ABSTRACT
References to the “old ways” carried clearly positive connotations in the Polish-Lithuanian political discourse. The adjective dawny (“former” or “of old”) when applied to any institution, law, custom or stance, automatically meant its acceptance. One reason for this was because, much like in the whole of Europe until the seventeenth century, the Polish discourse of these times was characterized by the constant presence of a certain vision of degeneration and the absence of any notion of progress; such convictions simply proved more durable in the discourse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was not until the 1780s that the political language changed radically and the words dawny/dawniej were used no longer to present an idealized model “of old” to follow or offer solace, but rather to convey a warning. Even then, however, this change was only visible in the writings of selected authors.
