few of them who set not a greater value upon it then upon their study P. I confess the sway of my inclination is absolutely bent to it and I could more willingly endure the pains of Hunting a whole day then of study but two hours Yet because you think it fit I will hunt as seldom as I can that I may keep the promise I made to you to follow your counsel in all things G. It is no small comfort to me to hear that you prefer my advice before your pleasure but I am sorry that you call and esteem that a Labour which is nothing but pure delight Study would be a sensual pleasure if the mind were capable of any They that have once tasted it can never take themselves off again and oftentimes it engages those who are born for action to give themselves over to contemplation in such manner that thereby they become despiseable and indeed altogether despised drawing upon themselves the point of those Lances which they have neglected and the venom of those Pens which they too kindly embrace P. As therefore all kind of studies are not proper for all kind of persons so neither is it lawful for every one to spend so much time in them as he would G. You say right for as Alexanders dog thought any creature of less strength and courage then a Lyon to be unworthy of his anger and would not vouchsafe to stir if he did not see an object equal to his valour so men ought to make choice of such studies as are proportionable to their conditions And forasmuch as by Gods Providence you are born such a one as will one day have occasion to render him an account of a Principality you must of necessity learn to govern it well without amusing your self upon knowledges more curious then useful and which would better become a Professor in Philosophy than the General of an Army P. I know that men do not use to send for Shoe-makers to make their clothes nor to Taylors to make their boots Nevertheless many Princes enter upon the Government before they have past an Apprentiship for it and take the least care of that which concerns them the most But that I may not be one of that number I conjure you to instruct me in all that I ought to know to be able to govern G. The method of good Government is not to be learnt but from the mouth or actions of Kings and Princes Therefore I beseech you to give diligent heed to all you shall read in the Books of the Kings the Chronicles and the Wisdom of Solomon in the Sacred Story in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which James VI. King of Scotland and first of that name of England composed for the instruction of his Son in Guevara in the life of Marcus Aurelius in the Romulus Tarquin and David persecuted written by Malvezzi in the lives of Philip II. King of Spain and Henry IV. King of France and every where else where profane History takes notice of the vices and virtues of great men that so you may day by day grow to be an honester man and a more excellent Prince P. I have already read some part of that which you prescribe to me and should punctually observe this rule if I were not hindred by my ignorance in the Languages wherein they are written G. That defect would occasion many others to you and if you did not learn to understand Authors in their own Language you would recieve but little satisfaction for ordinarily translations have less grace and ornament then the Originals For which reason I have given order to your Master to use the easiest method for you and the greatest diligence he can that you may be a good Proficient in forain Languages I beseech you to second his laborious endeavours and help to make them fruitful P. Your will hath alwayes had the authority of a Law with me and I find it good for me to have learnt what you judged to be for my advantage Having therefore heard you say that Italian is easily obtainable by those that speak Latin and French I shall endeavour to get these two in perfection before I undertake the third G. I like your design and dare assure you that you will learn Italian with ease by the help of French for the knowledge of the one smooths the difficulties which occur in the other especially if one begin with French P. Which of these two do you esteem the finest Language and the most useful G. Your question doth somewhat perplex me for my part I think them both equally good and graceful but not equally useful for to know the utility of a Language it should be considered in what part of the world a man inhabits what persons he frequents and with whom he hath to do Italian is in high esteem and exceedingly useful in the Emperors Court and upon all the Coasts of the Mediterranean Sea They that trade in Asia Africk and Europe with the Turks Greeks Arabians Candians Rhodians Cyprians and other Levantine people may commodiously make use of it French is in greater vogue towards the North and is marvellously well entertained in Germany England Denmark Sweden and Poland where all the Kings Princes and Lords speak it exactly except the Emperor who neither loves the French nor their Language yet it is so much in fashion that the chiefest Italians nay even the Spaniards of his Court and all others that I have known in Germany speak it or clip it P. Then would it not be better for a German Prince to learn French perfectly and practise it continually then to amuse himself upon many Languages and become master of never a one of them G. Every man should take a just measure of his own strength and not grasp at more than he can hold But seeing you have a natural disposition to learn Languages and the honour to be a Prince which gives you the hope and almost the assurance of being employed in variety of business and in divers Countreys I lay it as a charge upon you to love French and not neglect Italian The end of the first Dialogue Dialogue II. Of the State of the Empire in general P. I Understand French indifferent well already and I think if I made a voyage through France I might easily attain to the perfection of it And therefore I earnestly entreat you to use the power and credit you have with my parents that by their good leave I may begin to travel and see what Europe affords worthy of my observation G. I know that travelling is a proper means to accomplish what you have begun but I cannot allow that you should imitate those who make it their study day and night to learn what was done at Rome 2000. years since without taking any thought to know how men live in Germany at the present They that study in such a manner are like those imprudent busie-bodies who having their eyes open to
Spain On the other side Maximilian Duke of Bavaria son of William and of Renata of Lorraine left a son who in the year 1650. married Adelaïs daughter to Victor Amedeus Duke of Savoy and to Christina of France who is allied by consanguinity to all the greatest Kings and Princes in Christendom P. These are indeed very great Alliances G. But this is not all Frederick V. Elector Palatine in the year 1613. married Elizabeth daughter of James King of great Britain and by reason of her the House became allied to the Kings of England and Denmark Philip Lewis his brother in the year 1631. married Mary Eleonor daughter to Joachim Frederick Elector of Brandenbourg and his sister Elizabeth Charlotta was given in marriage to George William Elector of Brandenbourg July 14. 1626. Philip William Duke of Newbourg his first wife was Anne Catherine daughter to Sigismond King of Poland and John Casimir was the worthy husband of Catherine daughter to Charles and mother to Charles Gustavus King of Sweden From whence it may easily be seen that few Houses in Europe are better allied then this which besides what we have newly mentioned is of kin to the Houses of Hesse Gonzaga Bourbon Nassau Saxony Juliers Wirtemberg Rohan and many others P. Is not this Elector Palatine Charles Lewis married G. I forgot to tell you that this Prince who at least equals if he doth not go beyond all his Ancestors in Prudence and Magnaniâ—â—ty hath taken to wife Charlotta the worth daughter of the incomparable Amelia Elizabeth Landgravess of Hess which is sufficienâ— to say that he could not have made a betteâ— choice Edward this Electors brother marâ—â—ed Anne daughter to Charles Duke of Mantâ— and Neuers and Henrietta their sister dye a little after she was married to the Princeâ— Transylvania His other brethren and sisteâ— are yet to marry Robert and Maurice havâ— given proof of their ability and courage upoâ— occasions almost without number and thâ— Princesses Elizabeth Loüyse and Sophia havâ— made skilful masters confess that the Sciencâ— have nothing so sublime nor Picture-drawiâ—â— any thing so marvellous but the wit and hauâ— of these Ladies have been able to reach it P. I hope you will make me a long reciâ—â— of the Genealogies of great persons and theâ— you will not omit these Alliances and these â—â—lustrious Princes and Ladies But that it may bâ— done with the less trouble I shall be conteâ—â— to hear you discourse it at your leisure Leâ— us pass if you please into Saxony and do 〈◊〉 the favour to tell me what you know of theâ—â— Electoral House G. There is not any House in Europe moâ—â— glorious then that of Saxony It restored the honour of the Empire after the race of Charlemagne had lost its first vigour and under oâ—â— Henry and three Otho's it confirmed the Imperial dignity unto Germany it conquered many enemies gave Princes to Savoy and if it be true that Hugh Capet was descended from this House it hath likewise furnished France with their Kings P. Do not the Kings of Denmark also come from Witikind of Saxony G. It is said that the Counts of Oldenbourg are a branch of this great Stock and it is most certain that after the death of Christopher III. the Danes would have chosen Adolph Duke of Schleswick who would not accept of the Crown in regard of his great age declaring that such an honour would be better placed upon the person of Christian Count of Oldenbourg his grandchild and heir apparent The Danes taking this counsel and admiring the generosity of him that gave it chose Christian the first of that name whose posterity Reigns at this day in Denmark Norway Schleswick Holstein Stormar and Dithmarsh P. We will take another time to speak of the Kings of France and Denmark and of the Dukes of Savoy It will be sufficient for the present to inform me when the Electoral Cap was first brought into this House into how many branches it is divided how many voices it hath in the Diets and what are its principal forces and alliances G. The Emperor Sigismond knowing the merit of Frederick the Warlike Marquiss oâ— Misnia and the obligation that the Empire had to his Predecessors charged Eric V. of the House of Saxon-Lawembourg for having lapsâ—â— his due time of demanding the Investiture of the Electorship which his Ancestors had possessed ever since the year 1180. and transfored the same upon the forenamed Frederick oâ— Twelfth-day 1423. Since that time this House hath without interruption possessed the Electoral dignity with the Dutchy of Saxony thâ— Marquisate of Misnia the Landgraveship oâ— Thuringia And by a further accumulation oâ— good fortune it inherited the Principality oâ— Henneberg nay since the last War of Boheâ—â— the Emperor gave the upper and lower Lusaiâ— to Iohn George Elector of this House who diâ—ed the 8. of October 1656. and was interred thâ— 4. of February 1657. with more then Regâ—â—pomp there being 3500. persons in mourâ—ing and 24. Horses of State covered with black and the Electoral Escutcheon embroidered thereon every one of them led by two Gentlemen P. In a late discourse concerning the valiant actions of Duke Bernard Weymar it was sail that he loved not the House of Austria because it took the Electoral dignity from thâ—â— branch G. It is true that Iohn Frederick furnamed the Magnanimous having taken arms for the liberty of Religion was deprived of his dignity by the Emperor Charles V. who took him prisoner near Wirtemberg and gave the Electorate to Maurice in the year 1547. Thus passed this dignity into another branch and the elder became younger brethren For this cause there was but little confidence and kindness between the Princes of this House But as there is no grief which is not diminished by length of time even so the bitterness between these Princes hath been sweetned and they seem to be entirely reconciled For Frederick William Duke of Altembourg took for his second wife Magdalen Sibylla daughter to Iohn George the Elector last deceased and Maurice son to the same Elector hath married Dorothy Mary daughter to William Duke Weymar eldest son of that matchless Bernard whose praises you have heard P. For so much as I perceive this House is divided into many branches G. Not counting the Kings of France and Denmark and the Dukes of Savoy who are the illustrious Ciens that sprung out of this great Tree the Electoral House of Saxony is divided into two principal branches in each whereof there have been six Electors The last of the first branch lost the Electoral dignity because he was unsuccesful in making War for the liberty of Germany against Charles V. and the first of the second branch left the Electoral Cap unto his brother and his posterity for having happily taken and born arms in favour of his Countrey against the same Emperor P. I pray make this business out a little clearer to me G. Frederick III. of that name Elector
King of Bohemia And the younger brethren of the Palatine House who have place in the Assemblies take it immediately after the Secular Electors as the Archdukes do after the Ecclesiasticks Now all the Princes of this House are descended from two Emperors whose Nephews make two principal Branches both very Potent and Illustrious but of different Religions and perchance no very great friends since they that are sprung from Lewis of Bavaria wear the Electoral Cap which belonged to the descendents of the Emperor Robert And that change came to pass because Frederick V. Elector of the Rhine not regarding the Election that was made of Ferdinand of Austria accepted the Crown of Bohemia whereby he kindled those fires and forged those irons that have wasted our Countrey for above 30. years P. I have already heard say that the Bohemians drew upon themselves and us the mischiefs of the last War by the Election they made of two Kings when they had but one Kingdom to bestow Let us therefore pass by those causes of our evils and according to your accustomed method tell me something of the Original of the priviledges of the greatness and of the alliances of this House G. Many Writers fetch the Original of these Princes out of the loines of Charlemagne and follow the Genealogie down from him to those that are living at this day For my part I know not what to think of it and therefore refer my self to real evidence Yet I dare confidently affirm that the House is very ancient and that since the year 1253. in which Otho Witelpachius Count of Shiern married Agnes heiress of the Palatinate and Bavaria this House hath possessed those two great Principalities with the quality of Elector and great Steward of the Empire It hath given two Emperors to Germany one King to Denmark Sweden and Norway joyntly and another to Sweden alone Without counting I know not how many Generals who have commanded armies in Italy Hungary France and England P. At what time did those Princes reign in Germany Denmark and Sweden G. Lewis of Bavaria was chosen Emperor the 18. of October 1314 and having Reigned gloriously 23. years made room for Charles of Luxembourg the IV. of that name who left Wenceslaus his Successor and he by his intolerable negligence forced the Electors to put Robert Elector Palatine into his place a man low of Stature but of so great courage that the Empire could have wished him endued with immortality if that were to be found here below But he dyed the 18. of May 1410. having Reigned ten years And Christopher his granchild was chosen King of Denmark Sweden and Norway in the year 1430. and dyed without heirs 1448. But Charles Gustavus son of John Casimir a younger brother to the Duke of Zweybruck or Deux-ponts Reigns at this present in Sweden with as much glory as any one of his predecessors and hath a son of Hedwig Eleonor daughter to Frederick Duke of Holstein P. This House descending from two Emperors very renowned in History and having so many and such brave Princes at present worth to be Emperors I wish them those Crown they deserve to wear and desire you to toâ— me whether it enjoys more priviledges theâ— the other Electoral Houses G. The Electors have very great priviledges and the Golden Bull otdains for them allâ— general and every one in particular thaâ— no man appeal from their Justice to any otheâ— whatsoever Yet none of them have preserveâ— this Right entire to them but the Electors oâ— Saxony Brandenburg and of the Rhine Theâ— can all together choose an Emperor and depose him when he is lazy and negligent They have right to prescribe a Capitulation to the Emperor when they have chosen him and to oblige him to swear to the observation thereof Moreover they can meet together once every year without asking leave of any one and consult in that Assembly concerning the publick and their own private affairs Besides this Right which relates to the whole Electoral Colledge the Palatine and the Saxon are Vicars of the Empire and as such they can legitimate Bastards as well of great men as of inferior persons create Notaries and Tabellions confer the Benefices which are in the Emperors nomination give Investiture of lands held in Fee except of Dukedoms and of the Principalities which in Germany are called Fansleben because when the Emperor gives them he puts a standard into the hand of him that receives them and which is most considerable the Elector Palatine can redeem what the Emperor hath sold or engaged at the same value for which it was sold or engaged and which is yet more the Emperor may be convented for Debt before this Elector P. The ancient Emperors gave demonstration of a meekness without example in submiting themselves to the justice of one that is a Subject of the Empire G. No man would deal with Soverains if they did not oblige themselves in Civil matters to some way of Justice and in this case the Emperors have been willing that the Elector Palatine should be their Judge But if the Emperor be accused of Mal-administration the judgement thereupon belongs to all the Electoral Colledge in which case the Elector Palatine is Director of the Process and not he of Mentz though he be Dean of the Electoral Colledge P. Certainly this is no small honour to the Palatine House but wherein consists its greatness G. If these Princes did all aim at the benefit advancement and glory of the whole House in generall and if there were no hatred between the Branches Bavaria the upper lower Palatinate the Landgraveship of Leuchtemberg the Lordships of Simmeren of Deux-Ponts of Weldents the Dutchy of Juliers the Archbishopricâ— of Collen the Bishopricks of Liege Hildesheim and Freisinguen which this House possessseth at this time would make it formidable to all its Enemies as well by reason of its vast forces as because it hath three voices in the Electoral Colledge and at the least eight or ten in that of the Princes P. I know that the Elector of Bavaria in the quality of Duke hath the first voice among the Secular Princes that Duke Albert his Unkle hath one as Landgrave of Leuchtemberg that the Palatine of Simmeren hath another and he of Newbourg too and it may be some other younger brethren of the House have voices also for Deux-ponts in like manner as for the Bishopricks of Hildesheim Liege and Freisinguen But tell me something of the alliances of this House G. It is allied to all the great Families not only of the Empire but of Europe The Emperor Ferdinand II. married in the first year of the Century current Mary Anne daughter to William Duke of Bavaria by whom he had issue Mary Anne wife to Maximilian Duke of Bavaria Cecily wife to Vladislaus IV. King of Poland Ferdinand III. Emperor who had for his first wife Mary Infanta of Spain and by her Mary Anne wife to Philip IV. King of
their tranquillity depends upon the equal counterpoise of those two Kings and therefore use their endeavours to hinder the one from bringing the other too much under but I dare not affirm that either of them have such high thoughts True it is that every one ought to fear it and that the wisest Princes seeing the balance too heavy on one side help to make weight on the other The King of Sweden who is prudent in Counsel and valiant in fight will not be the last to apply a remedy when he sees the danger And if he should forget his own and the Empires Interest the Venetians Hollanders and Swisses would employ their money and power for the preservation of theirs and our Liberty P. Europe breeds a people so ingenuous knowing valiant and so opposite to servitude that it seems impossible for it ever to come under the obedience of one only person Let us then leave the Ambitious to rack and torture their minds with imaginary conquests and let us look upon the House of the Guelphes which heretofore possest a great part of Germany And if you will oblige me speak as distinctly of it as possibly you can G. This House which without dispute held the first rank after the Electors before the Archbishopricks of Magdebourg and Bremen were converted into Secular Dignities is put back those two degrees Nevertheless it comes not behind any one in antiquity and had its Territories all along the Elbe in the Countrey of Saxony when it followed the fortune of Albovin King of the Lombards first into Pannonia and afterwards into Italy where these people fixt their seat having driven the Goths out of it and gave their name to the Province anciently called Gallia Cisalpina about 200. years before the time of Charlemagne Then it was that this family acquired the Dutchy of Modena which it possesseth even at this day P. Do you think then that the House of Este which still holds the Dutchy of Modena and lost that of Ferrara in the time of Pope Clement VIII after the death of Duke Alphonso is a branch of this of Brunswick G. I make no doubt of it and when the Kingdom of the Lombards was destroyed in Italy by the arms of Charlemagne some Princes of this House came back into their own Countrey where they had still so large an estate and authority that the Emperor Lewis the Debonaire married Iudith a Princess of that family and had by her Charles the Bald who was King of France and Emperor This Empress had a brother named Henry to whom Lewis his Son-in-law son to Lewis Germanicus gave those lands which are now called Bavaria P. These indeed are fair and advantagious alliances which having made those Princes Brothers-in-law and Fathers-in-law to Kings brought them so considerable a Principality G. The Descendents of Henry did not long possess this Countrey for his line failing in Guelphe IV. his Nephews son the Emperor Henry IV. gave his inheritance to Guelphe V. son to the Duke of Ferrara who as we have said was of the same House And in process of time Henry the Proud Duke of Bavaria descended from Guelphe V. married Gertrude daughter to the Emperor Lotharius II. who brought him the Dutchy of Saxony for her Dowry The issue of that marriage was Henry Leo who together with Bavaria and Saxony possessed many great Principalities lying upon the Elbe and elsewhere P. How comes it then to pass that the Successors of Henry Leo have their Estate confined within the Dutchies of Brunswick and Luntbourg G. That Prince being of a high spirrit and not able to comply with the Emperor Frederick Barbarossâ— his Unkle was proscribed and expelled the Empire and when he was thâ—s driven out of his Estates he made his retreat into England to King Henry II. who gave him his daughter Matildis or Mawd to wife and procured his reconciliation with the Emperoâ— But because he had in the mean time disposed of the Dutchy of Bavaria in favor of the Count of Schieren whose posterity enjoys it at this day Henry Leo was restored to no more then the Dutchy of Saxony which Principality past a little after into the House of Saxon-Lawembourg by the marriage of Helen daughter to the Emperor Otho IV. and grandchild to Henry Leo with Albert I. of that name Elector of Saxony At that time Frederick II. gave the title of Duke of Brunswick and Lunebourg to Otho a prince of that House P. The misfortune of Henry Leo should serve for a lesson to Great ones and make all men see that it is necessary to honor Superiors and not to provoke ones Masters G. Many great Princes desiring to shake off the yoke of their due obedience have forfeited their right and lost that which they would not acknowledge to hold of their Soverain That was the quarrel against the King of England who was devested of the Provinces of Normandy and Guyenne by Charles VII King of France And if the Guelphes had husbanded their strength better and paid the Emperor the respect they ought him they had still been the most potent Princes in Germany P. They are far less at present then they were in the time of Henry Leo and yet they seem to be very considerable by their own forces and by their alliances G. All the Houses that have admitted the right of Primogeniture are better kept up then others This having a large Estate and four voices in the Assemblies is divided but into two principal branches which are equal in dignity but the elder in years of the two Chiefs precedes the other in the general and particular Assemblies They all bear the same title and if one branch happen to fail the other shall succeed it They have both of them good Fortresses Wolfenbottel Cel Hanover Lunebourg and Giffhorne are strong places under the command of these Princes Brunswick hath never submitted to their power still enjoying the right of a Free City though the Duke hath often used skill as well as force to bring it under his obedience These Princes can raise and maintain great numbers of Souldiers within their Territories And the neighborhood of Denmark and Sweden may yet make them more considerable the Emperor being always willing to gratifie them to keep them to him and strangers to gain them to their side P. It is certain that a Prince whose lands border upon a Forain State may easily make himself more valuable then if they lay in the heart of the Empire but there is a great deal of prudence to be used in such cases G. The Dukes of Lorraine and Savoye have always been very much considered for the situation of their Estates and the need that neighboring Monarchs had of their assistance For which cause Bocalini having brought them to be weighed at Laurence de Medicis his Scales finds them as heavy as Kings Yet if these Princes be not very quick and expert as well as valiant and resolute they may hazard the
of Brandenbourg and widow to Christopher the last King of Denmark That Prince having Reigned happily 33. years in Denmark 32. in Norway and 25. in Sweden dyed afterwards A. D. 1482. leaving two sons who succeeded him in this manner John his eldest was King of those three Kingdoms after his Father and gave his brother Frederick the moyety of his Hereditary lands Then having reigned peaceably he dyed A. D. 1513. leaving his son Christian II. to be his Successor That Prince was born A. D. 1481. and married Isabel sister to the Emperor Charles V. by whom he had Dorothy Electoress of Brandenbourg Christina Dutchess of Milan and afterwards of Lorraine and John who dyed bearing arms under the Emperor Charles his Unkle by the Mothers side in the year 1532. Christiern otherwise Christian II. forsook the way of his Father and Grandfather and became so cruel a Tyrant that the Swedes drove him out of their Countrey and placed upon the Throne Gustavus Vasc son to Erick a Swedish Knight A. D. 1523. And nine years after the Danes cast him in prison where he ended his dayes in five more P. Men seem to be of a worse condition then beasts inasmuch as Eagles do not ingender pigeons nor Lions Stags yet Heroical persons rarely beget their like The greatest men are subject to the misfortune of seeing their children unworthy to succeed them But what came to pass after the imprisonment of Christiern G. We will speak in another place of what followed in Sweden In Denmark the Nobility had an honourable memory and high esteem of the virtues of Christian I. and of Iohn wherefore instead of the Tyrant who was prisoner at Sunderbourg they placed Frederick his Unkle by the Fathers side upon the Throne who was very aged and yet he introduced the Doctrine of Luther into Denmark and his own hereditary Principalities That Frederick was the first Duke of Holstein which is held in Fee of the Empire as Schleswick is of Denmark but neither he nor his son Christian III. durst send any body to the Diets fearing they should be but ill used for having assumed the place of a brother-in-law to two Emperors P. It may be those Princes not daring to send their Deputies to the Diets lost the Rank they held there G. Frederick I. of that name King of Denmark was Duke of Holstein before he came to the Crown yet I cannot tell whether he had taken place in the Assemblies of the Empire But to pursue the discourse we have begun that Prince left two sons the elder of whom was King after him by the name of Christian III. and Adolph his younger son Duke of Holstein They had both children from whom all the Princes of this House are descended For Christian was Father to King Frederick II. and to Iohn the younger and Adolph to Iohn Adolph and to Frederick Archbishop of Bremen and Bishop of Lubeck P. I pray draw out this Genealogy a little more at length G. Frederick II. husband to Sophia daughter to Vlrick Duke of Meklebourg had one son and four daughters very worthy of your knowledge For as much as Elizabeth the eldest was married to Henry Iulius Duke of Brunswick Anne to Iames VI. King of Scotland who afterwards got all Great Britain by the death and Testament of Elizabeth Queen of England Augusta to Iohn Adolph Duke of Holstein and Hedwig to Christian II. Elector of Saxony His Son and Successor to the Crown was Christian IV. a great King both in time of peace and war That Prince who admiring the worth of Henry the Great King of France made him his pattern in every thing and had at the least as many sons as he as well Legitimate as Natural But there remains no more of the lawfully begotten then his Successor Frederick III. who hath already many children and may have more P. This King is esteemed throughout all Europe for a knowing Prince and one that sets a value upon good men Let us see the Descendents of Iohn the younger G. That Prince was even goodness it self and God blessed him exceedingly for he had 23. children by Elizabeth Dutchess of Brunswick and Agnes Hedwig Princess of Anhalt his wives Two of those Princes dyed in Hungary one at the illustrious Colledge of Tubing two departed in their infancy and four lived to be married who are fathers of many Lords either residing at Sunderbourg Nortbourg Glugsbourg and Plone or else seeking their fortune in the Wars The daughters were thus married the eldest to a Duke of Lignitz three of the youngest to three Dukes of Pomerania Anne Sabina to a Duke of Wirtemberg Eleonor Sophia to a Prince of Anhalt and Margaret to John Count of Nassau The rest dyed in their Cradle except Eleonor who is still unmarried and leads an exemplary life she is 67. years old yet very lovely for her age and worthy to be visited by Kings for she hath a marvellous way of entertaining those Princes and Ladies that do her the honour to see her And I can assure you I never saw better sweet-meats served any where then at her house nor strangers received with greater civility P. Tell me I pray a little more particularly who are the Descendents of John the younger brother to King Frederick II. G. Alexander his eldest son had six sons whereof the eldest married a Countess of Delmenhorst and at his death left one son and two daughters by her Frederick Philip and Joachim Ernest brethren to Alexander are yet living the first hath three sons and as many daughters the second hath but two sons alive five Princesses married and one to marry the third hath four Princes two whereof have command in the King of Spains service and three Princesses still maids all beautiful and witty and brought up in the School of a Father inferior to none in the Empire for prudence and of a Mother that hath but few equals in all kind of vertues P. Do not forget the Descendents of Adolph younger brother to Christian III. of that name G. Adolph had many sons that dyed young one that was Archbishop of Bremen and John Adolph his eldest married Augusta daughter to Frederick II. King of Denmark These two had issue John Bishop of Lubeck a comely and liberal Prince who dying left his son John Augustus still very young but pretty and exceeding hopeful Frederick this Bishops elder brother hath the moyety of the Dutchies of Schleswick Holstein Stormar and Dithmarsh and takes turns with the King of Denmark in the administration of Justice in having place and voice in the Assemblies of the Empire and in all other Rights of Regality This Prince great in knowledge and magnanimity hath for a partner in his bed and felicity Mary Elizabeth daughter to John George Elector of Saxony by whom he hath still living three sons and five daughters four whereof are married to John Prince of Anhalt Gustavus Adolph Duke of Meklebourg Lewis Landgrave of Darmstadt and Charles Gustavus
conclude a Peace and the Ambassadors there found themselves in a great strait how to satisfie the two principal branches of that House Each of them pretended to the Electorate the first having had possession thereof for many ages required the restitution of it and the second alledging the signal services he had done the Empire by which he merited that recompense would not consent to the Peace unless it were provided that he should still enjoy that honor In conclusion as Maximilian had many friends so Charles Lewis did not want his supports Whereupon they came to this agreement That Maximilian Duke of Bavaria should have the first Electorship to him and his posterity and an eighth place should be new-erected for Charles Lewis Prince Palatine of the Rhine upon this condition that if the Gulielmine branch hapned to fail before the Rodolphine these latter should re-enter into their ancient Electorship and the other newly created should be wholly abolished P. I do not wonder that these Princes did so earnestly desire the one to recover and the other to keep the Electorate in his Branch since it is believed that this dignity makes the possessors thereof not inferior to Kings G. The Electoral dignity is very great and they that are endued with it are in a more eminent degree then other Potentates of the Empire because they have power to make the Emperor But I do not think they may be equalled to Kings Nay I remember I have read that the last Duke of Burgundy of the blood Royal of France demanded precedence before the Electors at the Council of Basil and obtained his pretence P. I know that Duke alledging his high descent and the many Dutchies Counties and other Lordships in his possession obtained a declaration from the Council of Basil that in regard of his condition and his great Estates he should precede the Secular Electors But you also know that the Electors have taken place of Kings upon some occasions G. The King of Bohemia gives place to many others except when he is in the Diet for the Election of an Emperor and in the like case the Elector of Brandenburg hath disputed the precedence with Rodolph II. King of Hungary Nevertheless it is out of controversie that the Electoral dignity is inferior to the Royal And it may be proved by the order which the Electors themselves observe for the Elector of Bohemia when he was but Duke had the lowest place but having obtained the title of King he began to go before his Collegues only because it was not thought reasonable that a Royal person Crowned and Anointed should give way to those that were but barely Electors P. Though this dignity do not stand upon equal terms with that of Kings it is nevertheless very great but who is the chiefest among the Electors G. None of them disputes the precedencie with him of Mentz who is Dean of the Electoral Colledge appoints the day and place of the Election when the Emperor is dead or when it is necessary to choose a King of the Romans The second is the Elector of Tryer the third of Collen Thus the Ecclesiasticks take place of the Secular Princes of whom the King of Bohemia is the first the Duke of Bavaria the second the Duke of Saxony the third the Marquiss of Brandenbourg the fourth and the Count Palatine the last Notwithstanding which order I must think the Electors of the Rhine and Saxony to be above all the rest because during the vacancy of the Empire they are Vicars thereof and can do all that is in the Emperors power except giving Investiture to those that hold great Territories or Lordships in Fee of the Empire without being subject to give an account of their administration P. When is it that they choose an Emperor G. The Empire being destitute of a Head by the natural death of the Emperor by his own spontaneous demission or by his demerit when for his unworthiness he is deprived of it they proceed to the election of another P. Methinks it is very strange that they can dispossess an Emperor and much more that there should be any who would voluntarily resign their Crown G. Both the one and the other have been seen more then once and that we may not go too far back to seek for examples very remote from our time it shall be sufficient for me to tell you that Wenceslaus son to Charles IV. being become unfit for the Imperial Crown was forced to surrender it unto Robert the Elector Palatine in the year 1400. And when Charles V. had surpassed all his predecessors in merit and shown by nine voyages which he made into Germany six into Spain seven into Italy four into France ten into the Low-Countreys two into England as many into Africa and by passing the Ocean and Mediterranean Seas eleven times that nothing was impossible to a Prince of his resolution he would further manifest that he knew how to conquer himself and having called his son Philip into the Netherlands he put the Scepter of Spain with all its dependancies into his hands and by William of Nassau Prince of Orange sent the Imperial Crown to his brother who was already King of the Romans After which he retired himself to a quiet solitude in the year 1556. where he lived two more in the contemplation of heavenly joys and went to receive them the 21. of September 1558. P. It is a wonder that a Prince so inclined to honor the holy See did not resign his Scepter into the hands of the Pope G. That incomparable Monarch loved to have the See of Rome flourish but was not willing the glory thereof should be illustrated by the eclipse of the Empire He knew what he ought to the Church and what to Germany He was not ignorant that the Constitutions of Popes aim at the weakning of the Empire and the diminution of its authority but he knew also how to put a difference betwixt just and unjust And by that action he maintained the right of the Empire and yet did wrong to no body P. May a King of the Romans be chosen while the Emperor is living G. There are that think it ought not to be done because it is as much as to give occasion to one to wish the death of another Yet experience which is more to be considered then the speculative fancies of Doctors teaches us that Charles IV. Wenceslaus Maximilian I. and II. Rodolph II. Ferdinand III. and IV. were chosen in the life-time of their predecessors We have not any example that a King of the Romans hath been made against the Emperors will but I think it out of question that they who can depose an Emperor may also appoint him a Successor without his consent P. Some say that when they create a King of the Romans while the Emperor is living they set two Heads upon the Empire and two Masters over Germany G. So long as the Emperor lives the King of the
by the deceased Princes Subjects he added a clause in his Will to deprive that party of the right of Succession that should oblige his Subjects to change their Religion Notwithstanding which clause Maurice forced the inhabitants of his division to embrace the Reformation of Calvin Lewis taking Maurice to have forfeited the right he had to the inheritance complained of the non-observance of the Will Whereupon they took Arbitrators who judged that the Clause annext to the Testament could not deprive Maurice of the right he had as a Prince of the Empire of obliging his Subjects to follow his Religion Lewis appealed from this Arbitrary sentence to the Court of the Emperor where he found more favour and obtained a Decree that condemned Maurice and an Army that put Lewis into possession of the lands in question Maurice not being able to withstand the Army and the will of the Emperor gave waâ— to power So Lewis surnamed the pious and George his son possest those lands in peace 〈◊〉 Amelia Elizabeth Mother to William VI. hâ—ving an Army at her command used it so oâ—portunely that she drove George out of theâ—tigious Territories and forced him to another Agreement which was mediated by Erâ—â— Duke of Saxony in the year 1647. P. These contentions must needs begethtred between the two Houses But are they 〈◊〉 equal puissance G. That of Cassel is the elder hath prendence and more estate then that of Darmstrâ—â— but they are so far forth equal that each 〈◊〉 them hath a voice in the Assemblies and neither depends in any wise upon the other They are both well allied George Chief of the Branch of Darmstadt is married to the eldâ—â— daughter of the late Elector of Saxony his eldest son to a daughter of Frederick Duke 〈◊〉 Holstein and one of his daughters to Philâ—â— Lewis Duke of Newbourg William the present Prince of Cassel hath taken to wife a sister of the Elector of Brandenbourg and Williams eldeâ— sister is married to Lewis of Tremüoille Dolâ— of Toüars Prince of Tarante and the young est to Charles Lewis Elector Palatine P. You have already told me that Williâ—â— VI. was son to Amelia Elizabeth who governed his person and estate from the year 1637. till the Peace and her Regency was so renowned and so beneficial to that House that I think my self obliged to propose this question to you Whether they do not great wrong to Ladies that esteem them unable to govern a State G. I wonder there should be any Philosophers who dare affirm that the Female Sex is unworthy to bear the Scepter since Histories tell us that Ladies have preserved and enlarged the Kingdoms of Spain England Denmark Sweden Portugal and France that the five former never flourished so much as under two Elizabeths Margaret Christina and Loüyse and that the last was freed from the English yoke by Jane d'Arc commonly called the Maid of Orleans preserved in peace under the Regency of Blanche of Castile Mother to St. Lewis and the bounds thereof advanced under Anne of Austria Mother to the incomparable Lewis XIV the present King P. You will acknowledge that this Sex is usually weak inconstant and faint-hearted and that it is not able either to ride or wear armour for the good of the State G. It is the opinion of those who to decry Ladies tell us they are naturally inconstant fearful and cruel and when we object the illustrious examples of Roman Grecian Spanish German and French Ladies they say they are rare things and such as ought not to be drawn into consequence and that for one that hath administred the State well there be two that have abused their authority I confess they are not all sufficiently qualified to rule but I deny also that all men are so And I may confidently say that never any King of England was better obeyed then Queen Elizabeth that the bravest Swedish Commanders freely acknowledged their victories proceeded as much from the happy Genius of their Queen as from their own valour that Portugal ows its deliverance to Loyse de Gusman who governs it still with admirable prudence that Elizabeth of France wife to Philip IV. would have re-established the affairs of Spain if the impertinency of a Favourite had not held her at distance from the Counsels of the King her husband that the Hessians were never better ruled then by Amelia Elizabeth and that no Prince was ever more moderate in his prosperty nor more constant in adversity then this matchless Lady One example shall make you confess this truth In the year 1647. her Army besieged Paderborne and was forced to raise the siege with loss The news came to her while she sate at Table she read the Letter and told me We have ill news my Troops have been worsted and forced to leave a plate which it concerned me very much to have taken And so sate out her Meal without the least show of any alteration P. No more would a great man be much moved at such a loss G. I know Philip II. seemed not to be concerned when he heard of the victory won at Lepanto and of the losing of a Fleet which he thought Invincible but that Prince was singular in generosity and constancy And to prove that Ladies are worthy to bear the Scepter it is enough that we find some comparable to the most excellent of men P. I submit to your reason but withal I think there are not many Amelia Elizabeths to be found G. There are but few indeed because the malice or envy of men keeps them off from showing their ability and making their prudence and generosity admired Nay I make no question but if there were as many Ladies as there be Princes upon the Throne we should often find Female accomplishments superior to ours enough to make Philosophers recant and acknowledging their error to confess that Ladies are as much if not more excellent then men P. I perceive you love that beautiful Sex and understand their worth and if they had no greater enemies then you they should have the honour that is due to them I shall always be of the same opinion and if ten thousand Philosophers would perswade me the contrary I should not forbear to say and believe that there be many Ladies worthy to govern and would be many more if they were instructed and brought up to great affairs from their youth The end of the Fourth Dialogue Dialogue V. Of the same Secular Princes P. I Would gladly have heard something of the Marquisses of Baden in the preceding Dialogue because they take their turns with the other princes you last mentioned But I hope there is nothing lost G. These Princes as well as all that are Ancient hear many men speak of the beginning of their House but few that speak truth I do not desire to confute opinions contrary to mine nor to entertain you long upon such a subject It is enough for me to tell you what I have learnt from
and those Lords prefer it before all other titles P. I do not think there be many Landgraves G. There is none but the House of Hesse that takes its chief title from thence The Landgraveship of Alsatia was transferred to the King of France by the Treaty of Munster that of Leuchtemberg to the House of Bavaria by the marriage of Duke Albert with Matildis heiress of that Principality that of Thuringia belongs to the Duke of Saxony that of Sausemberg to the Marquiss of Baden and that of Nollembourg to the House of Austria Besides these Landgraveships the Counts of Furstemberg take upon them the quality of Landgraves of Stillinguen and Bath and those of Sultz are styled Landgraves of Klegeu But these two last prefer the title of Count before that of Landgrave from whence you may judge that the Landgraves are not all Princes P. I conceive there is no Landgrave nor Burgrave but in Germany and strangers know not those names in their own Countreys G. Certainly there is no Landgraveship out of Germany but some think that Burgrave is that which Forainers call Viscounts or Viguiers I refer my self to the truth in this case and shall only tell you that they who fansie and take delight in Quaternions say there be four of them in Germany to wit of Nuremberg Magdebourg Strombourg and Reinek The two last whereof are no longer acknowledged for such For Strombourg is a Castle situate between Simeren and Creisenach which belongs to the Elector Palatine and Reinek is fallen to the inheritance of the Counts of Issembourg The Elector of Brandenbourg doth still bear the title of Burgrave of Nuremberg though Frederick V. of that name who was made Elector on St. Johns Eve A. D. 1417. sold unto the Burgers of Nuremberg the Castle which he had in that City and some Villages and Forests with the right of the Schultets or Aldermen for 240000. Florins reserving to himself the name and some rights That of Magdebourg belongs to the Elector of Saxony who bears the title thereof and the Arms which are a Demy-Eagle Argent in a Field Gules There are some other Burgraves as those of Kirchemberg Donau and Fridberg but they are not equal to the former P. Are the Archdukes ancient G. That name was unknown before the time of Frederick III. and I think Maximiliaâ— of Austria was the first that bore it And all the world affords no Archdukes but those of Austria As to the cause for which those Princes took up that glorious title I judge that the Emperors of that House seeing their Family arrived to the highest degree of power and dignity were desirous that it should have a peculiar name to it self and for that reason they would never communicate it to any one else though they have been entreated so to do very often and very earnestly Now the word signifies Prince or chief of Dukes as that of Archbishop signifies Prince or chief of Bishops But I do not see that the Archdukes have any Suffragan Dukes as the Archbishops who have Bishops under them P. I do not believe that the Archdukes pretend to have any Dukes their Suffragans but only to shew by that title that there is as much difference between them and other Dukes as there is between an Archbishop and a Bishop Tell me something of the Dukes G. The title of Duke is very ancient but it hath not alwayes been so considerable as it is now The Romans honoured their chief Officers of war with that name because they led on the souldiers to the battel After that and in process of time the state of affairs obliging the Emperors to have Officers of quality and long experience in war to guard the Frontier Provinces they sent some of their Dukes thither P. The Emperors did not appoint Dukes only for the Government of Frontier provinces seeing those that ly in the midst of the Empire are honoured also with the title of Dukedom G. The first Governor that bore the quality of Duke was he of the Marches of Rhetia a Countrey betwixt Germany and Italy which at this time we call the Grisons To that Province the Emperors sent a Duke to withstand the Germans who oftentimes endeavoured to make irruptions into Italy through that passage since which several Governors as well of other Provinces in the Empire as those on the Borders have had the same honour because it was thought necessary to send garrisons into those parts to keep the People in obedience and also by that means to provide an honourable entertainment for those Lords that had served well in the wars But as nothing is enough for ambition those Governors in the end made themselves masters of the Provinces which they had in charge And so the Dukes grew great by the diminution and enfeebling of their Head as the Marquisses Landgraves Burgraves and Counts in like manner did The word Duke is borrowed from the Latin Ducere as Hertzog in Dutch from words that signify a Conductor of an Army P. Are all Dukes of the same condition G. There is not one in Germany but is a prince and allied to Kings those of other Countreys are not so And whether you consider their antiquity or cast your eye upon their estates Alliances and manner of living they ought certainly to be preferred before those of Spain France and England and to be ranked equally with the greatest of Italy P. I know that in France the ancient Dukedoms have been united to the Crown that in Spain the proud Morisco humour gave the title of a Kingdom to the lands that are not worth a good County and that in England there is never an ancient Duke But before we enter upon a particular consideration of the Counts of the Empire I pray tell me whether the Dukes were alwayes greater and more illustrious then the Counts C We have seen already that the ancients called them Duces that led on souldiers to the battel and Comites those that were taken out of the Emperors Court to administer Justice to the Subjects of the Empire A little after the nature of those employments were altered and the Dukes became Generals of Armies or Governors of Provinces and the Counts chief Justices in the Cities and Provinces of the Empire And both of them made themselves Masters of the lands whereof they were Judges or Governors All those Lords assisted the Emperor in the beginning some at the Councel-board and others in the field all of them performing useful and beneficial service to the State Nay I believe without regarding the title either of Duke or Count the Emperors employed those Lords indifferently in the Palace or in the Armies so that it is hard to judge whether title was the more honourable Yet it is to be observed that there were some Counts by Office and others by Dignity that the former sort were raised to places of authority without regard had to their birth and the others were equal or very little