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RIESBECK’s TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 257
monies of the Romifh church. But whoever confiders the ftate of the Saxons at that
time, ‘will fee that the enforcing the papal fupremacy was the only efficacious means that
could be made ufe of for raifing a laity, and a clergy if poffible ftill more barbarous
than they (as they could literally neither write nor read,) from their favage flumbers.
Had it been only the connecting together of the German ccclefiaftics, by means of the
papal hierarchy, and the bringing them acquainted with other European nations; this
alone would have been a fignal fervice done them. Be this however as it may, the vicar
of Chrift repaid the fervices of his apoftles with overflowing meafure. All the new-
founded bifhopricks in the north of Germany were made fubjeét to the fee of Mentz,
which Boniface had chofen for his refidence.
The provinces, the moft confiderable in the whole papal dominions, all Swabia, Fran-
conia, Bohemia, and almoft all Saxony, with a part of Switzerland, Bavaria, and the
Upper Rhine, belong to this diocefe. Though the reformation, and revenge of the
kings of Bohemia, have leffened it one third, it {till contains the archbifhoprick of Spren-
gel and eleven bithopricks, moft of which are the moft confiderable in Germany, as
Wurzburg, Paderborn, Hildefheim, Augfburg, &c.
Tt could not fail but that as the vicar of Jefus Chrift extended his jurifdiction to temporal
affairs, his ambaffadors (for fo Boniface called himlelf, and fo the council of Trent cal!s
all bifhops) fhould likewife make their fortune in the matters of this world, a thing the
more likely to happen, as the ecclefiaftics of that time were evidently fuperior to the
laity in fcience, and alfo the greateft politicians of their day. Spiritual and temporal
affairs were indeed fo interwoven, that the moft eminent German bifhop would of courfe
be the moft powerful eleftor. The fame thing happened in Britain, Poland, and in
other countries, in which the conftitutions were all ariftocratical. ‘The landoraves of
Heffe, the Palatines, nay even the Emperor himfelf thought it no difgrace to pay alle-
giance to the Archbifhop of Mentz. When the building of the papal monarchy was
completed by Gregory VI. the archbifhops of Mentz became powerful enough to
be at the head of the empire. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, they were fo
eminent, as to be able to make emperors without any foreign afliftance ; and it was to
one of them that the Houfe of Hap{burg was indebted for its firft elevation.
Since the boundaries of the two powers have been more accurately afcertained, and
the temporal has fo much got the better of the fpiritual, the power and influence of the
archbifhops of this place have of courfe been much reduced; ftill, however, they are
poflefled of very important prerogatives, which they might exert with much more effi-
cacy than they do, were it not that various circumftances have rendered them too de-
pendant on the Emperors. They are ftill the fpeakers in the Ele¢toral College, have
the appointment of the diets under the Emperors, and may order a re-examination of
the proceedings of the imperial courts. ‘Thefe high privileges are, however, too much
fubje€ to the controul of the Houfe of Auftria; nor are their fpiritual powers any longer
what they once were. Their fuffragan bifhops have taken it into their heads that all
bifhops are alike as to power, and that the title of archbifhop only intitles its pofleflor to
the firft place amongft brothers who are equal; it is true indeed that now and then ap-
peals are received from the confiftory of {ome fuffragans to that of our vicar general,
but they generally end in a further appeal to Rome; and the metropolitan dignity
commonly lofes as much by them as it gets.
The temporals, however, which are {till annexed to this chair, make him who fits in
it rich amends for the diminution of his fpiritual and political fplendour. Though he
does not abfolutely poffefs the largeft, yet he certainly has the richeft and moft peopled
domain of any ecclefiaftical potentate in Germany. The country, it is true, does not
VOL. VI. i, 3: contain
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