Hungary under King Matthias Hunyady, Surnamed 'Corvinus.' 1458-1490 Author(s): G. G. Zerffi Source: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Vol. 1 (1883 - 1884), pp. 260-272 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal Historical Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3677971 Accessed: 16-02-2016 11:15 UTC

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HUNGARY UNDER KING MATTHIAS HUNYADY, SURNAMED 'CORVINUS.' 1458-1490. BY Dr. G. G. ZERFFI, F.R.S.L., F.R. Hist. Soc., Chairman of Council RoyalHistorical Society.

(Read December 1882.) THE Roman province,Pannonia, afterhaving become a prey to the Vizigoths and Ostrogoths, was suddenly invaded towards the end of the fourthcentury, A.D., by an Asiatic people knownunder the name of ' Huns,' ' Konoi,' 'Aorsoi,' or 'Alans.' These Huns were followed by the Avars, undoubtedly a cognate tribe. The Avars are said to have overcomethe Kutugurs, or Usurgurs,and drivenfrom Pannonia the Longobards (Lombards), a Teuton tribe,which settledin Italy, and formedthe principalethnical element of Tuscany. At last we have the Magyars, another cognate tribe of the Huns occupyingPannonia. That the Magyarswere Fins was often asserted, but is now an entirelyexploded hypothesis. There are a few Finnish words in the Magyar language, provingthat at a certainhistorical period the Magyars must have had some kind of connectionwith the Fins, but the test words provingthe affinityof languages are entirelydifferent. The verb of self-consciousexistence is the verb 'to be'- Sansk. . . asmi,asi, asti. Old Sd. . yesme,yesi, yesto. Lithuan . esmi,esi, esti. Latin . . sum,es, est. Zend . . ahmi,ahi, asti. Gothic. . im,is, ist. Greek(Doric) emmi, essi, esti. Armenian. em,es, &. Hungarian : VAGYOK, VAGY, VAN, which in Finnish sounds: minAolen, Sina olet, ha on, siion. We will take next some words of social relation. Father in Hungarian is ' atya,' in Finnish tsanta; 'anya,' mother in Hungarian-aiti Finnish;' Isten' is the Hungarianfor' God'--

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'Inmala' the Finnish; there is certainlyno resemblance in thesewords. As to the numerals,one, two, and fourmight be of one and the same lingual root,but the other numeralsare quite different. Hungarian Finnish Hungarian Finnisk i. Egy Yksi 6. hat kunsi 2. kett6o(Kt) kaksi 7. hit saitsemin 8. kahrektan 3. halom kolme nyolcz 4. nigy nelya 9. kilencz yhrektan 5. ot wrisi 1o. tiz kymmenk. The Magyars are lingually certainlynot related to the Fins. Ethnically,they do belong withthe Fins to the great Turanian group of Humanity,and musthave played once a considerablepart in unknownand pre-historictimes in Central Asia, and those who have been mentionedby ancient Greek, Egyptian,and Persian writers,as Skythians,might have been these nomads, who lived on horseback,roamed about, and yet must have possessed a high degree of civilisation,as their language proves. This language has gone throughall the phases of development: the monosyllabic,agglutinative, and the flexible, and is capable of expressing any concreteor abstract notion without using a foreignword. Were I to assume the philologicalsubdivision of languages intoanalytical, organic,and synthetical,as has been done by A. W. Schlegel, I could not class the Magyar as specially belongingto any of these groups,but as being an admirable compound of all the three categories. The celebrated ProfessorHorvAth, of the Universityof Pest, told his studentsthat the language spoken by the Creator in Paradise was the Magyar. He clearly provedthis to his own and his enthusiasticstudents' satisfaction by the name of the firstman, 'Adam,' which he stated to have been the imperfectof the verb 'adni'-' adam,' I gave; remindingthe firstman of having received life from the Creator. I will not exactly hold this theory,but it is un- doubtedly as good as that of the celebrated Reuchlin, who most earnestlyand learnedlyproved that God and His angels had spoken Hebrew, as the most sacred language of all 18*

This content downloaded from 132.174.254.159 on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:15:39 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 262 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. others. Having studiedcomparative philology and mythology, without which studies true historyin a highersense of the word, according to our modern notions,is utterlyuseless, I must say that the Magyar language in its isolation,develop- ment,power and refinement,stands out as mysteriouslyas the Egyptian Sphinx. We may try to explain its originor its affinity,but we can as littlefind out its true position in the progressivephilological development of humanityas the real symbol of the Sphinx. The Magyar is undoubtedlyone of the very oldest languages that survivedincredible historical vicissitudes,and stillforms the meansof expressingsensations, thoughts,political as well as social, poetical as well as his- torical ideas, in a comparativelysmall number of individuals, and yet lingual and national vitalityare so greatin them that neithertheir independent existence, nor theiroriginal language could ever be effaced. The Magyar political development had the greatestpossible analogy withthat of England. The 'Magna Charta' was agreed to in England in 1215, and only seven years later (1222) the 'Bulla Aurea' was grantedby, or ratherextorted from, King Andreas. England's lords and barons gave privileges and libertiesto churchand clergy,feudal knights, vassals and tenants,to cities,towns, and boroughs,and encouragedtrade ; whilstthe Magyararistocracy insistedon exceptional privilegesfor the nobles,and laid the foundationof later dissensionswhich disturbed the national and political balance of the realm, and made the countrya prey to continuousintrigues, carried on by foreignrulers, the Pope, the Greekand German Emperors,the Kings of Bohemia and Poland, the Turkish Sultans and Grand Vizirs; and nothingsaved the Magyars, throughoutall these sanguinary struggles, but their innate spirit of independence, well balanced by an equally innate sense of justice and love of higherintellectual culture. To draw in sharp outlinesone of the most stirringperiods of Hungarian historywill be the aim of my paper. Having consulted and studied the best possible authoritieson Hungary,' the originalityof my paper I Verb6czi, Thur6cz, Katona, Sziligy, Mailith, Pejaczevics, Brankevitch, Fessler,&c.

This content downloaded from 132.174.254.159 on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:15:39 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions HUNGARY UNDER KING MATTHIAS HUNYADY. 263 will consist in the arrangementof facts,and in the general conclusionsdrawn fromthem. Without exaggeration I may state that Hungary in the fifteenthand sixteenth centuries stood at the head of the mighty,partly political, partly religious movement, which changedthe wholeinner life of Europe. The Magyars, thoughthe Crusadersmade Hungarya high-roadfor their religiousenterprises in the East,never took a realinterest in thesefanatical expeditions which were to increasethe papal authority.The Magyarsat that periodof their nationalexistence had shownthemselves far superior to any narrow-mindedbigotry or contemptibleintolerance. They cameas generousconquerors in comparativelysmall numbers, and provedthemselves kind mastersto the innumerable nationalremnants which formed the populationof Hungary. UnderStephen I., in 8oo, theMagyars were Romanised. Since thattime the popes continuallyattempted to have thesupremacy over kings and lords,bishoprics, monasteries, and the wholeecclesiastical organisation in Hungary;yet theynever could master the politicallyindependent spirit of theMagyars. Patriotism with them was always a higher,and morallyfar more inspiring, force than sectarian animosity- Mahometans,Roman Catholics, or Greekswere the same to themso longas theydid theirsacred duty to thenation in defendingthe countryagainst foreign foes, and in no other peoplecan we traceso determineda resolutionto place politicalexigencies above any other consideration. Venetians,Dalmatians, Bulgarians, Serbes, Wallachs, Slovacs,Croats, Turks, Moravians, Poles, Bohemians, Aus- trians,Italians, Germans, Lithuanians, red and white Russians, were distracting Hungary with petty-nationaland family quarrels,when Albert V. died. Ladislas, who was born after his father'sdeath, was called on that account Posthumus,and ought to have ascended the throne,but the Poles, helped by the Sclavons, wished Ladislas to be crowned at once king of Hungary. Dissensions and intriguesincreased, when a simple Hungarian nobleman,Hunyady Jainos,a man of great talent,

This content downloaded from 132.174.254.159 on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:15:39 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 264 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. determinedwill, and unboundedpatriotism, was made governor of Hungaryduring the minorityof Ladislas, and entrustedwith the defenceof the country. It was on the 28th of May, 1453 (429 years ago), that Constantinoplefell into the hands of the Turks under theiryoung and valiant Padishah, Mahomet II. On the frontiersof Asia, at the entrancegates of Europe, a barrier of religious dissension was established, shuttingout northernAsia fromthe influencesof west European civilisa- tion. Germanyhad no influenceat that period on the destinies of Europe. The popes lost all their power in the East, and had to yield to the Mahometan force which, in a good Christiansense of mutual love, they preferredto the sway of the Greek Church. The whole of the Continentwas a body withouta head, or rather,with too many heads-a kind of senseless republic in which electors, kings, dukes, counts, barons,and nobles were the citizens,who obeyed no laws, and had no common object but the advancement of their own petty family interests. The encroachmentof the Turks on European territorywas a great danger to Hungary, yet a greater danger threatenedto disturb the agitated plains of Pannonia. A fanatic monk,small and lean, thin-faced,and hooked-nosed,threatened, like Peter the Hermitfour hundred years before,to excite the people to a revivalof the crusades. The fanaticmonk was Capistran,who afterhaving excited the people in Moravia to murder the Jews, and some of the wealthierfanatics to burn theirtrinkets, jewels, and superflu- ous fashionablegarments, appeared at Vienna. Wheneverand whereverhe preached,he was surroundedby an idle,beggarly crowd. Idleness and beggary are dangerous factors in the historicalevolution of humanity, yet though the people listened to him with immense delight, and admired his thundering phrases against infidels,they did not feel inclined to leave theirhomes and to fightthe pope's battles. Capistran left Austria,and proceededto Hungary. Here he succeededin per- suading a few thousand discontentedpeasants, who preferred adventureto steady workfor their landlords, to join him and

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to proceed withhim to the gates of Belgrade,where Hunyady stood to repel the progressof a similarlyfanatic herd of be- lievers,though of a differentcreed. Capistran'sarmy had no properweapons. Only a few of his men were providedwith pikes, scythes,sickles, whilst others had flails and pitchforks, but they all had a grievance,which they intended to revenge on the infidels. Hunyady,with these motleyauxiliaries, and his own well-drilled and well-armed troops, repelled the furiousonslaught of the Turks; yet he did not dare to attack the entrenchedenemy. But Capistran-a cross in his hand- led the infuriatedmob against the firstand second entrench- ments with such violence, that the Turks began to yield. Hunyady saw the advantage and, in the right momeut, brought up his cavalry, fell upon the rear of the confused enemy,and the Turks were completelyrouted. Mahomet II. had been wounded,and fledwith the remainsof his army,leav- ing rich booty in the hands of his conquerors. The aggres- sive forceof the Turks was fora long time checked. Hunyady a fortnightafter this victorydied in the arms of Capistran of the plague which broke out in the camp, and Capistran soon aftershared the fate of his valorous and heroic friend. Ashamed of their inactivity,and envious of the laurels which Hunyady JAnosand a begging monk had earned on the battle-fieldsnear Belgrade, King Ladislas and Count Ulrick of Cilly (Cilley), were now determinedto proceed with antarmy of crusaderscollected in Germany,Bohemia, Austria and Hungary,to take the fortressof Belgrade withina fixed period. Court intrigues prevented the appointment of Ladislas Hunyady, the young valiant and promisingson of Hunyady Janos,as commander of the national troops, and his uncle the diplomaticallybetter trained Count Cilly was placed at the head of the army. Ladislas Hunyady resolved to have his revenge on Count Cilly. Whilst the king and his adviser were delaying their arrival before Belgrade, the valiant son of the greatest captain, Hungary ever produced, took Belgrade by storm, and succeeded in persuadingthe young king and his advisersto come into the fortresswith a

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small retinue. Count Cilly felt uneasy,could not sleep the whole night,and lay listeningto the monotonoussounds of the steps of Ladislas Hunyady's soldiers,and the plaintive call of the horns of the distantguards. Cilly knew well that his hour had come. He had been the evil genius of the young king,who was brought up in strict moral principles, whichwere laughed at by Cilly as 'Styrian notions,'of which he promised to purifythe king,and to show him the world and its real delights. 'A kind of Mephistophelesin the flesh, Cilly had long ago planned the destruction of Ladislas Hunyady, and his younger brother,Matthias. He wrote to his father-in-law,George Brankovics,' 'he would send him two balls as no ruler of Servia ever possessed to play with,'and in the circle of his friendshe often boasted that he would destroybefore the end of the year the two outgrowthsof ' a foreign,a Wallachian, currishrace.' Ladislas Hunyady,well informedof the sentimentsof his uncle, did but protecthis own life fromthe attacks of a determinedassassin. When the king and Cilly were safe in Belgrade,the next morning after early mass, Ladislas Hunyady sent for Cilly to meet him in conference. Cilly came and found only two other gentlemenpresent. Ladislas reproachedhis haughtyrelation with his treacherous conduct, and insulted him to such a degree that the Count at last lost his temper,drew his sword, aimed a blow at Ladislas-this was the pre-arrangedsign- forat that momentthe hidden attendantsof Ladislas rushed into the room,and attackedthe enraged Count,who was soon overpowered and his head severed from his body. The terrible tragedy did not end here. The king, one-sidedly informrrdby his courtiers of this incident, hesitated to follow up the great victory,obtained over the Turks by Ladislas Hunyady, and lost to the Christiansall the advan- tages that had been gained with the sacrificeof many a precious life. Egotism and jealousy, mean ambition and personalvanity, played in the destiniesof whole nationsoften See ' Hist. MS. rerumAustriae ab anno 1454 ad ann. 1467 auctoriscooevi,' ap. Pray,Ann. P. III. p. 158.

This content downloaded from 132.174.254.159 on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:15:39 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions HUNGARY UNDER KING MATTHIAS HUNYADY. 267 a far greater part than honesty of purpose and straight- forwardnessof character. The kingsuppressed his resentments, and instead of taking the threatenedinterests of Christianity to heart, withdrew with his adherents to Temesv\r, the strongfortified possession of the Hunyadys; and, advised by Count Ladislas Gara, a cousin of Ladislas Hunyady, he arranged a feast of reconciliation on St. Clement's Day, November 25, 1456. Aftera solemn mass, the kingembraced the two Hunyadys (Ladislas and Matthias),placed his hands on the Gospel, and swore by God and all His saints to forgive Ladislas, that his heartwas freefrom all hostile feelings,and thathe would underno condition,and at no time,revenge the murderof Count Cilly. He furtherdeclared Eliza, the widow of Hunyady JAnos,to be henceforthhis mother,and her sons his brothers.' He then led the two brothersto the altar,and shared withthem the Holy Sacrament,to confirmhis solemn oath. Yet four months later Ladislas and Matthias were arrestedat Vienna ; the firstwas taken to Buda, wherehe was executed aftersunset, not to allow the daylight to shine on the dastardlydeed. How closely all the strikingphenomena of historyfollow the strictlaw of causation. Treacheryen- genderedrevenge; revenge,perjury and newtreachery. Oaths were sworn and broken on all sides. One perjurerdid not feel himselfbound to keep faithwith anotherperjurer. King Ladislas Posthumus died the year after,on St. Clement's Day, the anniversaryon whichhe swore forgiveness and brotherhoodto Ladislas Hunyady. The sympathy which the execution of young Ladislas Hunyady created, and the contemptible treachery of his adversaries,placed his younger brotheron the throne,at the same timethat GeorgePodiebrad was elected king of Bohemia (1458). The surname' Corvinus'was taken by Matthiasfrom Corvus (a raven),which, with a ring in its beak, formedthe family crestof the Hunyadys. Matthias was but a boy of fourteenyears when his brotherwas executed. He himself was led about as a hostage, and ordered fromVienna to See Thur6cz,Chroni. P. IV. ch. 59, 6o.

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Prague, wherehe arrivedon the day of the death of Ladislas Posthumus,and wherehe was kept by George Podiebrad as a State prisoner. His uncle,Count Szilkgy,was anxious to see his nephew on the Hungarian throne, The free-thinkingand pious bishop, John Vitiz, was sent with 40,000 ducats to Prague to negotiatewith Podiebrad the release of Matthias, which was granted for the above-mentionedsum. SzilAgy in the meantime collected 40,000 men, and withtheir help Matthias was by unanimous acclamation elected king of Hungary (1458). When AEneasSylvius, the learned chronicler of that period, expresses his surprise 'that Hungary and Bohemia should have become transferredfrom the most influentialprincely houses to those of common noblemen,'he only proves what so many chroniclersof our own days do, that he did not understandthe spiritof his time. Hunyady Matyis had at once to struggle with the emperor of Germany,Frederick III., who was also chosen king of Hungary by a party hostile to the people. The emperor,in the possession of the crown of St. Stephen, had himselfcrowned king of Hungary at Wiener Neustadt, on Austrian territory. The pope, Pius II., thought to find in the excitable and youthfulMatthias a bettertool against the Turks than in Frederick, thereforeopenly took the part of Corvinus. Frederick and Podiebrad met unex- pectedlyat Briinn(1459), and concluded an offensiveand de- fensivealliance for the conquest of Hungary. The spirited Hungarian king, however,soon put an end to these plans. He married the beautifuldaughter of King Podiebrad, and Frederick seeing himselfsuddenly deprived of one of his most influentialallies, consented to make a good bargain. Matthias was to.be recognised by him king of Hungary for life,and FrederickIII. gave up the crownof St. Stephen, on paymentof 80,000 ducats (about 40,0001.),but he at the same time demanded that the Hungarian royal title should be grantedto the Habsburgs,which stipulation forms the founda- tion of the Austro-Hungarianempire. Matthias turned against the rebellious Wallachs (1462),

This content downloaded from 132.174.254.159 on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:15:39 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions HUNGARY UNDER KING MATTHIAS HUNYADY. 269 took the fortressof Jaicza, in Bosnia (1464), hurled back the conquering Turks, and was crowned king of Hungary at Stuhlweissenburg(Feh6rvar) with the crownof St. Stephen (1464). The bigoted Frenchking, Louis XI., and the kings of Bohemia and Poland tried to induce Matthias to enterwith them into a league against the Turks,the enemiesof Christen- dom. Matthiashaving experienced the loving disinterestedness of his Christian allies, for which he had to pay so many ducats, did not see the necessity of establishinga general European Confederationof States against the Turks. Matthias was of an essentiallypractical mind. He refused to supportthe plans of Pope Pius II., and to forma crusade against the Turks, or to help the holy father in his en- deavours to have King Podiebrad brought to trial forheresy at Rome; or to extirpatethe Hussites-tasks which appeared to the pope even more importantthan the subjectionof the Turks. On the contrary,Matthias was ready to ally himself with the kings of Poland and Bohemia, if they would assist him to put down the thievingand murderingbands of high- way robbersand beggars in Moravia and Hungary; but the Hungarian king was left single-handed,and succeeded in extirpatingthe Sclavon robbers and beggars. Having put down a rebellion in Transylvania,he directedall his efforts against the eternallywavering, undecided king of Bohemia, whom he drove out of Moravia, and withwhom he concluded peace at last. The Catholic league, with the pope at their head, made every possible effortto preventa union between Podiebrad and Matthias; they proclaimed the latter king of Bohemia, had him crownedwith great pomp at Olmiitz,and gave him Silesia. The dominion of the Hungarian crown extendedfrom Servia to Silesia,and everywherethe determined willand geniusof the kingfostered order, without preventing the awakened spiritof inquiryto take its freecourse. The Utra- quists at that period were undoubtedlythe forerunnersof the Lutheransand Calvinists,and Matthias,instead of persecuting them,allowed them freeprofession of their religiousnotions, and used his best effortswith the papal court to establish on N.S.--VOL. I. T

This content downloaded from 132.174.254.159 on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:15:39 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 270 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. the basis of mutual toleration peace, already concluded with Podiebrad,king of Bohemia, and Wenzeslas, king of Poland. In 1485 Matthias Hunyady stood at the height of his power. He restrainedthe sway of the-Turks,possessed and governedMoravia, Silesia, and Lower Austria,held his court at Vienna, kept Frederick of Germanyin awe, and showed himselfeven a greaterruler in time of peace than in time of war He devoted his principalenergy to an improvementof all the branches of public administration;he altered the land laws, invited foreign settlers,permitted the peasants freelyto change theirresidences; he invitedeven the nobles to promote agriculture,and worked in that directionwith unsurpassed energy, to show the people what the lifeof a landownerought to be, and that ' the peasants ought to be treatedwith kindness,being of the same blood and fleshas any higher-borncreatures!' From agriculturehe turnedhis attentionto the rich gold, silver,copper, tin, and lead mines in Hungary,and granted to anyone who undertookto work them favourableconcessions. Next he encouraged industry in the townsof Hungary and Transylvania,and gave laws to the differentguilds, to raise in them a feelingof common interests.Watchmakers were specially protected. Leutschau, twenty-sixyears after his death,had the firstclock -tower in thewhole of Hungary. Foreign commercewas not neglected. At Buda, Pesth, Oldenburg, Pressburg,&c., importantfirms were established,who traded with Venice, Florence, Frank- fort,Nuremberg, Breslau, and Cracovia. He regulatedtaxes and duties according to the wealth of the landowners,and submittedchurches and monasteriesto an equally just contri- bution to the burdensof the State. Simple in his every-day mode of living, he was the wealthiest prince of his times. When he met the Polish king,Wenzeslas, ' neither Homer's Alkinous nor the Lydian King Krcesus' could have wished for more pomp shown in carpets,gold and silvervessels, and goblets ornamentedwith precious stones. Dinner was served to the kings and their retinueon the public market-place. The centralroyal table

This content downloaded from 132.174.254.159 on Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:15:39 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions HUNGARY UNDER KING MATTHIAS HUNYADY. 271 was surroundedby ten othertables, and at all of thempeople eat on silver,and drank fromgolden goblets. The papal legate, Bishop Castella, saw in the royal resi- dence of the king at Buda so many dresses embroideredwith gold or silver,adorned with precious stones and pearls,carpets, curtains,of the most costly weavings, artistically worked, golden and silver caskets, trinkets,chains, that fiftylarge waggons could not have taken the treasures away. As much as Cor- vinus was eager to show his love for pomp and eastern grandeur, as little did he neglect the culture of arts and sciences. Italy stood at that period at the head of the newlyrevived poetical and artistic movement,and King Matthias invited foreignarchitects, stone-cutters, musicians, singers, and actors to settledown in Hungary. To satisfyhis own tastehe engaged sculptorsand painters,and employed pupils of Nicola Alunno, Pietro Perugino,from Rome; Florence furnishedhim distin- guished artistsfrom the studios of Andrea di Castagno and Luca Signorello; Bologna and Naples sent him studentsfrom the schools of Lippo Dalmasi and Antonio Solario. At the head of them stood his court painter-a pupil of Masaccio, the Carmelite monk, Fra Filippo Lippi, who was scarcely surpassed by any other painter in sweetnessof formsand a deep glow of colouring. Of the greatestvalue was the grand librarywhich Matthias collected in his palace at Buda. It was as rich in MSS. as in newly printed books. There were Greek,Syriac, Arabic, and Hebrew MSS.-generally bought frorifugitive Greeks, when Constantinoplefell into the hands of the Turks. Corvinus had everywhereagents who had orders to buy whatever was good and worth possessing. His library consisted of 55,000 volumes, partly splendidly written MSS. and partly printed books. This effortto collect MSS. and books was the more praiseworthyin the Hungarian king,as the art of printinghad only been invented 44 years beforehe began to establish his unequalled library (1466). The year before (1465) he renewed the charter of the T2

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Universityof Buda, obtained a Bull fromPope Paul II. to establish a chair of Theology at the Universityof Fiinf- kirchen,and endowed the Universityof Pressburgwith all the rightsand privilegesof the Universityof Bologna. He was most anxious to see the Universityof Buda becominga real centre of learning. From Italy, Franconia,and Germanyhe assembled the most distinguishedteachers of mathematics, poetry, rhetorics,astronomy, and ordered the firstregular almanac to be published. The firstprinting office in Hungarywas establishedin 1470 by the Provost and Vice-Chancellorof Buda; and the first work published, 1473 (one year beforethe firstbook was printedin England-' The Game of the Playe of Chesse,' by Caxton), was the' Chronica Hungarorum,'from an unknown author. Unhappily the sudden intellectual enthusiasm kindled by the king was not kept alive, for ten years after the establishment of a printing office in Hungary, even Missals, for the use of the archbishopricof GrAn, were printed at Nuremberg,and the masterlywritten ' Chronicles of Hungary,'by John Thur6cz, were printedat the expense of a citizen of Buda, Theobaldus Fej6r, at Venice, Augsburg, and Briinn. All the noble effortsof this glorious ruler,who was far in advance of his times,were in vain. It was an artificial attempt to raise Hungary to one of the very firstempires in the south-east of Europe; to make her peoples ardent pioneersof civilisation,constitutional freedom, and orderalong the shores of the Danube, and to forma powerfulbulwark against the encroachingforces of Turkey. After the death of Matthias Corvinusambitious party-men, like Stephen and his son John ZApolya,took the lead in Hungary,and after thirty-sixyears of bloodshed and rebellion,devastation and miseryunder King Wladislas and his son Louis II., the latter of whom fell at the battle of Mohics, betrayed by those who ought to have supportedhim, Hungarybecame, as faras Buda, a prey to the Turks, and everyprogress of civilisation was checked forcenturies in the east of Europe.

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