Panslavism and Germanism. By Count Valerian Kransinski [pp. 486-508]

The Slavonic Nations.
overleaped itself, for the death of Huss, instead of checking,
gave a fresh impulse to the spread of those doctrines in the
defence of which he had sacrificed his life. Vast numbers
speedily gathered around the standard of reform, which was
still borne aloft, though he who first, unfurled it had been
smitten down. The progress of the new movement was greatly
favoured by the character of Winceslav, the reigning monarch,
who was of an indolent turn, fond of pleasure, and averse from
any policy which demanded energy in the government, or that
exposed his kingdom to the danger of commotion, and though
he had no sympathy with the doctrines of Huss, he had as little
love for Romish priests.
Unhappily for the cause of truth, the followers of Huss, soon
after his death, were divided into two parties, known as the
Calixtins and the Taborites. The latter were prepared to carry
out his principles to their legitimate results, and with this view
wished to form a distinct communion; while the former were
unwilling to abandon the old Church, and contented themselves
with aiming at.the removal of the more clamant abuses in doctrine
and discipline. For a considerable time this disagreement was
unattended by bitterness of feeling, but it necessarily weakened
the power and influence of the large body which had risen in
rebellion against the despotism of Rome, and which, if it had
been of one mind as to the proper limits of reform, would probably have succeeded in planting the civil and religious liberty
of Bohemia upon a firm and lasting foundation. By the death
of Winceslav, the movement, which hitherto had been purely
a religious one, assumed a political character. His brother, the
Emperor Sigismund, claimed the vacant throne, and he would
doubtless have been chosen to fill it, but for his base betrayal of
Huss, and his well-known devotion to Rome. For both these
reasons, especially the first of them, he was detested by the
great mass of the nation, but odious as he had made himself,
his claims were not peremptorily set aside. He was offered the
crown upon condition of his giving a formal promise to maintain the liberties of the kingdom, and to carry out certain
ecclesiastical reforms; but, as he refused these conditions, the
Bohemians solemnly declared that he was unworthy of the
throne. It was evident that an appeal must be made to arms.
492
[JULY