Persecution of the Scottish Covenanters
When Alpine Vales threw forth a suppliant cry,
The Majesty of England interposed
And the sword stopped; the bleeding wounds were closed;
And Faith preserved her ancient purity.
How little boots that precedent of good,
Scorned or forgotten, Thou canst testify,
For England's shame, O Sister Realm! from wood,
Mountain, and moor, and crowded street, where lie
The headless martyrs of the Covenant,
Slain by Compatriot-protestants that draw
From councils senseless as intolerant
Their warrant. Bodies fall by wild sword-law;
But who would force the Soul, tilts with a straw
Against a Champion cased in adamant.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Cased in Adamant
William Wordsworth, The Ecclesiastical Sonnets 3.7:
Labels:
Church History,
Covenanter,
Poetry,
Waldenses,
William Wordsworth
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