Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/585

 dukes of Saxony, the marquis of Brandenburg, and many other bishops out of Almaine: all the rest sent their aids. They encamped before the town of Sozius, a strong and well fenced place, which they could by no means subdue. The country was spoiled and wasted round about, and the siege continued until the feast of St. Galle. Then it was broken up, because the emperor was not come at his day appointed; but he, having gathered together a great army of the Hungarians and West Moravians, about Christmas entered into Bohemia, and took certain towns by force; and Cutna was yielded unto him. But when Zisca (although he was blind) came towards him, and set upon him, he, being afraid, and many of his nobles slain, fled: but first he burned Cutna, which the Taborites, by means of the silver-mines, called 'The Pouch of Antichrist.' Zisca pursuing the emperor a day's journey, got great and rich spoil, and taking the town of Broda by force, set it on fire; which afterwards, almost by the space of fourteen years, remained disinhabited. The emperor passed, by a bridge, over the river of Iglaria; and Piso, a Florentine, who had brought fifteen thousand horsemen out of Hungary to these wars, passed over the ice; which, by the multitude and number of his horsemen being broken, devoured and destroyed a great number. Zisca, having obtained this victory, would not suffer any image or idol to be in the churches, neither thought it to be borne withal, that priests should minister with copes or vestments: for which cause he was much the more envied amongst the states of Bohemia. And the consuls of Prague, being aggrieved at the insolency of John Premonstratensis, called him and nine other of his adherents, whom they supposed to be the principals of this faction, into the council-house, as though they would confer with them as touching the commonwealth: and when they were come in, they slew them, and afterwards departed home every man to his own house, thinking the city had been quiet, as though nothing had been done. But their servants, being not circumspect enough, washing down the court or yard, washed out also the blood of those that were slain, through the sinks or channels; which being once seen, the people understood what was done. By and by there was a great tumult; the council-house was straightway overthrown, and eleven of the principal citizens, who were thought to be the authors thereof, were slain, and divers houses spoiled.

About the same time the castle of Purgel, wherein the emperor had left a small garrison (whither also many papists with their wives and children were fled), was, through negligence, burned, and those who escaped out of the fire went unto Pilsen. After this, divers of the Bohemian captains, and the senate of Prague, sent ambassadors to Vitold, duke of Lithuania, and made him their king. This did Zisca and his adherents gainsay. This Vitold sent Sigismund Goributus with two thousand horsemen into Bohemia, who was honourably received by the inhabitants of Prague. At his coming they determined to lay siege to a castle situated upon a hill, which was called Charles' Stone.

Here Sigismund had left, for a garrison, four centurions of soldiers. The tents were pitched in three places. The siege continued six months, and the assault never ceased day and night. Five great