Page:Notes upon Russia (volume 1, 1851).djvu/119

Rh mutual affection of all the brothers for each other, and states that throughout their whole life they lived in the greatest harmony; he particularly speaks with the utmost gratitude of George, the eldest, as a most excellent and distinguished man, who by his advice and example had produced the most salutary influence on the formation of his youthful character. In the early years of his life, Sigismund was very delicate, and soon became so sickly that his parents despaired of human help, and made a vow to send him to the celebrated monastery of Our Lady at Loretto. His second brother Hans, who must have been at least fifteen years older than himself, accompanied him in this journey. The brothers embarked at Lovrana, a little harbour of Liburnia, and sailed for Ancona, whence they proceeded on horseback to the end of their pilgrimage. This so-called pious expedition, we are told, had the most beneficial effects; so that Sigismund, when only eight years old, was well able, after his return, to attend the school in his native town of Wippach. His parents afterwards sent him to school at Lonsbach. Here he learned German and Windisch, or Sclavonic, which latter language subsequently proved of the greatest service to him, although his schoolfellows, on this account, called him a Windisch slave. Petrus Paganus, speaking upon this point, says that the people used to exhibit great animosity against their neighbours upon the subject of differences in language, and that Herberstein consequently was exposed to the frequent taunts of his school-fellows, because he, being a Ger-