Page:A Tour Through the Batavian Republic.djvu/167

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THE BATAVIAN REPUBLIC
155

length. All the houses in it are elegant and neat; and beside the stadthouse, which is a magnificent building, it is ornamented with an hospital of fine appearance and great extent, and other public erections.

In the halls of the stadthouse are preserved some good pictures, which are well deserving the notice of a traveller. The principal one representing the Last Judgment, is a picture of great antiquity, painted on wood by Lucas Van Leyden. It is divided into three compartments, which fold by means of hinges together, and so protect the piece from the injuries of the air. The contrast between the angels and devils, the joy of the blessed, and the despair of the damned, is skilfully managed. But the picture to which your attention is peculiarly called by the person who conducts you over the stadthouse, describes a story of great interest in the annals of this city. It represents the famished inhabitants of Leyden, after they had by their valour and constancy obliged the Spaniards to raise the siege of their town, eagerly devouring the relief which was brought them by their countrymen.