list1-第22章

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industry；　while　quite　blind　to　the　benefits　which　must　accrued　to



them；　as　the　lords　of　the　soil；　from　the　prosperity　of　both。



　　　　Indeed；　so　deeply　rooted　has　the　passion　for　their　hereditary



favourite　occupation　ever　continued　with　the　German　nobles；　that



even　in　the　our　days；　long　after　they　have　been　enriched　by　the



ploughshare　and　shuttle；　they　still　dream　in　legislative　the　about



the　preservation　of　game　and　the　game　laws；　as　though　the　wolf　and



the　sheep；　the　bear　and　the　bee；　could　dwell　in　peace　side　by　side；



as　though　landed　property　could　be　devoted　at　one　and　the　same　time



to　gardening；　timber　growing；　and　scientific　farming；　and　to　the



preservation　of　wild　boars；　deer；　and　hares。



　　　　German　husbandry　long　remained　in　a　barbarous　condition；



notwithstanding　that　the　influence　of　towns　and　monasteries　on　the



districts　in　their　immediate　vicinity　could　not　be　ignored。



　　　　Towns　sprang　up　in　the　ancient　Roman　colonies；　at　the　seats　of



the　temporal　and　ecclesiastical　princes　and　lords；　near



monasteries；　and；　where　favoured　by　the　Emperor；　to　a　certain



extent　within　their　domains　and　inclosures；　also　on　sites　where　the



fisheries；　combined　with　facilities　for　land　and　water　transport；



offered　inducements　to　them。　They　flourished　in　most　cases　only　by



supplying　the　local　requirements；　and　by　the　foreign　transport



trade。　An　extensive　system　of　native　industry　capable　Of　supplying



an　export　trade　could　only　have　grown　up　by　means　of　extensive



sheep　farming　and　extensive　cultivation　of　flax。　But　flax



cultivation　implies　a　high　standard　of　agriculture；　while　extensive



sheep　farming　needs　protection　against　wolves　and　robbers。　Such



protection　could　not　be　maintained　amid　the　perpetual　feuds　of　the



nobles　and　princes　between　themselves　and　against　the　towns。　Cattle



pastures　served　always　as　the　principal　field　for　robbery；　while



the　total　extermination　of　beasts　of　prey　was　out　of　the　question



with　those　vast　tracts　of　forest　which　the　nobility　so　carefully



preserved　for　their　indulgence　in　the　chase。　The　scanty　number　of



cattle；　the　insecurity　of　life　and　property；　the　entire　lack　of



capital　and　of　freedom　on　the　part　of　the　cultivators　of　the　soil；



or　of　any　interest　in　agriculture　on　the　part　of　those　who　owned



it；　necessarily　tended　to　keep　agriculture；　and　with　it　the



prosperity　of　the　towns；　in　a　very　low　state。



　　　　If　these　circumstances　are　duly　considered；　it　is　easy　to



understand　the　reason　why　Flanders　and　Brabant　under　totally



opposite　conditions　attained　at　so　early　a　period　to　a　high　degree



of　liberty　and　prosperity。



　　　　Notwithstanding　these　impediments；　the　German　cities　on　the



Baltic　and　the　German　Ocean　flourished；　owing　to　the　fisheries；　to



navigation；　and　the　foreign　trade　at　sea；　in　Southern　Germany　and



at　the　foot　of　the　Alps；　owing　to　the　influence　of　Italy；　Greece；



and　the　transport　trade　by　land；　on　the　Rhine；　the　Elbe；　and　the



Danube；　by　means　of　viticulture　and　the　wine　trade；　owing　to　the



exceptional　fertility　of　the　soil　and　the　facilities　of　water



communication；　which　in　the　Middle　Ages　was　of　still　greater



importance　than　even　in　our　days；　because　of　the　wretched　condition



of　the　roads　and　the　general　state　of　insecurity。



　　　　This　diversity　of　origin　will　explain　the　diversity



characterising　the　several　confederations　of　German　cities；　such　as



the　Hanseatic；　the　Rhenish；　the　Swabian；　the　Dutch；　and　the



Helvetic。



　　　　Though　they　continued　powerful　for　a　time　owing　to　the　spirit



of　youthful　freedom　which　pervaded　them；　yet　these　leagues　lacked



the　internal　guarantee　of　stability；　the　principle　of　unity；　the



cement。　Separated　from　each　other　by　the　estates　of　the　nobility；



by　the　serfdom　of　the　population　of　the　country；　their　union　was



doomed　sooner　or　later　to　break　down；　owing　to　the　gradual　increase



and　enrichment　of　the　agricultural　population；　among　whom；　through



the　power　of　the　princes；　the　principle　of　unity　was　maintained。



The　cities；　inasmuch　as　they　tended　to　promote　the　prosperity　of



agriculture；　by　so　doing　necessarily　were　working　at　their　own



effacement；　unless　they　contrived　to　incorporate　the　agricultural



classes　or　the　nobility　as　members　of　their　unions。　For　the



accomplishment　of　that　object；　however；　they　lacked　the　requisite



higher　political　instincts　and　knowledge。　Their　political　vision



seldom　extended　beyond　their　own　city　walls。



　　　　Two　only　of　these　confederations；　Switzerland　and　the　Seven



United　Provinces；　actually　carried　out　this　incorporation；　and　that



not　as　the　result　of　reflection；　but　because　they　were　compelled　to



it；　and　favoured　by　circumstances；　and　for　that　reason　those



confederations　still　exist。　The　Swiss　Confederation　is　nothing　but



a　conglomerate　of　German　imperial　cities；　established　and　cemented



together　by　the　free　populations　occupying　the　intervening　tracts



of　country。



　　　　The　remaining　leagues　of　German　cities　were　ruined　owing　to



their　contempt　for　the　rural　population；　and　from　their　absurd



burgher　arrogance；　which　delighted　in　keeping　that　population　in



subjection；　rather　than　in　raising　them　to　their　own　level。



　　　　These　cities　could　only　have　attained　unity　by　means　of　an



hereditary　royal　authority。　But　this　authority　in　Germany　lay　in



the　hands　of　the　princes；　who；　in　order　to　avert　restraints　upon



their　own　arbitrary　rule；　and　to　keep　both　the　cities　and　the　minor



nobles　in　subjection；　were　interested　in　resisting　the



establishment　of　an　hereditary　empire。



　　　　Hence　the　persevering　adherence　to　the　idea　of　the　Imperial



Roman　Empire　amongst　German　kings。　Only　at　the　head　of　armies　were



the　emperors　rulers；　only　when　they　went　to　war　were　they　able　to



bring　together　princes　and　cities　under　their　banner。　Hence　their



protection　of　civic　liberty　in　Germany；　and　their　hostility　to　it



and　persecution　of　it　in　Italy。



　　　　The　expeditions　to　Rome　not　only　weakened　more　and　more　the



kingly　power　in　Germany；　they　weakened　those　very　dynasties　through



which；　within　the　Empire；　in　the　heart　of　the　nation；　a



consolidated　power　might　have　grown　up。　But　with　the　extinction　of



the　House　of　Hohenstaufen　the　nucleus　of　consolidated　power　was



broken　up　into　a　thousand　fragments。



　　　　The　sense　of　the　impossibility　of　consolidating　the　heart　of



the　nation　impelled　the　House　of　Hapsburg；　originally　so　weak　and



poor；　to　utilise　the　nation's　vigour　in　founding　a　consolidated



hereditary　monarchy　on　the　south…eastern　frontier　of　the　German



Empire；　by　subjugating　alien　races；　a　policy　which　in　the　northeast



was　imitated　by　the　Margraves　of　Brandenburg。　Thus　in　the



south…east　and　north…east　there　arose　hereditary　sovereignties



founded　upon　the　dominion　over　alien　races；　while　in　the　two



western　corners　of　the　land　two　republics　grew　into　existence　which



continually　separated　themselves　more　and　more　from　the　parent



nation；　and　within；　in　the　nation's　heart；　disintegration；



impotence；　and　dissolution　continually　progressed。　The　misfortunes



of　the　German　nation　were　completed　by　the　inventions　of　gunpowder



and　of　the　art　of　printing；　the　revival　of　the　Roman　law；　the



Reformation；　and　lastly　the　discovery　of　America　and　of　the　new



route　to　India。



　　　　The　intellectual；　social；　and　economic　revolution　which　we　have



described　produced　divisions　and　disruption　between　the　constituent



members　of　the　Empire；　disunion　between　the　princes；　disunion



between　the　cities；　disunion　even　between　the　various　guilds　of



individual　cities；　and　between　neighbours　of　every