LETTER XLVIII.
SIR,Mentz, Aug. 20, 1732.
I have been up the Rhine from Bonn to Mentz, to avoid the disagreeable Passage over the Mountains of Wetteravia. I was not fatigu’d, but then I was pretty much chagrin’d. I landed at Lintz, a little Town in the Electorate of Cologne, on the right Side of the Rhine; and there I drank the excellent Wine of Bleickert, which is made near the Village of Huningen, about a League from this Town. The Liegeois, who know how to brew Wine as well as Beer, buy up a great Quantity of it, which they balderdash after their Manner, and sell for Burgundy. After I had fill’d my Bottles, I continued my Voyage, and arrived at Andernach, a little Town, which is a considerable Gainer by the Floats of great Timber that are brought hither, and sent from hence for Holland. Here is also a great Vent of Stone Jugs and Pitchers, and of the Mineral Water of
Dunchstein, which in the Summer is very much drank with Wine.
A little above Andernach, on the other Side of the River, there’s an abandon’d Seat belonging to the Count de Neuwidt, who lays up his Hunting-Equipage in it. The Vulgar have a Notion, that this House is haunted by the Devil; which is a sort of Superstition that is to be met with, more or less, in all Countries.
The little Town of Neuwidt gives its Name to a County of the Empire, where the Count has a very pretty House. This Nobleman, and his Subjects too, are[98]Calvinists. He married a Daughter of the late Count Alexander de Dhona, who was the King of Prussia’s Governor. She is a Lady highly to be valued for her Virtue, her Understanding, and her Behaviour.
The Rhine, which runs thro’ none but a plain Country from Neuwidt to Bonn, is, above that Place, pent up by Mountains so high, that they give me the frightful Remembrance of the Alps. These terrible Rocks are cultivated to the very Top, and produce excellent Wines. One can hardly take one’s Eyes off of them, there’s such a variegated Prospect of Vineyards, Woods, Towns, Villages, Gentlemen’s Seats, and Cottages.
The only Town of Consequence is Coblentz, in the Electorate of Triers, at the Conflux of the Moselle and the Rhine, in a fine Valley surrounded with noble Hills. The City is fenced with grand Walls and Ramparts. Its two Rivers
are a great Advantage to its Commerce, and to them ’tis obliged for all its Wealth. In this Town there reside several Persons of Quality, such as the Counts de la Leie, and de Metternich, the Barons de Walpol, and d’Oels. The Count de la Leie is a very rich Nobleman, lives high, and is very charitable; so that the Poor look upon him as their Father, and the Convents as their Supporter. He is a Gentleman of sound Piety, very great Politeness, and all his Behaviour is to the last Degree noble. He has an only Son by the Countess de Schonborn, Sister to the Elector of Triers, a young Gentleman of a lovely Presence, and whose Merit infinitely surpasses his Years.
The Fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, which is properly the Citadel of Coblentz, stands on the other Side of the Rhine. They reckon it impregnable, for this Reason, perhaps, because it was never taken. It is situate upon a high Mountain, or deep Rock, which stands in a manner by itself, and is on all Sides of very difficult Access. The Works are all of Stone, and several cut out in the Rock. There is a Cannon here, which, they say, is longer than the famous Culverin, that Lewis XIV. caused to be carried from Nancy to Dunkirk. The Palace of the Elector of Triers is at the Foot of this Fortress, in a Place which is very much pent up by the Rhine on one Side, and by a Rock on the other. It makes but a mean Appearance, and the Apartments are low, incommodious, and very much exposed to the Sun. Near this Palace is a little Town called Dahl, where live most of the Elector’s Domestics. This Quarter has a Communication with the City of Coblentz by a flying Bridge.
The present Bishop of Triers is Francis-George Count de Schonborn, who is the younger Brother of the Cardinal Bishop of Spires, and of the Bishop of Ramberg and Wurtzbourg. He is also Bishop of
Worms, and Abbat of Elwangen. He was elected Archbishop, when Francis-Lewis of Newbourg was translated from the Electorate of Triers to that of Mentz. This Prince is not tall, but very stout, and has a fine Aspect: He is affable, and very civil. His Courtiers assured me, that he was a very kind Master, and his Subjects seemed to be pleased with his Government. His Disbursements seem to me to be very moderate, and his Houshold not large.
From Coblentz I went to Sanckewerdt, which is the Foot of the Castle of Rhinfeldts, belonging to a Catholic Branch of the Family of Hesse. The Landgrave of Cassel was once in Possession of this Fortress, and claimed it as his Right, by Virtue of his being the eldest of the Family of Hesse. Upon this Occasion he was engaged in a great Law-Suit, but the Aulic Council gave a Verdict in Favour of the Prince of Rhinfeldts, and the Troops of Hesse Cassel were by an Imperial Commission turn’d out. A Garison is actually kept here for the Emperor, and the Circle of the Upper Rhine. This Place is reckoned one of the most important upon the Rhine, over which River here is a Passage by a flying Bridge.
As I still went up the River, I came to Binger-Loch, a Name which is given to a Cascade, that the Rhine forms here between two Rocks. This is reckoned as the most dangerous Passage of all the Rhine, though there’s no Danger to be apprehended, unless the Watermen are drunk with Wine; which is too commonly the Misfortune at this Place, where the Juice of the Grape costs little or nothing. Near to this Hollow, upon a Rock, in the midst of the Rhine, there’s the famous Rats-Tower; built, according to Tradition, by Hatto Bishop of Mentz, in the Year 969, to secure him from the Rats, which gnaw’d him as a
Punishment for his having burnt a considerable Number of poor People in a Barn, that came in a great Dearth of Provisions, to beg he would give them Bread; when this barbarous Prelate, hearing the Shrieks of those unfortunate Wretches in the Flames, ask’d his Courtiers if they did not hear the Rats cry? How improbable soever this Story may seem, ’tis as much believed by the Vulgar, as if it were an Article of Faith; insomuch that when I told my Watermen I questioned the Truth of the Fact, they said, that if I had any Doubt of it, I could not be a good Catholic. For my Part, I sincerely believe, that this Tower served heretofore as a Place of Toll, and, perhaps, for a Mainguard to a Castle, of which the Ruins are still to be seen, and in which ’tis said that Bishop Hatto dwelt, when he was obliged to retire to the Tower, where he was, nevertheless, gnaw’d by the Rats.
The little City of Bingen is not far from thence, on the left Side of the Rhine. ’Tis the most considerable of all the Rhingau, and ’tis thought to produce the best Rhenish Wine; for you are to know, that the Fashion of Wine alters, as well as of every thing else. Formerly the Wine of Bacharach was most in Vogue, and the French have not disdained to celebrate it in their drunken Catches; but now that Wine is no longer in request by the Wine-Conners, who are here so delicate, that if they do but wet their Lips, they can presently tell the Age and the Growth of any Wine that they taste. They say now, that the Wine of Bacharach is worth nothing, in comparison with the Wine of Ridelsheim, and of Johannesberg, Vineyards in the Rhingau: But for my Part, who have the Happiness not to be so nice, I thought the Wine of Bacharach very
good, and should not be sorry if I was obliged to drink that, and no other.
From Bingen to Mentz, the Rhine is very broad. This capital City of the first Electorate of the Empire is seated on the left Side of the Rhine, over which there’s a Bridge of Boats, that is pretended to be in the very same Place where Charlemaign caused one to be made of five hundred Paces in Length, in the Year 798. The Antiquarians of this City, in spite of the best Authors, will have it to be built by a Son of Japhet, or at least by a great Lord who escaped out of Troy. Be it as it will, ’tis very ancient, and has suffered, as almost all the Towns in the World have, great Revolutions. They say that St. Crescent, who was a Disciple of St. Paul, was its first Bishop. But what I know for a greater Certainty, is, that the Elector of Mentz is Archbishop, and Great Chancellor of the Empire. The Person who is now possessed of that eminent Dignity, is Philip-Charles, Baron of Eltz; who was chose unanimously on the Ninth of June last. He was a Capitular of the Metropolitan Churches of Mentz and Triers, Great Chanter of Mentz in the Year 1710, Suffragan to the Bishop of Triers, Provost of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Monstadt, a Privy Counsellor to the late Elector of Mentz, his Predecessor, and President of his Aulic Council. His Election by the Chapter of Mentz has been applauded by the whole Empire; but particularly by those who know this Prince’s Candour, and the Purity of his Morals. He succeeded Francis-Lewis of Neubourg, whose Predecessor was Francis-Lotharius, Count de Schonborn, who was also Bishop of Bamberg. This Prince, who has had this Dignity a long time, has caused his Capital City to be very much embellished, furnish’d it with good Fortifications, and put it into such a
Condition, that it may be looked upon as a powerful Bulwark of the Empire. The French had begun to fortify Mentz in 1688; and the Marshal d’Uxelles, who then commanded here for King Lewis XIV. put it into such a Condition, as to sustain a Siege of seven Weeks open Trenches against Duke Charles of Lorain, to whom he surrendered it by Capitulation. Most of the Works, cast up by the French, being only of Earth, were demolished, and others of Stone erected in their stead.
The Town is not airy, the Streets being narrow and crooked. There are some fine Houses here, particularly those of the Barons de Dalberg, Ingelheim and Rolling; but ’tis pity they are not in a better Situation.
The Metropolitan Church is an ancient Structure, which has nothing remarkable but its Treasury, one of the richest in Germany. I remember to have read in an old Chronicle of Bishop Conrade, that in his Time there was in this Treasury a Cross of Gold of six hundred Weight, adorned with Diamonds; and that at the Foot of the Cross, these Latin Words were engraved;
Auri sexcentas habet hæc crux aurea libras.
Whether there ever was such a Cross here, I know not; but I can assure you, there is none here now. The Chapter of this Church consists intirely of Persons of Quality, but they don’t admit Princes to it.
The Elector’s Palace would be a magnificent Pile, if the Whole was answerable to the new main Body of the Building, whose Apartments are commodious and grand, and enjoy one of the finest Prospects in the World.
That which most deserves a Traveller’s View in this City, is the Carthusians-house, one of the finest in Europe, as well for its Buildings, as its Situation. The Church belonging to it is small, but very neat; and the Pews of the Friers are most nicely carved in Wood. The Joiner’s Work is adorned with Sculpture, very well executed; which represents the Passages of the New Testament. The main Body of this Fabric fronts the Rhine, and there are Apartments commodious enough to lodge a Sovereign, and his Retinue. The Cloister is very spacious, and forms a perfect Square, with the Cells of the Carthusians round it, each of which, consists of four or five rooms, all upon one Floor; plainly, but neatly furnished. The Carthusians, after the Hours are over which they devote to spiritual Exercises, cultivate their own little Gardens, or employ themselves in the Work of Joiners, Turners, and the like useful and industrious Occupations.
It may be said, to the Praise of the Carthusians in general, that they always keep clear from the Intrigues of the World, the Converse of Women, and the Ambition of aspiring to Prelacies. They live in a manner, so as that tho’ they are not very serviceable to the Public, they cannot do it any Prejudice; which is what can scarce be said of the other Orders.
At the Foot of the Carthusians-house, which stands on a very high Hill, is the Palace and Garden of the Favorita, belonging to the Elector. Francis-Lotharius de Schonborn, caused this House to be erected; the Gardens of which are not extraordinary large, and may be call’d a Labyrinth of Grottos, Cascades, Summer-houses and Statues; but the Whole are heap’d, as it were, one upon another, and ranged with very little Fancy. There’s a Salon, accompanied with six Pavilions, detach’d
from it, disposed in such a manner, that from each Pavilion there’s a Prospect of the Rhine, the Main, and of all the fine Scenes of the Country on the other Side of those Rivers.
For the rest, ’tis a very dull City, as are almost all the Cities subject to the Ecclesiastical Princes. Nevertheless, there’s a great Number of Gentry here, but they scarce ever visit one another, except in Ceremony. The Men rarely visit the Ladies, and seem, to my Mind, to be fondest of the Bottle. One of the chief Diversions of the Inhabitants of Mentz is to go all the Summer long to some neighbouring Places where they use the Waters; such as Wisbade, Schwalbach and Schlangenbadt. And while these Waters are in Season, Mentz, Francfort, Darmstadt, and all the neighbouring Towns, look as if they were quite forsaken.
I was some Years ago at Schwalbach, and was very merry there. ’Tis a little Town, between the Hills, three Leagues from Mentz, and belongs to the Landgrave of Hesse-Rhinfelds. The Waters which are drank there, very much resemble those of Spa in Taste; but, I think, they are stronger. I am sure, that if Schwalbach was so happy as to be frequented for the sake of its Waters, by two or three English Gentlemen of Distinction, it would make a Fortune out of the People of that Country, and bear away the Purse from Spa. The Method of taking those Waters is altogether the same as at Spa; and they observe the same Regimen, but with much greater Mirth. For here is a great Room, where every body meets without Distinction of Persons, and where they play at all Sorts of Games; and it’s surrounded too with Shops, in which there are a thousand Sorts of fine Toys. Here is commonly a Ball, and sometimes a German Comedy, which
really, I think, is but indifferent; and here are often great Feasts, at which every one pays their Quota. But there are generally some Princes here to take the Waters, who make Entertainments for the Gentry.
Schlangenbadt, which is a League from Schwalbach, is a Place that consists properly of two great Houses, one belonging to the Elector of Mentz, and the other to the Landgrave of Hesse Darmstadt. Here they use the Hot Baths, which are extremely wholesome for relaxing the Nerves, and for the Stone. Barren Women also frequent this Place; but if they don’t take very great Care of themselves, they generally return pregnant.
This, Sir, is all the Account I can give you of Mentz, and its Neighbourhood. Having done all my Business here, I am making ready to be gone in a few Days. I propose to go back the same Way that I came, and as I fall down the Rhine, I hope in two Days to be at Cologne, from whence I shall proceed thro’ Dusseldorff towards Cleves. There I hope to have a Letter from you, than which nothing can be more welcome. I am, &c.
