The History of the Bohemian Persecution/Chapter 94
Chap. XCIIII.
The Reformation of Bolislavia.
I. THE City for 200 yeares having imbraced the Orthodox religion, was made the principle seat of the Brethren, and chiefly upon this account was hated by the Pope, in the year therefore 1623. after the ejection of certaine Ministers, they placed in their roome, two crafty Capuchins who indeavoured with indefatigable paines to pervert the inhabitants from the faith, but for the space of three years notwithstanding all their cunning, they scarce engaged so many Apostates as would reform the Senate.
2, In the year therefore 1626 a Garrison of three bands being brought in, force began to be used, and first of all in February certain of the Citizens were banished, others cast into prison, upon the 20, of March Adam Trubacz, Iohn Bukac, Peter Stehlik, were sequestred, to strike a terrour inco the rest. Having given them into their hands certaine square staffs, two Cubits long, in which each of their crimes were ingraven, the first thus: Adam Trubacz, is therefore seguestred, because he said, that there was none so powerfull who should command his Conscience, also that he would not give his soul to the Devil as the rest had done, on the other side of the staff was written, you would have ejected your K. but now your King hath ejected you, upon the third was written, go to, and learn to obey God and the King (for he had said to the Reformers that his soul was not of so small a value as to neglect it, also he asked if the Emperour should destroy this soule whether he could give him another? Buketius his staffe had the same written excepting the crime which was exprest in this manner. John Bukac’s is therefore sequestred, because that he said that all the new Catholicks were wicked Traitors & perfidious to God. It doth not yet appear what Stehlikius his staffe had written upon it for so soon as he was past the gates of the City, he brake it, and threw it away.
3. After the eject on of these men, when the rest did not (as yet) seeme to repent of what they have done, they are again warned into the Court and shut up into severall Rooms, and thence called out one by one, and examined singly. Amongst the first was Daniel Miconius Towne-Clarke, upon whose enterance, they hyred a certaine Rogue to stand in a corner, with a weapon in his hand: whom so soone as this fearefull man saw, from his too greedy desire of life, promised to turne Catholick. They being glad at so happy a beginning, commanded the rest to returne and goe home, and exhort them to doe the like, but be going to his friends; being amazed, tells them of the Rogue before mentioned: and that they were in danger, beseeching his friends that they would bee circumspect and have a regard of themselves. There was in the company of these men that were warned to appeare, two Burgo-masters, learned men and Mrs. of Arts, by name George Kizelius and Henry Daniel, of Semania, Upon whom seeing the rest depend, they did incourage both themselves and others exceedingly, and did exhort them that they should not at all value those imaginary terrors. By and by Kezelius is called out, and what with sundry flatteries, and what with threatnings, he is wearied so long, till at last unawares he desires time to consider. They being contented with this demaund, commands Semaninus to be sent for, who being certified concerning the wavering of Kezelius, began the more to bee resolved: and when an old man; one George Dernikarz, propounded him as an example for his imitation, he sptc in the old mans face, saying, Traitor: is this your constancy. Also he goes on, and presents himself to the Reformers unmoveable as as a rock, as also all the rest that followed, at length Kezelus, considering that his failing was greater in Gods sight than possible it could be in mans, repenting himself, and with a very positive answer tooke away all that hope which they conceived of him, and with the rest is sent to prison.
4. One Bartholomew Lang a Serivenor was one of the stoutest, who protested he had rather die by the sword than deny the faith; he was thrust with certaine others into a stinking place designed for the racking of malefactors, and there he was held for 17. weeks: his owne house, and the houses of the rest, in the mean time, being possessed by the barbarous Souldiers. But one of this Society, Georg Smidarskey, having contracted a disease from the stincke and filth of this prison, dyed in the said prison very religiously: but they could scarce procure so much favour from those wicked ones, that hee might be buryed.
5. When at this time, and by this meanes; they could shake none of their constancy, they let them goe, prefixing a further time to deliberate upon the businesse: especially, since the same yeare 1626, Behlem Gabor, waging warre with the Emperour, Count Mansfeilds and Warriors entering Sylesia at the same time with the King of Denmarks Army, strooke a terror into these Tyrants; for in August there are sent Proclamations to the Towns that it is not his Imperiall Majesties will that any man should be forced to the faith by violent meanes, but that upon supposition they could not agree with his Majesty, it might be lawfull for them to depart &c. and this Proclamation gave these people of Bolislavia a little respite.
6. But the yeare following after the warre with Hungaria was appeased, and the King of Denmarks Armies were beaten out of Sylesia, this tyrany againe revived; and there was an Edict sent to the Senate of Bolislavia in the forme as followes.
To our trusty and well beloved the Major and Jurates of the Towne of new Bolislavia.
Trusty and well beloved, we bear, that many of your fellow Citizens of new Bolislavia, continue still in their obstinasy, adverse to the constant and fatherly admonition of our clemens Lord and King his Imperiall Majesty, as also to the friendly Church inquisitors, and they do despite the sacred, wholesome, and Catholick Religion: but that especially there be two (to wit) George Kezelius, and Henry Semanaina, who do persist to oppose the will and command of his sacred Imperiall Majesty, to the scandall and evill examples of the Non-Catholicks, wherefore in the name and lieu of his sacred and Imperiall Majesty, our most clement Lord and King, we command you, that you seriously advise those your two fellow Citizens, arch-sectaries and schismaticks, that they do not corrupt others with their errors, but that they abjure their erronious opinions and at length imbrace the true Religion, and so return into the bosome of the Catholick Church, and that they do this by the feast of the Ascention, or at utmost by Whitsontide, under paine of banisment from the City, and ejection from the Kingdome of Bohemia, but since you have been certified concerning the late Edict made by P. Lichtenstein of blessed memory Vice-roy of Bohemia, in the name and lieu of his sacred Imperial Majesty, that all priviledge and trade be denied to all your Citizens and Burgers, who are schismaticks non-Catholicks and not agreeing in religions, with his most Imperial Majesty, as disturbers of peace and concord. And as yet we are not satisfied, whether this hath been by you put into execution. If therefore hitherto it hath not, we command you in the name of his Imperiall Majesty, that you do execute it timely, and seriously admonisb all your Citizens and inhabitants, inmates or servants of other sects, elder or younger, who a e non-Catholickes or hold schisma icall opinions, that they so farre consult both for their temporall and eternall advantage, as to return into the bosome of the holy Catholick Church under pain of severest and inevitable punishment, in which businesse you shall in good time inform us what hath been by you done, that so by this means you may fulfill the will of his Imperiall Majesty. Given at Prague 17 of April. An. Dom. 1627.
N.N.N.
Appointed Commissioners
by his Imperial Majesty,
for the Reformation
of Religion in
Bohemia.
7. Others of their letters sent the same year to the same persons.
Grave, trusty and well-beloved friends, we did expect, that you would in obedience to us, have executed our late Edict, delivered unto you in the name of our most clement Lord his sacred Imperial Majesty, that your fellow-Citizens who are Non-Catholicks, would have forsaken their schismaticall opinions, and have returned to the holy Catholick religion, but especially that those two obstinate Hereticks George Kezelius, and Henricus Seminina, would have made auricular confession & have reved the Sacrament of the Altar in one species, according to the institution of the holy Catholick Church, within the time by us allotted, but we perceive that the two sectaries before mentioned, and the rest of your Citizens still continue in their inbred obstinacy, and despise the Catholick Religion, and all wholesome doctrine, and that none of them hitherto have imbraced the Catholick Religion wherefore since his sacred Imperiall Majesty, will not afford his royall favour, nor allow any to abide or trade in the Kingdome of Bohemia, who shall refuse to imbrace the same religion with him, but follow the fancies of their own brain, and thereby become incendiaries, and brothers of sundry heresies, whence arise for the most part severall factions and disturbances of the Commonwealth, and the whole Kingdome, therefore we seriously command you, that those two Schismaticks be not onely out-lawed, and disfranchised, but that they be presently banished from the City and whole Kingdome of Bohemia, without any respect of persons or conditions, and that the very day allotted for their banishment, or the day after, they go out of the City by sun-set, and for the future that they never returne into the City or any part of the Kingdome of Bohemia, upon pain of severe punishment, if at any time they shall returne, and be apprehended. Likewise we do seriously and strictly command you in his sacred Imperial Majesties name, that you deny to al the Citizens or inhabitants of the city of new Bolislavia, who are not Catholicks the benefit of the law or their revenews, or to buy or sel, or any other civil contract, & that you strictly forbid that none of them for the future do attempt to do the things forbidden without our privity, unlesse they do desist from their obstinacy, and herericall opinions, and submit to the fatherly commands of his sacred Imperiall Majesty, and imbrace the holy Catholick Religion, and produce a testimony of their doing so from their confessour. And again seriously advise them in our name, and strictly command them, that without any delay, they imbrace the holy Catholick Religion by the last day of June this present year. Let every one of them make confession to their ordinary Catholick Priest, and receive the Sacrament of the Altar devoutlie & reverentlie according to the custome of the Roman-Catholick Church, under pain of banishment from the City, and the whole Kingdome of Bohemia. We will diligentlie promote your Petition concerning the removing of the souldiery from your citie, onely you shal endeavour that all your fellow Citizens, so much the sooner professe the Catholick faith, for by this meanes things will better suceeed with you all in this life, and the life to come, and the wil of his sacred Imperiall Majestie will be fulfilled. Given at Prague the 15. June. Anno. 1627
Commissioners in ordinary from
his sacred Imperiall Majesty,
King of Bohemia, &
Hungary, for Reformation
of Religion in the
said Kingdom of
Bohemia.
8. These Edicts were executed, those two were banished with some others. Some of the City of their own accord, departed for better security, or rather secretly run away, others were denied traffique, the Capuchians went about the Market, and from house to house, they shut up all the Mercers Shops, Taverns, and Ale-houses; and from those that notwithstanding this Edict; sould any thing, they tooke away their cloth, and linnen, and other commodities no man daring to gaine say them, the greater part therefore of the Citizens took the mark of the beast. that so they might buy and sell.