Emprefs and her fon, is worthy to be the mediator between them. In his heart he is more favourable to the Emperor's party than to that of his mother; but he is obliged to appear a kind of middle-man, and to give his own philofophical operations that kind of religious caft without which they would not go down. He often covers the marches of the Emperor and his great field-marfhal, by which means, as alert as Migazzi is, he is often forced to capitulate before he knows that the enemy is in the field. Kaunitz diftinguishes himself by his ftyle of living, and mode of expence. These are entirely French, and moft magnificent. As nothing can be more contrary to the Emperor's rigid œconomy than fuch a way of life; it is not certain but that the Count, though nothing can shake him, his merits are fo well known, may upon a change be obliged to an alteration in this refpect, which his age, and the habits he has contracted would make unpleafing to him.

What with the erection of new schools, and the care to prevent the erection of new cloyfters, the battles about new books, and the recommendations to civil and military employments, all the three parties have fufficiently to do. The laft point, efpecially, gives them conftant work; there is hardly an employment vacant, but the Emprefs is ftormed with recommendations from her ladies and priefts; and the Emperor, whofe candidate is commonly the man of moft merit, is almost always fure to come too late. There are a great number of finecure offices in the country, but many counsellors and affeffors have either nothing to do, or put in deputies to do their bufinefs for a very little money. The luxury in which thefe people live is beyond conception. His honour (for every pettyfogging judge of the court of confcience is his honour) muft have his gentleman; and her honour, the wife, muft have her waiting lady-nor is it as it is with us, where E62 between

between the gentleman and the footman there are no intermediate ranks; here there must be a maitre d'hotel and a fecretary; and as his honour has great business every where but in his own court, he muft likewife have his coach. In a word, there is not a court in Europe, except the Turkish, which pays its officers of the fecond order fo well as this does, and yet is fo ill ferved by them.

For feveral years the Emprefs has given up the direction of the army entirely to her fon, and one sees immediately, from the very different ftyle of arrangement which prevails here from that which obtains in the civil and ecclefiaftical departments, by whom it is governed. Though the peafantry of the Auftrian dominions have always been foldiers, the finances of the court were in fuch disorder, till the times of the laft Emperor, that the Dutch and English were always forced to pay fubfidies. The Emperor Francis laid the foundation of the greatnefs of the country; but that it is becoming every day more and more formidable, is owing to one man, who unites in his perfon, not only the intellect neceffary to carry on the greatest enterprizes, but also the greatest knowledge of difcipline, and the œconomical arrangements of an army; I mean General Lacy, without a doubt one of the greateft geniuffes of the prefent century. How little, indeed, do fome of the greatest wits of the age appear in comparison of a man that goes into the cabinet to plan arrangements against the whole united powers of Europe -then runs through an army of 250000 men, fo as to pay attention to the fmalleft article of the foldiers clothing; at one inftant, with the happiest combination of ideas and conjecture of probabilities, lays plans of marches and fieges,-the next writes to the taylor and fhoemaker of the army to give the cloaths a better cut, and the fhoes a better flit;-then entertains himself

老

with

with the Emperor, in laying plans for the better adminiftration of juftice, and the greater concerns of the ftate; then lays himfelf out to endeavour to fimplify the moft trifling military manoeuvre; then walks through the ftore-houses, and gives orders for the better arrangement of the ftores; and in the next half hour moralizes in the Socratic. manner upon any event that happens. In a word, if the power of carrying on feveral ufeful purfuits well at one and the fame time is to mark the character of a man, there are few to be compared with the Field-Marfhall. Indeed, whoever knows at all what knowledge of the infantry, cavalry, and artillery of an army is requifite to fet these great maffes in motion, will wonder how the head that can do this can attend to the buttons of a foldier's fpatterdashes. And yet, would you think it! with all this and a great deal more merit in a thousand different ways, this great man (I blush for humanity while I write it!) is univerfally hated, not only by all the people of fashion, but by the army whofe father he is! The reafon is a very evident one; before his time every captain had an opportunity of cheating his fovereign, by furnishing the foldiers of his company with every article of clothing, and thofe of a higher rank had a fellow feeling with the paymafter, and divided the contents of the military cheft between them. That is now all at an end; the foldier is fupplied out of the Emperor's ware-houses with every poffible article for which he can have occafion, and he receives his pay the moment it is due; he is better clothed than any foldier in Europe, and accuftomed to a thrift which cannot but contribute to the encrease both of his health and ftrength. All the Marshall reaps in return for this is to be laughed at and despised. The monks, who know that he is not their friend, do all they can to make him unpopular; but he is wife enough to laugh at all they can do, and even to amufe himself with the thought of doing good for which he receives no thanks,

As

As for the black band under Migazzi, it is divided into two parties. One of these thinks with the cardinal, i. e. true Bellarmine like, and never miffes an opportunity of introducing an ex-jefuit, when it is poffible: this however is the smallest in numbers; nor can Migazzi now and then prevent a wolf from being fhut up with his sheep. There are even fome bishops who only wait the Emperor's permiffion to fall to and level his hierarchy with the ground. In the mean time, however, the cardinal does what he can to keep the public fchools and churches free from the infection. A few years ago, a monk took it into his head to preach that,

Priefts owe the fame fubjection to the civil power as "the lowest of its fubjects-as they enjoy the fame pro"tection and prerogatives as thefe, they are bound in the se fame manner to take upon them the offices of the state, "The church, partly from its own ufurpations, partly " from the weakness of temporal fovereigns, has rifen, "in times of darkness, to a height where the first Chrif "tians would not know it again. Every prince is "obliged to promote the good of the church as far

as it coincides with the good of the ftate." et cetera, &c. The cardinal, who in general does not like fermons, immediately marked his prey. The Emperor at firft took the monk's part with great fpirit, this made the cunning archbishop hold his hand; but as foon as the Emperor fet out on his travels, the monk was immediately feized and fent prifoner to a convent in Upper Auftria, where he ftill remains, whilft the Emperor has nothing for it, but to fet down thefe and many other traits of the fame kind in the book of his remembrance.

The great triumph of the archiepifcopal party. fhews itself in the licensing of books. Nothing can be well conceived more grievous than the fituation of the licenfers of the prefs, many of whom are very fenfible -worthy men. They are often forced to alter almoft

the

the whole of a MS. and after all remain answerable for whatever an old court lady, a monk, a fool or a knave may fee obnoxious in it when it comes out; but their hardest work is to manage what is publish ed with regard to the country; for one grand principle obtains here, which is, that nothing which is Auftrian can be bad. What the ftate of literature is under all these discouragements fhall be the fubject of my next letter.

The Mystery bid from Ages and Generations, made maniTM feft by the Gospel-Revelation: or, the Salvation of all Men the Grand-Thing aimed at in the Scheme of God, as opened in the New-Teftament Writings, and entrusted with JESUS CHRIST to bring into effect; in three Chapters, &c. by one who wishes well to the whole Human Race. 8vo. Dilly.

I

AM informed that this is the production of an American divine, and that it has been published here, under the inspection of a distinguished character amongst the diffenters.

The author gives his reafons for treating the fubject in the following terms,

Some learned as well as good men, I am fenfible, who had themselves no faith in the doctrine of never-ending torments, have yet been under reftraint in opening themfelves, upon this head, through fear of doing hurt, by leffening the received and credited motive to difcourage vice. Origen, one of the primitive and moft celebrated Chriftian fathers, having faid, He that despises

the