Chap. II L though S w 1 s 
eafily fatlsfy the Spaniards^ and reimburle themfelves 
the Expence of the Invafion, by reftoring the Country 
to them, when a general Peace fhould be made. He 
laid out the Mifery to which their Country mull be re- 
duced by fo powerful a Neighbour, but all was loft 
Labour ; fo he went out in a Rage, and publifti’d 
throuo-h the Town that the State was fold, and all was 
loft. They now fee their Error too late, and would re- 
pair it if it were poflible •, but the Truth is, many of 
the particular Members of this State do prey fo 
much upon the Publick, that unlefs they, with one Gon- 
fent, refolve to reform thofe Abufes, they will never be 
in a Condition to do much j for in many of their Bai- 
liages, of which fome are Abbies, the Bailiffs not only 
feed on the Subjeds, but likewife on the State, and pre- 
tend they are fo far fuper-expended, that they difcount 
a great deal of the publick Revenue (of which they are 
the Receivers) for their Reimburfement. Which made 
yir-D^Erlack once fay, when one of thofe Accounts 
was prefented, that it was very ftrange, if the Ab- 
bey could not feed the Monks. It is true, the Power 
of their Bannerets is fo great, that one would think 
they might redrefs many Abufes. The City of Bern is 
divided into four Bodies, not unlike our Companies of 
London, which are the Bakers, the Butchers, the Tan- 
ners, and the Blackfmiths ; and every Citizen of Bern 
muft incorporate himfelf into one of thefe Societies, 
which they call Abbies *, for it is likely they were anci- 
ently a Sort of religious Fraternity. Every one of thefe 
choofes two Bannerets, who bear Office by Turns, from 
four Years to four Years ; and every one of them has 
a Bailiage annexed to his Office, which he holds for 
Life. They carry their Name from the Banners of the 
feveral Abbies, as the Gonfaloniers of Italy ; and the 
Advoyers carry ftill their Name from the ancient Title 
Ecdicus, or Advocate, that was the Title of the chief 
Magiftrates of the Towns in the Times of the Roman 
Emperors. The Chamber of the four Bannerets that 
bear Office hath a vaft Power ; they examine and pafs 
ail Accompts, and they admit all the Competitors to 
any Offices ; fo that no Man can be propofed to the 
Council of two hundred without their Approbation ; 
and this being now the chief Intrigue of their State, 
they have fo abfolute an Authority in fhutting Men out 
from Employments, that their Office, which is for 
Life, is no lefs indeed, but rather more confiderable 
than that of the Advoyer, though they are inferior to 
him in Rank. 
They manage Matters with great Addrefs, of which 
this Inftance was given me in a Competition for the 
Advoyerffiip not long ago. There was one whofe 
Temper was violent, that had made it fo fure among 
thofe that were qualified to vote in it, as being neither 
of his Kindred nor Alliance, that they believed he 
would carry it from the other Competitor whom they 
favour’d ; fo they fet up a third Competitor, whofe 
Kindred were the Perfons that were beft affefted to him 
whofe Advancement they oppofed, and by this Means 
they were all fhut out from voting, fo that the Eledion 
went according to the Delign of the Bannerets. The 
chief Man now in Bern, who was the reigning Advoyer 
when I v/as there, is Mr. B^Erlack, Nephew to that 
Mr. jyErlack who was Governor of Brifack, and had a 
Brevet to be a Marffial of France. This is one of the 
nobleft Families in Bern, that aded a great Part in ffia- 
king off the Aujirian Tyranny ; and they have been 
ever fince very much diftinguiffi’d there from all the 
reft of their Nobility. The prefent Head of it is a 
very extraordinary Man 5 he has a great Authority in 
his Canton, not only as Advoyer, but by the particular 
Efteem which is paid him. For he is thought the 
wifeft and worthieft Man of the State •, though it is 
fomewhat ftrange, how he ffiould bear fo great a Sway 
in fuch a Government *, for he neither feafts nor drinks 
with the reft. He is a Man of great Sobriety and 
Gravity, very referved, and behaves himfelf more like 
a Minifter of State in a Monarchy, than a Magiftrate 
in a popular Government; for one fees in him none of 
thofe Arts that feem neceffary in fuch a Government. 
He has a great Eftate, and no Children ; fo he has no 
SERLAND, 
Projeds for his Family ; and does what he can to cor** 
red the Abufes of the State ; though the Difeafe is in- 
veterate, and feems paft Cure. 
5. He had a Misfortune in a Wat that was thirty 
Years ago (in the Year 1656) between the Popifh and 
Proteftant Cantons ; the Occafion of which will engage 
me in a fhort Digreffion. The Peace of Switzerland 
is chiefly pteferved by a Law agreed on among all the 
Cantons, that every Canton may make what Regula- 
tions concerning Religion they think fit, without Pre- 
judice to the general League. Now the Popiffi Can- 
tons have made Laws, that it fliali be capital for any 
to change their Religion ; and on a fet Day every Year 
they go all to Mafs, and the Mafters of Families fwear 
to continue true to the State, and firm in their Reli- 
gion to their Lives End ; and fo they pretend they pu- 
nifli their falling into Herefy, with Death and Confifca- 
tion of Goods, becaufe it is a Violation of the Faith 
which is fo folemnly fworn. But on the other Hand, 
in the Proteftant Cantons, fuch as turn are only obliged 
to go and live out of the Canton but for their Eftates, 
they ftill preferve them, and are permitted to fell them. 
One cannot but obferve more of the merciful Spirit of 
the Gofpel in the one than in the other. In two Can- 
tons, Appenzel and Claris, both Religions are tolerated, 
and are capable of equal Privileges 5 and in fome Bai- 
liages that were conquered in common by the Canton6 
of Bern and Friherg, in the Wars with Savoy, the two 
Cantons name the Bailiffs by Turns ; and both Reli- 
gions are fo equally tolerated, that in the fame Church 
they have both Mafs and Sermon fo peaceablyj that on 
one Sunday the Mafs begins, and the Sermon follows^ 
and the next Sunday the Sermon begins, and the Mafs 
comes after, without the leaft Diforder, Murmuring, or 
other Inconvenience. 
But in the Year 1656, fome of the Cantons of 
Schwitz changing their Religion, and retiring to Zu- 
rich, their Eftates were confifcated ; and fome others 
that had alfo changed, but had not left the Canton, 
were taken and beheaded. Zurich demanded the Eftates 
of the Refugees, but inftead of granting this, the Can- 
ton of Schwitz demanded their Subjedls, that they 
might proceed againft them as Delinquents ; and they 
founded this on a Law by v;hich any of the Cantons 
are obliged to deliver up the Criminals of another Can- 
ton, if they are demanded by the Canton to which they 
belong. But thofe of Zurich and Bern thought this 
was both inhuman and unchriftian ; tho* the Deputy of 
Bafil was of another Mind, and thought that they ought 
to be delivered up, which extremely difgufted thofe of 
Zurich. Thofe of Schwitz committed fome Infolencies 
upon the Subjefls of Zurich, and refufed to giveSatis- 
faftion ; upon which a War followed between the Pro- 
tejlant tind Popijh Cz.nx.on^. The Cantons of Bern dkCid 
Zurich raifed an Army of twenty-five thoufand Men, 
which was commanded by Mr. IF Erlach, but was dif- 
perfed in feveral Bodies ; and the PapiPts, who had not 
above fix thoufand, furprized Mr. D^Erlack with a Body 
much fuperior to theirs. Both Sides, after a Ihort En- 
gagement, ran ; the Cannon of the Canton of Bern 
was left in the Field a whole Day ; at laft thofe of Lu- 
cern, feeing that none ftaid to defend the Cannon, car- 
ried them off. This Lofs raifed fuch a Tumult in 
Bern, that they feemed refolved to facrifice Mr. ILEr- 
lack ; but he came with fuch a Prefence of Mind, and 
gave fo fatisfacftory an Account of the Misfortune, that 
the Tumult ceafed, and foon after the War ended. 
Upon this many thought, that though the adted 
cruelly, yet it was according to their Laws, and that no 
other Canton could pretend to interpofe or quarrel with 
thofe of Schwitz for what they did upon that Occafion. 
Within thefe few Years there were fome Quarrels like 
to arife in the Canton of Claris, where it was faid, that 
the equal Privileges agreed on to both Religions were 
not preferv’d ; but on this Occafion the Pope’s Nuncio 
adled a very different Part from that which might have 
been expedled. For whereas the Minifters of that Court 
have been commonly the Incendiaries in all Dilputes 
that concern Religion, he adled rather the Part of a 
Mediator. And whereas it was vifible, that the Injuf- 
tice 
