be adored in his stead? No, no; God is not mocked, he will protect his faithful servants, and preserve his holy religion from destruction. Never canst thou, France! enjoy thine ancient prosperity, whilst thou art the persecutor of God's elect. So long as his faithful servants were cherished in thy bosom, and the promises made to them in the Edict of Nantes carefully observed. His blessing was upon thee, as it was upon Abinadab, while the ark rested in, his house. Thou hast driven them forth with cruelties unheard of, and thy prosperity has departed with them. The floods have gone over thee. Oh that thou wouldst return to the Almighty and confess thy sins, and cease to forbid his true and pure worship; and his blessing would return to thee, and thy days would be bright, and prosperity would appear again within thy borders.
Sympathy for my dear native land has carried me away from the object of my visit to M. Le Curé. To resume; I begged he would not persist in drawing upon himself the indignation and revenge of an infuriated community, which would assuredly follow the arrival of the dragoons.
"You deceive yourself," said I, "if you really believe that they will not be sent into our district. If they come, remember the penalty you will have to pay; you have given the people permission to burn you in your house, and I solemnly declare to you, that I this day heard a man, a stranger to me, swear by all that he held sacred, that if you had deceived the people, he would roast you alive, and carry the news to Holland." He turned pale at this, and said, that he had spoken to the people so strongly, in consequence of a letter he had received from the Intendant of Rochefort, which contained a positive promise, that the dragoons should not come. He took out the letter, and gave it to me for perusal.
