Protestantism in France From Death of Henry IV to the Revolution - James Aitken Wylie
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Chapter 3<br />
Industrial and Literary<br />
Em<strong>in</strong>ence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> French<br />
Protestants<br />
THE mob and <strong>the</strong> nobles <strong>to</strong>ok part with <strong>the</strong><br />
French court <strong>in</strong> its efforts <strong>to</strong> ext<strong>in</strong>guish<br />
<strong>Protestantism</strong>. With <strong>the</strong>ir help <strong>the</strong> court triumphed.<br />
The seeds <strong>of</strong> <strong>Protestantism</strong> were still <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> soil <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>France</strong>, covered up by a million <strong>of</strong> corpses, and<br />
<strong>the</strong>se <strong>the</strong> very men who, had <strong>the</strong>ir lives been<br />
spared, would have enriched <strong>the</strong> nation with <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
<strong>in</strong>dustry, glorified it with <strong>the</strong>ir genius, and<br />
defended it with <strong>the</strong>ir arms. We are now arrived at<br />
<strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> religious wars. What has <strong>France</strong><br />
ga<strong>in</strong>ed by her vast expenditure <strong>of</strong> blood and<br />
treasure? Peace? No; despotism. The close <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
reign <strong>of</strong> Louis XIII shows us <strong>the</strong> nobles and <strong>the</strong><br />
mob crushed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir turn, and <strong>the</strong> throne ris<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />
au<strong>to</strong>cratic supremacy above all rights and classes.<br />
One class, however, is exempt from <strong>the</strong> general<br />
serfdom. The Church shares <strong>the</strong> triumph <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
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