Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Pages ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 29
totally diffonant to this philofophy.. There were no pains taken to correét the people of
their inclination to theft and robbery, by good education, improved morals, and en-
couragement to induftry. But furely the fix millions which are to be thrown away on
the new Malta bufinefs, might have been much better employed in the erection of
{chools, and houfes of induftry, for the purpofe of faving and reforming fo many thou-
fands of men. And are not the fumptuous opera houfes, the expenfive colleétions of
curiofities, the palaces, gardens, and innumerable fwarms of glittering fervants, a
reproach to the court ? and do they not fhew that the property of the fubjects is in bad
hands? .
The ecclefiaftics of this place are much divided at prefent. The fame parties obtain
here, which, by their heat and virulence to each other, drew fo much notice in France.
The ex-jefuits, with their adherents, are fupported by the elector’s confeffor, who is
one of their number ; and at the head of the Benedictines are fome very rich prelates,
who make their way into the cabinet with gold, by means of mercenary fervants, and
ladies of the court. Some of them, if I am not miftaken, are members of the eftates of
the country ; but this gives them but little weight with a prince fo jealous of his au-
thority, that he has hitherto delayed taking the prefcribed oaths in the aflemblies of the
ftates. However it is believed that they will get the better of the jefuits, as gold is all
powerful here. What the country will gain or lofe by this know not. ‘The Bene-
diGtines are like other monks, though not io opinionated and implacable as their enemies
the jefuits.
The intolerance of the jefuits, who have now fora long time governed the eleCtor,
has been very prejudicial to the Palatinate. The proteftants make at lea{t one half of
the inhabitants of this country, and have many treaties of peace, and public ftipulations
granted for their fecurity. In every ftate they make the belt of citizens; as their re-
ligious dotrines are confonant to the foundeft politics, and their priefthood is never at
variance with the civil power. Notwithftanding this, they are expofed to every fpecies
of opprefiion, and the court feems to make a merit of rooting out this moft valuable
part of its fubjects; whom, being blinded by the falfe arguments of the priefts, it con-
fiders as weeds in the {tate garden. The hypocrites difguile their perfecuting {pirit under
the appearance of political zeal, and endeavour to perfuade the prince, that unity of re-
ligion is as effential to every ftate, as unity of fovereignty. In a proclamation for the
fuppreflion of a fmall, but very elegant poem againtt intolerance, I met with thefe words:
“<The author is defirous of introducing into catholic Bavaria, a mixture of religions
very dangerous to the ftate.”’ But let the court contemplate, or rather I fhould fay,
would it had eyes to fee how many falutary confequences this mixture of religions has
had in Holland, and how great the difference is between catholic Bavaria, and the coun-
try in which there are about thirty different fects.
It was the fame affe€tation of political zeal, that made the jefuits in France ufe fuch
ftrong efforts to get the edict of Nantes revoked. They accuitomed Lewis XIV. from
his childhood to confider the reformed church as the fecret enemy of the crown and the
itate, and falfely charged on its peaceable fubjects that {pirit of perfecution, which they
themfelves alone poffefled. Our court has now difcovered that the jefuits were greater
enemies to France than the reformed church; but at atime when we fo loudly proclaim
our errors, when the reformed church hopes to recover its loft freedom of religion,
when a Necker in office proves to all mankind how much jefuitifm is abhorred; here
they continue to exclude Proteftants from even the loweft offices in the ftate, and ufe
every artifice to opprefs them.
Nature
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
