BOHEMIAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 789 Mitrowitz, and Christopher Harant de Polzitz, &c. Matthew Benesovsky's glossololgy, and Abraham de Ginterrod's classic archaeology, are also memorable. There are several good works on judicial affairs and on religious sub- jects ; for instance, that of Augusta, a bishop of the Bohemian Brethren. The translation of the Bible published by this society reached eight editions. It is in pure and elegant Czech, and was translated from the original in the castle of Kralitz in Moravia, by a society which Joseph Zerotin had collected and maintained there from 1579 to 1593. Count Slavata, one of the imperial Catholic party, who was thrown from a window of the castle of Prague by Count Thurn's associates in 1618, left a detailed documentary history of his times, in 15 vols. folio. That act of violence opened the thirty years' war, and brought about the sudden fall and decay of Czech civilization, which then sank to a low degree of debasement. The best men of the country perished by the sword and pestilence ; others emigrated ; German, Italian, Netherlandish, Spanish, and Irish adventurers took their place in all offices, dignities, and emol- uments. Ferdinand II. imported Benedictines from Montserrat hi 1624; and the Jesuits, es- corted by the soldiery, ransacked every house for Bohemian books, burning all those publish- ed after 1414 as heretical. This state of things lasted far into the 18th century. While it prevailed, many of the sc-called Bohemian heretics and rebels Germanized their very names. The Jesuit Anton Konias, who died in 1760, boasted of having burnt 60,000 books. The exiles, however, continued to cherish their native literature, and printed several books in Poland, Saxony, Holland, &c. The Hungarian Protestant Slovaks did very much in preserving Bohemian letters. In Bohemia and Moravia there appeared but few works, among them Bezovsky's chronicle, the lays of Volney, and the hexameter essays of Rosa. John Amos Comenius, the bast bishop of the Bohemian Brethren, wrote an Orbis Pietus in several languages, and although his Latinity is barba- rous, his native style is pure, lively, and forcible. The Swedes, who were expelled from Bohemia in 1640, carried many literary treasures home, among others the Azbukividarium or Alpha- letum Slavorum, in Glagolitic characters, on parchment, now in the great book at Stock- holm; also the Alphabet urn Rutenum in Cy- rillic characters. The empress Maria Theresa decreed, Dec. 6, 1774, the cessation of perse- cutions against the Protestants, and remodelled the system of education, introducing normal and other schools. Joseph II. ordered that German should be the language in the high schools and in all public affairs. But, thanks to the exertions of Count Francis Kinsky, and of the historian Pelzel, the Czech language was introduced into the higher military institutions, and the sciences were freed from German trammels.. The Czech culture soon rose from its long lethargy, and writers appeared in all branches of literature, among whom the fol- lowing must be particularly mentioned : Pelzel, Prochazka, Kramerius, Parizek, an author of good school books, and Tomsa, a linguist. The father of modern Bohemian poetry was Anton Puchmayer, a clergyman (1795-1820), who was also well versed in Polish and Russian. He was followed by the brothers A. and-T. Negedly, Rautenkranz, Stepniczka, Hnievkovsky, who was also a good prose writer, Svoboda, and especially Jungmann, and Chmelensky, a lyric poet. The higher classes, however, continued to be estranged from native letters until lately, although since 1776 a chair for the Czech lan- guage has existed even in the university of Vienna. Printing had been introduced into Bohemia in 1476, and Vrtatko lately even claimed a share in its invention in favor of Bohemia, on the ground that Gutenberg was originally from that country, and that the press was freely developed in it, without the aid of Germans. The above-mentioned discovery of Hanka, the introduction of the Czech tongue in the high schools, the efforts of the supreme burggraf Kolowrat in the foundation of a na- tional museum (1822), and other favorable cir- cumstances, have more recently produced a sudden rise of Bohemian literature. We must be content with notices of its more prominent writers and productions. Schafarik and Pa- lacky first recommended the old metres in verse. A committee on the language was formed in the museum in 1831. Langer wrote lyric, didactic, and satiric poems; Roko, an epic; Holly, an epic, Svatopluk, and a " Cyrillo- Methodiad ; " Kollar, elegies ; Schneider, songs and popular ballads ; Stiepanek, Klicpera, Ma- hacek, Vocel, and Turinsky, dramas. Opera libretti were produced by the last named, by Svoboda, and by Chmelensky. Prizes were offered for the best dramatic works, and a na- tional theatre was founded by subscription. The foremost of the modern poets are Kollar, whose masterpiece is the Slavy deem ("Daugh- ter of Glory "), arid the song-writer Celakov- sky. In tales the favorite author is Erben; and the songs and ballads of Schneider are in the mouths of all. Among the properly ro- mantic poets we find Macha, Halek, Neruda, Fric, and Barak, most of them living. Czech fictitious literature is comparatively poor. We must also mention Jungmann's "History of Bohemian Literature," Schafarik's "History of Slavic Literature," and the latter's transla- lations from Aristophanes, Schiller, Burger, and others. A new scientific glossology was produced by Presl, professor and director of the cabinet, and author of many works on nat- ural history. Palacky is at the head of the historical school, and is a writer on aesthetic and critical subjects. So was Schafarik, who also wrote an eminent work on " Slavic An- tiquities" (3d ed., 1863-'4). Philosophy, the- ology, the natural sciences, and mathematics have found numerous votaries. Of late, owing to the liberty of the press and the all-absorbing
