MarginaliaThe Bulwarke māfully defended.warke. They which were within, had neither halbarde, nor any other long weapon, but onely one pike, and the same without an yron: the which one of the fyue tooke, and threw downe the ensigne, and manfully beate backe the scalers, and threw thē down to the ground. Diuers of þ^e enemyes were entred into the Bulwarke, by a doore bilowe, and slue one of the fyue, whiche kept the mydle part of the Bulwarke. The other iiij. looked to be destroyed out of hand. Then one of the iiij. chased awaye those whiche had entred bilow, with stones: and the other three leauyng their handgunnes, defended them selues likewise, with great stones: and perceauyng the bād whiche was on the rockes, to flye, they tooke courage and withstode their enemyes valiauntly, till their companions were returned from the chase.

In the meane tyme, the Bulwarke, which was vpon the side of the mountaine, was furiouslye assailed by the one halfe of the armye. Those that were within, suffered their enemies to approche nere to þ^e Bulwarke, without any gunshot or other defēce: whereat the enemyes much marueiled. MarginaliaBehold the Artillarye of this simple people, and with what weapons they fought.But when they were euen at hand: they fell vpon them, some with throwyng of stones: some with rolyng downe mighty stones, and some with harquebushes. There was a huge stone roled down, which passed throughout the whole armye, and slue diuers. The souldiers at that tyme, had wonne a litle cottage, nere to the sayd Bulwarke, whiche did much hurt to the poore men. But among them, one deuised to role downe a great huge stone, agaynst the cottage, which so shooke it, and amased the souldiers, that they thought they had bene all destroyed: and incontinent they fled, and neuer would enter into it agayne.

Then the souldiers made certeine fences of woode, v. foote long, iij. foote broad, and of the thicknes of three bordes, but they were so vexed with the shot of the harquebushes, that they were fayne to lay all those fences aside. The miners also made others of earth for the soldiers. But all these policies of the enemyes auailed them nothing: for the slaughter was so great, that in diuers places you might haue sene three lying dead, one vpon an other. God so wrought with þ^e poore Christians, that the shotte of ij. harquebushes slue iiij. men. MarginaliaThe L. of Trinitie with hys armye, driuen backe.It was said for a certeintie, that the shot of an harquebushe came so nere the Lord of Trinities head, that it brake a wande which he bare in hys hand, & made him to retire vj. score pases backward, and seing his souldiers in such great nūbers murthered and woūded on euery side, he wept bytterly. Then he retyred the rest of his armie. That day he thought assuredly to haue entred into the Medowe of Tour. Moreouer, he was determined, if that dayes iorney had not succeded, to encampe therby, and the next mornyng very earely, to renew the assault. Many gentlemen and others came thether, to see the discomfiture of the poore Waldoys: and likewise those of the Playne looked for nothyng, but to heare the pitious ruine and desolation of this poore people. But God disposed it otherwise: For the Lord of Trinitie had much a do to saue him selfe, and his: and seyng the mischief, whiche they entended to do vnto others, was fallen now vpon their owne heades: MarginaliaThe Papistes astonished and dismayde on euery side, by the wonderfull iudgement of God.they were wonderfully astonished. They of the Playne also, when they sawe the number of the dead bodies and the woūded, to be so great (for frō noone vntill the euenyng, they ceased not to cary them away) were likewise excedyngly dismayed. Albeit they caryed not away all, for there were many that lay nere to the Bulwarkes, whiche the people couered with wyndyng sheetes, the next mornyng. The souldiers them selues cōfessed to them of the Medow of Tour, that if they had pursued them, they had ben all slayne: they were so tyred and and cleane out of hart.

Many marueled why the people did not folow the armye, but specially þ^e souldiers, seing the great discōfiture which they had done, & that they had gottē such vantage of thē already. But this was done for ij. causes. MarginaliaGods people auoyde the sheding of bloud.The one was, because they had already determined not to folow þ^e armye beyng once retired, to auoyde þ^e effusion of bloud, meanyng onely to defend them selues. The other cause was, for that they were weary, & had spent all their munitiō: For many of them had shot of, about xxx. times, and none of them, vnder twentie, spendyng great store both of pelletes and haileshot. The rest of the armie retired, crying, with a loude voyce: God fighteth for them, and we do them wrong.

The next day, one of þ^e principall Captaines of þ^e army surrēdred his charge to þ^e L. of Trinitie, saying vnto him, þ^t hee would neuer fight agaynst this people any more, & vpō that he departed. It is a meruelous thyng and worthy of perpetuall memory, that in that cōbate there were but ij. of the Waldoys slayne and ij. hurt. Throughe the whole countrey of Piemont, euery mā sayd: God fighteth for them. One of the Captaines confessed, þ^t he had ben at many fierce assaultes and combates, and sondry battaile well fought, but yet hee neuer sawe souldiers so faynt harted and amased: MarginaliaGod fighteth for hys people.yea the souldiers them selues told him they were so astonished, that they could not strike. Moreouer, they sayd that this people neuer shotte, but they hurt or killed some of the souldiers. Some other sayd that the Ministers, by their prayers, coniured and bewitched them, that they could not fight: and in dede, wonderfull is it, and maruelous are the iudgementes of God, that notwithstanding so many combates and conflictes, so great assaultes and aduentures, so much and so terrible shot, continually made agaynst this poore people, yet all (in a maner) came to no effecte: So mightely Gods holy power wrought for his people: In so much, that for all þ^e sayd combates, skirmishes, and so many cōflictes: of all the Angrongnians, there were but ix. onely that miscaryed, MarginaliaOnely xiiij. of all the Waldoys slayne in all these conflictes.and the whole number of those that were slayne, were but onely xiiij. persons. Where also is to be noted, not without great admiration, how fewe there were, & those also but poore selye shepheardes and neatheardes, to encounter with such a mighty power, of so strong and braue souldiers, commyng agaynst thē, with weapon and armour, beyng so well furnished and appointed with munition, as they were, in all pointes accordingly, and the other on the contrarie side, beyng vnarmed, and vnprouided of all habiliment of warre, hauing for their defence, for the most part, nothyng els but slynges and stones, and a fewe harquebushes.

The ix. day of March, there was a hoate skyrmishe at Angrongne. For three companies of souldiers, went to Angrongne, to burne and spoyle all that remained, and to destroy the wynes, whiche were hydden in the grounde. Where, amongest them selues, they mocked and flouted the poore people, saying: these Lutherane Waldoys, are valiaūt felowes behind their Bulwarkes: but if they had ben in the plaine field, they had ben well canuased. After this it chaunced that thyrtie of the Waldoys, went and assailed these foresayd companies in the plaine field. MarginaliaAn other skirmishe betwene the enemyes and the Angronians.They fought a long ceason, and that so nere, that some of them fought hand to hand. In this conflict, one of those of Angrongne, wrestled with a Captaine of the enemyes, strōg and mightie, and cast him downe vpon the ground. Many of the souldiers were slayne and many hurt. But of the Angronians, there was but one slayne, and an other hurt a litle, whiche notwithstandyng gaue not ouer to fight manfully. Thē the souldiers seyng the losse of their men, retired suddenly.

After that, the Lord of Trinitie sent ij. Gentlemen of the Valley of Luserne, to them of Angrongne, to feele thē, if they would come to any agreement. To whom aunswere was made, that they would stand to their first aūswere. From that tyme he sent very often, to entreate of the agreement: but what his meanyng was, it might well appeare. MarginaliaNote the practise of Papistes.For when the poore people hoped for some agreement, they were most furiously assaulted. Vppon this there was a day assigned in þ^e Valley of Luserne, to conferre, touching the agreement, with certein men perteinyng to the Lord of Raconis, and the safeconduct was promised and graunted.

MarginaliaBeholde how this traiterous Trintie, whiles he pretendeth an agreement, goeth about to destroye these poore men.The night afore the Ministers and Rulers of Angrongne should take their iorney, they perceaued a company of souldiers, goyng vp a hill, by the whiche they of Angrongne should passe, and hidde them in houses on the wayes side, thinckyng to take at vnwares, them of Angrongne, which were sent to treate of the agreemēt. But they hauyng intelligēce of this conspiracie, watched and warded. It was an easie matter as diuers thought, that night to haue taken the Lord of Trinitie, and haue spoyled his whole campe. MarginaliaDauid spareth King Saul.But they of Angrongne & Luserne, would not execute this enterprise, least thereby they should offend God, and passe the boundes of their vocation, takyng vppon them, no more but to defende them selues.

At that tyme a pitifull case happened in the Medowe of Tour. The Lord of Raconis, semyng to be sory for this warre, sent into the Medowe of Tour, an honest man of Briqueras, named Fraunces of Gilles, to take aduise, what meanes were best, to further the agreemēt. Who hauing cōsulted with the Ministers & Rulers, returned homeward that day, accordyng to his Maisters commaunde-