Page:Lectures on The Historians of Bohemia by Count Lutzow (1905).djvu/113

 ber (An Appreciation of the Ancient Historians of Bohemia). The book appeared in 1830, and it is difficult at the present day to realize how great its value then was, as it covered then almost unknown ground. The work of Březov, Bartoš, and many other early historians then existed in often inaccessible manuscripts, and were almost unknown. I need not say that I have, in my earlier lectures, largely used the contents of Palacký’s book.

In 1842 Palacký wrote for the journal of the Bohemian Museum an essay entitled The Forerunners of Hussitism in Bohemia. He afterwards forwarded it to the censor’s office, but as the permission to print it in book form was long delayed, he abandoned the idea. A copy of the Bohemian manuscript came into the hands of Dr. Jordan, a scholar of Leipzig; he translated it into German, and with Palacký’s consent published it under his (Dr. Jordan’s) own name. In consequence of the strange vicissitudes of this book, which were the result of the narrow-mindedness of the Austrian authorities, it was long believed to be a German work by Dr. Jordan, and was even quoted as such. It was only in 1869 that a new edition of the work, giving the true name of the author, appeared. The book is very valuable, for, as stated in the preface, it deals mainly with prominent men whose names were little known, even to the learned. Even now, when the great work of Bishop Creighton has somewhat enlightened the English public, the names of Conrad of Waldhausen, Milič of Kremsier, and Matthew of JanodJanov [sic] are known but to few.

It was inevitable that a work such as Palacký’s great history, animated by strong enthusiasm for the Bohemian nation and dealing fairly with Hus and the Hussites, should find many opponents. During the period of