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56

A HISTORY OF BOHEMIAN LITERATURE

elsewhere

— constitutes

an attempt to establish a theory substituting for all secular and

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a

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of religious nihilism, ecclesiastical authority the ill-defined " will of God." The details of the life of Chelcicky are still obscure, though the recent researches of Bohemian writers, specially of Professor GoU' —to whose Bohemian and German works I wish here to acknowledge my indebtedness — have established a certain number of facts as It would perhaps be unnecessary again to certain. mention that the foolish tale that Chelcicky was a cobbler is devoid of truth, had not this statement found its way into an English work dealing with Bohemia that has appeared within the last few years. Peter Chelcicky was born at Chelcic near Vodnan, in Southern Bohemia, towards the end of the fourteenth century, probably as the son of a small landowner. He proceeded to Prague early in life, and remained there for a considerable time occupied with studies principally of a theological charIt however, certain that he never took orders, acter. as was formerly supposed, and that he did not pursue his studies at the university. He was indeed debarred from doing so by insufficient knowledge of the Latin As he has himself told us, he acquired but language. very slight knowledge of that language during his stay at Prague. He had, however, read portions of the works of Wycliffe, to whom he refers frequently, and who " often quoted by probably the " Magister Protiva who

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Chelcicky. He, however, as he himself tells us, acquired most of his knowledge of the opinions of Wycliffe and other theologians from his frequent conversations with numerous Bohemian priests. specially recorded that he had frequent intercourse with the priests of the