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A HISTORY OF BOHEMIAN LITERATURE

sity of Prague was then divided. The condemnation of the articles taken from Wycliffe's works was renewed with a restriction — suggested by Hus — which stated that

no master or scholar of the Bohemian " nation should defend these articles in their false, erroneous, or heretical "

sense.

Shortly after the first deliberation on Wycliffe's articles, Zbynek Zajic of Hasenburg was elected ArchA member of one of the most bishop of Prague. ancient Bohemian families, Zbynek had — though long ordained a priest and for some time provost of the town of Melnik — devoted himself mainly to political and military matters, as was then so frequently the case with ecclesiastics of high descent. Though his ignorance has been exaggerated, he certainly possessed no profound knowledge of theology. He brought, however, to his new office a strong feeling of indignation against the immorality and dishonesty of the clergy of his archdiocese, and had, at least at first, a firm determination to remedy these evils by establishing a system of severer discipline among his subordinates. It is a striking proof of the great respect in which Hus was then held, both because of his pure and honourable life and because of his great learning, that the Archbishop's attention was immediately directed to him. "At the commencement of his rule," the Archbishop, as Hus afterwards recalled to his memory, "ordered him, whenever he noticed any irregularity contrary to the rules of the Church, to bring such irregularity to his (the Archbishop's) knowledge, either in person, or, in case of absence, by means of a letter." ^ The Archbishop gave a further proof of his confidence in Hus '

PalackJ')

Documenta.