other matters since I have seen Folly crowned king of the
earth.

To-day there is no such country as Poland, but it might still be in
existence if it had not been for the ambition of the Czartoryski family,
whose pride had been humiliated by Count Bruhl, the prime minister. To
gain vengeance Prince Augustus Czartoryski ruined his country. He was so
blinded by passion that he forgot that all actions have their inevitable
results.

Czartoryski had determined not only to exclude the House of Saxony from
the succession, but to dethrone the member of that family who was
reigning. To do this the help of the Czarina and of the Elector of
Brandenburg was necessary, so he made the Polish Diet acknowledge the one
as Empress of all the Russians, and the other as King of Prussia. The two
sovereigns would not treat with the Polish Commonwealth till this claim
had been satisfied; but the Commonwealth should never have granted these
titles, for Poland itself possessed most of the Russias, and was the true
sovereign of Prussia, the Elector of Brandenburg being only Duke of
Prussia in reality.

Prince Czartoryski, blinded by the desire of vengeance, persuaded the
Diet that to give the two sovereigns these titles would be merely a form,
and that they would never become anything more than honorary. This might
be so, but if Poland had possessed far-seeing statesmen they would have
guessed that an honorary title would end in the usurpation of the whole
country.

The Russian palatin had the pleasure of seeing his nephew Stanislas
Poniatowski on the throne.

I myself told him that these titles gave a right, and that the promise
not to make any use of them was a mere delusion. I added jokingly--for I
was obliged to adopt a humorous tone--that before long Europe would take
pity on Poland, which had to bear the heavy weight of all the Russias and
the kingdom of Prussia as well, and the Commonwealth would find itself
relieved of all these charges.

My prophecy has been fulfilled. The two princes whose titles were allowed
have torn Poland limb from limb; it is now absorbed in Russia and
Prussia.

The second great mistake made by Poland was in not remembering the
apologue of the man and the horse when the question of protection
presented itself.

The Republic of Rome became mistress of the world by protecting other
nations.

Thus Poland came to ruin through ambition, vengeance, and folly--but
folly most of all.

The same reason lay