SIR,Frankfort, March 21, 1730.
At my Departure from Manheim I pass'd the Rhine over a Bridge of Boats, and in three Hours time arrived at Franckendahl, which was formerly fortified, but after having suffered by the general Conflagration in the Palatinate, was dismantled by the Peace of Nimeguen, and so it has remained ever since. It still bears the Marks of French Fury; and a great many Houses that were burn'd have not been rebuilt.
There's the finest Country in the World between Franckendahl and Worms. I came hither at ten o'clock in the Morning, and spent the rest of the Forenoon in seeing what was most remarkable. Worms is not the Place now that it was before the French burn'd it. Its most wealthy Inhabitants instead of rebuilding their Houses, retir'd to Frankfort and Holland, so that the Chapter of Worms, which is wholly compos'd of Persons of Quality, is now the chief Glory of the Town. The Bishop of it is the Elector[142] of Mentz, who was chose July 12, 1694. This Prince has built a new Episcopal Palace, the Contrivance of
which is beautiful. It joins to the Cathedral which is ancient, and built very substantially. The Lutherans have just built a fine Church, the Roof of which is painted. In several Compartiments there's the History of Luther's pretended Reformation. That Doctor is there represented as appearing before the Dyet of the Empire which met at Worms An. 1521. You know that he was cited to it by the Emperor Charles V. His Friends, to dissuade him from appearing, put him in mind of John Huss, who notwithstanding the Safe-Conduct that had been granted him by the Emperor Sigismond, was burnt by a Decree of the Council of Constance. Luther, without being intimidated, said, that tho' he was sure to be engag'd with as many Devils as there were Tiles upon the Houses of Worms, he was resolv'd to go. He went thither accordingly, and appear'd the 17th of April before the Dyet, where he offer'd, with a Courage deserving a better Cause, to maintain his Doctrine and his Writings against all that should go about to demolish them from the Holy Scriptures.
The City of Worms stands in the middle of a fine spacious Plain, abounding with Corn, Vineyards, and Fruit-Trees. A Wine is produced here which is call'd Lieben-Frauen-Milch, i. e. Our Lady's Milk. The Rhine is about three or four hundred Paces from the Town, but 'tis said it formerly ran close by the Walls of it. Which way soever one comes to Worms, one perceives at a great Distance the four Towers of the Cathedral which are all built of red Freestone. Two drunken Fellows mistook those Towers one day for Capuchin Fryars. Being in the Country at a pretty good Distance from the Town, as the Sun was going down, one of them said to his Comrade, We have no Time to lose, the Gates are going to be shut.—No matter, said the other, pointing to the Towers; Don't you see those Capuchins
there before us? They are of the Town, and are going thither as well as we. You are in the right, reply'd the former, let us drink the good Fryar's Health. They had a Gourd Bottle full of Wine, of which they drank every Drop, so that they did not overtake the imaginary Capuchins till next Day.
There is not a finer Country than that between Worms and Oppenheim, a little Town upon an Eminence, on the left Side of the Rhine, to which we pass over a flying Bridge. The Road from Oppenheim is unpassable for near two Leagues, because 'tis commonly overflown by that River; but afterwards the Way is perfectly good to Frankfort. 'Twas very late when I came to this City, but by good luck the People of Frankfort who formerly shut their Gates at Sun-set have lately chose to keep them open till ten o'clock, so that for paying a Trifle one may enter the Town.
I know not whether I need give any Account of the City of Frankfort. It has been so often describ'd, and is so well known to the World, that I fancy every body knows what sort of Town it is, tho' they have not seen it. Frankfort is famous for its two yearly Fairs, viz. at Easter and Michaelmas. It suffer'd much by a great Fire in 1619, but the whole has been since rebuilt, and the Houses are finer than before. There are few Places upon the whole more disagreeable, and few Towns in Germany where the Common People are more unpolish'd. The Burghers are not to be match'd for Affectedness, and their Conversation is insupportable. The Magistrates are all Lutherans; nevertheless the principal Churches belong to the Catholics. The Calvinists may live in the Town, but cannot hold any Employments, and are oblig'd to go for Worship to Bockenheim in the County of Hanau, and to cause their Children to be baptiz'd in the Lutheran Churches. The great Church in which the Ceremony
of the Emperor's Coronation is perform'd is dark, and by no means proper for such an august Solemnity. You know that Aix la Chapelle is properly the Place set apart for the Coronation of our Emperors, and Frankfort for their Election. But since Maximilian I. no Emperor has been crown'd at Aix. Frankfort being situate in the Centre of the Empire is much more commodious for all the Princes, but particularly for the Spiritual Electors and for the Elector Palatine, who may send for their Equipages by Water and return them back by the same Convenience. When Charles VI. was crown'd at Frankfort in 1711, there was an extraordinary Concourse of Princes and Noblemen. Certain speculative Gentlemen made two Remarks on this Occasion, from which they presag'd two Things. The one was, that the Emperor made his Entrance into this City in close Mourning for the Emperor Joseph his Brother; whereupon they said that Charles wore Mourning because he foresaw that he should be the last Emperor of his Family. The second was, that as Charles return'd from the Church invested with all the Marks of Sovereignty, Charlemain's Sword had like to have dropp'd out of the Scabbard; which the Elector of Triers of the Lorrain Family observing, catch'd hold of the Sword, and put it in again before it was quite fallen out of the Scabbard. Upon this, the same Calculators of Nativities said it was an Omen that the Emperor would never have a quiet Reign, and that he would always be in a Situation that would oblige him to draw his Sword for his Defence[143].