after his last Supper was troubled in spirite and sayd: My soule is heauy vnto death. Of whom also the Gospell sayth, that hee began to feare, to be sadde and heauy. Who beyng thē in agony, was confirmed of the Aungell, and his sweat was like the droppes of bloud fallyng vpon the grounde. And yet he notwithstandyng, beyng so troubled, sayd to his Disciples: let not your harts be troubled, neither feare the crueltie of thē þ^t persecute you: for you shall haue me with you alwayes, that you maye ouercome the tyrannye of your persecutours. Wherupon those his souldiours, loking vpō the prince and kyng of glory, susteyned great conflictes. They passed throughe fire and water and were saued, and receaued the crowne of the Lord God, of the whiche S. Iames in his canoni-nicall Epistle, sayth: Blessed is the man that suffreth tentation, for when he shalbe proued, he shall receaue the crowne of life, whiche God hath promised to them that loue hym. Of this crown I trust stedfastly the Lorde wil make me partaker also with you, which be the feruent zealers of the truth, and with al them which stedfastly and constantly doo loue the Lorde Iesus Christ, whiche suffred for vs, leauyng to vs example that we shoulde folowe hys steppes. It behoued hym to suffer, as hee sayth: and vs also it behoued to suffer, that the members maye suffer together with the head. For hee sayth: If any man will come after me, let hym denye hym selfe and take vp his Crosse and folow me.

MarginaliaThe prayer of Iohn Hus to Christ.O moste mercifull Christ, draw vs weake creatures after thee, for except thou shouldest draw vs, we are not able to follow thee. Geue vs a strong spirit, that it maye be readye, and although the flesh be feble, yet let thy grace go before vs, go with vs, and followe vs: for without thee we can do nothing, and much lesse enter into the cruell death for thy sake. Geue vs that prompt and ready spirite, a bolde harte, an vpryght fayth, a firme hope and perfecte charitie, that we maye geue our lyues paciently and ioyfully for thy names sake. Amen. Writen in prison and in bondes in the vigill of holy S. Ihon the Baptiste, who beinge in prison and in bondes for the rebuking of wickednes, was beheaded.

¶ Among diuers other letters of Iohn Hus, which he wrote to the great consolation of others: I thoughte also here to intermixt an other certaine godly letter written out of Englād, by a faithfull scholer of Wicklieffe, as appeareth, vnto Iohn Hus and the Bohemians, which for the zealous affection therin conteined, semeth not vnworthy to be read.

MarginaliaA zealous letter to Iohn Hus from London.GReting, and whatsoeuer can be deuised more sweete, in the bowells of Christ Iesu. My dearely beloued in the Lord, whom I loue in the truth, and not I onely, but also all they that haue the knowledge of the truth, which abydeth in you and shall be with you through the grace of God, for euermore: I reioyfed aboue measure when our beloued brethren came and gaue testimonye vnto vs of your truth, and how you walke in the truth. I haue heard brethren, how sharpely Antichrist persecuteth you, in vexing the faythful seruanntes of Christ with diuerse and straunge kindes of afflictions. And surely no marueile, if amongest you (since it is so almost all the world ouer) the law of Christ be too too greuously impugned, & that redde Dragon hauing so many heades (of whome it is spoken in the Apocalyps) haue nowe vomited out of hys mouth that great floud, by whiche he goeth about to swalow vp the woman: but the moste gracious God will deliuer for euer hys onely and moste faythfull spouse. Let vs therefore comforte our selues in the Lorde our God, and in his vnmeasurable goodnes, hoping strongly in hym which will not suffer those that loue him, to be vnmercifullie defrauded of any theyr purpose, if we according to our duetie, shall loue hym with all our harte: for aduersitie shoulde by no meanes preuaile ouer vs, if there were no iniquitie raigning in vs. Let therefore no tribulation or sorowe for Christes cause, discourage vs, knowing this for a suretie, that whom so euer the Lorde vouchsafeth to receaue to be his children, those he scourgeth: For so the mercifull father will haue them tryed in this miserable lyfe by persecutions, that afterwardes he may spare thē. For the golde that this high artificer hath chosē, he purgeth & tryeth in this fire, that he may afterwardes laye it vp in his pure treasurie. For we see that the tyme which we shall abyde here, is shorte and transitorye: the lyfe which we hope for after this, is blessed and euerlasting. Therfore, whilest we haue tyme, let vs take payne, that we may enter into that rest. What other thyng do we see in this brickle lyfe, then sorowe, heauines and sadnes, and that which is moste greuous of all to the faythfull, to muche abusing and contempte of the lawe of the Lorde. Let vs therefore endeuour our selues as muche as we maye, to laye holde of the thinges that are eternall and abyding, despising in our mindes all transitorye and frayle thinges. Let vs consider the holy fellowship of our fathers that haue gone before vs. Letvs consider the sainctes of the olde and newe Testament. MarginaliaExamples of the olde martyrs.Dyd they not passe throughe this sea of tribulation and persecution? were not some of them cutte in pieces, other some stoned, and others of them killed with the sworde? Some others of them went about in peltes and goates skinnes, as the Apostle to the Hebrues witnesseth. Surely they al walked strait waies, folowyng the steppes of Christ, which sayd, he that ministreth vnto me, let hym folowe me, whether so euer I go. &c. Therfore let vs also, which haue so noble examples geuen vs of the saints that went before vs, laying awaye, as much as in vs lyeth, the heauy burden, & the yoke of sinne which cōpasseth vs about, runne forward through pacience, to the battaile that is set before vs, fixing our eyes vpon the author of faith, and Iesus the finisher of the same: who seyng the ioye that was set before him, suffred the paines of the crosse, despising death. Let vs call vpō him which suffred such reproche agaynst himself of sinners, that we be not weryed, faynting in our hearts, but that we may hartely pray for helpe of the Lorde, and maye fight against his aduersary Antichrist: that we may loue his law & not be disceitfull laborers, but that we may deale faythfully in all thinges, according to that, that god hath vouchsafed to geue vs, & that we may labour dilligētly in the lordes cause vnder hope of an euerlastinge rewarde. Behold therfore brother Hus, most dearely beloued in Christ, although in face vnknowen to me, yet not in fayth and loue (for distaunce of places cānot separate those whome the loue of Christ doth effectuallye knit together) be comforted in the grace which is geuē vnto thee, labor like a good souldier of Christ Iesus, preache, be instante in woord and in example, and call as manye as thou canst, to the way of truth: for the truth of the Gospell is not to be kepte in silence because of friuolous censures and thunderbolts of Antichrist. And therfore to the vttermost of thy power: strengthē thou and confirme the members of Christ, which are weakned by the deuill: and if the Lorde wyll vouchesafe it, Antichrist shall shortely come to an ende. And there is one thinge wherein I do greatly reioyce, that in your realme and in other places, God hath sturred vp the harts of some mē that they can gladly suffer for the word of God, emprisonment, banishment, and death. Further, beloued I knowe not what to write vnto you, but I cōfesse that I could wish to poure out my whole hart if therby I might comfort you in the law of the Lorde. Also I salute from the bottome of my hart, all the faythfull louers of the law of the Lord, and specially Iacobellus your coadiutor in the Gospell, requiring him that he wyll praye vnto the Lorde for me in the vniuersall church of Iesus Christ. And the God of peace which hath raysed from the dead the shepheard of the shepe, the mighty Lord Iesus Christ, make you apt in all goodnes to doe hys wyll, working in you that which may be pleasaūt in hys sight. All your frends salute you which haue heard of your constancie. I would desire also to see your letters written backe to vs, for know ye that they shall greatly comfort vs.

At London by your seruaunt, desiryng to be fe-
low with you in your labours, Ricus Wichewitze,priest vnworthy.

THe Lord God be with you. I loue the counsell of the Lord, aboue gold and precious stone. Wherfore I trust in the mercy of Iesus Christ, that he will geue me his spirit to stand in his truth. Pray to the Lord, for the spirite is readye and the fleshe is weake. The Lord almighty be the eternal reward vnto my lordes, which constantly, firmely and faithfully do stand for righteousnes: to whome the Lord God shall geue in the kingdome of Boheme, to know the truth. For the folowing of which truth, necessary it is that they returne agayne into Boheme, setting apart all vayn glory, and folowing not a mortall and miserable king, but the king of glory which geueth eternall life.

O howe comfortable was the geuing of the hande of Lorde Iohn de Chlum vnto me, which was not ashamed to reach foorth his hand to me a wretch, and such an abiecte heretike, lying in fetters of iron, and cryed out vpon, of all men. Now peraduenture I shall not speake much hereafter with you: Therfore salute in tyme as you shall see them, all the faythfull of Boheme.

MarginaliaWicked Palletz.Paletz came to me into prison. His salutation in my vehement infirmitye, was this before the Commissaries, that there hath not risen a more perelous heretike since Chryst was borne, then was Wickelieff and I. Also he sayd that all suche as came to heare my talke, were infected with this heresy, to thinke that the substance of bread remayned in the sacrament of the altar. To whome I answered and sayd: O maister, what a greuous salutation haue you geuen me? and how greatly doe you sinne? Beholde I shall dye or perauenture to morrow shalbe burnt. And what rewarde shall be recompensed to you in Boheme for your labour?

This thinge perauenture I shoulde not haue written, leste I mighte seeme to hate him. I haue alwayes had this in my harte.