l language, which through their influence became far more refined
and polished. Before referring to some of the writings of members of the
community we should mention the famed translation of the Scriptures
known as the _Bible of Kralice_. It was the joint work of several
divines of the brotherhood, and was first printed at Kralice in Moravia
in 1593. Brother Gregory, surnamed the patriarch of the brotherhood, has
left a large number of writings dealing mainly with theological matters.
Most important are the _Letters to Archbishop Rokycan_ and the book _On
good and evil priests_. After the death of Brother Gregory in 1480
discord broke out in the community, and it resulted in very great
literary activity. Brothers Lucas, Blahoslav and Jaffet, as well as
Augusta, a bishop of the community, have left us numerous controversial
works. Very interesting is the account of the captivity of Bishop
Augusta, written by his companion the young priest Jan Bilek. We have
evidence that numerous historical works written by members of the
brotherhood existed, but most of them perished in the 17th century when
nearly all anti-Roman books written in Bohemia were destroyed. Thus only
fragments of Blahoslav's _History of the Unity_ (i.e. the brotherhood)
have been preserved. One of the historians of the brotherhood, Wenceslas
Brezan, wrote a _History of the House of Rosenberg_, of which only the
biographies of William and Peter of Rosenberg have been preserved. The
greatest writer of the brotherhood is John Amos Komensky or Comenius
(1592-1670). Of his many works written in his native language the most
important is his _Labyrinth of the World_, an allegorical tale which is
perhaps the most famous work written in Bohemian.[4] Many of the
numerous devotional and educational writings of Comenius,--his works
number 142,--are also written in his native tongue.

The year 1620, which witnessed the downfall of Bohemian independence,
also marks the beginning of a period of decline of the national tongue,
which indeed later, in the 18th century, was almost extinct as a written
language. Yet we must notice besides Comenius two other writers, both
historians, whose works belong to a date later than 1620. Of these one
was an adherent of the nationalist, the other of the imperialist party.
Paul Skala ze Zhore (1582-c. 1640) was an official in the service of the
"winter king" Frederick of the Palatinate. He for a time followed his
sovereign into exile, and