is rather poor in historical works written in the
language of the country. We should, however, mention some chroniclers
who were contemporaries and sometimes eye-witnesses of the events of the
Hussite wars. Their writings have been collected and published by
Frantisek Palacky under the title of _Stare ceske letopisy_.

In the 16th century when Bohemia was in a state of comparative
tranquillity, the native literature was largely developed. Besides the
writers of the community of the Bohemian Brethren, we meet at this
period with three historians of merit. Of these far the best-known is
Wenceslas Hajek of Libocan. The year of his birth is uncertain, but we
read of him as a priest in 1524; he died in 1553. His great work
_Kronika ceska_ was dedicated to the emperor Ferdinand I., king of
Bohemia, and appeared under the auspices of government officials. It has
therefore a strong dynastic and Romanist tendency, and its circulation
was permitted even at the time when most Bohemian books were prohibited
and many totally destroyed. Hajek's book was translated into several
languages and frequently quoted. We find such second-hand quotations
even in the works of many writers who had probably never heard of Hajek.
His book is, however, inaccurate and grossly partial. Very little known
on the other hand are the works of Bartos, surnamed "pisar" (the
writer), as he was for many years employed as secretary by the city of
Prague, and those of Sixt of Ottersdorf. The work of Bartos (or
Bartholomew) entitled the _Chronicle of Prague_ has great historical
value. He describes the troubles that befell Prague and Bohemia
generally during the reign of the weak and absentee sovereign King
Louis. The year of the birth of Bartos is uncertain, but it is known
that he died in 1539. The somewhat later work of Sixt of Ottersdorf
(1500-1583) deals with a short but very important episode in the history
of Bohemia. It is entitled _Memorials of the Troubled Years 1546 and
1547_. The book describes the unsuccessful rising of the Bohemians
against Ferdinand I. of Austria. Sixt took a considerable part in this
movement, a fact that greatly enhances the value of his book.

Though the life of Chelcicky, who has already been mentioned, was an
isolated one, he is undoubtedly the indirect founder of the community of
the "Bohemian Brethren," who greatly influenced Bohemian literature.
Almost all their historical and theological works were written in the
nationa