VOL. I. THE LADIES' PEARL. Popular Tales. JANUARY, 1841. For the Ladies' Pearl. 'Dark lowers our fate, And terrible the storm that gathers o'er us. เ NO. 8. mother saw not the light that blazes on our path. Nursed in the lap of the Catholic communion, and judging of its purity by her own high-souled integrity, she refused to believe the stories of papal abomination that the daring Luther and the intrepid Melancthon dragged before the astounded world and denounced with such powerful Weeping again,sister Margaret? What anathemas. Taught to consider the herefresh occasion of disquietude has lighted tic as the accursed of God, she trembled at on thy poor heart, like some dark bird of the name of heresy, and hated the Hugueprey? But, why this question? Who can not as a reptile unfit to breathe. With us, find peace ja the bosom of the papal church it is different. We see the light. We know now, that, like a filthy vulture, she nestles the character of the proud harlot churchin the gore of the innocent Protestants?—the base antichrist of Rome-the indulgenCease, my sister, to cleave to her unholy ces of Tetzel, that tool of Satan-the bloocommunion! Shake off the yoke of herdy tortures of the fiendish inquisitors of wretched priesthood! Break the fetters her Spain and Italy,the cruel massacres of that withering superstitions have wound round Spanish butcher, the Duke of Alva, in the thy fluttering soul, and breathe the hal- Netherlands, and the unsparing ferocity of lowed inspirations of that Divine Spirit, the Guises, which has saddened the fair whose touch is purity, whose presence is soil, and crimsoned the sweet rivers of liberty and love.' France with Huguenot blood,are sufficient Cease, Henry! Thy reproofs kill me to convince us of our duty. Had our saintToo long have they fallen unheeded on my ed mother seen what we see,think you her thoughtless ear! Too long have I resisted free soul would not have indignantly spurnthe claims of truth, but, O how hard to ed the papal yoke? Yes, my sister! and break the chains our dear departed mother often has the idea, that her pure spirit threw over my obedient mind! Long since smiled approvingly, nerved my arm in the would Margaret de Mortville have taken battle field and fired my soul in the house the name of Huguenot, but for the myste- of prayer.' rious spell of her loved instructions. O, Enough, brother, I have made the sacHenry! our mother's sweet countenance, rifice! Henceforth, I worship in the free clouded with sadness, and flashing with temples of the doomed Huguenots. Hencedispleasure, has often seemed to frown up-forth, like the affectionate Ruth I exclaim, on me as I have attempted to relinquish Thy people shall be my people and thy the communion of the church of my infan- God my God.'' cy and youth.' Praised be the name of the Most High; Sister, thou art superstitious! Our and may He arm thee for the trials which will follow this noble act of self-dedication:|| to a bleeding cause!' The tale is melancholy, and yet it hath joyous end. The siege had reduced them He will! I feel the assurance of Hi o fearful extremities. Famine added to the horrors of war, and the resolute Alknareans fed on fish skins taken from the lunghills. Cats, rats, cow-skins and whi aid. I am willing to suffer. Yes! my brother. Let them drag this fragile forn. to their murderous rack-let them bury i in the dungeons of the Bastile, or make iened bones were counted savory dishes. the sport of the martyr-flame, Margaret deEven these failed them, and nothing but Mortville is ready for the sacrifice. If Je leath appeared in prospect. Then, the sus calls me to its endurance, he will af pestilence began its ravages, when in the ford abundant aid, and better is his love our of their extremity God arose in their with persecution, than quiet with insult!' behalf. A high wind and tide elevated the Insult! Who speaks of insult to the sis-waters, and the fleet was enabled to throw ter of Henry de Mortville?' provisions into the town; and then, the Brother, smooth that brow. The angry fierce Duke de Alva was compelled to raise pride of our ancestors must not triumph the siege. This confirmed my resolution, over the meekness of the disciple of Jesus. for I know that the Vatican favors the feTrue, but the insult! Speak! I am im-rocious Duke in his atrocious plans; and I patient!' asked if Jesus could own a Church, whose This day, at the confessional, Father delight was in the cruel destruction of Gregory, after hearing my confessions, in-those, whose only crime is an unwillingstead of refreshing my soul with holy coun-ness to partake in her iniquities.' sel, discoursed on such loathed topics, that regardless of the sanctity of the place rushed confused and degraded from the confessional, and 6 True, thou reasonest, well; but I must hasten to Maria. Her soul will rejoice at the news from Alkmaer and from thee.She shall see thee to-night. Farewell.' 'Wretch! Caitiff priest! Hypocrite! The preceding conversation was beMargaret! my soul burns with sacred ar-tween Henry de Mortville and his sister, dor to sweep God's temples of such priest- the only representatives of an ancient but ly monsters, as Joshua once swept the i-decayed French family: they resided in dolatrous Canaanite from the Holy Land. an old chateau a short distance from the 'Forbear, Henry. Know you not that city of Rochelle. Shortly after his fathvengeance belongeth unto the Lord? That er's death, young Mortville had embraced insult determined me to yield to those con- the cause of the Protestant reformers, and victions your constant entreaties had crea- had been its defender in the council and in ted; on my return, I bowed before the the field. Possessed of courage, zeal, and Lord and solemnly renounced the commu- an ardent mental temperament, he had emnion of Rome; beads, rosary, missal and barked in that persecuted cause with much all the relics of my former devotion to her warmth,and had signalized himself by maprofaned altars I burned, and now stand ny an act of daring during the civil wars ready to lay my body on the altar of mar-that had raged in France for several years. tyrdom in defence of my newly adopted His vicinage to the Protestant city of Rofaith. My resolve was strengthened by chelle, the influence of the father of his news from our friends in Holland, over betrothed, Maria Montcalm, together with whose deliverance I was weeping tears of the known adherence of his sister to the joy when you entered.' " What, is Alkmaer saved?' popish communion, had hitherto saved his chateau from the flames and his estate from 1572, he was about thirty years of age; his 'It is; and Alva has withdrawn his ar-confiscation. At the time of our narrative, my.' 'Praised be the God of Jacob! but how sister was some years younger, and was were they delivered?' remarkable chiefly for the strength of her intellect and the zealous enthusiasm of he Fortunately for pure Christianity it had attachment to religion; this she had one to defend its purity there. The learnshown by a faithful adherence to the ed monk of Wittemburg rushed to its dechurch of Rome,during the ten years since fence. Almost alone and single-handed her mother's death, in opposition to all hehe dashed into the arena,and boldly threw brother's entreaties and arguments. When down the gauntlet to the whole papal she changed her faith, she transferred that church. He denounced it as fallen. He enthusiasm, as the reader has seen, from declared its fallibility. He thundered the the cause of popery to that of Protestan-doom of heaven against it! The act was bold, fearfully bold-a poor, powerless tism. A brief sketch of the stirring history of monk waging war with the whole hierarthe times will now be necessary to make chy of Rome! But the crisis was favorathe remainder of our tale intelligible. ble-the proof of his positions was writFor several centuries the hierarchy of ten in every sunbeam-the people saw it Rome had wielded the destinies of Europe-they had long seen it; like a pent-up with terrific sway. From small beginningside, they had been restrained, hitherto,by it had thrown a cloud of superstitious awe fear, from speaking out; but Luther openand priestly dread over the common mind; ed the flood gates, and mighty was the torso terrible was the power of that dread that rent that rushed to overwhelm the pride of the most chivalric princes of Europe had Rome. been taught to tremble, like the quivering The Reformation soon grew formidable aspen, before the roaring of popish bulls and spread rapidly through the nations of and the booming thunder of the Vatican. Europe. France received its doctrines at Obediently they learned to submit, and at a very early period, but from the beginone period the haughty heroes of tilt and ning sorely persecuted their believers.→ tournament-the brave spirits of the cru- There, the reformers were in derision calsades were content to permit the foot of the led Huguenots from Hugon, a hobgoblin. triple-crowned pontiff to rest in triumph These persecutions continued with little on their necks. The corruption of this intermission for many years, but still Huwonderful church kept pace with its pow-guenotism increased, and its adherents er, until debauchery, lying, gluttony and were found among all ranks from the indrunkenness were common characteristics inates of the royal palace to the rude ocof its priesthood. The use made of auric-enpants of the vine-clad cottage. From ular confession by Father Gregory,as above||1562 to 1570 fierce civil wars had raged, described, was common in those days of but then, both patties, wearied with strife, priestly pollution. McGavin's Protestant agreed to a cessation of arms. Religious furnishes ample proof of this, and the oth-toleration was to be enjoyed in all but er statements here made of the character walled cities; two cities in a province were of the papal priesthood. At last the peo-assigned to the Protestants, and to cement ple sickened at the open wickedness of the peace more firmly a marriage was protheir teachers, and the princes of Europe posed between Henry of Navarre, a Probegan to secretly question the divine rightestant prince, and the Catholic sister of of Popes to give away their crowns. King Charles. This marriage was cele เ At this crisis, 1517, the reigning Poperated in the month of August, 1572. But having exhausted his treasury by licen we return to our narrative. tions and sensual pleasures, published his Upon leaving Margaret, Henry hastened bull in favor of plenary indulgences to to the neighboring chateau of Montcalm. those who had money enough to pay for Its owner, like de Mortville, was a remote them. Tetzel, a bloated, drunken monk branch of a decayed family; he was, howwas his salesman for these hellish licenses ever, a widower upon whom some sixty in Germany. winters had shed their shrivelling frosts. Between him and Mortville's father,a long|||y renounced,shocked the feelings of Marand close intimacy had subsisted, and the garet for a moment; when Henry, aided latter at his death had desired the future by the significant allusion, remarked, union of their two houses in the persons of 'I hope King Charles may not prove Henry and of Maria Montealm. But Mont-more fox than monarch with our good calm was a devoted Catholic, and when friends at Paris. Presentiments, like young Mortville became a Protestant, tho' clouds, flit over me in spite of myself, and he did not entirely break off the connex- seem to whisper that all is not right beion, yet he sternly forbade their union,un-neath the pacific surface of the Court.' til the suitor should renounce his heresies. Hush, my brother!' replied Margaret, To his mortification, however, he had to long acquaintance with persecution hath witness the entrance of these heresies into made thee suspicious. Sportive and his own family; his own daughter becom-changeful, as our good King is, he cannot ing a convert to the reformed religion.- intend evil in his recent kindnesses to the This was a severe trial, as he was fondly Huguenots. He has felt too much, alreaattached to her, and she was his only dy, of the vigor of their arms.' child. 'Call you the blood-thirsty Charles our Maria, herself, was about twenty-four good King?' answered Henry. Believe years of age, tall, graceful and majestic in me, little but treachery lurks in his popish her person, of beautiful countenance, and bosom, and well will it be for our cause if highly intellectual for the age in which she the politic Coligny be not snared in the lived. She had been from childhood the toils of the destroyer. May a gracious object of Henry's affection, and but for her heaven forefend him!' father's opposition, and the terribly unset- "Treason! Treason!' exclaimed a hoarse tled state of the times, they would, long voice at the door. The ladies turned pale, before, have been united. and Henry rushed to the door to punish Entering her apartment, Mortville ac-the intruder. It was, however, only De quainted her with the information contain- Vinne, the friend of Henry and the suitor ed in the preceding part of our narrative, of Margaret. He was also a Reformer,and and then they wended their way to Mort-made the exclamation in jest. ville's chateau. 6 Tranquility being restored, Maria re 'My ever dear Margaret,' exclaimed Ma-marked, ria, as they met, my soul magnifies the I too have feared, much and deeply, Lord for your emancipation from the bonds that no good would come from that hated of papal Rome. Long have I looked for marriage. Charles has not given his sister this bright hour-often have I prayed un- to Navarre for nought. With you, I have der the shadows of midnight that your soul forebodings; but surely Coligny cannot be might see the light. To God be glory my duped !' now more than sister!' Coligny,' observed De Viune, who it Having exchanged their greetings, Maria seems was as treasonable as the rest desproduced a piece of needle work she wish-pite of his exclamation, ‘is only a man.— ed her friend to imitate. It was wrought Politic as he is, Charles beguiles him with work representing a fox in the garb of his flattery and so bedazzles him, that he monk, grinning horribly as he performed sees not with half his usual penetration. I the ceremony of the mass.* This strong fear that the marriage of the prince will caricature of a ceremony she had so recent rouse the Catholic blood of the Parisian rabble, and Charles would do little to stop their murderous fury. But the deed is *This mode of helping on the reforma tion was commonly followed by French ladies of that period. The Queen of Na-past, and we shall soon hear its results.varre was the first inventor of these silent Hark! A horse hard pressed is in the court opponents of Catholicism. llyard!' |