Silva Rerum | 17.12.2016 Today, reverend Robert South (1634-1716) is not particularly well known, but at his time he enjoyed the status of almost a celebrity. He was known as an excellent preacher, whose sermons were admired due to their content, stylistic form and presentation. Among his listeners, there were English monarchs, their courtiers and advisors, as well as regular citizens. Many of his homilies were printed and became an unequalled model of stylistically masterful English language.Equally stylistically chiselled is the account, made of several dozen pages, prepared by South during his stay in the Commonwealth in the second half of 1670s. However, there are some uncertainties regarding the creation and editing of the account. That is why its history and author deserve a closer look.
Robert South was a son of a London merchant, and for most of his life he was kept ties with the English capital. After completing his education at the school at the Westminster Abbey, he studied at Oxford university, where he specialized in classical languages. In 1658, he set on a journey to the continent, and after his return, he was ordained as Anglican priest and moved to Cambridge, where he continued his studies. There, his oratorical prowess became famous. He became popular mainly thanks to his sense of humour when he talked about theological or social issues. After restoration of the Stuart dynasty, Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, one of the closest advisors of the new king, became chancellor of the university, and South gained his favour. As a result, he was appointed Hyde’s chaplain. The nomination was followed by numerous attractive grants and additional sinecures, including position of a canon at the Westminster Abbey. South probably suffered as a result of the political fall of his patron, but he remained faithful to his family and tied himself with his son Lawrence, the later Earl of Rochester. When in spring 1676 the aristocrat was sent by Charles II on a mission to the Commonwealth, he asked South to accompany him as chaplain. It is said that the priest eagerly accepted the invitation and in June, together with Hyde and other members of the legation, set out for the East.
After his return to England, he again took up pastoral duties, but his church career came to a halt, in spite of the sympathy Charles II showed him. Supposedly, the king even offered South a bishop office, but the nomination never came. The successor of Charles II, James II, did not share his brother’s high opinion about the canon and did not agree to South becoming one of representatives of the Anglican Church to hold a theological debate with Catholic clergymen. In the following years, South continued to give sermons and write. When in 1713 he was finally offered the position of bishop of Rochester, he refused, explaining that he is too old and too ill to accept the promotion. The reason was probably not exaggerated, as mentions about his poor health and nearing death are often found in correspondence between his friends. It is known that his death was impatiently awaited by Jonathan Swift, the author of “Gulliver’s Travels”, who already in 1709 sought a promise of taking over all church sinecures of South. South died, however, only in July 1716 and was buried at Westminster Abbey.
Several months after his death, preparations were made for a collective edition of his letters and sermons. Among previously unpublished texts (a part of sermons was published already during his life and enjoyed great popularity) a report was found, which the publisher of the volume entitled: „An Account of his [South] Travels into Poland with the Earl of Rochester in the year 1674”.
According to the publisher’s comment, the text was written by South for his old friend doctor Edward Pococke, an Anglican clergyman as well, but mostly an excellent scholar. Pococke, professor of oriental studies at Oxford, was generally considered the best Hebrew scholar of his time. Both clerics spent a lot of time on discussions, and Pococke is said to have introduced South to the history of Turkey and the Near East. As a token of his appreciation, South, setting out on the journey to the Commonwealth, promised Pococke that he would write down his own experiences and observations, as Pococke wished to improve his knowledge about “Northern Kingdoms”. The description has the form of a letter addressed to Pococke and dated December 1677 in Gdańsk, that is on South’s journey back to England.
It is obvious, however, that the text which was published in 1717 could not have been written at the time when South stayed in the Commonwealth. Additional notes in the text refer to much later events. Also, the account includes passages borrowed from the work of Gaspar de Tende (de Hauteville), which was published only in the second half of 1680s, which suggests that South must have edited the text at some point, although some parts really came from the period of his stay in the Commonwealth.
Those are definitely reports regarding the diplomatic mission in which he participated. South described the course and ceremony of Hyde’s meetings with Marie Casimire (which took place almost immediately after the envoy’s arrival in the Commonwealth, because the queen stayed in Gdańsk at that time) and with John III. Mentioned are also gifts exchanged on the occasion. For example the princess Theresa Cunegunda, whose baptism was one of the reasons for Hyde’s visit, as he represented Charles II, who was chosen as one of the princess’s godparents, received costly jewels, including a diamond cross of great value. South describes also in much detail the audience granted by John III to the English envoy in Żółkiew.
Numerous passages of the text prove that South was indeed – as the publisher of his account explains – “a man interested in the world and eager to see with his own eyes the affairs of other countries”. This is supported by detailed descriptions of what South had the chance to see, as well as interesting portraits of persons he met. The Anglican cleric was obviously impressed by the personality of John III. He emphasized not only the – generally well-known – military talents of the king, but also traits that made Sobieski a most noble man, worthy of admiration: he praised the kind character and friendly nature of the monarch, his excellent education, knowledge of foreign languages (according to South, apart from the Polish language, the king spoke also Latin, French, German, Italian and Turkish language), fondness for natural and exact sciences, as well as other intellectual entertainments. A great impression made also the king’s posture and his attire. Maria Casimire, too, was presented in a very favourable manner, which suggests that reverend South was not insensitive to female beauty. The pastor reported that the queen looked several years younger “than she really was”, he praised her grace and personal charm, as well as mastery of the Polish language, and mentioned that she dressed only according to French fashion. However, he also emphasized her intuition and skill in acting on the political scene, although he noticed that an important goal was for her supporting the interests of her motherland, that is France.
Only the information about the beginnings of the relation between the royal couple proves not exact, since the account suggests that Sobieski married Maria Casimire for political reasons, convinced by John Casimir, who wished to gain Sobieski’s support, and the argument which made him agree to the marriage was granting of numerous properties. It is difficult to establish how this version originated. It is possible that South’s informers at the Polish court wanted to cover up the story about the affair of the then Mrs Zamoyska with her later second husband, and the author himself would not be comfortable writing such unflattering things about his hosts and reminding about the shocking beginnings of their relationship.The journey from Gdańsk to Żółkiew must have proven interesting enough to convince South to stay in the Commonwealth longer. When Lawrence Hyde went to Vienna, his chaplain set out on an almost one-year journey back to Gdańsk (from where he intended to travel back to England), during which he visited Cracow, Vilnius, Poznań, Gniezno, Łowicz, Warsaw, Toruń and Malbork.
Descriptions of the places he visited prove that he was an exceptionally intelligent and perceptive observer, interested in various topics. When describing the things he saw in the Commonwealth, South often referred to English realities, for example the two high schools, that is the academy in Cracow and the one in Vilnius, reminded him of Oxford and Cambridge in England.
South also wrote extensively about the political system of the Polish and Lithuanian state. He admitted to be surprised that in spite of numerous weaknesses and irregularities, the state was still functioning and able to maintain its territorial integrity. Probably keeping his friend’s interests in mind, he mentioned also the situation of the Jews. Those passages, however, are largely based on literature. Nevertheless, South’s account became one of the most interesting English descriptions of the Commonwealth in the modern era. Naturally, it was not fully original – which was typical for this period – and repeated some stereotypes. Interestingly, even during its author’s life, the text fell victim to plagiarism, and broad fragments of South’s account became, often in extenso or only slightly changed, part of another work concerning Poland, that is “The History of Poland” by Bernard Connor.