s ruler, the opposition calling on
him not to favour the claims of foreigners, possibly enemies, to rule
over Bohemia, whereupon Tobias shouted: "If you wish at any price to
obtain a native Prince, go to Stadic, among the peasants; there you will
perhaps find a relation of the extinct royal family; bring him here and
seat him on the throne of your country." Thereupon ensued pandemonium.
One Ulrich of Lichtenburg slew Tobias forthwith, and several other
nobles were killed in the fray before the Diet settled down to the
conclusion that Henry, Duke of Carinthia, should be called in to rule
over Bohemia. Henry was supposed to be popular chiefly because he had
married a P[vr]emysl, as we have already reported--Ann, daughter of
Wenceslaus II; anyway, Prague received the couple with acclamations.
Albrecht of Habsburg objected, as he had fixed on his son Frederick as
heir to the Bohemian lands. There were the usual troubles: Albrecht's
troops invaded Bohemia and Moravia, and some of them continued to hold a
few frontier towns even after Albrecht had been killed by his nephew
John and the Electors had gone elsewhere in search of an Emperor.

With characteristic distrust of each other or of any German of
first-rate importance, the Electors went to the second-class magnates
again, and this time their choice fell on Henry, Count of Luxemburg.
Carlyle derives this name of Luxemburg via Luzzenburg from Luetzelburg,
which he translates into Littleborough. Carlyle is very pleased with
this derivation, and uses it to "point a moral and adorn a tale." In all
humility I differ from Carlyle in this derivation, my only excuse being
that I happen to know the dialect as spoken round about Luxemburg and
among the Eiffel people, sufficiently well, and that in their vernacular
there is no such word as could be distorted from Luetzel-via Luzzen-into
Luxem-and then mean "little." It is really refreshing to be able to
differ thoroughly, heartily, unreservedly, with a philosopher of
old-established authority.

Carlyle likes to point out that this insignificant little dynasty of
Luxemburg produced some great men as Emperors. He is quite right there
too; but so also did Habsburg. As to the Luxemburgers, it must be borne
in mind that though of German origin they were French by sentiment and
upbringing--I quote Dr. Seton Watson from memory.

German origin, a phrase that has been very freely used of late years, is
a somewhat elastic term, and frequentl