Text, scholarly version, translated from the 1584 Latin 3rd Add, 1584 Latin, 1584 German 3rd Add., 1588 Spanish, 1592 Latin, 1595 Latin, 1601 Latin, 1602 German, 1602 Spanish, 1603 Latin, 1606 English, 1608/1612I, 1609/1612L and 1609/1612/1641 Spanish edition:
63.1.{1584L3Add{The bishopric {1608/1612I only{or jurisdiction}1608/1612I only} of Liège.
63.2. It is a common and strong opinion that those who we now call Leodienses {1606E only{or Liegeois}1606E only} are a German people named after the old Eburones. A relic or monument of that ancient name remains still in the village Ebure [Embourg], a German mile distant from the city of Liège. This very place (as I suppose) is described by Dion Bk. 40 under the name Eburonia. Whatever be the case, it is certain that the jurisdiction of Liège stretches much further now than that of the Eburones used to do. Mention is made of the Eburones by Strabo, Cæsar and Florus. Dion calls them Eburos. And later writers corruptly call them Eburonates. They call themselves in their mother tongue (which is a kind of broken French) Liègeois, but in high German Lutticher, and {1584G3Add & 1602G only{the Dutch say}1584G3Add & 1602G only} Luykenaren. Whoever wants to know about the derivation of Eburones and Leodienses I refer to the antiquities of Goropius Becanus and to a small pamphlet by Hubert Leodius.
63.3. This region includes a large part of ancient Lorraigne, for it contains under the name of the diocese of Liège the duchy of Bouillon, the marquisette of Franchimont, the countship of {not in 1584G3Add{Hasbania or}not in 1584G3Add} Haspengow, and Loos, and many baronies. In this region, next to Maastricht, half of which is subject to the duke of Brabant, there are twenty-four walled cities, [and] a thousand seven hundred villages, with steepled churches, and many abbeys and signiories. The names of the cities are the following: Liège upon the Maas, the seat of the bishop after which the whole country is named. Bouillon, Franchimont, Loos, Borchworm, Tongeren, Huy, Hasselt, Dinant, Maaseik, Stoch, Bilstain, St. Truiden, Visé, Tuin, Varem, Beringen, Herk, Bree, Peer, Hamont, Chiney, Fosse and Covin, as Guicciardinus names and numbers them. Moreover Placentius writes that part of Maastricht was added to this diocese by a donation of Porus, a duke of Louvain. {1592L, but not in 1602G{The territory of this city is called the signiory of Maasland in the ancient records of St. Servatius abbey, built here by king Arnulphus in the year 889. Now, this county is usually called Haspengow}1592L but not in 1602G}.
63.4. It is a region exceedingly pleasant and fertile of all things, especially in the Northern {1584G3Add & 1602G have instead{Western}1584G3Add & 1602G instead} part, where it joins Brabant. For there, it abounds with corn and all kinds of fruits, and in some places it yields wine. But on its Southern frontiers towards Luxemburg and France, it is somewhat more barren, mountainous and covered with woods. Here is yet some part of the Ardennes, the greatest forest of all of France, as Cæsar writes, and as you can see around you. This is the outward appearance of the country. But in its bowels, it is enriched with metals and various kinds of marble. And also with coal, which they burn instead of wood, and all these things are of such high quality that they have, as in a common proverb is said: bread better than bread, fire hotter than fire, and iron harder than iron. By their iron (which the surrounding provinces use since there is no better, or indeed any other) they raise a great revenue.
63.5. Nor do the smiths and beer brewers in all these parts of the Low Countries heat their furnaces with any more blazing fire than with these mineral coals of Liège, which are of a strange nature, since water increases their flames, but oil puts them out. The smell of this fire or smoke may be somewhat loathsome to those who are not accustomed to it, but when some salt is cast upon it, it smells either a little or not at all. But concerning these coals, you may read in greater detail in [the texts of] the maps of Namur and Henault.
63.6. This region, they say, was converted to the [Christian] faith by St. Materne, the first bishop of Tongeren, around the year of our Lord 101. For the bishopric which is now at Liège was then at Tongeren, and there continued till the year 498, at which time it was by St. Servatius transferred to Maastricht, where it remained till the time of St. Hubert the bishop, who in the year 713 transferred it to Liège, where it continues [to be] till the present. Regarding this province, read more details in Guicciardini, Hubert of Liège, and Placentius. To whom you may add Francis Roserius' description of Lorraigne}1584L3Add, 1584L, 1584G3Add, 1588S, 1592L, 1595L, 1601L, 1602G, 1602S, 1603L, 1606E, 1608/1612I, 1609/1612L & 1609/1612/1641S end here}.
Now the vernacular text version is presented, translated from the 1585F3Add, 1587 French, 1598 French and 1598/1610/1613 Dutch editions:
63.7. {1585F3Add{The bishopric of Liège.
63.8. It is a common and strong opinion that those who we now call Liègeois {1598/1610/1613D instead{Luykenaren}1598/1610/1613D instead} are a German people named after the old Eburones. A relic or monument of that ancient name still remains in the name of the village Ebure [Embourg], a German mile distant from the city of Liège. {not in 1598/1610/1613D{This very place (as I suppose) is described by Dion Bk. 40 under the name Eburonia}not in 1598/1610/1613D}. Whatever be the case, it is certain that the jurisdiction of Liège stretches much further now than that of the Eburones used to do. {not in 1598/1610/1613D{They call themselves in their mother tongue (which is a kind of broken French) Liègeois, but in high German Lutticher, and Luykenaren. Whoever wants to know about the derivation of Eburones and Leodienses I refer to what Goropius Becanus and Hubert Leodius have written about them}not in 1598/1610/1613D}.
63.9. This region includes a large part of ancient Lorraigne, for it contains under the name of the diocese of Liège the duchy of Bouillon, the marquisette of Franchimont, the countship of Hasbania or Haspengow, and Loos, and many baronies. In this region, next to Maastricht, half of which is subject to the duke of Brabant, there are twenty-four walled cities, [and] a thousand seven hundred villages, with steepled churches, and many abbeys and signiories. The names of the cities are the following: Liège upon the Maas, the seat of the bishop after which the whole country is named. Bouillon, Franchimont, Loos, Borchworm, Tongeren, Huy, Hasselt, Dinant, Maaseik, Stoch, Bilstain, St. Truiden, Visé, Tuin, Varem, Beringen, Herk, Bree, Peer, Hamont, Chiney, Fosse and Covin, as Guicciardinus numbers them. Moreover Placentius writes that part of Maastricht was added to this diocese by a donation of Porus, a duke of Louvain {1598/1610/1613D only{to say it briefly. The territory of this city is called the signiory of Maasland in the ancient records of St. Servatius abbey, built here by king Arnulphus in the year 889. Now, this county is usually called Haspengow}}1598/1610/1613D only}.
63.10. It is a region exceedingly pleasant and fertile of all things, especially in the Northern part, where it joins Brabant. For there, it abounds with corn and all kinds of fruits, and in some places it yields wine. But on its Southern frontiers towards Luxemburg and France, it is somewhat more barren, mountainous and covered with woods. Here are yet some remnants of the Ardennes, the greatest forest of all of France, {not in 1598/1610/1613D{as Cæsar writes}not in 1598/1610/1613D}. This is the outward appearance of the country. But inside, it is enriched with metals and various kinds of marble. And also with coal {not in 1598/1610/1613D{which they call Houille}not in 1598/1610/1613D, which they burn instead of wood, and all these things are of such high quality that they have, as in a common proverb is said: bread better than bread, fire hotter than fire, and iron harder than iron. By their iron (which the surrounding provinces use since there is no better, or indeed any other) they raise a great revenue.
63.11. Nor do the smiths and beer brewers {not in 1598/1610/1613D{and others who are in need of hot fire}not in 1598/1610/1613D} in all these parts of the Low Countries heat their furnaces with any more blazing fire than with these mineral coals of Liège, which are of a strange nature, since water increases their flames, but oil puts them out. The smell of this fire or smoke may be somewhat loathsome to those who are not accustomed to it, but when some salt is cast upon it, it smells either a little or not at all. But concerning these coals, you may read in greater detail in [the texts of] the maps of Namur and Henault.
63.12. This region, they say, was converted to the Christian faith by St. Materne, the first bishop of Tongeren, around the year of our Lord 101. For the bishopric which is now at Liège was then at Tongeren, and there continued till the year 498 {1598/1610/1613D instead{489}1598/1610/1613D instead}, at which time it was by St. Servatius transferred to Maastricht, where it remained till the time of St. Hubert the bishop, who in the year 713 transferred it to Liège, where it continues [to be] till the present}1598/1610/1613D ends here}. {Regarding this province, read more details in Guicciardini, Hubert of Liège, and Placentius. To whom you may add Francis Roserius' description of Lorraigne}1585F3Add, 1587F, 1598F & 1598/1610/1613D end here}.