and fo many schemes of reform, militating with popular opinions, national practices, and tending directly to overthrow establishments now venerable by their antiquity, and which has been confidered as facred in their inftitution, could have been carried into effect, with out at least exciting much diffatisfaction and complaint, and without winging the fhafts of cenfure, and giving energy to them, if not to more dangerous weapons. All thefe effects, except the laft, the pursuit of these measures indeed produced: nor were the terrors of punishment, the dangers of which were multiplied by the great rewards held out for the difcovery of offenders, fuf. ficient to prevent the bittereft libels upon the emperor from being circulated even in his capital. But the mischief went no farther; and this prince proceeded in the eftablifhment of his new regulations, with unexampled facilicity and fuccefs. Nor indeed was obfervation confined to the harfher part of criticifm. Foreigners, being under no reftraint, have been equally free in both respects; but it may be fuppofed, that religious and political prejudices have had fome thare in dictating both their praifes and their ftrictures for who, in the great European republic, can be totally unconcerned in thefe fubjects? : It has been urged, on one fide, that the spirit of reform is too vio. lent in this prince: and that, though in fome inftances it might have been directed to proper objects, yet, that in general it seemed rather to degenerate into a paffion for innovation, than to be the cool refult of a comprehenfive knowledge and due confideration of things, guided by prudent and practicable views of improvement. They said, that he fet out too rapidly to be able to maintain his career. That his hafty, indigefted schemes, involved in their formation the principles of diffolution; that they militated with each other; were in many refpects contrary to natural juftice, and highly oppreffive; that fome of them warred fo directly against the opinions and feelings of man. kind, that they were already of neceffity abandoned. Nor did even the meaíures which he purfued in the regulation and conduct of his vaft armies, and on which he was fuppofed particularly to reft his fame, efcape the cenfure of military critics, either at home or abroad. It is, however, to be remembered, that the Herculean task of reformation requires very peculiar properties and qualities. That the degrees of fervour, zeal, and fertility of defign, effentially neceffary to constitute a reformer, frequently lead him to overshoot his objects; but that without thefe, and other correfponding difpofitions and propenfities, he feldom or ever could reach them. That nearly all fuccessful reformers have accordingly erred in the fame manner, and fallen into a fimilar excefs. And with refpect to military affairs, it is to be obferved, that it is of the very nature of difcipline, to produce a tenacious adherence to forms, and of courfe an animofity to innovation. To which it may be added, that the diffatisfactions inevitable in all armies, and more particularly in such vast hosts, from the great variety of tempers and characters they include, muft throw many impediments in the way of reformation. Upon the whole it may be fuf[4] 2 pected, pected, that the too hafty adoption of his projects, the multiplicity of them, and the endeavour to carry them at once into execution, were among the principal errors of this prince. But it muft at the fame time be acknowledged, even fuppofing the juftness of thefe and other objections admitted, that the emperor has, within the small number of years that have elapfed fince he arrived at undivided power by the death of his mother, made wonderful advances towards the improvement of various parts of his dominions; that he has done great and praise-worthy things for the benefit, fecurity, and happiness of his fubjects in general, as well as of particular claffes and orders; and that he has made great and effential reforms in feveral departments of the state and government, however the utility of fome of his regulations may yet be thought queftionable. A liberal difpofition with refpect to religious toleration was early to be expected, from the cha racter and general conduct of this prince; and little doubt was accordingly entertained but that it would be freely difplayed, whenever the power was lodged folely in his own hands. Other parts of his difpofition and policy, particularly with refpect to ecclefiaftical matters, continued yet unknown and unfufpected, even for fome time after the demife of the empress queen. But the years 1781 and 1782 removed the veil that covered his defigns in this refpect; and it foon became apparent, that the reducing the exorbitant power of the clergy within his own dominions; the fevering and emancipating them from all dependence on the court o Rome; with the fuppreffion of the religious orders, and the appropriation of their property, were among the great and determined objects of the emperor's policy. A liberal extenfion to the liberty of the prefs, which had hitherto been much circumfcribed in the Auftrian dominions, feemed in fome degree an opening to fucceeding events, and might be confidered as throwing fome light upon views which were not otherwise revealed. The order or decree for this purpose was alfo written by the emperor's own hand, and was published early in the year 1781. By one of the articles he allowed a free circulation, without examination or licence, to all thofe literary reviews of various publications, with which Germany, from the number of its ftates, of its public fchools and univerfities, and the great differences with refpect to religious and political principles or opinions, more particularly abounds than any. other country. Even the fubject of ecclefiaftical hiftory is left open by this article. By another, he permits that all frictures upon the conduct of the throne itfelf might be published with full fecurity; providing only, that they do not defcend to the character of pasquinades or abfolute libels. Upon this fubject he expreffes himself with a noble magnanimity-" If "there be any thing juft in them, "(he fays) we shall profit by them; "if not, we fhall difregard them." -He likewife permits the free publication of all political news-papers and pamphlets without exception; and the difcuffion even of religious fubjects is admitted, with only this refervation, that fuch writings fhould not attack, in any of their funda fundamental principles, the three eftablished religious of the empire, being the Roman Catholic, the Lutheran, and the Calvinift. Though this laft claufe, which went to the protection of the two reformed religions as well as the catholic, might feem virtually to include a toleration to the proteftants within the emperor's own particular dominions, yet the decree for that purpose did not appear until about the clofe of the year. The Jewish nation or people, who through a long course of centuries had fo often been doomed to lament the caprices or rapacity of monarchs, and to become victims to the revolutions of ftates, were now among the first to experience the benefit of living under a government, where the prince has fufficient comprehenfion to difcover that his own interefts are, in a lefs or greater degree, infeparably connected with the fecurity and profperity of every clafs and order of his fubjects. Among other immunities and privileges now granted by the emperor to that people, they were particularly admitted to the right of exercising all kinds of arts and trades, of applying themselves to agriculture, and to the invaluable privilege of freely pursuing their ftudies in the univerfities, without any impediment whatever on the fcore of religion fo that, upon the whole, they feem now to poffefs in general the fame advantages with other citizens. This decree in favour of the Jews, was foon followed by two unexpected ordinances, which ftriking directly at the power and authority of the court of Rome, af forded a moft alarming prefage of what it had farther to apprehend. By the first of thefe, all the religious orders within the royal and Imperial dominions (but confined, we apprehend, to Germany and Hungary) were ftrictly prohibited from holding any correfpondence, on fpiritual or temporal fubjects, with their respective chiefs, while these were refident in any foreign parts; and farther prefcribing, that under fuch circumftances, they fhould be governed entirely by their provincial fuperiors; who were however, to be at all times fubject to the controul and authority of the epifcopal power in the refpective diocefes, and even to the temporal governors of provinces. By the other ordinance it was enacted, that no bull, brief, or other inftrument, iffued by the apoftolic fee, fhould be received, or have any effect whatever within the imperial dominions, until it was rendered valid by the sanction of the fovereign. These decrees were iffued at Vienna, in the latter end of March, 1781; and it may be easily seen, that the court of Rome could fcarcely have received a greater fhock. For the refidence of the generals or chiefs of the principal religious orders at Rome, was the link, which immediately united their refpective communities, however widely difperfed, to the papal chair, and which afforded the means of maintaining a fubordination and difcipline unexampled in its nature and extent; while that edict, by cutting off the intercourse, muft, in its effect, if not entirely diffolve the connection, at least render it ufelefs with refpe&t to its deftined purposes. Other Other great political objects, together with a long journey, in confequence of them, which the emperor was then upon the point of undertaking, and in the course of which he vifited the Low Countries, Holland, and France, ferved to draw off his farther immediate attention to ecclefiaftical affairs, and afforded time for the court of Rome to recover from its first aftonifhment and to deliberate upon and pursue fuch measures as might poffibly mitigate the effects of the late unexpected blow, or at least ward off fuch evils as were farther to be apprehended. : He had fufficient oftenfible motives, if any fuch were wanting, for undertaking this journey. He had to take perfonal poffeffion of the Auftrian Netherlands; to be inftalled in his dukedom of Brabant; to regulate the public affairs at Bruffels, preparatory to the arrival of his fifter the archduchefs, and her husband, the duke Albert, of Saxe-Teichen, on whom the government of thefe provinces was bestowed on the death of prince Charles, of Lorraine, and who were now far advanced in their way thither; to all which may be added, the natural defire of wishing to fee his new fubjects, and being feen by them; befides the opportunity which this tour would prefent, of vifiting his fifter the queen of France, and of seeing parts of that country on his return, which he had not hitherto had an opportunity of obferving. But there were other matters, of much greater political moment, which operated upon this prince in undertaking the journey. The ruinous and unfortunate war, into which the prevalence of the French and republican faction in Holland had precipitated that country with its old and natural ally, among its other irreparable ill confequences, was the means of unveiling the nakedness of the republic, and to the aftonishment of all Europe, prefented fuch a view of diforder and imbecility in the government, and of radical weaknefs in the state, as had not before been suspected, even by its neareft and keeneft-eyed neighbours. The impreffions made by this difcovery were continually increafing, as almost every day of the war was marked with fome new circumftance of misfortune or difgrace. While they were thus expofed to danger from without, the ftate and the public were convulfed and torn to pieces by inteftine diffenfions, the feeds of which were fo numerous, and fo deeply laid, as fcarcely admitted the hope of any effective remedy. The differences between the prince ftadtholder and the states were multiplying fo fast, and increafing fo much in degree and virulence,as to indicate a speedy and most alarming crifis; while the violence and animofity of the French and Orange factions, which included between them the whole body of the people, and all the departments of government, whether civil or military, by fea or by land, feemed deftined to harrow and tear up the very foundations of the republic. Upon the whole, it seemed clear to all obfervers, that the reftoration of the republic, in any degree, to its former power and fplendor, was a circumftance which would not admit of a moment's fpeculation; and that fome confiderable revolution was neceffary, to preferve the union of its parts. It could not be expected, upon any any foundation of political knowledge and experience, that the unexpected difciofure of fuch a fcene, 'with the magnitude of the objects which it exhibited, and the profpects of advantage is held out, hould not attract the views, and excite the ambition, of a powerful, active, and neighbouring fovereign, whofe enterpriting difpofition, tho' hitherto a good deal refirained, had however been apparent in other inftances. The refumption of the Dutch barrier was among the first advantages he propofed to draw from the prefent forlorn ftate of their alairs, Few are ignorant that the principal fortreffes of the Auftrian Nether. lands, including feveral of their moft confiderable cities, had, ever fince the conclufion of the fucceffion war, been depofited in the hands of the Dutch, for the mutual benefit and fecurity of the court of Vienna and themfelves; for, at the fame time that they formed a powerful barrier to cover the territories of the flates, they were to be garrifoned and defended by them; and thus ferved to obviate the dangers apprehended by both from the power and ambition of France. During the long fucceeding depreffion of the houfe of Autria, the advantages of this arrangement were repeatedly and fully experienced; and occafions offered which made it evident, that nothing lefs could have prevented the Netherlands from being long fince wretted out of their hands. But in the extraordinary degree of power and greatnefs to which that houfe has, within the memory of mau, riten, and in the ufual viciffitude of things, what had before been underflood and felt as a fubftantial b.nefit, came at length to be confidered as a figma, and a grievance. The prefent emperor felt his own power to be fully competent to the protection and defence of bis dominions. With the great armies he poffetfed, he could not conceive that he wanted the cover of fortreff s to prevent. the progrefs of an enemy. He confidered, that it was exceedingly expenfive to keep them in repair; that being accordingly neglected in feafons of peace and fecurity, they gonerally fell, with little trouble, into the hands of an invader at the conmencement of hoftilities; when, befides the lofs of their garrifons, and the great prefent advantages. which they afforded to the enemy, their recovery frequently became among the moft difficult and arduous talks of the war. He, befide, thought it derogatory to his own honour, as well as to the dignity and power of the empire, that a number of his principal cities and fortreffes fhould be garri foned, and at his own expence too, by foreigners. He confidered it as no less than paying a thameful and ignominious tribute for protection and defence; and that it would be in the laft degree perfonally fhameful and degrading to himfelf, if now, when the occafion fo opportunely offered, he fhould fuffer fuch a flanding monument of paft weaknefs, dependence, or even obligation, any longer to continue Nor were feveral colourable arguments wanting, to juftify to the Dutch, and to the world at large, the intended measure of taking the barrier into his own hands, and of difmantling the fortreffes. It was ftated, that the revenues drawn from thefe cities and their difiriéts were milapplied; that the fortifi[4] 4 cations |