Volume III Part 10 (1/2)
[89] On the morning following my arrival at Salzburg, I purchased a card, and small chart of the adjacent country and mountains. Of the latter, the _Gross Klokner_, _Klein Klokner_, are each about 12000 feet above the level of the sea; The _Weisbachhorn_ is about 11000 feet of similar alt.i.tude; _Der Hohe Narr_ about the same height; and the _Hohe Warte_ about 10,000; while the _Ankogl_ and _Herzog Ernst_, are 9000 each. The lowest is the _Gaisberg_ of 4000 feet; but there is a regular gradation in height, from the latter, to the Gross Klokner, including about 25 mountains.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
LETTER VIII.
SALZBURG. TO CHREMSMINSTER. THE LAKE GMUNDEN. THE MONASTERY OF CHREMSMINSTER. LINTZ.
_Lintz; on the road to Vienna, Aug. 26, 1818._
In order that I may not be too much in arrear in my correspondence, I s.n.a.t.c.h an hour or two at this place, to tell you what have been my sights and occupations since I quitted the extraordinary spot whence I last addressed you. Learn therefore, at the outset, that I have been, if possible, more gratified than heretofore. I have shaped my course along devious roads, by the side of huge impending mountains; have skirted more than one lake of wide extent and enchanting transparency; have navigated the celebrated _Lake of Gmunden_ from one end to the other--the greater part of which is surrounded by rocky yet fertilized mountains of a prodigious height;--have entered one of the n.o.blest and richest monasteries of Austria--and darted afterwards through a country, on every side pleasing by nature, and interesting from history. My only regret is, that all this has been accomplished with too much precipitancy; and that I have been compelled to make sketches in my mind, as it were, when the beauty of the objects demanded a finished picture.
I left Salzburg on the afternoon after writing my last epistle; and left it with regret at not having been able to pay a visit to the salt mines of _Berchtesgaden_ and _Hallein_: but ”non omnia possumus omnes.” The first stage, to _Koppf_, was absolutely up hill, the whole way, a short German league and a half: probably about seven English miles. We were compelled to put a leader to our two horses, and even then we did little more than creep. But the views of the country we had left behind us, as we continued ascending, were glorious in the extreme. Each snow-capt mountain appeared to rise in alt.i.tude--as we continued to mount. Our views however were mere s.n.a.t.c.hes. The sun was about to set in a bed of rain. Large black clouds arose; which, although they added to the grandeur of picturesque composition, prevented us from distinctly surveying the adjacent country.
Ma.s.ses of deep purple floated along the fir-clad hills: now partially illumined by the sun's expiring rays, and now left in deep shadow--to be succeeded by the darkness of night.
The sun was quite set as we stopped to change horses at _Koppf_: and a sort of premature darkness came on:--which, however, was relieved for a short time by a sky of partial but unusual clearness of tint. The whole had a strange and magical effect. As the horses were being put to, I stepped across the road to examine the interior of a small church--where I observed, in the side aisle, a group of figures of the size of life--which, at that sombre hour, had a very extraordinary effect. I approached nearer, and quickly perceived that this group was intended to represent the _Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane_. Our Saviour, at a little distance, was upon his knees, praying; and the piety of some _religieuse_ (as I afterwards learnt) had caused a white handkerchief to be fixed between his hands. The disciples were represented asleep, upon the ground. On coming close to the figures (which were raised upon a platform, of half the height of a man) and removing the moss upon which they were rec.u.mbent, I found that they were mere _trunks_, without legs or feet: the moss having been artfully placed, so as to conceal these defects when the objects were seen at a distance. Of course it was impossible to refrain from a smile, on witnessing such a sight.
The horses were harnessed in ten minutes; and, having no longer any occasion for a leader, we pursued our route with the usual number of two.
The evening was really enchanting; and upon the summit of one of the loftiest of the hills--which rose perpendicularly as a bare sharp piece of rock--we discerned a pole, which we conjectured was fixed there for some particular purpose. The postilion told us that it was the stem of the largest fir-tree in the country, and that there were annual games celebrated around it--in the month of May, when its summit was crowned with a chaplet. Our route was now skirted on each side, alternately, by water and by mountain. The _Mande See_, _Aber See_, and _Aller See_, (three beautiful lakes) lay to the left; of which we caught, occasionally, from several commanding heights, most magnificent views--as the last light of day seemed to linger upon their surfaces. They are embosomed in scenery of the most beautiful description. When we reached _St. Gilgen_, or _Gilling_, we resolved upon pa.s.sing the night there.
It was quite dark, and rather late, when we entered this miserable village; but within half a league of it, we ran a very narrow chance of being overturned, and precipitated into a roaring, rapid stream, just below the road--along the banks of which we had been sometime directing our course. A fir-pole lay across the road, which was undiscernible from the darkness of the night; and the carriage, receiving a violent concussion, and losing its balance for a moment--leaning over the river--it was doubtful what would be the issue. Upon entering the archway of the inn, or rather public house--from the scarcity of candles, and the ignorance of rustic ostlers, the door of the carriage (it being accidentally open) was completely wrenched from the body.
Never, since our night's lodging at _Saudrupt_,[90] had we taken up our quarters at so miserable an auberge. The old woman, our landlady, seemed almost to cast a suspicious eye upon us; but the valet in a moment disarmed her suspicions. It was raw, cold, and late; but the kitchen fire was yet in full force, and a few earthen-ware utensils seemed to contain something in the shape of eatables. You should know, that the kitchen fire-places, in Germany, are singularly situated; at least all those at the public inns where we have stopped. A platform, made of brick, of the height of about three feet, is raised in the centre of the floor. The fire is in the centre of the platform. You look up, and see directly the open sky through the chimney, which is of a yawning breadth below, but which narrows gradually towards the top. It was so cold, that I requested a chair to be placed upon the platform, and I sat upon it--close to the kitchen fire--receiving very essential benefit from the position. All the kitchen establishment was quickly put in requisition: and, surrounded by cook and scullion--pots, pans, and culinary vessels of every description--I sat like a monarch upon his throne: while Mr. Lewis was so amused at the novelty of the scene, that he transferred it to his sketch-book.
It was midnight when we attacked our _potage_--in the only visitor's bed-room in the house. Two beds, close to each other, each on a sloping angle of nearly forty-five degrees, were to receive our wearied bodies. The _materiel_ of the beds was _straw_; but the sheets were white and well aired, and edged (I think) with a narrow lace; while an eider down quilt--like a super-inc.u.mbent bed--was placed upon the first quilt. It was scarcely day-light, when Mr. Lewis found himself upon the floor, awoke from sleep, having gradually slid down. By five o'clock, the smith's hammer was heard at work below--upon the door of the dismembered carriage--and by the time we had risen at eight o'clock, the valet reported to us that the job was just _then_ ... in the very state in which it was at its _commencement_! So much for the reputation of the company of white-smiths at _St. Gilgen_. We were glad to be off by times; but I must not quit this obscure and humble residence without doing the landlady the justice to say, that her larder and kitchen enabled us to make a very hearty breakfast.
This, for the benefit of future travellers--benighted like ourselves.
The morning lowered, and some soft rain fell as we started: but, by degrees, the clouds broke away, and we obtained a complete view of the enchanting country through which we pa.s.sed--as we drove along by the banks of the _Aber_ lake, to _Ischel_. One tall, sharp, and spirally-terminating rock, in particular, kept constantly in view before us, on the right; of which the base and centre were wholly feathered with fir. It rose with an extraordinary degree of abruptness, and seemed to be twice as high as the spire of Strasbourg cathedral. To the left, ran sparkling rivulets, as branches of the three lakes just mentioned. An endless variety of picturesque beauty--of trees, rocks, greenswards, wooded heights, and glen-like pa.s.ses--canopied by a sky of the deepest and most brilliant blue--were the objects upon which we feasted till we reached _Ischel_: where we changed horses. Here we observed several boats, of a peculiarly long and narrow form, laden with salt, making their way for the _Steyer_ and _Ens_ rivers, and from thence to the Danube. To describe what we saw, all the way till we reached the _Traun See_, or the LAKE OF GMUNDEN, would be only a repet.i.tion of the previous description.
At _Inderlambach_, close to the lake in question, we stopped to dine. This is a considerable village, or even country town. On the heights are well-trimmed gravel walks, from which you catch a commanding view of the hither end of the lake; and of which the sight cheered us amazingly. We longed to be afloat. There is a great manufactory of salt carried on upon these heights--at the foot of which was said to be the best inn in the town. Thither we drove: and if high charges form the test of the excellence of an inn, there is good reason to designate this, at _Inderlambach_, as such. We s.n.a.t.c.hed a hasty meal, (for which we had nearly fifteen florins to pay) being anxious to get the carriage and luggage aboard one of the larger boats, used in transporting travellers, before the sun was getting too low ... that we might see the wonders of the scenery of which we had heard so much. It was a bright, lovely afternoon; and about half-past six we were all, with bag and baggage, on board. Six men, with oars resembling spades in shape, were to row us; and a seventh took the helm. The water was as smooth as gla.s.s, and of a sea-green tint, which might have been occasioned by the reflection of the dark and lofty wood and mountainous scenery, by which the lake is surrounded.
The rowers used their oars so gently, as hardly to make us sensible of their sounds. The boat glided softly along; and it was evident, from the varying forms of the scenery, that we were making considerable way. We had a voyage of at least nine English miles to accomplish, ere we reached the opposite extremity--called _Gmunden_; and where we were told that the inn would afford us every accommodation which we might wish. On reaching the first winding or turning of the lake, to the left, a most magnificent and even sublime object--like a mountain of rock--presented itself to the right. It rose perpendicularly--vast, craggy, and of a height, I should suppose, little short of 2000 feet. Its gray and battered sides--now lighted up by the varied tints of a setting sun--seemed to have been ploughed by many a rus.h.i.+ng torrent, and covered by many a winter's snow.
Meanwhile the lake was receiving, in the part nearest to us, a breadth of deep green shadow, as the sun became lower and lower. The last faint scream of the wild fowl gave indication that night was coming on; and the few small fishermen's huts, with which the banks were slightly studded, began to fade from the view. Yet the summit of the mountain of rock, which I have just mentioned, was glowing with an almost golden hue. I cannot attempt a more minute description of this enchanting scene.
One thing struck me very forcibly. This enormous rocky elevation seemed to baffle all our attempts to _near_ it--and yet it appeared as if we were scarcely a quarter of a mile from it. This will give you some notion of its size and height. At length, the scenery of the lake began to change--into a more quiet and sober character.... We had now pa.s.sed the rocky mountain, and on looking upon its summit, we observed that the golden glow of suns.h.i.+ne had subsided into a colour of pale pink, terminating in alternate tints of purple and slate. Almost the whole landscape had faded from the eye, when we reached the end of our voyage; having been more than two hours upon the lake. On disembarking, we made directly for the inn--where we found every thing even exceeding what we had been led to expect--and affording a very striking and comfortable contrast to the quarters of the preceding evening at St. Gilgen. Sofas, carpets, l.u.s.tres, and two good bed-rooms--a set of china which might have pleased a German baron--all glittered before our eyes, and shewed us that, if we were not well satisfied, the fault would be our own. The front windows of the hotel commanded a direct and nearly uninterrupted length-view of the lake; and if the full moon had risen ... but one cannot have every thing one wants--even at the hotel of Gmunden.
We ordered a good fire, and wax candles to be lighted; a chafing dish, filled with live charcoal caused a little cloud of steam to be emitted from a copper kettle--of which the exterior might have been _cleaned_ ... during the _last_ century. But we travelled with our own tea; and enjoyed a succession of cups which seemed to make us ”young and l.u.s.ty as eagles:” and which verified all the pleasing things said in behalf of this philosophical beverage by the incomparable Cowper. Mr. Lewis spent two hours in _penning in_ his drawings; and I brushed up my journal---opened my map--and catechised the landlord about the MONASTERY of CHREMSMINSTER, which it was resolved to visit on the following (Sunday) morning. Excellent beds (not ”sloping in an angle of 45 degrees”--) procured us a comfortable night's rest. In the morning, we surveyed the lake, the village, and its immediate vicinity. We inspected two churches, and saw a group of women devoutly occupied in prayer by the side of a large tombstone--in a cemetery at a distance from any church. The tombstones in Germany are whimsical enough.
Some look like iron cross-bows, others like crosses; some nearly resemble a gibbet; and others a star. They are usually very slender in their structure, and of a height scarcely exceeding four or five feet.
By eleven in the morning, the postboy's bugle sounded for our departure.
The carriage and horses were at the door: the postboy, arrayed in an entirely new scarlet jacket, with a black velvet collar edged with silver lace, the livery of Austria, was mounted upon a strong and lofty steed; and the travellers being comfortably seated, the whip sounded, and off we went, up hill, at a good round cantering pace. A large congregation, which was quitting a church in the vicinity of the inn, gazed at us, as we pa.s.sed, with looks and gestures as if they had never seen two English travellers before.
The stage from Gmunden to Chremsminster is very long and tedious; but by no means devoid of interest. We halted an hour to rest the horses, about half-way on the route; which I should think was full eight English miles from the place of starting. On leaving Gmunden, and gaining the height of the neighbouring hills, we looked behind, or rather to the right, upon the _back_ part of that chain of hills and rocks which encircle the lake over which we had pa.s.sed the preceding evening. The sky was charged with large and heavy clouds; and a broad, deep, and as it were stormy, tint of dark purple ... mantled every mountain which we saw--with the exception of our old gigantic friend, of which the summit was buried in the clouds. At a given distance, you form a tolerably good notion of the alt.i.tude of mountains; and from this latter view of those in question, I should think that the highest may be about 3000 feet above the level of the lake. It was somewhere upon two o'clock when we caught the first glimpse of the spire and lofty walls of the MONASTERY OF CHREMSMINSTER. This monastery is hid by high ground,--till you get within a mile of the town of _Chrems_; so called, from a river, of the same name, which washes almost the walls of the monastery.
I cannot dissemble the joy I felt on the first view of this striking and venerable edifice. It is situated on a considerable eminence--and seems to be built upon a foundation of rock. Its mosque-fas.h.i.+oned towers, the long range of its windows, and height of its walls, cannot fail to arrest the attention very forcibly. Just on the spot where we caught the first view of it, the road was not only very precipitous, but was under repair; which made it absolutely perilous. The skill of our postilion, however extricated us from all danger; and on making the descent, I opened my portmanteau in front of me--which was strapped to the back-seat of the carriage--pulled out the green silk purse which I had purchased at Dieppe, within a few hours of my landing in France--and introducing my hand into it, took from thence some dozen or twenty napoleons--observing at the same time, to Mr.
Lewis, and pointing to the monastery--that ”these pieces would probably be devoted to the purchasing of a few book-treasures from the library of the edifice in view.” In five minutes we drove up to the princ.i.p.al, or rather only inn, which the town seemed to afford. The first thing I did, was, to bespeak an immediate dinner, and to send a messenger, with a note (written in Latin) to the Vice Princ.i.p.al or Librarian of the monastery--”requesting permission to inspect the library, being English travellers bound for Vienna.” No answer was returned ... even on the conclusion of our dinner; when,--on calling a council, it was resolved that we should take the valet and a guide with us, and immediately a.s.sail the gates of the Monastery.
I marched up the steep path which leads to these gates, with the most perfect confidence in the success of my visit. Vespers were just concluded; and three or four hundred at least of the population of Chrems were pouring forth from the church doors, down the path towards the town. On entering the quadrangle in which the church is situated, we were surprised at its extent, and the respectability of its architecture. We then made for the church--along the cloisters--and found it nearly deserted. A few straggling supplicants were however left behind--ardent in prayer, upon their knees: but the florid style of the architecture of the interior of this church immediately caught my attention and admiration. The sides are covered with large oil paintings, which look like copies of better performances; while, at each lower corner of these pictures, stands a large figure of a saint, boldly sculptured, as if to support the painting. Throwing your eye along this series of paintings and sculpture, on each side of the church, the whole has a grand and imposing effect--while the _subjects_ of some of the paintings, describing the tortures of the d.a.m.ned, or the occupations of the good, cannot fail, in the mind of an enthusiastic devotee, to produce a very powerful sensation. The altars here, as usual in Germany, and even at Lauffen and Koppf--are profusely ornamented.
We had hardly retreated from the church--lost in the variety of reflections excited by the novelty of every surrounding object--when I perceived a Benedictin, with his black cap upon his head, walking with a hurried step towards us ... along the cloisters. As he approached, he pulled off his cap, and saluted us very graciously: pouring forth a number of sentences, in the Latin language, (for he could not speak a word of French) with a fluency and rapidity of utterance, of which, I could have no conception; and of which, necessarily, I could not comprehend one half. a.s.suming a more leisurely method of address, he asked me, what kind of books I was more particularly anxious to see: and on replying ”those more especially which were printed in the fifteenth century--the ”_Incunabula_”--he answered, ”come with me; and, although the librarian be absent, I will do my utmost to a.s.sist you.” So saying, we followed him into his cell, a mere cabin of a room: where I observed some respectably-looking vellum-clad folios, and where his bed occupied the farther part. He then retired for the key: returned in five seconds, and requested that we would follow him up stairs.