$ I ^ Account of the Kinqdom of P o l a n Book I!. 
theirs, and when with the ’Turks they took up their 
Habits. Their prefent Garb is a Veil, that reaches to 
the Middie of their Legs, with a long Robe lined with 
Fur, and tied about their Middle with a Safli, little 
Boots, with Iron Heels, Fur Caps, and a Sabre by their 
Side. When they ride they have a Ihort Cloak, like an 
Irijh Mantle, furred within and without. The better 
Sort have rich Furs Irom Mufcovy^ but the poorer Gen- 
try content themfelves with the Skins of Tygers, Leo- 
^ pards. Panthers, and a kind of grey Furs. The fineft 
of their Fur-fuits coil; above a thoufand Crowns, are worn 
only at Dyers, and defcend from Father to Son. Some 
of the Polifi Gentry imitate the French Falhion, and 
wear Linnen, Lace, Perukes, and Svv^ords. The ordi- 
nary Sort of Gentry put Chaff into their Boots. Some 
of their Nobles have fifty Suits of Cloaths, all as rich as 
poffible, and they love to have their Servants as well 
apparelled almoft as themfelves. 
8. As to the Peafants they are born Slaves, have no 
Notion of Liberty, but live well fatisfied without it ; in 
Courland they are as fubjeft to their Landlords as in Po- 
land^ and in both Countries almoft adore them. They 
love their Landlords, fight for them, and all they have 
is abfolutely at their Devotion. When they debauch 
their Wives, or Daughters, thofe poor Wretches do not 
think their Women the worfe, or that they themfelves 
are difhonoured by it. They have fcarce any Religion, 
but like Brutes, work on Sundays for their own Subfift- 
ence, being obliged to work three or four Days in a 
Week' for their Mafters, without Meat or Wages. Each 
of them earns his Mafter, at lea'ft, ten Pounds per 
Annum. They have no Property, nor can they be made 
free, except they go into fome Convent, and are or- 
dained Priefts, or their Mafters ravilh their Wives, or 
Daughters. When a I.ord lets any Ground to a Pea- 
fant, he orders his other Peafants, at their Charge, to 
build him a Houfe, to give him a Cow^ Hens, Geefe, 
and as much Rye as will keep him a Year. A Slave 
cannot fend his Son to the Univerfity without Liberty 
from his I^ord. They reap their Mafter’s Corn, and 
have rigid Taflc-mafters over them, who punifh them, 
feverely, if they do not do as much as is required of 
them. Their Mafters commonly boaft of their Cle- 
mency, and fay, that though they have an abfolute 
Power over them, they leldom make ufe of it any 
more than other Chriftians dq over their Horfes and 
Dogs. 
Debtor Cofinor informs us, he afked fome Polijb No- 
blemen, why they fo inhumanly treated and under- 
valued their Boors ; who anfwered, that formerly all the 
Boors revolted from their Landlords, and confpired to 
extirpate them, and murdered fo many, that the reft 
were obliged to hide themfelves, or to leave the King- 
dom. But, at laft, the Gentry getting together from all 
Parts, and being afiifted by their Neighbours, quelled 
the Peafants, who intended to have fet up a Common- 
wealth of their own, and brought them to fuch Extre- 
mities, that ever fince they have been contented to live 
like Slaves. In Winter they wear a Sheep-fldn with the 
Wool inwards, and in Summer a clofe-bodied Coat of 
coarfe Stuff, of a Colour much like our Chimney- 
fweepers, with forty Caps ; their Boots are the Rinds 
of Trees wrapped about their Legs, with the thicker 
Parts to guard the Soles of their Feet againft the Stones ; 
they cut their Hair clofe, like Monks, and fliave all 
from their Faces but a large Whiftcer. They walk 
gravely with a Pole-Axe in their Hand, and a Sabre by 
their Side, which they never put off till they go to Bed ; 
it hangs by a Strap- of Leather, to which there is faft- 
ened a Handkerchief, Knife, and Sheath, and a fmall 
Stone to whet their Knives. 
In Lithuania the Boors Shoes are of the Barks of 
Trees, and their Stockings of thinner Bark, which they 
wrap about the Calves of their Legs. Before they enter 
any Town, they ahvays take care to put on frefli Shoes j 
they alfo wear a Sort of afh-coloured Habit, with 
Sleeves, woven all of a Piece. The Boors here are luore 
miferable than in Poland j for Gentlemen commonly go 
into Boors Houfes, though not their own, take all they 
have, and beat and wound them, becaufe they are not 
able to bribe fuch as have Power to do them J uftice. 
The Prujfian Gentry are not fo gaudy in their Habits 
as thofe of the more fouthern Parts of Poland their 
Peafants differ alfo in Habits from thofe of Poland., 
and wear fometimes long ftrait Coats of Leather. . 
9. The Poles never live above Stairs, and their Apart- 
ments are not united *, the Kitchen is on one Side, the Stable 
on another, the Dwelling-houfe on the Third, and the 
Gate in the Front. Their Ploufes are for moft part of 
A¥ood, but they have fome of Brick and Stone. Their 
Rooms are generally hung with Tapeftry, or Arras, but 
towards Tartary they keep no extraordinary Furniture, 
becaufe of the Incurfions of that barbarous People. They 
content themfelves with a few fmall Beds, with Taffaty 
Curtains ; and if any one lodge at their Ploufes they muft 
carry their Bedding with them. The Moveables of the 
Peafants are a fetv earthen and wooden Difhes,.. a hard 
Bed, and a wretched Coverlid ; their Children are not 
allowed Beds till they marry, but lie upon Boards by 
the Fire ; they have no Chimnies, but little Holes in the 
Tops,of their Houfes. The Peafants Children go naked 
till they are four or five Years old, and frequently eat in 
the fame Trough with the Pigs. They crawl on their 
Hands and Feet till they are ftrong enough to walk, and 
when they are dirty the Mother wafhes them in cold 
Water, which makes them exceeding hardy. ' 
The Peafants of Lithuania and Samogitia^ build their 
Ploufes round, narrow, and open at top to let out the 
Smoke and Stink ; they are generally covered with Boards, 
Strav/s, Bark of Trees, and live with the Family and 
Cattle under the fame Roof. The Polijh Gentry have fel- 
dom any Gardens or Orchards, though their Country be 
very proper for it, and might, by making Cyder and 
Perry, fave a great deal of Corn which they confume in 
Beer. Their ordinary Meat is Beef and Veal i for they 
leave the Mutton to their Servants. They have Store of 
grey but no red Partriges ; many Hares, but no Rabbets, 
than which they fay they would rather eat Cats •, but they 
breed white Rabbets for the fake of their Furs ^ they have 
many Roebucks, but few Stags •, Plenty of wild Oxen, 
wild Boars, Hogs, Poultry, Pidgeons, iPc. There are 
manyHeathcocksaridPheafants in Lithuania., and Buftards 
in Pruffia. The Baltic Sea has fcarce any Fifh ; but that 
Defedt is fupplied by great Plenty of frefh Water Fifh, 
from Lakes and Rivers. The Poles haye a peculiar Way 
of preferving Cabbage •, they chop it fmall, put it into a 
Tub between Lays of Salt, prefs it very hard, and after- 
wards pour warm Water upon it, which makes it ferment 
and ferves them for Pickle ; This they preferve all Winter, 
and fometimes the whole Year •, though it fmells ftrong 
even at a Diftance, yet they think it a great Rarity. 
Their ufual Drink is Beer, which in Prujfia is made 
only of Mcdt •, but in the reft of Poland., of Wheat ground 
fmall and boiled with Plops. Sometimes they mix it with 
Oats and Spelt, a Kind of Wheat which grows in Italy 
and Flanders ; in Lithuania, Rujfia, andUkrdin, they make 
both a red and a white Liquor with Honey, which they 
call Mead ; at Warfaw they mix it with Spice, and Juice 
of Cherries and Blackberries. Tht Lithuanians 2indL Poles 
have Wine from Hmigary, Italy, Frajice, and Germany ; 
that of Hungary exceeds Spanijh Wine in Strength, is 
brought to Cracow over the Carpathian Mountains in 
large Calks drawn by Oxen, and fold at twenty Shillings 
the P0UJI3 Pot, which is about three Quarts ; the Italian 
Wine is alfo brought over Land, and on that Account is 
dearer than the other. In the Morning, both Men and 
WTmen generally drink Ginger, Yolks of Eggs, and 
Sugar, boiled in Beer j they are immoderate Lovers, of 
nifty Bacon and Peafe , they eat all manner of Mufti- 
rooms, and preferve them for Pickles •, they eat great 
Quantities of Poppy-feed, drink the Milk of them, and 
make it into feveral Difhes and Sauces j they make like- 
wife abundance of Oil of the Seeds of Hemp and Flax, 
which they eat on Faftdays ; they ufe Spice to that Ex- 
cefs, that fome great Men fpend twenty-five hundred 
Pounds, per An?nim m that fingle Commodity : They ufe 
Spice and Sickles in ail their Sauces, which differ much 
from ours fome of them are yellow, made with Saffron ; 
others wTite, made with Cream, feme grey, made of 
Onions 5 
