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 woman, who would have graced any court in Europe, the boy husband was too undeveloped either to appreciate her noble qualities or comprehend the duties and sacredness of married life. He soon grew tired of her, and began to take long journeys to various countries in Europe, neglecting both his wife and the government. His ideal seemed to be a knight-errant, who wandered about the world in search of adventures. His exploits at tournaments made him famous all over Europe. He was especially popular at the French court, which was due partly to his lavish generosity, and partly because he was bound by ties of relationship to the French king, the latter having married his sister Mary. While the French lords and ladies sounded his praises to the skies, his own subjects cursed him, calling upon Heaven to deliver them from his tyrannous exactions. He cared so little for his kingdom and his family that, most probably, he would have staid away altogether, had he not been obliged to return, from time to time, to replenish his purse. His income proving insufficient to carry on his extravagant life, he resorted to all manner of extortions, not scrupling to rob his own household, so that, at times, they suffered for the necessaries of life.

The follies of the king reached a climax, when, being in need of funds, he tried to exchange the kingdom of Bohemia for a petty province upon the Rhine. The queen, refusing to give her consent, brought upon herself the wrath of her truant husband, who treated her worse than before

At this time one of the most powerful lords of the kingdom was Henry of Lipa. For some time he had ruled Moravia as the regent of John; but his haughti-