Old Cracow Editions of the First Book of Polish Proverbs. 2. The Paremiographic Knowledge of Stanisław Serafin Jagodyński
The paper is the second part of a triptych aimed at presenting the publishing history of three Cracow reissues from 1619, 1620 and 1634 of a collection of Polish proverbs Proverbiorum Polonicorum […] centuriae decem et octo prepared by Salomon Rysiński. This section presents the paremiographic competences of Stanisław Serafin Jagodyński, a brilliant poet from Samogitia, who edited the second Cracow reissue of 1620. This edition of Przypowieści polskie is essential for the publishing history of this title. Unfortunately, none of its copies has survived to this day. Therefore, it is described on the basis of its faithful reprint published in Cracow in 1634.
The merits of Jagodyński as the editor of the reissued collection are described in a Latin dedication dated 20 May 1620 addressed to him by Stanisław Giermański, a typographer (although the style of this preface suggests that it was actually authored by Jagodyński himself). Jagodyński came to the capital of Polish printing from  Vilnius less than a year earlier and became friends with two leading typographers, Franciszek Cezary and Stanisław Giermański. The epigrammatic collections published at that time, first of all Grosz (c. 1619 and 1620) and Dworzanki/Courtiers (1621), prove his keen interest in Polish proverbs.
In his original resume of his collection of proverbs from 1621, Rysiński published a quote from a letter from Jagodyński dated 20 February 1620, in which the poet informed the Vilnius paremiographer about the saleability of the Cracow reissue from 1619 as part of his self-promotion. We may guess there were two practical reasons for establishing this correspondence. First of all, Jagodyński could play the role of a plenipotentiary of Giermański because on the title page of the 1620 reissue the latter revealed his publishing house (kept secret in the unauthorized reprint from the previous year). Secondly, the exchange of letters could relate to additions to the list of proverbs prepared by Rysiński, as evidenced by the same sayings added both by Jagodyński to the Cracow reprint from 1620 and by Rysiński to the extended authorial reissue, which appeared in print a year later in Lubcz nad Niemnem.

Defenders and Oppressors, or the Dualistic Model of Peasant History (and Some of Its Deficiencies from the Perspective of Literary History)

Since the beginning, peasant studies in Poland have been an area of research determined to a particularly high degree by the socio-political context. These specific conditions for the development of this discipline have developed a characteristic narrative framework, which has a visible influence on the historiography devoted to  peasants. One such schema is the dualistic division of old-Polish writers into defenders and ideological oppressors of the lowest estate, particularly noticeable in the 19th and 20th-century historical literary research. This paper is an attempt to describe and at the same time deconstruct this division, considered here as one that is ahistorical and therefore hinders in-depth research on the old-Polish discourse on the peasant state. The conclusions present several other ways to study old texts on the peasantry.

The Speech of Cardinal Stanisław Hozjusz in Memory of the Late Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland
The paper contains a translation of a Latin mourning speech, namely a panegyric sermon arranged in Rome by Cardinal Stanisław Hozjusz in honour of King Sigismund II Augustus, the last Polish king of the Jagiellonian dynasty, who died on 7 July 1572. It is one of a few speeches preserved to this day from the abundant oratorio-predicatory output of this Catholic theologian and polemicist, then wellknown in Europe. It was delivered by Stanisław Reszka, the secretary and close collaborator of Hozjusz, on 10 November 1572 at the church of San Lorenzo il Damaso during a solemn funeral service administered by Pope Gregory XIII. The ceremony  took place in a magnificent scenery created by an elaborate castrum doloris erected especially for this ceremony by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, the protector of Polish affairs, with the participation of Hozjusz and his close collaborators. The translation is accompanied by explanations that concern events and historical figures, geographical names, quotations, and phrases taken from the Bible and ancient authors.  It is preceded by a short introduction in which, apart from the origins and circumstances of the delivery of the speech, its composition and style are discussed. The sermon has a clear structure. It consists of three parts, typical of this type of public utterance. In accordance with the customs of the epoch and the preaching textbooks of that time, the initial part (lamentatio) and the final part (consolatio) are rich in biblical phrases (especially from the prophetic books) that perfectly emphasize the dramatic character of the situation, as well as the signifi cance and further consequences for Poland of the death of the last Jagiellon. The leitmotif that integrates the whole speech is a thought from Prophet Jeremiah (Jer 13:18): “your beautiful crown has come down from your head.” The middle part (laudatio) is filled with the praise of Sigismund II Augustus and the Jagiellonian dynasty. Hozjusz draws here an image of the ideal ruler, enriched with Renaissance elements, such as striving for peace and good relations with neighbours, supporting humanists, excellent and refined customs, as well as a perfect mastery of the art of elocution. Following the postulates formulated by the author himself, the style of this sermon is characterized by simplicity, naturalness, and elegance.

Jakub Sobieski’s Speech at the Funerals of Stanisław, Jan and Regina Żółkiewski as an Example of 17th-Century Oratory – Source Edition
The 17th-century funeral ceremonies included occasional speeches given by a close relative, friend, or acquaintance, which supplemented the preachers’ sermons. The paper is a discussion and critical source edition of Jakub Sobieski’s (1590–1646) speeches on three representatives of the Żółkiewski family: Stanisław (1547–1620), Jan (d. 1623), and Regina (1566–1624). Sobieski was considered one of the best orators of his time. He was oft en invited to various events, which he honoured with his speeches. Those delivered at Żółkiewskis’ funerals strike with their depth and show the tragedy of this family, but at the same time they display Sobieski’s oratorical skills, education, and erudition. They also emphasize the genealogical relations between the Sobieski and Żółkiewski families. They capture a portrait of a tragic family: an image of a great hetman, who heroically defended his homeland in advanced age, a son who imitated the actions of his father, and a virtuous mother and wife—three models worthy of distinction and praise.