for holding to his religious
convictions. Trusting in the word of an Emperor who had promised him a
safe conduct back to his own country, John Hus had gone to Constance to
defend his faith. Rome proved all-powerful, prevailed against the
promise of an Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and John Hus perished,
on his lips, they say, the words, "O Sancta Simplicitas!" But his memory
lives, and most surely amongst those of simple faith.

We do not observe the memory of those who suffered martyrdom for
England's spiritual freedom; by the way, there is in Bohemia a church
dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket.

I am describing the space between Town Hall and Cathedral as a square,
which is as about as accurate as the German name "Altstaedter Ring." The
Czech name for it is easier to pronounce than most of their words. Czech
is an immensely difficult language, and I still marvel at the clever
inhabitants of the country who pronounce it with ease--even with great
fluency. They can make jokes in it too, for the pleasant sound of
laughter is often heard in this "City Beautiful." I have never tackled a
Czech joke, but am quite prepared to give it credit for all the wit and
humour required of a joke, and as long as somebody is happy over it all
is well, and I smile with him.

[Illustration: THE TOWER OF OUR LADY OF TYN.]

Really there is something about this city which is smile-producing. It
is difficult to analyse, and may be attributed to the sheer beauty of
the place. And your smile may well go with a catch in your throat, for
there is always pathos in great beauty, and nowhere more so than here in
Prague. There is the delicate beauty of the Town Hall Chapel, and facing
it the tall steeples of the Tyn Church, with clusters of quaint little
pointed turrets, overtop a row of houses that seem to have set
themselves down with the deliberate intention of blocking the west
entrance. Now these houses are arcaded, and so are those on the south
side of the square. You puzzle for a while and then recall Padua, Verona
and other towns of Northern Italy; so now you know whence came the
inspiration that set up arcades in a northern capital. You ask how and
when this influence came to Prague, so I remind you of the relations
that existed between Bohemia and Italy, and of which I have told you
when discussing King John and his great son Charles. Under the guidance
of the latter, the Renaissance was not long in making its influence felt
in Prague