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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 14t
It is pleafant enough to walk through this part of the town, and fee their taylors and
{hoemakers at work in the middle of the f{treet. ‘Their workmen are diftinguifhed from
the Chriftian ones by their clownifhnefs and dirt. 1 am aftonifhed as often as I think,
how little of what was peculiar to themfelves in their cuftoms, thefe people have:loft by
their mixture with other nations: wherever I have feen them, excepting only in Hol-
land, they are infinitely behind the Chriftians in every elegant refinement of life; and
that they are otherwife in Holland, may be owing to moft of thofe who are fettled
there having come chiefly from Portugal, where the perfecutions they are expofed to
conipel them to aflimilate as much to Chrittians as poflible. At Prague they are diftin-
guifhed from the Chriftians by a yellow handkerchief, which they are obliged td wear
round their arms. ‘Their induftry is wonderful ; in almoft every inn there is a Jew,
who does the bufinefs of a houfe fervant ; he fills my {nuff-box, garters my {tockings,.
does all the little matters I have occafion for; brufhes my fhoes, dufts my clothes, and
is in every refpect a valet de place, excepting that he will take no money. He looks
upon himfelf as extremely well paid for his trouble, by the gift of fome old clothes,
which he difpofes of again. ‘Thefe fellows ferve many f{trangers on the fame terms, and:
content themfelves with what they can make by trucking and bartering among their
own people, without afking any thing farther. If you give them fomething to drink
befides they are very thankful, but I have never feen them troublefome with their:
demands.
What political inconfiftency !—The government of this place allows the Jews, the pro-
fefled enemies of Chriftianity, freedom of thought, and liberty to ferve God in their own
way, and refufes it to the Proteftants, who think as we do in all the fundamental points
of religion; whilft a hoftile, deceitful, treacherous people, are maintained in the full-
poffeflion of their rights and privileges ; contracts have been repeatedly (I do-not fpeak
only of what happened in former times, but under the laft government) violated with:
the Huffites. It is a remarkable phoenomenon, dear brother, in the hiftory of the hu-
man underftanding, that while philofophers all contend, that the more alike men are,
the more they love each other, in religion it fhould be quite different. Here the more
likenefs the more hatred. A member of one of the great houfes of this place, would:
ten times rather treat with:a Jew than with a Lutheran, though the Lutheran’s religion.
and his own are fo nearly alike. In Holland the reformed are much more favourable
to the Catholics than to the Lutherans, and the States General had much rather allow
the former freedom of religion than the latter. The Anabaptilts and Calvinifts hate-
each other much more than either of them do the Catholics, and fo, in fhort, you will
find it univerfally, the nearer the religious fects approach, the more they hate one
another,
This city has neither an extenfive commerce nor any manufactory of confequence.
There has long been a project of rendering the Moldau navigable, but hitherto this
court has not been difpofed to be at any expence for the public, and the thing cannot
be done without a great expence. With us it would have been done long ago, as you
know we have improvements, in comparifon of which, this is only child’s play. Were
it once done, Prague would certainly gain a good deal by it; but ftill a great deal more
would be required, before commerce could flourifh here; there are, indeed, many im-
pediments to get over; amongit the principal one may be reckoned the pride of the
nobility, who with the greatelt part of the national means in their hands are afhamed of
trade ;—the bad education of the children, which, within thefe ten or fifteen years, has
been entirely monkifh, and by that means fitted them more for ftrenuous idlenefs than
induftry ;—the intolerance of the regency. Such objtacles as thefe all Jofeph’s rine
WL
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