e latter. I do not
suggest that a saints' day merely means a holiday.

To begin with, the Bohemians, on taking to Christianity at all, started
with some very fine vintage saints of their own growing. You have heard
all about them: Ludmilla, Wenceslaus, Milada, Adalbert. These estimable
people were, after all, following the precepts of those who had brought
the "Glad Tidings" to Bohemia, and therefore were entitled to high
consideration and respect. We have met some of these most worthy people.
There were the brothers Constantine (better known as Cyril) and
Methodius, who did much missionary work in Central Europe, especially
among those of their own, the Slavonic race, for these two were citizens
of Solun (Salonika), where pure Slavonic was spoken in the ninth
century. As Slavs these two missionaries were disliked by the Germans,
but both Popes Adrian I and John VIII approved of them; we have heard
how Methodius converted that stubborn pagan Prince Bo[vr]ivoj. Another
couple of saints whom I have mentioned before, Cosmas and Damian, have
always been most popular in Bohemia. They came from the West, or at
least their reputation did, for they had been martyred in the third or
fourth century, before Czech and his merry men had arrived at [vR]ip,
before the Slavs had appeared in Europe in fact. Pope Felix III held
these two gentlemen in high esteem, had dedicated a church to them in
Rome, and his successors had no doubt recommended this worthy couple to
the Bohemians when the latter began to ask for spiritual patronage.
Cosmas and Damian, the oldest patron saints of Bohemian Christendom,
became very popular, and many churches were dedicated to them; in fact,
as we have seen, it was zeal in their cause that brought about the
martyrdom of St. Wenceslaus. I believe these two, Cosmas and Damian,
were precursors of that excellent body of medical missionaries who
wisely get at a man's soul by healing his body. There must be something
in my theory about Cosmas and Damian, as the medical faculty of Prague
University put up a sculptured group supposed to represent these two
saints, on the Charles Bridge, early in the eighteenth century. As
portraiture this group is not convincing.

The leading patron saint of Prague seems to be St. Vitus; at least in
the great cathedral dedicated to him he dominates not only the city but
also his co-patron saints of this most famous of all the city's many
churches. You will remember that in course