of the hills, and fuch vaft quantities of wood to make Pipes of, that it is no wonder they are fo well stocked with fountains.

On the road between Berne and Soleurre there is a monument erected by the Republick of Berne, which tells us the ftory of an English-man, who is not to be met with in any of our own writers. The infcription is in Latin verfe on one fide of the stone, and in German on the other. I had not time to copy it, but the fubftance of it is this. "One Cuffi

nus, an English-man, to whom the Duke of Auftria had given his "Sister in marriage, came to take her from among the Swiss by force of "arms, but after having ravaged the country for fome time, he was here "overthrown by the Canton of Berne.

Soleurre is our next confiderable town that feemed to me to have a greater air of politenefs than any I faw in Switzerland. The French Ambaffador has his refidence in this place. His Master contributed a great fum of mony to the Jefuits church, which is not yet quite finished. It is the finest modern building in Switzerland. The old cathedral church stood not far from it. At the afcent that leads to it are a couple of antique pillars which belonged to an old heathen temple, dedicated to Hermes: They feem Tufcan by their proportion. The whole fortification of Soleurre is faced with marble. But its beft fortifications are the high mountains that lye within its neighbourhood, and separate it from the Franche Comptè.

The next day's journey carried us through other parts of the Canton of Berne, to the little town of Meldingen. I was surprised to find in all my road through Switzerland, the wine that grows in the country of Vaud on the borders of the Lake of Geneva, which is very cheap, notwithstanding the great distance between the vineyards and the towns that fell the wine. But the navigable rivers of Switzerland are as commodious to them in this refpect, as the fea is to the English. As foon as the vintage is over, they fhip off their wine upon the Lake, which furnishes all the towns that lye upon its borders. What they defign for other parts of the country they unload at Vevy, and after about half a day's land-carriage convey it into the river Aar, which brings it down the ftream to Berne, Soleurre, and, in a word, diftributes it through all the richest parts of Switzerland; as it is eafie to guefs from the first fight of the Map, which shows us the natural communication Providence has formed between the many Rivers and Lakes of a country that is at fo great a diftance from the fea. The Canton of Berne is reckoned as powerful as all the reft together. They can fend a hundred thousand men in

to

to the field; though the foldiers of the Catholick Cantons, who are much poorer, and therefore forced to enter oftner into foreign armies, are more efteemed than the Proteftants.

We lay one night at Meldingen, which is a little Roman Catholick town with one church, and no convent. It is a Republick of it felf under the protection of the eight ancient Cantons. There are in it a hundred Bourgeois, and about a thousand Souls. Their government is modelled after the fame manner with that of the Cantons, as much as fo fmall a community can imitate thofe of fo large an extent. For this reason though they have very little business to do, they have all the variety of councils and officers that are to be met with in the greater ftates. They have a town-house to meet in, adorned with the arms of the eight Cantons their protectors. They have three Councils, the Great Council of fourteen, the Little Council of ten, and the Privy Council of three. The chief of the State are the two Avoyers: When I was there, the reigning Avoyer, or the Doge of the Commonwealth, was fon to the Inn where I was lodged; his Father having enjoyed the fame honours before him. His revenue amounts to about thirty pound a year. The feveral Councils meet every Thursday upon affairs of State, fuch as the reparation of a Trough, the mending of a Pavement, or any the like matters of importance. The river that runs through their dominions puts them to the charge of a very large bridge, that is all made of wood, and coped over head, like the reft in Switzerland. Thofe that travel over it pay a certain due towards the maintenance of this bridge. And as the French Ambaffador has often occafion to pass this way, his Master gives the town a pension of twenty pound fterling, which makes them extremely industrious to raise all the men they can for his fervice, and keeps this powerful Republick firm to the French intereft. You may be fure the preferving of the bridge, with the regulation of the dues arifing from it, is the grand affair that cuts out employment for the several councils of State. They have a fmall village belonging to them, whither they punctually fend a Bailiff for the diftribution of juftice; in imitation ftill of the Great Cantons. There are three other towns that have the fame privileges and protectors. We dined the next day at Zurich, that is prettily fituated on the outlet of the Lake, and is reckoned the handfomeft town in Switzerland. The chief places fhown to strangers are the Arsenal, the Library, and the Town-house. This last is but lately finished, and is a very fine pile of building. The Frontispiece has pillars of a beautiful black marble ftreaked with white, which is found in the neighbouring mountains. The cham

chambers for the feveral Councils, with the other apartments are very neat. The whole building is indeed fo well defigned, that it would make a good figure even in Italy. It is pity they have spoiled the beauty of the walls with abundance of childish Latin fentences, that confist often in a jingle of words. I have indeed observed in several inscriptions of this country, that your men of learning here are extremely delighted in playing little tricks with words and figures; for your Swiss wits are not yet got out of Anagram and Acroftick. The Library is a very large room, pretty well filled. Over it is another room furnished with feveral artificial and natural curiofities. I faw in it a huge Map of the country of Zurich drawn with a Penfil, where they fee every particular fountain and hillock in their dominions. I ran over their cabinet of Medals, but do not remember to have met with any in it that are extraordinary rare. The Arsenal is better than that of Berne, and they fay has arms for thirty thousand men.

At about a day's journey from Zurich we entered on the territories of the Abbot of St. Gaul. They are four hours riding in breadth, and twelve in length. The Abbot can raise in it an army of twelve thousand men well armed and exercised. He is foveraign of the whole country, and under the protection of the Cantons of Zurich, Lucerne, Glaris and Switz. He is always chofen out of the Abby of Benedictines at St. Gaul. Every Father and Brother of the convent has a voice in the election, which must afterwards be confirmed by the Pope. The laft Abbot was Cardinal Sfondrati, who was advanced to the Purple about two years before his death. The Abbot takes the advice and confent of his Chapter before he enters on any matter of importance, as the levying of a tax, or declaring of a war. His chief Lay-officer is the Grand Maître d'Hotel, or High-steward of the houfhold, who is named by the Abbot, and has the management of all affairs under him. There are feveral other Judges and diftributers of justice appointed for the feveral parts of his dominions, from whom there always lyes an appeal to the Prince. His refidence is generally at the Benedictine Convent at St. Gaul, notwithstanding the town of St. Gaul is a little Proteftant Republick, wholly independent of the Abbot, and under the protection of the Cantons.

One would wonder to fee so many rich Bourgeois in the town of St. Gaul, and fo very few poor people in a place that has fcarce any lands belonging to it, and little or no income but what arifes from its trade. But the great fupport and riches of this little ftate is its Linnen manufacture, which employs almost all ages and conditions of its Inhabitants. The whole

coun

country about them, furnishes them with vast quantities of flax, out of which they are faid to make yearly forty thousand pieces of linnen cloth, reckoning two hundred ells to the piece. Some of their manufacture is as finely wrought as any that can be met with in Holland; for they have excellent Artizans, and great commodities for whitening. All the fields about the town were fo covered with their manufacture, that coming in the dusk of the evening we mistook them for a lake. They fend off their works upon Mules into Italy, Spain, Germany, and all the adjacent countries. They reckon in the town of St. Gaul, and in the houses that lye scattered about it, near ten thousand Souls, of which there are fixteen hundred Bourgeois. They chufe their Councils and Burgo-masters out of the body of the Bourgeois, as in the other governments of Switzerland, which are every where of the fame nature, the difference lying only in the numbers of fuch as are employed in ftate-affairs, which are proportioned to the grandeur of the States that employ them. The Abby and the Town bear a great averfion to one another; but in the general Diet of the Cantons their Representatives fit together, and act by concert. The Abbot deputes his Grand Maître d'Hotel, and the Town one of its Burgo-masters.

About four years ago the Town and Abby would have come to an open rupture, had it not been timely prevented by the interpofition of their common protectors. The occafion was this. A Benedictine Monk, in one of their annual proceffions, carried his Crofs erected through the town with a train of three or four thousand Peasants following him. They had no fooner entered the Convent but the whole town was in a tumult, occafioned by the infolence of the Priest, who, contrary to all precedents, had prefumed to carry his Crofs in that manner. The Bourgeois immediately put themselves in arms, and drew down four pieces of their cannon to the gates of the Convent. The proceffion to escape the fury of the citizens durft not return by the way it came, but after the devotions of the Monks were finished, paffed out at a back-door of the Convent, that immediately led into the Abbot's territories. The Abbot on his part raises an army, blocks up the town on the fide that faces his dominions, and forbids his fubjects to furnish it with any of their commodities. While things were juft ripe for a war, the Cantons, their proteAtors, interpofed as Umpires in the quarrel, condemning the Town that had appeared too forward in the difpute to a fine of two thoufand crowns; and enacting at the fame time, that as foon as any proceflion entered their walls, the Prieft fhould let the Cross hang about his neck Vor. II. Z

without

without touching it with either hand, 'till he came within the precincts of the Abby. The Citizens could bring into the field near two thousand men well exercised, and armed to the beft advantage, with which they fancy they could make head against twelve or fifteen thoufand Peafants, for fo many the Abbot could easily raise in his territories. But the Protestant fubjects of the Abby, who they fay make up a good third of its people, would probably, in case of a war, abandon the caufe of their Prince for that of their Religion. The town of St. Gaul has an Arfenal, Library, Town-houses, and Churches, proportionable to the bigness of the State. It is well enough fortified to resist any sudden attack, and to give the Cantons time to come to their affiftance. The Abby is by no means fo magnificent as one would expect from its endowments. The Church is one huge Nef with a double Aifle to it. At each end is a large Quire. The one of them is supported by vast pillars of stone, cafed over with a compofition that looks the most like marble of any thing one can imagine. On the cieling and walls of the church are lifts of Saints, Martyrs, Popes, Cardinals, Arch-bishops, Kings, and Queens, that have been of the Benedictine order. There are feveral pictures of fuch as have been distinguished by their Birth, Sanctity, or Miracles, with infcriptions that let you into the name and history of the perfons represented. I have often wished that fome traveller would take the pains to gather all the modern Infcriptions which are to be met with in Roman Catholick countries, as Gruter and others have copyed out the ancient Heathen monuments.. Had we two or three volumes of this nature, without any of the colle&tor's own reflections, I am fure there is nothing in the world could give a clearer Idea of the Roman Catholick religion, nor expofe more the pride vanity and felf-interest of Convents, the abuse of Indulgencies, the folly and impertinence of Votaries, and in fhort the fuperftition, credulity, and childifhnefs, of the Roman Catholick religion. One might fill feveral fheets at St. Gaul, as there are few confiderable Convents or Churches that would not afford large contributions.

As the King of France diftributes his penfions through all the parts of Switzerland, the Town and Abby of St. Gaul come in too for their fhare. To the first he gives five hundred crowns per Annum, and to the other a thoufand. This pension has not been paid these three years, which they attribute to their not acknowledging the Duke of Anjou for King of Spain. The Town and Abby of St. Gaul carry a Bear for their arms. The Roman Catholicks have this Bear's memory in very great veneration, and represent him as the first convert their Saint made in the country.

One