Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
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— 300 —<br />
Brahe, <strong>the</strong> astr<strong>on</strong>omer, who made <strong>the</strong> comm<strong>on</strong> mistake of<br />
th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> earth, with its eleven hundred creeds and <strong>on</strong>e humanity,<br />
<strong>the</strong> centre of <strong>the</strong> universe; but who o<strong>the</strong>rwise observed<br />
<strong>the</strong> stars clearly.<br />
Through Prague’s dirty, palace-bordered alleys must have<br />
pressed often <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> hot haste bl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d Ziska and open-m<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ded Wallenste<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
— <strong>the</strong>y have dubbed him “The Hero” <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Prague; and<br />
<strong>the</strong> town is h<strong>on</strong>estly proud of hav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g owned him for citizen. In<br />
his gloomy palace <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> Waldste<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>-Platz <strong>the</strong>y show as a sacred<br />
spot <strong>the</strong> cab<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>et where he prayed, and seem to have persuaded<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves he really had a soul. Its steep, w<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g ways must<br />
have been choked a dozen times, now by Sigismund’s fly<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
legi<strong>on</strong>s, followed by fierce-kill<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g Tarborites, and now by pale<br />
Protestants pursued by <strong>the</strong> victorious Catholics of Maximilian.<br />
Now Sax<strong>on</strong>s, now Bavarians, and now French; now <strong>the</strong> sa<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ts<br />
of Gustavus Adolphus, and now <strong>the</strong> steel fight<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g mach<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>es<br />
of Frederick <strong>the</strong> Great, have thundered at its gates and fought<br />
up<strong>on</strong> its bridges.<br />
The Jews have always been an important feature of Prague.<br />
Occasi<strong>on</strong>ally <strong>the</strong>y have assisted <strong>the</strong> Christians <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong>ir favourite<br />
occupati<strong>on</strong> of slaughter<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>on</strong>e ano<strong>the</strong>r, and <strong>the</strong> great flag<br />
suspended from <strong>the</strong> vault<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g of <strong>the</strong> Altneuschule testifies to<br />
<strong>the</strong> courage with which <strong>the</strong>y helped Catholic Ferd<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>and to<br />
resist <strong>the</strong> Protestant Swedes. The Prague Ghetto was <strong>on</strong>e of<br />
<strong>the</strong> first to be established <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Europe, and <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>y synagogue,<br />
still stand<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, <strong>the</strong> Jew of Prague has worshipped for eight<br />
hundred years, his women folk devoutly listen<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, without, at<br />
<strong>the</strong> ear holes provided for <strong>the</strong>m <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> massive walls. A Jewish<br />
cemetery adjacent, “Bethchajim, or <strong>the</strong> House of Life,” seems<br />
as though it were burst<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g with its dead. With<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> its narrow acre<br />
it was <strong>the</strong> law of centuries that here or nowhere must <strong>the</strong> b<strong>on</strong>es<br />
of Israel rest. So <strong>the</strong> worn and broken tombst<strong>on</strong>es lie piled <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
close c<strong>on</strong>fusi<strong>on</strong>, as though tossed and tumbled by <strong>the</strong> struggl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
host beneath.<br />
The Ghetto walls have l<strong>on</strong>g been levelled, but <strong>the</strong> liv<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
Jews of Prague still cl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to <strong>the</strong>ir foetid lanes, though <strong>the</strong>se