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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 219
ground. Notwithftanding which, Mr. Dreyer has fince that time played the anti-theatri-
cal prieft feveral other tricks.
I have talked to you thus long of this prieft, in order to convince you that the pro-
teftant clergy are not as tolerant throughout Germany as they are in Pruffia and Sax-
ony. Notwithftanding this, the religion of the more fafhionable people who inhabit the
lower parts of the Elbe, is by no means fo auftere as that of thofe who dwell higher up.
The miftaken zeal again{t public amufements is attended with this bad confequence here,
that every other kind of pernicious excels reigns uncontrolled. Thus whillt no theatre
can fupport itfelf in a city which has ninety thoufand inhabitants, many thoufand guil-
ders are every day loft at play during the hours in which t is ufual in other places to go
to the play.
LETTER .LVIE.
Hamburg.
SINCE my laft letter, my deareft brother, I have made an #xcurfion into the territo-
ries of Denmark. As foor as I came into Holftein, which is {till a part of Germany,
I was {truck with the difference of living and manners, as well as the diverfity of agri-
culture; but when I had got fome pofts beyond the Eyder, which is the natural boun-
dary between Germany and Denmark, I found a difference betwixt Germany and this
country, which was as ftriking as any betwixt Bavariaand Saxony. When people praife
proteftants for their good fenfe, and freedom from prejtidices deftruétive of happinefs,
they ought to make fome limitations; as fhould proteftants alfo when they pafs indif=
criminate cenfures on the catholics, for their ftupidity, lazinefs and debauchery.
The Danes are at leaft a century behind moft of the proteftant ftates of Germany, and
in no refpects better than the Bavarians or Portuguefe. ‘They are the moft melancholy,
moft untractable, and moft clownifh people I have hitherto feen, Their debauchery,
bigotry, and brutality diftinguifh them fo much from the greater part of the Germans,
that it is only neceflary to be amongft them to be convinced of the inefficacy of religion
alone to make men better, when other favourable circumftances do not concur. There
are, it is true, enlightened men amongft the priefts of this country, but in general they
are as proud, as intolerant, and as ignorant as the Spanifh priefts. I faw fome of them who
were likewife very like the Spanifh priefts in theirexternai appearance. They wore their
fpectacles over the nofe, held up their heads, drew back the body, {poke through the
nofe and throat, and ftrutted juft like the priefts at Barcelona or Saragofla. When
they fit down to preach, they do it as if they were in labour with the falvation of man-
kind. Ivifited one of them, who paffes for a great botanift, though he knows nothing more
than the medicinal plants of hisown country. He was ftudying his fermon for the next
Sunday. It was long a matter of doubt whether or no he would give me an audience.
After having converfed for about half an hour upon the wind and weather, with his two
daughters, the fillieft and moft unformed creatures I had ever feen, who, out of real or
affected’ modefty, never trufted themfelves to look in my face, out came their bulky
and yellow-coloured mother from the f{tudy of her lord and hufband, to affure me that
he was extremely bufy about his Sunday’s difcourfe, which would however only take
him up another hour, after which I fhould have the honour of fmoking a pipe cf topacco
with him. Iwas for fome minutes in doubt whether I fhould accept of this honour or
not. Ii rather hurt my felf-love to think that I was deftined to ferve a clownifh prieft
for the vehiculum to his fmoking, and I would have gone away, but that I recolleéted that
had I been among the Hottentots, I fhould have been obliged to pay refpect to the cuf-
FF 2 woms
“=
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