Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/117

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the young reformists to get in touch with the philosopher of Chelc̄ice.

We do not know what Brother Chelc̄icky̍ spoke about with Brother Gregory and the "other companions of his," but we know that the result of these conversations was the establishment of a religious community on the estate of Castle Litice in the Eagle Mountains of northeastern Bohemia. This estate was a personal property of a Hussite nobleman, George of Podiebrad, who had just then become King of Bohemia.⁴⁸

 

(Gregory and the brethren) asked Rokycana to plead for them with the King that he might give them a place to live on his estate of Litice, in the village of Kunvald behind Z̄amberk. He granted their request and so many of the faithful gathered there. . .⁴⁹

 

Kunvald became the first community of the new growing "mustard seed." When King George had given them the grant, there gathered in Kunvald, under the outstanding leadership of Gregory,⁵⁰ noblemen and artisans from Prague, and yeomen,s priests and peasants from Moravia. All of them, forgetting their provenience and antecedents, began addressing each other "brother."⁵¹

 

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48 Regnabat A.D. 1458–1471.

49 From a report written in 1527 by Brother Lucas of Prague, quoted in Goll, op. cit., p.68.

50 He was the nephew of Archbishop Rokycana of Prague.

51 Palacky̍, op. cit., vol. IV, p.241.