together with his vicar-general and three other priests, canons of Prague. The archbishop saved himself by flight; but the three priests were taken to the city hall, where they were compelled to suffer for the misdeeds of their superior. Václav, determined to discover who was most to blame for this act, done in direct opposition to his expressed wishes, had the poor canons tortured, himself applying the burning candles to their flesh. Doubtless all four would have been put to death; but the king’s wrath cooling somewhat, he bethought himself that the death of so many priests might bring him into trouble. He therefore released three of them; but John of Nepomuk was so horribly mutilated that he could not live, so he was ordered to be cast into the river Moldau (March 20, 1393).
The following centuries a host of legends were invented by the Jesuits about this John of Nepomuk, until they succeeded in having him canonized; and the poor, deluded people were taught to regard him as the chief saint of the country.
Several attempts at a reconciliation between the king and the archbishop were made, but they were unsuccessful, owing to the stubbornness of the king, who imposed too hard conditions. At last that prelate betook himself to Rome to plead his own case before the Pope. But in this emergency he was forsaken by his own chapter, and the Holy Father, seeing more gain from a friendship with Václav than with his unpopular archbishop, declined to give him any satisfaction. Disappointed in his hopes, the archbishop returned to Bohemia and resigned his office.
The displeasure of the nobility at being pushed aside and the offices of the kingdom given to the
