re becoming for him to go away silently, and told him that a Hebrew
child should be born who should reign over the gods themselves, or that a
king should come from heaven whose power should never end. Another
version, which is the one this picture represents, says that the heavens
opened, and a vision of the Virgin with the Saviour in her arms, standing
on an altar, was shown the emperor. He worshipped it, and heard a voice
saying, "Haec ara filii Dei" (This is the altar of the Son of God).
Augustus reported this to the Senate, and erected an altar upon the spot
in Rome where the Church of Santa Maria in Capitolio, or the "Ara
Coeli," now stands.

[Illustration: FIG. 54.--THE SIBYL AND THE EMPEROR AUGUSTUS. _By Rogier
van der Weyden. In the Berlin Museum._]

Many pictures by Van der Weyden are seen in European galleries. He was
also a fine miniaturist. He was official painter to the city of Brussels,
and was buried in its cathedral.

His son, ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN the younger, became very rich and
benevolent. He died at Brussels in 1529. His works are not numerous in
public galleries.

The elder Van der Weyden had a pupil, HANS MEMLING (records 1450-1499),
who became the greatest master in Belgium. I shall not give you a long
account of him; but shall tell you of his greatest work, which was the
Shrine of St. Ursula, at the Hospital of Bruges, and is the best example
of this type of early Flemish art which still exists. It is divided into
six compartments, with two ends, and other panels on top, all of which are
finished with the greatest care, and give the whole story of St. Ursula
and her eleven thousand virgins, which is that Ursula was a daughter of a
king of Brittany who was a Christian. The young girl was educated with the
greatest care, and the fame of her beauty and wisdom spread all over
Europe. At length the king of England asked for her to be the wife of his
son. The princess replied that she would wed him on three conditions:
first, that he should give her ten virgins of noble blood for her
companions, then to each of these virgins and to herself he should give a
thousand maidens as attendants; second, he should allow her three years
with these companions, with whom she should visit the shrines where the
bodies of the saints repose; and third, the English king and his court
should receive baptism.

I cannot give space for all the details of this story, which is of great
interest; but the result was that