The sun., 1889-12-15

which has been historically attached 70 the
1 HapsburR Emperors IL due almost exNlusiEell
| to Ferdinand ii. and Ferdinand Ill, who
reiRned during the Thirty Years war, and tc
| Leopold l., who undertook 70 extermin4t'
Protestsntism In Reconstructed Hungary. FER
dInand l.. Maximilisn IL, Joseph l., Francis !
1.-THE husband OF Maria Theresa and Joseph
| IL were relatively to their epoehs tolerant mud
element princee Indeed, some Of them weT1
notably in advance OF their times. II one Of
the HapsburRs introduced the Jesuits Into
their dominions, another expelled them, and
| some Of them we're praised for their uncon-
! promising devotion to the Papal See. another
was reproached By Pontih for forgetting the
hereditary piety Of his house One OF the
most striking documents quoted In this book Is
a letter written by MaxlmilIan IL, apro-
DOS Of the massacre OF St. Bartholomew.
1T is with deep regret" he said. that
have learned that my son-in-law, the King ol
France. has allowed himself to be dragged
through this shdmeJul bath Of blood 1 wish to
God he had consulted me on the subject. he
nevor would have acted thus with my consent
Religious matters ought never to be settled BY
tho sword. No good man who fears God and
loves peace believes they can be 80 settled" "
Thus we see that for three centuries two
streams OF principle and impulse have run
through the family traditions OF the Haps-
burgs. Fortunately for the future OF the house
OF Austria, It was the kindly, liberal. and
reasonable current which found representa-
tive in the present sovereign.
Why did the MaRyars, among whom tho use
OF the Latin as an alternative spoken Ian guage
lasted longer than in any other European coun-
try,welcome Maria Theresa In 1740 with the cele-
brated shout Moriamur pro reue nostro' Why
n A. L.. Ill
regina nosra? What seems an inadvertent
blunder In gender was q deliberate proclama-
tion OF policy. Nor was It the FIRST tme that
the calculated soleclsm had been committed.
In 1882 the destined heir to the throne Of
Hungary was Sigismund ofLuxemburR. but as
the Diet was unwilling to accept foreigner
for ruler. and as the country had no Salic law.
Sigismund's wife. the Princess Mary. daughter
Of the preceding sovereign. was crowned not as
Queen, but as King. Coronado Juit in re0enp.
says the chronicler. and the fact and the ex-
preston furnished the precedent for the un-
grammatical but significant outcry of 1740.
The enthusiasm OF the MaRyars lost sight not
for q moment Of their national interests and
Rge-long prejudices: the foreign husband OF
Maria Theresa was accepted not as King. but
merely as co-reGent OF Hungary.
We have referred ito the appearance OF q ou-
rious document some two and a half centuries
ago. in which the composition OF the present
German empire was outlined and urged.
What we had in mind was the famous PAM
phlet published by Philip Chemnitz in the reign
OF Ferdinand III. t1637 7-1657) on the jeopardy OF
the Holy Roman Empire. According to Chem
nitz. the sole means Of saving the empire from
impending ruin was the exclusion OF Austria
from Germany. It will be remembered that
two centuries earlier the Emperor Charles ~.
iof Luxemburg) had deemed It duty to ex-
cude Austria from the college Of seven cleo
tors constituted BY the Golden Bull. Chem
nitB argued that Austria had always exercised
fatal influence having grown powerful at the
expense Of the empire. and that. accordingly,
she ought to be separated. leaving Germany to
form O distinct confederation. 1t was reserved
for Bismarck to carry out the ideas OF Chem
nitz in most particulars.
We must find room for q single anecdote.
Apropos Of the shameful inRratitude shown by
Leopold I. to John Sobieski after the latter's
victory over the Turks under the walls Of
Vienna, the author Of this history recalls an
allusion TO the incident by the Gear Nicholas
(who. It will be remembered. was also King Of
Poland) at the time OF the Crimean war, or only
o few years after Russian soldiers had saved
the house Of HapsburG from revolted Hun
gary. Who" asked the Gar OF one Of his at
tendants. was the most stupid King of Poland
before mep" When no answer was forthcom-
ing said the Gear. "Sobieski, for only he and
I were fools enough to help Austria"
We would not take leave Of this book without
that nothing IL the way of an his
torical compendium was more imperatiyely
needed than an account Of the countries which
at present constitute Austro- Hungary. 1t Is
also true that on many grounds. indeed on most
grounds Of cardinal Importance this need may
be considered supplied by the volume before
us. But the English version Of this history
ought not to be put into the hands Of students
at colleges and schools until 1t has been SUBJ
jected to rigorous revision for tho purpose OF
excisinG quantity Of minor errors. and until
It has been provided with at least one map.
copious and accurate in details. on which. II the
Magyar and Slavonic names are retained. their
German equivalents are also exhibited.
II. VIII.