and redeeming from damnation his elect after his last Supper was troubled in spirite and sayd: My soule is heauy vnto death. Of whom also the Gospell saith, that he began to feare, to be sadde & heauy. Who being then in agony, was confirmed of the Aungell, and his sweat was lyke the droppes of bloud falling vpon the grounde. And yet he notwithstanding, beyng so troubled, said to his Disciples: let not your hartes be troubled, neither feare the crueltie of them that persecute you: for you shall haue me with you alwayes, that you may ouercome the tyranny of your persecutours. Wherupon those his souldiours, looking vpō the Prince and king of glory, susteyned great cōflictes. They passed through fire and water and were saued, and receaued the crowne of the Lord God, of the which S. Iames in hys canonicall Epistle, sayth: Blessed is the man that suffreth tentation, for when he shalbe proued, he shall receaue the crowne of life, which God hath promised to them that loue hym. Of this crowne I trust stedfastly the Lorde wyll make me partaker also wyth you, which be the feruent zealers of the truth, and with all them which stedfastly and constantly do loue the Lord Iesus Christ, which suffred for vs, leauing to vs example that we should folow his steppes. It behoued hym to suffer, as he sayth: and vs also it behoued to suffer, that the mēbers may suffer together with the head. For he sayth: If any man will come after me, let hym deny him selfe and take vp his crosse and folow me.

MarginaliaThe prayer of I. Hus to Christ.O most 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 spirite, that it may be ready, and although the flesh be feble, yet let thy grace goe before vs, go with vs, and follow vs: for without thee we can do nothyng, and much lesse enter into the cruell death for thy sake. Geue vs that prompt & ready spirite, a bolde hart, an vpright fayth, a firme hope and perfecte charitie, that we may geue our lyues paciently and ioyfully for thy names sake. Amen. Written in prison and in bondes in the vigill of holy S. Ihon the Baptist, who being 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 thought also here to intermixt an other certaine godly letter written out of England, by a faithfull scholer of Wicklieffe, as appeareth, vnto Iohn Hus and the Bohemians, which for the zealous affection therin conteined, seemeth not vnworthy to be read.

MarginaliaA zealous letter to I. Hus from London.GReting, and whatsoeuer can be deuised more sweete, in the bowels 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 reioysed 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 faithfull seruanntes of Christ with diuers and straunge kindes of afflictions. And surely no marueile, if amongest you (since it is so almost all the world ouer) the lawe of Christ be too too greuously impugned, and that redde Dragon hauing so many heades (of whom it is spoken in the Apocalyps) haue now vomited out of hys mouth that great floud, by whiche he goeth about to swalow vp the woman: but the most gracious God wil deliuer for euer his onely & most faithfull spouse. Let vs therfore comfort our selues in the Lord our God, and in his vnmeasurable goodnes, hoping strongly in hym which will not suffer those that loue him, to be vnmercifully defrauded of any their purpose, if we according to our duetie, shall loue him with all our hart: for aduersitie should by no meanes preuaile ouer vs, if there were no iniquitie raigning in vs. Let therefore no tribulatiō or sorow for Christes cause, discourage vs, knowing this for a suretie, that whomsoeuer the Lord 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 them. For the golde that this high artificer hath chosen, he purgeth and tryeth in thys fire, that he may afterwardes lay it vp in his pure treasurie. For we see that the time which we shall abyde here, is short and transitory: the life which we hope for after this, is blessed and euerlasting. Therfore, whilest we haue time, let vs take payne, that we may enter into that rest. What other thing do we see in this brickle lyfe, then sorow, heauines and sadnes, and that which is moste greuous of all to the faithfull, too much abusing and contempt of the law of the Lord. Let vs therfore endeuour our selues as much as we may, to lay holde of the thinges that are eternall and abiding, despising in our myndes all transitory and frayle thinges. Let vs consider the holy fellowship of our fathers that haue gone before vs. Let vs consider the sainctes of the olde and newe Testament. MarginaliaExamples of the olde martyrs.Did they not passe through this sea of tribulation and persecution? were not some of them cutte in pieces, other some stoned, and others of them killed wyth the sword? Some others of them went about in peltes and goates skinnes, as the Apostle to the Hebrues witnesseth. Surely they all walked straight wayes, folowing the steppes of Christ, which said, he that ministreth vnto me, let him folow me, whether soeuer I go. &c. Therfore let vs also, which haue so noble examples geuen vs of the saintes that went before vs, laying away, as much as in vs lyeth, the heauy burden, and the yoke of sinne which compasseth 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 seing the ioy that was set before him, suffred the paynes of the crosse, despising death. Let vs call vpō him which suffred such reproch agaynst hymselfe of sinners, that we be not wearyed, fainting in our harts, but that we may hartely pray for helpe of the Lord, and may fight agaynst hys aduersary Antichrist: that we may loue his law & not be disceitfull laborours, but that we may deale faythfully in all things, accordyng to that, that God hath vouchsafed to geue vs, and that we may labor dilligently in the lordes cause vnder hope of an euerlasting reward. 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 cannot separate those whom the loue of Christ doth effectually knit together) be comforted in the grace which is geuen vnto thee, labor like a good souldier of Christ Iesus, preach, be instant in word and in example, and call as many as thou canst, to the way of truth: for the truth of the gospell is not to be kept in silence because of friuolous censures and thunderbolts of Antichrist. And therfore to the vttermost of thy power: strengthen thou and confirme the members of Christ, which are weakned by the deuill: and if the Lord will vouchesafe it, Antichrist shall shortly come to an end. And there is one thyng wherein I do greatly reioyce, that in your Realme and in other places, God hath sturred vp the hartes of some mē that they cā gladly suffer for the word of God, imprisonment, banishment, and death.

Further, beloued I know 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 Lord. 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, requiryng hym that he will praye vnto the lord for me in the vniuersall church of Iesus Christ. And the God of peace which hath raysed frō the dead the shepheard of the shepe, the mighty lord Iesus Christ, make you apt in all goodnes to do his will, workyng in you that which may be pleasaunt in hys sight. All your friendes salute you which haue heard of your constancy. 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, desiring
to be fellow with you in your labors,
Ricus Wichewitze, priest vnworthy.

THe Lord God be with you. I loue the counsayle 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 spirit is ready and the flesh is weake. The Lorde almighty be the eternall reward vnto my Lordes, which constantly, firmely and faythfully do stande for righteousnes: to whome the Lord God shall geue in the kyngdome of Boheme, to know the truth. For the followyng of which truth, necessary it is that they returne agayne into Boheme, settyng apart all vayne glory, and followyng not a mortall and miserable kyng, but the kyng of glory which geueth eternall lyfe.

O how comfortable was the geuyng of the hande of Lord Iohn de Clum vnto me, which was not ashamed to reach forth his hand to me a wretch, and such an abiect heretike, lying in fetters of iron, and cryed out vpon all men.