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 />
Holy War for the preservation <strong>of</strong> the faith in Ireland;" they were assisted by great numbers <strong>of</strong><br />
the Irish, but were at length totally defeated by the deputy, Lord Mountjoy, and his <strong>of</strong>ficers.<br />
This closed the transactions <strong>of</strong> Elizabeth's reign with respect to Ireland; an interval <strong>of</strong><br />
apparent tranuillity followed, but the popish priesthood, ever restless and designing, sought<br />
to undermine by secret machinations that government and that faith which they durst no<br />
longer openly attack. <strong>The</strong> pacific reign <strong>of</strong> James afforded them the opportunity <strong>of</strong> increasing<br />
their strength and maturing their schemes, and under his successor, Charles I, their numbers<br />
were greatly increased by titular Romish archbishops, bishops, deans, vicars- general, abbots,<br />
priests, and friars; for which reason, in 1629, the public exercise <strong>of</strong> the popish rites and<br />
ceremonies was forbidden.<br />
But notwithstanding this, soon afterwards, the Romish clergy erected a new popish<br />
university in the city <strong>of</strong> Dublin. <strong>The</strong>y also proceeded to build monasteries and nunneries in<br />
various parts <strong>of</strong> the kingdom; in which places these very Romish clergy, and the chiefs <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Irish, held frequent meetings; and from thence, used to pass to and fro, to France, Spain,<br />
Flanders, Lorraine, and Rome; where the detestable plot <strong>of</strong> 1641 was hatching by the family<br />
<strong>of</strong> the O'Neals and their followers.<br />
A short time before the horrid conspiracy broke out, which we are now going to relate,<br />
the papists in Ireland had presented a remonstrance to the lords-justice <strong>of</strong> that kingdom,<br />
demanding the free exercise <strong>of</strong> their religion, and a repeal <strong>of</strong> all laws to the contrary; to which<br />
both houses <strong>of</strong> parliament in England solemnly answered that they would never grant any<br />
toleration to the popish religion in that kingdom.<br />
This further irritated the papists to put in execution the diabolical plot concerted for the<br />
destruction <strong>of</strong> the Protestants; and it failed not <strong>of</strong> the success wished for by its malicious and<br />
rancorous projectors.<br />
<strong>The</strong> design <strong>of</strong> this horrid conspiracy was that a general insurrection should take place at<br />
the same time throughout the kingdom, and that all the Protestants, without exception, should<br />
be murdered. <strong>The</strong> day fixed for this horrid massacre, was the twenty-third <strong>of</strong> October, 1641,<br />
the feast <strong>of</strong> Ignatius Loyola, founder <strong>of</strong> the Jesuits; and the chief conspirators in the principal<br />
parts <strong>of</strong> the kingdom made the necessary preparations for the intended conflict.<br />
In order that this detested scheme might the more infallibly succeed, the most<br />
distinguished artifices were practiced by the papists; and their behavior in their visits to the<br />
Protestants, at this time, was with more seeming kindness than they had hitherto shown, which<br />
was done the more completely to effect the inhuman and treacherous designs then meditating<br />
against them.<br />
<strong>The</strong> execution <strong>of</strong> this savage conspiracy was delayed until the approach <strong>of</strong> winter, that<br />
sending troops from England might be attended with greater difficulty. Cardinal Richelieu,<br />
the French minister, had promised the conspirators a considerable supply <strong>of</strong> men and money;<br />
and many Irish <strong>of</strong>ficers had given the strongest assurances that they would heartily concur<br />
with their Catholic brethren, as soon as the insurrection took place.<br />
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