Search -
Travels through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Sicily
Travels through Germany Switzerland Italy and Sicily Author:Friedrich Leopold Stolberg Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: m other parts, the daring hand of nature projects the overhanging fearful cliff, that feems to brave the fhock of time. The laft of the feven hills, which is cal... more »led the Drachenftein (Dragonftone), appears to be the largeft. As we approached the Rhine, it feemed to have become confiderably narrower. We funpofed it to flow over a deep bed of rock; but we foon perceived that the trees, on the other fide of this leffer current, belonged to an ifland ; behind which a fecond ifland rofe out of the water: fo that the mighty river, divided into three ftreams, watered and fructified fix fhores. There was a Cloifter of Nuns, called Nonenwerth, fituated in the fecond ifland ; in a kind of Elyfian grove. Add to all thefe beauties the picturefque effect of light and ftiade; that here glimmered, and there fhed thick night among the valleys: while the hills were illumined by the full glare of day. Add, too, the cheerful afpect of the inhabitants : young men chaunting their provincial fongs; and maidens bringing us fruits and flowers, in their clean wicker bafkets : here a habitation refounding with dancing, and mirth ; and there a wooden legged village mufician, thrumming his mandoline, and charming him- felf, and his hearers, with a flourifhing fymphony at the conclufion of each ftanza. As we approached the fmall town of Rheinmagen, we met, on a high narrow fhere at the foot of a ftill higher hill, a folemn proceffion; in honour of Saint Apollinarius. The priefl and the holy red banner were followed by the crowd, finging: boats glided along the ftream, each bearing its own enfign, and refounding with the fame chorus. We fmiled, when we were told that thefe good people were on a pilgrimage to the remains of the Saint; interred, as they funpofed, on a neighbouring hill; for, a fortnig...« less