18 MEMOIR OF BURCKHARDT. 



no country in Europe in which happiness and con- 

 tentment more generally prevailed among the inha- 

 bitants ; for notwithstanding the variety of govern- 

 ments and independent commonwealths within that 

 small territory, a mild spirit of liberty pervaded 

 their several constitutions ; the property of the sub- 

 ject was secured against every kind of violation; 

 and so little were the people actuated by the spirit 

 of conquest, that from the establishment of their 

 general Confederacy until the disastrous epoch re- 

 ferred to, they scarcely ever found occasion to 

 oppose a foreign enemy, and had no commotions 

 among themselves except such as were easily ter- 

 minated by the authority of the Helvetic Union. 



Such was the fortunate and peaceful condition of 

 the Swiss cantons when Burckhardt of Kirshgarten 

 began life. His prospects, however, were soon 

 blighted by the desolating hurricane of the French 

 revolution, from the very commencement of which 

 he became involved in a series of difficulties and 

 dangers which at one time had nearly brought him 

 to the scaffold. The aggressions of France upon the 

 Austrian dominions kindled a war which spread its 

 ravages along the Rhine and beyond the Alps as 

 far as the Po. After five successive campaigns, the 

 Imperial legions were driven from the field with 

 the loss of the Netherlands and Northern Italy, 

 where Bonaparte had given proof of his extraordi- 

 nary military talents by defeating in almost every 

 encounter the bravest troops and the best generals 

 of the Emperor. 



