44

HINTS of OCCURRENCES , &c.

of ftone coffins, having been difcovered in the laft century, the country people immediately fet about removingthem, and they are now univerfally ufed by the inhabitants of Nether-Lahnftein and its neighbourhood, as fmksfor their kitchens, as water-troughs and mangers for their cattle, or for any other purpofe to which they are appli-cable. Yet thefe people are extremely fuperflitious, and entertain the moft abfurd opinions and apprehenfionsabout fpirits and hobgoblins. With each coffin a lamp was depofited; and one inftance only hath occurred ofany diftin£tion, in which the coffin inftead of one, contained many lamps, accompanied with a bottle of wine;and I was confidently allured that fome part of the wine remained, and was very excellent, though it could nothave lain there lefs than five hundred years. Something like a pillar, which from its weight feemed to be folid,was formerly found by perfons digging near the caftle; being taken up, and appearing to be of no ufe or value,it was thrown by, and the boys of the neighbourhood amufed and exercifed themfelves for half a century in roll-ing it from place to place. This pradtice was continued till by long and repeated violence it burft, and difclofeda treafure of immenfe value ; for the fuppofed pillar turned out to be a tube curioufly clofed at the ends, andcompletely filled with pieces of pure gold of an odlagon form.

The great revolutions that have happened, and the long and frequent wars in which this country has keenengaged, might fairly account for the concealment of any treafure already found, or that accident may hereafterdifcover. And as Capelle was the occafional refidence of emperors and kings who were critically circumftanced,it may be reafonably prefumed that it has been, and perhaps ftill is the repofitory of much hidden treafure, andmany ancient and valuable curiofities. Marffial Turene made it for a confiderable time the quarter of his corpsde referve; the caftle was then habitable, and retained fome appearance of its ancient grandeur: but the Swedesunder Charles the twelfth, gave the finiffiing ftroke to its importance as a fortrefs, and to its remaining beautyas an edifice, by utterly demoliftiing what had efcaped the ravages of former wars. The Count de La Laye hasthe honour to be the prefent mafter of this beautiful and venerable ruin.

Before I had finiffied my outline, my nephew came to inform me that dinner was ready, and that a gentlemanwho fpoke French, and was bound for Coblentz, defired my permiffion to join us. I gladly confented, and heentered almoft at the fame inftant with the dinner. Being fenfible, well-bred, and perfedtly acquainted with thecountry, his company was at this time an agreeable acquifition; at an earlier ftage of my tour it would have beeninvaluable. It was his intention to have proceeded immediately towards Coblentz, but finding the purpofewhich brought me to Nether-Lahnftein would neceftarily detain me till the next day, he obligingly fubmitted toaccommodate himfelf to my convenience.

Though

-isaeasari