is only the Royal Prussia that ought to be reckon'd a Province of Poland and even tho' it belongs to the Republic 't is govern'd by its own Laws and enjoys particular Privileges They have a peculiar Treasury and a Treasurer and when the King summons the Arrierban the Nobility are not obliged to go beyond the Frontiers of the Kingdom This Province is divided into three Palatinates Culm Marienburg and Pomerania It s chief Cities are Thorn upon the Vistula Elbing a league from Frischlaff and Dantzic which is the most considerable of 'em all and the capital City of the Palatinate of Pomerania which comprehends all the Country Westward of the Vistula to the Confines of Germany Upon the Coast of Prussia the Waves of the Sea cast Amber upon the Shore which the Fishermen take up in Nets It is soft at first but soon after grows so hard that it may be turned or engraved and cut into all sorts of Figures 'T is also found in certain great Lakes in the same Province especially in the Bishoprick of Warmia There are also many Lakes that abound with Fish almost in every part of the Country In the Palatinate of Marienburg there is the Lake of Drausen which sends forth the River Elbing that discharges it self in the Frischaff which is a Bay or Gulf of the Baltick Sea about twenty leagues in length and two in breadth In the Palatinate of Pomerania there is a Lake betwixt Konicz and Schochaw which is seven leagues long and five broad and is the head of the River Bro which falls into the Vâ—stula about four leagues above Culm There are also three other almost as large as the former in the same Palatinate near the City of Dantzic and both the Palatinate of Culm and the Bishoprick of Warmia are so full of Lakes that it would be almost an endless Labour to mention every one of them particularly Massovia hath Prussia on the North little Poland on the South Podlassia on the East and great Poland on the West The Vistula and the Bugg are the principal Rivers that water it This Province began to be united to the Crown of Poland by Ziemowit who was Prince thereof in the Reign of Casimir the Great but the Union was not fully perfected till the Death of the Dukes John and Stanislaus in the Reign of Sigismund I. anno 1526. It contains only one Palatinate which formerly took its Name from the Town of Czersk but is now call'd after the Name of the Province Samogitia or Samojedia which is a Dependancy of the Dutchy of Lithuania is border'd by Courland on the North the River Niemen on the South Lithuania on the East and the Baltic Sea on the West The Christian Religion was introduc'd into this Country Anno 1413 by the pious Care of King Jagellon who took the pains to instruct those People himself because they could not understand the Polish Priests The chief Towns in Samogitia are Rosienia on the River Dubissa and Miednich There are no Palatinates here but the Province is divided into several Starosties or Governments of Castles and the first Starosta is a Senator Since Courland depends upon Poland and is the Frontier of Samogitia it will not be improper to give a short account of it here 'T is divided into two parts Courland and Semigallia the River Dzwina separates it from Livonia on the North 't is bounded with Samogitia on the South Lithuania on the East and the Baltic Sea on the West This Country has been subject to a Prince who is a Vassal and Feudatory of Poland since the Year 1561 that Godfrey Ketlâ—r great Master of the Teutonic Knights in Livonia having voluntarily resign'd his Office put all Livonia with the Town of Riga the capital City of the Province into the hands of Nicholas Radziwill in the Name of Sigismund Augustus who gave him Courland and Semigallis which were then reckon'd part of Livâ—ia on Condition that he should remain a Vassal to the Crown of Poland The City of Mittauw in Sâ—â—â—â—â—ita is at present the Metropolis of that little State and the Residence of the Duke Upper Volhinia reaches from Polesia on the North to upper Pâ—dâ—ia on the South and from lower Volbinia on the East to black Russia on the West It s chief Cities are Lucko or Lusuck or Luceowia on the River Ster and Kremienice which is situated upon an Eminence on the bank of the River Izwa about eight leagues from Luceowia towards the South The Province of Podlachia which was united to Poland in the Year 1569 is bounded by Lithuania towards the East and Massovia towards the West 't is ten leagues broad and thirty leagues long It s chief Cities are Augustow and Biclsk which gives Name to a Palatinate CHAP. III. Of the State of Poland with respect to its Neighbors and of the various Success of the Wars in which it has been engag'd with ' em POland reach'd heretofore from the Black Sea to the Baltic and from 〈◊〉 to Hungary but as all the States in the World are subject to great and frequent Revolutions Poland has had its share in the general Calamity and is at present confin'd within much narrower Bounds For it may be observ'd in general that every Republick is look'd upon by its Neighbors as a Country which they have a kind of Right to invade And the same Remark may in a peculiar manner be apply'd to Poland both with respect to the Manner and Constitution of its Government and the insatiable Ambition of all its Neighbors of which the Turks Tartars and Moscovites are most formidable 'T is long since the Turks dismember'd Valachia and Moldavia from this Kingdom and afterwards the Cossacks being oppress'd by the Nobility and restrain'd from their wonted Pyracies on the Black Sea resolv'd to shake off a Yoke which they could no longer bear and by that means gave the Turks an opportunity to invade Vbrania in the Reign of King Michael and to make themselves Masters of Caminiec the capital City of Vpper Podolia and the only place of strength which the Polanders had upon that Frontier That fatal War continued after the death of K. Michael and disturb'd the Reign of his Successor John III till the Polanders were at last constrain'd to make a Peace at Zurawno in Pokutia for the Army of the Turks and Tartars was so numerous and formidable that Year that it consisted of above 180000 effective Men and on the other hand that of the Polanders was so weak that they could not bring above 12000 Men into the Field because they were depriv'd of the Assistance of a considerable part of the Forces of Lithuania who were drawing together near Leopold under Prince Michael of Radziwill their General but could not joyn the grand Army because the Infidels had block'd up all the Avenues to the Camp so that the General was oblig'd to continue at Leopold with the Marquess de Bethune and the L. Hide Ambassador from the K.
was not entirely united to the Kingdom till the year 1501 by Albert Duke of Lithuania who was chosen King of Poland This Dutchy contains eight Palatinates viz. Vilnae Troki Bressici Nowogrodeck Minsk Mseislaw Vitepsk and Polosk It is a hundred leagues long and a hundred and fifty broad and is bordered by Muscovy on the North and East by Russia and Volhinia on the South and by Samogitia Prussia and Podlachia on the West The chief Rivers of the great Dutchy are the Niemen and the Dzwina The Province of Russia which was united to Poland by King Casimir the Great anno 1341 is bordered by Lithuania on the North and by the Mountains of Hungary and Transilvania on the South It has Upper Volhinia and Upper Podolia on the East and Little Poland on the West It contains three Palatinates Leopold Chelm and Belch the principal River that runs thro' it is the Bugg Bokutia which is part of the Palatinate of Leopold is a small Country border'd on the North with the Niester and on the South with the Carpathian Mountains It was sold to Poland with the Towns of Sniatyn and Kolomey upon the River Prut by Alexander Palatin of Valachia for 500 Ounces of Silver The chief City of Pokutia is Halioz on the Niester whither Lewis King of Poland and Hungary transferred the Archbishoprick of Leopold anno 1375 with a design to joyn Russia Podâ—lia and Pokutia to Hungary because of their sertility But the whole Polish Nobility took up Arms to oppose that Enterprise and made so much noise about it in the Diet that the Archbishoprick was restored to Leopold Prussia is bounded on the North with the Balâ—â—k Sea on the South with Great Poland and Masâ—â—◠〈◊〉 the East with Lithuania and on the West 〈…〉 The Kingdom of Poland was long 〈◊〉 with a cruel and bloody War about the â—â—osession of this Province For when the Knights of the Teutonick Order were driven out of Syria by the Saracens they were received by Conrade Duke of Prussia and Brother to Lescus King of Poland who finding himself unable to defend his Country against the continual Incursions of the Idolatrous Prussians called in those Knights to his Assistance in the year 1228 promising them half of what they could Conquer in Prussia and in the mean time putting 'em in possession of the Province of Culm till they should be able to make themselves Masters of some part of the Country This was the fatal Spring of all the Differences which engag'd Poland in a War that was carryed on with so Obstinate a Fury For the Knights of the Teutonic Order grew at last so Formidable to their Neighbours and by successive Victories rais'd their Power to such a heighth that after they had subdued all Prussia they gave many Battels to the Polanders who could never utterly expel 'em tho they sometimes obtain'd considerable Victories over them as in the Battel which Jagillon fought against Grunwald and Tanneberg in the Year 1400. In the mean time the Teutonick Knights were so proud of their new Conquests that forgetting their Original and scorning the humble and samiliar Name of Brother with which their Religious Constitution oblig'd 'em to content themselves they began openly to claim the Title of Lords notwithstanding the pious Zeal of their great Master Vlric who endeavour'd to oppose so scandalous an Innovation And tho they were frequently beaten by the Polanders they ceased not to continue the War because they were assisted by the Emperors and by the Princes of the House of Austria 'T is certain that the Austrian Family cou'd never endure that the Polanders shou'd recover Prussia as it appears by the following Instance When Sigismund K. of Poland sent Ambassadors to the Dyet at Augsburg Anno 1530 to justifie his Pretensions to that Province the Difference was adjusted in favour of Poland but the Execution of it being left to the Emperor Charles V the Resolution of the Diet took no effect These Knights assum'd such an absolute and independent Authority that they would not submit even to the Decrees of the Popes for Locticus King of Poland having sent to Avignon to complain that these Military Friars had usurped one of his Provinces the Pope order'd 'em to restore it upon pain of Excommunication but they had so little Regard to his Menaces that they resus'd positively to quit their Possession Under the same Loctâ—us the Chancellor of Pomerania a factious man and a secret Enemy to his Soveraign plotted to deliver up that Province to the Marquess of Brandenburg but he was taken and put in Prison before he could execute his treacherous design Nevertheless the King pardon'd him at the Request of his Brothers However it seems the Affront he thought he had receiv'd made a stronger Impression upon him than the sparing of his Life for not long after he put several Towns of Pomerania into the hands of the Marquess of Brandenburg and among the rest the City of Danâ—â—c In the mean time one Bâ—â—â—sia who was Governor of the Citadel of Daâ—tzâ—c for the King of Poland defended that place and acquainted his Master with the present Exigency of his Affairs but before the Polanâ—â— could come up to his assistance he was oblig'd to call in the 〈◊〉 Knights allowing them half the Government of the Ciradel of Dartzie provided they would defend it entirely a whole Year at their own charge by which means the Citadel was not only preserved but the Town it self was retaken But the Polanders had no reason to boast of that Success for their pretended Friends were so far from contenting themselves with the promis'd Reward of their Service that they resolved to make themselves the sole Masters of the Citadel notwithstanding the repeated Remonstrances of Bogusta and the rest of the faithful Polanders And this open violation of a solemn Treaty was the occasion of a bloody War which created so implacable an Animosity betwixt the Polanders and their encroaching Neighbors that the least Pretence was sufficient to rekindle the Flame And afterwards when Casimir the Grandson of Locticus renew'd his Complaints against them and prevail'd with the Pope to excommunicate them if they would not restore that usurped Province they slighted both him and his Excommunication But at last by the Peace which was concluded betwixt Casimir and the Order it was agreed upon That the Great Master should be acknowledg'd as a Prince and Senator of the Republick under the Protection and Dominion of Poland Some time after the Province was divided into two Parts call'd the Royal and Ducal Prussia Albert of Brandenburg Great Master of the Teutonic Order having turn'd Lutheran and being married fix'd his Residence in this Province and Sigismund yielded up to him the Ducal Prussia on condition that he should remain a Vassal to Poland And by the Peace of Oliva made in the Year 1660 the Soveraignty of Ducal Prussia was finally yielded up to the Elector of Brendâ—â—â—ing Thus at present 't
that Island because as it is in a manner wall'd round with very large Reeds no Galley nor Vessel of any considerable Bulk can get thither They want for nothing tho' they never sow nor reap Several Palatines supply 'em with money and the Provinces they inhabit and which they guard furnish 'em with Necessaries They are all Gentlemen but either of very slender Fortunes younger Brothers or such as have no share of the Inheritance as the Law of the Nation orders it They are commonly divided into Troops of 120 when they guard the Frontiers besides their Servants that follow in the like number and who alight if their Masters Horse is disabled They fight covered with Sheep-Skins stuft so as to be Launce and Javelin Proof Their Arms are Pistols and Carbines and Seymitars that hang at their Girdle fastened with a Gilt Chain In the Fight they always ride to and fro as if they designed to attack the Enemy on diverse sides and thus rout them the more easily the Foe not being able to know on which side they are like to be most prest They use Kettle-Drums but never Trumpets unless before their General whom they chuse among themselves and who used to take the Oath of Fidelity to the King of Poland Their Czaiki or hollow trunks of trees which they use to make Incursions are not altogether unlike the Canoes which the Indians use They are covered with Ox-hides with Holes for as many men as each Canoe will carry commonly 40 or 50 and they fasten those Hides so to their Bodies with peices of Leather that no water can get in yet they are not obstructed by them from Rowing or using their Arms. Fifty of these often go out together usually keeping pretty near the Shoar and if a storm happens to arise or they find they are not able to cope with the Enemies Gallies they make the best of their way to the Paludes Meoticae sink their Canoes dive into the water and draw their breath thro' a Reed which they keep so fixt to their mouth as to let nothing but the end of it be above the water There there lye hid till the danger is over and then having thrown the water out of the Canoes they fall unexpectedly upon the Gallies and often make themselves Masters of them About the end of the season these Adventurers separate and go each to his own home after they have appointed their Rendezvous for the ensuing Spring near the Islands of the Boristhenes The Cossacks are of a good Stature strong dexterous nimble liberal great Lovers of their Liberty uneasy under any Yoke indefatigable bold and good Soldiers but great Drunkards and very treacherous They are much given to Fishing and Hunting They have this peculiar to them that none knows how to prepare Salt-Petre better than they do and their Country used to supply several parts of Europe with it In Summer they are mightily pestered with Flies and Grashoppers which fly sometimes in such vast numbers that they make a kind of Cloud and darken the Air for they fly in swarms that are sometimes several miles long and will destroy the Corn they light on tho' it be green in less than two hours time These insects live but six months Rain kills ' em and the Northern Wind blows them into the black Sea The first Revolt of the Cossacks was under their General John Fodhovia who was worsted and then beheaded this happened after King Stephen Battori's death for by that time they were become formidable by reason of their native Valour and being brought under military Discipline They had been allowed many Privileges by that Great Prince besides their Common Pay and he had joyned a Body of Polish Horse to them and appointed the fourth part of his Customs for their subsistance for which reason they are called Quartani The vast Country beyond the Towns of Blacklew Bar and Kiovia had begun to be inhabited and several Towns and Castles to be built by Colonies from neighbouring Provinces and had not the change of religion which the Polish Lords would have impos'd upon the Cossacks occasioned the revolt greater Improvements might have been made and the second which happened in the year 1596 might have been prevented Then the Cossacks had some Advantage over the Polish Army commanded by General Zolskiewski and looked upon themselves as invincible yet that able Warrier found means to press them so close that he forced 'em to deliver him their General Nolevaiko who was served like his Predecessor Then they revolted a third time in 1637 as has been said but with as ill success as before and the Loss of their General and chief Officers at that time was attended with the forfeiture of their Privileges and of the town of Trethimirow and also with the suppression of their Souldery After these disgraces when they were ready to try their Fortune again they were at last promised a re-establishment but this promise was not kept for there was a new modell'd Militia established and their General was often removed Then the Polanders found the Inconveniency of the change by the Incursions of the Tartars and King Vladislaus the IV having a design to make war with the Turks the Cossacks were resetled upon the antient Foot But awhile after this upon some new occasions they shook off the Yoke of Poland under Chonelensk and since that having sometimes partly submitted and at others disclaim'd the Authority of the republick their Country is now much depopulated and they are divided among themselves Some obey the Muscovites and some the Poles and many of them side sometimes with the Turks sometimes with the Poles and sometimes with the Muscovites according as they are successful or offer them more advantageous Terms It may not be amiss to say something of the Lithuanians in particular before we give an Account in general of the State of Poland of which their Country now makes a Part. Lithuania is for the most part very full of large Woods and Forests as also Ponds and Lakes Some of them of such an extent that they seem a kind of Sea The Inhabitants are not less jealous of their Liberty than the Poles taking great care that their Rights may not be infring'd by that Nation their Associates on one side and that the Muscovites their Neighbours may not enslave them as they have often endeavour'd for tho' they agree with the latter in some things as in their drink which is cheifly Mead and Metheglin as also Brandy which they drink alike to great excess also in their way of Ploughing and Sowing and many other matters in point of living yet they have always lookt upon them as an inveterate and treacherous Enemy The Peasants are not less miserable there and yet more ignorant than those of the Kingdom of Poland They are in general used like Slaves by their Masters and often very barbarously by the Servants and Attendants of the Nobility principally in time of War for
Controversies by the way of Arms in publick This was their way of Living then which is not yet altogether abolished in some places But in Process of Time Princes and then Kings were brought in among them Yet with a more limited authority than in other Countries and after an Elective manner As for Laws King Casimir introduced the Teutonick there in the Year 1368. and Established a Soveraign Court of Justice at the Castle of Cracow as in the middle of his Kingdom for Poland was then of a far greater Extent than 't is now so that the City of Cracow was in a manner in the middle of that Great State whereas at this time it may be almost call'd a Frontier Town since it is but twelve Leagues from thence to Silesia which was then a province of Poland and now belongs to the Emperor of Germany on the account of the Kingdom of Bohemia The Kings us'd always to have a right to make the People take up arms as often as it was necessary and every Man was excited to give some proofs of Valor because there was no other means to rise and obtain the Right of Nobility neither was there any other Reward to be expected As for those who were not stirr'd up by the desire of honour and advancement the fear of punishment us'd to prevail with them for those who did not obey the King's Orders were either whipt with Cords or cudgel'd into fighting which convinc'd the rest of the Necessity of taking arms with all speed In those days it was not the Custom to levy Military Men with Mony in Poland for there was none at that time in that Kingdom where they then till'd the Ground barely to supply the Necessity of the Inhabitants and had no thoughts of exporting Corn out of the Country nor of importing those things that serve only for Superfluity and good Chear The Soyl which is fruitful of it self suppli'd every one with a sufficient subsistance so that the Peasants were not compell'd to work hard for if they wrought never so little they did enough for their Masters and for themselves But as soon as the Polish Gentlemen began to exchange Corn for foreign Merchandises and Riches and Luxury were brought into that Kingdom the Military Vigour began to abate and the Slavery of the Peasants became intollerable Poland is now properly a Republick and 't is by that Name that the Polanders call it looking upon their King as being no more than the head of their Common wealth This makes them lessen the King's authority more and more when a new one is to be elected still enlarging their own privileges and taking care that his prerogative may not grow too great They are indeed so jealous of their Liberty and so afraid of losing it that they will not have any fortyfied towns upon the Frontiers for fear the King should put a Garrison in it and so should make himself absolute Master of all the Nobility by degrees That sentiment is so strongly rooted within their hearts that they prepossess their Children with it betimes making them believe that their native Freedom would soon be lost if ever they suffered any town to be fortyfied upon the Frontiers But they do not consider that while they design to shun a great Evil they fall into another that is worse since their Neighbours who are all of them their Enemies finding the Country open easily invade it and from time to time make themselves Masters of some part of their state before the Polanders can be in a Condition to oppose their Irruptions as the Swedes did which I have already mentioned The Republick of Poland is composed of three Orders the King the Senate and the Nobility or Gentry Thus all the Rites and Privileges are joyntly holden by those three Orders insomuch that there can be no Laws made nor abrogated no War levied no alliance concluded with Foreigners no Impositions laid 〈◊〉 nor no money coyned but with the joynt Consent of the whole Republick or of the Senators that are deputed for that end therefore some of these are always near the King's person in order to preserve the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom CHAP. VII Of the KING THe King disposes of all the consistorial Benefices and of many others as also of all the Offices and Places of profit in the Gift of the Crown for he cannot keep them to himself and is obliged to bestow them upon the Gentlemen of Poland and not upon Foreigners tho' they have never so much personal Merit or have done never so much service to the Republick for the Polanders are so jealous of Foreigners that they cannot endure that the King should make them any connderable Gratification As for Instance In the Reign of King Stephen Batori the Hungarians had been very serviceable to the Republick in the War against the Muscovites Now that brave Prince who had invited many of 'em into Poland to repell that encroaching Enemy with their Assistance thought himself obliged to bestow some suitable Rewards upon them but he had no sooner done this but that several of the Great Men of Poland were strangely exasperated particularly the Great General who resented it so highly that he resigned his place upon that Account Many others also murmur'd openly against that Prince which usage may seem the more ungenerous and ungrateful seeing they were so much obliged to that Warlike King who had atcheived braver and greater Actions for Poland than any of his Predecessors Thus all that a Foreigner can pretend to in that Republick can amount to no more than the obtaining the Command of a Regiment of Foot or the Grant of some little Royal Gift Besides that he may be duely qualified for the possession of it he must first be made a Gentleman of Poland for otherwise the King cannot bestow any such thing upon him however there are some little Royal Gifts and Benefices which a man may hold without being a Gentleman of Poland But in the main 't is so certain that there is a necessity of being made a Gentleman of Poland to possess an Estate or Place of considerable Profit in that Kingdom that King Stephen Battori whom we just now mentioned thought fit to procure the Indigenate that is the right of Nobility to two of his Kins-men at the Sessions of the Diet which he had summon'd to meet the 13 of December 1386. For as he had no Children he was desirous of advancing those of his Brother and was perswaded that this Naturalization would enable him to prefer them to something more considerable But that Great Prince was prevented by Death in the fifty fourth year of his age after he had reigned ten years One would be apt to think that this mighty Power which the King of Poland has to dispose of so many places of Trust and Profit of so many Lands by Royal Tenure and of so many Benefices must need gain him the Love and Affection of those on whom they
Republick That right is now given to those who are in Favour at Court or Protected by some Great Lord whereas formerly it was granted only to Officers as a Recompence for their Services done to the State Those who are not Officers and yet pretend to the Indigenat by the favour of the King or of the Marshal of the Deputies procuring their Names to be inserted in the Instructions of the Army that is among the Names of the Officers who demand to be made Gentlemen of Poland and every one of the Pretenders gives in an account of his Genealogy Name Sirname Family and Services and puts his Coat of Armes in the middle And after they have been receiv'd by the Diet and their Pattents Seal'd they take an Oath of Fidelity before the Marshal of the Deputies by which they Swear to be faithful to their Country and to the King and the Marshal gives 'em a Certificate declaring that the Diet has receiv'd such a one for its Natural Son and that he has taken the Oath of Fidelity before him Yet tho' a stranger be made a Gentleman of Poland the King cannot bestow any considerable Employment or Consistorial Benefices on him or his Children to the third Generation For the Republick has made this Provision that they may be the better assured of the Fidelity of those who are entrusted with any Office or enjoy any Benefices According to the Constitutions and Laws of Poland a Diet must not sit above Six Weeks and the Nobility are so fond and jealous of their Privileges that when the King endeavours to prolong the Session of a Diet and even when the Interest of the State requires the Sitting of that Assembly the Deputies are always ready to oppose such an Innovation and Charge their Marshal to Acquaint the King that they will immediately leave the Diet as soon as they perceive that he intends to keep them longer than usually I shall only mention one Instance of this Unaccountable Obstinacy which happen'd in the Diet Assembled at the Coronation of King John Casimir in the Year 1649. The Defeat of the Polish Army at Pilaveze and afterwerds the Dreadful Irruption of the Cossacks and Tartars into the very heart of the Kingdom had reduc'd the Republick almost to the last extremity and since the Diet had been so busy'd in determining particular affairs that they had not time to consider of the Means to raise a sufficient Army to oppose the progress of so Barbarous and formidable an Enemy till the very day before the breaking up of the Diet the King and the Senators endeavour'd to find out a way to avoid the terrible danger that threatned 'em and for that end resolv'd to Prolong the Diet But as soon as the Deputies were inform'd of this Resolution they sent their Marshal to the Senators to put 'em in mind of the Law which forbids the prolonging of Diets and afterward to take leave of the King The Marshal to execute his Commission went to the Senate and began to thank the King and to take leave of Him in the Name of all the Nobility whereupon the Senators rising up desir'd that they wou'd condescend to sit only one day longer representing the Pressing Exigencies of the present Juncture The Chancellor seconded these Intreaties with a very Moving and Pathetick Harangue After which the Marshal having resum'd his Character which he had already laid down went back to the Deputies and pray'd them to give their Opinion concerning the Prolongation which the King and Senate desir'd The Deputies met again at the return of their Marshal and were at last prevail'd with tho' not without a great deal of difficulty to consent that the Diet should be prolong'd but upon this condition that every one of them should obtain whatever his Palatinat had charg'd him to ask CHAP. XVI Of the Diet of the Election THE General Diet for the Election of a King is always held in the open Field about half a League from Warsaw near the Village of Vola where they erect a sort of Booth cover'd with Boards at the Publick Charge which in the Polish Language is called Szopa or a Shelter from bad Weather This place is built and prepar'd by the Treasurer of the Crown 't is surrounded with a Ditch and has Three Doors The Day appointed for the Diet being come the Senate and the Nobility go to St. John's Church at Warsaw to hear the Mass of the Holy Ghost and to beg the Grace of God in order to the Electing of a New King who may have all the Qualitys necessary to defend the Interests of the Church and of the Republick After which they go to the Szopa where the Order of the Nobility elects the Marshal of the Deputies that were sent by the Petty Diets who being Chosen by Plurality of Voices and having taken the Oath goes to Salute the Senators and to be confirm'd by their Approbation After these Preliminaries the Orders of the Senate and Nobility enter into an Union or Association which they Ratifie and Confirm with an Oath Not to separate from one another not to Name any person for King Nor acknowledge him as such till he be Elected by the unanimous consent of 'em all They swear also to preserve all the Rights Privileges and Immunities of the Republick and that he who shall do otherwise shall be declar'd an enemy to his Country They Promise reciprocally neither to give their Voices for an Election nor to enter into any Agreement with the Candidates or their Ambassadors till all the Irregularities and Disorders that have been committed either in the Kingdom or Dutchy be consider'd and redress'd They annul and make void all the Decrees of the Tribunals and even the Statutes of the Kings that are found to be contrary to their Liberties and Promise to make a Law to that Purpose They declare That all the Judgements given before the Publication of the Interregnum shall be valid and that they will approve of all that shall be done by the Court of Justice establish'd during the Interregnum which is called Kaptur and is design'd for the defence of the Country for Coyning of Money for raising of Soldiers and for maintaining the Laws They forbid any person to come to the Diet with Strangers or with Fire-Arms They ordain that the Generals of the Army shall take an Oath before Commissioners to discharge the Trust that is repos'd in 'em with all possible fidelity to make no other use of their Troops than to oppose the Enemies of the Nation To defend the Frontiers of the Kingdom and to secure the Honour and Liberties of the Republick They oblige 'em also to Swear to Assert the Publick Interest in case of a Sedition or Revolt To restrain the Souldiers from injuring any person To receive no Money either from the Clergy or Laity and to hinder the Soldiers from receiving any After which they forbid the Officers of the Army to March with their Forces into
any Persons of their condition happier than they for when they are young they see their Fathers treated after the same manner And besides they have this comfort that they never want Provisions Their Wives are employ'd almost in nothing else than Dressing their Meat of which they have usually 3 or 4 sorts every day for Dinner viz. a Dish of Pease with a little Bacon another of Oatmeal Barley Millet or of the Grain which they call Cachat and the rest of several sorts of Roots which they have in abundance and very good The Furniture of their Houses consists of some Earthen or Wooden Dishes and a Bed which they make of Chaff and Feathers with a sort of Coverlet over it As for their Children they never lye in Beds till they are Marry'd but upon Boards round the Floor which they use in many places in stead of an Oven to Bake their Bread and to Boil their little pots of Cachat and Roots These Stoves have no Chimney to let out the Smoak so that their Huts are always full of a Thick Smoak which has no other passage but a small Window about Four Foot from the Ground When they go into their Cottages they are forc'd to stoop that they may not be stiff'd with the Smoak which is so thick above the little Window that one cannot see the Roof and yet 't is impossible to go to Bed in the Winter without Stoves so that the Gentlemen have them in their Houses as well as the Peasants But those in Gentlemens Houses are neatly made of Burnt Earth like fine Earthen Vessels with a Chimney to let out the Smoak The Children of the Peasants especially in Russia go stark Naked as well the Girls as the Boys till they are Four or Five years of Age. They are never taught to go but as soon as they have got a little strength the Mother sets them down at the Threshold of the Door where they learn by degrees to Crawl along and get up by themselves and when they are dirty the Mother Washes them in cold Water which makes 'em so hardy that I have seen 'em slide Bare-footed on the Ice The Peasants are Cloath'd in Winter with a Wastcoat of Sheep's-Skins with the Wool and in Summer they wear a Stuff Coat of a Chimney-Sweeper's Colour with an ugly sort of Cap or Bonnet Sometimes they wear Boots but most usually Shooes which they make of the Bark of a Tree As for the Women their Habits are not much different from those of the Country-Women in France only their Smocks are so short that one may sometimes see their Skin between their Wastcoat and Petticoat In Russia the Women go all Summer in their Smocks with an Apron before them the Strings of which serve them for a Girdle but their Smocks reach to their Mid-leg They never Build a House in Poland without a Stove in each Room Some of the Gentlemens Houses are of Wood and others of Brick and all so contriv'd that they Lodge only in the Lower Rooms except in some Houses in the Cities The Gentlemen by reason of the frequent Incursions of the Tartars have but very little Furniture and that of no great value for they have only little Beds with Taffeta Curtains and some Turkey Carpets They have no more Beds than what are sufficient for their own Family so that when one goes to Visit them he must either carry a Bed along with him or resolve to lye upon the Floor Most of their Countrey-Houses are of Wood without Fountains Gardens or Avenues because the Polish Gentlemen take no delight in Planting Trees upon their Lands tho 't is certain Poland would be a very fit Countrey for Fruit-Trees and especially for Apples and Pears for in some places they grow wild and prosper to Admiration so that they might have very good Sider which would save them a great deal of Corn which they consume in Beer But they take very little pains either to Improve their Lands or Increase their Revenues There are many Great Lake both in Poland and Lithuania with Mills upon them for Grinding of Meal and Cachat But I never saw any Mills for Paper Cloath or Leather tho they might easily have them and consequently save all the Money which Forreigners gain by the Importation of these Commodities But the Polanders not only deserve to be Censur'd for not embellishing their Houses by Planting Trees about 'em and Augmenting their Revenues by erecting New Mills but are even so little mindful of their Interest that they neglect some Advantageous Improvements which would cost 'em nothing but the Labour of their Peasants They have vast Fens and Morasses and consequently might have a great deal of Pasturage so that they might breed and bring up abundance of Cattel which would be extreamly advantageous to them for I neither know nor ever heard of a Country in which there is more Flesh eaten than in Poland and consequently where there are more Cattel kill'd nor is there any place in the World where they use greater quantities of Leather for every body wears Boots and almost all the Gentlemen have Coaches or Waggons cover'd with Leather which they call Ridevans Nevertheless in stead of preparing the Hides and Skins of the Cattel which they kill they suffer Strangers to carry 'em away into their own Countrys where they Prepare them and afterwards make the Polanders Pay dear for that which they Sold for a Trifle There are many Lakes in Poland and Lithuania so large that it would be almost impossible to Drain them These Lakes abound with Fish which the Polanders usually take in the Winter When the Ice is pretty strong they make a great Hole to let down their Nets and afterwards make several smaller holes from space to space that they may draw their Nets along from hole to hole with a Rope which is fasten'd to a long Pole till they bring them back to the first large Opening When the two ends of the Nets are brought together they pull them out and bring up with them all the Fishes that happen'd to be in that space of Water through which the Nets were drawn for they cannot leap over the Nets because of the Ice The Fishes thrive so well in those Great Lakes that there are an infinite number of Pikes Four Foot long and Carps Two and a half The whole Countrey of Poland is full of Woods and Lithuania much more And there are some Forests so large that it would require at least a whole Day to pass from one side to the other The Revenue of those Forests which for the most part are Firr-Trees does not consist in the Sale of the Wood but in the gathering in of the Honey and Wax which they find in the Hollow Trunks of the Trees in so great quantity that in many Places it yields above 10000 Livres a Year There is so much Honey in Poland and especially in Lithuania that they make a sort of Wine or Mead of it
and made it the Place of his Residence After the Death of Lechus the Government of the Kingdom was committed to Twelve Palatines Cracus An. D. 700. He Built Cracow and transferr'd the Court or Residence of the Prince from Gnesna to that City Lechus II. He Assassinated his Father Cracus in a Wood and gave out That he was Torn in pieces by a Bear QUEEN Venda An. D. 750. A Princess equally famous for her Beauty and Valor After her Death the Kingdom was again Govern'd by Twelve Palatines Primislaus or Lescus I. An. D. 760. A Person of mean Birth but of extraordinary Courage and Wisdom He was made Prince or Duke of Poland with the Unanimous Consent of all the Estates of the Nation in consideration of the Important Services he had done to his Countrey and particularly in the War against the Huns. Lesco II. Surnam'd the Black An. D. 804. He is said to have Assisted Attila in his Wars against the Romans Lesco III. An. D. 810. The Son and Successor of Lesco II. He was also an Enemy to the Romans Popiel I. An. D. 815. A Debauch'd and Effeminate Prince Popiel II. An. D. 830. Succeeded his Father and Imitated his Example He was Eaten up by Mice Piastus An. D. 842. He was advanc'd from the Plow to the Throne in consideration of his Justice and Integrity Semovitus or ziemonitus An. D. 861. He defeated the Vandals and Conquer'd several Countries on the Coast of the Balthic Sea Lesco IV. An. D. 892. He Concluded a Peace with all his Neighbours Semislaus or ziemomistus An. D. 913. He maintain'd the Peace which his Predecessor had establish'd Mesco or Miecislaus An. D. 964. He was Born Blind but receiv'd his Sight during his Father's Life who upon this occasion consulting those who pretended to foretel things to come was inform'd that his Son should be remarkable for Piety He was the first Duke or Prince of Poland who embrac'd the Christian Religion Boleslaus I. Surnam'd Chrobri An. D. 999. He laid aside the Title of Duke with which his Predecessors had contented themselves and was Solemnly stil'd King of Poland and Friend and Ally of the Roman Empire by Otho III. An. 1001. He subdu'd the Bohemians Moravians Silesians Prussians and Pomeranians Mesco or Miecislaus II. An. D. 1025. A Lazy and Effeminate Prince Under his Reign the Bohemians and Moravians Revolted from the Crown of Poland Casimir I. An. D. 1041. He was Dethron'd and forc'd to enter into a Cloister but afterwards rais'd an Army and defeated the Tyrant who had Usurp'd the Crown Boleslaus II. Surnam'd the Bold An. D. 1059. He Defeated the Huns and other Scythian Nations and subdu'd Moravia but notwithstanding all the Glory of his Victories his Memory is Infamous in History He fell in Love with a Mare and Barbarously Murder'd the Bishop Stanislaus who reprov'd him for his Brutish and Unnatural Lust And for these Detestable Crimes both he and his Successors were depriv'd of the Regal Dignity He was expell'd out of the Kingdom and Torn in Pieces by Dogs Vladislaus I. Surnam'd Hermannus An. D. 1082. A Warlike and Just Prince Boleslaus III. Surnam'd Crivoustus An. D. 1103. He assisted the Hungarians against the Romans and was very Powerful at Sea Vladislaus II. An. D. 1146. He endeavour'd to Oppress his Brothers but was at last Defeated and Expell'd out of the Kingdom Boleslaus IV. Surnam'd Crispus An. D. 1146. He made War with the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa Miecislaus III. Surnam'd the Aged An. D. 1174. He was Depos'd for Oppressing the People with Exorbitant Impositions Casimit II. An. D. 1178. Succeeds his Brother abrogates the Unjust Laws that were establish'd by his Predecessors and Frees the People from Tyrannical Impositions Lesco V. Surnam'd the White An. D. 1195. He was Attack'd by this Unkle Miecislaus the Aged and defended himself with various success till he was at last surpriz'd as he was Bathing himself and thrust thro' with a Spear During the Turbulent Reign of this Prince the Countrey was miserably harass'd and the Sovereign Power was for some time assum'd by Miecislaus and afterwards by Vladislaus Lasconogus Boleslaus V. Surnam'd the Chast An. D. 1226. In his time the Tartars made a terrible Havock in Poland Lesco VI. Surnam'd the Black An. D. 1279. He was Assisted by the Knights of the Teutonic Order against Conrade who had besieg'd Cracow Premislaus II. An. D. 1295. He Reassum'd the Regal Title by the Advice of the Nobility and was Crown'd by James Arch-bishop of Gnesna He undertook an Expedition against the Bohemians but was surpriz'd and kill'd in his Camp in the First Year of his Reign Wenceslaus An. D. 1296. The King of Bohemia obtain'd the Crown of Poland he defeated the Hungarians and fought against the Emperor Albert. Vladislaus III. Surnam'd Locticus An. D. 1305. He was assisted in his Wars by the Lithuanians Casimit III. Surnam'd the Great An. D. 1333. A Just and Peaceful Prince He freed the Kingdom from Robbers who during the late Disorders had made the Ways Unpassable and Establish'd New Laws to suppress the Insolence of the Soldiers He entertain'd four Kings at a Splendid Feast viz. the Kings of Hungary Cyprus Denmark and of the Romans and gave his Niece in Marriage to the last Lewis An. D. 1370. King of Hungary is Chosen King of Poland He Routed the Lithuanians in a Memorable Battle Vladislaus IV. or II. call'd Jagello An. D. 1386. This Prince who was Duke of Lithuania and a Pagan Marry'd Hedwige the Daughter of King Lewis and embrac'd the Christian Religion He United the Great Dutchy of Lithuania to the Crown of Poland and Extirpated Paganism out of that Countrey He obtain'd a Great Victory over the Teutonic Knights in Prussia Vladislaus V. or III. An. D. 1434. He was Chosen King of Hungary and was kill'd by the Turks in the Battle of Varna Casimit IV. Surnam'd the Great An. D. 1447. He took several Towns from the Teutonick Knights John Albert. An. D. 1492. He dy'd as he was making Preparations for a War against the Turks Alexander An. D. 1501. This Prince was successful in his Wars against the Moscovites and Tartars Sigismund I. An. D. 1507. He Defeated the Muscovites Tartars and Hungarians and Subdu'd Prussia Sigismund II. Surnam'd Augustus An. D. 1548. This was the last King of the Race of Vladislaus Jagellon Henry of Valois An. D. 1574. He was Chosen King of Poland by the Intrigues of the French and Four Months after his Accession to the Crown retir'd privately from Poland upon the News of the Death of his Brother Charles IX whom he Succeeded in France Stephen Bathori Prince of Transilvania An. D. 1576. A Wise Brave and Victorious Prince His Virtues were celebrated at his Death in the following Elogy In
the said Deputy Who being Ask'd why he thus Dissented Answer'd That he did it that by this means the Privileges of the Nobility might be safe and lodg'd within his Power tho all the rest of the Nobility were corrupted Having said this and caused his Protestation to be enter'd into the Records and Archives of the Kingdom he presently consented with the rest to the Election of Vladislaus the Fourth The Polish Nobility being endow'd with so many Privileges and the Deputies having always a free Vote the Aristocratical State of Poland cannot well be chang'd by any of the Kings of Poland into an Absolute Monarchy For whosoever offers to do this is declar'd by the Senate to be Perjur'd and no more a King which appears by the late King John the Third's Oath in Harnoc Besides the Nobility uses immediately to complain in the open Senate of the Tyranny of those that attempt such Innovations as did a certain Deputy out of the Palatinate of Posnania King Stephen Bathori after many Victories which he gain'd and several Provinces with which he enlarg'd the Kingdom of Poland began at last to endeavour to make himself Absolute Monarch of Poland whereupon this Deputy exprest himself in a Speech with so much Freedom Boldness and Vehemence that the King Ambitious and Passionate in his Nature not being able to let the Deputy run on any longer upon that Topic interrupted him in these words Hold your Tongue you Rascal To which the Deputy made Answer I am no Rascal but a Gentleman of Poland an Elector of Kings and a Deposer of Tyrants Whereupon the King said to him If I were not a King And the Deputy Answer'd If you were not By which Imperfect Reply the Deputy hinted to the King that he did not want Courage to engage with him hand to hand for Liberty if he had not been check'd by his Respect for the Majesty of Kings The King afterwards having buried all His Resentments advanc'd him to the Highest Dignities nor did he believe that this had any ways lessen'd His Majesty on the contrary he always esteem'd him one of the Best Patriots and Lovers of his Country If any of the Kings of Poland aim at Arbitrary Government or Act contrary to the Religion and Laws of the Country he is immediately Depos'd or forc'd to Abdicate the Throne The Form which King Casimire us'd in His Abdication is as follows WE make known and Declare to all the World that being sensible of our Weakness which grows daily upon us with our Age we are unable any longer to bear up under the Burden of so great Weight as the Government of this State is Wherefore we voluntarily and of our own accord have resolv'd upon Abdicating the Throne that we wight spend the remainder of our declining Life quietly and in private and in preparing for a better Life that never ends For this reason having call'd a full Senate at Warsaw on the Twelfth of June in this paesent Year we open'd our Mind to our Senators and Counsellors Who being struck with the Greatness and Novelty of the Affair and reverencing the Laws of their Country and referring the Consideration of the whole matter to all the Kingdom we accordingly appointed a General Diet of all the Orders of our Kingdom to be held on the Six and Twentieth day of August and at the first opening of the Diet made known our Intention of Abdicating the Throne We have had Experience of the Love and Affection of our Loyal Citizens and Subjects who bearing a Grateful Memory of the Deserts and Good Actions of our most Serene Predecessors and paying a Deference to the Great Cares Troubles and Dangers me underwent for Twenty Years together in Various Turns of Fortune in so many Camps and in so many Diets endeavour'd by importunate Intreaties and earnest Requests to keep us upon the Throne But forasmuch as we constantly persisted in our Resolution it was agreed that we should make our Abdication or Resignation of the Polish Crown in a Real and Solemn Manner Vpon Mature and Serious Deliberation and by the Consent of all Orders of the State we being in full souundness of Body and Mind do freely and without constraint Abdicate from this time and for ever the Kingdom of Poland the Great Dutchy of Lithuania and the Principalities thereunto annex'd We restore in full form into the hands of the Senate of the Marshals and of the State our Regal Dignity and whatsoever else of Ancient Right does belong to the Kings of Poland and the Great Dukes of Lithuania We Absolve all the States and Orders and every one of our Subjects from the Oath of Allegiance taken to us and we release them from the Obligation of Homage and Fealty The Duke of Prussia as to what concerns us only we declare free from all Obligation due to us upon the account of any Contract made for the Dukedom of Prussia and upon the account of any Right of Fealty for Bitovia and Lawenburgh and the Duke of Kureland we likewise declare freed from Homage and all other Obligations whatsoever The Authentick and Original Grant of our Election made in the Year 1648 We Restore Cancel and Annul without pretending to claim any or the least Right of Soveraignty to our selves or any of our Heirs within the Kingdom of Poland the Great Dukedom of Lithuania and the Principalities thereunto annex'd By which Abdication or Resignation of the Regal Power rightly and lawfully made and ratify'd by these Presents it shall be and is within the Power and Authority of the most Reverend Father in Christ the Arch-bishop of Gnesna Primate of Poland and Chief Minister of State to declare the Throne Vacant and to perform all that of Right and Custom does belong to the Archbishop of Gnesna during the Interregnum And the States of the Kingdom are empower'd to proceed to the Election of a New King according to the Laws and Customs of Poland And we further Promise that we will by no means hinder it from being a very Free Election that we will not promote the Interest of any Candidate and that during the time of the Election we will remove and abide at a distance from the Place of Election In Testimony and Confirmation thereof we have commanded these our Letters Patents to be Published under the Royal Seal Dated at Warsaw at the General Diet of the Kingdom Sept. 16. This Solemn Abdication made by King Casimire was afterwards Publish'd by the Senate of Poland The Substance of which I thought fit to Insert here that so the Abdication and Vacancy of the Throne after the Departure of King James II. Publish'd by the Parliament of England might not seem a Novelty and it is as follows WE the Senate and Officers both of Church and State within the Kingdom of Poland and the Great Dutchy of Lithuania and the Marshals of both Countries being Assembled in the Diet do manifest and Declare That after the Examples of our Predecessors