Page:The Hussite wars, by the Count Lützow.djvu/226

of the new enterprise. Knowing how greatly the indiscriminate slaughter of the whole population had exasperated the Bohemians, the diet decreed that only those who were undoubtedly heretics should be killed; other enactments attempted to limit the indiscriminate plundering which had taken place during the former invasions of Bohemia by the Germans. It is certainly somewhat surprising that shortly before the day fixed for the meeting of the crusaders at Nürnberg, Frederick of Brandenburg, who was believed to be the intended leader of the crusaders, should have entered into negotiations with the Bohemians.^[1] In a letter addressed to the citizens of Prague^[2] on June 25, Frederick, after deploring the state of Bohemia caused by incessant internal and foreign warfare, formally offered his mediation. He told the Praguers that both he and his ancestors had received many favours and benefits from Bohemia, and that he was ready, as far as his God and his honour permitted, to prove his gratitude. He promised to do his utmost to obtain a peaceful settlement. The magistrates of Prague, in a letter dated July 5, thanked^[3] the elector warmly, and also expressed an ardent desire for peace. They declared, however, that only a general assembly of the nobles, knights, and townsmen of Bohemia was entitled to enter into definite negotiations in view of peace. The margrave’s chancery sent a similar letter favouring a peaceful agreement to the citizens of Žatec. The answer of the citizens of Žatec was more explicit.^[4] They declared that they were not enemies of the holy primitive Church, and with God’s grace never would be; they would, on the contrary, follow God,

 

1. Though this fact was long known it is only recently that Dr. Juritsch, in his valuable monograph entitled Der dritte Kreuzzug gegen die Hussiten, has attributed the failure of that crusade to Margrave Frederick, and indeed directly accused him of treachery, in a similar fashion to that in which he accuses Prince Korybutovič of the same offence. It must be said that Dr. Juritsch—as was once said of Mommsen—invariably ascribes men’s actions to the lowest motives.
2. Printed by Palacký, Urkundliche Beiträge, etc., Vol. I. p. 516.
3. Also printed by Palacký, Urkundliche Beiträge, etc., Vol. I. p. 519.
4. Dr. Juritsch, Der dritte Kreuzzug, etc., p. 22.