"
"Yes, my sovereign," replied Thaddeus; "and whilst there remains one
man on earth who has drawn his first breath in Poland, he will bear
witness in all the lands through which he may be doomed to wander
that he has received from you the care and affection of a father. O!
sire, how will future ages believe that, in the midst of civilized
Europe, a brave people and a virtuous monarch were suffered, unaided,
and even without remonstrance, to fall into the grasp of usurpation!--
nay, of annihilation of their name!"
Stanislaus laid his hand on the arm of the count.
"Man's ambition and baseness," said the king, "are monstrous to the
contemplation of youth only. You are learning your lesson early; I
have studied mine for many years, and with a bitterness of soul which
in some measure prepared me for the completion. My kingdom has passed
from me at the moment you have lost your country. Before we part
forever, my dear Sobieski, take with you this assurance--you have
served the unfortunate Stanislaus to the latest hour in which you
beheld him. That which you have just said, expressive of the
sentiments of those who were my subjects, is indeed a balm to my
heart, and I will earn its consolations to my prison."
The king paused. Sobieski, agitated, and incapable of speaking, threw
himself at his majesty's feet, and pressed his hand with fervency and
anguish to his lips.
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