122
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. XIL AUG. 15, 1903.
He next gives a short but hopelessly wrong I " for the most part Germans, Almaines [sic],
account of the strangling of the Great Turk Dalmatians, and Hungarians," with some
by the Janissaries in Constantinople in 1648, Greeks, but few Italians, and not one Eng-
tells us some inaccuracies about the flowing lishman besides Samuel Brett himself that
of the river " Nylus " in Egypt and about he could hear of.
the Grand Cairo, and mentions also some- Our author was informed that the King of thing about the pilgrimage of 8,000 people Hungary was not favouring the reformed from Naples "poor souls" to Rome in religion, and therefore did not give en- the year of Jubilee in 1650. couragement to any Protestant churches
He could have told us of many other to send any divines thither. That informa- occurrences during his wanderings, but felt tipn was, no doubt, correct, and the absence compelled to omit them, they being too of Protestant divines from Hungary proper many to commit to writing ; and posterity quite natural ; but what about the Prince would have never heard a word about the of Transylvania, George Rakoczy II., the " Great Councel of Jews " either, if many staunch champion of the Protestant religion ? honest Christians had not desired that the All that Ferdinand III. did allow was, account should be published which he " did according to Brett, that some "assistants" intend only to communicate to private should be sent from Home, and "their coming friends (by conference)," the chief argument thither did prove a great unhappiness to by which they "perswaded" him to do it this hopeful Councel."
being because they did conceive it to be a Brett interviewed one of the Council, and preparative and hopeful sign of the Jews' was told that some of the Jews were inclined conversion, and that it would be glad tidings to believe that Christ was come, but the to the Church of Christ. Pharisees some of whom were present
Our author then proceeds to tell in great would not yield, for reasons duly set forth detail all about that "Great Councel," in the pamphlet.
namely, how 300 "rabbies" had assembled The doings of the Council are faithfully from several parts of the world to examine told day by day, and, oddly enough, the the Scriptures concerning Christ. The plain 30 rabbis did not interrupt the proceedings of "Ageda" was considered most convenient even to keep the Sabbath, which we can for the purpose, as that part of the country hardly believe.
was not much inhabited because of the At last, on the seventh day, six of the continual wars between the Turk and the Roman clergy who, of purpose, were sent King of Hungary, viz., Ferdinand III., whom from Rome by the Pope to assist at the he does not name. There had been two Council were called in. They were two sanguinary battles fought on the plain so Jesuits, two friars of the Order of St. Augus- at least he was informed. Both sovereigns tine, and two of that of St. Francis. Tney granted the necessary permit to hold the set out their own views on the subiect and Council there. Tents were erected for the their e.rpose must have fallen like a bombshell accommodation of the delegates, and pro- among the Jewry assembled to iudge from visions collected from other parts of the the effect it produced. We are told the good country. One large tent was especially rabbis fell into high clamours, and their
ij .1 i i_ it T i i *i ' cui-uwou nceuiuss i/o sav coat
not prove themselves to be Jews by record," the Council broke up. There was a short
or were unable to dispute in the Hebrew sitting on the eighth day, merely for the
tongue. The delegates were especially from purpose of adjourning the Councllfor three
Spain, Franc^ and those parts of Italy years, our author adding the information
wWh belonged to the King of Spam, that is, that it was to reassemble at rome SS?S
Naples and Sicily. Those who could not Syria. prove their tribe and family had to stay "Ageda" has by the
outside with the Gentiles Out of 800 appli- writers, been identified i
cants 300 only were admitted ; but the Ida, but evidently without any reason if not
rest remained there with the strangers to without rime. The castle of that
see the issue of the proceedings. The crowd Kassa is famous
of Gentiles and rejected Jews outside the of the sad fate
railings consisted of above 3,000 personsif defenders in the
I understand our author correctlywho were began to boast too
