Foxs Book of Martyrs | Page 3

her hand, with fair promises of freedom, she first
stupefies the conscience, and brutifies the affections; and then renders
her votaries the most abject slaves of guilt and crime. This was
exemplified in the French revolution. For centuries, the bible had been
taken away, and the key of knowledge wrested from the people. For a
little moment, France broke the chains which superstition had flung
around her. Not content, however, with this, she attempted to break the
yoke of God: she stamped the bible in the dust, and proclaimed the
jubilee of licentiousness, unvisited, either by present or future
retribution. Mark the consequence. Anarchy broke in like a flood, from
whose boiling surge blood spouted up in living streams, and on whose
troubled waves floated the headless bodies of the learned, the good, the
beautiful and the brave. The most merciless proscription for opinion's
sake, followed. A word, a sigh, or a look supposed inimical to the
ruling powers, was followed with instant death. The calm which

succeeded, was only the less dreaded, because it presented fewer
objects of terrific interest, as the shock of the earthquake creates more
instant alarm, than the midnight pestilence, when it walks unseen,
unknown amidst the habitations of a populous city.
The infidel persecutions in France and Switzerland, afford a solemn
lesson to the people of this country. We have men among us now, most
of them it is true, vagabond foreigners, who are attempting to propagate
the same sentiments which produced such terrible consequences in
France. Under various names they are scattering their pestilent
doctrines through the country. As in France, they have commenced
their attacks upon the bible, the Sabbath, marriage, and all the social
and domestic relations of life. With flatteries and lies, they are
attempting to sow the seeds of discontent and future rebellion among
the people. The ferocity of their attacks upon those who differ from
them, even while restrained by public opinion, shews what they would
do, provided they could pull down our institutions and introduce
disorder and wild misrule. We trust, therefore, that the article on the
revolution in France, will be found highly instructive and useful.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN MARTYRS TO THE FIRST GENERAL
PERSECUTIONS UNDER NERO.
PAGE
Martyrdom of St. Stephen, James the Great, and Philip 16 Matthew,
James the Less, Matthias, Andrew, St. Mark and Peter 17 Paul, Jude,
Bartholomew, Thomas, Luke, Simon, John, and Barnabas 18
CHAPTER II.
THE TEN PRIMITIVE PERSECUTIONS.

The first persecution under Nero, A. D. 67 19 The second persecution
under Domitian, A. D. 81 19 The third persecution under Trajan, A. D.
108 20 The fourth persecution under Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, A. D.
162 22 The fifth persecution commencing with Severus, A. D. 192 25
The sixth persecution under Maximinus, A. D. 235 27 The seventh
persecution under Decius, A. D. 249 27 The eighth persecution under
Valerian, A. D. 257 31 The ninth persecution under Aurelian, A. D.
274 34 The tenth persecution under Diocletian, A. D. 303 36
CHAPTER III.
PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHRISTIANS IN PERSIA.
Persecutions under the Arian heretics 45 Persecution under Julian the
Apostate 46 Persecution of the Christians by the Goths and Vandals 47
Persecutions from about the middle of the Fifth, to the conclusion of
the Seventh century 48 Persecutions from the early part of the Eighth,
to near the conclusion of the Tenth century 49 Persecutions in the
Eleventh century 51
CHAPTER IV.
PAPAL PERSECUTIONS.
Persecution of the Waldenses in France 53 Persecutions of the
Albigenses 55 The Bartholomew massacre at Paris, &c. 57 From the
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, to the French Revolution, in 1789
62 Martyrdom of John Calas 65
CHAPTER V.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE INQUISITION.
An account of the cruel handling and burning of Nicholas Burton, an
English merchant, in Spain 73 Some private enormities of the
Inquisition laid open by a very singular occurrence 76 The persecution
of Dr. Ægidio 88 The persecution of Dr. Constantine 89 The life of

William Gardiner. 90 An account of the life and sufferings of Mr. Wm.
Lithgow, a native of Scotland 92 Croly on the Inquisition 101
CHAPTER VI.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE PERSECUTIONS IN ITALY, UNDER THE
PAPACY.
An account of the persecutions of Calabria 107 Account of the
persecutions in the Valleys of Piedmont 110 Account of the
persecutions in Venice 117 An account of several remarkable
individuals who were martyred in different parts of Italy, on account of
their religion 119 An account of the persecutions in the marquisate of
Saluces 122 Persecutions in Piedmont in the Seventeenth century 122
Further persecutions in Piedmont 126 Narrative of the Piedmontese
War 134 Persecution of Michael de Molinos, a native of Spain 144
CHAPTER VII.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE PERSECUTIONS IN BOHEMIA UNDER
THE