As a consequence of these conditions, we have to expect in Antwerp mainly =a central town of the 15th and 16th centuries=, with an immense =modern outgrowth= of very recent origin. Save its fine Cathedral, and its imported pictures, it has little or nothing of mediæval interest. The =population= of Antwerp is almost entirely =Flemish=, though French is the language of the higher commerce; and the town is the stronghold of the old Flemish feeling in Belgium, as opposed to the Parisian tone of Brussels. Concurrently with the rise of its renewed commercial importance, Antwerp has become once more =a centre of Belgian art=, and especially of the pure Flemish school of _archaists_, who have chosen their subjects from Flemish history, and followed to some extent the precedents of the early Flemish painters. Examples of these will meet us later. Choose an =hotel= on the =Place Verte=, if possible, or at least very near it. You cannot gain a first impression of Antwerp in less than four or five days. Antwerp is a confused town, a maze without a plan: till you have learnt your way about, I advise you to =follow the tram-lines=: you will thus avoid the slummy streets which abound even in the best quarter. _B_. THE CATHEDRAL [The first thing to see at Antwerp is the High Church of Our Lady, once the =Cathedral=, and still commonly so called, though it is not now a bishop’s see, but part of the diocese of Malines. It is a fine early and middle Gothic church, with a late Gothic or flamboyant tower; but, relatively to its fame, it is externally disappointing. This is partly because mean houses have been allowed to gather round it, but partly also because its somewhat meretricious spire has been unduly praised by earlier generations. Modern taste, which admires the simpler and severer early forms of Gothic, finds it fantastic and over-elaborate.] The =Place Verte= opposite the Cathedral (once the churchyard), is planted with trees, and has its centre occupied by a modern statue of Rubens. This is one of the few points from which you can view (more or less) the =exterior= of the Cathedral, the greater part of which is obstructed by shabby shops clustered round its base. The only really good views, however, are obtained from the second-floor windows of the houses on the E. side of the Square, such as the Hôtel de l’Europe. Nevertheless, it will be well to walk round the building outside, in order to inspect as much of it as is visible. The chief =portal= (practically), recently restored, and the =S. Transept= are seen from the Place Verte. There is little sculpture on them, save a small late figure of the patroness, Our Lady, with the Child, high up between the angels of the gable-end.