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When the perfidy with which John Hus was betrayed, and the cruelty with which he was sacrificed are, considered, the temper of this hymn will hardly be wondered at. And the edge of bitterness was whetted anew by the martyrdom of Jerome, which followed that of his friend and master.
The rebellion of the bohemians necessarily made them obnoxious to the court of Rome, and in that recklessness of human suffering which so frequently accompanies the decrees of arbitrary power, the pope hurled his curses, not only against bohemians, but against all who should hold intercourse with a race which destroyed the then existing "social order." The evil which was thus inflicted became the source of good, and the bohemians, thrown upon their own resources, made rapid advances in the arts, in literature, and in general improvement. Kristan's medical writings obtained a wide reputation. A variety of theological and ethical works grew out of the then active discussions. Walečowsky wrote two books against the priesthood, of which, Balbin says, they are quam eleganter Boemice tam virulenter. The printing-press was employed in
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