Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-04-27
empire. l!l;.lt
twnsten sNpfsssy for uhe Dayton Hmp,reI
A SUMNER in EUROPE.

HoTuL pTlor. oulLIor a TAs1I1 rvslo,

INillenure, our intention was to run over next
morning TO Castle Chillon, whose coBica
Towers rise from a rock At the edge Of the
waters Of Lake LemAn, and then take the next
train for the North; but We were 30 perfectly
enchanted with the place, and enjoyed so
thoroaghly the luxurious, reposs to which ev.
cry thing about it invited US that we concu-
ded not to be in such haste, and day after day
clipped by, and still we fingered The seem
cry about il has all the beauty that painter
could require, In front Of Il is the lake, whose
Ioveliness has been mentioned before, and
mountains doubled by reflection in the placid
waters To the right, are the villages of Mon!
treux, Yeyay and Lausanne on the sloping
banks, white-shining, like coronet Of pearls
upon the brow of the queenly sea, and all
around are vineyards and gardens, rich in la
cious fruits aud radiant with flowers The
hotel itselfis an elegant building, with enough
walks and lawns and shady nooks aud easy
lounging places about it to delight sybarite
and within table d'hote, is daily spread that
would satisfy an Epicurean e We could walk
at will out into the vineyards back of the house
and eat az long as we choose, with none to
gainssy it, ofthe clusters Of rich white-skinned
grapes which were Just then in their prime,
and, Whenever we asked Il, we we're supplied
with other frnits-peaches, figs and plums-
without money and without price. There is
not a more delightful place in EUROPE, and
after our rough work among the modntAins it
seemed o perfect paradise, and naturally aug
gested thoughts Of that place OF rest which the
good will find, when the weary work of life is
over, on the other side of the Ozark river"
Castle Chillon which Byron immortaIized in
his poem, the Prisoner Of Chilion, Is not high
up on a mountain side overhanging the lake,
as my imagination had painted il, but stands
upon rock, which rises bat a few feet above
the level Of water, and when a storm is raging
the waves dash high up against ira walls A
phmmet dropped from the, bRttlement, sinks
Thousand feet before it reaches the bottom
Of these deep, blue depths ...r.
When Byron wrote the poem he called it
"a fable, not Showing until "a long time after
wards the history Of BouuivArd, aConevese
patriot who became obnoxious to Charles v
Of Savoy and was seized at dead Of night, and
put intoit dungeon and kept languishinR
there for six long years. Then he wrote the
sonnet which, in resent editions Of bis works,
is prs61ed TO the poem, and Of which these
are the concluding lines
"chillon shy prison is holy place,
And the aad wallis 40 altar Z FOR twas trod .,
until his very steps have ien traoe '--
Eomas the cold pavement were sod,
BY BouniVsrdl May meme those marks sfase,
Forthey appeal FROM tyrenRy V GedlP b
The dungeon iSs long, narrow room, whose
1oor and inner side is living rock, with high
roof, supported by ak or seven columns Of
stone, to which the prisoners were, chained. Il
is perfectly dry, and tolerably wen lighted,
and is by no means so horrible place as the
fervor Of the poet would lead one to Imagine.
His description Is tolsrRbly accurate, but in
some statements, he has svailed himself of
the liberty allowed BY common consent 70
poets of telling what isn't So The idea of
his prisoners brothers being buried in that
floor Of living rock for instance, is pure 30
! H.N 70
etic license The stone pillows are covered
wi(h names, among which are Byrons, schil.
las, DaAs's, and H. B. Stones. We did not
leave OSts There was enough Of the scrswf
ing Of nobOdiss there already. The castle was
built in l2ss.s BouniSSrd was released by his
triumphant friends three hundred years ago,
and aimee that day the free Swiss have had no
use for Bastiles i.,g
The upPer castle ia in good order still, and
is used for military magazine. An exceed.
inFly interesting Swiss woman, Who has mas.
tered our tOhgus for the benefit Of Engiish
abd American visitors, conducted Us through
the Hpartmenta We pasted ,brough the
Judgment Hallyheso prisoners in tho gentle
days Of old were called upon 70 say Why they
should not suffer torture and death for dpripg
to differ With their judges in opinion; through
the Torture Chamber, where the instruments
Of AgOsy are siiif' preserved, aud then We
assembled to thstower in Which is the oabhsttS.
It is a winding staircase to which the poor
bind.foldsd victim found no fcarth step, and
fell eighty feol upon The rocks below. That
was the last Of him. If 'the fall was 90, in
stAn.ly fatal. % much the worse for him.
bis cries Of agony were never heeded.
All this was doss By, people who vers jus,
as sure that they were doing Gods work, as
are those who perseeute, Danish, aud assassin.
atS DenoeratAi IA loor IanA ~ day. std -.