[Stanislaus Zolkiewski, Chancellor of Poland, was born in 1547 and died fighting as a hero against the Turks in the fated battle of Cecora, on October 6th, 1620. He won great distinction as a classical scholar in his youth, but it is as a loyal and courageous general that he is known. For in spite of Sigismund Ill’s unfriendly distrust he served his King faithfully to the end. He advised the King against war with Muscovy, but obeyed when ordered to lead the army ; and, in spite of constant embarassment from the Sovereign’s antagonism, won the campaign at Kluszyn only to have his terms repudiated by Sigismund. His life was filled with disappointments of this sort, but his staunch faith preserved him from disloyalty or even bitterness, as may be seen in this Testament. He was an outstanding politician, a great strategist and victorious general; he was a patriot, who may also one day rank as a saint. He received the Grand Hetman’s staff in 1613, and thenceforward was engaged in fighting the infidel Turk. In so many bloody campaigns he often contemplated his own death on the field of battle. So it is not surprising that before each campaign he re-wrote his last will, amplifying it with further injunctions. As far as we know, two of these wills have been published. The first, written in the year 1606, was published by Michael Balinski at the Library of Warsaw in 1845. We here give a translation of the text edited by Arthur Sliwinski in his ‘Hetman Zolkiewski, Warsaw, 1920.’]

In the name of the Most Holy Trinity God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Before the eyes of every man should always be the uncertainty of his transient life, for it is subject to innumerable mishaps.