few more years. However,
he had prepared to meet events that might follow on his death, and had
secured the succession to his son Wenceslaus, fourth and last Bohemian
King of that name. Wenceslaus was the son of Anne of Schweidnitz, third
wife of Charles; he had been crowned King of Bohemia at the age of two,
his succession to the throne of Germany had been secured, so Wenceslaus,
though only seventeen years old, started with the odds in his favour.
There were plenty of troubles about which must have puzzled the young
King considerably: rival Popes were hurling bans, bulls,
excommunications, anathemas and such-like Church property at each other,
and all the little dogs were barking at the heels of those precious
pontiffs. Luckily young Wenceslaus could count upon a number of his
father's old friends and councillors, and he started out trying to carry
on his father's policy. He also took a line, a private one of his own,
which was harmless enough at the outset, but became inconvenient as time
went on. Wenceslaus was all out for popularity among his people,
especially among his Pragers. He would go about the city looking into
minor matters of his people's welfare, so he would measure the mercer's
cloth-yard and if it were not up to standard would crack the saucy
knave's head therewith. He went among his people performing acts of
charity; in fact, he generally disported himself right royally, if with
an occasional lapse from discretion. Now this Wenceslaus drew the
relations between England and Bohemia closer together. Wenceslaus had a
sister Anne, who married our Richard II. Anne was surely a very dear
lady--an expensive one, in fact--for Richard had to pay eighty thousand
golden guldens to Wenceslaus within a fortnight of Anne's landing in
England, and had also lent the genial Bohemian King a further sum of
twenty thousand golden guldens, which went away to the _Ewigkeit_--at
least England never saw them again.

Costly as was the bride of Richard II of England, I like to linger on
her memory, feeling convinced that we all have benefited by the outlay.
It is my firm opinion that we owe our grand old Christmas carol about
"Good King Wenceslaus" to Anne of Bohemia directly. I have consulted
various living Bohemian authorities on this subject. They had not even
heard of our carol: I hummed the tune to them--it told them nothing.
They tried to palm me off with St. Wenceslaus, but I declined him; he is
not quite suitable as "