Oldal 37 [37]
34
Vilmos Voigt
clever essays of the above-mentioned topics: such as body and soul; accidental and
general typologies of behavior; the sure and vain aspirations of man; good and bad
rulers; ruling groups and institutions; the origins, means, and aims of education of
the citizens; institutions, religion, faith, superstition, etc. In these synthetic chap¬
ters, the author does not repeat or summarize the previous chapters, nor does he
give simple, synoptic, or didactic comparisons. The tranquil style of the synthetic
chapters is faultless. Barclay mentions sometimes the famous persons of antiquity,
and sometimes refers to his contemporaries, e.g., he characterizes the Hungar¬
ian king of Poland (Stephanus Bathory, Grand Duke of Transylvania 1571-1586,
King of Poland 1575-1586) as a “rare type” of the generally accepted “good ruler,”
who was serving not himself, but his country (Pauci cum Polonorum rege, Stephano
Battorio, quid agant, non ex se, sed ex salute patriae, metiuntur—p. 329). While
speaking about the different ways of interpretation of religious doctrines, Barclay
contrasts the Ottoman versus the Persian way of the Islamic faith (Eiusmodi in¬
terpretum lites Ottomanorum gentem multo acerbius diversitate superstitionis, quam
aemulatione imperii, in Persas incenderunt—pp. 390-391). Juxtaposing thus the
Shiites and Sunnis, and calling their religion “superstition,” Barclay is saved from
expressing his probably similar relativistic view concerning Catholics and Protes¬
tants in Europe.
The characterization of nations and peoples is given only in the descriptive chap¬
ters. We have already observed that the construction of such chapters is similar, but
there are important differences both in the order of the themes and in the style and
topics of the descriptions.
In each chapter we first learn about the geographic situation, with special em¬
phasis on the “open accessibility” of the country (especially to sea or ocean). The
same issue returns when import and export of goods, trade, commerce, and industry
are treated. Then the climate is described, which for Barclay is an important fact,
although it does not fully determine the ways of life of a country. The same could be
said about the history. It gives essential background information but it does not ex¬
plain the actual situation of a country. Barclay mentions some contemporary events,
but he does not mention, e.g., the exploration of the New World, or the events of
the Reformation. The exception is Turkish imperial ambitions under Sultan Ahmed,
which is described at length. Language is not treated as a major factor for the indoles
in Barclay’s chapters. He does not always mention the actual language used in one
country. Barclay explains that the different groups of Germans belong to the same
group linguistically, but fails to say it e.g. about the Italians, Spanish, or French. We
can conclude then, that geography, climate, history, and language are pre-distinctive
features in Barclay’s systematization.
As a political philosopher, Barclay pays more attention to political features. He
describes the forms of the states, the rank of the rulers, and the feudal rank system.
He contrasts the local and central power systems of the various countries. The more
or less importance of regionality is shown, but it does not seem to make a vital