large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_01_belloc_64kb_7
large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_01_belloc_64kb
English
7264
It was inevitable, therefore, that in England the fruits should first appear, for here only was there deep soil. IT WAS INEVITABLE THEREFORE THAT IN ENGLAND THE FRUITS SHOULD FIRST APPEAR FOR HERE ONLY WAS THEIR DEEP SOIL
 the Renaissance and of the Reformation combined: Two warring twins. These things appeared first of all in England, because England was the only province of Europe wherein the old Latin tradition ran side by side with the novel effects of protestantism. But for England the great schism and heresy of the sixteenth century, already dissolving to-day, would long ago have died. It would have been confined for some few generations to those outer Northern parts of the Continent which had never really digested but had only received in some mechanical fashion the strong meat of Rome. It would have ceased with, or shortly after, the Thirty Years War. It was the defection of the English Crown, the immense booty rapidly obtained by a few adventurers, like the Cecils and Russells, and a still smaller number of old families, like the Howards, which put England, with all its profound traditions and with all its organic inheritance of the great European thing, upon the side of the Northern Germanies. ERE THE FRUIT OF THE RENAISSANCE AND OF THE REFORMATION COMBINED TWO WARRING TWINS THESE THINGS APPEARED FIRST OF ALL IN ENGLAND BECAUSE ENGLAND WAS THE ONLY PROVINCE OF EUROPE WHEREIN THE OLD LATIN TRADITION RAN SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE NOVEL EFFECTS OF PROTESTANTISM BUT FOR ENGLAND THE GREAT SCHISM OF HERESY OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY ALREADY DISSOLVING TO DAY WOULD LONG AGO HAVE DIED IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CONFINED FOR SOME FEW GENERATIONS TO THOSE OUTER NORTHERN PARTS OF THE CONTINENT WHICH HAD NEVER REALLY DIGESTED BUT HAD ONLY RECEIVED IN SOME MECHANICAL FASHION THE STRONG MEAT OF ROME IT WOULD HAVE CEASED WITH OR SHORTLY AFTER THE THIRTY YEARS WAR IT WAS THE DEFECTION OF THE ENGLISH CROWN THE IMMENSE BOOTY RAPIDLY OBTAINED BY A FEW ADVENTURERS LIKE THE CEASELS AND THE RUSSELLS AND A STILL SMALLER NUMBER OF OLD FAMILIES LIKE THE HOWARDS WHICH PUT ENGLAND WITH ALL ITS PROFOUND TRADITIONS AND WITH ALL ITS ORGANIC INHERITANCE OF THE GREAT EUROPEAN THING UPON THE SIDE OF THE NORTHERN GERMANYS
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