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Tied to trees, and Crucified with their the flames, and drove the Waldenses to the pierced with prongs, heads downward, woods, where they had nothing to subsist Thrown from precipies, Worried by dogs, on but wild fruits, roots, the bark of trees, &c. (See engraving.)

Those who fled had their goods plundered, and their houses burnt to the ground: they were particularly cruel when they caught a minister or a school-master, whom they put to such exquisite tortures, as are almost incredible to conceive.

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Some Roman catholic ruffians having seized a minister as he was going to preach, determined to take him to a convenient place, and burn him. His parishioners having intelligence of the affair, the men armed themselves, pursued the ruffians, and seemed determined to rescue their minister; which the ruffians no sooner perceived, than they stabbed the poor gentleman, and leaving him weltering in his blood, made a precipitate retreat. The astonished parishion

The most cruel persecutors, upon this occasion, that attended the duke, were three in number, viz.: 1. Thomas Incomel, an apostate; for he was brought up in the reformed persuasion, but renounced his faith, embraced the errors of popery, anders did all they could to recover him, but in turned monk. He was a great libertine, vain; for the weapon had touched the vital given to unnatural crimes, and sordidly parts, and he expired as they were carrysolicitous for the plunder of the Waldenses. ing him home. 2. Corbis, a man of a very ferocious and The monks of Pignerol having a great cruel nature, whose business was to ex-inclination to get the minister of a town in amine the prisoners. 3. The provost of the valleys, called St. Germain, into their justice, who was very anxious for the exe-power, hired a band of ruffians for the purcution of the Waldenses, as every execu-pose of apprehending him. These fellows tion put money into his pocket.

were conducted by a treacherous person, who had formerly been a servant to the clergyman, and who perfectly well knew a secret way to the house, by which he could lead them without alarming the neighborhood. The guide knocked at the door, and being asked who was there, answered in his

These three persons were unmerciful to the last degree; and, wherever they came, the blood of the innocent was sure to flow. Exclusive of the cruelties exercised by the duke, these three persons, and the army, in their different marches, many local barbarities were committed. At Pig-own name. The clergyman, not expecting nerol, a town in the valleys, was a monas- any injury from a person on whom he had tery, the monks of which finding they might heaped favors, immediately opened the injure the reformed with impunity, began door; but perceiving the ruffians, he started to plunder the houses, and pull down the back, and fled to a back door; but the churches of the Waldenses. Not meeting rushed in, followed, and seized him. Havwith any opposition, they next seized uponing murdered all his family, they made him the persons of those unhappy people, mur-proceed toward Pignerol, goading him all dering the men, confining the women, and putting the children to Roman catholic

nurses.

The Roman catholic inhabitants of the valley of St. Martin, likewise, did all they could to vex and torment the neighboring Waldenses they destroyed their churches, burnt their houses, seized their properties, stole their cattle, converted their lands to their own use, committed their ministers to

the way with pikes, lances, swords, &c. He was kept a considerable time in prison, and then fastened to the stake to be burnt; when two women of the Waldenses, who had renounced their religion to save their lives, were ordered to carry fagots to the stake to burn him; and as they laid them down, to say, "Take these, thou wicked heretic, in recompense for the pernicious doctrines that thou hast taught us." These

it as a rarity." He then stabbed the man, and threw him into a ditch.

words they both repeated to him: to which he calmly replied: "I formerly taught you well, but you have since learned ill." The A party of the troops found a venerable fire was then put to the fagots, and he was man upward of a hundred years of age, tospeedily consumed, calling upon the name gether with his grand-daughter, a maiden, of the Lord as long as his voice permitted. of about eighteen, in a cave. They butchAs the troops of ruffians, belonging to ered the poor old man in a most inhuman the monks, did great mischief about the manner, and then 'attempted to violate the town of St. Germain, murdering and plun-girl, when she started away, and fled from dering many of the inhabitants, the reform- them; but they pursuing her, she threw ed of Lucerne and Angrogne sent some herself from a precipice, and perished. bands of armed men to the assistance of their brethren of St. Germain. These bodies of armed men frequently attacked the ruffians, and often put them to the rout, which so terrified the monks, that they left their monastery of Pignerol for sometime, till they could procure a body of regular troops to guard them.

The duke, not thinking himself so successful as he at first imagined he should be, greatly augmented his forces; ordered the bands of ruffians, belonging to the monks, should join him; and commanded, that a general jail delivery should take place, provided the persons released would bear arms, and form themselves into light companies, to assist in the extermination of the Waldenses.

The Waldenses, being informed of these proceedings, secured as much of their properties as they could, and quitting the valleys, retired to the rocks and caves among the Alps; for it is to be understood, that the valleys of Piedmont are situated at the foot of those prodigious mountains, called the Alps, or the Alpine hills.

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The Waldenses, in order the more effectually to be able to repel force by force, entered into a league with the protestants of Dauphiny, with some protestant powers in Germany, and with the reformed of Pragela. These were, respectively, to furnish bodies of troops; and the Waldenses determined, when thus reinforced, to quit the mountains of the Alps (where they must soon have perished, as the winter was coming on), and to force the duke's army to evacuate their native valleys.

The duke of Savoy was now tired of the war; it had cost him great fatigue and anxiety of mind, a vast number of men, and very considerable sums of money. It had been much more tedious and bloody than he expected, as well as more expensive than he could at first have imagined, for he thought the plunder would have discharged the expenses of the expedition; but in this he was mistaken, for the pope's nuncio, the bishops, monks, and other ecclesiastics, who attended the army, and encouraged the war, sunk the greatest part of the wealth that was taken under various preThe army now began to plunder and tences. For these reasons, and the death burn the towns and villages wherever they of his duchess, of which he had just recame; but the troops could not force theceived intelligence, and fearing that the passes to the Alps, which were gallantly Waldenses, by the treaties they had endefended by the Waldenses, who always {tered into, would become more powerful repulsed their enemies; but if any fell into than ever, he determined to return to Turin the hands of the troops, they were sure to with his army, and to make peace with the be treated with the most barbarous severity. Waldenses. A soldier having caught one of the Wal- This resolution he executed, though denses, bit his right ear off, saying, "I will greatly against the will of the ecclesiastics, carry this member of that wicked heretic who were the chief gainers, and the best with me into my own country, and preserve { pleased with revenge. Before the articles

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of peace could be ratified, the duke himself had property and a family, but valued died soon after his return to Turin; but on nothing so much as his soul; nor did he his death-bed he strictly enjoined his son think that any one had a right to detain to perform what he had intended, and to him for his opinion; that Turks and Jews be as favorable as possible to the Wal- were suffered to vend their merchandise denses. without molestation, and therefore he thought it very hard to be denied that privilege.

The duke's son, Charles Emanuel, succeeded to the dominions of Savoy, and gave a full ratification of peace to the Wal- The bishop committed him to prison, denses, according to the last injunction and the next day the secretary went to of his father, though the ecclesiastics did him, and told him that unless he acknowlall they could to persuade him to the con-edged his error, his life would be in danger. trary. To which he replied: "My life is in the Notwithstanding the peace, the monks hands of God, and I desire not to preserve and inquisitors did all they could to op-it to the prejudice of the glory of my Repress those of the reformed religion by thedeemer: there are but a few paces in the most insidious means; in particular, one journey to heaven, and I pray that the AlBartholomew Copin, of Lucerne, going to mighty will not suffer me once to think of Ast, to dispose of some merchandise, hap-turning back, when I begin to travel that pened to sup with some Roman catholics. {way.

One of the company, after supper, spoke At a second examination, great persuawith great asperity against the Waldenses,sions were used to induce him to recant, abused them in a most infamous manner, but in vain; for he said, "If I deny Christ and charged them with almost every crime before men, Christ will deny me to my that could be committed. Copin was great-heavenly Father." On hearing this, one ly enraged to hear his religion so falsely of the priests present exclaimed in great vilified, and the innocent professors of it wrath, "Go thy ways, thou cursed heretic, so scandalously accused: he therefore en- to all the devils in hell; and when they tered into a strenuous defence of both, torment thee, thou shalt be sorry for not when the papist interrupting him, said, { having taken the good counsel given thee "Pray, sir, are you a Waldensian?" "Ihere." am," replied Copin. "Do you believe that God is in the host ?" said the other. "I do not," said Copin. "Then your religion must be false indeed;" said the Roman catholic. 'Not at all," answered Copin; "it is as true as God from whom it proceeds."

The papist thought this sufficient, and therefore asked no more questions that evening; but the next morning laid an information before the bishop.

Copin, being summoned to attend the ecclesiastical court, confessed the expressions he was charged with, when the bishop told him he must either recant or be punished. Copin replied, he had been provoked to what he had said, yet he would abide by it with his life; that he

His wife and son had been sent for, that they might tempt him to recant; but as soon as he saw them, he exhorted them to patience and perseverance in their religion; saying, "God will prove a better husband, and a better father, than I could ever be." After taking a tender leave he sent them home, commanding them to wait the dispensations of Providence, and patiently to expect the results of his fate.

The bishop himself, after all, was puzzled to know what to do with Copin; for if he discharged him, he was apprehensive that others would be encouraged to speak their sentiments freely, thinking they might do it with impunity; and, on the contrary, if he openly put him to death, he feared it might be deemed a violation of the treaty

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lately made between the 'duke and the It evidently appeared that he had been Waldenses, and that himself might suffer strangled; but as the murderer was unas the first infringer of it. He therefore known, this bishop thought proper to give sent a messenger to the pope to know how out that he had hanged himself. to proceed; but before his return with the directions, Copin was found dead in prison!

"Where public rage, and open malice fail, Secret assassination will prevail."

FURTHER PERSECUTIONS IN THE VALLEYS OF PIEDMONT.

IOVANNI PELANCHION, for refusing to turn papist, was tied by one leg to the tail of a mule, and dragged through the streets of Lucerne, amid the acclamations of an inhuman mob, who kept stoning him, and crying out, "He is possessed with the devil, so that neither stoning nor dragging him through the streets will kill him, for the devil keeps him alive." They they then took him to the river-side, chopped off his head, and left that and his body unburied upon the bank of the stream.

"Of all the monsters that the world pollute, None is so savage as a human brute; Man, when benevolence is once forgot, Is one gross error, one prodigious blot." GIOVANNI ROSTAGNAL, a venerable protestant, upward of fourscore years of age, had his nose and ears cut off, and slices cut from the fleshy parts of his body, till he bled to death.

Seven persons, viz.: Daniel Saleagio and his wife, Giovanni Durant, Lodwick Durant, Bartholomew Durant, Daniel Revel, and Paul Reynaud, had their mouths stuffed with gunpowder, which being set fire to, their heads were blown to pieces.

JACOB DIRONE, a schoolmaster of RoMAGDALEN, the daughter of Peter Fon- rata, for refusing to change his religion, taine, a beautiful child of ten years of age, was stripped quite naked and after havwas violated and murdered by the soldiers. {ing been very indecently exposed, had the Another girl, of about the same age, they nails of his toes and fingers torn off with roasted alive at Villa Nova; and a poor wo-red-hot pincers, and holes bored through man, hearing the soldiers were coming toward her house, snatched up the cradle in which her infant son was asleep, and fled toward the woods. The soldiers, however, saw and pursued her, when she lightened herself by putting down the cradle and child, which the soldiers no sooner came to, than they murdered the infant, and continuing the pursuit, found the mother in a cave, where they first violated, and then cut her to pieces.

his hands with the point of a dagger. He then had a cord tied round his middle, and was led through the streets with a soldier on each side of him. At every turning, the soldier on his right-hand side cut a gash in his flesh, and the soldier on his lefthand side struck him with a bludgeon, both saying, at the same instant, "Will you go to mass? Will you go to mass?" He still replied in the negative to these interrogatories, and being at length taken to the JACOPO MICHELINO, chief elder of the bridge, they cut off his head on the baluschurch of Bobbio, and several other protes-trades, and threw both that and his body tants, were hung up by means of hooks into the river. fixed in their flesh, and left to expire in the most excruciating tortures.

PAUL GARNIER, a very pious protestant, had his eyes put out, was then flayed alive,

and being divided into four parts, his quar-, would renounce his religion, and turn Roters were placed on four of the principal man catholic, replied, "I would rather rehouses of Lucerne. He bore all his suffer-nounce life, or turn dog." To which a ings with the most exemplary patience, priest answered, "For that expression you praised God as long as he could speak, shall both renounce life and be given to and plainly evinced what confidence and the dogs." They accordingly dragged him. resignation a good conscience can in- to prison, where he continued a consideraspire. ble time without food, till he was famished; after which they threw his corpse into the street before the prison, and it was devoured by dogs in a most shocking manner.

DANIEL CARDON, of Rocappiata, being apprehended by some soldiers, they cut his head off, and having fried his brains, ate them. Two poor old blind women of St. Giovanni, were burnt alive; and a widow of La Torre, with her daughter, were driven into the river, and there stoned to death.

PAUL GILES, on attempting to run away from some soldiers, was shot in the neck: they then slit his nose, sliced his chin, stabbed him, and gave his carcase to the dogs.

MARGARET SARETTA was stoned to death, and then thrown into the river; Antonio Bertina had his head cleft asunder; and Joseph Pont was cut through the middle of his body.

DANIEL MARIA, and his whole family, being ill of a fever, several papist ruffians broke into his house, telling him they were practical physicians, and would give them all present ease, which they did, by knocking the whole family on the head.

Three infant children of a protestant, named Peter Fine, were covered with snow, and stifled; an elderly widow, named Judith, was beheaded; and a beautiful young woman was stripped, and had a stake driven through her body, of which she ex

Some of the Irish troops having taken eleven men of Garcigliana prisoners, they made a furnace red-hot, and forced them to push each other in till they came to the last man, whom they pushed in themselves. MICHAEL GONET, a man of ninety, was burnt to death; Baptista Oudri, another old man, was stabbed; and Bartholomew {pired. Frasche had holes made in his heels, through which ropes being put, he was dragged by them to the jail, where his wounds mortified, and killed him.

MAGDALENE DE LA PEIRE, being pursued by some of the soldiers, and taken, was thrown down a precipice and dashed to pieces. Margaret Revella, and Mary Pravillerin, two very old women, were burnt alive; and Michael Bellino, with Ann Bochardino, were beheaded.

The son and daughter of a counsellor of Giovanni, were rolled down a steep hill together, and suffered to perish in a deep pit at the bottom. A tradesman's family, viz. himself, his wife, and an infant in arms, were cast from a rock and dashed to pieces; and Joseph Chairet, and Paul Carniero, were flayed alive.

Lucy, the wife of Peter Besson, a woman far gone in her pregnancy, who lived in one of the villages of the Piedmontese valleys, determined, if possible, to escape from such dreadful scenes as everywhere surrounded her : she, accordingly, took two young children, one in each hand, and set off toward the Alps. But on the third day of the journey she was taken in labor among the mountains, and delivered of an infant, who perished through the extreme inclemency of the weather, as did the two other children; for all three were found dead by her, and herself just expiring, by the person to whom she related the above particulars.

FRANCIS GROs, the son of a clergyman, had his flesh slowly cut from his body into small pieces, and put into a dish before CYPRIANIA BUSTIA, being asked if he him: two of his children were minced be

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