Chap. III. through S w l s 
knew a great many there, who were look’d on to have 
Eftates to the Value of one hundred thoufand Crowns. 
Mr, Schovefiein, accounted the richtft Man in the Coun- 
try, is believed to be worth a Million of Livres. The 
Government here is a pure Common-wealth *, for in 
the Choice ok their Magiftrates, every Man above fix- 
teen Years old hath his Voice, which is alfo the Con- 
ftitution of fome of the fmall Cantons. The three 
Leagues are, the League of the Grifons, that of the 
Houfe of God, and that of the Ten Jurifdictions. 
12. They believe, that upon the Incurfions of the Goths 
and Vandals, as fome fled to the Venetian Iflands, out of 
which rofe that famous Common-wealth, fo others came 
and fhelter’d themfelves in thefe Vallies. They told 
me of an ancient Infcription lately found on a Stone, 
where on the one Side is graven, Omitto Rhetos indomi- 
tos, and plus ultra is on the other ; which they pre- 
tend Vv^as placed by Julius Gref ar. This Stone is upon 
one of their Mountains ; but as I did not pafs that 
"Way, fo I can make no Judgment concerning it. Af- 
ter the firfl; forming of this People, they were caft into 
little States, according to the different Vallies which 
they inhabited, and in which Juftice was adminiftred j 
and fo they fell under the Power of fome little Princes, 
that became fevere Matters. But when they faw the 
Example that the Switzers had fet them, in fhaking off 
the Au§irian Yoke, above two hundred Years ago, they 
combined to fhake off theirs j only fome few of thole 
fmall Princes ufed their Authority better, and concur- 
red with the People, and fo they are ttill Parts of the 
Body ; only Haldenjiein is an abfolute Sovereignty. It 
is about two Miles from Coire to the Weft, on the other 
Side of the Rhine, The whole Territory is about half 
a Mile long, at the Foot of the Alps, where there is 
fcarce any Breadth. The Authority of thefe Barons was 
formerly more abfolute than now *, for the Subject^ 
were their Slaves : But to keep together the little Vil- 
lage, they have granted tljem a Pov/er of naming a 
Lift for their Magiftrates, the Pcrfon being to be na- 
med by the Baron, who hath alfo the Right of Par- 
doning, of Coining, and every Thing elfe that belongs 
to a Sovereign. I law this little Prince in Coire, in an 
!^quipage not fuitable to his Quality ; for he was in all 
Points like an ordinary Gentleman. There are three 
other Baronies that are Members of the Diet, and fub- 
jeff; to it ; the chief belonged to the Archdukes of 
Infpruck ; the others to Mr. Schovenjiein, and Mr. de 
Mont *, they are the Heads of thofe Communities of 
which their Baronies are compofed ; they name the 
Magiftrates out of the Lifts that are prefented to them 
by their Subjeds, and have the Right of Pardoning, 
and to Confifcations. That belonging to the Houfe 
or Aufiria is the biggeft : It hath five Voices in the Diet, 
and can raife twelve hundred Men. One Travers 
bought it of the Emperor in the Year 1679 ; he en- 
tered upon the Rights of the ancient Barons, which 
were fpecified in an Agreement that pafled between 
him and his Peafants, and was confirmed by the Empe- 
ror. Travers made many Encroachments upon the Pri- 
vileges of his Subjeds, who made their Complaints to 
the League 5 but Travers would have the Matter judg’d 
at Infpruck, and the Emperor fupported him in this 
Pretenflon, and fentan Agent to the Diet. 1 was pre- 
fent when he had his Audience, in which there was no- 
thing but general Compliments. The Diet-ftood firm 
to their Conftitution, and alTerted, that the -Emperor 
had no Authority to judge that Matter, which belong’d 
only to them : So Travers w'as forced to let his Pre- 
tenfions fall. 
All the other Parts of this State are purely Democra- 
iical : There are three different Bodies or Leagues, and 
each of thefe an entire Government j and the Aftembly 
or Diet of the three Leagues is only a Confederacy, like 
the United Provinces, or the Cantons. There are ftxty 
/even Voices in the Diet, which are thus divided : The 
League of the Grifons hath tzventy eight Voices, that of 
the Houfe of God twenty four, and that of the. Jurif- 
didiions ffteen. The Jurifdictions belonged anciently to 
the Houfe of Aujtria •, but having fhaken off that Au- 
thority, were incorporated into the Diet ; But in the 
VoL. IL N UMB. II©. 
SERLAND, 6ai 
laft Wars of Germany, the Aujlridns thought to have 
brought them again under their Y’oke t yet they defen- 
ded their Liberty v/ith fo much Vigour, that the Au-- 
itrians thought the Conqueft would not quit the Coft. 
They v/ere affrighted by two extraordinary Adlions ; in 
one Village, which v^^as quite abandoned by all the Men, 
who left the Women in it, fome Hundreds, as I was 
told, being there quartered, were apprehenfive of no 
Danger from theirHoftefl.es : But the Women intended 
to let their Husbands fee, that they v^ere capable of 
contriving and executing a bold Action, though it m'uft 
be confcfsM it vras a little too barbarous for the Sex. 
They enter’d into a Combination to cut the Throats of 
all the Soldiers at one Time. The Woman that pro- 
pofed this, had four lodged v/ith her, and ftie, with her 
own Hands, dilpatched them all ; and fo did the reft, 
not one Soldier efcaping to carry away the News. In 
another Place, a Body of the Auflrians came into a Val- 
ley that was quite abandoned •, for the Men having no 
Arms but their Clubs and Staves, had got up to the 
Mountains : But they took their Meafures fo well, and 
poffeffed themfelves of the Paffes in fuch a Manner, 
that they came down upon the Soldiers with fo much 
Fury, that they defeated them, fo that very few efca- 
ped i and it is certain, that the fubduing them would 
have proved a very hard Work. It is true, they are 
not in a Condition to hold out long, the Publick is 
fo poor ; fo that though particular Perfons are rich, yet 
they have no publick Revenue, but every Man is con- 
cerned to preferve his Liberty, which is more entire 
here than even in Switzerland ; but often fwells too 
high, and throws them into Convulfions. The League 
of the Grifons is the firft and moft ancient, and is com- 
pofed of eight and tzventy Communities, of which there 
are eighteen Papifts, and the reft are Proteftants. The 
Communities of the two Religions live neighbourly 
together, yet do not fuffer thofe of another Religion 
to live among them ; fo that every Community is en- 
tirely of the fame Religion ; and if any changes, he 
muft go into another Community. Each Community 
is an entire State within itfelf, and all Perfons meet once 
a Year to chufe the Judge and his Afliftants, whom 
they change or continue from Year to Year, as they 
fee Caufe. There is no Difference between Gentleman 
and Peafant, and the Tenant hath a Vote as well as his 
Landlord ; nor dare his Landlord ufe him ill when he 
votes contrary to his Intentions, for the Peafants would 
confider this as a common Quarrel. An Appeal lies 
from the Judge of the Community to the Aftembly of 
the League, where all Matters end ; for there lies no 
Appeal to the General Diet of the three Leagues, 
except in Matters that concern the conquer’d Coun- 
tries, which belong in common to the three. There 
is one chofen by the Deputies for the Affembiy 
of the League, v/ho is called the Head of the League, 
that calls them together as he thinks proper, and can 
bring a Caufe that hath been once judged to a fecond 
Hearing. Hants is the chief Town of this League, 
where their Diet meets. The fecond League is that of 
the Houfe of God, in which there are four and twenty 
Communities. The Burgomafter of Coire is always the 
Head of this League, which at this Tme is almoft wholly 
Proteftant ; and the two Vallies of the Upper and 
Lower Engedin, are pointed out by the Papifts as Ca- 
nibals towards fuch Catholicks as come among them. 
But Fryer Sfondrato, Nephew to Pope Gregory XIV. 
whofe Mother the Marquis of Bergominiero, that was in 
England, married, found the contrary of all this to be 
true, to his great Regret. About eighteen Years ago 
he was believed to have wrought Miracles \ and he be- 
came fo much in Love with the Crown of Martyrdom, 
that he went through the Engedin, not doubting but he 
would find there what he defired. His Brother had 
come fometime before into the Country to drink the 
Mineral Waters, and was well known to the Gentry; 
fo fome of thefe hearing of the Fryer’s coming, went 
and waited on him, and he was entertained in their 
Houfes, and conveyed through the Country, though he 
took all poffibie Methods to provoke them ; for he was 
often railing at their Religion, but to all that they made 
7 O ' which 
