Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-11-28
TIE STeaSYURG CLOCK.

The following interesting account OF this Gu
rious piece OF machinery is from "The DasuF-
teolyPe' =.
>. Inccmprehenshle and solitary,
like all that is great and true, rises the Minser oil
Strasburg | walked round and round II, and
sought The entrance, al which stands Erwih's
statue, the figure OF Justice. On The opposite side
Of The church is the portal on whichiis The mar
tyrdom OF S.. Laurentius within IN aGbor, as il
were, Of stone, open all around, ana inIl OF hahs-
ing grapevines In lie principal entrance on Tie
left are wise virgins with their lamps, innocent
and simple; on the right are saints, with demons
or evil spri,s under their heels. On the one gaze
are angels above angels, or the o'hcr martyrs
As look up and down and contemplate The count.
less images ot stone in their inches, their slten-
Ell lips loosencd hear their voices, their hymns;
the whole p l. becomes melody; The swell OF sepa-
rate tones melts into one gigantic symphony.
A counlryman was sitting costly with his wife
upon one Il The steps Of the church, smoking his
pipe. Near them sheltered myself, in a recess
OF The wall, rom The midday sun, and there
awaited the riend who was 10 lake me TO the re-
stored clock, The work OF Dasypodius AMI OF The
Habrechls the great masterpiece OF the sixteenth
century, which has been celebrated in German
and Lain By the poets oil that age, Sylander,
Fischar. Clusius Cell and Frschlin, and which,
according 10 the Latin inscription on The portal
Of The archi-episccpa palace al Mayence, is one
OF the seven wonders Of Germany, "the tower al
Strasburg, the choir al Cologne, the clock al
Srasburs, The organ a, Ulm the. fair al Frank.
tort The works OF arr al Nuremberg, and the hotel
de vile al Augsburg. There is a popular trad-
ton. according TO which the magistrates or ceF-
py of Strasbufg caused the eyes OF the builder Of
this old clock 10 be put out in order hat ne might
not achieve another work OF The kind; and be, 10
revenge himself, with single push deransed the
whole machine SO that no one was abe 10 repair
il. The origin Of this tradition may be- that The
sister OF the two Habrechls became blind about
the same lime that Josas, The younger oil these
I Schafhausen mechanics, was invited, before The
works were quite complete, by the Elector oil Co.
losns, 10 cree, an astronomical clock in the cas-
I lie OF Kaissrsworh
AS the twelfth hour approached, multitudes
came running from every side; they were all
eager 10 see this curiosity of medieval times
although the clock, adapted by the aged mathe-
matician, Schwigue, TO the present state OF sci.
ence, has now been going four years. My
| friend at last appeared and we had barely time
TO push our way through the crowd and TO as
cend the small winding staircase which leads
into the four stories of the clock, and The small
balcony 10 which we were suspended like swal,
lows against this mathematical monument, look.
ing down perpendicularly upon dense mass oil
heads, whose eyes and lips were all fixed upon
one point. On one of the lower galleries an
angel, guarded by liens which formerly reared
and holding sceptre and bells in its bands
strikes tho quarters, and another turns round
the hour glass. In an upper space, the four
ages Of life then step forward, the child strikes
tn. 6rst quarter with its tbyrsus upon bell, the
| youth strikes the half hour With bis arrow, the