always Augustus, and king of Hungary, &c., my gracious lord; and under the protection, defence, and safeguard of the holy empire of Rome, having the letters patent of the said my lord, king of the Romans, &c., came unto Constance to render a full account of his faith in public audience, to all that would require the same. This the said Master John Iluss, in this imperial city of Constance, under the safe conduct of the said my lord, king of Romans, hath been and yet is detained. And although the pope with the cardinals have been seriously required by solemn ambassadors of the said my lord, king of Romans, &c., in the king's name and behalf, that the said Master John Huss should be set at liberty, and be restored unto me: yet notwithstanding they have and yet do refuse hitherto to set him at liberty to the great contempt and derogation of the safe conduct of the king, and of the safeguard and protection of the empire, or imperial majesty. Wherefore I John aforesaid, in the name of the king, do here publish and make it known, that the apprehending, and detaining of the said Master John Huss was done wholly against the will of the beforenamed king of Romans, my lord; seeing it is done in the contempt of the safe conduct of his subjects, and of the protection of the empire, because the said my lord was then absent far from Constance, and if he had been there present, would never have permitted the same. And when he shall come, it is to be doubted of no man, but that he, for this great injury and contempt of this safe conduct done to him and to the empire, will grievously be molested for the same.
Given at Constance, the day of the Nativity of the Lord, 1414.
In this instrument above prefixed, note, gentle reader! three things.
First, The goodness of this gentle lord John de Clum, being so fervent and zealous in the cause of John Huss, or rather in the cause of Christ.
Secondly, The safe conduct granted unto the said John Huss, under the faith and protection of the emperor, and of the empire.
Thirdly, Here is to be seen the contempt and rebellion of these proud prelates, in disobeying the authority of their high magistrate, who, contrary to his safe conduct given, and the mind of the emperor, did arrest and imprison this good man, before the coming of the said emperor, and before that John Huss was heard. Let us now, as we have promised, adjoin some of the epistles of this godly man:
An Epistle of John Huss, unto the People of Prague.
Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ, that you being delivered from sin may walk in his grace, and may grow in all modesty and virtue, and after this may enjoy eternal life.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you who walk after the law of God, that you cast not away the care of the salvation of your souls, when you, hearing the word of God, are premonished wisely to understand that you be not deceived by false apostles, who do not reprehend the sins of men, but rather do extenuate and diminish them; who flatter the priests, and do not show to the people their offences; who magnify themselves, boast their own works, and marvellously extol their own worthiness, but follow not Christ in his humility, in poverty, in the cross, and other manifold afflictions. Of whom our merciful Saviour did premonish us before, saying: 'False Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.' And when he had forewarned his well-beloved disciples, he said unto them: 'Beware and take heed of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves: ye shall know them by their fruits.' And truth it is, that the faithful of Christ have much need diligently to beware and take heed unto themselves; for, as our Saviour himself doth say: 'The elect also, if it were possible, shall be brought into error.' Wherefore, my well-beloved, be circumspect and watchful, that ye be not circumvented with the crafty trains of the devil. And the more circumspect ye ought to be, for that Antichrist laboureth the more to trouble you. The last judgment is near at hand: death shall swallow up many, but to the elect children of God the kingdom