This prince has been infenfibly has been furprized by fawning flatterers, and who alone is ignorant of the villany of thofe around him, ftill preferves a refpect for the manners of his ancestors; he does not, indeed, like his forciathers, give an example of perfonal labour, but ftill his defire is to protect agriculture. led to defpife the fimple habitations of his ancestors. He has buil a fuperb palace, a league in circumference, furrounded by a wall of brick, on the model of that of Pekin. Sixteen hundred pieces of cannon, mounted around the palace, announce to the people the approaching lofs of their liberties and rights. He found a neceffity too for a winter palace, a fummer palace, and an autumn palace. The old tames were by no means fufficient to le fray thefe expences; they were augmented; and new impofitions devised, which, being no longer voluntary contributions, cold not be levied but by force, and tyrannical oppreffion. His courtiers, who found their intereft, in the corruption of their prince, have given him the title of King of Heaven: "ous Thai, hearing himself often fo ftiled, at length thought he might affume it "Why," addreffing himfell one day to me, "don't you come oftener to "pay your court to the King of "Heaven?" Thefe defigning fycophants, who guard every avenue to the royal ear, have had the addrefs to over awe the ordinary adj. 1. of juf. tice; and, taking a arage of exemption from punishment, have pillaged the labourers, and filled the provinces with oppreffion and diftrefs. All along the high roads I have feen whole villages newly abandoned by their inhabita, haraffed by fruitless toil, and never-ending exactions; and their fields, in confequence, falling back to their firft uncultivated state. In the midst of all this growing diforder, the prince, whofe mind I have feen him, at the commencement of the new year, prefide, with all the fimplicity of his predeceffors, at the general affembly of the nation, which is annu aily held on that day, in the open field, in order to renew the recipiocal bath for obfervation of the ri mordial contract, which established him father of the people, at the fame time that they invefted him alone with the power, the nobleft indeed of all, of making his people happy. When he fpeaks of his fubjects, he calls them ftill by no other name than that of his children. I have feen him too aflift, like a fimple individual, in the annual aflembly of his family, according to the ancient ufage of the 'nation; an affembly where the most aged always prefide, without regard to the dignities of thofe of younger y ars. This, however, femed to me only a formality venerable from cuttom: for what is man, where the King of Heaver appears. yet infe Corruption, is true, has not the general body of the people; they till preferve eir primitive manners: it is hit erto confined to the palace, and the capital; its fource, however, is too elevated to elevated to prevent its poifoned ftreams from flowing to the plains. that the ,great tion of a people ever derives its origin. It is from the B 4 corrup When When it fhall have infected every rank; when the foundation of agriculture, liberty, and property, already attacked by the great, fhall be overthrown; when the profeffion of the farmer fhall become the most contemptible, and the leaft lucrative, what must be the fate of agriculture? Without a flourishing agriculture, what must be the fate of thofe multitudes, foftered under its wing-what must be the fate of prince and people? It will refemble that of the nation who poffeffed the country before them; perhaps that of the favages, who yielded it to that nation of them there are no remains, but the ruins of an immense wall, near the capital, which appears to have been part of great city: it is of brick, and of a form very different from what is to be feen in the other countries of Afia: no hiftory, however, no tradition, has preferved the memory of the builders. a Upon the whole I conclude, from the general corruption which threatens the manners of the CochinChinefe, that agriculture is on the decline; and that, whatever efforts they may make to fupport it, it has now paffed its meridian, and muft infallibly degenerate. Some account of the origin and founders of the feet of Anabaptifts, and of John Boccold their king; from Dr. Robertfon's hiftory of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V. Among many beneficial and falutary effects of which the reformation was the immediate caufe, it was attended, as must be the cafe, in all actions and events wherein men are concerned, with fome confequences of an oppofite nature. When the human mind is rouzed by grand objects, and agitated by ftrong paffions, its operations acquire fuch force, that they are apt to become irregular, and extravagant. Upon any great revolution in religion, fuch irregularities abound moft, at that particular period, when men, having thrown off the authority of their ancient principles, do not yet fully comprehend the nature, or feel the obligation of thofe new ones which they have embraced. The mind, in that fituation, pufhing forward with the boldnefs which prompted it to reject established opinions, and not guided by a clear knowledge of the fyftem fubftituted in their place, difdains all restraint, and runs into wild notions, that often lead to fcandalous or immoral conduct. Thus, in the first ages of the Chrif tian church, many of the new converts, having renounced their ancient creeds, and being but imperfectly acquainted with the doctrines and precepts of Christianity, broached the most extravagant opinions, equally fubverfive of piety and virtue ; all which errors difappeared or were exploded when the knowledge of religion increafed, and came to be more generally diffufed. In like manner, foon after Luther's appear WHILE Francis waited for ance, the rafhnefs or ignorance of an opportunity to renew a war, which had hitherto proved fo fatal to himself and his fubjects, a tranfaction of a very fingular nature was carried on in Germany. fome of his difciples led them to publifh abfurd and pernicious te nets, which being proposed to men extremely illiterate, but fond of novelty, and at a time when their minds were turned wholly towards religious fpeculations, gained too cafy credit and authority among them. To thefe caufes must be imputed the extravagancies of Muncer, in the year one thousand five hundred and twenty-five, as well as the rapid progrefs which they made among the pealants; but though the infurrection excited by that fanatic was foon fuppreffed, feveral of his followers lurked in different places, and endeavoured privately to propagate his opinions. In thofe proviuces of Upper Germany, which had already been fo cruelly wafted by their enthufiaftic rage, the magiftrates watched their motions with fuch fevere attention, that many of them found it neceffary to retire into other countries, fome were punished, others driven into exile, and their errors were entirely rooted out. But in the Netherlands and Weftphalia, where the pernicious tendency of their opinions was more unknown, and guarded againft with lefs care, they got admittance into feveral towns, and fpread the infection of their principles. The moft remarkable of their religious tenets related to the facrament of baptifm, which, as they contended, ought to be administered only to perfons grown up to years of understanding, and fhould be performed not by fprinkling them with water, but by dipping them in it for this reafon they condemned the baptifm of infants, and re-baptizing all whom they admitted into their fociety, the fect came to be diftinguished by the name of Anabaptifts. To this' peculiar notion concerning baptifm, which has the appearance of being founded on the practice of the church in the apoftolic age, and contains nothing inconfiftent with the peace and order of human fociety, they added other principles of a moft enthufiaftic, as well as dangerous nature. They maintained, that, among Chriftians, who had the precepts of the gofpel to direct, and the Spirit of God to guide them, the office of magiftracy was not only unneceffary, but an unlawful encroachment on their fpiritual liberty; that the diftinctions occafioned by birth, or rank, or wealth, being contrary to the spirit of the gofpel, which confiders all men as equal, fhould be entirely abolished; that all Chriftians, throwing their poffeffions into one common ftock, fhould live together in that state of equality which becomes members of the fame family; that as neither the laws of nature, nor the precepts of the New Teftament, had placed any reftraint upon men with regard to the number of wives which they might marry, they fhould ufe that liberty which God himfelf had granted to the patriarchs. Such opinions, propagated and maintained with enthufiaftic zeal and boldnefs, were not long in producing the violent effects natural to them. Two Anabaptift prophets, John Matthias, a baker of Haerlem, and John Boccold, or Beükels, a journeyman taylor of Leyden, poffeffed with the rage of making profelytes, fixed their refidence at Munfter, an imperial city in Weftphalia, of the first rank, under the fovereignty of its bishop, but governed by its own fenate and confuls. As neither of thefe fanaticks wanted the talents neceffary for fuch an undertaking, great refolution, the appearance of fanctity, bold pretenfions to infpi ration, 66 ration, and a confident and plau. fible manner of difcourfing, they foon gained many converts. Among thefe were Rothman, who had firft preached the Proteftant doctrine in Manfter, and Cnipperdoling, a citizen of good birth and confiderable eminence. Emboldened by the countenance of fuch difciples, they openly taught their opinions; and not fatisfied with that liberty, they made feveral attempts, though without fuccefs, to feize the town, in order to get their tenets eltabified by public authority. At Laft, having fecretly called in their affociates from the neighbouring country, they fuddenly took poffeffion of the arfenal and fenatehoufe in the night-time, and running through the ftreets with drawn fwords, and horrible howlings, cried out alternately," Repent, and be baptized," and "Depart, ye un"godly. The fenators, the canons, the nobility, together with the more fober citizens, whether Papifts or Proteftants, terrified at their threats and outcries, fled in confufion, and left the city under the dominion of a frantic multitude, confifting chiefly of ftrangers. Nothing now remaining to over-awe er controul them, they fet about modelling the government according to their own wild ideas; and though at firft they fhewed fo much reve. rence for the ancient conftitution, as to elect fenators of their own fect, and to appoint Cnipperdoling and another profelyte confuls, this was nothing more than form; and all their proceedings were directed by Matthias, who in the file, and with the authority of a prophet, uttered his commands, which it was infant death to difobey. Having begun with encouraging the mul titude to pillage the churches, and deface their ornaments; he enjoined them to destroy all books, except the bible, as ufelefs or impious; he appointed the eftates of fuch as fled to be confifcated, and fold to the inhabitants of the adjacent country; he ordered every man to bring forth his gold, filver, and precious effects, and to lay them at his feet; the wealth, amaffed by thefe means, he depofited in a public treafury, and named deacons to difpenfe it for the common use of all. The members of his commonwealth being thus brought to a perfect equality, he commanded all of them to eat at tables prepared in public, and even prefcribed the dishes which were to be ferved up each day. Having finished his plan of reformation, his next care was to provide for the defence of the city; and he took measures for that purpofe with a prudence which favoured nothing of fanaticism. He collected vaft magazines of every kind; he repaired and extended the fortifications, obliged every perfon without diftinction to work in his turn; he formed fuch as were capable of bearing arms into regular bodies, and endeavoured to add the vigour of difcipline to the impetuofity of enthusiasm. He fent emiffaries to the Anabaptifts in the Low Countries, inviting them to affemble at Munfter, which he dig. nified with the name of MountSion, that from thence they might fet out to reduce all the nations of the earth under their dominion. He himself was unwearied in attending to every thing neceffary for the fecurity or increafe of the fect; animating his difciples by his own example to refufe no labour, as well as to repine at no hardfhip; and their enthufiaftic enthufiaftic paffions being kept from fubfiding by a perpetual fucceffion of exhortations, revelations and prophecies, they feemed ready to undertake or to fuffer any thing in mainte. nance of their opinions. Meanwhile, the bishop of Munfter having affembled a confiderable army, advanced to befiege the town. On his approach, Matthias fallied out at the head of fome chofen troops, attacked one quarter of his camp, forced it, and, after great flaughter, returned to the city loaded with glory and fpoil. Intoxicated with this fuccefs, he appeared next day brandishing a fpear, and declared, that, in imitation of Gideon, he would go forth with a handful of men, and fmite the hoft of the ungodly. Thirty perfons, who.n he named. followed him without hefitation in this wild enterprize, and rufhing on the enemy with a frantic. courage, were cut off to a man. The death of their prophet occafioned at first great confternation among his difciples; but Boccold, by the fame gifts and pretenfions which had gained Matthias credit, foon revived their fpirits and hopes to fuch a degree, that he fucceeded him in the fame abfolute direction of all their affairs. As he did not poffefs that enterprifing courage which diftinguished his predeceflor, he fatisfied himself with carrying on a defenfive war, and without attempting to annoy the enemy by fallies, he waited for the fuccours he expected from the Low Countries, the arrival of which was often foretold and promifed by their prophets. But though lefs daring in action than Matthias, he was a wilder enthufiaft, and of more unbounded ambition. Soon after the death of his predeceffor, having, by ob feure vifions and prophecies, prepared the multitude for fome extraordinary event, he ftripped himself naked, and marching through the ftreets, proclaimed with a loud voice, That the kingdom of Sion was at hand; that whatever was higheft on earth fhould be brought low, and whatever was loweft fhould be exalted." In order to fulfil this, he commanded the churches, as the moft lofty buildings in the city, to be levelled with the ground; he degraded the fenators chofen by Matthias, and depriving Cnipperdoling of the confulship, the higheft oflice in the commonwealth, he appointed him to execute the lowest and most infamous, that of common hangman, to which frange tranfition the other agreed, not only without murmuring, but with the utmost joy; and fuch was the defpotif and rigour of Boccold's adminif tration that he was called almost every day to perform fome duty or other of his wretched function. In piace of the depofed fenators, he named twelve judges, according to the number of tribes in Ifrael, to prefide in all affairs; retaining to himself the fame authority which Mofes anciently poffeffed as legiflator of that people. Not fatisfied, however, with power or titles which were not fupreme, a prophet, whon he had gained and tutored, having called the multitude together, declared it to be the will of God, that John Boccold fhould be King of Sion, and fit on the throne of David. John kneeling down, accepted of the heavenly call, which he folemnly protefted had been revealed likewife to himfelf, and was immediately acknowledged as monarch by the deluded. multitude, |