Oldal 36 [36]
OCR
Icon Animorum by John Barclay and the Origins of the Characterization of European Nations From page 207, there follows a short description of the Adriatic coast, mentioning the then-current wars between the Ottoman Empire, Venice, Austria, and Hungary. Polonia is a flat country (from the Scythian language: pole "flat land"— p. 208). She has a continental climate, does not have many stone houses, and especially for the noblemen, freedom means the highest value. Her eastward neighbour is Russia, where the ruler is the prince of Moscovy, who earned that name from the town Mosc/um/. The common people there are born to slavery, and they feel comfortable living in the yoke. (Servituti gens nata, ad omne libertatis vestigium ferox est... —p. 213). They also send the immigrants into serfdom. Very few persons can read and their knowledge is much limited. At the end of Chapter VIII (pp. 217223), there are brief comments on the Crimea, the Baltic, the original homeland of the Germans, and a short description of Norway (Norvegia). Denmark and Sweden are mentioned, but there is no sentence about the Finns. The first part of the relatively long chapter (X) deals with the “wild” Turks. Their history is explained in the chapter, including such events as the capture of Constantinople, Beograd, and Buda, and the battle at Mohacs (1526), which terminated the existence of the independent Hungarian Kingdom (p. 228). The author describes the kidnapping of children from the Balkans for Ottoman military schools, and discrimination against Christians. The mind of the Turks is rustic and depressive. They do deserve, however, freedom and dignity, of which they do not want to achieve. (Turcis enim rustica ac demissa indoles, neque digna libertate, quam non curant vindicare—p. 232). They do not consider any science that is not in accordance with the Koran. Most people are afraid of being poisoned; and position in common offices can be obtained by money or treachery. Sex with young boys—especially among warriors and princes—is not regularly punished. The rulers are the military leaders. The bodyguards of the ruler (quos Janissarios vocant) are well trained and they decide also the inner conflicts of the state (p. 243). Then follows a detailed description of the various Turkish military service branches and there are references to the Crusades. The actual military situation under Sultan Ahmed (ruled 1590-1617) is described in extenso, including his political dealings with Transylvania, Hungary, and Austria. This kind of interest of the author in specific contemporary events is unusual in his book. The Jews, mentioned in the title of the same chapter, are described succinctly on pages 253-254. There the main question is whether the Jews are like other Oriental peoples (such as the Turks, who also practice circumcision) or more like the Christians? It is a well-known fact, says Barclay, Jews live in Diaspora among all other peoples, and with mixed habits. In the second half of the book, in the seven synthetic chapters (X-XVI) Barclay is not giving a summary of the previous descriptive chapters, but he constructs Papal court in Rome gave extraordinary possibility of getting information from all parts of Europe. 33
