A General Martyrology, Chapter 41
CHAP. XLI. A continuation of the History of the Waldenses from the year 1560. ending with the late persecution in the Valleys in PIEMONT.
ANNO Christi 1561. the Duke of Savoy published an Edict in favour of the Evangelical Churches in the Vallies of Piemont, An Edict in favour of the Protestants.wherein he granted an indemnitie to the people of the Vallies of Angrognia, Bobio, Villaro, Valguicchiardo, Rora, Tagliaretto, and La Rica di Boneti at the end of La Torre, Saint Martino, Perosa, Roccapiatta, and Saint Barthelemo, from all former actings, and restoring them into his favor, as if they had never acted any thing against his Highness; receiving them into his safegard and protection: He granted them also to have preaching Assemblies, and other Ministerial Offices according to their Religion in their wonted places, &c.
But in the year 1565. Another Edict was published at the instigation of the Popish party, whereby all men who lived in the Duke of Savoy's Dominions, and would not conform to the Romish Religion,A cruel Edict. were enjoyned to come and declare the same to their respective Magistrates within ten dayes after the publication thereof, and two moneths after to leave the Country, having one years time given them to dispose of their goods movable, and unmovable, during which time they should enjoy the revenue thereof, &c.
The tidings of this cruelty so wrought upon the hearts of the Protestant Princes of Germany, that they sent an Embassie to the Duke of Savoy to intercede in their behalf: Amongst whom the Prince Elector Palatine was exceeding zealous,The Elector Palatine intercedes for them. sending one of his Counsellours of State, a person of singular worth, to the Duke of Savoy, to mediate in their behalf; at whose return the Prince being informed by him of the unworthy dealing of that Court, and finding that notwithstanding all their faire promises, they did not at all cease from persecuting these poor people, he wrote a very smart and pathetical letter to the said Duke, challenging him for breach of promise to himself and the other Germane Princes, in that he suffered his Ministers still to persecute and banish those poore innocent people, meerely upon the account of Religion, concluding that such severity was neither pleasing to God nor man; neither (saith he) is it the way to bring men to the true knowledge of God, which should be done by perswasions, and Scripture-proofs, not by persecutions, &c. Wherefore I pray your Highnesse that you will give us an evidence of that which you have for us, by delivering those poor people who are now in the Gallies, and by recalling those who have been lately banished, as you promised by your Letters. Have compassion upon so many poore wandring Exiles, deprived of all their goods and estates: Call them home, and restore them to their habitations; and grant them, and the other inhabitants of your Highness Countries the publick exercise of their Religion, which they prefer before their necessary food: Free them from their false accusations, that they may live in peace under your Highnesse Government, &c. If your Highness will grant me this request, I doubt not but you shall experimentally finde the favour and blessing of God, and you shall oblige us to you in all things: If otherwise, you will both provoke God to lift up his hand against you, and estrange from you the affections of those who desire to do you pleasure and service, &c. Dated 1566.
Now that you may see upon what occasion the Prince wrote this letter, you are to understand that Castrocaro (one of their Popish Governours) being extreamly troubled that the Prince Electors Ambassador had obtained several promises at the Court for the poor peoples advantage, did immediately after the said Ambassadors departure, publish through the Valley of Lucerna, They are cruel…y dealt withtwo Ordinances: By the one he commanded all the inhabitants throughout his Government, that were not Natives, to depart within a day after the publication thereof, upon paine of death, and confiscation of their goods: By the other, he prohibited upon the same penalty those of the reformed Religion, inhabiting Lucerna, Bubbiana, Campiglione, and Fenile, to hear Sermons at Saint Giovanni; and for their not submitting, he imprisoned and tormented a great number of them in the Castle of La Torre, which dealing made the poor people to make their addresse to the Dutchess of Savoy, who pittying their condition, wrote to the said Castrocaro in their behalf, commanding him in the Dukes name to set at liberty the imprisoned, and to cease to molest them in the enjoyment of their ancient habitations and priviledges.
This Letter stopped the fury of Castrocaro for the present: but it was far from working any change of affections in him, as was evident by his after-actings: For in the year 1571. he did so incense the Governour of Bobio against the poor inhabitants of the Valley, that he did not only grievously molest them upon all occasions as they came under his clutches, but also wrote bitter Letters to the Duke against them, improving the uttermost of his parts and power for their ruine and extirpation: and certainly Castrocaro had then effected his designe, had not the Dutches upon the joynt supplications of the Evangelical Churches, very effectually interposed for them,Gods Providence for them and procured the continuation of their just and undoubted priviledges.
Anno 1571. Many of the poor Protestants of the Valleyes were grievously molested under pretext that in the former War of France against those of the Religion, they had joyned themselves to the Protestant Troops. But King Charles the 9th being moved with compassion towards them,King of France intercede; for them. wrote a Letter to the Duke of Savoy in their behalf, requesting him to receive them with gentleness into his grace and favour, and to re-establish them in their estates, &c. The subject of which Letter was not only satisfactory to those for whom it interceded, but also to all other faithfull ones of the Valleyes, out of the great hopes they had of future tranquillity. But it endured no longer than till their Enemies had an opportunity of molesting them, which they greedily embraced upon the news of the horrible massacres in France.
For Castrocaro did thereupon so threaten the poor Protestants, that they retired themselves, with their families, and movables,Popish malice. to the tops of the neighbouring Mountains, and into all other places where they hoped for safety:Gods mercy. But the Duke of Savoy not approving the cruelties exercised against the Protestants in France, sent to those his Subjects, who were thus withdrawn, commanding them to return to their houses, and habitations, promising that they should suffer no prejudice, nor incur the least danger thereby. Neither indeed were their sufferings great afterwards, so long as Madam the Dutchess was living, who was a refuge to them upon all occasions.
After the death of this Princess which happened Octob. 19. 1574. the Popish party came forth like Lions, improving the uttermost of their endeavours to devoure and destroy this poor people upon all occasions; but the goodness of God was so great towards them, that they always found some considerable friends about the Duke, who inclined his heart to gentleness and moderation: But after the death of this … Emanuel, who died Aug. 30. 1580. Charles Emanuel his son, having invaded the Marquisate of Saluces, Monsieur L' Esdiguier…s by way of retaliation, seized upon the Valleys of Piemont: But the French Army was no sooner gone home, than there was a rumour spread throughout the Valleys, that the Duke was resolved to take this occasion to extirpate all the Protestant Churches, because they had taken an Oath of fidelity to the French King, neither was it groundless: for the thing was really propounded in the Dukes Councel, but it pleased God so to order affairs, that the leading men amongst them did not at all approve of the business, yea the Duke himself did extreamly mislike it: and after he had retaken Mirebuc, he did not a little revive the spirits of the Representatives of the Protestants of Lucerna, who met with him at Villaro on purpose to assure his Highness of their fidelity,The Duke favours them. and to beg the continuance of his grace and favour, to whom (in the presence of a great number of his Lords) he returned this Answer: Be but faithfull unto me, and I will be sure to be a good Princ…, nay a Father unto … ▪ and as to the liberty of your Conscience, and the exercises of your Religion, I shall be so far from innovating any thing against those liberties in which you have lived unto this present, that if any offer to molest you, have recourse to me, and I shall effectually relieve and protect you.
These words being spoken in such a presence, and in so obliging a manner, were very advantagious to the poor peoples interest, for some time after,Satans malic… they served to counterballance the threats of their fiercest Enemies: Yet were there some amongst the Popish party that thought it an unpardonable sinne to suffer them to live one year in peace, and on the contrary an acceptable service to molest them, either by secret stratagems, or by open force and violence.
Such was the condition of this poor people from the year 1595. to the year 1602. at which time all the Masters of Families in the Valley of Lucerna, professing the Protestant Religion, were cited to appear before Count Charles of Lucerna, the Governour Ponte, the Arch Bishop Broglia, and others, and were by them commanded in the Dukes name, either to go to Masse, or to quit Lucerna, and all their pretensions thereto, without the least hopes of ever obtaining favour to return, or in case of disobedience, to prepare themselves for inevitable mischiefs and calamities: which threats were pressed with so much violence, that it caused many of the poor creatures to submit, at least seemingly, to the change of their Religion, though many others of them were the deeplier rooted by these shakings.
From Lucerna the aforenamed Lords removed their seat to Bubiana where they found the Reformed so stiff in their Principles,Popish subtilty prevented. that they could not remove them an hairs bredth from the same, wherefore they caused the chief of them to be summoned to appear at Turin, thinking that the Dukes presence might prevaile more with them than all their threatning speeches: The persons thus summoned were Master Valentine, and Mr. Boules, his brother, with one Peter Morese, and Samuel Falc, who were brought one after another before hi Hisghnesse: Mr. Valentine was the first, whom the Duke perswaded to embrace the Roman Catholick Religion, and to draw others to do the like, promising him great rewards and preferments if he obeyed, &c. To this Mr. Valentine answered, that next to the service of God,Courage and Constancy. he had no greater desire then to obey, and please his Highness, in whose service he would willingly adventure his person and estate, when ever there should be occasion: But as for his Religion which he knew to be true, and confirmed by the Word of God, he could not abandon it without disobeying God, and wounding his own Conscience, so as never to enjoy any comfort in his soul afterwards: and therefore he humbly intreated his Highness to be satisfied with what he could do with a good conscience: and to leave him to the liberty of his Religion which he valued above his life: the Duke replyed, that he also doubted not of the truth of that Religion which he professed, and that such as embraced it, should find how much they had gratified him in so doing, yet would he not force the Conscience of any man, and so he gave them leave to depart.