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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of From a Terrace in Prague, by
+Lieut.-Col. B. Granville Baker
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: From a Terrace in Prague
+
+Author: Lieut.-Col. B. Granville Baker
+
+Release Date: September 27, 2007 [EBook #22776]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM A TERRACE IN PRAGUE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Janet Blenkinship and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+FROM A TERRACE
+IN PRAGUE
+
+BY
+
+LIEUT.-COL. B. GRANVILLE BAKER,
+
+D.S.O., F.R.G.S.
+
+WITH 36 ILLUSTRATIONS AND ONE MAP
+
+NEW YORK
+
+BRENTANO'S
+
+PUBLISHERS
+
+(_All rights reserved_)
+
+_Printed in Great Britain by_
+
+UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, LONDON AND WOKING
+
+
+
+
+THIS BOOK
+IS DEDICATED TO
+A WISE AND GENTLE LADY WHO
+LOOKS OUT UPON LIFE
+FROM A TERRACE
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+There are many excuses for the writing of books, and sometimes there may
+even be sufficient reason. I offer no excuses, but will give what
+reasons I have for committing to paper these my reflections or
+meditations inspired by the sight of a fine old capital city as seen
+from a Terrace in Prague.
+
+The first reason I wish to give may be altruistic, namely, that finding
+so many of my race quite ignorant of Prague and all that city stands for
+right down the ages, I feel compelled to add my mite to what has already
+been written about the subject.
+
+My second reason, a strong one with me, arises out of my inability to
+enjoy things of beauty and interest without letting my friends know
+about them. This may be a weak and selfish reason, but there it is.
+
+The third reason rests on my intense desire that you should come out
+here, to Prague, even to the terrace of my choice, and look at the scene
+through my eyes while I would endeavour to see it through yours. This, I
+admit, is undiluted selfishness on my part.
+
+While awaiting you, I am preparing, by means of this work, to introduce
+you to a goodly throng of those who know or knew this city and loved it
+well. Perhaps they may admit me to their round table as the last to
+arrive, and the least. In any case, I owe them a debt of gratitude for
+their help in becoming acquainted with Prague and the deeper meaning of
+this glorious city. There are many such kindly helpers: there was Cosmas
+Pragensis the chronicler, Palacky the historian, there was Count Luetzow,
+whose works on Prague, as on his native country, are inspired by intense
+love of them, and illumined by transparent honesty. There are others
+still among us and doing useful work. A walk with Dr. Je[vr]abek in the
+gardens of Waldstein's palace, a talk with Professor [vS]kola, and many
+other good friends of mine in Prague, have made a pleasure of this work
+I have undertaken. Out of sheer joy in the things I have seen and heard,
+and the kindly spirit that informed those who helped me, have I written
+and illustrated this book _From a Terrace in Prague_.
+
+
+
+
++-------------------------------------------------+
+|Transcriber's note:                              |
+|                                                 |
+|In this text the caron has been represented with |
+|                                                 |
+|[vx] [vX] etc.                                   |
++-------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+PREFACE                                                                7
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+INTRODUCES PRAGUE                                                     14
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+ABOUT GUIDES AND GUIDE BOOKS AND THE WEATHER OF PRAGUE                32
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+VY[vS]EHRAD, LIBU[vS]A AND P[vR]EMYSL, AND OTHER EARLY NOTABLES OF
+PRAGUE, AMONG THEM ST. WENCESLAUS                                     50
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+MORE ABOUT ST. WENCESLAUS AND HIS IMMEDIATE SUCCESSORS                70
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+GOOD AND BAD RULERS OF BOHEMIA UP TO A CONTEMPORARY OF FREDERICK
+BARBAROSSA. STRAHOV MONASTERY                                         88
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+FIVE KINGS OF THE HOUSE OF P[vR]EMYSL, INTRODUCES THE FIRST HABSBURG
+TO VISIT BOHEMIA                                                     106
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+BLIND KING JOHN OF BOHEMIA                                           130
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+CHARLES IV KING OF BOHEMIA, OF THE GERMANS, AND ROMAN EMPEROR.
+[vZ]I[vS]KA AND HIS HUSSITES. ABOUT SOME CHURCHES IN PRAGUE          148
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+CHARLES AND HIS BRIDGE. HIS SON WENCESLAUS. JOHN NEPOMUK
+AND JOHN HUS                                                         166
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A HOUSING PROBLEM. ANCIENT AND MODERN PRAGUE                         192
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+SIGISMUND AND OTHER HABSBURGS. GEORGE PODIEBRAD, ALSO THE
+"WINTER KING"                                                        216
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+JESUITS AND THEIR WORK. SOME HISTORIC FIGURES AND SOME BRITONS
+WHO CAME TO PRAGUE. EPILOGUE                                         234
+
+
+INDEX                                                                257
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+FULL-PAGE COLOURED
+
+THE CITY OF PRAGUE                                          _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+THE "CHARLES BRIDGE" AND "HRAD[vS]ANY"                                60
+
+THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. VITUS                                           154
+
+THE "POWDER TOWER"                                                   220
+
+
+LINE DRAWINGS
+
+INITIAL LETTER (ARMS OF CZECHO-SLOVAKIA)                              15
+
+MAP                                                                   17
+
+INITIAL LETTER (A TOWER OF KARLOV TYN)                                33
+
+INITIAL LETTER (A SENTRY)                                             51
+
+THE HRAD[vS]ANY FROM THE FUeRSTENBURG GARDEN                           61
+
+INITIAL LETTER (VY[vS]EHRAD)                                          71
+
+OLD BOLESLAV                                                          81
+
+INITIAL LETTER (QUEEN JUDITH'S BRIDGE-HEAD)                           89
+
+ST. MARTIN'S, VY[vS]EHRAD                                             95
+
+STRAHOV MONASTERY                                                    102
+
+INITIAL LETTER                                                       107
+
+A RELIC OF THE GHETTO                                                115
+
+A TOWER OF THE HRAD[vS]ANY                                           123
+
+INITIAL LETTER                                                       131
+
+INITIAL LETTER (KARLOV)                                              149
+
+ST. STEPHEN'S                                                        160
+
+INITIAL LETTER                                                       167
+
+VENICE IN PRAGUE                                                     169
+
+TOWER OF NEW TOWN HALL                                               174
+
+RIVER SCENE                                                          188
+
+"BE THOU LIKE A PROMONTORY"                                          189
+
+RIVER SCENE                                                          190
+
+INITIAL LETTER                                                       193
+
+ON THE WHITE MOUNTAIN                                                200
+
+THE CHAPEL OF THE TOWN HALL                                          201
+
+THE TOWERS OF OUR LADY OF TYN                                        205
+
+A CORNER OF THE OLD TOWN                                             207
+
+INITIAL LETTER                                                       217
+
+THE HRAD[vS]ANY FROM THE NEBOZIZEK GARDEN                            225
+
+INITIAL LETTER                                                       235
+
+A CORNER OF K[vR]IVOKLAT CASTLE                                      250
+
+TABOR, BY THE WATERS OF JORDAN                                       252
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Refers in a general way to several great and historic cities of this
+earth. Indicates the routes by which Prague may be reached by the
+traveller from the West, tells a wayside story or two and mentions
+several very great people, also others of a less degree. Digresses
+seriously from the purpose of the whole book by raking up the author's
+personal recollections of people that lived and events that happened
+right away back in the last century, and far away in the East.
+
+The author then formally introduces a friend, the ancient and venerable
+City of Prague.
+
+
+The Psalmist once declared in a burst of enthusiasm, no doubt justified,
+that "Jerusalem is a city that is at unity in itself." This remark
+applies with equal right to other great historic cities, as who can deny
+it that has stood in the "Place de l'Opera" and felt that Paris is
+indeed at unity in itself?... Or who that has looked upon Constantinople
+rising out of the pearly depths of the Sea of Marmora will fail to
+realize that the city of Constantine, despite its many vicissitudes, was
+indeed a united whole fulfilling its sometime tragic destiny in the
+history of mankind?
+
+Lisbon, mirrored in the broad waters of the Tagus, is another such city,
+and so, in yet more marked degree, is Prague. The Psalmist, in poetic
+exuberance, may appear to have overstated the case, allowance must be
+made for him, but in the main he was right. The city of Zion had grown
+up at the feet of the temple of David, and its massive strength
+impressed the poet who overlooked the bickerings, the quarrels, of the
+"dwellers therein"; he knew his city was the centre of his race, for
+"thither the tribes go up," and he took in only the big enduring things;
+he held the key to the soul of the city.
+
+Let us, then, approach the city of Prague in the right manner, prepared
+to enter into the spirit of the place, to realize what it stands for,
+what it has always stood for since those dim days when legend and
+history entwined.
+
+It is said that "all roads lead to Rome"; as many lead to Prague, as a
+glance at the map will show. There are first of all those oldest of
+roads--the waterways--along which moved wandering tribes in quest of
+betterment and adventure. Two of these waterways meet just above Prague,
+the Vltava and Berounka; they open out from the wooded heights of the
+Bohemian Forest, the former river leading up towards a pass in those
+heights over which you descend to the Danube near Linz, the latter
+showing the way into the heart of Bohemia from the west from Bavaria. It
+was by the latter route probably that the Boievari, a Celtic tribe, made
+their way after a short stay in Bohemia, to settle in the land that is
+called after them, Bavaria.
+
+Bavarians, who had become thoroughly Germanized, and many other Teutons,
+frequently found their way into Bohemia by this route, notably in the
+fifteenth century, when a vast unwieldy army called up by Rome and led
+by an English Cardinal, tried conclusions with a nation in arms inspired
+by religious fervour and led by [vZ]i[vs]ka the Hussite, and was beaten
+ignominiously.
+
+All along this route are landmarks of a history which tells of the
+attraction that Prague exercised on the rulers and people of
+neighbouring countries.
+
+[Illustration: MAP]
+
+So Eger and Pilsen tell of the horrors of the War of Thirty Years, for
+which a Bohemian nobleman was largely responsible. Of him and his doings
+more hereafter. Eger, by the way is now called Cheb, a guttural _Ch_
+which is a difficult sound to begin a word with, but you have got to
+do it if you wish to be considered up to date. The Czech language is
+difficult to pronounce, a fact of which the Czechs seem rather proud.
+Pilsen, which is known to us chiefly (and rightly) for its good beer, is
+now spelt Plzen; this, however, makes little difference to the
+pronunciation, and happily none at all to the quality of the beer. The
+Czechs are just a bit sparing of vowels; they prefer a good fat cluster
+of consonants, as, for instance, in Vltava, Brno, and other such pretty
+names, but then you simply insert an indefinite sound here and there
+between the spiky consonants, and all is well; anyone who knows
+Hindustani or Arabic will find it quite easy. After all, if the Czechs
+prefer their language that way it is their concern, as long as they do
+not expect the world outside Bohemia to learn it.
+
+Another fine broad road leading to Prague is the Elbe, into which flows
+the Vltava, some thirty miles north of the capital. No doubt the Elbe
+was the road by which the Slavonic tribes poured into present-day
+Germany what time all Central Europe was swarming with migrant peoples
+moving westward under pressure from the East.
+
+That a great part of Germany as we know it now was formerly inhabited by
+Slavs seems beyond doubt; such names as Berlin, Stettin, Strelitz,
+Rostock, have a distinct Slavonic ring.
+
+Remains of primitive Slavonic culture have been dug up on the islands in
+the Baltic Sea and even as far west as Hanover; remains of an identical
+culture have been found as far east as the Volga, so the Slavs have been
+widely spread out over Europe in earliest days. The expansion of Slavs
+so far to westward may have been due to the fact that Wittekind, King of
+the Saxons, called Slavonic tribes to his aid against the Franks.
+
+Charlemagne and his Franks must have been rather a nuisance to their
+neighbours. Charles had a mission in life, and people thus afflicted are
+apt to be tiresome. We are taught to number him among the truly great
+and good men, but he lived and laboured long ago; moreover, we are not
+a cheery lot of heathen living happy and unwashed in the depths of
+primeval forests, so our judgment is warped. As to Charles's goodness, I
+heard some story about his offering to marry an Empress of the East
+while his first wife was still alive, not, it appears, from any ardent
+devotion to the lady--I do not believe he ever met her--but simply from
+the sordid motive of adding another empire to his business. However, I
+am no scandal-monger, and all the parties concerned have been dead some
+time.
+
+Charles must have been rather a prig. He was evidently, immensely
+pleased with his own little bit of book-learning; he even insisted on
+talking and writing Latin--pure "swank"--whereas his family would surely
+have preferred their native Frankish. Worse still, Charles had an
+obsession, that of a Holy Roman Empire, with himself as head and the
+Pope as an "also ran," and this obsession led to endless
+trouble--trouble which is not over yet. Charles also had no sense of
+humour, or he would have made friends with the Slavs instead of fighting
+them. Men with a "mission in life" rarely have the "saving gift," and so
+they cause endless trouble; Charles did.
+
+He hammered the Saxons into Christianity: they were Teutons and could
+stand it. He tried the same on the Slavs, but force was not the right
+method in their case. Charles could not see this, and went on killing
+Slavs, handing over their property to Teuton knights. This method, and
+especially its results, appealed strongly to Charles's successor, who
+continued to hack the way of Christianity through Slavonic tribes until
+eventually the latter were completely subjugated in all the
+German-speaking countries of to-day. It took a long time to do this, for
+there is a deal of resilience in the Slav, and his soul remains his own
+even under much persecution. The Slavs were heavily handicapped too;
+they were broken up into numerous little tribes and clans, and seldom
+became united under the leadership of a strong man of their own race.
+They had no spiritual head who would take responsibility for any crime
+as long as it was atoned for by a corresponding number of heathen
+converted or killed. The pagan Slav would not just push his bit of piety
+on to the priest before dashing into the fray; he had to propitiate
+various jealous deities in person, not by proxy. This must have been
+anxious work and a waste of time to boot. Then again, both sides were
+capable and frequently guilty of abominable treachery, with the
+difference that the Christian Teuton betrayed his enemy only, which was
+counted unto him for righteousness, whereas the Slav was inclined to
+sell his own cause, only to be "let down" by the Teuton in the end. The
+Slavs were also prone to fight among themselves in their spare time;
+there has been no marked improvement on either side for the last ten
+centuries or so; however, the history of other nations and races tends
+to prove that neither Slav nor Teuton are unique in this respect.
+
+Anyway, the "Holy Roman Empire," describing itself as of German
+nationality, spread out over Central Europe, absorbing one Slavonic
+tribe after another until there remained as the most western of them
+only the Czechs of Bohemia as a coherent body, their national life
+centred on Prague.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+However, we are still on the way to Prague up the valley of the Elbe, an
+interesting route, as it takes you by Dresden, rich in art treasures and
+still renowned for its music.
+
+The best time of year to travel by this route is the season when the
+fruit trees are in blossom. Then the valley of the Elbe is a mass of
+white and pale green set against a background of yellow sandstone rocks
+and the sombre greens and purples of pine forests. It is not so very
+long ago since this district of Saxony formed part of the Kingdom of
+Bohemia, and many names familiar to travellers in these parts recall
+memories of Slavonic inhabitants--Blasewitz, Loschwitz, Pilnitz, whither
+the royal family of Wettin, another Slavonic name, was wont to retire
+for the summer months. The Wettins have now retired from business as
+monarchs, and their former subjects are following the prevailing fashion
+of submission to democratic rule tempered by an occasional diversion in
+the form of an attempted local counter-revolution. These movements are
+generally innocuous; they sometimes add to the gaiety of nations by the
+sheer imbecility of their inception and attempted execution, and they
+appear to be welcome rather than otherwise, as a means of distracting
+public attention from the universal muddle and general misguidance of
+European affairs, to those who consider themselves called upon and
+qualified to set those affairs right.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+You may also approach Prague via Vienna; in former days you were
+encouraged by Austrian propaganda to do so, and this in order to
+emphasize the fact that you were expected to regard Prague as a quaint
+little provincial town lying on the road to nowhere in particular. The
+hand of the Habsburg lay heavy on Prague, and all the glory of great
+possessions had to be concentrated on Vienna.
+
+We are still on the road to Prague, which has come into its own at last,
+whereas the glory of Vienna has departed. You wind up to the Bohemian
+Forest through lovely scenery, where the grey ramparts of Eggenburg look
+out over the blue distances, across the uplands of Bohemia, passing
+Tabor dreaming yet of stirring days of religious strife, its towers
+mirrored in the waters of Jordan, and onward till a wide curve brings
+the first sight of the towers and spires of "Zlata Praha," Golden
+Prague.
+
+The usual travelling Westerner prefers the shortest and most convenient
+route to Prague, namely, via Paris. You may get right through from
+London to Prague in thirty-six hours if you just skirt round Paris by
+the _ceinture_, but a right-minded wayfarer, who should never hurry,
+will not miss an opportunity of taking the tonic of a few days in the
+"Ville Lumiere." If he be a true wayfarer--that means not only an
+enterprising traveller but also given to contemplation--he will bestow
+some thought on the geographical position respectively of Paris and his
+destination, Prague, which should help him to enter into the spirit of
+those two cities; but of this more hereafter.
+
+When the wayfarer does tear himself away from Paris he should travel by
+the _train de luxe_, which lands him, without the trouble of changing,
+in Prague at a reasonably early hour of the evening. This route is
+interesting in itself, as it leads through many notable places, Chateau
+Thierry, with its grim reminders of the Great War, Nancy, and Strasbourg
+restored to France. Then on to Stuttgart, the capital of a small but
+healthy German Republic, formerly the Kingdom of Wuertemberg; there has
+been no exaggerated display of republican fervour here in this clean and
+proper capital, and a crown still tops the coat of arms of a line of
+rulers, on the former royal palace. You cross the fertile country of
+Franconia, a wide curve gives you a fine view of Nuremberg, and then you
+ascend towards the pass that divides the Ore Mountains from the Bohemian
+Forest. There are quaint old towns growing out of crumbling battlements
+perched on rocks, towns of soft-sounding South German names breathing
+history of long ago. There is, for instance, Waiblingen, a very
+ordinary-looking wayside station, yet what memories does that name
+recall! Memories of Hohenstaufen Emperors, Fredericks and Conrads, down
+to the last and luckless Conradin, memories of faction fights between
+the city republics of Italy, within the walls of those cities, between
+Guelph and Ghibelline, Welf and Waiblingen. This country Bavaria was
+also at one time the home of the Welfs; they were a strong, determined
+race, and spent much time and energy in vigorous opposition to Holy
+Roman Emperors, possibly as men of common sense they considered the
+whole prevailing idea of empire rather nonsensical; they were eventually
+banished to the country about Hanover and Brunswick, where they
+flourished by virtue of their forceful character--and we Britons have
+reason to be grateful that it was so.
+
+We move along to Eger or Cheb, where we find a last reminder of the
+Hohenstaufen in the ruins of a castle and a round two-storied chapel
+built by Frederick Barbarossa.
+
+During the summer season a through coach from Paris is detached at Eger,
+whence it is taken to Carlsbad, whither go those who have occasion to
+repent them of the evil they have wrought in themselves by
+self-indulgence; there they fast and prepare for the next season of
+overeating, among peculiarly beautiful surroundings.
+
+From Eger onwards we pass out of the zone of German predominance and
+into the ancient land of Bohemia, over wooded heights and broad fertile
+fields, past Marienbad, beloved of our King Edward, and where are also
+many who love his memory, past Pilsen, and winding along a clear river,
+the Berounka, its banks crowned here and there by castles and chapels,
+each with a story all its own yet part of the life of the people of
+Bohemia, until a sharp curve brings you to the meeting of the waters of
+Berounka and Vltava within hail of Prague.
+
+You should travel to Prague when the days are long, so you will be
+rewarded by a very fair view as the train crosses the placid River
+Vltava. Out of a shadowy mass of grey houses with tiled roofs, divided
+by the glittering, winding river, rises the Castle of Prague, a massive
+building crowned by a church of which the soaring spires, pinnacles, and
+flying buttresses _s'accusent_ against the western sky. The train then
+plunges you into a tunnel, a long tunnel taken slowly, where you may
+reflect on the vision you have seen, the vision of another city "that is
+at unity in itself."
+
+You have had your first glimpse of Prague, and it was beautiful, so you
+set about endeavouring to enter into the spirit of the place, to absorb
+its atmosphere and to study its character. For every ancient city that
+has stood up against adversity and overcome it has a very definite
+character of its own. And it is a mysterious, wonderful thing this
+character, this _cachet_ of a great city; the charm of Paris or the
+grandeur of London, the glittering stillness of Venice or the insistent
+glory of eternal Rome.
+
+The character of a city, as is that of man, is formed by experience,
+chiefly adverse, and is made evident by the work the city has done for
+humanity, its creator and its care. From the study of a city's character
+may you look into its future and presage whether it be likely to achieve
+success or doomed to failure. For there have been failures among cities
+as among men, some pathetic owing to inherent weakness, others as a
+consequence of their own misdeeds.
+
+Contrast Constantinople with Eternal Rome. Constantinople, with its
+pathetic remains of greatness, failed to remain "at unity in itself";
+ancient Byzantium the "Guardian of the Gate" against the invading
+Oriental, lived to see its churches turned into mosques, below which
+lie, broken and untended, the porphyry monuments of Paleologue and
+Cantacuzene.
+
+What of things beautiful was spared wandered to Rome, whence from the
+crumbling remnants of an old civilization came the light of the
+Renaissance that spread over Western Europe.
+
+Most pathetic of all cities that have failed is Amarapura, not so long
+ago the capital of Burma, and a flourishing city on the banks of the
+Irrawaddy, placed indeed in the most appropriate position for its former
+purpose.
+
+But a new King came who was not content with the capital of his fathers,
+so he ordered its removal. A sycophantic priesthood was loud in
+prophecies of the great future of the new capital to be built some few
+miles away, but Mandalay is this day the provincial centre of the
+government of a race alien to those who founded the city; the race of
+Kings, the last scion of which abandoned the city of his fathers, is all
+but extinct, and Amarapura has returned to the jungle from which it
+rose.
+
+Now this, I admit, appears to have nothing to do with the city of
+Prague; it is indeed a far stretch of vision from "a Terrace in Prague"
+to the banks of the Irrawaddy.
+
+Nevertheless, memories of far-off days in Burma came surging up one day
+as I sat on my terrace reading a newspaper printed and published in the
+city that lay shrouded in historic mist below. The paper brought news of
+an old acquaintance, not exactly a close, not even a bowing
+acquaintance, for we were generally kept apart by force of circumstances
+(which he might have controlled) at a distance of about a rifle-shot.
+This acquaintance was one Wun Thu, a son of Thebaw, last of the Burman
+Kings.
+
+Wun Thu objected strongly to British rule, and emphasized his objection
+by making trouble with his bands of patriots, whom we called dacoits,
+robbers.
+
+Even my peaceable occupation of surveying the land met with obstruction
+on the part of Wun Thu, and led to a frequent exchange of perfectly
+harmless rifle-shots. And here in Prague, looking down over my newspaper
+from the terrace of my choice, I seemed to see the spires of the city
+mass closer together and take on the form of giant jungle trees, the
+broad Vltava to shrink to the narrow silver thread of a mountain stream
+at the crossing of which Wun Thu's sporting warriors had levelled their
+blunderbusses lashed to trees and warranted harmless to all but the men
+behind them; the paper told of another rising led by Wun Thu. Wun Thu
+had lain "doggo" for many years--at least he had done nothing to attract
+the attention of Central Europe--yet here he was, a man of my age and on
+the downward slope, following the post-war instinct of making
+trouble--for himself chiefly, as his attempt failed. I feel sorry for my
+old acquaintance; like so many of us of a former generation, he no
+longer fits into the picture; he is probably too honest to succeed under
+present-day conditions. However, Wun Thu has been banished to Ceylon,
+and I am still writing about Prague. Even in this I am last and, I
+willingly admit, least of a goodly company.
+
+First in time of this goodly company is Cosmas of Prague, who wrote his
+chronicles early in the twelfth century. There are yet earlier German
+chronicles which make mention of the Bohemians, but the city of Prague
+was not in the days in which they were written. Those German chronicles
+suggest that the Bohemians who came into their land some time in the
+sixth century were at one time tributary to the Avari, an Asiatic tribe
+which had taken possession of the greater part of present-day Hungary,
+and were rather a nuisance to Western Europe.
+
+It will be remembered that Charlemagne had forceful argument with these
+Avari; it had something to do with that worthy's trip to visit the
+Empress of the East; there was a squabble about fares, river dues and
+such matters. However, this is _vieux jeu_, and has nothing to do with
+Prague. The Avari were devoted to the time-honoured practice of robbing
+and ravishing their neighbours, among them the Bohemians. These latter
+seem to have borrowed one Samo the Frank, a strong man, from one of the
+northern Slavonic tribes, and as he proved a success, invited him to be
+King over them.
+
+Samo accepted the invitation, and is said to have founded the first
+great Slavonic State with Bohemia as nucleus and a strong castle at
+Vy[vs]ehrad, of which we shall have more to tell hereafter. The
+neighbouring Franks became uneasy at Samo's increasing importance, and
+under Dagobert, their King, invaded Bohemia, to be badly beaten at
+Wogastisburg, which, according to Count Luetzow, was near the present
+town of Cheb. Samo extended his territory after this victory, and
+appears to have lived till about the middle of the seventh century.
+
+There ensues a complete lapse in the chronicling of the history of
+Bohemia until Cosmas took up the tale.
+
+Having no historical records of events since the days of Samo, he drew
+upon a rich store of legend which, coloured by his lively imagination,
+forms a glowing and vivid background to the story of this interesting
+and attractive branch of the great Slavonic race, I am not competing
+with Cosmas. Bohemia has produced many chroniclers and historians since
+his day, men whose soul was filled with pride and love of race, whose
+mind was bent on giving to the world truthfully recorded history, men
+whose imagination nurtured on lovely legends, on great traditions amid
+the beauties of one of Europe's fairest countries, found expression in
+works of lasting worth: I need only mention such names as Palacky,
+Tomek, and Luetzow among many.
+
+Of strangers who have been charmed to pertinent utterance by the glory
+and beauty of Prague there is an imposing array. In the fifteenth
+century AEneas Silvius, afterwards Pope Pius II, came this way, and
+described Prague as the "Queen of Towns." Then Goethe, whose glowing pen
+could add colour to the vibrant beauty of Italian landscape, writes of
+Prague as "der Mauerkrone der Erde kostbarste Stein." We will interpret
+this, as it is no longer the fashion to understand German, especially in
+Prague: "the most precious jewel in the mural crown of this earth."
+Another German, Alexander von Humboldt, gives to Prague fourth place
+among the world's "cities beautiful."
+
+Rodin considered Prague as the "Rome of the North," a comparison that
+seems rather trite at first, but those who feel the meaning of this city
+will understand and appreciate the French sculptor's judgment. Prague
+has, at least superficially, one quality in common with Rome; in your
+wanderings in either city you may come suddenly upon something of beauty
+so stupendous as to take your breath away.
+
+Other French visitors of importance show a tendency to dwell upon the
+character of the Bohemians in general rather than on the beauty of their
+capital. With keen perception they draw the deeper meaning from out the
+stones of Prague; thus in the fifties of the last century writes
+Viollet-le-Duc, "Prague est une capitale dans laquelle on sent la
+puissance d'un grand peuple," and Massieu de Clerval is yet more
+emphatic: "si un pays peut se vanter d'une nationalite indestructible
+c'est a coup sur la Boheme.--Une nation qui a passe par de pareilles
+epreuves ne perira, elle a vaincu la mort."
+
+We must not overlook yet another visitor to Prague whose outlook was
+practical rather than romantic, Ibrahim Ibn Jacub. This Jewish trader
+from Arabia travelled in Bohemia some time in the tenth century, and was
+much struck with Prague, "a great commercial town of stone-built
+houses."
+
+So we who would add a belated word of tribute to the glory of Prague the
+Golden find ourselves indeed in goodly company. Moreover, we live in the
+present, and have, as far as this book is concerned, only just arrived
+in Prague.
+
+The morning sun that tips the pinnacles of the Castle of Prague with
+gold, that dispels the purple shadows in which the city lies shrouded,
+and calls forth sparkling facets on the broad river, dissipates our
+dreams of cities that have failed and perished. It summons us to study
+this ancient city, old yet ever young. Beautiful, too, in all the
+varying glints of light upon the spires and turrets of its hundred
+towers, when the morning breeze comes down-stream and rustles in the
+trees that deck the islands, to the golden glory of the sunset behind
+the purple masses of the castle. Then a short star-lit night while
+Prague rests in dreams of former greatness to gain strength to face its
+high duties of the morrow.
+
+Indeed, Prague is an ancient city, yet young and active and wonderfully
+beautiful in all its aspects.
+
+It is not my intention to conduct you round Prague, to introduce to you
+one by one the many features of the city, and tell you all there is to
+know about them. This for two excellent reasons: one, that I am far from
+having got to the end of such knowledge myself, the other that you may
+be induced to come here and find out for yourself how much of interest
+and of beauty lies open before you.
+
+As in introducing a friend, I mean to state only a few salient points,
+to give you a hint of the city's story here and there as told by ancient
+buildings, as shown in public haunts or quiet nooks, hoping that in your
+turn you may make a friend of this venerable, this beautiful Prague.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+Discusses the question of guides and guide-books, and tries to explain
+the author's method, or lack of it, when making himself acquainted with
+places of interest. Contains also remarks on terraces, which are
+expected to edify. There is a good deal about the weather of Prague,
+about the gardens at different seasons, also an account of merrymaking
+in bygone days, and some reflections, in the same spirit, on present-day
+rejoicings.
+
+
+There are various ways of becoming acquainted with an interesting city.
+Some people invest in a guide-book before starting out on the journey,
+others do not rest until they have bought one or more on arriving at
+their destination. You may notice these people studying the book on the
+boat perhaps, certainly in the train; they even let the book interfere
+with the proper attention that is due to meals; and allow me to remark
+here that the wagon-lit people are very sound on the question of food.
+
+These people are slaves to the guide-book; they leave it not, day or
+night, and the more methodical they are in conforming to the cramped
+spirit of the book, the less do they discover things by themselves. No
+guide-book ever can initiate you into the atmosphere of a city like
+Prague.
+
+The sight of the guide-book slave "doing" an ancient and glorious city
+always fills me with sorrow, sometimes, indeed, with annoyance. These
+slaves frequently hunt in couples, male and female, sometimes with
+progeny at heel, and it is generally the male who discovers things--in
+the guide-book--and then drags the rest of his outfit in search of his
+discovery. As this is usually done at a reckless pace, the performance
+is apt to upset the repose of the inhabitants whose perambulations of
+their native place are in marked contrast to the silent, ruthless hurry
+in the streets of our large towns. The good burghers of foreign towns
+seem to have plenty of their own and other people's time to spare; they
+also possess the gift of unlimited conversational powers. I have known
+many a pleasant chat rudely interrupted by a group of British or
+American travellers who, with nose well inside a book, blue or red but
+obviously "guide," push their way, ruthless as Juggernaut, through
+bunches of inoffensive natives. There is one consolation: those slaves
+of the guide-book frequently miss the prettiest bits, just because they
+are looking into the book instead of around them.
+
+Ask such as they about the atmosphere of some old-world haunt, and you
+will probably hear complaints about the food or the service.
+
+Some tourists aggravate their position by hiring a guide. Every city of
+any historic importance breeds a class of mortals that are born guides;
+they have come to belong to the "staffage" of picturesque surroundings;
+and in this respect Prague is happily yet unspoilt. The born guide, when
+young, is generally to be found running after you barefooted, clamouring
+for coppers or cigarettes. His picturesqueness is due to the fact that
+he does not disclose the incipient traits of villainy in his face by
+washing it. The adult of the species does wash his face sometimes, but
+he has no other virtues. The species "guide" is found in its perfection
+in Southern Europe. Some day I must write a book on "Guides I have
+Spurned"; there were many, and I have had to acquire a cursory
+acquaintance with several foreign languages in order to deal adequately
+with the spurning action which is chiefly vocal and invective. For the
+present I can only remember one of the many spurned ones. He had been
+following me about all over the ruins of a Moorish castle, and finally,
+breathless, came up with me by a little pile of stones leaning, with
+some faint attempt at symmetry, against a wall. In gusts a
+garlic-charged voice explained, "Zat modern. Zat rabbit-'ouse!" In his
+case the spurning could be done quite conveniently in English.
+
+We cannot all afford to be original. I lay no claim to that quality for
+myself; my method of making the acquaintance of such an interesting old
+city as Prague may be that of thousands of other wayfarers. However this
+may be, I propose to explain my method, not necessarily in order to
+induce others to adopt it, but rather because it explains the title of
+this work. I look upon cities, landscapes, in fact upon life in general,
+from a terrace--not over or through the leaves of a guide-book.
+
+There is a deal more interest in a terrace, and you can always find one
+if you really want to do so, than the casual passer-by is inclined to
+realize. It is easy to reconstruct the scene of building up the first
+terrace. Some fairly primitive man had emancipated himself from the
+old-fashioned ancestral habit of just letting the rain wash away the
+hillside, and with it the family's prospects of green food for the
+season. Squatting outside his cave he had done some hard thinking which,
+transmitted into action, had led him to build up a wall here and there
+on the hillside, a wall of clumsy stones kept in place by stakes
+hammered into the ground, yet a wall, indeed a terrace, and an advance
+upon the methods of his neighbours whose struggles he could watch from
+the surer footing he himself had gained--a terrace and a point of view.
+
+It is not suggested that the wayfarer on arriving in a strange city
+should make a bee-line for the nearest terrace.
+
+There are terraces and terraces, each one with its own definable point
+of view, and it is this quality which should influence the traveller's
+choice. Prague offers considerable variety in terraces suitable to every
+conceivable outlook on life. You may choose a terrace that looks out
+over the factory quarter of Prague, over grimy Smichov for instance, and
+make notes on the growing industrial prosperity of the city. You will
+probably be smoked out of your position, for a cheap and nasty variety
+of brown coal is used by local industries. If you belong to the eclectic
+you may be privileged to look down on Prague from a terrace with a
+background of diplomacy, and find the outlook somewhat limited.
+
+Again, there are terraces where you can get beer and other refreshment.
+Such terraces are generally so contrived as to give you an outlook too
+varied to allow of concentration on the essentials of the city; the
+background to these terraces is generally some little building where the
+waiter lurks for orders. But there are other, real terraces to be found
+by those who search diligently and know how to discriminate, terraces
+with a background that has grown up with the city, that strikes no
+foreign note in that harmony of form and colour, of clustering red-tiled
+roofs surmounted by domes, towers and spires, which is Prague. Such a
+terrace is that from which I write. It is a real terrace, serving its
+original purpose in supporting a garden on a hillside. A garden
+carefully, fondly tended by generations of those who lived useful lives
+and looked out over the city from this point of view.
+
+It is old, very old, this terrace, and it has witnessed many terrible
+scenes, fire and slaughter and religious strife, but it has also seen
+more that is ennobling and inspiring. In its strength this terrace has
+supported those who passed their days upon it, imbuing them, and those
+who live there yet, with the serenity that comes of a faith built on a
+sure foundation. This terrace is a bridge to the "Abiding City." It is
+not my intention to disclose the locality of this terrace; let every man
+find one to suit his own particular outlook.
+
+Having found your terrace, settle down to a serious contemplation of
+your surroundings and of the outlook before you; absorb as much as you
+can of the atmosphere of the place, let it sink into you. For this
+purpose a guide-book is not only useless, it is a let and a hindrance.
+After all, what does a guide-book tell you? Either it recites dry facts
+in an utterly soulless voice, or else, if it make any pretence at
+_belles-lettres_, as some of them painfully do, it goes off into
+sentiment and rapture before you have decided whether these be suited to
+the occasion. Anyway, a guide-book is the expression of some one else's
+opinion or experience, and as such is harmful to the soul as likely to
+exert undue influence.
+
+From your terrace you take in a more or less comprehensive view of the
+city and its surroundings, and also form some conception of its inner
+meaning. Then descend from your terrace and wander at random about the
+streets, choosing as the more appropriate time the long twilight of a
+summer morning which brings the cruder modern aspect of the place into
+harmony with the fundamental values. Then, before she awakens to the
+stir and activity of everyday life, old Prague will speak to you of
+herself and take you into her confidence; she will tell you some
+startling stories, for she has a lurid past, has the city of Prague.
+
+I do not know what was Rodin's method of appreciating Prague, but can
+easily imagine him looking out over the city from the terrace of his
+choice, looking out over Prague and recalling memories of Rome as seen
+from the Pincio. There are certain obvious points of resemblance. First
+there are several hills on which Prague is built; they are said to be
+seven in number, as in the case of the Eternal City. Personally I can
+only make out five hills, and I have counted them carefully. It seems to
+be the right thing in cities of venerable antiquity to claim seven
+hills; to me this seems a mixture of superstition and snobbery. Prague
+can well afford to be original and rest content with standing on five
+hills. This, by the way, does not include all the suburbs which have
+lately been added in order to make up Greater Prague; the innovation is
+much too recent, and no "Terrace in Prague" can embrace a view of all
+the latest additions to the urban district.
+
+Further superficial points of resemblance to Rome are the towers and
+cupolas that rise above a sea of houses, and the winding river; to find
+yet more would be a serious strain on the imagination. But there is a
+deeper resemblance, and this perchance is what Rodin meant when he
+described Prague as "the Rome of the North." I say "perchance," because
+Rodin never gave any closer reason for the comparison he drew, so I can
+only give my own personal impression of what he may have meant. There
+are, to my thinking, two distinct Romes as there are two distinct
+Pragues. The old original Rome seems to me fundamentally, gloriously,
+and, indeed, unblushingly pagan. All the top-hamper even of such beauty
+as Michel Angelo conceived does not alter this my impression. Churches
+arisen out of an Emperor's bath, or resting on some pagan shrine, are
+superimposed on Rome. Rome and all that Rome stands for down the ages is
+that glorious mass of ruins which cluster about the Capitoline Hill or
+come upon you in unexpected places. And so it is with Prague;
+Prague--the real Prague--is to be found in the graceful and enduring
+monuments erected by Kings of Bohemia in the Middle Ages; Prague of the
+Luxemburg monarchs, with echoes, faint yet insistent, of remoter
+legendary times. Over this ancient Prague rise structures of an alien
+nature, _baroque_ creations of the Jesuits, in spirit foreign to all
+that the capital of Bohemia stands for. Indeed, most of these buildings
+are imposing; some are beautiful, but despite the mellowing influence of
+time it seems as if they had not been completely merged into the soul of
+the city; they do not express its inner meaning unreservedly. And modern
+Prague is built up among and about the gracious relics of past ages; at
+first it appears detached, as it were hesitant between the serenity of a
+former golden age, the forcefulness of the Jesuit era and the vigour of
+modernity, but at heart it is one with the Prague of many centuries, is
+"at unity in itself" by virtue of reverence for noble tradition and hope
+for a glorious future.
+
+"Thither the tribes go up"; indeed, they have been swarming in since
+Prague came into her own some few years ago and became the capital of a
+free and independent republic. In former years, when Prague was still
+accounted a small provincial town of somnolent habits, there were only
+two or three hotels that counted at all as accommodation for foreigners;
+now there are many yet inadequate to the number of visitors. As to those
+that are drawn to Prague, their numbers may be accounted for by the fact
+that most of them are native Bohemians who have business in the capital
+as the seat of government and also as a commercial, industrial and
+intellectual centre; these latter qualities attract an ever swelling
+stream of foreigners. To account for this I will draw a comparison all
+my own between Prague and Paris.
+
+The true Parisian will probably shrug his shoulders at any idea of
+comparing his city with Prague; but as he is above all a logically
+minded, reasoning sort of person and, moreover, courteous, he will
+listen to my argument, and even should he not agree, is generous enough
+to join me in the happy auguries for Prague which my comparison
+suggests.
+
+Take a map showing the physical features of France and you will find
+that the capital of the country could be nowhere else but exactly on the
+spot where Paris stands in a fertile plain where meet a number of
+waterways--Seine and Marne just above the city, Oise some little way
+down. By these waterways and by high roads that came after, a constant
+stream of peoples has been swirling into France and mingling in the
+basin of Paris. Among these were Latins from the south coming up the
+valley of the Rhone and Saone, over the heights and down the Yonne to
+the valley of the Seine. Then came Franks through the gap of Belfort and
+over the hills by Nancy, down to the Marne and the Aube; Celts and
+Flemings from the north, and Norsemen from the west, all met and mingled
+with the native Gauls and eventually became Parisians. Environment acted
+its part, and so did the forces of Nature. The soil of the basin of
+Paris is fruitful, the climate equable, but neither encourage idlers;
+both demand a toll of strenuous labour, yet not so trying to man's
+strength as to leave him exhausted at the end of the day's work; he may
+recreate himself and bring his mind to bear on the result of his
+handiwork.
+
+This made him critical, and the constant flow of foreigners brought him
+new ideas to test by the light of his own experience, and so Paris
+became, as it were, a crucible in which theories of life were tested and
+rendered by science into practical form.
+
+Only the best is good enough for Paris, and this will remain the case
+until the disintegration of our planet; no invading hosts, be they never
+so numerous, nor the most fiendish inventions in modern chemistry, can
+alter this fact, they may beat down the superficial Paris, they cannot
+destroy its spirit.
+
+To a lesser degree this is also true of Prague. As we have already seen,
+its geographical position marks it out as a centre where meet roads
+coming from all directions. This fact was not discovered at such an
+early period as that in which Paris arose out of the river swamps.
+Possibly this was due to the westward tendency of migratory races during
+the first centuries of our era when Teutonic tribes and Celts passed
+over Bohemia under pressure from the east. It is strange that the Romans
+did not discover the geographical advantages of the site on which Prague
+was founded. Roman influence began to make itself felt early in the
+first century of the Christian era in these parts, but the trade route
+which connected the Danube with the Baltic shore passed eastward of
+Prague, it seems via the valley of the Morava and the "Gate of Bohemia"
+at Nachod, through Breslau and Stettin, both, by the way, former
+Slavonic settlements. There are not many traces of Roman culture, and
+what there are seem to have been imposed on the inhabitants themselves
+rather than left behind by the Romans. Even Marcus Aurelius, who wrote
+about most things under the sun, has little to say of the country north
+of his stronghold at the confluence of the Danube and Morava. It was not
+till several centuries after the Roman Empire's glory had departed that
+Prague became a place of importance, and this was largely due to the
+Luxemburg Kings, whose introduction of French culture made of the city a
+centre of attraction on the eastern marches of Europe. How and why
+Prague lost in importance may be gathered from its history; whether it
+will again gain and hold the prominent position to which it is entitled
+by its situation must depend entirely on the people of old Bohemia and
+the other countries which compose the new Czecho-Slovak Republic in
+general and the citizens of Prague in particular; the fortunes of their
+country and capital are in their own hands to make or mar. They have
+many points in their favour: first, a central position in a country
+endowed with great riches; then a sturdy, hardworking and law-abiding
+population; and finally a climate that neither encourages idleness nor
+puts too severe a strain upon man's power of endurance.
+
+The people of Prague have their theories about the climate of their
+country; they maintain that it is governed by certain rules that are
+made to apply to Central Europe generally. Thus they will tell you that
+the winter is severe, that ice and snow keep the country bound for
+several months at a time, that spring comes swiftly but gently with the
+melting of the snow and the gradual breaking up of the ice-floes on the
+river, that then a fine summer follows, a summer hot indeed but tempered
+by cool breezes from the north and showers from south and west; then
+through a glorious autumn all russet and gold on a background of hazy
+blue mountains, back to a winter as in the Christmas carol about Good
+King Wenceslaus. All this is theory; in reality the weather here, as
+elsewhere, is not to be trusted, though, indeed, it is not as fickle as
+that of our own dear country. Still, the people cling to their theory
+about the climate of the country, and if perchance the theory does not
+fit, there is always an "oldest inhabitant" handy to declare the weather
+quite exceptional. Why is it that the oldest inhabitant is invariably
+the greatest local liar? Is it simply a matter of long life and ripe
+experience?
+
+Whatever the climate may be, whatever vagaries the weather may indulge
+in, the view from my terrace is always lovely, its subtle beauty ever
+new. If I were called upon to say which season shows ancient Prague at
+her best, I would say the spring time. Then the orchards on the slopes
+are arrayed in virgin white of pear and cherry blossom, with here and
+there a blush from apple-trees and a faint glimmer of delicate green
+against cool grey of stone walls showing among the purples of trunks and
+branches warming into new life under the fitful rays of April sunshine.
+The sunshine draws out colour from soaring spires or copper domes of
+churches and from the quaint towers and pinnacles of old Prague's former
+defences against enemies that came like storm clouds from out of the
+west or over the giant mountains to northward. A passing cloud throws
+into the shade the middle ground of grouped and red-tiled roofs
+overtopped by some stately church, and the terraced gardens that descend
+into the harmonies of deep reds and greyish purples which is the
+dominant note in the colour scheme of the "Mala Strana," the small side
+of Prague on the left bank of the river. Far beyond are the encircling
+heights--some wooded, others under cultivation; cloud shadows pass over
+them like ghosts of the tragic events that made up the history of
+Bohemia and its capital. But the sunshine wins over the clouds and draws
+out the strength and glory of Golden Prague.
+
+Summer and autumn bring fulfilment of spring's promise of plenty, with
+fruit in abundance. Autumn lingers in red and yellow motley, stoutly
+resisting winter's attack until boisterous winds from east and north
+send the last leaves shivering to the ground and spread out the city's
+winter garb. Then Prague assumes a severer aspect; reds and warm greys
+have vanished, castle, churches, palaces stand out in marked relief,
+their features accentuated by piled-up snow on roof and gallery and
+flying buttress. And seen from my terrace, Prague under snow is very
+beautiful.
+
+The winter had been erratic; spells of intense cold when ice-floes piled
+up about the piers of the bridges, and even gave rise to anxiety
+concerning the safety of those structures; then mild winds from the
+south driving the smoke of the Smichov factories across Castle Hill.
+This, too, has its beauties when reluctant rays of the setting sun try
+to dispel it and cloak the Hrad[vc]any in a shroud of purple mist.
+
+Winter lingered on into the beginning of the week of Resurrection. On
+Tuesday in Holy Week wild gusts from the north drove powdered snow in
+scurries across the uplands through the broad streets and into narrow
+alleys, where it lingered during two breathless days until with Good
+Friday came glorious sunshine, dispelling the last traces of winter
+storms.
+
+As if to attune themselves to the change from winter's bondage to
+generous life, from the season of Lent to the Day of Resurrection, the
+people of Prague, as is their wont, called music to their aid. On Palm
+Sunday, as the last light of a grey day faded away, the church dedicated
+to Saint Henry, standing austerely apart from the traffic of the
+streets, was filled with the sweet sadness of Pergolesi's "Stabat
+Mater." From the organ-loft came the soul-searching harmony of two
+voices, a pure white soprano and a rich vibrant contralto, which spread
+about the lofty building, penetrated to the secluded corners where the
+scent of incense lingers, and then seemed to lose itself in the shadowy
+arches of the roof, merging, as it were, into the memories of centuries
+of prayer and praise.
+
+There was that feeling of impending relief from pain, then as of a
+healing touch when glorious sunshine ushered in Easter Sunday. Larks
+poured out their soul into a cloudless sky over the battlefield of the
+White Mountain, the pale green of larches showed up bravely among the
+riot of live purple and crimson and the flashing trunks of birches, over
+the wall that confines the park of the Star. The Star itself, that
+singular monument, a former hunting-box of Bohemian Kings and built in
+the shape of a six-pointed star, is undergoing renaissance: it is being
+arranged as a museum for the Czecho-Slovak legionaries. The little brook
+that makes such a long detour on its way to join the Vltava, passing
+through the rocky gorge and the winding valley of the Sharka, was very
+emphatic on the subject of spring's arrival, and its voice must have
+penetrated to secluded nooks and crannies, rousing sluggard forms of
+life from winter sleep. Spring was asserting itself with all the
+glorious certainty of youth, and was calling aloud to all and sundry to
+come out and witness a brave display in the many gardens of Prague.
+
+I doubt whether any other town in Europe is so well equipped with
+gardens as is Prague for its size. Chiefest among these is the
+Stromovka, on the northern slope of the Letna Hill. Your best approach
+is from the direction of the castle by a broad and shady avenue which
+leads you first down, then up again to a little plateau where stands a
+building called Zamek. This building is said to be an old hunting-box of
+Bohemian royalty: it certainly tries its best to look ancient, but fails
+to convince you. Then by shady winding ways down the slope to a broad
+valley deep in verdure. A little stream, which broadens into a lake,
+keeps up the necessary moisture, and the grass and the weeping willows
+in their loveliness offer it their silent thanks. The trees on the
+northern slope grow high: they had to do so to meet the sunshine.
+
+There are broad, shady drives and rides, and many seats, also two
+restaurants, with at least one band playing heartily of an afternoon.
+But the beauty spot in all this loveliness is right in the centre--a
+rose-garden. It is no use trying to describe this rose-garden; only a
+poet could do that, so all I say is, Come and see for yourself.
+
+Other public gardens I would mention, at least the larger ones--Kinsky,
+Nebozizek, Riegrovy--but there are a number of others, smaller ones,
+with shady nooks and plenty of seats. These gardens are dispersed about
+the town in its workaday quarters; at midday--in fact, at any time of
+day--you may see the workers enjoying a rest and also whatever kindly
+fruits of the earth happen to be in season--in July your path is paved
+with cherry-stones.
+
+There are rows of trees along many of the streets; there are many
+private gardens of palace, hospital, monastery or convent, adding the
+freshness of their verdure to the beauty of Prague.
+
+No wonder, then, that with so much loveliness about them the people of
+Prague should be gay and intent on enjoying life amid such surroundings.
+On a Sunday or feast-day you have music all round you. Look over the
+holiday city from your terrace, you will see happy well-dressed crowds
+moving to one or other place whence rise the strains of music. From one
+side you hear the solemn notes of the fanfarade from Libu[vs]a; a little
+farther away a very cheery brass band is stirring its audience with a
+rattling march--impossible to keep your feet still; then while the brass
+band pauses for breath and beer the insistent cadence of a dreamy valse
+floats up to meet you.
+
+Finest of all was Stromovka. Here weeping willows trailed their weeds of
+daintiest green; here vigorous chestnut buds threw out their strong
+scent; here osier-beds were a living tangle of gold and crimson
+reflected brokenly in the lake where frogs made merry, the frogs being
+about the only wild animals left in the Stromovka. Things were very
+different in this park when it was known as the Thiergarten, Hortus
+Ferarum, as long ago as the days of King John, the knight-errant ruler
+of Bohemia. It appears that bison, "aurochs," were kept here, and it is
+recorded that the sole surviving specimen died in 1566, which fact
+Archduke Ferdinand, the Kaiser's lieutenant, reported to Emperor
+Maximilian; he was thereupon ordered to ask the Duke of Prussia to
+oblige with a new couple of bison.
+
+The Stromovka was at one time described as "where the ox preaches on a
+sack of straw," which description was probably meant to be humorous. The
+connection comes about by the fact that the tailors of the town held
+their revels in the Thiergarten every Tuesday in Easter week, and it
+seems that a sack of straw was necessary to their happiness. This sack,
+of the finest white linen, was sewn up with great neatness and adorned
+with bows of ribbon, red, blue, yellow, green and white, by the
+apprentices. The sack was further decorated with a design representing a
+lass and a lad.
+
+There seems to have been no particular object for the sack, as it was
+only fastened to a pole round which danced young men and maidens. As the
+gay Czechs of the present day are ready to dance without any such
+fortuitous aid, it may be presumed that there was some meaning in the
+idea of carrying a sack about and then dancing round it; but the
+chronicler does not mention this point--he probably missed it.
+
+Not to be outdone by the tailors, the cobblers of Prague had their day
+on the Wednesday after Easter, and went for their diversion in an
+opposite direction, namely, to Nusle, which lies tucked away behind
+Vy[vs]ehrad. The cobblers' feast-day was called "Fidlovatchka," which
+has a cheery ring, and tradition gives the following origin: The
+cobblers' guild had built a pair of boots, a most excellent pair of
+boots, for Emperor Joseph, who himself had learnt their craft. Every
+cobbler's apprentice in Prague had contributed of his labour to this
+pair of boots. In token of gratitude the Emperor had given to the guild
+a little tree, silver-plated, on which were displayed specimens, also in
+silver, of all the implements used in the cobbler's handicraft. This
+imperial present was displayed at the cobblers' guildhall and held in
+high honour.
+
+Now as it happened the cobblers' apprentices seem to have been afflicted
+more than those of other guilds by the complaint called by the Germans
+"Blue Monday," which being interpreted meaneth "the morning after the
+night before." It was of necessity observed as a holiday. Masters
+insisted on abolishing this holiday, apprentices insisted on its
+retention. The latter removed the silver-plated tree from its sanctuary
+and carried it, to the strains of music and with much vociferation, to a
+mill, now no longer, at Nusle, at which place the adventure had been
+planned.
+
+Not a single apprentice was to be found in Prague: needless to say, they
+had the enthusiastic support and inspiring company of all the cobblers'
+errand-boys.
+
+The apprentices kept up the feast for several days until their funds
+were exhausted; they then stripped the imperial tree of its ornaments
+and sold them. When they had arrived at the stage known as _au sec_ they
+passed the time in fighting. Eventually a deputation of masters came
+out, a conference was held, the "Blue Monday" feast was reinstituted,
+and the apprentices returned to Prague, carrying, in place of the
+imperial tree, a maypole--premature, no doubt, but it probably best
+expressed their feelings.
+
+The very learned will tell us that the maypole custom of the Prague
+cobblers dates back to much remoter times than those of Emperor Joseph,
+and may draw attention to the habit prevalent in Saxony and other
+neighbouring countries with an originally strongly Slav population of
+displaying a birch-tree at the beginning of May. The learned will then
+dive down into Slavonic mythology, which process to the dilettante in
+such matters, is like "going in off the deep end"--you never know when
+or where you may come up again.
+
+At any rate, it appears that the cobblers' apprentices chose to call
+their maypole "Fidlovatchka," and that they carried it about on their
+feast-day, the Wednesday after Easter. Tradition has it that they all
+smoked in turn, from a giant pipe capable of holding two pounds of
+tobacco. Here a fastidious chronicler draws the curtain.
+
+The habit of the Prague apprentices in the matter of keeping the feast
+remains much the same to-day; moreover, it is not their exclusive right
+or privilege. I know few other places in the world where people are more
+ready to make merry on the least provocation. I do not know why this
+is, nor have I analysed the Czech disposition towards festivities; I do
+know that it is contagious. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the
+Church of Rome encouraged the converted Hussites to keep things merry
+and bright on every available saint's day so as to deaden all
+recollection of Hus's martyrdom, but this is a deeper matter which we
+will discuss later. The fact is that the Czech is by nature gay and
+cheerful and an expert merrymaker, as who would not be in a country like
+Bohemia, with its grand natural beauties, its wealth of music and
+poetry--and its beer?
+
+The Government has recently abolished all holidays but a few of the very
+obvious ones, such as New Year's Day, Good Friday, and May Day. I do not
+think that this paternal decree will make the least difference to the
+cheery Czech; in fact, only a day or so after the decree was passed into
+law the event was celebrated by a very hearty tribute, lasting two days,
+to a national saint, followed by a day's strike organized by those who
+protest against all such obsolete notions as saints' days. Everyone was
+satisfied; everyone's opinion had been freely expressed, and everyone
+had enjoyed three holidays in one week, thus, by the way, exceeding the
+allowance for the whole year. Oh yes! the Czechs know what they are
+about when it comes to merrymaking.
+
+Such a day of merriment is March 7th, very much of a feast-day
+indeed--the birthday of President Masaryk. Were I a Czech or Slovak, I
+should celebrate right heartily at least once a week the birthday of the
+present President, for he is one of the few great men among the swarm
+that arrived at the top as a result of the World War.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+Deals in order of seniority with two of the hills on which Prague
+stands. First in order, Vy[vs]ehrad, with its memories of Libu[vs]a and
+her supernatural gift. Refers also to one P[vr]emysl, Libu[vs]a's chosen
+consort, and the long line of rulers his descendants. Tells of how the
+foundations of the Hrad[vs]any were laid according to Libu[vs]'s
+instructions. Tries to describe the Hrad[vs]any as seen to-day,
+inadequately be it admitted, but illustrations are added in order to
+help the reader's comprehension of this crowning glory of Prague. Tells
+a story or two about sentries, one of which at least is intended to
+thrill. There is also mention of one Czech, of his discovery of the hill
+[vR]ip. This chapter shows also how by degrees the descendants of
+P[vr]emysl emerged from the mist of legend with the dawn of Christianity
+over these Slavonic tribes.
+
+Duke Mnata and his wife Strzezislava flit across the stage. Then we
+linger on Bo[vr]ivoj and note that German influence begins to make
+itself felt. St. Methodius is also mentioned, as is one Svatopluk,
+Prince of Moravia. Finally we arrive at properly authenticated Princes
+of Bohemia, each labelled and dated correctly, St. Wenceslaus and his
+brother Boleslav. Mentions also a saintly lady Ludmilla and her
+daughter-in-law Dragomira in vivid contrast. Family dissensions among
+the P[vr]emysls which lead to such unpleasant happenings as the murder
+of St. Ludmilla and the consequent banishment of Dragomira by her son
+Wenceslaus, of whom there is so much to relate that he is worthy to open
+a fresh chapter.
+
+
+Let us lift up our eyes unto the hills, the hills on which stands
+Prague, and if help do not come at once we may at least hope for
+inspiration; the beauty of the scene alone assures us. Look out from
+your terrace of a morning, a cloudless morning of early summer, and
+gainsay it if you can. The town is extending considerably, growing up
+the distant slopes on the far side of the river and trickling down into
+the little valleys, but the general outline of Prague is much the same
+as it has been for centuries; the eternal hills may be scarred and
+patched by us who have here no "abiding city," but they remain.
+
+I have already mentioned the hills on which Prague was built, and had
+decided that they are five in number, not seven as is popularly alleged.
+I have counted those hills several times over, and make their number
+five, and quite sufficient too; another two hills would mar the
+composition. At the risk of repeating myself, I maintain that Prague can
+well afford to be original and forgo any imitation of other cities by
+insisting on standing on seven hills; a truly great city should not
+descend to servile flattery. Paris, for example, undoubtedly a great
+city, is quite content to stand on two hills, Montmartre and
+Montparnasse, the latter quite worn flat by the levelling tendencies of
+modern times.
+
+It is now time that we delved down into the history of Bohemia, and in
+this we gain inspiration from the hills of Prague, the works of man that
+crown them and the traditions, legends, shreds of history that cling to
+them. Of these hills that of Vy[vs]ehrad is entitled to hold seniority
+in the history of Prague. It takes a place somewhat akin to that held by
+the Capitoline Hill of Rome. It was from here that the city started,
+though this hill has little left of former grandeur and shows nothing to
+compare with Rome's monuments to a glorious past. A crumbling block of
+masonry, the story of which is quite unknown, a round chapel dating from
+the days when Christianity was young among the Slavs and still found
+ready martyrs in its cause even among princes, and an _enceinte_ of
+brick fortifications, stone-faced and in Vauban's best style, battered
+by Frederick the Great's guns, are all that Vy[vs]ehrad has to show by
+way of relics of a stormy past.
+
+Vy[vs]ehrad is about the first striking view you obtain of Prague as the
+_train de luxe_ brings you round a bend before crossing the railway
+bridge over the Vltava. Travellers seeing Prague for the first time are
+apt to mistake this hill of Vy[vs]ehrad for the castle. I did so myself;
+my delight, therefore, at the first sight of Prague's crowning glory,
+the Hrad[vs]any, was all the greater.
+
+Seen against the evening sky, Vy[vs]ehrad looks very imposing; it is at
+its best by winter twilight, when the heavy mass is dully reflected on
+the surface of the frozen river. Then you may gain some idea of what
+this rugged promontory stands for in the life-history of a race that has
+passed through great tribulation. Two Gothic spires point to the skies,
+rising from a church which, despite its newness, seems more in accord
+with the spirit of Prague than do the copper domes of Jesuit
+structures; but then this church is built on foundations so ancient as
+to defy investigation by the most assiduous chroniclers. No doubt those
+spires are right enough in their way, but they are almost painfully
+modern and unromantic compared to a square bit of crumbling masonry that
+clings limpet-like to the crags of Vy[vs]ehrad overhanging the river at
+the feet of the twin church towers. For here, according to legend, is
+the cradle of the city of Prague. In popular parlance this bit of
+masonry is called Libu[vs]a's bath, and hereby hangs a tale to introduce
+which we must hark back some fourteen centuries.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Some time in the sixth century--nobody seems to know exactly or to care
+much when it was--one Czech or Czechus was wandering about this land of
+Bohemia with a party of friends and relatives, probably a whole tribe of
+them. Czech seems to have had the country to himself; if he had met any
+strangers there would have been a fight, and we should have heard about
+it. It may therefore be assumed that the former occupants, probably
+lodgers only, had moved on. There was much movement going on in those
+early centuries of the Christian era, the main tendency being from
+north-east to south-west, from cold, damp and short-commons to warmth
+and plenty. Now we have sufficient reason to believe that Thuringians
+and Rugians abode for a while in Bohemia and parts of Bavaria, and
+Lombards in Moravia, and that these gentry, hearing of loot to be had in
+plenty farther south, left their temporary homes, crossed the Danube and
+made themselves unpopular elsewhere, leaving the lands of Bohemia and
+Moravia to anyone who cared to take them. This happened some time about
+the middle of the sixth century, which gives us something more definite
+to go upon as to Czech's place in time. Anyway, there were Czech, his
+friends and relations wandering at their own sweet pleasure over the
+rolling wood-clad landscape of Bohemia. On this excursion Czech espied
+from afar a peculiar shaped hill (not one of the hills of Prague) to
+which he promptly gave the appropriate name of [vR]ip. Now this
+innocent-looking word is, by virtue of the sign placed over the R,
+pronounced in a peculiar manner; between the initial consonant and the
+"i" you should insert a sound somewhat like that of the French "j" as in
+"jamais," for instance. Heaven and the Czechs only know what meaning you
+would convey did you neglect this euphonious concatenation of consonants
+and simply say "rip"--probably something to cover the young person with
+confusion; but rightly pronounced, and with due regard to the soft but
+insistent sibilant, this mixture of sounds means--toadstool. It is all
+so simple when once you know: [vR]ip = toadstool,--and there you are.
+The description tallies too: the hill of [vR]ip does look like a
+toadstool; I have seen it myself, and am prepared to support Czech's
+statement on oath. Anyway, [vR]ip stands there still, much the same as
+when Czech discovered it, but for a chapel dedicated to St. George on
+its summit, the result of some one else's piety.
+
+You can see [vR]ip for miles round, as it has chosen a fairly level
+plain out of which to arise much like a mushroom on the lawn after a
+rainy night. No wonder, then, that Czech made straight for [vR]ip,
+climbed to the top, looked around him, approved of what he saw, and
+decided to stay. He did, so did his friends and relatives and those that
+came after them, and no power on earth was able to shift them. The
+descendants of Czech are there still. One of these told me that the best
+and sturdiest type of Czech is bred round about [vR]ip; he was born
+thereabouts himself, and should know. I am prepared to believe it
+anyway, as my friend is certainly of the best and sturdiest type of
+Czech.
+
+That much for Czech and his descendants; we must now skip a century or
+two which even Cosmas of Prague was unable to fill out with legend, and
+return to the lady whose bath I have already referred to. Not that I
+believe the ruined bits of wall to have contained a lady's bathroom; I
+have tried to imagine Libu[vs]a using the place for the morning tub,
+and have failed to conjure up any picture that would carry conviction.
+However, I do not wish to prejudice the case; come out to Prague and
+judge for yourself.
+
+Libu[vs]a was one of three sisters, daughters of Krok, Prince of
+Bohemia, or at least some part of it, for frontiers in those very early
+days were even more elastic than those drawn by International
+Commissions. Anyway, there was Krok lording it over as much of Bohemia
+as he could control, from his fastness of Vy[vs]ehrad. Of Libu[vs]a's
+sisters, Kazi and Teta, nothing but their names is known even in legend;
+they passed into oblivion on Krok's demise, for he ordained that
+Libu[vs]a, his youngest daughter, should succeed him. Libu[vs]a,
+according to legend, was a model of all the virtues, and as in those
+days there was no ever-ready Press lurking to pounce on historical
+inaccuracies, we may accept the statement of kindly Saga.
+
+Libu[vs]a had a rare gift, one which proved uncomfortable to other
+ladies of legend similarly endowed, uncomfortable both to themselves and
+their belongings, the gift of prophecy. She foretold the future
+greatness of Prague, and undoubtedly spotted a winner. This was not the
+only occasion either, for she did herself a good turn too by means of
+her supernatural power. As it happened, despite her possession of all
+the virtues, she had trouble with her subjects, who declared themselves
+weary of petticoat government and urged her to look round for a husband.
+She did, calling to aid her uncanny gift. The discussion with her
+subjects probably took place in the open, high up on Vy[vs]ehrad.
+Libu[vs]a, with that far-away gaze proper to all soothsaying, pointed
+out over the distant hills, saying, "Behind those hills is a small river
+called Belna, and on its bank a farm named Stadic. Near that farm is a
+field, and in that field your future ruler is ploughing with two spotted
+oxen. His name is P[vr]emysl, and his descendants will rule over you for
+ever. Take my horse and follow it; you will be led to the place."
+
+The lady was not quite correct about P[vr]emysl and his
+descendants--they have ceased to rule over the Czechs, and are now
+replaced by a sovereign people; but she certainly was right in her
+description of her future husband and his surroundings. The search
+party, following Libu[vs]a's horse, found P[vr]emysl busy at his plough,
+roped him in and brought him to their Princess. Legend again asserts
+that P[vr]emysl made a first-class husband and ruler (he probably did
+exactly as his wife told him) and his descendants reigned with varying
+fortunes, until the first years of the fourteenth century--a very good
+innings for the lineage of P[vr]emysl, the sturdy farmer, and that
+far-seeing lady Libu[vs]a, his wife. During those centuries the Czechs
+had consolidated into an important kingdom; from a misty chaos of
+heathen Slavonic tribes had grown a people brave and generous, with a
+culture all its own, and above all with a surpassing gift of expressing
+itself in music.
+
+It must not be supposed that Libu[vs]a rested content with being wife to
+P[vr]emysl, just keeping house, mending clothes and minding the babies.
+She continued her activities as directress of her people's fortunes, and
+is made responsible, among other matters, for choosing the site of the
+Hrad[vs]any, the Castle of Prague, and this is what the chronicler has
+to say about it.
+
+One day as Libu[vs]a looked out from her fastness over the river towards
+the wooded heights to northward, she was moved by the gift of prophecy
+to which she was addicted when deeply stirred.
+
+Her own abode, built by her father, hung upon that rocky crag called
+Vy[vs]ehrad, and was probably by no means roomy; Krok, her father, had
+no doubt found it a convenient spot, being somewhat difficult of access
+in those days to armed visitors, who were likely to prove a disturbing
+element. The ancient Slav preferred to build in secluded spots, on
+heights amid forests for choice, there was so much to guard against in
+those dark ages, so the wooded heights that Libu[vs]a looked out upon
+must have appealed to her strongly. Anyway, she decided to act,
+prefacing action by some quite useful sooth-saying. According to the
+chronicler Cosmas of Prague, who lived three or four centuries after
+Libu[vs]a had passed away, the following impressive scene was enacted:
+Libu[vs]a, standing on a high rock on the Vy[vs]ehrad in presence of her
+husband P[vr]emysl and the elders of the people, incited by the spirit
+of prophecy, uttered this prediction: "I see a town, the glory of which
+will reach the stars. There is a spot in the forest, thirty stades from
+this village which the River Vltava encircles, and which to the north
+the stream Brusnice secures by its deep valley; and to the south a hill,
+which from its rocks takes the name Pet[vr]in, towers above it. When you
+have reached this spot you will find a man in the midst of the forest,
+who is working at a door-sill for a house; even mighty lords bend before
+a low door. From this you shall call the town which you will build there
+'Praha.'" The elders did as they were bid, and so Prague arose. The
+Czech name is Praha, the derivation possibly from _prah_= door.
+
+The Hrad[vs]any Hill was thus by Princess Libu[vs]a indicated as the
+pinnacle on which should rest for ever the glory of Prague and of
+Bohemia. Glory is a doubtful gift and costly, and the history of Prague
+shows clearly that this is true. No doubt work was started at once on a
+castle to crown the hill. Libu[vs]a probably saw to it that there was no
+time wasted. This would be some time about the middle of the eighth
+century, but history, as handed down from those days, is wrapped about
+with mystery and legend from the obscurity of which events gradually
+detached themselves. It was not till Christianity had got a firm hold of
+the Czech people that any half-way reliable records were kept.
+
+We will take it for granted that it was Libu[vs]a who, with the seer's
+eye penetrating the future, laid the foundations of that right royal
+pile, Prague's crown of glory, the Hrad[vs]any. We have the authority of
+Cosmas for this; also Smetana composed an opera all about Libu[vs]a, so
+all our doubts are dispelled. We have noticed the site, and that it is
+admirably adapted to defence, a rocky eminence rising like a promontory
+above the broad Vltava, its steep sides falling down to the river on the
+eastern side, and to deep-cut valleys to north and south. The position
+offers a wide view over the rolling plains to westward. It was from this
+side chiefly that the attackers came--Germans in the cause of the Holy
+Roman Empire, mercenaries of many nations that swelled the imperial
+hosts arrayed against Protestant Bohemia, marauding armies of Swedes,
+all these surged up against the walls and towers of Prague's Royal
+Castle. They broke and passed away like the fleeting cloud shadows you
+may watch floating across the fields and wooded slopes of Jilove,
+[vC]erny Kostelec and Zbraslav to the blue hills of Hrade[vs]in beyond.
+But the castle still stands a sentinel over ancient Prague.
+
+It must have been a pleasant post, that of sentry upon a look-out tower
+of the Castle of Prague. What with the ever-changing beauty of the
+landscape and the chance of noticing a hostile force approaching with
+colours flying and spear-heads a-glitter in the sun, with, moreover, a
+prospect of a fight, a sentry's life should have been a happy one. It
+would be expected of the sentry that he should not be so held by the
+fascination of the scene as to omit to report any unusual occurrence. I
+have known such a thing happen even to an otherwise well-regulated
+sentry. It was in Mandalay where from a wooden tower in the middle of
+Fort Dufferin a sentry held watch and ward over the town. One bright
+afternoon the town caught fire. The sentry was so much impressed by the
+grandeur of the scene that he quite forgot to report the matter, and a
+large part of the town was utterly destroyed. That man might have been
+qualified as an artist, an author or a poet; as a sentry he was
+disappointing.
+
+There are no records of sentry yarns dating back to the really exciting
+times in the history of the Hrad[vs]any; I have discovered only one, and
+that of a comparatively recent date. The event narrated happened in the
+autumn of 1753 at 11 p.m. The sentry was a grenadier; please note the
+accuracy of detail which should dispel any doubt as to the truth of the
+story--the grenadier touch is especially convincing. This grenadier, it
+would seem, was posted in the inner court of the castle, probably at the
+entrance to what is now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Propaganda
+(places of that kind want a deal of watching). The grenadier was
+probably as bored as any sentry can be up till midnight sharp, when
+things began to happen. First of all, the dark mass of the cathedral was
+suddenly brilliantly illuminated from within. Then from that little side
+entrance to the cathedral emerged a tall figure all in white. The sentry
+challenged, as a sentry should. No use. The tall figure strode up to the
+sentry, halted before him, cast a handful of corn at his feet and
+stalked back the way it came. Lights out!... The next night at the same
+hour the programme was repeated before a new sentry, also a grenadier:
+the former one had probably reported himself sick. On the second night
+the apparition cast down a handful of silver coin. The grenadier left
+them all lying on the ground--this is the only part of the story that
+strikes me as weak. On the third night, the military being represented
+as before, the tall figure reappeared with commendable punctuality. On
+this occasion the management had arranged a display of moonlight in
+order to show up the pallid features, blood-stained clouts and other
+accessories suitable to a first-class apparition. Moreover, this being
+positively its last appearance in public, the tall figure spake: "1754
+rich harvest, 1755 gold in plenty, 1756 blood in streams." And so it
+happened. In the year 1754 there was a record harvest in Bohemia, the
+year 1755 brought considerable wealth into the country (the handful of
+silver was probably something on account), and in 1756 the Seven Years'
+War broke out. So the story must be true, all except that little bit
+about the grenadier leaving all the silver lying on the ground.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We were really still watching the Hrad[vs]any grow out of Libu[vs]a's
+prophecy. The chronicler left it to others to find out where the
+building stood for which the man in the forest was carpentering the
+door-sill as described by Libu[vs]a. That great lady simply said that
+the work was going on in the forest which surely extended down to the
+river-bank in those days. This may have encouraged the belief that the
+first house, built by Libu[vs]a herself, of course, stood somewhere
+below the Castle Hill--it is said on the site of the old posting house,
+but some one obliterated all trace of it by erecting a church, dedicated
+to St. Procopius, above it, no doubt as part of the business of stamping
+out paganism. The Church of St. Procopius is no longer in evidence, and
+as there have been further additions and improvements to the quarter of
+Prague in question since the eighth century, it is now quite impossible,
+even to the liveliest imagination, to fix upon the spot where stood that
+first house. It does not matter very much either. The Hrad[vs]any itself
+is easily the most imposing and interesting sight which Prague has to
+offer.
+
+The massive strength of the castle, the Hrad[vs]any, holds your gaze
+from whatever quarter of Prague you may happen to look out. The castle,
+as we know, has a hill to itself, up the sides of which rise clustering
+palaces, churches, convents and monasteries, buildings of grey stone and
+red-tiled roofs, standing amidst terraced gardens. In spring this
+ancient quarter decks itself with glorious apparel of white of cherry,
+pear and plum, with here and there the delicate pink of almond blossom;
+in winter, when the snow lies "smooth and crisp and even," the scene is
+changed into a fairy network as of delicate lace on a foundation of grey
+and purple; in all seasons it is beautiful.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: THE HRAD[vc]ANY FROM THE FUERSTENBERG GARDEN.]
+
+The first sight of the Hrad[vs]any conveys an impression of sheer
+strength, much as does Gibraltar; it also suggests a lion couchant but
+watchful and strong to protect the city at its feet; this effect is
+particularly noticeable from the Fuerstenberg garden. The beauty of this
+massive pile grows upon you gradually as you see it under the
+ever-varying atmospheric conditions of Prague. By all the canons of
+art the long straight lines of the Hrad[vs]any should be unlovely. The
+towers which broke those lines no longer stand out boldly as shown in
+old prints and engravings, at least on the townward side of the castle.
+They have been gradually merged into the general mass of the building as
+time and progress brought greater demands for living room and lessened
+the need of defensive measures. The straight outlines are still broken
+here and there by some trace of the ancient building showing through, a
+mullioned window, an old stack of chimneys, but on the whole, the mass
+by itself is heavy and uniform. Nevertheless, the general effect is
+splendid, whether you see this stately pile standing out strong and
+massive above the mist from the river or rising in tiers out of dimmed
+silvery greys against an evening sky all gold and emerald, or flushed
+with sunset scarlet. The crown of all this terraced glory is the great
+cathedral. A square massive tower stands up out of the body of the
+church. A purist may find fault with the mixture of styles this tower
+incorporates. The bulk of its structure is Gothic; at the base of the
+superstructure appears a nondescript medley of styles (nondescript at
+least in the eyes of a dilettante) out of which arises a concern of
+domes and cupolas one above the other, supported at each corner by
+little pinnacles crowned with onion-shaped tops. The copper coating of
+these domes and cupolas gives a distinctive touch of colour to the whole
+edifice of warm grey stone; this note of green you will find repeated
+elsewhere on the churches and other buildings of Prague, a piquant note
+but alien to the spirit of Prague both ancient and modern. There has
+been talk of removing the superstructure from the main tower of the
+cathedral and replacing it by a Gothic spire such as adorn the towers
+that flank the west front of the building, spires that gleam like
+lacework when standing out sunlit against dark banks of cloud. It were
+best to leave the superstructure of the main tower as it is; it marks an
+epoch and serves as reminder of a tyranny now overpast. The highest
+point of the main tower is not adorned with a usual emblem of our faith,
+a cross or a cock, but flaunts instead the "Lion of Bohemia" in all his
+rampant pride of a double tail. I shall have more to say about this
+wonderful heraldic animal on some future occasion; it is significant
+that this crest swings over the sacred fane where rest the remains of
+St. Wenceslaus, over the cradle of Bohemia's religious life.
+
+You will remember Libu[vs]a's vision of an endless succession of little
+P[vr]emysls. She overrated P[vr]emysl a bit as a good wife should, for
+the P[vr]emysl dynasty ended abruptly with the murder of Wenceslaus III
+in 1306 at the hand of some unknown assassins at Olomouc, by the Germans
+called Olmuetz. Nevertheless, the family had had a good long spell of
+life and plenty to keep them busy during those six or seven centuries;
+it produced some very fine rulers; all honour to old farmer P[vr]emysl.
+The first eleven scions of that line are very faint figures; they are
+not even dated; only a few of them show more than a shadowy outline in
+the mist of legend and dawning history. Of these early rulers there is
+echo of one Mnata, who is said to have built the first stone house on
+the Hrad[vs]any for his wife Strzezislava. I wonder what he called her
+for short? Strz sounds a bit abrupt, Slava is too general among Slavonic
+people: perhaps he called her Cissie. Strzezislava is certainly too rich
+for ordinary household use. Cosmas passes by this point in silence,
+which is a pity; it is just those intimate little touches that foster
+pleasant social relations and justify the chronicler's attitude of
+omniscience; our illustrated Press has reached perfection in that line.
+Mnata and Strzezislava flit across the stage and pass into oblivion
+without the benefit of gramophone and cinema. Then emerges one
+Bo[vr]ivoj, first of that name, who stands out more distinctly against
+the background of misty legend, probably by reason of his having
+embraced Christianity; he also embraced a lady, Ludmilla, who became his
+wife and one of Bohemia's moat popular saints and patrons. It happened
+that Bo[vr]ivoj had occasion to ask his neighbour Svatopluk, Prince of
+Moravia, for protection, and then he became acquainted with that
+energetic missionary, St. Methodius. Unhappily we have no precise
+information concerning date and place of this picturesque event. The
+chronicler has done his best by giving the following story to fill up
+the blank. He narrates that Bo[vr]ivoj was not allowed to sit at table
+with Svatopluk, but was given a low stool apart, as being unfit to
+associate with Christian company. This is what the Christian chronicler
+says, and he made it his business to bear testimony on all occasions. It
+is, however, quite conceivable that Bo[vr]ivoj's manners were not up to
+refined Moravian form. Anyway, Bo[vr]ivoj allowed himself to be
+converted, and as there is no mention of his table manners we may assume
+that he reached the required standard.
+
+After all, manners are a matter of relativity, and not so long ago,
+somewhere about 1700, the Austrian Court found it necessary to issue a
+handbook thereon, in which guests bidden to the imperial banquets were
+requested not to throw their chicken bones under the table, it made so
+much extra work for the servants. There is quite a modern touch about
+this.
+
+With all the fervour of a convert, Bo[vr]ivoj set about the salvation of
+his people from heathen darkness. I have sought diligently for some
+records of the beliefs held by this branch of the Slavonic race. There
+is no evidence of any deities of strong if unpleasant personality, such
+as that obstinate, one-eyed Wotan, or that destructive bully Thor, whose
+brutality coloured German mentality down to most recent days, and seems
+to do so still. Neither seem those Slavs to have been subject to
+visitations in their homes by such doubtful characters as Hermes, nor
+was their sense of propriety outraged by the "carryings on" of Zeus. No
+doubt they had some benign deity, and also a malignant, jealous one, no
+western creed is complete without the latter at least, if only for the
+benefit of the priests, but they have left no trace on a people that has
+suffered so much from the wickedness and stupidity of their human
+oppressors. The western Slavs in general and the sons of Czech in
+particular, had their flights of fairies, sprites, pixies and other
+lovable immortals. They are here still; even I, a stranger, claim to
+have heard them in "den heiteren Regionen, wo die reinen Formen wohnen,"
+on the sun-kissed snow of the mountains, in the whispering voices of the
+forest and the song of the burn in the glen. A sight of these benign
+beings has been denied me--for this I make the heavy cuisine of Bohemia
+responsible; but their spirit lives on and informs the sons of Czech in
+the realm of the spirit, in art and poetry, above all in music.
+
+Bo[vr]ivoj plunged into Christianity with enthusiasm; he is known to
+have built a church at Levy Hradec, and is said to have laid the
+foundations of another on the Castle Hill. It appears, however, that
+the pace he set was rather too hot for his people; they raised a deal of
+trouble, and Bo[vr]ivoj had to call in the German King Arnulf to help in
+restoring order. This step did not bring unmixed blessings; it gave the
+Germans an excuse for interfering in Bohemian affairs. Now Arnulf was a
+Carolingian, of bastard blood indeed, but nevertheless under the "Holy
+Roman Empire" obsession, and therefore convinced of the German right to
+round up all Christian countries into that Empire. In this action of
+Bo[vr]ivoj we see the first instalment of the endless trouble caused by
+the obsession which originated with Charlemagne as mentioned in the
+first chapter. Moreover, this German intervention gave to the
+inhabitants of Bohemia their first experience of religious dissension.
+Their first contact with Christianity brought them the choice of rival
+liturgies, the Latin as favoured by the Germans with their "Holy Roman"
+idea, and the Slavonic which St. Methodius had introduced. So
+Christianity in Bohemia began with an exhibition of divergent religious
+views, which may account for a good deal of the suffering brought upon
+this country for its own salvation and its neighbours' benefit.
+
+Bo[vr]ivoj's successors, Spytihnev I and Vratislav I, were kept so busy
+guarding their country against Magyar inroads that it seems they had no
+time to worry about religious differences. Neighbour Svatopluk's
+extensive empire had fallen to pieces owing to the quarrels of his sons
+and under Magyar aggression; this gave Spytihnev the opportunity of
+freeing himself from the supremacy of Moravia which Bo[vr]ivoj had
+accepted in return for assistance rendered him by Svatopluk and the
+Slavonic liturgy thrown into the bargain. This, again, brought the
+Germans nearer to Bohemia, as neither Spytihnev nor Vratislav were
+strong enough to stand alone. As politics and Church worked hand in hand
+in those days, the Germans imposed the Bishop of Ratisbon, and with him
+the Latin liturgy, on Bohemia, whereas such Slavs as had taken to
+Christianity at all were rather inclined to the other version. This must
+have caused a good deal of trouble, so it is not to be wondered at if
+the rulers of Bohemia recalled happier, simpler days. There came a
+certain reaction in the affairs of the P[vr]emysl family. We have noted
+the saintly lady Ludmilla, wife of Bo[vr]ivoj, the first Christian
+Prince of Bohemia. Ludmilla was very pious indeed; you will find
+frescoes illustrating her good deeds, adorning the walls of Karlov Tyn
+(Karlstein), a fine old castle of which I will tell you more by and by.
+It is quite impossible to be so picturesquely good and pious as was
+Ludmilla, in these days of mail-orders, wholesale departments, banking
+accounts and cheque-books. There was another lady of the P[vr]emysl
+family, and she, according to all accounts, was neither good nor pious.
+She was a reactionary, a thorough-paced pagan, and it was this lady who
+caused trouble in the household. The lady's name was Dragomira; she had
+married Bo[vr]ivoj's second son, and had been left a widow with three
+sons. This did not have the usual soothing effect upon the lady.
+Dragomira, as regent during the minority of her sons, had revived
+paganism, and this brought her into conflict with the German King, Henry
+the Fowler. Pious Ludmilla, Dragomira's mother-in-law, was much upset
+about this conflict, for with all her good works she found time to take
+an active interest in foreign politics. Here were all the elements of a
+hearty family row; in addition, Dragomira's sons took different sides:
+Wenceslaus with his grandmother Ludmilla, Boleslav the younger with his
+pagan mother. The chronicler sides entirely with Ludmilla and Wenceslaus
+in his narrative of the domestic dissensions of the P[vr]emysl family.
+He shows no sympathy for the other side, does not realize that Dragomira
+must have got very weary of her mother-in-law's piety and annoyed at
+that lady's interference in the education of her sons. There is a great
+deal to be said for Dragomira's point of view, and it is a pity that her
+remarks on the rival Christian liturgies, Latin and Slavonic, have not
+been handed down to us. Dragomira certainly carried matters too far when
+she strangled Ludmilla with her own veil one evening in chapel; she made
+the mistake of furnishing the other side with a first-class saint and
+royal martyr.
+
+Wenceslaus, the pious elder son, was extremely annoyed at this open
+demonstration of family discord. Dragomira was sent into exile; her name
+was never mentioned again. The treatment meted out to his mother made of
+young Boleslav a more determined pagan than he was before; he sat up at
+night hatching heathen plots against brother Wenceslaus. Boleslav's
+reincarnation is probably to be found among international financiers of
+the present day. The result of his machinations must be told in a fresh
+chapter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+Begins with the accession of Wenceslaus I, tells you how to pronounce
+his name correctly in Czech, and informs you of his piety and general
+saintliness. There is also mention of other saints as suitable company
+for Wenceslaus, and a short account of how that prince qualified for a
+halo himself. We note also the contrition of Brother Boleslav, who made
+a martyr of Wenceslaus, how Boleslav did a good deal of fighting, most
+successfully, and extended his dominions thereby. Also how Boleslav
+learnt to be neighbourly and wise in his choice of a wife for his
+neighbour who was promptly converted to Christianity. Of the son of
+Boleslav I and Dubravka, wife of Duke Mieceslav I of Poland. How
+Boleslav II, called "the Pious," earned that epithet and started Prague
+with a bishop all to herself. Of churches and convents, and Milada, the
+pious sister of Boleslav II. Of the growing importance of Prague and how
+it was recognized and appreciated by Ibrahim Ibn Jacub and many of his
+race.
+
+
+With the accession of Wenceslaus, first P[vr]emysl prince of that name,
+Bohemia passes out of legend into ordered history; its rulers are
+henceforth properly labelled and dated. This is chiefly due to the
+spread of Christianity; priests and monks take up the tale of kindly
+Saga, and keep careful record of events. These chroniclers were not as a
+rule unbiassed; I cannot see how they could have been otherwise, for not
+only did they undertake the task of compiling history, they were
+constantly making propaganda for their own ideals against the paganism
+which still had a considerable hold on the sons of Czech. I doubt
+whether any historian can be absolutely unbiassed; a warm-blooded
+man--and you must be that if you would record the doings of your
+fellow-men--is bound to feel sympathy with or dislike for one or other
+actors in the far-off pageant of history. I frankly admit myself biassed
+in favour of Brother Boleslav the hearty heathen, and somewhat bored by
+that saintly lady Ludmilla. A night out with Boleslav would have been
+more amusing, if less edifying, than a country walk with pious
+Wenceslaus, who would be sure to waste a good deal of time at wayside
+shrines; a picnic arranged by Dragomira and in that lady's company,
+would have been at least a material improvement on any little outing
+with Ludmilla, who would surely have discovered some reason for fasting
+on that particular day. But then I can afford a bias; am only making
+observations from "a Terrace in Prague."
+
+Monkish chroniclers sang the praises of Prince Wenceslaus. My spelling
+of this name is incorrect, but it is more familiar to English eyes than
+any other, as our Christmas carol "puts it with a 'we.'" I do not
+suggest that this St. Wenceslaus is identical with the "Good King
+Wenceslaus" we sing about--in fact, I have discovered another ruler of
+that name who fits the part much better; but of this more anon. The
+correct version of this saintly prince's name is Vaclav, pronounced
+Vatslav. It is as well to get a proper grip of this word, as the show
+street in the town is named Vaclavske Nam[ve]sti, which being
+interpreted meaneth Wenceslaus Place; the Germans call it Wenzel's
+Platz, but this designation is not popular at the moment. It is
+advisable to acquire the Czech version of the name, as the Vaclavske
+Nam[ve]sti is in the business and amusement quarter of the town. As to
+the pronunciation of Vaclavske Nam[ve]sti, it presents no particular
+difficulties, despite the profusion of accents (the Czechs are very
+liberal in this respect), they seem to make no noticeable difference
+with exception of the inverted circumflex, which makes "ye" out of plain
+"e." This is nothing to what the Czech language can do in the way of
+tongue-twisters.
+
+The Vaclavske Nam[ve]sti rises gently towards another hill of Prague,
+Vinohrady. At the top of the rise, looking right down the broad avenue
+over the old town and beyond it to the Hrad[vs]any, is an equestrian
+statue of St. Wenceslaus. There are other likenesses of the Saint; a
+number of them adorn his chapel in the Cathedral of St. Vitus, and
+another statue stands near the castle entrance on the Hrad[vs]any, in
+the latter Wenceslaus is shown looking out over the city, his hand
+upraised in blessing, which is right and proper and quite what the city
+expects of him. The equestrian statue is the most recent portrait of the
+pious prince, and is really quite convincing. We know, or at least I am
+about to tell you, that Wenceslaus was a man of peace, he is therefore
+represented carrying a lance; the modern sense of propriety requires of
+a non-combatant that he should sit for his portrait armed. He need not
+introduce a bunch of bombs or a pot of poison gas into the composition,
+a sword will do. Wenceslaus brought his lance much as the up-to-date
+war-winner girds on a sword when he goes to be photographed. Swords may
+also be worn at weddings, at funerals, also at christenings I believe;
+anyway, on all filmable occasions.
+
+As far as I can discover, St. Wenceslaus only had one fight in his life,
+and then he got killed.
+
+Now that we have arrived at the first of authentically dated rulers over
+Bohemia, Wenceslaus I, 928-935, we may as well take a look round the
+Europe of that time. We find first of all that the peoples were capable
+of getting into just as bad a mess as they are in to-day, and that
+without the aid of any new diplomacy, League of Nations and
+International Conferences. England was, so to speak, nowhere in those
+days; Englishmen did not wander about the Continent making observations
+from terraces, did not even launch missions and commissions on harmless
+and unsuspecting countries, in order to impress the inhabitants thereof
+with our wealth and our good taste in getting rid of it. England was
+very busy with the Scots, Welsh and Danes, who were also causing a deal
+of trouble to the broken-up remnants of Charlemagne's Empire. The ideal
+of the Holy Roman Empire still lived and inspired a host of adventurous
+Counts of the Marches and other bearers of German culture to inroads
+into territory inhabited by Slavonic races. The idea seemed to be that
+as each Slavonic tribe, principality or kingdom adopted Christianity it
+should come under German domination and be held in trust for Mother
+Church by German princes as long as the Papacy conformed to their
+conception of right and wrong. The Papacy itself seems to have had no
+definite ideas of right and wrong at the time, or at least did not put
+them into practice; had, in fact, become thoroughly corrupt and
+ineffective for good. Christendom was in a parlous state, disunited and
+assailed by hosts of barbarians, Danes, Saracens, Hungarians. The latter
+had become especially dangerous to the Slavonic peoples. Before Arpad
+arrived at Pressburg (now called Bratislava, please) in 829, the
+territory inhabited by Slavonic tribes, mostly in principalities of
+varying size and importance, had extended with fluctuating frontiers,
+from Holstein south-eastward through Central Europe to the Adriatic and
+the Balkan range. Arpad drove a wedge into this Slavonic mass and broke
+it into two parts; Arpad's descendants still separate northern and
+southern Slavs. We have seen how the Empire of Moravia went down before
+the Magyars, and that the Bohemians, no longer able to count on support
+from that side, were forced to turn to Germany. The intrusion of the
+Magyars into Central Europe, by dividing the mass of Slavonic races,
+also weakened the influence of the Eastern Church among the Bohemians
+and forced those that were inclined towards Christianity into closer
+communion with Rome via Germanism. German priests were beginning to gain
+the ascendancy over those of the Eastern persuasion, they objected to
+services in the Vulgate, and as they knew no language but their own and
+only sufficient Latin for their clerical duties, their influence began
+to threaten the Slavonic genius of the Bohemians with extinction. This
+was undoubtedly their purpose, and it accounts for much of Bohemia's
+sufferings during the thousand years following the imposition of a
+German bishop on this country by the German King Arnulf to whom the
+immediate predecessors of St. Wenceslaus, Spytihnev and Vratislav had
+appealed for assistance.
+
+Another social institution which was beginning to make its influence
+felt at the time under discussion was the feudal system. Hitherto,
+civilized Europe had depended for offensive and defensive operations on
+large slow-moving armies of foot-folk; these were ineffective against
+marauding barbarians, Vikings in their sharp-prowed ships, or the light
+cavalry of Hungarian or Saracen. Moreover, the governmental system
+organized by Charlemagne had fallen to pieces, and there was no central
+power to order the movements of a large army. Luckily for the cause of
+Christendom and western civilization such as it was, the subordinates of
+Charles's successors hit upon the right tactics to employ against the
+invaders. The nominal subordinates, Counts of the Marches, burgraves,
+barons, took a very free hand in those days of decentralized authority
+and bad lines of communication. Based on impregnable strongholds, they
+met the swiftly moving hosts of marauders with equally mobile troops of
+mailed horsemen, raised, trained and paid by themselves, and bound to
+their feudal lords by the ties of discipline out of which grew the
+tradition of military servitude. It was these feudal lords and their
+mailed horsemen who saved Western Europe; they took their own reward out
+of the lands they saved and out of the neighbours whom they insisted on
+saving, till they eventually became an unmitigated nuisance from which
+Bohemia suffered as much as any other country. But for the moment we are
+concerned with the times of St. Wenceslaus and the first half of the
+tenth century.
+
+It is a pity that no one had thought of holding an International
+Conference in the early days of the tenth century; there were a great
+many things to discuss, and a Conference would have added to the gaiety
+of nations. There was the question of those Northern Slavonic tribes who
+had steadfastly refused the blessings of Christianity as purveyed by the
+Teuton; of course, no one could foresee that the Western Church's
+activities in those northern regions would eventually produce the modern
+Prussian. Then the Conference would have to decide whether or no
+Vikings, Hungarians and Saracens should be admitted to the comity of
+nations, and if not, how to start doing business with those people all
+the same. Then the place of the Conference would have to be decided;
+there was quite a fair choice of suitable localities. Paris was becoming
+popular, had already been discovered by people from over the seas--by
+the Vikings, who, in quest of souvenirs, on one occasion sacked the
+city, on another burnt it down. Aix-la-Chapelle had been popular for
+some centuries before the Vikings discovered the attractions of Paris;
+it had the waters to recommend it, and also memories of pious
+Charlemagne, on which members of the Conference might reflect when not
+engaged in feasting and providing the Press with fiction. Constantinople
+would also have been well suited to an International Conference in the
+tenth century. The Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus was rather a dull
+dog, but he kept a glittering court, and none but the most refined
+society is good enough for secretaries, bottlewashers and other numerous
+hangers-on of conferences. Kings and rulers would probably have attended
+the Conference in person, not being willing to afford the luxury of
+allowing a Prime Minister to neglect home affairs. It would have been a
+pretty gathering, Constantine Porphyrogenitus the bookworm probably as
+president, AEthelstan of England, Charles the Simple of France or as much
+as his neighbours allowed him, that doughty poacher Henry the Fowler,
+German King, and Pope Leo not on speaking terms with him, St. Wenceslaus
+of Bohemia trying to make peace with Henry, and a make-weight of German
+counts and churchmen, possibly representatives of Vikings, Hungarians
+and Saracens. The proceedings would have been marked by a "certain
+liveliness," as we used to say at the front when the fur began to fly.
+The Conference would have differed from those of the present day, by
+leading to a definite result if only in the form of a handsome row of
+corpses; Counts of the Marches, Vikings and others would have attended
+to that. It would have been interesting to note how monkish reporters
+would clothe, or rather veil, their account of proceedings in suitable
+language.
+
+On the accession of Wenceslaus I the relations between his house and
+the German King were strained. This, we have seen, was due to
+Dragomira's anti-German foreign policy. Wenceslaus, however, as we know,
+had occasion to send his mother into exile; she cannot have gone very
+far, as according to popular belief the earth swallowed her up before
+she had had time to get clear of the Castle Hill. Later generations put
+up a chapel over the spot where Dragomira vanished; I consider this
+conduct lacking in tact.
+
+Anyway, Wenceslaus had to face a guileful, determined and quite
+unscrupulous adversary, who had even called at Prague with an army; so,
+being a man of peace, he came to terms with King Henry for a slight
+consideration, namely, an annual tribute of six hundred silver marks and
+one hundred and twenty head of cattle. This warded off trouble from the
+west, but there remained the danger of barbarian invasion from the east
+and there was every reason for erecting strongholds in Bohemia as in
+other countries of Europe. I have found no trace of any such work by
+Wenceslaus. He surely must have done something towards strengthening the
+Hrad[vs]any, Hrad S. Vaclav or something like that, as it seems to have
+been called at the time. Wenceslaus had built a chapel here in which to
+house the relic of St. Vitus; I cannot imagine him leaving such a
+treasure quite unprotected. This precious relic, namely, the arm of St.
+Vitus, had been presented to Wenceslaus by King Henry which was handsome
+of him, as he only got a trifling annual contribution of money and
+cattle out of Bohemia, whereas that country was started off with
+something of sufficient value to account for that noble fane the
+Cathedral of St. Vitus. Bohemia did very well in the way of saints and
+sacred relics; some of her kings were enthusiastic collectors, and we
+remember that Christianity among the Czechs started with a royal martyr,
+the saintly Ludmilla, who was shortly to be joined by another, as you
+will be told later on in this chapter.
+
+We are still trying to find out what Wenceslaus did for his capital and
+country besides collecting odds and ends of saints and building a
+chapel here and there, and regretfully state that little record of
+anything but his piety is handed down to us. Piety, it seems, was no
+more compatible with statecraft in the early days of Christendom than it
+is to-day, and as Wenceslaus took the pious line, he gave way too much
+to the German menace, thus laying up a store of trouble for his
+successors and the sons of Czech which lasted well up to the present and
+does not appear to be exhausted yet. In the meantime Wenceslaus,
+evidently well pleased with himself, continued to set his people a godly
+ensample. I should like to know whether they appreciated him to the same
+extent as did some members of his family, Boleslav for instance, who
+helped Wenceslaus to a crown of celestial glory by the simple process of
+hitting him over the head. I am rather inclined to think that the piety
+of Wenceslaus interfered with some of the innocent amusements of his
+people, among whom paganism was not quite dead yet, as subsequent events
+show. There was an interesting burial ground lying on the route which
+Wenceslaus would follow when going from the Hrad[vs]any to Vy[vs]ehrad,
+which remained the seat of government for several generations of
+P[vr]emysls after the pious prince's demise.... This burial ground, a
+very extensive one, is now covered by the Church of Emaus and its
+monastic buildings; you can see those twin towers, dark ochre in colour
+and topped by characteristic steeple and pinnacles, rising from among
+fruit-trees and red-tiled roofs. Na Morani was the name of this burial
+ground, after Morana, the goddess of death. It was the correct thing in
+pagan society to make pilgrimages to this place in spring: a pleasant
+afternoon in a cemetery was a pastime as popular then as it appears to
+be to-day. The _cachet_ of Na Morani had been rather spoilt by the
+erection of a little church some time in the ninth century, perhaps by
+Wenceslaus himself. Anyway, the pious prince found this church a
+convenient half-way house between Vy[vs]ehrad and Hrad[vs]any, and he
+was wont to put up a prayer or two here before going on to drop a tear
+on the Hrad[vs]any relics. The little church was dedicated to Cosmas
+(not the chronicler) and Damian, saints of the third and fourth
+centuries. It is not known why these gentlemen clubbed together to have
+a day to themselves, but this need not act as deterrent to anyone who
+wishes to observe their day. Wherever pilgrims visit, there you will
+find settlements growing up, beginning with booths and shanties of those
+who sell appropriate commodities, candles, wreaths and such-like. The
+traffic in these articles continues; it was only last Palm Sunday that I
+was offered a variety of wreaths to choose from, small wreaths of
+snowdrops and fir twigs, to be worn on the wrist, to be blessed by the
+priest and then to be left lying about the sitting-room until fit for
+the dustbin. I resisted all temptation to deck myself with snowdrops and
+fir twigs; their subdued tones do not match my aura.
+
+It seems to me that Wenceslaus did nothing in particular for his people;
+he concentrated on his part as royal saint and martyr, and was already
+posing for the statues of himself and the frescoes depicting his good
+deeds, which later ages produced. There was little to show for all this
+prince's good intentions. Pious, indeed, was Wenceslaus; he spent a
+great part of the night in prayer when he should have been recuperating
+for strenuous work on the following day: there was plenty to do for a
+country threatened on the one hand by marauding Magyars, on the other by
+insidious German influence. "He was in the habit of himself cutting off
+the wheat and grapes that the priests required to prepare the holy
+wafers and the wine for the sacrament"--I quote Count Luetzow, but his
+conception of political economy allowed him to pay a large tribute in
+exchange for German interference and the remains of a saint. He lavished
+money on the Church, whereas strongholds were required in defence of
+Christendom, and finally he adopted the tonsure. This struck home to the
+family and made Boleslav's cup of bitterness o'erflow; he plotted more
+persistently than ever against Wenceslaus. Another habit of the pious
+Prince was that of attending Church dedication festivals and their
+anniversaries, in every part of his dominion. The Church feast of
+Cosmas and Damian, much patronized by Wenceslaus at a little town
+called Boleslav, was due on September 28th. Wenceslaus was invited to
+attend this function by Brother Boleslav, who resided there. Boleslav,
+by this time very weary of his pious brother, sat up with a few friends
+of his own way of thinking, waylaid Wenceslaus, and killed him. This
+happened in 935, and the 28th of September is still kept sacred to the
+memory of St. Wenceslaus by those who feel inclined that way.
+
+My sympathy with Boleslav does not blind me to the fact that he did
+wrong in killing his brother. I am glad to report that Boleslav showed
+signs of contrition. The town of Boleslav henceforth became distasteful
+to him, so he quitted it and raised another of the same name. Stara
+(Old) Boleslav, where Wenceslaus gained his degree of martyrdom, is a
+sedate little town near the banks of the Labe (known as Elbe in Germany)
+dozing among orchards and lush meadows and o'ershadowed by tall
+elm-trees. It is by no means a suitable setting for a sensational
+fratricide; I have been to see the place for myself and consider that
+the Wenceslaus-Boleslav, drama requires a different scenario. The newer
+town, Young Boleslav (Jung Bunzlau in German) is much better suited to
+the film; it stands up high on a rock and looks a likely habitation for
+an expert in assassination such as was Boleslav, brother of Wenceslaus.
+
+Despite all Boleslav's efforts, popular opinion has it that Wenceslaus
+is not dead, but fast asleep inside a mountain, making up for nights
+spent in prayer no doubt. I do not believe this report.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[Illustration: OLD BOLESLAV.]
+
+Boleslav succeeded Wenceslaus as first Bohemian Prince of that name. His
+was a long and eventful reign, from 936 to 967, long at least for those
+days when rulers were apt to be removed abruptly. None knew this better
+than Boleslav himself. Monkish chroniclers have little good to say of
+Boleslav I--allegedly on account of that little affair at Stara
+Boleslav and of Boleslav's persistent paganism; actually, I imagine, on
+account of the anti-German attitude he adopted at the outset of his
+reign. Boleslav ruled with a firm hand; he subdued a number of Bohemian
+nobles who had allied themselves with the national enemy the German,
+before he resumed the conflict with Henry the Fowler which his mother
+had started. Henry, no doubt, was quite ready to quarrel, using the
+murder of his ally as a pretext, but he died before he had had time to
+settle down in the saddle, and left his son Otto to carry on. Now Otto,
+first German Emperor of that name, was a strong man, and is called Great
+on account of his success in reviving the Holy Roman Empire. Boleslav
+was a strong man too: Palacky, the famous Bohemian historian, describes
+him as "one of the most powerful monarchs that ever occupied the
+Bohemian throne." He succeeded in defending his country from the armies
+that Otto launched against it, and even the invasion of 950, led by the
+Emperor himself, brought no decisive victory for the Germans. Boleslav
+seems to have considered it futile to continue quarrelling with his
+western neighbour, especially as the usual trouble continued in the
+east, in which direction the Prince proposed to extend his dominions. By
+955 we find Germans and Bohemians allied against the Magyars, who had
+acquired a habit of ravaging Western Europe once a year. They met their
+match on the Lechfeld, near Augsburg, and were utterly defeated in one
+of the most sanguinary and decisive battles fought during the Middle
+Ages. According to Count Luetzow it appears that a Bohemian contingent of
+a thousand men formed part of the victorious army. Boleslav himself,
+with the greater part of his troops, remained to guard the frontiers of
+his country. The defeated Magyars suffered another defeat at the hands
+of Boleslav on their retreat through Bohemia, and their leader, Lehel,
+was taken prisoner. With peace and friendliness on his western front and
+his eastern enemy thoroughly beaten, Boleslav was in a position to carry
+out his ambitious plans. He freed Moravia from the Magyars and united it
+to Bohemia, and he is said to have conquered a considerable part of the
+country between the Carpathian Mountains and the Danube; probably
+Slovakia of to-day. By his conquests Boleslav became a near neighbour of
+Poland and managed to come to a good understanding with Duke Mieceslav
+I, ruler of that country, by giving that prince his daughter Dubravka in
+marriage, which would no doubt be considered a friendly act. Dubravka
+succeeded in converting her husband and his yet heathen people to
+Christianity. Mieceslav must have taken to it very strongly, for between
+them he and Dubravka produced a pious son and heir who was to become
+known as Boleslav the Brave.
+
+Boleslav II of Bohemia, called "the Pious," enjoyed an even longer reign
+than his father did, from 967 to 999, which is one of those easy dates
+to remember. Monkish chroniclers seem to have ascribed a good deal of
+the work done by Boleslav I to his son, probably on account of the
+former's lack of piety in his early days and the latter's exuberance in
+that line. Certain it is that Boleslav II was ruler over larger
+dominions than had ever been held by any Prince or King of Bohemia.
+Besides Bohemia itself the power of Boleslav II extended over Moravia,
+present-day Slovakia, a great part of Silesia, including Breslau,
+districts of Poland nearly up to the town of Lemberg, with a frontier
+touching that of the Russian rulers of Kiev. The Bohemian nobles who had
+troubled his father were entirely suppressed by Boleslav II, who
+appointed burgraves called "z[vu]pans," over the various districts into
+which his territories were divided, and the central authority became
+absolute.
+
+It is not certain whether Vy[vs]ehrad was still the actual seat of
+government or whether the Hrad[vs]any had taken its place. Certain it is
+that the Hrad[vs]any had grown in importance chiefly in the religious
+life of the nation. The foundations laid by St. Wenceslaus were
+extended. It appears that the Church of St. George on the Hrad[vs]any
+dates back to this early period; you can see its two rather stunted
+white steeples standing out over the complex of buildings near the
+eastern point of the Castle Hill before it dips down towards the Vltava.
+The earliest church on this point is attributed to Vratislav, uncle of
+St. Wenceslaus, but this sounds rather doubtful. Boleslav II, however,
+is known to have founded a convent here, probably the oldest in Bohemia,
+and he installed his sister Milada as first abbess. St. Ludmilla was
+also buried here, so the Hrad[vs]any was increasing in sanctity.
+Boleslav II is also responsible for providing Prague with her first
+bishop. We have seen that Henry the Fowler had incorporated Bohemia into
+the bishopric of Ratisbon; this was before that country could be
+considered as Christian, with right, as we have noticed the lapse after
+the demise of St. Wenceslaus. Boleslav II, however, was in a position to
+point to a much improved state of affairs, and so Otto I consented to
+the formation of a separate bishopric of Prague. The Pope consented
+likewise, under the express condition that the connection with the old
+Moravian archbishopric should be broken, and that the Latin liturgy only
+should be used. The German connection was further strengthened by
+placing Bohemia under the supremacy of the Archbishop of Maintz;
+Thietmar, a German, became the first Bishop of Prague. This worthy was
+succeeded after a few years by a native of Bohemia, Adalbert, who
+finally established Christianity in the country. He had a hard task, as
+many heathen customs, such as polygamy, were difficult to extirpate;
+there are even in this day very few churches dedicated to St. Anthony, a
+saint who does not seem to interest or convince the Bohemians. Adalbert
+carried his ideals farther afield, to the country of the heathen
+Prussians, who killed him for trespassing on ground dedicated to one of
+their deities. Adalbert became the third saint and martyr of Bohemian
+origin, and was adopted by the Poles as patron saint.
+
+Though there are no buildings other than those on the Hrad[vs]any
+mentioned by the chroniclers, we may assume that a township was growing
+up by the river at the feet of the Castle Hill. We have the testimony of
+Ibrahim Ibn Jacub, who speaks of Prague as "a great commercial town of
+stone-built houses." Ibrahim's visit must have taken place in the reign
+of Boleslav II. I conclude that he was talking of a town on the left
+bank of the Vltava, because others of his race who came here in that
+Prince's day are said to have been allowed to found a school in the Mala
+Strana quarter. Some fifty years later yet more Jews came to Prague
+bringing presents for the ruler, Prince Vratislav, and Bishop Gebhard.
+They were allowed to build twelve little houses on the outskirts of the
+town, which would be somewhere about the Harrachove. These Jews promised
+to be of good behaviour and to pay double taxes, but in three months
+their numbers had increased to seven hundred, so half of them were
+ordered to go out over the river to where the old town now stands;
+another Jewish settlement was established there. The advent of these
+visitors is proof positive that Prague was becoming not only habitable
+but also a place of importance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+In which good and bad rulers of Bohemia make or mar the fortunes of the
+country, the points being chiefly in favour of the good rulers, despite
+the constant intrigues, quarrels and general misconduct of the
+P[vr]emysls.
+
+Of the harm done by Boleslav III, of the sons of Dubravka the Bohemian
+Princess, Boleslav the Brave and Vladivoj. Of a somewhat tiresome trio
+of brothers and how the line of P[vr]emysl nearly died out. The romantic
+story of Ulrich and Bo[vz]ena the village maiden, and of their
+stout-hearted son B[vr]etislav, who reigned from 1037 to 1055 and
+greatly restored the prestige of his country during those years. How St.
+Adalbert was recovered from Poland, and a few appropriate remarks on the
+subject. Of the buildings and other matters of interest which date from
+the tenth and eleventh centuries and are to be seen in Prague. Of the
+bridge built by Judith, Queen of Vladislav II, in 1167. Of some churches
+in Prague and the round chapels. Of Vratislav, first King of Bohemia,
+and his fights for the Empire. Of B[vr]etislav II, and how he greatly
+exerted himself to extirpate paganism, forbidding pilgrimages to the
+shrines of heathen deities at Arkona on the Island of Ruegen, Of
+Sob[ve]slav, who became hereditary cup-bearer of the Empire. Of
+Vladislav II, contemporary and ally of Frederick Barbarossa. Vladislav's
+crusade and campaigns in Italy. Vladislav founder of the monastery
+called Mount Zion at Strahov. About Strahov and the beauty and interest
+thereof.
+
+
+Boleslav II had left dominions more extensive than any Slavonic State
+before or since could boast of; moreover, he left the name of P[vr]emysl
+in high repute for piety and ability. Boleslav III, his son, undid all
+the good his predecessors had brought to their dominions and their
+reputation; in fact, within a few years of his accession he found
+himself stripped of all his belongings save Bohemia, and his hold on
+even that country was under dispute at times. It appears that Boleslav
+III was constitutionally unable to agree with anyone; contemporary
+chroniclers describe this Prince as cruel, avaricious and distrustful.
+The sons of Czech have always had a strong objection to paying for what
+they do not want, and that is what Boleslav was always expecting of
+them. He became so unpopular among his own people, who were called upon
+to finance him in his troubles with his brothers, that they invited
+their Duke's cousin, Prince Vladivoj, brother of Boleslav the Brave of
+Poland, to intervene. Vladivoj died young, so his brother took charge
+of all that had been the Bohemian realm, and incorporated it with his
+own; Boleslav of Poland, it is said, even contemplated making Prague the
+capital of his Empire. There is no trace of anything he did for the
+city, so we must assume that he did not carry out his intention: he was
+probably prevented by the inevitable friction with the Germans, who
+always found some excuse for putting down any attempt at founding a
+strong Slavonic Empire. In this instance King Henry II intervened on
+behalf of Boleslav III, who had stooped to becoming a vassal of the
+German King, with the title of Duke. After the usual fighting, Boleslav
+III was restored to his country for a short period in which he
+distinguished himself by wholesale assassination of his opponents. He
+eventually died in Poland as prisoner of Boleslav the Brave. Meanwhile,
+what with his cantankerous brothers, with Polish ambitions and German
+ill-will, Bohemia was having a sorry time.
+
+In all this unseemly wrangling among the members of the P[vr]emysl
+family I find only one bright spot of human interest, and that is the
+little affair of Ulrich and Bo[vz]ena. All three brothers, Boleslav III,
+Jaromir and Ulrich, the last surviving P[vr]emysls, were childless, and,
+failing heirs, their inheritance would pass to Poland, to the children
+of Dubravka. A P[vr]emysl successor was wanted; Ulrich and Bo[vz]ena
+provided one. It is undoubtedly true that Ulrich was already married
+when he encountered Bo[vz]ena, the beautiful village maiden, while she
+was washing the family linen at the village pump. It was a picturesque
+event, this meeting of the young prince and the village maiden, and has
+been satisfactorily illustrated by a patriotic Bohemian painter. You
+will find highly coloured reproductions of that artist's work in a shop
+window on the Narodni T[vr]ida, all illustrating events in the history
+of the P[vr]emysl family, and when you see what Bo[vz]ena looked like
+you will not blame Ulrich. Anyway, Ulrich married Bo[vz]ena. How he
+managed this without causing complications is not our affair; the
+ancient chroniclers were satisfied; they insist on the legality of this
+union, and as we know them to have been very particular in such
+matters, it is not for us to discuss the point. You must also remember
+that Christianity was yet young among the Czechs and that they had been
+strongly addicted to the amiable habit of polygamy. You may also gather
+what was the attitude of Bohemian chroniclers from the remark which
+Dalimil, the contemporary of Ulrich, puts into the latter's mouth:
+"Rather would I entrust myself to a Bohemian peasant girl than that I
+should take a German queen for my wife. Every heart clings to its own
+nation; therefore would a German woman less favour my language. A German
+woman will have German servants; German will she teach my children."
+From this remark you will understand that the Bohemians thoroughly
+appreciated their neighbours.
+
+Ulrich reverted to type, and once again the stout peasant stock of Czech
+came to the rescue of a fading dynasty; the son of Ulrich and Bo[vz]ena,
+B[vr]etislav I, was destined to restore the house of P[vr]emysl to a
+position more in keeping with its great traditions. Before succeeding
+his father, B[vr]etislav was given an opportunity of proving what good
+stock he came from. Boleslav of Poland had died, his sons quarrelled
+over their heritage, and their dissensions gave the neighbours an excuse
+for interfering. One of these neighbours was King Stephen of Hungary,
+afterwards called "the Saint." He had only recently been converted from
+paganism, but he took part in this Polish dispute just as if he had been
+a ripe old Christian monarch of some standing. Stephen had the happy
+thought of taking Moravia for himself, no doubt in pious memory of his
+ancestor who first stole it. The same idea occurred to Ulrich of
+Bohemia, who sent young B[vr]etislav into Moravia, where the latter
+defeated the Magyars rather badly; Moravia thereupon was added to
+Bohemia, whereas Slovakia remained with Hungary.
+
+B[vr]etislav failed to realize his ideal of forming a strong national
+Slavonic State, independent of German rule--he had too strong an Emperor
+against him, Henry III; but he certainly restored Bohemia and the
+P[vr]emysl dynasty to a position of some importance in Europe. He was,
+however, unable to shake off the German grasp of his country; German
+armies had arrived before Prague and threatened that city with
+destruction, so B[vr]etislav submitted to the inevitable, paid tribute
+to the Emperor and spent the last and peaceful years of his reign in
+restoring order and prosperity to his country. The city of Prague
+benefited by the bravery of B[vr]etislav, for as a result of that
+Prince's successful campaign against the Poles the body of St. Adalbert,
+whom you have met before as Bishop of Prague, was captured by the
+Bohemians and restored to their capital. There was, I believe, some
+trouble about this operation of B[vr]etislav. The ruler and people of
+Poland had appointed Adalbert as their patron saint; he had been killed
+in their country, had been buried there some time, and had even a
+cathedral to himself at Gnesen. The Pope launched a bull or two at
+B[vr]etislav over this business. I do not know whether any of them took
+effect. The Bohemians were ordered to return Adalbert to the Poles, but
+I do not know that they did so, neither have I seen him lying about in
+Prague, probably because I have not looked for him. Adalbert is the
+patron saint of Emaus in Prague among many other churches in Bohemia,
+but no doubt he can find time to patronize Poland as well. Anyway, I do
+not anticipate any strained relations between the Republics of
+Czecho-Slovakia and Poland on this account; both countries are more
+interested in a yet older fossilized form of creation--coal to wit.
+
+With the best will in the world it is difficult to rise to any
+enthusiasm over the majority of Bohemia's rulers in the eleventh and
+twelfth centuries. There seems to have been nothing of beauty or
+interest in individual P[vr]emysls to break the monotony of endless
+quarrels between brother claimants to the throne and appeals of
+unsuccessful rivals to their German neighbour, whose decision would be
+entirely guided by the desire for a further weakening of Bohemia. Prague
+has little to show in the way of architectural interest dating from the
+eleventh and twelfth centuries, but what there is is good. I doubt
+whether any other city in Europe has much to show of that period of
+transition from Romanesque to Gothic: whatever there was has generally
+been pulled down or built over when the great flood of Gothic poured
+over Europe some century or so later. But if there is little to see in
+Prague which can be clearly traced to the two centuries under
+discussion, it is of interest in showing the expansion of the town since
+Libu[vs]a's prophecy concerning it. The Hrad[vs]any came in for some
+attention. Another church, dedicated to All Saints and built up very
+near the Basilica of St. George, dates back to the eleventh century.
+There are, or were till recently, distinct traces of work dating from
+that century to be found in the Karmelitska Ulice, that thoroughfare
+which leads from the Malo Stranske Nam[ve]sti towards Smichov. We have
+already noted that the Jews had settled in this part of Prague towards
+the end of the tenth century and that some of them had been ordered
+across the river to another settlement of their kind, so there must have
+been good steady business to be done in Prague. I have often wondered
+how and where people crossed the Vltava previous to 1167 when Judith,
+Queen of Vladislav II, built a bridge very near the site of the present
+Charles Bridge. Judith's bridge was eventually carried away by floods,
+but the Mala Strana bridgehead tower remains; you see it with its squat
+tower and broad chisel-shaped steeple, rising up beside the more
+graceful and ornate tower of the present bridge, which was new in the
+early years of the fourteenth century. The stout tower built by Judith
+is a very interesting study of architecture; it has had a long life of
+usefulness, having been used for many years as a lock-up for the froward
+youth of the neighbourhood, and it is still inhabited. This sturdy
+remnant of Judith's bridge, which you can see from my terrace, is the
+only trace I have found of means of communication between the two banks
+of the river. There must have been considerable traffic, as we know, for
+instance, how St. Wenceslaus was in the habit of going to and fro
+between Hrad[vs]any and Vy[vs]ehrad. The river was probably fordable in
+several places, but it is rather a treacherous stream with a swift
+current and an uncertain bottom; some Hungarian troops attempted to
+cross it by a ford on a certain memorable occasion, and were swept away
+to perdition. Yet even before Judith's time there must have been need of
+a bridge. The town and various settlements around it were growing up, as
+is proved by the number of churches which were considered necessary or
+appropriate. The Hrad[vs]any was very well off in that respect. Then
+there was the Church of St. Cosmas and Damian, where you now see the
+towers of Emaus, and in the twelfth century, if not at the end of the
+eleventh, the foundations of the Tyn Church were laid. This period also
+has left three quaint little Romanesque chapels in various parts of
+Prague. They are very well preserved, these little round chapels, and
+the fact that they are pretty far apart suggests the extent to which
+Prague had expanded by the end of the twelfth century. There is one of
+these chapels dedicated to St. Martin, on Vy[vs]ehrad, another to St.
+Longinus, rather difficult to find, some half-mile north-east of Emaus;
+and a third, the oldest of all, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, stands
+near the old Town Tower of the Charles Bridge. There is also a
+seventeenth-century _baroque_ imitation of these Romanesque chapels
+under the riverside slope of the Letna Hill, which is not worth
+troubling about.
+
+While Christianity was striking its roots yet deeper into the soil of
+Bohemia, the rulers of that country were being drawn into the quarrel
+between the spiritual and the would-be temporal head of the Church; the
+"Investiture Strife" gave Vratislav, son of B[vr]etislav I, an
+opportunity of strengthening his independence and increasing the
+importance of his country. He took sides with Emperor Henry IV against
+one of the strongest of the Popes, Gregory VII. The Emperor's Bohemian
+allies took part in many of that monarch's battles, chiefly against the
+Saxons, who appear to have been hereditary enemies of the sons of Czech,
+and the victory at Hohenburg on the Unstrutt in 1075 is attributed to
+the bravery of the Bohemian troops. Six years later Bohemian troops
+helped Henry IV in his attack on Rome, and their leader, Wiprecht of
+Groitch, was one of the first to scale the walls of the Eternal City.
+The Czechs have always been good hearty fighters, and of the three
+hundred who set out to help the Emperor against Rome only nine returned
+home to Bohemia. The Germans, even in those early days, were thorough
+utilitarians.
+
+[Illustration: ST. MARTIN'S, VY[vS]EHRAD. B.G.B. 1912.]
+
+As reward for his many and great services Henry IV promoted Vratislav to
+the rank of King. It appears to have been, as it were, brevet-rank only;
+it was not hereditary. Nevertheless it was a great day for Prague when
+the ruler of Bohemia was crowned with the golden diadem, presented by
+the Emperor himself. There was no doubt that King Vratislav had earned
+the distinction--he had done well by himself, by his country and by his
+ally the Emperor--so no doubt the Basilica Church of St. George on the
+Hrad[vs]any and its congregation did all honour to the crowning of
+Bohemia's first King. It is also interesting to note that Vratislav had
+"contributed to the party funds"; he had lent money to the Emperor. This
+should strike a homely, familiar note among us.
+
+The frescoes in St. George's Church probably date from the time of King
+Vratislav; there was a distinct revival of love for things beautiful in
+those days when the peoples were beginning to see the light that was
+rising, gently but persistently, over the subsiding chaos that had
+claimed Europe for the past three centuries and more. True, the world
+was still a confused and worrying sort of place to live in; apart from
+the soul-sickening public quarrels between Rome and the Empire, there
+was a good deal of private enterprise in that line between all manner of
+petty potentates. Nevertheless there was some improvement to be noted,
+first in the tendency of fostering national feeling in place of a
+confused cosmopolitanism, secondly by the effects of the Cluny movement
+in its endeavour to reform the Church. The tendency of the time
+expressed itself in beautiful illuminated manuscripts, and Prague is
+lucky in the possession of many such. It is probable that Duke
+B[vr]etislav II, grandson of the first prince of that name, encouraged
+the expression of his people's religious and national sentiments, in
+those illuminated manuscripts of the Bible, of Missals, and the
+"Cantionales," those works so beautiful in design, so loyal and sincere
+of execution, their colours as fresh as when the artist's hand withdrew
+reluctantly from the finishing touch.
+
+B[vr]etislav II had had a misfortune in his youth; he had caused a
+courtier of the name of Zderad to be murdered. Zderad had insulted the
+young Prince; what with that and the courtier's unpronounceable name it
+is no wonder that B[vr]etislav was roused to act indiscreetly. He found
+it advisable to spend some years abroad after this little affair, and
+only returned home when his father's neck was broken out hunting.
+B[vr]etislav took up the anti-pagan line very strongly. It seems
+strange, but there was still a certain amount of paganism lurking in
+secret places in Bohemia. It was not safe to indulge in heathen rites at
+home, but there were places abroad where it was still possible. One of
+these places is still a fashionable holiday resort, the Island of Ruegen
+in the Baltic Sea. Here there was a temple at Arkona, to Svantovit, the
+god of air and light, besides a local and household deity president over
+all Ruegen, called Rugevit. I can quite imagine a couple of Czech
+householders, law-abiding and good church-goers, conspiring to get away
+from the family for a bit and take a trip to Ruegen, just for a flutter
+with the old gods. What with the secrecy required, as both Ruler and
+Church forbade the practice of worshipping Slavonic deities, the
+practice must have been quite as exciting as _petits chevaux_.
+
+Whether it was this interference with the Ruegen pilgrims or his action
+in stamping out the custom of holding religious services in the language
+of the country, B[vr]etislav II was not popular; he was eventually
+murdered by some of his nobles. The successors of B[vr]etislav seem to
+have been cantankerous and inefficient; it is wearisome to read of those
+hopeless people throwing away the fruits of good work done by such stout
+fellows as B[vr]etislav I or even the hearty heathen Boleslav. In all
+this distressing muddle of brothers, cousins, etc., fighting, getting
+beaten and running off to the German Emperor to howl to him about it,
+there are occasional bright spots. So for instance, one Sob[ve]slav, who
+came to the throne in 1125, and found things in the usual mess, with
+half the country against him; nevertheless he managed to beat Emperor
+Lothair most heartily. Lothair had crossed the Giant Mountains in order
+to support the claims of some other P[vr]emysl, had met Sob[ve]slav's
+hastily gathered army at Kulm, near Teplitz, and had been handsomely
+beaten. Not only that, but Lothair and the remnants of his army were
+surrounded, and it was up to the Bohemian Prince to impose terms this
+time. Sob[ve]slav was thus able to improve the status of Bohemia
+considerably, and he added to his country's dignity by receiving the
+high office of hereditary cup-bearer of the Empire, from Conrad III,
+Lothair's successor. Cupbearer in perpetuam to an Empire sounds very
+important and suggests great possibilities of influencing people. As a
+matter of fact the office gave Bohemia certain rights within the Empire
+which went some way to balance the obligations; nevertheless German ties
+were fastened yet more securely on the sons of Czech.
+
+Sob[ve]slav was succeeded by his nephew Vladislav, another P[vr]emysl to
+rise to royal rank. This Prince passed through the usual troubles before
+securing the throne to himself, and was perforce driven to invoke the
+German Emperor Conrad in order to establish his sovereign rights over
+the whole of Bohemia and Moravia. The reign of Vladislav I (as King) is
+relieved by a certain picturesqueness, by a touch of romance, from the
+usual sordid course of events in the life of the P[vr]emysl dynasty with
+its rivalries, treachery, conspiracies and other social amenities of the
+time. There is even something picturesque in the fact that the Pope had
+felt obliged to send Cardinal Guido with a special mission to establish
+order among the Bohemian clergy. These amiable gentlemen would persist
+in entering the bonds of matrimony; if Bohemian ladies were as
+attractive then as they are to-day, I feel the sincerest sympathy with
+those gallant priests. It is easy to imagine what trouble arose when
+Cardinal Guido insisted that all married priests should either separate
+from their wives or renounce their dignities, and there were some
+clerics of the highest rank, among them a couple of deans, who were
+called upon to this act of renunciation. The immediate result of the
+Pope's interference was that the Bohemians chased his legate from Prague
+to Eger, where the latter succumbed to his injuries. This was certainly
+a picturesque incident, but it was not appreciated by the Papacy, which
+was hotly in favour of Cluniac principles. There were other picturesque
+events pending which forced a compromise even on Rome; the second
+crusade, much encouraged by Cluny, was in course of preparation, and as
+all Christian countries of Europe were expected to take part, the time
+was not propitious for bringing pressure to bear on Bohemia's ruler. He
+had not arrived at royal dignity when the Guido episode took place; it
+was within the first year of his reign. The royal crown was bestowed on
+Vladislav a few years later by another romantic personage, Frederick
+Barbarossa, in consideration of Bohemian assistance against the
+Emperor's enemies in Northern Italy. Vladislav marched an army of ten
+thousand men from Bohemia, took part in the siege of Milan, and himself
+killed Dacio, one of the leaders of the Milanese.
+
+I doubt whether Vladislav is entitled to an effigy with feet crossed, as
+his part in the second crusade was not remarkable. He took his troops to
+Asia, left them there under the charge of King Louis VII of France, and
+returned to his own country via Constantinople, where he indulged in a
+little intriguing with the Greek Emperor Emanuel. This seems to have
+given the flamboyant Greeks the impression that Bohemia's King had
+become a vassal of their Emperor; they were disillusioned some years
+later when Vladislav assisted Stephen III on to the throne of Hungary
+against the Emperor Emanuel's choice.
+
+It is all very fine and thrilling to read about picturesque princes,
+romantic rulers, and we shall hear of several in the history of Prague,
+but they are not necessarily an asset to a country that wishes to
+develop in peace and consolidate within its own boundaries. It is
+difficult to see what good Vladislav did by his trip to Asia with the
+crusaders; he left his troops in charge of a foreigner and created a
+distinctly wrong impression on another people while on his way home.
+Again, he was romantically brave in Italy at the head of a Bohemian army
+which was much in excess of the numbers required of him by his agreement
+with Barbarossa. Of this large army very few returned to their native
+country. There is, however, one deed by which Vladislav becomes entitled
+to undying merit: he founded the Monastery of Strahov.
+
+Where the strip of land which connects the Hrad[vs]any Hill with that of
+Pet[vr]in, mentioned in Libu[vs]a's forecast, dips a bit before rising
+again, there Vladislav laid the foundations of Strahov. This happened in
+1140, what time Vladislav was beset by enemies of his own house, who
+disputed his right to the throne; he was even assailed in his capital,
+Prague, by another P[vr]emysl, Conrad of Znoymo. Nevertheless the walls
+of Strahov Monastery rose over the terraced valley that dips down into
+Prague between Pet[vr]in and Castle Hill. The good monks of Strahov,
+illumined by the light that spread from Cluny, soon made of their house
+a home of learning and piety, a haunt of peace where weary souls found
+rest from strife and turmoil; Mount Zion, the people called this sacred
+spot, and the name still clings to it despite the many vicissitudes
+through which it has passed. It must have been a-building when the
+enemies of Vladislav attacked the city, it was destroyed when the
+Hussite wars broke out over Bohemia, and it suffered at the hands of the
+Swedes during the War of Thirty Years. But the good work that Vladislav
+the King had started on Mount Zion of Strahov was not allowed to perish;
+the monastery re-arose from its ashes after each visitation, with
+renewed strength, arose to look out over Prague from its terraced
+height. While looking out over the city with the eye of a friend full of
+loving understanding, the congregation on Mount Zion pursued the even
+tenor of its way, collecting treasures for the benefit of future
+generations. The library, a wonderful sight and soothing after the
+turmoil in the streets of Prague, contains many of those collected
+treasures, instruments used by the astronomer Tycho de Brahe, the works
+of Racusani the philosopher, a gift of Sir Thomas Saville to Hajek the
+sixteenth-century biologist, astronomer, professor of Prague University,
+who had studied in Milan and Bologna and had visited England in 1589.
+Then there are the poetical works of Elizabeth Weston of a noble
+English family, who had made her home in Prague and died here in 1612. A
+very learned lady this, but, it would seem, unhappy. You may see her
+tomb in St. Thomas's Church in Mala Strana, just beyond that imposing
+Jesuit Church of St. Nicholas, on it the following inscription:--
+
+D. O. M. S. B. M.
+
+Elisabethae Joannae Westonae
+
+Nobilitate patriae Britanniae,
+Seculi nostri Sulpitiae,
+Cui nomen dant litterae illibati
+
+    Minervae floris
+    Suadae decoris
+    Musarum delicii
+    Foeminarum exempli.
+
+Strahov Monastery has, I hope, passed through its vicissitudes and has
+entered at last into an existence of undisturbed usefulness. Of its
+earliest appearance there are neither record nor any traces left; the
+storms that passed over Bohemia have obliterated any outward sign of the
+Mount Zion which Vladislav founded and whither generations of the pious
+sons of Czech went up to find peace. One of the first of these was
+Vladislav himself; weary of war and worn out by internal dissensions, he
+abdicated and retired to Strahov to end his days.
+
+Strahov was entirely rebuilt in the seventeenth century, and has
+withstood the enemies of Bohemia from without and within, taking no
+irreparable harm from the open attack of Frederick of Prussia in the
+eighteenth century or the covert attack of those hostile to the faith it
+has stood for down the ages. The quaintly shaped spires of St. Mary's
+Church with its three aisles, its glorious organ the largest in all
+Bohemia, stand out in bold relief amidst the terraced garden and
+orchards tended with fond care. The belfry is silent, its bells were
+sacrificed to the cause of the Habsburgs in the Great War; you may see
+plaster casts of them in the library. Here you may feast your eye on
+gloriously illuminated manuscripts and wonder at the ingenious
+inventions of one or other good brother who sojourned here a while on
+his way to the "Abiding City." There is, for instance, a model of the
+first lightning-conductor. Country folk, when they first saw it, crossed
+themselves, thinking this the work of the devil. The visitors' book in
+the library shows signatures of men famous in history, among them our
+Nelson, who, in company of Sir William and Lady Hamilton, visited
+Strahov on September 29, 1800. The strict rules of the congregation of
+Premonstratensians allow ladies to visit only the library, which is
+approached from the outer courtyard; the picture gallery is
+unfortunately closed to them, a small collection but of value, its gem
+is Duerer's "Rosary Feast."
+
+[Illustration: STRAHOV MONASTERY.]
+
+So stands Strahov, Mount Zion, between the Castle Hill and Pet[vr]in
+looking out over Prague from its terraced gardens and its bower of
+fruit-trees. It is always beautiful, this haunt of old-world peace,
+whether the garden and the orchard be all a mass of blossom creamy white
+in the sunshine, pale purples in the shadows, in the shade of midsummer
+foliage when Golden Prague below glitters in the midday heat, or in
+autumn when the valley is all a blaze of gold and russet, and the
+distant hills stand out in strong blue masses. Winter also brings
+fascination. Strahov, its many windows severely closed and reflecting a
+sullen sky, seems to stand out more austerely from among the gaunt
+tree-trunks, their grey and sombre outlines broken by a fantasia of
+gnarled and twisted branches glittering under snow. But within those
+walls, in the high altar's mysterious depth, in the long bare corridors
+and tiny cells where useful work continues as it has done for centuries,
+there is the "peace that passeth understanding."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Deals in succession with five Kings of the House of P[vr]emysl, Ottokar
+I, Wenceslaus I, Ottokar II, Wenceslaus II and III, with whom the male
+line of this famous dynasty became extinct. This chapter also touches on
+the story of the Jews of Prague and tells about one Dalibor who provided
+a hero for Smetana's opera of that name. Mentions buildings and
+improvements undertaken by the Kings above named; tells of their
+troubles and trials, and how for a time they overcame them. Introduces
+the first Habsburg to Bohemia and makes mention of other visitors to
+Prague.
+
+
+On the death of Vladislav II, in fact on his retirement to the
+cloistered peace of Strahov, it became evident that there were too many
+P[vr]emysls about in Bohemia to make for that country's peace and
+contentment. These worthies were constantly falling over each other in
+the scramble for the throne, and their disunited efforts resulted in ten
+changes in the person of the sovereign over a period of twenty-four
+years. This filled Bohemia's German neighbours with unholy joy and
+brought the distracted country more and more under Teuton domination, so
+much so that Frederick Barbarossa thought fit to summon one or other
+pretender and a bunch of obstreperous Bohemian nobles to appear before
+him at the Imperial Court at Ratisbon, in order that he might exercise
+the right he had assumed of settling the affairs of the P[vr]emysl
+dynasty. By way of a picturesque touch to the proceedings, Barbarossa is
+said to have arranged for a suitable display of executioners' axes at
+the meeting. Nevertheless this pretty imperial conceit settled no
+affairs one way or another, and it was not until P[vr]emysl Ottokar
+became undisputed ruler of Bohemia, and eventually of Moravia as well,
+that order of a sort was restored. Death had also been busy among
+members of the P[vr]emysl family and had brought considerable relief to
+the distracted country.
+
+By the time Ottokar I had settled himself firmly on the throne he found
+that the confused, almost anarchic, state which Germany had drifted into
+could mean many advantages to Bohemia, if the situation were properly
+handled. The House of Hohenstaufen began to go downhill after the death
+of Henry VI, and we find a lusty Welf, Otto, clamouring for the imperial
+diadem, assisted by a number of German Electors. This gave the ruler of
+Bohemia his opportunity, and Ottokar took it. His son Wenceslaus I and
+grandson Ottokar II followed the same line of policy, a purely dynastic
+one. They took sides with one or other of the rivals for the crown of
+the Holy Roman Empire, changing as considerations of domestic interests
+required, and making skilful use of the perennial quarrel between Empire
+and Papacy over the Investitures. While the Hohenstaufens were trickling
+out until the luckless Conradin lost his head at Naples, while fierce
+Welfs like Otto of Brunswick wrecked themselves on the rock of papal
+insistence, Bohemia's rulers were profiting. Ottokar I seems to have
+been particularly astute in this line of business. He supported two
+rival Emperors in turn and got something useful out of both, he upheld
+the cause of Pope Innocent III against one or other imperial rival and
+induced that pontiff to recognize the P[vr]emysl's title to royalty.
+Ottokar even found himself sufficiently strong to try a throw with the
+Pope himself on the vexed subject of Investiture, simply by way of a
+little private sport on his own account and not as part of the general
+European brawl. It happened that Andrew, Bishop of Prague, was one of
+those didactic prelates who insisted on all the little things the Papacy
+was out for--immunity for his clerics from the temporal law-courts, from
+taxes, and so on. Above all, Andrew was strong on the right of
+conferring ecclesiatical office, albeit he had himself accepted
+investiture at the hands of Ottokar. This led to quite a hearty quarrel
+in which Andrew got the worst of it; he had to seek refuge in Rome,
+whence he let off all the customary fulminations, declaring Bohemia to
+be under interdict and so on. Nobody in Bohemia took the least notice of
+Andrew's little efforts; Church and people went solidly with their King
+on this occasion, and carried on their devotional exercises as before.
+
+We have to thank Ottokar for several picturesque flashes which brighten
+up the gloomy picture of this period. So for instance, he took a trip to
+Maintz, where he was solemnly crowned as King. No doubt Prague would
+have been a more suitable setting for this function, but Ottokar had so
+timed his arrangements as to come in for a double event, for Philip of
+Suabia with assistance from Bohemia's ruler, secured the German crown at
+the same time. Then again this thoughtful P[vr]emysl Ottokar provided
+Bohemia with yet another patron saint of the blood royal, and not by the
+old-fashioned family method of killing a relative. Ottokar had married
+Constance of Hungary, and it was their daughter Agnes who next joined
+the distinguished and hallowed company of Ludmilla and Wenceslaus.
+Agnes, educated by St. Hedwig, early distinguished herself by refusing
+to marry Emperor Frederick II. She decided to become a bride of heaven
+instead, founded the Order of Clarissa, entered it herself and
+eventually died as abbess in the odour of sanctity. Frederick consoled
+himself with one wife after another (a wife seems to have lasted no time
+in those days), his third and last being Isabella, daughter of King John
+of England, whose son, Richard of Cornwall, also comes into the story a
+little farther on in this chapter. St. Agnes was held in great reverence
+by the citizens of Bruex, is still so held, I hope, for she did them a
+good turn in 1424. The Pragers had been indulging in a feud with the
+Bruexers, and had taken a bad beating on one occasion. The former
+prepared a surprise attack and marched on Bruex hoping to take it by a
+midnight assault. St. Agnes happened to be watching while the fat
+burghers slept; she roused them from slumber, drove them to the walls
+and aided them in beating off the attacking Pragers, Then the Bruexers
+went to sleep again. It is also pleasant to reflect that Agnes's refusal
+to marry Frederick did not mar the excellent relations that sprang up
+between that monarch and Ottokar whenever the latter happened to want
+something out of the former. It is true that Ottokar had changed about a
+good deal between one rival emperor and another, but he remained loyal
+to Frederick in the end, and the latter outlived him by some thirty
+years. The relations between the two must have been quite pleasant and
+comfortable, as you may judge from the concessions made by the Emperor
+of the Holy Roman Empire to Bohemia's King. A pretty and tactful
+compliment it was on the part of Frederick to allow Ottokar's heralds,
+when preceding their royal master to the Imperial Diet, to carry lighted
+torches on poles before him, and this to signify that the Bohemian
+excursionists were at liberty to burn down anything they had a mind to.
+It is these little considerations that have ever played such an
+important though unrecognized part in the diplomatic relations between
+nations. The Bohemians are still quite nice about accepting little acts
+of kindness and consideration from anybody.
+
+P[vr]emysl Ottokar I had reigned for twenty-eight years when his son
+Wenceslaus, first King of that name, succeeded him, and, strange to say,
+practically without opposition. By this time Bohemia had risen to a
+position of importance in the councils of Europe not only by the
+skilful, not to say artful, policy of its rulers, but also owing to the
+growing prosperity of the country which was reflected in the life of
+Prague its capital.
+
+Prague consisted of three distinct settlements each apparently under
+separate administration. There was the old original settlement on
+Vy[vs]ehrad which seems to have been under the sway of the abbot
+presiding over the monastic institutions on that hill. Then there was
+Libu[vs]a's foundation on the Hrad[vs]any and extending down to the
+river, probably under the rule of the King's lieutenant or burgrave,
+and finally the Old Town on the right bank with its own municipal
+institutions. These three parts of Prague were separately walled in, but
+little remains of any architectural work earlier in date than the Kings
+of Bohemia of whom this Wenceslaus is generally counted as the first
+though his father's royal rank had been recognized by the Pope and at
+least two emperors.
+
+By the time Wenceslaus I came to the throne, the changes were in full
+swing which were to lead up to the golden age of Prague a century or so
+later. We have already noticed a tendency of German immigrants towards
+Prague and other cities of Bohemia. The Germans, mostly tradesmen and
+artisans, came with the civic instinct well developed, whereas the sons
+of Czech were, and still are, more of the fields and forests and the
+free life without walls. The Germans, bringing with them the
+appreciation of walled security, were responsible in great measure for
+the fortified cities of Bohemia and Moravia. It cannot be said of the
+later P[vr]emysl rulers preceding the Kings of Bohemia that they were
+inspired by the founder's ardour. Then again the Bohemian nobility had
+risen to a strong sense of its own importance encouraged by the
+lamentable dissensions in the reigning house, and not uninfluenced by an
+infusion of German blood; they also had taken to walling themselves in
+on convenient hill-tops. As these nobles were become increasingly
+troublesome, it is not surprising that P[vr]emysl rulers induced more
+and more Germans to settle in the cities of Bohemia and Moravia, thus
+starting a steady-going middle class which might be expected to pay for
+peace and protection and which when walled in was conveniently in hand
+for the tax-collector's operations. That this scheme was beginning to
+succeed even in the early days of the twelfth century is proved by the
+fact that Jews were flocking to Prague in ever increasing numbers, so
+there must have been business doing in the capital and other cities of
+the land, under conditions of reasonable security. It may be taken for
+granted that improvements and additions to the defences of Prague, the
+decoration of the town by stately churches and other monuments, however
+much directed by the sovereign, were paid for by the burghers.
+
+The story of the Jews in Prague makes very interesting reading; it is,
+however, beyond the scope of this work to give more than an indication
+of the part that the Children of Israel took in the development of the
+city. You will remember that a travelling commercial gentleman of
+Semitic origin, one Ibrahim Ibn Jacub, had visited Prague in the tenth
+century and had noted the place with approval. As far as I can make out
+he makes no reference to a colony of his co-religionists already in
+existence here, so the story that Jews settled here before the
+destruction of Jerusalem seems little likely. It was, indeed, averred by
+the Jews of Prague that they had their settlement here long before
+Libu[vs]a launched her prophecies, before the birth of Christ in fact,
+so that they at least might be considered guiltless of the Divine
+Tragedy on Golgotha. Their legend calls the place Buiarnum, which
+suggests some acquaintance with the Celtic tribe that rested for a while
+in Bohemia, gave its name to the country and then wandered to Bavaria,
+where it repeated the performance. I find this legend of the Jews
+difficult to believe despite my earnest endeavour to find something of
+truth in Saga's ebullitions. How, for instance, is it possible that the
+gifted lady Libu[vs]a did not discover the advantages of a Jewish colony
+and that she omitted to prophesy a contribution out of the sons of
+Israel towards her new foundation? No, if there had been any Jews within
+signing distance of this city when it arose, Praha would have started
+with a mortgage on her, and the entertainment tax would probably be
+double what it is this day.
+
+You may take it as a general principle that every country has the Jews
+it deserves. If you oppress them, trample them in the mud as was
+customary in pre-war Russia, they will turn and rend you when their turn
+comes round; this is happening in Russia at present. If you despoil a
+Jew by violence, he will do the same to you by guile, and you may or may
+not be left with your full complement of cuticle. If you treat the Jew
+as one entitled to equal rights with equal responsibilities, you will
+find him an excellent citizen.
+
+As elsewhere in the Europe of the Middle Ages, the Children of Israel in
+Prague were confined to certain quarters of the town. We have heard how
+a number of them were ordered to leave the Hrads[vs]any side of the
+river and settle in the Old Town. The quarter allotted to the Jews was
+in that part of the Old Town known as Josefov, and the Old Ghetto stood
+approximately in that complex of narrow streets between the river at the
+Rudolfinum Bridge and the broad thoroughfare Mikula[vs]ska T[vr]ida. I
+could point out the place from my terrace if I were minded to give its
+locality away and to depart from my principle of making every man choose
+his own point of view.
+
+The life of the Ghetto centred round the old Jewish Town Hall, with its
+quaint, indeed rather unsightly, tower on which is a clock that you are
+expected to treat as one of the sights of the place. On the face of this
+clock the numbers are marked by Hebrew letters and the hands of this
+clock move from right to left. The fact that the Jews had a Town Hall to
+themselves in ancient Prague is significant; it stood for the
+semi-autonomous constitution of the Jewish community which was subject
+to the sovereign as a corporate body with its own municipal institutions
+and responsibilities. This peculiar segregation of the Jewish community
+as an _imperium in imperio_, apart in matters of local administration as
+in matters of religion, from their fellow-citizens, must have done a
+great deal towards forming the character of its members, and the result
+has been of advantage to the city of Prague in times of stress.
+
+Close by the Jewish Town Hall stands another yet more ancient landmark
+of cultural history, the "Staronova [vS]kola", or Old New School. Close
+by the side of that broad thoroughfare the Mikulas[vs]ka T[vr]ida, with
+the electric trams clanging along it, stands this strange temple. Dr.
+Je[vr]abek, in his excellent booklet on _Beautiful Old Prague_ likens
+this ancient building to a gigantic hand of Aaron held up in blessing
+over the Ghetto; I think you will agree with me that this is a very
+happy simile. Built in the severe style of transition from Romanesque to
+Gothic, of massive stone walls heavily buttressed, with steep red-tiled
+sloping roof, blackened with age and the grime of the walled-in Ghetto,
+this temple served not only as a place of worship for the sons of
+Israel, but also as a casket for the remains of a yet older one said to
+date back to the sixth century and probably the oldest temple on the
+Continent of Europe. The present fane itself is of venerable age and
+aspect; its building fell into the reign of King Wenceslaus I and
+Ottokar II, and took ten years, from 1250 to 1260. Men only are allowed
+to worship in the inner temple, dingy and dark; whatever light
+penetrates through the narrow windows calls forth reluctant glints from
+the many brass candelabra, work of long centuries ago. Women may look on
+from an outer court through glazed openings that look like
+gun-embrasures.
+
+The Jews required strong defences in the dark days of the Middle Ages;
+their Ghetto was shut off from the rest of the city by heavy iron gates,
+but even these proved of no avail when once the mob got loose and
+undertook a raid. On several occasions organized massacres took toll of
+the "Children of the Ghetto," who on other occasions were banished, bag
+and baggage, from Prague and driven out into the country. Though now and
+again they suffered intolerably, yet were they on the whole better
+treated than in many other parts of Europe, were allowed to develop
+along their own lines, and produced many men of mark and learning, and
+women of distinction, among the latter one who was raised to the
+nobility by a Habsburg Emperor and King of Bohemia, Bas-Schevi called
+"of Treunberg." Among the prominent men whose light shone out beyond the
+Ghetto of Prague, I may mention the poet-Rabbi Abigdor Caro, the
+bibliophile Rabbi Oppenheim whose library is now in Oxford, then the
+chronicler and mathematician David Gans, a friend of Keppler and Tycho
+de Brahe, and Solomon de Medigo de Candia the pupil of Galileo Galilei.
+
+[Illustration: "A RELIC OF THE GHETTO."]
+
+Tall modern houses look down upon the smoke-blackened temple; the Ghetto
+gates have fallen long ago, and nothing remains of its former crowded
+dwelling-places but a quaint ramshackle old house of Oriental aspect,
+and the old cemetery, Beth-Chaim, "the House of Life," as the Jews call
+it. This is no doubt the oldest existing and still preserved Jewish
+cemetery in Europe. Here tombstones stand closely crowded together, or
+lean one against the other under the thickets of ancient elder-bushes;
+glints of sunlight flicker through the dense foliage over graven sign of
+stag, of vine or flower, or the hand upraised in benediction of some son
+of Aaron, light up Hebrew script in its severely decorative characters,
+inscriptions half effaced but not forgotten, for careful record has been
+kept. This old burial ground seems far removed from Central Europe, yet
+it is intimately connected with the story of Prague. Though old
+landmarks are vanishing, yet a mist of legend hangs close over this
+strange, alien part of the city, legends of cabalists, reputed sorcerers
+like Aaron Spira or the more famous Rabbi Jehuda ben Bezalel Loew. The
+latter is supposed to have been in league with the Powers of Darkness
+which bestowed on him superhuman gifts. This Rabbi is said to have
+created an Homunculus which became so troublesome that it had to be
+incarcerated. The spot chosen as prison for this evil being was high up
+in the wall of the temple. A row of iron clamps leads up to a small door
+on the outside wall facing the Mikula[vs]ska T[vr]ida, leads up to where
+Homunculus is still believed to be in durance.
+
+Prague got better Jews than it deserved, for they showed great loyalty
+to the city of their adoption, and, despite persecution, even took an
+active part in the defence of the town. This happened towards the end of
+the Thirty Years' War, when the Swedes were making this part of Europe
+unsafe. The Swedes broke into Prague by the Strahov Gate and attempted
+to seize the Old Town. They had almost succeeded, for the usual
+precautions against surprise had been neglected, but luckily the
+students, butchers and Jews of Prague managed to rally to the defence.
+After fierce fighting on the Charles Bridge, the Swedes had to abandon
+their attempt on the Old Town and retired altogether. On this occasion
+the Jews showed not only public spirit but commendable bravery, and were
+rewarded by the Emperor with a banner, a mighty imposing affair with ten
+poles, as it takes ten men to carry it; you may see this interesting
+trophy in the old temple still.
+
+The Jews of Prague have continued to do good work not only for and in
+the city of their adoption, but well beyond its confines, both in public
+utility work and in science. It is especially in the science of healing
+that the Jews of Prague have risen to eminence, not only by reason of
+their depth of learning and their unremitting labour, but also by the
+generosity and impartiality which actuates them in their dealings with
+sufferers. I myself have personal knowledge of such instances, and I
+speak of people as I find them.
+
+No doubt some of the Jews joined in the picturesque cry which did so
+much to cheer up our Christian enemies of the Central Powers, "Gott
+strafe England!" but I cannot quite imagine any responsible son of
+Israel doing so with Christian fervour; the "jealous God" of the
+Hebrews, having reserved to Himself the right of vengeance, would be
+sure to resent any instructions from "the sheep of His pasture" as to
+how a case of the kind should be dealt with. Moreover, the punishment of
+England may safely be left in the hands of her politicians, who are also
+in one sense or another "Chosen People."
+
+When rewarding those who distinguished themselves in the defence of
+Prague against the Swedes, the Emperor also remembered the butchers of
+the town. These stout fellows brought to their guild, as tokens of
+imperial gratitude and goodwill, the permission to bear as cognizance
+the White Lion of Bohemia clutching an axe; a very rampant lion
+reinforced by a double tail--in fact "some lion," more power to him!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Of Wenceslaus II there is not much to relate in regard to lasting
+monuments of his reign in the capital of his kingdom. He was kept
+thoroughly busy with the quarrels between Pope and Emperor, taking sides
+as best suited his country's interests, making for safety as a rule. He
+also found time for a private quarrel with Leopold, Duke of Austria, but
+he also took that ruler's part against the Emperor Frederick II as
+occasion served. While Central Europe and the Holy Roman Empire was thus
+disporting itself, a diversion was caused by a particularly noxious
+swarm of Tartars which had broken loose from somewhere in Asia, probably
+from the region of Lake Baikal. They swept over Russia, swamping the
+domains of the disunited princes of that country, defeated Poles and
+Silesians at Liegnitz, and generally set up a healthy scare in
+disordered Europe. Wenceslaus rose to the occasion like a good stout
+P[vr]emysl. He fortified the passes leading into Bohemia from Silesia,
+and there his sturdy soldiery defeated the Tartars, who turned off
+towards Moravia, Hungary and Austria, and vanished again from Europe as
+quickly as they had come. Thereupon Pope and Emperor, Bohemian King and
+Austrian Duke, and all the smaller fry, resumed their fighting of each
+other, launching bulls and banns and such-like amenities into space on
+the chance of some one or other being affected thereby. The Bohemian
+nobility thought fit to add to the gaiety of nations by starting an
+insurrection against Wenceslaus, a movement led, according to
+time-honoured custom, by the King's son Ottokar, who had been entrusted
+with the government of Moravia. This Ottokar eventually ascended the
+throne of Bohemia as second King of that name, and became one of the
+most notable rulers of his time and race.
+
+The early days of Ottokar II are noteworthy on account of the close
+connection established between Bohemia and Austria which led to endless
+complications and eventual disaster for the former country. Ottokar
+thought fit to marry Adela, sister of Duke Frederick of Austria,
+Frederick the Warlike, the last of the long line of Babenberg. The lady
+was forty-six, Ottokar twenty-five, but that does not matter when there
+is a chance of inheriting something. Ottokar was elected Duke by the
+Estates of Austria, and endeavoured to incorporate Styria into his
+dominions. In this he met with opposition from Bela, King of Hungary,
+with whom he came to an agreement after the usual fighting. Thereupon
+Ottokar turned his attention to the heathen Prussians, who were supposed
+to be getting ripe for conversion to Christianity. He defeated them in
+several battles, which made his task much easier, and founded a strong
+city, named Koenigsberg after him, to keep the Prussians from
+back-sliding.
+
+It is interesting to note that Ottokar's policy brought him into a
+certain degree of contact with England. The Holy Roman Empire was making
+very heavy weather at the time, the German Electors being thoroughly at
+variance amongst themselves, and so it came about that after a period of
+intense anarchy euphemistically called the "Interregnum," two rivals
+were put up of whom neither could be said to have occupied the throne.
+These rivals were both foreigners to Germany, one being a Spaniard, the
+other Richard of Cornwall, second son of King John of England. Ottokar
+thought fit to support Richard, who in return did little things to
+oblige Ottokar, such as investing him with other people's lands and
+fiefs, and all went well for a while. Ottokar had extended his dominions
+considerably, had brought a number of smaller States, some of them
+German, under his sway and virtually controlled all Central Europe from
+the Baltic to the Adriatic Seas. He had beaten the Hungarian King Bela
+and his friends, Daniel Romanovic the King of Russia and Prince of Kiev,
+a Prince of Cracow and odd assortments of Serbs, Bulgars, and
+Wallachians, most handsomely at Kressenbrunn on the plains of the River
+March.
+
+Ottokar's political conception of the part which Bohemia should play in
+Central Europe is particularly interesting. By conquest, alliances and
+understandings with his neighbours he had acquired a preponderating
+influence in the councils of Europe. The power he had concentrated round
+the Slavonic nucleus of his native country lay almost entirely in
+German-speaking districts, so that a situation arose in which Count
+Luetzov finds some analogy between the policy of this P[vr]emysl Ottokar
+and that pursued by the Austrian Government from 1815, when the
+Habsburgs finally abandoned the notion of a Holy Roman Empire, to 1864
+and 1866, when Prussia took the first decisive step towards reviving the
+same idea under the title _Deutsches Reich_. There is a good deal in
+Count Luetzov's contention, and this subject might well be taken up by
+some leisured student of history. It seems to me that the history of
+Central Europe shows several instances of attempted breaks from
+tradition and striving after a more lasting political re-grouping such
+as Ottokar seemed to have aimed at; I hope to return to this subject
+later, though I may only touch the fringe of it.
+
+Ottokar's plans were completely upset, first by the death of his
+obliging friend Richard of Cornwall, next by events attending and
+arising out of the choice of a new Emperor by the German Electors.
+Ottokar being a Slav, and a very powerful one at that, was heartily
+hated by all German Princes, so they, being in a majority, disallowed
+Ottokar's right to vote at all, and elected as Emperor one Rudolph
+Count of Habsburg. History of this time was recorded by Germans chiefly,
+and they have spared no trouble to blacken Ottokar's character, by which
+process Rudolph of Habsburg is made to stand out as a light shining in
+the darkness. In Germanic eyes Ottokar's fault was that of being a Slav,
+successful and of great ability. I cannot agree with the German
+chronicler's estimate of Rudolph. We are expected to accept him as a
+modest sort of backwoods peer, the kind that wears flannel next its skin
+and keeps its small estates unencumbered. We have also a pretty picture
+in verse of this Rudolph. He is described as meeting a priest carrying
+the Host, on the bank of a foaming mountain torrent somewhere among the
+Alps where the ruins of the Habsburg still show against the sky like an
+abandoned hawk's nest; the name probably derives from Habichts Burg,
+Hawk's Castle. Rudolph dismounted, placed the priest on his horse and
+humbly, cap in hand, led it across the stream. Years after this
+picturesque event the priest, carefully disguised, attended the Council
+of Electors and at the psychological moment, produced his harp, burst
+into song on the subject of Rudolph, and so swayed the Electors that
+they offered the German crown to that modest and retiring Habsburg. I
+cannot believe this story of the priest among the Electors, and my
+disbelief is based on experience of elective bodies. Can you imagine the
+Parish Council, in the throes of electing a suitable person to keep the
+village pump in order, being confronted by a mysterious stranger who
+suddenly interrupts the proceedings by singing the praises of "good old
+Jarge" to the accompaniment of an accordion? No, there is something
+wrong about that election story; I believe Rudolph was a schemer, and
+the whole affair cut and dried before he stood for election at all.
+Certain it is that Rudolph, supported by all Germany, attacked Ottokar;
+this was the first rencontre between Bohemia and the House of Habsburg,
+and it ended in disaster for the former. Ottokar was deprived of all the
+lands he had acquired, betrayed by his own nobles, and finally killed
+in battle near the scene of his victory over the Hungarians.
+
+Despite the troublous times of the two Ottokars and of Wenceslaus I, the
+city of Prague, or rather the communities composing it, had expanded
+into a place of considerable extent and importance, and was already
+spoken of as the City of many Towers. The three above-mentioned
+sovereigns, as also Wenceslaus II, son and successor of Ottokar II, had
+found time and means to do a considerable amount of building of which
+some traces are still evident. We have already noted that Wenceslaus I
+girt the Old Town around with walls, likewise the hill of Vy[vs]ehrad,
+and he took the strengthening of the Hrad[vs]any in hand. This latter
+job was completed for the time being by Ottokar II, who caused those
+imposing-looking towers on the north front of the castle to be built.
+These towers are named respectively Black Tower, White Tower, and
+Daliborka, by which latter hangs a tale which I will relate to you by
+and by. Some of the authorities I have consulted differ as to the actual
+date of these towers, and are inclined to place the building of
+Daliborka in the fourteenth century, probably into the period when
+Charles IV found the royal castle to be badly in need of repair and set
+about the work forthwith. It is certain, however, that both the
+Wenceslaus and Ottokars interested themselves in strengthening the
+fortifications of Prague, and are not likely to have neglected the
+Hrad[vs]any, which stronghold was furnished with a permanent garrison of
+ten knights and three hundred men-at-arms. The north side of the castle
+has preserved the mediaeval appearance which has been improved away on
+the other sides, chiefly by fatuous Habsburger in the seventeenth and
+eighteenth centuries; the north side overhanging the deep-cut Stags'
+Moat shows you the formidable nature of this fortress with its stout
+towers rising up over the tops of tall trees that struggle up out of the
+valley mentioned by Libu[vs]a, for a glimpse of the sun.
+
+The towers of the Hrad[vs]any were suitably fitted out as dungeons, with
+the latest thing in trap-doors warranted to give the visitor a sudden
+and complete change of air. One of these towers soon found a lodger, one
+Dalibor after whom the tower was named for ever after. There is an opera
+all about Dalibor composed by Smetana; the music is very beautiful, but
+as the singing is all in Czech, I have not quite got the hang of the
+story, so will give as nearly as I can and by the aid of my own
+imagination, what happened to Dalibor.
+
+Dalibor, it appears, was a Bohemian knight with views in advance of his
+time: he was a socialist. One day he assembled his friends, relatives
+and retainers in the castle yard and appeared among them armed and on
+horseback. He dismounted and commenced proceedings by scraping off his
+shield the heraldic emblems with which it was charged. Lions and bears,
+rampant, couchant, gardant, and other fauna in becoming attitudes,
+bends, bars, engrailed, dancetty, raguly, gules, azure, argent or
+otherwise--all these things of beauty vanished from Dalibor's scutcheon
+while the assembled multitude wondered "What next?" Thereupon Dalibor
+held forth, in impressive manner and impassioned tones, on the iniquity
+of the system, the inequality of condition, under which they were all
+forced to exist. Having made his assembled fellow-men his equals by
+removing the aforesaid heraldic devices, he would further show his sense
+of equality by leading them in person and on foot to real freedom; so
+said Dalibor. Thereupon the multitude, at Dalibor's heels, set off down
+the hill and started spreading equality all around them. Their method
+was quite simple, indeed it lacked originality: they just helped
+themselves to the goods of those who happened to live by the way. Those
+who failed to rise to this lofty conception of Dalibor and his comrades
+were knocked on the head--also quite a simple and homely method of
+appeal; and so this happy band of pilgrims left behind them a dead-level
+of equality. These their efforts at social regeneration, their
+illustration of economic principles, were not appreciated. Dalibor was
+captured and invited to take up his residence beneath the trap-door of
+the tower that was henceforth to be known by his name.
+
+As soon as he was safely housed, Rumour, the mother of Legend, got busy
+about him. Folk began to whisper to each other the news that wonderful
+music was heard proceeding from out of the stern walls of Dalibor's
+prison; the sound of a violin was heard by the many who were attracted
+to the spot by Rumour. No doubt Dalibor learnt to play the violin: the
+Czech is so intensely musical that he will master any instrument before
+he has got the hang of the grammar of his own language, the fiddle is so
+much easier. The strange thing is that the musical performance continued
+long after Dalibor's death--here Legend steps in with the assertion that
+an angel, a fairy, or at least some sort of supernatural being, is
+continuing Dalibor's programme.
+
+[Illustration: A TOWER OF THE HRAD[vC]ANY.]
+
+There were many other visitors to Daliborka, and in course of time the
+lower stratum of the tower filled up with human relics. As the defunct
+visitors were mostly Czechs, and therefore full of music, I should think
+that they could form at least a string quartette--it only requires a
+little enterprise and a good strong medium. I make a present of this
+suggestion to the Prague Society for Psychical Research, if there be
+one.
+
+Prague must have been a fair city in those days when Ottokar II rode out
+of the gate to meet Rudolph of Habsburg. Although the ban of the Empire
+and the interdict of the Church were upon their King, the people of
+Prague, clergy and laymen, accompanied him to the city gate with prayers
+and tears. When news of his death came to Prague the bells of one
+hundred churches tolled out on that 26th of August, the Feast of St.
+Rufus, a day destined to be of ill-omen to Bohemia's Kings.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The shadow of the hand of Habsburg hung darkly over the southern
+frontiers of Bohemia. Rudolph, the first Habsburg Emperor, began the
+famous tactics of his house, gaining power by matrimonial alliances. His
+son Rudolph was to marry Agnes, daughter of Ottokar II, whose son
+Wenceslaus II was to marry Gutta, the Emperor's daughter.
+
+Wenceslaus II was a minor when he succeeded his father, and suffered
+considerably under his guardian and cousin Otto of Brandenburg, who, in
+pursuit of an all-German policy, even imprisoned the young King. Anarchy
+reigned in Bohemia when young Wenceslaus, at the age of twelve,
+nominally assumed the reins of government. The actual ruler of the
+country, however, was Zavis of Falckenstein, an able man but of doubtful
+morality; there was some unsavoury story concerning him and Ottokar's
+widow Kunhuta, whom Zavis eventually married. Then again the young King
+had Zavis done to death in treacherous manner, while the condition of
+Bohemia as an ordered State went from bad to worse. Strange to relate,
+the country flourished economically--became, indeed, very
+prosperous--the increase of wealth being largely due to the fact that
+workings on the silver mines at Kutna Hora had been resumed. Towards the
+end of the reign of this Wenceslaus, whose rule was mild, matters
+improved somewhat. Bohemia became a sort of city of refuge, and
+neighbouring States, Hungary and Poland, being in a worse state of
+anarchy than any others, invited King Wenceslaus to reign over them.
+Bohemia and Poland thus became united for a while under one ruler,
+Wenceslaus, who had himself crowned King of the latter country at
+Gnesen. Hungary was given in charge of the King's son Wenceslaus, who
+was crowned as King of that country and resided some time at Ofen.
+Wenceslaus had taken a Polish Princess to wife after the death of Gutta,
+and had thus reinforced his connection with a Slavonic neighbour, but
+Germanism was in the ascendant in Bohemia and the hand of Habsburg was
+stretched out over it. It was yet some centuries before the power of the
+Habsburg should become absolute in the lands of the P[vr]emysl dynasty,
+but that family's light was nearing extinction. Whether good or bad, the
+rulers who sprang from the soil, from the peasant stock of Libu[vs]a's
+choosing, had been of the people and had on the whole served their
+people's interests. With Wenceslaus III murdered by an unknown assassin
+while on his way to Poland, the male line of the P[vr]emysl dynasty died
+out. It continued in the indirect line by the marriage of Elizabeth,
+daughter of Wenceslaus II, with Rudolph, a grandson of the Habsburg who
+dealt the death-blow to Bohemia's native rulers.
+
+Whether for good or evil, alien influence was working strongly in
+Bohemia, and notably in Prague. Ottokar II had encouraged it as part of
+his policy towards keeping in check his turbulent nobles and towards
+raising up a reliable middle class. His nobles aided towards his
+downfall by their treachery, and the middle class of Prague, though
+loyal to the Crown, was alive chiefly to its own interests. Perhaps that
+foreign influence was weaving its spell over the burghers of Prague, a
+spell to which the Slav is somewhat susceptible.
+
+During the reign of the last P[vr]emysl sovereigns Prague offered the
+spectacle of a rich and prosperous city, but its brightness was rather
+that of lights round the bier of some illustrious dead. Many foreigners
+found themselves attracted to the capital of Bohemia during this
+period, among them some ardent souls who were to be found doing good,
+according to their lights, in other cities of Europe, namely, Irish
+monks. It is of interest to us to note that these monks were frequently
+called Scots: you will find traces of them under that designation in the
+Schotten Kirche at Ratisbon and the Schotten Ring in Vienna. In Prague
+they were recognized as Irish, and their name lives on in the Hybernska
+Ulice in the Old Town. A church, with an altar dedicated to St. Patrick,
+arose at the corner of that street by the cross-roads, under the hands
+of Irish monks; a church now used for secular purposes, and built over
+the original edifice, stands there still. Amidst all the turmoil of this
+busy centre of the city you may still in those small hours of the
+morning when the traffic dies down for a while pick up an echo or two of
+the voices of those zealous Irishmen, but you must listen with all your
+soul, for those sounds are very elusive. Again, looking out over the
+city from my terrace I notice a copper dome just across the Charles
+Bridge, a dome flanked by high towers, and all bearing the unmistakable
+mark of Jesuit architecture. Yet that building, now used as part of the
+University, recalls memories of pious souls who came to Prague at the
+invitation of P[vr]emysl Ottokar II. These were the Knights Crucifer, or
+the Cruciferous Knights as the guide-book prefers to call them. Their
+Order, the members of which always carried a cross in the left hand, was
+founded by St. Cletus; their work was to tend the sick and offer
+hospitality to pilgrims. The Order went down on the death of the founder
+and sought refuge in Palestine, where St. Cyriak discovered it, reformed
+it, and eventually brought it to Rome. This is said to have happened in
+the latter half of the fourth century, but I should think the date
+extremely uncertain; nor does it matter much. The Order received new
+rules in the twelfth century from Pope Alexander III, who, being on good
+terms with Ottakar II at the time, allowed the Order to be transplanted
+to Prague. I do not in the least know what the good knights did all
+those years between their installation at Prague in 1256 and the
+dissolution of their Order in 1783. Anyone who wants to know may no
+doubt find records of their doings, which were probably concerned with
+adding up quarterings and deciding questions of etiquette. Still their
+name, Knights Crucifex, lingers round one of the most picturesque
+corners of Prague, under the shadow of a stately Gothic tower which
+silently but insistently claims reverence above the _baroque_ structures
+of a later non-Bohemian age. It is just at this spot, with its lingering
+memories of Queen Judith, of P[vr]emysl Ottokar and a yet greater King
+of Bohemia of whom I shall tell you shortly, that you realize how Prague
+is that Golden City of the days of glorious Gothic and the Renaissance,
+and not of the _baroque_ superimposed by the Jesuits after Bohemia's
+glory had departed on the gentle slopes of the White Mountain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Introduces a picturesque character, King John of Bohemia, Count of
+Luxemburg, whose final exploit and end should be familiarly known by
+every Englishman. This chapter tells of the many chivalrous adventures
+undertaken by this monarch, of how little good and how much harm he did
+to his country. There is also mention of an English King, of the Black
+Prince, and of many other more or less famous persons, who have gone to
+swell the gorgeous pageant of those who all down the ages have worked
+weal or woe to Bohemia and its capital, Prague. Of John Henry of
+Carinthia and his interesting spouse, Margaret Maultasche, of the usual
+German machinations against any peace or contentment in Bohemia, of
+Popes and anti-Popes, you will hear in this chapter; and finally you
+will make the acquaintance of one of Bohemia's greatest rulers, Charles,
+first Bohemian King and fourth Roman Emperor of that name. You may gain
+some idea of the difficulties Charles had to overcome, and will begin to
+realize what he, the great founder, did for his country and its
+capital.
+
+
+Prague was in holiday vein, happy and optimistic, its prevailing mood,
+on that day in 1311 when John, Count of Luxemburg, and Elizabeth,
+daughter of Wenceslaus II, were crowned. No doubt the ceremony took
+place on the Hrad[vs]any, and the steep approaches to the Castle Hill
+would be thronged with cheerful merrymakers; I wonder whether the
+Bohemians of those days said "_Na zdar_!" as frequently as they do
+to-day!
+
+The Pragers had every reason to be happy and hopeful, for no change
+could bring about a worse state of affairs than that which had
+characterized the five years between the death of the last male
+P[vr]emysl and the elevation of the first Luxemburg to the throne of
+Bohemia. That period was a sort of interregnum which was filled up with
+civil war, with murders among relatives, and was bringing Bohemia to the
+verge of anarchy.
+
+The troubles of the time were largely caused by the newly arrived House
+of Habsburg, and the state of the Empire at that period reflects German
+mentality. The seven German Electors had been careful to go outside
+their own charmed circle for a King, and one who would carry out their
+wishes. They therefore picked out what we may call a second-class
+magnate as likely to be amenable. They met with disappointment. Rudolph
+was out for himself. His victory over P[vr]emysl Ottokar II was welcomed
+by the Germans, who could never see a neighbour, especially a Slav,
+growing in importance, without showing signs of consuming jealousy. To
+break down the power of Ottokar the Bohemian was a meritorious act. To
+acquire for private and family use some of that King's finest
+possessions, Upper and Lower Austria, was not appreciated by the
+Electors. Therefore when Rudolph died the Electors turned down his son
+Albrecht, who put up for the imperial crown, and elected Adolph of
+Nassau instead. Adolph also tried to make something out of the post of
+Emperor, so the Electors threw him over, and he was shortly afterwards
+killed in battle. Albrecht of Habsburg then came to the throne, and
+taking up the family policy of profitable matrimonial alliances, married
+his son Rudolph to the widow of the P[vr]emysl Wenceslaus II, Elizabeth,
+whom we have already met. I am rather sorry for this Elizabeth. Whether
+she liked her second husband or not, it must have been uncomfortable to
+find him becoming more and more unpopular among the people, who in any
+case had not expressed undue enthusiasm over his accession to their
+throne. He was chiefly unpopular on account of his meanness; the
+Bohemians, though thrifty almost to the verge of parsimony among
+themselves, do not like that trait in a foreigner, especially one who
+comes to cut some sort of figure as King or what-not amongst them.
+However, Rudolph died before a year of sovereignty was out, leaving that
+poor lady Elizabeth a widow for the second time, and under even more
+trying conditions. Despite all Habsburg precautions towards settling the
+crown of Bohemia on their own house, the nobles of the country proceeded
+to assemble a Diet at Prague in order to elect a new King. Elizabeth had
+to attend that function, and must have had a lurid time of it; the
+nobles raised no end of a storm, according to the Bohemian historian
+Palacky. There was one Tobias of Bechyn leading the case for the
+introduction of another foreigner as ruler, the opposition calling on
+him not to favour the claims of foreigners, possibly enemies, to rule
+over Bohemia, whereupon Tobias shouted: "If you wish at any price to
+obtain a native Prince, go to Stadic, among the peasants; there you will
+perhaps find a relation of the extinct royal family; bring him here and
+seat him on the throne of your country." Thereupon ensued pandemonium.
+One Ulrich of Lichtenburg slew Tobias forthwith, and several other
+nobles were killed in the fray before the Diet settled down to the
+conclusion that Henry, Duke of Carinthia, should be called in to rule
+over Bohemia. Henry was supposed to be popular chiefly because he had
+married a P[vr]emysl, as we have already reported--Ann, daughter of
+Wenceslaus II; anyway, Prague received the couple with acclamations.
+Albrecht of Habsburg objected, as he had fixed on his son Frederick as
+heir to the Bohemian lands. There were the usual troubles: Albrecht's
+troops invaded Bohemia and Moravia, and some of them continued to hold a
+few frontier towns even after Albrecht had been killed by his nephew
+John and the Electors had gone elsewhere in search of an Emperor.
+
+With characteristic distrust of each other or of any German of
+first-rate importance, the Electors went to the second-class magnates
+again, and this time their choice fell on Henry, Count of Luxemburg.
+Carlyle derives this name of Luxemburg via Luzzenburg from Luetzelburg,
+which he translates into Littleborough. Carlyle is very pleased with
+this derivation, and uses it to "point a moral and adorn a tale." In all
+humility I differ from Carlyle in this derivation, my only excuse being
+that I happen to know the dialect as spoken round about Luxemburg and
+among the Eiffel people, sufficiently well, and that in their vernacular
+there is no such word as could be distorted from Luetzel-via Luzzen-into
+Luxem-and then mean "little." It is really refreshing to be able to
+differ thoroughly, heartily, unreservedly, with a philosopher of
+old-established authority.
+
+Carlyle likes to point out that this insignificant little dynasty of
+Luxemburg produced some great men as Emperors. He is quite right there
+too; but so also did Habsburg. As to the Luxemburgers, it must be borne
+in mind that though of German origin they were French by sentiment and
+upbringing--I quote Dr. Seton Watson from memory.
+
+German origin, a phrase that has been very freely used of late years, is
+a somewhat elastic term, and frequently implies a mental rather than a
+racial qualification. Of the old original Teutons, the Germans of yore,
+there are few representatives left over--you may find some in Frisia and
+about the Porta Westphalica, on the east coast of Yorkshire, too,
+perhaps; the all-Germans, the _Allemanni_, as I believe they called
+themselves at one time, have seldom, if ever, formed a clearly defined
+political entity. The Franks in the early days of the Merovingians, by
+no means an estimable people, were probably purely Teuton; they
+separated more and more from their less civilized race-kindred, and by
+the time the Frankish Empire had reached its zenith its people had
+absorbed a good deal of other blood, which mixture crystallized into the
+French nation and soon broke away from any racial relations with the
+Teutons. Then the arch-enemies of the Franks, the Saxons, mixed freely
+with Slavonic races which extended well into the Hanover country and all
+over Mecklenburg at one time, so that those who are now called Saxons
+are, next to the Prussians, more thoroughly mixed with Slavs than any
+other Germans. The Bavarians, again, must have in them a good deal of
+the persistent Celtic element which they inherited from the Boievari who
+at one time left Bohemia for Bavaria. The amusing thing is that those
+who most loudly declaim on the subject of _Deutschland ueber Alles_ are
+the most thoroughly mixed of the lot. It is idle to speculate on what
+would have become of German imperial conceits if the German race and its
+admixtures, like that of our islands, had been isolated from its
+neighbours by water instead of being constantly exposed to inroads from
+all sides, and consequently moved to follow up any success at arms into
+a neighbour's country. It seems as if a permanent Germanic
+Empire--material, not only sentimental--were never destined to a long
+and prosperous existence. These speculations, however, are best left to
+the historian, and we will return to the city of Prague.
+
+We have seen John of Luxemburg and his wife Elizabeth happily crowned on
+the Hrad[vs]any at Prague and the city relieved by this event from the
+prospect of prolonged internal disorder. Henry of Carinthia, who
+succeeded Rudolph, had not proved satisfactory. He also had taken the
+precaution of marrying a P[vr]emysl, was in fact John's brother-in-law,
+but he failed to maintain the popularity which he enjoyed when called to
+the throne, and was eventually chased out of Bohemia to make room for
+John. Now John was heavily handicapped and did little to remove his
+disabilities, in fact he rather aggravated them. He was only fourteen
+when he found himself a King and a married man. His father, a shrewd and
+enterprising monarch, died before John had really become acquainted with
+his capital, and so there was no unbiassed adviser to whom the young
+ruler could turn. John did not live on the best of terms with his
+mother-in-law, who from the dower-house at Kralove Hradec, called by the
+Germans Koeniggratz, interfered a good deal in the affairs of state; the
+trouble is said to have arisen originally between the two Elizabeths,
+mother and daughter, and even led to some fighting in which the city of
+Prague took an active part. By temperament John was not equal to his
+task; he was, it appears, thoroughly unpractical and entirely embued
+with all sorts of romantic notions. Those who watched John's doings from
+afar, and were not immediately affected by their results, could afford
+to approve of him and call him _corona militiae_ as did King Edward III
+of England. John was what may be called the "soul of chivalry," in his
+opinion Paris was the most chivalrous city in the world, and that is
+probably why he felt called upon to roam Europe as a knight-errant
+instead of looking after his wife and her relatives, and incidentally
+his Kingdom of Bohemia. According to Count Luetzow, John intended to
+re-establish the Round Table of King Arthur, and to this end he invited
+all the most celebrated knights of Europe to a tournament at Prague;
+"nobody responded to the call." So John went abroad for his amusement
+and found it in plenty. To begin with, there was always something doing
+in his line between rival German Kings and Emperors, so we find him
+helping Louis, Duke of Bavaria, at Wittelsbach, to victory over the
+Habsburger Frederick at Muehldorf. Expeditions to Hungary, Italy, France
+and against the heathen Lithuanians all helped to pass away John's time
+pleasurably and unprofitably; as Palacky says: "It would be necessary to
+write the history of all Europe if we attempted to describe all the
+feuds into which King John entered with chivalrous bravery, but also
+with frivolity. It then became a proverb, that 'nothing can be done
+without the help of God and of the King of Bohemia.'"
+
+John proved an expensive luxury to Bohemia, and he reigned for
+thirty-six years, so his country, although rich, yet peopled by a canny
+and thrifty population, must have been thankful when at last he was
+knocked on the head at Crecy. The story is well known to us all, so we
+need not linger on it. John bequeathed his motto to the Black Prince,
+who could well afford to pay a graceful compliment by accepting it;
+after all, not he, but Bohemia, had to pay for John's fun. John kept the
+mint of his country busy striking ducats, a coin of his own conception,
+a very good and full-weight coin too, but he probably took most of the
+ducats abroad for his various diversions; there are, however, a few left
+in the museum of Prague, I believe. John had quaint ways of raising
+money; one of them must have led to a great deal of inconvenience to the
+citizens of Prague, who on Sundays and holidays were wont to make
+excursions into the country. No one was allowed a drink within a certain
+radius of the capital; this was all very fine for the publicans of
+Prague, who no doubt had come to a suitable arrangement with the King,
+but it fills me with sorrow to reflect on the streams of excursionists
+and travellers doing the last lap home on a hot summer's day.
+
+There is nothing of beauty in the panorama of Prague as seen from my
+terrace, which I can ascribe to Bohemia's chivalrous and eccentric King.
+He was too busy spending his country's wealth in trying to settle other
+people's quarrels, and raising others of his own, to think of
+beautifying his capital. Nevertheless I could point out to you traces of
+beautiful work for which John may indirectly derive some credit. This
+enterprising monarch had, as I have already mentioned, found occasion to
+go fighting about in Italy. He was induced thereto by the usual
+picturesque lack of sufficient reason just at the moment when he was
+attempting something useful. John's predecessor on the throne, Henry of
+Carinthia, with whom he had become reconciled, had no male heirs, so
+Bohemia's King called on Henry at Innsbruck in order to arrange a
+marriage between the former's second son John Henry and the latter's
+daughter Margaret, known in German history as Maultasche, of whom
+Carlyle speaks so unkindly. While at Innsbruck, John was invited by the
+Lombard town of Brescia to assist it against the Lord of Verona, Mastino
+della Scala. King John at once dropped the useful business, dashed in
+amongst the squabbling Italians and won a number of victories which gave
+him possession of a fair slice of Italy. He proved quite incapable of
+holding it, and his gains rapidly melted away like snow on the sunny
+southern slopes of those mountains that shut off the smiling plains of
+Venetia against the barbarous north. Here John's eldest son Charles
+comes upon the scene, and this is perhaps the only real good that ever
+came out of the first Luxemburg ruler of Bohemia, namely, an heir who
+should live to set up a Golden Prague as fitting capital to a happy and
+prosperous country.
+
+Charles had had an unhappy childhood between his grandmother, the
+unfortunate widow Elizabeth, a somewhat uneven-tempered mother, and an
+erratic and unreasonable father. The unhappy lad had even been
+imprisoned by his father on suspicion of being concerned in a conspiracy
+with his mother to dethrone John. Charles must have been about five
+years at the time, for he was only seven when, a few years after his
+release, King John took him to the French Court for his education. Here
+Charles acquired his love of learning, his refined sense of beauty and
+steadfastness of purpose, all of which he devoted without stint to his
+country, and to him is chiefly due the glorious composition of the
+towers and steeples which rise up out of mysterious old Prague. Charles,
+and through him Prague, benefited by John's Italian venture, in that the
+gracious spirit of the Renaissance came to Bohemia out of his father's
+chivalrous exploits. Moreover, Charles, though only seventeen years of
+age, was thus given an opportunity of proving his metal in the field; he
+won several victories which, however, were fruitless, and above all
+learnt the art of governing. So when John and he left Italy, under
+pressure from the natives, Charles was competent to represent his father
+at home, while the latter went off on his knight-errantry.
+
+As may be easily imagined, the people of Bohemia, and notably the
+burghers of Prague, had become discontented under the exactions imposed
+upon them by their extravagant King and were not inclined to look kindly
+upon a Luxemburg successor. Prague, like other continental cities, had
+become aware of its importance, and was quite prepared to resort to arms
+in order to emphasize its opinion. The city had already taken to arms in
+support of their native Queen Elizabeth against her stranger husband
+John, so Charles had no easy time at first. However, he had the
+qualities his father lacked, complete self-possession and steadfastness
+of purpose; moreover, unlike his father, he was in thorough sympathy
+with his people, which John never was, and spoke their language well,
+which feat, it appears, John never attempted. Father and son seldom
+agreed on any subject; probably John considered Charles no sportsman,
+and told him so frequently. I cannot imagine John's conversation as
+anything but _ad hominem_, and his jokes as weighty as a kick from a
+troop-horse, and as pleasant. With a little thinking you can find
+another, quite recent monarch, who takes after John of Luxemburg in some
+respects, though he failed to achieve such a picturesque ending. And the
+occasion of John's chivalrous exit arose out of his second marriage. It
+really makes a pretty picture if you try to figure to yourself John and
+his son Charles setting out together for Paris both with the intention
+of marrying a French Princess, for John, undeniably brave, was braced up
+for this second venture. John married Beatrice of Bourbon, Charles
+Blanche of Valois; if I know anything of John, he probably stayed in
+Paris, whereas Charles would hurry back to Prague to continue his
+programme of improvements. Amongst these improvements is one directly
+inspired by Blanche, his "snow-white" bride, which you may see to this
+day. I could just point it out to you, the Church of "St. Mary of the
+Snow," but it is difficult to pick out among the sea of roofs. Although
+it is the tallest church in Prague, it no longer has steeple or spire
+pointing to the sky; whatever of the kind there was disappeared during
+some street-fighting or other which frequently took place around this
+church. If you follow the Narodni T[vr]ida straight along from the river
+towards the Vaclavske Nam[ve]sti you will see "St. Mary's of the Snow"
+on the right, tucked away behind some quaint old buildings formerly the
+Carmelite Monastery founded by Charles.
+
+It would seem that Charles, when in doubt, either built a new church or
+restored an old one. There was a good deal to do in Prague in the latter
+line of business especially, and Charles, with the real founder's zeal,
+set about putting his capital in order. He was rather handicapped by an
+expensive father, who, however, had no particular objection to repairing
+religious institutions, his trouble being that he generally had no money
+left for constructive work after he had been round dealing out
+destruction, impelled thereto by his chivalrous conceit. I can quite
+imagine John as a man subconsciously religious and intermittently
+pious, so, for instance, he would probably invoke all the saints he
+could think of, to aid him in some warlike enterprise, then dash into
+the fray forgetting all about the saints; one does. He might perchance
+remember one or other of those he had invoked, after the fun was over,
+and stand them a candle or so, if he could borrow the money for this
+gift from his loyal subjects. I know of one case at least where John
+bestowed largess upon a deserving institution. This happened in 1342,
+six years before Bohemia's adventurous King had died in the King of
+England's tent on the battlefield of Crecy. The object of the monarch's
+generosity was the monastery of Emaus. John, though always jealous of
+his son's popularity, had handed a considerable share of the government
+of Bohemia and Moravia to the latter and probably let Charles carry on
+as long as he, John, was not bothered with domestic details, and always
+could touch a bit for any tempting military expedition that offered.
+Emaus seems to have been a favourite enterprise of Charles. You remember
+that I have pointed out the place to you; I can just see it from the
+terrace with its twin towers of raw sienna tone. I also told you about
+the heathen burial ground, Na Morani, about the Church of St. Cosmas and
+Damian, and how St. Wenceslaus worshipped at their shrine. King Charles
+seems to have acquired the same general regard for those two saints, and
+this may have decided him to found a monastery on the rocky eminence
+whereon Emaus has withstood many vicissitudes during the stormy course
+of several centuries of Bohemia's history. Charles must have conceived
+the plan of founding this monastery some time before the middle of the
+fourteenth century, for we find the following entry in its chronicles
+which speaks of John and Charles, and in a Latin quaintly picturesque
+and careless: "Nos Johannes dei gracia Boemie rex ac Lucemburgensis
+comes et Karolus eius primogenitus marchio Morawie." It would not be
+easy to get any more mistakes of grammar and spelling into this
+sentence. So John had made a donation to the new foundation--out of
+some one else's pocket; the butchers of Prague were privileged to pay
+for the King's generosity.
+
+Charles was of a careful, saving disposition; he also raised funds out
+of other people's purses for his good works. So we find again among the
+records of Emaus that he called upon the butchers to find the necessary
+money; the meatstalls of the Mala Strana were privileged to find a
+revenue of sixteen Bohemian silver groschen, a coin dating from the days
+of Wenceslaus II, towards the new foundation. The different taxes and
+excise duties were also made to contribute, a tithe of the wine tax,
+some appropriate sums from bridge and water tolls; besides these sources
+of revenue Charles endowed Emaus with landed property, farms and fields
+and vineyards. Begun in the reign of John, the building and institution
+of this new monastery was not completed until 1372, when Charles had for
+many years been in a position to describe himself as "Carolus Dei
+gratiae Rom. rex, semper augustus et Boemiae rex." Monday after Easter
+1372 was the great day on which the Church and monastery were solemnly
+consecrated and dedicated to Saints Hieronymus, Adalbert, Procop, Cyril
+and Methodius, but as the consecration gospel told the moving story of
+the Risen Saviour walking with two disciples, who knew Him not, towards
+Emaus, the name of that place clung to church and monastery ever after.
+Though Emaus started out under such very august patronage, it had to put
+up with many vicissitudes, among the minor ones being acts of
+trangression on its grounds by neighbours; so, for instance, we hear of
+one good man Odelenus, who would dig under the monastery wall to the
+endangering of the same, and as the stout burgher would not desist nor
+fill up the excavations he had made, he was excommunicated with all due
+solemnity.
+
+It is said that Charles intended Emaus solely for the benefit of those
+who still held to the Slavonic liturgy, from the very outset. But I find
+that Charles did not approach the Pope on this subject and get his
+sanction for the Archbishop of Prague to grant the Benedictine monks of
+Emaus licence to perform the Slavonic ritual, until the papacy of
+Clement VI. I gather that he had waited until he could find an amenable
+pontiff; what is more, Clement VI as anti-Pope, probably did not cut
+much ice even had he been addicted to that practice. It was undoubtedly
+due to the fact that the Slavonic liturgy was still in force that Emaus
+escaped destruction at the hands of the Hussites, as the monks were
+Utraquists and remained of that persuasion until the last Slavonic
+abbot, Adam Benedict Bawarowsky, with two surviving monks, was turned
+out to make room for Spanish Benedictines from Montserrat under their
+abbot, Benedict di Pennabosa y Mondragon. These Spaniards were inducted
+by Emperor Ferdinand III, King of Bohemia, himself.
+
+Of those early, ardent days in the annals of Emaus there is but little
+left to recall Charles and his works. The library of the Benedictines
+was destroyed by fire; only two works were saved, the "Emaus-Reimser
+Evangelium" and the "Registrum Literarum monasterii Slavorum." The
+frescoes which adorn the cloisters seem as fresh to-day as when the
+Italian masters, brought to Prague by Charles, stood aside to let the
+monarch see the finished work, and that was several years before the
+consecration festival. The interior of the church is beautiful, its
+slender Gothic columns vanishing into the hallowed shadows of the roof.
+The "plain song" of the remaining monks still rings with the fervour of
+simple, steadfast faith. The main building of the monastery is now an
+academy of music where the rising generation is being taught to
+appreciate the latest eccentricities of modern music.
+
+Charles IV, first Bohemian King of that name, ruled from 1346 to 1378,
+so the building of Emaus covered pretty nearly all the years of his
+reign and in fact went back to the unhappy times before he ascended the
+throne. His father was evidently a difficult person to live with; not
+only his extravagance and erratic habits, but also a thoroughly
+unjustified suspicion of his elder son, must have caused the latter a
+great deal of misery. Instead of following the precedent of the
+P[vr]emysls in dynastic disputes, Charles wisely abstained from open
+opposition to John, although the people's affection had been transferred
+from father to son. Added to this there were the usual troubles caused
+by the German Princes. John had never even been "placed" in the running
+for the imperial crown; goodness knows what would have happened if the
+weal of the Holy Roman Empire had depended on him. Louis of Wittelsbach,
+who contested the imperial throne with Frederick the Fair of Austria,
+and had beaten the latter handsomely at Muehldorf, was nevertheless none
+too safely seated, and became involved in the unending squabbles with
+the Papacy, aggravated in his case by the removal of the Pope to
+Avignon. John, of course, sided against Louis and with the Pope, so
+Louis joined with the German Princes in trying to deprive John Henry of
+the Tyrol and Carinthia, which the latter considered his property on
+marrying Margaret Maultasche; he was lucky enough to retain possession
+of the Tyrol while the Austrian Dukes kept Carinthia. That little matter
+settled, John went off and fought the Lithuanians again--he called it a
+crusade--and came home from that campaign without the sight of one eye,
+which he had lost through illness, a loss which soon led to complete
+blindness but not to any disinclination to go out anywhere and fight
+anyone. Father John must have been a considerable nuisance in the
+family. In the meantime Margaret added her mite to the general gaiety of
+nations by falling in love with Louis of Brandenburg, the handsome son
+of Emperor Louis; she counterbalanced this by a violent hatred of her
+husband, the unlucky John Henry. So Charles had his hands full, and he
+seems to have been the only level-headed member of the family. With all
+these troubles about him he nevertheless continued to manage the affairs
+of Bohemia and Moravia, to straighten out the finances of the Kingdom
+while finding sufficient pocket-money for his father's hobby of serving
+any other cause but his own, and also to soothe the ruffled feelings of
+John Henry and keep some of that Prince's property for the House of
+Luxemburg. It was during this hectic time that Charles managed to get
+the Pope to raise the Bishop of Prague to the rank of Archbishop, an
+important step, as it set the new Archbishopric free from that of Maintz
+and thus gave it an opportunity of developing on its own rather than on
+German lines. Count Luetzow points out the absurdity of the situation
+caused by keeping the Bishopric of Prague under the Archbishop of Maintz
+as follows: "It is curious to read that Charles was obliged to declare
+on his oath that the language of Bohemia was a Slavonic one, entirely
+different from the German language; that the distance from Prague to
+Maintz was of about twelve day-journeys; and that the road lay through
+other dioceses."
+
+This concession on the part of the Pope was probably the result of the
+visit John and Charles paid to the pontiff at Avignon; it had as
+corollary that in future the Kings of Bohemia should be crowned by the
+Archbishop of Prague. The first Archbishop of the new See was a Czech
+and a strong man--Ernest of Pardubic. Another result of the trip which
+father and son took to Avignon together seems to have been a more
+complete reconciliation between the two.
+
+We may linger for a while longer on that pathetic figure, the blind King
+of Bohemia, before his exciting but futile career closes on the field of
+Crecy. First we see him taking part in the solemn ceremony of installing
+the new Archbishop; this would have taken place at the Cathedral Church
+of St. Vitus on the Hrad[vs]any, amid surroundings bearing strong
+evidence of the harm John's reign had brought on Bohemia, and on Prague
+in particular, for we read that Charles found the castle, and probably
+the church as well, in a state nearly approaching ruin from neglect.
+Here again he had work to hand, and did it nobly; of this more later on.
+After Ernest of Pardubic had been safely installed, King John started
+off on another crusade against the heathen Lithuanians, probably as
+payment for the concessions on the part of the Pope. No sooner was John
+thoroughly engaged with his northern enemies than the German Louis
+stirred up Hungary and Poland, and several others, against him. John
+hurriedly returned home, beating Casimir of Poland and a Hungarian army
+on the way, made some sort of an alliance with other enemies of his, and
+eventually, with the aid of the Pope and five German Electors, got Louis
+chased from the throne and his son Charles elected as German King
+instead. All this happened in the early months of 1346. Meanwhile, by
+July of that year, on the day following Charles's election, King Edward
+III of England and the Black Prince had landed on the coast of France,
+and were setting out through Normandy for Paris. On August 26th, St.
+Rufus Day again, the anniversary of the death of P[vr]emysl Ottokar II,
+John, King of Bohemia, brave, chivalrous and utterly misguided, died in
+the tent of a knightly enemy, leaving him as device the appropriate
+motto "_Ich dien!_"
+
+Indeed, John had served every interest but his own; and Charles his son,
+elected Emperor as fourth of that name, and first as King of Bohemia,
+took into his own firm hands the tangled coils of Central European
+affairs, making as centre of his activities his own city of Prague.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Deals with Charles IV, Roman Emperor, King of the Germans, first
+Bohemian King of that name, and Father of his country. Charles as a
+warrior and the part he took at Crecy. Some remarks about Crecy.
+Friendly relations between Charles and Edward III of England, who at
+Charles's suggestion declines the imperial crown. Charles concerns
+himself with the welfare of his people. He builds and restores churches.
+A short story about St. Wenceslaus, and a description of the chapel
+dedicated to him. Of "St. Mary under the Chain" and the house of the
+Knights of Malta. Of George Podiebrad, of Frederick the Winter King and
+his wife Elizabeth. A word or two about the Hussites and the host of
+crusaders that came out of the West and were defeated by [vZ]i[vs]ka. A
+pageant of those whose life and work was connected with the Cathedral of
+St. Vitus. Charles and Church Reform, and of a Pope who was himself in
+need of reform. St. Henry and Kunigunde his wife, and the church
+dedicated to them. Frederick II of Prussia and the church which Charles
+had built and consecrated to the Virgin and St. Charles. St. Stephen's
+Church. Some remarks on the saints who are patrons of Bohemia or in one
+way or another interested in that country. A passing reference to
+London's patron saint Erkenwald and some remarks about a students'
+feast-day.
+
+
+Despite his undoubted gallantry in battle, Charles, as a warrior, was
+overshadowed by his picturesque sire; moreover, he shone more brightly
+as a man of peace, as scholar, as founder and builder, even as author;
+in the latter capacity he has left behind a remarkable work, his
+autobiography, written in Latin: "Commentarius de Vita Caroli Bohemiae
+Regis ab ipso Carolo conscriptus." Yet, had he done nothing else, his
+military achievements would probably have brought him lasting renown. As
+we have seen, he acquitted himself well, when quite a young man, in his
+father's campaigns in Italy. He took part with conspicuous gallantry in
+the Battle of Crecy. I gather that it was his advice not to attack with
+tired troops, but he was overruled; not but what the result might have
+been the same had the French agreed to wait another day. It was the
+Bohemian cavalry that had already distinguished itself by preventing the
+passage by the English Army of the bridge of St. Remy, and it was not
+their fault that the ford of Blanche-Taque was insufficiently guarded
+and thus left open a crossing over the Somme. Many of us know that
+country about Abbeville well, the lush meadows and clumps of trees not
+so unlike our own river scenery. Some of us may even have recalled
+memories out of school of that battle fought out in so small a space
+compared to the "shows" to which we had become used. While out of the
+line in that neighbourhood I myself met the direct descendant of French
+warriors who fought at Crecy, the mayor of a small village. I happened
+to refer lightly to that page of long-ago history, but the mayor
+corrected me--it had indeed been a most serious affair; he had lost
+thirteen ancestors on that occasion, and the family had not recovered to
+this day. As a social function the Battle of Crecy was certainly an
+important affair; many of the best people in Europe were represented
+there, four kings among others, and a brave show of nobles many of whom
+indeed, did not recover.
+
+John and Charles had undertaken this trip to France together no doubt
+drawn by their relationship to the French royal family, and Charles had
+fought valiantly by his father's side until forced to withdraw by his
+nobles, who, according to Bene[vs] de Weitmil, were "fearful of losing
+both their Kings."
+
+One would think that this the first introduction to the English of
+Bohemia's King would not make for cordial relations; as a matter of
+fact, it led to an alliance between Charles and Edward III arising out
+of circumstances which prove both these monarchs to have been wise men.
+England had risen considerably in the estimation of continental Europe
+in consequence of this victory, and an attempt was made, perhaps the
+first in history--for you cannot take Richard of Cornwall seriously--to
+draw our country into the sea of troubles that raged as usual in the
+Holy Roman Empire. There was, of course, a section of German nobles who
+opposed Charles and who on the death of King Louis offered the imperial
+crown to the victor of Crecy. Edward III was wise enough to decline,
+influenced, it is said, by a mission which Charles had sent to England;
+what is more, a treaty of alliance was arranged between these two
+countries, and this, to my thinking, had far-reaching effects on their
+future relations, intermittent but extending over several centuries.
+
+Charles had to rest awhile in France before returning to his country in
+order to recover from his wounds received at Crecy. I wonder whether he
+tried the waters of Carlsbad on his return home. Charles had been led to
+discover the healing qualities of Carlsbad water when out hunting one
+day among the lovely wood-clad heights just inside the frontier of
+Bohemia. The legend is that Charles heard one of his hounds yelping in
+pain, and discovered that the poor beast had plunged into a spring of
+hot water. Charles had the water analysed (which sounds very up to
+date), and being informed of its healing qualities, built himself a
+castle on the spot round which grew up that charming health resort
+Carlsbad.
+
+The history of Charles IV as German King and Roman Emperor is
+consequently also that of the Holy Roman Empire, but would lead us much
+too afar afield from Prague, where this excellent monarch resided by
+preference. He had grand schemes for improving the state of the country
+and its capital, which he carried out systematically. He must have
+begrudged the time he was obliged to spend in travelling abroad in
+various imperial interests, when there was so much to claim his
+attention at home. He certainly never went abroad for pleasure, for his
+trips to Italy and Burgundy, undertaken at different times, were matters
+of duty. It was the correct thing for an Emperor to be crowned at Rome,
+and Charles was always strictly correct. On the way to Rome it was
+obviously the right thing to call at Milan for the iron crown of the
+Lombard Kings, which was also an imperial perquisite. Then on another
+occasion Charles called at Arles to receive the crown of the Kingdom of
+Burgundy, which country formed part of the Empire. Charles had some
+business to transact with the Pope at Avignon near by, business
+connected with Church Reform, which movement was gaining in strength in
+Bohemia and which caused that country much suffering for conscience'
+sake. These journeys were episodes in the life of the Emperor; the work
+of the King of Bohemia lay in and about his capital, ancient Prague.
+From my terrace I will point out to you some of the glorious monuments
+raised by that Founder King.
+
+Charles's first concern seems to have been for his people's spiritual
+welfare: from all accounts some attention to this side of the national
+life of Bohemia was sorely needed. The first and most obvious duty was
+to set about the restoration of the Royal Castle, the Hrad[vs]any, with
+its venerable cathedral. Both castle and cathedral were inadequate to
+the high mission of Prague as a royal and imperial residence. The castle
+had been repaired fitfully by one king or another as we have seen, and
+had been provided with strong towers chiefly used as dungeons, and had
+been allowed to fall into disrepair by the impecunious and extravagant
+John. The cathedral was probably in not much better case. We have seen
+glimpses of that sacred fane with its memories of royal saints and
+martyrs, how St. Wenceslaus built the first church on the site of the
+present one, as a casket to hold that precious relic the arm of St.
+Vitus, given him by Henry the Fowler. The words of the chronicler will
+give you some idea of this first church: "Ecclesiam Sancti Viti quam
+Sanctus Wenceslaus construxerat ad similitudinem Romanae ecclesiae
+rotundam." This building was yet unfinished when Wenceslaus was
+martyred. The body of the saint was conveyed from Stara Boleslav to St.
+Vitus for burial, and this was not allowed to pass without a miraculous
+manifestation. The old wooden bridge, connecting the right bank of the
+Vltava with the Mala Strana, had been partly destroyed by floods;
+nevertheless the bearers passed over the half-ruined bridge as if they
+had no burden to carry at all. This was very wonderful, and redounded
+greatly to the saint's growing reputation, which was enhanced a little
+farther along the route to be traversed. As the procession passed the
+town-hall prison its inmates, clutching the bars, cried out for mercy;
+the bearers were forced to halt, and found themselves quite unable to
+proceed until all the captives had been released. Now this was very
+beautiful, and it happened long ago.
+
+Prince Spytihnev II, also a pious soul, considered the church built by
+Wenceslaus too small for his religious requirements; he had it
+demolished, and another one, also in the Romanesque style, erected in
+its place. The church that Spytihnev built was also destroyed to make
+way for the present edifice, which in its inception is due to Charles.
+It must have been about the time when Charles joined his father at
+Luxemburg, in 1344, that the former interviewed the master-builder
+Matthew of Arras, to discuss plans for the reconstruction of Prague's
+Cathedral Church. John and Charles, as we have seen, then went on
+together to visit the Pope at Avignon. It seems to have been on this
+occasion that Prague was raised to the dignity of an archbishopric, and
+Charles wished to build a temple worthy of the high dignity to which in
+matters spiritual, as temporal, his country had arisen; and so under the
+hand of skilled craftsmen, from out the ruins of earlier shrines, rose
+that crowning glory of Golden Prague, the Cathedral of St. Vitus. This
+great temple was many years a-building, and is not completed yet. Great
+men devoted their labours to this glorious fane: Peter Parler and his
+son John, Bene[vs] of Loun and others were among the master-builders,
+while many artists, goldsmiths and other craftsmen famous in their day
+contributed to the decoration of "the Father's House." Great men lie
+buried under its shadowy arches, and their memory lives on in sculpture,
+in paintings and wonders of wrought iron. In a chapel dedicated to St.
+Wenceslaus rests that princely martyr; you may see his epitaph and the
+shirt of mail he wore. In the bronze gates of this chapel you are shown
+a ring to which the saint is said to have clung when his murderers
+hacked him down. The walls of the chapels are inlaid with the precious
+stones of Bohemia--jasper and achates, chalcedon, amethyst and
+carneol--and are adorned with frescoes illustrating incidents in the
+life of the saint, most of them dating from the reign of Charles; the
+scene of his martyrdom is from the brush of Lucas Cranach. The
+candelabra and statue of St. Wenceslaus are attributed to Peter Fischer.
+King Charles, the founder, father of his country, lies buried here with
+his four wives, so do other Kings of Bohemia, Ladislas Posthumus, George
+Podiebrad, Ferdinand I and Maximilian.
+
+Looking out over my terrace to where the Cathedral of St. Vitus points
+its tapering spires towards high heaven, a misty pageant seems to pass
+beneath it. Following rapidly on the golden peace of Charles come the
+troublous days of religious strife, for with his son began the Hussite
+wars which left Bohemia desolate and a prey to the eagles of Habsburg.
+Angry flames rising up out the township below the Hrad[vs]any cast
+clouds of smoke over the cathedral what time the Hussites failed to
+capture the Royal Castle and in their zeal for reform set fire to
+various quarters of the Mala Strana. The Bishop's Palace, which stood
+near the left bank bridgehead, was utterly destroyed, the glorious
+Church of "St. Mary under the Chain," and with it the home of the
+Knights of Malta, suffered the same fate. Of St. Mary's Church there
+remain the chancel and two stout towers; I can see them from my
+embowered terrace, the blunt red roofs rising above a glorious riot of
+fruit blossom. The pageant moves on, giving a flash here and there of
+some one who stood up above his fellows like George Podiebrad, or the
+strong men who precipitated the Thirty Years' War. Then follows a
+fleeting vision of a stranger King, a German Protestant with his wife
+Elizabeth, daughter of "douce Jamie." A short reign this of Frederick
+Count Palatine, the "Winter King." We see him enter by the Strahov Gate
+to be crowned at St. Vitus on November 4, 1619. We may imagine the
+indignation of his people at Frederick's Calvinist divines who wished to
+remove the altar and paintings from the cathedral. We see Frederick a
+year later, again entering the city by the Strahov Gate, fleeing in hot
+haste from the stricken field of the White Mountain where Bohemia's
+freedom went under before the foreign mercenaries of the Emperor. Not
+for the first time either that the troops of Western Europe had marched
+on Prague to conquer it in the name of religion. Shortly after the
+burning of "St. Mary under the Chain" the Pope called upon Western
+Europe to undertake a crusade against the Hussites. A contemporary
+chronicler, Lawrence of Bre[vz]ova, gives us a list of the nationalities
+represented in this host of crusaders raised by Sigismund, King of
+Bohemia, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and led by an English
+Cardinal. According to Lawrence there were Bavarians, Saxons, Austrians,
+Frenchmen, men of Brabant and Dutchmen, Switzers, Lusatians and
+Spaniards, a compact body of English, and soldiers of many other
+nationalities; their number is estimated at between one hundred thousand
+and one hundred and fifty thousand. Sigismund entered the Castle of
+Prague and his motley forces encamped around the town, but "the Empire's
+mismanaged feudal levy was no match for an infuriated people which stood
+shoulder to shoulder in the service of the same inspiring idea." I quote
+from _Europe in the Middle Age_, by Thatcher and Schwill. Moreover, the
+Hussites were led and inspired by one of the greatest military leaders
+of all ages, John [vZ]i[vs]ka. This is not the place to tell of the
+doings of those Hussite armies and their exploits, and how they kept all
+Europe at bay so that every Bohemian might feel secure in the faith that
+was in him. Right away in the hazy background of hills against which
+stand up the towers and spires of Prague you may see an incline sloping
+down towards the river and to northward. This incline is now all built
+over, and this quarter of the town is called [vZ]i[vs]kov in memory of
+the great Hussite who held this hill against repeated attacks until he
+was in a position to go over to the offensive. Dissensions had broken
+out among the crusaders, the imperial armies melted away and left
+Sigismund to face his people alone. He came to some agreement with the
+leaders of the opposition and was even solemnly crowned at St. Vitus;
+but the battle on [vZ]i[vs]ka's hill marked the beginning of the Hussite
+wars.
+
+[Illustration: ST. VITUS.]
+
+With the defeat of the Bohemian army on the White Mountain ends the
+story of St. Vitus as the cathedral of a free country. The building was
+resumed after the Thirty Years' War came to an end, and other kings were
+crowned in the church that had known the glory of Charles IV and George
+Podiebrad; but those who came after were aliens to Bohemia, neither came
+they to that country intent only on its interests; a succession of
+Habsburgs passes by in pageant, to receive the crown of Bohemia as one
+among many distinctions to which their house was heir. Ferdinand III and
+Leopold I pass by, and Leopold's second son Charles VI second as King of
+Bohemia, last male representative of the House of Habsburg, who was
+succeeded by his daughter Maria Theresia. Troubles began again as in the
+days when the P[vr]emysl dynasty died out, and the German Electors
+decided to choose a new Emperor. The choice fell on Charles of Bavaria,
+so old St. Vitus saw again a coronation pageant and one which much
+resembled that of Frederick the Winter King. Charles of Bavaria was
+crowned at Prague with all the usual pomp and ceremony; he then left
+Bohemia never to return. Officially this Charles' coronation seems to
+count for nothing in the history of Austria into which that of Bohemia
+was merged. Bohemia became for years a pawn in the stern game between
+Maria Theresia and Frederick of Prussia, and St. Vitus suffered damage
+from the latter's guns; the glory of Golden Prague had departed and the
+stately cathedral looked down for nearly three centuries on a city that
+had been put aside, out of the way of the world's commerce and its great
+affairs, to dream of the days when Charles IV was King and Bohemia the
+land of a free and prosperous people.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We were really still in the days of Charles IV when it occurred to me to
+sketch out a special pageant for the Cathedral Church of St. Vitus.
+Charles, as I have said before, was particularly interested in churches,
+was altogether a good, pious soul, and never missed an opportunity of
+bearing testimony to his faith by deeds as well as words. This does not
+mean that he submitted his judgment, even in things spiritual, entirely
+to the ruling of the Church; on the contrary, he found that there was
+more need of reform among the clergy of his land than of churches. He
+did not hesitate, either, to point out to the Pope what reforms were
+needed, and, moreover, took his part in improving matters, with his
+usual energy and thoroughness. Indeed, according to all accounts, the
+Bohemian clergy were sorely in need of the curb: they allowed their
+sporting proclivities to run to excess in such pastimes as warfare,
+tournaments, hunting and gambling, and the law of celibacy had fallen
+into complete disuse. I have already noted that the St. Anthony of one
+particular kind of temptation (I forget whether he was of Padua or
+elsewhere) was not as popular in Bohemia as were many other saints.
+After all, the clergy of Bohemia were probably no worse than that of
+other countries, and Rome was not of much use as a "godly ensample";
+there is, for instance, that little story told by Richenthal in his
+chronicle about one of the Popes travelling across the Alps to some
+council or other. This pontiff, it appears, "clothed himself with curses
+as with a garment" and his horrible imprecations filled with terror the
+souls of the pious peasants who flocked to see him. So when by some
+accident the carriage of His Holiness was upset and himself pitched into
+the road he exclaimed: "Here I lie in the name of the devil." This
+sounds a bit feeble, and I could probably do better myself under similar
+provocation; but such language at all is very shocking in a clergyman.
+It is chiefly German historians who complain of Charles as being
+priest-ridden, and also of neglecting the affairs of the Empire while
+concentrating too much on Bohemia. This is a matter for historians to
+wrangle about; personally I consider that by his Golden Bull, which very
+much restricted the power of the Popes to interfere with the election of
+Kings of the Germans, and in the protection he extended to priests
+accused of heresy for their ardour on reform, Charles proved himself a
+strong man, free from undue outside influence, and no bigot. But we are
+concerned with what Charles did for Prague, and will take a look round
+the churches which meant so much to him, many of which he built or
+restored himself. One of these appeals to me particularly; I cannot say
+why exactly, perhaps because I heard some glorious music there, one grey
+evening in Lent. St. Henry's has long been famous for its Musical
+Society. I have mentioned this church before; it is dedicated to St.
+Henry and his wife Kunigunde. It is interesting and unusual to find a
+married saint; in fact, as in this case, a couple of them. The portraits
+of these two may be seen in the chancel of St. Henry's Church, but it
+was too dark for me to distinguish anything on the occasion of my visits
+there; moreover, I was sufficiently impressed with the shapely Gothic
+pillars, the work of Charles IV's craftsmen, which rose over the
+dilapidations of a much earlier building. Charles lost no time about the
+restoration of St. Henry's, as he seems to have begun it in 1348 and it
+was finished two years later. This church stands back from the rushing
+traffic of the Henry Street--Jind[vr]i[vs]ska Ulice, to give it its
+Czech name; the campanile of St. Henry's, a graceful tower with
+characteristic turrets and saddle-roof, is set apart and looks down the
+broad thoroughfare. This campanile is of more recent times than the
+church: it dates from the early days of Vladislav II, about the end of
+the fifteenth century. A sixteenth-century bell hangs in the campanile
+of St. Henry's Church; its inscription recalls the famous lines of
+Schiller's _Die Glocke_: "En ego campana, nunquam pronuntio vana, Ignam,
+vel festum, bellum, vel funus honestum." About the time of the
+restoration of St. Henry's, since much rebuilt outside, Charles set
+about building another church on the rising ground north-east of
+Vy[vs]ehrad; it is quaint rather than beautiful. You may note this
+church by its squat appearance, a broad cupola flanked by a couple of
+more slender ones, and the whole group is generally concealed by
+scaffolding. This church has had as hard a time as any of those in
+Prague. King Charles built it in 1350 and intended it to remind him of
+the cathedral at Aachen where Charlemagne is buried. There certainly is
+a good deal of resemblance still within this church dedicated
+appropriately to the Virgin and St. Charles, for the original outlines
+remain, as also the crypt below. But this church has suffered heavily
+both at the hands of wilful destroyers and of the restorer. Matthew of
+Arras was the architect. I wonder whether he would recognize his work
+to-day, so much has happened to it since he completed it. Consecrated in
+1377 and given over to the monks of the Augustine Order, church and
+monastery were thoroughly destroyed by the Hussites less than a century
+later. The church was rebuilt in 1498, seriously damaged in 1611, and
+left in a state of disrepair for forty years. It had not long been
+restored for the second time, when Frederick II of Prussia made a target
+of it in his siege of Prague. Some eight hundred hot shot are said to
+have struck this church and set it on fire more than fifty times: quite
+good shooting but bad manners. No wonder, then, that this Church of the
+Virgin and St. Charles has lost its pristine beauty; yet it has an
+attraction of its own to those who sympathize with its misfortunes, and
+there are still some quaint old corners of the Hermitage attached to the
+edifice, built by Dienzenhofer, for those who like _baroque_.
+
+We have noted Charles's interest in his cathedral on the Hrad[vs]any; he
+also paid a delicate compliment to the Lady Abbess of the convent
+attached to St. George's Church within the castle precincts. You will
+remember how Boleslav II, of pious memory, founded this convent and that
+his sister Milada was the first abbess. Charles raised that lady's
+successors to princely rank and gave them the right to place the crown
+on the head of the King at his coronation.
+
+[Illustration: ST. STEPHEN'S.]
+
+There are several other churches which have survived the chances and
+changes of centuries, among these one which appeals to me on account of
+its modesty. This church is tucked away among a congerie of respectable
+elderly buildings that cluster to eastward of the Stepanska Ulice, one
+of the thoroughfares that link up the higher lying part of the Nove
+M[ve]sto, the New Town, with the Vaclavske Nam[ve]sti. This church has
+indeed a somewhat neglected look: its quaint pointed steeple rises
+almost apologetically above some scrubby trees, and hardly ventures to
+o'ertop the grimy houses, that close it round. Nevertheless this ancient
+church should have reason to hold high its head, for Bohemia's great
+King and Father built it and dedicated it to a carefully selected saint,
+to wit St. Stephen. St. Stephen's Church shows pleasant traces of the
+gracious spirit which informed the master mind in those golden days of
+Charles IV. Moreover, St. Stephen's Church has kept the best of
+exclusive company during the six centuries of its existence, for close
+by, separated only by a narrow lane, stands one of Prague's oldest
+temples, the romanesque chapel of St. Longinus which from its memories
+harking back to the first P[vr]eysl King, Vladislav, probably looks upon
+its neighbour as a mere child.
+
+You will have noticed how many and varied are the names of saints
+mentioned in these my reflections from "a Terrace in Prague." I do not
+profess deep knowledge of saints, and do not as a rule venture on the
+hallowed ground where saints disport themselves. Nevertheless, while
+dealing with the city of Prague in particular or the Bohemian people in
+general, and endeavouring to become acquainted with them, you are faced
+with the fact that there is in this country a strong and no doubt
+commendable attraction towards saints of all possible varieties, and,
+let us hope, a favourable reaction on the part of the latter. I do not
+suggest that a saints' day merely means a holiday.
+
+To begin with, the Bohemians, on taking to Christianity at all, started
+with some very fine vintage saints of their own growing. You have heard
+all about them: Ludmilla, Wenceslaus, Milada, Adalbert. These estimable
+people were, after all, following the precepts of those who had brought
+the "Glad Tidings" to Bohemia, and therefore were entitled to high
+consideration and respect. We have met some of these most worthy people.
+There were the brothers Constantine (better known as Cyril) and
+Methodius, who did much missionary work in Central Europe, especially
+among those of their own, the Slavonic race, for these two were citizens
+of Solun (Salonika), where pure Slavonic was spoken in the ninth
+century. As Slavs these two missionaries were disliked by the Germans,
+but both Popes Adrian I and John VIII approved of them; we have heard
+how Methodius converted that stubborn pagan Prince Bo[vr]ivoj. Another
+couple of saints whom I have mentioned before, Cosmas and Damian, have
+always been most popular in Bohemia. They came from the West, or at
+least their reputation did, for they had been martyred in the third or
+fourth century, before Czech and his merry men had arrived at [vR]ip,
+before the Slavs had appeared in Europe in fact. Pope Felix III held
+these two gentlemen in high esteem, had dedicated a church to them in
+Rome, and his successors had no doubt recommended this worthy couple to
+the Bohemians when the latter began to ask for spiritual patronage.
+Cosmas and Damian, the oldest patron saints of Bohemian Christendom,
+became very popular, and many churches were dedicated to them; in fact,
+as we have seen, it was zeal in their cause that brought about the
+martyrdom of St. Wenceslaus. I believe these two, Cosmas and Damian,
+were precursors of that excellent body of medical missionaries who
+wisely get at a man's soul by healing his body. There must be something
+in my theory about Cosmas and Damian, as the medical faculty of Prague
+University put up a sculptured group supposed to represent these two
+saints, on the Charles Bridge, early in the eighteenth century. As
+portraiture this group is not convincing.
+
+The leading patron saint of Prague seems to be St. Vitus; at least in
+the great cathedral dedicated to him he dominates not only the city but
+also his co-patron saints of this most famous of all the city's many
+churches. You will remember that in course of a friendly exchange of
+concessions between St. Wenceslaus and King Henry the Fowler the latter
+presented Bohemia's ruler with an arm of St. Vitus. I do not quite
+understand how St. Vitus came to hold such high importance in Bohemia.
+He was born in Sicily of pagan parents, poor perhaps, possibly honest,
+about the beginning of the fourth century. Two Christians, Modestus and
+Crescentia, taught young Vitus and converted him without his father's
+knowledge. There was nothing unusual in this. Vitus was martyred in
+Rome, an experience which might happen to any Christian in those days,
+and we hear no more about him until he appears as patron saint of a
+church founded about the middle of the ninth century on the Island of
+Ruegen, by the monks of Corvey in Saxony. These monks had by some means
+or other got hold of the relics of St. Vitus; perhaps they parted with a
+bit to King Henry the Fowler, who then handed it on to Wenceslaus. The
+Slavonic islanders of Ruegen relapsed into paganism but kept green the
+memory of St. Vitus, whom they worshipped as a god.
+
+Whereas St. Wenceslaus secured only an arm of St. Vitus, King Charles
+acquired the rest of his body. St. Wenceslaus was, I fear, caught
+napping on several occasions. He is not dead, according to popular
+tradition, but sleeps inside a mountain, and sleeps soundly too, for he
+seems to have missed the resurrection of his people. By way of useful
+information I may tell you that the shrine of St. Wenceslaus is
+sanctuary for murderers, but I cannot say whether this custom still
+obtains under the constitution of the new Czecho-Slovak Republic.
+
+King Charles arranged a great festival when the remains of St. Vitus
+reached the cathedral dedicated to him. With his own hands Charles
+placed a crown of gold upon the saintly head, or, as one old chronicler
+puts it with unexpected humour, upon the head of one or other St. Vitus.
+Charles was peculiarly expert in the matter of relics and a zealous
+collector, which shows his constant concern for his people's welfare,
+not only spiritual but physical as well. So, for instance, did that
+pious monarch cause the remains of St. Sigismund to be conveyed to
+Prague. St. Sigismund was a good sound sixth-century saint of France who
+in the days of Gregory of Tours had frequently been invoked to ward off
+fever; his remains would therefore be a useful asset as complement to
+the limited knowledge of the art of healing in those days. Not that I
+attach much importance to the opinion of Gregory of Tours. You may
+remember that he admired one Chlodovech, King of all the Franks, who
+outdid any other Teuton founder of kingdoms by his record of crime, of
+murder and treachery, and generally speaking he had a tough lot to
+compete against. Londoners have probably forgotten that they also have a
+famous febrifuge in their city's patron saint, St. Erkenwald, to whose
+shrine came many pilgrims for relief from pain. Modern pilgrims to
+London come in their thousands to watch football matches--there is
+little of healing in this. Other relics collected by Charles were the
+spear, a bit of the cross and a nail, and the tablecloth used at the
+Last Supper. All these precious relics, together with the crown jewels,
+were kept in a strong castle built by Charles for the purpose. You may
+catch a glimpse of this castle, Karlov Tyn, Karlstein, as you pass down
+the valley of the winding Berounka of a summer's evening, coming to
+Prague from Paris via Cheb. A day was set apart for the Feast of Relics,
+the _Allatio Reliquiarum_. On this day the relics were conveyed to the
+cathedral and exhibited to the people, and Charles had arranged that all
+who attended this solemn function should be granted indulgence. I take
+it there was no work done that day in Prague; as it happens this feast
+coincided with that set apart for several saints, Macarius and Abel,
+besides being the octave of St. Stephen, a further reason for
+holiday-making.
+
+Talking of holidays in Prague, I came across one such fixed for August
+9th, and seriously described by a sound old writer on the manners and
+customs of Bohemia. This feast was observed, I cannot say religiously,
+but with great enthusiasm, by the students of the University. It was
+called quite simply _Beano_. This will sound familiar to you, and you
+will probably pronounce it as if derived from the bean, the common or
+garden bean and the feast thereof. Not so. This _Beano_ should be
+pronounced with due stress on each particular vowel, as if it were an
+Italian word; indeed, it is derived from the Latin. Attempts have been
+made to trace this word to early French influence at Prague University,
+and to derive it from _bec-jaune_, pronounced with a certain abandon.
+This, again, is wrong. _Beano_ is, or was, the great day on which the
+new students, the "freshers," were initiated into the mysteries of
+scholastic life with all manner of weird ceremony and horrible
+observances. There was used much, indeed undue, emphasis, said some, in
+order to impress upon the youngsters that a serious change of life was
+upon them, for, quoth the elders: "Beanus est animal nesciens vitam
+studiosorum."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+Showing how Prague grew and added beautiful buildings to its glory under
+the rule of Charles, the Father of his Country. Tells also of Charles's
+troubles, and introduces his son Wenceslaus. Shows why this son should
+be considered as the "Good King Wenceslaus" of our Christmas carol.
+Makes mention also of Sister Anne and her husband, Richard II of
+England. Tells about Susanna and the King. Introduces well-known names
+of those who pass in filmy pageant across the old historic Charles
+Bridge--John Nepomuk, John Hus, and others. Gives a fleeting vision of
+another native King, a great man, and of other rulers who had their day
+and passed on. Talks at some length of the river of Prague, the Vltava,
+and gives some of its reflections. Leads up from earliest aquatic habits
+of the Slavonic inhabitants to those of the present day, and is, though
+a long chapter, by no means a dull one.
+
+
+Prague, as you may imagine, had grown, despite the troubles it had
+passed through, both in importance and in extent. When Charles IV came
+to the throne, the city still consisted of three parts as before; during
+his reign a new town was added, and this was made necessary by the rise
+of the University which Charles had founded. Charles must have been
+considering the idea of creating a seat of learning in Prague before he
+accompanied his father to Crecy, for we find him writing to the Pope on
+the subject while he was yet recovering from his wounds and before he
+returned to Bohemia. It was at a Diet held at Prague in 1348 that
+Charles announced his intention of founding a University, and he set
+about it with his customary energy. The King himself took in hand the
+organization of this his new foundation, ably assisted by the
+Archbishop, Ernest of Pardubic, as Chancellor. Students of many
+countries, many nations, flocked to Prague, evidence of the fact of the
+city's central position in Europe, and soon the new University ranked
+with those older institutions--the only ones of the kind in
+Europe--Bologna, Paris and Oxford. The number of students increased
+rapidly: by the end of Charles's reign there were some six or seven
+thousand of them. The trouble was to accommodate them all. The
+professors held lectures in their own apartments, in monasteries if they
+happened to belong to one or other of the many congregations in Prague,
+and theology courses were held in the Cathedral. This was well enough at
+first, but even then there was no provision for the students' lodgings.
+They could not live in colleges, as there were none; in fact, the only
+university buildings in existence, which probably served various
+ceremonial occasions, was a congeries of buildings called the Carolinum,
+after its founder. These buildings stood in the Old Town, and there were
+probably others used for university purposes dotted about the town, as
+is the case to-day. Still, the students remain unhoused. There must have
+been a good many houses without the walls of the Old Town and
+Vy[vs]ehrad, the ancient borough, and I take it that Charles collected
+all these houses under one administration of its own, walled the place
+in securely and called it Nove M[ve]sto, New Town, quite simply. Charles
+laid the foundation-stone of the New Town in the same year as that in
+which he started the University, fitted the former out with various
+necessaries, a town-hall, a church or two, perhaps St. Stephen's, and so
+provided more housing room for the good people of Prague and their
+guests the students.
+
+[Illustration: VENICE IN PRAGUE.]
+
+All went very well, no doubt, for several years, when a calamity befell
+the city of Prague: the old bridge, built at her own expense by Queen
+Judith, the only link between Prague on the right bank and the Mala
+Strana, was damaged beyond repair by winter's floods. Charles, as usual,
+rose to the occasion: he built a new one, again laying a foundation with
+his own royal hand, and this happened in 1358--on July 9th, to be
+strictly accurate. I do not propose to describe the Charles Bridge to
+you, as I am supplying an illustration showing it, but I wish to remark
+here that Charles is not guilty of the groups of statuary which
+distinguish this bridge from others in the world. The only bit of
+statuary anywhere near the Charles Bridge which dates from his period
+stands near the Mala Strana end of it on the upstream side. This is the
+sculptured figure of a knight in armour, bearing the coat of arms of the
+Old Town and holding aloft his drawn sword. Dr. Je[vr]abek calls this
+figure "Bruncvik," others call it "Roland"; it was probably put up to
+inform passers-by that they had better pay their toll quietly or there
+would be trouble.
+
+The piles of the Charles Bridge nearest to the left bank of the river
+stand on a little island called Kampa. You cannot see much of this
+island from the bridge: I recommend you to go down the steps, under the
+bridge, and then look under the second arch, and you will see the view
+which I have sketched for you. It is not the view which you will find on
+the postcards illustrating this particular spot and calling it "Venice
+on the Vltava." In this the Pragers fall into the snobbish habit of
+going outside their own country for the sake of finding some inept
+comparison. I grant that they are not the only sinners in this respect;
+we may even have a "Venice in London," according to those who label the
+views on postcards, for all I know. I have, on postcards, met "Venice in
+Whatsisname" and elsewhere, wherever there was sufficient sluggish water
+reflecting tall houses that have seen better days and conceal their
+dilapidations behind motley garments drying in a lazy breeze. But Prague
+need not descend to this; here is no "Venice in Prague," but simply a
+charming bit of an old town, a fascinating backwater where quaint old
+houses exchange reminiscences with their broken reflections in the
+water. This ought to be good enough for Prague, anyway.
+
+So Charles threw this bridge across the water, a lasting, glorious
+monument to a father ever careful of his children's welfare, and its
+stout pillars and graceful arches bid fair to call up reflections for
+yet further centuries on the face of Bohemia's own river, the Vltava.
+
+The River Vltava rises away down in the south among the mountains of the
+Bohemian Forest. It has its happy infancy in "green days in forest,"
+leaping over rocks, playing with pebbles, and generally disporting
+itself until it comes out into the world and moves among men. Not empty
+handed either, for it carries the sound of the forest and the rhythm of
+running water to those that have their being on its banks; if you doubt
+it, come and hear Smetana's work at the National Theatre reflected in
+the waters of Prague. The Vltava arrives at Prague reinforced by its
+tributary, the Berounka, and flows almost due north until it meets the
+Castle Hill. Then it makes a bold sweep due east, turns north and west
+again, and so makes a peninsula of Castle Hill; then it resumes, with
+many windings, its northward course. Nothing could have been better
+arranged than this bold sweep encircling the Hrad[vs]any and the wooded
+slopes of Letna; it is this feature that adds so much interest to the
+attractive composition of Prague. This must also have impressed that
+far-seeing lady, Libu[vs]a--it inspired her as it has inspired many
+people since.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The psychology of rivers has not been sufficiently studied. Most people
+just call a river blue, or golden or muddy, and pass on to other
+subjects. In reality every river of importance has a definite character
+all its own; so, for that matter, has every stream of running water,
+however insignificant it may seem. Our ancestors recognized the fact,
+but preferred to endow brooks and streams with a definite personality in
+the form of nymphs, pixies, or whatever they were called. The Cross has
+driven these harmless and pathetic little beings out of the world they
+lived in; only a few were allowed to linger, such as Isa, who till quite
+recently came ashore from the Danube between Passau and Vienna because
+she felt so lonely, poor dear! Then there is Undine, but she only
+appears on the operatic stage, and that but rarely. Under our present
+strenuous existence, where all is bent towards material success, there
+is no place for the sprites whose voices the ancients heard in the
+twilight silence. How could any properly constituted nymph play
+hide-and-seek with the moonbeams, or cast an eye upon a handsome
+boatman, from under the well-regulated bank of a river of to-day? As far
+as present-day mortals are concerned, any stream means water-power, any
+river means a waterway for commerce, and those thus engaged after the
+day's work turn away from river and stream without waiting to hear what
+they have to say when the din of industry dies down and the voice of the
+running water can be heard again.
+
+There must be a certain and strong connection between a river and the
+people that live on its banks; one surely reacts upon the other, and in
+the process the character of both develops. Not only the sky, but the
+works of man, are reflected in rivers, have been so reflected since man
+began to work at all; so the character of a people must be influenced by
+rivers: witness the lazy reflections of the "Ponte Vecchio" in the
+golden Arno, the comfortable parks and lawns and country houses mirrored
+by the Thames until it gradually becomes busy, and very dirty, on its
+way to join the sea, with a sigh of relief after such a very strenuous
+"last lap."
+
+The river at Prague is worthy of careful study, but whatever I may
+suggest as to its influence on the people of Prague, I still advise you
+to come here and judge for yourself. Remember, its name is "Vltava," out
+of which the Germans had made "Moldau," by which you have probably known
+it till now; but the map of Europe has been readjusted lately, names
+have changed back to their original version, and so the river at Prague
+has resumed definitely its Slavonic designation, which, though not given
+on any map, yet lived in the memory of the people.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+An atmosphere of serenity seems to me to cling to the memory of
+Charles's reign, a sort of "world went very well then" feeling.
+Certainly Charles was doing his best, and his serenity and singleness of
+purpose were reflected in the soul of his people, as were the works of
+his hands reflected in the waters of the Vltava. Some historians credit
+Charles with deep and sinister designs, such as raising a vast Slav
+Empire to counter the growing ascendancy of Germany. This seems rather
+nonsensical. Charles was a good King of Bohemia, albeit German by race
+and French by upbringing, and was doing his best for his country. He saw
+distinctly, as very few people only have seen before or since, that
+Bohemia and its capital, Prague, was admirably suited to form the centre
+of a large Empire; he therefore developed the resources of his country
+in order to fit it for the part it should play. Charles is also accused
+of Pan-Slavism, a wide and generally misinterpreted term; indeed, he
+spoke Czech well, unlike his father John, and encouraged literary effort
+in that language--it was his duty to do this, and not to force French or
+German on his people as he might have tried to do. Again, the fact of
+his having founded the Benedictine monastery at Emaus for the purpose of
+reviving the traditions of the former monastery of St. Prokop! To this
+end came monks from Dalmatia, Croatia, Bosnia, all Slavs who brought
+back to Bohemia the Cyrillac alphabet and the Slavonic liturgy. The Pope
+had granted express permission at the request of Charles, who had
+pointed out that it was of little use preaching to his people in Latin.
+The Pope had, indeed, stipulated that Emaus should be the only
+congregation to use Slavonic rites within the frontiers of Bohemia.
+
+[Illustration: TOWER OF NEW TOWN HALL.]
+
+Charles was probably the sort of man who would walk about on foot among
+his people, and I like to think of him crossing the bridge he built when
+going about his business, and there was plenty of that. First of all,
+the Royal Castle, where he seems to have resided, was badly in need of
+repair; at the same time there were several churches building on the
+right bank, and Charles would surely go to see how they were getting on.
+Then again, the New Town was growing up and being walled in, and the
+New Town Hall was in course of construction. This latter building is
+another pleasant monument to "the Father of his Country," as it rears
+its graceful saddle-roofed tower, with the characteristic pointed
+turrets, over the trees and flowering shrubs that make of the Charles
+Square such a delectable resting-place. Vy[vs]ehrad was also having its
+ancient defences repaired and strengthened, and the sides of the hill
+rising up out of the Old Town, Vinohrad, were being turned into
+vineyards and gardens by order of the King. Charles was also in the
+habit of attending learned discourses at the University, or of dropping
+in at lectures. Then there were many grave affairs of the State to keep
+him anxiously busy. I can almost see him, a stoutish, sturdy man of
+round and kindly countenance, passing across the bridge, reflecting
+deeply on many difficult questions. There were, for instance, the
+zealous preachers Conrad Waldhauser and Mili[vc] of Krom[ve][vr]i[vz]e,
+who were causing such a stir. These two worthies were holding forth in
+the churches against the luxury and immorality of the time, with such
+effect that well-known, great and gaudy sinners were moved to acts of
+public repentance and women to cast off their jewellery and to dress
+themselves in sober fashion. All this was very beautiful and edifying,
+but it was not likely to last, and what with the ill-will of the Pope
+and the opposition of the monastic orders it took Charles all his tact
+and ability to steer a course among the rocks and rapids of imperial and
+Bohemian affairs. For all Charles's efforts the outlook was losing its
+air of serenity--was, in fact, becoming ominously cloudy towards the end
+of his reign. The papal conflict had brought about the Great Schism in
+the Western Church; this led to an aggravation of the Church Reform
+movement in Bohemia. In fact, the storm was rising which was to sweep
+over Bohemia, thence over all Central Europe, leaving it eventually
+broken and desolate, under the hand of Habsburg. At this moment, when a
+strong and steady hand was wanted more than ever, Charles died. He was
+only sixty-two, and might have been good for a few more years. However,
+he had prepared to meet events that might follow on his death, and had
+secured the succession to his son Wenceslaus, fourth and last Bohemian
+King of that name. Wenceslaus was the son of Anne of Schweidnitz, third
+wife of Charles; he had been crowned King of Bohemia at the age of two,
+his succession to the throne of Germany had been secured, so Wenceslaus,
+though only seventeen years old, started with the odds in his favour.
+There were plenty of troubles about which must have puzzled the young
+King considerably: rival Popes were hurling bans, bulls,
+excommunications, anathemas and such-like Church property at each other,
+and all the little dogs were barking at the heels of those precious
+pontiffs. Luckily young Wenceslaus could count upon a number of his
+father's old friends and councillors, and he started out trying to carry
+on his father's policy. He also took a line, a private one of his own,
+which was harmless enough at the outset, but became inconvenient as time
+went on. Wenceslaus was all out for popularity among his people,
+especially among his Pragers. He would go about the city looking into
+minor matters of his people's welfare, so he would measure the mercer's
+cloth-yard and if it were not up to standard would crack the saucy
+knave's head therewith. He went among his people performing acts of
+charity; in fact, he generally disported himself right royally, if with
+an occasional lapse from discretion. Now this Wenceslaus drew the
+relations between England and Bohemia closer together. Wenceslaus had a
+sister Anne, who married our Richard II. Anne was surely a very dear
+lady--an expensive one, in fact--for Richard had to pay eighty thousand
+golden guldens to Wenceslaus within a fortnight of Anne's landing in
+England, and had also lent the genial Bohemian King a further sum of
+twenty thousand golden guldens, which went away to the _Ewigkeit_--at
+least England never saw them again.
+
+Costly as was the bride of Richard II of England, I like to linger on
+her memory, feeling convinced that we all have benefited by the outlay.
+It is my firm opinion that we owe our grand old Christmas carol about
+"Good King Wenceslaus" to Anne of Bohemia directly. I have consulted
+various living Bohemian authorities on this subject. They had not even
+heard of our carol: I hummed the tune to them--it told them nothing.
+They tried to palm me off with St. Wenceslaus, but I declined him; he is
+not quite suitable as "theme" of a rollicking carol; besides, he gets
+plenty of attention in his own country. I grant that St. Wenceslaus was
+full of good works, all of the kind that looks well in frescoes, and in
+which everybody moves with feet in the first position, it was _de
+rigueur_. King Wenceslaus IV, also performed acts of kindness among his
+people, so the reference in the carol to "flesh and wine" suits this
+merry monarch thoroughly: he would certainly have called for both these
+forms of sustenance. St. Wenceslaus might have forgotten the wine; King
+Wenceslaus would have thought of that at once; in fact, he was a firm
+believer in the French adage, "_l'alcool conserve_." Then we learn from
+the carol that the page found warmth in the footsteps of the King, and
+Wenceslaus was certainly "hot stuff," as you will agree when I have told
+you more about him. Moreover, what is more likely than that Anne should
+have told her new English friends all about that jolly, popular brother
+of hers? The tune and its quaint harmonization is surely from some time
+in the joyous fifteenth century; if it had to deal with St. Wenceslaus
+it would have to grunt about in Gregorian phrasing. No doubt Anne's
+ladies who accompanied her from Bohemia would invoke the patron saint
+from time to time, and English people, hearing a strange and difficult
+name, and thinking it impossible that several well-known men had borne
+it, would be likely enough to get saintly prince and jovial monarch
+thoroughly mixed up. Anyway, I am firmly convinced that the "Good King
+Wenceslaus" we sing about at Christmas is no other than the brother of
+Anne, German King, King of Bohemia, fourth of that name, and Emperor of
+the Holy Roman Empire.
+
+Meanwhile the River Vltava continued to reflect indifferently the doings
+of small and great, and among others those of Wenceslaus.
+
+The laudable habit of bathing met with every encouragement from "Good
+King Wenceslaus," who was generally to be found ready to take part in
+any popular diversion. It was he who raised those humble but useful
+citizens, the keepers of bathing establishments, to prominent rank among
+their fellows. And hereby hangs a tale.
+
+King Wenceslaus did not always see eye to eye with the leaders among the
+people; there were misunderstandings and bickerings, and despite his
+popularity among the more jovial elements, he had enemies even in his
+own capital. On the occasion of one such unpleasantness his enemies had
+detained him at the Old Town Hall. The King, finding this very irksome,
+deliberated on some method of escaping, and had the happy thought of
+insisting on a bath. It was in the autumn of the year 1394; the weather
+was warm and the river close by. A few turns down the narrow winding
+street named after his father would bring Wenceslaus to the river,
+where, somewhat above the old town mill, was a bathing establishment.
+The name of the owner of these baths seems to have been lost to history.
+Not so that of his daughter Susanna. Now the name Susanna has appeared
+before in recorded history also in connection with bathing--a most
+irreproachable Susanna. We draw no parallel; we make no comparisons,
+especially as no elders enter immediately into this story; we merely
+state historic facts. Moreover, it was not Susanna who was taking the
+bath this time, it was the King, and Susanna seems merely to have been
+hovering about in a punt. Here was the monarch's opportunity. He
+persuaded Susanna to take him across the river. Thus he escaped from his
+enemies. Now there is no hint of an assignation, no suggestion that
+Susanna was an accessory before the fact, merely the chronicler's
+statement that the lady happened to be there and that she helped the
+King to escape.
+
+As was only right, King Wenceslaus proved his gratitude right royally.
+He began by breaking up the lady's bathing establishment as a
+preliminary to building a new and much more sumptuous one. Susanna's
+father seems to have been left out of the deal altogether by this time.
+The King then sent for Susanna, who appears to have been close at hand,
+namely, in the Royal Castle of [vZ]ebrac, where the solemn rite now to
+be related took place. After all, if you must break up a lady's home,
+the least you can do is to offer her suitable accommodation elsewhere.
+Susanna therefore appeared before the King, who solemnly invested her
+with a charter by virtue of which all those who followed the pursuit of
+keeping a bathing establishment should by their occupation be placed on
+a social level with the masters of other arts and crafts. They might,
+indeed, hold high their head among their fellows. It was expressly
+stated that no Jews, infidels, heretics, or lewd persons should be
+allowed to patronize bathing establishments; nor might they even enter
+into the dwelling-places of those who came under the new charter. Severe
+penalties were to be imposed on those who ventured to speak ill of the
+keeper of a bathing establishment; he might even lose his head for such
+temerity; anyway, his property would go to the senior member of the new
+guild.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Thus spake the King. Furthermore, he ordained that this worshipful guild
+which did so much towards encouraging cleanly habits should hold as its
+crest or cognizance within a garland argent and azure, a kingfisher
+proper. Some chroniclers suggest that the bird was a parrot, but this
+seems unlikely--parrots can be so indiscreet. Moreover, you may see for
+yourself on the Old Town side of the tower of the Charles Bridge the
+bird within the garland, and will recognize it at once for a kingfisher.
+
+Let us watch the pageant that crosses the bridge that Charles built.
+They pass in the serene atmosphere which, to my thinking, enveloped the
+city in the Golden Age of Charles "the Father of his Country." They
+hurry to and fro under the lurid light of civil war waged in the name of
+religion; they linger on the bridge looking to the sky and its
+reflections in the water, under the false light which precedes disaster,
+or move mournfully cast down by the lowering clouds of oppression, to
+revive when Prague came into her own again one crisp October morning in
+1918.
+
+Charles, it seems, lived in the Royal Castle a good deal. We may see him
+crossing the bridge he built, to look to the progress of the work he was
+engaged upon. Perchance he was deep in thought on high matters of State,
+on his Golden Bull which reaffirmed all the privileges granted to
+Bohemia. This Bull caused a coolness between him and the Pope, whose
+indefinite claims to interfere in German elections were certainly
+restricted by that engine. Around him the populace would be talking of
+the great preachers, Conrad Waldhauser and Mili[vc] of
+Krom[ve][vr]i[vz]e, whom the King protected in their fiery onslaught on
+the abuses in the Church and immorality of the children of their time.
+Charles may have thought all this very beautiful but unlikely to last.
+He saw clouds arising, and they closed over Bohemia when he died.
+
+Of the works that Charles constructed for the beautifying of his
+capital, several are reflected in the waters of Vltava. There is, for
+instance, the bridgehead tower on the Mala Strana side, a graceful
+monument to Charles's gracious days. You may notice on passing under the
+gateway from the bridge the figure of a witch carved in stone, complete
+with broom and general air of nocturnal enterprise. I often wonder as I
+pass by here whether this figure inspired Marion Crawford when he was
+casting about for a title to his novel which you may have read, _The
+Witch of Prague_. There lingers a strong, a powerfully attractive
+_allure_ of old Prague, just about this quarter, at the left bank end of
+the Charles Bridge. There is a quaint old tower that dates from Queen
+Judith's time. I have already pointed it out to you, and told you that
+it was until fairly recently used as a lock-up. The battlement across
+the gateway used to bear indications of rough justice as executed in
+those days; it was frequently adorned with the heads of rebels, traitors
+or others who had become unpopular, as, for instance, one Bohemicky. It
+appears that Bohemicky was quite unable to get along with his
+fellow-citizens, so they had his head off and added to the collection
+over the gateway. This happened in 1517, when the nations had emerged
+out of the darkness of the Middle Age and were struggling along by the
+yet uncertain light of civil progress and religious reform.
+
+The tower on the right bank end of the Charles Bridge bears every
+indication of dating from King Wenceslaus IV, as his device, the
+kingfisher, is found to figure in its decorative scheme. Between these
+two bridgeheads passes a good deal of the historic pageant of Old
+Prague. Wenceslaus IV played about here a good deal, it would appear.
+First of all we have that little affair with Susanna of the
+bathing-place. Then there was a story about one John Nepomuk which
+seems to have made less stir at the time of the event narrated than its
+echo did some centuries later. John Nepomuk was a pious soul, as a
+priest should be, modest and seemly in his ways. He just comes in, as it
+were, in the background, of the squabbles that Wenceslaus and his
+Archbishop, John of Jenstein, constantly indulged in. Wenceslaus was all
+for reforming the Church before reforming himself. As to John Nepomuk, I
+am rather puzzled about him. The people of Bohemia, on the whole, seem
+to reverence him as a saint, one of the patrons of their country.
+
+Some saints are a long time in coming to their own. The powers that
+decide such matters are very deliberate; they are "left at the post"
+even by such august institutions as Royal Commissions, Parish Councils
+and Leagues of Nations. We all know how long it took before Joan of Arc
+was duly canonized, yet her case was perfectly clear; she had her
+visions, she acted upon them, she also gave advice freely, and was
+eventually burnt at the stake; in fact, there can have been no doubt,
+from the very beginning of her career, but that she was the stuff that
+saints are made of. Another saint whose recognition was very tardy is
+St. John Nepomuk. He is probably quite unknown to England even to this
+day, notwithstanding the fact that he stood in close if somewhat
+uncomfortable relations to one who figures in an English carol, namely,
+this Good King Wenceslaus.
+
+Now there is relativity in goodness, and this feature was strongly
+marked in the King of Bohemia of whom we sing at Christmas time. One
+absolute departure from goodness is reported of him, namely, that he
+caused his wife's father-confessor to be thrown into the river at
+Prague; and this man was John Nepomuk.
+
+The trouble arose out of curiosity, and perhaps jealousy. Wine had also
+a good deal to do with the business; the wine of M[ve]lnik, both white
+and red, was probably as pleasant to the taste then as it is to-day, and
+Wenceslaus thought so too. His Queen Sophie was a very good wife
+indeed, so Wenceslaus, wondering what such a very dear and gentle lady
+could have to confess, inquired of John Nepomuk about this. I fear John
+was one of those exasperating persons who give the soft answer that
+makes one very wild. It had that effect on Wenceslaus; he went off into
+an ungovernable rage and had John dragged down to the river and thrown
+in. I believe John's tongue was torn out first. Anyway, this is the sort
+of picturesque addition that you expect. There is a statue to John
+Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge, there is a tablet to mark the spot where
+he was thrown in, and there is his shrine in the cathedral which Luetzow,
+by the way, describes as of "barbaric splendour."
+
+Now shortly after John Nepomuk's demise came yet another John, surnamed
+Hus, and as he likewise met with a violent death, and that under yet
+more picturesque conditions highly coloured by national sentiment, his
+memory survived, whereas John Nepomuk's was lost in oblivion. After all,
+John Nepomuk's trouble was more a personal one, a quarrel about a
+domestic affair, whereas John Hus went all the way to Constance to bear
+testimony to the faith held by his people, and was burnt there with all
+the pomp and ceremony which Church and State of those days could put up.
+As sequel to the martyrdom of John Hus came the wars waged by his
+Bohemian followers against all the might of the Church of Rome and the
+Holy Roman Empire. It is, therefore, no wonder that his memory held
+popular sentiment for centuries, holds it still, though there are signs
+that John Nepomuk is creeping up again; and in this lie endless
+possibilities.
+
+In the first place it is maintained by ardent nationalists, and
+therefore followers of John Hus, that John Nepomuk never existed at all,
+that he was simply invented by the Jesuits in their successful efforts
+to bring back to Rome the Protestant people of Bohemia whose army had
+been defeated in the battle of the White Mountain in 1620. John Nepomuk
+was raised, they maintain, in opposition to the real national hero and
+martyr John Hus; therefore the whole story of the former John's death is
+all invention, and the tablet on the bridge over which he went to
+martyrdom is a brazen misstatement of fact. The tablet is of bronze,
+anyway, and shows the saint floating serenely on the surface, his head
+surrounded by a halo of stars which flew upwards as his body struck the
+water. Although this serious event is said to have happened in 1383, it
+was not till nearly three centuries later that it was recalled to the
+memory of the Bohemian people, who were then encouraged to celebrate the
+16th of May as the day set apart for St. John Nepomuk. So they
+celebrated--it takes little inducement to make a Bohemian celebrate
+anything. The festival included several attractive features, such as a
+religious service on the bridge itself, and also a display of fireworks
+in memory of the afore-mentioned bunch of stars. Such observances must
+have given great satisfaction to the saint, less so the habit of
+invoking his aid in times of drought. This surely is rather a delicate
+matter. Remember, John Nepomuk had been drowned; therefore to ask him to
+see to a further supply of water seems hardly tactful--it is enough to
+send any ordinary saint off into a fit of hydrophobia. Anyway, John
+Nepomuk was duly canonized some three hundred and fifty years after his
+supposed immersion in the waters of Prague. Since then many churches
+have been dedicated to his saintly memory; many statues, depicting him
+with all the truthfulness inherent in the narrative of "the oldest
+inhabitant," adorn shrines by the wayside: he was apparently popular all
+over the country--in any case he brought the people at least one
+holiday. But the war affected the pleasant relations between a kindly
+saint and the people to whom he had been appointed for special duties by
+the far distant authorities of Holy Church. The spirit of nationalism
+tarnished the starry halo of one John, and sought illumination in the
+fierce glow that destroyed the other. John Nepomuk was relegated to the
+background where live the quiet souls whose beliefs are not affected by
+nationalism. John Hus was brought forward by national sentiment which
+had fiercely resented the suppression of this martyr's memorial
+celebrations, and for a time it seemed that John Hus would hold the
+field, that the spirit of the nation would return to his tenets and away
+from an alien spiritual authority.
+
+Even a year ago John Nepomuk's day was observed only by those who
+perform their devotions in secret; this year we had vigil and feast kept
+at top form, pilgrimages from all parts of the country, processions
+through the streets headed by high dignitaries of the Church, and
+outward and visible signs of a sincere regard for a patron saint. There
+was some stimulating opposition too: a band of followers of the other
+John also demonstrated in favour of their man, whose day was not due for
+about a month or so. The police were out in force, but the opposition
+amounted to little more than noise; there were plenty of bands and beer,
+and no one particularly wanted a row.
+
+There is some significance in this revival of reverence for St. John
+Nepomuk. Owing to centuries of oppression the mind of the people of
+Bohemia has developed a strong "spirit of negation," "_der Geist der
+stets verneint_," as Goethe would say, to the detriment of constructive
+ability, so it may be that this spirit having failed to reconstruct a
+church of some sort, at least on national lines, is going under before
+the mightiest organization the world has ever known, the Church of Rome.
+
+The Government's attitude was interesting, if not amusing, in the matter
+of keeping the feast. Officially there was no feast (except the daily
+socialistic feast of reason), unofficially anyone who wanted to drop a
+tear for John Nepomuk over the bridge was at liberty to leave his office
+for that purpose.
+
+Swarms of country folk flocked into the city of Prague to give John
+Nepomuk his due--but there was also an agricultural exhibition going on
+at the time. The Government was keenly interested in this exhibition;
+the crowds who came in out of reverence for John Nepomuk went to the
+exhibition out of curiosity.
+
+To the Government the late patron saint of Bohemia was of some economic
+value; what his spiritual value is time will tell. Holy Church can
+always afford to wait.
+
+John Hus has just been mentioned. He passes before us in the pageant of
+the Charles Bridge. Wenceslaus IV knew this fervent soul who came up to
+Prague from his humble home in Southern Bohemia, and arrived at his M.A.
+degree in 1396, eventually to become Rector of the University. It is
+possibly indirectly through Wenceslaus that Hus became acquainted with
+the writings and teachings of Wycliffe. Wenceslaus frequently
+corresponded on the subject of Church Reform, on the recognition of
+Urban VI as Pope, and other cognate matters, with his brother-in-law,
+Richard II of England, and no doubt sister Anne added a line to her
+husband's letters. Now Anne, we know, had already been deeply impressed
+by Wycliffe's teaching; his writings had been known and treasured in
+Prague for some time. John Hus had certainly studied them, and he was an
+ardent advocate of Church Reform. We also find that he had a friend in
+that long-suffering Queen Sophie, wife of Wenceslaus; he was even for a
+time her father-confessor. We see John Hus pass on his way through the
+storms of controversy to the pyre at which he perished by the
+faithlessness of an Emperor, Sigismund, younger brother of Wenceslaus,
+and also some time King of Bohemia. Then again we see the fire that
+destroyed John Hus's body at Constance reflected time and again,
+angrily, in the waters of the Vltava; the Hussites were out and, as we
+have seen, were destroying by fire. So we see the Bishop's palace in
+flames, the Church of "St. Mary under the Chain," and many of the old
+houses on the Mala Strana. The same fate, but not by the same agents,
+befell the old Gothic tower you see standing up above that quaint
+congerie of buildings below you as you look upstream at the Old Town end
+of the bridge. Here is the old water tower dating back through many
+vicissitudes to 1489, and below it are the buildings of the Old Town
+mill, which are also of venerable age.
+
+Religious dissensions, strife and turmoil, marked the days when
+Sigismund reigned over Bohemia and also the Holy Roman Empire; there
+were at one time three rival Emperors, also three Popes, a state of
+affairs not conducive to the world's welfare; and Prague suffered
+accordingly. Strange scenes must have been reflected in the Vltava in
+those stormy times, as the pageant of the history of Prague crossed the
+Charles Bridge. One day, to the beating of drums, a bevy of priests came
+from afar; they made for the market-place and there sold indulgences.
+The Pragers, distracted by the dissensions that rent the country, took
+to arms repeatedly. Now and then a rift in the clouds would hold out
+promise of a serener atmosphere; after two Habsburgs, Albert and his
+posthumous son, Ladislaus, came a King of their own choosing, of their
+own race and faith, George Podiebrad. But much as the Pragers venerated
+this native King of theirs, he was able to bring them little lasting
+good, with all his grand efforts and laudable intentions. George
+Podiebrad, it appears, was fond of the river, like a good Bohemian, and
+would come down to bathe occasionally. To make a clean job of it, he
+used to get shaved at the same time, possibly hair-cut. One day as the
+barber held the King's chin and flourished his razor, the knight of the
+tongs asked his sovereign: "Who is now the most mighty man in this
+Kingdom of Bohemia?" "Surely thou art," quoth the King. When the shave
+was over the King demanded: "Who is now the mightiest man in this
+Kingdom of Bohemia?" "Surely thou art," quoth the barber, who was
+thereupon given striking evidence of his monarch's might, a couple of
+blows on the jaw, a kick or two in the ribs, and other marks of royal
+favour. No doubt a few halidoms, gramercies and other bits of furniture
+were set flying about at the time. The barber was so overcome by these
+marks of royal favour that he died a few days after taking them. This
+was George Podiebrad in lighter mood; he had a serious side to him as
+well, as I may try to show you by and by.
+
+There followed Vladislav, a Pole, and various Habsburgs as Kings of
+Bohemia, but I see little that the river cares to reflect, of their work
+or doings. Instead of reflections in the waters, I see them troubled,
+and anxiety on the face of Prague. There seems to have been a
+brightening up after the Bohemians had cleared the atmosphere by letting
+loose the War of Thirty Years. They had invited a foreign Protestant to
+be their King, and they hoped much from his wife. We have met these two
+before, Frederick of the Palatinate and Elizabeth, whom the Bohemians
+still insist on calling an Englishwoman, whereas everyone should know
+that anyone who has even a remote Scottish relative expects to be
+considered a Scot "for a' that." The river gives me just a glint of a
+reflection concerning Frederick and Elizabeth.
+
+The good people of Prague live by the river, on the river, and in warm
+weather in the river. This has been the pleasant custom of the Pragers
+from time immemorial; it has not been appreciated by some of the
+visitors to Prague. So, for instance, this so-called English lady,
+Elizabeth, wife of him whom history nicknames the "Winter King," was
+shocked at the very liberal display of pink flesh one day when crossing
+the Charles Bridge. It was probably a sunny day, and many people of
+Prague were disporting themselves in the Vltava, as they do to-day. You
+may see them swimming about or in boatloads pulled by some enthusiastic
+if perspiring male member of the family; indeed, the results of
+Bohemia's excellent cuisine are much in evidence. It must be admitted
+that the same cuisine tends to develop a certain redundancy among those
+no longer in their first youth. Perhaps the sight of exuberant ladies,
+scantily clad and bulging over the gunwale of a frail craft, provoked
+the English Princess to a shocked utterance, the account of which,
+purposely garbled by the Jesuits, spread abroad like wildfire, and
+caused much unfavourable comment. The lady herself was subject to remark
+by the Pragers on account of her very _decollete_ dresses after the
+fashion set by the Court of her father, King James I of England, of whom
+it is said, by the way, that he was not over addicted to washing--the
+tips of his fingers were about the extent of his ablutions; so
+stone-throwing was out of place in this instance, as in all others.
+However, as we know, Elizabeth did not make a prolonged stay in Prague;
+her husband Frederick, by no means endowed with the physical courage of
+his son Rupert, the Prince Palatine, did a memorable "sprint" when he
+heard how the people of his adoption had been defeated. The people of
+Prague then had much more serious matters to concern themselves with
+than an English Princess's dresses. The troops of the Empire marched
+into Prague, adventurers of many nations swarmed into the city and
+settled there while Jesuits set about bringing back the citizens into
+the fold of the Roman Church by lighting bonfires with the works of the
+earnest divines who followed in the footsteps of John Hus and the
+reformers. They endeavoured by these means to stamp out any tendency to
+freedom of thought, religious and political, in the people of Bohemia.
+In this they failed.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+While talking of the aquatic habits of the people of Prague, of Bohemia
+generally, I am reminded of accounts by Byzantine chroniclers, reporters
+and travellers who described Slavs they had met or heard of. This would
+be some time ago, say sixth or seventh century. These Slavs had a
+wonderful idea of lying in ambush--I cannot call it a military
+stratagem, it is so amphibious. They lay down in shallow pools, showing
+only the end of a blow-pipe to breathe through, and so waylaid the
+enemy. The Byzantines must have been up against the Czechs, who seem to
+me distinctly amphibious in summer-time. True, the stratagem described
+is no longer in use; it is too simple for modern times and methods;
+besides, I do not know many Bohemians of whom I could say that they are
+built for that man[oe]uvre, that they would ever be able effectively to
+conceal their manly proportions in shallow pools. No, I do not think it
+could be done to-day. One _buirdly_ body, whose proportions were not
+easy to conceal, caught my eye one day as I was paddling about among a
+swarm of merry swimmers. He stood out among the crowd, a majestic
+figure. It was not his costume--simplicity itself--which attracted my
+attention, not his fiercely upturned moustache nor the red and white
+jockey cap that crowned his square-cut head. It was his massive
+stateliness as a whole. Surely he had taken guidance from Marcus
+Aurelius: "Be thou like a promontory"!
+
+[Illustration: BE THOU LIKE A PROMONTORY.]
+
+On sunny summer days all Prague seems to be on or in the river, and a
+very sensible and healthy way it is to spend the hot hours of the
+day--and it can be appreciably hot in Prague. As a rule you may reckon
+on long spells of fine weather throughout Bohemia, as the country is
+sheltered on the weather side by the high mountains which hold up the
+rain. So all Prague turns out to enjoy the river and the sunshine.
+During the summer months the inhabitants of Prague, a very white-skinned
+race, turn ripe brown in the parts exposed to the sun; and, as I
+suggested before, a considerable aggregate surface is thus exposed. In
+contrast to low-cut white frocks, brown necks recall sights familiar to
+Eastern travellers. I do not suggest that this detracts from the charm
+of the ladies of Prague, to which I pay ready tribute. And in winter
+the normal fairness of skin of the Aryan reasserts itself, while the
+charm remains--in fact, intensifies. It is singularly pleasant to watch
+the younger generation at play on or in the river. They are all good,
+strong swimmers, but their chief delight seems to lie in each one
+"paddling his, or her, own canoe." The river canoe is not quite the same
+as those which we derived from the Red Indians, though that kind of
+craft is also seen about. The popular canoe is a very small
+flat-bottomed concern with pointed stem and stern, is generally gaily
+painted and named appropriately "Water Bubble," "Fairy," or something
+equally ingenious. It looks easy when you see a lass gracefully paddling
+herself along with a double oar; it is anything but as easy as it looks.
+This class of canoe is a very unstable craft. I have tried to navigate
+one, and spent the whole time in the water--simply could not keep inside
+the tub. This I much regretted, for it must be thoroughly enjoyable to
+laze about under the trees that overhang the river from one or other of
+the islands and listen to the band. You do not get half the enjoyment
+you should out of music when swimming around all the time, and it would
+not be appreciated if you appeared like Venus or Undine, from out of the
+foam as it were, among the customers of the "Restauration" on one or
+other of the islands--besides, you would not have your pocket-book,
+stuffed with notes, on your person just then.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+Charles and the Housing Problem. The "carryings on" in the New Town, and
+more about "St. Mary of the Snow"; also about Rudolph II and some
+troublesome guests of his inviting, called the "Passauer." How Count
+Thurn chased the "Passauer" out of town. A word about the Salvation
+Army. How the centre of fashion shifted to the Old Town in the days of
+Wenceslaus IV, and we move with it down the Karlova Ulice, look at
+various matters of interest and listen to a story about a confectioner
+and his nocturnal visitors. The 21st of June in Prague and the Hus
+celebrations on the 6th of July. The Old Town Hall and the Church of Our
+Lady of Tyn. The "Powder Tower," night life in Prague, and a word on
+missionaries of long ago and of to-day. A good deal about concerts,
+theatres, opera and other recreations. A mention of Jungmann and Kalina,
+and the Slav Congress of 1848. A memory of barricades and street
+fighting. Something about Sokols.
+
+
+Charles, we have seen, had added a fourth quarter, the New Town, to his
+city of Prague, moved thereto by the acuteness of the "Housing Problem,"
+which, by the way, is equally urgent to-day. Prague is again the capital
+of a free and flourishing State, and is again hard put to it to find
+room for all those who feel attracted to her. The New Town soon entered
+into the spirit of mediaeval Prague, put on no airs, but just joined in
+any fray that happened to be going on. So New Town and Old were wont to
+meet in battle over some vexed question, generally of theology strongly
+mixed with politics, and a favourite cockpit was the ground in front of
+"St. Mary of the Snow." It was on one of those occasions that the
+steeple was brought down, together with a couple of monks who were
+hiding in it, and also the big bell Carolus; a gun was brought into
+action, and no doubt gave tone to the proceedings. This was in 1434;
+nearly two centuries later some visitors generally alluded to as the
+"Passauer," plundered this church and monastery.
+
+This visit of the "Passauer" was again due to that noxious mixture,
+religion plus politics. The Union of Protestant German Princes had been
+broken, and Ravaillac's dagger had killed Henri Quatre, spoiling his
+plans towards helping Protestantism, in which plans the French King had
+also included Bohemia. Just about this time the Habsburger King of
+Bohemia, Rudolph II, who must have been rather mad, was looking out for
+a successor. He loathed all his relatives with complete impartiality,
+save one, and that one was a cousin, Archduke Leopold, Bishop of
+Strassbourg and Passau. Leopold was one of those fighting prelates who
+send others to do the dirty work; in this case an army of his, some
+thirty thousand bandits led by a foreign _condottiere_, invaded Bohemia,
+burning and pillaging until they came to Prague. Rudolph had probably
+invited them, as the imperial garrison of the Hrad[vs]any admitted these
+"Passauer" to the Mala Strana. In Old Prague these marauders met with
+resistance, though here too preparations had been made towards their
+visit, as gunpowder and other warlike stores had been found in
+monasteries and houses of the Jesuits. The Estates of Bohemia hastily
+equipped Count Thurn, who soon got the better of Leopold's mercenaries,
+and chased them and the Jesuits out of the country. Fighting about this
+quarter of Prague--in fact, anywhere in the city--is now discouraged by
+an efficient police force, and the only warlike sounds I have ever heard
+proceeding from out the shadows of "St Mary of the Snow" came from the
+band of the Salvation Army. A very good band it is too, though the tunes
+it plays are not up to the native standard of music. Nevertheless the
+Salvation Army is not only tolerated, but enjoys a certain amount of
+popularity; deservedly too, for that organization does a great deal of
+good rescue work. Jungmann's statue looks down thoughtfully upon this
+somewhat corybantic form of religious expression when on a Sunday
+afternoon the Salvation Army band is in full blast. Jungmann, who
+brought out the value of the Czech language, its poetic possibilities,
+by translating into it Milton's _Paradise Lost_, may wonder at this
+strange striving after "the Beauty of Holiness," which also comes from
+England. But probably he understands.
+
+The New Town seems to have developed along a line of local politics all
+its own and at variance with that of its very close neighbours, Old
+Town, Vy[vs]ehrad and Mala Strana. Their local politicians did not lack
+initiative; no one can accuse them of that failing. I can recall one
+instance as example. During the days when the Protestants of Prague, in
+their religious ardour, had split up into at least two distinct and
+hostile parties, a procession of Utraquists, priests leading with the
+Host, passed by the New Town Hall. Some one threw a brick and hit a
+priest, thereupon the populace stormed the Town Hall and hurled Mayor
+and Corporation out of the window; those of the victims who still showed
+signs of life were dispatched with clubs--in fact, a clean-up of
+municipal authorities took place. Public spirited certainly,
+unconventional, you may say; but if the Bohemian is to have no power of
+imagination, who may?
+
+In the days of Wenceslaus IV the fashionable centre of Prague seems to
+have been shifted from the impressive Hrad[vs]any side to the Old Town.
+The King himself preferred to live in close touch with his people; he
+wanted to see life--he certainly made it, for Wenceslaus when young was
+quite "one of the lads of the village." Let us look up that good King's
+haunts. On crossing the Charles Bridge from the Mala Strana to the Old
+Town we keep straight along the Karlova Ulice--that is, as straight as
+you can along this narrow old street by which Charles must have made his
+way to the Carolinum. I have already pointed out to you the dome which
+surmounts the home of the Red Cross Knights, the Knights Crucifer, and
+told you that this building and the church that stands somewhat apart on
+your left, behind the statue of Charles IV, is the work of the Jesuits.
+We may go in by the wide gateway into this mass of buildings, the
+Clementinum, also part of the University, but this is guide-book
+business, and I prefer to take you my own way. So we go along the
+crooked street past a bunch of churches, one of which is the longest in
+Prague; you may see their bulbous towers from my terrace, or your own if
+you get the right point of view. These churches do not interest me
+particularly except for a lovely bit of wrought-iron railing belonging
+to the Italian Chapel, just where the street takes a slight twist. Here
+you have quaint old houses, with red-tiled roofs and dormer windows. One
+of them seems inclined to impede the progress of the traffic, and the
+street bends slightly away to the right to oblige this building. There
+are quaint ornamentations on the narrow side of this house facing us,
+human figures and wreaths, and in the centre of the design a star. This
+old house has a little story to tell. Long ago, possibly in the
+sixteenth century, it was an inn, or a lodging-house, was said to be
+haunted, so the great-grandson of the last innkeeper there gave up
+taking lodgers and became a confectioner. One winter's evening, probably
+in preparation for Christmas, this confectioner was surveying the day's
+handiwork. He was particularly pleased with two little sugar figures he
+had fashioned; they represented a lady and her gallant in Spanish dress,
+each draped in the heavy folds of a cloak. He was interrupted by a knock
+at the door, and in came two figures, in Spanish dress, cloak and all, a
+lady and her cavalier. The only thing strange about them were their
+faces: they were like masks, beautiful indeed, but lifeless. However,
+the couple were quite amiable; they took the proffered seats, and the
+gallant spoke. "Have you, good master [gramercies, gadzooks, etc.,
+according to taste], a couple of sugar figures in Spanish dress, each
+draped in a cloak?" "Zounds!" or something equally effective (in Czech,
+please) from the confectioner, "here is the very article!" The little
+figures gave satisfaction; the gallant purchased them with much fine
+gold, then proffered a request for a favour in return. "Granted," or
+words to that effect, from the confectioner. "As it happens," continued
+the gallant, "we have lost our heads, and would be much obliged if you
+would recover them for us. You see, we called here about a hundred
+years ago and were murdered in our beds, here in this house. It was your
+great-grandfather's doing; he was a bit peevish that evening. We had
+arrived with all our trunks, had searched the whole town for lodgings;
+every place was crowded. Some one advised us to call here. The old
+gentleman, after a deal of grumbling, showed us into a room, the first
+floor front. I feel sure he really never liked us; in fact, we were no
+sooner asleep than he came in and cut our heads off. He put our bodies
+in one of our trunks, the contents of which he kept as souvenirs; you
+know he was a great collector. He mislaid our heads, and we have
+suffered much inconvenience in consequence. The ones we are wearing now
+are not real ones--wax, you know; quite good of their kind, but not what
+we have been used to. If you would be good enough to look around for
+those heads, put them in a coffin with our bodies and have our whole
+outfit decently buried, we should feel much relieved. By the way, our
+old trunks are somewhere about the premises still, down in the cellar;
+your great-grandfather was always keen on cold-storage--a collector
+should be." The confectioner promised to see to this little matter, the
+visitors tried to get up a smile of gratitude, and faded away. Right
+enough, after searching diligently amongst his ancestor's collection,
+the confectioner found the missing articles, carried out the
+instructions given him by his visitors, and never saw them again. They
+have left Prague for good and all, I gather.
+
+It is well worth while to dive into the little narrow streets and alleys
+to right and left; here you come upon many reminders of ancient Prague.
+Look out especially for the quaint house-signs, some of which have not
+yet been swept away--signs of exquisite design and workmanship, a lily,
+a fish, keys or bunches of grapes. The Karlova Ulice eventually lands us
+in the little Old Town Square, where you will find a beautiful
+wrought-iron cage over a well, of sixteenth-century workmanship, and
+passing on we arrive at one of the most historic spots of Prague, the
+Starom[ve]stke Nam[ve]sti, the Old Town Square, or Ring. In shape it is
+neither of these two, but that does not detract from the throbbing
+interest that clings to it.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+There was something unusual in the atmosphere of Prague when on the 21st
+of June the sun dispelled the river mist, penetrated the purple shadows
+of the quaint old streets, lit up the windows along the modern quays,
+and gave promise of a glorious day to those who hurried to their daily
+work. The unusual thing was an occasional streak of black in the general
+radiance. Above that quarter of the castle where the President's
+standard flies, a black flag floated on the morning breeze. The same
+black note was repeated at the Czech National Theatre, and elsewhere
+black banners waved out over the streets. This 21st of June was a day of
+mourning for the children of Prague; on that day they remembered the
+events of three centuries ago, events which robbed them of their rights
+as a sovereign people, and fixed them firmly, ruthlessly, under the yoke
+of Habsburg. It was the commemoration day for those who had made the
+supreme sacrifice for the faith that was in them. The battle of the
+White Mountain had been lost, and with it went the last remnant of those
+able to resist the encroaching Austrians and the band of adventurers
+who, under the cloak of religion, waged savage war in this fair country.
+
+The cause of the trouble is far to seek. It arose from a characteristic
+of these Slavonic people which should endear them to us, namely, a very
+strong feeling of race and its responsibilities and a great tenacity
+when defending their political and religious liberty. It is particularly
+in the latter direction that the people of Bohemia and Moravia have been
+in close touch with English thought. They were among the first, perhaps
+the only people of the Continent, to embrace the tenets of Wycliffe, and
+they fought for their convictions during the weary vicissitudes of the
+Hussite wars. There were many Germans among those who took to the new
+religious thought; Germans who had made their home in Bohemia and
+Moravia, and were among the most earnest workers for the country's
+welfare. But the _Drang nach Osten_ of the Germans of the Holy Roman
+Empire under its semi-independent Princes and Electors, all intent on
+their own advancement, was a constant menace to the peaceful development
+of the Bohemian and Moravian people. They were not protected from
+invasion by the silver sea. Bohemia never had a sea-coast, despite the
+descriptive scenery in _Measure for Measure_. And here, I fear, is
+another shattered illusion. When Shakespeare spoke of Bohemia he meant
+Apulia, which at one time was named Bohemundia, after its King Bohemund.
+Bohemia has always been exposed to enemies from the west, who could pour
+in over the passes from Saxony or Bavaria. So the stout resistance of
+the Hussites was eventually broken, and the House of Habsburg, for some
+time elected Kings of Bohemia, encroached more and more on the chartered
+freedom of the country. A first definite act of imperial bad faith
+following on years of a policy inspired by malevolence and tempered by
+stupidity, brought matters to a climax. A heated scene in the Council
+Chamber of the Castle of Prague ended in what is described as the "Act
+of Defenestration." In plain English, the Emperor's lieutenants, who, by
+the way, happened to be a couple of Czech gentlemen bringing evidence of
+the sovereign's treachery, were thrown out of the window. A midden in
+the moat broke their fall; the officials fell soft, and got safely away.
+But this very distinct lack of appreciation of the Emperor's demands on
+the part of the Bohemian Estates let loose all the horrors of the Thirty
+Years' War, a conflict which, waged under the cloak of religion and with
+the blessings of Rome, set back civilization in Central Europe for many
+generations. For the Czech inhabitants of Bohemia and Moravia, as for
+those of Teuton origin who sympathized with the liberal movement of the
+time, the battle of the White Mountain and its tragic sequel on that
+21st of June was the death-knell of their hopes.
+
+That there were Germans among the victims shows that it was not merely
+racial rivalry as between Slav and Teuton, and that there was one Roman
+Catholic among the number demonstrates that their protest was not
+directed solely against the power and presumption of an intolerant
+creed.
+
+[Illustration: ON THE WHITE MOUNTAIN.]
+
+The beauty of the architectural composition grouped about the Town Hall
+was spoilt by the same black note that marked the 21st of June of this
+year of grace. A large tribune, draped in black, projected well out into
+the square from under the slender turret of the Town Hall Chapel.
+Escorted by alien mercenaries, the twenty-seven martyrs were led to
+execution; the dull, continuous rolling of drums accompanied the scene
+until the last victim had been disposed of. Strange to relate, the sword
+which was used by the one executioner was discovered some forty-four
+years ago in an Edinburgh curiosity shop. On its basket hilt are graven
+the names of the Bohemian gentlemen who fell by it (three of the
+twenty-seven were hanged), and under those names the remark in the Czech
+language: "The last unhappy task, on 21st June 1621. G. M." The sword
+has returned to the country where the effects of its fell work are felt
+to this day.
+
+This day, the anniversary, the sunlit square saw numbers of pious folk
+carrying wreaths to place them where white stones serve as constant
+reminder of those men who died in the courage of their convictions, both
+religious and political. It seems to be a peculiarly Slavonic trait,
+this recalling of sad events in their history. The Serbs still celebrate
+Vidovdan, the day of their disastrous defeat at Kossovo, where their
+chivalry, the finest in Eastern Europe, went under in a sea of blood.
+
+[Illustration: THE CHAPEL OF THE TOWNHALL.]
+
+As a boy I was very strong on observing national and other holidays, but
+cannot recall any celebration of the Saxon defeat at Hastings; it never
+occurred to me: lack of imagination probably--and another festive
+occasion missed.
+
+There is, however, something fine in this Slavonic conception of events
+worth commemorating; they may celebrate victories, but they also observe
+the anniversaries of great national disasters, "lest they forget."
+
+In the broad space between the Town Hall and the Tyn Church stands an
+imposing group of statuary. Its centre figure of a simple and
+convincing dignity represents Master John Hus, the great precursor of
+those sons of Bohemia who died for their faith. The figure stands facing
+towards the Town Hall.
+
+This group of statuary has only recently found its appropriate site here
+in the ancient centre of the city's life--formerly a column surmounted
+by the "Virgin" threw its slender shadow across the square.
+
+Looking out over the city on the 6th of July the first sight that caught
+my eye was a display of bunting; flags flew everywhere, most of them the
+colours of the Czecho-Slovak Republic, red and white with a blue
+triangular insertion close up to the flagstaff. There is a correct
+heraldic method of describing this, but to most people, as to myself, it
+is barely intelligible, and hardly fits in with an everyday account of
+things seen from a terrace in the capital of a very modern republic, the
+constitution of which allows of no titles of nobility, and therefore has
+little use for heraldry.
+
+Titles of nobility have been abolished, and he who under the old regime
+of Austria would style himself Count von Potts and Kettlehausen is now
+called plain Mr. Potts. Other titles, those that have been won by
+individual achievement and cannot be inherited, still remain in use to
+brighten our drab existence. Most common amongst these is "Doctor"; you
+may be a doctor of any or many more or less exact sciences; Professor
+seems to come next in quantity; again you may profess anything you like.
+This title is run rather close by Rad, or so it sounds at least, which
+seems to be the old German _Rath_ slightly modified; of these also there
+is a great and glorious variety. You have Pan (Mister) President for the
+august being who presides over boards of financial, commercial or
+industrial enterprise; Pan Inspectors are also plentiful and in highly
+variegated form. In fact, there is quite an imposing array of titled
+dignitaries who as true republicans have risen by their own merits. As
+yet the "leprosy of decorations," as Dr. Seton Watson describes the
+outbreak of coloured ribbons on manly chests, its spread in inverse
+ratio to danger incurred, has not assumed undue proportions--but who
+knows? I must, however, get back to the 6th of July and tell you how the
+memory of John Hus is kept green.
+
+A glance at the streets on that day shows you groups of wayfarers
+carrying wreaths, and they converge on the square outside the Old Town
+Hall where stands the monument to John Hus. The shop windows display
+portraits of the Czech national hero, which is also reproduced inset in
+wreaths, and this recalls to my mind the same day in 1918, when I first
+became aware of what Master John Hus stands for to this people of
+tenacious memory.
+
+It was a day of pure Italian colour, that 6th of July, 1918, when I set
+out from among those lovely Colline Euganie towards the front among the
+Alps. First along broad, well-kept roads, through the plains of Veneto,
+where trellised vine hung heavy laden, past homesteads, villas of warm
+ochre hues or red, or pink, and all embowered in rich green foliage.
+Through the narrow winding streets of graceful Vicenza, across the
+arcaded market-place of old Verona, past the stately ruins of
+Montecchio, till the road reached the foothills of the Alps. Then up by
+hairpin turns, gaining an ever wider view of the vast plain lying in a
+morning haze beyond which you knew was Venice and the blue Adriatic,
+then down by winding ways into a valley. An outpost in Italian
+field-grey uniform, not men of the Italian type, but stocky, fair-haired
+and square-jawed, their collars decorated with red and white tabs. Every
+group displayed a wreath, within it an effigy of John Hus, for these
+soldiers were of the Czecho-Slovak Legion, and they were for the first
+time in their lives allowed to commemorate without let or hindrance the
+anniversary of their national hero's death. On this day five centuries
+ago John Hus had met death at the stake for holding to his religious
+convictions. Trusting in the word of an Emperor who had promised him a
+safe conduct back to his own country, John Hus had gone to Constance to
+defend his faith. Rome proved all-powerful, prevailed against the
+promise of an Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and John Hus perished,
+on his lips, they say, the words, "O Sancta Simplicitas!" But his memory
+lives, and most surely amongst those of simple faith.
+
+We do not observe the memory of those who suffered martyrdom for
+England's spiritual freedom; by the way, there is in Bohemia a church
+dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket.
+
+I am describing the space between Town Hall and Cathedral as a square,
+which is as about as accurate as the German name "Altstaedter Ring." The
+Czech name for it is easier to pronounce than most of their words. Czech
+is an immensely difficult language, and I still marvel at the clever
+inhabitants of the country who pronounce it with ease--even with great
+fluency. They can make jokes in it too, for the pleasant sound of
+laughter is often heard in this "City Beautiful." I have never tackled a
+Czech joke, but am quite prepared to give it credit for all the wit and
+humour required of a joke, and as long as somebody is happy over it all
+is well, and I smile with him.
+
+[Illustration: THE TOWER OF OUR LADY OF TYN.]
+
+Really there is something about this city which is smile-producing. It
+is difficult to analyse, and may be attributed to the sheer beauty of
+the place. And your smile may well go with a catch in your throat, for
+there is always pathos in great beauty, and nowhere more so than here in
+Prague. There is the delicate beauty of the Town Hall Chapel, and facing
+it the tall steeples of the Tyn Church, with clusters of quaint little
+pointed turrets, overtop a row of houses that seem to have set
+themselves down with the deliberate intention of blocking the west
+entrance. Now these houses are arcaded, and so are those on the south
+side of the square. You puzzle for a while and then recall Padua, Verona
+and other towns of Northern Italy; so now you know whence came the
+inspiration that set up arcades in a northern capital. You ask how and
+when this influence came to Prague, so I remind you of the relations
+that existed between Bohemia and Italy, and of which I have told you
+when discussing King John and his great son Charles. Under the guidance
+of the latter, the Renaissance was not long in making its influence felt
+in Prague--in fact, in all Bohemia--and Italian architects who
+introduced the arcaded house added fresh beauties to the city. To the
+earlier period of Italian influence must be attributed a quaint arched
+house, the one at the corner of the Tynska Ulice. It seems to block the
+west entrance to the Church of Our Lady of Tyn. The old house dates back
+to the early days of the fourteenth century, at which period the Tyn
+Church, though founded in the eleventh century, was still a-building. I
+cannot blame the old houses for having squatted down in front of this
+church; they were probably under the impression that it would never be
+finished. They have at least left a vaulted alley-way leading to the
+somewhat insignificant west entrance. The Tyn Church, though not
+completed till fairly recently, has actually served as the principal
+church of the Old Town since 1310. Here the reformers, preachers that I
+have already mentioned, Conrad Waldhauser and Mili[vc] of
+Krom[ve][vr]i[vz]e, drew large congregations by their fiery
+denunciations and their call to repentance. Our Lady of Tyn is to Prague
+what St. Paul's is to London in a certain degree; many celebrities are
+buried here, among them that strange character Tycho de Brahe,
+astronomer, logician, drunkard and duellist, the friend of Keppler and
+his own worst enemy.
+
+The show-entrance to the Tyn Church is a Gothic porch of rarest beauty;
+it is tucked away in the little alley on the north side, and generally
+closed. You are expected to enter by the south door.
+
+A word of warning here: never try to be enterprising between midday and
+2 p.m. in Prague, or for that matter anywhere else in the country,
+unless it be in search of food. At midday everything closes
+down--churches, museums, shops; they do not open again till the good
+people in charge of them have had sufficient time for an ample meal--two
+hours are considered sufficient. You will therefore find the cathedral
+closed to you until the vergers have dined. But in the meantime you will
+find the quaint conglomeration of buildings at the east end of the
+cathedral very attractive. These buildings originally served many
+purposes--cathedral close, market and custom house, and even at times as
+bear-garden or zoo. To my thinking, the outside of the cathedral is far
+more attractive than the inside, which suffers from over-decoration in
+the incongruous style peculiar to Continental churches. I shall not
+conduct you personally round the Church of Our Lady of Tyn.
+
+Good King Wenceslaus, of whom we sing at Christmas-time, seems to have
+caused the chapel and tower of the Town Hall to be built, at least
+according to archaeologists; the sign of a kingfisher within a wreath
+which appears here is taken to denote work done in his time. The master
+architect of those last decades of the fourteenth century was Peter
+Parler, who also did a good deal of work on the Tyn Church.
+
+[Illustration: A CORNER OF THE OLD TOWN.]
+
+The tower was added to the house of Welflin od Kamene, which was
+acquired in 1538, and some fifty years later the beautiful chapel, the
+Gothic projection of which looks out on to the scene of martyrdom of
+1621. You will find two very interesting and lovely Sessions Rooms in
+this Town Hall. In one of these George Podiebrad, a native of Bohemia
+and of the country's faith, was elected and proclaimed King in 1458. To
+my thinking, the best time of day on which to come upon this old Town
+Hall is of an evening, say in late autumn; approach it by that quaint
+little alley, the Melantrichova, called so in honour of Melantrich, who
+was famous as printer and publisher in the latter half of the sixteenth
+century. While wandering about the narrow alleys, these quaint passages
+under the houses, a peculiar feature of Prague, you will pick up
+something of the old spirit of the city and repeople it with the shades
+of former inhabitants or visitors to suit your taste or knowledge of
+its history. There is, for instance, one visitor whom I can quite see
+roaming about in nocturnal Prague--Dr. Faust. Local legend prefers to
+call him Wilhelm instead of Heinrich, but that does not matter--he fits
+into the picture.
+
+Sooth to say, I find about this old quarter of the city a certain
+atmosphere spiced with wickedness, not thoroughly bad, just enough to
+keep you amused. Look round for yourself o' nights, and you will
+probably find reason to agree with me. There is again, in this spicy
+atmosphere, a local--or shall we say native?--foundation with a markedly
+exotic top-dressing. For the foundation of this peculiar atmosphere I
+make Good King Wenceslaus responsible. I have already suggested that he
+was "hot stuff," and certainly, when he moved into the palace that stood
+near the "Powder Tower," he made things merry and bright in the Old
+Town. A night out with Wenceslaus was a liberal education. Fundamentally
+his form of amusement was probably the same as you may enjoy to-day if
+you are inclined that way. An exotic touch is given to nocturnal
+diversions nowadays by American bars and "Palais de Danse" varying in
+degree of respectability; here the English language seems to
+predominate, in our version and that of our distant relatives across the
+Atlantic. The natives of the city do not frequent these haunts in any
+great numbers; they have their own amusements, but they look in
+occasionally, possibly as a mark of respect to the great allied nations,
+and their representatives, the bearers of western culture. The Bohemian
+when thinking of America recognizes only the United States of that
+continent. Many of them emigrate to that country; some return with their
+own rendering of the English language and a professed admiration for the
+country of their sometime sojourn, of its institutions and leading
+citizens. The Pragers have expressed this admiration by naming their
+finest railway station after President Wilson of the Lost Points,
+whereas their own President has to be content with a rather grubby old
+terminus.
+
+It would be quite possible for me to enlarge upon the subject of night
+life in Prague, but discretion advises me not to do so; this is a side
+of Prague which you must find out for yourself. When after a good dinner
+you proceed to draw those furtive covers in the region between the Town
+Hall and the "Powder Tower," you may pick up the scent which, I
+maintain, hangs about there--that of rather spicy wickedness. I do not
+mean anything offensive in this; in fact, everything is conducted
+decently and in good order, also with a certain geniality; the
+suggestion is rather that you might be mildly wicked if you wanted to
+be. However, though we have to live in this world we need not be of it.
+
+For those who do not feel drawn towards the furtive corners of the town,
+there are many other opportunities of recreation. One of these was built
+by the city itself, and is called the Obecni Dum, which means Town
+House, I believe; anyway, when asking your way to it linger on the last
+word and pronounce it as if written "doom." This was built about the
+site of the palace where Wenceslaus IV held his revels, but it is
+informed of a more sober spirit. You come upon this building as you pass
+along the broad street, formerly the moat of the Old Town defences,
+until you arrive at the street-junction I have already mentioned. Here
+stands one of the most beautiful monuments to Prague's former glory, the
+"Powder Tower." When first you come upon this, rising serenely in all
+its ornate loveliness out of the roar and rattle of the traffic, the
+sight of it catches your breath. King Vladislav II caused it to be
+erected--one of the gates of the old city. An unhappy King this latter,
+I should say; at least his lot was cast in unhappy times. One of the
+last Slavs to occupy the throne of Bohemia--he was a Prince of
+Poland--Vladislav succeeded one of the most popular of Bohemian
+monarchs, George Podiebrad. The times in which Vladislav reigned were
+evil; the internal religious struggles of Bohemia had reached a
+desperate stage; all attempts to reunite the Utraquists with Rome had
+failed, and Alexander Borgia was Pope. The reign of this King, for all
+the glory of the monuments that commemorate it, seems as it were
+illumined by the false light that presages disaster. His son Louis was
+drowned while leaving the battlefield of Moha[vc], which reduced the
+greater part of Hungary to a Turkish province, and anarchy held the
+lands of the Bohemian Crown until in 1526 Ferdinand of Habsburg bribed
+his way to the throne; one noble Bohemian is said to have accepted fifty
+thousand gulden for his kind offices.
+
+The "Powder Tower" looks out directly at a somewhat shabby building
+opposite to it. I have mentioned it before as standing on the site of an
+early monastic institution founded by those Irish monks who did so much
+towards bringing Central Europe into the fold of the Church. They were,
+in fact, the only missionaries, these pilgrims from the Isle of Saints,
+who took up the task in the fifth and sixth centuries, wandering far
+afield, through the German forests, along the great rivers Danube and
+Main, to Italy and Switzerland, where St. Fridian at Lucca and St. Gall
+in the hills above the Bodensee are still held in pious memory. The
+Saxon monk Winfrith, better known as St. Boniface, also deserved well of
+the people of Central Europe, for it was his zeal and energy which
+assisted Charles the Great in his colonizing achievements. In our own
+times other missionaries of Anglo-Saxon race, or at least
+English-speaking, penetrated to the darkest recesses of the Continent,
+even to Bohemia. They started as soon as the war was over and Europe
+again a safe place to travel in. They took their toilsome way, by _train
+de luxe_ and at Government expense, to such distant places as Prague and
+Vienna, even Buda-Pesth. They were of those who were indispensable while
+men were fighting, whose services could be spared when danger no longer
+threatened. They came deeply imbued with the importance of their
+mission, their commission, diplomatic, economic, hygienic, whatever it
+was. They came in scores, accompanied by willing and well-paid workers,
+to bring relief to those who had suffered in the war. They bought up
+the scanty supplies of the countries to which they brought the blessing
+arising out of their own high rate of exchange. They came in their
+hundreds to spread the light of learning in matters hygienic to Prague,
+the old university town famous for its school of medicine. They taught
+the young the blessing of western guilds or associations, the young of a
+country which forged its weapon of social defence, the Sokol, some
+seventy years ago. They expect a deal of gratitude for all this; they
+are also entirely devoid of any sense of humour, or they would all go
+home and keep quiet.
+
+Of real use to the good relations which have existed, intermittently
+perhaps, but never clouded by misunderstanding, was the mission of the
+English Singers who came to Prague. They sang to us in the large hall of
+the Obecni Dum, the building dedicated to the townsfolk's recreation.
+They sang us old-time motettes, madrigals, ballads, and we were taken
+back to our own country by the soothing harmonies of Weelkes. We saw
+Winchester Cathedral, its long nave and squat tower, standing in lush
+meadows in the shade of ancient elms, the College Gate, its pillars so
+artfully, invitingly rounded by William of Wykeham, drew us in again. We
+were stirred by William Byrd's "Praise our Lord, all ye Gentiles," and
+taken to Oxford by Gibbons's "What is our life? A play of passion. Our
+mirth? The music of division." Purcell recalled our gracious English
+landscape, and English life, "When Myra sings we seek the enchanting
+sound"; and Thomas Morley with "Now is the month of maying." Then there
+was rollicking Tom Bateson, of Dublin, with his alluring "Come follow
+me, fair nymphs!" And the Bohemian audience were loud in generous
+applause.
+
+You may well believe that a land which has given to the world Smetana,
+Dvo[vr]ak, [vS]ev[vc]ek, and so many other famous musicians, will
+concentrate all that is good in music in Prague, its capital. There are
+two opera-houses to start with; one of them, the National Theatre,
+throws its reflections on the surface of the river at the end of the
+Narodni T[vr]ida; the German Theatre stands on the rising ground between
+the Museum at the top of the Vaclavske Nam[ve]sti and the Wilson
+Station. There are numerous concert-halls, and every restaurant of any
+repute has a good little orchestra of its own. Then there is a quaint
+old theatre down in the centre of the Old Town; you will find it
+standing comfortably among old red-roofed houses, between two open
+spaces, market-places bright with fruit and flowers in their season. It
+was in this theatre that Mozart's _Don Giovanni_ was performed for the
+first time.
+
+It is one of the most interesting parts of Prague, just around this old
+theatre, and among the crooked lanes and dark corners; it lets you in to
+the intimacy of the city if you set about your investigations in the
+right spirit. Alongside of this old theatre, the Mozarteum, divided only
+by a narrow alley, runs the front--I suppose it is the front--of the
+Carolinum, the collegiate buildings of Charles's foundation. There is
+little left outwardly of this building's former aspect, just one
+glorious Gothic projection which almost touches the balcony of the
+theatre. Within the Carolinum are spacious halls devoted to all manner
+of academic functions. In one of these halls I witnessed a scene which
+struck me with a sense of incongruity that I have not been able to
+explain to myself. The Indian poet and philosopher, Rabindranath
+Thagore, was received here by the University of Prague. Learned
+professors read lengthy addresses of welcome in Czech, and to their own
+entire satisfaction; the Indian poet spoke in English and recited poetry
+in his own language, let us hope also to his own satisfaction. Thereupon
+Rabindranath Thagore, his hands folded meekly inside his wide sleeves,
+his head drooping and eyes half closed as becomes a poet of the tender
+kind, passed out from among us--to travel to Paris in an aeroplane. I do
+not know whether it was this latter event, or the expression of a
+philosophy so entirely at variance with my own, or perhaps the sound of
+the high-pitched plaintive voice, that gave me the sense of
+incongruity, but there it was undoubtedly.
+
+In your wanderings about the Old Town you will come upon all manner of
+quaint corners, old houses with courtyard and balconies, churches of all
+sizes and dedicated to many saints, and among these one which to my
+thinking deserves particular interest. It is the Church of St.
+Martin-in-the-Wall, very old--how old I cannot tell you--much mutilated
+and disfigured by restorers whose heads should have gone into the
+decorative scheme over the gateway of the Mala Strana bridge-tower; but
+here in this church the Sacrament was first given in both forms, _sub
+utraque_.
+
+There are many little backwaters in the Old Town; you may people them
+with the shades of all those who for centuries have toiled to restore
+Bohemia to her rightful place among the States of Europe. You may see
+flitting figures in the twilight, cloaked and obvious conspirators to
+your discerning eye. These men were probably among those marked down by
+the secret police as "patriots." Men who were working for freedom of
+thought what time Jungmann and Kalina, another national poet, died, and
+twelve thousand of the people joined in the funeral procession as it
+passed the Town Hall where Arnold, Kalina's friend, was imprisoned. This
+was in 1847. Then the Slav Congress in 1848, and its stirring scenes,
+the meeting for Divine Service under the statue of St. Wenceslaus, the
+scuffle with a sentry caused by an _agent provocateur_, the charge of
+troops on an unarmed mob. Followed the erection of barricades, over a
+hundred in half an hour, and street fighting in various quarters of the
+city. Ruthless slaughter of citizens as at the Polytechnic School, where
+an attack by ten thousand troops with artillery was repulsed by seven
+hundred students of the Clementinum. Then the despair of the vanquished.
+But the spirit fostered by Bohemia's great men lived on; the people had
+their museum, containing books and records of their National Society,
+they had their associations, Sokols, and above all, their music. And so
+they waited, and not in idleness, for the better days which came to
+them out of the Great War.
+
+The Sokol movement should interest you; it has taken a firm hold among
+Slavonic nations, and has in it something of the spirit of Freemasonry.
+Sokol means "falcon"--no doubt the original badge favoured by Slavonic
+societies. You will find the falcon, sometimes eagle, cropping up in
+various places. There is a distinguished Order, that of the White Eagle
+of Serbia, for instance; then the Poles also have started an Order with
+an eagle or a falcon in it--I am not acquainted with this Order. Members
+of Sokol societies wear an eagle's feather, or perhaps a falcon's, in
+the saucy little head-dress, somewhat like our old cavalry forage-cap,
+when in their becoming full dress. But Sokol means a great deal more
+than this.
+
+A year or so ago I witnessed a Sokol display on that flat-topped height
+called Letna; it is, as it were, an eastward prolongation of the Castle
+Hill. Here is a large recreation ground for the use of such bodies as
+Sokol societies. In the arena, before a large and appreciative but
+critical public, the Socialist Sokols gave their display of gymnastic
+exercises on the occasion I have in mind. It was a stirring sight: ten
+to twenty thousand young men and maidens went through their graceful
+movements in perfect unison to the strains of their national music. It
+must be borne in mind that those exercises have not only physical value
+but are useful memnonic training. There is much discipline bred of these
+exercises; the captain goes through the movements by himself, the team
+repeats them after him. Then again, the Sokol is, and has been from the
+beginning, a political union. Surely Socialists who submit themselves to
+this training, to such discipline, are a powerful asset to a young State
+that has got to make its mark in the world.
+
+By the way, what is a Socialist? I take it that any man who has a
+flowerpot in his window, whereas his neighbour has none, is no
+Socialist. But this is, no doubt, a matter of taste or political
+conviction, I am not quite clear which.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Tells of Emperor Sigismund, King of Bohemia, his rare and troubled
+visits to this country. Of an emigration from Prague University, and the
+founding of another at Leipzig. Of the two Habsburgs who followed
+Sigismund, and more about another great Bohemian already mentioned in
+this book, George Podiebrad. King George's Peace League. Of Vladislav of
+Poland as King of Bohemia; how he resided at the Hrad[vs]any and
+beautified it. We go with Vladislav along the route he follows to his
+coronation; we note many features by the way which Vladislav may or may
+not have seen, and discuss these features as we go along. Of the end of
+the Jagoilla dynasty on the throne of Bohemia when Vladislav's son Louis
+was drowned after the battle of Moha[vc]. Of how Ferdinand of Austria
+married Anna, daughter of Vladislav, and became King of Bohemia. Of
+great doings in the Hall built by Vladislav on the Hrad[vs]any. Of the
+beautiful Belvedere which Ferdinand caused to be built for Anna, his
+Queen. Of other Habsburgs on the throne of Bohemia, particularly that
+lonely bachelor Rudolph II; of his hobbies and the guests and visitors
+he welcomed to the castle. Of King Matthias and the "Winter King," and
+how Bohemia's independence was lost on the battlefield of the White
+Mountain.
+
+
+Let us return to our terrace, I to mine, you to yours if it gives you
+the right point of view, for we will now take the foreground into
+consideration, the Mala Strana and its "Crown of Glory," the Royal
+Castle, the Hrad[vs]any. We have watched Charles IV in his labours to
+beautify the capital of the land he loved, and among those labours was
+the restoration of the Hrad[vs]any. His son, however, found attraction
+elsewhere, and neglected the Royal Castle. Sigismund resided by
+preference at Kutna Hora whenever his imperial duties gave him time to
+visit Bohemia. This, his choice of residence, was probably dictated by
+the troubled times through which Bohemia was passing. Prague was full of
+tumult and of fierce religious controversy. The Hussites, as we have
+seen, were out and bent to warfare in the cause they held sacred, and
+the King had no liking for their views or regard for their opinions. We
+have also noted the value of that Emperor's given word. In Kutna Hora
+Sigismund found himself surrounded by a strongly German population,
+zealous in the cause of Rome and the Empire, hostile to the freedom of
+thought for which Bohemia was fighting. Racial animosity between Slav
+and Teuton was running high; its immediate result had been the
+emigration of several thousand professors and students of German
+nationality to Leipzig, where a new university arose which was inclined
+to consider its Alma Mater, Prague, a stepmother.
+
+Then followed the Habsburgs, Albert and his posthumous son Ladislas.
+Albert succeeded as Sigismund's son-in-law, and reigned for two troubled
+years of civil war in Bohemia, leaving a disrupted State to Ladislas,
+his unborn son. During the infancy of this child arose a strong man from
+out of Bohemia, who served Ladislas so faithfully that the young King on
+his deathbed sent for him to bid him farewell in touching terms. Then
+was this strong man, George Podiebrad, unanimously chosen King by the
+Estates.
+
+George Podiebrad was a native of the country which called him to the
+throne by reason of his integrity and intelligence. He was also of the
+faith held by the majority of his subjects, the followers of Master John
+Hus. His lot was cast in troubled times. Bohemia had been ruled by a
+succession of monarchs of alien race, at first sympathetic but later
+unable to see eye to eye with their subjects on religious and other
+questions. In the time of trial, when the soul of the people called out
+for guidance and support in the struggle for faith and freedom, those
+rulers were too much bound by the ties that held them to Western Europe
+as to champion Bohemia's cause whole-heartedly. They failed to
+understand that Central Europe was ripe for a new orientation, though
+there were sufficient indications to point out the way. Above all, a
+great danger threatened; the Turks were extending their conquests in
+Eastern Europe, the Byzantine Empire was going under before them, and
+the fall of Constantinople was imminent.
+
+It was shortly before this latter event that George Podiebrad was called
+to the throne. He found his country distracted by internal dissensions,
+exhausted by the Hussite wars and threatened by powerful neighbours. His
+first task was to set his house in order; in this he achieved complete
+success, and soon found himself reigning over a strong, happy and united
+country. He next attended to his country's foreign relations, and
+succeeded in securing peace without his frontiers by means of a network
+of treaties. The King of Poland was won over by George Podiebrad's tact
+and ability, and Matthias Corvinus, King of a Hungary with fluctuating
+boundaries but including a deal of present-day Roumania, was also a
+ready ally of Bohemia's King. Within his immediate neighbourhood in
+Central Europe, George Podiebrad's wisdom and uprightness had brought
+him many requests to act as arbitrator or intermediary in disputes. His
+fame spread farther afield, his vision extended as he witnessed the
+growing importance of his country, and from these circumstances arose an
+ideal of a great Christian Peace League.
+
+The state of Europe in the fifteenth century was not unlike that of the
+present day. There was strife, turmoil and dissension everywhere, a
+mighty power--that of Rome--opposing all free expression of opinion, an
+obsolete shibboleth called the Holy Roman Empire, and a ruthless enemy
+active in the East. In the midst of all this trouble George Podiebrad
+worked diligently at his League; he gained the adhesion of King Louis of
+France; Burgundy and Bavaria also joined, and Venice, remembering what
+good business could be made out of crusades, was also inclined to agree.
+England, it appears, was not particularly interested, at least is not
+mentioned in connection with this League. George Podiebrad endeavoured
+to win over the Holy Father, but in vain. Rome had turned a deaf ear
+even to the despairing cry of the Eastern Church.
+
+The League was to hold its first council at Bale, and subsequent ones in
+different countries. Its statutes are worth noting; they are drawn up
+on much the same lines as those of the present-day League of Nations.
+
+When the plans of the League were sufficiently advanced to be put into
+effect it was found that the forces against it were too powerful. Rome
+would have none of it, and France, though friendly to the scheme,
+chiefly out of antagonism to Rome, held back in the end, leaving the
+King of Bohemia with none but his neighbour, Poland, to support him.
+That the League should have failed of its purpose is regrettable. It was
+a genial idea. That it originated in Central Europe and that it gained
+the adherence of nations farther removed from Western influence is of
+lasting importance, for it seems to have given a definite direction to a
+group of Central and Eastern European Powers. Perhaps this direction was
+subconscious in King George's mind; he may have been actuated only by
+his desire for peaceful reconstruction behind a united front towards an
+eastern enemy. However this may be, the idea did not die with George
+Podiebrad, but has had two revivals, of which I hope to tell you
+something in time.
+
+George Podiebrad died in 1471, after having ensured the succession to
+the throne of Bohemia of Vladislav, son of Casimir, King of Poland. King
+George's reason for going outside his country for a successor instead of
+finding one among his own sons was his concern for the safety of
+Bohemia, which, he seems to have considered, would have been endangered
+by a scion of his own family or nation under the conditions under which
+he was to leave his country. He was moved towards Poland by reason of
+the great plan he had formed far in advance of his age, namely, that of
+the League of Peace.
+
+[Illustration: THE POWDER TOWER.]
+
+George Podiebrad, according to Luetzow, has always remained, next to
+Charles IV, the sovereign whose memory the Bohemians treasure most.
+Bohemia's great historian, Palacky, gives to this King a place of honour
+among the rulers of his country which is only equalled by that assigned
+to the great Luxemburger. His last years were clouded by the
+increasing distressful state of Europe, by a painful illness, and by the
+faithlessness of his one-time friend and ally, Matthias of Hungary. This
+latter had broken with King George, and had carried war into the lands
+of the Bohemian Crown, and though defeated and driven out of Moravia,
+still held several towns in that country. This seems to have served
+Matthias Corvinus as a pretext for disputing the claim of Vladislav to
+the throne of Bohemia. There was also another claimant with a certain
+following, namely, Duke Albert of Saxony, but in the end the crown
+remained with Vladislav of Poland, who then made his way to Bohemia, and
+entered Prague on August 19, 1471.
+
+I like to conjure up a picture of the reception given to Vladislav by
+the good people of Prague. Vladislav, coming from Poland, would probably
+enter by the gateway where now stands that beautiful "Powder Tower,"
+built under his aegis; I have already pointed it out to you. There he
+would be received by all manner of "grave and reverend seigniors," among
+them, of course, the doctors of the University, who, I gather, presented
+Vladislav with a "neatly bound and printed copy of the Bible, so that he
+might read it and direct himself and his subjects according to the Will
+of God": thus writes the chronicler. The good citizens of Prague were
+evidently pleased to welcome Vladislav, so we can imagine him, three
+days after his entry into Prague, moving, amidst popular rejoicings, to
+the Hrad[vs]any for coronation. A glittering pageant, no doubt, as it
+moved along under the shadow of the Church of Our Lady of Tyn, past the
+Old Town Hall, where the man to whom he owed the throne, George
+Podiebrad, had been called to rule Bohemia. Then along the Karlova
+Ulice, under the tower built by Wenceslaus, and over the Charles Bridge
+up the steep slope of Castle Hill.
+
+I cannot imagine that the aspect of the Mala Strana which Vladislav got
+while proceeding to his coronation was very different from that of
+to-day. The Bridge Street on the left bank was possibly narrower and
+ill-paved, but I am certain that the general aspect of arcaded houses
+was much the same as it is to-day. I cannot imagine the Mala Strana
+changing very much, nor will you when once you have seen it. Though many
+houses, palaces and churches have been rebuilt or added, I should say
+that the Mala Strana has always preserved a certain independence, a
+conservative aloofness, from other quarters of the capital. From little
+glimpses, from snatches of conversation and chance remarks, I am
+inclined to the idea that the aborigines of the Mala Strana, while
+admitting the existence of other parts of Prague, such as the Old Town,
+yet do not consider them quite fit to associate with. There must be in
+the quaint little backwaters of Mala Strana a certain indigenous type
+which considers it bold and venturesome to cross the Charles Bridge, a
+proceeding smacking of foreign travel.
+
+The block of buildings including the tall Church of St. Nicholas, which
+fills up the middle of that irregular place, the Mala Stranske
+Nam[ve]sti, or Place of the Small Side, would be new to Vladislav were
+he to repeat his progress to-day. There was a church--a very old one--on
+this spot, dating back to the thirteenth century; it is said that the
+martyrs of 1621 communicated here _in utraque_ on the morning of their
+execution. The tall, imposing Church of St. Nicholas replaced the older
+edifice--a typical monument this of Jesuit pride of conquest over the
+fallen National Church of Bohemia. Seen from my terrace, the copper dome
+of St. Nicholas, its tall and slender campanile, stand up dominant over
+sleepy red-tiled roofs where linger memories of much earlier days. It is
+indeed a splendid building, this master-work of Ignatius and Kilian
+Dienzenhoffer. I must admit this, little as I admire _baroque_ and for
+all my loathing of the spirit of triumphant intolerance and bigotry
+which informed the builders of this great monument to the enslavement of
+a nation's soul.
+
+In former years, before the war, there stood here in the narrowest part
+of this place, a monument to another triumph over Bohemia's freedom, a
+monument to Field-Marshal Radecky, whose figure was supported by types
+of Austrian soldiery of his time. This monument has been
+removed--destroyed, I believe, by the Pragers when they regained their
+freedom in October 1918. The removal of this monument leaves a blank,
+not a sentimental one, merely an artistic one, and has led to an
+unexpected and probably undesired effect. It has given undue prominence
+to a little building that stands some way up the place, a building of
+strict utility with no pretensions to architectural consideration, a
+building which now stands out exposed as it were, trying to hide its
+confusion under a mask of gaudy advertisement posters.
+
+The singularly characteristic houses on the north side of this square,
+with their deep arcades, were probably rebuilt or renovated in the
+seventeenth century; they must be of considerable antiquity, for one of
+them, a corner house called "Montagu," has its place in history. The
+name, by the way, is not derived from the Italian, but from the simple
+German _Montag_, Monday; and it has by way of embellishment a Slavonic
+suffix. It was in this Montagu House that the discontented members of
+the Bohemian Estates were wont to meet in 1618, and here they hit upon
+the bright idea of throwing the two lieutenants, go-betweens or whatever
+they were, of their Habsburg ruler, out of a window. So here on this
+Mala Stranske Nam[ve]sti you may see the very spot from which the War of
+Thirty Years started.
+
+This Mala Stranske Nam[ve]sti is divided into an upper and a lower part
+by the block of buildings I have already mentioned. The palaces all
+round here are probably different of aspect from the burgher houses
+which stood here before the _baroque_ irruption of the seventeenth
+century, so Vladislav on his way to coronation would have been greeted
+by a homelier sight; neither could he have seen the plague memorial. The
+plague commemorated visited Prague in 1715; the man who committed this
+pyramid, dedicated to Holy Trinity, was one Giovanni Battista
+Alliprandi, an Italian architect, but not of the Renaissance spirit.
+This peculiar group of sculpture fails to impress me; the figures, of
+saints, I believe, are not convincing; they are seen holding emblems of
+piety, but only for decorative purposes, not as if they in the least
+knew what to do with them; one or other would have appeared much happier
+with a knife and fork.
+
+[Illustration: THE HRAD[vC]ANY FROM THE NEBOZIZEK GARDEN.]
+
+Vladislav's farther way would take him up that steep road that leads
+past Strahov out into the country. It was formerly called the Street of
+Spurs, I believe; it has since been named Nerudova T[vr]ida, after John
+Neruda, the father of Bohemian literature, who spent his early days
+here. This street has rather a reputation for mild-mannered men of
+letters and lights of learning, patrons of art and science. There was,
+for instance, Baron Brettfeld, who entertained young Mozart, da Ponte
+and Casanova. But all this happened well after the days of Vladislav of
+Poland, King of Bohemia, who wound up by the narrow streets of Prague's
+Mala Strana to his coronation on the Hrad[vs]any. The Royal Castle had
+not been regularly inhabited by royalty for nearly a century, and as
+Vladislav chose to make it his residence, he found much to do in putting
+the place in order. The part that still shows strong traces of
+Vladislav's work is beyond the view from my terrace. You may recognize
+it some way off by a number of heavily mullioned windows in contrast to
+the very plain setting of the endless rows of other windows all along
+the front of the castle buildings. This palatial part of the castle--it
+is that nearest to the cathedral--was begun by Vladislav as soon as he
+had settled down to his kingship, and was finished in 1502. The chief
+feature of this building was a vast hall, which you may see still. It
+has suffered, of course, has been damaged by fire and also by restorers;
+just at present some archaeologist is at work upon it, and he is, I
+believe, discovering all sorts of beauties in the decorative Gothic
+style peculiar to this King of Polish descent and exquisite taste. It
+seems to me that Gothic in Prague is of finer spiritual quality than the
+German variant, is of that noble sincerity of which you find many
+instances in France, in several examples in Portugal, and when it
+became decorated, never went into the excesses of the Manuelesque style
+such as you may see it in old Lusitania. Successive Habsburgs who
+followed on these Polish rulers of Bohemia, Vladislav and his son Louis,
+benefited by the magnificent work which these two scions of the Royal
+House of Jagoilla left to posterity. Louis, we know, was drowned just
+after the battle of Moha[vc], and the short-lived Polish dynasty made
+way definitely for Kings of the House of Habsburg. Ferdinand, Archduke
+of Austria, having married Anna, daughter of Vladislav II, laid claim to
+the throne of Bohemia. He was not alone in this ambition; in fact, there
+was a greater number of aspirants to the vacant seat than there had ever
+been before--thirteen in all, among them Francis I of France. However,
+Ferdinand secured the throne, and reigned as King of Bohemia right
+royally it would seem. His coronation took place in the great hall built
+by Vladislav, and the solemn ceremony was followed by a tournament, also
+held in the same hall--a tournament on horseback, mind you, and ending
+up with a melee in which thirteen knights a-side took part. There was a
+banquet too, and the waiting was done by squires on horseback. A great
+ball brought the festivities to an end. The great fire in Prague in
+1541, which destroyed all the State documents, may have been the one
+which also did much damage to Vladislav's great hall, and Ferdinand's
+restoration of the same probably did something towards impairing its
+original beauty. We have reason, however, to be grateful to this
+Ferdinand, first of the name, for another building which graces the
+neighbourhood of the Hrad[vs]any. This is the Belvedere which stands at
+the far end of a lovely garden called the Chotkovy Sady. Ferdinand built
+this Belvedere for Anna, his Queen, with its airy loggias, its wrought
+architraves and long domed roof. It is one of the most beautiful works
+of early Renaissance spirit that I have ever seen. All honour to its
+architect, Giovanni di Spazzio.
+
+Ferdinand I proved to be no such moody bigot as his brother Charles V,
+yet he was bent on stemming the tide of Protestantism, the floods of
+which flowed over from the Germany of Luther's way of thinking to mingle
+with the growing religious sects in Bohemia. This was not done without
+torture and bloodshed, so the Hrad[vs]any witnessed the sufferings,
+under the rack, of Augusta, the Bishop of the Unity of Bohemian
+Brethren, and the execution of several prominent citizens of Prague for
+defying royal authority in matters of conscience. Ferdinand, on the
+abdication of his father, succeeded him as Emperor, and left his son
+Maximilian to rule his turbulent Bohemian subjects. Maximilian stands
+out in history as a picturesque figure, but I cannot see that he did
+Bohemia any useful service. The fact that he had inherited the old
+dominions of the House of Habsburg, Upper and Lower Austria, and was
+also King of Hungary, kept him away from Bohemia a good deal. He called
+occasionally upon the Diet of this his richest possession for support
+against the Turks. The Diet thereupon called for religious freedom, and
+no interference with their spiritual affairs. The discussions that
+ensued seem to have led to no results. So we find one Habsburg after
+another on the throne of Bohemia, trying to coerce its people, and each
+one reducing the country to a state of greater discontent and disorder,
+until the crash came in 1618, when King Matthias had roused the Bohemian
+Estates to such a pitch of desperation that they proceeded to the act
+which precipitated the Thirty Years' War.
+
+The Hrad[vs]any did not see much of Matthias, whereas his predecessor on
+the throne of Bohemia, Rudolph II, lived in the Royal Castle as a matter
+of habit. True he was dethroned occasionally by his younger brother
+Matthias, and no doubt Rudolph as King was hopelessly ineffective. He
+was probably rather mad. Nevertheless, a certain amount of interest can
+be drawn out of this Habsburg's connection with Prague, and the
+Hrad[vs]any can show you some traces of his peculiarities. So, for
+instance, you will find a quaint little alley of tiny houses scooped out
+of the stout north wall of the castle to eastward of St. George's
+Church.
+
+Rudolph was unmarried; perhaps it was this fact that enabled him to
+waste money on all sorts of hobbies instead of going to his office with
+his little black bag and behaving generally as a "weel tappit" husband
+and king would do. Rudolph's hobbies were alchemy and astronomy. The
+chief object of the former extremely inexact science seems to have been
+to make gold by the synthetic process. Any charlatan who came along with
+a declared conviction that he could produce gold was welcomed by the
+King. It was for these his guests that Rudolph prepared those tiny
+dwellings in the narrow alley called "The Alchemists" or the "Gold
+Makers." They are snug, those tiny dwellings, so small that you should
+be able to open your front door without getting out of bed; you look
+down out of the deep embrasure of your window on to the tree-tops in the
+"Stag's Moat." The height of the wall from your window to the ditch does
+not invite you to try a leap by way of escape, so Rudolph's alchemist
+guests had to produce something or suffer from the King's displeasure.
+This, for instance, happened to two gentlemen from the British Isles,
+Dr. John Dee and Mr. Kelly. Both these visitors were going to supply
+Rudolph with wonders of alchemy, gold in profusion. They failed to give
+satisfaction, and were imprisoned--another injustice to Ireland! Did the
+fairy chorus that thrilled the listeners at the foot of Dalibor's strong
+dungeon chant that plaintive cry, "Has anyone here seen Kelly"?
+
+Another of Rudolph's hobbies was astronomy, and he certainly assembled
+some eminent scientists in that line about him. Prominent among these
+lights of learning was one whom I have already mentioned, Tycho de
+Brahe. It appears that this turbulent scientist had made his own
+country, Denmark, too hot to hold him; he and his family were
+practically exiled from home, and in his wanderings Tycho turned to the
+Court of Prague, was kindly, generously entreated by King Rudolph, and
+no doubt did good work in return. You may see Tycho's effigy over his
+tomb in the Tyn Church; you may remark that his effigy shows little
+trace of a nose to his face. Tycho went without one for many years, as
+he lost his when young, in a duel. Keppler was also one of Rudolph's
+guests, a man of very different calibre, and certainly one of the most
+eminent astronomers of all times. There were, no doubt, any number of
+lesser lights in that line during those quaint old days when men turned
+to the starry heavens to learn the fate in store for them. Astronomy and
+alchemy were often mixed up together in those days, or rather astronomy
+seemed to get mixed up with one's daily life to such an extent that no
+princely household was complete without its pet astronomer. If things
+had gone a bit wrong of a morning, perhaps that "tired feeling" mixed
+with a touch of gout, and the evening had brought a domestic worry or
+two, you just walked round to your astronomer's for some indication
+concerning the future. After bumping about in dim religious gloom among
+stuffed crocodiles and such-like accessories to science of those days,
+you discovered your astronomer deeply engaged in describing cabalistic
+figures on parchment; he would raise his eyes with a far-away look, as
+if no henchman had hurried round a few minutes earlier to say that "the
+old man was carrying on something awful," your astronomer would descend
+to earth for a space and then at his master's command reascend to get
+thoroughly mixed up with the stars.
+
+To those days of the later sixteenth century we may trace all manner of
+quaint customs, beliefs and observances. People were getting thoroughly
+into the way of thinking for themselves instead of believing what they
+were told, and they started many ingenious conceits whereon to pin their
+faith or perhaps strengthen it. I do not know that those quaint conceits
+were particularly helpful; personally I could not derive comfort from a
+belief popular in Bohemia, that King David sits in the moon playing on
+the harp. My sympathy would go out too strongly for my own comfort,
+towards David evoking melody in such a lonely spot, far from all his
+lady friends; I might even imagine him sighing for Saul's hurtling
+javelin to break the monotony. To these days belongs also the
+institution of the rosary by Pope Gregory XII, in memory of the victory
+of Christendom at Lepanto in 1571. The rosary was indeed known as early
+as the eleventh century, but not in universal use.
+
+While Rudolph was busy with his alchemy, astronomy, and, I am happy to
+say, with literature as well, he resided in the Hrad[vs]any most of his
+time, and so the Mala Strana enjoyed all the amenities of a Court, the
+"certain liveliness" that pertains thereto having shifted from the Old
+Town to the left bank of the river. I have sought vainly for something
+interesting in the way of local colour, but can find nothing that even
+suggests the ingerence of a "fardingale" into the local history of
+Rudolph's reign. Instead of the gentler influence, I find only
+descriptions of swashbucklers, lackeys and bottlewashers, "ruffling" it
+in imitation of their masters. Here again we have indication of Italy's
+refining influence, a new invention which came rapidly into vogue, and
+unlike most of them, came to stay--the facciolette. What though the
+roystering pseudo-gallant had no shirt to which he might attach a fine
+collar, he must have his "facilet," as the chronicler spells it--in
+short, a handkerchief. Then again the tooth-pick came in for serious
+observation; it was considered an outward and visible sign of internal
+creature comfort, and was worn behind the ear when not in action.
+Tooth-pick practice is still going strong in Prague.
+
+By way of attributing something good to Rudolph, I will make him
+responsible for a garden, said to have been very beautiful, which
+occupied some ground at the higher westward end of the "Stag's Moat."
+Here was a pleasance, where gallants and fair ladies disported
+themselves and watched the antics of wild animals. It was in this garden
+that Schiller placed the little drama he describes in _Der Handschuh_.
+Schiller gives the Spanish version of the story, where the gallant
+smacks the lady's face with the glove he had retrieved for her from
+among the lions, and then struts away for evermore. Romantic, but
+ill-tempered, whereas the local version here is that the gallant married
+the lady--perhaps she became insistent; anyway, a useful if commonplace
+ending.
+
+I gave you an instance of Rudolph's statecraft in that little matter of
+the "Passauer," and am not inclined to give you any more. His doings and
+those of his Habsburg successors brought so much suffering to Bohemia
+and Prague that I would rather be excused from giving any account of
+them. We have heard of Rudolph's brother Matthias, and how under him the
+strain put upon the people of Bohemia grew too severe, and how the
+Estates cut the Gordian Knot by throwing the King's lieutenants out of a
+window on the Hrad[vs]any. They happened to fall soft, on a midden, and
+got away unhurt. As a diplomatic action, this measure taken by the
+Estates lacked finesse, but it had one advantage over the usual
+diplomatic transactions in their devious course, that it was direct and
+final in its effect, namely, to precipitate a great devastating war, and
+to leave Bohemia hopelessly enchained for close on three centuries.
+
+We have seen the "Winter King"[1] pass this way with his English wife,
+pause here to be crowned, and then after a short year's reign, fly from
+the country that trusted him when his army and the cause he was called
+upon to stand for went under in a sea of blood on the White Mountain. It
+is only about an hour on foot to the battlefield where the army of
+Protestant Bohemia, after retiring before the Imperialist host, made its
+final, fatal stand. After all, Frederick's short reign was only an
+interlude: the hand of the Habsburg had closed over Bohemia when
+Ferdinand I ascended its throne in 1526 by virtue of his marriage with
+Anna, and also, as I have said, by the free use of Austrian gold; and
+the victory won by Charles V at Muehlberg in 1547 had almost crushed the
+cause of Protestantism out of existence.
+
+[Footnote 1: Frederick, Count of the Palatinate, was called the "Winter
+King," probably because he came to Prague one winter and left the next
+one.]
+
+The battlefield where the independence of Bohemia was lost in November
+1620 lies on a plateau, as background to which stands a peculiar
+building. Surrounded by a park and overlooking undulating country stands
+the "Star." It is a former royal hunting-box, built several centuries
+before the battle and planned as a six-pointed star. It has no
+architectural beauty; it is in appearance a somewhat ungainly landmark
+and must have been pretty uncomfortable to live in, even for the less
+exacting royalties of the Middle Ages, but it stands on what, for the
+Bohemian, should be holy ground. The forces of the Holy Roman Empire,
+aided by Bavarians and Spaniards, were arrayed against the army of
+Frederick, the "Winter King," which stood for religious freedom. Perhaps
+the Protestant forces were not united, they were composed of Czechs,
+Moravians, Germans and Hungarians, perhaps that their King had left
+them somewhat hurriedly, at any rate the spirit of the old covenanters,
+Hus and [vZ]i[vs]ka, no longer informed the Bohemian Army. The first to
+break were the Hungarians, and the conduct of the others was not up to
+tradition; only a small force of Moravians under Count [vS]lik refused
+to yield. They took their stand against the wall of the Star Park, along
+which the dead at some places lay ten or twelve high, according to
+contemporary writers.
+
+Then the Jesuit-ridden Habsburg entered Prague and laid his heavy hand
+on all Bohemia, almost to the undoing of its people. But it is a
+wonderful thing, that power of a strong race to survive treachery and
+oppression until the time comes when it can reassert itself.
+
+There are many accounts of this battle, most of them obviously biassed,
+so, for instance, the Imperialists declare that victory was won in the
+space of an hour, whereas Bohemian historians say that the fighting
+continued without a break from morning till late afternoon. The
+Imperialists ascribed their victory to the intervention of Our Lady.
+Some fifty years after their defeat the Bohemians erected a church and
+monastery to St. Mary on the White Mountain. You may see this church,
+looking somewhat dilapidated--I should say ashamed of itself--as it
+stands there a monument to the Bohemian nation's self-abasement.
+
+We have witnessed the sequel to the defeat of Bohemia on the White
+Mountain, the execution of Bohemian nobles and other leaders on the open
+space between the Old Town Hall and the Church of Our Lady of Tyn. In
+the words of Gindely the historian: "These melancholy executions mark
+the end of the old and independent development of Bohemia. Members of
+the most prominent families of the Bohemian nobility, eminent citizens
+and learned men, in fact all the representatives of the culture of the
+land, ended here, and with them their cause. The destiny of the country
+was henceforth in the hands of foreigners, who had neither comprehension
+of nor sympathy with its former institutions."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+Is another long one, but the last of _A Terrace in Prague_. It tells
+little about Kings of Bohemia, and more about Jesuits and the work they
+left behind to mark the influence they wielded. There are churches and
+statues of their erection, but you are left to decide for yourself
+whether you like those works or not. Several historic figures appear on
+the scene: Tilly, Waldstein, Koenigsmark the Swedish General, and his
+chaplain, Dr. Klee. Mention is also made of some Britons, among them one
+with the homely name of Brown, an honest soldier who lies buried here in
+Prague. A tale of a supernatural event. A further talk of the river and
+about excursions. Finally, an attempt at an epilogue.
+
+
+You will, I hope, agree with me that a man who sits upon a terrace and
+writes about the things he sees and what he thinks about them is
+entitled to bring his observations to a close whenever he considers it
+fit to do so. That point is now within reach. From the first I warned
+you that this is not a guide-book, and therefore not under the
+obligation of giving you a full and detailed catalogue of all the sights
+of Prague and how to see them. There is little more that I propose to
+tell you, it being my object to entice you out here to see for yourself.
+I will wait for you on my terrace, if you like, and while waiting will
+cast a final glance round the scene that has, I confess, acquired a
+strong hold of me.
+
+The Hrad[vs]any, seen on a dull, chill day, always recalls to me what I
+have read about those days since the Bohemians lost their all on the
+White Mountain, until they broke free again only a few years ago. On
+dull days the long, plain, featureless walls of the Hrad[vs]any seem the
+very expression of life under the later Habsburg Kings of Bohemia. They
+were, on the whole, worthy, well-meaning sovereigns, their chief trouble
+being, it would seem, a hereditary incapacity for seeing any point of
+view but that to which their forbears, Jesuit-trained, and of limited
+outlook, had educated them. They were quite impervious to new ideas,
+very tenacious of old ones, and fully convinced of their own divine
+right. The Habsburg line of policy towards Bohemia was laid down by
+Ferdinand II--or shall I say for that monarch?--at the Te Deum sung in
+St. Stephen's Cathedral, at Vienna, to celebrate the victory of Rome
+over Bohemia's religious freedom. It would seem as if the King had
+moulded his policy on the text of the sermon preached by Brother
+Sabrinus, the Capuchin friar, on that occasion: "Thou shalt break them
+with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's
+vessel." In carrying out this policy the King of Bohemia was ably
+assisted by the Jesuits. This congregation had been introduced into
+Bohemia by a former Ferdinand whose acquaintance we have made; the
+Jesuits had therefore stores of useful local knowledge at their command
+when they set about complementing the material victory won on the White
+Mountain by a spiritual conquest. The first thing was to re-establish
+Roman ritual, and the church chosen for this act was St.
+Martin's-in-the-Wall, where, as I have told you, the Sacrament was first
+given in both kinds by Jacobelius in 1414. Then it was thought fit to
+remove the statue of King George Podiebrad from the west front of the
+Tyn Church. The effigy showed this national hero pointing with his drawn
+sword towards the chalice above his head, of which he had been such a
+valiant defender.
+
+Then followed persecution, exile, imprisonment and corporal punishment,
+in addition to the turmoil and sufferings of the Thirty Years' War.
+Ferdinand's father-confessor was a Jesuit, Lamormain, and under the
+latter's guidance Bohemia was being brought back to the fold, while
+elsewhere in Europe men like Tilly and Waldstein, whom Schiller
+preferred to call Wallenstein, were taking their part in the Catholic
+Reformation, with striking results, the sack of cities and the
+devastation of whole countries.
+
+After the Catholic Reformers had seen to it that the leaders of the
+movement towards religious liberty had been put away, they set about
+bringing the Bohemians back to Rome in their own ingenious way. We have
+seen that among other remedies against heresy they introduced, or
+perhaps re-introduced, a national saint, John Nepomuk, had him canonized
+and an effigy of him set up on the Charles Bridge; this effigy was
+followed by many others, among them that of Loyola. Each pillar of the
+bridge that Charles built is crowned by the effigy of a saint or groups
+of saints, with most of whom, I regret to say, I am not acquainted.
+There are, however, some old friends--Saints Ludmilla, Wenceslaus,
+Cosmas and Damain, and Adalbert--who are intimately connected with the
+story of Prague. There is no denying the fact that these groups of
+statuary give a unique touch to the massive beauty of the Charles
+Bridge, but they do not appeal to me as works of art; this is probably
+due to my own shortcomings. To my thinking, the statue of St. George,
+which stands close by the south entrance to the cathedral on the
+Hrad[vs]any, is worth the whole collection on the Charles Bridge. This
+statue, the work of the brothers George and Martin of Aussenburk, was
+ordered expressly by Charles IV; it is an absolutely faithful
+representation of a knight's armour as worn in the fourteenth century.
+For the rest, the statuary on the bridge was not run up in the space of
+a few years; the work extended over about two centuries.
+
+The first step taken towards an outward display of regained power was
+the destruction by the Jesuits of that old church which stood on the
+Mala Stranske Nam[ve]sti, in which, as I told you, the martyrs of 1621
+partook of the Sacraments on their road to execution. The Church of St.
+Nicholas then reared its stately pile out of the medley of quaint old
+roofs and dormer windows immediately below my terrace. There were
+changes going on among those sleepy houses too, for the victory of the
+White Mountain and the Imperialist successes in the Thirty Years' War
+had brought to Bohemia a swarm of foreign adventurers, officers in the
+Emperor's armies, who acquired the property of exiled Bohemian nobility
+and set about building palaces for themselves. They are interesting too,
+these palaces in Prague, and some of them have beautiful gardens, as
+those of Fuerstenberg, Lobkovitz, Schoenborn and Waldstein. The latter
+palace has, indeed, more than ordinary interest on account of the
+strange man who built it.
+
+Albrecht of Waldstein was a Bohemian noble of no very high degree, and
+belonged to a Protestant family. He seems to have had no great learning,
+but turned when he arrived at man's estate to the dark sciences, more
+especially astronomy, and from the study of this science he hoped to
+look behind the veil of the future and read his fortunes in the stars.
+He rose, no doubt on account of his ability, to high command, to a
+position of more real power than that of his imperial master. He amassed
+a vast fortune, and built himself a huge palace in Prague--from my
+terrace I could point to you its long line of roofs. To build his palace
+a number of smaller houses had to be pulled down, some twenty-three in
+all. Then Giovanni Marini, with his Italian and Dutch architects and
+landscape gardeners, set to work and built up this regal abode of
+gigantic proportions, a place as vast as Waldstein's ambition and dreams
+of power and conquest. For all he was of Protestant faith originally,
+Waldstein had as patron saint St. Wenceslaus, to whom he built a
+beautiful chapel in his palace. There are gardens and fountains, a Sala
+terrena, said to be the largest in Europe; there are magnolia-trees as
+old as the palace; there is a bower of black old yew-trees screening the
+space where this warrior-statesman received the ambassadors of kings who
+sought alliance with him. There is an uncanny air of desolation over
+all this vast demesne, an air of unsatisfied ambition, of vain striving
+and infinite sadness of remorse. I can picture to myself Waldstein
+pacing along that alley of clipped trees, now overgrown, scheming and
+planning. I am sure he was one of those whose vision showed to them the
+endless possibilities of power wielded from Prague as capital of a great
+Central European State, that he was of one mind with George Podiebrad,
+Charles IV, P[vr]emysl Ottokar II, Libu[vs]a, and I will even include
+that Frankish adventurer, Samo. But Waldstein had to reckon with a
+Habsburg Emperor, King of Bohemia. The negotiations that his
+generalissimo had undoubtedly been carrying on with the French and the
+Swedes had roused the suspicions of Emperor Ferdinand, so Albrecht of
+Waldstein, Duke of Friedland, was rendered harmless; he was murdered by
+his own officers one night at Cheb (Eger,) a place you passed through on
+your way from Paris to Prague.
+
+There is a quaint old-world atmosphere that clings about the Mala
+Strana, in its narrow streets and under its red roofs and dormer
+windows, an atmosphere that suggests all sorts of good deeds done in a
+quiet sort of way, of simple piety and a general steady level of
+intellectual effort. In this, I am glad to report, some English people,
+or rather Britons, took part. I have already mentioned Elizabeth Weston
+and her epitaph in the church dedicated to St. Thomas. This church has
+also been restored by the Jesuits; it was probably high time, for it had
+been dedicated in 1316, and was occasionally the scene of a "certain
+liveliness" which is likely to make repairs necessary. Apart from Swedes
+who used to come round pillaging, this church seems to have had its
+private, as it were parochial, troubles, a serious one in 1510, for
+instance, when a fracas arose one day during service between some
+Bohemians and some Hungarians. A fracas was always conducted with
+rapiers and daggers in those days, and must have been a picturesque, if
+inconvenient, event. It was all about a lady too, which sounds quite
+likely: it was said that she was not worth all the pother: this is the
+sort of thing some people would say. As a consequence of this fracas
+several Bohemians were executed for robbery with violence, which sheds a
+different light on the incident, but I do not think it matters much at
+this distance of time.
+
+There was a monastery attached to St. Thomas's Church, or perhaps the
+other way about, and the monks had a fine library. When the Swedes,
+quite uninvited, called at Prague and occupied the Mala Strana in 1648,
+their commander, Koenigsmark, sent his chaplain, Master John Klee, to
+pick up the library of St. Thomas's: the Swedes were great collectors of
+books. Klee remained unmoved by all the entreaties of the good monks
+until one of them showed him some silver spoons. Klee began to waver;
+some one brought out a gilt cup; Klee fell, and left the good monks with
+their books, just carrying off the trifling tokens they had given him as
+souvenirs. A little kindness goes a long way.
+
+In St. Thomas's there is also a painting ascribed to Rubens over the
+altar. It looks doubtful to me, but the light was bad, and I could form
+no opinion as to the picture's merit. Another painting in this church
+gave me a thrill, a Virgin and Child, both black! I hoped that at last I
+had discovered a picture I had heard so much of, "The Black Madonna"--a
+famous picture with a stirring history. There are said to have been
+several "Black Madonnas" in Bohemia at one time, and that of Stara
+Boleslav was the most precious of them. St. Ludmilla herself had given
+this picture to her pious grandson Wenceslaus, who, as we know, was
+murdered at Stara Boleslav. Podiwin, the most trusty henchman of
+Wenceslaus, buried this treasure when his master was murdered. You could
+not well let it fall into the hands of Brother Boleslav, the hefty
+heathen; he would have been incapable of appreciating the beautiful
+legend of how the young mother, filled with anxiety on the flight into
+Egypt, prayed that she and her Child might be turned black while their
+exile lasted. The picture was found again in 1160 by a ploughman; the
+Saxons, on their raid into Bohemia in 1635, stole it, and Ferdinand II
+redeemed it and brought it back to Prague. It should be somewhere in
+this city. I will leave the search for it to you, when you pay your
+visit to Prague, which is surely inevitable now that you have read so
+far in this book.
+
+A tall, very thin spire, that peers up near the mass of the Nicholas
+Church, reminds me of others of British race, who had their day in
+Prague and, I feel sure, contributed to its reputation for religion and
+piety. These were the _Englische Fraeulein_, as the German chronicler
+calls them; this means English virgins or maidens--you cannot very well
+call them English misses--whose Order, founded by Clara Ward in the
+seventeenth century, was introduced into Prague in the eighteenth by a
+Princess Auersberg. I am not sure how these ladies passed their time,
+nor what their object was in life, but no doubt they maintained that
+state to which they considered themselves called, and this alone should
+be accounted unto them for righteousness in a gay town like Prague.
+
+There is yet one other Briton of whom I must tell you in connection with
+the story of old Prague. His name is Brown, and I met him, or rather his
+effigy, in Vienna many years ago. To give him all his style and title,
+or as much as I can recollect--Field-Marshal Count Brown, but for all
+that a good stout Briton. He happened to serve the Empress Maria
+Theresia, and served her well. When her arch-enemy, Frederick of
+Prussia, came this way, Brown was one of those who came out to meet him;
+was wounded and died of his wounds in Prague. Frederick of Prussia was
+obliged to raise the siege of Prague, according to popular opinion
+forced thereto by supernatural powers. It is said that one night, just
+after the battle of Prague, fought some five miles out, at a place
+called St[ve]rboholy, and while the siege of Prague was still in
+progress, the guard at one of the gates was surprised by a visitor. He
+appeared suddenly coming from the city on a black horse, dressed in
+ancient costume and wearing, mark you, a prince's cap. He demanded right
+of egress, the gate was opened, and the night-rider vanished into the
+darkness. The next day came news of the Austrian victory at Kolin, and
+everyone knew that one of Bohemia's ancient champions had decided the
+issue of that day. The pious generally ascribe the victory to St.
+Wenceslaus; if supernatural agency was at work, I am more inclined to
+attribute this ingerence to Brother Boleslav, the hearty heathen: it was
+more in his line.
+
+Those dark days passed, and a century elapsed before the Prussians came
+pouring in again to disturb the _Pax Austriaca_ which held Bohemia
+enveloped. They came as before, over the passes and through the Gate of
+Bohemia at that dear little town among the pine forests, Nachod. But all
+this is ancient history, is past and over, and the serene atmosphere of
+Good King Charles's gracious days is glowing over Prague again. Old
+Prague, the somnolent city of centuries after Bohemia's freedom went, is
+regaining her place and rising to her high mission as capital of a free
+and independent State, the most promising of those that arose out of the
+ruins of the Habsburg dynasty's dominions. Old customs, no doubt, are
+vanishing: I have looked in vain for the bootmakers' Fidlova[vc]ka and
+the tailors' revels in Stromovka, the butchers' special form of annual
+rejoicing seems also to have fallen into desuetude. Like pious souls, as
+they undoubtedly are, the butchers of Prague choose an ancient and
+respectable church for their peculiar celebration, which, to my
+thinking, has a somewhat pagan savour; indeed, the profoundly learned
+trace the practice back to the days when Thor was worshipped in the
+gloomy forests of Central Europe. The church chosen by the butchers for
+their special ritualistic function was that dedicated to St. James, son
+of Zebedee. This church was originally one of the oldest in Prague; it
+stands in that close-packed quarter of the Old Town, near Our Lady of
+Tyn. The present edifice shows no traces of its earliest aspect when
+founded by the Order of Minorities in 1232; it has been damaged and
+restored until its present appearance was evolved, but it seems to have
+been loyally patronized by the Old Town butchers, whose bravery, we
+know, did much towards safeguarding the city both during the Hussite
+troubles and against the Swedes. Stout fellows, those old butchers of
+Prague; their holiday diversion, observed each 25th of July, was to
+dress up a goat, to carry it to the top of St. James's church-tower and
+throw it over into the street with "music and song," in which the goat
+probably joined until he arrived on the pavement below. Strenuous
+enjoyment on a hot summer's day, I should say, having been in personal
+contact with a goat myself on occasion, but I really cannot see where
+the fun comes in. By the aid of a map you may discern the church-tower
+of St. James's, but you will no longer see the goat hurtling through
+space. One by one these dear old customs are dying out. Nevertheless,
+our Pragers still enjoy life, more than ever I should say, contrasting
+the city of to-day with that of some ten years ago. I have touched on
+some of the forms of amusement and recreation you may indulge in; you
+will also find a pleasant social life developing among the cheery and
+hospitable Pragers. And there is always the river, which among its many
+reflections, by the way, also includes those of a very modern and rather
+German-looking building which stands somewhat by itself among
+disconnected groups of old and new buildings, near that quaint old house
+by the Jewish Cemetery. The building I refer to is called the
+Rudolfinum, after one of the unhappiest of all the Habsburgs, and served
+originally as an academy of music. It still fills up with sound from
+time to time, though not necessarily with harmony; it is the Parliament
+of the Republic of Czecho-Slovakia.
+
+The present tendency in Prague is to erect handsome modern buildings all
+along the right bank of the river: Government offices, Ministries
+chiefly, will occupy them. At present the different Ministries are
+housed in ancient palaces dotted about the city. Foreign Affairs are
+controlled (and very ably too) from the Hrad[vs]any, as is only right,
+and here are also the offices of the Presidency and the President's
+official residence. The Ministry of Commerce inhabits Waldstein's
+Palace, that of Finance the Palace of Clam-Galas, which is well worth
+seeing on account of its portico. But I fancy it will be some time
+before all the grand plans for reconstruction and bringing Prague up to
+the requirements of a capital city have been carried out, and the silver
+river will be quite content to reflect the glorious monuments of the
+past for some little time longer. The river, no doubt, could tell us a
+deal about the chances and changes of the mortals that lived on its
+banks; we have seen it reflect so many events, joyous, tragic, even
+comic. On the whole it wears a thoroughly contented look on its shining
+countenance--the look of one who knows he is thoroughly appreciated. And
+knowing this, the river has put up with all manner of trammels which men
+call "regulation"; there are weirs and locks and all manner of
+improvements which not even Charles IV had thought of constructing for
+the good of his people. But then there are the islands left, and the
+Vltava's friends, the Pragers, come down to those islands of an evening
+and make music, which must reconcile the river to changed conditions.
+One island, that of Kampa, has already been pointed out to you; there
+are others. Of these, two count for our purpose, namely, of getting the
+best we can out of glorious old Prague. Of these two islands, one is
+named [vZ]ofin, which is derived from Sophie, possibly the wife of Good
+King Wenceslaus. Mind you, I am not at all certain about this; there is
+a large bathing establishment on this island, which not only recalls the
+cheery memory of Wenceslaus, but also that of Susanna; therefore to
+bring in the name of long-suffering Queen Sophie does not seem to me
+quite nice: what do you think? The next island is a larger one, almost
+in midstream, whereas [vZ]ofin keeps the right bank and has just enough
+space for a very pretty flower-garden, and a well-kept restaurant where
+you may enjoy good food and good music under the shade of the spreading
+chestnut-trees. The larger island is called St[vr]elesky Ostrov, which
+means that it has something to do with shooting. Indeed, in years of
+long ago, in the days of bows and arrows, and crossbow and bolt, when
+archery was compulsory, this island was the rendezvous of marksmen.
+Being a serious concern, archery, and subsequently all manner of
+shooting, was put under the spiritual charge of St. Sebastian. It is
+very sporting of this saint to have accepted this honorary office. Here
+again, on this island, you may dine and drink and listen to good music.
+You may also shoot at glass balls with an air-gun. _Ichabod_!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Wherever there is a good navigable river, there you have many occasions
+for excursions. Steamers of all sizes, painted in the national colours
+of Bohemia, white and red, ply up and down the Vltava. In fact, from
+Prague, now that all the locks are completed, you may travel down the
+Vltava to the Elbe and right away to New York by water if you
+will--change at Hamburg.
+
+There are walks and excursions within easy reach of the centre of the
+city. You take a tram--it is quite worth it, and is comparatively easy
+on a Sunday afternoon to anyone who has played "forward" in a "rugger"
+team. When buying a tram-ticket always make a sound like "pshesses" at
+the conductor. He will not mind it in the least; in fact, he will take
+special pains about punching your ticket, which, by virtue of the
+strange noise you made, enables you to change into another tram. The
+tram takes you to the outskirts, where you may start walking or just
+sink into a beer-garden, according to your degree of physical fitness
+after the journey. You will be pleased to hear that the edict of King
+John anent no drinks within two miles of the city has been withdrawn, so
+you may settle down in the Stromovka or the Kinsky Garden for the
+afternoon. This latter garden, by the way, is one of the most attractive
+features of Prague. One of the Kinskys sold it to the town, which makes
+the best use of it and keeps it in good order for the benefit of the
+public. You will also do well to visit that little chateau place which
+you will see on entering the garden. In it you will find a delectable
+collection of old Bohemian and Moravian costumes, furniture and
+household goods which will help you to realize how and why these people
+cling so tenaciously to all that pertains to their race.
+
+Touching the Kinsky Garden is another one, also beautiful, called
+Nebozizek. These gardens are separated by a wall that descends from the
+top of the height down to the street below, the "Famine Wall" it is
+called, for a thoughtful King of Bohemia, Charles IV again, caused it to
+be built in order to provide work during a lean year some centuries ago.
+A gap in the Famine Wall, which you reach by shady winding ways, gives
+you a glorious and unexpected view of the Hrad[vs]any; the winding ways
+lead you up to the summit of the Pet[vr]in, as this height is called,
+where you may find an outlook tower, a church, a diorama showing a scene
+from the Thirty Years' War, and a beer-garden--so entertainment is
+provided for all tastes. There is a way down from the top of Pet[vr]in
+shaded by chestnut-trees, its stages marked by fourteen chapels, the
+Stations of the Cross, until it narrows in between garden walls over
+which you see Strahov and the Hrad[vs]any rising in graceful dignity out
+of a maze of red-tiled roofs and foliage.
+
+Then you may wander on past Strahov and over open rolling country to the
+battlefield of the White Mountain and to the Star, those places of
+tragic memory in the history of Bohemia. It is usual to speak
+slightingly of the immediate environment of Prague as being
+uninteresting and indeed unlovely; I protest strongly against this, and
+that because I have traversed the fields and lanes on foot, not dashing
+through the landscape in a motor-car, and therefore claim to have seen
+the scenery round about the capital. The citizens of Prague seem to be
+of my way of thinking, to judge by the numbers that set out on Sundays
+to the heights that encompass the town on its western side. The good
+people of Prague enjoy their Sunday beer in the Star Park Restaurant,
+and take their walks abroad among the pleasant valleys that run down to
+the river on its left bank. From the plateau of the White Mountain you
+may find your way into one of these pleasant valleys, that of the
+[vS]arka. You enter it by a narrow rocky gorge, and as it has a
+distinctly romantic look, legend has fastened on to it and echoes a tale
+of Bohemian Amazons led by a lady of the name of [vS]arka, who was
+discontented with the dominance of mere man. The legend is somewhat
+obscure, but as the Bohemians, like other people, prefer a happy ending
+to their stories (they have till recently known but few in their own
+history), we may take it that the Amazonian ladies arrived at the
+natural issue out of their troubles. Amongst these rocks is an open-air
+theatre where concerts are given; here one glorious Sunday afternoon in
+autumn I was once again privileged to hear Kubelik play.
+
+The [vS]arka brook trips along gaily towards the Vltava under
+overhanging rocks, by wooded slopes and fresh meadows. It tries to be
+useful in driving the "Devil's Mill"; that sinister personage seems to
+have started quite a number of such concerns in Bohemia. It is a
+pleasant little place, tucked away among rocks and trees, and its chief
+business appears to be the supplying of refreshments. Of the occasional
+rocks that jut out above the trees, one claims to be the jumping-off
+place of a Prague damsel who was tired of life; such places are pretty
+frequent in all scenery with any pretence to romance. Given a rocky
+eminence, you will always find that somebody or other has leapt
+therefrom and thus given it a name, the "Maiden's Leap" or the "Knight's
+Leap." It is obvious, for instance, that the Vy[vs]ehrad, the rocky
+eminence on which stood the first castle of Bohemia's rulers before ever
+Prague was built, should have a jumping-off story. A knight was
+imprisoned in the Vy[vs]ehrad Castle; he asked leave to ride round the
+castle, for change of air no doubt, when suddenly he wheeled about, put
+his horse at the river and leapt--of course he got safely away. Let us
+hope that the damsel of Prague who leapt into the [vS]arka Valley also
+fell soft and got away.
+
+These little valleys that lead down to the river are all the more
+delightful as you seem to come upon them by surprise. The general aspect
+of the high ground above the river is that of a highly cultivated
+undulating country with prim and rather uninteresting-looking clusters
+of white-washed cottages gathered round the church-tower with its quaint
+bulbous top-hamper which, to my thinking, recalls the Dresden china
+_Zwiebel Muster_ of one's youth, but is really supposed to be due to
+eastern influence. Again, from the river you see wooded slopes, cherry
+orchards and factory chimneys. But turning down towards the river you
+suddenly come upon a jolly little tinkling brook, falling over rocks
+that peep out of gorse bushes, winding about among lush meadows where
+geese chatter contentedly, and seem so far remote from broad acres under
+waving corn that you get the "wind on the heath" all to yourself, and
+feel yet farther removed from smoking factories. And even these latter
+blend with the landscape in a manner which English factories can never
+acquire. They are tucked away in cosy little valleys, and even in large
+groups do not disturb the harmony of the landscape. They also seem an
+expression of the national character, steady and hardworking, yet
+capable of fitting in completely with the joyous beauty kindly Nature
+spreads all about.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Within easy reach of Prague, with its hundred towers, are many historic
+places, landmarks in the story of Bohemia. Foremost among these is the
+Castle of Karlov Tyn. It stands on a rocky spur in a wooded valley,
+between four hills. You catch a sudden and fleeting glimpse of it as you
+approach Prague from Paris by the line that runs along the winding River
+Berounka. If you are blessed with the healthy curiosity of the traveller
+in foreign parts, you will insist on a closer inspection of this lordly
+castle. It looks new; this is the result of well-meant restoration
+undertaken some years ago; it is really of great and historic
+antiquity.
+
+Charles IV, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and first Bohemian King of
+that name, began the building of this castle in 1348 as a fitting casket
+for the Crown jewels and the charter of the land he loved. During the
+reign of subsequent Kings of Bohemia, this castle, though it passed
+through many of the vicissitudes peculiar to mediaeval history, kept up
+its traditional importance in the land. It was besieged by the Hussites
+in 1422, and parts of it were burnt down and allowed to go to ruin. Over
+a century later it was restored, but suffered eclipse after the Thirty
+Years' War, was even in pawn for several years, and did not quite
+retrieve its fallen fortunes until after the _coup d'etat_ of 1918. The
+deeds by which the two leading patron saints of Bohemia gained sanctity
+are set forth in quite well-preserved frescoes.
+
+[Illustration: A CORNER OF K[vR]IVOKLAT CASTLE.]
+
+While on the subject of castles--and you must forgive me for
+rambling,--I should like to tell you about another one that stands some
+little way farther up the valley of the Berounka, tucked away out of
+sight of the railway. The history of this Castle of K[vr]ivoklat dates
+yet farther back than that of Karlov Tyn, for we read of its restoration
+in the twelfth century by Prince Vladislaus I, a scion of the House of
+P[vr]emysl. Charles IV loved to live here, and restored the place for
+the first of his four wives, Blanche of Valois. Other guests more or
+less distinguished visited here, some of them involuntarily; these
+latter were generally lodged in the Huderka Tower suitably fitted with
+oubliettes. Among these guests were two already mentioned, a leading
+religious light, John Augusta, Bishop of the Bohemian Brethren, and
+another less certain light, Kelly, the Irish alchemist. "Irish
+alchemist" has rather a racy flavour; the idea of an Irishman engaged in
+such pursuit suggests endless ingenuous possibilities. With Kelly was
+also the Englishman, Dr. John Dee, who was in like condemnation. No
+doubt the two were a precious pair of rogues, but King Rudolph II had
+asked for trouble by encouraging alchemists from all over Europe to
+visit him in Prague. The present-day compeers of Dee and Kelly are no
+doubt the self-constituted experts on politics, finance, commerce and
+other questions which puzzle international commissions, conferences and
+such-like amenities of our times. Anyway, Dr. Dee and Mr. Kelly failed
+to give satisfaction, and so were incarcerated at K[vr]ivoklat. A
+charming place it must have been when the forests were denser and shy
+deer tripped down to the water's edge of an evening. Charming it is
+still with its haunting memories that seem to linger more fondly than at
+Karlov Tyn, perhaps because the modern renovator has not been so busy
+here. The quaint old corners still have an old-world, homely look which
+the renovator invariably destroys. Despite the trees that add deep
+shadows to the sombre masonry, you may yet call up visions of knights
+tilting in the uneven overgrown courtyard while fair ladies looked on
+from a balcony specially added for the purpose, and in such manner as to
+produce a very quaint effect of perspective. You may yet imagine
+yourself as one of a reverent crowd listening awestruck to bold
+utterance of religious truths from a Bohemian preacher in that beautiful
+pulpit of carved stone which still adorns the gateway that leads to the
+inner court. And if you have the gift of placing yourself back among
+those earnest seekers after truth who lived in and suffered for their
+faith, you will draw nearer to the real spirit of the sons of Bohemia.
+
+And this reflection leads to yet another historic spot within easy reach
+of Prague, Tabor. This is a pleasant little town some two hours by rail
+from the capital. Seen from the railway as it stands on a gentle rise,
+its tall church-tower and red roofs reflected in the waters of a winding
+lake, it looks what it is now, a very peaceful spot. But if you go about
+its narrow streets you come upon many relics of the town's eventful
+past. It comes as a surprise to find that the side towards the south,
+towards Austria, descends precipitously to the River Losnice, a striking
+contrast to the placid lake which first greeted you. This lake was
+called Jordan, the city Tabor, by those who, following the teaching of
+Hus, ordered their lives and thoughts by Holy Writ. The Hussites under
+their leader [vZ]i[vz]ka, one of the ablest generals of all time, had
+decided to build them a city and fixed upon this site for the sake of
+its undoubted strategic value and its capacity for defence.
+
+Tabor, however, takes me rather too far afield; I mentioned it for the
+benefit of those who study archaeology; these will find interesting
+instances of Bohemia's fifteenth-century architecture in this the
+stronghold of [vZ]i[vz]ka and the followers of Hus.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[Illustration: TABOR BY THE WATERS OF JORDAN.]
+
+In these my reflections on things seen and noted from "a Terrace in
+Prague" I have endeavoured to arouse your interest in this grand old
+city. I have pointed out to you from the terrace of my choice monuments
+to a glorious past, to a glowing vital history of this the capital of an
+ancient realm. I leave it now to you to fill in the gaps I have left,
+either purposely--for I want you to come here and see for yourself--or
+inadvertently; and I have already admitted my limited knowledge of a
+great subject. So come out here and choose your point of view, and carry
+on the reflections I have started; there is endless scope. As Luetzow
+says: "When throwing a stone through a window in Prague you throw with
+it a morsel of history." This is not meant to encourage stone-throwing,
+a practice that meets with little appreciation here. What is meant is
+that there is a vast field lying before you, as you look out over the
+city, a field which will render you good returns for any attempt you
+make to cultivate it. If your outlook be academic, at your feet lies one
+of Europe's oldest universities; if your interests turn to architecture,
+this little work alone should give you some idea of the wealth of
+material lying here to your hand. If you are one of those rare mortals
+who study history for the sake of applying its moral to the conduct of
+the world's affairs, then you have here a deep well from which to draw
+inspiration. Look at those figures that rise above the heads of their
+fellows in the shadowy pageant of Bohemia's capital, at those whose
+vision carried well beyond the narrow frontiers of their country and the
+limitations of their age. Ottokar II and Charles IV, George Podiebrad
+and Waldstein, all these saw the inner meaning of Libu[vs]a's prophecy:
+"I see a grand city, the fame of which reaches to the skies."
+
+Libu[vs]a's prophecy has been fulfilled, her forecast of Prague's place
+in the world has come true. In the days of Ottokar II, Prague held high
+place as a capital of a great State. Charles IV rescued this city that
+he loved, and made of it the rallying point of Central European culture.
+King George Podiebrad felt the high importance of this his native
+country's capital, and from it he wove his web of treaties and
+agreements for the betterment of Central Europe by means of his League
+of Peace. Dark Waldstein had formed great and ambitious plans, possibly
+not so altruistic as those of his spiritual kinsmen, the great men
+mentioned above. You have seen how one after another these giants of
+Bohemia saw their plans brought to nought. Ottokar II succumbed to the
+first Habsburger that threw his shadow over Bohemia. The successors of
+Charles and George Podiebrad could not stand up against the forces of
+reaction that beat down Bohemia's efforts towards finding herself and
+taking her rightful place in the comity of nations. Of Waldstein's plans
+and ambitions there are only dark traces, obscure indications; he, a man
+of penetrating vision, must have realized the possibilities of his
+country, and must have been bent on securing for it the place it is
+entitled to. But he in his turn perished at the instigation of a
+Habsburger. And so we see the searching light of greatness light up the
+city from time to time, and in almost regular intervals of a century at
+a time; then came heavy banks of cloud to obscure the fair prospect. The
+clouds have rolled away again; again bright sunshine draws out the
+memories of Golden Prague and raises hopes of a glorious future. This
+time the fate of Prague and the land and people she stands for does not
+depend upon dynastic considerations nor the will or vision of one ruler
+or another. The destinies of Prague are in the hands of a sovereign
+people; it is theirs to make or mar them.
+
+Here is matter for deep study, such as will in time justify prediction.
+Mark also well the signs of the times as you look out over Prague, and
+note whether the spirit of the great departed has not returned to inform
+the people of Bohemia and of the lands that make up the Succession State
+of the old Austrian Empire, the Republic of Czecho-Slovakia.
+
+If I have succeeded in arousing your interest, my task is completed; it
+is then for you to take up the tale--"From a Terrace in Prague."
+
+
+
+
+INDEX
+
+
+Aaron, 113
+
+Abbeville, 150
+
+Adalbert, Bishop, 84, 92, 141, 161, 237
+
+Adela of Austria, 118
+
+Adolph of Nassau, 132
+
+Adrian I, Pope, 161
+
+Adriatic, 119
+
+AEneas Silvius (_see_ Pope Pius II), 27
+
+AEthelstan, King of England, 76
+
+Aix-la-Chapelle, 76, 159
+
+Albrecht of Habsburg, 132, 133
+
+Alexander Borgia, Pope, 209
+
+Alexander III, Pope, 126
+
+All Saints' Church, 93
+
+Amarapura, 24
+
+Andrew, Bishop, 108, 109
+
+Anne of Bohemia, 176, 177, 185
+
+Arabia, 28
+
+Arkona, 97
+
+Arles, 151
+
+Arnold, 213
+
+Arnulf, German King, 65, 74
+
+Arpad, 74
+
+Arras, Matthew of, 153, 159
+
+Arthur, King of Britain, 136
+
+Aube, 39
+
+Augsburg, 82
+
+Austria, 21, 117, 118, 132, 143, 251
+
+Avari, 26
+
+Avignon, 143, 144, 151, 153
+
+
+Babenberg, 118
+
+Baikal, Lake, 117
+
+Bale, 219
+
+Baltic, 119
+
+Bas Schevi von Treunberg, 114
+
+Bavaria, 16, 22, 53, 134, 156, 199
+
+Beatrice of Bourbon, 139
+
+Bechyn, Tobias of, 133
+
+Bela, King of Hungary, 118, 119
+
+Belfort, 39
+
+Belna, 55
+
+Benedictines, 142
+
+Bene[vs] of Loun, 153
+
+Bene[vs] of Weitmil, 150
+
+Berlin, 18
+
+Berounka, 16, 23, 164, 171, 248, 249
+
+Blanche Taque, 149
+
+Blanche of Valois, 139, 249
+
+Boievari, 16, 134
+
+Boleslav I, 66, 67, 71, 78, 79, 80, 82, 83, 97, 240, 242
+
+Boleslav II, 83, 84, 85, 89, 159
+
+Boleslav III, 90
+
+Boleslav the Brave, 83, 89, 90, 91
+
+Boleslav, Towns Old and Young, 80, 152, 240
+
+Bologna, 100, 168
+
+Bo[vr]ivoj, 63-66, 161
+
+Bo[vz]ena, 90, 91
+
+Brahe, Tycho de, 100, 114, 206, 228
+
+Breslau, 40, 83
+
+B[vr]etislav I, 91, 92, 94, 97
+
+B[vr]etislav II, 96, 97
+
+Brezova, Lawrence of, 155
+
+Britons, 23, 241
+
+Brno, 18
+
+Brown, Field-Marshal, Count, 241
+
+Brusnice, 57
+
+Brunswick, 22
+
+Bruex, 109
+
+Buiarnum, 112
+
+Bulgars, 119
+
+Burgundy, 151
+
+Burma, 24, 25
+
+Byzantium, 24
+
+
+Cantacuzene, 24
+
+Carinthia, John Henry of, 143
+
+Carlsbad, 23, 151
+
+Carlyle, 133, 134, 137
+
+Caro, Abigdor, Rabbi, 114
+
+Carolingian, 65
+
+Casimir of Poland, 145
+
+Celts, 16, 39, 40, 134
+
+Ceylon, 25
+
+Charlemagne, 18, 19, 26, 65, 73, 75, 76, 159, 210
+
+Charles IV, Emperor, 121, 137-145, 149-160, 163, 164, 167, 168, 170, 172-175, 179, 180, 193, 195, 205, 217-220, 237, 239, 240, 244, 246, 249, 253
+
+Charles V, Emperor, 226, 231
+
+Charles the Simple, of France, 76
+
+Chateau Thierry, 22
+
+Cheb, 16, 23, 26, 98, 164, 239
+
+Chlodovech, King of the Franks, 163
+
+Clarissa, Order of, 109
+
+Clement VI, Pope, 142
+
+Clerval, Massieu de, 27
+
+Cluny, 96, 99, 100
+
+Conrad III, Emperor, 98
+
+Conradin, 22, 108
+
+Constance, 182, 185, 203
+
+Constance of Hungary, 109
+
+Constantine the Great, 15
+
+Constantine Porphyrogenitus, 76
+
+Constantinople, 15, 24, 76, 99, 218
+
+Cornwall, Richard of, 109, 118, 119, 150
+
+Cosmas of Prague, 25-27, 54, 57, 63
+
+Cranach, Lucas, 154
+
+Crawford, Marion, 180
+
+Crecy, 136, 140, 144, 149, 150
+
+Czechus, 53, 64
+
+
+Dacio, 99
+
+Dagobert, 26
+
+Dalibor, Daliborka, 121, 122, 123
+
+Dalimil, 91
+
+Danes, 73, 74
+
+Danube, 16, 40, 53, 210
+
+David, 15
+
+Dee, Dr. John, 228, 249
+
+Dienzenhofer, 159, 222
+
+Dragomira, 66, 72, 77
+
+Dresden, 20
+
+Dubravka, 83, 90
+
+Duerer, 102
+
+Dvo[vr]ak, 211
+
+
+Edinburgh, 200
+
+Edward, Black Prince, 136, 145
+
+Edward III of England, 135, 145, 150
+
+Edward VII of England, 23
+
+Eger, _see_ Cheb
+
+Eggenburg, 21
+
+Elbe, 18, 20, 80, 245
+
+Emanuel, Emperor, 99
+
+Emaus, 78, 92, 94, 140, 141, 142, 173
+
+England, 73, 100, 109, 117, 118, 140, 150, 181, 195, 204, 218
+
+Ernest of Pardubic, Bishop, 144, 167
+
+
+Falckenstein, Zavis of, 124
+
+Faust, Dr., 208
+
+Felix III, Pope, 161
+
+Ferdinand, Archduke, 45, 225, 226
+
+Ferdinand I, Emperor, 154
+
+Ferdinand II, Emperor, 240
+
+Ferdinand III, Emperor, 142, 156, 237, 239
+
+Fidlovatchka, 46, 47, 242
+
+Fischer, Peter, 154
+
+Flemings, 39
+
+France, 39, 136, 150, 151, 220
+
+Francis I of France, 225
+
+Franconia, 22
+
+Franks, 18, 26, 134
+
+Frederick Barbarossa, 23, 99, 107, 110, 117
+
+Frederick, Count Palatine, 154, 156, 187, 188, 230, 231
+
+Frederick, Duke of Austria, 118
+
+Frederick the Fair, of Austria, 143
+
+Frederick the Great of Prussia, 52, 101, 156, 159, 241
+
+Fuerstenberg, 60
+
+
+Galileo, Galilei, 114
+
+Gans, David, 114
+
+Gauls, 39
+
+Gebhard, Bishop, 185
+
+George Podiebrad, 154-157, 186, 207, 209, 218, 221, 236, 239, 253
+
+Germans, 58, 65, 95, 111, 198, 199, 200
+
+Ghibelline, Waiblingen, 22
+
+Gibraltar, 60
+
+Gindeley, 232
+
+Gnesen, 92, 125
+
+Golden Bull, 157, 179
+
+Gothic, 62, 93, 114, 127, 142, 158, 185, 207, 224
+
+Gregory VII, Pope, 94
+
+Gregory XII, Pope, 229
+
+Gregory of Tours, 163
+
+Guido, Cardinal, 98, 99
+
+Guelf, Welf, 22
+
+
+Habsburg, 21, 101, 114, 119-121, 124, 125, 131, 132, 134, 136, 154, 156, 175, 186, 187, 194, 199-210, 218, 221, 223, 225
+
+Hajek, 100
+
+Hamilton, Sir William and Lady, 102
+
+Hanover, 134
+
+Harrachove, 85
+
+Henri IV of France, 194
+
+Henry and Kunigunde, Saints, 158
+
+Henry of Carinthia, 133, 135, 137
+
+Henry of Luxemburg, 133
+
+Henry the Fowler, 66, 76, 77, 84, 162
+
+Henry II, German King, 90
+
+Henry III, Emperor, 91
+
+Henry IV, Emperor, 94
+
+Henry VI, Emperor, 108
+
+Hohenburg on Unstrutt, 94
+
+Hohenstaufen, 108
+
+Holstein, 74
+
+Holy Cross, Chapel, 94
+
+Hrade[vs]in, 58
+
+Hrad[vs]any, 52, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 63, 72, 78, 84, 93, 94, 96, 110, 121, 131, 135, 144, 152, 154, 159, 171, 194, 195, 217, 224, 226, 227, 229, 235, 246
+
+Humbolt, Alexander von, 27
+
+Hungarians, 74-76, 94, 121, 146
+
+Hungary, 26, 109, 117, 125, 136, 144, 210, 218
+
+Hus, John, 48, 182-185, 188, 202-204, 218, 232, 251
+
+Hussites, 142, 154, 155, 159, 185, 198, 199, 218, 243, 249, 251
+
+
+Ibrahim Ibn Jacub, 28, 84, 85, 112
+
+Innocent III, Pope, 108
+
+Innsbruck, 137
+
+Irish Monks, 126, 210
+
+Irrawaddy, 25
+
+Isabella of England, 109
+
+Italy, 136-138, 149, 151, 204, 230
+
+
+Jacobelius, 236
+
+Jagoilla, dynasty, 225
+
+James I of England, 154, 188
+
+Jaromir, 90
+
+Je[vr]abek, Dr., 113
+
+Jerusalem, 15
+
+Jesuits, 38, 53, 182, 187, 188, 194, 195, 222, 236, 239
+
+Jilove, 58
+
+Joan of Arc, 181
+
+John, King of Bohemia, 45, 131, 135-145, 150-153, 173, 205, 245
+
+John, King of England, 109, 118
+
+John, of Jenstein, 181
+
+John VIII, Pope, 161
+
+Jordan, 21, 251
+
+Josefor, 113
+
+Joseph, Emperor, 47
+
+Judith, Queen, 93, 94, 127, 168, 180
+
+Juggernaut, 34
+
+Jungmann, 194, 213
+
+
+Kalina, 213
+
+Karlov Tyn, Karlstein, 66, 164, 248-250
+
+Kazi, 55
+
+Keppler, 114, 206, 228
+
+Kiev, 83, 119
+
+Kinsky, 44, 245, 246
+
+Klee, Dr. John, 240
+
+Kolin, 242
+
+Koenigsberg, 118
+
+Koenigsmark, 240
+
+Kossovo, 201
+
+Kostelec, 58
+
+Kralove Hradec, Koeniggraetz, 135
+
+Kressenbrunn, 119
+
+K[vr]ivoklat, 249, 250
+
+Krok, 55, 56
+
+Krom[ve][vr]i[vz]e, Mili[vc] of, 174, 179, 206
+
+Kubelik, 247
+
+Kulm, 97
+
+Kutna Hora, 124, 217, 218
+
+
+Labe, _see_ Elbe
+
+Ladislas Posthumus, 154, 218, 225
+
+Latins, 39
+
+Lechfeld, 82
+
+Lehel, 82
+
+Leipzig, 218
+
+Lemberg, 83
+
+Leo, Pope, 76
+
+Leopold, Archduke of Austria, 194
+
+Leopold, Duke of Austria, 117
+
+Lepanto, 229
+
+Letna, 44, 94, 171, 214
+
+Levy Hradec, 64
+
+Libu[vs]a, 53-57, 59-61, 93, 100, 110, 112, 121, 125, 239, 253
+
+Lichtenberg, Ulrich of, 133
+
+Liegnitz, 117
+
+Lion of Bohemia, 62, 117
+
+Lisbon, 15
+
+Lithuanians, 136, 143, 144
+
+Loew, Jehuda ben Bezalel, Rabbi, 115
+
+Lombards, 53, 151
+
+London, 24, 206
+
+Lothair, Emperor, 97-98
+
+Louis of Brandenburg, 143
+
+Louis, Duke of Bavaria, 136
+
+Louis, German King, 144, 145, 150
+
+Louis VII, King of France, 99
+
+Louis IX, King of France, 219
+
+Ludmilla, 63, 66, 71, 77, 84, 109, 161, 237, 240
+
+Luther, 226
+
+Luetzow, Count, 26, 27, 79, 82, 119, 136, 144, 182, 220, 252
+
+Luxemburg, 38, 41, 131-134, 137, 138, 140-143, 153
+
+
+Maintz, Archbishop of, 84, 109, 144
+
+Mandalay, 24, 58
+
+Marcus Aurelius, 40, 189
+
+Margaret Maultasche, 137, 143
+
+Maria Theresia, 156, 241
+
+Marienbad, 23
+
+Marne, 39
+
+Mastino della Scala, 137
+
+Matthias, Emperor, 227, 230
+
+Maximilian I, Emperor, 45, 154
+
+Maximilian II, Emperor, 226
+
+Mecklenburg, 134
+
+Medigo de Candia, Solomon, 114
+
+Melantrich, 207
+
+Michael Angelo, 38
+
+Mieceslav, 83
+
+Milada, 84, 159, 161
+
+Milan, 99, 100, 151
+
+Milton, 194
+
+Mnata, 63, 198, 199, 221
+
+Montmartre, 52
+
+Montparnasse, 52
+
+Morava, 40
+
+Moravia, 53, 63, 65, 74, 82, 83, 91, 98, 108, 117, 118, 133, 140, 143, 198, 199, 221
+
+Mozart, 212, 224
+
+Muehldorf, 136, 143
+
+
+Nachod, 22, 242
+
+Nancy, 22
+
+Naples, 108
+
+Narodni T[vr]ida, 90, 139
+
+Nebozizek, 44, 246
+
+Nelson, 102
+
+Nepomuk, John, 181-184, 237
+
+Neruda, John, 224
+
+Norsemen, 39
+
+Nuremberg, 22
+
+Nusle, 46, 47
+
+
+Ofen, Buda, 125
+
+Oise, 39
+
+Olomouc, Olmuetz, 62
+
+Oppenheim, Rabbi, 114
+
+Otto of Brandenburg, 124
+
+Otto of Brunswick, 108
+
+Ottokar I, P[vr]emysl, 107, 108, 110
+
+Ottokar II, P[vr]emysl, 108, 109, 114, 118-121, 124-127, 132, 145, 239
+
+Oxford, 168
+
+
+Palacky, 27, 82, 133, 136, 220
+
+Paleologue, 24
+
+Palestrina, 126
+
+Paris, 15, 21, 22, 24, 39, 40, 52, 76, 134, 139, 145, 164, 168, 248
+
+Parler, John and Peter, 153, 207
+
+Pergolesi, 43
+
+Pet[vr]in, 57, 100, 103, 246
+
+Philip of Suabia, 109
+
+Pilsen, 16, 18
+
+Pincio, 37
+
+Pius II, Pope, 27
+
+Poland, 83, 90-92, 125, 144-209, 219, 220, 224
+
+Poles, 117
+
+P[vr]emysl, 55-57, 62, 63, 66, 98, 107, 108, 111, 125, 133
+
+Prussia, Duke of, 45
+
+Prussians, 75, 84, 118, 134, 242
+
+
+Rabindranath Thagore, 212
+
+Racusani, 100
+
+Radecky, 223
+
+Ratisbon, 65, 107, 126
+
+Rhone, 39
+
+Richard II, King of England, 176, 185
+
+Richtenthal, 157
+
+Riegrovy, 44
+
+[vR]ip, 54, 161
+
+Rodin, 27, 37, 38
+
+Romans, 40
+
+Rome, 16, 24, 37, 38, 52, 74, 95, 109, 151, 157, 182, 199, 203, 209, 218, 219, 220, 236
+
+Rostock, 18
+
+Roumania, 219
+
+Rudolph I, 120, 132
+
+Rudolph II, 194, 227-230
+
+Ruegen, 97, 162
+
+Rugevit, 97
+
+Rugians, 53
+
+Russia, Russians, 112, 117, 119
+
+
+St. Agnes, 109, 110
+
+St. Anthony, 84, 157
+
+St. Boniface, 210
+
+St. Cletus, 126
+
+Saints Cosmas and Damian, 79, 94, 140, 161
+
+St. Cyriak, 126
+
+St. George, 54, 83, 93, 96, 159, 227, 237
+
+St. Hedwig, 109
+
+St. Henry, 43
+
+St. Hieronymus, 141
+
+St. Longinus, 94, 160
+
+St. Martin, 94, 213, 236
+
+St. Methodius, 63, 65, 141, 161
+
+St. Nicholas, 101, 223
+
+St. Patrick, 126
+
+St. Procopius, 60, 141
+
+St. Remy, 149
+
+St. Rufus, 124, 145
+
+St. Sigismund, 163
+
+St. Thomas, 101, 239, 240
+
+St. Thomas a Becket, 204
+
+St. Vitus, 72, 77, 144, 152, 156, 162, 163
+
+Salonika, 161
+
+Samo the Frank, 26, 239
+
+Saone, 39
+
+Saracens, 74-76
+
+[vS]arka, 44, 247
+
+Saville, Sir Thomas, 100
+
+Saxons, 18, 19, 94, 134, 155, 240
+
+Saxony, 47, 162, 199
+
+Schiller, 230
+
+Scots, 73, 126, 187
+
+Seine, 39
+
+Serbs, 119, 201
+
+Shakespeare, 199
+
+Sigismund, Emperor, 155, 185, 186, 217, 218
+
+Silesia, 83, 117
+
+[vS]lik, Count, 232
+
+Slovakia, 83
+
+Smetana, 57, 122, 171, 211
+
+Smichov, 35, 93
+
+Sob[ve]slav, 97
+
+Somme, 150
+
+Spira, Aaron, 115
+
+Spytihnev, 65, 74, 153
+
+Stadic, 55, 133
+
+Star, the, 43
+
+Staronova, [vS]kola, 113
+
+Stephen I, King of Hungary, 91
+
+Stephen III, King of Hungary, 99
+
+St[ve]rboholy, 241
+
+Stettin, 18, 40
+
+Strahov, 100-103, 154, 246
+
+Strasbourg, 22
+
+Strelitz, 18
+
+Stromovka, 44, 45, 242
+
+Strzezislava, 63
+
+Stuttgart, 22
+
+Styria, 118
+
+Susanna, 178
+
+Svantovit, 97
+
+Svatopluk of Moravia, 63, 65
+
+Swedes, 100, 116, 117, 239, 240
+
+
+Tabor, 21, 251
+
+Tagus, 15
+
+Tartars, 117
+
+Teplitz, 97
+
+Teta, 55
+
+Teutons, 19, 20, 75, 200
+
+Thebaw, 25
+
+Thietmar, Bishop, 84
+
+Thuringians, 53
+
+Thurn, Count, 194
+
+Tilly, 237
+
+Tomek, 27
+
+Turks, 218
+
+Tyn Church, 94, 201, 205-207, 232, 236, 242
+
+Tyrol, 143
+
+
+Ulrich, P[vr]emysl, 90, 91
+
+Urban VI, Pope, 185
+
+Utraquists, 142, 195, 209
+
+
+Vaclav, _see_ Wenceslaus
+
+Vaclavske Nam[ve]sti, 72, 139, 160
+
+Venetia, 157
+
+Venice, 219
+
+Verona, 137, 203
+
+Vienna, 21, 126, 171, 236, 241
+
+Vikings, 75, 76
+
+Viollet-le-Duc, 27
+
+Vladislav I, 249
+
+Vladislav II, 99-101, 107, 158, 209, 220, 221-226
+
+Vladivoj, 89
+
+Vltava, 16, 18, 25, 44, 52, 57, 58, 84, 85, 93, 170, 171, 173, 180, 185-187, 244-246
+
+Vratislav I, 65, 74, 84, 85
+
+Vratislav II, 94-96
+
+Vy[vs]ehrad, 26, 46, 52-57, 83, 93, 110, 121, 158, 168, 174
+
+
+Waldhauser, Conrad, 174, 179, 206
+
+Waldstein, Wallenstein, 237-239, 244, 253
+
+Wallachians, 119
+
+Watson, Dr. R. Seton, 134, 202
+
+Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia, 110, 111, 114, 121
+
+Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia, 117, 118, 121, 124, 125, 131-133, 141
+
+Wenceslaus III, King of Bohemia, 62
+
+Wenceslaus IV, King of Bohemia, 41, 72, 175-185, 195, 206, 208, 209, 244
+
+Wenceslaus, Saint and Prince of Bohemia, 62, 66, 67, 71-80, 83, 84, 93, 109, 140, 152-154, 161-163, 213, 237, 238, 242
+
+Weston, Elizabeth, 101, 239
+
+Wettin, 20, 21
+
+White Mountain, 127, 154, 156, 182, 198, 199, 230, 232, 235, 238, 246
+
+Wilson, President U.S.A., 208
+
+Wiprecht of Groitch, 95
+
+Wittekind, 18
+
+Wittelsbach, 136, 143
+
+Wogastisburg, 26
+
+Wun Thu, 25
+
+Wuertemberg, 22
+
+Wycliffe, 185, 198
+
+
+Yonne, 39
+
+
+Zamek, 44
+
+Zbraslav, 58
+
+Zderad, 96
+
+Zion, 15
+
+[vZ]i[vs]ka, 16, 155, 232, 251
+
+Znoymo, Conrad of, 100
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of From a Terrace in Prague, by
+Lieut.-Col. B. Granville Baker
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