[124] Where is my father?
[125] "You wish to know where your father is? He is under arrest; people were well disposed to him; but he is placed under arrest, because he was unruly, and if you are unruly you will be placed under arrest likewise."
CHAPTER XVII
SEPTEMBER 1818-MARCH 1819
The splendid city of Prague—The German expression, "To give the basket"—Journey from Prague to Dresden—Journey from Dresden to Berlin—A description of Berlin—The Prussian Army—Theatricals—Peasants talk about Napoleon—Prussians and French should be allies—Absurd policy of the English Tories—Journey from Berlin to Dresden—A description of Dresden—The battle of Dresden in 1813—Clubs at Dresden—Theatricals— German beds—Saxon scholars—The picture gallery—Tobacco an ally of Legitimacy—Saxon women—Meissen—Unjust policy of Europe towards the King of Saxony.
PRAGUE, 4 Sept.
Prague is a far more striking and splendid city than Vienna, without its faubourgs. The streets are broader; and it has a more cheerful and less confined appearance than the old town of Vienna. The position of Prague too is very romantic and picturesque, part of it lying on a mountain and part on a plain; and it stands on the confluent of two rivers, the Mulda and the Braun. The upper part of the city, called Oberburg, stands on a height called Ratschin, and on this height stands a most magnificent palace and other stately buildings. There is a beautiful panoramic view from this part of Prague. In this part of the city too is the cathedral of St Wenzel or Wenceslaus, who was its founder. His tomb and that of St John Nepomucene, a favorite saint of the Bohemians, is in this church. The Cathedral is of extreme solidity, but little ornamented, having been plundered by the Swedes in 1648. The canopy over the shrine of St John Nepomucene has a profusion of votive offerings appended to it. The lower part of Prague is divided into two parts by the Mulda. The bridge across the Mulda is one of the finest in Europe. It has twenty-four arches, its length is 1700 feet and its breadth 35. Among several statues on this bridge is a very remarkable one of Jesus Christ, made of bronze gilt, which cost a large sum of money to its founder, a Jew! There is a Latin inscription on it which explains the paradox. There stood on the same spot a wooden statue of Christ in the XVI century. One day an opulent Jew, on passing by, made some scoffing or contemptuous remark on it. He was overheard by some of the people, accused of blasphemy and condemned to die; but on expressing great contrition and offering to pay a fine to any amount, he was pardoned, on the condition of his promising to erect a bronze statue gilt of Jesus Christ on the same spot, at his own expense, with an inscription explaining the reason of its construction; which promise he punctually performed. Prague abounds in Jews. Two-thirds at least of its population are of that persuasion. In the lower town the most striking edifices are the palace of the Wallenstein family, descendants of the famous Wallenstein, so distinguished in the Thirty Years war. Annexed to this Palace is a spacious garden, which is open to the public as a promenade. It is well laid out. There is a large aviary. This Palace covers a vast extent of ground. The Colloredo family, who are descended from Wenceslaus, have a superb Palace in this city; and there is a stable belonging to it, partly in marble and of rich architecture, capable of containing thirty-six horses. No traveller who comes to Prague should omit visiting these two Palaces of Wallenstein and Colloredo. On the bridge over the Mulda before mentioned, is the statue in bronze of St John Nepomucene, on the spot from whence he was thrown into the river by his brother saint, King Wenceslaus, for refusing to divulge the gallantries of his (Wenceslaus') wife, to whom he was confessor. A favorite promenade on Sundays is on the Färber Insel or Dyers island, which is a small island on the Mulda. Here the young men of the town come to dance with the grisettes and milliner girls of Prague, who are renowned for their beauty and complaisance.
The Jewish burying ground is a curiosity for a person who has never visited the Oriental countries. The tombstones are stowed thick together. Everybody recollects the anecdote of the ingenious method adopted by Joseph II for squeezing a large sum of money from the Jews of Prague, by giving out that he intended to claim this cemetery, in order to build therein a Palace. The Jews who, like all the Orientals, have the most profound veneration for the spot where their ancestors are buried, presented a large sum of money to the Emperor, to induce him to renounce his design.
The Stadt-Haus (Hotel de Ville) is a fine building; and the Marktplatz (market square) is very spacious, and contributes much to the beauty of the town. In the centre of it stands an ancient fountain of a dodecagonal form. The basin is of red marble, and near it stands a large stone column, with a statue of the Virgin, bronze gilt, on its summit. A well supplied market, or rather fair, is carried on here every day in the week. The Theatre is a fine building and is of immense size. I witnessd the representation of a burlesque tragedy called Die Belagerung von Ypsilon (the siege of Ypsilon), but I could not at all comprehend the cream of the jest. Madame Catalani, who is here, sang at this theatre one night. The theatre was completely filled and the price of admission to the boxes and parterre a ducat. The street adjoining to the theatre was crowded by people endeavoring to catch the sweet sounds. Immense hommage has been paid to Catalani by the authorities here.
The balls of the bourgeoisie of Prague are splendid and well attended. The bourgeoisie is very opulent in this city. There are but few residents Noblesse. The expences at the inns here are rather greater than those at Vienna, wine being a foreign commodity and beer the national beverage. My daily expences here for lodging, dinner, supper and breakfast amounted to four florins Convenzions Münze, about nine franks nearly, French money. The country environing Prague is rich and abounding in corn; there are likewise hops. The walls of Prague still bear the marks made by Frederic's shot when he blockaded Prague.