Christs Victory over Satans Tyranny, Book 6 · Part 35
The destruction of Merindall and Cabriers.
IN the yeare 1218. as is aforesaid, God raised vp one Waldo, a rich Merchant of Lyons in France, which hauing attained perfect knowledge by the word of God, discouered the naughtines of the Ecclesiastical Ministers, many ioyned themselues vntounto them, which were called Waldenses, and being by persecution dispersed into di…ers Countries, there were two towns remaining of their Religion in France, to wit; Merindall and Gabriers.
Certaine of the cheefe of Merindall, were commanded to appeare at the Parliament of Prouence, they would hauehave retained Aduocates to answere for them, who told them, it was not lawfull for them to giuegive councell to them, because they were but Lutherans, but one told them secretly; That they should not appeare before the said Court, except they were fully determined to be burned by a little fire made of Chaffe, without any further iudgement: for the Court had already determined the matter against them; whereupon, and because they had séene many good men serued so, hauing no other cause of condemnation, but that they were reported to be Lutherans, for these causes they did not appeare at the day appointed: wherevpon, the Parliament gaue out an arrest, whereby not onelyonly they of Merindal, that were appointed to appeare, were condemned to be burned, as attainted of heresie and high Treason, and their goods confiscate vntounto the King, but also all the inhabitants of Merindall, wherein was fourescore houses to be burned, men, women, and children, & the towne to be rased, and the trées cut vp 500. paces round about.
A little after there was a great banquet at Ayx, at which was the president Cassane, and many Counsellors and Nobles, and the Archbishop of Arles, and the Bishop of Ai…, with their Ladies and Gentlewomen: One that was the Bishop of Aixis Concubine, said, My Lord president will you not execute the arrest that is giuen out against the Lutherans of Merindall? And she recited the manner of it, forgetting nothing the Lord Alenson said; Gentlewoman, you hauehave learned this of them that would hauehave it so, or else it was giuen out by a Parliament of women. Then the L. of Senas said it is true, & you do not well to call the parliament a Parliament of women, he answered, he did not beléeue it, for it is a thing that the & …ueliest tyrants of the world, would iudge most inhumane & detestable, & many of Merindal which séem to me to be very honest men: thē the gentl…woman lifting vp her eyes with a great chafe, said, O that it pleased God that all Lutherans had hornes growing on their foreheads. Then said my Lord Bewieu, I would all Priests harlots chattered like Pies: she said, My L. you ought not to sp…ak against our holy mother the Church; for there was neuer any dogge that bar…ed against the crosse, but he waxed mad: the Bishop of Aix laughed and clapt her on the back, saying, By my holy orders my minion, you hauehave don me great pleasure, remember me the lesson she hath taught you. The Lord answered, I will not learn of her, nor of thée, neither honesty nor honour; for the most part of the Bishops and Priests are Adulterers, Deceiuers, Theeues, Seducers: I should not speake against the holy Church, but I speake against a flocke of Wolues, Dogges, and abominable Swine. Then said the Archbishop, My L. you must giuegive account of these words in time and place: he answered, I would it were now; for I wil be bound to proue more naughtines in Priests then I hauehave spoken. When Christ called the Priests deceiuing Hypocrits, blinde Seducers, and robbers, did he them any wrong? They answered no, for the most part of them were so. Then said my Lord Bewieu, Euen so is it with the Bishops and Priests; for they are such kinde of men and worse. Then he said, A…ant thou Herodias, thou vnshamefac't and dishonest harlot, is it thy part to speak in this cōpany? thou shouldst not desire the innocent bloud to be shed, then she sayd, if I were a man I would offer you combat, to proue that I desire not to shed innocent bloud, do you call the bloud of these wicked men of Merendoll innocent bloud? I do desire and offer with my who…e power, that such as they should bee destroyed, from the greatest to the least: and to sée the beginning of this worke I hauehave not beene wanting to imploy all my credit and frien… ▪ and doe not spare neither body nor goods to make the vtter ruine and destruction of them, and to deface their memory from amongst men, I had rather méet ten di…els then one Lutheran.
After the Bishops and Clergy met againe to consult about the executing of the sayd Arest, and they had a banket at the Bishops house of Ruda: to this banket the …ayrest and best Ladies of A…inion were inuited to solace these good Prelates: after they had dined, danced, and vsed their pastime, they walked vntill supper, and as they passed the stréets leading eueryevery one a Gentlewoman vponupon his arme, they saw a man that sould dishonest Images to stirre vp the people to whoredome and knauery, and all these pictures the Bishops bought, which were as many as a Mule could carry: a little further a Booke-binder had set out Bibles of lattin and french to se…l, then the Bishops sayd, who hath made thée so hardy to set forth these Marchandise to sell? dost not thou know these Bookes are forbid? the Booke binder answered, is not the holy Bible as good as these goodly pictures? the Bishop of Air sayd, I renownce my part of Paradice if he bee not a Lutheran, let him bee tryed what hee is: then the Book-binder was caried into prison, and a company of ruffins cryed, a Lutheran to the fire with him, and owne strucke him with his fist, another pulled him by the beard, so that hee was al imbrued with bloud, the morrow hee was brought before the Bishops, hee iustified the selling of the Bibles, and said; There was no Nation but had the Byble in their owne language; Will you forbid and hide that which Christ hath commaunded to bee published? Did not Christ giuegive power to his Apostles, to speake all manner of tongues to the end that his Gospell might be taught to eueryevery Creature in eueryevery language? And why doe you forbid this Booke, a…d buy such prophane painting? What cruelty is this, to take the nourishment from poore soules, but you shall gi…e account heereof, which call sweete sower, and sower sweete: you bee rather the Priests of Bacchus and Venus, then Pastors of the Church: Then he was condemned to be burned the same day, and to hauehave two Bybles hang, one before, and another behind, to signifi… the cause of his death.
The Byshoppes twice raised an Army at their owne charges, to execute the aforesaid arrest, but their enterprises were let by one meanes or other: and the King hearing the confession of this Faith of Merindole, and finding that it did agree in all points to the Word of God, gaue them their pardon: Some of the Byshoppes resort to them to get them to recant, but they prooued their Religion so agreeable to the Word, that many Doctors were conuerted to their opinions, and confessed they neuer learned so much in all their time, as by hearing them: Their Children were so well taught, and they questioned and answered one another so diuinely; that the Doctor… confessed, they had not heard Arguments, so well answered in the diuinity Schooles.
Yet notwithstanding in this yeare, the twelfth of Aprill, Iohn Miners, President of the Councell of Aygues, called the Senate and read the Kings Letters▪ which the Cardinall had obtained for that purpose, and commaunded them to execute the sentence: Now eueryevery where hee had mustred men for the English Warres, but he vsed them for this purpose, and tooke vp more Souldiours out of eueryevery Towne, and they had ayde sent them out of the Popes Dominions. First they set vponupon the Uillage about Merindoll, and destroyed and burned them, the Merindolins seeing their cruelty, left their houses and fled into the Woods, carrying their Children vponupon their Shoulders and Armes: then it was showed vntounto them, that Miners came with all his whole power to destroy them: then the men went away and left the women and children, with som to looke to them, hoping they would shew merciemercy to them; whom when the souldiers found, they abstained from slaughter: but when they had spoyled them of their money and victuals, they lead them away. Their purpose was to handle them more shamefully, but that they were let with a Captaine of horse-men; so they left the women and droue away the booty: there were fiue hundred women. Miners burned Merindoll; and finding there but one yong man, he …aused him to be tyed to a tree, and shot in with Dagges: then he went to Cabriers, and perswaded the townsmen to open the gates, promising they should hauehave no hurt; but when they were let in, they slew both man, woman, and childe. Miners shut fortie women into a …arne of straw, set it on fire and kept them in till they were all burned. The number slaine within the towne and without, were eight hundred: the infants that escaped their furie were baptized againe of their enemies. Then they took the town of Costa and serued it so, and many maids and women being lead into a Garden of the Castle they rauished them all: and when they had kept them a day and a night, they handled them so beastly, that the mayds and them with child died shortly after. In the meane time the Merindoles and diuers others that wandred in the woods and mountains, were either sent to the Gallies or were slaine. Many also died for hunger: fiue and twenty hid themselues vnderunder a rocke, and they smothered and burned them; so that no kinde of cruelty was omitted: notwithstanding diuers which had escaped came to Geneua and other places neere.