Page:John Huss, his life, teachings and death, after five hundred years.pdf/165

 and “Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed thence into the country near to the wilderness,” John 11: 54.

Albik, who at this juncture retired from the see of Prague, was succeeded by Konrad of Vechta. The retiring prelate was provided with the provostship of the Wyssehrad, a rich office, and made titular archbishop of Cæsarea. He bought a house which he occupied with his aunt and two daughters until his death in 1427. His successor, who was inducted into the office, July, 1413, in his latter days espoused Hussitism.

The Bohemian heresy was fast becoming a byword, darkening the fair fame of the land throughout the Christian world. In the hope of removing the causes of “the pestiferous religious dissensions among the clergy,” and acting in connection with the bishops of Olmütz and Leitomysl, Wenzel called an extraordinary national synod, which met in Prague, February 6, 1413.

The synod had laid before it memorials from the theological faculty of the university and from Huss, setting forth the conditions on which religious peace might be re-established. Huss was prevented by the sentence of excommunication from being present, and his position was defended, as seems probable, by Jesenicz and also by Jacobellus, of whom we shall hear more.

The memorial of the theological faculty, drawn up by Stanislaus of Znaim and Palecz, took the position that the church’s official decisions are final. It was out of the province of the Prague clergy to sit in judgment upon the pronouncements of the papal see and to question whether they were just or not. On all subjects, doctrinal and disciplinary,