EXERCISE XI.
The age of the Emperor Joseph II was but little favourable to the fine arts. The rule of Joseph had no thought of them, but contributed irretrievable injuries by the destruction of the old monuments of learning. Bohemia was filled, just as once by the excesses of the Taborites, with the ruins of the artistic church buildings, when not only the churches of the ruined monasteries, but also many others, were abandoned to destruction by the express orders of the government, which declared that the restoration of them was a useless burden and injurious to the proper management of the State. So matters were arranged carelessly on the destruction of the monasteries, together with the pictures, the statues, and the church furniture of artistic workmanship. Many artistic objects of that sort were entirely destroyed, and together with them also many memorials of learning and sources of history. The Emperor Joseph wished even to turn the castle of Prague into a barracks, and ordered that there should be a public auction to sell the remains of the treasure chamber (1782) and the library (1789) at one time of the Emperor Rudolf II for the value of a mere song.
age, věk, s.m.
-little, malo, adv. (vide supra).
favourable, pfizniv.
fine arts, uměním vytvorným.
had not; compound the nega- tive with the verb.
any, žádný (vide supra).
thought, inclination, smysl, s.m.
to contribute, furnish, spůsobit or způsobili.
irretrievably, nenabytý.
injury, Ikoda, s.f.
destruction, ruleni, n. (verbal
noun), old, starý.
monument, pomník, m.
art, umění, s.n. (um, mind); rozum, understanding; rozu- měli, to understand.
to fill, naplnili.
similarly, in the same way, podobně.
