Ce fut dans cette place qu'il conçut le dessein de place that he conceived the design of place that he conceived the design of It was in this It was in this détrôner le Roi de to-dethrone the King of dethroning the King of des Polonois mêmes. Poles same. of-the Là, étant un jour à table, tout occupé de cette entreprise, et observant sa SOall occupied of this enterprise, and observing his SO absorbed by this project, and observing his usual Allemand, qui assistoit à son dîner, dit assez haut who † assisted at his dinner, said enough high dinner, said loud enough German, 66 pour être entendu, " for to-be to be heard, heard, que les repas que le Czar et "that the repasts which the Czar and le Roi de Pologne avoient faits au même endroit the King of Poland the King of Poland † had made at-the same étoient un peu différens de ceux de Sa † were a little different from those of His were rather different from those of His "Oui," dit le Roi, en se place spot Majesté." found it the more easy to disturb their digestion." And in fact mêlant alors un peu de politique à la force de ses armes, il ne tarda pas à préparer l'événement his arms, he not delayed to to-prepare the event his arms, he soon began to prepare the event qu'il méditoit. which he † meditated. which he meditated. La Pologne, cette partie de l'ancienne Sarmatie, that part of the ancient Poland, which formed part of The Poland, Sarmatia, ancient Sarmatia, est un peu plus grande que la France, moins peuplée a little more great than the France, is less peopled rather larger than France, less populous mais plus que la Suède. but more Ses peuples than the Sweden. Her peoples than that country, but more so than Sweden. Its inhabitants ne sont Chrétiens que depuis environ sept cent Christian than since about seven hundred about seven hundred C'est une chose singulière que la a thing singular that the It is singular fact that the langue des Romains, qui n'ont jamais pénétré dans tongue of-the Romans, who not have never penetrated into language of the Romans, who never penetrated ces climats, ne se parle aujourd'hui communément to-day commonly these climates, not herself speaks qu'en Pologne: tout y parle Latin jusqu'aux do- mestiques. Ce grand pays est très fertile; mais les This great country is very Latin. This vast country is very fertile ; sont des Ecossois, des François, sur-tout des Juifs, are of-the Scotch, of-the French, over-all are Scotchmen, of-the Jews, Frenchmen, and above all, Jews, qui achètent à vil prix les blés, les bestiaux, les buy at vile price the corn, the who cattle, the who buy the corn, cattle, and other produce of the country denrées du pays, les trafiquent à Dantzic et en commodities of-the country, them traffic at Dantzig and in at very low prices, trade in them at Dantzig and in Allemagne, et vendent chèrement aux nobles de sell Germany, and Germany, and sell dearly dearly to-the nobles of to the nobles the quoi satisfaire l'espèce de luxe qu'ils connoissent what to-satisfy the sort of luxury which they know means of indulging in that sort of luxury of which they have any et qu'ils aiment. love. and which they knowledge or desire. Ainsi ce pays, arrosé des plus Thus this country, watered of-the inost belles rivières, riche en pâturages, en mines de sel, rich in pasturages, in mines of salt, finest rivers, rich in pastures and salt-mines, beautiful rivers, et couvert de moissons, reste pauvre, malgré son and covered of harvests, remains poor, in-spite-of his and abounding in corn, remain poor, in spite of its abondance, parceque le peuple abundance, plenty, est esclave, et que because the people is slave, and that because the people are enslaved and is the most faithful image of government presents the most faithful picture of l'ancien gouvernement Celte et Gothique, the ancient government Celtic and Gothic, that of the ancient Celts and Goths, which has been corrigé ou altéré par-tout ailleurs. corrected or altered by-all elsewhere. corrected or altered in every other country. C'est le seul It is the sole It is the only état qui ait conservé le nom de république state which may-have preserved the name of republic state which has preserved the name of republic together avec la dignité royale. with the dignity royal. with the dignity of monarch. Chaque gentilhomme a le Every Every gentleman has the man of family has the droit de donner sa voix dans l'élection d'un right of to-give his voice in the election of a right of giving his vote in the election of a roi, et king, and king, and Ce plus This most of becoming a candidate for the crown himself. This most beau des droits est joint au plus grand des abus: beautiful of-the rights is joined to-the most great of-the abuses : noble privilege is coupled with the greatest abuses: le trône est presque toujours the throne is almost the throne is almost à at always the clergy defend their l'enchère; il he the auction; to auction, and La noblesse et The nobility and liberté contre leur Roi, the clergy defend their own liberty against the King, et and l'ôtent au reste de la nation. her take-away to-the rest of the nation.. while they destroy that of the rest of the nation. peuple y est esclave; tant body of the people are slaves; so surely is it the destiny des hommes est que le plus grand nombre soit paris that the most great number may-be by that the greater number should every de façon ou d'autre, subjugué par le plus of other, subjugated by the most where, in some mode or other, be subjugated by the petit. Là le paysan ne sème point pour lui, mais small. There the peasant not SOWS The Polish peasant sows not less. for him, but for himself, but pour des seigneurs, à qui lui, son champ et le for to whom he, his field of-the lords, for the lords, to whom he, his field and the and the travail de ses mains appartiennent, et qui peuvent labour of his labour of his him hands hands belong, belong, and who are-able and who may le vendre et l'égorger avec le bétail de la terre; and him to-slaughter with the cattle of the earth; sell him or butcher him like the cattle on their estates; to-sell tout ce qui est gentilhomme ne dépend que de soi. gentleman not depends than of itself. every man of noble descent is responsible to himself alone. an affair Il faut pour le juger dans une affaire criminelle, une assemblée entière de la nation: il ne peut être an entire of the nation : it not is-able to-be he cannot be assembly whole nation must be summoned; arrêté qu'après avoir été condamné; ainsi il n'est stopped than after to-have been condemned; thus it not is arrested until after he has been condemned; he is therefore pauvres; ceux-là se mettent au service des plus poor; those-there themselves put to-the service of-the more poor nobles; these in the service of the more engage puissans, en reçoivent un salaire, font les fonctions than of themselves to-enrich by the commerce; and in tending than to enrich themselves by commerce; and while they les chevaux de leurs maîtres, ils the se donnent le horses of their masters, they themselves give the groom their masters' horses, they give themselves the |