Three proctors appeared for Dr. Huss before Cardinal Colonna; they pleaded an excuse for
his absence, and said they were ready to answer in his behalf. But the cardinal declared
him contumacious, and, accordingly, excommunicated him. On this the proctors appealed to
the Pope, who appointed four cardinals to examine the process. These commissioners
confirmed the sentence of the cardinal, and extended the excommunication, not only to
Huss, but to all his friends and followers. Huss then appealed from this unjust sentence
to a future council, but without success and, notwithstanding so severe a decree, and an
expulsion from his church in Prague, he retired to Hussinetz, where he continued to
promulgate the truth, both from the pulpit and with the pen.
In the month of November, in the year 1414, a general council was assembled at
Constance, in Germany, for the purpose of determining a dispute then existing between
three persons who contended for the Papal throne. These were John, proposed and set up by
the Italians; Gregory, by the French; and Benedict, by the Spaniards. The council
continued four years, in which the severest laws were enacted to crush the Protestants.
Pope John was deposed, and obliged to fly, more than forty crimes being proved against
him; among which were, his attempt to poison his predecessor, his being a gamester, a
liar, a murderer, an adulterer, and guilty of unnatural offences. The author of the
memorial containing the accusations against John XXIII closes it with these words, "He
is universally looked upon, as will be found upon the slightest inquiry, as the sink of
vice, the enemy of all virtue, the mirror of infamy, and all who know him speak of him as
a devil incarnate." If we contrast the character of these two chief actors, we
shall see that it was, as it has ever been, vice persecuting virtue.
John Huss was summoned to appear at this council; and to dispel any apprehensions of
danger, the emperor sent him a safe-conduct, the wording being, "You shall let
John Huss pass, stop, stay, and return freely, without any hindrance whatever."
On receiving this information, he told the persons who delivered it that he desired
nothing more than to purge himself publicly of the imputation of heresy and that he
esteemed himself happy in having so fair an opportunity of it as at the council to which
he was summoned to attend.
On his way he met with every mark of affection and reverence from people of all
descriptions. The streets, and even the roads, were thronged with people, whom respect,
rather than curiosity, had brought together. He was ushered into the towns with great
acclamations and he passed through Germany in a kind of triumph. "I thought,"
said he, "I had been an outcast. I now see my worst friends are in
Bohemia."
Notwithstanding the promise of the emperor to give him a safe conduct to and from
Constance, no regard was paid to the imperial pledge but, according to the maxim of this
same council, that "faith is not to be kept with heretics," when it was
known he was in the city, he was arrested, and imprisoned in the palace. This breach of
faith was noticed by one of Huss’s friends, who pleaded the imperial safe-conduct but
the Pope replied that he had not granted any such thing, nor was he bound by the
obligations of the emperor.
While Huss was under confinement, the council acted the part of inquisitors. They
condemned the doctrines of Wycliffe, and in their impotent malice ordered his remains to
be exhumed, and burnt to ashes, which orders were obeyed.
In the meantime the nobility of Bohemia and Poland used all their interest for Huss, and
so far prevailed as to prevent his being condemned unheard, which had been resolved on by
the commissioners appointed to try him.
At length he was brought before the council. When the articles exhibited against him
were read they were upwards of twenty-six in number, and chiefly extracted from his
writings.
On his examination being finished, he was taken from the court and a resolution was
formed by the council to burn him as an heretic unless he retracted. He was then committed
to a filthy prison, where, in the daytime, he was so laden with fetters that he could
hardly move and every night he was fastened by his hands to a ring against the walls of
the prison.
He continued some days in this situation, during which time many noblemen of Bohemia
interceded on his behalf. They drew up a petition for his release, which was presented to
the council by several of the most illustrious nobles of Bohemia notwithstanding which, so
many enemies had Huss in that court, that no attention was paid to it, and the reformer
was compelled to submit to the sentence of that merciless tribunal.
Shortly after the petition was presented, four bishops and two lords were sent by the
emperor to the prison, in order to prevail on Huss to recant. But he called God to
witness, with tears in his eyes, that he was not conscious of having preached or written
anything against the truth of God, or the faith of his orthodox Church. The deputies then
represented the great wisdom and authority of the council: to which Huss replied, "Let
them send the meanest person of that council, who can convince me by argument from the
word of God, and I will submit my judgment to him." The deputies, finding
they could not make an impression on him, departed, greatly astonished at the strength of
his resolution.
On the 4th of July he was, for the last time, brought before the council.
After a long examination he was commanded to abjure, which, without hesitation, he refused
to do. The Bishop of Lodi then preached a sermon concerning the destruction of heretics,
the text of which was, "Let the body of sin be destroyed," the prologue
to Huss’s punishment. After the close of the sermon his fate was determined, his
vindication rejected, and judgment pronounced. The council censured him for being
obstinate and incorrigible, and ordained that he should be degraded from the priesthood,
his books publicly burnt, and himself delivered to the secular power. He received the
sentence without the least emotion; and at the close of it kneeled down, and lifting his
eyes toward heaven, exclaimed, with the magnanimity of a primitive martyr, "May
thy infinite mercy, O my God! Pardon this injustice of mine enemies. Thou knowest the
injustice of my accusations: how deformed with crimes I have been represented; how I have
been oppressed with worthless witnesses, and a false condemnation; yet, O my God! Let that
mercy of thine, which no tongue can express, prevail with thee not to avenge my
wrongs."
But these excellent sentences were received as so many expressions of treason, and only
tended to inflame his adversaries. Accordingly, the bishops appointed by the council
stripped him of his priestly garments, degraded him, and put a paper mitre on his head, on
which were painted three devils, with this inscription "Heresiarch." This
mockery was received by the martyr with an air of unconcern, and seemed to give him
dignity rather than disgrace. A serenity appeared in his looks, which indicated that his
soul was approaching the realms of everlasting happiness; and when the bishop urged him to
recant, he turned to the people and addressed them thus –
"These lords and bishops do counsel me that I should confess before you all that
I have erred; which thing, if it might be done with the infamy and reproach of man only,
they might, peradventure, easily persuade me to do; but now I am in the sight of the Lord
my God, without whose great displeasure I could not do that which they require. For I well
know that I never taught any of those things which they have falsely alleged against me,
but I have preached, taught, written, and thought contrary thereunto. Should I by this my
example trouble so many consciences, endued with the most certain knowledge of the
Scriptures and of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? I will never do it, neither commit
any such offence, that I should seem to esteem this vile carcase appointed unto death more
than their health and salvation." At this most godly word he was forced again to
hear that he did obstinately persevere in his pernicious errors.
The ceremony of degradation being over, the bishops delivered him to the emperor, who
handed him over to the Duke of Bavaria. His books were burnt at the gates of the church;
and on the 6th of July he was led to the suburbs of Constance to be burnt
alive.
Having reached the place of execution, he fell on his knees, sung several portions
of the Psalms, and looked steadfastly towards heaven, saying, "Into thy hands, O
Lord! Do I commit my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me, O most good and faithful God." As
soon as the chain was put about him at the stake, he said, with a smiling countenance,
"My Lord Jesus Christ was bound with a harder chain than this for my sake why, then,
should I be ashamed of this old rusty one?"
When the faggots were piled around him, the Duke of Bavaria was so officious as to
desire him to abjure. "No," said he, "I never preached any
doctrine of an evil tendency and what I taught with my lips I now seal with my
blood." He then said to the executioner, "You are now going to burn a
goose (the name of Huss signifying goose in the Bohemian language), but in a
century you will have a swan whom you can neither roast nor boil." If this were
spoken in prophecy, he must have alluded to Martin Luther, who came about a hundred years
after, and had a swan on his coat of arms.
As soon as the faggots were lighted, the martyr sung a hymn, with so cheerful a voice,
that he was heard above the cracklings of the fire and the noise of the multitude. At
length his voice was interrupted by the flames, which soon put an end to his existence.
His ashes were collected, and, by order of the council, thrown into the Rhine, lest his
adherents should honour them as relics.
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