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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 65
a journey through France, purpofely with a view of becoming acquainted with our ma-
nufaétures. This gentleman is well known to our beft artifts, but his particular paffion
is botany, in which he is very excellent. The groom of the ftole, Count Kuenburg, is
avery fenfible man, extremely pleafant, witty, and fociable. His library, in the forma-
tion of which he has not confulted the Index librorum prohibitorum, contains all our beft
authors. The Bifhop of Chienfee, the Count of Tieb, and feveral more of the high no-
bility are refpe€table, both on account of their knowledge and virtues. The upper
nobility of the place is made up chiefly of Auftrian families, who diftinguifh themfelves
by their affability, their knowledge of the world, and their manners, from the ftupidly
roud Bavarian and Suabian barons. On the other hand, the leffer nobility, the fwarm
of little court gentry, render themfelves ridiculous by their pitiable luft after titles, and
their wretched pride. You mutt here vifit about a hundred Gnadige herrn *, who live
upon three or four hundred florins a year, which they receive from the court, but whom
you cannot offend more than by calling them plain Sir, or their wives plain Madam. A
man who lives here muft accuftom himfelf to put in Gnadige herrn at every third word,
unlefs he choofes to pafs for ill-bred. Such, however, is the aftonifhing poverty of this
clafs of people, that you vifit feveral Gnadige herrn, who take up with houfekeepers
places, or the office of fifters in the hofpitals. They all complain that the court doth
not give them enough to live according to their rank; but unluckily, I have never been
able to find out what their rank is. Moft of them have neither ettates nor money; but
they would look upon it as a great degradation to fuffer their children to be brought up
to any trade or bufinefs. The court is therefore compelled to make their appointments
as flender as poffible, that it may be able to keep them from ftarving; though above
two-thirds of them are fuperfluous fervants. Their rank, therefore, feems to depend on
the pleafure of the court to feed a great number of ufelefs fervants, and on their impu-
dent confidence in that pleafure. Once, however, give them their right titles, and you
will find them the beft people in the world. Many of them amufe themfelves with
French and German literature, particularly with all that relates tothe ftage. The rage
for the theatre is as violent here as it is at Munich; and they look for the coming of a
company of ftrollers, with as much eagernefs as the inhabitants of Siberia look for the
return of fpring. A French engineer, in the prince’s fervice, has built them a pretty
theatre. It is adorned with columns, which fupport nothing but a black board before
the curtain, with the arms of the prince onit.. Upon the whole, knowledge feems to be
more diffufed here than it is at Munich. ‘Though the governor is an ecclefiaftic, there
are not near fo many cloifters, in proportion to the fize of the two places, as in Bava-
_ ria; and the ecclefiaftics of this place are very advantageoufly diftinguifhed from the
others, by good manners, humility, an endeavour to live up to their charafler, and other
virtues. . Government is likewife much better underftood here than it is at Munich.
Too much cannot be faid of the head of the prefent prince, but of his heart —I know
nothing. He knows that he is not beloved by the Saltzburghers, and for that reafon
neglects them, and fhuts himfelf up. I believe the complaints made of him to be much
too violent. ‘They accufe him of fending above 300,000 florins to his family at Vienna
every year, and part of the ftates of the city, that is, almoft all the chapter of the cathe-
dral, have brought aétions againft him, in the imperial court of Vienna, for taking the
ready money out of the cheft, and filling it with paper, which they cannot change into
cafh. Ido not know how far the charge made by this refpectable chapter may be well
grounded; but it is certain, that he has difplayed an uncommon depth of acutenefs and
* German title of nobleffe, which means, Gracious S’r,
penetration,
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