judgement upon the arrogant spite of the nobles. After the fall of nearly all the officers, on both sides, the wrath of the victors was at length overcome, by their bloody toil, and the heat of the day; and the Austrians, undisturbed, indulged the desire of life, but the Swiss, seeing themselves masters of the field, the desire of booty. Such is the end of the great day of the battle at Sempach, in which Arnold Strutthan, of Winkelried, at the price of his own life, saved the flower of the Swiss from death, and his country from extreme danger. The enemy, indeed, suffered from their awkward and unskilful order of battle, their want of practice in fighting on foot; their ignorant contempt of their adversary; and the impetuous character of chivalric valor. Our fathers knew the country, and made use of the advantages, which Switzerland, to this day, offers, in a thousand ways. They were inferior, it is true, in some points of drilling; their mode of warfare was, as were their souls, simple, great, and strong; were they checked in their course by the enemy's discipline, some extraordinary deed, as that at Sempach, aided them; some deed suggested by their heroic souls, and executed by their sound bodies. With a mind like that of Winkelried, and with such infantry, miracles of bravery would have been performed, even if the object had been to capture well-served artillery, or to run under its fire. For all arms, of whatever form, may be over-mastered, by a clear intellect and unconquerable souls. Therefore, according to the opinions of excellent soldiers of our own times, the result of a struggle in defence of our liberty and confederacy, would not be different, if only our souls are still the same.

That same day, the message of the country's salvation was sent to Zurich, Bern, Zug, and Glaris. The day after the battle, when a troop of fugitives had been overtaken, and put to the sword in Sursee, the Swiss granted an armistice, for burying the dead. The body of the Prince, with those of sixty lords and knights, were carried into the convent of Königsfelden; he was deposited in the marble tomb, where rests Queen Agnes, and others of the house. The lords of Aargan were laid in the

graves of their ancestors; all the rest were interred in large fosses; two hundred bodies of the confederates were buried at Lucerne. A perpetual anniversary, for all future ages, was appointed, for the rest of the souls of all that had fallen on that day, without distinction, whether friends or foes. Winkelried is justly held in high honor by his people, to this day. It is for all nations and their historians to show, that such a hero becomes immortal at the moment of his glorious death; and that all good citizens, fathers, or brothers, become his true descendants. The victors, after they had tarried for three days on the battle-field, according to ancient custom, dispersed, bearing as trophies fifteen conquered banners, and returned to ther towns and villages, celebrating their achievement

DEATH OF HUSS, A. D. 1415,

THE following account is taken from the work of Zacharaeus Theobald, entitled, 'The War of the Hussites, wherein is comprehended the Life, Doctrine, and Death, of John Huss; also, how the same was avenged by the Bohemians, especially by John Zishka, and his Doctrine afterwards established in the Kingdom, [Bohemia] The whole diligently collected from credible Historians, ancient Monuments, and Manuscripts. Nuremberg, 1621.' The first volume of this work had appeared as early as 1610, under the title of 'The War of the Hussites,' the second edition of which volume formed a part of the entire work, whose title is given above. Zacharaeus Theobald was born in 1584, at Schlackenwalde, in Bohemia, studied divinity, and became a village pastor. He had been appointed professor of mathematics, probably in the university of Prague, but died in 1627, before entering on the duties of the office. He was the author of various works. In the preface to the above history, he says, that he has undertaken the work, because there was not any full and accurate history of the war of the Hussites, in the German language. He mentions the authorities consulted by him, and states, that he has taken the facts in the Life of Huss, from the account of M. Petras de Mladonowiz, an eyewitness, who had then been regarded as a standard authority in Bohemia, for two hundred years.

John Huss was born in Bohemia, in the year 1373. He studied at Prague; and, in 1402, received an appointment as pastor, having previously delivered philosophical and theological lectures. He made the writings of Wiclif and the Scriptures, his peculiar study. During the violent disturbances and schisms, which then agitated the Church, Huss took part with the anti-papal party. He attacked the licentiousness of the priests, preached against the sale of indulgences, masses for the dead, auricular confession, and the withholding of the cup from the laity in the Lord's Supper, while he relied upon the Bible, as supreme authority. He was cited to appear at Rome, but did not obey the summons in person When the council of Constance was

held, in order to settle the great disturbances in the Church, the German Emperor Sigismund became responsible for his personal safety, that is, he promised him a safeconduct, and Pope John XXIII. made promises to the same effect, after the arrival of Huss at Constance. Notwithstanding this, he was imprisoned, in spite of the reiterated remonstrances of the Bohemian and Moravian nobles, and was denied an advocate. After several examinations, he was sentenced to death by the assembled council, in 1415. When Huss reminded the Emperor of his promise of safeconduct, Sigismund blushed; but even so solemn a promise was not considered binding, in the case of a heretic, and Huss was burnt the same day, (July 6,) upon which he was sentenced. Even his enemies speak with admiration of his unblemished virtue, his modest demeanor, and unshaken fortitude in the hour of death.

When the writer of these lines, many years ago, was at Constance, in Switzerland, he paid a visit to the Roman Catholic Bishop of that place, and, with him, visited the spot, pointed out as the place where Huss perished. The Protestant and the Roman Catholic visiters fully agreed respecting the unhappy temper of former times, which dictated these sacrifices, so contrary to the spirit of the Christian religion. It ought to be mentioned, that the Catholic Church, especially the Romanist portion, does not acknowledge the council of Constance as oecumenic; that is, its decrees are not binding upon the Church, although it was one of the most solemn and numerous councils ever assembled, because it revived the principle, that a general council is superior to the Pope, and may even depose him.

The following passage is taken from the first volume of Theobald's War of the Hussites, Chapter XX.

On July the sixth, (some have written, erroneously, June the sixth,) the final examination of John Huss took place, in the following manner: Two hours after the break of day, the Bishop of Riga went, with many men, armed with pikes, swords, and lances, to the convent of the Minorites, ordered Huss to be taken from his prison, and led him to the cathedral, where the cardinals, bishops, prelates, priests, monks, and many of the common people who wished to be spectators, were assembled. When they arrived before the church, he ordered Huss

to remain in the yard, that the mass might not be desecrated by the presence of a heretic. When mass had been read, he was brought in, before the assembled multitudes, who were seated in swarms, on high scaffolds, that had been built along the walls. The Emperor himself sat under the golden crown, upon a royal chair. Near him, the Duke of Bavaria held the orb with the cross. On the other side, stood the burgrave of Nuremberg, with a naked sword. In the centre of the church, was erected a pretty high table, upon which, lay the vestments used in the mass. In these, they ignominiously arrayed Huss, and placed him before the table. He knelt down, and prayed for a long time. In the mean time, Bishop Landinns, otherwise called the monk, ascended the pulpit, from which they used to read their decrees, and preached a long sermon upon a passage from the sixth chapter of the apostle Paul to the Romans, where he says, "What shall we say, then? Shall we continue in sin?" In this sermon, he taught, at length, what injury is done by heresy, how it destroys the church of Christ, entices the people from Christ, and leads them into the mouth of the devil. He also said, that "it is right for the secular magistrate to suppress it, and to destroy those with whom it originates. For such heretics are much worse than a tyrant, however wicked even he may be. Therefore, it is just," added he, "and the duty of your imperial majesty, most invincible Emperor, to execute this stiff-necked heretic, since he is in our hands, and thus shall your majesty attain an immortal name, with old and young, so long as the world shall stand, for performing a deed so glorious, and so pleasing unto God."

When he had finished, another, named Henricus, orator of the council, ascended the pulpit, and exhorted the assembled council, that they should weigh the matter well, and not rest nor yield, until they had burnt the sturdy heretic, for continuing so stiff-necked in his damnable error. After this, rose a bishop, and went to the desk, upon which they usually read their decrees. He recount

* The assembled clergy.