hundred thousand Livres all this provided he might marry Hedwige and be elected King of Poland These advantageous Proposals were hearkened to and granted and accordingly he was elected King By these means Lithuania was in time united to Poland and from an Hereditaty State is become a part of an Elective Republick Which change some of the Kings of the race of Jagello did not altogether approve nor can it be said that it was fully effected till the Extinction of that Family for being unwilling to deprive their Heirs of an Hereditary Right by submitting to make Lithuania elective they still delayed the Confirmation of the Convention alledging that the Nobility and people of Lithuania would never suffer it lest by such an Union they should lose their antient degree and dignity Things remain'd in this condition while there were Princes of that Family to be elected At last the Lithuanians perceiving that it was extinct as to Males after the death of King Sigismund Augustus and being afraid of Irruptions from their incroaching Neighbours the Muscovites they consented to an Union The Example of Stephen Batori verifies also what we have already said of the regard which the Poles have to the Royal Family in point of Election For that Prince was chosen King of Poland only upon Condition that he should marry the Princess Anne Sister to Sigismund Augustus who dyed without Issue and was the last of the Family of the Jagellones I must own that there were several Reasons which concur'd to cause the Polanders to impose that Condition on Stephen Batori for thus they did not only express their respect to the Jagellonian Family but avoided the Expences which they must otherwise have been at for the maintaining of two Princesses But that which engaged them the rather to act thus was the Abdication of Henry of Valds King of Poland who had refused to marry her for that Prince having received the News of the death of Charles IX his Brother privately left Poland the 18 of June 1574 and returned to France after he had been crown'd at Cracow the 24 of February and had remain'd five months with the Republick The Polanders therefore believing that they would thus more strongly bind Stephen Batori to their Interest oblig'd him to marry the Princess Anne tho' she was somewhat elderly But this prov'd of a very unhappy Consequence for all the Church of Sweden For Stephen Battori dying afterwards at Iroane on the 12 of December 1586 without leaving any Issue the Republick still having a regard to the Family of the Jagellones chose Sigismund the third the Son of John King of Sweden and of Catharine Sister to Sigismund Augustus and thus Nephew to Queen Anne Stephen Battoris's Widow By reason of which Election Sigismund being oblig'd to make Poland the place of his residence left the Government of Sweden to his Unkle the Duke of Sudermania who afterwards made himself Master of the Kingdom where he abolished the Roman Religion and establish'd the Lutheran which he publickly profest What I have said of the Polanders as to their preferring the Offspring of their Kings before others is so true that from the beginning of their acknowledging a Regal State even at a time when they were all strangers to the Christian religion they chose Venda to be their Queen being the only person that was left of the Line of Cracus their third King Long after this Lewis King of Poland and Hungary having chosen for his Successor Sigismund Marquess of Brandenburg who had wedded his eldest Daughter the Republick met at Radom in the year 1312 and the Diet past a Constitution whereby Sigismund was excluded however declaring at the same time that there should be a due regard had to the Princess his Wife The Great Men of the Kingdom gave afterwards their Votes for Ziemowitz Duke of Masovia upon condition he would wed Hedwige who was King Lewis's Daughter But Queen Elizabeth her Mother would not consent that her Daughter should marry so inconsiderable a Prince as was the Duke of Masovia tho' he was of the Royal House of Casimir the Great I have said that the Polanders have not only some Consideration for all those of the Royal Family but that they have also a great regard to the Widows of their Kings It was for this reason that they oblig'd King John Casimir to marry Queen Maria Aloisia the Widow of Vladislaus the fourth his Brother who died without Issue This will further appear by the Proposal that was made to Queen Eleonor of Austria the Widow of King Michael during the Diet of Election in the year 1674. For the Poles insisted upon that Queen's marrying the Prince of Newburg for whom the French us'd their Interest insomuch that on the 18 of May four Bishops came to that Queen and assur'd her that provided she would consent to wed that Prince he would certainly be elected and that by this means the minds of all the different parties would be re-united But Queen Eleonor who is the Emperors Sister and who then did nothing but by the Advice of Chancellor Patz and the motions of the Ministers of the Court of Vienna made them no other answer but that she had some Friends in the Diet who would take care of her Interest A drew Trezebsckâ— Bishop of Cracow was one of the four that were deputed on that account to the Queen and afterwards to Chancellour Patz who as I have said was her chief Councellor But that Chancellor who had a mind the Election should fall on Prince Charles of Lorrain whom the Emperor did very earnestly recommend made answer That he would have no other but the Prince of Lorraine and not the Prince of Newburg The event soon convinc'd him of his error and made him know that he had taken wrong Measures and not understood his true Interest For as he had govern'd King Michael and still had an absolute sway over the mind of the Queen he might easily have govern'd also the Prince of Newburgh who was young and whom his Queen might have enclin'd as she would have thought fit The Chancellor Batz was so positive in his Opinion that it was a very difficult matter to make him alter it He was a Man of his word and when ever he had engag'd it to any body he was sure to keep it inviolably his own Intrest not being able to make him Recant And indeed the Conference which he had with the Prince of Newburgh's Embassador at Belveder whither I kept him Company made it plainly appear that his own Interest alone was not sufficient to make him alter his Measures For I understood afterwards from him that considerable Offers had been made him and that it had been Represented to him what Advantages the Election of the Prince of Newburgh would bring to all his Family But all this did not in the least affect him and so that Conference was to no purpose neither for him nor for the Prince of Newburgh
of a certain number of Gentlemen both of the Clergy and Laity who are chosen in each Palatinat the Lay-members once in Four Years and the Ecclesiasticks every Two Years The Judgments are given by Plurality of Voices but in Matters that are purely Ecclesiastical the Number of the Ecclesiastical Judges must be equal to that of the Secular There are also Two Courts for Affairs relating to the Finances one at Radom in Upper Poland and the other at Vilna The Palatins take Cognizance of nothing but such Matters as relate to the Jews The Marshals give Final Judgment without further Appeal in all Causes both Civil and Criminal relating to the Officers of the King's Houshold and to the Domestick Servants of the Senators who remain with the King The Jurisdiction of the Marshals extends over the Merchants and over all Forreignners who are scarcely able to procure Justice in this Countrey The Chancellors only determine such Causes as are brought before them by Appeal as the Judgments of the Magistrates of Cities and of Palatins when the Difference is between a Christian and a Jew The Punishments of Malefactors are of several kinds some for Example are Hang'd and others Beheaded The variety of Punishments does not proceed from the different Qualities of the Criminals but from the difference of the Crimes For they Hang a Robber of what Quality soever he be and they Behead all sorts of Persons for all other Crimes but Robbery unless for some Enormous Villanies which are Punish'd by Breaking the Malefactor on the Wheel or by Cutting off two Thougs or Long Pieces of the Skin of his Back Masters have also a power to Correct and Chastise their Servants which they do in this manner if the Servant that is to be Punish'd be a Gentleman they make him lye down upon his Belly on a Carpet that is spread upon the Ground then a Man Beats him on the Back with a Cord or Stick giving him as many Blows or Lashes as the Master who is usually present orders after which he who is Beaten embraces the Knees of him who caused him to be Beaten and calls him his Benefactor This Correction seems a little too severe but the Humour of the People makes it Necessary Since I have mention'd the way of Punishing Servants who are Gentlemen 't will not be improper to observe that Polish Gentlemen may serve as Coachmen Grooms Cooks and do all the meanest Offices without derogating from their Nobility or rendring 'em incapable of the Highest Preferment For I have known some of them who after they had been Foot-boys to some Great Lord and others who after they had been Drummers to a Company of Dragoons were advanc'd to the Dignity of Senators And in the General there is nothing but a Handicraft-Trade that derogates from Nobility in this Countrey CHAP. XXVI Of Marriages and Funerals MArriages and Funerals are extreamly Chargeable in Poland For when a Gentleman Marries whether he be Rich or Poor the Wedding must last three days The Marriage of a Waiting-Gentlewoman puts her Lady to almost the same charge as if one of her own Daughters were Marry'd As for the Marriages at Court of the Queen's Maids of Honour or of the Daughters of some Great Lords on the first and second day the King makes the Wedding-Feast which is held in a Great Hall where Three Tables are spread the King and Queen sit at the first fronting all the rest of the Hall the Bride and Bridegroom are Seated by the Queen's side and the Pope's Nuncio and Archbishop of Gnesna sit next the King The Ambassadors are also seated at the same Table opposite to the King and Queen so that they are all under the Canopy of State Yet there are some Examples to the contrary For at the Feast which Sigismund III. made at Cracow upon occasion of His Marriage with Constance of Austria in the Year 1606 he caused the Cardinal Maciejowski the Pope's Nuncio who was nominated to the Archbishoprick of Gnesna to be remov'd from under the Canopy The Ladies Senators and all the Officers except those who are to serve the King are seated on both sides of the other two Tables which are very long Before they sit down they are all call'd over in order that they may take their Places according to their Rank The Feast begins usually about Four or Five a Clock in the Afternoon and they continue Drinking and Dancing till Two in the Morning The Senators rise from time to time from the Table and go before the King to Drink His Health and do Him Obedience by bending the Knee Tho the Tables are cover'd with all sorts of Provisions yet they Eat but little at those Feasts but they Drink abundance of Hungary Wine which is very Excellent and one may say that tho 't is very dear 't is more common and less spared than Water and there is not a Lady at Table who has not before her a Dozen of Glasses of Wine of all the Healths that were Drank round For their Modesty obliges 'em only to touch the Glass with their Lips so that they spill more Wine upon the Tables and in the Dishes than they Drink After the Entertainment has lasted Five or Six hours they begin to Dance to the Musick of several Violins and small portable Organs All sorts of People Dance in Poland both the Old the Young the Poor and the Rich. The Old Senators and the Old Ladies begin the Dance which they do so softly and modestly that one would think it was a Company of Monks and Nuns walking in Procession But the Exercise grows warm by degrees and ends at last with a Great Noise On the Second Day every one Presents the Bride with a Piece of Plate all those Presents are made before the Queen and the Bride who sits by her Those who Present 'em make Harangues which are oftentimes long and troublesom and the Queen's Chancellor Answers them all So that this Ceremony which commonly does not begin till Noon lasts sometimes till Three a Clock after which they begin to place themselves at the Tables On the Third Day the Ceremony of the Marriage is perform'd all the Young People Accompanying the Bridegroom and Bride to Church on Horseback In their return they pass before the King's Pallace the Trumpets and Kettle-drums continually Sounding from the Balconies on each side After which the same Train Conducts the King and the Queen with the Bride to the Bridegroom's House where there is a Magnificent Entertainment prepar'd for them After they rise from the Table they Dance and the Ball being over every one retires Then the Bride begins to Weep for 't is the Custom of all the Polish Gentlewomen to shed Tears on that occasion and to seem very much afflicted because otherwise they would run the hazard of being lookt upon as Impudent and Shameless Women Having given an Account of the Weddings I proceed to speak something of the Funerals which are so Pompous and
on them and to all the Cities according to what has been ordain'd in the preceding Diets and to what shall afterwards be ordained in the following Diets shall be inviolably kept and preserv'd and that he shall issue out his Letters Pattents to Confirm them in all their Clauses and Conditions They also frequently add several other Articles according to the exigency of the present Juncture and the Quality and Circumstances of the Elected Prince As for the Ceremonies that are used when they make the King Swear the Capitulation The Arch-bishop and the Marshal of the Deputies carry it before him after the Mass is said and require him to take an Oath to observe it according to his promise Then the King being upon his Knees before the Great Altar says after the Chancellor We N. Chosen King of Poland and Great Duke of Lithuania Russia Prussia Massovia Samogitia Kiovia Volhinia Podolia Podlassia Livonia Smolensko Siberia and Czernichovia Promise to Almighty God and Swear upon the Holy Evangelists of Jesus Christ to observe maintain and accomplish all the Conditions agreed upon at our Election by our Ambassadors with the Senators and Deputies of Poland and of the Great Dutchy of Lithuania and Confirmed by the Oath of our Ambassadors and to perform the same according to all the Clauses Points Articles and Conditions mention'd therein and in such sort that the speciality cannot derogate from the generality nor the generality from the speciality All which we promise to Ratifie by our Oath on the Day of Our Coronation After the King has Sworn to keep the Pacta Conventa the Chancellor gives him the Decree of his Election Written in Parchment and Signed by the Senators and Deputies The Republick of Poland uses these Precautions at the Election of their King that if afterwards he should act contrary to what he promises to obsorve the Senators may have a right to put him in mind of his duty It was the breach of one of those Articles which gave the Polanders occasion to complain of King Michael for in the Pacta Conventa which he Swore to observe they had Inserted this Article That he should not Marry any Princess without the Consent of the Republick Nevertheless without asking their Consent he Marry'd the Emperor's Sister and the Party that was form'd against him look'd upon this as a sufficient ground to compel him to Abdicate If the Prince who is Elected be not present at Warsaw he takes the Oath in the presence of the Deputies whom the Republick sends for that purpose and obliges himself before them to observe all the Articles of the Capitulation 'T was thus that Sigismond the Third Swore to keep the Pacta Conventa in the Abby of Oliva near Dantzick Anno 1587. as they were drawn up by the Senate and the Nobility 'T is the Custom in Poland that the Great Marshal or in his absence the Petty Marshal carries the Staff erect before the King when he goes to any Ceremony But 't is observable that from the time of his Election to his Coronation they carry the Staff bow'd down that when the King Issues out any Letters Orders or Constitutions he only assumes the Quality of King Elect and that no Dispatches can be Sealed but with the little Seal of the Closet which is a sign that the Election is perfected by the Coronation which is as it were the Seal of it CHAP. XIX Of the King's Coronation A KING of Poland cannot exercise the Royal Authority before his Coronation for he can neither dispose of any Office nor Benesice nor so much as grant any Favour nor use the Great Seal of the Chancery and the Courts of Justice which ought to be kept in his Name and are shut up at the beginning of the Interregnum cannot make a Decree till after his Coronation T is the New King who appoints the Day for this Ceremony which must be perform'd at Cracow in the Cathedral Church in the Castle This City takes its Name from King Cracus who built it in the Year 700 after he had left Gnesna which was formerly the Capital City of the Kingdom It is scituated on the Vistula in Upper Poland 'T is the Seat of a Bishop who is a Suffragan of the Arch-Bishop of Gnesna The City is very large fine and well-built but the Streets are ill Paved as in most other Cities of that Country However the Streets are very broad and straight with a great Square in the middle where the Town-house is built The Castle or the King's Palace is seated upon a little Eminence or Rock the Foot of which is washed by the Vislula The Circumference of this Eminence is very small and consequently the Palace is of no very great Extent and as for the Church tho it be the Cathedral of a great Diocess and the Burying-place of the Kings of Poland 't is one of the smallest and least Beautiful Structures of that kind that I have had occasion to see in that Country It must be acknowledg'd that the King's House is really well built but besides the extraordinary smallness and obscurity of the Court it has neither Garden Wood nor Water nor is it adorn'd with any Walls or Avenues It was formerly a strong place when the strength of places consisted in the height of their Scituation but 't is now only fit to refist some flying Parties of Horse 't is here where the Jewels of the Crown are kept with the Royal Ornaments that are used at the King's Coronation There is also to be seen in the Little Hill or Rising Ground on which it stands the Cave or Den of that Furious Dragon which made such a terrible havock in all the Neighbouring places and which 't is said Cracus killed by laying some Meat for him mixt with Pitch and Brimstone When the Coronation-Day draws near the King makes his Entry into Cracow on Horseback the Sheriffs of the City carrying a Canopy of State before him The Troops both Horse and Foot March before with their Officers and are follow'd by the Palatines Bishops and Ambassadors on Horseback The Ceremony is doubtless very Splendid and I know not where a Traveller can have occasion to see a more Magnificent Cavalcade A Man who rides on Horseback before the King scatters some small pieces of Silver stampt with the Effigies of the New King among the People in the Streets but this Liberality costs him so little that I do not believe there are a hundred Crowns distributed Thus the King is conducted from the City Gate to the Castle passing thro the publick place where there are several Triumphal Arches adorn'd with Statues Devices and various Inscriptions On the day that precedes the Coronation which is called the day of Expiation they perform the Funeral of the Deceased King whose Body is carry'd to the Church of St. Stanislaus at Schalka where the Marshalls break their Staves and the Chancellors their Seals against the King's Coffin The New King goes also thither
with all the Officers of the Crown and Dutchy and all that are present at Court The Company 's of Tradesmen walk thither bare-foot in Procession each of them accompany'd with the representation of a Coffin cover'd with a Pall supported by two Men. Thus the whole Multitude goes to visit the Relicks of St. Stanislaus Bishop of Cracow who was kill'd in the Year 1079 by King Boleslaus as he was saying Mass After which they bring back the Body of the Deceased King to the Chapel of the Cathedral Church which is the Burying-place of His Predecessors The day after the Funeral is the Coronation-Day The Ceremony ought to be perform'd by the Archbishop of Gnesna as Primate of the Kingdom yet there are some Examples to the contrary For Stephen Battori was Crowned by the Bishop of Cracow because the Archbishop of Gnesna was of the Faction of Maximilian of Austria whom a Party of Polanders had Chosen and the late King John Sobieski was Crowned by the Bishop of Cracow because the Archbishop of Gnesâ—a died during the Diet of Election This day the King being Richly Cloathed is conducted in Solemn Procession to the Cathedral Church by the Senate and the Nobility Before he enters into the Church the Great Master of the Horse of the Kingdom brings the Crown Scepter Globe of Gold and the Naked Sword to the Archbishop who lays 'em upon the Altar after which the Bishop of Cracow and Cujavia having receiv'd the King and bolding Him between them present Him to the Archbishop to whom he makes a bow The King being in this condition the Archbishop and the Two Bishops put him in mind of his Duty and Obligation to the Republick after which he kisses the Archbishops hand and laying his own upon the Gospel he Swears to observe Inviolably all the Articles which he had before Sworn to keep in the Cathedral Church of St. John at VVarsaw The Oath runs thus VVe N. Chosen King of Poland and Great Duke of Lithuania Russia Massovia Prussia Samogitia Livonia Smolensko Volhinia Kiovia Siberia Podolia Podlassia and Czernikowia by all the Orders of both Estates of Poland and Lithuania and of all the Provinces which depend upon them and are Incorporated with them having been Elected freely and with the Vnanimous Consent of all Promise sincerely and Swear before Almighty God and upon the Holy Evangelists of Jesus Christ to Maintain Observe Keep and Fulfil in all their Circumstances Points and Articles all the Rights Liberties Immunities and Privileges both Publick and private that are not contrary to the common right and liberties of both these Nations or to any Law either Ecclesiastical or Temporal that have been justly and lawfully esiablish'd by our Predecessors Kings of Poland and Great Dukes of Lithuania or granted by all the Orders during the Interregnum to all the Roman Catholick Churches Lords Barons Gentlemen Citizens and Inhabitants of what rank or condition soever with the Pacta Conventa agreed upon betwixt our Ambassadors and the Orders of the Kingdom and Great Dutchy of Lithuania Moreover we promise to maintain whatsever was Fuâ—â—ed or Agreed upon in the Diet of our Election or shall be Enacted or Agreed upon in that of our Coronation to execute the same and to cause to be restored to the Kingdom and to the Great Dutchy of Lithuania and united to their Lands and Revenues whatsoever has been in any in owner alinated or dismembred therefront by what way soever Not to contract the limits of the Kingdom and Great Dutchy of Lithuania but to defend and enlarge them to establish Courts of Justice in all places for all the Inhabitants of the Kingdom and the Dutchy of Lithuania and to render Justice to every one without delay or respect to persons And if it should happen which God forbid that we should violate Our Oath in any one point we consent that all the Inhabitants of the Kingdom and of all our Territories shall be discharg'd and exempted from the Obedience and Fidelity they owe us After the King has taken this Oath He kneels upon a Cushion of Red Taffeta while the Litany of the Saints is Read at the end of which they take off his Clothes and the Archbishop Anoints his Right hand and Arm up to the Elbow with Consecrated Oil and afterwards his Shoulders and Forehead and then they put on his Clothes again After this Ceremony the two Bishops Conduct him to the Chapel where they Cloath him with another Habit somewhat resembling that of a Bishop then the Marshals of the Crown and Dutchy with the Officers that are Senators place him upon a Throne erected in the Middle of the Church where He hears Mass and is afterwards brought back to the Altar where the Archbishop puts a Naked Sword into his Right-hand saying Receive this Sword with which you are powerfully to Protect and Defend the Holy Church and the Faithful After which the Great Standard-bearer of the Kingdom Girds it to his side The King having the Sword by His side draws it out of the Scabbard and beats the Air four times in form of a Cross towards the Four Parts of the World and having wip'd it upon his Left Arm he puts it up again into the Seabbard Then he kneels and the Archbishop puts the Crown upon His Head the Scepter into His Right hand and the Globe of Gold into His Left After which the King rises and His Sword is drawn and given to the Sword-bearer of the Kingdom to be carry'd before Him and then Marching between the Archbishop and the Two Bishops He is brought back to the same Throne All these Ceremonies being ended the Archbishop returns to the Altar and after Te Deum is Sung and that Prelate Seated the King comes to make His Confession to him after which he gives the Sacrament to His Majesty and then the Benediction to the People This done the Marshal of the Court Cries Vivat Rex and is Answer'd by all the People who Repeat the same words In the mean time the Treasurer of the Kingdom scatters Money among the People who are in the Church ' Twou'd be needless to describe the Feast that usually follows this Ceremony since I intend in a peculiar Chapter to give a particular Account of the Feasts and Entertainments of the Polanders Only it may be reasonably suppos'd that a Feast which a King makes after His Coronation is very Splendid and Magnificent The Day after the Coronation the King goes in Great Pomp being Cloathed in His Royal Robes to the Town-house where upon a Throne Erected before the House the Magistrates come to Assure him of their Fidelity and present him with the Keys of all the Gates in a Silver Dish the Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor assures them reciprocally of the Affection and Clemency of the King and Reads with an Audible Voice the Oath of Fidelity which they take kneeling and holding up their hands Then they present His Majesty with a Purse full of Ducats after
which he restores the Keys and makes some of the Burgesses of the City or of some other place Golden Knights by striking them softly with his Naked Sword upon the Shoulders This done the Treasurer of the Crown scatters some Pieces of Silver among the People at the same time the King goes to a House that looks into the Square and afterwards returns to the Castle with the same Train that Accompany'd him to the Town-house I have already observ'd that 't is the Interest of the King of Poland to get himself Crown'd as soon as 't is possible and I shall take this occasion to shew what advantage he receives by it 'T is certain that assoon as the Polish Noblemen have Chosen their King they begin to look upon him as an Usurper of their Liberties and on the other hand the King looks upon the Nobility as a Formidable Body that opposes all his Designs Now he cannot either weaken them or strengthen himself more effectually than by making 'em pay dear for the Favors he bestows upon ' em For 't is in his power to dispose of all the Offices Benesices and Royal Gifts which amonnt to a third part of all the Revenues of the Kingdom which he cannot do till after his Coronation Nevertheless the late King was so far from observing this Maxim that tho' he might have been Crown'd immediately after the Day of his Election which was May 19. 1674. he did not appoint the Day for his Coronation till Feb. 2. 1676. during which time he made Two Campagnes one in Vkrania and the other in Podolia As for that in Vkrania he set out from Warsaw August 22. 1674. and advanc'd towards Leopold where his Army was to Rendezvous There he was inform'd that the Queen his Wife lay sick at Casimirs upon the Vistula Whereupon he left the Camp at Leopold and arriv'd at Casimirs on the 8th of October Not long after he return'd to the Army because the Nights began to grow so cold that the Turks who are not accustom'd to such a Cold Climate began to think of retiring After the Turks had withdrawn their Forces the King led the Army of the Crown and that of Lithuania which both together amounted to about 30000 Men into Vkrania where he kept them so long that the Lithuanian Troops under the Command of the Great General Patz abandon'd him to avoid the Miserable Fate of the Polish Army which was so harass'd with Hunger and Cold that it was reduc'd to less than 3000 Men for the King staid in Vkrania till April and arriv'd on the 25th of that Month at Sloczow whither the Queen was come to receive him The Turks understanding that the Polish Army was ruin'd in Vkrania that the King was gone back with the Miserable Remnants of his Forces and that those of Lithuania had left him against his will they return'd with a Great Army in the beginning of July 1675 when the King was at Jawarow thinking of nothing but to refresh himself after the Fatigues of the Preceding Campaign But upon the first Advice of the March of the Ottoman Army which consisted of 30000 Turks and 80000 Tartars he set out from Jawarow the 10th of July and Marched in hast to Leopold which the Turks threatned to Besiege He Encamp'd near the City with about 3000 Men whom he had drawn together and the Turks being inform'd of his weakness sent a Body of 14000 Tartars to force his Camp but they durst not Attack him 'T was given out that a great number of Tartars were killed on the 24th of August 1675 in the Attack of the Camp at Leopold tho' 't is certain that there was only one Horse wounded with an Arrow For the Tartars retir'd without losing one of their Men or wounding one of their Enemies The Turks as I intimated before are not able to bear the extream coldness of the Winter in Poland for having once enter'd Russia with a formidable Army and not returning soon enough they were surpriz'd with so violent a Cold that above 40000 of 'em were Frozen to death and many were found dead in their Horses Bellies into which they had crept to secure themselves from the Cold. And 't is this that obliges them to retire out of Poland by the end of October at farthest CHAP. XX. Of the Queens of Poland HAVING Discours'd at length of the Kings of Poland and of their Election and Coronation it will not be improper to give some account of the Queens 'T is certainly of great Importance to the Republick that a King when he Marries should choose a Princess whose Alliance may be advantageous to the State And therefore this Article is inserted in the Paeta Conventa which the New King Swears to observe that he shall not Marry without the Consent of the Republick For they are as much concern'd as the King himself in the Choice of a Queen tho' the Polish Nobility are not oblig'd to Choose any of his Children to Succeed him So that a King of Poland cannot Marry without the Consent of the Republick unless he resolve to violate his Oath and expose himself to the Jealousy and Hatred of His people who are not easily pacify'd on such occasions Thus when Sigismund III. Marry'd Ann of Austria without the Consent of the Republick and caused her to be Crown'd at Cracow in the Year 1592 he met with so much opposition in the Diet that was afterwards held at Warsaw that he was forc'd to acknowledge his Fault As a King of Poland cannot Marry without the Consent of the Republick so he cannot Divorce his Wife without the same Approbation For when Sigismund Augustus the last of the Race of the Jagellons separated from Elizabeth of Austria because of a Crime with which she was falsly charg'd and after her Death Marry'd one Radziwill a Widow of a Palatin of Troki The Senators were so exasperated that they had almost proceeded to declare the Throne Vacant because he slighted his Fair and Chast Queen and Wife and Marry'd the Widow of a simple Palatin without the Consent of the Republick But Vladislaus the IV. pursu'd wiser Maxims He was sensible of the danger of Irritating a stubborn and seditious People and had a more tender regard to the Articles he had Sworn to observe For when the King of England offer'd him his Niece the Elector Palatine's Daughter in Marriage he declin'd the Match and declar'd that he neither cou'd nor wou'd Marry without the Consent of the Republick which in that case he could not expect to obtain because the Princess was a Protestant When a King of Poland Marries after his Coronation the Queen cannot be Crown'd without the Consent of the Republick But if he be Marry'd before he may cause her also to be Crown'd without asking their Consent So that the Report which was spread abroad after the Election of the late King John III was false and groundless for 't was given out That the Queen his Wife would
not be Crown'd and that the austrian Faction oppos'd it both because she was a French-woman born and because she was but a private Gentlewoman But the event show'd the contrary for she was Crown'd at Cracow with her Husband without the least opposition But if a Queen of Poland be not a Catholick she cannot be Crown'd as it happen'd to Helen the Wife of Alexander I. and Daughter to the Duke of Muscovy who being of the Greek Church and refusing to imbrace the Roman Catholick Faith the Republick would never consent that She should be Crown'd Tho' according to the Constitutions of the Republick and the Ancient Laws of the Kingdom both the Kings and Queens of Poland ought to be Crown'd at Cracow we find that this Ceremony has been sometimes perform'd in other places For Queen Cecilia the Wife of Vladislaus IV. was Crown'd at Warsaw in the Year 1637. And tho' there was a Law made the next Year that the Queens should always be Crown'd at Warsaw Anno 1670. 'T is true this was done with the consent of all the Orders of the Republick When the Queen is Crown'd the King must desire it of the Republick he must be present at the Ceremony himself Conduct her to the Church and present her to the Archbishop of Gnesna or to the Bishop who is to perform the Ceremony The Archbishop Anoints Her with the Consecrated Oil and puts the Crown upon Her head the Scepter into Her right hand and the Globe of Gold into Her left The Queens of Poland have no Officers but a Marshal and a Chancellor neither of whom are Senators but only Judges of the Differences that happen among her Domesticks They Answer the Harangues that are made to the Queen when an Ambassador makes her a Compliment in His Master's Name or when a Present is made to her at the Marriage of a Maid of Honour The King furnishes the Queen with Money to defray the Charge of her Houshold But after the King's death she must maintain her self and all her Retinue with the Revenue which the King bestows upon her with the Consent of the Republick both for her Dowry and for her Marriage-Present These Revenues are call'd the Reformation and consist of the Reversion of a certain number of Starosties which she cannot enjoy till they become vacant by the Death of the present Possessors So that a Queen of Poland is frequently kept from her Estate till she be just ready to leave it For sometimes those who possess the Starosties that are in her Reformation out-live her But if the King die before the Queen's Reformation be settled upon her the Republick allows her a Yearly Pension out of the Crown-Lands as they did to Queen Eleanor in the Year 1674 after the Election of King John for they were so king to that Princess as to give her a Yearly Pension of 120000 Livres by an express Article which was afterwards inserted in the Pacta Conventa but she chose rather to quit both that and the Kingdom than to see a French Gentlewoman succeed a Princess of the House of Austria CHAP. XXI Of the Polish Army THERE is so little Order or Discipline observ'd in the Polish Army that the Country is frequently harrass'd by those who are paid to defend it and the Republick is oblig'd to Raise New Troops every Year At the first there were few Cities in Poland But when the Inhabitants grew more Industrious in Cultivating the Ground they were perpetually molested by their Neighbours who by frequent Inrodes endeavour'd to deprive 'em of the fruit of their Labours In order to oppose these Invasions the Kings caused Castles and Fortresses to be built in the Cities which always subsisted so long as they were Protected by the Royal Authority and defended by good Officers and Disciplin'd Soldiers But since those Forts were neglected several Lords have endeavour'd to usurp the Posession of 'em that they might extend their Dominion over the Cities and oppress the Burghers as they do the Peasants in the Villages Those whom the Kings entrusted with the Government of those Places did not employ the Revenues that were annex'd to 'em in Repairing the Walls and Fortificatious whence it comes that all their Cities are open and that the Soldiers who are put there into Winter Quarters may go out when they please and Ravage the Country For when a Regiment is to be sent from one end of the Kingdom to the other the Commander is only Order'd to set out and to go to the place appointed without mentioning either the time or the places through which he is to March or the Cities where he is to Quarter so that he may run through the Whole Kingdom and so sometimes spend a Moneth or six Weeks in Marching to a place which he might have reach'd in Eight days 'T is plain that these disorderly Marches must of necessity waste and destroy the Cities and Villages through which the Soldiers pass Nor is the Law able to to remedy such an insupportable Grievance because it is not the Custom in Poland to establish Magazins and Store-houses in any place The Gentlemen who go to the Army spend the best part of their Estates in furnishing themselves with Magnificent Arms fine Horses and rich Apparel maintaining a Numerous Train of Servants Their Estates alone are not sufficient to defray so vast a Charge and besides they receive no Pay for a considerable time after they enter into the Service so that they are in a manner constrain'd to Oppress the People that they may be able to support their extravagant vanity Some who are naturally of a less violent temper endeavour to excuse a Fault which they are forc'd to acknowledge by laying the blame upon the Court pretending that the King bestows the Royal Gifts of the Republick and the Offices and Dignities upon the Courtiers or other great Lords who either have no need of 'em or do not deserve 'em in stead of giving 'em to those who have done good Service in the Army where they have spent their Estates and expos'd their Lives for the defence of their Country Others accuse those who are entrusted with the management of the Finances who make 'em wait very long for their Pay and even then oblige 'em to quit part of it that they may procure the rest These Grievances exasperate their Minds and frequently occasion great Complaints in the Diet. When they Levy Soldiers in Foland the Captains exact Contributions on those Places where they Raise their Men and give very little to the Soldiers Retaining the Money they Receive on the Publick Account always finding some unjust pretext to Defraud the Soldiers of their Pay who are consequently under a strong Temptation to Rob and Pillage the Country the Officers not daring to Restrain a Disorder which is occasion'd by themselves To put a stop to these Irregularities it has been frequently Propos'd to the Diets by some Wise and Considering Persons to keep the Soldiers always
them Socks The ordinary Gentlemen and even some of the Great Lords cause some bruised Chaff to be put into the Feet of their Boots which serves them for a Sole and for Socks But I speak only of the Gentry for the Peasants wear no Linnen at all unless perhaps a Shirt of Course Cloath The Polanders cut their Hair above their Ears and Shave their Faces leaving only one large Whisker They walk gravely with a Pole-ax in their hand and a Sword by their side which they never lay aside but when they go to Bed for they wear it even when they go to Confession and when they Receive the Sacrament The Sword hangs at a Thong of Leather to which their Handkerchief is fasten'd with a Knife in a Sheath and a small Stone set in Silver to Whet their Knife on every Morning they Wash their Face and Neck with cold Water even in the sharpest Weather This Custom is so generally observ'd among them that the Fathers make their Children Wash themselves as soon as they rise Almost all the Women of Quality Dress after the French Mode especially those who frequent the Court and even the Oldest of 'em are very careful to adorn themselves and wear Red Clothes They are extreamly fond of Fine Clothes Modish Silks Laces Points Ribbons Hoods Gloves fine Shooes and generally every thing that is brought from France which they usually buy very dear For provided they be not oblig'd to pay ready Money they are willing to promise whatever is demanded so that the French Merchants who always find a way to recover their Money grow quickly Rich for they sell Ribbans for a Crown a Yard which cost 'em but 15 Pence at Paris tho' the Ell in Poland is but half a French Ell. The Polanders are so much in love with Splendor that the Ladies never go abroad but in a Coach drawn by Six Horses even tho' they only intend to cross the Street and to go to a Church over against their Houses When the Lords or Ladies go abroad at Night they have 24 Flambeaus of White Wax carry'd before their Coach The Ladies Trains are frequently held up by Dwarfs who are born of Fathers and Mothers of a very large stature The Ladies are always attended by an Old Woman whom they call Majordome The Gentleman-Usher who ought to Lead them under the Arm is an Old Gentleman who follows them on foot and never goes into the Coach but the Horses go very softly This Custom does not proceed from the Jealousy of the Husbands for they neither do nor have any reason to suspect their Wives because the Polish Ladies are very Modest and not at all Coquettes tho they have as much Liberty as in France but ordinary Women are not so nicely vertuous especially the Maids who think it no Scandal to their Reputation to be Unmarry'd Mothers nor is their Frailty any hindrance to their Fortune They usually serve as Nurses for a Marry'd Woman tho never so poor will not Nurse any Child but her own Notwithstanding the Extream Coldness of the Climate they are so much addicted to Bathing that there is no Gentleman's House without a Bath There are also Publick Baths in every Town for the Common People The Ladies and their Daughters Bath once a Month. 'T is an Universal Custom thro the Whole Countrey to Bath their Infants twice a Day till they are Two years old This is probably the Reason why the Polanders are not subject to Scabbiness in the Face or Head The Children are never heard to Cry because they are not Swath'd but only wrapt about with Linnen Clouts and consequently have room enough to move their Bodies whereas in France they are in a manner Fetter'd with Cords And because there are sometimes Girls to be seen in this Country whose Stature is spoil'd which some might attribute to the neglect of Swathing 'em in their Infancy I shall take this occasion to observe that all the Men are very large and well-shap'd and that the ordinary Girls are not subject to that inconveniency so that we may reasonably suppose that the Stature of some Girls of Quality is only spoil'd by their Governesses who put 'em in Cloathes too soon after the French Mode or because they gird them too close and know not how to Dress them The Polanders bear the loss of their Estates and all other Disasters with so much Courage and Resolution that they seem to be insensible And as they endure their own Misfortunes with so little Concern they have no Compassion for the Miseries of others Their Cities being for the most part Built of Wood which frequently takes Fire they will stand very quietly to see a House Burn without making the least Motion to extinguish the Fire And even there is so little Tenderness in their Tempers that neither the Fathers take care to Ransom their Children nor the Children their Fathers who are carry'd away Slaves into Tartary It cannot be suppos'd that such a Nation as this regards the condition of other Kingdoms And indeed they are so far from concerning themselves with the Affairs of Forreigners that tho the whole Christian World were engag'd in an Universal War they would not so much as offer their Mediation to Negotiate a Peace They neither learn to Ride Fence nor Dance in Poland because they have no Academies And for this Reason the young Lords are generally much addicted to Travelling that they may learn the Languages and Exercises that are Taught in Foreign Countreys Nevertheless those who stay at home Ride Fence and Dance after their own Fashion and without constraint for the Polanders are naturally inclin'd to such Exercises and are all passionate Lovers of Dancing and Musick The very Nurses teach the Children to Dance as soon as they begin to go and you may frequently see Two little Children Dancing to the Voice of a Nurse or Servant and Peasants Playing upon the Violin while they are bringing a Boat laden with Corn along the Vistula 'T is certain that the Polanders would be Invincible if they were Well-Disciplin'd for they are so harden'd and enur'd to Fatigues that they look upon the Germans as a soft and effeminate Nation who are not able to endure the Toil of War and the excessive rigour of the Winter The Polish Army has oftentimes Encamp'd in the Snow and particularly in the Year 1663. King Casimir set out from Leopold in the beginning of September and Led His Army to the Frontiers of Muscovy where he Encamp'd all the Winter and did not Retire till the next Spring Before I conclude this Chapter I must take notice of Two Distempers that are peculiar to Poland of which one is called the Rose and the other the Plica The Rose is a sort of Erysipela which chiefly breaks out in the Face The Polanders Cure this Disease by applying Powder of Chalk to the part without Letting Blood for they fancy that Bleeding would prove Mortal in that case The Plica
is a Twisting of the Hair in such a manner that 't is impossible to unravel it These Twisted Locks cannot be compar'd to any thing more fitly than to those long and nasty Ropes of Hair upon some Spaniels The Polanders give this Account of the Original of this Distemper They say That the Tartars having made a Furious Irruption into Poland in the Year 1279 and having killed a great Number of People they Poyson'd their Hearts and threw 'em into the Waters which Infected those who drunk 'em with this Loathsome Disease the True Cause whereof is still a Secret to Physitians Strangers generally believe that the Plica is the effect of Slovenliness and not of any Distemper and they are confirm'd in this Opinion because they are never troubled with it even tho they live a long time in the Countrey for if their Hair begins to Twist when they fall Sick they cause it immediately to be Cut off which the Polanders dare not do for fear of losing their Sight which they imagin is an unavoidable consequence of Cutting off the Hair in this Distemper Yet I have known some whose Hair was actually Cut off without any dangerous Accident But the People are so perswaded that the Plica is a Distemper that there are some Old Women who pretend to bring it out upon Children that are troubled with Languishing Diseases by mixing and twisting their Hair and making their Mothers believe that the Children are only Sick because the Plica cannot break forth CHAP. XXIV Of the Religion of the Polanders THE Polanders Received the Faith of Christ in the Reign of Mieceslaus in the Year 964. and have ever since remain'd in Subjection to the See of Rome except some who in the last Age Embrac'd the Doctrins of Luther and Calvin At present the Polanders are generally Roman Catholicks except in Russia where there are still a considerable number of Persons who observe the Rites of the Greek Church and in Prussia where there are many Lutherans as at Dantzick Elbing Thorn and Mariemburg There were also some Socinian formerly but King John Casimir Expell'd 'em out of the Kingdom in 1658 and oblig'd 'em to sell their Estates in Three years In the Reign of Sigismund Augustus Nicholas Radziwill was the first who turned Calvinist and Protected those of that Perswasion in his House at Vilna where they Sung the Psalms Translated into the Vulgar Tongue But that Branch of the House of Radziwill is now wholly Extinct the last having left only one Daughter who was Marry'd to the Elector of Brandenburg's Second Son The Ecclesiasticks in General are very much Respected in Poland but the Monks or Regular Clergy are more esteemed than the rest and well entertain'd every where They Read Homilies in the Churches and carry the Sacrament privately to Sick Persons and even sometimes Bury the Dead without asking the Consent either of the Bishop or Curat The Mendicant Friars who go about Begging Alms enter boldly to the very Closets without Knocking at the Door The Monks in Poland are generally Rich but they are neither Regular nor Modest for they usually Drink in Cellars which are the Taverns of that Country and sometimes to that Excess that they are not able to walk in the Streets without fearing either to be Censur'd by their Superiors or to give any occasion of Scandal to the People The Fasts that are observ'd by the Monks and by all the Polanders in General consist only in Abstaining from Milk Eggs and boiled Fish at Night for they may eat dry'd Fish for their Collation and provided they Fast at that time they imagine that they may Eat and Drink all the Day long They Abstain from Butter Eggs and Milk on Friday and Saturday for they believe there is no difference betwixt Milk and Flesh As for the Secular Clergy there are some of them who have not only Two Canonships but Two Parsonages but there are none of them who take care to perform the Duties of their Function The Curates make the Monks Instruct their Parishioners and leave the other Duties of their Offices to be perform'd by Vicars The Canons are never present at the Offices and give a poor Scholar Two pence a day to say their hours for them in the Quire And the Bishops themselves are so careless of their Episcopal Functions that they dare not Correct the Inferior Clergy The Polanders seem very Devout and bestow considerable Gifts upon their Churches but they are neither Liberal to the Poor nor careful of their Sick Servants They Pray aloud in the Church and at the Elevation of the Sacrament at Mass they Beat themselves and knock their Heads against the Pavement or against the Bench on which they sit with so much Violence that on such occasions there is always a great Noise in the Church The Women commonly use their Prayer-Books with a Chaplet of Beads drawn thro' the middle of ' em In Winter all the Ladies of Quality and even some Men cause a Furr'd Bag to be brought to Church in which they put their Feet for the Weather is extreamly Cold especially for the Women who have Fine thin Shooes they wear also a little Furr'd Mantle upon their shoulders The Churches of Poland are very Fine and well-adorn'd The Jesuits of Leopold have a Chasuble cover'd so thick with Pearls and so heavy that they cannot use it when they say Mass 't is valu'd at above 100000 Livres They Sing somewhat in the Polish Tongue every where especially in the Parishes at High-Mass The Rosary is also daily repeated in the same Language in all the Churches of the Dominicans where the Women are seated on one side and the Men on the other the Men alone Singing the Ave Maria and the Women alone the Sancta Maria. There are Monks of all Orders in Poland except Carthusians and Minimes CHAP. XXV Of the Administration of Justice THERE are two sorts of Jurisdiction in Poland Ecclesiastical and Civil The former is in the hands of the Bishops who execute it by their Officials from whose Judgment there lies an Appeal to the Archbishop of Gnesna the Primate of the Kingdom And besides the Authority of the Pope's Nuncio is so great that he may Judge all Ecclesiastic Causes by Appeal The Civil Jurisdiction is in the hands of several sorts of Judges The Starosta's hold Courts within the Extents of their Territories and each City has a Right to give Judgment in certain Cases Every Palatin Marshal and Chancellor has his respective Jurisdiction The King the Senate and the General Diets determin Civil and Criminal Causes And besides the Nobility have Three Courts where they give Final Judgment in Causes without further Appeal There are Two of those Courts for the Kingdom and one for the Dutchy Those of the Kingdom Sit at Peotrkow in Lower and Lublin in Upper Poland and that of the Dutchy is held one Year at Viina and another at Minsk or at Nowogrodeck by turns They are compos'd
for the Consideration of the Money that several Candidates for their Crown must needs bring into their Kingdom In the mean time the Candidates began to make Parties and notwithstanding the Natives of Poland were Excluded by an Article of the Association afore mention'd Prince James and Prince Alexander his Brother appear'd amongst the others who made Interest for the Throne They had for Competitors the Prince of Conti Prince Lewis of Baden and the Duke of Lorrrain for the Duke of Bavaria would not appear and order'd his Minister the Abbot Scarlati to Sollicit for Prince James The Divisions in the Royal Family were very favourable to Forreign Candidates but they were happily extinguished by the Reconciliation of Prince James with his Mother and thereby their Interest which was divided before was reunited and Prince Alexander quitted his Pretensions The Primate contributed much to this Reconciliation which gave occasion to believe that he was not so deeply ingaged in the Interest of France as it was at first reported and as it appeared afterwards Prince James wanted neither Merit nor Money and yet by an unaccountable Fatality he was not much belov'd by the Poles tho they had been Witnesses of his Valour in several Rencounters It was thought that the Emperor would have Declared for that Prince because he had the Honour to be His Imperial Majesties Brother-in-Law but the Imperial Court was always upon the Reserve and what hapned in the Election shewed that the Emperor was Engaged for another The Prince of Conti is certainly endowed with Excellent Qualities and tho he has not met at the Court of France the Encouragement or Reward he deserved and though the Most Christian King has not thought fit to trust him with the Command of his Armies yet all the World owns that he was very Worthy of that Great Employment And most are of Opinion that the French King was Afraid of his Capacity Whatever it be the King of Poland was no sooner Dead but the King of France thought of Promoting the Prince of Conti to the Throne and the Abbot of Polignac his Minister in his Speech to the Dyet that was in August Magnify'd very much the Zeal and Affection the King his Master had always had for the Interests of the Republick and gave some hints to let them understand that his Kindness was so Great as to have Chosen a Successor to their King worthy of their Crown This was not expressed in plain Terms for it was not time to do it but he began few days after his Cabal and made use of such Artifices to render the Royal Family Odious to the People that the Queen was oblig'd to forbid him Her Presence and to Complain of him to the King of France who disown'd in Publick the Conduct of his Minister though likely it was Approved in Secret The French knowing that Money is the best Recommendation in Poland the Prince of Conti was Perswaded to Sell or rather Mortgage his Estate and the French King Remitted Vast Sums of Money to His Ministers which Gained him so great a Party that the House of Austria thought it was high time to think of Preventing his Election and therefore to redouble their Intreague If Merit alone had been sufficient to Raise a Prince to the Throne of Poland there is no doubt but Prince Lewis of Baden would have carry'd the Crown but His Highness wanting Money his Party was so inconsiderable that when the Election came on they were not taken notice of and as to the young Duke of Lorrain neither the Great Actions of his Father nor the Letter of the Queen his Mother to the Senate was able to gain her Friends enough to stand it out against Prince James and Prince of Conti. The Winter was spent in Intreagues and a great many Libels came out upon the Subject some Writing for Prince James others for the Prince of Conti and others against both The Nephew of Prince Sapieha was then at Paris and having spent his Money was Arrested for Debt The Prince of Conti having Notice thereof came himself to the Prison Paid all his Debts and gave him what Money he wanted to return home This young Gentleman was so sensible of the Generosity of that Prince and of the Civility wherewith he had accompanyed that Service that he Proclaimed it in Poland and ingaged his Unckle into his Interest However Prince James seemed to have the Stronger Party till the Death of the late King of Sweden which happen'd on the 17th of April 1697. That Prince who knew what Pretensions the Poles have upon Livonia was against the Election of any Foreign Prince but especially the Prince of Conti and as on the other side the Republick was obliged to have a great regard to the Recommendation of that Prince 't is believed Prince James would have been Elected for many of those who appear'd afterwards against him seem'd the most Zealous for his Interests The time of the Election drawing nigh the Queen thought fit to Remove a Second time from VVarsaw to Dantzick to avoid the Troubles that were occasion'd by her Presence in the last Diet and in the mean time Prince James with Count Jablonowsky General of the Crown and all the Party of the Emperor did their utmost to Ruin the Interest of the Prince of Conti and because they suspected the Rebellion of the Army to be fomented and incouraged by the French the Queen gave a Great Sum of Money to the Crown-General to endeavour to break off their Confederacy and thereupon a New Negotiation was set on foot with the Ringleaders of the Troops in which the Accompts of their Arrears were Adjusted between their own Deputies and those of the Republick and all other Points were so far setled that every body thought their Confederacy at an end However the Treaty broke off at the Instigation of one of their Officers who spread in the Army That the Crown-General had Declared That he would Cut off the Heads of their General and of some others Whereupon they declared They would hearken to no Accommodation and Baronowsky Published a Manifesto containing the Reasons of the Army for continuing in this Confederacy and resolved to take up their Quarters in Great Poland and Royal Prussia The Deputies of the Republick at Leopold upon Examination of the said Manifesto Declared That it was contrary to the Laws of the Kingdom Adjudged it an Act of Rebellion and Publish'd a Decree by which they Declared the Confederated Troops Rebels and Enemies to their Country This Declaration frighted most of the Troops and disposed them to demand another Conference with the Deputies of the Republick and in short they made their Submission to the Crown-General on the 11th of May 1697 in the Great Church of the Bernardins at Lemberg Baronowsky Mareshal of the Confederates Begg'd Pardon with an Audible Voice at the General 's Feet touching the Foot-stool of his Seat with his Forehead and Kissing his Feet under which he