MarginaliaThe prayer of the Angronians.to God, that it would please him to take pitie vpō them, and not to looke vppon their sinnes, but to the cause which they mainteyned: to turne the heartes of their enemyes, and so to worke, that there might be no effusion of bloud: & if it were his will to take thē with their wyues and their infantes out of this world, that he would then mercifully receiue them into his kyngdome. In this sorte, most feruent prayers were made of all those that kept the passages, with exhortatiō, that they should altogether, crye vnto God and craue his succour and assistaunce in this great distresse. All this the Lord of Trinitie and the armye did well perceiue.

Their prayers thus ended, sodeinly they perceiued their enemies commyng towardes them, throughe the vynes, to wynne the toppe of the moūtaine of Angrōgne. In the meane tyme, the Prior of S. Iohn, & Iacomel, were within þ^e temple of Angrongne, & cōmoned with the Rulers touchyng an agrement. These were sent thether by the Lord of Trinitie, to kepe the people occupyed. MarginaliaA combate betwene the lord of Trinitie, and the Waldoys.To bee short, the combat began in diuers places, and endured for a long space, in the passages of Angrongne. The poore Waldoys (beyng but fewe in number, and some of them hauyng but slynges and crosbowes) were sore pressed with the multitude of their enemyes. At length they retired to the toppe of the mountaine, where they defended them selues, vntill night. When they had found a place, where they might withstand their enemyes, still pursuyng them, they turned them selues, and slue diuers of them, and hurt many. When the euenyng came, the enemyes rested, and were about to encampe them selues, there to suppe and lodge all night. Whiche thyng, when the Angrongnians perceiued: they fell to prayer, desyring God to assiste and succour them: but the enemies flouted them, and laughed them to scorne. MarginaliaBeholde the policie of this poore people.Then the poore people deuised to send a drumme into a litle Valley hard by. And as they were makyng their prayers vnto God, and the drumme sounded in þ^e Valley, þ^e Lord of Trinitie caused his souldiers, whiche were about to encampe them selues, to remoue thence: MarginaliaGods holy helpe in tyme of neede.Which was a great vantage to þ^e poore people, which now were sore weryed with trauell, all wette with sweatyng, & very thursty, & in great perill, if God had not giuen them some litle breathyng tyme. Many of the enemies that day, were slayne, and many hurt, of the whiche very few escaped: In somuch, that they reported that the shot was poysoned, whiche this poore simple people neuer vsed to do, in all these warres. Of the Angrongnians, that day there were but iij. slayne, and one hurt, whiche afterwardes was well healed agayne. This combat gaue great courage to the Waldoys, and sore astonished the aduersaries. The same tyme, the armye retyring, burnt many houses, and made great spoyle as they went, destroyng also the wynes whiche were in the presses.

The sayd Lord of Trinitie, with his armye, camped in a Village beyonde Tour, in the Valley of Luserne, at the foote of the hill, betwene Angrongne and the other townes of the Valley of Luserne, whiche professed the Gospell. They of the sayd village were alwayes sore agaynst the Waldoys, and haters of true religiō, and were glad of this outrage and violence done agaynst the professours thereof: MarginaliaGods secret iudgement in helping his, & punishing hys enemies.but they had their iust plage, for they were all destroyed. After this the sayd Lord of Trinitie caused the Fortresse to be built agayne, which the French mē had rased, and placed there a Garrison, and after sent an other to the Forte of Villars, whiche is of the Valley of Luserne, & an other he sent to the Fortresse of Perouse, and a fourth Garrison he placed in þ^e castle of S. Martin. They of Angrongne (seyng them selues to be now, as it were in a Sea of troubles) after they had recommended them selues vnto God by prayer, and committed their cause vnto him: sent to them of Perouse, of S. Martin, and of Pragela, for ayde and succour: whiche sent them all the helpe that they were hable.

MarginaliaA craftie message of the lord of Trinitie, to the Angronians.The nexte daye folowyng there came letters to Angrongne, from the Lord of Trinitie: The effecte whereof was thys, that hee was sory for that whiche was done the day before, & that he came not thether to make warre agaynst them, but onely to vewe if it were a place conuenient, to build a Forte therin to serue þ^e Duke. Furthermore, that his souldiers seyng the people assembled, as it were, to defie them, vpon that occasion only were stirred vp to giue assault and to set vpon them. Also that he was sorye that such spoyle was made of their goodes, and such hurt done by fire. But if they would shew them selues obedient to þ^e Duke: he had good hope that al should be well, and trusted that some good agreement should be MarginaliaThe Angronians aunswere to the message.made. The Angrongnians aunswered that they were maruelously agreued to be so assaulted, spoyled, and tormēted by the subiectes of their liege and naturall Prince: and as they had often tymes before, offered them selues to bee more faithfull and obedient to their soueraigne Prince the Duke, then any of all his subiectes besides: so yet still they offered the same obedience. Also they most humbly besought hym, not to thinke it straunge, if they beyng constrayned by such extreme necessitie, defended thē selues. Finally as touchyng their religion, they affirmed that it was the pure word of God, euen as it was preached by the Prophetes and Apostles: and the same whiche their predecessours had obserued for certein hundreth yeares past. Moreouer, that the cause was not concernyng the goodes of the world, but the honor and glory of God, the saluation or destruction of the soules both of them and theirs, and therefore it were much better for them, to dye all together, then to forsake their religion: and yet if it might bee proued vnto them by good demonstration, out of the word of God, that they were in errour not by force of armes, by bloud and fire: they would then yeld them selues with all obedience: most hūbly besechyng hym and all other the Lordes of the countrey of Piemont, to bee their intercessours and aduocates to the Duke, in this behalfe.

MarginaliaThe towne of Villers assaulted.Vpon Monday beyng the iiij. day of Nouember, the Lord of Trinitie sent his armye to Villars and Tailleret. The lesser company ascended towardes Villers. The people seyng their enemies approchyng, after they had called vppon God with feruent prayer, strongly defended them selues and slue many: many also were hurt and the rest fled. MarginaliaThe towne of Tailleres, assaulted.The other company ascended towardes Tailleret. And although they of that place were but few in nūber, and that part of the armye the greater, yet makyng their prayers vnto God, and commendyng their cause vnto him, they defended them selues likewise valiantly. In the meane season they of Villars, beyng emboldened by their late victorie, came to assiste their neighbours, and beyng assembled together, they couragiously pursued their enemyes, and put them to flight. In this pursute it chaunced (whiche here is not to be forgotten) that thys poore people, by an ambushe of their enemyes, whiche came an other waye, were suddenly enclosed on euery side, and like to be destroyed: MarginaliaGod geueth victorye to hys seruaūtes.but yet they all escaped, and not one of them was slaine: onely iij. were hurt, whiche were soone cured agayne. On the enemyes syde, there were so many slayne, þ^t they were layd together by whole carte loades. MarginaliaThe iuste rewarde vpon the Lordes enemyes.This was the rewarde of those whiche were so desirous to shede innocent bloud. The same day the inhabitantes of Sanson nere to Roccapiata, assembled in great number together, and went to a riche mans house of Roccapiata, and spoyled al that he had. Certeine of Roccapiata (in number not past. 17) vnderstādyng this, set vppon them, and soone put them to flight, tooke away their drumme, and forced them to leaue their booty behynd them.

After that þ^e Lord of Trinitie had receiued the letters of the Angrongnians, hee sent vnto them his Secretary named Christopher Gastaut, MarginaliaGaustaut a false brother.(which sayd hym self that he fauoured the veritie of þ^e Gospel) accōpanyed with a Gentleman of þ^e sayd Valley. Whose charge was to cause the chief Rulers, to send certeine to cōmon with þ^e sayd L. of Trinitie, saying that he had good tydings to declare vnto them: and moreouer, that he would deliuer thē a safeconduct to come and go. MarginaliaDeepe dissimulation in a craftye Papist.Wherupon they sent iiij. vnto hym, whom he entreated very curteously, and rehearsed vnto them, how the Duke, at his departure from the Court, told him, that although the Pope, the Princes, and Cities of Italie, yea his owne Counsell were fully resolued, that of necessitie, they of the sayd religion should bee destroyed, yet notwithstandyng God otherwise put in hys minde, and that he had taken counsell of God, what hee should do in this matter, that is: that he would vse them gently. MarginaliaThe Dutches, a fauourer of the Angronians.Furthermore he declared vnto thē, þ^t the Duches bare them good affection, & fauoured them very much, and that she had commended their cause vnto the Duke, persuadyng with hym, to haue regard to that poore people, and that their religion was auncient and old: with many such other thynges. Moreouer they had (sayd he) great frendes in the Dukes Court, not doubting, but if they would send certeine to the Court with a supplication, they should obteyne more, then they them selues would require, and hee for his part would employe hym selfe in their affaires, to the vttermost of his power: and so hee promised that hee would retire him selfe with his