A History of Bohemian Literature

by hrabe Francis Lützow

At the end of his poem Lomnický reflects on the shortness of human life, and alludes to the curious tradition, that appears then to have been prevalent in Bohemia, that the extinction of the house of Rosenberg would be the prelude to great troubles and changes in Bohemia. Lomnický writes:—

"Our lifetime here becomes shorter; it perishes like a flower; we must betake ourselves hence into that other world.
Little time will pass till they carry us from our house; like a little leaf we fall from the tree.
But you, O Bohemian land, be careful of your fate, for all the words of Christ will be fulfilled;
Many wonders happen; the people murder one another; foul pestilences arise everywhere.
Frequently very noble lords leave us; the able and leading men disappear.
Thus this noble who lies on the bier, let him be an example to us; for we must remember
That there is a prophecy that when this family is extinct there will be no peace in the Bohemian kingdom;
Indeed, that after the departure of this most glorious rose, things will go from bad to worse.[69]
Let no one be surprised that I dare to write thus, for this disorderly world cannot exist long.
We also must all die, must go to the distant land, taste death.
Nothing remains but to prepare for it; however much a man may cry he must pay his penalty.
Let us then do penance, lead a virtuous life, if we wish to be with God.
Death and misery cannot harm us, for it (i.e. death) brings us from death to (eternal) life.
O Jesu Christ! Thou who art our highest Lord, when we die deign to be with us;
Receive our spirit in Thy most holy hand. Deliver us from Satan; do not let us go to torment;
Rather deign to allow us to behold Thee with our eyes, and to meet Lord Peter again in heaven."

I have already alluded to Lomnický's political rhymes, which deserve some notice, though their poetic merit is slight. Lomnický's rhythms have at least the merit that they lose little by translation. When Frederick of the Palatinate arrived in Bohemia in 1619, Lomnický, with his usual facility, immediately began singing the praise of the new sovereign. His verses for a time obtained great popularity at Prague, and—what was probably of greater importance to the needy poet—he received a considerable remuneration from the treasury of the king. Some of these verses have been preserved in the vast historical work of Skála ze Zhoře.[70] On the arrival of Frederick, Lomnický welcomed him with these words: "O King Frederick—We entreat thee with all our might—Drive the enemies from our land—Do not let them rob us any more.—May God give you His blessing—And grant you a happy reign—And also a glorious victory—Over those who are our enemies—Then may we have true freedom.—Receive in the two kinds—The body and the blood of our Lord Jesus.—Do thou effect this O King Frederick!—Confound the rebellious ones (i.e. the Austrian party)—Then ever more and more—Shall we praise you according to God—Celebrate your dignity."

Several other poems in the same sense, and dating from about the same time—the end of the year 1619—have been preserved. The battle of the White Mountain, in the following year, produced an immediate change in the views of the unscrupulous time-server Lomnický. He celebrated the executions at Prague on June 21st, 1621, in a ballad, of which I shall quote a few lines. The song begins thus:—

"An evil beginning almost always has an evil end:
He that writes this song knows that this is no lie.
Ill began the Calvinists, ill ended the Estates,
Rebels all.
Yes, they roused up the whole world from vain pride, from wickedness;
They conspired together against his Highness (i.e. Ferdinand).
Having a king, their lord, already lawfully chosen
And crowned,
They yet chose another for themselves, one of their band,[71]
Who was of the Calvinist faith, of that blind community;
They wanted to have superiority in everything, to be lords and freemen,
To insult the others."

After this not very veracious account of the origin of the Bohemian troubles, Lomnický refers to the details of the executions. He writes:—

"Every one received punishment according to his offence.
He also did not remain without torment who had sinned with his tongue,[72]
And, as the right demands, who had committed greater offence
Had severer punishment.
Some were exiled for ever from the country;
Others in prison still hope for mercy;
Others, again, have been whipped: it is the fault of the rebels
That this happens.
O most mournful spectacle! many were amazed,
Many a heart fainted, many shook from horror,
For there is no record that there ever occurred before
So great woe.
Twelve heads were placed on the bridge-gate,
That it might be proclaimed to every corner of the world
Who were the rebels, the wretched "directors,"[73]
The cause of all evil.
The remains of those who were quartered were placed at the crossways in the streets;
The hands of some were chopped off, having those fingers
Which had sworn falsely, which had been raised
To promise faith."

The song ends thus:—

"O Jesus, we pray to Thee, listen to our voices.
Grant to us that we may shortly behold our beloved sovereign (Ferdinand II.).
And, rejoicing with him, together praise and honour you,
Glorify you for ever.
This story will be the wonder of the whole world,
And wherever the news reaches it will displease the evil-minded,
For no one before ever heard or read in the chronicles
That the devil's pride was so greatly humiliated.
Many, many people then perished in a short time;
Their day was ended, they came to the term of their life.
O God! from a similar evil end
Deign to preserve us all."