¢ 
1806 ] 
fifty patients. It is governed by the old 
religious order of the Francifcans. There 
are new buildings to lodge the fick more 
conveniently. 
The infane are in number one hundred 
and thirty-four, men and women, colle¢ct- 
ed togethcr in one houfe, Some have trons 
at their feet; others are in dungeons on 
the ground-floor, which have no other 
opening than a /mall wicket on the fide of 
tne dor, 
The Inftitute has three affociates at 
Bruffeis; Citizn Wan Mons, a chemift, 
and well known through all Europe; Ci- 
tizen Newport, an old commander of the 
order of Malta, who devotes himéelf 
wholly to mathematical ftudies ; and Ci- 
tizen Lintz, an hiftorical painter, who, 
they boalt with reafon, preferves in tafte, 
grace, and colour, the reputation of the 
Flemith {chool. 
I faw in his fhop many fine pic- 
tures. Venus lamenting to Mars the hurt 
which fhe had received from Diomede ; 
Venus chaftizing Love ; pictures of the 
Hittory of Sampfon ; the Philiftine who 
feized Sampfon betrayed by Delilah, fhows 
by his effurts to retain him, the amazing 
ftrength of Sampfon ; a feries of pictures 
on the Hittory of Oreftes, the fubjects of 
which are taken from the tragedies of So- 
phocles. Erudition and literature are 
familiar to Citizen Lintz. His work On 
Cuftoms was one inducement with theIn- 
ftitute to adopt him. 
Citizen de la Serna-Santander, librarian 
of the central-{chool, has a tafe, know- 
ledce, and learning, which embrace all 
the fciences. His private library is very 
valuable, on account of the great number 
of good and {carce books which it contains. 
He printed a catalogue of it in 1792, 4 
vols, 8vo., with biographical notes. Now 
two volumes, as a {upplement, are. want- 
ed. It is very much fought after, be- 
caule it points out a great number of Spa- 
nifh books, very little known in France. 
I obferved among his manufcripts an He- 
brew Pentateuch, written without points, 
upon thirty-feven fkins, forming a roll 
one hundred and thirteen feet long. Ci- 
tizen La Serna confiders it to be the oldeft 
in Eurape. Accurious collection, in eight 
volumes, containing a minute Hiftory of 
the Jefoits who weredriven out of Portu- 
gal, and of what followed their expuifion. 
Many copies of editions in the firtt age of 
printing, and of thofe to which we give 
the name of princeps. 
The formation of the ine etabhithments 
of the cential f{chool, in the old palace of 
the court, is owing to Citizen La Serna, 
Prefent State of Bruffels. 
209 
The local {chool has its grandeur. The 
ornaments which adorned it have been 
preferved ; and the lofs of the old has 
been compenfated by new decorations, 
The botanical garden is large, enriched 
with plants, and well cultivated. The 
library occupies on the firft floor four or 
five halls, adorned with ftatues, bufts, and 
vafes. It contains more than fixty thou- 
fand volumes, almoft all very valuable. . 
Two ether halls are filled, the one with 
editions of the fifteenth century only, and 
the other with manufcripts, many of 
which are fearce and old. On the ground. 
floor are cabinets of articles in phyfics 
and natural hiftory. Laftly, in the fame 
buildings, a mufeum, or a colleétion of 
pictures. 
The collection of the Acts of the Saints, 
by the Boliandi(ts, has been continued for 
fome time at Broffels. It is fo valuablea 
colle&tion, and the particulars that I have 
learnt concerning it are fo interefliing to 
the hiftory of literature, that. I muit {pend 
fome minutes on this fubject. I afk par- 
don from thofe of my readers to whom the 
details may appear tedious ; I defire them 
to pafs over here feven or eight pages. 
The lovers of diterary hiftory will not ex- 
cule me, if I do not communicate what [ 
have been informed concerning the Bol- 
landiiis. 
It is to be called to mind, firft, that al- 
moft all the hifory of Europe, and part 
of that of the Eat, from the 7th to the 
13th century, confifts of the Lives of per- 
‘fons to whom was given the name of /azzts, 
There was not an event of any impor- 
tance in civil tranfaétions, in which fome 
abbot, or monk, or faint, had not a thare. 
The Jefuits, therefore, who are called 
Bollandifts, rendered a great fervice to 
thofe who were difpofed to write hiftory, 
by forming that immenfe colleétion, in 
fifty-two folio volumes, which is intitled, 
«The Acts of the Saints.” Another ac. 
vantage arifing from this collection was, 
that it gave, as it were, the fignal for 
cultivating a fcience which is the principal 
ground of exattnefs in hiftorical matters, 
namely, the diplomatic, or the art of dif. 
tinguifhing among written memorials, 
charters, diplomas, and treaties, the ge- 
nuine and authentic from thofe which are 
not fo. © The notes and diflertations of the 
Bollandif's are mede!s of criticifm ‘on 
points of antiquity, hiflory, and geogra- 
phy. There isno man of learning who 
is not interefied in the continuation of 
thefe Aéts of the Gainis. 
IT fnall not here rebearfe the names of ihe 
firft authors ef this preat collection, nor 
their 
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