Page:Lectures on The Historians of Bohemia by Count Lutzow (1905).djvu/16

 I may here incidentally remark that the custom of using the national language in churches continued in Bohemia for a long time, and was revived during the period of the Hussite wars. During the existence of the national church of Bohemia—from about 1420 to 1620—the religious services were always held in the national language.

The chronicle deals principally with the martyrdom of St. Ludmilla, and with the murder of St. Wenceslas—still the patron-saint of Bohemia—by his treacherous younger brother Boleslav. Boleslav had invited his brother to his castle that was situated near the town that still bears the name of Mladá-Boleslav. I will give a short extract from Kristián's account of the murder, as it is the oldest version of the celebrated legend of Wenceslas. After apologizing for the length of his narrative, he writes:—

‘Very great sorrow hath many words, but I will endeavour not to delay long those who desire to know somewhat of the sufferings of the holy martyr.

‘Holy Wenceslas, who was soon to be a victim for the sake of Christ, rose early, wishing, according to his saintly habit, to hurry to the church that he might remain there for some time in solitary prayer before the congregation arrived; and wishing as a good shepherd to hear the matins together with his flock and join in their song, he soon fell into the snares that had been laid; for the priest of this church—one of those from whom this iniquity of Babylon proceeded—according to the commands of the evil ones, closed the gates of the church as soon as he heard the goodly man enter. Then the plotters—that is, his brother and his armed companions—who were prepared, rose up. Then