"Augusta Trevirorum" of the Romans, "Trier" of the Germans, and
"Trèves" to English, is, or at any rate claims to be, the most
ancient city of Europe; according to the legend it was founded by
a Prince Trebeta, who was driven out of his Asiatic possessions by
Semiramis. He is described as having been a wise and strong prince,
who built a magnificent palace of vast strength on the heights over
the Moselle, opposite to the town, which he called after his own
name: these things he did 1300 years before the foundation of Rome;
and on the "Rothen Haus" in Trèves are still the words, "Ante Romam
Treviris stetit annis mille trecentis." A picture, said to represent
this Prince Trebeta, is in the Town-hall: he is sitting on his father's
lap, with the spires of the Cathedral in his hand.
Very interesting is Trèves; and if we cannot place confidence in Prince
Trebeta and his days, we must turn to that surer period when it was
the capital of the Roman dominions beyond the Alps, and received the
name of Augusta of the Trevii; these Trevii being the German tribe
residing around this part of the Moselle.
Under its Roman name Trèves rose to the height of its glory; it
was then celebrated for the number of its magnificent temples, its
splendid palaces, its amphitheatre and baths. Remnants of this past
splendour still exist; such as portions of the baths and amphitheatre,
the bridge, and especially the Porta Nigra, which is one of the finest
Roman ruins extant.
Trèves was frequently the residence of the Roman Emperors, and
its inhabitants had all the privileges of Roman citizenship. In
the last half of the third century Galienus held his court here;
and here Maximian was attacked by the Franks, whom he defeated. Here
Constantine the Great, when celebrating a victory that he had gained
over the Franks, caused two of the captive princes to be thrown
to wild beasts in the arena. They met their death with smiles,
and shortly after the whole of the German nation rose to avenge
them. Constantine disguised himself, and entering the hostile camp,
gave the enemy false information, which led to their total defeat,
A.D. 310. The simple-minded Germans were no match for the Romans
in fraud; they deemed any ambuscade, or advantage taken against an
enemy, dishonourable, and we even find them sending messages to their
opponents of the day and hour upon which they intended to attack them.
The cruelty of throwing captives to wild beasts, however, we find
surpassed by a German named Magnentius, who, having become a Roman
soldier, set himself up for Emperor in opposition to Constantius. This
Magnentius, on the eve of the great battle of Marsa, sacrificed
a maiden, and mixing her blood with wine, gave his army to drink,
and invoked his gods, pouring a libation of this fiendish drink in
their honour. He was totally defeated, and killed himself.
The Western Empire of the Romans fell, and Germans walked the streets
of Rome, supplanting with their fresh vigour the worn-out strength
of that wonderful empire, on the ruins of which their leaders planted
their feet, which at first slipped and stumbled, but eventually found
a firm basis, on which was erected what we call Modern History.
Many legends are given us by the German poets connected with Trèves;
the following are the most remarkable:--
LEGEND OF THE GREAT CANAL FROM TRÈVES TO COLOGNE.
For more than a hundred years the people of Cologne had been
endeavouring to raise a Cathedral that should eclipse all others. The
master-builder was busy making measurements for the arch of the
great door, when one of his apprentices jeeringly said the building
would never be finished, but ever remain in fragments. Thereupon
the master waxed wroth and dismissed the apprentice, who departed,
saying: "Woe to thee, O my master! never shall thy work be finished;
sooner shall I complete a canal from here to Trier, than shalt thou
place a tower upon thy cathedral."
Years passed on, and the Cathedral was rapidly approaching to
completion, when the master saw a huge worm creep from the ground. This
was the fiend, by whose assistance the apprentice had made a canal
from Trèves to Cologne: the apprentice appeared to the astonished
master and said, "Lo, my canal is complete, while thy church is yet
a fragment!" and water flowed from the canal, on which a duck came
swimming from Trèves.
The water rose and encompassed the master, who thus perished, and his
cathedral is still unfinished; but the wicked apprentice fared still
worse, for the great worm strangled him, and he is doomed evermore
to haunt the cathedral, measuring the uncompleted works.
The canal thus formed was used to send wine from Trèves to Cologne,
without the trouble of putting it into casks. [2]
Not less wonderful is the following:--
LEGEND OF THE DOM [3] OF TRÈVES.
While meditating over his undertaking, the contractor for the building
of the Dom was accosted by a gentlemanlike stranger in red, who said
to him in a hearty tone, "Cheer up, for I can help you; but first
tell me for what purpose you wish so large a house."
The contractor, delighted, guessed who the stranger was, and replied
in artful words that he wished to raise this house for a gambling
and drinking palace.
"Hurrah!" said the man in red, "just what I am fond of!" and they
agreed upon terms and went to work.
The building went bravely on, until the Red Man seeing altars and
such-like things arising, with which he was then unacquainted, asked
what it all meant; but being told that these were tables for dice,
was satisfied.
One day, returning from the roof to which he had been carrying
up large stones, the Red Man saw the Bishop consecrating the new
church; then the bells tolled solemnly, and Satan found he had been
outwitted. He rushed at an altar, and endeavoured to tear it down,
but left a claw sticking into it, it having been consecrated; then
with a yell he fled, and the contractor mocked him, shouting "Never
build more churches without a written agreement."
The conversion of the heathen Trevii to Christianity was, according
to the legend, thus effected:--
The people of Trèves worshipped a statue of marble, from whose mouth
oracles proceeded; troops of pilgrims came to Trèves to hear from
this idol's lips answers to their questions: but now a foreign priest
appeared before the crowd, and with a crucifix in his hand he spoke
to them of Christ the Son of God; the people, leaving their idol
for the Truth, flocked to his feet, in spite of the threats of the
heathen priests.
Thus Saint Eucharius converted the Trevii.
The Moselle country was especially resorted to by hermits, who lived
in recesses of the mountains; of these Saint Antony was the first.
Saint Nicolas was the patron of the bridge, and his statue stands
beneath the stone crucifix which adorns it. On one occasion, a mariner,
whose ship was in great danger of being cast away beneath the bridge,
called on the Saint, and vowed an offering of a taper as big as his
mast should he escape.
He landed in safety, but finding himself secure snapped his fingers
at the Saint, saying, "Nicolas, thou wilt not have so much." The
Saint replied not.
Again this mariner's vessel coming down the stream was in danger of
the bridge; once more he cried on Nicolas, but the water checked his
cry, and man and ship were lost.
There is another legend of the Moselle bridge, which we will call--
THE RING.
A certain man of noble family, after leading a glorious life,
committed fratricide; repenting of his crime he left his country,
and after many years arrived at Trèves.
At sunset he stood upon the Moselle bridge, and there, kneeling before
the crucifix, wept; his tears flowing into the stream beneath: an Angel
swept by, and left him a palm-twig from heaven. He exultingly cried,
"Lord, forgive my sins before my end--never will I cease to repent
my grievous sin;" then, throwing his ring, which he had taken from
his brother, into the river, he prayed that if he were forgiven it
should be returned to him.
Rising, he retired into a monastery, and eventually became a Bishop. A
fisherman one day arrived and offered him a fish; he took it, thinking
it a mark of reverence.
At dinner the cook approached and presented him with a ring, which
he had found within the fish.
The Bishop perceived it was his own, and exclaiming, "Heaven has sent
it to me as a proof of forgiveness!" expired.
THE CRUCIFIX IN THE MARKET-PLACE.
In the market-place at Trèves there stands a column, with a crucifix
on its summit. An inscription on it gives the following miracle as
the cause of its erection.
The Huns were swarming over Germany, burning and destroying all things:
their march was as a pestilence; but the people of Trèves were gay and
merry, as if no danger threatened,--they rioted in wine, and luxury.
One man only, within the city, still remained sober and prudent, and he
dreamt that he saw a great monster descending from the Marcusberg and
crawling its hideous length towards Trèves; arriving at the Moselle,
the loathsome monster rolled into its blue waves, and caused them so
to swell that the city was overflowed.
Awaking, this good man ran to the Archbishop and told his dream,
explaining its meaning to be that the Huns were marching on the city
by the Marcusberg; the Archbishop only laughed at him, at which he
grew angry: but soon better thoughts possessed him, and he prayed
Heaven to avert the impending ruin.
The sky grew black and dreadful; a nameless horror came upon the
people, and falling down they implored pardon for their sins, and
crosses fell from heaven.
Then, believing, they marched out to the Marcusberg, and finding the
Huns vanquished them.
Two new powers arose in Europe during the last days of the Roman
Empire: the one, as we have before said, planted its feet on the ruins
of Imperial Rome, and henceforth wielded her temporal authority,--this
was the German, or Frankish power; the other, amidst the fallen temples
overthrown by the German conquerors, raised up a fairer temple and a
purer worship,--this was the Church of Christ. At first over-shadowed
by the more gorgeous worship and grander temples of the false gods
of Paganism, the new Church had to struggle for a mere existence;
but these being overthrown, the remnants of Paganism soon melted away
before the innate majesty of truth, and the fanes of superstition
crumbling into dust, afforded a sure foundation for the new and
mightier edifice.
These two powers, at the extinction of the Western Empire, ruled
nearly the whole of Europe: neither was as yet concentrated, both had
many heads, and it was not until the two powers coalesced that either
attained that temporal influence which they have since possessed. Hand
in hand, we find these two powers progressing in might and influence;
sometimes a temporary quarrel would separate, but common interest
invariably reunited them.
It is in its infancy that the Church of Christ shines with its purest
light; and it is, consequently, to this period that the mind loves to
revert, and dwell on "that happy spring time" when the Fathers of the
Church went forth among the heathen, gathering the nations into one
family, the centre and head of which was God. How wonderful to watch
"the little star appearing in the East," and rising over the ruins
and decaying temples of old Rome, till gradually the whole air was
filled with the "light of truth!"
Alas! that a time should come when, waning from its throne on high, the
Church fell so low in the person of its ministers and adherents, that
we find the chroniclers of the fifteenth century recording that "Nuns
did what the Devil was ashamed to think; and that Abbots, by means of
their poverty, became the greatest proprietors; of their obedience,
mighty princes; and of their chastity, husbands of all women;" and we
hear of men complaining that they were not rich enough to become monks.
It is needless, however, here to give an account of those vicious
customs that arose within the bosom of the Church of Rome, and
eventually caused what we have quoted; we will rather turn to
the legends of the earlier period, many of which are singularly
beautiful. Among them we shall find many things which at first sight
may provoke a smile, but on reflection we shall arrive at the meaning
of what must be taken merely as an allegory.
For instance, we are told that "King Sigebert appointed St. Goar to
the Bishopric of Trèves, and the Saint entering the King's saloon,
hung his cloak over a sunbeam, to prove that he was enlightened by
God." This would probably be an illustration of the power of faith,
and so with the other legends of the time. Here we shall only select
a few that are immediately connected with Trèves.
LEGEND OF ORENDEL. [4]
The great King Eigel resided at Trèves. He was supreme over twelve
kingdoms; his favourite son was Orendel.
Orendel having reached his thirteenth birth-day was invested with a
sword, and vowed before the Virgin to be "a true chevalier on earth,
and a defender of widows and orphans;" then proceeding to his father,
he begged of him a wife, that the kingdom might have a queen.
His father told him there was none in all his kingdoms worthy to be
his spouse; but at Jerusalem there lived a beautiful Queen, Breide
by name, to whom the holy grave belonged: her he must seek, and could
he succeed in wedding her, his happiness would be complete.
Orendel, transported with the account of this virgin queen, prayed
his father to prepare him ships. His father consented, and three
years were spent in preparing for the expedition.
Then in a great assembly the young King, who wished none but volunteers
to go with him on his journey, spake aloud: "Where are ye, O courageous
Kings! who will risk with me the voyage to the Holy Tomb?" and eight
brave kings stepped out, each with a thousand knights.
Again King Orendel spake out: "Where are ye, Dukes and Counts! who
will join me in my voyage for the honour of God and the Holy Tomb?" and
a thousand nobles offered.
Once more spake Orendel: "Be warned, O Kings, and Knights, and
Nobles! ye will suffer hell's heat and distress before ye reach the
Tomb. Come not unwillingly, nor unarmed." Nothing daunted, all girded
their swords, and prepared for the long journey.
Thus went King Orendel forth from Trèves, surrounded by his kings and
knights, a golden cross grasped firmly in his hand, and the people
cheering. Embarking, he was carried by the Moselle upon his course,
and in the Holy Land he found his "Breide."
THE GREAT MASSACRE.
Varus, the governor of Gaul, caused so many Christians to be massacred
in Trèves that the Moselle ran red with blood, until it reached
Neumagen. For this he was condemned to ramble restlessly about the
city after his death, and to do deeds of kindness, assisting every
one requiring his aid in Trèves. In this character he is called
"the City Ghost."
In after days a penitent from Trèves sought absolution from the
Pope. The latter ordered him to fetch a piece of earth from Trèves;
and on the penitent's again presenting himself with the earth, the
Holy Father prayed, and pressed it in his hands, and blood dropped
therefrom immediately.
"This blood," said the Holy Father, "was shed by martyrs in Trèves,
who loved Christ so heartily that they gave their lives for him,
and thus became protectors of their city.
"Go; thou art absolved for their sakes. And tell thy people what thou
hast seen and heard, that so they may be increased in their faith."
ST. MATERN.
St. Matern was the first Bishop of Cologne, and was much beloved. He
died young, and the mourning people sent to Rome to pray St. Peter
for comfort.
St. Peter gave a staff to the emissaries, and bid them beat upon the
earth where Matern's bones were laid; at the same time they were to
call on him to rise, as it was not yet time for him to rest, but he
must still combat for the sake of God.
This was done; and Matern, who had been dead forty days, arose,
and administered three bishoprics at once; viz. Tongern, Trèves,
and Cologne.
THE FIRST FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.
The first institution of this nature is said to have been in Trèves,
and was thus established: Saint Goar was a very pious man, harming
none, but the wicked calumniated him to the Bishop of Trèves.
The Bishop ordered him to appear before him, and, to test his power,
asked him to declare who was the father of a child that had been
exposed near the Cathedral.
The Saint bending prayed, and touched the child's lips; whereon
the child spoke, and the uttered word was "Rusticus," which was the
Bishop's name.
The Bishop grew pale, the calumniators slunk away, and St. Goar,
turning to the Bishop, said, "Perceivest thou not thy duty? As the
Church embraces with tender arms erring children, so must thou, the
head of thy Church, foster such poor children, and bring them up in
the fear of God."
The city of Trèves and surrounding country fell under the sway
of the Archbishops of the diocese, who were usually more warriors
than priests, if we may judge by their acts. Here is a picture of a
brother-Archbishop, who flourished in 1169:--"Christian of Mayence
is said to have spoken six languages, and was celebrated for his
knightly feats of arms. He was daily to be seen with a golden helmet
on his head, armed cap-à-pié, and mounted on his war-horse, the
archiepiscopal mantle floating from his shoulders, and in his hand
a heavy club, with which he had brained thirty-eight of his enemies."
There were at this time four orders of nobility:--the Ecclesiastical,
comprising Bishops, Abbots, and other Church dignitaries. The remaining
three orders may be classed as follows:--
First, the old and proud families who still retained their free
grants of lands; these despised alike Princes and Bishops, Court and
Ecclesiastical dignitaries.
The second order was formed of the nobles belonging to the different
orders of knighthood; these collectively enjoyed the power of
individual princes.
The remaining order consisted of the feudal aristocracy; these were
the court nobility, who filled all the offices of state, and although
bound by oath to support their princes, they were often leagued
together in arms against them.
These four powers were in constant hostility, and from the skirts of
the second and last crept forth a fifth disturbing force; this was made
up of what are ordinarily termed the Robber-Knights, the ruins of whose
castles are frequent on the Moselle and Rhine. In consequence of their
depredations, the princes and nobles were forced to erect strongholds
to protect their towns and villages; hence arose the numerous towers
whose ruins adorn the banks of the Moselle and other rivers.
Most of the later legends are connected with these Robber-Knights;
and the history of their petty wars with the Archbishops of Trèves
and the Counts of Sponheim (the latter being lords of a large tract
of country), is the history of the Moselle during the middle ages.
The Counts of Sponheim, too, were generally at variance with the
Archbishops of Trèves, and both these powers with the Archbishops of
Cologne; so we plainly see the necessity of the walls, which still
exist in fragments round the old towns and villages; and while we
quietly sketch the picturesque gate and water-towers, our minds revert
to the days when the poor burghers guarded them with jealousy.
The burghers eventually, however, carried the day; and as they
increased in power the Robber-Knights were gradually swept away,
leaving only the blackened walls of their old keeps to mark where they
had plied their trade of robbery. See in the following story how the
citizens of Trèves paid off a certain Robber-Knight, named Adalbert,
whose castle was situated near their town, meeting violence with fraud.
THE ANIMATED WINE-CASKS.
Adalbert, from his castle of Saint Cross, disturbed by robbery the
city of Trèves. The city swore vengeance.
A certain brave knight, named Sicco, offered to destroy both Adalbert
and his castle by cunning. This offer was gladly accepted, and the
clergy blessed the cunning knight.
On a very hot day, when all within the Saint Cross castle were dozing,
a stranger appeared at the gate, and begged the warder to give him a
cup of wine, as he had travelled far, being just arrived from Italy,
and was on his way to his castle on the Moselle.
The refreshment was given him, and the grateful traveller requested the
warder to tell his master that his kindness would not be unrewarded,
as he was the owner of a fair vineyard, and when he arrived at
home he would send him some casks of his best wine in return for
his hospitality.
Before long a troop of peasants were seen approaching the castle,
escorting several carts laden with casks, which, however, were filled
with armed men instead of strong wine.
The warder challenged the procession, and Sicco, who was disguised as
a peasant, said that they were sent by the pilgrim to whom Adalbert
had been so hospitable, and who now forwarded them in conformity with
his word.
The door was opened, and Adalbert himself conducted the carts into
the court-yard; then Sicco drew his sword, and gave the signal to his
followers by slaying Adalbert, and the men, being liberated from the
casks, rushed on the garrison and slew them all; then the castle was
burnt. On the ruins a church was built.
The Crusades gave a new impetus to arts and sciences, bringing
the luxury and refinement of the East into contact with the almost
barbaric simplicity of the Western nations; and from the eleventh
century we find the legends assume a different character, saints and
hermits giving place to knights and ladies, and minstrels sing lays
of love and pleasure in place of dwelling on the old themes of war
and religion. Instead of descriptions of lives passed in deserts,
and celestial visions, we have pictures of tournaments and tales of
robbers, ghosts, and stirring adventures of all sorts, mingled with
dreams of Eastern luxury.
Popular fury having been raised by the preaching of Peter the Hermit
and others, it expended itself in the first place on those more
immediately within its reach; and in Trèves the Jews were so persecuted
that they frequently committed suicide, after slaying their children:
multitudes of them also embraced Christianity, only to resume their
real faith when the storm had passed.
In the two succeeding centuries many curious laws were enacted to
suit the times,--those relating to trial by combat are among the most
remarkable; we will merely instance one: If a woman of the lower
classes had been violated, but the matter could not be proved, the
accused man was buried up to his middle in the earth, and a stick,
an ell long, put into his hand; thus he fought the woman, who was
armed with a stone tied up in her veil.
Coiners were at this period boiled in kettles.
In addition to courts of law, there were now established courts of
love; these were composed of select women and knightly poets, who
with extraordinary sagacity gave judgment in love affairs.
The service of the fair formed an essential part of
knightly customs. To insult, or in any way injure a woman, was
disgraceful. Woman--the ideal of beauty, gentleness, and love--inflamed
each knightly bosom with a desire to deserve her favours, by deeds of
valour and self-denial. She was worshipped as a protecting divinity,
and knights undertook any task, however difficult, at the merest
hint that it would be acceptable, even deeming themselves happy to
die for her sake, and so win her approbation.
Love became an art, "a knightly study," and this submission to
the gentle yoke of woman, bred in humility and religion, chiefly
contributed to humanise and civilise the manners of the age; and we may
thank the German element for superseding the grosser and more sensual
manner in which woman was regarded previously to the rising of that
nation. The historian concludes his remarks on this subject by saying,
"Fidelity was the essence of true love; and such were lovers then."
In the thirteenth century arose an institution immediately allied
with the neighbourhood of our river; this was the Fehm-gerichte,
or Secret Tribunal. Engelbert, an Archbishop of Cologne, was the
first president and founder of this secret court. It was in the first
instance composed of a number of honourable men of every class, who
joined together for the purpose of judging and punishing all evildoers;
its measures were chiefly directed against the licentious nobles and
robber-knights; its proceedings were necessarily secret, as, were the
names of the judges known, they would have been objects of vengeance
to all the turbulent spirits of the day. In the fourteenth century
this association numbered a hundred thousand members, all bound by
a solemn oath, and known to each other by a secret sign.
No ecclesiastics, except the spiritual lord; no Jews, women, or
servants, were admitted as members; nor were these amenable to the
court, all accused being judged by their peers. Accusations brought
before this court were only such as would not have been received by
the more legal tribunals.
The accused was summoned to appear three times; and if he did not
then come forward, judgment was passed on him by default, the oath
of the accuser being considered sufficient proof of his guilt,
and the condemned criminal was secretly and mysteriously deprived
of life. His body was always found with a dagger, on which were the
letters S. S. G. G., [5] plunged into it.
As an instance of the working and rude justice of this tribunal,
we read the following:--
"A certain Baron Wolfgang von Cronenburg ravished a nun, and bade
defiance to the laws, in his castle; but even here the arm of this
secret society reached him, and he was found dead. The nun being
pregnant by him was released from her vows, and the possessions of
her ravisher bestowed on her and her son."
An extraordinary pilgrimage was founded about the end of the thirteenth
century by an Archbishop of Trèves; the pilgrims were to go to the
grave of Saint Willibrod at Epternach, and there join in a general
dance in her honour. During this dance the pilgrims of all ranks
were linked together; first they advanced, then retired, afterwards
ziz-zagging off to the right and left. This custom was kept up for
many years, and is still in existence in a modified form. [6]
In 1473, Trèves was selected by Charles the Bold and the Emperor
Frederick III. as the place where they should meet and settle the
marriage of Mary of Burgundy with Maximilian, the son of Frederick;
Charles was on his side to be invested with the rank of King, and
receive the title of King of Burgundy.
Frederick arrived, magnificently attended; but Charles, surrounded
by his nobles from the rich country of Flanders, outshone the
Emperor. The latter invested Charles with the Duchy of Guelders,
and a day was fixed for his coronation as King; but before the day
arrived Frederick quietly took boat and dropped down the Moselle, being
probably instigated by the French emissaries [7] to take this step.
The disgust of Charles defrauded of a crown, and of the towns-people
disappointed of a spectacle, must have been excessive.
The abuses of the Romish Church now culminated, and Luther, hurling his
bolt against the Roman Bishop, drove the faith of the times into two
opposite extremes,--infidelity and superstition. Men's minds became
unhinged; none knew what to believe; fantastic visions of every kind
dazzled the eyes of all; the devil seemed to walk on earth, and men who
believed in little else sought his protection. Now was the time when
people believed that certain charms rendered their bodies invulnerable;
and bullets, which never missed, could be cast. Gold was supposed to be
obtainable by skill; and above all, the elixir of life, which should
enable the possessor to lengthen his term of existence at pleasure,
was eagerly sought. One charlatan asserted that gold could be extracted
from Jews, and that the ashes of twenty-four of this nation would yield
one ounce. In the preceding century a Bishop of Lausanne had believed
in the efficacy of a spiritual anathema for driving away grasshoppers
and mice, and soon after a Bishop of Coire cursed cockchafers.
The burning of witches formed one of the most remarkable features of
the age of the Reformation; it had commenced at an earlier period,
but became general in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
In the fourteenth century the Council of Trèves condemned the
belief in witches, and declared their supposed nightly expeditions
to be a fabulous invention; but in the fifteenth century the belief
came suddenly back with fresh force, Pope Innocent VIII., in 1485,
affirming the existence of witches.
Old women were more persecuted by the Lutherans than they had been by
the Inquisition. They were accused of being in league with the devil,
and with his help raising storms, depriving cows of milk, carrying off
corn through the air, striking men and cattle dead, or afflicting them
with sickness, exciting love by potions, and unnatural hate by spells.
For all these, and many other imaginary crimes, poor old women were
dragged from their homes and subjected to different ordeals. Firstly,
came the shaving of the head; and if any mole or scar was found, she
was proclaimed a witch. Secondly, if no mole or scar, she was usually
tried by either water or weight; if the former, her right thumb was
tied to her left great toe, and her left thumb to her right great toe,
and she was thrown into the water: if she floated, she was a witch;
if weight was the test, little shrivelled-up women had no hope,
for they were generally declared under weight, and tortured till
they confessed. Under these tortures they confessed whatever their
persecutors thought fit, and were then burned. There were many other
ordeals practised in different places.
The Archbishop of Trèves, in 1589, sentenced so many women to the
stake, that in two districts only two women remained. This Archbishop
also condemned the Rector of the University of Trèves as a sorcerer.
Towards the end of the seventeenth century, Trèves suffered much
from the different armies that repeatedly traversed her territories;
and in the beginning of the eighteenth century, one of its Electors
had the temerity to declare war against Louis XIV., without waiting
for the decision of the Empire.
Louis determined to seize on the person of the Elector, who he
jeeringly named the "Little Curé of Trèves." For this purpose
he despatched a regiment of Hussars from Sarre-Louis, with orders
to bring him dead or alive. The Hussars endeavoured to surprise the
Elector while hunting; but a certain Postmaster warned him of the plot
and he fled to Ehrenbreitstein, closely followed by the Hussars. The
Elector rewarded the Postmaster, by ordering that whenever he came
to Ehrenbreitstein he should be allowed to eat and drink his fill of
whatever he chose, that was in cellar or larder.
In 1803 the spiritual Electorates were abolished, and Trèves included
in France. It now forms a portion of Rhenish Prussia.
Having touched on the leading historical events connected with Trèves,
from the earliest times to the present century, we will take a survey
of the city as it now exists.
Formerly Trèves occupied a large space on both sides of the Moselle,
but it has in later years been confined to the right bank of the
river; indeed, it cannot properly be said to be on the Moselle at
all, for the principal part of the town is at some distance inland,
and everywhere walls shut it out from the stream, only a few detached
houses appearing on the banks.
Completely modernised, Trèves yet possesses a certain look of age,
owing probably to its walls with avenues of trees surrounding, and an
air of decay visible throughout its streets and squares. The later
style of houses are of the time of Louis XV., and many of them are
good specimens of sufficiently ornamented dwellings.
The Market-place presents a most animated appearance on the great
market-days; and it is with difficulty we can force our way through
the crowd on those days, owing to a fashion the women have of wearing
their baskets on their backs; which unwieldy things are unmercifully
pushed into the ribs of the passer-by, and while he tries to recover
his breath after the concussion his incautious foot probably receives
a solid sabot on its tenderest part. In the Market-place stands an
elegant fountain, opposite to which is the Rothen Haus, formerly the
town-hall: this building is now a comfortable inn, well placed for
studying costumes and customs.
Within sight of the Market-place is the famous Porta Nigra; what its
original use was is a matter of vague conjecture, the learned in such
subjects not being able to agree in their opinions. During the middle
ages it was used for ecclesiastical purposes, and was fitted up as
two churches, one above the other, in which service was regularly
performed: the Prussian authorities have restored it to its original
state, and it is very well preserved, and is certainly quite one of
the most interesting Roman buildings extant.
There are (as we stated at the commencement of this chapter) many other
reminiscences of the Roman rule to be seen in Trèves, the principal of
which are the bridge, the amphitheatre, and the baths: of the latter
a considerable portion still remains, but of the amphitheatre only
the form is left, with a mere fragment of wall at the entrance. It,
in common with the other ruins in Trèves, is well kept and preserved.
The old palace of the Archbishops is now a barrack, and only
interesting from its associations.
The Liebfrauen Kirche is a beautiful Gothic edifice, with noble arches
of extreme lightness and delicacy of appearance; the doorway is richly
carved; and, altogether, this church is as beautiful a specimen of
its order of architecture as can be found.
The Cathedral is a fine building and stands side by side with the
Liebfrauen Kirche, which it far exceeds in size but to which it
is inferior in beauty; it is, nevertheless, a good specimen of the
Byzantine style, and from its proximity to the Liebfrauen Kirche we are
able, at a glance, to contrast the different orders of architecture.
In this Cathedral is deposited the coat of our Saviour, "woven without
seam from top to the bottom;" and here flocked, so lately as 1844,
no less than one million one hundred thousand persons to gaze on
the wonderful garment, which was exhibited to the faithful for eight
weeks and then returned to its coffer.
There are many other churches in and around Trèves, one of which the
commissionaires think very grand, and accordingly march their slaves,
the sight-seers, off to visit it, and expect them to fall into raptures
with a whitewashed, high-roofed ball-room, covered with tawdry,
coarsely-painted arabesques, and indifferent pictures; the slaves
generally gratify their tyrants by falling into unbounded raptures,
and nearly twist their necks off to get a look at the paintings on
the ceiling: latterly, little looking-glasses have been provided,
to save them from getting cricks in their necks.
About six miles from Trèves, on the Luxembourg road, is a village
called Igel. Here is preserved a very curious stone obelisk, covered
with carvings of figures and inscriptions: as usual, there is a
considerable dispute as to its origin and purpose, but it undoubtedly
is a very curious relic of bygone days, and is not without beauty in
design and execution.
Luxembourg is a very strong place, so scientifically fortified that it
is most difficult for an uninitiated person to find his way into it;
and having done so, the town is so wretchedly stupid and dull that
the visitor generally comes to the conclusion that he has taken a
good deal of trouble for nothing, and hastens to make his way out:
which task he finds not less difficult than the entry. From the walls
very striking views might be seen, only the sentries order you off
immediately, especially if you have so deadly an implement as a
sketch-book in your hand; however, we have no particular cause to
expatiate on Luxembourg, as it is only one small feeder of our river.