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 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.  There’s many a Hungarian would prefer Stamboul to Vienna.  Why does your Government always send fools to represent it at Vienna?

Myself.  I have already told you that I cannot say.  What became of Tekeli?

Hungarian.  When Hungary was lost he retired with the Turks into Turkey.  Count Renoncourt, in his Memoirs, mentions having seen him at Adrianople.  The Sultan, in consideration of the services which he had rendered to the Moslem in Hungary, made over the revenues of certain towns and districts for his subsistence.  The count says that he always went armed to the teeth, and was always attended by a young female dressed in male attire, who had followed him in his wars, and had more than once saved his life.  His end is wrapped in mystery, I—­whose greatest boast, next to being a Hungarian, is to be of his blood—­know nothing of his end.