Such seems to have been the history of Poland. In the fabulous period of Polish history the. land appears to have been colonised or conquered, and ruled by the followers and descendants of a Scandinavian or a Caucasian hero called Lekh, led thither by a white eagle, which became the national symbol, and from whom the old English name for the people — Polack, and the Russian name Polekh, or Polach, was given to them.
The nobles were always peers, and equals in political rank, and by some it is alleged that the whole population were such for a long time, but the yeomen became serfs, if they were not so originally. The monarchy was limited in power, and became elective. At first successive concessions were made by each one ascending the throne, and ultimately absolute freedom of election was proclaimed, an annuity alone been required to render it valid, and a charter was prepared, by which all privileges granted by previous sovereigns were renewed and confirmed. It was established that the king was to be chosen by the whole body of the nobility an 1 freeholders of the nation, and that in case of the king infringing the laws and privileges, his subjects should be absolved from their oaths of allegiance.
By union with Lithuania, and consequent on the various changes, civil and ecclesiastical, which followed, curtailing both civil and religious liberty, and ultimately in 1772 the first partition of the kingdom occurred.
There are in the list of the kings of Poland names which have been held in high honour by the loveis of freedom,
The partition may be traced to measures adopted by the dominant party to curtail the religious liberty of dissenters from the Church of the State and the Church of Rome. 'The reformed religion, though early introduced into Poland, was not for two centuries very generally adopted. The Protestants, called Dissidents (a term which also comprise^ those of the Greek church), were tolerated, though they were obliged to labour under many civil disabilities. During the interregnum that preceded the election of Poniatowsky, a decree had bjen made by the diet, by which the dissidents were, in a great measure, forbidden the free exercise of their worship, and totally excluded from all civil and political privileges.
* The dissidents could not submit without a struggle to the deprivation of their most valuable privileges. They combined unanimously to endeavour to accomplish the repeal of this decree, and, for this purpose, applied for advice and assistance to some of the most eminent powers of Europe. And accordingly Russia, Prussia, Great Britain, and Denmark, made remonstrances to the Government of Poland on this subject. These remonstrances, however, were without effect; for the decree was confirmed by the coronation diet held after the king's election. The dissidents in the meantime presented to the government petitions and memorials, and the decision of the question was at last referred by the diet to the bishops and senators. And upon a report from them, the diet made some concessions, which, however, were far from satisfying the dissidents, who thought it absurd that the redress of their grievances should be entrusted to those very persons who were the authors of them. The dissidents, whose cause was now openly espoused by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, were not to be flattered by the concessions of these persecutors, nor overawed by their power. They formed confederacies for their defence in every province, and were determined to resist unto blood in support of their rights and privileges. Nor were the Popish clergy and their adherents slow in making preparations. The Confederation of the Barr, the hope and bulwark of their party, took up arms. The cries of liberty and religion became every where the signal of a war, the true object of which, with the Catholics, was, not only to disperse or destroy their opponents, but to dethrone Stanislaus, whom they regarded as friendly to the dissidents, and to rescue Poland from the influence of Russia. The confederates, as the Catholics were now termed, feebly supported by Saxony and France, were vanquished in almost every battle; and the dissidents would have been secured in the open and unshackled profession of their faith, had the sovereigns to whom, in no mean degree, they owed their success, been actuated by any regard to their cause, or had not trampled under foot every principle, which the law of nations, — which the law of nature, should have taught them to cherish and reverence.