had we feared the same we had never exposed our bodies to this so shamefull and painfull a kinde of death Then he often reiterated these short breathings O God Father everlasting accept the sacrifice of our bodies for thy well beloved Sonne Iesus Christs sake One of the Friers cried Heretike thou liest he is none of thy father the Devill is thy father And thus during these conflicts he bent his eyes to heaven and speaking to his father said Behold for I sée the heavens open and millions of Angels ready prest to receive us rejoycing to sée us thus witnessing the truth in the view of the World Father let us be glad and rejoyce for the joyes of heaven are set open unto us Then said one of the Fryers I sée hell open and millions of Devils present to carry you thither But the Lord who never forsakes any that put their trustin him stirred up the heart and opened the mouth of a poore man who stood among the multitude beholding this spectacle who being moved with compassion cryed aloud Be of good comfort Baudicon stand thou to it thou 〈◊〉 in a good quarrell I am on thy side after which words he departed thence and a way being made for him saved himselfe from danger Fire was forthwith put to the straw and wood which burnt beneath whilest they not shrinking for the paines spake one to another Baudicon often repeating this in his fathers eares Faint not father nor be afraid Yet a very little while and wee shall enter into the heavenly mansions In the end the fire growing hot upon them the last words they were heard to pronounce were Iesus Christ thou Sonne of God into thy hands we commend our spirits And thus these two slept swéetly in the Lord. Within eight dayes after Iane the mother and Martin her sonne were executed in the same City of Lile but of this more hereafter Iane the wife of Robert Oguier and Martin her sonne Martyrs THe wife here followes her husband and accompanies her sonne her conversion is admirable for being severed from him the Friers having seduced her laboured with her to turne her some also out of the right way but he understanding thereof recovers his mother againe and so they both gaue their lives for the truth to the great confusion of their enemies But before we come to describe their happy ends we will as briefely as may be note by the way the great conflicts of spirit which both of them sustained There were sent unto them many of the popish rabble to turne them from their faith Now that this their devillish enterprise might the rather be effected they sundred one of them from the other so as by the politique deuice of a Monke the poore woman began to waver and let goe her first faith At this their enemies rejoyced not a little whilest the poore little flocke of Christ hearing such sad newes were in continuall perplexity but the Lord left them not in this mournfull condition For on a day one of the Monkes resorted to her in the prison counselling her to win her sonne Martin and to draw him from his errors which she promised to doe But when he was come to his Mother and perceiued that she was not onely fallen but also quite turned out of the right way he began with teares to bewayle her miserable estate O Mother saith he what have you done Have you denyed him who hath redéemed you Alas what evill hath he done you that you should requite him with this so great an iniury and dishonour Now I am plunged into that woe which I have most feared Ah good God that I should live to sée this which pierceth me to the very heart His Mother hearing these his pittifull complaints and séeing the teares which her sonne shed for her began againe to renue her strength in the Lord and with teares cryed out O Father of mercies be mercifull unto me miserable sinner and cover my transgression under the righteousnesse of thy blessed Sonne Lord enable me with strength from above to stand to my first confession and make me to abide stedfast therein even unto my last breath It was not long after this her change but the same instruments of Satan who had seduced her came in supposing to finde her in the same minde wherein they left her whom she no sooner espied but with detestation said Avoyd Satan get thee behinde me for henceforth thou hast neither part nor portion in me I will by the help of God stand to my first confession And if I may not signe it with Inke I will seale it with my blood And so from that time this fraile vessell who for a while relented after her recovery grew stronger and stronger The Iudges séeing their constancy delayed not to dispatch them out of the way condemning them to be burned alive and their bodies being reduced to ashes the same to be scattered and dispersed in the aire The mother and the sonne having heard their sentence read in the way as they were going backe againe to prison said now blessed be our God who causeth us thus to triumph over our enemies This is the wished houre our gladsome day is come Let us not then said Martin forget to be thankefull for the honour he doth us in thus conforming us unto the Image of his Sonne Let us remember those who have traced this path before us for this is the high way to the Kingdome of heaven Let us then good Mother goe on boldly out of the Campe with the Son Heb. 13. 13. of God bearing his reproach with all his holy Martyrs for so we shall finde passage into the glorious Kingdome of the everliving God Some of the company hearing but not being able to brooke these words said we sée now thou heretique that thou art wholly possessed body and soule with a divell as was thy father and brother who are both in Hell Martin said Sirs as for your railings and cursings our God will this day turne them into blessings in the sight of himselfe and of all his holy Angels A certaine temporizer said to Martin thou silly See here the sundry â—ights of Satan youth thou sayest thou knowest not what thou art too well conceited of thy selfe and of thy cause Séest thou not all this people here about thée what thinkest thou of them they beléeve not as thou doest and yet I doubt not but they shall be saved But you imagine to doe that which will never come to passe though you pretend never so much that you are in the faith and have the Scriptures for you The good woman hearing this answered Sir Christ Iesus our Lord saith that it is the wide gate and broad way which leades to destruction Mat. 7. 12. and therefore many gooe in thereat but the gate saith he is narrow that leades to life and few How we may know we are in the right way there be that finde it Doe ye
in Spanish Such honor have all Gods Saints These hypocrites are gone away confounded no lesse then Wolves which have béene long hunted After many fierce encounters and sharpe disputes with the Monkes and others of the popish crew being brought out of the prison into the Castle there to receive the mark and livery of Christ the sonne of God with the rest of the prisoners it was reported that he with a bold courage and setled countenance thus spake unto them Courage my valiant and constant Brethren now is the houre come in which as the true Champions of Iesus Christ we must witnesse his truth before men and for a short triall for his sake wee shall triumph with him for ever and ever But the officers of the Inquision interrupted him instantly by putting a gagge in his mouth with which he continued untill a little before he dyed Mounting then upon the scaffold where he was to suffer by manifold signes he shewed the constancy and stedfastnesse of his faith which by words he could not For in ascending up the steps of the scaffold When the Martyrs were hindred to manifest their faith by speech yet they would by outward gestures do it as well as they could knéeling downe he kissed them and being fastned to the stake invironed and compassed round abut with fagots he sundry times bowed his head within the pile of wood as if he desired to die by fire and so rendred up his soule into the hands of God to the great admiration of the Spectators and the animating of his fellow Martyrs who were to suffer with him When he was to die a certaine Doctor called Ferdinando Rodrigo contrary to his intention made the faith of this our little Iulian much more glorious for he thinking by terrifying him with the apprehension of the present torment he was to endure obtained so much favour of the Sheriffe as to permit him to speake thinking thereby to give the people some intimation of his recantation which is the utmost triumph that these holy Fathers of the Inquisition thirst after but it proved cleane contrary for Iulian recovering liberty of spéech did yéeld a more cléere evidence and demonstration of his faith than formerly he had done and so confuted this Doctor Rodrigo calling him a seducer and one that spake against his conscience that by and by in an outrage to cover his shame he cryed out like a Bedlam Must Spaine which commands silence to so many be thus troubled now with this so contemptible a wretch Kill him dispatch him c At which words the tormentors being there at a becke forthwith kindled the fire upon him ¶ Now having thus formerly mentioned what tortures are exercised upon the bodies of Gods Saints by the mercilesse Inquisitors of Spaine and that also upon those of their owne Nation it shall not be much from the purpose if from thence we take occasion more particularly here to relate unto thée Christian Reader with what inhumanity such are used who for the cause of religion faâ—l into the hands of these carnall tyrants according as I finde the same set forth at large by my Author whose footsteps in the whole Work I endeavour to follow WHen they purpose to torture any one the Iaylor is commanded to bring forth his prisoner into the accustomed place where it is to be given which place is under the earth and very obscure Then going thorow many turnings and thorow sundry dores so as the horrible cryes of those who are there tortured can in no wise be heard there is a seat prepared for the Iuquisitors on high with a Register also to behold that tragicall act The torches being lighted those who are to act their parts in this wofull Tragedy are brought in the tormentor who attends their comming is covered all over with a blacke garment close to his body and on his head a blacke Hood which hides his face from being séene having only two or thrée holes made therein for himselfe to sée and breathe at and all this is the way to terrifie the poore Patient who beholdeth as it were a grimme devill ready to torment him These Fathers being set upon their seat begin againe to charge the Prisoner voluntarily to confesse the truth which if be refuse to do and if it then happen that an arme or any other member of his body be broken or that they die on the torture for that is all the favour he hath shewed him they make it his own fault and none of theirs After they have used all the terrible threates that can be they cause him to be stripped starke naked whether man woman or maide though they be never so modest and bashfull Many having fallen into their bloody fingers thus to have their shame discovered to the sight of others was more gréeuous than all their torments besides which they indured Laying aside then all humanity in unclothing them they put upon them a shame it is to speake it linnen bréeches as if their secret parts were better more honestly covered with bréeches than with a shirt or smocke or as if the torments they meant to put them to would not pierce déepe enough as well in the one as in the other with such shamelesse spectacles the chaste Inquisitors fed their ages and with such a cruell lust satisfied their infamous and detestable virginity The man or woman standing naked then and their nakednesse covered only with little bréeches as was said they becken to the tormentor signifying thereby what kinde of torture he is to put them to For herein as also in many things of a like nature they have some secret watchword or signe among themselves and the Officers being well acquainted therewith can readily discerne what torments the holy Fathers would have men put unto to teach them the faith of the Romane Church The most usuall are the cords with the pullies sinewes fire and water of all which we will speake in place convenient Whilest they thus stand naked they exhort them once againe to tell the truth If the Patient be to endure the Cord they tie his hands behinde his back pulling him up eight or ten times according to the number of twitches limited by the Inquisitor to the Tormentor that so nothing may be done there forsooth without order At the first incounter are reckoned up to him all his Articles and then besides the binding of his hands they tie his thumbes very hard together with a small Cord then they tie his hands and thumbes unto a greater Cord hoising him up by a pully very high which done they put upon his legs heavy bolts if hée have them not on before to which are yet added for the first pull an iron weight of five and twenty pound which is hanged to these bolts betwéene his féet Being thus arayed the Tormentor drawes him up on high the Register and the Inquisitor mixing therewith their former exhortations to confesse When he comes to touch
A CONTINVATION OF THE HISTORIES OF Forreine MARTYRS From the happy reign of the most renowned Queene Elizabeth to these Times With sundry Relations of those bloudy Massacres executed upon the Protestants in the Cities of France in the yeare 1572. WHERVNTO ARE ANNEXED the two famous Deliverances of our English Nation the one from the Spanish Invasion in 88. The other from the Gunpouder Treason in the yeare 1605. Together with the Barbarous cruelties exercised upon the Professors of the Gospell in the Valtoline 1621. LONDON Printed by RIC. HEARN for the Company of Stationers Anno Dom. 1641. POSSIDETE ANIMAS VESTRAS NH 1574 A TREATISE OF AFFLICTIONS AND PERSECVTIONS OF THE FAITHFVLL PREPARING THEM WITH PATIENCE TO SVFFER MARTYRDOME CHAP. I. Shewing That such as will live godly in Christ Jesus must needs suffer afflictions WE are all prone by nature to decline afflictions each one supposing to finde out some backe way to escape them First Some are of opinion that they can quit themselves by playing the Temporizers Secondly Others by hiding and concealing themselves Thirdly Another sort by flying from those places where Tyrants vexe and domineere Fourthly a fourth thinking to beare off blowes by their greatnes and credit they have gotten in the world Fifthly and lastly a fifth sort imagining to find some evasion either by reason of their allyes or good services which they have done dreaming forsooth that either these or the like projects should yeeld them good respect and preserve them from being called into question by those that hate them In a word which of us hath not some fetch or other to breake loose if he should be either examined or pursued This is the true cause that so few are prepared and carefull timely to foresee what belongs to suffering shame and disgrace for the truth as the discommodities of long imprisonment or what appertaines to the constant and patient bearing of hideous torments and death for the cause of the Gospell But alas all these are but as fig leaves and vaine hopes which being somwhat pleasing to the flesh do only dull and deceive us causing us to grow secure and carelesse and so unprovided to suffer till we be surprised and in safe custody in our enemies hands So that when we should be able to give a reason 1 Pet. 3. 15. of the hope that is in us we have not a word to say To prevent these so great inconveniences let us hold this for a sure principle That it is impossible to live godly and not suffer persecution For God hath so decreed that 2 Tim. 3. 12. Rom. 8. 20. if we will partake of the glory of his Sonne we must first be conformed to him in his sufferings Yea this is that strait gate and narrow way which leadeth unto life Through Mat. 7. 14. much tribulation we must enter into the Kingdome of God Acts 14. 22. and whosoever beares not the Crosse of Christ following him cannot be his Disciple The Apostle in Luke 14. 27. Heb. 12. 7. the Epistle to the Hebrewes plainly tels us That if we be children wee must taste of that discipline which God nurtures his withall in his Family It is and must be the portion of Gods beloved ones to live in this world as sheep amongst wolves Mat. 10. 16. Indeed if wee could live without sin we might then conceive some hope of freedome from the Crosse But whilest corrupt nature lives in us and brings forth such bitter fruits God hath and will in all ages raise up some Tyrant or other as means to mortifie and tame the pride and rebellion thereof Devils may as soone cease to be as that enmity should cease between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent As long as the Gen. 3. 15. Mat. 8. 24. Church continues to be Christs poore Barque in the salt sea of this world she must make her account to be tossed with storms and tempests of persecutions What should I say no Crowne is to be expected in Heaven if we will not fight the 2 Tim. 47. Psal 126. 5. 2 Cor. 4 10. good fight of faith here on earth nor to reap in joy if in this world we refuse to sow in teares The life of our Lord Iesus Christ cannot be manifest in us except we beare about in our body the dying of the Lord Iesus Let every Christian then hold this for certaine That when the world ceaseth to hate the Children of God and the Devill to envy them then may they looke and not before to live in the world without persecutions Hath not the Way the Life and the Truth said it In the world you shall have tribulation Iohn 16. 33. And therefore let not the great ones of the World thinke to be exempted out of this ranke more than the small For to the Saints and members of the true Church afflictions are even as ordinary as is Baptisme Faith and the Spirit of Adoption Was not Moses the adopted sonne of Pharaobs daughter saine to sly out of Aegypt to Exod. 2. 15. Act. 7. 29. Heb. 11. 27. 1 Sam. 26. 20 Saint Iereme in his Commentary upon Isaiah Dan 6. 16. save his life Was not David though anointed King hunted by Saul his pursuer as a Partridge into the mountaines Isaiah and Daniel were of the bloud Royall yet they escaped not the one from being cruelly rent in sunder with a Saw after he had preached to his Nation sixty yeares nor the other although next unto the King he swayed the affairs of the Babylonish Empire to be cast into the lyons den In the times of the great persecutions under Dioclesian the Emperour of Rome who were the first that were sacrificed but Nicomede and the principall Favourites of the Court Who is ignorant that two of the most noble Princes of our times that ever Germany had notwithstanding their munition and meanes were taken prisoners by the Emperour or held captive five or six yeares in great distresse What should I here mention Lady Iane Gray proclaimed Queene of England and yet cruelly put to death Or Thomas Cranmer Primate of England burned to ashes at Oxford Or the Lord Cobham that religious and valiant Knight hanged and burned hanging in Saint Giles in the fields All these with many more were apprehended and not long after put to death even then when they might seeme most to have flourished in the World Seeing then that neither age sex power nor place can secure us from suffering which are every where foretold in the holy Scriptures to abide us whether wee be high or low Act. 20. 23. let us in the name and feare of God prepare to take up the Crosse of Christ betimes learne we of the silly Ant in Summer to store up food against the cold and stormy Winter Prov. 6. 6. of Affliction Imitating those who dwelling in defenced cities are carefull to provide themselves of munition before they be besieged
And thus on the last of April which was eight moneths since Fournier was first imprisoned the Lieutenant Godet and the Abbat of All Saints with some others resorted to him declaring that they were willing now to set him at liberty entreating him now to forgive and forget that which was past that the Prince might sée how forward they were to gratifie him herein Fournier was brought into a Cathedrall Church not farre from the prison where he found the Captaine of the City with a great company of armed men ready to conduct him out of towne But the place was forthwith beset with people whom Bussi to that purpose had stirred up so that had it not béen for those who defended him within and an extraordinary showre of raine comming betwéene of long continuance which cause the greater part of the seditious to depart Fournier had hardly escaped their hands if a meanes had not béen found to let him out by a back doore It is here to be noted that upon the eighth day of October the Bishop of Chaalons calling Fournier into his garden endeavouring to turne him from the faith said I marvell how you being an ancient Doctor in Divinity of the age of fifty eight yeares and so well learned in the tongues should be thus led aside with these opinions giving credit so suddenly to the writings of Calvin and others To Calvin said Fournier you should rather have said by beléeving and giving credit to the Word of God Godet bestirring him and being now farre more willing to save the said Fourniers life than he had béen formerly to deprive him of it in the evening bringing him to his owne house and lodging him in his owne bed did what he could the next day very early to send for the keyes of the City gates Which when he could not obtain of Bussi who kept the gatesfast shut for feare of the Swart Ruttors he then endeavoured to bring the said Fournier secretly by a back way to an house néere to the gate of the said City so as at eleven of the clocke certaine Coaches going out he was shuffled out amidst them and himselfe brought him on the way about a quarter of a mile where he was by and by received by those who attended there for him with a charge to bring him to their Prince who at that time was in the Castle of Songz Where he was kindly welcommed of the said Lord and of all his friends besides having compassion on him in regard that now being fifty eight yeares old he had suffered so many hard encounters And within two dayes after he preached before the prince and all his Followers and the day following at the instant request of those of Vitri went thither to preach and baptise children the Prince being present there in his own person At length Fournier gathering a Church together at a place called Ver spent some small portion of time among his Flocke there with wonderfull fruit being sore weakned when he was in prison what with strait dyet and the extremity of the torture he soone after finished his course leaving to posterity a rare memory of his constancy and piety ¶ Savage cruelties committed upon the persons of the godly at Bar upon Seine SUch was the cruelty of the Executioners after they had slaine those of the religion that cleaving their bodies in twaine they stucke not to plucke their hearts thence as they lay upon the ground gnawing them betwéen their téeth and so reaching them from one to another saying now they knew they had eaten the heart of a Huguenot before they dyed ¶ The violent rage of the souldiers at Issondun who proceeded so far as to re-baptise the young Children of Protestants after the Popish manner THe souldiers in this City of Issondon tooke little children who had béene baptised by the Ministers of the Church there and caused them to be re-baptised by their Priests imposing upon them other names yea they re-baptised a girle of thirtéene yeares old whom they presented stark naked to the Font. Yet the yong Infants which began only to speake declared both by evident signes and words that they would not be re-baptised so as a girle of two yeares old being brought naked to the Font with much struggling cryed with a loud voice that their doings were too shamefull saying that she would not be baptised againe and therewithall strooke the Priest with all the power she had Also the son of Iean 〈◊〉 of the same age tooke the Priest by the beard and defended it selfe as well as it could But for all this the Priests would not give over ¶ Another barbarous cruelty committed by Anno 1563. the Pesants of Fresnay in the County of Main IN the village of Fresnay distant about some ten miles from the City of Mans a little after that those of the religion had forsaken the City a certaine Weaver called Hagannot who was wont to reade the prayers in the assembly among some few of the godly in that place was haled in the night out of his house by the Pesants there who having cut his throat afterward filled his mouth with the leaves of a new Testament which they found about him ¶ Execrable blasphemies and outrages committed in the City of Angiers A Company of rake-hels breaking into a merchants house found there many Bibles which they burned in the City but choosing out a great Bible amongst the rest gilt and faire ruled they fastned it upon the point of an halberd and going thence went in procession therewith through the high stréets of the City with a great cry saying Voila la veritié pendue la veritié des Huguenots la veritié de tout les Diables voila la Dieu le fort l'eternel parlara c. Lo here the truth hangeth the verity of the Huguenots the truth of all the devills lo here the God the mighty God hath spoken And in this manner they passed along untill they came to the bridge where they threw it into the river saying Behold the truth of all the devills drowned ¶ A strange course to make victuals cheape IN the City of Bloys whilest those of the religion were cruelly handled it so fell out that in such a disorder even the Romane Catholiques themselves dranke with them of the same cup in regard whreof complaint was made on both parts to the Duke of Guise in hope of some redresse His answer was that the Kingdome was but too much replenished with people and therefore his purpose was to cut off as many as he could that so all kinde of victuals might be sold better cheape ¶ An outrage done to poore women who met together to comfort one another THere was an honest woman of the City of Blois whose name was Nichole the wife of one Iohn le Manchet a maker of Sun-Dials in whose house certaine neighbours méeting together to comfort and edifie one another and to pray one with and for another
the head of the visible Church 9 Now O Christian brethren Iudge you of that which I have said and sée if you can discerne Truth from Error Truth leads you to life honour and blessednesse Error and lies to death and destruction Be now either servants of Truth or the slaves of Error For my part I will cleave to the truth of the Gospell and doe condemne all errors and lies let Montalchin die and live thou O Lord Iesus Then threw he downe his two burning torches one this way and another that way offering his hands to be tyed and bound which caused a great tumult among the people Montalchin was returned back again to prison Now Reader it will not be hard for thée to imagine what entertainment he found there whether or no the Popes * Which was to put the martyrs to death privily as was noted in the beginning of this history Decrée was executed to the full upon this worthy Confessor who in the face of the world did so nobly triumph over Satan and Antichrist his Lieutenant Conclusion ¶ The invincible constancy of the Martyrs tyred the Persecutors their fiery burning zeale dryed up the Rivers the slaughter of mens swords séemed to be blunted the Hangmens halters to be utterly spent and wasted c. A TRVE NARRATION Of a bloody massacre committed upon the Protestants by the Papists in the greater part of the Valtoline in the yeare 1620. after the new stile Published for a necessary admonition to all Estates wherein the Gospell is professed amongst the Papists and for an example to all true Christians of constancy in the Profession of the Holy GOSPELL MAT. 5. 10. Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven ¶ The true declaration of the Massacres of the Valtoline ALbeit that the Grison Lords being as it were the Soveraigne Magistrates had by sundry Decrées according to the common liberty of the two Religions in those countries granted that in the Countrey of Boalez a place belonging to thâ— territory of Tell there should be established a Church for the Religion which should receive the ordinary stipend which at that present was alloweâ—â—o other Churches of the Valtoline An. 1619. aâ— the moneth of May The Minister of the Church of Tell with the Ministers of Irian and Bruse together with the assistance of the principall Lords of Tyrano and Tegly did méet together in the said place of Boalez to preach in the Church of that place But so great was the multitude and concourse of the papists in that place in Armes that they were of necessity inforced to give over their purpose and at that time was Master Gaudentius Taches the Pastor of Bruse alâ—â—â—â— beaten to death with staves a young man â—â— Tyrano was slaine outright and others very cruelly handled by some of these villaines who by that occasion may worthily be called the first martyrs of the Country of Tyrano Within a short time after was murdered a servant of the Governour of that place where the rage and fury of those murderers grew unto that height that they did not only contemne the Proclamations published by the Governor but in Anno 1620. scorn and despite thereof they passed up and downe before the Palace threatening to kill the said governor and other principall persons of the Church of France Now for that the ordinary Magistrate of that place was not strong enough to represse the outrages and insolencies of those villaines from whom none could bee secure either in their houses or abroad by reason of the frequent attempts which they made upon the Protestants the rather for that they bordered néere upon a forraine jurisdiction to which they had recourse when they had committed any mischiefe the Governour was constrained to make his addresse for justice to the soveraigne Dabe of the countrey who about the midst of February anno 1620 granted a commission wherein were named these commissioners viz. the Lords Ioachinas Montalta at this time Vicar of the Valtoline Iohn Baptista of Salichi a Doctor of Law Ia. Rumel a captain Salomon Candeamma Buoli Landlaine of Tavos in the ten jurisdictions Dieteganus Fertmannus captaine of the Lordship of Meienfield and Iohn Andrea Miniardino for the Chancellorship c. By these persons besides the processes framed already by the Lords Iohn of Cappaul Governour of Tyrano and Andreo Enderlino of Tegly there were againe divers processes framed anew and upon the imprisonment and revealing of certain persons it was discovered and confessed there was a resolution made in the same place of Boalty to put to the sword not only the Preacher if he had preached but also all the people as many as professed the Gospell as they could light upon yea even the magistrate himselfe besides there were divers persons discovered and those of principall ranke who were the authors of those wicked and barbarous practises and had promised all possible ayde and assistance unto them And therefore the importance of the businesse being of great consequence it was thought expedient that those Lords Commissioners should return to Tavoz and report to the Court of justice which there resided all the businesse which resulted of these processes which they accordingly did about the midst of April last past Moreover they were intreated by divers noble persons of the protestant Church of the Valtoline that they would with all possible spéed provide a garrison of Grisons for the defence of the vally in regard that by the foresaid discovery they had great reason to feare a generall rebellion in case they should procéed to chastise the authors of those tumults and disorders and that such a businesse could not be without intelligence with the Spaniard and that so much the more likely that some certaine yeares agoe such another practise had bin discovered and attempted to be put in practise as came to passe 1584. and since of late All these businesses were considered but it was not possible to put same in effect for many reasons had it not béen that they received intelligence that a number of Spaniards approached néere to the thrée pleves which were places adjoyning to the Valtoline by which occasion the Magistrate and governors of the Valtoline were constrained to put a guard néere the trenches of Trahona and Morben about the Calends of Iuly 1620 thinking to secure the valley from the forraine enemy and that guard consisted of the Countrey-men and dwellers in the Valtoline this course wrought no other effect but that the Protestants by this meanes were inclosed in of all sides that they could not flée away on that side by the way already concluded but anticipated within eight daies which was the Sabboth day The ninth of Iuly 1620 followed the massacre in the countrey of Tyrane and Teglio as now since in Sondres a principall countrey of this Valley ¶ The massacre of Tyrane wherein were murthered about threescore persons THe beginning of their murthers was