theme" of a rollicking carol; besides, he gets
plenty of attention in his own country. I grant that St. Wenceslaus was
full of good works, all of the kind that looks well in frescoes, and in
which everybody moves with feet in the first position, it was _de
rigueur_. King Wenceslaus IV, also performed acts of kindness among his
people, so the reference in the carol to "flesh and wine" suits this
merry monarch thoroughly: he would certainly have called for both these
forms of sustenance. St. Wenceslaus might have forgotten the wine; King
Wenceslaus would have thought of that at once; in fact, he was a firm
believer in the French adage, "_l'alcool conserve_." Then we learn from
the carol that the page found warmth in the footsteps of the King, and
Wenceslaus was certainly "hot stuff," as you will agree when I have told
you more about him. Moreover, what is more likely than that Anne should
have told her new English friends all about that jolly, popular brother
of hers? The tune and its quaint harmonization is surely from some time
in the joyous fifteenth century; if it had to deal with St. Wenceslaus
it would have to grunt about in Gregorian phrasing. No doubt Anne's
ladies who accompanied her from Bohemia would invoke the patron saint
from time to time, and English people, hearing a strange and difficult
name, and thinking it impossible that several well-known men had borne
it, would be likely enough to get saintly prince and jovial monarch
thoroughly mixed up. Anyway, I am firmly convinced that the "Good King
Wenceslaus" we sing about at Christmas is no other than the brother of
Anne, German King, King of Bohemia, fourth of that name, and Emperor of
the Holy Roman Empire.

Meanwhile the River Vltava continued to reflect indifferently the doings
of small and great, and among others those of Wenceslaus.

The laudable habit of bathing met with every encouragement from "Good
King Wenceslaus," who was generally to be found ready to take part in
any popular diversion. It was he who raised those humble but useful
citizens, the keepers of bathing establishments, to prominent rank among
their fellows. And hereby hangs a tale.

King Wenceslaus did not always see eye to eye with the leaders among the
people; there were misunderstandings and bickerings, and despite his
popularity among the more jovial elements, he had enemies even in his
own capital. On the occasion of one such unpleasantness his enemies had
detained him at the Ol