From Lyubovlya the king advanced to Dukla, Krosno, Lantsut, and Lvoff,
having at his side the marshal of the kingdom, many dignitaries and
senators, with the court squadrons and escorts. And as a great river
flowing through a country gathers to itself all the smaller waters, so
did new legions gather to the retinue of the king. Lords and armed
nobles thronged forward, and soldiers, now singly, now in groups, and
crowds of armed peasants burning with special hatred against the
Swedes.
The movement was becoming universal, and the military order of things
had begun to lead to it. Threatening manifestoes had appeared dated
from Sanch: one by Constantine Lyubomirski, the marshal of the Circle
of Knights; the other by Yan Vyelopolski, the castellan of Voinik, both
calling on the nobles in the province of Cracow to join the general
militia; those failing to appear were threatened with the punishments
of public law. The manifesto of the king completed these, and brought
the most slothful to their feet.
But there was no need of threats, for an immense enthusiasm had seized
all ranks. Old men and children mounted their horses. Women gave up
their jewels, their dresses; some rushed off to the conflict
themselves.
In the forges gypsies were pounding whole nights and days with their
hammers, turning the innocent tools of the ploughman into weapons.
Villages and towns were empty, for the men had marched to the field.
From the heaven-touching mountains night and day crowds of wild people
were pouring down. The forces of the king increased with each moment.
The clergy came forth with crosses and banners to meet the king; Jewish
societies came with their rabbis; his advance was like a mighty
triumph. From every side flew in the best tidings, as if borne by the
wind.
Not only in that part of the country which the invasion of the enemy
had not included did people rush to arms. Everywhere in the remotest
lands and provinces, in towns, villages, settlements, and
unapproachable wildernesses, the awful war of revenge and retaliation
raised its flaming head. The lower the people had fallen before, the
higher they raised their heads now; they had been reborn, changed in
spirit, and in their exaltation did not even hesitate to tear open
their own half-healed wounds, to free their blood of poisoned juices.
They had begun already to speak, and with increasing loudness, of the
powerful union of the nobles and the army, at the head of which were to
be the old grand hetman Revera Pototski and the full hetman
Lantskoronski, Stefan Charnyetski and Sapyeha, Michael Radzivill, a
powerful magnate anxious to remove the ill-fame which Yanush had
brought on the house, and Pan Kryshtof Tyshkyevich, with many other
senators, provincial and military officials and nobles.
Letters were flying every day between these men and the marshal of the
kingdom, who did not wish that so noted a union should be formed
without him. Tidings more and more certain arrived, till at last it was
announced with authority that the hetmans and with them the army had
abandoned the Swedes, and formed for the defence of the king and the
country the confederation of Tyshovtsi.
The king knew of this first, for he and the queen, though far apart,
had labored no little through letters and messengers at the formation
of it; still, not being able to take personal part in the affair, he
waited for the tenor of it with impatience. But before he came to
Lvoff, Pan Slujevski with Pan Domashevski, judge of Lukoff, came to him
bringing assurances of service and loyalty from the confederates and
the act of union for confirmation.
The king then read that act at a general council of bishops and
senators. The hearts of all were filled with delight, their spirits
rose in thankfulness to God; for that memorable confederacy announced
not merely that the people had come to their senses, but that they had
changed; that people of whom not long before the foreign invader might
say that they had no loyalty, no love of country, no conscience, no
order, no endurance, nor any of those virtues through which nations and
States do endure.
The testimony of all these virtues lay now before the king in the act
of a confederation and its manifesto. In it was summed up the perfidy
of Karl Gustav, his violation of oaths and promises, the cruelty of his
generals and his soldiers, such as are not practised by even the
wildest of people, desecration of churches, oppression, rapacity,
robbery, shedding of innocent blood, and they declared against the
Scandinavian invasion a war of life or death. A manifesto terrible as
the trumpet of the archangel, summoned not only knights but all ranks
and all people in the Commonwealth. Even _infames_ (the infamous),
_banniti_ (outlaws), and _proscripti_ (the proscribed) should go to
this war, said the manifesto. The knights were to mount their horses
and expose their own breasts, and the land was to furnish
infantry,—wealthy holders more, the poorer less, according to their
wealth and means.
“Since in this state good and evil belong equally to all, it is proper
that all should share danger. Whoso calls himself a noble, with hind or
without it, and if one noble has a number of sons, they should all go
to the war against the enemies of the Commonwealth. Since we all,
whether of higher or lower birth, being nobles, are eligible to all the
prerogatives of office, dignity, and profit in the country, so we are
equal in this, that we should go in like manner with our own persons to
the defence of these liberties and benefits.”
Thus did that manifesto explain the equality of nobles. The king, the
bishops, and the senators, who for a long time had carried in their
hearts the thought of reforming the Commonwealth, convinced themselves
with joyful wonder that the people had become ripe for that reform,
that they were ready to enter upon now paths, rub the rust and mould
from themselves, and begin a new, glorious life.
“With this,” explained the manifesto, “we open to each deserving man of
plebeian condition a place, we indicate and offer by this our
confederation an opportunity to reach and acquire the honors,
prerogatives, and benefits which the noble estate enjoys—”
When this introduction was read at the royal council, a deep silence
followed. Those who with the king desired most earnestly that access to
rights of nobility should be open to people of lower station thought
that they would have to overcome, endure, and break no small
opposition; that whole years would pass before it would be safe to give
utterance to anything similar; meanwhile that same nobility which
hitherto had been so jealous of its prerogatives, so stubborn in
appearance, opened wide the gate to the gray crowds of peasants.
The primate rose, encircled as it were by the spirit of prophecy, and
said,—
“Since you have inserted that _punctum_ (paragraph), posterity will
glorify this confederation from age to age, and when any one shall wish
to consider these times as times of the fall of ancient Polish virtue,
in contradicting him men will point to you.”
Father Gembitski was ill; therefore he could not speak, but with hand
trembling from emotion he blessed the act and the envoys.
“I see the enemy already departing in shame from this land!” said the
king.
“God grant it most quickly!” cried both envoys.
“Gentlemen, you will go with us to Lvoff,” said the king, “where we
will confirm this confederation at once, and besides shall conclude
another which the powers of hell itself will not overcome.”
The envoys and senators looked at one another as if asking what power
was in question; the king was silent, but his countenance grew brighter
and brighter; he took the act again in his hand and read it a second
time, smiled, and asked,—
“Were there many opponents?”
“Gracious Lord,” answered Pan Domashevski, “this confederacy arose with
unanimity through the efforts of the hetmans, of Sapyeha, of Pan
Charnyetski; and among nobles not a voice was raised in opposition, so
angry are they all at the Swedes, and so have they flamed up with love
for the country and your majesty.”
“We decided, moreover, in advance,” added Pan Slujevski, “that this was
not to be a diet, but that _pluralitas_ (plurality) alone was to
decide; therefore no man’s _veto_ could injure the cause; we should
have cut an opponent to pieces with our sabres. All said too that it
was necessary to finish with the _liberum veto_, since it is freedom
for one, but slavery for many.”
“Golden words of yours!” said the primate. “Only let a reform of the
Commonwealth come, and no enemy will frighten us.”
“But where is the voevoda of Vityebsk?” asked the king.
“He went in the night, after the signing of the manifesto, to his own
troops at Tykotsin, in which he holds the voevoda of Vilna, the
traitor, besieged. Before this time he must have taken him, living or
dead.”
“Was he so sure of capturing him?”
“He was as sure as that night follows day. All, even his most faithful
servants, have deserted the traitor. Only a handful of Swedes are
defending themselves there, and reinforcements cannot come from any
side. Pan Sapyeha said in Tyshovtsi, ‘I wanted to wait one day, for I
should have finished with Radzivill before evening! but this is more
important than Radzivill, for they can take him without me; one
squadron is enough.’”
“Praise be to God!” said the king. “But where is Charnyetski?”
“So many of the best cavaliers have hurried to him that in one day he
was at the head of an excellent squadron. He moved at once on the
Swedes, and where he is at this moment we know not.”
“But the hetmans?”
“They are waiting anxiously for the commands of your Royal Grace. They
are both laying plans for the coming war, and are in communication with
Pan Yan Zamoyski in Zamost; meanwhile regiments are rolling to them
every day with the snow.”
“Have all left the Swedes then?”
“Yes, Gracious King. There were deputies also to the hetmans from the
troops of Konyetspolski, who is with the person of Karl Gustav. And
they too would be glad to return to their lawful service, though Karl
does not spare on them promises or flattery. They said too that though
they could not _recedere_ (withdraw) at once, they would do so as soon
as a convenient time came, for they have grown tired of his feasts and
his flattery, his eye-winking and clapping of hands. They can barely
hold out.”
“Everywhere people are coming to their senses, everywhere good news,”
said the king. “Praise to the Most Holy Lady! This is the happiest day
of my life, and a second such will come only when the last soldier of
the enemy leaves the boundary of the Commonwealth.”
At this Pan Domashevski struck his sword. “May God not grant that to
happen!” said he.
“How is that?” asked the king, with astonishment.
“That the last wide-breeches should leave the boundaries of the
Commonwealth on his own feet? Impossible, Gracious Lord! What have we
sabres at our sides for?”
“Oh!” said the king, made glad, “that is bravery.”
But Pan Slujevski, not wishing to remain behind Domashevski, said: “As
true as life we will not agree to that, and first I will place a veto
on it. We shall not be content with their retreat; we will follow
them!”
The primate shook his head, and smiled kindly. “Oh, the nobles are on
horseback, and they will ride on and on! But not too fast, not too
fast! The enemy are still within the boundaries.”
“Their time is short!” cried both confederates.
“The spirit has changed, and fortune will change,” said Father
Gembitski, in a weak voice.
“Wine!” cried the king. “Let me drink to the change, with the
confederates.”
They brought wine; but with the servants who brought the wine entered
an old attendant of the king, who said,—
“Gracious Lord, Pan Kryshtoporski has come from Chenstohova, and wishes
to do homage to your Royal Grace.”
“Bring him here quickly!” cried the king.
In a moment a tall, thin noble entered, with a frowning look. He bowed
before the king to his feet, then rather haughtily to the dignitaries,
and said,—
“May the Lord Jesus Christ be praised!”
“For the ages of ages!” answered the king. “What is to be heard from
the monastery?”
“Terrible frost, Gracious Lord, so that the eyelids are frozen to the
eyeballs.”
“But for God’s sake! tell us of the Swedes and not of the frost!” cried
the king.
“But what can I say of them, Gracious Lord, when there are none at
Chenstohova?” asked he, humorously.
“Those tidings have come to us,” replied the king, “but only from the
talk of people, and you have come from the cloister itself. Are you an
eyewitness?”
“I am, Gracious Lord, a partner in the defence and an eyewitness of the
miracles of the Most Holy Lady.”
“That was not the end of Her grace,” said the king, raising his eyes to
heaven, “but let us earn them further.”
“I have seen much in my life,” continued the noble; “but such evident
miracles I have not seen, touching which the prior Kordetski writes in
detail in this letter.”
Yan Kazimir seized hastily the letter handed him by the noble, and
began to read. At times he interrupted the reading to pray, then again
turned to the letter. His face changed with joyful feelings; at last he
raised his eyes to the noble.
“Father Kordetski writes me,” said he, “that you have lost a great
cavalier, a certain Babinich, who blew up the Swedish siege gun with
powder?”
“He sacrificed himself for all. But some say he is alive, and God knows
what they have said; not being certain, we have not ceased to mourn
him, for without his gallant deed it would have been hard for us to
defend ourselves.”
“If that is true, then cease to mourn him. Pan Babinich is alive, and
here with us. He was the first to inform us that the Swedes, not being
able to do anything against the power of God, were thinking of retreat.
And later he rendered such famous service that we know not ourselves
how to pay him.”
“Oh, that will comfort the prior!” cried the noble, with gladness; “but
if Pan Babinich is alive, it is only because he has the special favor
of the Most Holy Lady. How that will comfort Father Kordetski! A father
could not love a son as he loved him. And your Royal Grace will permit
me to greet Pan Babinich, for there is not a second man of such daring
in the Commonwealth.”
But the king began again to read, and after a while cried,—
“What do I hear? After retreating they tried once again to steal on the
cloister?”
“When Miller went away, he did not show himself again; but Count
Veyhard appeared unexpectedly at the walls, trusting, it seems, to find
the gates open. He did, but the peasants fell on him with such rage
that he retreated shamefully. While the world is a world, simple
peasants have never fought so in the open field against cavalry. Then
Pan Pyotr Charnyetski and Pan Kulesha came up and cut him to pieces.”
The king turned to the senators.
“See how poor ploughmen stand up in defence of this country and the
holy faith.”
“That they stand up, Gracious King, is true,” cried the noble. “Whole
villages near Chenstohova are empty, for the peasants are in the field
with their scythes. There is a fierce war everywhere; the Swedes are
forced to keep together in numbers, and if the peasants catch one of
them they treat him so that it would be better for him to go straight
to hell. Who is not taking up arms now in the Commonwealth? It was not
for the dog-brothers to attack Chenstohova. From that hour they could
not remain in this country.”
“From this hour no man will suffer oppression in this land who resists
now with his blood,” said the king, with solemnity; “so help me God and
the holy cross!”
“Amen!” added the primate.
Now the noble struck his forehead with his hand. “The frost has
disturbed my mind, Gracious Lord, for I forgot to tell one thing, that
such a son, the voevoda of Poznan, is dead. He died, they say,
suddenly.”
Here the noble was somewhat ashamed, seeing that he had called a great
senator “that such a son” in presence of the king and dignitaries;
therefore he added, confused,—
“I did not wish to belittle an honorable station, but a traitor.”
But no one had noticed that clearly, for all looked at the king, who
said,—
“We have long predestined Pan Yan Leshchynski to be voevoda of Poznan,
even during the life of Pan Opalinski. Let him fill that office more
worthily. The judgment of God, I see, has begun upon those who brought
this country to its decline, for at this moment, perhaps, the voevoda
of Vilna is giving an account of his deeds before the Supreme Judge.”
Here he turned to the bishops and senators,—
“But it is time for us to think of a general war, and I wish to have
the opinion of all of you, gentlemen, on this question.”