V 
chap. II. 
and its Inhabitants. 
S13 
Onions j and others black, made of the juice of Plumbs. 
They have Choice of all Sorts of Pot-herbs, and fome 
that were found nowhere elfe ; they have alfo Sweetmeats 
of feveral Kinds, and make much Ufe of Piftachio 
Nuts. 
They generally eat a great deal of Meat to a little 
Bread, though they have Plenty of Corn, efpecially Rye, 
which is much better than in other Countries. They are 
great Admirers of Roots, have a Difh called Crakat, made 
of coarfe Flower of Wheat, Barley, Millet, or Oats, 
and fometimes of a fmall Grain they call Manna *, on 
Flelh-days they eat it with Milk and Butter, and on Faft- 
days with Oil. When the Boors want Bread, they make 
it of Acorns dried and ground. Near the Mountains of 
Hungary there are wild Goats, which they admire as very 
good Meat ; They alfo make a Dilh of Beavers-Tails ; 
Bears-Paws pickled they reckon a great Dainty. When 
they kill Elks, they do not gut them for fourteen or 
fifteen Days, and in Winter, not in a Month. When 
the Grandees come to the Dyet, they bring them in their 
Skins and Guts, and hang them at their Windows by 
five or fix at a time, till they grow rank, then they roaffc 
fome, and drefs others like Beef A-la-mode ; and none 
but great Men have this Dilh. at their Tables. The 
Poles are generally courteous and hofpitable to Strangers, 
invite them to their Houfes, converfe with them freely, 
and endeavour to imitate them. The Slavery of their 
Boors is fo much the more tolerable to them, becaufe 
they feldom want Viftuals and Drink *, they have gene- 
rally three or four Sorts of Things at a Meal, one Dilh of 
Peafe with diced Bacon, another of Crakat, and two more 
of feveral Sorts of ftrengthening Roots, which they have 
in great Plenty in Lithuania ; their Bread is coarfe and 
black, made of Rye, fmutty Wheat and Barley, all 
ground together. 
They have abundance of Flcfli, Filh and Fowl *, and 
Cattle, or Poultry, they think they cannot keep inWinter, 
they kill in Harveft. They are good Marks-Men, and 
maintain their Families, in a great meafure, by Fowling. 
Every Houfe has four or five Hand-mills to grind their 
Corn. The Peafants of Samogitia are not fo laborious as 
thofe of Lithuania^ and confequently have not fuch Plenty ; 
inftead of Bread they eat a Sort of Turnips as big as one’s 
Head, which grow of themfelves, without Cultivation. 
They quench many red hot Stones one after another, in 
their Beer, Metheglin, and Mead, aft^r they have boiled 
it a whole Night, in order to make fheir Bellies foluble ; 
this Liquor they put in Velfels made of the Barks of Trees. 
They reward the llouteft Drinkers at Feafts with a Shirt, 
Handkerchief, Frock, or the like. They live longer here 
than in Lithuania, and many of them reach a hundred and 
twenty Years. Poxmtvly thtP ruffians dwelt in Waggons 
or Huts made of Boughs, and the Peafants are not yet 
much improved in Architedlure, for they generally live in 
Hovels built of Stakes, Roof and all, twifted over with 
Rods, without any Covering ; their Furniture is not much 
better, for the old Pruffiians flept on the Ground, or on 
the Skins of Beads, and thefe lie upon the Straw : They 
are content with fpare Diet, and more addided to Sloth 
than Gluttony, yet, like the Poles and Lithuanians they 
drink hard, efpecially at Feafts *, their former Drink was 
Water, or Mares Milk mixed fometimes with Blood •, but 
now it is Mead and Beer. Their ordinary Food is Fifh ; 
they knew not the Ufe of Roots till the Knights of the 
'Teutonic Order came among them j but now the Peafants 
make them their chief Dainties. 
When the Gentry make a Feaft, they never fupply their 
Guefts with Spoons, Knives, or Forks •, they muft bring 
them with them : They have a broad Piece of ftarched 
Linnen fewed round the Table-cloth, for Napkins ; the 
Reafon they give for it is, to prevent their Servants deal- 
ing. Their Servants have their Meat reached them by their 
Mafters, which they eat behind their Backs : They bring 
twice as much Wine as their Mafters need, and drink the 
Remainder themfelves ; they feize on what is left after 
Dinner, and their Ladies each of them carry a Napkin for 
dried Sweat-meats or Fruits. Their Feafts are made by 
Friends and Neighbours by Turns; Brimmers are much 
in ufe among the Poles ; they will fcarce excufe a Man 
VoL. II. N UMB. 104. 
except he pledges them. This Wee reigns equally in 
Feafts and Taverns •, and. Saints-days are not excepted out 
of their Drunkards Calendar* Thefe Diforders are tole- 
rated becaufe of the great Excife they bring to the State. 
The Mafter of the Feaft is efteemed a Niggard that does 
not allow his Guefts as much as will fuddle them. 
The Inns in this Country are long Stables built up 
with Boards, and covered with Straw, without Furni- 
ture or Windows ; there is a Chamber at one End, but 
none can lodge there j becaufe of Flies, Fleas, and noi- 
fome Smells ; fo that Strangers chufe rather to lodge 
among the Horfes, where there is alfo an intolerable 
Smell of rotten Cabbages, which thefe People keep al- 
ways by them. Travellers arc obliged to carry Provi- 
fions with them ; and when Foreigners want, they ap- 
ply themfelves to the Lord of the Village, who forth- 
with fupplies them. Poland being for moft part a 
champaign Country, a Calafti and two Horfes will rid 
a good deal of Ground there in a Day. Travellers ought 
to take more than ordinary Care as they pafs Bridges in 
this Country, becaufe they are generally very bad, and 
feldom repaired. When they go a hunting for Bears 
they catch thofe of the biggeft Size with Nets, and 
when they have hampered him, all the Hunters ride 
about him, and having pinned down his Head and his 
Feet with great wooden Forks, they bind him fo about 
with ftrong hempen Cords that he is not able to ftir ; 
then they rowl him into a great wooden Cheft ; the 
Knots of the Cords are fo contrived, that with one pull 
they may be untied. The Bear is kept thus, till they 
have a mind to hunt him, and then they let him out at 
a Trap-door made on Purpofe. 
They furround wild Bulls with a great Number of 
Horfemen, when each of them rides up and darts an 
Arrow at him ; upon this the Ox purfues his Enemy, 
then another darts him behind, and as he turns about 
to purfue him, they dart him fo by turns, till the Beaft 
being tired with purfuing fo many Affailants, falls 
down, and is eafily taken or killed. They have ano- 
ther way of hunting, by making the Boors fell a great 
Number of Trees ; each Hunter fecures his Poft affigned 
him, at which they throw Darts, and as the Bull runs 
towards his Enemy, the Hunters from behind give 
him his Death’s Wound ; but if he breaks through the 
Inclofure, the next Hunter holds out a Piece of red 
Cloth, againft which the Beaft having an Antipathy, he 
immediately leaves that Perfon and runs at another, who 
being provided for him, commonly kills him. 
10. The Ladies are generally very modeft, and 
not very apt to abufe the great Liberty allowed them* 
They feldom ftir out of Doors without a Coach and Six 
to Church, or to viftt a near Neighbour, and are always 
attended by a great Number of Servants. When they 
go abroad at Night, they have twenty-four or more 
Flambeaux carried before their Coach. Their Train is 
borne up by He or She-Dwarfs ; and they have always an 
old Woman to attend them, whom they call Governante, 
and an old Gentleman for their Uftier. Notwithftand- 
ing all thefe Honours, they are entirely managed by 
their Hufbands, and difpofe of no Money without his 
leave. When they want any thing they muft afk hin^ 
for it, kneeling, embrace his Knees, and call him their 
Benefador ; But fome few Trifles are allowed them of 
Courfe. The Fafhion of the Womens Cloaths comes 
nearer to that of the Men than in moft other Countries. 
They formerly wore Garlands on their Heads, compofed 
of Gold, Jewels, Flowers, Silk, and the like ; but now 
they wear Silk Caps, lined with Fur, like the Men; in 
King John Ill’s Time they imntated the French Mode, 
becaufe the Queen was of that Nation. 
The Peafants Daughters are fo extremely referved, 
that they Vvdll draw a Knife at any Man that offers to 
kifs them ; befides, their Mothers have a watchful Eye 
over them, and make them wear little Bells before and 
behind, to give Notice where they are, and what they 
are doing ; but thefe Precautions do not always fecu re 
them. The Countrywomen are habited as in other 
Countries ; but their Petticoats are very ftiort ; thofe 
in Red Ruffiia go generally in Summer with an Apron 
before them that reaches lower than ordinary. The 
d P wedding 
