42

HINTS of OCCURRENCES , &c.

When fomething like a police was introduced, thefe old caftles were quitted for villages and towns; but the pro-perty, efpecially the land acquired by depredation and violence, continued to be annexed to the caftles. Hencethe origin of thofe numerous petty princes, with which Germany abounds, and who have lineally fucceeded eachother to the prefent time. When fyftems of public defence were adopted on a large fcale, or enterprizes ofambition, of great extent, were to be favoured, or counteracted, thefe petty fovereigns united, and graduallyinftituted thofe leagues from which the political conftitution of Germany arifes.

I intended before I returned to Ober-Lahnftein to have paid my refpe£ts to the hermits; but my attentionand curiofity had been fo taken up with the beauties of Lonach, that I kept no reckoning of time, and was con-fequently obliged to defer this gratification till the next day, which we had fixed upon for our departure.Nothing I had conceived of the fituation of the hermitage, did juftice to its real beauty: there is fcarcely anything charming in nature, that was not clearly feen from this delightful habitation. Many of the obje&s whichcontributed to render the profpeft from this place in a fuperior degree captivating, were too minute to be diftin-guifhed with much effeft from the caftle. The hermits themfelves appeared to be in full poffeffion of the twochief ingredients of happinefs—health of body and peace of mind ; and I took leave of them with a firm perfua-fion that their condition was more adapted to excite envy, than to move compaflion.

As foon as we returned to the inn (having before prepared for our departure) we defired to know the amountof our debt to the houfe; for they do not, like Englifh inn-keepers, furnifh bills of particulars to their guefts.The fum ftated by our hoftefs being greater than we expe&ed, and much more than ought, upon any calculation,to have been charged, we endeavoured to make her fenfible that we thought it unreafonable, and expe&ed anabatement; but inftead of complying, fhe put us out of all patience by affe&ing to underftand that we wereperfectly fatisfied. Having no other poftible means of redrefs, I fubmitted with fome relu&ance to folicit theinterpofition of the gentleman above ftairs, who being now convinced that we meant him no harm, had recoveredhis good humour, and very readily undertook the office of taxing our bill. He was not indeed wholly difinter-efted in bringing our landlady to fome degree of moderation in her method of charging. After duly confideringthe cafe on both fides, he determined that a fourth part of the bill fhould be taken off, to which the landladyaffented without hefitation ; and we all parted in perfe6t good humour with each other.

We now proceeded on our voyage down the Rhine, in the common paffage-boat, which we found, as ufual,crouded with paffengers ; but not a fingle perfon among them with whom we could hold the leaft converfation.We accompanied them only to the entrance of the river Lahn, which empties itfelf into the Rhine from the

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