H US S. 



379 



rfrialtbnt having fallen into his hands, he rel^hed it so 

 much, that he adopted the opinions of the author, and 

 became a decided realist. The whole university wae 

 at this time divided into two parties, the German and 

 the Bohemian, or the tuiminalit'.s and rtalult, whose 

 uried on with great animosity, and not 



bloodshed. The German, or foreign party, 

 influence in the university, as the ori- 

 ginal constitution allowed them three votes in all elec- 

 tion* and deliberation* ; while the native Bohemians 

 had only one. This constitution conferred upon the 

 former a superiority, which the latter could not con- 

 n-TmT*-" without jealousy, especially as the German* 

 eondueted thesnielve* with great arrogance towards the 

 native*. Huss took upon himself to contest the right 

 of the German* to this superiority, and demonstrated, 

 hot sJthoech, by the original constitution of the uni- 

 vorsit -man master* had been allowed three 



votes, while the Bohemians had only one, as the hitter 

 were then inconsiderahle in point of number ; yet that, 

 by later act of Charles i V. it was expressly declared, 

 that in ell matters they should be governed by the con. 

 Ititation ef the university .if Paris, according to which 

 foreigner* had hut one vote, and the native* three. 

 Through his greet influence at court, Hess actually 



1 in carrying this m*aurr, the consequence of 



Prague, and repaired to Leipsic, where a new univer- 

 sity wes seen after MM 



sty we. Men after bonded. 



i the Bohemians 



in fill 



of the university, then they proceeded to 

 for their rector. He now exerted his elo- 

 fully than ever in deelaisBing against 



m of the superfluous revenue* of the church. 



He even ventured to attack the supreme power of the 

 pops, in whom he would acknowledge no superiority 



tl\fT ( IW r Ut'iHIjU. 



A* soon m the conduct of HUM was repr Minted to 

 Pope AhwajMttr V. he gave the 



The ohmitMjiiiriiinliikiy not only 

 in ehupek, but ordered .11 the 

 wiMiee,. of Wk-klifc. which he could cullur . to be pub- 

 .**, however, entirely disregarded the 

 snd continued to preach, as ; 

 m favour of the condemned doctrines. At! 

 . he 



ble. IB die 



te|MneitrilMnelbyJohnXXIH.; but Hus*. under 



the protection of the king and queen, .ev.-rji ,-. rrlul 

 Mote*, and the university, declined appearing in per- 

 son, but cent three depones to excuse hi* absence, end 

 te answer all that should he alleged against bin 

 nse mean time an event oocureii, whscn mots* the braecn 

 Ix-t ween HUM and the court of Rome utterly irrepan- 

 n of uii. Pope John caused ge 

 '* mndeisiisil for ell these who 



kii 



he sent his commissaries to Prague. II IMS, who bed 

 formerly opposed the sale of indulgences, now raised 

 his voice boldly against this papal traffic ; while bis 

 friend Jerome of Prague even went so far as to bum 

 the pap. I bull in the market pieee under the gallows. 

 Thi* WM sufficient to call forth the iin|.iMiii of the 

 Roman pontiff. HUM was now excommuaicated for 

 hi* contumacy in declining to sffiear personally at the 



papal tribunal ; and the town of Prague was laid under 

 an interdict. The number of his friends and adhe- 

 rents would probably have enabled Huss to set at 

 nought this sentence ; but, in order to remove every 

 pretext for tumult and disorder, he resolved to with- 

 draw from Prague, and accordingly retired to his birth- 

 place, Hussinez. Here, and at (.'racowitz, to which 

 place he soon after repaired, Huss continued to disse- 

 minate his doctrines by preaching, and composed seve- 

 ral treatises, with a view to expose the most objection- 

 able tenets of the Romish church. 



Matters were in this situation, when the Emperor 

 Sigismund agreed with Pope John to assemble a gene- 

 ral council at Constance. To this general council Hnv> 

 iramoned, in order to defend himself publicly 

 cusetion of heresy. His friends having 

 procured for him a safe-conduct from the emperor, and 

 being likewise provided with attestations of his ortho- 

 doxy and innocence from the university and the papal 

 inquisitor at Prague, he set out upon his journey to 

 Constance, where he arrived shortly before the opening 

 of the council. The pope treated him with kindness. 

 aseuml him of hi; protection, and even removed the 

 sentence of excommunication. But shortly afterwards, 

 some of hu most violent persecutor* having arrived at 

 Constance, they *ed their utmost influence to procure 

 hi* condemnation ; and HUM himself having had the 

 imprudence trf promelfate the doctrines of \Virklifle at 

 Constance, he wa* summoned before the pope and the 

 and, notwithstanding the emperor's safe-con - 

 thrown into prison. 



j intelligence of these proceedings, the 

 r, who had not yet arrived, sent an order to his 

 to ineist with the pope and the cardinal* 

 aeration of John Hum, and to threaten, if 

 they refused to comply, that- the prison would be open- 

 ed by force. The pope and the cardinals, however, 

 llsnogaiilul the "~""~ < <if the king, and catucd the 

 prisoner to be more strictly confined. When Sigismund 

 arrive ,1 at Constance, be allowed himself to be persua- 

 ded by the theologian* and canonists, that he was not 

 bound to keep tilth with a notorious heretic ; and he 

 issued a declaration that the council should hare free 

 power in all matter* of faith, and should be allowed to 

 proceed as judges against all those who were accused 

 of heresy. Some of the meet considerable among the 

 Bohnnion noble*, indignant at the perfidious conduct 

 of the emperor, repeatedly requested, m pretty bold 

 mjmjigi, that John HUM, who had received a safe- 

 conduct from the mstiarrh himself, and otherwise 

 would certainly not have repaired to ConsUnce, should 

 be set at liberty, and publicly heard in his defence be- 

 fore the whole council. But Sigismund excused him- 

 ive terms, and thereby drew upon himself 

 hatred of the Bohemians.. which, in the to. 

 quel, proved highly dangerous to his power. 



After Hum bed remained more than six month* in 

 prison, he was, for the first time, allowed a public 

 hearing, in a general congregation, in which, however, 

 the proceedings were so irregular and tumultuous, that 

 he found it impossible to speak. In the following au- 

 dience, three point* of accusation were read ; to which 

 HUM answered in a manner so satisfactory, that n<> 

 charge of heresy could be fixed upon him, and every 

 impartial judge must have acquitted him. In the third 

 diet, thirty-nine article* were read to him, which had 

 been drawn up by hi* enemies, and were alleged to 

 have been extracted from his writing*. Huss acknow- 

 ledged tuch of those a* contained opinions which IIP 



Must. 



