warrant them from any further vexation or trouble, so that they remayned quiet at home. But when he had receaued the money, he caused the Commaunder of Fossan with his men, by night to come to his house, and then sent for the poore men thinckyng traiterously to haue deliuered them into the handes of their mortall enemy, folowyng therin the Decree of the Councell of Constance: MarginaliaThe Coūsell of Constance geueth leaue to breake promise with all such as they take to be heretickes.which is, þ^t no promise is to be kept with heretickes. But God knowyng howe to succour his, in their necessitie, preuented this daunger: for one of them had intelligence of the Cōmaunders commyng, and so they all fled. Therupō they writte to the Lord of Ranconis, declaryng vnto hym the procedynges of the Commaunder, MarginaliaNothyng proued by the worde of God agaynst the Waldoys.and that hee neither would nor could shewe or proue any thyng by the word of God, as he had promised: but threatned them great wronges and iniuries, and would not suffer theyr Ministers to replye, or say any thyng for the defence of their cause: and therefore they desired him to signifie the same vnto the Dukes grace, to the ende that hee should not be offended, if they persisted still in their religion, seyng it was not proued vnto them, by any reason taken out of the Scripture, that they had erred.

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After this, there were many commaundementes and iniunctions giuen out through all the countrey, to banishe these poore Waldoys, with the doctrine of the Gospell (if it were possible) out of the mountaines and Valleys of Piemont: But the poore people still desired that, accordyng to that, whiche they had so often before protested by worde and writyng, they might bee suffered to serue God purely, accordyng to the rule prescribed in his worde: simply obeyng their Lord & Prince alwayes and in all thynges. Notwithstanding they were still vexed and tormented with all the crueltie that could be diuised, as partly it is already declared: but much more you shall perceiue by that whiche foloweth.

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In the end of October next folowing, the rumor went that an armye was leuying to destroye them, & in very dede there were certeine bandes leuyed, ready to marche at an houres warning. Furthermore, those malefactors whiche heretofore were fled, or banished for any offence or crime committed, were called home agayne, and pardoned of altogether, MarginaliaBarabas deliuered, and Christ pursued.so that they would take them to their weapons, and go to destroy the Waldoys. The Ministers and chief Rulers of the valleyes of Luserne and Angrongne, therupon assembled together oftentymes to take aduise what in such an extremitie, were best to do. MarginaliaDeliberation among the Waldoys, how to defend, & how not to defend thē selues.In the end, they determined, that for certeine dayes folowing, there should be kept a generall fast, & the Sonday after, a communion. Also that they should not defēde them selues by force of armes, but that euery one should withdraw him selfe into the hygh mountaines, and euery one to cary away such goods as he was able to beare: and if their enemyes pursued them thether, then to take such aduise and counsell as it pleased God to geue them. This Article of not defendyng them selues, semed very straūge to the people, being driuē to such an extremitie, & the cause beyng so iust. But yet euery one began to carye their goodes, and vitailes into the mountaines, and for the space of eight dayes, all the wayes were filled with commers and goers to the moūtaines, like vnto Antes in Sommer, whiche prouide for winter. All this did they in this great perplexitie and daunger, with a wonderful courage and cherefulnes, praysing of God and singyng of Psalmes, and euery one comfortyng an other. Briefly, they went with such ioye and alacritie, that you should not haue sene any, whiche grudged to leaue their houses and faire possessions, but were wholye determined patiently to abyde the good pleasure of God, and also to dye if he had so appointed.

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MarginaliaWhether subiectes for religiō, may stand to their owne defence.A few dayes after, certeine other Ministers hearyng what they of Angrongne and Luserne had cōcluded, wrote vnto them, that this resolution semed very straunge to some, that they ought not to defende them selues against the violence of their enemyes, alledgyng many reasons, that in such an extremitie and necessitie, it was lawfull for them so to do: especially, the quarell beyng so iust, that is, for the defence of true religion, and for the preseruatiō of their owne lyues, and the lyues of their wyues and children: knowyng that it was the Pope and his Ministers whiche were the cause of all these troubles & cruell warres, and not the Duke, who was styrred vp therunto onely by their instigations: Wherfore they might well and with good conscience, withstand such furious and outragious violence. For the proufe hereof, they also alledged certeyne examples.

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Duryng this season, the Lorde of Angrongne, named Charles de Comptes of Luserne, laboured earnestly by all meanes possible, to cause them of Angrongne, to condescende to the Dukes pleasure, and sollicited them to send away their Ministers, promising that he would cause a Masse to be song at Angrongne, and that þ^e people should not be compelled to bee present therat, hopyng that by that meanes, the Dukes wrath would be appeased. The chief of Angrongne, thereupon were assembled and made this aunswere, that if the Duke would permit them to choose other Ministers, they were content to send away their foreine Ministers and straūgers. MarginaliaThe Angronians refuse to heare Masse.But as touchyng the Masse, his hyghnes might well cause it to be song in their parishes, but they for their part, could not with safe consciences, bee present at the same, nor yet geue theyr consent vnto it.

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The xxij. of October,  

the sayd Lord of Angrongne, went from Luserne, to Mondeuis (where he was then gouernour for the Duke) and sent for the chief Rulers of Angrongne, at seuerall tymes, declaryng vnto them the great perils and daungers wherewith they were enuironed, the armye beyng already at hand: yet promising them if they would submit them selues vnto him, he would send immediatly to stay the armye. They of Angrongne aunswered that they all determined to stād to that, which they, two dayes before in their assemble, had put in writyng. With this aunswere he semed at that present, to be content. The next day, the rumor was, that they of Angrongne had submitted them selues to the Duke. On the morowe, whiche was Sonday, you should haue sene nothyng but wepyng and mournyng in Angrongne. The Sermon being ended, the Rulers were called before the Ministers and the people, the which affirmed that they wholy cleaued vnto their former writing, & they sent secretly to the Notary, for the copy of that which was passed in the Coūsaile house, at their last assemble before the Lorde De Comptes: MarginaliaThe determination and aūswere of the Angronians, was falsified.in the whiche was comprised that Angrongne had wholy submitted her selfe to the good pleasure of the Duke. The people hearing that, were sore astonyshed, and protested rather to dye, then obey the same, and thereupon it was agreed, that at that very instant (albeit it were very late) certeine should be sent to the Lord of Angrongne, to signifie vnto him, that the determinatiō of the Coūsell was falsified, and that it might please him the next morning, to come to Angrongne, to heare the voyces of the people, not onely of the men, but also of the wemen and children. But hee hym selfe went not thether (hauyng intelligence of the vprore) but sent thether the iudge of that place. Thē that which had bene falsified, was duely corrected, the Iudge laying all the blame vpon the Notary.

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Duryng this tyme, the aduersaries cryed out through all the countrey of Piemont: to the fire with them: to the fyre with them. MarginaliaOpen proclamation against Angrongne.The Thursday after, Angrongne, by proclamations and writynges set vp in euery place, was exposed to the fire and sword. On Friday after, beyng the secōd of Nouember, the armye approched to the borders of the Valley of Luserne, and certeyne horsemen came to a place called S. Iohn, a litle beneath Angrongne. Then the people retired into þ^e moūtaines. Certeine of S. Iohn perceiuyng that the horesemē, not onely spoyled their goods, but also tooke their felowes prisoners, set vpon them. It is not certeine, what number of the enemies were there slayne: but sodeinly they retired to Bubiane, where their campe then was, & not one of them of S. Iohn, was slayne or hurt. It happened at the same tyme, that ij. of the foresayd horsemē, beyng sore amased, galoped before the rest, towardes the armye, beyng ready to marche towardes Angrongne, cryeng they come, they come. MarginaliaSenacharib flyeth from the face of Israell.At whose cry, the whole armye was so astonished, that euery man fled his waye, & they were all so scattered, that þ^e Captaynes that day were not hable to bryng them in order agayne, and yet no creature folowed them.

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On the Saterday in the mornyng, the armye mustered in the medowe ground of S. Iohn, nere to Angrongne. They of Angrongne had sent certeine to kepe the passages and stoppe the armye, that they should not enter, if it were possible. In the meane season, the people retired into the Medow of Tower, and litle thought of the commyng of the armye so soone, or that they would haue made such a sudden assaulte, for they were yet carying of victualles and other stuffe: so that fewe of them kept the passages. Now, they whiche kept the straites, perceyuing that their enemyes prepared them selues to fight, fell down vpon their knees, and made their prayers vn-

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