The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Old Man of the Mountain, The Lovecharm
and Pietro of Abano, by Ludwig Tieck

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Title: The Old Man of the Mountain, The Lovecharm and Pietro of Abano
Tales from the German of Tieck

Author: Ludwig Tieck

Release Date: August 19, 2008 [eBook #26360]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN, THE
LOVECHARM AND PIETRO OF ABANO***

E-text prepared by Delphine Lettau

THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN,
THE LOVECHARM,
AND
PIETRO OF ABANO.

Tales from the German of Tieck.

London:
Edward Moxon, 64, New Bond Street.
1831.

THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.

The name of Herr Balthasar was well known throughout the whole
hill-country: not a child but had heard of his vast riches, and had
some story to tell of him. Everybody too loved and honoured him; for
his bounty was as great as his wealth: but at the same time he was
viewed with fear; for he harast both himself and others by a number of
strange whims which no one could understand; and his moodiness, his
silent reserve, were especially irksome to those who were nearest
about him. No person had seen him smile for many years; he scarcely
ever came out of his large house on the hill above the little
mountain-town, nearly the whole of which belonged to him: its
inhabitants too were almost all his dependents, whom he had drawn
thither to work in his manufactories, his mines, and his alum pits.
Thus through his means this small spot was very thickly peopled, and
enlivened by the greatest activity. Waggons and horses were
continually moving to and fro; and the clatter of the working
machinery was mixt up with the roar of waters, and with the various
noises from the pounding and smelting-houses. The smoke of the coals
however, the steam from the pits, and the black heaps of dross and
slag piled up on high all around, gave the gloomy sequestered valley a
still more dismal appearance; so that no one who travelled for the
sake of seeking out and enjoying the beauties of nature, would have
any mind to linger there.

Among the multitude of persons who in cons