Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER ZIERIKZEE — ITS HISTORY — BATTLES AND SIEGES — GREATNESS AND DECAY — THE ' BEGGARS OF THE SEA ' — A STONE GIANT — GATES AND RAMPARTS — THE FISHERIES AND THE FISH MARKET. HAVE not spoken rashly of Zierikzee as an old city. ' It is held,' says Guio ciardini, ' to be the most ancient town in the county of Zealand.' You see, therefore, that its reputation is of distant date ; and a poem in eight lines, written on parchment, which is to be seen, framed and glazed, in the Gasthuiskerk, sets forth the probable origin of the name of the city, as well as its exact age : — In 't jaar acht hondert negen en veertich mede, Was gefundeert Ziericzee die Stede Bij eenen die Zieringus ghenaamt was Alsoo men in de ouden Chronyken las.'1 One thousand years of existence, especially on such shifty and uncertain soil, is no contemptible record for a city. To that we may add splendid 1 In the year 840 the town of Zierikzee was founded and named by a certain Zieringus, as appears in the old Chronicles. fortunes, and an honourable rank as the residence of the suzerain princes. ' The Counts of Zealand had also their palace in the said city, of which even to this day the reserves and the enclosure, which are called " the Counts' Court," are visible,' says a chronicler.1 Nor were these the only gems in the mural crown of Zierikzee, for it can also boast a great military past, and a famous commercial and maritime history. Even though the town had not such reminiscences to offer us, it would still be well worthy of a visit. Its lofty spire, visible from almost everywhere, rises high in massive and majestic pride above a cluster of red gables, which are girt about with a ring of lavish greenery; and then come pointed spires, pepper-box turrets with glittering vanes, and a bulbou...