onasteries if they
happened to belong to one or other of the many congregations in Prague,
and theology courses were held in the Cathedral. This was well enough at
first, but even then there was no provision for the students' lodgings.
They could not live in colleges, as there were none; in fact, the only
university buildings in existence, which probably served various
ceremonial occasions, was a congeries of buildings called the Carolinum,
after its founder. These buildings stood in the Old Town, and there were
probably others used for university purposes dotted about the town, as
is the case to-day. Still, the students remain unhoused. There must have
been a good many houses without the walls of the Old Town and
Vy[vs]ehrad, the ancient borough, and I take it that Charles collected
all these houses under one administration of its own, walled the place
in securely and called it Nove M[ve]sto, New Town, quite simply. Charles
laid the foundation-stone of the New Town in the same year as that in
which he started the University, fitted the former out with various
necessaries, a town-hall, a church or two, perhaps St. Stephen's, and so
provided more housing room for the good people of Prague and their
guests the students.

[Illustration: VENICE IN PRAGUE.]

All went very well, no doubt, for several years, when a calamity befell
the city of Prague: the old bridge, built at her own expense by Queen
Judith, the only link between Prague on the right bank and the Mala
Strana, was damaged beyond repair by winter's floods. Charles, as usual,
rose to the occasion: he built a new one, again laying a foundation with
his own royal hand, and this happened in 1358--on July 9th, to be
strictly accurate. I do not propose to describe the Charles Bridge to
you, as I am supplying an illustration showing it, but I wish to remark
here that Charles is not guilty of the groups of statuary which
distinguish this bridge from others in the world. The only bit of
statuary anywhere near the Charles Bridge which dates from his period
stands near the Mala Strana end of it on the upstream side. This is the
sculptured figure of a knight in armour, bearing the coat of arms of the
Old Town and holding aloft his drawn sword. Dr. Je[vr]abek calls this
figure "Bruncvik," others call it "Roland"; it was probably put up to
inform passers-by that they had better pay their toll quietly or there
would be trouble.

The piles of the Charles Bridge nearest to the