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Protestantism in Poland and Bohemia - James Aitken Wylie

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Casimir returned to resume his reign over a country<br />

bleed<strong>in</strong>g from the swords of two armies. The<br />

Cossacks had exercised an <strong>in</strong>discrim<strong>in</strong>ate<br />

vengeance: the Popish cathedral <strong>and</strong> the Protestant<br />

church had alike been given to the flames, <strong>and</strong><br />

Protestants <strong>and</strong> Papists had been equal sufferers <strong>in</strong><br />

the calamities of the war.<br />

The first act of the monarch, after his return,<br />

was to place his k<strong>in</strong>gdom under the special<br />

protection of the "Blessed Virg<strong>in</strong>." To make<br />

himself <strong>and</strong> his dom<strong>in</strong>ions the more worthy of so<br />

august a suzera<strong>in</strong>ty,. he registered on the occasion<br />

two vows, both. well-pleas<strong>in</strong>g, as he judged, to his<br />

celestial patroness. Casimir promised <strong>in</strong> the first to<br />

redress the grievances of the lower orders, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong><br />

the second to convert the heretics -- <strong>in</strong> other words,<br />

to persecute the Protestants. The first vow it was<br />

not even attempted to fulfill. All the efforts of the<br />

sovereign, therefore, were given to the second.<br />

But the shield of Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Holl<strong>and</strong> was at<br />

that time extended over the Protestants of <strong>Pol<strong>and</strong></strong>,<br />

who were still numerous, <strong>and</strong> had amongst them<br />

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