618 Dihdin^s Bibliographical Tour in France and Gernntny. 



Margaret plucks a flower, and tears off 

 the leaves to try lier fortune with her 

 young gallant. 



It is painful to pursne this horrible 

 story; but 1 will be asbrief as possible. 

 The lovers meet, and ex<'hauge their 

 mutual vows of inviolable atlachment ; 

 the unhappy Margaret can live only in 

 the presence of her lover ; her home, 

 which was heretofore the scene of all her 

 happiness; her liumble occupations, for- 

 merly the only means of laudably fill- 

 ing up her time, are become wearisome 

 and almost disgusting. 



She becomes the dupe of her own 

 sensibility, and the victim of Mephis- 

 topheles. Slie has now to sustain the 

 goadings of conscience ; she throws her- 

 self in "abject humiliation before a sta- 

 tue of \\w. Mater Dolorosa, but receives 

 no comfoi't; she puts fresh flowers into 

 the basket placed before the statue, but 

 every tiling is unavailing. A weiglit 

 like lead, cold and oppressive, rests as 

 it were upon lier heart. 



MeauA^hilc her seducer is about to 

 receive (he merited reward of his ini- 

 quity; having destroyed innocence, he 

 is ripe for any other act of villainy. 

 The brother of Margaret falls, in an 

 eneouut(!r with swords, by the hand of 

 her lover. Of course a price is now set 

 upon theliead of Faiistus, and Mepliis- 

 topheles is his only friend to snatch 

 him from the officers of justice. He 

 takes him, therefore, througli wilds, 

 fastnesses, and forests; shews iiim flit- 

 ting shiidows, unseemly sights, promis- 

 cuous and profligate debaudieries; ske- 

 letons suspended from (he gallows, and 

 others in tlu^ act of being decapitated ; 

 but (his dtH's not pass wi(hout umtual 

 bickerings and upbraidings on the part 

 of Faustus and his tutor. Meanwliile 

 Margaret goes mad, is placed in a dun- 

 geon on straw, l)ut is promised relief 

 by her lover. At the very moment he 

 comes to extricate her, Mephistopheles 

 seizes upon him as his own victim. 

 His period of servitude lias expired, 

 and ills spirit is claimed as an inhabi- 

 tant of Hell. 



This is a very rapid, and therefore 

 probably imperfect, summary of (he 

 contents of the Tragkdy of Faustus, 

 which Rt'tsch lias illustrated with a 

 series of incomparable drawings in out- 

 line. These latter are more to my taste 

 than the performance of Goetlie ; for the 

 whole composition is but a fragment, 

 terminating abruptly, and seems to be 

 written foi' no other eard.ly puEpose but 

 fhat of sheWlftJ* the capik-kmsness of 



an unregulated imagination, and tW 

 power of soKeuing down the gi^ssjiew 

 of vice, by the aid of magic aiid coU'^ 

 juration. 



SCHoXBUUNN AND THE YO'tiJ©)' ' 

 NAPOLEON.' "'I' !'•'''' ' 



About three English miles ft'tria \\\t; 

 Great Belvedere, or rather about the 

 same number of miles from Vienna, to 

 the right, as you approach the capital, 

 is the famous palace of SchoNBRUNN. 

 This is a sort of summer resideuc(^ of 

 the emperor, and it is here that his 

 daughter, the ex-empress of France, 

 and (he young Buonaparte usually re- 

 side. The latter never goes into Italy, 

 when his mother, as Duchess of Parma, 

 l)ays her annual visit to her princi- 

 pality. At this moment her son is at 

 Baden, with the court. It was in the 

 Schonbrunn Palace that his father, on 

 the conquest of Vienna, used to tak« 

 up his abode, rarely venturing into the 

 city. He Wc.-s surely safe enougli here, 

 as every chamber and even court-yard 

 was filled by the tlite of liis giiaid, 

 whether as oflicei's or soldiers. It is a 

 most magnificent pile of building, a 

 truly imperial residence ; but neither 

 tile furniture nor the objects of art, 

 wliether connected with sculpture or 

 painting, are deserving of any tiling iu 

 the sliape of a catalogue rasontie. I saw 

 the chamber where young Buonaparte 

 frequently passes the day, and brai>- 

 dished his fl;ig-staff, and heat upon his 

 drum. He is a soldier, (as they tell 

 me) every inch of him, and rides out, 

 through tiie streets of A'ieuna, iu^ caj*- 

 riagc of state drawn by four oi,' !$i'x 

 horses, receiving (he hoiiiages of tlie 

 passing multitiKle. Thc;y ;;ay that he 

 is handsome and very interesting, and 

 that the emperor (from his great foiul- 

 uess for his daughter) is oxcceJiugly 

 attached to him. The otlier day, on 

 dining at one of (he principali-est-aura- 

 teurs." there chanced to sit near us, at 

 an adjoining table, a well-looking and 

 well-dressed gentleman, of an Italian 

 cast of countenance. By accident he 

 overheard some discourse at our own 

 table, respecting the little Buonaparte, 

 He seemed delighted to mingle iu itlie 

 conversation, and soou gave xis to un- 

 deistand fhat he Mas one of his mast er;*, 

 and that his pupil was equally well 

 versed in t!ie German, Italian, and 

 French languages; (hat his manners 

 won (he hearts of all ; but that love of 

 a military life seemed to be tlie pre<lo- 

 miuant i)assi(m of his mind. He would 

 luarch, Countermarch, halt, give the 



