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RIESBECR’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY, 45
flock which in the evening affembles round the hut, at the found of a flute, and which at
the moment I can think are my own, fleep upon a heap of hay far more tranquil than
you upon your hypochondriac down bed, and then enjoy the beauties of the rifing fun,
witha luxury and delight, which at operas, comedies, balls, and all the ufual places of
entertainment, you mult look forin vain. Sometimes I vifit a lake, in the bofom of a
high mountain, which charms my fight ftill more, if at break of day I find it mantled
over with a mift, Then with greater pleafure, I furvey the rifing fun drive, and difperfe
the mift into the valley, and the gilded mountain tops emerging high above it, now the
wind by degrees difcovers the lake like a mirrour, and the mift, like a night fpeétre,
creeps through the interftices of the mountain into fome neighbouring cliffs. ‘Then I
make a little voyage in a hollowed tree, which here mutt do the fervice of a fhip, and
breakfaft on exquifite butter and honey, in fome neighbouring peafant’s houfe, and
fmile when I think of you, who are ditting at your tea-table in your learned night-
gown, andrcritic night-cap, {wallowing with your tea, fome as watery ftale produc-
tion of the day, and from all that rot-gut ftuff, get {welled and puffed with wind, which
you vainly endeavour to difpel by rhubarb, and all the preparations of your medicine
cheft.
The part which is towards the town has the appearance of an immenfe pyramid ; but
it ftretches backwards into a rock, which is a milelong, and takes fix or feven hours to
walk round. A common traveller will reach the top in five hours, but the goat hunters,
whoclimb like cats, do it in three. ‘There is a profpect from it over all Bavaria, and
you may reckon nine lakes in fight. ‘The moft charming part of the profpect, is the
principality of Berchtoldfgaden, which lies to the fouth of the mountain, and confifts of
a woody wall encompafled round with vaft heights of the anoft picturefque granate,
Amongit them the Watzman is diftinguifhed by its perfectly conical appearance. ‘Tae
appearance of the lakes around the dark woods have an unf{peakably fine effet. ‘The
profpeét into fome of the neighbouring vallies of Saltzburg, is not lefs beautiful.
This mountain feems a proof of the truth of the fyftem taken up by Mr. Buffon, with
regard to mountains. It confifts of a mafs of granate, worked into the foil, in the decli«
vities and depths of which, here and there fand and chalk-ftone lie as if floated in water.
The lower parts of the mountain are well wooded, and it has fome yery good mines of
red and white marble. From one of thefe mines there is a fine profpect of the town ;
at fome diftance from them, in a wide gap of the mountain, there is a very remarkable
water fall. A rapid ftream (which in {pring when the fnow begins to melt, muft be
much larger than it is now) breaks out from a cleft of the rock; which you enter by
means of fome artificial f{teps. In the cleft, where one fhivers with cold, you hear in the
infide of a mountain a dull rumbling like far diftant thunder. Probably the mountain
has fome lake in its bofom, into which the {now and rain water preeipitating from above,
occafion the noife. There is not a doubt but this internal body of water muft in time
prove deftructive to the mountain. ‘The tradition of the country is, that the Emperor
Charles the Great and his whole army, are confined and fhut up in this mountain until
Doomfday, and will continue till then amufing themfelves with this terrible noife. On
a certain day of the year, about midnight, the Emperor is to be feen with his train of
minifters and generals, going in proceflion to the cathedral of Saltzburg. Were it not
that you are fo well acquainted with the wonders to be met in the Sierra Morena at the ~
mouth of the Quadiana, I could lay before you a legally attefted account of wizards,
‘whofe white beards by length of time, have grown ten or twenty times about the table
on which they lie fleeping in the mountain, and of hermits a thoufand years old, wha
have led ftrayed goat-hunters through fubterraneous paflages, and fhewn them fairy
palaces of gold and precious ftones. From the cleft whence the fpirit of the great
Chartes
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