Father Casimir Wyszynski

and worked. Foreign armies marched through Polish lands, rav- aging and ruining the country. They imposed taxes and tributes, forced citizens to provide food and lodging to stationed soldiers, and forcibly recruited peasants into their armies. The horrors of war were magnified by the Asian plague. Rural folks bore the worst sufferings during these wars and frequent epidemics. Being forced to hide in forests to escape the invaders, they could not work on the land, which resulted in deprivation and famine. This situation was further aggravated by moral corruption, particularly drunkenness. In the pursuit of wealth, the gentry turned to bribery and support of foreign countries. Publicmorals were very low. 9 All these factors weighed heavily on the fate of rural laborers. Their farms were confiscated, but their feudal du- ties increased. There are known incidents when peasants were sold for money or exchanged for beasts of burden. Frequently, a peasant was treatedworse than cattle. The gentry andmagnates were getting richer at the expense of the poor. Peasants were as- sessed fees to farm land and were taken to court when unable to pay, and were charged a “mark-up” on drinks consumed at the landlord’s inn. 10 The Marians, whose monasteries were established mainly in the countryside, answered in some measure the Polish intelli- gentsia’s call for reforms in this regard, and in accordance with their primary objectives, took care of the local people. In the Rule of Life which theMarian Founder composed, he emphasized: “The soul of this Institute is love,” and he instructed: “On all occasions youwill not neglect to showoutsiders every possible charity. You will surround with devoted love not only those you find benevo- lent to you, but your adversaries as well and enemies.” 11 Teaching the principles of Faith according to which Christians are to act is a special manifestation of this love. For this reason, the Rule of 9 K. Górski, Od religijności do mistyki. Zarys dziejów życia wewnętrznego w Polsce , Part. I, 966-1795, Lublin 1962, 187. 10 E. Rostworowski, Historia Powszechna, wiek XVIII , Warszawa 1994, 75-79. 11 S. Papczyński, The Rule of Life , II, 4 and 5, in: Constitutions and Directory of the Marian Fathers , 267-268. 52 Z YGMUNT P ROCZEK , MIC, P H D