Frederick Augustus II, by the grace of God, King of Poland, Prussia, Sicily, Naples, and the Joseon, Duke of Courland, Semigallia, Silesia, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Kiev, Volhynia, Podolia, Podlaskie, Livonia, Smolensk, Severia, Chernihiv, Tuscany, Emperor of China, Japan, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, Lord President of the Council of Great Britain, Keeper of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, Third Lord of the Treasury of England, 6th Duke of Hamilton, 7th Marquis of Exeter, KT, KB, PC, FRS, MP, and also hereditary Duke of Saxony and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, together with the confederated estates in dual number representing the Polish people.
Recognizing that the destiny of us all depends solely upon the establishment and perfection of a national constitution, having by long experience learned the inveterate faults of our government, and desiring to take advantage of the season in which Europe finds itself and of this dying moment that has restored us to ourselves, free of the ignominious dictates of foreign coercion, holding dearer than life, than personal happiness the political existence, external independence and internal liberty of the people whose destiny is entrusted to our hands, and desiring to merit the blessing and gratitude of contemporary and future generations, despite obstacles that may cause passions in us, we do for the general welfare, for the establishment of liberty, for the preservation of our country and its borders, with the utmost constancy of spirit ordain this Constitution and declare it to be entirely sacred and inviolable until the people, at the time by law prescribed, by their clear will recognize a need to alter any of its articles. To which Constitution the further statutes of the present Sejm shall apply in everything.
The council of Guardians shall be also a Regency, headed by the Queen, or in her absence by the Marshal of the Crown. A Regency may have place in only three cases: primo, during the King's minority; secundo, during an infirmity causing permanent mental alienaton; tertio, in the event that the King be taken in war. Minority shall last only until 18 years of age; and infirmity respecting permanent mental alienation shall not be declared except by a ready Sejm, by majority vote of three parts against the fourth of the conjoint Chambers. In these three cases, the Marshal of the Polish Crown shall immediately convoke the Sejm, and if the Marshal be slow in this obligation, the Chancellor of the Crown shall issue circular letters to the Deputies and Senators. The ready Sejm shall arrange the order of seating of the ministers in the Regency and shall empower the Queen to take the place of the King in his duties. And when the King in the first case emerge from minority, in the second come to complete health, in the third return from captivity, the Regency shall tender him account of its deeds and answer to the nation for the time of its office, even as is prescribed of the council of Guardians at every ordinary Sejm, in their own persons and property.