patriots of Shakspeare, Byron, Scott, and Bulwer,” were presented with bouquets of flowers and bottles of Tokay, in order to show us the beauty and richness of the land we were visiting, and to strengthen us against the difficulties of our rude journey! With what eyes we looked at each other as we finished this letter I leave the reader to fancy, when he reflects that it came from a person unknown, who had never seen us, and that we received it in a place where we had remained only a few minutes, where we had no acquaintance, and where apparently our very names were unknown. After the first exclamations of surprise were over, we both dropped into a musing silence, in which I would not swear that soft dreams of conquest, fond visions of youth and beauty, may not perchance have floated across our minds; for, though our fair correspondent had expressly said " she never had seen and probably never should see us,” it is hard to check the course of a day-dream when vanity leads the way. But, lack-a-day! dreams will end in waking sadness. Spenser was assuredly right: “ He is not fit for love, and we, alas! must e'en babble of our bliss when we arrived at M-, and that too before women. Ah, cruel fair ! — they insisted on seeing the letter: ah, fatal weakness !—we yielded to their commands. Never shall I forget the wicked smile of the Coun 448 THE DISAPPOINTMENT. tess, as the letter was handed back with a thousand felicitations on our good fortune; with repeated assurances that she knew the lady well, though of course “the name was inviolable, but,” she added, “I may venture to tell you that she is a person of considerable talent, highly respectable, a great admirer of English literature, and one whose good opinion from her advanced age is entitled to great respect!” Poor wounded vanity was at once banished from the scene, and noble patriotism—how oft the last resource of disappointed vanity !-was forced to take its place. We forthwith felt enchanted that our country's fame should have extended to these distant lands, and should have been reflected, however unworthily, on the humblest of her sons ! CHURCH OF KIRCHDRAUF. 449 CHAPTER XVI. The Church of Kirchdrauf. — Cholera Troubles in Zips. — The Stadt-Hauptmann of Eperies.-Kaschau. - Austrian Officers.Stephan's Dismissal. - Mines of Schmölnitz. Cement wasser. - German Settlers. — Rosenau. - Mustaches. — Castle of Murány. - Wesselényi's Wooing of Szécsi Maria. — Requisites for Travelling in Hungary. - Cavern of Aggtelek.- A Bivouac. Miskolcz. – Tokay. - The Theiss. The Wine of Tokay. We spent a couple of days very agreeably at M- in visiting the wonders of the neighbourhood. The old castle of Zips, the stronghold at times of some of the most formidable enemies of Austria,—Zápolya, Bethlen, Rákótzy, and Tököly, -is now a possession of the Csákys, but is fast falling to ruin. Some parts of it exhibit marks of considerable beauty; and, what is rarely the case in Hungary, a pretty chapel is contained within its walls. At Kirchdrauf, not far from the castle of Zips, we visited a beautiful Gothic church, containing some interesting monuments, and belonging to the chapter of that place. In the sacristy were some gold sacramental cups, worked in a style that would not have discredited the chisel of Benvenuto 2 G VOL. I, 450 CHURCH OF KIRCHDRAUF. Cellini, and ornamented most richly with precious stones. The old beadle sighed as he showed them, for he said they were nothing to what had formerly been there; “ but the Emperor robbed”—yes, the irreverent old beadle, in his zeal for the honour of his church, called the Emperor's borrowing à robbery!-"all the best of them to bribe the Frenchmen to leave Vienna." We visited one of the jovial Dom Herrn, who insisted on our tasting some of the church's Tokay, for these happy prebends have a vineyard on those blessed Hegyalla hills; and excellent, as I can attest, is the fruit thereof, and very fit to comfort a Dom Herr's stomach in his old age. . We noticed in many parts of this county, but particularly in this neighbourhood, a great number of gibbets, from each of which several bodies were dangling. It appears that in 1831, when the cholera first broke out in Hungary, the Sclavack peasants of the north were fully persuaded they were poisoned by the nobles, to get rid of them; and they in consequence rose in revolt, and committed the most dreadful excesses. The gentleman who related these circumstances to us, had been himself a sufferer. He was seized by the peasants of the village, among whom he had been, up to that moment, exceedingly popular; dragged from his house to the public street; and there beaten for several successive hours, to make him confess where he had concealed the poison. At last, wearied with the OUTRAGES IN THE ZIPS. 451 trouble of inflicting blows, they carried him to the smithy, and applied hot ploughshares to his feet three different times. As the poor man, exhausted with this dreadful torture, and finding all his entreaties and explanations vain, fell back from weakness, and was apparently about to expire, those beautiful words of our dying Saviour escaped from his lips, “ Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do!”—as by a miracle, the savage rage of the peasantry was calmed. Struck at once with the innocence of the victim, and the enormity of their crime, they fled on every side, and concealed themselves from view. It was now four years since this had happened, and his wounds had healed only within the last month or two. In other parts of the county, scenes yet more dreadful occurred. It is pleasant, amid such horrors, to record an act of noble courage on the part of a poor peasant. The Lord Lieutenant, in attempting, without arms, to quiet the assembled crowd in a village not far from where we were staying, was struck from his horse by a stone, when the whole crowd fell upon him to accomplish his death. Fortunately, a poor shoemaker who saw his danger, rushed forward; and throwing himself upon him, declared he would have the pleasure of murdering him himself; but at the same time whispered to the Count that he was in the hands of a friend. Protecting him in this way from the crowd, he imprisoned him in his own cottage till night secured his retreat. I need |