31 Birthday

The following days passed in a similar way, exploring the area, hunting, dinners with the family ... I also tried to spend as much time as possible with my grandfather, but not so much that I had an ulterior motive ... and I had more and more of them.

"If you plan to get some high office in the future, maybe I can help you somehow ..."

"I have plans, I want to become the Voivode of Podolia in the future, and then the Crown Field Hetman. Thank you for your willingness to help, but I will not accept the offer. I have my own ambitions." (MC)

Of course, such help would be useful, but I wasn't sure if my grandfather was testing me or I really wanted to help. That's why I preferred not to risk, the money was more important ... but one thing I could ask him for or maybe two.

"But I would like to ask for one thing. Letter of recommendation to Emperor Ferdinand. In Europe now there are unrest and wars, and such an experience will probably be useful to me when I want to become a Hetman... and if possible, I would like Jazłowiec to be awarded ius stapulae, not absolute, but partial." (MC)

Although I was not a supporter of ius stapulae and it slowly lost its importance, it was still respected. If my grandfather helps me in this, Jazłowiec will increase his trade opportunities, merchants who pass through Jazłowiec or in the vicinity, will be forced to stop in the city and display their goods... the difference between the absolute and partial versions of this law was in time. In the absolute version, the merchant had to sell all his goods before he could move on to the next city. The partial version imposed a time frame, sometimes it was five days, sometimes eight, for so many days the merchant had to display his goods, after that time he could leave the city. Although this law limited trade and the merchants' profits, it allowed for faster development of smaller towns.

Grandpa did not answer me, he sat silently and only moved his hand over the white-gray beard, after a few minutes he got up from chair, went to the bookcase and took out the book.

"I read your book, interesting, but there are some inaccuracies in it ..." (Janusz Ostrogski)

"The size of the Teutonic and Polish-Lithuanian armies? It's just for the drama, it's a novel, not a historical chronicle. I didn't write it about history, but as a warning. The Teutonic Order is gone, but there is the Duchy of Prussia." (MC)

"This is a Polish fief, vassal ... do you think they will betray us?" (Janusz Ostrogski)

"The inhabitants of Prussia want to be with the Kingdom of Poland, but Prince Hohenzollern or his successors will stab us in the back." (MC)

"How can you be so sure?" (Janusz Ostrogski)

"When a doctor sees a sick person, the symptoms alone can make him sick and know whether to recommend leeches, bloodletting or cobweb bread or other herbs." (MC)

"So what are the symptoms in Prussia?" (Janusz Ostrogski)

"They are not big at the moment, but I think they will be bigger ... failure to respect certain privileges granted by Polish kings, worse treatment of Polish merchants and a few other things, these little fragments will one day create ..." (MC)

I also explained to my grandfather that I had a lot of information from merchants, which was a lie, and that the Polish king saw the Swedish throne over the sea and did not see other danger under his nose. This made my grandfather a bit angry, because he was one of those who supported Sigismund III Vasa.

Of course, it was just a gate to a longer political debate ... which I did not win, but also did not lose, my reasoning forced my grandfather to agree with me, but he still believed that these were just hypotheses and no one knows what will happen in the future ... but I knew.

The next two days passed quietly, except that I became the king of the hunt, which was very easy thanks to Weles. I tried to avoid the frequent connections with the rest of the family ... a few times in the garden I met my 4-year-old cousin, although I wanted to beat the shit to death with his own fat hand, it would be too dangerous ... I honestly hated this little shit ... maybe there will be a possibility in the future.

On July 19, there was a fairly large party organized by my grandfather on the occasion of my 17th birthday, a lot of local nobility came, I met many people known to me from history books there, very often my imagination about them was completely different from the reality.

The party was lavishly arranged, golden, silver and crystal chalices, musicians brought from Krakow, sea of ​​alcohol, the tables bent from food... with this amount, you could feed a few African villages for a month, or a one-day event for feminists. In the courtyard of the castle, a fight between a bear and four dogs was organized.

Grandfather got up from the chair, raised the goblet, it was unambiguous that he wanted to speak and asked for silence.

"I invited you today to celebrate the 17th birthday of my grandson, I would like to toast his health and prosperity ..." (Janusz Ostrogski)

All those gathered raised their chalices and drank them to the bottom. There was a noise, conversations grew loud again.

"I'm not finished yet! ... Maybe some of you know, others maybe not. My grandson, at the age of 16, organized a company and commanded it in the battles with the Swedes in Livonia, only after he was wounded he had to return home. A few months later, he wrote the book "Teutonic Knights", and over a week ago he killed the sons of the Devil Stadnicki. So young and he did so much ... as you know, my only son died as an infant. Therefore ... and I say this in front of witnesses. I make my main heir, my grandson Wilkomir Michał Jazłowiecki. On the condition that he will take my surname." (Janusz Ostrogski)