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Protestantism in Poland and Bohemia - James Aitken Wylie

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doma<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>in</strong>habited castles, <strong>and</strong> lived <strong>in</strong> great<br />

magnificence. Others of them tilled their own<br />

l<strong>and</strong>s; but all of them, gr<strong>and</strong>ee <strong>and</strong> husb<strong>and</strong>man<br />

alike, were equal before the law, <strong>and</strong> neither their<br />

persons nor property could be disposed of, save by<br />

the Diet. The k<strong>in</strong>g himself was subject to the law.<br />

We f<strong>in</strong>d the eloquent but versatile Orichovius, who<br />

now thundered aga<strong>in</strong>st the Pope, <strong>and</strong> now threw<br />

himself prostrate before him, say<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> one of his<br />

philippics, "Your Romans bow their knees before<br />

the crowd of your menials; they bear on their necks<br />

the degrad<strong>in</strong>g yoke of the Roman scribes; but such<br />

is not the case with us, where the law rules even<br />

the throne." The free constitution of the country<br />

was a shield to its <strong>Protestantism</strong>, as the clergy had<br />

now occasion to experience. Stanislav Stadnicki, a<br />

nobleman of large estates <strong>and</strong> great <strong>in</strong>fluence,<br />

hav<strong>in</strong>g embraced the Reformed op<strong>in</strong>ions,<br />

established the Protestant worship accord<strong>in</strong>g to the<br />

forms of Geneva on his doma<strong>in</strong>s. He was<br />

summoned to answer for his conduct before the<br />

tribunal of the bishop. Stadnicki replied that he was<br />

quite ready to justify both his op<strong>in</strong>ions <strong>and</strong> his acts.<br />

The court, however, had no wish to hear what he<br />

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