‘Death to the Calvinists!’ was the cry that rang out on the island of Madeira on 9 August, about the time of St Bartholomew’s Day in 1846.
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‘DeathtotheCalvinists!’wasthecrythatrangoutontheislandofMadeiraon9August,aboutthetimeofStBartholomew’sDayin1846.Amobofreligiousandnationalfanatics(andthosewhoweresimplybentonevil)hadbeenincitedbytheauthoritiestohuntdownthe‘Bible-readers’andtoextinguishanysignthattheyhadeverbeenontheisland.
FrominsideFunchalCathedral,CanonTelleshadstirredhiscongregationwiththesewords:‘Defendyourpatronsaint,OurLadyoftheMount;defendtheHolyMotherRomanCatholicChurch.Pacificmethodsofpreventingthespreadofheresyhavefailed,violentmethodsarenowcalledfor.Showyourzealforthereligionofyourforefathersbyviolentlyejecting“Calvinists”andlayingwastetheirproperties;yourweaponsarenowswordandfire.’
AfterCanonTelles’sspeech,twofireworkswereshotoffoutsidethecathedralinthecentreofthecapital,Funchal,andthemobwasonthemovetowardSantaLuzia,whereIpre
