Ooz Bijhop B u R N E T i’ Travels Book IL 
no Anfwer, only they continued their Civilities ; which 
fo enraged the warm Fryer, that he went to Bormio^ 
and there died of Grief. An Accident fell out five Years 
ago, that the People of the Country efteemed a Mi- 
racle, The Papifts, in their Proceffions, go out of one 
Community into another ; and when they pafs through 
Proteflant Communities, they lower the Crofs, and give 
over finging till they come again upon Popifii Ground ; 
but then they went on bearing up the Crofs, and Ting- 
ing ; upon which the Proteftants flopp’d them. They, 
finding that they were not equal in Number to the 
Proteftants, fenc to a Catholick Community, and de- 
fired their Affiftance. Two thoufand came, and in all 
Appearance the Difpute would have had a bloody If- 
fue ; for the Proteftants were refolved to maintain the 
, Rights of their Community, and the others no lefs re- 
folved to force their Way. But an extraordinary thick 
Mill rofe, and through it the Papifts fancied they faw 
a vaft Body of Men, which was no other than a Wood ; 
but terrified with the Appearance, they retired, and 
this faved a Battle that probably would not only have 
ended in the Shedding much Blood, but might have 
diforder’d the whole Conftitution of their Teagues. 
The Papifts of Quality endeavour to keep their People 
in Order ; but they acknowledge, that the Proteftants 
are much more peaceable than the Catholicks. The 
Jurifdieiions have fifteen Votes in the General Diet ; 
yet they are generally called the Ten Jurifdicftions, and 
the greater Part of them are likewife of the Proteftant 
Religion : For upon the general Computation of the 
three Leagues, the Proteftants are about two Thirds. 
In their Diets there are three Tables, one in the Mid- 
dle, and two on either Side. At every Table fits the 
Head of the League, and a Secretary near him ; and 
from the Table there go down Benches on both Hands 
for the Deputies from the Communities of that League. 
They hold their Diets by Turns, in the chief Towns 
of the feveral Leagues, and it happened to be the 
Turn of the Houfe of God, when I was there ; fo they 
met at Coire. 
. 13. The three Leagues, or Grifons in general, have 
a conquered Country in Italy ^ divided into three Dif- 
triefts j the Valteline^ Chavennes^ and Bormio. When 
John Galeajje poffeiTed himfelf of the Dutchy of Mi- 
lan^ and drove out Barnabas ; Maftinus^ one of Bar- 
nabas’s Sons, to whom his Father had given thofe three 
Branches of the Dutchy of Milan, retired to Coire, and 
being hofpitably received and entertained by theBifhop, 
when he died, he gave his Right to thofe Territories 
to the Cathedral of Coire ; fo the Prelate had a Title, 
without a Force able to make it good. But when the 
Wars of Italy were on Foot, the three Leagues being 
much courted by both the Crowns, fince they were 
Mafters of all the Paffes, through which either the 
Switzers or Gertnans could come into Italy, they re- 
folved to lay hold on that Opportunity ; Yet they had 
not Zeal enough for their Biftiop, to engage upon his 
Account ; but agreed to pay him fuch a Revenue, and 
he transferred his Title to them, and they were fo con- 
fiderable to the Spaniards, that they yielded thofe Par- 
cels of the Dutchy of Milan to them, and by this 
Ct'ftion they are pofiefied of them. Thofe AccefTions 
to this State are much better than the Principal ; for as 
the Valtelim, which is above forty Miles long, and two 
broad, is one of the- richeft Vallies in the World, in 
which there are three Harvetts fome Years ; fo the 
Chavennes and Bormio, though not lo good as that, are 
much preferable to the beft Vallies of the Grifons. Yet 
the Engagement that People have to their Homes ap- 
pears fignally here, fince the Grifons have not forfaken 
their Country, that they might plant themfelves fo ad- 
vantageoufly : But they love their rugged Vallies, and 
think the Safety they enjoy in them, beyond the Plea- 
fures of their acquired Dominions j which they govern 
by Bail iffs and Podeftas, and other Officers whom they 
fend among them i and all the Advantage that they 
draw from them is, that the Magiftrates they fend en- 
rich themfelves in the fame Manner as the Bailiffs in 
Switzerland, All thofe Offices go round the feveral 
Communities, which have the Right of Nomination in 
their Turn : But if there is none of the Community 
proper, any one of another Community may buy of 
them the Nomination for that Turn, and the Com- 
munity diftribure among them the Money that he mves 
them. The Publick draws nothing out of thofe ^arts 
except the Fines, which in fome Years amount to no 
confiderable Sum j and ten or twelve thoufand Crowns 
is thought a great deal to be raifed in a Year : So that 
their Subjeefts live happy, and free of all Taxes, which 
made their laft Revolt appear the more extraordinary. 
It was, indeed, the EffeCt of a very furprifing Bigottry, 
when a People, who had no other Grievance, but that 
now and then their Magiftrates were of another Reli- 
gion, and that Proteftants were tolerated amongft them, 
would therefore throw off their Rulers, cut the Throats 
of their Neighbours, and caft themfelves into the 
Hands of the Spaniards, who are the worft Mafters in 
the World. 
14. To give a more particular Relation of that 
Matter, and tell the Circumftances which feem a little 
to leffen that Rebellion and Maffacre, I muft give an 
Account of a Part of this Conftitution that is very ter- 
rible, and which makes the greateft Men tremble. The 
Peafants come fometimes in great Bodies, and demand 
a Chamber of Juftice from the Diet, and they are 
bound to grant it v^hen thus demanded, which happens 
generally once in twenty Years. This Tumult of the 
Peafants is fet on by fome of the Malecontent Gentry, 
and generally there are a great many Sacrifices made. 
This Court is compofed of Ten Judges out of every 
League, and twenty Advocates, who manage fuch Ac- 
cufations as are prefented. It is fuperior to all Law, 
and ads like a Court of Inquifition : They oive the 
Queflion, that is, put to the Torture, and do every 
Thing that they think neceffary to difeover the Truth 
of fuch Accufations as are prefented to them ; and the 
Decifions of this Court can never be brought under a 
Review, though there is one Exception to this ; for 
about a hundred Years ago, one Court of Juftice re- 
verfed all that another had done. The Peafants are in 
as great Jealoufy of the Spaniards, as the Switzers are 
of the French \ and the good Men among them are 
fenfible of a great Corruption of Morals, that the 
Spanifh Service brings among them. For there is a 
Grifon Regiment kept in Pay by the Spaniards •, there 
are in it twelve Companies of fifty a-piece, and the 
Captains have a thoufand Crowns Pay, though they are 
not obliged to attend the Service. This is a Penfion 
paid under a more decent Name to the moft confider- 
able Men of the Country *, and is ftiared among them 
without any Diftindion of Proteftant and Papift, and 
is believed to fway their Councils too much. The Pea- 
lants are apt to take Fire, and to believe they are be- 
tray’d by thefc Penfioners of Spain ; and when Ru- 
mours are blown about among them, they come in 
great Numbers to demand a Chamber of Juftice. The 
common Queftion that they give, which is alfo ufed 
through all Switzerland, and in Geneva, is, they tie the 
Hands of the fufpeded Perfon behind his Back, and 
pull them up to his Head, and fo draw them about ; 
by which the Arms, and chiefly the Shoulder-blades, 
are disjointed. And -when a Perfon put to the Queftion 
confefles his Crime, and is upon that condemned to 
die, he is obliged to renew his Confeffion, upon Oath, 
at the Place of Execution ; and if he goes off from it 
then, and faith. That his Confeftion was extorted by 
the Violence of the Torture, he is put again to the 
Queftion ; for this paffes for a Maxim, That no Man 
muft die, unlefs he confeffeth himfelf guilty. Gene- 
rally when the Fury of demanding this Chamber fpreads 
among the People, the Gentry run away, and leave 
the whole Matter in the Power of the Peafants ; for 
they know not where it will end : And fo the Peafants 
being named Judges, the Juftice goes quick, till fome 
Sacrifices appeafe the Rage. Two Years ago, upon the 
Sale of a Common to the Biftiop of Como, to which 
he had ancient Pretenfions, the Peafants, having no 
more the Liberty of the Common, were enraged at 
their Magiftrates, and a Report was fpread abroad, of 
which the Author could never be difeovered, that the 
Spaniards had fent a hundred thoufand Crowns among 
them 
