Petrőczi Éva: Holt költők társaságában. A Puritanizmuskutató Intézet és a Medgyesi Pál Puritán Kiskönyvtár emlékére - Nemzet, egyház, művelődés 9. (Sárospatak, 2014)

James I. and Hungary

PETRŐCZI ÉVA: HOLT KÖLTŐK TÁRSASÁGÁBAN

Albert Szenei Molnár’s interest in king James was also increased by his Heidelbergian background: he spent altogether 30 years in Germany, had a German wife and spent the most formative years of his life in the capital of Frederick V.266

Returning now for a short while to György Szepsi Korotz, the translator of king James’s conduct book: he became an intellectual “vassal” of the to him personally unknown English king; eight years later, among the dedicatory poems of the Hungarian version of the Catholicus reformatus (Reformed Catholicke) of the shop-window puritan William Perkins (re-shaped again from the Latin version) he published a poem, entitled Rhytmi Ungarici. This poem is - though very heart-warming - a mere church-historical absurd, full of naive praise and gratitude towards James, in whose eyes the puritans were the absolute “red cloth” — poetically saying. As you’ll experience, the creme de la creme of puritan authors, William Whitaker and William Perkins, plus Cambridge, the nest of puritan education appear here together with King James, one of the greatest enemies and opponents of their ideas and ecclesiastical moods and manners. We have to add to this strange phenomenon just one thing: This remarkable work of William Perkins was translated also from the Latin version, a couple of years before the first generation of Hungarian students reached the coasts of England. The translator of the main text was János Kecskeméti C., a former student of Heidelberg, the most “anglicized” town of the palatinate.267

György Szepsi Korotz: Rhytmi Ungarici- excerpts

2. Upon an island of the sea, in the country of England King James is reigning in his land,

At his court the same grade is offered to scholar and to soldier, Evereyone experienced it, dwelling there.

From among your high schools firstly from Cambridge Precious writings are flowing like waters from a well,

While joyfully reading them,

266 About his German connections see: Petrőczi Éva 2005/1.

267 About the England-Palatinate connections see: Petrőczi Éva 2005/11.

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