A General Martyrology, Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII. The Persecutions of the Waldenses in Provence.
THese came from Piedmont, when their vallies were over-peopled. The country of Provence, at their first arrival, was a desert, but within few years, by Gods blessing upon their labours, it-abounded with Corn, Wine, Oil, Chesnuts, and other fruites.
There Habitations being near to Avignion (many times the Popes seat) they were exposed to sundry persecutions, as Anno 1380. and at other times: but the greatest of all began about the year 1360. in the time of King Lewis the twelfth; who being informed that in Provence was a certain kind of people that lived not according to the Laws of the Church of Rome, but were an accursed people, committing all kindes of wickednesse and villanies:Devilish slanders. He gave Commission to his Parliament in Provence to take cognizance of it, and to punish them according to their demerits.
The Court prosecuting this order with rigour; and the King hearing that diverse innocent persons were put to death, he sent his Master of Requests, and Confessor into Provence, to finde out what kinde of persons these were, who at their return, certified him that all the former suggestions were untrue, that they were neither Socerers, nor Whoremongers, but lived honestly, did hurt to none; caused their children, to be Baptized, taught them their Belief, and the ten Commandments and that they carefully kept the Lords day, and had the Word of God purely expounded to them: Whereupon the King swore an oath, That they were honester then himself, and his Catholik subjects. Upon this information he sent and sta…ed the Persecution.Note.
Then did the Waldenses send two of their Ministers [George Morrell and Peter Masson] to Oecolampadius, Capito, B…cer and Haller, to confer with them about matters of Religion, and to have there advice in many things.
In their return, Masson was apprehended at Dijon; where he was condemned and put to death for a Lutheran. P. Masson martyred.Morrell escaped with his Letters and Papers, and came safe to Provence, where he much comforted and confirmed the Churches. Yet all this while did the Parliament of Aix apprehend one or other of them, condemning some to the fire, others to the gibbet; they which scaped best, returned with marks in their forheads.
Anno Christi 1540. The inhabitants of Merindoll were summoned, and some of the chief appearing for the rest, they were all condemned to be burned alive, their children and families to be outlawed, and that the place of their habitation should be laid waste,A cruel decree. the woods cut down two hundred paces round about, and so left desolate.
The King being informed of the rigour of this Edict,K. Francis the first. and of the innocency of the people, countermanded the execution of it: but his Letters were suppressed, and the Cardinall of Tournon obtained for a great some of money, the revocation of them.
Anno 1545. The President of Opede proclaimed war against them both at Aix and Marseilles: Divers companies of souldiers were listed,Called Mi…irs and five bands of the old souldiers of Piedmont were joyned with them, and presently they began to set fire on the Villages of Cabrieres, Pepin, &c. The poor people without any resistance were slain, women and their daughters ravished, some great with child murthered;Barbarous cruelty. the breasts of many women were cut off, after whose death their poor infants died of famine.
Opede also proclaimed, that on pain of death no man should give any relief or sustenance to them. All their habitations were pillaged, sacked and burnt, and none of their persons spared, but such as were reserved for the Gallies.
Opede comming to Merindol, found none there but one simple lad, who had yielded himselfe prisoner to a souldier, and promised two Crowns for his ransom; but Opede paid the money to the souldier, and caused the lad to be shot to death; then he utterly razed the Town, and laid it levell with the ground.
Then did he march against Cabrieres, and with the Cannon battered the wals: There was within only about sixty poor sick Pesants, who sent him word that he needed not to spend powder to batter the wals, for they were ready to open the gates, and quit the Country, if they might but have leave with their wives and children to go to Geneva, or Germany ▪ and to leave all their goods behinde them▪
Opede entring the Town,Prodigious cruelty. caused all the men to be brought into a field, and to be cut in pieces, the souldiers striving who should shew the best manhood in cutting off heads, arms and legs: The women he caused to be locked in a barn with much straw, and so put fire to it, where many women great with childe were burnt: One souldier moved with pity, opening a hole in the wall, that some of them might come out; but Opede made them to be beaten back againe into the fire with Pikes and Halberts. Some of them that came forth he slew with his own hands, ripping open their bellies, so that their children came forth, whom he trod under his feet: many were fled into cellers and caves, whom he caused to be dragged out, had into the field, stripped stark naked, and then slain. Others were bound by two and two together, and slain by the Captains, who rejoyced in their bloudy butchery.
Then did this Tyrant (worse then Herod) command one of his Captaines to go into Church, into which many women, children and infants were fled; and to kill them all, which the Captain at first refused, saying, that it was a cruelty unbeseeming men of warre: Whereat Miniers being displeased, charged him upon pain of rebellion against the King to do it. The Captain fearing what might be the issue, entred with his souldiers and destroyed them all, sparing neither young nor old. Other souldiers that ransacked the houses, found many poor persons who had hid themselves in secret places, whom they flew upon, crying, Kill, kill, the souldiers without the Town killed all they could meet with, so that above a thousand men, women and children were slain in this place.
Many persons which were escaped into the mountains, sent by some that had most interest in Miniers, to desire him to give them leave to go whither the Lord should please to leade them, with their wives and children, though they had nothing but the shirts on their backs: to whom he answered, tha… he knew what he had to do, he would send them to dwell in hell amongst the devils.
A bloody speech.Then did he send part of his Army unto Costa, which they overcame, and committed there great slaughter: Many of the inhabitants fled into an Orchard, where the souldiers ravished many women and maidens, and having kept them there a day and a night, they used them so beastly, that the women with childe, and younger maidens died presently after.
Many of these Merindolians hid themselves in rocks and dark caves, where some were famished, others were choaked with fire and smoak set to their caves mouths. Many more were the outrages and cruelties which this wicked Opede committed: but the Lord found him out at last,Gods judgement on persecutors. striking him with a strang kinde of bleeding at the lower parts, neither was he able to void any urine, so that by degrees his guts rotted within him: No remedy could be found for this terrible disease, worms bred in his bowels, which continually gnawed him. Then did he send to Arles for a famous Chyrurgion, who cured him of his difficulty to make water, after which, desiring all to depart the room, the chyrurgion in private exhorted him to repent of his former cruelty and bloud-shed, telling him that this his strange bleeding was Gods just hand upon him for shedding so much innocent bloud: But these words pierced the impure conscience of this wicked wretch, and more troubled him then the torments of his disease, so that he cryed out to lay hands on the Chirurgion as an Heretick: Whereupon he conveyed himself away, and returned to Arles.
Miniers his horrible death.Yet not long after he was sent for again, and great promises were made for his security: But when he came back, he found Miniers past cure, raging and casting out most horrible & blasphemous words, feeling a fire within him which burnt him from the navel upwards, which was accompanied with extream stink of his lower parts, and so he ended his wretched life.
In the beginning of this Persecution, there was one John de Rom…, a Monk, who gat a Commission to examine those whom he suspected to be Hereticks; whereupon he afflicted the faithfull with all kindes of cruelty: Amongst other horrible torments that he used, this was one; he filled boots with boiling grease, and put them upon their legs, tying them backwards over a form, and their legs hanging down over a soft fire: Thus he tormented very many, and in the end most cruelly put them to death.
Francis the French King being informed of the hellish cruelty of this wicked Monk, sent to his Parliament at Provence that they should apprehend and condemn him: but he being informed of it, fled to Avignion, where he hoped to enjoy all that wealth which so mercilesly and unjustly he had extorted from the poor Christians: But shortly after he was robbed of all that he had, by his own servants; and then he fell sick of a most horrible and strange disease unknown to the Physitians: He was intollerably tormented with pains all over his body, so that no means could give him ease for one minute of an hour;Gods judgement on persecutors. neither was their any man that could tarry near him, no not of his nearest friends; so great was the stink that came from him: Then was he removed to an Hospital: but the stink and infection so encreased, that no man durst come near him no; nor he himself was able to abide the horrible stink of his own body, full of ulcers and sores, and smarwing with vermine, and so rotten, that the flesh fell from the bones by piece-meal. In these torments he often cried out in great rage. O who will deliver me? VVho will kill and rid me out of these intollerable paines, which I know I suffer for the oppressions which I did to the poor men? Oft-times he himself endeavoured to destroy himself; but he had not the power. In this horrible anguish, and fearful despair he miserably ended his accursed life.
When he was dead no man would come near to bury him; till at last a young novice caught hold of his stinking carcase with an iron hook, and so dragged him into an hole that was made for him.
In the time of this Persecution the Bishop of Aix, with some other Bishops and their courtizans, walking along the streets of Avignion, Popish uncleannesse.saw a man selling baudy Images and Pictures, with filthy rimes and ballades annexed to them: All these goodly Pictures the Bishops bought up. When they had gon a little further, there was a Book-seller that had set to sale certain Bibles in French ▪ which the Prelates were greatly moved at, saying to him, Dar'st thou be so bold as to sell such merchandise in this Town? The Book-seller replied, Is not the holy Bible as good as these goodly Pictures that you have bought for these gentle-women? Then said the Bishop of Aix, I renounce my part in Paradise, if this fellow be not a Lutheran, take him away to prison.Profanenesse. Then did his attendants cry out, A Lutheran, a Lutheran, To the fire with him, to the fire with him; and one gave him a blow with his fist, another pulled him by the hair, another by the beard,A godly Book-seller burnt. so that the poor man was all imbrued in bloud, before he came to prison. The next day he was brought before the Judge, where, by the instigation of the Bishops, he was condemned to be burned the same day, and so was carried to the fire with two Bibles about his neck, one before, and another behinde, where he made a most Christian end.
The Waldenses were dispersed also into several other Countries, as Bohemia, Austria▪ Germany, Flanders, England, Poland, Italy, Spain, Dalmatia, Croatia, Sclavonia, Grecia, Philadelphia, Livonia, Sarmatia, Bulgaria, &c. In all which places at one time or other they suffered persecutions; concerning which there is not much left upon Record, and something will be spoken again of it in other places of this book, and therefore this may suffice for the present.