472 THE PLAY AT VENICE, OR RETORT COURTEOUS. SOME years since, a German prince, making a tour of Europe, stopped at Venice for a short period. It was the close of Summer; the Adriatic was calm, the nights were lovely, the Venetian women in the full enjoyment of those delicious spirits that in their climate rise and fall with the coming and the departure of this finest season of the year. Every day was given by the illustrious stranger to researches among the records and antiquities of this singular city, and every night to parties on the Brenta or the sea. As the morning was nigh, it was the custom to return from the water to sup at some of the palaces of the nobility. In the commencement of his intercourse, all national distinctions were carefully suppressed, but as his intimacy increased, he was forced to see the lurking vanity of the Italian breaking out. One of its most frequent exhibitions was in the little dramas that wound up those stately festivities. The wit was constantly sharpened by some contrast of the Italian and the German, some slight aspersion on Teutonic rudeness, some remark on the history of a people, untouched by the elegance of southern manners. The sarcasm was conveyed with Italian grace, and the offence softened by its humour. It was obvious that the only retaliation must be humorous. At length the prince, on the point of taking leave, invited his entertainers to a farewell supper. On this occasion he drew the conversation to the infinite superiority of the Italians, and above all of the Vene ians; acknowledged the darkness in which Germany had been destined to remain so long, and looked forward with infinite sorrow to the comparative opinion of posterity upon a country to which so little of its gratitude must be due. "But my lords," said he, rising, " we are an emulous people, and an example like yours cannot be lost even upon a German. I have been charmed with your dramas, and have contrived a little arrangement to give one of our country, if you will condescend to follow me to the great hall." The company rose and followed him through the splendid suite of a Venetian villa, to the hall, which was fitted up as a German barn. The aspect of the theatre produced first, surprize, and next an universal smile. It had no re semblance to the gilded and sculptured interior of their own sumptuous little theatres. However, it was only so much the more Teutonic. The curtain drew up. The surprize rose into loud laughter, even among the Venetians, who have been seldom betrayed into any thing beyond a smile for generations together. The stage was a temporary erection, rude and uneven. The scene represented a wretched and irregular street, scarcely lighted by a few twinkling lamps, and looking the fit haunt of robbery and assassination. On a narrower view, some of the noble spectators began to think it had a kind of resemblance to an Italian street, and a few actually discovered in it one of the leading streets of their own famous city. But the play was founded on a German story and they were under a German roof. The street was, notwithstanding its ill-omened similitude, of course, German. The street was solitary. At length, a traveller, a German, with pistols in a belt round his waist, and apparently exhausted by his journey, came heavily pacing along. He knocked at several of the doors, but could obtain no admission. He then wrapped himself up in his cloak, sat down on the fragment of a monument and soliloquized." Well, here have I come, and this is my reception; all palaces, no inns; all nobles, and not a man to tell me where I can lie down in comfort or in safety. Well, it cannot be helped. A German does not much care; campaigning has hardened effeminacy among us. Hunger and thirst, heat and cold, dangers of war and the roads, are not very formidable after what we have had to work through from father to son, Loneliness, however, is not so well, unless a man can labour or read. Read!—that's true-come out, Zimmerman." He drew a volume from his pocket, moved nearer to a decaying lamp, and soon seemed to be absorbed. He had, till now, been the only object. Another soon shared the eyes of the spectators. A long, light figure came with a kind of visionary movement from behind the monument, surveyed the traveller with keen curiosity, listened with apparent astonishment to his words, and in another moment had fixed itself gazing over his shoulder on the volume. The eyes of this singular being wandered rapidly over the page, and when it was turned they were lifted up to heaven with the strongest expressions of wonder. The German was weary, his head soon dropped over his study, and he closed the book. -"What," said he, rising and stretching his limbs, "is there no one stirring in this comfortless place? Is it not near day?" He took out his repeater, and touched the pendant; it struck four. His mysterious attendant had watched him narrowly; the repeater was traversed over with an eager gaze; but when it struck, delight was mingled with the wonder that had till then filled his pale intelligent countenance. "Four o'clock,” said the German. “In my country, half the world would be thinking of going to the day's work by this time. In another hour it will be sunrise. Well then, I will do you a service, ye nation of sleepers, and make you open your eyes." He drew out one of his pistols and fired it. The attendant form, still hovering behind him, had looked curiously upon the pistol, but on its going off, started back in terror, and with a loud cry, that made the traveller turn"Who are you?" was his greeting to this strange intruder.—" I will not hurt you," was the answer. "Who cares about that?” was the German's retort, and he pulled out the other pistol."My friend," said the figure," even that weapon of thunder and lightning cannot reach me now. But if you would know who I am, let me intreat you to satisfy my curiosity a moment. You seem to be a man of extraordinary powers." "Well then," said the German in a gentler tone, "if you come as a friend, I shall be glad to give you information; it is the custom of our country to deny nothing to those who will love or learn." The former sighed deeply, and murmured, "and yet you are a Teuton! But you were just reading a little case of strange and yet most interesting figures: was it a manuscript?""No, it was a printed book!" "Printed, what is printing? I never heard but of writing." "It is an art by which one man can give to the world in one day as much as three hundred could give by writing, and in a character of superior clearness, correctness, and beauty; one by which books are made universal and literature eternal."~ "Admirable, glorious art!" said the inquirer; " who was its illustrious inventor?" "A GERMAN!" "But another question. I saw you look at a most curious instrument traced with figures; it sparkled with diamonds, but its greatest wonder was its sound. It gave the hour with miraculous exactness, and the strokes were followed by tones superior to the sweetest music of my day." "That was a repeater!" "How! when I had the luxuries of the earth at my command, I had nothing to tell the hour better than the clepsydra and the sun-dial. But this must be incomparably superior from its facility of being carried about, from its suitableness to all hours, and from its exactness. It must be an admirable guide even to higher knowlege. All depends upon the exactness of time. It may assist navigation and astronomy. What an invention! Whose was it? he must be more than man!" "He was a GERMAN!" "What, still a barbarian! I remember his nation. I once saw an auxiliary legion of them marching towards Rome. They were a brave and blue-eyed troop. The whole city poured out to see those northern warriors, but we looked upon them only as gallant savages. I have one more question, the most interesting of all. I saw you raise your hand with a small truncheon in it; in a moment something rushed out, that seemed a portion of the fire of the elouds. Were they thunder and lightning that I saw? Did they come by your command? Was that truncheon a talisman, and are you a mighty magician? Was it a sceptre commanding the elements? Are you a god?" The strange inquirer had drawn back gradually as his feelings rose. Curiosity was now solemn wonder, and he stood gazing upward in an attitude that mingled awe with devotion. The German felt the sensation of a superior presence growing on himself as he looked on the fixed countenance of this mysterious being. It was in that misty blending of light and darkness which the moon leaves as it sinks just before morn. There was a single hue of pale gray in the east that touched its visage with a chill light, the moon resting broadly on the horizon was setting behind; the figure seemed as if it was standing in the orb. Its arms were lifted towards heaven, and the light came through its drapery with the mild splendour of a vision. But the German, habituated to the vicissitudes of "perils by flood and field," shook off his brief alarm, and proceeded calmly to explain the source of his miracle. He gave a slight detail of the machinery of the pistol, and alluded to the history of gun-powder." It must be a mighty instrument in the hands of man for either good or ill," said the form. "How much it must change the nature of war! how much it must influence the fates of nations! By whom was this wondrous secret revealed to the people of the earth?" "A GERMAN!" The form seemed suddenly to enlarge; its feebleness of voice was gone, its attitude was irresistably noble. Before it had uttered a word, it looked as made to persuade and command. Its outer robe had been flung away; it now stood with an antique dress of brilliant white, gathered in many folds, and edged with a deep border of purple; a slight wreath of laurel, dazzlingly green, was on its brow. It looked like the GENIUS of ELOQUENCE." Stranger," it said, pointing to the Appenines, which were then beginning to be marked by the twilight, "eighteen hundred years have passed away since I was the glory of all beyond those mountains. Eighteen hundred years ave passed into the great flood of eternity since I entered Rome in triumph, and was honoured as the leading mind of the great intellectual empire of the world. But I knew nothing of these things which you have explained to me. I was a child to you; we were all children to the discoverers of these glorious potencies. But has Italy not been still the mistress of mind? She was then first of the first; has she not kept her superiority? Show me her noble inventions. I must soon sink from the earth let me learn still to love my country." The listener started back: "Who are you!""I am a spirit I was Cicero. Show me by the love of a patriot, what Italy now sends out to enlighten mankind." The German looked embarrassed; but in a moment after, he heard the sound of a pipe and tabor. He pointed in silence to the narrow street from which the interruption came. A ragged figure tottered out with a barrel-organ at his back, a frame of puppets în his hand, a hurdy-gurdy round his neck, and a string of dancing dogs in his train. Cicero uttered but one sigh“ Is this Italy?” The German bowed his head. The showman began his cry"Raree-show, fine raree-show against de wall. Fine madame Catarina dance upon de ground! who come for see the gallantee show." The organ struck up, the dogs danced, the Italian ca |