2

50

A HISTORY OF BOHEMIAN

began again to attract attention. the first Bohemian edition of was rediscovered, and extracts

LITERATURE

In

the present century the Didactica Magna were made from the

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a

is

a

is

a

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it,

almost inaccessible Amsterdam folio of 1657, in which alone some of his educational works are contained. The very great merits of Komensk^ as an instructor of the young are now recognised by most prominent teachers, who alone are competent to give an opinion on this point. Recently public opinion has perhaps veered too much in the contrary direction. Not content with declaring, what is undeniable, that Komensky was a learned and original writer on educational matters, and the author of one of the most fascinating allegorical tales that have ever been written, great importance has been attributed to his writings on philosophy, or, as he would have " Pansophy." No one can impartially claim called cerfor Komensky high rank as philosopher, and mistake to speak of Komen sky's system of philotainly no philosophical system of Komensky sophy. There philosophical system of in the sense that there exists not only, when writing on " panSpinoza. Komensky sophy," constantly carried away by mystic ideas— the mystic manner, idea of " light," which he interpreted in " pansophic " seems ever to have pursued him— but his works constantly encroach on the domain of natural is

the more to be regretted, as Komenskfs history. This views on natural history were very often incorrect, and the fatal credulity which induced him to study the " prophecies " of Kotter, Ponatovskd, and Drabik here also led him to accept as true the most absurd statea

The life of Komensky

is

ments. very

sad one, and his