book tjie military or feudal fervices are required, they are the
«— 1 lieutenants of the palatines, under whom they command the
troops of the feveral diitrifts in the palatinates.
The great officers of the republic, who fit in the fenate,
are ten in number, namely, the two great marihals of Poland
and Lithuania, the two great chancellors, the two vice-
chancellors, the two great treafurers, and the two fub-mar-
ffials.
All the fenators were formerly appointed by the king ;
but by the late change of government, his majefty’s choice is
reftricted to one of three candidates prefented by the permanent
council | . The fenators, once nominated, cannot be
deprived of their charges, excepting by the diet.
3. The third eftate is formed by the nuntios or reprefentatives
of the equeftrian order. rl hefe reprefentatives are
ehofen in the dietines or aflembles of each palatinate, in
■which every noble or gentleman, at the age of eighteen,
has a vote, or is capable of being eledted. There is no qualification
in point of property required, either for the electors,
or eledted ; it is only neceflary that the nuntio fhould he a
noble, that is, a perfon not engaged in trade or commerce,
pofieffing land himfelf, or the fon of a perfon pofleffing land,
or of an antient family which formerly poflefled land t.
Each nuntio mull be twenty-three years of age.
The general proceedings of the diet are as follow : The
king, fenate, and nuntios firft meet altogether in the cathedral
of Warfaw, and hear mafs and afermon. After fervice,
the members of the fenate, or upper-houfe, repair to1 the
* See p. 64. freres, et autres qui font reconnus pour
| Eft autem nobilis qui patre nobili natus avoir leurs pofleffions et etre de race anci-
~ in fuispofleffionibus vivens juribus' not ilium enne et noble Le ix et Cons, de la Diete
utitur. Leng. J. P. v. II. p. 8. Les nobles de 1768. p. 62.
q u i ont des terres-, leurs enfans males, leus
c fenatefenate
lioufe.; and the nuntios, or lower-houfe, to their
chamber, when the latter choofe, by a majority of voices,
marfhal, or fpeaker, of the equeftrian order : in order to
preclude unhepeflary delays, the elediion is required to take
place within three days after their'meeting *. Two day&
after the choice of their fpeaker, the king, fenate, and nuntios,
aflemble in the fenate-houfe, which is called the jundtion
of the two hoitfes. The nuntios then kifs the king’s hand,
and the members of the diet take their places in the follow-
ingiorder.
The king is feated, in regal ftate, ¡upon a railed throne,
under a canopy at the upper end of the apartment. At the
lower end, oppofite the throne, fit in armed chairs the ten
•officers of ftate. The hiihops t, palatines, and Caftellans,
are ranged in three rows of armed chairs, extending from
the throne on each fide ; and ¡behind thefe are placed the
nuntios upon benches covered with red cloth. The fenators
have the privilege of wearing their caps, but the nuntios
remain uncovered. •
All the members being feated, the Pacta Canventa are
read, when the fpeaker of the equeftrian order, as well as
* Formerly, it being ftipulated th a t th e In order to remedy this inconvenience, it
ele&ion o f the marfhal flionld take place was enatted in 1690, that the marfhal muft
as foon as poftible, in m o t diets much ,be chofen on the firft day.of the meeting?
time elapfed befote ,a marfhal was chofen ; but in lyb.S, the time allowed for the elec-
and as the fitting o f the national aflembly tion was extended to three days. SeeLeng*
‘ is confined to fix weeks, it fometimes hap- J. P. IIv p. 3 22. undLôiX et Conft. de 17-68-,
péned, that the' nuntios could never agree p. 52.
in the choice ; and feveral diets broke up f Including the afchbifliops o f Gnefna
without tranfa&ing any bufinefs. Connor, and Vilna, each at the head o f his refbec-
Wfoo vifited Poland in John Sobiefki’s reign, tive fuffragans.
f ly s upon this, head, “ He that defigns to T h e reader will find a print which give's
“ l?e elëél'ed marflial, mu'ft treat the gentry a faithful reprefentation o f the diet in Gon-
t l all the while, otherwife he would have no nor’ s Hift. o f Poland, v. II. p. 82. One
^ vote for him-; ahd commonly they pro- trifling error muft be corrèéted the feats
** long the eleftio’n, that they may live the marked r t n are for the minifters o f ftate,
“ longer at the candidates charges.” v. II. when not ftanding near the throne,
p. 92.
V o l . I. O each