Folio 86: [General] P [Patrick] Gordon to Williamson. Gives assessment of Poland's...

Folio 86: [General] P [Patrick] Gordon to Williamson. Gives assessment of Poland's 'miserable condition', describing in particular power struggle between two main factions, i.e. court party and gentry (or land deputies) from death of [prince] Lubomirsky [Jan. 11, 1667] who was latter's leader and assertor of their liberties to just over one month before decease of queen Mary [May 1]; in forthcoming diet gentry will follow strictly their four 'instructions': (1) to prevent election of successor to King, (2) to ascertain real purpose of any intervention by foreign princes in continuing fight against Turks and Tartars and terms under which it has been agreed to, since members of gentry suspect foreign military aid to have been solicited by court to 'oppress' them; and thus hope it will be refused, (3) to put country in 'posture to resist all foreign invasion without innovating or diminishing the privileges of the gentry' and (4) to obtain information about undivulged articles in recent treaty with Russia; Queen still indisposed; no new commander-in-chief appointed, but it is 'conjectured that one of the dukes of Wiesnowiecky will obtain post. In Russia, great changes in leadership and administration of Orthodox church through personal powerful influence of Czar [Alexej Michailowicz]: patriarch of Moscow 'degraded', put into Cherilow monastery and replaced by archimandrite of Trinity monastery; Czar making archbishops and bishops as he pleases.

Date and Place: 1667 Mar. 22 Lübeck