The Online Library of Liberty

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• Introduction
• A Note On the Text
• Acknowledgments
• The Present State of Germany
• Pufendorf’s Preface to the First Edition of 1667 1
• Preface to the Second Edition (1706) 1
• A Letter of Monsieur Mézeray Concerning the Manuscript On the State of the German Empire, Written to a Bookseller of Paris. 1
• To the Reader
• Chapter I: Of the Origine of the German Empire.
• Chapter II: Of the Members of Which the Present German Empire Is Composed .
• Chapter III: Of the Origine of the States of the Empire, and By What Degrees [ Stages ] They Arrived to That Power They Now Have.
• Chapter IV: Of the Head of the German Empire, the Emperor; and of the Election and the Electors .
• Chapter V: Of the Power of the Emperor, As It Now Stands Limited By Treaties; and the Laws and Customs of the Empire; and the Rights of the States of Germany.
• Chapter VI: Of the Form of the German Empire. 1
• Chapter VII: Of the Strength and Diseases of the German Empire.
• Chapter VIII: [of the German State-interest.] a

A Letter of Monsieur Mézeray Concerning the Manuscript On the State of the German Empire,

Written to a Bookseller of Paris.1

I have read the manuscript which you sent me concerning the present state of the German Empire. In my view, it is a work of politics, not history. The author is a man of much reflection in full command of his subject, which he advances considerably. The book well deserves to be published, but, as for me, I would not dare to give that permission. For, first of all, there is a small passage offensive to France, and as you know the times are very delicate. Second, priests and monks are badly treated there. This is very well done, to be sure; but they would lay the blame on me and damn me in this world—as for the other one, I don’t fear them there and would, if we met face to face before a tribunal, have more of a case against them than they against me.

So, what is to be done about the matter? Tone down anything offensive to France, and have the permission to publish requested by one of these gentlemen, or someone acting in their stead, who has no knowledge of Latin or, at least, of the world of letters, so that the Lord Chancellor does not reproach him for having published a book in which he should have found some fault. This I advise you, telling you also that the book would do much better in French than in Latin. For our language is better equipped for these kinds of arguments than Latin, at least it is more elegant. Inform these gentlemen of what I have told you, [and also] that, if one so desires, I will provide you with a good translator. I am, etc.

This 19th of August, 1666.

THE PRESENT STATE OF GERMANY.

Licens’dJanuar. 31. 1689/90.

J. Fraser.

the Present State of GERMANY.

Written in Latin By the Learned SAMUEL PUFFENDORFF, Under the Name of Severinus de Monzambano Veronensis.

Made English and Continued By EDMUND BOHUN, Esq;

london,

Printed for Richard Chiswell, at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul’s Church-Yard. M DC XCVI.

[1 ]Gundling’s version of this letter in the editio posthuma, which includes Mézeray’s advice on how to revise the book to improve its chances, is dated some six months after another version (on February 28, 1668) provided by Marcus Detlef Friese, a close friend of Pufendorf’s, which was addressed to Esaias. See Döring, “Untersuchungen,” 198.