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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64345	An account of Poland containing a geographical description of the country, the manners of the inhabitants, and the wars they have been engag'd in, the constitution of that government, particularly the manner of electing and crowning their king, his power and prerogatives : with a brief history of the Tartars / by Monsieur Hauteville ... ; to which is added, a chronology of the Polish kings, the abdication of King John Casimir, and the rise and progress of Socinianisme ; likewise a relation of the chief passages during the last interregnum ; and the election and coronation of the new King Frederic Augustus ; the whole comprehending whatsoever is curious and worthy of remark in the former and present state of Poland.; Relation historique de la Pologne. English	Tende, Gaspard de, 1618-1697.	1698 (1698)	Wing T678; ESTC R20715	178,491	319

Year 1386. by the Duke de Jagillon who embrac'd the Christian Religion that he might marry Hedwige Daughter to Lewis King of Poland and Hungary and who with his Religion changed also his Name and was called Viadislaus For the Polanders were Christians long before having received the Faith of Christ ann 964 in the Reign of Miecislans I. who after he had divorced seven Pagan Wives was converted and marry'd the Daughter of Boleslaus King of Bohemiae who was a Christian These two Estates are contiguous to one-another and are now but one Body being united in the same Interest under the Government of the same King and in the Profession of the same Religion especially since the Diet held at Grodeck on the River Bug between the Polanders and the Lithuanians in the year 1413. where the Union was renew'd and where it was concluded that for the future they should have the same Laws and Privileges and that the King should be elected by the joint Consent of the Nobility of the two Estates which was ratified and signed by all the Senators of Poland and Lithuania Nevertheless they are governed by distinct Officers each of them having a Grand Marshal and a Petty or Sub-Marshal whom they call the Marshal of the Court a Chancellor Vice-Chancellor and Treasurer who are all Senators those of the Crown for Poland and those of the Dutchy for Lithuania and are equal in Dignity and Power only those of the Crown take place of those of the Dutchy The Office of the Grand Marshal is to keep the Peace and prevent Tumults or Disturbances both in the Diets and in the King's Houshold to punish Offenders even with death and without Appeal from his Judgement except in cases of great Importance which may be brought before the King He has also Power to command Silence to give leave to speak to introduce Ambassadors to appoint them their Lodgings and to fix the prices of all Commodities and Merchandizes This last Branch of his Authority is extreamly advantageous to him for the Merchants give him very Considerable Presents that they may have leave to sell their Goods at exorbitant Rates The Chancellors and the Vice-Chancellors of the Crown are chosen by turns out of the Clergy and Laity But those of the Dutchy are always Lay-men The Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor make use of the same Seals and either of them may be used indifferently for they have both an equal Authority only the latter gives place to the former and never gives judgement but in his absence The Chancellor by his Office is the Judge of all Civil Affairs and matters relating to the Kings Revenue 'T is also his Duty to take Care that nothing be done contrary to the Laws or Injurious to the Liberty of the People and that the Intrigues of Foreigners may not be prejudicial to the Republick The Authority of the Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors is so great that in several cases they may affix their Seals without the Kings Order and refuse to seal such things for him as are contrary to the Constitutions of the State 'T is the Office of the Chancellor or in his Absence of the Vice-Chancellor to answer all the Harangues that are made to the King by Ambassadors and he of the two who is a Clergyman hath power over the Secretaries Priests and Preachers of the Court and over the Ceremonies of the Church The Treasurer is properly the Keeper of the publick Treasure which is brought to him by four other Officers who keep an exact Account of it and are obliged to give one Copy to the King and another to the Treasurer His Office impowers him to prevent the wasting or embezelling of the Revenues of the Republick and of those which are appointed for maintaining the King's Table and therefore he ought to sign all the Contracts the King makes which otherwise would be void He ought also to take care that the Republick do not sustain any damage by the Contracts that are made for the Coyning of New Money When the Treasurer is called to an Account the General Diet orders a Committee of a certain Number of Persons to examine his Accounts and to give him an Acquittance without which the Republick may still call him to an Account for the Administration of his Imployment And therefore since this Acquittance is of such vast importance to the Grand Treasurer great Interest is always made about the Nomination of the Commissioners that are appointed to examine his Accounts because he is obliged not only to entertain the Commissioners but also to give them considerable Presents to obtain his discharge The Petty or Sub-Marshal or the Marshal of the Court who is the last of the five Officers that are Members of the Senate executes the Office of the Grand Marshal in his absence and in case of the Death or Demise of that Officer he succeeds in course as the Vice Chancellor is in such cases promoted to the dignity of the Chancellor So that before a Man can be Grand Marshal or Chancellor he must first be Petty Marshal or Vice Chancellor CHAP. II. Of the Division of Poland into Provinces THE Kingdom of POLAND formerly contained Fifteen great Provinces which the King retains still in his Title as King of Poland Duke of Lithuania Russia Prussia Massovia Samogitia Livonia Volhinia Kiovia Podolia Podlassia Smolensko Si●eria and Czerniechovia But at present there are no more than nine Provinces subject to the Crown of Poland viz. Great and little Poland the great Dutchy of Lithuania Russia Prussia Massovia Samogitia upper Volhinia and Podlassia or Podlachia Great POLAND is so called because Lechus first King of the Polanders settled his Residence at Gnesna in this Province It is also called Lower Poland and Posnania is the principal City This Province contains eight Palatinates viz. Posn●●● Kalisch Lencici Brest Inowlocz Siradiae Kawa and Ploosko It is bounded on the North with Prussia on the South with Little Poland on the East with Massovia and on the West with Silesia and the New Marquisate of Brand●nburg The River Warta runs through the middle of the Province Little POLAND which is also called Upper POLAND contains three 〈◊〉 Cracow Sa●domir and Lublin It borders with Massovia and Great Poland on the North Mount Crapat on the South Black Russia on the East and Silesia on the West and the River Vistula runs through it The City of Cracow is the Metropolis of this Province and of the whole Kingdom The Starosta of Cracow is not only Governour of the Castle but also the Defender of the Peace and of the publick Tranquility which entitles him to a large Jurisdiction both over the Inhabitants of Towns and the Gentry As for the great Dutchy of Lithuania tho Jagillon began to unite it to the Crown of Poland Anno 1386 and tho that union was afterwards renew'd in the Diet held at Grodeck between the Polanders and the Lithuanians in 1413 yet it still retained its own Dukes and

Meads about it quickly drew thither Faustus Socinus Cousin German to Lelius with several others Hereupon several Books were Publish'd and spread over the whole Kingdom and the Chief not only of Catholicks but also of Lutherans and Calvinists embracing the Opinion of Socinus drew every day great Numbers to their Party Whereupon the Republick for fear least the Sparks already kindled should set the Whole Nation in Flames and least the Plague which had Infected many of the Members should at length destroy the Whole Body by the Incitement of the Bishops and several other Religious Orders oblig'd the King Augustus to Banish Lismaninus the Queens Confessor out of the Court and induc'd him to issue forth the following Edict against the Growing Heresies in Poland The EDICT of King Sigismund against the Socinians WHereas all Humane things are altogether vain and unprofitable unless Govern'd by the Laws of God and establish'd by the Integrity and Union of Religion Therefore We Sigismund Augustus by the Grace of God King of Poland do Publish and Declare to all and every person that is or may be concern'd that We being inform'd by Our Counsellors of Church and State that several Heresies are every where hatch'd within Our Kingdom and that not only New Doctrines and Ceremonies are Introduc'd but also that several of our unthinking Subjects do openly profess and instruct the same We following the Examples of our Predecessors whose chiefest care and study was to Propagate and Protect the Christian Faith and to cut off all occasion of Quarrel among our Subjects and of Disturbance in the State which always attends Dissensions in Religion And thinking this to be the proper Duty of Christian Kings and Princes do by these Our Letters Patent Testify and Promise That We out of Respect to the Christian Religion and out of Love to the Holy Church will Profess and Maintain to the utmost of our Power within all Our Dominions the Truth and Sincerity of the Ecclesiastical Doctrine and of the Christian Catholick and Apostolick Faith as it is professed by the Holy Church of Rome and as it has been Receiv'd and Profess'd constantly by Our Predecessors As for the Enemies thereof as well Pagans who are the Profess'd Enemies of Christianity as Hereticks who under the pretence of being Christians and by a false Interpretation of Scripture destroy Christianity and shew themselves to be alienated from the Faith and the Religion once deliver'd by the Apostles and hitherto Profess'd by the Roman Catholick Church These We shall take care to Suppress and to Banish out of Our Kingdom Nor will We ever admit into Our Royal Council and Senate nor bestow any Places of Honour or Trust on any who are tainted with Heresy provided We are satisfy'd of it If any shall be accus'd before Us We will take care by the Divine Assistance that the Statutes of our Realm shall with the utmost diligence be put in Execution against them that so they may be for ever Branded Stigmatiz'd and Banish'd their Country unless they shall desire to be Reconcil'd to their Holy Mother the Church The Ecclesiasticks together with their Laws Immunities and Privileges both Publick and Private We will Defend Maintain and Protect to the utmost of our Power To all our Officers and Governors We give it strictly in Charge and Command them under the Penalty of our Severe Displeasure that they be not Negligent or Remiss in Prosecuting and Apprehending such Offenders Whereas on the contrary if any of them shall be Charg'd before Us with being false to his Trust and to Our Commands he shall be brought to Condign Punishment For the Due Performance of all the Premisses We have Ingag'd Our Word to the Reverend Father in Christ Nicolas Ziergowski Lord Arch-bishop of Gnezna and to other of his Bishops and Our Counsellors and by the Oath of Our Royal Trust taken to Our Subjects at Our Coronation We design the Whole shall be faithfully put in Execution In Testimony whereof we have Issu'd forth these Our Letters Patent Dated at Cracow In the Year of Our Lord 1550. And in the Second Year of Our Reign This Edict or rather Manifesto of King Augustus was interpreted by the Nobility to be directly opposite to their Interests Whereupon several of the Chief among them began to stir up Commotions and rise in Arms. And the Hatred of the Romish Ecclesiasticks against the Socinians increas'd every day more and more Hence sprung many Murders constant Fewds between the Nobles and abundance of Bloodshed throughout the whole Kingdom The State being engag'd in a foreign War could not then prevent these great disorders but partly fearing a Civil War and partly trusting to the Vigilance and Pastoral Care of the Ecclesiasticks for the present forbear'd putting in Execution the severe Laws of Jagello against Hereticks But at last they work'd their own Ruin For being by degrees divided into the Factions of Servetus and Samosatanus they too far trespass'd on that Indulgence the State allow'd them Several Statues of our Saviour upon the Cross were broken by the Students of Racovia and several Blasphemies were utter'd in their Books against Christ and for these things being severely check'd by the Decrees and Edicts of John Casimire and King John III. all those who would not Embrace the Roman Faith were to depart the Kingdom within two or three Years Since those Decrees of the King and Republick against the Socinians are still in force it will not be amiss to insert them here and they are as follow John Casimire by the Grace of God King of Poland and Great Duke of Lithuania c. THo' the Being and Propogation of the Arian or as some call it the Socinian Heresy in Our Dominions has been always prohibited by Us yet because the aforesaid Sect which Robs the Son of God of his Praeeternity has by a strange misfortune fatal to the State begun to spread it self for a long time in Our Dominions as well of Poland as of the Great Dutchy of Lithuania We therefore reassuming and leaving in its full force the Statute of Jagello our Predecessor enacted against them do by the Consent of all Orders Enact concerning Hereticks that if any such shall dare to Confess Propagate or Preach the said Arian Heresy or to protect and countenance it or its Promoters within our Dominions of Poland the Great Dutchy of Lithuania and the Provinces thereunto annex'd and shall be thereof lawfully convicted every such Person shall forthwith according to the intent of the aforesaid Statute be Beheaded by our Captains and their Officers upon forfeiture of their Commission for the neglect But whereas We are Willing to extend Our Clemency as far as can be if any one refuses to renounce his Heresy We do hereby grant him the space of three years for the selling off his Goods his Estate and getting in his Debts In which time No Assemblies of the aforesaid Sect shall be held nor shall they undertake any publick

are conserr'd and engage them to follow the Dictates of his Will with a blind Obedience for there are few Kings in Europe that have more favours to bestow than that Prince neither can any other in less time make a very rich Lord of a poor Gentleman But it happens quite otherwise For not to speak of the Temper of the Polanders who naturally are none of the most grateful they know too well that their King cannot dispose of any of those Preferments to any others but only to themselves and they believe that when he grants them any such Places Revenues or Benefices he only gives 'em back what belongs to them by their native Right and that thus his grant is not so much an act of Grace as a piece of Justice The rather because as I have already said the King neither ought nor can keep or convert any of those Revenues to his own particular Use or Benefit nor can he suppress any Place of Trust or Profit in the Kingdom Besides the Nobility would not easily suffer him to give the least thing to Foreigners for that powerful Body is so jealous of its Liberty that it will not give the King the least Opportunity of encreasing his Prerogative and Authority by gaining creatures that would solely depend upon him The King does not succeed his Predecessor no not tho' he were his Father But he is freely elected by the Nobility who meet by their Deputies in a General Diet which always ought to be kept near Warsaw However though a King's Children have no manner of right in the Republick yet is there always a due regard had to them Insomuch that 't is commonly one of them upon whom the Election falls after the decease of his Father But nevertheless this is always done with the same Ceremonies and still observing the same rules as if a Stranger were elected the Polanders taking great care to preserve their right of not chusing one of the deceased King's Family believing that their Happiness lies chiefly in the Power which they have to make choise of what Prince they please They have not only a due regard to the Sons of their Kings their Consideration extends also to their Daughters and even to their Widdows of which I will here relate some Examples Lewis King of Poland and Hungary being dead the 13 of December 1382 and having left no other Issue than two Daughters the Republick met at Radom in order to proceed to the Election of a New King Part of the Senators inclin'd to chuse Sigismund Marquess of Brandenburg who had wedded the eldest of those two Princesses The other part were for Hedwige who was the youngest and not yet of age to be married Thus after many Consultations it was resolved at last in the Diet that was kept at Vielicza that some Deputies should be sent by the Republick to Queen Elizabeth who was then in Hungary with the Princess Hedwige her Daughter to entreat her to send that Lady into Poland and inform her that the Senate had resolved to crown her Queen and to elect a Prince that would be in a condition to marry her Queen Elizabeth who had no mind that this Princess should marry so young and besides that had a Design to wed her to the Duke of Austria to whom she had been betroth'd in King Lewis her Father's life time sent to acquaint the Diet which was then held at Seradia that she would send the Princess Hedwige into Poland at the following Easter but that she desired that she might return after that into Hungary to remain with her the space of three years till she were of age to be married The Senators of Poland having receiv'd this answer did not think fit to proceed to the Election of a King till the Arrival of the Princess according to the promise of the Queen her Mother But finding that she had not sent her into Poland at the time appointed the Senate did a second time depute some of the Nobility to let the Queen know that tho' the Affairs of the Republick of Poland were in such a condition as highly required the presence of a King yet they were contented to stay for the Princess till the Month of November 1383. Now the Queen having neglected to send her Daughter Hedwige that second time the Polanders sent her some Deputies a third time about the beginning of the following year But Queen Elizabeth having also broke her word to them that time the Senate being met at Radom sent one single Deputy to acquaint her that it had been resolv'd in the Diet not to send any more to her and that if she had a mind that her daughter Hedwige should been Queen they would still wait for her till the 8 of May but that if after that time she did not appear the Republick would proceed according as might be thought most adviseable in the pressing necessity which they laboured under for want of a King The Queen having heard the Senate's final resolution instead of sending her Daughter Hedwige into Poland advis'd her Son-in-Law Sigismund to go thither with some Forces to govern the Republick till her Daughter Hedwige were grown up But as soon as the Polanders heard of Sigsmund's Approach they rais'd some men with all speed to oppose that Prince whom they particularly hated At the same time they sent to let him know that if he presumed to enter Poland they would declare themselves his open Enemies this obliged him to go back and send to desire them to stay till the Whitsuntide following for the Princess Hedwige's Coming Accordingly they staid and not only till then but also till the month of October after that at which time she arriv'd at Cracow where immediately she was crown'd Queen of Poland on St. Hedwige of Lignitz's Day I thought fit to relate this passage to de nonstrate that the Poles have no common Regard to the royal progeny nor do I think that any thing can illustrate that Respect more than the patience with which they waited and that too at a time while they had so much need of Electing a King For the Kingdom was then disturb'd not only by the Duke of Masovia who having a considerable party in the Republick endeavour'd to be made King of Poland as being one of the royal Family of Casimir the Great but the Lithuanians and the Russians also were not a little troublesome and there were then many Roberies Plunderings and strange disorders committed every where with Impunity because the Kingdom was destitute of a Head When Hedwige had been crowned and the Republick was studying how to get her a proper Husband Jagello Duke of Lithuania sent his two Brothers to her with very considerable Presents and at the same time offered to renounce his idolatrous Worship and turn Christian as also to endeavour to make his Subjects do the same and to unite his Dutchy to the Crown of Poland for the future and present the Republick with two

with the Turks themselves and at last made them lose all Vkrania and the Dutchies of Smolensko and Siberia 'T was their real Interest not only to suffer the Cossacks to make perpetual Incursions upon the Turks but even to assist them in their Expeditions For by this means they might have kept the Cossacks who had serv'd 'em so well in the War against Osman in subjection to them and consequently the Polanders might have been still Masters of so many Fine Provinces which they have lost When all the Nobility of Poland are Assembled together they make a very Considerable Body and not one of their Neighbours could resist them if they knew their own strength and could submit to Regular Discipline and to the Command of a General But besides that it is the Interest of the King never to Assemble so great and so formidable a Body The Polanders have also this Privilege that they cannot be kept together above Six Weeks So that if during that time the King cannot bring them to a Battle with their Enemies they may return home without asking his leave And consequently if their Enemies have never so little Experience in the Art of War they may safely protract the time or retire till the Impetuous Torrent is over and afterwards renew the Assault without fear and with a certain prospect of Success That 't is not the Interest of a King of Poland to Assemble the Polish Nobility in one place may be evidently demonstrated by the following Instance When Sigismond II. Summon'd them to appear near Leopold to oppose the Moldavians they were just ready to Revolt against him the Senators complaining that their Privileges had been violated and refusing to March against the Enemy till they were re-establish'd This Example alone which might be confirm'd by many others is a convincing Proof that the Convocation of all the Nobility is both a dangerous and ineffectual Remedy against the Distempers of the State The Polish Nobility have another Privilege which appears unjust or at least seems to incourage their Insolence for a Polish Gentleman cannot be Arrested for any Crime whatsoever unless he be first Convicted by Justice Nisi Jure Victus So that he must be first Cited to appear at the Tribunal where he is to be Tryed if he do not appear he must be declar'd Contumacious and if he appears and is Convicted he is Arrested and Imprison'd in order to be afterwards Indged according to the Laws and the Heinousness of his Crime so that it may be reasonably suppos'd that he who knows himself Guilty and fears to be Cast will not run the hazard of being Convicted but will rather choose to suffer himself to be Condemn'd for Contumacy than to venture the losing of his Head Nevertheless there are some Examples which seem to contradict this Privilege that a Gentleman cannot be Arrested Nisi Jure Victus and I my self have seen an Instance of it in the Persons of those who Assassinated Gonczenski the Petty General of the Army of Lithuania The Criminals were without any Formality carry'd Prisoners to Elbing and afterwards Condemn'd by the General Diet held at Warsaw in the Year 1654 to be Beheaded in the Market-place But it must be confess'd that their Crime was so Enormous that in such a case the Nobility could not in Justice refuse to wave their Privilege For those Wretches took that Gentleman in the Night-time out of his Bed from his Wife at Vitna and having put him in a Coach with a Confessor whom they brought along with them they carry'd him out of the City and oblig'd him immediately to make his Confession after which they Shot him dead The Polish Gentlemen have another Privilege That no Soldier or Officer of the Army can be Quarter'd upon them and any Officer who should attempt to do it would be Cited before the first General Dyet where he would be Condemned to Death or Mark'd with Infamy that is the Criminal wou'd be declared uncapable of having a Vote or of possessing any Office or Employment An Example of which I shall relate which happen'd at Warsaw May 17. 1674 in the Dyet of the Election of John the IIId and which contributed not a little to his Election The Son of the Palatin of Smolensko went to Lodge in the House of Vicznowieski by the Order as 't was given out of the Great General Patz Palatin of Vilna The Marshals who are Judges of those Enormities Condemned that Palatin to the Punishment prescrib'd be the Laws Two days before the Conclusion of the Dyet Thus he was deprived of a Right to Vote which was a very considerable Mortification to Chancellour Patz his Cousin who plac'd a great deal of Considence in him as a declar'd Enemy to the Marshal Sobieski and all the French Party and consequently a zealous Promoter of the Faction of Lorrain and Austria The Constitution that secures the Polish Gentry from being Arrested till they be Legally Convicted is certainly a Grievance to the Nation and seems to subvert the Common Maxims of Justice but they have another Privilege that is equally destructive of Civil Society and inconsistent with the Principles of the Christian Religion For every Gentleman in Poland is by Law the Absolute and Despotic Master of the Peasants that live in his Territories and may put 'em to Death when he pleases When a Stranger is surpriz'd at such a Heathenish Custom and takes the Liberty to Ask 'em How Christians can assume a Privilege so contrary to the Spirit of their Religion And how the Law which is a Gift of God can establish a 〈◊〉 so opposite to the Laws of God himself They usually Reply That tho' they have such a Power they never make use of it no more than we and other Christians use the power we have to kill our Horses Adding That the Peasants serve 'em in stead of Beasts But besides that the Comparison is not very Human and much less Christian it happens sometimes that the Gentlemen kill their Peasants either when they are Drunk or Irritated by some Brutal Passion to which young Men are oftentimes subject For the Wives and Daughters of these miserable Wretches are Forc'd and Carry'd away without daring to resist their Insolent Ravishers and this is so common among the Persants that few of 'em scruple to chuse a Bride that has lost her Virginity CHAP. XII Of the Officers who are not Senators I Must in the next place give an Account of those Officers who have not a place in the Senat Of these there are Three sorts viz. Some are Officers of the whole Kingdom and of the whole Dutchy some of the Court and others of Palatinats and Starosties There is a Great Secretary of the Kingdom and another of the Dutchy who both have a Privilege to enter into the Privy-Councils and to know all that the Chancellours and Vice-Chancellours do in the Chancery So that the Office of Great Secretary is as it were a step by