BOHEMIAN LITERATURE. 



585 



also been preserved ; likewise the Complaint of a 

 Lover on the Banks of the Muldau (Weltawa), in 

 prose ; a fragment of a history of the passion of 

 Jesus, in rhyme ; the hymn Sivaty Wadawe ; be- 

 sides a number of poems, songs, fables, and satires, 

 in verses of four feet, also in rhyme. The 14th cen- 

 tury is more productive. Under the emperor Charles 

 IV., who promoted the cultivation of the Bohemian 

 language, the university of Prague was founded, 

 in 1348. In the golden bull, he commanded 

 the sons of the German electors to learn the Bohe- 

 mian language. Under his son, the emperor Wen- 

 ceslaus, all decrees were written in Bohemian, which 

 formerly were in Latin. Prague was then not only 

 the most populous city in Germany, but also, on ac- 

 count of its splendid court and the wealth of its citi- 

 zens, the centre of the arts and sciences. Dalemil 

 Mezericky wrote a history of Bohemia in verse ; On- 

 dreg Z. Dube, a collection of Bohemian laws, in 3 

 vols. ; Warinec Z. Brezowa, a history of the Roman 

 emperors, and translated Mandeville's Travels ; Pri- 

 bik Pulkawa, a Bohemian history ; and Benes Z. 

 Horowic, a history of the empire to the time of Wen- 

 zel. This period affords, also, many vocabularies, 

 poems, and songs ; also a translation of the life of 

 Alexander the Great; the life of the emperor and 

 king Charles IV. ; the description of the heroic feats 

 of Pliehta of Zerotin, and of the battle of Cressy, in 

 1346, and an account of the death of king John, 

 which celebrates his fame and that of the other Bo- 

 hemian heroes ; a description of the tournament in 

 1315; the expedition of king John against count 

 Matthias of Trenzcin, &c. 



With Huss commenced the second period, from 

 1409, to 1500, which elevated the character of the 

 Bohemian language and nation. The assembled 

 fathers at Constance and Bale beheld with astonish- 

 ment, among the Bohemian nobility and citizens, men 

 not only distinguished for their intrepidity, but able, 

 also, to explain with profound learning the word of 

 God. The Bohemian nobility of those times not only 

 wielded with a vigorous arm the national weapon of 

 their country in defence of the rights of the nation, 

 but stood, also, in the first rank of scientific cultiva- 

 tion. The prevalence of religious disputes caused 

 the Bible to be generally read and understood. 

 .Eneas Sylvius, then pope, says, Pudeat Italia sacer- 

 dotes, quos ne semcl quidem novam legem constat le- 

 gisse, apud Taloritas vix mulierculam invenies, qua; 

 de Novo Testamento et P'eteri respondere nesciat. 

 (Com. in Diet. Alph. Reg., sec. ii. 17.) Huss of Hus- 

 siiiftz translated Wickliffe's book Trialogus into the 

 Bohemian tongue, and sent it to the laymen as pre- 

 sents. The treatise of the six errors he caused to be 

 inscribed, in Bohemian, on the walls of the chapel of 

 Bethlehem. He wrote his first collection of sermons 

 when at the castle of Kozy (1413), besides an appeal 

 to the pope, a commentary on the ten command- 

 ments, an explanation of the twelve articles, two 

 sermons on the Antichrist, the Triple Cord, and sev- 

 eral excellent hymns. His letters from the dungeon 

 in Constance to the Bohemians were translated by 

 Luther into Latin, accompanied with a preface, and 

 printed at Wittenberg in 1536. He, and Jakobellus, 

 and Jerome, improved and distributed the Bohemian 

 Bible, of which several copies have been preserved 

 to our times. How many of his works perished by 

 the hands of the Jesuits is unknown. The cruel 

 execution of the Bohemian martyrs Huss and Je- 

 rome, for their faith, was considered by their country- 

 men as an outrage upon the whole nation, of which 

 they complained bitterly: many satires, also, were 

 written at that time. Of Zisca of Trocnow, one of 

 the greatest generals in history, several letters, and 

 his piles of war, have been preserved. From this 

 i. 



period, there have come down to us, also, several 

 war-songs of the Taborites ; as, 



Kdoz gste Boxj bogou'tyo*- a zako7ia gclio, 



(Who are you, warriors of God and of his law), &c. 



Nuz mniskotVK poskakugte, 



(Well now, ye monks, be chaste), &c. ; 



also some songs of Prague. Martin Lupac undertook, 

 with the assistance of some learned men, the labour 

 of translating the whole New Testament, and ren- 

 dered it, in many places, more correct and plain. The 

 church-service was now performed entirely in the 

 Bohemian language. The bishop of the Taborites, 

 Nicholas of Peihrimow, wrote a Bohemian and Latin 

 theological tract. Kristan Prachatitzky wrote a book 

 on medicine ; Martin Kabatnik, a Journey to Jeru- 

 salem ; P. Prespole, the mining laws of Kuttenborg 

 and Igjaw, which have since become so famous. Jo- 

 hann Rokycana, H. Litomericky, W. Koranda, and 

 others wrote different works on religious subjects. 

 P. Chelcicky gave an explanation of the Lessons of 

 the Gospel for every Sunday ; wrote the Net of Faith 

 (Sit ffyry), a discourse on the 13th chapter of Reve- 

 lation, of the beast and its image (0 Selme a Obrazu 

 Gegjm), and an essay on the love of God. The most 

 famous book of his was one in forty chapters, which 

 he called Kopyla (Last). Many controversial writ- 

 ings of this period might be mentioned. Bohuslaw 

 of Sechtie wrote the work Zrcadlo wscho Krestanstwa 

 (Mirror of the whole of Christianity). In this, the 

 difference between the conduct of the apostles and of 

 the Roman bishops is represented by various draw- 

 ings. Three other drawings represent Huss preach- 

 ing, and at the stake ; besides sixteen leaves, upon 

 which the life and the letters of Huss are contained. 

 After two pictures, of which one represents the wor- 

 ship of the Hussites, the other the expedition of the 

 Taborites, comes a satirical letter of Lucifer : another 

 plate represents the blind hero Zisca at the head of 

 his army, under which there are quotations from the 

 Taborite war-song, Nepratel se nelekeyte Na koris- 

 tech se nezastawugme (Fear not the foes Stop not 

 for plundering) : besides a dialogue, in which the 

 father tells his son how the cup and the law of God 

 had been introduced into Bohemia. The whole con- 

 sists of 1 18 leaves, of which eighty-eight have pic- 

 tures. Stibor of Cimburg and Towacow wrote the 

 very ingenious work on the possessions of the clergy, 

 which he dedicated to king George, in 1467, and the 

 collection of the rights and privileges of the margra- 

 viate of Moravia. Walcowsky Z. Knezmosta wrote 

 on the vices and hypocrisy of the clergy ; P. Zidek 

 wrote, in 3 vols. the Art of Governing, 1471 (Zpra- 

 wa Kralowsfcd). The first volume treats of the duties 

 of a king with regard to the public welfare ; the se- 

 cond, on his personal behaviour ; the third is a gene- 

 ral view of history, from the beginning of the world 

 to the time of the author, wherein frequent hints are 

 given, as to what a king should do, and what avoid. 

 William Cornelius of Wsehrd wrote nine books on the 

 laws, judiciary offices, and the register of lands in 

 Bohemia. King George was the author of an ordi- 

 nance respecting measures, money, weights, &c. 

 V. Mladienowic, who, when notary at Constance, was 

 an eye-witness of the execution of Huss, wrote an 

 account of his life. This used to be read in the Bo- 

 hemian churches. Procopius continued the rhyming 

 chronicles of Dalemil. J. Lodkowic related his Jour- 

 ney to the Holy Sepulchre. Sasek of Mezyhor wrote 

 Notes and Travels through Germany, England, 

 France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, of the Bohemian 

 baron Loew of Rozmital and Vlatna (whom he ac- 

 companied) ; a contribution to our knowledge of the 

 manners of the fifteenth century, which was published 

 by Jos. Edm. Horky, in n German translation printed 

 4 Kf 



