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merely to ftrengthen the influence of the houfe of Auftria. The Dukes of Arepibergare amongft the oldeft princes ; but as by far the greatest part of their poffeiTions lie inthe hereditary lands of Auftria, they are alinoft totally dependant on the court of Vienna .Many others of the old houfes, on account of the fituation of their properties alfo adhereto the Emperor , who from one caufe or other, may be fuppofed to be fecure of half thevotes to carry whatever he has a mind fhould be carried. In the college of towns herules almoft without control;—for asthefe are almoft all encompafled by moft powerfulprinces, they require the particular protetftion of the court of Vienna to prevent theirbeing totally crulhed.
Powerful as the Emperor ’s influence may be under fuch circumftances, ftill the ftatesfind means to counteract the ftream, and interrupt its force. Mably has juftly obferved,in his remarks on the hiftory of France , that if you confider the empire as compofed ofindependent ftates, who have leagued with each other for mutual defence, one could notdeviie wifer regulations than they have inftituted to fecure their liberty from internalufurpers. The definition of the conftitution of the empire, “ It is a confufion preferv-ed by God ’s omnipotence, *” is a juft one as long as the empire is erroneoufly confi-dered as a Angle felf-fubfifting ftate ; but if you view it* that is, as an affembly of manyfree ftates, who have knit themfelves together by a certain political fyftem, one {hall dif-cover in place of confufion, a great deal of order; and inftead of unmeaning connection,a great deal of prudence and forefight. The dam which I have mentioned to you, isthat law which provides, that “ the majority in the imperial colleges fhould not be deci-five, either in religion or thofe matters -in which the ftates could not be confidered asone body, or where the catholics were of one, and the proteftants of another opinion.”In thefe cafes the colleges divide into parties, and however fmall in number one partymay be, its decree is held equal to the other more numerous one. Religion alone gaverife to this law ; but in latter times the genius of politics has made good ufe of it, andall the catholics who are necefiarily dependant on the Emperor ’s court, have found it offervice for a fmaller number of proteftants to be able to oppofe the Emperor . Since thepower of the King of Pruflia has got fo aftonifhingly high, he is at the head of the pro-teftant party, although Saxony has the apparent government of it, and he protefts oftenvery vehemently againft things in which religion is not in the leaft concerned.
From Munich I went to Infpruck, and from thence into the Tyrol. I will refervewhat I have to fay on that fubjeCt till its proper place, which will be when I come to theAuftrian territories ; befides this letter is already of the proper length.
LETTER XIV.
Saltzburg .
IT was with great pleafure that I wandered over this romantic country, and at one\time Handing on fome immenfe peak I viewed under me the clouds, towered on clouds,boundlefs plains, innumerable lakes, rivers, and brooks, vallies of tremendous depth,and the bare fummitsof huge granaterocks, with the fenfations which are peculiar to fuchheavenly regions. Sometimes I take my abode in the deep hanging brow of a mountain,in a fhepherdefs’s hut, who dwells the whole fummer through with her flocks in thisfubterreftrial region, and-is vifited only by her lover, who clambers up two or threemiles of the mountains to her, fome wild-goat hunter, or by chance fome ftrayed knightlike myfelf $ there I live a day like an ancient patriarch on milk and cheefe, count the
* Eft confufio diyim’tus confervata.
flock