a priest who had become a disciple of the gospel,
Huss spoke with deep humility of his own errors, accusing himself "of
having felt pleasure in wearing rich apparel, and of having wasted hours
in frivolous occupations." He then added these touching admonitions: "May
the glory of God and the salvation of souls occupy thy mind, and not the
possession of benefices and estates. Beware of adorning thy house more
than thy soul; and above all, give thy care to the spiritual edifice. Be
pious and humble with the poor, and consume not thy substance in feasting.
Shouldst thou not amend thy life and refrain from superfluities, I fear
that thou wilt be severely chastened, as I am myself.... Thou knowest my
doctrine, for thou hast received my instructions from thy childhood; it is
therefore useless for me to write to thee any further. But I conjure thee,
by the mercy of our Lord, not to imitate me in any of the vanities into
which thou hast seen me fall." On the cover of the letter he added, "I
conjure thee, my friend, not to break this seal until thou shalt have
acquired the certitude that I am dead."(135)

On his journey, Huss everywhere beheld indications of the spread of his
doctrines, and the favor with which his cause was regarded. The people
thronged to meet him, and in some towns the magistrates attended him
through their streets.

Upon arriving at Constance, Huss was granted full liberty. To the
emperor's safe-conduct was added a personal assurance of protection by the
pope. But in violation of these solemn and repeated declarations, the
Reformer was in a short time arrested, by order of the pope and cardinals,
and thrust into a loathsome dungeon. Later he was transferred to a strong
castle across the Rhine, and there kept a prisoner. The pope, profiting
little by his perfidy, was soon after committed to the same prison.(136)
He had been proved before the council to be guilty of the basest crimes,
besides murder, simony, and adultery, "sins not fit to be named." So the
council itself declared; and he was finally deprived of the tiara, and
thrown into prison. The anti-popes also were deposed, and a new pontiff
was chosen.

Though the pope himself had been guilty of greater crimes than Huss had
ever charged upon the priests, and for which he had demanded a
reformation, yet the same council which degraded the pontiff proceeded to
crush the Reformer. The imprisonment of Huss excited great indignation in
Bohemia. Powerful nob