J. Antall szerk.: Medical history in Hungary 1972. Presented to the XXIII. International Congress of the History of Medicine / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 6. (Budapest, 1972)

E. Schultheisz and L. Tardy: The Contacts of the two Dees and Sir Philipp Sidney with the Hungarian Physicians

ioo Medical History in Hungary 1972 (Comm. Hist. Artis Med. Suppl. 6.) the ground of "Monas Hieroglyphica" and of his activity as an alchemist. Dampier, the famous science-historian points out how closely magic and science could live together in such an excellent scholar as John Dee, who for all his spiritualism and alchemist mysticism was an outstanding scientist and mathematician and also the earliest follower and most consistent representative of the Copernican systems in England.

9 It is not known who much time Dee spent in Hungary. However, it seems certain that his visit was quite long. He returned to England, but in 1583, after some interesting antecedents, he again appeared in Hungary this time with his son Arthur, later a famous physician who at that time was but five years old. This second journey

—about which we know considerably more than about the first

—is connected with a colourful but somewhat adventurous figure of Hungarian history

: Albert Laszky. Albert Laszky was the son of the Polish-born Jeromos Laszky, voivode of Transylvania and seigneur of Késmárk (KeZmarok, now in Czechoslovakia). Albert Laszky inherited a huge fortune after his father's death and when he married György Serédy's widow he rose among the ranks of the wealthiest Hungarian noblemen. However, he piled failure upon failure both in his political activity and in his private life. When István Báthory, Prince of Transylvania was elected King of Poland, Laszky organized resistance. Upon this the king occupied Albert Laszky's castle in Poland in no more than five days and Laszky was compelled to flee to his estates in Hungary. Here he got into serious financial troubles owing to his extravagance; he was forced to mortgage the castle of Késmárk, after which, as to István Weszprémi writes

—"he left for England, for London

1

0 to which many years earlier his uncle, the bishop János Laszky had also emigrated. In London he joined hands with two alchemists, Edward Kelleÿ and John Dee. They both promised Laszky that he would get hold in the near future of the whole of Poland, Moldavia and Wallachia and would be richer than King Croesus had been. Upon this Laszky invited Kelley and Dee to Hungary, who were pleased to accept the invitation, especially Dee who had practised his craft of alchemy in Hungary already earlier in 156-3 for a long time and to the great admiration of a number of people.

. ."

u. 9 Dampier, W. C.: A History of Science. Cambridge, 1966. pp. 112, 144. 1

0 The outstanding Hungarian guest was most heartily welcomed in the court of Queen Elisabeth. He excelled with his eminent education. At the University of Oxford he entered into a controversy with Giordano Bruno the great Italian philosopher. Cfr. Sza ĥmárÿ, L. op. cit. pp. 362-363. 1

1 " .. .Londinum ergo in Angliám deproperat, quo iam multis antea annis patruus, Johannes Laszky, Praepositus Gnaesnensis, et postea Episcopus Weszprimiensis, religiosam, fundandae Ecclesiae Presbyterianae caussa, susceperat peregrinationem. Iniit ibidem societatem duorum virorum chrysopoeorum, Edwardi Kelley, et Iohannis Dee anno 1583. Adepti hi duumviri Laszkyo promittunt, eundem propediem integra Polonia, Moldauia, Valachia etc. potiturum, immo ipso Croeso ditiorem futurum : ille hos in Patriam inuitat

; lubentes aduolant. Johannes Dee potissimum, qui ante iam anno 1563 in Hungaria artem transmutandi metalla, non sine multorum admiratione diu multumque agitauit, immo Maximiliano quoque Imp. et Reg. Hungáriáé Monadem suam, hieroglyphice, mathematice, magice, cabbalistice, anagogice explica-