Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 22.djvu/168

 152 SLAVS were very industrious in this way ; the latter published at Basel in 1536 a curious dictionary, Lexicon Symphonum, an early attempt at comparative philology, in which he compares Greek, Latin, German, and Slavonic. We must find space for a mention of the writings of Dubravius (c. 1489-1553), bishop of Olmiitz, although he used the Latin and not the Bohemian language. His work on fish-ponds and fish (Libellus de Piscinis et Piscium qui in eis aluntur Natura, 1547) is not altogether unknown to Englishmen owing to the citations in Izaak Walton, with whom the bishop was a great authority. His most important work, however, was his History of Bohemia, in thirty-three books, from the earliest times to the coronation of Ferdinand I. at Prague in 1527, the termination of Bohemian independence. In 1533 appeared the first Chekh gram- mar, by BeneS Optat. Verse-writers abounded at this time, but no poet of eminence. Veleslavin (1545-1599) was an indefatigable worker, being, like Caxton, both printer and author. The Latin herbal of Andrew Matthiolus, physician to the archduke Ferdinand, was translated by Thaddeus Hajek. Some good works on law appeared, and there are quantities of sermons. Simon Lomnicky (b. 1560) wrote a great deal of poetry ; he was the laureate of Rudolph II., and also wrote a triumphal song for the elector Frederick when chosen king of Bohemia by the Protestants. He was severely wounded at the battle of the White Mountain and spent the rest of his days in poverty ; but there appears to be no truth in the story that he became a public beggar. The claims of Lomnicky to be considered a poet are but meagre; he writes little better than rhymed prose. There is some merit, however, in his comic pieces and satires. At this period flourished the chronicler Hajek, who appears to have been a priest, and who died in 1553. His work is interesting, but altogether uncritical, and he does not seem to have cared much about truth. He gives us all the old Chekh sagas, and fortunately uses the Chekh language. His book attained great popularity, and was translated into German. Indeed, it was almost the chief authority for Bohemian history till towards the close of the 18th century. The travels of Christopher Harant in the Holy Land are full of learning and of curious matter. A new edition was published in 1854. The author perished on the scaffold on the memorable 19th June 1621, when Bohemia lay completely at the feet of the Hapsburg conqueror. Harant started for his journey in 1598, he and his companions being dressed as Franciscan friars. There is also the account by Wenceslaus Vratislav of Mitrovitz (1576-1635) of his three years' captivity at Constanti- nople, a work full of picturesque incidents. The letters of Karl ze Zerotin (d. 1636), one of the Moravian Brethren, who was for some time in the service of Henry IV. of France, have been edited by Brandl. With the battle of the White Mountain in 1620 terminates what has been called the golden age of Chekh literature. In 1615 the diet had made a resolute effort to protect the national language. But now the country became Germanized, and books in Chekh were eagerly sought out and destroyed. In addition to its sufferings during the Thirty Years' War, Bohemia had the misfor- tune to lose many of its most valuable manuscripts, which were carried off by the conquerors. For nearly 200 years Bohemia ceased to be counted among the nationalities of Europe. Here and there a patriot laboured in the interest of his country, such as the Jesuit Balbin or Balbinus (1621-1688), who was professor of rhetoric at Prague and author of Epitome Rerum Bohemicarum (1677) and also Miscellanea Rerum Bohemicarum (1680-81). His services to Bohemian literature were considerable, but his writings are in Latin. Many authors of repute were, however, at this time in exile, and of these no one has earned a greater renown than Jan Amos Komensky (frequently styled by the Latin form of his name, Comenius). This eminent man was born at Nivnitz near Hungarian Brod in Moravia and was the last bishop of the Moravian Brethren. After the battle of the White Mountain he fled to Poland, which at that time had not altogether lost its spirit of toleration. Here he was joined by some Polish dissidents and formed the nucleus of a religious society. In 1631 he published his Janua Linguarum Reserata, in which he developed a new theory of learning languages. This work became very popular and has been repeatedly translated. He afterwards visited England and Sweden, and in 1659 gave to the world his Orbis Pictus, which also enjoyed great reputation as an educational work. He died at Amsterdam in 1670. It would be impossible in a brief sketch like the present to give a detailed list of the writings of Komensky. Of his Bohemian works we may mention the prose poem Labyrint Sv'eta a Raj Srdce (The Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart) and his Infonnatorium Skoly Materske. He also translated the Psalms into Chekh. In 1656, on the destruction of the town of Leszno by fire, Komensky lost some of his most valuable works still in manuscript ; we may especially regret his Poklad Jazyka Ceskeho (Treasury of the Bohemian Language), upon which he had been engaged from 1612. During the latter part of the 17th century and the greater part of the 18th the language and literature of Bohemia steadily declined. A few scribblers appeared, such as Rosa, Pohl, and Simek, but their names are hardly deserving of mention. But Gelasius Dobner and Martin Pelzel were valuable workers in the field of Bohemian history. (3) The true study of the Slavonic languages may be said to have Modern begun with Joseph Dobrovsky. In 1809 he published Ausfiihrliches period. Lehrgebdude der bohm. Sprache. In 1822 appeared at Vienna his great work Institutiones Linguie Slavicx Dialecti Vetcrvt. Dobrovsky died in 1829. The strange thing about him is that, in spite of all his labours, he had no faith in his native language and despaired of its revival. But, like Columbus, he was destined to accomplish greater results than he expected. Joseph Jungmann (1773-1847), another regenerator of the Chekh language, was author of the great dictionary and an esteemed translation of Paradise Lost. Besides these works he wrote a history of Bohemian literature. Kollar (1793-1852) and Celakovsky (1799-1852) both earned a considerable reputation as poets, the first by a series of sonnets called Slavy Dcera (The Daughter of Glory), under which title he celebrates the praises of all Slavonic lands and at the same time his love for the daughter of a German pastor ; the second by his "Echo of Russian Songs" (Ohlas Pisni Ruskych) and the "Rose with a Hundred Leaves " (Ruze Stolistd). A good poetical style was now formed for the Bohemians, and a host of minor poets appeared for whose names we cannot find space. Karel Erben (1811-1870) has left some excellent ballads in his Kytice (Garland). His genius was kindled by the folk tales with which Bohemia abounds. He conferred a benefit upon Slavonic students by his interesting collection of national tales previously alluded to ; moreover, he was a sound scholar and an indefatigable antiquary. Re gesta dijilomatica nccnon epistolaria Bohemias et Moravia?., extending to 1253, and editions of Harant's Journey to the Holy Land and Nestor's Chronicle are monuments of his industry. A great impulse to Bohemian poetry was given by the discovery of Libusin Soud and of the Kralodvorsky Rukopis by Hanka. Vitezslav Halek (1835-1874) has left two volumes of poems, which were reprinted in 1879 under the editor- ship of Ferdinand Schiitz. Halek presents a twofold appearance, first as the writer of a series of narrative pieces of a half dramatic character, reminding us of the Idyls of Tennyson, secondly as a lyrical poet In his "Heirs of the White Mountain" (Dedicove Bile Hory) he has chosen a patriotic subject which must find its way to the heart of every Bohemian. He has been fortunate in having some of his poems wedded to the music of Dvorak. Jan Neruda (b. 1834), still living, has written " Flowers of the Church- yard" (Hrbitomi Kviti}, published in 1858, and a volume of poems called "Cosmic Songs" (Pisne Kosmicke). According to some Bohemian critics the greatest of their modern lyric poets is Adolf Heyduk, born in 1836 and still living at Pisek. Much of his poetry has been inspired by the south of Europe. His " Forest Flowers " (Lesni Kviti) were gathered, as he tells us, while wandering amidst the delightful scenery of the Sumava or Bbhmerwald. Heyduk, although a Slovak, has avoided the Slovakish dialect, which has been used by Holly, Sladkovic", and others. His patriotism is very conspicuous in Cymbal and Guitar. One of his most popular works is Deduv Odkaz (The Grandfather's Bequest), the grandfather being the genius of the country, who instructs the poet. Some very elegant verses, showing a true feeling for nature with feminine delicacy of expression, have been published by Mademoiselle Henri- etta Pech, who writes under the name of " Eliska Krasnohorska." Her first volume was published in 1870 and entitled Z Maje Ziti (Life in May). Her "Poetical Pictures" (Basnicke Kresby) show great power of word-painting. M. Josef Vaclav Sladek (b. 1845), who has published several volumes of original poems, besides trans- lations from English and other languages, shows considerable lyrical power. The most voluminous, however, of the modern writers is Emil Bohus Frida (b. 1853), who uses the pseudonym of " Jaroslav Vrchlicky." He has been astonishingly active; among his prin- cipal productions may be mentioned the following, Mythy (Myths), which he divides into two C3 r cles ; the miscellaneous collection " From the Depths " (Z Hlubin), which is inscribed to Vitezslav Halek, and seems to be inspired by the same scenery as kindled Halek's fancy ; Duch a Svct (The Spirit and the World), fine lyrics, the motive of which has been supplied by Greek mythology. He has subsequently published Dojmy a Rozmary (Impressions and Fancies), and, besides other translations from various languages, a version of the Divina Commedia in the terza rima of the original. He is also the author of some plays which are much esteemed, especially Drahomira. Dr J. Durdik, J. J. Kolar, and L. Strupez- nicky have attained celebrity in this branch of literature. Some good poetry has been written by Svatopluk (5ech. Some critics rank him as the greatest poet of the modern school since the death of Halek. In addition to poetry he has also published three volumes of tales (Povidky, Arabesky, a Humoresky), collected by him from his various contributions to magazines. Many of these show considerable humour. Another poet by no means to be passed over in this brief sketch (which only attempts to grasp the salient facts with regard to these authors) is M. Zeyer, who has published a series of epic pieces, called Vyschrad, after the well- known Chekh stronghold or acropolis at Prague. The subjects are all taken from the Old Bohemian legends on Libusa, Vlasta, Lumir, &c. Zeyer has adopted the Slavonic metre as we find it in the Servian songs collected by Vuk Stephanovich. Besides these poems