“I had a sight of all their curiosities and those of all sorts, and among other divers paintings that we know, and others which are unknown to us; as also Indian and Chinese pieces of an inestimable value. In these last a curious eye may discover all the secret particulars of the history, the manner of living, customs and religion of those countries, and there are represented certain martyrs, who sacrifice their blood to the transport of their zeal, if it may be allowed to make so bad an application of that sacred name, which belongs only to the heroes of the true religion.” Wills and inventories are invaluable aids to the student of Dutch furniture; but even more illuminating are the interiors painted by the Great and Little Masters—Jan Steen, Metsu, Cocques, Teniers, Rembrandt, Terburg, Don Weenix, Hoogstraten, Koedyck and a host of others. These are valuable as showing not only individual pieces of furniture, but also the general arrangement of rooms. Plate XXVI, representing _The Sick Woman_, by Jan Steen, in the Rijks Museum, shows a very simple room with bare floor and bare walls. At the back of the room is an upholstered bed with long straight curtains, and tester ornamented with fringe and surmounted with “_pommes_.” On the wall hang a lute and a Frisian clock. The back of the chair is carved with lions’ heads above the arms. The table is covered with a handsome “carpet.” [Illustration: PLATE XXXVII.—_The Sick Lady, by Hoogstraten._ RIJKS MUSEUM, AMSTERDAM. ] A similar bed stands in the right hand corner of the room, represented in Plate XXXVII, also the picture of a _Sick Lady_, by S. van Hoogstraten. The arrangement of this room is extremely interesting, as a short flight of seven steps leads into a narrow passage and room above. A round window hung with a curtain lights the passage-way above, which contains a number of fine paintings and a low-backed chair with spirally turned legs, the back and seat covered with velvet put on with large-headed nails. A door leads into the room beyond, but all that we can see of this is a marble mantelpiece with a handsome painting above it, and heavy andirons. A large square armchair with spirally turned legs stands on the left of the bed. The invalid is seated on a common stiff chair of no decorative interest.