfect, and entire confidence which we have in our said lady and aunt, as in ourselves, and in her experience and prudence, which wasshown in the conducting, concluding, and perfecting of the said peace made at Cambray, we have by these presents constituted and made our aunt our general and special proxy, etc....'
But Margaret did not live long enough to carry out this interesting negotiation which would have worthily crowned her political career. As it was, the Peace of Cambray was her last great diplomatic triumph, but she lived just long enough to see her nephew Charles attain the zenith of his power, and receive the double crowns of Lombardy and the empire from the hands of the Pope, an honour for which her father, Maximilian, had sighed in vain.
Before Charles left Spain for Italy he had concluded a separate treaty with the Pope at Barcelona, the terms of which were more advantageous to the Holy See than ClementVII.could have expected, considering the emperor's recent successes. But Charles was anxious to atone for the insults and outrages committed during the siege of Rome, and if possible win the Pope as an ally, and get him to oppose his aunt Katharine's divorce. Amongst other articles he promised to restore all property belonging to the ecclesiastical state, reestablish the Medici in Florence, and marry his natural daughter, Margaret, to the head of that powerful house; allow the Pope to decide the fate of the Sforza and the possession of the Milanese. In return Clement was to grant the emperor the investiture of Naples, absolve all who had been implicated in the plundering of Rome, and allow Charles and his brother to levy a fourth of the ecclesiastical revenues throughout their dominions.
On October the 2nd, 1529, Margaret wrote a long letter to the emperor from Brussels, in which she plainly expressed her opinion of the Treaty of Barcelona and its probable results:—'I do not pretend to say,' she says, 'that the alliance with the Pope is not a good and desirable thing; but your Majestymust bear in mind the character of his Holiness, his inconstant humour and fickle disposition; and that he must be greatly changed in temper and general condition if he does not try now, as he did last time, to expel you from Italy after he has got all he wants from you.... Respecting Milan, my opinion is that, considering the expense hitherto incurred, your Majesty ought by all means to endeavour to remain master of it by investing your son with it, and treating with Massimiliano Sforza.... The king, your brother, in the meanwhile, must be fully provided with the means of defence, and money procured for him to carry on a good enterprise against the Turk....
'Your Majesty might attend to your own affairs in Italy, and everything being settled there, depart for Germany at the head of all your forces, leaving only in Italy those strictly required for the defence of Milan and Naples. This would naturally result in great honour and reputation to your army, which might be paid out of the money collected for the intended expedition, and then you could not only succour your brother, repulse the Turk, and perhaps also follow him up to his own dominions, but also increase our faith, which will be a far greater honour and merit than losing your precious time in the recovery of a few towns in Italy....'[142]
At last the long-looked-for day came when Charles, after a triumphal progress through Italy, entered Bologna, on November the 5th, for his coronation, at the head of twenty thousand veteran soldiers, and, in token of his humility as an obedient son of the Church, kneeled down to kiss the feet of that very Pope whom he had but recently retained a prisoner.On St. Peter's Day, February the 22nd, 1530, he received the iron crown of Lombardy, and two days later (St. Matthew's Day), the thirtieth anniversary of his birth, he was crowned by ClementVII., in the cathedral of San Petronio, with the imperial crown of Charlemagne, amid all the gorgeous display and ceremonial befitting so great an occasion.
In the grand procession at the emperor's coronation at Bologna, Antonio da Leyva, the veteran hero of Pavia, crippled with gout, was borne in a chair by the emperor's command, next to Andrea Doria, before the archbishops and bishops, and his horse led by two noblemen. Brantôme gives the following account of the procession:—'Four thousand Spanish soldiers, veterans who had served in the late wars, marched at the head of it under the command of Antonio da Leyva, richly dressed, borne in a sort of chair covered with crimson velvet. Afterwards came eighteen pieces of heavy artillery, with their ammunition waggons and all their accompaniments, followed by a thousand men-at-arms of the old equipment of Burgundy, all well mounted and cased in armour, over which hung their beautiful and rich mantles, with lances at the thigh. Then came the pages of the emperor, about four-and-twenty in number, superbly clothed in yellow, grey, and violet velvet, mounted on beautiful horses. These were followed by the Grand Ecuyer in steel armour, bearing in his right hand his imperial Majesty's sword of state. After him rode the emperor, mounted on the most beautiful Spanish genet, a dark bay, clad in the richest armour, inlaid with gold, over which was a mantle of cloth of gold, leaving one side and the right arm exposed; on his head he wore a bonnet of black velvet without ornament or plume. The cardinalscame next, with their large hats on. They were followed by some of the principal nobles of the Court heading a troop of four or five hundred gentlemen. To these again succeeded fifteen hundred light horse and men-at-arms all accoutred with helmets. Three thousand men on foot, Spaniards, Italians and Landsknechts, formed the rear-guard.'
This, adds Brantôme, was a procession 'fit for a great emperor, enough to make the earth tremble, as well as the Heaven itself, when the artillery began to roar with the devil of a noise, which Don Antonio knew well how to play off, with discharges of the arquebusades re-echoing from the whole line of soldiers.'
He afterwards mentions the ceremonial observed between the Pope and emperor when the latter performed his act of submission or homage. 'When they approached each other, the emperor, sinking on his knees, kissed the feet of the Pope, and rising, kissed his hand. His Holiness on his part, whilst some of the attendants behind raised the mitre from his head, kissed the emperor's cheek. This done, the emperor was again on his knees, when the Pope, making a gracious gesture, begged him to rise. One of the attendants then drawing a piece of gold from a pocket in the imperial mantle, placed it in his Majesty's hand, of which the emperor made an offering to the Pope as a representative of his power, and thus addressed him: 'Holy Father, thanks be to God above who has conceded to me so great a favour that I should arrive in safety here to kiss the feet of your Holiness, and be received with greater kindness than I can ever merit, and thus I place myself under your safeguard.'[143]
But for ClementVII.this ceremony can have been no pleasant task. 'The Pope,' wrote the Bishop of Tarbes, 'tried to show the emperor the best cheer possible; but I think he never in his life performed a ceremony which touched him so near the heart, nor of which less good is likely to come to him. For several times, when he thought no one saw him, he heaved such sighs that, heavy as his cope was, he made it shake in good earnest.'[144]This memorable day in the annals of the House of Austria marked the summit of Margaret's ambitious hopes for the nephew she had mothered with such unceasing care. She had lived to see the children over whose welfare she had so tenderly watched grow up to fill some of the most brilliant positions in Europe. Charles was now a thrice-crowned king and emperor; Ferdinand, King of Hungary and Bohemia (and was shortly to be elected King of the Romans); whilst Eleanor had become first Queen of Portugal and then Queen of France; the short-lived Isabel, Queen of Denmark; Mary, Queen of Hungary; and Katharine, who succeeded her sister, Queen of Portugal.
Although only in her fiftieth year, Margaret began to look forward to the time when she could hand over the government of the Netherlands to her nephew Charles and spend the rest of her days in quiet seclusion. For her life had been a very strenuous one, full of great responsibility and unceasing work, and now that she felt her mission accomplished, she longed for her nephew's advent and her own retirement from political life. Chiefly owing to her intervention, that peace which it had been her lifelong endeavour to promote, now reigned throughout Europe, and under her wise rule the Netherlands had reachedthe zenith of their prosperity. Art, industry, and commerce flourished in the Low Countries as they had never flourished before. Encouraged by Margaret, a brilliant group of artists, poets, and literary men settled at her Court at Malines. Merchants from England, Spain, France, and Italy attended the great fairs, and traded in arms, embroideries, tapestries, velvets, satins, cloth, and leather goods. Malines became noted for its various industries, and Brussels, Ypres, Liége, Ghent, Lille, and Tournay all rose rapidly into commercial centres. Architecture made enormous strides, and music, painting, and literature received a new birth.
COURTYARD IN MARGARET'S PALACE AT MALINES
INTERIOR OF COURTYARD IN MARGARET'S PALACE AT MALINES,NOW THE PALACE DE JUSTICEView larger image
In her palace at Malines Margaret collected all that was rare and beautiful, and her rooms were veritable museums, as the inventory written under her direction shows. Priceless tapestries hung on the walls, some of which she had brought from Spain, whilst others were presented to her on various occasions. Many rich and valuable objects are mentioned in her catalogue: Statuettes, gold and silver caskets and mirrors, crystal, chalcedony and jasper goblets and vases, carved ivories, amber, corals, and curiously wrought chessmen, beautiful fans, medallions, clocks of rare workmanship which struck the hours and half-hours, magnificent plate, sometimes inlaid with precious stones, glass and pottery, suits of armour, ivory hunting horns, and various relics of the chase. Her private library contained many rare and valuable books, chiefly bound in velvet (crimson, green, black, and blue), with gold and silver clasps, besides illuminated manuscripts, several bearing her devices in the borders and strewn with painted 'marguerites.' The 'Bibliothèque Royale' at Brussels possesses several manuscripts from Margaret's collection. Amongst others,her 'Book of Hours'; four of her albums; 'La Bible Historiale,' with portraits of her and Philip kneeling at their 'prie-dieu'; Her 'Album Musical,' and her book of 'Basses Danses' on black paper, with gold notes and letters, containing a set of dances fashionable in her day—'La Marguerite,' 'l'Espérance de Bourbon,' 'M'amour-m'amie,' 'Filles à marier,' 'Le joyeux de Bruxelles,' etc. A portrait of Margaret in water-colours is also in the library, and is probably by Horembout. When Margaret undertook the regency of the Netherlands in 1507, her father, Maximilian, gave her as a New Year's gift a beautifully illuminatedLivre de Chants, in the frontispiece of which the United States are represented swearing fealty to her as regent. Maximilian is seated in the centre on a throne; in front of him sits his grandson Charles, with Margaret opposite; and the three young arch-duchesses, Eleanor, Mary, and Isabel, are grouped seated on the ground, whilst the representatives of the United States stand round, and with uplifted hands swear to uphold the regent's rule. This interesting book was one of Margaret's most prized possessions, and is now amongst the archives of Malines.
From the titles of the books in her library we learn how large and varied was her taste in reading: Froissart, theFablesof Æsop and of Ovid, several editions of Aristotle, Livy, theLetters of Seneca, and theCommentaries of Julius Caesar, Saint Augustine'sCity of God, of which she had four copies, and BoethiusOn Consolation. Besides these, there wereThe Golden Legend,The Round Table,Lancelot of the Lake,Merlin,The Story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, etc. Also several books on chess, on the interpretation of dreams, on the nature of birds, and on manners andcustoms, such as theMiroir du Mondeand theMiroir des Dames; various works of Boccaccio,Le Livre du Trésor, and Phebus on hunting, etc. Besides many missals, breviaries, lives and legends of the Saints, 'Books of Hours,' and other religious works.
Jean Lemaire says: 'Madame Margaret not only read wise books, but she also took the pen in hand to write' ... and fortunately many of her poems have been preserved. Through nearly all there runs a strain of sadness, of loneliness, and disappointed hope, for Margaret's life was very solitary in spite of her great position and many duties; every one came to her for help and sympathy, but there was no one on whom she could lean. Her verses are simple, graceful, and to the point, and may well bear comparison with those of her contemporaries. The following charming rondeau in her handwriting is a good example:—
'C'est pour jamès qu'un regret me demeure;Que sans sesser nuit et jour à tout eureTant me tourmant que bien voudroi mourir;Car ma vie n'est fors seulement languir,Et s'y faudra à la fin que j'en meure.De l'infortune estais bien seureQuan le regret maudit où je demeureMe coury sus pour me faire mourir,Car ma vie n'est forsSeulement languir:Sy faudra que j'en meure.'[145]
'C'est pour jamès qu'un regret me demeure;Que sans sesser nuit et jour à tout eureTant me tourmant que bien voudroi mourir;Car ma vie n'est fors seulement languir,Et s'y faudra à la fin que j'en meure.De l'infortune estais bien seureQuan le regret maudit où je demeureMe coury sus pour me faire mourir,Car ma vie n'est forsSeulement languir:Sy faudra que j'en meure.'[145]
'C'est pour jamès qu'un regret me demeure;
Que sans sesser nuit et jour à tout eure
Tant me tourmant que bien voudroi mourir;
Car ma vie n'est fors seulement languir,
Et s'y faudra à la fin que j'en meure.
De l'infortune estais bien seure
Quan le regret maudit où je demeure
Me coury sus pour me faire mourir,
Car ma vie n'est fors
Seulement languir:
Sy faudra que j'en meure.'[145]
Her poem, 'La complainte de dame Marguerite d'Autriche, fille de Maximilien, Roy des Romans,' is an interesting résumé of her life and misfortunes, full of feeling charmingly expressed, but is too long to quote here.
In the following she gives advice to her maids ofhonour, and warns them not to trust to lovers' deceitful promises:—
'Fiés-vous-y en vos servansDehure en avant, mes demoiselles,Et vous vous trouverés de cellesQue en out eu des décepvans.Il sont, en leurs ditz, observansMotz plus doulx que doulces pucelles,Fiés-vous-y.En leurs cueurs il sont conservans,Pour decepvoir, maintes cautelles,Et puis qu'il ont leurs fassons telles,Tout ainsi comme abavantzFiés-vous-y.'
'Fiés-vous-y en vos servansDehure en avant, mes demoiselles,Et vous vous trouverés de cellesQue en out eu des décepvans.
'Fiés-vous-y en vos servans
Dehure en avant, mes demoiselles,
Et vous vous trouverés de celles
Que en out eu des décepvans.
Il sont, en leurs ditz, observansMotz plus doulx que doulces pucelles,Fiés-vous-y.
Il sont, en leurs ditz, observans
Motz plus doulx que doulces pucelles,
Fiés-vous-y.
En leurs cueurs il sont conservans,Pour decepvoir, maintes cautelles,Et puis qu'il ont leurs fassons telles,Tout ainsi comme abavantzFiés-vous-y.'
En leurs cueurs il sont conservans,
Pour decepvoir, maintes cautelles,
Et puis qu'il ont leurs fassons telles,
Tout ainsi comme abavantz
Fiés-vous-y.'
And again:—
'Belles paroles en paiementA ces mignons présumptieuxQui contrefont les amoureuxPar beau samblant et aultrement.Sans nul credo, mais promptementDonnés pour récompense à eulxBelles parolles.Mot pour mot, c'est fait justement,Ung pour ung, aussi deulx pour deulx.Se devis ils font gracieulx,Respondés gracieusementBelles parolles.'
'Belles paroles en paiementA ces mignons présumptieuxQui contrefont les amoureuxPar beau samblant et aultrement.
'Belles paroles en paiement
A ces mignons présumptieux
Qui contrefont les amoureux
Par beau samblant et aultrement.
Sans nul credo, mais promptementDonnés pour récompense à eulxBelles parolles.
Sans nul credo, mais promptement
Donnés pour récompense à eulx
Belles parolles.
Mot pour mot, c'est fait justement,Ung pour ung, aussi deulx pour deulx.
Mot pour mot, c'est fait justement,
Ung pour ung, aussi deulx pour deulx.
Se devis ils font gracieulx,Respondés gracieusementBelles parolles.'
Se devis ils font gracieulx,
Respondés gracieusement
Belles parolles.'
Sometimes she expresses herself resigned to her lonely life:—
'Tout pour le mieux bien dire l'oseVient maleur qui fault soubtenir,Si c'est pour à mieux parvenirL'endurer est bien peu de chose.Mon cueur en franchise soy tenirTout pour le mieux.De ma part rien je ne propose;Viengne ce que pourra venirCar dire veulx et maintenirQue des emprinses Dieu disposeTout pour le mieux.'
'Tout pour le mieux bien dire l'oseVient maleur qui fault soubtenir,Si c'est pour à mieux parvenirL'endurer est bien peu de chose.
'Tout pour le mieux bien dire l'ose
Vient maleur qui fault soubtenir,
Si c'est pour à mieux parvenir
L'endurer est bien peu de chose.
Mon cueur en franchise soy tenirTout pour le mieux.
Mon cueur en franchise soy tenir
Tout pour le mieux.
De ma part rien je ne propose;Viengne ce que pourra venirCar dire veulx et maintenirQue des emprinses Dieu disposeTout pour le mieux.'
De ma part rien je ne propose;
Viengne ce que pourra venir
Car dire veulx et maintenir
Que des emprinses Dieu dispose
Tout pour le mieux.'
In the following verses she announces her intention to remain unmarried:—
'Tant que je vive, mon cueur ne changeraPour nul vivant, tant soit il bon ou saigeFort et puissant, riche, de hault lignaige,Mon chois est fait, aultre ne se fera.'Il peut estre que l'on dévisera,Mais je pour ce ne muera mon courage,Tant que je vive.'
'Tant que je vive, mon cueur ne changeraPour nul vivant, tant soit il bon ou saigeFort et puissant, riche, de hault lignaige,Mon chois est fait, aultre ne se fera.
'Tant que je vive, mon cueur ne changera
Pour nul vivant, tant soit il bon ou saige
Fort et puissant, riche, de hault lignaige,
Mon chois est fait, aultre ne se fera.
'Il peut estre que l'on dévisera,Mais je pour ce ne muera mon courage,Tant que je vive.'
'Il peut estre que l'on dévisera,
Mais je pour ce ne muera mon courage,
Tant que je vive.'
These few fragments give an idea of Margaret's style, which was simple, clear, and well expressed, but throughout her rondeaux, songs, and ballads, there is an echo of sadness and disappointment. Many of her words and expressions are now out of date, but the charm of her personality still lingers in her poems with a mournful pathos none the less touching though written in a French of long ago:—
'Dame infortunéeDame de dueil tousiours triste et marrie.'[146]
'Dame infortunéeDame de dueil tousiours triste et marrie.'[146]
'Dame infortunée
Dame de dueil tousiours triste et marrie.'[146]
But amongst all the treasures she had gathered together, her picture-gallery at Malines was not the least interesting part of her wonderful collection. More than a hundred portraits and paintings are mentioned in her catalogue, chiefly by famous artists of the day. Amongst others there are several by Bernard van Orley (her Court painter), John Memling, Michel von Coxie, John van Eyck, Roger van der Weyden, Mabuse, Bouts, Jacob de Barbari, Jerome Bosch, Gerard Horembout, etc.
The John Van Eyck of John Arnolfini and his wife Joan Cenani of Lucca (who settled at Bruges in 1420), now in the National Gallery, London, was one of the gems of Margaret's collection, and is thus mentioned in her catalogues of 1516 and 1524:—
'Ung grant tableau qu'on appelle Hernoul-le-Fin avec sa femme dedens une chambre, qui fut donné à Madame par don Diégo, les armes duquel sont en la couverte dudit tableaul. Fait du painctre Johannes.''Ung aultre tableau fort exquis qui se clot à deux fuelletz, où il y a painctz un homme et une femme estantz desboutz touchantz la main l'ung de l'aultre, fait de la main de Johannes, les armes et devise de feu don Dieghe esdits deux feulletz nommé le personnaige: Arnoult fin.'
'Ung grant tableau qu'on appelle Hernoul-le-Fin avec sa femme dedens une chambre, qui fut donné à Madame par don Diégo, les armes duquel sont en la couverte dudit tableaul. Fait du painctre Johannes.'
'Ung aultre tableau fort exquis qui se clot à deux fuelletz, où il y a painctz un homme et une femme estantz desboutz touchantz la main l'ung de l'aultre, fait de la main de Johannes, les armes et devise de feu don Dieghe esdits deux feulletz nommé le personnaige: Arnoult fin.'
Its history is peculiarly interesting. Before 1490 it belonged to Don Diego de Guevara, one of Maximilian's Councillors, who added shutters to it, on the outer side of which were painted his arms and motto. Don Diego presented the picture to Margaret. After her death it came into the possession of a barber-surgeon of Bruges from whom Mary, Queen of Hungary, bought it in exchange for a place worth a hundred florins a year. The picture is mentioned in an inventory of the queen's effects in 1556. Later it was taken to Spain, and in 1789 was in CharlesIII.'s collection at Madrid, but afterwards fell into the hands of one of the French generals. In 1815 Major-General Hay, who had been wounded at Waterloo, found it in the house to which he was removed in Brussels, and after his recovery purchased it and brought it to England, where in 1842 it was bought by the National Gallery for £730.
JOHN ARNOLFINI AND HIS WIFE JOAN
JOHN ARNOLFINI OF LUCCA AND HIS WIFE JOANFROM THE PAINTING BY JOHN VAN EYCKIN THE NATIONAL GALLERYView larger image
Unfortunately we cannot thus trace the history of all Margaret's collection. Her library at Malineswas hung with family portraits, from Charlemagne on through many Dukes of Burgundy—her grandfather, the Emperor Frederick; her parents, Maximilian and Mary of Burgundy; her brother Philip; her husband Philibert, Duke of Savoy; her nephews and nieces, at different ages, were all portrayed; and there was also a portrait of herself as a girl. Her pictures are all fully entered in her catalogue, with such charming descriptions as:—'Une petite Nostre-Dame disant ses heures, faicte de la main de Michel (Coxie) que Madame appelle sa mignonne et le petit dieu dort,' or 'Ung petit tableau ront de Nostre-Dame que Madame fait mettre au chevet de son lit,' or 'Ung petit paradis ou sont touxs les apôtres,' etc.
Margaret not only collected pictures, but she drew and painted skilfully herself, a most unusual accomplishment for a princess at that time, and amongst her possessions was a paint-box and brushes; she also is said to have drawn part of the plans for a church at Bruges.
During her regency architecture made great progress, and many beautiful buildings were designed and executed. The belfry at Bruges, the cloisters of the Convent of the Annunciation near the same town, and the Tower of St. Rombault at Malines, the Hôtel de Ville at Ghent, besides several churches which were restored and embellished, such as the churches of St. Peter and St. Stephen at Lille, the spire of Antwerp Cathedral and Ste. Gudule at Brussels. But the greatest monument to Margaret's memory and taste in architecture is the church of Brou, near the town of Bourg en Bresse, of which a full description is given elsewhere, and for the construction of which Mercurin de Gattinare advised 'sa très redoubtée dame de vendre jusqu'à sadernière chemise.' In this beautiful church the spirit of Margaret seems to pervade every part, bringing into perfect harmony the work of the various Flemish, French, German, and Italian artists she employed.
Margaret also did much to encourage a taste for music, and the names of several of her musicians and composers have been preserved. Maître Agricola wrote accompaniments to her songs, and Bruneel, Josquin des Prés, Compère, Henry Isaac, and Pierre de la Rue are all mentioned as attached to her Court. Flemish singers were sought for far and wide, especially in Italy and France, and many of the Pope's choir were recruited from the Netherlands.
But if Margaret did much for art, she did no less for literature. Grouped around her stand forth the names of such men as Jean Molinet, Jean Lemaire de Beiges, Adrian of Utrecht, Cornelius Agrippa, Erasmus, Massé, Nicolas Everard, Renacle de Florennes, Louis Vivés, and many others whom she welcomed to her Court, lodged in her palace, and counted amongst her friends. It is no wonder that they sang her praises in prose and in verse, extolling her beauty, her golden hair, fresh complexion, and soft brown eyes, exclaiming how lovely she looked when attending the dances given on festive occasions, or dressed in satin with long hanging sleeves lined with ermine, and followed by her greyhound, parrot, and marmoset, she wandered amongst her roses in her sweet-scented garden at Malines.
Molinet, her librarian, comes first among the poets who celebrated her charms. Besides his chronicles, he wrote 'La Récollection des Merveilleuses,' and several epigrams. The following verses on Margaret's return are a curioustour de force:—
'Par vous nous vint grâce, miséricorde,Paix et concorde, et cordastes la corde,Qui se discorde et veult discorder,Par bien corder, cordons par concorder,Et recorder, accord fut par cordée,La bonne harpe est tantôt accordée.'
'Par vous nous vint grâce, miséricorde,Paix et concorde, et cordastes la corde,Qui se discorde et veult discorder,Par bien corder, cordons par concorder,Et recorder, accord fut par cordée,La bonne harpe est tantôt accordée.'
'Par vous nous vint grâce, miséricorde,
Paix et concorde, et cordastes la corde,
Qui se discorde et veult discorder,
Par bien corder, cordons par concorder,
Et recorder, accord fut par cordée,
La bonne harpe est tantôt accordée.'
Jean Lemaire de Belges was born about 1473; after the death of LouisXII.he attached himself to Margaret's Court and became her historian. He published a curious work calledLes illustrations de Gaule et singularitez de Troye, avec la Couronne Margaritique et plusieurs autres œuvres. In theCouronne Margaritique, Margaret figures as the heroine. Jean Lemaire also published theTriomphe de l'Amant vert, which is the history of a green parrot given by Sigismond, Archduke of Austria, to Margaret's mother, Mary of Burgundy, after whose death it passed into Margaret's possession. She was naturally very fond of the bird, and when it died composed the following epitaph:—
'Souz ce tumbel, qui est un dur conclave,Git l'amant verd, et le très noble esclave,Dont le noble cœur de vraye amour, pure, yvre,Ne peut souffrir perdre sa dame et vivre.'
'Souz ce tumbel, qui est un dur conclave,Git l'amant verd, et le très noble esclave,Dont le noble cœur de vraye amour, pure, yvre,Ne peut souffrir perdre sa dame et vivre.'
'Souz ce tumbel, qui est un dur conclave,
Git l'amant verd, et le très noble esclave,
Dont le noble cœur de vraye amour, pure, yvre,
Ne peut souffrir perdre sa dame et vivre.'
The parrot died whilst Margaret was on a visit to her father in Germany. In Lemaire's poem 'L'amant vert' laments his beloved mistress's absence, he stops talking, and contemplates 'putting an end to his short days.'
'... Et comment pourroit un cœur si gros,En corps si faible et si petit enclos,Passer le jour que de moy te dépars?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .O demy-deux, o satyres agrestes,Nymphes des bois et fontaines proprettes,Escoutez moy ma plainte démener,Et tu Echo, qui fais l'air résonnerEt les rochers de voix répercussives!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Or doy-je bien haïr ma triste vie,Veu que tant t'ay par terre et mer suivie,Par bois, par champs, par montagne et valée,Et que je t'ay maintes fois consolée,Et tes dangers, naufrages et périlz,Ésquels sans moy n'avois joye ne riz,Et maintenant tu laisses ton amant.''Or pleust aux dieux que mon corps assez beau,Fust transformé, pour ceste heure, en corbeau,Et mon colier, vermeil et purpurin,Fust aussi brun qu'un more ou barbarin.''Pourquoi t'ay veu tes parfaites beautez,Et ton gent corps plus poli que fin ambre,Trop plus que nul autre valet de chambre,Nud, demy-nud, sans atour et sans guimple,Demy-vestu, en belle cotte simple,Tresser ton chef, tant cler et tant doré,Par tout le monde aymé et honoré.Quant maintes fois pour mon cœur affoller,Tes deux maris je t'ay veu accoller:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Au moins, princesse, en extrême guerdon,Je te requiers et te supplie un don:C'est que mon corps n'y soit ensevely,Ainsi le me mets en quelque lieu joly,Bien tapissé de diverses flourettes,Où pastoureaux devisent d'amourettes,Où les oiseaux jargonnent et flageolent,Et papillons bien coulourez, et vollentPrès d'un ruisseau, ayant l'onde argentine,Autour duquel les arbres font courtine.'
'... Et comment pourroit un cœur si gros,En corps si faible et si petit enclos,Passer le jour que de moy te dépars?
'... Et comment pourroit un cœur si gros,
En corps si faible et si petit enclos,
Passer le jour que de moy te dépars?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
O demy-deux, o satyres agrestes,Nymphes des bois et fontaines proprettes,Escoutez moy ma plainte démener,Et tu Echo, qui fais l'air résonnerEt les rochers de voix répercussives!
O demy-deux, o satyres agrestes,
Nymphes des bois et fontaines proprettes,
Escoutez moy ma plainte démener,
Et tu Echo, qui fais l'air résonner
Et les rochers de voix répercussives!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Or doy-je bien haïr ma triste vie,Veu que tant t'ay par terre et mer suivie,Par bois, par champs, par montagne et valée,Et que je t'ay maintes fois consolée,Et tes dangers, naufrages et périlz,Ésquels sans moy n'avois joye ne riz,Et maintenant tu laisses ton amant.'
Or doy-je bien haïr ma triste vie,
Veu que tant t'ay par terre et mer suivie,
Par bois, par champs, par montagne et valée,
Et que je t'ay maintes fois consolée,
Et tes dangers, naufrages et périlz,
Ésquels sans moy n'avois joye ne riz,
Et maintenant tu laisses ton amant.'
'Or pleust aux dieux que mon corps assez beau,Fust transformé, pour ceste heure, en corbeau,Et mon colier, vermeil et purpurin,Fust aussi brun qu'un more ou barbarin.'
'Or pleust aux dieux que mon corps assez beau,
Fust transformé, pour ceste heure, en corbeau,
Et mon colier, vermeil et purpurin,
Fust aussi brun qu'un more ou barbarin.'
'Pourquoi t'ay veu tes parfaites beautez,Et ton gent corps plus poli que fin ambre,Trop plus que nul autre valet de chambre,Nud, demy-nud, sans atour et sans guimple,Demy-vestu, en belle cotte simple,Tresser ton chef, tant cler et tant doré,Par tout le monde aymé et honoré.Quant maintes fois pour mon cœur affoller,Tes deux maris je t'ay veu accoller:
'Pourquoi t'ay veu tes parfaites beautez,
Et ton gent corps plus poli que fin ambre,
Trop plus que nul autre valet de chambre,
Nud, demy-nud, sans atour et sans guimple,
Demy-vestu, en belle cotte simple,
Tresser ton chef, tant cler et tant doré,
Quant maintes fois pour mon cœur affoller,
Tes deux maris je t'ay veu accoller:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Au moins, princesse, en extrême guerdon,Je te requiers et te supplie un don:C'est que mon corps n'y soit ensevely,Ainsi le me mets en quelque lieu joly,Bien tapissé de diverses flourettes,Où pastoureaux devisent d'amourettes,Où les oiseaux jargonnent et flageolent,Et papillons bien coulourez, et vollentPrès d'un ruisseau, ayant l'onde argentine,Autour duquel les arbres font courtine.'
Au moins, princesse, en extrême guerdon,
Je te requiers et te supplie un don:
C'est que mon corps n'y soit ensevely,
Ainsi le me mets en quelque lieu joly,
Bien tapissé de diverses flourettes,
Où pastoureaux devisent d'amourettes,
Où les oiseaux jargonnent et flageolent,
Et papillons bien coulourez, et vollent
Près d'un ruisseau, ayant l'onde argentine,
Autour duquel les arbres font courtine.'
The poor 'amant' hopes that pilgrims will come and weep over his grave, and ends by a touching farewell to his mistress:—
'Or, adieu donc, reyne de toutes femmes,La fleur des fleurs, le parangon des gemmes,Adieu, madame, et ma maistresse chère,Pour qui la mort me vient montrer sa chère.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fay moy graver sur ma lame marbrineCes quatre vers, au moins, si j'en suis digne.
'Or, adieu donc, reyne de toutes femmes,La fleur des fleurs, le parangon des gemmes,Adieu, madame, et ma maistresse chère,Pour qui la mort me vient montrer sa chère.
'Or, adieu donc, reyne de toutes femmes,
La fleur des fleurs, le parangon des gemmes,
Adieu, madame, et ma maistresse chère,
Pour qui la mort me vient montrer sa chère.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fay moy graver sur ma lame marbrineCes quatre vers, au moins, si j'en suis digne.
Fay moy graver sur ma lame marbrine
Ces quatre vers, au moins, si j'en suis digne.
Then comes the epitaph quoted above. L'amant vert finally addresses his mistress from the tomb, and describes his descent into Hades, where he meets Mercury and converses with him in the Elysian fields.
Rénacle de Florennes sang Margaret's praises in Latin verse, and it was largely due to her influence that the emperor appointed him his private secretary. The four Everards and Jean Second all added their tribute in her honour; whilst Adrian of Utrecht, the future Pope, and the learned Cornelius Agrippa remained through life her firm and devoted friends.
During the sixteenth century the beautiful industry of tapestry-making reached almost its highest point of perfection. After the fall of Arras in 1477 the workmen from that town settled in Bruges, Brussels, and Tournay. Amongst the great tapestry-workers were Stephen of Brumberghe, John of Roubrouck, Perquin d'Ervine, Peter van Oppenem, John van den Brugghe, etc., but the prince of tapestry-makers was Peter van Aelst, who for more than thirty years turned out tapestries innumerable from his workshops, the most celebrated being 'The Acts of the Apostles.' Although during the Middle Ages the designs chiefly represented religious subjects from the Old and New Testaments, in the sixteenth century, with the influence of the Renaissance, there crept in a taste for mythological and historical scenes such as those in the Hôtel de Ville at Brussels, or the Legend of Notre Dame du Sablon, which latter contains contemporaryportraits of Margaret and her nephews and nieces;[147]or the Legend of Trajan, the Story of Herkenbald, and the History of Julius Caesar attributed to the designs of Roger van der Weyden. John de Maubeuge, or Mabuse, and Bernard van Orley also exercised a wide influence over the industry, and their beautiful compositions were much sought after. With Van Orley a secular feeling prevailed even in his religious subjects. His saints and angels, Virgins and Apostles, appear almost pagan in design. It is easy to follow the different phases of this beautiful industry in such pieces as 'The Acts of the Apostles' in the Vatican, 'Saint Gregory's Mass' at Nuremberg, 'The Story of Psyche' at Fontainebleau, 'The Triumphs of Bacchus,' the 'Rape of the Sabines,' etc.
LEGEND OF 'NOTRE DAME DU SABLON'
LEGEND OF 'NOTRE DAME DU SABLON'FROM THE TAPESTRY IN THE MUSÉE DU CINQUANTENAIRE, BRUSSELSIt contains portraits of Margaret and her Nephews and NiecesView larger image
After his coronation at Bologna the emperor continued his progress through Trent, Bötzen, Innsbruck, to Augsburg, where he attended the Diet which opened on June the 20th, 1530. There he met Melanchthon and listened to his famous confession, and the long arguments which followed on religious questions. Lutheranism was rapidly spreading in Germany, but the emperor was powerless to prevent it. Charles remained at Augsburg until November 23rd, and then continued his journey towards the Netherlands, where Margaret was anxiously awaiting him; but she and her beloved nephew were destined never to meet again on earth, for when he reached Cologne he received the news of her death.
For some time past Margaret seems to have cherished the hope of retiring to the Convent of the Annunciation which she had founded outside the 'Porte des Anes' at Bruges, and spending the restof her days there in quiet seclusion. From Malines she wrote to the Mother Superior:—'Ma Mère, ma mie,—I have ordered the bearer of this, whom you know well, to give you news of me, and tell you of my good resolution for some days past, and also inquire how you are, which I hope is as well as you could wish for me. My hope is in the good God and his glorious Mother, who will help and keep you for better things. I have given him (the bearer) a memorandum for you, and the Pater, your good father, which is from my own hand; from this you will learn my intention. I desire that it shall not get talked about ('n'en soit faict grant bruit'), and for good reason, and with this I will end, begging you to recommend me to our good father's prayers, and also to all my good daughters, praying the Creator and His blessed Mother to give His grace to you and also to me.—Your good daughter,Margaret.'
Then follows the memorandum to Estienne, hervalet de chambre, concerning what he is to say to the Pater and the Mère Ancille:[148]'First, that I wish above all to put my religious (community) in such a state that they will never be in great poverty, but will be able to live without begging; and I wish to know ... if more money is needed, and if so, how much, that they may not be stinted; for with God's help I will see to all; and every other thing that they desire, they must let me know, for I intend to make there a good end, with the help of God and our good Mistress, His glorious Mother.
'Amongst other things say to the Mère Ancille, my good mother, that I beg her to make all my good daughters pray for the purpose which I have alwaystold her; for the time approaches, since the emperor is coming, to whom, with God's help, I will render a good account of the charge and government which he has pleased to give me; and this done, I shall give myself up to the will of God and of our good Mistress, begging you, my good Mother, "ma mie," that I may not be forgotten by yours, and always remain your good daughter,Margaret.'
Concerning the death of the Regent of the Netherlands very little is authentically known, but from a MSS. in the archives at Ain, written by an Augustine monk, the following account is found:—'Early on the morning of the 15th of November, before rising, Margaret asked one of her ladies, Magdalen of Rochester, for a glass of water. The maid of honour brought her the drink in a crystal goblet, but in taking it back Magdalen unluckily let it fall near the bed, where it broke in several pieces. She carefully picked up all the fragments she could see, but one piece lay hidden in Margaret's high-heeled embroidered slipper. When the princess got up a few hours later, she put her bare feet into the slippers, and tried to walk towards the fire, but immediately felt a sharp pain in the sole of her left foot. On examination it was found that a piece of broken glass was in the foot; this was at once extracted, but the wound remained, and bled very little. Margaret, who was always plucky, soon thought no more of the accident, and neglected the wound. A few days later, however, her leg became greatly inflamed, and she suffered much pain. At last, on the 22nd, doctors were called in, and a consultation was held. They found that gangrene had already set in, and decided that the only way to save her life was to amputate the foot. The next day,the 23rd, they commissioned M. de Montécute, her almoner and confessor, to break the news to her, and prepare her for the terrible operation. She was naturally much surprised and upset, but with great fortitude consented to undergo the dreadful ordeal. For four days she shut herself up, and would see no one, spending the time in prayer and confession; on the morning of the 27th she received the Sacrament, and on the 28th and 29th she arranged her earthly affairs, and added a codicil to the will she had made in 1508. This codicil did not, however, fundamentally alter her former testament. She left Charles her sole heir, with the exception of a few bequests, such as 'one of her best rings' to his brother Ferdinand, and legacies to her old officers and servants. 'And in order not to abolish the name of the House of Burgundy ... my said lady begs and implores the Lord Emperor to be pleased to keep in his own hands the said county of Burgundy, and its dependencies, as long as he lives, and after his death to leave it to the one of his children or other heirs who may succeed to these countries (the Netherlands), without dividing or separating it.'
'And as a last request of my said lady made to the said Lord Emperor, she begs him for the universal good of Christianity and the safety of his State, to keep, guard, and observe peace and friendship with the Kings of France and England, their realms, countries, and subjects; as she hopes to say to him with her own mouth if it pleases God to spare her life until she can see him.'
On the next day, the 30th, the doctors decided to operate, but before submitting herself to their hands Margaret dictated a last touching letter to Charles, in which she bade him an eternal farewell:—'Monseigneur,the hour has come when I can no longer write to you with my own hand, for I feel so ill, that I doubt not that my life will be short. With my conscience at rest and peace, and resolved to receive all that it may please God to send me, without any regret whatever, excepting the privation of your presence, and not being able to see and speak to you once more before my death, which is partly supplied by this my letter, though I fear that it will be the last that you will receive from me. I have made you my universal and sole heir, recommending you to fulfil the charges in my will. I leave you your countries over here, which, during your absence, I have not only kept as you left them to me at your departure, but have greatly increased them, and restore to you the government of the same, of which I believe to have loyally acquitted myself, in such a way as I hope for divine reward, satisfaction from you, monseigneur, and the goodwill of your subjects; particularly recommending to you peace, especially with the Kings of France and England. And to end, monseigneur, I beg of you for the love you have been pleased to bear this poor body, that you will remember the salvation of the soul, and the recommendation of my poor vassals and servants. Bidding you the last adieu, to whom I pray, monseigneur, to give you prosperity and a long life. From Malines, the last day of November 1530.—Your very humble aunt,Margaret.'
And so having arranged all her earthly affairs Margaret took a tender farewell of her attendants and friends, and placed herself in the physicians' hands, who, hoping to spare her the pain and shock of an operation, gave her a dose of opium, which was so strong that she fell asleep never to wake again.She passed away during the night of the 30th of November 1530 between midnight and one o'clock, in the fiftieth year of her age, and the twenty-third year of her regency.
The Archbishop of Palermo, Jean de Carondelet, and Antoine de Lalaing, Count of Hochstrate, at once sent to Cologne to inform the emperor of the sad news. In their letter they said that the inflammation (gangrene) had spread from the princess's leg to her body (probably from the long delay), and therefore an operation would have been useless. No one, however, seems to have been blamed, and Philip Savoien, her surgeon, was given thirty philippus 'for having treated madame as well as he could, and for having embalmed her body.' As the archbishop and the Count of Hochstrate wrote to the emperor: 'Madame has indeed shown in her end the virtue that was in her, for she died as good a Christian as it seems to us possible to be. She is a great loss, Sire, to your Majesty, and to all your countries over here.'
Charles was greatly distressed when he learned that his beloved aunt had passed away, and ordered magnificent obsequies to be performed in the cathedral of Cologne, which he attended with his whole Court. The funeral sermon, delivered in Latin by Jean Fabri, was listened to with rapt attention by the large congregation which filled the building.
Margaret was deeply mourned by all who knew her, and especially by the people over whom she had ruled so well.
In her will she directed that her heart should be given to the Convent of the 'Annonciades' at Bruges, her intestines to the church of St. Peter andSt. Paul at Malines, and her body to the Monastery of St. Nicolas de Tolentin at Bourg en Bresse, where she wished to be buried beside her husband, Philibert of Savoy, in the church of Brou.
Her funeral services began in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul at Malines by three solemn masses, and were continued in the cathedral church of St. Rombault, which was hung with 120 yards of black cloth for the occasion. The Archbishop of Palermo conducted the service, which was attended by the Grand Council and Magistrates, and all the guilds of the city. Here Cornelius Agrippa preached her funeral oration, dwelling at much length on her many virtues and great talents. 'We have lost,' he said, 'the anchor on which our hopes rested. We are weighed down with this great affliction, for no greater loss could have befallen us and our country. What consolation can we find in the death of the very saintly Princess Margaret? We all weep, we all lament her! All the provinces, all the cities, all the towns, all the villages, all the hamlets are plunged in grief, sorrow, and mourning.'
On the 22nd of January 1531, a funeral procession, headed by the young Crown Prince of Denmark, as chief mourner, escorted Margaret's body and heart to Bruges. Whilst awaiting translation to its final resting-place at Brou, her body was laid in a vault beneath the high altar in the Convent of the 'Annonciades'; her heart, enclosed in an urn, was placed in the tomb of her mother, Mary of Burgundy, in the church of Notre-Dame, but on the 6th of February following, it was given to the Mère Ancille by the emperor's command to replace her body, which, on April the 21st, 1532, was sent to Brou. This long delay in carrying Margaret to her final resting-placewas due to the fact that at the time of her death the church of Brou was not finished, and it was two years before the tombs were completed. But at last in June 1532 Margaret was laid to rest beside Philibert and his mother in the beautiful church which her love and piety had called into being, but whose glories she had not lived to see completed. The funeral ceremonies lasted three days, the 10th, 11th, and 12th of June. Accompanied by the chief men of the town, the Syndic of Bourg went out to meet the funeralcortège, which was escorted by the Marshal of Burgundy, the Count of Hochstrate, the Archdeacon of Fauverny, and Claud de Boisset, who was afterwards Bishop of Arras. At the service the sermon was preached by Brother Anthony of Saix, Commander of the Abbey of St. Anthony of Bourg, in French as well as in Latin, so that all might understand. Amongst her many talents he mentioned 'her subtle excellence in painting,' in which pastime he asserted she frequently indulged.
The leaden urn which contained her intestines was placed in a vault in front of the high altar in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul at Malines, but in 1778 the urn was found to be much damaged, and was enclosed in an oaken chest, and reburied under one of the stone slabs in the choir, between the first step of the high altar and the wall, where a small X in the pavement marks the spot.
By her will Margaret dowered fifty maidens of Bresse with fifty pounds apiece, and amongst other legacies bequeathed her wine-glass incrusted with silver, a silver spoon and silver medal to the 'Annonciades' at Bruges; besides a gilded and illuminated copy of the Gospel of St. John, and her rosary, which contained ten agates, on the largest of which were engraved thevirtues of the Holy Virgin Mary. This relic had been worn by Jeanne de Valois, the unhappy wife of LouisXII.of France, foundress of the Order of the Annunciation. The other stones were interspersed with small beads of gold, a gold heart hanging from the end of the rosary. This gift was accompanied by a portrait of Margaret painted on wood by Bernard van Orley, and two touching letters addressed to the Mère Ancille. The Church of the 'Annonciades' was demolished in 1578, when the nuns retired to a house called 'Fluweelhof' at Bruges, carrying Margaret's remains with them.
In 1531 the emperor caused an alabaster monument, decorated with gold statuettes, to be erected to Margaret's memory in the church outside the Porte des Anes. But in 1578 it was horribly mutilated by the rebels, and what was left of it was transferred in 1714 to the church of the new Convent at Fluweelhof. A pavement of black and white marble was added, and a figure representing the Annunciation of the Virgin, before whom Margaret was depicted kneeling at her prie-dieu, holding her 'Book of Hours' in her hands, with her patron saint, Margaret, behind her, and her maids of honour by her side, bearing the arms of the empire, Burgundy, Bourbon, and Castile. The débris of the former monument was used to make these figures. In the centre of the niche containing the monument was placed a painted heart in a mirror with this inscription in Flemish:—
'Here lies the noble heart of the very excellent Archduchess of Austria, Madame Margaret, daughter of the invincible Emperor Maximilian and of the Lady Mary of Burgundy, his wife, foundress of this Convent of the Annunciation at Bruges, niece of Jeanne, Queen of France, and foundress of the Orderof the Annunciation, widow of the Prince of Spain, etc., aunt of his Imperial Majesty CharlesV., who gave this heart in the year 1531, the 6th of Feb., in eternal remembrance.'
In the same niche behind the figure of St. Margaret is the inscription which the emperor also caused to be erected at Malines:—