bo ok gained the affedlion of his fubjeas, he w a s reftored, in the
< life-time of Venceilaus, to part of his dominions; and he
recovered them all upon the demife of that monarch in the
year 1305 : he governed, however, for fome years without
the title of king; but at length in 1320 was crowned at
Cracow, to which place he transferred the ceremony of the
coronation ; and afterwards enaaed, that for the future his
fucceffors ihould be inaugurated in the cathedral of this city .
Since that period, the laws of Poland have exprefsly enjoined
that Cracow ihould be the place of coronation | and
fuch has been the fuperftitious attachment of the Poles to
this ufage, that when John Sobieiki was deiirous of being
crowned at Leopold, on account of its vicinity to the army,
which he was to command againft the Turks at the time of
his eledtion, the Poliih patriots ftrongly oppofed any innovation
t ; and that monarch was under the neceffity of repairing
to Cracow for the performance of the ceremony.
Since Ladiilaus, all the fucceeding fovereigns have been
crowned at Cracow %, excepting the prefent king. Previous
to his election a decree was iffued by the diet of convocation,
that the coronation ihould be folemnized for this
turn at Warfaw, without prejudice in future to the antient
right of Cracow; a provifo calculated to fatisfy the populace,
but which will not probably prevent any future fo-
vereign from being crowned at Warfaw, now become the
capital of Poland, and the refidence of its kings. The crown
and other regalia ufed at the coronation are ftill kept in
the palace of Cracow, under fo many keys, and with
fuch care, that it was impoffible to obtain a fight of them.
* Dlugoflras., lib. IX. p. 971. L.engnich, who was' crowned at Warfaw, becaufe he
Hift. Pol! p. 19 22. was only a temporary fovereign, and was
+ Lengnich, Jus Publicum. • foon obliged to retire from Poland.
1 I do not mention Staniilaus Letzinikj,
From
From the apartments of the palace we commanded an CI^AF-
extenfive view of the neighbouring country, which is prin- ■— i—•
c i p a l l y a large fandy plain. We obferved particularly two
very large mounds of earth, or barrows, one of which is by
tradition called the burial-place of Cracus duke of Poland,
who is fuppofed to have built the town of Cracow in the year
700; the other is called the fepulchre of his daughter
Venda, who is reported to have drowned herfelf in the
Yiftula, that fhe might not be compelled to marry a perfon
for whom ihe had entertained an averfion.
The whole hiftory of Cracus and Venda is involved in
impenetrable darknefs, and thefe barrows, which are common
in different parts of Europe, were probably anterior to
the Chriftian sera. The practice of railing barrows over
the bodies of the deceafed was almoft univerfal in the earlier
ages of the world. Homer mentions it as a common practice
among the Greeks and Trojans; Virgil alludes to it as ufual
in Italy in the times treated of in the riineid; Xenophon
relates that it obtained among the Perfians; the Roman
hiftorians record that the fame mode of interring took place
among their countrymen ; and it appears to have prevailed
no lefs among the antient Germans, and many other uncivilized
nations. In general, popular tradition allows iome favourite
charadters in natural hiftory, like Cracus and Venda,
to ufurp the honour of being buried under the moft con-
fpicuous of thefe monuments-.
At fome diftance from Cracow we noticed the fortrefs of
Landfkron fituated upon a rock, which the confederates pof-
feffed during the late troubles; and from whence they made
. excurfions as occaiion offered againft; the Ruffian and Poliih
troops in the fervice of the king. By a detachment of troops
from this fortrefs, the citadel of Cracow was taken by fur-
U a prize;