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Article STORY OF URBAIN GRANDIER. ← Page 7 of 7
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Story Of Urbain Grandier.
Mignon refused to comply , on the pretence that such a proceedmowould be contrary to the oaths of their Order . Such an union of persons in dignified situations , both civil and religious , imposed silence upon all men ; and the tremendous oaths with-wbich Barre , the principal exerciser , protested his veracity before the- magistrates and judgesoverawed little mindsand gained vast credit to the
im-, , posture . The transaction had need of all these sanctions to support it ; for , emboldened b } ' success , the machinators , in a thousand instances , lost sight of their caution and consistency , and every day ran greater risks of exposure by still hardier experiments upon the public credulity . Their machinery was so clumsily contrivedthat perpetual
, failures in their tricks began at length to open the eyes of all reasonable men—all , except those who made it a merit to be blind in reli gious concerns , and who , unhappily for the devoted Grandier , composed a very great majority of the people . Regardless of tfie interpretations which good sense might have given to their proceedingsand of the infamy they were accumulating
, upon their names and their order , the enemies of Grandier were pursuing with steadfast malignity their plan of revenge , when" they received a blow from an unexpected quarter , which confounded them for a while , and checked the career of their malice . The Archbishop of Bourcieaux , Metropolitan of that district , paid a visit about this
time to his Abbey of St . Jouin , in the nei ghbourhood of Loudun . As soon as he was acquainted with the affairs of that town , he sent ids physician to examine the possessed . All was in a moment as quiet as the grave , and no vestige of possession could any longer be discovered . In the mean time Grandier , confiding no more in the gross complexion and self-evident absurdity of the whole contrivancelaid
be-, fore the Archbishop a clear and manly account of the proceeding , with a particular exposition of the motives which urged his enemies to so devilish a conspiracy . The Archbishop , touched with the . representations of Grandier , deputed unbiassed persons to examine fairly and dispassionately the circumstances of this extraordinary affair ; and to this end to separate the afflicted persons , so as
effectually to prevent the possibility of collusion . Such was the virtue of this decree , that the whole legion of spirits were instantl y put to flig ht . Barre withdrew himself to Chinon , and all was restored to perfect tranquillity . No reasonable man after this could doubt but that the business shrunk from the test of a fair enqui ty ; and the name of the Bishop of Poitiers fell very low in the public esteem , while all extolled the candour of his This bad
Metropolitan . success of the conspiracy brought the convent into so great disesteem , that parents withdrew their children from its school , and the Nuns became the fable and the jest of the whole nei ghbourhood . In the midst of these cross accidents , however , Mignon relaxed nothing of his horrid purpose , arid 4 iis hate was only exasperated b y disappointment . ( To hi concluded in our next . )
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Story Of Urbain Grandier.
Mignon refused to comply , on the pretence that such a proceedmowould be contrary to the oaths of their Order . Such an union of persons in dignified situations , both civil and religious , imposed silence upon all men ; and the tremendous oaths with-wbich Barre , the principal exerciser , protested his veracity before the- magistrates and judgesoverawed little mindsand gained vast credit to the
im-, , posture . The transaction had need of all these sanctions to support it ; for , emboldened b } ' success , the machinators , in a thousand instances , lost sight of their caution and consistency , and every day ran greater risks of exposure by still hardier experiments upon the public credulity . Their machinery was so clumsily contrivedthat perpetual
, failures in their tricks began at length to open the eyes of all reasonable men—all , except those who made it a merit to be blind in reli gious concerns , and who , unhappily for the devoted Grandier , composed a very great majority of the people . Regardless of tfie interpretations which good sense might have given to their proceedingsand of the infamy they were accumulating
, upon their names and their order , the enemies of Grandier were pursuing with steadfast malignity their plan of revenge , when" they received a blow from an unexpected quarter , which confounded them for a while , and checked the career of their malice . The Archbishop of Bourcieaux , Metropolitan of that district , paid a visit about this
time to his Abbey of St . Jouin , in the nei ghbourhood of Loudun . As soon as he was acquainted with the affairs of that town , he sent ids physician to examine the possessed . All was in a moment as quiet as the grave , and no vestige of possession could any longer be discovered . In the mean time Grandier , confiding no more in the gross complexion and self-evident absurdity of the whole contrivancelaid
be-, fore the Archbishop a clear and manly account of the proceeding , with a particular exposition of the motives which urged his enemies to so devilish a conspiracy . The Archbishop , touched with the . representations of Grandier , deputed unbiassed persons to examine fairly and dispassionately the circumstances of this extraordinary affair ; and to this end to separate the afflicted persons , so as
effectually to prevent the possibility of collusion . Such was the virtue of this decree , that the whole legion of spirits were instantl y put to flig ht . Barre withdrew himself to Chinon , and all was restored to perfect tranquillity . No reasonable man after this could doubt but that the business shrunk from the test of a fair enqui ty ; and the name of the Bishop of Poitiers fell very low in the public esteem , while all extolled the candour of his This bad
Metropolitan . success of the conspiracy brought the convent into so great disesteem , that parents withdrew their children from its school , and the Nuns became the fable and the jest of the whole nei ghbourhood . In the midst of these cross accidents , however , Mignon relaxed nothing of his horrid purpose , arid 4 iis hate was only exasperated b y disappointment . ( To hi concluded in our next . )