N20568:926
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being…
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of martyrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of marytrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].
New-York: printed by William Durell, 1794
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Volume 1 › Chapter 3 › An Account of the Persecutions in the Eleventh Century.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
BOLISLAUS, the second king of Poland, had, by nature, many good qualities, but giving way too much to his passions, he ran into many enormities. He daily grew worse and worse, and from being deemed a good king, at length had the appellation of CRUEL bestowed on him. The nobility were shocked at his conduct, but did not care to speak to him concerning it, and the clergy saw his proceedings with grief, but were afraid to reprehend him. Stanislaus alone had the courage to tell him of his faults, when taking a private opportunity he freely displayed to him the enormity of his crimes.
THE king was greatly exasperated at this freedom, but, awed by the virtues of the bishop, dissembled his resentment, and appearing to be convinced of his errors, promised to reform his conduct. So far however from designing to perform his promise, he complained to some of his sycophants of the freedom that Stanislaus had taken with him; and they, to fl•tter his folly, condemned the boldness of the bishop. The king, soon after, attempted the chastity of a married lady, who rejected his offers with disdain; which piqued his pride so much, that he seized her by force, and violated her by compulsion. This greatly alarmed all the nobility: none knew how long his own wife, daughter, or sister might be safe; and each dreaded for the peace of his family. They, at length, assembled together, and calling the clergy to their assistance, entreated Peter, archbishop of Gresne, to remonstrate to the king on the impropriety and viciousness of his conduct; adding, that it was more particularly his business so to do, as primate of Poland.
THE king was greatly exasperated at this freedom, but, awed by the virtues of the bishop, dissembled his resentment, and appearing to be convinced of his errors, promised to reform his conduct. So far however from designing to perform his promise, he complained to some of his cycophants of the freedom that Stanislaus had taken with him; and they, to fl•tter his folly, condemned the boldness of the bishop. The king, soon after, attempted the chastity of a married lady, who rejected his offers with disdain; which piqued his pride so much, that he seized her by force, and violated her by compulsion. This greatly alarmed all the nobility: none knew how long his own wife, daughter, or sister might be safe; and each dreaded for the peace of his family. They, at length, assembled together, and calling the clergy to their assistance, intreated Peter, archbishop of Gresne, to remonstrate to the king on the impropriety and viciousness of his conduct; adding, that it was more particularly his business so to do, as primate of Poland.