assurances from the Mufti that any Rebellion shall be raised there speedily Come we now to the grand Query Whither matters are like to last at the same rate they are now at in Danmark p. 264. Our Author would willingly have it resolv'd in the Negative and gives important reasons why it should be so And more important why it should not be so Let us see his self-encounter at pro and con and the mighty tumults and bustles raised in our Authors fallacious Judgment p. 264. First That natural Love of Liberty eminent in the antient Goths and Vandals perswade him to think of a change ib. But alas the Love of Liberty which was that of Knight â—rrantry and Rambling to seek their Fortunes in foreign Countries being now quite extinct in the North they find sufficient conveniencies at home where Obedience to their Prince secures their Ease and is preferr'd by them before those brisk Traverses as he calls them which commotions would occasion p. 267. So Love of Liberty might do something but that Duty prevails Well but again may not the freshness and newness of this alteration of their condition produce an alteration in the Government p. 265. Why truly no because he finds it to have little or no influence upon the people who are wonderfully well pleas'd both with one and t'other So that if the Father should propose any methods of change to his Son he would not be heard by him with patience pâ— 268. Buâ—â— however to try again What should hinder the Swedes who have their Eye upon Danmark from introducing Liberty p. 266. Why truly they use their own Subjects so ill and there is such a â—â—â—t hatred betwixt these two Nations that the Danes are resolv'd to keep them out as long as they are able p. 2â—8 The last hope then is in the numerousness of the Royal Family for there being four Princes it will be rare if Concord be maintained among them all p. 266. And thence something in favour of Liberty might arise 'T is a thousand pities that matters should not be brought to this pass But such is the Wickedness of this cursed Soil that those Jealousies which use to reign in the Families of Princes are not so common nor fatal in these parts as elsewhere p. 270. Besides there is a terrible thing call'd Unity of Religion p. 268. which spoils all manner of hopes and cuts away the very root of Sedition So then the sum of the grand controversy amounts to this That the Government of Danmark might be shaken were it not supported by a firm security from foreign attempts by a mutual concord in the Royal Family by the Ease Content Loyalty and Religion of the Subject in a word by all the Blessings and Cements which make Governments happy and consequently will render this of Danmark fixt and durable Since nothing hitherto will do the work what if this Author could get his Account translated into the Danish Tongue might not that when publisht have so blessed an effect as to occasion a change not only in their Condition but also in their Masters Why truly whatever his aim may have been nearer home and though it has been printed in English yet he has not perswaded his Countrymen to endeavour an alteration in either of theirs So that if the present State of both Kingdoms be fixt and durable then his Book poor Gentleman has lost its design and he his labour FINIS Books Printed for and sold by Tho Bennet at the Half Moon in St. Pauls Church-yard FOLIO's Athenae Oxonienses Or an exact History of all the Writers and Bishops who have had their Education in the University of Oxford from 1500. to the end of 1690. Representing the Birth Fortunes Preferments and Death of all those Authors and Prelates the great Accidents of their Lives with the Fate and Character of their Writings The Work being so Compleat that no Writer of Note of this Nation for near two hundred years past is omitted In Two Volumes A New Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam by Monsieur de la Loubere Envoy Extraordinary from the French King to the King of Siam in the Years 1687 1688. Wherein a full and curious Account is given of their Natural History as also of their Arithmetick and other Mathematick Learningâ— In two Tomes Illustrated with Sculptures Done out of French By A. P. Fellow of the Royal Society The Works of Mr. Abraham Cowley The Eighth Edition To which is added The Cutter of Colemanstreer Never before Printed in any Edition of his Works Sir William D'avenants Works Dr. Pocock's Commentary on the Prophets Joel Micah Malachi and Hosea Voyages and Adventures of Ferdinand Pinto who was five times Shipwrakt sixteen times sold and thirteen times made a Slave in AEthiopia China c. Written by himself The Second Edition 1693. Quarto's A Critical History of the Text and Versions of the New Testament wherein is firmly Established the Truth of those Acts on which the Foundation of Christian Religion is laid In Two Parts By Father Simon of the Oâ—atory Together with a â—â—â—uâ—ation of such Passages as seem contrary to the Doctrine and Practice of the Church of England The Works of the Learned Or an Historical Account and Impartial Judgment of the Books newly Printed both Foreign and Domestick Together with the State of Learning in the World By J. de la Crose a late Author of the Universal Bibliotheques The first Volume is finished with compleat Indexes A Sermon before the King and Queen By the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Worcester The Bishop of Châ—â—ter's Charge to his Clergy at at his Primary Visitution May 5. 1691. and his Sermon before the King and Queen 1694. Five Sermons before the King and Queen By Dr. Mâ—ggot Dean of Winchester Two Sermons One before the Honourable House of Commons on a Thanksgiving in November 1691â— The other before the King and Queen in November 1692. By Dr. Jane Dean of Gloucester Three Sermons One on a Thanksgiving the two others before the King and Queen By Dr. Talbot Dean of Worcester Mr. Atterbury's Sermon before the Queen at White-â—all May 29. 1693. Dr. Resbury's three Sermons before the Queen A Discourse â—ent to the Late King James to perswade â—â—â— to embrace the Protestant Religion By Sam. Parker late Lord Bishop of Oxon. To which are perfixed two Letters the first from Sir Lionel Jenkins on the same Subject the second from the said Bishop with the Discourse All Printed from the Original Manuscripts The Plagiary Exposed or an old Answer to a newly revived Calumny against the Memory of King Charles the first under the Title of Colonel Ludlows Letter By Mr. Butler Author of Hudibras Never brfore Printed A short Defence of the Orders of the Church of England By Mr. Luke Milbourn The first Book of Virgill's AEneis Made English by Mr. Luke Milbourn The Reasons of Mr. Bayes's Changing his Religion In Three Parts By Mr. Tho. Brown Novus Reformator
he tells us with great pomp p. 43. that Poland alone has preserved its Parliament whereas every one must acknowlege it would be a happy Country if it had the oppertunity to lose it As for all other Countries whatsoever except that and our own he tell us ib. they have lost their Parliaments within this last age This cannot be true for though Danmark has lost its Diet yet Sweden retains it still and such a one was summoned but the last year Spain and Portugal have the same sort of Government they have had this several hundred years how can he then say that all Kingdoms in this last age have lost their Parliaments Besides as for Bohemia Hungary and the rest of the Emperors Hereditary Provinces although the Government is pretty absolute on the Princes side yet there is every where a Convocation of the States of the Country But I would fain know of him whether he believes there is such a place as Ratisbone and whether he thinks the Germans send their Deputies thither for nothing England had indeed been happy if this Gentlemans opinion had been true that its Parliaments had met with no Interruption in thâ—â— last age but whatever his thoughts may be our Parliament was properly lost for several years together from before the Death of King Charles the first till the Restoration of his Son for 't is impossible in nature to have that assembly in its true perfection without a King in his full Prerogative and Splendor Danmark has some years since upon very important considerations laid aside the Assembly of the States and given their King a greater extent of Power in that particular than his Predecessors formerly enjoyed Not but that the King did before enjoy very signal prerogatives and throughout all the Northern Histories it is easy to show that strict Obedience and an entire Submission to their Prince hath been reigning there from immemorial times nor hath it ever so much as been known what a Republick was There has indeed a controversy been started by Historians whether in remote ages the Kingdom of Danmark has been hereditary or elective there are weighty Reasons for the Inheritance at least if custom and prescription be such seeing Successors of the Royal Family have come always to the Crown insomuch that if we look back as far as Saxo's fabulous times we shall always find the Son succeeding his Father or if the Son has been wanting another of the same race has been made King Upon the Death of a Prince the Estates constantly met together but it was with their Voices to confirm the next Heir and not to elect another of any other Family whatsoever for there cannot be one Instance given through all the Danish History where the Royal Family was excluded and a private man though endowed with never so many excellent qualities exalted to the Throne the example of Hiarne recorded by Saxo does not argue for those times being fabulous the story cannot be much relyed on and it is likewise to be observed that it was even then supposed that the Prince and Heir was killed in Russia Besides it is more improbable because they say he was made King for his Poetry Poets being persons that seldom arrive at such Riches and Preferments It is not to be denied but that the Danes sometimes may have renounced their Allegiance to their King or rebelled against him but those instances are extreamly few in comparison of such as may be found in the English or other Histories When these Facts have been committed they have been so far from being justified afterwards that the Danes have ever looked upon them as their greatest misfortunes And nothing can more evidently demonstrate to an English-man that Faith which the Danes naturally bear to their Prince than the Hatred they have expressed against the villanous Act of the Regicides who commited the horrid Murther of King Charles the first The book called Englands Black Tribunal being translated into their Tongue has by several editions given them such a sufficient account of it as makes them universally detest it In the alliance between the two Crowns February 13 1660. It was agreed in the 5th Article that if any of those Regicides were found either in Danmark or Norway they should presently be delivered up to the King of England Nay if a Dane would pretend to fix any Crime upon the English it is thâ—s you have killed your King And as all Nations have some word or other of Reproach their highest passion can give an English-man no worse than that of Rump But to come yet nigher to our Authot let us consider what rebellious sort of People he would make the Danes and in order to this let us wait upon one of our Danish Kings from his Election to the Scaffold It seems when a former Prince was murthered a King was presently chosen by the People of all sorts even the Boors had their voices p. 43. They were to elect such a Person as to them appeared personable valiant affable c. and adorn'd with all other virtues A very peculiar method The Boors undoubtedly were made Judges of his Civility and Breeding and the Citizens Wives were brought in to consider his Person as to his inward qualifications it was impossible for the Mob to look into them on the sudden and if the former were admitted these were thrown into the bargain Regard was generally had to the family of the preceeding Kings and sometimes they pleased to choose the Eldest Son because the greatness of his Paternal Estate might enable him in some degree to support his Office So that if the Father dyed in debt the Son was sure to be disinherited but if we had kept his Estate together then the young man might possibly get into the Throne and having a tolerable fortune of his own with that together with some few perquisites of the Crown he might pay his Tradesmen and as this Author says of the King p. 46. might live like one of our Modern Noblemen upon the Revenues of his own Estate After the good fortune of his Promotion if they found themselves mistaken in their choice and that they had advanced a cruel vicious tyrannical covetuous or wastful Person they frequently deposed him oftentimes banished sometimes destroyed him and this either formally by making him answer before the representative body of the People or if by ill practices levying of Souldiers contracting of Alliances to support himself in oppoâ—â—tion to the Peoples Rights he was grown too powerful to be legally contended with they dispatched him without any more Ceremony the best way they could p. 44 45. We see here that there were five Crimes for which the Kings of Danmarkâ— by this Authors Laws were to stand corrected deposing being but a slight punishment that was made use of frequently therefore we will suppose ten or a dozen gone that way Banishment he puts in the next degree and that he says they were Sentenced to oftentimes
Men may talk of Barbadoes and Negroes but the Danes are never us'd so much like Slaves as when they meet with some sort of Envoys According to the account hitherto of People in all stations one would imagine the Beggars to be innumerable but it seems that you will scarce see a Beggar in the streets of Copenhagen except before some Burghers door who that day gives Alms to the poor of his Parish For all the poor People of a Parish go about one day to one another to another Citizen â—ho knows his day when he is to give them Mâ—at or Money both for Diâ—ner and Supper If any other Beggar is seen in the street an Officer carries him immediately to Prison or Punishment After what has been said concerning the state of all sorts of persons even to the meanâ—st who do not appear to want acomfortable subsistence what man will not presently agree with the Author when he says Danmark at present is but competently peopled p. 88. Vexation of Spirit ill Diet and Poverty being great obstructions to Procreaâ—ion and the Peasants who before used to have a large piece of Plate or two Gold Rings Silver Spoons c. not having them now or indeed any other utensil of value unless it be Featherbeds whereof there are better and in greater plenty than in any place he ever saw I should have imagin'd Featherbeds to have been as proliâ—ick a piece of Furniture as Gold Rings and Silver Porringers However the People have continued much about the same number for these two or three hundred years As to the Multitudes that have been there heretofore this may be observed that since from all the three Northern Kingdoms Danmark Norway and Sweden and the adjacent Provinces near the Elbe and Weser so many swarms went out so often to conquer and inhabit other more fertile and Southern Countries it is probable at last so great deductions might exhaust the number as Saxo Grammaticus in his eighth Book in the Life of King Sâ—io says that when the Lombards went out of Danmark in the great famine and dearth that reigned then the Kingdom was so deserted that great Woods and Forests grew up in maâ—y places where before had been fertile ground and to this day the signs of the Plough are to be seen among the Trees Another great reason is attributed to the Plague called the Black Death that ravaged all the Northern Kingdoms in the year 1348. when so many died that scarce the tenth man was left to till the ground Our Author gives another reason why they are not so numerous as formerly for discontent kills 'em and 't is usual to have them die of a Slatch which is an Apoplexy proceeding from trouble of mind The Falling Sickness is more common in the Northern Kingdoms than with us but not to that degree that our Author talks of p. 90. And their Apoplexies are not half so â—atal as they have been in England within these few years 'T is scarce reconcileable that people should die in such number for discontent whom in the beginning of the Chapter he describes p. 75. as taken up with a dull pleasure of being careless and insensible Let us proceed to the description of their Diet in which the Reader may eâ—pâ—ct exactness seeing our Author all along seems to have been a good Trencher-man Their Tables are usually well furnished with Dishes yet he cannot commend their cheer p 92. Other English-men have mightily commended their Cheer and never complained of the Leanness of their Meat The truth is the Danes like it the better for not being very fat the greatest fault which they and other strangers find with the English Meat is that it is too fat which disagrees with most of ' em This may be one reason and perhaps a better than that of Properly not being secure why they have not been over diligent to Introduce the Faâ—ning of Tame Fowl it being an Art not known to above two or three in Copenhagen And yet Fat Capons were in Danmark and Norway long before any English-man brought in the Cramming Manufacture p. 92. Beef and Veal p. 42. he allows them Wether Mutton is scarce and seldom good not so scarce or bad though not in such plenty or so fat as in England Wild Ducks taste as well as in England Plovers they have but do not care for but Snipes and other Sea Fowl in abundance through all Danmark According to him here are no wild Pheasants Woodcocks Rabbits or Fallow Deer Red Deer being the Kings game not to be bought for mony What game is permitted by Law to be sold in our English Markets Wild Pheasants are not there as yet but the Prince Royal having a Nursery of tame ones near Copenhagen and they increasing prodigiously it is thought they will soon grow wild and common Their Woodcocks call'd Agerhons are most delicious in Danmark They have all sorts of Venison in plenty and perfection nor is it kept so strictly for the Kings own use but that it is very often to be had among any people of Fashion For the King's Huntsmen have great priviledges in this case and most of the Nobility and Gentry having their Game in the Country can communicate enough of all sorts to their â—riends Rabbits the Danes have but they do not care for them they not being so good as in England but Hares are plenty and the Author says good p. 92. As likewise their Bacon excellent As to their Fish I have spoke before Their Butter is very good and they have Melons Grapes Peaches and all sorts of Sallads in great perfection However in general their way of Cookery would hardly be pleasing to an Englishman p92 93. The â—anes generally roast and boil their Meat more than the English If you call their's over-roasted they would say yours was raw but this might easily be adjusted Their Broaths and Soops are extraordinary I fancy together with them a man might contrive a Good Dinner and a Desert out of what has been mentioned To Consumate the Entertainment The Liquors are Rhenish-wine Cherry-Brandy and all sorts of French Wine p. 93. The Fair Sex do not refuse them in such a quantity as is agreable to their health and becoming their Sex and Modesty The men are fond of them p. 93. more addicted to drinking perhaps than is necessary But for these Twenty years last past that Humor has declined and does in some measure continue to do so daily There are some few other Customs of the Danish Nation which He represents after his fashion and so concludes Their Marriages are usually preceeded by Contracts p 94. and there is some Interval between that and the Wedding according to the conditions of the Persons What he says concerning three four or more years before they proceed to a Publick Wedding by the Minister p. 94. is to introduce his following Scandal upon the young People That often the young Couple grow better acquainted before such formalities are