Who, in reviving Reason’s lucid hours,
Sought on one boo, his troubled mind to rest,
And rightly deem’d—the Book of God the best.”
The HISTORY of ANTIOCHUS and STRATONICE.
Antiochus, a Prince of great hopes, fell passionately in love with the young Queen Stratonice who was his mother-in-law, and had bore a son to the old King Seleuchus his father. The Prince finding it impossible to extinguish his passion, fell sick, and refused all manner of nourishment, being determined to put an end to that life which was become insupportable.
Erasistratus, the physician, soon found that love was his distemper; and observing the alteration in his pulse and countenance, whensoever Stratonice made him a visit, was soon satisfied that he was dying for his young mother-in-law. Knowing the old King’s tenderness for his son, when he one morning inquired of his health, he told him, that the Prince’s distemper was love; but that it was incurable, because it was impossible for him to possess the person whom he loved. The King, surprised at this account, desired to know how his son’s passion could be incurable? Why, sir, replied Erasistratus because he is in love with the person I am married to.
The old King immediately conjured him, by all his past favours, to save the life of his son and successor. Sir, said Erasistratus, would your majesty but fancy yourself in my place, you would see the unreasonableness of what you desire. Heaven is my witness, said Seleuchus, I could resign even my Stratonice to save my Antiochus. At this the tears began to run down his cheeks, which when the physician saw, taking him by the hand, sir, says he, if these are your real sentiments, the prince’s life is out of danger; it is Stratonice for whom he dies. Seleuchus immediately gave orders for solemnizing the marriage; and the young Queen to shew her obedience, very generously exchanged the father for the son.
DESCRIPTION OF A WONDERFUL CAVERN
IN UPPER HUNGARY.
Near Strelitz, an inconsiderable village in Upper Hungary, is a most wonderful cavern, in the middle of a large mountain. The aperture which fronts the south, is eighteen fathoms high, and eight broad; and consequently wide enough to receive the south wind, which generally blows here with great violence. Its subterraneous passages consist entirely of solid rock, stretching away farther south than has yet been discovered. As far as it is practicable to go to, the height is found to be fifty fathoms, and the breadth twenty-six. But the most unaccountable singularity in the cavern is, that in the heart of winter, the air is warm on the inside; and when the heat of the sun without is scarce supportable, is freezing cold within. When the snows melt in the spring, the inside of the cave, where the surface is exposed to the south sun, it emits a pellucid water, which congeals immediately as it drops, by the extreme cold, the icicles are of the bigness of a large cask; and, spreading into ramifications, form very odd figures: the very water that drops from the icicles on the ground, which is sandy, freezes in an instant. It is observable also, that the greater the heat is without, the more intense is the cold within; and in the dog-days, all parts are covered with ice. In autumn, when the nights grow cold, and the diurnal heats abate, the ice in the cave begins to dissolve, insomuch, that by winter no more ice is to be seen, the cavern then becomes perfectly dry and of a mild warmth. At this time it is surprising to see the swarms of flies and gnats, also bats and owls, and even of hares and foxes, that make this place their winter retreat, till in the beginning of spring, it again grows too cold for them.
Original: A New System of Geography (volume 2 of 6: Hungary, Turkey, Spain etc.) by A. F. Busching, pg. 62-63 under Szélitze.