We make known by these our
Letters to all and sundry whom it may concern, that there have been shown
and produced before us the following Letters of our most serene
predecessor King Sigismund Augustus, fortified with the Lesser Seal of the
Realm attached thereto, and signed by the hand of the Reverend John
Przerembski, Vice-Chancellor of the Realm, and entirely free from all
suspicion; and petition has been made to us, that we authorise extract of
the same to be made under our seal in the form of authentic copy or
transcript. These Letters were in the following terms:—
SIGISMUND AUGUSTUS, by the
Grace of God King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Russia, Prussia,
Masovia, Samogitia, etc., Lord and Heir.
We make known by these
presents to all whom it may concern, whether of this or of a succeeding
generation, that envoys from the lesser cities of our Prussian territory,
sent hither to us from the Diet of Grodno, have shown to us Letters of the
Councillors of Prussia, written on sheets of paper in the German
dialect, and sealed with the territorial Seal of the Duchy of Prussia,
containing a Regulation made by public agreement of the orders in Prussia
concerning Scots and other merchants and traders, who prejudice their
common interests and usurp their means of livelihood; and that they have
prayed that we deign to approve, confirm, and ratify with our royal
authority this copy which for convenience in use has been made on
parchment, that it may last the longer. These Letters are to this effect:—
We, Prelates, Senators,
Castellans and Vice-chamberlains in country and town, king and counsellors
of this land of Prussia unto all before whom this our open letter shall
come, of whatsoever standing, condition, or rank they may be, do hereby
declare and make known that both in these and in other Diets which we have
held, the little towns have made complaint because of their manifold
burdens by reason of which they suffer great detriment to their daily
food-supply and are in danger of losing their all and of being ruined.
This have they brought before us, both in writing and by word of mouth,
and often have most urgently besought of us counsel and help, and that we
would be pleased to bring about a change; therefore we have at last taken
note of their many tribulations and also of the manner in which their
numbers are diminished, and have decided in conference, to look into the
matter that their great burdens may be removed, and that we thus may be
delivered from their manifold complaining. And to this end have we
considered their petitions, point by point, and caused our will regarding
them to be set forth as follows:
All peasants and
innkeepers, in these places in the land of Prussia, wherever, or under
whatsoever lordship, spiritual or temporal, the same may have dwelt are
hereby forbidden and interdicted, from this time forth, from brewing beer
or mixing it, and also from selling it on draught, under a penalty of ten
good marks. Those taverns are excepted which can furnish proof that they
have been granted privileges and which brew beer and dispense it on the
premises. They must not however sell it to other villages and inns. And
they must continue, as heretofore, to compare themselves, in this matter
of brewing, with the other towns of their district under pain of
punishment.
And no nobleman, but
contrariwise the peasants, shall trade in the country with the merchants,
and that only in corn, oats, barley, salt and herrings, to be shipped down
the Vistula or sold to the aforementioned towns. They shall refrain from
any other sort of purchase, on pain of losing their merchandise. Exception
is made of such of the nobility as have grown their own grain, and have
not bought it nor taken it in lieu of rent for their own profit; this they
may use and employ as seems best to themselves.
And whereas it has been
found that Bohemians whom good masters will not furnish with work, and who
have not rightly learned their trade, do roam up and down the country as
worthless furriers, tailors, and shoemakers to the prejudice of the good
craftsmen who remain in the towns, therefore they may not, from this day
forth, be given shelter by the nobles, nor suffered to remain in the
villages, and whosoever shall give them lodging shall pay a fine of five
good marks. But if a nobleman shall have need of a master or apprentice
for some work he shall not be interdicted from summoning unto himself one
of the nobles.
It is also noted with
disapproval, that the poor and the peasantry in this land of Prussia do
take certain freinhen and phflicht, which in the Polish
tongue are called Targowe, from certain wandering (?)
fellows, and this because the thing is a novelty, whence it comes that
often the markets are not visited at all, to the great detriment of the
little towns. This to cease in the land, and to be forbidden, once for
all.
Well nigh the greatest part
of the trade by which the little towns make their living is taken from
them by the pedlars who travel about the country, from village to village,
and sell their wares, and thereby do harm those who live in the towns. We
do hereby most earnestly enjoin that the selling of all such wares as
Skins, Wool (trachs?), spun flax, and other merchandise of the same
sort be forbidden; the penalty to be the forfeiture of the merchandise,
cart and horses.
Moreover it happens often
amongst the craftsmen that the one apprentice will libel another and
provoke him, to the waste of his time, so that to defend himself and his
honour he must suffer heavy loss. To guard against this, it is our will
that the same shall be punished after letters have been procured (?)
and that he who brought the other into trouble and is glad thereover,
shall be compelled to fetch the letters, and to set right again him whom
he hath wronged.
Moreover it has been found
expedient that all Scots, vagrants and others who make a livelihood by
trading with ready-made garments, haberdashery, small ware and other false
and deceptive goods should be interdicted from carrying on their trade on
pain of forfeiting their merchandise.
Further it is our will that
all magistrates and mayors should give special heed to the Silesian or
Hungarian cloth; and that it be forbidden to import any piece of cloth
which has not been stamped and which is not of the prescribed width and
length, these things being made merely to deceive the simpleminded.
Whosoever shall be detected in the selling of them shall be declared to
have forfeited his wares.
Moreover it has been made
known to us that the inhabitants of this country when engaged in shipping
their goods up or down the Vistula, employ foreign boats instead of those
belonging to the country, thereby causing loss to the inhabitants of these
parts. It is our will that this now cease, and that for all voyages of the
kind described above, boats belonging to the country be chosen first. Any
one found contravening this law shall pay a fine of ten marks.
All these enactments shall
be kept inviolate and enforced by the infliction of the penalties attached
to their infringement. It shall be the duty of the mayors or chief
magistrates to inflict a punishment in accordance with the transgression.
In witness whereof we have
fortified these presents with the seal of this land.
Given at the Diet of
Pradentz, on the 16th day of October A.D.1537.
Accordingly we, Sigismund
Augustus, the king aforementioned, considering valid and satisfactory the
Letters above entered, with their contents all and sundry, do think fit to
approve confirm and ratify them with our royal authority, and by these our
present letters so approve and confirm them, decreeing that they shall
possess now and for all time that force which is their due.
In witness whereof our Seal
has been appended.
Given at Warsaw, at a
General Assembly, on the Thursday [December 10th.] after the
Feast of the Conception of the B. V. M., A.D. 1556.
Done by request of the
Reverend John Przerembski, Vice-Chancellor of the Realm of Poland, Provost
of Gnesen, Cracow, Vilna, and St. Florian in Kleparz. {His signature.]
Accordingly we, Stephen the
king, having of our clemency accepted the above-mentioned petition, have
ordered authentic extracts of the same to be made, word for word, under
our seal, being desirous that this copy possess everywhere the same
authority as would the original if produced.
In witness and clearer
testimony whereof our Seal has been appended to these presents.
Done at Warsaw on the 29th
day of January, A.D. 1580, the fourth [Stephen came to the
throne in 1575.] year of our reign, by request of His
Excellency John Zamoyski of Zamosc, Chancellor of the Realm of Poland.
Metryka Koromna,
vol. 123, f. 223.
II
Copy of the confirmation of
an Ordination made with reference to Scots and Jews in Prussian
territory.
STEPHEN, King of
Poland, etc.
We make known by these our
Letters to all and sundry whom it may concern, that there have been shown
and produced before us the following Letters of our most serene
predecessor King Sigismund Augustus, fortified with the Lesser Seal of the
Realm attached thereto, and signed by the hand of the Reverend John
Przerembski, Vice-Chancellor of the Realm, and entirely free from all
suspicion; and prayer has been made to us, that we authorise extract of
the same to be made under our seal in the form of authentic copy or
transcript. These Letters were in the following terms.
SIGISMUND AUGUSTUS,
by the Grace of God King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Russia,
Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, etc., Lord and Heir.
We make known by these
presents to all whom it may concern, whether of this or of a succeeding
generation, that envoys from the lesser cities of our Prussian territory,
sent hither to us from the Diet of Grodno, have shown to us Letters of the
Councillors of Prussia, written on sheets of paper in the German dialect,
and sealed with the territorial seal of the Duchy of Prussia, containing
an Ordination made by public agreement of the orders in Prussia concerning
Jews and Scots; and that they have prayed that we deign to approve,
confirm, and ratify with our royal authority a copy, which for convenience
in use has been made on parchment, that it may last the longer. These
letters are to this effect:—
We, Prelates, Senators,
Castellans, Vice-chamberlains, in country and towns, King of Poland, and
the counsellors of our most gracious Overlord of this land of Prussia, in
diet assembled at Marienburg, make known to all whom it may concern,
although a universal prohibition went forth from us some years ago, and
was made public under the seal of this land, that nowhere in the country
or in the towns are merchants and pedlars to be tolerated; who wander
about, in villages and open spaces, to the prejudice of the little towns,
selling and passing off upon peasants and simple folk not only good and
bad wares, but all manner of fur garments and skins, which are usually the
due of those in authority and are heavily taxed.
This evil is greatly
increased hereby, in that certain Jews have made bold to settle and
establish themselves all over the country, against the custom, use and law
of the land. They use deceit and guile in their trading and carry on the
calling of usurers to the great harm of the ordinary Polish burghers and
all the inhabitants.
The worshipful nobility in
all three counties, who live near the towns large and small, have bitterly
complained of this and have earnestly entreated us to do away with this
harmful practice and punish the Scots and the Jews, whose proceedings are
not customary in this country and have been forbidden before. Further to
ratify and confirm the edict which we have already made public,
prohibiting them, we herewith enjoin most earnestly, in the name of the
king our most gracious lord, that after the publication of this our
mandate no Jew shall be tolerated in towns, country, or villages; and that
such as have settled anywhere in the land should be notified by the mayor
or chief magistrate of the town, according to this our mandate and
command, to take themselves out of the country; and they shall be
interdicted from all manner of trading from this day forth.
In like manner shall no
Scot, pedlar, vagrant (or by whatever other name they may be called)
engage in buying and selling, in country, town, or village, except at the
annual public fairs.
Infringement of this order
shall entail the loss of merchandise, cart and horse, or some other severe
punishment. And they must not buy or otherwise procure for themselves in
the country any fur, foods, or skins. Every Count Palatine in his
province, every Magistrate in his district, every Mayor in his town, shall
give good heed to this matter and zealously enforce this decree.
In the name of the King we
order that it shall be made public in all places and towns, and that after
its promulgation the prohibition be rigidly enforced, and all who disobey
it punished. In confirmation and ratification whereof we have caused the
seal of this land to be appended to it. Given at the Diet in Marienburg,
on the 20th day of May A.D. 1551.
Accordingly we, Sigismund
Augustus, the king afore-mentioned, considering valid and satisfactory the
Letters above entered, with their contents all and sundry, do think fit to
approve, confirm and ratify them with our royal authority, and by these
our present letters so approve and confirm them, decreeing that they shall
possess that force which is their due.
Furthermore, these same
envoys did set forth in our presence this serious grievance,—that those
vagrants who make their living by hawking new garments, and other wares
which are prohibited as being prejudicial to the common interests of our
citizens, and who engage in this business, being called in their own
vernacular pedlars, likewise also other merchants and Scots, do
establish markets, both public and private, here and there throughout the
cities and villages, not only at the season for our general markets, but
at other times as well, retailing garments of every kind and goods made of
material which is new and often defective, contrary to the Public Edicts
of our Councillors in Prussia, by which it is forbidden to engage in
illicit transactions of that sort.
And since this results in
the greatest hardship and ruin to the tailors, clothiers, dyers,
goldsmiths, furriers and other burgesses of these cities, whose labour and
means of livelihood are in this manner wrested from them, petition has
been made to us, that we deign to relieve them from grievances and wrongs
of this nature.
Graciously acceding to
these prayers and petitions, we of our royal authority do hereby forbid
the foresaid Scots pedlars, hawkers and other such vagrants to presume in
future to display for sale new goods or garments, of whatever stuff they
may be made, in any market, whether public or private, under penalty of
forfeiture of the same. One half of them we award to the Captain of the
district, the other to the prosecuting party, but we do not deprive them
of the right to sell garments and other goods which have been already in
use for some time, granting, however, both to the burgesses in the cities
and to the villagers in the villages the power to seize prohibited goods
and wares of this nature, to confiscate them, and thereafter to remit them
to the office of the Captain nearest to their particular city or village.
And these Captains,
Stewards, Dignitaries, Officials, and other magistrates, Provosts,
Councillors or their deputies we do strictly charge, under pain of our
severe displeasure and a fine of 200 Hungarian florins, to be paid without
fail to our Treasury, that they diligently execute both these and our
former commands, and fail not to extend the powers of public edicts to
offenders and transgressors such as these.
Which edicts we desire to
endure for all time coming, and to possess validity everlasting,
notwithstanding any other Letters to the contrary effect which may be
obtained from us by any persons whomsoever.
In witness whereof we have
appended to them our Seal.
Given at Warsaw, at a
General Assembly on the Thursday [December 10th.] after the
Feast of the Conception of the B. V. M., A. D. 1556, the
twenty-seventh year of our reign
Done by request of the
Reverend John Przerembski, Vice-Chancellor of the Realm of Poland, Provost
of Gnesen, Cracow, Vilna and St Florian in Kleparz (His signature.)
Accordingly we, Stephen the
king, having of our clemency accepted the above-mentioned petition, have
ordered authentic extract of the same to be made, word for word, under our
seal, being desirous that this copy possess everywhere the same authority
as would the original if produced.
In witness and clearer
testimony whereof our Seal has been appended to these presents.
Done at Warsaw on the 29th
day of January A. D. 1580, the fourth year of our reign, by request
of his Excellency John Zamoyski of Zamosc, Chancellor of the Realm of
Poland —Metryka Koronna, vol. 123, f. 226.
III
Letter from Prince
Radziwill to a Scot, Thomas Murray [The original in French. In the Private
Library of the Counts Zamoyski, Warsaw. Thomas Murray was Provost of Eton
and Preceptor of King Charles I. He was one of the seven sons of Murray of
Woodend.]
It is a long time that I
have not made answer to the letters which Captain Margaret brought me from
you, but he found me on the road bound for Lithuania, where I was so
pressed by public affairs that it was impossible during six weeks to get
one moment to write of my own affairs, even to treat myself for some
catarrhs and affections which molested me strongly during the whole time
of the Diet of the Kingdom. And all this not without grave cause, because
we were obliged to remain in Council every day from nine o’clock in the
morning till five o’clock in the evening, disputing for the most part with
the ‘Machiavelists’ (of which the kingdom has become full by means of this
infernal band of Jesuits) for the public liberties of the country, and
principally for that of conscience. But having suffered from works and
miseries, having emptied our purses and spoilt our health, we were obliged
to return to our homes without being able to obtain any of those things
which were justly due to us. For when we came to the point of liberty of
religion, not only would they not listen to us, but once or twice very
little was needed to bring the swords into play by reason of the most
outrageous words of our adversaries, who were assisted by the King’s
Guards, and by the Bishops (who had brought several thousand men with
them). They declared that they did not think of allowing the altar of the
devil to be built in place of the altar of God. And that one must proceed
against us in Poland in the same way as they have proceeded in England
against the Catholics, who undergo in that country the greatest oppression
and tyranny, greater than the Jews under Pharaoh in Egypt. And many other
remarks, very piquant. On which there were those who paid back in the same
coin. But beside all that we have obtained nothing. And the greatest gain
we have obtained from it all is to have left that place safe and sound by
the grace of God, for besides that we had to take great care of what we
ate and drank, they laid us so many ambuscades and so many treacheries, so
many quarrels to take us unawares that we must attribute the fact that we
are alive at present to the sole protection and safeguard of our good God,
who is on our side. Otherwise there would be no hope of escaping from the
many nets that were laid for us. Amongst other things it happened quite
miraculously that one of the first Jesuits, Prefect in Ordinary at the
Court, having mounted the pulpit and divided his sermon in two parts,
having finished one with great eloquence and to the admiration of all,
when he came to the other, in which he had promised to refute the errors
of those of our religion, in presence of the king, the queen, and all the
great ones of the kingdom, God hath so shut his mouth, that neither the
papers which he had, nor the whisperings of another Jesuit who spoke to
him in the ear helped him in the least, but having stayed beyond himself
and half mad for a quarter of an hour, and having shown that his words
failed him he was constrained to get down from the pulpit with a great
confusion, by which the king and all the assistants were more . . than
bell casters.
You have also (as I believe)
received how the town of Elbing is consigned to banishment, as they did
not want for anything in the world to concede their cathedral church to a
Popish priest—the more that they have a Privilege of the King given at his
coronation in Cracow, where he allowed jus patronatus in their
church and schools, and have been more than fifty years in quiet
possession. The letter which His Majesty of Great Britain . . [The
parchment has been cut and the word, therefore, has disappeared.] touching
the liberty of our religion has remained with me and not been rendered to
his majesty because the title of King of Sweden was not therein, which
would greatly offend ours. The Duke of Courland did the same thing with
his, whose affaires, as they went to the Diet, you will know from himself.
For the rest, we hope the war against the Turks for the Easter which
comes. And that of Muscovy ought to finish by the treaty (which they have
demanded) and they have also assigned from one part and the other certain
commissioners. Still this is much against the heart of all the clergy, who
would wish by force and not by agreement all that pertains to arms. About
my particular affairs, I have commanded Captain Margaret to write to you,
for in a few days I want to write you another letter. Now I beg you to
kiss the hands of the Prince your master, very humbly thanking him for the
present of nags (?) which he hath made, and to assure him of my sincere
affection and respect. Meanwhile in praying God to hold you in his holy
guardianship and safety all your life —Your very affectionate friend,
J RADZIWILL.
At Dantzig this. . . of
April 1615.
To Mr David, your cousin, I
play you to recommend me and to excuse me that I have not written at all.
That will be for another time.
[The letter had been
folded in three, sealed by the Radziwill seal, and addressed.]
A Monsieur, Monsieur Thomas
Murray, Tutor to His Highness the Prince of Great Britain, A Londres.
IV
Letter from Patrick Gordon
to King James VI. [Copy? In the library of Count Maurice Zamoyski at
Warsaw. (Original in English.)]
PLEASE YOUR SACRED MAJESTIE.—Since
my last letters of the 18th of December (whereof I herewith, fearing
miscarying, have sent the copie) I got audience of the King and reasoned
the Controversse of the Elector of Brandeburg and of William, Duke of
Curland at great length. As to the Elector, he affirmed that he would keep
constant friendship, and would gladly give him the investiture of Prussia
in time convenient, according to his answer given to the Brandenburgish
ambassador, wherewith he doubted not your Majestie would be satisfied I
have sent it herewith. But as to William, Duke of Curland, he rejected
that whole business with great indignation to the next Parliament, and
when I replied the whole commissioners in the late Parliament and the most
part of the Senators had pitied Duke Wilhelm—as long exiled and manifold
miseries and had consented to the restitution solicited by the ambassador
of Duke of Mekelburg, and that nothing now rested but that his Majesties
ire once might be turned into mercie, especiale for your Majesties often
and most earnest intercessions. He answered that the ambassador had
rhetorically commended Duke Wilhelm, mixing untrueths and dissimulating
his great offenses, chiefly for refusing to pass the river of Duna with
his forces, being often requested by the General Chodkiewicz. to join with
him in the Liwonian wars. As also divers times he had kept korrespondence
openely and secretly with big foes, and now also he meant not sincerely
but abused your Majesties and other Princess’s intercessions for
him, dealing in the mean time craftely with Duke Gustavus (so he called
the present King of Sweden) by letters (whereof he had the just copie to
show, for interchanging of his title to the Dukedom of Curland for other
lands in Sweden, thereby to take the most commodious counsel of the event
of his designs both in Poland and Sweden it would be tedious to rehearse
his long invective discourses against Duke Wilhelm so that for the present
is small hope of his restitution. Nevertheless, the Prince Ladislaus and
the King’s sister, Lady Anna, and many Senators are well affected to Duke
William, hoping by these and other friends’ intercessions to procure his
restitution in a more convenient time than now, the whole countrie making
speedie preparation for the Turkish and Tartarish eminent wars, and the
King himself busied dispaching ambassadors to foreign monarchs and
Christian republics for aide against the Infidels, and for composing the
intestine troubles in Christendom. He who is shortly to come to your
Majestie is named Ossolinski, sohn to the Palatine of a Sendominia {s
