It was a great sorrow that when he died in battle, his unworthy brother sold his people to the Turks and brought the shame of slavery on them! It was this Dracula, indeed, who inspired another of his family. In a later age again and again that man brought his soldiers over the great river into Turkey. And, when he was beaten back, he came again, and again, though he had to come alone from the bloody battlefield where his troops were being killed like animals, since he knew that he would ultimately triumph!

They said that he thought only of himself. Bah! What good are peasants without a leader? Where ends the war without a brain and heart to fight it? Again, we of the Dracula blood were amongst the leaders at the battle of Mohacs, after which the Hungarians ruled us no more. The proud spirit of the Draculas always has to be free.

Ah, young sir, the Szekelys, and the Dracula as the family's heart, their brains, and their swords, have a history that mushroom growths like the Hapsburgs and the Romanoffs can never equal. The warlike days are over. Blood is too precious in these days of dishonourable peace, and the glories of the great families are a story that has reached its end."

Vocabulary:

Sorrow: Sadness
Unworthy: Not deserving to be
Inspired: Gave the idea to
Ultimately: In the end
Triumph: Win
Mushroom growths: Growing quickly, but briefly