JOSEPH. 



and took the mod decifive ftepj in ecclcfiaftical reform, and 

 the reduction of the power of the church. Numerous fup- 

 prdiions of religious houfos took place throu(;hout all his 

 dominions ; and in an imperial rcfcript, all Subordination 

 whatever, in fecular affairs, to the holy fee was formally 

 difclaimcd. Sucli proceedings awakened the moll lively 

 alarms in the papal court ; and on this occalion, pope 

 Pius VI. made a journey to Vienna: but notwithllandiiig 

 the very fiairerinij attentions which he received on his arrival, 

 he found it impoltible to procure an intermiiTion of thofe re- 

 forms, wliich were now extended to the fccular clergy and 

 hierarchy, as well as to the religious orders or regulars ; and 

 only obtained a refpite for fome threatened religions founda- 

 tions. In 1786 the emperor followed his attack on the 

 papal antliority, by calling an aflcmbly of the ccclefi.iftical 

 princes at Ratilbon, in which it was refolved to withdraw 

 from the jurifdic^ion of the pope. In 178S a declaration of 

 war was pnhlifhed againll the Turks, and in the fame year 

 the emperor in perfon reduced Schabatz ; but this wns fol- 

 lowed by the defeat of prince I/niclien(lein, who fell in the 

 aftion. Soon after a bloody battle was fought between the 

 Imperialilts and the Turks, on the heiglits of Uohadin, in 

 which neitlicr party could claim tlie victorv. The emperor 

 now prepared to attenij)! llic reduftion of Belgrade ; but 

 notwithlianding the great preparations made on this occa/ion, 

 liis plans were defeated, and he liad the mortification to wit- 

 iK-fs the rapid dellruftion of his troops by a dreadful mor- 

 tality. Putrid fever and dyfenteries of the moll malignant 

 kind fpread their influence through the imperial armies : 

 difcoiitent and complaint became imiverfal ; and in a fhort 

 time, one of the liueft armies in the world was reduced, in 

 a fingle campaign, to lefs than half the number of its original 

 combatants ; the remainder being loll by mortality, defer- 

 tion, and the f«ord, or rendered incapable of prefent fervice 

 by difeafe. In the mean time, .Tofeph was lalioiiring imder 

 the rapid decline of health, but flill continued to employ 

 himfelf indefatigab'y in public affairs. Thcfe, however, 

 were moilly of a kind to aggravate, by vexation and anxiety, 

 his bodily diiorder. The Low Countries were again in a 

 flame, and t!ie moil violent meafures were taken to reduce 

 the people to fubmifTion. Military execution took place in 

 feveral cities, and a general gloom, bordering on defipair, 

 overfpread the provinces. At length an open iniurrcction 

 broke out, conducted with fo much prudence and valour, 

 that the imperial troops were repeatedly defeated : fevcrai 

 important cities were taken pofTcfiion of by the infurgents ; 

 and the dates of Flanders, on November z;th, 1789, fcized 

 .the government of the province, openly declaring that the 

 emperor had f<n-feited all title to fovereignty. By the end 

 «f the year, BrufTels had expelled its garrifon ; and a treaty 

 of confederation was formed between all the Belgic pro- 

 vinces as independent Hates. Jofcph, almoll on liis death- 

 bed, was farther mortified by a remonllrance from the Hun- 

 garian nobility, demanding the reftoration of their ancient 

 rights and privileges. Willing to die in peace, he con- 

 fented to all their requilitions, but indlled upon retaining 

 three articles, which were highly creditable to his heart, 

 fiz. a general toleration, provilion for the parochial clergy 

 out of the revenues of fome fupprefTed monal'erics, and cer- 

 tain conceflions in favour of the liberty of the peafants. 

 •He died with great conipofure, on the 20th of February 

 1790. Leaving no ilRie, he was Cucceedcd by his brother 

 Leopold. .h>feph had many private virtue.?, as well as many 

 of the qualities of a great and good fove.'eign. He was pa- 

 tient of fatigue, and poffeffed of an ardent mind. lie ap- 

 plied himfeli" with unremitting diligeore to the fuppreffion of 

 intolerance and fupertlition, and ttr- promotion of indnilry. 



throughout his dominions. He has been accufed of en- 

 croaching on the liberties of his Flemilh fubjeits ; and it \\ dl 

 be readily conceded that he was not perfect : but his faults 

 almoll vanilh among the truly glorious aflions which contri- 

 buted to the aggrandizement of his own name, and the per- 

 manent felicity of his people. Univer. Hill. 



.loiKPH, king of Portugal, of the family of Braganza, 

 was born in the year 1714, and fucceeded his' father in 1750. 

 He was much beloved by his people, a circunillance that 

 enabled him toeffeiit feveral important regulations, in which 

 his good fcnfe and moderation were eminently coufpicuous. 

 Scniible of the danger of fudden changes, he advanced his 

 deiigns by almoll imperceptible fteps, fo as to prevent all 

 juil grounds of alarm and complaint. He fubjecled the 

 powers of the infamous Inqniiition to fome rellriiTtion, by 

 directing that none of its fentences lliould be carried inti> 

 execution till reviewed ar.d approved by the privy council. 

 He carried into effedl a treaty concluded between Spain and 

 Portugal jull before iiis father's death, which was conlidered 

 as inimical to his country, on the principle " that all engage- 

 ments among fovereigns Ihould be held lacred and inviolable." 

 This reign was marked, in 1755, with the terrible difailer of 

 an earthquake, which dellroyed a great part of the capital. 

 A confpiracy m 1758, headed by the duke of Avciro, and 

 favoured by the .Teiuits who had been banifhed from court, 

 brought his life into great danger. The principal confpi- 

 nitors were feized and executed, and the whole order of Je- 

 fuits was banilhed the kingdom. .lofeph had afterwards a 

 difpute with tlie court of Rome, and a war with Spain : in 

 the latter, Portugal was aflifted by the Enghlh, whofc bat- 

 talions, under general Burgoyne, checked the career of the 

 invaders, and obliged them, before the end of the cainpaign, 

 to retreat within their ov. n limits. After the peace of 1 76^, 

 little of importance occurred in the affairs of Portugal. 

 The king's councils, in the latter years of his reign, were en- 

 tirely governed by the marquis de Pombal, a man of en- 

 larged views, but of a haughty and violent difpjilition. A 

 diipute with Spain, about the limits of the two nations on the 

 borders of Rio de la Plata in South America, occafioncd 

 hoftile preparations on both lides, but httle was efFeded by 

 either. Jofeph died February 1777, and was fucceeded bv 

 his daughter, Maria Frances Ifabella, who is dill queen, 

 though in a deranged date of mind, and an exile in South 

 America. See Poktug.ai,. 



Jo.sEPii of Extter, or Joi-KPiius LscxNCS, is mentioned as 

 a remarkable example of purity of literar)- talk and elc- 

 gance'of dyle, in an age generally reputed barbarotis. He 

 was a native of Devonlhire, and fionrillied in the clofe of 

 the twelfth, and the commencement of the thirteenth cen- 

 turies. He was an ecclcfiallic, and patronized by Baldwin, 

 archbilhop of Canterbury. Accordii:g to the learned Cam- 

 den, he accom.panied Richard L of England into the Holy 

 Land. He was author of two epic paems in Latin heroics. 

 The lii-ff, in iix books, is on the Trojan war; the other is 

 entitled " Aiitiocheis," the war of Anlioch, or the Cru- 

 fade ; of this lad only a fragment rem.in:., in v. hith the 

 heroes of Britain are celebrated. The li vie af Jofeph is not 

 oniy, fortheniod part, pure, but rich and ornanicntcd, and 

 his verfilication approaches the bed n-.odels of antiquity. 

 His dicliotl is compounded cliiefly of Ovid, Statins, aiid 

 Claudian, the favourite poets of the age. " Italy,"' fays 

 Mr. Warton, in his liidory of F.nglilh Poetry, " had at 

 that time produced no poet comparable to him." He was 

 author of love verfes, cjiigi-ams, and mifccllaneous poems. 



Jo.sifH, .9/., in Geography, a fmall iflandin the Indian fea. 

 S. lat. J ' 45'. E. long. 54! 10'.— Alio, a town of Africa, 

 in the country of Gahm, on the Sereg:d ; k^ n;ilei 1£.S.E. 



