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workman of whom you befpeak a piece of work, if you do not put down your agree-ment in black and white.
With refpect to their bodies, they, and the Saxons, are the mod like the Germans deferibed by Tacitus : their bodies are of a very unwieldy make, and ad impetum valida.What, too, Tacitus fays of the old Germans , that they can bear neither hunger, northird, nor heat, nor cold, nor yet any long work, is true of them. In the imperialarmies they are accounted good partifans, but are never put to regular fervice without■ extreme neceffity. They have an extreme abhorrence of diicipline, and look upon it asa fevere punifhment to be fubjebt to the rules of the fervice. If their robberies and ma-raudings are not overlooked they do not lad a campaign. In fhort, it is only in actionthat they fhew themfelves at all fohiiers.
Spain, Italv, and Portugal excepted, there is no country fo overloaded with monksas the Auflrian Netherlands : there are in many towns forty or fifty convents; feveralprelatures.are worth 200,000 guilders, 2ocol. per ann. If you divide the income ofthe country into four parts, one will be found to belong to the priedhood, one to thenobility, one to the fovereign, and one to the people. The bigotry and intolerance ofthe inhabitants is beyond all defeription, and is a marvellous contrad to the corruptionof their manners.
The nobility of this country are extremely rich, and live in a very high Ryle. Bruf-felsisone of the mod beautiful and mod brilliant cities in Europe . It has lod a greatdeal by the death of Prince Charles, who ipent y co,ooo guilders a year in the city, andwhole lofs has not been made up for, by the oeconomical Duke of Saxe-Tefchen. Ihave not feen any where a finer place than the large maiTet-place of this city ; all theiioufes in it are built in a ftyle and with a degree of magnificence that you hardly feeany where out of Italy . You meet here with excellent company, who are not difficultof accefs to a ltranger. There are feveral clubs, after the manner of the Englilh,where you find the greatelt freedom and good humour. One of the bed of thefe con-fids of the Duke of Arenberg, Mr. PIopp, the Dutch minider, (a man in general edeemon account of his knowledge and good qualities) our minider, fome of the nobility ofthe place, and fome Englifh. No man can become a member but by ballot. Theroom in which they meet commands a very fine view of the public walks, on one fideof which it Hands. The club meets twice a week: a member has the privilege of in-troducing drangers, almod without any difficulty. Linguet was a member of this club.The fubfcription is four louis-dMrs each member, for five months ; for this they havea fumptuous table ; the wine is paid for feparate. There are feveral other lefler afiocia-tions of this kind in Brufiels; nor have I met with a place in which this appendage ofrefined life and manners was better underdood than it is here. Since the Englilh havecome fo much to Odend, and the court of Vienna has flattered them with the hopes ofmaking a peace for them, every thing in Bruffels is become Englilh ; they ride, play,hunt, and eat, a' /’ x digloife , and all the focieties are become clubs. The town at leadhas lod nothing by this.
The Duke of Saxe-Tefchen, the governor, lives very quietly with his wife ; he Ihewshitnfelf not to be a lover of large companies or expence, nctwithdanding that he has anincome of 4,000,000 imperial guilders, or 40,000!. per annum. The Archduchefs fel-dom fhews herieif with the externals of imperial magnificence; her principles on thispoint are much the lame as thofe of her hufband; her favourite amufement is huntingsthere are few perfons that are better hands at fhooting flying than file is ; Ihe has had awonderful education, as well as her other fillers. Her hufband too does honour to theimperial court by his principles of government.
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