the King to go to Masse upon pain of forfeiting their lives and goods but they answered that they could not obey such commands against the command of God Then he commanded that twelve of the Principal of them together with all their Ministers and Schoolmasters should presently yeeld up their bodies to the prisons of Turin c. They answered that they could not obey that command or appear at Turin because they should thereby endanger their lives The Parliament was so incensed at this answer that as many as they could apprehend they burnt amongst whom was Jeffery Varnegle Minister of Angrogne Anno 1557. by whose death the people that were present were much edified seeing his constancy of invocating God to the last The Protestant Princes of Germany hearing of this great Persecution interceded in their behalf to King Henry the second of France Who promised to have regard to this request of theirs and indeed they enjoyed peace afterwards till the peace was concluded betwixt the Kings of France and Spain and that the Duke of Savoy was restored to his Estate which was Anno 1559. The year after the Popes Nuntio reproved the Duke for that with all his power he had not persecuted the Waldenses and that if he did not now endeavour to reduce them to the Romish Church or to root them out his Holinesse should have cause to suspect that he was a favourer of them Hereupon the Duke presently commanded them to go to Mass upon the pain of their lives But the not obeying him he set upon them by open force and yet at the same time he caused them to be pursued by the Monks Inquisitors also So that a great Persecution was raised against the poor Christians Some were taken and burnt who shewed invincible constancy in all their torments and death To recite all the outrages cruelties and villanies practised against them would be too tedious Many fled and their houses and goods were ransacked and spoiled One of their Ministers was apprehended and put to a shamefull and cruell death but he shewed such admirable patience therein as astonished his very adversaries Some also were taken and sent to be Gally-slaves Yet some through weakness yeelded to the adversaries and were more cruelly handled then those that remained constant in the truth Three of the most cruel persecutors of these faithfull servants of Jesus Christ were first Thomas Jacomel a Monk an Apostate that had renounced the known truth and persecuted mortally and maliciously the poor Christians against his own conscience he was a whoremonger and given over to all villanies and filthy living a Sodomite c. his delight was to spoil rob and torment the captives of these Waldenses The second was a collaterall called Corbis who in the examination of the prisoners was very rigorous and burnt many of them but in the end feeling a remorse in his conscience he protested that he would meddle with them no more The third was the Provest of Justice who lay in wait in the high waies to apprehend them when they went abroad in the morning or as they went to the Market The Monks also of Pignorol vexed the Churches near about them grievously some they took prisoners and kept them in their Abbies then they assembled a company of Ruffians sending them to spoil the Churches and to take prisoners men women and childen of whom some by torments they forced to abjure others they sent to the Galleys others they burnt The gentlemen of the valley of S. Martin vexed their tenants grievously spoiling some of their goods imprisoning others and vexing them by all means Two of those gentlemen getting some Ruffians to them in the night time set upon a village called Renclaret which the Inhabitants perceiving fled into the mountains covered with snow naked and without victuals in the morning these villains took a Minister of that Valley who was coming to visit these people of Renclaret and burnt him but three nights after they of Pragela pitying their friends of Renclaret sent four hundred men against the Ruffians who fought with them and without the losse of one man put them to flight and restored their friends to their houses A year after one of these gentlemen called Truchet with a company of Ruffians arrested the Minister of Renclaret as he was at his sermon but the people were so moved at his outragious dealing especially the women that they had almost strangled Truchet and so canvased the rest of his company that they had no minde to come any more Shortly after they took another Minister as he was going to preach in a parish a mile from his house but the people hearing of it speedily pursued them and recovered their Minister again but when the villains saw that they were like to lose their prey they so wounded him that they left him for dead The Monks of Pignerol sent some Ruffians by night to the Ministers house of S. Germain who were conducted by a Traitor that knew the house and formerly had frequented it this fellow knocking at the door and the Minister knowing his voice opened the door but perceiving himself to be betrayed he fled at a back-door yet was quickly taken and sorely wounded notwithstanding which they pricked him with halberds to hasten his pace as they carried him away they also slew and hurt many others The Minister after sore imprisonment endured a cruel death with much constancy at his death the Inquisitors caused two poor women that they kept in prison to carry faggots to burn him and to say to him their Pastor Take this thou wicked Heretick in recompence of that naughty Doctrine that thou hast taught us To whom he replied Aâ— good women I have taught you well but you have learned ill In brief they so persecuted these poor people that they forced them to forsake their houses and to fly into the mountains loosing all their estates so that many that had lived well and relieved others were now fain to crave relief and succour of others The Monks with their Troops of Ruffians continued thus to molest and persecute these poor people They asked of their Ministers Whether it were not lawfull for them to defend themselves against such violence The Ministers answered that it was only they advised them to avoid blood-shed as much as might be This question being resolved they of Luserne and Angrogne sent some to aid their friends of St. Germain against the Monks In June divers of these Waldenses went out into the country to reap their harvest and in sundry places were all taken prisoners not knowing of each others calamity but God so wrought that miraculously they all escaped out of prison to the great astonishment of their adversaries At the same time also others who had been long in prison and longed for nothing but death through Gods providence were delivered after a wonderful sort In July they of Angrogne being at their
and Tailleret The lesser part went towards Villars the people seeing their enemies approaching called upon God with fervent prayer then set upon their enemies slew some hurt others and the rest fled The other company going towards Tailleret they of that place were but few in number yet making their prayers to God and commending their cause to him they set valiantly upon their enemies during which bickering they of Villars encouraged by their late success came to help their friends and set so lustily upon their enemies that they put them to flight but in the pursuit of them they fell into an ambush and were environed by their enemies yet through Gods mercy they all escaped without the losse of one man on the enemies side there were so many slain that they were laid together by whole Cart-loads Another party of the enemies going to spoil a rich mans house some of his neighbours not being above seventy set upon them put them to flight took away their Drum and recovered their booty from them Then did the Lord of Trinity send to them telling them how much the Duke and his Dutchesse favoured them and promised himselfe to mediate for them that they might live in peace But whilest by these pretences he sought to make them secure he sent part of his Army to get the hill of Tailleret and another part had already gotten the way that led to the meddow of Tour whereby the Angrognians might have been easily enclosed but they perceiving it immediatly sent some to encounter with their enemies who gat the victory pursued them to their camp and slew very many of them without the losse of one man The Lord of Trinity cunningly excused this attempt and sent to them to draw up a supplication to the Duke which was accordingly done wherein they promised to render all honour and reverence unto God according to his Word and all due obedience to the Duk c. But in the mean time Trinity grievously vexed them of Tailleret upon pretence that they had not presented themselves to treat of this agreement taking their arms from them and causing them to ask pardon on their knees But presently after news was brought them that the enemies had gotten to the top of the mountaine and had taken all the passages whereat they were sore amazed and ran with all speed to defend their wives and children some they saved but the most of their goods were already in the enemies hands who at this time did them much mischiefe Yet after this the Lord of Trinity sent word again to them that were fled that if they would return he would receive them to mercy The poor people most of them trusting to his promise returned but the next morning the enemies came to apprehend them and their Ministers besetting the place on every side Then they that were swift of foot escaped all the rest were taken yet God miraculously delivered them for an old man that could not run so fast as the other was espied by a souldier who ran with a naked sword to have slain him the old man seeing the iminent danger caught him by the legs overthrew him and drew him by the heels down the hill the souldier cryed Help help this villain will kill me hereupon his fellows ran to his rescue but in the mean time the old man escaped and the rest seeing what the old man had done though they had lost their weapons yet took heart of grass and with stones and slings drave away their enemies and thereby they all escaped The next day the souldiers went again to Tailleret robbing spoiling and carrying away all that they could find but most of the people were retired towards Villars Then did the souldiers range all about and took divers prisoners whom they used cruelly and one souldier bit off one of their ears saying I will carry the flesh of this wicked Heretick with me into my Country They found also two women the mother and the daughter in a cave whom they wounded to death and in another cave an old man of an hundred years old with his grand-daughter of eighteen years old that fed him the man they slew the maid they would have ravished who flying from them tumbled down the mountains and died About the same time there was one John Martin that made his boasts every where that if he could meet with the Minister of Angrogne he would slit his nose but shortly after a wolf met him and setting upon him bit off his nose whereupon he ran mad and died miserably A certain souldier promised the Lord of Trinity to bring to him the Minister of Tailleret and accordingly never ceased till he found him but as he was pursuing of him some out of the mountains rescued the Minister and slew the souldier with stones These souldiers were so extream abusive to women that many Papists that lived by sent their daughters into the mountains to the Waldenses to preserve their chastity Then did the Lord of Trinity promise that if they would pay him eight thousand Crowns he would with-draw his Army and be gone They being desirous of Peace sold their Cattel to raise the money but when he had received it he continued his Army there still Then did the Lord of Trinity require them to send away their Ministers till the matter were determined before the Duke or else by his Army he would force them to it whereupon by mutual consent they agreed that the Ministers should with-draw for the present till the Army was retired which was not done without great sighs and lamentations and tears At that time there fell an extraordinary snow so that the people with great difficulty were fain to make way for their Ministers to pass But the Army hearing that the Ministers were gathered together they sent out a company of harquebushers to apprehend them who came but one hour too late to have taken them Then did they search every cave house and chest to seek them whereby they robbed the poor people of all their best things Then did they beset the Ministers house of Angrogne to whom the Lord of Trinity had promised safety but it pleased God that he escaped the souldiers pursued him into the mountains but could not overtake him whereupon they plundred his house burnt his books and writings and so returned The next morning command was given to the Rulers of Angrogne within twenty four hours to deliver up their Minister or else Angrogne should be put to fire and sword They answered that they knew not where he was for the souldiers had driven him over the mountains Then did the souldiers burn houses break the mils spoil the people and do all the mischief they could and so departed The Lord of Trinity left Garisons in the Fortresses and caused the poor Waldenses to maintain them who not content with their wages pillaged and robbed all about them and
In all that conflict there were but two of the Waldenses slain and two hurt whereas they never shot at their enemies but they killed some and sometimes two at one shot The souldiers confessed that they were so astonished that they could not fight Others said that the Ministers by their prayers conjured and bewitched them It was a wonderfull work of God that shepherds and cowherds should encounter with so mighty a power of strong and brave souldiers well furnished with ammunition and themselves having nothing but slings stones and a few harquebushes and yet should beat them and in all those fights they lost not above fourteen men Shortly after a company of souldiers went to Angrogne to destroy the Vines c. and mocking the Waldenses they said that they were valiant men behinde their bulworks but if they came into the plain how they would beat them Then came thirty of the Waldenses and set upon them in the plain and fought with them a long time hand to hand slew many of them and at last forced them to run away and that with the losse of one only man of their own The night after some thought that it would have been an easie matter to take the Lord of Trinity and to have spoiled his whole Army but the Waldenses would not do it least they should offend God and passe the bounds of their vocation intending only to defend themselves Then did Trinity betake himself to his old shifts of entertaining a treaty for agreement but in the Interim he sent a company of Spaniards one way and other companies other waies to surprise the meddow of Tour. The Spaniards were entred the meddow before they were perceived but when the people spied them they betook themselves to prayer then winded their horns and so prepared for resistance The first that opposed themselves were but twelve men who yet stoped them in a Passe and others rolled down stones from the mountains upon them whereby many of the Spaniards were slain the rest were forced to retreat Shortly after the Ministers and chief Rulers of the Waldenses requested the Lord of Raconis to deliver a petition which they had drawn up to the Dutches of Savoy wherein they declared the equity of their cause protesting all due obedience c. and at last through Gods mercy they came to a good agreement and according to the promise of God all things turned to the best to those that feared him that were called according to his purpose After the death of the Duke and Dutchesse of Savoy Charles Emmanuel their son succeeded who maintained them in peace according to the treaty formerly made Yet the Inquisitors were alwaies watchfull to apprehend one or other of them and amongst others one Bartholmew Copin of Luserne being at Ast in Piedmont with his Merchandize and at evening supping with some other company one began to speak much to the disgrace of the Waldenses for their Religion Copin thought that he was bound not to be silent when he heard such blasphemies Whereupon he began to argue in their defence Are you then a Waldensian said the other to him he answered Yea. And do you not beleeve that God is in the Host No said Copin Fie upon you said the other what a false Religion is yours My Religion said Copin is as true as it 's true that God is God c. The next morning Copin was called before the Bishop of Ast who told him that he must either recant the opinions he held over night or be punished Copin said he had been provoked to that discourse yet he said nothing but what he would maintaine with his life Adding that he had some goods and a wife and children yet he had lost the affections that he bare unto those things neither were they dear to him to the prejudice of his conscience Yet said that behaving himself honestly he ought not to be molested when he came about his merchandize the Turks and Jews being permitâ—ed to come to Fairs without molestation Notwithstanding which the Bishop presently sent him to prison The next day the Bishops Secretary went to him professing great love and telling him that except he acknowledged his fault he was in great danger of his life Copin answered That his life was in the hands of God and he desired not to preserve it to the prejudice of his glory and having but a few paces to walk in his journey to heaven his hearty prayer to God was to give him grace not to turn back Some few daies after he was examined by an Inquisitor in the presence of the Bishop who exceedingly tormented him with sweet and gentle perswasions by fair words seeking to draw him to an abjuration But Copin alwaies convinced him by the word of God alleadging that if he should be ashamed of or deny Christ before men Christ would be ashamed of and deny him before his heavenly Father Then said the Monk Go thy waies thou cursed Heretick to all the devils in hell and when thou shalt be there tormented by them thou wilt remember this good and holy counsel that we have given thee c. After many violent encounters they caused his wife and son to come to him promising if he would confesse his fault he should have liberty to depart with them They suffered them also to sup together which time he spent in exhorting them to patience telling them that God would be more then a husband and father to them for his own part he was not bounde to love wife or childe more then Christ and that they should esteem it their happiness that God was pleased to do him the honour to be a witnesse to his truth with the losse of his life c. He enjoyned his wife to bring up his children in the fear of God his son he commanded to obey his mother he desired them to pray for him that God would strengthen him against all tentations and so taking leave of his wife and blessing his son he dismissed them his wife and son shedding fountains of tears and crying out in so lamentable a manner as would have moved the hardest hart to compassion The Bishop knew not well what to do with him If he let him go he feared a scandall and that many would be encouraged by his impunity If he punished him he offended against the agreement betwixt the Duke and the Waldenses And thereupon he sent his indictment to the Pope to know his pleasure Shortly after Copin was found dead in prison it appearing manifestly that he was strangled and after his death he was condemned to be burnt which was accordingly executed CHAP. XXII The Persecution of the VValdenses in Calabria ANno Christi 1370. The Waldenses of Pragela and Dauphine grew so numerous that they sent their younger people to seek some other country to inhabit In their travell they found in Calabria some wast and untilled
a young Gentleman named John Poltrot who watching his opportunity shot him with his pistol laden with three bullets whereof he shortly after died and Poltrot declared at his death that he did it to deliver France and especially the City of Orleance from the violence of the Duke of Guise After whose death peace was shortly after concluded between the Queen-mother and the Protestants But before this peace took place those of the Religion suffered much in sundry parts of the Realm In Paris they were persecuted cruelly the Popish people being wholly set upon blood and the Parliament there sparing neither great nor small that fell into their hands either of that City or such as were brought thither upon appeal or summons At Senlis many godly Christians suffered much some were beheaded some murthered in a popular tumult some were whipt some imprisoned some fined and others sent to the Gallies not sparing the simple women Yet through Gods mercy some escaped amongst whom was one Iohn Gardens and his Wife who living with his Wife and child in the fileds at length determined to go back into the City casting themselves upon Gods providence but when they came into the suburbs they met some who bade the souldiers to put them to the sword The woman kneeling down begged of the souldiers that if they must needs dye they would kill her child first saying that so she should die with the more comfort which speech of hers so wrought upon the souldiers that they spared all their lives In Chaalons there was a godly Minister called Fournier apprehended and spoiled of all that he had They stripped him also of his apparel instead whereof they put on him a thredbare cloak and so carried him away in a Cart by reason of an hurt that he had gotten in one of his feet by the way they did nothing but jeere and scoffe at him and every moment he was in danger of his life the rude people also had almost pulled him in pieces but it pleased God that he was preserved by those which had designed him to death When he came to Munchon he was cast into prison and after a while there came a Captain to him with many souldiers who mixing mocks and threatnings together sware that within three houres he should be hewen in pieces After them came in some of the Judges commanding the Jailor to load him with irons saying to him You are no better I am sure then Saint Peter whom they laid in irons but if you have as much faith as he God will then deliver you as he did him by sending an Angel to you I will not said Fournier compare my self with Saint Peter yet it is not twelve years ago since for preaching the same doctrine that Peter did I was imprisoned at Tholouse and there was admirably delivered And though Peter was delivered out of prison yet in the end he glorified God by his death and if I should be counted worthy with him to suffer for the truth may it not be said that I have the like precious Faith with Saint Peter When they were gone the Jailor forbore putting bolts upon him because of his sore legg yet did he put him into a straiter prison Afterwars the Duke of Guise being made Governour in that place he was put to the torture where first they strained his thumbs so hard with a small cord that blood came forth Then turning his armes behind his back they hoisted him up with a rope put between his thumbs twitching him up and letting him down five or six times they tied also great stones to both his great toes and let him hang till his spirits failed then they let him fall with such violence upon his face that he was grievously hurt thereby Then was he thrown into prison and they would not suffer him to have a Chirurgion to cure him of the gashes which the cords had made in his flesh even to the bare bones so that his torment and anguish was very great neither could he lift his hands to his mouth which he was likely to lose the use of But it so fell out by Gods Providence that after he was condemned news coming of the Duke of Guise his death his enemies began to tremble and some of his Judges coming to him in prison asked him if he did not bear them ill will He answered that men of his Profession and Religion ought not to bear malice to any being enjoyned by God to love and pray for those that persecuted them Shewing also that whatsoever troubles had befallen him were none other but such as God had fore-ordained for the setting forth of his own glory for which he esteemed himself most happy yet he warned them to lay to heart the wrong that they had done him lest the vengeance of God did sooner or later overtake them for it The next day Bussi one of his persecutors having received letters from the Constable of France to release him swore that he should be delivered indeed but into the hands of the multitude But it pleased God that just at that time there came by the Prince of Portion with his Germane Souldiers which were for the Protestants who sent word that they would not leave so much as a house standing except they would deliver Fournier This so affrighted his enemies that they released him out of prison protected him from the violence of the multitude and conveyed him in safety to the Prince There he was kindly welcomed and entertained all grieving for the miseries which he had endured and two dayes after he preached before the Prince and his followers and the day after at the instant request of the Protestants of Vitri he went to them to preach and baptize their children and shortly after was called to Ver where he gathered a Congregation and spent some time amongst them with wonderful fruit but by reason he was so extreamly weakned by his strait imprisonment and tortures being above fifty years old he soon after finished his course and quietly resigned up his soul unto God At Amiens all Bibles New Testaments and Psalm-books were sought for and openly burnt as also the Ministers Pulpit Then did the Guisians proceed to killing of the Christians and casting them into the River some they shot to death and others they hanged At Abbevilli they slew the Lord of Haucourt with divers others one Beliart they dragged along the streets with his face downwards and then drowned him in the river At Meaux the Protestants were the stronger Party and therefore continued the free exercise of their Religion for a while but the Parliament of Paris gave judgment against them and exposed them to the spoil of such as would undertake it Then a company of Souldiers entring the Town disarmed the Citizens and slew about foure hundred of the Religion Then Mounsieur de Boisy entring with more Souldiers committed a