An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature/Concerning War and Cities
Petr Chelčický
1390–1460
Concerning War and Cities
“Thereupon the Saviour manifesteth the reason wherefore this great gift shall be on earth, and saith that it is for the mingling of the sound of the sea and the billows thereof. By the unquiet sea is signified sometimes a multitude of evil men, and sometimes a particular single one, even as saith the Lord God: ‘Unkind as the restless sea, which cannot be quieted.’ This sound of the cruel sea and of the billows thereof our Czech land hath suffered much; for wellnigh all the lands round about rose up against it from dissension in faith, so that the sound of those waves could be heard almost throughout the world. Also the raging of this sea can be, and oftentimes is wont to be, over earthly things for them doth the one party ever wage war against the other, desiring to exalt themselves above the others and to be their betters, and therefore do they wrangle and seize upon each other’s possessions, upon men and honour, and therefore do they buffet one the other, burn one another, shed blood. Likewise also other sinful folk, like the sea unquiet and unquelled in evil, who are stirred by devils to unrest, that ever evil may go against evil, as waves of the sea against other waves, quarrel against quarrel, pride against pride, hardship against hardship—in one place they have slain one another, in another place robbed one another, in another place challenged one another, as desiring to slay or rob one another. And thus is the most mournful sound of this sea to be heard. And amid all the storms of this sea is temptation uttered unto the servants of Christ. Even as spake the Lord, saying: When ye shall hear of wars and quarrels, fear not, for this sea shall not overwhelm you with its waves, neither shall a hair of you head perish; if ye abide in me, my peace shall abide in you, and the storm of the sea shall pass by you. And all these things, the which Christ here sayeth, do constrain us to hold ourselves in readiness, that we may be worthy of His coming.”
From the “Postilla” (1434)
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This work was published before January 1, 1931, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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| Translation: |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1931. The longest-living author of this work died in 1970, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 55 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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