Legendsofthenetherlands 1012

These Vo lkslieds o f o ur fo re fathers I dedicate to the millio n s o f n ativ e bo rn American s wh o are n ro m an d Dut an s r desce ded f Holl ch ce t y. GIDEON . TUCK J ER. n t red acco rdin to Act o f o n re s E e g C g s , T f DE ON . CK E R o N Y r b y GI ! U , ew o k , in th e ar 1 8 2 ye 9 , ib rar n o o ss W n In th e offi ce o fth e L ia fC n gre , ashi gto n , D . C . THE TECTOSAGES . — 2 . B . 0. 390 80 Who shall sing of the Tectosages , m Sons of arshy Belgian soil , m W Fore ost here the battle rages , ! Seeking conquest , loving spoil ‘ Gaul has seen their roving legions , m Of resistance making ock , Occupy her choicest regions, Settling in fair Languedoc . ‘ No t yet are their wanderings ended , h Down the Danube pour t eir hordes , Macedonia , undefended, ds. Heeds their summons , dreads their swor Swim they next the deep Bosphorus , m Ti id Asia fears the fray , h d Hears t eir wil , barbaric chorus , Yields to their imperious sway . 2 Famed for valorous doings, no man ’ Braves the Belgic lion s whelp , m ’ m Pyrrhus leads the gainst the Ro an, Carthage buys their willin g help Through dark scenes of blood and pillage , Conflict brave and . plunder base , n m Rui ed town and s oking village , l Early histo ry m arks their trace . Theirs is Toulouse , heaped with treasure , e Spoils of Asia and Greec , Gold and silver beyond measure , Prize of war and pride of peace o w When her foe his victim swall ed, t h e And town betrayed and sold, Fearful was the curse that followed ’ To lo s a o On s st len gold . Sing the tale of the Tectosages , n Si gtheir fierce , heroic deeds , th e Dimly note we , through ages , Their achievements and their greeds — i — Murder do ng, plunder hoarding , t Long forgot their land of bir h , All we know is their marauding, Carried over half the earth . civi n is STANDING ON THE BROKEN BRIDGE . 0. A . D . 7 a The brave B tavians , children of the sea, Long waged their fierce rebellion against Rome , Wild as their tempests , as their waters free , Though bleak and bare the dunes they called their home ’ Once Rome s best soldiers ; all allegiance spurned , Now their tried arms were ’ gainst her eagles turned . Civilis , hater of the foreign yoke , Led forth his countrymen on flood and field , And oft the po wer of the legl on s broke And. taught the stubborn Romans first to yield ; ’ Betuwe And, though the ocean rose o er , The b illows Spared the children of the sea . 5 fl the o Cerealis l His eet C nsul ost, The Meuse the captured Roman galleys bore , Gay with their painted sails , and the great host ! Of armed barbarians lined the further shore ’ To these th e C o nsul s sacred heralds come To bring Civilis overtures from Rome . A ’ wooden bridge a sluice s waters spanned , They broke it, at the middle of the tide , Civilis stood upon the hither end , Cerealis And on the farther side , And the debate began with earnest tongue , o r m i F chains or freedo on ts issue hung . ’ The veil , which History s uplifted hand Has partly raised, that moment darkly fell . How fared it with Civilis and his land ! No mortal tongue or pen shall ever tell! Yet, through long , centuries , which inter vene , vi . Ci lis , standing on that bridge, is seen 6 W n d o r ars , waged for co quest , ynasty creed , Have c urs ed men since thei r rec o rds first begin; o o d d Those nly can be reck ne just indee , l m Fought on beha f of country, ho e and kin to l Known all peop es , languages and lands , o x b ro ken Up n that bridge Civilis stands . A n co queror rears a statue or a shaft, A am tyrant revels id venal praise, v The selfish ser itors of force and. craft Their effigies and tro phies vainly raise v m The patriot hero li es fro age to age , ’ Immortal , glorious, on History s page . AUGUSTUS OARAUSIUS. IN THE THIRD CENTURY. ' ! h . Watt s De Pe st er. Dedicat e t o is h isto rian , Gen . ! y Stormy and stron g are the winds that howl through the British Channel, Rough and threatening the waves that roll o in the N rthern Ocean , There the Hollander rocks “ like a child in a cradle , There with the sea and the storm he wages eternal con flict . Famed for his courage and skill was the Carausius Dutch sailor, , Baseborn, they said , but young, and of strength and beauty Godlike , N so as u one skillful he , guiding his r dder midst tempests , None so terribly fierce o n the wet decks of a sea fight . 8 R m m Au Reigned at o e the E peror, mighty Maximian gustus , Lord o fthe Western world ! thus spoke he to Carausius Pirates and corsairs trouble the coasts of u o f Ga l and Britain , Sweep them clean and quiet ; I create thee ” Th alass 1 arch . ’ For th oer the No r thern Ocean poured the m ships of the Dutch an , Swept it clean and quiet , drowned the hosts of sea robbers , Sailed through the British Seas down to the Bay of Biscay, m Scourged the Danes and the North en , scourged the plundering Bretons . ’ High on Carausius mast there floated the White - h o rse banner Bright on his shield a Ship seemed sailing lone on the ocean 9 Thus did Caraus ius win the sacred name of Augustus ! E v erywhere over the waters bro o ded the peace o fAugustus . From Rome there ‘came the tardy praise and thanks o fth e Senate ; The Empero r gave to the sailo r the title and h o nors of sovereign; m n Still extant are the edals , beari g the proud o inscripti ns , Sho wing the l o rd of the seas become the monarch of Britain . But the tyrants at Ro me as sudden revoked their favor, Waged a war with Carausius everywhere in m o Ar rica , ' to d o Back he hasted Hollan , verthrew ’ R m o o e s legi ns , Defeated on sea and land the Caesar Con i stan t us Chlo rus . 1 0 ’ at Alectus Then he died York , struck by dagger, and the Then his realm fell to pieces , fierce Romans regained it ° — e Pirates again on the seas , robbery, violenc , murder, All attested the loss of the Dutch Augustus i Caraus us . 1 1 FRIESLAND AND ZEELAND . IN THE NINTH CENTURY. o fief The Counts of H lland had many a , Held of the Kaiser by feudal law , m But Friesland knew no i perial chief, And free was the sceptre her ruler bore . The Emperor gave to the roving Danes d riesl u The lan of F and , witho t a right, ’ But Friesland s sons retook the do mains And overcame the heathen in fight . t he And, beside forest of Wanda, naught Of the land of Zeeland the Kaiser held For faith and freedo m the Zeelanders fought Till Danish rule was at last expelled . And nowhere was known, since the world began, A people stronger or rulers more weak, For in Friesland and Zeeland every m an Might “ think and reason and write and speak . 1 2 HOWTHE BISHOP SAVED UTRECHT . 1 1 . A. D. 37 ’ Utrecht s Bishop deman ded Friesland an d As his own province , subject liege , Count The o do re did the claimwithstand And shu t up Utrecht with sudden siege . Closer and closer the lines were presse d Right Reverend Heribert’ s garrison quailed, No t o even his prayers , th ugh he prayed at his best , No r t o n o r fas ings , processi ns relics availed . o m fo r a The day had c e the final ssault, The Hollanders massed fo r mounting the wall , o r Unless there be somewhere a falter, fault, Old Utrecht is surely about to fall ! 14 Spiritual power the victory gains , o Banners dro p and the shoutings still , m W 'l Psal ody stifles the ar ike strains , m ’ And his ene ies bow to the Bishop s will . m The penitent Count is hu bly shriven , Of Utrecht an d Friesland rests Heribert lord ; The realm is saved that devo tio n had given ; So does the crosier subdue the sword . 1 5 ‘ COUNT WILLE M S CRUSADE . 1 1 . A. D. 2 8 Count Willem of Holland hadpio usly vowed To cross his sword with the Paynim afar t m Wi h stalwart yeo en and cavaliers proud , In twelve great ships he sai led for the war . Long they tossed on the heaving sea, Those bra ve Dutch sailors who feared naught, m an m And a weary was Wille , when he One day cast anchor in Lisbon port. 0 ! ” , tarry and help cried the Portuguese King, For th e cursed followers of false Ma hound Have seized Alczar and they force us to bring A tribute of Christian captives bound .

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