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Eo RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
beloved by all the world. This family pride, joined to her quick feelings, are the caufe
why fhe confiders all the princes who have been at war with her at any time, as her per-
fonal enemies, and has never forgiven any of them. ‘The Emperor’s laft wife, who was
a Bavarian princefs, had caufe to regret her father’s having attempted to rob the Em-
prefs of Bohemia, Upper Auftria, and the Imperial Crown. She made her feel the
fuperiority of the Houfe of Auttria, over the Houfe of Bavaria. ‘Thus far is true, but
the fables which have been raifed on this foundation are too wild even to deferve a feri-
6us refutation,
Fame has not reported falfely of this great princefs. She is a true woman, and it is
by the amiable paflions of her own fex that fhe is moft diftinguifhed. She was not at
all offended at being told by the relation of another great fovereign, whom fhe was com-
plimenting on the reputation of his friend, ‘* May it pleafe Your Majefty, my fifter is {till
only a woman.” All the tints in Vherefa’s charaéter are the fhades of a lively female
character. She was the trueft, but the moft jealous of wives; the moft affeCtionate,
but at the fame time the fevereft of mothers; the moft friendly, but at the fame time
the moft imperious mother-in-law.
Her charaéter, however, has fometimes rifen beyond the ftrength of a man. The
refolution with which fhe defended her hereditary dominions againft {o many powers united
to opprefs her, excited the aftonifhment of all Europe. Her love of juitice is fo great,
that fhe immediately defifts from any pretenfions fhe has formed, which are not recon-
cileable with it, when fhe is fhewn that they are not fc. ‘Though the King of Pruffia
knows that fhe bears him a grudge, (which fhe will carry with her to her grave,) he is fo
fatisfied of the general rectitude of her principles, that whenever they have a difpute,
his only care is to have his reafons properly ftated to the Emprefs herfelf, by his ambaf-
fador. ‘The nobility of Genoa, as I was informed by an officer who took a great part in
the revolution of 1746, exclaimed with one voice, ‘ O, if it were poffible to bring our
grievances before the Emprefs herfelf, we fhould be fure of obtaining relief.” The cry
of thefe Republicans at the time when they were moft forely opprefled by Auftrian ar-
mies, was the fineft praife that ‘Therefa could have heard,—but fhe heard it not.
Amidft the various fpecies of knowledge fhe poffefles, there is one which unluckily
fails her, the knowledge of mankind. According to the cuftom of her houfe, fhe was
bred up in an elevation which has not allowed of her feeing with her own eyes the necef-
fities of ordinary life, and the true interefts of the people fhe reigns over. Her whole
education was fo-conduted as to make her the dupe of flatterers, who made her believe
that nobles and priefts were a fuperior order of men to laymen and common people.
Priefts and flatterers have at times betrayed her into actions which her heart would
fhudder at, if fhe could fee them in their right light. An inftance of this was given
fome years ago, when, in an infurrection of the Bohemian peafants, the Emperor en-
deavoured to obtain the abolition of the feudal tenures. ‘This he did becaule he knew
the true fituation of thefe poor flaves, who did not themfelves know what they defired,
but were only driven to what they did by hunger. ‘here was indeed little to lay to
their charge befides having hunted fome barons out of bed ; but-the wives of the Bo-
hemian nobles fo far prevailed upon the Emprefs with their tears, that foldiers were fent
into the country, and many poor people were hanged as traitors, who were in fact only
the victims of hunger. As this happened in the memorable year of fcarcity over all
Europe, when Bohemia, notwith{tanding the natural riches of its agriculture, was re-
duced to the greateft neceflity, and as the Emperor well knew that the principal caufe of
jt was owing to the avarice of the great landlords, particularly of the priefts, he endea-
svoured to take off the fervitude of the lower orders ; but his mother’s attachment to the
4 nobility
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