disement of an inveterte rival, with- 
out paying a constant, though fruit. 
| less attention to the means of pre- 
venting it. Hence the two ruinous 
wars, during the reign of Frederick, 
styled the great, that deprived Aus- 
tria of such extgMive territories. 
The court of Vienna had ample 
| Cause to rue its endeavours to re- 
duce a power so strongly supported 
by others, and especially by the 
house of Bourbon, the sworn foe, 
during a long period, to the posses- 
sors of the Imperial crows, whose 
despotic aims, at the liberties of 
Germany, had more than once been 
frustrated by its interposition. 
- Though the French monarchy 
Was no more, its politics still sub- 
sisted respecting the houses of Aus- 
tria and Brandenburgh, Of course, 
_ the cout of Berlin, conscious of the 
utility. to be derived from so power- 
ful an ally, soon retracted its short- 
lived enmity to France, when’ it 
found that, whether a kingdom or a 
‘commonwealth, its aid might safely 
be relied upon in any future contest 
with the court of Vienna. 
To these motives may be ascribed 
the passive acquiescence of the Prus- 
sian councils, in the enterprizes of 
the French in Germany. As Prussia 
expected, and was promised, a share 
in the spoils of Austria, it connived 
at all the proceedings of these dan- 
gerous invaders, secure of a like con- 
hivance on their part. 
The necessity of coinciding with 
many of the views of this ambitious 
court, induced the directory to give 
an indirect assent to the usurpations 
it had resolved on. While the 
French armies were employed in 
the seizure of so many towns and 
territories, the Prussian ministry re- 
vived claims upon the Imperial 
city of Nuremberg, that had lain 
- 
HISTORY OF FUROPE. 
[139 
dormant upwards of two hundred 
years. They were of a most serious 
nature, and directed’'to no less'than 
the sovereignty of that large and 
flourishing city; the suburbs of 
which the king of Prussia challenged 
as his property, and took forcible 
possession of them, in contempt of 
the reclamation of the senate and 
regency. 
So manifest a violation of the na- 
tive and long acknowledged right of 
no inconsiderable state in Germany, 
countenanced in so glaring and un- 
questionable a manner by the French 
generals, was viewed, by the dis- 
cerning part of the Germans, as 
the remuneration tacitly allowed to 
Prussia by France, for assenting to 
its invasion of the empire, and 
showed, at the same time, bow rea 
dily the rulers of the republic would 
sacrifice the liberties and indepen- 
dence of others to their own ambi- 
tious pursuits. 
The dissatisfaction universally 
produced, by this conduct of the 
French, did them essential disservice 
throughout all Germany, and in- 
deed through all: Europe. It now 
became certain, by the evidence of 
facts, that their pretences, to assume 
the protection of states and nations 
against tyranny, were a mere impo= 
sition upon the credulity of man- 
kind. The connection of ‘Prussia 
with the republic, exposed it to the 
suspicion of abeiting the project of 
dissolving all the political ties. that 
held together the Germanic body, 
and under the protection of which 
the immunities and liberties of the 
lesser princes and states were re= 
spected by the more powerful. 
A surmise had prevailed for many 
years, that the house of Branden- 
burgh had conceived ‘the idea of 
placing itself at the head of the 
{K 2] empire, 
