1576 Edition | Book 7 | Page 952 
| Persecutors. | Martyrs. | The causes. |
| Monkes of Pigneroll, and many other moe, enemyes of God and ministers of Sathan. | In the coū- trey of Pie- mont. From the yeare 1555. vnto 1561 | MarginaliaThe godly lyfe of the Waldoys. translated into their language. Their mi- nisters instructed thē secretly, to auoyde þe furye of their ene- myes, which coulde not abyde the lyght: albeit they did not in- structe them wyth such puritie as was requisite. They lyued in great simplicitie, & wyth the sweate of their browes. They were quyet & peace- |
able among their neighbours, absteynyng from blasphemy, and prophanyng of the name of God, by othes, and such other impietie: from leude games dauncing, filthy songes & other vices and dissolute lyfe, and conformed their life wholy to the rule of Gods worde. Their principall care was alwayes that God myght be rightly serued, and his worde truely preached: In so much, that in our tyme, when it pleased God to set forth the lyght of his Gospel more clearely, they neuer spared any thyng, to establishe the true and pure ministery of the word of God and hys Sacramentes. Which was the cause that Sathan wyth hys ministers, did so persecute them of late more cruelly then euer he dyd before, as manifestly appeareth by the bloudy & horrible persecutions which haue bene not onely in Prouince, agaynst those of Merindoll & Cabriers: also against them of Prage and Calabria (as the histories afore written do sufficiently declare)MarginaliaVid. sup. pag. [illegible text]. 915. but also agaynst them in the countrey of Piedmont, remayning in the valley of Angrongne, and of Lucerne, and also in the Valley of S. Martin, and Perouse, in the sayd countrey of Piedmont. Which people of a longe tyme, were persecuted by the Papists, and especially within these fewe yeares, they haue bene vexed in such sort and so diuersly, that it seemeth almost incredible: and yet hath God alwayes myraculously delyuered them, as hereafter shall ensue.
[Back to Top]Albeit the people of Angrongne
CloseAlthough there had been earlier phases of persecution of the Vaudois of the Hautes-Alpes, notably in the period from 1536-8, the period up to 1555 is more notable for the degree to which the communities had been left to their own devices. No doubt it suited the purpose of a Genevan-based account of these events to begin the story in 1555, since that was the date when a more determined Genevan missionary effort in the valleys began. That was the year when Jean Calvin's supporters finally routed their opponents in the Genevan polity, and the young Genevan church felt strong enough to look outwards. Jean Vernou, originally from Poitiers and an associate of Calvin's journeyed there with a further minister in late 1554 or early 1555, preaching first at Balboutet and then at Fenestrelle, one of the leading Vaudois communities of the middle Angrogna. They went on to the village of Angrogna and established two 'temples' there (E. Cameron, The Reformation of the Heretics: the Waldenses of the Alps, 1480-1580 (Oxford: O.U.P., 1984), pp. 157-8 and refs). The story about 'Iohn Martin' (in reality 'Jean-Martin Trombaut') comes directly from Foxe's main narrative source (see Crespin/Benoit, 3, p. 116).
[Back to Top]At thys season the French kyng helde these foresayde valleyes, & they were vnder the iurisdiction of the Parliament of Thurin. In the end of December folowing,
CloseThe Parlement in Turin issued an arrét in December 1555 ordering the imprisonment of those in the Angrogna valley who had received 'ministers coming from Geneva'. Then, on 22 December 1555 two magistrates (Agostino della Chiesa and Bartolomeo di Termes; the latter was replaced by Bartolomeo Emé, seigneur de St Julien - the 'President of S. Iulian' of Foxe's account) were despatched to conduct inquiries on heretic activities there. Foxe also follows his principal source in referring to the martyrdom of 'Barthelmew' the book-binder, not realising that he had, in fact, already included 'Barthélemy Hector', the individual in question, elsewhere in his table of French martyrs (p. 916 of the 1583 edition).
[Back to Top]In the moneth of March, an. 1556. the Ministers of the Valley of S. Martin, preached openly.MarginaliaBarthelmew a Bookebynder, Martyr. At that tyme certayne Gentlemen of the Valley of S. Martin, tooke a good man, named Barthelmew, a booke bynder, prisoner, as he passed by the sayd Valley, the which was sent by and by, to Thurin, and there wyth a maruelous constancy, after he had made a good confession of hys fayth, he suffered death: In so much that diuers of the Parlamēt were astonyshed and appalled at hys constancie.MarginaliaThe President of S. Iulian and other sent to the Angrongnians. Yet they of the sayde Parlament, beyng sore incensed agaynst the Vandois, sent one named the President of S. Iulian, associatyng vnto hym, one called de Ecclesia, and others, for to hynder their enterprise. These commyng first to the Valley of Perouse where as yet no preachers were, but they were accustomed to resort to the Sermons at Angrongne, very much trou- bled and feared the poore people there.
[Back to Top]From thence, they went to the Valley of S. Martin,
CloseThe commissioners Agostino della Chiesa and Bartolomeo Emé, seigneur de St-Julien arrived in the Piedmontese valleys in March 1556. They issued orders to the communities they visited to conform to catholic rites and follow the traditional church. The Vaudois replied with a confession of faith, which Foxe replicates in accordance with his source. The confession reflects the clearly growing Genevan influence in the valleys.
[Back to Top]After they were come to Angrongne, the President hauyng visited the two Temples, caused a Monke to preach in the one, the people beyng there assembled, who pretended nothyng els, but onely to exhort them to returne to the obedience of the Sea of Rome. The Monke with the President and all his retinue, kneeled down twise, and called vppon the virgin Mary:MarginaliaThe people woulde not kneele to pray to our Ladye. but the ministers and all the people stoode still, and would not kneele, making no signe or token of reuerence. As soone as the Monke had ended his Sermon, the people requested instantly, that their Minister might also be suffered to preach, affirmyng that the sayde Monke had spoken many thinges, which were not accordyng to the worde of God. But the President woulde not graunt their request.MarginaliaThe people of Angrōge threatned with destruction. After that, the sayd President admonished them in the name of the kyng, and the Parlament of Thurin, that they should returne to the obedience of the Pope, vpon payne of losse of goods and life, and vtter destruction of their towne: and withall he recited vnto them, the pitious disconfiture of their brethrē and frends, which had bene done before in Merindoll and Cabriers, and other places in the countrey of Prouince. The ministers and the people aunswered that they were determined to lyue accordyng to the word of God, and that they would obey the king and all their superiours in all thinges, so that God were not thereby displeased:MarginaliaThe Angrōgnians desired to be tried by the word of God. And furthermore, if it were shewed vnto them by the worde of God, that they erred in any point of Religion, they were ready to receaue correction, and to be reformed. This talke endured about sixe houres together, euen vntill night. In the ende, the President sayde there should be a disputation appoynted for those matters. Wherunto the people gladly agreed. But after that there was no more mention made thereof.
[Back to Top]Here he remayned 14. dayes, dayly practising new deuises, to vexe and torment them, wyth new Proclamations, now callyng to hym the SyndiquesMarginaliaThese Syndiques were as Shrieues Councellers or Aduocates. and head officers, now seuerally and now altogether, that so for feare he might make them to relent: causing also assembles to be made in euery Parishe, by such as he appointed, thinking thereby to diuide the people. Notwithstandyng he nothing preuayled with all that he coulde doe: but still they continued constant, In so much that they with one accorde, presented a briefe confession of their faith, with an aunswere to certaine interrogatories made by the President, in the which they confessed:
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe Articles & confession of the Angrongnians exhibited to the Presidēt. That the Religion wherein both they and their Elders had bene long instructed & brought vp, was the same, which is conteined both in the olde and the new Testament, the which is also briefly comprised in the xij. Articles of the Christian beliefe.
[Back to Top]Also that they acknowledged the Sacramentes instituted by Christ, wherby he distributeth aboundauntly his graces and great benefites, hys heauenly riches and treasures, to all those which receiue the same, wyth a true and a lyuely fayth.
Furthermore, that they receaued the Creedes of the iiij generall Councels, that is to say, of Nice, Constantinople, Ephesus and Calcedon, and also the Creede of Athanasius, wherein the mystery of the Christian fayth and religion is playnely and largely set out.