The History of the Bohemian Persecution/Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
1. IN the same year when Albert of Austria sent Auxiliaries to Prague to Sigismund his father in law, a party of his horse at Arnostowitz (a village neer Milizine) brought Wenceslaus the Curate of that place, a Divine both dear to God and men, with his Officiary, three Country-men, and four boyes (the eldest of them not above eleven years of age) to their Collonel at Bystrick, where the quarters were, TheClergy men were apprehended for administring, the other for receiving the Sacrament under both kinds (that is to say) of Bread and Wine. The Bishop commanded Wenceslaus to abjure for the time to come the administration of the Sacrament under both kinds, which if he should refuse to do, he would expiate his rashnesse by fire. To whom the Pastor returned a resolute and gallant answer. But the Gospell doth teach me otherwise, so also your owne Missalls have it, you must approve what I teach or blot it out of the Bible. The standers by being exasperated by this liberall reply, one of the Troopers strook Wenceslaus on his face with his Gantlet, and so violently, that the blood did plentifully issue, from his mouth and nostrills. Whereupon the Bishop returned him to the Collonel who again sent him back to the Bishop, who after he had made him his subject of mirth & scorn for all that night; on the day following being Sunday, they were all brought unto the stake and fastned with such a method that these poor champions of the Truth (as near as the invention of their malice could dispose of them) were placed in the lap of Wenceslaus. And when the Bishop did admonish them to abjure that part of the Sacrament in which the Cup is used, the faithfull Curat made answer for him and his. God forbid, we had rather suffer under a hundred deaths than deny a truth so clearly revealed in the Gospell. On this the executioner was commanded to give fire unto the faggot, who immediately with the flame did send them up a gratefall sacrifice to the Almighty, Wenceslaus being the last that gave up the Ghost. This was done in the year 1420. on the 8 day of July,
2. On which very day Conrade the Arch-Bishop of Prague being offended at such horrible cruelty, having first expressed himself against the unrighteousnesse of the Papall cause, and declared himself for the Sacrament under both kinds, he put off his Miter to put on his Helmet, and was commander in chief in the Militia of Prague against the Church of Rome, having chosen four Divines of that City to be Administrators for him in the Consistory, who were by name Mr. Iohn Przibrams, Mr. Procope Pelsen, Mr. Iacobell, and Iohn Zeline, this was the beginning of the administration of the Sacrament under both kinds, which Sigismund afterwards restoring, did permit unto the States, and confirm by Oath.
3. Howsoever the enemies of the truth did murmur themselves into tumults, & raged with petulant fury. In this place I shal give you an heroick exploit of one of them which on this year was performed on the 26. day of December: Hinek Czerwenohorsky a captain of Jarom having violently entred the Church at Kerchzim, in the time of divine service, he killed some, and took others captive. Amongst other acts of prophanenesse this was not the least, that from the Communion Table he took the cup, being full of wine, and dranke unto his horse, who having pledged him, he said, his horse was now one of the Reformadoes, and a communicant under both kinds.