MarginaliaS. Katherine disputing with 50. doctours conuerted than, but Iohn Hus could not conuert his 50. doctours.withstandyng, that good virgine would neuer do, standyng in her fayth vnto death: But she did winne those her maisters vnto Christ, when as I can not wynne these my maisters by any meanes. These things 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 and 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 and in bandes, daily lokyng for death, although for the secret Iudgemēts of God, I dare not say whether this be my last Epistle: for now also almighty God is able to deliuer me.

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

Beloued, I thought it nedefull to warne you that you should not feare or be discouraged because the aduersaries haue decreed that my bookes shall be burnt. MarginaliaGood bookes of good men haue bene burned of olde tyme.Remēber how the Israelites burned the preachinges of the Prophet Ieremy, and yet they could not auoyd the thinges that wer prophecied of in them. For after they were burnt, the Lord cōmaunded to write the same prophecy agayne, and that larger: which was also done. For Ieremy sittyng in prisō spake, and Baruch, which was ready at hys hande, wrote. Thys is written eyther in the 35. or 45. chapiter of the vision of Ieremy. MarginaliaGood men wyth their bookes to be burned, no newes.It is also written in the bookes of the Machabees, that the wicked dyd burne the law of God, and killed them that had the same. Agayne vnder the new testament, they burned the saintes, with the bokes of the law of God. The Cardinals condemned and committed to fire certayne of S. Gregories bookes, and had burnt them all if they had not bene preserued of God, by the meanes of Peter, Gregories Minister. Hauyng these thinges before your eyes, take heede least through feare, you omit to read my bokes, and deliuer them to the aduersaries to be brent. Remember the sayings of our mercifull sauiour, by which he forewarneth vs. Mathew. 24. There shal be (sayth he) before the day of Iudgement, great tribulation, such as was not from the beginnyng, vntill this day, neyther shall be afterwardes: So that euen the elect of God should be deceiued, if it were possible. But for theyr sakes, those dayes shall be shortened. When you remember these thinges, dearely beloued, be not afrayd, for I trust in God, that that schole of Antichrist shall be afrayd of you. and suffer you to be in quiet, neyther shall the Councell of Constance extende to Bohemia. MarginaliaI. Hus seemeth to prophesie of the Councell of Constance.For I thinke, that many of them, whiche are of the Councell, shall dye before they shall get from you my bookes. And they shall departe from the Councell and be scattered abroad, throughout the partes of the world, like storkes, and then they shal know whē winter commeth, what they did 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: Aunswere to this you preachers, which preach that the Pope is the God of the earth, that he may, as the Lawyers say, make sale of the holy things: MarginaliaThe blasphemous opinion of Lawyers & papistes touching the souerantye of the pope.that he is the hed of the whole holy Church in veritie well gouerning the same: that he is the hart of the Church in quickenynge the same spiritually: that he is the welspring from the which floweth all vertue and goodnes: that he is the sonne of the holy Church: that he is the safe refuge to which euery Christian man ought to flie for succour. Behold now that head is cut of with the sword, now the God of the earth is bound, now his sinnes are declared openly, now that welspring is dryed vp, that sonne darckened, that hart is plucked out and throwen away, least that any man should seke succour thereat. The Councel hath condemned that head, and that for this offence, because he tooke money for Indulgences, Bishoprickes and other such lyke. But they cōdemned hym, by order of iudgemēt, which were themselues the buyers and sellers of the same Marchandise. There was present Ihon bishop of Lytomislyia, who went twise about to buy the Bishopricke of Prage, but others preuented hym. O wycked men, why did they not first cast out the beame out of theyr owne eyes? MarginaliaOne Symonist cōdemneth an other.These men haue accursed and condemned the seller, but they thēselues which were the buyers and consenters to the bargayne, are without daunger. What shall I say that they do vse thys mauer of buying and sellyng at home in their own coun-treys? MarginaliaThe bishops of the Councell noted of Symonie.For at Constance there is one Bishop that bought and an other which sold, and the Pope for allowing of both their factes, tooke bribes of both sides. It came so to passe in Bohemia also as you know. I would that in that councell, God had sayd, he that amongst you is without sinne, let him geue the sentence agaynst Pope Iohn: Then surely they had gone all oute of the Councell house, one after another. Why did they bowe the knee to hym alwayes before this his fall, kisse hys feete, and call hym the most holy Father, seyng they saw apparantly before, that he was an hereticke, that he was a mankiller, that he was a wicked sinner? all which thinges now they haue found in hym. MarginaliaPope Iohn made a pope being knowen to be a murderer.Why did the Cardinals chuse him to be Pope, knowing before that he had killed the holy Father? Why suffered they him to meddle with holy thinges, in bearyng the office of the Popedome? for to this ende they are hys counsailours that they should admonish him of that which is right. Are not they themselues as gilty of these faultes as he? seing that they accounted these things vices in him & were pertakers of some of thē thēselues? why durst no man lay ought to hys charge, before he had fled frō Constaunce, but as soone as the secular power, by the suffraunce of God, layd hold vpon hym, then, and neuer afore, they conspired alltogether that he should not lyue any longer. MarginaliaAntichrist now first beginneth to be reuelled in the pope.Surely, euen at this day is the malice, the abhomination, and filthines of Antichrist reueiled in the Pope, and others of this Councell.

Now the faythfull seruauntes of God may vnderstand what our sauiour Christ ment by this saying: whē you shal see the abhomination of desolation, which is spoken of Daniell. &c. who so can vnderstand it, &c. Surely these be great abhominations, pride couetousenes, symonie, sittyng in a solitary place, that is to say, in a dignitie voyde of goodnesse, of humility, & other vertues: as we do now clerely see in those that are constituted in any office and dignitie. O how acceptable a thyng should it be (if tyme would suffer me) to disclose their wicked actes, whiche are now aparaunt, that the faythfull seruauntes of God might knowe them? I trust in God that he wyll sende after me, those that shall be more valiant: MarginaliaA prophecie of I. Hus.and there are alyue at this day, that shal make more manifest the malice of Antichrist, and shall geue their liues to the death, for the truth of our Lord Iesus Christ: who shal geue both to you and me the ioyes of lyfe euerlasting. This Epistle was written vpon S. Ihon Baptists day in prison and in colde yrons, I hauyng this meditation wyth my selfe, that Iohn was beheaded in his pryson and bondes, for the word of God.

IOhn Husse in hope the seruaunt of God, to all the faythfull 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 faythfull in God, I beseeche you and admonish you all, that ye will bee obedient vnto God, make much of hys word, and gladly hearing the same, will humbly performe that which ye heare. I beseeche you sticke fast to the verity of Gods worde, which I haue written and preached vnto you out of hys law, and the Sermons of hys Saintes. Also I desire you if any man eyther in publicke Sermon or in priuate talk haue heard of me any thing, or haue read any thyng written by me which is agaynst the verity of God, that he do not follow the same. Albeit, I doe not find my conscience guilty that I euer haue spokē or written any such thyng amongest you.

I desire you moreouer if any man at any tyme haue noted any leuitie eyther in my talke or in my conditions, that he do not follow the same: but pray to God for me, to pardone me that sinne of lightnes. I pray you that ye will loue your priestes and ministers which be of honest behauiour, to prefer and honor thē before others: namely such priestes as trauail in the word of God. I pray you take hede to your selues and beware of malicious and despytefull men, and especially of these wicked priestes, of whom our Sauyour doth speake, that they are vnder sheepes clothing, and inwardly are rauening wolues. I pray such as be rulers and superioures, to behaue them selues gentlye towardes their poore inferyoures, and to rule them iustelye. I beseeche the Citizens that they will walke euery man in his degre, and vocation with an vprighte conscience. The Artificers also I beseech, that they wyll exercise their occupations diligently, and vse them with the feare of God. I beseech the seruantes that they will serue their masters faithfully. And likewise the scholemaisters I besech, that they liuyng honestly, will