In 1636, residents at the convent of Santa Chiara in Carpi in northern Italy were struck by an extraordinary illness that provoked bizarre behavior. Eventually numbering fourteen, the afflicted nuns were subject to screaming fits, throwing themselves on the floor, and falling abruptly into a deep sleep. When medical experts' cures proved ineffective, exorcists ministered to the women and concluded that they were possessed by demons and the victims of witchcraft. Catering to women from elite families, the nunnery suffered much turmoil for three years and, remarkably, three of the victims died from their ills. A maverick nun and a former confessor were widely suspected to be responsible, through witchcraft, for these woes. Based primarily on the exhaustive investigation by the Inquisition of Modena, The Scourge of Demons examines this fascinating case in its historical context. The travails of Santa Chiara occurred at a time when Europe witnessed peaks in both witch-hunting and in the numbers of people reputedly possessed by demons. Female religious figures appeared particularly prone to demonic attacks, and Counter-Reformation Church authorities were especially interested in imposing stricter discipline on convents. Watt carefully considers how the nuns of Santa Chiara understood and experienced alleged possession and witchcraft, concluding that Santa Chiara's diabolical troubles and their denouement -- involving the actions of nuns, confessors, inquisitorial authorities, and exorcists -- were profoundly shaped by the unique confluence of religious, cultural, judicial, and intellectual trends that flourished in the 1630s. Jeffrey R. Watt is professor of history at the University of Mississippi.

It was Saturday, May 7, 1921, and Harness was guiding Roxie, his horse, through the gap in the mountains to her home. Little did he know, lurking ahead were killers waiting for the chance to release their deadly venomous revenge on both horse and rider. This unfortunate event took place in a community populated with quaint churches, schools, businesses and moonshine. Appalachia was a place where families had come to satisfy their hunger for freedom and flee from oppression. The area had always been home to the tired, poor and huddled masses that yearned to be free. In the final pages, Pap closes his eyes to a better day and Martin never quite realizes his dreams fulfilled. This novel highlights Appalachia's beauty and culture that makes the area unique. It underscores God's love while dealing with a cold calculated murder. You will learn to love these personalities and their challenges. They were extraordinary, even by today's terms. You will laugh, cry, sing and pray with them as they make their way through early Appalachia. Don R. Watts is a graduate of Marshall University and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He is a retired public school teacher, has worked as a Master Electrician and has pastored numerous small churches. Don's many life experiences, travels and his love of Americana make Daybreak Over Appalachia come to life. He is a native of Appalachia and understands its people and land. As you read this book, take time to enjoy the culture, beauty and mystery and discover what remains of the former years. The author can be reached at [email protected].

Examines the most successful institution of social discipline in Reformation Europe: the Consistory of Geneva during the time of John Calvin Created by John Calvin, the Consistory of Geneva was a quasi-tribunal entrusted with enforcing Reformed morality. Comprised of pastors and elders, this body met weekly and summoned people for a wide range of "sinful" behavior, such as drunkenness, dancing, blasphemy, or simply quarrels, and was a far more intrusive institution than the Catholic Inquisition. Among the thousands summoned during Calvin's ministry were a pair of women who were allegedly prophets, boys who skipped catechism to practice martial arts, and a good number of people begging for forgiveness for having renounced Protestantism out of fear of death. This superbly researched book, reflecting author Jeffrey Watt's career-long involvement in the ongoing project of transcribing, editing, and publishing the Consistory records, is the first comprehensive examination of this morals court and provides a window into the reception of the Reformation in the so-called Protestant Rome. Watt examines the role of the Consistory in upholding patriarchy, showing that while Genevan authorities did not have a double standard in prosecuting illicit sexuality, the Consistory exhorted women to obey even violently abusive husbands. He finds also that Calvin and his colleagues vigorously promoted a strong work ethic by censuring people, mostly men, for laziness, and showed a surprising degree of skepticism toward accusations of witchcraft. Finally, Watt demonstrates convincingly that, while the Consistory encountered some resistance, Genevans by and large shared the ideals it promoted and that it enjoyed considerable success in fostering discipline in Genevan society. This book is openly available in digital formats thanks to a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. It may be found here and elsewhere: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/42650.

This is the second of a projected three-volume history of Nonconformity in England and Wales. Following the widely-acclaimed first volume, which covered the period from Reformation to the French Revolution, this second volume deals with the years from 1791 to 1859. It was a period in which Evangelical Nonconformity underwent phenomenal growth and had a profound impact on nearly all aspects of English and Welsh society and on its economic and political life. The history of late Georgian and Victorian England and Wales, argues Dr Watts, cannot be understood without a knowledge of Nonconformity.

A fascinating examination of alleged demon possession and witchcraft in a seventeenth-century convent in Carpi, Italy. In 1636, residents at the convent of Santa Chiara in Carpi in northern Italy were struck by an extraordinary illness that provoked bizarre behavior. Eventually numbering fourteen, the afflicted nuns were subject to screaming fits,throwing themselves on the floor, and falling abruptly into a deep sleep. When medical experts' cures proved ineffective, exorcists ministered to the women and concluded that they were possessed by demons and the victims of witchcraft. Catering to women from elite families, the nunnery suffered much turmoil for three years and, remarkably, three of the victims died from their ills. A maverick nun and a former confessor were widely suspected to be responsible, through witchcraft, for these woes. Based primarily on the exhaustive investigation by the Inquisition of Modena, The Scourge of Demons examines this fascinating case in its historical context. The travails of Santa Chiara occurred at a time when Europe witnessed peaks in both witch-hunting and in the numbers of people reputedly possessed by demons. Female religious figures appeared particularly prone to demonic attacks, and Counter-Reformation Church authorities were especially interested in imposing stricter discipline on convents. Watt carefully considers how the nuns of Santa Chiara understood and experienced alleged possession and witchcraft, concluding that Santa Chiara's diabolical troubles and their denouement -- involving the actions of nuns, confessors, inquisitorial authorities, and exorcists -- were profoundly shaped by the unique confluence of religious, cultural, judicial, andintellectual trends that flourished in the 1630s. Jeffrey R. Watt is professor of history at the University of Mississippi.

Religious dissent has been a persistent feature of English and Welsh history for over four hundred years, influencing the economic, cultural, and political history of the two nations as well as their religious life. The Dissenters is the first of a projected three-volume study on the subject, which promises to be the first comprehensive overview of the subject in more than sixty years.

This third and final volume of Michael Watts's study of dissent examines the turbulent times of Victorian Nonconformity, a period of faith and of doubt. Watts assesses the impacts of the major Dissenting preachers and provides insights into the various movements, such as romanticism and the higher, often German, biblical criticism. He shows that the preaching of hell and eternal damnation was more effective in recruiting to the chapels than the gentler interpretations. A major feature of the volume is a thorough analysis of surviving records of attendance at Nonconformist services. He provides fascinating accounts of Spurgeon and the other key figures of Nonconformity, including of the Salvation Army. Dr Watts also provides a fresh discussion of the contribution which Nonconformity made to the politics of mid- to late-Victorian Britain. He examines such issues of reform as Forster's Education Act of 1871, temperance, and Balfour's Education Act of 1902, and considers Nonconformist interventions in such controversies as the Bulgarian Agitation, Home Rule for Ireland, the Armenian massacres of the mid 1890s, and the Boer War. The volume concludes with the Liberal landslide in the 1906 general election, which saw probably more Nonconformists elected than any time since the era of Oliver Cromwell.

Louvin Reilly lives on his farm with his daughter Lucy Lee near Cumberland Gap, Tennessee in the late 1880's. He has a part time job as a constable, the county level law enforcement appointee for that locale of Claiborne County. Both wait for Lucy's fiance John Behan to return from working on the flat boats on the Cumberland River. Louvin plans to retire from government service when John returns and spend all his time showing him how to operate his farm. Louvin has two nephews, Matthew and Mark Johnson. The Johnson boys have been living on their own for about twelve years since their parents died in a fire that destroyed their cabin. Louvin wants to see them marry, leave the hills and prosper in the city. They have the wherewithal, but Louvin worries they do not seem the least bit interested in grasping the opportunity. In the meantime a number of tragedies occur and other situations arise that involve Louvin and the Johnson boys to varying degrees. These are told in this book as separate short stories. Each story is based upon an old time folk song. Inspiration came most directly from the songs "Molly and Tenbrooks," "The Oxford Tragedy," "The Wexford Girl," "Molly Bawn," "Polly Vaughn," "The Johnson Boys," "Good Old Mountain Dew," "Dooley," "John Henry," "The Wreck on the C. & O.," "Silver Dagger," "Katy Dear" and "Cumberland Gap." The stories include many allusions to other songs as well, such as "Jimmie Brown the Newsboy" and "Groundhog." Names of most of the characters in the stories are names of characters from even more songs, such as Lucy Lee, Cindy, Katy Daly, Angeline Baker, Willie Moore, Jack Davy and Rattler. Any fan of folk and bluegrass music will recognize many more songs and names. Coal mining songs are innumerable. That industry has had a profound impact upon Appalachia. To reflect that, the industry is background for several stories. Additionally, the John Henry in this collection is a convict laborer in a mine rather than an employee of a railroad. These stories are not straight restatements of the songs. The author developed the situations and characters differently, as Calliope and Euterpe directed. The original songs about the horse race and the train wreck were based upon actual events. However, again, the Muses had their own ideas about things for this collection. One of those ideas was to have a core of characters that appear in all the stories. Some just lend a hand to help develop that particular story. Some have stories of their own that develop and resolve themselves across the entire collection. Although the stories are separate, they are interrelated by setting, characters and events. At the end of the collection are the lyrics to several of the songs that inspired the author. These are ones that relate directly to some of the stories and that are in the public domain. They are in turn based upon songs brought to Appalachia by immigrants from Great Britain. "Cumberland Gap" is an exception. The author's research revealed many, many verses to that song. This illustrates a common feature of traditional music. Artists singing these songs will invariably alter wording or compose new verses as their own creativity dictates. To demonstrate that, the author composed all of the verses to the "Cumberland Gap" here. God bless folk musicians. God bless all musicians."

The musings of a middle aged former soldier on life and love and a few other things besides. Poetry and a few short stories. No answers only questions.

America wins its wars by clearly 'defeating' its enemies. Yet the 'defeat' of an enemy has had a particularly context related to the American way of conducting and concluding wars. Historically, American wars have been wars fought against nation-states and the U.S. wins such wars by destroying the adversary's military power and thereby both its ability and its will to continue fighting. The war is concluded with a cessation of hostilities, followed by a negotiated peace.

It was Saturday, May 7, 1921, and Harness was guiding Roxie, his horse, through the gap in the mountains to her home. Little did he know, lurking ahead were killers waiting for the chance to release their deadly venomous revenge on both horse and rider. This unfortunate event took place in a community populated with quaint churches, schools, businesses and moonshine. Appalachia was a place where families had come to satisfy their hunger for freedom and flee from oppression. The area had always been home to the tired, poor and huddled masses that yearned to be free. In the final pages, Pap closes his eyes to a better day and Martin never quite realizes his dreams fulfilled. This novel highlights Appalachia's beauty and culture that makes the area unique. It underscores God's love while dealing with a cold calculated murder. You will learn to love these personalities and their challenges. They were extraordinary, even by today's terms. You will laugh, cry, sing and pray with them as they make their way through early Appalachia. Don R. Watts is a graduate of Marshall University and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He is a retired public school teacher, has worked as a Master Electrician and has pastored numerous small churches. Don's many life experiences, travels and his love of Americana make Daybreak Over Appalachia come to life. He is a native of Appalachia and understands its people and land. As you read this book, take time to enjoy the culture, beauty and mystery and discover what remains of the former years. The author can be reached at [email protected].

The studies in this collection re-examine the role of the Qing state in the private economy. They show in a variety of cases how the interaction between the two helped the state achieve its goals of social stability and security while enhancing the prosperity of private economic interests.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Once you enter the "Cellar Door" it will take you on a journey through love, despair, faith and the perplexing phenomenon attached to the number eleven. The author shares some of his secrets and invites you into his deepest experiences. "Cellar Door" is truly a magnificent piece of work considering it is Eric Watts' first official poetry book. It is absolutely a must read for Laymen and poetry lovers alike. "Cellar Door" will keep you intrigued by the author's masterful use of mystery, haunting scenarios and the unpredictability of many of the poems. It is truly refreshing to read a piece of work that makes its path instead of following conventional wisdom as to what poetry should be.

After years of internal debate, labor union leaders have come to regard immigration as an inevitable consequence of globalization. Labor leaders have come to believe that restrictive immigration policies, which they once supported to protect their native constituencies, do little more than encourage illegal immigration. As a result, most labor leaders today support more open policies that promote legal immigration, creating an unconventional, unspoken partnership with employers. Julie R. Watts identifies globalization as the impetus behind the change in labor leaders' attitudes toward immigration. She then compares specific political, economic, and institutional circumstances that have shaped immigration preferences and policies in France, Italy, Spain, and the United States. In addition to revealing the unusual alliance between unions and employers on the immigration issue, Watts examines the role both groups play in the formulation of national policy.