Fox's Book of Martyrs
Chapter VIII
The Roman pontiffs
having usurped a power over several churches were
particularly severe on the Bohemians, which occasioned them to send two
ministers and four lay-brothers to Rome, in the year
977, to obtain redress of the pope. After some delay,
their request was granted, and their grievances
redressed. Two things in particular they were permitted to do, viz., to have divine service performed
in their own language, and to give the cup to the laity in the Sacrament.
The
disputes, however, soon broke out again, the succeeding popes exerting their
whole power to impose on the minds of the Bohemians; and the latter, with great
spirit, aiming to preserve their religious liberties.
In
A.D. 1375, some zealous friends of the Gospel applied
to Charles, king of Bohemia, to call an ecumenical Council, for an inquiry into
the abuses that had crept into the Church, and to make a full and thorough
reformation. The king, not knowing how to proceed, sent to the pope for
directions how to act; but the pontiff was so incensed
at this affair that his only reply was, "Severely punish those rash and
profane heretics." The monarch, accordingly
banished every one who had been concerned in the
application, and, to oblige the pope, laid a great number
of additional restraints upon the religious liberties of the people.
The
victims of persecution, however, were not so numerous
in Bohemia, until after the burning of John Huss and Jerome of Prague. These
two eminent reformers were condemned and executed at
the instigation of the pope and his emissaries, as the reader will perceive by
the following short sketches of their lives.
John Huss was born
at Hussenitz, a village in Bohemia, about the year 1380. His parents gave him
the best education their circumstances would admit; and having acquired a
tolerable knowledge of the classics at a private school, he was
removed to the university of Prague, where he soon gave strong proofs of
his mental powers, and was remarkable for his diligence and application to
study.
In
1398, Huss commenced bachelor of divinity, and was
after successively chosen pastor of the Church of Bethlehem, in Prague, and
dean and rector of the university. In these stations he discharged his duties
with great fidelity; and became, at length, so conspicuous for his preaching,
which was in conformity with the doctrines of Wickliffe, that it was not likely
he could long escape the notice of the pope and his adherents, against whom he
inveighed with no small degree of asperity.
The
English reformist, Wickliffe, had so kindled the light of reformation, that it
began to illumine the darkest corners of popery and ignorance. His doctrines
spread into Bohemia, and were well received by great numbers of people, but by none so particularly as John
Huss, and his zealous friend and fellow martyr, Jerome of Prague.
The
archbishop of Prague, finding the reformists daily increasing, issued a decree
to suppress the further spreading of Wickliffe's writings: but this had an
effect quite different to what he expected, for it stimulated the friends of
those doctrines to greater zeal, and almost the whole
university united to propagate them.
Being
strongly attached to the doctrines of Wickliffe, Huss opposed the decree of
the archbishop, who, however, at length, obtained a bull from the pope, giving
him commission to prevent the publishing of Wickliffe's doctrines in his
province. By virtue of this bull, the archbishop condemned the writings of
Wickliffe: he also proceeded against four doctors, who had not delivered up the
copies of that divine, and prohibited them, notwithstanding their privileges,
to preach to any congregation. Dr. Huss, with some
other members of the university, protested against
these proceedings, and entered an appeal from the sentence of the archbishop.
The
affair being made known to the pope, he granted a
commission to Cardinal Colonna, to cite John Huss to appear personally at the
court of Rome, to answer the accusations laid against him, of preaching both
errors and heresies. Dr. Huss desired to be excused from a personal appearance,
and was so greatly favored in Bohemia, that King Winceslaus, the queen, the
nobility, and the university, desired the pope to dispense with such an
appearance; as also that he would not suffer the kingdom of Bohemia to lie under
the accusation of heresy, but permit them to preach the Gospel with freedom in
their places of worship.
Three
proctors appeared for Dr. Huss before Cardinal Colonna. They endeavored to
excuse his absence, and said they were ready to answer in
his behalf. But the cardinal declared Huss contumacious, and
excommunicated him accordingly. The proctors appealed to the pope,
and appointed four cardinals to examine the process: these commissioners
confirmed the former sentence, and extended the excommunication not only to
Huss but to all his friends and followers.
From
this unjust sentence Huss appealed to a future Council, but without success; and, notwithstanding so severe a decree, and an expulsion in
consequence from his church in Prague, he retired to Hussenitz, his native
place, where he continued to promulgate his new doctrine, both from the pulpit
and with the pen.
The
letters which he wrote at this time were very numerous;
and he compiled a treatise in which he maintained, that reading the books of
Protestants could not be absolutely forbidden. He
wrote in defence of Wickliffe's book on the Trinity; and boldly declared
against the vices of the pope, the cardinals, and clergy, of those corrupt
times. He wrote also many
other books, all of which were penned with a strength
of argument that greatly facilitated the spreading of
his doctrines.
In
the month of November, 1414, a general Council was assembled at Constance, in Germany, in order, as was pretended, for the sole purpose of determining a dispute
then pending between three persons who contended for the papacy; but the real
motive was to crush the progress of the Reformation.
John
Huss was summoned to appear at this Council; and, to
encourage him, the emperor sent him a safe-conduct: the civilities, and even
reverence, which Huss met with on his journey were beyond imagination. The
streets, and sometimes the very roads, were lined with
people, whom respect, rather than curiosity, had
brought together.
He was ushered into the town with great acclamations, and it
may be said that he passed through Germany in a kind
of triumph. He could not help expressing his surprise at the treatment he
received: "I thought (said he) I had been an
outcast. I now see my worst friends are in Bohemia."
As
soon as Huss arrived at Constance, he immediately took lodgings in a remote
part of the city. A short time after his arrival, came
one Stephen Paletz, who was employed by the clergy at Prague to manage the
intended prosecution against him. Paletz was afterwards
joined by Michael de Cassis, on the part of the court of
Rome. These two declared themselves his accusers, and drew up a set of articles
against him, which they presented to the pope and the prelates of the Council.
When
it was known that he was in the city he was immediately arrested,
and committed prisoner to a chamber in the palace. This violation of
common law and justice was particularly noticed by one
of Huss's friends, who urged the imperial safe-conduct; but the pope replied he
never granted any safe-conduct, nor was he bound by that of the emperor.
While
Huss was in confinement, the Council acted the part of inquisitors.
They
condemned the doctrines of Wickliffe, and even ordered his remains to be dug up and burned to ashes;
which orders were strictly complied with. In the
meantime, the nobility of Bohemia and Poland strongly interceded for Huss; and
so far prevailed as to prevent his being condemned
unheard, which had been resolved on by the
commissioners appointed to try him.
When
he was brought before the Council, the articles
exhibited against him were read: they were upwards of
forty in number, and chiefly extracted from his
writings.
John
Huss's answer was this: "I did appeal unto the pope; who being dead, and
the cause of my matter remaining undetermined, I appealed likewise unto his
successor John XXIII: before whom when, by the space of two years, I could not
be admitted by my advocates to defend my cause, I appealed unto the high judge
Christ."
When
John Huss had spoken these words, it was demanded of
him whether he had received absolution of the pope or no? He answered,
"No." Then again, whether it was lawful for him to appeal unto Christ or no? Whereunto John Huss answered: "Verily I
do affirm here before you all, that there is no more just or effectual appeal,
than that appeal which is made unto Christ, forasmuch as the law doth
determine, that to appeal is no other thing than in a cause of grief or wrong
done by an inferior judge, to implore and require aid at a higher Judge's hand.
Who is then a higher Judge than Christ? Who, I say, can know or judge the
matter more justly, or with more equity? when in Him there is
found no deceit, neither can He be deceived; or,
who can better help the miserable and oppressed than He?" While John Huss,
with a devout and sober countenance, was speaking and pronouncing those words,
he was derided and mocked by all the whole Council.
These
excellent sentences were esteemed as so many
expressions of treason, and tended to inflame his
adversaries. Accordingly, the bishops appointed by the Council stripped him of
his priestly garments, degraded him, put a paper miter on his head, on which was painted devils, with this inscription, "A
ringleader of heretics." Which when he saw, he said: "My Lord Jesus
Christ, for my sake, did wear a crown of thorns; why should not I then, for His
sake, again wear this light crown, be it ever so ignominious? Truly I will do
it, and that willingly." When it was set upon his head, the bishop said:
"Now we commit thy soul unto the devil." "But I," said John
Huss, lifting his eyes towards the heaven, "do commend into Thy hands, O Lord
Jesus Christ! my spirit which Thou has redeemed."
When
the chain was put about him at the stake, he said,
with a smiling countenance, "My Lord Jesus Christ was bound with a harder
chain than this for my sake, and why then should I be ashamed of this rusty
one?"
When
the fagots were piled up to his very neck, the duke of
Bavaria was so officious as to desire him to abjure. "No, (said Huss;) I
never preached any doctrine of an evil tendency; and what I taught with my lips
I now seal with my blood." He then said to the executioner, "You are
now going to burn a goose, (Huss signifying goose in the Bohemian language:)
but in a century you will have a swan which you can neither roast nor
boil." If he were prophetic, he must have meant Martin Luther, who shone
about a hundred years after, and who had a swan for his arms.
The
flames were now applied to the fagots, when our martyr
sung a hymn with so loud and cheerful a voice that he was
heard through all the cracklings of the combustibles, and the noise of
the multitude. At length his voice was
interrupted by the severity of the flames, which soon closed his
existence.
Then,
with great diligence, gathering the ashes together, they cast them into the
river Rhine, that the least remnant of that man should not be left upon the
earth, whose memory, notwithstanding, cannot be abolished out of the minds of
the godly, neither by fire, neither by water, neither by any kind oof torment.
This reformer, who
was the companion of Dr. Huss, and may be said to be a
co-martyr with him, was born at Prague, and educated in that university, where
he particularly distinguished himself for his great abilities and learning. He
likewise visited several other learned seminaries in
Europe, particularly the universities of Paris, Heidelburg, Cologne and Oxford.
At the latter place he became acquainted with the works of Wickliffe, and being
a person of uncommon application, he translated many
of them into his native language, having, with great pains, made himself master
of the English tongue.
On
his return to Prague, he professed himself an open favorer of Wickliffe, and finding that his doctrines had made
considerable progress in Bohemia, and that Huss was the principal promoter of
them, he became an assistant to him in the great work
of reformation.
On
the fourth of April, 1415, Jerome arrived at
Constance, about three months before the death of Huss. He entered the town
privately, and consulting with some of the leaders of
his party, whom he found there, was easily convinced he could not be of any
service to his friends.
Finding
that his arrival in Constance was publicly known, and
that the Council intended to seize him, he thought it most prudent to retire.
Accordingly, the next day he went to Iberling, an imperial town, about a mile
from Constance. From this place he wrote to the emperor, and proposed his
readiness to appear before the Council, if he would give him a
safe-conduct; but this was refused. He then
applied to the Council, but met with an answer no less
unfavorable than that from the emperor.
After
this, he set out on his return to Bohemia. He had the precaution to take with
him a certificate, signed by several of the Bohemian
nobility, then at Constance, testifying that he had used all prudent means in
his power to procure a hearing.
Jerome,
however, did not thus escape. He was seized at Hirsaw
by an officer belonging to the duke of Sultsbach, who, though unauthorized so
to act, made little doubt of obtaining thanks from the Council for so
acceptable a service.
The
duke of Sultsbach, having Jerome now in his power, wrote to the Council for directions how to proceed. The Council, after expressing
their obligations to the duke, desired him to send the prisoner immediately to
Constance. The elector palatine met him on the way, and conducted him into the
city, himself riding on horseback, with a numerous
retinue, who led Jerome in fetters by a long chain; and immediately on his
arrival he was committed to a loathsome dungeon.
Jerome
was treated nearly in the
same manner as Huss had been, only that he was much longer
confined, and shifted from one prison to another. At length, being brought before the Council, he desired that he might
plead his own cause, and exculpate himself: which being
refused him, he broke out into the following exclamation:
"What
barbarity is this! For three hundred and forty days have I
been confined in a variety of prisons. There is not a misery, there is not a want, that I have not experienced.
To my enemies you have allowed the fullest scope of accusation: to me you deny
the least opportunity of defence. Not an hour will you now indulge me in
preparing for my trial. You have swallowed the blackest calumnies against me.
You have represented me as a heretic, without knowing my doctrine; as an enemy
of the faith, before you knew what faith I professed:
as a persecutor of priests before you could have an opportunity of
understanding my sentiments on that head. You are a General Council: in you
center all this world can communicate of gravity, wisdom, and sanctity: but still you are men, and men are seducible by appearances. The
higher your character is for wisdom, the greater ought
your care to be not to deviate into folly. The cause I now plead is not my own
cause: it is the cause of men, it is the cause of Christians; it is a cause
which is to affect the rights of posterity, however the experiment is to be
made in my person."
This
speech had not the least effect; Jerome was obliged to
hear the charge read, which was reduced under the
following heads: 1. That he was a derider of the papal
dignity. 2. An opposer of the pope. 3. An enemy to the cardinals. 4. A
persecutor of the prelates. 5. A hater of the Christian religion.
The
trial of Jerome was brought on the third day after his
accusation and witnesses were examined in support of
the charge. The prisoner was prepared for his defence, which appears almost
incredible, when we consider he had been three hundred and forty days shut up
in loathsome prisons, deprived of daylight, and almost starved for want of
common necessaries. But his spirit soared above these disadvantages, under
which a man less animated would have sunk; nor was he more at a loss of
quotations from the fathers and ancient authors than if he had been furnished with the finest library.
The
most bigoted of the assembly were unwilling he should be
heard, knowing what effect eloquence is apt to have on the minds of the
most prejudiced. At length, however, it was carried by
the majority that he should have liberty to proceed in his defence, which he
began in such an exalted strain of moving elocution that the heart of obdurate
zeal was seen to melt, and the mind of superstition seemed to admit a ray of conviction. He made an admirable
distinction between evidence as resting upon facts,
and as supported by malice and calumny. He laid before the assembly the whole
tenor of his life and conduct. He observed that the greatest and most holy men
had been known to differ in points of speculation, with a view to distinguish
truth, not to keep it concealed. He expressed a noble contempt of all his
enemies, who would have induced him to retract the cause of virtue and truth.
He entered upon a high encomium of Huss; and declared he was ready to follow
him in the glorious task of martyrdom. He then touched upon the most defensible
doctrines of Wickliffe; and concluded with observing that it was far from his
intention to advance anything against the state of the Church of God; that it
was only against the abuse of the clergy he complained; and that he could not
help saying, it was certainly impious that the patrimony of the Church, which
was originally intended for the purpose of charity and universal benevolence,
should be prostituted to the pride of the eye, in feasts, foppish vestments,
and other reproaches to the name and profession of Christianity.
The
trial being over, Jerome received the same sentence that had been
passed upon his martyred countryman. In consequence of this, he was, in
the usual style of popish affectation, delivered over to the civil power: but
as he was a layman, he had not to undergo the ceremony of degradation. They had
prepared a cap of paper painted with red devils, which being
put upon his head, he said, "Our Lord Jesus Christ, when He
suffered death for me a most miserable sinner, did wear a crown of thorns upon
His head, and for His sake will I wear this cap."
Two
days were allowed him in hopes that he would recant;
in which time the cardinal of Florence used his utmost endeavors to bring him
over. But they all proved ineffectual. Jerome was resolved
to seal the doctrine with his blood; and he suffered death with the most
distinguished magnanimity.
In
going to the place of execution he sang several hymns, and when he came to the spot, which was the
same where Huss had been burnt, he knelt down, and prayed fervently. He embraced the stake with great
cheerfulness, and when they went behind him to set fire to the fagots, he said,
"Come here, and kindle it before my eyes; for if I had been afraid of it,
I had not come to this place." The fire being kindled,
he sang a hymn, but was soon
interrupted by the flames; and the last words he was
heard to say these, "This soul in flames I offer Christ, to
Thee."
The
elegant Pogge, a learned gentleman of Florence, secretary to two popes, and a
zealous but liberal Catholic, in a letter to Leonard Arotin, bore ample
testimony of the extraordinary powers and virtues of Jerome whom he
emphatically styles, A prodigious man!
The real name of
this zealous servant of Christ was John de Trocznow, that of Zisca is a
Bohemian word, signifying one-eyed, as he had lost an eye. He was a native of
Bohemia, of a good family and left the court of Winceslaus, to enter into the service of the king of Poland against the
Teutonic knights. Having obtained a badge of honor and a purse of ducats for
his gallantry, at the close of the war, he returned to the court of Winceslaus,
to whom he boldly avowed the deep interest he took in the bloody affront
offered to his majesty's subjects at Constance in the affair of Huss.
Winceslaus lamented it was not in his power to revenge it; and from this moment
Zisca is said to have formed the idea of asserting the
religious liberties of his country. In the year 1418, the Council was
dissolved, having done more mischief than good, and in the summer of that year
a general meeting was held of the friends of religious reformation, at the
castle of Wisgrade, who, conducted by Zisca, repaired to the emperor with arms
in their hands, and offered to defend him against his enemies. The king bid
them use their arms properly, and this stroke of policy first insured to Zisca
the confidence of his party.
Winceslaus
was succeeded by Sigismond, his brother, who rendered
himself odious to the reformers; and removed all such as were obnoxious to his
government. Zisca and his friends, upon this, immediately flew to arms,
declared war against the emperor and the pope, and laid siege to Pilsen with
40,000 men. They soon became masters of the fortress, and in a
short time all the southwest part of Bohemia submitted, which greatly increased the army of the reformers. The latter
having taken the pass of Muldaw, after a severe conflict of five days and
nights, the emperor became alarmed, and withdrew his troops from the confines
of Turkey, to march them into Bohemia. At Berne in Moravia, he halted, and sent
despatches to treat of peace, as a preliminary to
which Zisca gave up Pilsen and all the fortresses he had taken. Sigismond
proceeding in a manner that clearly manifested he acted on the Roman doctrine,
that no faith was to be kept with heretics, and
treating some of the authors of the late disturbances
with severity, the alarm-bell of revolt was sounded
from one end of Bohemia to the other. Zisca took the castle of Prague by the
power of money, and on August 19, 1420, defeated the small army the emperor had
hastily got together to oppose him. He next took Ausea by assault,
and destroyed the town with a barbarity that disgraced the cause in
which he fought.
Winter
approaching, Zisca fortified his camp on a strong hill about forty miles from
Prague, which he called Mount Tabor, whence he surprised a body of horse at
midnight, and made a thousand men prisoners. Shortly after, the emperor
obtained possession of the strong fortress of Prague, by the same means Zisca
had before done: it was blockaded
by the latter, and want began to threaten the emperor, who saw the necessity of
a retreat.
Determined
to make a desperate effort, Sigismond attacked the fortified camp of Zisca on
Mount Tabor, and carried it with great slaughter. Many other fortresses also fell, and Zisca withdrew to a
craggy hill, which he strongly fortified, and whence he so annoyed the emperor
in his approaches against the town of Prague, that he
found he must either abandon the siege or defeat his enemy. The marquis of
Misnia was deputed to effect
this with a large body of troops, but the event was fatal to the imperialists; they
were defeated, and the emperor having lost nearly one third of his army, retreated from the siege of
Prague, harassed in his rear by the enemy.
In
the spring of 1421, Zisca commenced the campaign, as before, by destroying all
the monasteries in his way. He laid siege to the castle of Wisgrade, and the
emperor coming to relieve it, fell into a snare, was defeated
with dreadful slaughter, and this important fortress was
taken. Our general had now leisure to attend to
the work of reformation, but he was much disgusted with the gross ignorance and
superstition of the Bohemian clergy, who rendered themselves contemptible in
the eyes of the whole army. When he saw any symptoms of uneasiness in the camp,
he would spread alarm in order to divert them, and draw his men into action. In one of these
expeditions, he encamped before the town of Rubi, and while pointing out the
place for an assault, an arrow shot from the wall struck him in the eye. At
Prague it was extracted, but, being
barbed, it tore the eye out with it. A fever succeeded, and his life was
with difficulty preserved. He was now totally blind,
but still desirous of attending the army. The emperor, having summoned the
states of the empire to assist him, resolved, with their assistance, to attack
Zisca in the winter, when many of his troops departed
until the return of spring.
The
confederate princes undertook the siege of Soisin, but at the approach merely
of the Bohemian general, they retreated. Sigismond nevertheless advanced with
his formidable army, consisting of 15,000 Hungarian horse and 25,000 infantry,
well equipped for a winter campaign. This army spread terror through
all the east of Bohemia. Wherever Sigismond marched,
the magistrates laid their keys at his feet, and were treated
with severity or favor, according to their merits in his cause. Zisca, however,
with speedy marches, approached, and the emperor resolved to try his fortune
once more with that invincible chief. On the thirteenth of January,
1422, the two armies met on a spacious plain near Kremnitz. Zisca appeared in
the center of his front line, guarded, or rather conducted, by a horseman on
each side, armed with a pole-axe. His troops having sung a hymn, with a determined coolness drew their swords, and waited for a signal. When
his officers had informed him that the ranks were all well closed, he waved his
sabre round his head, which was the sign of battle.
This
battle is described as a most awful sight. The extent
of the plain was one continued scene of disorder. The
imperial army fled towards the confines of Moravia, the Taborites, without
intermission, galling their rear. The river Igla, then frozen opposed their
flight. The enemy pressing furiously, many of the
infantry and in a manner the whole body of the cavalry, attempted the river.
The ice gave way, and not fewer than two thousand were
swallowed up in the water. Zisca now returned to Tabor, laden with all
the spoils and trophies which the most complete victory could give.
Zisca
now began again to pay attention to the Reformation; he forbid
all the prayers for the dead, images, sacerdotal vestments, fasts, and
festivals. Priests were to be preferred according to
their merits, and no one to be persecuted for
religious opinions. In everything Zisca consulted the
liberal minded, and did nothing without general
concurrence. An alarming disagreement now arose at Prague between the
magistrates who were Calixtans, or receivers of the Sacraments in both kinds,
and the Taborites, nine of the chiefs of whom were privately arraigned,
and put to death. The populace, enraged, sacrificed the magistrates, and the
affair terminated without any particular consequence.
The Calixtans having sunk into contempt, Zisca was solicited
to assume the crown of Bohemia; but this he nobly
refused, and prepared for the next campaign, in which Sigismond resolved to
make his last effort. While the marquis of Misnia penetrated
into Upper Saxony, the emperor proposed to enter Moravia, on the side of
Hungary. Before the marquis had taken the field, Zisca sat down before the
strong town of Aussig, situated on the Elbe. The marquis flew to its relief
with a superior army, and, after an obstinate engagement, was
totally defeated and Aussig capitulated. Zisca then went to the
assistance of Procop, a young general whom he had appointed to keep Sigismond
in check, and whom he compelled to abandon the siege of Pernitz, after laying
eight weeks before it.
Zisca,
willing to give his troops some respite from fatigue, now entered Prague,
hoping his presence would quell any uneasiness that might remain after the late
disturbance: but he was suddenly attacked by the people; and he and his troop
having beaten off the citizens, effected a retreat to his army, whom he
acquainted with the treacherous conduct of the Calixtans. Every effort of
address was necessary to appease their vengeful animosity, and at night, in a
private interview between Roquesan, an ecclesiastic of great eminence in
Prague, and Zisca, the latter became reconciled, and the intended hostilities were done away.
Mutually
tired of the war, Sigismond sent to Zisca, requesting him to sheath his sword,
and name his conditions. A place of congress being appointed,
Zisca, with his chief officers, set out to meet the emperor. Compelled to pass
through a part of the country where the plague raged, he was
seized with it at the castle of Briscaw, and departed this life, October
6, 1424. Like Moses, he died in view of the completion of his labors, and was
buried in the great Church of Czaslow, in Bohemia, where a monument is erected
to his memory, with this inscription on it-"Here lies John Zisca, who,
having defended his country against the encroachments of papal tyranny, rests
in this hallowed place, in despite of the pope."
After
the death of Zisca, Procop was defeated, and fell with
the liberties of his country.
After
the death of Huss and Jerome, the pope, in conjunction with the Council of
Constance, ordered the Roman clergy everywhere to excommunicate such as adopted
their opinions, or commiserated their fate.
These
orders occasioned great contentions between the papists and reformed Bohemians,
which was the cause of a violent persecution against the latter. At Prague, the
persecution was extremely severe, until, at length, the reformed being driven
to desperation, armed themselves, attacked the senate-house, and threw twelve
senators, with the speaker, out of the senate-house windows, whose bodies fell
upon spears, which were held up by others of the reformed in the street, to
receive them.
Being
informed of these proceedings, the pope came to Florence, and publicly
excommunicated the reformed Bohemians, exciting the emperor of Germany, and all
kings, princes, dukes, etc., to take up arms, in order to extirpate the whole
race; and promising, by way of encouragement, full remission of all sins
whatever, to the most wicked person, if he did but kill one Bohemian
Protestant.
This
occasioned a bloody war; for several popish princes
undertook the extirpation, or at least expulsion, of the proscribed people; and
the Bohemians, arming themselves, prepared to repel force by force, in the most
vigorous and effectual manner. The popish army prevailing against the Protestant
forces at the battle of Cuttenburgh, the prisoners of the reformed were taken to three deep mines near that town, and several hundreds were cruelly thrown
into each, where they miserably perished.
A
merchant of Prague, going to Breslau, in Silesia, happened to lodge in the same
inn with several priests. Entering
into conversation upon the subject of religious controversy, he passed many encomiums upon the martyred John Huss, and his
doctrines. The priests taking umbrage at this, laid an information against him
the next morning, and he was committed to prison as a heretic. Many endeavors were used to
persuade him to embrace the Roman Catholic faith, but he remained steadfast to
the pure doctrines of the reformed Church. Soon after his imprisonment, a
student of the university was committed to the same
jail; when, being permitted to converse with the
merchant, they mutually comforted each other. On the day appointed for
execution, when the jailer began to fasten ropes to their feet, by which they
were to be dragged through the streets, the student
appeared quite terrified, and offered to abjure his faith, and turn Roman
Catholic if he might be saved. The offer was accepted, his abjuration was taken by
a priest, and he was set at liberty. A priest applying to the merchant
to follow the example of the student, he nobly said, "Lose no time in
hopes of my recantation, your expectations will be vain; I sincerely pity that
poor wretch, who has miserably sacrificed his soul for a few more uncertain
years of a troublesome life; and, so far from having the least idea of
following his example, I glory in the very thoughts of dying for the sake of
Christ." On hearing these words, the priest ordered the executioner to
proceed, and the merchant being drawn through the city
was brought to the place of execution, and there
burnt.
Pichel,
a bigoted popish magistrate, apprehended twenty-four Protestants, among whom
was his daughter's husband. As they all owned they
were of the reformed religion, he indiscriminately condemned them to be drowned in the river Abbis. On the day appointed for the
execution, a great concourse of people attended, among whom was Pichel's
daughter. This worthy wife threw herself at her father's feet, bedewed them
with tears, and in the most pathetic manner, implored him to commisserate her
sorrow, and pardon her husband. The obdurate magistrate sternly replied,
"Intercede not for him, child, he is a heretic, a vile heretic." To
which she nobly answered, "Whatever his faults may be, or however his
opinions may differ from yours, he is still my husband, a name which, at a time
like this, should alone employ my whole consideration." Pichel flew into a
violent passion and said, "You are mad! cannot you, after the death of
this, have a much worthier husband?" "No, sir, (replied she) my
affections are fixed upon this, and death itself shall not dissolve my marriage
vow." Pichel, however, continued inflexible, and ordered the prisoners to be tied with their hands and feet behind them, and in that
manner be thrown into the river. As soon as this was put into execution, the young lady watched her
opportunity, leaped into the waves, and embracing the body of her husband, both
sank together into one watery grave. An uncommon instance of conjugal love in a
wife, and of an inviolable attachment to, and personal affection for, her
husband.
The
emperor Ferdinand, whose hatred to the Bohemian Protestants was without bounds,
not thinking he had sufficiently oppressed them, instituted a high court of
reformers, upon the plan of the Inquisition, with this difference, that the
reformers were to remove from place to place, and always to be
attended by a body of troops.
These
reformers consisted chiefly of Jesuits, and from their decision, there was no
appeal, by which it may be easily conjectured, that it
was a dreadful tribunal indeed.
This
bloody court, attended by a body of troops, made the tour of Bohemia, in which
they seldom examined or saw a prisoner, suffering the soldiers to murder the
Protestants as they pleased, and then to make a report of the matter to them
afterward.
The
first victim of their cruelty was an aged minister, whom they killed as he lay
sick in his bed; the next day they robbed and murdered another, and soon after
shot a third, as he was preaching in his pulpit.
A
nobleman and clergyman, who resided in a Protestant village, hearing of the
approach of the high court of reformers and the troops, fled from the place,
and secreted themselves. The soldiers, however, on their arrival, seized upon a
schoolmaster, asked him where the lord of that place and the minister were concealed, and where they had hidden their treasures.
The schoolmaster replied that he could not answer either of the questions. They
then stripped him naked, bound him with cords, and beat him most unmercifully
with cudgels. This cruelty not extorting any confession from him, they scorched
him in various parts of his body; when, to gain a respite from his torments, he
promised to show them where the treasures were hid.
The soldiers gave ear to this with pleasure, and the schoolmaster led them to a
ditch full of stones, saying, "Beneath these stones are the treasures ye
seek for." Eager after money, they went to work, and soon removed those
stones, but not finding what they sought after, they beat the schoolmaster to
death, buried him in the ditch, and covered him with the very stones he had
made them remove.
Some
of the soldiers ravished the daughters of a worthy Protestant
before his face, and then tortured him to death. A
minister and his wife they tied back to back and
burnt. Another minister they hung upon a cross beam, and making a fire under
him, broiled him to death. A gentleman they hacked
into small pieces, and they filled a young man's mouth with gunpowder, and
setting fire to it, blew his head to pieces.
As
their principal rage was directed against the clergy,
they took a pious Protestant minister, and tormenting him daily for a month
together, in the following manner, making their cruelty regular, systematic,
and progressive.
They
placed him amidst them, and made him the subject of
their derision and mockery, during a whole day's entertainment, trying to
exhaust his patience, but in vain, for he bore the whole with true Christian
fortitude. They spit in his face, pulled his nose, and pinched him in most parts
of his body. He was hunted like a wild beast, until
ready to expire with fatigue. They made him run the gauntlet between two ranks
of them, each striking him with a twig. He was beat with their fists. He was
beat with ropes. They scourged him with wires. He was beat with cudgels. They
tied him up by the heels with his head downwards,
until the blood started out of his nose, mouth, etc.
They hung him by the right arm until it was dislocated, and then had it set again. The same was repeated with his left arm. Burning papers dipped in oil
were placed between his fingers and toes. His flesh
was torn with red-hot pincers. He was put to the rack.
They pulled off the nails of his right hand. The same repeated with his left
hand. He was bastinadoed on his feet. A slit was made in his right ear. The same repeated on his left
ear. His nose was slit. They whipped him through the
town upon an ass. They made several incisions in his
flesh. They pulled off the toe nails of his right foot. The same they repeated
with his left foot. He was tied up by the loins, and suspended for a considerable time. The teeth of
his upper jaw were pulled out. The same was repeated with his lower jaw. Boiling lead was poured upon his fingers. The same was
repeated with his toes. A knotted cord was twisted
about his forehead in such a manner as to force out his eyes.
During
the whole of these horrid cruelties, particular care was
taken that his wounds should not mortify, and not to injure him mortally
until the last day, when the forcing out of his eyes proved his death.
Innumerable
were the other murders and depredations committed by those unfeeling brutes, and shocking to humanity were the cruelties which
they inflicted on the poor Bohemian Protestants. The winter being far advanced,
however, the high court of reformers, with their infernal band of military
ruffians, thought proper to return to Prague; but on their way, meeting with a
Protestant pastor, they could not resist the temptation of feasting their
barbarous eyes with a new kind of cruelty, which had just suggested itself to
the diabolical imagination of one of the soldiers. This was to strip the
minister naked, and alternately to cover him with ice and burning coals. This
novel mode of tormenting a fellow creature was immediately put into practice,
and the unhappy victim expired beneath the torments, which seemed
to delight his inhuman persecutors.
A
secret order was soon after issued by the emperor, for apprehending all
noblemen and gentlemen, who had been principally concerned in supporting the
Protestant cause, and in nominating Frederic elector Palatine of the Rhine, to
be king of Bohemia. These, to the number of fifty, were apprehended in one
night, and at one hour, and brought from the places where they were taken, to
the castle of Prague, and the estates of those who were absent from the kingdom
were confiscated, themselves were made outlaws, and their names fixed upon a
gallows, as marks of public ignominy.
The
high court of reformers then proceeded to try the fifty, who had been apprehended, and two apostate Protestants were appointed to examine them. These examinants asked a
great number of unnecessary and impertinent questions, which so exasperated one
of the noblemen, who was naturally of a warm temper, that he exclaimed, opening
his breast at the same time, "Cut here, search my heart, you shall find
nothing but the love of religion and liberty; those were the motives for which
I drew my sword, and for those I am willing to suffer death."
As
none of the prisoners would change their religion, or acknowledge they had been
in error, they were all pronounced guilty; but the sentence was
referred to the emperor. When that monarch had read their names, and an
account of the respective accusations against them, he passed judgment on all,
but in a different manner, as his sentences were of four kinds, viz. death,
banishment, imprisonment for life, and imprisonment during pleasure.
Twenty
being ordered for execution, were
informed they might send for Jesuits, monks, or friars, to prepare for
the awful change they were to undergo; but that no Protestants should be permitted to come near them. This proposal they rejected, and strove all they could to comfort and cheer
each other upon the solemn occasion.
On
the morning of the day appointed for the execution, a cannon was
fired as a signal to bring the prisoners from the castle to the
principal market place, in which scaffolds were erected,
and a body of troops were drawn up to attend the
tragic scene.
The
prisoners left the castle with as much cheerfulness as
if they had been going to an agreeable entertainment, instead of a violent
death.
Exclusive
of soldiers, Jesuits, priests, executioners, attendants, etc.,
a prodigious concourse of people attended, to see the
exit of these devoted martyrs, who were executed in
the following order.
Lord
Schilik was about fifty years of age, and was possessed of great natural and acquired abilities. When
he was told he was to be quartered,
and his parts scattered in different places, he smiled
with great serenity, saying, "The loss of a sepulchre is but a trifling
consideration." A gentleman who stood by, crying, "Courage, my
lord!" he replied, "I have God's favor, which is sufficient to
inspire any one with courage: the fear of death does not trouble me; formerly I
have faced him in fields of battle to oppose Antichrist; and now dare face him
on a scaffold, for the sake of Christ." Having said a short prayer, he
told the executioner he was ready. He cut off his right hand and his head, and then quartered him. His hand and his head were placed upon the high tower of Prague, and his quarters
distributed in different parts of the city.
Lord
Viscount Winceslaus, who had attained the age of seventy years, was equally
respectable for learning, piety, and hospitality. His temper was so remarkably
patient that when his house was broken open, his
property seized, and his estates confiscated, he only said, with great
composure, "The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away." Being asked why he could engage in so dangerous a cause as
that of attempting to support the elector Palatine Frederic against the power
of the emperor, he replied, "I acted strictly according to the dictates of
my conscience, and, to this day, deem him my king. I am now full of years, and
wish to lay down life, that I may not be a witness of the further evils which are to attend my country. You
have long thirsted for my blood, take it, for God will be my avenger."
Then approaching the block, he stroked his long, grey beard, and said,
"Venerable hairs, the greater honor now attends ye, a crown of martyrdom
is your portion." Then laying down his head, it was
severed from his body at one stroke, and placed
upon a pole in a conspicuous part of the city.
Lord
Harant was a man of good sense, great piety, and much
experience gained by travel, as he had visited the principal places in Europe,
Asia, and Africa. Hence he was free from national
prejudices and had collected much knowledge.
The
accusations against this nobleman, were, his being a Protestant, and having
taken an oath of allegiance to Frederic, elector Palatine of the Rhine, as king
of Bohemia. When he came upon the scaffold he said, "I have travelled
through many countries, and traversed various barbarous nations, yet never
found so much cruelty as at home. I have escaped innumerable perils both by sea
and land, and surmounted inconceivable difficulties, to suffer innocently in my
native place. My blood is likewise sought by those for whom I, and my
forefathers, have hazarded our estates; but, Almighty
God! forgive them, for they know not what they do." He then went to the
block, kneeled down, and exclaimed with great energy,
"Into Thy hands, O Lord! I commend my spirit; in Thee have I always
trusted; receive me, therefore, my blessed Redeemer." The fatal stroke was then given, and a period put to the temporary pains of
this life.
Lord
Frederic de Bile suffered as a Protestant, and a promoter of the late war; he
met his fate with serenity, and only said he wished well to the friends whom he
left behind, forgave the enemies who caused his death, denied the authority of
the emperor in that country, acknowledged Frederic to be the only true king of
Bohemia, and hoped for salvation in the merits of his blessed Redeemer.
Lord
Henry Otto, when he first came upon the scaffold, seemed greatly confounded,
and said, with some asperity, as if addressing himself to the emperor,
"Thou tyrant Ferdinand, your throne is established in blood; but if you
will kill my body, and disperse my members, they shall still rise up in
judgment against you." He then was silent, and having walked about for
some time, seemed to recover his fortitude, and growing calm, said to a
gentleman who stood near, "I was, a few minutes since, greatly discomposed,
but now I feel my spirits revive; God be praised for affording me such comfort;
death no longer appears as the king of terrors, but seems to invite me to
participate of some unknown joys." Kneeling before the block, he said,
"Almighty God! to Thee I commend my soul, receive it for the sake of
Christ, and admit it to the glory of Thy presence." The executioner put
this nobleman to considerable pain, by making several
strokes before he severed the head from the body.
The
earl of Rugenia was distinguished for his superior
abilities, and unaffected piety. On the scaffold he said, "We who drew our
swords fought only to preserve the liberties of the people, and to keep our
consciences sacred: as we were overcome, I am better pleased at the sentence of
death, than if the emperor had given me life; for I find that it pleases God to
have his truth defended, not by our swords, but by our blood." He then
went boldly to the block, saying, "I shall now be speedily with
Christ," and received the crown of martyrdom with great courage.
Sir
Gaspar Kaplitz was eighty-six years of age. When he came to the place of
execution, he addressed the principal officer thus: "Behold a miserable
ancient man, who hath often entreated God to take him out of this wicked world,
but could not until now obtain his desire, for God reserved me until these
years to be a spectacle to the world, and a sacrifice to himself; therefore
God's will be done." One of the officers told him, in consideration of his
great age, that if he would only ask pardon, he would
immediately receive it. "Ask pardon, (exclaimed he) I will ask pardon of
God, whom I have frequently offended; but not of the emperor, to whom I never
gave any offence; should I sue for pardon, it might be justly suspected I had
committed some crime for which I deserved this condemnation. No, no, as I die
innocent, and with a clear conscience, I would not be
separated from this noble company of martyrs:" so saying, he
cheerfully resigned his neck to the block.
Procopius
Dorzecki on the scaffold said, "We are now under the emperor's judgment;
but in time he shall be judged, and we shall appear as witnesses against
him." Then taking a gold medal from his neck, which was struck when the
elector Frederic was crowned king of Bohemia, he presented it to one of the
officers, at the same time uttering these words, "As a dying man, I
request, if ever King Frederic is restored to the throne of Bohemia, that you
will give him this medal. Tell him, for his sake, I wore it until death, and
that now I willingly lay down my life for God and my king." He then
cheerfully laid down his head and submitted to the fatal blow.
Dionysius
Servius was brought up a Roman Catholic,
but had embraced the reformed religion for some
years. When upon the scaffold the Jesuits used their utmost endeavors to make
him recant, and return to his former faith, but he paid not the least attention
to their exhortations. Kneeling down he said,
"They may destroy my body, but cannot injure my soul, that I commend to my
Redeemer"; and then patiently submitted to martyrdom, being at that time
fifty-six years of age.
Valentine
Cockan, was a person of considerable fortune and eminence, perfectly
pious and honest, but of trifling abilities; yet his imagination seemed to grow bright, and his faculties to improve on
death's approach, as if the impending danger refined the understanding. Just
before he was beheaded, he expressed himself with such
eloquence, energy, and precision as greatly amazed those who knew his former
deficiency in point of capacity.
Tobias
Steffick was remarkable for his affability and serenity of temper.
He was perfectly resigned to his fate, and a
few minutes before his death spoke in this singular manner, "I have
received, during the whole course of my life, many favors from God; ought I not
therefore cheerfully to take one bitter cup, when He thinks proper to present
it? Or rather, ought I not to rejoice that it is his will I should give up a
corrupted life for that of immortality!"
Dr.
Jessenius, an able student of physic, was accused of
having spoken disrespectful words of the emperor, of treason in swearing
allegiance to the elector Frederic, and of heresy in being a Protestant. For
the first accusation he had his tongue cut out; for the second he was beheaded; and for the third, and last, he was quartered, and the respective parts exposed on poles.
Christopher
Chober, as soon as he stepped upon the scaffold said, "I come in the name
of God, to die for His glory; I have fought the good fight,
and finished my course; so, executioner, do your office." The
executioner obeyed, and he instantly received the crown of martyrdom.
No
person ever lived more respected or died more lamented than John Shultis. The
only words he spoke, before receiving the fatal stroke, were, "The
righteous seem to die in the eyes of fools, but they only go to rest. Lord
Jesus! Thou hast promised that those who come to Thee shall not be cast off. Behold, I am come;
look on me, pity me, pardon my sins, and receive my soul."
Maximilian
Hostialick was famed for his learning, piety, and
humanity.
When
he first came on the scaffold, he seemed exceedingly terrified at the approach
of death. The officer taking notice of his agitation, Hostialick said,
"Ah! sir, now the sins of my youth crowd upon my mind, but I hope God will
enlighten me, lest I sleep the sleep of death and lest mine enemies say we have
prevailed." Soon after he said, "I hope my repentance is sincere, and
will be accepted, in which case the blood of Christ will wash me from my
crimes." He then told the officer he should repeat the Song of Simeon; at
the conclusion of which the executioner might do his duty. He
accordingly, said, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy
servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: For mine
eyes have seen Thy salvation;" at which words his head was
struck off at one blow.
When
John Kutnaur came to the place of execution, a Jesuit said to him,
"Embrace the Roman Catholic faith, which alone can save and arm you
against the terrors of death." To which he replied, "Your
superstitious faith I abhor, it leads to perdition, and I wish for no other
arms against the terrors of death than a good conscience." The Jesuit
turned away, saying, sarcastically, "The Protestants are impenetrable
rocks." "You are mistaken," said Kutnaur, "it is Christ
that is the Rock, and we are firmly fixed upon Him."
This
person not being born independent, but having acquired
a fortune by a mechanical employment, was ordered to be hanged. Just before he was turned
off, he said, "I die, not for having committed any crime, but for
following the dictates of my own conscience, and defending my country and
religion."
Simeon
Sussickey was father-in-law to Kutnaur, and like him, was
ordered to be executed on a
gallows. He went cheerfully to death, and appeared impatient to be executed, saying, "Every moment delays me from
entering into the Kingdom of Christ."
Nathaniel
Wodnianskey was hanged for having supported the
Protestant cause, and the election of Frederic to the crown of Bohemia. At the
gallows, the Jesuits did all in their power to induce him to renounce his
faith. Finding their endeavors ineffectual, one of them said, "If you will
not adjure your heresy, at least repent of your rebellion?" To which
Wodnianskey replied, "You take away our lives under a pretended charge of
rebellion; and, not content with that, seek to destroy our souls; glut
yourselves with blood, and be satisfied; but tamper not with our
consciences."
Wodnianskey's
own son then approached the gallows, and said to his father, "Sir, if life
should be offered to you on condition of apostasy, I entreat you to remember Christ, and reject such pernicious overtures." To this
the father replied, "It is very acceptable, my son, to be exhorted to
constancy by you; but suspect me not; rather endeavor to confirm in their faith
your brothers, sisters, and children, and teach them to imitate that constancy
of which I shall leave them an example." He had so sooner concluded these
words than he was turned off, receiving the crown of
martyrdom with great fortitude.
Winceslaus
Gisbitzkey, during his whole confinement, had great hopes of life given him,
which made his friends fear for the safety of his soul. He, however, continued
steadfast in his faith, prayed fervently at the gallows, and met his fate with
singular resignation.
Martin
Foster was an ancient cripple; the accusations against whom were, being
charitable to heretics, and lending money to the elector Frederic. His great
wealth, however, seemed to have been his principal crime; and that he might be plundered of his treasures was
the occasion of his being ranked in this illustrious list of martyrs.
Chapter 9 - Life and Persecutions of Martin Luther