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^ t o An Account of the Kingdom of V oi. a n Book II. 
The Dyet of Poland is compofed of two Hoiifes ; the 
Houfe of Senators, anfwerable to our Houfe of Lords ^ 
and the Houfe of Nuncios, not unhke our Houfe of Com- 
mons j the Senators are the Biihops, Palatinates, Cafiellans, 
and the ten great Officers of the Crown •, in ail about 
one hundred and forty-two. In the Upper-houfe the 
Senators fit, not by any Writ ol Summons, or Letters 
Patent, as in England ; but only by Virtue of the great 
Preferments in the King’s Gift, which they enjoy for 
Life-, fothat the King confdtutes the whole Upper-houfe, 
but the Lower, are the Reprefentatives of the Gentry, 
elefted by them alone in their refpecliv.e Provinces, with- 
out the Concurrence of the common People, who have 
no Privilege in their Elebtion ; infomuch that nine Parts 
in ten of the People in Poland are excluded from any 
Share in the Government. 
The grand Dyet of Poland is nothing elfe but the King, 
Senators, and Deputies, affembled . in any Part of the 
Kingdom his Majefty commands. Without this great 
Alfembly of the States, the King can neither make nor 
repeal Laws, declare War, conclude a' Peace, make 
Alliance with any foreign Prince, raife Troops, impofe 
Taxes, or coin Money ; in a Word, determine no Matter 
of any Importance, without the unanimous Concurrence 
of this Parliament, which they flyle the free States of 
Poland. Several Motives have inclined the Poles to 
eftabliffi this Kind of mixt Government ; which they 
take to be a juft Temperament, of whatever is to be 
found rnoft excellent in the feveral Monarchies, Arifto- 
cracies, and Democracies that have been in the World. 
It has however appeared from Experience, that their En- 
deavours in this refpebt have not been c^ery fuccefsful, 
fince there is hardly aConftitution in the World, orat leaft 
in Enrobe., that anfwers the Ends of Government worfe 
than theirs ; which is very often the Cafe where People 
aim at fuch a Degree of Perfection as is not to be attained 
in human Affairs. 
5. The Republic is divided into two States, the King- 
dom oi Poland., and tht Lithuania both 
which are but as one Body, having the fame King, the 
- fame Dyet, the fame Laws, the fame Privileges, the fame 
Religion, and, as the natural Refult of all thefe, the fame 
Intereft : Thefe two States are lb very w^ll united, that a 
King cannot be elected, a Law made, or any thing of 
confequence done, without the mutual Confent of both. 
The Poles are too proud to agree to defpotic Power ; And 
■therefore thofe pernicious Maxims of Tyrants, Si lubet 
licet., oderint clum metuant^ and the like, would be but ill 
received among People that have all along fecured their 
liberties by their Valour. As for the Kings of Poland., 
they may reft in Security in the Bofom of their Country, 
either without or within their Dominions, fince they have 
always their Subjebls for their Guards, through indifpenf- 
able Inclinations ; for what contributes chiefly to the 
Plappinefs of thefe Princes, is the loyal Obfervance and 
voluntary Obedience paid to them even by thofe that are 
at liberty to do the contrary. 
Monfieur de Polignac, the French Embaflador, ufed to 
fay at iVarfaw, That he thought a King of Poland mor-e 
happy in his Perfon and Condition than a King of France-, 
neverthelefs, this Authoiity of the King of Poland is fo 
limited by the Laws of the Land, that it does not exabt 
more from the Nobles or Gentry than they_ think hef de- 
ferves for though their Behaviour be generally obfervant, 
yet do they tacitly feem to call in queftionhis Power. The 
Polijh Nobility make no Difference between the King’s 
Right and thofe of the Senate and Deputies, affirming 
that fince three Members compofe but one Body, they 
ought equally to fliare in the fame. The fmall Authority 
therefore of their Kings, and the Impoffibility of their aft- 
■ ing, have expofed Poland to the Infults of their Neigh- 
bours, and the Rage of their own People ; as may be feen 
in the Civil Wars of the Cojfacks, and the Treachery and 
Sedition of the Confederates which could never have 
arrived at fo great a Height if the King had had fufficient 
Powei* to fupprefs them. Alfo the great Marffial of the 
.Crown, Ltml/erjldn, would never have had the Boldnefs 
to have oppofed King CqfimiPs Defigns fo openly, and to 
have formed fg many Fadlions againft the Court, had he 
not had Affurance of remaining unpiiniffied. We have 
divers Inftances of the Poles Love for their Kings, and 
particularly their long enforcing the Right of Sigifmund III. 
to the Kingdom of Sweden in an obftinate Wffir, which 
they revived feveral times ; as likewife the fupporting af- 
terwards the Pretences of Uladijlaus VII. to Mufeovy to 
omit divers others of a more antient Date. 
This Refpebl of theirs obliges them to come and fpend 
their Eftates at Court, to augment their Prince’s Grandeur 
by their Prodigality and Magnificence. Hris appears by 
a Miftake made by a King of Bohe?nia, at the Interview 
between him and Cafimir the Great, at Glogau (which 
Place the former had demanded to bound the Limits of 
Silejia) when he faluted a private Gentleman, fplendidly 
cloathed, for the King of Polayid : The Inclination of the 
Poles towards honouring their Prince is fo ftrong, that all 
they are able, even to 'the hazard of their Lives and 
Fortunes, they are willing to laviffi in his Service, with- 
out expedling any greater Recompence than the Glory of 
waiting on his Majefty’s Perfon. A King of Poland, 
when he is juft, liberal, and religious one, who obferves the 
Laws and Conftitutions, and, in a word, who has no other 
Intereft but the Good and Safety of his Subjedts, is as much 
rei^cled, and as faithfully obeyed in times of Peace and 
W ar, as moft Princes in Europe. As to what relates to 
V^ar, no Monarch has greater Advantages for he is 
neither at the Trouble of raffing Forces, or Expence in 
maintaining them ; his Bufinefs being only to convene the 
Dyet, and they do all thefe Things. After War declared, 
he can continue the fame either by himfelf or his Generals, 
can regulate his Troops, and fee his Army paid out of 
theTreafury of the Republic 5 he has great Reafon to hope 
lor Succefs in his Expeditions, becaufe ho not having un- 
dertaken them on his own Account, thofe that engaged 
him will infallibly fupport him in them, and the ra- 
ther, by reafon that what was done was done with 
their Confent. This has proved the Caiife of almoft 
never failing Succefs to the Poltfo Army till of late Days, 
when the King and his Subjedts have not been info good 
Intelligence with each other as formerly. 
6. When the King is in thcAj^rmy he has the fupreme Au- 
thority, gives battle when he pleafes, and befieges Towns 
as he thinks fit, and commands abfolutely all the Gentry 
to follow him into the Field on Horfeback at ever fo little 
Warning. At Home he has the Nomination of all eccle- 
fiaftical Benefices, and of all fecuiar Employments, as 
well Military as Civil, through the whole Extent of his 
Dominions, with a great Number of royal Dem.efnes; 
which together with the State Dignities, he confers on 
thofe that have deferved them. He can beftov/ as con- 
fiderable Preferments as any Prince in Europe, and oblige 
and raife the Fortunes of whom he pleafes. Fie has a 
Right in naming Cardinals as well as other Roman Ca- 
tholic Kings. He can fend and receive EmbaiTadors 
privately, in Matters relating to himfelf ; but as to what 
concerns the Republic, the Senate muft have their Share in 
it. He can call, prorogue, and diifolve the Dyet at plea- 
fure : In a word, the Poles term him theProtedlor of their 
Laws and Privileges, the chief Diftributer of Honours, 
the Head of their Republic, and fupreme General of 
their Forces. 
The Poles attend his Perfon uncovered. The chief 
Senators generally ferve him at Table; firfttafting of the 
Cup before they prefent him with it. His Subjedts never 
fit before him, nor cover their Heads any where but in the 
Dyet, and there too the Senators are only allowed that Li- 
berty, for the Deputies ftand behind with their furred Caps 
in their Hands. All Sorts of Gold, Silver, or Brafs 
Coin, are ftamped with his Image. All Juftice is admi- 
niftered in his Name ; and at Church they pray for the 
King and Royal Family. When he is crowned, the 
Dyet allows him a Penfion of about 140,000 /, per Ann. 
which, together with his Patrimonial Eftate, ; maintains 
him a very fplendid Court. He has his Polijh, German, 
and Hungarian Guards, and has the fame Officers of his 
Houffiold, as other Kings have. While the Queen- 
Dowager lives, the Queen-Confort maintains her Court 
at the King’s Charge. But after the Queen Dowager’s 
Death, or Marriage, or the King’s Death, ihe has a Re- 
venue 
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