Chap. II. 
the Soil may reclaim them, with their Goods ; nor can 
any Town or Place receive them, iinlefs they produce a 
Licence from their Lord, and a Certificate from the Mi- 
nifter of the Parifh where they laft inhabited : And if a 
Peafant of this Clafs endeavours to conceal himfelf, his 
Lord may feize him, and put him in Prifon, or remove 
him to any other Tenement or Farm, by way of Punifh- 
ment. And if the Wife of one of thefe • Peafants be 
brought to-bed on the Lands of another Lord, the Child 
hiail, however, belong to the Lord where the Father 
lives. Although the Lord has a Pov/er to infranchize his 
Peafant, or fell him with the Land, yet he cannot fell 
him fingly or feparate from the Manor or Eftate. The 
Children of the Ecclefiaftics of the Peafants Race are 
free, and fo are all Students in the liberal Arts. 
A Peafant cannot have the Freedom of any Town till 
he is firft infranchifed by the Lord ; but if he hath re- 
fided ten Years in any City unreclaimed, and becomes 
a Tradefman, or Artificer, or applies himfelf to the 
Sea, he is free. A Peafant alfo who hath lived twenty 
Years in a foreign Village out of the Lord’s Land, there- 
by procures his Freedom ■, or if he goes into the Army 
and obtains a CommifTion, this gives him his Freedom. 
As to Game Laws, every Freeholder may hunt, and fifh 
in his own Grounds ; and the Nobility and Gentry have 
the Privilege of hunting in common or wafle Grounds 
within ten Miles of their Seats, except in the King’s Parks ; 
and they may fifh in Lakes and Ponds which are not the 
King’s ; but if any Lord hunt, flioot, or fifh, in any 
Place belonging to his Majefty, he forfeits for every Stag 
one thoufand Rix-Dollars, for a fallow Deer eight 
hundred, for a Hare four hundred ; and for every Swan, 
Goofe, Duck, Partridge, or other Fowl two hundred. 
And whoever is convicted of hunting in another’s Lands, 
forfeits an hundred Ounces of Silver for every Offence. 
The People in this Country being pretty much addidled 
to drinking, ail Bufinefs is prohibited to be tranfacled in 
Taverns, and the fitting in public Floufes very much 
dilcouraged j it they will drink, it muff be at home ; 
And the Reafon of it is fuppofed to be, left the People in 
their Cups fhould be too free with the Government. It is 
obferved alfo, that the Subjects ufually endeavour to 
Imitate the Court: It it happens to be a fober 'Reign, the 
People are lei's given to Excefs ; and where they have 
luxurious Princes and Minifters, the lower Part of Man- 
kind do not fail to follow the lewd Example their Superiors 
fet them •, which is alfo praefifed in other Places. If any 
Perfon fends his Eftedts or Money out of the Kingdom, 
to be lodged in foreign Banks, the King claims a fixth 
Part, and he is obliged to pay a tenth to the Magiftrates 
of the 1 own, or the Lord of the Soil where he refides •, 
even foreign Merchants have been obliged to fubmit to 
theie P.xaftions in their returning home, notwithftanding 
their relpeCtive Sovereigns have infifted upon an Ex- 
emption. 
II. I he great Alteration that has happened in Den- 
mark, from the changing the Monarchy from eledlive to 
hereditary, and from being the moft limited, into the 
moft abfolute of any in Europe, has had a very ftrong 
Eft'edt upon all Ranks and Degrees of People in that 
Country ; and may be faid, in fome meafure, to have 
made a total Change in their Temper, and in the Na- 
tion. The Nobility of Denmark who were formerly as 
remarkable for their military Virtues as in Europe, are 
now very feldom mentioned ; and thofe of Norway are 
in a manner extinguifhed. Tht Danes have a better Army 
it is true, than they had formerly, but it is an Army en- 
tirely in the Difpofition of the King, and not, as before, 
fufficient to make any great Conquefts. The naval Force 
of Denmark is more confiderable ; but yet it does not ap- 
pear capable of ftriking any great Terror into its Neigh- 
bours ; whence we may conclude, and that too very juftly, 
that the CroVn of Denmark is far from being fo formidable 
as it was in former Times ; yet, with refpedt to its own 
Security, it feems to be as well or better provided than 
ever ; for whereas the Swedes in the laft Age, were more 
than once on the very Point of deftroying this Kingdom, 
there is not now the leaft Danger either of their under- 
^07 
taking or effeding any fuch Defign becaufe the NeigM 
hours of Denmark, and the maritime Powers are bound, 
both by their Treaties and their Interefts, tofupport this 
Crown if it fliould be attacked. It is indeed true, that if 
the Houfe of Holfiein fhould fuc*ceed to the full and peace- 
able Pofteftion of the Ruffian Dominions, Denmark might 
be in great Danger from thence, as v/ell on Account of 
the fuperior Forces of that Empire, as becaufe the Houfe 
of Holfiein have very confiderable Claims upon De^imark^ 
which are hitherto unadj Lifted. But on the other Side, 
it is to be confidered, that as yet that Succeflion has not 
taken place, and that in all probability it will be found 
more for the Intereft of the Empire to adjiift thofe 
Difputes amicably, before that Succeflion takes place, 
than to run the Hazard of a War about them *, which 
might, and indeed muft, be attended with many dangerous 
Confequenccs, confldering how many Powers are intereft- 
ed in the Support of Denmark, even with Regard to thefe 
very Claims of the Houfe of Holfiein upon her. 
According therefore to the beft Maxims of Policy, we 
may very fairly conclude, that in cafe the Kings of Den- 
mark ad with the fame Prudence and Caution that they 
have done for many Years paft, they will be in a Con- 
dition to preferve what they at prefent enjoy, and be alfo 
at Liberty to promote and improve the domeftic Pro- 
fperity of their Subjeds. By this I mean, their Applica- 
tion to Manufadures and Commerce, which have been 
greatly encouraged of lateYears, and this Encouragement 
has been likewife attended with all the Succefs they could 
reafonably exped. We have fhewn, in fpeaking of 
Greenland, that the Subjeds of Denmark have eftabliftied 
confiderable Colonies there, and are in PoffelTion of a very 
beneficial Trade upon thofe Coafts. We may fay the 
fame thing with refped to Iceland, the Trade of which is 
entirely in their Pofteftion, and that of Norway alfo is 
much improved and extended : But befides ail this, as 
we have ftiewn in a former Volume, an Eafi-India 
Company has been long fettled Rt Copenhagen, and is now 
in a flourilliing Condition. We are alfo to obferve, that 
within thefe few Years the Danes have opened a Trade to 
t\\t IMediterranean •, and as the prefent Monarch feems to 
follow clofely the Examples of his Predeceftors, in a- 
voiding as muft as poftible entering in any Degree into the 
Troubles and Difputes that for feveral Years have kept 
Europe in a Flame, with a View not only to preferve the 
Quiet ot his Subjeds, but to cultivate alfo the Arts of 
Peace ; we have Reafon therefore to conclude, that in 
the Space of a few Years, the good Effeds of this wife 
Condud will appear, and the People become much 
richer than formerly. It is alfo very likely, that when 
thefe happy Confequences of a growing and flourilliing 
Trade become more confpicuous, the Government will 
find it expedient and even neceftary, to relax fome of thofe 
fevere Laws which are moft likely to bear hard upon- 
Perfons engaged in Traffic ; for without fuch Indulgences 
it is impoftible that the Schemes the Danijh Monarchs feem 
of late to have fo much at heart, fliould be ever brought 
to perfedion. 
We may add to all this, that the Benefits immediately 
refulting to the Crown from the Increafe of the Com- 
merce and Navigation of its Subjeds, will fo fully com- 
penfate for fuch Diminutions of Power, that it is im- 
poftible anyjuft and good Prince, or any wife and able 
Miniftry fhould doubt, as to the Propriety of fuch rea- 
fonable and moderate Changes. By thefe Methods the 
interior Strength of the Kingdom will be daily augment- 
ing; the Shipping, and confequently the naval Force, of 
Denmark continually increafing, and though thefe Ad- 
vantages may be flow in their Nature, yet they are at the 
fame time fo very certain, and of fuch high Importance, 
that I make no Scruple of affirming they will, if fteadily 
profecuted, change the whole Face of Affairs in this 
Country ; and before the Llofe of the prefent Century, 
reftore the antient Luftre of the Crown of Denmark, and 
perhaps raife its Sovereigns to a higher Rank, than 
hitherto they have ever held amongft the European 
Powers. 
and its Inhabitants. 
SEC 
