76 
and find the authors agreeing with each 
other very accurately. The Hungarians 
do not like their subjection to the Aus- 
trian government; the crown of Hun- 
gary from being elective, is become he- 
reditary in the house of Austria, whose 
court isat Vienna. ‘The sovereign sel- 
dom visits his dominions, and the inha- 
bitants of Hungary consider their j:ing- 
_ dom, blessed with a warm sun and a 
fertile soil, and containing eight millions 
of inhabitants, as treated like a paltry 
insignificant province. It continues yet 
to be a fundamental! law of the land, that 
every new sovereign, when ascending the 
throne, shall solemnly swear to the na- 
tion to grant them their rights. In the 
thirteenth century Andrew II. in his 
diploma or coronation oath, allowed his 
subjects to take arms against him if he 
infrmged them. Several of his succes- 
sors have stened this diploma, and the 
same is still in use, except that particular 
article on the subject of resistance, which 
was erased in the reign of Joseph I. 
This diploma of Andrew II. is not an 
unique instance of royal humility, or to 
speak more accurately, of spirit and vi- 
gilance on the part of the people, form- 
ing a constitution for themselves.-- 
Without any formal acknowledgment 
by the English constitution, of the peo- 
ple’s right to take up arms against their 
sovereign, even in cases of notorious 
tyranny, the plains of Runnimede and 
Naseby attest the exercise, and the suc- 
cessful exercise of such a power, when 
called forth by emergencies. The an- 
cient constitution of Arragon, however, 
expressly recognised what was called the 
privilege of union. After any violation of 
the laws, if on application to the king 
full redress was not immediately grant- 
ed, the ricos-hambres de natura et de mes- 
nada, the nobles of the first rank, the 
bidalgos et hee ae the equestrian order, 
or those of the second rank, together 
with the magistrates of cittes seh, by 
authority of their own body corporate, 
require redress from the king; and in case 
of refusal consittutionally withdraw allegi- 
ance, take up arms to oppose him, and 
proceed to the election of another mo- 
narch. This legal association issued its 
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. 
mandates under a common seal, and its 
operations were conducted with regular 
and established formalities. Its power 
was successfully exercised by the Arra- 
gonese in the case o| Alfonzo III. in the 
year 1287. Peter IV. ratified the right 
in the year 1347 ; but soon after having 
defeated the leaders of the union in bat- 
tle, it was finally abrogated by him, and 
every record was destroyed which had 
formerly confirmed it.* 
The government of Hungary is di- 
vided between the king and the nobles; 
the burghers and peasants are excluded 
from all participation. The king de- 
clares peace and makes war, creates no- 
bility, pardons criminals, and convokes 
diets, but has only a veto in legislation : 
he has the gift of the great offices in 
church and state, those of the palatinet 
and keepers of the crown excepted.— 
The executive government then, of the 
kingdom, is in the hands of the sove- 
reign; but the raising of supplies for 
carrying on war, &c. belongs to the na- 
tion, who can only grant them in a diet; 
what in England would be called the 
people, however have very little share in 
the constitution of the diet. The depu- 
ties of the fifty-two counties into which 
this kingdom is divided, are only the 
deputies of the nobility; and the populus, 
as they are called in the public acts 
which are in Latin, are the privileged 
aristocracy; that is, the nobility and 
higher clergy. What we should call 
the people, namely, the body of pea- 
santry and citizens, are contra-distin- 
See in the public acts from the popu- 
us, being very emphatically and very truly 
styled the misera con/ribuens plebs. These 
burghers and peasants, the misera con- 
tribuens plebs, who are scarcely re- 
moved from without the verge of vas- 
salage, defray all the ordinary expences 
of government, whilst the nobles, who 
legislate and tax them, are exempt from 
all public burdens: they enjoy moreover 
the exclusive possession of every post of 
honour, emolument, and trust: they are 
exclusive owners of the soil, except what 
lies within the precincts of the free- 
towns: and are privileged as to their 
persons, except for high-treason, mur- 
* See Robertson's History of Charles V. vol. i. note xxxif. how 
+ The palatine is elected by the diet frony among four candidates, recommended by the 
king. ‘* This office, which generally lavts for life, is as ancient. as the monarchy, and. 
in. rank is next to the throne, 
The Ewa governs in the absence of the king: -is generar. 
lisstme of the kingdom: supreme judge of Sclavonia and Dalmatia; and.judge and eount of 
the Cumanians and Jazyges. His salary is only 20,000 florins, but his power and patronage, 
be meet im pecedelce,” sae en hs Bee 
is very great. ‘The ban of Croatia ts t 
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