Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/582

 rule the kingdom, even after the same order and manner as his father Charles had done before him. Whereupon the protestants understood that their sect and religion should be utterly banished; which was not begun during the reign of the said Charles.

About Christmas the emperor Sigismund came to Brunn, a city of Moravia, and there he pardoned the citizens of Prague, under condition that they would let down the chains and bars of the city, and receive his rulers and magistrates; whereunto the whole city obeyed, and the magistrates thereof, lifting up their hands unto heaven, rejoiced at the coming of the new king. But the emperor turned another way, and went unto Uratislavia, the head city of Silesia, where, a little before, the commonalty of the city had slain, in an insurrection, the magistrates, whom his brother Wenceslaus had set in authority: the principals whereof be beheaded. The news whereof when it was reported at Prague, the citizens being feared by the example of the Uratislavians, distrusting their pardon, rebelled out of hand; and having obtained Zenko on their part, who had the government of the castle of Prague, they sent letters into all the realm, that no man should suffer the emperor to enter, who was an enemy unto Bohemia, and sought nothing else but to destroy the kingdom: who also bound the ancient city of the Prutenians under order by pledges, and put the marquis of Brandenburg from the Bohemian crown; and had not only suffered John Huss and Jerome of Prague to be burned at the council of Constance, but also procured the same, and with all his endeavour did impugn the doctrine and faith which they taught and followed. While these things were thus done, Zisca, having given over Pilsen by composition, was twice assaulted by his enemies, but, through policy, he was always victor. The places where they fought were rough and unknown, his enemies were on horseback, and his soldiers on foot, neither could there be any battle fought but on foot. Whereupon, when his enemies were alighted from their horses, Zisca commanded the women who customably followed the host, to cast their kerchiefs upon the ground, wherein the horsemen being entangled by their spurs, were slain before they could unloose their feet.

After this, he went unto Ausca, a town situate upon the river Lucinitius, out of which town Procopius and Ulricius, two brethren papists, had cast out many protestants. This town Zisca took by force of arms the first night of Lent, rased it, and set it on fire. He also took the castle of Litius, which was a mile off, whither Ulricius was fled, and put Ulricius and all his family to the sword, saving one only.

Then, forasmuch as he had no walled or fenced town to inhabit, he chose out a certain place upon the same river, which was fenced by nature, about eight miles from the city of Ausca. This place he compassed in with walls, and commanded all men to build them houses, where they had pitched their tents, and named this city Tabor, and the inhabitants, his companions, Taborites; because their city, by all like, was builded upon the top of some hill or mount. This city, albeit it was fenced with high rocks and cliffs, yet was it compassed