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From Rise of Protestantism in France to Publication of the Institutes - James Aitken Wylie

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superiority <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>tellect gave him, without his<br />

seek<strong>in</strong>g it, <strong>the</strong> lead amongst <strong>the</strong>m. His fellowstudents<br />

were a noisy, pleasure-lov<strong>in</strong>g set, and <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

revels and quarrels woke up, ra<strong>the</strong>r rudely at times,<br />

<strong>the</strong> echoes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> academic hall, and broke <strong>in</strong> upon<br />

<strong>the</strong> quiet <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> streets; but <strong>the</strong> high-souled honor<br />

and purity <strong>of</strong> Calv<strong>in</strong>, un<strong>to</strong>uched by soil or sta<strong>in</strong><br />

amidst <strong>the</strong> pastimes and Bacchanalian riots that<br />

went on around him, jo<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>to</strong> his l<strong>of</strong>ty genius,<br />

made him <strong>the</strong> admiration <strong>of</strong> his comrades.<br />

The nation <strong>of</strong> Picardy -- for <strong>the</strong> students were<br />

classified <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> nations accord<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> prov<strong>in</strong>ces<br />

<strong>the</strong>y came from -- elected <strong>the</strong> young Calv<strong>in</strong> as <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

proc<strong>to</strong>r, and <strong>in</strong> this capacity he was able, by his<br />

legal knowledge, <strong>to</strong> recover for his nation certa<strong>in</strong><br />

privileges <strong>of</strong> which <strong>the</strong>y had been deprived.<br />

There have been more brilliant affairs than this<br />

triumph over <strong>the</strong> local authority who had trenched<br />

upon academic rights, but it was noisily applauded<br />

by those for whom it was won, and <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> young<br />

vic<strong>to</strong>r this petty warfare was all earnest <strong>of</strong> greater<br />

battles <strong>to</strong> be fought on a wider arena, and <strong>of</strong><br />

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