921.73 W589w.pdf - Mesa FamilySearch Library

8 2 3/[emoir of
gers, towards religious and civil freedom, dis-
closes one of the marvels of human history.
De Tocqueville, in his work on "Democracy
in America" (p. 67), thus presents a sombre
picture of popular liberty in Europe, at a somewhat
later period :--
"After having thus taken a rapid survey of
American society in I65O, if we examine the
state of Europe, and particularly that of the
Continent toward the same period, we feel our-
selves penetrated with profound surprise. On
the Continent of Europe, at the commence-
ment of the seventeenth century, absolute
royalty everywhere triumphed over the ruins
of the oligarchical and feudal liberty of t_e
middle age. In the bosom of this brilliant
and accomplished Europe, the idea of the
rights of the people was more misconceived
than perhaps even at any other period. Never
did the people possess less of the political life;
never had notions of true liberty less engaged
the minds of men ; and yet at this very period
these ideas of liberty, unknown to the European
nations, or despised by them, were proclaimed