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LITHUANIAN HISTORICAL STUDIES 6 2001 ISSN 1392-2343 pp. 162–181 Lietuvos Metrika. Knyga Nr. 51 (1566–1574) / Užrašymų knyga Nr. 51 [The Lithuanian Metrica. Book no. 51 (1566–1574) / Book of Inscriptions no. 51] Ed. A. Baliulis, R. Ragauskienė, A. Ragauskas. Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos institutas, 2000. Pp. 485. ISBN 9986-34- XXX-X. Book no 51 of the Lithuanian Metrica is a typical book of inscriptions, revealing the everyday life of the nobility, gentry and burghers of the GDL, the activity of the central administration of the state on the eve of the Union of Lublin (1569) and several years after it. The Book is not original, it is a copy, made on the orders of Chancellor Leon Sapieha in 1597. The overwhelming majority of the inscriptions (about three fourths of the total number of 242) are the donations and privileges of Sigismund Augustus and Henri Valois granting the gentry land, estates or serfs, donations of urban possessions and other privileges. Some inscriptions relate to tax exemptions for individual boyars and even townsmen. There are five charters for inns or mills, seven for markets and fairs; there are also charters providing for autonomy and self-government according to Magdeburg Law. All these documents are particularly valuable for the study of the development of economy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Nevertheless, documents reflecting the state reforms of the GDL are more interesting. The Book covers a period of eight years in which several significant reforms were carried out: the Second Lithuanian Statute was adopted (1566), administrative, military and judicial reforms were imple- mented, the Union of Lublin was concluded, producing the federal state of Poland-Lithuania. In this period a war was waged with Moscow, the last regnant representative of the Jagiellonian dynasty died and for the first time a foreigner was elected king. Several more interesting documents relate to Jews (nos. 20, 178) and Tartars (nos. 24, 176, 224). There are documents dealing with the salt store in Kremenets (no. 128), two documents on conferring gentry titles (nos. 117, 163) and three wills (nos. 82, 183; no. 40, made by Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black). The publication contains a chronological list of the documents, sub- ject, name and place-name indices. Darius Vilimas Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 02:58:51PM via free access 164 ANNOTATIONS Saliamonas Risinskis. Trumpas pasakojimas apie garsiausius šviesiau- siojo didiko Biržų ir Dubingių kunigaikščio Kristupo Radvilos žygius [A Short Narration about the Celebrated Deeds of the Illustrious Noble- man Duke Kristupas Radvila of Biržai and Dubingiai]. Compiled, translated from the Latin, annotated and introduced by S. Narbutas. Vilnius: Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas, 2000. Pp. 253. ISBN 9986-513-90-1. The works of Saliamonas Risinskis (Rysinio) (ca. 1560–1625 c) have re- ceived attention of the researchers of GDL culture more than once. It is worth noting that this figure and his works have been studied by Lithua- nians, Poles and Belorussians, and this testifies to the cultural interaction typical of the Republic of the Two Nations. Before taking up the post of tutor and teacher to Kristupas, a son of Kristupas Radvila Perkūnas in 1598, Risinskis taught in Žemaitija and in Lithuania Minor and travelled across Europe. Since then his life had been associated with the Radvila dukes of Biržai and Dubingiai. Risinskis ac- companied the young Kristupas on his journey abroad. From 1604 he lived mostly in Vilnius, where he accumulated his greatest and only treasure – a library of about 1,000 volumes, the catalogue of which has survived to this day (cf. I. Lukšaitė. ‘Saliamono Risinskio bibliotekos Vilniuje sąrašas’, Iš bibliotekų istorijos . Vilnius, 1985). However, the fate of his own works is much sadder. Already in his lifetime were there only single copies, scattered in the libraries of Germany, Russia and Poland. Meanwhile his manuscript heritage was dispersed much more, from Minsk and Warsaw to Paris and Chicago. Therefore the publication of A Short Narration about the Celebrated Deeds of the Illustrious Nobleman Duke Kristupas Radvila of Biržai and Dubingiai first issued in Lubcza in 1614 is to be welcomed. It comprises a concise biography of the palatine of Vilnius, commending him for his victories and merits to the Lithuanian state, texts on the occasion of his funeral and ten necrological eulogies, dedicated to Jurgis Radvila, nephew of Radvila Perkūna, his daughter-in-law Sofija, the sons Jonušas and Stanislovas and daughter Kotryna of his nephew, grandson Mikalojus, Andrius Volanas, Barbara Ossolińska, Elżbieta Turska and Regina Buczyńska. The latter texts are thought to have appeared between 1589 and 1613 and form an appendix to the main body of the book. Also included are the two most valuable of Risinskis’ works of belles-lettres, preserved in manuscript– Variorum monumentorum a Solomone Rysinio conscriptorum decas altera and De origine gentis Radiviliae syntagma . A comprehensive introduction describes Risinskis’ biography, the char- acter of his works and their connection with mainstream European culture. Jolita Sarcevičienė Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 02:58:51PM via free access B OO K S 165 Liudvikas Rėza. Žinios ir pastabos apie 1813 ir 1814 metų karo žygius iš vieno Prūsijos armijos kapeliono dienoraščio [News and Notes about the Military Expeditions of 1813 and 1814 from a Diary of a Prussian Army Chaplain]. Translated from the German by R. Šaltenis]. Vilnius: Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas, 2000. Pp. 235. ISBN 9986-513-86-3. In Lithuania Liudvikas Rėza (1776–1840) is known as a scholar, philologist of Lithuanian and poet, closely related to Lithuanian culture and history. Therefore it is often overlooked that he was a citizen of Prussia and, as is stated by Dainora Pociūtė in the foreword, ‘a fervent patriot’. Presenting the translation of Rėza’s work, she stressed that here ‘we see most authen- tically the real Rėza and his relation to the cultures of various nations. Rėza’s criteria of evaluation are formed by the ideals of the Enlightenment, his view of life, however, is full of passionate albeit restrained pre-Roman- tic élan’. In the preface ‘A Witness of the Napoleonic Wars, a Shrewd Observer and an Excellent Narrator’ Albinas Jovaišas describes the contemporary situation and Rėza’s activity before he became a brigade preacher in 1811, Lithuanian episodes of The News and Notes , Rėza’s political views. He also presents the characteristics of various nations given by the author as well as his attitudes to the Germans, Kashubians, Slavs, French and the English; however, ‘Rėza did not give any generalizations about the Lithua- nians of Lithuania Minor or the Lithuanian nation in general’. The diary clearly indicates the fact that Rėza was a university professor of theology, in his journeys he took interest in various scholarly issues (theology, homiletics, art, etc.). Rėza’s book consists of five chapters: ‘The Departure from Königsberg to the Army’, ‘The Arrival at the Army and the Events before the End of the Truce’, ‘The First Military Expedition through Bohemia and Saxony’, ‘The Second Military Expedition through Saxony up to the Rhine’ and ‘The Military Expedition through Lorraine and Champagne in France’. They reveal Rėza’s views on the above-discussed things and the general culture of Europe, devastated by the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars. The book contains extensive commentaries prepared by D. Pociūtė and V. Pugačiauskas as well as a list of names, compiled by V. Grigalaitė. Jolita Sarcevičienė Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 02:58:51PM via free access 166 ANNOTATIONS Motiejus Valančius. Ganytojiški laiškai [Pastoral Letters]. Ed. V. Merkys ir B. Vanagienė . Historiae Lithuaniae Fontes Minores , 2. Vilnius: Žara, 2000, Pp. 214. ISBN 9986-34-058-6. The second issue of the series of Historiae Lithuaniae Fontes Minores comprises 37 letters of the Bishop of Žemaitija (or Telšiai) Motiejus Valančius, written to the Catholics of the diocese to effect teaching them good morality, and guard them against belief in various political rumours, indicating how to behave during the Abolition of Serfdom (1861) and in the Uprising of 1863. There are also two letters containing the bishop’s will. The book consists of an introduction, reviewing previous publica- tions of Valančius’ pastoral letters, the circumstances of the appearance of the letters, their authenticity, the principles of their preparation for publication, 37 facsimiles of the letters, their translation into Lithuanian or texts rendered into Standard Lithuanian. An overwhelming number of letters, dated between 1858 and 1862, are related to the temperance movement, initiated by him, and to the increas- ing social and political tension created by actions surrounding the Abo- lition of Serfdom; that sort of atmosphere lasted until the Uprising of 1863. Valančius wrote three letters in connection with the abolition of serfdom and nineteen on the problems of the temperance movement. Nine letters were written at the request of the officials of Russian administration, who did not hesitate to interfere in the life of the Church. Of those published 28 are written in Lithuanian. Some are autographs of the Bishop, other letters are his texts, written by his secretary and signed by the Bishop himself. The pastoral letters of Valančius are an important historical source, furnishing information on their author and worldview, his pastoral, social and cultural activity, his concern for the economic situation of the country, in particular the material conditions of the peasantry. The letters reflect the Bishop’s attempts to integrate the peasants into society, to develop their social self-respect and national integrity. The letters are useful for linguis- tic studies, since they contain information on the writer’s dialectal lexis, terminology and grammar. The present publication is not entirely new – only six letters are published for the first time.