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V
C H A P . V.
Corns o f Poland.— Public library.— State o f learnings— Literature
encouraged by the king,— Wretched adminiftratlon o f
juftice.—-Prifons o f War faw.— Punijbments fo r criminal
offences.— fortune abolijbed.— Laws relating to debtors.
"D E E O'RE our departure from Warfaw we viiited fome chaf.
■L' objects of literary curiofity ufually feen by foreigners., v~ ,
We firft adjourned to the palace to examine fome coins and
medal's relative to the hiftory of Poland. The count o f
Mazimfki, natural fon of Auguftus III, purchafed the greateft
part of this collection, and prefented it to his prefent majefty.
I lhall not enter upon any account of the foreign coins and
medals, but content myfelf with mentioning a few Which?
relate to Poland.
The earlieft coin is that of Boleilaus I. fon of Miciilaus,
the firft Polifh prince converted to Chriftianity : this piece
of money was ftruck in 999, probably foon after the introduction
o f coining into Poland. There was no head of the
fovereign upon it, only the Polifh eagle on one fide,. and a
crown on the reverfe.
The ferie's of coins is broken until Sigifmond I. from-
whofe acceffion it is continued in an uninterrupted line,
Henry of Valois excepted; during whofe fhort reign no
money was ftruck in Poland. I noticed a curious piece of.
Albert of Brandenburgh as duke of Pruffia, after he had
wrefted; that country from, the Teutonic knights. The-
Pruflian