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Protestantism in Scotland - James Aitken Wylie

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establish<strong>in</strong>g the Roman religion by law, and here is<br />

the army ready at a stroke to sweep away all<br />

Parliaments, and establish by the sword the Roman<br />

Church and arbitrary government. These suspicions<br />

were held as all but confirmed, when it was found<br />

that <strong>in</strong> the course of a s<strong>in</strong>gle month not fewer than<br />

fifty-seven commissions were issued to Popish<br />

recusants, without demand<strong>in</strong>g either the oath of<br />

supremacy or the test. The Secretary of State who<br />

countersigned the warrants was committed to the<br />

Tower by the Commons, but liberated next day by<br />

the k<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

The alarm rose to a panic by an extraord<strong>in</strong>ary<br />

occurrence which happened at this time, and which<br />

was enveloped <strong>in</strong> considerable mystery, from<br />

which it has not even yet been wholly freed. We<br />

refer to the Popish Plot. Few th<strong>in</strong>gs have so deeply<br />

convulsed England. The <strong>in</strong>formation was <strong>in</strong> some<br />

parts so <strong>in</strong>consistent, <strong>in</strong>credible, and absurd, and <strong>in</strong><br />

others so circumstantial, and so certa<strong>in</strong>ly true, and<br />

the story so fell <strong>in</strong> with the character of the times,<br />

which were prolific <strong>in</strong> strange surmises and<br />

unnatural and monstrously wicked devices, that<br />

442

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