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 Slavonian literature has no earlier records than this—but Bohemia was less influenced by it than the other slavonic nations. In the year 1080, king Wratislaw made an urgent appeal to Gregory VII., in order to obtain permission to employ the slavonian ritual, but his holiness sharply censured his "vain temerity."

The Bohemian language (Český Gazyk) may be traced up to the sixth century, and is one of the southern branches of the great slavonian stem. Its dialects are the moravian, the silesian, and the slowakian as spoken in upper Hungary. Previously to the introduction of christianity, it can only be tracked through the few and meagre latin chronicles which treat of Bohemia, and record merely the names of slavonian persons and places. In the year 845, fourteen bohemian princes were baptized, and soon after Bořiwoy proclaimed christianity from the throne as the established religion. Wenceslaw introduced from Saxony and Swabia a number of german priests, through whom the bohemian was greatly enriched, by words of both latin and teutonic origin, and by the creation of numerous conjugates out of