Page:The life & times of Master John Hus by Count Lützow.djvu/337

 hymns, among them the Hospodine pomiluj ny—one of the oldest documents in the Bohemian language—had hitherto been recognised by the Church of Rome. Through Hus’s influence, however, other ancient Bohemian hymns began to be sung in churches, and new ones were composed, or adapted from the Latin. In consequence of the generally prevailing religious enthusiasm, new hymns—often the work of unknown writers—suddenly appeared in Bohemia, and were, after a short time, sung in all parts of the country. This was yet more the case after the death of Hus, and it is only then that we meet with the famous Hussite songs, of which the famed “All ye warriors of God” is the prototype, which partook both of the character of a hymn and of that of a war-song. Many of these hymns, however, became known during the life of Hus, and it would be very interesting to inquire as to what part Hus himself played as a writer of hymns. This is still a matter of controversy, and Dr. Nejedly, our principal authority on the subject, refuses to express a final opinion. Many of the early hymns are the work of unknown writers, and a large number of these were attributed to Hus, particularly in the hymn-books of the community of the Bohemian brethren, who considered themselves the true disciples and successors of Hus. Brother Blahoslav, born in 1523, mentions as undoubted works of Hus only two hymns, those entitled, “Jesus Christ, bountiful Lord” and “O living bread of angels.” Later writers attributed to Hus an ever-increasing number of hymns. There is great probability that at least six of these devotional songs are genuine works of Hus. Hus’s love of singing did not forsake him to the last. As previously mentioned, it was while singing a hymn that he ended his life in the flames.