Page:A history of Hungarian literature.djvu/59

Rh, who died about 1559, was by no means a poetical genius; he was a brave patriot, and a thoughtful, conscientious man, but he had little imagination. He is interesting as the best-known and most typical representative of the class of poets called minstrels. To some extent the minstrels discharged the functions now performed by the newspaper; they wandered from town to town, and half sang, half recited, their tale of the latest political events, or of battles, accompanying their song with an instrument not unlike the guitar. Sebastian Tinódi was one of these wandering poets or singers. And there was matter enough for his song! The Turks penetrated further and further into the very heart of the country; the great leader, Valentine Török, in whose castle Tinódi had worked as a scribe, was treacherously lured into the palace of the Sultan, and died in a Turkish prison.

Next came the wonderful deed of valour performed by George Szondy, captain of the fortress of Drégel. With a handful of soldiers he withstood for a long time the united forces of the Turks, and when called upon to surrender, he preferred death, and died fighting for his Christian faith and his Fatherland. Only for his two faithful pages did he ask from the Turk the mercy which he scorned for himself.

Another fortress, that of Temesvár, was just as stubbornly defended by Stephen Losonczy. When the defences were completely destroyed, the Turks assured Losonczy that they would allow him and his soldiers to depart from the ruins in safety, but the faithless foe broke his word, and fell upon the little hand and their leader, killing them to a man, after a desperate fight.

Those sad events were witnessed and narrated by