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Protestantism in Poland and Bohemia - James Aitken Wylie

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tumult, or vented <strong>in</strong> doggerel rhyme the odious<br />

calumny, were transformed <strong>in</strong>to paragons of<br />

mildness <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>offensiveness. Oh, how they loved<br />

order, abom<strong>in</strong>ated coarseness, <strong>and</strong> anathematised<br />

all uncharitableness <strong>and</strong> violence! Hav<strong>in</strong>g ga<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

access <strong>in</strong>to Protestant families of rank by their<br />

w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g manners, their showy accomplishments,<br />

<strong>and</strong> sometimes by important services, they strove<br />

by every means -- by argument, by wit, by<br />

<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uation -- to convert them to the Roman faith;<br />

if they failed to pervert the entire family they<br />

generally succeeded with one or more of its<br />

members. Thus they established a foothold <strong>in</strong> the<br />

household, <strong>and</strong> had fatally broken the peace <strong>and</strong><br />

confidence of the family. The anguish of the<br />

perverts for their parents, doomed as they believed<br />

to perdition, often so affected these parents as to<br />

<strong>in</strong>duce them to follow their children <strong>in</strong>to the<br />

Roman fold. Rome, as is well known, has made<br />

more victories by touch<strong>in</strong>g the heart than by<br />

conv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>g the reason.<br />

But the ma<strong>in</strong> arm with which the Jesuits<br />

operated <strong>in</strong> <strong>Pol<strong>and</strong></strong> was the school. They had<br />

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