Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	grant_v	heir_n	tenement_n	1,541	5	10.3837	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69789	The history of Poland. vol. 2 in several letters to persons of quality, giving an account of the antient and present state of that kingdom, historical, geographical, physical, political and ecclesiastical ... : with sculptures, and a new map after the best geographers : with several letters relating to physick / by Bern. Connor ... who, in his travels in that country, collected these memoirs from the best authors and his own observations ; publish'd by the care and assistance of Mr. Savage.	Connor, Bernard, 1666?-1698.; Savage, John, 1673-1747.	1698 (1698)	Wing C5889; ESTC R8630	198,540	426

the Livonian Order and to his Heirs for ever This happening not long after Luthers Reformation influenc'd Duke Gothotred to become a Protestant and to Marry which none of his Order had ever done before him This Duke had two Sons Ferderic and William whereof the eldest Frederic succeeded him in the Year 1587 but at length dying without issue these Dukedoms came to his Brother William who returning from banishment was receiv'd by the Curlanders with a great deal of Applause This Duke had but one only Son who was Godson to our King James I. After his Death his Son Duke James came to inherit the two Dutchies of Curland and Semigallia This Prince was much given to building of Ships having every thing in his Country proper for that purpose By means of Shipping he discover'd the River Semigal in Guinea and the Island of Tobago one of the Caribbee Islands in America which then was altogether uninhabited Here he built a Fort calling it by his own Name James-Fort and moreover was at vast expences in Cultivating and Fortifying this Island and which he enjoy'd without any interruption for many Years together At length one Lambson a Zealander and a very rich Man as likewise one of the States of Holland getting into a corner of this Island and after much dispute being suffered to Plant there upon paying a yearly Tribute to the Duke he at last took advantage of the War between the Suedes and Poles and of the Duke's Imprisonment by the former to dispossess him of the said Island which he effected after this manner He appear'd with some Forces before the aforesaid James-Fort and perswading the Garrison that the Duke their Protector being carried away Prisoner by the Suedes could not possibly relieve them and that therefore they must necessarily perish unless they forthwith deliver'd up the Fort and Island to him the Soldiers began immediately to Mutiny chain'd their Governor and forc'd him to capitulate and comply with the said Lambson who at the same time engag'd himself as soon as the Duke was set at liberty to restore the Island and what was left there according to an Inventory then taken The Dutch being thus got into possession of this Island the Duke after many long and fruitless endeavours with the Lambsons first and afterwards with the States sinding that neither of them were enclinable to Restitution appli'd himself to our King Charles II. for assistance in recovery of his Right submitting the Island altogether to the King's Protection as being willing to hold it Subtitulo Concessionis or by a Grant from the Crown of England whereupon the ensuing Treaty was formally concluded which for a greater eclaircisement of the matter I have thought not improper to insert The Agreement was in these Words BE it known unto all and singular Person and Persons to whom these Presents shall come That on the 17th of the Month of November in the Year of Our Lord 1664. by a double Writing of the same Tenure and Language it was Agreed between the most Serene and most Potent Prince Charles II. by the Grace of God King of Great Britain France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. of the one part And the most Illustrious Prince James Duke in Livonia of Curland and Semigallia on the other part That the said Lord the King by these Presents doth give and grant to the said Lord the Duke of Curland his Heirs and Successors full liberty of Trade and Commerce for such Ships as do properly belong to him or them but not such Ships as belong to any of his Subjects in any Rivers or Havens within the Dominions of His Majesty on the Coast of Africa which is call'd by the Name of Guinea as also in any Merchandize not exceeding the value of Twelve thousand Pounds Sterling yearly according to the Prices the said Merchandizes first were bought for on those Coasts and Places from whence they were exported together with full liberty to build one or more Ware-houses or Storehouses fit for laying up Merchandizes under the Castles and Forts which shall belong to his said Majesty or his Subjects on those Coasts to hold and enjoy the said Liberties as long as there doth continue Friendship Amity and good Understanding between the said King and the said Duke and upon due consideration of the Concession or Grant thus made by His Majesty the said Duke of Curland Grants and makes over unto His said Majesty his Heirs and Successors the Fort of St. Andrews in Guinea and all other Forts Fortifications and Sconces there belonging to the said Duke together with all Guns Bullets and Powder and other Instruments of War belonging to the same or any of those Forts And the said Duke of Curland doth Agree and Promise for himself his Heirs and Successors that they shall respectively pay to the said Lord the King his Heirs and Successors three in the hundred for Customs of all Goods and Merchandises in Specie as well into the Ports of His said Majesty in Guinea or thence exported as aforesaid and that unto such Officer or Officers whom or which his Majesty his Heirs or Successors shall establish or depute for the recovering or receiving of the said Customs or Duties And moreover his said Majesty by these Presents doth give and grant to the said Duke of Curland his Heirs and Successors all and every that Island call'd Tobago scituate about 12 Degrees North-Latitude and 316 Degrees of Longitude being one of those commonly call'd the Caribbee Islands together with all the Lands Havens Creeks Rivers and Profits to the same belonging to be held and enjoyed under the King's Protection Provided always and under the Condition that the said Duke of Curland his Heirs and Successors shall not suffer or permit any others whatsoever besides his own Subjects and the Subjects of the said Lord the King his Heirs and Successors to abide in the said Island to settle Plantations or build Houses but the Subjects of the said Lord the King his Heirs and Successors shall be always freely permitted to abide in the said Island and to have Plantations and Houses and to enjoy all such Privileges Liberties Immunities and Benefits as any of the Subjects of the said Duke his Heirs and Successors shall or may have hold use or enjoy without any Contradiction or Opposition whatsoever neither shall they be compell'd to pay any other Contributions or Impositions whatsoever saving such as are necessarily requir'd for the defence of the said Island and equally in the same proportion paid by the Subjects of the said Duke Moreover the said Lord Duke Agreeth and Promiseth that neither himself his Heirs and Successors nor any other for the use of him them or his Subjects shall Export or Import or suffer to be Exported or Imported any Merchandises Goods or Provisions of the said Island of Tobago otherwise then out of or into some Ports belonging to

The thirty second Lay Senator is The Palatin of Marienbourg in Regal Prussia The City of Marienbourg was formerly the Seat of the Teutonic Order as appears by the Stalls or Seats yet to be seen in great Numbers in the Chappel of the Castle The thirty third Lay Senator is The Palatin of Braclaw in Low Podolia This Palatinate at present is only Honorary being altogether ravag'd and dispeopled by the frequent Incursions of the Turks and Tartars The thirty fourth Lay Senator is The Palatin of Pomerania in Regal Prussia This Palatinate lies altogether in Royal Prussia the greatest Part of it now being a Province belonging to Sueden and Brandenbourg tho' a small Portion of it yet remains to Poland The thirty fifth Lay Senator is The Palatin of Minski or Minsch in Lithuania The thirty sixth Lay Senator is The Palatin of Czernichovia or Czernikow a Dutchy which formerly belong'd to Lithuania This Palatinate at present is only Honorary having been for some time under the Czar of Moscovy Having thus describ'd the Order and Precedence of the chief Senators it would not be amiss to give Your GRACE some Account of the Duty of a Palatin which is to lead the Troops of his Palatinate into the Field in a general Expedition call'd by the Poles Pospolite Ruszenie But in time of Peace the Power of all is not the same for there are some Palatins in the great Dutchy of Lithuania who even then govern by Martial Law In Prussia also they proceed by the same Law which they call Judicia Palatinalia their general Office is to preside in the little Diet or Assembly of the Gentry of their Province to regulate the Prizes of Merchandizes and to take Care of Weights and Measures as also to punish or protect the Jews who cannot be judg'd in the common Courts But this is otherwise in Prussia and Volhinia as may hereafter appear more at large These Palatins are all Princes by their Office The Palatins have every one a Vice Palatin under them and in some Places more than one whom they name themselves and take their Oaths to be true and faithful to them only These Vice Palatins must have a Competency in Land to qualify'em for that Employment Immediately after the Palatins and the other four priviledg'd Persons come the several Castellans who are all Senators and Lieutenants to the Palatins in time of War leading the Gentry of their Jurisdiction into the Field under the Command of the Palatins Of these Castellans there are several in every Palatinate which are distinguish'd by the greater and lesser the greater are so call'd because excepting very few they derive the Names of their Castellanies from Palatinates whereas the lesser do take theirs only from Districts which makes them sometimes call'd Castellani Districtuum Also another Reason why they are so divided is because the lesser Castellans sit only on Benches behind the other Senators Also they may be term'd the lesser in regard that it is not long since they were first admitted of the Senate and that they are sometimes excluded But however in all other Respects they are equal The necessary Qualifications of a Castellan are to be a Nobleman of Poland and to have Lands and Tenements in the Territory whereof he is Castellan In times of Peace except their Office in the Senate the Castellans have no Jurisdiction except in criminal Cases the Titles of Magnifici or Wielmozni are given by the Chancery to the greater Sort of them and of Generosi or Vrodzeni to the lesser but commonly all the Castellans are saluted by the Titles of Illustrissimi or Jasnie Wielmozni The Names and Precedence in the Senate of all these Castellans and first of the greater Sort. The thirty seventh Lay Senator is The Castellan of Posnania The thirty eighth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Sendomir The thirty ninth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Kalisch The fortieth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Wounitz a Town in the Palatinate of Cracovia The forty first Lay Senator is The Castellan of Gnesna a City in the Palatinate of Posnania The forty second Lay Senator is The Castellan of Siradia The forty third Lay Senator is The Castellan of Lanschet or Lencici The forty fourth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Samogitia The forty fifth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Bresty or Bressici The forty sixth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Kiovia The forty seventh Lay Senator is The Castellan of Inowlocz The forty eighth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Leopol a City in the Palatinate of Russia The forty ninth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Volhynia The fiftieth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Caminiec a strong City in the Palatinate of Podolia The fifty first Lay Senator is The Castellan of Smolensko The fifty second Lay Senator is The Castellan of Lublin The fifty third Lay Senator is The Castellan of Losk or Polocz The fifty fourth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Belez or Belsko The fifty fifth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Novogrodec The fifty sixth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Plocksko The fifty seventh Lay Senator is The Castellan of Witebsko The fifty eighth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Czirna a District in the Province of Masovia The fifty ninth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Podlachia The sixtieth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Rava The sixty first Lay Senator is The Castellan of Briescia or Polesia The sixty second Lay Senator is The Castellan of Culm The sixty third Lay Senator is The Castellan of Mscislaw or Msceislaw The sixty fourth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Elbing a considerable City in the Palatinate of Pomerania The sixty fifth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Braclaw The sixty sixth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Dantzic a famous City in the Palatinate of Marienburg The sixty seventh Lay Senator is The Castellan of Minsch or Minski The sixty eighth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Livonia The sixty ninth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Czernicovia The lesser Sort of Castellans are as follows The seventieth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Sandecz a Town and District in the Palatinate of Cracovia The seventy first Lay Senator is The Castellan of Mezaritz a Town in the Palatinate of Posnania The seventy second Lay Senator is The Castellan of Visticz a District and Town in the Palatinate of Sendomir The seventy third Lay Senator is The Castellan of Biecz a City and District in the Palatinate of Cracovia The seventy fourth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Ragosno a Town in the Palatinate of Posnania The seventy fifth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Radomsko a District and Town in the Palatinate of Sendomir The seventy sixth Lay Senator is The Castellan of Zawichost a City in the same Palatinate The seventy seventh Lay Senator is The Castellan of Land or Landaw

Country But here the Citizens in Prussia are excepted for they may possess Lands of what Extent soever out of their Cities Also the Inhabitants of Cracow may purchase and enjoy Lands in any Part of the Kingdom Likewise the Magistrates of Vilna have a Power to possess Lands and the City of Leopol in like manner has a Privilege for its private Citizens to hold Lands A Nobleman Gentleman or one that is free-born of the Kingdom of Poland are the same thing Every Gentleman has his Coat of Arms granted him by the Republick but then either he or some of his Family must have Possessions in Lands there He can pretend to all the greatest Employments and Offices in the Kingdom and buy Lands where he pleases all over the Dominions of Poland and Lithuania He has moreover a Right to the Crown if his Credit and Interest can procure it Every Gentleman is a Sovereign Lord and Master in his own Lands for he has the Power of Life and Death over his Tenants or as the Poles term them his Subjects tho' I may better call them his Slaves for they have neither Privilege nor Law to protect them but are to be govern'd absolutely by the Will and Pleasure of their Lord. They dare not leave his Lands to go to anothers under Pain of Death unless he sells them to his Neighbour as he has the Power to do or has violated or ravish'd their Wives or Daughters insomuch that I have heard that some have wish'd to have had a fine Wife or Daughter that their Lord might thereby have given them Occasion to get rid of him If a Gentleman kills another Gentleman's Slave he is neither to be try'd nor punish'd for it and is only oblig'd to give that Gentleman another Slave in the Room of him or as much Money as will buy one And besides to maintain the Family of the Person that he has kill'd likewise if he kills one of his own Slaves he only pays a matter of fifty Livres to be quit Nay if one Gentleman kills another he cannot be apprehended nor clapt into Prison for his Crime Nisi Jure Victus unless a Court of Justice has first convicted him which commonly gives him Time enough to escape for he must first be cited to appear and upon his Neglect he is declar'd contumacious and consequently convicted But it may very well be suppos'd that he who knows himself guilty will not run the Hazard of Appearing nor venture the losing of his Head This Honour the Poles likewise bestow on the common People Hanging being not the usual Way of Execution in their Country However Hartknoch has these Exceptions from this Privilege for says he if a Nobleman be taken in the very Act of Ravishing Burning of Houses Theft Robbery or the like he may be apprehended by the Laws Likewise if he will not give sufficient Caution according to the Quality of his Offence or lastly if he be found in the Register to have been thrice convicted before Notwithstanding this Privilege of the Nobility says Hauteville I have known one Instance to the contrary for those who assassinated Gonczenski Petty General of Lithuania were seiz'd without any Formality and carry'd Prisoners to Elbing and were afterwards condemn'd to be beheaded at the general Diet at Warsaw in the Year 1664. but then this Crime of theirs was so notorious that the Nobility might well have wav'd their Privilege for these Villains took that Gentleman out of his Bed at Vilna and putting him into a Coach with a Confessor carry'd him out of the City where they scarce allow'd him Time to say his Prayers before they shot him dead with Pistols A Polish Nobleman tho' he be proscrib'd and cited and found guilty cannot be executed without the King's Knowledge and Consent as may appear by the Case of Samuel Zborowski who tho' he had been proscrib'd and condemn'd by the Great Chancellor and General of the Army Zamoiski yet would he not presume to Behead him till he had known King Stephen's Pleasure therein The Polish Gentry also have another Privilege which is that no Soldiers or Officers of the Army can be Quarter'd upon them for if any one should presume to attempt such a thing the Diet would either condemn him to Death or pronounce him infamous whereby he would be depriv'd of the Power of giving his Vote in all Assemblies and moreover be render'd incapable of enjoying any Office or Employment in the State and this is as being degraded from his Nobility whereupon I may take notice of a Passage that hapned at the Diet of Election of John III. and which did not a little contribute towards his being chosen The Palatin of Smolensko's Son went and quarter'd at the House of Wiesnowiski without his Leave as was reported by Order of the Grand General Patz which occasion'd the Marshals who are Judges in these Cases two Days before the breaking up of the Diet to deprive this Palatin of his Vote in the Election whereby Sobieski was freed from a declar'd Enemy and the Austrian Faction lost a profess'd Friend The King likewise cannot now lodg in any Nobleman's House against his Will as he could before the Year 1433. Also wherever any Foreigner dies without Heirs his Estate Escheats to the Lord of those Lands where he dy'd and not to the King And where any Polish Gentleman dies without Heirs the King cannot seize upon his Estate by Right of Escheat if he have a Relation left of the eighth Degree inclusively The Gentry also may have Houses in the King's Cities and Towns but then they must not let such Trades inhabit them as may prove obnoxious or a Nusance to the Citizens and likewise these Houses ought to be subject to the Jurisdiction of the City but which however is seldom or never observ'd The House of a Nobleman moreover is a Kind of Asylum for tho' Delinquents may be arrested there with his Consent yet cannot they be taken thence by Force Not less are a Nobleman's Privileges as to Customs and Taxes for if he will swear his Goods were not bought but arising from his Lands he may send them any where out of the Kingdom to be sold without paying Duties and where he has once so sworn his Testimonials alone for the future will suffice to exempt them Also his Subjects will have the same Privilege wherever they trade In Prussia the Nobles are not only free from Customs but likewise all the other Inhabitants by the Magna Charta of Culm But altho the Polish Nobility are thus said to be free from Taxes yet upon emergent Occasions and Exigencies the Diet usually obliges them to pay them for a certain Time The Nobility also have a Privilege of Preemption of Salt for in the Staples for that Commodity there must be at least a Months Notice before any can be sold to any body else After all these Privileges the Polish Nobility

any Presumption I had to lay down any thing which might in the least contribute or add to the Knowlege of a General Officer of your Experience MY LORD In the Infancy of the Polish Empire the Poles were rather forc'd by an Arbitrary Power than commanded by indulgent Laws to defend their Country and extend its Limits but since Christianity has been received among them Bolestaus Chrobry their first King ordain'd a certain number of Horse out of every Palatinate and District and a set company of Foot out of every City and Town to be ready at a short warning and to bring their Provisions and Ammunition along with them This is what they call their Pospolite Ruszenie or the whole Body of Militia of the Kingdom gathered together under one Head or General at a place and time appointed by the King and those of the Senate that are always to attend him as his Privy-Council To this General Expedition first all Landed Gentry as well Publick as Private a few only excepted which I shall name hereafter are obliged to come 2. All Gentry that live in Cities or Towns upon Usury or otherwise 3. All Citizens that enjoy Lands or Tenements These besides all in Prussia are those of Cracow Vilna and Leopol 4. All Tenants that have hired Lands are to go themselves or to send out others 5. The Kings Tenants 6. Ecclesiastical Scultets or Advocates 7. In cases of imminent danger all Citizens in general are ordered either to send or go themselves 8. Even those Gentry that are clapt up in Jails for hainous Crimes are to be let out to assist at the Pospolite yet when that is once over they are to return to Prison again to expiate the whole extent of their Sentence All these are to be Horse well accoutred but as an Army cannot be compleat without some Foot this Pospolite also did consist formerly of the 20th Boor out of every Village or rather Farm who was to be arm'd with a Scymitar long Gun and Pole-Ax but which is often now chang'd to a Mulct to hire Forreigners Yet there are still some Polish Foot tho' of small Esteem Every Citizen that is now worth 8000 Florens is to find a Horse and he that has only 4000 is to set out a Foot-Soldier well provided The Boors also are to fit out one among 28 Families and to furnish him with Provisions sufficient for half a Year The Poles term both these Wybrancy's that is Pick'd or Selected Men so that Wybraniecka Piechota is a Pick'd Soldier If any of all these refuse to appear upon the third Summons their Lands or Goods are immediately confiscated to the King's Use Those Gentry that are excus'd from appearing at the Pospolite are 1. Such as may depute others in their Room viz. Superannuated or Sick Persons Widows Orphans Minors and lastly the Clergy for their Temporalities When any Publick or Private Nobleman is Sick he must notisie and attest it by the Oaths of several sufficient Witnesses Also it must be observ'd that in Lithuania a Clergy man must send out both for his Spiritual and Temporal Estate as likewise in Poland where there are any Temporal Lands annex'd to his Benefice 2. Those that have Estates in several Palatinates or Districts are oblig'd but to appear for one 3. The poorer sort of Gentry are eas'd in some measure for several of them may joyn in the fitting out of one Horse which is practised especially in Masovia Also Brothers that are Joint-Tenants may Depute one to appear for all 4. The King's Court and Retinue are not obliged to Muster under the Palatins and where the King does not go into the Field in Person they are to be totally excus'd 5. About 30 of the Gentry of the Queen's Court are exempt 6. About 12 of the Archbishop of Gnesna's Court and oftentimes some Officers of the Bishop of Cracow and other Bishops Courts especially where their Attendance is otherwise requir'd by the Republick 7. All Ministers to Foreign Courts together with their Domesticks are absolutely to be dispensed with 8. All Starosta's that are left in Garrisons and their Tribunes And lastly the great Constable or Governor of Cracow Castle with his Deputy the Burgraves and two Captains of Foot are to be excus'd Several Provinces and Palatinates likewise have peculiar Privileges relating to this general Meeting for in the Palatinates of Masovia and Plockzko six Brothers altho' they have distinct Estates send but one Horse-man In Podlachia out of ten Farms they send but one Light-Horse and out of twenty but one Cuirassier The Palatinates of Kiovia and Braclaw have likewise peculiar Privileges In a general Expedition the Gentry of Podolia were to continue in Garrison at Caminiec while the Poles had that City in possession The Prussians also need not march beyond the River Vistula Ossa and Drebnicz And lastly Lithuanians are not to go beyond the bounds of their Great Dutchy As to the great number assembled at this Pospolite Basko a Polish Writer says that only in the Palatinate of Lenschet in the time of Boleslaus Chrobry 2000 Cuirassiers and 4000 Light-Horse were raised at one time Starovolscius says that Uladislaus had 100000 Horse against the Prussian Knights over and above what he had left to defend the Provinces I might observe several other prodigious Lustrations out of the aforesaid Author but for brevity sake I omit them only I may affirm with Boterus in his Description of Poland that in case of necessity the Poles can raise upwards of 100000 Horse and the Lithuanians 70000 But Starovolscius is of Opinion they can both raise above 200000 Horse without Expense Also Fredro thinks that the Poles can raise above 200000 Horse The number of Polish Foot is uncertain they being at Liberty to appear or to be excused for Money Starovolscius says that in his time they did not amount to many hundreds being discouraged by the rigour of their Starosta's and wholly confin'd to their rustick Drudgery tho' continues he they are more able to sustain the hardships of War then either the Germans or Hungarians who can scarce live in the Polish Air. He also is of Opinion that the Polish Infantry if encouraged might amount to a considerable number and be not a little serviceable The Foreign hir'd Foot have sometimes exceeded 30000 when the Cosacks serv'd the Poles but they fought also on Horseback and King Stephen in his Expedition against the Suedes in Livonia had above 16000 German and Hungarian Foot in his Pay Now I shall proceed to present your Grace with an account of the manner of raising and Mustering this vast Body of Men. When a Pospolite is once agreed by the General Diet to be summon'd the King after the Ancient manner sends out his Writs or Letters into all the Palatinates or Districts of his Kingdom which being received by the inferiour Officers they are fastned by a small Cord to a long Pole whence they are called

City has always above 2000 Soldiers in Service and they can easily maintain 12000 but in Cases of Necessity they have been known to have rais'd 60000. For Ships they have no Men of War but abundance of Merchant-men of 3 or 400 Tuns each and 30 or 40 Guns apiece They never Trade so far as the East or West-Indies but into the Streights and all over Europe they do Here it may not be improper to give Your Excellency some short Account of their present Coin in Dantzick But first by way of Digression I may observe that the Coin which the Teutonic Order brought into Prussia not proving sufficient to furnish that Country with Money those Knights soon began to set up Mints and to coin Money of their own there which they perform'd with so much accuracy that most Nations have allow'd that where-ever invented the Art of Coining was there first brought to Perfection This has been confirm'd by the great Antiquary Spelman who was of Opinion that our English Word Sterling came from the Easterlings a People of Prussia and who coming from thence into England first taught us the Art of Refining and Coining purer Silver than we had before made use of The Species of Money now Current in Prussia or rather in Dantzic are these Gold Ducats Ourts Choustacks and Chelons A Ducat is worth two Rix-Dollars or 9 Shillings English An Ourt is a Silver Coin equal to the French Piece of 15 Sous and worth 18 Grosses of Dantzic and 30 of Poland A Choustack is of the value of 6 Dantzic-Grosses or 10 Polish And as for their Chelons three of them make one of their Grosses The farther Difference between the Polish Money and theirs stands thus The Tinfe that is worth 30 Grosses of Polish Chelons is worth but 18 of those of Dantzic The Ducat which is of the value of 12 Franks of Polish Chelons is worth but 7 of the Current Money here Five Choustacks or an Ourt and two Choustacks make a Livre of Dantzic-Money because 5 Choustacks make 30 Grosses and 30 Grosses make 20 Pence This City of Dantzic was taken from the Danes by Sabislaus Grandson to Swentorohus about the Year 1186 and was seiz'd by the Poles some short time after The Knights of the Teutonic Order made themselves Masters of it in 1305 and Wall'd it round in 1314. Casimir III. King of Poland surnam'd The Great regain'd it in 1454 and granted very great Privileges to the Citizens who afterwards declaring for the Auspurg-Confession sided with Maximilian of Austria against Stephen Batori insomuch that the latter proscrib'd and even besieg'd them in 1577. but however by the Mediation of other Princes they were restor'd to their Religion and Liberties in 1597. In 1656. they vigorously repuls'd the Suedes and adher'd to the Interest of John Casimir King of Poland And at present they make one of the Members of this State having been admitted to a Suffrage in the Election of the Polish Monarchs in the Year 1632. This my Lord is what I have been able to gather from Dr. Connor's Memoirs and the best Authors that have writ any thing of the Trade of Poland and of the famous City of Dantzic and wherein if I may not be so happy as to correspond every where with your Excellency's greater Knowledge of those matters I hope at least I may be excus'd upon account of my good will to entertain you and the publick as far as my assistance went which if granted will abundantly recompence the Endeavours of My LORD Your Excellency's Most Humble Servant J. S. LETTER VIII To the Right Honourable CHARLES Earl of Burlington Of the Origin of the Teutonic Order and the Succession of all its Great Masters in the holy-Holy-Land Prussia and Germany together with its present State in the Empire MY LORD DR Connor having design'd this Letter for your Lordship's Entertainment and not having had leisure to accomplish it himself by reason of the urgency of his Profession desired of me to Address it for him but upon a just Reflection on the meanness of my Abilities and an awful Regard to your Lordship's Grandeur I found I had more than ordinary reason to decline it Yet however upon balancing your goodness with your great Quality and considering my well meaning at the same time with my attempt I hop'd I might not be so unfortunate as to Offend if I undertook it and the rather because of the great conformity which the subject I were to write of had with the hopes which the Nation has in you My LORD Your Lordship will here find that this Order was first founded to reward and encourage Great Actions and that particularly in the German Nation whence it came to have the Title of Teutonic for when the Emperour Frederic Barberossa had engaged in the Crusade for recovery of the Holy-Land a great number of German Nobility and Gentry joyn'd his Army as Volunteers Of this Crusade were several other great Princes of Europe such as Philip King of France Richard I. King of England Frederic Duke of Suabia the Dukes of Austria and Bavaria Philip Earl of Flanders Plorant Earl of Holland c. After this Emperor's Death the Germans being before Acon or Ptolemais which they then besieged chose for their Leaders Frederick Duke of Suabia second Son to the aforesaid Emperour and Henry Duke of Brabant Under these Generals they behav'd themselves so well both at the taking of Acon Jerusalem and other places of the Holy-Land that Henry King of Jerusalem the Patriarch and several other Princes thought themselves oblig'd to do something extraordinary in honour of the German Nation Hereupon they immediately resolv'd to erect an Order of Knights of that Nation under the protection of St. George but afterwards they chang'd that Saint for the Virgin Mary by reason that she had an Hospital already founded on Mount Sion at Jerusalem for the relief of German Pilgrims of the manner of building which Ashmole in his Order of the Garter gives this following account He says that in the time of the Holy-War a wealthy Gentleman of Germany who dwelt at Jerusalem commiserating the condition of his Countrymen coming thither on Devotion and neither understanding the language of that place nor knowing where to lodge receiv'd them hospitably into his House and gave them all manner of suitable Entertainment Afterwards obtaining leave of the Patriarch he erected a Chappel for them and Dedicated it to the Virgin Mary whence the Knights that were established there afterwards came to have the Title of Equites Mariani Other German Gentlemen contributed largely to the maintaining and encreasing this Charitable Work insomuch that in a short time these Knights became very numerous and wealthy and gave themselves to Military Employments and to acts of Piety and Charity In the Year 1190 they elected their first Great Master Henry Walpot and in the Year following had their Order confirm'd upon the request of