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In his formative years, which he most likely spent in some Jesuit school, the Tribune must have been made to read classic epics, such as Homer's ''IlliadIliad'' or Vergil Maro's ''Aeneid''. He wold later refer to the latter as "my friend Maro",<ref>A. Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book IV, verse 977</ref> even though he probably knew the <i>Aeneid</i>'s plot from scholars' commentaries rather than from the epic itself. Mickiewicz too, no doubt, had to read the same classics, in their 18th-century Polish translations, as a schoolboy. And while he didn't think very highly of these translations' poetic value, they must have left a deep impression on his memory. Take, for example, this excerpt from Book XI of ''Pan Tadeusz'':

And now compare it with the initial verses of the second book of the ''IlliadIliad'':

The rhyme is the same, but here we've got the god of all gods making plans for the Trojan War, while there we have a simple nobleman making plans for a dinner. Mind you, it's not the only such parallel; in fact, much of ''Pan Tadeusz'' is a parody of an 18th-century Polish translation of the ''IlliadIliad''. Interestingly, Mickiewicz is most likely to paraphrase Homer when he's writing about the Tribune. This is no coincidence; for every time the Tribune gets busy in the kitchen, we're in for some epic cooking!

Szkic młodego Jacka Malczewskiego Sketch by Jacek Malczewski (1871).</poem>]]

Skąd Wojski czerpał pomysły na różne wymyślne dania, które miały się złożyć na ostatnią ucztę staropolskąWhere did the Tribune get his ideas for all the dishes to be served at the last Old Polish feast from? Otóż nie polegał ani na własnej pamięci, ani na domowych notatkachWell, tylko ostrożnie sięgnął po starąhe didn't rely on his own memory, wydaną drukiemnor on any home recipes, książkę kucharskąbut he carefully reached for an old printed cookbook.

W przypisie In a footnote, Mickiewicz dodaje, że to adds that it's "książka teraz bardzo rzadkanow a very rare book, przed stukilkudziesiąt laty wydana przez Stanisława Czernieckiegopublished over a hundred years ago by Stanisław Czerniecki.".<ref>A. Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', objaśnienia poetyPoet's explanatory notes, own translation</ref> I&nbsp;tu pojawia się problemAnd this were it gets tricky. Książka kucharska pod tytułem A Polish cookbook entitled ''Kucharz doskonały'' rzeczywiście istniała(''The Excellent Cook" or ''The Perfect Cook'', ale jej pierwsze wydanie ukazało się dopiero w&nbsp;depending on how you translate it) did exist, but it was first published only in 1783&nbsp;r., which was less than half a&nbsp;więc nie century rather than "przed stukilkudziesiąt latyover a hundred years", a&nbsp;niespełna pół wieku przed before ''Panem TadeuszemPan Tadeusz''. Co więcejWhat's more, jej autorem wcale nie był it wasn't written by Stanisław Czerniecki; był to przekład francuskiej książki (pronounced ''stah-{{small|NEE}}-swahf churn-{{small|YET}}-skee''). It was ''La cuisinière bourgeoise'' Menona dokonany przez Wojciecha Wielądkęby Menon that was translated into Polish and published by Wojciech Wielądko (pronounced ''{{small|VOY}}-chekh vyeh-{{small|LAWND}}-kaw''), który poza tym z&nbsp;branżą gastronomiczną mało miał wspólnegoa man who otherwise had little to do with the catering business. Zamiast przepisów kuchni staropolskiej, Wojski znalazłby więc w&nbsp;niej tylko francuskie nowinki kulinarneAll the Tribune would have found there were French culinary novelties rather than time-honoured Old Polish recipes.

[[File:Compendium ferculorum.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.115|"''Książka teraz bardzo rzadkaNow a very rare book, przed stukilkudziesiąt laty wydana przez Stanisława Czernieckiegopublished over a hundred years ago by Stanisław Czerniecki.''"<ref>A. Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', objaśnienia poetyPoet's explanatory notes, own translation</ref><br>Egzemplarz A copy of ''Compendium ferculorum'' Stanisława Czernieckiego otwarty na dedykacji autora do księżnej Heleny Tekli Lubomirskiejby Stanisław Czerniecki opened on the author' dedication to Princess Helena Tekla Lubomirska.]]