and Vilna For the Polonians believe that it very much avails both to the security of the Governour and to confirm the allegiance of them that obey that the King should be chosen by the Generality who can then have no pretence to complain of their own Act. The place of Election is in an open field not far from Warsaw near the Village Wola by reason of the multitude of them who have voices in the Election it is mark'd out by the Marshals of Poland and Lithuania When the day of Election is come and the Senators all met the Interrex asks the Question three times Whether it be their pleasure to command that such a one shall be declared King If by consent of voices they return for an answer It pleases us Let him live then the Archbishop declares him King in these words In the name of God I declare such a one King and great Duke of Lithuania and beseech the King of Heaven to enable him for so great a charge and through his mercy so to order that the Election may be prosperous for the Nation and happy for the Catholick Religion After which the Marshals proclaim the Election in the following manner King N. is unanimously elected and so declared by the Interrex him therefore all ye acknowledg your lawfully elected and declared King If the King so elected be absent his Ambassadours are obliged to confirm by oath the conditions and receive the decree of the Election After which the Marshalls make a second Proclamation in these words The Polanders have a lawful King On the other side before the King is admitted he is obliged by oath to preserve the Laws and priviledges of the Kingdom and the Covenants agreed upon by the Estates in all their clauses points and conditions and to renew the said oath at his Coronation But though he be now elected the Interregnum does not cease till after his Coronation for till then he assumes no other Title then that of King Elect neither are his Letters to Foreign Princes seal'd with any other seal then that of the Chamber So that though the present King was permitted to make use of the Seal of great Duke of Lithuania before his Coronation that was only done upon the necessity of the Muscovitick Expedition The usual place of Coronation is Cracow where the Crown is kept in the cheif treasury under the charge of the high Treasurer and the person performing the ceremony is always the Archbishop of Gnesna if not prevented by sickness The chief Ceremonies at the Coronation are the Questions propounded to the King Wilt thou profess the Catholick faith delivered by Catholick men Answ I will Wilt thou defend and maintain the Church and its Ministers Wilt thou uphold defend and govern the Kingdom by God committed to thy care according to Justice Ans I will All which he confirms by the usual form of words and laying his hand upon the Evangelists The Ceremony of anointing is perform'd with saying these words I anoint thee King with the sanctified oil in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost The words of Confirmation are Sit and possess the Throne appointed thee by God Let thy hand be strengthned and thy right hand exalted The solemnity being ended the King repairs to the grand Assembly for the Coronation where the Interrex resigns his Authority and the Senatours together with the Nobility and Deputies of the Cities take their oaths of allegiance to the new King The present power and authority of the Kings of Poland will more plainly appear by a recital of the articles to the observance whereof they bind themselves as well before as at their Coronation for they contain all the essential properties of Regal Dominion under the name of Pacta Conventa As to their power in Ecclesiastical affairs the Roman-Catholick Kings of Poland have been so kind as to part with their chiefest prerogatives in that particular reserving only to themselves the collation of benefices The King swears to maintain peace between the dissenters in Religion of which there are many in Poland and to compose the causes and differences among persons professing the Greek religion as appears by the Pacta Conventa sworn to by John the Third now reigning As for foundations of Churches and Monasteries whatsoever liberty the King may have to erect they are to be confirm'd by all the orders at the general assembly of Estates and thus the immunities and priviledges granted by the Kings of Poland to the Academy of Vilna were also confirm'd The next prerogative is the legislative power concerning which we find that in the time of Lechus the Kings of Poland had an absolute authority of making Laws themselves as necessity required But afterwards when they had received the Christian faith they began to make Laws with the consent of the Peers Insomuch that Sigismund the Third in the year 1570 enacted That no Law should be of publick force till reviewed and subscribed by such a number of Deputies of the Nobility and Senators whose consent was to be required before-hand whether the Law should pass which Law remains to this day The determination of Controversies was likewise formerly in the breast of the King as supreme Judg till Vladislaus Jagello granted this priviledge to the Nobility That they should not be punished or imprison'd till convicted by Law After him Bathor threw off the burthen of hearing causes from his own shoulders and erected several courts of Judicature in Poland and Lithuania reserving only to himself the judgment of such causes as concerned his Chequer and such Cities as were immediately under his jurisdiction But now the Nobility create the chief Judg or Marshal with his assistants in those tribunals nor does the King sit alone upon causes that come before him by way of appeal besides the King swears to determine all Court causes according to the advice and opinion of the Senators and Officers residing at Court as also to call the causes in order as they are set down in the Register and neither to retard nor further any cause for favour or interest The power of making war did formerly without doubt absolutely belong to the King But Casimir the third in the year 1454 made a promise that he would undertake no war without the consent of the Senate At this day the Kings of Poland by the Pacta Conventa promise not to admit or call in any foreign assistance without the especial consent of the Estates not to encrease the number of the standing Militia nor raise forces privately not to send aid to any other Prince without consent as aforesaid nor to commit the trust of Forts or Castles to strangers or plebeians but to men of worth and landed Nobility Besides all these engagements there is a Council of War elected out of the Senate and Nobility to attend and advise him in the field according to the late Constitutions in the year 1676 and several others before He is also
Patriarch of Constantinople but since him none Till this time there was no other Metropolitan in all Russia but this of Moskow 〈…〉 but that Church being become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they immediately made two new Metropolitans the one of Novogrod velica the other of Rostove these were the only Archbishopricks before But since that they have added two more one of Casanskoi and Swiatskoi who resideth at Casan the other of Sarskoi and Pondoskoi who lives commonly in the Castle of Moskow and is the Patriarch's Substitute or Coadjutor when upon any good cause as age sickness or the like he is hindred from officiating They had also as Possevine complains but eleven Bishops for all that large Empire but since that time they have added two I suppose because of their conquests and advanced all except one that is the Bishop of Comenskoi and Cassieskoi who lives at Columna into Archbishopricks The Patriarch hath absolute power in what concerns Religion with such authority that even in things relating to the Civil government he reforms what he thinks prejudicial to Religion without giving the Grand Tzar any account of it who without any contestation commands the orders made by the Patriarch to be executed As the late Patriarch Nicon being an enemy to musick forbad all musick in their merry meetings and search'd the houses in Moskow for such instruments and burnt five wagon-load of them Leo 〈◊〉 Juâ—â—tion their first Metropolitan had his See at Chiow afterwards when Wolodomiria was the Metropolis of the Empire the Metropolitan also removed thither accompanying still the Prince and now is at Moskow The jurisdiction of the Bishops is the same as in other Churches for besides their authority over the Clergy and ordering Ecclesiastical matters they take cognisance also of causes Testamentary Matrimonial some pleas of injury c. They never visit their Dioceses but have certain Lay-men in whose judgments they can confide to give them account of the lives and demeanors of the Clergy They have also Officials or Commissaries called Boiaren Vladitskey Lay-men they have both Archdeacons and Protodeacons but not employed in those offices that keep their Courts and exercise their jurisdiction And these are not appointed by the Bishop but by the Emperor tho he seldom denies the Bishop to nominate if he request it But every Bishop hath for Ecclesiastical matters and for the more solemn service of God a Council of twenty-four Priests of his Diocess who are as it were Prebends or Canons of his Cathedral Church where they continually reside The revenues of the Bishops have been as they say greater then now they are The Patriarch hath about three thousand Rubbles per an The Metropolitans and Archbishops about two thousand five hundred But all this revenue is not for their own use but they are obliged to furnish at their own charges such a number of soldiers The nomination of Bishops belongs to the Emperor Election of their Bishops who always takes them from amongst the Monks which obligeth them all to live unmarried not to eat flesh wear no rings or linen shirts or drawers besides other the like Monastick observances The Patriarch is chosen by all the Bishops Clergy and Abbots who give notice of their election to the Prince if he disapprove it they chuse another Lately at the election of Nicon the Clergy named two and could not agree the Emperor caused them to cast lots and the lot fell three times upon the person of Nicon Of inferior Clergy they have a very great number Inferior Clergy there being many Parishes in their Cities tho unequally divided some much bigger then others and every Church many Priests belonging to it They have no particular care of educating persons for this office but any one that thinks himself fitly qualified presents himself to the Patriarch or the next Metropolitan who examining his ability which consists chiefly in reading writing and singing well ordains him which is chiefly by cutting of the hair on the top of his head covering it with a Callot and putting on a Surpless a little cross of white silk upon his breast and then gives him his benediction and authority to officiate in the Church and to administer the Sacraments He must be the husband of one wife and if his wife dy he can neither officiate as a Priest nor marry another so that they do not conceive the character to be indelible Yet a widower may sing read c. and may serve as a Deacon but he must not officiate at the Altar And some of them get leave to keep their Benefices and yet enter into a Monastery such they call Churnapapaes Their revenues are not from tythes Their Revenues tho it be said that Volodomir at his introducing of Christianity setled tythes also upon the Clergy nor have they any setled salary but they are content with what they receive from the people for baptizing marrying burying offerings prayers for the dead c. besides every private person upon any occasion of business desires the Priest to say a prayer for him for which he gives him something They also solemnize the Sains-day of the Parish when all the neighbourhood come in to be prayed for and make an offering Once a quarter also he blesseth his Parishioners houses and families By these and many other such like ways they make up a competent livelihood for themselves and to give the tenth also of it to the Bishop Protopapaes or Archpriests and Archdeacons are only in Cathedral Churches They have service thrice a day Their Service about break of day Mattens at noon Mass Vespers in the evening And it consists of Psalms certain portions of Scripture the Creeds prayers and sometimes an homily of some of the Fathers or the life of the Saint of the day in their own language Never other preaching except once in a year when the Patriarch with very great solemnity makes a short exhortation to the people to serve God obey their Prince and live in unity and charity with their neighbours They never kneel at their devotions but stand up and sometimes bow knocking their forehead to the ground Ivan Vasilowich was frequent in the Church sung the prayers with the Clergy and sometimes had his forehead swell'd with knocking the floor They communicate children at seven years old Communion and before in case of sickness when they communicate they have an hoste in the middle of a barley cake the communicants partake of the hoste the rest of the people have the barley-cake broke amongst them as a pain-benist They communicate ordinarily but once a year which is about Easter and then only three at a time and always after some extraordinary fasting mortification or confession which they make standing in the middle of the Church and before some picture of a Saint The Priest appoints him pennance gives him absolution and admits him to the Sacrament They are very severe in their fastings having more of
Fugitives and people of infamous conversation The writ of the Court runs Nos Capitaneus c. Tibi c. Mandamus vigore Regio nostra qua hac parte fungimur Authoritate c. In Criminal causes it is to be served a fortnight in Civil a week before the Court sits To the Judicia Campestria may be referred the Vice-Captains Court which takes cognizance of the division of Estates between brothers forcible ejections servants entertained without testimonial exaction of customs non-payment of publick duties c. The Sub-Chamberlains Court is for settling the bounds of Noblemens Estates The Commissorial Courts are erected for the same purpose when the controversy happens between a Noble-man and one of the Kings tenants For then the King sends down Commissioners to settle the limits of his own lands who therefore issue out their writ after this form Nos c. Commissarii per Majestatem Regiam specialiter deputati vobis Generosis c. innotescimus c. The Tribunal-Courts are superiour Courts which take cognizance of all causes removed thither by way of appeal from the Courts of Land-judicature the Captains Courts the Vice-Chamberlain and the Commissorial Courts The Judges of these Courts are as well spiritual as secular The spiritual Judges are elected by the several Chapters of the Provinces the temporal Judges by the most voices of the Nobility These Courts are held only in two places for Poland Petricow and Lublin The Causes are heard in order for three days are allowed to enter all causes that come and whatever is not enter'd in those three days cannot be medled with that sitting Here are tried all causes that concern Ecclesiastical persons and the revenues of Churches and religious houses The writs issued hence run all in the Kings name under the Seal of the Province where the Defendant lives The Decrees of the Court are seal'd with the Seal of the province where the Court is held From hence there lyes no appeal either to the King or the General Session unless where the Court is equally divided or that the case in Controversy be not decided by the Constitutions The Courts of the General Conventions are either Criminal or Civil The Criminal either for publick crimes as High Treason Treason Robbing the Exchequer Violation of the priviledges of the General Parliament and adulterating or falsifying the publick Coin or else for private crimes as Murder Poysoning Incest Adultery and such like hainous offences To the civil Conventional Courts belong all causes concerning the Estate of the Kings table goods unlawfully received extortion of custome negligence of Magistrates c. all causes concerning the tenths of Noblemens Estates profanation of Churches Land-offices and Honours c. The Judges of this Court are the King and the Senatours Whilst the Senatours and Deputies give their votes the King absents himself afterwards when the decree is confirm'd by plurality of votes he returns and the Marshal having proclaimed the Sentence in the Kings presence commands the person condemn'd to be clapt into irons and takes care that execution be done For causes that relate to the public Revenues there is the Court of the Exchequer usually held at Radom and therefore called Tribunal Radomiense The Judges of this Court besides the Treasurer are certain Senators elected for this purpose in the general Parliaments of the Kingdom Before this Court are examined and tryed all Sub-treasurers and Collectors of contributions and Captains which have not brought into the Treasury what collections were paid into their hands as also all Merchants and others by whom the Treasury has suffer'd any dammage This Court seldome sits above a fortnight or three weeks and always adjourns before the meeting of the general Conventions Nearly relating to this Court is that which they call The Commission for payment of Souldiers wages Here are tryed such Souldiers as have not appeared after they have received their pay or that have committed any Acts of violence towards the Kings Subjects The Judges of this Court are the chief Commission-officers of the Army with certain selected Senators and Deputies to assist them To omit the Military Courts which are the same in all well disciplined armies the Marshal of the Kings house has also his Court whose jurisdiction extends not only over the Kings servants but also over the Senators themselves that live in the Court The Captural Court is two-fold either General which sits during the Interregnum to prevent disorders having absolute power of life and death whose Judges are chosen out of the prime Nobility Or Particular in the several Palatinates of the Kingdom the Judges whereof are chosen out of the Nobility at the several particular Conventions in the beginning of the Interregnum They take cognizance of all causes tryable in the Captains Court and of all injuries and batteries but meddle not with civil matters being like a Court constituted to keep the peace during the Interregnum All Captural Courts cease three weeks before the Assemblies for Election meet After the Election is over they sit again till the Coronation of the King The Jews are every where tried and judged by the Palatines from whom there lyes no appeal except the sum exceed an hundred Florens They that live in Towns or Villages belonging to Noblemen are under the jurisdiction of the Lord of the Royalty In the Assessorial Court the Chancellour sits as supreme Judge assisted by the Masters of requests and the principal Secretaries of the Kingdom Here are heard all causes removed from the City Courts as also from the Palatines when the controversy lies between a Christian and a Jew Of the Court of Relations the King himself is Judg and hears all causes removed by way of appeal out of the Assessorial Court Hence there lies no appeal but only to the Parliament it self and that but in two or three cases As when the action relates to an Estate which the possessour affirms that he holds by inheritance or that it concern the publick revenue of the kingdom I do not find any Ecclesiatical Courts particularly named however most certain it is that the Bishops have their several Courts where either they or their officials take cognizance of all ceremonies and institutions Ecclesiastical and are Judges of Heresy Schism Magick Incantations Usury Simony as also controversies about Tithes and Church-lands of murder or violence offer'd to a religious person or upon holy ground Moreover they determine the rights of Patronage Matrimonial differences and contests touching birth-right As for Wills and Testaments the differences about them are decided in the secular Courts as well as in these unless in case of some Legacies left to the Church From the Bishop's Court there lies an appeal to the Arch-bishop of Leopol from him to the Arch-bishop of Gnesna and thence to the Apostolick See To the Spiritual Courts belong the Court of Nunciature under the jurisdiction of the Popes Nuncio for that purpose always residing in Poland However before he
have votes in the Diets All the Ecclesiastical Members of the Diet have not equal votes Prelates as neither have the secular ones The Ecclesiastical as well as Secular Princes of the Empire as also all other Prelates that have Princely Dignities annex'd to their Sacred Functions together with the Master of the Teutonic Order have single voices and give in their votes to the Vice-Marshal by turns But others that can lay no claim to any Temporal Principality give their voices by companies Of this last sort there are at this day two Benches die Schwabische and Rheinische Formerly the Counts and Barons of the Empire had no more then two voices and were therefore as the Prelates are now divided into two Benches call'd by the Germans in those days die Wetterawische und Schwabische Bank Afterwards in the Diet held in the year 1641 the Counts of Franconia had a peculiar voice allow'd them and not long after in the year 1654 another vote was given to the Counts of Saxony and Westphalia So that at present there are four Benches of Counts the Schwabish Wetterawish Francic and Westphalian who have votes in the public Diets of the Empire The Deputies or Delegates of the Imperial Cities make up the third and last rank of the Members of a General Diet or Assembly of the Estates of the Empire Imperial Cities What time the Cities that have now votes and go under the known name of Imperial Cities came to have that priviledg cannot certainly be learn'd from the German Historians The Author of the Chronicle of Spire endeavours to prove that several of these Cities were invested with this honour in the twelfth Century The Oath taken by the Emperor Ferdinand I. may seem to countenance this relation In Christi Nomine Juro non solum Principum sed Civitatum ccnsilio negotia confoederationes Collegia Vniversitatis tractanda esse But this passage is not to be understood of the Cities of Germany which in this Emperor's days were in too mean a condition to offer to concern themselves in the Government of the Empire but of those in Italy which many years before had been call'd to public Assemblies in the Italian Kingdom The most probable opinion is that the Imperial Cities those I mean in Germany which at this day bear that name were not admitted to the Diet before the fourteenth Century not long before they were reckon'd up by the Emperor Charles IV. in his Golden Bull amongst the other Estates of the Empire Their Deputies at present are divided into two Benches whereof the one is called Die Rheinische and the other Die Schwabische Bank On the former sit the Deputies of Lubec the free Cities upon the Rhine in Witteraw Alsace Saxony and Thuringen On the latter the Delegates from the free Cities in Schwaben and Franconia The Deputies of the City where the Diet is held sit at a Table by themselves and there take an account of the voices of other Delegates which are brought to them and register'd by the two Registers of Vlm and Spire whereof the former represents the Cities in the Rheinish Circle and the latter those of Schwaben Some Historians will tell us Debates that the greatest disputes which happen at a German Diet are about precedency and that more time is spent in ranking the Members in their due places then in debating the Emperor's Proposals when they are set down Another fourth part of their time or rather more they will have to be spent in set drinking matches Whence the Emperor Ferdinand is said sharply to have reprehended the intemperance of the greatest part of the Ambassadors sent to the Diet from the several Princes and Imperial Cities A third quarter of their time is employ'd in disputing the Priviledges and Prerogatives of a Diet and shewing in what cases it may or may not be curb'd or controll'd by the Emperor The fourth and last part they spend upon the business proposed by the Emperor which is commonly concerning some Articles of Peace with some foreign Nation the making or renewing some Laws of the Empire the regulating of Coinage raising of Taxes or some such State affair Of the Imperial Chamber and other General Courts of Judicature IN the days of Charles the Great and some of his Successors Imperial Chamber the Bishops and Officers of the Crown jointly with the Emperor decided all Ecclesiastical causes The Prelates Counts and other persons of Quality who had any Suits of Law to commence were heard at the first instance in the Emperor's Court but the Secular Princes could not be judged but in the General Diets of the Empire Afterwards when Law-suits began to multiply in proportion to the growing malice and wickedness of men the infinite numbers of Clients that overstockt the Court became burthensom to the Emperor who could not possibly attend and hear all Causes brought before him Besides the Emperor's Court being not always kept in one place both parties concern'd in any controversie were forced to follow the Emperor for a decision into the remotest parts of Germany Upon these considerations Maximilian I. taking compassion upon his quarrelsom Subjects and desiring as much as possibly he could to save both their labour and money setled a Sedentary Parliament at Worms or Francfurt in the year 1495 which was soon after brought to Spire whence it cannot be removed without a consent of all the Estates of the Empire except in time of Plague or War At first the Assessors Assessors appointed as Judges in this Court were only sixteen but their number has since been encreased to fifty who are all nominated by the Head and principal Members of the Empire The Emperor names the supreme Judg who is always a Count or Baron and well skill'd in the Civil and Municipal Laws of the Empire and four of the principal Officers Each Elector names one Assessor and the rest are promoted to that employment by the several Circles or Benches of Voters in the Diets Now as those Princes and Estates of the Empire who have power to nominate the Assessors in this Court are of different Religions some adhering to the Doctrines of the Church of Rome and others professing the Reform'd Religion and embracing the opinions either of Luther or Calvin so are also the Assessors themselves Tho there lies no appeal from the Imperial Chamber to any other Court of Judicature Visiters yet if the Judg and Assessors of this Court be accused of any unjust proceedings in the determination of any controversie execution of the sentence pronounced is deferr'd till the Visiters of the Chamber examine the reasonableness of the complaint and redress the grievance if justly alledg'd Whence it appears that the Assessors themselves that sit at this Tribunal are not the supreme Judges of the Empire but that their Visiters may more justly claim that Title For some time before the conclusion of the Westphalian Treaty of Peace it was almost impossible to procure
six chief Courts of Judicature Courts of Judicature for the examination and trial of Cases Civil and Ecclesiastical in the Elector's Dominions 1. At Coen on the Spree or in the Elector's Palace at Berlin 2. At Colberg in Pomeren 3. Cleve 4. Halberstadt 5. Petershagh where all Causes depending between any of the Elector's Subjects in the Dukedom of Minden are brought to trial 6. Konigsberg in Prussia To these may be added the Court of Magdeburg since that Archbishopric is now fall'n into the Elector's hands But of this more hereafter The whole Marquisate of Brandenburg strictly so call'd is commonly divided into the Alt Mittel Neue and Vcker-Marck with the Territories of Prignitz and Sternberg But taking Prignitz and Vcker-Marck into the Middle and Sternberg into the New we may include them all under the three following heads ALT-MARCK FIrst ALT-MARCK or the old Marquisate is bounded on the North with the Dukedom of Mecklenburg on the West with Saxon-Lawenburg and some part of the Duke of Lunenburg's Territories on the South with the Dukedom of Magdeburg and on the East with the Middle Marck containing about thirty English miles in length or bredth Some Authors for the plenty it affords of all manner of Herbs and Fruits have been pleased to call it the Galilee of Germany It is commonly subdivided into four petty Provinces whereof that on the East called Das Balsamerland or Ostland contains Stendal Arneburg the City and County of Osterburg with some other Towns of note On the South lies Die Langer or Das Angerland taking its name from the River Anger Towards the West Das land zu Zermund in which is situate the ancient City Soltwedel And lastly Das Senland on the North supposed to have its name from the Senones who are thought to have been the ancient inhabitants of these parts The most considerable Cities and great Towns in the Old Marck are 1. Stendal the Metropolis of this Province Stendal seated upon the River Vcht about five English miles distant from the Elb and Angermund in a pleasant plain and at the side of a large Forest It was built by the Emperor Henry the First in the year of Christ 920 and afterwards fortified with strong Walls and Bulwarks by Marquise Albert surnam'd Vrsus in the year 1150. In this neat and well-built Hans-Town are kept the ordinary Quarter-Sessions for decision of all Law-Suits in the Old Marck The chief trade of the Citizens is in Corn and Linnen Cloth with which and the daily opportunity of entertaining Passengers that travel this road from Hamburg and Lubec towards Magdeburg Erfurt c. they make a shift to live handsomly MARCHIA VETUS Vulgo ALTE MARCK in March Brandenburgico To the R. t Wor. ll Ralph Macro M. D. r this Plate is Humbly Dedicated by Moses Pitt MARCHIA MEDIA Vulgo MIDLE MARCK in Brandenburg IE NE SERCH QVâ— To the R. t Hon. t Iames Earle of Northampton This Mapp is humbly Dedicated by M. Pitt 3. Gardleben GARDLEBEN Some Authors tell us that the ancient name of this Town was Isoburgum from the Image of Isis here worshipp'd Others believe 't was Isernburg and so called from its impregnable strength that name signifying properly a City of Iron The neighbouring old Fort call'd still by its ancient Wendish name Iseren Schnippe i. e. Iron Jaws gave occasion to both these opinions which are purely conjectural and are neither countenanc'd by Antiquity nor Probability But omitting these fancies with that of other Authors equally impertinent who write the Gardelegia and fetch its Etymology from Gardalegionum or Custodia Legionum because forsooth Claudius Drusus quarter'd some of his Soldiers here as well as at Soltwedel 't is most likely this City had its name from the multitude of pleasant Gardens among which 't is seated The Beer brewed in this Town is famous all Germany over and reckon'd amongst the greatest Blessings of the Old Marck Henry Meibonius a Professor in Helmstadt whither great quantities of this Liquor is ordinarily convey'd has writ a Panegyrick in commendation of it Another great commodity of the Town is Hops which are preferr'd by the Danish Merchants and others before the best in Germany and bought up at a higher rate The Arms of the City are three Hop-poles laden with Hops IV. Angermund ANGERMUND or Tangermund Seated as the name intimates on the mouth of the River Anger or Tanger about thirty English miles from Magdeburg The Emperor Charles IV. having bought the whole Marquisate of Brandenburg built the Castle of Angermund in the year 1376 making this the usual place of his residence for some years after The Citizens have a considerable trade from the advantage of the Elb by which their Corn and other Commodities of the Country are convey'd in Vessels down to Hamburg and thence into foreign Nations Other places of less note are 1. Seehusen or Senheusen as some write it seated on the River Alant and falsely suppos'd to have been built by the Senones who were indeed a Gaulish people and never inhabited these parts 2. Osterburg a great Corn-Market 3. Werben seated at the confluence of the Rivers Elb and Havel built by Henry surnamed the Fowler out of the ruins of the old Castellum Vari Gustavus Adolphus fancied this place capable of being made the strongest Fort in Germany and himself contributed so far towards its fortification as to cause that Castle to be built which now commands the whole Town 4. Havelberg anciently a Bishop's See 5. Perleberg the chief Town in Prignitz seated in a pleasant and fruitful plain Arneburg Wittemberg Bismarcht Schnakenburg with some others are Villages rather then great Towns II. MIDDLE-MARCK MIDDLE-MARCK as its name intimates is situate in the very midst of the Marquisate of Brandenburg 'T is the largest of the three and reaches from the banks of the Elb to the Oder about an hundred English miles The chief Towns in it are I. BRANDENBURG which Brandenburg tho at present far inferior to many of the neighbouring Cities well merits the preeminence as having been formerly the Metropolis of the whole Land and to this day giving name to the Marquisate Some of the German Historians endeavour to perswade us that 't was built 416 years before the birth of our Saviour by one Brenno a famous Captain of the Semnones Others more modestly fetch its original and name from one Brando who as they tell the story first built this City about the year 230. At present the Town is considerable for little but its age and the inhabitants would be put to a hard shift to pick up a livelihood if the neighbouring Lake about ten English miles in length did not supply them with good store of Fish In the great Church there are a great many Monuments and Sepulchers of Princes and Bishops and in the Market-place a Statua Rolandina of which last we have already given the Reader a short account II. BERLIN Berlin Angelius a
in this Church forty-nine Altars whereof the High Altar in the Quire is of one piece of stone curiously wrought and of various colours It is nine Hamburg Ells each of which makes one foot and ten inches in length four in bredth and one in thickness and valued at above two Tun of Gold Magdeburg had once the supreme Jurisdiction in Civil Cases as well as Ecclesiastical over all the other Cities in Saxony Judicature and the Archbishop of this Diocess was like our Bishops of Durham a Count Palatine who had the sole power of determining all Causes brought before him But that grand Authority was lost by degrees and now the Citizens of Magdeburg have no other Courts of Judicature then such as are kept by the Burgomasters and Raedtsherrn of other Cities as well as this That part of this Dukedom which lies on the Western banks of the Elb is exceedingly fruitful in Corn but wants Wood and other fuel and on the contrary that part of it which lies beyond the River has plenty of Wood but wants Corn. There are contain'd in the whole Circle twenty-eight Towns which anciently paid homage to the Archbishops of Magdeburg and are now subject to the Elector of Brandenburg as their Duke ANHALT BEtwixt the Sala and the Elb lies the greatest part of this Principality the whole being environ'd by the County of Mansfeldt the Upper Saxony the Bishopric of Halle the Dukedom of Magdeburg and the Bishopric of Halberstadt MARCHIA NOVA Vulgo NEW MARK in March Brandenburg PRINCIPATUS ANHALDINUS ET MAGDEBURGENSIS Archiepiscopatus Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios Mosem Pitt et Stephanum Swart 'T will not in this place be amiss to inform the the Reader that Prince Lewis beforemention'd to the great credit of himself and Family was the first Founder of the Frucht-Barende Geselschaft as the Germans call it or Fructifying Society The story of which is as follows This Prince having travell'd over all Europe and observed the great advantages which the Nobility in France Italy and other Nations had in being furnish'd with store of excellent Books in their own Languages was resolved to try whether he could perswade any of his own Countrymen to set upon the Translation of the best Latin and Greek Authors into a more easie and intelligible stile then was ordinarily used among them In pursuance of this design he instituted the Society aforesaid whereof himself was the first President and succeeded so well herein that in a very short time after there were above twenty Princes and at least six hundred Lords and Noblemen who enter'd and enroll'd themselves in this College of Wits And how much the German Nation is beholden to the endeavours of these Virtuosi there is no intelligent man but what is abundantly sensible For besides the opportunity which every man has of reading the writings of foreign Authors in his own Language the Germans are able to spell their own tongue aright which before the Institution of this Society so few of them could do that Duesius tells us one main design of his publishing a German Grammar was to teach the Nobility of that Nation to put their words into writing The most considerable Towns in this small Principality are 1. Zerbst Seated on a small River about an English mile distant from the banks of the Elb. Dresserus fancies this a Town of great Antiquity Zerbst and had its name from the Servetii or Cervetii as he reads it an old Wendish people But Werdenhagen a better Antiquary rejects this frivolous assertion and proves that Zerbst in the Wendish Dialect signifies a strong Fort. 'T is at this day remarkable for nothing but a sort of strong heady Beer which the Citizens brew in Summer and send abroad into all the neighbouring Towns and Provinces 2. Bernburg Bernburg Another Residence of the Princes of Anhalt separated from the Palace by the River Sala On the eleventh of March in the year 1636 this Town was taken by the Elector of Saxony's Forces who put the whole Garrison that defended it with all the inhabitants excepting only those few that belong'd to the Prince's Court to the Sword and plunder'd the City 3. Dessau A well fortified Town on the Elb Dessau seated in a pleasant and fruitful part of the Country It had its name given as most of the German Etymologists imagine by the Jews who in their mungrel Dutch-Jewish Dialect call a fat soil such as this Town stands on Desse The Prince's Palace in Dessau was first built as appears by an old Inscription over one of the Gates by Albert and Waldemar two Brothers Princes of Anhalt in the year 1341. In one of the Chappels of this Town is to be seen the Tomb of Jeckel Rehebock whom some German Historians name Meniken von Belitz an old Miller who having for some time attended Waldemar Marquise of Brandenburg in the Wars took upon him to counterfeit his slain Master and carried on the design so cunningly that a great many believ'd him to be the very Marquise and follow'd him with as great respect as they had done his Master before He dyed in the year 1350. 4. Aschersleben or Ascania Ascania whence the Princes of Anhalt got the name of Principes Ascanii 'T is an old Town on the confines of the Bishopric of Halberstadt and for that reason seized on by Canons of that Church upon the death of Prince Otho's Widow in the year 1315. Since which time the Princes of Anhalt have often complain'd of the injustice of this action and hoped for a redress at the Treaty of Munster but in vain for the Bishopric of Halberstadt was by that Treaty granted to the Elector of Brandenburg who is too potent a Prince to be frighted into a resignation of any of the dependances upon that Diocess THE DUKEDOME OF BRUNSWIC THE Dukedom of Brunswic strictly so call'd comprehends only the Territories subject to the Dukes of Brunswic and Hannover or Calenberg The Principality of Grubenhagen with the Counties of Blanckenburg and Reinstein are indeed usually comprised under the same name because subject to the Dukes of Zell and Wolfenbuttel who are both entituled Dukes of Brunswic as well Luneburg but are however in themselves distinct Dominions and shall accordingly be separately described The Dukedoms of Brunswic and Hannever are exceeding populous and fruitful Soil The Wheat and Rye in this Country grows sometimes to that prodigious height that their ordinary Ears of Corn are higher then the tallest man on Horseback But yet we must not expect to meet with such pleasant and profitable Cornfields as these in every part of the Country A great share of the Hercynean Forest ran thro this Land tho that be now parcell'd out into smaller Woods and Parks In these the Inhabitants have besides the provision of Timber and Fuel great store of Deer wild Swine Hares c. with Fowl of all sorts Not to mention their rich Mines of Iron Salt and Coal-pits of which in