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Article THE CONVERT. ← Page 5 of 7 →
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The Convert.
many yielded to that innate love of change which is the characteristic of weak and unsettled principles . Finding himself sufficiently strong to crush all opposition , the monarch convened an especial assembly ofhis people and proceeded to lay before them the absurdity of that faith which had deluged the altars of Woden and Thor with the blood of their children ; he appealed to their reason—to the sense of natural affection implanted in their breasts , and demanded if their offspring—brothers—friends , should still be offered in hecatombs to appease the fancied wrath of wood and stone .
Great was the wrath and amazement of Hernwald at the daring proposition of Egbert , but his courage rose with the danger , and denouncing the wrath of his gods on all who opposed him , he rushed with his attendant Druids upon the person of the sovereign , exclaiming , " perjured prince—blasphemer of the mighty Odin , perish in thy crime . " The effect of the Briton ' s wise precautions then became apparent , the great leaders and chiefs gained over to his views , rallied round his person , and then
opposed - swords to the headlong fury of the priests . „ , " Is ^ even so ? " said the Arch-Druid , glancing his eyes wildly round" ' tis well—I will not stay your scorn—the hour will come when ye shall rue this sacrilege in tears of blood , " sheathing his golden weapon as he spoke , surrounded by his numerous attendants he parted from their presence . With the departure of Hernwald all serious opposition ended in the
assembly , the new religion became almost universally established , and Urah was recognised as its ministering priest , his first duty was to unite his friend and pupil with the beautiful Carialla , who secretly nourished even m the arms of her husband , a passion for the youthful stranger , destined ultimately not only to be the bane of both , but the means of extinguishing the pure and intellectual li ght which now dispelled the mists of heathenism .
Among the many useful arts introduced by the superior knowledge of Urah , that of architecture , in ivhich all of his order excelled , was perhaps the most valuable to the Britons , ivho began to exchange their rude comfortless huts , for the more durable and convenient buildings of brick and stone . The monarch , eager to establish permanently the faith from whence such essential benefits had accrued to his people , determined to erect a temple for the celebration of reli gious ceremonies , which might also serve occasionall
y as a place of assembl y for the chiefs and leaders of the peo-P , ' J ! ? skilful Urah willingly supplied the requisite plans , and amid the rejoicing of the nation the walls were raised ; one only circumstance acted as a drawback upon the happiness of Egbert . His bride still appeared to linger to the ancient worship of Druidism . In vain were his efforts to uproot this prejudice , in vain his reasoning , the infatuated Carialla appeared still unconcerned , till her husband , wearied with the contest
, requested the unsuspecting object of her passion to use the unanswerable eloquence , by ivhich he had himself been converted . Thus , the object of the queen ' s apparent unbelief was accomplished , and Urah dail y placed within the peril of her facinations . In vain would I draw a picture before the sad effects of human weakness , forgetful of the high mission to which he had suddenly been appointed ; the temptress prevailed , and reason , gratitude , and duty sacrificed at the shrine of lawless passion . Egbert and his brother-in-law Morovan were one morning busily engaged superintending the completion of the sacred edifice , when
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Convert.
many yielded to that innate love of change which is the characteristic of weak and unsettled principles . Finding himself sufficiently strong to crush all opposition , the monarch convened an especial assembly ofhis people and proceeded to lay before them the absurdity of that faith which had deluged the altars of Woden and Thor with the blood of their children ; he appealed to their reason—to the sense of natural affection implanted in their breasts , and demanded if their offspring—brothers—friends , should still be offered in hecatombs to appease the fancied wrath of wood and stone .
Great was the wrath and amazement of Hernwald at the daring proposition of Egbert , but his courage rose with the danger , and denouncing the wrath of his gods on all who opposed him , he rushed with his attendant Druids upon the person of the sovereign , exclaiming , " perjured prince—blasphemer of the mighty Odin , perish in thy crime . " The effect of the Briton ' s wise precautions then became apparent , the great leaders and chiefs gained over to his views , rallied round his person , and then
opposed - swords to the headlong fury of the priests . „ , " Is ^ even so ? " said the Arch-Druid , glancing his eyes wildly round" ' tis well—I will not stay your scorn—the hour will come when ye shall rue this sacrilege in tears of blood , " sheathing his golden weapon as he spoke , surrounded by his numerous attendants he parted from their presence . With the departure of Hernwald all serious opposition ended in the
assembly , the new religion became almost universally established , and Urah was recognised as its ministering priest , his first duty was to unite his friend and pupil with the beautiful Carialla , who secretly nourished even m the arms of her husband , a passion for the youthful stranger , destined ultimately not only to be the bane of both , but the means of extinguishing the pure and intellectual li ght which now dispelled the mists of heathenism .
Among the many useful arts introduced by the superior knowledge of Urah , that of architecture , in ivhich all of his order excelled , was perhaps the most valuable to the Britons , ivho began to exchange their rude comfortless huts , for the more durable and convenient buildings of brick and stone . The monarch , eager to establish permanently the faith from whence such essential benefits had accrued to his people , determined to erect a temple for the celebration of reli gious ceremonies , which might also serve occasionall
y as a place of assembl y for the chiefs and leaders of the peo-P , ' J ! ? skilful Urah willingly supplied the requisite plans , and amid the rejoicing of the nation the walls were raised ; one only circumstance acted as a drawback upon the happiness of Egbert . His bride still appeared to linger to the ancient worship of Druidism . In vain were his efforts to uproot this prejudice , in vain his reasoning , the infatuated Carialla appeared still unconcerned , till her husband , wearied with the contest
, requested the unsuspecting object of her passion to use the unanswerable eloquence , by ivhich he had himself been converted . Thus , the object of the queen ' s apparent unbelief was accomplished , and Urah dail y placed within the peril of her facinations . In vain would I draw a picture before the sad effects of human weakness , forgetful of the high mission to which he had suddenly been appointed ; the temptress prevailed , and reason , gratitude , and duty sacrificed at the shrine of lawless passion . Egbert and his brother-in-law Morovan were one morning busily engaged superintending the completion of the sacred edifice , when