Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/584

 had gotten to the top of the hill, being driven back into a corner which was broken and steep, and fiercely set upon, when they could no longer withstand the violent force of their enemies, some of them were slain, and some, falling headlong from the hill, were destroyed. Whereupon the emperor Sigismund, raising his siege, departed into Cutna; and Zisca, with his company, departed unto Tabor, and subdued many places; among which he subverted a town pertaining to the captain of Vissegrade. During this time the castle of Vissegrade was strongly besieged, where, when other victuals wanted, they were compelled to eat horse-flesh. Last of all, except the emperor did aid them by a certain day, they promised to yield it up; but under this condition: that if the emperor did come, they within the castle should be no more molested.

The emperor was present before the day, but being ignorant of the truce taken, entering into a strait underneath the castle, was suddenly set upon by the soldiers of Prague, where he had a great overthrow; and so leaving his purpose unperformed, returned back again. There were slain in that conflict fourteen noblemen of the Moravians and Hungarians, and others, a great number. The castle was delivered up unto them. While these things were in doing, Zisca took Boslaus, a captain who was surnamed Cigneus, by force, in a very strong town of his, and brought him unto his religion; who, a few years after, leading the protestants' host in Austria, was wounded before Rhetium, and died. There were in the territory of Pilsen many monasteries, of which Zisca subverted and burned five; and forasmuch as the monastery of St. Clare was the strongest, there he pitched himself.

Thither also came the emperor with his army; but when Zisca brought forth his power against him, he most cowardly fled, and not long after, he departed and left Bohemia. Then Zisca went with his army unto Pilsen; but forasmuch as he saw the city so fenced, that he was in doubt of winning the same, he went from thence to Committavia, a famous city, which he took by force, burning all the priests therein. Afterwards, as he lay before the town of Raby, and strongly besieged the same, he was stricken with a shaft in the eye; having but that one before to see withal. From thence he was carried by physicians to Prague, where, being cured of his wound, and his life saved, he yet lost his sight; and for all that, he would not forsake his army, but still took the charge of them. 1421.

After this the garrisons of Prague went unto Verona, where there was a great garrison of the emperor's, and took it by force, many being slain of either part. They also took the town of Broda in Germany, and slew the garrison; and afterwards took Cutna and many other cities by composition. Further, as they led their army unto a town called Pons, which is inhabited by the Misnians, the Saxons meeting them by the way, because they durst not join battle, they returned back. After all this, the emperor appointed the princes electors a day, that at Bartholomew-tide they should, with their army, invade the west part of Bohemia, and he, with a host of Hungarians, would enter into the east part. There came unto his aid the archbishop of Mentz, the county palatine of the Rhine, the