Page:Undivine Comedy - Zygmunt Krasiński, tr. Martha Walker Cook.djvu/25

 Rh the grievances subsequently alleged in defense of the Polish revolution.

The constitutional victory of Poland, so full of patriotic joy, was, however, greatly saddened by the fact that a patriot so distinguished as Vincent Krasinski should have voted on the side of the absolute Russian Government, then represented in Warsaw by the Grand Duke Constantine, famous for his persecution of all patriotic Poles, as well as of the students of the university.

Peter Bielinski, the President of the Senate and Commission of Inquiry, died soon afterward, and, on the day of his funeral, the fiery fellow-students of young Sigismund Krasinski made a strong demonstration, in the way of threats and insulting expressions, against the young man, judging him utterly unworthy of their fellowship, because of the unpatriotic vote rendered by his father on the trial above mentioned.

An eye-witness, Professor Podbielski, then a fellow-student of young Sigismund on the benches of the university, thus describes the occurrence: "On one of the subsequent days, after the public lecture to the students in common of the faculties, I observed quite a commotion among the young men; many leaving the hall, rushed to Krasinski, and as they tore the badges of the university away from him, I heard them cry: 'You are not worthy to be our fellow-student, because your father cast his decision against our brothers, our noble patriots!' Sigismund, with chivalric and undaunted bearing, though of exceedingly slight form and delicate and refined appearance, met them fearlessly, and with true Polish spirit offered them a sincere pardon for their insults to himself, so utterly innocent in his own person of all wrong; but their leader, young Lubinski, and others, refused to listen to his manly explanations. I was astonished at proceedings so unjust, but our Professor, with some friends, finally interfered; I left the hall, and never again saw our great Anonymous Poet, our long unknown, pure, and noble patriot."

This college occurrence was, without doubt, the original of the scene described by "The Young Man" to