Hungarian.  Who could be always successful against the early Turk?  He was defeated in the battle in which King Vladislaus lost his life, but his victories outnumbered his defeats three-fold.  His grandest victory—­perhaps the grandest ever achieved by man—­was over the terrible Mahomed the Second; who, after the taking of Constantinople in 1453, said, “One God in Heaven—­one king on earth;” and marched to besiege Belgrade at the head of one hundred, and fifty thousand men; swearing by the beard of the prophet, “That he would sup within it ere two months were elapsed.”  He brought with him dogs, to eat the bodies of the Christians whom he should take or slay; so says Florentius; hear what he also says:  The Turk sat down before the town towards the end of June, 1454, covering the Dunau and Szava with ships:  and on the 4th of July he began to cannonade Belgrade with cannons twenty-five feet long, whose roar could be heard at Szeged, a distance of twenty-four leagues, at which place Hunyadi had assembled his forces.  Hunyadi had been able to raise only fifteen thousand of well-armed and disciplined men, though he had with him vast bands of people, who called themselves Soldiers of the Cross, but who consisted of inexperienced lads from school, peasants, and hermits, armed with swords, slings, and clubs.  Hunyadi, undismayed by the great disparity between his forces and those of the Turk, advanced to relieve Belgrade, and encamped at Szalankemen with his army.  There he saw at once, that his first step must be to attack the flotilla; he therefore privately informed Szilagy, his wife’s brother, who at that time defended Belgrade, that it was his intention to attack the ships of the Turks on the 14th day of July in front, and requested his co-operation in the rear.  On the 14th came on the commencement of the great battle of Belgrade, between Hunyadi and the Turk.  Many days it lasted.

Myself.  Describe it.

Hungarian.  I cannot.  One has described it well—­Florentius of Buda.  I can only repeat a few of his words:  —­“On the appointed day, Hunyadi, with two hundred vessels, attacked the Turkish flotilla in front, whilst Szilagy, with forty vessels, filled with the men of Belgrade, assailed it in the rear; striving for the same object, they sunk many of the Turkish vessels, captured seventy-four, burnt many, and utterly annihilated the whole fleet.  After this victory, Hunyadi, with his army, entered Belgrade, to the great joy of the Magyars.  But though the force of Mahomed upon the water was destroyed, that upon the land remained entire; and with this, during six days and nights, he attacked the city without intermission, destroying its walls in many parts.  His last and most desperate assault was made on the 21st day of July.  Twice did the Turks gain possession of the outer town, and twice was it retaken with indescribable slaughter.  The next day the combat raged without ceasing till mid-day, when the Turks were again beaten out of the town, and pursued by the Magyars to their camp.  There the combat was renewed, both sides displaying the greatest obstinacy, until Mahomed received a great wound over his left eye.  The Turks then, turning their faces, fled, leaving behind them three hundred cannon in the hands of the Christians, and more than twenty-four thousand slain on the field of battle.”