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A51114
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An account of Denmark, as it was in the year 1692
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Molesworth, Robert Molesworth, Viscount, 1656-1725.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing M2383; ESTC R2987
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107,914
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290
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AN ACCOUNT OF Denmark AS It was in the Year 1692. Pauci prudentiâ honesta ab deterioribus utilia ab noxiis discernunt plures aliorum eventis docentur Tacit. lib. 4 o Ann. Vincit amor patriae Virg. The Third Edition Corrected LONDON Printed for Timothy Goodwin at the Queen's Head against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet 1694. THE CONTENTS CHap. 1. Of the Territories belonging to the King of Denmark and their Situation p. 1. Chap. 2. Of Denmark in particular and the Island of Zealand 6 Chap. 3. Of the Sound 15 Chap. 4. Of the other Islands and Jutland 25 Chap. 5. Of the rest of the King of Denmark's Countries 29 Chap. 6. Of their Form of Government 38 Chap. 7. The Manner how the Kingdom of Denmark became Hereditary and Absolute 44 Chap. 8. The Condition Customs and Temper of the People 68 Chap. 9. Of the Revenue 92 Chap. 10. Of the Army Fleet and Fortresses 116 Chap. 11. Of the Court. 137 Chap. 12. The Disposition and Inclinations of the King of Denmark towards his Neighbours 173 Chap. 13. The Manner of Dispossessing and restoring the Duke of Holstein Gottorp 184 Chap. 14. The Interests of Denmark in relation to other Princes 201 Chap. 15. Of the Laws Courts of Justice c. 212 Chap. 16. The State of Religion of the Clergy and Learning 228 Chap. 17. The Conclusion 235 THE PREFACE HEalth and Liberty are without dispute the greatest natural Blessings Mankind is capable of enjoying I say natural because the contrary states are purely accidental and arise from Nature debauched depraved or enforced Yet these Blessings are seldom sufficiently valued whilst enjoy'd like the daily advantages of the Sun and Air they seem scarce regarded because so common by those that are in possession of them But as an Italian that passes a Winter in Groenland will soon be convinc'd through his want of the kind Influences of that glorious Planet how much Misery he endures in comparison of those who dwell in his Native Country so he that knows by Experience the trouble of a languishing Sickness or the loss of his Liberty will presently begin to have a right esteem of that which formerly he scarce thought worth his notice This Experience is either what a Man learns by that which befalls himself or by making Observations on the condition of other People The first is the common guide to the generality of Mankind who are not apt to look beyond themselves unless with St. Thomas they feel as well as see they will not believe Thus in the instance of bodily Health we find those that have been always accustom'd to it have scarce any Notion of the Misery of the contrary state and therefore are careless in shunning those Excesses which might bring Diseases upon them the sad Examples seen every day of miserable sick Debauchées being not sufficient to deter others from lewdness But the second sort of Experience is the Instructress of wise Men For the Prudent will not fail to benefit themselves by the Accidents that befall others both in their Health and Liberty by avoiding the occasions of them And this is one of the great Advantages of Society that not only the Assistance but even the Misfortunes of others may be of use to us Want of Liberty is a Disease in any Society or Body Politick like want of Health in a particular Person and as the best way to understand the nature of any Distemper aright is to consider it in several Patients since the same Disease may proceed from different causes so the disorders in Society are best perceived by observing the Nature and Effects of them in our several Neighbours Wherefore Travel seems as necessary to one who desires to be useful to his Country as practising upon other Mens Distempers is to make an able Physician For although a Man may see too frequently the Misery of such as are depriv'd of Health without quitting his own Country yet thanks to Providence he must go out of these Kingdoms who would know experimentally the want of Publick Liberty He that Travels into a Climate infected with this Disease and he can find sew that are not does not only see but in some measure feel the Grievances occasioned by it in the several Inconveniencies of living in some proportion with the Natives so as to relish better upon his return which we suppose depends upon his choice the freedom and ease of his own home Constitution and may make good use of this Experience without having paid too dear for it But a Man cannot transmigrate himself for a while into a distemper'd Body as he may Travel into an Enslaved Country with equal facility of getting rid of each of them again Thus 't is a great yet rare advantage to learn rightly how to prize Health without the expence of being Sick but one may easily and cheaply grow sensible of the true value of Liberty by Travelling into such Countries for a Season as do not enjoy it And this can be done by no Nation in the World so commodiously as the English The affluence of their Fortunes and Easiness in their private Affairs are evidently greater than those of other People of Europe so that generally speaking none are in a condition to spend more freely or may propose to reap greater benefit by Travel and yet none have practised it less In other Countries some Princes and Men of the first quality may have Purses strong enough to bear the expence but few of the midling sort venture upon it and those are commonly either Military Men who have other designs in view than the knowledge of the World or the Unfortunate who chuse it as a diversion or a refuge and who have their Heads too full of their own Miseries to be at leisure to make their Observations on others And besides we often see the like Arbitrary Practices at home they having been always train'd up in Servitude does so far vitiate their Reason as to put them out of a capacity of judging aright for 't is not only possible but very usual that People may be so season'd to and hardned in Slavery as not only to have lost the very Taste of Liberty but even to love the contrary State as Men over-run with the Spleen take pleasure in their Distemper But in England there are very many Gentlemen whose Estates will afford them either to travel in Person or to send abroad such of their Sons for four or five Years as have the most solid Judgments in which time they may acquire such Manners and make such Observations as shall render them useful to their Country and thereby advance their private Fortunes more than what is saved by keeping them at home would amount to The Method which has been generally follow'd by us in sending young Gentlemen to Travel can hardly answer any of these ends on the contrary it has hitherto been so mischievous that 't is well travelling has been so little in fashion
Captains which in process of time grew Princes and Electors and by Bishops with Temporal Authority who may thank Charles the Great a very bigotted Prince for their double Sword of Flesh and Spirit If it be objected that Princes have acquired a Right to be absolute and arbitrary where the Subjects have given up their Liberties there are some in the World who venture to answer That no People in their right Wits that is not guided by Fear or Tumult can be supposed to confer an absolute Dominion or to give away the Freedom of themselves and their Posterity for all Generations that such a Donation ought to be esteemed of no greater validity than the Gift of an Estate by a Child or a Mad-man from his lawful Successor that the People can no more part with their legal Liberties then Kings can alienate their Crowns That nothing which even the Representative Body of the People does which shall afterwards tend to the detriment of the Universality can then be obligatory because many things good and profitable at the time of making those Laws may be the quite contrary afterwards and as soon as any Law grows apparently mischievous to the whole Body that made it or their Successors it ought by them to be repealed and would certainly be so in Countries where frequent free Assemblies of the States are in use That if these Assemblies be hindred or corrupted by sinister Practices the obliging quality of such a Law determines of it self through its own nature it being supposed that the true Representatives of the People would have annull'd it had they been permitted to meet and act freely That the Acts of one general Parliament though a free one are not perpetually obliging since that as well as particular Persons is liable to mistakes but the Acts of an eternal Succession of Parliaments who make confirm change or repeal Laws at their pleasure These are hard Sayings in the Opinion of many but thus much we are sure of whoever goes about to destroy or diminish the Right of the People in the disposal of the Crown at the same time subverts their Majesty's Title to it 'T is therefore seasonable now or never to assert both notwithstanding the prevarication of those who dare act under and receive benefit by this Revolution which they contributed nothing to but which the People through God's Assistance procured for themselves yet will not dive into the Merits of the Cause nor own the Lawfulness of the Fact but either cautiously avoid the Argument or if it comes cross their way mumble it as tenderly as the Ass did the Thistle which caused the Philosopher to laugh who never did it in his Life but that once so this manner of Behaviour would move both the Laughter and Indignation of all understanding Persons Lovers of their Countries legal Liberties for none are forced to fall under greater Absurdities or to make more terrible Blunders in Divinity Politicks and good Sence than such as would fain reconcile present Interest to their old beloved Maxims res est ridicula nimis jocosa Catull. But Heaven be praised the Nation is almost freed from the gross Error of that slavish Doctrine in spite of the Endeavours of such as would keep it alive like hot Embers cover'd over with Ashes ready to be blown up again into a flame upon the first occasion In Russia and Muscovy the Government is as Tyrannical as in any of the more Eastern Monarchies the Priests there have very much contributed both to make and keep it so To the end that the People may be kept in the requisite Temper of Obedience none are permitted to Travel upon pain of Death except such as have special License which are exceeding few neither are any Gentlemen of those Countries to be met with abroad but publick Ministers and their Retinue The Cause of this severe Prohibition is least such Travellers should see the Liberty of other Nations and be tempted to covet the like for themselves at home which might occasion Innovations in the State The same reason which induces Tyrants to prohibit Travelling should encourage the People of free Countries to practice it in order to learn the Methods of preserving that which once lost is very difficultly recover'd for Tyranny usually steals upon a State by degrees and is as a wise Man said like a hectick Fever which at first is easie to be cured but hardly can be known after 't is throughly known it becomes almost incurable Now travel best of all other Methods discovers at least expence the Symptoms of this pernicious Disease as well as its dismal Effects when grown to a head and 't is certainly of greater Importance to understand how to preserve a sound Constitution than how to repair a crazed one though this also be a beneficial piece of Knowledge In our own Universities which are without controversie the best in the World whether we consider their Revenues their Buildings or their Learning there are travelling Fellowships establish'd which in a Country where the Clergy's Interest is not distinct from that of the Laity is so far from being prejudicial to the legal Liberties of the People that it tends to the Conservation of them for such worthy Men as are employ'd abroad may bring home generous Notions of Liberty and make admirable Remarks on the contrary State which being inculcated from the Pulpit and enforced by the learned Arguments of able Divines must needs overthrow those servile Opinions which of late have been too much back'd by God's Authority almost to the ruin of a Free People I do not hereby mean to reflect on the Order which generally has the government of our Youth we have had the Experience of many among them who have given proof of a freer Education and useful Learning And without question the chief Posts of the Gown of both kinds were never better fill'd than at present I only lament the ill Contrivance of their Constitution for while Interest draws one way and Honesty another when a Man may make his Fortune by forgetting his Duty to his Country but shall always stick at Mark while he serves it 't is scarcely to be hoped Men should hold out against such Temptations unless they be more gifted with Honesty than the generality of Mankind are And since they continue still upon the same bottom it must be expected the same or other as mischievous Doctrines will every day be broach'd whereas if they were once set upon the same foot the Philosophers of old were if Honesty and the Duty to their Country were made their private Interest and the way to thrive we should soon see them shift hands and the Spirit of those Philosophers revive again in them The Constitution of our Universities as to Learning seems as unfortunately regulated as it is to Politicks We receive the directions of our Studies there from Statutes made by those who understood nothing of the Matter who had a quite different Notion