ten thousand florins, and a rich abbey in Hungary, for all his pretensions in Poland. This offer Uladislaus readily embraced, and went into Hungary, where he was well received by Lewis, who paid him his money, and put him into possession of an abbey, which, Dlugossius says, was Pinguis et Ventrosa, and in which Uladislaus ended his days.

In 1372, Lewis, king of Hungary and Poland, betrothed his eldest daughter, Mary, to the marquis of Brandenburgh, youngest son to the emperor Charles the Fourth, who was also king of Bohemia, and to whom, about this time, Lewis made a fresh cession of all the rights of Poland to the duchy of Silesia.

In the year 1374, Lewis, finding the Poles very remiss in paying the tax, called Krolewczyzna or Paraldné, which was six grosses and a measure of barley and oats upon every habitation that had land tacked to it, ordered his officers to acquaint the Polish prelates and barons, that he would not suffer his treasure to be diminish

ed;

but that as he was as powerful a prince as Casimir, he would have his dues as well-paid:

which he was entitled to by right and custom immemorial. The prelates and barons who did not care for paying this tax, answered that Casimir the Great had not only freed them from this tax, but confirmed that exemption by acts signed by his own hand. To this Lewis replied, that it was true that his uncle had promised them to do so, but had never fulfilled his promise; and that the above-said tax had always continued to be levied to the day of Casimir's death, but that as his right in the kingdom of Poland was only in him and his male heirs, and as he had no sons, and but two daughters he would consent to reduce the tax to two grosses per habitation, provided the Poles would consent that their crown should descend to his daughters and their issue. To this the prelates and nobles consented-you must understand that this diminution of tax only related to the bishops and barons, for the rest of the people

continued to pay it at the old rate. The bishops indeed pleaded the immunities of the church in favour of the abbeys and monasteries; but as they were themselves excused, either they did not support their demand strong enough or the king could not be brought to agree to it; but the religious houses were not designed to be benefited by the diminution of the Paraldné.

About the year 1375, Lewis married his eldest daughter Mary to William of Austria, who being very young was brought into Hungary, and was educated in Lewis's court, who shewed him in all times great marks of paternal fondness and friendship.

This year also, by permission from Rome, Lewis erected three new bishopricks in Poland.

In the year 1376, the Lithuanians made incursions into Poland, and committed great

:

depredations all over the country for Lewis, who was absent in Hungary, did not take much care of Poland, which he left wholly to his mother's government, and my authors tell me

that instead of repelling the Lithuanians, or sending any army against them, the old queen spent her time at Cracow in feasts and dancing.

Her court was chiefly composed of Hungarians, who lorded it over the Poles in a tyrannic manner; but a quarrel happening this year between them at Cracow, upon account of a Hungarian having by force seized some coin that belonged to a Pole, both nations took to their arms, and a great slaughter of the Hungarians ensued--which so frightened the queen that she threw up the reins of government, and retired into Hungary.

Upon her arrival there, and upon the report she made of the bad situation of Poland, Lewis immediately raised an army marched against his enemies, drove the Lithuanians into their own country; and then followed them thither, and laid waste a great part of it, after which he made peace with them and returned into Hungary.

I find the duke of Oppelen was a great favourite of Lewis, and to him he had granted large tracts of land in the Palatinate of Russia; but as he returned through that country into Hungary, he observed that the lands in Russia were the finest of all his kingdom (which they are) and upon that he revoked all his grants to the duke of Oppelen, and in lieu of them gave him three duchies in and upon the borders of Pomerellia, and soon after divided the whole Palatinate of Russia among his Hungarian favourites.

The Poles had not yet force or wisdom enough to exclude all foreigners from being capable of holding places or receiving grants in Poland; but they have since corrected that error very carefully, and it is next to an impossibility for any body to be naturalised at this present time in that kingdom. It can only be done by the Diet, and as there has not been yet one Diet that has held, so I dare prophesy that none will hold during this king's reign.