36
S K E T C H OF T H E
b o ok it generofity for pardon and prefervation. His majefty r e i -
L 1_' ■ t‘ terated to him his affuraiices of fafety. Judging, however,
“ that it was prudent to gain fome afylum without delay,
“ and recollecting that there was a mill at fome confiderable
tt distance, he immediately made towards it. Kofinlki
«■ knocked, but in vain; no anfwer was- given r he then
“ broke a pane of glafs in the window, and intreated for
w ihelter to a nobleman who had been plundered by robbers,
ff. The miller refufed, fuppoiing them to be banditti, and
<£ continued for more than half an hour to perfift in his-de-
“ nial. At length th-e king approached, and fpeaking
“ through the broken pane, endeavoured to perfuade him to
“ admit them under his roof, adding, ‘ If we were robbers,
as you fuppofe, it would be very eafy for us to break the
“ whole window, inftead of one pane of glafs.’ This argu-
“ ment prevailed. They at length opened- the door, and'
“ admitted his majefty. He immediately wrote a note to
“ General Coccei, colonel of the foot guards. It was lite-
“ rally as follows : £ Par une efpece de miracle je fuis fauve
i des mains des affaffins. Je fuis ici au petit moulin de
“ Mariemont. Yenez au plutbt me tirer d’ici. Je fuis blefffi,
“ mais pas fort It was with the greateft difficulty, how-
“ ever, that the king could perfuade any one to carry this
“ note to Warfaw, as the people of the mill, imagining that
“ he was a nobleman who had. juft been plundered by rob-'
« bers, were afraid of falling in with the troop. Kofiniki
“ then offered to reftore every thing he had taken; but his
“ majefty left him all, except the blue ribbon of the White
“ Eagle.
* “ By a kind o f miracle t atn efcaped u as poffible, and' take me from hence. I
«? from the hands o f affaffins. I am now at “ am wounded, but'not dangeroufly.”
the mill o f M ariemont. ■ Come as foon
“ When
« When the meffenger arrived with the note, the aftonifh- CIIJIAP‘
“ ment and joy was incredible. Coccei inftantly rode to the <— ..— -
I mill, followed by a detachment of the guards. He met
££ Kofiniki at the door with his fabre drawn, who admitted
“ him as foon as he knew him. The king had funk into a
“ ileep, caufed by his -fatigue; and was ftretched on the
££ ground, covered with the miller s cloak. Goccei in.in.ie-
<! diately threw himfelf at his majefty’s feet, calling him his
<£ fovereign, and killing his hand. It is not eafy to-paint
II or defcribe the aftoniihment of the miller and his family,
“ who inftantly imitated Coccei’s example, by throwing
11 themfeives on their knees * . The king returned to War-
« faw-in General Coecei’s carriage, and reached the palace
“ about five in the morning, His wound was found not to
“ be dangerous, and he foon recovered the bruifes and in-
<£ juries, which he had fuffer-ed during this memorable night.
“ So extraordinary an efcape is fcarce to be paralleled in
« hiftory, and affords ample matter of wonder and furprife.
t( Scarce could the nobility or people at Warfaw credit the.
“ evidence of their fenfes, when they faw him return. Cer-
“ tainly neither the efcape of the king of France from Da-.
“ mien, or of the king o f Portugal from, the confpiracy of the
“ Duke d’Aveiro, were equally amazing or improbable, as-
“ that of the king-of Poland, I have related it very minutely, .
“ and-from authorities the higheft and moft inconteftible.
“ It is natural to inquire what',is become of- Kofiniki, the
“ man who faved his majefty-’s-life, and the.other.confpira--
‘ £ tors. He was-born in the palatinate of Cracow, and of-
t£ mean extraffion : having affumed the name of Kofiniki+,.
* “ I have been at this mill, -rendered “ miller to the extent o f his wiflies in build- '
<l merp,orable by fo fipgular. an event. I t is . *.* in.him a mill upon the Viftula, and allow-
“ a wretched Poliflihovel, at adiilan’cefrom “ 'ing him a fmall-peniion.”
t‘- any houfe. T h e king has r.cwar.ded the. f.; His real name was John Kutfma.
££ which i