BOHEMIAN LANGUAGE and LITERATURE have been subjected to literary culture from about the 0th century. The language is the harshest and strongest of the many dialects of the Slavonic family. It abounds in consonants so mixed that to lish eyes the words appear unpronounceable. The Bohemians call themselves Czeclis (Cecki, pronounced tchek-ht), and claim to be the original of their family of peoples. Christianity was introduced near the close of the 0th c., and a few fragments of pre Christian literature were found in 1817 preserved in a manuscript in it church steeple. The first literary productions of consequence, however. were due to the early German Christians, and were written in Latin. It was not until. the Legninner., of the 14th c., under Charles IV. of Germany, that the native language obtained imperial favor Dalimil wrote his Rhyming Cfironiele of Bohemia about 1314, ana trnnslationswere naule from the Latin and other languages into the Bohemian tongue. Sir :Ian Mandeville's travels was one of the'books earliest translated, and a complete version of his adventures was made about the end of the century. Among those who should be mentioned as original writers are Thomas domestic moralist, DuLa the jurist, and Flarzha the didactic poet. The next generations witnesses the attempts at both religious and linguistic reform that came to an end in the hurtling of John Huss and the persecution that followed. The Bohemian langtmre was, indeed, brought into general use, and served the disputants on both sides: hut little was assigned to its keeping except the ephemeral productions of political and ecclesiastical strife. A large collection of these works, saved from destruction by the invading Swedes, is still preserved in the library of Stockholm.
Of more permanent interest is Pail Zidek's History of his 11 arid, the travels of Leo of Rosman] through various parts of Europe: those of Koliatnik in Egypt and Asia Minor, and of John of Lobkowitz in Palestine. In the 19th c. there was a remarkable develop ment of prose in various departments of literature. Weleslawin. Paprocky, and Hayek of Liboczun wrote popular histories; Wratishis of Mitrovic. and Prefat of Wilkanowa gave accounts of their travels; and Nicolas Iconec, Dobrensky, and Lomnicky produced didactic works. A long period of literary decadence followed the battle of White Mountain (16201: the best blood of the nation went into exile, and such Bohemian literature as came forth appeared in foreign countries. In 1774a severe blow was struck at the native law are by Maria Theresa's decree which enforced the use of German in the higher and middle schools of the CO] Wry. But the defense of the native tongue was taken up by count Musky, Hanka of Haukenstein, the historian Pelzel, and the Jesuit BaThin. Other scholars espoused the cause, and a chair of the Bohemian language wns founded at and in 1818 a Bohemian museum was established in connection with a society that devoted itself to the study of national antiquities, which society published a journal. Puchmayer, 1795-1820, gave an impulse to national poetry, and was suc ceeded by Langer, Rokowocel, Schneider, Czelakowsky, H. Kollar, and many other writers. In science Presl, Sadek, Amerling, Smetana, Peteina, Sloboda, and Opiz have attained distinction. The names of writers in politics, theology, and philosophy are too numerous to mention.