Oldal 417 [417]
ESZTER TARJÁNYI
I don’t know whether this conversation happened, but I know for sure that it was
common talk and every Hungarian man rejoiced to hear that."
In order to understand the story, we have to be familiar with the relevant
history taught in every Hungarian primary school. The episode dates from
the 1850s, when Francis Joseph (1830-1916) visited Hungary shortly after
the revolution and war of independence had been crushed in the country,
so apparently a hidden and rebellious expression of national consciousness
is evoked here. Both Antal Augusz and Superintendent Josef Protmann
represented the policy of oppression in the 1850s and were utterly loyal to
the emperor, while Jézsef Edtvés, the minister of religion and education in
the Batthyany government (1848, March 23"'—October 2‘), belonged to the
Hungarian patriotic movement.
The following version of this story was written by Kalman Mikszath,
although it did not appear in a collection of factual anecdotes but in the
fictional anecdotal novel The Two Beggar Students written in 1885, which is
set during Räköczi’s War of Independence (1703-1711).
Leopold was not liked by the Hungarians, and the reason why, in spite of this, Pest
received him with great pomp was none else than the mayor, Tamäs Nesselroth,
who wanted to do his utmost on the occasion.
He was an evil man seeking glory, hated by the people, and when the discussions
at the Town Hall (which stood in the same place as the present one does) were
going on about how to receive the emperor so that he should be surprised, the
people should rejoice but it shouldnt cost much (since, a sad fact, the whole
annual income of the city at the time wasnt more than 13,430 Rhenus forints), a
courageous Hungarian burgher rose to speak:
— Gentlemen, in order to fulfil our plan, the best possible solution would be
if his Excellence, our honorary mayor was hanged from the Gate of Vac, from
which direction His Majesty will come. In that case all would be achieved: His
Majesty would be very much surprised, the people would be extremely happy, and
it wouldn’t cost any money either.
A roar of laughter broke out. Nesselroth went red and stormed out of the council
hall. (...)"
18
A magyar anekdotakincs (Ihe Hungarian Treasury of Anecdotes), III, Ibidem, 278.
Kálmán Mikszáth: A két koldusdiák (Ihe Two Beggar Students), in Regények és nagyobb
elbeszélések (Novels and Long Short Stories), Vol. III, ed. by István Király, Akadémiai Kiadó,
Budapest, 1957, 111.
19
" 416"