Page:John Huss by Hastings Rashdall (1879).pdf/12



Author:Jan Hus was the son of poor parents living at Hussinecz, a small town in the South of Bohemia. He was born on the 5th of July, 1373. He received his early education partly in the School of his native place and partly at Praschalicz, a large town three miles from Frassiaese, He afterwards proceeded to the University of Prague, where he took his B.A. degree in 1393.

But one anecdote of any interest is preserved of Huss’ early life. The story is told by M. de Bonnechose, who, however, does not mention his authority: there is certainly a remarkably apocryphal flavour about it. It is said that on a winter’s evening the future martyr was sitting over the fire, reading the story of the sufferings of S. Lawrence. Suddenly he thrust his hand into the flames; and was only prevented by the forcible interposition of his companions from “trying what part of the sufferings of that holy man he was capable of enduring.” The only vice with which he afterwards had to reproach himself was a fondness for chess-playing, over which most philosophical game he had (as he thought} before his ordination wasted his time and lost his temper. That excessive chess-playing should have been the only folly of his youth, is a sufficient testimony to the general strictness of his life: and that he gave up excessive chess-playing, if not chess-playing altogether, upon his ordination, shows that he must have entered upon his sacred calling in a spirit rare indeed at a time when the Church was the only means of worldly advancement open to the poor man, and when the average morality of the clergy was lower than the average morality of the laity.

In 1396 Huss proceeded to the degree of M.A., and, as was usual at a time when a degree was still mainly looked upon as a qualification to teach, began to give lectures, probably upon philo-