Protestantism in Hungary and Transylvania - James Aitken Wylie
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etween the Protestant shores of Engl<strong>and</strong> on the<br />
one h<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Holl<strong>and</strong> on the other, hasten<strong>in</strong>g<br />
before the furious w<strong>in</strong>ds to hide itself <strong>in</strong> the<br />
darkness of the Pole.<br />
Such are the tragedies of the first century of<br />
<strong>Protestantism</strong>. No one has been able to weave a<br />
cha<strong>in</strong> so strong as to hold it fast; but now<br />
Ferd<strong>in</strong><strong>and</strong> believes that he has discovered the<br />
secret of its strength, <strong>and</strong> can speak the "hitherto,<br />
but no farther." The Jesuits have furnished him<br />
with weapons which none of his predecessors<br />
knew, to combat this terrible foe, <strong>and</strong> long before<br />
<strong>Protestantism</strong> shall have completed the second<br />
century of its existence, he will have set bounds to<br />
its ravages. The nations will return to their<br />
obedience, k<strong>in</strong>gs will sleep <strong>in</strong> peace, <strong>and</strong> Rome<br />
will sway her scepter over a subjugated<br />
Christendom.<br />
We have already seen after what terrible<br />
fashion he <strong>in</strong>augurated his attempt. The first act<br />
was the scaffold at Prague, on which twenty-seven<br />
magnates, the first men of the l<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> some of<br />
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