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THE
HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, from the birth of Christ to the
18th Century: including the very interesting account of the
Waldenses and Albigenses
By William Jones
First Edition 1812
Fourth Edition 1819
Fifth Edition 1826
London: Printed for the Author by W. Myers, 7, Took’s Court,
Castle Street, Holborn
[Note from the publisher. This valuable out-of-print book was carefully formatted for electronic publication by Way of Life Literature. For a catalog of other books, both current and old, in print and electronic format, contact us at P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org (e-mail), http://www.wayoflife.org (web site).]
[Table of Contents for "A History of the Christian Church" by William Jones]
CHAPTER SIX -- SECTION 6
HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES CONTINUED DURING THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE HUMANE INTERFERENCE AND GENEROUS CONDUCT OF THE ENGLISH NATION TOWARDS THEIR PERSECUTED BRETHREN IN PIEDMONT; INCLUDING THE INTERESTING LETTERS OF MILTON IN THEIR BEHALF, ADDRESSED TO THE PROTESTANT STATES OF EUROPE. A.D. 1655.
Amongst those who have made a conspicuous figure on the theater of Europe, in modern times, there are few characters which historians have found it more difficult to delineate correctly than that of OLIVER CROMWELL. This extraordinary person held the reins of the English government, at the time the Waldenses were experiencing, in the valleys of Piedmont, the complicated sufferings which have been detailed in the preceding section. The strange combination of fraud and force, by means of which he grasped the supreme power of the state; the rigor, and, at times, the severity with which he exercised it; the facility with which he could violate, and even pour ridicule upon the constitutional principles of his country, trampling upon all the laws of the land, when they impeded his progress towards the attainment of any object on which he had set his mind, are certainly a tremendous weight to be placed in the scale against his inflexible opposition to popery, his exertions in reforming the ministry of the established church, and even his occasional ebullitions of zeal to promote the interests of the gospel. There is but too much reason to fear that with him, as with many other princes and statesmen, religion was made wholly subservient to his worldly interests.
And yet it would be difficult to fix upon a period when our country was more prosperous at home, or sustained a higher character abroad, than during his protectorate. For, not to speak of the number of able and upright judges whom he introduced into Westminster Hall; nor of the impartial administration of justice throughout the land; nor yet of the attention which he showed to reform the national religion, by advancing men of learning and piety in the churches and discountenancing those of an opposite character; he certainly contrived to support his reputation both among his own subjects and with foreign nations, in a very extraordinary manner, even compelling those to fear who did not love him. His name was terrible throughout Europe, and "it was hard to discover," says Lord Clarendon, "which dreaded him most, France, Spain, or the Netherlands, in all which places his friendship was current at the value which he chose to set upon it. For, as they all sacrificed their honor and their interests to his pleasure, so there was nothing he could have demanded that either of them would have denied him." [It is related of Cardinal Mazarine, who at that time swayed the councils of the French cabinet, that he would change countenance at the very mention of his name; and it passed into a proverb in France, that "he was not so much afraid of the devil as of Oliver Cromwell." Upon the whole, says the late Mr. Fox, "the character of Cromwell must ever stand high in the list of those who raised themselves to supreme power by the force of their genius; and among such, even in respect of moral virtue, it would be found to be one of the least exceptionable, if it had not been tainted with that most odious and degrading of all human vices, hypocrisy." History of James II, p. 18.] The truth of this representation, and, in some measure, the pertinency of these reflections, will appear from the history on which we are now about to enter.
The council of Zurich, in Switzerland, were, by reason of their proximity to the valleys of Piedmont, the first who received intimation of the horrid massacre which had recently taken place there. The news reached them on the Lord’s day, April 29;--and such was the impression which it made upon them, that the town council immediately assembled, and issued a proclamation for a day of fasting and humiliation throughout all their territories; at the same time recommending that collections should every where be made for relieving the wants of the poor sufferers. On the next day they drew up a letter addressed to the States General of Holland, of which the following is a copy.
MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORDS, ETC.
Having this instant received the dismal news of the lamentable state of our brethren of the faith in Piedmont, as you may see by the copy of a letter now sent, we thought ourselves obliged by the sacred rights of faith, union, and communion, to acquaint you therewith; being fully assured that you will be pleased, according to your wonted piety and Christian charity, thoroughly to consider and lay to heart this "affliction of Joseph." This persecution is smoothed over with a very fair pretext by the opposite party, but there is no one who loves the church of Christ, that will not easily be persuaded of the subtleties and treacheries to which their adversaries alternatively have recourse.
Moved by an ardent sympathy we earnestly beseech you, most mighty and illustrious lords, that you would lay to heart the case of these afflicted people and administer those means of relief which you may think conducive thereunto; not only by prayer to the Father of Mercies for them, and by granting them that pecuniary assistance which their miseries loudly called for, but also by pacifying their prince towards them; or at least, obtaining for them the liberty to emigrate, which we also shall, to the utmost of our power, endeavor to do. May the Sovereign Lord of all have mercy upon his church in every place; own their cause; and his Almighty arm avert their misery and adversities; to whose protection we heartily recommend you.
Given, in haste, 30th April, 1655.
The Consuls and Senators of the Protestant Cantons of Switzerland, viz. Zurich, Berne, Claris, Schaffhouse, and Appenzel.
About the 20th of May an account of the Duke of Savoy’s proceedings against the Waldenses reached England; and, to use the words of Sir Samuel Morland, it no sooner came to the ears of the Protector, than "he arose like a lion out of his place," and by the most pathetic appeals to the protestant princes upon the continent, awoke the whole Christian world, exciting their hearts to pity and commiseration. The providence of God had so disposed events, that our great poet MILTON filled the office of Latin Secretary to Oliver Cromwell at this critical juncture. [The office which Milton filled under the Protectorate was much the same as that which, in our day, is called "SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS." See Dr. Symmons’s Life of Milton, p. 319.] Never was there a more decided enemy to persecution on account of religion than Milton. He appears to have been the first of our countrymen who understood the principles of toleration; and his prose writings abound with the most enlightened and liberal sentiments. The sufferings of the Waldenses touched his heart, and drew from his pen the following exquisite sonnet.
ON THE LATE MASSACRE IN PIEDMONT
Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughter’d saints, whose bones
Lie scatter’d on the Alpine mountains cold;
Ev’n them who kept thy truth so pure of old,
When all our fathers worshipt stocks and stones
Forget not: in thy book record their groans
Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody Piedmontese that roll’d
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redoubled to the hills, and they
To heaven. Their martyr’d blood and ashes sow
O’er all th’ Italian fields, where still doth sway
The tripled tyrant; that from these may grow
A hundred fold, who having learn’d thy way
Early may fly the Babylonian woe.[Dr. Warton, in his edition of Milton’s minor poems, remarks upon this Sonnet, that "Milton’s mind, busied with this affecting subject, here broke forth in a strain of poetry, where his feelings were not fettered by ceremony or formality." He adds that "The Protestants availed themselves of an opportunity of exposing the horrors of Popery, by publishing many sets of prints of this unparalleled scene of religious butchery, which operated like Fox’s Book of Martyrs. Sir S. Morland, Cromwell’s agent for the valleys of Piedmont, published a minute account of this whole transaction, in The History of the Valleys of Piedmont, with numerous cuts, in folio, Lond. 1658." Among the latter, there is a print emblematical of the seventh and eight lines of this Sonnet. Morland relates that "A mother was hurled down a mighty rock, with a little infant in her arms; and three days after was found dead, with the little child alive, but fast clasped, between the arms of the dead mother, which were cold and stiff, insomuch that those who found them had much ado to get the young child out." Morland’s History, p. 363. See Warton’s edition of Milton’s Poems and Translations, with Notes and Illustrations. 2d Ed. Lond. 1791.]
But this was a small portion of the interest which he took upon this affecting occasion. It devolved upon him by office to address the heads of the different protestant states in Europe, with the view of interesting them in the affairs of the Waldenses; and his letters deserve to be handed down to the remotest age of the world, as a noble instance of a benevolent and feeling mind, worthy of the author of Paradise Lost. I shall therefore, present the reader with the whole of them in this place, faithfully translated from the Latin originals. They are in themselves interesting; are intimately connected with the history of the Waldenses; and the Christian spirit that pervades them, redounds in the highest degree to the honor of the writer. Through what strange fatality it has come to pass, that an incident which reflects so much luster upon the character of Milton, as the writing of these state-papers certainly does, should have been allowed to pass into oblivion, while many things of minor importance find a place in every memoir of the poet, it would probably be difficult to give a more plausible reason for than the superior interest which most men take in the concerns of this present life, above those of the kingdom of heaven and of their immortal souls.
Before I introduce these interesting letters however to the reader’s notice, I cannot deny myself the pleasure of laying before him the character that has been given of them by two distinguished writers of modern date; both of them members of our Established Church, and consequently not to be suspected of any undue partiality for the character or principles of Milton. The first to whom I refer, is Dr. Thomas Newton, bishop of Bristol, who in his life of our great poet, prefixed to his edition of the Paradise Lost, tells us that "the blindness [of Milton] had not diminished, but rather increased the rigor of his mind; and his State-letters will remain as authentic memorials of those times, to be admired equally by critics and politicians; and those in particular about the sufferings of the poor Protestants [or Waldenses] in Piedmont, who can read without sensible emotion? This was a subject he had very much at heart, as he was an utter enemy to all sorts of persecution; and among his sonnets there is a most excellent one upon the same occasion." Thus far bishop Newton--the other writer to whom I alluded is Dr. Charles Symmons, the poet’s last, and certainly ablest, biographer: who, referring to these letters, thus elegantly remarks: "The hand of the Latin Secretary most ably concurred with the spirit of the executive council; and during his continuance in office, which was prolonged to the Restoration, the State-papers in his department may be regarded as models in the class of diplomatic composition. They speak, indeed, the language of energy and wisdom; and are entitled equally to the applause of the scholar and the statesman. They must have impressed foreign states with a high opinion of that government for which they were written; and in the service of which so much ability was engaged. It may be observed, that the character of their immediate author is too great to be altogether lost in that of the ministerial organ; and that in many of them, Milton may be traced in distinct, though not in discordant existence from the power for whom he acts. The letters which he wrote in the protector’s name, to mediate for the oppressed Protestants of Piedmont,* whose sufferings had revived the horror of the catholic atrocities in Ireland, might be cited in testimony of what I affirm. These official instruments are faithful, no doubt, to the general purposes of him under whose authority they were produced; but they exhibit also much of the liberal and benevolent spirit of the Secretary: their mirror cannot be convicted of falsehood or perversion but with unquestionable flattery, it reflects the harsh features of the English usurper so softened into positive beauty as to conciliate our affection equally with our respect." [Dr. Symmons, in a note on this passage, remarks that "This active and powerful interposition of the Protector’s was productive of its intended effect. The catholic tyrant desisted from the slaughter of his innocent subjects, and those miserable people had a breathing time from their calamities. I call them, as they are called in these official dispatches, by the generally known name of Protestants: but the dissenters from the Papal church, who occupied the valleys of Piedmont, had neither connection nor a common origin with those who were properly called Protestants, from one of the first acts of their association in Germany. The Waldenses asserted a much more ancient pedigree; and assumed to be of the old Roman church before it was corrupted by the Papal innovations." See Life of Milton. 2d Edit. 1810; p. 309-319.]
One of the first of Cromwell’s measures was to appoint a day of fasting and prayer, to seek the Lord in behalf of the melancholy condition of this afflicted people; a public declaration of their state was also issued, calling upon the inhabitants throughout the land to join in free and liberal contributions towards their succor and support, in which the protector himself set them a noble example, by commencing the subscription with a donation of TWO THOUSAND POUNDS from his own private purse. And that no time might be lost, in testifying his good will towards the Waldenses, on the 28d of May, SIR SAMUEL MORLAND received orders to prepare for setting off with a message from the English government to the Duke of Savoy, beseeching the latter to recall the merciless edict of Gastaldo, and to restore the remnant of his poor distressed subjects to their homes and the enjoyment of their ancient liberties.
On the 26th of May, Mr. Morland took his departure for the continent, being charged, on his way to Piedmont, with a letter from the protector to the French king, relating to the Waldenses, in whose recent murder, as the reader will have already noticed, some French troops had been employed. The following is a copy of the letter which, on the first of June, the English envoy delivered at La Fere, where the king and court of France were then residing.
Most Serene King!
The lamentable complaints which have been conveyed to us from those poor and afflicted people, who profess the reformed religion, and inhabit the valleys within the dominions of the Duke of Savoy; and who have of late been most cruelly massacred; together with the melancholy tidings we have received concerning the plundering and banishing of others, have extorted from us these letters to your majesty; and the rather, as we have been informed, how truly we know not, that this massacre has been carried on, partly by some troops of yours, which had joined themselves to other forces belonging to the Duke of Savoy.
We were very unwilling to give any credit to these things, because it cannot be thought consonant to the purposes and proceedings either of good princes or of your majesty’s most prudent ancestors, who conceived it to be their interest, and not less conducive to the peace of Christendom, that their protestant subjects should live in safety, and enjoy protection under their government, for which they have always been grateful, and rendered eminent services to their sovereigns in times both of peace and war. Similar considerations have hitherto induced the Dukes of Savoy to treat their subjects with equal kindness. Now we doubt not but that your majesty has so much influence with the Duke of Savoy, that by your intercession, a peace may be procured for those poor people, with liberty to return to their native country. The performance of this would be an act worthy of your majesty, and conformable to the example set you by your predecessors, while it would, at the same time, set the minds of your own subjects at rest, by assuring them that they need not fear a repetition of such evils among them; and also confirm your confederates and allies, who profess the same religion, in greater respect and affection for your majesty. With respect to ourselves, any favor of this kind which you shall grant to your own subjects, or which you may obtain for the subjects of others, will be not less acceptable to us; indeed it will be more so than any other profit or advantage, among the many which we promise ourselves from the friendship of your majesty.
OLIVER P. Westminster, May 25, 1655.
The king of France lost no time in returning a very complaisant and satisfactory answer to this letter, in which he assures the protector that the manner in which his troops had been employed by the Duke of Savoy or his ministers was very far from meeting with his approbation--that they had been sent by him into Italy, to assist the Duke of Modena against the invasion which the Spaniards had made upon his country--that he had already expostulated with the court of Savoy for having employed them in an affair of that nature without his authority or command--and that he had sent to the governor of his province of Dauphiny, requesting him to collect as many of the poor exiled Waldenses as he could, to treat them with gentleness, and afford them every protection they might stand in need of. He tells his highness that, knowing, as he now does, how much he is affected by the distress of these Waldenses, it gives him pleasure to think he has already anticipated his wishes, and that he shall continue to use his influence with the prince for their relief and comfort, and, indeed, that he had already proceeded so far as to pledge himself for their obedience and fidelity, in case the Duke of Savoy would re-establish them in his dominions, and that he had grounds to hope his mediation would not be rejected.
"As to what remains," continues his majesty, "you were perfectly right in believing that I had given no orders to my troops to execute such a business as this--nor was there the least ground to suppose that I should contribute to the chastisement of the subjects of the Duke of Savoy who professed the reformed religion, while I was giving so many proofs of my good will to those of my own subjects of the same profession, whose fidelity and zeal for my service I have great reason to applaud, since they omit no opportunity of evincing their loyalty, even beyond all that can be imagined, and in everything contributing to the prosperity and advantage of my affairs. So much in answer to your letter; but I cannot conclude without requesting you to be assured that, upon every occasion you shall find how much I esteem your person, and that, from the bottom of my heart, I pray the Divine Majesty that he would have you in his holy keeping," Signed, LOUIS.
Having delivered the protector’s letter to the king of France, and received the preceding reply to it, Sir Samuel Morland proceeded on his journey towards Savoy, and upon the 21st of June arrived at Rivoli, a city about two miles from Turin, where the duke, who seems to have been a minor, then was with his royal mother and the court. Two days afterwards he obtained an audience, and introduced himself in an elaborate Latin oration, which he delivered in the presence of the duke, Madame Royal, and all the court, and in which he painted in strong colors the accounts that had been received in England concerning the dreadful atrocities that had been recently perpetrated upon the Waldenses by means of the soldiery--describing "the houses on fire, which," says he, "are yet smoking--the mangled carcasses, and ground defiled with blood--virgins violated, and, after being treated with brutal outrage, too indecent to be mentioned, left to breathe out their last--men an hundred years old, helpless through age and bed-ridden, burnt in their beds--infants dashed against the rocks," etc., etc. "Were all the tyrants," says he, "of all times and ages alive again, they might blush to find that, in comparison of these things, they had contrived nothing that deserved to be called barbarous and inhuman! The very angels are seized with horror at them! Men are amazed! Heaven itself seems to be astonished with the cries of dying men, and the very earth to blush, being discolored with the gore of so many innocent persons," etc. Having finished his harangue, Sir Samuel presented to the duke the following letter with which he had been charged by his master, the lord protector.
Most Serene Prince!
We have received letters from several places near your dominions, informing us that the subjects of your royal highness, professing the reformed religion, have of late, by your express order and command, been required, under pain of death and confiscation of their estates, to abandon their houses, possessions, and dwellings, within three days after the publication of that order, unless they would pledge themselves to relinquish their religious profession and become Catholics within twenty days. And that, when, with all becoming humility, they addressed themselves to your royal highness, petitioning for a revocation of that order, and a reception to former favor, with a continuance of such liberties as were granted them by your most serene predecessors, a part of your army fell upon them, most cruelly massacred many, imprisoned others, banishing the rest into desert places and mountains covered with snow, where some hundreds of families are reduced to such extremity, that it is to be feared they will all miserably perish in a short time with hunger and cold.
When intelligence was first brought us that a calamity so awful had befallen those most miserable people, it was impossible for us not to feel the deepest sorrow and compassion. For, as we are, not only by the ties of humanity, but also by religious fellowship and fraternal relation, united to them, we conceived we could neither satisfy our own minds, nor discharge our duty to God, nor the obligations of brotherly kindness and charity, as professors of the same faith, if, while deeply sympathizing with our afflicted brethren, we should fail to use every endeavor that was within our reach, to succor them under so many unexpected miseries.
We, in the first place, therefore, most earnestly desire and entreat your highness that you would reconsider the acts and ordinances of your most serene predecessors, and the indulgences which were by them granted from time immemorial, and ratified to their subjects of the valleys. In granting and confirming which, as, on the one hand, they unquestionably did that which in itself was well pleasing to God, who intends that the law and liberty of conscience shall remain wholly in his own power, so, on the other, it cannot be doubted but that they had a respect also to the merit of their subjects, whom they had always found faithful in war and obedient in time of peace. And as your serene highness has imitated the example of your predecessors, in all other things that have been so graciously and gloriously achieved by them, so we beseech you again and again that you would abrogate this edict, and any other that has been issued for the disquieting of your subjects on account of their religion; that you would restore them to their native homes and the possession of their properties; that you would confirm to them their ancient rights and liberties, cause reparation to be made to them for the injuries they have sustained, and adopt such means as may put an effectual stop to these vexatious proceedings. In doing this, your royal highness will perform what is acceptable to God, comfort and revive those miserable and distressed people, and give satisfaction to all your neighbors professing the reformed religion, and especially to yourself; who shall regard your favor and clemency towards them as the effect and fruit of our mediation, which we shall consider ourselves bound to requite by a return of every good office, while it will also be the means of not only laying a foundation for our good correspondence and friendship, but also of increasing it between this commonwealth and your dominions. And this we promise ourselves from your justice and clemency; whereunto we desire God to incline your heart and mind, and so we sincerely pray that he would confer on you and on your people peace and truth, and that he would prosper you in all your affairs.
Given at our palace at Westminster, May 25, 1655.
OLIVER P.
As soon as the duke and his mother had made themselves acquainted with the contents of this letter, Madame Royal addressed herself to the English minister, and told him that "as, on the one hand, she could not but extremely applaud the singular charity and goodness of his highness, the lord protector, towards their subjects, whose situation had been represented to him so exceedingly lamentable, as she perceived by his discourse had been done, so, on the other, she could not but extremely wonder that the malice of men should ever proceed so far as to clothe such paternal and tender chastisements of their most rebellious and insolent subjects, in characters so black and deformed, thereby to render them odious to all the neighboring princes and states, with whom they were so anxious to keep up a good understanding and friendship--especially with so great and powerful a prince as the lord protector." She at the same time gave him to understand, that "she was persuaded, when he came to be more particularly informed of the truth of all that had passed, he would be so perfectly satisfied with the duke’s proceedings, that he would not give the least countenance to his disobedient subjects. However, for his highness’s sake, they would not only freely pardon their rebellious subjects for the very heinous crimes which they had committed, but would also grant them such privileges and favors as could not fail to give the protector full proof of the great respect which they entertained for his person and mediation."
These plausible professions, while they no doubt display the usual finesse of politicians, yet certainly evince no ordinary measure of respect for the head of the English government, and are much more complaisant than was the style in which the same lady had previously addressed Major Weis, the deputy from the Swiss Cantons. For when this latter gentleman delivered to the duke a letter from the six protestant Cantons of Switzerland under the same melancholy occasion, Madame Royal promptly replied, that they were not obliged to give an account of their actions to any prince in the world; nevertheless, out of the respect which they bore to his masters of the Cantons, they had given orders to the Marquis of Pionessa to acquaint him with the truth of all these affairs. The Marquis in consequence, waited upon Major Weis, and endeavored to justify all his proceedings, by casting the whole blame upon the Waldenses, repeatedly protesting that he never had the least design to force their consciences, and that all the reports which had been circulated respecting the massacre, and other cruelties were mere forgeries. To all which the major replied, that "with regard to the massacre, it was a thing so demonstrably evident, that it was impossible either to conceal or deny it. And as to the people’s right of habitation in the places from whence they were ordered to depart, it was founded upon justice and equity, inasmuch as it had not only been conceded to them by Charles Emanuel, duke of Savoy, but also purchased of his royal highness for six thousand ducatoons, which were actually paid by them on that very account." The Marquis told him, that he did not at all deny the authenticity of the charters which the Waldenses held, but they were all conditional, and that the catholic religion ought to have been freely exercised in all those places, which they would never allow. In short, that their continual residence in all those places for the last ninety years, could be called no better than a ninety years’ rebellion and disobedience. Such were the miserable pleas of this intolerant and bloody-thirsty man.
It is obvious from all that can be collected of the temper and influence of the Marquis of Pionessa, the bigoted attachment of the duke and his mother to the court of Rome, and the firm hold which the catholic clergy had then got of their minds, that there was not the smallest disposition in the court of Savoy, to mitigate their sufferings, or abate the rigorous proceedings which had hitherto been going on against the Waldenses; and that had it not been for the seasonable interference of the English envoy, the Swiss deputy would have made no impression whatever upon them. But let us now revert to the further proceedings in England. Besides the letter to the King of France and that to the Duke of Savoy, which I have already given, the following were transmitted on the same occasion.
THE LORD PROTECTOR TO THE KING OF SWEDEN
Most Serene King,
The report has, no doubt ere this, reached your dominions, of that most cruel edict which has been issued by the Duke of Savoy, by means of which he has utterly ruined his subjects of the Alps, professing the reformed religion; having given orders that they should be driven out of the places of their inheritance, unless, within twenty days, they relinquished their own and embraced the Roman religion. The consequence has been that, many have been slain, the remnant, plundered and exposed to certain destruction, are at this moment wandering up and down with their wives and little ones, through desolate mountains of never-wasting snow, ready to perish through hunger and cold--nor can we doubt that your majesty is greatly troubled at these things. For, though in lesser matters they differ among themselves, yet the hatred of our adversaries which is common to us all, sufficiently demonstrates that the protestant name and cause is one. Nor can any be ignorant, that your royal progenitors, the kings of Sweden, have always made common cause with those of the reformed religion bringing their armies into Germany to defend it, without regard to minute distinctions.
We have, therefore, thought it necessary to state to your majesty, what has come to our knowledge of the wretched and miserable condition of these poor distressed people, and to give you to understand the grief and sorrow with which we are afflicted on their behalf, as we have also done to our other friends and allies of the same profession; and that we have also conveyed our sentiments in the strongest manner we could to the Duke of Savoy, on the behalf of those poor innocent people. We are also persuaded that your majesty, detesting such inhuman and barbarous massacres, and in conformity to your well-known zeal and love of religion, has already, or immediately will, interpose your mediation, and intercede with the Duke of Savoy to revoke that cruel edict, and recall to their habitations and estates the little remnant of those poor men that are yet left unbutchered.
And, certainly, if there be any bond of union, if any love or fellowship in religion is to be either believed or cultivated, such a multitude of our guiltless brethren, members of the same body of Christ, cannot suffer without the whole body suffering, and having a mutual sympathy with them. And, indeed, it is unnecessary to remind your majesty, that the principles from whence these cruelties and massacres have proceeded, equally threaten us all. As your wisdom and zeal, therefore, will direct you to such counsels as shall be most conducive to the relief and comfort of those miserable and disconsolate men, we have not written this to admonish your majesty, but merely to convey to you the sense we entertain of their sufferings, and our readiness to communicate with you in whatever may tend to their succor, and for the support of the protestant interest in the world. In the mean time we heartily recommend your majesty unto God Almighty. Your majesty’ good friend.
OLIVER P.
Given at our palace at Westminster, May 25, 1655.
THE LORD PROTECTOR OF ENGLAND TO THE KING OF DENMARK.
Most Serene King,
We presume your majesty must have heard, ere this, by how severe and merciless an edict, Emanuel, duke of Savoy, has, for the cause of religion, driven out of their native country his subjects who inhabited the valleys of the Alps--a harmless people, who for many ages have been retaining the purity of their religious profession; and that very many of them being slain, he has exposed the rest naked and destitute, to all kinds of mischiefs and miseries in desolate places; nor can we doubt that, as became so great a patron and defender of the reformed religion, you have been deeply affected with sorrow on this account. For certainly, agreeably to the laws of Christianity, if our brethren are suffering calamities and misery, we all ought to sympathize with them; and, indeed, if we have been correctly informed of your prudence and piety, no man can be more apprehensive than your majesty, of the danger which this example portends to the whole protestant profession.
We are, therefore, induced to write you freely, wishing you to understand that we entertain the same sorrow for the calamity of our most innocent brethren, and the same opinion and judgment concerning the whole of this matter, which we trust you do. We have also written letters to the Duke of Savoy, in which we have implored him to commiserate these unhappy people, by listening to their petitions, and not permitting that cruel edict to continue in force. And if your majesty and the other princes of the reformed religion will do the same, (which it is very probable you have already done) we may hope that the mind of the most serene duke may be softened, and, at any rate, that he will at the earnest solicitation of so many neighboring princes, lay aside his displeasure. But if, instead of doing that, he chooses rather to persist in his purpose, we declare that, assisted by your majesty, and the rest of our allies of the reformed religion, we are prepared to have recourse to such measures as may, to the utmost of our power, relieve the distress, and provide for the safety and the liberty of so many poor afflicted people. In the mean time we pray God to bless and prosper your majesty.
Your majesty’s good friend, OLIVER P.
Given at our palace at Westminster, the --- day of May, Anno Dom. 1655.
TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY LORDS OF THE UNITED PROVINCES
High and Mighty Lords!
You have, no doubt, ere this been apprised, by means of various expresses and advices from the neighboring states, of the recent edict of the Duke of Savoy against his subjects of the valleys of Lucerne, Angrogne, and other parts of his dominions, who have long professed the orthodox faith--by which edict, they were enjoined to quit their dwellings, stripped of all their possessions, unless in twenty days they embraced the Roman religion. You are not ignorant of the rigor with which, by virtue of that edict, they have proceeded against men both inoffensive and helpless, and (which most nearly touches us) those who are our brethren in Christ, multitudes of them having been murdered by a party of soldiers sent against them, the rest plundered and driven out of their houses, inasmuch that they are forced to wander about with their wives and children, in desolate mountains, exposed to the continual miseries of cold and hunger. Of your distress, and the sense you entertain of our brethren’s calamity, we can form some apprehension from our own feelings. For, united as we are by the bond of religious friendship, we cannot but be affected by so heavy an oppression of our brethren. Your lordships have given abundant proof of your kindness towards the professors of the reformed religion wherever scattered and oppressed, in the most difficult and adverse times of the churches; and for our own part, we had rather be found wanting in any thing, than in our zeal and affection towards our brethren who are suffering for the cause of religion, preferring, as we do, the peace and prosperity of the churches to our own ease and safety.
We have, on this account, written to the Duke of Savoy, entreating him to entertain a more favorable regard towards those harmless men, his suppliants and subjects; to restore to them their houses and property, and grant them their ancient religious liberties, as we have also done to the king of France, requesting him to intercede with the said duke in their behalf. We have also written to other princes and states of the protestant profession, as well as yourselves, conceiving this to be a common cause, that they would unite with us in this intercession. For if an example so evil as that is, should come to be followed, which seems to be the intention of those who contrive it, we need not apprise you of the danger to which the protestant faith must be thereby reduced. And if the duke can be persuaded and prevailed upon by our joint entreaties, it will surely be a happy and satisfactory remuneration of all the labor we have taken therein. But if, on the other hand, he shall continue firmly resolved utterly to destroy, and drive to a state of distraction, those men, among whom our religion was either planted by the first preachers of the gospel, and so maintained in its purity from age to age, or else reformed and restored to its primitive purity more early than among many other nations: we hereby declare ourselves ready to advise, in common with you, and the rest of our brethren and allies of the reformed religion, by what means we may most conveniently provide for the preservation and comfort of those distressed people.
OLIVER P.
Palace of Westminster, May 25, 1655.
THE LORD PROTECTOR TO THE SWISS CANTONS
Most Notable Lords!
The calamity which has lately befallen those people in the Alps, who are of the same religious profession as ourselves, must necessarily have come to your knowledge before it did to ours. They were required by an edict of the Duke of Savoy, under whose dominion they were, to forsake their native country, unless they would in three days, give assurance that they would embrace the Roman religion. Nor was that all, for they were immediately afterwards assaulted by force of arms; numbers of them put to death, and others driven into banishment, who are now wandering in a state of wretchedness, with their wives and children, over desert mountains covered with snow, without house or shelter, in want and nakedness, ready to perish with cold and hunger. Nor can we doubt but that, as soon as the report of these things came to your ears, a calamity such as this must have affected you, as sensibly as it did ourselves; and perhaps more so, inasmuch as the proximity of your situation must have made your apprehensions of their misery more lively; for we very well know your singular zeal for the orthodox faith, as well as your great constancy in retaining, and your fortitude in defending the profession of it.
Seeing then that, by the endearing ties of religious fellowship, we are brethren, or rather one body with these afflicted men--of which body no one member call suffer, but all the fellow-members must suffer with it; we thought proper to write to you, and signify how much we considered it to be the common interest of us all to assist and comfort our exiled and disconsolate brethren, by such means as shall be thought proper and suitable, and thereby make provision both for removing the present evils, preventing their accumulation, and the danger to which we are exposed by the example and effects of this act. We have consequently written letters to the Duke of Savoy, entreating him to deal more gently with his faithful subjects, and restore them to their property and native countries. We trust that he will be prevailed upon by our, or rather by the joint entreaties of us all, and that he will cheerfully grant what we so anxiously desire. But should it turn out that he is differently minded, we are ready to advise with you about such means as may be most conducive to the redress and relief of these poor innocent men, our dear brethren in Christ, who groan under so many injuries and oppressions; and which may preserve them from a most certain and unmerited destruction, and whose safety and preservation, from your well known piety, we are persuaded, lies very near your hearts.
OLIVER P.
Westminster, May 25, 1655.
OLIVER, PROTECTOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF ENGLAND, TO THE MOST SERENE PRINCE OF TRANSYLVANIA.
Most Serene Prince!
Your letters of the 16th November, 1654, have communicated to us the pleasing intelligence of the extraordinary good will and affection which you bear towards us; and your ambassador, who delivered those letters to us, has more fully declared the desire which you have to contract an alliance and friendship with us.
For our own part, we certainly do not a little rejoice in the opportunity which is now afforded us of publicly avowing the cordial esteem which we have for your highness, and how much we value your person. But after all that public rumor had conveyed to us of your meritorious exertions and indefatigable labors undertaken in behalf of the Christian republic; and learning, as we now do, by letters from yourself, imparting to us, in the most friendly manner, what you have further in contemplation to do for promoting the Christian interest, we could not but consider it as all abundant occasion of joy and satisfaction, to hear that God had raised up to himself, in those remote regions, so powerful and renowned a minister of his glory and providence: and that this great minister of heaven, so famed for his courage and success, should wish to be associated with us in the common defense of the Protestant religion, which is at this time so wickedly assailed in word and deed. Nor can we doubt that God, who has inspired us both, though separated from each other by many intervening climates, with similar desires and purpose of defending the orthodox religion, will be our guide, and point us to the ways and means by which we may successfully promote our own interests and that of the other reformed countries, provided we watch the opportunities of so doing which God shall put into our hands, and be not wanting to ourselves in embracing them.
In the mean time, we cannot but with extreme and heart-rending sorrow put your highness in mind, how unmercifully the Duke of Savoy has persecuted his own subjects, professing the orthodox faith, in certain valleys at the feet of the Alps; whom he has, by a most severe edict, not only compelled, at least such of them as refuse to turn Catholics, to forsake their native habitations, goods, and estates; but has also fallen upon them with his army, inhumanely put several to the sword, barbarously tormenting others to death, and driving the greater part of them to the mountains, there to perish through cold and hunger, exposing their houses to the fury, and their goods to the plunder, of his executioners. These things, as they have already been reported to your highness, so we readily persuade ourselves, that such cruelty cannot but be grievously displeasing to your ears, and that you will not be found wanting to afford your relief and succor to those wretched sufferers, if, indeed, any of them survive their multiplied slaughters and calamities.
For our part, we have written to the Duke of Savoy, beseeching him to remove the fierceness of his anger from his subjects. We have also written to the King of France that he would do the same; and, finally, we have addressed the princes of the reformed religion with the view of making them acquainted with our sentiments respecting this fierce and savage piece of cruelty, which though it has commenced with those poor and helpless people, threatens eventually all that profess the same religion; and, consequently, imposes upon all the greater necessity of providing for themselves in general, and consulting the common safety; which is the course we shall always follow as God shall be pleased to direct us. We beg your highness to be assured of this, as well as of our sincere affection for your serenity, which induces us to wish all possible prosperity and success to your affairs, and a happy issue of all your enterprises and endeavors, in asserting the liberty of the gospel and its worshippers. WhiteHall, May, 1655.
OLIVER, PROTECTOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF ENGLAND, TO THE MOST NOBLE, THE CONSULS AND SENATORS OF GENEVA
We should ere this have communicated to your lordships our excessive sorrow for the severe and unheard of calamities which have befallen the Protestants inhabiting the valleys of Piedmont, whom the Duke of Savoy persecutes with so much cruelty, had we not made it our business that you should, at the same time, understand that we are not only affected by the enormity of their sufferings, but are exerting our utmost efforts to relieve and comfort them under their distresses. For this purpose we have taken measures to have a general collection throughout the whole of this republic, which, upon good grounds, we expect will be such as shall demonstrate the affection of this nation towards their brethren laboring under the burden of such inhuman proceedings; and that as the communion of religion is the same between both people, so the sense of their calamities is no less the same. In the mean time, while the collections of the money are going forwards, which it may require some time to finish, and as the wants and necessities of those distressed people will not well admit of delay, we have thought it proper to remit you beforehand two thousand pounds sterling with all possible speed, to be distributed among such as shall be considered most necessitous, and that more particularly require present succor and relief.
And as we are not ignorant how deeply the miseries and wrongs of those very harmless people have affected yourselves, and that you will not grudge any labor or pains which may contribute to their relief, we make no scruple to commit the distribution of this sum of money to your care, and to give you this further trouble, that according to your wonted piety and prudence, you would take care that the said money be distributed equally to the most necessitous, to the end that, though the sum be small, there may, nevertheless, be something to refresh and revive the most indigent and needy, till we can afford them a more plentiful supply.
And thus, not doubting but that you will take in good part the trouble imposed upon you, we beseech Almighty God to stir up the hearts of all his people professing the orthodox faith, to resolve upon the common defense of themselves, and their mutual assistance of each other against their inveterate and most implacable enemies; in doing which we should rejoice that our helping hand might be any way serviceable to the church. Farewell. June 8, 1655.
P.S. 1,500 pounds of the aforesaid £2,000 will be remitted by Gerard Hench, from Paris, and the other £500 will be taken care of by letters from the Lord Stoup.
These letters abundantly prove the firm hold which the case of the Waldenses had taken on the mind of the English government, and the lively interest which the latter so honorably took in their affairs. I cannot, however, dismiss this part of the subject without laying before the reader one letter more, not only because it is intimately connected with the narrative, but because it exhibits a pleasing specimen of the liberal and enlightened policy of the Protector’s counsels. It was written in the following year, and addressed to the King of Sweden, who was, at that moment, threatening the States of Holland with a war.
OLIVER, PROTECTOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF ENGLAND, ETC. TO THE MOST SERENE PRINCE, CHARLES GUSTAVUS, KING OF THE SWEDES, GOTHS, AND VANDALS, ETC.,
Most Serene King, our Dearest friend and Confederate.
As we are fully assured of your majesty’s concurrence both in thoughts and counsels for the defense of the protestant faith against its enemies, which never was more dangerously assailed than at present; though we cannot but rejoice at your successful enterprises and the daily tidings of your victories, yet we cannot, on the other hand, but be as deeply concerned at one thing which disturbs and interrupts our joy; we refer to the sad news which is intermingled with so much welcome tidings, that the ancient friendship between your majesty and the States of the United Provinces presents a gloomy aspect, and that the mischief is exasperated to that pitch, particularly in the Baltic Sea, as seems to forebode an unhappy rupture! We acknowledge ourselves ignorant of the causes; but we too easily foresee that the events, which God avert, will be fatal to the interests of the Protestants. And, therefore, both out of regard to that most intimate alliance now subsisting between us and your majesty, and also from that affection and love to the reformed religion, by which we ought all of us chiefly to be swayed, we consider it our duty, as we have most earnestly exhorted the States of the United Provinces, to peace and moderation, so now to persuade your majesty to the same. The Protestants have enemies everywhere enough and to spare, inflamed with inexorable revenge: nor were they ever known to have conspired more perniciously to our destruction--witness the valleys of Piedmont still reeking with the blood and slaughter of the miserable--witness Austria, lately embroiled with the emperor’s edicts and proscriptions--witness Switzerland. But it is needless to expatiate at large in recalling the bitter lamentations and recollections of so many calamities. Who so ignorant as not to know that the counsels of the Spaniards and of the Roman pontiff, for these two years past, have filled all these places with conflagrations, murders, and persecutions of the orthodox? But, if to these mischiefs there should happen the still greater evil of dissension among the Protestants themselves, who are brethren, and more especially between two powerful states, on whose courage, wealth, and fortitude, so far as human strength may be relied on, the support and hope of all the reformed churches depend, the protestant religion must necessarily be in great jeopardy, if not upon the brink of destruction. On the other hand, if the whole protestant name would but preserve perpetual peace among themselves, cultivating that brotherly union which becomes their profession, there would be no occasion to fear what all the artifices and power of our enemies could do to hurt us, which our fraternal concord and harmony alone would easily repel and frustrate. And, therefore, we most earnestly request and beseech your majesty to foster in your bosom propitious thoughts of peace, and a disposition of mind to repair the breaches of your ancient friendship with the United Provinces, if in any part it may have accidentally suffered the decays of mistakes and misconstructions.
If there be any thing on which our labor, our fidelity and diligence may be useful towards effecting a compromise, we tender and shall cheerfully devote all to your service. And may the God of heaven favor and prosper your noble and pious resolutions, which, together with all felicity and a course of perpetual victory, we cordially wish to your majesty.
Your majesty’s most affectionate, OLIVER, Protector, etc. etc.
From our palace, Westminster, August, 1656.
It has been already noticed that, upon the very first annunciation of the distresses of the Waldenses, the protector issued a proclamation for a day of national humiliation throughout all England and Wales; commanding, at the same time, that collections should be made in all the churches and chapels for their relief; and a committee, consisting of about forty of the first of the nobility, gentry, and clergy, was formed for conducting it, Sir Thomas Viner, and Sir Christopher Pack, aldermen of London, being appointed treasurers. In no long time the sum total of the collections amounted to THIRTY EIGHT THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE POUNDS, TEN SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE, [of this amount the cities of London and Westminster contributed the sum 416 of 9,384 11s, 6d, exclusive of the 2,000 given by the protector] which if we take into account the relative value of money between that and the present time, must certainly give us a very favorable impression of the liberality of our forefathers. Nor is it less gratifying to witness such a proof of the humane and benevolent spirit which, as Protestants, our countrymen evinced on an occasion that so justly called for it.
For the satisfaction of the community at large, the protector and his council ordered a narrative to be published, explanatory of their proceedings, with a very minute and circumstantial account of the sums contributed, specifying the counties, the number of parishes in each, with the precise amount of their contributions as well as of the application that was made of the same, through the medium of Sir Samuel Morland, who, to carry into effect the liberality of the English people, was ordered to take up his residence at Geneva, a city contiguous to the valleys of Piedmont, where he continued about three years.
The whole of the document referred to is interesting--but, occupying as it does, twelve pages in folio, its entire insertion in this place is impracticable. I shall, however, gratify the reader with the introductory paragraph.
"His highness, the lord protector, having received intelligence about the month of May, 1655, that many hundreds of the poor Protestants in the valleys of Piedmont, (otherwise known by the name of Waldenses) within the territories of the Duke of Savoy, were most cruelly massacred by a Popish party; and having upon his spirit a deep sense of their calamities, which were occasioned by their faithful adherence to the profession of the reformed religion, was pleased, not only to mediate, by most pathetic letters, in their behalf, to the King of France and Duke of Savoy, but did also graciously invite the people of this nation to seek the Lord by prayer and humiliation, in reference to their then sad condition and future relief; and from a confidence that the good people of this nation would be sensibly touched "with the afflictions of Joseph," and in that day of their brethren’s trouble manifest a sensible resentment of, and sympathy with the sufferings of their fellowmembers, professors of the same faith; did forthwith publish a DECLARATION, expressing his earnest desire that the people might be stirred up to a free and liberal contribution towards their succor and support: for the management of which collection, certain instructions were also agreed upon and annexed to the said declaration: and for the more effectually promoting of the work, his highness appointed a committee, consisting of persons of known honor, fidelity, and integrity, to consider and advise, from time to time, how the money that should be thereupon raised, might be employed most advantageously, for the certain supply of those poor distressed members of Christ, corresponding with the real intentions of the givers; amongst whom likewise there were two select persons of very considerable estate and reputation, appointed to be treasurers for the receiving in of the said monies, whose names, together with the number and names of the aforesaid committee, for the reader’s better satisfaction, are here inserted," etc.
It must afford pleasure to every benevolent mind to reflect upon the interest that was now taken in the fate of the Waldenses by all the protestant states of Europe; at the same time that it gives us a satisfactory pledge of the high estimation in which that particular class of Christians was universally held. The Elector Palatine of the Rhine, the Elector of Brandenburgh, the Duke of Wirtemburgh, and almost every protestant prince and state upon the continent, wrote letters to the Duke of Savoy, declaring their abhorrence of that sanguinary massacre, and interceding for his persecuted subjects. Sir Samuel Morland has preserved faithful copies of most of these letters; but none of them is more pointed or deserving of the reader’s attention than that of THE LANDGRAVE OF HESSE, and as it is concise, I here subjoin it.
Sir!
Having lately received the news of that cruel massacre, committed upon the Protestants, who are commonly known by the name of Waldenses, inhabiting your valleys of Angrogne and Pragela, in Piedmont, I could not easily be brought at first to give credit to such a dismal story, as not being once able to imagine, that even their adversaries had been so audacious as to exercise such barbarous cruelties upon poor innocent people, who lived peaceably under the government of your highness, and in entire obedience, without giving the least offense to any; and who, for so long a time together, have obtained protection and security from both you and your ancestors. And, indeed, I so much the less imagined this, from the persuasion I had, that their enemies had learned, by the experience of so many ages, that persecutions and butcheries are not the means to suppress our religion, but rather to preserve and spread the same abroad. But this news having been written and confirmed to me from so many places, and that with circumstances so wholly deplorable, as that I could no longer remain in doubt, it has seized me with horror; and, consequently, being moved with pity and compassion towards so many thousands of souls in such extreme distress, who have been most cruelly robbed and spoiled of their lives and estates, by the cruelty of their furious and sworn enemies, and this without distinction either of sex or age, I have thought it my duty, as a Christian prince, interested in the preservation of those of my religion, to write this present letter to your highness, and to beseech you not only to command and allow that the remainder of those poor innocent people who have escaped the violence of their persecutors, be established in their lands, goods, and possessions, which are yet left them after this great desolation, but also that they may find the effects of this powerful protection; and that you will be pleased, for that purpose henceforward to favor them, by patiently hearing their complaints, and taking cognizance of them yourself, as a good and righteous prince, from whom they ought to expect all the effects of justice, clemency, and bounty: whereas those who term themselves "of the congregation for the propagation of the faith, and for the extirpation of heretics," are their declared enemies; and instead of turning souls to righteousness by "the sword of the word," have employed the temporal sword, the fire, and the rope, and all the barbarous cruelties which outrageous men could possibly invent for (tormenting) the bodies of those poor creatures, and to destroy them from off the face of the earth. I most earnestly beseech your highness to grant the aforesaid request, and to be assured of my inviolable affection for your interest and service, and that I shall account it an happiness to have an opportunity of giving you real testimonies of the same; as being, etc. WILLIAM, Landgrave of Hesse Cassel July 23, 1655.
The annals of Europe scarcely afforded an instance of such a state of cordial harmony and mutual consent, among the different states and nations in any affair of religion as, at this juncture, appeared in behalf of the poor Waldenses. Their case was clearly understood, and generally and deeply felt. It was purely a case of persecution for conscience’ sake; and taking all the circumstances into account, it was an instance of such atrocious and brutal outrage, as the world had rarely seen paralleled. It came home to the breasts of all the Protestants in Europe, and they took a lively interest in it. Men’s expectations were raised to a very high pitch and their attention fixed upon the protestant princes, anxiously waiting to see whether they would tamely put up with such an open and diabolical attack upon their general cause, for such they regarded this; or whether by a joint cooperation of power and influence they would at once relieve and re-establish their distressed friends.
At this eventful moment the Swiss Cantons, who certainly lay the most contiguous to the valleys of Piedmont, finding that they were ably supported by all the protestant states of Europe, undertook to mediate with the Duke of Savoy in behalf of the exiled Waldenses, and sent four of their leading men as commissioners to the court of the latter, authorized with powers to negotiate a treaty of accommodation; and the rest of the European princes had such confidence in them, that they unanimously agreed to relinquish the affair into their hands. The names of these commissioners were, Solomon Hirtzel, Charles von Bonstetten, Benedict Socin, and James Stockar.
It would be uninteresting and tiresome to the reader, to trace minutely the progress of this negotiation. And it but too plainly appears from the result, that the Swiss commissioners were by no means a match for the jesuitical casuistry of the court of Savoy. A treaty, however, was at length agreed upon and ratified between the parties; but "when it came to be published to the world," says Sir S. Morland, "and accurately examined by wise and sober men, it was found to resemble a leper arrayed in rich clothing and gay attire! It was a treaty as full of grievances as poor Lazarus was of sores! The greater part of the articles of which it consisted clashing with the people’s interests and ancient privileges, and the remainder made up of expressions which looked as many ways as the mariner’s compass. In short, it cannot be more fitly compared to any thing than to Ezekiel’s roll, which, though it were as sweet as honey in the people’s mouths, yet there was written within nothing but lamentation, and mourning, and woe." And such it proved in the issue, for no sooner had the Swiss commissioners taken their departure for their own country, than an infinite number of difficulties and grievances came crawling out of the said treaty, like so many hornets out of a hollow tree, and they continued to sting the poor Waldenses to death.
An effort was certainly made by those that were in exile, to avail themselves of the conditions of this treaty, of which, as it was intended for their benefit, they were disposed at first to think very favorably. But a little experience convinced them that it was not in reality what their friends wished for them. On the 29th of March, 1656, a general meeting of the churches of the values of Piedmont took place, at which they drew up a paper entitled, "THE GRIEVANCES OF THE TREATY MADE AT PIGNEROL." It is truly an affecting document, and that the reader may form some judgment of it, I shall subjoin the first paragraph. They complain that in the preamble to the treaty, they are recognized as rebels, and disobedient persons who had taken arms against his royal highness, their natural prince and sovereign, and thereby, as persons who were guilty and deserving of his indignation; they are described as asking pardon for those outrages which, it was pretended, they had committed; and thus, say they, "we are plainly involved in the crime of rebellion, against which we do now, and always have protested; having never done any one act that can justly subject us to that imputation--no, not even when the whole state was in an uproar--nor even when they came to destroy us, as they did last year; for although we had very great cause of suspicion, as is but too manifest from the event, having granted for the most part to the squadron of Savoy their winter-quarters, yet no sooner had the Marquis of Pionessa charged us, in the name of his royal highness, to receive his forces, than, without making the least resistance, we permitted them to enter and do whatever they chose." This is the first of fifteen articles of grievance which they enumerate.
This melancholy catalogue of their grievances was drawn up with the view of making an appeal concerning them to the King of France, and imploring his interposition to have them redressed. Accordingly, having specified these defects in the articles, they subjoin a list of thirteen other particulars, which had been refused to their deputies, on which they humbly pray that due reflection may be made. Among other matters, they plead, that "having been always faithful to the service of his royal highness their sovereign, and yet cruelly massacred, burned, and pillaged, contrary to his intention, he would be pleased to give orders that justice might be done upon those that had been the chief authors and agents against them--that his royal highness would be pleased to repeal the Order of Gastaldo, as being contrary to all their ancient concessions, and likewise all the orders which the marquis of Pionessa had caused to be published during the late contest, and to command that every one might be restored to his own property and possessions--that they might no longer be subject to the quartering of soldiers upon them, a thing with which they had been harassed ever since the year 1624, and which had been made a pretext for the readier method of destroying them; but that in lieu of it, they might be allowed, in common with others, to contribute their proportion in money--that no more (catholic) missionaries might be sent into the valleys, because partly by their rapes, and partly by seditions and false reports, these missionaries had always been fomenters of all the disorders that came to pass--that, in short, they might not be subject to the council de propaganda fide, nor to any of its members, nor to the inquisition; but that every thing might be re-established in the condition it was before the late troubles, with liberty of conscience, and the free exercise of their religion, with license to their ministers to go and visit the sick wherever they lived, as well as the liberty of preaching the gospel, etc., etc. and the whole terminates with the following affecting appeal:
"We hope from the equity and clemency of his royal highness, that he will the more readily grant us these privileges, as there is nothing in them but what we have quietly enjoyed under the happy government of his most serene predecessors of glorious memory, according to their concessions, and nothing but what may tend to satisfy us in the clearing of those points, which as experience hath showed us, have been wrested to a wrong sense, and to represent the true meaning and the equity of the particulars therein contained, that so we may, once for all, take away from the disturbers of our peace all occasion of troubling the public tranquillity, and be enabled, in peace and security, to render to God that which belongs to God, and to Caesar what is Caesar’s; as we do protest before God and his holy angels, that we ever have had, and will ever have the same for our aim. And to the end that those things, before expressed, may stand firm and inviolable, we humbly supplicate his most Christian majesty, that he will be pleased to procure unto us this favor from our prince, that all may be put into the form of a transaction, and confirmed, not only by the chamber of Turin, but also in that of Chambery, and that many original copies may be drawn, and delivered into the hands of those to whom it shall appertain."
This affecting document was delivered into the hands of Monsieur de Bais, the French minister, and by him transmitted to his royal master, who, upon receipt of it, expressed great concern for the deplorable condition of the poor Waldenses, but his kind intentions towards them were entirely frustrated by some malignant spirits near the throne. "But, so it happened," says Sir Samuel Morland, "that from this time forward, the leading men in the court of Savoy, have used their best endeavors to lay heavier loads on their backs, than ever they had hitherto done. For in their orders of April 20th, and October 6, 1656, and August 24, 1657, they summoned the poor people to pay their taxes for the year 1655, contrary to the treaty, while they exempted the Catholics from the said taxes; and when they appealed to the Duke, October 6, 1657, on the hardship of their case, they were, among other things, absolutely prohibited the exercise of their public worship in San Giovanni."
It would be endless to repeat all the edicts, orders, and injunctions that were issued against them after the cruel patent in 1655, with all their consequent grievances: and it is painful to dwell upon so melancholy a subject. Our countryman, Sir Samuel Morland, remained among them until the summer of 1658, at which time he thus affectingly closes his narrative. "It is my misfortune that I am compelled to leave these people where I found them, among the potsherds, with sackcloth and ashes spread under them, and lifting up their voice with weeping, in the words of Job--‘Have pity on us, have pity on us, O ye our friends, for the hand of God hath touched us.’--To this very day they labor under most heavy burdens, which are laid upon them by their rigid task-masters of the church of Rome--forbidding them all kind of traffic for their subsistence--robbing them of their goods and estates--banishing the pastors of their flocks, that the wolves may the more readily devour the sheep--violating the young women and maidens--murdering the most innocent as they peaceably pass along the highways--by cruel mockings and revilings--by continual threats of another massacre, sevenfold more bloody, if possible, than the former. To all which, I must add that, notwithstanding the liberal supplies that have been sent them from England and other places, yet so great is the number of these hungry creatures, and so grievous are the oppressions of their popish enemies, who lie in wait to bereave them of whatever is given them, snatching at almost every morsel that goes into their months, that even to this day, some of them are almost ready to eat their own flesh for want of bread. Their miseries are more grievous than words can express--they have no ‘grapes in their vineyards--no cattle in their fields--no herds in their stalls--no corn in their granaries--no meal in their barrel--no oil in their cruise.’ The stock that was gathered for them by the people of this and other countries is fast consuming, and when that is spent, they must inevitably perish, unless God, ‘who turns the hearts of princes as the rivers of water,’ incline the heart of their prince to take pity on his poor, harmless, and faithful subjects" [Morland’s Churches of Piedmont, p. 682-708].