Page:Lectures on The Historians of Bohemia by Count Lutzow (1905).djvu/81

 This change of faith was, of course, an event of the highest political importance in Bohemia. Rosenberg, after joining the national party, for a time took a great though somewhat amateurish interest in politics. He formed a close political alliance with Christian of Anhalt, perhaps the greatest statesman of the seventeenth century. I must hurry to the close of this short notice of Březan’s work. I have been able to deal with it somewhat more fully in my History of Bohemian Literature. I will, however, quote a portion of the rather striking description of the personality of Rosenberg which Březan gives; he writes: ‘He (Lord Peter) was a nobleman of well-shaped figure, and more refined than his brother William. His features were charming, his manners dignified and truly princely; his speech was sensible; he was compassionate and affable; and though he was sometimes angry, whenever he had scolded or cursed some one, he always afterwards excused himself with mild words. He was a gay and jocose nobleman, though in his old age he gave himself up entirely to piety, and read religious books with pleasure, and listened eagerly to the word of God. He was keen for all novelties, a lover of all sciences and arts, and he spent large sums on them. He had a special fancy and predilection for building, and in this resembled his brother William. He was in the habit of standing oftener than sitting, and of walking constantly and so quickly that it was difficult for even young men to keep up with him He was a very valorous nobleman, courageous, and even somewhat venturesome; for he boldly approached wild beasts, bears, wolves, horses, and dogs without feeling any fear. And, on the whole, I do not know that there was anything wanting in this