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44 RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
merely to ftrengthen the influence of the houfe of Auftria. ‘The Dukes of Aremberg
are amongtt the oldeft princes; but as by far the greate/t part of their poffeffions lie in
the hereditary lands of Auftnia, they are almoft totally dependant on the court of Vienna.
Many others ‘of the old howless on account of the fituation of their properties alfo adhere
to the Emperor, who from one caufe or other, may be fuppofed to be fecure of half the
votes to carry whatever he has a mind fhould be carried. In the college of towns he
rules almoft without control ;—for as thefe are aimoft all encompaffed by moft powerful
princes, they require the particular proteétion of the court of Vienna to prevent their
being totally crufhed.
Pow arfel as the Emperor’s influence may be under fuch circumftances, ftill the ftates
find means to counteract the {tream, and interrupt its force. Mably has juftly obferved,
in his remarks cn the hiftory of France, that if you confider the empire as compofed of
independent f{tates, who have leagued with each other for mutual defence, one could not
devile wifer regulations than they have inftituted to fecure their liberty from internal
ufurpers. ‘The definition of the conftitution of the empire, “ It is a confufion preferv-
ed by God’s omnipotence, *” is a juft one as long as the empire is erroneoufly confi-
dered as a fingle felf-fubfifting ftate; but if you view it, that is, as an affembly of many
free f{tates, who have knit themfelves together by a certain political-fy{tem, one hall dif-
cover in place of confufiop, a great deal of order; and inftead of unmeaning conneétion,
a great deal of prudence and forefight. The dam which I have mentioned to you, is
that law which provides, that ‘‘ the majority in the imperial colleges fhould not be deci-
five, either in religion or thofe matters in which the ftates could not be confidered as
one body, or where the catholics were of one, and the proteftants of another opinion.”
In thefe cafes the colleges divide into parties, and however {mall in number one party
may be, its decree is held equal to the other more numerous one. Religion alone gave
rife to this law; but in latter times the genius of politics has made good ufe of it, and
all the catholics who are neceflarily dependant on the Emperor’s court, have found it of
fervice for a fmaller number of proteftants to be able to oppofethe Emperor. Since the
power of the King of Pruffia has got fo aftonifhingly high, he is at the head of the pro-
teftant party, although Saxony has the apparent government of it, and he protefts often
very vehemently againft things in which religion is not in the leaft concerned.
From Munich I went to Infpruck, and from thence into the Tyrol. I will referve
what I have to fay on that fubje& till its proper place, which will be when I come to the
Auftrian territories ; befides this letter is already of the proper length. -
LETTER XIV.
Saltzburg.
IT was with great pleafure that I paticred over this romantic country, and at one
time {tanding on fome immenfe peak I viewed under me the clouds, towered on clouds,
boundlefs plains, innumerable lakes, rivers, and brooks, vallies of tremendous depth,
and the bare fummits of huge granate rocks, with the fenfations which are peculiar to fuch
heavenly regions. Sometimes I take my abode in the deep hanging brow of a mountain,
in a fhepherdefs’s hut, who dwells the whole fummer through with her flocks in this
fubterreftrial region, and is vifited only by her lover, who clambers up two or three
miles of the mountains to her, fome wild-goat hunter, or by chance fome ftrayed knight
like myfelf; there I live a day like an ancient patriarch on milk and cheefe, count the
* ER confufio divinitus confervata.
; flock
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