recover the sunny land of his forefathers by drinking it in with eager
eyes! What need is there of gleaming swords to seize what the eye shows
us?" He cares little for royalty.

"Strongholds crumble away, as may be seen on all these hills;
everything falls to ruin and is renewed. But on thy summits, unchanging
Nature, forever the thyme shall bloom, and the shepherds and
shepherdesses frolic on the grass at the return of spring."

The Prince apostrophizes the "empire of the sun," bordering like a
silver hem the dazzling Rhone, the "poetic empire of Provence, that with
its name alone doth charm the world," and he calls to mind the empire of
the Bosonides, the memory of which survives in the speech of the
boatmen; they call the east shore "empire," the west shore "kingdom."

The journey is full of episodes. The owner of the fleet, Apian, is a
sententious individual. He is devoted to his river life, full of
religious fervor, continually crossing himself or praying to Saint
Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. This faith, however, is not
entire. If a man falls into the water, the fellows call to him,
"Recommend thyself to Saint Nicholas, but swim for dear life." As the
English expression has it, "Trust to God, but keep your powder dry."
Master Apian always says the Lord's Prayer aloud when he puts off from
shore, and solemnly utters the words, "In the name of God and the Holy
Virgin, to the Rhone!" His piety, however, does not prevent him from
interrupting his prayer to swear at the men most vigorously. Says he,
"Let whoever would learn to pray, follow the water," but his arguments
and experiences rather teach the vanity of prayer. He is full of
superstitious tales. He has views of life.