fountain of the laws By these Governours and Deputies agreeeing together Tributes are exacted and Taxes levied According to an order of the Senate held at Lyncopen 1599 they were to keep Courts of Justice twice in every year all of them meeting in the Winter time about February at Vpsal at the publick Fair called Disting and in Summer at Lyncopen States or Orders of men in this Kingdom there are says Bureus six 1. Princes of the Blood Royal Nobility Clergy Souldiery Merchantry and Commonalty 1. Princes of the Blood The Princes of the Blood-Royal are disposed of by the King according to their age and capacity The eldest as was said is Heir apparent to the Crown The younger are commonly created Dukes and made Governours of Provinces of Vpsal first and the rest in order of dignity These after the death of their elder brother if he dye without issue have right to succeed in the Throne 2. Nobility The Nobility which is said to have descended from King Ingon or Harold of Norway and spred through Germany Suitzerland Spain c. when the Goths invaded the Roman Empire It is divided into three ranks or orders 1. Consists of Earls and Barons or Franck-Barons The Earls Jerl anciently were created only upon extraordinary accounts as were also their Dukes called Hertog neither of their titles being then hereditary A war happening between them and some of their Kings their Honour and Titles were for some ages quite laid aside till King Ericus XIV about the year 1560 first of all renewed these lost Titles and restored them to their owners which gracious favour of his was follow'd by his successors they not only conferring like honour during life but at present making it hereditary The second consists of those whose ancestors have been advanc't to the honour of Senators of the Kingdom The third sort is made up of those who are neither Counts nor Barons and whose ancestors have not been of the Senatorian Order of these Orders may be either their Knights for their valour created by the King whose Titles are not transmitted to their Heirs tho frequently upon equal desert confer'd on them or Gentlemen who are the lowest degree of the Nobility anciently called Affwappen either because they were expert in war or bore a Coat of Arms. All these Noblemen enjoy great priviledges and immunities All their estates are free from taxes and impositions so much only out of the Lands of Earls and Barons excepted as they at their creation receive of the King for which they pay some acknowledgment to the Crown only in time of war and all exigences whatever they are obliged to fit out horses and men for the Kings service proportionable to their estates Out of these are commonly elected the Senators Judges and chief Officers of the Kingdom men of low birth tho of considerable parts seldom advancing themselves into places of great trust and employment in Civil affairs in Ecclesiastical more frequently The estates of these Noblemen are inherited as well by their daughters as their sons the son if one having half and a daughter three parts of them which custom King Bergerus Jerl is said to have made and brought in about four ages ago 3. The Clergy Clergy concerning whom what we find is set down under Vpsal 4. The Souldiery 〈◊〉 which enjoys very great priviledges from the King as soon as any is listed Souldier he has over and above his ordinary pay all his Lands Tax-free if in time of war a Souldiers horse be killed under him the King provides him with another and if any be taken Captive by the Enemy the King redeems him at his own charges and such like which we shall mention when we speak of the Forces of the Kingdom 5. The Merchantry Merchantry in whose possession the most considerable part of the riches of the Kingdom is kept and by whose procurement forreign Commodities are imported For the good government and benefit of these every Maritime City and Mart-Town had anciently their particular Municipal Laws derived from Berca the ancient seat of their Kings and about 600 year ago a Town of the greatest trade in the Kingdom by these it was ordered how and in what manner the Maritime Cities might exercise Trade as well with Inland Towns as Forreigners what Commodities they might traffick with not hindring one anothers commerce c. These laws were by the Civil wars in the Kingdom quite neglected and for a long time out of use but by the care of some of the late Kings they or some equivalent to them begin to be restored and put in Execution 6 The last and lowest state Commonalty and as it were the Basis of the rest is the Commonalty called Bond or Beond of which there are two sorts 1. Named Scatbonder who have Hereditary Lands priviledges of fishing and fowling c. belonging to them these in time of war are bound to fit out one Horse and Man for the Kings service The second sort are those that labour in the Mines called Bergs-men no less profitable to the publick then the former and enjoy no less priviledges and immunities both possessing Estates and Fishery of their own and like the Commons of England having their Representatives in the publick Council of the Kingdom Of these some by reason of their freedom and advantage of Education which is denyed the Pesantry of other Countrys sometimes arrive at great honours in Church and State the famous King Ericus furnamed the Saint is said to have been a Country-mans son The Swedes as all other Nations were for a long time governed only by the laws of nature the confus'd edicts of their Kings Decrees of the States and Responses of the wise till about the year 1251 Bergerus Jerl compiled a body of Laws and Constitutions for the Kingdom collected out of the former These before the invention of Paper were engraven upon large wooden Posts thereby after the manner of the Romans and Athenians to be promulgated to the people They were commonly very short and general as designing the decision of particular cases to the publick Magistrates Besides these they had upon any emergent difficulties other ancient Laws which they called Recessus Regni and other ancient Statutes of the Kingdom by which only great controversies were decided At present the Courts of Justice are more regular and for the speedier execution of it there are in the whole Kingdom five supream Courts of Judicature 1. The Kings Chamber which is divided into three ranks or degrees 1. Supream in which all Cases twixt Senator and Senator brought thither by Appeal are decided 2. The Middle in which are determined actions of Treason and all others betwixt Noblemen Lagmen and publick Officers 3. The lowest where ordinary Trials are decided whether Civil or Criminal where it is judged whether the procedure in Inferiour Courts in actions brought thence by Appeal has been Legal or not From this Court there lies no
Forreign Princes and their manners modell'd by different Laws The second great Epocha in the Swedish Chronicles is from the reign of 108. Ericus IX surnam'd the Saint a virtuous and pious Prince He never lay'd any Taxes or Impositions upon his Subjects but was content with the Crown-Patrimony and when Money was offer'd him by his people he refus'd to accept it He built the Cathedral Church at Vpsal and propagated Christianity to the Finlanders This King new modell'd all the Swedish Laws and expung'd those that any way favour'd Paganism He was murther'd by a Party of Rebels and in the very place where they cut off his head there presently issued out says Loccen a spring of pure water famous for curing diseases 109. Charles VII a peaceable and religious King who founded several Monasteries and had an Arch-bishops see granted him in his own Dominions 110. Canutus son to Ericus 111. Suercherus II. 112. Ericus X a quiet and peaceable King 113. John I surnam'd the Meek He propagated the Christian Religion amongst the Leiflanders 114. Ericus XI surnamed the Stammerer He rooted out Paganism in Tavastia and brought over the Inhabitants to the Christian Faith 115. Waldemarus son to Bergerus Jerl who upon the death of Ericus in his Fathers absence was clected King which his Father being dissatisfied with at his return declaring his displeasure that an unexperienc'd youth his Son should be advanc'd to the Crown and himself disregarded he was thereupon desir'd to take upon him the management of all publick affairs After his death Waldemarus had absolute power in his Kingdom and ruled by his own unfortunate commands He was depos'd by his people and his Crown given to 116. Magnus I surnam'd Ladulaus i. e. the Lock to Granaries because he made such severe Laws against stealing Corn and breaking up Granaries that in his reign the people used neither Lock nor Key his Laws being sufficien to secure them from Thieves and Robber He built many Churches and made several wholsom Laws ordering that all Offenders instead of paying mulcts should be obliged to assist in building some Tower or Fort. 117. Birgerus son to Magnus in his time and by his means Carelia received the Gospel He manag'd affairs imprudently and thereupon was depos'd and banish'd by his Subjects and his Kingdom conferr'd on 118. Magnus II. surnam'd Smeek i. e. the flatter'd or cocker'd Prince In the former part of his reign he ruled peaceably and had the affections of his people but falling into sottishness and following strange women he lost the love of his Subjects and was in a Senate at Stockholm publickly arraign'd for his misdemeanors call'd for to answer for himself and not appearing in his own defence by them depos'd Ericus XII son to Magnus sometime during his Fathers reign manag'd all business of State and therefore he is by some reckon'd amongst the Kings of Sweden though without good reason for he was only an assistant to the King in Council not a Partner in the Government The fourth Swedish Epocha is reckon'd from the remarkable alteration of affairs under 119. Albertus of Mecklebourg elected by the Suffrages of the people For some time he rul'd well but preferring Germans to the chief places of trust in his Kingdom he thereupon lost the love of his Subjects and his Crown to boot After he was depos'd he retir'd into a Monastery The person who succeeded was 120. Margaretta Queen of Denmark and Norway She vex'd her Subjects with intolerable Taxes admitted Danes English-men and Italians into publick Offices and was thereupon assaulted by the Nobles of the Kingdom who had certainly slain her had she not given them fair promises and propos'd to them one to succeed her viz. 121. Ericus XIII her Nephew son to Wartislavus Duke of Pomeren He was King of Denmark Norway and Sweden at the same time He marryed Philippa Daughter to Henry IV. then King of England for some time he reigned happily but breaking the Laws of the Kingdom and not observing his Coronation-Oath he fell into great troubles and at last after he had enjoy'd three Crowns for five and forty years was dethron'd by his Subjects this King after he was depos'd is said to have turn'd Pirat and very much infested the Brittish Coasts his Kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden were given to 122. Christophorus Duke of Bavaria This King revis'd and corrected the municipal Laws of Sweden and caus'd them to be promulgated from him call'd Christopher's Laws He dyed suddenly at Helsinburg as he was going to consult with his Nobles at Jenecopia After this Kings death there was an Interregnum for some small time during which all publick business was manag'd by one Benedictus Bielke and Nicolaus Baner two Principal Officers of State in the time of King Christophorus The fifth Epocha is reckon'd from the ending of the Interregnum which was when the Government was undertaken by 123. Carolus VIII Canuti Marshal of the Kingdom who was descended from the Stock of the ancient Gothish Kings As soon as he was setled in the Throne he pretended Title to Gotlandia which the Danes then possess'd and thereupon made war with Christianus I King of Denmark but with small success He lay'd upon his Subjects heavy and grievous Taxes and attempting to take away Church Lands and pious Donations lost the favour of his Subjects and was by them expell'd or rather by the Danish forces driven out of his Dominions His friend whom he in his Banishment trusted himself with was Casimirus King of Poland who entertain'd him nobly for seven years during which time Sweden was govern'd by 124. Christiernus I. King of Denmark call'd hither by the prevailing Faction but seizing the publick Treasure of the Kingdom and committing many cruelties he was shortly after deposed from being King and 125. Carolus Canuti recall'd from Dantzick and restor'd to the Throne but being troubled with civil Commotions at home chiefly manag'd by the Arch-bishop of Vpsal and endanger'd by the Danish Forces from abroad commanded by the depos'd King Christiernus I. he voluntarily left the Government of the Kingdom and appointed for his Successor his Nephew 126. Steno Sture Senior who was receiv'd by the Senate at Stockholm rather as a Protector then an absolute Governour of the Kingdom he manag'd all publick affairs very happily and with great satisfaction to the people for a long time till in the year 1491 at which time he was accus'd by the Senate for acting in several matters without their knowledg and advice for making a League with the Inhabitants of Riga against the Teutonick Order of which the Russes taking advantage had made some inrodes into Livonia and Finland and such-like Crimes and thereupon by them turn'd out of all office the Kingdom was conferr'd on 127. John II. son to Christiern I. King of Denmark He took Steno Sture into favour and going as was then the custom to visit his dominions left him Vice-roy at Stockholm to manage all the affairs of
But his large Dukedom was broken in pieces by the Emperor as we had occasion to tell the Reader before and himself reduc'd from a great Duke of Saxony and Lord of all the neighbouring Territories to a mean and inconsiderable Duke of Brunswic and Luneburg Hitherto we have found the Dukedoms of Brunswic and Luneburg united and subject to one Prince Dukes of Lunenburg But upon the death of this Henry which hapned in the year 1195 they were divided For Henry the Lion had three Sons viz. Duke Henry who was afterwards made Prince Palatine of the Rhine Duke Otho who was advanced to the Imperial Throne and Duke William who succeeded his Father in the Territories of Luneburg but only stiled himself Dominus de Luneburg And indeed he had but little reason to take upon him any greater Title since his two Brothers were sharers with him in the Estate of his deceased Father For Otho took possession of the City and Country of Brunswic and Duke Henry seized upon Zell Bremen and Stade About the year 1213 Duke William dy'd and was succeeded by his only Son Otho who afterwards in the year 1235 was made Duke of Brunswic by the Emperor Frideric the Second's Diploma which is at this day to be seen in the Duke of Zell's Archives Duke William dying in the year 1252 left behind him two Sons Albert and John Albert kept all his Fathers Dominions in his own hands but at last resign'd the Dukedom of Luneburg to his Brother John Since that time the Dukedoms of Brunswic and Luneburg have been always reckon'd two distinct Principalities and usually subject to two different Princes After this division of the two Dukedoms Duke John governed the Dukedom of Luneburg about eight years and then dying in the year 1276 left his Estate to his Son Otho By the way we may take notice of a notorious Parachronism in Dr. Heylin's Cosmography wherein reckoning only the eight years Government of Duke John without mentioning any power enjoy'd by his Brother Albert in the Dukedom of Luneburg he brings Otho II. to the Dukedom in the year 1261 which is fifteen years exactly the time that Duke Albert kept possession of both his Father's Dukedoms before his Father's death Otho having reign'd 53 years and dying in the year 1330 left behind him two Sons Otho and William who were joint-Governors of the Dukedom of Luneburg for the space of four and twenty years After which upon the death of Duke Otho without any Heirs male William was the sole Governor for some small term of years But considering that upon the failure of issue from himself and his Brother the Line of Luneburg was like to be extinct he resolv'd during his life-time to chose himself a Successor Whereupon at first he pitcht upon Albert Duke of Saxony his Brother's Daughter's Son but afterwards changing his resolution he resign'd the Dukedom to Ludowic Duke of Brunswic who had married his eldest Daughter Mechtild Duke Ludowic having govern'd three years and dying without issue in the year 1358 was succeeded by Magnus surnam'd mit der ketten or Torquatus to whom the Luneburgers submitted themselves upon condition that he should protect them against all injuries offer'd them either by the Emperor Charles IV. or any of the Dukes of Saxony Soon after Torquatus upon his Father's death got possession of the Territories of Brunswic and so both Dukedoms were once more united But notwithstanding the great confidence they repos'd in their new Prince and the vast pormises he made them Albert Duke of Saxony assisted by the foremention'd Emperor Charles the fourth in pursuance of his Right as being descended from the elder Brother's Daughter by force recover'd the Dukedom of Luneburg in the year 1372 and enjoy'd it fourteen years After his death there were great wars betwixt the Houses of Brunswic and Saxony each of them laying claim to and contending for this Dukedom At last in the year 1388 Bernhard Duke Magnus's Son obtain'd the Government But soon after Frideric Duke of Brunswic being slain in his return from Francfurt where he was newly chosen Emperor Bernhard was remov'd to Brunswic and the Dukedom of Luneburg given to his Nephew Henry who before had some share with him in the Government Henry having been sole Duke of Luneburg for the space of sixteen years dyed A. D. 1416. and was succeeded by his Son William who within a while after falling out with his Cousin Otho Duke Bernhard's Son made several incursions into the Dukedom of Brunswic many of the most considerable Cities whereof he laid siege to and took Some while after the quarrels betwixt the two Dukes were composed upon this condition that they should change Dukedoms which was accordingly done in the year 1428 and so Otho was made Duke of Luneburg and William removed to Brunswic Otho's Brother Duke Frideric succeeded him tho Dr. Heylin makes him his Predecessor in the Dukedom of Luneburg and having govern'd about fourteen years quitted the Dukedom and shut himself up in a Monastery at Zell in the year 1459. Hereupon the Government was committed to his two Sons Bernhard and Otho the former of which dyed within five years and the latter surving about seven years left behind him only one young Son about three years old This forced the old Duke Frideric in his extreme dotage to reassume the Government till his Grandchild should come to maturity he mannaged the Affairs of his Dukedom for seven years longer dying in the year 1478. The young Duke Henry being not above ten years of age at his Grandfather's death was assisted in the Government by his mother for some years Ten years before his death which hapned in the year 1532 he setled the Dukedom upon his three Sons Otho Ernest and Francis The first of these preferring a retired life to the state and grandeur of a Dukedom resign'd his Right to his Brother Ernestus during his Father's life demanding only a certain annual stipend sufficient for the maintenance of himself and a small family This Ernest together with his Brother Francis who shared with him in the Government till the year 1539 but was afterwards put off with the Lordship of Giffhorn and Monastery of Isenhagen brought in the Reform'd Religion in the year 1530. He died in the year 1546 and was succeeded by his Son Francis Otho who having govern'd about thirteen years dyed without Issue male and left the Dukedom to his two Brothers Henry and William These two rul'd peaceably together for the space of ten years but afterwards they separated themselves and agreed that William should have the sole government of the Dukedom of Luneburg and Duke Henry be content with the Revenues of the Lordship of Dannenberg and Monastery of Scharnebeck to which were afterwards added the Lordships of Hitzaker Luchau and Warbke In the year 1592 Duke William died and was succeeded by his Son Ernest who kept the Dukedom of Luneburg till the year 1611. In which he left it to
his Brother Christian Elect Bishop of the Diocess of Minden This brave Prince govern'd the Dukedom in great peace and prosperity two and twenty years and enlarg'd it with the Principality of Grubenhagen After his decease in the year 1633 the Dukedome of Luneburg fell to his Brother Augustus Elect Bishop of Ratzeburg upon which incomparable Prince of whom the Reader may expect a larger account in the description of the Dukedom of Brunswic descended not long after by the death of Frideric Vlric the Dukedom of Brunswic Whereupon the Dukedom of Luneburg was given to Duke George Lieutenant General of all the forces of the Lower Saxony in the year 1636. He left four Sons whereof the eldest Christian Ludowic for some years govern'd the Luneburgers paying each of his younger Brethren an annual stipend of 12000 Ric-dollars Upon his death the second Brother George William succeeded in the Government and kept as he doth to this day his Residence in his Brothers Palace at Zell By the Treaty of Hildesheim the Dukedoms of Calenberg and Grubenhage were assign'd over to the third Brother John Frideric who kept his Residence at Hannover in much greater state then his Brother at Zell These and all other Territories subject to the late Duke of Hannover are now in the possession of the youngest Brother Ernest Augustus who by the Treaty of Munster was made Bishop of Osnabrug and is now upon the death of his Brother John Frideric this last year 1680 Duke of Hannover He married the Lady Sophia youngest Sister to our Prince Rupert of whom this character is usually given that she is the most accomplish'd Princess in Europe by whom he hath three Sons and a Daughter Chief Cities and other places of greatest note in this Dukedom are FIrst Luneburg LUNEBURG We have already given the Reader an account of the most probable opinion about the original of the name of this City and but little more can be sai concerning its first Founders and those that fortified it The story of Julius Cesar's laying the first foundation of a City in this place is at best incredible and groundless There 's hardly an ancient City in Europe which does not pretend to some venerable piece or other of Julius's Architecture which tho ordinarily admir'd by the vulgar yet is contemn'd and laugh'd at by men of sence and knowing Antiquaries The best testimony of its age I can meet with is Dithmarus Mersburgensis's mentioning Luinberg by the name of Civitas in speaking of an Earthquake which hapned in the days of the Emperor Henry II. But 't is easie to observe how the Historians of those times were wont to compliment any mean Village with the title of Civitas Yet Lambertus Schafnaburgensis an Author of almost as great antiquity as the former in his account of the transactions of the year 1073. gives this character of Luneburg that 't was then Oppidum maximum Ottonis Ducis Saxoniae situm in confinio Saxonum Luticiorum At present the Town contains about two English miles in circumference being not built in exact square but rather an oblong figure The Streets are broad and most of the Houses tolerably well built Over against the Town-hall which is a neat and compact piece of building stands the Duke's Palace where the Duke of Zell and his Family are lodg'd when he has a mind to reside at Luneburg The chief Trade of the Town is in Salt which the Citizens make in great abundance out of certain pits of salt water which spring within the walls Their Salt-houses are fenc'd round and continually guarded as being the main support of the City These bring in the Duke a considerable yearly Revenue and besides provision is hereby made for a great number of poor labouring men who might otherwise starve for want of employment II. Bardewic BARDEWICK At this day a Village within a mile of Luneburg but anciently a strong and populous City Some Authors fancy it to have been the first City in Saxony And so questionless it was if it be true as they pretend to be able to demonstrate that it was built 990 years before Christ Over the door of the Cathedral which is now the only Church left of nine are wrote in an old Gothic character these hobling verses Abram dum natus mox Treveris incipit ortus Hinc annis Barduic mille sex X quoque quinque Post Barduic Roma duo C cum quinque triginta M C post Nat. junctis octaginta novemque Dum Brunsvicensis Henricus Leo dictus Simonis in festo Barduic subvertit ab alto Meibomius a learned Antiquary whom we have already had occasion often to mention has taken great pains to pick up out of these Rithms and all other Monuments of note about this Town a large account of the Antiquity of the place The name he imagines contrary to the humour of some other Historians who speak of Bardo a Knight Errant of old and Founder of Bardewic derived from the Bardi a Northern people who wandring a great many years up and down Saxony and the neighbouring Countries at last fix'd themselves in this place Whether these Bardi may not have been a Tribe of such Poets as Mr. Cambden and some other of our Antiquaries says gave name to Bardsey one of our British Islands I shall leave to the Reader 's judgment since every Historian that mentions the Bards will tell us that they were the Genealogists amongst the Gauls an undoubted branch of the German Nation as well as the Britains The Verses before-mention'd will inform us that this great City was destroy'd by Duke Henry surnam'd the Lion on St. Simon and Jude's day in the year 1189. Since that time it has never been able to recover its glory and is now remarkable for nothing but a College of Eight Residentiary Canons and some few Vicars III. ULTZEN A neat uniform little Town Vltren about the middle way betwixt Lunenburg and Zell 'T was anciently call'd Lawenwald i. e. Lion-Forest as appears from several of its old Records and an inscription to this day legible on the North-side of the Town-hall And from this its old name the Arms or Rebus rather of the Town are still a Lion Passant Azure in a Field Verd betwixt Three Trees of the Second The modern name Vltzen it had from the neighbouring Monastery of Olden-Stadt which as is evident from several ancient Writings bearing date A. D. 1255 and 1338 was formerly call'd Old-Vlssen On the twentieth of September in the year 1646 this City was miserably destroy'd by a fire which in a very short time burnt down the fairest and richest part of it This blow it has hardly yet so well recover'd as to be entirely rebuilt but however the most considerable streets and places of consequence are very much advanc'd by it and the new buildings are every-where more regular and splendid then the former The Citizens have a Tradition among them that the first English Saxons
their due place The chief Rivers are the Weser by which all manner of Merchandise are convey'd from Bremen up as far as Brunswic Rivers Leina Innerste Ocker with some more of less note which supply the neighbourhood with Fish It is observable Forts that every-where in the Dukedom of Brunswic as well as in the County of Blackenburg you may meet with the Ruins of old Forts and Castles on the tops of high Hills and ragged Mountains which by most Antiquaries are conjectur'd to be the Reliques and Rudera of so many Roman Fortifications and an evident argument that the Seat of the war betwixt the Romans and the Germans was for some time at least in this part of the Empire I had rather think them the work of some Saxon Commanders when engaged in the defence of their Country and Paganism against the Assaults of Charles the Great or perhaps built by that mighty Emperor to secure his Conquests However thus much we may venture to conclude from these venerable Tents of Mars 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 that the Lower Saxons those especially that inhabited these parts were anciently a stout and warlike people men that were hardly conquer'd and afterwards with more difficulty kept in subjection And such their progeny are still reckon'd They are men of a larger size then most others of the German Nation and withall inur'd to a coarse fare and cold lodging Their ordinary diet is dry'd Swine's flesh and Sawsedges which they digest with as much ease as any of their neighbour Nations do their choicest delicacies From their great greediness in devouring this sort of diet they are usually call'd by the Hollanders and other Germans Speckmuffen or Bacon-guts With these meats they eat a black and harsh tasted bread made of the coarsest Wheat or Rye-meal This in their barbarous and rustic dialect they call Pumpernickell a compound that has no manner of affinity with any primitive in the High Dutch tongue Some of their learned men give this account of the word that a French Gentleman travelling this Country and being ask'd what he thought of this kind of bread made answer that it was bon pour cheval i. e. good diet for a Horse which words being not rightly proportion'd to the mouths of the Brunswic Bores that heard him were by them miserably corrupted into the word before-mention'd Their Land affords no Wine but they think that defect abundantly recompensed by the great quantities of Beer brew'd in most places of note The Brunswickers are not 't is true so complaisant in their behaviour and carriage as some other Germans which a Traveller may meet with but their unfeign'd humanity and hospitality will sufficiently atone for their want of Courtship They know how to be civil to a stranger without flattery and in in their entertainment of Travellers their performances are commonly as large as a French man's promise We have already in the description of the Dukedom of Luneburg acquainted the Reader that the whole Dukedom of the Lower Saxony which was afterwards subdivided into those of Brunswic and Luneburg was formerly subject to one Prince and we have there also given him an account of the first original of this Dominion with the continuance of it under several Princes during the union of its members The first division of these Territories hapned in the year 1264 at which time Duke Otho's two Sons Albert and John not liking to be copartners in the Government of the Lower Saxony divided the Land assigning to the former the City and Dukedom of Brunswic and to the later the other of Luneburg However upon the death of William Duke of Luneburg Grandchild to the foremention'd Duke John without issue male in the year 1368 the two Dukedoms were again jointly subject to Duke Magnus surnam'd Torquatus But in this they could not long continue for Torquatus's Sons as ambitious of independant and absolute Government as their predecessors again separated Courts Bernbard the elder Brother claiming this Dukedom to himself and assigning Luneburg to Henry his younger Brother After whose death his Son William surnam'd Victoriosus for his valorous exploits fell upon his Uncle Bernhard whom he reduc'd to those straits at last that he made him and his two Sons change Dukedoms with him From that time the Dukedom of Brunswic was enjoy'd by William and his Successors until the extirpation of that Line in Frideric Vlrich who died without issue A. D. 1634. In the year 1491 this Dukedom was divided by Henry the elder and his Brother Eric into two equal shares whereof all the Country betwixt the Rivers Deister and Leina together with the Territories of Gottingen and known by the name of the Dukedom of Brunswic-Wolfenbuttel remained in the possession of Henry But soon after Eric's Line upon the death of his Son Eric II. in Italy A. D. 1584. was extinct and these two Dukedoms again united in the House of Wolfenbuttel In which condition they remain'd till the death of Frideric Vlric before-mention'd After which the Dukedoms of Wolfenbuttel and Calenberg descended upon some younger Brothers of the House of Luneburg The famous and learned Prince Augustus was advanc'd to Wolfenbuttel where he is now succeeded by his Son Rodulphus Augustus Of these two Dukes the Reader may expect a larger character in the following description of the Palace at Wolfenbuttel 'T will not be impertinent in this place to relate for the Reader 's diversion the Romantic History of the first original of the ancient Guelphian Family 〈…〉 which formerly afforded Dukes at the same time of Bavaria and Saxony and of which the Dukes of Brunswic and Luneburg are now the sole Relicts The story goes thus Jermintrudis Countess of Altorf in Schwaben having accused a poor woman of Adultery and caused several severe punishments to be inflicted on her for having had twelve children at a birth was within a while after delivered of the same number her self and all of them Sons Her Husband Count Isenberd being absent at the time of her delivery she commanded the Midwife to kill eleven of them fearing possibly she her self might undergo the same punishment or scandal at least which the poor beggar woman had done upon her instigation The Midwife going to execute her Ladies barbarous commands was met by the Count returning home who enquiring what she carried in her Apron was answer'd Woelpen i. e. Whelps But suspecting the truth of what she said upon her refusal to shew them examining farther into the matter forc'd her to confess the whole story Upon which enjoining the old womans secresie and concealing the knowledg of the fact from his Countess he put out all the children to Nurse taking care their education should be answerable to their quality At the end of six years the Count invited to a great feast most of his own and his Lady's Relations to whom in the midst of their jollity he presented his eleven Sons all attired alike to their Mother who
Rubbles per ann And for these and the like reasons many of them at first secretly favoured afterwards openly join'd themselves and their power to Demetri Particularly Peter Basmaneuf entrusted with an Army by Boris to fight against him went and carryed with him all his Army to Demetri and brought him to Moskow in a manner without any bloodshed At which time Boris first on April 13 1605 and shortly after his wife and son died either by poison as most say or murther'd by some sent from Demetri to that purpose and left the Throne void to that Impostor which he enjoyed not nine months before he was suspected as not sleeping after dinner nor using stoves and in divers other matters not conforming to the custom of the Muscovites And when the Russes saw moreover that he had engaged to marry the daughter of the Palatine of Sandomiria and to bring in the Roman Religion they formed a conspiracy against him chiefly by the practice of Vasilie Zuisky They chose for the execution of their design the seventeenth day of May 1606 nine days after his marriage when Zuisky with other Boiars and the people after dinner finding the Guards asleep forc'd their way into his chamber he affrighted with the noise leapt out of a window and broke his leg the Boiars follow'd and there slew him and hurried his carcass into the market-place where they also laid by him his great fautor Basmaneuf exposing them three days Afterwards they chose Vasilie Ivanowich Zuisky Grand Tzar in his stead who was crown'd June 1 1606. He had not reigned long before another Demetri appear'd in Poland and being by them assisted raised very great troubles in Muscovy After him also started up another Demetri in Moskow it self who also found followers and abettors people who in the times of trouble and licentiousness take even a sorry pretence to rob and plunder Mean-while divers of the Nobility bandied together against their Lord Zuisky pretending that he was unfortunate that victory seem'd to shun and troubles to follow him that as long as he govern'd there could be no hopes of peace c. Which silly stories prevail'd so much upon an amazed people that they seized upon Zuisky and shaving him put him into a Monastery Mean-while the Poles were not idle in defending and asserting their Demetri but came with their army before Moskow The Russes to heal all their wounds and soder up their differences chose Vladislaus son to the King of Poland to be their Grand Duke upon certain conditions whereof one was that Zuisky and his family should be put into the hands of the King of Poland which was accordingly done and he imprisoned till death and buried in the high-way The Polish army before Moskow understanding the election of their Prince behaved themselves very peaceably for a while and the General with part of his army was admitted into the Castle the rest of the army was quarter'd in the Villages without but they by little and little got into the City where they had not long continued e're there happen'd a quarrel which amongst men used to drunkenness is not hard to find of the Poles against the Russes whereupon they fell upon the City and in despight of their General plunder'd and burnt it They say that at that time perished two hundred thousand persons The treasury also was pillaged and all the wealth of the Emperor scatter'd amongst the Polish soldiers some of whom are said to have charg'd their pistols with pearl The Russes being in this almost desperate condition and upon the very brink of ruine at length a Butcher whose name seems to have been Zachary Listpenow began not to despair and to give out amongst the people that if there could be found an honest Treasurer there would not want good officers and soldiers of the Russ Nation to deliver them from their miseries and settle peace and glory again in their country The people destitute of other hopes catch'd hold upon this straw and bid him name whom he thought fit to be General which he did and proposed to them a very worthy but poor and neglected Gentleman called Pozarskey The people approved his choice took him for Commander and the Butcher they made Treasurer bringing readily unto him all the money they ow'd unto the Emperor and what they could spare of their own Wherewith he presently raised an army and joining it with a body of Cossacks then in service of the Muscovites They marched to Moskow besieged the Poles in the Castle and forc'd them to surrender and to march out of the Empire which they immediately performed Hereupon the Russ Nobility convened at Moskow and seeing their country free from strangers and an obedient army of their own they resolved upon electing of a new Emperor which they put in execution ann 1613 and made choice of a young man called Michael Federowitz and sware allegiance unto him His father had forsaken his wife for Gods sake as they say i. e. quitted her and betaken himself to his devotions in a Monastery he was of the house of Romanove and when his son was chosen Tzar he also was elected Patriarch and being a very wise and moderate person he put his son who was always obedient unto him upon secure and prudent counsels His name was changed to Philaretes Nikiditz and he died ann 1633. The first thing he did was to recover Smolensko and by the mediation of Christian Princes especially King James he made peace with the Poles He also made a peace with the Swedes who had been the sorest and heaviest enemy to the Russes And by the assistance also of King James an accord was made and all differences reconciled The Swede was to render Novogrod Stara Russa Porkow Lagda Aydow with all their Territories to the Muscovites And the Muscovites surrendred Ivanogrod Jama Coporia Noteburg with their precincts to the Swede and renounce all title to Livonia which was no small prejudice to the Russ who thereby lost the salt trade which had brought in no small revenue He died July 12 1645 in the forty-seventh year of his age and thirty-third of his reign He was a prudent pious and valiant person endeavouring by all means to banish the memory of former tyrannies and to make up the breaches of his own people which he did very successfully To him succeeded his son Alexes Michaelowitz a more martial but yet as mild a Governor whose actions are so fresh in all mens memories that I think it superfluous to write them but such have been these of the house Romanove that if their successors continue to tread in the steps of these their ancestors they need not doubt of both a lasting reign and glory to all posterity He died about the year 1676 and left his son a young Prince of about sixteen years of age to succeed him The Lakes and Rivers of Muscovy COncerning the Lakes and Rivers of Muscovy 't is to be observed 1. That almost all
riches 1370 Lodowick King of Hungary and Nephew of Casimir the Great Hitherto the Crown of Poland was successive except when the King dyed without issue In the third Class it began to be elective Vladislaus Jagello being obliged to swear as Hartknoch acquaints us that he received it by election and not succession This Class contains the Kings of the Jagellonian family in the following order 1386 Vladislaus Jagello chosen Husband to Heduiges second daughter to Lodowic and therewith King of Poland upon condition that he should unite to the Crown his dominions of Litvania Samogitia and part of Prussia become Christian himself and endeavour the conversion of those Nations and lastly pay two hundred thousand Florens to William Duke of Austria forfeited by Heduiges who was before contracted to the said Duke He was a pious Prince and founder of the University at Cracow 1434 Vladislaus III. 1447 Casimirus IV. 'T is very memorable what Loccenius reports of this King how that meeting with Charles King of Swedeland at Dantzick he was forced to get a Monk to talk Latin with the said King who understood no Polish but talked Latin accurately Hereupon Casimir being ashamed of the ignorance of himself and his followers returning home caused publick proclamations to be made That from thence-forward no man should be advanced to any dignity except he were able to speak Latin Whence saith the same Author it came to pass that the Polanders have ever since excelled in the Latin tongue 1492 Johannes Albertus In whose reign the Tartars laid waste Rusia Podolia and several other parts of the Kingdom 1501 Alexander This King is reported to have been such a prodigal that had he ruled long he would have begger'd the Nation His Queen Helena was not suffer'd to be crowned because being a Greek she refused to conform to the Roman Church 1507 Sigismund I. Reckon'd by Paulus Jovius one of the three Worthies Charles V. Emperor and Francis I. King of France being the other who had they not been contemporary Princes deserv'd singly to have ruled the whole world Besides the large endowments of his mind he was a person of such vast strength of body that 't was ordinary for him in his youth to break asunder horse-shoes and strong ropes 1548 Sigismundus Augustus In his time the Lutheran Religion began first to take footing in Poland The fourth and last Class contains a Register of Kings elected out of divers families which occasioned several Interregna The order of these Princes is as follows 1574 Henry Valois Duke of Anjou He fled from Poland into France upon news of his brother Charles's death and was thereupon deposed by the Estates He reigned five months 1576 Stephen Bathor Palatine of Transylvania 1587 Sigismund III. Prince of Sweden who after the death of his father John III. was crown'd also King of Sweden but deposed again by his subjects chiefly for attempting to introduce the Roman Religion amongst them in which he had been educated by his mother His Uncle Charles IX Duke of Sudermannia was chose in his place 1632 Vladislaus IV. Famous for his many conquests over the Turks and subduing Muscovy of which he was elected Tzar in his Fathers life-time 1648 John Casimir designed for a Religious and had lived two years of probation amongst the Jesuits but as Hartknoch writes nominated Cardinal by Innocent X. before he took the vow of that order Being elected King he married his brother Sigismund's widow He laid down his Diadem and retired into France 1669 Michael Koributh Duke of Wisniowiec An unfortunate Prince who lost Caminiec to the Turks 1674 John Sobieski formerly General against the Turks now reigning A. D. 1679. The Queen of Poland except she be a Roman Catholick is never crown'd nor then unless the King himself request it who is always present at her Coronation During his life the charges of her Court are defrayed out of his Exchequer but after his death she maintains her self out of the revenues of such lands as the King with the consent of the Estates made over to her upon marriage The Senate of Poland is famous as well for the Nobility as number of persons Among whom he that precedes all the rest both in dignity and place is The Archbishop of Gnesna who always sits next the King upon his right hand He has belonging to his Court a Marshal who is also a Senator of the Kingdom in the rank of the Castellanes This Marshal rides before the Archbishops Coach and when he goes to Court carries a staff before him upright till he comes into the Kings Chamber where he turns it downwards His authority is so great that in the absence of other Marshals he bears the staff of authority before the King when he goes to the General Assemblies The Archbishop has also a Cross born before him which the bearer holds upright behind his chair whilst he sits in the Senate Next to the Marshal is the Chancellor for the dispatch of publick affairs both in Church and State The other Officers of the Archbishops Court are the Chamberlain Master of Requests Steward of his Table Treasurer Chaplain Library-keeper Master of the Horse and Clerk of the Kitchin As he is a Prince while his meat is going up to table whether at home or abroad the drums beat When he comes to Court he goes directly to the King never waiting his Majesties leisure or any prefixt time And upon notice of his coming he is met at the bottom of the stairs by the sub-Chamberlain at the top by the Marshal of the Court. When he approaches the Royal presence the King himself goes some paces to meet him The title which the King gives him is To the most Reverend Father in Christ By others he is styled Most High and most Reverend Lord Lord N. by the grace of God and the Apostolick See Archbishop of Gnesna Legate born Primate and chief Prince of the Polonian Nobility His prerogatives are so great that he gives not place to any Cardinal for which reason no Cardinal is ambitious of being sent into Poland Next to him the Archbishop of Leopol takes place After these two Archbishops the Bishops are seated in the Senate according to their dignity in the following order 1. Cracow 2. Cujavia who is also Bishop of Vladislow and Pomerania 3. Vilna and 4. Posnania by turns 5. Polockzo 6. Varmia and 7. Luceorea by turns 8. Praemislia 9. Samogitia or Mednic 10. Culmo 11. Chelmo 12. Kiovia and Zernichovia 13. Kamienieck 14. Smolensko These Bishops sit on the right and left hand of the King next the two Archbishops Concerning the revenues and splendor of the Bishops of Poland see Cromer l. 2. descript Pol. pag. 177. and Stanislaus Lubienski in vita Angelotti fol. 310. Bishops by the Law are forbidden to hold Abbeys in commendam with their Bishopricks only the Bishops of Kiovia and Kamienieck having lost their revenues are now permitted that liberty for their subsistence Next to the Bishops sit
October they have a general rendezvous of men women and children who bring with them to the place appointed loaves of bread and vessels full of beer These they set on a table spread with hay That done they bring out a young heifer a boar and a sow a cock and hen with other such cattle and poultry as the house affords in pairs male and female When things are thus in readiness out comes an old Priest or Wizard who mumbling over a few hard words gives the sacrifice a blow with a stick which stroke is seconded by the whole company till the heifer be dead and beat to pieces Whilst this ceremony lasts they cry This oblation of thanksgiving we make thee O Ziemiennik so they call the feigned god for that it hath pleased thee to preserve us from all the evils of the year past and we beseech thee to protect and defend us for the future from fire sword pestilence and all our enemies After this they take a little of every dish they have provided and put it in four corners of the house and in the ground crying aloud Accept O Ziemiennik our offerings eat with us and be merry The solemnity thus over they spend the rest of that day in feasting and drunkenness There is no City or great Town in Samogitia of any consequence Mzdniki is a poor and despicable City all the rest scarce merit the name of villages Lithvania and this Province have all along been sharers in the same fortune and change They were both at once subject to the Russians at once overrun by the Teutonic Order and at once converted from Idolatry and subjected to the Crown of Poland by Vladislaus Jagello Livonia LIvonia or Liefland is bounded on the East with Russia on the West with the Baltic sea on the North with the Finland-bay on the south with Samogitia and some part of Lithvania The length of it is about 500 English miles and the breadth near 160. The country is generally plain and fruitful abounding with corn and hony some parts of it are fenny full of Lakes and rivers The many conquests this Land has suffered have made its inhabitants a medly of Moscovites Swedes Danes Polanders and Germans But the last have the greatest share in the country whence the generality speak High-Dutch The common people are used as hardly here as in Poland or Lithvania and the Nobility lord it as much Drunkenness and gluttony are vices the Lieflanders are generally addicted to from the greatest Lord to the meanest peasant The Bores would be hard put to 't to get a living considering the untolerable drudgery they undergo if they had not the priviledge of hunting hares of which they have great plenty in these parts white in winter and brown in summer foxes bears and other kinds of venison 'T is agreed upon by all Authors that Liefland was first annexed to the Crown of Poland by Sigismund Augustus though the story is told different ways Kojalowicz tells us That William Furstenburg Master of the Liefland Order of Knighthood upon his turning Lutheran had frequent quarrels with William Archbishop of Riga whom he accused at a session of the Nobility at Winden of a conspiracy of betraying Curland into the hands of Albert Duke of Prussia and the rest of Liefland to Sigismund King of Poland his kinsman Upon this pretence he immediately enters the Archbishop's territories with an army and takes him prisoner King Sigismund hearing this wages war with Liefland and A.D. 1557 conquers it But the reasons of this war seem to be grounded upon better pretensions then these For though it be true that there arose many skirmishes between the Archbishop and the Master of the Order touching points of religion yet during Furstenburg's government Ivan Duke of Moscovy and not Sigismund King of Poland overrun and lay wast the greatest part of Liefland Against whom Gothard Ketler Furstenburg's successour requested the aid of King Sigismund who quickly beat the Moscovian out of his holds and created Gothard Duke of Curland annexing the rest of Liefland to his own dominions But he found this country was easilier conquer'd then kept For the Revalians finding themselves unable to withstand the dayly incursions of the Moscovians committed their land to the protection of Eric King of Sweden Whereupon this King thought his title to Liefland was as good as the Polanders especially since Ferdinand the Emperour had given him the sole charge of defending it Upon these pretensions he presently routed the Poles out of Habsal Lehale Parnow and other places and put into them garrisons of his own Besides the Polish interest received at the same time another fatal blow upon this occasion John Duke of Finland married Katherine sister to the King of Poland to whom he lent 80000 some say 124000 dollars upon a mortgage of the castles of Wittenstein Karchise Frichate Helmult Ermise Ruja and Bortwic all in Liefland Returning into Sweden he was accused by King Eric his brother of high treason in offering to make a confederacy as he call'd it with Sigismund Augustus King of Poland without his consent In this rage the King robs his brother of all the castles and takes them into his own hand not without the pretence of being more able to defend them from the fury of the Moscovite Not long after upon the death of Eric King of Sweden and Sigismund King of Poland the Duke of Moscovy with irresistable force created the great Duke of Holstein King of Liefland When the Kings of Sweden and Poland perceived matters brought to this pass they thought it high time to lay aside all petit animosities between their two Kingdoms and to joyn forces against their common enemy the Moscovite fearing lest otherwise whilst they two stood quarrelling for each a shell he should snatch away the fish And indeed this confederacy prov'd very successful to the Swede who in the year 1580 retook many strong holds from the Moscovite as Lode Lehale Habsal Narwe the Province of Wicki Wittenstein Carelogrod c. Steven King of Poland fearing lest if the Swede went on with the same success and vigour he begun with he would bring all Liefland to his own beck claps up a peace with the Moscovite unknown to the King of Sweden upon these conditions That the Moscovite should restore all the places he had taken in Lithvania That on the other hand King Stephen should restore to the Duke of Moscovy Vielikoluk and some other forts he had taken in these wars After this when Sigismund son of John the third King of Sweden was upon the death of Stephen elected King of Poland the Poles admitted him upon this condition That he should annex all that part of Liefland which was under his goverment to the Crown of Poland But Sigismund the third coming to he Crown of Sweden could not by any means be perswaded to grant this request When he was deposed from his Kingdom there arose bloody wars between the King of Poland
still pay homage to the Princes of Poland From that time the Polanders begun to sleight and hate the Silesians seldom calling any of the Silesian Nobility to Councils of Parliament and balking the right succession if any of this Province had a just title to the Crown These jealousies and quarrels were fomented and increased by John King of Bohemia son to the Emperor Henry the seventh who by this means whedled the Dukes of Silesia into his yoke and afterwards forced Casimir the Great to resign the supreme government of that Province into his hands After this the Poles though they had frequent skirmishes with the Bohemians yet never regain'd any considerable footing in Silesia For excepting the small territory of Wschovia retaken by Casimir the Great A.D. 1343 and some other parcels of ground annexed to the estates of several Bishopricks and Abbeys in Poland Silesia is at present wholly subject to the King of Bohemia Lusatia was once conquer'd by Boleslaus Chrobri but soon after lost again Lusâ—â—â—â— For though when John King of Bohemia subdued Silesia Lusatia was reckoned a part of that Country and has ever since so continued yet the Polanders claim'd no more of it as Lords of Silesia then a few frontier Towns the rest was under the Marquesses of Misnia and Lusatia Princes of the Empire as Goldastus proves 'T is without all authority of Annals what some of the Polish writers have endeavoured to make out by Etymologies Neâ— Maâ—â—â— that the greatest part of the Marquisate of Brandenburgh was formerly subject to the Princes of Poland That New Marck indeed or at least a good share of it was theirs is beyond all controversy since as the best Historians witness Miecislaus or Miscio the first Christian Duke of Poland towards the latter end of the tenth Century first founded the Bishoprick of Lubuss This City was taken from the Polanders by the Emperour Henry the second but recovered by Boleslaus the first King of Poland His successours kept it till the year 1109 when it was again taken by the Emperour Henry V who gave it to Adelgot Archbishop of Magdeburg But soon after it return'd into the hands of the Poles When Silesia was as we have said divided among the sons of Vladislaus the second the territories of Lubuss devolved into the hands of the Silesian Dukes whence it happened within a short while after to be made a part of the Marquisate of Brandenburgh Cromer says 't was mortgaged by Boleslaus the bald and never redeemed But Dlugossus ad ann 1198. tells us 't was sold by Boleslaus son to Henry Duke of Vratislavia From that time the Kings of Poland have had very little to do in New Marck and at present have not one foot of land in it Vladislaus Jagello brought it wholly under his power but his son found it too hot service for him to keep it and was therefore fain to resign it up to the Marquess John Casimir their late King parted with the last stake by delivering up the Town and Castle of Drahim to the present Elector of Brandenburgh in the treaty at Bydgost in the year 1657. That the Slavonians were antient inhabitants of Pomeren is undeniably true Pom … Pomorska in the Slavonian language signifies near the sea whence Vincentius Kadlubko an antient and judicious Polish writer uses frequently the word Maritima for Pomeren and speaking of this Country these phrases are ordinary with him Maritimae Praeses Maritimae Dux Ingressus est Maritimam c. But whether or no the Polanders were masters of Pomeren immediately upon the entrance of the Slavoniaus is a grand question which the Poles affirm but the Pomeranians deny and 't is hard to decide the controversy between them Helmoldus agreeing as it should seem with the latter places Pomeren amongst the free Slavonian Provinces lying without the bounds of the Polish dominions And before his days Adam Bremensis gives us the same account Micraelius an Historian of good credit lib. 2. Chron. Pomer num 46. p. 191. is of opinion that the first entrance which the Polanders made upon Pomeren was in the tenth Century when the Emperor Otto III. authorized Boleslaus Chrobri King of Poland to make war upon and bring into his subjection the Prussians Pomeranians Wendi and Russians Which done the Emperor at a visit given King Boleslaus made the Bishop of Colberg a Suffragan to the Archbishop of Gnesna In the beginning of the eleventh Century Miecislaus II. spread his dominions all over Casubia and the Eastern Pomeren putting Garrisons into all the Forts and Castles between the Persandt and the Vistula and committed the government of them to Bela the King of Hungary's brother But upon Bela's return into Hungary Pomeren shook off the Polish yoke and only was subject to Dukes of its own till Svantibor surrendred it again to Boleslaus III. Duke of Poland upon condition he would free him from prison to which his own subjects had committed him After Svantibors death the Dukedom of Pomeren was divided amongst his four sons whereof two who were Dukes of the Western Pomeren from Colberg as far as the Marck and the Dukedom of Mecklenburgh were admitted Princes of the Empire by Frederick Barbarossa the other two were forced to yeild themselves subjects to the Crown of Poland But the Pomeranians soon weary of bondage revolted once more from the King of Poland and perhaps had for ever rejected his government had not Mestwin their Duke wanting issue endeavour'd to subject them to the Dukes of West Pomeren For looking upon the people of that Country as meer strangers being indeed three parts of them Germans they chose rather to give themselves up into the hands of their acquaintance then to be slaves to an upstart and foreign Nation Whereupon they unanimously swore fealty to Praemislaus II. King of Poland who took upon him the title of Duke of Pomeren and quarter'd his Coat with the Arms of Pomeren the Gryphins By this means the Kings of Poland became sole Lords of the Eastern Pomeren In the year 1460 Casimir Jagellonides straitned in the wars he was engaged in against the Teutonick Order in Prussia committed the Cities and Castles of Lavenburgh and Bouta to the trust of Eric II. Duke of West Pomeren whose successor George son of Bugislaus X. and Nephew to Sigismund I. King of Poland had these Cities confirmed to him and his posterity upon condition of paying some sleight acknowledgment to the Crown of Poland Upon these terms the present Elector of Brandenburgh renewed his title to these places after the usual fashion by his Ambassador in the year 1670. What right the Polanders have at this day in Prussia we have shew'd before but formerly their pretensions were much greater then now Sometimes the Duke of Masovia Lorded it over the Prussians and made the Master of the Teutonick Order his Vicegerent But in the treaty made between Sigismund I. King of Poland and Albert Marquess of Brandenburgh whom the
Knights of the Teutonick Order had made their Master in the year 1525 it was agreed upon That the Teutonick Order should be wholly extirpated and that part of Prussia which to this day is called Ducal Prussia should be govern'd by the said Marquess with the title of Duke of Prussia and the rest or Regal Prussia remain still subject to the King of Poland But with this proviso That the Duke should always pay homage to the Crown of Poland and as a member of that Kingdom be President of the Kings Council Lastly John Casimir the late King of Poland granted first in the year 1657 and again 1663 full and absolute power and dominion over Ducal Prussia to the present Elector of Brandenburgh on this condition That the Dukedome upon defect of male issue should return to the Kings of Poland as supreme Landlords and be conferred on the Dukes of Onoldsbach and Culmbach as Feudataries Muscovy How affairs stand at present between the Great Duke of Muscovy and the King of Poland may appear by the Treaty of Peace signed by both parties A.D. 1667 spoken of before But formerly the Kings of Poland have laid claim and made good their title either by justice or the sword to several large Territories now in the hands of the Great Duke For first Jorislaus Duke of Russia was forced to pay tribute to Boleslaus Chrobri A.D. 1018. Afterwards A.D. 1069 Boleslaus II. possessed himself of Kiow and indeed the whole Dukedom of Russia over which he set Jesaslaus a tributary Duke After his death continual wars were between the two Nations till Casimir the Great in the year 1340 reduced the Southern Russia into the form of a Province But how little of that remains at this day in the hands of the present King of Poland we have shew'd before Several of the Kings of Poland have stiled themselves Kings of Sweden Sweden upon no other pretence then having made themselves masters of a great part of Liefland But this title ceased upon the death of John Casimir their late King as hath already been observed in the description of Liefland Of the Pretensions of Foreign Princes to the Kingdom of Poland WE have seen to what Kingdoms and Countries the Kings of Poland have in former ages claimed a right and title and we may perhaps find as many Kings and Princes of other Nations who have challenged the Crown of Poland upon as good grounds But to omit the many conquests obtain'd by the Russians Bohemians Hungarians and others over the Poles enough to entitle any potent Prince to their Kingdom the strongest pretensions to this Crown are those of the Emperor For the most of the Polish Historians tell us That Boleslaus I. was created King of Poland by the Emperor Otto III. before which time the Princes of that Nation were only Dukes This story is confirmed by besides the testimony of the most considerable writers of Poland an ancient Epitaph found in the Cathedral at Posen in which among other commendations of Boleslaus I. are the following rithmes Tu possedisti velut Athleta Christi Regnum Slavorum Gothorum seu Polonorum Caesar praecellens a te Ducalia pellens And again Ob famam bonam tibi contulit Otto Coronam Propter luctamen sit tibi salus Amen However tho the Historians of Poland grant that Boleslaus received the title of King at the hands of the Emperor yet they deny stubbornly that this Kingdom was ever subject or tributary to the Roman Empire But Conringius an ingenious and learned German Physitian in his book entituled De finibus Germanici Imperii c. 18. has demonstrated the contrary For not to take notice of Charles the Great who 't is more than probable conquer'd Poland as well as Silesia 't is certain that Miecislaus the first Christian Prince of Poland paid tribute to the Imperial Crown And the Polish writers are forced to confess That Otto III. remitted all homage due otherwise to Boleslaus Chrobri when he created him King After Boleslaus's death Miecislaus II. his successor was compelled to pay the usual tribute to the Emperor Conrad II. After this several of the Kings of Poland very willingly submitted themselves to the Emperors and others were forced out of their obstinate refusal At last in the long vacancy of the Imperial Throne soon after the middle of the thirteenth Century during which Richard Earl of Cornwal was one of the four elected Emperors whilst the Empire of Germany was in a confused distraction the Polanders took occasion to shake off the German yoke to which they could never since be reduced This is part of the relation which Conringius gives us of the ancient state of Poland in reference to the German Empire founded chiefly upon the testimonies of Dithmarus Mersburgensis and Helmoldus men of unquestionable veracity in their Histories Hartknoch endeavours to evade the force of his argument by saying That tho it be true that the Polanders have formerly paid some certain sum of money to the Emperors by whom it was demanded under the notion of a tribute yet this does not necessarily suppose any dependance of the Crown of Poland upon the Empire of Germany For 't is ordinary even with the Emperors themselves to buy peace with money And thus the English bought their peace of the Danes and made Lewis XI King of France pay for his But let him consider First whether the words of Helmoldus Chron. Slav. lib. 1. c. 1. num 9. can be properly understood of any such sum of money as is usually paid by any Nation upon the ratification of a Treaty of Peace when he says servit ipsa speaking of Poland sicut Bohemia sub tributo Imperatoriae Majestati Here the Historian tells us plainly the Kingdom of Poland was in his time as much tributary to the Emperor as Bohemia and how truly that was under his subjection every Historian will shew Again 't was not very considerately done to instance in the tribute paid by the English to the Danes or by Lewis XI to the King of England For both these were doubtless acknowledgements of subjection and homage The Danes all know were absolute Lords of our Land for 26 and made almost continual incursions into it for the space of 250 years Dane-gelt which perhaps Hartknoch as some of our own Historians have done mistakes for a tribute or composition-money paid the Danes upon any invasion was at first only a Subsidy gather'd for the maintenance of a standing army to oppose the Danish fury Afterwards indeed the word was used to denote a tribute sometimes amounting to 72000 pounds levyed yearly in England and paid to the King of Denmark upon the refusal of which payment the English were sure to feel the weight of that Kings displeasure This tribute was certainly a sign of a true and real subjection to the Crown of Denmark which might have lasted longer had not the Saxon and Danish lines been peaceably united in the pious King
the Swedish Nation had made a law amongst his subjects that if any of them kill'd or injur'd a Swede he should pay only half the mulct which was to be pay'd if he had done the like to any other person whatsoever 33. Atislus a warlike and magnificent King 34. Hotherus who waged war with the Danes and Russes and died of a wound he received in battel 35. Rodericus King of Denmark and Swedland at the same time but either leaving or loosing the former he retir'd into the latter and there ended his days 36. Attilus who kill'd Wermundus King of Denmark in single Duel and was himself afterwards slain by Wermundus's two sons After this Kings time the succession for about 600 years was much interrupted who enjoy'd the Kingdom is uncertain Botvildus Charles II Ericus II and six more are mention'd but little more known of them then their names He whom Historians first pitch upon to have certainly succeeded was 46. Alricus who challenging Gestiblindus King of the Goths to Duel thereby lost both his life and Kingdom 47. Ericus III surnamed the Wise and by some the Eloquent a happy and peaceable Prince He reign'd according to Johannes Magnus's computation about four and thirty years before our Saviours Birth A Catalogue of the Gothish Kings who reigned shortly after their Transmigration out of Scandia while they dwelt about the Palus Maeotis near the time of the Trojan War collected out of Wolf Lazius upon whose credit you are to take them 1. Telephus well known for his exploits in the Trojan War 2. Bericus or Beger 3. Filimar 4. Frogradus 5. Aringis 6. Eurypilus 7. Tamyris 8. Antriregus After this succession of Kings in Scythia Europea the Goths either weary of that Country or driven out of it by some of their potent Neighbours are said by the same Author though I find not his opinion seconded by any Swedish writer to have returned into Gothia and particularly to have pitch'd upon the Isle Gotland as the fittest seat for their Kings a long series of whom might seem not very necessary to be set down being for the most part the same with the Swedish Kings before mention'd 48. Haldanus in whose reign the Hunns overrun Gothia and the greatest part of the Kings dominions built Hunnaberg an ancient City in Ostro-Gothia and after some continuance in the Country were by this King at last utterly expell'd 49. Sivardus or Sigvardus in whose time commotions arising in the Kingdom the Goths elected a separate King of their own nam'd Carolus whom some make to be 50. Charles III. 51. Ericus IV. slain by Haldanus King of Denmark 52. Haldanus who got the Kingdom by his valour Of this King are reported several prodigious Stories as of his Gigantick stature his pulling up Trees by the roots and such like not inferiour to those which Poets relate of Hercules and the Giants 53. Vngvinus who to his own Kingdom united Gothia for a long time govern'd by distinct Kings 54. Ragvaldus or Regnaldus 55. Amundus 56. Haquinus in whose reign the Goths elected one Sivardo King of Gothia 57. Ostenus I. who entertain'd an implacable hatred against the Norwegians sent a great Army against them subdued their Country made the Inhabitants Tributary to the Swedish Crown and as an opprobrium to the Nation set a Dog to be chief Governour over them to which they were to pay all subjection and swear allegiance under the penalty of losing one hand and one foot this is mention'd both in the Swedish and Norwegian Chronicles 58. Alverus or Alaricus elected says Krantzius out of the Nobles and in the midst of his happy Reign stabb'd by his Brother Ericus who was impatient to obtain the Crown which he thought he might procure after his death but vainly for the Government was conferr'd on 59. Ingo I. eldest son to Alverus He was the first that order'd the election of Kings to be held at Moresten near Vpsal of the manner of which see what was said in Suecia About this time the Kingdom was governed by Judges the next King is 60. Ingellus I. kill'd by his Brother 61. Germunder in a war against Denmark taken Prisoner and hung up upon a Gibbet 62. Haquinus 63. Egellus after whose time succeeded several Kings Johannes Magnus reckons twenty concerning whom nothing very remarkable is set down by Historians The next great Epocha is counted from the reign of 84. Bero or Biorno III. the first Christian King in Sweden converted to Christianity by one Herebretus at his request sent to him by Charles the Great Emperor of Germany 85. Brautamundus or Amundus in some civil commotions in his Kingdom kill'd by his brother and Successor 86. Sivardus II. who in his expeditions against Norway was with the greatest part of his Army overcome in battel the enemies Forces mostly consisting of Women 87. Herotus or Haraldus 'twixt whom and the King of Denmark a war broke out concerning the Province of Schonen which this King at last freely granted to the King of Denmark as a reward of his signal prudence and valour 89. Charles VI. 90. Biorno IV. 91. Ingellus II. in whose time Helsingia and several other Provinces in Suecia had their distinct Governours these he under colour of friendship invited to a Banquet and when he had made them drunk with strong Liquors he caus'd a fire to be set on the place where they were and so destroy'd them all and seiz'd on their possessions To revenge this cruelty Gramus Duke of Sudermannia and Hauno Duke of Ostro-Gothia rais'd Forces and came against him but with no good success at last for under pretence of a Parley they were taken Prisoners and at Ingellus's command burnt to death 92. Olaus from his commanding many thick woods to be cut down surnam'd Tratelia or Tree-Feller He is said by some to have embrac'd Christianity at the perswasion of Ansgarius a Learned Bishop sent into Sweden by Lewis II. Emperor of Germany But though he himself perhaps did favour Christian Religion it got small footing amongst his Subjects for Paganism is said for a long time to have prevail'd in the Reigns of the succeeding Princes 93. Ingo II. 94. Ericus VI. surnam'd Windy-Cap who is said to have had a Cap by holding up of which he could cause the wind to blow from what Point he pleas'd for which and such like magical exploits he by the consent of the people was elected King 95. Ericus VII surnam'd Victorious 96. Ericus VIII surnam'd Aarsel i.e. Rich in Corn. He is said to have countenanc'd Christianity which had been from the time of Bero 'till his reign very much suppress'd and endeavouring by Law to establish it in his Kingdom to have been by the fury of his Subjects torn in pieces and martyr'd for his good intentions toward them 97. Olaus surnam'd Scotkonung i.e. Infant-King because advanc'd to the Crown when young He embrac'd Christianity and sent to Ethelred King of England to furnish him with able Ministers
for promotion Which says Wimpheling was a saying that became so great an Emperor He Reign'd nineteen years and ten months 875. Charles the Bald a base mean-spirited man Ludowic the First 's Son succeeded his Nephew Pope John IX perswaded him with fair words and money to come to Rome for his Coronation and there to receive the Imperial Scepter from his hands He Reign'd only two years being poyson'd as was supposed by one Sedechias a Jewish Physitian 878. Ludowic surnam'd Balbus succeeded his Father Charles but never enjoy'd the Crown if it was which many question ever set upon his head When he had linger'd out a year and an half he dyed leaving his Throne to 879. Charles III. surnam'd the Gross from his bulk and fatness He might have been stiled a second Charles the Great if he had been as successful in managing as obtaining of Kingdoms For by the death of his two Brothers all Germany France and Italy came into his hands He was the first that added the year of our Lord to the year of his Reign in the dating of any public Proclamations Grants c. At last when by several base actions especially in concluding a dishonourable peace betwixt himself and the Normans in which he gave them that part of France which is still called Normandy he had contracted the hatred of the whole Empire he was deposed by his Nobles and dyed miserably in a poor beggarly Village in Schwaben 888. Arnolph Natural Son of Caroloman Duke of Carinthia and King of Bavaria was elected into the room of Charles thus deposed and rul'd the Empire with a strong arm for twelve years He quell'd the Rebels in Moravia and Normandy and defeated Guido and Berengarius who had made head against him in Italy He storm'd Rome and took it but soon after was poyson'd there by the procurement of Guido's wife and dyed in great misery being eaten up of Lice which the poyson bred in his body 900. Ludowic IV. Arnolph's Son was elected by the Nobles into his Father's stead The Hungarians were continually at war with this Emperor who had seldom the good fortune to come off the field a Conqueror In these skirmishes a great part of the German Nobility was cut off which shortned his life and brought him to his grave before he had got a Son to inherit his Throne He dyed an unfortunate Prince and with him the Family of Charles the Great was wholly extinct During his Reign there was another Ludowic set up for Emperor by the Pope in Italy who was taken prisoner and had his eyes put out by Berengarius King of Lombardy 912. After the death of the Emperor Ludowic the Princes of Germany proffer'd the Imperial Crown to Otto Duke of Saxony who had the name of the wisest man and best Soldier of his time But old Age had render'd him at least in his own conceit unfit for Government Whereupon he made over the proffer'd Empire to Conrad Duke of Franconia who upon Otto's recommendation was immediately declared Emperor He was no sooner stept into the Throne but his carriage disobliged a great many of the Princes of the Empire who made war upon him and put him hard to 't to keep the reins in his hand Henry Duke of Saxony Duke Otto's Son engag'd him the oftest and with greatest courage and success However Conrad by his last Will and Testament notwithstanding the frequent quarrels between him and that Duke bequeathed his Empire to Henry whom he had experienced to be a Prince that for his valour and conduct deserv'd an Empire 919. Henry surnamed Auceps from the great delight he took in Hawking was by the German Princes according to the tenour of the Emperor Conrad's Will proclaim'd King of the Romans at Fritzlar Soon after the Pope fent to proffer his service in consecrating and anointing him Emperor but it was not accepted For Henry return'd his Holiness this answer that 't was enough for him that Gods providence and the voices of his Nobility had made him King of the Romans They that fancied this Title too mean might in Gods name go to Rome for Consecration and Vnction but for his own part he was satisfied with the honour already conferr'd on him He was a valiant and prudent Prince one that composed most of the animosities and quarrels of his own people and bravely defended them from the incursions of the Hungarians and other foreign Enemies He was the first that instituted the sports of Tilts and Turnaments and fortified the great Towns in Germany Ordering that every ninth Bore should remove his Family into a City and that the Citizens should be maintain'd by a Contribution of the third part of the Corn and Hay round about the Country Having overthrown the Hungarians at a memorable Battel near Mersburg he had the title of Pater Patriae rerum Dominus Imperator conferr'd upon him Afterwards going into Italy he was taken with an Apoplexy of which to the great grief of the whole German Nation he dyed after he had reign'd seven years and six months 936. Otto the Emperor Henry's Son succeeded his Father in the Empire and equall'd him in all his acts of piety wisdom and prowess whence he was surnamed the Great He compell'd Harald King of Denmark to acknowledg the Emperor of Germany's Supremacy and embrace Christianity subdued the Bohemians and forc'd their Prince Boleslaus to turn Christian deposed Pope John XII and put Leo VIII in his place making a Decree that for the future the power of chusing Popes should be in the Emperor alone The fashion of Christening of Bells was first brought up in his Reign 973. Otho II. succeeded his Father Otho the Great He found the Empire in peace and excepting some small skirmishes betwixt him and his Cousin Henry Duke of Bavaria whom some malecontent Bishops had proclaimed Emperor never met with any opposition in his own Dominions He overthrew the Turks in Apulia and was thence stiled Pallida Saracenorum mors He reign'd eleven years and at his death left the Empire as he found it in perfect peace 984. Otho III. surnamed the Child was advanc'd to his Father's Throne at ten years of age but quickly grew up to be a Prince of wonderful sagacity and prudence Some say he was the first that instituted the manner of Electing an Emperor by the majority of the Voices of Seven Electors of which more hereafter He reign'd eighteen years and dyed in Italy being poyson'd with a pair of Gloves presented to him by the wife of Crescentius a Rebel whom he had caus'd to be hang'd The woman had been his Concubine for some time after her husbands death and was in hopes of being married to him and so made an Empress But when she saw him ready to leave Italy without taking notice of any former contract betwixt them and preparing for a return to Germany she was resolv'd by this expedient to satisfie her revenge tho she could not provide for her
lust and ambition 1002. Upon Otto's death Henry Duke of Bavaria was chosen Emperor by the Electors His piety got him the Title of Holy and a mischance in his Childhood surnam'd him the Lame Willegise Archbishop of Mentz a Wagoner's Son whence that City got a Wheel for its Arms Crown'd him He fought many great Battels and from most of them came off Conqueror The Saracens were by him driven out of Apulia and Calabria and the Wendish Armies which had over-run a great part of Germany he utterly vanquish'd He is by some Historians stiled the Apostle of Hungary because he was the first that thorowly converted that Nation Upon his death-bed after he had reigned twenty and three years he is said to have return'd his Empress Cunigunda to her friends for a pure Virgin in which state by mutual consent they both had continued from the first day of their marriage Tho we read that once he so far question'd his Wife's chastity and the performance of her Vow as to make her purge her self by a fiery Ordeal Which she perform'd by going barefoot over a red-hot iron grate without the least shrink or sense of pain 1024. Conrad a Prince descended from Charles the Great succeeded Henry and was Crown'd Emperor at Aix la Chappel by the Archbishop of Colen Amongst Historians we find this high character of him that he was Acer consilio manuque strenuus charus Principibus Populo acceptior Reipublicae salutaris i. e. Quick at Council-board and valiant in the field one on whom the Princes of the Empire doted the People's Darling the strength of the Empire One of the good Laws which he established was That it should be death for any Prince to offer to disturb the peace of the Empire by making an offensive war upon any particular Province in it He died suddenly in his return from an expedition against the Hungarians and was buried at Spire after he had reigned fifteen years 1039. Henry surnam'd the Black Conrad's Son succeeded his Father in the Empire He reign'd seventeen years and seven months The first war he engag'd himself in was against the Bohemians upon their refusal to pay tribute to the Emperor Afterwards he turn'd his Forces against the Hungarians and restored their King Peter who had been deposed by his own Subjects for Tyranny In the year 1046 he march'd into Italy to compose differences among the three Popes who were set up by contrary factions But he depos'd them all and made a fourth viz. Clement II. renewing the old Law wherein it was enacted That no Pope should be created without the consent of the Emperor 1056. Henry IV. succeeded his Father at six years of age He is said during his reign which lasted fifty years to have fought sixty-two great battels which are more then either Marcus Marcellus Julius Caesar or any other Roman General could ever brag of Pope Hildebrand who went under the name of Gregory VII cast off this Emperors yoke and after some skirmishes got Rudolph Duke of Schwaben proclaim'd Emperor in his stead to whom the Pope presented an Imperial Crown with this Inscription Petra dedit Petro Petrus diadema Rudolpho But this Emperor of the Pope's making was soon vanquish'd and slain However within a while the Empire was taken from him in good earnest and that by his own Subjects who deposed him and elected his Son into his room This Emperor is reported to have been brought to those extremities before his death as to be forc'd to beg a Prebendary of the Bishop of Spire some say Wormes in the Church which he himself had built which was nevertheless denied him 1106. Henry V. was admitted into his Father's Throne by his rebellious Subjects and crown'd Emperor at Goslar At his Coronation part of his Sword was melted with Lightning but the Scabbard was untouch'd and himself escap'd without harm He was forc'd to acknowledg the Pope's Supremacy and to quit all pretensions to the power of Investiture which his Ancestors challeng'd as their right He reigned nineteen years dyed without issue and was buried at Spire 1125. Lotharius Duke of Saxony was elected to succeed Henry V. and receiv'd his Crown from the Pope at Rome in the year 1133. The greatest thing this Emperor did was the reviving the practice of the Civil Law in the German Empire after it had been banish'd thence for the space of five hundred years 1138. Conrad Duke of Schwaben and Lotharius's Sister's Son succeeded his Uncle carrying the Empire against Henry Duke of Bavaria who for some time opposed him In his days a Body of the Canon Laws was first set forth by Gratian a Benedictine Monk and publicly taught in the Universities of Germany He reign'd fourteen years 1152. Frideric Duke of Schwaben surnam'd Barbarossa from his red beard was elected Emperor upon the death of Conrad and was Crown'd at Rome by Pope Adrian IV. He was a wise valiant and pious Prince and commonly fortunate in all his undertakings Pope Alexander the third excommunicated him for his obstinacy but afterwards was reconciled when the Emperor threw himself at the Pope's feet and suffer'd him to tread on his neck In the year 1187 accompanied with our King Richard I. and Philip II. King of France he went to fight against the Saracens in the Holy Land Here he was drown'd in a river wherein he intended only to have bathed himself and was buried at Tyre after he had reign'd thirty-eight years 1190. Henry Frideric Barbarossa's Son tho short of his Father in deserts was-elected into his place He took Tancred prisoner in Sicily who thought to have supplanted him in that Kingdom and having put out his eyes sent him bound into Germany Pope Celestine who Crown'd him Emperor perswaded him to engage himself in the Holy-war but he never reach'd Palestine dying upon his journey thither when he had reigned almost eight years 1198. Upon the death of the Emperor Henry his Brother Philip was at first elected But because he refused to submit himself to the Pope as his Ancestors had done he was shortly after excommunicated and Otto Duke of Brunswic by the Electors and the Pope's authority declared Emperor Whereupon the two Emperors engaged the whole Empire in a long and bloody war each asserting a legal title and refusing to quit his pretensions to the Crown At last Philip was treacherously slain in his bed after he had ruled the Empire at least the greatest part of it ten years 1208. Otto Son of Henry surnam'd the Lion Duke of Brunswic got possession of the Empire as soon as Philip was taken of He had not reign'd four years e're he met with his Predecessor's fate having the Imperial Crown taken from his head by the Pope of Rome and the Electors and given to Frideric King of Sicily Otto got some succours from the Kings of England and Poland but was never able to make any considerable resistance One battel decided the controversie establishing Frideric in the Imperial Throne
present religious Emperor into a compliance with whatever they buz into his ears How the Emperors lost the power of Investiture c. we shall shew more at large when we come to treat of the Ecclesiastical Estate of the Empire In all Proclamations Patents Decrees c. the Titles of their present Emperor run as follows Leopold I. by the Grace of God Emperor Kayser of the Romans always Augustus Mehrer des Reichs c. King of Germany Hungary Bohemia Dalmatia Croatia Slavonia Bulgaria Bosnia Servia and Rescia Arch-Duke of Austria Duke of Burgundy Brabant Styria Carinthia Carniola Luxemburg Wittenberg together with the higher and lower Silesia Marquess of the Holy Empire Burgaw Moravia with the higher and farther Lusace Earl of Habsburg Tyrole Ferrete Kiburg Goritia c. Landtgrave of Alsace Lord of Windischamrck Portnaw and Salins For what more peculiarly relates to the Emperor as Arch-Duke of Austria we refer the Reader to the Description of that Country where he may also expect an account of the grandeur of the Emperors Court Retinue Servants c. Of the Election and Coronation of the GERMAN EMPERORS THE principal Members of the German Empire next to the Emperor himself are the Eight Electors viz. the Archbishops of Mentz Triers Colen who are also Arch-Chancellors of the Empire the first in Germany the second in France and the Kingdom of Arles and the third in Italy the King of Bohemia Cup-bearer to the Emperor the Duke of Bavaria Great Steward of the Empire the Duke of Saxony Grand Marshal or Constable the Marquess of Brandenburgh Great Chamberlain and lasty the Prince Palatine of the Rhine Cheif Treasurer of the Empire These Eight for so many they have been since the Westphalian Treaty tho heretofore only Seven have Right and Authority to Elect the Emperor and also to Depose him when by his enormous crimes or unmanly idleness he neglects the Honour of the Empire the public good and the duty of his place Thus they serv'd Wenceslaus tho advanc'd to the Imperial Throne at the request of his Father Charles the Fourth who had deserv'd far better things at their hands for composing the Aurea Bulla of which more hereaster The Archbishop of Mentz has several times taken upon him to remind such Emperors as have not suited with his humour of this grand power of the Electors and to threaten them with the execution of it if they should not alter their courses At what time the power of chusing the Emperors was first committed to those Princes who to this day bear the Title of Electors is not easily determin'd It is certain that Charles the Great transmitted the Imperial Dignity to his posterity by way of Succession And the same Right continued for some ages in his Family until some of his Successors falling far short of this incomparable Emperor were thought unfit to Govern Whereupon the Empire was offer'd to Otho Duke of Saxony and upon his refusal given to Conrad Duke of Franconia After his death Henry Duke Otho's Son was Elected Emperor by a general consent of all the Princes and Estates of the Empire and was succeeded afterwards by his Son Otho I. who obtain'd the Crown by the same means This way of Succession from Father to Son was observ'd till Henry IV. who coming to the Crown when he was a Child and managing it very ill when he was of years to have govern'd better was contemn'd and sleighted by the Lords of the Empire And Pope Gregory VII taking this opportunity of magnifying his own Authority in the German Empire excommunicated him and declaring him unfit to sway the Imperial Scepter order'd him to be deposed which was a thing before that time never heard of in the Empire Whereupon the Rebel Princes thinking themselves absolv'd from their Allegiance Elected Rudolph Duke of Schwaben into the Emperor Henry's place and made a Law That the Right of Succession should be therein abolished and the Power of chusing Emperors committed to the people What Anarchy and confusion follow'd upon this Decree the German Histories will sufficiently inform us But in process of time the less considerable part of the Rabble of Electors were depriv'd of their late gain'd right and priviledge of chusing Emperors the whole power being usurp'd by a few of the chief Officers in the Imperial Court From the year 1250 till 1500 it was the general opinion of all Historians that the Emperor Otho III. and Pope Gregory V. reduc'd the number of Electors to Seven only in this the Authors of those times cannot agree Whether the Emperor or Pope had the greater Authority in settling the Affair But this opinion has of later years been strongly oppos'd by most learned writers and 't is highly probable that more then Seven had voices in the Election of Emperors until the time of Frideric II. For Otho Frisingensis assures us that Henry II. was chosen by all the Lords of the Empire and after his death Conrad Duke of Franconia was advanced into his place by the consent of the same Electors Henry III. Conrad's Son was likewise Elected tho we are not told by whom The Abbot of Vrsperg tells us that Henry IV. was raised to the Imperial Dignity by the Bishops of Germany that Henry V. was chosen by an unanimous consent of all the members of the German Empire that Lotharius II. was made Emperor by two Archbishops eight Bishops with several Abbots and Lords of the Imperial Court that Conrad III. was admitted into the Throne the Duke of Saxony not being call'd to the Election and the See of Mentz being then vacant that Frideric Barbarossa was chosen by all the German Princes that Philip was Elected Emperor by the Suevians Bavarians and Saxons that Otho IV. had the Scepter from the Citizens of Colen Strasburg and some other Imperial Cities This Otho was afterwards excommunicated by the Pope of Rome and Frideric King of Sicily Elected into his room by the voices of the King of Bohemia the Dukes of Austria and Bohemia the Landtgrave of Thuringen and several other Princes of the Empire Hitherto we see the Emperors were not chosen by any set number of Electors tho it is likely that those Princes who have now got the sole power into their hands had even in those times the greatest share of authority in all Elections as being the most potent members of the Empire But when after the death of Frideric II. no man for many years took care of the supreme Government in this deplorable condition of the German Empire Seven of the chief Princes by taking upon them as is probable the management of all public affairs laid the first foundation of the Electoral dignity which was afterwards confirm'd to them by the Emperor Charles the Fourth's Aurea Bulla The reasons why the number of Electors was reduced to Seven was this because that if in any Election six of the voices chanc'd to be equally divided the seventh Elector might cast the ballance to that side where
made use of at such a solemnity was a wreath of white Scarffs wherewith they bound the heads of their Kings The Elector of Colen for a long time perform'd the Ceremony of Coronation but because the Archbishops of that See have not been Priests for many years the Archbishop of Mentz has executed the office for this last Century At the Coronation of the Emperor Ferdinand III. there arose a grand dispute betwixt the Elector of Colen who at that time was a Priest and the Archbishop of Mentz the former demanding a restitution of the Honour which did formerly belong to his See and the later asserting his right from the example of his Predecessors who had long enjoy'd it However the Archbishop of Colen was overthrown and the Archbishop of Mentz perform'd the office and in so doing some say only preserv'd a right which many ages before had belong'd to his predecessors At the Coronation the King of Bohemia carries the Crown the Elector of Bavaria bears the Globe the Duke of Saxony the Sword and the Marquess of Brandenburgh the Scepter Of the King of the ROMANS THat there may be a King of the Romans chosen while the Emperor is living is a matter of fact which none can be ignorant of who are conversant in the writings of the modern German Historians Thus Charles IV. Wenceslaus Maximilian I. II. Rodolph II. Ferdinand III. IV. were all elected in the life-time of their Predecessors However many of their Civilians question the lawfulness of the Election fancying that by this means the Electors may disturb the peace of the Empire by setting up two Princes at once who by Election have a just Title to the Imperial Crown The consequence indeed may be dangerous but there is no disputing the Authority of those who doubtless have as great power in appointing the Emperor a Successor when they please as they have in deposing him 'T is ordinary in some of the High Dutch writers to mean the Emperor when they speak of the King of the Romans and till of late years there was no difference between them But now there are many marks of distinction As 1. The King of the Romans bears for his Arms the Eagle with one head the Emperor with two 2. The former is only stiled Augustus but the later Semper Augustus 3. The Emperor in his Letters Patents directed to the King of the Romans begins his Compellation with Vnsern Liebten i. e. To our Beloved c. but the King in his Answers complements the Emperor with the Title of Ihre Majestaet i. e. Tour Majesty Lastly the King of the Romans always acknowledges the Emperor his Superior and has no authority of his own during the Emperors life When the Emperor is absent or employed in other affairs he usually takes upon him the administration of the Empire and after the Emperors death succeeds without any further Election The first occasion of Electing a King of the Romans proceeded from a politic contrivance of the Emperors who by this means got the Imperial Crown secured to their own Family For making use of their power and authority while themselves sat in the Throne they could easily obtain the favour of the Electors to chuse a Son Nephew or other Relation to be King of the Romans which at last being grown customary prov'd almost as considerable kindness to the House of Austria as if they had entail'd the Empire upon that Family For das Heilige Romische Reich or the Holy Roman Kingdom signifies the same thing in the German Tongue as the Sacred Empire and 't is all one to chuse any Prince King of the Romans as to Elect him Emperor Of Dukes Counts and other Orders of Nobility in the GERMAN Empire THo the ancient Germans had litle or no Magistracy amongst them in time of peace Dukes yet both Julius Cesar and Tacitus agree in this that whenever they were engag'd in war they had one supreme Governor who ruled the Armies and gave laws to the multitude This superintendant of their forces they call'd Heertog or Heerzog a name which their Dukes to this day retain which signifies as much as the Latin word Dux or our Duke i. e. A Leader or Commander of an Army He was usually chosen in a general Assembly of the whole Country by a majority of voices and as soon as he was elected they set him upon a Banner and bore him upon their shoulders Which ceremony as Cluverius proves was afterwards observ'd by later Germans in the Election of their Kings and by the Roman Soldiers at the Coronation of their Emperors Julius Cesar tells us that these Dukes had power of life and death but Tacitus who was better acquainted with the state of Germany assures us they had no such authority They could indeed give counsel and orders to the Soldiers but had no power to punish offenders or correct the obstinate For in all probability there was not any manner of Judges in the Land that had the power of sentencing any offender to death When any controversie arose amongst the Commonalty Counts or Graven they were wont to chuse a Judg out of the Nobility of the Village where the quarrel begun These kind of Judges they call'd Grafen or Graven and their office was to determine all trifling disputes in their neighbourhood Meibomius in his learned Tract of Irmensul tells us that all Germany was anciently divided into Villages call'd by the inhabitants Gouwen and that each of these had their peculiar Judges thence nam'd Gowgraven Ein Graff says the Author of the Glossary upon the Saxon Spiegel bedeut nach altem Sachsischen Deutschen ein Richter i. e. Graf signifies a Judg in the old Saxon language Die Graven signifies properly the grey headed or elders of the people whence our King Edward the Confessor in the thirty-fifth Chapter of his Laws afterwards confirm'd by William the Conqueror tells us that the Low Dutch Greve is in effect the same with the English Eoldenmen now Aldermen This was the ancient state of the Dukes and Earls in Germany before the Romans overran some parts of that Land but whatever came into their hands was immediately divided into Provinces and govern'd as they themselves pleased Whence Duces and Comites were created by them in several places but such as had another kind of power committed to them then the aforesaid Hertzogen and Graven could pretend to In Roman Historians we meet with a great many of this sort such as Dux Germaniae primae Dux Moguntiacensis Dux Sequanicae Dux Rhetiae primae secundae Dux Belgicae secundae c. And Ammianus Marcellinus speaks of one Carietto whom he calls Comes per utramque Germaniam These had authority to raise Taxes and were invested with many other priviledges in the administration of justice which the others wanted But the Romans having never got any considerable footing on the East-side of the Rhine could not fix any of their fashions of Government in the Northern
parts of Germany So that these still retain'd their ancient forms until the Franks having made themselves Masters of all introduc'd new modes and establish'd a new sort of Government every-where For these Conquerors imitating the Romans reduc'd all Germany into Provinces over which they appointed so many Dukes who had authority to govern and to administer justice according to the tenure of their respective Commissions To these Dukes they sometimes added Assistants who were from their office which was to aid the Dukes in the management of great and weighty affairs call'd Counts or Comites The Dukes were always elected by the King and Nobility out of some illustrious Family yet so that if the deceased Duke's Son were capable and worthy of his Father's honour he was seldom rejected At last the power of these Dukes grew exceedingly great and terrible insomuch that 't was ordinary for several of them to deny to pay homage to the Emperors Which when Charles the Great observ'd he destroy'd the two great Dukedoms of the Francic Kingdom Aquitane and Bavaria by dividing them into several smaller Counties But not long after Charles's death the Emperors created new Dukes in most places where he had chang'd them into Counts Whereupon the Empire was quickly reduc'd to the former straits every Duke pretending to and exercising Regal authority in his own Province The first of these that grew formidably potent was Otho Duke of Saxony afterwards elected Emperor who tho he refus'd the Imperial Diadem and got it conferr'd on Conrad Duke of Franconia was always look'd upon as the most powerful Prince of the German Empire in his time After Otho's death the Emperor Conrad used all means possible to reduce the overgrown power of the Duke of Saxony to some tolerable mediocrity but his endeavours prov'd unsuccessful and Duke Henry stoutly maintain'd the Honours and Priviledges which his Father Otho had enjoy'd without disturbance From that time forward the Emperors lay under an obligation of creating new Dukes who getting into their hands the government of several potent Cities set up for almost absolute Princes Our Learned Antiquary Mr. Selden reckons up six several sorts of Graves or Counts which are these 1. Schlecht-Graven or simple Counts 2. Counts Palatine which as will be shew'n anon are subdivided into several other branches 3. Counts of the Empire 4. Marck-Graves or Counts of the Frontiers 5. Landt-Graves or Counts of Provinces 6. Burg-Graves or Counts of Cities and great Towns There was anciently a seventh sort Here-Graven who answer'd exactly to the primitive Dukes or Her-tzogen for as the office of these was to conduct and govern the Soldiers so the others were to determine all controversies as Field-Judges The Gefurstete Graven do not make a distinct species being nothing else then such Counts as besides their ordinary Title may challenge that of Furst or Prince In the old Laws and Constitutions of the Empire we meet with almost an innumerable company of inferior Officers who have the title of Graven bestow'd on them Such are 1. Cent-Grave he that had the government of an Hundred We may English the word High-Constable 2. Holtz-Grave or Wald-Grave Overseers of the Woods and Forests 3. Gograf of which before 4. Spiel-Grave the Master of the Revels 5. Hans-Grave a Title formerly given to the Chief Judg in all matters relating to Trade debated in the Diet at Ratisbon But we shall not weary the Reader with insisting upon these obsolete Titles of Honour contenting our selves with a short account of the six first kinds which are all our famous Antiquary beforemention'd has thought worthy his taking notice of The first are such as are stiled barely Counts Schlechtgraven without the addition of any more then the place which gives them that Title As Der Graf von Eissenburg Der Graf von Ortenberg c. There were formerly only four of this kind in the whole Empire who were ordinarily called Die vier Graven dess Heiligen Romischen Reichs i. e. The four Graves or Counts of the Holy Roman Empire These were the Counts of Cleve Schwartzenburg Ciley and Savoy But since the Counts of Cleve and Savoy were advanced to Dukes and the Family of the ancient Counts of Ciley was extinct which happen'd about two hundred years ago the Count of Schwartzenburg in Thuringen is the only Prince that bears that Title stiling himself usually to this day der vier Graven dess Reichs Grave zu Schwartzenburg i. e. of the four Counts of the Empire Count of Schwartzenburg Besides him there are now-a-days several other German Counts who may justly be referr'd to this head tho they have no Investiture into any Graffschaft or County but are only stiled Counts of some small Castle or inconsiderable Territories of which they are Lords Such are the Counts of Ottingen and Zollern who are supposed to be of the posterity of some of the ancient Counts of the Empire and thence retain the title tho not the grandeur and power of their Ancestors Counts Palatine call'd by the Germans Pfaltz-Graven Counts Palatine or Dess Heiligen Romischen Reichs Hoffe-Graven are such as have in their Title a certain eminence of their Dignity from a relation as their name denotes to the Emperors Court or Palace For Palatinus is but the possessive of Palatium and signifies no more then an Officer of the Houshold with us in England But this Title is twofold 1. Originally Feudal and annex'd to the name of some Territory or Grafschaft with such jura Imperii Majestatis as other ordinary Princes of the Empire have not as we see in the Title of the Counts Palatine of the Rhine 2. Meerly Personal without the addition of any particular Territory proper to him that hath the Dignity Both the Title and Nature of this later kind are originally to be fetcht from the Examples of the old Roman Empire but the former tho the Nature of it may be found in the ancient Constitutions of the Roman Empire under the name of Praefectus Praetorio yet was in ordinary use as to the Name and Title only in the Francic Kingdom For there was in the Court of the Francic Kings long before their Kingdom was chang'd into an Empire a chief Officer known by the name of Comes Palatii or Count Palatine who had a Vice-Regency under the King in like sort as the Praefecti Praetorio in the elder Empire or the old Chief Justice of England under our ancient Kings that is he had the exercise of supreme Jurisdiction in the name of the King in all causes that came to the Kings immediate audience I suppose the Office of Hofmeister used to this day in every German Prince's Court is a relique of this Palatinate And that Comes Palatii might easily signifie the same thing with Praefectus Praetorio or Hofmeister will not be difficult for any man to imagine that shall consider the signification which the word Comes had amongst the ancient Romans in the usual compellation of
tell us of them contain as many incredible things as the most Romantic Popish Legends However the Saxon Commonalty have still their memories and names in great veneration and would as soon part with Christmas-day as St. Ansgar's which is the eighth of February out of their Almanacks St. Wilhad's day is kept on the eighth of November and St. Rembert's on the fourth of February 6. Rembert was succeeded by one Adelgar a Monk of Corbey of whom nothing is recorded worth the taking notice of 7. Hoyer who was elected into the Archbishop's See in the year 909 and dyed the year following The Bremen Chronicle reports that about an hundred and twenty years after his death his Grave was open'd where nothing was found but a Pillow which had been laid under his head and a Cross both fresh and uncorrupted Whereupon the Monks of Bremen concluded that his body was immediately after his death snatch'd up into Heaven 8. Reginward 9. Vnni who going to convert the Infidels in Sweden died at Birca in Gothland 10. Adaldag 11. Libentius an Italian 12. Vnwan call'd by some Wimar 13. Libentius II. 14. Hermannus 15. Bezeline 16. Albert Son of one of the Dukes of Bavaria 17. Liemar or Leimar a Bavarian Nobleman the fourteenth and last Arch-Bishop of Hamburg For when at the request of Eric King of Denmark the Pope had erected an Archbishops See at Lunden in Schonen the Bishops of Denmark Sweden and Norway were subjected to the Archbishop of Lunden and only Lubec Schwerin Lebus and Ratzenburg remain'd Suffragans to the Archbishop of Bremen who thereupon for ever quitted the Title of Archbishop of Hamburg 18. Humbert the first that ever stiled himself barely Archbishop of Bremen 19. Frideric 20. Adalbar 21. Hartwic 22. Baldwin whose successor some have made one Barthold but without any good authority 23. Sifrid Son to Albrecht Marquise of Brandenburg 24. Hartwic II. 25. Woldemar Duke and Bishop of Sleswic 26. Gerhard formerly Bishop of Osnabrug 27. Gerhard II. Earl of Lippe 28. Hildebold or Hildebrand Earl of Broch-hausen 29. Giselbert 30. Henry I. 31. Florentius de Brunchorst against whom appear'd Bernherd Earl of Wolpe whom some Historians make Archbishop instead of Florentius â—at lost the day 32. John Bishop of Lunden and Provost of Roschild in Denmark 33. Burchard 34. Otto Earl of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst 35. Gotfrid Earl of Arnsberg He had great quarrels with Maurice Earl of Oldenburg for the See which when he could not peaceably enjoy he resign'd to 36. Albrecht Duke of Brunswic chosen Archbishop in the life-time of his predecessor in the year 1359. 37. Otto II. 38. John II. 39. Nicolas Earl of Delmenhorst 40. Baldwin 41. Gerhard III. Earl of Hoga 42. Henry III. Earl of Schwartzburg 43. John III. 44. Christopher Duke of Brunswic and Lunenburg 45. Henry IV. Duke of Saxony Engeren Westphalia c. 46. John Adolph Duke of Holstein c. who after the death of his Father was Regent Duke of Holstein and thereupon quitted the See of Bremen in the year 1596 leaving the place to his Brother 47. John Frideric who was at the same time Bishop of Lubec and having enjoy'd the Archbishopric of Bremen for the space of thirty-eight years died in the Monastery near Buxtehude in the year 1634 and was buried in the Cathedral at Sleswic 48. The last Archbishop of Bremen was Frideric Duke of Holstein Son to Christian IV. King of Denmark and Father to the present Danish King Christian V. But before this Frideric came to the Crown of Denmark he had nothing left but the bare Title of an Archbishop For in the year 1644 the prevailing Forces of the Swedish King overran the Archbishopric of Bremen and Bishopric of Vehrden as they had before many other Provinces of the German Empire Afterwards in the Treaty of Munster it was agreed upon that ut satis fieret Serenissimae Reginae Sueciae pro locorum hoc bello captorum restitutione Pacique Publicae in Imperio restanrandae condignè prospiceretur as 't is worded in the Tenth Article of that Treaty amongst other places there mention'd the Archbishopric of Bremen and Bishopric of Vehrden should be for ever subject to the Kings of Sweden and annex'd to their own Territories and Dominions sub solitis quidem Insigniis sed titulo Ducatus And thus the Archbishopric was turn'd into a Dukedom which Title it still retains Whence the City of Bremen which gives name to the whole Dukedom is so call'd City of Bremen there are several different opinions amongst the Germans Writers some of which for the Reader 's diversion I shall hear repeat leaving it to himself to embrace any one or reject all as he shall see cause One tells us there was formerly a Ferry cross the Weser in the place where the great Bridg at Bremen now stands and therefore will have the City so call'd from the flat bottom'd Boats in the tongue of the Neder-Saxons nam'd Pramen wherewith they us'd to ferry over passengers Another fancies Bremen may be fetch'd from the abundance of Broom in their tongue Brame which grows in this Country M. Martinius a man of no contemptible parts and learning guesses that because the Land of Bremen is the outmost bounds of the German Empire towards the Ocean therefore the City was call'd ein Brame which word signifies properly the outmost seam or selvidge of a Garment To omit the impertinences of other Etymologists all agree in this that Ptolomy's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence ever that word had its original is the same with Bremen Cluverius allowing of this opinion adds further Nec nomen omnino abhorret nam dempta priore syllaba reliquum BIRANVM satis aperta vestigia gerit vocabuli BREMEN Et quid scio annon apud Ptolomaeum M corruptum sit in N integrumque vocabulum fuerit FABIRAMVM Amongst the old rubbish of ancient German writers Antiquity and the small fragments of Antiquity which are at this day to be met with in that Country 't will be a difficult task to find out the first original of this City 'T is certain one great part of it which is known by the name of S. Stephani Statt is of a later foundation then the main body of the Town and another grand accession call'd Die New Statt or the New City has been added within these hundred years What time this City was first fortified we have no other account then in the general that the Cities of Saxony and in all probability Bremen amongst the rest were first wall'd round by the orders of Henry Duke of Saxony surnam'd Auceps or the Fowler about the year 1000. For this Prince had found by experience that his naked Towns were not able to withstand the fury and outrages of the Vandals who in those days miserably infested the Northern parts of the Empire All the modern Historians will inform us that the Suburbs of St. Nicolas which at this day make up a considerable part of the
that great Conqueror From his Loins after several generations descended Billiengus a potent King of the Vandals whose Mother say some was Charles the Great 's Sister He was the first that after his own conversion brought in the profession of Christianity into Mecklenburg tho afterwards at the instigation of his Son Micislaus both himself and all his Subjects turn'd Apostates The next famous Prince of Mecklenburg was Gottschalck surnam'd the Godly who would often himself take the pains to preach Christianity to his Subjects by whom he was at last for his Religion murder'd in the year 1066. From him descended amongst many others Henry II. who dying in the year 1228 left behind him two Sons Nicolot and John From the former of these sprang all the succeeding Princes of the Vandals until William the last Prince of that Line who died in the year 1430. From the later surnam'd Knese Janko or John the Divine because he had taken a Doctor of Divinity 's degree in the University at Paris are descended the present Dukes of Mecklenburg This John left behind him Henry who was six and twenty years kept prisoner by the Turks Father to Henry surnam'd the Lion whose two Sons Albert and John Dukes of Mecklenburg were by the Emperor Charles IV. created Princes of the Empire in the year 1349. Which is not to be understood tho I find this construction put upon it by several of the modern German Historians as if these two Princes before Charles's creation had been only ordinary Lords or Barons of Mecklenburg and by the Emperor advanc'd to the dignity of Princes or Dukes For from him they receiv'd no more than an admission into the number of the Estates of the Empire under whose protection they were brougth by making themselves members thereof upon condition they should be subject to its Laws and contribute to its necessities Albert's eldest Son Albert II. was chosen King of Sweden and not long after taken prisoner by Margaret Queen of Denmark by whom after several years imprisonment he was at last releas'd upon the payment of a vast ransom So that the management of the Dukedom of Mecklenburg was committed to his Brother Magnus a Prince that if we believe Chytraeus who in his first Book of the Saxon Chronicle has given him a noble character was nomine re Magnus endow'd with all the excellent qualities that are requisite to make a brave Prince His Son John who succeeded his Father in the Dukedom founded the University at Rostock in the year 1419. This Duke's Successors Henry the Fat and Magnus II. Founder of the Cathedral Church at Rostock upon the death of William the last Prince of the Vandals made themselves Masters of the whole Land of Mecklenburg After the death of this Magnus and his Son Albert II. the Dukedom came to his Grandchild John Albert in the year 1547 who first brought in the Lutheran Confession into his Dominions by demolishing Popish Abbeys and converting their Revenues to the use of the University at Rostock His Son John III. who died in the year 1592 left two Sons the eldest was Adolph Frideric who married Ann-Mary Countess of East Frisland by whom amongst other children he had Christian-Ludowic the present Duke of Mecklenburg-Swerin His youngest Son was Gustavus Adolphus who seated himself at Gustrow In the late Civil Wars in Germany the whole Land of Mecklenburg was overrun by the Imperial Army and the Dukedom conferr'd upon their ambitious and at last unfortunate General Albrecht Duke of Friedland However within a little while after the two Dukes Adolph Frideric and John Albrecht were reinstated in their Dominions by Gustavus Adolphus the victorious King of Sweden their Kinsman For a character of the present Dukes of Mecklenburg the Reader may have recourse to the following descriptions of Swerin and Gustrow the places of their residence The strength of these Princes would be considerable enough Militâ—â—â— strength sufficient to secure their own Territories and keep their neighbours in awe if firmly united Their equal pretensions to the sole government of the City and University at Rostock did formerly occasion some animosities between the two Houses but this quarrel has for some years last past been quite laid aside and now a difference in Religion the Duke of Swerin being a Romanist and he of Gustrow a Lutheran is the greatest cause of their mutual fears and jealousies Heretofore they thought it their chief interest to adhere to the Swedes and secure themselves under the wings of the potent Kings of that Nations but when after the many conquests of the brave Gustavus Adolphus the power of those Princes grew so formidable as to threaten an universal slavery to their neighbours round about them rather then the defence of any of their Liberties the Dukes of Mecklenburg thought it high time to relinquish that party and join with the Dane and Branburger in opposing their common enemy the King of Sweden They saw Wismar rent out of their hands without any probability of being ever recover'd and they had reason to fear that a great part of the adjoining Country would follow it if their ruin were not timely prevented by the strength of their new Allies The whole Land of Mecklenburg so much I mean as is now subject to the two Dukes which bear that Title is usually divided into these six parts Territries The Dukedomes of Mecklenburg strictly so call'd and Vandalia the Earldom of Swerin the Baronies of Rostock and Stargard and the Bishopric of Butzow In the Dukedom of Mecklenburg are reckon'd the Cities of Wismar to which is the neighbouring Island Poel Tempsin Gades Rhena and Bucow In the Dukedom of Vandalia Gustrow Sterneberg Malchin Stavenhagen Ivenack Neu-Calven Warin Pentzlin Rebell Wredenhagen Malchau Tetrou Goltberg Parchum Plage Lupsian Grabou Domitz Neu-Statt Eldenau and Gorlosen In the Barony of Rostock the City of Rostock Ribnitz Gnoien Tessin Laga Schwan Salines and Morlou In the Barony of Stargard Brandeburg Stargard Furstenburg Strelitz Mirow Fredland and Wesenberg And lastly in the Bishopric of Butzow the City of Butzow and the Peninsula of Swerin The most considerable Cities in the Dukedom of MECKLENBURG I. LUBEC Lubec This City is indeed situate in Wagerland and for that reason we have already given the Reader some short account of it in the Description of Denmark but because it is of it self an Imperial City wholly independant upon the Crown of Denmark and immediately subject to the Emperor of Germany we have reserv'd a more particular survey of it for this place And it cannot so properly be referr'd to any particular Province of the Empire as the Dukedom of Mecklenburg For altho the Citizens of Lubec do not pay any manner of tribute or homage to the Princes of Mecklenburg yet it may perhaps as justly be reckon'd part of that Dukedom as Bremen which never yet acknowledg'd any subjection to the Kings of Sweden may be esteem'd part of that Principality which now bears
and Albert Dukes of Mecklenburg two Cousin Germans in the year 1419. The Corporation of the City bore it seems half the charges of the foundation and therefore 't was then ordered by a Decree still in force that half of the Professors should be chosen by the Dukes of Mecklenburg and the other half by the Burgomasters and Radtshern of the Town The Rector Magnificus as they are pleased to intitle the chief Magistrate of their University is chosen every half year as in most other German Universities by turns out of the two Companies of Professors He has power to call Convocations and appoint times for meeting of the other Professors on all extraordinary occasions as collecting or disbursing any part of their common-Treasure or the like In matters of greater weight and moment then are usually debated he has an Assistant whom they call Promotor chosen out of the Seniors of the eighteen Professors The University was at first stocked with Professors from Leipsic and Erfurt who all of them received their Licences to teach and read in publick together with a Charter of priviledges and body of Statutes from Pope Martin V. The Bishop of Swerin is their perpetual Chancellor who commonly deputes one of the Senior Professors his Vice-Chancellor at any public Promotion or taking of Degrees when he himself is not at leisure to give a personal attendance Amongst many other learned men that have been bred in this University Albert Crantzius John Posselius and Nathan Chytraeus three famous Historians have got themselves and the place of their education great credit by their elaborate writings The Citizens are subject to a kind of mixt government made up of Aristocracy and Democracy The Democratical part consists of twenty four Aldermen chosen out of the Nobility Scholars and rich Merchants of the Town whereof four are Burgomasters two Chamberlains two Stewards for the River and two Judges The Chamberlains collect and distribute all manner of Assesments for the reparations of public buildings in and about the City The two Stewards are overseers of the Haven at Warnemund and look to the cleansing of the Channel from that Port up to the City The Judges determine and pass sentence in all causes Civil and Criminal These twenty four Magistrates of the upper House decide all ordinary Controversies and have the sole power of coining money chusing Officers c. But besides them there are in the Town a hundred more Common-Councilmen elected out of the inferior Tradesmen of the Town who are summon'd to appear and give their opinions upon debate of any matter of more then ordinary concernment to the common welfare Though the River Warna be navigable up to the Walls of the City of Rostock yet it is not deep enough to carry Ships of the largest bulk but such Vessels are forced to take harbour at Warnemund so called because situate on the mouth of the River a small Town about seven English miles distant from Rostock Since the Treaty of Munster the Swedes built a Fort on the mouth of this River by the strength of which and a good Garison always kept in it they exacted a toll or custom of all Merchantmen that pass'd this way from or towards Rostock to the great decay of trade in this City and impoverishing of its inhabitants This Castle was in the late wars between the Northern Crowns demolished and thereby a stop put to the Swedish encroachments Whereupon the Ministers for the Dukes of Mecklenburg in the last general Treaty at Nimeguen were very diligent in soliciting the Mediators for a redress of this grievance which they represented as a violation of an express Article in the Westphalian Treaty With Memorials and Petitions to this purpose our English Mediatours by the Duke of Gustrow's Minister and the Popes Nuncio on the other hand by the Duke of Swerin's were continually wearied in the latter end of the year 1678 and beginning of 1679. Their importunity prevailed so far at last as to have the following clause inserted into the first Proposal of a Treaty betwixt the Emperor and King of Sweden Omni casu salva sint Dominis Ducibus Mecklenburgicis sine turbatione competentia jura sublatum maneat vectigal seu telonium Warnemundense cum omnimoda aliarum quae ibi motae sunt pretensionum abolitione portus Warnmundensis relinquatur in pristina qua nunc gaudet commerciorum libertate But the Swedish Plenipotentaries in all their conferences with the Imperial Ambassadours upon this Subject constantly denied that they had instructions to meddle with it and the Imperialists were willing to omit the insertion of this point rather then delay the signing of the other Articles till new Instructions could be procured from the Swedish Court So that all the satisfaction the Princes of Mecklenburg had was a compliment from the Emperour 's Plempotentiaries shewing the great care their Master would be always ready to take in asserting their Rights and Priviledges as well as those of any other member of the German Empire against the encroachments of any Foreign Enemy whatever and a Certificate under their hands that their Ministers had used all imaginable diligence in the discharge of their duty Neque defuerunt say they durante hoc congressu officio suo praedictorum Dominorum Ducum i. e. Mecklenburgicorum Ablegati Dominus Antonius Bessel Dominus Joannes Reuter sed omnes partes impleverunt quae a Ministrorum fide dexteritate vigilantia expectari possunt In quorum omnium fidem Legatio Caesarea praesentes hasce a se subscriptas sigillis suis munivit Dabantur Neomagi duodecima Februarii Anno 1679. IV. SWERIN Swerin Situate at about fifty English miles distance from Rostock upon a great Lake which from the name of this City is usually by the Neighbourhood called Der Swerinsche See It was built and fortfied by Henry surnamed the Lion Duke of Saxony who soon after its first foundation which is said to have been in the year 1163. bestowed this City with all the Territories and Lordships thereunto belonging upon Guntzel or Gunceline one of the Generals in his Army whom he made Earl of Swerin His son Henry who succeeded his father in the Earldom was a great favourite of the Emperour Otho IV and well deserved all the honour his master could confer on him He took Woldemar King of Denmark prisoner in his own Kingdom brought him bound into Saxony in triumph and kept him in close custody in the Castle at Danneberg till his Subjects had almost reduced themselves to beggary by paying ransome The last Earl of this Family was Otho who died in the year 1355. His only daughter and child Richardis was married to Albrecht Duke of Mecklenburg for which reason the Earldom of Swerin after Otho's death was annexed to the Dukedom of Mecklenburg The Bishoprick of Swerin was removed from Mecklenburg to this City The first Bishop of this Diocess was one Johannes Scotus who in the fourth year of his Prelacy A.
Wartislaus The former seated himself in Pomerellia and retain'd the language and manners of his Countrymen the Slavonians the later was made Lord of the Lower Pomeren bordering upon the Dukedom of Mecklenburg and shortly after conform'd himself to the Laws and Language of the Saxons his neighbours Whereupon this part of his Father's Territories began to be reckon'd a part of the German Empire and Bugislaus and Casimir Wartislaus's Sons receiv'd the Title of Dukes of Pomeren and Princes of the Roman Empire from the Emperor Frideric Barbarossa This Dukedom was afterwards in the year 1217 parted betwixt Bugislaus and Otho two Brothers from whom sprang the two Houses of Wolgast and Stetin which continued near two hundred years But the House of Stetin failing A.D. 1464 upon the death of Otho the third that part of the Estate was conferr'd upon Frideric the second Marquise and Elector of Brandenburg by the Emperor Frideric the third This the Dukes of Pomeren-Wolgast look'd upon as a notorious piece of injustice to their Family and therefore were resolv'd to oppose with all imaginable vigor the Elector's pretensions At last the Quarrel was composed between the two Houses of Pomeren and Brandenburg upon these conditions That both of them should retain the Arms and Title of Dukes of Pomeren But the Possession and Revenues of all Territories comprised under that name should be yeilded up to the Dukes of Wolgast And that upon the failing of their Issue male it should descend upon the Heirs of the House of Brandenburg Accordingly upon the death of Bugislaus the fourteenth who dyed without issue in the year 1637 the late Elector of Brandenburg George-William put in his claim to the Estate But the Swedes having under pretence of assisting Duke Bugislaus against the Imperialists in the Civil Wars of Germany made themselves Masters of all the strong places in the Country could not be perswaded to part with a Maritime Province which lay so convenient for them And therefore as Conquerors use to prescribe Laws with far less regard to justice then their own interests they would not yeild to the conclusion of any Peace at the Treaty of Munster before it was agreed That all the Lower Pomeren with the Isles of Rugen and Wollin and the Town of Stetin should from thenceforward be annex'd to the Crown of Sweden and the Upper Pomeren only be enjoy'd by the House of Brandenburg and that no longer then the male issue of that Family lasted upon the failure whereof it also was to be added to the King of Sweden's Dominions and in the mean time both Princes were to enjoy the Titles and bear the Arms of the Dukes of Pomeren But because for the common peace of the Empire and in compliance to the peremptory demands of the Queen of Sweden's Ministers the Elector had in this Agreement quitted the Title to a good part of his Inheritance 't was further concluded That his losses should be recompenc'd by the addition of the Bishopricks of Halberstadt and Minden converted into Temporal Principalities to the Marquisate of Brandenburg to which was also added the Reversion of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg which after the death of the then Incumbent Administrator Augustus Duke of Saxony was to descend upon him and his Heirs Now altho the Elector may seem to have gain'd by this bargain since the Lower Pomeren which he has quitted to the Swedes will not doubtless yeild so good a Revenue as the Principalities of Magdeburg Halberstadt and Minden yet there is no question but upon examination we shall find reason to believe that he had rather have the entire Dukedom of Pomeren restored then three more such inland Provinces bestow'd on him Since by this means he would have the opportunity of making himself considerable at Sea and be freed from the inconveniences of having a potent neighbour who keeps him in perpetual Jealousies Upon these considerations the States of the Empire have thought fit to make a further reparation of his damages by allowing him Voices in their Assemblies as Duke of Pomeren and Magdeburg and as Prince of Halberstadt and Minden And because formerly the Archbishops of Magdeburg and Bremen took their turns in the Direction of the Circle of the Lower Saxony they have agreed that the Elector of Brandenburg should alternate with the King of Sweden who enjoys the ancient Archbishoprick of Bremen under the same Title as the said Duke does that of Magdeburg in the same quality After the Ratification of this Treaty at Munster the Swedes quietly enjoy'd the Lower Pomeren according to the tenure of the Articles aforesaid until in these late wars the united forces of the Danes and Brandenburgers not without great difficulty and much bloodshed over-powred them and siezed on all the Lower Pomeren together with the Isle of Rugen and the City of Stetin But of this we shall have occasion to say more in the following Descriptions of particular Cities Chief Cities in the Vpper POMEREN I. Stetin STETIN This has ever been reckon'd the Metropolis of all Pomeren and Stralsund only the chief Town in the Principality of Rugen By whom or when it was first built cannot easily be determin'd and 't is to no purpose to trouble the Reader with the idle conjectures of illiterate Historians who pretend to fetch its genealogy from a warlike Nation whom they call Sidini that before the building of Towns or Houses came in fashion in these parts of the world kept their usual Rendezvous in the place where Stetin now stands However 't is more commendable for the improvements it has receiv'd in the beauty of its buildings and number of inhabitants within the memory of its own Records then any Antiquity it can boast of altho as we have said it is beyond the skill of the ablest Antiquary to find out its original About four hundred years ago Stetin was built of a quite different figure from what it has at this day the Church of St. Peter which now stands without the walls being plac'd in the very middle of the Town The convenient and pleasant situation it now has on the rising of a small hill its regular fortifications beauty and strength it owes to the Saxons who by permission of some of the Dukes of Stetin came hither to reform the barbarous manners and language of their then Wendish Subjects By this means trading was advanc'd and the number of the inhabitants multiplied so exceedingly that some Writers who give us a description of this City in its modern condition represent it as a place where more people inhabit under ground then above it intimating that the Town is so populous that a great number of its Citizens are forc'd to live in Cellars and Vaults The Castle formerly the Palace of the Dukes of Stetin and now the usual Residence of the Swedish Governor is a Pile of building which excels perhaps any piece of Architecture in these parts of Europe and may vy with most of its kind in
to the Court who were easily won over to the Elector's opinions they could not but observe a continual advancement of Calvinism and as constant decay of the Lutheran party Whereupon they resolved the foremention'd Decree for the establishment of the Augsburg confession should be renew'd and confirm'd if possible beyond all fear of a future violation In pursuance of this resolution they procur'd the said Decree to be inserted as the seventh Article into the Westphalian Treaty which they look'd upon as an eternal and immutable Law to the whole German Empire Yet notwithstanding these assurances the present Elector of Brandenburg a zealous assertor of his Fathers Tenents has in many parts of his Dominions especially his two Universities of Francfurt upon the Oder and Koningsberg discouraged the Lutherans and countenanc'd Calvinism The hot-spur Professors at Wittemberg Abraham Calovius and his Brethren first provok'd him with daily Curses and Anathema's vented against Calvin and his followers to publish an Edict commanding all his Subjects to withdraw their Sons from that University within the space of three months after the publishing of the said Edict Upon the death of his first Marchioness Louis-Henrietta Daughter to the Prince of Orange and a zealous Calvinist the Brandenburgers had some hopes their Elector would have been brought over to their party or at least upon his second marriage with Dorothy Daughter to Philip Duke of Holstein and Relict of Christian-Lewis Duke of Brunswic and Lunenburg as resolute an assertor of Luther's Doctrine as the former of Calvin's have a little abated his rigorous persecution But hitherto their hopes have been blasted without the Elector's care to redress their grievances any further then to wink at the ordinary exercise of the Lutheran Religion And indeed 't is almost impossible for him to be truly reconciled as long as Strauchius at present a noted Preacher in Dantzic not long since committed to the Goal for railery with some other hot-headed Lutheran Pulpiters take upon them to represent not only Calvinists in general but the Elector himself as one of the Devil 's chief instruments for perverting the true Christian Religion Mutavit Dominos Marchia saepe suos Goverment is a saying we often meet with in the Historians that treat of this Marquisate But the first time that we hear of any Marquise of Brandenburg is after the year 927. For Henry I. Emperor of Germany having overcome this part of the Country bestow'd it on Sigefride Earl of Rengelheim on condition that he should defend these Marches or outmost limits of the Empire against the Sclaves thereupon giving him the Title of Marckgraf or Marquise From this time we may reckon up three several Catalogues or Classes of the Marquises of Brandenburg beginning first with such as were not Hereditary Marquises but had that Title confer'd on them by the Emperor and enjoy'd it during his pleasure These were 1. Sigefride Earl of Rengelheim who was as we have said created the first Marquis of Brandenburg by the Emperor Henry the first in the year 927. Besides his exploits in several expeditions against the Slavonians he might justly lay claim to some more then ordinary preferment as being Brother to the Empress After his death 2. Gero Count of Altenburg and Mersburg was made Marquis by Otho the first He built the Monastery of Gerenrood which still retains his name Having govern'd a few years he left the Marquisate to 3. Bruno or Brumito Earl of Within and Burgraf of Zorbeck created Marquise by the same Emperor And by the permission of Otho the third his Son 4. Hugh succeeded who having been the Founder of Seven stately Monasteries in Italy died in the year 1001 and was succeeded by his Brother 5. Sigebart whom Otho the third made the first Marquise Elector His Son 6. Theodoric proved a great persecutor of the Heneti two of whose Princes he perswaded the Emperor Henry II. to hang up and all other Tribes of the neighbouring Slaves and Vandals But was at last overpower'd by them and being beaten out of all his Territories by Mistivoius Prince of the Obotriti was forced to end his days miserably in a Monastery at Magdeburg 7. Vdo Earl of Soltwedel within some years after encouraged with the assistance of the Emperor Conrad II. and the Archbishop of Magdeburg gave battel to the Slaves and having forc'd them out of their new Conquests was himself made Marquise of Brandenburg 8. Vdo II. succeeded his Father But joining afterwards wards with Rodolph Duke of Schwaben in a Rebellion against the Emperor Henry IV. he was by the same Emperor proscribed and his Marquisate given to 9. Primislaus King of the Obotriti and Ancestor to the Dukes of Mecklenburg After whose death the Marquisate was made Hereditary by the Emperor Frideric Barbarossa who conferr'd it upon Albert surnam'd Vrsus Prince of Anhalt and Marquise of Soltwedel From whom we may reckon the second Catalogue of Marquises in the order following 1. Albert created Elector and Duke of Saxony Brunswic c. in the place of Henry surnam'd the Lion 2. Otho Albert's Son succeeded by his Son 3. Otho II. who died without issue in the Holy War leaving the Marquisate to his Brother 4. Albert II. He died in the year 1221 and left his Dominions to his Son 5. John a great Benefactor to Francfurt upon the Oder His Son 6. Otho III. built Brandenburg in Prussia and liv'd all his reign which lasted about fifteen years in a continual warfare with the Archbishop of Magdeburg and Bishop of Halberstadt This man's Brother 7. John II. has left nothing memorable recorded of him save that he kept possession for some years of the Dukedom of Crossen which was pawn'd to him by Henry Duke of Vratislaw John the First 's third Son 8. Conrad obtain'd the Marquisate after the death of his two eldest Brothers and died very old and decrepit in the year 1303. His Son 9. John III. did not long outlive his Father but dying in the year 1305 left the Marquisate to his Brother 10. Waldemar who annex'd a good part of Lusatia which he won from the Marquise of Misnia to the Marquisate of Brandenburg His Nephew 11. Waldemar II. died within four years of his Uncle in the year 1323 having acted nothing worth the relating And yet shorter was the Government of his Brother 12. John IV. the last Marquise of the House of Anhalt After whose death which hapned within forty days after he was advanc'd to the Government the Marquisate escheating to the Empire for want of Heirs was given to 13. Lewis of Bavaria by his Father Lewis the Emperor He resigned to his Brother 14. Lewis II. surnamed the Roman because born at Rome who was succeeded by the Emperor's third Son 15. Otho Count Palatine of the Rhine He afterwards sold the Marquisate to the Emperor Charles IV. who gave it to his Son 16. Winceslaus But he had not enjoy'd it quite five years before he was upon his Father's
very Church now almost nine hundred years old wherein his first Sermons were deliver'd But the great ornament of this Town is the Academia Julia or University founded by Julius Duke of Brunswic-Wolfenbuttel in the year 1576. Amongst other grand priviledges granted to this University by the Emperor Maximilian II. 't was order'd that its Rectors should for ever be honour'd with the Title and Dignity of Counts Palatine Whereupon Henry Julius Duke Julius's eldest Son and Bishop of Halberstadt was by his Father made the first Rector and before his succession to the Dukedom of Brunswic upon his Father's death founded the fair College which is still call'd Juleum novum These two Dukes procured for the use of the Professors and Students in this University a considerable Library of Books which since has been well augmented but comes far short of that at Wolfenbuttel Amongst some hundreds of Hebrew Greek Latin and Dutch Manuscripts of little value they have two old Volumes containing the Pentateuch in Hebrew written on Vellam in a fair and legible character For these two Books they tell us several Jewish Rabbies who pretend to more then ordinary skill in discerning the true Antiquity of such kind of Monuments in their own language have offer'd some hundred of Rix-dollars After the death of Duke Frideric Vlric the last Prince of the ancient House of Wolfenbuttel the Dukes of Lunenburg divided the Rectory of this University amongst them agreeing that each of the Dukes Regent should in his course supply that Office for one year and no more And in state it has ever since continued There is not any University in the German Empire that has bred up more eminent and learned men within the compass of one Century then Helmstadt Witness Joh. Caselius Jac. Horstius Val. Forsterius Reinerus Reineccius Hen. Meibomius Joh. Stukius Jac. Lampadius Conr. Hornejus c. and of late years the ingenious Calixti and incomparable Conringius IV. 〈◊〉 HANNOVER The Metropolis of the Dukedom of Calenberg whence the Duke's Palace was removed hither by George Duke of Brunswic-Calenberg upon the decease of the above-mention'd Frideric Vlric The Town was anciently call'd Lawenroda from the neighbouring Castle which was subject to Counts of that name About Henry the Lion's time it got the name of Hanover from a Ferry at this place over the River Leina as some imagine Han over in the old Dialect of the Lower Saxons signifying the same as the more modern High-Dutch haben uber i.e. to have or carry over There are yearly kept in this Town four Fairs during which there is always a vast concourse of Foreigners as well as Germans from all parts of the Empire These contribute exceedingly to the enriching of the Citizens but however a more considerable share of their wealth arises from their Breuhane a sweet and muddy sort of Beer which is hence exported in great quantities into the neighbouring Towns and Villages V. HAMELEN Hamelen An ancient City on the outmost confines of the Dukedom of Brunswic-Calenberg seated on the mouth of the River Hamel whence it has its name and the banks of the Weser This place is look'd upon as the Key to the whole Dukedom and is therefore better fortified and garrison'd then almost any other City in the Duke of Brunsic's Dominions The Records of this City relate a notable accident which hapned amongst the Burgers on the 26th day of June in the year 1284. The story is as follows The Citizens being strangely infested with Rats and having tried all imaginable expedients but in vain to rid themselves of these troublesom guests at last met with a stranger who undertook for a certain reward to do the feat The Burgers agreed to his proposals and the strange Gentleman immediately with his Tabret and Pipe draws after him all the Rats in the Town like so many Maurice-dancers to the River and there drowned them Returning for his reward it was denied him as being judg'd to great a recompense for so small a performance However less he could not be perswaded to take but left the Town in a rage threatning in a short time to be reveng'd Accordingly about a year after he came again and play'd the second part of the same Tune but with another Train after him For now he went attended with a great number of Children who follow'd him in at the mouth of a great Cave on the top of a neighbouring Hill call'd by the Burgers Koppel-berg and were never after heard of In remembrance of this sad accident the Citizens were wont for many year after as appears by several old Deeds and other Records in that City to date all their Indentures and Contracts such a year von unser kinder aussgang i.e. since the departure of our Children The street thro which they pass'd is to this day call'd Bungloese Strass or Tabret-street and on the top of the Mountain near the Cave's mouth is still to be seen a mounment of stone with this inscription Post duo CC mille post octoginta quaterque Annus hic est ille quo languet annus uterque Orbantur pueros centum etque triginta Johannis Et Pauli caros Hamelenses non sine damnis Fatur ut omnes eos vivos calvaria sorpsit Christe tuere reos ne tam mala res quibus obsit Which sorry piece of dogg'rel is there translated into two Distichs in the Nether Saxon Dialect much of the same strain The Principality of GRVBENHAGEN GRUBENHAGEN Name in the Dutch language signifies properly a Grove or Forest belonging to the ancient Family of the Grubes tho afterwards that word was appropriated to a Castle built by some of the said Family which in process of time communicated its name to the whole Principality Thus the Hague in Holland called by the Low Dutch s'Gravenhaghe which is ordinarily render'd in Latin by Haga Comitis had its name from the neighbouring Forest where it seems the Earls of that Province were anciently used to hunt And indeed this whole Principality is nothing else but a large Forest Hercynian Wood. most of it being a part of the Hartz or Sylva Hercynia mention'd by Roman Writers Julius Cesar in his Commentaries says that this Wood is at least nine days journey in bredth and of an unaccountable length Several men he tells us have travell'd forty days together strait forward in it but that no man durst ever yet boast that he had seen both ends of it The German word Hartz out of which without all question the Latins form'd their Hercynia signifies properly Rosin or Pitch which is nothing else but the liquor distill'd out of the Pine and Fir-trees the only Timber wherewith this Forest abounds Since the Empire began to be cultivated and the inhabitants understood the advantage of uniting themselves into Cities and Corporations the Hercynian Wood has in many places been converted into great Towns and large Corn-fields but yet passing over these 't is still easie to track it
them in the year 1648 which have not since been rebuilt However the place is still beautified with a fair Church College and Town-Hall and the Streets especially the Market-place which is in an exact square are generally neat and uniform Oelsse had anciently its own Duke who kept his residence in that City but upon the death of Duke Conrad the Eighth in the year 1492. the Dukedom was given to the Dukes of Munsterberg who have ever since been Lords of it In this Principality are reckon'd the small Cities of Bernstatt Festenberg Kunstatt Stroppen Mosebahr Hundsfeld and Trebnitz VI. The City and Dukedom of BRESLAW BRESLAW or Wratislavia the Metropolis of Silesia has its name from Wratislaus a Bohemian Prince its first Founder whence the Citizens bear a great W in their Coat of Arms to this day 'T is seated at the confluence of the two Rivers Oder and Ohla in a rich and pleasant Country Towards the North indeed there are some Marshes and moist fields whence are now and then some unwholesome gales sent into the Town and the whole City is reported to have been built in the place of a great Pond dried up The Citizens who are exceedingly numerous by reason of their great Traffick with the Hungarians Bohemians Polanders and other foreign Merchants who resort hither are said to be as neat and gentile in their Clothes and Cookery as any other of the Emperor's Subjects whatever Breslawers love to be esteem'd immediate members of the German Empire and cannot endure to be reckon'd a part of the Kingdom of Bohemia Hence 't is that they have obtain'd leave of the Emperors to bear the spred Eagle in their Escutcheon and that they petitioned Charles V. to confirm their priviledges For this reason M. Boregius a Breslawer who wrote a Chronicle of the Kings of Bohemia ranks Breslaw among the Imperial Cities but ne're mention it with the King of Bohemia's Towns altho it be certain that 't was formerly subject to that Prince This Goldastus in his learned Treatise of the Kingdom of Bchemia evidently proves notwithstanding what is usually alledg'd as an argument to the contrary by some ignorant and silly Historians that it was once one of the Hans-Towns The generality of the buildings in this City are fair and stately only on the banks of the Oder stand four old fashion'd Fabricks with Turrets on the top which the Antiquaries of this place fancy to have been the ancient Palaces of so many Schwabish Princes who in former days were Lords of this City Besides the vast traffick of the Citizens the Town is famous for a Bishop's See and an University wherein have been bred many learn'd men and some great Writers The Bishops of this Diocese who had anciently the Epiphet or Title of Golden given them from their vast revenues are put in by the King of Bohemia whom they acknowledg their supreme Head at least in Temporals 'T is a receiv'd Tradition in these parts that the Kings of Bohemia have no power to promote a stranger to any Bishopric in Silesia so that a Bohemian is no more capable of being advanced to one of their Dioceses then a Silesian is of being preferr'd to the Archbishopric of Prague But how false this report is Historians will sufficiently inform us Boleslaus Dukedom surnam'd the Long a Polish Prince was created the first Duke of Breslaw and Lignitz by the Emperor Frideric in the year 1163. But these kind of petty Princes not being able to secure their Territories and especially this large and rich City which was a bait sufficient to tempt the most potent Prince of the neighbourhood from the incursions of the Tartars Polanders and other foreign Enemies the Citizens of Breslaw were forced to put themselves under the protection of the Kings of Bohemia or as they will have it Emperors of Germany to whom they are now immediately subject VII The Town and Dukedom of LIGNITZ LIGNITZ a fair City on the banks of a small Rivulet call'd Katsbach is thought to have its name from the Lygii City a German people the ancient inhabitants of this part of Silesia About the year of Christ 1170 this Town was much enlarg'd beautified and fortified by Boleslaus the Long the first Duke of Lignitz After him Duke Frideric the second so far improv'd his predecessor Boleslaus's undertakings that in the year 1532 it became one of the best fortified Cities next to Breslaw in all Silesia Things best worth seeing in the Town are the Hospital the Town-Hall and Castle The Dukedom of Lignitz is reckon'd one of the best Corn-Countries in Silesia Dukedom and affords near as great plenty of the Terra Sigillata as the Dukedom of Schweidnitz especially the white sort which is here more plentiful then in any other Province The whole is commonly subdivided into seven Circles whereof four have names from the four Cities of Luben Parchwitz Hayn and Goldberg and the other three are the division of the barren or desert part of the Dukedom VIII The Ducal Cities of JAWER SCHWEIDNITZ BRIEG MONSTERBERG and OPPELEN THE City of Jawer is seated in a pleasant Valley Jawer tho not far distant from the rugged Crags and Mountains which separate Silesia from the Kingdom of Bohemia It has not the advantage of any River near it so that all the fortifications it has are high Rampires and deep Ditches There is little of note in the Town but the Church burnt down in the late Civil Wars A. D. 1648. but rebuilt more stately then before and the Castle wherein resides the Lieutenant of the two Dukedoms of Jawer and Schweidnitz The Emperor Charles IV. King of Bohemia married Ann Daughter of Henry II. Duke of Javer who with his Brother Bolco Duke of Schweidnitz died without issue whereupon these two Dukedoms were more immediately subjected to the Kings of Bohemia in whose hands they still remain To the Dukedom of Javer belong the Towns of Buntzlau Lemberg Schonau Greiffenberg Lahn Fridberg Lubenthal Schmideberg Naumburg upon the Queiss Kupfferberg and Hirschberg 2. SCHWEIDNITZ or Schweinnitz Schweidnitz has its name from the great Herds of wild Swine which were harbour'd in this place before the Forest was cut down in the year 1070. Whence the Arms of the Town are a wild Boar. It was afterwards much enlarged by Boleslaus I. who fortified it with Walls and Rampires and beautified it with several fair buildings so that 't is now one of the finest Cities in Silesia The most remarkable sight in the Town next to the Churches and other publick buildings is the great Gun in the Armory which carries a Bullet of three hundred and twenty pound weight This is by Schickfusius in his Preface to Curaeus's Chronicle of Silesia very improperly reckon'd amongst the great and extraordinary blessings which the Almighty has been pleased to bestow on some of the Cities in Silesia In the Dukedom of Schweidnitz are the Towns of Strigau memorable as we have already acquainted
the Reader for the Terra Sigillata found here in great quantities Reichenbach Polckenhahn Landeshut Freyberg Friedberg Fridland Zobten Waldberg and Gottesberg 3. Brieg BRIEG or Brig has its name from the Polish word Berega which signifies an exceeding high bank of a River such as this City is seated on The streets here are uniform enough and the houses generally built of stone St. Nicholas's Church is an high and stately old Fabrick beautified with two Towers and built after the ancient Franckish mode This whole City excepting only some few publick buildings was laid in ashes by the Hussites who overran a great part of Bohemia and Silesia in the year 1428. In the Dukedom of Brieg are reckon'd the Towns of Strelen Olau Nimptsch Pitschen Creutzburg Loben Michelau and little Oelsse The two Mine-Towns of Reichenstein and Silberberg are jointly subject to the Dukes of Brieg and Lignitz who are both of the same Family and descended from the ancient Hereditary Kings of Poland 4. Monsterberg MONSTERBERG or Munsterberg so called from the Monastery built in this place by the Emperor Henry the first the Founder of this City is seated not far from the head of the River Ola in a pleasant and fruitful plain The Town is neither large nor strong and has nothing in it of note but the School an old Castle and a fair Town-Hall In this Dukedom are the Towns of Franckenstein and Warta to which some Historians and Geographers are pleased to add Hainrichau Tepliwoda and Kamentz 5. OPPELEN is seated in a sandy and dry Oppelen but fruitful Country 'T is subject to the King of Poland who prevail'd with the Emperor to withdraw all his Forces and Subjects hence in the year 1647. Since which time the Citizens of Oppelen and all the Rusticks in the Villages near it speak the Polish language If strong Gates and thick Walls were proof against modern sieges this Town were sufficiently provided against the assaults of an Enemy but otherwise its fortifications are very mean and inconsiderable Among the many Towns and Villages in this Dukedom the most remarkable are little Glogaw Neustat Kosel Beudten Gleibitz Tost Strehlitz Falckenberg Zultz Rosenberg Lublinitz and Schurgast IX The Cities and Dukedoms of GROTKAW JEGERNDORF TROPPAU RATIBOR and TESCHEN CROTKAW is a City of no great 〈◊〉 bulk as its name seems to intimate but so well seated that 't is a proverb in this Country 'T is as impossible as for a Grotkawer to starve or freeze The reason of which expression is grounded upon each Burger's having a plentiful share in the adjacent Corn-fields and neighbouring Woods Most of the Houses in the Town are Wood-buildings only the Church Bishop's Palace and the Town-Hall are of stone The Dukedom of Grotkaw is subject to the King of Bohemia tho sometimes its Lieutenant is a Polander and contains in it the Cities of Neisse a place of great traffick Otmachau Wansen Ziegenhals Freywald Hozenplotz Jawernick Kaltenstein Patschkau Oyest Weidau and Zackmantel The great trade of this Country especially the Citizens of Neisse is in making and selling to the Merchants of Bohemia and Poland a sort of strong and durable Linnen-Cloth for Beds and Bolsters 2. JAGERNDORF Jagerndorf Which signifies in the German language a Village inhabited by Huntsmen and had its name probably from the abundance of all manner of Game in the neighbouring Woods The Moravians call this Town Carnowf whence the Dukedom is ordinarily by Latin Authors nam'd Ducatus Carnoviensis and a Citizen of this place Carnowfsky from the ancient Arms of the City which are a pair of Horns between two great Stones This City with the small Dukedom which bears its name was given by Ludowic King of Hungary and Bohemia to George Marquise of Brandenburg who was at the charges of building the Castle and erecting the other little fortifications that defend the Town DUCATUS SILESIAE GROTGANUS cum Districtu Episcopali NISSENSI To John Nicholls Esq of Trewane in Cornwall this Mapp is Humbly Dedicated by Moses Pitt Notularum Explicatio Vrbs Arx Pagus cum Templo Pagus nobilis Pagus Episcopalis Commenda COMITATUS GLATZ Notae Vrbs Oppidum Pagus cum templo Vicus Arx Auri et argenti fordinae Mons Notabilis Kohloruben Holtz fluesse The inhabitants of these and all other Towns and Villages in the Dukedom observe the same Laws with the Moravians For which reason the greatest part of them have often endeavour'd to associate themselves to the Marquisate of Moravia and renounce all dependance upon the great Dukedom of Silesia but have always been opposed by the Citizens of Troppau who have still been zealous to continue members of their ancient Body 4. RATIBOR is seated in a pleasant plain about six German miles from Oppelen We have no account of it before the year of Christ 1164 so that most Geographers venture to say that 't was built about that time The private dwelling Houses of the Citizens are as in most parts of Silesia generally wooden buildings but the Duke's Palace Cathedral and some other publick buildings are of stone There is still in the City one Popish Monastery and formerly the Jesuits had a great footing in it but since the Reformation that sort of Cattel were driven out of their Harbors The Dukedom of Ratibor which contains the Towns of Oderberg Sora Ribenick Pilzowitz and Mieslowitz was formerly governed by a Duke of its own but upon the death of Duke Valentinus its last Prince who died without issue in the year 1516 it became more immediately subject to the King of Bohemia 5. 〈◊〉 TESCHEN or Tessin is one of the oldest Cities in Silesia said to have been built by Cessimir or Gessimir Son of Lescus III. Duke of Poland A. D. 810 and from him to have had its first name which has since been corrupted into Tessin It is seated on the confines of Silesia Moravia Poland and Hungary whence it comes to pass that its Citizens speak a medly of languages hardly intelligible to any but themselves They have here great store of all sorts of Venison and wild Fowl the Vistula and Elsa afford them plenty of Fish and the Hungarian Merchants bring them in daily vast quantities of Wine Fruit and other Commodities of that Country At one of their Churches they have weekly Divine Service and a Sermon in the Bohemian language and at another the like in High Dutch for of these two Nations the Burgers chiefly consist Here is brew'd Beer of two sorts the one with Wheat and the other with ordinary Barly Malt the latter of these they call Matznotz a sort of drink pleasant enough but mighty strong and heady which too often on their Market-days makes the poor Rusticks commit several outrages and disorders in the height of their jollity In this Dukedom there are several high mountains whereof two Rows are more especially remarkable and taken notice of by Geographers and Historians The first of these are those on the
East of the Dukedom dividing it from the Kingdoms of Hungary and Poland mention'd usually in Latin writers by the name of Montes Carpatii or Hungarici but by the Natives of this Country call'd commonly Jablunka Amongst these Hills the Silesians find the chief treasure of their Great Dukedom having here a great many Mines of Silver and Lead The Miners that inhabit these parts are call'd by their neighbours Die Walachen and are a sort of people much more rough and rustical then the rest of the Silesians A vast company of these Bores in the year 1643 revolted from the Imperialists and fled to the Swedish Army but were not long after reclaim'd The other row of mountains are on the South and divide the Dukedom of Teschen from the Marquisate of Moravia These Hills the Natives call Gesencke but Latin Authors make them a part of the Sudetes and name them Montes Moravici These latter do not afford that plenty of Ore which is found in the former but are tolerably well stock'd with Minerals and some Metals and supply what they fall short of the other in this kind with huge flocks of Sheep which are here pastur'd Other Towns of note in the Dukedom of Teschen are Bielitz Freystattlein Friedick Jablunke which has its name from the Eastern row of mountains abovemention'd Nistkow Strummen Skotschau and Schwartzwasser Some add Lassla with whom agrees J. Scultetus's Map of Silesia but this Town ought rather to be referr'd to the Dukedom of Troppau X. The County and City of GLATZ AMongst the Montes Sudetes lies the County of Glatz County being bounded on the South with Moravia on the West with Bohemia and on the East and North with the Great Dukedom of Silesia For which reason modern Geographers have been at a stand to determine which of the three Nations they should refer it to some of them making it a part of the Kingdom of Bohehemia others esteeming it a petty Province of the Marquisate of Moravia and a third sort who seem to have most probability on their side call it a Silesian County It s ancient inhabitants are thought to have been the Marsigni in whose days the City of Glatz was call'd Luca. After them the Hungarians got possession of this and the neighbouring Provinces and kept it till the Emperor Henry I. routed them and hang'd up their chief Commander in one of the Forests of this County From this great Hungarian Warriour whose name is said to have been Glozar the City of Glatz or Glotz was first named tho other Etymologists think its ancient name to be Klotz which signifies properly the root and trunk of a Tree but is sometimes taken for a large Forest or Copse of Shrubs such as they tell us once grew in the place where Glatz now stands The Nobility of this County have a tradition amongst them that before their Land was conquer'd by Henry the First and made Christian this County was immediately subject to the Emperors of Germany by whom 't was afterwards bestow'd on the Kings of Bohemia M. George Aelurius in his Chronicle of the City and County of Glatz printed in the year 1625 says that 't was as his Countrymen affirm subject at first to the Emperors but afterwards won and enjoy'd for some time by the Princes of Poland from whom the Bohemians took it and as appears from the Records of that Kingdom were Masters of it in the years 1074 and 1114. After this the Dukes of Silesia made themselves Lords of the County of Glatz which within a while return'd to the Kings of Bohemia and then back again to the foresaid Dukes In this state it continued till the days of the Emperor Charles the Fourth in whose reign it was once more subjected to the King of Bohemia And thus it continued till King George about the year 1460 bestow'd the Cities of Glatz Munsterberg and Franckenstein upon his own Sons who thereupon had the Titles of Dukes of Munsterberg and Earls of Glatz conferr'd on them by the Emperor Frideric IV. In the year 1500 the Dukes of Munsterberg sold this Country to Vlric Earl of Hardegg whose successors within less then forty years after sold it again to the Emperor Ferdinand I. who bestow'd it on the Lords of Bernstein From them it descended A. D. 1549 upon Ernest Duke of Bavaria after whose death it return'd again to the Kings of Bohemia in whose possession it continues to this day The Commodities of this Country are Iron Coal Silver-Ore Timber all sorts of Venison and tame Cattel Butter Cheese c. How rich the Country is may hence easily be gather'd that not many years ago the King of Bohemia's Stewards and Rent-gatherers have been known to bring into their Master's Coffers near forty thousand Ricxdollars yearly out of this one County The City of Glatz is a neat and compact Town 〈◊〉 seated in a pleasant plain on the banks of the Neisse but fortified with a strong Castle on the top of a neighbouring Hill which overlooks and commands the Town The great Church is said to have been formerly the Temple of an Idol worshipp'd by the ancient inhabitants of these parts in which as Aelurius tells us the young maids of the Country used to nail up their hair against the walls as was the custom amongst the ancient Romans and that not many years ago several of these kind of Tabulae Votivae were still to be seen The Charter of their City permits their Magistrates to coin money in their own names but they seldom make use of the priviledg any further then to give abroad a kind of small coin little better then the farthings and half-pence lately currant by the authority of no better man then an ordinary Grocer or Chandler in most of our Market-Towns in England Besides Glatz there are the following nine great Towns in this County Havelswerd Neurode Winschelburg Mitselwald Reinertz Lewin Landeck Beurath and Wilhelmsthal or Neustatl besides an hundred fair Villages and upwards MARCHIONATVS MORAVIAE Auct I. Comenio Excudebat Janssonio-Waesbergä Moses Pitt et Stephanus Swart Notularum explicatio Vrbs muris cincla Oppidum Pagus turritus Arx Zamek Castellum â—â—â—z Pagi innominati Monasterium Vinetorum colles Thermae seu aquae medicale Officinae â—â—â—â—aria Auri et Argenti fodinae Ferri fodinae THE MARQUISATE OF MORAVIA MORAVIA is commonly in the Bohemian writers preferr'd before Silesia altho this later be a Dukedom and the other no more then a Marquisate The reason of which preeminence must be ascrib'd either to this Marquisate's having been anciently a Kingdom or else to its being made subject to the Kings of Bohemia before ever the Silesians embraced their yoke The Germans call this Country Mahren and some of their writers would have it nam'd Mehrhenland or Equarum Regio imagining the true Etymology of the word to come from the multitude of Horses or Mares bred in this Marquisate But certainly the word Moravia which is undoubtedly of the same offspring with the
we add the Revenue of all the Demesns immediately subject to these Princes and the Church-lands which after the Reformation were annex'd to the Electoral Estate we may probably find the sum arise much higher But now adays the case is alter'd and the greatest share of the Riches as well as Honours anciciently appropriated to this House is enjoy'd by the Duke of Bavaria The state of Religion 〈◊〉 both in the Upper and Lower Palatinate has been exceedingly chang'd and varied since the first introducing of the Augsburg Confession by Count Frideric II. For Frideric III. set up the Doctrine and Discipline of John Calvin which soon after his death was thrown out by Ludowic V. a restorer of Lutheranism His Son Frideric IV. brought the Calvinists once more in play for the satisfaction chiefly of his beggarly Courtiers who knew no readier way of raising their Fortunes then by invading the Tythes and Glebe with the other poor remainders of the Church's Patrimony By which means the Clergy being reduc'd says Dr. Heylin to miserable short stipends under the name of a Competency became so contemptible and neglected by all sorts of men that at last the Church of the Palatinate was in the same condition with the Church of Israel under the reign of Jeroboam when Priests were made out of the meanest of the people But a Church reduc'd to these straits was not like to be of any durable continuance but to end ere long in misery Accordingly the Bavarians and Spaniards soon after this havock made of the Church fell upon them and took away their ill-gotten Estates and starv'd Religion leaving in the place of the latter the Idolatry and Superstition of the Church of Rome which is to this day openly profess'd in most parts of the Elector Palatine's Dominions notwithstanding his own firm adherence to the Doctrines of the Calvinists The Chief Cities in the Lower PALATINATE HEYDELBERG is the Metropolis of the Lower Palatinate and as some would have it of all Swaben 'T is seated on the Neccar which parts Swaben and Franconia It has its name from a little sort of shrub resembling Myrtle the fruit whereof growing plentifully on the Hills round this City the Germans call Heidelbeeren whence Latin Authors write the name of this Town Myrtillorum mons and Myrtilletum 'T is compass'd round with Hills cover'd with Vines except only towards the West which way you have a good prospect over a large and pleasant plain The Town is neither large nor very populous its chief beauty consisting in one fair street set off with an uniform Market place The Elector's Palace on the ascent of the hill Konigstul which overlooks the whole Town is a stately Fabrick beautified with a great many delicate Gardens Grottoes c. Not far distant from which stands a strong Tower which for its fortifications and heighth is hardly to be parallel'd in the German Empire 'T was formerly call'd Trutzkayser or Defiance to the Emperor but since the restauration of the late Elector that disobliging name has been abolish'd and 't is now call'd from some new Works made round it in form of a Star Stern-schantz or Star-fort But the most remarkable thing in this Palace and indeed in Heydelberg is the great Wine-fat Great Tun mention'd by all that travel this Country under the name of the Tun at Heydelberg That which is now to be seen in an outer building near the Palace was built by the order of the last Elector Charles-Ludowic and far exceeds any of the former It contains above 204 Fudder of Wine which amounts to about 200 Tun of our English measure Instead of Hoops it is built with large Trees of knee Timber like the ribs of a Ship which have several Inscriptions painted and carv'd upon them and are supported by carv'd pedestals Upon one side of the Vessel you have a handsom Stair-case leading to the top where you meet with a Gallery set round with Ballisters three and forty steps from the ground Before the year 1664 in which year this was built the old Tun tho one of the wonders of the German Nation was not comparable to this 'T was encircled with great Hoops of Iron each of which are said to have weigh'd 12200 pound It contain'd only 132 Fudder of Wine and there were no more then seventeen steps to the stop The University was founded by Count Rupert in the year 1387 Vniversity tho some will needs have it ten years older and others near forty It is still much frequented and has given education to many eminent men in former days Witness R. Agricola Munster H. Buschius Xylander Paul Cisner Pacius Franciscus Junius P F. Smetius Freherus and Janus Gruterus In the great Church Library dedicate to the Holy Ghost was formerly kept the Elector's Library of which the learned Scaliger in one of his Epistles to Janus Gruterus gives this account Indicem Bibliothecae vestrae sedulo legi Locupletior est meliorum Librorum quam Vaticana One great part of this Collection was the Library of the Monastery of Sponheim to which says Trithemius in a Letter to Damius Curtensis A.D. 1507 no Library in the German Empire is worthy to be compar'd either for the rarity or multitude of Books especially its Manuscripts in the Hebrew Greek Latin Chaldaean Arabic Indian Russian Tartarian Italian French German and Bohemian languages But this Treasure of Learning was siezed on and plunder'd by the Spanish forces who took Heydelberg in the year 1620. At which time a considerable number of choice Books were trodden to dirt and the rest carried over the Alps to the Vatican where they may still be seen in a long Gallery over against the Duke of Vrbin's Library 2. WORMES Wormes tho more immediately subject to the Bishop of that place is reckon'd the second Town in the Lower Palatinate Freher a man admirably skill'd in the Antiquities of this Country says that 't was anciently the Metropolis of the Vangiones the old inhabitants of these parts and that within these few years was to be seen this Inscription in Capital Letters over the Peacock-Gate SPECULA VANGIONUM But Cluverius tells us it s old name was Bormitomagus or Borbetomagus corrupted afterwards into Vorvetomagus Vorvemagus Vormagia Guarmacia and at last Wormacia The Imperial Chamber was formerly kept here and in those days Worms was one of the most considerable Towns in the Empire Munster says that in his time 200 Cities Great Towns and Villages lay so near this City that their inhabitants could daily bring into Worms such provision as their Country afforded and return home at night to their respective dwellings But the many calamities which this place and the neighbourhood underwent in the Civil Wars of Germany and by the late incursions of the French forces not to mention the miseries they have suffer'd by the often rebellion of the Citizens against their Bishop have mightily alter'd the case and there is now nothing of
the Eastern banks of the Rhine is a Province of no large extent but exceedingly fruitful in Corn Wine and Hemp. The Country is every-where very populous and the Villages so thick that the whole Marquisate has been by some compared to one continued City with fair Gardens interlac'd among the buildings Entz 〈◊〉 Wirmb Phintz and the other Rivers afford plenty of Fish And the Chases and Parks are so well stock'd with Venison and Fowl that what the Nobility in other parts of the German Empire covet as a delicacy the Rustics of Baden have for their ordinary food The Merchants of Amsterdam Antwerp and other great trading Towns in the Netherlands furnish themselves hence with those vast quantities of Flax and Hemp which they transport into foreign Nations so that what passes for Holland Flax here in England grows for the most part in the Marquisate of Baden and is brought thence down the Rhine There are in this Country whole Woods of Chesnut Trees which feed their great Herds of Swine at a cheaper rate then the Hog-Merchants of Whestphalia who buy their Chesnuts at Bremen can afford to do The Quarries give the inhabitants an advantage of building fair Houses with a small cost 〈◊〉 providing them with a good Free-stone and Marble of all colours Amongst these especially in the County of Sponheim they sometimes find Agat which is here rarely polish'd and sent into foreign Countries 〈◊〉 But this Marquisate is most peculiarly happy in the multitude and goodness of its hot Baths and Mineral-waters especially at Baden of which more anon 〈◊〉 From the vast conflux of the Nobility from all parts of the Empire to these Baths we may reasonably imagine that the complaisant carriage towards strangers which we find every-where practis'd by the inhabitants of this Country has in a great measure proceeded from their conversation with strangers who flock hither upon the strong conceit they have of the more then ordinary virtues of these waters They are generally a stout and hardy people inur'd to labour and toil or the severities of a Camp from their their Cradle Hence they come to be reckon'd as good Soldiers as any in the Emperor's Dominions And 't is not a little Honour the Country has got this last year 1681 in having their Marquise Herman made choice of to succeed the late famous Commander Montecuculi in the place of General of all the Imperial Forces No question the Marquises of this Country are descended of an ancient stock of Princes Marquises but of what old Family they are to be reputed a branch the German Heraulds can scarce determine Some fetch them from the Vrsins and others from the House of Della Scala or the Scaligers Some again labour to prove that Baden and Hochberg are different Families and others that they are but one Other Genealogists tell us that the Emperor Frideric Barbaressa brought Herman Marquise of Verona out of Italy and made him the first Marquise of Hochberg and Baden A. D. 1155. Which will very ill agree with what the best High Dutch Historians report of a Monastery being founded by Herman Marquise of Baden in his Village of Backenau A. D. 1116 which was confirm'd by Bruno Bishop of Spire in the year 1122. The most probable opinion is that they are descended from the ancient Counts of Vindonissa and Altemburg in Switzerland from whom also the Dukes of Zeringuen and Tek the Counts of Habspurg and the Arch-Dukes of Austria derive their original At present there are two Families of the Marquises of Baden whereof one is a profess'd Lutheran and the other a zealous Papist For this reason their interests seem different the Marquise of Durlach associating himself with the Count Palatine the Marquise of Brandenburg the Duke of Wirtenberg and the Count of Solms and the Marquise of Baden with the Dukes of Bavaria Savoy and Lorrain and the Princes of Hohernzollern Each of these Princes stiles himself Marquise of Baden and Hochberg Landgrave of Sausenberg Earl of Sponheim and Eberstein Lord of Rotel Badenweiler Lohr and Mahlberg The Chief Cities in the Marquisate of BADEN BADEN is the Metropolis of this Marquisate Baden and has its name from the vast number of Hot Baths in this place which are said to be above three hundred The Town stands amongst Hills on a craggy and uneven spot of ground so that there 's hardly a strait and plain street in it Some of the Baths are scalding hot and all of them running out of Rocks of Brimstone Salt and Allum have the same tast One of them is call'd the Kettle out of which the water boils at a wonderful rate reeking as if set over a Furnace These waters are reckon'd soveraign medicines for several diseases especially the Cramp and Gout both which distempers have been admirably cur'd by them For this reason there is a continual resort of the German Nobility and Gentry who flock hither in as great companies during the whole Summer as our English Gentry are wont to do to Bath in Somersetshire See Joh. Keiffer's description of the Baths of this Country 2. Durlach DURLACH is seated on the bank of the River Psintz at the bottom of a high hill on the top whereof stands a Tower wherein contintial watch is kept for the security of the City The streets in this Town are generally fair and strait and the buildings stately and uniform The Marquise's Palace far excells that at Baden and is large enough to receive the Court and Attendants of the greatest Monarch in Europe There is a Gymnasium kept up by some few Professors who read public Lectures in the several Faculties But that which is most worthy a Scholar's sight is the rare Collection of ancient Coins and Meddals in the Marquise's Cabinet and the Library adjoining wherein are some pieces of good note 3. PFORTZHEIM says Rhenanus Pfortzheim was anciently call'd Orcynheim and by Latin Authors Porta Hercyniae because 't is seated at the entrance into the Schwartzwald a part of the Hercynian Forest as you travel from Spire On one side of the Town you have fair Meadows Pasture-grounds and Corn-fields but the other side is nothing but Mountains and Woods This Town was formerly subject to the Dukes of Schwaben but fell afterwards upon the death of Conradine the last Duke of that Country into the hands of the Marquises of Baden who are now Lords of it 4. GERSBACH is a Town of no great extent Gersbach having in it only two Churches whereof one is frequented by Lutherans and the other by Papists The Marquises of Baden as Counts of Eberstein a Castle not far from this Town have here a Palace and Court of Judicature for the determining all Controversies and Law-suits arising within the bounds of this small County 5. BADENWEILER a City betwixt Freyburg and Basil Badenweiler is a part of the Marquisate of Baden tho seated in the Territories of Brisach The hot Baths of this