LEGEND OF THEBEN.

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An interesting legend is connected with the slender tower still remaining perfect, and which hangs over the river, and commands the narrow passage cut in the rock beneath. A gay young knight, who dwelt in Theben many years ago, fell in love with one of the nuns of a neighbouring convent, carried her off, and made her his wife. To protect himself from the vengeance of the Church, whose rage this act of sacrilege had roused, he shut himself up in his strong castle, determined to defend his ladylove to the last extremity. Though unable to take the castle by force, the troops of the Church continued their blockade till starvation rendered it impossible to hold out longer. Unwilling to be separated from her he loved, and by whom his love was returned, for the nun was no unwilling bride, -and too well acquainted with the character of his enemy to expect mercy or forgiveness,-the knight of Theben led his mistress along the narrow ledge of rock which connects the solitary tower with the castle, gained its narrow stair and ascended to the battlements. One moment the lovers, locked in each other's arms, were seen to linger on the precipice, the next, and the Danube had buried in its thick waters two as fond hearts as ever beat. If cruel bigotry forbade that they should live together, its power failed to separate them in death. Having examined the castle, our party separated in pursuit of their different tastes and occupations. H— sat down to get a view of the ruins; Pro

fessor S shouldered his geological hammer, and set off for a fossiliferous rock* in the neighbourhood; and I submitted myself to the guidance of young Count S———— and M—, the deputy for W, who conducted me along the banks of the March to Schlosshof.

The imperial palace of Schlosshof is a large building, very plainly furnished, and remarkable only as having been formerly the residence of Prince Eugene, and more recently of the Duke de Reichstadt. On our return we found H with a sketch of the solitary tower, the professor with his bag stored with specimens, Prince HP, who had promised to spend the day with us, already arrived, and the whole party well prepared, though scarcely past mid-day, to do full justice to the roast fowls and pancakes, of which our dinner was composed. A row down to Presburg in the evening in one of the clumsy boats, which serve for wherries on the Danube, concluded a very pleasant day's excursion. The theatre of Presburg is as essentially German as any of those at Vienna. Though the regular company is but indifferent, we were fortunate

*The geological character of these rocks is curious. The range of the little Carpathians, which runs north from this point, is composed of granite in which large gangs of mica slate, chlorite slate, &c. frequently occur. At Theben, a black limestone is seen mixed with slate and quartz which is not stratified, and bears strong marks of being an igneous production. At a little distance occurs a soft new limestone, containing fossils of mammalia, reptiles, and shells.

THEATRE OF PRESBURG.

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enough to be there at the same time with Madame Schroeder, the best tragic actress on the German stage. This lady is now far from young; some say she is sixty years of age, though I can hardly believe it, for she seems still possessed of all her power: we saw her in Lady Macbeth, Medea, Schiller's Braut von Messina, and other pieces, and I do not think it possible that the representation of strong passion can be more perfectly given than by Madame Schroeder. The scene in the Braut von Messina, in which she first sees her dead son, is perhaps the very finest piece of acting I ever saw.

Near the Au is an arena, or theatre in the open air, which, as the price of entrance is very low, and the gentlemen are allowed their pipes, is a fashionable lounge in the summer evenings. It requires all the attractions of the open air to render this place tolerable; for the pieces, half farce, half pantomime, are coarse and stupid in the extreme. I was struck by the observation of a sturdy patriot, near whom I happened to be standing, when some indecent innuendo drew from him a long puff of smoke and a 66 - teremtete," that "if the Government would occupy itself with restraining such exhibitions as these, which stultify and demoralize the spectators, and substitute something better for them, it might find plenty to do without instituting processes

* Madame Schroeder, the tragic actress of Vienna, must not be confounded with her daughter Madame Schroeder Devrient, the well-known prima donna of Dresden.

against every man who wishes to raise the people to the common rights and privileges of humanity."

As we returned from the arena, and were quietly discussing an ice, at one of the cafés on the public walk, our companions pointed out to us some of the most important personages then in Presburg, who were enjoying the cool evening air, after the feverish debates of the morning in the chambers. There they were, simple deputies, proud magnates, and stately bishops, passing and repassing under the pleasant shade of the acacias, as their names, titles, and dignities, were made known to us. The most part of them soon escaped our memories, for the public men of Hungary, as well as the affairs of the country, are so little known in England, that almost every name was new to us. One person, however, particularly arrested our attention: he was a man of about the middle height, but formed in Herculean mould. A large quantity of black hair and beard almost concealed his features, but a strongly marked nose, and a deeply sunk, yet most brilliant eye, were sufficient to indicate no ordinary character. It was the Baron Wesselényi Miklós, the leader of the ultra-liberal party, and then under trial for high treason. I never saw a countenance more expressive of serious thought, high moral courage, and determined resolution. If there be any truth in physiognomy, the government will gain little by persecuting such a man as Baron Wesselényi. We were much struck with the respect with which

BOOKSELLERS.

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every one seemed to regard him; scarce a hat but was raised as he passed; and among the young men it was easy to perceive looks of the deepest interest and admiration.

It was curious to listen to the different salutations of the promenaders. There was every variety, from the simple "wie geht's" of the German trader, to the pompous "servus, domine spectabilis," of the Catholic priests. The Hungarian generally contents himself with a "servus, barátam;" a mixture of Latin and Magyar, from which, though he makes the greatest efforts, he cannot quite escape. Among the churchmen, Latin is still sometimes the medium of conversation; among the nobles, Magyar or German is most common; and among the ladies, German or French. The trading classes, of course, speak the language of the people amongst whom they happen to be, but I believe all commercial correspondence is carried on in German.

I have often thought that a glance at the booksellers' shops gives a more correct idea of the state of education in a country, than the most profound disquisitions on its schools and universities. If my notion is correct, Presburg ought to rank pretty high in literary estimation; for in a tour which we made one day through the warehouses of five or six of the chief booksellers, we were astonished at the number and excellence of the books they contained. They were not only rich in Hungarian and German works, but contained almost everything of