Leden

Sources from old books

1635. Historia mundi: or Mercator's atlas. London. by Gerhard Mercator.

THE DIOECESE OF LEDEN. (Book Leden) THe Dioecese of Leden is so called from the chiefe Cittie Leden Hubert.* 1.1 Thomas of Leden doth affirme that it was called Leden, from a Romaine Legion that was slaine in that Valley, and the inhabitants doe call it Liege, as it were a Legion. Some thinke it was so named from a little small River called Legia, which rising three miles from the Cittie, doth within the Cittie mingle it selfe with the River Mosa.* 1.2 It is commonly called l' Eu•sche de Liege. On the North West it hath Brabant, on the East partly Mosa, and partly the Dukedome of Limburg. On the South the Countie of Namurcium. The length of it is 31 Leden Miles, and the breadth 15. It hath a cleare,* 1.3 temperate, and wholesome ayre: the soyle is pleasant and fruitfull, especially Northward where it confineth on Brabant, where it yeeldeth great store of Corne, and other fruites, and in some places wine. But towards the South where it joyneth to Lutzenburg and France, it is somewhat barren, and Mountanous, and Woody; for heere is some part of the Forrest of Arden, which is the greatest, as Caesar witnesseth, in all France. This is the externall face of the soyle: but within it hath Mines of Iron and Lead, and also some of Gold. There are also Quarries, out of which to make great mens Tombes, white Marble which the Graecians call Alablaster, is digged. There are also a kind of pit-coale digged out of them, which are gotten with great paines, and with hazard of life, and some times they are digged out under the Channel of Mosa, & are brought into our Country by shippes, and there is yeerely raised out of them, an hundred thousand Duckets. This stone they commonly call Leden coale, or Charbon de Liege: which assoone as it hath tooke fire, it kindleth by degrees, it is quenched with oyle, and water makes it burne: The heate of it is very vehement,: whence it comes to passe that Leden doth boast of three thrings above other Nations: Bread better than bread: Iron harder than Iron: and fire hotter than fire. They report that a certaine stranger in the yeare 1198 did first finde out the use of this stone, who shewed it to a smith. Moreover this Countrie aboundeth with all kinde of Cattle; and it hath Woods which affoord great store of Game for hawking, and hunting. They report that Saint Maternus Patavinus, the first Bishop of the Tungrians, about the yeare of our Lord 10•, did convert this Countrie to the Christian faith. For the Bishops seate which is now at Leden, was then at Tunguris, and it continewed to the yeare 488, at what time Trajectum was translated by S. Servatius to Mosa, when the Hunnians under the conduct of Attila, then broke into Germanie, and did wast that Cittie together with other townes and it continewed there even to Bishop Huberts time whom the yeare 713, did translate it to Leodium, where it now remaineth. Moreover from Hubert the first Bishop of Leiden, even untill our times, Guicciardine reckoneth 62 Bishops. Neither is this Praelate a Bishop onely but also a Prince of the Empire, Duke of Bouillion, Marquesse of Francimont, Count of Loten and Hasbania. The auncient inhabitants of this Bishopricke were the Eburonians, the Tungrians, Centronians, and Ceraesians. Now it taketh up a great part of the auncient Lotharingia, for the Dioecese of Leden containeth the Dukedome of Bouillion: the Marquiship of Francimont, the Countie of Hasbania or Haspengaw, and Loten, and many Baronies. And there are in this tract besides Trajectum, the middle part whereof is subject to the Duke of Brabant, 24 walled Citties, and a thousand 700 Villages, with spire Steepled Churches, and many Abbyes and Lordships. The names of the Citties are these: Leden, Bolonium, Francimontium, Loots, Borchworm, Tungri, Hojum, •lasselt, Dinantum, Masacum, Stochum, Bils•num, Saint Trudonis, Visetum, Tumum, Varem, Beringum, Herck, Bree, Pera, Harmontium, Sinetum, Fossa, and Covinum, as Guicciardine reckoneth them. The Metropolis of them all is Leden, which some call, Augusta Eburonum, the inhabitants doe call it Liege, and the Teutonians, Luyck and Luttich. It is an auncient Cittie, and Hubert Thomas, a Ledener doth referre the originall thereof to Ambioriges a couragious King of the Eburonians, under whose conduct the inhabitants by an Ambushment, slew Co•a, and Sabinus, having cut off one Romaine Legion, with 5 Cohorts, as C. Caesar, Lib. •. of his Commentaries concerning the French warre doth relate. Others suppose that it is a new Cittie, which was built by Hubert of Aquitaine, but their opinion is manifestly proved to be erroneous, by some auncient Monuments, and buildings. There doe flow into the Cittie some other Rivers besides Mosa and Legia, as Vtes, Veses, and Ambluarus, which arise out of the Wood Arden. There are also very many cleare fountaines, so that many private houses, have two or three. The Cittie is wide built, and doth containe some Mountaines and Vallyes, the compasse of it is foure Italian miles. There are faire Aedifices and buildings, and the Bishops Pallace for statelinesse, and magnificence exceedeth all the rest, which was built by cardinall Erard of Leiden. But for faire Churches, whether you consider their number, or their curious building, or their richnesse; it doth farre exceede all the Citties not onely of France, but of both Germanies. There are eight Collegiate Churches in it, in which there are very rich Cannons, but the chiefe and fairest is Saint Lamberts Church. It is a Cathedrall Church: and the Bishop thereof is Prince of the whole Dioecese, and Country; but none are chosen to bee Cannons, unlesse he bee descended of a Noble stocke, or else a Doctor or Licentiate: and it is lawfull for any Cannon (unlesse he be chosen into the number of the Priests) to resigne his benefice, to marry a wife, and to take upon him another calling. In this Church there are very many pretious vessells, and many ornaments of Gold and Silver: among the rest, there is Saint Georges statue of pure Gold, which Charles Duke of Burgundie, consecrated. There are also foure very rich Abbyes, adorned with well furnished Libraries. There are 32 Parishes within the Citty, & as many Churches. Whereby it appeareth, that that which Petrarck writ was not undeserved, Vid• Leodium, insignem Clero locum, that is, I saw Leden famous for the Clergie men. The Bishop hath the right and title of a Prince: yet the Citty hath so many priviledges and liberties, that it may be counted a free Cittie. For it hath Consuls: it was heretofore a great place of studdy, so that it is observed, that at one time 9 Kings sonnes, foure and twentie Dukes sonnes, and 29 Earles sonnes, were students at Leden: Besides many Barones sonnes, and gereat mens children, who were all for the most part Cannons of S. Lamberts Church. Bolonium, or Bouillon, is a Castle foure mile from Iuoys: and sixteene from Leden, being built with rare workemanship, on the toppe of a Mountaine: it is the seate of the Dukes of Bouillon. Godfrey Duke of Lotharingia, was borne here, who in the yeare 1016, at the generall councell held at Claremont in Avernia, together with his brothers, Eustatius and Balduine went to warre against the Infidels, to recover the holy Land. At what time this Noble Heroe, to furnish himself for this warre, sold this Dukedome to Spertus Bishop of Leden, which was a greater glory to the seller than the buyer. By his valour the Christians tooke Ierusalem in the yeare 1020: When the Army offered him for his brave atchievements the Kingdome of Ierusalem, and a golden Crowne, this Noble Christian Prince refused them, saying that he would not be made a King, nor weare a golden Crowne, there where his Saviour had worne a Crowne of thones. Francimontium was heretofore a walled Towne, but now the walls are fallen downe: Cardinall Erard whom I formerly mentioned built a ••ort heere. It is 4 Miles from Leden, and it is honoured with the title of a Marquiship. At Tuini (which is a Village Towne neere Francimont) there is the best Lead, and in the Mountaines neere unto it, there are Marble Quarries. The Tungrians are three miles from Mosa, and as many from Leden: their Cittie is now called Tongeren, being situated neere the River Iecher; it was so called from the Tungrians a people of Germany, who leaving their Country passed over the Rhene, and seated themselves heere. It is the Auncientest Cittie in all Brabant. It is two hundred miles from this Cittie to Paris, and all the way was once paved with stones, as it is yet manifest by some part thereof. Hercules his Church within the Cittie, sheweth the antiquitie of it, whose statue doth yet stand over the gate. Hojum or Hoy, is so called from a little swift running Rivulet which here casts it selfe headlong into Mos•, it is five miles distant from Leden. Foure miles from Leden neere the little Towne Dener is Eilsen, and beyond that the Village Munster hilsten; three miles from the Tungrians, is the Cittie of Saint Truden, which as some suppose, was the seate of the Centronians, whom Iulius Caesar doth often mention. A mile from Leden, is the Village Ebure, which as it is supposed, also was the seate of the Eburonians. Flacencius writeth (that I may adde this by the way) that a part of Trajectum, joyned to this Dioecese by the donation or gift of Porus, Count of Lovania. We omit the other Townes for brevitie sake. This Countrie is every where watered with Rivers, the most of which doe runne into Mosa:* 1.4 as Legia, or Legio, Vtes, Veses, Ambluarus, Ieckel, Hoy, Vesera, Vl•Veer, Vr•; the others runne into Demera, and so to Scaldis: as Rath•ck, Stimmer, Herck, and Hespe, which are all faire cleare Rivers, abounding with all kindes of fish. Heere was a Fountaine concerning which learned men doe not agree. Some doe affirme that it is yet within the Cittie, Guicciardine and others doe contend that it was out of the Cittie, halfe a mile from Limburg, 5 miles from Leden, 8 miles from the Tungrians, neere the Towne Spa, in a pleasant and delightfull Wood, being a part of the Wood Arden. This Fountaine hath a great vertue in curing desperate diseases, as the Gout, Dropsie, Fevers, and the like. And heere the Country beginneth to be full of Mountaines,* 1.5 in which there are rich Mines. It hath also many shadie Woods, which are parts of the Forrest of Arden, which is so celebrated by Iulius Caesar. One small part of it which is neere unto the Countie of Namurcium, is called the Forrest Marlignia. And so much concerning the Dioecese of Leden: now we proceeed to the rest.