LEARNED SOCIETIES, FREEMASONRY, SCIENCES AND LITERATURE IN 18TH-CENTURY HUNGARY Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 1 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 2 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM LEARNED SOCIETIES, FREEMASONRY, SCIENCES AND LITERATURE IN 18TH-CENTURY HUNGARY A COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS AND SOURCES Edited by Réka Lengyel and Gábor Tüskés Preface and commentary by Réka Lengyel MTA Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont Irodalomtudományi Intézet Budapest, 2017 Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 3 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM English translation of the sources by Bernard Adams Translation of the commentary by Réka Futász Commentary translation revised by Bernard Adams This volume is published by MTA Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont Irodalomtudományi Intézet (Institute for Literary Studies, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences) with the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences © MTA BTK, 2017 © Réka Lengyel, Gábor Tüskés 2017 © Contributors, translators 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, including photocopy and recording, without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN 978 963 416 090 8 Typesetting by: Imre Horváth Department of Scientific Information Institute of History, Research Centre for the Humanities, HAS Head of Department: Éva Kovács Coverdesign: Zsuzsa Szilágyi N. General Director: Fodor Pál Printed by Prime Rate Kft. General manager: Péter Tomcsányi Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 4 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM Contents Acknowledgements .................................................. 9 Preface ........................................................... 11 List of Illustrations .................................................. 17 SOURCES FOR THE HISTORY OF THE acadEMIC MOVEMENT AND LEARNED SOCIETIES Daniel Fischer Epistola invitatoria eruditis Pannoniae dicata ............................. 21 Mátyás Bél De Litteraria Societate Posonii instituenda ............................... 27 Anon. (Karl Gottlieb Windisch?) Dokumente von der Pressburgischen Gesellschaft der Freunde der Wissenschaften ..................................................... 30 Ádám Ferenc Kollár Letter to Sámuel Dobai Székely ........................................ 38 Dániel Tersztyánszky Ankündigung von der Herausgabe der kaiserlichen königlichen privilegierten Anzeigen .......................................................... 40 Anon. Allerunterthänigst-unvorgreiflichster Vorschlag zu Errichtung einer Academie oder Gelehrter Gesellschaft zu Pressburg in Hungarn ..................... 48 Maximilian Hell Patriotischer Plan Einer Kayserlich-Königlichen zu Wienn zu errichtenden gelehrten Gesellschaft, oder Academie der Wissenschaften ................. 67 Elek Horányi – Pál Ányos – György Bessenyei et alii Statuta Patriae Hungaricae et Transilvanicae Societatis ..................... 76 György Bessenyei A benevolent plan for a Hungarian society .............................. 80 Jacob Joseph Winterl Anrede an die versammelten Mitglieder der Hungarischen gelehrten Gesellschaft am Tage ihrer ersten Versammlung .......................... 90 5 Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 5 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM Ignác Batthyány(?) – Anon. Leges societatis litterariae Assiduorum .................................. 95 The correspondence of Ferenc Kazinczy and Márton György Kovachich ......................... 100 Ferenc Verseghy Regeln der Pester Lesegesellschaft ..................................... 109 Joseph Karl Eder Rede, welche […] der Gesellschaft des hiesigen Leseinstitutes ist vorgelesen worden ........................................................... 112 Miklós Révai Planum erigendae Eruditae Societatis Hungaricae alterum elaboratius . 120 Márton György Kovachich Institutum Diplomatico-Historicum .................................... 134 György Aranka A draft proposal concerning the establishment of a Society in Transylvania for the Cultivation of the Hungarian Language ........................... 144 SOURCES FOR THE HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY Anon. Codex Constitutionalis Provinciae Latomiae Libertatis ..................... 157 Lajos Török(?) et alii Gesetze und Constitutionen Der Gereiften und vollkommenen Loge der Tugendhaften Cosmopoliten gegen Orient in Miskolcz .................... 162 Ferenc Kazinczy Rituale Receptionis Tyronis ........................................... 170 Karl Gottlieb Windisch Letters to Count János Fekete ......................................... 179 Joseph Karl Eder Freymaurerrede .................................................... 186 Gergely Berzeviczy Bemerkungen über die Maurerey ...................................... 191 Ferenc Kazinczy Letter to György Aranka . 196 6 Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 6 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM Anon. Biographies of the Grand Master Masons ............................... 201 Ádám Pálóczi Horváth A secret revealed ................................................... 204 József Kármán Ahndungen eines jüngeren Bruders über den Zweck des Ordens ............ 217 Ignác Martinovics Report about his acceptance to the Vienna illuminati lodge . 222 Ferenc Kazinczy Letter to Franz Adam Aigner ......................................... 228 Ferenc Kazinczy Notes on Freemasonry .............................................. 230 Biographies of the authors of the texts ................................. 233 Bibliography ....................................................... 239 Index . 243 7 Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 7 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 8 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM Acknowledgements This volume is published on the occasion of the international conference “Aufgeklärte Sozietäten, Literatur und Wissenschaft in Mitteleuropa” organized by the 18th-Century Department of the Institute for Literary Studies (Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences). The editors are especially grateful for the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Research Centre for the Humanities of the HAS. We also owe a great debt of thanks to Etelka Doncsecz, Béla Hegedüs, Kálmán Tóth and Hanna Vámos for their valuable contributions. We would particularly like to thank Bernard Adams and Réka Futász for their assistance in translating the Hungarian-language sources and the commentary. We also thank the Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library (Budapest) and the National Portrait Gallery Foundation for giving permission to reproduce illustrations from their collection. 9 Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 9 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM Learned Societies_KÖNYV.indb 10 9/25/2017 2:20:36 PM Preface “Bees that lack a queen fly about and scatter in all directions, but do not make a comb or produce honey: even if they do something all their work is simply disorder. But if one gives them a queen work at once proceeds in an orderly fashion: the comb grows, as does the honey. Hitherto Hungarian writers have been like bees without a queen, and their work shows it. But if the country gives them a queen, establishes a Hungarian Society to direct their work, and at once industry, order, and the benefit that is awaited will arise among them too.” (György Bessenyei: A benevolent plan for a Hungarian society) From the second half of the 19th century researchers of the history of literature, science and education have paid special attention to the history of 18th-century learned societies and Freemasonry in Hungary. Research conducted during the last roughly 150 years has uncovered a number of historical sources concerning the functioning of learned societies, the academic movement, reading circles and Masonic lodges. Through the data gathered from these sources it has become possible to learn about the activities and role of these groups and organizations in scholarly and cultural life, the civil service, public education, and the management of industry and the economy in 18th-century Hungary. Ferenc Toldy, Lajos Csóka J., and later László N. Szelestei have given a comprehensive overview of the history of 18th-century learned societies and the academic movement, and they have published some of the texts of the relevant documents. In other locations, full texts or parts of additional Latin-, German- and Hungarian-language sources have also been published; thus most of the proposals for learned societies, reading societies and academies, their regulations and other announcements are also available in modern editions. A further rich and important group of sources is the correspondence of Hungarian intellectuals. To publish these documents, Andor Tarnai launched a separate series, the edition of which was later taken over by László N. Szelestei. So far six volumes have been published. Ferenc Kazinczy’s correspondence constitutes a particularly important group of sources for studying the history of the literature and education of the era. From the well-composed letters of this writer, poet, and editor we can obtain a picture not only of his society memberships, role in scholarly and cultural life, and Masonic activities, but also those of persons who were in contact with him, or of whom he had heard. Kazinczy’s correspondence also provides a lot of data concerning the history of newspapers and journals in Hungary. These Latin-, German- and Hungarian-language journals and magazines of science, popular science, or literature are in close connection with the functioning of Hungarian learned societies, the academic movement, and to