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246 RIPSBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GIRMANY.
Mentz, though a@ing upon much better principles than any other of the ecclefiaftical
{lates of Germany, had {till not fenfe enough to fee that eight middling and decent trades-
people are a greater acquifition to acountry than one very rich one, even when the ca-
pital of the latter is a thoufand times greater than that of the former.
Mr. Bolongaro’s abject fpirit carried him {till farther. He wanted a monopoly of all
the moft important articles of commerce, and to obtain it, offered the regency a large
fum ; but this the prefent prince would not accept.
To fill up the meafure of his crimes, Bolongaro brought a complaint againft the fifh-
ermen of the place, for having hurt fome tree or ftatue in his garden, and infifted on
their being deprived of the privilege of fifhing in the river Nid, which runs under the
wall of his garden into the Maine. This’too the regency was weak and wicked enough
to grant: thus robbing of their bread a number of poor families, in order to ferve a
wretch, whofe charaéter I cannot better fum up, than by telling you he gave an old
friend, whovhad met with misfortunes, and was come a great way in hopes of receiving
affiftance from this profperous countryman of his, a fingle four fous piece *, and that the
worlt he could pick out of his purfe.
I fhould not have detained you thus long with this trifling incident, but to fhew how
fondly the {mall {tates of Germany purchafe the power of doing each other harm ;. for
there is no doubt but the defire of hurting Francfort was the true caufe that led the re-
gency of Mentz to give this ridiculous protection.
I vifited the china manufacture at Hochft ; it is not hitherto in very brillant circum-
ftances; it is divided into fhares, the pofleffors of which are not men calculated to do
what is beft for the whole: they are, however, hard at work upon plans to improve it.
Amongtt other people engaged in them, I vifited Mr. Melchior, who is certainly one of
the greateft {tatuaries now exifting, and has an unfpeakable love for hisart. ‘There are
but few great works of his, though what he has done in this way is inimitable; but he is
without a rival in {mall models, and itis to his labours that this porcelane manufactory
owes lts celebrity.
The villages and farms which we met with on the way to Francfort hither, would pafs
for towns in Bavaria, or the north of Germany. They all befpeak a high ftate of opu-
lence in the inhabitants... The beggars one occafionally fees, are a confequence of the
way of thinking of the German catholics, and the opinions of their governors, which I
mentioned in {peaking of Wurtzburg. A peafantis in general extremely happy through-
out the whole country. He is almoft every where a freeman, and opprefled with no
hard taxes. A little more care to provide employments for the hands that could be
{pared from agriculture, with a little more attention to education, in order to infpire the
people with a greater difguft to begging, would make this government almoft perfect.
In the neighbouring country of Darmftadt, which I likewife vifited from Francfort, the
peafant is by no means fo rich as the inhabitant of the territory of Mentz, for nature
has not been fo liberal to him, and he is loaded with more taxes; but he is cleaner and
more aétive; nor will you fee fo many beggars in the ftreets of Darmftadt.
‘Lill within fix miles of Mentz, the inhabitants live chiefly on their agriculture. The
earth yields uncommon returns, and the corn of this country is imported far and wide
on the Rhine. ‘There are alfo large quantities of fruits and greens of all kinds; excel-
lent afparagus and cabbage are the food of the moft common people: nor is there a
place in Germany where the people are fo fond of them, or have a greater fupply of
provifions of this kind. Great fhip-loads of their cabbages, as well raw as pickled, are
* Twe-pence,
13 carried
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