IN CHURCH HISTORY. 105 



however, and the excitement grew. Multitudes of 

 the people sided with them, and they were protected 

 by some of the German rulers. Eventually their 

 principles spread through a great part of Germany, 

 Denmark, Norway and Sweden. 



In Switzerland, Zuinglius led the reformed 

 movement. On his death Calvin of Geneva be- 

 came their leader, and his views spread through 

 France. Many of the nobility favored them, 

 among whom was Henry the Fourth, of Na- 

 varre. Under the kingship of Charles the Ninth 

 a vast multitude of the French, who had adopted 

 the reformation principles, were massacred, on the 

 eve of St. Bartholomew's Day, a. d. 1572. After 

 a long and cruel persecution they obtained tolera- 

 tion by the edict of Nantz, a. d. 1598, which 

 remained in force until a. d. 1685, when Louis 

 Fourteenth revoked the edict, and they were com- 

 pelled to return to the Church of Rome or leave 

 the country. They are known in history as the 

 Huguenots. 



It is sad that the reformers on the Continent did 

 not carry with them into their movement the ancient 

 form of Church government. Many of them, per- 

 haps nearly all of them, were in favor of so doing, 

 but no Bishops of the Church sided with them. 

 In after times, when it was possible to incorporate 

 this feature of the Church with the primitive doc- 

 trines for which they contended, they generally 



