Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/75

 Catholics perform their worship in a house, and maintain a priest at their own expense.

They would not let us all go into the castle; but we saw many pieces of ordnance standing on the walls. At last, through favour and through presents made by my lord the ambassador, I and his cousin and one chiaous were let into the castle; but they would not show us anything particular. We saw, however, that it is a well-fortified fortress, and could not be taken very easily. Within the recollection of our grandfathers this city and castle were attacked by the Turks with undoubtedly a powerful force, first by Sultan Amurath, and afterwards by Mahomet his son, who took Constantinople; but because at that time the Hungarians and crusaders defended themselves valiantly, both enterprises of the barbarous nations were in vain. Finally, Sultan Soliman, in the year 1520, immediately after the commencement of his reign, besieged it with a large army, and firstly, through the carelessness of King Lewis, then a youth, and secondly, through the disunion and discord of the Hungarian lords, who were disgracefully quarrelling amongst and conspiring against each other, this town and fortress, being unprovided with soldiers and eventually quite deserted, was subjugated by Soliman with scarcely any trouble or difficulty. By this way afterwards, as through an open gate, all the evil rushed into Hungary, by which that nation is now overwhelmed. Through that entrance, as it were, the Hungarian King Lewis was conquered and lost his life. In like manner Buda, the metropolis, was taken, the land of Transylvania subjugated, Ostrehom and other for-