ds, at the foot
of a hill, which is crowned by the weird buildings of the Cloister,
where the Hohenstaufen graves are; opposite the Cloister and Hamlet,
rise the venerable ruins of Hohenstaufen itself, with a series of
hills; at the bottom winds the Rems,' a branch of the Neckar, 'towards
still fruitfuler regions. In this attractive rural spot the Schiller
Family resided for several years; and found from the pious and kindly
people of the Hamlet, and especially from a friend of the house,
Moser, the worthy Parish-Parson there, the kindliest reception. The
Schiller children soon felt themselves at home and happy in Lorch,
especially Fritz did, who, in the Parson's Son, Christoph Ferdinand
Moser, a soft gentle child, met with his first boy-friend. In this
worthy Parson's house he also received, along with the Parson's own
Sons, the first regular and accurate instruction in reading and
writing, as also in the elements of Latin and Greek. This arrangement
pleased and comforted Captain Schiller not a little: for the more
distinctly he, with his clear and candid character, recognised the
insufficiency of his own instruction and stock of knowledge, the more
impressively it lay on him that his Son should early acquire a good
foundation in Languages and Science, and learn something solid and
effective. What he could himself do in that particular he faithfully
did; bringing out, with this purpose, partly the grand historical
memorials of that neighbourhood, partly his own life-experiences, in
instructive and exciting dialogues with his children. He would point
out to the listening little pair the venerable remains of the
Hohenstaufen Ancestral Castle, or tell them of his own soldier-career.
He took the Boy with him into the Exercise Camp, to the Woodmen in the
Forest, and even into the farther-distant pleasure-castle of
Hohenheim; and thereby led their youthful imagination into many
changeful imaginings of life.[46]

[Footnote 46: _Saupe_, p. 11.]

'Externally little Fritz and his Sister were not like; Christophine
more resembling the Father, whilst Friedrich was the image of the
Mother. On the other hand, they had internally very much in common;
both possessed a lively apprehension for whatever was true, beautiful
or good. Both had a temper capable of enthusiasm, which early and
chiefly turned towards the sublime and grand: in short, the strings of
their souls were tuned on a cognate tone. Add to this, that both, in
the b