la Rua de Bouet borderyng vpon Tour, Iohn Malenote, sent from certayn persons of S. Iohn, Peter Paschal sent from the comminaltie of the valley of S. Martin, Thomas Roman of S. Germain, sent from the comminaltie of the same place, and of all the Valley of Perouse, promise for thē and their comminalties seuerally, that the contentes of these conclusions aforesayd, shalbe inuiolatly kept and for breach therof, do submitte themselues to such punishment as shall please his highnes: Promising likewyse to cause the chiefe of the families of the comminalties, to allow and confirme the sayd promise.

MarginaliaThe Lord of Raconis. The honourable Lorde of Raconis doth promise that the Dukes highnes shal confirme and allowe the foresayde conclusions to them both generally and particularly,MarginaliaThe Lady Princes intercessour for the Waldoys. at the intercession and especiall fauour of the noble Lady the Princesse.

In testimony wherof, the foresayd Lord of Raconis hath confirmed these present Conclusions, with hys owne hand, and the Ministers haue likewyse subscribed in the name of all the sayd Valleys, and they which can wryte, in the name of all their comminalties. At Cauor, the v. of Iune. 1561.

Philippe of Sauoy.
Fraunces Valla, Minister of Villars.
Claudius Bergius, Minister of Taillaret.
Georgius Monasterius.
Michael Raymundet.

THis accorde beyng thus made and passed, by þ^e meanes of the Duchesse of Sauoy, the poore Waldois haue ben in quyet vntill this present: and God of his infinite goodnes hauyng deliuered thē out of so many troubles and conflictes, hath set them at libertie, to serue him purely & with quyetnes of conscience.

MarginaliaAll thynges turne to the best, to them that loue the Lord. Wherfore there is none at this present (except he be altogether blynd or senseles) but he seeth and well perceiueth that God would make it knowen by experience, to these poore Waldoys, and al other faythfull people that al things turne to the best to them, which loue and feare him. For by all these afflictions whiche they suffered (as is before rehearsed) this good heauēly father hath brought them to repentaunce and amendement of lyfe. He hath effectuously taught them to haue recourse to his fatherly mercy, and to embrace Iesus Christ, for their onely Sauiour and redemer.

Furthermore hee hath taught them to tame the desires and lustes of the fleshe, to withdrawe their hartes from the worlde, and lift them vp to heauen, and to be alwayes in a redynes to come to hym, as vnto their most louing and pitifull father. To be short, hee hath set them to the schole of hys children, to the ende they should profite in patience and hope: to make them to mourne, wepe and cry vnto him. And aboue all, he hath made them so oft to proue his succours at tyme of nede, to see them before their eyes, to feele and touch them with their handes (as a man would say) after such sort, that they haue had good occasion and all the faythfull with them, neuer to distrust so good a father, and so carefull for the health of his children: but to assure them selues neuer to be confounded, what thyng soeuer happen.

And yet to see this more manifestly, and that euery man may take profite therof, it shallbe good to vnderstand what this poore people dyd, whiles they were in these combates and conflictes.MarginaliaThe behauiour of these good men in their persecutions. So soone as they sawe the armye of their enemyes approch, they cryed altogether for ayde and succour to the Lord, and before they began to defend thē selues they fell to prayer, and in fightyng lifted vp their hartes and sighed to the Lord. As long as the enemyes were at rest, euery one of this poore people, on their knees, called vpon God. When the combate was ended, they gaue hym thankes for the comfort and succour, whiche they had felt. In the meane time, the rest of the people with the Ministers, made their harty prayer vnto God with sighes and teares, and that, from the mornyng vntill the euenyng. When night was come, they assembled agayne together. They which had fought, rehearsed the wonderfull ayde & succour which God had sent them, and so altogether rendred thankes vnto hym for his fatherly goodnes. Alwayes he chaunged their sorrow into ioye. In the mornyng trouble an affliction appeared before them, with great terrour on all sides: but by the euenyng, they were deliuered, & had large cause of reioysing and comfort.

MarginaliaWarre & famine two enemies agaynst these mē. This poore people had two terrible enemies: warre and famine, which kept them vnder, in such sort that a man would haue thought they had bene vtterly lost and destroyed. But God of his endles mercy, deliuered them from such daungers, and restored them to their houses, where they remayned afterwards in peace and quietnes, & all they which had declared themselues to be their open enemies, were brought to confusiō, as well those which sought to get their goodes, as those which onely desired to shedde theyr bloud. For proofe wherof, the onely example of two Gentlemen of the Valley of Luserne shall suffise. These not onely mooued cruell warre agaynst theyr poore tenantes and others, but most shamefully spoyled them, and tooke vntollerable fines of all those that disobeyed their Edictes, to keepe a good conscience.

MarginaliaExample of Gods fauour toward his seruants and confusiō toward their persecutors. Besides this, they went about to sease all theyr goodes as forfaite: waytyng to haue the whole forfayture thereof themselues. And for this cause they did not onely incense the Duke wyth false reportes and wyth greiuous complaintes and accusations, agaynst these poore Waldoys: but also pursued the same so long and with such charges, that they were fayne to sell their inheritaunce, in hope to bryng their purpose to passe, and to enioy that goodly pray, which they thoughte coulde not escape theyr handes. But in the ende, for their rewarde, they gotte nothyng but shame and confusion.

And as for the Monkes and Priestes which by such meanes thought to aduance themselues, and to bring their trumpery to estimation, they haue lost the little rule whiche they had ouer that people, and are cōfounded, and their religion brought in disdayne. Thus God beateth downe those which exalt themselues aboue measure, and maketh his aduersaries to fall into the pits which they themselues haue made.

Let vs pray vnto hym therefore, that it would please hym likewyse to stretch out hys puissaunt arme at this day, to maintayne hys poore Church now afflicted, and to confound all the deuises of Sathan and hys members, to the aduauncement of hys glory and kyngdome.

MarginaliaThe cōclusion of the story of Merindol and Angrongne. And thus thou hast (christian reader) for thy erudition and comfort, the story and doynges, discoursed concernyng these two countreys both of Prouince and also of Piemōt, the one beyng subiect vnder the dominion of Fraunce:MarginaliaMerindol & Cabriers in Prouince, vnder the French king. the other belongyng to the duke of Sauoy.MarginaliaAngrongne and others in Piemont vnder the Duke of Sauoye. In the which two foresayd regions and countreys, how long the Gospell of Christ hath continued (euen from the tyme of the first Waldenses) the history it selfe declareth.

MarginaliaThe crueltie of the aduersaries. Furthermore, what iniuries and wronges haue bene done agaynst them for the Gospels sake, what rigour and cruelty hath bene shewed of the aduersary part: agayne,MarginaliaThe paciēce of the Martyrs. for theyr parte, what pacience in theyr sufferyng, what constancie in theyr doctrine, what truth in theyr wordes, and simplicitie in theyr deedes, what obedience towarde theiy Magistrates, and fayth toward God they haue vsed, and finally, how miraculously and mightily God hath fought for hys people, and confounded the enemies, the sayd history may geue thee full knowledge and experience.

Wherin this thou hast moreouer for thy more learnyng, to note and to consider with thy selfe, besides many other memorable thinges in this story conteyned how vnwillyng this people were at first, and what remorse of consciēce they had, for theyr obedience toward theyr magistrates, to lyft vp any hande or finger, for their owne defence. And therefore many of them beyng slayne and cruelly murthered as willingly offering theyr throates without any resistaunce, to the cruell handes of their enemies, the rest were compelled to flye into the mountaynes, beyng spoyled of house, vittail, and weapon, onely to saue theyr poore lyues with flying, which otherwise they would not with resisting, in rockes and caues, thinkyng there rather to perish by famine, then to vse that defence for themselues, which nature geueth to euery brute beast to helpe it selfe as it may, agaynst violence and iniury. Yet these poore Waldoys refusing all resistaunce, and layng downe their owne weapon (for obedience sake) yea not liftyng vp their owne handes, to defend their owne heades, onely vsed the poore shifte of flying from theyr enemies, till at length the rage of those bloudy persecutours, satisfied with no bloud, nor contented with any reason, ceased not still most furiously, to infest them, yea to take also the mountaines from them,MarginaliaThen they which are in Iewry let thē flye into the Mountaines, Luke. 21. which had taken from them theyr houses before, neyther yet permitting them to lyue with the wylde beastes in the desert, which could not lyue in theyr townes at home: tyll at length, by extreme necessitie, the prouidence of God so workyng wyth them,MarginaliaThe Waldoys compelled to defend them selues. they were compelled to turne their faces, and to take those weapons, which the grounde gaue to their handes. And with those stones, so meruelously the God of hostes wrought for hys people, that they bet, vanquished and ouerthrew their aduersaries, they confoūded their pride, they abated their malice, & at last, staid þ^e intolerable rage of their persecutiō. So mercifully & victoriously the Lord God omnipotent fought