ady of Tyn.

Good King Wenceslaus, of whom we sing at Christmas-time, seems to have
caused the chapel and tower of the Town Hall to be built, at least
according to archaeologists; the sign of a kingfisher within a wreath
which appears here is taken to denote work done in his time. The master
architect of those last decades of the fourteenth century was Peter
Parler, who also did a good deal of work on the Tyn Church.

[Illustration: A CORNER OF THE OLD TOWN.]

The tower was added to the house of Welflin od Kamene, which was
acquired in 1538, and some fifty years later the beautiful chapel, the
Gothic projection of which looks out on to the scene of martyrdom of
1621. You will find two very interesting and lovely Sessions Rooms in
this Town Hall. In one of these George Podiebrad, a native of Bohemia
and of the country's faith, was elected and proclaimed King in 1458. To
my thinking, the best time of day on which to come upon this old Town
Hall is of an evening, say in late autumn; approach it by that quaint
little alley, the Melantrichova, called so in honour of Melantrich, who
was famous as printer and publisher in the latter half of the sixteenth
century. While wandering about the narrow alleys, these quaint passages
under the houses, a peculiar feature of Prague, you will pick up
something of the old spirit of the city and repeople it with the shades
of former inhabitants or visitors to suit your taste or knowledge of
its history. There is, for instance, one visitor whom I can quite see
roaming about in nocturnal Prague--Dr. Faust. Local legend prefers to
call him Wilhelm instead of Heinrich, but that does not matter--he fits
into the picture.

Sooth to say, I find about this old quarter of the city a certain
atmosphere spiced with wickedness, not thoroughly bad, just enough to
keep you amused. Look round for yourself o' nights, and you will
probably find reason to agree with me. There is again, in this spicy
atmosphere, a local--or shall we say native?--foundation with a markedly
exotic top-dressing. For the foundation of this peculiar atmosphere I
make Good King Wenceslaus responsible. I have already suggested that he
was "hot stuff," and certainly, when he moved into the palace that stood
near the "Powder Tower," he made things merry and bright in the Old
Town. A night out with Wenceslaus was a liberal education. Fundamentally
his form of amusement was probably the same as you may enjoy to-day if
you are inclin