to be of their opinion whereupon Conradius Bishop of Portua the Popes Legate wrote to the Arch-Bishop of Roan and his Suffragan Bishops to meet with others Bishops at a Councill to be held at Sens against the said Bartholmew who saith the Legate in his letters stiles himself servant of the servants of God and runs about Creating Bishops and endeavoring perfidiously to gather Churches Mathew Paris Anno Christi 1226. saith the same Author the Crosse was preached all over France by Romanus the Popes Legate against the Albingenses where in he commanded all that were able to beare arms to signe them selves with the signe of the Crosse against the Earl of Tholouse and his people and at his preaching a great multitude of Prelates and Lay men tooke upon them the signe of the Crosse yet more for fear of the King of France and for favour of the Legate then induced by the justness of the cause But the King of France being signed with the Crosse would not take upon him the expedition unlesse the Pope would forbid the King of England under paine of excommunication to move war against him for any land that he possessed at that present either iustly or unjustly which accordingly the Pope did and our King Henry the third upon receipt of the Popes letters assembled his Nobles to consult with them what he should do upon this inhibition at which time their was present one Mr William Perepund skilfull in Astronomy who constantly affirmed before the King That if the King of France took upon him this expedition he should either never returne alive or else should meet with as greate confusion as might be both of his person estate and followers The King of France having thus settled his affaires at home he together with the Legate appointed a Peremptory day for the Crossed-souldiers to come to a rendevous with their horses and Arms at Lyons from which at the time appointed he began his expidition with an huge Army which was accounted Invincible whom the Legate followed with Arch-Bishops Bishops c. In the Army there were reckoned to be fifty thousand Knights and men at Arms on horsback besides an innumerable company of footmen and then did the Legate publickly excommunicate the Earl of Tholouse putting all his favourers and lands under Interdict The King thus marching with his glittering Arms and terrible Army on Whitson-Eve came to Avignion the first City in Tholouse purposing to destroy the whole land of the Earl from one end to the other and utterly to root out the Inhabitants thereof yet very cunningly the King and the Legate sent to the Citizens only desiring passage through the City that they might follow their iourney the neerest way The Citizens consulting together returned answer That they suspected fraud neither would they admit them into the City where upon the King in a great rage swore that he would not depart thence till he had taken the City The Citizens valiantly defended themselves so that the sieg lasted long and the Earl of Tholouse being a skilfull warrior before the comming of the French Army had withdrawne all kind of victualls together with the women children and cattell into places of safety Hereupon the Kings Army fell into great wants so that multitudes perished by famine Their horses and beasts also were starved for the Earl had caused all the meddowes to be plowed up in the whole country so that they had no fodder but what was brought out of France And their wants daily increasing many Legions went out of the Kings Camp to seek for food and fodder but the Earl of Tholouse with a flying Army many times lay in ambush for them and cut off multitudes of them They also that lay in the siege before the City were miserably wasted by darts and stones shot in ingines from the walls by the Citizens valiantly defending themselves and a generall famine overspread all but it raged most amongst the poorer sort who had neither food nor money Also out of the dead carkasses of men and beasts their bred certaine great and blackflies which comming into there tents by swarms with an horible humming infected their meat and drink and when they were not able to drive them from their cupps and dishes many of the Pilgrims perished suddenly by their meanes But the King and Legate were especially troubled and confounded to think what reproach it would be to them and to the Church of Rome that so gallant and numerous an Army should vndertake such an expedition and be able to effect nothing Then the chiefe Princes and Captains being weary of the long siege amongst so many deaths sollicit that a generall storme might be given to the City hoping by their multitudes to oppresse the Citizens which being resolved upon such a great multitude of Armed men thronged upon the bridge that goes over the river of Rhodanus that the bridge breaking under them three thousand of them were drowned in that swift river Presently after as the French were one day at dinner the Citizens discovering there carlesness suddenly sallied forth violently setting upon them suddenly slew Twenty thousand of them with out any losse to themselves and so retired and the King of France commanded the dead bodies to be throwne into the River affording them no other buriall Then did he also remove his sieg to afarther distance and to prevent the like attempts caused a great ditch to be cast up between the City and his camp and the Legate with his Prelates not knowing how otherwise to reveng themselves Anathematized the Earl of Tholouse and all the subjects But whom they cursed the Lord blessed For shortly after he sent a very great plague into the French campe so that king Lewis to escape the same retired himself into the neighbouring Abbey of Monpensier where he resolved to remain till the City should be taken unto whom came Henry Earl of Compaigne desiring to be dismissed having now sereved his fourty daies but the King denyed his request To whom the Earl said that having performead what was injoyned he neither might nor would be staid any longer The King being very angry hereat swore that if he departed he would wast his whole land with fire and sword yet the Earl according to his former resolution went his waies and shortly after the Lord struck the King with sickness whereof he dyed The Legate and great Captaines concealed his death for a month together and in the interim sent messengers laboring to draw the Citizens to a composition and Commissioners being sent to the Camp the Legate perswaded them to resigne up their City to him upon promise that they should injoy their lives estates and liberties in a better manner then they had formerly but they answered that they would not live under the power of the Frenchmen whose pride and insolency they had often tryed After along Parlee the Legate desired that himself and the
respect they bore both to his person and Mediation And withall Master Morland was requested to go to Turin where by the Dukes Order he was entertained with all outward demonstrations of Civility and respect imaginable during his abode there Master Morland after a while pressed for his dispatch and had it and so according to the Lord Protectors Order he went to Geneva There was Collected in England and Wales towards the relief of these poor souls the full summe of thirty eight thousand ninety seven pounds seven shillings and three pence the greatest part whereof was at several times transmitted to them and what remained being about nine thousands pounds was put out to Interest that so both the Principal and the Improvement might be disposed of for their best advantage and further to shew what effects the Lord Protectors intercession had I finde that presently after the King of Sweden the King of Denmark the States of the United Provinces the Prince Elector Palatine the Elector of Brandenberg the Duke of Wittenberg and many other Protestant Princes and States did either by their Letters to the Duke of Savoy or otherwise declare their deep resentment of the bloody Massacre especially the Lantgrave of Hessen wrote most zealously in their behalf They had also many Consolatory Letters written to them from sundry particular Churches viz. From Franckfort Zurick Hanaw Flushing Middleburgh c. and large Contributions according to their respective abilities Divers Commissioners also were sent from England and Holland to joyne with those of the Evangelical Cantons for the procuring a well-grounded peace for those poor people but before they came the Switzer Ambassador had concluded a Treaty with the French Ambassador and betwixt them they had hudled up a Peace the woful effects whereof these poor people were quickly sensible of and to this day they labour under heavy burdens laid upon their shoulders by their Popish Taskmasters they forbid them all manner of traffique for their sustenance they rob them of their goods and estates they drive them from their ancient habitations and force them to sell their Birth-right for a messe of Pottage They banish their Ministers that the Shepherds being gone they may the more easily devour them they ravish their young women and maidens they murther the innocent as they passe along the high-wayes upon their occasions they continually mock and revile them and threaten another Massacre sevenfold more bloody than the former Through the malice and subtilty of their Popish adversaries their Valleys are no other than a Dungeon to which the Fort of La Torre serves as a door whereby at their pleasure they may let in a Troop of murtherers utterly to destroy and extirpate those innocent people and notwithstanding all those large supplies that have been sent them from England and other States yet so great are the necessities of those poor hungry creatures and so grievous are the oppressions of their Popish adversaries who lie in wait to bereave them of whatsoever is given them that some of them are yet ready ever and anon to eate their own flesh for want of bread their miseries are more sad and grievous than can be expressed they are dying even whilst they live When that which was collected for them is once spent they must inevitably perish unlesse the Lord in whose hand are the hearts of Princes shall incline the heart of their Prince to pity these his poor harmlesse and faithful Subjects who are so farre from thoughts of Rebellion that could they but enjoy the freedom of their Consciences in peace they would be the first that would be ready to sacrifice their lives for the good and safety of his Royal Highnesse How long Lord Holy just and true c. Rev. 6.10 If any desire to see a fuller account of these things together with the Letters and Transactions about them they may finde them fully and faithfully set down by Master Samuel Morland in his History of the Evangelical Churches in the Valleys of Piemont Here place the Eleventh Figure CHAP. XLVII A brief Description of Piemont and the Valleys thereof PIemont is so called because it is situated à pede montium or at the feet of the Alps which separate Italy from France It 's but a little spot of earth yet very pleasant and of incredible fruitfulnesse It 's bounded on the East with Millan Montferrat and the Common-wealth of Genoa on the South is the Mediterranean Sea On the West and North part it hath the Alps for a Bulwark by which it is separated on the VVest side from Provence and Dauphine and on the North from Savoy and the Countrey of Valley It 's almost all covered with high mountains and watred with four great Rivers viz. Po Tanaro Stura and Dora besides which there are about twenty eight Rivers more great and small which render it exceeding fruitful in Cattel Wine Corne Hay Nuts and many other fruits in great abundance The principal Valleys are on the North part those two Aosta and Susa on the South side Stura and some others and in the midland Lucerna Angrogni◠Roccapiatta Pramol Perosa and Saint Martino The Valley of 〈…〉 been and still is a part of Dauphine as farre as La Capella which is situated at the lower end thereof and divides it from Perosa which was the ordinary passage of the French Armies into Italy These Valleys especially that of Angrognia Pramol and Saint Martino are strongly fortified by nature by reason of their many difficult passages through Rocks and mountains as if from the beginning it had been designed by the all-wise God to be as a Cabinet wherein he would keep some rare Jewel Those Valleys of Piemont which have been for some hundreds of years inhabited by the Waldenses are Lucerna Perosa and Saint Martino Lucerna contains fifteen miles in length the highest Communalties thereof viz. Bobio Villaro and La Torre are for the greatest part mountains but Lucerna Saint Giovanni Fenile Campiglione and Garcigliana though they have both on the North and South side a little of the mountains yet they extend themselves into a very fair Plaine Angrognia is but a little Valley on the North side of Lucerna as also Rorata and Vallon which are on the South side of Lucerna wholly within the mountains So is also Roccapiatta and Pramol which are enclosed between the Valleys of Lucerna and Perosa The Communalty of La Torre took its name from an high Tower which stood upon a little hill near Bourg But Francis the first King of France considering how prejudicial it might be to the affairs and interest of France and the safety of Pignorole he caused it to be demolished But the Duke of Savoy rebuilt it Anno 1652. which afterward served as a slaughter-house of many poor innocent souls Bricheras which is joyned to the Valley of Lucerna is on the East of Angrognia and Saint Giovanni and on the South of Roccapiatta almost all in the
The skilfull'st Physiognomers who Scan Each line and wrinkle in the face of man Can tell no more what Soules dwell there then wee By Seing Stars can tell what Angels be Then ask not at the door who 't is if so This Shadow cannot tell thee Read and know A Generall Martyrologie CONTAINING A COLLECTION Of all the greatest PERSECUTIONS which have befallen the CHURCH OF CHRIST From the Creation to our present Times Both in England and all other Nations Whereunto are added two and twenty LIVES OF ENGLISH Modern Divines Famous in their Generations for Learning and Piety and most of them great Sufferers in the Cause of CHRIST As also the Life of the Heroical Admiral of France slain in the Parisian Massacre and of Joane Queen of Navar poisoned a little before By Sa. Clarke Pastor in Bennet Fink London The second Edition Corrected and Enlarged having the two late Persecutions inserted the one in Piemont the other in Poland PSAL. 44.22 For thy sake are we kiâ—â—led all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter Nihil crus seâ—tit in nervo cum animus est in caelo Tertul. Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe for 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 in Saint Pauls Church-yard near the little North-door MDCLX TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Especially to the suffering Saints in these three Nations Christian Reader THou hast here presented to thy view that strange sight which so much astonished Moses Exod. 8.3 A bush burning with fire and not consumed A lively Emblem of the Church oft times all on a light flame with the fire of Persecution and yet so far from being consumed that The bloud of the Martyrs proves the seed of the Church And indeed she is the only and true Salamander that can live in the fire Yet this not by any strength of her own but because the Angel of the Covenant even the Lord Jesus Christ is in the bush either to slack the fire or to strengthen the bush and make it incombustible In this Book thou maiest see as in a Mirrour what hath been the lot and portion of the Church and people of God from the Creation hitherto viz. Through many tribulations to enter into the kingdom of heaven Here thou hast a certaine and infallible mark of the true Church of Christ viz. To be hated and persecuted by the Devil and his instruments Here thou maiest see what is the constant concommitant of the Gospel when it is received in the love and power of it viz. Persecution according to that of the Apostle Ye became followers of us and of the Lord having received the word in much affliction c. Neither yet is God an hard Master in dealing thus with his faithfull servants He knows that heavy afflictions are the best benefactors to heavenly affections and that grace is hid in nature here as sweet water in rose leaves which must have the fire of affliction put under to distill it out He knows that when afflictions hang heaviest corrupt affections hang loosest upon his children Yet doth not the Lord afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth but he will hereby try who are his indeed and in truth not in name and profession only For as the Eagle tries her young ones by turning their faces to the sun beams so those Christians that can outface the sun of Persecution are sincere indeed One thing is very remarkable in this History that usually before any great Persecution befell the Church the holy men of those times observed that there was some great decay of zeal and of the power of godliness or some mutuall contentions and quarrels amongst the people of God or some such sin or other that provoked God against them and then as the shepherd sets his dog upon his sheep when they go astray to bring them in and then rates him off again So God le ts loose wicked Persecutors upon his own children but it 's only to bring them in unto him and then he not only restrains their rage but casts the rod into the fire If judgement begin at the house of God what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God Much excellent use may be made of this History As teaching us That whosoever will take Christ truly must take his Crosse as well as his Crown his Sufferings as well as his Salvation That persecution is the bellows of the Gospel blowing every spark into a flame and that Martyrs ashes are the best compost to manure the Church their bloud to water it and make it fertill That Gods children are like Starres that shine brightest in the darkest night Like Torches that are the better for beating Like Grapes that come not to the proof till they come to the presse Likes Spices that smell sweetest when pounded Like young Trees that root the faster for shaking Like Vines that are the better for bleeding Like Gold that looks the brighter for scouring Like Glow worms that shine best in the dark Like Juniper that smels sweetest in the fire Like the Pomander which becomes more fragrant for chafing Like the Palm tree which proves the better for pressing Like the Camomile which the more you tread it the more you spread it Yea God knoweth that we are best when we are worst and live holiest when we die fastest and therefore he frames his dealing to our disposition seeking rather to profit then to please us That when God exposeth us to Persecution he expects our speedy and thorow Reformation if we desire the affliction to be removed For as it were to no purpose for the Finer to put his gold into the fire except it lie there till it be refined So were it to small purpose for God to lay afflictions on us if so soon as we whine and groan under his hand he should remove them before we be bettered thereby Whereas afflictions like Lots Angels will soon away when they have done their errand Like plaisters when the sore is once whole they will fall off of their own accoâ—d That we should with patience submit to the afflicting hand of the all wise God and our mercifull Father saying with the Church I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Considering also that impatience under affliction makes it much more grievous As a man in a feaver that by tossing and tumbling exasperates the disease and encreaseth his own grief That all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution It hath been the portion of all the Saints from the creation hitherto What son is there whom the Father chasteneth not One son indeed God had without sin but not without sorrow for though Christ his naturall Son was sine corruptione without corruption yet not sine correctione without correction though he was sine flagitio with out crime yet not sine flagello without a scourge
and then marching to Malla a City of the enemies he surprised it slew all the men therein and burnt it with fire after which he destroyed Chaspomo Bosor and divers other places Shortly after Timothy leavied another great Army hired many of the Syrians and drew forth all his allies to his assistance with these he marched to Jordan exhorting them valiantly to oppose the Jews and to hinder their passage over the river telling them that if the Jews gat over they were sure to be put to the worst Judas hearing hereof marched hastily against his enemies and having passed the river he presently set upon them killing some and grievously affrighting the rest who casting away their arms immediately fled some of them to save themselves fled into a Temple called Carnain but Judas having taken the City and Temple slew them and burnt the same Then did he lead away with him all the Jews that lived in Galaad together with their wives children and substance and brought them into Judaea When he drew near to the town of Ephron they had baricadoed up his way that he could not pass then did he send Ambassadors to them to desire them to open his passage which when they refused he besieged the City took it by assault burned it down and slew all the men that were therein After having passed over Jordan they came into Judaea with great joy and gladnesse praising God and offering sacrifices of thanksgiving to him for the safe return of his Army for that in all those battels and encounters he had not lost one Jew But whilest Judas and Simon were gone upon these expeditions the two Captains which he had left to command the Garisons of Judaea being desirous to obtain the reputation of valiant men tooke their forces and went towards Jamnia against whom Gorgias Governor of that place issued out and slew two thousand of them the rest fled to Judaea Afterwards Judas and his brethren warred against the Idumaeans took divers of their Cities and with a great booty returned home with great joy Antiochus in the meane time being in Persia heard of a wealthy City called Elymais in which was a rich Temple of Diana c. thither he went and besieged it but the inhabitants sallied out and with great losse drave him from thence whereupon he returned to Babylon there also news was brought unto him of the overthrow of his Captains in Judaea and that the Jews were grown strong which together with his former defeat so wrought upon him that he fell sick and finding no hope of recovery he called his most familiar friends to him and told them that his sicknesse was violent and desperate and that he was plagued with this grevous affliction for that he had tormented the people of the Jews destroyed their Temple committed horrible sacriledge and contemned the reverence of God but now he vowed that if it would please the Lord to restore him he would become a Jew and do many great things for the people of God as also that he would goe through all the known world to declare the power of God Notwithstanding which the Lord knowing his hypocrisie continued to plague him after a terrible manner he had a remedilesse pain in his bowels and intollerable torments in all his inward parts His body bred abundance of worms which continually crawled out of the same yea he so rotted above ground that by reason of the intollerable stink no man could endure to come near him neither could he himselfe indure the same and thus this vile person who had formerly in a proud and insolent manner protested that he would make Jerusalem a common burying place and the streets thereof to run with the bloud of Gods people by Gods just judgement ended his life in extream misery but before his death he called Philip one of his chief Captains and made him governour of his kingdom requiring him to be very carefull of his son Antiochus Then was Antiochus proclaimed King and sirnamed Eupator About which time the Garisons and Apostates that were in the Fortress at Jerusalem did much mischief to the Jews for setting unawares upon those that came to the Temple to worship and to offer their sacrifices they slew them Hereupon Judas resolved to cut off these Garisons and to that end he assembled all the people and besieged them and having made certain Engins and raised divers Rams he earnestly prosecuted the siege but divers of those Apostates escaping by night went to Antiochus desiring him not to suffer them to perish who for his fathers sake had forsaken their Religion c. Then did Antiochus send for his Captains commanding them to raise a mighty Army which accordingly they did gathering together a hundred thousand footmen and twenty thousand horsemen and thirty two Elephants with these Forces he departed out of Antioch and made Lysias Generall of his Army Then did he besiege Bethsura a strong City but the inhabitants valiantly resisted him and sallying out burned his Engines which he had prepared for battery The King continuing the siege for a longe time Judas hearing of it raised his siege from before the Castle of Jerusalem and marched towards Antiochus his Army and when he came neer to the enemies Camp he lodged his Army in certain streights called Beth-zacharia The King hearing thereof raised his siege from Bethsura and marched to wards the streight where Judas with his Army was The King first caused his Elephants to march thorow the streight about each Elephant were a thousand Footmen and a hundred Horsemen for his guard each Elephant carried a Tower on his back furnished with Archers the rest of his Forces he caused to march two waies by the mountaines commanding them with huge shouts and cries to assail their enemies and to uncover their golden and brazen bucklers that the reflection thereof might dazle the eies of the Jews yet was not Judas at all amated but entertained the Army with a noble courage slaying about six hnundred of the forlorn hope But Eleazer Judas brother seeing a huge Elephant armed with royall trappings supposing that the King was upon him he ran against him with a noble courage and having slain divers that were about the Elephant he thrust his sword into the belly of the beast so that the Elephant falling upon him slew him with his weight Judas seeing the great strength of his enemies retired back to Jerusalem and Antiochus sent back part of his Army against Bethsura and with the rest he marched on towards Jerusalem The Bethsurites despairing of relief and their provisions failing them surrendred their City having the Kings oath that no out-rage should be offered to them yet he thrust them out of the City and placed a Garison in it He spent also along time in besieging the Temple at Jerusalem they within defending it gallantly for against every Engine that the King erected they set up
weak and feeble woman in the faith to damn her soul by blaspheming God brought her to the place of Execution but she in the midst of her torments returning to her self and by those pains remembring the torments of hell said to her tormentors How should we Christians eat our own Children as you report of us when we eat not the blood of any beast and so confessing her self to be a Christian she was martyred with the rest Yet here did not the rage of the enemies cease for when the Christians were cast into prison they were shut up in dark and ugly dungeons and drawn by the feet in a rack even unto the fifth hole some of them were strangled and killed in the prisons others remaining in prison destitute of all humane help were so strengthned by the Lord both in body and mind that they were a great comfort to the rest The younger sort whose bodies had not yet felt the lash of the whip were not able to endure the sharpness of their imprisonment but died under the same Photinus Deacon to the Bishop of Lyons about eighty nine years old weak and feeble by reason of age and sickness yet of a lively spirit and courage by reason of the great desire which he had of martyrdom being brought to the Judgement seat and being there demanded of the chief Ruler What was the Christian-mans God he answered If thou beest worthy to know thou shalt know the Ruler being enraged herewith caused him to be extreamly beaten also such as stood next him did him all the despight they could beating and kicking him without any regard to his reverend gray hairs others that were further off threw at him vvhatsoever came next hand and thus whilst he vvas gasping after life they threw him into prison where after tvvo days he died They also vvhich in the first pesecution had denied Christ vvere apprehended cast into prison and made partakers of the others afflictions yea they had twice so much punishment as the other had and whereas they which had been constant were refreshed with the joy of Martyrdom with the hope of Gods Promises and with the love of Christ and his holy Spirit the other Apostates being full of guilt went out to death with dejected and ill-favoured countenances and were filled with shame so that the very Gentiles reviled them as degenerous persons and worthy to suffer as evil-doers whereas in the mean time they which had remained constant went to their Martyrdom with cheerfull countenances adorned with glory and grace yea their very bonds wherewith they were tyed set them out as brides when they are decked in gorgious aray and withal they had such a redolent smell as if they had been anointed with some sweet balm by which sights the rest were confirmed and being apprehended confessed Christ without any staggering The Martyrdom of the Saints was of divers kinds as the offering to God a Garland decked with sundry kinds of colours and flowers Maturus Attalus and Blandina were again brought forth to the publick Scaffold where Maturus and Sanctus suffered again all manner of torments as if they had suffered nothing before They were scourged torn of wild beasts set in red hot iron chairs in which their bodies were dried as on a grid-iron and their tormentors raged more and more against them labouring to overcome the patience of the Saints yet could they get nothing out of Sanctus's mouth but that he was a Christian These holy men having been thus made a spectacle all the day to the people were at last slain Then Blandina being fastened to a stake was cast to the wild beasts but they as being more mercifull then men would not come near her then they cast her again into prison where she though a weak woman yet armed with invincible courage by Christ mightily encouraged her brethren Then was Attalus brought forth with this inscription This is Attalus the Christian against whom the people were much enraged but the Governour understanding that he was a Roman remanded him to prison till â—he understood the Emperors pleasure Many that had before denied Christ through Gods Grace recovered themselves again and tasted the sweetness of him that desired not the death of a sinner c. and of their own accord came to the Judgement seat to be examined then did the Judge when a great concourse of people was met together sâ—nd for all the Christian prisoners and as many as were Free-men of Rome he beheaded the Residue he gave to be devoured of wild beasts amongst whom also they which had before denied Christ joyfully suffered Martyrdom Whilst the Christians were examining at the Bar one Alexander a Physitian by signs and becks perswaded those which were examined boldly to confess Christ which the people taking notice of accused him to the Judge who asking him what Religion he was of he answered I am a Christian whereupon he was immediatly adjudged to be devoured of the beasts The next day was Attalus and this Alexander brought forth to the Scaâ—fold where they had all manner of torments inflicted upon them and having endured the greatest agony that possibly they could be put to they were at the last slain Alexander never so much as sighed but prayed to and praised God all the while he was tormented Attalus when he was set in the iron chair and the frying savour of his burning body began to smell said to the people Behold this which you do is to eat mans flesh for we neither eat men nor commit any other wickedness And being demanded what was the name of their God he said Our God hath no such name as men have then said they Let us see whether your God can help you and take you out of our hands Then was Blandina again brought forth and with her one Ponticus a youth of fifteen years old who defying their Idols and constantly cleaving to Christ were put to all the torments their enraged enemies could devise the youth having suffered all kinds of torments at last gave up the ghost Blandina was first pitifully whipped then thrown to the wild beasts then tormented upon the grid-iron then put into a net and thrown to the wild Bull and when she was tossed gored and wounded with his horns she was at last slain but was so filled with ravishing joyes of the H. Ghost that she felt no pain during all her torments Such as were strangled in prisons were afterwards thrown to dogs and had keepers both day and night set to watch them lest their bones and members should be buried In the mean time the Gentiles extolled their Idols mocking and flouting the Christians saying Where is your God that you so much boast of and what helpeth this your religion for which you give your lives The bodies of the Martyrs were thus made a gazing-stock for six days in the open streets and then were burned and their Ashes
to go into a lime-kiln whereupon by mutual consent they all chose the lime-kiln in which with the smoak of the lime they were smothered In another part of Africk three godly Virgins had first vinegar and gall given them to drink then were they scourged then tormented upon the gibbet and rubbed with lime then were they scorched upon the fiery grid-iron then cast to the wild beasts which would not touch them therefore lastly they were beheaded In Italy a godly man was first tormented with the rack then cast to the wild beasts which not hurting him he was burned in the fire Fructuosus a Bishop in Spain with his two Deacons having witnessed a good confession were all of them burned in the fire But this cruel Emperor Valerian who thus persecuted the Saints of God shortly after felt the revenging hand of God for in an expedition that he made against the Persians he was taken prisoner by Sapores the King who made a foot-stool of him every time that he gat upon his horse and at last by the command of the King he was flaied alive powdered with salt and so ended his wretched life Also Claudius a President and Minister of his persecutions was possessed by the Devil and biting off his tongue in small pieces he ended his wretched life Also there were great terrible Earth-quakes and many commotions and Rebellions in sundry parts of the Empire insomuch as Galienus the son of Valerian and his fellow Emperor began to relent towards the Christians and set forth some Edicts in their favour notwithstanding which some there were that suffered in sundry places amongst whom was one Marinus a noble man and valiant Captain in Caesarea who stood for an honourable office which of right fell to him but his Competitor to prevent him accused him to the Judge to be a Christian. Hereupon the Judge examined him of his faith and finding that indeed he was a Christian he gave him three hours to advise and deliberate with himself then the Bishop of the place finding that he stood doubtfull in himself what to do took him by the hand and led him into the Church and laid before him a sword and a New Testament bidding him take his free choice which of them he would have Marinus immediately ran to the New Testament and chose that and so being animated by the Bishop he presented himself boldly before the Judge by whose sentence he was beheaded About the same time there was in Caesarea Asyrius a noble Senator of Rome and a Christian and whereas the Gentiles in that place used to offer sacrifice by a fountain side which sacrifice by the working of the Devil used suddenly to vanish out of their sight to the great admiration of the deluded multitude Asyrius pitying their miserable ignorance came amongst them and lifting up his eyes to heaven prayed to God in the name of Christ that the people might no longer be thus seduced by the Devil whereupon the sacrifice was seen to swin upon the fountain and ever after that false miracle ceased After the death of Galienus there succeeded Claudius a quiet Emperor and after him Quintilianus his brother both which reigning nineteen years the Church enjoyed peace in their time Here place the third Figure CHAP. XV. The ninth Primitive Persecution which began An. Christi 278. AFter the death of Quintillian succeeded Aurelian in the Empire who was by nature severe and rigorous and a strict punisher of dissolute manners so that it grew into a Proverb That he was a good Physitian saving that he gave too bitter Medicines In the beginning of his reign he was a moderate and discreet Prince and no great disturber of the Christians whom he neither molested in their Religion nor in their Councels But afterwards through sinister suggestions of those which were about him his nature being before inclinable to severity he was altered to plain Tyranny which he first shewed in the death of his own sisters son and afterwards he raised the ninth persecution against the Church of Christ but when he was about to sign a Proclamation or Edict for that persecution it pleased God that a thunderbolt fell so near him that all men thought he had been slain and the Emperor was so terrified thereby that he gave over his Tyrannical purpose so that he rather intended then moved persecution Having reigned about six years he was slain After whose death divers other Emperors succeeded in whose time the Church had peace for about the space of forty four years During which time it did mightily increase and flourish Yea the more the Christians had suffered the more they were honoured Insomuch as some of the Emperors did singularly favour them preferred and made them Governors of Provinces Dorotheus with his Wife Children and whole family were accepted and highly advanced in the Emperors Court Yea Gorgonius and divers others for their Doctrine and Learning were with their Princes in great estimation The Bishops were also in great favour with the Rulers and Presidents where they lived so that innumerable multitudes and Congregations assembled together in every City and there were great concourses of such as daily flocked to the publick places of prayer But through this great prosperity the Christians by reason of the corruption of their natures and the temptations of Satan began to degenerate and to grow idle and delicate striving and contending amongst themselves upon every occasion with railing words bespattering one another in a despitefull manner Bishops against Bishops and people against people moving hatred and sedition each against other Besides cursed hypocrisie and dissimulation increased more and more by reason whereof Gods Judgements brake forth against them which began first to fall upon those Christians which were souldiers but that touched the other very little neither did they seek to appease Gods wrath nor to call for Mercy but thinking that they should escape well enough they heaped iniquities daily more and more one upon another The Pastors being inflamed with mutual contention each against other Then did the Lord raise up adversaries against his people that rased their Churches to the ground burnt the sacred Scriptures in the open Market places made the Pastors of the Church to hide themselves and some with great shame were taken Prisoners and were mocked of their enemies and put to open reproach CHAP. XVI The tenth Primitive Persecution which began Anno Christi 308. DIoclesian and Maximian having many wars associated to themselves two Caesars Galerius who was sent into the East against the Persians and Constantius who was sent into Britain where he married Helena the daughter of King Coel a Maiden excelling in beauty and no less famous for her Studies and Learning by whom he had Constantine the Great These two Emperors having obtained many victories were so puffed up with pride that they ordained a solemn Triumph at Rome After
sent an Earl after him to bring him back again who pursuing him with sails and ores had almost overtaken his ship whereupon the Marriners would have run her ashore and fled into a wilderness that was hard by to whom Athanasius said Quid turbamini filii quin in occursum eamus persecutori nostro ut intelligat quia longe major est qui nos defendit quam qui persequitur My sons why are you thus affrighted Let us rather turn and meet our pursuer that he may know that he is greater which defends us then he that follows to apprehend us Hereupon the Marriners turned back again and the Earl supposing nothing less then that Athanasius was in the ship that came towards him he only called to them and enquired whether they had not heard of Athanasius they answered that they had seen Athanasius a little before whereupon he hastned forward to overtake him and Athanasius in his ship returned back privately into Alexandria where he lay hid till that persecution was over Julians Officers in exacting the fines of the Christians demanded more then they were assessed at and sometimes tormented their bodies also of which wrongs when they complained to the Emperour he scoffingly answered them It s your part when you are injured to take it patiently for so your God commandeth you At Meris in Phrygia the Governor Commanded the Idol-Temple to be set open and cleansed and began himself to worship the Idols Whereupon some Christians inflamed with zeal in the night time brake into the Temple threw down the Idols and stamped them to powder The Governour being wonderfully incensed herewith purposed to execute some Christian Citizens which were innocent and guiltless whereupon the Authors of their own accord presented themselves before him chusing rather to die for the truth then that others should suffer for their sakes Thereupon the Governor commanded them to sacrifice to the Idols or else he would severely punish them but they setting at nought his threats prepared themselves to suffer what he could inflict Then did he assay them with all kinds of torments and at last laid them on the grid-iron and broiled them to death to whom they said If thou long O Tyrant for broiled meat turn up the other side lest in eating the blood run about thy teeth When Julian went against the Persians of very malice and hatred against the Christians whom scornfully he called Galilaeans he made a vow that if he obtained the victory he would sacrifice to his gods the blood of those Christians which would not sacrifice to the Idols But what the issue of that exepdition was See in my second part in the Life of Jovianus Collected out of the imperial History and Socrates Scholasticus Theodor. and the Magd. Hist. Cent. 4. CHAP. XIX The Persecution of the Church under the Arrian Hereticks which began An. Christi 339. COnstantine the Great dying divided his Empire amongst his three sons Constantius Constans and Constantine Constantius that governed the East was seduced by an Arrian Presbyter who had been in his fathers Court with his Aunt Constantia So pernicious a thing it is to have deceitfull Hereticks lurking in Princes Courts and Ladies Chambers This Presbyter complained to Constantius that the Return of Athanasius from banishment was very dangerous to the peace of the Common-wealth Yea he so far incensed the Emperour against him that he sent a Captain with five thousand armed men to slay him but the Lord delivered him miraculously out of their hands for the armed souldiers being placed round about the Church where he was he went safely through the midst of them undiscerned though many Arrians were present on purpose to point him out to the souldiers as a sheep ordained for the slaughter But neither in banishment could he enjoy peace and safety for this Arrian Emperour sent to all the officers in his Army to search him out wheresoever he was proposing a great Reward to those that could bring Athanasius to him either alive or dead whereupon he was forced to hide himself in a deep pit where he lay six years never so much as seeing the light of the Sun till at last a Maid that used to carry him his food was corrupted by those which sought for him to betray him to them but it pleased God by his Spirit to reveal to him his danger whereby he escaped a little before they came to apprehend him Afterwards Constans forced his brother Constantius though much against his will to restore Athanasius to his Church at Alexandria But after the death of that good Emperour Constans Constantius drave him into banishment again yet the Lord stirred up a godly woman to hide him in her house till the death of Constantius In Alexandria in the room of Athanasius was George an Arrian Bishop placed who also was furnished with armed souldiers to assist him in his devillish devices Thereupon he caused a great fire to be made took many Christian Virgins caused them to be stripped naked requiring them to renounce their faith or else they should be burned but when the sight of the fire could not terrifie them he caused their faces to be so dashed with strokes that their countenances were disfigured yet like patient souldiers of Christ they endured all kind of rebuke for his names sake Thirty Bishops of Egypt and Lybia were slain in the fury of this Arrian Persecution Fourteen Bishops were banished whereof some of them died in the way the rest in exile Forty Orthodox Christians in Alexandria were scourged with rods because they would not communicate with the Arrian Bishop George and so pitiously handled that some pieces of the rods were so deeply fixed in their flesh that they could not be drawn out and many through excessive pain of their wounded bodies died The like cruelty did the Arrians exercise in Constantinople Paul the good Bishop was banished to Cucusus where he was strangled by the Arrians Macedonius a notable heretick was placed in his room who used no less cruelty in forcing men to communicate with him then was used formerly to force them to sacrifice to Idols These Hereticks used also great diligence in procuring Councels to establish their Errors But not long after the Emperor died sorrowing much that he had changed the form of the Nicene faith After the death of Jovian Valentinian succeeded in the Empire who associated to himself his brother Valens and made him Emperor of the East This Valens was an Arrian and raised up a cruel Persecution against the Orthodox Concerning which Greg. Nazianzen in his Oration of the praise of Basil thus writeth Insurrexit repente nebula grandine plena perniciose stridens quae omnes Ecclesias in quas incidit contâ—ivit postravit Christi Cultor pariter osâ—r qui post persecutorem persecutor fuit post Apostatam non quidem Apostata sed
nihilo tamen meliorem se Christianis praebens Christi nomen prae se ferens Christum mentiebatur Miletius Bishop of Antioch he banished to Armenia Eusebius Bishop of Samosata to Thrace Pelagius Bishop of Laodicea to Arabia He was exceedingly filled with wrath against the Bishops assembled in the Counsel of Lampsacum because they adhered to the Nicene faith In Constantinople he banished all the Orthodox In Edissa he commanded them all to be slain as they were assembled together in the Church The Lieutenant that had received this charge from him being more mercifull then his Master gave private notice to the Christians that they should not assemble at that time but they neither regarding his advice nor fearing his threats flocked to the Church in great companies and whilst the Lieutenant with many armed souldiers hasted thitherward to fulfill the Emperors command a woman leading a child in her hand all in haste brake the ranks and thrust into the armed troops the Lieutenant being moved therewith called the woman before him saying Thou fond and unfortunate woman whither runnest thou so rashly Thither said she whither others hasten Hast thou not heard said he that the Lieutenant will slay as many as he finds there I heard it said she and therefore I make the more haste to the place But whether said he leadest thou this child That he also said she may be accounted in the number of Martyrs Hereupon the Lieutenant returned back to the Emperor and told him that all the Christians from the highest to the lowest prepared themselves to die in the defence of their faith and withal he shewed him what a rash thing it was to murder so great a multitude c. and so with his reasons perswaded the Emperour that he appeased his wrath and prevented the mischief at that time In Constantinople the Arrians favoured by the Emperor crowed insolently over the Christians they scourged reviled imprisoned amerced and laid upon them all the intollerable burthens they could devise Hereupon eighty godly Ministers in the name of all the rest addressed themselves to the Emperour complaning of the out-rages that were done to them craving some relief But this cruel Tyrant commanded Modestus the General of his Army to embark them all in a ship as if he would have sent them into banishment but secretly he gave direction to the Marriners to set the ship on fire and to retire themselves into a boat and so these holy Martyrs glorified the Name of Christ by patient suffering of a double death burning and drowning In all the Eastern parts he tormented many with sundry sorts of grievous torments put many to death drowned many in the sea and in rivers About this time he consulted with Necromancers to know who should succeed him in the Empire The devil answered ambiguously that his name should begin with Th. Whereupon he put to death as many as were called Theodorus Theodotus Theadosius or Theodulus Athanasius being dead at Alexandria there succeeded him a godly and holy man named Peter but the Emperour presently sent souldiers which clapt him in prison and the rest of the Ministers were banished some to one place some to another After this he sent forth an Edict for the persecuting of all the Orthodox in Egypt Whereupon many were stript of their raiment scourged fettered in prisons crushed in pieces with stones beheaded driven into deserts where they wandred in sheeps-skins and goats-skins destitute of aid and succour Many hid themselves in mountains in dens caves and hollow rocks Terentins and Trajan two worthy Captains used some liberty in admonishing the Emperour to abstain from persecuting of the innocent but the Lord was minded to destroy him and therefore he could receive no wholesome admonition For many of the Goths whom he entertained as souldiers to assist him against his enemies turned against himself so that he fled and was overtaken in a village which the Goths set on fire whereby he died miserably leaving none to succeed him and his name a curse and execration to all ages Collected out of Magd. Hist. Socrates and Theod. The Persecution by the Donatists ABout the year of our Lord 410. there sprang up in Africk the Donatists and Circumcellions who first made a great Schism in the Church and afterwards raised up a great persecution against the Orthodox concerning which St Austine complains in sundry places And in his 50. Epistle to Earl Boniface he thus writes of it In hoc labore multi Catholici maxime Episcopi Clerici horrenda dura perpessi sunt quae commemorare longum eâ—t c. In this disturbance the Orthodox especially the Bishops and Ministers suffered hard and horrible things the particulars whereof are long to recite for some of them had their eies put out Some Bishops had their hands and tongues cut off and some were slain out-right To speak nothing of the cruel slaughter of others that were sound and sincere of the plundering of their houses of the out-ragious burning not only of their private habitations but of their Churches also yea so vile and violent were they that they sticked not to burn the sacred Scriptures Optatus in his second book tells us that when Julian the Apostate came to the Empire the Donatists preferred a petition to him wherein they desired leave to return to their places in Africk from whence formerly they had been banished Julian knowing what furious and turbulent spirits they were of and how prejudicial their Return would be to the Catholick Church easily assented to their petition and so they returned full fraught with malice and revenge and presently imployed all their abilities partly by subtilty to seduce the common people partly by violence to oppress the Orthodox Bishops and Ministers of whom some they thrust out of their Churches others they slew Some of their chief Bishops taking armed souldiers with them went to the Castle of Lemella where finding the Church shut against them they commanded their attendance to get upon it to uncover the roof and so having broken into it they set upon some Deacons whom they found there wounded some and slew two of them outright In all places where they came they profaned all holy things The Sacramentall bread they threw to their dogs but behold the just judgement of God against these profane schismaticks those very dogs shortly after running mad fell upon their own Masters and tore them in pieces Virgins they defloured and wives they defiled So usual a thing it is for those which adulterate the holy truths of God to be given over to corporal uncleanness These furious persons dispersed themselves all over Africk and would not suffer the Orthodox to preach the truth against their Errors By their violent assaults thieveries rapines burnings and murthers they destroyed many and afrighted all c. CHAP. XX. The Persecution of the Church in Africk by
the Arrian Vandals which began Anno Christi 427. THE cruel Vandals passing out of Spain into Africk under Genserick their Captain finding the Province peaceable and quiet set upon the flourishingest part of the land wasting and destroying all before them with fire and sword not sparing so much as the shrubs and bushes which bare fruit lest they should minister relief to those poor Christians which hid themselves in dens in mountains and steep cliffs But especially they raged against the Churches and Temples of the Saints burning all them to the ground and where they found any of them shut they brake them open with their Maces The Bishops and Ministers they destroyed especially with many kinds of torments seeking by tortures to force them to deliver up whatsoever gold and silver they had of their own or belonging to the Church and where they gat any they still tormented them afresh to inforce them to confess more The mouths of some they wrested open with iron thrusting into them stinking mire and dirt Some they tormented by wresting their fore-heads and legs with bow-strings till they crackt again Into the mouths of others they poured sea-water vinegar with the dregâ— of oyl and grease and neither weakness of sex nor respect of nobility nor reverence of their Ministry mitigated their cruel minds yea their fury most abounded where there appeared any dignity or worthiness Many of the Ministers and Nobles they loaded with mighty burthens as if they had been Camels or Horses and made them carry them after them and if they went slowly they hasted them with iron pricks and goads so that some of them under their burthens gave up the ghost Reverend gray hairs found no priviledge of Mercy guiltless Infants felt their barbarous rage whom they dashed against the ground violently pulling little ones from their mothers breasts to brain them of others by wide stretching of their tender legs they tore them in pieces from the fundament the stately buildings they burnt down and levelled with the earth The chief Churches in Carthage they imployed to their own heretical worship Where any strong Castles were held against them they brought multitudes of Christians slew them and left their bodies lying about the Castles that by the stench thereof they might force them to surrender Who can express the number of Ministers that were by them tortured Pampinian the Bishop of Mansuetus was tortured with burning plates of iron all over his body The Bishop of Urice was burnt to death Then did they also besiege the City of Hippo where St. Augustine was who before that time had compiled two hundred thirty two Books Epistles innumerable besides his Expositions on the Psalms and Gospels and his Homilies to the people See more of this in my first part of lives in the life of St. Austine When they had taken the Regal City of Carthage they enslaved the Citizens and Senators publishing a decree that they should presently bring forth whatsoever gold silver precious stones or rich apparel they possessed and thereby dispoiled them of all in one day Then did they take the Bishop and all the Ministers of that City and thrust them naked into weather broken-ships and so banished them whom yet the Lord of his great Mercy directed and brought in safety to the City of Naples The Senators and Nobles they first banished from the City and then drave them beyond-sea The dead bodies of the Christians they would not suffer to be buried but in the night and without any solemnity The Bishops and Ministers through all the Province being dispoiled of all their substance and turned out of their Churches assembled together and presented a petition to Genserick that they might at least in private be suffered to instruct their people to whom he proudly answered I have decreed that none of your profession shall remain in the countrey how then dare you prefer such a request and withal he would at that instant have drowned them all in the sea but that the importunity of some about him stopt him There was also a noble Earl called Sebastian a man of great wisdom and courage whom Genserick much feared and therefore sought occasion to put him to death which that he might the better effect he moved him to be re-baptized by one of his Priests and to turn Arrian the Earl therefore requested him to call for a fine manchet which being done he said This loaf that it might be fine and white hath been boulted from the bran moistened with liquor and baked but if you now cause it to be broken in pieces steeped in water kneaded and baked again if it come out better I will do as you would have me Genserick understanding his meaning could not tell what to answer for the present yet afterwards he caused him to be put to death If any Minister in his Sermon occasionally did but mention Pharaoh Nebuchadrezzer Herod c presently it was laid to his charge that he meant it by the King and thereupon he was banished Yet notwithstanding all this cruelty the people of God stood fast in their holy profession and rather increased then otherwise Afterwards at the request of Valentinian the Emperour Genserick suffered the Orthodox in Carthage to choose them a Bishop which they did and not long after Genserick with his Vandals took the famous City of Rome carrying away with him not only all the treasure that of a long time had been stored up there but many of the people also who when they were brought into Africk were shared between the Vandals and the Moors so that husbands were separated from their wives parents from their children which this godly Bishop hearing of he caused all the gold and silver vessels belonging to the Church to be sold for their Redemption that so married persons and parents and children might enjoy the comfort of their relations Then also did he provide food and lodging for them and night and day went amongst them himself to see how they did to minister to their wants and comfort them But this procured him such hatred amongst the Arrians that they sought to slay him but the Lord about this time took him to himself whereby he escaped their malice One of the Gensericks Colonels having some Christian slaves and a beautifull and a godly Virgin amongst them he took occasion to vex them with fetters and torments thereby to force them to re-baptization which they constantly refusing he caused them to be stripped and beaten with ragged cudgels till their flesh was torn in pieces c. At last they were banished to Capsur an heathen Kingdom of the Moors where it pleased God so to bless their labours that many of them were converted and sending for an Orthodox Minister were baptized This coming to Gensericks ears he commanded these servants of God to be drawn at a Chariots tail thorow thickets
afflicted what evil have we done If we be called to dispute Why are we spoiled of all we have Why are we slandred Why are we forced to remain here amongst the dung-hills afflicted with hunger and nakedness far from our Churches and houses Herewith the Tyrant was so enraged that he commanded his horsemen to ride over them whereby many of them were sore bruised and wounded especially the aged and weak men Then did he command them to meet him at the Temple of Memory and when they came thither they had this writing delivered to them Our Lord King Hunrick lamenting your obstinacy in refusing to obey his will and to embrace his Religion yet intends to deal graciously with you and if you will take this oath he will send you back to your Churches and houses Then they all said with one consent We are all Christians and Bishops and hold the Apostolical and only true faith and thereupon they made a brief confession of their faith But the Kings Commissioners urged them without any further delay to take the oath contained in that paper Whereupon they answered Do you think us bruit beasts that we should so easily swear to a writing wherein we know not what is contained Then was the Oath read unto them which was this You shall swear that after the death of the Lord our King his son Hilderick shall succeed him in the Kingdom and that none of you shall send letters beyond the seas If you take this oath he will restore you to your Churches They that were plain-meaning men amongst them were willing to take it but others that saw further into the subtilty of it refused it Then were those which would take it commanded to separate themselves from the other which being done a Notary presently took their names and of what Cities they were he did the like also by the Refusers and so both parties were committed to ward and shortly after the King sent them word first to those that would have taken the oath Because that you contrary to the rule of the Gospel which saith Thou shalt not swear at all would have sworn The Kings Will is that you shall never see your Churches more but shall be banished into the wilderness and never perform any Ministerial office again and there you shall till the ground But to the Refusers of the oath he said because you desire not the reign of our Lords son you shall therefore be immediately sent away to the Isle of Corse there to hew timber for the ships He also sent abroad through all Africk his cruel tormentors So that no place no house remained free from lamentation screeching and out-cryes They spared neither age nor sex but only such as yielded to their will Some they cudgelled with staves some they hung up others they burned Women and especially gentlewomen they openly tortured stark naked without all shame Amongst whom was Dionysia whom when they saw bolder and more beautifull then the rest they first commanded her to be stript naked and made ready for the cudgels who spake boldly to them saying I am assured of the love of my God vâ—x me how you will only my woman-hood disclose you not But they with greater rage set her naked upon an high place for a publick spectacle Then did they whip her till the streams of blood flowed all over her body Whereupon she boldly said Ye Ministers of Satan that which you do for my reproach is to me an honour And beholding her only son that was young and tender and seemed fearfull of torments checking him with a motherly Authority she so encouraged him that he became much more constant then before To whom in the midst of his terrible torments she said Remember O my child that we were baptized in the name of the holy Trinity Let us not lose the garment of our salvation least it be said Cast them into outer darkness where is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth For that pain is to be dreaded that never endeth and that life to be desired that alwayes lasteth The youth was so encouraged hereby that he persevered patient in all his sufferings till in the midst of his torments he gave up the Ghost Many by her exhortations and example were gained to God and animated in their sufferings Not long after Cyrillas the Arrian Bishop at Carthage stirred up the Tyrant against the Christians telling him that he could never expect to enjoy his Kingdom in peace so long as he suffered any of them to live Hereupon he sent for seven eminent Christians from Capsa to Carthage whom he first assaulted with flattery and large promises of honour riches c. if so be they would imbrace his faith But these servants of Christ rejected all those profers crying out One Lord one faith one Baptism saying also Do with our bodies what you please torment them at your will it s better for us to suffer these momentary pains then to endure everlasting torments Hereupon they were sent to prison loaded with great iron chains and thrust into a stinking Dungeon But God stirred up the hearts of many godly persons by great bribes to the Jayler to procure daily access to them and by their exhortations they were so corroborated in the faith that they much desired to suffer the like things for Christ with these men and would willingly have laid down their necks to the Persecutors swords The Tyrant hearing of it was exceedingly enraged caused them to be kept closer loaden with more chains and to be put to great torments Then did he cause a ship to be filled with combustible matter commanding that these holy Martyrs should be put into it and fast bound in the same and fire to be set to the ship in the sea that they might be burned to death When they were brought out of the prison the multitude of Gods people accompanied them to the ship who as innocent Lambs were led to be sacrificed looking upon their weighty irons as rare Jewels and Ornaments With chearfulness and alacrity they went towards the place of execution as if they had gone to a banket singing with one voice unto the Lord as they went along the street saying This is our desired day more festival then any feâ—â—ivity Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation when for the faith of our Lord God we endure death that we may not loose the garment of obtained faith The people also with one voice cried Fear not O servants of God neither dread the threats of your enemies Die for Christ who died for us that he might redeem us with the price of his saving blood Amongst these was a pretty boy to whom a subtil Seducer said Why hastest thou my pretty boy unto death let them go they are mad Take my counsel and thou shalt not only have life but great advancement in the
to answer for themselves and all the inhabitants of their valley But they refused saying that they had nothing to say before the Archbishop seeing their cause was now depending before the King and his Council protesting against the Archbishops power and demanding a copy of the Kings Letter But the Archbishop notwithstanding this protestation sent them to the fire without any other indictment Yet the Lord left not this cruelty long unrevenged for shortly after the Archbishop died by the stroak of Gods justice and so ended his Persecution Anno Christi 1487. One villany of the Inquisitor Valeti may not be forgoten which was this When he examined any of the Waldenses Whether he beleeved that the bread in the Sacrament after the consecration was changed into the reall and naturall body of Christ which hung upon the crosse If the Waldenses answered No he set down his answer thus That he beleeved not in God When he asked Whether we ought not to pray to Saints If they answred No he set down That the railed upon and spake evil of the Saints When he enquired Whether we ought not to pray to the Virgin Mary in our necessities If they answered No he set down That they spake blasphemy against the Virgin Mary c. And by Gods providence these Records were kept in the Arch-bishop of Ambruns house till the City and their Records fell into the hands of the Protestants an hundred years after and so God brought all their knavery to light Anno 1488. Pope Innocent the eight sent Albert de capitaneis Arch-Deacon of Cremona against these Waldenses who craved aid of the Kings Lieutenant of Dauphine against them This Lieutenant for his service levied troops of men and at the Arch-Deacons request led them against the Waldenses in the valley of Loyse and to colour his proceedings with a pretence of justice he took a Counsellour of the Court along with him But when they came to the valley they found no inhabitants for they were all retired into their Caves in the high mountains having carried their little children and all their provision of food with them Then did this cruel Lieutenant cause much wood to be laid to the mouths of the caves and set it on fire so that some were choaked with smoak others burnt with the fire others cast themselves headlong from the rocks and were broken in pieces and if any stirred out they were presently slain by the souldiers In this Persecution there were found within the Caves four hundred infants stifâ—ed in their cradles or in the arms of their dead mothers and in all there perished above three thousand men and women at that time so that there were no inhabitants left in all that valley And to prevent the coming of any more of them thither the Lieutenant gave all their goods and possessions to whom he pleased Then did he march against the Waldenses of Pragela and Frassaniere but they providing for their own safety attended him at the passages and narrow straits of their vallies so that he was forced to retire After a while Albert de Capitaneis being called to another place he substituted a Franciscan named Francis Ploieri who Anno 1489. began anew to informe against the Waldenses of Fressaniere citing them to appeare before him at Ambrun and for non-appearing he excommunicated them and condemned them for Hereticks to be delivered to the secular power and there goods to be confiscated and in this judgement their assisted one Ponce a certain Counsellour of Dauphine These men afterwards caught two of their Pastors Francis Gerondin and Peter James who being asked why the Waldenses increased so fast and spread so far they answered Because the Popish Priests live so dissolutly and because the Cardinals are so covetous proud and luxurious it being commonly known that there is neither Pope Cardinall nor Bishop but keeps his whores and few or none but had their youths for Sodomy besides And therefore it is easie for the Waldensian Pastors to perswade the people that their religion could not be good whose fruits were so bad c This Persecution grew exceeding hot the Inquisitor and Councellor sending as many as they could catch to the fire without admitting any appeal and if any interceded for them though the father for the childe or the child for the father he was presently committed to prison and indicted as a favourer of Hereticks Anno 1594. Anthoni Fabri and Christopher de Salience had Comissions sent them from the Pope to commence suit against the Waldenses in Dauphine who apprehending the widow of one Peter Berand they imprisoned and oft examined her and thereby drew from her whatever she knew of the Assemblies of the Waldenses of the persons that frequented them and of the places and times of their meeting which afterwards brought great trouble to the said Churches of Christ and of gain to the Inquisitors King Lewis the twelfth succeeding King Francis Anno 1598. the inhabitants of Frassaniere petitioned him to take some order for the restitution of their goods which by the Inquisitors were deteined from them The King referred it to his Chancelor who procured a Commissary from the Poppe and Commissioner from the King to be sent down to examine the businesse These accordingly having examined divers witnesses against the Waldenses and finding their innocency did at last absolve them the Kings Commissioner publickely professing that he desired to be but as good a Christian as the worst of those of Frassaniere were and returning to the King they made report to him of that which they had done The King thereupon ordered that the goods of the Waldenses should be restored When the Kings order came to Ambrun it was the opinion of most men that seeing most of these goods were in the possession of the Arch-Bishop that therefore he should give a good example in begining to restore them but the Arch-Bishop answered that the goods which he held were annexed to his Arch-Bishoprick and incorporated to his Church and therefore it was out of the Kings jurisdiction and he did not beleeve that the King would meddle therein Yet being willing to please the King he profered to restore them their Vineyards provided that the Lords of Dauphine would restore the goods which they had but there was not one that would restore what they had so unjustly gotten so that the poor people where wholly frustrated of their expectation Then did the summon the Arch-Bishop and those refusers before the King but these great ones having more friends and favour at Court then the poor people had their excuse was admitted which was that they could not restore the goods before the Pope had absolved those of Frassaniere from the sentence of excommunication Anno 1560. The President of Provence made a speech to the assembly of Estates to root out these Waldenses Whereupon they raised an Army for
harvest on the hill side of St. Germaine perceived a company of souldiers that were spoiling the inhabitants of St. Germain whereupon they made an out-cry upon which the people of Angrogne ran presently thither-ward some by the valley others over the mountain they which went by the valley being above fifty men met with the spoilers who were a hundred and twenty men well appointed with whom they fought and gave them a great overthrow some were hurt others drowned and but few hardly escaped not one of Angrogne being hurt in the fight The Monks were so affrighted with this defeat that they ran away from their Abbey to Pignerol to save their Reliques and Images which they carried thither and if the Ministers would have suffered their people to have attempted it they might easily have freed their brethren which were imprisoned in the Abbey After this these Monks being assisted by a Captain took many of the inhabitants of the valley of Luserne prisoners spoiling their goods driving away their Cattel and in the end ransomed them for great summs of money About this time a Gentleman of Campillan promised his Neighbours that if they would give him thirty Crowns he would secure them against trouble but when he had got the money he caused some souldiers to come to his house and in the night sending for the poor men which suspected no danger he trayterously endeavoured to deliver them into the hands of their mortal enemies but God who succours his in their greatest necessity discovered to one of them the danger they were in whereby they all fled and escaped Then were strict commands sent through all the Country to banish all the Waldenses together with the Gospel out of the mountains and vallies of Piedmount but the people still desired that they might have leave to serve God purely according to the Rules of the Word In the end of October a rumour was spread abroad that an Army was raising wholly to destroy them yea and such malefactors as were in prisons or banished were pardoned upon condition that they should take arms to destroy the Waldenses Hereupon the Ministers met together to consult what was to be done in so great an extremity And first they enjoyed a general and publick Fast to seek unto God for Direction and in the end concluded that they should not defend themselves by arms but that forsaking their houses and taking their best movables with them they should retire unto the high mountains but if their enemies pursued them thither that then they should take such advise as God should please to give them This Counsel all the people submitted to and for eight days space were as busie as Ants in summer to remove their goods and provisions which though they did in great danger yet with great courage and alacrity praising God and singing Psalms every one cheering up another But other Ministers hearing of this resolution wrote to them that they thought it strange that in such an extream necessity they should not rather resolve to defend themselves against violence proving that it was lawfull for them so to do to defend the true Religion and the lives of themselves wives and children knowing thar it was not the Duke but the Pope that thus stirred him up against them During this time their Adversaries cryed nothing but To the fire with them to the fire with them and presently by proclamations set up every where Angrogne was exposed to the fire and sword The Army also approached to their borders and the people retired into the mountains But when they saw some horse-men not only spoiling their goods but taking some of their brethren prisoners they came back and set upon them in which bickering some of the enemies were slain and the rest retired to their camp not one of the Waldenses was slain or hurt But two of these horsemen that fled galloping away before the rest when they came neer to the Army cryed out They come they come Whereupon the whole Army was so astonished that every man fled away none pursuing and the Captain could not all that day get them into order again The next day the Army under the Lord of Trinity was mustered in a meddow near to Angrogne They of the Town had sent some to stop the passages that the Army should not enter and in the mean time they retired into the meddow of Toure not expecting the Army so soon so that there were but few that kept the Passages but when those few perceived their enemies preparing themselves to fight they all fell down upon their knees praying earnestly unto God to pity them and not to look on their sins but on the cause that they maintained to turn the hearts of their enemies and so to worke that there might be no effusion of bloud but if it were his will to take them their wives and infants out of this world that it would please him mercifully to receive them into his Kingdome Their prayers being ended they perceived their enemies to come through the Vines to win the top of the mountain Whereupon the combat began in divers places and continued untill night The poor Waldenses being but few and only armed with slings and cross-bows were much oppressed by the multitudes of their enemies so that at last they retired to the top of the mountain where they defended themselves till night But having found a place where they might withstand their enemies they turned again and slew divers of them At Even the enemies began to encamp themselves which the Waldenses perceiving they fell to prayer desiring God to assist and succour them for which the enemies flouted and laughed them to scorn The poor people devised to send a Drum into a valley hard by and as they were at prayer the Drum beat up in the valley whereupon the Lord of Trinity caused his souldiers to retreat which was a great advantage to the Waldenses who were weary thirsty and in great perill if God by this meanes had not given them some rest Of the Waldenses there were but three slain but many of their enemies and more hurt of whom few recovered This combat much encouraged the Waldenses and as much terrified their enemies who in their retreat burnt many houses and destroyed the Wines that were in the Presse Then did the Lord of Trinity encamp in the vally of Luserne by a Village the people whereof had alwaies hated the Waldenses and much rejoyced at this hurt that was now done to them but they were paid back in their own coyn being all destroyed by the Army Then did the Lord of Trinity place four Garisons in four severall Fortresses so that the poor Waldenses found themselves in a sea of troubles Whereupon they first betook themselves to prayer then sent to their friends for aid who sent them all that they could make Then did the Lord of Trinity send his Army to Villars
gat behinde them over a mountaine so that the poor people seeing themselves environed saved themselves by running through the midst of their enemies and others of them gat into the rocks The enemies being entred Rosa destroyed all with fire and sword The people fled by secret waies toward Luserne wandring all night upon the mountains full of snow laden with their stuff carrying their infants in their arms and leading others by the hand with great pain and travell They of Luserne seeing them ran to them praising God for their deliverance and they all were very chearfull notwithstanding their extremities Shortly after the Lord of Trinity went to Luserne by three waies they which kept the passages resisted their enemies valiantly but when they saw themselves assaulted on every side they fled into the mountains Then did the souldiers sack and burn the houses staying all they could finde When they which were fled to the mountains saw their houses on fire they praised God and gave him thanks that thus accounted them worthy to suffer for his Name Then did the souldiers pursue them to the mountains but after they had called upon God a few of them beat back their enemies whereupon the Army retired They in the meddow of Tour perceiving a company of souldiers burning the rest of the houses in Angrogne they sent six harque-bushiers against them who from the higher ground discharging all their guns together the souldiers ran all away when none pursued them Shortly after as the Watch was hearing a Sermon they spied a company of souldeirs marching up the hill whereupon they ran to encounter them and easily discomfited them But whilest they pursued the chase some cried to them that another company was entred into the meddow whereupon they left the chase or else not one of their enemies had escaped Presently other companies came other waies which the Ministers and people seeing were much discouraged and therefore they fell to prayer and ardently called upon God with sighs and teares untill night And whereas seven spies were sent before the souldiers there went out five of the Waldenses against them and took some and chased the rest Then went out eight more against the whole company and pursued them with an undaunted courage from rock to rock and from hill to hill and then went out twelve more who joining with the other made a great slaughter of their enemies Another company from Luserne having a Minister with them as they used alwaies to have after they had made their prayers to God set upon another company of souldiers whose hearts were so taken from them that they presently fled One of the Waldenses a very young man carried a greate staff in his hand with which he laid so lustily at his enemies that he brake his staff and slew many of them he also brake four of their own swords in pursuing of them Also a boy of eighteen years old slew the Lord of Monteil Master of the Camp which much dismaid the enemies Another threw down Charles Truchet and then leaped upon him and slew him with his own sword upon which all the rest fled and were pursued till night hindred The Minister seeing the great effusion of bloud and the enemies flying cried to the people that it was enough and so exhorted them to praise God They that heard him obeyed and fell to prayer In this battell they gat much armour which was a great advantage to them afterwards Thanks were returned unto God in every place every one saying Who sees not evidently that God fighteth for us Presently after the Lord of Trinity returned to burn the Villages but especially to pursue the poor people in the mountains And one company with many horsemen ascended the mountain of Comb by an unsuspected way where were no Warders but they which were next seeing them called upon God for aid and though they were but thirty in number yet they valiantly beat them back twice many of the enemies were slain and not one of the Waldenses Trinity seeing his men thus beaten back sent out most of his Army to assist them which were about one thousand five hundred men And there came about a hundred to help the Warders The combat was very cruel at last the poor men were fain to retreat with the losse of two of their men at this the enemies exceedingly rejoyced blowing their trumpets and triumphing but the people crying all together to the Lord returned again with greater violence assaulting them with their slings So that the enemies being weary rested themselves and the while the Waldenses betook themselves to prayer which more affrighted their enemies then any thing else Then did the souldiers charge again furiously but by the hands of a few they were driven back yea little children fervently calling upon God threw stones at their enemies as also did the women Such as were unfit for war kneeled on the ground with their faces towards heaven crying Lord help us Then came one running that brought word that the Angrognians were coming to help them which the enemies hearing presently retreated Another party of the Army of an hundred and fourty went another way but by seven men they were strongly resisted and driven back A third party was met by the Angrognians and driven back The Lord of Trinity intending to be revenged upon them in the meddow of Tour assembled all the Gentlemen of the country and an Army of about seven thousand and when the poor people saw them coming glittering in their harnesse and so many in number they were at first astonished but pouring out their prayers unto God to succour them and to have regard to the glory of his Name c. They marched to encounter with their enemies and seasonably by the way they met with some aid that was coming to them from Luserne so that uniting themselves they soon discomfited their enemies The Captain of the enemies had in the morning promised to do great matters that day but in the evening he was carried back weak and wounded and not like to live Whereupon a Papist said to him Monsieur there religion is beter then ours Another part of the Army set upon an house in a passe wherein were but five men yet they lustily defended it drave out their enemies that had entred and kept the place till some of their friends came to relieve them Another half of the Army assaulted another Bulwork on the side of the mountaine And they within suffered them to come very near but then with slings and guns they slew many of them others rouled down great stones which killed divers so that when they had attempted all waies to take it they were forced to retire the Lord of Trinity weeping to see his men slain so fast and at last having lost very many of his men he was forced to retreate many of the Army crying out God fighteth for them and we do them wrong
lands yet seeming very fertil fit for corn wine oyl and chestnuts and that the hils were fit for cattel and to furnish them with fuell and timber they came therefore to the Lords of those places to treate with them touching their abode there The Lords received them lovingly agreed to orders much for the advantage of these new inhabitants agreed about rents tenths tolls penalties c. and so assigned to them certain parts of the Countrey Then did they return to their parents shewing how it fared with them and so receive what they pleased to bestow upon them and many of them marrying they returned into Calabria where they built some Towns and Cities as St Xist la Garde c. The Lords of those Countries thought themselves happy in that they had met with such good subjects as peopled their waste lands and made them to abound with all manner of fruits but principally because they were honest men and of good conscience yeelding all those duties and honours which they could expect from good subjects Only the Priests complained of them that they lived not after their religion made not their children Priests and Nuns loved not Tapers Masses c. that they adorned not their Churches with Images went not on Pilgrimage c. Hereupon the Lords feared that if the Pope should take notice that so near his Seat there were people that contemned his Laws they might chance to lose their subiects They therefore perswaded the Priest to be silent since in other things they shewed themselves honest men inriched the Country yea and the Priests themselves by their Tithes These Lords also stopped the mouths of their neighbours who exceedingly murmured because by no means they could draw them into alliance with them and because all that they had prospered exceedingly They were wise and temperate not given to drinking dancing swearing c. and living in a Country where the inhabitants were given to all manner of wickednesse they were as precious stones in a common sink Thus they were preserved in peace by their Lords till Anno 1560. At which time these Waldenses resolving to make a publick profession of their Religion sent for two Ministers from Geneva who did much establish the exercise of Religion amongst them Pope Pius the fourth hearing of this presently concluded their utter ruine and extirpation giving the same in charge to Cardinal Alexandrino a violent man who chose two Monks Inquisitors of his own humour and sent them first to begin with the inhabitants of St. Xist There they assembled the people gave them good words promising that they should receive no violence if they would accept of such Teachers as the Bishops should appoint which if they refused they would lose their lives goods and honors and would be condemned for Hereticks And further to prove them they appointed a Mass to be sung but the people with their wives and children presently quit their houses and fled into the woods From thence the Monks went to la Garde where they caused the Town-gates to be locked and the people to be assembled telling them that they of St. Xist had adjured their Religion and went to Mass c. promising that if they would do the like no man should injure them These poor people believing what was told them were content to do what they would have them but when they heard that their friends of St. Xist refused to go to Mass and were fled into the woods they were exceedingly grieved at their own revolt and resolved with their wives and children to go to their brethren In the meane time the Monks sent two companies of souldiers after them of St. Xist who ran after them as after wilde beasts crying kill kill and so slew divers but such as could get to the top of the mountain called to the souldiers beseeched them to have pity on them their wives and children telling them that they had been inoffensive in their conversations c. yet if they would not suffer them to continue in their habitations that at least they would license them to depart either by sea or land that they might retire themselves whether the Lord should be pleased to conduct them beseeching them also for Gods sake not to force them to defend themselves But this more enraged the souldiers who presently violently assaulted them Then did they so defend themselves that by Gods assistance they slew the greatest part of the souldiers and put the rest to flight Hereupon the Inquisitors wrote to the Viceroy of Naples speedily to send some Companies of souldiers to apprehend the Hereticks of St. Xist and la Garde whereby he should do a work very pleasing to the Pope and meritorious for himself Then did the Viceroy come himself with his Troops in the mean time the Waldensian women came home to seek for food for their husbands and children that were in the woods The Viceroy proclaimed through all Naples that all such banished persons as would come to fight against the Hereticks of St. Xist should be pardoned all their offences Whereupon great numbers resorted to him and were conducted to the woods where they chased these poor people slaying some wounding others the rest fled into caves where most of them died of famine Then were they of la Garde cited before the Inquisitor and many fair Promises were made unto them if they would appeare but contrary thereunto thirty of them were apprehended and put to the rack One Charlin was racked with such violence that his bowels brake out of his belly and all to extort from him a confession that in the night the candles being put out they committed whoredome and abominable incest yet would he never confesse any such wickednesse Another with extreame pain upon the rack promised to go to Masse the Inquisitor seeing that he had shewed such weaknesse urged him to confesse the forementioned wickednesse which because he refused he left him eight hours together upon the rack yet could he not get from his mouth so foul a slander Another was stripped stark naked whipt with rods of iron drawn through the streets and burnt with firebrands One of his sons was killed with knives Another thrown down from an high Tower because he would not kisse a Crucifix Another was condemned to be burnt alive and as he went to the fire he threw to the ground a Crucifix which the executioner had fastened to his hands whereupon they covered him all over with pitch and so burnt him The Inquisitor Panza cut the throats of eighty as butchers do their sheep's then causing them to be divided into four quarters he set up stakes for the space of thirty miles and appointed a quarter to be fastned to every stake Four of the principall men of la Gard he caused to be hanged Another young man because he would not confesse himself to a Priest was thrown from an high tower The Vice-roy
many great Provinces to shake off his Antichristan yoak and therefore he condemned them for Hereticks in the Councel of Lateran Yet did they so multiply that Anno 1200. they possessed many and great Cities yea they had many great Lords that took part with them as Earl Remund of Tholouse Remund Earl of Foix the Vicount of Bezieres c. Pope Innocent the third pretended a great desire to reclaime them by preaching and conference and thereupon there was a famous Disputation at Montreall wherein the Popish Doctors were shamefully baffled by Arnold But the Popes pollicy was thus to rock them asleep whilest he raised Armies against them to destroy them The pretended occasion whereof was this There was one Frier Peter that was slain in the dominions of the Earl of Tholouse whereupon the Pope sent preachers abroad through all Europe to assemble men together to take vengeance on the Hereticks for the innocent bloud of Friar Peter slain amongst them promising Paradise to all that would come to this warre and bear arms for fourty daies This he called the holy warre and gave the same Pardons and Indulgences to those that came to this war as to those which went into the Holy land against the Saracens Then did he thunder against Earl Remund charging all Arch-bishops and Bishops through their Diocesse to pronounce him accursed and excommunicated and that with the sound of a Bell and extinction of Candles every Sabbath and festivall day for murthering of a good servant of God He also absolved all his subjects from their oaths of allegiance to him commanding every good Catholike to pursue his person and to take and possesse his land c. He also wrote to all Christian Princes to stirre them up to get this pardon rather by fighting against these Albingenses then by going against the Turks Earl Remund hearing of all these preparations against him sent to the Pope humbly beseeching him not to condemn him before he was heard assuring him that he was no way guilty of the death of Frier Peter but that he was slain by a Gentleman who immediatly fled out of his Country otherwise he would have severely punished him for it But all was in vain for presently came Armies of crossed souldiers to pour down their vengeance on him and his lands Amongst these were many noble men and Ecclesiasticall persons Arch-bishops Bishops Abbots c. to all which the Pope promised Paradise but gave them not a peny The Earl of Tholouse perceived that he must either prepare for defence or submit the latter he thought the safer and therefore he went presently to the Popes Legate at Valance to whom he began to say that he thought it strange that so many armed men should be brought against him who used no other arms for his defence but his own innocency And that concerning the death of the Frier they should first have enquired the truth of the fact before they thus moved heaven and earth against him yea if he had been guilty yet there was an ordinary course of justice to be used against him and not to wreak their anger on his innocent Subjects and therefore Sir said he since I come voluntarily to you armed only with the testimony of a good conscience what further use is there of these armed Pilgrims pray you therefore counteâ—mand these souldiers before they go to make any further spoil in my territories for my own person may serve for a sufficient pledge c. The Legate answered that he had done well in coming to him yet could he not send back the souldiers except he would put seven of his best castles into his hands which should serve for a hostage Now did the Earl when it was too late see his own folly in putting himself into the Legates hands and thereby making himself a prisoner but there was no remedy now he must take Laws from him that had him in his power and therefore be told him that both his person and possessions were at his disposall beseeching him that his Subjects might receive no more damage by the Souldiers The Legate presently sent to put Garisons in those seven Castles commanding all the Consuls of every City presently to appear before him and when they were come he told them that Earl Remund had delivered up his Castles to the Pope and therefore they were to take notice of it that so they might acknowledge themselves lawfull Subjects to his Holinesse in case the Earl should falsifie his Oath to the Pope The Consuls were much astonished thus to see their Lord devested of all his possessions but that which most afflicted them was to see him led to S. Giles to be reconciled to the Church where the Legate commanded the Earl to strip himself stark naked all but his linnen drawers then did he put a cord about his neck whereby he led him nine times about the grave of Frier Peter scourging him with rods all the while The Earl demanded satisfaction for so sharp a penance seeing he was not guilty of the fact the Legate answered that he must submit if he would be reconciled to the Pope yea he must be thus scourged before the Earls Barons Marquesses Prelates and all the people he made him also to swear to be obedient all his life to the Pope and Church of Rome and to make irreconcileable warre against the Albingenses c Then did the Legate make him General of the crossed Souldiers for the seige of Beziers The Earl knew not what to do For to conduct an Army to fight against the Albingenses was to sin against his conscience and if he should fly away it would furnisâ— them with new matter of persecution against him and his subjects In this extremity he stayed in the Army a few daies and then went towards Rome to reconcile himself to the Pope Then did the Army come before the City of Beziers and provided all manner of Engines for battery reared up ladders for a general Escalado this the Earl of Beziers beholding and judging it impossible to defend the City he went out and cast himself down at the Legates feet beseeching him not to punish the innocent with the nocent which must needs be if the Town were taken by storm he told him that there were in the City great numbers of good Catholicks which would be subject to the same ruine with the Albingenses he desired him also to commiserate him now in his minority that was a most obedient servant to the Pope and had been brought up in the Romish Church in which he would live and die The Legate told him that all his excuses prevailed nothing and that he must do as he may The Earl returned into the City assembled the people and told them that he could obtain no mercy from the Legat except all the Albingenses would come and abjure their religion and promise to live according to the Laws of the Church of Rome The Popish party
fire casting them into the same and burning them God fridi Annales Also after his taking of the said Castle he caused a Frier to preach to the people and to exhort them to acknowledge the Pope and Church of Rome but they not staying till he had done cried out We will not forsake our faith you labour but in vain for neither life nor death shall make us abandon our beliefe Then did the Earl and Legate cause a great fire to be made and cast into it a hundred and fourscore men and women who went in with joy giving God thanks for that he was pleased so to honour them as to die for his Names sake They also told Earl Simon that he would one day pay dear for his cruelties All that saw their valour and constancy were much amazed at it Then did the Earl besiege the Castle of Termes which also at last was taken for want of water yet they within the Castle when they perceived that they could hold out no longer one night quit the place and passed away undiscovered The Castle de la Vaur was also besieged in which there were many godly people Thither came many Pilgrims to the Legate from all Countries and amongst others six thousand Germanes of whose coming the Earl of Foix hearing he laid an ambush for them overthrew and slew them all not one escaping but an Earl that carried the news to Earl Simon After six moneths siege the Castle of Vaur was taken by assault where all the souldiers were put to the sword save eighty Gentlemen whom Earl Simon caused to be hanged and the Lord Aimeri on a gibbet higher then all the rest the Lady his sister was called Girauda was cast into a ditch and there covered with stones And for the rest of the people a very great fire was made and they were put to their choise whether they would forsake their opinions or perish by the flames There were scarce any of them found that would doe the first but exhorting one another they went into the kindled fire of their own accord saith Altisiodore but more probably they were forced into the same where joyfully they resigned up their spirits unto God Some say that they were about foure hundred persons that thus perished by fire After the return of the Earl Remund from the Pope the Legate still fought to entrap him but the Earl would not come againe within his reach Then did the Legate send the Bishop of Tholouse to him who pretended a great deal of love and friendship to the Earl and by his subtilty at last prevailed with him to profer his strong Castle of Narbonnes to them to lodge in as they passed that way but as soon as the Legate and his company were entred they seised upon it and put into it a garison which was a continuall vexation to all his subjects Then did the Legate resolve upon the utter extirpation of Earl Remund and all his house as the head of the Albingenses but presently after this Legate dying Earl Simon was frustrated of this hope About this time the English who now possessed Guienne which bordereth upon the Earldom of Tholouse began to help the Albingenses being stirred up thereto by Reinard Lollard a godly and learned man who by his powerfull preaching converted many to the truth and defended the faith of the Albingenses for which they were so eagerly pursued and constantly suffered Martyrdom And this they did the rather not only for their neighbour-hoods sake or for that Simon Earl of Lecester was a rebell and traitour to their King but because this Remund Earl of Tholouse whom they so cruelly whipped and other wise abused and had now also excommunicated was brother in law to King John For his former wife was Joane sometimes Queene of Sicilie which Joane was Kâ—ng Johns sister and bare to the Earl of Tholouse Remund who succeeded his father both in the Earldome and in his troubles John le Maier much commendeth this Lollard saying that he foretold many things by Divine Revelation which saith he came to passe in my time and therefore he putteth him into the rank of holy prophets And for his learning it is evident by his comment upon the Revelation where he setteth forth many things that are spoken of the Roman Antichrist This worthy man was afterwards apprehended in Germany and being delivered to the secular power was burnt at Collen Anno 1211. A new Legate called Theodosius was appointed to succeed who excommunicated Earl Remund and the Bishop of Tholouse thereupon sent the Earl word that he must depart out of the City for that he could not say Masse whilest an excommunicated person was in the City The Earl returned this answer being netled at his insolency that he the Bishop should presently depart out of his Territories and that upon pain of his life accordingly the Bishop departed and took with him the Canons of the Cathedrall Church with the Crosse Banner and Host and all of them barefooted in Procession Coming thus to the Legates Army they were received as persecuted Martyrs with the teares of the Pilgrims and generall applause of all Then the Legate thought that he had sufficiâ—nt cause to prosecute Earl Remund as a relapsed and impenitent man but first he sought by craft to get him into his power and with his fair flatering letters he at last drew him once again to Arles The Earl had requested the King of Arragon to meet him there When they were both come the Legate commanded them upon the pain of his high indignation that they should not depart but with his leave Whilest they were there the Earl was privately shewed by a friend The Articles of the Legate to which he would enforce him to subscrib which were these 1. That the Earl of Tholouse should presently dismiss and cashiere all his men at Armes not restraining one 2. That he shall be obedient and subject to the Church and repaire all the costs and damages which the Church hath been at 3. That in his lands no man should eat of more then two sorts of flesh 4. That he shall expell out of his territories all the Hereticks and their allies 5. That he shall deliver into the hands of the Legate and of Earl Simon all those persons that shall be named unto him 6. That no man in his lands whether noble or ignoble shall were any costly apparell but black course clokes 7. That All his Castles of defence shall be razed to the ground 8. That no Gentlemen of his shall live in any City or Castle but in country houses or villages only 9. That he shall not levie in his land any taxes or tolls but such as in old time were accustomed 10. That every Master of a family shall pay yearly four Tholousian pence to the Legate 11. That when Earl Simon shall passe through his countries he shall beare their charges 12. That after
of Tholouse sent some Deputies to Earl Simon to profer him the keyes of their City whom he received honourably and presently wrote to Lewis son of King Philip that the City of Tholouse was offered to him but his desire was that he should come and have the honour of taking it The Prince went thither immediately and had Tholouse delivered to him Yet the Legate resolved that the pillage of it should be given to his Pilgrims and the City dismantled which was presently executed though contrary to the promise made to the Citizens that no wrong should be done to the City Then came there a new Legate of the Popes called Bonaventure with those that had taken on them the Crosse. Viz. the Earle of Saint Paul the Earle of Savoy the Earle of Alenzon the vicount of Melun Mathew de Montmorency and other great Lords The Legate seeing so many Pilgrims feared least Prince Lewis should take upon him to dispose of divers places held by the Albingenses to the prejudice of the Church Whereupon he presently sent to all those places Absolution and protection so that when the Prince came against them they shewed that they were under the protection of the Church Yea the Legate told the Prince that since he had taken upon him the Crosse he was to be subject to his commands because he presented the person of the Pope whose Pardons saith he you come to obtaine by obeying the Church and not by commanding as the son of a King The Prince dissembled his displeasure at this audaciousnesse and the poore Albingenses were so oppressed by new Armies of Pilgrims that they sunk under the burthen of it The Prince when his fourty daies service were expired retired himself being much discontented to see so much tyranny exercised against the Albingenses Then did Earl Simon besieg the Castle of Foix but having lain ten dayes before it he found to his cost that the place was not to be won by him For where as Earl Simons brother quartered at varilles the Earl of Foix dislodged him and slew him with his launce putting to flight all his men News hereof being brought to Earl Simon he swore that he would drive the Earl of Foix behinde the Pyrenaean Mountaines but presently he had intelligence that a great Army of the Arrogonois and Catalunians were come into the Earldom of Beziers threatning to be revenged on him for the death of their good King where upon he levied his siege in hast and marched thitherwards But the Earle of Foix who knew the passages better then he lay in ambush for him in a place fit for his turne and suddenly setting upon his Pilgrims slew a great number of them only Earl Simon with a few others escaped and went to Carcasson but before he came thither the Arrogonois were gone else might they easily have discomfited him yet shortly after they returned again and Earle Simon was foundly beaten by them so that he was forced to shut himself up in Carcasson till he had a new supply of Pilgrims Shortly after came Remund the son of Earl Remund out of England where he had been bred under his uncle King John with an Army and quickly made himself Master of the City of Beaucaire and almost famished them that held the Castle so that they yeelded it up to depart with their baggage There Earl Simon lost a hundred Gentlemen that he had laid in ambush neer unto the City whom young Remund in a sally cut in pieces Anno 1214. The Legate called a Councel at Montpelier for renuing of the Army of the Church and to confirm the authority of Earle Simon where they declared him to be Prince of all the Countries conquered from the Albingenses which title was confirmed to him by the Pope also Who stiled him the active and dexterous soldier of Jesus Christ and the invincible defender of the Catholick Faith But whilest Earl Simon was in the Council receiving this his new honour a great rumour was heard in the City and a messenger brought word that the people hearing that Earl Simon was there betook themselves to their Arms purposing to kill him whereupon he stole away by the walls of the City on foot without any company and so escaped so that in one houre he saw himself honoured as a God and flying disguised hiding himself like a base scoundrell for feare of the rascall multitude Anno Christi 1215. Their was a Councill held by the Pope at Lateran where they gave the Inquisitors such power against the Gospellers that poor people were every where horribly tortured that were but suspected for Heresie and as Tritemius saith Frier Conradus of Marpurg the Popes Inquisitor if he but suspected any as guilty of Heresie vsed to trie them by the judgment of red hot irons and such as were burned by the irons he delivered as Hereticks to the secular power to be burned in the flames whereupon most of those that were accused were by him condemned to be burnt few escaping the hot irons In so much as Noble Ignoble Clerks Monks Nuns Burgesses Citizens and countrymen were under the name of Heresie by too headlong a sentence of the Inquisitor on the same day where on they were accused cast into the cruell flames no refuge of appeale or defence doing them any good By the same Lateran Councill Earle Simon had the forementioned lands of the Albingenses confirmed to him and thereupon he hastened to the King of France to receive investiture and as he went saith the Monk of Sernay in every City and towne the Popish Clergy and people met him crying Blessed is he that commeth to us in the name of the Lord and every man thought himself happy that could but touch the hem of his garment When he had recived his Investiture from the King of France being attended with an hundred Bishops that had preached the Crosse in their Diocess and with an exceding great Army of Pilgrims he hasted to make himself Lord of all those countries which the Pope had given him So that all men trembled at his reproach and with this great Army of Pilgrims he took in divers places using great cruelty putting men women and children to the sword Then was he marching to Tholouse purposing to pillage and raze it to the ground But by the way his wife sent him word that he must speedily come to her relief being besieged in the Castle of Narbonnes by the Earl of Tholouse but by this time many of his Pilgrims were returned into France Yet Earl Simon hasted to the relief of his wife and being come before Tholouse the people by their frequent sallies made that place too hot for his abode The Legate perceiving that he was much astonished at it said unto him Fear nothing we shall quickly recover the City and then we will destroy all the inhabitants and if any of our Pilgrims are in the fight they
the space of two or three moneths he caused fifty of them saith Mathew Paris either to be burnt or burned alive Anno Christi 1239. the King of France having garisoned divers Castles within the country of Albingenses who greatly oppressed them they betook themselves to Armes besieging those Garisons whereupon they sent to the King of France craving that present aid might be sent to them Then did the King of France send the Lord Iohn of Bellemont with a great Army to aid them who comming into that Country besieged the strong Castle of Mont-reall and at last took it together with divers others belonging to the Albingenses whereby the were suppressed for that â—ime But the year after the Earl of Tholouse took Armes againe and assaulted the Earl of Provence who presently sent to the French King for aid and the French that were about Avignion hasted to the reliefe of the Earl of Provence which the Earl of Tholouse hearing of he lay in Ambush in their way and suddenly setting upon them slew many and dispersed the rest and the war so prospered in his hand that in a short space he recovered to his former dominion above 20. Castles from the French and Earl of Provence and sharply punished his Rebels About the same time the Citizens of Millan being provoked thereunto by the Pope and Emperor burnt many of the Albingenses who were their fellow-Citizens Anno Christi 1241. The Earl of Tholouse continuing his warrs against the Earl of Provence almost beat him out of his country so that the Earl of Provence was feigne to send to the Kings of England and France who had married his second daughters to mediate for him and they writing to the Earl of Tholouse obtained peace for their Father in law Anno Christi 1242. the Bishops of Narbonne and Albium and the Seneschall of Carcasson apprehended two hundred of the Albingenses in a certaine Castle of Tholouse who had Bernard Martine of Cathavell and Raimund Agulbuerus for their Pastors and Ministers All these upon examination adhering constantly to the true faith without wavering were cruelly burnt in the flames Vignier Hist. Eccles. And the year following there were 224. more of them burnt likewise Shortly after it pleased God that great contentions arose between the Pope and Emperor whereby the Gospellers enjoyed some breathing time from their former miseries yet Anno Christi 1262. Pope Vrban hearing that through that peace their Doctrine was spread exceedingly he made a Decree in this tenour Albeit we be bound by our office alwaies to endeavour the rooting out the deadly poison of Hereticall pravity from all parts in the Christian world yet now in a speciall manner this duty is incumbent upon us when we perceive this plague to be growne up in our neighborhood through the iniquity of the times to the detriment of the Catho-Faith That therefore the office of the Inquisition may be the more effectually executed against the Hereticks in the province of Lombardy and parts adjacent we enjoyne you upon remission of your sins that you doe your uttermost endeavours for the extirpation of it and that you see that all Papall and Imperiall Lawes be executed against them and for my owne part I will implore the aid of Christian Kings and Princes that Heaven and Earth may be moved against them Anno Christi 1270 Petrus Cadarita and Gulielmus Calonicus were sent as Inquisitors from the Pope into the Kingdom of Arragon severely to punish those that had imbraced the Faith of the Albingenses and amongst others they condemned Arnaldus Castlebonius the viscount and his daughter Ermesenda Countess of Foix They also decreed their memory to be detestable commanding their bones to be digged out of their graves and to be burned They also called Roger the nephew of Ermesenda into judgement for the same crime Anno Christi 1281. There was a great persecution raised against the Gospellers in the Country of Albi by one William de gurdon Captain and president of Carcasson under Phillip the French King who by a proclamation commanded all the Albingenses to be extirpated and searched out of their dens and lurking holes and all such as favoured them to be utterly rooted out as also that the innumerable company of their children which would not be reduced to the Catholike faith and unity of the Church of Rome should not be admitted unto the City of Realmont or the territory thereof nor to the place of any honour or office That such likewise as favoured or concealed any of them should be banished forever from the City of Realmont and their goods wholly confiscated and their children be excluded from all honours and dignities Yet notwithstanding the severity of this Edict God hid and preserved many of them even in Realmont it selfe as Diamonds in dunghils though many of them fled into Arragon and Sicily where they might enjoy more freedom of Conscience Anno Christi 1285. Gareldus and Segarellus of Parma and Dulcinus of Noudria preached and spread the Doctrine of the Albingenses in Parma and in many cities of Lumbardy whereupon Pope Honorius by a publick Edict condemned their Doctrine and commanded them to be rooted out Bzorius Anno Christi 1300. Pope Boniface commanded Guido the Inquisitor to dig up the bodie of Hermanus one of the Albingenses and to condemne and burn it in Ferrara twenty yeares after his death Anno Christi 1315 The Friers Inquisitors raised a great persecution against the Gospellers in Passaw in Austria and burned many of them who continued very constant in the faith took their death very cherefully Amongst the rest one of them that was burnt at Vienna confessed that their were eighty thousand of them in Bohemia and Austria at that time their cheifest Ministers were Bartholomew Faustus Iames Iustus Bononatus William and Gilbert of whom James was murthered between two walls by the Mercilesse Inquisitors Bononatus was burned alive and William Gilbert and Bartholomew were condemned after their death the house where they used to preach was pulled to the ground and all that adhered to them were Anathematized Anno Christi 1322. Lollard Walterus from whom our English professors were called Lollards was taken at Collen where he had privately preached and through Gods blessings drawne many from ignorance and errors to imbrace the truth persisting constantly in his opinions he was condemned and burned alive Yet notwithstanding all cruelties used against them their enemies could never prevail to a totall extirpation of them but they still lay hid like sparkles under the ashes desiring and longing to see that wich now through Gods grace their posterity do injoy viz. The liberty to call upon God in purity of conscience without being inforced to any superstition and idolatry and so instructing their children in the service of God the Lord was pleased to preserve a Church amongst them in the middest of the Romish corruptions as a Diamond
called together in a Synod in the mountaines to ordain Ecclesiastical Laws whereby they should be governed they appointed also sundry daies of Fasting and Prayer for themselves and their dispersed friends taking counsell from Gods Word concerning those things which were required to the fuller Reformation both of life and doctrine That which most afflicted them was for want of Pastors not knowing where they should have new ones after those were dead who then lived with them but after debate they resolved that Christ had given this authority to his Church that such as were ordained themselves might ordain others Yet some scruple arose whether such as were but Presbyters might ordaine without a Bishop For which cause they met together and with fasting prayers and teares they sought unto God to reveal his will to them in this difficulty and afterwards making a scrutiny by lot the Lord answered them that it was lawfull for Presbyters to ordain Presbyters which occasioned great joy unto them Then did these Brethren deliberate among themselves whether they should joyn with the Waldenses in Moravia and Austria and so be one people with them and one Church The purity of their Doctrine and Christian Conversation did much please but again it much displeased them that they concealed the truth not openly professing it as they ought but to avoid persecution they frequented the Churches of the Papists and so communicated with Idolaters Therefore they concluded to admonish them of this evil and for this end they sent some able men to them to acquaint them with it The Waldenses answered that to be in unity with them was very gratefull and for the evils objected against them they were not ignorant of them nor would defend them but rather would labour to amend them Concluding that they desired to have a sixt day of meeting with the Brethren in which they would take some further order about this businesse But before the time came the Papists having some intelligence of it raged so violently against the Waldenses that they burnt one of the chiefest of them at Vienna and so persecuted the rest that they were fain to provide for their own safety by flight Anno 1468. There came out a new Decree against these Brethren requiring all the Nobles of Bohemia within their severall jurisdictions to apprehend as many as they could and to proceed against them Many therefore were apprehended and put into prison where they were kept for a long time But thrâ—â—gh the wonderfull working of God the more the enemies laboured to put out this spark the more it brake forth into a great flame for many of their Peers submitted to the Discipline of the Brethren building Churches for them in their Towns and Villages so that Anno 1500. they had in Bohemia and Moravia about two hundred Churches After the death of Pogiebracius Uladislaus a Polonian succeeded in the Kingdom to whom the Brethren wrote an Apology by reason of many foul accusations that were carried to him against them This so exasperated their enemies that they endeavoured by a most impudent invention to stir up the hatred of all men against them The way they used was this They suborned a wicked villain to say that he came from amongst them and that he had been an Elder but had therefore forsaken them because in their meetings they used to blaspheme God the Virgin Mary and the Saints to traduce the Sacraments to mingle themselves incestuously after the manner of the Adamites to commit murther and practise witchcraft c. This man they led through the Townes and Cities as a spectacle they brought him to their Church where he must abjure his errors and beseech the people to pray for him a most miserable sinner and to take heed by his example of the wicked Piccards They also published his confession in writing being confirmed with the seals and subscripâ—ons of some Deans and Priests causing them to be read in the Churches to the people But the devil was befooled herein for the Brethren by publick writings did confute these lies and the villain trembling so often to forswear himself in the sight of the people confessed at last that he was suborned to do what he did and that he knew not any of the Piccards Yet thus far it made for good that some to make experience of so great villanies began privately and disguised to frequent the Assemblies of the Brethren and finding it to be farre other wise then it was reported did associate themselves with them as with true Christians Anno 1488. Mathias King of Hungary banished the Brethren from Moravia which caused some hundreds of them taking a Minister along with them to go into Moldavia Whereupon the Brethren in Bohemia sent one of their Elders to them to exhort them unto patience under this persecution which was for the truth Shortly after the restless enemies of God and his Church raised another persecution against the Brethren in Bohemia for some Bishops consulting together suborned the Queen great with childe so that they conceived that the King would deny her nothing in that state to request of him that he would severely punish the Piccards The King displeased at her request only nodded his head but gave no answer at all Yet the Bishops in his presence began to draw up the Edict The King going into his chamber fell down on his knees and with tears besought God to forgive the guilt of those bloudy counsels and to grant no successe to them and God heard his prayers and shewed some examples of his severe judgements on the Authors of this conspiracy The Queen who proposed to her fancy what gratefull spectacles she should have in seeing the Piccards brought to Prague and there some burnt some beheaded and others drowned in the water presently fell in travell and when she was not able to bring forth the Physitians advised that the childe should be cut out of the mothers womb which was accordingly done whereby the childe lived but the mother died Two years after the Bishops by their importunity prevailed with the King that sharp remedies should be used against those growing evils as they were pleased to call them whereupon an Edict was sent forth that all the Piccards without distinction of sex age or quality should be slain This Mandate was brought to the Assembly of States at Prague by two Bishops but divers of the chiefest Nobles opposed it so that eighteen moneths were spent in debate before any thing was done but at last by the cunning artifice of the Chancellor and his bloudy associates it was confirmed by the greatest part of the Nobility in the presence of the King and a mutuall confederacy was entred into that it should be prosecuted with an armed power but God following some of the chiefe contrivers of it with sundry judgements it almost came to nothing Yet in these troubles
commending his soul to Christ his head was cut off and set on the Tower The next was the Lord Harant a man that had gained much experience by his travels in Asia Africa and Europe his crime was that he had taken an oath to be true to Frederick and durst not violate it As he was going to suffer he called the Minister to him and told him that he much feared his wives inconstancy in Religion and therefore desired him to exhort her to constancy and not to suffer her self to be drawn from her Religion by any allurements assuring her that it is the infallible way to salvation Then to exhort her to use more clemency to his subjects rather easing then over-charging them with burthens Lastly to require her to have a care of his children and to bring them up in the pure Religion c. Being called to execution he said I have travelled through many Countries through many barbarous Nations escaped many perils by sea and land and now suffer innocently in my own Countrey and by them for whose sake I and my forefathers have spent our Estates and Lives Father forgive them Then he said In thee O Lord have I hoped let me not be confounded On the Scaffold he said Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit In the O Lord have I trusted from my youth I am confident that I shall be accepted by that ignominious death of my Saviour and falling upon his knees he said To thee O Lord I commend my spirit for thou O God just and true hast redeemed me and so he received the fatall stroke with the sword The next was Casper Kaplitz a Knight of eighty six years old When the Minister came to him after his condemnation he said See me a miserable old man who have often intreated my God that he would have mercy upon me and take me out of this miserable life but have not obtained it for God hath reserved me to be a spectacle to the world and a sacrifice to himselfe Gods will be done My death indeed is disgracefull in the eyes of men but glorious in the sight of God for God will account that death precious in his sight which I suffer for his glory and truth And when it was told him that he might have his life if he would ask pardon he answered That he would ask pardon of him against whom he had committed many sins all his life but he never offended the Prince and therefore would not give occasion to suspect that he had committed some crime for which he had deserved death c. God forbid therefore said he that I should be separated from this holy company of Martyrs As he was going to the Scaffold being feeble with age he said Oh my God strengthen me lest I fall down and become matter of scorn to the enemies Being crooked with age and hanging down his head the executioner could not well come at his neck whereupon the Minister said to him My noble Lord as you haâ—e commended your soul to Christ so now offer up your heavy head chearfully to God and lift up your selâ—e towards heaven Then lifting up his head as well as he could he said Lord Jesus into thy hand I commend my spirit and so is head was cut off The next was Procopius Dorzecki who after his condemnation said to the Minister I haâ—e had a great contention all night with old Adam so that it made me sweat againe but thanks be to my God by whom my soul hath overcome all tentations saying further O Almighty God strengthen thy servant that I may not be made a derision to mine enemies by any fear of death and as thou waâ—â— wont to encourage thy holy Martyrs so I â—trongly beleeâ—e thou wilt comfort me When he was called forth to execution he said Thanks be to my God who doth now call me to himselfe to him I have lived and for him I will die for my Saviour hath therefore died and risen again that he might be Lord both of the living and the dead I know that my soul shall liâ—e and my body shall be raised like to his glorious body Upon the Scaffold he said to the Imperiâ—ll judges Tell Caesar that we are now under his â—udgement buâ— he shall undergoe a more grievous yet just judgement of God And seeing a gold Medal hanging about his neck wherein was ingraven the Coronation of Frederick he delivered it to one that stood by saying I require â—hee that when my dear King Frederick shall recover the Throne of this Kingdom thou deliver him this and tell him that for his sake I wore it till my death and that now I lay down my life willingly for God and my King and so presently after he lost his head The next was the L. Frederick de Bile who suffered death likewise patiently and piously The next was the L. Hen. Otto a man of great judgment who having received the sentence of condemnâ—tion said O Caesar do you indeed establish your Throne by our bloud but what account will you make to God of it in the day of judgement c. kill my body dispâ—â—se my members whither you please yet dâ— I beleeâ—e â—hat my Saviour will gather them together againe and clothe 〈…〉 so that with thâ—sâ— eyes I shall see hâ—m with these ears I shall hear him with â—his toâ—gue I shall praise him and rejoyce with this heart fâ—reâ—er Afterwards when the Minister came to him amongst other 〈◊〉 he saiâ— I was â—roubled but now I feel a wonderfull refreshing in mâ— heart adding with his hands lift up to heaven I give thee thanks O most mercifull Saviour who hast beâ—n pleased to fill me with so much 〈◊〉 now I fear death no longer I will die with joy As he was going to the â—caâ—fold he said to the Ministâ—r I am sure that Christ Jesus will meet my soul with his Angels that he may bring it to an everlasting marriage where I shall drink of a new cup a cup of joy for ever This death I know shall not separate me from him Upon the Scaffold lifting up his eyes to heaven he said Behold I see the Heavens open pointing with his hand to the place where others also observed a certain brightnesse which dazled their eyes after he had prayed silently he said Into thy hands O Lord God I commend my spirit have pitty on me through Jesus Christ and receive me that I may see thy glory and so he received the stroak of the sword The next was Dionysius Zervius formerly a Papist but being told of the promises made to the people of God concerning the pardon of sins and assurance of salvation to those that believe in Christ he struck his breast and with tears in his eyes cried out This is my faith and in this I die I rest in the grace of Christ and I
were taken at Sivil at one time eight hundred Christians whereof twenty of them were afterwards roasted at one fire Amongst these this Juliano was one of the first that was apprehended and sent to prison where he lay without any company laden with irons above three years yet was his constancy so great and wonderful that the tormentors themselves were sooner wearied in inflicting than he in suffering torments and notwithstanding his weak and wearyish body yet he remained undaunted in mind in undergoing all their tyrannies so that he never departed from the rack more dejected than he came to it neither threatnings nor pains nor torments made him shrink or yield one jot to them but when he was drawn back to his prison he would tell his fellows how he had conquered and confounded his enemies saying They depart vanquished they depart vanquished The wolves flie with shame they flie with shame In the day of their triumph when he was brought out to be apparelled with his other fellow Prisoners in all their shameful habits he exhorted them with a cheerful countenance saying My Brethren be of good cheere this is the houre wherein we must be faithful witnesses unto God and his truth before men as becomes the true servants and souldiers of Christ and ere long we shall have him to witnesse with us again and within a few houres we shall triumph with him in heaven for ever But hereupon they presently clap't a Barnacle upon his tongue that he should speak no more and so he was led to his execution but though he could not speak yet by his countenance and gestures he shewed his cheerful and quiet minde Then kneeling down he kissed the step whereon he stood and being tyed to the stake he endeavoured by his looks and gestures to encourage his fellow Martyrs in their sufferings and so they quietly and patiently resigned up their spirits unto God There was also John Leon a Tailor by Trade who out of a blinde devotion to serve God resolved to enter into a Monastery but by Gods Providence it so fell out that he entred into a Cloister at Sivil wherein most of the Monks were well affected to the true Religion amongst whom in two or three years space he was so grounded in the principles of Religion that he resolved to leave that kinde of life which accordingly he did and went into the Countrey yet after a time he had a great mind to conferre with his former Schoolmasters but when he came back to the Cloister he found that they were all fled inâ—o Germany hereupon he resolved to follow them and through many dangers and perils it pleased God at last after a long and tedious journey to bring him safe to Franckfurt where he met with some of his old acquaintance and with them he travelled to Geneva About which time Queen Mary suddenly dying and Queen Elizabeth of blessed Memory succeeding her the English Exiles that lived in those parts were called home whereupon divers Spaniards that sojourned at Geneva thinking England a fitter place for their Congregation resolved to accompany the English men and for this end they dispersed themselves into several companies that they might travel with the more safety The Inquisitors took the departure of these Monks so ill that not sparing any cost they sent their Flies abroad to apprehend them who way-laid them especially at Collen Franckfurt Antwerp and in all the ways that led from Geneva This John Leon had got him a companion with whom he travelled towards England who being discovered at Argentine were dogged into Zealand and as they were ready to take ship they were apprehended John Leon took his arrest very composedly never changing countenance at it They were presently carried back into the Town where they were miserably â—acked to discover their fellows and not long after were shipped for Spain having great irons wrought like a net that covered both head and face within which also was another piece of iron made like a tongue which being thrust into their mouths took away their speech they were also loaden with other engins and fetters of iron wherewith they were bound hand and foot and in these continual pains and torments they lay a shipboard till they came into Spain and then John Leon was sent to Sivil and his companion to Validolid where afterwards in defence of the truth he suffered Martyrdome But John remained long in prison where he tasted of the Inquisitors tyranny suffering both hunger and cold and enduring all their torments one after another and at last was brought out in their solemn shew arrayed after their usual manner It was a sad sight to see such a ghost as he was his hair so grown his body so lean that he had nothing but skin and bones left on him and his pain much encreased by having a Barnacle upon his tongue After sentence of death pronounced upon him they set his tongue at liberty hoping that he would have recanted but he made a stout and godly Confession of his faith and so quietly ended his life in the flames There was also burned at the same time a godly Virgin that had formerly been a Nun but being through Gods grace converted she left her Cloister and joyned her self to the Church of Christ Being apprehended by the Inquisitors she was intreated as others had been before her and at last was brought out to the Scaffold where with a manly courage she put the Inquisitors to a foul foil not only constantly affirming the truth but sharply rebuking those fathers calling them dumb dogs a generation of vipers c. being brought to the stake with a cheerful countenance she underwent the pains of death and so quietly slept in the Lord. There was also one Christopher Losada a Physician a learned man and very well studied in the Scriptures as also of a very holy conversation insomuch as he was chosen Super-intendent of the Church of Christ in Sivil which at this time was very great though dispersed into corners At last he was apprehended by the Inquisitors before whom he made a good Confession of his faith for which he endured haâ—d and sharp imprisonment with most cruel torments and the open infamy of their solemn shew and lastly was adjudged to the fire As he stood at the stake the Barnacle being taken from his tongue he disputed notably with some Monks that came to seduce him and when they spake Latin that the common People might not understand them Losada also began to speak in Latin so copiously and eloquently as was strange to hear that he should have his wits so fresh when he was ready to be burned after which he patiently resigned up his spirit unto God in the fire There was also in Sivil one Arias a man of a sharp wit and well-studied in Divinity but withal of a crafty wit and inconstant nature which vices he yet
covered with a cloke of Religion whereby he deceived many About this time there were also in that City two sorts of Preachers and both had a great number of Auditors The one taught School-Divinity and were continually calling upon their hearers to often fastings mortification self-denial frequency of Prayer humility c. But themselves practised nothing lesse than these things and indeed all their Religion consisted in works and bodily exercises as running to Masses hallowed places shrift c. The other sort dealt more sincerely with the holy Scriptures out of which they declared what was true righteousnesse and perfect holinesse by means whereof that City above all others in Spain bore the name for just and true dealing and it pleased God that the brightnesse of this light did discover all the counterfeit holinesse and Pharasaical devotion of the other party The chief Labourers in this harvest were Constantino Aegidius and Varquius all Doctors and sober wise and learned men who by this kind of preaching procured to themselves many enemies but above all others Arias was the most spiteful and malicious yet he carried it so cunningly that he still kept up his reputation with these men but it was not long before he discovered himself and that upon this occasion There was one Ruzius a learned man questioned before the Inquisitors for something that he had delivered in a Sermon about the Controversies in Religion The Inquisitors appointed him a day of hearing and two or three days before Arias met him saluted him courteously and discoursed familiarly with him then did he pump out of him all those Arguments wherewith he intended to defend himself before the Inquisitors When the day came and Ruzius appeared Arias went on that side where his opponents were which much amated Ruzius and in the disputation Arias being prepared did so wittily enervate all his Arguments that Ruzius had nothing to say for himself and so was fain to yield the cause and Arias went away with the honour of the field though he got it by treachery Yet did this Arias being of Saint Isidores Monastery preach so practically that a great light began to dawn in that dark place for the whole scope of his Sermons was to overthrow all their Profession he taught them that singing and saying of their Prayers day and night was no service of God that the holy Scriptures were to be read and studied with diligence whence alone the true service of God could be drawn and which alone teach us the true obedience to his Will to the obtaining whereof we must use Prayer as a means proceeding as well from a sense and feeling of our own infirmities as grounded upon a perfect trust and confidence in God By laying these foundations through Gods blessing he began to make them out of love with their Monkish Superstition and much provoked them to the study of the holy Scriptures Besides also his Sermons he read daily a lecture upon Solomons Proverbs very learnedly and made application thereof with good judgement and discretion also in his private conference he did much good The Lord also so ordered it in his wisdome that he met with Schollers that were very tractable such as were not greatly wedded to their Superstitions And such was the force and might of Gods Election that these few good seeds so fructified that in the end they brought forth a great encrease of godlinesse For divers of the Monks that hereby had their consciences awakened and cleared to see their former hypocrisie and idolatry sought out for further instructions and through Gods mercy they light upon those Preachers which taught the truth with more sincerity of whom they learned the Principles of pure and perfect Religion so that by degrees they left that evil opinion which they had formerly conceived against the Lutherans and were desirous to read their books And God miraculously provided for them that they had all sorts of books brought them that were extant at that time either in Geneva or Germany whereby it came to passe that there were very few in all that cloister but they had some taste of true Religion and Godlinesse so that instead of mumbling their mattens they brought in Divinity-lectures c. Vain fasting was turned into Christian sobriety neither were any taught to be Monkish but to be sincerely and truly religious But considering that when this should be once known they could not live in any safety they resolved amongst themselves to forsake their nest and to flie into Germany where they might enjoy more safety of their lives and freedome of their consciences But how to get thither was all the difficulty If one or two should go first the rest would be exposed to danger if many should go together a thousand to one but they would be taken again being to travel from the furthest part of Spaine into Germany yet upon debate they concluded that they must all either speedily depart or shortly be apprehended by the Inquisitors who now had got some inkling of the matter And God seeing them in this distresse shewed them a means how under an honest pretence a dozen of them might depart together within a month and each betake himself a several way towards Geneva where they appointed by Gods assistance all to meet within a twelve month The rest which were but young novices were left behind who yet not long after were so strengthned by God that they endured the brunt of persecution when it came three of them being burned and divers others diversly punished The aforementioned servants of Jesus Christ forsook that place where they lived in honour ease and plenty and by undertaking for Christs sake a voluntary exile exposed themselves to shame ignominy wants yea and were in continual danger of their lives also And under God Arias was a great means of this who by his ministry had first inlightned them with the knowledge of the truth for which he was often complained of to the Inquisitors and was convented before them where he so cunningly answered the matter that he was still discharged But his last apprehension through the mercy of God brought forth in him the fruits of true repentance for he did so deeply and unfainedly bewail and repent of his former with-holding of the truth in unrighteousnesse that whereas he used to be exceeding fearful of the Rack he being brought to it and upon it with a marvellous constancy withstood the enemies of Gods truth and took up the Inquisitors roundly withal telling them that he was heartily sorry and did most earnestly repent him for that he had wittingly and willingly in their presence impugned the truth against the godly defenders of the same Many other sharp rebukes he gave to the Inquisitors so often as he came to his answer But at last he was brought forth arraied in their accustomed manner upon their day of triumph at which time he also made a notable Profession of his faith
get leave to write to or speak with any of his Countreymen Afterwards they brought him forth with many other godly persons upon their publick day of triumph in his Sambito painted all over with ugly devils tormenting a soul in flames of fire and with a Barnacle upon his tongue where he received sentence of death and so with the rest was carried to the place of execution to be burnt and he endured the flames with so much patience and cheerfulnesse of countenance that his Popish adversaries said that the Devil had his soul before he came to the fire whereby his sense of feeling was taken away They also sequestred all his goods which could never be recovered out of their hands though great means were used for the same This was in Queen Maries days There was burned with him at the same time another Englishman and not long after two more called John Baker and William Burgate And about the same time William Burges Master of an English ship was burned there also and William Hooker a youth of about sixteen was there stoned to death for the bold profession of his faith Here place the seventh Figure CHAP. XXVIII The Persecution of the Church of Christ in Italy which began Anno Christi 1155. ANno Christi 1155. Adrian the fourth an English man being Pope there was one Arnald of Brixia who coming to Rome preached boldly against the corruptions which were crept into the Church and found great favour amongst the Senators and people insomuch as when the Pope commanded this Arnald to be driven away as an Heretick they resisted his command and defended Arnald till at last the Pope interdicting the whole City at the importunity of the Clergy the Senators and Citizens were forced to send him away and shortly after he was apprehended by the Popes Legat Cardinal of St. Nicholas out of whose hands he was rescued by the Vicounts of Campany with whom he remained and to whom he preached the Gospel of Christ and was had in such esteem that he was accounted a Prophet Shortly after Frederick Barbarossa the Emperour coming unto Italy to be crowned the Pope sent some Cardinals to him requesting that he would deliver Arnald of Brixia into their hands whom the Vicounts of Campania had taken from his Legat at Otriculi whom they held for a Prophet in their Countrey and greatly honoured him The Emperour receiving these commands from the Pope presently sent forth his Apparitors and took one of the Vicounts prisoner wherewith the other were so terrified that they delivered up Arnald to the Cardinals and this the Emperour did to gratifie the Pope that was to set the Imperial Crown upon his head Not long after the Pope being in his Ruff marching with a brave Army into Apulia commanded his Prefect at Rome to do execution upon Arnald who accordingly most cruelly first hanged and then burned him for an Arch-heretick at the appointment of the Pope This Arnald was born in Italy and was trained up under Peter Abailardus in France His heresies were that he preached against the Pride and Covetousnesse of the Clergy and Monks That he inveighed against the corruptions which were crept into the Sacraments c. He first Preached in Brixia and expounded to the people the sacred Scriptures who earnestly embraced his doctrine whereupon the Bishops and Monks of that City complained of him to the Council that was held at Rome by Pope Innocent who to prevent the spreading of his Doctrine injoyned him silence and banished him Italy Then did he go beyond the Alps into a Town of Germany called Turengum where for a time he preached the truth and did much good till he heard of the death of Pope Innocent his old Adversary at which time he returned into Italy and went to Rome where what his successe was we heard before after his body was burnt they gathered up his ashes and threw them into the River Tybur Otho Frising Anno Christi 1546. There was one Encenas or Driander a Spaniard born in Bruges who in his youth was sent by his superstitious Parents to be educated in Rome where in process of time through God mercy he came to the knowledge of the truth and thereupon manifesting his dislikes of the impure doctrine of the Church of Rome he was betrayed by some of his own Countrymen and houshold friends and by them carried before the Cardinals who committed him to strait prison and afterwards being called forth to declare his judgement in matters of Religion he gave a notable testimony to the truth before the Cardinals and the Popes whole retinue whereupon they cried out upon him that he should be burned yet the Cardinals proffered him life if he would wear the Sambito but he constantly refused to wear any other badge save the badge of our Lord Jesus Christ which was to seal his Profession with his blood Hereupon he was condemned to the fire and suffered Martyrdome with great patience and constancy His brother Francis Encenas a very learned and godly man as any was in Spain being in the Emperours Court at Bruxels offered to Charles the fifth the New Testament translated into Spanish for which he was cast into prison 〈…〉 remained in great misery for the space of fifteen months looking for nothing but present death but at last through the marvellous Providence of God at eight a clock at night he found the prison doors standing wide open and a secret motion in his minde to make an escape whereupon going out of prison with a leasurely pace he went without interruption and so from thence went strait into Germany Anno 1550. There was at Ferrara one Faninus who by reading of good books was through Gods grace converted to the knowledge of the truth wherein he found such sweetnesse that by constant reading meditation and prayer he grew so expert in the Scriptures that he was able to instruct others and though he durst not go out of the bounds of his calling to preach openly yet by conference and private exhortations he did good to many This coming to the knowledge of the Popes Clients they apprehended and committed him to prison where by the earnest solicitations of his wife and children and other friends he was so overcome that he renounced the truth and so was dismissed out of prison But it was not long before the Lord met with him so that falling into horrible torture of conscience he was near unto utter despair for his Apostacy and for preferring the love of his kindred and friends before the service of Jesus Christ neither could he possibly by any means be free from these terrours before he had fully resolved to adventure his life more faithfully in the service of the Lord. Wherefore being thus inflamed with an holy zeal he went about all the Countrey doing much good wheresoever he came whereupon he was again apprehended and cast into prison and
famous Assembly I neither ought nor could any longer suffer it neither could I forbear doing what you have seen which thing most noble Prince was not done in contempt of your Presence God is my witness but to seek the salvation of this People The King hearing that he was an Englishman and considering what alteration of Religion King Edward had made presently conceited that he was suborned by some body to do this in scorn to their Religion wherefore he asked him who was the Authour and procurer of this act Gardiner answered that he was not moved thereunto by any man but only by his own conscience For saith he there is no man under heaven for whose sake I would put my self into such manifest danger but that I owed this service first to God and then to your salvation and if I have done any thing which is dispeasing to you you ought to impute it to no man but to your self who so iâ—reverently use the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper to so great Idolatry c. Whilst he thus stoutly spake to the King by reason of the losse of much blood by his wound he was ready to faint Whereupon Chirurgions were sent for to cure him that he might be reserved for further torments Then were all other Englishmen in the City clapped up in prison especially his bed-fellow who was grievously tormented and examined more then all the rest and scarcely delivered after two years imprisonment the rest got off sooner They searched also all his writings and letters to see if they could find out any confederates then they went to him seeking by torments to extort the Author of this fact They also invented a new kind of torment exceeding Phalaris his brazen Bull which was this They made a ball of linnen cloth which with violence they thrust down his throat to the bottom of his stomack and with a string fastned to it they pulled it up again and this they did divers times which caused as bitter pains as the pains of death but when by this means they could get no confession from him they asked him if he did not repent of his wicked fact whereto he answered that he was so far from repenting that if it were to do again he should do it yet was he somewhat sorry that it was done in the Kings presence to his disturbance but they were not to blame him for it but the King was rather to be blamed who having power would not prohibit so great Idolatry When they had used all kinds of torments and that he was so weakned thereby that he was not like to live long they first cut off his right hand then carried him into the market-place where they cut off his other hand also then fastning a rope about his middle with a Pully they hoisted him up an high and making a great fire under him they let him down so that his feet only felt the fire and so often pulling him up and down they burned him by degrees and yet in all these great torments he remained constant and the more terribly that he burnt the more earnestly he prayed When his feet were consumed they asked him whether he yet did not repent him of his deed exhorting him to call upon our Lady and the Saints He answered that what torments soever they used the truth was the same that which he had confessed in his life he would not deny at his death and that when Christ ceased to be our Advocate he would pray to our Lady c. And when they laboured to stop his pâ—aying to and praising of God he with a loud voice reheased the 34. Psalm which being almost ended the rope was burned in sunder so that his body fell down into the fire where he changed his momentany pains for eternal rest But the Lord suffered not this cruelty to go altogether unpunished in this life for a spark of the fire wherewith he was burned was driven by the wind into the Haven where it set on fire one of the Kings great ships and consumed it The new-married Prince also died within half a year and the King himself not long after The Martyrdom of a Christian Jew in Constantinople Anno Christi 1528. THis Jew dwelling ar Constantinople through Gods grace was there converted baptized and became a good Christian which the Turks understanding were vehemently exasperated against him for it fearing lest his conversion should prove very prejudicial to their Mahumetan Religion and therefore they apprehended and cruelly murthered him and for his greater infamy they cast out his dead body into the open streets forbidding all strictly to bury it Thus his dead body lay in the streets nine dayes yet through the power of God it corrupted not at all yea there proceeded from it a certain delectable sent or odour which much astonished the Turks so that at last they took it up and carried it out of the City and buried it CHAP. XXX The Persecution of the Church in Germany which began Anno Christi 1523. THe Gospel being spread abroad in Germany by the means and ministry of Luther and his fellow-labourers the Pope having tried all other means for the suppressing of it and finding them ineffectual he at last provokes the Emperour Charles the fifth by war to destroy the Protestants and for that end gives him two hundred thousand crowns in money for the maintenance of these Wars and ties himself at his own cost to maintain twelve thousand foot and five hundred horse for six moneths yea out of his zeale for the cause he allows the Emperour the one half of the Revenues of the Clergy and gives him leave to sell off Abby-lands to the value of five hundred thousand crowns whereupon great preparation was made for this War both in Germany Spain and Italy the consideration wherereof caused the confederate Protestant Princes to raise a great Army also for their own defence upon which occasion they were proclaimed guilty of high treason by the Emperour The two Armies lay near together and the Protestants offered battel to the Emperour but he refused assuring himself that they could not long continue together The Army of the Protestants was commanded by the Duke of Saxony and the Lantgrave of Hessen who did not concur very well in their counsels besides they wanted both victuals and money so as they were forced to dislodge and retire further off the Emperour following forced the Elector to fight with disadvantage and God who doth not alwaies prosper the better cause gave the victory to the Emperour the Duke of Saxony and the Lantgrave being taken prisoners Anno 1547. Presently after ensued a great persecution in many places authority armed with laws and rigour striving against simple verity It was lamentable to hear how many poor men were troubled both Ministers and Christians some tossed from place to place others exiled out of their own Countryes some driven into
would come into contempt caused him to be apprehended and cast into a deep and dark hole where he remained bearing his affliction patiently and calling upon God night and day praising him for accounting him worthy to suffer for his names sake Whilst he lay there many good people came to visit him receiving such instructions and consolation from him that they could not be drawn to leave him till necessity enforced neither then could they depart without abundance of tears The Priests and Friars sought by all means to draw him to a recantation but to no purpose for he still kept himself close to the Word of God which so vexed them that at last they procured his condemnation to be hanged The Spanish souldiers which carried him to execution would needs have him burned binding and straining him exceedingly with cords and in the way abused him shamefully with mocks and scoffs thrusting him forwards and striking him the Captain also gave him a blow on the face with his Gantlet which much disfigured him yea they used him worse then a dog being the more enraged against him because of his patient and meek carriage At last they thrust him into a little Cabin piled with Fagots and so burnt him continually calling upon God till he resigned up his Spirit to him Anno 1568. There was a Goldsmith dwelling in Breda who had long been a Deacon of the Church in that place his name was Peter Coulogue in his house the Church often met for the service of God the Popish adversaries being much enraged hereby cast him into prison which the faithful much grieved at and endeavoured to visit and comfort him This the enemies taking notice of removed him into the Castle during his abode there though all others were excluded from him yet his Maid-servant brought him his food daily never ceasing to confirm and comfort him out of the Word of God as well as she was able for which at length they imprisoned her also This she was right glad of thinking her self happy to suffer for righteousness sake Not long after Peter was put to the torment which he endured patiently then did they fetch Betkin also to it whereupon she said My Masters wherefore will you put me to this torture seeing I have no way offended you if it be for my faiths sake you need not torment me fos as I was never ashamed to make a confession thereof no more will I now be at this present before you but will if you please freely shew you my mind therein Yet for all this they would have her to the Rack whereupon she again said If I must needs suffer this pain I pray you give me leave to call upon my God first This they consented to and whilst she was fervently pouring out her prayers unto God one of the Commissioners was surprised with such a fear and terrour that he fell into a swoon and could not be recovered again by which means the poor maid escaped Racking Shortly after these two innocent persons were condemned to be burned and as they were led to execution there was much lamentation amongst the people Peter and Betkin prayed earnestly unto God to strengthen them and perfect the good work that he had begun in them and to assist them till they had finished their course The courage and constancy of the maid did so work upon many of the people godly men and women that not considering the danger they brake through the multitude embracing the Prisoners and praising God for their constancy saying to them Fight manfully for the Crown is prepared for you At the place of execution Betkin with a chearful and amiable countenance spake thus to the people Dear brethren and sisters be alwayes obedient to the Word of God and fear not them that can kill the body but have no power over the soul as for me I am now going to meet my glorious Spouse the Lord Jesus Christ Then falling upon their knees they prayed to the Lord with great devotion And the executioner fastening them to the stake strangled Peter Betkin encouraging him till he yielded up the Ghost and till the fire had taken hold of her self and in the flames she was heard to magnifie the Lord till she yielded up her spirit into his hands About this time multitudes of persons were murthered in Flanders by the bloody Inquisition whose dead bodies were cast out to be gazed upon in every place and multitudes of believers both men and women were cast into prisons where they languished till many of them died In the City of Valence there were executed fifty seven persons most of them Burgesses only because they clave to the true faith of Jesus Christ. The Martyrdom of William of Nassaw Prince of Orange THe Estates of the United Provinces having declared the King of Spaine to be fallen from the Government of of those Countries they chose William of Nassaw Prince of Orange to be their Captain General whereupon he was proscribed by the King of Spain and a great summe of mony promised to him that should slay him Not long after a desperate villain called Joanville was suborned to do the feat for which end he was directed to charge his Pistol with two bullets and to shoot him behind in the head the day appointed for this execution was March 18. 1582. upon which day the Prince was to be at a great feast at the Duke of Anjous Court but the presse being great there Joanville chose rather to do it at the Prince of Oranges own house as he was at dinner the Villain being thus desperately resolved a Jacobin Friar came to confess him fortifying him in his resolution with many sweet words perswading him that he should go invisible for which end he gave him some characters in paper and little Frogs bones and other conjurations Being thus assured he drunk a cup or two of Malmsey and so accomxanied with his Ghostly father he went to the Princes Court at the stair-foot the Friar gave him his blessing encouraged him and so left him The Prince of Orange was set at dinner with the Earles of Laval Hohenlo and many other Noblemen Joanville came into the dining-room attired like a Frenchman so that he was taken for a servant to some of those French Noblemen He thrust forward twice or thrice to come behind the Prince to shoot him in the head as he was directed but was still repulsed by the Princes Gentlemen that stood about him Dinner being done the Prince was going to his retiring chamber whereupon this Villain gat before a window in the Hall close by the door of that room into which the Prince was to go As the Prince passed towards it he was shewing the Earle of Laval the cruelties that the Spaniards had exercised in the Low-Countries which were wrought in the hangings and having his face turned this murtherer discharged his Pistol at him
to live with him for ever and so they all quietly slept in the Lord. Four others about the same time were condemned and cruelly burnt at Paris for the same cause Anno 1548. There was one Blondel a Merchant of precious stones that frequented many great Fairs in France and was well-known both in Court and Countrey he was a man of singular integrity and a Favourer of Gods Word being at an Inne in Lions he freely reproved the filthy talk and superstitious behaviour which he there heard and saw hereupon the Host complained of him to an officer withal informing him of his rich Coller of Jewels These two suborned one to borrow money of him which because Blondel refused to lend the fellow caused him to be apprehended for heresie thinking thereby to attach his goods but Blondels friends prevented it privily conveying them away Blondel being examined of his faith gave a plain and full Confession of it whereupon he was sent to prison in which he did much good amongst the Prisoners paying the debts of some and so loosing them feeding others cloathing others c. At length through the importunity of his Parents and friends he changed his Confession yet was he sent to the High Court at Paris where being examined again concerning his faith he adhered to his first Confession much bewailing his former fall Then was he condemned to be burnt and great haste was made for his execution left his friends at Court should save his life Anno 1549. One Hubert a young man of nineteen years old was so constant in the faith that neither the perswasions of his Parents nor the threats of his adversaries could remove him from his stedfastnesse for which he was burned at Dyion The same year there was a godly Minister called Florent Venote cast into prison at Paris where he lay above four years in which time there was no kind of torment which he did not endure and overcome amongst others he was put in to so narrow a place that he could neither stand nor lieâ— in which he remained seven weeks whereas there was never any Malefactor that could endure it fifteen dayes but he either grew mad or died At last when a great shew was made at the Kings coming into the City and divers other Martyrs in sundry places of it were put to death Florent also having his tongue cut out was brought forth to see their execution and lastly was himselfe burnt About the same time one Anne Audebert as she was going to Geneva was apprehended and brought to Paris where she was adjudged to be sent to Orleance and burned there when she was had forth to execution a rope being put about her she called it her wedding girdle wherewith she should be married to Christ and being to be burried upon a Saturday she said On a Saturday I was first married and on a Saturday I shall be married again She much rejoyced when she was put into the dung-cart and shewed such patience and constancy in the fire as made all the Spectators to wonder at it Not long after the Coronation of Henry the second King of France at whose coming into the City of Paris divers godly Martyrs were burned there was a poor Tailor that dwelt not farre from the Kings Palace apprehended for working upon an holy day Being by the Officer asked why he wrought upon that day He answered that he was a poor man living only upon his labour and that he knew no day but the Sabbath whereupon he might not work his necessity requiring it Then was he clapt up in prison this being noised in the Court some would needs have the Tailor sent for that the King might have the hearing of him Then was the Tailor brought thither and the King sitting in his chair of State commanded the Bishop of Mascon to question with him The Tailor being nothing amated at the Kings presence after he had done reverence to his Prince gave thanks to God for honouring him so greatly being such a wretch as to bring him where he might bear witnesse to his truth before so great a Prince The Bishop questioned with him about the greatest matters of Religion and he with an undaunted spirit so answered for the sincere truth and with such pregnant proofs of Scripture as was wonderfull and though the Nobles that were present jeered and taunted at him yet could they not dash him out of countenance but that still with much liberty and freedome of speech he defended the truth of Christ neither flattering their persons nor fearing their threats The King seeming to muse much within himself that so mean and simple a person should shew such audacity in such a presence the Bishop and Popish Lords taking notice of cryed out that he was an obstinate and impudent Heretick and therefore remanded him back to prison and within a few dayes after he was condemned to be burnt alive and left the King should be affected with what he heard from the Tailor the Bishops often suggested that the Lutherans were such as carried a vaine smoake in their mouthes which being put to the fire would soon vanish They also would needs have the King present at his execution but it pleased God to give such strength and courage to the Tailor at his execution as much more astonished the King than all his former carriage for having espied the King in the window where he sate he beheld him with so stedfast a countenance that his eyes were never off him yea when the fire was kindled about him he still kept his eyes so fixed upon the King that the King was constrained to leave the window and to withdraw himself and was so wrought upon thereby that he confessed that he thought the shadow of the Tailor followed him whithersoever he went and for many nights after he was so terrified with the apparition thereof that he protested with an oath that he would never see nor hear any more of those Lutherans though afterwards he brake his oath as it follows in the story of Anne Du Bourg About the same time one Claudius a godly man was apprehended as he came from Geneva and burned at Orleance Anno 1551. One Thomas a young man of about eighteen years old coming from Geneva to Paris rebuked one for swearing whereupon he was apprehended for a Lutherane and carried before the high Court by them he was committed to prison and cruelly racked to confesse his companions which he still refused to do whereupon they continued to rack him till one of the bloody Inquisitors turned his back and wept and till the Hangman was a weary then was he carried to be burned and was let down with a pully into the fire and after a while being pulled up again they asked him if he would yet turn To whom he said That he was in his
way to God and therefore he desired them to let him go and so he quietly slept in the Lord. Anno 1553. There was apprehended at Lions one Peter Bergerius who for his bold and constant confession was cast into prison and put into a dungeon where was a thief that had lain there seven or eight moneths who being in great pain and torment cryed out of God and cursed his Parents that begat him being almost eaten up with lice and fed with such bread as dogs and horses had refused to eat but it pleased Almighty God of his goodness through the instructions and prayers of Bergerius that he was converted and brought to the knowledge of the truth after which the very next day his lice which before extreamly abounded so went away that he had not one remaining and God so stirred up the hearts of good men that he was fed plentifully and that with white bread so that with much patience and joyfulness he bore his imprisonment and had great comfort afterwards in his soule About the same time three godly men were apprehended at Lions and being condemned for the truth when they were to be led forth to execution two of them had ropes put about their necks the third having served the King in his wars was favoured to have none whereupon he said to the Lieutenant that he also desired to have one of those precious chains about his neck in honour of his Lord the which being granted they all went singing to the fire where with much patience they yielded up their spirits unto God Not long after in the same place was apprehended one Matthew Dimonet who formerly had lived a most wicked life full of all filthiness and abominations he had been also a searcher out of the Professors of the Gospel and a great Persecutor of them yet at last it pleased God to shew him mercy and he was converted to the knowledge of the truth after which being apprehended and examined he made a stout profession of his faith and during his imprisonment he had great conflicts with the infirmity of his own flesh but especially with the temptations of his Parents kindred and friends yet the Lord did so strengthen him that he endured constant to the end At his burning he spake much to the people and was hearkned to with great attention Simon Laloe coming upon some occasions from Geneva into France was apprehended by the Bayliffe of Dyon by whom he was imprisoned and racked to force him to confesse what fellows he had but that not prevailing he was condemned to be burned At his death the Executioner seeing his great faith patience and constancy was so wrought upon therereby that he fell into great terrors of conscience so that he was neer to utter despair and all the promises of the Gospel could scarce comfort him yet at last through Gods mercy receiving comfort he with all his family removed to the Church of Geneva where he afterwards lived till his death Nicholas Naile carrying some good books to Paris was there apprehended and made a bold confession of the faith for which he was cruelly tormented sundry wise and racked all his joynts asunder and lastly being condemned when he was carried to the stake they put a gag into his mouth vvhich they tied in so hard vvith a rope about his head that blood gushed out of his mouth they also besmeared all his body vvith oyle and brimstone so that at the first taking of fire all his skin vvas shrivelled together vvhilst his invvard parts vvere untouched the cord being burnt in sunder and the gag falling out of his mouth he praised God in the midst of the fire till he yielded up his spirit unto God Peter Serre vvas at first a Priest but God of his mercy revealing his truth to him he vvent to Geneva and there learned the Shoomakers craft vvhereby he maintained himself and having a brother at Tholouse out of a singular love to his soule he vvent thither to instruct him his brothers vvife being not vvell pleased herevvith revealed it to one of her Gossips vvho informed the Officiall against him hereupon he vvas apprehended and carried before the Inquisitor to vvhom he made an excellent declaration of his faith and so vvas delivered to the Judge vvho asked him of vvhat occupation he vvas He said that of late he was a Shoomaker then did the Judge ask him of vvhat Occupation he had formerly been he said he had been of another formerly but he was ashamed to utter it or to remember it being the worst and vilest Science of all others in the world the Judge and people supposing that he had been some Cutpurse or thief were more importunate to knovv vvhat it vvas but shame and sorrovv so stopped his mouth that he could not declare it at last through their importunate clamour he told them he had been a Popish Priest this so incensed the Judge that he presently condemned him to be degraded to have his tongue cut out and to be burned vvhich vvas accordingly executed In the fire he stood so quiet looking up stedfastly to heaven at the time of his burning as if he felt no pain at all which caused wondeful admiration in the people and one of the Parliament said that it was not the best way to bring the Lutherans to the fire for it would do more hurt then good Anno 1554. There were two godly men with one of their sons and daughter going towards Geneva whom a Lieutenant overtaking by the way like a Judas he insinuated himself into their company pretended great favour to them and to that Religion which he said he supposed them to be of and so with fair words he circumvented them and drew out of them that they were Protestants and their wives at Geneva whither they were now travelling Then did he apprehend them and carry them to the Castle of Niverne During their imprisonment they were examined of many Articles to which they made a full and clear answer according to their faith after this they were racked extreamly for three houres together to force them to recant which they bore with admirable patience being therefore condemned as they went to execution the Officer bound a woodden crosse between their hands but they pulled it out with their teeth and threw it away whereupon their tongues were cut out notwithstanding which God gave them utterance so that they spake plain saying We bid sin the flesh the world and the devil farewel for ever with whom we shall never have more to do hereafter and much more to the like purpose When the Officer came to besmear them with brimstone and gunpowder they said Go to salt on salt on the stinking and rotten flesh and so persisting constant in the flames they finished their Martyrdome Anno 1557. Philbert Hamlin a Priest was through Gods
marched to another coming just at the time when the Protestants were at Church hearing a Sermon They were guided to the place by two Friers the Protestants seeing them coming shut the Church doors barricadoing them up with benches these villaines laboured to break open the door but when they could not readily do it they clambred up into the windows through which they shot with their musquets at the people whereby they wounded and killed many The Minister beiâ—g a man rarely endued with learning and piety according to the shortnesse of time exhorted them with lively reasons to persevere in the truth notwithstanding all the danger but in the mean time these barbarous Papists had forced open the door where they fell to murthering of all without respect of quality sex or age Some Lords and Gentlemen were here slaine the Minister was shot to death divers Ladies and children gate into the Belfree to save themselves but these hell-hounds set fire to the place and miserably burnt them all These savage wretches having thus glutted themselves with innocent blood in this place they marched to Sondresse The Papists in that place hearing of their coming went to the Justice protesting that they would guard him from danger and that they would not suffer such villanies to be committed amongst them Then did they beat their Drums ring their Bells and arme themselves under pretence of securing the Protestants who trusting to their promises mixed themselves amongst them to stand for their own defence These Popelings concealing their mischievous intent killed now one then another as if it had been by accident so that though divers of them were slain yet they found not out the mystery of the practice yet some both men and Gentlewomen sought to escape but all passages being shut up they were met with and cruelly murthered Then did they more openly discover their malice killing the Protestants where ever they met them hereupon some eighteen of the Protestants together with some Ladies and young children gat together and the men being well armed they marched close together repulsing their enemies and at last came to a Church in the mountain of Sondresse unto which place a Minister and some others in all about seventy three men were gathered together and after their prayers made unto God they passed the Valley of Malaneo which was beset by the enemy on two sides but such as kept the passages were by Gods special providence so astonished that they fled away and the Protestants though they were pursued to the tops of the mountains yet did miraculously escape with safety Then did the Pesants joyne with these villaines to rob and plunder the houses of the Protestants and amongst them divers Noblemens houses richly furnished with great abundance They ran up and down also through fields woods and mountains searching every bush for the Protestants and as they found any of them they presently murthered them There was an honorable Lady that not long before came out of Italy to enjoy her liberty of conscience whom they exhorted to change her Religion which she refusing they advised her that yet at least she would do it out of a care of her young infant which she held in her armes which otherwise together with her self should presently be slain But she with an undaunted courage answered I have not departed out of Italy my native countrey nor forsaken all the estate that I had there to renounce now the faith which I had wrought in me by the Lord Jesus Christ yea I will rather suffer if it were possible a thousand deaths And how shall I have regard in this case to my infant since God my heavenly Father spared not his own Sonne my Lord Jesus Christ but delivered him up to death for his love to me and such sinners as I am and so giving her childe to one she said Behold my child the Lord God who hath care of the birds of the aire is much more able to save this poore creature although by you it should be left to these wild mountains Then unlacing her gown she opened her breast saying Here is the body which you have power to kill but my soul on which you have no power to lay your hands that I commend to my God and so she was presently slain and hewed in pieces The infant being a lovely and sweet Child they spared and delivered it to a Popish Nurse to be brought up These miscreants finding such sweetnesse by the plunder of the Protestants they spared none plundering their houses twice or thrice over Some noble Matrons had their rings pul'd off their fingers and if they refused presently to draw them off they would cut off either their hands or fingers from them Some women with their children were dragged to the tops of high Mountains and threatned to be thrown down headlong with their children if they would not promise to go to Masse and though one amongst them was found that through terrour promised them to do it yet did they throw her down with the rest without all pity One Dominico Berto of sixteen years old they set upon an Asse with his face to the tayle and the tayle in his hands for the bridle and thus with many jears they led him to the Market-place then they cut off his nose ears and cheeks then burned many holes in several parts of his body with hot irons continuing these torments till in that barbarous manner they had killed him Yet through the wonderful goodnesse of God some Ministers with their wives and children by great travel dangers and difficulties amongst the craggy and high mountains were delivered out of the hands of these bloody persecutors Theophilus Messino was shot with a Musket but being not slain they set open his mouth with a gag filled it with gunpowder and giving fire to it tore his head miserably his son was slain with many wounds Another being wounded and stripped naked was carried out and thrown into the woods yet afterwards he gat up and went home to his own house where he had mountains of gold profered him if he would turn Papist yet through Gods mercy he continued faithful to the death A young Gentleman too much addicted to the vanities of the world being earnestly sollicited to forsake the Protestant Religion stoutly refused whereupon they shot him with a Musket and having layn a while and then raising himself up he besought them to dispatch him that he might render his soul to his Creator Divers men and women were thrown down from Bridges into the river Adda and drowned for their constancy in the truth Some had their mouthes sâ—iâ— up to their ears others had the flesh cut from their faces others were slashed in other parts of their body till they dyed and others were often put to the strappado and then hewen in pieces A noble Virgin that was come to Sondres for
to the Castle for more powder and more combustible matter which being at last kindled with a loud voice he cryed Lord Jesus receive my spirit how long shall darknesse overwhelme this Realme and how long wilt thou suffer the tyranny of these men The fire was slow and therefore put him to the greater torment but that which most grieved him was the clamour of some wicked men set on by the Friars who continually cryed Turn thou Heretick call upon our Lady say Salve Regina c. To whom he answered Depart from me and trouble me not thou messenger of Satan And speaking to one Campbel a Friar that was the Ringleader who still roared on him with great vehemency he said to him Wicked man thou knowest the contrary and hast confessed the contrary to me I appeale thee before the Tribunal seat of Jesus Christ after which words he resigned up his spirit unto God Anno Christi 1527. And within few dayes after the said Friar died in a phrensie and as one that despaired Anno 1534. The said Arch-bishop of Saint Andrews convented before him David Straton a Gentleman and Master Norman Gourlay The first of these having a Fisher-boat that went to sea the Bishop of Murray demanded tithe fish of him to whom he answered that if they would have tithe of that which his servants caught in the sea they should take it in the place where it was caught and so caused his servants to throw the tenth fish into the sea again All this while he had nothing in him for Religion But when hereupon he was summoned to answer for Herâ—sie it troubled him exceedingly and then he began to frequent the company of such as were godly and there appeared a wonderful change in him so that whereas before he despised the word of God now all his delight was in hearing of it read to him and he was a vehement exhorter of all men to peace and concord and contempt of the world He much frequented the company of the Laird of Dun Areskin whom God in those dayes had marvellously illuminated hearing the text read for he could not read himself He that denieth me before men or is ashamed of me in the midst of this wicked generation I will deny him before my Father and his holy Angels At those words being suddenly as one revived he fell upon his knees and stedfastly lifting up his eyes and hands to heaven at length he burst forth into these words O Lord I have been wicked and justly mayst thou withdraw thy grace from me but Lord for thy mercy sake let me never deny thee nor thy truth for fear of death or any corporal paine Being afterwards together with Master Norman brought to judgement in holy Rood-house the King himself being present much means was used to draw this David Straton to make a recantation but he persevered in his constancy still denying that he had offended and so they were both condemned to the fire and after dinner Anno 1534. they were both first hanged and afterwards burnt Not long after the burning of these two holy men There was one Deane Thomas Forret who used to preach every Lords day to his Parishoners out of the Epistles and Gospels as they fell in order This was counted a great novelty for none used to preach but the Friars and therefore they envying him accused him to the Bishop of Dunkelden for an Heretick and one that shewed the mysteries of Scripture to the vulgar people The Bishop instigated by the complaint of the Friars called the said Deane Thomas before him to whom he said My joy Deane Thomas I love you well and therefore I must give you counsel how to govern your self The Deane thanked him and then he proceeded My joy Deane Thomas I am informed that you preach the Epistle and Gospel every Sunday to your people and that you take not your dues from them which is very prejudicial to the Churchmen and therefore my joy Deane Thomas I would have you take your dues or else it s too much to preach every sunday for by so doing you make the people think that we should do so also It s enough for you when you find a good Epistle or Gospel to set forth and preach the liberty of holy Church and let the rest alone Thomas answered My Lord I presume none of my Parishoners complaine for my not taking my dues and whereas you say it s too much to preach every Sunday I think it is too little and wish that your Lordship would do the like Nay nay Deane Thomas said the Bishop let that be for we 〈◊〉 not ordained to preach Then said Thomas whereas you bid me preach when I meet with a good Epistle and Gospel I have read them all over and I know 〈◊〉 â—ad ones amongst them but when your Lordship shews me such I will passe by them Then said the Bishop I thank God I never knew what the Old and New Testament was and Deane Thomas I will know nothing but my Portuise and Pontifical Go your wayes and let all these fancies be for if you persevere herein you will repent you when t is too late I trust said Thomas my cause is good and just in the presence of God and therefore I care not what follows thereupon and so he went his way But shortly after he was summoned to appear before the Cardinal by whom he was condemned and burned for a chief Heretick and teacher of Heresies But notwithstanding all their bloody tyranny the knowledge of God did wonderfully encrease in that Kingdom partly by reading partly by brotherly conference which in those dangerous days was much used to the comfort of many which so enraged the Popish party that Anno 1538. there were burned in one fire foure persons of good quality The year after there were apprehended Jerome Russel a man of a meek and quiet naturâ— and Alexander Kennedy of about eighteen years old these two poor servants of Jesus Christ being brought before the Arch-bishop and his Associates to judgement Kennedy at first was faint and would faine have recanted but when all place of repentance was denied him the Spirit of God which seasonably comes in with comfort began to refresh him yea the inward comfort began to burst forth as well in his visage as in tongue and words for with a chearful countenance and joyful voice falling on his knees he said O eternal God how wonderful is that love and mercy that thou bearest unto mankind and to me a vile Caitiffe and miserable wretch above all others for even now when I would have denied thee and thy Sonne our Lord Jesus Christ my only Saviour and so have cast my self into everlasting damnation thou by thine own hand hast pulled me from the very bottome of Hell and made me to feele that heavenly comfort which takes from me that ungodly feare wherewith before
the times For when the Church had rest and ease he wrote strange things and cryed out of the abuses in Popery But in times of persecution he usually played the Hypocrite and laboured to draw others to do the same by which means he had a multitude of followers and amongst them the Lord of Valgrane and Maximilian de Saluces who set his name to Baronius to add luster to his writings against the Ministers reproaching them for that they would not give way to any dissimulation in their Disciples whereby they exposed them to great extremities This Lord had some learning and knowledge of the truth but to avoid the bearing of the Cross he thought it convenient to dissemble and condemned those who any way gain said the Papists Yet Monsieur Gelido Minister of Aceil opposed them both very learnedly in several letters that he wrote unto them So did Monsieur Truchi Minister of Dronier together with other Pastors of the Neighbouring places demonstrating both by Scripture Testimonies and by the Example of the Primitive Church that they had done nothing but what they ought to do and what every faithful Christian was bound to and consequently that the opinion of Baronius and his followers was pernicious to the Church in times of persecution The other instruments that Satan made use of to the prejudice of the Church were the Roman Clergy with their passionate Proselites who would faine have done to these godly Christians as their brethren in iniquity had done to their neighbours in the Dukedom of Savoy viz. Banish imprison kill and confiscate the goods of the Protestants But through Gods mercy they were hindred by the Kings Edicts confirming to those his Subjects of Saluces a peaceable habitation without being molested for their Conscience and religion or questioned for any thing they did in their private houses provided they abstained from the publick exercise of it by which means their Ministers had opportunitie of assembling in small Companies baptizing marrying comforting the sick and instructing every one in particular which provoked their adversaries to bend themselves chiefly against the Ministers thinking that if they could find out any meanes to extirpate them they should easily prevaile upon the common people having none to animate and instruct them Accordingly they published an Edict of Octob. 19. 1567. in the name of the Duke of Nevers Governour for the King on this side the mountains injoyning all of the religion there inhabiting or abiding that were not the Kings natural Subjects to depart together with their families within the space of three dayes and never to return thither to inhabit pass or otherwise to abide without a special safe conduct upon pain of life and confiscation of their goods Now the greatest part of the Ministers not being natural subjects to the King by this Edict were to quit the Marquisate oâ— to obtain a safe conduct or lastly to incur the penalty A safe conduct they could not obtain and yet they thought themselves bound in Conscience not to abandon their people wherefore continuing with their Congregations two of them were apprehended and imprisoned viz. Monsieur Francis Truchi and Monsieur Francis Soulf where they were detained four years four moneths and odd dayes the poor people being not able by any means to obtain their deliverance though they continually sollicited de Berague their Governour and others that had undertaken the management of these affairs yet the Lord was so pleased to restrain the power of their Enemies that they could not take away their lives yea by degrees they obtained for them a more spacious and convenient prison than that whereunto they were at first confined To procure their full deliverance the Churches of the Marquisate sent their supplications to the King by the aforesaid Minister Galatâ—e and another who set out July 27. 1571. and went as far as Rochel to implore the intercession of the Queen of Navar as also to intreat the assistance of divers others in several places and the great Patrons of the reformed religion disputed their case before the King and in the end obtained Letters under the Kings own hand for their enlargement Octob. 14. 1571. which was accordingly effected but it was four moneths after before it could be done When Sieur Galatee returned he was overjoyed as well for the prosperous successe of his negotiations as for the great hopes of a profound peace founded upon the smooth promises of his Majâ—sty and upon the alliance which he had made by the marriage of his sister to the King of Navar who professed the reformed religion But this joy lasted but from the moneth of May 1572. to the beginning of Septemb. at which time there arived the lamentable news of the massacre of many noble persons and multitudes of others who were most inhumanely murthered in divers places of France to the great astonishment of all the faithful in those parts About the same time there arived letters from the King to the Governour Birague by which he was required to have an eye that at the arival of the news of what happened at Paris they of the Religion should make no combustion remitting the rest of his pleasure to those instructions which he had sent him by the bearer the contents whereof were that he should put to death all the chief of the Protestants within his jurisdiction whose names he should find in the Roll that should be presented to him Birague having received this command together with the Roll aforementioned was much troubled and immediately called his Council together whom he acquainted with the Kings Orders whereupon some were of opinion that they should be immediately executed But others seeing the King in his late Patents not many moneths before had enlarged the Ministers that were imprisoned and had ordered that those of the reformed Religion should not be any wayes molested for their Conscience sake as also upon consideration that nothing had occurred since that time worthy such a change they therefore thought it sufficient to secure the persons of such as were enrolled and to defer execution for a while and in the mean time to inform the King that they were persons of Honour faithful to his Majesty living peaceably with their neighbours and inoffensive in their lives adding that in case his Majesty was resolved that they should be put to death there was yet time enough to execute his pleasure therein This advice Birague approved of and accordingly apprehended some but others escaped and concealed themselves and in the mean time he dispatched a Messenger to the King to inform him as abovesaid and to know his further pleasure This Messenger met another at Lions where the King had sent to Birague to advertise him that in case his former Order was not already executed he should desist from it and only have a special care that those of the Religion should make no insurrection nor have any publick exercises But they
submitting to his good will and pleasure for the issue of their undertaking The Captaine of this valiant party was the aforesaid Gianavel who marching up with this little Band suddenly surprized and dexterously carried away their Court of Guard with their Centinel from off a little hill where they were placed At which bold attempt the enemy being not a little amazed withdrew from the place where they were resolving to march thorow a little meadow and so to get to Villaro or La Torre But being not nimble enough the others met with them at Piampra and there slew many of them without the losse of any one of their own and took from them all the Cattel and other things which they had plundered from the neighbouring places Pianessa seeing all his designes thus frustrated and that his specious promises were but as so many watchwords to bid these poor people to stand upon their guard he speedily sent to all those of Lucerna Bubbiana Barges Bagnol Famolas Cavors and the adjacent places who wete able to bear arms to come and joyn with a good part of his own Army to environ these poor people on every side But God who infatuates mens Counsels as he pleaseth though the time of their Rendezvouse was punctually assigned them yet they came two hours too late all except the Troop of Bagnol which was conducted by one Mario a notorious persecutor and an inveterate Enemy to the Reformed Churches This Mario with his ragged Regiment of Theives Outlaws and a great number of Irish Rebels assaulted this poor people on the upper and lower part of the Canton of Rumer who were not about Seventeen in number yet the Lord was pleased so to encourage them that they presently gat upon the top of the mountain and there after a long skirmish forced their enemies though full of fury and malice yet to give back and to flie as far as the Cliff called Pairo Capello in which fight and pursuit they killed above Sixty of them and wounded many more and many of them being laden with plunder as they fled amongst the Precipices of the Rocks fell down and were dashed in pieces Those of them that were lighter and nimbler gat safe to Pairo Capello but when they came there they found greater difficulties to contest with than before for being closly pursued and compassed in on every side they were forced to take the Ropes wherewith they had bund up their plunder and tying them to shrubs to slide down the Rocks by them and to fall into the River that ran below but by reason of the violence of the torrent and the great confusion that was amonst them one falling on the neck of another and such as could not swim catching hold of them that could the greatest part of them were there drowned Captain Mario also amongst the rest threw himself into the River and had not several of the Souldiers that could swim excellent well ventured their lives to fetch him out he had gone with the rest to receive present pay from the Devil This Captain Mario having thus escaped was carried to Lucerna in his shirt without either Hat or Shoos as a man at his wits end and shortly after he fell into a desperate disease whereof he died But before his death he oft cried out in a most despairing manner that he felt a grievous burning in his bowels as a just Judgement upon him for having burnt so many innocent persons and their habitations The Protestants after this gallant action being somewhat weary with their hard service as they were marching back to refresh themselves they spied another company of Murtherers coming from Villaro whereupon forgetting their weariness they placed themselves in Ambuscado when the Enemy drew near the place they perceived some of them but not being able by their colours to discern of what party they were they called to them for THE WORD the Protestants answered not but beckned to them to come nearer which they did in a careless posture supposing them to be friends and when they came near the others suddenly discharged upon them and slew many of them upon the place and the rest they pursued near to La Torre and Villaro After which signal Victory Captain Gianavel rallied his men upon an high ground not far off and in the very sight of his enemies he caused them to kneel down and with a loud voyce to give thanks unto the Lord for this very great mercy in their deliverance Three days after the Marquess of Pianessa being highly incensed by this success of the Protestants sent to the people of Roras expresly charging them to change their Religion within the space of Twenty four hours and that upon pain of death and of having their houses burnt to the ground To which they answered That they would much rather chuse death than to obey any such Order The Marquess vexed at their resolute answer presently dispatched away Eight thousand men besides the Militia Forces of the neighboring Commonalties who according to his order were divided into three Squadrons the one to set upon the poor people on the side of Villaro the other upon the Mountains of Bagnol and the third on that part which looks toward Lucerna which accordingly they did not only murthering man woman and childe but exercising all manner of cruelties upon them taking much pleasure like bloody villains in torturing those poor creatures and in tossing their little Infants from off their Pikes and Halberts and dashing their brains against the Rocks whose cryes would have melted an heart of Adamant but theirs were harder the number thus taken and slain was about One hundred twenty six the rest almost miraculously escaped their bloody hands Having thus shewn their valour upon naked men women and infants and being glutted with the prey that they found in the Country they turned their houses into ashes and such as survived they sent prisoners to Turin amongst whom was the Wife and Children of Captain Gianavel and so they marched back to Lucerna with great joy and acclamations Shortly after Pianessa wrote to Captain Gianavel promising him great preferment if he would change his Religion Otherwise threatning that his Wife and Children should be burnt He also promised a great sum of money to any that should bring him the said Gianavel either alive or dead To this Captain Gianavel presently answered That there was no torment so violent nor death so cruel that he did not much prefer before the abjuration of his Religion and that all these promises and threats did but the more fortifie him and strengthen his Faith And for his Wife and Children he told the Marquess that though he had gotten them into his power yet he could but kill their Bodies And as for their Souls he recommended them together with his own into the hands of God in case it so happened that he should fall into his power This Captain Gianavel having gotten together a small party of men
with moderation he had been hardly to have been paralleld The death of so brave a Commander and the wound of Captaine Gianavel in that juncture of time did not a little startle the Protestants But necessity often puts inconsiderable men upon bold enterprizes for these poor men did not despond nor lose their courage but assembling shortly after in a Mountaine of Angrognia they descended into the plaine where twice they were assaulted with violence the last of which was by a dangeros Ambuscado where the enemies were at least six thousand and they not above one hundred But God of his infinite goodnesse so encouraged their hearts and guided their hands that they slew very many of their enemies and amongst them many principal Officers whereas the Reformed party lost onely one Michael Bertino a Serjeant of Angrognia and had but one common souldier wounded The sonne of the said Bertino seeing his father fall dead at his feet was so farre from being discouraged that he immediately stepped into his fathers place with these words Though my father be dead yet be of good courage my fellow souldiers for God is a father to us all Munday following they had a very sharp dispute at La Torre and about Tagliaretto where they killed and wounded a great number of their enemies without the losse of any of their own men Indeed in this time the enemies reaped their Corne in the plaines of Saint Giovanni but they could not carry it away but with the losse of many of their lives About the same time there came to them one Monsieur Andrion a Major of a Regiment of Horse with two other Gentlemen that were strangers who were followed with some Volunteers whose friendly visit of their poor afflicted Brethren and their good advice in such a juncture of time was taken as it deserved very kindly and God made it a singular means to uphold the fainting spirits of some weak Brethren who seeing others come in to the help of the Lord against the Mighty went on with a great deale more chearfulnesse and alacrity and these staid with them till the peace was concluded at Pignerâ—l July the eleventh 1655. Sieur John Leger Pastor of the Church at Saint Giovanni who deserves to be remembred for the great paines and many services performed by him in the behalf of the Churches of the Valleys having notice that the enemies were of opinion that he was come back from his journey with Armes and Money and Ammunition and thereupon presuming that they would suddenly make some notable attempt to prevent what they so much feared he went to Colonel Andrion and pressed him to put his designe in execution The poor people had as yet no standing Army but the Bands of each Commonalty were quartered at a great distance the one from the other and certainly they had been cut off every man of them within a few dayes had not their Centinels been very watchful and above all if Captaine Charforan had not on the one side timely discovered the enemy an the poor people on the other side been exceedingly heartned to the Battel by the great valour and singular conduct of the Sieurs Andrion Michelin and Leger The Enemy was very numerous having been lately reinforced with many Troops They encamped themselves within half a League of the Reformed party and early in the morning they divided themselves into four Brigades three whereof fell upon the Protestants with a marvelous Resolution in three several places at once the fourth stood still ready to succour their friends if there were need The fight continued at least four hours without intermission and was the sharpest that ever was fought in the open field and that which made the enemies more fierce was their hopes to have beaten back the Protestants from their Post called the Castelas which if they could have effected they had been certainly Masters of the Valleys Perosa Saint Martino and Lucerna But the poor people having lifted up their hearts by earnest supplications to the Lord of Hosts as they used to do upon all such occasions Major Andrion and the two other Captaines which he had brought with him gave forth such orders as were necessary encouraging their men exceedingly so that without budging a foot they kept their ground all save a few who were either quite tired or faint for want of food or that wanted powder or flints in their fire-locks But these the Sieurs Mechelin and Leger imployed in rolling down great stones upon their enemies heads as they came to attacque them which proved very successeful doing much execution upon the enemy and causing them to abate much of their fury and whereas in the beginning of the fight they cryed alwayes Advance Advance ye relicts of Jahier the Protestants now began to cry as fast Advance Advance ye relicts of Saint Secondo and withal they ran upon those murtherers as so many Lions and caused them to turn back and flie towards La Torre and Lucerna as fast as they were able leaving behinde them fifty five upon the place and about fourty that were killed in the flight besides many others who were carried either dead or dangerously wounded to Lucerna Themselves confessed that in this encounter they lost at least three hundred men amongst which were many Officers of a Bavarian Regiment When such multitudes of dead wounded and dying men were brought into Lucerna the Syndick who was indeed a Papist but not so superstitious as many others said to some Hitherto the Wolves devoured the Barbets But now the Barbets devour the Wolves which words being reported to Monsieur Marolles the Commander in chief in Lucerna he threatened to imprison him and to give him the Strappado for them which so terrified the poor man that he presently sickened and within a few dayes died Two dayes after this great fight the enemy being much enraged for their great losse spread themselves all over Angrognia and began to set the Corne on fire which being seene by the Company of La Torre who at that time were upon the Mountaine of Tagliaretto they speedily gave notice to those of Saint Giovanni and Angrognia who hasted thither and charged them so fiercely that they forced them to flie and to leave most of their Ammunition behinde them and in the meane time Captaine Belin assaulted the Towne of La Torre killed the Centinel and souldiers upon the works and gave the Towne such an hot Alarum that most of them fled towards the River of Pellice and probably if he had had a few more men with him he had at that time made himself Master of La Torre July the eighteenth the General of the Protestants gave Order to fall upon the Towne of La Torre which accordingly was put in execution Captaine Belin gave the first onset who being followed with many other Officers and Souldiers they quickly made a considerable breach in the Garden-wall next to the Convent which so encouraged the rest that they
fell on with an invincible resolution and in a short space burnt both the Convent and most of the Towne down to the ground Those in the Fort finding themselves hardly beset began to Parley about surrendring of it upon honorable termes But some horse coming seasonably to their relief from Lucerna which the Protestants might have prevented if they had been so careful as they should have been they were frustrated of attaining their desires Besides these there were divers other battel 's fought in divers places where the Reformed party had considerable advantages against their enemies but for brevity sake they are here omitted CHAP. XLVI A brief account of the Intercessors to the Duke of Savoy in the behalf of these poor people and the successe therof UPon the first supplication of that terrible Order of Gastaldo which was a forerunner of the Massacre the Protestant Cantons of Switzerland being their near neighbours and therefore could soonest take notice of it wrote their Letters to the Duke of Savoy in the poor peoples behalf To which the Duke of Savoy shortly after gave a complemental but cold answer which was little better than a plaine denial of their request and mediation April the 29. being the Lords day newes of the horrible Massacre was brought to the Council of Zurick who immediately gave Order for a Publick day of Humiliation through all their Territories as also for making a Collection for their relief resolving to give notice of this doleful newes to their Protestant friends and amongst others they wrote to the States General of the united Provinces acquainting them with the sad condition of this poor people intreating them to consider of some expedient for the accommodating their affairs May the fifth they sent Monsieur Gabriel Weis Captaine General of Berne as their Deputy to the Duke of Savoy who in very respectful termes requested him to re-establish those who had survived the Massacre in their ancient priviledges the free exercise of their Religion and for the enlargement of their Prisoners delivering him a letter to the same purpose The answer which the Duke or rather his Mother gave was that though they were not obliged to give an account of their actions to any Prince in the world yet out of respect to the amity which they had compacted with his Masters the Cantons they had given order to the Marquesse of Pianessa to acquaint them with the truth of those affairs and shortly after when Major Weis spake with the Marquesse he laboured to justifie all his proceedings and to lay the load upon the backs of the poor people protesting that he never intended to force their Consciences and that all the reports about such strange cruelties exercised towards them were meer forgeries c. Major Weis replyed that the Massacre was so notorious that it could not be denied and that their right of habitation in those places was founded upon Justice being granted to them by the Dukes Predecessors and purchased by them of the present Duke for six thousand Ducatoons The Marquesse answered that all those Grants were upon condition that the Romish Religion should be freely exercised amongst them which yet they would never suffer Master Weis still pressing their sad condition and the necessity of finding an expedient for accommodation c. the Marquesse desired him to apply himself to the poor people and to cause them to desist from Hostility which would be the way to obtaine favour from the Duke and no marvel though he moved this For about this time through Gods mighty assistance these poor people began so to prevaile that their enemies began to fear what the successe might be and therefore the Marquess laboured to get the sword out of their hands by such a stratagem as this Major Weis went to Perosa propounding these things to the poor people who returned humble thanks to the Cantons for what they had already done in their behalf and said that if the six Evangelical Cantons would engage that the Treaty should be carried on upon honest and honorable termes they were ready to hearken to it Otherwise they were resolved never to trust those who had so oft deceived them and whose principle was that Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks With this answer Master Weis returned and sued for the enlargement of the Prisoners or that at least he might be suffered to speak with them but neither the one nor other would be granted whereupon he returned to his Masters and upon his report to them being discouraged from any farther proceedings they resolved to expect what would be done by other Princes and States May 1655. Letters were brought to Oliver Lord Protector of Enland of this doleful newes whereupon he invited all the people of England to seek the Lord by Humiliation and Prayer and withal moved them to a liberal Contribution for the succour of these poor souls He sent also Master Samuel Morland as his Envoy to the King of France and Duke of Savoy to meditate on their behalf He wrote also to the King of Denmark to the States of the United Provinces and to the Evangelical Cantons of the Switzers requesting all their Mediations in the behalf of these poor people May the twenty sixth 1655 Master Morland set out on his journy and June the first he came to the King of France at La Fere to whom he delivered the Lord Protectors Letters wherein he solicited his Majesty to improve his power and interest with the Duke that the cruel Order of Gastaldo might be recalled and the poor people restored to their ancient liberties and habitations The King of France three dayes after returned an answer to the Lord Protectors Letter and Master Morland proceeded in his journey to the Court of Savoy and arrived at Rivole where the Court was June the 21. and demanded audience as the Lord Protectors Envoy which accordingly was granted and at his appearing he made a speech in the behalf of the poor people and delivered the Lord Protectors Letter Madam Royal the Dukes Mother answered That she could not but extremely applaud the singular charity of his Highnesse the Lord Protector towards their Subjects whose condition had been presented to him so exceeding sad and lâ—mentable as she perceived by Master Morlâ—nds discourse it was yet withal she could not but extremely admire that malice should proceed so far as to clothe their fatherlike chastisements of their rebellious Subjects with so black a character thereby to render them odious to all their neighbouring Princes and States with whom they desired to keep a good understanding especially with so great and powerful a Prince as the Lord Protector Adding that she doubted not but when the truth of all passages should be made known to him he would rest satisfied with the Dukes proceedings Yet for his Highnesse sake they would pardon their rebellious Subjects and grant them such priviledges and graces as should shew to the Lord Protector how great a
Villa Secca comprehends three little Communalties viz. Maneglia Machel and Salsa All are in a mountainous place but exceeding fruitful in Corne Pasture c. except only in the highest parts thereof The Church of Prali is situated in the uppermost part of the Valley of Saint Martino and contains two Communalties viz. Prali and Rodoret bounded on the South with the Alps and the Valley of Lucerna On the West by the Valley Queyras in Dauphine and on the North by the Valley of Pragela Here is nothing but Hay and Grasse Generally in all these Churches except on the tops of the mountains there are plenty of Fruits especially of Chestnuts and in some places there are vast spaces of Ground yielding almost nothing else as in the little Hills of Bubiana and all along the Valley of Lucerna and in the South parts of the Valley of Perosa So that the Inhabitants in those places dry and clense great quantities of them part whereof they keep for their own use and the rest they sell or exchange for Corne and that quantity for quantity with the Inhabitants of the Plaine it being a great part of their food in Piemont They also dry these Nuts in an Oven or on a Kilne and make thereof an excellent sort of Bisquet which they first string as they do their Beades and so hang them up in a moist place the better to preserve them These they frequently make use of instead of Maqueroons and such sweetmeats Of the late Persecution of the Church of Christ in Poland Anno Christi 1656. THe All-wise and holy God whose wayes of Providence are alwayes righteous though often secret and unsearchable hath made it the constant lot and portion of his people in this world to follow his Sonne in bearing his Crosse and suffering persecutions For they that are borne after the flesh do alwayes persecute them that are borne after the spirit But scarcely have any sort of the Churches enemies more clearly followed the pernicious way of Caine herein than hath that Antichristian faction of Rome that Mother of Harlots and Abominations whose garments are died red with the blood of Saints which they have alwayes cruelly shed and made themselves drunk with And amongst those chosen and faithful witnesses the Lord seemeth very signally to have raised up those Christians who though dispersed in divers Countreys have been commonly known by the name of Waldenses who for some Centuries of years have lived amongst their enemies as Lambs amongst Wolves to bear their testimonies to the Truths of Christ against the Apostasies and Blasphemies of Rome for which they have been killed all the day long and accounted as sheep for the slaughter One part of this little flock and remnant which the Lord hath left reserved are scattered partly in the Valleys of Piemont of whose Tragical sufferings you have had a faithful account in the precedent Chapter the other part of this poor but precious remnant have been dispersed in the Kingdomes of Bohemia and Poland whose sufferings together with the Lords signal Providences about them are now to be spoken of as they have been related to the Lord Protector O.C. and the State here by two godly persons delegated by those persecuted Churches which are now the sad Monuments of their enemies rage and of the Lords sparing mercy These sometime flourishing Churches were by degrees worne out by the constant underminings and open outrages of the Antichristian party being first driven out of Bohemia into Poland and then after their taking root and spreading in Poland into a numerous company they were forced out of their chiefest Cities there and at last by the Jesuited and enraged Popish Army were persecuted in their few hiding places with fire and sword Their Ministers were tortured to death by most exquisite and unheard of Barbarisme by cutting out of the tongues of some pulling out the eyes and cruelly mangling the bodies of others Yet did not their rage and brutish cruelty reach only to the Ministers but to private persons also yea even to women and to young children whose heads they cut off and laid them at their dead mothers breasts Nay their rage brake out not only against the living not one of whom they spared that fell into their hands but also against the dead plucking the bodies of Honorable persons and others out of their graves tearing them to pieces and exposing them to publick scorne But the chiefest eye-sore and object of their fury was the City of Lesna which after plundering and murthering of all whom they found therein they burned to ashes and laid it in the rubbish Only the Lord in mercy having alarm'd the City by the report of their enemies approach the greatest part of the Inhabitants being three famous Churches saved themselves by flight and are now wandring up and down in Silesia the Marquisate of Brandenburg Lusatia and Hungary poor destitute afflicted and naked the relation whereof you have in this ensuing Narrative written in Latin by some of themselves and called Lesnae Excidium The History of the destruction of Lesna faithfully related LEsna a City of great Poland almost thirty years ago began to be famous both far and near but now being suddenly and utterly razed hath nothing left beside the name and fame thereof For the fuller discovery of this businesse from the beginning we must briefly relate the Original and progresse of this town When above seven hundred years ago Mieczislaus then Duke of Poland took to wife the daughter of Boleslaus Duke of Bohemia and together with her received the Christian Faith it happened that among those of the Bohemian Nobility that accompanied him there was one Peter de Bernstein whom because he was a person endowed with many vertues Mieczislaus was willing to detain him in Poland and to that end bestowed upon him rich possessions the chief whereof was a Village called Lezsyna i. e. a grove of hasle-trees upon the very confines of the lower Silesia being situate twelve miles from Wratislavia five from Glogaw and ten from Posnania From this place therefore of his residence Peter de Bernstein taking the rise of his denomination according to the custome of the Nation he and all his posterity were called Lezscynii and were afterwards admitted to all sorts of Dignities in the Realm so that of this family there were never wanting some or other that were Captains Governours of Castles Palatines Marshals Chancellours Bishops or Archbishops even to this day and besides this for their noble management of affairs in several Embassyes to the Roman Emperour they were adorned with the title of Earles of the Empire which they still enjoy But Leszcyna it self begun by little and little to change its name and by contraction was called Lessna and their neighbour Germans called it Lissa This Village something above one hundred of years ago had the dignity and title of a market town granted to it by the famous King Sigismund and tradesmen were invited
hither out of the neighbouring Silesia and so the use of the German tongue was brought in together with them As for Religion it was reformed in Lesna about the same time by the most illustrious Count Andrew Palatine of Bernstien according to the rites of the Bohemian Confession which it hath retained to this day and became as it were the Metropolis of the Churches of that Confession throughout all the greater Poland And when after the year 1620. a very sharp persecution was raised against the Professors of the Gospel in Bohemia and not long after the Ministers and Nobility were banished they were fain to seek refuge in Poland whom that most pious Noble man the Lord Raphael de Lesna Palatine of Belse received under his protection appointing Lesna Wlodava Baranovia for their places of refuge But for as much as the greater part did seat themselves at Lesna because of the neernesse thereof and not long after a far greater company flocked thither out of Silesia for there also the butchery of souls grew wonderful fierce in the years 1628. and 1629. it came to passe that Lesna by the addition of many streets grew into a large City having three market places four Churches a large School above twenty streets one thousand six hundred houses two thousand freemen of the City and abundance of other company There was built also a very fair Church for the service of God according to the rites of the Augustane Confession which had over it three Pastors learned men and a School for the mother tongue with some Schoolmasters beside the Free-schoole which had a learned man of the forementioned Confession appointed over it by the title of Prorector The Citizens also having ordered themselves according to the best policy they could there were found out handsome wayes for a publick revenue that made no noise and were little felt and without any mans dammage or burden so that they were able for some years to maintaine workmen for the compassing of the City about with a Bulwark and Trench and for the building of gates with walls and faire turrets And lastly there was built a very fair Court-house in the middle of the market-place of the old City there was scarce the like in all great Poland except at Posnania In a word Civility trading merchandize for all things were here bought and sold and Religion did so flourish here that this City did not come behinde any City in Poland for its admirable pleasantnesse All this was matter of joy not only to those pious Christians that were scattered out of several places for the Gospels sake and here gathered together under the protection of God but to others also that came hither from all parts as strangers but it galled the enemies of the Gospel extremely so that it made them leave no designe unassayed for the overthrow of this City of refuge for the godly At the first Annis 1628 1629. they made use of several accusations and slanders to King Sigismund the third suggesting to him that it was a confluence of all sorts of men that were enemies and traytors to his Majesty that it was good to nip them in the bud c. But through the prudence of that great Senator the Lord of the place whose wisdome went beyond their envy and who knew well enough how to counter-work all malicious projects of that kinde all those their battering-rams were at that time used in vain But Anno 1653. after that the Swedes were broken by the Emperours army in Germany and were driven out of Silesia new plots were hatched at Glogaw to send out one or two of the Emperours regiments who should suddenly invade Lesna sack the town and put the inhabitants to the sword or at least scatter them But it pleased God so to order it that this plot was discovered by some of themselves two days before the appointed time and so vanished into smoak though the smoak of their devices did not yet cease to rise For after the death of the most illustrious Prince Palatine of Belse when his estate was divided amongst his sons and heirs and the County of Lesna fell to the illustrious Lord Boguslaus his third son then newly returned from travelling the Plotters were not wanting so to lie in wait to insnare this candidate of great wisdome and vertue that after they had wearied him for some years with the promises of honours unto which there was no door of entrance but by entertaining the Roman-Catholick Religion at last they enticed him to professe Popery But however they heaped many honours upon him procuring him some Captainships afterwards the Generalship of great Poland and lastly the Arch-treasurership of the Realme yet could they not procure his hatred of the Professors of the Gospel and the dissipation of his subjects which was the thing they hoped for but he still preserved intire to his Lesna those priviledges both Civil and Religious which his father of blessed memory had promised offered or confirmed to them They attempted therefore this other device The Bishop of Posnania ventured to redemand the old Parish-Church because it was of ancient foundation and pretended that it might not any longer be left to the use of Hereticks The Lord Treasurer answered that his Grandfather Andrew Palatine of Brenstien had built another Church for the Catholicks whose number was very small in the town scarce ever above three or four Citizens to exercise their Religion in and endowed it with revenues to that purpose that the greater number of Citizens might enjoy the greater Church But all was in vain though he doubled the maintenance of the Roman Parish-priest for Anno 1652. they brought the Lord Count before the tribunal of the Realme where the cause must needs go against him the very same persons being accusers witnesses and Judges yet he obtained that this Church should not suddenly be taken away from his Subjects the inhabitants of old Lesna until they had built themselves a new one This building they presently set about with the help of forrein Churches according as they were in a capacity to help things being every where in confusion But when the adversaries saw that it went on apace and that this was like to be bigger than the other for so great now was the multitude of Citizens of this Confession that the old Church was not able to contain them they began again to mutter and threaten that this might not be endured that the Hereticks should have a bigger Church than the Catholicks that they did but build this also for the Catholicks c. At length the irruption of the Swedes into Poland Anno 1655. gave them the long wished for occasion of oppressing and rooting out not only the Lesnians but also all the Professors of the Gospel or as they were wont to be called the Dissenters from the Roman Religion throughout Poland For although the Papists themselves had transacted with the Swedes at their coming out of
interpreted it and divers others can bear witness to the truth hereof and the Lord of the place laid it up among his rarities What now should Sion do but cry out under the cruel oppression of the Enemy Render unto them a recompence O Lord according to the works of their hands Lament 3.64 And indeed God began to revenge his peoples wrongs the fourth day after when they furiously assaulted Costena a Town four miles from Lesna where they were often repulsed stoutly by the Swedish Garrison and having suffered a great slaughter about five hundred of them being wanting they were forced to retire in great confusion The like also they met withall at Kalissia and other places being slain and put to flight by the Swedes Herein it hapned unto them much after the same manner as it did to Tilly formerly when he had ruined Magdeburg the God of vengeance manifesting himself the avenger of his people And now they begin to acknowledge and upbraid one another with their folly the Nobles in that they have spoiled their mart and treasury and the Clergy in that it is hapned otherwise than they intended For their purpose was utterly to ruine the Hereticks as they term them with their nest but now that they see the nest spoiled and the birds saved it is much more matter of grief and vexation than of joy to them For here God performed what he promised of old to Baruch I will give thee in the midst of thy Countryes ruines thy life for a prey Jer. 45.5 So God gave to thousands of his worshippers who were snatched out of the midst of those ruines their life for a prey having set bounds to the fury of the Devil which he could not pass as he did of old when he gave Job into his hands as to all that he had but so that he should spare his life Blessed be the name of the Lord. Truly we have cause to say with David Psalm 124. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us then the waters had overwhelmed us the stream had gone over our soul then the proud waters had gone over our soul Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us a prey to their teeth Our soul is escaped as a Bird out of the snare of the Fowlers the snare is broken and we are escaped our help is in the Name of the Lord who made Heaven and Earth Oh the wonderfull providence of our God! which then saves when he seems to have forsaken and then makes alive where he seems to have killed We had been undone if we had not been undone We had been undone in our lives those furies gathering together soon after in far greater troops if we had not been undone in our estates which were left to them for a prey by our flight which the fatherly providence of God fore-seeing greater evils procured by sending that fright among us Blessed be the Name of the Lord again and again We notwithstanding with other afflicted ones in what Nation soever whom that proudest Babylonian flood of waters seeks to swallow up will not cease to cry How long O Lord wilt thou be angry with thy people How long shall thy jealousie burn like fire O remember not against us former iniquities let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us c. Psalm 79. And with the souls of those that were slain for the word of God that lie under the Altar of Christs merits for whose faith we are killed How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth Rev. 6.9 10. The Delegates of these poor persecuted Protestant Churches coming over into England to move for a Contribution towards the relief of their distressed Brethren Published this ensuing Narrative The utmost Fury of Antichrist against the Protestants or Reformed Church of the Bohemian Confession in Poland set down in a brief but faithful Narrative and according to the truth of the matter THe Spouse of Jesus Christ she who in the Cradle was besprinkled with the blood of a Protomartyr hath alwayes brought forth into the world men like Abel or Stephen that so there might never be wanting to cry from the earth unto God and that the wounds of that Rose which lies among the Thorns of Persecution might not be concealed Every age and every year in each age and every moneth and day in each year hath produced new inundations of blood unto this day and yet the little flock of the Lord hath alwayes encreased under persecutions one while here another there shifting their seats and habitations While it pleased God by the means of Wicklef to kindle the light of the Gospel in Great Britain John Huss asserted the truth of Jesus Christ in the midst of thick darknesse of Popery in Bohemia many thousands being stirred up by God to receive it who despising all the cruelty of Tyrants received it with joy untill by Gods assistance they took rooting in the Kingdom and grew up into flourishing Churches In a short time after Antichrist breathing out his fury the Truth was banished out of Bohemia and the Confessors being driven out transplanted the Gospel into Poland where being favourably entertained by King Sigismond they in a short time encreased to so great a number that being little inferiour to the Papists they were able to boast of an equal authority and priviledges with them Hence it came to passe that the Kings at their Coronations were wont not only to promise but solemnly to swear protection to such as disagreed from the Roman Religion and therefore they proceeded not to open persecutions save only in those Cities where the Jesuits had seated themselves in power to wit Cracovia Posen Lublin Vilna c. where by their disciples and by stirring up the common people to fury the Churches of the Reformed Professors were a good while ago demolished and divers Ministers cruelly massacred Neverthelesse the malice of the Enemies being no whit allayed they were many ways afflicted first indirectly afterwards by pretences under colour of Law until those Churches being worn out by degrees and overthrown were not many years ago reduced to a very inconsiderable number especially when as in the Reign of the late King the Enemies being confident they might do any thing brought things to this passe at length that there were no more than twenty one Congregations remaining in the Greater Poland and those also ready to perish But among these twenty one remaining Churches the chief and as it were the Mother of them all was that of Lesna which was divided into three Congregations the Bohemian the Polonian and the German each of which had their own Pastors but the Communicants joyntly were about two thousand Therefore it was that this Church was in the first place exposed to the Enemies malice and of late designed
all that know him that he is earnestly bent to take away the differences and advance the reconcilement of Protestants within themselves and that he makes no difference between Lutherans as they are called and Calvinists but makes use of both alike according to their abilities as he findes them fitted for employment to forreign affairs for within the Kingdom of Sweden no forreigners and none but Lutherans are to be admitted to the civil charges of trust others are employed in military charges both there and elsewhere according to their deserts But presently after the Elector of Brandenburg was by subtile artifices withdrawn from the King of Sweden and joyned with the Emperour and the King of Poland against him the King of Denmark was prevailed with to break his late-made League and the States of the United Provinces have joyned with the Dane against him and God having taken away his great friend Oliver Lord Protector he hath conflicted with many and great difficulties and yet hitherto God hath upholden him from sinking under them What the issue will be time must discover FINIS A Table of all the principal Things contained in this General MARTYROLOGIE A ANabaptists wickedness Pag. 281 Anger implacable 355 Apostacy dangerous 43 50 53 82 171 183 202 205 210 264 324 349 Apostates wickedness 6 15 177 B BIbles sacred Scriptures burnt 7 62 204 210 283 332 333 334 388 Bibles in French first printed 118 Blasphemy 16 44 72 84 86 172 186 189 190 209 290 295 310 334 336 337 338 339 348 384 388 C CHarity of Christians 70 92 96 103 285 286 293 303 320 323 367 369 Chastity eminent 52 Children martyred 44 48 51 72 73 91 99 110 346 391 Children encouraged by their parents to sufferings 23 24 75 88 95 98 315 Christ preferred above all 132 269 283 350 359 Christians slandred as the Authors and causes of mischief 31 34 37 41 46 56 63 80 87 98 105 112 115 136 174 177 179 325 Christians murthered in Churches 65 93 329 360 Christians reproached 82 241 Comfort at death 177 193 196 266 270 279 282 289 320 Conscience evil 92 Constancy of Gods children 18 39 42 44 53 63 73 76 78 81 92 94 95 117 132 147 171 188 204 209 254 264 266 269 270 272 277 288 301 304 305 341 361 364 415 Conversions strange 47 48 58 179 268 279 286 287 289.299.303 329 364 Courage and Constancy of Gods children 7 9 18 20 21 22 23 51 52 57 63 66 67 71 73 77 83 85 86 98 99 103 118 142 189 191 192 256 259 269 288 290 291 292 293 295 299 302 317 319 321 323 326 360 362 370 389 400 406 429 Cruelty of heathens to Gods people 7 9 31 52 65 69 71 76 77 83 84. Cruelty of Heriticks to them 87 89 91 93 94 95 96 97. Cruelty of Papists to them 103 105 108 110 111 113 115 125 126 134 135 137 143 146 153 171 173 183 184 188 201 203 206 207 208 209 240 241 242 272 279 282 286 288 292 297 298 305 308 309 c. 323 325 328 330 332 c. 344 361 380 c. 414 c. 421 c. 451. D Devils subtilty 59 Dissimulation 199 252 341 342 343 345 402 416. E Edicts good 145 Edicts and Lawes cruel 49 62 70 97 106 137 155 160 164 173 175 179 198 199 319 335 362 397 405 413. Envie 94 Examples prevalent 98 F Faith of Gods children 77.78 190 193 266 304 331 336 338 361 False witnesses 282 Famines terrible 69 157 159 298 352 355 356. Fasting and Prayer 122 Fidelity 193 Flattery 73 249 Flight in time of persecution 51 Flight refused 287 300 317 H Hereticks profane 90 100 Hereticks proud 97 Heretickes subtile 96 97 Hereticks impudent 98 Heroical acts 274 292 Humane frailty 41 51 63 66 120 134 249 267 273 296 319 327 366 Humility 275 Husbands malice against his wife 40 Hypocrisie 68 70 248 316 350 I Idolatry gross 276 Idolatry reformed 282 Jewes murthered refusing to fight on the sabbath 8 Ignorance 256 285 365 Jmage of Apollo broken with lightning 85 Ingratitude 36 184 281 348 Inquisition begun 118 236. Joy unspeakable 44 193 â—67 Joy in tribulation 128 190 209 270 294 296 302 336 366. Judgments of God 16.116 154 157. L Life refused 266 Love of Christians 54.115 M Meekness of Christians 287 Ministers Mâ—rtyred 53.56 80 88 172 187 280 284 285 286 290 293 298 310 311 329 336 340 346 350 351 352 Ministers sheltred in times of Persecution 198 Miracles Miracles of mercy 13 23 32 41 49 51 63 83 87 121 279 282 285 288 320 322 324 337 343.395 N Nobility true 72 O Ordination of Ministers 174 P Patience of Gods children in sufferings 19 40 50 66 191 203 271 274 292 296 323 338 349 373 Perfidiousness 15.243 See Popish perfidiousness Persecution spreads the Gospel 104 156 164 174 178 328. Persecutors plagued by God 13 26 28 48 53 54 59 67 69 70 84 89 100 112 116 125 138 139 168 175 176 177 210 211 257 277 283 284 297 305 321 326 328 330 354 355 364 389 392 393 394 433 Persecutors converted 27.64.322 Plagues terrible 54.69.158 Popish malice 103.104.106.115.119 120.173.175.178.179.208.235.251 279.284.289.300.320.326.329 367.399 Popish Prrfidiousnesse 122.124.125 131.145.149.150.151.159.183 201.233.264.290.298.299.316 335.338.339.340.362.378.380 390.393 Popish subtilty 113.114.122.124 128.140.147.151.170.172.174 180. c. 199.203.206.207.233 237.239.290.296.306.331.351 364.405 c. 432 Popish uncleanness 113.138.139.144 207.336.376.378.391.392 Prayer in times of danger â—5 10.11 126.129.130.287 Prayer powerfull and prevalent 44. â—9 123.191.294.370 Predictions and Prophesies 195.265.324.368.370.371.372.375 Pride 62.92.148 Profanness 93 118.121.123.135.139.17â—.207 Providences special 14.40.52.54.58.61.78.85.88.91.92.93.96.114.116.118.120.123.124.125.126.128.129 130.134.145.167.178.179.184.202.251.255.259.261.264.265.266.269.277.286.289.292.299.303 307.316.317.325.326.328.330.331 332 338.347.351.352.354.360.361.367.369.404.432.433 Prudence of Chrisâ—ians 119.326.401 R REcovery after falls 43.53.79.202.249.251 256.264.267.273 296.320.328 Riches are snares 50 S Scismaticks plagued by God 90 Scismaticks bloody 86 Scismaticks profane 90 Scismaticks subtile 86 Scisme comes from pride 54 172 Scriptures see Bible Sectaries dangerous 48 Sin the forerunner of persecution 56.61.100.180.341 Son dutifull and loving 346 Southsayers wickedness 49 55 79 80 Speeches excellent 293.295 300.304.317.322 327.334.352.362 Stories excellent 33.78.88.95.125.322 353 Subtilty of the Churches enemies 16.18.20.23.82.84.87 Success no sign of a good cause 189.278 Sympathy 95 Synods 173 T TEntations resisted 77.79.94.95.99.132 176 187 190 .203.265.268.270.271.272.284.291.293.300.322.327.336.361.365 Thanksgiving for mercies 129.154 Thanksgiving for sufferings 266 300 Trechery rewarded 45.323.359 360 V Visions 53.56 W WAldenses their opinions 103 Wife loving to her husband 171 Wisdom of Christians 84 see prudence Witnesses false plagued by God 47 Womens courage 356.360 Z ZEal 8.19.41.45.46.50.51.53.58 63 76.79.86.107.116.117.131 133.135 â—51 258.268.275.289.290.291.295.299.300.304.315.319.321.324.345.363 FINIS This Book being printed most of it by the printed Copy I looked not over the Proofes and so through the carelesness of the Correctors and Compositors many faults have escaped
execution he said to the people See here how this wicked world rewards the poor servants of Jesus Christ whilst I was a drunkard a player at Cards and Dice living in all dissolutenesse and ungodly behaviour I was never in danger of these bonds yea I was then counted a good fellow and at that time Who but I But no sooner began I through Gods grace to seek after a godly life but presently the world made war upon me and became mine enemy c. yet this discourageth me not for the servant is not better than his Lord seeing they persecuted him no question but they will persecute us At the place of execution one gave him his hand and comforted him then began he to sing the 30. Psalm whereupon a Friar interrupted him saying Oh John turn there is yet time and space the Martyr disregarding his words turned his back upon him and some of the company said to the Friar Turn thou thou hypocrite and so Herwin quietly finished his Psalm many joyning with him in singing of it then said the Friar Be not offended good people to hear this Heretick to sing of God The people answered Hold thy peace thou Balaamite here is no body offended There were present at least four hundred that encouraged the Martyr to continue to the end as he had well begun To whom he answered Brethren I fight under the Standard and in the quarrel of my great Lord and Captain Jesus Christ. Then he prayed and so went into his Cabin made with fagots saying to the people I am now going to be sacrificed Follow you me when God of his goodnesse shall call you to it and so he was first strangled and then burnt to ashes Anno 1561. There was apprehended in Antwerp one John de Boscane who for his constancy in Religion was condemned to death But the Magistrate fearing an uproare if he should put him to death publickly knowing that he was a man free of speech and beloved of the people he resolved for this cause secretly to drown him in the prison and for this end a tub with water was provided and an Executioner sent to drown him but the water was so shallow and the Martyr so tall that he could not possibly be drowned therein whereupon the Executioner gave him many wounds and stabs with a dagger and so this holy Martyr ended his life About the same time another servant of Jesus Christ having made a bold Profession of his faith was in the same City sentenced to death and because they duâ—st not execute him publickly they privately sent and beheaded him in prison his name was John de Buisons The godly in this City of Antwerp being desirous to take all opportunities to meet together in the fear of God on a day when the Popish party was met to behold great triumphs they withdrew themselves out of the City and went into a Wood where their Minister preached the Word of God to them The Drosart of Marksem being advertised hereof took his officers and went thitherward by the way he met with some poor boyes that were cowherds to whom he promised new cloaths if if they would bring him to the place in the Wood where their assembly was which they undertaking he sent some of his officers along with them into the Wood who coming to the place like wolves the sheep of Christ began to flie the Minister seeing their fear admonished them not to stir The Persecutors were not above five or six and the persecuted four or five hundred so that they might easily have resisted them but they would not The officers chiefly aimed to apprehend the Minister and having caught one of the Assembly they thought him to be the man crying one to another Hold the Priest fast striking him with their Pistols and staves and so carried him to the Drosart they caught also two or three more which afterwards made an escape the man only that remained with the Drosart whose name was Bartholomew was often set upon to be turned aside from his holy Profession Why say they cannot such a young man as thou art content thy self with our Religion and glorious Church adorned with gold silver precious stones in which there is such melodious musick both of voices and instruments but thou must needs joyn thy self to that Church that is hated despised and exposed to all manner of contempt Bartholomew overcame all these tentations by the power of the Almighty saying That which is greatly esteemed amongst men is altogether abominable in the sight of God Then was he condemned and beheaded by which death he glorified God Anno 1568. There were apprehended in Antwerp one Scoblant John de Hues and Joris Coomans who being cast into prison were very oyful confessing that nothing befell them but by Gods divine Providence as they acknowledge in a letter which they wrote to the brethren wherein they thus write Seeing it is the will of God that we should suffer for his name and in the quarrel of his Gospel we certifie you dear brethren that we are joyful and however the flesh continually rebels against the spirit counselling ever and anon according to the advice of the old Serpent yet we are well assured that Christ who hath bruised will still bruise the Serpents head and not leave us comfortlesse we are indeed sometimes pricked in the heele yet we are not discouraged but keep our faith close to the promises of God c. Be not therefore dismayed for our bands and imprisonment for it is the good Will of God towards us and therefore we pray that he will give us grace to persevere constantly unto the end Shortly after Scoblant was brought to his trial where he made a good confession of his faith and so was condemned Returning to prison he earnestly requested the Jailor that he would not suffer the Friars to come and trouble him for said he they can do me no good seeing the Lord hath already sealed up the assurance of my salvation in my heart by his holy Spirit I am now going to my Spouse and putting off this earthly mantle to enter into his celestial glory where I shall be freed from all superstitions Would to God that I might be the last that these tyrants should put to death and that their thirst might be so quenched with my blood that the poor Church of Christ might henceforth enjoy rest and quiet When he was to go forth to execution he sung the fourtieth Psalme with his fellow prisoners then said the Lords Prayer and so kissing each other they commended one another unto God with many teares Being tied to the stake he was burned alive calling upon the name of the Lord. John Hues died in prison whereupon Joris wrote thus to his friends Brethren I am now left alone whereas we were three in number John Hues is now dead in the Lord and yet I am
not altogether alone seeing the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob is with me he is my exceeding great reward and will not fail to reward me so soon as I shall have laid down this earthly tabernacle Pray unto God that he will strengthen me to the end for every hour I expect the dissolution of this house of clay When he was brought forth before the Judges and examined of his faith he answered freely and proved what he said by the holy Scriptures and being asked whether he was resolved to die for the faith which he professed he answered I will not only venture to give my body but my soul also for the confirmation of it and so being condemned he was shortly after burned dying with much comfort The persecution growing hot in Flanders one Giles Annik and John his sonne removed to Emden but by reason of their sudden departure they could not take their wives with them whereupon in the year 1568. they returned back to fetch their wives who were at Renay yet in regard of the danger they durst not go into the town openly but took up their lodging in the evening at an honest mans house called Lewis Meulin Now it so fell out that that very night the enemies had appointed to make a secret search after such as professed the Gospel and so passing by this house and seeing the light of a candle in it expecting their prey they forced open the door and took these two together with their Host prisoners God having appointed them to bear witnesse to his truth After they had been in prison awhile they were all three condemned for Hereticks and presently after Giles the father was burned John the son being fetched to execution when he saw the man that first apprehended him he called him to him saying I forgive thee my death and so he with Lewis Meulin were both beheaded About the same time there was also a godly widow apprehended and cast into prison her crime was for that about two years before she had suffered a Minister to preach in an out-house on the backside of her dwelling She was very charitable in relieving the poor and every way shewed forth the fruits of a true saving faith After seven moneths imprisonment she was condemned to die and a Priest coming to her to hear Confession she spake to him with such a divine grace and with a spirit so replenished with zeal that he went from her with teares trickling down his cheeks saying I came to comfort you but I have more need to be comforted of you when she was carried forth to execution she went with much boldnesse and joy of heart and having her head cut off she sweetly slept in the Lord. There was also one Christopher Gauderin that at first was brought up under the Abbat of Hename but the Abbat dying he betook himself to the weaving of linnen and quickly grew expert in his trade But having been trained up in a bad schoole when the Sabbath came he spent riotously what he had gotten all the week by his labour Now through Gods mercy it so fell out that a godly man working with him would often tell him of the danger of his present condition exhorting him rather to distribute his gettings to the poor assuring him that if he spent his money so wastfully God would call him to an account for it These with the like exhortations so wrought upon him through the grace of God that he began to change his course and in stead of frequenting Taverns he became a diligent hearer of Sermons and gave himself much to reading of the holy Scriptures so that not long after he was called by the Church to the office of a Deacon which he discharged carefully and faithfully Shortly after having occasion to go to a place called Audenard to distribute some almes to the poor there he was apprehended and the Bailiffe that had formerly seene him in the Abbats house asked him how he came to turn Heretick Nay said he I am no Heretick but a right believing Christian and what I learned of him I am now ashamed to remember In prison he had many disputes about his faith which he so maintained and defended by the Word of God that he silenced all his adversaries Some told him that he would cast away himsef in his youth being but thirty years old to whom he answered That mans life consisted but of two dayes viz. The day of his birth and the day of his death and therefore he must needs die once And for my part said he I am now willing by death to passe into eternal life When news was brought him in the evening that he must die the next day he retired himself and poured out his soul in prayer unto God till ten a clock and after his rest the like he did the next morning Having ended his Prayer he put on a clean shirt and washed himself saying to his fellow-prisoners Brethren I am now going to be married I hope ere noon to drink of the wine of the Kingdome of heaven When he came down he found three other prisoners that were to suffer with him These four exhorted and encouraged one another to suffer patiently and constantly Then came a Friar saying that he came to convert them To whom Christopher said Away from us thou seducer of souls for we have nothing to do with thee The Hangman coming to put gagges into their mouths one of them said What shall we not have liberty at this our last hour to praise God with our tongues Christopher answered Let not this discourage us the more wrong our enemies do to us the more assistance we shall finde from God and so ceased not to comfort them till himself was gagged also Their sentence was that they should be hanged for hearing Sermons and so with admirable constancy they yielded up their souls to God One of them being a woman was condemned to be beheaded because she had sung Psalms and exhorted her neighbours out of the Word of God at a womans upsitting Her body was grown very feeble so that she was caused to sit on a stool where she received three blows with a sword overthwart her teeth yet did she constantly sit still till she received the Crown of Martyrdom Anno 1568. About the same time there was in a town a mile distant from Gand a Minister whom it pleased the Lord to illuminate with the saving knowledge of his Gospel whereupon he became a diligent and faithful Preacher of it both in his life and doctrine yea he went from house to house exhorting and comforting every one as he had occasion out of the Word of God and above all labouring with them to beware of the abominable superstitions of the Papacy The Popish Clergy of Gand having intelligence hereof fearing lest by this means their doctrine and authority
against him against whom he made many exceptions but they would not be admitted Nine moneths he remained in prison suffering great misery much bewailing his former course of life though yet it had been such as none could charge him with any crime Then the Judges proceeded to his condemnation and he had greater fetters put upon him he was also examined with torments which he endured two or three hours though but of a weakly body comforting himself thus This body must once die but the spirit shall live the Kingdome of God abideth for ever During his torments he swowned and when he came to himself again he said O Lord Lord why hast thou forsaken me Nay said the President wicked Lutheran Thou hast forsaken God Aymund replied Alas good Masters why do you thus miserably torment me O Lord I beseech thee forgive them for they know not what they do See said the President this Caitiffe how he prayeth for us Shortly after he was condemned and when the Friars came to confesse him he bade them depart from him for he would confesse his sins to the Lord. He went to the place of execution with much joy exhorting the people all the way at the place of execution they tumbled him out of the Cart and when he was upon the stage he said O Lord make haste to help me tarry not despise not the work of thy hands and seeing some Scholars he said to them My brethren I exhort you to study and learn the Gospel for the Word of God abideth for ever Labour to know the Will of God and fear not them that kill the body but have no power over your souls Afterwards he said My flesh doth wonderfully resist the spirit but presently I shall cast it away At the stake he often repeated Oh Lord my God into thy hands I commend my soul and so he was first strangled by the hangman and then burned Francis Bribard Secretary to the Cardinal of Bellay being convicted for adhering to the truth had first his tongue cut out and then was burnt Anno 1544. About the same time William Husson an Apothecary came from Bloys to Roan and in the Palace where the Counsel sate he scattered sundry books concerning Christian doctrine and against mens traditions and presently taking horse rode away The books being found the Counsel made diligent search for the Author and at last heard that probably this Husson had scattered them there whereupon Posts were sent out every way to apprehend him and by some of them he was taken riding towards Deep and brought back to Roan who being examined professed his faith boldly and that he had scattered those books and that he was going to Deep to do the like there For this he was condemned to be burnt alive and as he was carried to execution because he refused to worship an Image his tongue was cut out afterwards his hands and feet beeing bound behind him he was pulled up with a Pully and so let down into the fire in which he with a chearful countenance held up his head and fixed his eyes upon heaven till he yielded up his spirit unto God Anno 1545. James Cobard a Schoolmaster in the City of Saint Michael declared and proved that the Masse neither profited the quick nor dead c. for which he was burned Also at Melda fourteen godly persons were cast into prison where they were cruelly racked to make them confesse their fellows which they stoutly refused to do and at last were condemned to the fire seven of them had their tongues cut out and so all of them were burned together their wives being compelled to stand by to see their torments many others were scourged and banished Anno 1546. There was one Peter Chapot who having been a while at Geneva out of a zeal to do good to the Church of Christ carried divers Bibles into France and dispersed them amongst the faithful at last he was apprehended and carried to Paris there he readily rendred an account of his faith exhorting the Judges to do their office uprightly Three Doctors of Sorbone were appointed to dispute with him but he made them all to go away ashamed then was he condemned to be burnt At the stake one of the Doctors pressed him sorely to pray to our Lady which he refused crying only O Jesus Sonne of David have mercy on me The Doctor bade him say only Jesus Maria and he should not be burnt alive but he for a while refused yet at last through his importunity he said Jesus Maria but presently checking himself he said Oh God what have I done pardon me O Lord for against thee only have I sinned and so he was presently strangled and then burned but upon the complaint of the Doctor the Court made a Decree that all which were to be burned unlesse they recanted at the stake should have their tongues cut out which was diligently afterwards observed There was living at Meaux a lame Creeple to whom God was pleased to reveal his truth and after a time he was apprehended and examined at which time he confessed more than they desired to hear Then did they ask him whether he would stand to that which he had said To whom he answered and I ask you again Dare you be so bold as to deny that which is so plain and evident in the holy Scriptures being advised to take care of his life he said to the Judges for Gods sake take care of your own lives and souls and consider how much innocent blood you spill daily in fighting against Jesus Christ and his Gospel At last he was carried to Paris where he endured many sorts of torments and lastly was burned At Fera one Stephen Polliot was apprehended carried to Paris and there cast into a foul and dark dungeon where he lay long in bonds and fetters At last he was brought forth and condemned to have his tongue cut out and to be burned with his sachel of books hanging about his neck which was accordingly executed Anno 1547. There was one John English condemned by the Court of Paris for confessing the truths of God and so sent to Sens in Burgundy where he was burned Also Michael Michelote being apprehended for professing the Gospel was put to his choise either to recant and be beheaded or to persevere and be burned he answered that he trusted that he which had given him grace not to deny the truth would also give him patience to abide the fire and so he was burned Another being betrayed by false brethren was burned at Bar in Burgundy Five men and two women were condemned to the fire at Langres for adhering to the truth one of the women being the youngest was reserved to be burned at last and in the mean time she much encouraged them all saying This day we shall be married to the Lord Jesus