folio, 23.5 x 18 cm; begins with the words: PSALM / JW. Branicki Hetman Bulawa RPP / King! Niepamiętay zbrodni moiey....
Pamphlet on Franciszek Ksawery Branicki (1730-1819), Grand Hetman of the Crown, co-founder of the Targowicka Confederation, widely regarded as a traitor to Poland. The work was written in the form of a psalm addressed by the hetman to King Stanislaw August Poniatowski, with a confession of his own guilt and a request to hide his sins from the Poles: "...O Lord have mercy on me, unpublish to the public my crimes, for my head on your shoulder will not remain, after all you were gracious when you let your sins pass, forgive y Mnie who my Mother Oyczyzne I want to lose..." The psalm glorifies the king at the same time: "Thy fame when inner thoughts uncover themselves will last for ever, for Thou hast already allowed the expulsion of the Enemies, and Our Helpers, and the strengthening of the Country's forces as nayprędzey thou dost demand..." The song alludes to historical facts of the time, such as the loan of 300 thousand zlotys to the King by Hetman's sister Elżbieta Sapieżyna (1734-1819). It also mentions other historical figures, e.g. Uncle Taurivsky (Grigory Potemkin, Prince of Taurida, a favorite of Tsarina Catherine, was the uncle of Alexandra of Engelhardt, Branicki's wife since 1781). The formula used was probably meant to refer to the widely read Psalms of Penitence written by Waclaw Rzewuski, which, however, was commonly associated with the person of his son, Seweryn Rzewuski. A very interesting example of one of the political literary works of the time of the Great Sejm, aimed at raising public awareness. These works often remained anonymous.
Good, minor losses, creases
