Page:Stories Translated from the German.djvu/203

 universally known by the appellation of "The Great Antiquarian"—for him, in the autumn of his life, at last to inquire what Byzantium is—the question, to say the least of it, remains a highly ridiculous occurrence.

Therefore, as our beloved poet himself says, in his own agreeable manner, and so much to the point—

These words may therefore serve as a motto to introduce the following little anecdotes, which I have also borrowed from the book of the old Professor, who has noted them down among the real circumstances witnessed by himself. But I will relate them in my own words, and not in those of