Page:Bohemia's claim for freedom.djvu/40

 By the more general adoption of the art of writing, and by the mighty regenerative movement caused by the acceptance of the Christian faith, a great development of literature was inaugurated. The scriptures were translated, hymns composed, and the saintly legends written.

The pious meditative spirit expressed itself in the composition of religious romance and descriptions of the passion. It is to be regretted that even of this period (ninth to fourteenth century) only a few of the original manuscripts have come down to us.

Chronicles and works of an historical kind are a prominent feature of this time. The most ancient is by Kosmas (1045-1125), who is called the father of Bohemian history.

The great immigration of Germans into Bohemia under the last kings of the Premysl dynasty awoke a strong national feeling. One of the fruits of this movement is a chronicle called "Dalimil's," written in Bohemian at the beginning of the fourteenth century, and it is full of patriotic feeling and love of country. Other writers of historical works about this period were Benes Krabice Weitmile (d. 1375), Vavrinec Brezove, the old Lord of Rozmberk, who wrote for the most part on the subject of law, and Ondrej Dube.

The decline of morals in the Roman Church caused an unprecedented agitation throughout the country, and a strong desire for reform was manifested by the people. The depravity of the clergy was attacked vigorously by pen and sermon by such men as Konrad Waldhauser, J. Milic, 36