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Protestantism in Poland and Bohemia - James Aitken Wylie

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Prague <strong>in</strong> 1411. The citizens <strong>in</strong>terred their bodies<br />

with great respect, <strong>and</strong> Huss preached a sermon at<br />

their funeral.[3] In 1431, a conference took place <strong>in</strong><br />

Cracow, between certa<strong>in</strong> Hussite missionaries <strong>and</strong><br />

the doctors of the university, <strong>in</strong> presence of the<br />

k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> senate. The doctors did battle for the<br />

ancient faith aga<strong>in</strong>st the "novelties" imported from<br />

the l<strong>and</strong> of Huss, which they described as doctr<strong>in</strong>es<br />

for which the missionaries could plead no better<br />

authority than the Bible. The disputation lasted<br />

several days, <strong>and</strong> Bishop Dlugosh, the historian of<br />

the conference, compla<strong>in</strong>s that although, "<strong>in</strong> the<br />

op<strong>in</strong>ion of all present, the heretics were<br />

vanquished, they never acknowledged their<br />

defeat."[4]<br />

It is <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g to f<strong>in</strong>d these three countries --<br />

<strong>Pol<strong>and</strong></strong>, <strong>Bohemia</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> -- at that early<br />

period turn<strong>in</strong>g their faces toward the day, <strong>and</strong><br />

h<strong>and</strong>-<strong>in</strong>-h<strong>and</strong> attempt<strong>in</strong>g to f<strong>in</strong>d a path out of the<br />

darkness. How much less happy, one cannot help<br />

reflect<strong>in</strong>g, the fate of the first two countries than<br />

that of the last, yet all three were then direct<strong>in</strong>g<br />

their steps <strong>in</strong>to the same road. Many of the first<br />

5

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