Maximilianus Hell (1720-1792) - Munin

It would be far beyond the scope of this thesis to investigate the various twists and turns of
Habsburg politics in the Josephine decade. Suffice to say that bishop Eszterházy proved to be
a stout opponent against the reforms of Vienna. 315 Hell for his part did not welcome the
increased use of the German language. Despite his own fluency in German, he found it
inadequate for the advancement of ‘universal science’. To Hviid in 1778, he expressed regrets
that the “Danes always wrote in Danish; this was an impediment to our scientific image
abroad […]. We [i.e., the Danes] should write more in Latin, he argued, or at least in French,
which is also a universal language.” 316 Hell’s knowledge of French was passive, Hviid tells
us, for during dinners at Garampi’s, he spoke “kitchen Latin” only, and that “in an unusual
rapidity”, since “this erudite does not speak French”. 317 Even so, it was French, not German,
that he advocated in case Latin should be dropped.
But Hell’s support of Latin (and to some extent French) against German was not only related
to his concerns for a lingua franca of the Republic of Letters and of his homeland, Hungary.
When he wished to repress the use of German and bring back Latin at university level, he did
so also for religious reasons.
After the accession of Leopold II early in the year 1790, Hell saw new opportunities for
Agria. In letters to bishop Eszterházy, he expresses hopes that the university of Hungary,
which has “been on the move for so long” (having moved from Tyrnavia to Buda in 1777 it
was again moved, across the Danube to Pest in 1784), should now – at last – find a “safe and
permanent haven” in Agria. 318 The ex-Jesuit also involved himself in a new edition of the old
University Statutes of Vienna, in order to convince the policy makers of the need for a purely
Catholic university system. 319 In brief, he hopes to 320
315
For the bigger picture of Hungarian resistance towards the policies of Vienna, and the role of Hungarian
bishops in particular, see Bahlcke 2005.
316
Hviid 2005, p. 369: “Han [i.e., Hell] klagede over at de Danske stedse skreve Dansk; det var en stor Hinder
for vor litterære Renome blant Fremmede […]. Vi burde skrive mer paa Latin, meente han, eller i det mindste
paa Fransk, hvilket ogsaa er et Universal-Sprog.”
317
Hviid 2005, pp. 401-402 (entry 6 December 1778): “Denne Lærde talede idelig Latin, thi Fransk taler han
ikke.” And: “alt dette skede paa Kykken-Latin, som han taler med en ualmindelig Hurtighed.”
318
Hell to Bishop Eszterházy in Agria, dated Vienna 30 October 1790 (Vargha priv.).
319
According to Sommevogel 1893, p. 257 the full title of the edition was Diplomata, Bullae, Privilegia,
Libertates, Immunitates, Constitutiones, et Statuta celeberrimae Universitatis Vindobonensis ab an. 1634.
primae suae institutionis ad an. 1689. quo studio theologico aucta, et completa florebat: excerpta ex lib. II.
Commentariorum viri cl. Petri Lambecii. Editio tertia, idiomate latino et teutonico, cum notis praesertim
Lambeccianis (Vienna 1791). In a copy that Paul Shore has had access to, an autograph letter was pasted
between pages 167 and 168, in which Hell “reveals his contempt for Protestant education, calling Protestant
universities ‘pseudo-Universities’ that ‘corrupt students’ minds’” (Shore 2007, p. 105). This resembles the
contents of Hell’s letters to Eszterházy from 1790/91.
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