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 268 FLEMISPI LANGUAGE FLENSBURG to a priest named Willem van Utenhoven (in the 12th century), was for many years consid- ered of doubtful origin ; but at the linguistic congress held at Ghent in 1841 it was con- ceded and proved beyond a doubt to belong to Belgium. The next monument of the early literature is an ordinance of Duke Henry I. of Brabant (1229). A printed copy of this ordi- nance, taken from the " Book of Privileges " in the archives of the city of Brussels, is to be found in the literary collection of J. F. Willems ( Verhandeling over de Nederduytsche Tael en Letterlcunde, 1824). The next work of any im- portance was Minneloep (Cours d* amour), by Dire Potter, 1230. The Rymbylel ( " Bible in Rhymes"), the Spiegel historiael (" Historical Mirror ") of Jacob Maerlant (about 1285), and the civic laws of Antwerp compiled by J. van Clere (1300), are the principal works of the 13th century. In the 14th century there were scarcely any writers of note. The first reli- gious play, St. Gomaire, written by H. Bal of Mechlin (1444), several others written by C. Everaet (1496), and a translation of Boe- thius by Jacob Velt of Bruges, are the only literary monuments of the 15th century. In the 16th we have the Historic van Belgis, by Marc van Vaernewyck of Ghent (1514), and the " Hive of the Catholic Church," by Philip van Marnix (1569). Many French forms of speech were introduced during theBurgundian reign, and also many Hollandish during the sway of the Hapsburgs, so that the old Flemish lost much of its purity and terseness. Hooft, Vondel, and Cats are the three most prominent names of the 17th century, which embraces the golden age of Flemish literature (coinciding with the stadtholdership of Frederick Henry of Orange, 1625-'47). The 18th century fur- nishes scarcely any work of note, if we except the " Comparison of the Gothic and Low Dutch languages, "by Ten Kate (GemeenscJiap tusschen de Gotkische Spraelce en de Nederduytsch, 1710), Gramschap, a poem by the Jesuit Li6vin de Meyer of Ghent (1725), and the beautiful poem Roosje ("Little Rose"),- by Bellamy (1772), which has been translated into nearly all the European languages. At the commence- ment of the 19th century we have Feith, the imitator of Goethe and the apostle of the mod- ern school of Flemish literature (1812) ; Wil- lems, on the Flemish and Dutch mode of wri- ting the language of the Netherlands ( Over de HollandiscTie en Vlaemsche Schryfwyzen van het Nederduytsch, 1824) ; and D'Hulster (1834). The prize poem on the subject of Belgian in- dependence was written by Ledeganck, who was crowned poet laureate at Ghent in 1834. The most popular writer at the present day is Hendrik Conscience, born in Antwerp in 1812. His novels are translated into English, French, and German. Among the names of those who have exerted themselves toward the diffusion and improvement of the language are Blom- maert, Van der Yoorde, Delecourt, De Laet, Dedecker, Yan Ryswyck, Rense, Van Duyse, F. Blieck, Serrnre, the abbe David, Bormans, Snellaert, and Lebrocquy. The Belgian gov- ernment was at first opposed to this movement, or at least looked upon it with coldness ; but latterly it has come to recognize it and give it countenance. On the occasion of the linguistic congress at Ghent in 1841, the members of the government for the first time publicly ad- dressed the people in the Flemish language. In 1860 there were 76 political and 31 other newspapers and periodicals published in Flem- ish. See Yandenbossche, Nouvelle grammaire raisonnee pour apprendre le flamand et le hol- landais (Lille, 1825) ; J. Desroches, Grammaire flamande (Antwerp, 1826) ; the grammars of Yan Beers and Yan Heremans ; Noel de Ber- lemont, Vocdbulaire frangoys etflameng (Ant- werp, 1511) ; Plautin, Thesaurus Teutonic, Linguae, perfected by C. Kilian (Antwerp, 1573) ; Corleva, Tresor de la langue Jlamande (Amsterdam, 1741) ; Halma, Grand diction- naire francois et jftamand (Leyden, 1778) ; Desroches, Nouveau dictionnaire francais- flamand et flamand-franais (Ghent, 1805) ; Olinger, Nouveau dictionnaire francais-fla- mand (Mechlin, 1834). On modern Flemish literature see Ida von Dtiringsfeld, Von der Schelde ~bis zur Maas (3 vols., Leipsic, 1861). FLEDDIIMG, Paul, a German poet, born at Hartenstein in October, 1609, died in Hamburg, April 2, 1640. He was the son of a clergy- man. His medical studies in Leipsic being in- terrupted by the thirty years' war, he accom- panied the envoy of Duke Frederick of Got- torp-Holstein to Russia and Persia, married the daughter of an Esthonian merchant, and shortly before his death received his medical diploma at Leyden. He belonged to the Silesian school of lyrical poets, and in some respects eclipsed even Opitz. His Geistliclie und weltliche Poemata (Jena, 1642) and his eloquent hymn In alien meinen Thaten rank among his finest productions. Selected editions of his works have been published in Stuttgart (1820) and in Muller's collection of German poets of the 17th century (Leipsic, 1822). His posthu- mous Latin poems and his pastoral entitled Margenis were published by Lappenberg in Stuttgart in 1863. FLENSBURG, or Flensborg, a seaport and mar- ket town of the Prussian province of Schleswig- Holstein, at the head of Flensburg fiord, an inlet of the Baltic, 20 m. N. N. W. of Schles- wig ; pop. in 1871, 21,325. It is the most populous town and the chief commercial mart of the former duchy of Schleswig. It manufac- tures sugar, tobacco, paper, soap, and iron, has breweries and distilleries, and builds ships for the West India trade. Railways connect it with the principal towns of the province, and with Kolding in Jutland, and steamships with Stettin and other ports of the Baltic. The harbor is deep enough for large craft, but is difficult of entrance. About 200 vessels, many of which are employed in the Greenland whale fishery, are owned here. The number