persons, as they would avoid the penalties denounced against the favourers of heretics, were forbidden to hold the remotest intercourse with them, or to perform, in their behalf, the humblest service of humanity. The heretic, himself, if a priest, was deprived of his benefice and of his office; if a layman, his will became invalid, his inheritance lost, and along with it every virtue which the sacraments were supposed to convey, together with the rights of sepulture. Nor were these attempts to crush the race which had so long protested against the corruptions of the mystical Babylon, without some appearance of success. In the valley Pute alone, the names of a hundred and fifty men were preserved as those of persons who had fallen into the hands of the emissaries of Clement, and who had sealed their faith with their blood; not to mention "divers women, with many of their sons and daughters, well stricken in years."

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99 5

NOTE D.

It was not until towards the close of the ninth century, that the Bohemians began to renounce idolatry; and, to adopt the language of the historians of their sufferings, when they "re"ceived the first light of the gospel, the cross was the conco"mitant of it, according to the will of Christ, who, as he did "establish the church by his own blood, so he sprinkled it with "the blood of martyrs, that it might be fruitful. This is the "council of divine wisdom, that we may hope in Christ, and not "for the things of this life; therefore the gospel cost the Bohe"mians some of their blood." This test of christian sincerity arose, in the first instance, from the resentment of a portion of

5 Perrin, Hist c. iii.

The following is the title of the book from which the materials of the above sketch are selected. "The His"tory of the Bohemian Persecution, "from the beginning of their Conver"sion to Christianity in the year 894 "to the year 1632, Ferdinand the "Second, of Austria, reigning." The epistle "To the Godly Reader," is thus

subscribed," In our banishment in the "year 1632, N. N. N. &c." The facts of the story related, were designed to improve an edition of the Acts and Monuments, and the Bohemian pastors state, that they were collected from their own writers, or supplied from observation. The work was separately printed in this country in 1650.

their rulers who still adhered to the ancient superstitions; and afterwards, from the obtrusive domination of the pontiffs. Nearly a century had passed since the introduction of the gospel into that kingdom, when an effort was made to retain the use of the popular language in the offices of the church, and it was made successfully. But the privilege which one pope had conceded in 977, was prohibited in the most imperative terms by another in 1179. So late, however, as the year 1197, an advocate of clerical celibacy among the Bohemians had nearly forfeited his life by his temerity in publicly abetting that innovation; nor was it until the middle of the fourteenth century that communion in one kind became at all the practice of that people. Three of their reformers were contemporary with Wycliffe, and their names and opinions may be regarded as familiar to Anne of Bohemia.

Melice, the first of these, was a native of Prague, and of noble family. His powers as a preacher secured him a large auditory, and he, ere long, proceeded "to exhort the people "unto a frequent communion in both kinds; to complain much "of spiritual desolation; to rebuke divers abuses and abomi"nations, being much helped with the godly endeavours of his "faithful colleague, Conrade Strickna, a man eminent for "learning and eloquence." By their joint labours considerable reformation is said to have been effected in the morals of the city. But Melice felt himself powerfully urged to visit Rome, and to lift up his voice of reproof, as in the presence of the power which had so desolated the church of God. With prayers, and tears, and fastings, he waited to ascertain, if possible, the real source of this propelling influence which he found it so difficult to resist; and journeying at length to the seat of Antichrist, he placarded the most obnoxious of his opinions on the houses of the principal ecclesiastics, and avowed them publicly. He was, of course, speedily apprehended, committed to prison, and condemned as a heretic. In 1366, however, his enemies are said to have consulted their personal safety, by releasing him; and his decease, in 1374, was "five years after "the happy dissolution of his colleague Strickna."

The same cause, it appears, was afterwards sustained, and

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with still more efficiency, by Matthias Janovius, who was also a native of Prague, but, according to the historians before cited, he was generally called the Parisian, from his having passed nine years as a student in the university of Paris. The same writers state, that "he was confessor to Charles the fourth, and more fervent and zealous than his predecessors in defending "communion in both kinds. He wrote many things, as, Of the "Life of a Christian, Of Hypocrisy, Of Antichrist, Of the "Frequent Receiving of the Sacrament of the Body and the "Blood of Christ. Histories tell us, that this Parisian, together with some other learned men, went to Charles, when promoted unto kingly dignity, and requested him to call

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66 an oecumenical council for the church's reformation. But the "king returned unto them this answer; that it was not in his "power, but that it belonged unto the ghostly father, the pope "of Rome; and that, therefore, he would write in their behalf, "and entreat a council for them; which, after he had done, the pope was provoked, and did so importune him for the punish"ment of those rash and heretical men, that Charles, being "maddened with the authority of the pope, although he loved "this Parisian much, commanded him to depart his kingdom; "and though indeed he returned afterwards, yet led he the "remainder of his life in private, dying in the year 1394, "November 30th. Now Janovius being banished, the adver"saries forbade and abolished communion in both kinds, not only in the church of Aix, but everywhere in Prague, and through the whole kingdom. So that the most constant 66 among them could not celebrate and receive the sacrament "after their accustomed manner, excepting in private houses, "and after that in woods and caves, and there not without "hazard of their lives and much persecution. For they were "set upon in the ways; plundered, beaten, and drowned in "rivers; so that at length they were necessitated to go to

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gether armed, and in strong companies, which from that time "continued until the days of Huss. Letters patent, also, were "extorted from Charles,-though Hajecius saith they were "sent to the prelates of his own accord,-wherein an inquisi"tion is ordained, and punishment by fire determined to be

"inflicted upon those who depart from the faith and ceremonies "of the church of Rome. It is extant in Hajecius, and was

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proclaimed on the 18th of September, in the year 1376, "of which this was the chief effect; that diligent care was "afterwards had that none but the pope's creatures might be "admitted into the places of magistracy and public offices, who "might serve as a bridle to restrain the commonalty. We find "it also recorded, that this Parisian, finding his death approaching, gave this comfort among others to his friends: 'The rage of the enemies of truth hath now prevailed against us, "but this shall not be always, for an ignoble people shall arise "without sword or power, over whom they shall not be able to 66 prevail.'"

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Such was the religious character of the Bohemians, a people with whom the queen of England had been principally connected previous to her appearance in this island as the consort of Richard. It is not altogether a mystery, therefore, that her views of religion should have been somewhat more enlightened than those generally adopted by persons of her rank,—or indeed by persons of any rank in that age. Her attendants, during her twelve years' residence in this country, were natives of Bohemia; and persons, it appears, who participated in her religious feelings. The mind of Wycliffe was one with which the devout Bohemian could readily have sympathized; and it is certain that on the death of the queen, her attendants conveyed many of the writings of the English reformer to their home,' where they served to prepare the oppressed for the struggle which ensued under Jerome and Huss, the illustrious successors of Melice, Strickna, and Janovius.

2 Turner, Hist. v. 198. Hist. Bohem. Æneas Silvius, c. xxxv. 66.

APPENDIX.

No. I.

GEN. i. In the bigynnyng God made of nought hevene and erthe, forsothe the erthe was idil and voyde, and derknessis weren on the face of deppe; and the Spiryt of the Lord was borne on the watris. And God sayde, light be maad, and light was maad. And God saw the light that it was good, and he departide the light fro derknessis, and he clepide the light day, and the derknessis nyght; and the eventid, and morntid was maad one day. And God seyde, the firmament be maad in the myddis of watris, and departe watris fro watris: and God made the firmament, and departed the watris that weren undir the firmament, fro those watris that weren on the firmament, and it was doon so, and God clepide the firmament hevene, and the eventid and the morntid was maad the secunde day.

Gen. xlv. Joseph myghte not lengur absteyne him silf, while manye men stooden bifore. Wherefore he comandide, that alle men shulden go out and that noon alyen were present in the knowing of Joseph and hise britheren. And Joseph reiside the vois with weping, which Egyptyans herden, and al the hows of Farao. And he seyde to hise britheren, I am Joseph, lyveth my fadir yit? The britheren myghten not answere, and weren a gast by ful mych drede; to whiche he seyde mekely, neighe ye to me, and whanne they hadden neighid nigh, he seyde, I am Joseph youre brothir whom ye seelden in to Egypt, nyle ye drede, nether seme it to be hard to you that ye seelden me into these cuntreys, for God hath sent me bifore you in to Egypt for youre heelthe, for it is twey yeer that hungur bigan to be in the londe, yit fyve yeer suen in which men shall not mowe erthe, nether repe, and God bifore sente me, that ye be reserved in erthe and mown have metis to lyve. I was sent hidur, not by youre councel, but by Goddis wille.-MS. Bib. Reg.