book, y e a r of his âge, and the 2 3 d of his reign, on the fame day
1 in which he was railed to the throne. The name of Sobiefki
is now extin(9;. My veneration for this great man prompted
me to inquire into the fortunes of his family.
Sobieiki* left behind him his wife Marie de la Grange,
three fons, James, Alexander, and Conftantine, and one
daughter Therefa Gunigunda. Marie his wife, daughter of
Henry de la Grange captain of the guards to Philip duke of
Orleans, and of Francis de la Chartre, was maidof honour to
Louifa queen of Ladiflaus IV. She was firfl: married to Rad-
zivil prince of Zamoiki; within a month after his deceafefhe
efpoufed John Sobiefki in fecret, and brought him in dower
a large portion and the favour of his fovereign. Her influence
over her hufband, and the ill ufe fhe made of her
power when he afcended the throne, have been already dif-
played.
James Louis, the eldeft fon of Sobiefki, was born at Paris
in 1667. He accompanied his father to the relief o f Vienna,
in the 16th year of his age, and narrowly efcaped being
flain in an adion near Banan in Hungary. He afterwards
gave'fuch lignai proofs of his military talents, that, upon his
father’s indifpofition in the campaign of 1687 againft the
Turks, he was intrufted with the command-of the army,
although only in the 21ft year of his' age; and received
from the foldiers all the honours ufually paid only to the
kings of Poland : a lingular mark of deference in an elective
monarchy, and which gave encouragement to an expedition
of the throne at his father’s deceafe. His father promoted
this view with the utmofl exertion of his intereft ; but this
project was. entirely difconcerted by the indifcretion of the
* The abbé Coyer has written the Life and, what is remarkable in a French hiilo-
o f Sobieiki with great fpirit and fidelity ; rian, has cited his authorities.
prince,
prince, and the reftlefs intrigues of the queen, who, having c^ pconceived
the ftrongeft antipathy to her eldeft fon, and a no -__,_<
lefs violent predilection in favour of her fepond fon Alexander
a prince of a more tradable difpofition, facrificed the
dignity of her family to a blind impulfe of parental partiality.
Sobieiki had fcarcely expired, before the cabals, which
even his authority could hardly fupprefs, broke out with
undiflembled violence. The divilion of the king’s treafure
eaufed the moft indecent difputes and altercations between
bis widow and children. James, without a moment’s delay,
endeavoured, though in vain, to feize it by force, but was
anticipated by the queen®, who, by the afliftance of the abbe
Polignac, fent it into France., She had three great o.bjeds
in view : either to obtain the crown for Alexander, whom
fire was fecure- of g o v e rn in g to promote the -eledion of.
Count Jablonoulki, great general of the crown, with an
intention of marrying him ; or to favour- the pretenfions of.
the prince .of Conti., warmly fupported by Louis XTV. At
all events fhe was firmly refol.ved to procure the excluiion of
her eldeft fon, and this was the only point fhe carried. Had
the family of Sobieiki heen unanimous, James muft have-
been eleded king ; but no fubmiflion f could foften the iro-
* The queen fent 3,600,000 French “ number and threats*, flopped the ca'rriager-
-litres n; .^125,000 into France. Larre.y, ' “ On/pur advancing to the queen, fhe re-
Hiih.Louis X lV . v. II. ,p. 29.7. “ ceivecl us. with great marks o f difpleafure j -.
t Zaluiki has given the following curious “ and although the prince proftrated hhn---
inftance o f the queen’ s implacability. “ I fel.f before her* and embraced her feet
‘ a.nd other fenators accompanied -prince “ wiih the moft profound refpeit, he was
James to the Qnefcn’s at Bieltz,' but her. . nor :able- to'extort from her -more than a-
majefty being inform e,d o f our approach, ‘ v fliort and evaiive anfwejy Upon his- re--
retired precipitately’ from the palace in “ tiring, with his eyes full of'tears,. T my.-
1 order to avoid the interview; we pveji- “ felf ufed fome-euieayours tojfpfteniherr
took her about a mile from Bieltz, and “ relentment; which, however,., bad n.o0
“ ordered the driver to flop, .while fhe re- “ -other c fie i t than to draw from her add i -
feV,peatedly urged him to continue his ro u t: “ tional exprelftons o fd ifgu ft and iudigna-t
at length the coachman, alarmed,.by our “ lion,.” Zaluiki, vol. .Ill, p. I*,;.
I, [ lhcable.: f