Page:The life & times of Master John Hus by Count Lützow.djvu/410

 some have taken away and some added. But I have noted down all that I saw, and at which I was present.” It appears more likely that he noted down what he heard among the people from the mouths of some persons. The manuscript of Roudnice preserves to us rather the tradition concerning the judgment and burning of Hus which was current in Bohemia in the fifteenth century, and which was written down by some admirer of Hus. The manuscript of Roudnice dates from about the second third of the fifteenth century. In the same manuscript is preserved on page 100b–103b a short Bohemian catechism which differs slightly from the catechism printed by Palacky, Documenta, magistri Joannis Hus, Prague, 1869, pp. 703–708, and which Dr. J. Müller translated into German in his work, Die Deutschen Katechismen der bohmischen Bruder, pp. 90–95 (Monumenta Germaniae paedagogica, vol. vi.).

The contents of the account are given with the greatest faithfulness in accordance with the original. The necessary interpunctuation has been added, and the prepositions and other particles have been separated from the following word. The account runs as follows:—

In the year since the birth of the son of God fourteen hundred and fifteen, I have briefly noted down the events that befell in the Suabian country and in its capital, which is called Constance, for some have taken away (i.e. omitted facts) and some (have) added. But I have noted down what I saw, and at which I was present. When the servitor of Venceslas, King of Bohemia arrived, he wrote in the evening a letter to the famed and celebrated master Jakubek, surnamed “of Stribro.” Seeing this, Master John Kardinal said: What dost thou write, master of the blood of God and of communion with the chalice? With difficulty will the Christianity of the present age accept this. Knowest thou not that we must stand to-morrow before the masters of all Christianity, who will greatly oppose, declaring us guilty because of this (i.e. the introduction of communion in the two kinds). On the next morning the legates, cardinals, the bishops of all Christianity, the King of Hungary as emperor of the (Roman) empire questioned him (Hus) saying: This assembly is very grateful to thee for coming to us; hadst thou failed to do so, much good would have been destroyed.