CHAP. I.

THE Vaudois or the Inhabitants of the Vallies of Piemont, received the Doctrine of the Gospel, in the time of the Apostles, either from the Apostles [Page 5] themselves, or by those who immediate­ly succeeded them.

St. Paul being carried Prisoner to Rome, in the Reign of Nero, sojourned there two Years, during which space he had the Liberty to go round the City, from house to house dragging a Chain after him, which was the Badge of a criminal Prisoner, and there in the capi­tal City, Mistress of the world, he preached the Gospel of Christ, and laid the Foundation of a flourishing Church, to which he writ from Corinth, after his departure that excellent Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans: during his Imprison­ment he writ many other learned Epistles to Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians: His fame and doctrine sound­ed high in the Court of the Emperor, as it's clear from the Epistle that he then wrote from Rome to the Philippians, where he says, Phil. 1. 12. & 13. that what hapned to him there, proved the great advancement of the Gospel, so that his Bonds in Christ were become famous through all the Pretorium (which as every body knows was the Court of the Em­peror, and all other places of Rome.

This great Apostle having gained ma­ny Disciples in this famous City, God [Page 6] made them instruments of planting the Christian Religion in Italy, and in Pie­mont which is a part of Italy. For the hi­story of the Church tells us, that those whom God had illuminated with his holy doctrine, burnt with a desire of im­parting the saving grace, of which they did participate to others.

It it be true also that St. Paul perfor­med his voyage into Spain, as he designed, Rom. 15. 24. he took Rome in his way, it's not to be doubted, but that if he went by Land he passed through Piemont, for it's in the direct way from Rome to Spain. And if he went by Sea it was not necessary that in going from Corinth to Spain, he should pass by Italy; but he was at Corinth when he writ he had a desire to go into Spain. If he had passed through Piemont, as in all appearance he did, it's certain he preached there, for he preach­ed every where where he came.

Since the Valleys of Piemont were enlightned with the bright Rays of the Gospel, the Inhabitants of these Countries have conserved the purity of the Christian Religion without any mixture of humane traditions, they ne­ver had any Images or Altars in their Churches; they never invoked the [Page 7] Angels or Saints, never believed in Pur­gatory, they never acknowledged other mediator than Jesus Christ, nor other merit than that of his Death; One never heard them speak of the Mass, of auri­cular Confession, of Abstinence from certain sorts of meat, of the Celibacy of Priests, of the Doctrine of Transubstan­tiation; they always held the H. Scri­ptures to be the perpetual rule of Faith, and would never receive or believe any thing, but what they taught; and their Doctrine was always the same it is now. This is proved clearly from the Acts that were preserved from the Flames, that reduced their Churches and houses into Ashes, among the which, there is one writ in their vulgar tongue in the Year 1100. called the Lesson, because it gives the rules of holy living and good works, besides a Catechism of the same Year, where in question and answer are taught the principal mysteries of the Christian Religion, according to the word of God, without any mixture of Traditions; besides an explication of the Lords prayer; in the Year 1120. and an explication of the Apostles Creed, with several passages of the H. Scripture ex­plaining ever article; to which is joyned [Page 8] an explication of the ten Command­ments in short; a little book entituled, A Treatise of Antichrist.

These three Acts were made, in the Year 1120. the last of these Treatises shews, that all those are Antichrists that teach Doctrines contrary to the word of God. They confute the doctrine of Prayers for the dead, Purgatory, Auricu­lar Confession, Abstinence from Flesh, and reject all traditions that are not in the word of God, and are not conform­able to it.

When these acts were made, the Christian doctrine was not corrupted every where, there were then many persons in France, Germany and England, who wrote against the errors which were by Rome and her Doctors introduced into the Church. If the purity of the Christi­an Religion had not been conserved in tehse Valleys of Piemont, from the time of the Apostles, till the beginning of the Eleventh age, in which these Acts were made, how had it been possible for them to have made so many famous acts in which the purity of the Christian Re­ligion is so clearly taught? If they had before received the errors of Rome, by whom, and when were these errors [Page 9] purg'd out of the Churches of Piemont? Who was the Reformer? Where are the Acts that speak of this Reformation, that they may be produced? If there be none, then there was never any reform, and by a clear consequence the Christian Re­ligion, has remained from the time that the Vaudois received it, such as is con­tained in those Acts, till the time that these Acts were made.

In the ninth age, about two hundred years before these acts were made, lived Claudius of Turin, Bishop of that City and the Valleys, who writ sharply a­gainst the errors of the Church of Rome; this Bishop condemned the Invocation of the Saints, the worshipping of Images, of Reliques, and the Cross: he main­tained the doctrine of St. Augustine con­cerning grace, and by consequence he rejected the merit of good works; he taught that the Salvation of mankind doth wholly depend upon the merits and death of Christ; he condemned likewise Pilgrimages made to Rome, which the Monks brought into request. His whole Diocess, according to the wri­tings of a learned man, followed exactly his Doctrine, the Sheep lovingly follow­ing the Shepherd. The doctrine of Tran­substantiation [Page 10] was not in his time recei­ved in France, except in some few Bi­shopricks; the greatest stream of writers did strongly oppose it; they did receive the Communion under both kinds, they did not adore the Sacrament, they read the Holy Scriptures, and taught it their children; they made no direct Prayers to Saints as they have done since; they attributed all to the grace and mercy of God.

The Christian Religion being pure in Piemont in the ninth age, as it appears by the writings of Claudius of Turin; there is no doubt to be made of its conserving it self so till the eleventh age, in which those acts of which we have spoken were made. So we cannot learn from any Historian that those Valleys were either before or after the time of this great Bishop reformed; and we see clearly by indubitable acts, that two hundred years after the same Religion was in those Valleys in its purity, with­out the allay of humane Traditions and Ceremonies; and the greatest enemies of the Vandois, for all their boasting, are not able to shew the contrary.

But above all, the purity of their Re­ligion appeared by that excellent profes­sion [Page 11] of their Faith, made in the year 1120, more than 50 years before Waldo of Lyons. The Articles are as follow.

I. We believe and firmly hold all that is contained in the twelve Articles of the Symbol of the Apostles, holding for Heresie all do­ctrine thut doth not agree with the foresaid Articles.

II. We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

III. We hold for Holy and Canonical Scri­ptures the Books of the Holy Bible; the five Books of Moses, which are, Genesis, Exo­dus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuterono­my, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 of Kings, 2 of Kings, 1 of Cronicles, 2 of Cronicles, 1 Esdras, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, the Book of Psalms, the Proverbs of Solomon, Ec­clesiastes, the Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ezechiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonas, Micah, Nahum, Hab­bakkuk, Sophoniah, Hagge, Zacha­riah, Malachiah.

After follow the Apocryphal Books, which are not received by the Jews, but we read them, as Jerome says in his Preface to the Proverbs, for the instruction of the people, but not to confirm the authority of Eccle­siastical [Page 12] Doctrine. The Apocryphal Books are as follow.

The third of Esdras, the fourth of Esdras, Tobie, Judith, Wisdome, Ecclesiasti­cus, Baruc, with the Epistle of Jeremiah, Esther from the tenth Chapter to the end; the History of Susanna, the History of the Dragon, the first of Maccabees, the second of Maccabees.

The Books of the New Testament. The Gospel of St. Matthew, of St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John, The Acts of the Apostles, The Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, the first to the Corinthians, the second to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, the 1 to the Thessalonians, the 2 to the Thessalonians, the 1 to Timo­thy, the 2 to Timothy, to Titus, to Phile­mon, to the Hebrews, the first Epistle of St. Peter, the second Epistle of St. Peter, the first Epistle of St. John, the second Epi­stle of St. John, the third Epistle of St. John, the Epistle of St. Jude, the Revelations of St. John.

IV. The foresaid Books teach this, That there is one God Almighty, all wisdom and goodness, and who by his power has created all things; who made Adam according to his own Image, but by the malice of the Devil, [Page 13] and the disobedience of Adam, Sin entred into the World; and that we are Sinners in Adam, and by Adam.

V. That it was promised to the Fathers who received the Law, that by the Law knowing their sins, and their own defect of Iustice, and their inability of keeping it, that they should de­sire the coming of Christ, to satisfie for their sins, and to accomplish the Law in his own person.

VI. That Christ was born at the time ordained by the father, viz. when all iniquity abounded, and not for the good works of any, for all were sinners.

VII. That Christ is truth, life, justice, peace, our pastor, advocate, oblation, sacri­ficer, that he is dead for the salvation of all believers, and that he rose for their justifi­cation.

VIII. Likewise we firmly believe that there is no other advocate or mediator for us sinners to the Father but Iesus Christ, and that the blessed Virgin was holy, humble, full of grace, and the same we believe of all other Saints; and that they expect in heaven the resurrecti­on of the body at the dayf Iudgment.

IX. Item, We believe that after this life that there are but two places, one for those that are saved, which we call Paradice, and another for those that ae damned, which we [Page 14] call Hell; totally renouncing the doctrine of Purgatory, invented by Antichrist and his Ministers.

X. Item, We have always believed that it was an abomination, of which we ought not to speak in the presence of God, and invented by men, viz. the doctrine of Feasts and Vigils, of Saints, of Holy Water, of abstinence from flesh and other meats upon certain days; and above all the doctrine of the Mass.

XI. We have in abomination humane tra­ditions, as being Antichristian, and of great prejudice to the liberty of the Spirit.

XII. We believe that the Sacraments are the signs or visible forms of holy things, belie­ving that from time to time the faithful should make use of those holy signs or visible forms if they can; but nevertheless we believe that the faithful may be saved if they never received the foresaid signs or visible forms, when they could not have an opportunity of receiving them.

XIII. We never knew of any other Sacra­ments than Baptism and the Supper of our Lord.

XIV. We owe honour to all superiour powers, in paying them subjection, obedience and tribute with alacrity.

[Page 15] It's now 570 years since this confessi­on of Faith was made by the Churches of Piemont, at which time all other Churches were corrupted, by the mix­ture of humane doctrine and Pagan Ce­remonies; the world at that time being overspread with an Aegyptian darkness, and so the Authors of both Religions agree, in calling that age the dark age.

This confession of Faith being drawn from the writings of the holy Apostles, and in every respect conformable to their Doctrine, it follows, by a necessary consequence that the Religion of the Vaudois is the true and pure Religion of the Apostles, and that they have always kept it pure from the first receiving of it till the beginning of the eleventh age, and from thence till these times, since, they now profess the same Faith, and teach the same Doctrine that was con­tained in that famous confession. All other Churches, both of the East and West being infected with divers Heresies, Satan for to hinder the advancement of the Reign of Jesus Christ, has from time to time stirred up false Teachers, who have sown their cursed Seed in the field of our Lord, and by their false Doctrine, varnished over with a seeming [Page 16] Piety. have corrupted the doctrine of the Gospel: This is what our Saviour foretold, saying to his Disciples, that false Christs and false Prophets would arise, and would do signs and wonders to deceive if it were possible the elect; &c. St. Peter (2 Ep. C. 2. 1, 2, 3.) pro­phesied the same thing, there has been false Prophets among the people, as likewise there will be among you false Teachers, who shall privately introduce Sects of perdition, and shall deny the Lord who hath redeemed them, bringing upon them sudden perdition, and ma­ny shall follow them, by which the ways of Truth shall be blasphemed: But O the wonderful works of God! who has conserved by his wise Provi­dence, the purity of his Religion in the Valleys of Piemont, from the time of the Apostles to our time, by a singular effect of his Goodness towards these poor people of the Vallys, and has hin­dered that Satan by his false Doctors and Teachers could not sow the Cockle of their poysonous Doctrine, in the mystical field of his Church. Notwithstanding all their crafty endeavours, God in spight of the Devil and all his works has kept among these Mountains and Deserts the [Page 17] bright light of his Gospel, and has ne­ver suffered the candle to be extinguished and the great wonders that God has done from time to time to keep his bright Lamp always shining clear to these happy countries, makes it evident that this is the place which God (Apoc. 12) has prepared to keep and defend his Church in, against the furious At­taques of the infernal Dragon, who gave his power and throne to the Beast, to make war against the Saints and to van­quish them. For this is the true Desart where the woman (Apoc. 12. 6.) cloathed with the Sun, with the Moon under her feet, crowned with twelve Stars, made her retreat, where God had pre­pared her a place where she might be nourished 1260 prophetical days, which make 1260 years; where God Almighty has kept her safe against all the storms raised by Satan without any effect, till the year 1686, the term of the Prophecy of the eleventh Chapter of the Revelations was accomplished; it was then that the Beast which rose out of the deeps van­quished them and killed them. In ano­ther place we shall speak of these two Witnesses, when we shall shew when it was that these poor people were driven [Page 18] out of their. Country, and when and how it was that they were re-established by the Duke of Savoy, their Soveraign Prince.

The Vaudois in the second Article of their faith, hold the Holy Scripture for their rule of faith, and so do teach that nothing is to be believed as an Article of Faith that they do not prove by clear proofs of Scripture, and so in the tenth and eleventh Articles they reject all hu­mane traditions as abominations, and they acknowledge only two Sacraments, viz. Baptism and the Eucharist. In the thirteenth Article they give us a scant­ling of their doctrine, where they say thus, The Sacraments, according to St. Augustine in his City of God, is an invisible grace represented by a visible thing, and they say there is a [...] great deal of difference between the sign and the thing signified. The first Sacrament is called Baptism, viz. a washing or sprinkling of Water, which must be ad­ministred in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Behold here also that which is found in the Book of Antichrist, relating to Baptism. This Book was made in the year 1120, as we have said before.

[Page 19] Those things which are not necessary in the administration of Baptism are exorcisms, insufflations; the sign of the Cross upon the Head and Breast of the Infant, Salt which is put in the Childs mouth, Spittle into the Ears and Nose, the Crysmatical unction upon the Head, and all such like things consecrated by the Bishops: They like­wise say it's unnecessary to put a lighted Torch in the Childs hand, and after Baptism to put on it a white garment, or to bless the Water, or to dip it thrice, or to have Godfathers and Godmothers. All these things done in the administra­tion of the Sacraments, they say are not of the substance of Baptism, and by consequence unnecessary.

Behold likewise here what they say of the Supper of our Lord, in the same Book of Antichrist as Baptism, which is taken visibly, and visibly administred, is, as it were, an enrolling one in the company of the Faithful; and obliges them to follow Jesus Christ, and ob­serve his Commandments, and to live up to the rules of the Gospel; so like­wise the Holy Supper and the Holy Communion of our Saviour, the break­ing of Bread and the giving of thanks is a [Page 20] visible Communion performed by the members of Jesus Christ: For those that take and break the same bread, are one body and are members one of another, planted in him, to whom they protest and promise to persevere in his service even to the end, without leaving the Faith of the Gospel, or the Union that they have all promised to God, through and by Jesus Christ. And in the same Book of Antichrist.

The eating of the Sacramental Bread is the eating of the Body of Christ in figure only, as often as you shall do this, do it in remembrance of me; for if it were not a Spiritual Eating, Christ would be obliged to be eaten continually, and he in truth eats Christ, who believes in him; and Christ says, That to eat him is to dwell in him.

From whence it follows that the Vau­dois did not believe Transubstantiation, nor the Oral and Corporal Eating of the Body of Christ, but that the signs in the Supper of our Lord remained as they were before in substance, before they were employed to this holy use; and that as often as they received these visible signs by their mouth, they re­ceived, by faith, the vertue and efficacy [Page 21] of the Body of Jesus Christ, broke up­on the Cross, signified by the breaking of Bread, and of his Blood that was spilt, signified and represented by the pouring of the Wine into the Cup, and that by this action, they celebrated the memory of the death of Christ, and obeyed his Commandment, Do this in remembrance of me: Words that St. Paul explains in this manner, As often as you shall eat of this Bread, and drink of this Cup, you declare and commemorate the death of the Lord, till he come.

If the Vaudois have conserved the pu­rity of the Christian Religion, from the time of the Apostles, till the beginning of the Eleventh Age, as we have shewn by their Confession of Faith, which they made at the beginning of that Age, they have not kept it less pure from that time till our days, as we shall prove by another Confession of Faith, which they made in the year 1655. After the Massacre, which all Christendom has heard spoken of with horror and dete­station, and of which we shall speak hereafter.

[Page 22] A short Confession of the Faith of the Churches of Piemont, published with their Manifesto, after the dreadful Massacres of the Year 1655.

CHAP. III.

BUT if they have succeeded the Apostles, as to their Doctrine, they likewise succeeded it as to the Order and Government of the Church. In the Primitive Church, Acts 20. The Apostles established for the government of it, Elders, Ephes. 4. 11. and Deacons, as we may learn, as well from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, as from their Epistles, Tit. 1. 5, 6. the Pastors are likewise called Bishops and Elders, 1 Tim. 3. they are called Pastors because they are to feed the Flock of Christ, which are his Sheep, with the good Word of God; they are called Bishops, which signifies Inspectors or Watchers, because they are to watch and take care of the Flock which is committed to their charge; they are called Elders, be­cause they ought to be Sage and Pru­dent, [Page 32] and edifie those that are committed to them by their good life and conduct; and so there were two sorts of Elders in the Primitive Church, the one la­boured in the Government of the Church only, and the other, besides the care they had of the affairs of the Church, took also pains in Preaching and Explaining the Word, 1 Tim. 5. 17. The Deacons had the care of the Poor, and Pastors, Elders, and Deacons altoge­ther had the government of the Church. This is the Discipline that the Churches of Piemont have always kept, as one may see in their ancient Manuscripts, translated out of their Language into French, and treated of succinctly in the Cap. 31. of the First Part of the General History of the Churches of the Vaudois; in which writing it's said, the Churches there have always had Pastors, Elders and Deacons to govern them, as they had till the year 1686. when they were dispersed. The Pastors employed them­selves to instruct and exhort the people to live well and holily, and the Pastors, Elders and Deacons altogether watched over their Flock, to banish all vice and scandal. It was requisite that the Gover­nors of the Church should be of a good [Page 33] Life and holy Conversation, for to edi­fie others by their good Example. There were Schools kept to breed up Youth in piety: There was likewise a particular School for to instruct those that aspired to the Ministry, where was taught Di­vinity. They made the young Scholars learn by heart all the Chapters of the Gospels according to St. Matthew, and St. Iohn, and all the Canonical Epistles, and a good part of the Writings of So­lomon, David, and the Prophets. There came to this School, young men out of Bohemia, and other places where the people of God dwelt and retained the profession of the ancient verity, to be instructed in the Ministry.

The Vaudois were not only pure, as to their Doctrine, but likewise as to their Manners, even their Adversaries witness the same. Reynerus Sacco, who was one of the first Inquisitors, imployed by Rome against those of the Valleys, speaks thus of them in his Relation which he made of them to the Court of Rome.

After he had told that Court that the Sect of the Vaudois was the eldest that had ever been, it beginning in the time of the Apostles, or at least of Sylvester; he adds touching their Manners, that [Page 34] whereas all other Sects did strike the hear­ers with horror of their many Blasphe­mies against God, that this of the Val­leys made great demonstration of piety, for they live justly before the face of the World: and in Chap. 7. of his Book, he says the Vaudois are chast. The Pre­sident Du, Thou, commonly called Tua­anus, in Chap 27. of his History, says, that the Vaudois observe the Ten Com­mandments of the Law, which gives the rule of living holily and piously, they give no entertainment to any sort of Vices in their Assemblies, they have in horror and detest all sorts of unlawful Oaths, Perjuries, Wicked Imprecations, Quarrels, Seditions, Debauches, Drun­kenness, Whoring, Inchantments, Sa­crileges, Thest, Usury, Witchcraft, and the like.

And Claudis de Seissel, Archbishop of Turin, in the Book he wrote against the Vaudois, in the year 1500. confesses in formal terms, that as to their Life and Manners, they live in the world with­out reproach, observing with all their power the Commandments of God. We could alledge many other authori­ties of the bitterest Enemies of the Vaudois, which they give of their good [Page 35] life and conversation; but the curious may find them in the General History of the Vaudois, if they think these be not sufficient.

CHAP. IV.

WE cannot find in the Ecclesiasti­cal Histories the Vaudois, or Christians of the Valleys of Piemont were persecuted under the reigns of Nero, Domitian, or any other of the Pa­gan Emperors, who so cruelly persecu­ted the Christians; it's therefore pro­bable, that during those cruel persecuti­ons, many faithful Christians retired unto these Valleys to escape persecution, and to save themselves from the bloody hands of those cruel Butchers, as we saw in France, during the last persecuti­on, that many of the Reformed Reli­gion fled into the Woods, Mountains, and hid themselves in Caverns and Rocks to save themselves from the hands of the cruel and pitiless Dragoons, [Page 36] and to avoid, by their flight, the danger of renouncing their Religion: So the Church, which is represented by the Woman, is at the same time, Rev. 12. described flying into the Wilderness from the fury of the Dragon. And is there a more dreadful Wilderness than the Mountains of the Alpes, which are covered with Snow eight or nine months of the year, amongst which are these Valleys. It's said, that in the Desart, the Woman had a place prepared of God for her, where she might be nou­rished 1260 days. The Valleys, have they not been the place which God has prepared to keep his Church safe in? since the true Church has been always conserved here from the time of the Apostles, even to our days, without any interruption or want of successi­on; that while the whole world ran after the Beast, only the Inhabitants of these Valleys followed Jesus Christ, &c. walked according to the truth of his Gospel. This was the true land of Goshen, which only was enlightned with Cele­stial Light, while the New Aegypt was all covered over with the thick and palpable darkness of Ignorance and Errors; so they had for their Arms a Torch lighted, [Page 37] surrounded with thick Darkness, with this Inscription, Lux lucet in Tenebris.

That which still more perswades us, that these Valleys of Piemont was the place which God had prepared to keep his Church in, is, that first of all, these Churches of the Valleys have enjoyed a continual peace and perfect repose, after the beginning of the first age that the Papal Empire began to erect its Throne, till towards the end of the fifteenth age, viz. till the year 1487. that Pope Innocent the eighth, made (as they called it) a Holy War against them to destroy them. Secondly It was then, when their Enemies would have destroyed them by force of Arms, which they endeavoured several times; but God gave them so great and signal Victories, that it was visible, that the God of Battle, and the Lord of Hosts covered their Heads and fought with them, and for them; and in conclusion, when under pretence of Treaties of Peace, and Solemn Parole that was given them, that they should fear no­thing, they were lulled asleep and sur­prized, where cruel Massacres were made of these poor Innocents, deceived by the perfidiousness and treachery of their [Page 38] Enemies, notwithstanding all these Massacres, Cruelties and Barbarities, which were exercised on their Persons, and ravaging of the Country, burning and spoiling their houses and goods, they could never destroy them, they have always persisted in their holy Religion, and continued firm in the Faith of Jesus Christ, from Father to Son, from Generation to Generation; and as they were faithful to God, God has always protected them and assisted them in their greatest miseries; God by his infi­nite power has confounded the designs of their Enemies, and rendred their strongest Efforts inefficacious.

We have told you that the Vaudois of of Piemont having lived in Peace and and Repose in their Valleys, till the year 1487. which is very true, notwith­standing the Inquisition of the Pope against them, for although the Arch­bishops of Turin and Ambrun, to whom the Pope had given commission, to inform themselves of their State and Condition, and to proceed by any manner of way to their Extirpation; and went themselves into the Valleys, and cited divers times their Pastors, and the principal Inhabitants, and took [Page 39] Informations against them, proceeding against them even to Excommunication: These proceedings, notwithstanding, did them no great harm, nor troubled their repose, for they never appeared before the Inquisitors, and set light of their Excommunication, and rather took it for a mark of Gods blessing upon them, who had distinguished them from other people who followed the Beast, and adored his Image; since they themselves alone, when all the world was in a manner lost, followed and adored Jesus Christ.

And this is very remarkable, that they enjoyed a profound peace, while their Brethren, the Vaudois of France, Germany, England, Spain and Italy, were greatly persecuted by the Enemies of the truth of the Gospel; and while the other Vaudois were dispersed by Wars and Persecutions, which their Enemies raised against them, the Vaudois of Pie­mont by a particular effect of the divine Goodness, always were safe in their Valleys, notwithstanding all Wars and Persecutions which were raised against them, till the year 1686. that the two witnesses of the eleventh Chapter of the Apocalypse were entirely vanquished and slain.

CHAP. V.

THE first War that was made a­gainst the Vaudois of Piemont, was in the Year 1487. that Albert de Capita­neis Archdeacon of Cremona and Nuntio of Pope Innocent VIII. having received Commission from his Master to make a Croisade, or holy war for the utter Ex­tirpation of these poor people. This Papal Commissary excited by Vertue of his Bull, the Duke of Savoy Prince of Piemont, the King of France, and all the Neighbouring Princes for to aid him, and to lend their Troops for their Extir­pation, he mustered an army of 18. thousand men, besides five or six thou­sand Voluntiers of Piemont, who came in great bodies to joyn this Army: for besides that, the Pope promised all those that should go to this War, a full and entire Indulgence and Remission of their [Page 41] Sins; they were likewise made to hope, they should have the pillage of these Valleys, and the confiscation of all their Goods, who should be dispos­sessed.

This great Army divided it self into several Bodies, to attacque the Vaudois in different places, which they did with great Fury: But though the Vaudois were but few in number in respect of their Enemies and not so well experi­enc'd in warlike Affairs, having lived many Ages in peace, notwithstanding they sustained with an invincible cou­rage the dangerous Efforts of the inraged Enemy; and God who sought for them, who most ardently invoked him, struck their Enemies with a pannick Fear, in such a manner, that by the aid of Hea­ven this formidable Army was repulsed, dispersed, and almost intirely defeated: The broken remains of this Army which stayed upon the Frontiers, durst attacque them no more among their Rocks, they contented themselves almost a whole year to make excursions into the open and plain Countries and to keep them always in an Alarm, which was ex­treamly prejudicial to these poor peo­ple, because they were obliged to be [Page 42] always ready armed to keep themselves from surprize; so that they could not till the Earth, from which they drew the subsistence of themselves and their Families.

Philip VII. Duke of Savoy and Prince of Piemont, considering that this war was little honourable to him, seeing the bad success that did ensue, and that it was very prejudicial to his Subjects, and particularly those of the Roman Communion, of which a great number perished in the war, and that others were very much exhausted by the Troops which they had entertained and given Subsistence to, was resolved to put an end to it, and to this purpose he ordered that twelve of them should come to Pignerol, the place where he then kept his abode, which they having done, he received them kindly, and passed an Act of oblivion of all that had passed during the War, and avow­ed to them that he acknowledged he had been ill informed, not only of what related to their Persons, but also of their Religion, and declared publickly that he had none so good or so obedient Subjects as the Vaudois; he confirmed all their Priviledges and Immunities, [Page 43] and promised them that for the future he would take those measures that they should live in peace.

The Inquisitors established by the Pope being frustrated of their expecta­tion of prevailing against the Vaudois by an open war, take other measures to destroy them. If they went out of their Country, they made them be seized on and put in Prison, making use of the secular power to this end, and when they had them there, they either let them perish there, or else condemned them to Death.

The Inquisitors likewise by threat­nings, forced Margarite de Foix, Sove­raign Lady of the Marquesate of Saluzzo, to persecute the Vaudois that were in her Marquisate; the Persecution was so great and so cruel that these poor Prote­stants were forced to leave house and home and to save themselves in the Valely of Lucerne, without carrying any thing off but their precious Souls, there they stayed five years in this miserable Condition, during which time they perpetually plyed the Duke of Savoy with humble Supplications, that he would be pleased to mediate for them, that they might berestored to their own [Page 44] Country, and that the unjust Usurpers of their Lands and Goods, might be forced to restore: But at last, seeing all Prayers and Submissions did serve to no purpose, because of the opposition of the Pope, the Clergy, and above all of the Inquisitors; they resolved to take up Arms, and to endeavour to repossess themselves of their Lands and Goods, and that which gave them the greater courage and boldness to do it, was because they were chased out by Force, with­out any order of their Soveraign Lady. This Enterprize was attended with a happy Success, on a sudden they invaded the Usurpers of their Goods, they chased them away and frighted them so, that they never attempted more a re­turn; and these poor Vaudois after this happy Exploit, for at least a hundred years after, enjoyed a profound Peace and Liberty of their Religion through all the Marquisate.

CHAP. VI.

PHilip VII. Duke of Savoy, being dead, Charles his Son succeeded him. This Prince was mightily im­portuned by the Archbishop and Inqui­sitor of Turin, to deliver over to the secular power his Subjects of the reformed Religion, he gave commission to Don Pentaleon Bressour Lord of Roche­plate to war against them, in the Year 1534.

This Nobleman having chosen 1500. select men out of all the Troops of the Duke, when the Vaudois thought them­selves most secure, having not the least Suspition of their Enemies Intention, he suddenly attacqued them, surprizing, killing, and massacring, all that came in his way, without sparing Age or Sex, which caused a great consternation in these Valleys; but at last these people resuming their innate courage, mustered [Page 46] together, and put themselves in so good order, that the day following, as their Enemies thought of marching on, and continuing their Butcheries all along the Valley of Lucerne, they charged them so couragiously in the Rear and in the Front, and in the Flank, that a great number of these Massacrers were killed upon the field, others saved themselves by flight, leaving behind them the booty, and the Prisoners they had taken from the Vaudois.

When the Duke of Savoy saw that the Skin of a Vaudois cost him twenty Roman Catholicks, he would not permit they should be any more persecuted by open force of Arms, but that more se­cret means should be taken, as less dan­gerous; to bring this about, he esta­blished certain Troops of Highway-men and Assassins, who laid in Ambuscado in places proper for their design, and when the Vaudois descended from the Mountains, or went out of the Valleys about their affairs, they were presently seized on; many for a long time fell into these Snares, and became the Prey of those Villains, who after they had ransomed them, notwithstanding took away their lives by most exquisite tor­ments. [Page 47] Catalan Gerard, of St. John in the Valley of Lucerne, was one of those who fell into their hands, he was burnt alive at Revel, a City of Piemont, and suffered death with an admirable con­stancy.

CHAP. VII.

FRancis the First, King of France, having made himself Master of Piemont, and dispoiled the Duke of Savoy of his Principality, in the year 1536. as well he, as the Pope incited the Parliament of Turin to proceed against the Vaudois, as against Pernicious Hereticks, in obe­dience to whom they raised a great per­secution, imitating in that, the Parlia­ments of France, who persecuted those of the Reformed Religion. These poor people had recourse to the King, pre­senting him an Humble Petition, ho­ping to obtain some favour from this [Page 48] their new Lord and Master, and so much the more because it's the custom among Princes, to pretend a great kind­ness and tenderness for their new sub­jects, to engage them the more in their service. But this did but worsen their condition, for the King commanded them to live according to the Laws of the Roman Church, telling them, that if they did not obey his Order, he would severely punish them as obstinate He­reticks, telling them that he did not burn them in France, to suffer them in the Alpes.

The Parliament of Turin being en­couraged by this severe Answer, pre­sently enjoyned the Vaudois to put away from them their Ministers, and to re­ceive in their places Priests, who should come and say Mass to them: They an­swered it was impossible to obey Orders so contrary to the Word of God; that they were willing to give Caesar what appertained to Caesar, as they had always done, but that they would likewise give to God the things that belong to God, and that in this case they were resolved, according to the examples of the Apo­stles, rather to obey God than man, and rather hold themselves to the Word of [Page 49] God, than the traditions of man.

The King then having many affairs upon his shoulders, the Parliament judg­ed it not proper to undertake an Open War against them, but they contented themselves to give Orders to the Judges and Magistrates to assist vigorously the Monks and Inquisitors, and to burn all the Vaudois that should fall into their hands; many laid down their lives this way, but with admirable constancy; above all, Bartholomew Hector, who was publickly burnt at Turin, in the year 1555. who by an edifying death, drew a flood of tears, even from the multitude of the Papists, and not content only with tears, they greatly murmured, and made sharp invectives against the cruel­ty of the Monks and Inquisitors.

In the year 1557. Mr. Varaille, an ex­cellent Minister of Angrougne, unfortu­nately falling into their hands, was pub­lickly burned in the Castle-yard, singing with a loud voice the praises of God in the middle of the flames, even to the last breath. This same year Nicholas Sartoris, Student in Divinity at Geneva, having a mind to visit his Country, was taken in the Valley of Auste, and accused of Heresie, and the enemies of the [Page 50] truth seeing they could not draw him by flattery, nor shake him by threats, ordered him to be burnt alive, and so he died a glorious death.

CHAP. VIII.

EManuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, and Successor of Charles, having reco­vered his Estates by the General Peace, in the year 1559. was spurred on by the Monks and Regulars of Pignerol, to condemn the Vaudois to be burnt, and their goods confiscated, and given for a recompence to the Instruments of their ruine.

These poor people, seeing themselves upon the brink of ruin and desolation, after their recourse to him who has the heart of Kings in his hand, by their Prayers, Fastings and Humiliations, they went and cast themselves at the feet of the Duke of Savoy, their Prince, and [Page 51] presented an Humble Petition to him, tending to this, that he would let them live, and enjoy a free exercise of their Religion; they presented another of the same tenure to the Dutchess his Wife, who had a great share in the knowledge of truth, and who always shewed a great tenderness for them.

But it was all to no purpose, the Pope and the King of Spain, to whom the Duke of Savoy was extreamly ob­liged, because they had contributed their utmost endeavours to re-establish him in his Dominions, sollicited this Prince, very pressingly, to destroy the Vaudois, who contrary to his own inte­rests, was easily perswaded, at the desire of the Monks, who continually sollicited him to make War upon them.

While in the interim, they endea­voured to sweeten their Prince, and by their humble requests, to turn off the storm which threatned them; the Sol­diers of the neighbouring Towns surpri­zed the borough of St. German, by the assistance of the darkness of the night; the Protestants of this place, in so dan­gerous a conjuncture, thought of nothing but saving their persons, the greatest part, in their Shirts, ran to the neigh­bouring [Page 52] Mountains, except twenty five, who being in the houses that were far­thest off, were by consequence the far­thest from this retreat. These seeing they had not time to fly, cast them­selves upon their Knees, and making a short but ardent prayer to God in sight of their Enemies, went to attaque them with that courage and resolution, that they put them all to flight, a great ma­ny were killed upon the spot, and God striking the rest with a pannick fear, a great many through their hasty flight, fell into the River of Cluson, and there perished miserably.

The Duke of Savoy, assisted by the Pope, Spain, and France, raised a power­ful Army against the Vaudois, and made General of it the Count De la Trinita, who seeing this People weakned and shaken with so many furious shocks of Wars and Persecution, did not doubt of bringing his designs speedily to his desired effect, and to extirpate the Vaudois root and branch: He had re­course to Politicks and Stratagems, be­fore he would make use of open force; in short, he sent for the Ministers and Guides of the Churches, he exhorted them to lay down their Arms, and to [Page 53] bring them to him; on the one side he represented unto them the great dangers they were ready to be precipitated into, if they did not submit themselves to the will of their Prince, seeing the great forces which he had to compel them, which it was impossible for them to withstand: That the Pope, the King of Spain, the King of France had engaged the Duke in this War, and did lend him their Troops, that the General Peace being made, they would employ all their forces to destroy them if they would not submit and obey. On the other hand he made them specious and advantagious propositions, giving them hopes, that if they would submit to the will of their Prince, they should enjoy peace, and live in liberty, with all their ancient priviledges: Many were shaken and frighted by the treacherous discourse of this Lord; who seeing them divided, some being willing to submit to save their lives and fortunes to the will of their Prince, others being of a different sentiment, because of the dangerous consequences they foresaw this submis­sion might draw after it. In this dubi­ous estate of their affairs, he took his opportunity, he laid ambushes for them [Page 54] in several places; and having surprized them in small parties, he made a cruel butchery without any resistance, exerci­sing all sorts of cruelties against these innocent Lambs, who were betrayed by trusting to his sugared words.

This barbarous treachery cast these people into an inexpressible consternati­on; but three hundred of those that escaped from the massacre, being as­sembled together by the favour of the night, and being fortified by little and little by their brethren, who were dif­fident of the Counts promises, and had saved themselves in the Mountains; with this little Troop of the Vaudois God did such wonders as almost seem incredible, if we had not seen what their Successors have done in the wars of the year 1655. and 1664. and the last year, when seven or 800 Vaudois crossed all Savoy, which was then all in Arms, and forced several Passes kept by the Regu­lar Troops of France, and Savoy, and in spight of their Enemies entred into their own Country, and there have endured fifteen or sixteen bloody fights, which fully perswades us that God is with this people, and fought for them, and with them; without whose wonderful help [Page 55] it was impossible they should have per­formed such extraordinary exploits.

The day after this treachery, the Count Del a Trinita employed his Army from morning till night in spoyling and ransacking all the places in the Valley of Lucerne, of which he had made himself Master, after which he marched with seven or eight thousand select men as high as Angrogne, towards the place call­ed the Meadow of the Tower, where the greatest part of the Families of these poor Vaudois were retired, as to the strongest Sanctuary or Azilum they could find in all the Valley of Lucerne.

He attacqued them in this place by three several ways, and gave them no time of respite for four days, one assault was no sooner repulsed, but he gave another with fresh Troops, without gaining any advantage: In these assaults he lost two Collonels, eight Captains, and seven or eight hundred Soldiers.

The fifth day, he being absolutely bent to carry the Post; and to this end he made use of Spanish Troops which were fresh, and as yet had never been engaged: The Spanish Soldiers seeing [...]hey advanced nothing, and that they [...]ell like hail, mutined against their Of­ficers [Page 56] that were obstinate to continue the attacque. The Vaudois having ob­served the confusion that their Enemies were in, fell upon them with so much courage and bravery, that they put the whole Army to the rout, and they were struck with so great a fear, that many of them threw themselves off the rocks into the river of Angrogne and were drowned in its whirlpools; they pur­sued their Enemies the space of two leagues, and killed a great number of them.

To shew that France aided the Duke of Savoy in the War he had begun against the Vaudois, D' Aubigni, reports in his General History, that this Prince having desired the King of France to lend him Monsieur de Maugiron with ten Compa­nies of Foot, and Monsieur de la Motte Gondren, with other Troops, all compo­sed of pickt and expert Soldiers, he says it was granted him, and that the Troops were joyned to the Army commanded by Count de la Trinita; the Vaudois, in sight of this Army, reinforced with the Troops of France, confiding in the aid Heaven, went to force the Fortress of the Borough of Villar, in the mid­dle of the Valley of Lucerne, that [Page 57] the Duke a while before had built to cut that Pass from the Enemy.

The Count del a Trinita being strength­ned with the Troops of France, and some fresh ones sent by the Duke, at­tempted several times to attacque them, but in every one of them they were repulsed with considerable loss, some­times they lost 900. men, when the Vaudois lost not above 15. The Army of the Duke being extreamly weakned, what by continual losses, what by desertion of Soldiers, who seeing they got nothing but blows in this War, deserted in great numbers. The Duke sollicited by his Dutchess, whom as we have said, had some knowledge of the Truth, and had a great deal of tenderness for the Vaudois, gave them Peace with the free exercise of their Religion, by his Letters Patents, dated at Cavor the fifth of June 1561. their Goods being restored to them, the Prisoners released, and those that were condemned to Galleys (for their Religion) were set at liberty, and they were reestablished in all their Rights and Priviledges.

In the year 1565. four years after this E­dict was published, at the earnest desire of the Pope, a new Order was published [Page 58] through all these Valleys, That all the Sub­jects of the D. of Savoy, who within ten days after the publication of the said or­der did not declare before some of their Magistrates that they would go to Mass should within two months be gone out of all the Estates of the said Duke; and at the same time the Magistrates recei­ved an express order to make an exact list of all those that would not obey the said Order, and send it speedily to his Highness.

The Protestant Princes of Germany were extreamly sensible of this new Vexation, and made by their Letters a great Complaint to the Duke, of the bad entreatment of the Vaudois, to the Prejudice, and contrary to the Tenour of his Letter, Patents, and desired him to remedy it for the future, that they might enjoy the Benefit of his generous Grant, the Prince Palatine sent one of of his principal Counsellors in an Em­bassy to procure peace, to these poor People; Margerite of France, wife of the Duke, who was a pious and vertuous Princess, and who was very tender of the Vaudois, sweetned as much as she could the anger of her Husband, who by false reports of the Enemies of the [Page 59] Gospel, was much irritated against them.

The day of St. Bartholomew, in the Year 1572. there was made a most cruel Massacre of the Protestants at Paris, and in several other places of the Kingdom of France, Castrocaro Gover­nor of the Valleys, threatned to do as much to the Vaudois of Piemont; But whether it was that the Duke of Savoy did not approve of the cruel Butchery which was made of the Protestants of France, or whether at the earnest Solli­citations of his Dutchess, who as much as possible with her natural Sweetness gained, and wrought upon him to shew Mercy and Clemency to the Vaudois, he put forth a Manifesto, and declared to all his Subjects of the Valleys, who for Fear of the Governour were fled, that they might return without any Fear or Danger to their own habitations, he gave them likewise order that they might receive their Brethren of France; assuring them they might live very se­curely there, and he kept his word; for even to his Death, which hapned the 13th. of August 1580. they were not molested but enjoyed a quiet Repose.

CHAP. IX.

CHarles Emanuel his Son succeeded him, who, a little time after the Decease of his Father, seized upon the Marquisate of Saluzzo, which be­longed to the Duke of Savoy, Monsieur Del' Esdiguiers by way of reprisal, seized upon the Valleys of Piemont, and forced the Inhabitants of these Valleys to take the Oath of Fidelity to the then King of France: The Enemies of the Vaudois were not wanting under this pretence to irritate the Duke of Savoy against these poor People, to extirpate them when a fit opportunity should offer, without considering that they were forced by the powerful arms of the King to take the Oath, their Prince having given them no succor.

War being begun between Henry VI. King of France, and Charles E­manuel [Page 61] Duke of Savoy, about the Mar­quisate of Saluzzo, the King made him­self Master of all Savoy in one Campaign, which the Emperor and the King of Spain seeing, they desired the Pope, who was about marrying his Neice to the King of France, viz. Mary de Medicis, to endeavour to make a peace between these two Princes, which he did, by the Articles of it the King of France restored to the Duke of Savoy, all that he had taken from him, excepting Bresse which was exchanged for the Marqui­sate of Saluzzo.

The Enemies of the Vaudois, as soon as the Duke was at peace abroad, were not wanting to sollicite him to make War upon the Vaudois, but he consider­ing that his Father had had but ill Success in the War he had made upon them, although he was assisted by the Forces of Spain and France, would not declare open War against them, but permitted them to be disturbed in their Affairs, and when the Inquisitors had put any of them in Prison, for their Religion, and that Application was made to him for their Enlargement, he would answer, that he did not inter­meddle in those Affairs.

[Page 62] But he acted in another manner with the Vaudois of Saluzzo, than with those of the Valleys, against those of the Valleys he was content to let their Enemies act, but against those of the Marquisate he declared himself an open Persecutor, from the time he was abso­lute master of it, for about the end of the Month of Iune 1601. he made an Edict, by which he commanded, that every one must declare before the or­dinary Magistrate, that within the term of 15 days that he was resolved to renounce his Religion, and to go to Mass, with which, if he complyed, he might not only enjoy his House and Goods, but other great Priviledges, but for those that were obstinate, and re­solved to continue in their Religion, they absolutely commanded to be gone out of all his Dominions in two Months time, and never to return again upon pain of Death and Confiscation of their Goods.

There were 8 flourishing Churches inthis Marquisate, but this Edict being executed with a great deal of rigour, all these poor Churches were dissipated; for the Faithful seeing that the Duke would not revoke his Edict, though he [Page 63] was most earnestly sollicited to do it, by the Protestant Princes, retired out of the Marquisate, with only what they could carry, and went to dwell in Places where they might enjoy a free exercise of there Religion.

Victor Amadeus his Son and Successor, did likewise make no open war upon the Vaudois of the Valleys, he was hin­dered from it by the Wars he had with his Neighbouring Princes, especially the Spaniard, he notwithstanding permitted the Inquisitors of Rome, and the Monks to persecute them, under the colour and cloak of Justice, and so many of them that fell into their hands either were put to Death, or else condemned to the Galleys, or perpetual Prison, because they would not go to Mass and con­form to the Romish Religion.

CHAP. X.

AFter the Death of Amadeus, the Dutchess his Lady was left Re­gent of his Dominions, because his Son Charles Emanuel II. was very young. The Court of Rome having erected a Congregation, as it was called, for the Propagation of Faith, and Extirpation of Heresy; there were established such like Councils and Congregations in the Dominions of all Princes that professed the Roman Religion.

That of Turin was established in the Year 1650. and was divided into two Bodies, the one was called the Council of men, and the other the Council of women; the Archbishop was President of the first, and the Marchionesse de Pia­nesse of the second, the women made great enquiry, for all those that they called new Converts, and made very [Page 65] much of them; the men entertained Spies through all the Valleys, to give them an account of the Vaudois that were poor, or of those that had Suits at Law, to the poor they offered ex­emption from Taxes, and to free them from the quartering of Souldiers for many Years: To those that had Suits at Law, at Turin or other places, they promised them good Success, provided they would turn Roman Catholicks, and by this traffick they gained several.

But the Council of the Propagation seeing, that notwithstanding all the Care and Pains they and the religious Orders took, for to convert the Vaudois to the Romish Religion, that they could draw none but some poor or wicked people; they bethought them­selves of an abominable Stratagem, to destroy them all at once, and make their Throats be cut by the King of France's Army that was then in Italy, and was commanded by the Marshal de St. Grance, in the Year 1653. the King having assign'd for the winter-quarters of his Army the Provinces of Delphinate, Province, Languedoc and Burgundy; these Provinces offered to the Marshal very considerable summs to exempt them [Page 66] from effectual quartering of Souldiers; and he was the more contented with it, because the Dutchess of Savoy proffered to quarter a part of the Army in Savoy for a share of the Money proffered. The bargain being struck, the Marshal marched his Army towards the Val­leys, which was the place that the Dutchess had assigned for their winter­quarters: In the mean time, although the Council of the propagation knew full well of the bargain made between the Dutchess and the Marshal, they or­dered the Capuchins and some Gentle­men of the Valleys, and even some of the chief ministers of the Court to per­swade the Vaudois, and make them be­lieve that it was not the intention of the Dutchess that those strangers should quarter there; and by their artificial dis­course, full of malice and fraud, they stirred up the Vaudois to take up Arms, and oppose the Army of the King, which was already entred into the Val­ley of Lucerne, and in a condition to force these poor people to receive them, threatning nothing but Fire and Sword; and this had been done, if a Minister of the Gospel had not gone and cast him­self at the feet of the Marshal, and [Page 67] discovered to him the diabolical malice of their Enemies; and desired him to shew one billet for quartering, and as soon as the billet of the Dutchess should be shown about, he was certain that all the Inhabitents of the Valleys would submit without the least resistance: To which proposition the Marshal accord­ed, and at the same time sent to Turin to have the billet for quartering of Soul­diers, as the Minister desired, and it coming in a short time, the Vaudois sub­mitted without the least difficulty. We must consider that the Army of the King was very powerful, and made up of expert Troops, and that the Marshal was fully resolved to gain the great sum of Money that he was to draw from the foresaid Provinces, and to have his bargain to the full of the Dutchess; and that the Vaudois that were in arms had let his army enter into the Valley of Lucerne, without any oppsition, and that they were not prepared for a long defence, neither had entrenched themselves in their usual Fastnesses, and so it's not to be doubted, but that they must have been conquered by the French, who be­ing enraged at their Boldness, and the at the Contempt of their great Army, [Page 68] would have put all to the Sword with­out distinction of Sex or Age; if God had not made use of the Zeal and Pru­dence of this Minister to frustrate the Designs and crafty Contrivances of those Enemies of God, and his Church.

CHAP. XI.

IN the year 1655. the Dutchess of Savoy, and her Son the Duke, being sollicited by the Court of Rome, and the Council of Propagation to destroy the Protestants of the Valleys, and to establish in their places the Irish, who served the King of France in his Royal Army in Italy, and were driven out of their Country by Cromwel, these Irish were of the number of those [Page 69] that had plaid such pranks in Irelend, against the poor Protestants, in the year 1642. and the last that had laid down their Arms in that Kingdom, after the Death of King Charles I. to give these Valleys to the Irish; the Protestants who were the true and natural Inhabitants of these Valleys were all to be extirpated, for so it was resolved in the Council of the Propagation, and after in the Duke's, which was for the greater part composed of the former.

To bring this wicked design to effect, they must make use of some specious pretence, they could not make their pre­tence to be the affair of the house of the Capuchins of Villar, which some Pro­testants privately pushed on by their Enemies the Papists, had burnt to the ground; this affair had been accommo­dated many years and the Accomplices severely punished; they took therefore another way, they obtained from the Duke a Commission, by Gastaldo his Counseller in his Chamber of accounts, to drive out all the Protestants that were in the Valleys of Lucerne, Lucernette, St. Iohn, de la Tour, de Bubbian, de Fenil, de Campligon, de Briguieras, and of St. Se­cundus, the Commssion was dispatched [Page 70] the 13th. of January 1655. and the 25th. day of the same Month Gastaldo gave Orders, and a strict command to all the Protestants of the foresaid places, to a­bandon them, and to retire with their Families, within three days after the publication, into places which his royal Highness did tollerate, which are, Bobbi, Villar, Angrogne, Roras, and the Country of the Bonnets, under the pain of Death, and confiscation of all their Goods, if they found them in the aforesaid Li­mits, if within twenty days they do not make it appear to us, that they are be­come Roman Catholicks, or that they have sold their Goods to Catholicks.

Those that gave this pernicious Coun­sel to the Duke, knew that the Prote­testants were time out of mind, esta­blished there even before the Dukes of Savoy were Princes of Piemont, and the Predecessors of Charles Emanuel II. who had given this commission to Gastaldo, had maintained them by divers decla­rations and grants, but they belived that the Vaudois who were well established, in those places that they were command­ed to quit, would not obey the unjust command of Gastaldo, and that so they would take their disobedience for a [Page 71] pretence to destroy them, or if they o­beyed, and they could not be destroyed or chased out of the rest of the Valleys, the places they should quit would be enough to receive the Irish, who being a people, that had been long trained up in the wars, would be a bridle upon the Vaudois, and put them upon an im­possibility of ever recovering their for­mer habitations.

Although the Protestants well knew the injustice of this order, and that they had sufficient reason not to obey it, ne­vertheless to take away all pretence from their Enemies of rendring them odious to their Prince, and to make them pass for Rebels; they quitted the places named by Gastaldo, and retired into those assigned in the Proclamation, after which, they sent Deputies to the Duke, who should go and cast themselves at his Feet, and by a most humble petition, which they presented him, they suppli­cated him with a most profound re­spect, to revoke the Orders given to Ga­staldo, as being conrrary to their Privi­ledges and the Grants, but their request was without any answer.

The Vaudois seeing that they had no compassion of their miseries, had recourse [Page 72] to her royal Highness his Mother, to whom they presented a petition full of Respect and Submission, this Princess sent them back to the Council of the Propagation their sworn Enemies, and most cruel Persecutors; and this Coun­cil sent them back to the Marquess de Pianesse who long before had received ordets to go and massacre them, as the event made most evidently appear.

CHAP. XII.

WHile the Vaudois laboured by their humble Supplications and Submissions to sweeten the Spirit of their Prince, and to incline him to main­tain their rights and priviledges, having done nothing that could forfeit them; their Enemies laboured with the Duke, with all their power to destroy them; they raised for this purpose an Army [Page 73] of 15000 men, formed of all the Troops of the Duke, of four Regiments of French, of one Regiment of Germans, and twelve hundred of the Irish, they were all old Troops; Prince Thomas who then commanded the army of the King in Italy, sent to the Duke, his Ne­phew, four of the best Regimnets of the Army, with the Irish, the Duke of Ba­varia, his Brother in Law, sent him one of his best Regiments; the Army was ready the 15th. of April 1655. and in a condition to execute their wicked de­sign against these innocent people, who seeing the Enemies army approach their Valleys, began to stand upon their Guard.

In the interim, the Marquess of Pia­nesse, who commanded the army, amu­sed their Deputies at Turin, till they were marched near the Valley, and ready to enter them, the sixteenth he departed incognito, and gave orders before his departure to stop the Depu­ties, till they had received advice, that he with his Army was entred the Val­leys, which would have been executed, if a Person of Quality, who did not approve the Perfidiousuess and Treache­ry that was made use of to destroy these [Page 74] poor people, had not whispered them in the ear to be gone quickly, the Mar­quess is in the Valleys: in short, he got into the Valley of Lucerne the day after his departure, which was the 17th. of the Month of April, the 18th. the Army foraged and sacked all the Communities and Countrys of St. Iohn, and de la Tour without any resistance; the 18th. the Army going about to force the Vaudois that were retired into the places limited, by the order of Gastaldo, after they had implored the aid and assistance of the God of battle, defended them­selves couragiously, against all this great Army which attacked them, in four several places, they repulsed them vi­gorously, and after having killed a great number of their Enemies, they put them to the rout, though they were an hundred against one.

CHAP. XIII.

THE Marquess of Pianesse, seeing that he could not destroy the Vau­dois by force of arms, had recourse to a most strange and detestable piece of Perfidiousness, which Satan had sug­gested to him: He sent a Trumpeter to them, to tell them, that they should send their Deputies, and hear from his Mouth the will and pleasure of his royal Highness, that all was for their good and advantage, and that they might come with a full assurance; the Vaudois desiring nothing more than peace, were presently taken in this gin, the the Marquess had laid for them, they sent away their Deputies with the [Page 76] Trumpet, and were received with all demonstrations of Kindness: Monsieur de Pianesse entertained them splendidly at Dinner, made a thousand protesta­tions of Amity, and most endearing Caresses, but this was all to surprize them, and betray them them as Iudas did, with a kiss.

After he had cast a mist before their Eyes, by his Peotestations and deceitful Caresses full of Snares, he told them he had nothing to do but with the Inhabi­tants of those places forbid by the order of Gastaldo, but as for other places, they had nothing to fear, if they would only in sign ofObedience and Fidelity, receive and quarter for 2 or 3 days in every one of their Communities, a Regiment of Foot, and two Troops of Horse; the Deputies who believed the protestations of the Marquess were sincere, and far from all Treachery and Perfidiousness; when they returned to those that had deputed them, they so strongly per­swaded them to do what the Marquess of Pianesse had counselled them, that there were none of the Communities that were not disposed to receive them, which they did without any opposition or resistance.

[Page 77] The Regiments of Foot, and the Troops of Horse, which they had agreed to receive, were no sooner entred and quartered in the several Communities, but they seized on all the passes, and were followed by all the rest of the Ar­my; they were desired to quarter in the Towns and Villages below, as be­ing more commodious for them, they being offered to be furnished with all things necessary, but they marched on as long as the day would permit, even to the highest places that were inhabited. One part of the Army mounted upon the common road to Angrogne, another part upon that of Villar and Bobbi, and the third part of the Army possessed themselves of the Meadow of Tour, which was the strongest place of Angrogne, which served as it were for a Fortress for the Vaudois, and in marching they set fire on every place, and killed all they met in the way. This strange and barbarous proceeding discovered their Treachery, then every one fled to save their Lives, the greatest part of the men by the favour of the night got to the Mountains, and saved part of their Families from these cruelMassacrers; and sliding down the other side of the [Page 78] mountain, they gained the Valley of Perouse, a part of the King of France's Territories. This Army, besprinkled with the blood of Saints, found the houses of Angrogne, and the Goods as well of the natural Inhabitants, as of those that were fled from other places, from which they had been chased by the or­dinance of Gastaldo, but they found but few Inhabitants, except it was of Women, Children, Old and Sick people.

The Enemies of the Vaudois having by this Treachery and Perfidiousness, made themselves masters of all the Val­leys, even of the strongest places, which would have served them as so many Fortresses against their Persecutors, stay­ed two days without exercising their Rage and projected Cruelty, feigning they would do nothing but refresh themselves in their Quarters, and in the mean time they strongly perswaded those that remained, to recall those that fled, assuring them they should have no harm done them, and there were some of them that through their too great Credulity, cast themselves into the Snares which they had happily escaped.

[Page 79] The third day the signal being given from the Hill of the Town, which is call­ed Castelas, all the Innocent creatures that were found in their power were killed in the most cruel manner imaginable, they did not kill them as Sheep prepared for the Butchery, or as Enemies van­quished, that were to be cut off with, out quarter; but in a manner more cruel and more barbarous; the Infants were pulled violently from the Breasts of their Mothers, and dashed against the Rocks and Walls, by these most cruel Barbarians; upon which their Brains were plaistered, or else one Soldier took one of these Innocents by one Leg and another by the other, and so rent them most miserably asunder, and sometimes they dashed the Brains of one Child against the other and after killed their Mothers.

The Sick, as well Women, as Chil­dren, were either burnt in their Houses or cut in pieces, or tyed naked with their Heads betwixt their Legs, and thrown down the Rocks, or tumbled down the Mountains.

The Women and their Daughters were violated and stuffed with Pibbles, and their Mouth and Ears with Pow­der, [Page 80] and afterwards fire was given to the Train; and by these sort of Diabo­lical mines, they, were miserably blown up; others were empaled alive, and in this dismal posture planted upon the high ways, all naked, some of them had their Heads, Arms and Breasts cut off; which these barbarians fricassy'd and eat, Oh the brave Stomachs of the Papist Cannibals!

The men which were neither old nor sick, which fell into the hands of these cruel Butchers, some of them were flead alive, others, after they had cut off their privy Members they cut off their heads, and put their Members in their mouths; some were cut all in pieces limb from limb, as you cut flesh in the Shambles; those that did signalize themselves most in this sort of Cruelty were the Irish, who had been used to such sort of Mas­sacres in their own Country in the year 1642.

After this great Massacre of the poor Vaudois that fell into their power, the next day they went a hunting after those that had escaped them, of which a great number were wandring in the Woods, and among the high Mountains covered with Snow, or hid in the caverns and [Page 81] holes of the Rocks, not being able to save themselves, partly because of the great quantity of Snow, and partly be­cause of their weakness, being unable to make their escape, because the Ene­my had seized upon all the Passes.

This murthering Army having finish­ed the Massacre of all the Protestants they could find in the Valleys, or that were wandring in the Woods and Mountains, or hid in the caverns and holes of the Rocks, they set fire on all combustible things, and quickly redu­ced all their Houses and Churches into ashes; nothing was preserved but the Town and Church of Villar, which is in the centre of the Valley of Lucerne; and some houses in the Plain for quar­ters of the Irish, to whom the Duke of Savoy gave this Country. You may see in the General History of Iohn Leger the names and number of the persons massa­cred, and the cruel manner in which they were martyred.

The Vaudois some of them being cru­elly massacred, others made Prisoners, and the rest driven out of their Coun­try, the enemies being totally possessed of the Valleys; and being made masters of all, they established the Irish there, [Page 82] which being a far greater number than the Vaudois that had escaped out of the Massacre, there was no appearance that those poor people could ever enter and establish themselves in their Country, but God, to whom nothing is impos­sible, took their cause in hand, and touched the hearts of the Protestant States and Princes, who gave them charitable assistance, gave them strength and courage, fought for them, and made them with a handful obtain great and miraculous victories over their ene­mies; and by these signal victories, and the sollicitations of Protestant Princes, they were re-established in their lost Country, and continued there till the year 1686, in despight of all the artifices of their enemies.

CHAP. XIV.

AFter the cruel Massacre of which we have spoken, there was a bloody War between the Vaudois and the murtherers, the Vaudois driving them out of their Country; in which one may visibly see that the God of Battel sought for them and with them, by the glorious advantages they every day got upon their enemies. The first Battel they fought was at Roras, a little Com­munity consisting of 25 families, and which was far distant from the rest; Count Christopher who was Lord of the place, and a member of the Council of Propagating the Faith, being very far from preserving his vassals, as his inte­rest and duty obliged him, violently carried on with a false zeal, did all he [Page 84] could to destroy them, and employed to that end force and treachery; for contrary to the solemn Parole that he had given them on the Marquess of Pianesse's behalf, that they should be left in quiet, the same day that was designed for the cruel Butchery of the Vaudois, he sent four or five hundred Soldiers to Roras, for to treat the Inhabitants of that small place in the same manner that all the rest of the Valleys were treated; and to surprize them the better, he shewed them a secret way, that the Sol­diers might march with more expedi­tion, which shews that there is no crime, nor wickedness, of which a blind zeal is not capable of. Captain Ianavel who was fled into Roras with his Family, perceived a far off the Enemies, he had then not with him above five or six Country Peasants, with this little Com­pany he went to expect the Enemy at an advantagious pass, they killed six of the Enemies upon the Spot, and the other being sorely frighted fled in great Confusion, thinking the Vaudois were more in number than they were, and in flying they lost fifty four of their Com­panions.

[Page 85] The Marquess of Pianesse who com­manded the Enemies Army, hearing of the ill success of his affairs at Roras, the better to lull them in a secure sleep, and surprize them, he sent them word, that the Soldiers that went to attacque them, were only Rogues and Vagabonds, and none of his Troops, highly protesting that he knew nothing of the design, and that he would have been extreamly pleased if they had cut them in pieces, in the mean time, the day following, after he had sent them these specious protestations, he detached 600 select Soldiers, who should go and set upon Roras in three several places, and exactly follow the ordes he had given, Captain Ianavel having discovered them with his little company, which was now composed of about 18 men, of which 12 were armed with Fusees, and Pistols, and Faucheons, six other with Slings on­ly and Stones, he divided them into three little Bands, and placed them in Am­buscado, in an advantageous post, they charged so home their Enemies, that they seeing themselves attacqued with so much courage by those that they went to surprize, they betook themselves to their heels, leaving dead upon the spot 60 of their men.

[Page 86] This second bad success did not, not­withstanding make the General give over the Enterprize, but as Treachery and Perfidiousness had had success in other Valleys, so he was resolved to have re­course to the same; he sent to Roras Count Christopher who, as I told you before, was Lord of the place, to tell them that what was done was bottomed upon a false report, but being better in­formed by the said Count, and at his entreaty he would for the futurelet them live in perfect quiet, thinking thus to surprize them, by this cunning Artifice and Treachery of their own Lord and Master; for the day after he sent a De­tachment of 900 pickt men to fall upon those of Roras, in several places at once, Ianavel with his seventeen Peasants be­ing got before them to the Passes, when they came fell upon them with so much courage that he quite routed them, kil­ling a great number in the field and in the pursuit.

The Marquess being ready to burst with despight and rage for this third ill success of his Troops, rallied together all the forces that he could convenient­ly that were in the Valleys for to go and cut the throats of those poor innocent [Page 87] Lambs that were in this little Commu­nity; the Army consisted of about 8000 effective men, which were at the Ren­dezvouze ordered by the General. Cap­tain Mario, a valiant Souldier and a great Massacrer, led the Troops that came from Bagnols, and came first with a considerable body of men, and thought himself strong enough to make himself master of Roras, and without expecting the other Troops, he divided his into two parts, and fell upon the Vaudois in the front and the rear; but the Vaudois having gained the top of an eminency that was above the highest Troops of their enemies, so that they could not be attacked but in the front; from this place they made so vigorous a defence, that at last they disordered their enemies and put them to flight, having left sixty five of their compani­ons dead upon the place, besides those that were wounded, drowned, and killed in the pursuit. Captain Mario in flying fell into a whirlpool, where without doubt he had been drowned, if two or three of his Souldiers that were expert in swimming had not drawn him out; he was brought back to Lucerne in his Shirt, without either [Page 88] Hat or Shoes, and was presently seized with a dreadful Malady, during which he suffered horrible Torments, which made him an hundred times cry out, that he felt the fire of hell in his bowels, for the Houses, Churches and Persons he had burnt in the Valley of Lucerne, he dyed in these torments and in this estate he went to give an account of his wick­edness before the soveraign Judge of the world.

After so long a fight and so glorious a Deliverance, Ianavel with his little Troop being retreated to the eminency of a little hill, that there they might re­fresh themselves, they had no sooner begun to eat, than they saw another body of the Army, which came by the way of Villar, and were climbing up the Mountains to surprize them in the Rear; as soon as they saw the Enemy, they presently quitted their Dinners, to put themselves in a posture of defence, in the most advantageous place; he that commanded in chief the Enemies, made a small Detachment to take a view of the Vaudois, who came very near them, thinking they might be some of their own Gang; the Vaudois discharged so home, and thick upon them, that every [Page 89] one killed one or more, which caused so great a terror and confusion among them that remained, that they fled in great disorder, and spread the terror and dread of the Vaudois so among the Sol­diers of that great body, that they im­mediately all betook themselves to their Heels, believing the Vaudois were con­siderable in number, whereas they were but 18, Ianavel with his little Troop pursued and killed a great many of them, after which he gave thanks to God for so glorious a deliverance, as he was al­ways accustomed to do, when he gain­ed any Victory over the Enemies.

Three days after these two battels, the Marquess of Pianesse fuming and storming, biting his Nails for Anger and Madness at the pitiful suceess of all his Designs; he sent an express, by a Letter, to the people of Roras, by which he commanded them, on behalf of the Duke, they should all within 24 hours go to Mass under pain of Death, and seeing their houses reduced to Ashes, and their Trees cut down.

To this Letter they answered, that they had rather suffer a thousand deaths than go to Mass, since it could never be clearly proved that either Christ or his [Page 90] Apostles ever did celebrate it, that if af­ter burning of their houses, they were resolved to cut down their Wood, they had a Father in Heaven who would tenderly provide for them.

After these Menaces the Marquess mu­stered his Army together, composed of 10000 men, of which eight Thousand were old Troops, and 2000 were of the Country Peasants of Piemont which he listed in the neighbouring Communities; he divided his Army into three Bodies, of which, one had orders to attacque the Vaudois on Villar side, another on the side of Bagnols, and the third on the side of Lucerne: Ianavel with his little Troop went before the body of the Army which first presented themselves, and fought valiantly, and with incredible success having killed many of the Ene­mies, but when he saw the other two Bodies had gained the Post where several poor Families were fled for refuge, and that he could not succour them, he saved himself with his 17 Country Peasants and his Son of eight years of Age, whom he carried upon his Shoulders, and re­tired into the Valley of Queiras in the Territories of the French King.

The obstinacy of the Enemies of the [Page 91] Vaudois, in their resolution of destroying the small Town of Roras after so many successless attacques, shews to all the world the violent passion that a false Zeal can produce, in the Heat of those that persecute the Truth of the Gospel: Those that are animated with a true Zeal never violate their promises nor oaths made to their enemies, but those that are pushed on by a false zeal keep neither their Promise nor Oath, they regard nothing but satiating their Malice, and contenting their brutal and blind passion to destroy 24 poor Fami­lies of the Vaudois, they were not con­tent to make use of Force, but they must add to it Treachery and Perfidious­ness, they Promise and Swear they would let them live in quiet, as well on behalf of the Duke, as of the General of the Army; and the day following they command their Troops to cut their Throats, and not being able with 500 men to destroy them, they sent six hun­dred, and afterwards 9 hundred, after­wards 8 thousand, and afterwards ten thousand; and that which is remarka­ble is, that neither the shame of being repulsed so often, nor the loss of so many hundred of their companions made them give over their design.

[Page 92] The undaunted courage with which Captain Ianavel and his little company sustained the shock, and repulsed the violent attacks of his enemies, and the wonderful victories he gained, shews to the whole world that the God of Battel was on his side. For otherwise how was it possible? for in the first ren­counter with 7 men only, to put to flight 500, and in the other Battels with 17 or 18 men, of which 6 were only armed with Slings and Stones, to rout sometimes 600, then 900, and after some thousands? if God had not been with them, and given them courage and strength? And on the contrary side, if he had not taken courage from their enemies, and put confusion and terror in their hearts, from whence fol­lowed their destruction and most shameful flight! In short, how was it possible that Ianavel and his little hand­ful, after so many dangerous fights should save themselves, not one of them being killed, or as much as wounded, although they were attacked in the front and in the rear by their enemies, if God had not covered them with his Shield, and defended them from their enemies; so that Miracles are not yet ceased.

[Page 93] The enemies Army having made themselves masters of Roras, executed the same cruelties towards the families of this little place as they had done to­wards those of the other Valleys, put­ting all to Fire and Sword, without sparing age or sex; but the General was enra­ged that with so puissant an Army he could only triumph over women and children, and old decrepit men, nei­ther Ianavel nor any of his company falling into his hands. The Wife and Daughters of Ianavel were carried Pri­soners, they were kept alive to make him lay down his Arms, threatning to burn his Wife and Daughters if he con­tinued in his Rebellion, for so they cal­led his just defence.

All the Valleys and their dependances being in the hands of their Enemies; it seem'd as if these poor people should for ever be exiled from their Country, but God who would preserve the light of his word, in these Mountains and Valleys, hastned to restore them: The Massacre of the Valleys was upon the 24th. of April, but the taking and mas­sacre of Roras was not till the beginning of May. Captain Ianavel after having refreshed himself at Queiras some days, [Page 94] mustering some of his Brethren in suffer­ing, who had made their escape, returned into the Valleys with some provisions, and came and posted himself upon the Mountain called Palea de Iaimet, from whence with his company he departed the 22d. of the same month of May, with a design to go to Lucernette, which is a Village between the Towns of Lucerne and Bobiane, to surprize some Cattel to live upon, and to take some prisoners, to cause them to restore his Wife and Daughters by way of exchange: But his enterprize had not the success he desired, for that that place was full of Souldiers. He returned to his post, and having understood that Captain Iayer with all those he could muster that had escaped the Massacre, and were fled into the Valleys of Pierouse and Pragela, in the territories of France, had possessed himself of the Valley of Lucerne, on Angrogne side; he prayed him by Letters to assign him the time and place that he might joyn him, which they did the 27th of the foresaid month of May.

CHAP. XV.

THese two Captains were no sooner joyned, but they undertook the enterprize of seizing upon the Town of Garsillane, which was garrisoned by their enemies; which they found ex­tremely well fortified: The alarm be­ing given, the enemies, which were very numerous in the neighbouring places, as well Horse as Foot, having notice by the ringing of the Bell, run to the succour of the Town, and sur­rounded the Vaudois, who fighting cou­ragiously, retreated from the middle of their enemies, and in their retreat they took from a Village that was near the Town six pair of Oxen, and a good quantity of other Cattel, and took some Prisoners, with the loss of only one man.

[Page 96] The 28th of May, they came very early in the morning, near the Town of St. Secundus to surprize it, after having spent some time in Prayer, according to their Custom, and encouraged one another, they attacked it with so much vigour and dexterity that they made themselves Masters of it.

The Garrison, that was made up of Irish and Piemontes, they put all to the Sword, they burned the Town and the Churches in revenge of what had been done to their Houses and Temples, and having carried away seven Bells, and all the Cattel, they retreated; in the ta­king this Town they killed 800 Irish, and 650 Piemontesses, the Vaudois had only seven men killed, and six wounded ve­ry slightly, the Vaudois were about 600 men, and their Enemies were at the least 1500 well entrenched and fortify­ed.

The second of Iune, the Vaudois went to burn the Forage and Houses upon the Plain of Briqueras, and retreating by the way of St. Iohn, they were encountered by the Enemy, whom they charged so briskly in three several places, that they put them to flight, leaving 150 dead upon the spot, besides those that were [Page 97] Prisoners and wounded. In this ren­counter there was but one Vaudois killed, and two wounded.

Some days after the Battel of St. Iohn the enemy sent a Convoy to the Fort of Mirebouc, conducted by 300 men; it's seituated above in the Valley of Lu­cerne; Captain Ianavel met them by chance in a streight place upon the road, he having then only 8 Souldiers with him; he stopped them five or six hours, and killed and wounded a great number of them, without the loss of a man.

After these glorious exploits, Ianavel having reinforced himself, retired again to the Mountain called Paleade Iaimet, and sent a message from thence to Tour and Bobbi, who had revolted to escape the cruelty and barbarity of the enemy, and were retired to the Town of Villar; that if within 24 hours they did not all joyn him, he would treat them as Apo­states and Traytors to their Country: They pesently came with a great deal of joy: seeing some hopes of their liberty, being very penitent for their former want of courage and confidence in God.

The Captains Iayer and Ianavel be­ing joyned the second time, resolved to fall upon the Town of Tour, where was [Page 98] the strongest Garrison of the Enemy; who having some intelligence of their coming, put themselves betimes in a posture of defence, and killed the first Vaudois that appeared upon the Bridge before the Gate of the Town: Inshort, they made a great Sally upon the assail­ants, who received their Enemies with so much courage that they covered the earth with their dead Bodies. The Bat­tel continued till night, the Vaudois en­trenched themselves upon a little emi­nency of a hill they had gained; from whence the enemy could not force them, though they were a far greater number, and were reinforced with some Troops that came from Lucerne to their assistance; about the beginning of the night the enemy retired into the Town, without being able to carry off their dead, which were more than 300. This happy success gave so much courage to the Vaudois, that the morrow follow­ing they went and posted themselves before the Gates of the Town, and their enemies durst not sally out upon them.

After the attack of Tour, the Vaudois retreated into a place of Angrogne called Verné, there in a Council of War, they [Page 99] resolved to send 450 men which made up the three fourth parts of their little Army to assault the Community of Cru­sol, whose Inhabitants had done them much mischief in the time of the Massa­cre. At the first noise of their approach, those of Crusol retired into a great Cave, which was in a neigbouring Mountain, the Vaudois being not able to force them out from thence, contented themselves to take away 400 Cows and Oxen, 600 Sheep and Goats, and whatsoever Booty they could meet with, among which they met with good store of their own Goods that had been taken from them in the Massacre.

While the 450 Vaudois were on their march for the expedition of Crusol, the Papists of St. Sccundus, Lucerne, Tour and Briqueras, burned some houses that re­mained in Rocheplatte, and from thence they went to Angrogne, to surprize the little Garrison that was left there to defend that post, under the command of the Captains Laurence and Benet. They discovered their enemies as they approached them with design to fall up­on them in several places at once, this obliged the little Garrison to divide their small number into two little bo­dies, [Page 100] of which the one presently gained the top of a mountain, and the other kept a little below upon a small hill: In conclusion, they placed 17 men in ambuscade in an advantageous place where the enemies were to joyn; these men rushing out upon them on a sud­den and killing seven of them, so daunt­ed the rest that they retreated without daring to attempt any thing further.

After his return from Crusol, Captain Jayer went to the Valley of Pragelas, to sell a part of his booty, but not re­turning at the day appointed, Captain Janavel with 300 men that he had with him, undertook to force the Town of Lucerne; he came before it early in the morning the sixth of June, and as soon as he came there he turned out of its course the Channel that brought water to the Town, and broke their Bridge, which was but a Musket-shot off the Town, to hinder succours from coming in; after which he attacked it, and de­feated two Corps de Guard: But the night before, Maroles who was Gover­nour of it, being entred into it with a new Regiment, it was not possible for him with so small a company to make himself master of it; so he contented [Page 101] himself with what he had done, and re­treated without any loss.

The 15th of June being in Angrogne with 300 men which he commanded, was sharply set upon by the enemies Army consisting of 3000 men, which was divided into four bodies, of which one was to gain the top of a Hill, the other was to attack him on the right, another on the left, and the fourth in the Front, the Trumpet which was to give the signal to the Enemies, to fall all at once upon the Vaudois, having sounded a little sooner than he should have done, gave time to Captain Jana­vel to post himself upon an advantageous neighboring hill,, where with the assist­ance of God, whom he invoked, he resisted from Morning till two hours after Noon all the Attacks of the Ene­my, and after having killed a great number of them, they took their heels and fled in great confusion, Janavel pursued them even below Angrogne, and killed many of them in the flight, the Enemies confess that on this occasion they lost 500 men, and had a great ma­ny more wounded; of the Vaudois there was but one killed, and two wounded.

[Page 102] Immediately after the Battel Captain Iayer came with his little Troop, which gave such courage to Ianavel and his, that although they were extreamly fa­tigued with fighting all the day, with­out taking any refreshment, having re­marked that the Enemies seem'd to doubt of nothing, and only thought of dividing themselves, that every one might retire to his own quarter, they unanimously resolved to attack them, and fell upon them with so much cou­rage, Iayer on the one side, and Ianavel on the other, that they quite routed them and killed above an hundred, a­mong whom were three Officers of note: But by a great misfortune, for the Vaudois, Captain Ianavel at the end of the Fight was shot with a Musket bullet, which entring in at his breast, went out at his back betwixt his shoul­ders, which put him into such a condi­tion that it was thought he would have dyed immediately; he had notwith­standing the Judgment to desire Captain Iayer to enterprize no more that night, because his Souldiers could do no more, and he himself gave advice in what he thought was necessary to be done, he made himself be carried to Pinache, and [Page 103] about the end of Iuly he was perfectly cured of his Wounds.

The Enemies of the Vaudois, not be­ing able to withstand the Vaudois in the Mountains, they made use of a Traytor, to draw Captain Iayer down to the plain; this perfidious wretch after the battel, of which we have spoke, came to seek out the Captain, and told him that there were no Troops on Orsacy side, where he might have a considerable Booty, and repay the Enemies in their own Coin without danger, in burning their Houses and Cabbins: He took with him an 150 Soldiers of this little Army, and set some Cabbins on fire, near Orsacy, and took some booty, but in such places where the Cavalry could have no advantage, the Traytor who led him out to slaughter told him that a little lower there were some Cabbins and good store of Cattle, which would cost him nothing but taking, and per­swaded him to go thither, he no sooner came to the place, where he led him, than he was surrounded with a Squadron of Savoyards, which defeated him with 40 Soldiers that had followed him; seeing himself betrayed, he killed the Tray tor with his own hand, and three Captains [Page 104] of Horse; his Son and his Souldiers sold their Lives dear, but having to do with so many Enemies, they were all cut in pieces, except one who saved himself in a Morass.

The Death of Captain Iayer, and the wounding of Captain Ianavel, which was believed mortal, hapning the same day, caused a great consternation among the Vaudois: But notwithstanding they took fresh courage, and under the con­duct of Captain Laurence, and a Brother of Captain Iayer who succeeded him, under his command they mustered upon the Mountain of Vachere, where they resolved to meet their Enemies that were coming to assault them, and they fell upon them with that Resolution, Courage and Dexterity, that they put them to flight in a very great Disorder, after having left more than 200 of their Companions dead upon the place, among whom was a Lieutenant Collonel of the Regiment of Bavaria, and several Offi­cers of note, besides the wounded and Prisoners; the Vaudois lost in this fight, only Captain Bertin, and a common Soldier, and that which is most to be admired is, that they were but 550 men, and their Enemies 6000. according to [Page 105] the report of the Prisoners, and this is particularly remarkable and full of ad­miration, that as soon as Captain Bertin was killed, his Son and Heir out of his filial Piety, having carried off the body of his Father, presently placed himself at the head of his Fathers Company, and began his charge with these words, Take heart my Brethren, for though my Fa­ther be dead, our celestial Father can give me the same Courage and Conduct, as by his Grace, he has filled me with the same Zeal.

The day following the Vaudois were in continual Skirmishes with their Ene­mies at Tour and Taileret, where many of their Enemies were killed and wounded, and the Vaudois had but one Soldier slightly wounded.

Their Enemies knowing that all the Protestant Princes would interest them­selves in the affairs of the Vaudois▪ they reinforced their Army with new Troops, to do the utmost to destroy the Vaudois, before the Ambassadors of England and Holland should arrive at the Court of Savoy: The 11th. of Iuly all the Army of the Enemies came to attack them upon the Mountain of Vachere, where the Vaudois were posted before. Colonel Andrion of Geneva, and Iohn Leger Mini­ster, [Page 106] were newly arrived in these Val­leys, they observed the Vaudois had made their Lodgments too far asunder, that they might the better make use of the shelter of some Stables that were in that place, they exhorted them for the better avoiding of surprizes, to as­semble altogether in one place of the Mountain, where they had made some Barricadoes, the better to defend them­selves, but it was impossible to oblige them to it: The day following, which was the day of the attack, they sent 4 Soldiers, 2 hours before day, to observe the Enemy, of which were two who made a halt near the Church of Angrogne, they spoke Piemontese, which was the reason that they took them to be some of their own, but a little after they steal­ing away, when with great precipitation they took the way of the Mountain, they shot after them, which served the Vaudois for an Alarm, and at the same time, they put themselves in a posture of defence. The Enemy divided themselves into 4 bodies, for to fall upon the Vaudois in 4 several places, as presently after they did, the battel was sharp and lasted a­bout six, hours, the Enemies being strong, refreshed themselves, and en­couraged [Page 107] one another; they had now made themselves Masters of the first Barricado, and cryed Victory: But the Vaudois that were retreated into their last Retrenchment, after a short but ar­dent Prayer to God, sallied out, and fell upon them with so much Fury, that they obliged them to retreat, which they did without any disorder. Collo­nel Andrion would not permit of a pur­suit for fear of the Enemies Horse that was below; in this Fight the Enemies lost about 400 men, among whom were many Officers of Note, and 180 Soldi­ers of the Regiment of Bavaria; the Vaudois had only some few Soldiers slightly wounded.

After this battel, the Enemies having lost all hopes of reaping the Corn of An­grogne, as they had done that of the Plain, enterprized the burning of it; but the Vaudois came in so quickly upon them that they obliged them to quit their design, for after having killed a­bout a dozen of them, they fell upon the rest and put them to flight, of which a great number, to be the more nimble, threw away their arms to save their Lives. Captain Bertin pursued them to Tour, and killed and wounded a great many [Page 108] of them, he killed likewise the Centinel, and 4 Soldiers that appeared upon the Ramparts of the Fort, and struck the Enemies with so great a terror, that they vowed afterwards that if he had follow­ed his blow he might have made him­self Master of the place.

Among all the Battels that we have spoke of, it appeared visibly that God had declared himself the protecter and defender of the Vaudois, otherwise how was it possible that a handful of men of little or no experience in War, should have been able to resist, much less to gain so many Victories over their ene­mies, which were expert and tryed Souldiers, as we have seen they have done to the 15th of July, when they fought alone, without the aid or assist­ance of any foreign help; and that which is considerable, they had to do with their Prince, whom the emissaries of the Pope had armed against them only in hatred of their Religion. Their Prince was assisted by the King of France and the D. of Bavaria, of which the one was his Brother-in-law and the other his Cousin-ge [...]man. The Vaudois were not the hundredth part of his Subjects and Estates: The Prince [Page 109] and all his other Subjects were armed against them, and notwithstanding they gained no advantage, but on the contrary they were foyled, and in most occasions most shamefully put to flight:

The Protestants of France hearing of the cruel Massacre that was committed upon their Brethren of Piemont, made extraordinary prayers to God for them, and large Collections to assist those that had escaped: Some Provinces celebrated a Fast for them, and that of Cevenne celebrated one by order of the Synod, assembled at Sale, in the month of June 1655. Upon the News that was di­vulged, that those that had escaped the Massacre were re-entered into the Val­ley, and defended themselves there couragiously; many Officers and Soldi­ers of Cevenne and the lower Languedoc, went to the succour of their Brethren, who in little Companies, by several ways, got into the Valleys; and so the Army of the Vaudois that had not been till the 14. or 15. of July, above 600. men, consisted of 1800. the 17th. or 18th. of July. The Lord of Combies, of the City of Anduse in Cevenne, was of the number of those, that went to succour their Brethren; and because he had [Page 110] had considerable imploys in the Armys of the King of France, he was by gene­ral consent chosen General of the Army, after the example of those of the lower Languedoc and Cevenne, many Soldiers out of the Delphinate came and joined them in the Vallies.

The Army being two thirds stronger than it was, it was resolved in a coun­cil of War, to go and force the Town and Fort of Tour; they departed at night, the 18th. of Iuly, for this expedition; and they arrived the day following, before day, within a mile of Tour, where they halted till day break, and then Monsieur Combies sent some to view the Fortifications of the Fort, and those that were sent made a report to the General, that the place was impregna­ble against a greater Army, upon which, Monsieur Combies ordered to sound a retreat, being apprehensive of ill success in his first design.

But Captain Bertin who was of a con­trary opinion, would not retreat with his Company, but desperately assault­ed the Town, he was soon followed by the rest of the Vaudois, and some two or three French men: this Captain who was a Townsman of Tour, knew all [Page 111] the weak places about it, and presently broke through the Wall, near the Con­vent of Capuchius, before the Enemy took the Alarm, made himself Master of the Borough, and of the Convent, which he burnt down to the Ground; and there is no doubt to be made, that if all the Army of the Vaudois had fol­lowed Captain Bertin, but that they had taken the Fort; notwithstanding the Succours that Maroles, Governour of Lucerne brought, as soon as he had News of the attempt. Monsieur Com­bies having seen what Captain Bertin had done, was much concerned that he had sounded a Retreat.

And here ends the War of the year 1655. which was followed by a cruel Massacre that was made of the Vaudois, in the month of April, in the same year, but before we speak of Peace, it's neces­sary that we make some Reflections upon this War.

CHAP. XVI.

IT's certain that the Duke of Savoy had no better nor more faithful Subjects than the Vuudois, who always followed their Prince as well in his wars abroad as at home. They never took up arms but when they would force their Con­sciences, and deprive them of the free exercise of their Religion: This appears in this, that every time that war was made upon them, they were command­ed first to renounce their Religion and go to Mass, and that they let alone in peace all those that obeyed, and gave them several priviledges and immuni­ties; all the crime the Vaudois, for which they were so severely handled, was be­cause they would not abandon their Re­ligion [Page 113] which they had received from Father to Son, from the time of the Apostles, and was in every thing con­formable to their Doctrine.

Those that escaped out of the Mas­sacre, had just reason to take up Arms, the Enemies had unjustly murdered the Fathers and Mothers of some, the Wives and Children of others; some had lost their Brothers and Sisters, and they would have done the same to them, if they had fallen into the hands of these cruel Butchers: So much Blood unjustly spilt cryed to Heaven for vengeance, and God would make use of the hands of those that escaped to revenge it, as the event shewed by the victories they gained over their Massa­crers, and by the great slaughter they made of them, though they were infe­rior in number, and that which is more, they were driven from their own Houses, Goods and Country, against the Laws of Nature and Nations, which orders, that every one enjoy his own in quiet, if he have committed no crimes that make him unworthy of it: Now these poor people had committed no crime, they were of the Religion they professed, before the Dukes of Savoy [Page 114] had any thing to do with Piemont, and besides it was confirmed to them by di­vers grants and priviledges.

If God had not been willing to re­establish them in their Country, would he have given them courage to return without being recalled by their Prince after having been driven out by a cruel Massacre and a puissant Army. When Captain Ianavel returned home, which was about fifteen or twenty days after he was driven from Roras, he had but about 200 men, and they had establish­ed in the Valleys 1200 Irish, all Soldiers; there were besides that 3000 men of the old Troops of the Duke of Savoy, and all the Inhabitants were Papists, so that there were more than an hundred against one. But though their Enemies were in so great a number, and were Masters of the Country, Ianavel not­withstanding returned, and not barely content to make excursions, but they carried away a good Booty from Lu­cernette, which was a place full of the E­nemies, and scituate between the Towns of Lucerne and Bobiane, where the Duke had strong Garrisons. If God had not given the Vaudois courage, how would they have undertaken the enter­prize [Page 115] of St. Secundus, where there were 800 Irish and 650 Piemonteses in garrison strongly fortified and intrenched, and they were not above 500; so small a number, could they have forced the Town if God had not been with them, and fought for them, and delivered these Massacrers of their Brethren into their hands to revenge the blood they had so inhumanly and without cause spilt.

Although this war continued but three months, it was nevertheless very bloody, for the enemies of the Vaudois lost in the several rencounters and bat­tels we have spoke of, more than 4000 men, of which the greatest part were of the number of the Massacrers, who were sent to God in a short time to give an account of their barbarities and cru­elties towards these poor Innocents. The Vaudois, during the whole war lost not above ninety five men, reckoning in this number the forty who were killed with Captain Iayer by a signal piece of treachery, of which we have spoke above.

And this is very remarkable, that the enemies of the Vaudois never had any advantage over them, but by their [Page 116] treachery and perfidiousness, in viola­ting the publick Faith and Treaties; but when they were upon their guard and fought for the maintenance of their Religion, they were always victorious over their enemies; and as they main­tained the celestial verity contained in the Holy Scriptures, so Heaven took them under its protection, and defend­ed their Cause; God covered them with his Buckler every where where they went, and fought for them, giving them courage, and striking their ene­mies with confusion and terror, other­wise they had never gained so many victories, who, as I said before, were oftentimes more than an hundred to one.

The Duke of Savoy seeing that nei­ther the Massacre he had made of the Vaudois, nor the war that had followed the Massacre, had answered his designs, and the Consederates expectation, was desirous of a peace, and was very wil­ling to be sollicited by the Protestant Princes and States to condescend to it; for it was probable, if he had continu­ed the war three months more, he would have been obliged to ask it of those he had been so unjust to. His Army was [Page 117] very much weakned, and that of the Vaudois was very well reinforced. Of the 1200 Irish, which in the beginning of the war were planted there 800 were cut off at St. Secundus, and the rest ei­ther perished of Distempers, or in other battels that they fought in afterwards; the French Troops were retreated, and the Lieutenant Collonel of the Regi­ment of Bararia, and many of his best Officers, and more than 200 common Soldiers were killed in this war, and besides all this he had lost more than 3000 of his own Troops: The Army of the Vaudois, when the Peace was made, consisted of 1800 men, and en­creased every day; many famous Offi­cers and Protestant Soldiers out of France, joyning them in this Holy War; and if the Vaudois, when they were but between 500 and 600, always were vi­ctorious over their Enemies, and in spight of all their opposition, had re­covered all they had lost; it might rea­sonably be hoped that in three months more they might have quite destroyed the Enemies Army, or at least have driven them out of the Valleys.

The Ambassadors of the Protestant Cantons had been a good while at Turin [Page 118] for to assist these poor people, they of­fered their mediation for a lasting peace, but the Duke excused himself, saying, That he had long ago reserred that af­fair to the King of France, and that he durst not take it out of the hands of so great a King: That which obliged the Duke to speak so was, that he knew the King of France was perfectly linked to him by interest, and that he had lent him his Troops, and that he being the Umpire betwixt him and the Vau­dois, he would decide more for his ad­vantage than for that of the Vaudois. Monsieur de Servient the Ambassador of the King of France in that Court was the Mediator of peace, and Monsieur de Servient knowing that the Ambassadors from Cromwell and the States of Holland were upon their journey to be employ­ed upon that affair, and that these two States had made great Collections for the Vaudois, and that the Protector of England did very much interest himself in the business, the better to please the zealous Protestants of England, did pre­cipitate the peace, and conclude it before their arrival at Turin. There is no doubt to be made, but that if these Ambas­sadors had arrived before the conclusion [Page 119] of the peace, that it would have been much more advantagious to the Vaudois than it was, they would have obtained a restitution of all that had been un­justly taken from them by the order of Gastaldo, and have forced them to demolish the Fort of Tour, without suf­fering the Duke to build another: 'Tis true, that by a private Article they were promised the Fort should be demolish­ed, and in effect it was done after the peace, but it was but to build another more strong in the place where the Old first was, which the Predecessors of the Vaudois had caused to be pulled down; and even this was against the promise made to them, that they should not build another. The Duke gave them a Patent, signed at Pignerol the 9th of Au­gust 1655. by which he pardoned the Vaudois for taking up Arms against him; he established them in their Goods and Priviledges, and in a free exercise of their Religion, except in some places, excepted in the Patent. The Ambassa­dor of France and the Ministers of the Duke drew the Patent so, for to de­send, as they said, the Honour of his Royal Highness, but to defend the ho­nour of their Prince, they made inno­cent [Page 120] Subjects, who had been unjustly Massacred and chased out of their Coun­try, to pass for Rebels, and to be repu­ted Criminals; and they deprived them of certain places which they had enjoy­ed from Father to Son many ages, even before the Dukes of Savoy were Princes of Piemont, and in which places they were confirmed by the Concessions and Declarations of the Predecessors of his Highness, and which he himself had confirmed in the year 1653.

CHAP. XVII.

THE Duke of Savoy and his Coun­cil not being able to destroy the Vaudois, neither by the Massacre they had made of them, nor by the cruel [Page 121] and continual war; instead of letting them live in peace, after the treaty of Pignerol, as they had promised the Am­bassadors, the took more cunning and subtile ways, but which were not less dangerous and diabolical, for to destroy the remainder of these poor distressed Innocents.

The first artifice their enemies made use of to destroy them, was to set them together by the ears about the Charita­ble Collections that were made for them in foreign Countries, by spread­ing round about a report of a great abuse pretended to be committed in the distri­bution of the mony; to this end they made use of a Jesuit, called Longuiel, a famous Impostor, who came into these Valleys, and pretended he came from Longuedoc, where he had, as he said, re­nounced the Roman Religion. This Wolf disguised in Sheeps cloathing, had obtained the School of Villar, which is [...]n the center of the Valley of Lucerne. There he associated to him Michael Ber­ [...]am of Ville Nuve in Piemont, an ancient [...]ervant of the Marquess of Pianesse, and [...]ith Iohn Vertu of Lucerne, and Iohn [...]agnan of Provence, who had been for [...]me time in those Valleys: This Jesuit [Page 116] [...] [Page 117] [...] [Page 116] [...] [Page 117] [...] [Page 118] [...] [Page 119] [...] [Page 120] [...] [Page 121] [...] [Page 122] and his Associates did all that was pos­sible to gain the poor and silly people of the Valleys, suggesting to them, that the sums, gathered out of Charity, were so considerable, that if they were di­stributed according to the intentions of those that had given them, every one at least would have for his share 14 or 1500 Livres, and by this seditious dis­course they designed to arm them one against the other, and so to destroy them by their own Swords; and not content with this, they writ to the foreign Countrys, France, Swizerland, Ireland and England, where their Charitable Collections were gathered, that the chief Inhabitants had divided it among themselves, and made merry with it, and let the Poor perish with hunger, giving them no part, and by these lies and shams they designed to hinder stran­gers from being any more touched with compassion of their miseries.

The second Artifice of their Enemies was, to build a Fort at Tour, against the secret Article of Pignerol, in which they placed a strong Garrison; as soon as it was built they committed all sorts of excesses and violences against the Vau­dois, taking away their Fruit and the [Page 123] Wine out of their Cellars, pillaging likewise the moveables of their houses, beating and killing whom they pleased, violating their Wives and Daughters, committing all sorts of Villanies and Rogueries, without any remedy or the least offer of redress; and to crown the misfortunes of the Vaudois, the Govern­ment of the Valleys was given to the Count of Bagnols, who had signalized himself so much in the Massacre in the year 1655.

The third Artifice that was made use of to destroy them after the Treaty of Pignerol was, to make criminal Processes against the principal of them, upon false accusations, before the Court of Turin against their priviledges, which were, that all Causes should be tried in the Valleys before the ordinary Judges; if they remitted themselves to the Court of Turin, they were kept two or three years prisoners, sometimes without be­ing heard, where they either spent all their fortunes, or died of hunger; if they did not submit, they were con­demned to death or to the Gallies, and their Goods were confiscated: Those that were condemned for default, if they did not forsake their Goods and [Page 124] Habitations, they were seized on by the Souldiers of the Garrison of the Citta­del, and brought into the Fortress, where they made them suffer a thousand ills worse than death.

The fourth Artifice that the Enemies of the Vaudois made use of to destroy them was, that they hindred them from keeping Schools, and likewise the free use of their Religion in several places, permitted by the Patent of Pignerol, and established time out of mind.

The Vaudois seeing that the Treaty of Pignerol was broken, and violated al­most in every Article, had recourse to their Prince and his Ministers, to whom they made most humble remonstrances, reiterated several times, but finding that all was to no purpose, they addressed themselves to Monsieur de Servient, Am­bassador of France, who was also at Turin, and had been the Mediator of the Peace; they writ likewise to the Ambassadors of the Protestant Cantons that were at that Court, and most hum­bly begged as well the Ambassador of France, as those of the Swisse to inter­ceed for them to his Royal Highness.

But instead of doing justice to these poor oppressed people, they prepared [Page 125] fresh Forces to quite root them out; and when they were near executing their wicked design, Seignior Rica, Treasu­rer General of the Duke, came to Pig­nerol, a Town of the King of France, and near Neighbour of the Valleys; where he called before him the princi­pal Agents of all the Communities of the Valleys, told them with tears in his eyes (a true Popish Crocodile) that he was very sorry to see them fall into in­evitable ruine, and that the only means to avoid it, was to send a large and full deputation to Turin, to his Royal High­ness, who was resolved to put an end to their miseries, and that by the means of an humble and cordial submission, which they could and ought to do, they would without any doubt obtain their desires.

While the Treasurer General did a­muse, with fair words, the principal Agents of the Valleys, at Pignerol, the Generals of the Army that was in the Valley of Lucerne, called likewise be­fore them all the chief Conductors of the Vaudois, and told them, that if in sign of obedience and confidence, they would but guard a convey that was to be sent to the Fort of Mirebouc, [Page 126] they might all return in peace to their Habitations.

The Vaudois, who desired nothing but the peace and repose of their Families, did what those Generals commanded, believing what they said was true, but the consequence made them sensible, that it was only to entrap and destroy them; for while one part of the Vaudois were employed in guarding the Convoy, and another in getting their Families together, following the Order of his Royal Highness, that every one should retire home and bring back his Fami­ly; and while the Principal Agents were amused and staid, some at Pigne­rol with the Treasurer, and others by the Generals of the Army, the Troops of the Duke, commanded by the Mar­quesses of Fleuri and Angrogne, and by the Count of Bagnols, in number more than 800 men, fell upon the Valleys about break of day, in four several places with great fury, for to surprize and massacre the Vaudois as they had done in the year 1655. and that which made them hope for good success in their design was, that they saw that these poor people were dispersed in several places, and as it were lull'd asleep upon the confidence they [Page 127] had in the Orders of his Royal High­ness, and the fair promises made them by the Generals, and did not in the least suspect such a piece of treachery and perfidiousness: But if on the one side they separated them one from ano­ther, and took from them their Chief­tains, that they might the more easily vanquish them: So on the other side they furnished with Men and Ammu­nition the Fort of Mirebouc, which was in the highest part of the Valley of Lucerne, to stop their passage into the Delphinate, and hinder them from saving themselves in the territories of France, as they did in the Massacre in the year 1655. and employed them as guards for the Convey, which was a double piece of treachery.

CHAP. XVIII.

THE Marquess of Fleuri and An­grogne, who attacqued them, the one by the way of Secundus, and the other by the way of Briqueras, joyned themselves together upon the top of a Hill, which is between the Valley of Lucerne, and the Valley of Perouse, from whence they might easily win the place called Bal, upon the Mountains of Va­chere at the height of Angrogne, which is as it were a most important Fort, and the centre of the three Valleys, from whence one may easily descend into those of Lucerne, Perouse and St. Mar­tin: They came to the top of this Hill about break of day, and designed to seize upon the Fort of Vachere, they were stopt in their carreers by a Body of about sixty men, who had posted them­selves [Page 129] in a streight place, called the Gate of Angrogne; without this the Vau­dois had been ruined, for if they had lost this place they had been utterly un­done, it being the only place that served them for a refuge, and as it were a Sanctuary, against the utmost efforts of their Enemies.

Those that were commanded by the Marquesses of Fleuri and Angrogne, who were at least 4000. seeing themselves stopped by the foresaid body, posted themselves upon the top of a little emi­nency they had gained, and with green Turf made themselves an Intrenchment, the height of a man; the Vaudois not being able to hinder them, and whiles some wrought to fortify this Post, o­thers did their utmost to gain the streight pass kept by the sixty Vaudois.

The other part of the Army com­manded by the Count of Bagnols, con­sisting of equal number, was likewise▪ divided into two parts, of which, one took the way of Chebas, and the other the way of St. John, and another party took that of Angrogne; and the Vaudois were constrained to retreat, though they had there the greatest part of their Forces, they fought nevertheless in their [Page 130] retreat, even to Rochemanant, which was a more advantageous post, higher up towards Angrogne; and there under the shelter of the Rocks, and some old Walls, they stood their ground, and stopt the further progress of their Ene­my, they being repulsed from the post after several sharp Assaults, and the loss of three hundred men, God struck them with so great fear, that they fled in great disorder, tumbling one upon another down the Hills: The Vaudois pursued them to the Foot of the Hill, where their Cavalry was, and killed a great many of them; and after having sufficiently provided for the post, from which they had so shamefully driven their Enemies, they ran to succour their Brethren, who fought where the two Marquesses were, which they did with very great success.

The sixty Vaudois, that kept the pass of Angrogne, were weary, having fought above half the day; but when they saw that their Brethren came to their succor, they took fresh courage, two of them creeping upon their Bellies, being hid by a part of the Rock, came so near the Enemies Retrenchments that they killed [Page 131] two of their Centinels, and with their Swords in their hands, fell upon their Camp, who being quickly followed by all the rest, they quickly made them­selves masters of it, killing and cutting to pieces all that opposed them, putting the rest to flight, who ran away in great Confusion, the two Marquesses were none of the hindermost in the Flight: The Vaudois pursued their Enemies to Briqueiras, and killed a great many of them; there were more than 600. of the Enemy killed, and a great many wound­ed, of which, the greatest part dyed of their Wounds: The Vaudois lost but five or six men and had but a dozen slightly wounded. So God did won­derfully deliver the Vaudois, and punish the Treachery of their Persecutors; and one may say that as in old times, the Sword of God was with that of Gideon, so in this Rencounter we may truly say, that it was with Captain Ianavel and his little Troop, otherwise how should 500 men, who were extreamly fatigued, having fought above half the day, have driven their Enemies out of their Camp, fortified the height of a man; the Vau­dois were not then above 500. for they had left one part of their little Army to [Page 132] guard the place, from whence they had chased the Count of Bagnols, and they had not in all above 700. men. After they had beaten their Enemies, they gave thanks to God for their Delive­rance, and the Victory he had given them, and gave him all the Glory.

The Vaudois after having defeated their Enemies, went often out in parties to seek them out, in every place, where the Cavalry could not incommode them, nor surprize them; and by this means they diminished their Army, there scarce being a day that a good number of Savoyards and Piemonteses did not fall into the hands of the Vaudois.

From the 6th. of Iuly, till the 10th. of the Month of August, all that time, there were continual Skirmishes, where, every where, the Vaudois had the Ad­vantage over their Enemies.

The Marquesses of Fleuri and Angrogne, who commanded the Army of the Duke, recruited their Army with all the Militia, of the States, of his Royal Highness, or with Troops drawn out of Garrisons; and with this great Ar­my they undertook a memorable enter­prize, they attacqued Roras, where some Vaudois were retired. This Community [Page 133] as we have remarked before, was sepa­rated from the rest of the Valleys, and by consequence could not be succoured before the Massacre and War of 1655. it consisted of but 25 Families, the Ene­mies that were an hundred against one, fell upon this little place by so many ways, that at last they made themselves Masters of it, they killed 23 Vaudois who defended it, but they lost above 200 men; this was the greatest loss that the Vaudois sustained in this war of 1663. and the greatest Exploit of the Generals of Savoy.

After that the Enemies had made themselves Masters of the Rocks and Desarts of Roras,. with so considerable loss, the day after they made an excursi­on to St. Margarite, which is a little Village of the Community of Tour, con­sisting of 20 or 25 houses, which they burnt to Ashes; the Vaudois being as­sembled together in a small number, upon the Mountains of Tour, as soon as they saw the Town on a Flame, fell with that Swiftness and Resolution up­on these Incendiaries, that they put them to Flight, and covered the ground with their dead Carcasses, and killed more of them than they had burnt [Page 134] beams of houses, of the Vaudois side there were none either killed or wounded, for it was remarked, that these Massacrers were struck with so great a fear, that they had neither Hands to fight, nor Legs to fly.

Towards the end of the Month of August, Captain Janavel intirely defeated an Ambuscade that the Enemies had laid at the place of the Vines to surprize him, but they themselves were surprized and cut in pieces.

The Council of the Propagation of the Faith seeing, that the Marquess of Fleuri had had ill Success in all his de­signs, thought it was requisite to change the General; and so the Mraquess was recalled to Court, and the Marquess of St. Damian was put in his place, who made a Levy of a greater Army than be­fore, but with worse Success; The Sol­diers seeing, that in this War, nothing could be got but blows, the first having carried away all the Booty, went only by force to this War, and where they found any resistance, they turned their backs and fled from the Vaudois; their Officers being not able to stay their Flight.

CHAP. XIX.

THE War of the year 1663. having had as ill Success as that of the year 1655. the Duke of Savoy would have been glad of Peace, but he durst not ask it of the Vaudois, for fear it should shew his weakness, or at least he should be obliged to grant them more than he had done by his former Patent, granted at Pignerol; because of the Advantages they had gained over him: For this Prince had drained his Reve­nues, ruined by these Wars a part of his Dukedom, lost more than 4000 men, and the Vaudois but sixty: They durst go no more into the Mountains to seek [Page 136] them, and the Vaudois often descended into the Plains to attack their Enemies, who being struck with a pannick Fear, because of the many Victories of the Vaudois, fled before them, like a Flock of Sheep before a Troop of hungry en­raged Wolfs: The Suisse having private notice, that the Duke was weary of the War, sent an honourable Embassy to to sollicit a peace, between the Vaudois and their Prince, the Ambassadors came to Turin the 15th. of December 1663, and were very well received by the Duke, and the whole Court, which was not so in the year 1655. after the Massacre, nor in the year 1686. when the Duke was leagued with the King of France, for the destruction of the Vaudois, and to force them to go to Mass, as he in the precedent year had forced the Protestants of France. This good reception of the Ambassadors, made it clear that the Duke was weary of the War, and willing to make a Peace; after they had had Audience, they sent their Secretary to the Valleys, to tell the Vaudois, that they should send their Deputies to Turin, who being arri­ved there, a solemn Promise was made them, that during the Treaty, [Page 137] there should be no more Acts of Hosti­lity done against the Vaudois.

The event made it apparent, that this promise was only made them to lull them asleep, that he might the better surprize them, while the Treaty was on foot, for by an unheard of Perfidious­ness, even among the most barbarous Nations, notwithstanding this promise, made in the presence of the Ambassa­dors, the 21st. of the same Month, twelve hundred men of the lower Pie­mont, were sent to reinforce the Army, under the command of the Marquess of St. Damian, and on the 25th. at break of day they attacked Tillaret, Angrogne, Rocheplate, and St. German, without giving any notice that they would do any thing to the prejudice of the solemn Promise. The first and strongest attack was at Tillaret, where the Vaudois had like to have been born down with numbers, but they of Angrogne sending them, in the nick of time, an hundred men, this seasonable succour did so en­courage them, that they broke the Ene­mies Troops commanded by the Count of Bagnols, and put them to flight, and forced them to fly for safety to the Town and Cittadel of Tour, in great [Page 138] disorder; they pursued them with so much heat and vigour, that many of the Vaudois entred with them pell mell into the Town, and came out again, with­out the least damage, to the great asto­nishment of all the world, and confusi­on of their Euemies.

On the side of Angrogne, the Enemies could not make the Vaudois give back one foot of ground, for all their furious Assaults, but after having done their utmost to make them quit their post, after having lost a great number of their men, they most shamefully fled, the Vaudois pursued them to the Plain, and killed a great number of them, and en­camped afterwards near them upon the Plain, where their Enemies durst not molest them.

All the harm the Vaudois suffered was on St. Germans side, which was a very advantageous post, and of great impor­tance, by the means of which, they had till then kept clear the passage be­twixt the Vallies of Lucerne and those of Perouse, and St. Martin, the Ene­mies unfortunately surprized this place, which was not guarded, because that Famine had obliged the Country people, who believed there was no danger, du­ring [Page 139] the Treaty, to go and seek victu­als for themselves and their Families, they killed there a man, and two wo­men, the rest saved themselves mira­culously, they burnt likewise, greatest part of the houses, and cut down or pilled the Bark of all the Fruit Trees.

The Vaudois had great cause of Joy that day, for that they happened to be dispersed in divers places, and were not upon their Guard, confiding in the so­lemn promise made at Turin, but God not only delivered them out of the hand of their Enemies, but gave them a sig­nal victory: The Enemies Army con­sisted of 18000 men, viz. 6000 that the Marquess of St Damian had in his Army, and 12000 Piemontese, that had newly joined him, and the Vaudois had but 700 men, and on this day the latter lost but 6 men, but the first according to their own relation, lost fifteen hun­dred, among whom were the Counts of St. Front and de la Trinita, and many Officers of Note.

The Deputies of the Vaudois, who were at Turin, having received Intelli­gence of this perfidious dealing, against the solemn promise, desired the Lords Ambassadors from the Swisse Cantons, [Page 140] to present their just complaints to the Duke, which they did with a great deal of heat and resentment, but that produced only a truce for twelve days, which was at several times prolonged and renewed, till the Lords Ambassa­dors had ended and fully concluded a peace and agreement, contained in the Patent of the 14th of February 1664. by which the Vaudois were established in a full enjoyment of all their Goods; and in the free exercise of their Religi­on in all places where it had been esta­blished by the treaty of Pignerol, in the year 1655.

But this Patent was no better execu­ted and observed than the former, al­though the Duke had engaged himself by his Letter to the Protestant Cantons, the 28th of February 1664. to observe it punctually. It's no easie matter to represent here all the tricks that the Councel of the Propagation made use of to make this peace ineffectual; as to the Vaudois it's enough to say, that it had been impossible for them to de­fend themselves against so many subtil­ties and crafty policies of their Adver­saries of the Propagation, if God, who holds the hearts of Princes and Kings in [Page 141] his hand, had not changed the heart of Charles Emanuel the Second to favour the Vaudois. This Prince having exa­mined the conduct of all their doings, began to know that it was without any good ground that the Vaudois were made so odious; and calling to mind the great zeal they had testified on divers occasi­ons for his service, and particularly in 1638 and 1640, when the greatest part of his Estate was revolted against him, and that the Cardinal of Savoy, and Prince Thomas his Unkle had made themselves Heads of the Revolt, being assisted by the Troops of Spain, had seized almost all Piemont, and even of the City of Turin it self, and besieged Madam Royal his Mother in the Citta­del, whither she had fled to save her self; and that without the succours of Lewis the XIII. his Unkle by the Mo­thers side, and the help of the Vaudois, it was probable that this Prince had been deprived of all his Principality.

In the year 1672. the Duke of Savoy made War upon the Genoeses, and the Vaudois served him with so much zeal and courage, that this Prince was not content only to praise their Conduct, Courage and Fidelity, by a Letter [Page 142] which he writ to them the fifth of No­vember the same year, but he gave them many sensible marks of his esteem and good-will towards them, even to his death, which hapned towards the end of the year 1678. Madam Royal, his Widow, treated them likewise, not only with a great deal of sweetness and goodness, but she also engaged her self to the Protestant Cantons, by a Letter writ the 28th of Ianuary 1679. to main­tain the Vaudois in the free exercise of their Religion, and in all other privi­ledges and immunities.

CHAP. XX.

THE sweetness of peace, which the Vaudois enjoyed after the war against Genoua, till the death of Charles Emanuel II. and after the death of this Prince, under the Regency of Madam Royal, his Widow, till the year 1685. made them hope to enjoy a durable tranquility, under the reign of Victor Amadeus II. who is at present Duke of Savoy; and that which flattered them with this hopes was, the considerable services they had done him in the year 1684. in the war against those of Mon­dovi, in which they had signalized their courage and zeal for his service. This very Prince had given them authentical [Page 144] assurances of his great satisfaction, by a Letter that he writ to them on this oc­casion: But they quickly lost their hopes, when the Governour of the Val­leys made Proclamation, about the end of the year 1685, That no Stranger should come and stay in the Valleys above 3 days without his permission, and that any that should entertain them any longer should be most severely punished. The Vau­dois had intelligence of the great vio­lences that were made use of in France, to force the Protestants there to change their Religion; they had likewise news, that that King had cancelled the Edict of Nants, and they judged very well, that the prohibition that was made them of giving a safe retreat to their Brethren of France was of a dangerous consequence, but they did not foresee all the misery that hapned to them since, nor all the evils that were prepa­red for them.

They were strangely surprized when there was published in the Valleys an order of the Duke of Savoy, on the 31st of Ianuary 1686. which did gene­rally forbid the exercise of the Prote­stant Religion, under pain of death and confiscation of all their Goods, and their [Page 145] Churches to be demolished, and all their Ministers to be sent into banish­ment; all Infants born hereafter to be baptised and brought up in the Ro­man Religion under penalty of con­demning their Fathers to the Gallies: it's impossible to express the grief and fears of the Vaudois at the sight of so surprizing, vigorous and unjust order, so contrary to their rights and privi­ledges, the for [...]er orders only tended to the restraining them in narrower bounds, but the Ordinance of the 31st of Ianuary, entirely deprived them of the exercise of their Religion and liber­ty of Conscience. In this sad conditi­on into which they were plunged, by the malice of their Enemies, they had recourse to submissions and supplicati­ons; according to their custom they ad­dressed the Duke of Savoy four times to revoke the Order, but they could ob­tain nothing but some delay, that he might be the better prepared to execute the order; they saw their misfortune was without remedy, and of this they were the more certain when they under­stood that the King of France, who for reasons of state and interest, had always protected them, and had declared him­self [Page 146] the Warrantee of the Patents of 1655 and 1664. had now not only ob­liged the Duke to pass this Order, but had also made his Troops advance to­wards Piemont for to see the execution of the Order performed.

The Protestant Cantons being inform­ed of this Order, and of the measures that were taken for the execution of it, thought themselves obliged not to for­sake a people persecute [...] upon the score of Religion, and that they ought to ap­pear on their behalf on this occasion, as well as they had done on the former; therefore they resolved in an Assembly held at Basil, in the month of February 1686. to send a splendid Embassy to the Duke of Savoy, to interceed for the Vaudois. These Ambassadors arrived at Turin the beginning of March, and made to the Duke their Proposals for the revoking of the late Orders of the 31st of January; they shewed the Duke that they were interested in this affair, not only as Brethren of the Vaudois, ma­king profession of the same Religion, but because also the Patents of 1655 and 1664. which this last Order de­stroyed, was the fruits of their former Mediation; and they supported their de­mand [Page 147] with many strong and solid con­siderations. The Court of Turin did not impugn these reasons, but thought it was sufficient to tell the Ambassa­dors, that the engagements that the Duke had entred into with the King of France, opposed the success of their negotiation. This Answer obliged the Ambassadors to give in a Memorial to the Duke to this purpose; That the Predecessors of his Royal Highness ha­ving engaged their Royal Word to ma­ny Soveraign Princes, and particularly to the Protestant Cantons, for the due observing of the Patents granted the Vaudois, such formal and authentical en­gagements ought to stand good, for that the Patents were not meer tolleration for a time, but perpetual grants and ir­revocable Laws; and besides the Pa­tents were granted at the intercession of many Soveraign Princes, and according to the Laws of Nations they are eter­nal monuments of the publick faith, and the promises of Princes ought to be sa­cred and inviolable: They demonstra­ted likewise by many strong arguments, drawn out of the Schools of Politicks, that the Duke of Savoy acted against his own interest in these proceedings, and [Page 148] that he ought to maintain the Vaudois in their ancient priviledges, and the rules of justice and clemency would not per­mit him to bring Fire, and Sword and Desolation into his Estate; and that he destroyed a people which implored his Grace and Mercy, and that had done nothing to draw this Cruel Order up­on their Heads, which put them in de­spair: But neither the excellent reasons of the Ambassadors, nor their pressing sollicitations, nor the Letters of inter­cession that many Protestant Princes wrote in their behalf, produced the de­sired effect; they only confirmed the Ambassadors in the certainties of the engagements that the Duke was entred into with the King of France, for to ex­tinguish the Protestant Religion in the Valleys, as it had been done in France; and that the same methods would be made use of to obtain their ends in this wicked design.

In the interim the Vaudois were wholly ignorant of what passed at Turin, because their enemies had seized upon two men who were going into the Val­leys to carry them the news; it's true, they knew at length by common fame, that the Swisse Ambassadors were at Tu­rin [Page 149] to demand a revocation of the Or­der of the 31st of January, but they knew nothing for certain of the subject of their negotiation, and could not go themselves to Turin to be informed without great danger, because the time was elapsed that was given them for conforming to the foresaid Order; and which is more, that Court had refused the Ambassadors to grant Letters of safe conduct for the Deputies of the Vaudois; to come and maintain their right, as it had been practised in former negotia­tions.

The Duke of Savoy returned the Am­bassadors this Answer, by the Marquess of St. Thomas, one of his Ministers of State, who had the direction of foreign affairs, that he could not revoke the Order he had given, because he was not Master of it, but in case the Order were executed, his Royal Highness would be willing to consider of some expedients; he likewise told them, that in respect to their Masters, his Royal Highness would not refuse to give the Vaudois leave to go out of his Estates, and to dispose of their Goods at their plea­sure.

The Ambassadors considering that [Page 150] the Vaudois had no Head nor regular Troops, and that they could not be able to maintain a War against the King of France and the Duke of Savoy, who were leagued together for their destru­ction, they thought the best way to shelter the Vaudois from this storm that threatned them was, to procure a safe retreat, and the free disposal of their Goods. But before they entred into this negotiation, they thought it pro­per, first to know the sentiments of the Vaudois: Upon this subject the Ambas­sadors concerted measures with the Court of Turin to make a Voyage into the Valleys, and the Duke himself gave them a Letter upon this subject, for the Governour of that Country; but the event has made clear beyond dis­pute, that the sentiment of the Court was not to let the Vaudois go out of Pie­mont, but to force them to quit their Religion, in the same manner as they had forced the Protestants of France, and to destroy all those that would not conform to their Superstition. And the consent that was given to the Vau­dois of having liberty of quitting the Country, was only a trick to divide them; they knew well that there were [Page 151] a great many that would not abandon their Goods and Estates, and lead a lan­guishing and disconsolate life in foreign Countries; and that those would sooner quit their Religion than submit to so hard conditions: And as for those that would resolve to go out of the Coun­try, they would find means to trick them, either in taking away their Chil­dren, and bringing them up in the Ro­man Religion, or in hindring them of disposing of their Goods; or in impri­soning some, and massacring others, as they did in the year 1655. without the least regard to the most Solemn Pro­mises or Publick Faith.

The Ambassadors arrived in the Val­leys the 22d of March, and the day after they caused all the Communities to be assembled by their Deputies, to whom they gave an account of what they had done; they told them in short, that considering the condition they were in, and that they could have no hopes of succour, they had no better way to take, than to retire; and in case that this could be obtained, with liberty of disposing of their Goods and Lands, and that if they were resolved upon it, they would present their Proposals to the [Page 152] Court of Savoy, as coming from them­selves. The Deputies of the Communi­ties were extreamly surprized to under­stand that they must hope for no suc­cess upon such an occasion, that all the reformed part of Europe ought to be in­terested in: They told the Ambassadors, that they were perswaded that they could do no better than follow their advice, but to fully determine an affair of that importance, it was necessary first to have a general assembly.

And the necessary orders being given for this Assembly, the Ambassadors re­turned to Turin, and informed the Mar­quess of St. Thomas of the success of their negotiation; who told them that their endeavours would be very agree­able to that Court. After which, they petitioned for a safe conduct for some of the Inhabitants of the Val­leys to come and bring the result of the deliberations of the Assembly; but this was refused upon two frivolous pre­tences, the one was, that the Duke of Savoy would have none of the Vaudois to appear and follow his Court, and the other was, that he pretended to do no­thing on this occasion, but only upon the account and respect to the Ambas­sadors; [Page 153] and this was the reason that they were constrained to send their Secretary into the Valleys, to go and bring back the deliberations of the Assembly. The Secretary found the Communities assembled at Angrogne, the 28th of March, unresolved what to do; for on the one side they foresaw the dangerous conse­quences of a Bloody War, on the other side they saw insuperable difficulties and dangers in quitting their Country, but at last they concluded to send to the Am­bassadors a memorial of the dangers and difficulties that opposed their retreat; and the same time they writ them a Letter, by which, after having humbly suppli­cated them to make a reflection upon the foresaid difficulties, they notwith­standing submitted all to their prudence and conduct.

By vertue of these Letters, the Am­bassadors acted vigorously to obtain leave for the Vaudois to have peaceable egress out of the Dukes Dominions, and freedom of disposing of their Goods; but the Duke, to whom these propo­sitions were carried, made this an­swer be returned them, That before he would give them a Categorical An­swer to their Proposals, he expected [Page 154] the Communities of the Valleys should send their Deputies with an ample power of making the submissions that were due to him, and to ask him leave of going out of his Dominions, as a particular favour that they implored of him. This change makes it clear, that he consented to the retiring of the Vaudois, for no other end but to divide them, as it after hapned, to the great satisfaction of their Enemies. The Ambassadors thought this Answer very strange, and plainly saw that themselves were plaid upon, and the poor Vaudois only mocked. They had refused to grant at their intercession, a safe con­duct for the Deputies of the Valleys to come to Turin. They had been assured several times, that if the Vaudois had li­berty to go out of the Country, that it should be only granted at the intercessi­on and mediation of the Ambassadors, and now it must not be the Ambassa­dors that must obtain leave, but the Vau­dois themselves must come, and by their own humble supplications must obtain this cruel permission; and people that had done nothing, but serve God according to the purity of the Gospel, must come and ask it as a great favour to be banish­ed [Page 155] from their Country, and to abandon their Houses and Lands, to go and beg in a Foreign Country; this ill treatment of the Ambassadors notwithstanding did not make them desist from assisting the Vaudois, and to take away all pretences from their Enemies, they petitioned for a safe conduct for the Deputies, that the Duke demanded, and they sent it to the Valleys by their Secretary, who caused the Communities to be assem­bled that the Deputies might be nomi­nated.

But as on the one side, there were many who never had any design of quit­ting the Country, and on the other, ma­ny who suspected some new Tricks of their Enemies; the Communities were not all of the same Sentiment, nor were the Instructions they gave to their De­puties conformable one to another, some of them asked leave to go out of their Country, and the free disposal of their Goods; others demanded by their De­puties, the continuance of the free Ex­ercise of their Religion, and all their o­ther Rights and Priviledges. The De­puties being come to Turin, the Ambas­sadors saw it was to no purpose for them to appear at Court so divided, therefore [Page 156] they sent them back again into the Valleys, to endeavour a union, and in the interim they would endeavour to put a stop to the execution of the order above mentioned.

The Enemies of the Vaudois, who had people a purpose in the Valleys ingaged to divide them, were extreamly pleased to hear of their divisions, they saw that this was an assured means to destroy them; to foment their divisions, an Edict was made and signed the 9th of April, which permitted them a safe Egress, and free Disposal of their goods under certain Conditions, but we must observe that the Deputies of the Valleys did not ask leave to quit the Country, nor did the Ambassadors then insist upon it any more, at that time, but only they petitioned to gain some time for the better assembling of the Com­munities, and the freer Deliberation of what was expedient to be done in this affair.

This Edict had an effect contrary to the Intentions and Sentiments of their Adversaries, it united the Vaudois, instead of dividing them, for having examined it, they saw it was a snare that had been laid for their more easy De­struction. [Page 157] First, This Edict did not revoke the order of the 31st. of January, which commanded them to demolish all their Churches in 8 days, but it con­firmed it: they were put upon this Di­lemma, that either they must demolish them themselves, during the delay, and at the same time prepare themselves for to quit their Houses and Lands for ever, and dispose of their Goods, which was impossible in so short a time, or else their Enemies must demolish them, during the delay; otherwise they would be uncapable of the oblivion promised in the Edict, and fallen from all hopes of future Favour; their Enemies would not dare to demolish the Churches of the Vaudois, before the Army was en­tred into the Valleys, and made it self Mistress of them. Secondly, The Edict that they should lay down their Arms, and retire to their Houses within 8 days, and not to assemble in any hostile man­ner whatsoever; the Vaudois had not forgot what happened to them in 1655. for having then given entrance to the Army of the Duke into the Valleys, for to quarter there only 2 or 3 days, as it was pretended, for a mark of their Submis­sion and Obedience, they committed [Page 158] that cruel Massacre of which we have spoke.

And what followed made it apparent, that the Order commanding laying down of arms, and prohibiting any more Military Assemblys, only tended to this, to make them abandon their Religion and to massacre them with more ease, as they afterwards did in several places, after the Enemies Troops were entred into the Valleys. Thirdly, The Vaudois were by the Edict, obliged to go out of their Country in three separate Companies, and to appear in such places without arms, where the Troops of the Duke were encamped, and so expose themselves to the Discre­tion of the Soldiers, and perchance to be massacred. Fourthly, They saw that the permission that the Edict gave of selling their Goods would serve them in no stead, for that the Sale could not be made till after their retreat, and that to Roman Catholicks only, and by Ro­man Catholick Trustees; they were sure that in the first place, out of the price of them, would be deducted all damages pretended to be sustianed by the Fryars, Missionaries, and all Ca­tholicks, as well ancient as modern; [Page 159] which perchance they would have pre­tended came to more than the value of their Goods. Fifthly, If they would permit them to depart without any molestation, why did they not suspend the execution of the order of the 31st. of January? and why gave they them so little time to demolish their Churches in, and to prepare themselves for their departure? Sixthly, The Ambassadors were not named in the Edict, and the Vaudois had no security for the execution of what was contained in it; and had very great reason to be diffident; consi­dering what had formerly past. Se­venthly, The Duke of Savoy had told the Ambassadors that he was not master of this affair, because of the engagements he had made with the King of France, it was therefore to be presumed, that this Monarch on whom this affair de­pended would not have the Vaudois better treated, than he had treated his own Subjects of the reformed Religion in France; in conclusion, this Edict made the Vaudois pass for the most wicked and criminal people of the World, for not obeying the order of the 31st. of January, which was an order that destroyed all their Priviledges, and took from them [Page 160] Liberty of Conscience, and would have forced them to sacrifice their Children to Idols; and by consequence the D. of Savoy could not give out such an order without manifest Injustice, and invading the Empire of God, who alone is So­veraign of the Consciences of men.

The Vaudois were established in the Valleys when this order was made, and possessed the same Estates, and made profession of the same Religion that they had professed many ages, before the Dukes of Savoy were Princes of Piemont, for it was but in the year 1233. that Thomas Earl of Savoy made himself ma­ster of the Town of Pignerol, under pretence that the race of the Princes of Piemont was extinct; but the Vaudois have possessed these Valleys ever since they were first inhabited, for it's from these Valleys that they borrow their name, as the Greeks from Greece, and the Italians from Italy; and as to their Religion we have shewed they have kept it from Father to Son, even from the time of the Apostles; if the people could not deprive their Soveraigns of their Rights and Priviledges, for what reason can the Soveraigns deprive Subjects of their Li­berties, if they have not committed [Page 161] crimes that may justly forfeit them?

Soveraign Princes are established to govern and guide their Subjects, and to hinder injustice, not to destroy and dispoil them of their Goods and Privi­ledges, but to defend and maintain all their Rights and Immunities.

The Edict was published in the Val­leys the 11th. of April, and commanded that in 8 days they should demolish their Temples, banish their Ministers, baptize their Children after the Roman fashion, instruct others in the Roman Religion, lay down their arms, exercise no Soldi­ers, receive the Fryars and Missionaries, and the old and new Catholicks, and all the whole Enemies army; they would give no assurance to the Ambassadors that their Troops should not enter the Valleys till the departure of the Vaudois: For the army was ready to enter even before the Edict was published, and some days after the publication of it was made, the Duke of Savoy appeared him­self in the Field, the more to dishearten the Vaudois by his presence, and the more easily oblige them to undergo their rigorous conditions imposed on them: the 19th. all that was commanded by the order of the 31st. of January was to [Page 162] be put in execution, and those of Lu­cerne were to depart the 21st. those of Angrogne the 22d. those of St. Martin and Perouse the 23d. of April, if they failed in the least tittle of the order, they were to be seized on, and deprived of the liberty of departing, and con­demned as most enormous and criminal Rebels, for so says the Edict.

The Communities which were assem­bled at Rocheplate the 14th of the month, after having maturely weighed the words and conditions of the Edict, judged that their Enemies had nothing less in their intentions than to let them pass safe out of the Country, and this Edict was only a Trap laid the more easily to take them and destroy them, the result then was not to accept of the conditions, for the reasons we have already mentioned; which reasons they sent to the Ambassadors, who did their utmost to procure the Vaudois more se­cure and more advantageous conditions, than those contained in the Edict, but neither their reasons nor sollicitations produced any Effect, they were always answered, that as long as the Vaudois were in arms nothing further should be granted them, nor positively promised them.

[Page 163] The Vaudois, being fully perswaded that they were not to be disarmed, but in order to be destroyed the more easily and without resistance, were resolved not to aid their own ruine, they there­fore persisted in the resolution of defend­ing themselves if they were artacked.

That which confirmed them in this resolution was, that two or three days after the publication of the Edict, 15 or 16 Vaudois went to the Judge of the Valleys, to tell him, they and their Families designed to depart, and desired him to give them a passport, which he refused them, under pretence that they must expect till others went, and he was not only contented to deny them a passport, which was necessary for them to obey the Edict; but he sollicited them to change their Religion, and be­cause they would not do it, he put them in prison, where some of anguish of mind, and other evils, incident to im­prisonments, dyed, and others were kept there 7 or 8 months, till they were delivered with other Prisoners, this shews that a plot was laid to destroy the Vaudois that would not confirm to the Romish superstition, and forsake the an­tient Apostolical Faith.

[Page 164] And that which confirmed it the more was, that one of the Directors of the Church of Villa secca, in the Valley of St. Martin, writ to the Ambassadors, who were as yet at Turin just ready to depart, a Letter on the 20th. of April, by which, he declared in the name of himself and his Brethren of the Robe, that they would put in execution the Edict, and desired them to procure them a safe passport, and some more time to make their departure; and one of the Ambassadors took the pains to go to the Camp for to demand a passport, but it was refused him upon pretence that it was not asked in time; it was always too soon or too late, and they never could find a proper time to grant their passports.

There were two armies that were to attack the Vaudois, that of the Dukes was commanded by Don Gabriel of Savoy, Uncle to the Duke; and that of France was commanded by Monsieur Catinat, Governour of Casal: The Army of the Duke consisted of the Houshold, of all the Cavalry and Infantry, and of the Militia of Mondovi, Barjes, Bagnols, and other places of Piemont: That of France, consisted of many Regiments of Cavalry [Page 165] and Dragoons▪ of eight battalions of foot which had passed the Mountains, and of a part of the Garrison of Casal and Pignerol. The Duke before he left the Camp, took a review, as well of his own Troops, as of those of France, and put all things in order to attacque the Vaudois, as soon as that short time he had given should be elapsed; having designed one part of his Army to force the Valley of Lucerne, and the Commu­nity of Angrogne, and the Army of France to force the Valleys of St. Mar­tin and Perouse.

The Vaudois had taken some measures to defend themselves; they had but one part of the Valley of Lucerne, and ano­ther part of the Community of An­grogne, in the Valley of Perouse; they only had some advantageous Passes that were in places belonging to the Duke of Savoy; there being a part of this Valley that depended on the Crown of France, but they were possessed of all the Valley of St. Martin, the strongest of all by scituation; they were fortifi­ed in every one of these Valleys with many retrenchments, made of Turf and Stone, and were about 2500 men in arms, two thirds more than they [Page 166] were in the year 1655 and 1663. They had made their Commanders and Offi­cers of the most considerable persons among themselves, they had no strangers to assist them, and they waited the ene­mies coming with a great deal of re­solution, but they wanted regular Troops and experienced Commanders; there were many that were corrupted and grew slack during the negotiation. The greatest fault they committed was, that they resolved to guard all the Posts, for if they had abandoned the Posts that were the nearest the enemy, and had retreated within the retrench­ments that were within the Mountains and Rocks, it's probable they could not have been reduced to the extremity they after were.

The 22d the two Armies attacqued the Vaudois in several places; the Army of the Duke being advanced as far as the Plain of St John, divided it self into several bodys, who attacqued at the same time divers retrenchments that the Vaudois had in the Valleys of Lucerne and Angrogne; the Vaudois not being able to stand the fury of the Enemies Can­non in those open retrenchments, were constrained, after some resistance, to [Page 167] abandon a part of their retrenchments and to put themselves into another stron­ger retrenchment above Angrogne, where were 500 men: The enemies after ha­ving burned all their Houses, and what­so ever came in their way, came to at­tacque the Fort, the Vaudois defended themselves so stoutly against the whole Army, that they kept that Post a whole day, with the loss of only five men, and the enemies lost above 300, although they were very well covered with re­trenchments; the Vaudois fearing they could not longer keep this Post, desert­ed it and put themselves into another, which was about 200 paces higher above the former, and far more advantagious; there they expected their enemies with a great deal of resolution and courage, who advanced to attacque them, when news was brought them that those of the Valley of St. Martin had yielded themselves up to the French, who came to fall upon them in the rear: This Val­ley, as we have said, was the strongest of all the Valleys, and from thence they might easily enter into the Valleys of Lucerne and Angrogne: They did not know upon what Conditions they had surrendred, nor how their Brethren there [Page 168] had been treated by the French. This melancholy news obliged the Vaudois to enter into a treaty with Don Gabriel de Savoy, Uncle to the Duke, and Gene­ral of the Army, and with the other Generals, who after having known the sentiments of his Royal Highness, who was at Lucerne, promised positively on his behalf and their own, that all past should be pardoned, and that they should have the conditions promised in the Edict of the 9th of April, provided they would surrender themselves up to His Most Serene Royal Highness's Cle­mency; but the Vaudois making some difficulty to trust this bare promise, Don Gabriel who was advertised of it, sent them a promise in writing, signed with his own hand, in the name of His Most Serene Royal Highness, in these words, Lay your Arms down speedily, and throw your selves upon His Royal Highness's Cle­mency, and assure your selves he will extend his grace and favour to you, and none shall touch your persons, nor those of your Wives and Children: An anssurance of this na­ture, one would think, was security e­nough for the lives and liberties of the Vaudois: This promise was made in the name of the Duke, but if it had but [Page 169] been in the name of Don Gabriel, and the General Officers, it ought not to be less inviolable, for we do not read a­mong the Turks, nor the most Barba­rous Nations that are, that ever such pro­mises were violated. The Vaudois laid down their Arms upon confidence of this promise, and the most part surren­dred themselves up to their enemies, but all those that came within their power were made Prisoners, and sent to the Town of Lucerne, under pretence that they should be conducted thither to make their submissions. The ene­mies presently seized on all the Posts that the Vaudois had possessed in the Community of Angrogne, and not con­tent to have violated their faith and pro­mise they had given, that they would not meddle with their persons, in ma­king them Prisoners, they sacked, pil­laged and burnt the Houses of these people, and put a great many of them to the Edge of the Sword of all Ages and Sexes, and violated many Women and Maids, and committed such brutal actions, that may astonish all that have any sentiments of humanity.

After this treaty, many of the Vaudois retreated afar off, and would not deli­ver [Page 170] themselves into the hand of their E­nemies, till they knew what became of the first that had surrendred; and these seeing that the Army committed execra­ble cruelties every where, where they went, and that they kept all those that surrendred prisoners, they hid themselves in the Woods, and sent by one of St. Johns a Petition to Don Gabriel to desire him to release their Brethren that were kept prisoners against his solemn promise, and to cease all acts of hostility, that the Army committed with such barbarity.

Don Gabriel returned them no an­swer, but some Officers answered him that brought the Petition, they were on­ly carried to Lucerne to make their sub­missions to His Royal Highness, and af­ter that they should be released, which notwithstanding was not done. The treaty made with Don Gabriel in one of the Articles was, that the Vau­dois should enjoy the benefit of the Edict of the 9th of April, which promised them liberty of going out of the Duke's Dominions, and carrying with them their moveables, and what effects they pleased, and to sell their effects and goods that they should leave behind; all these conditions were violated, they [Page 171] took and pillaged all their effects, and burned their Houses, and all they could not carry away.

The Vaudois who were in the Post, of which we have spoke, having surren­dred themselves to their enemies upon the terms we have mentioned, Don Ga­briel made one part of his Army possess themselves of the high places of the Valley of Angrogne, who finding no more resistance, came to the Meadow of Tour, the most considerable Fort of the Vaudois, and in which was the greatest part of their Cattle; the Marquess of Parelle, who commanded this body of men, told the Vaudois that were in the Fort, that peace was made by the capi­tulation of Angrogne, and that they had nothing to do but to enjoy the fruit of it: He assured them at the same time, upon the word of a person of honour, that if they would put themselves into his hands, he would neither meddle with their persons, nor the persons of their Wives and Children, and that they might carry with them what they would, without the least fear or danger of any thing being taken from them, and that they had nothing to do but to come to Lucerne, where His Most Serene [Page 172] Royal Highness was to make their Sub­missions, and after that all those that would become Catholicks might return in all security, to their Houses and Estates, and that those that would go out of his Highnesses Dominions might have Liberty, according to the Edict of the 9th. of April.

The Vaudois who were in the Fort of Tour, surrendred themselves likewise, upon the promises of the Marquess of Parelle, which were no better observed than those of Don Gabriel; for the Ene­mies were no sooner entred into the Fort of Tour, than all that the Vaudois had was given to the plunder of the Sol­didrs, and the Bandits of Mondovi, their most Capital Enemies, who enriched themselves with their Spoils, and those that were in the Fort, of which the greatest number were old men, and sick women, and children, were made Prisoners with some Ministers, and driven on with that Fury, that those whom Age or Sickness would not per­mit of march fast enough, were killed out to hand, or thrown off the Rocks and Precipices: Behold the Prowess and inviolable Faith of the Army of the Duke! Let us now see what the French Army did.

[Page 173] At the same time that the Dukes ar­my attacked the Valleys of Lucerne and Angrogne, that of France, commanded by Monsieur Catinat, fell upon those of Perouse and St. Martin, the 22d. of April, they marched two hours before day, by Torch-light, and followed for some time the Banks of the River of Cluson, which is in the Territories of France; this Ge­neral made a Detachment of Foot com­manded by Villevielle Lieutenant Collo­nel of the Regiment of Limosin, who having passed the River upon a Bridge, entred into the Valley of Perouse, be­longing to the Duke, they seized upon St. German, a Village that the Vaudois had abandoned, and came to force a Retrenchment which they had above, in which there was 200 men, the Vaudois after some resistance quitted that post, and intrenched themselves in another more advantageous; in the interim, a new Detachment of Horse and Dra­goons, having past the River, came to support those who were engaged in bat­tel, they did their utmost both together to master the Vaudois retrenchments, and they thought to carry them, being ten against one, but they found so great resistance, that after having lost a great [Page 174] many men, they intrenched themselves about a Pistol shot off, and they conti­nually fired one upon another more than ten hours, but at last the Vaudois came out of their Retrenchment, with their Swords in their hands, which much surprized the French who did not expect so daring an action, and chased them into the Plain, beyond Cluson, where by good Fortune they found a Bridge that saved them from drowning; in this action there were more than 500 French men killed and wounded, the Vaudois had but 2 men killed, and some few wounded in this rout. Villevielle fortified himself in the Church of St. German, with 70 Soldiers and some Officers, he was summoned to surrender, and they proffered him good quarter, but he re­fused and gave many proofs of great Valour and Resolution, although a great part of his men were wounded and kil­led; the Vaudois without doubt had forced it, but the night coming on they found themselves so harrassed with the fatigue they had endured all day, that they were constrained, after having lost some Soldiers at the Church door, to go and seek some refreshment, Villevielle was disengaged the day following, early [Page 175] in the morning, by some Troops that the Governour of Pignerol made to march thither all night long; the Vaudois be­took themselves to their Retrenchments, thinking that they came to attack them, but the Enemies being now a greater number than they were the day before, contented themselves to intrench out of Pistol shot, without firing for two days together on either side, only some ran­dom shot.

While things went thus in Perouse, the body of the French army marched up by the River of Cluson to the Fort of Perouse, in the Territories of France; Catinat then made a Detachment of Ca­valry commanded by Melac, which having passed the River, over two Bridges, marched to gain the Eminen­cies which separated the Valley of St. Martin from the Delphinate, the rest of the Army having passed the River went to incamp with Catinat at Clos de Bolards, one part of the night, and the morrow following being the 23d. he attacked the Valley of St. Martin at a Village called Rioclaret: But as those that com­manded in this Valley, did not believe they should be attacked after the proffers they had made of submitting themselves [Page 176] to the Edict of the 9th. of April, and above all because the appointed day was not elapsed, for their departure out of the Valleys; so the Vaudois of this Valley had not put themselves in a posture of defence, and so made no re­sistance; they thought it best to lay down their arms, and implore the Mercy and Clemency of the Conque­ror; but the French being enraged at what hapned near St. German, did not content themselves to pillage and burn their houses, but they massacred, with­out distinction of Age or Sex, with an incredible Fury, all that could not fly from their Barbarity.

We are to observe, that the Valley of St. Martin had entred into all the engagements with the other Valleys by a general consent of that Community, by their Deputies, at the general Assem­bly held at Angrogne, the 14th. of April, and this Valley which was the strongest of all, having changed their sentiments some days after sent to the Court, that they accepted of the Edict of the 9th. of April: This unexpected change was very prejudicial to the others, who see­ing the Enemies were Masters of this Valley, from whence they might easily [Page 177] pass into the rest, began to despair of defending themselves; this heart-break­ing news obliged the Vaudois to enter into Treaty, and make the best terms they could for themselves: If the Inha­bitants of these Valleys had defended themselves, as they might and ought, and that those of the other Valleys had contented themselves to guard the strongest passes of the Mountains, it had been hard for the Enemies to root them out. And two great Armies, as were those of France and Savoy, could not have subsisted long there without perishing, either by Famine or by the Sword of the Vaudois, as it had hapned to other Armies, in the precedent wars, that were sent to make war upon them, and destroy them.

Catinat after having ravaged the whole Country of Rioclaret, in a strange man­ner; left some Troops in the Valley of St. Martin, and with a part of his Army crossed over the Mountains, that divide this Valley from that of Perouse, and encamped himself without finding any Resistance in the Community of Parmol, in the Valley of Perouse; the Soldiers massacred all those that fell into their hands, having no pity of women; chil­dren, [Page 178] old or sick. The Detachment that Melac commanded, having incamp­ed one night upon the Eminencies of the Valley of St. Martin, entred by di­vers ways into this Valley, by passes unknown to any but the Inhabitants of this Valley, without any resistance; he left every where where he went, marks of an unparalell'd Cruelty, and marched to joyn the Army that was encamped at Pramol: we shall not here give you the particulars of the Barbarity and In­humanity exercised upon these poor people, as well by the body of the French Army, as by the Detachment commanded by Melac, that not being convenient for an Abridgment, as this is; it's sufficient to say that the French did yield in nothing to the Cruelty, Barbarity, and Inhumanity of the Savoy­ards and Piemonteses; but that which was the most astonishing was, they ex­ercised these infernal Cruelties upon people that had submitted to the orders and decrees of their Soveraign, and a­gainst people that had laid down their arms, and made no kind of resistance.

The Army of the King of France, was encamped in a part of the Commu­ [...]ty of Pramol, called Rua, about half a [Page 179] League from Peumian, whither a part of the Communities of Pramol, St. Ger­man, Prarustin, and Rocheplate were re­treated to the number of 1500 persons, men, women, and children; the Vau­dois who had so valiantly defended them­selves against Villevielle, seeing that the French that were encamped at Rua, might fall upon them in the Rear, quitted their post, and put themselves into Peumian, where there Brethren where, and while they consulted upon the measures to be taken, to defend themselves against the French, who prepared themselves to come and attack them, some Inhabi­tants of the Valleys being gained to the Enemies party, came and told them, that the Valleys of Angrogne and Lucerne had submitted themselves to the will of their Prince, who had been gracious to them and had given them the benefit of the Edict of the 9th. of April; they likewise told them, that none but them­selves stood out, and that it was impos­sible for them to bear the whole burthen of the war, and that it was better now, while it was proffered, to accept of an advantageous peace: This news daunt­ed the Vaudois, and made them resolve to send their Deputies with a Drum [Page 180] to the General of the French army to compose all matters; this General who desired no better, told him, that the intention of his Royal Highness was to pardon them, and promised them posi­tively, as well on the behalf of the Duke, as of his own, life and liberty, with permission to return without any danger to their houses and estates, pro­vided they would speedily lay down their arms; and as to what the Depu­ties said, that they were afraid that the French being enraged at what happened at St. German, should revenge them­selves upon the Vaudois when disarmed, he made great protestations, with hor­rible Oaths, That if all their Army went by their houses, they would not kill so much as a Chick. This agree­ment being made, Catinat kept with him one of the Deputies, and sent the rest to tell the Vaudois what was done, and to oblige all those that were fled into the Mountains to surrender them­selves the day following, being the 25th. of April, at Peumian, that every one might return to his own home after they were informed of the peace: While the Vaudois gathered together at Peumian the dispersed Families, Catinat gave no­tice [Page 181] of this Capitulation to Don Gabriel, who sent him the same day a Courier, which passed through Peumian, and assu­red the Vaudois that were there that he was the Messenger of Peace, and the day after at his return he told them that Peace was concluded; they were so per­swaded and secure of it, that the day before they laid down their arms, con­fiding entirely in the promises of Catinat, in this estate they expected news of the Confirmation of it at Peumian; but this French General observed no better the Treaty with the Vaudois, that were as­sembled at Peumian, than the General of the Duke's army did with those of An­grogne; for he sent thither a Captain of the Garrison of the Fort of Perouse, fol­lowed by many Dragoons, he was well known to the Vaudois, who afresh re­iterated the assurances of Peace, but they were fraudulent assurances, as were those of the Generals; in conclusion, he put the men in one quarter, and the women and children in another, the French Troops being come the same time, told the men they had orders to carry them back to their own houses, and made them march four and four; these poor people being constrained to [Page 182] leave their Wives and Children, expo­sed to the Discretion of the Soldiers, were conducted not to their houses, as it was promised, but to Don Gabriel, who was encamped upon the Mountain of Vachere, who ordered them to be carried Prisoners to Lucerne; while they treated the men thus, they experienced all that Fury and Brutality is capable to inspire enraged and insolent Soldiers with; these Barbarians were not content to rob them of all their Money, but they likewise violated many women and maids, with circumstances that are an abomination to nature, and massaceed those that fled to save their honour. Catinat was not present at what was done at Peumian, he left the conduct of that affair to some Officers, that he might not be obliged to hear the just complaints of the Vaudois about their breach of pro­mise, and more than barbarous perfidi­ousness; or else that he might not be spectator of the design that was upon these poor distressed people: but how­soever it was, it's certain, that except those women that were killed, and those that escaped by flight the persecution of these Monsters, and saved themselves in the neighbouring wood from the [Page 183] danger of the shot, that was made after them to stop them, all the rest were dragged into divers Prisons, with mon­strous Inhumanity.

The Valley of Perouse being reduced by the Capitulation of Peumian, one part of the Fr. Army quitted that Valley, and marched to joyn the Army of the Duke, which was encamped upon the Moun­tain of Vachere; and then it was that from all sides they gathered together the dis­persed Vaudois, and dragged them into several Prisons and Castles, under pre­tence that they carried them to his most serene Royal Highness to beg his par­don; but that which affected these poor people the more sensibly, and made them the greatest object of compassion was, that at their most earnest entreaty and tears they refused to put whole Families together, they separated the Father from his Son, and the Husband from the Wife, that they might not have the means to comfort and help one another; their Enemies were not content to vio­late the publick Faith of the Treaty and Oaths, which always were counted sa­cred among men, but they violated the Bonds of Nature and Blood, to the end they might be less able to undergo the [Page 184] evils intended them; there was a great number of Young Boys and Girls, which they did not imprison, but dispersed in­to several houses though Piemont; not through a motive of equity or compas­sion, but to make them change their Religion, and to bring them up in the Roman Superstition; and by this means to quite alienate their affections from their Fathers and Mothers.

There was yet a great number of Vau­dois, who had not surrendred, and had not been taken prisoners; those of Villar, Bobbi, and some other places of the Valley of Lucerne would not enter into a treaty as the rest had done, lest they should be served the same sauce: Ma­ny of those of Angrogne had joyned them­selves with them, having seen the breach of treaty and solemn parole. A great many of the Vaudois of the Valley of St. Martin had sought for themselves places to retreat in among the Woods and Rocks, to save themselves from the barbarity of the French, who gave no quarter. The enemies resolved either by force or policy to make themselves masters of these Vaudois, as well as of the other; and to this end, while the Duke's Army was employed against those that [Page 185] as yet were in Arms in the Valley of Lucerne, the French returned into the Valley of St. Martin, with the Mar­quess of Parelle, a person well known to the Vaudois, and very proper to per­swade them; this Marquess knew by experience, that craft and wicked poli­cy was a more sure method to gain their design than open force. Behold here the policy, or rather treachery which he made use of; there were some of the chief among the Vaudois who had sur­rendred themselves upon the Publick Faith of the treaty, and in whom the people had great confidence; he made these march in the Front of the Army, and clapping Pistols to their Heads, not only forced them to serve for guards to the French Army to discover the Vaudois in their most secret fastnesses, but also to write Letters to their Countrymen in the Valley of St. Martin to exhort them to surrender themselves to the Clemency of their Prince, whose grace and favour would be extended to all that would in due time make experience of it; and because the conduct hitherto made use of towards those that had hi­therto surrendred, might make them diffident of this sollicitation, they ad­ded [Page 186] to many of their Letters, that all prisoners speedily should be released. Upon the credit of these Letters, they knowing perfectly their Hands and Cha­racters, and upon the assurance that the Marquess of Parelle, and the other Offi­cers gave them of peace, and the favour of their Prince, many of these poor peo­ple yielded themselves up into their hands; many of the rest were either ta­ken or Massacred by the Soldiers; but those that yielded and those that were taken, had both the same destiny, and were equally dragged with great inhu­manity into several Prisons.

Whilst craft and cruelty despoiled the Valley of St. Martin of its Inhabitants, we must go see what passed in the Val­ley of Lucerne. The Vaudois, as yet, possessed two considerable Posts, the one called Iaimet, and the other Cham­rama above Tour, into which a part of those that had saved themselves from the Massacre of Angrogne, had put and fortified themselves; these two Posts covered Villars, where there were about a thousand Souls, Old Men, Women and Children: A detachment of the Army of the Duke, supported by the Bandit's of Mondovi, attacqued these two [Page 187] Posts, where the Vandois defended them­selves a whole day with a great deal of courage and extraordinary valour; they killed a great number of the Enemy, amongst whom were several Officers of Note; the Commander of the Bandit's there also lost his life; the Vaudois had but six men killed, and as many wound­ed.

The Enemy being sore fatigued, be­gan to want Ammunition, and began to think of a retreat; but considering they might be easily pursued and defeated in their retreat, they made use of this stra­tagem; many Officers having laid their Arms and Hats upon the ground, ap­proached about the closing of the even­ing the retrenchment of Chamruma with a Handcherchief about the end of a stick, and demanded a parley, and made propositions of peace; they shewed like­wise a Paper, and told the Vaudois that they had received Letters, which brought the news that peace was made all over the Valleys; that His Royal Highness had extended his grace and fa­vour to all his Subjects, and if they would not further provoke his Arms, they might be comprised in it; they ad­ded that they had received orders to [Page 188] shoot no more, and to retreat, and ex­horted the Vaudois to do the same, and accept of the clemency and favour of their Prince, of which the Prodesta Prat; who was there present, could assure them; this Prodesta, who was well known to the Vaudois, having joyned his protestations to those of the Officers, and they having altogether promised them their lives and liberties, provided they would retreat: The Vaudois confi­ding in these promises, did not only give over shooting, but they gave like­wise to their enemies, whom they might have defeated, liberty of retreating, and they themselves quitted the Post, being fully perswaded that peace was made. Many of the Communities, who sur­rendred themselves at Tour, to enjoy the fruits of this peace, were presently sei­zed on and put in Prison. The Vaudois had no sooner abandoned the Post of Chamruma, but the enemies possessed it, being of extraordinary importance.

Those that were at Iaimet, and had not entred into the treaty, were obli­ged to quit their Post, because it was commanded by the other, and marched to another Post near Villar; the enemy followed them close, and encamped [Page 189] themselves at Bonnet, upon the avenues of Villars and Bobbi, and staid there two days, without giving the least distur­bance to the Vaudois, who were joyned, and made up about four or five hun­dred men. The Officers of the Army in the interim made them several pro­positions of peace, promising great mat­ters if they would surrender, and terri­bly threatning them if they defended themselves. The Vaudois made answer, that they desired nothing more than peace; but that the peace that was pre­sented them was more dangerous than war, since it could not be bought, but at the price of their liberty; that not­withstanding the peace they had promi­sed them of Chamruma, and upon confi­dence of which the had quitted their advantagious Post, they had imprison­ed all that surrendred; that the exam­ple of their Brethren taught them what they must expect from such proposals: This notwithstanding did not hinder many of these poor innocents from yielding themselves up to their enemies, grounding their confidence upon Oath that was made them, that all would quickly be set at liberty, and they were only carried before his Royal Highness [Page 191] to make their submission and beg his pardon; but these credulous innocents were likewise put in prison, and treated as the rest.

The Vaudois being sore weakned, a­bandoned Villars, of which the enemy presently possessed themselves. The Vaudois were very quiet till the fourth of May, that the enemies Troops being reinforced, marched to attack Bobbi, where the Vaudois were retreated, but they were repulsed by 150 Vaudois, who were posted upon the Mountain of Sub­jusque, and who, without the loss of a man, killed several Officers and a great number of Soldiers. The 12th of the same month the two Armys being join­ed, resolved to force Bobbi, but the Vaudois defended it so well, that after a fight that lasted a whole day, their enemies were forced to retreat with great loss.

The day following the Marquess of Parelle, who came from the Valley of St. Martin, passed St. Juliane, a Moun­tain which was then believed to be in­accessible, and he was in a condition to attack the Vaudois from above; this obliged them to quit Bobbi, and place themselves among the Woods and Rocks. The Marquess of Parelle, and [Page 190] the Count of Brichanteau, having posses­sed the Posts that the Vaudois had quit­ted, sent to them in their Fastnesses, divers persons to exhort them to yield, and offered them the pardon of their Prince. One part of these poor peo­ple, being sorely harrassed and pressed with famine and other miseries, laid hold on the proffer, but they lost their liberty as well as the rest; there were some also who surrendred themselves to the Governour of the Fort of Mirebouc, upon promise that he made them of life and liberty; but this Governour paid their confidence with a rigorous impri­sonment. Those who had posted them­selves in the Mountain of Vandelin, af­ter having fought manfully for some time, suffered themselves at last to be seduced by the Count de la Roche, Go­vernour of the Valleys; he did promise them positively, by a Writing under his Hand, that they should return to their Houses without the least molesta­tion; but they had no sooner quitted their Post, than he made them be sei­zed on and imprisoned, taking from them the Paper he had signed with his own hand. The ill treatment they gave those that surrendred, was the cause that [Page 186] [...] [Page 187] [...] [Page 188] [...] [Page 189] [...] [Page 191] [...] [Page 190] [...] [Page 192] there was a little party of Vaudois, who chose rather to suffer famine, and all sorts of miseries among the Woods and Rocks, where they had hid themselves, than to put themselves into the hands of their enemies. The General sent a part of his Troops after them, to seek them out, they found some who were massacred in the endeavouring to make their ascape, others were presently hang­ed upon the Trees, others were carried Prisoners to Lucerne, and afterwards cru­elly hanged; among whom was Mon­sieur Leidet, a Minister in the Valley of St. Martin, who died a most Christian death.

Those that fell not into the hands of their enemies, led a languishing life among the Woods and Rocks, where they had hid themselves, living on Roots and wild Herbs that they gather­ed on the Mountains; and in this sad condition some remained one month, and some two.

The enemies of the Vaudois, having by their perfidiousness and treachery, killed more than three thousand of them, and deprived above ten thousand of their liberty; and taken and dispersed above two thousand Children, they [Page 193] thought they had finished their design, and fell to confiscating all the Goods and Lands of the Vaudois.

CHAP. XXI.

ABout the end of the month of Iune the French Army and the Bandit's of Mondovi retired, the Vaudois that would not hearken to the fraudulent propositions of peace that were offered them, nor confide in the deceitful pro­mises of their enemies, being not so straitned by the Army of the Duke, which alone staid behind in the Valleys, came out of the places where they had hid themselves, to seek for Victuals, to sustain their languishing life, there [Page 194] were about fourscore in the Valley of Lucerne, and fifty in that of St. Martin, with some Women and Children. As soon as they were assembled together, they seized upon an advantagious Post, that their enemies had quitted, after that they made several excursions into the Plain, and allways carried off good store of booty and provisions: They beat upon several occasions, many de­tachments of the enemy, killed a great number of the Savoyards that were come to inhabit in the Valleys, and did for some months such bold and couragious actions, that they put their enemies un­der Contribution, and forced them to furnish them with Victuals, to hinder their excursions into the Plain. The Court of Turin, having to no purpose employed force to chace them out of Valleys, made them under hand an of­fer of safe conduct, and Hostages for the security of their safe retreat out of the Country. Those that brought this proposal to the Vaudois, did not avow that they acted by order of the Court of Turin; on the contrary, they told them, they spoke without any directi­ons from thence, but on their own heads, and promised them that they did not [Page 195] doubt but to procure them passports and hostages by their own interest in that Court, but it's certain that this was not transacted without leave of the Court; for besides that no one particular person durst of his own head intermeddle in the affair, the safe conducts that were after expedited, shewed clearly that all was done by order of the Court; the Vaudois refused to hearken to these propositions, whether it was because they had no con­fidence in their promises, or because they were resolved to dye, or release their Brethren out of Captivity, Death being more sweet to them than life, as long as their Brethren groaned under the Chains of their Enemies, in Prison; to oblige the Vaudois to accept of these of­fers, they were told that the Duke of Savoy had declared, that as long as they were in arms he would not release the Prisoners; but they were positively pro­mised, that as soon as they were gone out of the Country, their Brethren should be set at Liberty. The Vaudois consi­dering that their Resistance might fur­nish their Enemies with a pretence of detaining the Prisoners, thought them­selves obliged to retire out of the Domi­nions of the D. of Savoy. It was at last [Page 196] agreed, that they should go out of the Valleys with their Wives and Children, Arms and Baggage in two Troops or Brigades, their charges to be born, and conducted safe into Switzerland, at two several times, by a Captain of his Royal Highnesses called Perret, with passports in due form; that for the security of of the first Troop, there should Hostages be left in the Valleys, in the hands of the second, who should keep them till they had certain intelligence of the safe arri­val of the first at the place agreed on, and after that the first Troop should be safe arrived, that Captain Perret should give an Officer of his Kindred for Ho­stage, till the second Troop should be arrived there in safety. If the Vaudois that treated with Don Gabriel, and with Catinat, had had these precautions, and had not laid down their arms, but taken Hostages for the performance of the promises that were made them, they had not been imprisoned by thousands, nei­ther had their Children been taken away and their Wives and Daughters violated.

The Vaudois that were in the Valley of St. Martin did almost the same, that those had done who were in the Valley of Lucerne; for though they were fewer [Page 197] in number, they notwithstanding de­fended themselves with so much courage and resolution, that they forced their Enemies to grant them safe conduct and security to pass into Switzerland, with their Wives and Children, Arms and Baggage; those that were in one of these Valleys, knew not what was done in the other, the Enemy having seized on all the passes, hindred all Communi­cation; if they could have had intelli­gence one of another, they would with­out all doubt have had more advantage­ous terms, and perchance might have procured the Liberty of their Brethren. For whether it was that the Court of Turin, was obliged to maintain an Army in the Valleys, to hinder the excursions of the Vaudois; or whether it was that there was a design to people this Coun­try with Savoyards, who had no mind to go and live there, as long as the Vaudois were there in arms; it's highly propable that to oblige them to go out, the Court would have consented to the en­largement of the Prisoners.

CHAP. XXII.

WHile these brave Vaudois defend­ed themselves most couragi­ously, and procured, by their Valour, safe conducts and hostages to retire in security into Switzerland; the Protestant Cantons, animated with a true Christian Zeal and Charity, met in a general As­sembly at Arau, in the month of Sep­tember, the same year, 1686. In which they resolved to demand of the Duke of Savoy, an enlargement of all the Priso­ners, and to this end, they sent two Deputies to the Count de Govon Resident of the Duke of Savoy, at Lucerne in Switzerland; these Deputies having pro­posed [Page 199] the business to the Resident, and having shewed him the reasons that en­gaged the Protestant Cantons to interest themselves in the affairs of the Vaudois, they entred into a treaty with him, in the beginning of October, upon certain Articles to be ratified by their respective Superiours; the substance of it was, that the Duke of Savoy should give Liberty to all the Vaudois to come safe to Switzer­land, and that he should cloath them, conduct them, and defray their charges till they came to the Frontiers of Swit­zerland, and there the Cantons would re­ceive them, and conduct them into their Country: The Swisse presently ratified this Treaty, but the Duke did not ratify it, till some time after; the Duke started some difficulties, concern­ing the way these people should take, in going out of his Territories, he would have them go over the Mountains which thenwere inaccessible, by reason of the great Snow with which they were covered, by the Country of Velay, which neither belongs to the Duke of Savoy, nor the Swisse, but to the Bishop of Sion. The Protestant Cantons seeing unnecessa­ry scruples raised, to hinder the executi­on of the Treaty, made their complaint [Page 200] to the Count de Govon, who upon this wrote to the Duke his Master; the Duke at last gave them leave to pass through that part of Savoy that confines upon Bearne, and parts the Territory of Geneva from Savoy, he made the Prisons be opened, but this was not done till the heart of winter, and in such a rigo­rous season, that according to all pro­bability those that had escaped in Prison must perish by the way.

The Vaudois who by their Valour had procured themselves safe conduct, arrived in Switzerland about the end of October, but those that had been Priso­ners did not arrive at Geneva till Christ­mas.

It would be a hard matter to repre­sent all the miseries and Calamities these Prisoners suffered during their Captivity, they were dispersed to the number of about 10000 men, women, and children in 14 Prisons, or Castles of the state of Piemont, and they were more or less ill treated according to the humours of those that had the command of those Prisons; but it's certain that they were in every Prison exposed to great inconveniencies and miseries.

[Page 201] They had nothing in the several Prisons, but Bread and Water for their ordinary Food, and not enough of that neither in some Prisons; they gave them course black bread, without any substance in it, which they did knead with dirty water, that they took out of the Channels of the streets, and in the bread they often found Lime, Glass, and other filth; in other places they gave them nothing but stinking corrupt water, that they could scarce drink off; in some places they were obliged to fetch it themselves, at places where the Cattle were watered, and where they washed their Dogs and other Nastiness; in o­ther places they would not permit them that they should take the water, as it came out of the Wells, but as it ran through pipes, exposed to the heat of the Sun, to the end they might drink nothing but hot water; in other places they gave them water only at certain set times, and if they were ready to be burnt up with thirst they would not give them a glass to save their Lives, and this was the occasion of the death of several; they had no Beds but the hard Bricks, with which the Chambers of Piemont are paved, and that without [Page 202] Straw, and if in some places they allow­ed them Straw, it was rotten and full of Vermin.

They were so thronged in the Prisons that they could scarce stir, and when some of them dyed, which hapned al­most every day, they put in more fresh Prisoners that they might be always equally thronged: The great heat of the Summer, and the corruption that the Chambers were infected with, by rea­son of the great number of the sick, had engendered a great quantity of Vermin, which would not let the Prisoners sleep, either night or day; there were like­wise great Worms which eat and made holes in their Skins, and many even alive became the food of these Vermin, which are wont only to prey upon the dead; they did not only endure all the Inconveniences of heat, which is exces­sive great in Piemont; but likewise of horrible cold, for in the very heart of winter they neither allowed Fire nor Co­verlets, although they were in the Cham­bers above, of which the greatest part wanted glass in the windows, and so were exposed to the extream rigour of the season which is very sharp, being near those Mountains of eternal Snow; [Page 203] they allowed them no Candles in the night, neither Summer nor Winter, although they were often submissively asked, that they might with the more convenience help the sick; a great num­ber of women in their Labour expired for want of help, and necessary women on those occasions, and the Children had the same fate their with distressed Mo­thers, receiving their deaths-wound the first moment of Life; but as if what they suffered in their bodies was not enough alone, their Souls were persecuted in a most dangerous manner, for their Cler­gy and Regulars did their utmost by their sly insinuations, to make them change their Religion: but God gave them the Grace of Perfeverance, and there were but few that yielded to the strength of the Temptation.

The Vaudois Prisoners were in this sad condition, when the Duke of Savoy made Proclamation they should be re­leased, and have Liberty of retiring into Swtizerland; but this Proclamation was not made in the same manner, nor at the same time every where, but suc­cessively, according to what number were permitted to go first together; it was made by an Auditor of the Dukes, [Page 204] who first made all the Prisoners be brought before him, who told them, that all those that would retire out of the Dukes estate were at Liberty to do so, even those that had promised to change their Religion, for promises that were were made in Prison were looked upon as forced, and consequently null; that they were at Liberty to go or to change their Religion: All that the Auditor said was only to try them, for their Priests and Keepers of the Prisons did what was possible to hinder its effects; they told them that the rigour of the season, and the cruelty of the Soldiers would destroy a great many of them in the way, which hapned to the Prisoners that were at Mondovi, whom they made to begin their march at five of the Clock at night, the same day that the liberty of going was proclaimed; these distressed people were most of them distempered with divers Diseases, yet they made them march that bitter cold night upon Snow and Ice, four or five leagues with­out any rest, which was the cause that more than an hundred and fifty sunk under the burthen of their maladies and fatigues, and dyed, their Brethren not being able to assist them in the least; the [Page 205] same thing happened to the Prisoners that were at Fossan, there was a company of them that lay all night, at the foot of Mount Sonis, who when they were ready to march the next morning, per­ceived that there was a terrible Tempest upon the Mountain, they told the Offi­cer of it, and desired him, that they might have leave to stay till it were past, and to have pity of so many weak and sick people; but this Officer having less sence of pity than the very Rocks, had the Cruelty to make them march immediately, and so to sacrifice a part of them to his Barbarity, for fourscore and six of them dyed, and were buried by that horrible tempest of Snow; they were most of them old men, women and children, who had not strength to resist the rigour of the season, and the violence of the storm; their Relations were forced to leave them there to be­come the food of wild Beasts, and take a sorrowful leave of them, not being able to pay them the last debt due to so near Relations. Some Merchants that afterwards passed over the Mountains saw the bodies of these miserable people, extended upon the Snow, the Mothers having their Children in their arms; in [Page 206] other places they cruelly whipped the Prisoners that would not change their Religion, particularly at Ast.

The Officers that conducted the rest, used them more mercifully and charita­bly, whether it was their natural incli­nation to do so, or that the complaints that the Deputies of the Cantons made, at the Court of Turin upon this subject, made them change the orders that they had given to those that conducted them, I am not able to determine.

They violated likewise the Treaty that was made with the Count de Go­von in several Articles, first of all, in the way they took from the Parents several Children. Secondly, They would not release the Ministers, but kept them close Prisoners. Thirdly, In that they were promised to be cloathed, before they went out of the Dukes dominions, which was very just it should be done, since they detained all their Goods, and sent them into perpetual Banishment, in a most rigorous season, and instead of cloathing them as they ought, they only gave them some old pitiful Coats, and little useless Breeches.

These poor people came to Geneva about Christmas, at divers times, and in [Page 207] several little Companies, which consist­ed in all of about 2500 persons. One may judge from hence, how rigorous and severe their imprisonment was by the number of those that dyed in this miserable estate, since of 10000 Priso­ners only 2500 escaped; they were all in such a miserable condition, that when they came to Geneva they dyed between the two gates of the City, finding the end of their Life in the beginning of their Liberty; some were so sick that their death was expected every moment, in the arms of those that had the charity to support them; others through the ex­tremity of cold, had lost the use of their tongues; some were scarce able to make a step further; others had lost the use of their hands, that they could not stretch them out to receive the charity that was proffered them; the greatest part of them were half naked, and with­out either Shooes or Stockins; in short every one of them had so many marks of their sufferings, that the most cruel and pitiless persons would have been touched with a sence of their miseries. After they had reposed themselves at Geneva, and had taken necessary refresh­ments before they went into Switzerland, [Page 208] the first that came, went to meet those that came after, to inform them­selves of their relations, of whom they had heard no news since the surrendring of the Valleys: The Father asked for his Children, the Children for their Fa­ther; the Husband sought for the Wife, and the Wife for her Husband; and every one endeavoured to hear some news of their friends and relations, but in vain, for the greatest part of them were dead in Prison. This made such a spectacle that the by standers melted into tears, while these miserable people oppressed with the excess of grief, had not power to weep or make their com­plaints.

By this relation we have made of the sufferings of the Vaudois, one may see that they had the simplicity of Doves, but they had not the prudence of Ser­pents, since they let themselves so often and so easily be cheated by their Ene­mies. But the Vaudois were not so sim­ple and innocent in their conduct, as their Enemies were wicked, malicious, cruel and fraudulent; regarding neither Faith, nor solemn promises.

The advantages that the Vaudois had over their Enemies, in the year 1686. [Page 209] in defending the most advantageous posts, shews evidently that if they had contented themselves in guarding those posts, they had without all doubt, de­stroyed both the French and the Dukes army, and kept themselves in their Country; but their misfortune was, that they were for keeping more of the Country than they were able to defend: They likewise▪ committed a second o­versight, in that, when they entred into any Treaty with the Enemy, having so often had experience of their frauds and breach of promise, they did not demand Hostages, for the due performance of the Treaty, as it is commonly done, but they confided in their words and fraudu­lent promises, which were always vio­lated as soon as their turn was served.

Those who to excuse the Court of Turin say, that the Vaudois were rebel­lious Subjects, who had taken up arms against their Prince, are ridiculous and impertinent; for when the Vaudois took up arms they were forced to it, they saw before they offered to stir, great Armies raised for their Destruction; now the Law of Nature, as well as that of Nations, permits every one to de­fend his life against those that would [Page 210] unjustly take it, and Princes are esta­blished by God, not to destroy, but to defend and conserve their people. Now if God, who is absolute Soveraign, Lord, and Creator of the world, not­withstanding always keeps his promise to man, and never violates his word; how much more should Princes, who are but his Ministers and Servants, keep their word, and promises made to their Subjects, that are men as well as them­selves, and are subject to the Law of God, as well as the meanest of their Subjects.

CHAP. XXIII.

BUt the enemies of the Vaudois were not so cruel, inhumane and barba­rous towards them, as the Republick of Geneva was courteous and charitable; [Page 211] for as soon as they heard of their coming they went to meet them, and every one strove who should bring the most to his house, that he might have the great­er occasion of exercising his Charity: They did not only treat them as dear and tender Children, but as persons that brought peace and blessings into their families: All those that were na­ked were cloathed, either at the ex­pence of those that charitably had re­ceived them into their house, or by the purse of the Italian Church; the Directors of which, from the begin­ning to the end, gave extraordinary marks of a tender compassion, and most ardent Charity. It was not only at Geneva that the Vaudois found conso­lation in their miseries, but they recei­ved great comfort and assistance in Switzerland, where the Protestant Can­tons at the same time opened to them their Country, and the bowels of com­passion, in the most generous, Christi­an and charitable manner in the World. The Elector of Brandenburg having news of their arrival in Switzerland, desired the Protestant Cantons to send a part of them into his Dominions, and he promised them a comfortable subsist­ance. [Page 212] The United Provinces made for them a great and generous Collection, which was sent them from time to time, and destributed according to their ne­cessities.

Behold how the Valleys of Piemont were dispeopled of its ancient Inhabi­tants, and how the Torch of the Go­spel, that had shined bright here so ma­ny ages, was extinguished; how at last perfidiousness and treachery triumphed over the innocency and Dove-like sim­plicity of the Vaudois: How the Council of the Propagation and their enemies exe­cuted the wicked designs they had so long contrived for their utter extirpati­on; and how the Vaudois have suffered unjustly, and only for the sake of Reli­gion, this horrible persecution and dread­ful dissipation.

After the Vaudois were driven out of their Country, the D. of Savoy and the Council of Propagation employed all their care and study to re-people these Val­leys with Savoyards and Piemonteses; to the end that the Vaudois, who either for fear of death or imprisonment, had ab­jured their Religion, might not assist those that were sent into exile to return into their Country again: They tran­sported [Page 213] most of them into the Diocess of Verceil, to inhabit there, contrary to the promise made them of establishing them in their own houses.

The Valleys being repeopled with new Inhabitants of the Roman Religion, the Protestant Vaudois banished or in prison, and those that had forsaken their Religion being transported a great way off, there was none that believed that ever they could establish themselves a­gain, or so much as enter into their Country; they must of necessity cross the Lake of Geneva, and all Savoy, pass many defiles, climb up high mountains, force several straight passes, where ten men might stop a whole army.

CHAP. XXIV.

THE Vaudois saw all these difficul­ties, but this did not hinder, but that (after they had led a languishing kind of Life about three years, in Swit­zerland and Germany) thoughts came in­to their heads of returning into their Country, and of surmounting all Obsta­cles whatsoever; for they were, for the most part, a sort of people that lived by the good management of their Goods and Lands, and because they had neither of them in Switzerland or Germany, they could not employ themselves. Tho they wanted for nothing, they grew very weary, and thought every day a year till they were repossessed of their Lands and Habitations, out of which they had been so unjustly driven, as we have related; to this end they assembled together a­bout [Page 215] 8 or 900 in the wood of Nion, 4 Leagues from Geneva, amongst whom there were more than 300 French Pro­testants, who had quitted their Coun­try likewise for their Religion; they did it so secretly, that neither the Lords of Bern, nor the Savoyards knew any thing of it, till they had passed the Lake, and that they were entred into Savoy. They crossed the Lake in the night, in twelve Barks that they had partly hired, and partly seized on at Nion, and the adjacent places; this was in the beginning of September 1689 that they entred into Sa­voy; they had then no head, but they chose two to conduct and command them, one of them was a Minister called Arnold, the other was a Mason called Turel, both brave and couragious, but without experience in the affairs of war; they landed without any resistance, and had the prudence to invest two Villages which were near the place where they made their descent, the Inhabitants of which would have rung their Bell, and given the alarm to the whole Country, but they threatned to burn their houses if they did, and made them give them Victuals for their Money. They had likewise the precaution to send a De­tachment [Page 216] to seize upon the bridge of Trembliers before their Enemies perceiv­ed them, and so they passed without any let or molestation the deep and ra­pid river Arve? but if they found no difficulty in the beginning, it was not so in the conclusion: The Court of Savoy, and that of France, were presently ad­vertised of their march, and orders were given to the Governors of places, that were near their passage, to do their ut­most to stop them in the narrow passes, but they surmounted all these difficul­ties with their Swords in their hands. They had four or five dangerous Ren­counters before they got into their coun­try, but the most dangerous of all was, that they had with the Marquess of La­ree, who would needs stop them at a straight pass near Salbetran; he had with him a Regiment of Dragoons, and la great body of Foot, but at last, after an obstinate and long fight they gained this pass as well as the rest, the Marquess was mortally wounded, many French Offi­cers lost their lives, and more than 200 Soldiers. After having surmounted all these difficulties, they entred into their Country, chased out those that had seized upon their Lands and Houses, and kil­led [Page 217] those that would not restore them, and this was done with an inconsiderable loss on their side.

CHAP. XXV.

THE King of France and the Duke of Savoy having understood that the Vaudois were arrived in the Valleys, and that they had made themselves ma­sters of them; presently gave orders to their Troops to march, and to chace them out: They constrained them to quit one of their Valleys, and the For [...] of Bobbi, after having defended it a long time, and killed a great number of Sa­voyards, who attacked this Fort, after which they retreated to the Mountain of Sezarna, where they entrenched them­selves. This Post was in the Valley of Lucerne, but they had others in the Val­ley [Page 218] of St. Martin which were most ad­vantagious, and out of which their Ene­mies could not drive them, though they did the utmost after eight battels or ra­ther rencounters, that they had main­tained after their departure out of Switzerland, till the month of December. They had not as yet lost an hundred men, and the enemy had lost above a thousand; and in the places in which they were entrenched, they wanted neither victuals nor any sort of ammunition. About the end of month of December they entirely defeated a regiment of French Dragoons, who had undertaken to drive them out of one of their Posts. In the month of January, 1690. the Marquess of Parelle, who commanded the Army of the Duke, being reinfor­ced with some French Regiments, at­tacked them several times, but without any effect. In the months of February and March this Marquess continued his attacks, but he lost a great many of his men, without being able to annoy much the Vaudois, or chace them out again as he had promised the Duke his Master. In the month of April, the Court of France being informed that the Vaudois made excursions into the Delphinate, and [Page 219] that the Allies prepared to send them succours; that the Vaudois that were in Brandenburg and Wirtenburg, were making preparations likewise to go and joyn their Brethren; the Marquess of Feu­quiers was sent with about five or six thousand Foot and Dragoons to joyn the Troops of His Royal Highness, and chace them, if possible out of the Val­ley, before the Succours came; the Marquess obliged them to quit some Posts, but do what he could, he was not able to drive them out of the Posts they had made themselves masters of in the High Mountains, where they were strongly entrenched.

CHAP. XXVI.

THE Duke of Savoy seeing that the Allies were in a condition to succour the Vaudois, and that the Empe­ror and King of Spain did sollicit him to take their parts, he thought that in declaring himself neuter, he might hin­der the intended succours; but the Court of France, which till then was Mistress of the Duke of Savoy, and his Estate, would not hear speak of neu­trality, and would have the Duke de­clare wholly for France; and to oblige him to it, the King demanded of him, for the better assurance all his Troops, and that he would put into his hands the [Page 221] Cittadel of Turin and Verceil, that he might in them lay up magazins, and all sorts of ammunition; hoping that the Duke would rather declare for France, than submit himself to so hard conditi­ons; but seeing that the Duke demur­red and was dubious, he made Catinat march with sixteen thousand men to­wards Piemont, with orders to enter into it, and constrain the Duke to do what was demanded.

The Duke of Savoy considering that if the King of France had Garrisons in the Cittadel of Turin and in Verceil, and that if all his Troops were in the service of France, that that King would not only be master of his Estate, but also of his Person, he desired time to give in his answer to the King: He offered him at the same time three thousand men of his best Troops, viz. a thousand Horse and two thousand Foot for an assurance of the neutrality, and in the interim he sent to the Allies to be secure of their suc­cours, in case he were attacked by the French. The Spaniards being his next Neighbours, by reason of the Dutchy of Milan, offered him eight thousand men in case the French fell upon him. The haughtiness with which France [Page 222] treated him, caused him to embrace the part of the Allies, and he entred into divers treaties with them, especially with the Emperour and the King of Spain; and being reinforced with the Troops of Spain, that were in the Dutchy of Milan, he declared war against France, and commanded Catinat, who was Ge­neral of the French Army, to be gone out of his Dominions.

We are to consider that the Duke of Savoy is a Prince of the Empire, that the Emperour and his Allies were power­ful and his Neighbours, above all Spain, and that they might do him great harm in succouring the Vaudois, as their inte­rest obliged them, because they were neighbours of France, and that by their means they might make a great diversi­on by making excursions into the Del­phinate, which is a Province of France near the Valleys, where there were great store of Protestants who would joyn with the Vaudois, or at least favour them. And to hinder these excursions, the French would be obliged to keep on foot a powerful army in the Delphinate: The Duke likewise knew that the Protestant Cantons kept a good correspondence with France; and above all, the Canton of [Page 223] Berne, who had beheaded one of their Burghers, for making levys in that Canton, without their leave, for to aid the Vaudois, and so there was no proba­bility that the Canton of Berne would give passage to those that should go to succour the Vaudois. As for the Roman Catholick Cantons, he was assured that neither the Vaudois, nor any that had a mind to succour them, would offer to pass through their Country, because they had seized of the Vaudois that had attempted to pass that way, and had de­livered them up into his hands: There were none but the Grisons that could favour their passage, but that was not enough for to go from the Country of the Grisons into Piemont, they must necessa­rily cross the whole Dutchy of Milan. Now the Duke hoped, that in declaring himself neuter, he would hinder the Spaniards from giving passage to the Vau­dois through the Dutchy, and that France would always assist him, as she had done for the time past, to chace out again the Vaudois that were entred Valleys: It's not to be doubted, but that if France had been contented to leave the Duke in the state of neutrality that he demand­ed, but that he would inviolably have [Page 224] kept it, for it was his interest not to break with France. This Prince had excellent Councellors, who saw that the King of France had his foot upon the Neck of their Duke, if I may so express my self. Savoy lay open to the Troops of France by the Fort of Barraue, which the King of France held, and by divers other places; and that there being but one strong place in Savoy, which is Mont­melian, it was easie for the King in a short time to make himself Master of all Savoy; and as to Piemont, the King had Pignerol, but eight leagues from Turin, and at the entrance of Piemont; and on the other side he had Cazal, and all Monferrat; and so the Dominions of this Prince were surrounded by the Ter­ritories and strong places of France, and so by consequence he could not declare for the Allies, without running an evi­dent risque of being ruined.

If the Duke of Savoy had entred into treaty with the Allies, before the French army had entred into Piemont, it's cer­tain that this Prince, who wants nei­ther courage, nor conduct, nor good council, would have precautioned him­self against the attempts of France, would have recalled his Troops out of the [Page 225] French service, to employ them against the Vaudois, or the Spaniards, in case they had enterprized any thing in the Dutchy of Milan; and their Arms be­ing joyned against the Vaudois, France would not have had the least umbrage of this demand. But where are the treaties that the Duke made with the Emperour or with Spain? Have any been produced? All those that are pub­lickly seen are after the French army was entred into Piemont; and so all that is said to excuse France for her con­duct towards His Most Serene Royal Highness, are impostures, and invented at leisure, without any foundation.

That which has obliged, or rather forced the Duke of Savoy to embrace the part of the Allies was, the ill treat­ment of the King of France, who treat­ed him not as a Soveraign Prince, but as a little Vassal. This haughtiness of France so irritated the Duke, that he chose rather to hazard all, than to do those mean things, and make those sub­missions that were exacted of him; and in this estate he had recourse to the Allies, and to his Neighbours, as it's ma­nifest by the Letters that he wrote to them, which have since been made pub­lick.

[Page 226] The Duke of Savoy being forced to break with France, by reason of the hardships that were imposed upon him; this rupture was the cause of the liberty and deliverance of the Vaudois: For ha­ving understood that France did sollicit them to embrace his part, with offers of re-establishing them in the Valleys, and giving them liberty of Conscience, with free and publick exercise of their Religion, which would have been very prejudicial to his interest, for instead of one enemy, he would have had two up­on his back, and would have been de­prived of the succours that the Prote­stant Princes promised the Vaudois, and of the considerable service that they might do him, in keeping the Passes, and hindring the communication of the Troops that were in the Delphinate, with the Army commanded by Monsieur Ca­tinat. This Prince resolved to draw them to his own party, and to this ef­fect he set at liberty all the Vaudois that were in Prison, as well Ministers as others; he sent an act of Oblivion to all those that were in arms in the Val­leys, and gave to those that were in foreign Countries leave to return home, with necessary passports, with orders to [Page 227] all to turn their arms against the French, whom they most look upon as their true persecutors, and the cause of all their miseries. He made be brought before him all those that were prisoners at Turin, and told them that he was touched with a deep sense of their mi­series, and commanded them in his pre­sence to be cloathed, and to be furnish­ed with all things necessary: He excu­sed himself that he had handled them so roughly, and cast all upon the King of France, as the true Author of all that had befallen them; and because the number of the Vaudois was much dimi­nished, that there were scarce two thou­sand left after the last persecution, the Duke of Savoy made proclamation, that all those Protestants that were fled out of France, that would come and dwell in the Valleys, and joyn themselves with the Vaudois, might do it, and be safe under his protection, and have necessa­ry passports: He ordered likewise that at their entrance into Savoy, both the Vaudois and the French should be fur­nished with arms, and all things neces­sary for to pass into the Valley, which was punctually put in execution.

[Page 228] The return of the Vaudois into their Country, their entrance into the Valleys, and their subsisting there for eight months, are so many wonders and mi­racles. Is it not a miracle that eight or nine hundred should undertake to cross an enemies Country of 14, or 15 days journey, where they must climb up high Mountains, force divers strait pas­ses, where an hundred men might not only stop, but beat three thousand? and that which is most astonishing is, that these Passes were guarded with great numbers, and more expert Soldiers than the Vaudois; they notwithstanding for­ced all those Passes with their Swords in their hands, and routed them that guarded them, killing a great number in gaining them, with very little loss on their side.

It's likewise another miracle, that they got entrance into the Valleys, the entrances being so difficult, being peo­pled with Roman Catholicks, who might have hindred their entrance, being more in number than they, or at least they might have possessed themselves of the most advantagious Posts which were in the Mountains, and defend themselves easily, till the succours of France and [Page 229] Savoy, which were in readiness, could come and second them; but a dread­ful fright from God fell upon them, so that they had neither courage nor conduct to defend themselves against the Vaudois, who without any trouble or resistance chased them out of the Val­leys: Is it not likewise a great miracle, that a handful of people without any Commanders experienced in warlike affairs, should subsist eight months in the Valleys, and fight nine or ten bat­tels against the Army of France and Sa­voy, who were sometimes twenty, but oftner thirty against one, without being able to drive them out of their fastnesses, having killed more than two thousand of their enemies? So many happy suc­cesses makes it clear, that the God of battel inspired them with the generous courage of returning into their own Country, to kindle again the Candle of his Word, that the Emissaries of Sa­tan had extinguished there, that he marched before them, and fought for them, without which it had been im­possible to have forced so many diffi­cult Passes, and gained such signal vi­ctories.

[Page 230] The King of England being informed of their design of returning unto their country, blamed their enterprize, as rash and ill grounded, and looked upon those 900 Vaudois as lost men: The States of Holland were of the same opinion, and refused to assist them, looking up­on it as to no purpose; but when they saw, that contrary to the hopes of all the world, that they subsisted in the Country, last May 1690. they sent them Money, and procured some of the French Protestants that were in Switzerland, and the Elector of Brandenburgs Territories, to go and assist them.

If the Vaudois had not been entred into their Country, and had not gene­rously defended themselves against their Enemies, the D. of Savoy when he broke with France had not thought of setting at liberty those that were unjustly im­prisoned, nor of recalling those that were dispersed in Foreign Countries, and the Allies would have contented themselves with the Dukes declaration for them­selves, and embracing their party, without troubling their heads about establishing the Vaudois, though driven out against all right and justice.

[Page 231] The conduct of God in the Re-esta­blishment of the Vaudois is admirable, and makes it evident that his divine providence has Judgment, and ways incomprehensible, surpassing all human understanding. The King of France, in the year 1686. pushed on the Duke of Savoy to compel the Vaudois to forsake their Religion, and to take the same measures he had taken against the Prote­stants of France; they joined their arms together to force them, and to compass their design; they violated not only the treaty made with the Predecessors of the Duke, but likewise all Treaties, Oaths, and Promises made by their Generals; took them Prisoners, killed and massacred them, violated their Wives and Daughters, killed their lit­tle Children, and made use of all sorts of Cruelty against these innocent peo­ple, after they had laid down their arms; and in the year 1690 God sent a Spirit of Division between the King of France and the Duke of Savoy, inso­much, that they strove who should first gain the Vaudois to their party; and by this division the Duke of Savoy was forced to re-establish the Vaudois in their Rights and Priviledges, and to set all at [Page 232] liberty that had been imprisoned, and to recall all those that were dispersed in Foreign Countries: And so the King of France, who had been the principal cause of their ruine, became against his will the cause of their Re-establishment, by forcing the D. of Savoy by his Haugh­tiness, to join with the Allies; this shews that God mocks, and derides the designs and councils of Princes, when they are levelled against Jesus Christ and his Church; and with the breath of his mouth makes all their enterprizes vanish in Smoak. Oftentimes he makes use of the Enemies of his Church to protect and defend it. Henry the 2^d. King of France, while he persecuted the Protestants of his own Kingdom, suc­coured the Protestant Princes of Germa­ny against the Emperor Charles the 5^th. Lewis the 13^th. did the same against the Emperor Ferdinand 2^d. and Lewis the 14^th while he did his best to ruine the Protestants in France, succoured the Pro­testants of Hungary, against the Emperor Leopold. Henry the 3^d. King of France; when he was but Duke of Anjou, gave advice in an Assembly that was held at St. Clou, to commit the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and when he was King of [Page 233] France, he emoloyed all his Forces to finish the destruction of those that re­mained after the Massacre; but while he busied himself wholly, and took the most probable measures to put in execu­tion his wicked designs, God stirred up the Duke of Guise against him, who under the specious pretence of destroy­ing the Protestants of France, made a League against Henry, and drove him out of Paris, seized upon his Guards, and constrained him to throw himself upon the Protestants, and implore their aid and assistance, without which he had been lost; the Duke would have put him in a Cloister, as Charles Martel did Chilperick the 3^d. and seized upon his Crown. Henry in acknowledgment of the Services that he had received of the Protestants began to be very favorable to them, gave them places of security, and many other Priviledges, and ap­pointed Henry de Borbon, who was a Protestant, his lawful Successor to the Crown.

And so God by a secret and unhop'd for way, of a cruel and implacable Ene­my of the Protestants, made him a­gainst his will their Defender and Pro­tector. King Henry and the Duke of [Page 234] Guise were both in arms against the Protestants, they jointly made war upon them, and had equally sworn their ruin: God permits they should be divided, and by their division the one to destroy, the other to deliver the Protestants, who were sore oppressed and persecuted; almost the same thing hapned in the de­livery of the Vaudois, God sent the Spi­rit of division between the King of France and the Duke of Savoy, to punish them for the cruel persecution they had raised against the Protestants; these two Princes were equally their Enemies, and had resolved and vowed their de­struction; and when their malice was at the highest pitch against these poor innocent Creatures, and all things seem­ed desperate, God Almighty blasted their design, and made them turn their arms the one against the other, to de­stroy the one by the other; as he de­stroyed the Duke of Guise, by Henry whom he caused to be assassinated at Blois, in the sight of all France, assem­bled in the persons of those that compo­sed the States general, and after God had punished the Duke of Guise, for the evils he had done to the Protestants, he likewise punished Henry, who was [Page 235] assassinated in the Castle of St. Cloy by a Fryer in the same Hall, where the con­sult was held, and the Massacre of St. Bartholomew was resolved on, of which, Henry and the Duke of Guise were the principal Counsellors and Ring-leaders of that horrible Butchery.

CHAP. XXVII.

THE History of the Vaudois shews us clearly the accomplishment of two Prophesies of Scripture, the one contained in the 11th. and the other in the 12th. Chapter of the Revelation of St. John. We have made mention of the last, when we shewed that the Churches of Piemont have conserved the Doctrine of the Apostles, in its purity, from the time of the Apostles even to our days, and that the Roman Church was corrupted in adopting and receiving Pa­gan Doctrine and Ceremonies, and communicated her Corruptions to the other Churches of the West, only the Churches of Piemont were preserved pure and undefiled; from whence it follows, by a necessary consequence, [Page 237] that these Mountains and Valleys were the places assigned by God Almighty for his Church, when she fled before the Dragon; and this corruption began to infect the Church about the begin­ning of the fifth Age (for about the be­ginning of this Age, Popery began to triumph over Truth) without staining or defiling the Churches of Piemont, who after this corruption were publickly nourished with the bread of the word of God, without any mixture of humane Traditions, or Pagan Ceremonies. Now from the time that this corruption began in the Church, till the year 1686. that these poor Churches were dissipa­ted, are past 1260 years, which are the 1260 prophetical days that the Church was to be nourished in the desart, nei­ther the Devil nor his Imps being able in so long a tract of time by all their craft and subtilty, to introduce their errors into the Church; and that which is the greatest proof of this verity, and confirms us the most in this sentiment, that this was the place that God prepared to preserve his Church in, is, that nei­ther the Inquisition that the Popes have established, in Italy, so many ages ago, nor the Croisade that Pope Innocent the [Page 238] 8^th. made to destroy them, nor so many wars that Antichrist and his Emissaries raised against them; nor so many bloo­dy Battles they have sustained, nor so many Persecutions and Massacres that have been made of them, that professed the truth in these Churches, could force them to forsake their Faith, or dissipate them, till the year 1686. For it was then that the time of the Prophecy was ac­complished, in respect of these Chur­ches. If God had not prepared this place to preserve his Church in, why would he have done such wonders, to make them subsist in spight of the Devil and all his works? How should she have been preserved pure and immacu­late among these Mountains, if God had not declared himself her Protector and Defender, and had not fought for her, and with her; and brought to con­fusion all the plots and frauds of Anti­christ, who raged like a roaring Lyon seeking to devour her?

The two witnesses of the Eleventh Chapter of the Revelation, are the faith­ful, who after that the Church was corrupted, taught either by word of mouth, or by writings, the pure do­ctrine of the Gospel; and confuted the [Page 239] errors that the false Doctors introduced into the Church, by their fraudulent Dealings, and false Interpretations of the Scriptures; and it is apparent, by the writings of many Protestant Do­ctors, that there has no age passed, in which God has not raised up some holy and learned men, who writ and preach­ed against these errors from the begin­ning of the fifth Age, till our times. These holy persons are represented to us by the two witnesses, for they borrow­ed their Testimony from the old and new Testaments, which are the true witnesses and the true treasuries of Coe­lestial verity; and with the doctrine drawn out of the old and new Testa­ment, they confuted all errors, and confounded the false Doctors.

It's said of these two witnesses, that they shall prophesy 1260 days, which are prophetical days, as is apparent by the event, for that false doctrines were introduced into the Church in the fifth age; it was then that Innocent the 1st. Bishop of Rome, elevated himself above the other Bishops, which they tamely submitted to, he performing the Office of universal Bishop, in receiving appeals, from the sentences of the Bishops of [Page 240] Asia and Africa, and in excommunica­ting Arcadius the Emperor of the East, who was not under his jurisdiction, but under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople; who likewise declared by a Bull, that none should presume to judge the Pope: It was in the Pontifi­cate of this Pope, that the Eucharist, or Supper of our Lord, began to be called Mass, and that Pelagius began in England to sow his Doctrine of Merits, from whence sprung the Doctrines of Indul­gencies, Pilgrimages, Celibacy of the Clergy, and Abstinence from certain sorts of meat; it was about this time that the doctrine, as well as manners of the Church began to be corrupted. And if we reckon from the Death of Pope Innocent the 1st. till the year 1686. we shall find that 1260 years, the time that these two witnesses were to prophesy are past. Now the Holy Ghost says, that when they shall have finished their Prophesy, and the time that God has allotted to preach and cry out against the errors of the Church of Rome, to leave her inexcusable, before he pour out upon her the Vials of his just wrath and indignation; it's said, that the Beast that rises out of the deep, shall [Page 241] make war against the two Witnesses, and shall vanquish them and kill them; now this was fulfilled, first of all in France, and afterwards in Piemont; in France the Witnesses were vanquished and killed by the cruel war, that was made against them; all the Ministers were banished, and others that would not abjure their Religion, either dyed under the heavy burthen of their suffer­ings, or were imprisoned, or condemn­ed to the Gallies, or driven into per­petual Banishment; those that have abjured are dead to heaven, if they do not rise by a serious and true Repen­tance. Perpetual Banishments, and Imprisonments, according to all the Lawyers, are civil deaths; those whom God gave the grace to rise after their fall, and dyed in France; their bodies were dragged through the streets, and after they had been publickly exposed, thrown upon the Dunghills; in Piemont, the witnesses were vanquished and killed as well as in France, the Ministers some were hanged, some imprisoned, others massacred, and those that remained after in the Country, were condemned to the Gallies, or else to perpetual Ba­nishment; some were killed in cold [Page 242] blood, others in endeavouring their escape, lest they should fall into the hands of their Enemies, and their bo­dies left without burial to be devoured by wild beasts: A great number pe­rished in Prison, and the remainder were driven into perpetual exile; the True Religion was then totally extin­guished in the Valleys, and in the sad estate that the Vaudois were then, one may say they were killed.

The Prophecy says in the second place, that the dead bodys of the Witnesses shall lie exposed in the most publick place of the City, and that those of the Tribes, Languages, and Nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not permit them to be buried. Those of France, as well as the Vaudois of Piemont, who escaped the hands of their Persecutors, were banished and dispersed in foreign Countries, amongst divers Nations, People and Languages, and those that kindly received them, hindred their bodies, condemned to death by a perpetual banishment, from being buried and put in the Sepulchre, which is a state of corruption and total dissolution of the body, by the great charity they bestowed upon these di­stressed [Page 243] people; and these Nations have seen them in this sad estate of which we have spoke, three days and an half, which are prophetical days, every day being counted a year, according to the twelve hundred and sixty days of the Prophecy.

It's said in the same Prophecy, that after these three days and an half, the spirit of life coming from God, shall enter into them, and they shall live again; and that great fear shall seize upon them that shall see them, and that they shall hear a great voice from Hea­ven, saying to them, ascend hither, and they shall ascend up to Heaven in a Cloud, and their Enemies, to their great confusion, shall see them; this was ex­actly fulfilled in respect of the Vaudois, who after three years and an half, were as it were revived again, and freed from the miserable estate and condition into which they were reduced by the furi­ous malice of their Enemies; for the Prisoners were set at liberty, the Banish­ed were recalled home, and all by order of their Prince, re-established in their Country in a better condition than ever. In the year 1686, the Duke of Savoy, at the earnest entreaty of the Protestant [Page 244] Cantons, freed out of Prison the greatest part of the Vaudois, but it was only to send them into banishment in a strange Country; but those whom he set at liberty the last Iune, were sent home in peace, and had greater priviledges and advantages given them than ever: He promised to Cloath those that he set at liberty in the year 1686, which not­withstanding he did not; but those that he freed after three years and an half he cloathed very well; he excused him­self to them, was sorry for what had passed, imputed the cause of all their suffering to the King of France. The Duke of Savoy and his Predecessors, these two hundred years past, have ap­plied themselves with all their power to dispeople these Valleys of Protestants, as we have sufficiently related above: But after the three years and an half there has been an extraordinary care taken to people them again with Pro­testants; for the Duke has not only re­established the Vaudois, as well Priso­ners as Exiles, but he has given free leave and encouragement to the Prote­stant Refugees of France, to come and inhabit the Valleys. The Duke of Sa­voy, and his Councel, made use of the [Page 245] wickedest methods imaginable, to de­stroy the Protestant Religion in these Valleys; but after the death of the Witnesses, viz. after the three years and an half, he did not only give free exercise of Religion in the Valleys, but even in Turin it self, the Capital City of his Dominions: And this mi­raculous change happened almost in an instant, to the great confusion of their Enemies, who looked upon them as lost men. This shews evidently, that the re-establishment of the Vaudois was the work of Heaven, and not of men; for so the Prophecy says, that the spirit of life shall enter into them, and they shall live again.

The Author of the Fifth Empire, Printed at the Hague, by Meyndert Vyt­wert, closes with our Opinion, and dis­courses excellently to our purpose, con­cerning the three years and an half, of the death of the two Witnesses. I hope it will not be troublesome to give them his own words, out of the 13th Chapter of his Book.

The time, says this excellent Author, that the two Witnesses should remain in the state we have represent them in the precedent Chapter, is limited to [Page 246] three days and an half, after which they shall be revived: These three days and an half are prophetical days, as 1260 days are, and every day must be taken for a year; it's not easie to determine whether the three years and an half, after the death of the Witnesses, should commence after that the Edict of Nants was cancelled and revoked, and the Ministers of France condemned to perpetual banishment, or when the Faithful of the Valleys of Piemont, who from the time of the Apostles have maintained and concerted the truth a­mong them, were driven out of their Country, after which the Author gives his sentiment in these words, It's pro­bable that these three years and an half should commence when the Churches of Piemont were destroyed, which were the visible conservers of the Truth, that was always preached and professed a­mong them; and after three years and an half were most gloriously re-establish­ed; for the Vaudois were not totally driven out of the Valleys, till about the end of October 1686. Then those that were hid in the Caverns, and Rocks, and Woods, coming out of their safe and hidden retreats, after that the Ar­my [Page 247] of France was retreated, and that the Troops of Mondovy, and other places of Piemont were returned into their own Country, seized upon some advantagious Posts in the Valleys of Lucerne and St. Martin, and made ex­cursions upon their Enemies, and forced them to furnish them with Provisions, and all things necessary; and their Ene­mies not being able to chace them out of those advantagious Posts, granted them Letters of safe conduct to go into Switzerland. Before the banish­ment of these, we cannot say that the Vaudois were killed and dead, for that they made their Enemies pay contribu­tion. Now they were established by order of their Prince in the beginning of Iune 1690. three years and an half after their total dissipation; for this was only one month after the three years and an half that were past; so the Pro­phecy speaks not of their re-establish­ment till this time be compleated; and that which is to be considered more ex­actly is, that in the month of May the Vaudois began to revive, the spirit of God then entring into them; for ha­ving this month received succours from the Allies, as well of Men as Mony, [Page 248] instead of their Enemies chasing them, they chaced their Enemies out of their strong holds; and so we see in them the Prophecy fulfilled of the 11th Chap­ter of the Revelation, in the time set down by the Penman of that Holy My­sterious Book.

The Churches of Piemont, being the root of the Protestant Churches, they have been the first established; the Churches of France, Hungary and other places, being but the branches, shall be established in due time. God will not stay to do his own work to the shame and confusion of his Enemies; the thing will come to pass in the re-esta­blishment of the Protestant Churches, that hath been done in the re-establish­ment of the Churches of Israel, those of Judah returned first out of Captivi­ty, though they were the last that were transported; but God did not stay long to deliver the rest, though at different times and on different occasions: The same thing without doubt will come to pass in respect of the Christian Churches that groan under the capti­vity of Antichrist. God will deliver them speedily, he has already delivered the Mother, and he will not long leave the [Page 249] Daughter behind, he will finish what he has gloriously begun, and not leave his work imperfect, he will gather to­gether the dispersed Churches, and bring back to the Fold the Sheep that have gone astray; then Israel and Judah shall dwell together in peace, none shall be able to give them the least disturbance.

Since the Vaudois were re-esta­blished in the Valleys, by order of their Prince, they have chaced the French out of them, have beaten the Mar­quess of Feuquiers, and slain 1500 men of his Army, among whom were two Colonels, forty Captains, and a great number of subalterne Officers.

They have sometimes defeated two hundred, sometimes one hundred & fifty Dragoons of the King of France, taken several Conveys that were going to the Army commanded by Monsieur Cati­nat, have made many excursions into the Delphinate, and have carried away a good booty and several Prisoners; one may say without any hyperbole, that the Vaudois in one Campaign have en­damaged the French more than all the Al­lies with their great Armies: The great services that they have done the Duke [Page 250] of Savoy, without doubt will oblige him to augment their priviledges, and all the Allied Princes to make a firm and lasting treaty between the Duke and the Vaudois, in case that peace be made between France and the Allies, of which the Protestant Princes will be guarantee. I have only extended the History of the Vaudois till the beginning of October 1690. If they perform any considerable action hereafter, I will continue their History if God give me life and health; to whom be all honour and glory, world without end, Amen.