RIESBECK’s TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.

97

the lower ftory is tenanted entirely by Italian mafters. The befl pifture is a Cupid in theaft of drawing his bow, by Corregio. It was bought for 18,000 ducats, by the Empe-ror Charles VI . but with many other piftures had been entirely neglefted and troddenunder foot, fo that part of it was entirely fpoilt, but what remains is Corregio ftill. Theupper ftory is tenanted by the Flemifh mafters, who, as in duty bound, do not keep com-pany with the Italians . The gallery is open to every body three days in the week.

About a mile and a half from the city, in a fenny hollow, you meet with Schonbrurm,the fummer refidence of the Emprefs, but where the confined profpeft and bad air didnot allow me to flay two days. The palace is immenfe, built in a truly great ftyle ;the furniture, too, is truly imperial; there is one room fumifhed with tapeftry from theGobelins , that coft 300,000 guilders; here too is the menagerie of wild beafts, fo delight-fully fung by Metaitafio. The moft remarkable I faw, was a true elephant of the largebreed from India; it was fent as a prefent from the Stadtholder , who gave io,oco guil-ders for it. On an eminence behind the palace the Emperor has built a Jala icrrena inthe ancient ftyle, with two rows of pillars on each fide. This points out the fpot wherehis mother fhould have built, if {he had chofen to have had a fine profpeft and goodair. When the Emprefs is here, fhe fees only capuchins and old court ladies. This islikewife a place of public amufement, as the garden is always open, as is the palace alfo,at all fuch times as the Emprefs is not there.

The Kalteberg, which lies on the Danube , about three miles from the city, pleafed meinfinitely more ; the way to it is through a wonderfully well cultivated country. Atfome diftance to the left, on the Hope of the hill, and under fome very old oaks, you feefield marfhal Lacy’s elegant villa, with his Englifh garden. By degrees you gain a thickforeft on the brow of the hill; on the top of this ftands the Camaldeuleufe convent, inthe fineft point of view you can imagine. Under fome trees before the convent, are atable and fome benches, where the ladies, who cannot vifit the infide of the monaftery,without fpecial permiflion from the archbifhop, are entertained till their friends return.Every monk has his own feparate hut, with a little garden belonging to it. To the outercell there is a terrace which looks over a perpendicular precipice into the Danube , andcommands a profpeft of which a monk of this fort is quite unworthy. You have thewhole city like a ground plot under your feet; you think you hear the conftant hum init, and your eye carries you over this part of Auftria, as far as to the borders of Hun-gary and Moravia. The majeftic Danube winds through an immenfe-plain ; at fomediftance it confiderably widens, and, being covered with no woods or elevations, cafts afilver appearance on the landfcape. To your right, the wood crowned hill you are upongradually decreafes to the fuburbs, whilft to the left it ftretches its high neck along theDanube , to where, at three miles diftance, you fee the golden hill of Enferfdorf, whichproduces one of the beft Auftrian wanes. The numberlefs fine villages, the blue hillsfwimming on the horizon, and all the various afpefts of wood and water, diffufe a de-light, which impreffed me to fuch a degree, that I could not help communicating my en-thufiafm to the monk, who was near me. “ Happy,” fays I, “ muft be that brotherwho inhabits the outer cell.” “ No,” faid he, <e we are not of your opinion, none ofufe chufe to live in it, for it is too much expofed to the winds, and is as cold again asany other.” In a moment the man brought me out of my enthufiafm. You know Iam one of thofe, who in fummer never think of winter, and who hate nothing more thanto be forced to fee the ugly fide of things, be they as natural as they may, whilft I amtaken up with the beautiful ones. After having feen all that the monks had to fnew,hair ftiirts and all, w r e gave them money to fay a mafs for us, and haftened to our ladiesunder the trees. We had fent before us a cold collation, and fome bottles of Sbum-vol. vi. o laver