A SKETCH OF THE Affairs and Constitution of Germany. GE ERMANY is certainly a very powerful Nation, and abounds in men, money, and arms. There is not fo much as one Free Town, or Imperial City (as they are fometimes called) but has a great deal of money in its treafury: it is generally faid that Strasbourg alone has feveral millions of Florins in bank. The reafon of this is, that those Free towns are at little or no expence in any thing, but in laying up military fores and making good their fortifications: and when these are once put in a defenfible condition, they coft but little to keep them fo. The provifion made for this purpose is fuch, that they always have victuals, firing, and other ftores beforehand, in their Magazines, fufficient to ferve them a whole year. Their manufactures likewife enable them to employ all their poor, and fuch as live upon their own labour, during the time of a Siege, though it fhould laft twelve months, without any burden to the public. Their Soldiery is not very expenfive to them; for all the inhabitants that are capable of bearing arms have proper weapons put into their hands, and are well difciplined in the use of them and on holidays, instead of other diverfions, fome of them are taught to handle the pike, fome the mufket, and others ftill in the exercife of other forts of arms; in which, those that excel are honoured VOL. I. 5 L with 1 with fome prize, or other mark of distinction, which is the chief their charge. So that in every Free town the public Treasury is rich [a]. part of The private people amongst them are alfo rich, because they live frugally, and spend very little in their cloaths, buildings, or houfhold furniture. If they have bread and meat enough, and a stove to warmthemselves in cold weather, they are contented, and defire nothing more.. Their cloaths in general do not coft them above two florins in ten years [6]; none of them giving themselves the least trouble in feeking: after any thing but what they immediately want; and their wants are much fewer than ours. Hence it comes to pass that Hence it comes to pafs that very little money goes out of Germany, every man being contented with what his own country produces: on the contrary, a great deal is brought into it by thofe, that come thither to buy their manufactures, with which Italy is in a manner wholly supplied; and their gains are very confiderable, as their exports are altogether manufactured by themselves, and the materials of which they confift are bought exceeding cheap at the first hand. Thus they live in their native liberty and fimplicity: for which reason they are always loth to ferve as Soldiers, except they are tempted by extraordinary pay; and that is not always fufficient, unless they are likewife in fome measure obliged to it by their Governors. The Emperor therefore has more occafion for money in his wars than almost any other Prince: for the more eafe men enjoy, the more unwilling they are to turn Soldiers. As things are now circumftanced. in Germany, the Free towns and the Princes of the Empire muft unite their forces with thofe of the Emperor, before he can hope to fucceed in any enterprize of importance: but if they cannot both agree to act in concert with him, it would be fufficient for his purpose if either fide would join him. Neither of them, however, defire to fee his power any greater: for if he should once get poffeffion of the Free towns, he would quickly overpower the Princes, and reduce them to fuch a degree of Subjection, that he might afterwards employ their whole ftrength whether they would or not; as Lewis. XI. of France did, who having got the Free States of that kingdom into his hands, foon found means to fubdue fome of his Barons, and to take off the heads of others; by which he reduced them [a] See the tenth Chapters of the Prince and Examen. [6] This feems incredible, as a Strasbourg Florin is valued at no more than one Shilling and eight pence Sterling. If one might be allowed a conjecture, Machiavel probably faid ten florins in two years, which, by the hafte or negligence of some tranfcriber, might be inverted. But all the printed copies that the Editor of this tranflation has been able to get a fight of, fay, Spendonfi in dosso duoi fiorim in dieci anni, i. e. They lay out two florins in ten years upon their backs. The value of money was much greater, it is certain, at that time, than it is at present; but not in such a proportion as to make this account credible. all all to that abject and fervile condition they are in at prefent.-The very fame would happen to the Free towns, in cafe the Emperor fhould humble the Princes firft. But fuch is the diverfity of interefts and humours in that country, that the Free towns and the Princes can feldom or never agree in any thing: it may be faid in general, however, that they all regard the Swifs as their common enemies; and that the Emperor looks upon the Princes in particular with a jealous eye. Now it may appear strange perhaps, that the Swifs and the Free towns should not accord, as they both have the fame views; that is, only to preserve their liberties, and to defend themselves against the ambition of the Princes. But this may be eafily accounted for, when we confider that the Swifs are not only as jealous of the Princes as the Free towns are, but cannot endure any fort of Nobility or Gentry whatsoever: and indeed they have none of either kind in their own country, but live in perfect liberty and equality, without fhewing the leaft deference or distinction to any man, except their Magiftrates. This levelling difpofition makes the Nobility and Gentry who refide in the Free towns fo afraid of the Swifs, that they make it their constant endeavour to foment fufpicions and animofities by all manner of artifices betwixt them and their countrymen. Befides which, there is a natural fort of envy betwixt the Soldiery of those, towns and the Swifs, because the former think they are not fo much esteemed: fo that whenever they happen to serve together in the fame army, they are fure to quarrel, and perhaps, come to blows. There is little or no occafion to add any thing concerning the ill will which the Princes of the Empire bear to the Free towns as well as to the Swifs, or of the jealoufy with which the Emperor looks upon those Princes; as these things are already fufficiently known to the world. Bat it must not be omitted, that the Emperor being more afraid of the Princes than of either of the other two, and not able of himself to curb their power, has fometimes had recourse to the Free towns, and fometimes even to the Swifs themselves (in whom he has feemed to put fome degree of confidence of late) for fuccours to humble them. So that when all these general averfions and diffenfions are confidered, as well as the particular picques and fufpicions that fubfift, not only betwixt the Princes, but even betwixt the Free towns themfelves, it must feem a very difficult matter to unite the Empire in fuch manner as to be of any great fervice to an Emperor, that has any enterprize of moment upon his hands. And though any one that reflects upon the ftrength of Germany in general, may be inclined to think the Emperor is capable of doing vaft things, because there is no Prince at prefent that either can or dare oppofe him, as there used to be formerly: yet let 5L 2 him him confider, at the fame time, that if he is not oppofed, it must still be a great difappointment and impediment to him not to be affifted by fuch Princes. For, admitting that no one Prince is now powerful enough to make war upon him, or openly to thwart his meafures, he may however refufe to furnish him with fupplies; or if he dares not: do that, he may break his word, or at least be fo dilatory in fending them, that they will be of no use and any one of thefe fteps is fuff eient to embarrass, or even defeat moft enterprizes. Accordingly, when the Emperor determined the firft time to have marched into Italy, in fpite of the French and Venetians, the Free towns, in a diet held at Conftance, promised to furnish him with a very confiderable army of foot, befides three thousand horfe: but after all, the forces which they fent him, never amounted to five thoufand in the whole. For when thofe arrived that were promised by one town, others were returning home, upon a pretence that the time was expired which they had contracted for: fome again fent money instead of foldiers; and feveral made other excufes: fo that, as he was never able to collect forces fufficient at one time to proceed in that expedition, it entirely mifcarried. The Free towns contribute much more without doubt to the ftrength of Germany, than the Princes, who are of two forts, that is, temporal and spiritual. The temporal are reduced to a very low ebb of power, partly by adhering to the ancient cuftom of dividing their dominions amongst their children (for every fon has a fhare of the Principality at the death of his father) and partly by the Emperor, who at laft has found means to humble them by the affiftance of the Free towns: fo that they are but feeble allies. As to the Ecclefiaftical Princes, if they are not hurt by the divifion of their inheritances, they are brought fo low by the ambition of the great towns in their states, (which is continually fomented by the Emperor) that they have but little power over those towns. Hence it comes to pafs, that being' divided at home, they could not give the Emperor any confiderable affiftance, even if they were fo inclined.But to proceed to the Free and Imperial towns, which are the main ftrength of the Empire; as they are opulent and well governed. These communities are fo far from being ambitious to make any new conquefts, that they are become much cooler than they used to be in the defence of their own liberties and what they do not afpire to themselves, they are not very forward in endeavouring to procure for others. Befides, as there are fo many of them, and every one independent on the reft, their fupplies (when they vouchsafe to fend any) are too tardy to be of any material fervice of which we had a fufficient proof not many years ago, when the |