was allowed to make he declared that he firmly maintained that there could be no surer appeal than that to Jesus Christ, the Lord, who is not influenced by evil gifts, nor deceived by false witnesses, but who judges all according to their merits.

When all the articles derived from Wycliffe's and from Hus's own writings and the statements of the witnesses had been read out, it became certain that the council intended to terminate the trial of Hus without further delay. He was not allowed to reply to the vast amount of accusations that had been brought against him; it would indeed, as Hus pointed out, have been impossible to do so at one continuous sitting. A declaration that Hus had sent to the council on July I was, however, read out.1 He declared that, fearing to offend God and to commit perjury, he could not recant all the articles, nor indeed any of those that had been wrongly attributed to him by false witnessess, who had accused him and he called on God as witness of this-of preaching, asserting, and defending views that he had never held. He further declared that if any statement which was really contained in his writings 2 was heretical, he detested and abhorred it, and was ready to recant it.

Sentence on Hus was then immediately passed. Two decrees were read out by a bald and old Italian priest." The first ordered all Hus's writings, both in Latin and in his own language, to be destroyed. Hus said: "Why do you condemn my books, when I have always wished and asked for other better books that shall refute them (mine), and I still wish it? But up to now you have shown me no writings in contradiction to my own, nor have you proved that these contain any heresies. As to my Bohemian writings, which you have never seen, why do you condemn them? The second sentence dealt with the person of Hus. He was declared to be a true and manifest heretic, who was to be delivered over to the secular authorities for punishment. It has already been

1 The document is printed in full in Von der Hardt, T. iv. p. 389. This refers to the statement constantly repeated by Hus, that his writings had been incorrectly quoted.

mentioned that, in accordance with an ancient custom, the church did not itself pronounce the sentence of death. Hus then knelt down, and praying with a loud voice said: "Lord Jesus Christ, forgive all my enemies, I entreat you, because of your great mercifulness. You know that they have falsely accused me, brought forth false witnesses against me, devised false articles against me. Forgive them because of your immense mercifulness." When they heard this, many of the members of the council and particularly the foremost ecclesiastical dignitaries derided him.1 The ignominious ceremonies known as the degradation and deconsecration were then performed. Hus was dressed in full ecclesiastical vestments and the chalice and paten were placed in his hands. Then the ecclesiastical vestments were removed and the chalice and paten again taken from him. While this was being done, the Archbishop of Milan, who with five bishops officiated at this function, said: "Oh, cursed Judas, who hast left the realms of peace and allied thyself with the Jews, we to-day take from thee the chalice of salvation." Hus replied that he hoped to drink of the chalice in the heavenly kingdom on that very day. When these ceremonies had ended, the bishops said: "We commit thy soul to the devil." Hus answered: And I commit it to the most sacred Lord Jesus Christ." A high paper cap was then as a sign of derision placed on the head of the martyr. On it were written the words: Hic est heresiarcha. Sigismund then requested Louis Count Palatine 2 to hand over Hus to the beadles of the city of Constance. A large armed force, consisting of some of the townsmen of Constance, Sigismund's Hungarian mercenaries, and troops in the service of the Count Palatine and other German princes—about 3000 men in all-accompanied Hus. A large crowd, including

2

1"Et cum hoc dixisset, multi et praesertim sacerdotum principes deridebant illum " (Mladenovic).

Lenfant (Histoire du Concile de Constance) relates that when the elector Palatine Otho Henry, the last of his line, died childless, he said that God punished the sins of the forefathers even in the third and fourth generations, and that he had been punished because his great-great-grandfather, the Count Palatine Louis, had, by order of the emperor, conducted Hus to the stake.

many Bohemians, among them Mladenovic, joined the mournful procession, though Sigismund, hoping as far as possible to exclude the Bohemians, had given orders that the city gates should be closed as soon as Hus had passed. From the cathedral Hus was led through the churchyard-where his books were just being burnt-along the street now known as the "Huss Strasse," past the house of the widow Fida, and through the Schnetz gate to the place of execution. That spot,1 about a quarter of a mile from the Schnetz gate, is now marked by a stone with an inscription, and has become a favourite place of pilgrimage for Hus's countrymen. The account of the last moments of the martyr can best be given in the words of Mladenovic, who was present. He writes: "When he (Hus) had arrived at the place of torture he began, on bent knees, with his arms extended and his eyes lifted to heaven, to recite psalms with great fervour, particularly, 'Have mercy on me, oh God,' and 'In thee, oh Lord, do I put my trust.' He repeated the verse: Into thy hand I commit my spirit,' and it was noticed by his friends that he prayed joyfully and with a beautiful countenance. Now the place of torture was among gardens in a field on the road that leads from the city of Constance in the direction of the castle of Gottlieben, between the gate and the moat at the outworks of the city. Some laymen who stood near the spot said: 'We know not what he has formerly said or done, but we now see and hear that he prays, and speaks holy words!' Others said: 'Assuredly it were well that he should have a confessor, who would hear him.' But a priest who was riding past, clad in a green doublet that was lined with red silk, said: He may not be heard, neither may a confessor be granted to him, for he is a heretic.' Master John, however, while still in prison, had

1 Contrary to what has been often stated, the spot is not in the immediate vicinity of the Rhine.

That indefatigable Bohemian scholar, Mr. Patera, some years ago discovered and published a previously unknown contemporary Bohemian account of the death of Hus. I had intended to compare it with the account of Mladenovic, but, finding that this would interfere with the course of the narrative, I have preferred to give as an appendix a translation of the whole

of the account.

made confession to a doctor (of divinity), who was a monk,1 and had been heard by him, and had received absolution, as he mentions in one of the letters which he sent to his disciples from prison. While he (Hus) was praying, as mentioned before, the crown of Blasphemy, as it was called, fell from his head. He noticed that three devils were painted on it and smiled. And some of the mercenaries who stood near said: 'Let it be again placed on his head, that he be burnt together with his masters, the devils whom he served!'

"Rising from his prayers by order of the lictor (soldier, or townofficial), Hus said with a loud and intelligible voice, so that he could be well heard by his disciples: Lord Jesus Christ, I will bear patiently and humbly this horrible, shameful, and cruel death for the sake of Thy gospel and the preaching of Thy word.' When he was led past the spectators, he addressed them, begging them not to believe that he had ever held, preached, or taught the tenets which had been ascribed to him by false witnesses. He was then stripped of his clothes and tied with cords to a stake, and his arms were turned backward to the stake. When his face was at first turned to the east, some of the spectators said: 'Let him not be turned to the east, for he is a heretic, but to the west '; and it was done thus. When a rusty chain was placed round his neck, he said, smiling, to the lictors: 'Our Lord Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, was bound with a harder and heavier chain, and I, poor wretch, fear not to be fettered with this chain for His sake.' Now the stake consisted of a thick pole, which they had sharpened at one end and driven into the ground in this field; under the feet of the master they placed two faggots and some loads of wood. When attached to the stake he retained one of his boots, and a fetter on one of his feet. They then heaped up round his body wooden faggots mixed with straw so that they reached up to his chin. Mladenovic then refers to the last attempt-it was little more than a formality-made by the imperial marshal, Pappenheim, to induce Hus to recant, and then describes the martyrdom.

22

1" Cuidam doctori monacho."

"When the lictors," he writes, "lighted the pile, the master first sang with a loud voice, 'Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on us,' and then again, Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on us.' When a third time he began singing, 'Who art born of the Virgin Mary,' the wind soon blew the flames into his face; then, still silently praying and moving his lips, he expired in the Lord. The space of time during which, after having become silent, he still moved before dying was that required to recite two, or at most three paternosters." Mladenovic then describes the detestable outrages that were committed on the remains of the body of Hus1 to prevent their being preserved as relics by his countrymen.

That the execution of Hus would have world-wide consequences seems to have been foreseen by many of his contemporaries, and legends soon arose round the memory of the martyr. Thus it was said that an old woman had brought faggots to add to the funeral pile, and that Hus had then spoken the words: O sancta simplicitas. It was also said that Hus-and this legend was undoubtedly based on remarks of Hus that have been mentioned in this work-had predicted that he would have a successor who would be successful in the attempt in which he had failed--the general reform of the church.2

Few events in history have given rise to more controversy than the trial and execution of Hus. In offering an opinion on this matter, it is necessary to distinguish between the conduct of the council and that of Sigismund. According to the ruling of the Roman Church, it was the duty of the council, as there was then no pope, to declare heretics all who differed from the teaching of the church, and to hand over such men to the temporal authorities. The latter were empowered by a decree of the Emperor Frederick II. to order them to be burnt. No faith could or should be kept with heretics.3

1 These ignoble outrages are described more fully by Von der Hardt, T. iv. p. 450.

The tale that Hus had said that they would indeed burn the goose (" hus " signifies goose in Bohemian), but that afterwards a swan would come, whom they would not burn, is founded on the totally erroneous supposition that 'Luther" signifies swan in Bohemian.

"Ad poenam quoque pertinet et odium hereticorum quod fides illis data servanda non sit (Simancha Inst. cath., pp. 46, 52, quoted by Lord Acton).

"