68 FORESTRY IN POLAND. 



on the Weissel ; and Bohemia submitted to the laws of so 

 accomplished a prince.* 



' Lecht the Second became his successor, the consequence 

 of a crime, for he secretly destroyed Grack, his elder 

 brother, and ascended his father's throne, as well by the 

 choice of the nobility, as by virtue of the right he claimed 

 to the succession. All his subjects submitted to his 

 authority while his crime was undiscovered ; but as soon 

 as it happened to be detected, the lords would no longer 

 suffer the assassin of his own brother to sit upon the 

 throne he had usurped, and to hold the reins of govern- 

 ment with the hands which were defiled with the blood 

 of their lawful prince. He was chased from the kingdom 

 in a degrading manner, and, according to some authors, 

 he died without leaving any children, detested by his 

 subjects, and troubled by the remorse of his own 

 conscience. 



' After the death of the two sons of Grack the First, the 

 Poles were desirous of submitting to the government of 

 his daughter Vanda, a very amiable princess, who was 

 graced with the accomplishments of eloquence, wisdom, 

 and courage to a degree that was altogether uncommon in 

 her sex. She reigned with glory, and in the tran- 

 quillity of a profound peace, when a neighbouring prince 

 sent ambassadors to her to treat of a marriage between 

 himself and her, and to denounce war against her domin- 

 ions if she should happen to reject his offers. Vanda, 

 according to some historians, had rendered herself incap- 

 able of the nuptial state by a vow of virginity which she 

 had made to the gods of her country. She therefore 

 prepared for war, assembled her troops, animated them by 

 her presence and discourse, broke the measures of her 

 enemy, opposed his incursions, and constrained him at 

 last to come to a conference. What can be impracticable 



* His reign is thought to have been coincident with the beginning of the seventh centnry . 

 Duglossius declares, Lib. i., Habet nonnullorum assertio Graecum principem ante 

 incarnationem Christi annis circiter quadringentis regnare apud Polonorum gen- 

 tem ccepisse. But if he reigned 400 years before the incarnation, what a void will be 

 opened between his reign and that of Miecflaus the First ! 



