In a letter addressed to his friends at Prague he said : " My brethren , . . . I am departing with a safeconduct from the king to meet my numerous and mortal enemies . . . . I confide altogether in the All-powerful God , in my Saviour ; I trust that He will listen to your ardent prayers , that He will infuse His prudence and His wisdom into my mouth , in order that I may resist them ; and that He will accord me His Holy Spirit to fortify me in His truth , so that I may face with courage , temptations , prison , and , if necessary , a cruel death . Jesus Christ suffered for His well-beloved ; and therefore ought we to be astonished that He has left us His example , in order that we may ourselves endure with patience all things for our own salvation ? He is God , and we are His creatures ; He is the Lord , and we are His servants ; He is Master of the world , and we are contemptible mortals--yet He suffered ! Why , then , should we not suffer also , particularly when suffering is for us a purification ? Therefore , beloved , if my death ought to contribute to His glory , pray that it may come quickly , and that He may enable me to support all my calamities with constancy . But if it be better that I return amongst you , let us pray to God that I may return without stain--that is , that I may not suppress one tittle of the truth of the gospel , in order to leave my brethren an excellent example to follow . Probably , therefore , you will nevermore behold my face at Prague ; but should the will of the Allpowerful God deign to restore me to you , let us then advance with a firmer heart in the knowledge and the love of His law ." --Bonnechose , vol . 1 , pp . 147 , 148 .
In another letter , to 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 ." -- Ibid ., vol . 1 , pp . 148 , 149 .
On his journey , Huss everywhere beheld indications of the spread of his doctrines and the favour 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 . Ibid ., vol . 1 , p . 247 . He had been proved before the
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