had even less religion than he had of the ordinary feelings of humanity) interfered with the weight of his power, and the denunciations of his vengeance.  Yet he found it necessary neither wholly to suppress, nor wholly to check, the progress of the protestant religion:  while, on the other hand, the Strasbourgeois dreaded too much the effects of his power to dispute his will by any compact or alliance of opposition.  In 1550, therefore, the matter stood thus.  The cathedral, and the collegiate and parish churches of St. Peter the Elder and St. Peter the Younger, as well as the Oratory of all Saints, adopted the catholic form of worship.  The other parish churches adopted that of the protestant.  Yet in 1559 there happened such a serious affray in the cathedral church itself—­between the Catholics and Protestants—­as taught the former the obvious necessity of conceding as much as possible to the latter.  It followed, that, towards the end of the same century, there were, in the cathedral chapter, seventeen protestant, and eight catholic canons.  Among the latter, however, was the celebrated Cardinal de Lorraine:—­one of the most powerful, the most furious, and the most implacable of the enemies of Protestantism.  The part he took in the massacre of St. Bartholomew’s day, consigns his name to everlasting ignominy and detestation.

In 1610 a league was formed for the adjustment of the differences between the Catholics and Protestants:  but the unfortunate thirty years war breaking out in 1618, and desolating nearly the whole of Germany, prevented the permanent consolidation of the interests of either party.  All this time Strasbourg was under the power, as it even now speaks the language, and partakes of the customs and manners, of GERMANY:  but its very situation rendered it the prey of both the contending powers of Germany and France.  At length came the memorable, and as I suspect treacherous, surrender of Strasbourg to the arms of Louis XIV, in September 1681; when the respective rights and privileges of the Catholics and Protestants were placed upon a definite footing:  although, before this event, the latter had considerably the ascendancy.  These rights were endeavoured to be shaken by the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685—­not however before the Jesuits had been striving to warp the feelings of the latter in favour of the former.  The catholic religion was, by the articles of the surrender of the city, established in the cathedral, in the subordinate churches of St. Peter the Elder and St. Peter the Younger, and in the Oratory of All Saints:  and it has continued to be exercised pretty much in the same proportion unto this day.  The majority of the inhabitants are however decidedly Protestants.  Such is a succinct, but I believe not unfaithful, account of the establishment of the PROTESTANT RELIGION at Strasbourg.