three more castles now claim our attention; they were all places of great importance. bischofstein appears to have been, as its name denotes, garrisoned for [236]the bishop (of trèves), while thuron and ehrenburg were held by adherents of the count palatine, or other enemies of the elector of trèves.
pursuing our course down the river, we left moselkern by a path running through gardens, whose hedgerows are vines trained on a lattice-work. we found the peasants digging up fine potatoes, so congratulated them on their crop, and also on the appearance of the grape bunches; but people are never satisfied, and they said, “yes, it is very good for the wine, and the corn, and potatoes, but the garden greens are all burnt up with the sun:” we thought of the wretched farmer, whose potatoes were all so large there were no little ones for the pigs.
bischofstein is finely placed on a spur of the rugged mountain; beneath it is a chapel and farmhouse: vines grow in the castle-yard, and wherever a shelf of level ground can be made into soil fit for their cultivation.
there is a great white stripe round the middle of the tower, which the popular belief attributes to a deluge which submerged all the valley, and only stayed its course when half up the tower of this castle; the account given in the following tale is more probable:—
[contents]
the bishop’s sermon.
the country round bischofstein was swarming with robber-knights and pillagers of every degree, to such an extent, that the archbishop johann of trèves sent [237]out a strong band of knights, who took up their abode in the castle of bischofstein.
the knights stayed the ravages, and soon the robbers found their occupation gone, and good living on plunder a thing of the past; so they took counsel together as to what should be done.
the robbers determined that bischofstein must be taken and the knights in its garrison slain; therefore, with the utmost secrecy, a plan was concocted by which they succeeded in entering the castle by stealth: thus they were able to seize on the knights and their servants, and they slew every one.
a poor peasant who was in the fort contrived to escape, and he carried the tidings to the archbishop, who sent out an army, which arrived at the fort and found all the robbers sleeping, quite drunk: these they quickly despatched, and the fort was regarrisoned.
then the bishop johann caused a white line to be made round the wall of the tower, that all rogues should see, and by noting the fate of the robbers preserve themselves from the stern hand of justice. “thus,” said the bishop, “i preach them a sermon by which evildoers from sin may be saved; if they heed not this warning, the sword must preach in its turn.”
hatzeport, which we pass on the way to the castle of ehrenburg, is a well-built, well-to-do place, with a fine church. it stands at the entrance of one of the innumerable valleys that break the great ridges of mountain that shut in the course of our river. [238]
crossing from thence to the village of brodenbach, we enter a gorge of the hills which conducts us to the beautiful valley, at the far end of which the castle of ehrenburg seems hanging in air.
the contrast of the sweet smiling valley, with its brook murmuring along, makes the stern fortress more gloomy. leaving the valley, we gradually ascend by a footpath, until at length we reach where the draw-bridge formerly stood; now there is but the stone pillar that used to sustain it.
some rough steps lead up to the gate-tower, and a ring at the bell brought a chubby-faced child, that looked much out of place amid the ruins. we entered, and an old dreamy man took the place of the child; he led us through a ruined garden that surrounded a tower of immense thickness, entering which he slowly led us by a winding road, that would admit six men to mount abreast, up to the summit of the tower.
to our surprise we now were on a piece of level ground; this tower, which was the only entrance, having been built on a lower ledge of rock.
the garden we were in was neatly kept and full of vegetables; at its extremity stood the castle, from the centre of which, and on a still higher piece of rock, the donjon keep, with its twin towers, rose up: these towers are circular, and joined by a double wall.
all round outside the walls was air; the valley seemed far away: for hundreds of feet, a pebble that [239]we dropped fell down, striking nothing till it came into the depths of the valley. much of the ruin still remains, and the old man showed us how we might ascend to the top of the twin towers.
there we sat wrapped in solitude, the valleys far beneath us, and the hills spread out like a raised map, with here a tint of green where trees should be, and there a grey patch for rock, while over them shone out a bit of molten silver where our river flowed: so was the whole country charted out for us, and here for hours we sat, our senses drinking with delight from the pure well of fresh, sweet pleasure raised by our most novel situation.
the old man sat still beneath us; and the records in our hand told us what the old guide could not, the legends of the place.
the knights of ehrenburg were vassals of the great counts of sponheim, and very powerful in council and war; the last of the race was count frederick, who, according to the chronicle of limburg, burnt down a great part of coblence: his reason for so doing appears in the following legend:—
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the last knight of ehrenburg.
count frederick of ehrenburg was the last of his race, his father had died while he was yet young. feeling his castle to be lonely without a companion, he looked far and near to find a fair lady whom he might love and bring home to be mistress of ehrenburg. [240]
having found a suitable lady, he begged her hand from her father, saying that he would give her his castle, his name, and his sword as a dower; but the grim old warrior replied, that though his castle was strong and name great, yet his sword was too bright, too glittering, and new; and added, that his daughter’s husband must be able to show some marks of hard fighting on sword or on person. the old warrior further suggested that the young count should burn coblence, as he had a feud with that town.
count frederick retired and collected his friends, with whom he made many inroads on the burghers of coblence, and at length he succeeded in burning a part of the town.
he immediately repaired to his loved lady’s castle, when, to his great annoyance, he found the fair one was flown. having heard of her father’s wicked promise, that he would give her in marriage when coblence was burnt, she had retired from the world, and in a nunnery was endeavouring to atone for the crime of her father.
the young count raged and swore, and eventually took to his bosom a different lady, but no children were granted them, so he was the last of his race.
the records go on to relate how this last count, having no son of his own, adopted one of the sons of a friend; this boy’s name was walter, and he met with the adventure described in the tale called— [241]
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the timely warning.
it was carnival in coblence—all the world was there; the streets were thronged with masks, shows and processions were in all the public places; music, dancing, and merriment, reigned supreme.
walter, the adopted son of the count of ehrenburg, longed to visit the gay scene, but the count had never yet permitted him to go so far away; at length, by dint of importunity, he got leave to set out, but was strongly cautioned to meddle with no one, and avoid all disputes or quarrels: with two stout men-at-arms he went forth.
when arrived at coblence, he went first to an hotel by the shore; in the windows of this hotel stood the young count of isenburg with a beautiful girl, and many of the count’s servants were loitering about the doors of the inn.
the count of isenburg, on seeing young walter, commenced forthwith to mock him, and sneered at the lad’s scanty retinue. walter was angry, but, remembering his promise not to quarrel or fight, strode into the house without saying a word.
walter had nearly forgotten the incident, and was gazing on the gay crowd that moved to and fro over the old moselle bridge and in the road under his windows, when a soft low knock came to the door. on opening he found the beautiful girl that he had seen by the side of count isenburg; she hastily entered, [242]and said, “noble youth, you must hasten away, for the count is now gone into the town to excite the townspeople against you, and unless you depart with great speed, the people, who hate your family, will certainly seize you.” she added that, like him she addressed, she did not belong to a noble family, but her father being count isenburg’s vassal, she was forced to dissimulate and receive his attentions till she could make her escape.
she had scarcely done speaking when the count appeared in the doorway, his naked sword in his hand, and fury flashing out from his eyes. “what dost thou here, venal wench!” he cried out; “how darest thou speak to this bastard?” then, running at walter, he sought to slay him while off his guard.
but walter, hastily drawing his sword, not only parried his thrusts, but wounded him sorely; then, whispering adieu to the girl wallrade, who had given him so kind and timely a warning, he sought out his servants, and rode forth from the town, not without some sharp exchanges of blows between them and the coblencers, who were collecting in haste to oppose their outgoing.
the count of isenburg and a party of citizens followed soon after, and besieged the castle of ehrenburg; but the garrison mocked them, and when the besiegers retired, they advanced upon coblence, and burnt down the suburbs.
walter contrived to rescue from durance the girl wallrade, who, together with her father, had been [243]thrown into prison; but the chronicle does not relate whether he married his fair preserver or no.
after an afternoon spent at ehrenburg we returned to the village of brodenbach, where there are several clean little inns.
the great castle of thuron well merits its name of “the throne castle;” it stands on the heights above alken, which is a considerable village at a short distance from brodenbach.
at alken.
at alken.
[244]
at alken, and in the vicinity, many roman coins, coffins, and pieces of armour, have been found; so it is probably a place of considerable antiquity. it is sheltered by a bold rock that juts into the stream, and was connected with the castle of thuron by a line of towers, which still remain standing in the surrounding vineyards.
on the preceding page we have given a sketch of one of the little chapels, with a line of shrines on each side of the steps that lead up to it; these shrines and chapels form a leading feature in the moselle scenery. nestled under the side of the hill on which the great castle of thuron stands, this little chapel, with its sharp-pointed spire, is in fine contrast to the huge cliff and massive walls; but there is a look of age about it and the old houses near which renders the whole scene in perfect keeping.
on leaving the river to explore our way up to thuron, we enter one of those beautiful valleys into which the hills so constantly break; a clear trout-stream runs through it, and the mountains close it in on all sides.
one or two labourers are past, a “good day” exchanged, and then we commence the ascent, which is long and steep. the path lies through a wood, and not a single person did we meet in our walk, after leaving the valley, until on the top of the hill we found some wood-gatherers. here the castle with its two towers appeared; it is the most stately ruin we ever saw, very extensive, grandly placed, and so inaccessible, [245]that when we arrived at the base of its outer wall we could not get in.
thuron castle.
thuron castle.
at last we managed to scramble through a window, and then luxuriated in the great ruin; blocks of stone and bushes usurp the ancient place of knights and ladies, and no sound is heard but the song of birds. [246]this castle was built by the count palatine henry, in 1209, after he came back from the holy land; he was the delegate of his brother, the emperor otho iv., and he exercised a sovereign power over the countries adjoining the moselle. he often resided in his new castle, and had many feuds with the archbishops of trèves and cologne, who enjoyed certain rights of sovereignty in alken.
these discords gave rise to the celebrated siege of thuron. it is celebrated, not so much for the deeds of valour there carried on, as for the extraordinary quantity of wine there drunk,—no less than three thousand cartloads having been consumed by the besiegers alone.
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siege of thuron.
the knight zorn commanded for the count palatine in his strong castle of thuron, when the archbishop of trèves advanced and laid siege to it. the commander of the castle, who was supported by a brave garrison, amply provisioned, laughed the besiegers to scorn.
finding they made no progress, the archbishop’s commander sent to the archbishop of cologne for assistance. this was willingly granted, and the united armies blockaded the castle. zorn expected daily that they would deliver an assault, but to his surprise, day after day and night after night went by, and no movement took place in the camps of his enemies; eating and drinking seemed their sole occupation.
every house in the neighbourhood was ransacked [247]by the troops of the church, and every cellar was emptied; carts also arrived in long strings, bringing great butts of wine. thus they went on drinking and singing, while zorn from above looked on astonished at these most unusual proceedings.
occasionally a herald arrived, and summoned zorn to surrender; but no assault was delivered.
the empty casks of the church were piled up in heaps, and at the end of two years they formed a mass which looked like a great fortress; and a message was sent to the castle, that if the garrison did not surrender they would continue to drink till the whole country was dry, and the empty casks sufficient to form a fortress larger and stronger than thuron.
zorn now agreed to capitulate, and at length it was settled, that he and his garrison should retire unmolested, that the soldiers of cologne should at once leave the country, and that the castle should be dismantled.
one unlucky personage appears to have been excluded from this pacific arrangement: this was a village magistrate, who had acted as spy for the besieged. he was taken by the conquerors, and a rope having been stretched over the ravine, between the castle and the hill of bleiden, he was suspended at an immense height from the ground.
another version of this story makes the magistrate-spy to walk across ropes so stretched over the valley; and it is added, that he accomplished the feat, and in gratitude built the chapel which we see (now in ruins) on the hill to the right of the castle. [248]
the views from thuron are very extensive, a long reach of the river leads the eye back to the villages and cliffs we have past; undisturbed by those infesters of the rhine, who turn every place of interest on that river into a tea-garden, we can here enjoy our meditations without hindrance, and muse our fill.
the bird and the ruin.
i gazed on an ancient keep;
its hoary turrets high,
and its gloomy dungeons deep,
its mould’ring cistern dry,
all seemed to me to say,
“behold in our decay
“an emblem of mortality!”
whilst thus i mused and gazed,
a little bird upsprang,
to heaven its voice it raised,
and thus it sweetly sang:
“on earth all creatures die,
“but in the holy sky
“is love and immortality.”