Saxony,
Religion.
Literature.
againft France. Otho III dukeW Saköny became" emperor in 93Ö, and
refigned Saxony td the hqufe df Stubenlkorn pr Billing, which ended
in 1 iq§.; and' foen after this potent dukedom pafled by marriage to
the houfe of Bavaria. Henry th,e Lion, duke of SakHfty and Bavaria,
1139—1180, was of.diflxhguMhéd. valohr and'power. ' In m$o the
eaffèrn part of Saxony was affigned to Bernard bf Afcania, the;we~ftèrn
half bqipg giyep(Jto the arcl^hifhpp ofrGoIogne. Wittenberg ndiws"be-
camethe ufual refidence. The boufe of Afcania' ended with Albert Ilf
1422 ; and was followed by that ofMifnia. Erneft and Albert, fons
of Frederic II, divided'the territories in 1485,' and formed twoTrariphe's
bearing their naWsl The Erhefrinfei1)ranch^ofl'tiie'Inufo ofMifnia
ruled till 1 5 4 7 » wben John Frederic was depofed. by ,G h a rl.es Y, and the
eleaorafè alSgned to Maurice of the Albertinê^aiicli, in w&ch^t coq|
tïnueëj ' In order to gain the crown of Poland', the vain with or*the
Saxon eleöors, Frederic Auguftus,- T thé propellant religion;
buf neither he nor hfs'fètcéÊÖxi n^vè* attempted to conftraimthe
conference of their fubje&s. The elédïorate /ufFered^mMtfijfey -they
invafipn of the Pruflians, in. the war offêven years/but has firice'cott-j
tinuëd the tranquil and flouriftring feat of aAs/apdSciences. /
The religion is the proteftant,'which was here int^odbccd.by Lutherv -
and there are two bilhopricks, Merfeberg^and hlairmburg^ Th^govern-;
ment iff, as ufual among the German princes, nearly abfobate. but.poinf«
du£ted_with moderation through different .^ouiicils. Yei>diegce are
ftatcs general of nobles, clergy, and "hprgeffes/-.commonly, affembkd/
every fixth year to regulate the taxation t and .^ieibechjegar^thér|
eleétör ias a limited fovereign, as,ïfe can iffue nq, 1,3
fent.of the ftates. Army, 24,opo ; ^ndthe polit^^jWelght iii. tftis;part
of Germany- next to that of Pruffia, with which, it. is. natnrally, eon-ol
neöed, and which it cannot, with faféty, oppoife. This beautifqlelex&i;-
torate may indeed well be an object pf a^tbhioh jtpf thf Pruffian ij
monarchs; but the jealoufy of other powers has prevented: the con- .
queft.
The language and literature of Saxony are the moft diftinguilhed in
all Germany, moft of the writers who have refined the language1 having -
been
CHAP. II. STATES NORTH OF THE MAYN.. 6 0 7
been born, or having refided in this country, as Gottfched, who firlf Saiont.
introduced ä fup.erior ftyle, -and'.' m'an^ offiers,' Leibnitz, Wolf, and
other , philofophers were b o rn o r refided in Saxony; among the artifts
^mayvbd »am'ed^dn^t.ffa'ffej'ätfdlGTuelä -L e'i/fig i^a^efelebrated mart
of .German literature. There are many fchools,. colleges, and acade-
rni^^,|anjon'^thedatfctbr' t h % ^ m i n e V M o f Ere'yb'(^, inftituted
in 1765,. is efteemed the leading fchool of that fciericei' The chief city ' Drcfden,
is Drefden; on 1 the Elbe, of celebrated neatnefs, and about 50,000 in-'
habitants Butof("en expofed to' the injuries of w a r* It- is firft men-
. tioned about the year' 1020 ; and difplays many mariufaämres, with the .
palace, and celebrated cabinets, of the debtor. Leipfig has near
30,000. inhabitants.5" Wittenberg has fuffered grdatly by war, particu-
larly in the liege by the Auftriahdtiu 1760 ; and it is'now- chiefly cele-'
’ brated as.;.having been the residence of Luther. The manufactures o f Mumfeo
XSaxony are thread-, linen, laces, ribbon:;, velvets, carpets, paper, colours
i derived from varibus minerals, glafs, and porcelain of remarkable' \
beauty, and various- Works in ferpentineftone. The country is _alfo ’
rich in > native, products,' both agricultural and mineral; and beautiful
pearls are found in the Elfteren fhells about fix inches lon g / 'W ith
fucn .advantages- Saxony maintains a confiderable inland .commerce; 5
arid Leipfig is efteemed one of the chief trading towns of (^ermany. H'
The climate is fo favourable that wine is made in Mifnia. The face Face o f the
of the country, efpecially towards the fouth, is beautifully diverfified Count17' j
with hill and .dale-; and its richnefs between Meiffen and Drefden is
efteemed to rival that of the north o flla ly . The land is. well culti- Agriculture,
vated ; the products,;al! kinds of grain and'vegetables, with hops, flax,
'■•hemp, tobacco, faffron, madder, &'c.f Chief riySs, thä;Tlb©, the-Saal
or Sala, the Mulda, the Plcifte, the Elfter, with the Spfee of Lufatia ;
all, (exc;ept the Elbe and-Sab, rifi’ng -in the mountains'between Saxony ’ :
and Bohemia. The . mountains. are ..thofe of the Erzgeberg, already
* Mrs.. IvadclifFe did rio t,vifit Drc fd e ii; butvS^slifiv^äccgunt ..the..praifesrof th e 'German cities
arc generally tfnjufhHs theyimprefs an Englilh traveller with the conjftanf idea o f dadche%' dirti- I
nefs, -ariü-inc.phv.emenpe. : |
; * 352.,
- ■ -|-_ See, H o cck’ s Tables for minute, particulars. ,
deferib'ed