Untitled - 24grammata.com

OF THE REFORMATION. 263time* no one will pretend to extenuate the persecutions inwhich the intolerance of subsequent governments led themto indulge, down to the revocation of the edict of Nantes.But in proportion as we find it easy to show the truth ofour first remark, do we find it difficult to adduce historicalproof of the other, its apparent contradiction, viz. that themaintenance of a spirit of resistance in the people was owingto the Hugonot party. It is not however the less true onthis account ; for in the first place 3 we cannot doubt thatsuch fearful disturbances as those which were caused by thereligious disputes in France, must have left traces in thenational character which could not easilybe effaced. But,besides this, history lias not left us without proofs. It iswell known that,after the time of Richelieu, the spirit ofopposition which had been raised, passed into the parliament of France. The degreeof influence which the Beformationexercised in this case cannot be clearly determinedwithout lengthened details. But it would be difficult todeny such an influence altogether, since by the edict ofNantes the Protestants were allowed a share in the counselsof this body although their admittance is neither the onlynor the principal source, to which we should seek to refer itOf this, as of their other rights,, the Protestants were againdeprived by the revocation of the edict but the; spirit:ofthe party was not destroyed by its suppression ; it acquirednew life, with such modifications only as the change of timesrendered necessary, under the garb of Jansenism. A fulldevelopment of its progress is beyond the limits of this treatise ;but we may observe, that the history of literatureshows plainly enough that this party derived warmth andvigour from the flame, which the learned disputesof theProtestants and their opponents had kindled in the theologyof France. These debates were succeeded by others whichproduced the great catastrophe of our own day, and bywhich the Reformation and its political consequences werethrown into the background ;but on that account became,in the fall sense of the word ?more peculiarlythe propertyof history.ENGLAOT).THE Reformation was of still more importance to Englandthan to France ;the new doctrines were triumphant here,