Protestantism in Sweden and Denmark - James Aitken Wylie
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age aga<strong>in</strong>st Clement he forgot Luther. A monarch<br />
of passions less strong <strong>and</strong> temper less fiery would<br />
have striven to avoid, at that moment, such a<br />
breach: but Henry's pride <strong>and</strong> headstrongness made<br />
him <strong>in</strong>capable of temporiz<strong>in</strong>g. The quarrel came<br />
just <strong>in</strong> time to prevent the union of the throne <strong>and</strong><br />
the priesthood aga<strong>in</strong>st the Reformation for the<br />
purpose of crush<strong>in</strong>g it. The political arm misgave<br />
the Church of Rome, as her h<strong>and</strong> was about to<br />
descend with deadly force on the Protestant<br />
converts. While the k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> the Pope were<br />
quarrell<strong>in</strong>g, the Bible entered, the Gospel that<br />
br<strong>in</strong>gs "peace on earth" began to be preached, <strong>and</strong><br />
thus Engl<strong>and</strong> passed over to the side of the<br />
Reformation.<br />
We must bestow a glance on the northern<br />
portion of the isl<strong>and</strong>. Scotl<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> that age was less<br />
happily situated, socially <strong>and</strong> politically, than<br />
Engl<strong>and</strong>. Nowhere was the power of the Roman<br />
hierarchy greater. Both the temporal <strong>and</strong> spiritual<br />
jurisdictions were <strong>in</strong> the h<strong>and</strong>s of the clergy. The<br />
powerful barons, like so many k<strong>in</strong>gs, had divided<br />
the country <strong>in</strong>to satrapies; they made war at their<br />
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