Foxe - The Book of Martyrs
The mystery of history is not completely dark, since it is a veil which only partially conceals the creative activity and spiritual forces and the operation of spiritual laws. It is commonplace to say that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church yet what we are asserting is simply that individual acts of spiritual decision bear social fruit …For the great cultural changes and historic revolutions that decide the fate of nations or the character of an age is the cumulative result of a number of spiritual decisions … the faith and insight, or the refusal and blindness, of individuals. No one can put his finger on the ultimate spiritual act that tilts the balance, and makes the external order of society assume a new form… Persecution, powerless to destroy or even to shake this new community, made it only the more sensible of its own strength, and pressed it into a more compact body.
The mystery of history is not completely dark, since it is a veil which only partially conceals the creative activity and spiritual forces and the operation of spiritual laws. It is commonplace to say that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church yet what we are asserting is simply that individual acts of spiritual decision bear social fruit …For the great cultural changes and historic revolutions that decide the fate of nations or the character of an age is the cumulative result of a number of spiritual decisions … the faith and insight, or the refusal and blindness, of individuals. No one can put his finger on the ultimate spiritual act that tilts the balance, and makes the external order of society assume a new form… Persecution, powerless to destroy or even to shake this new community, made it only the more sensible of its own strength, and pressed it into a more compact body.
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<strong>Foxe</strong>’s <strong>Book</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Martyrs</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Protestants proceeded on their march, and the troops <strong>of</strong> La Torre, on their approach,<br />
made a furious sally, but were repulsed with great loss, and compelled to seek shelter in the<br />
town. <strong>The</strong> governor now only thought <strong>of</strong> defending the place, which the Protestants began<br />
to attack in form; but after many brave attempts, and furious assaults, the commanders<br />
determined to abandon the enterprise for several reasons, particularly because they found<br />
the place itself too strong, their own number too weak, and their cannon not adequate to the<br />
task <strong>of</strong> battering down the walls.<br />
This resolution taken, the Protestant commanders began a masterly retreat, and<br />
conducted it with such regularity that the enemy did not choose to pursue them, or molest<br />
their rear, which they might have done, as they passed the defiles.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next day they mustered, reviewed the army, and found the whole to amount to four<br />
hundred and ninety- five men. <strong>The</strong>y then held a council <strong>of</strong> war, and planned an easier<br />
enterprise: this was to make an attack on the commonalty <strong>of</strong> Crusol, a place inhabited by a<br />
number <strong>of</strong> the most bigoted Roman Catholics, and who had exercised, during the<br />
persecutions, the most unheard-<strong>of</strong> cruelties on the Protestants.<br />
<strong>The</strong> people <strong>of</strong> Crusol, hearing <strong>of</strong> the design against them, fled to a neighboring fortress,<br />
situated on a rock, where the Protestants could not come to them, for a very few men could<br />
render it inaccessible to a numerous army. Thus they secured their persons, but were in too<br />
much hurry to secure their property, the principal part <strong>of</strong> which, indeed, had been plundered<br />
from the Protestants, and now luckily fell again to the possession <strong>of</strong> the right owners. It<br />
consisted <strong>of</strong> many rich and valuable articles, and what, at that time, was <strong>of</strong> much more<br />
consequence, viz., a great quantity <strong>of</strong> military stores.<br />
<strong>The</strong> day after the Protestants were gone with their booty, eight hundred troops arrived<br />
to the assistance <strong>of</strong> the people <strong>of</strong> Crusol, having been despatched from Lucerne, Biqueras,<br />
Cavors, etc. But finding themselves too late, and that pursuit would be vain, not to return<br />
empty handed, they began to plunder the neighboring villages, though what they took was<br />
from their friends. After collecting a tolerable booty, they began to divide it, but disagreeing<br />
about the different shares, they fell from words to blows, did a great deal <strong>of</strong> mischief, and<br />
then plundered each other.<br />
On the very same day in which the Protestants were so successful at Crusol, some papists<br />
marched with a design to plunder and burn the little Protestant village <strong>of</strong> Rocappiatta, but by<br />
the way they met with the Protestant forces belonging to the captains, Jahier and Laurentio,<br />
who were posted on the hill <strong>of</strong> Angrogne. A trivial engagement ensued, for the Roman<br />
Catholics, on the very first attack, retreated in great confusion, and were pursued with much<br />
slaughter. After the pursuit was over, some straggling papist troops meeting with a poor<br />
peasant, who was a Protestant, tied a cord round his head, and strained it until his skull was<br />
quite crushed.<br />
Captain Gianavel and Captain Jahier concerted a design together to make an attack upon<br />
Lucerne; but Captain Jahier, not bringing up his forces at the time appointed, Captain<br />
Gianavel determined to attempt the enterprise himself.<br />
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