bo ok j came next to the fepulchre of his fucceffor Sigifmond
«— III. fon of John III. king of Sweden, and of Catharine
daughter o f Sigifmond I . : elected king of Poland in 1587,
he revived in his perfon, on the female fide, the race of the
Jaghellon family. He was raifed to the throne of this
country while he was prince royal of Sweden ; and, upon
the death of his father in 159 2, poffefied both crowns; but
he gradually loft all authority in Sweden, and was at length
formally depofed by the ftates of that kingdom. He owed
his expulfion from Sweden to his partiality for Poland, to
his bigoted zeal for the catholic religion, and above all to the
fuperior genius of his uncle and rival Charles IX. He expired
in the 46th year of his reign, and in the 67 th of his
age.
Near the body of Sigifmond lie thofe of his two fons ; the
eldeft named Ladiflaus IV. eleited king of Poland upon
the demife of his father, fupported the dignity of his crown
with reputation and honour; the fecond, John Cafimir, was
a prince, whofe charadter and adventures are too. fingular to
be pa{fed over without particular notice.
John Cafimir,fon of Sigifmond III. by a fecond wife Anne,
fifter of the emperor Ferdinand II. was educated in his fa*-
«* ther’s court, upon whofe death his mother endeavoured, but
without effedl, to procure his election to the throne, in op-
pofition to his elder brother Ladiflaus IV. Repulfed from
the throne, he contracted a difguft to Poland, and undertook
a journey to Spain with a view of offering his fervices to his
coufin Philip IV. then at war with France. Palling through
Auftria and Trent into Italy, at Genoa he embarked in a
veflel bound to Spain; but, prompted by curiofity, he ventured
tured to land incognito at Marfeilles: being difcovered, he CHAP-
was arrefted by order of the court of France, and, on account-,. ’ .
of his connexion with the houfe of Auftria, 'clofely imprh
foned for the fpace of two years *t Being at length releafed'
at the interceflion of his brother the king o f Poland, he repaired
to Rome, and there, either out of devotion or caprice;
entered into the order of the Jefuits, Afterwards, grown
weary of his function, he quitted that order, and was promoted
to the rank of cardinal. Upon the death of his brother
Ladiflaus IV. being abfolved from his vows by the
pope, he was eledted king of Poland; and, having obtained
a difpenfation, married his brother’s widow Louifa Maria
daughter of the duke of Nevers, a woman of great beauty
and ftill greater fpirit, who blended devotion with a ftrong
propenfity to political intrigues : the foul of her huiband’s
councils, fhe may be faid to have reigned over Poland, while
he was only nominal king. Such was her afcendancy, that
ihe prevailed upon him to folicit the nomination of the duke
of Enguien ion of the great Gonde for his fucceffor ; a
meafure fo contradictory to the firft principles of the Polifll .
conftitution, as well as to his coronation oath, excited a general
difcontent, and threw the kingdom into the moft violent
commotions.
The reign of John Cafimir was adtive and turbulent, memorable
for the revolt of the GolFacs of the Ukraine, for the
unfuccefsful wars with Sweden, and for the infurredtions of
the nobility. Though* fo far from being deficient in military
courage, that in' every defperate emergency he always-
commanded his troops in perfon ; though, to ufe his own
expreifion, “ he was the firft to attack, and the laft to re-
* Florus Folon. p>-437, & .
“ t r e a t , ” '