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138 RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
My journey through the hereditary dominions of the Houfe of Auftria, confirmed an
opinion I had long fince taken up in other countries, which is, that the inhabitants of the
mountains are by no means as good foldiers as thofe who inhabit the plains. The Ty-
rolefe, Carinthians, Ukranians, and Styrians, have as {trong bodies as the Bohemians,
but they are by no means as good foldiers as thefe, and without a doubt are the molt
wretched of all the Emperor’s troops. Even in Switzerland, as I have heard from fome
of the moft intelligent officers of the country, the Zurchers, and that part of the inha-
bitants of Berne, who live in the lower parts of the Canton, are infinitely better fol.
diers than the Granbundtners, and other nations who inhabit the top of the Alps. The
true reafon of this is no doubt to be fought for in the peculiar way of living of a moun-
tainous people, which is too particular for them ever to be able to change their way of
hfe without fuffering by it.
All people likewife who live by pafturage, are known to be much weaker than thofe
who live byagriculture, who are hardened bythe weather and continual labour. The inha-
bitants of mountains, who according to the teftimony of hiftory, are moftly herdfmen,
defend their country with more perfeverance than the inhabitants of plains, becaufe the
property they have in it makes them fonder of it, and becaufe the defence of their almoft
inacceflible poffeflions is naturally much eafier tothem; but they are by no means as for-
midable out of their own country, and they foon get the maladie du Pais, which you
know is fo common amongtt the Swifs.
‘Lhe conftitution and manners of the country contribute much to make the Bohemi-
ans fuch foldiers as they are. ‘The farmers live in a poverty which preferves them from
effeminacy and luxury much more effectually than any pofitive fumptuary law could do.
Befides this, the feudal flavery fy{tem, which obtains here in the extreme, accuftoms them
from their youth upwards to unconditional obedience, the great military virtue of our
‘days. Their conftant labour and fcanty food renders them hardy, and, like the Spartans,
they find the foldier’s life far eafier than ploughing the fields of their matters.
It is inconceivable how a people in fuch a wretched fituation fhould poffefs fo many
virtues as thefedo. They have givenirrefragable proofs of their love of liberty, and in
nocity of the Auftrian hereditary dominions have I met with fo many true patriots as
there are here. ‘The Bohemian peafant is generally looked upon as {tupid and infenfible,
but take them all together, they have a great deal of feeling and natural underftanding.
I have converfed with feveral of them, who lamented the horrors of their fituation in
terms fufficiently expreflive, and {poke of the cruelty of their tyrants as it deferved to be
fpoken of. They love the Emperor with a degree of enthufiafm, and are confident that
he will break their chains. In the Huflite war they gave proofs of courage which would
obfcure all the famed deeds of the Helvetic one, if they were but half as well defcribed
or fung as thefe have been: without any advantages of fituation, and on even ground,
they have with a handful of men defeated bands far better armed, and far better difci-
plined than themfelves. ‘Their onfet was irrefiftible, and they would have inevitably fe-
cured that freedom to themfelves, for which they fought fo well, if towards the end of
the war, diflenfions, moftly foftered by the fpirit of party and prieftcraft that had arifen
amongft themfelves, had not ruined them, and if they had not been betrayed by treaties
with their enemies.
I could not without the greateft commiferation look upon the handfome young far-
mers, who bare-footed, with torn linen, and f{tockings uncommonly tattered, and yet
clean clothes, without neck-cloths, often without hats, were carrying corn or wood for
their mafters to market. Their good appearance and cheerfulnefs feemed to me but
ill-fuited to their hard fortune, One of themwho carried my great coat (which I had brought
£ out
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