and preach the Gospel to every creature," Mark 16:15. And these, going forth, preached everywhere, that is, in every place where the people were willing to listen, God working with them. Therefore, this command is to the hurt of the church, and binds the Word of God, that it should not run freely. And, in the third place, it is prejudicial to the chapels which are erected and have with reason been confirmed by diocesans, and have been furnished with privileges by the apostolic see for the preaching of God's Word in them. For no advantage whatever can be seen to accrue from that command, but it is a fallacious and faithless irony, because the places set apart for divine worship and furnished with privileges for the preaching of the divine Word are deprived of their lawful liberties on account of some personal feeling or of some injurious appeal or some importunity, or on account of some temporal good. Hence, I appealed from that command of Alexander to Alexander himself, better informed.[1] And while I was prosecuting the appeal, that lord pope suddenly died. And, no audience being allowed me in the Roman curia, the Lord Zbynek, archbishop of Prague secured papers aggravating the censure against me, from which, A. D. 1410, I appealed to Pope John XXIII, and he during two years did not grant audience to my legal advocates and solicitors.[2] In the meantime I was weighed down still more by ecclesiastical proceedings.[3] When, therefore, my appeal from one pope to his successor did not profit me and to appeal from the pope to a council involves long waiting and because it is of uncertain advantage to beg for grace in the matter of a grievance and censure, therefore I appealed
- ↑ Huss claimed that Alexander had been misinformed by Zbynek and the Prague clergy in regard to the conditions in Prague.
- ↑ John of Jesenicz, Huss's chief legal advocate, remained faithful till Huss's death, and after it. He presented Huss's case at Rome and Bologna, was cast into prison and afterwards escaped and returned to Prague. See Schaff, Life of John Huss, 140 sq.
- ↑ The reference is to the aggravated excommunication issued by the curia against Huss, 1412, in view of his contumacy.
