Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/607

 ambassage, to make war against the Bohemians, and that he should, in the council of Basil, which doth now shortly draw on, be president in the pope's name. He, entering into Germany, went straight to Nuremberg to the emperor, where many of the nobles of Germany were assembled.

There was a new expedition decreed against the Bohemians, against the eighth of the kalends of July, and Frederic, marquis of Brandenburg, was appointed general of that war, who should follow the cardinal. He entered into Bohemia by the way that leadeth unto Thopa, and Albert, prince of Austria, was appointed to bring his army through Moravia.

In this expedition were Albert and Christopher of Bavaria, and Frederic, dukes of Saxony; John and Albert, princes of Brandenburg, with their father who was general of those wars; also the bishops of Hyperbolis, Bamberg and Eysten; also the company of the Swevians, which they called the company of St. George, and the magistrates of the imperial cities, the bishop of Mentz, Treves, and Cologne, sent their aids, and with them the chieftains of their provinces. It is said that the number of their horsemen was above forty thousand, but their footmen were not full so many, for the Germans, for the most part, do use to fight their battles on horseback.

Also Rhenatus, prince of Lorraine, promised to come to these wars; but being letted by his civil wars, forasmuch as he went about to vanquish the earl of Vandome, he could not keep his promise; and the county palatine of Rhine, who did aid and succour the earl of Vandome, could not go against the Bohemians. The cardinal, staying for them, deferred his journey until the kalends of August. In the mean time Albert, leading his army out of Austria (understanding that the cardinal was not present at the day appointed, and seeing himself unable to encounter with the Bohemian power), returned back again. After this the cardinal entered into Bohemia with a huge army, and destroyed many of the protestants' towns, killing men, women, and children, sparing neither old nor young: notwithstanding this his tyranny was exercised in the uttermost borders of Bohemia, for his captains feared to enter far into the land. The Bohemians, as soon as they had heard tell that their enemy was come, made ready and gathered their host with all speed, and laid siege to a tower called Stiltiverge, and brought it under subjection.

In the mean season there fell such a marvellous sudden fear amongst the papists throughout the whole camp, that they began most shamefully to run away before any enemy appeared in sight. The the pope's cardinal Julian, marvelling at this most sudden fear, and what should move so great an army to flee, went about unto the captains, exhorting them to put on armour, to order their battles, and courageously to abide their enemies, saying, they did not fight for the glory of their kingdom, or for the possession of lands, but for their lives, and honour, and the religion of Christ, and for the salvation of souls.