Page:A history of Hungarian literature.djvu/244

 230 HUNGARIAN LITERATURE Toldi's misery, the death of Tar and of Piroska follow in dramatic successi on. A rany wove into his poem the campaign of King Louis the Great agaiost Naples (1347- 1350), a classical example of the campaigns of the Middle Ages, full of incident and · romance. Joan, the beautifui but immoral queen of Naples, had had her young husband, Prince Andrew, the brother of Louis the Great, murdered. Louis marcbed into Italy to avenge his brother's death, and occupied Naples, and Nicholas Toldi, in order to forget his own love-sorrow, accompanied the King. The third part of the trilogy is Toldi's Eve, or old age. Nicholas Toldi lives in retirement in his decaying house and weedy garden. His king, Louis, who is an Angevin, feels resentment against him because he despises the polisb and specious splendour of his Court. Toldi is out of favour and forgotten, and his only companion is his faithfui old squire and servant, Bencze. In the opening scene old Bencze is helping his master to dig his own grave. Suddenly, a visitor arríves at the house, a thing which rarely happens now. It is a herald, who has come to tell the old hero that an insolent ItaHan knight has defeated alJ the H ungarian champions at the tournaments, has taken possession of the country's shield, and scoffs at Hungarian valour, boasting that he will carry the trophy home. That is enough for Toldi. The old lion becomes young again, as if by enchantment, and is eager for the fray. He sets out, disguised in the habit of a monk. Th e lists are surrounded by a vast concourse of people, aU of them in terrihle suspense since no new champion appears against the ltalian. But aU at once the heralds give a signal as a gigantic old monk arríves on horseback. He xs a curious ap parition, and his squire still more so. The