The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 2 (of 2)

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER XVI.

  Lvoff from the moment of the king's arrival was turned into a realcapital of the Commonwealth. Together with the king came the greaterpart of the bishops from the whole country and all those lay senatorswho had not served the enemy. The calls already issued summoned also toarms the nobles of Rus and of the remoter adjoining provinces, theycame in numbers and armed with the greater ease because the Swedes hadnot been in those regions. Eyes were opened and hearts rose at sight ofthis general militia, for it reminded one in nothing of that of GreatPoland, which at Uistsie offered such weak opposition to the enemy. Onthe contrary, in this case marched a warlike and terrible nobility,reared from childhood on horseback and in the field, amidst continualattacks of wild Tartars, accustomed to bloodshed and burning, bettermasters of the sabre than of Latin. These nobles were in fresh trainingyet from Hmelnitski's uprising, which lasted seven years withoutinterval, so that there was not a man among them who was not as manytimes in fire as he had years of life. New swarms of these werearriving continually in Lvoff: some had marched from the Byeshchadifull of precipices, others from the Pruth, the Dniester, and theSeret; some lived on the steep banks of the Dniester, some on thewide-spreading Bug; some on the Sinyuha had not been destroyed from theface of the earth by peasant incursions; some had been left on theTartar boundaries;--all these hurried at the call of the king to thecity of the Lion,[3] some to march thence against an enemy as yetunknown. The nobles came in from Volynia and from more distantprovinces, such hatred was kindled in all souls by the terrible tidingsthat the enemy had raised sacrilegious hands on the Patroness of theCommonwealth in Chenstohova.

  And the Cossacks dared not raise obstacles, for the hearts were movedin the most hardened, and besides, they were forced by the Tartars tobeat with the forehead to the king, and to renew for the hundredth timetheir oath of loyalty. A Tartar embassy, dangerous to the enemies ofthe king, was in Lvoff under the leadership of Suba Gazi Bey, offering,in the name of the Khan, a horde a hundred thousand strong to assistthe Commonwealth; of these forty thousand from near Kamenyets couldtake the field at once.

  Besides the Tartar embassy a legation had come from Transylvania tocarry through negotiations begun with Rakotsy concerning succession tothe throne. The ambassador of the emperor was present; so was the papalnuncio, who had come with the king. Every day deputations arrived fromthe armies of the kingdom and Lithuania, from provinces and lands, withdeclarations of loyalty, and a wish to defend to the death the invadedcountry.

  The fortunes of the king increased; the Commonwealth, crushedaltogether so recently, was rising before the eyes of all to the wonderof ages and nations. The souls of men were inflamed with thirst for warand retaliation, and at the same time they grew strong. And as inspring-time a warm generous rain melts the snow, so mighty hope melteddoubt. Not only did they wish for victory, but they believed in it. Newand favorable tidings came in continually; though often untrue, theypassed from mouth to mouth. Time after time men told now of castlesrecovered, now of battles in which unknown regiments under leadershitherto unknown had crushed the Swedes, now of terrible clouds ofpeasants sweeping along, like locusts, against the enemy. The name ofStefan Charnyetski was more and more frequent on every lip.

  The details in these tidings were often untrue, but taken together theyreflected as a mirror what was being done in the whole country.

  But in Lvoff reigned as it were a continual holiday. When the king camethe city greeted him solemnly, the clergy of the three rites, thecouncillors of the city, the merchants, the guilds. On the squares andstreets, wherever an eye was cast, banners, white, sapphire, purple,and gilded, were waving. The Lvoff people raised proudly their goldenlion on a blue field, recalling with self-praise the scarcely passedCossack and Tartar attacks.

  At every appearance of the king a shout was raised among the crowds,and crowds were never lacking.

  The population doubled in recent days. Besides senators and bishops,besides nobles, flowed in throngs of peasants also, for the news hadspread that the king intended to improve their condition. Thereforerustic coats and horse-blankets were mingled with the yellow coats ofthe townspeople. The mercantile Armenians with their swarthy faces putup booths for merchandise and arms which the assembled nobles boughtwillingly.

  There were many Tartars also with the embassy; there were Hungarians,Wallachians, and Austrians,--a multitude of people, a multitude oftroops, a multitude of different kinds of faces, many strange garmentsin colors brilliant and varied, troops of court servants, hencegigantic grooms, haiduks, janissaries, red Cossacks, messengers inforeign costume.

  The streets were filled from morning till evening with the noise ofmen, now passing squadrons of a quota, now divisions of mounted nobles,the cries of command, the shining of armor and naked sabres, theneighing of horses, the rumble of cannon, and songs full of threateningand curses for the Swedes.

  The bells in the churches, Polish, Russian, and Armenian, were tollingcontinually, announcing to all that the king was in the city, and thatLvoff, to its eternal praise, was the first of the capitals that hadreceived the king, the exile.

  They beat to him with the forehead; wherever he appeared caps flewupward, and shouts of "Vivat!" shook the air. They beat with theforehead also before the carriages of bishops, who through the windowsblessed the assembled throngs; they bowed to and applauded senators,honoring in them loyalty to the king and country.

  So the whole city was seething. At night they even burned on the squarepiles of wood, at which in spite of cold and frost those men wereencamped who could not find lodgings because of the excessivemultitude.

  The king spent whole days in consultation with senators. Audience wasgiven to foreign embassies, to deputations from provinces and troops;methods of filling the empty treasury with money were considered; allmeans were used to rouse war wherever it had not flamed up already.

  Couriers were flying to the most important towns in every part of theCommonwealth, to distant Prussia, to sacred Jmud, to Tyshovtsi, to thehetmans, to Sapyeha, who after the storming of Tykotsin took his armyto the south with forced marches; couriers went also to Konyetspolski,who was still with the Swedes. Where it was needful money was sent; theslothful were roused with manifestoes.

  The king recognized, consecrated, and confirmed the confederation ofTyshovtsi and joined it himself; taking the direction of all affairsinto his untiring hands, he labored from morning till night, esteemingthe Commonwealth more than his own rest, his own health.

  But this was not the limit of his efforts; for he had determined toconclude in his own name and the name of the estates a league such thatno earthly power, could overcome,--a league which in future might serveto reform the Commonwealth.

  The moment for this had come at last.

  The secret must have escaped from the senators to the nobles, and fromthe nobles to the peasants, for since morning it had been said that atthe hour of services something important would happen,--that the kingwould make some solemn vow, concerning, as was said, the condition ofthe peasants and a confederation with heaven. There were persons,however, who asserted that these were incredible things, without anexample in history; but curiosity was excited, and everywhere somethingwas looked for.

  The day was frosty, clear; tiny flakes of snow were flying through theair, glittering like sparks. The land infantry of Lvoff and thedistrict of Jidache, in blue half shubas, hemmed with gold, and half aHungarian regiment were drawn out in a long line before the cathedral,holding their muskets at their feet in front of them; officers passedup and down with staffs in their hands. Between these two lines amany-colored throng flowed into the church, like a river. In frontnobles and knights, after them the senate of the city, with gildedchains on their necks, and tapers in their hands. They were led by themayor, a physician noted throughout the whole province; he was dressedin a black velvet toga, and wore a calotte. After the senate wentmerchants, and among them many Armenians with green and gold skull-capson their
heads, and wearing roomy Eastern gowns. These, thoughbelonging to a special rite, went with the others to represent theestate. After the merchants came, with their banners, the guilds, suchas butchers, bakers, tailors, goldsmiths, confectioners, embroiderers,linen-drapers, tanners, mead-boilers, and a number of others yet; fromeach company representatives went with their own banner, which wasborne by a man the most distinguished of all for beauty. Then camevarious brotherhoods and the common throng in coats, in sheepskins, inhorse-blankets, in homespun; dwellers in the suburbs, peasants.Admittance was barred to no one till the church was packed closely withpeople of all ranks and both sexes.

  At last carriages began to arrive; but they avoided the main door, forthe king, the bishops, and the dignitaries had a special entrancenearer the high altar. Every moment the troops presented arms; at lastthe soldiers dropped their muskets to their feet, and blew on theirchilled hands, throwing out clouds of steam from their breasts.

  The king came with the nuncio, Vidon; then arrived the archbishop ofGnyezno and the bishop, Prince Chartoryski; next appeared the bishop ofCracow, the archbishop of Lvoff, the grand chancellor of the kingdom,many voevodas and castellans. All these vanished through the side door;and their carriages, retinues, equerries, and attendants of everydescription formed as it were a new army, standing at the side of thecathedral.

  Mass was celebrated by the apostolic nuncio, Vidon, arrayed in purple,in a white chasuble embroidered with pearls and gold.

  For the king a kneeling-stool was placed between the great altar andthe pews; before the kneeling-stool was a Turkish sofa. The churcharm-chairs were occupied by bishops and lay senators.

  Many colored rays, passing through the windows, joined with the gleamof candles, with which the altar seemed burning, and fell upon thefaces of senators in the church chairs, on the white beards, on theimposing forms, on golden chains, on violet velvet. You would havesaid, "A Roman senate!" such was the majesty and dignity of these oldmen. Here and there among gray heads was to be seen the face of awarrior senator; here and there gleamed the blond head of a youthfullord. All eyes were fixed on the altar, all were praying; the flames ofthe candles were glittering and quivering; the smoke from the censerswas playing and curling in the bright air. The body of the church waspacked with heads, and over the heads a rainbow of banners was playing,like a rainbow of flowers.

  The majesty of the king, Yan Kazimir, prostrated itself, according tohis custom, in the form of a cross, and humiliated itself before themajesty of God. At last the nuncio brought from the tabernacle achalice, and bearing it before him approached the kneeling-stool, thenthe king raised himself with a brighter face, the voice of the nunciowas heard: "_Ecce Agnus Dei_ (Behold the Lamb of God)," and the kingreceived communion.

  For a time he remained kneeling, with inclined head; at last he rose,turned his eyes toward heaven, and stretched out both hands.

  There was sudden silence in the church, so that breathing was notaudible. All divined that the moment had come, and that the king wouldmake some vow; all listened with collected spirit. But he stood withoutstretched arms; at last, with a voice filled with emotion, but asfar reaching as a bell, he began to speak,--

  "O Great Mother of Divine humanity, and Virgin! I, Yan Kazimir, king bythe favor of Thy Son, King of kings and my Lord, and by Thy favorapproaching Thy Most Holy feet, form this, the following pact. I to-daychoose Thee my Patroness and Queen of my dominions. I commit to Thyspecial guardianship and protection myself, my Polish kingdom, theGrand Principality of Lithuania, Russia, Prussia, Mazovia, Jmud,Livland, and Chernigov, the armies of both nations and all commonpeople. I beg obediently Thy aid and favor against enemies in thepresent affliction of my kingdom."

  Here the king fell on his knees and was silent for a time. In thechurch a deathlike stillness continued unbroken; then rising he spokeon,--

  "And constrained by Thy great benefactions, I, with the Polish people,am drawn to a new and ardent bond of service to Thee. I promise Thee inmy own name and in the names of my ministers, senators, nobles, andpeople, to extend honor and glory to Thy Son, Jesus Christ, OurSaviour, through all regions of the Polish kingdom; to make a promisethat when, with the mercy of Thy Son, I obtain victory over the Swedes,I will endeavor that an anniversary be celebrated solemnly in mykingdom to the end of the world, in memory of the favor of God, and ofThee, O Most Holy Virgin."

  Here he ceased again and knelt. In the church there was a murmur; butthe voice of the king stopped it quickly, and though he trembled thistime with penitence and emotion, he continued still more distinctly,--

  "And since, with great sorrow of heart, I confess that I endure fromGod just punishment, which is afflicting us all in my kingdom withvarious plagues for seven years, because poor, simple tillers of thesoil groan in suffering, oppressed by the soldiery, I bind myself onthe conclusion of peace to use earnest efforts, together with theestates of the Commonwealth, to free suffering peasants from everycruelty, in which, O Mother of Mercy, Queen, and my Lady, since Thouhast inspired me to make this vow, obtain for me, by grace of Thymercy, aid from Thy Son to accomplish what I here promise."

  These words of the king were heard by the clergy, the senators, thenobles, and the common people. A great wail was raised in the church,which came first from hearts of the peasants; it burst forth from them,and then became universal. All raised their hands to heaven; weepingvoices repeated, "Amen, amen, amen!" in testimony that they had joinedtheir feelings and vows with the promise of the king. Enthusiasm seizedtheir hearts, and at that moment made them brothers in love for theCommonwealth and its Patroness. Indescribable joy shone on their faceslike a clear flame, and in all that church there was no one who doubtedthat God would overwhelm the Swedes.

  After that service the king, amid the thunder of musketry and cannonand mighty shouts of "Victory! victory! may he live!" went to thecastle, and there he confirmed the heavenly confederation together withthat of Tyshovtsi.