Page:Lectures on The Historians of Bohemia by Count Lutzow (1905).djvu/23

 I have already mentioned that the second book begins with the year 1037. It ends with the death, in 1092, of Vratislav II, the first of Bohemia’s rulers who bore the title of king.

The third and last book of the chronicle of Cosmas is the most valuable one, as it deals with events many of which occurred during his lifetime and in some of which he himself took part. I choose for quotation Cosmas’ account of the murder of the nobles of the Versovic family. This murder is one of the obscure events in early Bohemian history. The Versovic family, or rather clan, who appear to have held a semi-independent position, had given offence to the Přemyslide princes who ruled over Bohemia. Prince Svatopluk suspected two of the Versovic nobles, Vacek and Mutina, of treachery during one of his campaigns. The massacre that was the consequence of this suspicion took place in 1108, during the lifetime of Cosmas, and his very vivid account was no doubt derived from an eye-witness unless Cosmas, as is quite possible, was himself present at this tragic event.

After stating the causes of the resentment of the princes against the Versovic lords, and mentioning the warning that Mutina received, Cosmas writes: ‘After they (the Versovic lords) had entered the castle of VratislarVratislav [sic], the prince summoned for the following day a meeting of all the great of the land. After they had met then as a lion that has been let out of his cage and steps on to the arena, and roaring and with erect mane awaits his prey thus did Svatopluk enter the council-chamber; he sat down in the middle of the hall on the stone bench near the fireplace himself more incensed than the fireplace in which burnt a