No sooner did the Bohemians find themselves in full pos session of the university, than they proceeded to elect Huss for their rector. He now exerted his eloquence more pow erfully than ever in declaiming against the scandalous cor ruption of morals among the clergy ; and, among other doctrines, lie strongly recommended a diminution of the superfluous revenues of the church, as the best means of producing a moral reformation. He even ventured to at tack the supreme power of the pope, in whom he would ac knowledge no superiority over other bishops.
As soon as the conduct of Huss was represented to Pope Alexander V. he gave the Archbishop Submco a commis sion to take measures for repressing these dangerous doc trines. The archbishop accordingly not only prohibited all in chapels, but ordered all the writings of Wickliffe, which he could collect, to be publicly burnt. Huss, however, entirely disregarded the prohibition, and continued to preach, as zealously as ever, in favour of the condemned doctrines. At length, in the year 1410, he was summoned to appear before the papal tribunal by John XXIII. ; but Huss, under the protection of the king and queen, several powerful nobles, and the university, declined appearing in person, but sent three deputies to excuse his absence, and to answer all that should be alledged against him. In the mean time an event occurred, which made the breach between Huss and the court of Rome utterly irreparable. In the autumn of 1411, Pope John caused a general indulgence to be proclaimed for all those who should assist him in his crusade against the- excommuni cated king, Ladislaus of Naples ; and for this purpose he sent his commissaries tp Prague. Huss, who had former ly opposed the sale of indulgences, now raised his voice boldly against this papal traffic ; while his friend Jerome of Prague, even went so far as to burn the papal bull in the market-place under the gallows. This was sufficient to call forth the vengeance of the Roman pontiff. Huss was now excommunicated for his contumacy in declining to appear personally at the papal tribunal ; and the town of Prague was laid under an interdict. The number of his w friends and adherents would probably have enabled Huss to set at nought this sentence ; but, in order to remove every pretext for tumult and disorder, he resolved to withdraw from Prague, and accordingly retired to his birth-place, Hussinez. Here, and at Cracowitz, to which place he soon after repaired, Huss continued to disseminate his doctrines by preaching, and composed several treatises, with a view to expose the most objectionable tenets of the Romish church.
Matters-were in this situation, when the emperor Sigis mund agreed with Pope John to assemble a general coun cil at Constance. To this general council Huss was sum moned, in order to defend himself publicly against the ac cusation of heresy. His friends having procured for him a safe-conduct from the emperor, and being likewise pro vided with attestations of his orthodoxy and innocence from the university and the papal inquisitor at Prague, he set out upon his journey to Constance, where lie arrived short ly before the opening of the council. The pope treated him with kindness, assured him of his protection, and even removed the sentence. of excommunication. But shortly afterwards, some of his most violent persecutors having ar rived at Constance, they used their utmost influence to pro cure his condemnation ; and Huss himself having had the imprudence to promulgate the doctrines of Wickliffe at Constance, lie was summoned before the pope and the car dinals, and, notwithstanding the emperor's safe-conduct, thrown into prison.
Upon receiving intelligence of these proceedings, the em peror, who had not yet arrived, sent an order to his ambas sador to insist with the pope and the cardinals upon the liberation of John Huss, and to threaten, if they refused to comply, that the prison would be opened by force. The pope and the cardinals, however, disregarded the command of the king, and caused the prisoner to be more strictly confined. When Sigismund arrived at Constance, he al lowed himself to be persuaded by the theologians and ca nonists, that he was not bound, to keep faith with a notori ous heretic; and he issued a declaration that the council should have free power in all matters of faith, and should be allowed to proceed as judges against all those who were accused of heresy. Some of the most considerable among the Bohemian nobles, indignant at the perfidious conduct of the emperor, repeatedly requested, in pretty bold language, that John Huss, who had received a safe-conduct from the monarch himself, and otherwise would certainly not have repaired to Constance, should be set at liberty, and publicly heard in his defence before the whole council. But Sigis mund excused himself in evasive terms, and thereby drew upon himself the mortal hatred of the Bohemians, which, in the sequel, proved highly dangerous to his power.