they like to proceed according to the Laws of Germany, or any other wholfom Regulations. When the Regency demanded of them to have their Juftices put in their respective Places, according to the Contract, and the Sovereign's Orders, Mr. de Peistel answered as he did, A. 1740.

"This shall be done by and by in a Conference. God fend us only a worthy man to it; "for I am not the Man, and hope to be foon "freed from this Office."

By long delaying this, they prevented these Things to be more infifted upon. The Proceedings of the Juftices, and their own Perfons, wholly depending upon Count Zinzendorf, they were obliged to leave their Places to others, and to go away whenever he fent them fuch Orders.

Gzulius, one of their Jurymen in a Letter written to the above-mentioned Counsellor, A. 1744, faid:

"Yesterday arrived Mr. de Seydlitz with, "Count Zinzendorf's Orders to Brother de Peiftel "for him to fet out immediately for Gnadenthal, "which he did Half an Hour after. He there"fore hath ordered me to give your Honour. "this Notice thereof."

To give Notice in this manner was by them. thought to be fufficient to inform the Sovereign of a vacant Place in his Territories, and that another had occupied the Place. Mr. de Peiftel upon the like Occafion, wrote thus; 1740,

"Mr. de Marfball, (he was prefented as com"mon Juftice) hath taken a Journey into Eng"land, and defires you to remember him kindly, "I have taken his Place till his Return, which "it is hoped will be foon; I'fhall upon the next "Occafion pay my Refpects to you.

A Vifit of this fort was to ferve inftead of the Prefentation referved for the Sovereign, when they C 2 obtain'd

obtain'd their Grant. But they alter'd this entirely, for the Perfon who was to be their Juftice, was not to fill this Place before the Confirmation of their Sovereign; who, by granting them an inferior Court, had no Intention to give them any higher Jurifdiction, than what fmall Towns in Germany, or elsewhere, ufed to poffefs. But under this inferior Court which they talk'd of, they cloak'd only their Design to gain fuch a Power in this new Town, as was ferviceable to their grand Scheme. For as they were called to an Account of their Proceedings in this Court, they gave, by Baron Bibran, Mr. de Peiftel, Paul Weis, fuch an Account of this Jurifdiction as the Sovereign never had thought of. They said:

"Our common Court is divided into two "Branches, the voluntary and the litigious Jurif"diction. The former extends itself very far over fuch People who commit themselves to our Care, they must always like our Proceedings, "or they must not meddle with us this way. The "other hath to do with Strangers that have Deal"ings with us, which are but in a civil Cunnexion,

and are not by us regarded in a parental View. "In Matters belonging to thefe, our proceed"ings are fhorter than the common ones, nor "do we like to have many of these upon us. Nor " even is Mr. Schuchman a fufficient Man for "Cafes of this Nature, he being a regular bred

σε

Lawyer. The first fort can, without fcruple, con"tent themselves with our common Juftices, who

often have as many thousand Subjects of their "own, as all the Communities together are able "to produce; nor can they complain that they are mean People placed in those Pofts, for we chuse "to them fuch Men as can affift the Inhabitants દ "like their Fathers. The Regulation of this Court "is fuch, that in the fame is the Seat of the Difci

« pline

pline of the Brethern; for we do not know any Such Thing as the ecclefiaftical Difcipline, fo much practifed in the World. Our Difcipline regards only civil Matters, and prevents the religious Part of the Community from raifing Scandal or Irregularity. (1)

SECT. VIII.

Their Elders and Wardens treated all things according to the Principles of this common Court, giving thereby a good Proof how artfully every thing had been inftituted. Never were any Difputes between two Herrnhuters brought before the Regency at Budingen; and they had neither much trouble to effect this, as it was in their Power to fend People away whenever they pleased; which they did not fail to do, even fome times in very great hafte, as foon as any one feemed difgufted with their Proceedings, nor could fuch a one obtain their Permiffion to go to Budingen, or an other was given him to accompany him thither in whom they could perfectly truft. This caufed their Proceedings to be by the Regency more esteemed than they merited, if every thing had been taken under right. Confideration. There happened fome remarkable Difputes between them and Strangers

(1) After the Permission to hold an inferior Court, they established a Common Court, which, tho' the Regency thought the contrary, was entirely different from that Jurifdiction which had been really granted. Their common Court confifts of two Ranks, (1) the College of Juftices, and (2) the Conference of Affistants. The Decifions of the former are fubject to thofe of the second Rank, which is compofed of fuch as are found truly attached to their Intereft and Defign. They proceed just as they think to be the moft proper for them; are also quite arbitrary. Both thefe Ranks are under the general Diaconat, and the Regulations of Count Zinzendorf, for in his Cabinet, or, as he calls it, perfonal Chancery, Sect. 22. all things are prepared that are to bring them to their grand End. C 3

to

to their Society. We fhall here only relate the Circumftances of a few of them,

Andrew Walther, a Freeholder at Sundhausen near Langenfaltz, re-demanded, Anno 1743, his Wife and Children from Herrnhaag. His Wife, who was entirely devoted to the Community, faid her Husband was a Vagrant, produced a Certificate of the Burgomafter Chriftian Frederick Muller, about the Plantiff's being not only often troubled with fplenetic Disorders, but that he committed the most ridiculous Things, that his Will was like the Weather in April, and was not able to manage his own Affairs. Mr. Brukner, Chaplain to the Court of Saxe-Gotha, and Earnft Polycarpus Muller, Minifter at Sundhausen, attefted the fame. His Wife and Childten, who were foon after fent to England by the Herrnhuters (1), were not directly delivered to the Plaintiff, he having bought a House at Herrnbaag not very long before. As the Regency of Budingen, to which the Plaintiff made his Complaints, would enquire into this Matter, the Herrnhuters called this a Violation of the Rights of their inferior Court, and Count Zinzendorf gave this Inftruction to one of his Brethren.

"I know how this is best to be managed, viz.

to do, in confidence of our Saviour, all that "the Sovereign pleases; not to reafon much or "reflect upon Prejudices and Infringements, &c. "for if it, fhould be impoffible to do his Will, "this Anfwer may be made: I have been filent

a thousand times, as I could fuffer Things to be "done fo, at prefent I cannot, this makes me fpeak."

ઃઃ

(1) They often clude, by their fending People abroad, the Rights of Sovereigns, Parents, &c. See the following Paragraph.

The

The meaning of these Words is this: Let the Regency enquire or order what they will, obey them if it is not contrary to our Scheme, but if fo, then let the Sovereign demand as long as he will, his Will fhall not be done.

SECT. X.

The Accident that we fhall now give an Account of merits ftill more Attention, amazed the Sovereign, and ferved to make him open his Eyes. His Excellency Count Schonberg, then Ambaffador of his Majefty the King of Poland wrote from Frankfort, the 7th of March, in the Year 1745, the following Contents:

.

"One Son and a Daughter of Major Schuch

in the Service of his Electoral Highness of "Saxony, live, by the misconduct of his deceased "Wife, in the Community of the Herrnhuters, " which whenever they had been recalled by him as their Father, were retained contrary to all Laws. The Father having of late heard, "that his Daughter Sufanna Sophia dwelt in "Herrnbaag, humbly prayed to bring his Daugh"ter by Power of Sovereignty out of the Sifter's "House to a fecure Place, till he should fetch "her away; he fearing that fhe might be of the "number of 30 or 40 People newly married "there by Ballot, which were to go to Penfilvania. The Refolution thereupon was taken,

"To bring the Lady to the House of Caftellan "Preifs, who had no more Children but one "Daughter living with him, for her to be kept "there till this Affair, after the Examination of "both Parties, could be determinated.

Caftellan Preifs received this Order along with the Ambaffador's Letter, not only to fhew the fame to the Herrnbuters, but also to bring the

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young