MARKSBURG.

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sick, and the blood runs cold, at the fiendish reality of thescene.

Thence we passed into the ancient " Speis-Kammer"(Dinner Chamber), and this was so rüde in its construetion,that it seemed more like some long monastic cell than abaronial banquetting-hall. After that we entered the ancient"Rittersaal" (Knights' Hall)—now the state-prison of theduchy of Nassau; here the old hall had been partly walledoff, so as to form a small, and—after the other Chambers —not very unpleasant-looking apartment: it was destitute of allfurniture, however, like the rest of the rooms, and utterlydevoid of ornament, the walls being merely ochre-washed,so as to form a striking contrast in their bareness and sim-plicity with the modern Ritter-saal at Stolzenfels. The onlyremarkable feature about it, indeed, was, the bay-window atone side of it, which was as spacious as if it were an ante-room.

Adjoining the Ritter-saal was another strong room, andthe white walls of this were covered with rüde frescoesdrawn by the prisoners who had been, within the last Century,inmates of the place. These were similar in execution to thesketches which used, years ago, to decorate the walls of our owndebtors' prisons. Some of the pictures consisted of figures ofwarriors and princes, while others were of a ludicrous ratherthan a chivalrous nature; such as wooden-legged fiddlerswith dancing countrymen, and publicans with cans of beer:beside these was a man riding 011 a goat, together withescutcheons bearing the arms of some of those who had beenincarcerated in the cell. Moreover, there were inscriptions—a few of which were in verse—recording the imprisonment ofthe writers at different periods.

This ended all that was to be seen within the Castle itself;but before we cpuitted we were led to the ramparts in front of