raised his eyes to heaven in prayer. He was accused of denying the
Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. He sprang to his feet in
anger. Zabarella tried to shout him down. The voice of Hus rang
out above the babel.

"I have never held, taught or preached," he cried, "that in the
sacrament of the altar material bread remains after consecration."

The trial was short and sharp. The verdict had been given
beforehand. He was now accused of another horrible crime. He had
actually described himself as the fourth person in the Godhead! The
charge was monstrous.

"Let that doctor be named," said Hus, "who has given this evidence
against me."

But the name of his false accuser was never given. He was now
accused of a still more dangerous error. He had appealed to God
instead of appealing to the Church.

"O Lord God," he exclaimed, "this Council now condemns Thy action
and law as an error! I affirm that there is no safer appeal than
that to the Lord Jesus Christ."

With those brave words he signed his own death warrant. For all his
orthodoxy on certain points, he made it clearer now than ever that
he set the authority of his own conscience above the authority of
the Council; and, therefore, according to the standard of the day,
he had to be treated as a heretic.