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74 RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
largeft hofts of the enemy. -The monks, particularly the jefuits, refilted his benign in-
fluence as long as they could. In Charles the VIth’s time no. kind of literature was
held in efteem, except that which related to merchandize and finance. A few days
ago there fell into my hands a book, which, without a doubt, is the beft publication of
thofe dul! times; it treats of finance, and though written in moft barbarous German,
lays down the beft principles of this fcience. ‘Thefe, however, no king has followed but
the King of Pruffia, who hasavailed himfelf of them, to the no flight detriment of the
country in which the book was written. The author’s name was Schroeder; he was in
the Emperor’s fervicé. Every thing, however, except finance, was in utter darknefs,
and even the fermons were farces. “lowards the end of the laft reign, things began to
be upon a better footing; but the Emprefs, who, with all her excellencies, has a weal
fide, which is that of wanting to make all her fubjects angels, fees every improvement
that is propofed, only as it regards her religion; befides this, fhe has a little of the Spa-
nifh etiquette left about her, and loves old unpolluted nobility.
Notwithftanding the care the Emprefs takes of the morality of her fubjeéts, all the
charities depend upon the court alone for their fupport. We meet here with no curé
of St. Sulpice to raife 300,000 livres a year for the relief of the neceflitous. The Arch-
bifhop Migazzi is as bigotted and as dependant on the papal hierarchy 2s our Beaumont,
but he gives no million of livres yearly out of his income to fecret diftrefs, as the good
Archbithop of Paris does. I queftion whether it would be poffible, upon ony occafion,
to get acolle€tion of 10,000 guilders from hence. Though Vienna has feveral houfes
in it with which the moft opulent in Paris cannot be compared, pride, gallantry, and dif-
fipation, are all the feelings the people of this place are fulceptible of. Though moft of
the richeit people have been for years opprefled with debts, they have not yet learned
to confine their expences, and would think it a fhame to live within bounds. As to the
middling orders, they live from hand to mouth, and are well fatisfied if they can make
two ends of the year meet. Cconomy isa term entirely banifhed from the place. Every
thing {wills and lives for the pleafure of fenfe only.
LETTER XXI.
Vienna.
THE police of this place is entirely taken up with the objet of fuppreffing every
thing that indicates vigour and manly ftrength : that, however, is not the beft police,
whofe only object is to make every member of fociety as fecure as poffible, but that
which knows how to give the greatelt fecurity to the whole, and at the fame time en-
croaches as little as poffible upon the freedom of individuals. It is certain, that by fet-
ting watches about every citizen’s houfe to take an account of what is going forward at
his table and in his bed, and to follow the feveral members of his family wherever they
go, you may guard effectually againft diforder ; but who is there that exifts on earth,
and loves the order that is kept up amongft galley-flaves ?
The wife Creator, whofe government ought to be the model of every wife legiflature,
left us that free will which we fo often abufe. He gave us ftrong incitements to good,
without taking away the power of doing evil. In this liberty, notwithftanding the mif-
chiefs which arife from it, confifts the true greatnefs of man. Religion teaches us, that
in his own good time God will punifh the wicked and reward the good. Without the
freedom to do ill, we fhould have neither moral feelings nor moral happinefs, and God
would not be righteous towards us,
‘We
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