The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-11-09

features fell into general decay, and the
royal finances and the exchanges Of trade
felt an almost deadly structure for lack
of currency, Holland was flooded with
gold, and with the most skilful and in
dustrious artizans, sailors, and merchants.
The country sprung at once into splen-
did industrial prosperity. 1t was this
aohich prepared 1t for that long and dead
W grapple with Louis XIV, into which
it was just entering under William OF
Orange, and which resulted in the final
humbling of the naughty conqueror, and
the restoration of Protestant ascendency.
1t was in 1888 that William crossed the
channel, to restore constitutional govern
ment to Great Britain. AS Guizot says,
he did it "less to serve the interests of
the country. than to draw it entirely into
the struggle against Louis. He laid hold
of this kingdom as new force which he
wanted, but of which his adversary had
had the disposal, up to this time, against
him. England then was snatched from
the side of universal and absolute mon
archy, to become the most powerful sup
port and instrument of civil and religious
liberty" Of this long struggle Guizot
says: "The repression of the system of
pure monarchy, and the conservation of
civil and religious liberty, was necessarily,
at bottom, the result of the resistance of
Holland and her allies to Louis XIV"
But in this contest the Huguenot emf
grafton was the very breath in William 8
nostrils. 1t was the plethora of the refu-
gees gold in the exchange of Amsterdam
which encouraged and enabled the States
General to raise the loan of four millions
upon which the Prince equipped his
expedition. French-Protestant sailors
manned large part of his ships. French
gentlemen thronged his headquarters and
raised whole regiments. Of this little
army of eleven thousand men, three reg
iments, squadron of cavalry, and seven
hundred and thirty-six officers were
French. These confessedly formed the
elite of his force. Their commander was
the French Protestant nobleman, Mare
chal Count Schomberg, who fell victori-
GUS in the battle of the Boyne. He was
assisted by an illustrious company of
mobiles and scholars, including his son
Meenard de Schomberg, General La Gail
lemont, the Marquis of Ruvigny, the
jurist, statesman, historian, and soldier,
Rapin Thoyras. When the conquest of
Ireland was complete, the survivors, with
many others, followed William, and after
wards, Marlborough, to the bloody fields
of Malplaquet and Blenheim. But the
m oral effects of the persecution did more
to consolidate resistance against Louis
and Popery, than the swords of the refu-
gees. The atrocity of the dragomnodes"
thrilled through Euror all Protestants
felt themselves exposed to the same as
saults, and saw that the time had come
to stand for their own existence. The in
dignant plea of Peter Jurius, the "Sighs
of enslaved France" reached the depths
ofmens hearts. Peter Bayle represented
Louis's soldiers, after their disgraceful
successes in the houses of the Huguenots,
as asking each other "Can we not in,
duce the king to send us with his victori-
Gus armies to convert all the Protestant
states?" All Protestant Europe was Just
ly alarmed and the crime of Louis made
that league against him practicable, which
the seeing William had before sought
in vain.
(To BE ooNTINUED)
nTD LIT DEIDC