his commission, so to do. Notwithstandyng, he was very earnest with them, that they should abiure, & promised them, if they would so do, to take them vnder hys wynges and protection, euen as the henne doth her chickins, and that they should be no more robbed or spoyled. Then they required that hee would declare vnto them what they should abiure. MarginaliaThe popes bishops will come to no- reasoning.The Byshop aunswered that the matter neded no disputation, and that hee required but only a general abiuratiō of al errours, which would be no damage or preiudice to thē: For he him selfe would not sticke to make the like abiuration. The Merindolians aūswered him again, that they would do nothyng cōtrary to the decree & ordinaunce of the Court, or the kinges letters, wherein he commaunded, that first the errours should bee declared to them, whereof they were accused: wherefore they were resolued to vnderstand what those errours and heresies were, that beyng enformed thereof by the worde of God, they might satisfie the kynges letters: otherwise it were but hypocrisie and dissimulation, to do as he required them. And if he could make it to appeare vnto them by good and sufficiēt information, that they had holden any errours and heresies, or should bee conuict therupon, by the worde of God, they would willinglye abiure: MarginaliaThe bishops condemne the Merindolians for heresie, and yet can shewe no heresies in them by the worde of God.or if in their confession there were any worde contrary to the Scriptures, they would reuoke the same. Cōtrarywise, if it were not made manifest vnto them, that they had holden any heresies, but that they had alwayes lyued accordyng to the doctrine of the Gospell, and that their confession was grounded vpon the same: then they ought by no meanes, to moue or constrayne thē, to abiure any errours which they held not, & that it were playnly agaynst all equitie & iustice so to do.

MarginaliaThe bishop sore agreued to haue heresie tryed by Gods word.Thē the bishop of Cauaillon was marueilously angry, and woulde heare no worde spoken of any demonstration to be made by the word of God, but in a furie cursed and gaue him to the deuill that first inuented that meane. Then the Doctour of Diuinitie, whom the Byshop brought thether, demaunded what Articles they were that were presented by the inhabitauntes of Merindoll, for the Bishop of Cauaillon had not yet shewed them vnto him. Then the Bishop of Cauaillon deliuered the Doctour the confession. Whiche after he had read, the Bishop of Cauaillon sayd, what? will you any more witnes or declaration? this is full of heresie. Then they of Merindoll demaunded in what poynt. Wherunto the bishop knew not what to aunswere. Then the Doctour demaunded to haue tyme to loke vpon the Articles of the confession, and to consider whether they were agaynst the Scriptures or no. Thus the Bishop departed, beyng very sore agreued that he could not bryng his purpose to passe.

MarginaliaThe articles of the Merindolians approued by the Doctor.After eight dayes, the Byshop sent for this Doctour, to vnderstand howe he myght order hym selfe to make those heresies appeare, which were in the said confession. Wherunto the Doctor aunswered, that he was neuer so muche abashed: for whan he hadde beholden the Articles of the confessiō, and the authorities of the Scripture that there were alledged for the confirmation thereof, he had found, that those Articles were wholy agreable & accordyng to the holy Scriptures, and that hee had not learned so much in the Scriptures all the dayes of hys lyfe, as he had in those eight dayes, in lokyng vpon those Articles, and the authorities therin alledged.

Shortly after, þ^e bishop of Cauaillon came vnto Merindoll, & calling before him the children both great & small, gaue thē money, & commaunded thē with fayre wordes, to learne the Pater noster and the Crede in Latin. MarginaliaThe aunswere of the children of Merindoll to the byshop.The most parte of them aunswered that they knew the Pater noster and the Crede already in Latin, but they could make no reason of that whiche they spake, but onely in the vulgare tongue. The Bishop aunswered, that it was not necessarie they should be so cunnyng, but that it was sufficient þ^t they knew it in Latin, & that it was not requisite for their saluation, to vnderstand or to expounde the Articles of their faith: for there were many Byshops, Curates, yea and Doctours of Diuinitie, whom it would trouble to expoūd the Pater noster, and the Crede. MarginaliaThe aunswere of the Bailife of Merindoll to the byshop.Here the Bailife of Merindol, named Andrew Mainard, asked to what purpose it would serue, MarginaliaThe Pater noster in Latin.to say the Pater noster & the Crede, & not to vnderstād the same: for in so doing, they should but mocke & deride God. Then sayd the Byshop vnto hym, do you vnderstand what is signified by these wordes, I beleue in God? The Bailife aunswered, I should thinke me selfe very miserable, if I did not vnderstand it, and then he began orderly to geue account of his fayth. Then sayd the Byshop, I would not haue thought there had bene so great Doctours in Merindoll. MarginaliaThe children of Merindoll too good for the byshop.The Bailife aunswered: the least of the inhabitauntes of Merindol, cā do it, yet more readily thē I: but I pray you, question with one or ij. of these young children, that you may vnderstand whether they be well taught or no. But the byshop either knew not how to question with them, or at the least, would not.

Then one named Pieron Roy sayd, Syr, one of these children may question with an other, if you thinke it so good: and the Byshop was contented. Then one of the children began to question with his felowes, with such grace & grauitie, as if he had bene a Scholmaster: and þ^e children one after an other, aunswered so vnto the purpose, þ^t it was maruelous to heare: For it was done in þ^e presence of many, among whom there were foure religious men that came lately out of Paris, of whom, one sayd vnto the Byshop, MarginaliaThe youth of Merindoll well brought vp.I must nedes cōfesse that I haue often bene at the common Scholes of Sorbone in Paris, where I haue heard the disputations of þ^e Diuines: but yet I neuer learned so much as I haue done by hearyng these young children. Then sayd William Armant: did ye neuer read that whiche is written in the xi. chapter of S. Mathew, where it is sayd: O father, Lorde of heauen and earth, I render thankes vnto thee, that thou hast hiddē these thinges from the sage and wise men of the worlde, and hast reueled them vnto younge infantes. But beholde O father, such was thy good will and pleasure. MarginaliaMath. 11.Then euery man marueiled at the ready and witty aunsweres of the children of Merindoll.

When the bishop saw that he could not thus preuayle, he tried an other way, and went about by fayre and flatteryng wordes, to bryng his purpose to passe. Wherfore, causing the straungers to go apart, he sayd that he now perceaued they were not so euill as many thought them to bee: MarginaliaThe Merindolians are moued to abiure.Notwithstandyng, for the contentation of them, which were their persecutors, it was necessarye that they should make some small abiuration, whiche onely the Bailife, with ij. officers, might make generally, in his presence, in the name of all the rest, without any Notary to recorde the same in writtyng, and in so doyng they should bee loued and fauoured of all men, and euen of those which now persecuted them: and þ^t they should susteine no infamie therby, for there should be no reporte therof made, but only to the Pope, & to the hygh Court of Parlamēt of Prouince: And also if any man in time to come, woulde turne the same to their reproch, or alledge it agaynst them to their hurt or damage, they might vtterly deny it, & say they made no abiuratiō at all, because there were no recordes made thereof, or witnesses to proue the same. For this purpose hee desyred them to talke together, to the end there might be an end made in this matter, without any further busines.

The Bailife & the ij. officers with diuerse other Auncientes of the towne, aūswered, þ^t they were fully resolued, not to consent to any abiuratiō, how soeuer it were to be done, except þ^t (which was alwayes their exception) they could make it appeare vnto thē by þ^e word of God, that they had holden or mainteined any heresie: marueilng much that he would go about to persuade them to lye to God and the world. And albeit that all men by nature are lyers, yet they had learned by the word of God, that they ought diligently to take hede of lying in any matter, were it neuer so small. MarginaliaIn matters of fayth and religion, ought to be no dissimulation.Also that they ought diligently to take heede, that their children did not accustume or vse them selues to lye, and therfore punished them very sharpely, when as they tooke thē with any lye, euen as if they had committed any robbery: for the deuill is a lyer and the father of lyes. Here the Byshop rose vp in great anger and indignation, and so departed.

MarginaliaDurandus styrred vp by the bishops to execute the commission agaynst the Merindolians.Within a while after, the Byshop of Aix solicited maister Iohn Durandus Counceller of þ^e Court of þ^e Parlamēt of Prouince, to execute the commission which was geuen him, that is, to go vnto the place of Merindoll, together with the Secretary of the sayd Court, and there, in the presence of the Byshop of Cauaillon, accompanied with a Doctour of Diuinitie, to declare the errours and heresies whiche the Byshops pretended the inhabitantes of Merindoll to be infected and intangled withall, and accordyng to their dutie, to make it appeare by the worde of God, and so beyng conuict, to make them abiure and renounce the sayd heresies. Wherupon the sayd Counceller Durandus, certified the day that hee would be present at Merindoll, to the end and purpose that none of the inhabitauntes should be absent. MarginaliaDurandus the Cōmissioner commeth to Merindol.At the day appointed, the sayd Counseller Durandus, the Byshop of Cauaillon, a Doctour of Deuinitie, and a Secretarie, came vnto Me-