Pagina 363 de 788

"Brother," said the Monk, "there are weighty reasons for this.

You remember that Jacek wanted to send his son to the army, but

later let him remain in Lithuania: what reason was there for

that? Why, at home he will be more useful to his country. You

have surely heard the news of which every one is talking, and of

which I have often brought tidings: now is the time to tell it

all, now is the time! An important matter, my brother! Now the

war is upon us! A war for Poland, brother! We shall be Poles once

more! War is inevitable. When I hurried here on a secret mission,

the vanguard of the army was already on the Niemen. Napoleon is

already gathering an immense army, such as man has never seen and

history does not remember; by the side of the French the whole

Polish army is advancing, our Joseph,105 our Dombrowski, our

white eagles! They are already on the march, at the first sign

from Napoleon they will cross the Niemen; and, brother, our

Fatherland will be restored!"