stakes into the earth as far as they could. Of those
whom they brought before the Marquis, & who
would not abjure their Religion, they carryed
away to Turin; and among others Mr. Cross, and
Mr Aghit, Ministers of Willars and Boby; and that
after they had seen the admirable constancy of
John Paikas, and Mr Paul Clement, that a poor peasant,
this an Elder and Deacon of the Church of
la Tour; the former having chosen the Gibbet rather
then the Mass, the other was carryed near
him to appale him; but as hee was on the top of
the Ladder, & the Missionaries redoubling their
exhortations, saying it was yet time enough if he
would turn Catholique; he spake to the Executioner
to do his duty, desiring him to dispatch, &
pray'd God to pardon those Murderers, although
(said he) he saw, as present, the vengeance that
God would take for so much innocent blood
spilt.
My pen falls from may hand in describing these
things; yea, the very thoughts of them makes
my whole body to tremble, my hair to stand up;
a heart of Adamant, a hand of steel, and a pen
of Iron, could not express half the horrid prodigies
of cruelty and lamentable spectacles which
were seen, unheard of among the most barbarous
in former ages; far from ever being exercised in
Christendom. You might have seen here the leg
of a Woman, there the head of a Child, somtimes
the p[unr]ivie members of a man, the intrails of another,
and sometimes the pieces of another; which
the Beasts had not yet made an end of eating.
Tears obscure my sight, and the violence of sobbing.