Rzehors sulked a little to begin with, referring to the order given him directly by Prokop, which was to spread propaganda among the peasantry. He boasted that he had shaken the morale of the bishop’s infantry at Nysa, and so on and so forth. Finally, he agreed to observe a little more discretion. He held out until the village of Radochów, about half a mile past Lądek.

“Let me tell you this!” he yelled to a gathering of peasants and refugees after climbing up onto a barrel. “Priests and magnates spread stories about the Czechs bringing war. They lie! This is not war but brotherly help, a peace mission. The Warriors of God are bringing a peace mission to Silesia, because peace, pax Dei, is the holiest of holy for good Czechs. But for there to be peace, we must defeat the foes of peace, with arms and force if needs be! It’s not the Silesian folk, who are friends of the Czechs, who are the enemy, but the Bishop of Wrocław, a scoundrel, oppressor and tyrant. The Bishop of Wrocław is in league with the Devil—he poisons wells and has decided to spread a plague through Silesia and wipe out the people. Thus, the Czechs only stand against the bishop, the priests and the Germans! The common people must not fear the Czechs!”

When the crowd had grown in size, Bisclavret also found a chance to show what he could do. He read the crowd a letter from Jesus Christ that had fallen from Heaven onto a field near Opava.

“The end is nigh for you, O you sinners and scoundrels,” he read fervently. “I am patient, but if you do not break away from Rome, from that Beast of Babylon, I, my Father and my angels will curse you for ever and ever. I shall send down on you hail, fire, lightning and storms, so your work will be spoiled. I shall destroy your vineyards and take away all your flocks. I shall punish you with bad air and bring great poverty down on you. Thus do I admonish you and forbid you from paying a tithe to the unworthy papists, priests and bishops, servants of the Antichrist; I forbid you from listening to them. And whoever betrays us will not see eternal life, and in his house will be born blind, deaf and scabrous children…”

The listeners crossed themselves, faces contorted in horror. Scharley swore under his breath. Samson kept peacefully silent and acted the idiot. Reynevan sighed but took no action and said nothing.