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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	church_n	prince_n	1,970	5	6.0780	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61700	A collection, or narative, sent to His Highness, the Lord Protector of the Common-Wealth of England, Scotland, & Ireland, &c. concerning the bloody and barbarous massacres, murthers, and other cruelties, committed on many thousands of Reformed, or Protestants dwelling in the vallies of Piedmont, by the Duke of Savoy's forces, joyned therein with the French Army, and severall Irish regiments.	Stoppa, Giovanni Battista.	1655 (1655)	Wing S5768; ESTC R16255	30,113	60

wise guilty of that bloodshed he would not I suppose have banished them with the rest but rather have cast them into prison that they might have been punished according to the heynousnesse of the fact And therefore when all the Protestants of Fenil were promiscuously commanded by Gastald to depart and let go without taking notice of any man for so horrible a Crime he thereby gave sufficient testimony to the innocence of the Protestants in this matter And truly in the Decree of banishment he makes not the least mention of that horrid businesse but by declaring those persons should be exempted from banishment that would abjure the Reformed Religion he sufficiently sheweth that the turning them out of all in the midst of winter at three daies warning upon pain of death was resolved and executed to this end and purpose that the men being reduced to harship and misery might by this means be compelled to a renouncing of their Religion But put case that any man among the Protestants of Fenil had committed that wickednesse it cannot be concluded therefore that the rest of them in Fenill much lesse that those of the same Religion in Lucerne Lusernette Bobiane St. John la Tour Bricheras and St. Second ought in justice to be thrust out of their ancient possessions For the guilt of this murther though it had been committed by a Protestant it could by no means be imputed to these or to any of the inhabitants of other Towns and Corporations that are farre distant from them As by the Law of God and common Justice so also by several Decrees of the Dukes of Savoy made in favour of the Protestants September 29. 1603. and June 4. 1653. it is prohibited that the innocent should not suffer for the guilty so the Professors of the Reformed Religion do not desire to hinder but make it their humble and earnest Request that such as are guilty may be brought to punishment From hence then it is obvious enough to any man upon what account it is that the enemies of the Refor●●●●hurches have not onely driven very many of them 〈…〉 their native Countrey and ancient dwellings into banishment but goe on stil to persecute them by a most cruel and bloody war which they have cause to believe is not carried on against them by the proper inclination and direction of the Prince himselfe but through the perswasion and instigation of the Congregation for propogating the Faith and extirpation of Hereticks who have usurped the cognizance of this Controversie being the onely persons that have hindred the Protestants from being heard by the Prince when they have presented their Petitions or made any Addresses to his Royal Highnesse But yet they so ordered the matter that they directed divers Courtiers their creatures to feed the poore Protestants with hope that the eares of the Prince being wearied out with continued Petitions they might at length obtaine the favour to have their businesse brought to a triall before competent Judges while in the mean time they prepared Forces underhand with which they make it their businesse to fall upon them unawares and oppresse and destroy them It is against this unjust violence that the Protestants endeavour to defend themselves They struggle not against their Prince but with the said Congregation for extirpating Hereticks who as in the hearing and judging of this Cause so also in the bloody execution of their sentence by the sword have for the covering of their injustice made use of the name and Authority of the most illustrious Prince Moreover they with the like injury blame those Churches in the Valleys of Piedmont about those Letters of intercession written on their behalf to the Duke of Savoy by forrein Magistrates of the Reformed Religion as if they applied themselves to States Princes abroad for protection whereas those Letters are no more but friendly offices writtten without the privity of those Churches much lesse upon their intreaty and sent by those Magistrates of their own accord induced thereto by a Pious and Zealous affection and out of a brotherly commiseration of that most grievous calamity which might have moved even stocks and stones and whereof they had sufficient notice from other Parts seeing the turning of so many men women children Infants and sick persons out of dores to the wide world in the midst of winter at three daies warning upon pain of death was become a most notorious businesse which cried out aloud of it self and by reason of the wandring of those miserable Exiles who were forced to rove up and down like vagabonds to beg their bread Nor could they be ignorant how unjustly those their Protastant brethren of the Valleys of Piedmont were oppressed by their Adversaries in the Congregation for propagating the Faith who had openly arrogated to themselves the judging of the Cause of those our brethren in the Archbishop of Turin's house contrary to all the Rules of judicial proceeding and abused the Authority of the Duke of Savoy to oppresse and destroy them An Appendix to the foregoing Apologie AS we are informed by severall Letters the ruine long intended by the enemies of the truth of the Churches of Piedmont by the permission of God being angry because of our sinnes is now executed Indeed they had put off the execution by fained shewes and hopes of reconciliation that they might the while provide all necessaries to compasse their ends But against our expectation upon the 16. of April 1655. the Army made up of the Forces of the Duke of Savoy and of the King of France amongst which were some Irish Regiments fell upon the Churches of the Valley of Lucerna and with them the Militia of Piedmont and a crew of banished theeves felons and other malefactors let on purpose out of prison and from all parts flocking together in hope of prey whose incursions in an hostile manner the Reformed mistrusting at first and fearing to be crushed ere they could be heard when all means of approach by supplication to his Highnesse the Duke of Savoy was taken from them they withdrew themselves into the mountaines But the Commander of that Army the Marquesse of Pianesse sewing the Fox skin to that of the Lyons feigned he had no other intention then to intreate the Reformed that they would approve to the Prince their faith and obedience not by bare words but by reall facts viz. by quartering onely for three daies three Regiments of the Army viz. one at Angrogne another at Villars and a third at Boby which if they did he faithfully promised that no harme to them or theirs should be done which when it was granted by the Reformed and they had received the three Regiments presently the whole Army rushed upon them no difference made of men women children or sucking babes dashing them against stones some laying hold on them by the legges and either dismembring them or hurling them headlong into precipices with such fury that the very rocks were wet

mean time we supplicate his Highness that it would please him to cause these strange Hostilities to cease which are committed against his intention and also your Excellencies Of which we thought it our duty not onely to give advice to your Excellency but also as to one that hath full Power and Authority and to whom we are informed all shall be referred We make to you the same Supplications and Promises imploring your Grace and Protection Given at Val Cluson the third of May 1655. Your Excellencies most humble most obedient and devoted servants the Deputies of the Vallies of Lusern Perouse and St. Martin It was signed by a great number Let the Reader take notice that these poor people for to endeavour to preserve yet this small part of Val Perouse which belongs to his Royall Highness with the small and poor Vally of St. Martin notwithstanding their entire and irreproveable sidelity and innocence did humble themselves but all to no purpose as yet except God be pleased to touch the Hearts of the Superiours or deliver them by other means Every one doth ask But what may be the reason these poor folk have been so dealt with Farre from hence reasons enough and causes of it are alledged whereof they do not so much as speak of upon the place First Some say that the Reformed have killed a Priest at Fenill in the lower Vale of Luserne But that Priest hath been killed but sixteen daies after publication of the aforesaid Edict and was murthered by the Secretary of the Prefect of that Province who is a Romish Catholike and had already slain another Priest in the same place A young man of the Reformed Religion having been accused to have been partaker with him therein hath been delivered by the said Reformed into the hands of Justice and of the Delegate of his Royall Highness who having deposed there that the said Secretary called Pagot had perswaded him to go along with him in that horrid execution promised to give him three hundred Pistolls but that he had refused to do it and took onely two to bind him not to say a word of it hath been released and declared not guilty After this considering the scruples of some yet the same man hath severall times presented himselfe to Madame Royall and the cheifest of her Ministers and the Reformed have still represented him upon all occasions to be examined and brought face to face before the parties but they still refused it holding him as fully justified and the other convicted Besides though among the Reformed there should have been found a Thiefe neither their Concessions nor their Laws do suffer the innocent to be punished for the guilty Such Assassinations were never commited by order of the Reformed and could have no advantage by the death of an inconsiderable Country Priest who could never do them neither good or evill Secondly Some say that at La Tour an Asse hath been dressed like a Monk It is a Diabolicall invention In a word it was thus The Youth of the place partly Papists partly Reformed to jeere and mock at a very Heterocliticall Marriage made a Charivary as they call it and tooke the Asse of the Bridegroome whom they did set on the topp of the Oven in a publick place where it was seen of all all the day long and nothing therein touched the Monks nor the Masse nor the Host The Roman Catholikes in such occasions have often set up Asses upon the top of their Pinacles in those places Thirdly Therefore the published Order alledges no such reasons onely the Marquesse de Piannesa as appears in the answer he got M. Gibeline the Roman Catholike Atturney of the the Reformed at Turin to make said that his Royall Highnes was willing to abase their pride for having craved the Protection of the Forraign Princes because the Lords of Zurick and Berne after the Order published against them though not required but out of their own inclinations had sent to his Royall Highnes some Letters in their behalf Let the Reader judge of the validity of this Reason This Fourth is most cryed up in Piedmont viz. That the Reformed have cruelly murthered the Catholiques in Ireland and have wholly expelled them and that they ought to murther the Reformed in Piedmont and clear the State of them to lodge the Irish in their place Let yet the Reader judge of this reason Besides it is false the Reformed have murthered the Catholicks in Ireland but to the contrary Therfore it remains that there hath been no other true cause of this but the haued they bear to the Religion it being known to all the world that no Subjects have ever been true or more obedient to their Prince than they who never stirred when all the rest of the State was up in Arms who still payd their Taxes though ever burthened have borne extraordinary Winter Quarters aflorded their men for the war as often as demanded and even some few days afore their desolation sent their Militias for the service of his Royall Highness upon the receipt of his very first command I have hastily given you a Copy of this tract of the horrible furies of the Adversaries desiring you to see if his Highness the Serenissime Lord Protector could take occasion to insert in the Treaty with France the re-establishment of our Brethren escaped from the Massacres which they have caused the Irish to do as in revenge of their being banished out of their Country for Massacring the Protestants there Your Brother hath assured us he will give us the Charity ordained by your Church A generall Collection in your Quarters will be necessary there being so many thousands despoild of all that are seeking for refuge There are two Ministers viz. Master Gross and Master Aghi● Prisoners at Turin God strengthen and deliver them and conserve you and your Colleagues whom I salute remaining May 8. 1655. Most honoured Brother wholy yours A Letter written to his Highness the Lord Protector of the Common-wealth of England Scotland and Ireland c. about the said Murthers Massacres and cruelties sent together with the said descriptions To his Highness My Lord Protector of the Common-wealth of England Scotland and Ireland ALthough his Highnese the Lord Protector be well informed of whatsoever comes to pass in most places of the world yet we have thought he would not be sorry to see as in a contracted picture the horrid cruelties practised by the Duke of Savoy's men upon the Faithfull in the Valleys of Piedmont That is to say upon such people that if any in the world did live in the greatest purity and the greatest innocency whose onely crime is that neither they nor their Fathers nor their Auncestors 500 years since would ever pollute themselves with the Roman Superstitions and Idolatries The whole Christendome have their eyes fixed on his Highness and all good men hope that he will avenge or rather God will avenge by his hand such a hellish barbarousness If we should have a less knowledge of his Zeal and of his Heroicall courage we would tell him what once Mordecai said to the Queen Esther c. 4. v. 14. Esther If thou holdest thy peace at this time then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise from another place But thou and thy Father's house shall be destroyed And who knoweth whether thou art come to such a high dignity for such a time as this But at his Highness possesses lights altogether extraordinary he will of himself consider that God hath given him a great power to imploy it to his glory and that he hath put a victorious sword in his hand to be a revenger to execute wrath upon those that do evill Rom. c. 13. v. 4. So that as since the Greation of the World nothing hath been seen so dreadfull so nothing shall be punished in such an exemplary manner It is hoped that with him severall Protestant Princes will imbrace so just a cause But if there be any that be not sensibly moved by so deep and so sharp a wound and that having power yet be not willing to prosecute and pursue those Martherers and those Incendi●ries that saying will be applyed unto them of the Prophetess Deborah Curse ye Meroz curse ye bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord with the mighty Iudges c. 5 v. 2 3. In the mean while your Highness will spread through the whole earth the sweet savour of his name and as it hath been said The sword of the Lord and of Gideon so hereafter they will say the sword of the Lord and of OLIVER His praises will be celebrated to the world's end and they will say that the Protector of Great Brittain is become the Protector of all those that are persecuted for righteousness sake All those that do sincerely love God and that are sick because of the bruise of Joseph will heartily pray unto God that he might be pleased to prolong the days of his Highness to settle his Government and to pour upon his posterity his most holy and most precious blessings Let his Highness be assured that this draught hath been made by a faithfull hand and let him have the goodness not to enquire who he is that sends it It is not so much the voice of men or the blood of the Martyrs as the voice of God himself who crys for vengeance for the injury done to his great name and who commands him to work the deliverance of those that are Prisoners for the Lord Jesus and to restore to their Native Country the poor banish●d men who like the faithfull of old are wandring in the wildern●sses in the Dens in the Mountains and in the clefts of the earth That they might sing as those that returned from the Babylonian Captivity When the Lord turned again the Captivity of Zion we were like them that dream Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing c. Psal 126. v. 1. 2. FINIS