COXfi’s TRAVERS IN DENMARK.

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that the nobles might lay out their grounds equal to ours in England, if they wouldtrud more to nature and lefs to art.

, In the mid ft of the park St. Helen’s {taring is a favourite fp'ot, to which the nobilitvand gentry, and the lower clafs of people refort, in July, as to a kind of fair. Mauy-tents and booths are eredted for the. reception of the company ; fometimes the royalfamily make their appearance; and the common people eiteem themfelves very un-fortunate, if they do not tafte the waters of the f’pring every year. The weather bein:<'fine, and the feafon delightful, we roved with pleaiure about the woods, enjoying thebeauties of unadulterated nature, and walked to the hermitage, a building Handing in themofl elevated part, and commanding an extenfive view over the Baltic, the ifie of Huen,and the coaft of Sweden .

Chap. \\.-—Antient form of Government in Denmark.—Revolution of 1660 .—Change

of the Confutation from an eledled and limited , to an hereditary and abfolute Monarch:.

UNTIL the middle of the lad century the crown of Denmark was elective. Thefupreme legiflative authority refided in the three edates of the realm, the nobles, clergy,and commons, affembled in a diet by means of reprelentatives ; the executive powerwas vefted in the King, and fenate, compofed of the principal nobles. The King waslittle more than prefident of the fenate, and commander of the army ; the regal pre-rogative being circumfcribed by a capitulation, or charter of privileges, ratified by thefovereign at his acceffion. Although the crown was always continued in the fame fa-mily,- and uniformly conferred on the elded fon ; yet the new prince was condrained topurchafe his fucceffion to the throne by farther immunities.

Such was the date of affairs until thefingular revolution of 1660 edablifhed, almodwithout the concurrence of the fovereign, an hereditary and abfolute monarchy : ex-hibiting an indance, which Hands unparalleled in the annals of hidory, of a people, whofpontaneoufly renounced their freedom, and inveded their limited governor with un-bounded authority.

Frederic III. who, on the death of his father Chridian IV. afcended the throne bythe free ele&ion of the dates, figned a charter of rights, confiding of fifty-four articles ;among which fevenjl new privileges were confirmed to the fenate, whereby they wereenabled to engrofs the' whole adminiftration of affairs. Frederic poffeffed in the ordi-nary occurrences of life a mild and equitable temper of mind, and was apparently in-different to ambition or glory. If his dominions had not been invaded by a powerfulrival, he would have fcarcely been noticed by his contemporaries. But as, during hisreign, the very being of Denmark , as ajringdom, was at Hake, and he was called to-a&ion by the mod imminent danger which a fovereign could experience, he fuddenlyfurmounted his natural apathy: his mind acquired unufual vigour; and he exhibitedproofs of courage, prudence, and perfeverance, not inferior to the mod confummateheroes of his time. Thefe circumdances placed his character in an exalted point ofview j while his gentlenefs and moderation prevented the umbrage which is apt to beconceived by a free people againd their fovereign. Thus, froim being thought incapa-ble of intereded defigns, and yet equal to the talk of carrying the mod adventurous intoexecution, he became, from the accidental fituation of his affairs, the indrument ofaccomplifhing an important revolution, which totally changed the form of the Danilhgovernment.

When