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Mais étant rarement payés eux-mêmes, ils dé

But being rarely paid Being, however, rarely paid

themselves, they dethemselves, they de

solent le pays, et ruinent les laboureurs, pour satis

solate the country, and ruin the labourers, solate the country, and ruin the peasantry, to sa

for to-sa

faire leur

avidité et celle de leurs soldats.

Les

tisfy their avidity and that-her of their soldiers. The tisfy their own avidity and that of their soldiers. The

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plus de magnificence que dans les villes; leurs tentes more of magnificence than in the cities; their tents greater magnificence than in the towns; their tents

sont plus belles que leurs

are more beautiful than their
are
more beautiful than their

maisons. La cavalerie,

houses. houses.

The cavalry, The cavalry,

qui fait les deux tiers de l'armée, est presque which makes the two third-parts of the army, is almost which constitutes two-thirds of the army, is almost

toute composée de gentilshommes; elle est re

all

composed of

entirely composed of

gentlemen;
nobles;

she is reit is re

marquable par la beauté des chevaux, et par la markable by the beauty of-the horses, and by the markable for the beauty of the horses, and for the

richesse des habillemens et des harnois.

riches

of-the

richness of their

habiliments and of-the harnesses.
dresses and
harness.

Les gendarmes sur-tout, que l'on distingue en gendarmes over all, whom the one distinguishes into

The

The gendarmes especially, who

divided are

into

houssards et pancernes, ne marchent qu'accompagnés hussars and pancernes, not march than accompanied hussars and pancernes, are always accompanied on their march

de plusieurs valets qui leur tiennent des chevaux de

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main, ornés de brides à plaques et clous d'ar

hand, ornamented of bridles to plates and nails of silornamented with bridles plated and studded with

gent, de selles brodées, d'arçons, d'étriers dorés, ver, of saddles embroidered, of saddle-bows, of stirrups silver, embroidered saddles, saddle-bows, and stirrups gilded,

gilded,

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housses traînantes, à la manière des Turcs, dont les

housings dragging, to the manner

sweeping housings, in the

style of the Turks,

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of-the Turks,

of-whom the

whose

peuvent la magnifiare-able the magnifias nearly as they

cence.

cence.

can.

Autant cette cavalerie est parée et superbe,

As-much this

cavalry is adorned and superb, In proportion as the cavalry is gorgeous and superb, autant l'infanterie étoit alors délabrée, mal vêtue, so-much the infantry † was then tattered, ill clad, is shabby, ill clothed,

the infantry

mal armée, sans habits d'ordonnance, ni rien d'uniill armed, without clothes of ordinance, nor nothing of uniill armed, without regimental clothing, or any uniformity of

forme. C'est ainsi du moins qu'elle fut jusque

form.

It is thus of-the least that she was until

appearance. Such

vers

towards

at least was its condition

mille sept cent dix.

thousand seven hundred ten.

about the year seventeen hundred and ten.

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qui ressemblent à des Tartares vagabonds, supportent

who resemble to of-the Tartars vagabond,

who resemble

wandering Tartars,

support

support

avec une fermeté étonnante la faim, le froid, la fawith a firmness astonishing the hunger, the cold, the fawith astonishing firmness hunger, cold,

VOL. I.

fa

U

tigue, et tout le poids de la guerre. On voit encore tigue, and all the weight of the tigue, and all the evils of

war.

One sees still war. In the Polish

dans les soldats Polonois le caractère des anciens

in the soldiers

Polish the character of-the ancient soldiers may still be traced the character of their anSarmates, leurs ancêtres; aussi peu de discipline, la Sarmatians, their ancestors; as little of discipline, the cestors, the ancient Sarmatians; as little discipline, the

même fureur à attaquer, la même promptitude à same fury to to-attack, the same promptitude to fury in attack, the same alacrity in

same

fuir et à revenir au combat, le même acharne

to-flee and to to-come-back to-the combat, the same fleeing and in returning to the fight, and the same

rancour

ferocious

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dans le besoin ces deux

in the want these two

in emergencies, these two

sa faveur; que la Pospolite

armées combattroient en would-combat in would fight in

arınies armies

Polonoise

Polish

his favour; that the Pospolite
his defence; that the Polish Pospolite

ses ordres, et que toutes ces forces

his orders, and that his bidding, and that

all all

Saxons ses sujets, et aux

Saxons his subjects, and to-the subjects the Saxons, and to his

these forces

these forces

s'armeroit à

herself would-arm at would arm at

jointes aux joined to-the joined to his

Moscovites ses alliés,

Muscovites his allies, allies the Russians,

composeroient une multitude devant qui le petit

would-compose would form

a

a

nombre des Suédois

multitude in-front-of whom the little multitude before which the small

se

n'oseroit paroître. Il not would-dare to-appear. He himself number of the Swedes would not dare to appear. He found

number of-the Swedes

1

vit presque tout-à-coup privé de ces secours, par

saw

almost

all-at-stroke deprived of these succours, by himself almost in a moment deprived of these resources, by

les soins mêmes qu'il avoit pris pour les

the cares

same

the very care

tous à la fois.

all at the time. all at once.

which he had taken for them

he had taken to

avoir

to-have

secure them

Accoutumé dans ses pays héréditaires au pou

Accustomed

Accustomed

in his countries hereditary to-the powin his hereditary dominions to abso

voir absolu, il crut trop, peut-être, qu'il pourroit

er absolute, he believed too-much, may-be, that he would-be-able lute power, he perhaps too readily believed that he

gouverner la Pologne comme la Saxe. as the Saxony. Poland like Saxony.

to-govern the Poland govern

could

Le commencement de son règne fit des méconbeginning of his reign made of-the disconThe commencement of his reign excited discon

The

tens; ses premières démarches irritèrent le parti

tented; his tent; his

first first

steps

irritated the party measures irritated the party

qui s'étoit opposé à son élection, et aliénèrent

which itself † was opposed to his election, and alienated, which had opposed his election, and alienated

presque tout le reste. La Pologne murmura de voir almost all the rest. nearly all the others.

The Poland murmured of to-see

Poland murmured at seeing

ses villes remplies de garnisons Saxonnes, et ses

her cities
filled
of garrisons
her cities filled with
Saxon

Saxon, and her garrisons, and her

frontières de troupes. Cette nation, bien plus

frontiers

of troops. 1 This nation,

well more

frontiers with troops. This nation, which is much more

jalouse de maintenir sa

liberté, qu'empressée à

jealous of to-maintain her liberty, than eager jealous of maintaining its own liberty, than

to

eager

to

*

attaquer ses voisins, ne regarda point la guerre du her neighbours, not regarded attack its neighbours, did not regard the war of

to-attack

the war of-the

Roi Auguste contre la Suède, et l'irruption en

King Augustus against the Sweden, and the irruption into
King Augustus against the Swedes, and the irruption into

Livonie, comme une entreprise avantageuse à la ré-
Livonia,
Livonia, as

as

an

enterprise advantageous to the rean enterprise advantageous to the re

publique. On trompe difficilement une nation libre

public. public.

One deceives difficultly
It is difficult to deceive

a

nation free

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sur ses vrais intérêts. Les Polonois sentoient que si

upon her true interests.

The Poles

† felt

that if

as to its true interests.

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de tous côtés, seroit en proie au Roi de Suède; of all sides, † would-be in prey to-the King of Sweden; on every side, would become a prey to the King of Sweden;

que si elle étoit heureuse, ils seroient subjugués par

ouvert

open

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their King himself, who, being then master of Livonia

comme de la Saxe, enclaveroit la Pologne entre

as of the Saxony, would-wedge-in the Poland between as well as of Saxony, would hem in Poland between

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of to-be

slaves of-the King whom they of becoming slaves of the King they

+ had elected, ог had elected, or

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