Oldal 35 [35]
32
Vilmos Voigt
tory is exaggerated. Spaniards are better at individual fighting (including duels) than
in troop battles. Barclay tells an anecdote about the ever-present pride of the people,
including that of the women. (The story is about a beggar women, who protects still
her high degree of pride). Then a somewhat surprising negative remark follows: in
Spain they do not cultivate literature, the arts, eloquence, or history (p. 195). This is
not a simple error on Barclay’s part, because he adds here a long admonition about
the perils of neglecting philosophy, science, and academic teaching (pp. 195-196).
And the statement is also in contrast with Barclay’s remarks at the end of the same
chapter, where (p. 199) he mentions the pompa verborum gestuumque (abundance of
words and gestures) in Spain. The Royal Couple (Ferdinand and Isabella) is named,
but the word “America” occurs only in the later commentaries to the book. Barclay
probably shared the “jealous” opinion of some of his contemporaries, who saw the
sudden immense wealth of Spain (thanks to “American gold”) as a dubious benefit,
leading to limitless pride and self-over-estimating, culminating in the outmost con¬
servatism of the rites and customs of Spanish way of life.
Except for the author’s goal to present a “complete” book on European “Icons
of the Mind,” there is no direct reason why he would have written an entire chapter
(VIII) on Hungarians, Poles, and Muscovites, who then played a minor role in com¬
mon European affairs. Hungary (mentioned as “Pannonia”) is described in seven
pages (201-208), Polonia in five pages (208-212), and Russia in ten pages (212-223).
The description of Pannonia starts with historical and geographical characterization.
‘The agriculture is rich. Each year they drive a hundred thousand cattle to Germany.
‘The wines are as excellent as in Spain. The weather is extreme, terrible cold in win¬
ter and hot in summer, strengthening thus the physical capacity of her inhabitants
(pp. 202-203). There are rich salt and metallic ore mines, including gold, which also
floats in the rivers. (The reference is to gold washing, which had been practiced in
Hungary continuously from antiquity). The rivers have plenty of fish. The demeanour
of the people is grave, because of the horrible events (the Ottoman invasion) of the
last century. Wars (in which several groups of European soldiers from many coun¬
tries participate) have marked daily life. Even the noblemen have become rude, and
the homeless country folk are simply dangerous robbers. The robes are of Oriental
style, with purple and sky-blue decorations. (Togis et tunicis utuntur ad morem orien¬
tis, purpureis maxime, aut quae caeruleum colorem accepterunt—p. 204). Men wear
short, curved sabres. The Hungarians and Germans as unkind neighbours often
share the same historical attitude. They know each other fairly well, and reciprocally
tell both true and false stories (probra) about each other (p. 205). Hungarians are
horse-breeding people. They do not follow the vices of the Italians. As regards the
Hungarian mind, they are rough, very free, and do not like to obey to anyone. Even
in the parts occupied recently by the Turks, they have not given up hope of freedom.’
7 Scholars were unable to find the primary sources of Barclay’s knowledge concerning Hungary—
beside of the well known handbooks. It is unlikely that he ever visited the Hungarian Kingdom. The