5^4 Missonis travels through the Book II 
Meyer afTures us, that in 1403. a Mermaid was caft 
afliore by a Tempeft near Harlem^ who was brought to 
feed upon Bread and Milk, taught to fpiOj and lived 
for many Years. John Gerard of Leyden adds, that 
fhe would frequently pull off her Clothes, and run to- 
wards the Water, and that her Speech was fo confufed 
a Noife, as not to be underftood by any body : She 
was buried in the Church-yard, becaufe fhe had learnt 
to make the Sign of the Crofs. He fpeaks this upon 
the Credit of feveral Perfons that had feen her. 
4, As it would require a long Continuance in the 
City of Amjierdam to learn every Thing that belongs to 
it, and a large Volume to defcribe it all, I will content 
myfelf with giving rather a Scheme than a Defcription 
of a Place, which is, beyond all Difpute, one of the 
moll beautiful and conliderable Cities in the World ; 
however, for its Extent it is in no wife to be compared 
to London^ there being, according to a good Calcula- 
tion, in London about Seven hundred thoufand Souls, 
but in AmBerdam not above Two hundred thoufand ; 
but for Riches and Trade it may vie with any City in 
the World, witnefs their Eajl-lndia Company, which 
was founded in 1594, and has waged Wars againft very 
potent Princes, without any confiderable Interruption 
of their Trade. 
This City is built upon Piles fix’d in the Marfhes on 
the South Side of the River Te or Lye, which is a 
Branch of the Zuyder-Zee, Its Fortifications are very 
confiderable, confiding of many Baftions faced with 
Brick, furrounded with a Ditch eighty Paces broad, 
fill’d with running Water, which, together with the 
Sluices, whereby they can lay all the adjacent Country 
under Water, renders it almoft impregnable ; befides 
the ordinary Garrifon, the Militia or Train’d Bands of 
the City confift of fixty Companies of a hundred and 
. fifty Men each, commanded by Citizens. 
The Town-houfe, which is reported to have coft 
three Millions, is a fpacious and moll magnificent 
Struffure, of hewn Stone ; its Length is a hundred 
and ten Paces, and its Breadth twenty four : It is 
highly efteem’d for its regular Architedure, many are 
of Opinion, that the Foundation coft as much as the 
Fabrick above Ground *, however, the Doors which 
give Entrance to this great and fplendid Palace feem 
to be too fmall, in Proportion to the Whole, and the 
Square or Space before it is not either neat or re- 
gular. 
The principal Church of the City was formerly de- 
dicated to St. Catherine, but is now called The New 
- Church: It is not fo large as either of the great Churches 
at Leyden or Harlem •, for as Amjierdam was no more 
than a poor Village within thde five hundred Years, 
. and its Condition, even in our Age, was not compa- 
rable to what you fee it now, this Church was built 
anfwerable to its State at that Time. They affirm, that 
the Pulpit, made of Wood of Gothick Carving, with 
its Canopy, coft Two hundred thoufand Crowns ; and 
the Organs (which are extraordinary fine) at leaft a 
hundred thoufand Crowns •, the Steeple intended to be 
eredled remains imperfeff. On the Glafs Windows is 
painted the Hiftory of the Emperor Maximilian V. who 
bellow’d the Imperial Crown upon the Arms of this 
City. The Tomb of the famous Admiral de Ruyter, in this 
Church, is a fine Piece. The Synagogue of the Por- 
tuguefe Jews is a ftately Fabrick ; but that of the High- 
Dutch is but very indifferent. It is obfervable, that 
notwithftanding the Inquifition of Spain and Portu- 
. gal, the Agents from both thefe Crowns at Amjierdam 
, were Jezvs in 1687. 
One of their Houfes of Correction, called the Rafp- 
huys, is for the young Debauchees, where they are 
kept to their Tasks, under the Penalty of Whipping. 
• There is another fuch a one for the Whores, ftiled the 
Spinhuys, who are not treated with the fame Severity. 
But there are enough of them alfo at Liberty here as 
w'dl as in other great Cities. 
The Roman CathoUcks enjoy Liberty of Confcience as 
in other Parts of the Seven Provinces, tho’ their Num- 
ber is not fo confiderable as fome have endeavour’d to 
.perffiade us \ for I have been inform’d by Perfons of 
Knowledge and Credit, that the Roman CathoUcks^ and 
all other SeClaries together, do not make a fourth Part 
of the Inhabitants of Amfierdam. 
In this City remains ftill a Convent of certain Nuns 
call’d Beguines, an Order ereffed A.D. 1207, compo- 
fed of Maidens and Widows^ who haVe no Children, 
and who need no other Qualifications to be admitted 
into this Society, than a Teftimonial of their good Be- 
haviour, and a Competency to live upon, either by 
themfelves or in Conjunction with one or more of the 
Sifters, as they find it moft fuitable to their Purpofe. 
Their Convent (which contains about a hundred and 
thirty Sifters) is built like a little City with a Wall and 
Ditch about it, within which ftands a Church, where 
they are obliged to perform their Devotions at cer- 
tain Hours. They wear an odd looking black Habit, 
receive and pay Vifits, and quit the Convent When they 
pleafe. 
The Houfes of Amjierdam being founded u|)On wooden 
Piles, this is the Reafon they will not allow any Coaches 
here, except to Phyficians and to fome Strangers of 
Note •, inftead whereof, they make Ufe of a Kind of 
Sleds made like Coaches ; but this Carriage being but 
flow and uneafy, is not generally in Faffiion. 
We faw 2X Amfierdam a French Opera, but in Want 
both of good Machines and Adlors ; lb that we were 
not much delighted with it. 
The Mufick-houfes of Amjierdam, lb much talk’d of, 
are publick Houfes or Taverns, where young Fellows 
of the Dregs of the People, come under Pretence of 
Dancing, but in Effedl to pick up lewd Women, who 
refort thither in great Numbers, and carry them to 
other convenient Lodgings, thefe being intended only 
for their meeting Places. They are generally vifited by 
Strangers, out of Curiofity ; and you muft either drink 
what they offer, or pay as if you did. 
The Exchange of Amfierdam is two hundred Foot 
long, and a hundred and twenty broad : The Gal- 
leries above are fupported by forty fix Pillars, but arc 
not fo fpacious, nor are the Shops fo many, as thole 
over the London Exchange. 
The Academy, ftiled the Illujlrious School, is alfo an 
elegant Strufture, divided into feveral Schools for Di- 
vinity, Philofophy, Hiftory, Law and Phyfick. 
There are five high Towers in this City, which have 
each a great Clock, and are placed at fuch a convenient 
Diftance, as that the Hours of the Day are fhown-all 
over the Town. 
I took another Turn to Lofdun, where I obferved, 
that the Infcription in the Church of this Village dif- 
fers from the Paffage, relating to this Matter, found 
in the Annals, where the Biffiop that baptized the three 
hundred fixty five Children is call’d Guido, Suffragan of 
Utrecht -, whereas in the Annals he is ftiled William, 
Suffragan of Treves ; but this might be occafioned by 
the Careleffnefs of the Tranfcribers. 
5, We pafs’d feven Hours upon the Canal betwixt 
Amjierdam and Utrecht very pleafantly ; leaving on the 
Right Hand the old Caftle of Abeow, and the Village 
of the fame Name, the Boundary of the Province of 
Holland on that Side, about three Leagues from AmPler^ 
dam : We no fooner came to Utrecht, but we found it to 
fall very much fhort of that extream Neatnefs we ob- 
ferved in the Province of Holland, and yet it retains a 
fufficient Share of it too. 
This City is famous for its Antiquity, its Univerfity, 
and the Union made here in 1579J which was the 
Foundation of the whole Dutch Republick. The 
Steeple of the Cathedral is very high, and the Church 
contains many Relicks highly valued by the Roman Ca- 
tholicks. 
The Mall, and the Walks about it, without the Gates 
of the City, are infinitely pleafant, being upon that 
Score fpared by the French King’s exprefs Command, 
when his Troops ravaged all the Country round about. 
A certain Gentleman of Utrecht told me, that there 
were no lefs than forty eight Towns within the Reach 
of a Day’s Journey from this City, and among them 
thirty three to which you may go, and come back the 
fame Day. Country about Utrecht has a far dif- 
ferent 
