The Project Gutenberg EBook of Konrad Wallenrod by Adam Mickiewicz

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Title: Konrad Wallenrod

Author: Adam Mickiewicz

Release Date: October 9, 2010 [Ebook #34050]

Language: English

Character set encoding: US-ASCII

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KONRAD WALLENROD***

KONRAD WALLENROD.

An Historical Poem.

BY

ADAM MICKIEWICZ.

_TRANSLATED FROM THE POLISH INTO ENGLISH VERSE_

BY

MISS MAUDE ASHURST BIGGS.

"Dovete adunque sapere come sono due generazioni da combattere...
bisogna essere volpe e leone."

MACCHIAVELLI, _Il Principe_.

LONDON:

TRUeBNER & CO., LUDGATE HILL.

1882.

_[All rights reserved]_

CONTENTS

AUTHOR'S PREFACE
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE
Introduction.
I. The Election.
II.
III.
IV. The Festival.
V. War.
VI. The Parting.
NOTES.

Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & Co.

_Edinburgh and London_

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

THE Lithuanian nation, formed out of the tribes of the Litwini, Prussians
and Leti, not very numerous, settled in an inextensive country, not very
fertile, long unknown to Europe, was called, about the thirteenth century,
by the incursions of its neighbours, to a more active part. When the
Prussians submitted to the swords of the Teutonic knights, the
Lithuanians, issuing from their forests and marshes, annihilated with
sword and fire the neighbouring empires, and soon became terrible in the
north. History has not as yet satisfactorily explained by what means a
nation so weak, and so long tributary to foreigners, was able all at once
to oppose and threaten all its enemies--on one side, carrying on a constant
and murderous war with the Teutonic Order; on the other, plundering
Poland, exacting tribute from Great Novgorod, and pushing itself as far as
the b