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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Untitled Article
Martin fMhcr > * Stu&y . W *
Untitled Article
words were interrupted , for the little Esch rushing forward clun jr to Martin ' knees , and gave way to one of those almost feartul gushes of grief , to which childhood abandon * itself under strong emotions . Mattin received the boy in his arms , soothed his anguish with whispered words of comfort , —wiped the tears from his eyes till they ceased to flow , and suffered
the brief convulsive sobs to subside , as he pressed the little one to his own mighty heart . At first Erasmus looked somewhat annoyed , and &uinglius puzzled ; but the strong men wept , a « Philip briefly explained to them , that this young and gentle child had beheld his father ' s martyrdom . When John Esch was chained to the stake , in the market-place at Brussels ; and when all who knew him had forsook nim and fled , this boy eluded the vigilance of those who would hare detained him ; and strong in his filial love , stood alone by the burning pile and raised his innocent voice above the roaring flames , to pray with and for his murdered Father ! " In vain ,
said Philip , " he was urged to depart ; he lingered by the burning pile , heedless alike of ferocious looks and threats , and the tenderest persuasions ; and with his d y ing breath , from the midst of the flames , John Esch blessed his son ! While Philip spoke , the child , exhausted b y his recent emotions , fell into a deep and tranquil slumber . With hands as gentle as the
falling snow , Martin placed him on the settle , carefully adjusting and pillowing his little head on the folds of a furred cloak . cc A wild tempest , " continued Melancthon , " which diwne , Esch ' s murderers from the fatal spot , had no effect on his scat , till overcome by the fierce heat , and his own desolate a ^ ooi e * , it is probable the child swooned for a time . But m the
middle of that awful ni g ht , ere his fathers remains were scattered to the elements , lie was found calmly sleeping on the damp and slimy ground , and nestling as close as might be , t © the loathsome and smouldering ashes;—a ghastly , yet a . lovely sig ht ! There was a deep though brief silence , till the sterner Zuinglius , dashed the thick falling tears from his eyelids with a disdainful gesture , and by a sudden , and strong
effort , subdued his emotions , and stiffened his frame , till the muscles of his face and form looked hard and rispd as iron . The power he exercised over his feelings caused his voice to grate on the ear , with a harsh , unnatural , and wooden souad . %% Martin , " he said , ' * it is neither good nor seemly for men te n £ &lect their duties . Methinks it were more fitting to leave
yotider boy to an old wife ' s care , and e ; ive your whole soul t « our great work ! " ** Nay , my Brother / said Martin , but with a broken voice—•* patiently bear with me awhile . " E . & .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1836, page 435, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2659/page/43/
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