swered, that they could not, nor ought not to obey such a commaundement.

MarginaliaProclamation made at Angrongne.A litle while after, proclamation was made in euery place, that no man should receiue any preacher comming from Geneua, but such onely as were appointed by the Archbyshop of Thurin, and other his officers, vpō payne of confiscatiō of their goodes and losse of their lyues, and that euery one should obserue the ceremonies, rites, & religion vsed in the Churche of Rome. Furthermore, if any of the foresayd preachers of Geneua, came into those quarters, that they should immediatly be apprehended, & by no meanes their abode there by any one to be concealed vpō the payne aforesayd: and furthermore, the names of those which should disclose any one of them should be kepte secret, and also for their accusation, they shoulde haue the third part of the goodes confiscated, with a full pardon, if that the sayd accusers were any of those, which priuely did kepe or mainteine the sayd Ministers: & that they and all other, which would returne to their mother the Churche, might frely and safely come and recant before the sayd Commissioners.

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At the same season, the Princes of Germany,  

and certeine of the Suitzers sent vnto the Frenche kyng, desiryng him to haue pitie on the foresayd Churches, and frō that tyme vntill three yeares after, the people of the foresayd Valleys, were not molested by any of þ^e kinges officers: but yet they were sore vexed by the Monkes of Pigneroll, and the gentlemen of the valley of S. Martin.

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MarginaliaGeffray Varialla Martyr.About that time, a minister of Angrongne named Geffray Varialla, borne id Piemont, a vertuous and learned man, and fearing God, went to visite certeine Churches in those quarters where he was borne, and commyng homeward, was taken at Berge, and from thence lead to Thurin, where he, after he had made a good confession of his faith, to the confirmation of many, and the terrour of the aduersaries, most constantly suffred.

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A few dayes after, a Minister of the Valley of Luserne, returnyng to Geneua, was takē prisoner at Suse, & soone after, sent to Thurin, and with an inuincible constancie, made his confession before those of the Parlament, and in the end was condemned to be burnt. MarginaliaA notable example of a good hangmā.The hangmā, at the tyme of execution, fayned him selfe to be sicke, and so conueyed him selfe away. And so likewise an other serued them, beyng appointed by the foresayd Court, to execute the poore Minister. It is credibly reported that the hangman, whiche executed certeine Germaines a litle afore, would by no meanes do this execution. Wherupon the Minister was sent to prison agayne, where after lōg and paynefull endurance, seyng the prison doore open, he escaped and returned to his cure.

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Nowe, iiij. yeares beyng past,  

in such maner as we haue hetherto touched in this story: in the yeare folowyng, whiche was. 1559. there was a peace concluded betwene the Frenche kyng, and the kyng of Spayne. Whereupon, the countrey of Piemont (certein townes excepted) was restored to the Duke of Sauoye: vnder whose regiment, the foresaid Churches, and all other faithfull people in Piemont, cōtinued in great quietnes, and were not molested: and the Duke him selfe was content to suffer them to liue in their religion, knowyng that hee had no subiectes more faithfull and obedient then they were. But Sathan hating all quietnes, by his Ministers stirred the Duke agaynst the sayd Churches of Piemont, his owne naturall subiectes. MarginaliaThe pope styrreth vp the Duke of Sauoye agaynst the Angronians.For the Pope and the Cardinals, seyng the good inclination of the Duke towardes this people, incensed him to do that, whiche otherwise he would not. The Popes Legate also, which then folowed the Court, and other that fauoured the Church of Rome, laboured by all meanes, to persuade the Duke that hee ought to banish the sayd Waldois, which mainteined not the Popes religion: alledging þ^t he could not suffer such a people to dwell within hys dominion, without preiudice and dishonor to the Apostolicke Sea. Also that they were a rebellious people agaynst the holy ordinaunces and decrees of their holy mother the Churche: and briefly that hee might no longer suffer the sayd people, beyng so disobedient and stubburne agaynst the holy father, if hee would in dede, shew him selfe a louing and obedient sonne.

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Such deuilishe instigations  

were the cause of these horrible and furious persecutiōs, wherewith this poore people of the Valleys and the countrey of Piemont, was so long vexed. And because they foresawe the great calamities, whiche they were like to suffer: to finde some remedy for the same (if it were possible:) all þ^e said churches of Piemont, with one common cōsent, wrote to the Duke, declaryng in effect, that the onely cause why they were so hated, and for the whiche hee was by their enemyes, so sore incensed agaynst them, was their religion: whiche was no new or light opinion, but that wherin they and their Anciters had long continued, being wholy grounded vpon the infallible worde of God, conteined in the old and new Testament. Notwithstandyng if it might be proued by the same worde, that they helde any false or erroneous doctrine, they would submit them selues to be reformed, with all obedience. But it is not certeine whether this aduertisement was deliuered vnto the Duke or no: for it was sayd that hee would not heare of that religion. But how so euer it was, in the moneth of March folowyng, there was great persecution raised agaynst the poore Christians, whiche were at Carignan. MarginaliaMathurin & his wife, Iohn de Carquignan, Martyrs.Amongest whom there were certeine godly persons taken, and burnt within iiij. dayes after: that is to say, one named Mathurin and his wife, and Iohn de Carquignan dwellyng in the Valley of Lucerne, taken prisoner as hee went to the market at Pigneroll. The woman dyed with great constancie. The good man Iohn de Carquignan, had ben in prison diuers tymes before for religion, and was alwayes deliuered by Gods singular grace and prouidence. But seyng him selfe taken this last time, incontinent he sayd, hee knew that God had nowe called hym. Both by the way as he wēt, and in prison, and also at his death, he shewed an inuincible cōstancie, and maruelous vertue, aswell by the pure cōfession, whiche he made touching the doctrine of saluation, as also in sufferyng with patience, the horrible tormentes whiche he endured both in prison, & also at his death. Many at that time, fled away: others beyng afrayed of that great crueltie, and fearyng also man more then God: lookyng rather to the earth then vnto heauen, consented to returne to the obedience of the Churche of Rome.

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MarginaliaPersecution beginneth in the Valleys.Within fewe dayes after, these Churches of the sayd Waldois, that is to say, Le Larch, Meronne, Meane, & Suse were wonderfully assaulted. To recite all the outrage, crueltie and vilanye, that was there cōmitted, it were to long: for breuities sake we will recite onely certein of the principall and best knowen. The Churches of Meane and Suse suffred great afflictions. Their Minister was taken amongst other. Many fled away, and their houses and goodes were ransackt and spoyled. MarginaliaThe Minister of Meane, Martyr.The Minister was a good and a faithfull seruaunt of God, and endued with excellent giftes and graces: who in the ende was put to most shamefull and cruell death. The great pacience whiche he shewed in the myddes of the fire, greatly astonished the aduersaries. Likewise the Churches of Larche and Meronne, were maruelously tormēted and afflicted. For some were takē and sent to the Galleys: other some cōsented and yelded to the aduersaries: and a great numbre of them fled away. MarginaliaGods secret iudgements vpō them that shrinke frō hys truth.It is certeinly knowen, that those whiche yelded to the aduersaries, were more cruelly handled then the others whiche continued constant in the truth. Whereby God declareth how greatly he detesteth all such as play the Apostataes, and shrinke from the truth.

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But for the better vnderstandyng of the beginnyng of this horrible persecution agaynst the Waldoys, here note that first of all, proclamations were made in euery place that none should resort to the sermons of the Lutherans, but should lyue after the custome of the Church of Rome, vpon payne of forfaiture of their goods, & to be condemned to the Galleys for euer, or lose their liues. Three of the most cruell persons þ^t could be founde, were appointed to execute this commission. MarginaliaCruell persecutors.The first was one Thomas Iacomell, a Monke and Inquisitour of the Romishe faith: a man worthy for such an office, MarginaliaThomas Iacomell a cruell Apostate.for he was an Apostata, and had renounced the knowen truth: and persecuted mortally & maliciously, the poore Christians, agaynst his own conscience, and of set purpose, as his bookes do sufficiently witnes. He was also a whoremonger & giuen ouer to all other vilanies and filthy liuyng: and in the horrible sinne of Sodomittie, whiche he commonly vsed, he passed all his felowes. Briefly hee was nothyng els but a mishapen monster both agaynst God and nature. Moreouer he so afflicted and tormented the poore captiues of the sayd Waldoys, by spoylyng, robberie, and extortion, that he deserued not onely to be hanged, but to be broken vpon the wheele a hundreth tymes, and to suffer so many cruell deathes, if it were possible: so great, so many and so horrible were the crimes that he had committed. The second was the Collaterall Corbis,

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