49 8 Account of the Kingdom ^ S w e d e Book IL 
and advance himfelf to the Regal Dignity, which till 
that Time was eleftive, but was made hereditary to his 
Family, in which it has fmce continued. 
As the Lutheran Religion has alfo been, never but 
once, difturbed from Abroad, and fmce that Difturbance 
never diftradted at Home with Non-conformity ; fo it 
becomes the Bufinefs of their Preachers rather to per- 
fuade the Pradtice of Piety than oppofe the Dodtrine of 
others, or defend their own. The Church is governed 
by an Archbifhop, and ten Bifhops, whofe Studies are 
confined, to their own Employments, being never called 
to Council but at the Affembly of the States, nor trou- 
bled with the Adminiftration of fecular Affairs. Their 
Revenues are very moderate. The Archbifhopric of 
ULfall is .not worth 400/. aYear, and their Bifhoprics are 
in Proportion. Under them are feven or eight Superin- 
tendants, who have all the Power of Bifhops. And 
over each ten Churches is a Provoft or rural Dean, with 
fome Authority over the inferior Clergy, of whom the 
Total may be computed by the Number of Churches, 
which in Sweden and Finland are about two thoufand ; 
to which the Addition of Chaplains and Curates will in- 
creafe the Clergy to near two thoufand five hundred Per- 
fons. They are all the Sons of Peafants or Burghers, and 
can therefore content themfelves with their fmall Income, 
which, befides more inconfiderable Dues, arife from 
Glebe Lands, and one third of the Tithes, of which the 
other two Thirds are annexed to the Crown, to be em- 
ployed in pious Ufes : However, the Clergy have ge- 
nerally wherewithal to exercife Hofpitality, and are the 
conffant Refuge of poor Travellers, efpecially Strangers, 
who go from Prieft to Prieff, as elfewhere from Confla- 
ble to Conftable. 
The Clergy of each Diocefe, upon the Death of their 
Bifhops, propofe three Perfons to the King, who chufes 
one of them, or fome other to fucceed in that Office, 
which is alfo prablifed in the Choice of Superintendants. 
In the Choice of an Archbifhop all the Chapters vote, 
but the Determination is in the King’s Breaft. His Ma- 
jefly hath alfo the Patronage of moft Churches -, fome 
few being in the Difpofal of the Nobility. Many of 
their Churches are adorned with Variety of Sculptures, 
Painting, Gilding, Cfc. all of them are kept clean and 
in good Repair, furniflied as well in the Country as 
City, with rich Altar-cloths, Copes, and other Vefl- 
ments. For the regular Government of the Church, it has 
been found neceffary to caufe the antient Ecclefiaftical 
I^aws and Canons to be revifed by a Committee of the fe- 
veral Bodies, and the Eflates having fpent fome 
Years in that matter, at lafl prefented the King 
with a new Syftem of Church Laws, wherein his Ma- 
jefly having caufed fuch Alterations to be made as he 
thought fit, approved, and publifhed them. By this 
means, the Church- Affairs of Sweden have been fo well 
and fo effectually regulated, that in a long Courfe of 
Years they have gone on peaceably and quietly, beyond 
any thing of the fame Nature in any other Country, if 
we except Denmark •, which, as it refembles Sweden^ in 
the Nature of its Church Government, fo tlie like Con- 
sequences have followed there. 
8. As to the Government and Revenue of Sweden 
they are like thofe of other Places, fubjeCl to fo many 
and fo great Changes that one would imagine our Au- 
thor’s Account ffiould, at this Diftance of Time, be al- 
mofl out of Date ; but there is one Advantage attends 
whatever has the Appearance of a Parliament, which is, 
that how much foever it may fink and be depreffed by 
Fraud, or Force, under certain Conjunctures, it has 
neverthelefs Strength to rife again, in more favourable 
Seafons, and even to recover all that it has loft. In our 
Author’s time the States of Sweden were but Inftruments 
of the King’s Authority, and only met to fanCtify fuch 
Acts of Power as the Crown did not care to take upon 
itfelf At this Day things have quite changed their Face •, 
the Kings of Sweden have wholly loft their abfo lute Power, 
which remains where it ought to remain, in the Repre- 
fentatives of the Nobility, Clergy, and People of the 
Kingdom. The ufual Time of affembling the States is 
once in three Years, or oftner, if Affairs require it. 
The Letters for calling tliem together are fent to the Go- 
vernors of Provinces, who thereupon write to each No- 
bleman and Gentleman, and to the BilhOps, who caufe 
the fame to be publifhed in all Churches. 
The Body of the Nobility and Gentry are reprefented 
by one in each Family, of which there are about a thou- 
fand in Sweden^ and with them the Colonel, Lieutenant 
Colonel, Major, and one Captain of each Regiment fit 
and vote. For the Clergy, befides the Bifhops and Su- 
perintendants in each rural Deanery, or ten Parifties, 
one is chofen and maintained at the Charge of his Elec- 
tors. Thefe make a Body of about five hundred. The 
R.eprefentatives of the Burghers are chofen by the Ma- 
giftrates and Common Council of each Corporation, of 
which Stockholm fends four, others two, and fome one ; 
who make about one hundred and fifty. The Peafants 
of each Diftrift choofe one of their own Quality to appear 
for them, whofe Charges they bear ; and give him In- 
ftrudions, in fuch Matters, as they think need Redrefs ; 
they are about two hundred and fifty. The firft Meet- 
ing, when at Stockholm^ is in a large Room in the 
Caftle, called The Hall of the Kingdom j where his Ma- 
jefty being feated on the Throne, and the Privy Coun- 
fellors fitting at fome Diftance, the Prefident of the 
Chancery makes them a Compliment in the King’s 
Name, and then a Secretary reads the King’s Propol’ais 
to them ; in which they are acquainted with the State of 
Affairs fince their Recefs, and the prefent Occafion of 
their Advice and Alfiftance. To which, firft the Marfhai 
ol the Nobility, who is chofen by the King, returns an 
Anlwer, and kiiTes the King’s Hand, and after him the 
Archbiihop in the Name of the Clergy j the firft 
Burgomafter of Stockholm in the Name of the Burghers j 
and one of the Peafants for his Brethren. They then fe- 
parate into four different Houfes, and chufe a Secret 
Committee, compofed of an equal Number of each Body, 
who receive from the King’s MiniftersTuch further In- 
formations of his Majefty’s Pleafure, as are not thought 
fit to be communicated in Public ; and thereupon pre- 
pare fuch Matters as are to be propofed to the feveral 
Bodies. In each Houfe Matters are concluded by Ma- 
jority of Voices, and if one or more of thefe Bodies dif- 
fer in Opinion from the reft, they are either brought 
over by Perfuafions, or the Point remains unconcluded. 
When the Affairs propofed by the King are finiflied. 
they then infinuate their Grievances. Each Body 
feverally. To which the King returns fuch Anfwers as 
he thinks fit ; and to each Member of tl;p three inferior 
Bodies an authentic Copy is delivered, as well of the ge- 
neral Conclufion made by the whole States, as of the 
King’s Anfwer to the Grievances of his refpeftive Body, 
which he carries Home to his Ele6lors. 
The ftanding Revenues of Sweden arife from Crown 
Lands, Cuftoms, Poll-Money, Tithes, Copper and 
Silver Mines, Proceedings at Law, and other lefs con- 
fiderable Particulars, which are calculated in all to near a 
Million a Year ; of which the Lands make above one 
Third, and the Cuftoms almoft a Fourth. The Poll- ' 
Money is paid only by the Peafants, each of which 
above Sixteen and under Sixty pays above twelve Pounds 
a Year. In the Treafury-Chamber a Prefident, with 
four Chancellors, and other Officers, fit and aeft as a 
Court of Juftice, in fuch Matters as relate to the King’s 
Revenue, or rather that of the State. 
As for the Adminiftration of the Government, at the 
Time when the Dyet is not fitting, it is invefted in the 
King, affifted by the Senate, without whofe Confent 
he cannot legally do any thing of great Importance. As 
to the Number of Senators ; we know, by Experience, 
that the States of the Kingdom think themfelves at Li- 
berty to augment or diminifti it at Pleafure •, but, at 
prefent, it is fixed to fourteen. Thefe Senators are not 
only at Liberty to give their Sentiments upon all Af- 
fairs that are brought before them, but are intrufted alfo 
with the entire Management of public Concerns, in cafe 
^ of the Indifpofition or Abfence of the Prince. A Sena- 
tor prefides in each of the great Courts of Juftice in the 
Kingdom, and are ufually placed at the Head of all par- 
ticular Commiflions, Civil and Military. Their Sala- 
ries, as Senators, amount to about three hundred Pounds 
a Year j but their being generally poffeffed of the moft 
beneficial 
