11th. Quitting Mayence, we drove on along the flat and sandy banks of the Rhine, through Oppenheim to Worms, from the time of Charlemagne and the Frankish kings, till the days of Luther, the scene of brilliant fêtes, princely tourneys, and solemn diets of the empire,—now a dismal mass of ruin and desolation. The lofty nave and the four steeples of its ponderous gothic cathedral, when seen from a distance, rise with an imposing grandeur in the level plain of the Rhine; but, on a nearer survey, the church itself offers nothing of interest. We dined at Frankenthal, a neat and clean little town in Rhenish Bavaria, and then drove on through Oggersheim to Mannheim, where we crossed the Rhine over a fine bridge of boats. The streets of this town are remarkably broad and clean; the houses are lofty, and being built in small compact squares, all the streets meet at right angles, and generally afford at their openings a very pretty peep at the distant country, so that one imagines the surrounding scenery to be finer than it really is. The Planken, or chief street, traverses the town in a straight line from gate to gate, and forms a fine wide walk between two rows of acacias, which is chained in from the carriage road on each side.
The four leagues from Mannheim to Heidelberg are through a country, not one spot of which is uncultivated; this is backed by the finely wooded mountains of the Odenwald, on which are still visible the remains of some of the many castles which formerly crowned the different heights. We reached Heidelberg towards evening, and as soon as I had seen Sir Humphry comfortably lodged in the hotel of the Prince Carl, immediately under the imposing ruins of its far-famed castle, he begged me to go and see my mother, he being too fatigued to accompany me; and on my doing so, I found that my letter, which should have informed her of my approach, had not yet reached her.
12th. Sir Humphry finding himself too indisposed either to visit the university, or to receive any of its eminent professors, some of whom are very desirous to visit him, has determined to remain here only till tomorrow; for it is painful to him to know that he is surrounded by scientific men anxious to see and communicate with him, and to feel that he is no longer able to enjoy their society, or that scientific discussion, which, as it was formerly a source of the highest gratification to him, "now," he says, "only serves to make me feel that I am but the shadow of what I was." It is in vain to combat with such feelings, but it is impossible not to regret their existence; for could Sir Humphry be persuaded occasionally to mix more frequently in such society, it would certainly rather be of service to him than not, for his fine mind is still full of intellectual power and elasticity, and he deceives himself in thinking otherwise. In the afternoon, as he did not feel strong enough to mount the hill to the castle, he took a short walk over the bridge along the northern banks of the Neckar, and appeared much to enjoy the beautiful scenery that encircles this spot, and is indeed every where to be found around Heidelberg. From this side one sees the ancient ruin with its mouldering towers, backed by a lofty amphitheatre of finely wooded mountains, with the town standing immediately under it, and the broad river rushing through its light and airy bridge, often foaming over many a rugged rock. The scene at all times is beautiful and imposing, but when lighted up by the rays of the setting sun, which fall with a resplendent glow upon the red-stone walls and towers of the castle, the effect produced is very striking, and at that hour it is impossible for the most indifferent observer to pass the spot without admiration. The castle itself is now in a very dilapidated state, for with the exception of the chapel, which is merely a bare and lofty hall, there remains scarcely one entire room; but the exterior walls of the quadrangle are nearly perfect, and much of the sculpture that every where adorns the ruin is still in high preservation, and some of the ruined towers, as such, are very beautiful. The gardens too, which, from their situation, sweeping as they do around the hill on which the castle stands, and abounding in fine large trees, are at once commanding and beautiful, afford many a delightful walk and striking view of the country beneath; and wandering amid their risings and descents, one feels that here art has been considered as she really is, the handmaid, not the mistress of nature's works. From some of the terraces one looks directly down upon the town, having a fine view beyond of the fertile plain between it and Mannheim, through which the Neckar is seen winding till it joins the Rhine, which, with the distant Vogesian mountains, bounds the view in the west.
Heidelberg contains about 12,000 inhabitants, and has of late years become a favourite resort of strangers. The university library is considered to be one of the richest in Europe in ancient manuscripts, and were the sovereign of the state a more liberal patron than he is of learning and science, doubtless the museums and public institutions would be more liberally endowed than they are; there is, however, an excellent anatomical museum in the school for medicine, and so long as such names as those of Thibaut, Tiedemann, Gmelin, Schlosser, and various others whose works evince their talent, shall be found amongst the list of its professors, so long must Heidelberg hold a deservedly high rank in the learned and scientific world, and open a wide field of advantage and instruction to all young men anxious to avail themselves of such opportunities; nor will any impartial judge deny, that amongst its students many highly honourable examples of talent and application are found.
13th. We this morning bade adieu to Heidelberg, and set off for Neckargemünd. Sir Humphry very much admired the winding river and its picturesque banks, though the woods were yet leafless, and the rocks rather bare; whilst I could see no spot that did not, in one way or another, recall to my mind the many social and happy days I had spent in roving through the green woods, and among the mouldering castles of the Neckar. From Neckargemünd we struck across the country to Wiesenbach and Sinsheim, and from thence through very pretty but not striking scenery to Fürfeld, where we entered the kingdom of Würtemberg, and on to Heilbronn. This old town offers nothing interesting save the old square tower in the walls on the Neckar, formerly the prison of the celebrated Götz of the Iron Hand, who, it is said, died within its walls. The doughty champion will probably live in the remembrance of the good people of Heilbronn, only so long as the old tower which bears the name of the Götzen Thurm continues to stand; but the fame of Götz von Berlichingen will never die but with the extinction of German literature, handed down as it is to posterity by the master-hand of Göthe. The drive from Heilbronn to Oehringen is very beautiful, over hill and dale, and from valley to valley through the mountains. The first little village which we passed was Weinsberg, and above it, on a hill covered with vineyards, are the remains of the castle of Weibertreue (Woman's faith.) This spot was the scene of the action celebrated in Bürger's admired ballad, Die Weiber von Weinsberg—The Women of Weinsberg.
"Wer sagt mir an wo Weinsberg liegt
Soll seyn ein wack'res Städtchen," &c. &c.
the story of which is founded on the following fact:—During the time of the deadly feuds between the houses of Hohenstaufen and Guelph, about the year 1140, Weinsberg was besieged and taken by the Emperor Conrad. The town and castle had excited his high displeasure for having afforded an asylum to his enemy Guelph, and he determined to destroy them with fire and sword, and said he would only allow the women to depart, and take any treasure with them.
At dawn of day the gates of the town were opened, and every woman appeared carrying her husband upon her back. Many of his officers, indignant at thus seeing the enemy's garrison escape, endeavoured to persuade the Emperor to evade his promise, but Conrad replied, "an Emperor's faith once pledged was not to be broken;" and he granted them a free pardon, and from that time the castle of Weinsberg has borne the name of Weibertreue.
We did not reach Oehringen till eight o'clock; and then found the only decent inn in the town in great confusion, owing to the exhibition of a cabinet of wax-work, which had attracted all the waiters and chambermaids, so that it was with great difficulty I could obtain even hot water to make our tea.