"OF GENERAL CHRISTIAN MATTERS"

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house next to the Bethlehem Chapel, where Hus was to begin preaching in the following year. It is known that

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several pious ladies lived in community in a house near Hus's chapel, and a letter addressed to them by him has is

been preserved. as probable, Anezka of Stitny was one of these pious ladies, the fact forms an interest-

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ing link between Thomas and his greater successor. Stitny did not begin writing early in life. His earliest works, translations from St. Augustine, St. Bonaventura, and other writers, date from about the year 1370. His first original work, the books Of General Christian Matters, one of the two on which his reputation as Bohemian writer mainly depends, appeared in 1376. however, certain that he had in 1374 already published several smaller tracts or pamphlets that were The books Of incorporated with his larger work. colGeneral Christian Matters are therefore rather lection of minor writings, some of which had already work written from the first on settled appeared, than was continuous range of thought. plan and with peculiarity of Stitny that he constantly re-wrote his Of books, changing their contents very considerably. his first book we possess four different MSS., differing considerably. The last, published under the new name of the Books of Christian Instruction, appeared only in In 1852 Erben year before the author's death. 1400, edited and published the books Of General Christian Matters, following the readings of the best MSS. His work includes biography of Stitny, which, though contains few minor recent research has proved that

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still of the greatest value. The books Of General Christian Matters possess in addressed to the first Erben's edition two prefaces

errors,