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1.Berdyczów,Wilno,St.Petersburg,1800-1830
55
anditissuggestedthatTomaszZanandprobablyalsoTeodorŁozińskiwere
recruitedintoWalerianŁukasiński)sfiNationalFreemasonry”in1819;Zanat
leastwasinvolvedfrom1821intheWilnolodgeoftheTowarzystwo
Patriotyczne[PatrioticSociety].
214
Beniowskiwastowritein1839,bywhich
timehehimselfwascertainlyamason,thatfiFreemasonry,toleratedinPoland
andRussiabyAlexander,forwardedinahighdegreetheviewsofthe
revolutionistsinbothcountries.”
215
Evenifnotyetinitiatedintothesemysteries,
everythingsuggeststhatitwasinWilnothatBeniowskibecameaconscious
opponentofRussianpowerstructures,recognising,ashewrotein1839inhis
owninimitableEnglish,thatPolandhadbeenfiviolated,andaniron,Asiatic,
devouringandall-pollutingdespotism,rulesoverthatlandeversince1795.”
216
AlthoughthePhilomathsandPhilaretsemphaticallystatedthattheyhadno
politicalaimsorideology,itwasinthesecirclesthatBeniowskitookonboard
theideasofLiberty,DemocracyandNationthatweretoconcernhimthroughthe
restofhislife.HehimselflinkstheWilnoDisseminatorandPhilaretexperiences
tolaterPolishpoliticalmovements:
Tosetrighttheseraw-materialreasonings,secretsocietieswereorganizedthroughout
Poland,eversince1819,particularlyinWilna,Krzemieniec,andWarsaw;itwasinthese
societiesthatZan,Lozinski,Lukasinski,andmanyotherhighly-giftedmen,gradually
developedtothePolishyouth,particularlytothatoftheschoolsanduniversities,the
blasphemousinjusticeoftheexistingorderofthings,andthepossibilityofouroverthrowing
itforthepurposeoferectinganewedificeonthebroadbasisoftherightsofman.These
well-timedmoral-forceconspirators,contrivedadmirablytohaveintheirsecretsocieties
menofallclassesandcreeds,whorapidlyspreadthenewlyreceivedandbelovedideas,to
theirrespectivespheresoflife.
217
Meanwhile,inMay1823,afterayearofearnestclandestinePhilaret
meetingsandstirringlectures,whenBeniowskihadalreadytakenhisfinalexams,
MichałPlater,afifth-formpupilatthelocalgrammarschool,wroteapatriotic
sloganonhisclassroomblackboardontheanniversaryoftheenactmentofthe
Polishconstitutionof3May1791.Tomakemattersworse,apatrioticslogan-
fiLonglivetheConstitution-deathtoDespots!”-waschalkedafortnightlateron
thewallofBeniowski)sDominicanmonastery.
218
Animmediateinvestigationwas
214
SzymonAskenazy,Łukasiński,op.cit.,vol.1,pp.291,308;vol.2,p.84.
215
LondonDemocrat,no.2,20.IV.1839,p.10,fiThePolishRevolutionbyMajor
Beniowski,no.II.”
216
LondonDemocrat,no.1,13.IV.1839,p.2,fiThePolishRevolutionbyMajorBeniowski,
no.I.”
217
LondonDemocrat,no.2,20.IV.1839,p.10,fiThePolishRevolutionbyMajor
Beniowski,no.II.”
218
TomaszKrzywicki,SzlakiemAdamaMickiewicza,op.cit.,pp.234-235;Szymon
Askenazy,Łukasiński,op.cit.vol.2,p.227.Askenazycomparesthiswithasloganchalkedon
apubliclibraryinWarsawtwoyearsearlier,andsuggeststhatitwasadeliberateprovocation.
