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256 RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
the freedom of their religion, and a participation of the rights of the citizens of Mentz.
The archbifhop of that time did not chufe that herefy fhoula build her neft fo near him ;
but the laft has often been heard to exprefs a with that a fimilar offer were to be made
to him; and the prefent would moft joyfully comply with it. But fuch opportunities
are but feldom found; and the times in which it was cuftomary to drive out Huguenots
are gone by.
The pridé and extravagance of the nobility are another hindrance to trade. They
and the ecclefiallics are poflefled of the largeft capitals, which are entirely employed in
the internal confumption. Whilft the merchant of Franckfort has a place amongit the
magiftrates of his country ; thofe of this place meet only with the profoundeft contempt
from the gentry, who will not fuffer them to aflociate with them. Inftead of catching
as they do all the little airs of the London and Parifian noblefle, they would do much
better to learn of them the art of doubling their revenues by commercial induftry.
I have already told you that the faces of the inhabitants of this city and the country
round it are interefting. ‘The peafants are befides very ftrongly built, and are diftin-
guifhable, by their ruddy frefh complexions, from the inhabitants of Bavaria, and the
northern parts of Germany, who generally have very fallow complexions; but I was
not pleafed with the fet of the bones any where along the Mayne, or even in part of
Hefle. Thofe of the inhabitants of this country are particularly difpleafing. The knees
are all either bent in like a taylor’s, or ftand out ftraight like.a flick. You hardly ever
meet with aclever well-limbed perfon. ‘This is owing to the fenielefs and abfurd fafhion,
which {till prevails here, of fwaddling cloaths. I could not but be extremely angry
with the mothers, who dreffed up their children thus, like pieces of wood, and fuffered
them to lay in this unnatural pofture all day long. ‘There cannot be a doubt but this
conftraint muft have its effe€t on the foul, which in the firft years is fo clofely united to
the body. You mutt not expect to meet here with any of the Germans defcribed by
Tacitus: black and brown hair is much more common than white. The inhabitants
of the neighbouring country of Darmftadt more nearly refemble the old inhabitants.
An attentive obferver eafily difcovers by the external appearance of the inhabitants,
what natives of Germany have had ftrangers mixt amongit them, and what countries
have been entirely occupied by foreign colonies. No doubt but that the black and
brown hair of the inhabitants of this place is derived from the Romans, who had a
{tation here.
LETTER LXIV.
Mentz.
AFTER the Pope, there is no doubt but the Archbifhop of this place is the moft
confiderable and richeft prelate in the Chriftian world. The fee is indebted for its in-
creafe of riches to St. Boniface, who may be called, with great juftice, the apoftle of
the Germans. It was this man, an Englifhman by birth, who in the time of Charles
magne, baptifed Witikind, and the other brave Saxons, who had fo long refifted bap-
tifm with their f{words, and fpread the empire of the vicar of Jefus Chrilt as far as the
northern and eaftern feas. He it was who introduced the Roman liturgy into Germany,
and made the favage inhabitants abftain from eating horfe’s flefh. But he raifed the
papal power to a higher pitch than it had been raifed in any other country in Chriften-
dom. According to the teftimony of Aventinus, feveral bifhops reproached Boniface
with having diminifhed their dignity, by the new oath of homage he introduced, and
with having introduced fuperftition and irreligion in company with the {plendid cere-
10 monies
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