The Story of Prague

[1] The hill near Prague still known as the Petrin, or in German ‘Laurenziberg.’

[2] In Bohemian ‘prah.’

[3] These will be found at the end of this volume.

[4] See Chapter VIII.

[5] It may not be unnecessary to caution English readers against confusing the name of this prince with that of the town of Stará Boleslav; in German, Alt Bunzlau.

[6] In his Alterthümer der Prager Josefstadt (i.e., Jewish town). This very curious little book, dedicated to the late Sir Moses Montefiore, who visited Prague on his way to Palestine, contains a great deal of little-known information concerning the Jewish colony at Prague.

[7] See note, p. 3. The Petrin was the place where the executions generally took place.

[8] The yet more ancient author of the Alexandreis also expressed fear that ‘soon no Bohemian would any longer be seen on the bridge of Prague.’ Hus also refers to the bridge when he states ‘that it would be easier to find a stag with golden antlers on the bridge of Prague than a worthy priest.’

[9] His disciple, Matthew of Janov, writes: ‘Ipse Milicius, filius et imago domini Jesu Christi, apostolorumque ipsius similitudo prope expressa et ostensa.’

[10] Dogmengeschichte, Vol. III., pp. 434-435.

[11] Dubravius, Historia Bohemiæ.

[12] Laurence of Brezov.

[13] The German names are Schlan and Leitmeritz.

[14] i.e., Heretic.

[15] Their contents will be found in my Bohemia: An Historical Sketch, p. 164.

[16] See Chapter VII.

[17] The Orebites were a military community similar to that of Tabor. Their centre was a hill near Kralové Hradec (Koniggratz), to which they had given the Biblical name of Oreb.

[18] Contrary to what has often been written, he was no relation of John Hus.

[19] In Bohemian, ‘cep.’ Specimens of this formidable weapon can be seen in the Bohemian Museum.

[20] Printed in Palacky’s History of Bohemia.

[21] Laurence of Brezov writes of him that ‘veritatem communionis Utriusque specici fideliter promovendo omnes deordinationes in lege Domini non fundatas quantum valuit persequebatur.’

[22] O Zajeti Sigmunda Korybuta.—Vybor z Literatury Ceské, I.

[23] In German ‘Brünn’ and ‘Jglau.’

[24] i.e., The old town, new town, and ‘small quarter.’

[25] The Corpus Christi Chapel was destroyed in 1798. The tablets are now preserved in the Bohemian Museum.

[26] George was Lord of Kunstat as well as of Podebrad.

[27] A painting by the great Bohemian artist Brozik, representing this event, can be seen in the town hall.

[28] It is of interest to quote in the original the bishop’s words: ‘Recogitate providi viri qualis vestra Praga fuit olim inclita civitas quando sub hoc pontificatu fideliter stetit; quales habuit cives et incolas ditissimos Utriusque status ditissimos; nec fuit Pragae similis urbs in multis nationibus non Norberga, non Vienna, non Wratislawia neque inclita Colonia illi aliquando poterant comparari; nescimus an Roma, Venetia aut Florentia aut alia quaecunque sub coelo civitas Pragae tunc similis fuit.’

[29] I have referred to Bartos in my History of Bohemian Literature, pp. 299-303. Mr. Denis has given a good account of the antagonism between Pasek and Hlavsa in his brilliant Fin de l’Indépendance Bohême.

[30] For Sixt of Ottersdorf see my History of Bohemian Literature, pp. 303-304.

[31] It appears that the conduct of Charles V., Ferdinand’s brother, who had in 1539 deprived the city of Ghent of all its ancient privileges, contributed largely to rendering the citizens of Prague suspicious.

[32] The adventures of these two English alchemists in Bohemia are fully described in Mr. Svátek’s (German) Culturhistorische Bilder aus Böhmen.

[33] A village on the outskirts of Prague that has in the present year—1901—been incorporated with the town.

[34] See p. 100.

[35] The size of this book obviously excludes all controversial matter. I have entered fully into the question in my Bohemia: A Historical Sketch, pp. 301-308.

[36] This palace is traditionally identified with the house known as ‘U Montagu,’ between the Malostranské Námesti and the Nerudova Ulice. A tablet stating that the defenestration had been planned here was placed on this house, but almost immediately removed.

[37] Dr Krebs, Die Schlacht am Weissen Berge.

[38] See Chapter VIII.

[39] See Chapter VIII.

[40] ‘Clamore mulierum horrendo rex perterritus arcem repetebat.’—Andreas ab Habernfeld Bellum Bohemicum.

[41] I have translated a small portion of this account in my History of Bohemian Literature, pp. 342-344. The account above is also abridged from Skála.

[42] Not 100, as stated in Murray’s Guide Book.

[43] ‘Ecclesiam Sancti Viti quam Sanctus Wenceslaus construxerat ad similitudinem Romanae ecclesiae rotundam.’—Cosmas Pragensis.

[44] The old chronicler Cosmas always calls it ‘Sanctorum Martyrum Viti, Wenceslai atque Adalberti ecclesia.’

[45] This legend forms the subject of a very fine poem by the gifted Bohemian poet, Svatopluk Cech. It has been admirably translated into German by the late Professor Albrecht.

[46] Dr. Podlaha and Mr. Sittler have in the present year (1901) published a beautifully illustrated notice of the Loretto Treasury.

[47] Rudolph was a great collector of Albrecht Dürer’s pictures; this perhaps accounts for this picture being—undoubtedly wrongly—attributed to Dürer.

[48] See my History of Bohemian Literature, p. 93.

[49] See Professor Léger’s L’Evangile de Rheims.

[50] There are two churches of St. Nicholas at Prague; the one mentioned above, and another in the Malá Strana.

[51] As a writer on Prague must almost assume ignorance of the national language on the part of his readers, I may mention that an excellent German translation of this poem by Mrs. Malybrok-Stieler has recently been published by Mr. Rivnác at Prague.

[52] In his Hundert Tage in Oesterreich. I quote from the English translation, published by Messrs. Chapman & Hall in 1844.

[53] See my Bohemia: A Historical Sketch.

[54] In his Die Schlacht am Weissen Berge.

[55] In German ‘Bestien.’

[56] Some remains of the ancient structure appear to have existed in comparatively recent times. In his Phosphorus Septicornus Pesina (1629-1680) writes of the ‘castellum Hradec uno atque medio infra Pragam milieri’ that ‘castelli hujus rudera hodique spectantur in quorum medio templum ... adhuc integrum.’