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A HISTORY OF BOHEMIAN
LITERATURE
Harant had hitherto belonged " " to the estate of the knights. Somewhat later, Harant, to the rank of a noble.
who had been brought up as a Romanist, joined the Utraquist or Calixtine Church, probably mainly from Harant was a zealous partisan of the political motives. ancient Bohemian constitution and of the national language. The Jesuits, then the most prominent leaders of the Roman party in Bohemia, well knew that it would only be possible to destroy the old Church of Hus and to re-establish Romanism if the ancient constitution were suppressed, and the Bohemian language and literature also, as far as possible, destroyed. In the stirring events of the last years of Bohemian independence (1618-1620) Harant played a very prominent part. He commanded the artillery of the Bohemian army which, under Count Thurn, invaded Austria and besieged Vienna in 1619 ; it is stated that he ordered his gunners to point their cannon against the windows of the palace (Burg) in Vienna in which the Emperor This probably caused Ferdinand had taken refuge. Harant to be singled out as one of those Bohemian nobles to whom the severest punishment was awarded, and in fact sealed his fate. During the short reign of King Frederick, Harant held high office, and when the battle of the White Mountain ended that prince's short reign, he sought refuge in his castle of Pecka. He was there taken prisoner by the Austrian troops in March It is characteristic of the man that on the day 1621. when the troops arrived he should, when, on his leaving his castle for an early walk, a gust of wind blew off his " If I were a Roman, I should immehat, have remarked : diately turn back and not stir a step from the house today," Harant was one of the Bohemian leaders who
