JOHN OF LOBKOVIC

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by so renowned a humanist could not but discourage its cultivation by others. Lobkovic, in his strange identification of Bohemian writings with what he considered heretical opinions, is an undoubted forerunner of the A Jesuit book-destroyers of the seventeenth century. " recent critic writes : These Latin works of Bohemian humanists appear as a vast sepulchre, bearing the epitaph : ' Here, under an elaborate Latin monument, true Slav hearts lie buried.' "

Though he can scarcely be considered as a humanist, John of Lobkovic should be mentioned in connection

with his brother Bohnslav. Differing in most things from his brother, with whom, in consequence of questions of succession, he was for some time on bad terms, he used the Bohemian language for his two works which we He wrote a curious work entitled Knowledge possess. and Instruction for my son Jaroslav, as to what he should do and what omit. The book, written in 1504, was afterwards printed under the less unwieldy title of the True It enjoyed great popularity in BoheBohemian Mentor. mia, and a copy of this book was a frequent gift of fathers to their sons. As a proof of the noble spirit in which the book is written, I shall quote a portion of the chapter entitled " On subject people {i.e. serfs), and how you should behave towards them." John of Lobkovic writes : " Be gracious to your subjects, if you wish that the Lord God should For if you forgive them their be gracious to you. offences, then will the Lord God forgive you your For we say in the Lord's Prayer, ' Forgive us offences. our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against Thus we ourselves, when we sing the Lord's prayer. us.'