the Cities, Towns, and Villages in Germany. The Inhabitants as warlike as numerous, steddy and constant in their Humour.
2. In the point of strength the Country first to be considered.
3. That it is well stored with what will carry on a Trade; its principal Commodities; yet Germany wants Money.
4. The Strength of the Empire compared with the Turks, to whom a fourth part is equal.
5. With Italy, Denmark, England, Holland, Spain, Sweden, and France.
6. The Strength of Germany compared with its Neighbours united against her.
7. Germany weak by reason of its irregular Form or Constitution: Monarchy the best and most lasting Government, wherein the Strength of a System of States consists; the Leagues between Kings and Commonwealths seldom lasting.
8. The Diseases of Germany. The Princes and the Emperor distrust each other; and the States are embroiled one with another.
9. The Differences of Religion cause great Disturbances. The Princes of Germany enter into Foreign and Domestick Leagues. The want of Justice, and of a common Treasure. The Emulations and Contests between the Princes and States of Germany. <xvi>
CHAP. VIII.
Of the German State-Interest.
1. The Remedies of these Diseases enquired into.
2. The Remedies prescribed by Hippolithus a Lapide.
3. His Six Rules Six Remedies.
4. The Author’s own Remedies proposed: The German State nearest to a System of States: The Empire cannot be transferr’d to another Family.
5. The Opinions of some great men concerning the different Religions in Germany.
6. Contempt and Loss exasperate men greatly.
7. The Tempers of the Lutherans and Calvinists of Germany, and their Differences with each other.
8. The Temper of the Roman Catholicks: The Reason of inventing the Jesuite’s Order.
9. Some Considerations on the excessive Revenues of the Church in the Popish States: Our Author pretends to be a Venetian.
10. The Protestant Princes are well able to justifie what they have done with relation to the Revenues of the Church. The Conclusion.
Of the Origine of the German Empire.
The ancient Bounds of Germany.
1. GERMANY [Germania magna] of old was bounded |[to the East by the Danube, to the West by the Rhine]|,a towards Poland1 it had then the same bounds it has now, and all the other parts were washed by the Ocean; so that then under this Name, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were included, with all the Countries to the Botner Sea;2 which three Kingdoms [partes] were by most of the ancient Writers call’d by the name of Scandinavia. <This is still so in the case of Scania,3 the province first encountered by those coming from the Continent and, for this reason, first frequented by outsiders, whose name seems to have been extended to the whole peninsula.> But then, I think, the Countries on the East of that Bay [of Bothnia], were not rightly ascribed to, or included in, the bounds of the ancient Germany; for the <2> present Finlanders have a Tongue so different from that spoken by the Swedes and other Germans, as clearly shews that Nation to be of another extraction. To this I may add, that what Tacitus4 writes of the Manners of the most Northern Germans, will not all agree with the Customs of the Finlanders, but is wonderfully agreeable to those of the Laplanders, who to this day live much after the same manner. It is probable therefore, that the Finni mentioned by the Ancients were the Estoitlanders in Livonia.5 Nor is it any wonder that Tacitus should not write very distinctly of this People, they being then [the most Northern Nation that was ever heard of, and]+ known only by an obscure Fame or general Report.
The present Bounds.
These Northern Countries have however for many Ages been under distinct Kings of their own [ruled separately], so that Germany has been taken to reach only to the Baltick Sea; and even here the King of Denmark has deprived it of a considerable part of the Promontory of Jutland [the Cimbrian Peninsula], which he claims as a part of his Kingdom, tho’ it lieth on this side of the Sound or Mouth of the Baltick Sea.6 But then [as if] by way of Reprisals she has enlarged her Borders to the South-East, beyond the Danube, to the Borders of Italy and Illyrica,7 and beyond the Rhine, to the West and North [cis Rhenum],8 she has gained [both the Alsatia’s, Lorrain, and the 17 united Provinces, which last were formerly called Gallia Belgica].a <Yet a significant portion thereof has recently been joined by the French to their kingdom again.>9
The ancient State of it.
2. This vast Tract of Land was in those early times possessed by various Peoples <3> and Nations, who were much celebrated on the account of their numbers and valour; yet each of them [was under a distinct Regiment, very different from that used by their Neighbours],a but then [except that] they had one common Original, and the same Language; and there was a great similitude in their Manners. The greatest part of them were under popular Governments; some had Kings, but that were rather to perswade their Subjects by their Authority, than to command them by the Soveraign Power [jubendi potestate];10 for that Nation was never able to brook an Absolute [total] Servitude.11 This Ancient Germany was never reduced into one Empire [or Kingdom]+, wherein it was like the rest of her Neighbours, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and Britain,b before they were conquered by the Romans. [But then, as Germany never was reduced by a Conquest, so it retained more lively traces and marks of the Primitive State of Mankind, which from separate and distinct Families by degrees united into larger Bodies or Kingdoms.]c
The old German state dangerous & weak
But then, tho’ [this Independent Knot of States and small Kingdoms, by reason of its freedom, was very grateful to the Germans of those times],d yet it was absolutely necessary they should frequently be engaged in mutual and destructive Wars, when they were so many and so small. This again exposed them to the Invasions of their neighbour Nations, though [they were a warlike People],a because their scattered Forces were not united in one Empire for their defence. Neither had the <4> greatest part of these small States so much Politicks [foresight] as in due time to unite in Leagues against the dangers of their potent Enemies; but they perceived the Benefit of such a Concord, [only] when it was too late, and they by fighting separately for their Liberty, were one after another all conquered.12
The Franks the first Conquerors of Germany, of an unknown extraction.
3. The first that reduced Germany from that ancient state were the FRANKS, which Nation is of so controverted
