1

dorf, aiming to curry. Favour at Herrnbaag, de fired that this Contract now depending, fhould be made by the whole Unitas. Budingen would have nothing to do but with the Inhabitants, and made the following Remarks on the Act of Ceffation.

"The Unitas is a Body known neither phyfi cally nor morally, of which no proper idea can << be formed. 2. Is foreign to this country. 3. "Of an uncertain Existence. And as the former "Contracts have only been made with the Deputies of the Community dwelling here; and the only Queftion in the Contract being about Rights and Obligations relative to the Colony eftablifhed at Herrnhaag, there is no Occafion for Mr. Peiftel to have a Power of the whole "Unitas; and of what Ufe were it, as here he "can be look'd upon only as a Deputy of the "Community at Herrnbaag, or as a Freeholder "there, and as fuch, and in no other Quality, can he contract.”

-Thus Budingen faw the Danger accruing from this Unitas, and perceived that they were driving at a Superiority over Herrnbaag, elfe there would have been no Objection against contracting with Mr. Peiftel, whatever Deputy he had filed himfelf. This Exception Count Zinzendorf being aware of, affirmed that they always made their Contracts in this Manner," and that they had removed the Colleges, which gave fuch Offence, to Budingen. His Words were as follows, in a Writing dated 18th February 1748

"Refufing to contract with me, you must with "the Deputies with which you have made the first and fecond Contract, though in the fecond I have no Concern. Thefe were the Deputies"General of the Church, namely, Bishop Nitsch"man and Virugelftein, who both were no Inhabi

66 tants

"tants of Herrnbaag, and neither could or would "be (8).

"In England, Holland, North America, Den"mark, Brandenburg, Saxony, Wetteravia and Voigt"land, we have twenty-one Establishments, ex"clufive of others, as at Surinam and Caprio de "Barbice, it has not been moved to form the "Contract, which was to be a ftanding Regulation, but with thofe Deputies of whom the "Counfellors at Budingen pretend no phyfical or "moral knowledge can be had.

c

"Thefe Counsellors have had the civil Elders, Deputies, and the whole Unitas, in thefe Terri"tories, without any Disturbance or Prejudice to "the Sovereign's Rights, ever fince the Year 1740, and from hence Contracts have been tranfacted with Pruffia, Denmark, Ruffia, Eng"land, and Holland, till Meerboth, behind my "back, and Mr. Brauer, in many Letters to me, protefted that thefe Colleges were abfolutely in"tolerable (9); upon which they removed in the "moft refigned Tranquillity, and the Saviour has already led them to a better Settlement, and "where their reputable Manner of living fhews they were not put to their Shifts for an Afylum. "I am the laft that goes away this Month, and 16 my Wife will follow with all that belongs to

(8) This is a flagrant Untruth; for both were Inhabitants, and the Community calls them fo. Vide Sect. 33.

(9) This is no Argument; a Society may have fubfifted a long time before its Syftem comes to be known. No fooner had the Counfellors detected them than they refused to tolerate them.

(10) This was only a Tranflation of the Theatre Count Zinzendorf wrote the 12th February 1748, in our Text the 18th February, A. C.

M 3

66

I

SECT. XXXVI.

Soon after this last Contract was made, when Budingen was taking Measures for discharging the Loan, a new Incident fell out. The whole Capital was to be lodged in the Chamber of Revenues in Saxony; and upon Notice given, Mr. Zetchwitz appeared as Saxon Commiffioner. Budingen could have protefted against this Meafure as illegal; but the Sovereign was equally content whether the Receipts were given by Saxony or by them. But the Herrnbuters had two Reafons for this Depofite, They did not think that Budingen would be able to raise a Capital which was lent at 4 per Cent. for thirty Years in the Space of fix, else they would not have redemanded the Money, which fome of them could not conceal. For notwithstanding that Count Zinzendorf wrote to Mr. Brauer, 6th Decem"ber 1748 :

"I know fo much of Mr. Beuning, that, being by the arbitrary Alteration made with his Stew"ard by the Regency of Budingen, brought to de"pend folely on his Debtor, he cannot fairly let "the Capital, of which no more than 120000 "Guilders were his own, continue any longer."

"I knew that a Year would put an End to my Stay here, "and fome Months to that of the civil Elders; as it proved "about laft Midfummer, when they returned to their Homes, "not being to make their Appearance here again till after "fome Years, to fee if their perpetual Office of Confuls of the "Brethren, which has been acknowledged by our respective Sovereigns, did not require fome charitable or monitory "Duties."

Here the Count confeffes, that the Office of a civil Elder is fixed, and that they must travel to vifit the Communities, Thefe differ from the ecclefiaftic Elders, and hence it appears that the Community receives Directions from them. Vide Sect. 14.

This

This is contradicted, Note 31. Sect. 13. But the Drift of all this was to bring Budingen into Trouble. They could not stay till the Term of Payment, but wanted to give the Sovereign all the Disturbance they could. The general Deacon Weis propofed a Ceffion to the Emperor. Mr. de Zefchwitz fent a Letter with a Tender of it to a neighbouring State, whom they would fain have ftimulated to have enforced their Offer by violent Measures. But Budingen remained immoveable, and their Schemes failed. Count Zinzendorf had flattered himself that these Difficulties would have induced Budingen to have figned under a Carteblanche, as a Purchase of the Count's Favour to clear him. The laft Term of Payment was at Eafter 1749, and in April 1748 the Count had wrote to this Purpose:

"If all my Credit can help you to a speedy and "earlier Discharge of the Demand, that there

may be no Stain on the Reputation of an il"luftrious House of the Empire, which, in all "Appearance, difdains any Chicane, I'll not he"fitate to ferve you in it with all my Heart and "Intereft."

In another Letter he says,

"It must not be faid, that the Lord of Herrn"haag fhould want 50000 Guilders, whilft by any Means I can procure them."

And one Shatz a Brother, when the Term of Payment elapfed, offered to advance 50000 Guilders at 4 per Cent. on no other Security than a Note of Hand.

Their fecond Intention, by this Depofite was this The Mortgage was for thirty Years, and fo drawn up that the Creditor would have paid himself within the time; but he had partly under farmed

it.

After the Expiration of fix Years the Farm returned to its proper Owners. Count Zinzendorf M 4

had

had long before offered 100 Ducats yearly for it. The Herrnbuters were fo offended that the Farmers had done Homage to the Lord of Budingen, that they refolved to prevent the Compenfation they claimed, and this was another Motive for the Depofite. Budingen was to be obliged to enfure a certain Sum to the chief Commiffioner of the Chamber, but this he refused without a general Release, that he might be exposed to no further Demands. But the Farmers or Contractors feeing no other Remedy, went to Law. The Defendant was to give Security for the Payment of that Sum which he should afterwards be judged to pay; he did not mind Decrees, the Money was what he had his Eye upon, and to this End brought many Letters of Recommendation from other Courts, and many other Artifices. The Regency of Bu dingen iffued an Attachment against the Defendant, fixing the Sum at 40000 Florins. The Herrnbaagers declared, that they were willing to be refponfible for this Sum, and brought a Draught of the Security; before this the Sovereign was to have paid Mr. de Zetfchwitz the Loan, retaining the 24000 Florins which had been attached, and this was to be done in Frankfurt by a Deputy of one of the Imperial Circles. The Herrnhagers had fent their Deacon Lucius to Frankfort, with the above Inftrument of Security, and he fhewed it to the Gentleman who was to make the Payment in the Sovereign's Name. He made no Scruple to underwrite a Certificate, that if the fame had not been confirmed already, it fhould certainly be done; and the Effects of the Community of Herrnbaag manifeftly amounting to much more than 40000 Florins, fo this Gentleman not fufpecting any Harm, paid them the Money. But after they had the Money, the Deacon exerted all his Sophiftry to decline figning the Bond; and though attefted

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