r counties, and by the time Dozsa had drilled them into some sort of
discipline and self-confidence, they began to air the grievances of
their class. No measures had been taken to supply these voluntary
crusaders with food or clothing; as harvest-time approached, the
landlords commanded them to return to reap the fields, and on their
refusing to do so, proceeded to maltreat their wives and families and
set their armed retainers upon the half-starved multitudes. Instantly
the movement was diverted from its original object, and the peasants and
their leaders began a war of extermination against the landlords. By
this time Dozsa was losing control of the rabble, which had fallen under
the influence of the socialist parson of Czegled, Lorincz Meszaros. The
rebellion was the more dangerous as the town rabble was on the side of
the peasants, and in Buda and other places the cavalry sent against the
_Kuruczok_ were unhorsed as they passed through the gates. The rebellion
spread like lightning, principally in the central or purely Magyar
provinces, where hundreds of manor-houses and castles were burnt and
thousands of the gentry done to death by impalement, crucifixion and
other unspeakable methods. Dozsa's camp at Czegled was the centre of the
_jacquerie_, and from thence he sent out his bands in every direction,
pillaging and burning. In vain the papal bull was revoked, in vain the
king issued a proclamation commanding the peasantry to return to their
homes under pain of death. By this time the rising had attained the
dimensions of a revolution; all the feudal levies of the kingdom were
called out against it; and mercenaries were hired in haste from Venice,
Bohemia and the emperor. Meanwhile Dozsa had captured the city and
fortress of Csanad, and signalized his victory by impaling the bishop
and the castellan. Subsequently, at Arad, the lord treasurer, Istvan
Telegdy, was seized and tortured to death with satanic ingenuity. It
should, however, in fairness be added that only notorious bloodsuckers,
or obstinately resisting noblemen, were destroyed in this way. Those who
freely submitted were always released on parole, and Dozsa not only
never broke his given word, but frequently assisted the escape of
fugitives. But he could not always control his followers when their
blood was up, and infinite damage was done before he could stop it. At
first, too, it seemed as if the government were incapable of coping with
him. In the course