The letters of John Hus/Letter 48, To John of Chlum

by Jan Hus

For other English-language translations of this work, see Letter of Jan Hus to John of Chlum (5 March 1415) (1).

XLVIII. To John of Chlum

 

(Without date: March 4, 1415)

 

Will you please expound my last night’s dream? I dreamt that they wanted to destroy all the pictures of Christ in the Bethlehem, and they did so. On rising next morning methought I saw many painters, who had painted other pictures more beautiful, upon which I gazed with joy. And the painters and a great assembly of folk cried out, “Let the priests and bishops come and destroy these pictures of ours!” Whereupon much people rejoiced in the Bethlehem, and I with them. And when I awoke, I found myself laughing.

Note that they had spread it abroad in several quarters that they wanted to destroy the writing on the walls of the Bethlehem Chapel. I will forward a copy of my treatises, which I have copied out in duplicate.^[1]

 

To this letter of Hus we fortunately possess the answer of John of Chlum. It was written by Peter Mladenowic, his secretary, who has added at the close a paragraph of his own, explaining how it came to pass that Hus called Chlum ‘the doctor of Biberach’ (see p. 155). The letter is a revelation of the sturdy common sense and genial humour of the honest knight. But the Latin is very obscure and crabbed.

 

1. The treatises written in prison. See p. 171.