Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/605

 fear, sorrow, and lamentation in the army, the soldiers accusing fortune which gave over such an invincible captain to be overcome with death. Immediately there was a division in the host, the one part choosing Procopius Magnus to be their captain, the other part saying that there was none could be found worthy to succeed Zisca: whereupon they, choosing out certain to serve the wars, named themselves 'Orphans.'

Thus the Taborites, being divided into two armies, the one part retained their old and accustomed name, and the other, by means of the death of their captain, named themselves Orphans. And albeit that oftentimes there was dissension between them, yet whensoever any foreign power came towards them, they joined their powers together in one camp, and defended themselves. They seldom went unto any fenced towns, except it were to buy necessaries, but lived with their wives and children in their camp and tents. They had amongst them many cars, which they used as a bulwark; for whensoever they went unto battle, they made two wings of them, which closed in the footmen. The wings of the horsemen were on the outside, and when they saw their time to join battle, the waggon-men who led the wings, going forth unto the emperor's standard, and compassing such part of their enemies as they would, did close themselves in together, whereby the enemies being enclosed so that they could not be rescued, they were, partly by the footmen, and partly by the men that were in the cars, with their darts slain. The horsemen fought without the fortification; and if it happened that they were oppressed or put to flight, by and by the cars, opening themselves, received them as it were into a fenced city; and by this means they got many victories, forasmuch as their enemies were ignorant of their policies.

These two armies went forth, the one into Silesia, and the other into Moravia, and returned again with great prey, before their enemies knew of their coming. After this they besieged the town of Swietla in Austria, where the Taborites and the Orphans, during two nights, continually assaulted the walls without ceasing. But Albert, duke of Austria, coming with his host to aid the citizens, they fought by the space of almost four hours, the valiantest warriors being slain on both parts. At length the battle was broken off, and the Taborites lost their cars, and Albert was put out of his camp and tents. Within a while after, Procopius Magnus came again and enclosed the city of Rhetium in Austria with a notable siege. They of Prague were in his army, and Boslaus Cygneus, of whom we spake before, was slain there with a dart, and the city of Rhetium was taken by force, sacked, and burnt. The burgrave of Malderburg, lord of the town, was also taken and carried unto Prague, where he died in prison.

These things thus done, the emperor sent for the nobles of Bohemia, who went unto him unto a town of Hungary, called Presberg, in the borders of Austria, upon the banks of the river of Danube; but they would not enter into the town, but remained without the town in their tents; whither the emperor going out unto them, communed much with them, as touching his right and title, and the recovering of his father's kingdom, promising if there were any cause