GERMANY. 



oufet on the enemy, which they maintained with a defperate 

 intrepidity till the day was won or loH : if they were once 

 thrown :nto diforder they feldom rallied, but became defpe- 

 rate, aiid either fought till they were (laiightered, or be- 

 took, thcmfelves to flight ; for it vtas reckoned inglorious to 

 yield themfclvcs prifoneis. The military weapons of the 

 cavalry among the Germans were (hields and fpe.irs, wliich 

 they uled in common with the foot, but the latter h id, lie- 

 fides their darts, bows and flings, and feldom had recoiirle 

 to their pikes and fwords. Their arms were eflcemed their 

 favourite furniture and chief ornament ; fo that thev nerer 

 appeared in public without them. Th» fword was fo facred, 

 that the molt folemn andobhgatory oaths were thofe which 

 they took upon a naked blade. Nor did tke y affill in any 

 folemn rite, without their fword, ihicld, or fpear. Ther 

 even wore them at their familiar vifits, banquets, and reli- 

 gious dances ; and they were frequently to be burnt or bu- 

 ried with them, when they died. The fports, game?, and 

 exercifes of the Germans, were of the mafculine kind, and 

 fuch as inured them to the operations of war. It was a 

 long time before they acquired any knowledge of the 

 liberal arts, or even that of writing ; and we are 

 told, that Charles the Great caufed fome of their barbarous 

 poems, which they had been accullomed to ling from memory, 

 and which celebrated the illullrious actions of their ancient 

 kings and heroes, to be committed to writing for their ufe, 

 and by way of encouraging them to learn to read. The 

 Saxons, it is faid, had fuch a contempt for letters, that they 

 refufed to learn to read the gofpels till they were put into 

 verfe, and fet to fuch tunes as they could ealily ling. Even 

 their laws were not reduced to writing till about the 1 2th or 

 13 th centuries. 



The native difpofition of the ancient Germans difplayed 

 itfelf chiefly in their martial genius, and in their iingular lide- 

 litv. In fome cafes their love of liberty, and hatred of ty- 

 ranny and oppreffion, precipitated them to acts of treachery 

 and even of murder ; for in fuch caies they were eafily iu- 

 oenfed, and extremely vindictive. On other oecaiions, Ta- 

 citus fays, they vrere noble, magnanimous, and benelicent, 

 without ambition to aggrandize their dominions, or to invade 

 thofe from whom they received no injury ; rather chufing to 

 employ their ftrength or valour defenfively, than offenfively ; 

 to preferve their own, than to revenge their neighbours. In 

 their own houfes, furniture and diet, they were dillinguifhcd 

 bv their plainnefs and finiplicity ; but at the fame time, they 

 were no lefs diftinguifhed by their hofpitality to llrangers, 

 and by their readinefs to fuccour thole that were in dillrefs. 

 Although in molt of their cultoms tlie Germans very much 

 refembled the Gauls, yet, with regard to their funerals, they 

 were very different. The latter performed thefc obfequies 

 with pomp and profufion ; whereas the Germans diicharged 

 their lait ofhces to the dead with plainnefs and limplicity ; the 

 only grandeur they affeifted, was to burn the bodies of their 

 great men with fome peculiar kinds of wood ; and after- 

 wards they flung each man's armour into the funeral pile, and 

 fometimes his riding drefs. They then depolited their afhes 

 in urns, like the Gauls, Romans, and other nations. It may 

 be obferved in general, that the facrifiees they offered tor 

 their dead, the prcfents made to them at their funerals, ar.d 

 the other fupcrltitlous rites performed on thefe occafions, 

 were all the leTalt and the evidence of an eltabhihed belief, 

 that the foul was immortal. 



The ancient Germans were a brave and independent race 

 of men, and peculiarly diftinguilhed by their love of liberty 

 and arms. They oppofed the Roman power, after it had 

 arrived at maturity. After their contell with Caefar, who 

 was prov )ked by the Treviri to invade their country, a^id 

 Vol. XVI 



their revolt againfl Aaguttus, which was fupprcflid by' 

 Agrippa, and the infurredion which commenced among tlie 

 Roman legions in Pannonia, quelled partly by Druf.,s, and 

 finally by Gcrmanicus ; their other more co'nfiderable war» 

 with the Romans were waged againft the emperors M. Au- 

 relius, Alexander, Maximin, Valerian, Aurelian, Probue, 

 Conftantius, Julian, Valentinian, and fom.e of his fuccciTors. 

 Some notice is taken of thefe conflicts usdcr the namci 

 of the Alemanni, Gepida?, Franks, Sucvi, Htruli, and Bur- 

 gundians. Ther country' was divided into a number of petty 

 hjvcrcignties, independent of each other, tliough occadonally 

 connected by a military union, until it was reduced to the 

 condition of a Roman province ; and when the Roman em- 

 pire was (liattered by the Northern barbarians, Germany wai 

 over-run by the Franks about the year 480, and continued in 

 fubjecticn to chieftains of that nation, who governed over 

 the Suabiaus, Alcmans, Frilians, Saxons, Thuringians, and- 

 Bavarians, ur.til the end of the eighth ccnturj-, when Char- 

 lemagne united all Germany into one kingdom, as part of 

 the Frankilh monarchy. The conqi:eixd German nationr 

 had hereditary dukes of their own at firlt, and were goveni- 

 ed by their own laws : but Charlemagne put an end to the 

 former, and governed the different German provinces by 

 counts and royal delegates, and in the year 800 he affumed 

 the title and dignity of emperor. But the empire of Char- 

 lemagne was a drudture erefted in fo ihort a time, that it, 

 cculd not be of long duration. Under his immediate fuc- 

 ceifor it began to totter, and foon after fell to pieces. The 

 crown of Germany was feparated from that of France, and 

 the defcendants of Charlemagne eftabhihed two great mo- 

 narchies, lo lituated, as to give rife to a perpetual rivallhip 

 between them. But the princes of the race of Charlemagne, 

 who were placed on the Imperial throne, were not altogether 

 fo degenerate as thofe of the fame family who reigned in 

 France. In the h.ands of the former, the royal authority re- 

 tained lome vigour ; the nobles of Germany, though poffeficd 

 of extenfive privileges and ample territories, did not fo early 

 attain independence. The great offices of the crown conti- 

 nued at t!ie difpofal of the fovereign, and during a long pe- 

 riod, fiefs remained in their original Itate without becoming 

 hereditary in the fimailies of the perfonj to whom they had 

 been granted. 



At length, the German branch of the family of Char- 

 lemagne became extiniEt upon the death of Louis IV. 

 His feeble defcendants who reigned in France had funk 

 into fuch contempt, that the Germans, without looking 

 towards them, exercifcd the right inherent in a free people ; 

 and in a general affembly of the nation at Worms, in the 

 year 911, offered the imperial crown to Otho, duke of Sax- 

 ony, who declined it on account of his great age, and recom- 

 mended Conrad, count of Francoiiia. The latter was unani- 

 mouily eledted emperor. His reign was dillurbed by the dif- 

 obedience of fome nobles whom he fubdued, and by the pre- 

 ter.uons of Henry, fon of the duke of Saxony, his benefadlor. 

 Their quarrels, however, did not prevent Conrad from ac- 

 knowledging the merit of that prince in the fame manner as 

 Otho had done his. He recommended Henry as the ritteft 

 prince to be his lucceffor, and his propofal being approved 

 by the nation, he fent to Hcnrv, without waiting ior the hour 

 of death, the crown, the fceptre, the lance, the iword, and 

 other imperial ornaments. 



Henry I. alcended the imperial throne of Germany in 

 019. He was furiiamed the Foivlcr, bccaufe he was paifion- 

 ately fond of hawking. To confirm his authority, he made 

 more ufe of perfuafion than of arms. His defcendants, tlie 

 three Othos, were placed in fucceflion on the imperial throne 

 by the iuffrages of their countrymen. The extenlive terri. 

 fi 4 (urie« 



