The History of the Bohemian Persecution/Chapter 87
Chap. LXXXVII.
I. THe seventh day after the execution at Prague (being 28 of Iune) the confiscation of the Goods of those that were executed, and those that were banished was ordered, the rest of the States being brought into extreame danger, wavering between Religion & a Rock. The year followinga Proclamation was published, wherein a general pardon of all crimes was offered to all the inhabitants of the Kingdome, The summe was this: That all those that were guilty of the abhominable and horrid Rebellion and consequently of Treason, and all those that had already been punished and lost their priviledges, honour, life and Goods: But Cæsar out of the small clemency of the house of Austria, did grant them their lives and honours, and would onely have their Goods confiscate and brought into the Kings Exchequer, and least any should have occasion to complain that his Imperiall Majesty winked at the keeping of their Goods, who had not grievously offended: It was ordered that every one of them should resign some part as a subsidue to his Imperial Majesty to pay the debts which were contracted by this necessary War. That every one should be commanded to appear at Prague within the space of sixe weeks before the Viceroy (Lichtenstein) and exhibite a confession of his fault (wherein he had offended his Imperiall Majesty) and should detest the crime, and whosoever did not appear should be excluded from all favour, if any man concealed any thing of which he might be convinced, he should loose the whole cause, but if he did freely confesse, he should hear the sentence. These letters were given at Onespont, 3. Feb. in the year 1622.
2. There was a form of confession prescribed by which all were commanded to confesse and detest their crime, which was deceitfully done as afterwards appeared, For when the Princes of Germany advised the Emperour not to punish all without any difference for the Delinquency of a few persons, it was answered. None were punished but such as were convinced by their own confession.
3. It was presently forbidden by Letters Patents sent through all the Lordships, that no man should diminish or wast his Goods by selling any of them, or by any other pretence translating them to any other, but should possess them as he did at that present. A penalty was imposed upon those that should do otherwise; that whatsoever any man should send to another place should bee lost, and that whosoever received any thing of another mans should pay so much of his own to the Emperour.
4. Many were afterwards cited one after another to receive their final sentence even some that weredead (as the L. Nicholas Bukowski de Husteizan purged two years before, &c.) others that had been for many years bed-ridden, some that were blind who could not in any thing offend, whose names were found in the Registers of the Kingdom, and who were thought to be rich, which happened to the Lord Peter Skopek of Otradowitz Lord of Belehrade, and the Lord Iohn Charvat of Bielossesky: to whose charge this crime was laid, that they had been present in the expedition of the States at Vienna, and had shot bullets against the Emperors window: of whom one had lost the use of his eies ten yeares before, the other being sick of the Palsie, could not move himself in his bed: by this it appeared that not so much the faults of the Protestants as their goods: And that appeared, that they made not so exact an inquiry unto men of a meaner estate: Yea (tell a truth) those merry Judges turned their wickednesse to a jest, and had it not seldome in their mouths, when any one had purged himselfe of a fault in no wise committed by him, that although he had not actuall sinnes, yet he was infected with Originall sinne, heresie, and wealth, and therefore could not bee exempt from punishment. This was heard often from the mouth of Cardinal Ditrichstein. That was some comfort to the Godly, that they suffered not as evil doers but as Christians.
5. Then were but eight dayes given to those that were warned to appear; when otherwise in the businesse of mony a longer term was usually granted. Those that did appear, had the Articles of the crimes read to them, not onely according to the confession published, but whatsoever might be flanderously framed against any man. Neither was time given or permitted to answer: but if any one would offer, or had offered to purge himself, he was commanded to hear his definitive sentence in that place. The form of which was: That he had incurred the losse of life honour and goods, but by the grace of the Imperial Majesty life and honour was given to him, but onely his Goods hee owed to Cæsar, whether every farthing or onely a halfe , third, or a fourth part, &c.
6. So that it had an appearance of mercy, that all were nor deprived of all their Goods, but the proceeding of the execution shewed it to bee meer cruelty. For they tooke from the possessors all the Castles, Townes, and Villages giving them a paper for that which was left, whereby they were commanded to expect the payment of their part from the Chamber. But no man hath as yer seen a farthing of any payment, and so by the processe of law, the Protestants were deprived of their goods after a Tyrannical manner, and driven into strange places, some were freely received through the Cities, others betouke themselves to their kindred, and friends of the Popish Religion, others became servants to the destroyers of their own goods: few of them kept their own and their wives goods for a time by the favor of the Commissioners by bribes, or by a second lying, it increased there cruelty, not only their immoveable Goods were taken away, but there moveables also were sequestred, scarce having so much as a garment left wherewith to cloath them, for example sake, Burjan Slebowski may be named, and that did not happen to him alone but to many others who returning home at that very time when the Commissioners had entred his house to confiscate his goods, he was commanded to alight, and told that his coach and horses with these chests must be seized on for the Emperour.
7. And because they thought that many had mony at use, that they might also squeeze out this, they commanded that every man should bring what bonds he had, upon pain of losing the whole summe, if any one did but conceale the least. In Moravia there was a peculiar judicature erected for this thing, which they called Grida, at Nulasbergh, where all were bound to appeare; some were restored whole, viz. those of a lesse value, for an appearance of justice; others were suppressed for counterfeit reasons; from others a part was set apart for the Emperour, If any certaine summe of money was broght u into the Kingdomes Register, according to the accustomed manner, the Kings Treasurer was at hand (for all things were stuft with Traytors and Treasons,) who protesting that the Emperour had need of it, to defray the charges of the Warre, took it away, giving to the Creditor a written note, to testifie that such a summe was due to him from the Emperour.
8. So the ancient inhabitants being commanded to depart, those that were addicted to the Popish Religion, divided the confiscated goods among themselves as it was commodious for any of them to add this or that Village, Towne, Castle, or other Lordship to their owne bounds, and as they could obtaine it from the Emperour as a gift, or upon any other account. The greatest part fell to the share of strangers, Spaniards, Italians; Germans, the Commanders of the Imperiall Army, instead of their pay.
9. If there remained any goods of Widdowes, or Wards that were not taken away by colour of Law, there scarce wanted Ahabs to covet Neboths vineyard: For if any one was pleased with anothers mans ground, bordering on him, he would circumvent him by craft, or allure him by promise as a favour or compell him by quartering Souldiers on him to sell it. Whereas the buyers for the most part performed the part of pricers, cheapners, and contractors obtruding such a price on them as they themselves listed, and afterwards not paying it.
10. The Emperour commanded the Charter of the Kingdome granted by ancient Kings, to bee brougbt to him at Vienna, which when hee received (he said) Are these the Papers which have procured so much trouble to our Ancestors? And viewing the severall Parchmeuts seals and subscriptions, he rent them, and threw them into the fire. Adam de Waldstein Burgrave of Prague and supream Officiall of the Kingdome, who brought them, standing by astonished and secretly sighing.