MarginaliaS. Katherine disputing with 50. doctours conuerted thā, but Iohn Hus could not conuert hys 50. doctours.lyke manner S. Catherine also should haue denyed and reuoked the veritye of God and fayth in Christ, because the. 50. maisters likewise did withstand her: whiche notwithstandyng, that good virgyne would neuer do, standyng in her fayth vnto death: But she did wynne those her maisters vnto Christ, whē as I can not wynne these my maisters by any meanes. These thynges I thought good to write vnto you, that you might know how they haue ouercome me, with noo grounded Scripture nor with any reason: but onely did assay with terrours and disceites to persuade me to reuoke and to abiure. But our mercifull God, whose law I haue magnified, was & is with me, and I trust, so wil cōtinue, and will kepe me in his grace vnto death. Written at Constance after the feast of Iohn Baptist, in prison & in bands, dayly loking for death, although for the secret Iudgementes of God, I dare not say whether this be my last Epistle: for nowe also almighty God is hable to deliuer me.

MAister Iohn Hus, in hope the seruant of God, to all the faythful which loue him and his statutes, wisheth the truth and grace of God.

Beloued, I thought it needefull to warne you that you shoulde not feare or be discouraged because the aduersaryes haue decreed that my bookes shalbe burnt. MarginaliaGood bookes of good men haue bene burned of olde tyme.Remember howe the Israelites burned the preachynges of the Prophet Ieremie, and yet they could not auoyd the thinges that were prophecied of in them. For after they were burnt, the Lord commaūded to write the same prophecie agayue, & that larger: which was also done. For Ieremie sitting in prisō spake, and Baruch, which was ready at his hand, wrote. This is writtē either in the 35. or 45. chapter of the vision of Ieremie. MarginaliaGood mē with their bookes to be burned, no newes.It is also written in the bookes of the Machabees, that the wicked did burne the lawe of God, and killed them that had the same. Againe vnder the newe Testament, they burned the saintes, with the bookes of the lawe of God. The Cardinalles condemned and committed to fyre certaine of Saint Gregoryes bookes, and had brente them all, if they had not bene preserued of God, by the meanes of Peter, Gregories Minister. Hauinge these things before your eyes, take heede least through feare, you omitte to read my bookes, and deliuer them to the aduersaryes to be brent. Remember the sayinges of our mercifull sauiour, by which he forewarneth vs. Math. 24. There shalbe, sayth he, before the daye of Iudgemente, great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning, vntill this daye, neyther shalbe afterwardes: So that euen the electe of God shoulde be deceiued, if it were possible. But for their sakes, those dayes shalbe shortened. When you remember these thinges, dearely beloued, be not afrayed, for I trust in God, that that schole of Antichrist shallbe afrayed of you. and suffer you to be in quyet, neyther shall the councell of Constance extend to Bohemia. MarginaliaIohn Hus semeth to prophesie of the Councell of Constance.For I thinke, that manye of them, whiche are of the Councell, shall dye before they shall gette from you my bookes. And they shall departe from the councell & be scattered abroad, through out the partes of þ^e world, like storkes, and then they shal know when winter commeth, what they dyd in sommer. Consider that they haue adiudged their head the Pope worthy of death, for many horrible factes that he hath done. Go to now: Answere to this you preachers, which preach that the pope is the God of the earthe, that he may, as the Lawyers saye, make sale of the holy thinges: MarginaliaThe blasphemous opinion of Lawyers & papistes touching the souerantye of the pope.that he is the head of the whole holy Church in veritie well gouerninge the same: that he is the hart of the Churche in quickeninge the same spirituallie: that hee is the welspringe from the which floweth all vertue and goodnesse: that hee is the sonne of the holy Churche: that he is the safe refuge to which euery Christian man ought to flye for succour. Beholde now that head is cut of with the sword, nowe the God of the earth is bound, nowe his sinnes are declared openly, now that welspringe is dryed vppe, that sonne darkened, that hart is plucked out and throwen awaye, leste that any man should seeke succour thereat. The Councell hath condemned that hedde, and that for this offence, because he tooke money for Indulgences, Bishoprickes and other suche lyke. But they condempned him, by order of iudgement, which were themselues the byers and sellers of the same Marchandise. Therewas presente Ihon Bishop of Lytomislya, who wente twyse aboute to bye the Bishoppricke of Prage, but others preuented him. O wicked men, why dyd they not firste caste out the beame out of their owne eyes? MarginaliaOne Symonist condemneth an other.These men haue accursed and condempned the seller, but they thēselues which were the byers & consenters to the bargayne, are w^tout daunger. What shall I say that they do vse thys mauer of bying & selling at home in theyr own countreys? MarginaliaThe byshops of the Coūcell noted of Symonie.For at Constance there is one bishop which bought and an other which solde, and the Pope for allowinge of both their factes, tooke brybes of both sides. It came so to passe in Bohemia also as you knowe. I would that in that coūcell, God had said, he that amōgst you is without sinne, let him geue the sentence againste Pope Iohn: Then surelie they had gone all oute of the Councell house, one after an other. Why dyd they bowe the knee to him alwayes before this his fall, kisse hys feete, and call him the moste holy Father, seeing they sawe aparantlie before, that he was an hereticke, that he was a manqueller, that hee was a wicked sinner? all which things now they haue found in him. MarginaliaPope Iohn made a pope being knowen to be a murderer.Why did the Cardinalls chuse him to be Pope, knowing before that he had kylled the holy Father? Why suffered they him to meddle w^t holy things, in bearing the office of the Popedome? for to thys ende they are his counsellours that they shoulde admonishe him of that which is ryght. Are not they thēselues as giltye of these faultes as he? seyng that they accoūted these things vyces in him & were pertakers of some of thē them selues? why durst no man lay ought to his charge, before he had fled frō Cōstance, but as sone as the secular power, by the suffraunce of God, layd holde vpon him, then, and neuer afore, they conspired alltogether that he should not liue any longer. MarginaliaAntichrist now fyrst beginneth to be reuelled in the pope.Surelye euen at this daye is the malice, the abhomination, and filthines of Antichrist reueiled in the Pope, and others of thys councell. Nowe the faithfull seruaunts of God may vnderstand what our sauiour Christ ment by this sayinge: when you shall see the abhomination of desolatiō, which is spokē of of Daniell. &c. who so can vnderstād it, &c. Surely these be great abhominatiōs, pride couetousenes, symonie, sitting in a solitarie place, that is to saye, in a dignitie voyde of goodnes, of humilitie, and other vertues: as we do now clerely see in those that are constituted in anye offyce and dignitye. O howe acceptable a thyng should it be (if time would suffer me) to disclose their wicked actes, whiche are now aparaunt, that the faithfull seruauntes of God might know them? I trust in God that he wil send after me, those that shall bee more valiaunt: MarginaliaA prophecie of Iohn Hus.and there are aliue at thys daye, that shall make more manifeste the malice of Antichrist, and shall geue theire lyues to the deathe for the truth of our Lorde Iesus Christ: who shall geue both to you and me the ioyes of lyfe euerlasting. This Epistle was written vpon S. Ihon Baptistes day in pryson and in could yrons, I hauinge thys meditation wyth my selfe, that Iohn was beheaded in his pryson and bondes, for the word of God.

IOhn Hus in hope the seruaunt of God, to all the faithfull at Boheme, which loue the Lord, wisheth to stand and dye in the grace of God, and at last to attayne to eternall lyfe. Amen.

Ye that beare rule ouer other and be riche, and ye also that be poore, welbeloued and faithfull in God, I besech you and admonishe you all, that ye will be obedient vnto God, make much of his worde, and gladly hearing the same, will humbly performe that whiche ye heare. I besech you sticke fast to the veritie of Gods word, which I haue written and preached vnto you out of his lawe, and the Sermons of his saintes. Also I desire you if any mā either in publicke sermō or in priuate talke haue heard of me any thyng, or haue read any thyng written by me whiche is agaynst the veritie of God, that he doo not folow the same. Albeit, I do not fynde my conscience giltie that I euer haue spoken or writtē any such thyng amonges you. I desire you moreouer if any man at any time haue noted any leuitie either in my talke or in my conditions, that he doo not folow the same: but pray to God for me, to pardon me that sinne of lightnes. I praye you that ye will loue your priestes and ministers which be of honest behauiour, to preferre & honor thē before others: namely such priests as trauaile in the word of God. I pray you take hede to your selues & beware of malicious & despitefull mē, & especially of these wic-