LETTER XII.
SIR,Vienna, Nov. 30, 1729.
The Court of Vienna consists of so many Princes and Noblemen, that it cannot be deny'd to be the greatest and most magnificent Court in Europe. Nevertheless Ceremonies, and the Etiquette, a Name by which they call ancient Usages, give it an Air of Constraint that is to be seen no where else. There's a universal Out-cry against the latter, and even the Emperor sometimes seems to be disturb'd at it, yet 'tis observ'd as strictly as if it was an Article of Religion, and nothing cou'd set it aside but an Oecumenical Council.
Notwithstanding this, a Foreigner of Quality (for such he must be here) finds Advantages at this Court which he does not meet with either at Paris or London, I mean Opportunities of making Acquaintance. After a Person has been to wait on their Imperial Majesties he need only be introduc'd into one single Family to be soon made known to all the rest, with this Advantage too, that go where you will, they speak the German, French, Italian, and Spanish Languages; whereas a Foreigner at Paris is under a Necessity of speaking French, and at London English; but a Man may shift very well at Vienna without the High-Dutch or German Language.
The Ministers and great Lords of the Court are Civil, Courteous, and of easy Access, especially to such as want no Favour of 'em, and come to Vienna
only for Curiosity or Business. The Way of these Gentlemen is to return no Visits: but they invite People to their Tables, which being always well fill'd, a Man soon gets a great deal of Acquaintance.
'Tis a very easy matter to be admitted to kiss the Hands of their Imperial Majesties, and even to obtain a private Audience of 'em; for there needs nothing more than to give in your Name to the Emperor's Great Chamberlain and the Empress's Great Master of the Houshold. When you kiss their Hands you bend one Knee to the Ground, and the Time for it is generally when their Majesties pass by to Dinner. But private Audiences are attended with more Ceremonies. The Great Chamberlain having appointed the Hour of meeting in his Antichamber, which is commonly five o'clock in the Evening, he repairs thither at that Time, and introduces to the Audience; and if he be absent, 'tis done by the Chamberlain in Waiting. The Ceremony observ'd is this: The Emperor stands up under a Canopy, leaning with his Back against a Table, and an Arm-Chair by his Side, A Screen of red Velvet with Gold Fringe is plac'd at the Entrance of the Room, so that the Emperor is not perceiv'd at the opening of the Door. Behind this Screen near the Door, stands the Great Chamberlain. As soon as the Person comes in sight of the Emperor he bends the Knee, which he repeats as he advances a little farther, and again when he comes near to his Imperial Majesty. To these Genuflexions the Emperor gives a Nod of the Head, hearkens very attentively to the Person who addresses him, and returns a succinct and gracious Answer. Then the Person kneeling with one Knee on the Ground kisses his Majesty's Hand, after which he retires, going backwards and making three Genuflexions as he did at Entrance. The same Ceremonies are observ'd at an Audience of the
Empress, who gives it standing just as the Emperor does, with this Difference only that the Emperor is all alone, and the Empress is attended with one of her Ladies of Honour, who nevertheless stands off at such a Distance that she can't hear what is said.
The Emperor commonly eats with the Empress and the Arch-Duchesses. But there are particular Days, such as the Installation of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, when the Empress herself is not allow'd to sit down at Table with his Imperial Majesty. The Dinner is commonly in the Emperor's Apartment, and the Supper at the Empress's. At Dinner two Chamberlains hold the Ewer for their Majesties to wash, and the Steward, or in his absence the Great Chamberlain presents them the Napkin, which is done after the manner of Spain, with one Knee on the Ground. The Number of Dishes at the Emperor's Table is forty eight, and the same at the Empress's; but tho' their Majesties eat together they are each serv'd by their own Officers and Cooks. They commonly drink both together at the first Time; and till they have drank, the Ambassadors, Courtiers, and Ladies all wait at Dinner. After the Emperor has drank, the Steward, the Master of the Horse, the Great Chamberlain, and the Captain of the Guards receive his Orders: The Lady of Honour in Waiting and the Empress's Steward receive her Orders in like manner. None remain in the Room but the Officers necessary for the Service, and some curious People who are not us'd to see Sovereigns eat. On Sundays, Saints Days, and Days of Gala, which is the Name they give here to Days of Festival and Ceremony, the Dinner is attended with Music. I forgot to acquaint you that the Emperor is always cover'd at Table, and that when he puts his Hat on the Ambassadors put on theirs.
At Supper the Lady of Honour who is in waiting presents the Napkin, and the Ladies of the Bed-Chamber not only carve and hand the Victuals, but taste both the Meat and the Wine. The Pages carry the Dishes and Plates, and fetch the Wine from the Beaufet which they give to the Ladies, and they to their Majesties. During the Supper as well as at Dinner all the Gentlemen and Ladies stand up, so that here neither Princes nor Princesses have any Distinction shew'd them, but all Ranks are levell'd and confounded, and no body sits down in presence of the Sovereign.
On the Days of Gala the Court is extremely gay, and nothing is to be seen but Gold and Diamonds. The Days of this kind that are celebrated with most Splendor are those of St. Charles and St. Elizabeth, the Name Days of the Emperor and Empress. The Emperor, who commonly dresses very plain, is cover'd all over with Diamonds upon St. Elizabeth's Day. And as for the Empress, her Apparel is commonly rich, and so loaded with Jewels upon St. Charles's Day that she can scarce stand under it. Except on these Days of Gala the Court dresses very plain. 'Tis true that these Days are very frequent, and that consequently plain Clothes are not very much wore, for if it be a Holiday, or the Birth-Day of some Minister, or if some Lady of Distinction sends but for a Surgeon to bleed her, 'tis enough to put the whole City in Gala. These Gala's may be divided into three Classes; the Court Gala which is universal both for the Nobles and Plebeians; the Grand Gala which is kept in the City is for the Festival of some Minister; and the third and last is the Little Gala, which is when the Ladies are let blood. A Husband makes a Gala here for his Wife, the Wife for her Husband, the Children for their Parents, and Brothers and Sisters for one another; so that to be sure two Thirds of Vienna are
always in Gala; which made a French Jester say, 'twould take up a great deal of Brimstone to cure the Austrians of the Gale[93]. However, they take care not to appear in this domestic Gala before the Emperor and Empress, because it would be reckon'd a Disrespect to them.
On the great Festival-Days the Emperor goes with a grand Retinue to St. Stephen's Cathedral: He takes up one whole Side of the Coach, and the Empress sits fronting him. Their Majesties are preceded by the Chamberlains and Knights of the Golden Fleece on horseback: The Pages and Footmen walk bare-headed immediately after the Coach of the Master of the Horse, and their Imperial Majesties Coach is guarded on each side by a File of Archers, and attended by the Coaches of the Arch-Duchesses and the Ladies. Then the Horse-Guards appear with their Kettle-Drums and Trumpets, and the March is clos'd by the Pope's Nuncio and the Ambassadors with their Train, which consists of three magnificent Coaches and six Horses each.
On Corpus Christi Day the Emperor accompanies the Holy Sacrament, when the Streets thro' which the Procession passes are cover'd with Planks. Their Imperial Majesties repair in the Morning with great Attendance to St. Stephen's Cathedral, and after assisting at Divine Service join in the Procession. The Emperor is immediately follow'd by the Empress, who is accompany'd by all the Ladies in rich Dresses, which renders this one of the most magnificent Processions in the World.
The same Honours and Respects are paid to the Empress Dowager as to the Empress Regent. She has her separate Houshold, and her own Guards. She has an Apartment in the Palace, but commonly lives in a Convent of her own founding in one of the Suburbs, and does not come to Town except on the great Festivals or for some extraordinary Function.
You know, without doubt, that the Empress Dowagers can never quit Mourning; their Apartments must be always hung with Black, and their Coaches and Liveries are of the same Colour: Nor can they be present at any Play, Ball, or Concert. In short by losing their Husbands they must renounce the Pleasures of this Life. These severe Obligations on a Widow are fully discharg'd by the Empress Dowager. Being retir'd to a Convent where she is almost continually prostrate before the Altars in Prayer and Supplication, she makes her Mansion a Place of Piety and Peace, and never appears in public but when Conveniency requires. This Princess was always an Example of the most uncommon Virtue. In the Life-time of her Husband the Emperor Joseph, she lov'd Pleasures and Grandeur; but when she became a Widow she renounc'd all, and only employ'd herself in Works of Piety, and in the Education of the two Arch-Duchesses her Daughters, whom she has now the Comfort of seeing marry'd to two powerful Princes of the Empire[94]. There's not a Person that draws near her Imperial Majesty but admires her eminent Qualities. I have not yet had the Honour this Journey of casting my self at her Feet, but the first Time I was here I had the Advantage of paying my Duty to her at Schonborn, where she then pass'd the Summer. I was receiv'd by her with such Proofs of her Kindness as charm'd me, and which I shall always remember with Pleasure and Respect. This Princess is the Daughter of John-Frederic Duke of Brunswic-Hanover and of Henrietta-Benedictine Princess Palatine. After the Death of the Duke her Father, who left no Son, she went with the Duchess of Brunswic to France, where this Princess was very glad to retire to her Sister the Princess of Condé. The Empress who was
then the Princess Amelia, spent some Years in France, where she learned the Language and Politeness of that Nation to perfection, and in short acquir'd that Merit and Virtue for which she is now so much admir'd, and which perhaps have contributed equally with her illustrious Extraction to gain her possession of the first Throne in Christendom. The Marriage of her elder Sister to Renaud d'Este Duke of Modena obliging the Dutchess of Brunswic to leave France, and go and settle at Modena, the Princess Amelia follow'd her also into Italy. She had no reason to be sorry for her leaving France, and rejecting the Addresses of a French Nobleman who had presum'd to court her, for not long after her Arrival at Modena she was marry'd to the King of the Romans, afterwards the Emperor Joseph. This Empress is not only endow'd with the Christian but all the Moral Virtues, and there are few Princesses of a more generous Soul, of greater Courage, or of a Genius more sublime, more refin'd, or more adorn'd. There was a Time when she might be rank'd among the most beautiful Princesses of Europe: she still retains all the Marks of it; and therewith preserves such a majestic Air that whenever I behold her it revives the profound Veneration I have for her sacred Person.
The Emperor Charles VI. is of a middling Stature, and in good Plight of Body: He is of a swarthy hale Complection, has a brisk Eye, and thick Lips, for which last his Family in general have been remarkable. This Monarch is the second Son of the Emperor Leopold by Eleonora of Newbourg, and the fifteenth Emperor[95] of his Family. Being design'd when a Minor for Successor to Charles II. King of Spain, he had a grave Education suitable to the People whom he was one day to govern. This
made him contract an Air of Seriousness, which, to those who have not the Honour of Access to him, favours of Severity; yet he is affable and very humane. He hears those with Attention that speak to him, and his Answers are full of Good-nature. When he attain'd to an Age hardly ripe enough for the Crown of Spain, he met with various Fortune in that Kingdom; but he supported himself in every Event with an heroic Magnanimity, being always submissive to the Will of that Providence which he knew was the Master of the Fortune of Kings. The Adversitys with which it pleas'd God to try his Patience by the Siege of Barcelona which he carry'd on in Person, and by the Loss of the Battle of Villa Viciosa, only serv'd to confirm his Constancy, and his natural Integrity, a Principle which renders him even more venerable than the Splendor of his Crowns and the vast Extent of his Power. Heaven, which always rewards Virtue, has granted this Monarch one of the best and most fortunate Reigns that any Emperor has had since Germany has been the Seat of Empire. He wants nothing to crown his Happiness but a Male Heir, which is so much the Desire of the People, as well as of the Emperor and the most virtuous Empress the World ever saw, that God grant he may have one.
This Princess is descended from the august House of Brunswic, to which Europe is at this Time oblig'd for two Empresses[96], one King[97], and a Queen[98]. She is the Daughter of Lewis Rodolph Duke of Brunswic-Blankenbourg[99] by Christiana-Louisa Princess of Oetingen, of whom I gave you
an Account in my Letter from Blankenbourg. The Character of this august Princess for her Affability and Goodness is so well known in the World that 'tis needless to speak of it here. You know likewise how beautiful and handsome she was when she was marry'd to the Emperor. And notwithstanding the Pimples in her Face and her present Corpulency she may still be reckon'd in the number of the beautiful Princesses. Such an Air of Modesty, Mildness, and Majesty, accompanies every thing she does, as inspires those that approach her with equal Courage and Respect. Her Duty is her Law, and her principal Care is to please the Emperor, whose Wisdom she knows to be sufficient to govern his Dominions, and to him she therefore leaves all Affairs. Indeed she is very earnest with him to get Favours for those who petition her, which she thinks a Happiness to obtain, and she bestows them in such manner as is very affecting to the Receivers. This Princess is charitable, generous, and magnificent. She maintains her Dignity without Conceit, and supports her solid Piety without Ostentation. She was educated in the Lutheran Religion, but abjur'd it at Bamberg when she came thither in her Way to be marry'd to the Emperor, then King of Spain, and is now a good Catholic, yet without any Hatred to the Protestants; being convinc'd that the Love of one's Neighbour is one of the Duties which God most strictly enjoins upon Mankind, and that Charitableness and good Examples are the best Means to reconcile those to the Church who are separated from it.
In the same sublime Sentiments of Virtue does the Empress educate the Archduchesses her Daughters, and those young Princesses are like to make worthy Proficients. The eldest Archduchess Mary Theresa is brought up in the agreeable Prospect of being one day Mistress of the vast Dominions possessed
by the Emperor[100]. This young Princess has very much of the Air of the Empress her Mother; and if Heaven designs her for the Sovereignty of the Empire, God grant she may also resemble her in her Virtues!
The Emperor has three Sisters. The eldest is the Archduchess Mary Elizabeth Governess of the (Austrian) Netherlands; the second is Mary-Anne Queen of Portugal; and the third is the Archduchess Mary Magdalen, who 'tis said is intended to be Governess of Tirol. The intire August House of Austria consists at present of the sacred Person of the Emperor and of eight Princesses[101], of whom three are married; and God grant it may be augmented by the Birth of a Prince; for without setting up here for a zealous Subject, I don't think that the Houses of Austria and Bourbon ought ever to be extinct, both of them having made the Fortunes of an infinite Number of Gentlemen.
The Emperor's ordinary Pastime (when he has a Desire to unbend his Mind from Affairs of State, to which he applies with all the Earnestness of a Monarch that loves his People) is Hunting, or Shooting at a Mark; and the Empress is generally a Sharer in his Diversions. His Imperial Majesty goes sometimes also to the Riding-House, where he exercises himself in Riding: At other times Music is his Amusement, which the Monarch not only performs by Book, but is also a Composer; and some Years ago an Opera was acted here of his composing. All the Actors as well as the Dancers and the Musicians of the Orchestre were Persons of Quality. The Emperor himself made one, and the two eldest Archduchesses his Daughters danced. The Spectators were the Empress Regent and the Empress Dowager, and every Actor had the Liberty
of carrying two of his Kindred or intimate Friends.
Tho' their Imperial Majesties are very fond of Music they have seldom more than two Operas in a Year, viz. on the Days of St. Charles and St. Elizabeth, and sometimes the same Operas are play'd again during the Carnival. At this time, which is devoted to Mirth, there is a Ball at Court, and on the Flesh-days there is commonly a great Masquerade representing a Country-Wedding. In the Palace there is a very magnificent Theatre, which indeed is almost the only thing there that is worth seeing, for the Imperial Palace is so wretched a Mansion that few Monarchs are lodged worse than the Emperor. The Furniture too is old-fashion'd and not very rich, which is somewhat unaccountable, because the Wardrobes are full of costly Pieces of Tapestry, stately Pictures, and other fine Goods which probably they are restrained from making use of by the Etiquette. The Emperor's Pleasure-Houses are no better than his Palace in the City. The Castle of the Favorita which is in one of the Suburbs, is a great Building full of Turnings and Windings like the Street which it looks into, and has more of the Appearance of a great Convent of Capuchin Fryars than of the Dwelling of a Prince who is the Head of so many Sovereigns. The Gardens are as mean as the House, and only considerable for their Extent. Laxembourg is still very much inferior to the Favorita; but the Court is there no more than a Month or six Weeks, during the Hunting of the Heron. The Ministers that are obliged to attend the Emperor thither have Houses there, which though not very grand, are commodious. When a Person goes to Laxembourg to pay a Visit to the Court he is under a Necessity of returning to Vienna for a Bed, which is a very great Inconveniency.
The Emperor Joseph had begun a very fine House at Schonborn about a League from Vienna, but did not live to finish it; and the Empress Amelia to whom the Emperor gave it, instead of carrying on the Works which her Husband had begun, lets it run to ruin; which is great pity, for if that Building had been finish'd the Emperor wou'd not have had a Versailles, but he wou'd at least have had a Mansion-House suitable to his Dignity. 'Tis said that a new Palace is going to be built for the Emperor; which, if true, 'twere to be wish'd that better Architects may be employ'd in it than those who have had the Direction of the new Stables and of St. Charles's Church, which are Buildings lately erected with very great Expence, but without any Taste. The Stables are a Range of Buildings of a vast Length, divided into seven Pavilions which appear at first sight to be so many different Houses. The middlemost Pavilion which is design'd to lodge the Master of the Horse is much higher than the other six, which sink gradually on the two sides. Nor are the inner Rooms better contriv'd; for the Horses stand all in one Row, and the Stable is so narrow withal, that one is every Minute in danger from the Horses Heels; which is purely owing to the Indiscretion of the Architect, who having ground enough and to spare might for the same Expence have made something grand and noble.
Whether the same Architect that built the Stables had the Direction likewise of St. Charles's Church, is what I know not; but if they are two different Men their Head-pieces are very much alike. This Church would perhaps have been admir'd in the Days of the Goths, but in so refined an Age as the present, one cannot look on it without being sorry for the Sums of Money laid out in it.
This bad Taste as to Buildings prevails too much at Vienna, not but that there are Hotels and even
Palaces in which the Rules of Architecture are observ'd, but then the Builders are got into such a way of ornamenting and charging their Houses with Sculpture as is altogether contrary to the noble Simplicity of the ancient Architecture. The Palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy is stately, but situate in a narrow Street with a very little Court before it. The Stair-case is very well contriv'd were it not too much confin'd. The Apartments of the first Story are as well laid out as the Ground wou'd admit of. We enter first into a spacious Salon adorn'd with great Pictures representing the chief Victories of Prince Eugene over the French and the Turks. In the two Rooms next to this are very rich Hangings wherein the Maker Devos at Brussels has very correctly delineated the whole Military Science. The Bed-chamber beyond that has a Set of Furniture of green Velvet richly embroider'd with Gold and Silk. In the same Room there is a Lustre of Rock Crystal which is said to have cost 40,000 Florins. All the other Furniture is extraordinary magnificent, and wou'd be cry'd up at Paris it self, where it must be allow'd a Taste for fine Furniture prevails more than any where.
The Palace of Lichtenstein is bigger than that of Savoy, and not less magnificent. 'Tis worth seeing were it only for its Paintings. I pass over the Hotels of Schwartzenberg, Daun, Diedrichstein, Harrach, and several other noble Edifices, lest my Letter shou'd swell into a Volume.
The Palaces of the Suburbs are infinitely more grand than those of the City, and they have both Court-yards and Gardens. The most noble are the Palaces of Trautsheim, Rofrano, Schwartzenberg, Altheim, and Eugene of Savoy. This last especially is a superb Structure with magnificent Gardens, a fine Orangery, and a Menagery stor'd with the most uncommon Creatures that the four Parts of
the World can furnish. 'Tis in this fine great House that Prince Eugene passes the beautiful Season of the Year. There is not so fine a Sight as an Assembly at this Prince's House, for not only the outer Court, in which there's a fine Piece of Water, but the Gardens are illuminated by an infinite Number of Lanthorns made in form of a Bowl of extraordinary white Glass, which cast a very great Light and make a glorious appearance. The Assembles at this Prince's House are always very numerous; for his Birth, Employments and Interest, draw a great Court to him.
Prince Eugene is of a middling Stature, and well made. His Air is extremely serious, and his Deportment grave and reserv'd; but notwithstanding that Reservedness he is a hearty Friend to his Adherents. He is a thorough Judge of Merit, and loves to distinguish it. He is perfectly genteel and civil, very polite to the Ladies, respectful and submissive to his Lord and Master, but without Flattery or Servility. He is generous and noble in every thing excepting his Apparel. He is an Enemy to Ostentation, Ceremonies, and Constraint. In his youthful Days he lov'd Pleasures, but he abandon'd them as soon as he was animated with a Thirst for Glory. He was born in France, but left that Kingdom in 1683, out of disgust that he was no more taken notice of, and came to Vienna just before the Turks laid siege to it. He made the Campaign as a Volunteer, and distinguish'd himself in such a manner that the Emperor Leopold gave him in December following that Regiment of Dragoons which still goes by his Name. When the Siege of Vienna was rais'd, he serv'd in Hungary under Duke Charles of Lorrain, and Maximilian-Emanuel Elector of Bavaria. The first time that he obtain'd the Command of the Imperial Army was in 1697, when he began with the Victory at Zenta whereby 22,000 Turks lost their Lives; a Loss which they could not recover,
and which put them upon suing for the Peace that was granted to them at Carlowitz in 1699. The Prince afterwards commanded in Italy, Germany, Flanders, and lastly in Hungary; and wherever he went Conquest attended him. To give you a Detail of his Achievements would be to anticipate the History which is to immortalize them, and to which you will not take it ill if I refer you. As to the Dignities and great Employments of this Prince, he is Chief Counsellor of the Council of Conferences; President of the Aulic Council of War; Commander in Chief or Lieutenant-General of the Armies of the Emperor and Empire; his Imperial Majesty's Vicar-General in Italy; Colonel of a Regiment of Dragoons; and Knight of the Golden Fleece. All his Employments may be worth about 300,000 Florins a year to him. Besides this, he has a considerable Estate in Hungary and in the Neighbourhood of Vienna, which brings him in about 100,000 Florins per Ann. more. He holds those Lands by the Emperor's Bounty who gave them to him as a Reward for his important Services.[102]
The Marshal Count Guido Staremberg is one of those Gentlemen also who deserve particular respect for their Virtue. He is descended of a Family which has given great Generals and wise Ministers to the Emperors of the Austrian Family, and has supported the Glory of his Ancestors in a signal manner; Hungary, Italy, and Spain, have been Witnesses of Bravery and consummate Wisdom in the Art of commanding Armies, and have admir'd him the more because they saw him always gaining Victories with Armies ill paid, destitute of all Necessaries, and very much inferior to his Enemies. This General enter'd very young into the Service in quality of an Ensign, and advanc'd himself by degrees. He was made Lieutenant-Colonel a little before the Turks Undertaking against Vienna, and while it was besieg'd, serv'd as Adjutant to his Cousin Ernest-Rudiger Count de Staremberg, the Defender of Vienna. This Count Guido, after having been a few years in the Service, was preferr'd to the Regiment of Foot of which he is still Colonel.
When he was very young he was made Great Commander of the Teutonic Order. I do not mention his Exploits to you, because they are so much celebrated by Fame that you cannot but know them. This General, tho' very much advanc'd in years, retains all his juvenile Ardor, and wou'd still be very capable of commanding.
Having mention'd two of the Emperor's greatest Generals you will not be sorry, I fancy, if I shou'd give you some Account also of his chief Ministers. They are five in Number, and are call'd Counsellors of the Conferences. Prince Eugene of Savoy is the first Counsellor, but without the Title of Prime Minister, that being a Dignity not known at the Imperial Court.
The Count Lewis de Zinzendorf, Chancellor of the Court, and Knight of the Golden Fleece, is the second Counsellor of the Conference. He is a Nobleman descended of a Family which has been for a long time eminent in Austria. His Mother was a Princess of Holstein, who married to her second Husband the Marshal Count de Rabutin Governor of Transylvania, but died a few years ago in a very advanc'd Age. I had the honour to know her the last time I was here; her House being the Rendezvous of all People of Rank. Count Zinzendorf was in the Ministry in the Reign of Leopold. He was that Emperor's Minister Plenipotentiary in France, while the Marshal de Villars was at Vienna with the same Character from Lewis XIV. At the Death of the Emperor Joseph, the Count de Zinzendorf was that Prince's Ambassador to the States-General, in which Character he was confirmed by the Empress Eleonora who was Regent during the Absence of King Charles. He repaired from the Hague to Frankfort to assist at the Coronation of Charles VI. and officiated at the Ceremony as Vicar to the Great Treasurer of the Empire, a Dignity which is Hereditary in his Family.
At the Congress of Utrecht which was open'd not long after, the Count de Zinzendorf assisted as the Emperor's first Ambassador. He afterwards went to the unsuccessful Congress of Soissons, and from thence to Versailles, where he succeeded so well with the Cardinal de Fleury, that he kept him tight in those pacific Sentiments which the Enemies of his Tranquillity, if not of his Glory, aim'd to make him give up. The Count is now return'd hither, and almost the only Man that acts in the Province of foreign Affairs. His Interest is very great, for besides the Esteem which the Emperor has for his Person and Services, he is related to all the most distinguished Persons at Court, and strictly attached to the Interest of Prince Eugene of Savoy, of whose Integrity and disinterested Zeal for the Emperor he is very sensible. The Count de Zinzendorf is pretty tall and has a happy engaging Aspect. His Deportment is noble. He is pretty reserv'd, but civil. He is very polite to Strangers, and his House is open to them. He keeps the noblest and most elegant Table at Vienna. He is magnificent in every thing he does, and all his Actions favour of the Man of Quality. He is Father of a numerous Family. The second of his Sons is a Cardinal and Bishop in Hungary[103]. Another is Knight of Malta, and Lieutenant-Colonel. As these are the two with whom I am best acquainted, so they are the only ones I shall mention. I know not whether 'tis possible for a Man to be more sprightly than they both are. The Chevalier has more Mettle and Life than a Gascon: He is very blunt in his witty Sallies, but the variety of them pleases, and their novelty and justness are surprizing.
The Count Gundacker de Staremberg, President of the Chamber of Finances, and Knight of the
Golden Fleece, is the third Counsellor of the Conferences. His Integrity is very much cry'd up, and he has manag'd the Finances in such a manner as to guard against the Public Hatred.
The Count de Schonborn, Bishop of Bamberg and Wurtzbourg, Vice-Chancellor of the Empire, is the fourth Counsellor of the Conferences[104]. You know, Sir, that the Schonborn Family has given us several worthy Gentlemen; but I may venture to say, with all due Regard to the Memory of those great Men, and without flattering the Vice-Chancellor, that of all the Family he has the greatest Capacity for Business, the most generous Temper, and the most engaging and most civil Behaviour. As this Prelate has not his Equal at Vienna for Grandeur and Riches, so he has not his Fellow for Magnificence. The Emperor has a singular Esteem for him. The Vice-Chancellor has the Chancery of the Empire under him, and no body above him but the Emperor, and the Elector of Mentz, who is the Great Chancellor of the Empire.
The Count de Konigseck, Vice-President of the Aulic Council of War, is the fifth Counsellor of the Conferences. This Nobleman, whose Extraction is from a Family of Distinction in the Empire, is one of the tallest and handsomest Men at Court: He is the Emperor's Ambassador Extraordinary at the Court of Spain. His Family has for a long time past been attach'd to the House of Austria. He studied at Besançon, and was design'd for the Church; but he quitted the Band, took to Arms,
and enter'd into the Service of the Emperor Leopold; in which he had not been many Years before he had a Regiment of Foot, and the Emperor Joseph made him his Chamberlain. He also gave him the Government of Mantua, from whence he was recall'd by Charles VI. and sent to take possession of the Netherlands in the Name of the Emperor, to whom they were evacuated for that purpose by the Maritime Powers. The Count de Konigseck, during his Administration of the Netherlands, concluded the Barrier Treaty with the States-General. At Brussels he married Madamoiselle de Lanoi la Motterie, a young Lady of a good Family, and distinguish'd Merit. When he left the Netherlands he went Ambassador from the Emperor to the Court of France, where he gain'd great Esteem, especially from the Duke of Orleans, the Regent; a Prince who was an excellent Judge of Merit, and very sparing of his Applause. After three Years stay at Paris, the Count return'd to Vienna. He attended the Archduchess, Wife to the Electoral Prince of Saxony, in quality of Steward, to Dresden; and at his return went to the Government of Transilvania. But the Emperor recall'd him from this Post and sent him his Ambassador Extraordinary to Spain; where the Count is as much esteem'd as he was at Paris. 'Tis said that he is in entire Favour with their Catholic Majesties; nevertheless he makes such earnest Application to be recall'd, that 'tis said he will obtain his Request, and that his Nephew[105], who is the Emperor's Minister Plenipotentiary to the States-General, is already nominated to relieve him[106].
In the Council of Conferences the most important Affairs of the Empire are taken into Consideration, and the Emperor is always present.
Besides the five Ministers whom I have now mention'd to you, there are several others whose Interest is more circumscrib'd. Every Kingdom subject to the Emperor has its Minister and particular Chancery.
Count Badiani directs the Affairs of Hungary, in quality of its Vice-Chancellor.
The Affairs of Bohemia are in the Province of Count Kinski, the Chancellor of that Kingdom, who has a Vice-Chancellor under him, with a great many Assessors and Counsellors.
The Council of Spain consists of a President, Vice-President, and Counsellors. Its Authority extends over all the Kingdoms that were formerly subject to Spain, but yielded to the Emperor by the Peace. The Count de Monte-Santo, a Grandee of Spain, Brother to the Count de Cinfuentes, Constable of Castile, is President of this Council[107]; in which Office he succeeded the Archbishop of Valentia, who quitted his See to follow the Emperor whom he had acknowledg'd for his Sovereign in Spain.
Of all the Tribunals at Vienna the Aulic Council is the most venerable; because 'tis the Parliament of the Empire. It is compos'd of a President, viz.
the Count de Wurmbrandt; a Vice-President, who is the Count de Metsch; and of eighteen Counsellors, among whom there must be six Protestants, and of these one must be a Calvinist. This Tribunal judges of all Civil Causes between the Princes and private Men of the Empire. Its Authority terminates with the Emperor's Life; and 'tis on this account only that the supreme Tribunal of Wetzlar, which subsists even during the Vacancy of the Imperial Throne, challenges Precedence of the Aulic Council. 'Tis a Mistake to think, as many Foreigners do, that the Aulic Council takes Cognizance of Affairs of State; for its sole Business is to do Justice: It registers no Edict unless it be its own Sentences[108]; and is much more limited than the Parliaments of France, which have at least the Privilege of losing Time in Remonstrances.
I perceive too that I am in a fair way to make you lose a great deal, if I don't put an end to my Legend; which therefore I now do, and refer the rest of the Remarks that I have to entertain you with to another Post.
I kiss your Hand, and am, &c.
