mode of
life may be formed from the account of the Starost Krasinski's court in
the diary (year 1759) of his daughter, Frances Krasinska. [FOOTNOTE: A
starost (starosta) is the possessor of a starosty (starostwo)--i.e., a
castle and domains conferred on a nobleman for life by the crown.] Her
description of the household seems to justify her belief that there
were not many houses in Poland that surpassed theirs in magnificence.
In introducing to the reader the various ornaments and appendages of the
magnate's court, I shall mention first, giving precedence to the fair
sex, that there lived under the supervision of a French governess six
young ladies of noble families. The noblemen attached to the lord of the
castle were divided into three classes. In the first class were to be
found sons of wealthy, or, at least, well-to-do families who served
for honour, and came to the court to acquire good manners and as an
introduction to a civil or military career. The starost provided the
keep of their horses, and also paid weekly wages of two florins to their
grooms. Each of these noble-men had besides a groom another servant who
waited on his master at table, standing behind his chair and dining on
what he left on his plate. Those of the second class were paid for their
services and had fixed duties to perform. Their pay amounted to from
300 to 1,000 florins (a florin being about the value of sixpence), in
addition to which gratuities and presents were often given. Excepting
the chaplain, doctor, and secretary, they did not, like the preceding
class, have the honour of sitting with their master at table. With
regard to this privilege it is, however, worth noticing that those
courtiers who enjoyed it derived materially hardly any advantage from
it, for on week-days wine was served only to the family and their
guests, and the dishes of roast meat were arranged pyramidally, so
that fowl and venison went to those at the head of the table, and those
sitting farther down had to content themselves with the coarser kinds of
meat--with beef, pork, &c. The duties of the third class of followers,
a dozen young men from fifteen to twenty years of age, consisted
in accompanying the family on foot or on horseback, and doing their
messages, such as carrying presents and letters of invitation.
The second and third classes were under the jurisdiction of the
house-steward, who, in the case of the young gentlemen, was not sparing
in the application