utting off his prisoners' hands and throwing them into the
Scheldt, appeared to Motley rather far-fetched, but it is less
reasonable to trace it, as he inclines to do, from _an t werf_ (on the
wharf), seeing that the form _Andhunerbo_ existed in the 6th century on
the separation of Austrasia and Neustria. Moreover, hand-cutting was not
an uncommon practice in Europe. It was perpetuated from a savage past in
the custom of cutting off the right hand of a man who died without heir,
and sending it as proof of _main-morte_ to the feudal lord. Moreover,
the two hands and a castle, which form the arms of Antwerp, will not be
dismissed as providing no proof by any one acquainted with the
scrupulous care that heralds displayed in the golden age of chivalry
before assigning or recognizing the armorial bearings of any claimant.

In the 4th century Antwerp is mentioned as one of the places in the
second Germany, and in the 11th century Godfrey of Bouillon was for some
years best known as marquis of Antwerp. Antwerp was the headquarters of
Edward III. during his early negotiations with van Artevelde, and his
son Lionel, earl of Cambridge, was born there in 1338.

It was not, however, till after the closing of the Zwyn and the decay of
Bruges that Antwerp became of importance. At the end of the 15th century
the foreign trading gilds or houses were transferred from Bruges to
Antwerp, and the building assigned to the English nation is specifically
mentioned in 1510. In 1560, a year which marked the highest point of its
prosperity, six nations, viz. the Spaniards, the Danes and the Hansa
together, the Italians, the English, the Portuguese and the Germans,
were named at Antwerp, and over 1000 foreign merchants were resident in
the city. Guicciardini, the Venetian envoy, describes the activity of
the port, into which 500 ships sometimes passed in a day, and as
evidence of the extent of its land trade he mentioned that 2000 carts
entered the city each week. Venice had fallen from its first place in
European commerce, but still it was active and prosperous. Its envoy, in
explaining the importance of Antwerp, states that there was as much
business done there in a fortnight as in Venice throughout the year.

The religious troubles that marked the second half of the 16th century
broke out in Antwerp as in every other part of Belgium excepting Liege.
In 1576 the Spanish soldiery plundered the town during what was called
"the Spanish Fury," and