Poland, properly fo called, was originally circumfcribed within very narrow bounds; the inhabitants, between the 9th and 10th centuries, were converted to the Chriftian religion, as it was then profeffed by the church of Rome. About the fame time a converfion was begun in many of the neighbouring provinces, which were then independent ftates, and who at different æras embraced the Chriftian religion according to the Greek mode of worship. In pro cefs of time many of thefe neighbouring ftates, by conqueft, by right of fucceffion, by marriage, or by compact, became united to the kingdom of Poland; úpon all which acceffions the new provinces were upon an exact equality with the old in every refpect, and each obferved their own particular modes of worship.

The greatest and most remark able of thefe acceffions was that which took place upon the Anno marriage of Jagellon, great 1386. duke of Lithuania, to the daughter and heirefs of Lewis king of Poland. By this marriage the great duchy of Li. thuania, together with the provinces of White Ruffia, Podlachia, Volhinia, Podolia, and foon after wards Red Ruffia, became annexed to the kingdom of Poland; with this diftinction, that the union between the kingdom and the great dutchy depended only upon the continuance of the Jagellonic line; that family being the natural fove

reigns of Lithuania. The inhabitants of all thefe provinces were of the Greek religion, as well as thofe of Moldavia, Wallachia, and the Ukraine, which were added to the kingdom by 'the fuccefsfors of Jagellon; fo that by these great acceffions the members of the Greek church became at that time vaftly fuperior, both in numbers and power, to thofe of the Roman Catholic perfuafion. It feemed a felicity peculiar to Poland, that this difference of opinion in religious matters, between the members of the fame nation, had produced none of thofe ill confequences, thofe animofities and difputes, which other countries had fo fatally experienced from the

fame caufes.

It is to be obferved that the conftitution of Poland was originally very different from what it is at prefent. While her kings fucceeded to the kingdom by he reditary right, the had no fhare of that boafted liberty, which the has afpired to fince; by the extinction of the Jagellonic line, in the perfon of Sigufmund Anno Auguftus, fhe has affum. 1572. ed the form of a republic, and made the crown entirely elec. tive. Under the kings of the Jageilonic, as well as the more ancient races, the inferior nobility had no power; the prerogatives of royalty were almoft the only legiflative power, and formed the code of laws. To give an exact idea how much the liberty of the nobility was limited, it is fufficient to remark, that the fecurity of their perfons was not allowed them, but by a privilege from Jagellon, by which he promised that no perfon should be imprisoned,

till he had been convicted of fome crime by a court of judicature.

Upon occafion of the difturb ances which were caufed by the Huffites, in Germany and Bohe mia, Uladislaus Jagellon, who was brother-in-law to the Anno emperor Sigifmund, caufed 1424. fome fanguinary laws to be paffed in Poland, to prevent the introduction of thefe doctrines, confidered as herefies, into his dominions. At this period, and for many years after, the epifcopal courts had great powers, which proved very uneafy to the Polish nobility, and kept them in fome refpects in a kind of fervitude; as excommunications diveft ed them of the power of acting in the diets and dietines. This grievance was at length removed, with great joy to the nation, though with no fmall difficulty, by that great prince Sigifmund Auguftus.

The reformation began very early to make a great progrefs in Poland, infomuch that the majotity of the fenators and nobility became members, either of the Lutheran or Reformed communions. We are to obferve that the word Reformed, in the writings upon this fubject, always fignifies the Calvanifts, in contradiftinction to thofe of the Lutheran profeffion. Το prevent all the mischiefs and dangers that might arife among the citizens on the fcore of religion, Sigifmund Auguftus paffed a law at the diet of Vilna, on the 16th of June, 1563, which law is ftill preferved among the archives of the fupreme tribunal of the grand dutchy of Lithuania; where by it is declared, that all those of the equeftrian and noble orders,

whether of Lithuanian or Ruffian extraction, in every part of his dominions, even though their anceftors had not gained the rights of nobility in the kingdom of Poland, fhall, provided that they profefs the Chriftian religion, be entitled to, and enjoy, all the rights, privileges, and liberties, to which they are naturally intitled by their rank and nobility. Likewife that they are to be admitted to the honours and dignities of the fenate and crown, and to all noble trufts; that they fhall be promoted, each according to his merit and dignity, to all dignities and confiderable trufts; and no one shall be excluded from them for the fake of religion, provided he be a Chriftian.

The fame prince, five years af terwards, at the diet of Grodno, in 1568, granted letters of confirmation on the fame fubject, wherein the fame articles are recited word for word; and, to prevent the conftruction in their own favour, which fome prevailing denomination of Chriftians, in prejudice to the reft, might put upon the words-provided he be a Chriftian-he made ufe in the letters of confirmation of the following memorable ones of whatever Chriftian communion or confeffion foever he be.

It is to be remarked with atten tion, as an obfervation upon which much of the knowledge of the fubject depends, that thefe conceffions and declarations are stated to have been made during the great tranf action of an union between the kingdom of Poland and the great dutchy of Lithuania. This was the greateft and most confequential event, with refpect to the two nations, that ever happened, and was happily accomplished by this prince; fo

that

that thefe conceffions are with juf tice to be regarded not only as laws, but as parts of the great fun damental compact, upon which the union of the two nations depended. That they were then regarded as fuch, is evident from their being included among the other general and particular privileges, which were granted during that tranfac tion, and afterwards received an equal confirmation at the diet of union, held at Lublin under the fame prince in the year 1569, by which the grand dutchy of Lithua nia was for ever united to the crown of Poland.

Upon the death of Sigifmund Auguftus, the Polish constitution was entirely changed, and the nation assumed the form of a republic. His grandfather, Caffimir the Third, was the first who convened the nobility, in order to oblige them to accept the new impofitions. Sigifmund and his father ufed the fame method; but after his death the whole legislative authority fell into the hands of the nobility.

At this period it is afferted, that the Roman Catholics in the king dom did not bear a proportion in number to the Greeks and Reformed, of more than one to feven. The Grand Marshal Firely, who convened the first diet of the republic, that diet which formed its prefent model, and made the crown elective, was a Proteftant. A perpetual peace betwixt the Greeks, the Roman Catholics, and the Proteftants, was therein eftablished, as a fundamental law of the republic. The wars in Germany under Charles the Fifth, and in France under Catharine de Medicis, made them fenfible of the neceffity they were under of tolerat

ing each other. The Catholics are faid to have been by far the weakeft, and thought themselves happy in the conceffion made to them, that the ecclefiaftical property and revenues of Catholics thould not be given to any but the members of their own communion, in the fame manner as thofe appertaining to Greeks were to be beftowed on Greeks only. They promifed to each other mutual defence and affection, and that a difference in religion fhould never prove the caufe of civil diffenfion, unanimously refolving to make an example of that perfon, who under fuch a pretext fhould excite difturbance.

As this law has been repeated in all the public acts, conftitutions, and pacta conventa, from that time to the prefent, it cannot but be allowed to be a fundamental one; nor can any other law be produced, whofe fanction has been more folemnly, more conftantly, and more frequently repeated. However, when the Roman Cathe lics, after the death of Sigifmund the Third, had gained an evident fuperiority, though they did not think proper openly to controvert it, yet they fhewed a difpofition, when opportunity was favourable, to infringe it, by placing under their fignatures, falvis juribus ecclefiæ Romanæ Catholicæ, faving the rights of the Roman Catholic church; whereupon the Diffidents, by way of reprifal, wrote under their fignatures, falva pace inter Diffidentes, faving the peace among the Diffidents.

It appears from the infancy of the republic, that the term Diffi dents equally comprehended the Greeks, Catholics, Reformed, and

Luthe

Lutherans, The words of that famous conftitution which we have juft mentioned, and which was paffed by the diet which formed the republic in the year 1573, are Nos qui fumus Diffidentes in religione, i. e. We who differ in religious matters. In the fame conftitution it is declared, that they will acknowledge no man for king or mafter that fhall not confirm by oath all the rights privileges, and liberties, which they now enjoy, and which are to be laid before him after his election. Particularly, he fhall be bound to fwear, that he will maintain the peace among the Diffidents in points of religion." In the conftitutions of the fame diet are the following remarkable ftipulations ; "We all engage, in our own names, and in the names of our fucceffors for ever, by the obligations of our oath, of our faith, of our honour, and of our confciences, to preferve peace among us who are Diffidents in religion; to fhed no blood, nor to inflict on any one the penalties of confifcation of goods, defamation, imprifonment, or exile, on account of the difference of our faith, and rites in our churches. More than that, if any one fhould undertake, for the above reafon, to fhed the blood of his fellow-citizens, we fhould be all obliged to oppofe him, even though he should fhelter himself under the pretext of a decree, or any other judicial proceeding."

It would not be eafy to produce inftances of equal moderation, in matters of religion, amongst a people who differed fo widely in their opinions on that head, as thefe we have shewn; efpecially if it be

confidered that these constitutions were paffed by a fierce and warlike nobility, each of whom was not only a member of the general fovereignty, which they had just taken into their own hands; but alfo looked upon himself, in his own particular right, as in fome degree a fovereign, as far as his eftate and power extended. We fhall pay the greater regard to the memory of thofe illuftrious Poles, if we reflect that the age they lived in was far from being a temperate one, and that moderation was but little cultivated in the most civis lized and beft regulated governa ments in Europe: at the fame time it cannot be fufficiently lamented, that their pofterity fhould fo fatally lofe fight of the politic, humane, and noble precedent, that was fet them by their fathers.

Thofe who have not confidered that perverfe difpofition, by which almost every denomination of mankind would endeavour to plunder, enflave, and perfecute every other part of their own fpecies; and who have not obferved that words can always be found, when attended with power, to explain away the moft explicit fense, and the moft indubitable rights; may well be furprised how a law, fo folemnly paffed, and so useful to the whole community, could be rendered fruitlefs. A law fanctified by the moft folemn acts, which the framers bound themfelves and their pofterity, by the moft facred oaths, to preferve inviolate to all futurity, which formed a principal part of the conftitution of the ftate, and which every king at his acceffion was fworn to observe. Yet this law, without any material change, much lefs a fubverfion of

the

the conftitution of the country, has been manifeftly broken through, while three of the religions, which formed the original compact, have been spoiled of their rights, liber

ties, and immunities, by the fourth; and all this outrage and wrong committed under colour and fanction of the very laws they were tearing to pieces at the inftant.

Ihm po appear fulles,ing tart T muft appear furprifing, that

reprefented as having formed fo fmall a part of the whole, at the time of establishing the republic, and who, from their weaknefs and inability of defending themselves, feemed the most liable to oppreffion, fhould notwithstanding become the moft numerous and powerful, and be able to tyrannize over the rest of their brethren. It is not improbable that this part of the picture has been a little overcharged by the writer from whom we derive our materials. Among the many caufes by which this perfuafion is faid to have obtained the afcendancy, and by degrees the exclufive poffeffion of government, the following feem to be the principal.

Upon the death of Sigifmund Auguftus, and the foundation of the republic, Szafraniec, a Proteftant, was proposed for King, and his acceffion wished by great numbers; but the Diffidents in general, from a grateful attachment to the Jagellonic family, preferred VOL. X.

the intereft of the Princefs Anne, fifter to the late king, and made. it a rule that whatever prince was elected fhould marry her. This princefs, who had been all her life in the hands of the Romish clergy, and was violently attached to their principles, obliged Stephen Bathori, who married her, to change his religion. And what was attended with much worfe confequences, put her nephew Sigifmund, who the afterwards had intereft enough to get elected king upon the death of her husband, into the hands of the Jefuits for his education.

During the long inglorious reign of her nephew, Sigifmund the third, which lafted for near half a century, all the material interefts of the nation were entirely neglected, and went accordingly to ruin. The bigotted monarch's whole time was applied to the bringing over of converts, in which he neither regarded the means used, nor the fincerity of thofe converted; and carried on every degree of perfecution and oppreffion against thofe, who had [B]

honesty