Letters of John Hus (written during his exile and imprisonment)

As to thee, if Master Martin or Master Christian live, thou shalt receive from them a part of the sixty-four or seventy pieces of money; and I wish that this portion were larger. Bear in mind, however, that I do not pretend, by this money, to recompense thy ardent and unchangeable love for the truth, or the services that thou hast rendered me, and the consolations which thou hast lavished on me in my hours of difficulty. May God be thy great recompense for all these things, for I possess nothing that is worthy of thy acceptance. Should it be granted me to live at Prague; and if my return to that city is not impossible, I would share every thing with thee like a brother. I do not, however, form any wish to return thither, but inasmuch as it may be in accordance with the will of the Lord in heaven. I do not know to whom I can entrust the viatica which I still possess, and which I had bequeathed to Master Martin. Dispose of my books according to the directions that I sent to him, and choose for thyself from amongst them such of those written by Wycliffe as shall please thee. I am much alarmed for our brethren, who, I fear, will be persecuted, unless the Lord interpose in their favour; and I am apprehensive that many will be offended.

Salute, I pray thee, with a great affection, the Bohemian and Polish noblemen, and render thanks, in particular, to the Lords Wenceslaus de Duba and John de Chlum, who, I hope, will be present at the audience of the Council. Farewell in Jesus Christ! FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxix.

TO ONE OF HIS FRIENDS. [He mentions what happened to him in the audience, which was accorded him four days before the eclipse of the sun.] The Lord, to-day, gave me a firm and intrepid heart. Two articles were struck out, and I am in hope that a greater number will be treated in like manner. They were all crying out, like the Jews against Jesus. They have not yet come to the principal count, viz., to the avowal that all the incriminated articles are found in my writings. You committed an error in judgment in presenting the treatise against an unknown adversary. Do not shew, with the treatise on the Church, anything besides that against Stanislaus and Paletz. It is well that they had desired my book to be given back to them; for some persons cried out loudly to have it burned, particularly Michael de Causis, whom I myself heard. I never thought that I had, in that multitude of priests, only the brother, and a Polish doctor whom I knew to be such. I rendered thanks to the Bishop Lytemissel, for he said but these few words: “Atzo Huss to bie utzmil.”

I am grateful to you for the manner in which you have arranged the articles: it will be well to have them published under that form. The presidents have asserted that I elsewhere published another definition of the Church, and they wanted to know what it was. Greet the lords who are believers, and the friends of the truth, and pray to God in my behalf, for I have need of it. I think they will not pardon me the opinion which I quoted from St Augustin respecting the Church, the predestinated members, the elect, and the bad bishops. Oh! that an audience may be accorded me, in order that I may reply to the arguments by which they attack the articles of my treatises; many of them, now crying out, would then be silent: but the will of God be done! FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxxvi. This is an error of Luther’s; the first audience was given the day before the eclipse, on June 6. The meaning of this does not appear.

TO HIS NOBLE BENEFACTORS. [This letter teaches us in what consists the trial of spiritual combats; it shews how true is what we confess in the Creed, that there is but one holy and universal Church, and that the riches of this Church are common to all. Man is for his fellow-creature, an angel and a God in misfortunes.] I am delighted that the treatise against an unknown person has not been discovered, as well as several others. I have been able these latter days to nourish my soul with better things, than since Easter day until last Sunday. I imagined this Council to contain more order and decency. May the noble John, my friend, be blessed in eternity. I should with pleasure learn in what state is Barbat, who refused to follow the counsels of his friends. Since they are in possession of my book, I have not felt any want of the work. Preserve carefully the list of the first articles, with the proofs; and if you should want any testimonies for any of the articles, assign witnesses. The most important article is that entitled All that a virtuous man does, he does virtuously.

I am suffering from a toothach, and during the heat have been seized with vomitings of blood. I suffered also from the stone and headach. These are punishments for my sins, and signs of God’s love. Since they have condemned my treatises, I pray you to suppress the last letter written in Bohemian, which I sent to-day, in order that the people of God should not believe that all my books are condemned, as I was afraid of, from a letter I received yesterday. It would be desirable that no letter written in this prison should be known; for what God intends to do with me is still very uncertain. I fear that Ulric may have published some of my letters. I conjure you, therefore, in God’s name, to pay the greatest attention to the letters - to your words and acts. Oh! how much I was consoled by receiving your letters, and in writing you mine! I hope, with the grace of God, that men may one day derive instruction from them.

As long as I know you remain with the young Seigniors at Constance, I shall be comforted, even though I should be already condemned to death. I regard it as certain that God has bestowed you on me, as angels to strengthen and console me, - me, a weak and unfortunate man, in the midst of my temptations. What they have been, what they are, and will still be, the Almighty God knows. He who has compassion on me, He who is my refuge, my support, and my deliverer, in Him have I placed my trust.

Two delegates of the Council asked me in prison, “If I possessed several books which I had made use of in my researches?” I answered, that “I possessed them.” They asked me, “Where?” “In Bohemia,” I replied. They inquired of me, “Whether I had none here?” I denied having any, which is the fact, although I had previously brought with me the book of Sentences, the Bible, and some other works. I learned from them that John, my pupil, had withdrawn; and they said to me, “Have you no other observations to offer?” “No; what I have said, is the truth.” “Will you abjure and recant?” “No,” I replied; “but come to the Council; there you shall hear me. I am to appear before it, and there will I answer. Why do you tempt me? Have you come to console a prisoner, or add to his affliction?” Then, after having again exchanged some words, they withdrew. Take care of the books, if you have any; as for me, I am not aware of any. Tell Master Jessenitz, that the notary has perfidiously changed my evidence concerning the explanation of the bull, which, as you have heard, I strongly affirmed before the Council. FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxxvii. Catholicism.

De bonis plus comedi. I did not think it possible to understand these words but in a figurative manner.

[John Huss relates with what horror and rage he was greeted by the Council.] I, Master John Huss, in hope, servant of Christ, and ardently desiring that believers in Christ may not, when I shall have ceased to live, find in my death an opportunity for scandal, and look on me as an obstinate heretic, do take to witness Jesus Christ, for the sake of whose word I have wished to die; and I leave in writing the remembrance of these things for the friends of truth.

I had often declared, both in private, in public, and before the Council, that I would consent to an inquiry, and would submit myself to instruction, abjuration, and punishment, if it was demonstrated to me that I had written, taught, or disseminated, any thing contrary to the truth. But fifty doctors, who stated that they were deputed by the Council, having been frequently corrected by me, and even in public, for having falsely extracted articles from my works, refused me any private explanation, and declared that they would not confer with me, saying You ought to submit yourself to the decision of the Council. And the Council mocked when, in the public audience, I quoted the words of Christ and the holy doctors; at one time they reproached me with misunderstanding them, and, at another, the doctors insulted me....

An English doctor, who had already said to me in private, that Wycliffe had wished to annihilate all science, and had filled his books and his logic with errors, began to discourse on the multiplication of the body of Christ in the consecrated host, and, as his arguments were weak, he was told to be silent; then he cried out: “This man deceives the Council; take care that the Council be not led into error as it was by Berenger.” When he was silent, another discussed noisily concerning the created and common essence. All began to clamour against him. I then demanded that he might be heard, and said to him, “You argue well; I will answer you most willingly.” He also broke down, and he added in a sullen voice: “This man is a heretic.” The Seignior Wenceslaus Duba, John de Chlum, and Peter the notary, valiant champions and friends of the truth, know what clamours, what unworthy raillery and blasphemies were poured upon me in this assembly. Stunned by so much noise, I said, “I thought there was to be found in this Council more decency, more piety, and more discipline.” All then began to listen, for the Emperor had commanded silence to be observed.

The cardinal who presided said to me - “You spoke more humbly in your prison.” I answered - “It is true; for then no one clamoured against me, and now they are all vociferous.” He added - “Will you submit to an investigation?” “I consent to it,” replied I, “within the limits which I have fixed.” “Take this for the result of the inquiry,” resumed the cardinal, “that the doctors have declared the articles extracted from your books to be errors, which you ought to efface, in abjuring those already testified against you by witnesses.” The Emperor afterwards said - “This will soon be committed to writing for you, and you will answer it.” “Let that be done at the next audience,” said the cardinal; and the sitting closed. God knows how many trials I have suffered since! FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xv.

John Huss alludes here to a discussion, not very intelligible, on the community of the essence in the Divine Persons. We give it in the original: Quidam autem cardinalis supremus concilii, et a concilio deputatus in publica audientia, accepta una charta, dixit: Ecce unus magister sacræ theologiæ præsentavit mihi argumentum istud, dicatis ad illud. Erat autem argumentum de essentia communi, quam concessi esse in divinis. Postea ipso deficiente, quamvis reputaretur doctor theologiæ valentissimus, dixi sibi de essentia communi creata, quæ est primum esse creatum communicatum singulis creaturis: ex qua ipse volebat probare remanentiam panis materialis, sed notabiliter ad metam nescientiæ argumenti reductus obmutuit. For the detailed account of this second audience, consult The Reformers before the Reformation, vol. ii. book iv. chap. 4.

TO HIS FRIENDS. [He complains that the Emperor Sigismond had treated him with less prudence than Pontius Pilate did Jesus Christ.] Salutation in Jesus Christ. What I am informed by Peter affords me pleasure. I do not keep his letters, but destroy them immediately. Let not the sexterni be sent me; for I fear the danger that might accrue to the messenger and some other persons, I still earnestly entreat that all our Seigniors may solicit collectively for me a last audience with the Emperor; for, since he told me at the Council, that an audience would shortly be granted me, in order that I might reply briefly in writing, it will be a shame for him should he violate the promise which he has given me. But I believe his word on this subject will be as stable and firm as in the safe-conduct.

Several persons warned me in Bohemia not to rely on his safe-conduct; others told me that Sigismond would deliver me up to my enemies; the Seignior Mykest was one of these. Duvoki said to me, in the presence of Jessenitz, “Master, regard it as a certainty that you will be condemned.” I presume that he was aware of the Emperor’s intentions. I thought the latter was well versed in the law of God and the truth. I understand now that his wisdom is not great. He has condemned me before my enemies. Why has he not done like Pilate, who, after having heard the accusers, exclaimed - I find nothing to condemn in this man. If, at least, he had said - “I have given him a safe-conduct. If he will not submit to the Council I will send him to the king of Bohemia, with your sentence and the testimonies in support of it, in order that he may be judged by this prince and his clergy.” Sigismond, in fact, intimated to me by Leffl, and others, of his intention to grant me an audience whenever it might be necessary, and of his resolution to save me from all danger, should I not submit to the judgment. FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxxiv. Sexterni, a coin of these times.

TO HIS FRIENDS. [He relates the frightful visions which diversely affected him, although events have confirmed the truth of all his dreams.] The Lord be with you! The warning of the Lord is more precious to me than gold and topaz. I hope, then, in the mercy of Jesus Christ, that he will grant me his Spirit, that I may hold fast in the truth. Pray to the Lord; for the spirit is willing and the flesh is weak. May the Almighty God be the reward of my well-beloved Nobles, who with a constant, fervent, and faithful heart, persevere in justice. God will enable them to know the truth in the kingdom of Bohemia. But that they may cling to it, it is necessary they return to Bohemia, forgetting vainglory in order to attach themselves to a King who is neither mortal nor subject to our miseries, but who is the King of Glory, giving eternal life. Oh! with what sweet pleasure did I press the hand of the Seignior John, who did not blush to offer it to me, an unfortunate man - to me, a heretic, in chains, despised and loudly condemned by all. I shall not much longer hold discourse with you; salute, therefore, our faithful Bohemians.

Paletz came to visit me in prison, and accosted me in my deep distress, by telling me, in presence of the Commissioners, that since the birth of Christ, there had risen no heretic more dangerous than Wycliffe and myself. He further declared, that all those who have listened to my preachings are infected with this heresy, which consists in affirming that the material bread remains in the sacrament of the altar. “O Paletz,” I answered, “how cruel are these words! and how much thou sinnest against me. I am about to die; perhaps when I rise from my bed I shall be conducted to the stake. What reward will they give thee in Bohemia?” I should have perhaps abstained from writing these things, for fear of appearing to hate them. I have ever kept in mind these words, “Put not your trust in princes;” and this other text, which says, “Cursed is he who trusts in man only.” Be prudent, for the sake of God, whether you should remain in this place, or whether you return; do not carry about you any of my letters, but disperse my writings amongst all our friends.

Learn that I have had a great combat to sustain, in not wondering at my dreams. I dreamed of the Pope’s evasion before it took place, and after the event being related, I heard, in the night-time, the Seignior John say, “The Pope will return to you.” I have dreamed of Master Jerome’s captivity, but not in what way it should occur; and likewise of the different prisons to which I should be conducted, such as they were afterwards assigned to me, but without any particular details.... A multitude of serpents often presented themselves before me, rolled up into a circle, the head forming the tail. I have seen many other things besides.

I write this, not that I consider myself a prophet, or that I should exalt myself, but in order to tell you I have experienced both mental and bodily temptations, as well as great fear of transgressing the precepts of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think now of these words of Jerome, who said to me, “If I go to Constance, I do not believe I shall return thence.” A worthy shoemaker, André Polonus, said, whilst bidding me farewell, “May God be with you: I can hardly hope that you will return safe and sound, very dear Master John, you who cling with so much force to truth. May the King, not he of Hungary, but of Heaven, bestow on you his blessings for the true and excellent doctrines I have learned from you.” FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxxiii. The Emperor Sigismund.

TO THE NOBLE LORD, HENRY DE SCHOPECK. May God be with you, noble Henry! I received your letter on the Wednesday before the fete of Saint Vitus, and it caused a great joy, although in prison, and in the expectation of death. I conjure you, my dear lord, to live according to God’s law, keeping in your soul those things which you have heard and learned of me. If, nevertheless, some of them appear to you unworthy of being preserved, reject them. I hope, however, I have taught you nothing concerning our Lord which was against the law of God. I could write at great length on this subject; but I will say in few words, “Keep the commandments of God, be merciful unto the poor, shun pride; bear in mind these words, ‘Remember what thou art, what thou wert, and what thou shalt be....’” Beloved lord, keep me also in remembrance; salute for me your noble wife, your family, and all my friends; for I presume, that before my death, which is hastening on, you will never see me more; and this death I am ready for. Written on the fifth day before the festival of Saint Vitus. May God be with you, my dear Bohemians, and with me! for I am suffering for his Word.

TO A FRIEND. [Huss alludes to the hymn noted down on parchment, which he composed in Bohemian for Schopeck.] You will forward the letter on parchment to the Seignior Henry Schopeck; I have kept it in my prison in remembrance of him; and I composed this hymn during my leisure hours. Noble Henry, my faithful friend, remember the words you have heard from me, in order that you may obtain eternal glory. Remember what I have said unto you: - I am confident God will grant me his Spirit, that I may be enabled to support some temptations, for his name’s sake. Written, the Sunday before Saint Vitus, in the expectation of death. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xlii.

TO THE FAITHFUL OF BOHEMIA. [John Huss wrote this letter in his own handwriting in his prison at Constance, to console the king and kingdom of Bohemia, and to warn them not to abandon the true Evangelical doctrine, nor the Chapel of Bethlehem, nor the faithful doctors of the Gospel, notwithstanding the rage of Satan and of the world, but to live in piety and justice, each one according to his calling.] I, John Huss, in hope servant of God, desire, that the believers in Bohemia who love the Lord, may live and die in grace, and at last obtain eternal life.

You who are high in dignity, you who are rich, and you who are poor, you all who are the faithful and well beloved disciples of the Lord, I conjure you all to obey God, to glorify his word, and to elevate yourselves by listening to his precepts. I conjure you to cling to the divine word, which I have preached according to the law and after the testimony of the saints; I conjure you, if any amongst you, either in public meetings or in private conversations, have heard any words from me, or read any writings of mine contrary to God’s truth, not to attach yourselves to such, although my conscience does not reproach me with having said or written any thing of the nature to which I refer. I conjure you besides, if any one has remarked any thing trifling, either in my discourses or my writings, not to imitate me in that, but to pray to God that he may pardon my frivolity; I conjure you to love priests of good morals, and to honour, in preference, those who exert themselves in diffusing the word of God; I conjure you to beware of deceitful men, especially impious priests, of whom the Lord has said, they are outwardly dressed in sheep’s clothing, while within they are ravening wolves;

I conjure the powerful to treat their poor servants with kindness, and to command them with justice; I conjure citizens to keep a good conscience in their profession, artizans to apply themselves carefully to their callings, and to keep before their eyes the fear of God, and domestics faithfully to serve their masters; I conjure the masters of arts to live honestly, to instruct their pupils faithfully; first of all, teaching them to fear God, afterwards exerting themselves for the glory of God, the good of their country, and their own salvation, and not to attach themselves strongly to mere rules of propriety, whether for the sake of riches or for worldly honours; I conjure the pupils of the public school, and all scholars, to obey their masters in all lawful things, and to labour with the greatest zeal, in order to advance one day the kingdom of God, their own salvation, and that of other men. I conjure you all to bestow your thanks on the generous noblemen, Wenceslaus Duba, John of Chlum, Henry Plumlovic, Wylem Zagee, Nicholas, and the other Bohemian, Moravian, and Polish Seigniors, who, as zealous defenders of God’s truth, opposed this Council with all their power, endeavouring to obtain my deliverance; in particular, I mention Wenceslaus Duba and John of Chlum. Believe all they may

report to you, for they were present at the Council on the days when I replied. They know what Bohemians have risen against me; they are acquainted with the unworthy deeds which were imputed to me by them; they are aware how the whole assembly vociferated against me whilst I was answering all the questions that were asked. I conjure you to pray for the King of the Romans, and for your own, and for the Queen, in order that the God of mercy may dwell with them and with you, now and for ever.

I write you this letter in my prison and with my fettered hand, expecting after to-morrow my sentence of death, and having an entire confidence in God that he will not forsake me; that he will not suffer me to renounce his word, or abjure errors wickedly ascribed to me by false witnesses. When we shall meet again in a happy eternity you will know with what clemency the Lord deigns to assist me in my cruel trials.

I know nothing concerning Jerome, my faithful friend, unless that he is detained in a wretched prison, waiting, like myself, for death, on account of that faith which he so courageously spread through Bohemia. But the Bohemians, our most cruel adversaries, have delivered us to the power of other enemies and to their chains. Pray to God for them. I conjure you, inhabitants of Prague, above all to love my Chapel of Bethlehem, and to have the word of God preached there, should God permit it. The fury of Satan is stirred up against that place. Seeing that the power of darkness was weakened in it, he has excited the parochial clergy against that temple. I hope God will protect it, and that his word will be preached there with more success by others than by me, a weak and infirm man. Lastly, I conjure you to love one another, to shut out no one from the path of divine truth, and to watch that the upright be not oppressed by violence. Amen. Written on the night of the Monday before Saint Vitus, and sent by a good and faithful German. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xi.

(NOT ADDRESSED TO ANY BODY.) [The authentic profession of faith, in which John Huss declares, with the assistance of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he will not abjure the truth which he has acknowledged, unless further enlightened by the Scriptures.] My last and firm determination is, that I refuse to confess as erroneous the articles which have been truly extracted from my works, and that I refuse to abjure those which have been attributed to me by false witnesses; for to abjure implies that one has held erroneous opinions - it is, in fact, to reject them, and adopt others of a contrary tendency. God knows that I have never taught these errors, imputed to me by those who have retrenched from my works many truths and falsified them. Were I aware that, in the articles I confess to, there was one contrary to the truth, I would correct it, and most heartily strike it out. Nay, I would teach and preach the contrary. But, although some parts may be considered scandalous and erroneous by those who are displeased with such doctrines, yet I do not believe that there is a single passage which is opposed to the law of Christ or to the words of the holy apostles.

I detest and condemn all false interpretation imputed to my articles against my intention, submitting myself to the correction of our Divine Master, and confiding in his infinite mercy, that he himself may deign to wash me clean from such sins as I am ignorant of. I return thanks to all the Bohemian Barons, and especially to King Wenceslaus, and to the Queen, my gracious Sovereign, that they have loved me, have acted piously towards me, and have worked ardently to procure my deliverance; I render thanks also to the Emperor Sigismund, for his good intentions in my favour; I render thanks to all those Nobles of Bohemia and Poland who have shewn themselves firm in defending the truth, and in endeavouring to break my chains; I desire the salvation of all, here below in grace, and afterwards in a glorious eternity. May the God of all goodness bring you back into Bohemia with perfect health of body and soul, that, serving in this world, Christ, our Sovereign, you may attain eternal life!

You will salute for me all my friends, to whom I cannot write; if I saluted by name some, and not others, I should appear to except some persons; and those to whom I did not write would think I did not keep them in remembrance, or did not love them as I ought to do. Written in prison, and in chains, the sixth day before the festival of St John the Baptist. +John Huss+, in hope, servant of Christ. FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xx. Quod ab occultis peccatis meis ipse me mundavit.

TO HIS DISCIPLE, MASTER MARTIN. Master Martin, my dear disciple, my well-beloved brother in Christ, live according to the law of Christ; be zealous in the preaching of God’s Word. I conjure you, in the name of the Lord, not to seek rich clothing like unto that which I was fond of, alas! and which I wore, neglecting to shew an example of humility to the people whom I instructed. Attach thy soul to the reading of the Bible, and especially that of the New Testament; and in obscure passages, have recourse to commentators as much as it is in thy power to do so. Dread the intercourse of women, and be circumspect, when thou listenest to them at confession, lest thou shouldest be caught in the snares of unlawful desires; for I hope thou hast guarded all thy purity, and that thou belongest wholly to God.

Be not afraid of dying, if thou wouldest wish to live with Christ, for he has said himself, Fear not those who destroy the body, but cannot kill the soul. If they should ask thee concerning thy adherence to my doctrines, answer, “I believe my master has been a good Christian, in what he has taught and written; I have neither read all, nor understood all. I speak as I think.” I hope that the mercy of God, with the aid of well-disposed people, will enable us to live in peace, although Paletz labours with his associates to get all my adherents condemned. But know that the Lord lives, who can in his grace preserve you, and can confound and destroy all the enemies of his word.

I recommend to thee my very dear brethren; act towards them as thou knowest is right. Thou wilt salute Peter, with his wife and family, and all those who belong to the Church of Bethlehem: Catherine, that holy girl, and the Curé Guzikon, Maurice Hatzer, and all the friends of the truth; Geskonière, the Seignior Gregory, all the Masters, Jessenitz, Kuba, the two Simons, and Nicholas Haulikon. Let all those who possess, or shall possess, my books be prudent. Thou wilt also salute all my well-beloved brothers in Christ, the doctors, the writers, the shoemakers, the tailors, in recommending them to be zealous for the laws of Christ, to advance humbly in wisdom, and not to make use of their own commentaries, but to have recourse to those of the saints. Thou wilt tell Henry Liffel to give to Jacob, the writer, the piece of money which was promised him. Salute Matthew, formerly my disciple at Bethlehem, and especially Master Matthew Chudy, and the faithful John Vitlis, that they may pray for me, a sinner.

Incline my brother’s sons to exercise some worldly calling; for I should be afraid, if they took upon them a spiritual charge, that they might not fill it as they should do. Satisfy as well as thou canst, those to whom I owe something; should they wish, nevertheless, to forget these debts for the love of the Lord, the Lord will bestow on them much greater riches. Keep in mind all the good thou hast heard from my lips; and if thou hast discovered in me any thing which was not according to propriety, detest it, and pray to God that he may deign to pardon me. Meditate without ceasing on what thou art, on what thou hast been, and what thou mayest become. Deplore the past, amend the present, dread the future, that is, sin. May the God of grace console thee, as well as all our above-mentioned brethren, that He may conduct you with all the others to his glory, in which, I firmly hope, of his mercy, all will rejoice before thirty years have passed over. Adieu, my well-beloved brother; dwell always with Christ Jesus, thou, and all those who love the name of our Lord. Written in prison the Sunday after Saint Vitus. +John Huss+, in hope, servant of God. FOOTNOTE:

TO THE LORD HAULIKON. [Huss invites him not to oppose administering the blood of Jesus Christ to laymen under the form of wine.]

As a preacher of the word of Christ, my very dear brother, do not oppose the administering of the Cup, it being a Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ and his apostles. No text of Scripture is opposed to it, but only custom; and I think that this was established only through negligence and forgetfulness. But it is not custom which we should follow, but the example of Christ. The Council, alleging custom as a motive, has declared the Communion of the Cup by layman to be an error, and has ordained, that whosoever should practise it, shall be punished as a heretic, if he did not amend this practice. Already, then, has the malice of men condemned as an error an institution of Christ. I conjure you, by the love of God, not to attack Master Jacobel, that there may not be any division amongst the faithful, and that Satan may not find a new subject for joy. Prepare yourself as quickly as possible, my dear brother, to suffer for the Communion of the Cup. Lay aside all fears which is unworthy of you, and remain firm in the truth of Christ, exhorting the other brethren by the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think that they will give you, in support of the Communion of the Cup, what I have written at Constance. Salute the faithful in Christ.

Written in irons, on the eve of the day of the Ten Thousand. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xvi.

TO SOME FRIENDS. [Great victory over the gates of hell, and over those who, with unexampled cunning, and under specious pretexts, solicited John Huss to abjure the truth of the Lord.] A multitude of people have come to exhort me, and amongst them many doctors, but few brethren, as the Apostle has said. They were prodigal in their counsels and phrases; they told me, that I could and I ought to abjure my scruples in submitting my will to the Holy Church, which the Council represents; but not one of them can avoid the difficulty, when I place him in my situation, and ask him, if, being certain of having never preached, or defended, or entertained heresy, he could, in safe conscience, formally confess that he abjured an error which he never supported. Some of them stated, that it was not necessary to abjure, but merely to renounce the heresy held or not held; others maintain, that to abjure signifies to deny what is attested rightly or erroneously. I would willingly swear, I replied to them, that I have never preached, held, or defended, the errors which are imputed to me; and that I will never preach, hold, or defend them. And when I spoke thus, they immediately retired.

Others insist that, supposing a man really innocent were found in the Church, and this man, through humility, confess himself guilty, he would be well deserving: thereupon some one cited, amongst the ancient fathers, a certain saint, in whose bed had been covertly put a prohibited book. Inculpated and examined on this subject, the saint denied the fault, but his enemies answered, “Thou hast concealed the book, and put it in thy bed;” and this book having been found there, the saint confessed himself culpable. Some supported this opinion by the example of a certain holy woman, who lived in a monastery in the disguise of a man. She was accused of being the father of a child. She confessed it, and kept the child: her innocence was afterwards discovered with her sex. Many other means were also proposed to me. An Englishman addressed me thus, “Were I in your place, I would abjure; for in England, all the masters, and all men held in consideration, who were suspected of adhering to the opinions of Wycliffe, have been severally cited before the archbishop, and have abjured.” Lastly, yesterday they were all agreed in engaging me to place myself at the mercy of the Council.

Paletz came at my entreaty, for I desired to confess to him. I asked the commissioners, and those who exhorted me, to give me for confessor either him or another. And I said, “Paletz is my principal adversary; I wish to confess to him; or, at least, give me in his stead a man qualified to hear me: I conjure you to do so in the name of the Lord.” This last desire was accorded: I confessed to a monk, who piously and most patiently listened to me; he gave me absolution, and counselled me, but did not enjoin me, to follow the advice of others.

Paletz came: he wept with me when I besought him to pardon me for having uttered before him some offensive words, and especially for having called him a forger of writings. And as I reminded him that, in a public audience, when he heard me deny the articles cited by the witnesses, he rose up and cried: “This man does not believe in God,” - he denied it, but truly he said it, and perhaps you heard him do so. I reminded him, in what manner he said to me in prison, in presence of the Commissioners, “Since the birth of Christ, no heretic has written more dangerously than Wycliffe and thou.” He also insisted, that all those who have read my sermons are infected with the error concerning the sacrament of the altar. He has now denied it, adding, “I did not say all, but a great number.” And yet it is certain that he said it. And when I took him up by saying, “Oh! Master Paletz, how much you wrong me in accusing my auditory of heresy!” he did not reply anything, and he exhorted me, like the others, always repeating, that through me and mine much harm had been done. He told me, also, that he possessed a letter addressed to the Bohemians, in which was written, that, at the Chateau, I sang some verses on my captivity. In the name of Heaven, take great care of my letters: do not let them be carried to any clerical person, and let our Seigniors only trust some laymen. Inform me whether they accompany the Emperor. Jesus Christ, by his grace, preserves me immoveable in my first resolution.

TO JOHN CARDINAL. [John Huss replies to the Father, that is to say, to the Cardinal, clearly establishing, that it is better to die for the truth than to depart from it, though only a nail’s breadth, even under the false pretext of the good of the Church.] May the Almighty God, sovereignly good and wise, deign to bestow on my Father eternal life, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ! Reverend Father, I am most grateful for your benevolent and paternal interest. I dare not submit myself to the Council in the limits that you trace out to me; whether because I should be obliged to condemn many truths that they term fraudulent; or because I should be obliged to perjure myself by abjuring and confessing that I had held errors, by which I have greatly scandalized the people of God, who have heard me say the contrary in my preaching.

If, then, in the Book of the Maccabees, it is written of Eleazar, a man of the ancient law, that he refused to lie, by confessing that he had eaten meats prohibited by the ancient law, for fear of acting thus against God, and leaving a bad example to posterity; how should I, a priest of the new law, although unworthy, through the terror of pain of a short duration, consent gravely to transgress the law of God, by keeping back from the truth, by perjuring myself, and, lastly, by offending my neighbour? Truly, it is more advantageous to die than to fall into the hands of God by flying from a momentary evil, and perhaps afterwards to fall into the fire, and into eternal opprobrium. Therefore, since I have appealed to Jesus Christ, to the Judge sovereignly just and powerful, confiding to him my cause, I am resolved to adhere to his decision, and to his holy and sacred sentence, knowing that he will judge all men, not according to false witnesses, or to the errors of councils, but according to the truth, and their own merits. FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxxix.

Luther erroneously believed that the person whom John Huss only designates under the name of Father, for fear of compromising him, was the Cardinal of Osti. J. Lenfant has clearly demonstrated that the person, to whom John Huss gives this name, was a monk called John Cardinal. (See the History of the Council of Constance, book iii.) The following is the form of revocation he invited John Huss to sign, and which Luther has inserted in the collection of John Huss’s letters, under the number xxxviii. “I, the undersigned, besides the protest which I have already made, and do here repeat, again protest, that although many things which I have never thought of have been imputed to me; nevertheless, for all the things which I am accused of, whether extracted from my works, or obtained from the deposition of witnesses, I humbly submit myself to the mercy, judgment, explanation, and correction of the Holy Council General, in order to abjure, revoke, and retract them. I will submit to penance, and will do all that the Holy Council shall decide in its mercy for my salvation, throwing myself on its indulgence, and recommending myself to it with entire discretion.”

JOHN CARDINAL TO JOHN HUSS. [The Father insists on the counsel which he has given: “whoever thou mayest be who readest these pages, see how the false title of the Church deceives the excellent Cardinal.”] In the first place, my well-beloved brother, do not let yourself be troubled by the fear of condemning truths; for it is not you who will condemn these, but those who are your superiors and ours. Meditate on these words, “Rely not on your own prudence.” There are many wise and conscientious men in the Council: “My son, listen to thy mother’s law.” This is my point. I come to the second, concerning the perjury of the matter. This perjury, even if it be one, will not fall on you, but on those who exact it. Heresy ceases where obstinacy ends. Augustin, Origen, the Master of the Sentences, and many others, have erred, and returned with joy from their errors; I also often thought that I perfectly understood certain things, in which I was mistaken. When better informed, I returned with eagerness to a different opinion.

I write briefly; for I write to an intelligent man. Do not stray from the truth, but arrive at it; you will not perjure yourself but will become better. Do not offend, but edify. The Jew Eleazar obtained a great glory, but Judas with his seven sons, and the eight martyrs, obtained much greater. Paul did not hesitate to be let down in a basket in order to propagate a better law. May Jesus Christ, the Judge of your appeal, accord you apostles like these. Some combats for the faith of Jesus Christ are still due from you. FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xl. Luther falls again into the same error; see note 2 of page 159. This passage is exceedingly obscure. It may be seen that it relates to what John Huss had said that he would appeal to Jesus Christ. In law are called apostles certain letters which the appellant ought to obtain from the judges to whom he has appealed; because, if they are not obtained after a certain delay, he is supposed to have renounced his appeal, and is obliged to submit to his first judgment. - Lenfant, History of the Council of Constance.

[Huss relates another combat of the flesh and spirit for the confession of the truth, a combat worthy of fixing the attention of pious men.] Salutation to you, through Jesus Christ! I beseech you, for God’s sake, not to shew my letters, nor to publish them; for I fear they might place several persons in jeopardy. If Vitus remains, let him be prudent. I rejoice greatly to learn that my gracious Lord is coming to me. Our Saviour raised up Lazarus to life on the fourth day, when he already began to decay. He preserved Jonas in the belly of the fish, and restored him to his preaching; he drew Daniel in safety from the lion’s den that he might write his prophecies; he preserved from the flames the three young men in the furnace; and he delivered Susannah, already condemned and on the point of perishing.

Wherefore, he could as easily snatch also from prison and death me, unfortunate man that I am, were it conducive to the glory and advantage of the faithful, and to my own welfare. The power of Him who drew Peter out of prison by his angel, when condemned to die at Jerusalem, and who caused the chains to fall from his hands, is not diminished. But let the Lord’s will be done; may it be fully accomplished in me for his glory and my sins! A Doctor said to me - “If in all things I would submit to the Council; every thing would then be good and legitimate for me.” He added - “If the Council asserted you had but one eye, although you have two, still it would be necessary to say the Council was right.” “If the whole world,” replied I, “should affirm such a thing, I could not, as long as I possess the use of my reason, assent to it, without wounding my conscience.” After other conversation he abandoned his argument and said to me, “I confess I have not chosen my example well.”

The Lord is with me like a valiant warrior; the Saviour is my light and salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord defends my life; who shall make me tremble? In these latter times I often repeat this sentence - “Lord, I suffer violence, answer for me; for what shall I say to my enemies?” +John Huss+, servant in hope of Jesus Christ. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxxii.

TO A FRIEND. [An admirable confession of the infirmities of human nature. The latter does not struggle against evil only, for the flesh strives perpetually against the Spirit, and is not easily brought under its yoke. Reader, peruse this letter, and rejoice.] Salutation to you, through Jesus Christ! Learn, very dear friend, that Paletz, in endeavouring to persuade me, told me that I ought not to dread the shame of an abjuration, but to think only of the good which would ensue from it. I answered, “The opprobrium of being condemned and burned is greater than that of sincerely abjuring. What shame should I fear, then, in abjuring? But tell me, Paletz, how wouldest thou act if thou wert assured that errors were falsely imputed to thee? Wouldest thou wish to abjure them?” “That, in fact, would be hard,” replied he; and he wept. We afterwards spoke of many things which I refuted.

Michael de Causis, this miserable man, has appeared several times before my prison with the deputies of the Council, and whilst I was with them, said to the keepers, “By the grace of God, we shall soon burn this heretic, on whom I have spent many florins.” Know, my friend, that nevertheless I do not express in this letter a vow of vengeance: I leave it to God, and I pray for this man from the bottom of my heart. I again exhort you to be prudent with my letters. Michael has forbidden that any person should be introduced into my prison, even the wives of my keepers. O Great God! how far does Antichrist extend his power and cruelty! but I trust that his reign will be cut short, and his iniquity laid bare, in the midst of a faithful people.

The Almighty God will strengthen the hearts of the faithful whom he has destined, from before the beginning of the world, to the crown of immortal glory. Though Antichrist shall exercise his fury as he pleases, nevertheless he shall not be able to prevail against Christ, who, according to the words of the Apostle, will destroy him by a single breath of his mouth; and the creature then shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and clothe itself, says the Apostle, with the glorious liberty of the sons of God!... I am greatly consoled by these words of our Saviour, “Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven.” (Luke vi.) An admirable consolation, though difficult, not to understand, but to receive well; for it invites us to delight in afflictions.

Saint James observed this rule, with the other Apostles. “Count it,” says he, “all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience; but let patience have her perfect work.” (St James, chap. i.) Truly it is difficult to rejoice thus with an unshaken heart, and to consider all trials as subjects for rejoicing: it is easy to say, but difficult to do it. He who was the most patient and the most intrepid, who knew that he should rise again the third day, should vanquish his enemies by his death, and redeem his elect from condemnation, was, nevertheless, troubled in mind after the Last Supper, and cried, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death.” The Gospel informs us that he groaned and trembled; that an angel comforted him in his agony; and that his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. But, in his agony, he said to his disciples: “Let not your heart be troubled; for I shall be with you to the end of the world.”

And his valiant soldiers, their eyes fixed upon their Chief, the King of Glory, have endured a great combat. They have passed through fire and water, and have not perished; and have received from the Lord that crown, alluded to by St James, when he says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.” A glorious crown! which the Saviour will grant to me, I firmly hope, and to you also, fervent defenders of the truth, and to all those who persevere in the love of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has suffered for us, bequeathing us his example, that we might follow in his footsteps. It was necessary that he should suffer, as he himself has declared; and we, who are his members, must suffer with Him who is our Head; for he has said: “If any one will come with me, let him take up his cross and follow me!”

O Divine Jesus, draw us nigh unto thee, weak as we are; for, if thou dost not draw us nigh unto thee, we cannot follow thee. Fortify my spirit, that it may become strong and resolute. The flesh is weak; but let thy grace protect, assist, and save us; for without thee we can do nothing, and are, above all, incapable of facing, on thy account, a cruel death. Give me a determined mind, an intrepid heart, a pure faith, and perfect charity, that I may be enabled to lay down my life for thee, with patience and joy. Amen. Written in prison and in irons, on the eve of the festival of St John the Baptist, who was decapitated for having risen up against the corruption of the wicked. May he pray for us to Jesus our Lord! FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxx. We remind the reader that the headings of the Letters being written by Luther, we have not in any way changed them.

TO A FRIEND. To-morrow, at six o’clock, I am to answer on the following points: - I am asked, in the first place, if I am willing to acknowledge as erroneous all the articles extracted from my books, if I abjure them, and if I engage to preach the contrary? In the second place, whether I am willing to confess that I have preached the articles imputed to me by witnesses? Thirdly, and lastly, if I abjure them? God grant that the Emperor may hear the words which God will put into my mouth; and if I am accorded pens and paper, as I hope I shall, by the grace of God I will make the following answers in writing: - “I, John, servant of Jesus Christ, refuse to confess that any of the articles extracted from my books are erroneous, through fear of condemning the opinions of the holy doctors, and, above all, of St Augustin. Secondly, I refuse to admit that I have held or preached the articles which are imputed to me by false witnesses. Thirdly, I refuse to abjure, through fear of perjuring myself.”

In the name of Heaven take great care of my letters, and send them to Bohemia with precaution, lest they may place many persons in danger. Keep me in remembrance, should you not receive news from me again; and pray to God that he may bestow constancy on me and Jerome, my brother in Christ; for I believe, as I understood from the deputies, that he will suffer death with me. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxvii.

TO HIS FRIENDS. [Last resolution of John Huss, to which, with the grace of God, he desires to remain faithful.]

These are the things which the Council has often required of me; but they imply that I revoke, that I abjure, and that I accept a penance; and I cannot do it, without denying, in many things, the truth. In the second place, I should perjure myself in abjuring and confessing errors falsely imputed to me. In the third place, I should afford a great scandal to the people of God who have listened to my sermons; and it would be better that a millstone were tied round my neck, and that I were plunged to the bottom of the sea. Lastly, If I acted in this manner, to avoid a momentary confusion and a short trial, I should fall into disgrace and much more terrible sufferings, unless, indeed, I repented of them before my death. Wherefore, in order to fortify myself, I have thought of the seven martyrs of the Maccabees, who preferred rather to be torn in pieces than partake of meats prohibited by God. I have thought of St Eleazar, who, according to what is written, was not willing to confess he had eaten of prohibited meats, for fear of leaving a bad example to posterity, but preferred martyrdom. Having, then, before my eyes many saints of the new law, who accepted martyrdom rather than consent to sin, how should I, who have exhorted others in my preachings to patience and firmness, be thus guilty of perjury, and of so many vile falsehoods, and scandalize also, by my example, many children of the Lord?

Far, far from me be such a thought! Our Saviour Jesus Christ will reward me fully, and bestow on me in my trials the assistance of patience. FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xlv. This letter, such as it has reached us, is, without doubt, only a fragment; the first words indicate as much.

TO HIS FRIENDS AT PRAGUE. [He encourages and exhorts them not to be frightened on account of the Council having delivered his writings to the flames. He reminds them of the corrupted morals of that assembly, and of the condemnation of Pope John.]

I ought to warn you, my well-beloved, not to let yourselves be alarmed by the sentence of those who have condemned my books to be burned. Remember that the Israelites burned the writings of the prophet Jeremiah, without, nevertheless, being able to avoid the lot which he predicted for them. God even commanded, after the destruction by fire of this prophecy, that a new and more extended one should be written, which was done; for Jeremiah dictated it in his prison, and Baruch wrote, as it is written in chapter xxxvi. or xlv. of Jeremiah. It is also written in the Book of Maccabees, that impious men burned the law of God, and killed all those who were the depositaries of it. Under the new alliance they burned the saints with the books of the divine law. The Cardinals condemned and delivered to the flames many books of St Gregory, and would have burned them all, if they had not been preserved by his servant Peter. Two Councils of priests condemned St Chrysostom as a heretic; but God made their lie manifest after the death of him who was surnamed St John of the Golden Mouth.

Knowing, therefore, these things, let not fear prevent you from reading my books, and do not deliver them up to my enemies to be burned. Remember that the Lord has said, Before the day of judgment there shall be a great desolation, such as has not been witnessed since the beginning of the world to this day; and such, if it were possible, the elect themselves might be led astray; but on account of them these days shall be shortened. Think of that, my well-beloved, and be firm. This Council of Constance will not extend to Bohemia; many of those who compose it will die before they have succeeded in forcing my books from you. The majority will be dispersed on every side like storks; and they will discover, on the approach of winter, what they shall have done in summer. Consider that they have declared the Pope, their chief, worthy of death for his enormous crimes. Courage, and reply to these preachers who teach that the Pope is God on earth; that he can sell the sacraments, as the canonists declare; that he is the head of the Church in administering it purely; that he is the heart of the Church in vivifying it spiritually; that he is the source whence springs all virtue and all good; that he is the sun of the holy Church, the certain asylum, where it is important that all Christians should find refuge.

Behold! already this head is, as it were, severed by the sword; already this terrestrial god is enchained; already his sins are laid bare; this never-failing source is dried up - this divine sun is dimmed - this heart has been torn and branded with reprobation, that no one should seek an asylum in it. The Council has condemned its chief, its own head, for having sold indulgences, bishopricks, and other things. But among those who have condemned him are to be found a great number of purchasers, who have, in their turn, engaged also in this unworthy traffic. There was amongst them the bishop, John Litomissel, who twice wished to buy the bishoprick of Prague; but others had the advantage over him. O! corrupt men! Why have they not, first of all, torn the beam from their own eyes; since it is written in their own law: “Whoever shall purchase a dignity with money shall be deprived of it.” Sellers, therefore, and buyers, and whosoever shall interfere in this shameful contract, be ye condemned, as St Peter condemned Simon, who wished to buy from him the virtue of the Holy Ghost.

They have anathematized the seller and condemned him, and they themselves are the purchasers; they have affixed their hands to this pact, and they remain unpunished! What do I say? They traffic in this merchandise even in their very dwellings! There is in Constance one bishop who has bought, another who has sold, and the Pope, for having approved of the bargain, has received money from the two parties. * * If God had said to the members of this Council, “Let him amongst you who is without sin pronounce the sentence of Pope John,” undoubtedly they would have withdrawn one after the other. Why did they formerly bend their knees before him? Why did they kiss his feet? Why did they term him most holy, when they saw in him a homicide, a heretic, and a hardened sinner? For in this manner did they already speak of him in public. Why did the Cardinals elect him Pope, knowing that he had caused the death of his predecessor? Why did they suffer him, since his accession to that office, to traffic in holy things? Do they not form his Council, to remind him of what is just? and are they not as much to blame as he for these crimes, since they tolerated in him vices which were common to them all? Why did no one dare resist him before his flight from Constance? They all feared him then, as their very holy father; but when, with the permission of God, the secular power laid hold of him, then they conspired and resolved that he should not escape death.

Truly, already have the malice, abomination, and turpitude of antichrist been revealed in the Pope and other members of this Council. The faithful servants of God may now understand these words of the Saviour, who has said, “When you shall behold the abomination of desolation foretold by the prophet Daniel,” &c. Truly, the supreme abomination is pride, avarice, and simony in deserted places, - that is, in dignities, where neither goodness nor humility, nor any virtue, is now to be found, as we now witness in those who are high in honour and places. Oh! how much I desire to unveil all the iniquities that I am acquainted with, in order that the faithful servants of God may keep on their guard against them! But I hope that God will send after me more vigorous champions; and there are now already those who will better expose all the cunning tricks of antichrist, and who will expose themselves to death for the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will give unto you and me eternal beatitude! I write this letter on the day of St John the Baptist, in prison and in chains, and I bear in mind that St John was beheaded in prison for the word of God. FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xiii.

John Huss was burned to death in the month of July. See the Reformers before the Reformation, vol. i., book i.

JOHN HUSS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF PRAGUE. Honourable Masters, bachelors, and students, of the University of Prague, you whom I cherish in Christ Jesus, I exhort you all to love one another, to extirpate schism; to honour God above all things; in reminding yourselves how much I have always desired that the progress of our University should turn to the glory of God; how much I have bewailed your discords and your violence, and how I have always endeavoured to maintain united our illustrious nation. Remember also how much my life has been embittered by the outrages and blasphemies of some amongst those whom I most loved, and for whom I would willingly have exposed my life. And now they inflict on me a cruel death? May the Almighty God forgive them, for they know not what they do; and I pray with a sincere heart that he may spare them! My well beloved in Jesus Christ, dwell in the truth that you have known, which triumphs over all, and which increases in strength even unto eternity.

Know, also, that I have neither revoked nor abjured any article. The Council wished that I should acknowledge as false and erroneous all the articles extracted from my books. I have refused, unless they proved to me their falsehood by the Scriptures. If there is really some erroneous meaning in these articles I detest it, and refer its correction to our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows my sincerity, and is aware that my intention is not to maintain an error. And all of you likewise do I exhort, in the Lord, to detest every error that you may discover in my works; but in respecting that truth, which I have ever kept in view, pray for me, and support each other in the peace of God. I, John Huss, in chains, and already on the verge of the present life, awaiting to-morrow a cruel death, which, I hope, will wash away my sins, not finding in myself any heresy, by the grace of God, confess with all my soul the truth in which I believe. Written five days before the Festival of St Peter. I conjure you to love Bethlehem, and to put Gallus in my place; for I think the Lord is with him. I recommend to you Peter de Maldoniewitz, my very faithful and courageous comforter. FOOTNOTE:

TO HIS FRIENDS. [He explains to them how God permits his elect to be put to death, and cites several examples by which he sustains and consoles himself.]

My well beloved in the Lord, many causes, and especially the expectation of my speedy death, had made me suppose that the letters I recently wrote to you would be the last. Now that a delay is accorded - since it is permitted me to converse with you by letter, I write to you again, to testify, at least, all my gratitude. In what concerns my death, God only knows why it is deferred, as also that of my very dear brother Jerome, who, I hope, will die in a holy manner, and without a stain. I know that he acts and suffers now with more firmness than I, infirm sinner that I am. God has granted us much time, that we might better recall all our sins, and direct ourselves with greater energy to repentance; he has given us this time, that a long and great trial might efface our sins, and thus bring consolation with it. He has granted it to us, that we might meditate on the execrable outrages and cruel death of our King and merciful Lord, Jesus Christ, and that we should thus support our own evils with greater constancy; that we might at last remember that the joys of eternal life do not immediately follow this world’s joys, but that it is by passing through great tribulations that the saints enter the kingdom of God. Some of them have been, without shrinking, sawed in twain; others have been burned, stripped of their skin, buried alive, stoned, crucified, crushed between millstones, dragged here and there unto death, precipitated to the bottom of the waters, strangled, cut into pieces, overwhelmed by outrages before their death, and tortured by hunger in their prisons and in their chains.

Who could describe the torments and agonies which all the saints have suffered for the divine truth under the old and new covenant, and especially those who have branded the iniquity of priests, and who have raised their voices against it? It would be a strange thing at present to remain unpunished when attacking the perversity of priests, who will not endure any blame.

I rejoice that they are now obliged to read my works, where their corruption is depicted, and I know they read them with greater attention than the Holy Scriptures, in the ardent desire of finding out errors. Written on the Thursday before the Festival of Saint Peter. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xiv.

TO THE SAME. [John Huss relates how the Council, on the deposition of false witnesses, and on account of his works, has condemned him, without having read them.]

I have resolved, dear and faithful friends in our Lord, to make known to you in what manner the Council of Constance, swelled with so much pride and avarice, has condemned as heretical my books, written in the Bohemian tongue, without ever having seen or read them, and which it could not have understood, even when it had listened to the reading of them. For this Council is filled with Italians, French, Germans, Spaniards, and persons from all countries, and of every different language. They could not be understood but by Bishop John de Litomissel, by several Bohemians, my enemies, and by a few priests of Prague, who have first to calumniate the truth of God, and afterwards our Bohemia, which I hope is a country of a perfect faith, remarkable for its attachment to the Word of God, as well as for its good morals. And if you had been at Constance you would have witnessed the detestable abomination of this Council, which calls itself infallible and very holy; an abomination of which, many of the country of the Grisons have said, the city of Constance could not wash herself of in thirty years, and almost every body, supporting with great difficulty the great corruption, which is to be seen in it, is irritated against the Council. When I

first appeared in the presence of this assembly to reply to my adversaries, seeing that every thing was done without order, and hearing a general clamour, I cried aloud, “I thought the Council had possessed more good breeding, charity, and discipline.” Then the first of the Cardinals answered, “Is it thus that thou speakest? Thy language was more modest in prison.” “Yes,” I replied, “for in prison no one vociferated against me; and now you are all vociferous.” It is thus this Council, which has done more evil than good, has acted towards me with inordinate violence. O my faithful friends, my well-beloved in God, suffer not yourselves to be alarmed at the sentence these men have delivered against my books. Like insects, they will disperse here and there, and there, like winged insects, their ordinances will endure as long as the spiders’ webs. They endeavoured to shake my perseverance in the Word of God, but they were not able to daunt the courage which God had armed me with. They refused to examine the Scriptures with me, although my words were supported by the testimonies of several noble Seigniors ready to suffer ignominy with me for the cause of truth, and who remained firm to my party, and especially Wenceslaus Duba and John of Chlum, introduced to the Council

by the Emperor Sigismund himself.

Having said, that, if I had erred, I should be glad to be instructed of my errors: “Since you desire to be instructed,” replied the Grand Cardinal, “you must first of all abjure your doctrine, conformable to the sentence of the fifty doctors and interpreters of the Holy Scriptures.” An excellent advice! Therefore, St Catherine should renounce the Word of God and faith in Jesus, because fifty doctors opposed her! But this sublime virgin did not yield; she remained faithful unto death; she thus gained over her judges to Christ; but I cannot in the same manner persuade mine; it is wherefore I have thought fit to write to you, in order you might be informed they have not vanquished me neither by the Scriptures nor by reason, but tried me by terror and by lies to extort an abjuration from me. The God of mercy, whose justice I have glorified, was with me. He is still with me now, and I am confident he will remain with me unto the end.

Written the fourth day after the Festival of John the Baptist, in prison, in chains, and in the expectation of death; and yet I dare not say, on account of the hidden judgment of God, that this letter may be my last; for, even now, the Almighty God may effect my deliverance. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xii.

TO HIS FRIENDS. [He returns them thanks for their kindness.] May God be with you, and grant you every felicity, for the kindness you have heaped on me. Suffer not the Seignior John, my best friend, my other self, to expose himself to peril for my sake. I ask this of you, of you, Seignior Peter, in particular, in the name of the Lord. Lastly, I conjure you to live according to God’s word, and obey his precepts, as I have taught you to do. Render thanks to his Royal Majesty for all the benefits that I have received from him. Salute for me your families and my other friends, whom I cannot name here individually. I pray to God for you; pray to him for me, to that great God, near whom, with his aid, we shall all yet arrive. Amen. I think that I shall have to suffer for the word of God. But you will not, I conjure you in his name, permit his ministers and saints to be rigorously treated. +John Huss+, in hope, servant of God. P.S. - Peter, my very dear friend, keep, in remembrance of me, my fur cloak. Seignior Henry, may you live in health with your wife. I thank you for your kindness: may God heap his riches upon you. FOOTNOTES:

Hist. et. Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxiv. John of Chlum. Peter Maldoniewitz, surnamed the Notary.

TO JOHN OF CHLUM. I am greatly rejoiced that the Seignior Wenceslaus desires to take to himself a wife, and to flee from the vanities of the world. It is time he should retrace his steps. He has for a long time travelled kingdoms, played at the lance, wearied his body, spent his fortune, and offended his soul. Let him then renounce such a life, and dwell at home in peace with his wife and servants, there to serve God. It is better, indeed, to serve God without sin, in peace and tranquillity of mind, than to serve any other master amidst great anxieties, and to the peril of our souls. Give these lines to my excellent friend to read. The Lord still preserves the life of John Huss, and will continue to do so, as long as it is his good-will, against the efforts of avaricious, proud, and impious men of this Council, where there are but few (God knows if I exaggerate) who obey his precept. Written on the Festival of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. +John Huss+, in hope, servant of Jesus Christ. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxiii.

TO JOHN OF CHLUM. My very dear benefactor in Jesus Christ, - It is no slight satisfaction to me to be able to write to you. Your letter, dated yesterday, has made me understand, first, how will be unveiled and exposed to the light the iniquity of this perverse assembly, of the great prostitute spoken of in the Apocalypse, with whom, spiritually, the kings of the earth pollute themselves, by quitting the truth of the Lord, in order to assist the lies of antichrist, by seduction, fear, or in the hope of acquiring by this alliance the advantages of the world.

I understood, secondly, that the enemies of the truth begin to be alarmed. Thirdly, I recognized the charitable order, the intrepid firmness, with which you confess the truth; and, lastly, I saw with joy that you wished to put an end to the vanities and laborious servitude of the age, and combat for our Lord Jesus Christ; to serve whom, is, as St Gregory expresses it, to reign. He who faithfully serves him will be served by him in the celestial realms. He has said, “Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” The kings of this world do not act in this manner towards their servants; they love them only as long as they are useful and necessary to them. This is not the conduct of Jesus, the King of Glory, who crowned the holy apostles, Peter and Paul, introducing the former into the celestial kingdom by crucifixion, &c., the latter by decapitation; the first after having been imprisoned four times, and delivered by an angel; the second after having been beaten thrice with rods, once stoned, often afflicted, and twice shipwrecked, and having lingered two years in prison. Now they no longer suffer anxieties and torments, but enjoy a sweet and unchangeable peace, as well as infinite joy: Peter and Paul reign already with the King of Heaven; they are already among the angelic choir, they behold the King of kings in his magnificence; no sorrows afflict them, and they are filled with ineffable happiness. May these glorious martyrs, now united to the King of Glory, deign to intercede for us, that, strengthened by their assistance, we may participate in their glory, after having suffered with humility; since the all-powerful God has declared it is for our welfare that we suffer in this world. Amen.

Written on the Festival of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. If you can, write to me again, I beseech you, in the name of the Lord. I conjure you also to salute most particularly the Queen, my sovereign; advise her to hold fast to the truth, and not to be scandalised on my account, as if I were a heretic. Salute for me also your wife, whom I conjure you to love in Christ; for I trust she is amongst the children of God, through observing his commandments. Salute all the friends of the truth. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxii.

TO MASTER JOHN CHRISTIAN. [Exhortation.] Christian, my master and benefactor, keep steadfast in the truth of Christ and in the love of his disciples. Fear not; for the Lord will shortly afford us his protection, and augment the number of his faithful believers. Be always kind to the poor, as thou wert wont; guard thy chastity; flee avarice; hold not several livings, but keep thy church, that the faithful may find refuge in thee, as in the bosom of a father. O thou, whom I love, salute for me Jacobel, and all the friends of the truth. Written in irons, and expecting to suffer death. FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xvii.

TO HIS BENEFACTORS. [He exhorts them to prefer serving our Saviour Jesus Christ, who will not deceive them, rather than the princes of the earth.]

My excellent benefactors, I exhort you, by the bowels of Jesus Christ, you who defend the truth, to renounce the vanities of the age, and to combat for our eternal King, Jesus Christ. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the children of men; for the children of men are false and full of lies. To-day they live, and to-morrow they are no more: God alone is eternal. He has servants, not for his own wants, but for the advantage even of his servants, on whom he bestows the riches he has promised them; for he has said - “Where I am, there also shall be my servant.” The Lord renders his servants masters of all he possesses, giving himself up to them, and giving all with himself, in order that they may, without weariness, and without anxiety, possess all things and rejoice with all the saints in eternal happiness. Blessed is the servant who watches when his Lord cometh. Fortunate is the servant who shall joyfully repose on the bosom of the King of Glory! Serve, then, this King with fear, you who love him with all your heart. He will conduct you in safety to Bohemia in his grace, and afterwards, I trust, into eternal glory. Adieu; for I believe this letter may be the last that I shall write to you; to-morrow I shall be cleansed from my sins by a cruel death, in the hope of Christ. I cannot write what has occurred to me this night. Sigismund has done all with trick and cunning; may God forgive him!... You have heard the sentence which he delivered. Do not, I conjure you, suspect in the slightest degree the faithful Vitus.

FOOTNOTES: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxi. Hortor vos per viscera Jesu Christi.

TO HIS FAITHFUL FRIEND LEDERTZ. Seignior Ledertz, my faithful friend, you, Dame Margaret, and all of you who love me, may God bestow on you all his riches, for the great trouble you have taken, and for the many favours that I have received at your hands! Dear and faithful Master Christian, may God be with you! Master Martin, my disciple, forget not the faithful manner in which I taught you the word of God! Master Nicholas, Peter, the priest of the Lord, the King, the masters and heads of the University, preserve faithfully God’s word! May Gallus preach it, and all of you, my beloved, listen attentively to it, and guard it in your hearts! FOOTNOTE: Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxv. END OF JOHN HUSS’S LETTERS. REMARKS ON THE WORKS OF JOHN HUSS. The writings of +John Huss+, which have been handed down to us, may be classed under four principal heads: - His letters; his works and commentaries on the Scriptures; his sermons; and, lastly, his moral and theological treatises. His letters have been given in this volume. His particular works on the Scriptures are, - 1st, A History of the Life of Jesus Christ, according to the Four Gospels.

2dly, The History of our Lord’s Passion, as collected from the Four Gospels, and augmented by notes and commentaries from the most celebrated Doctors of the Church. 3dly, The Explanation of the First Seven Chapters of the First Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians. 4thly, Commentaries on the Seven Canonical Epistles of the Apostles St James, St Peter, St John, and St Jude. 5thly, Explanations and Developments of the Psalms cix., cx., cxi., cxii., cxiii., cxiv., cxv., cxvi., cxvii., and cxviii.

All these writings reveal in their author a profound knowledge of the sacred books, and of the works of the Fathers, as well as a great zeal to diffuse the light of the Scriptures, and to draw from them salutary instruction. They indicate, besides, an independence of views which must have given umbrage to the clergy. It is thus that Huss, in arranging the Epistles of the Apostles, names first that of St James, who, he says, presided at the Council of Jerusalem. He assigns the first place to this Epistle, on account of the superior dignity which the Apostle bears in the eyes of Christians by reason of three different claims: - “First, In addressing himself particularly to converted Jews, who were superior to the pagans; afterwards, in consideration of his personal merit; for although Peter was the first of the apostles, nevertheless the first evangelical preaching is traced to St James; - and lastly, in consideration of the dignity of the place where he held his See, which was Jerusalem, where the first preaching of God’s word took place.”

These works of John Huss on the Scriptures, so different in their nature, and so considerable in their extent, are, however, like most of the theological writings of the epoch, prolix and diffuse. The author subdivides his matter without end, fatigues with his repetitions, and, in his commentaries, presents, in general, subtile explanations and interpretations, sometimes trifling, and often forced, in order to discover in each word of the sacred books of the Old Testament, the type of our Saviour’s words in the New one. The sermons and discourses of John Huss, collected in his works, amount to about forty, amongst which several were pronounced before his rupture with his ecclesiastical superiors, and his interdiction. In them might be already recognised that pure and ardent zeal for morality, and that horror for the vices of the clergy, which animated his bosom in every circumstance of his life - a manifestation at once noble and rash in an age when the clergy were as powerful as they were corrupt, and which accumulated on the head of John Huss such implacable resentment.

In some sermons, delivered at a later period, and when he was already exposed to the attacks of his enemies, he expresses himself openly against the abuses springing from the doctrines of the Roman Church. He energetically censures the pomp and ostentation displayed in the festivals in honour of the saints. He reproves the lying flatteries of funeral eulogiums, and the profit derived from them by the priest. He alludes to this verse - De morbo medicus gaudet, de morte sacerdos; and adds: “What is the use of multiplying vigils in the house of a rich defunct, unless, indeed, for empty praise? Neither he who pays, nor he who is paid, care much about the psalms that are sung. What utility is there in this pompous cortege of the rich at the burial of a corpse? Why are so many priests sitting luxuriously on cushions round a coffin, whilst thou, O Christ! stoodst weeping over the tomb of Lazarus, and humbly invokedst thy Father? We do not weep, but make merry; we utter not pious groans, but vain clamours.”

John Huss believed in purgatory, although he placed but little confidence in the efficacy of praying for the dead; and in the sermon already mentioned, he supports his opinion on this point by the silence of the Scriptures. “We find no mention made of it,” he remarks, “except in the Book of Maccabees, which is not placed by the Jews in the canon of the Old Testament; neither the prophets, nor Jesus Christ, nor the Apostles, nor the saints who have followed their footsteps, have explicitly taught that the dead should be prayed for; but they have publicly declared, that whoever lived without crime should be deemed holy. For my part, I think that the introduction of this custom originated in the avarice of the priests, who, though but little desirous of teaching men to live well after the examples of the prophets, of Christ and the Apostles, carefully exhort them to make rich offerings, in the hope of procuring celestial happiness, and a speedy deliverance from purgatory.”

The first nine sermons collected in the works of John Huss were preached by him in Prague at different periods, and are followed by twenty-eight discourses relative to Antichrist, in which he openly designates the Pope, and where he repeats most of the arguments of the treatise, On the Anatomy of the Members of Antichrist. The last two sermons of John Huss are those which he composed on arriving at Constance; the one on Faith, the other on Peace. They breathe the desire of a reconciliation, which his enemies repulsed, and he was not permitted to deliver them. The moral and theological treatises form the fourth part of John Huss’s works, and the most important of the whole, for they especially shew his doctrines, and were those which furnished his enemies and judges with arguments and arms against him. The principal of the treatises are: - The Treatise on the Church, publicly read in the city of Prague; The Refutation of the Bull of John XXIII., concerning Indulgences for the First Crusade; Answer to Stephen Paletz; Answer to Stanislas Znöima; Refutation of the Writing of Eight Doctors of Prague; The Book of Antichrist; and the Treatise on the Abominations of Priests and Monks.

All the doctrines and peculiar opinions of John Huss are to be met with in his celebrated Treatise on the Church, and in his Answers to Paletz, to Stanislas de Znöima, and The Eight Doctors. It may be discovered, on perusing them, that on a great number of points, which, a century later, separated the Reformers from the Roman Catholic Church, Huss shared the opinion of the latter, or at least did not believe that it was allowable to oppose it; he attacked it, consequently, much more for its abuses than for its errors.

The horror which he felt at the sight of evil, and especially when it was committed by men who ought to set an example of every virtue to others, often carried him too far. Anger mingled its violence with his indignation, and, in some treatises, amongst others The Antichrist, and The Abominations of Priests and Monks, he forgets himself so far as to indulge in abuse, and employ insulting and offensive expressions. Nevertheless, it would be unjust to see, on that account, an excuse for those who condemned him; for these treatises were not known to them, and were only made public after his death. Besides, the expressions to be blamed in them belong less to John Huss than to the age in which he lived. They are to be met with in the writings of the most celebrated Doctors and orthodox priests; and it seems that, in hazarding a language which astonishes our more sensitive ears, John Huss had adopted for his authority the Prophet Ezekiel, from whom he often drew his inspirations.

Among the doctrines signalized as heretical in the works of Huss are those on Predestination and Election. A heresy was seen in the definition which Huss gives of the Catholic and the universal Church, “This Church,” says he, “is the assembly of all the elect, present, past, and future, including also the angels.” And lower down he adds: - “_No particular tie, no human election, renders a person member of the universal Church, but divine predestination alone; this predestination is, according to St Augustin, election by the grace of the Divine will, or preparation to grace in the present life, and to glory in the future one_.”