able to follow them to the prisons where they would have secured them Twenty two persons who had for a long time layn hid in Woods and most of which were women and children were found by these murtherers on the Mountain of Pelue and thrown off into dreadful Abysses being miserably shattered and torn by the edges of sharp-pointed Flints on which the entrails of these poor wretches were seen to hang a long time after In the vale of Lucerna Susannah the wife of Daniel Violin Katherina the wife of James Negrin Anne Malanote and her daughter were stabb'd in the throats with Bayonets Some Soldiers having used all their endeavors to flea Daniel Pellene alive and seeing they could not get the skin over his shoulders they layd him on the ground and placed a great stone on his belly and made him thus expire Daniel Brumerol lost his life with a cord with which they fastned and straitned with a dreadful violence his head to his belly and privitys Anne and Magdalen Vittories and several others were burnt the wise of Daniel Monin was slayn with a Sword with which her head was cleaved asunder Anne Bastianne was thrown down from high Rocks into a dreadful bottom David Moudon had also his head cleaved asunder with the blow of a Sword. Margaret Salvajot having bin stript naked had several blows of a dagger struck into her body but she suffered not only a cruel death in her own person seeing that before she dyed these wretches had so bruised the head of her daughter but 7 months old against rocky places that the brains came out in the mother's sight They cut in pieces Mary Salvajot and poignarded Mary Durand for resisting the attempts made on her chastity They cut the throat of Mrs Bertrand the Minister's mother who was 80 years of age and lay bedrid A young maiden of Boby was fastned naked on her back on a Mule and thus exposed and led openly through all the Town of Lucerna Amongst a great number of Vaudoises which were hang'd in Boby there was one named Anthony Malanot on whom the Soldiers discharged their Guns several times after he was dead making their mark those parts of his body which modesty puts on scrupling the mention The Soldiers having found a woman named Jaimonate in a cavern of a Rock on the Collier's Mount they led her to the Marquess de Bavil Colonel to the Regiment of Savoy who askt her how long she had layn in that place and how she sustained her self she answered she had there hid her self 8 days and liv'd on the milk which a Goat she had taken along with her had yielded her They would have afterwards obliged her to tell them where the Vaudoises were who hid themselvs in Rocks and protesting she knew nothing in that particular the Soldiers after having given her a kind of torture in fastning and then straitning her fingers with matches to make her confess tyed her neck and heels and in this posture threw her down from an high Rock but being stopt in the way They with stones so bruised her that her bowels came out and at length beat her quite off in the presence of the Marquess de Bavil A youth of the Vallys named David Magnot whom this Marquess had a fancy to and had kept to wait on him having since gotten away was an eye-witness of this horrid action Daniel Moudon one of the Elders of the Church of Roras having bin the spectator of the death of John and James Moudon his two children whose heads the Soldiers cut off after he had seen the body of the wife of John ript up from the Navil and her daughter's brains beat out who was not above 6 weeks old and the two children of James cut in pieces one of which was 4 years old and the other 14 months was constrained by these Monsters to carry cross his shoulders the heads of his two sons and to march barefoot 2 hours journy near Lucerna where he was hang'd in the midst of these two heads which were fastned to a Gibbet There would be no end in reciting particular instances of these kinds of crueltys Neither shall we insist on the pitious death of so many Ancient and infirm people of all ages and both Sexes who perished thro' cold and hunger as well in Woods as holes in the Rocks We here pass over an infinite number of prisoners who were hang'd without any formality of justice on the arms of Trees and in Towns and Villages amongst which was Paul Megle an infirm young man who was carry'd out of his bed to execution What we have related may suffice I think to shew how far extended the fury of the Vaudoises Enemys We shall only then add here the death of Mr. Leidet which is equally worthy of pitty and admiration He was Minister of Prabz in the vale of St. Martin who had escaped at the Surrender of the Vallys and hid himself for some time in the holes of Rocks He was taken by a Detachment of Soldiers and carry'd away to Lucerna into the Pallace of the Marquess of Angrogne where was then the Duke of Savoy He was put into prison in a Tower of this Pallace and one of his feet lockt into a kind of Stocks where he long remained in this condition with bread and water not being able to lye down It was sayd he was taken with his arms in his hands but this appearing to be a false accusation as it was afterwards justifyed by those who took him he was left several months in Prison without having any judgment past on him and several Judges excused themselvs from medling with him Yet in the mean time no day past in which he was not exposed to the persecutions of the Monks and Popish Priests with whom he earnestly disputed touching his Religion and always confounded them They brought him one day two Bibles in which he shewed them so clearly the truth of his belief that they left him and shamefully withdrew after a dispute which held four hours They often put him in mind of his approaching death to affright him and told him several times there was no ways of escaping it but by turning Roman Catholic But he receiv'd the news of his death with great tranquillity He answer'd them that tho he well knew they could not justly put him to death seeing he was not taken with his arms in his hands and that moreover the Duke of Savoy had promis'd pardon to all his Subjects Yet was he ready to suffer what they might lay upon him esteeming himself very happy if he might suffer death for the name of Christ He strengthned by his example and exhortations the prisoners which were with him some of which had leave to come to him In fine the Monks and Fryers being enraged at his zeal and constancy found at length Judges compliant enough to condemn him to dye The day whereon he was executed the Recorder Salvay pronounced sentence on
Imprimatur GILB IRONSIDE Vice-Cancel Oxon. Novemb. 30. 1688. AN ACCOUNT OF THE LATE PERSECUTION Of the PROTESTANTS in the VALLYS OF Piemont By the Duke of Savoy and the French King In the Year 1686. Never before Publisht OXFORD Printed at the Theatre for John Crosley 1688. TO THE READER IT is to be hoped the Gentlemen of the Church of Rome here at home will give over expecting we should fall in love with either their Religion or good natures if they allow us the liberty of reflecting on their ways of making Converts abroad and That they will at length be ashamed of their attempts against a Church on which they could never yet fasten the least colour of these deceits and crueltys It 's very hard and even contrary to the ingenuity of Human Nature and more to the principles of Christianity to be unconcern'd at the sufferings of those who are not only men as well as our selvs but members too of the same mystical body Our Church enjoyns us to pray for all those who in this transitory life are in trouble sorrow need sickness or any other adversity But how shall we do this if we must take no notice have no compassionate regards to those who suffer on the sole account of a Religion which they dare not relinquish out of terror of conscience and unfeign'd love of the truth Till those of the Church of Rome do sincerely abominate these principles and practises they must not take it ill if they be often put in mind That these usages of those who differ from them in opinion do unavoidably put a man on choosing to lye at the mercy of Turks and Heathens who tho equally zealous yet happily differ from them in this That a man may live under them tho he be no Mahometan An account of the Persecution of those in the Vallys of Piemont IT 'S not our present design to give a large and particular relation of whatever has hapned on this occasion seeing what we shall briefly declare will shew That there was never a more cruel and unjust persecution than this lately exercis'd on the inhabitants of the Vallys of Piemont on the sole account of their Religion The Churches of the Vallys of Piemont or of the Vaudoises as they were commonly call'd were the ancientest of all those who drew their original from the Apostles whose doctrine they have ever taught and follow'd They had no need of Reformation having never partaken of the errors and Idolatrys wherewith the Romanists have infected the Christian Church The simplicity of their manners agreed so well with that of their doctrins as has forced their Enemys to confess that this has especially contributed to their preservation They did not content themselvs with a bare not entring into an Idolatrous and superstitious communion but took all proper occasions to declare their abhorrence of it with as great courage and freedom of mind as any of the ancient Reformers who have all on full enquiry approv'd of their doctrins as very agreeable to the Apostolic simplicity It 's no marvel then if these Churches have been ever the object of the Popish rage and fury if Popes have publish'd crusado's and engag'd several Princes against them if several famous Inquisitors have employ'd at all times whatever their devilish malice cou'd invent to exterminate these poor people and if the Council de propaganda fide extirpandis hoereticis have omitted nothing for the obtaining their design But here we cannot enough admire the especial providence of God in his particular protection of these Churches seeing maugre all these violent persecutions the perfidiousness and treacherys wherewith their Enemys have ever recompens'd their fidelity not withstanding 27 or 28 invasions which their Religion has drawn on them and the Massacres which have so many times bathed the Vallys with the Bloud of the Vaudoises yet has God still preserv'd them by the continual turns of his providence All Historians even those of the contrary party are agreed that these Churches were in an immemorial possession of the exercise of their Religion before they were under the government of the Dukes or Earls of Savoy for it was only in the year 1233 that Thomas Earl of Savoy became Master of the Town of Pignerol and the Vallys of Piemont under pretence the race of the Princes of Piemont was extinct It is also certain the Vaudoises submitted themselvs to the Earls of Savoy whence his present Royal Highness is descended on condition of being maintain'd in all their priviledges And in effect it 's on this foundation that these Earls being become Princes of Piemont have maintain'd and confirm'd the Vaudois Churches in the exercise of their Religion and their other rights and priviledges They have granted them for this end from time to time several authentic concessions especially in 1561 1602 and 1603 which having been verifi'd and entered in the senate and chamber of Turin in the year 1620 by means of a considerable summ of money which the Vaudoises had paid for this purpose as appears from the authentic act these concessions therefore past into the form of an irrevocable deed and perpetual and inviolable law whose execution was enjoyn'd by several solemn decrees of the Dukes of Savoy from the years 1638 1649 1654 and 1655. The Council de propaganda fide which is oblig'd by it's foundation title and oath to procure the ruin of those she terms Heretics observing with extream regret the calm which the Vaudoises enjoy'd by means of these patents took all possible measures to trouble it To this end the Council which then consisted of the principal Ministers of the Court of Savoy taking advantage from the minority of Charles Emanuel Duke of Savoy caus'd to be publish'd in the Month of January 1655 an order which oblig'd all the Inhabitants of the Vallys to quit the plain in 3 days and to retire into the Mountains on pain of death cou'd they not make it appear they were become Catholics The Vaudoises obey'd this order as unjust and cruel as it was but their obedience which took away all pretences from their Enemys cou'd not preserve them from that horrid Massacre in 1655 of which posterity will freely speak as an action the most in human and perfidious mention'd in any writing This Massacre was likely in all appearance to have cut off all the Vaudoises but there were many of them who escaping-out of the hands of these Butchers resolv'd to defend their lives They executed then this resolution with such Vigor and Courage that they put their executioners to flight in several rencounters till the Protestant Princes and States became mediators in their behalf These generous protectors having heard of this dreadful Massacre were not contented to open the Bowels of their charity and benificence but interposed earnestly for them with the Duke of Savoy by their intercessions The Evangelic Cantons amongst others sent for this reason four Embassadors to the Court of Turin
him in the presence of several Monks which he heard read with admirable resignation not shewing the least trouble or alteration in his countenance The Monks left him not all that day altho he desired them several times to let him be in private that he might the better pray to God but they would not give over troubling him but forced him into disputes with them as believing he was not now in a condition to defend himself against them but he disengag'd himself with such smartness and presence of mind that they were all astonisht at it Yet this hinder'd them not from returning the next morning to have the satisfaction of tormenting him to the end of his life He sayd when he was going out of the Prison that this was a day of double deliverance for him seeing his body would soon be freed not only from it's corporal prison but his soul translated into immortal joy and felicity He went to the place of execution with inexpressible chearfulness and resolution both despising life which the Monks offered him and death which was now before his eyes He made a long and affectionate Prayer at the foot of the Scaffold with which those who stood by were sensibly touched He uttered these words on the Ladder My God into thy hands I commend my Spirit and dyed so edifying a death that the Fryers themselvs who would not leave him were forced to acknowledge he dyed like a Righteous person There only then remain'd in the Vallys some Inhabitants who preferring death before servitude would not hearken to the proposals of peace Some of these were in the Vally of St. Martin and although the one knew not the design of the others because the Army lying encampt between these two vallys they could have no Communication Yet they were all of the same mind and took both a resolution worthy of immortal praise They remain'd a long time hid and disperst in the Mountains to prevent falling into the Enemys hands who went every day out in small partys to surprise them One cannot sufficiently admire the constancy with which they endured all the wearynesses and miserys to which they lay exposed being often glad to feed on grass and the dogs and other beasts which came to prey on the Vaudoises dead bodys which lay unburied in the fields But the French and Banditi of Mondovi being retired they were not so strictly pursued by the Duke of Savoy's Army which remain'd alone in the Vallys Then it was that those who were in the vally of Lucerna began to come out of their hiding places to seek for food to sustain their languishing Spirits There were not in this vally above 42 men besides some women and children when they were all together met yet they made several attempts in the plain always loading themselvs with provision and other necessarys and worsted in several rencounters divers of the Enemys detachments and kil'd and put to flight a great number of the Savoyards who were come to inhabit in the Vallys and in fine performed for several months such gallant actions that they put the Enemys under contribution and forced them to furnish them with provisions for some time to hinder them from making their inroads into the plain We shall not now make a particular relation of these geuerous attempts lest we engage in a long discourse but content our selvs with saying that the Court of Turin having in vain attempted by force to exterminate them from the Vallys sent them pass-ports in good form under hand and hostages for greater surety of their retreat tho' those who carry'd these proposals to the Vaudoises wou'd by no means allow they acted by the Court of Turin's order They affirm'd on the Contrary that what they did was of their own motion and at the desire of some other Persons who undertook to obtain these pass-ports and deliver them hostages But it 's certain an affair of this nature cou'd not be carry'd on without a more than bare connivance from the Court of Turin For besides that no particular Person dared to have undertaken of his own head such a business the pass-ports which were dispatched did afterwards fully shew that all was done by the Court's order However the Vaudoises at first refused to hearken to this proposal whether they thought they ought not to put any confidence in the promises made them or whether resolving to perish themselvs but they wou'd deliver their Brethren out of Captivity Death being more sweet to 'em than life whilst they groan'd in their chains A while after this proposal was renewed and several considerations were offered to oblige them to an acceptance They were told that the Duke of Savoy had declared that as long as they were in arms the Prisoners shou'd not be released and they were positively promis'd that assoon as ever they were departed their Brethren shou'd be set at liberty So that the Vaudoises considering on the one hand that Winter came on and that they must expect no succors and on the other that their resistance might furnish their Enemys with a pretence for the detaining of the Captives they thereupon determind to depart their Country It was then agreed and resolv'd they shou'd leave the Vallys and depart with their Wives and Children arms and baggage in two troops or companys having their charges defrayed and they conducted as far as Switzerland at two several times by one of his Royal Highness's Captains with sufficient pass-ports That for the greater security of the first troop which shou'd set out hostages shou'd be left in the Vallys in the hands of the second who shou'd keep them till such time as they had heard that the first company was arriv'd and then this Captain shou'd deliver into their hands an Officer of his Relations for an hostage till such time the second troop or company shou'd be arrived This treaty was faithfully executed for those two companys happily got out of the Country into a place of surety with their arms and baggage under the conduct of this Captain We must not forget one remarkable circumstance which is that the Vaudoises wou'd never consent to leave the Country till such time as their kindred who were in Prison were released and sent to them whence it must be concluded that this treaty was mannag'd by the Court of Turin seeing these Captives cou'd not be released but by it's order The Vaudoises who were in the Vale of St. Martin did almost the same things as those had done in the Vally of Lucerna For altho' they were reduced at last but to 25 Men and some Women and Children yet they defended themselvs with such vigor and resolution that they also procured themselvs passes to retire to Switzerland with their Wives and Children arms and baggage We have already sayd that those in one Vally knew not what past in the other because the army cut off all communication Cou'd they have joyned or heard of each other no doubt