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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. Ptah:
than to have their paunches well filled, and a theatrical entertainment by way of deffert;
but neither the tafte or morals are improved by this. The generality with for the return
of harlequin, who though he cannot appear as he ufed to do, with his motley coat and
wooden fword, often ftruts about in the hero’s drefs to delight them ; at leaft it is only
to this that I can afcribe the miferable pantomimes with which the tragic actors inter-
fperfe their tragedies. ‘The general tafte is for grimace, buffoonery, and exaggeration.
Of a good plot; natural and eafy dialogue, or pure {tyle, they know nothing. I have
heard feveral things applauded here which would have been hiffed at Paris, if the French
of them had been as bad as the German was.
Befides the national theatre,‘ fix or feven ftrolling companies occupy the fuburbs.
Thefe are of the fort I have been ufed toin Suabia. The actors confit of taylors, per-
riwig-makers, apprentices, and ruined {tudents, who are fometimes on the f{tage, fome-
‘times in the hofpital, and fometimes in the army. Thefe gentlemen play by a kind of
half light, favourable to the purpofes of intrigue. Thofe of them fucceed beft who
have their booths in a garden, where a man may walk with his friend betwixt the
acts. ‘They are fo confcious that the public does not come to fee them, that half the
company is commonly in the ale-houfe whilft the play is going forward, and one mam
acts three or four parts.
LETTER XXVII.
THE editor of Voyages en diferentes parties de ? Europe {peaks very contumelioufly of
the German nobility, and ranks the Neapolitan ones far above them in point of income.
He fhould at leaft have excepted the Auftrian nobles, as there are feveral there who
poffefs more than any fix of the richeft Neapolitans he mentions. Prince Francis Lich-
tenftein, the elder branch of that family has at leaft goo,000 florins, that is 2,300,000
French livres per annum. In Moravia only, he has twenty eftates, which confilt of
twenty or thirty villages each; he is, without comparifon, the richeft man in Europe.
Lord Cavendifh, who pafles for the moft opulent man in England, has not above 80,000l.
ayear. At Paris there isnot either a farmer general, or a man of quality, whofe income
pafles 120,000 livres, Neither Prince Radzivil, nor Prince Ctzartorifky in Poland, nor
any of the Ruffian nobility, have eftates like thofe of Prince Lichtenftein. Prince Efter-
hazy has upwards of -600,000 and Prince Schwartzenberg above 400,000 guilders a
year. There are upwards of forty people here who have eftates of 100,000 guilders a
year, the greateft, as Mr. Pilati fays, that any Neapolitan poflefles, and twelve, befides
thofe I have mentioned, who have as much again. The houfes of Charles Lichtenftein,
Averfberg, Lobtowik, Paar, Palfy, Kolloredo, Hasfeld Schonborn, and many others are
much richer than the dukes Pignatelli, and Matalone, or the princes of Palagonia and
Villa-Franca, at Naples.
Notwithftanding, however, thefe vaft revenues, moft of the great houfes are in debt,
which may be very eafily accounted for; as in other conntries, fome one favourite lux-
ury or other has the afcendant, here they all reign; nor is there any {pecies of them you
can name, either horfes, fervants, the pleafures of the table, play, or drefs, but what is
carried to the utmoft excefs. Here are feveral ftables of fifty, fixty, or more. horfes 5.
whoever has an eftate of 50 or 60,000 florins, niuft have from twenty-four to thirty
horfes ; and it is a moderate eftablifhment, which confifts only of a maitre d’hotel, a fe~
cretary, two valet de chambre, two running footmen, one or two huntfmen, two coache
men, five or fix footmen, anda porter. The houfes of Lichtenftein, Efterhazy, Schwart-
: zenberg,
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