that Zamoyski had already proposed or supported many of them two centuries before. Staszic was a strong partisan of reforms and an ardent advocate for the interests of the lower classes. He advocated the abolition of the serfdom and improvements of the peasants' fate (by granting them land and private rights). He criticised the szlachta (Polish nobility) for inefficient governance, and argued that it showed itself too inept to be allowed to govern alone. He argued for a slight increase in taxes, which should allow the Commonwealth to create an army of 100,000 that would at least stand a chance against the still-larger armies of its neighbours. Although he preferred republicanism in theory, in the Commonwealth context he agreed that a strengthening of the central (royal) power was the most practical solution for reforming the country, in line with the similar developments elsewhere in Europe. In Remarks he even supported the introduction of an absolute monarchy in Poland. Staszic was a keen observer of the proceedings of the Great Sejm, spending much time in Warsaw since the Sejm began its deliberations in 1788. He continued publishing new books and pamphlets. His Warnings for Poland, coming from the current European politics and natural laws, by the writer of the remarks upon the life of Jan Zamoyski (Przestrogi dla Polski z teraźniejszych politycznych Europy związków i z praw natury wypadające przez pisarza uwag nad życiem Jana Zamoyskiego, 1790), together with his previous Remarks, are considered among the most influential works of the Polish Enlightenment. In Warnings, he criticised the magnates of Poland and Lithuania, monastic orders and serfdom, and supported the enfranchisement of the townsfolk. Although he was not a participant of the Sejm, he was an influential onlooker, and through his widely read and discussed writings of the time is recognized as one of the founding fathers of the Constitution of May 3, 1791. During 1790–1791 he accompanied Zamoyski's family on a trip abroad, and continued to serve as an adviser to the family, although his relations with the sons (Aleksander August Zamoyski, Stanisław Kostka Zamoyski) had become strained; he would eventually align himself with the daughter of the family, Anna Zamoyska (Anna Jadwiga Sapieżyna). He supported the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising, a failed attempt to liberate Commonwealth from foreign influence following the events of the 1793 Second Partition of Poland, donating money to the insurgents' cause. Upon the defeat of the