The Broken Font: A Story of the Civil War, Vol. 2 (of 2)Sherer, Moyle
History
The Broken Font: A Story of the Civil War, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Sherer, Moyle
Great Britain -- History -- Civil War, 1642-1649 -- Fiction
At this gross outrage, Juxon burst forth with a holy zeal, in a most
earnest tone of faithful remonstrance; but he was instantly gagged in
a painful mode, and was forced in this state to witness their after
proceedings.
The people were now forcibly driven out of the church, and as many
troopers as could find room were directed to come in and stable there
for the night. The order was obeyed with tumultuous joy; and they had
no sooner taken possession of their once sacred quarters, than they
began and completed the work of demolition,--breaking the coloured
windows, destroying the tombs, and crowning their work of hell by
bringing in a baggage ass, and baptizing it with mock ceremonies at
the font. This last work was not witnessed by Sir Roger, who was
busily superintending the burning of poor George Juxon’s library, and
of many _curiosa_ in the way of antiquities, which his father had
collected in foreign countries, and bequeathed to him at his death.
It so chanced, that the first thing on which the eyes of Sir Roger
rested, when he entered the parsonage, was a glass case, or cabinet,
in which, among other ancient relics, was a small crucifix,
exquisitely wrought in ivory. The sight of this inflamed his zeal to
the boiling pitch; and declaring that so great an abomination could
only be punished by the utter destruction of the dwelling in which it
was found, he called in two or three assistants, whom he judged
qualified to overlook the books on the shelves, to the end that any
godly ones might be saved from the general ruin;--declaring, at the
same time, that all the silver, and the gold, and the raiment, and the
furniture, and the pictures, and the vessels, of what sort soever,
whether in hall or kitchen, were polluted, and must be consumed, and
denouncing the wrath of God on any of his followers who should
presume, like Achan, to appropriate a single article of the unhallowed
heap. Accordingly, on the lawn before the windows, a huge fire was
made of all these goods, which were cast forth from the windows; the
shell only of the house being spared for the use of such godly
minister as the Parliament might appoint.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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