HUNGARY. 



93 



his ancestors, and believes himself to be noble. He addresses his equals as 

 " Your Grace," and the word " honour " is ever in his mouth. All he says 

 and does is to be worthy of a gallant gentleman. His fondness of show, 

 vanity, and heedlessness are often taken advantage of by Germans and Jews. 

 '* Vanity will be the death of my people," said old Count Szechenyi when 

 Hungary was about to plunge into the revolutionary war of 1849. Of a judicial 

 turn of mind, the Magyar defends the Avritten law with the tenacity of a 

 Briton. Great is the love he bears his native land. " Life outside Hungary is 

 not life." 



The Magyar is fond of fine clothes, and the herdsmen in the Puszta delight 



Fig. 58. — A View in the Puszta. 



in their holiday costumes. The hat is ornamented with ribbons and flowers ; a 

 silk sash confines the blue or red jacket with metal buttons ; the white over- 

 coat is embroidered with flowers, conspicuous amongst which is the tulip ; while 

 loose linen trousers descend over the boots, and are ornamented with a broad 

 fringe. Passionately fond of dancing, it is a sight to see him join in the csàrdàs, 

 for he is really an artist, and his movements are full of manly grace. 



Up till 1849 Latin was the language of the law courts, and educated natives 

 conversed in it. The oldest Magyar books were written in the time of the 

 Reformation, and a rich literature has grown up since then. The government of 

 the country is now carried on in Magyar, and although the other nationalities 



