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ANCIENT BOHEMIAN LITERATURE
that he did not listen attentively to the sermons of the famous preachers whose eloquence was then attracting the attention of the citizens and students of Prague. He indeed tells us, in the preface to his book Of
Christian Matters, that this (his first original) work contained " what he heard at sermons and from learned men, as well as what he had conceived in his In his Discourses for Sundays and Feastown mind." days, Stitny refers more precisely to the sermons which he had heard at Prague. Alluding to the attacks which had been made against his own works, he writes : "Thus within my own recollection the devil incited many against Conrad, that noble preacher of God's truth, because he showed up the craftiness of a false priesthood, and because he taught God's truth. Thus also have they acted towards the good Milic, and evil people still speak evil of him, but (they speak) injustice." At a time which cannot be exactly ascertained, but which was probably somewhat later than the generally accepted date, 1360, Stitny left Prague and returned to his home. After the death of his parents he administered the little family estate, and continued living there for some time with his three sisters. He married about this date, but in 1370 was already a widower. He had several children, for whose benefit he first began writing, though the later editions of his works are evidently written for a wider circle of readers. Stitny outlived all his children except his favourite daughter Anne (Anezka), who was his faithful companion during the last years of his life. In 1381 Stitny returned to Prague, and now devoted his time entirely to his studies. After his death, in the year 1401, his daughter Anezka occupied part of a General
