He came to the contest, it is true, with no
weapons more formidable than common sense, and some little knowledge
of the habits of his country as contrasted with that of his adversary;
but with these homebred implements he never failed to repulse the
father with something of the power with which a nervous cudgel player
would deal with a skilful master of the rapier, setting at nought his
passados by the direct and unanswerable arguments of a broken head and
a shivered weapon.
Before the controversy was terminated, an inroad of Protestants had
come to aid the soldier. The reckless freedom of such among them, as
thought only of this life, and the consistent and tempered piety of
others, caused the honest priest to look about him in concern. The
influence of example on one hand, and the contamination of too free an
intercourse on the other, began to manifest themselves, even in that
portion of his own flock, which he had supposed to be too thoroughly
folded in spiritual government ever to stray. It was time to turn his
thoughts from the offensive, and to prepare his followers to resist
the lawless deluge of opinion, which threatened to break down the
barriers of their faith.
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