330 
taking leave of this supposition, I must 
next take notice of his remark, that par- 
ties of fifteen were severally admitted at 
the hours of eleven, twelve, half after 
twelve, and one; and that he had the 
misfortune to be ranked among the last: 
now, sir, I have frequently been classed 
myself among the one o’clock party, but 
nevertheless, the guides did not stay li- 
terally till that hour; but after the first 
party had passed through the first, se- 
cond, or third apartment, then the se- 
cond was admitted, allowing that time 
for the first to have sufficiently the lead 
of the subsequent party, and so on with 
the rest, making the divisions limited to 
certain times of the day merely nominal ; 
and this I believe tobe the general prac- 
tice, notwithstanding the statement of 
Inguilinus. We will however suppose 
this to have been the case on the oeca- 
sion referred to, but then [nquilinus need 
not have again encountered the perils of 
the weather. Was there not the whole 
gallery of antiques, the rich collections of 
Yownley and Hamilton, the most valu- 
able and most unreserved part of this 
national collection, in which your corre- 
spondent might have spent the inter- 
vening short space? One would think, 
that Inquilinus must be aware that no 
entry in a book, or pass-ticket, is re- 
guired to view all this. ‘Till four in the 
afternoon, it is open to all the world, as 
Inquilinus would have the rest to be, 
and with but one (hardly a sufficient) 
guardian among the spacious suite 5 at 
presume, that besides his theoretical skill 
in mineralogy, and other accomplish- 
ments, which far be it from me to dis- 
pute, Inquilinus must have some taste, 
some interest, for that transcendant dis- 
play of art which your valuable corre- 
spondent, Mr. Fosbrooke, | is now so 
learnedly illustrating; and in that case, 
surely he had no just cause of complaint 
in this particular. His other suggestions 
are certainly perfectly reasonable; and 
most cordially should I coincide in his 
proposed alterations, but as a lover of 
ymoartiality, 1 take the liberty of laying 
these objections in his way, which, if you 
will allow to appear, will much oblige a 
constant reader. H. M. 
October 13, 1810. 
—Sa ‘ 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
4 NECDOTES Of JOHN SOBIESKI, surnamed 
the GREAT, KING Of POLAND, 
EW men who have done so much 
for their country, have been so little 
noticed either by contemporary histe- 
Anecdotes of John Sobieski, King of Poland. 
[ Nev. ty 
rians, or those who succeeded, as Johi. 
Sobieski, king of Poland. 
Though called from a very inferior 
station to fill a throne, yet he proved 
that an elective monarch was not always 
deficient in the arts of governing a peo- 
ple, too prone to licentiousness of liber- 
ty, and consequently divided amongst 
themselves. From a state of anarchy 
and confusion, he restored Poland to 
social order; her exhausted coffers he re- 
plenished, without adding fresh burdens 
on the people; and not only drove back 
the powers who had invaded, and pos- 
sessed themselves of her fairest provinces, 
but retaliated by invading them in tarn, 
and increasing both the revenues, the 
territories, and population, of his native: 
country. Previous to Sobieski’s being 
called to the throne of Poland by the’ 
united suffrages of the diet, that countr¥ 
was a prey tocontinual discord. After 
the death of the great Hungarian prince 
Stephenus Bathori, which happened in 
the year 1586, Poland for many Fears was 
thescene of civil commotion. That prince, 
who was justly styled the Great Ba- 
thori, rendered himself formidable to the 
enemies of the state, by an intrepidity, 
a courage, and a constancy, which over- 
came the greatest obstacles: he possessed 
in an eminent degree that wise policy, 
that persuasive eloquence, so peculiarly 
adapted to govern the proud spirits of 
republicans, whilst at the same time it 
seemed to humour them. He was just, 
benevolent, and virtuous; but he could 
not avoid occasionaily exhibiting proofs 
of a hasty impetuoustemper. His death 
threw Poland into a state of universal 
distraction, which, with little intermis- 
sion, continued for many years. From 
the peace of Oliva, which was concluded 
in 1660, Poland ceased to be reckoned 
among the number of the principal pow- 
ers of Europe. After the death of king 
John Casimir, which happened in 1672, 
a year of interregnum succeeded, which 
ended by placing Michael Coributh duke 
of Wisniowiecki, upon the vacaat throne, 
His reign was but of short duration: he 
lost the affections of both the nation and 
the army, by the little eare he took to 
defend Poland against the invasions of 
the Turks, and by the disgraceful treaties 
he concluded. with them’: he died in 
1673, on the jwint of bemg dethroned by 
his own subjects. After a considerable 
degree of tumult and agitation, the diet 
conferred the crown on John Sobieski, 
general in chief of their armies, and who 
had rendered his country the most emi 
nent 
