to the laws; which were open to applications for redrefs, when the temper of the times was tranquil enough to allow of it. But in the prefent century, an advantage has been taken, during the confufion which attended the troubles in which the republic has been fo deeply involved, to get laws paffed which ftruck directly at all the rights of the Diffidents, and almoft at their very existence; by which it was intended, in procefs of time, to bring the fecular power to the aid of the ecclefiaftic; and from that means to profecute them, under an appearance of justice.

The first attempt of this nature was in the diet that fucceeded the troubles in the year 1717; and which met to ratify the treaty of peace then concluded between Peter the Great, Auguftus the Second, and the republic. At this diet, through the cunning of Sieniawsky, Bishop of Culm, an article was inferted in the treaty, as explanatory of an ambiguous article of a conftitution, which had paffed in the year 1632; by which explanation, it was falfely prefuppofed, that the Diffidents were forbidden, by the faid article, to build any churches after that period. This was managed fo artfully, that the very deputies of the princes who figned the treaty, and Auguftus himfelf, imagined that it only regarded the abufes introduced by the Swedes during the war, who had exercifed public worship in fome of the royal cities, where the Diffidents had no churches originally.

For the better understanding of this paffage, it is neceflary to ob

ferve, that frequent tumults hav ing happened, and much blood having been fpilt, by the rifing of the populace in the great cities, to demolish the Diffidents' churches, the latter, for the fake of peace, and to prevent bloodshed, confented to a conftitution which was paffed in the year 1632, by which they were bound to build no new churches in any of the royal cities. But by this new explanation, which now had the force of a law, and the effects of which foon began to appear, all churches which had been built in any part of the kingdom, fince that period, were ordered to be pulled down; and divine fervice was only allowed in thofe that were anterior to it. The nobles who kept minifters in their houses, and the minifters themselves, were, in confequence of this inference, punished by fines, imprisonments, and banishment; and the fense of the punishments and indignities was increased, from their being inflicted by inferior courts, compofed chiefly of clergymen. This method of procedure was the more extraordinary and unjaft, as it was a direct violation of the exprefs laws of the kingdom, by which it had been always decreed, that ecclefiaftical differences in which the Diffidents were concerned, could only be brought before the diet; and were neither to be tried or judged by any other tribunal.

Though the true defign of this proceeding was not avowed, yet fuch were the measures taken, and fo violent were the party who fupported it, that at the time the treaty was read, no perfon durft

give his vote, or fpeak one word against it; even the Prince Primate was not allowed to fpeak, who thereupon, with many other Roman Catholics, quitted the affembly; which has ever fince, from that caufe, been ftigmatized by the name of the Mute Diet. The treaty was read to the affembly, and they all standing; and though an affair of fo much confequence in other refpects to the nation, yet to carry the favourite point, it was without debate, or deliberation, hurried through almoft inftan. taneously. Many of the Diffident deputies, however, protested against it, and immediately quitted the diet. The Primate, alfo, and many Roman Catholics refufed to affent to it; and as, by the conftitution of Poland, no conclufion can be valid, that is not unanimously agreed to by the whole. diet; fo nothing but the most injurious and unjuft force could pafs this explanatory article as a law.

Peter the Great wrote a very ferious letter, in which he expreffed great displeasure, at the oppreffions that enfued in confequence of this article. Auguftus alfo publifhed an edict, to maintain the Diffidents in poffeffion of their former liberties; and a declaration, that the obnoxious article fhould not be prejudicial to them. Neither the letter nor the edict were of any ufe to the Diffidents. Peter, who was their best friend, was at the present taken up with other affairs; and when he was going to afford them effectual redrefs, by fending an army into Poland, he unfortunately for them died. Auguftus had not power to ferve them, nor had he inclina.

tion to difoblige the prevailing party.

The oppreffions of the Diffidents grew every day greater. To fuch a degree did the Bishop of Wilna inflame the minds of the people againft them, that they were by force drove out of the church, in which they were to have taken the oaths to qualify themselves for counfellors of the tribunals of Lithuania, to which they had been legally chofen; and from which they were excluded under pretence of the explanatory article, though offices were not at all mentioned by it. In every other refpect matters were carried againft them to the most extravagant pitch, under the fame fpecious pretext; infomuch that endeavours were ufed to prevent even their repairing their old churches, which were not in any degree included in it.

In this fituation did their affairs continue till the election of Auguftus the IIId. and the diet which fucceeded to the troubles upon that occafion in 1736. From this diet the Diffidents received a deeper wound than they had ever before experienced; for the conftitution of 1717, was not only confirmed in its fullest extent, but they were alfo excluded from all public offices; and to fhut them out from every hope of relief, it was decreed, that should they implore the interceffion of any foreign power, they were declared traitors to their country, notwithftanding thofe were the very powers that were the guarantees of the treaty of Oliva. The Proteftant country deputies of Pruffia were prefent at this diet, and protested against the proceedings; but they were refufed to be heard," neither

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neither was their proteft admitted in any of the courts of judicature; which was a notorious and public breach of the laws, as well as a violence to the Diffidents.

From this period, till of late, there were no permanent diets in Poland, and the affairs of the Diffidents fell every day into greater confufion. At the diet of 1764, both the two former fatal conftitutions were confirmed; and it was enacted, that, for the future, accufations might be brought against the infractors thofe laws, before any of the courts of justice without diftinction.

Our readers have already feen in the laft volume, the proceedings in the diet of that year; the applications thatwere made in favour of the Diffidents by the mediating powers; and the declaration made by the diet at its breaking up, in anfwer to them. We then forefaw that the conclufions of the diet were as little likely to give fatisfaction to the powers who had interefted themselves upon the occafion, as they were to redrefs the grievances of the fufferers. The promife made by the declaration, that the Diffidents fhould be fupported in their privileges according to the conftitutions of 1717, 1736, and 1764, and that the bifhops fhould confider their religious griefs; was, in fact, an affurance, that the three violent and deftructive laws, which at once ftruck at their rights, liberties, and fafety, fhould be enforced to the utmost against them; and that their grievances fhould, for the future, be referred to their moft implacable enemies.

As this evafive, pitiful declaration, unworthy the reprefentatives

of a great nation, could not fucceed with the powers for whom it was intended; fo the Empress of Ruffia, as one of the nearest and the most immediately concerned, was the first who fhewed her difapprobation of it. In the mean time the Diffidents, being fenfible that mildness and fubmiffion would only increase their dangers and hardships, under the prefent prevailing party, who fought their deftruction to increase their own ftrength, and perhaps with a view to unhinge every part of the commonwealth, in this fituation began to form confederacies in the different parts of the kingdom, for their mutual prefervation and defence. Though their once numerous and boafted nobility were at prefent reduced to little more than two hundred families, exclufive of thofe in the dutchy of Courland; yet they were animated to a bold attempt, by a fenfe of the wrongs they had fo long endured, the immediate injuries which they all experienced, and the total destruction which they believed was preparing for them.

The first act of confederacy was en- March 10th, tered into at Sluck, 1767. by the nobles and citizens of the Greek communion, and the two evangelical confeffions in the great dutchy of Lithuania. This act of confederacy was figned by a number of the nobility, who appointed Major General Grabowfki to be their marshal, and a council to affift him. About the fame time, a confederacy

was entered into March zoth. at Thorn, by the nobility of the kingdom of Po◄ land, who appointed Lieutenant

Gene

General Goltze to be marshal of the confederacy, with a council confifting of twenty-four members to affift him. This act of confederacy was figned by three hundred and eight members, befides the mar. fhal. Many of the Catholics, urged by various difcontents, muft have joined in this confederacy, elfe it is hardly conceivable, when the numbers of Diffident nobility are reduced to that lownefs, which we have mentioned above, on the fame authority with the rest of the account, fuch large bodies could have been formed. In fome time after, the three great cities of Thorn, Elbing, and Dantzick, published at Thorn an act of acceffion to this confederacy.

In the mean time the Emprefs of Ruffia fent a ftrong augmentation to her forces that were already in Poland, and publifhed a declaration, wherein, befides reiterating the former remonftrances and complaints which the had ineffectually made, the animadverts feverely upon the conduct of the late diet; avows her approbation of the general confederacies; declares herintention to support them with her utmoft power; that the fhall look upon any perfon or perfons that offer them an injury, as her enemies; and that her troops have orders to act accordingly, and to procure a full reparation from thofe who fhould venture to attack them either in their perfons or effects.

The Diffidents preferved a tem. per and moderation in their acts of confederacy, their manifeftoes, and all their other writings upon this occafion. They modeftly recapitulate their fufferings, they

make no remarks, nor ufe any pointed invectives against their perfecutors; they talk with great reverence of the Roman Catholic religion; profefs the greatest regard, love, and obedience to the king and the republic; and declare that nothing but inevitable neceffity, the fenfe of impending danger, which threatened them and their families with certain, and almoft immediate deftruction, together with repeated evidences that the laws were no longer a protection, and were broke through in every inftance, could have urged them to enter into their prefent union, though formed only for their own defence. In a word, the whole tenor of these writings fhewed, that they wanted nothing but to fit down in peace and fecurity; and every defire of diffenfion feemed very remote from their prefent difpofition.

The Pruffian minifter delivered, at this time, a very strong declaration from his master, to the king and the republic, wherein he commented feverely upon the declaration made by the diet to the foreign minifters, and expreffed great diffatisfaction at the contradiction, duplicity, and injuftice to the Dif fidents, which were couched in the very terms of it, He complained of the little attention that was paid to his friendly reprefentations upon the subject, declared his appro bation of the confederacy, and his intention to coincide with the Emprefs of Ruffia in protecting of it, and in procuring juftice for the Diffidents. The confederacy was farther encouraged by the declarations of England, Sweden, and Denmark, which were all in its favour. However, no power buc [B] 4 Ruffia