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The haughtiest breast its wish might bound
Through life to dwell delighted here;
Nor could on earth a spot be found
To nature and to me so dear,

Could thy dear eyes in following mine
Still sweeten more these banks of Rhine!'

THE EDITOR.

LESSON 60.

UP THE RHINE.

II. FROM BONN TO BINGEN. adequately, fully, sufficiently foliage, clusters of leaves

affianced, engaged to be

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metamorphosed, changed retrospect, look behind siren, in mythology, the sirens were birds with the faces of virgins, found in S. Italy, and who enticed sailors to their destruction

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Between Bonn and Bingen, a distance of about a hundred miles, is the most enchanting part of the Rhine. The Germans call it the Paradise of Germany,' and no wonder they choose such an expressive phrase. To describe it adequately is beyond my skill; it must be seen, and seen more than once, to be thoroughly appreciated. Apart from the scenery on its banks, the Rhine itself is a noble river, varying from 1200 feet to 1600 feet wide in this part of its course. It is studded with innumerable islands; some of them very pictur

esque. On either bank are slopes covered with vine-clad terraces, every inch being under cultivation; while the sombre mountains form a dark but effective background. Of these vineyards, more presently. Once more you are supposed to be with us on the boat.

The island we approach in the middle of the river is Rolandswerth or Nonnenwerth, whose beautiful gardens come right down to the water's edge... Overlooking this island, upon the summit of a basaltic rock, stand the ruins of the castle of Rolandseck. And now for the legend connected with it :-Roland, a peer of France, and a brave young knight, being in search of adventure, became enamoured of Hildegunde, daughter of Count Heribert, lord of the Seven Mountains. Shortly after they were affianced, Roland was summoned by his king, Charlemagne, to join the crusade. Time sped on, and the sad tidings came that Roland had fallen in battle. His lady-love's grief was extreme, and she shut herself out from the world by taking the veil as a nun in the cloister on the little island of Nonnenwerth. happened that the rumours of Roland's death were unfounded; he had only been badly wounded. Returning to claim his bride, he found her lost to him for ever. In despair he built this castle, and lived in solitude, catching a glimpse now and then of his fair one as she attended her devotions in the little chapel of the island. After her death, it is said he never spoke again. One morning his attendant found him dead, with his eyes turned towards the convent chapel.

It so

The boat is now rapidly passing several small villages, from one of which, Oberwinter, the retrospect is exceedingly fine. As the guide-books say,

'Rolandseck, and the Drachenfels with its castle, the cliffs of the Wolkenburg, and the entire range (upwards of thirty) of the peaks of the Seven Mountains, form a chain of incomparable beauty, while the lovely island of Nonnenwerth, and the grand river itself, constitute the foreground.' It is such scenery as this that justifies Lord Byron's description of the Rhine generally, when he affirms it to be

'A blending of all beauties; streams and dells, Fruit, foliage, crag, wood, cornfield, mountain, vine, And chiefless castles breathing stern farewells From grey but leafy walls where Ruin grimly dwells.'

Passing Unkel and Remagen, we come to Lintz, opposite which is Krippe, where the waters of the Ahr flow into the Rhine. The rock we have just passed, near a place called Erpel, is a basaltic mountain, some 700 feet high; and yet on its slopes vineyards abound, the vines being planted in baskets and forced into the clefts of the rock,

Another short stage and we are at Andernach, an ancient town founded by the Romans, and a free city of the empire. A kind of mortar, or cement, is made here which will resist the action of fire and water, and which is used in the dykes of Holland. On our left we pass the ruined castle of Friedrichstein, and a little farther on we come to a place called Neuweid. This small town of 8000 inhabitants is the settlement of the Moravian Brethren. It would take up too much space to describe the customs and dress of this peculiar, but excellent, community. Their schools are in such good repute as to command pupils from England and all parts of Germany.

Just opposite this settlement is Weissenthurm, or White-tower, as it is called, from the old square watch-tower at the end of the village. The obelisk which we notice on an eminence is a memorial to General Hoche, who crossed the river with his army in 1797, and died soon afterwards. A few more miles, and we hear a whisper among the passengers that we are nearing Coblentz. Long before we reach that city, however, we can descry the world-famed fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, which stands directly opposite. This dark-looking, massive fortress, which is the Gibraltar of the Rhine, is built on a precipitous rock, rising 400 feet above the Rhine, and nearly 600 above the level of the sea; and is capable of holding 100,000 men. Twice only has it yielded to an enemy: once taken by stratagem, and once reduced by famine. Its latest fortifications were added from 1816 to 1826, at a cost of one million and a quarter pounds (£1,250,000). The little town at its foot is connected with Coblentz by a bridge of boats four hundred yards long. We will leave Coblentz until our return journey, merely remarking now that here the river Moselle flows into the Rhine. For some little distance you may distinctly see the two streams, until gradually the clear blue waters of the Moselle mingle with the muddier waters of the Rhine.

Not far from Coblentz is the Stolzenfels, a fine castle of the Middle Ages, but now converted into a royal summer residence by the late King of Prussia.

And now we enter what is called the Rhine-gorge, which extends some twenty or thirty miles, the grandeur of which surpasses description. Here the mountains descend on each side almost perpendicularly to the edge of the water. If you have

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travelled in Derbyshire, some parts of Millar's Dale, or Monsal Dale, might remind you, but very feebly, of it. The first place of importance we come to is Boppart, on the right bank. The approach to it can never be forgotten. By a look at the map, you see the Rhine makes here a most beautiful curve. At the time of our visit the weather was delightful, the various crops were ripe for harvest; and as we entered Boppart, the sun lit up everything with a golden beauty. Two peaks of a lofty rock on the left attract our attention; they are called the 'two brothers,' and are the subjects of a legend which we cannot stay to recount. That castle to the left, and now falling into ruins, is the Mouse; and the one peeping over at it, a little farther on, is appropriately called the Cat.

The

The town we see to the right is St. Goar. extensive ruins on the hill were once the immense stronghold of Rheinfels. Most people have heard of the Lurlei, with its legend of the siren who had her dwelling on a rock, and enticed sailors and fishermen to their destruction in the rapids below. That imposing rock in front, rising 450 feet above the channel of the river, is the Lurlei; but if you want to hear its famous echo, which repeats fifteen times, you must step ashore, as it cannot be heard from the steamer.

A little ahead is a cluster of rocks, seven in number, in the bed of the river. A little story is also connected with these. Tradition says that once upon a time seven beautiful countesses lived in a castle close by. Surrounded by lovers, they merely played with their feelings. The suitors at length resolved to force them to choose husbands; the maidens consented to choose by lot. Singularly, the seven ugliest cavaliers were chosen ; but when

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