FLEMISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

the Flemish or Vlaemisch language is a form of Low German, differing only slightly in pronunciation and orthography from the Dutch. It is spoken by a considerable number of the inhabitants of Belginm, especially in the provinces of East Flanders, West Flanders, Antwerp, Limburg, and Brabant. A fragment of a prose translation of the Psalms upwards of a you sand years cld is the oldest extant specimen of the Flemish. The ‘father of Flemish poetry,’ Jakob van Maerlant, wrote several romances dealing with Merlin and the Holy Grail, The Mirror of History, and other works, in the thirteenth century; and a version of Reynard the Fox belongs to the same period. The fourteenth eentury was remarkable for the number of wandering poets, authors of knightly romances. The translation of the Bible, which is considered the standard for the construction and orthography of the language, was finished in 1618. The eighteenth century produced several good writers on philology, but was barren in poetic genius. The French almost annihilated the native literature, and it did not revive till the revolution of 1830, since which time it has been very vigorous. The leaders in this revival were Willems, Blommaert, Van Ryswyck, Hendrik Conscience, Van Duyse, Snellaert, Snieders, De Laet, Dedecker, David, and Bormans, Among modern Flemish writers are: Guido Gezelle, Hilda Ram, Cyril Buy e, Baekelmans, Max Rooses, Pol de Mont, and Frans de Potter.— BIBLIOGRAPHY: Dele pierre, Sketch of the History of Flemish Literature; P. Hamelius, His to ire politique et liltéraire du mouvement flam and. FLEMISH SCHOOL OF PAINTING. Sce PAINTING.