Text, scholarly version, translated from the 1579(AB) Latin, 1580/1589 German, 1588 Spanish, 1592 Latin, 1601 Latin, 1602 Spanish, 1603 Latin, 1608/1612 Italian, 1609/1612 Latin & 1609/1612/1641 Spanish editions:
70.1. {1579L(A){Hannonia. {1588S, 1602S & 1609/1612/1641S only add{HENNAV}1588S, 1602S & 1609/1612/1641S only}{1608/1612I only adds{Henaut}1608/1612I only}.
70.2. Lessabæus writes (on what grounds I do not know) that this province was formerly called Pannonia because the god Pan was worshipped here, then Saltus Carbonarius, the coal forest, and after that lower Picardy. But finally it was named Hannonia after the river Haine which runs through the middle of it. The inhabitants call it Hainault and the Dutch Henegow, {1579L(B, not in 1580/1589G{which in the ancient language of the area means the field of Hainault, for Gow in Dutch means field}1579L(B), not in 1580/1589G}. {1601L{Carlo Bouillus in his booklet discusses the various names in the vernacular languages}1601L}.
70.3. To the West this province [is bordered] by Flanders and Artois, on the North [by] Brabant, and [by] Brabant, Namur and Liège on the East. South it is bounded by Champagne, a province of France. [It is] a country as pleasant, and as well stored with woods, lakes, springs, meadows and pastures as any other in this entire area. The inhabitants are warlike, and most loyal and obedient towards their prince. {1592L{They usually boast about their liberty or freedom in a common proverb, saying Pays de Hainault tenu de Dieu & du Soleil, that is, the Province of Henault [only] holds [in high esteem] God and the sun. Which proverb Nicolaus Brontius in a discourse of his published to recommend this region interprets in two Latin verses to this effect:
70.4. Solus ab tellure Deus nutu astra gubernans {1606E only{Star-guiding Iove and Phoebus bright}1606E only} Lucidus & Titan ius sibi iure petunt}1592L} {1606E only{Of this place only challenge right}1606E only}.
70.5. In length it measures about twenty, and in breadth sixteen miles. In which space, (as Guicciardini reports) it comprises twenty-four towns and more than nine hundred and fifty villages or hamlets. Robert Cœnalis counts in this province two {1608/1612I has instead{one}1608/1612I instead} thousand two hundred petty villages, as they call them, with churches and steeples. At this moment it has the title of an countship, and it contains within it one princedom, (as they call this dignity), eight lower countships, twelve peers, (as they now call them), twenty-two baronies, twenty-six abbeys as well as other titles of dignity, as can be seen in Guicciardini.
70.6. The main cities are Mons and Valenciennes, the latter one, situated on the river Schelde where it begins to be navigable for boats and barks, is a very large and strongly walled town. The townsmen mostly employ themselves in trade of merchandise, and reap very high profits by a kind of cloth they call fussets, of which a great quantity is woven in this city, and transported from there to the furthest parts of the world. Mons lies on the little river Trouille, almost in the very middle of the region. [It is] a town very efficiently fortified against all hostile attacks. The citizens thrive by a kind of textile commonly called saye [lace], which is made here in great abundance.
70.7. Next, here are the towns of Condé, Halle, Angre, Maubeuge, Avesnes, Beaumont, Chimay, Le Quesnoy and Binche, the place where Mary, sister of the Emperor Charles the fifth who built a most stately and sumptuous palace there, formerly used to retire to be carefree, a palace which was then highly esteemed, but later by the French king Henry the second totally burnt and destroyed. Here is also Bauacum, commonly called Beauvais which some think to be [the same as] Baganum or Bagacum mentioned by Ptolemæus. Others are of the opinion that Cæsar in his commentaries calls it Belgium. However, Hubertus of Liège thinks that it was not so mighty in Cæsar's time, but has rather flourished most under Constantinus the emperor, which he concludes from ancient coins, daily dug up here in great quantities, with the image of the emperor just referred to on them.
70.8. On the market place of this town stands a pillar of stone at whose foot the inhabitants say that all those roads start which with a high and direct passage extend from here to all parts of France. These roads (they say) were made by Brunehild. And to this very day they are called after his name. For the French commonly call them Chemins de Brune hault, and the Dutch call them de Kassije [cobblestones]. To this day there are still in various places some broken remains of these roads. Bouillus notes certain miracles about them, namely, that they are higher than the fields on either side [of them]; that they lie most directly between the main towns of France {1608/1612I only{and the Low Countries}1608/1612I only} and that they are paved with flint stones of which none is to be found in the adjacent fields, so that with admiration a man may imagine that these flint stones either sprang out of the earth or rained down from heaven, or by a greater force than mans hand were gathered from all over the world to provide paving for these roads. {1608/1612I only{A similar pillar anciently could also be found at the Forum Romanum, where it was erected and inscribed, called the Gold of the Miles, to which all streets led}1608/1612I only}.
70.9. Also, at the frontiers of this region towards the river Maas, on the way to France, you have Charlemont, Mariemburg and Philippeville, very strong garrisons against attacks from the French, built and thus named by emperor Charles the fifth, after his sister Mary and k[ing] Philip his son.
70.10. This region abounds with iron and lead mines. Here are also found various kinds of marble, such as black, white and multi-coloured, very convenient for adorning palaces and sepulchres of kings and great noblemen. Similarly, very much quicklime is dug up here. Also a kind of stony and black coal, hardened like pitch, which the inhabitants use for fuel instead of wood. And here are also made those thin transparent panes of glass by means of which foul winds and weather are repelled from houses and churches, and this glass excels above all others that are made anywhere else. {not in 1606E{They also make drinking glasses and glass jars}not in 1606E}. You may read more in Guicciardini and in a specific treatise that Iacobus Lessabæus has written about this region. Also Hubert Thomas of Liège in his book de Tungris & Eburonibus writes many memorable things about this province}1579L(AB), 1580/1589G, 1588S, 1592L, 1601L, 1602S, 1603L, 1606E, 1608/1612I, 1609/1612L & 1609/1612/1641S end here.}
Text, vernacular version, translated from the 1581 French, the 1587 French, the 1598 French and the 1598/1610/1613 Dutch editions:
70.11. {1581F{Hainaut.{1598/1610/1613D instead{Henegou.}1598/1610/1613D instead}
70.12. Lessabæus writes (on what grounds I do not know) that this province was formerly called Pannonia because the god Pan was worshipped here, then Saltus Carbonarius, the coal forest, and after that lower Picardy. But finally it was named Hainaut after the river Haine which runs through the middle of it. The French {1598/1610/1613D instead{inhabitants}1598/1610/1613D instead} call it Hainault and the Flemish Henegow {1598/1610/1613D{which in old Dutch means the land of Haine for they call land Gow}1598/1610/1613D}.
70.13. To the West this province [is bordered] by Flanders and Artois, in the North [by] Brabant, and [by] Brabant, Namur and Liège in the East. South it is bounded by Champagne, a province of France. [It is] a country as pleasant, and as well stored with woods, lakes, springs, meadows and pastures as any other in the world.{1598/1610/1613D{The people are warlike, and more than other nations loyal to its ruler. They defend their freedom with a common saying, when they say: Pays de Hainault tenu de Dieu & du Soleil; which means, to conclude with poetry: God only, who rules the sun and the stars/with the radiant sun truly covets this land}1598/1610/1613D}.
70.14. In length it measures about twenty, and in breadth sixteen miles. In which space, (as Guicciardini reports) it comprises twenty-four towns and more than nine hundred and fifty villages or hamlets. Robert Cœnalis counts in this province two thousand two hundred petty villages with churches and bells. At this moment it has the title of an countship, and it contains within this princedom eight lower countships, twelve peers, twenty-two baronies, twenty-six abbeys as well as other titles of dignity, as can be seen in Guicciardini.
70.15. The main cities are Mons and Valenciennes, the latter one, situated on the river Schelde where it begins to be navigable for boats and barks, is a very large and strong with walls and ditches. The townsmen mostly employ themselves in trade of merchandise, and reap very high profits by a kind of cloth they call ostades [draperies], of which a great quantity is woven in this city, and transported from there to the furthest parts of the world. Mons lies on the little river Trouille, almost in the very middle of the region. [It is] a town very efficiently fortified against all hostile attacks. The citizens thrive by a kind of textile commonly called saye [lace], which is made here in great abundance.
70.16. Next, here are the towns of Condé, Halle, Angre, Maubeuge, Avesnes, Beaumont, Chimay, Le Quesnoy and Binche, the place where Mary, sister of the emperor Charles the fifth who built a most stately and sumptuous palace there, formerly used to retire for pleasure, but later by the French king Henry the second totally burnt and destroyed. Here is also Bauacum, commonly called Beauvais which some think to be [the same as] Baganum or Bagacum mentioned by Ptolemæus. Others are of the opinion that Cæsar in his commentaries calls it Belgium. However, Hubertus of Liège thinks that it was not so mighty in Cæsar's time, but has rather flourished most under Constantinus the emperor, which he concludes from ancient coins, daily dug up here in great quantities, {not in 1598/1610/1613D{with the image of the emperor just referred to on them}not in 1598/1610/1613D}.
70.17. On the market place of this town stands a pillar of stone at whose foot the inhabitants say that all those roads start which with a high and direct passage extend from here to all parts of France. These roads (they say) were made by Brunehild. And to this very day they are called after his name. For the French commonly call them Chemins de Brune hault, and the Dutch call them de Kassije [cobblestones]. To this day there are still in various places some broken remains of these roads. Bouillus notes certain miracles about them, namely, that they are higher than the fields on either side [of them]; that they lie most directly between the main towns of France and that they are paved with flint stones of which none is to be found in the adjacent fields, so that a man may imagine that these flint stones either sprang out of the earth or rained down from heaven, or by a greater force than mans hand were gathered from all over the world.
70.18. Also, at the frontiers of this region towards the river Maas, on the way to France, you have Charlemont, Mariemburg and Philippeville, very strong garrisons against attacks from the French, built and thus named by emperor Charles the fifth, by his sister Mary and by k[ing] Philip his son.
70.19. This region abounds with iron and lead mines. Here are also found various kinds of marble, such as black, white and with spots, very convenient for adorning palaces and sepulchres of kings and great noblemen. Similarly, very much quicklime is dug up here. Also a kind of stony and black coal, {not in 1598/1610/1613D{hardened like pitch}not in 1598/1610/1613D}, which the inhabitants use for fuel instead of wood. And here also {not in 1598/1610/1613D{near the city of Barbençon}not in 1598/1610/1613D} they make those thin transparent panes of glass by means of which foul winds and weather are repelled from houses and churches, and this glass excels above all others that are made anywhere else. They also make drinking glasses of all sorts. You may read more in Guicciardini and in a specific treatise that Iacobus Lessabæus has written about this region}1598/1610/1613D end here}. Also Hubert Thomas of Liège in his book de Tungris & Eburonibus writes many memorable things about this province}1581F, 1587F, 1598F end here}.