irst went amongst them I thought the
whole nation was under a course of physic, but the terrible jabber of
their tongues soon undeceived me. Drak was the first word I heard on
entering Dacia, and the last when I left it. The Moldaves, if possible,
drink more, and talk more than the Wallachians.

_Myself_. It is singular enough that the only Moldavian I have known
could not speak. I suppose he was born dumb.

_Hungarian_. A Moldavian born dumb! Excuse me, the thing is
impossible,--all Moldavians are born talking! I have known a Moldavian
who could not speak, but he was not born dumb. His master, an Armenian,
snipped off part of his tongue at Adrianople. He drove him mad with his
jabber. He is now in London, where his master has a house. I have
letters of credit on the house: the clerk paid me money in London, the
master was absent; the money which you received for the horse belonged to
that house.

_Myself_. Another word with respect to Hungarian history.

_Hungarian_. Drak! I wish to say nothing more about Hungarian history.

_Myself_. The Turk, I suppose, after Mohacs, got possession of Hungary?

_Hungarian_. Not exactly. The Turk, upon the whole, showed great
moderation; not so the Austrian. Ferdinand the First claimed the crown
of Hungary as being the cousin of Maria, widow of Lajos; he found too
many disposed to support him. His claim, however, was resisted by
Zapolya John, a Hungarian magnate, who caused himself to be elected king.
Hungary was for a long time devastated by the wars between the partisans
of Zapolya and Ferdinand. At last Zapolya called in the Turk. Soliman
behaved generously to him, and after his death befriended his young son,
and Isabella his queen; eventually the Turks became masters of
Transylvania and the greater part of Hungary. They were not bad masters,
and had many friends in Hungary, especially amongst those of the reformed
faith, to which I have myself the honour of belonging; those of the
reformed faith found the Mufti more tolerant than the Pope. Many
Hungarians went with the Turks to the siege of Vienna, whilst Tekeli and
his horsemen guarded Hungary for them. A gallant enterprise that siege
of Vienna; the last great effort of the Turk; it failed, and he speedily
lost Hungary, but he did not sneak from Hungary like a frightened hound.
His defence of Buda will not be soon forgotten, where Apty Basha, the
governor, died fighting like a lion in the breach. Th