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Article DESCRIPTION OF THE SOURCE OF THE RHINE, ← Page 3 of 3
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Description Of The Source Of The Rhine,
the Alps , and which unfolds itself from the midway of a solitary mountain , with its wild accompaniment of the dashing torrent . At one of those villages where we passed a day , we considered ourselves as fortunate in finding a person by whom we were understood : since the language of this country is not Italian , like that of the Valley of the Rhine , but a composition of all the languages under Heaven ; as if the emigrants from the tower of Babel had formed their
chief colony in this pleasant spot , and in process of time had amalgamated the confusion of tongues into the jargon called the Romansh . In this wild and uncouth assemblage of w rds , several books are written ; among which we found , in the library of the good old landlady of a village-inn , an huge . silver-clasped and strongly brass-bound bible , printed in this dialect , and dedicated to George the first . We
were also shewn a volume of hymns , some of which were translated to me , and were not unpleasing specimens of mountain-poetry , applied to Alp ine images and objects ; chiefly those of the vegetable and flowery world , such as the lnountain-ash , the myrtle , the harebell , and the sheltering pine . The inhabitants of this valley , and of that of the Rhine , are Protestants . In the middle of the fifteenth century they were under the dominion of nobles and bishops , of whom they purchased their freedom , ami have since made a part of the Grison government .
In this valley we were nearly on a level with the rest of the world ; but in order to escape entirely from this wilderness of Alps , we had another mountain expedition to make , which , if we had judged from the name it bears , was more perilous than all the past . Why the inhabitants of this country have git-en the name of Via Mala to the best road among the mountains of Switzerland , it is somewhat difficult to conjecture ; perhaps indeed it mi : ; ht once have deserved this epithet
, and , like other bad reputations , is still suspected , though its character is reformed . We believed that we had already , during our Alpine journey , exhausted every possible aspect of mountain scenery , and that what remained , however pregnant with the varying images of beauty or the rugged forms of horror , could offer only the repetition of preceding wonders ; we found , however , as we journeyed
alonothe Via Mala , new reasons to pause , and new objects to admire . After crossing the Rhine , which we rejoined at our entrance on this road , we lost at once all view of the fair and ample valley , and found ourselves immured between pine-covered rocks of enormous heig ht , while , in proportion to their perpendicular and stupendous elevation , the river descends into guiphs equally profound . Between these tremendous precipices an excellent road is formed along the side of the mountain , which we passed in such perfect security as left us full leisure to contemplate those mighty cliffs above ,
¦ ¦ ' Whose highest woods , impenetrable To star , or sun-light , spread their umbrage broad And brown as evening ; ' MILTON . while we listened to the roarings of the ingulphed waters rising troublous from the chasm in which the river had made its channel . ^" 10 uh CONCLVDED : ; . ' ova . NE . % I . ~
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Description Of The Source Of The Rhine,
the Alps , and which unfolds itself from the midway of a solitary mountain , with its wild accompaniment of the dashing torrent . At one of those villages where we passed a day , we considered ourselves as fortunate in finding a person by whom we were understood : since the language of this country is not Italian , like that of the Valley of the Rhine , but a composition of all the languages under Heaven ; as if the emigrants from the tower of Babel had formed their
chief colony in this pleasant spot , and in process of time had amalgamated the confusion of tongues into the jargon called the Romansh . In this wild and uncouth assemblage of w rds , several books are written ; among which we found , in the library of the good old landlady of a village-inn , an huge . silver-clasped and strongly brass-bound bible , printed in this dialect , and dedicated to George the first . We
were also shewn a volume of hymns , some of which were translated to me , and were not unpleasing specimens of mountain-poetry , applied to Alp ine images and objects ; chiefly those of the vegetable and flowery world , such as the lnountain-ash , the myrtle , the harebell , and the sheltering pine . The inhabitants of this valley , and of that of the Rhine , are Protestants . In the middle of the fifteenth century they were under the dominion of nobles and bishops , of whom they purchased their freedom , ami have since made a part of the Grison government .
In this valley we were nearly on a level with the rest of the world ; but in order to escape entirely from this wilderness of Alps , we had another mountain expedition to make , which , if we had judged from the name it bears , was more perilous than all the past . Why the inhabitants of this country have git-en the name of Via Mala to the best road among the mountains of Switzerland , it is somewhat difficult to conjecture ; perhaps indeed it mi : ; ht once have deserved this epithet
, and , like other bad reputations , is still suspected , though its character is reformed . We believed that we had already , during our Alpine journey , exhausted every possible aspect of mountain scenery , and that what remained , however pregnant with the varying images of beauty or the rugged forms of horror , could offer only the repetition of preceding wonders ; we found , however , as we journeyed
alonothe Via Mala , new reasons to pause , and new objects to admire . After crossing the Rhine , which we rejoined at our entrance on this road , we lost at once all view of the fair and ample valley , and found ourselves immured between pine-covered rocks of enormous heig ht , while , in proportion to their perpendicular and stupendous elevation , the river descends into guiphs equally profound . Between these tremendous precipices an excellent road is formed along the side of the mountain , which we passed in such perfect security as left us full leisure to contemplate those mighty cliffs above ,
¦ ¦ ' Whose highest woods , impenetrable To star , or sun-light , spread their umbrage broad And brown as evening ; ' MILTON . while we listened to the roarings of the ingulphed waters rising troublous from the chasm in which the river had made its channel . ^" 10 uh CONCLVDED : ; . ' ova . NE . % I . ~