her, both broke their lances, but the Magyar hero and his horse rolled
over upon the ground, for the Turks had always the best horses." O young
man of Horncastle! if ever you learn Hungarian--and learn it assuredly
you will after what I have told you--read the book of Florentius of Buda,
even if you go to Hungary to get it, for you will scarcely find it
elsewhere, and even there with difficulty, for the book has been long out
of print. It describes the actions of the great men of Hungary down to
the middle of the sixteenth century; and besides being written in the
purest Hungarian, has the merit of having for its author a professor of
the Reformed College of Debreczen.
_Myself_. I will go to Hungary rather than not read it. I am glad that
the Turk beat the Magyar. When I used to read the ballads of Spain I
always sided with the Moor against the Christian.
_Hungarian_. It was a drawn fight after all, for the terrible horse of
the Turk presently flung his own master, whereupon the two champions
returned to their respective armies; but in the grand conflict which
ensued, the Turks beat the Magyars, pursuing them till night, and
striking them on the necks with their scymetars. The Turk is a noble
fellow; I should wish to be a Turk, were I not a Magyar.
_Myself_. The Turk always keeps his word, I am told.
_Hungarian_. Which the Christian very seldom does, and even the
Hungarian does not always. In 1444 Ulaszlo made, at Szeged, peace with
Amurath for ten years, which he swore with an oath to keep, but at the
instigation of the Pope Julian he broke it, and induced his great
captain, Hunyadi John, to share in the perjury. The consequence was the
battle of Varna, of the 10th of November, in which Hunyadi was routed,
and Ulaszlo slain. Did you ever hear his epitaph? it is both solemn and
edifying:--
Romulidae Cannas ego Varnam clade notavi;
Discite mortales non temerare fidem:
Me nisi Pontifices jussissent rumpere foedus
Non ferret Scythicum Pannonis ora jugum."
"Halloo!" said the jockey, starting up from a doze in which he had been
indulging for the last hour, his head leaning upon his breast, "what is
that? That's not high Dutch; I bargained for high Dutch, and I left you
speaking high Dutch, as it sounded very much like the language of horses,
as I have been told high Dutch does; but as for what you are speaking
now, whatever you may call it, it sounds more like the language of
another kin
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