GALLICIA AND LODOMERIA. 475 



but unfortunately quarrelled with the senate, who suspected that he 

 wanted to make the crown hereditary in his family. He died, after a 

 glorious reign, in 1696. 



After the death of Sobieski, Poland fell into great distractions. Many 

 confederacies were formed, but all parties seemed inclined to exclude 

 the Sobieski family. In the mean time Poland was insulted by the Tar- 

 tars, and the crown in a manner put up to sale. The prince of Conti, 

 of the blood royal of France, was the most liberal bidder ; but while he 

 thought the election almost sure, he was disappointed by the intrigues of 

 the queen dowager, in favour of her younger son, prince Alexander 

 Sobieski, for which she was driven from Warsaw to Dantzic. Sud- 

 denly Augustus, elector of Saxony, started up as a candidate ; and 

 after a sham election, being proclaimed by the bishop of Cujavia, he 

 took possession of Cracow with a Saxon army, and actually was crown- 

 ed in that city in 1697. The prince of Conti made several unsuccess- 

 ful efforts to re-establish his interest, and pretended that he had been 

 actually chosen ; but he was afterwards obliged to return to France, 

 and the other powers of Europe seemed to acquiesce in the election of 

 Augustus. The manner in which the latter was driven from the throne, 

 by Charles XII, of Sweden (who procured the advancement of Stanis- 

 laus) and afterwards restored by the czar, Peter the Great, has been al- 

 ready related in the history of Sweden. It was not till the year 1712 

 that Augustus was fully confirmed on the throne, which he held upon 

 precarious and disagreeable terms. The Poles were naturally attach- 

 ed to Stanislaus, and were perpetually forming conspiracies and plots 

 against Augustus, who was obliged to maintain his authority by means 

 of his Saxon guards and regiments. In 1725, his natural son, prince 

 Maurice, afterwards the famous count Saxe, was chosen duke of Cour- 

 land; but Augustus was not able to maintain him in that dignity 

 against the power of Russia and the jealousy of the Poles. Augustus 

 died, after an unquiet reign, in 173 3, having done all he could to insure 

 the succession of Poland to his son Augustus II (or, as he is called by 

 some, III.) This occasioned a war, in which the French king main- 

 tained the interest of his father-in-law, Stanislaus, who was actually re- 

 elected to the throne by a considerable party, of which the prince pri- 

 mate was the head. But Augustus, entering Poland with a powerful 

 army of Saxons and Prussians, compelled his rival to retreat to Dant- 

 zic, whence he escaped with great difficulty into France. In the histo- 

 ry of Germany, the war between Augustus 15, as elector of Saxony, or 

 rather as the ally of Russia and Austria, and Frederic II, king of Prus- 

 sia, has been already noticed. It is sufficient to say, that though Au- 

 gustus was a mild and moderate prince, and did every thing to satisfy 

 the Poles, he never could gain their hearts ; and all he obtained from 

 them was merely shelter, when the king of Prussia drove him from his 

 capital and electorate. Augustus died at Dresden in 1763, upon which 

 count Stanislaus Poniatowski was chosen king, by the name of Stanis- 

 laus Augustus; though it is said that the election was conducted irre- 

 gularly, and that he obtained the crown chiefly through the influence of 

 the empress of Russia. He was a man of abilities and address; but 

 from various concurring causes, he had the unhappiness to see Poland, 

 during his reign, a scene of desolation and calamity. In 1766 a peti- 

 tion was presented to the king, in the name of all the protestant nobili- 

 ty, and in behalf also of the members of the Greek church, conjointly 

 called the dissidents, in which they demanded to be re-instated in their 

 ancient rights und privileges, and to be placed upon the same, footing 



