That is the doom passed upon them.
Italy too had its Protestants; but Italy killed them; managed to extinguish Protestantism.

Italy put up silently with Practical Lies of all kinds; and, shrugging its shoulders, preferred going into Dilettantism and the Fine Arts.

The Italians, instead of the sacred service of Fact and Performance, did Music, Painting, and the like:--till even that has become impossible for them; and no noble Nation, sunk from virtue to VIRTU, ever offered such a spectacle before.
He that will prefer Dilettantism in this world for his outfit, shall have it; but all the gods will depart from him; and manful veracity, earnestness of purpose, devout depth of soul, shall no more be his.

He can if he like make himself a soprano, and sing for hire;--and probably that is the real goal for him.
But the sharpest-cut example is France; to which we constantly return for illustration.

France, with its keen intellect, saw the truth and saw the falsity, in those Protestant times; and, with its ardor of generous impulse, was prone enough to adopt the former.