shores of the Rhine sometime vocal with her melody.

*

Two brothers meet in bloody strife,
With sword, and shield, and spear:
From Liebenstein the elder comes-
From yonder castle drear. -

The younger is from Sternfels.
Mark you their quickened breath!
They battle for a blooming bride-
They battle to the death!

Erst were they one; each wicked deed
United found them aye;

And many a weary wanderer

They smote by night and day.

And once a palmer, sad and hoar,
Upon his pious way,

They set upon, and stole his store,

In death as low he lay.

His gray hairs touch'd their hard hearts not, His prayers but made them worse:

So, dying, upon this cruel twain

He cast a fearful curse!

He cursed them with his last, last breath,
He cursed them through their life;

And he foretold their woful end

In most unnatural strife.

Adelheid von Stolterforth. "Rhein, Sagen-Kreis." Frankfort-on-the-Maine. Carl Jugel, 1835.

And now his curse has come to pass-
By their own hands they die!
Their gaping wounds give out the life,
As low o' the earth they lie.

But see! a lovely maiden comes!
She stands this twain before:
Alas! too late she comes to save-
That awful battle's o'er!

66

Oh, say, thus gasp'd the elder forth,
He writhed, and scarce could see,

"Hast not loved me alone? Oh, Heaven! Would thou'dst been all to me!"

66

Peace, fool!' the younger sternly, thus: "Fool, as thou be'st, depart;

Pass hence, unwept of her, for mine
Alone has been her heart!"

A fierce; fell glance, the elder, gave,
And grasp'd his blood-stained sword-
Then backward fell, and yielded life,
And died without a word!

The younger grimly gazed on him:
That gaze-it was his last!

For death his dim eye shrouded soon-
And life's light from it pass'd.

And that sweet maid, so mild of mood;
For neither knew she love:

The fierce, wild passion of that pair,

Her heart did never move.

But to appease offended Heaven-
To win these sinners grace-

She made a vow, from this fair world
To hide for aye her face.

One deep, deep grave is dug for both;
They're buried were they fell;

But their wicked lives and wretched death
Are still remembered well.

Soon from the neighbouring cloister's choir
This prayer is put to Heaven:

"Pardon them, Lord, what they have done
Oh, be their sins forgiven!"

THE CAT.

PATERSBERG.

Tradition is poor in all that relates to the ruins of Patersberg, better known as the Cat (Die Katz), from the title of its founders, the Counts of Katzenellenbogen. But as if to make amends for that poverty, history is rich in many circumstances connected with its ancient occupants. "Truth is strange-stronger than fiction," says one of our greatest writers; and the history of the lord of this castle, in the fifteenth century, the last of his race, goes far to prove the accuracy of that axiom.

On the extinction of the noble stock of Aruheim, who held the imperial stewardship of this portion of the Rhine in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the equally ancient and equally noble family of Katzenellenbogen succeeded to that

dignity, and to all its privileges and appurtenances. By prudence and good government they soon raised themselves to the position of sovereign princes; and we find them accordingly, possessed of great power in the middle of the thirteenth century. It was about this period (A.D. 1245) that Count Diether, the first of that name, built the strong castle of Rheinfels, over the town of St Goar, for the purpose of more effectuelly exacting tolls from all vessels passing up or down the river. In the fourteenth century this family, which had in the intervening time branched out into two great divisions, was again united into one stock in the person of John, the third count of that name. He it was who raised the castle of New Katzenellenbogen, or Patersberg (A.D. 1393), with the double view of controlling his warlike neighbour, Kuno von Falkenstein, archbishop of Treves, who had recently erected Thurnberg, also called the Mouse, lower down on the same side of the river,* and of strengthening the power derived from the strong fort of Rheinfels, on the other side. In reference to the former of these views he is said, on its erection, to have observed:

66 'My cousin Kuno has now a Cat to watch his Mouse: and soon to swallow it up if needs be."

This prediction, however, was not verified; for the Archbishop was as astute as warlike; by his caution preventing the success of every attempt against his castle; and by his conduct in the field defeating all his enemies. The last of the great and powerful counts of Katzenellen

Vide Thurnberg, the Mouse. Welmich, &c.

bogen, was Philip, son of the preceding, John the Third; and it is of his history we are about to treat.

Count Philip of Katzenellenbogen was wise, discreet, brave, and bountiful: his friends loved him; his enemies feared him; and his neighbours respected his great power and ample resources. His immense wealth gave him the means of making almost every noble on the Rhine, from Basel to Bonn, in a greater or lesser degree his debtor; and in the process of time a large portion of their lands, in the form of unredeemed pledges, came into his sole possession. Thus it was that he increased the already extensive property of his family; but, as it subsequently appeared, to little purpose, for he left no heir or successor. In the enjoyment of immense power, incalculable wealth, a high reputation not alone for bravery and prudence as a soldier and a prince, but also for honour and integrity as a man, there were few of his age, notwithstanding, more unhappy in their domestic circumstances than he. As a husband, as a father, and as a master, none could have been more truly unfortunate all through his long and glorious public career; though, taking all things into consideration, few could have merited less to be so.

Early in life he married Anna, the daughter of Count Ludwig, of Würtemburg; and by her he had two children, a son and a daughter. It was, however, a luckless union;—there was no similarity of disposition-no congeniality of temper-no sympathy, in short, between them: the result was domestic bickerings and household