Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. Vol. 2. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)

Studies - Lajos Szőke: Anglica vetera in the Archdiocesian Library of Eger

patrons and discussed the Italian books in the Library which more than ten times outnumber the English ones of the same period. Indeed, at first sight it may appear absurd that a Roman Catholic ChurchLibrary in XVIIIth century Hungary should have had any interest in the intellectual life of a non-Catholic England or a remote America. No doubt, the founder and the great patron of the Library, Count Károly Eszterházy had in mind Italian models while creating and completing the fonds in Eger. All leading Catholic pontiffs graduated in Rome, or were somehow in close connection with Rome, so the impact this Catholic centre had made could be felt everywhere in the cultural shape of the country (Bitskey 1993. 83-91). The keen interest to all philosophical and theological currents of the time was all the more important as at the very outset the formation of the Library was influenced by the endeavour of Count Eszterházy to establish a university in Eger with four faculties. Many prominent Hungarian intellectuals at the end of the XVIIIth century were convinced, that Nagyszombat university, the only one in Hungary, was not sufficient for the development of the country. The idea of founding a university was put forward also by the bishop of Pécs, György Klimó, also a graduate of Rome (Bitskey 1993. 86). However, neither Eszterházy, nor Klimó succeeded in carrying out the plan. In spite of the energy, money spent on the future university and the seemingly favourable enlightened policy of Austria, Hungary was not to have a new university. The collection of books, none the less, went on but with a small modification. As the observatory tower was ready, equipped with precious instruments, there seemed to be no sense in stopping buying books on astronomy even if books on other natural sciences had to be discontinued. The analysis of the books done by Ferenc Albert in 1868 and referring to the stock collected in the XVIIIth century, puts the English books with 50 titles in 52 volumes in sixth place after the Latin, German, French Italian and Hungarian ones (Albert 1868. 124). A somewhat exceptional place is taken by the Church Slavonic books. Their presence can be explained not by the cultural influence of the Greek Catholic or Orthodox Churches but by the necessity of the task Eger took in the preparation of Greek Catholic priests for North-Eastern Hungary in the second half of the XVIIIth century. The prominent role of Latin can be understood in the European linguistic background of the century. As the language of culture, the Church and in many places of administration, it proved to be a convenient means of communication and information-transmission. The status of Latin, however, was somewhat different in England than in most European countries. Although still the language of learning, the special authority of the Anglican Church, its separation from Rome and the introduction of English into the 138