The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 2Sienkiewicz, Henryk
History
The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 2
Sienkiewicz, Henryk
Historical fiction; Poland -- History -- John II Casimir, 1648-1668 -- Fiction
“Cut the Swedes, cut,
With sharpened swords.
“Beat the Swedes, beat,
With strong sticks.
“Roll the Swedes, roll,
Empale them on stakes.
“Torment the Swedes, torment,
And torture them as you can.
“Pound the Swedes, pound,
Pull them out of their skins.
“Cut the Swedes, cut,
Then there will be fewer.
“Drown the Swedes, drown,
If you are a good man!”
Unfortunately amidst the universal rejoicing and enthusiasm no one
foresaw that later the same troops of Lyubomirski, after they had
rebelled against their legal lord and king, would sing the same song,
putting the French in place of the Swedes.
But now it was far from such a state. In Lyubovlya the cannon were
thundering in greeting till the towers and battlements were covered
with smoke, the bells were tolling as at a fire. At the part of the
courtyard in which the king descended from the carriage, the porch and
the steps were covered with scarlet cloth. In vases brought from Italy
were burning perfumes of the East. The greater part of the treasures of
the Lyubomirskis,—cabinets of gold and silver, carpets, mats, gobelin
tapestry, woven wonderfully by Flemish hands, statues, clocks,
cupboards, ornamented with precious stones, cabinets inlaid with
mother-of-pearl and amber brought previously to Lyubovlya to preserve
them from Swedish rapacity, were now arranged and hung up in display;
they dazzled the eye and changed that castle into a kind of fairy
residence. And the marshal had arranged all this luxury, worthy of a
Sultan, in this fashion of purpose to show the king that though he was
returning as an exile, without money, without troops, having scarcely a
change of clothing, still he was a mighty lord, since he had servants
so powerful, and as faithful as powerful. The king understood this
intention, and his heart rose in gratitude; every moment therefore he
took the marshal by the shoulder, pressed his head and thanked him. The
nuncio, though accustomed to luxury, expressed his astonishment at what
he beheld, and they heard him say to Count Apotyngen that hitherto he
had had no idea of the power of the King of Poland, and now saw that
the previous defeats were merely a temporary reverse of fortune, which
soon must be changed.
At the feast, which followed a rest, the king sat on an elevation, and
the marshal himself served him, permitting no one to take his place. At
the right of the king sat the nuncio, at his left the prince primate,
Leshchynski, farther on both sides dignitaries, lay and clerical, such
as the bishops of Cracow, Poznan, Lvoff, Lutsk, Premysl, Helm; the
archdeacon of Cracow; farther on keepers of the royal seal and
voevodas, of whom eight had assembled, and castellans and
referendaries; of officers, there were sitting at the feast
Voynillovich, Viktor, Stabkovski, and Baldwin Shurski.
In another hall a table was set for inferior nobles, and there were
large barracks for peasants, for all had to be joyful on the day of the
king’s coming.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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