Charles.

About Christmas, the Emperour Sigismund came to Brunna a citye of Morauia, and there hee pardoned the Citizens of Prage, vnder condition that they would let downe the chaynes and barres of the citye, and receyue his rulers and Magistrates. Whereunto the whole Citye obeyed, & the Magistrates therof lyftyng vp their handes vnto heauen, reioyced at the comming of the newe kyng. But the Emperour turned an other waye, and went vnto Vratislauia the head citye of Slesia, where as a little before, the communaltye of the city had slayne in an insurrection, þ^e magistrates, which his brother Wenceslaus had set in authority: the principals whereof he beheaded. MarginaliaThe citie of Prage fell frō the Emperour.The newes whereof when they were reported at Prage, the Citizens beyng feared by the example of the Vratislauians, distrusting their pardon, rebelled out of hand, and hauing obtained Cencho on their part, which had the gouernaunce of the castel of Prage, they sent letters into al the realme, that no mā should suffer the Emperour to enter, which was an ennemye vnto Boheme and sought nothing ells but to destroy the kingdome: MarginaliaThe complaynt of the citie of Prage agaynst Sigismūde.which also bound the auncient city of the Prutenians vnto order by pledges, and put the Marques of Brandenburge from the Bohemian crowne: and had not onely suffered Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prage to be burned at the councel of Constāce, but also procured the same, and wyth all hys endeuour dyd impugne the doctrine and fayth which they taught and followed. Whylest these thinges were thus done, Zisca hauyng geuen ouer Pelzina by composition, was twise assaulted by his enemies, but through policy he was alwayes victor. The places where they fought were rough and vnknowen, his enemies were on horsbacke, and all hys soldiours on foote, neyther coulde there be any battayle fought but on foote. MarginaliaThe policie of Zisca.Whereupon, when his enemies were alighted frō their horses, Zisca commaunded the women which customablye followed the host, to cast their kerchieffes vpon the ground, wherin the horsemen beyng entangled by theyr spurres, were slaine before they could vnlose their feete.

After this he went vnto Ausca a towne situate vpon the riuer Lusnitius, out of which town Procopius and Vlricius, two brethrē Papistes, had cast out many protestants. This towne Zisca tooke by force of armes the first night of Lent, rased it, & set it on fire. He also tooke the Castell of Lytius, which was a mile of, whether as Vlricus was fled, and put Vlricius and all his familye to the sword, sauing one onely.

MarginaliaThe citie of Thabor builded.Then, forsomuch as he had no walled or fensed town to inhabite, he chose out a certayne place vpon the same riuer which was fensed by nature, about. viij. myles frō the Citie of Ausca. This place hee compased in wyth walles, and commaūded euery man to build them houses, where they had pitched their tentes, and named this City Thabor, and the inhabitauntes hys companions Thaborites, because theyr city, by all like, was builded vpō þ^e toppe of some hill or mount. This city albeit þ^t it was fensed with high rockes & cleaues, yet was it compased with a wall and vaumure, and the riuer Lusinitius fenseth a great parte of the towne, the rest is compassed in with a great broke, the which runnyng straight into the riuer Lusinitius, is stopped by a greate rocke and driuen backe towardes þ^e right hand, all the length of the citye, and at the further ende it ioyneth wyth the great riuer. The way vnto it by land is scarse xxx. foote brode, for it is almost an Iland. In this place there was a deepe ditch cast, and a triple wall made, of such thicknes that it coulde not be broken with any engine. The wall was full of towers and fortes set in their conuenient and mete places. Zisca was the first that builded the castel, and those that came after him, fortefied it, euery mā according to his owne deuise. At that tyme the Thaborites had no horsemen amongst them vntil such time as Nicolas, maister of the minte (whom the Emperor had sent into Bohemia w^t a M. horsemen to set thinges in order, and to withstande the Thaborites lodgyng all nyght in a village named Vogize) was surprised by Zisca commyng vpon hym sodenlye in the nyght, takyng away all his horse and armour, & setting fire vppon the village. Then Zisca taught his souldiours to mount on horseback, to leape, to runne, to turne, to cast in a ring, so that after this he neuer led army without his wings of horsemen.

MarginaliaSigismund getteth the castle of Prage.In thys meane tyme Sigismundus the emperour gatheryng together the nobles of Slesia, entered into Boheme, & went vnto Grecium, & frō thence with a greate army vnto Cuthna, alluryng Cencho with many great & large promises to render vp the castell of Prage vnto hym, & there placed himselfe to anoye the towne. Thus Cencho infamed with double treason, returned home. MarginaliaZisca getteth the citie of Prage.The Citezens of Prage sent for Zisca, who spedyng him selfe thether wyth þ^e Thaborites, receyued þ^e citie vnder his gouernaunce. In the Bohemians host there was but only ij. Barons, Hilco Cruffina of Lituburge, & Hilco of VValdestene, w^t a few other nobles. All þ^e residue were of the cōmon people. They went about first to subdue þ^e castel, which was by nature very strongly fensed, and could not be wonne by no other meanes then wyth famyne: where vppon all the passages were stopped, that no vittailes should be caryed in. But the Emperour opened the passages by dint of sworde, and when he had geuen vnto them which were besieged, all things necessary, hauyng sent for ayde out of the empyre, he determined shortly after to besiege the city. MarginaliaPrage besieged of Sigismund.Ther was in the Emperours campe the Dukes of Saxon, the Marqueses of Brandenburge, and his sonne in law Albert of Austrich. The city was assaulted by the space of. vi. wekes. The Emperour Sigismund was crowned in the Metropolitane house in the castel, Conradus the archbishop solemnising the ceremonies of the coronatiō. The citye was straytly besieged. In þ^e meane time the captaynes Rosenses and Chrageri, whiche had taken the tentes of the Thaborites, being ouercome in battaile by Nicolas Hus, whom Zisca had sent with part of his power for that purpose, were driuen out of their tentes, and Gretium the Quenes city was also taken.

There is also aboue the towne of Prage a high hyll, which is called Videchon. On this hill had Zisca strongly planted a garryson, that his enemies shoulde not possesse it, MarginaliaThe Marques of Mysnia ouercome in the skyrmyshe.with whom þ^e Marques of Mysnia skirmishing, lost a great part of his soldiours. For when as the Mysnians had gotten the top of the hyll, beyng driuen backe into a corner, which was brokē and stepe, and fiersly set vpon, when as they could no longer withstande the violent force of their enemies, some of them were slayn, and some fallyng headlong from the hyll were destroyed. MarginaliaSigismund the Emperour rayseth hys siege.Wherupon the Emperour Sigismund raising his siege, departed vnto Cuthna, and Zisca with his company departed vnto Thabor, and subdued many places: amongest which he subuerted a towne pertayning to the captaine of Visgrade. During this time the Castell of Visgrade was stronglye besieged, wheras, when other vittails wanted, they were compelled to eate horese fleshe. Last of all, except the Emperour did ayd them by a certayne day, they promised to yelde it vp, but vnder thys condition, that if the Emperour did come, they wythin the castell should be no more molested.

MarginaliaThe Emperour fighting agaynst Zisca had the ouerthrowe.The Emperour was present before the day, but being ignoraunt of the truce taken, entryng into a strait vnderneath the Castle, was sodenly set vpon by the souldiours of Prage, where he had a great ouerthrowe, and so leauyng his purpose vnperformed, returned backe agayne. There were slaine in that conflict xiiij. noble men of the Morauians, and of the Hungarians, & other a great