e sacramental cup into his
hands. When the white robe, the alb, was put on, Hus said: "My Master
Christ, when He was sent away by Herod to Pilate, was clothed in a white
robe."

[Illustration: HUS DEGRADED, BY MARTERSTEIG]

He was once more urged to swear off his errors. Turning to the people
with tears in his eyes and emotion in his trembling voice--"How could
I thus sin against my conscience and divine truth alike?"

As they took off his priestly robes, the Archbishop of Milan said: "O
cursed Judas, who hast left the realms of peace and allied thyself with
the Jews, we today take from thee the chalice of salvation."

"I hope to drink of the chalice in the heavenly kingdom this day."

The holy fathers of the General Council of all Christendom then gravely
and learnedly debated whether to use shears or a razor to remove the
tonsure. Finally they decided for the shears, and his hair was cut to
leave bare the form of a cross. Next his head was washed, to remove the
oil of anointing, by which he had been consecrated to the priesthood.

A paper cap, two feet high, painted with three ghastly devils tormenting
a soul, and with the words, "This is a heretic," was placed on his head;
Hus remarked: "My Lord Jesus Christ wore for me a crown of thorns; why
should I not for His sake wear this easier though shameful badge?"

[Illustration: HUS WITH THE HERETIC'S CAP]

XIX.

Hus Made Over to the Emperor.

Doomed by the Church, Hus was now made over to the Emperor, with the
usual hypocritical prayer that he might not be put to death.

Sigismund said: "Sweet Cousin, Duke Louis, Elector of the Holy Roman
Empire and our High Steward, since I bear the temporal sword, take thou
this man in my stead and treat him as a heretic."

The "sweet cousin" called the warden of Constance: "Warden, take this
man, because of the judgment against him, and burn him as a heretic."
Others added: "And we give thy soul over to the devil."

"And I commit my soul to the Lord Jesus Christ."

The Warden made him over to the executioner, who led Hus out under a
strong guard, escorted by eight hundred armed men, followed by an
immense multitude of people curious to see the final scene.

XX.

Hus Burned.

In the church-yard they were just burning the books of Hus; he
smiled sadly. With a firm step, singing and praying, Hus went to
the "Bruehl," a quarter of a mile north of the Schnetz gate. There
he knelt, spread out his hands,