The Horns of the Rhine

In Caesar's time the Map of the Netherlands was very different from that of the present day. There was then no Zuyder Zee, no Dollart Bay, no encircling islands, remnants of the disrupted continent, on the North.

The river Rhine, on entering the lowlands of the north of Europe, originally separated into two well-defined branches, called "The Horns of the Rhine." The Rhine, with its outspreading "horns," formed the dividing lines of three great tribes, who, from time unknown, had battled for an existence in this northwest corner of Europe. On the left of the left branch of the Rhine lived the Belgae; on the island between the "two horns" lived the Batavii, hence the name, "Batavian Island;" on the right of the right branch dwelt the Frisii. The Belgae were Celts; Caesar says, "The bravest of the Celts;" the Batavians and Frisians were Germans or Teutons. The Celts and the Teutons, the two great branches of the Aryan race that peopled the European continent, have ever been at variance and repellant, the one to the other. Differing in temperament, in morals and in religion, they have never been able to thoroughly coalesce.

The Celts are largely Roman Catholic in religion; the Teutons are largely Protestant. And so, to-day, Belgium is a distinct kingdom from Holland, though for centuries they were classed as one people, under the general term of "Netherlanders." Belgium still holds to its Celtic characteristics; its language is the French-Romance, a corruption of Frank of Roman. In religion Belgium is Roman Catholic. Holland, the present Netherlands, is made up of the old Teutonic tribes, Batavians and Frisians. These three tribes, the Belgae, the Batavii and the Frisii, were each in turn subdued by the Romans, although the Dutch claim they were never conquered by the Romans. The Belgae paid the usual tribute of "land and water," which meant territorial surrender of a country to the Romans. But the Frisii, instead, paid tribute in horns and hides; while the Batavians paid tribute "in blood," by entering the Roman army, rather than place their country under tribute.

No better soldiers, it is said, ever fought in the Roman armies than the Batavii. They became, so to speak, "the Swiss Guard" of the Roman Emperors. The Frisii were the last to lose and the first to regain their independence. The Dutch, or Hollanders, thus claim that they were never conquered by Rome. Having retained their land, they were able, eventually, to throw off a temporary yoke.