“Your Christians, whom one persecutes in vain,
Have something in them that surpasses the human.
They lead a life of such innocence,
That the heavens owe them some recognition:
That they arise the stronger the more they are beaten down
Is hardly the result of common virtues.”

—  Pierre Corneille, Polyeucte

Sans doute vos chrétiens, qu'on persécute en vain,
Ont quelque chose en eux qui surpasse l'humain:
Ils mènent une vie avec tant d'innocence,
Que le ciel leur en doit quelque reconnaissance;
Se relever plus forts, plus ils sont abattus,
N'est pas aussi l'effet des communes vertus.
Sévère, act V, scene vi.
Polyeucte (1642)

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Pierre Corneille81
French tragedian 1606–1684

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