172 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION. 



die age, the Germans remained ignorant of the 

 art of writing, and that Charlemagne was the firft 

 who taught them the ufe of letters. All there- 

 fore that has been wrote of the hiftory of the 

 Germans during the middle age, was either by 

 foreigners, or by monks, and others equally ig- 

 norant, after the eight century. It is llimciently 

 manifcft what regard ought to be paid to thefe. 

 The greateft inconvenience is, that we cannot 

 form a juft and diftincl: idea of the (late of the 

 German nations before Charlemagne. That they 

 had chiefs is certain, but the fame chief of a 

 nation is fometimes named rex, and fometimes 

 dux, princeps, margravio, or comes, and ibme* 

 times itill different from any of thefe. All the 

 Scriptcres rcrum Germanicarum of the middle 

 age, are but fo ma.ny troubled and confufed 

 fources : the bufmefs here, however, is to 

 know what has been wrote, rather than what 

 has really happened. 



XX. The modern hiftory of Germany begins 

 with Charlemagne, and comes down to Francis I. 

 that is to fay, down to the prefent time. The 

 hiftory of thefe emperors being already included 

 in that of the empire, it only remains in the 

 third period of the hiftory of Germany, to con- 

 fider, (i.) The particular hiftory of the twelve 

 grand fovereign houfes of Germany, which are 

 thofe of Auftria, Brandenburg, Bavaria, Baden, 

 Brunfwick, Anhalt, HefTe, Holftein, Mecklen- 

 burg, NaiTau, Saxon^ and Wirtemberg. (i.) 



That 



