a situation—­till he fancied he had scarcely one earthly want!  I now descended a small stair-case, which brought me directly into the large library—­forming the right wing of the building, looking up the Danube towards Lintz.  I had scarcely uttered three notes of admiration, when the ABBE STRATTMAN entered; and to my surprise and satisfaction, addressed me by name.  We immediately commenced an ardent unintermitting conversation in the French language, which the Abbe speaks fluently and correctly.  We darted at once into the lore of bibliography of the fifteenth century; when the Abbe descanted largely upon the wonders I should see at Vienna:—­especially the Sweynheyms and Pannartz’ UPON VELLUM!  “Here (continued he) there is absolutely nothing worthy of your inspection.  We have here no edit. prin. of Horace, or Virgil, or Terence, or Lucretius:  a copy of the Decretals of Pope Boniface, of the date of 1465, is our earliest and only VELLUM treasure of the XVth century.  But you will doubtless take the Monastery of Goettwic in your way?” I replied that I was wholly ignorant of the existence of such a monastery.  “Then see it—­(said, he) and see it carefully; for the library contains Incunabula of the most curious and scarce kind.  Besides, its situation is the noblest in Austria.”  You will give me credit for not waiting for a second importunity to see such a place, before I answered—­“I will most assuredly visit the monastery of Goettwic.”

I now took a leisurely survey of the library; which is, beyond all doubt, the finest room of its kind which I have seen upon the Continent:—­not for its size, but for its style of architecture, and the materials of which it is composed.  I was told that it was “the Imperial Library in miniature:”—­but with this difference, let me here add, in favour of Moelk—­that it looks over a magnificently-wooded country, with the Danube rolling its rapid course at its base.  The wainscot and shelves are walnut tree, of different shades, inlaid, or dovetailed, surmounted by gilt ornaments.  The pilasters have Corinthian capitals of gilt; and the bolder or projecting parts of a gallery, which surrounds the room, are covered with the same metal.  Every thing is in harmony.  This library may be about a hundred feet in length, by forty in width.  It is sufficiently well furnished with books, of the ordinary useful class, and was once, I suspect, much richer in the bibliographical lore of the fifteenth century.  The Abbe Strattman bade me examine a MS. of Horace, of the twelfth century, which he said had been inspected by Mitscherlich.[103] It seemed to be of the period adjudged to it.  The Vice-Principal, M. PALLAS, now made his appearance.  He talked French readily, and we all four commenced a very interesting conversation, “Did any books ever travel out of this library?”—­said I.  “Surely there must be many which are rather objects of curiosity than of utility:  rarely consulted, no doubt; but which, by being exchanged for others of a more modern and useful description, would contribute more effectually to the purposes of public education, in an establishment of such magnitude?”