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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 83
it is governed. Though the peafantry of the Auftrian dominions. haye always been
foldiers, the finances of the court were in fuch diforder, till the times of the laft Empe-
ror, that the Dutch and Englifh were always forced to pay fubfidies. "The Emperor
Francis laid the foundation of the greatnefs of the country ; but thatit is becoming every
day more and more formidable, is owing to one man, who unites in his perfon, not
only the intellect neceflary to carry on the greateft enterprizes, but alfo the greatett
knowledge of difcipline, and the ceconomical arrangements of an army; I mean General
Lacy, without a doubt one of the greateft geniufes of the prefent century. How little,
indeed, do fome of the greateft wits of the age appear in comparifon of a man who goes
into the cabinet to plan arrangements again{ft the united powers of all Kurope—then
runs through an army of 250,000 men, fo as to pay attention to the fmalleft article of
the foldiers clothing ;—at one inftant, with the happieft combination of ideas and cons
‘jecture of probabilities, lays plans of marches and fieges,—the next writes to the taylor
and fhoemaker of the army to give the clothes a better cut, and the fhoes a better flit ;
—Then entertains himfelf with the Emperor in laying plans for the better adminiftration
of juftice, and the greater concerns of the {tate ;—then lays himfelf out to endeavour to
fimplify the moft trifling military maneeuvre ; then walks through the ftore-houfes, and
gives orders for the better arrangement of the ftores; and in the next half hour moras
lizes in the Socratic manner upon any event that happens. Ina word, if the power of
carrying on feveral ufeful purfuits well at oneand the fame time is to mark the charaGter
of a man, there are few to be compared with the field-marfhall. Indeed, whoever knows
at all what knowledge of the infantry, cavalry, and artillery of an army is requifite to
fet thefe great mafles in motion, will wonder how the head that can do this can attend
to the buttons of a foldier’s fpatterdafhes. And yet, would you think it! with all this,
and a great deal more merit in a thoufand different ways, this great man (I blufh for
humanity whilft I write it!) is univerfally hated, not only by all the people of fafhion,
but by the army whofe father he is! The reafon is a very evident one; before his time
every captain had an opportunity of cheating his fovereign, by furnifhing the foldiers of
his company with every article of clothing, and thofe of a higher rank had a fellow feel.
ing with the paymafter, and divided the contents of the military cheft between them.
That is now all at an end; the foldier is fupplied out of the Emperor’s warehoufes with
every poilible article for which he can have oceafion, and he receives his pay the mo-
ment it is due; he is better clothed than any foldier in Europe, and accuftomed to a
thrift which cannot but contribute to the increafe both of his health and ftrength. All
the Marfhal reaps in return for this is to be laughed at and defpifed. The monks, who
know that he is not their friend, do all they can to make him unpopular; but he is wife
enough to laugh at all they can do, and even to amufe himfelf with the thoughts of doing
good for which he receives no thanks.
As for the black band under Migazzi, it is divided into two parties. One of thefe
thinks with the Cardinal, i. e. true Bellarmine like, and never miffes an opportunity of
introducing an ex-jefuit, when it is poflible. This, however, is the fmalleft in number;
nor can Migazzi now and then prevent a wolf from being fhut up with his fheep;_ there
-are even fome bifhops who only wait the Emperor’s permiffion to fall to and level his
hierarchy with the ground, In the mean time, however, the Cardinal does what he can
to keep the public fchools and churches free from the infeCtion, A few years ago, a
monk took it into his head to preach that, ‘“ Priefts owe the fame fubjeétion to the civil
power as the loweft of its fubjects—as they enjoy the fame protection and prerogatives
as thefe, they are bound in the fame manner to take upon them the offices of the ftate.
The church, partly from its own ufurpations, partly from the weaknefs of temporal
M 2 fovereigns,
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