Waldensian Researchers

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WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES
DURING A

SECOND VISIT
TO THE

VAUDOIS OF PIEMONT.
WITH AN

INTRODUCTORY INQUIRY INTO THE ANTIQUITY AND PURITY

WALDENSIAN CHURCH,
AND SOME ACCOUNT OF THE COMPACTS WITH THE ANCIENT PRINCES OF PIEMONT,
AND THE TREATIES BETWEEN THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT AND THE
HOUSE OF SAVOY, IN VIRTUE OF WHICH THIS SOLE RELIC OF
THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH IN ITALY HAS CONTINUED
TO ASSERT ITS RELIGIOUS INDEPENDENCE.

BY

WILLIAM STEPHEN GILLY, M.A.


PREBKNDARY OF DIRIIAM.

" Thou small, but lavour'd spot of holy ground I

" Where'er we gaze, above, around, below,


" What rainbow tints, what magic charms are found !

" Rock, river, forest, mountain, all abound :

' And bluest skies that harmonize the whole.


" Beneath, the distant torrent's rushing sound
" where the volumed cataract doth roll,
Tells
" Between those hanging rocks, that shook, yet pleaw the soul."

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR C. J. G. 8: F. RIVINGTON,
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD,

AND WATERLOO-PLACE, PALL-iAaLL.

183L

DATE
:

BX

LONDON
GILBERT & RIVINGTON, PRINTERS,
ST. John's square.
ADVERTISEMENT.

In his endeavours to promote the cause of


the Vauclois, the Author has received assist-

ance from persons, to whose names he would


gratefully assign a distinguished place in

this volume, were he permitted to disclose


them. Such indeed is the interest which

has been excited, and displayed in behalf of

the little community, which forms the con-


necting link between the Primitive and Re-

formed Churches, and such are the signs of


the times, in this case at lea^t favourable to

truth, that he is persuaded the day is not far

distant, when the Waldensian Church will

become

TOTIUS ITALIC LUMEN.

He has, therefore, entered into details,

a 2
IV ADVERTISEMENT.

which might otherwise be thought too pro-


hx, that every thing may be put on record,

w^hich is Ukely to illustrate events in eccle-


siastical history, the importance of which

cannot fail to be appreciated by the Pro-


testant world.

The Italian mode of spelling the Vaudois

villages has been used for the most part in

the following pages, as La Torre, not La


Tour ; Maneglia, not Maneille ; that the
reader may avoid the common mistake, and

bear in mind, that the Vaudois are Italians,

and not Swiss, that they are inhabitants of


the Alpine Valleys of Piemont, and not of

the Paijs de Vaud in Switzerland.

College, Durham,
Feb. 14, 18^1.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTORY
PAGE
Enquiry into the Antiquity and Turity of the Waldensian
Church 1

SECTION I.

The traditions always current among the Waldenses themselves 39 ^

SECTION II.

The second argument in favour of the antiquity of the Walden-


sian Church rests upon the situation of the country 48

SECTION 111.

The testimony of History, gathered from the adversaries of the


Waldenses, or from indifferent early writers 77

SECTION IV.

The Purity of the Waldensian Church, and the testimony of


their own Documents 132

CHAPTER I.

— Amiens— Paris—
Objects of my Journey. Route by Calais Jiu-a

Mountains — Geneva — Chambery — Cenis — TurinIVlont

Pinerolo to La Torre. Reception in the Valleys. San Mar-


garita. Observations on Vaudois character 157
VI CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER II.

System of Public Education. Central Schools. Obstacles in


the way of Instruction. Hamlet Schools and Scenery 192

CHAPTER III.

Church service of the Vaudois. Comparison between the Sunday


services of the early Christian and Waldensian Churches.
Remarks on the Liturgies now used in the Valleys. Observ-
ance of the Lord's day. Pastoral duties of Vaudois Clergy. . 21/

CHAPTER IV.
The Office of Pasteur-Chapelain to the Protestant Ambassadors
at Turin. Silk- worms. Tirata. San Giovanni. Angrogna 24/

CHAPTER V.
Excursion to Tagliaretta, and an attempt to explore the Cavern
of Castelluzzo 281

CHAPTER VI.
The Hospital. The Grammar School 306

CHAPTER VII.
Villar and its hamlets. Hamlet Readers. Gunpowder plot at

Villar. Present harmony between Protestants and Roman


Catholics. The old Soldier of Liossa. The Virgin of the
Pillar. Bobi. Ruins of the Fori of Sibaud. The Vaudois
Pastor's Charge. The hero Jahier. Octavia Sdlara 324

CHAPTER VIII.

Excursion to Rora. Face of the Country. Observations on the


Extent of the Vaudois Territory. Luserna. The former
Sufferings and present Prospects of Rora. The Silver Cup
of Victor Amadee. The Fire-fly 351
CONTENTS. Vll

PAGE
CHAPTER IX.
The new Church of :San Giovanni. Restraints imposed at the

Restoration of the House of Savoy, in 1814. Girls' School

at San Giovanni. Female Education in the Valleys 364

CHAPTER X.
Deliberations on the Restoration of some of the ancient Insti-

tutions of the Vaudois 379

CHAPTER XI.
Excursion to the Upper Valleys. The Col Julien. Alps and
Alpine Productions. Tlie Germanasca. Prali. Anecdote.
Rodoretto. Massel. The Balsi. Maneglia. Perero. Villa-

Secca. Pramol 392

CHAPTER Xn.
Proposals to the Vaudois Pastors and Officers of the Table for
42.')
the establishment of a College in the Valleys

CHAPTER XHI.
Traits of Character. Pra del Tor, and the ancient College of
the Vaudois 43.'>

CHAPTER XIV.
Journey to Val Queiras, and Val Frassyniere. Felix Neff. The
passes of the Col de la Croix. The Bergerie du Pra. The
Chamois Hunter. Preaching on the IMountains. San Veran.
Arvieux. Dormilleuse 446

CHAPTER XV.
Return to Piemont by Briancon and the Pass of Mont Genevre.
Cesane. The Valley of Pragela. The Perfidy of Louis XIV.
and Victor Amadee in the extermination of the Waldenses of
Val Pragela. The Col Albergian. Fenestrelle. M. Coucourde.
Bartholomew Coucourde, and anecdotes of the late Moderator
Peyrani 4/1
Vlll CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER XVI.
Fenestrelle. Perosa. Pomaretto. The Grave and Epitaph of
Peyrani. Second Visit to the Valley of San Martino. Pont de
la Tour, and an attempt there at assassination. San Germano.
Memorials of English buried there. Roccapiatta. Prarus-
tino. Return to la Torre. Reflections upon the present and
past condition of the Waldensian Church in France and Italy 490

CHAPTER XVII.
Second attempt to explore the Cavern of Castelluzzo 508

CHAFFER XVIII.
Departure from the Valleys. Appointment of the Suffragan
Pastors of Massel and Rodoret. Influence of the Polignac
Administration felt in the Valleys. Vaudois tribute to their
English benefactors during the French domination. General
observations as to the Religious Spirit which prevails among
the Vaudois. Establishment of the Vaudois College 517

CHAPTER XIX.
The Treaties by which Personal and Religious Rights ought to

have been secured to the Vaudois 533


DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES, MAPS,&c.

The Pass of the Pra del Tor Frontispiece

Diagram in illustration of ancient Roman Road over the Cottian


Alps to face page 56
Fac-simile of Leger's Memorandum and Signature 80
Map of Country of Ancient and Modern Waldenses, {at the end of
Introductory Enquiry) I5C
Castelluzzo from San Margarita 182
The Entrance into La Torre 261
Bridge in hamlet of San Margarita 281
The Bridge of Villar 325
Prali in the Valley of San Martin 403
Cella Veglia 441
Perosa 490
The Balceglia 495
Cascade of Rodoret 496
A Vaudois Pass on the Germanasca 498
Cavern or Gallery of Castelluzzo 513

ERRATA.

- —
Page 155, line 15
16G,
240,
24,
and
1 9, /or Nadsmith read Nasmith.

for influence read ascendancy.


9, for made read make.
249, 28, for is read are.
328, 20, for 100 read 200.
383, 10, note, for at the Synod, read or the Synod.
408, 4, for 1629 read 1639.
456, 9, for perform read conform.
473, 14, for description read order.
544, 0-17 f 560, notes, and p. 559, 1. 27, for del Pozzo read Dal Pozzo.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

INTRODUCTORY ENQUIRY INTO THE ANTIQUITY AND


PURITY OF THE WALDENSIAN CHURCH.

In the summer of 1829, in company with part of


my family, I re- visited those scenes in the valleys
of Piemont, which had made so deep an impression
upon my mind six years before.

Perhaps would be thought more worthy of


it

the sacred cause, which is so identified with the


Vaudois, to write a history of the Waldensian
Church in regular order, than to introduce it

piece-meal, in the form of a personal narrative.


This may be done at some future period, but now,
having an immediate object before me, the taste
and temper of the times must be consulted, and
information must be conveyed through channels,
by which it is likely to be received by those for
whom it is intended. Volumes, of the character
which this is meant to assume, find their way
more rapidly into the hands of general readers
than those of ecclesiastical history, and as I am
B

2 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

anxious to make the Waldenses thoroughly known,


not only to the theological student and the
more erudite, but also to persons of ordinary pur-
suits, I have chosen to re-appear, like Scheha-
rasade, in the Arabian Nights, with a continuation
of my former entertainments. I will, however,
take care that these entertainments, mixed up as
they must be with adventures of the dead, and
anecdotes of the living, shall be instructive, upon
one of the most important of all topics to a Christ-
ian enquirer, — the transmission of the pure faith
from the apostolic times to our own. They shall

be useful also to him upon another point of view,


they shall shew that the beautiful life, which
history assures us was led by the early Christians,
is uncommon among many of his fellow-crea-
not
tures, who are at this moment acting their parts

upon the stage of human existence.


The primitive Church The one little lamp
!

and its light, shining in the middle ages The !

struggles of the first Reformers, —Protestantism,


in its uncompromising firmness and integrity !

What a crowd of ideas rush into our minds when


we think of these ! —
How we try to imagine the
scenes, the characters, the events of antiquity,
when Christianity was at its purest and simplest
degree, then to trace its course through the dark
epochs of Romish usurpation, till it emerges into
clear day again, at the aera of the Reformation !

Many of the images, which we conjure up when


2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 3

reading of the past, are realized before the eyes of


those, who have opportunities of seeing the Wal-
densian Church in her mountain hold, —so wonder-
fully are the past and the present combined in her

form, wasted though it is. In her we find the line


carried up to a period sufficiently remote to con-
nect her with the apostolical ^
succession. We
trace the creed and the local habitation, if not the
very name of this Alpine Church, from age to age
upwards, until we reach a date which satisfies us,

that having early embraced the primitive faith, she


has retained it amid the surrounding darkness, as
its only faithful depositary : and having done this,

we discover the simple services, the primitive in-


stitutions, and the traits of Christian character,
which correspond with those that may be collected
from the pages of Justin Martyr and Tertullian.
Christian virtue in the abstract, perfectly though
it may be described, leaves but a feeble impression
on the mind, unless it be embodied in a narrative.
The parables of the Gospel are for this reason
among the most effective of all the lessons that

are taught. It is Christian principle working in


the individual, whose path of life we can distinctly
follow through the vicissitudes of this world, which
fixes attention, and multiplies examples. Wherever
the individual picture is wanting, and no feelings

*
Apostolical, in Tertullian's sense of the word. " Nascentes
ex matricibus apostolicis cleputantur ut soboles apostolicarum
ecclesiarum." Tertul. de Prf3es.

K 2
4 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

are awakened in behalf of some one, whose portrait


is made to stand well out of its frame, the praises
of virtue and the annals of the Church fall too
often upon dull ears. Some considerations of this
sort, which 1 happened to see well discussed in a
periodicalwork of the day, (but which I have
not at hand to cite,) persuaded me to adopt this
mode of publication, when in my desire to stir up
Protestant feeling, I was wavering between the
project of a history of the Waldensian Church,
and the narrative of a second visit to the Vaudois.
I was reminded that all historical records, which
exhibit no prominent character for the excitement
of our personal sympathy, fail of commanding ge-
neral interest. The mind must undergo the relief
of being diverted from the class to the individual,
from the scene to the actors. We are not con-
tent with the detail of things achieved, we seek
acquaintance with the performers. It is human

nature we must see, there must be a social glow


imparted to the perusal. We want not only a
series of names, but a delineation of character
appended to each. It is the man we desire to

survey ; the fellow-creature moved to effort by ex-


traordinary circumstances, as it is possible we
may be moved, and acting as we may be called
upon to act, in public, in private, at his post in
society, among strangers, by his own fire-side,
and in the bosom of his family. Those, who
would not give themselves the trouble to wade
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 5

through a volume bearing the title of Ecclesiastical


History, will eagerly read the personal relation
of a traveller, who has explored the regions where
Christian martyrs have bled, and where humble
servants of Christ, breathing the martyrs' spirit,

still live ; and may even be persuaded to accom-


pany him, cheerfully enough, in his occasional en-
deavours to unravel the entangled threads of an-
cient chroniclers.
Having a second time visited the spot where,

as Allix has forcibly expressed it, " the purple of


Rome has been so deeply dyed in the blood of the
saints," and where, as one of their enemies has
said, " All means have been employed, from time
to time, to root out the Waldenses, and yet, con-
trary to the opinion of all men, there they still re-
main conquerors, or at least invincible ^" — I there-
fore resume my former tale, and purpose fully to

satisfy the curiosity of the many who


enquirers,
still ask. Who are the Waldenses? Where do
they dwell Are they natives of the Swiss Can-
?

tons, or are they French or Italian borderers ?


Are they Calvinists or Lutherans ? Are they de-
scendants of adventurers and innovators from the
East, or are they aborigines ?

The Waldenses are neither Swiss nor French,


they are Italians, and are so named (by a corrupt
change of the v into w) from the mountain val-

'
Claude Seyssel.
6 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

leys which they inhabit, on the eastern side of the


Cottian chain of Alps, between Mount Viso and
Mount Genevre. Pinerolo is their nearest pro-
vincial town ; Turin is their nearest capital, and
they are subjects of the King of Sardinia. The
terms, Vaudois in French, Vallenses in Latin, Val-
desi, or Vallesi in Italian, Eng-
and Waldenses in

lish ecclesiastical history, signify nothing more or

less than " Men of the valleys ;" and as the val-

leys of Piemont have had the honour of producing


a race of people, who have remained true to the
faith introduced by the first missionaries, who
preached Christianity in those regions, the syno-
nyms Vaudois, Valdesi, and Waldenses, have been
adopted as the distinguishing names of a reli-

gious community, faithful to the primitive creed,


and free from the corruptions of the Church of
Rome.
Long before the Roman Church, (that new sect,
as Claude, Bishop of Turin in 840, called it,)

stretched forth its arms, to stifle in its Antaean


embrace the independent flocks of the Great Shep-
herd, the ancestors of the Waldenses were wor-
shipping God in the hill countries of Piemont, as

their posterity now worship him. For many ages


they continued almost unnoticed. There was
nothing to draw them into notoriety. The early
history of Piemont is avowed by all writers to be
the most obscure of any state in Europe. Mura-
tori has declared that all his researches were in
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 7

vain, till he arrived at periods comparatively late.

No wonder then that the most unobtrusive and


remote of all the natives of Piemont, should
escape general observation, till persecution brought
them in sight. Composing scattered congregations,
at a distance from the busier scenes of superstition
and controversy, and peacefully abiding in their

sober faith and customs, and departing not at all

from that which had been handed down from


father to son, the " Men of the valleys" little

thought that their name and their belief would


one day become a proverb and a bye-word among
those, who should turn away fi'om sound doctrine,
and hate such as should retain it. When, at
length, it came to their ears, that others had
yielded a forced or willing assent to the strange
domination of a foreign spiritual mistress, these
mountaineers protested against such jurisdiction,
and finding safety in their wild glens, preserved

their fidelity unimpaired.


In process of time, after the extermination of the
Albigenses, who were of the stock of the primitive
Christians of Gaul, and when the AValdenses
composed the only organized church ^
in Europe,
which refused to submit, even in form, to the papal
yoke, their name was malignantly used by their
enemies, as if it were synonymous with heresy of

* Reinerus, in the thirteenth century, apologized for applying


the term " Church" to them. He knew it would be offensive
to the Romanists, but truth forced it from him.
8 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

every kind, and of the worst kind. Hence several


Romish authors and editors, to blacken their repu-
tation, have resorted to the artifice of employing
the term Waldenses in the titles of ancient contro-
versial works, which were written not against them,
but against the enemies and opposers of Christ-
ianity itself \
The Waldenses of Piemont are not to be re-
garded as the successors of certain reformers, who
first started up in France and Italy at a time,
when the corruptions of the Roman Church and
priesthood became intolerable, but as a race 'of
simple mountaineers, who from generation to
generation have continued steadily in the faith
preached to their forefathers, when the territory,

of which their valleys form a part, was first Christ-


ianized, Ample proof will be given of this, as I

proceed, and without attempting to fix the exact


period of their conversion, I trust to be able to

^ The Jesuit Gretser, for example, has taken this liberty with

the works of Ebrard de Bethune, Bernard of Fons Calidus,


Ermengard, and Reinerus, who wrote against Heretics in the

twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The most flagitious instance of


Gretser's malignity appears in his Edition of the work of Ermen-
gard. The real title was *' Opusculum contra hsereticos, qui

dicunt et credunt mundum istum, et omnia visibilia non esse a

Deo facta, sed Diabolo." (See Bibl. Patr. Parisiis. torn. 4. p,

1235.) Or, *'


Treatise against those who say and believe that this
world and all things visible, were not made by God, but by the
Devil."— " Contra Waldenses," is the heading which Gretser has

adopted. — More of this hereafter.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 9

establish the fact, that this Alpine tribe embraced


the Gospel, as it was first announced in all its
purity, and continued true to it, in the midst of
almost general apostacy. Nothing is more to be
regretted than the mistakes which have been made
upon this point, even by Protestant authors \ In-
stead of connecting the Primitive and Reformed,
or Protestant, Churches by means of the Wal-
denses,who really remained unchanged, attempts
have been made to date their appearance from the
arrival of rehgious innovators in Europe, and to
give an Oriental origin to the first formidable ad-
versaries of Rome. This is countenancing the
pretensions of the Latin Church to Catholicity, and
to Unchangeableness from the beginning of the
Gospel kingdom. It cannot, therefore, be too
often repeated, that the Reformation did not spring
out of strange doctrines, or out of tenets intro-
duced into Europe from the East, in the eleventh

* Sir James Mackintosh is one of the very few historians


who have done justice to this subject, and to the claims of the

Waldenses. " With the dawn of History,'' says he, " we dis-
cover some simple Christians in the valleys of the Alps, where
they still exist under the ancient name of Vaudois, who, by the
light of the New Testament saw the extraordinary contrast be-
tween the purity of primitive times, and the vices of the gorgeous
and imperial hierarchy which surrounded them. They were not
so much distinguished from others by opinions, as by the pursuit
of a more innocent and severe life." History of England, by
the Right Hon. Sir J. Mackintosh, in Lardner's Cabinet Cyclo-

paedia. Vol. i. p. 321.


10 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

or twelfth century, but from good seeds of apos-


tolical Christianity miraculously preserved in wilds
and glens, when cities and capitals, and the high
places of the earth, were infected with the heresies
of the Pontificate.
To make myself better understood, I must ad-
vert to that which two eminent hving historians.

Dr. M'Crie, and Mr. Sharon Turner, have lately


advanced upon this subject.

The former, in his '^


History of the Progress
and Suppression of the Reformation in Italy, in

the sixteenth century," —and in its sequel, ^*


The
History of the Progress and Suppression of the
Reformation in Spain, in the sixteenth century,"
appears to ascribe the religious movements, of
which he treats, to an impulse given by strangers,
^
instead of tracing the cause upwards to seed
originally sown in the native soil of Italy and
Spain, but trodden down in most parts, until cir-

cumstances enabled up and produce


it to spring
fruit. Dr. M'Crie's two works are monuments of
research but might he not have looked to an
;

^ " As for the Waldenses, give me leave to call them the very
seed of the Primitive and pure Christian Church, being those
who have been so upheld by the wonderful providence of God,
that neither those numberless storms and tempests, whereby the

whole Christian world hath been shaken, nor those horrible


persecutions which have been so directly raised against them,

have been able to prevail upon them to yield a voluntary sub-


mission to the Roman tyranny and idolatry." Beza, Icones vi-

rorum doctrina et virtute illustrium.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 11

earlier period, and have pointed to the fair banner


of independence, which, small though it was,
waved upon the mountain heights of Barrian ^,

Vandelin, and Sestrieres, in defiance of papal


when the pontiffs of
usurpation, at the very time,
Rome were triumphing over the movements of
aversion and discontent, which had heretofore,
been displayed at Milan and Turin, and in the
other cities of the plain ?

^'
Soon after the bishops of Rome had secured
the obedience of the Italian clergy, (writes Dr.

M'Crie,) and silenced the opposition which arose


from Turin, their attention was called to a new
class of opponents. Those Christians known in
history by the several names of Vaudois, Walden-
ses, and Albigenses, who condemned the corrup-

tions by which the Church was now every where


infected, penetrated through the Alps into Italy,
and had already in the year 1180, established
themselves in Lombardy and Puglia, where they
received frequent visits from their brethren in other
countries ^"

^ In the Const. Frid. Imp. certain heretics are called Barrini.


Might they not have been so named from this mountain in the
Valley of Lucerne ? See Bib. Patr. 4. pars. 2. p. 727.
^ History of the Progress and Suppression of the Reformation
in Italy, in the sixteenth century, page 3.

If I do not misunderstand this able writer, he again leans to


similar opinions in his History of the Suppression of the Refor-

mation in Spain. " It is well known that these early Reformers


liad fixed their abode in the southern provinces of France,
12 VVALDExNSIAN RESEARCHES.

In this passage, the learned historian speaks of


the Waldenses as " a new class of opponents" to

where they multiplied greatly in the 11th and 12th centuries,"

p. 28. *'
Fixed their abode!" The Albigenses were natives, I

should say, and not settlers in France. They derived their

origin from the Gauls, who were first converted in that region.
The Albigenses did not come to reform the Romanists, but the
Romanists intruded upon the Alb'genses. Again :
" In con-

sequence of this connexion between the two countries, some of


the Vaudois had crossed the Pyrenees, and established them-
selves in Spain as early as the middle of the 12th century," p. 33.

Some Vaudois might then have crossed the frontiers, but was
not the reluctance which the Spaniards displayed in receiving
the Roman Liturgy,' when, as Dr. M'Crie observes, " the inno-
vation was warmly opposed by the clergy, nobility, and people
at large," (p. 24.) proof enough that this hostility to Rome was
of native growth in Spain ? Dr. M^Crie is too well read in

Spanish history to have omitted to notice, that Spain long con-


tinued independent of Rome. See pp. 7 — 28. It is, therefore,

the more to be regretted, that he did not connect the links of the
primitive and reformed opinions. So divided are authors upon
subjects of this kind, that Mariana has recorded, that a man of
great note in his day maintained, that the Albigenses did not
go into Spain from France, but from Spain into France. See
Mariana Fref. in Lucam Tudensem. Apud Bib. Patr. tom. 4.

p. 581. We gather the prevalence of Albigensian and Wal-


densian principles from these contradictory derivations of their
origin. Lucas Tudensis himself says, that Arnald, who was a
native of Brescia in Lombardy, and flourished about 1140, came
from Gaul to sow the tares of heresy in Spain. See Bib. Patr.
vol. 4. p. 706. It is much more likely that Arnald, who tra-

velled for information, and who had studied divinity under the

celebrated Abelard, went into Spain to confer with some of the


primitive churches remaining in that country. Mariana speaks
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 13

the Latin Church, and making them one with the


Albigenses, represents them as *^
penetrating
through the Alps into Italy." In other words,
he calls them emigrants from France.
That the Albigenses and Waldenses were es-
sentially one in matters of faith, for God did not
leave himself without witnesses on either side of
the Alps, I am willing to allow, but I cannot con-
cede so much as to admit, that the valleys of Pie-
mont, or the other regions east of the Alps, were
indebted to France for the spark which re -kindled
the pure flame that brightened Italy. Neither
would I assent to the theory, which would people
France at the same period with Reformers migrat-
ing from Italy. Each country, at that time, re-
tained in its bosom the elements of its own re-
generation. Voltaire was well informed upon this
subject.
" La confession auriculaire n'etait point re9ue
aux huiti^me et neuvi^me siecles, dans les pays
au-dela de la Loire, dans le Languedoc, dans les

Alpes : Alcuin s'en plaint dans ses lettres. Les

of the Albigenses under the name of Caduci, (Pref. ad Lucam


Tudensem. Bib. Patr. vol. 4. p. 581.) In the Spicilegium
Dacherii, (vol. 8. p. 154.) there is the form of the election of a
Bishop of the Cadurci, A.D. 999, in which not the very slightest

allusion is made to papal jurisdiction, or to any connection with


the Latin Church, on the contrary, the order for the election
issued directly from the royal and ecclesiastical authorities of the

province.
14 WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES.

peuples de ces contrees semblent avoir eu toujours


quelques dispositions a s'en tenir aux usages de la
primitive Eglise, et a rejeter les dogmes et les
coutumes, que TEglise plus etendue jugea con-
venable d'adopter. — Ceux qu'on appellait Mani-
cheens, ceux qu'on appellait depuis Vaudois, Albi-
geois, Lollards, et qui reparurent si souvent sous
tant d'autres noms, etaient des restes des pre-
miers Chretiens des Gaiiles, attaches a plusieurs
anciens usages que la Cour Romaine changea
depuis, et a des opinions vagues, que cette Cour
constata avec le terns. Par exemple, ces premiers
Chretiens n'avaient point connu les images. — C'est
une chose assez remarquable, que ces hommes
du monde, ayent per-
presqu' inconnus au reste
severe constamment de tems immemoriel dans
des usages, qui avaient change partout ailleurs \"
I cannot cease to regret that it did not fall within
the plan of such a patient investigator as Dr.
M^Crie, to enquire into this fact, (at which the
French historian has only hinted,) for whereas, in
his first work, he seems to attribute the progress
of Italian reformation to missionaries, or fugitives
penetrating through the Alps into Italy; in his
second, he leaves it doubtful, whether he be not
inclined to derive the Albigensian doctrines, which
he had before identified with those of the Wal-
denses, from an origin neither Itahan, nor French,

*
Additions a I'Histoire Generale, r2mo. pp. 57. 71.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 15

nor Spanish \ It is injurious to Protestantism,


and to the principles of the Reformation, to sup-

* The same justice is not done by Sir James Mackintosh to the


Albigenses as to the Waldenses. This learned writer has con-
founded the Albigenses, in principles, with the Manicheans,

and in extraction with those **


separatists from the Eastern
Church, who had been driven into the west by the persecutors
of the Byzantine government." See p. 322. vol. i. of Hist, of
Eng. in Lardner's Cyclopsedia. Considering the toil which I

have had to encounter in sifting truth from error, and the diffi-

culties which occurred at every step, even when my whole at-


tention has been given to this one branch of Ecclesiastical
History, I cannot wonder that the general historian should
occasionally get wrong in an enquiry, which, as Dr. M'Crie
says, requires that an author should have recourse to the tedious

process of«examining canons of councils, and not only the main


substance of books, but their prefaces, and dedications, with
epistolary correspondence, and all the minutiae of early literature.
Two recent publications, which I have just seen, promulgate
the same errors with respect to the origin of the Albigenses, and
speak of them as a sect, and the production of the 12th century.
*'
Albigenses, in Church history, a sect or party of reformers,
about Thoulouse and Albigeois in Languedoc, who sprung up in

the 12th century." — Encyclopaedia Britannica, seventh edition,

part 6. Published August 1830.


" From the labours of Waldo and his associates there sprang
up an immense body of Christians, averse to the corrupt doctrines
of the Church of Rome. They existed in Picardy under the
appellation of Picards, and in the south of France, from the
Pyrenees to the Alps, under that of Albigenses." Sims's Me-
morials of Oberlin, with an introductory sketch of the History
of Christianity in France.
Waldo made his first appearance in 1160, and died in 1179.
The Albigenses, or the Recusants of Thoulouse, Gascony, and
16 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

pose, that there ever was a period when the true


Church was entirely supplanted in Europe by that
of Rome and it weakens the cause
: to speak either
of the Albigenses of the south of France, or of the
Waldenses of Piemont, as descendants of emigrants
or settlers from other lands, or as being of no
earlier antiquity than the eleventh or twelfth
century. Allix, who had thoroughly investigated
the question, bitterly lamented the inadvertency
of such Protestant authors, as had sulSered them-
selves to be caught, as he expressed it, by the
sound of words, and by that calumny of the
Romanists, which affected to call these Churches
new churches. He will not admit that the Albi-
genses sprang from the Waldenses, or the Wal-
denses from the Albigenses, or that either com-
munity was indebted to strangers for their re-

formation, after having been infected by the


corruptions of Rome. He insists in his two
laborious enquiries into the history of these an-
cient Churches, that each was the continuation of
an original stem, the one having been planted in
Narbonese Gaul, and the other in Piemont, at no
very distant date from the times of the Apostles.
Had the author of the Histories of the progress
and suppression of the Reformation in Italy and
Spain followed this opinion, and taken up the

Languedoc, are mentioned in the Canons of the Council of


Tours, held in 1163, and in those of the Council of Thoulouse,

held in 1 1 19 ; more than forty years before Waldo was heard of.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 17

thread of his very interesting relation from an


earlier period, and, instead of pursuing the steps
of those who contend that the " Vaudois, Wal-
denses, or Albigenses fixed their abode in the
southern provinces of France, where they mul-
tipUed greatly in the eleventh and twelfth cen-
turies," had he shewn how their numbers began
to be greatly diminished in those centuries, he
would indeed have undertaken an arduous, but a
most thankworthy, and invaluable work \

'
It would be going out of my present course to trace the
Albigenses to the aera of the first conversion of Gaul, but I shall

be forgiven the digression for shewing what was the opinion of


their antiquity, at the time when they were wasted by persecution,
and finally exterminated under that truculent executioner Simon
de Montfort.
The best authority upon all these questions is the earliest ; and
there is still in existence the curious narrative of the Chaplain
of De Montfort, who accompanied this lord in the murderous
crusade against the Albigenses, A.D. 1206. The original copy
of this narrative was in Latin, and it was translated into French
in the year 1569, with the very charitable and christian motive,
as the translator did himself the honour to avow, of persuading

the court of France to do unto the Huguenots of that day, as


the unsparing Simon had done unto the heretics of Languedoc
in his time, viz. to destroy them utterly by fire and sword. The
following lines at the beginning of the work, and in praise of it,

are a specimen of the spirit in which it was written :

1. Tout cela que commet la secte Geneuoise,


L'heretique Albigeois auoit plus tost commis:
Soit meurtre, soit larcin, soit trahison d'amis,

Dol, opiniatrise, impiete et noise.

C
:

18 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Mr. Sharon Turner, one of the most profound,


and at the same time the most philosophic of our

2. Le Comte de Mont- fort parTarmee Francoise


A este le domteur de I'Albigeois soubsmis

Ton Henry * de Valois, moissonneur d'ennemis,


(O Sorbin) domtera I'heresie Gauloise.

3. Ton liure luy apprend, que Mont-fort enuoye


Chastia par le feu I'Albigeois desuoye,
Et le rend un Mont Fort de I'Eglise Romaine.

4. Par les mesmes moyens, que 1' Albigeois mutin


Finist, il punira le Caluiniste : afin

Qu'un mesme vice soit puni de mesme peine.

All Romish writers, upon the principle that novelties in point

of Christian doctrine are rightly considered fallacies in point of


truth, are unwilling to admit more than they can help, upon
the antiquity either of the Albigensian or Waldensian Church.
Powerful then must have been the force of truth which con-
strained the original author of this record, and the translator, to

insert, without any qualification, such an historical fact as the


following :
" Ceste Tolose, mais toute Dolose, des sa premiere
fondation, ainsi qu'on afferme peu souvent, on jamais n'a este

nette de ceste peste ou detestable pestilence de ceste heretique


pravite, espandue successivement par le venin d' infidelite super-

* Mr. Sharon Turner has thus summed up his observations on the massacre

of St. Bartholomew (Reign of Elizabeth, p. 333. chap. 30.) — " From the pre-
ceding facts, it appears that the chief authors of the first part of these mas-
sacres were the Duke D'Anjou, afterwards Henry III. and the Duke de
Guise." The very scarce volume from which I transcribe the lines above, was
dedicated to Henry de Valois, Duke D'Anjou in 1568, four years before the

massacre ; and in the Epistle Dedicatory, its reverend author strongly recom-
mends the Prince to imitate the religious zeal of St. Dominic and his disciples,

and to exterminate heretics, not heresy only, by every possible means."


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 19

modern historians, has gone further than Dr.


M^Crie, and has not only searched beyond the

stitieuse, des peres aux enfaiis *." This city of Toulouse, or


rather Dolorous city, has never been clear of this detestable

pestilence, as it is constantly affirmed, this poisonous heresy,


which has emitted the venom of its superstitious infidelity from

father to son. In 1218 then, the last date mentioned in this

narrative of the exploits of Simon de Montfoit, it was the gene-


rally received opinion of the . day, the tradition collected upon
the spot, that the opinions called Albigensian, or heretical, by
the Church of Rome, had from time immemorial been the pre-
vailing tenets of the capital of the province. Certainly, they had
never changed from the first preaching of Christianity in Gaul,
and the natives of Languedoc and Provence did not decline
from the apostolical doctrines till they were seduced by the arti-
fices, or forced by the power, of those who had received in their

right hand, or in their foreheads, the mark or the name of the

beast, " to whom it was given to make war with the saints and

to overcome them." " A heresy natural to Toulouse" is another


expression of the same ancient author, the monk of Vaux Ser-
nay, with whom every opinion at variance with the papal system
was and who has also furnished us with a singular tes-
heresy,,

timony, that the same doctrines were as " natural" to some of


the Alpine tribes as to those of the South of France f, " Instil-
lans ces blasphemes aux oreilles des simples : que si le corps de
Jesu-Christ contenoit en soy la grandeur des nionts des Alpes,
il eust este deja consomme et aneanti par ceux qui 1* eusseut
mange." It is clear that a simile of this kind, in allusion to
the Romish dogma of the real presence, and drawing its com-
parison from the Alps, and not from the Pyrenees, the moun-

* Histoire des Albigeois, et Gestes de noble Simon de Moiit-foit. Desciite

par F. Pierre des Vallees Sernay, Moine de I'Ordre de Cisteaux. P. 2.

t Histoire des Albigeois, S:c., p. 3.

c 2

20 WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES.

confines of Europe for the seeds of Waldensian


doctrines, but by a strange mistake, has spoken of
the Waldenses themselves, Italians by extraction
and location, as if they were inhabitants of Swit-
zerland, ''
of the Pays de Vaud \" His theory
upon the subject of the Reformation in Europe is

so nearly akin to that of Gibbon, who followed in


the track of Muratori and Mosheim, that I will

first give an analysis of Gibbon's sentiments


before I notice those of Mr. Turner.
Always most subtle and sarcastic when the re-
ligion of the cross is to be discussed, the author of
the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire begins
the fifty-fourth chapter, in which he professes to
treat of the first enfranchisement from papal do-
mination, with a classification of rehgious and
national character. The Christian natives of Syria
and Egypt he supposes to have abandoned their

tains nearest to the Albigenses, was borrowed from the Wal-


denses, or at any rate from their neighbours of Provence or
Dauphine.
* The passage in which this mistake occurs runs thus, " These
who held
opinions claim for the Vaudois a distinction from those
doctrines less Scriptural and rational. The Pays de Vaud has
been always distinguished, even to our own times, for a vir-
tuous simplicity," &c. History of England during the middle
Ages, Vol. V. book vii. ch. 3. p. 134. The inhabitants of the

Pays de Vaud, in Switzerland, of which Lausanne is the capital,

are called Vaudois, and have often been confounded with the
Protestant natives of the Vaux, Valle, or Valleys of Piemont,
in Italy, also called Vaudois.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 21

lives to lazy and contemplative devotion those of ;

Rome to have aspired to the dominion of the world


a second time, and those of Greece to have con-
sumed their wit in the disputes of metaphysical
theology. At length, ''
about the middle of the
seventh century, a branch of Manicha^ans was se-
lected as the victims of spiritual tyranny ; their

patience was exasperated to despair and rebellion,


and their exile from the East scattered over the West
the seeds of the Reformation ^" The mention of the
Manichaeans leads the historian, rather abruptly,
to make some enquiry into the doctrine and his-

tory of the Paulicians. It is not clear by what


chain of evidence Mr. Gibbon managed to graft

the Pauliciansupon the Manicha^an stock, but


after observing that " the numerous sects were
finally lost in the odious name of Maniclueans," he
tells of a reformer, named Constantine, who, in
his humble dwelling at Mananalis, at the foot of
Mount Taurus, received the present of a Testa-
ment from a Syrian captive, about the year 660.
Attaching himself to the study of this cherished
book, the mountaineer became ins})ired with a pe-
culiar reverence for the writings of St. Paul, and
impressed a few ardent fellow-students with a
similar devotion. The silence of their favourite
apostle and guide, upon the spurious doctrines of
the Eastern Churches, induced these zealous men

'
Gibbon, Vol. V. p. 520.
22 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

to renounce their former errors, and to separate


from establishments which had overwhelmed the
country with fables and superstitions. ''
The
name of the Paulicians is derived, by their enemies,
from some unknown and domestic teacher ^, but
I am confident that they gloried in their affinity
to the Apostle of the Gentiles."
Without entering into any enquiry into the
peculiar creed of these Paulicians of the East, we
will cast a glance at the ground, upon which Mr.
Gibbon and Mr. Sharon Turner assume the Pau-
licians to have been the originators of the Refor-
mation in Europe.
A mountaineer is accidentally directed to the
study of Scripture, and comparing the supersti-
Church with the word of God, he re-
tions of his
nounces communion with that Church, and be-
comes a reformer. Now granting for a moment
that every branch of the Christian Church had
become equally corrupt, and that there was no
succession any where of pure doctrine and dis-
cipline, is it necessary to travel out of Europe
into Asia, in quest of persons who should be able
to reform the Church ? Might not the same natu-

* Gibbon fell into some confusion of names and dates upon


this subject. The term Paulicians is more likely to have been
derived from Paul, the heretical Bishop of Antioch, at a much
earlier period, against whose opinions the provincial synod
protested, in an epistle preserved in the seventh book of Euse-

bius.

WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 23

ral and simple process take place in the West as


well as in the East ^
? Through seven or eight
pages of beautiful but deceptive narrative, Mr.
Gibbon conducts his Paulician teachers (whom he
represents in one place ^ as condemning the me-
mory and opinions of the Manichaeans, and in
another place ^ as holding two of the most unor-
thodox of the principles of the Manichaeans) into
the regions of Pontus, Armenia, and the adjacent
provinces, arms them and their followers against
their imperial sovereign, unites them in alliance

with the Saracens, and finally reduces them, after


many alternations of success and defeat, to a hand-
ful of malcontents, whom Constantine Coprony-
mus translated frombanks of the Euphrates
tlie

to Constantinople and Thrace. " By this emi-


gration," he proceeds, " their doctrine was intro-
duced and diffused in Europe ^." ''
And in the

beginning of the thirteenth century their pope, or


primate (a manifest corruption), resided in the
confines of Bulgaria, Croatia, and Dalmatia, and
governed by his vicars the filial congregations of
France and Italy*." Having advanced thus far

^ It may be proved, by reference to the canons of councils,


that corruptions first found their way into the Church from the
East, and that, with some few exceptions, the European
Churches remained pure long after those of Asia had embraced
error.

2 Gibbon, Vol. V. p. 522. ^ Ibid. p. 524.


' Ibid. p. 531. ' Ibid. p. 533.
24 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

upon the authority of Matthew Paris \ as quoted


by Ducauge^ and having lent his pages to the
monstrous inconsistency, that the independent
Churches of France and Italy, which refused obe-
dience to a foreign bishop of Rome, yielded sub-
mission to a distant stranger of Bulgaria, Gibbon
is unwilling to stop, and imagines three roads by
which his Paulician reformers may find their way
into the heart of Europe. I. By accompanying

the French and German caravans on their journey


back from Jerusalem, by the course of the Da-
nube, and by disguising their names and heresy.
II. By serving under the Byzantine standards,
and by being transported into the Greek provinces

^
Du Plessis quotes Matthew Paris in a very different sense,
and speaks of the Albigensian and French Reformers making
proselytes of the Bulgarians. " Matthew Paris saith further,

that they spread themselves so far as into Bulgaria, Croatia, and


Dalmatia, and these took such root, that they drew unto them
many Bishops, and thither came one Bartholomew, from Car-
cassone, in the country of Narbonne, in France, unto whom
they all flocked, and he created Bishops and ordained Churches.
These words are taken out of the letters that the Cardinal of

Port, the Pope's legate, wrote to the Archbishop of Rome, full of

abashment, and he caliethhim anti-pope, without imputing unto


him any other crime or doctrine ; namely, because this Bartho-

lomew re-established the order of the Churches anew in those

countries, and laboured to set true pastors in the place of

false." See Lennard's translation of Du Plessis's Mystery of


Iniquity, 51st Progression. The passage in Matthew Paris,

referred to by Gibbon and Du Plessis, occurs sub anno 1223,

page 219,
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 25

of Italy and Sicily. III. By entering the republic


of Venice as merchants and traders i.

There is no snare into which learned men may


not fall, who run after a derivation. In such a
pursuit they often chase an ignis fatuus through
treacherous and uncertain ground, rather than
follow a plain and secure path. The discussions
of Muratori and Mosheim ^ upon the connection
between the Oriental and the French and Italian

sufferers for conscience sake, had fastened upon


the mind of this historian, and without pausing
to reflect upon the absurdity of making an ela-

borate search among strangers for that, which


may be easily found at home, he hurried on
till he arrived at the notable discovery, that the

first spark of the Reformation was kindled in


Languedoc and Provence by Paulicians, whom he
had taken the trouble to bring from the waters of
the Euphrates to those of the Rhone and Ga-
ronne. "It was in the country of the Albigeois,
in the southern provinces of France, that the Pau-
licians were most deeply implanted \" " The vi- —
»
Gibbon, Vol. V. p. 534.
^ We are not to complain so much of Muratori, a Romanist,
as of Mosheim, a Protestant, for his leaning to prejudiced opi-

nions upon this subject. No thanks are due to Mosheim for


any which he has thrown upon the history of Albigenses or
light

Waldenses. He speaks of them as " sects" that rose up in the


eleventh and twelfth centuries, and is very justly censured for
his many inaccuracies, by his last editors.
' Gibbon, Vol. V. p. 335.
26 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

sible assemblies of the Paulicians or Albigeois,


were extirpated by fire and sword, and the bleed-
ing remnant escaped by flight, concealment, or
Catholic conformity. But the invisible spirit

which they had kindled still lived and breathed in


the western world. In the State, in the Chm'ch,
and even in the cloister, a latent succession was
preserved of the disciples of St. Paul, who pro-
tested against the tyranny of Rome, embraced the
Bible as the rule of faith, and purified their creed
from all the visions of the Gnostic theology \"
Such, according to Mr. Gibbon, was the origin
of Protestantism ^ and of the Reformation, and of
the Bible rule of faith, and we have to thank emi-
grant Paulicians for these blessings, and not the
succession of faithful men, who were found at dif-
ferent times and places, from age to age, some
more particularly in Italy, and some in France,

opposing themselves to corruptions, as they arose


in the Christian Churches of Europe, recording
their testimony to the truth, in pages which have
been transmitted to us, and continuing the holy
line that connects the first and the nineteenth
centuries.
But what say Gibbon's authorities as to the pe-
riod of the arrival of these Paulicians from the

1 Gibbon, Vol. V. p. 535.


^ Mr. Browning, in his history of the Huguenots, has added
one more to the number of those who have followed Gibbon in

his erroneous statement. See Vol. I. p. 1, 2, 3.

2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 27

East ? Let us see was not considerably pos-


if it

terior to the promulgation of doctrines avowed in


Italy, of the very same kind as those afterwards
avowed by the persecuted Albigenses and Wal-
denses.
Mosheim confesses " It is difficult to fix the
precise period when the Paulicians began to take
refuge in Europe ; it is however certain, from
the most authentic testimonies, that a consider-
able number of that sect were, about the middle
of this century (the eleventh), settled in Lom-
bardy, Insubria, and principally in Milan ; and
that many
them led a wandering life in France,
of
Germany, and other countries \" Mosheim then
does not pretend to fix an earlier date than about
the middle of the eleventh century, 1050. Mura-
tori, whom Mosheim and Gibbon both follow and
cite, uses the term Manicha?ans, when he speaks
of these wandering reformers, and the earliest
date that he attempts to assign for the introduc-
tion of their opinions into Italy and France is

1027. Having first broadly stated that the seeds


of Manichaeism began to be scattered in Italy
after the year 1000 ^ he proceeds to relate, upon
the testimony of Rodulphus Glaber, (lib. 3. chap. 8.)

* Mosheim, Century xi. part ii. chap. 5. Mosheim's earliest

authority cited is Moneta, who lived about the year 1225 : he


adds, " We might refer to Glaber Rodolf." Glaber flourished
in the eleventh century.

^ Muratori Dissertatio Sexagesima, torn. 5. p. 82.


28 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

that '^
about the year 1027, this wild heresy was
brought into Gaul by a certain woman who came
out of Italy \" Nothing can be more vague than
this kind of evidence, but taking the period here
assigned for the arrival of the Paulician Reformers,
between 1000 and 1027, we will set against it the

authorities adduced by Allix, in the eleven first

chapters of hisRemarks upon the Ancient Church


of Piemont, upon which he thus observes, '^ This
being laid down, I say we have already found a
body of men in Italy before the year 1026, who
believed contrary to the opinions of the Church
of Rome, and who condemned their errors;
highly
a body of men which sent its members about in
divers places to oppose themselves to the super-
stitions that reigned throughout all the West.'*
P. 110.
This is not the place for doing more than
touch upon the evidence, upon which I am pre-
pared to shew, that native Italian preachers and
writers professed the very opinions, for which the
Waldenses suffered in after days, long before the
remotest date, which can in any way be applied
to the introduction of Paulician doctrines. The
Romish historians and apologists may bring ten
thousand Oriental Reformers into any province of
Europe, if they please, but we shall prove, by and
bye, that the pure tenets of the Apostles were pre-
served in our own quarter of the globe, and that

'
Ibid. p. 83.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 29

Rome was controverted indignantly without any


aid from the East. It is therefore a matter of
deep regret, that so able an enquirer as Mr.
Sharon Turner, and one so candid and friendly
to truth, should have been captivated by the same
theory which led Gibbon astray, and that he
should have pursued it, in his investigation of
the history of the Waldenses, and the origin of
the Reformation, till he brought it to the same
end.
In a chapter entitled " History of the Principal
Attacks on Papal Christianity, from the 8th to the
14th Century ^," Mr. Turner seems to give the
place of honor, not to the assertors and vindicators
of Primitive Christianity, as it had been cherished
by the descendants of those who had received
it from the early successors of the Apostles, in
Europe, or from those who preached it before it
was corrupted, but to Asiatic and Mohamedan
censors. " The progress of the Arabian imposture
first disturbed the deep serene, in which both the
priests and the people were with equal sincerity,

because with equal ignorance, and with equal sa-


tisfaction, reposing. From the hour of its porten-
tous birth, Mohamedanism, notwithstanding its

own absurdities, was the unceasing censor of


perverted Christianity ; it fiercely accused the

^
History of England during the Middle Ages, Vol. V. book 7.
chap. 3. 3d edition.
80 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Christian world of idolatry and infidelity, of folly,


superstition and imposture \"
The spurious Christianity, which the Moslems
witnessed in some regions, deserved to be so ac-
cused, but the sincerity and zeal, with which the
true servants of Christ censured the errors of the
Papal system in the West, were at least equal in
degree to the fierceness, with which it was as-

sailedby the followers of the Prophet in the


East, and this passed at the same juncture of
time. " It was at least a chronological infe-
rence," Mr. Turner continues, '^
that after Moha-
medanism had been established in Asia, Africa,
and Spain, and after the crusades and other
intercourse had brought it fully to the con-
sideration of Europe, reforming opinions abound-
ed in its vicinity, and rapidly spread ; and a
strong dissatisfaction arose at the wealth, pomp,
and luxury of the papal hierarchy. The sciences
cultivated by the Spanish Arabs drew inquisitive
men from all parts of Europe to their cities and
schools, and these were among the foremost in
diffusing new ideas among their contemporaries.

Gerbert, one of these students, in the tenth cen-


tury ^ was bold enough to call the Pope Anti-

1 Ibid. p. 118.
^ For proof that Europe did not want Arabian instruction to

rouse her against Romish pride, see Leger's Account of the Pro-
test of ItaUan Bishops against the Tyranny of Rome, 9th Century,
p. 137.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 31

christ. It was from the schools in France which


he had planted, that Berengarius arose, who at-
tacked transubstantiation in the succeeding age \"
*'
That the establishment of the Mohamedans in
Spain had a direct effect on the minds of many of the
Spanish Christians, cannot be doubted ^" Granted,
but as so great stress is here laid upon the opinions,
which are said to have spread in Spain after the
Mohamedan conquests, I take the opportunity
of reminding my readers, that Vigilantius, who
was ordained priest at Barcelona, in Spain, dis-
tinguished himself two hundred years before Mo-
hamed's name was known, by protesting against
some of those very corruptions of which Mr.
Sharon Turner speaks, viz. against the veneration
of relics and images, and the adoration of saints %
and similar abuses, which were in his time in-
creasing in the Eastern Churches, and which have
since been sanctioned by that of Rome. Upon
the subject of papal and pontifical usurpation, it

is a clear point in history *, that the episcopal

* Ibid. p. 120. Usher de Sue. Ecc. chap. 2. p. 51—53.


shews that the novel Romish doctrine of the real presence was
disputed by Italians and Angrlo-Saxons in the 10th century.
Joannes Scotus disputed it in the 9th.
2 Ibid. p. 121.
' Jerome contra Vigil. Epist. 53. and Dungal. apud Bib.
Mag. torn. 9. part 2. p. 880.
* See Geddes' Dissertation on the Papal Supremacy, chiefly
with relation to the Ancient Spanish Church. Miscellaneous
Tracts, vol. 2.
32 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

hierarchy of Spain, under the Gothic princes,


before the Moorish conquests, was not only in-
dependent of all foreign jurisdiction, but was sub-
ject to the crown, in the same manner as the
episcopal hierarchy in England is now. And as
to images, the Spaniards were so far from deriving
their hatred of idolatry from the Moors, that pre-
viously to the invasion of those barbarians, the
Spanish Church was entirely free from the pollution
of image worship. It was forbidden by the Council
of Eliberis, A.D. 305, Canon 36, to have any pic-
tures or representations of adorable beings in
churches. It is scarcely necessary to add, that
episcopal arrogance and assumption of inordinate
power were declared to be marks of Antichrist,
without any lights derived from Arabian teachers,
and that too by some of the popes themselves.
The Council of Chalcedon, said Gregory I. in

one of his epistles, A.D. 595, offered this honour


(the title of Universal Bishop) to the bishops of
Rome, but it was refused, lest they should appear
to be arrogating ^
episcopacy to themselves alone,

'
It is a singular proof of carelessness in Mosheim that he
has spoken of the Waldenses as a new sect that arose in the
12th century, in his notice of the origin of the Waldenses, vol. 3.

part 2. chap. 5. section x. ; whereas in vol. 2. part 2. chap. 2. he

assigns them a conspicuous part among the opponents of papal


supremacy in the seventh century. The whole passage is so

much to the point upon the question in which I venture to declare

myself at issue with Mr. Turner, that I insert it at length.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 33

and taking it away from the rest of their


brethren \
I can readily agree with the opinion " that Leo
the imperial iconoclast was urged to his resolution
of destroying the images in the Christian churches,
by a native of the country which the Saracens were
occupying^"; that Claude, the Spaniard, afterwards
bishop of Turin, the zealous destroyer of images,
might have learnt by his intercourse with the Mo-
hamedans in Spain to abominate more and more the
use of images for purposes of worship ; but I am
anxious that the readers of such statements should

" The ancient Britons and Scots persisted in the maintenance


cf their religious liberty ; and neither the threats nor promises
of the legate of Rome could engage them to submit to the de-
crees and authority of the ambitious pontiff, as appears mani-
festly from the testimony of Bede. The churches of Gaul and
Spain attributed as much authority to the bishop of Rome, as they
thought suitable to their own dignity, and consistent with their
interests : even in Italy his supreme authority was obstinately
rejected, since the Bishop of Ravenna, and other prelates, re-

fused an implicit obedience to his orders. Besides all this,

multitudes of private persons expressed publicly, and without


the least hesitation, their abhorrence of the vices, and particularly
of the lordly ambition of the Roman pontiffs : and it is highly
probable, that the Valdenses, or Vaudois, had already in this
century (the 7th), retired into the valleys of Piemont, that they
might be more at liberty to oppose the tyranny of those imperious
prelates."
1
Baron. An. vol. 8. p. 96. Sub An. 595.
^ Turners History of Enghnd during the Middle Ages, vol. 5.

p. 120.

D
84 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

have it brought to their recollection, that many


years before Leo was born, or the Saracens were
instructed by the Koran, European bishops, Martin
of Tours, in the fourth century, and Serenus ^
of
Marseilles, in the sixth, were demolishing images,
with a hatred of idolatry sufficient for the edifica-
tion of the Christian churches in the West ; and
that Claude^ was first moved to vindicate the
majesty of the Most High, by lessons learnt from
Scripture, and not from the example or the in-
structions of Arabian metaphysicians. The power-
ful impulse, the incipient suggestions proceeded
from his study of the truth, where only it is to
be found, in the Bible. This is the account which
Claude gave of himself; and his own contempora-
ries, upon what
so far from attributing his attack,
he considered idolatrous rites, to any influence
which Mohamedan doctors might have had upon
his mind, ascribed his doctrines to an erroneous
interpretation of Scripture, which they alleged he
pretended to quote without being scholar enough
to understand ^

1 Epis. Greg. I. Liber. 9. Ep. 9.


' *'
In support of his principal tenet, Claude could plead the
authority of one of the most venerable councils of his native

church, which ordained that there should be no pictures in


Churches, and that nothing shall be painted on the walls which
might be worshipped or adored." Dr. M'Crie's Hist, of Prog,

and Sup. of Reformation in Spain, p. 9.


^ Dungalus resp. adv. Claud. Taur. Bib. Patr. torn. 9. part 2.

p. 866—895.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 35

Mr. Turner, in the continuation of his hypo-


thesis, observes, '^What Claude, of Turin, failed

to accomplish, was attempted in the twelfth cen-

tury by those persons, who, under various names,


of which the most celebrated were the Albigenses
and the Waldenses, the Cathari and the Paterini,
at the very period when the predominance of the
papal monarchy seemed to be most firmly esta-
blished in Europe, began to prepare the human
mind to overthrow it. This great and beneficial
change originated, as usual, from the humblest
source, and was made principally operative by the
severity of persecution. It had also an original
connection, both in locality and intercourse, with
the Arabian conquests \"
Mr. Turner next introduces the same tale, which
Gibbon has told so beautifully, of the Manichaeans,
and the Paulicians in Armenia, and concludes thus,
" It is agreed by the best historians, that they were
transplanted into Thrace, that they penetrated
into Bulgaria, that they were introduced into Italy
and France, and under various names, of which
the Albigenses is the most prominent, spread
through Europe. It was in the eleventh century,

that being again attacked in Thrace, they migrated


into Lombardy, France, and Germany ^"
The references which Mr. Turner gives, as to

'
History of England during the Middle Ages, vol. 5. p. 123.
- Ibid. p. 126.

1)2
36 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

his authorities^ are to Petrus Siculus, Gibbon,


Mosheim, Mr. Jones's History of the Waldenses,
and Mariana. Petrus Siculus, who flourished in

the ninth century, is cited for the history of the

Pauhcians, while they were yet in Armenia or


Thrace. Mariana's testimony goes no further

than to state, that the Albigenses were thought


by an ancient writer, to have entered France out
of Spain, and Mr. Turner reasons upon it, that
" it is not unhkely that as the Pauhcians had been
nursed among the Saracens in Asia, some of their
emigrations took shelter in Saracen Spain \" Mr.
Jones professes to have collected from Gibbon
and Mosheim, the account which he gives of the
Paulicians in his history of the Waldenses. Gibbon
and Mosheim, both derive their principal autho-
rity from Muratori, and Muratori, as I have al-

ready shewn, page 27, has nothing but vague evi-


dence to adduce. Upon such foundation rests the
history of the migration of the Paulicians into
Europe in the eleventh century. In the subse-
quent progress of this enquiry, wherein Mr. Sharon
Turner speaks of the Waldenses, he does justice

to the noble views and feelings which they enter-


tained, and shews by reference ^ to their ''
Noble
Lesson," that they did not combine the Paulician
or Manichsean errors with their purer senti-

'
History of England during the Middle Ages, p. 127. in a

note. ' Ibid. p. 131.


WALDENSIAN RliSEARCIIES. 37

ments of Christianity. It is that part of his his-


tory only in which he derives the Waldenses
from " Pauhcian ancestors/' which I am disposed
to question, and which I am confident he will do
his subject the justice to review with the same
candour, which he has shewn upon other matters
of investigation.
" As their Paulician ancestors had incurred the
hostilities of the Grecian hierarchy, so these Albi-
genses and Waldenses had to endure a persecution
as ferocious from the Roman pontiff^". " It may
be thought strange that the opinions of the Wal-
denses, some so just, should have sprung from a
little corner of Armenia, and in the mind of a
Manic hsean ^"
It is to these and similar passages that I feel con-
strained to offer my objections, because I think it

strange, and injurious to the cause of Protestant-


Romanism, to call
ism, and beneficial to that of
the opinions of the Waldenses new to Europe in
the eleventh century, and to seek out of our own
quarter of the globe for the origin of attacks on
Papal Christianity. That Europe wanted no foreign
agents to give an impulse to the public mind against
the corruptions of Rome, and that Rome had never
introduced the least of her corruptions without
rousing some indignant spirits in opposition to
her, will sufficiently appear from that which I am
hastening to explain.

^
History of En'^land during the Middle Ages, p. 134.
2 Ibid. p. 137.
38 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

I have now brought the matter under discussion


to this point. The opponents of the Waldenses
in the eleventh and twelfth centuries endeavoured
to prove, that their refusal to be m communion
with the church of Rome, arose out of some new
and strange doctrines brought by wandering in-

novators from the East. The charge is reiterated


by subsequent Romish controversialists, and though
the first authorities for the allegation did not esta-
blish it by a sufficient chain of evidence, yet it has
been repeated from time to time, until it has 'been
believed by several of the most able of the Pro-
testant historians. This misrepresentation is to
be contradicted, and it is to be shewn, that the
Waldenses stood in no need of strangers to en-
lighten them ; that they were, at the very time in
question, enjoying a radiance of spiritual light,
which had continued upon them for many
to shine
generations, and which enabled them to keep free
from the bondage of the bishops of Rome.
The facts which favour the assumed antiquity
and purity of the Waldensian Church, are,

I. The traditions always current among the


Waldenses themselves.
II. The situation of their country.
III. The testimony of history gathered from

their adversaries, or from indifferent and unpre-


judiced early writers.
IV. The testimony of their own documents.
:

WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 39

SECTION I.

THE TRADITIONS ALWAYS CURRENT AMONG THE


WALDENSES THEMSELVES.

It is providentially fortunate, that these tradi-

tions have been preserved for the most part in

the pages of writers opposed to the Waldenses


they might otherwise have been disputed. The
few Waldensian documents which have escaped
destruction would not have sufficed to satisfy the
incredulous upon this point. Of these few, the
" Nobla Ley9on ^" a poem of the date A.D. 1100,
presents the following proof of the opinions, which
the Waldenses of that early period entertained of
the antiquity of their Church.
" Now after the Apostles, were certain teachers,
who went on teaching the way of Jesus Christ
our Saviour. Some of whom are found at this
present day, but they are known to very few."
After a few lines describing the hfe and con-
versation of such teachers, the poem proceeds,
" Such an one is called a Vaudois" (Vaudes).
A manuscript same date
treatise of the as that
of an ancient catechism, which is also dated
A.D. 1100, speaks of the Waldenses as having

^
More of this valuable record hereafter. See page 132.

D 4
40 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

maintained the same doctrines, " from time im-


memorial, in continued descent from father to son,
even from the times of the Apostles."
Transcripts of these treatises are to be found in
the Book of
first Leger's ^^
Histoire de I'Eglise
Vaudoise." The originals were entrusted to
Samuel Morland, and by him deposited in the
library of the University of Cambridge, after his

return from the valleys of Piemont, in 1658. I

am aware that the period of these treatises is

somewhat contested, and that Allix, who felt as-


sured of the antiquity of the Nobla Leyfon, was
himself inclined to believe that the others were not
written before the middle of the 13th century.
It may be granted that some of the identical
copies from which Leger transcribed were not writ-
ten before the middle of the 13th century, (1250), or
even the 14th ; but there is strong internal evidence
to prove, that these treatises contained passages,
which had previously formed part of religious
manuscripts preserved among the Waldenses at a
period more remote. For example, one of the
treatises in question enumerates the various
corruptions of the Roman church ; it alludes to
the doctrine of the real presence, and to the ado-
ration of the Virgin Mary, and of saints. But it

does not make mention of the terms transub-


stantiation or canonization ^, nor does it speak of
the service of the rosary.

^ " Item canonizationes contemnuut." So wrote Reinerus


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 41

The term transubstantiation, hitherto unknown,


was introduced and established by pope Innocent
the Third the rosary was invented by the inqui-
^
:

sitor Dominic ; at the beginning of the thirteenth


century. Such notorious and offensive abuses, to
say nothing of the institution of the horrible tri-

bunal of the inquisition, which was co-eval with


them, could scarcely have failed to find a place in

treatises professedly written upon such subjects,


had those treatises been originally composed pos-
terior to these audacities against the understanding
and religious rights of men.
I have Leger's authority for relating, (see book
i. p. 153.) that the French historian De Serres,
under his notice of the year 1223, said that he
had in his library an old manuscript written in
Gothic characters upon parchment, which set forth
the reasons of the Waldenses for refusing com-
munion with the Roman church. This manu-
script made mention of purgatory, images, the

invocation of saints, the sacrifice of the mass,


transubstantiation, the authority and decrees of the
pope, &:c. Hence I should conclude, that as the

concerning the Vaudois in 1250. As neither of these treatises


contain the same term, it is to be inferred that they were com-
posed before it came into use. The first papal bull in which the
word canonization occurs was in 1 165.
^ Ed. Albertinus de Eucharistia, lib. 3. p. 972. Transub-
stantiation was made an article of faith by the council of Lateran,
1215.
42 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Waldenses took the earliest notice of this corrupt

doctrine, after it was formally promulgated by


pope Innocent the Third under that term, that
treatises upon kindred subjects, which made no
mention of it, were composed at an earlier period

of time.
Robert Olivetan, a native of the valleys, who
translated the Bible into French in 1535, ad-
dressed his book to the Vaudois Church in these
terms. " It is to thee I present and dedicate this
precious treasure, in the name of friends and
brethren, who ever since they were blessed and
enriched therewith by the apostles and ambassa-
dors of Christ, have still enjoyed and possessed
the same." Morland, p. 17.
A petition presented to Philibert Emanuel,
duke of Savoy, and prince of Piemont, by the
Waldenses, in 1559, contained the following as-
sertion ^
:
''
We likewise beseech your royal high-
ness to consider, that this religion we profess,

is not only ours, nor hath it been invented by


men of late years, as it is falsely reported, but
it is the religion of our fathers, grandfathers, and
great grandfathers, and other yet more ancient
predecessors of ours, and of the blessed martyrs,
confessors, prophets and apostles, and if any can
prove the contrary, we are ready to subscribe, and
yield thereunto." Leger relates that all the pe-

'
Morland, p. 228.
;

WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 43

titions and addresses of the Vaudois to their sove-


reigns, from the earhest times, contained a sentence
to the same effect, stating that they had been in
the enjoyment of the hberty of conscience ''
da
ogni tempo, da tempo immemoriale/' from time
immemorial. Leger, b. i. p. 158.

The traditions of which their enemies have


made mention, and inscribed upon their contro-
versial pages, or public deeds, are quite as ex-
press.
Bernard of Clairvaux, who died in 1153, speaks,
in his 65th and 66th Sermons upon the Canticles,
of the Nonconformists, who were then disturbing
the Latin Church. He confounds separatists
from Rome, and perverters of scriptural truth,
under the common charge of heresy ; but in one
of his descriptions he seems to have had his eye
upon the Churches of Piemont, while he mingles
all kinds of calumny with their real opinions,
'^
They are rustics, and laymen, and thoroughly
contemptible. What heresy has not its heresi-
arch ? The Manichaeans had Manes for their
leader and instructor ; the Sabellians, Sabellius
the Arians, Arius ; the Eunomians, Eunomius ;

the Nestorians, Nestorius. Thus all other pests


of this sort are known to have had each its own
master, from whom it derives its origin and name.
But by what name or title will you distinguish
these ? By none, since they did not receive it of
men (fancy not that they received it by revelations
2
44 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

from Jesus Christ) but rather, and beyond all doubt,


(as the Holy Spirit predicted) by the instigation and
fraud of devils speaking lies and forbidding to
marry."
'^
I am aware they boast that they and they
alone are the body of Christ. They boast that
they are the successors of the Apostles, and call

themselves Apostolicals." Bernard, Ser. Q6.


This is exactly what the Waldenses have al-
ways said of themselves, that they are not secta-
rians —that they derive their faith from no here-
siarch —that they have adhered to the primitive
doctrine, in regular succession from the Apostles.
Apostolicals is the term which the Prior Rorenco
applied to the Waldenses, the immemorial natives
of the valleys of Piemont.
The next testimony which I shall adduce, is that
of Ecbert, a writer who flourished A.D. 1160, and
whose evidence corresponds very closely with that
of the Waldenses themselves, which I have inserted
above, *^
that they were known to very few." " Be-
hold, there have been some secluded men, per-
verse, and perverters, who during many ages, have
in their lurking places and obscurities, corrupted
the Christian faith of simple men \"
Reinerus the inquisitor, who lived a century
afterwards, records, " These (the Leonists or
Waldenses —he used the term synonymously) are
^
Bib. Pair. torn. 12. p. 898.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 45

the most dangerous of all heretics, for three rea-

sons : First, because this sect is of the longest


duration, for some say that it has continued to
flourish since the time of Sylvester, others from
the time of the Apostles \"
Sylvester was bishop of Rome in 317, and this

passage in Reinerus singularly corroborates the


authenticity of the Nobla Ley^'on. In that poem
it is intimated, that the disinclination of the Wal-
denses to all religious communion with the
Romish Church was owing to corruptions, which
began under Sylvester. I refer to the passage
beginning " All the popes which have been from
Sylvester to this present day, &c."
Later polemical writings and public documents
have borne witness to the currency of the same
tradition. A bull of Pope Innocent in 1487,
anathematises " the Waldenses who have for a
length of time endeavoured in Piemont to ensnare
the sheep belonging unto God ^"
The monk Belvidere, in his inquisitorial reports,

^
Bib. Patr. torn. 13. p. 299.
^ It is singular that the very term "jam dudum," which a
pope in 1487 applied to the prevalence of non-conformity with
Rome, in Piemont, had been previously applied to the existence
of a similar heresy in France by pope Alexander the 3d., so long
back as 1167, in the council of Tours, " damnanda haeresis

quae jam dudum emersit." The council of Lateran, 1179, de-


nounces it as old, deeply rooted, and widely extended.
46 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

laments that " these heretics have been found at


all periods of history in the valley of Angrogna\"
Marcus Aurelius Rorenco, the grand prior of
St. Roch, when he was commissioned to make en-
quiries concerning them, under the title of ''
A
Narrative of the Introduction of Heresy in the
Valleys of Piemont V' delivered in a return which
stated, that ''
those Apostolicals as they called
themselves, were of an origin, of which nothing
certain could be said, furthermore than that
Claude might have detached them from the
Church in the eighth century, and that they were
not a new sect in the ninth and tenth centuries."
If this be true, what becomes of the theory, that
the Paulician emigrants of the eleventh century
were the founders of the Waldensian sect ?

Claude Seyssel, (A.D. 1500,) archbishop of Turin,


spoke of them as " the Vaudois sect, which origi-
nated with one Leon, a devout man in the time of
Constantine the Great ^"
Cassini, an Italian priest, testifies that he found
it handed down, that "the Vaudois were as an-
*."
cient as the Christian Church
Campian the Jesuit collected, that " they were
said to be more ancient than the Roman Church \"
Such are the testimonies which the friends and

^ Leger, d. pp. 149. 169. ' Ibid. pp. 15. 144. 173.
^ Ibid. pp. 15. 171. ' Ibid. p. 15.
' Ibid. pp. 15. 171.

VVALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 47

adversaries of the Waldenses render to the fact,


that it was traditionally held among them, that
their origin was coeval with the first introduction
of Christianity in the valleys of Piemont. " And
is not extraordinary," as the historian Leger
it

says, " that it has never once happened, that any

of the dukes of Savoy, or their ministers, should


have offered the least contradiction to the preten-
sions of their Vaudois subjects ? Again and again
it has been asserted by them, ' We are descend-
ants of those, who from father to son have pre-
served entire the apostolical faith in the valleys
which we now occupy.' Their pretensions have
been passed over in silence.They have been
suffered to repeat their demands from reign to
reign, and to carry them to the feet of their sove-
reigns : '
Permit us to enjoy that free exercise of
our religion which we have exercised from time
out of mind, and before the dukes of Savoy be-
came princes of Piemont.' I have still the copy
of a remonstrance, in which I myself inserted
these very words, ^
Dinanzi che li Duchi di

Savoya fossero Principi di Piemonte,' &c. &c.


and which the President Truchi, the ablest man
in the state, has endeavoured to answer in every
other point but this ; he never dared to touch
upon our antiquity. And formerly, in the year
1559," Leger continues, " when Emanuel Phili-
bert was told, that his Waldensian petitioners
professed the faith, which had been handed down
48 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

to them by their forefathers from the time of the


martyrs, and apostles, would that great prince
and his court have endured to be so told by these
poor people, if there had been one particle of
truth to be discovered to the contrary, by the
ministers of his royal highness, or by his eccle-

siastics, or if any of them could have maintained


the reverse, and shewn, that they did not descend
from father to son from the times of the martyrs
and confessors, and holy Apostles ^ ?"

SECTION II.

THE SECOND ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF THE ANTIQUITY


OF THE WALDENSIAN CHURCH RESTS UPON THE
SITUATION OF THE COUNTRY.

There is an Alpine region upon the frontiers of


France and Italy, which has been long inhabited
by a race of Christians, who have persevered in
asserting, from age to age, that their Church has
continued the same at all periods of ecclesiastical
history ; that it has never acknowledged the ju-
risdiction of the Roman pontiff, and that it is a
pure branch of the ancient primitive Church : — and
*
Leger, d. i. p. 164.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 49

who have reiterated in the ears of their princes the


unpalatable and unrebutted boast, ''
Our religion

was the religion of our forefathers, dwelling in the

valleys which we now occupy, before you and your


dynasty were established in Piemont."
Now is there any thing in the situation of the
valleys, which renders it probable, that the Gospel
was preached there at an early period ? They lie

within the direct, the nearest, and the most easy


line of communication between those Italian and
Gallic provinces, which we know to have been
christianized in the second century at the latest.
Tradition says, that the apostle St. Paul went from
Rome to Spain by this line of communication.
Whether he did or not will most probably ever
remain an open question ; but this is certain, that

there were very frequent journeys made by the


early Christians from Rome and Milan ^, and from
the cities which lay between these capitals of Italy,
to Lyons, and to the South of France. They would
naturally take the most practicable and frequented
road, and one of these traversed, or skirted the
territory of the Waldenses, whose ancestors were
therefore likely to receive a knowledge of the Gos-

*
Travellers from Milan would pursue their route through
Turin, and the valleys of Perosa and Pragela, and over Mount
Genevre. Those from Rome would take the same course, or
that of the Maritime Alps. The latter would conduct them
through Provence and Dauphine, where a branch of the Walden-
sian Church flourished till the reicrn of Louis XIV.
E
.

50 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

pel from wayfaring believers, who travelled by the


passes in the immediate vicinity of their habita-
tions; or from zealous missionaries, who would turn
out of their way to preach redemption to the more
remote and secluded mountaineers^
Another probability is found in the persecution
which raged under Marcus Aurelius Antoninus,
and which drove many of the Christian fugitives
from Milan, on one side, and from Lyons and
Vienne on the other, to the Alpine retreats, which
lay at a nearly equal distance from those scenes
of cruelty. This persecution raged most fiercely
in the year 168, according to some ; and in 177
or 179, according to others.
It is recorded that Irenaeus, who was after-

wards Bishop of Lyons, was despatched to Rome,


from Lyons, while he was yet a Presbyter, to
communicate the state of that Gallic Church to
the brethren at Rome ^ Irenaeus ^ himself, there-
fore, a disciple of Poly carp, who was the hearer of

* " We know," says Neander, " from the account of Pliny to


Trajan, from the notice in Clemens, and from the relations in
Justin, that in many neighbourhoods there were country com-
munities of Christians very early. Origen says expressly, that
many made a point of going through, not only the towns, but
he K(t)fXQLi Kai ETravXeiQ. The great number of XtjpETrKTKoiroij in

particular neighbourhoods, also proves this." See Rose's valu-


able work on Progressive Christianity, p. 1 54.
2 Eusebius, 5. 4.
^ Jerome calls Irenaeus, " Vir Apostolicus." Basil speaks of

him as 6 eyyvg tiov cniroaToXiov y£vof.ievoc.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 51

St.John the Apostle, might have trodden the


mountain paths of the Vaudois, in his journey to
the metropolis and might have
of the world,
preached that apostolic faith, which abided pure
in the wilderness, when it became corrupted in
cities. There is a temptation to fix upon this
Father, as a person not unlikely to have been, by
himself or his clergy, the first herald of the Gos-
pel to the natives of our subalpine valleys, which
is quite irresistible. His diocese extended to,

and perhaps comprised the chain of mountains,


among which the forefathers of the Vaudois dwelt \
His sentiments were, in a peculiar degree, those
which the Waldenses, on either side of the Alps,
have perseveringly maintained. This appears in
his opposition to all doctrines which could not be
supported by Scripture, and which, resting as he
said, (quoting 1 Tim. i. 4.) upon " fables and end-
less genealogies, minister questions, rather than
godly edifying ^'' It appears in his opposition
also to every tradition, which could not be dis-
tinctly traced to the Apostles ^ ;
— in his decla-
ration that Scripture alone is sufficiently clear
and perfect for our instruction in the faith ^ ;

in his accusations against those, who made use


of images and pictures for purposes of worship,

^ See Pagi. Critica Histor. Chronol. Sub An. 374.


^ Irenaeus contra Hoer. Praefatio, lib. i.

' Ibid. lib. iii. cap. 3.


* Ibid. Frag. lib. ii. cap. 47.

E 2
;

52 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

and who invoked angels and beatified spirits ^

—and above all, in his opinion, that the Bishop


of one Church has no right to lord it over other
Churches, or to interrupt the harmony of the
universal body of Christ, by obstinate attempts
to introduce uniformity of discipline ^ He sharply
reproved Victor, the Roman pontiff, in the name
of his brethren of Gaul ^ says Eusebius, and in a
synodical epistle, for disturbing the peace of the
church by a presumptuous endeavour to settle the

paschal controversy by his authority *.

^ Irenseus contra Haer. Praefatio, lib. i. 24 ; and lib. ii. 57.


2 Eusebius, lib. v. 24,
* Thirteen Gallic Bishops were present at the Synod held by
Irenseus. See Cave, 193.
* The respectful letters which were occasionally addressed by
Irenaeus, and other provincial prelates, to the Bishops of Rome,
have been triumphantly adduced by Papists as so many proofs

of submission to the Pontifical chair. They were nothing more


than what might be expected towards residents at the metropolis
of the empire. The letters for information and counsel, which
the Bishops of Durham and Winchester sometimes write to the

Bishop of London, might, with equal propriety, be cited as evi-

dence of the supremacy of the Bishop of London.


The question of Primacy, which the Roman Pontiffs suc-

ceeded in making a question of Supremacy, was well understood

in the early times to refer to nothing more than the rank or sta-
tion of dignity, not the power of jurisdiction, which was assumed
upon different occasions ; and this depended upon the rank of
episcopal cities in the scale of nations and provinces. Hence,
when it was referred to the Council of Turin in 397, to decide

upon the primacy between the Bishops of Aries and Vienne, the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 53

Not wishing, however, to push that part of my


hypothesis too far, which supposes the inhabitants
of the valleys to have been christianized in the time
of Irenaeus^ I will consent to give their conversion
a later date, and to assign the event when times
were more favourable to the extension of the Gos-
pel, and when communication was more easy and
frequent between the Christians of France and
Italy. We will take the fourth century. It is

quite early enough for our purpose, and the events


of this sera are in support of the argument, which
rests upon the situation of the Valleys of Pie-
mont.
In the fourth century [flourished Hilary, the
Gallic Bishop of Poitiers, and Ambrose, the Italian

Bishop of Milan, both eminent men, who are


known to have made repeated journeys, the one
from Gaul to Italy, and the other from Italy to
Gaul.
The Council of Aries, in the year 314, brought

resolution ran thus. Let him take the rank whose city is the
metropolis of the province. " Qui ex eis adprobaverit suam
civitatem esse metropolim, is totius provincioe honorem primatus
obtineat." See Sismondi Gallise Concilia, tom. i. p. 28.
The primacy of the Bishop of Rome arose from his connexion
with the capital of the empire, and it was willingly and quietly
conceded. When the seat of empire was transferred to Con-
stantinople, the Bishops of Rome and Constantinople were de-
clared to be equal ; and soon afterwards began the controversies
as to priority in rank, which ended in that assumption of supreme
jurisdiction, which has divided Christendom.
54 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Bishops and Priests across the Alps, from Cisalpine


Gaul and Italy to the banks of the Rhone. The
Councils of Milan, in 346 and 354, invited the
Gallic clergy to traverse the mountain passes from
Aries, Embrun, Vienne, and Lyons, and the inter-
mediate neighbourhood.
In 379 a Council was held at Aquileia, in the
north of Italy, at which ecclesiastical delegates,

of different orders, attended from Lyons, Grenoble,


Orange, Marseilles, and Nice \ And in 397 a
Council was convoked at Turin, at the request of
the Gallic Bishops, to decide some questions con-
cerning the Churches of Vienne, Aries, Marseilles,
and other Churches of the five Provinces west of
the Alps^
Here we have mention of direct intercourse be-

tween the Clergy of France and Italy. How


many of these may have been moved by the spirit
of proselytism, to preach Christ wherever they
went?
That the path of some of them led immediately
through part of the Vaudois district there can be no
doubt. The Council of Turin at least must have
invited many to choose that route. '^
This road,"
said a writer of the fourth century % when speak-
ing of that which conducted over Mount Genevre,
or the Cottian Alps, " is the central, the most

^
Fleury, Liv. 18.
^ See Sismondi Galliae Concilia, torn. i. p. 27.
^ Ammian. Marcel, lib. xv.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 55

commodious, and the most celebrated of all the


passes that lead out of Gaul into Italy."
Seeing then that there are traces enough of
frequent communication between the Christian
inhabitants of the countries east and west of the
Alps, in the fourth century, let us further examine
the probabihty that their course did actually ap-
proach the region of our enquiry. We will fix,

for example, upon the ecclesiastical delegates

who were to find their way from Lyons \ Vienne,


Grenoble, Orange, Aries, Marseilles, and Nice,
to Turin, Milan, or Aquileia, and take Gap as a
mean point between these cities. Gap is nearly
equidistant from Lyons, the most northern, and
from Marseilles and Nice, the most southern of
the group. We will suppose a straight line to
be drawn on the Map, from Gap to Milan, through
which it was necessary to pass on the route to
Aquileia. This imaginary line will be found to
run directly over the Cottian Alps, through the
valleys of Piemont and Turin, to Milan. And not
only so, but it will be found to intersect, at dif-

ferent points, the real line of communication, or

'
There was another and a nearer road from Lyons to Milan
over the Graian Alps, or Little St. Bernard, and by the Val
d'Aoste; but, according to Ammianus Marcellinus, this does not
seem to have been so generally used, at the period under discus-
sion, as that over the Cottian Alps. — '' Media, compendiaria,
magisque Celebris," is the observation of that author, lib. xv.
56 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

great Roman road \ which extended from Milan


across Mount Genevre^, the Cottian Alps, to Gap 2,
the ancient Vapincum, and which then branched
off into other military roads, towards the north,
to Vienne and Lyons, and towards the south, to
Aries and Marseilles.
In the Itinerary of Antonine most of the dis-
tances from Italy to the Gauls are measured from
Milan (Mediolanum) ; and Bergier, in his learned

and invaluable History of the Great Roads of the


Roman Empire, devotes much of his attention to
that road which crossed the Cottian Alps, as the
grand paved way, which formed the line of commu-
nication between Italy, the Gauls, Spain, and
Britain ^.

Some of the measurements in Roman miles, of


which Bergier makes express mention, will not be
* See the annexed diagram.
^ Gap is still the point of junction where many excellent mo-
dern roads meet, and from whence travellers from Spain and the
South of France proceed, who desire to take advantage of the
noble road, which Napoleon made over the Alps into Italy by
Brian9on, the Mount Genevre, the Col Sestriere, Fenestrelles,

and Turin. The Sardinian Government has suffered it to fall

into dilapidation on the Italian side, and it has there become in-
convenient for carriages, but persons on horseback would find it

a much nearer and more picturesque route from Lyons and Gre-

noble, to fall into this road at Briangon, and to go by Mount


Genevre to Turin, than by Mount Cenis.
^ Bergier, His. des Gr. Chemins de I'Empire Romain, lib. iii.

c. 31. 34. 36.


^. k ft^
'S'^
'^

WALUENSIAN RESEARCHES. 57

thought out of place in this part of my discussion,


inasmuch as they will shew, that Christian messen-
gers, pilgrims, or missionaries, making journeys
from Italy to France, Spain, or Britain, w^ould be
brought into communication with the men of the
valleys, by means of the principal and central pass
in Gaul, which certainly skirted their territory, if
it did not intersect it.

From Milan to Aries (Arelate) by the Cottian


Alps, Mount Gene vre . . . . m. p. 411
From Milan to Gap (Vapincum) by ^
ditto . 255

^ From Milan to Gap, according to the Itinerary of Anto-


nine
From Milan to Tic num (Pavia) m. p. 22
To Laumellum (Lomello) 22
To Rigomagus (Trino) m. p. 36
Quadrata . . (Crescentino) 16
Taurini . . . (Turin) 21
Ad Fines . .
( ) 16
Segusio . . . (Susa) . . 24
Ad Martis . .
( ) 16
After Ad Martis the Charta Peutingeriana places
Gadaone (Cesane) m. p. 8
Brigantia (Brian^on) 6
Brigantia .... (Brian^on) 18
Rama ( ) 18
Embrodunum . . . (Embrun) 17
Caturiges .... (Chorges) 16
Vapincum .... (Gap) 12
This Itinerary brings the Cottian road through the valley of
the Dora, and so to Susa ; in which case it would have skirted
the valleys only ; and travellers out of Gaul, on reaching Ce-
58 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

From Milan to Vienne, by the Cottian Alps


and Gap 409
From Milan to Leon (Legione) in Spain, by
Cottian Alps, Gap, and Aries .... 1230
From Milan to Boulogne (Gessoriacus, or
the Ictius of Julius Caesar) and the Bri-
tish Coast, by the Cottian Alps, Gap, and
Vienne 914?

Thus not only did a practicable pass, as early


as the fourth century, carry wayfaring ^, or pro-

sane, or Gadaone, would have turned to the left at Cesane to-

wards Susa, instead of crossing the Col Sestriere, which would


have taken them through the valleys of Pragela and Perosa.
It is difficult to say what are the names by which Finis, and Ad
Martis, are now known. If we could believe Ad Martis to be
Ad Martis Ocelum, or Ocelum, and Ocelum to be the Usseaux,
near Fenestrelles, by which D'Anville* contends that Csesar
made his march towards Mount Genevre, we should then have
to level a ridge of the Col. Sestriere, before we could bring an
army conveniently by a route, which should embrace Fenestrelle
and Susa. But Caesar might advance towards the Alps by
the valley of Pragela, and the Cottian road, so called, which was
made afterwards, might take another direction. This, however,

is certain, that Cesane, or Gadaone, through which the great

Roman road undoubtedly ran, is within one day's journey of any

part of the valleys of our research. I have myself walked to


Fenestrelle from Cesane in seven hours.
^ In passing over mountainous and difficult countries, where
travellers deviate occasionally from the more frequented roads,
and take to the foot-paths, the necessity of employing guides

presents another channel of conversion. The early Christians

* See D'Anville's Dissertation, p. 22.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 59

selyting Christians, who were on their road to and


from the western Churches, to the immediate
vicinity of the ancestors of the Vaudois ; but that
very route which was the most commodious, and
the most frequented by travellers, who had occasion
to cross the barriers of Gaul, intersected or touched
upon their country. We cannot mistake the track,
or its lines of communication. In one place,
Bergier,who is the very best authority upon the
Ancient Roman Roads, calls the paved way, which
traversed mount Genevre, " the most admirable
of all the roads that connected Gaul and Italy,"
because it extended almost diametrically from
Milan to the sea at Boulogne, (Lib. 3. c. 36.) to
the length of 914 miles, and because it distributed
its branches towards all the regions in subjection
to the empire, to Spain \ Britain, &c. In another

propagated the Gospel as they went from place to place, by


means of their conductors, with whom they conversed by the way.
^ There are many reasons to believe that some intercourse
took place between the early Spanish and Waldensian Churches.
The Patois of the valleys, the Proven9al language, and the
Spanish language, bear a strong affinity. The ancient Vaudois
treatises were written in the old Gothic character, and one of them
quotes the Spanish Bishop Isidore. Few studies would throw
more light upon the gradual extinction of the primitive Churches
in Europe, by the popes, than the study of Spanish History.
The artifices which were used to implant Romanism in Spain
would be amusing, if the accounts were not intermingled with
some of the most horrible details in all history. In 1062,
Ranimirus, king of Arragon, was induced to take an oath, and
to bind himself and his successors, to the interests of the Romish
60 WALDENSIAX RESEARCHES.

place, he speaks of the original projector of that


part of it, which traversed the mountain ridge,
as having done a service to the world, by the
utility, expence and skill of an undertaking, which
opened a passage across the Alps, and became
more commodious, and occupied less time, than
any other, (Lib. 3. c. 31.)

He takes care also to enable us to identify it

by ascribing its commencement to '' Cottius,


prince of the region which is now known under the
name of Piemont," and by placing it on the chain
of mountains, which lies between the Maritime and
Graian Alps ; and he describes it as having been
constructed with vast piers, paved with stones
best adapted for the purpose, and finished with all

clergy, by maledictions to this effect, " Whosoever of those

who shall come me shall violate this regal and pontifical


after

decree, may Almighty God deprive them of their crown in


this world, and in the world to come, may they, in company with

Dathan, Abiram, and Judas the traitor, be consigned to the


lowest hell, and there suffer the pains of eternal fire for ever and
ever." The penalties of this malediction were to be incurred if

the kings of Arragon should suffer any but monks of the monas-
tery of St. John to be elected bishops of Arragon ! ! ! Concil. Lab,

9. p. 1174.
Labbseus says, that Hugo, the pope's legate, succeeded in ob-
taining a repeal of the ancient laws of Catalonia, in 1064 ; but
could not prevail upon the Catalans to abolish the use of the
Gothic Liturgy. Concil. 9. p. 1180. Mariana, on the contrary,
Hist. lib. 9. relates that this legate was more fortunate in the

year 1068, and that the Gothic service was then superseded by
the Romish rites.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 61

that regard to the choice of materials \ and the


form of arranging them, which distinguished the
noblest Roman enterprises of the same kind, (ibid.

c. 19. 31.)

Having thus shewn, that the country of the


Waldenses lay in the direct path of many of those
messengers of the Gospel, who, at early periods,
were journeying Ho and fro among the Churches of
the West, and might therefore have received the
Gospel in its apostohcal purity, I will now adduce
some local arguments of another kind in support
of the tradition, that the primitive faith has been
handed down from father to son, in the valleys of
Piemont, in the simplicity with which it was first

embraced.
If the cross was planted among our Subalpines in
either of the four first centuries, here, if any where,
as it was originally set up, so it was likely to re-
main. To the refinements of the great capitals,
in the eastern and western empire, and to the in-
clination of the carnal mind for the gorgeous and
attractive ceremonies of pagan worship, to the
philosophy of the Greeks, to the subtle disqui-
sitions of the schoolmen, and the angry conflicts

^ For Bergier's description of materials and mode of construc-


tion, used by the Romans, see Lib. 2. de I'Hist. des Gr. Chemins.
* Passagii and Passagini, or the inhabitants of the passes,
from the Latin word passagium, is one of the names given by
ancient authors to the Waldenses. See Glossarium Medise Latini-

tatis — sub verbo passagium. Iter, transitus, vulgo passage.


62 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of controversialists, to the influence of the im-


perial court over the minds of some of the Christ-
ian prelates, to the ambition of others of the
priesthood, and to their introduction of splendid
and pompous rites, may be attributed the gradual
departure of the Greek and Latin Churches from
the purity of the apostolical institutions. In a
secluded region, however, amidst a poor and
thinly scattered population, whose means are
limited, and where pastoral tastes and manners are
the very reverse of the inhabitants of plains and
cities, there are few opportunities of bringing these
corrupting influences in conflict with the simplicity
of the Gospel. The objects of our research, let
it be remembered, are not only mountaineers, but
borderers, and, occupying a position on the great
barrier between France and Italy, have continued
to dwell very much apart from the interests, habits,

and customs of either country. Much that we


gather from the writings of the ancient authors,
goes to shew, that the Christians of the hill coun-
tries adhered to their primitive creed and discipline,

long after the in-dwellers of towns and cities had


consented to innovations. Ambrose of Milan, who
was a great advocate for sacerdotal celibacy, ob-

served, in one of his discourses, when he was


pressing this point, that he was the more urgent
upon it, because it had not escaped his notice, that
''
in some of the more retired places, the clergy
continued to marry and to have children, and
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 63

justified their conduct upon the plea of ancient


custom \"
Hilary, of Poitiers, made it a matter of bitter
lamentation, that the inhabitants of cities should
be led astray by the captivation of outward objects,
and that there should be no security against it,

but in remote and secluded spots, " I caution you,


beware of antichrist. The pernicious love of w^alls
has seduced you : you profanely venerate the
Church of God as if it consisted of constructions
and edifices, and here you expect to find your peace.
Can it be doubted that this will be the strong hold
of antichrist ? To me mountains, and forests, and
lakes, and caverns, and gulfs, are far more safe :

for in these the prophets, either dwelHng among


them, or condemned to them, prophesied in the
Spirit of God K"
Gretser, the editor of Reiner's work, *^
Contra
Hereticos," is loud against Du Plessis, for asserting

in his work, on the Mystery of Iniquity, that the


purity and simplicity of the Christian doctrine were
preserved among the defiles of the Appenines, the
Pyrenees and the Alps, when they were no longer
to be found in the modern Babylon and its depen-
dencies. Gretser will not allow that mountains
and valleys present a soil favourable for the cul-
tivation of the Gospel \ Reiner, himself, how-
^ Ambros. de Officiis. lib. 1 . c. 50.
' Hilar. Liber contra Auxentium, s. 12.
' Bib. Patr. Tom. 13. Proleg. cap. 8. p. 296.
64" WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

ever, by the very arguments which he uses to con-


firm his own case, and to uphold the glorious
character of the Church of Rome, strengthens our
position. ^'
Observe," said he, " that second
mark of the true Church, the splendour of its divine
services in the ornaments about the sanctuaries,
in the vestments of the clergy, in the sacred vessels,

in the music, in the lights, and festivals ; all these


the heretics reject ^"
It was for the sake of these, that an ambitious
and vain-glorious clergy introduced so many ab-
surd and unscriptural usages into the Latin
Church. The Churches of the Alps not having
the means of gratifying ambition and vanity, were
less over-run by the promoters of pontifical

pomp, and less overlaid with rehgious superfe-


tations, with the trumpery and " furniture of
paganism ^" In fact, it would seem, from the
omission of all mention of these valleys of Pie-
mont, in some of the diocesan divisions, and
surveys, which are preserved in ecclesiastical

records, that there was a period, when they en-

^Reinerus Contra Haeretlcos. cap. 1. Bib. Patr. torn. 13.


^ " His obscure and humble dwelling, remote from the scenes

of pomp and ambition." Mr. Sharon Turner mentions this


among the causes which produced a reformer in the East, and
led to the reformation in the West. It is to the obscurity of the

Waldenses, and their remoteness from scenes of pomp and am-


bition, that, under God, we are inclined to attribute their long
preservation of Gospel simplicity.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. G5

tirely escaped the notice of the Papal see \ In


the dissertation of Petrus de Marca, on the
primacy of Lyons, and other primacies, the pro-
vince of the Cottian Alps is not allotted to any
diocese whatever, although every other region in
Gaul and Italy is assigned to a metropolitan see.

Lab. Con. 10. 537—547.


In progress of time, when universal conformity
became the grand object of the Bishops of Rome,
and they endeavoured to force their corruptions

upon the little flocks that desired to remain inde-


pendent of them, the strong holds and inaccessible
wilds of the valleys of Piemont presented a secure
retreat from the arm of violence. Even the power
of ancient Rome, with Caesar at the head of the
Legionaries, could not capture a prince of this
country, when, relying upon the intricacy of its

glens, and the impervious nature of its hiding-


places, he chose to take up his retreat amidst rocks
and snows, and there to maintain his indepen-
dence ^

* " In the middle ages, as the bishopricks of Piemont were

in different states, none of which suffered the incumbents to

exercise temporal dominion, except in particular cases on their

own lordships, and not always there, it is easy to infer that epis-
copacy in Piemont wa,s not materially injurious to the liberties

of the people." Robinson's Ecclesiastical Researches, p. 453.


^ " Cottius solus in angustiis latens, inviaque locorum aspe-
ritate confisus." Ammian. Marcell. lib. 15. " Solus:" this
word implies, that when other chiefs were conquered, Cottius
found safety in the strong holds of the valleys-

F
66 WAU)ENSIAN RESEARCHES.

During my late visit to this territory, holy to the

Protestant, as Palestine to the descendants of


Abraham, I have often enjoyed a ^'
Pisgah view"
of the crags and forests, which, hke so many cities
of refuge, served as sure places of safety for Vau-
dois fugitives : but with this difference, whereas
the Israelitish cities of refuge were for the man-
slayer, these have been for such as fled from the
shedders of human blood. The local advantages

afforded in these valleys to a religious community,


that may have reason to dread the assaults of an
enemy, constitute, in the literal sense of the word
" an asylum" fortified by the God of nature.
Whether the eye of the traveller looks down
from Castelluzzo, Vachera, or Galmont, from the
Col de la Croix, or from that of St. Julien^
it rests in every upon glens, through
direction
which it would be madness for a stranger to
hope to find his way. The entrance to each of
these is commanded by some mountain ridges
or projecting points, where watchmen might give
timely notice of the pursuer's approach ; and the
signal for flight would be followed by escape
through one or other of a multitude of tracks ; the
very number of which would of itself be perplexing.
By one the fugitive would wind his way through a

*
All authors agree in opinion, that Julius Csesar, in his inva-

sion of Gaul, crossed the Alps between Mount Cenis and Mount
Viso. May not the Col St. Julien of the Vaudois have taken
its name from the Roman general ?
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 67

labyrinth of paths ; by a second he would pene-


trate into the darkness and complexities of a forest,
where rocky beds of torrents, caverns of unknown
depth, thick foliage, intertwining branches, and
hollow trunks of aged trees, would defy any thing
short of a numerous force to make effectual search,
more especially in former times, before these val-
leys were thinned of their natural sylvan produc-
tions, tomake way for the grain or plantations of
man. By a third he would fly to mountain tops,
where frequent clouds and mists would shroud
him from the intruder's eye. By a fourth he would
speed his way along the banks of precipices, which
would turn any head, but a mountaineer's, dizzy
with affright and where no foot, but one sure as
;

that of the chamois, could be planted with safety.


At the very time of my visit to these parts, two
men, who were pursued by carbineers, despatched
in quest of them by the government, defied all

attempts to apprehend them and the year before


;

my arrival, a wretched woman, the victim of op-


pression, fled from her persecutors with an infant
child at her breast, and remained for many weeks
undiscovered, although the search was closely con-
tinued by the authorities of the district. Thus,
even in these present times, now that the country
has been well explored, and is better known, it

would be rashness to assail the population, were it

determined to resist aggression, without a force


f2
68 WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES.

large enough to invest the whole territory, and to


thread every cleft and brake. What then must it

have been when none but the main passes were


familiar to any but the natives ? The resources
for the subsistence of life are as abundant as the
hiding-places. In summer, strawberries, and other
wild fruits, and inautumn the providential chesnut
supply food to the hand that seeks it. In the winter
or spring who would encounter the perils of chasing
a native, whose knowledge of the snows and tor-
rents would enable him to lead his pursuer to certain
destruction ? The astonishing preservation of the
Vaudois, during a series of thirty-seven persecu-
tions, sufficiently attests the inaccessibihty of these

glens.
Every mountain country of the same descrip-
tion is equally formidable to pursuers, and fa-
vourable to the pursued. There is a branch of the
Waldensian Church yet existing on the French
side of the Alps in Val Frassini6re, which baffled
all the attempts of the government under Louis
XIV. and Louis XV. to reduce it to conformity.
In the few months, which are not winter, the royal
troops ravaged the main village and hamlets, and
chased the natives to the rocks and glaciers, with-
out being able to exterminate them. The return
of snow and cold obliged the assailants to return,
the inhabitants re-took possession of their soil, re-

constructed their dwellings, and setting a watch


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 69

upon the only accessible approach, abode in peace


until the persecution recommenced with the open
weather and open paths.
Such being the character of the country of the
Vaudois \ a natural fastness and bulwark, it is not
unreasonable to ask those, who believe that God
never would leave himself without a witness, with-
out a pure visible Church existing somewhere, to
attach some value to the tradition, that here was
folded and fed that little flock, which remained
faithful to its Shepherd, when other sheep were fol-

lowing rapacious hirelings ^. *^


I dare affirm," said
the late moderator Peyran, in a letter addressed
to Cardinal Pacca, and written in a spirit worthy
of the best ages, " I dare affirm, without any fear
of contradiction from persons who are well-in-
formed, and open to conviction, that the Vaudois,
the only people who have at all times opposed
themselves successfullv to the Roman Pontiff, are a
miracle of Grace and Providence ; of Grace, in that
they have been sustained in their behef ; of Provi-

* Et prsecipue in Galliam Cisulpiiiam, et inter Alpes ubi tutis-

simum refugium sunt nacti. Thuanus, Hist. lib. 6.


2 " Tliis also will be of use to strengthen the faith of Protes-
tants, who will perceive that God, according to his promise,
hath never left himself without witness, as having preserved in
the bosom of these Churches most illustrious professors of the

Christian religion, which they held in the same purity with


which their predecessors had received this precious pledge from
the hands of those apostolical men, who first planted these
Churches among the Alps and Pyreneun Mountains." AUix»
70 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

deuce, in that they have been preserved from de-


struction ^"
In addition to the reasons derived from their lo-
cality, which I have just assigned in support of the
probability, that the Vaudois continued in the un-
disturbed profession of the primitive faith adopted
by their forefathers, I must not omit to state what
Leger, their native historian, has said upon the sub-
ject. The first attempts to force the Vaudois, as
a community, into the arms of the Roman Church
were made by the house of Savoy. The princes
of this line did not come into possession of Piemont
till the eleventh or twelfth century. At that pe-
riod a reigning chief, taking advantage of the divi-
sions that prevailed in Piemont, and of the weak-
ness of the little sovereignties under the Counts of
Lucerne, the Marquis of Saluces, and other feudal
lords, made himself master of the valleys and the
adjoining provinces. Previously to this change of

*
The Protestant cause is indebted to the Rev. Thomas Sims,
one of the most disinterested, well-judging, and consistent friends

the Vaudois ever had, for collecting and publishing the letters of
Peyran, late Moderator of the Vaudois, in a volume, entitled
** Historical Defence of the Vaudois or Waldenses, by Jean Ro-
dolphe Peyran." The arguments and chain of historical evidence
contained in this work are a very tower of strength. I gladly

embrace the opportunity of acknowledging my obligations to it.

If Mr. Sims would publish a new edition of Peyran's letters in

the form of an English translation, he would do justice to the


character of that extraordinary man, and to the cause of which
he was at once the ornament and support.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 71

dynasty, the inhabitants of the valleys had expe-


rienced every kind of indulgence from their sove-
reigns, who were unwilling to molest them for their

religion's sake. First, because they were them-


selves well-inclined towards doctrines, which were
built upon the Scriptures only secondly, because
;

the inoffensive and simple manners of the '' Men of


the valleys" conciliated their affection and thirdly,;

because it was to their interest to tolerate and pro-


tect them ; for if they had been persecuted and ex-
terminated, who would have been found to supply

their places, and to people those more inhospitable


parts of the higher mountains, which are covered
with snow seven, eight, and sometimes nine months
in the year ; which were formerly, more than now,
infested by wolves and bears; which are almost inac-
cessible and impenetrable, and where nothing but
the most incessant labour can render the soil pro-
ductive ? Spots like these, so rugged and imper-
vious, so elevated and rude, would have no attrac-
tion for others, if the native population were driven
away, therefore the predecessors of the Dukes of
Savoy, whose possessions were but small, had too
much consideration for their rents and imposts, to
hazard the loss of them by persecuting a hardy
and industrious race of subjects. In support of
this last view of the case, Leger adduces the fol-

lowing facts. ''


All the heads of families of the
commune of Chabran, in the valley of St. Martin,
having been cut off, about thirty years ago, the
!

72 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

whole place was deserted, and neither the sove-


reign nor the seigneurs could find persons disposed
to re-people it : and yet this is one of the most fa-

vourable communes, and the least laborious of the


valley of St. Martin, and abounds in vines, ches-

and corn. The communes of Traversa,


nuts, fruits,
San Martino, and Faetto, are for the same reason
nearly reduced to a desert, and not a Roman Ca-
tholic can be found to accept the best lands be-
longing to them, although they are well provided
with buildings. No, not even when they are of-

fered for nothing, and with the further advantage


of being exempt from the payment of taxes \"
I have already alluded to the language of the
petitions and remonstrances of the Vaudois, ad-
dressed to their princes, in which they urge their
antiquity as a religious community, their rights as
a body, and the enjoyment of certain privileges,
long before the house of Savoy ruled over Piemont.
In the Interination^ of an edict, dated 1584, the pre-
amble speaks of the privileges ^ confirmed to the
men of Luserna, Bubiana, and La Torre, and' the
other communes of the valleys of Luserna, &c. by

' Leger, Histoire Generale des Eglises Vaudoises. Liv. i. cap.


25.
^ " Interination" is a legal term familiar to the lawyers of
Turin, and signifies the final ratification under the sign manual.
^ " S. A. confirma, Tutte le liberta, immunita, franchisie,
privilegi." Astonishing! that such should have been wrung
from absolute princes at these early periods !
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 73

the ancestors of the ruling Duke of Savoy, and


among others it cites edicts of the years 1448,
1452, 1466, 1473, 1499, 1509, 1562, and 1582 \
In another edict, dated 1602, there is a sentence
to this effect, ''
not having been able to eradicate
heresy entirely, particularly in the valleys of our
dominions, where we are obhged to tolerate it."

^'
Non e stato pero possibile di sradicarla affatto,
massime nelle valli del nostro Dominio, dove siamo
stati astretti tolerarli^."

Now the only inference which we can draw from


the expression, " dove siamo stati astretti tole-
rarli," '^
where we are obliged to tolerate it,'' is

this, that the first prince of the house of Savoy,


who made himself master of the valleys, bound
himself and his successors, by solemn contracts,
to respect the religious independence of the in-
habitants, and therefore it was that the Vaudois so
often recurred to the uncontradicted assertion,

' See " Raccolta de gl* editti et altre provisioni dell' Altezze
Realj delli Serenissimi Duchi di Sauoia, di tempo in tempo
promulgate sopra gl' occorrenti delle valli di Lucerna, Perosa e

S. Maitino, terre annesse di S. Bartolomeo, Prarustino, e Roc-


capiata, e dell' altre terre del marchesato di Saluzzo, e del
Piemonte. In Torino, M.DC.LXXVIII. Per Gio. Sinibaldo
Stampatore di S. A. R. e dell' illustrissima, & eccellentissima

camera." This collection was lent me through the kindness of


an eminent statesman, who once occupied a high post under the
Sardinian government.
^ Raccolta, p. 24.
74 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

" Our fathers have professed this religion in the


valleys from time immemorial, and long before the
ruling dynasty was established in Piemont."
Muratori ^
confirms this view of the subject by
confessing, that he could gather little more from
the scanty records of the early history of Piemont
than this, — that in the middle ages the principality
was constantly passing under different sovereigns,

and that the people took advantage of these changes


to obtain grants favourable to their rights and
privileges.

There is another proof of the inalienable rights


which the natives of the valleys possess, and of the
claims they have to consider themselves a privi-
leged and ancient religious community, viz. in the
style which runs through all the edicts to which I
have made allusion, and in all the answers returned
by the Dukes of Savoy to the petitions of these
people. Their country is called ''
the valleys,"
distinctively. They themselves are spoken of as
" THE MEN OF THE VALLEYS," " HUOMINI DELLE VALLI,"
and " OUR faithful subjects of the valleys,'*
" FEDELI SUDDITE NOSTRI DELLE VALLI." " ReLLI-
GioNARii," Religionists, is another peculiar appel-
lation applied to them; so that they have been
constantly regarded as a distinct race, whose

*
Muratori torn. xi. Praefat. in Chron. Ast. and torn, xxiii.

Prsefat. in Hist, Monteser.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 75

pretensions have been matter of notoriety, and


publicly and legally recognized from age to age \
At the same time the court of Savoy has taken
especial care to limit its unwilling concessions, and
its recognition of Waldensian rights and claims, to

the people of one district. Its language has been


such as this, ''
We do not refuse to tolerate the
Men of the valleys, in the profession of their
ancient faith ; but we have no toleration for non-
conformists, who live beyond certain boundaries,
they are not Vaudois, nor are they entitled to
Vaudois privileges. We are resolved to shew no
indulgence to them." The severity with which
all other ''
heretics" in Piemont have been treated,
compared with the forbearance shewn to the Vau-
dois, proclaims a state of things in every degree
peculiar to the latter, and utterly unaccountable,
unless we look to compacts of great antiquity, and
of the most solemn obligation, for a solution of the
difficulty. The exclusiveness, and the very re-
luctance of the indulgence in favour of the Vau-
dois, bespeak a vested and prescriptive right,
which has been asserted by them time out of mind.
Christians professing Waldensian principles have
been exterminated in all the regions contiguous to
the three valleys. Here only they have continued

*
A work published in 1682, under the title, " Theatrum
Statuum Regiae Celsitudinis Sabaudise Ducis," states that treaties
400 years old, secured personal and religious freedom to the
Vaudois.
!

76 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

to hold up their heads and to plead the validity of


treaties. Eight hundred thousand souls, separa-
tists from the Roman Church, formed a population
professing the faith of the reformed Church, in
the Alpine provinces of Pinerolo, Salluzzo, Dau-
phine and Provence, in the year 1550. The
20,000 Vaudois, are the only remnant that is left

Up to a certain period, (the persecution of 1655,)


there were villages and hamlets in the valleys
where no admixture of Roman Catholic families
had ever been known. The whole population were
professors of the primitive religion. In this, too,

the book of edicts confirms the statements of the


Vaudois historians, and the voice of tradition.
*^
Secondly, His Royal Highness consents, that in
those places only where all the inhabitants are
heretics, ^ dove sono tutti heretici," they may con-
tinue to elect syndics, procurators, notaries, &c. as
they have done hitherto." Edict of March 1602 \
Another order of the year 1646, gives directions
to have mass celebrated even in those communes
where there are no Catholics ^ In this manner
the very ordinances, which were issued to keep the
Vaudois in check, seem to bear witness to the fact,

that certain districtshad been peopled imme-


morially by a race, who never were in communion
with the Roman Church, and which were ex-
empt even from the presence of Romanists.

'
Raccolta degP Editti. p. 18. 2 n^itj. p, sO.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. W
From these inferential arguments in support of
the antiquity of the Waldenses, I proceed to notice
the direct testimony of History in favour of my
hypothesis.

SECTION III.

THE TESTIMONY OF HISTORY, GATHERED FROM THE


ADVERSARIES OF THE WALDENSES, OR FROM IN-
DIFFERENT EARLY WRITERS.

Either the pages of history have not been en-


riched by any Waldensian authors of a very early
date, or if there were any annals written by native
chroniclers, previously to the year 1000, they have
accidentally perished amidst the devastations com-
mitted in the valleys, or they have been purposely
destroyed by their enemies. I am inclined to

adopt the latter opinion, for these reasons. It is

far from improbable, that the monks Belvidere


and Rorenco, who made their inquisitorial visits
to the valleys, and delivered official reports, touch-
ing the antiquity of the Waldensian Church, had
more than tradition for their authority, when they
agreed in stating that " heretics had been found at
all periods of history in the valley of Angrogna," and
that " nothing certain could be said of the Walden-
ses, furthermore than that they were not a new sect
78 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

in the ninth and tenth centuries." It is very hkely


that they had access to documents, which they did
not permit the world to hear of any more. The
suspicion is confirmed by that which Claude Seissel,
Archbishop of Turin, said of them about the year
1500. " The Vaudois sect, which originated with
one Leon, a devout man in the time of Constan-
tine the Great," &;c. Every scrap of paper, and
every book upon which the harpies of oppression
could lay their hands, during the various perse-
cutions of the Vaudois, were seized and sent to
Turin, and nothing was permitted again to see the
light, which did not please the court and the priest-

hood. Hence the noble and learned author of


^^
Essai sur les Anciennes Assemblees Nationales de
la Savoye, du Piemont, et des Pays, qui y sont ou
furent annexees," has said in his introduction, that
no history is less known than that of Savoy and
Piemont ; and speaking of Guichenon, whom he
mentions as '^
le plus connu" of all the historians
of these countries, he calls him a courtier and a
mercenary writer, who did not dare to write a line
which had not passed and re-passed through the
crucible at Turin. See p. 3, 4.
Leger, the Vaudois historian of the seventeenth
century, declared that there was no artifice, no
exertion, no expence spared by the enemies of his

church, both in quiet and troublesome times, to


efface all records of the ancient Vaudois from the
face of the earth ; and added, that after he himself
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 79

had searched every where, and had collected what


he could relating to the antiquity of the Walden-
ses, every book and every morsel of paper was
taken away from him during the massacres of 1655,
and carried to Turin \ Not the least scrap was
left to him, and it was by incredible pains that he
was able to gather the materials of his history, from
relics that were preserved in the neighbouring pro-
vinces of France. An affecting memorandum of
the spoliation of which Leger complains in his
history, is preserved in one of the pages of an
old Italian Bible, now in the possession of the Dean
of Winchester. It was Leger's own Bible, and in
it he traced these melancholy lines with his own
hands.
" Questa S. Biblia e' V unico tesoro che di tutti
miei beni ho potuto riscampare dagl' orribile mas-
sacri e incomparabile incendie die la corte di
Torino ha fatti eseguir nelle valli di Piemonte del
1655, ce per questo (oltre che vi sono piu nottule di
mia mano) raccommando et commando a miei figli

di conservarla come una preciosissima reliqua, e di


transmetterla di mano in mano alia loro posterita.
" Giovanni Legero, Pastore."

" This holy Bible is the only treasure which,


of all my goods, I was able to rescue from the
horrible massacres, and unparalleled destructions

^
Leger, Histoire des Eglises Vaudoises. Liv. i. cap. 4.

2
80 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

which the court of Turin put in execution, in the


valleys of Piemont, in 1655, and for this reason
(besides that there are in it many small remarks in
my own hand- writing) I recommend and command
my children to preserve it as a most valuable
relic, and to transmit it, from hand to hand, to
their posterity.
" John Leger, Pastor."

The title-page of this Bible runs thus :

" La Sacra Biblia, tradotta in Lingua Italiana,

e commentata da Giovanni Diodati, di Nazione


Lucchese, Seconda Editione migliorata ed accres-
ciuta con I'aggiunta di Sacri Salmi messi in rime
per lo medesimo. Per Pietro Chovet, mdcxli."
By the kindness of the Dean of Winchester I

have been enabled to present my readers with a


fac simile of this curious memorandum.
It is a singular thing that the destruction or
rapine, which has been so fatal to Waldensian
documents, should have pursued them even to the
place of security, to which all, that remained, were
consigned by Morland, in 1658, the library of
the university of Cambridge. The most ancient
of these relics were ticketed in seven packets, dis-
tinguished by letters of the alphabet, from A to
G. The whole of these were missing when I made
enquiry for them, in 1823. What these precious
records were, may be seen by a reference to the
catalogue given in ^^
Morland's History of the
>i
b.
1
LI
5: ^
1^

^
4 -v^

5 N

31

FaJ ^ -^

^1

I"
^ !^ =^
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 81

Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont."


P.95—98.
Under these circumstances, we must search
among the works of authors, who did not write
professedly of the Waldenses, for traces of their
existence as an independent Church, at pe-
riods anterior to the twelfth century, the era
which is fixed upon by their adversaries, or by ill-

informed Protestant historians, for their first ap-


pearance as impugners of the Romish faith. Hap-
pily the search will not be in vain, and in annals
and treatises, sufficiently ancient for our purpose,
there are found incidental or direct allusions to
a body of Christians, dwelling in districts border-
ing upon the Alps, and protesting against the cor-
ruptions or usurpations of the Latin Church, which
leave not a doubt that the ancestors of the Vau-
dois were the Non-conformists so described.
Alcuin, in one of his epistles \ which was writ-
ten about the year 790, complains, that the doc-
trine of auricular confession was not then received
in the Churches of Languedoc and of the Alps.
This corresponds exactly with the representation
of one of the main points of difference urged
with so much force in the " Nobla Leycon,*" of
the Waldenses. " The priest asketh him if he

* I take this upon the authority of Voltaire's " Additions


II I'Histoire Generale," Ed. of 1763, 12mo. I have not been
able to find the passage to which Voltaire alkides.

G
82 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

has committed any sin. He answers in a few


words, and buyeth of the priest absolution. Alas,
they are but sadly confessed who are thus faulty,
and will certainly be deceived in such absolution,
and he that maketh him believe it, sinneth mor-
tally."

Jonas, Bishop of Orleans \ in the epistle pre-


fatory to his work, *'
De Cultu Imaginum," ad-
dressed to Charles the Bald, in 840, and in the
body of this work, speaks of Italian Churches,
which he accuses of heterodoxy, because they
refused to worship images, and raves against
Claude, Bishop of Turin, for encouraging the peo-
ple of his diocese in their rejection of image wor-
ship, and their separation from that which he
called Catholic unity. The valleys of Piemont
were, at that period, under the episcopal jurisdic-
tion of Claude ^
Dungalus % about the same time, 840 or 841,
wrote a treatise, under the title of " An Answer
to the perverse opinions of Claude, Bishop of
Turin." In this, and in the fragments'^ which are
still extant of Claude's own works, may be found
an ample account of this prelate's opposition to

^ Biblioth. Patr. Parisiis, 1624, torn. iv. p. 533—594.


^ In some accounts of Claude, he is calledBishop of Turin and
Embrun. The valleys of Piemont lie between Turin and Embrun.
' Ibid. p. 154. 198.
* See Bib. Patr. torn. i. ii. Mabillon Analecta, and Bib. Mss.
Labbei.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 83

the growing errors of the Latm Church, and of the


rehgious sentiments of the people who looked up
to him for instruction and sanction. Claude died
between 838 and 841, and during a life of great
activity, and more especially when he ruled over
the see of Turin, protested against the authority
of tradition when unsupported by Scripture, and
pledged himself to promulgate nothing, but that
which was consistent with the doctrines and dis-

cipline of the primitive Church \ He raised the


laugh of scorn against superstitious articles of
faith, which were of modern invention. He
spurned with his feet the images of saints, and
the pretended relics of holy men of old, and he
had the sagacity and the boldness to ask his ad-
versaries, " Why do not the worshippers of the
wood of the cross, in conformity with their newly
adopted principles, adore chaplets of thorns, be-
cause Christ was crowned with thorns ; or spears,
because Christ was pierced with that weapon ?

Or why do they not fall down before the image of


an ass, because Christ honoured that animal by
riding upon it ?" How little did Claude then ima-
gine, and how far were the first promoters of such
errors from suspecting, that the time would come,

^
While Claude was lifting up his voice in his diocese of Tuiin
against image- worship, Agobardus was doing the same in his

dioceso of Lyons. See his Treatise against Pictures, Edit, a S.

Baluzio. The primitive Churches east and west of the Alps must
have been under one or other of these Bishops.

G 2

84 WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES.

when the vilest of these fooleries should grow out


of that mischievous departure from the simplicity
of the Gospel, which began with directing towards
an outward emblem that adoration, which is due
to God alone ! Among the Roman Catholic fes-
tivals there was, if there is not still, a commemo-
ration called the " Feast of Asses" ''
asinaria
festa," in which an ass was led in procession, cover-
ed with sumptuous trappings, and before which
hymns and anthems were sung in real or mock
solemnity. The church itself was the scene of
these profanations, and the nave and the choir
were desecrated by the presence of the animal, and
his more brutish conductors \
It is the concurrent voice of several historians,
that the ^'
Men of the valleys" were not unmoved
by the examples of their metropolitan, Claude. I

have already shewn that the monk Rorenco at-

*
Mr. Sharon Turner has given a faithful account of this abo-
minable festival in his History of England during the Middle
Ages, vol. V. book vii. ch. ii. He cites as his authority Du
Cange, Gloss, ii. 402 ; and Millin's account of it from the
Missal, composed by an Archbishop of Sens, who died in 1222,
The enlarged Paris edition of Du Gauge's Glossary, 1733, re-
lates, at some length, that after the mass, which w^s celebrated
at this festival, the priest, instead of exclaiming, " Ite, missa est,"

as usual, brayed three times *. Voltaire has recorded, that a

stuffed ass was preserved with great reverence in the church of


Notre Dame des Orgues, in Verona. See Add. a I'Hist. Gen.
p. 129.

* See Sub verbis Festum Asinorum, vol. iii. p, 423.


;

WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 85

tributed, what he calls, their first schism to the in-


stigations of Claude, and to his preachings and
writings against the introduction of images, the
adoration of the cross, and the invocation of saints.
Genebrard, in his chronological notices of the
tenth and eleventh centuries, shews that the ves-
tiges of Claude's " new sect" still remained in
those ages. But Claude himself, in answer to the
charge adduced against him, of promulgating no-
velties in religion, declared, " I teach no new

sect, but I keep myself to the pure truth, and I

will persist in opposing, to the uttermost, all

superstitions and schisms \"


Upon another occasion, when this great man
felt it necessary to justify his belief and practice,
as to the invocation of saints, he explained himself
thus. " One man cannot be made holy by the
holiness of another, or prudent by the prudence
of another, or wise by the wisdom of another
there is no imparting, or communicating these
qualities. But by the contemplation of these in-

communicable virtues, by emulation we may be-


come embued with a similar spirit." He then
quoted a passage from Augustin, de vera Reli-
gione, cap. 55. to this effect, " Our religion is not
to be a worship of dead men. The pious of other
days are to be honoured for the imitation sake,
and are not to be adored rehgiously^" Such

* Bib. Patr. torn. i. Parisiis. Epis. Claud, ad Theodemirum.


^ See Mabillon Vetera Ana. p. 91.
!

86 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

were the sentiments of the Bishop to whom the


Vaudois rendered canonical submission in the
ninth century. How absurd then to pretend that
these and similar sentiments were unknown in

Europe till they were introduced by strangers


from the East, in the eleventh century, and that
they were not openly avowed by any religious
community, before the twelfth century.
Atto, in the year 945, governed the see of Ver-
ceil, which lies between Turin and Milan. The
epistles of this Bishop are still preserved. In some
of them he speaks of persons who had deserted
the holy mother Church and his mention of their
;

vicinity to his own diocese, and of points of differ-

ence resembling those maintained by the Wal-


denses, direct our eye at once towards the quarter,
where tradition places the little lamp of truth,

which was never extinguished, or left untrimmed.


" Atto to all the faithful in our diocese. Alas
that there should be many in your parts who hold
our divine services in derision. Alas for the miser-
able wretches who have separated from our holy
mother Church, and from the priesthood, through
whom alone you can attain unto salvation \"
In the year 1025, half a century before Beren-
garius was pronounced to be a preacher of strange
doctrines (the favourite charge of the Latin Church
against all who dissent from her, thus Claude was

^
Spicilegium Dacherii, vol. viii. p. 1 10, 1 li.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 87

accused of forming a new sect in the ninth century,


Berengarius in the eleventh, and the Waldenses
in the twelfth ; and yet in each case these new
doctrines were the same which were to be traced

up to the primitive ages) —a synod was held at


Arras, in which it was represented to Bishop Ge-
rard, who presided, that *^
certain persons had
come from the borders of Italy, and had introduced
heretical dogmas \" And what were these ? Pre-
cisely the same which the Vaudois have always

avowed. They are jumbled together with extra-


vagances, but the principal charges amounted to
this :
''
That the accused had endeavoured to per-
vert the disciphne of the Church, to explain the
nature of a certain justification, by which alone
men can be saved, to prove that baptism is of no
avail, unless the after hfe of the baptized corre-
spond with the spiritual object of the Sacrament,
that Christ is not carnally present in the Eucha-
rist, that there is no virtue in altars, bells, relics,
tombs of the dead, and none in the wood of
the cross, or in the pictures or images of the
saints ^" Such in 1025, and at a public tribunal,
was shewn to be the religious persuasion of here-
tics from the confines of Italy.

About the year 1050 Petrus Damianus addressed


letters to Adelaide, Countess of Savoy and Duchess

Spicilegium Dacherii, vol. xiii. p. 2.


^ Ibid. vol. xiii. p. 2—63.
88 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of the Suhalpins, complaining that the clergy of her


dominions did not observe the ordinances of the
Church ^
Seventy years afterwards we again find incidental
mention of a schism in Italy, which bears on the
face of it the strongest marks of probability, that
the territory of the Waldenses was the seat of this
schism.
The Chronicon of the monastery of St. Tron
was written by the Abbot Rodolphe, between the
years 1108 and 1136 ^ and in this it is stated, that
;

there was a land in Italy, which the chronicler de-


sired to visit, when he crossed the Alps, and made
a journey to Rome. He had heard that it was
polluted by an inveterate heresy concerning the
body and blood of our Lord. '^
Prasterea terrain
ad quam ulterius disposuerat peregrinari, audiebat

pollutam esse inveterata haeresi de corpore et


sanguine Domini ^" The terms " terram,'' " pollu-
tam^' and " inveterata^ imply three things: first,

that it was a whole region which was affected by


doctrines which the good abbot, whose admiration
of the faith and discipline of the Latin Church car-
ried him to Rome, believed to be heretical. He
knew, no doubt, that Berengarius of France, and
his followers, had propounded doctrines against the
real presence, but here in Italy a whole people
declared themselves against it, and this raised

*
See Oper. Dam. p. 5QQ,
^ Spicilegium Dacherii, vol. vii. p. 455. ^ Ibid. p. 493
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 89

his curiosity. Secondly, they imply that the evil


had spread wide, and was of deep root, polluting
the soil, and thirdly, that it was of very old
standing; that it was inveterate, at that period,
viz. in the year 1124 or 1125, when Rodolphe

was Rome.
at The passage to which I allude
contains some obscurities ; and it may be thought
a little too bold to assert positively, that the
country, of which Rodolphe made mention, was
that of the Vaudois of Piemont, but the ad-
vocates of the Papal system are welcome to the
objections which may arise out of this difficulty.

If it was not the sub-alpine region of Piemont,


where this heresy, spoken of by Rodolphe, was of
deep root and long continuance, then there was
some other province in Italy, besides that of the
Vaudois, where an obstinate difference of opinion
prevailed upon one of the most important tenets
of the Latin Church ; and this point at least is
established, that a main article of the creed of
the Reformers, which, it is alleged, was intro-
duced as a novelty ^
into Europe in the eleventh
century, was firmly seated, and had been long

* Joannes Scotus had agitated this question nearly two hun-


dred years before Berengarius discussed it. Scotus died in 884.
See an account of his writings, Spicil. Dacherii, vol. ii. In the
letter of Durandus to Henry I. King of France, in 1050, that
polemic complained that Berengarius had introduced an old
heresy to modern times, " antiquas hgereses modernis temporibus
introducendo." Concil. Lab. tom. ix. p. 1061.
90 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

firmly seated, not in the breasts of a few indivi-


duals, a few Berengarians, but in the bosom of
an entire population in some part of Italy, at
a period early enough to upset all the pretended
stories of new sects and unheard-of doctrines.
Nothing can be gained to the Romanists by de-
nying that Rodolphe had an eye to the Wal-
denses : most probably he did not know them
by name, but the narrative that he gives of his
journey proves, that he had heard of a country in
Italy, where Christians professed a faith different

from his own, and denied the real presence, in the

sense of the Roman Church ; that he desired to


visit it, when he was on that side of the Alps where
it lay, but that the state of his health and finances,
and fear of danger, prevented him, and therefore
he returned straight home from Rome to St. Tron.

There is not a word in the Abbot's Journal to de-


signate the geography of the region in question,
save this, that while he was in Italy it was desira-

ble to complete the object of his journey, and to


investigate the particulars of a prevailing heresy
in the land where it flourished. It does not even
appear that he himself knew exactly where the
region was situated \

^
The whole of the passage, which is exceedingly ambiguous,
except as to the one fact of a whole region in Italy being polluted
by inveterate heresy, lies within the compass of a few lines: —
**
Cumque vigilans nocte aliquando jaceret, et die in Ecclesiis

solus Romse resideret, diligenti cura et sollicito retractabat

2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 91

Towards the year 1140, Bernard, Abbot of Clair-


vaux, having received a letter from Evervinus of
Cologne, concerning some heretics of that place,
took occasion to compose a long invective against
such as presumed to oppose themselves to the dog-
mas of the Latin Church. With the usual artifice
of monkish writers \ who have a passion for

reviling all who disagree with them, he contrived


to mix up truth and falsehood together in one
heterogeneous compound, and confounding every
denomination of Christians at variance with Rome
under the common name of heretics, to ascribe

animo, quae peregrinationis suae fuisset intentio, et de ea reve-


lata religiosis viris quid in itinere didicisset ab eis. Sollici-

tabat enim eum hoc non parum ad ea quse cogitaverat, si essent


explenda, cuncta ei jam surrepta fuerant necessaria. Prscterea
terram ad quam ulterius disposuerat peregrinari, audiebat pollu-

tam esse inveterata haeresi, de corpore et sanguine Domini, sed

et de consilio animae suae, et eorum qui sibi fuerant commissi


nihil aliud audierat a religiosis viris, nisi quod domi didicerat
ex ecclesiastica disciplina et libris communibus tarn nobis quam
illis. Super hoc accreverat ei passio jamdudum in clune quam
pbysici solent ciaticam appellare, ea cum gressum ei perstrin-

geret, equitare etiam sine continuo cruciatu non sinebat."


Spic. Dae. tom. 7. p. 493. The relation proceeds to state, that

Rodolphe returned straight home.


^ It has ever been the malice and the wisdom of the Church
of Rome to paint all who are disaffected to herself under the
vilest colours ; Manichaeans, Arians, Novatians, Paulicians, were
names that became odious to Christian ears at a very early pe-
riod of Christian history, and it was therefore a sure way of ren-
dering non-conformists suspected and obnoxious to brand them
with these stigmas.
:

92 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the extravagances of any one sect to them all.

But in spite of this disingenuous dealing, he


suffered a statement to escape him, to which I
have already made reference, [p. 43.] but which
must again be brought forward as belonging legiti-
mately to this parcel of evidence. In substance it

is this. ''
There is a sect which calls itself after

no man's name, which affects to be in the direct


line of apostolical succession, and rustic and un-
learned though it is, yet it contends that we are
wrong, and that it only is right. It must derive
its origin from the devil, since there is no other ex-
traction which we can assign to it \" We thank
him for this admission. He gives his valuable tes-
timony to the very fact that we are so anxious to
establish. Whether they were the Waldenses of
whom he was speaking, or others, it matters not
it is enough for us to know that in the time of this
learned, industrious, and enquiring Romanist, there
was an ancient community in Europe, avowing
sentiments in opposition to Rome, such as the
Waldenses have ever avowed —such as Protestants
now maintain, and who yet acknowledged no here-
siarch, no chief, or founder, whose memory they
held in honour, or to whose tenets they subscribed,
as did the Manichaeans, the Arians, the Sabellians,
Nestorians, &c. What then becomes of the fable
of the Paulicians, or other fathers of the Reforma-

^
Bernard, Sernio suj). Cant. (yQ.

WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 93

tion, whom Gibbon and Mosheim, with the assist-

ance of Glaber and Muratori, transported from Asia


into France and Italy ? Bernard, who was born
towards the latter end of the eleventh century,
had opportunities enough of ascertaining the truth,
if the first seeds of the Waldensian heresy had

been sown by foreign hands in the eleventh cen-

tury. But not a word of this. On the contrary,


he attests the existence of a connnunity, which
boasted, that it called itself after no man*s name,
because it was of apostolical descent. He does not
indeed speak of the country of this community,
but his simple mention of it confirms our belief
in the probability, that the Vaudois, in the very
earliest times, put in their claims to be consi-
dered a pure branch of the primitive Church, and
refused, as they do now, any other appellation
than that which belonged to them, as members of
Christ's universal Church, or as inhabitants of the
valleys. Better evidence of the Scriptural purity
of their faith cannot be adduced, for sectarians or
schismatics, properly so called, in general make no
disguise of their origin, as separatists from an es-
tablished Church, or from the larger body, but
take a pride in calling themselves after the author
of their opinions or head of their party. The Wal-
denses, adhering from age to age to the primitive
faith, have for that reason rejected any distinctive
appellation. In like manner, while many sectarians
94 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

have openly professed sentiments of the wildest


and most extravagant character, the Waldenses
have never pleaded guilty to any one of the un-
scriptural opinions, which have been imputed to
them. Fanatics in general have no objection to
the denomination which most nearly describes
them. However offensive it may be, it is a sort
of persecution of which they are proud, and in
progress of time the term is accepted on their part
with the same readiness, with which it is applied
to them by their adversaries. But the men of the
valleys, conscious of their own orthodoxy, and abo-
minating the extravagant folly of fanatics, quite as

much as the Romanists did, would never consent


to have any name applied to them, but their own.
Hence even the most ferocious of the edicts, which
were issued against them in the days of persecution,
never styled them by any term worse than " here-
tics," or *^
professors of the pretended reformed reli-
gion." This forbearance on the part of their so-
vereigns and their advisers *
is a clear proof, that

^
Although the public authorities were thus sparing in the

terms which they applied to the Vaudois, in the acts and ordi-
nances of the principality, yet Romish writers and controver-
sialists have not refrained from loading them with every appel-
lation from the vocabulary of heresy. I consider this to be ano-

ther testimony in favour of the antiquity of the Waldensian


Church, and of its successful opposition to the usurpations of

Rome. Whenever any resistance was made to the new corrup-


tions of that Church, it was attributed to Waldensian origin ; and
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 95

whatever visionary or monstrous tenets may have


been adopted by other dissidents from Rome^ the
non-conforming Church of the Alps has continued
''
to be as sober in its articles of faith, as the sect"

contemporary with Bernard of Clairvaux, which


disclaimed all connection with any but apostolical
founders.
In the year 1183, four years after the Lateran
Council under Alexander III. in which the Albi-
genses were anathematised, their goods pro-
nounced to be confiscated, and their persons con-

demned to slavery ^ Pope Lucius published a bull

against the heresies and heretics, which, as that


document set forth, " had sprung up in most parts
of the world," and had obtained different names
from the several false doctrines which they pro-

in the " Glossarium ad Scriptores mediae et infimae Latinitatis,"

we find that every appellation by which schismatics were known,


had its synonym in Waldenses. — e. g.

" Buoni Homines" —" Reinerus contra Valdenses ait," &c.


" Bulgari" — Cathari qui iidem sunt cum Valdensibus/'
*'

" Cathari" — " Etiam postmodum Valdensium Secta-dicti

tores."

" Insabbatati et Sabbatati" —" Haeretici Valdensium Asseclae


Sectarii."
" Leonistae" — '* Haeretici qui alias Valdenses."
" Lngdunenses" — '* Sive Valdenses."
" Pauperes de Lugduno" —" Haeretici qui vulgo Valdenses,"&c.
" Passagini" —" Haeretici Valdensium Sectarii."
" Paterini" — " Dicti prseterea Haeretici Valdensium Sectarii."
" Runcarii" — " Haeretici Valdensium Asseclae."
^
See Concil. Lat. torn. 10. p. 1522.
96 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

fessed. This bull declared " all Cathari, Paterini,


and those who called themselves the humble or
poor men of Lyons, and Passagini (i. e. men of the
valleys, from their mountain passes, as I have
shewn p. 61, note.) to lie under a perpetual ana-
thema ;" and it especially denounced those " who
taught any opinions concerning the Sacrament of
the body and blood of Christ, Baptism, the remis-
sion of sins, matrimony, or any other Sacraments
of the Church, differing from what the holy Church
of Rome doth preach and observe." It also en-

joined " every archbishop or bishop, either in his


own person or by his archdeacon, to visit, once or
twice in the year, the parishes in which it is re-
ported that heretics dwell ^"
Again, in the year 1194, Alphonso, King of Ar-
ragon, and Marquess of Provence, issued a public
edict '^
commanding and charging the Valdenses,
Insabbatati, who otherwise are called the poor
men of Lyons, and ail other heretics, to depart out
^"
of his kingdom and all his dominions
Now what do we infer from these complaints
of the prevalence of opinions hostile to the Roman
Church, in which express mention is made of
Waldenses? Not that which Pope Lucius IIL
would have had the dupes of the pontificate to
believe, that they were " heresies lately sprung up

'
Concil. Lab. torn. 10. p. 1737.
* Bib. Patr. torn. 13. p. 230.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 97

in all parts of the world/' but that they were the


lingering doctrines of the Primitive Church, which
at the latter end of the twelfth century were still

cherished by some few, at least, in all parts of the


world, —and which the Romanists had hitherto
found it difficult to supplant by the substitution
of their own perversions and fables. Not that
anti-papal novelties were now first spreading in all

parts of the world ; but that the papacy began to


feel itself strong enough to enforce those corrup-
tions of its own, in diverse quarters, which had long
been pushing truth out of the way. The opinions
held by recusants concerning the sacraments, con-
trary to those of Rome, were in accordance with
the simple articles of the apostolical faith, while
those, which the mistress Church, supported by
bigoted emperors and imbecile princes, was at-
tempting to thrust upon the nations of Europe,
were unscriptural creeds, which rendered the cross
burthensome or contemptible.
Endeavours were made to shew that the Albi-
genses were of recent appearance at the time of
the Lateran Council, in 1179. But in 1163' the
Council of Tours had spoken of the contagion as
having spread long ago, far and wide, and in the
parts about Thoulouse, Gascony, and in many
other provinces. Similar attempts were hazarded
to describe the Waldenses and Poor Men of Lyons


See Con. Lam. torn. 10. p. 1410.

H
98 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

as the same sect, and to make it believed that


they were so named from Waldo, of Lyons, who
began his reforming career in 1161, and terminated
it in 1 179. But can any thing be more absurd than
to suppose that a religious faction, originating about
twenty or twenty-two years previously to the bull
of Lucius III., could have so spread " in most parts
of the world ^"
as to occasion the meeting of " pa-
triarchs, archbishops, and many princes, from se-

veral parts of the world V' "to devise the best means
of putting it down ^ ?" In the present age, with all

the aid of printing and rapid communication, would


it be easy to extend any religious innovation, so
as to make it influential and formidable through-
out the world within a space of twenty years, un-

» See bull of Lucius, in 1183, Concil. Lab. torn. 10. p. 1737.


^ It has been affirmed that the orders of the Franciscans and
Dominicans were instituted to silence the Waldenses. See
Bib. Patr. tom. 4. p. ii. p. 729.
^ The oath which was about this time administered to all

" kings, princes, governors, earls, barons, consuls, and prefects


of cities", in communion with the Latin Church, was that ''
they
would powerfully and effectually assist the Church against here-
tics and their accomplices, and endeavour faithfully to execute
the ecclesiastical and imperial statutes concerning the matters
therein mentioned." See Cone. Lab. 10. 1737. Ignorant
secular officers were not likely to understand what was heresy

against scriptural truth, and what was not, consequently the


clergy proceeded rapidly after this, in rooting out the simple
services of Churches, independent hitherto of Rome, and in es-

tablishing the mass and all its concomitant corruptions.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 99

less it were backed by the force of arms ? Could


this have been done then at a period when com-
munication and intercourse were impeded by a
thousand obstacles unknown to the existing gene-
rations ?

The fact is, that the council of prelates and


princes, and the papal bull, were employed to ex-
tinguish the few bright sparks that were left of the
flame of truth kindled by the Primitive Church.
Up to this period, and still later, the fire was
kept alive in those regions, which were at a dis-
tance from the jealous eye of the triple crowned
usurper, and remote from seats of government
where his influence prevailed. In the strong
holds of the valleys of Piemont it continued to
burn most brightly for reasons which I have stated
above —there it never was smothered, and the name
of its became synonymous for
vigilant guardians
all that was most feared and abhorred by the Latin
ecclesiastics.

The contradictory statements of the haters of


the remaining light of the Primitive Church are
evidence of the shame, to which it had long
continued to put those who loved darkness rather
than light. " It is a heresy just sprung up,"
said Pope Lucius, in his bull of 1183. "It is

powerful, public, and every where allowed,"


said the twenty-seventh canon of the Lateran
Council in 1179. " It shewed itself long ago,
and is now spreading like a cancer, in all the
H 2
100 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

regions round about Thoulouse^ in Gascony, and


in very many provinces," — is the complaint of the
fourth canon of the Council of Thoulouse in 1163.
*^
It is busily agitating the questions of the real

presence, infant baptism, and the validity of our


sacerdotal orders," — is the declaration of the third
canon of the Council of Thoulouse in 1119.
*'
It is new," said the abbot of Fons Calidus, in
1140. '^
It is old," said his contemporary Ecbert.
''
It is contemptible," said Bernard of Clairvaux,
who flourished about the same period. " It is

formidable," said one of Bernard's correspondents.


" It was a novelty in the 12th and 13th cen*
turies," said the monks Reiner and Mariana
and Gretser. " It was not a new heresy in the

10th century," said the Prior Rorenco, ^'


but only
the continuation of the heresy of the preceding
ages."
Having traced the Waldenses through the 8th,
9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries, I have now
brought the enquirer down to an epoch, when
more formidable and systematic engines were set

to work, to root out the last adherents to the pri-


mitive forms and creeds of the Christian Church,
In the quaint and sarcastic language of Berenga-
rius, " the world had long began to see in the

bishop of Rome, non solum pontificem sed pompi-


ficem, et pulpificem" —not only the pontifical, but
the pompous and aspiring character. After the
successful crusade against the Albigenses and the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 101

remains of the Apostolical Christians in France,


between 1206 and 1218, the ecclesiastical histo-

rians and polemics in the interests of the pope,


began to give their attention more carefully to the
subject of non-conformity, and to declare war
against different bodies of the disaffected, and to
anathematize them by name, as far as locality or
avowed religious sentiments might render it pos-
sible to classify them. The dissidents of the
south of France had rendered themselves suffi-

ciently conspicuous to be brought under the ap-


pellation of Albigenses, either because Albi was
the centre of the country where the religious con-
flict raged, or because the council of Albi, or Con-
ference of Albi in 1179, first invited the notice
of the papacy to the strong feeling, which mani-
fested itself in Languedoc, against the encroach-
ments of the Latin clergy. But it was no easy
matter to enrol the recusants under distinctive
names in other regions. The opponents of Rome
were to be found every where, intermixed with
the population. They were in Spain \ and

* Geddes has shewn in his Miscelhineous Tracts, vol. ii. that


no people held the liegemen of Rome and their unscriptural

perversions of the truth in greater scorn than the early Churches


of Spain. He asserts that the Gothic liturgy, used in Spain till

about 1080, contained nothing like the fables of the Missal,


and that in the canons of forty Synods, or national and provin-
cial Councils, held in succession, from that of Eliberis in 305,
not a word is to be found in support of papal supremacy.
102 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Portugal from the Pyrenees to Gibraltar —witness


the three books of the Spanish writer, Lucas
Tudensis, *^
On the Controversies concerning
another Life, and on Heretical errors/' composed
between the years 1220 and 1240. So thickly
were the impugners of Rome interspersed among
his countrymen, that Lucas had no other common
name for them but the prostituted term, heretic.
When Mariana, however, came to republish these
books four hundred years afterwards, he chose to
entitle them '^
The three books of Lucas Tudensis
against the errors of the Albigenses/' Not a word
is said about the Albigenses throughout the whole
of the original, but the interpolation was made,
^' because," says Mariana in the Epistolary dedica-
tion and in the Preface, " the Albigenses were the
sect which flourished contemporary with Lucas ^"
Those, who will take the trouble to read this work,
and observe how fondly Lucas dwells upon the
presumed opinions of Isidore, the Spanish saint,
how he laments that Spanish enthusiasm should
be cooled, and should not burst out in arms
against the enemies of the Catholic faith —how
^

he declaims against heretical conventicles —the


public disputations of heretics ^
— profanation
their

of the parish churches *, —the arrival of Arnald in

^
Bib. patr. torn. 4. Parisiis, 1624. p. 575, 581.
2 Ibid. p. 693. ' Ibid. p. 694.
* Ibid. p. 703.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 103

Spain and the transactions at Leon \ — will per-

ceive that themind of Lucas was occupied by the


consideration of Spanish, and not of Albigensian,
or foreign non-conformity.
That the discontent was as general in other
countries as in France and Spain, especially in
Belgium and Germany, against Papal insolence
and unholiness, will equally appear from the tracts
which issued from the pens of Ebrard de Bethune
of Flanders (fl. 1212), of Bernard, Abbot of Fons
Cahdus (fl. 1146), of Ermengard, and Ever-
vinus of Cologne, the correspondent of Bernard of
Clairvaux (fl. 1140), who did all that in them lay
to reconcile their contemporaries to the Roman
yoke, and to inflame them against such as made
it their religious duty to uphold the simplicity of
the Gospel, and to expose the falsehoods of the
Latin Church. But for the very reason that the
champions of the truth, and the asserters of pri-

mitive faith and discipline, were thus intermingled


every where with the population of the countries
where they lived and preached, and that there was
no region but one (the valleys of Piemont) where
Romish errors had not crept into the public eccle-
siastical constitutions, these writers, like Bernard
of Clairvaux, spoke of Rome's adversaries under
the common name of heretics, or under the still

more obnoxious term Manichaeans. Gretser, the

^ Bib. Patr. torn. 4. Parisiis, 1624, p. 706.


104 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

editor of the works of Ebrard, of Bernard of Fons


Calidus, and of Ermengard, emblazoned them all

three as a triad who wrote ^'


against the sect of
the Waldenses." There is not the least proof to
be adduced from internal evidence that either
Bernard or Ermengard had enlisted themselves
expressly against '^
the men of the valleys." Ber-
nard'swork should have been called " Adversus
Inobedientes Ecclesiae Romanse or ^^ Trea- ^ ;'*

tise against those who refuse to submit to the


Church of Rome." It is almost wholly occupied
by remonstrances with those who questioned
the authority of the Pope, and of the popish clergy,
and shews clearly enough, that Rome had no Httle
trouble in reconciling the public mind to her pre-
tensions, even in the middle of the twelfth century.
Gretser's malignant hatred of the Waldenses is

displayed pre-eminently in the substitution, which


he has hazarded in his edition of Ermengard's
book. Ermengard wrote ^^ against those who say
and believe that this world, and all things visible,
were made not by God, but by the Devil." His
first chapter is headed, ^'
God is the Creator of all

things ;" his second, ''


There are not two Gods ^"

* The heads of the three first chapters stand thus. I. " Con-

tra hoc quod dicunt non esse obediendum summo Pontifici aliisve

Praelatis. II. De dignitate Prselatorum, quod eis sit deferen-

dum et obediendum. III. Contra eos qui detrahunt rectoribus


animarum." Bib. Patr. torn. iv. p. 1197.
2 Bib. Patr. torn. iv. p. 1235.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 105

There some slight authority for the insertion of


is

the name Waldenses at the head of Ebrard's work,


but it is very shght. " Liber antihaeresis" was the
style used by the author himself for his book and ;

in the twenty-sixth chapter \ " concerning various


heretics and their opinions/' he has enumerated
seventy sects of heretics, to neither of whom, how-
ever, does he assign either country or habitation
but the twenty-fifth chapter, " against those who
are called Xabatati," begins in this manner
" There are some who call themselves Vallenses,
because they dwell in the valley of Tears ; these
hold the Apostles in derision, and would rather be
called Xabatenses, from Xabata, than Christian,
from Christ." In the fourth paragraph of this

chapter, Ebrard addresses the objects of his vitu-


peration by the same name ;
" all these things are
objected to you by Solomon, Oh, ye Vallenses ^"
It is singular enough that this author, who lived
so near the time of Waldo (fl. 1212), and was most
probably contemporary with him, not only makes
not the slightest reference to that Reformer as the
founder of the sect of the Vallenses, but spells the
name with a V and with two L's, using neither a
W nor a D word, which he assuredly would
in the

have done, had he considered the " men of the


valleys" to have been named Waldenses, from

^ Bib. Patr. torn. iv. 173. Ebrard, in his list of heretics,


p. 1

has not one syllable about the Paulicians of Mosheim and Gib-
bon. ^ Ibid. p. 1168.
106 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Waldo. But no; with an imperfect notion of


these people, who were called after the place of
their abode, but which place was unknown to
him, a native of the lowlands of Flanders, he brings
a figurative derivation to his aid, and supposes, or
pretends to suppose them to have obtained their
appellation from their affected choice of a poor
and sorrowful life \
At length, when
was thought absolutely ne-it

cessary that Rome should give some account of


the several Churches or Congregations, by whom
her supremacy and infallibihty were questioned, a
champion arose about the year 1250, and pro-

* I cannot leave Ebrard and the Vallenses, and his editor


Gretser, without drawing attention to the extraordinary shifts to

which monkish writers are put to make out their case, and to
blacken the reputation of all such as refuse " the mark of the
beast." **
Waldenses" is synonymous with Gretser for the vilest

of heretics. Manichseans, Diabolists, and Waldenses, they are


all the same with him ; but when the crafty Jesuit finds some
reason to believe that Pope Lucius the Third, in his bull of 11 83,
made allusion to the Vallenses, he thinks that this early men-
tion of a community in the twelfth century, whom in another
work he has accused of being a sect new to the thirteenth cen-
tury, will not accord with his hypothesis, and therefore he pre-

tends that they were so called, not from their country, but by
way of presage and foreknowledge of their obstinate unbelief,
" they obtained their appellation, and were called Vallenses by

reason of a certain presage of the future, namely, from the deep


valley, from the profundity and thick darkness of error, in which
they were to be involved *."

* See Bib. Patrum, torn. iv. Praafat. ad Tract. Beinardi, p. 1195.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 107

fessed to maintain the cause of the sovereign


pontiff against all who had disputed his authority.
He boasted that he entered the lists armed at all

points, and that having been a heretic himself, no


one could give a statement of their several creeds,

and describe their strong holds and hiding places


so well as he.
The name of this polemic was Reinerus. His
Treatise against Heretics \ is the text-book, or
quiver, from which more recent controversialists
draw, whenever they desire to shoot a poisoned
arrow against the ancient Waldenses, and in fact

he is the earhest writer who attempted to give any


thing like a distinct or detailed history of the firm
opposition, which Rome experienced from this

quarter. But after all, it was only an attempt


for whether it was from malice or ignorance, such
a confused medley of names, creeds, and charac-
ters, was never yet jumbled together in any one
treatise. All the errors of all the sects are ascribed
to each. Distortions, misrepresentations, and ex-
aggerations, crowd every page. Nothing is too
absurd for separatists from the Latin Church to
believe, and nothing too abominable for them
to practise. He assails their reputation with all

* " Reineri ordinis Freed icatonim Liber contra Waldenses

Haereticos :" such is the title of the book by its editor, Gretser.
'*
Opusculum de Haereticis," was the original title. Bib. Patr.
torn. xiii. p. 298.
108 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the inveteracy and inconsistency of his prototype,


Bernard of Clairvaux, who, in the same paragraph,
describes the non-conformists who had incurred
his displeasure, as being most Christian in their
profession of faith, and most blameless in their
life and conversation ^, and yet as concealing
under this outward guise, the vilest dissimulation

and hypocrisy.
But the mighty power of truth prevailed, in de-
fiance of Reiner's prejudices ; and in the inci-
dental relations which stole from him, we find tes-

timonies in favour both of the antiquity and purity


of the Church of the Alps, and not only of it, but
of other Churches in the north of Italy, which are
absolutely amazing. Was it fatuity, was it can-
dour, was it a secret attachment to the people,
whom he had deserted and betrayed, or was it

that controlling and presiding providence of God,


which laughs the enmity of the wicked to scorn,
and forces them, in spite of themselves, to work
out his designs, which constrained this apostate to
write down, in the midst of his calumnies, so many
valuable facts relating to the people, in whom the
Protestant world takes so deep an interest ?

Reiner, in this work of his, speaks of himself as


having been a prelate in some Church not in com-
munion with Rome.

' Opera Bernardi, super Cantica, Sermo Ixv. p. 761.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 109

€C
I, the friar Reiner, formerly an haeresiarch,
but now, by the grace of God, an unworthy priest
of the order of preachers ^ compiled this tract."
It is divided into ten chapters.

1. A commendation of the Christian Faith of


the Roman Church.
2. Who is a heretic ?

3. The cause of heresy.


4. On the sects of ancient heretics.
5. On the sects of modern heretics.
6. The names of the different sects.
7. How these sects may be recognized.
8. How the heretics should be examined.
9. How they insinuate themselves into the
friendship of the great.
10. How they should be punished.
In these divisions of his subject the inconsistency
of the renegade, and the blunders of the unwilling
witness, are manifested in an equal degree ^
The Poor Men of Lyons and the Leonists are
represented in the fifth chapter as being the same,
and composing a sect of modern heretics ^

^ Bib. Patr. torn. xiii. p. 298.


* For example, he charged heretics first with rejecting " all

the Sacraments," p. 298 ; and afterwards with " administering


the Sacraments in the vulgar tongue," p. 300. —" The heretics

are found in few countries," his assertion in one place. Ibid.

p. 298 — " There is


is

scarcely any country where they are not,"


is his language in another place, p. 299.
* Ibid. p. 300. *'
Secta Pauperum de Lugduno, qui etiam
Leonistae dicuntur."
110 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

In a preceding chapter, the Leonists are said to


be the most pernicious of all the sects, for three
reasons.
1. Because they are the most ancient; more
ancient than the Manichaeans, or Arians, deriving
their descent from the time of Pope Sylvester, ac-
cording to some ; from the times of the Apostles,
according to others.
XL Because they are more universally spread
over all countries.
TIL Because they have the character of being
pious and virtuous ; because they believe in all the
articles of the Apostles' Creed ; and are guilty of
no other crime than that of blasphemy against the
Roman Church and Clergy \
The Waldenses are mentioned by name but
once, and then very briefly but every internal :

evidence goes to prove that the Waldenses, the


Leonists, and the Poor Men of Lyons, were con-
founded together, either ignorantly, or for purposes
own by Reiner.
of his
Of Peter Waldo he does not speak by name,
when he traces the origin of the Poor Men of
Lyons ; but relates the story of a zealot of Lyons,
who divided his goods among the indigent, and
became the founder of a sect ^.
Was it that he had not the hardihood to repre-
sent the Leonists in one page, as a sect which

*
Bib. Patr. torn. 299. * Ibid. 300.
xiii. p. p.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. Ill

pretended to great antiquity and in the next to de-


rive them from Waldo, who belonged to the gene-
ration before himself? Or did he allude to the
story that was current ages before his time in

Lyons, that a member of that Church opposed


himself to the pride of the hierarchy ? Phihch-
dorffius speaks of a Valdo, or Valdis, who flourished
as a Reformer in the seventh century \

Be this as it may, the Leonists and Waldenses


are strongly identified in the pages of Reiner
and every subsequent ecclesiastical historian has
taken it for granted, that the " Men of the Valleys"
were thus designated by him.
Did the Poor Men of Lyons, the Lugdunists, or
Leonists ^ of Reiner, assume that they were as
ancient as the times of Sylvester, if not of the
Apostles ? So did the Waldenses.
Did the Leonists derive their name, in all pro-
babihty, from " one Leon ?" I have already shewn
that this was predicated of the Waldenses by Ro-
renco and Claude Seysel, and Gretser himself was
not a little disconcerted by the statement in the
Chronicon of Abbas Ursbergensis, anno 1212,

* Bib. Patr. torn. xiii. p. 283.


^ Reinerus was not the only writer of the thirteenth century
who spoke of the Poor Men of Lyons, Leonists, and Waldenses,
as the same. " Valdenses sive Lugdunenses." See Chronicon
Guliel. de Puy-Laurens, Praefatio; and Glossarium Latin, sub
verbis, passim.
112 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

which represents the Pauperes de Lugduno, as an


^^
ancient order, which arose in Italy long ago \"
Did the Leonists of Reiner affirm of the Roman
Church, that it cut itself off from the body of
Christ under Pope Sylvester "*
? A similar charge

is brought against her in the Noble Lesson^of the


Waldenses, dated 1100. A.D.
Did the Leonists believe in all the articles of
the Apostles' Creed, and contend that those only
were binding upon the conscience of Christians ?

The Waldenses would never subscribe to any


other.
Was the moral character of the Leonists
unimpeachable ? (Reiner, cap. vii.) The Wal-
denses have escaped all imputations of immo-
rality ^.

It is clear, from these coincidences, that Reiner


must be considered as an historical witness to the
antiquity of the Waldenses. And though his ac-

*
Bib. Patr. torn. xiii. p. ii. p. 728.
* Ibid. p. 300. Reiner, and after him other Romanists, have
insinuated that the Waldenses objected to Sylvester, because it

was under him that the Church was united to the State, and
obtained her temporalities. The real objection consisted in
Sylvester being the first bishop who insisted, as points of
necessity, upon needless adjuncts, corporals, palls, unctions,
&c. &c. &c.
^ Paradin, in his Annals of Burgundy, 1566, says, that in the
several ancient histories which he had consulted, the Waldenses
are acquitted of all crime.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 113

count of the heretics of the day is perplexed in an


extreme degree, it makes more for the Protestant

than for the Romish cause.


There is an awkwardness in opposing truth, which

will always continue to embarrass party writers like


Reiner, and his editor, Gretser. For some reason
or other, most probably because his personal re-
searches had not extended to the remote seat of
this Alpine church, Reiner did not give the Wal-
denses that distinct place in his treatise, which will
satisfy the present enquirer touching his own
knowledge of their valleys. But he has left traces
of them, enough to render it a matter of surprise
that there should be such a perverse reluctance
on the part of our adversaries to admit the anti-
quity of the independent church of the valleys of
Piemont more especially when it is remembered
:

that he puts it beyond all doubt, that there were


churches in other parts of Italy that had long pre-
sented a most formidable front to the intrusive
clergy of the Vatican. I may also throw out by
the way, that it is much more likely that a race of

mountaineers, secluded from the world, should


have preserved the purity and simplicity of the
primitive church, than that they should suddenly
become scripture-readers and reformers in the
twelfth century, after having been overwhelmed
in the darkness that prevailed during the ninth,
tenth, and eleventh centuries.
When Roman Cathohc polemics boast of the
I
114) WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

universality of the Latin church, and complain of


the novelties which sprung up in opposition to it

for the first time in the eleventh, say some, in the


twelfth and thirteenth centuries, say others, we
would direct them to the pages of their own Rei-
ner, and there they will find what sort of Chris-

tian establishments the Romish Clergy and parti-

zans had to put down before they could erect


their own constructions. Numberless branches of
the primitive church they had to destroy : multi-
tudes of disobedient congregations they had to
force into unwdlling conformity, from the Garonne
to the mouth of the Po, on one side, and from the
very Tiber to the Rhine on the other, before Rome
could be considered one and supreme.
Reiner has recorded, and his relation is confirmed
by the numerous authorities which the industry
of Muratori collected \ that there was scarcely a
principal town or district in the north of Italy,
or in the south of France, which did not con-
tain large bodies of men protesting, in the name
of Christ and his Apostles, against the doctrines
and impositions of the Latin pontificate ^
Could a systematic and wide spreading resist-

ance, such as the following statements of Reiner


represent to have been in action in the middle of
the thirteenth century ^, have been the growth

'
See Muratori, Dissertation 60.
- Reinerus, Bib. Patr. torn. xiii. p. 299. 304.
^ 1 have assumed 1250 as a medium date, and have not taken
2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 115

of a single age ? And identified as it is, in all

its marks and characteristics, with the resistance


which the Christians of the purer aeras offered

to the corruptions that began to make head in


their day ; could it be otherwise than a ray of
that true Gospel spirit which had never ceased to
be in operation against error and against the
working of the mystery of iniquity ?

''
The Catholic teachers are not as zealous in
the diffusion of their true doctrine, as the perfidi-
ous Leonists are in spreading their false tenets '."
" Divided as they are against themselves, they
are united together against the church, like Sam-
son's foxes, whose tails were tied together while
"."
their faces looked different ways
" In all the states of Lombardy and Provence,
(the Waldenses lay between the two) and in other

kingdoms and lands, the heretics have more


schools than the theologians, and more auditors :

they hold public disputations, and convoke the


people to solemn discussions ; they preach in the
market-places, and in the fields, and in private
houses, and there is nobody who dares to prevent

advantage of the mention of an inquisitor, named Reiner, in the

bull of Pope Innocent III. in 1 198 ; which, if he be the same,


would carry the age of this witness up to a period more useful to
my hypothesis. I am inclined to think that there were two of
this name, who figured as inquisitors. The Reiner whom I have
quoted has left one certain date in his work, that of 1230. See
Chapter VI.
* Reinerus, Bib. Patr. tom. xiii. p. 299. - Ibid.

i2
116 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

them, on account of the power and numbers of


those who favour them ^"
^^
In my examination of heretics, and according
to a computation made by them, I find there are
forty-one schools in the diocese of Padua, and ten
in a place called Clemmate ^"
" These also are the places where the heretics
have churches and schools," &;c. &c. &c. And
then he proceeds to make a calculation of forty-
two, the names of which are principally German
one of them, Emsempach, he particularly mentions,
because the heretics had a Bishop there ^"
''
They have translated the Old and New Testa-
ments into vulgar tongues, and so teach and learn
them. I myself have seen and heard a clownish
layman who could repeat the whole of the Book
of Job by heart, word for word, and many who
were perfectly acquainted with the whole of the
New Testament '^."

^^
They reject whatsoever is taught, if it is not
demonstrable by a text in the New Testament ^"
" The aforesaid orders are constituted by a
Bishop, or by licence from a Bishop ^."

" Impute it not to me, reader, that I shall call

them churches, but rather to them who so desig-

* Reinerus, Bib. Patr. This account agrees exactly with that


given of the influence of non-conformity in Spain, by Lucas
Tudensis, a contemporary of Reiner. Ibid. torn. iv. part ii.

p. 694. 714.
2 13. p. 299.
'•'

Ibid. Ibid. ' Ibid. ' Ibid. ^ Ibid. p. 304.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 117

nate them. The church of Sensano, the church


of Contorezo, the church of Bagnolo, the church
of Florence, the church of Spoleto, the church of
Thoulouse, the church of Albi ^" &c.
Surely there is but one inference to be drawn
from this mention of episcopal and sacerdotal
orders, of churches, of schools, of translations of
the Old and New Testaments, of public convoca-
tions and disputations, of doctrine brought to the
rigid test of Scripture, of dissentient bodies in dif-

ferent parts of Italy, France, and Germany in 1250,


of " heresy" thus active, organized, wide-spreading,
and conformable in its faith and discipline to the
principles laid down by the Apostles. There is but
one inference to be drawn from it, viz. : that it was
of old standing, and not of recent date, a relic of
early establishments, not a new production ; that
itwas handed down from the primitive ages of
pure Christianity, and was not hatched in a day.
The good, which I have thus assigned to the se-
paratists from Rome, is picked out of Reiner's
pages ; it is intermixed with accusations of divers
kinds ; but there it is, and so many sound and
Scriptural opinions could not have been held by
men who merited the black appellations which
have been given to them by their enemies ; ene-
mies who same time, that the
confessed, at the
worst that could be said of them w^as, that " they
blasphemed the Romish «church and clergy ^"

* Bib. Patr. torn. xiii. p. 304. ^ i^i^, p^ 299.


118 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Reiner is vague and confused in his details ; he


fails when he attempts to define the creed of any
one of his seventy sects of heretics he never clears ;

the way before him ; he leaves his reader to arrive


at what conclusions he can as to the essential dis-
tinctions of the alleged schisms ; but it is plainly to
be collected in his writings, that Rome was as-
sailed in all quarters, in the middle of the thir-
teenth century, by malcontents, whose organiza-
tion and opinions bore every mark of the ancient
Apostolical stock \
The method which Allix has pursued, in his
History of the Churches of Piemont, is to shew
that in the ecclesiastical history of every century,
from the fourth century, which he considers a
period early enough for the enquirer after Apos-
tolical purity of doctrine, there are clear proofs

that doctrines, unlike those which the Romish


church holds, and conformable to the belief of the
Waldensian and Reformed Churches, were main-
tained by theologians of the north of Italy down

^ Matthew Paris has recorded a fact, which is strongly illus-

trative of the determined opposition made to the usurpations of


the Papal See at the period which I have been considering.
Conrad, King of Sicily, being accused by the Pope of indiffer-

ence to the Church, in permitting the open profession of heresy


in some ^of his dominions in the north of Italy, replied, that it

was impossible to prevent it, that the popular voice favoured it,

and that the public preaching of the non-conformists could not


be put down, either at Mantua, Brescia, or Milan. Mat. Parts,
Additamenta, p. 126.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 119

to the period, when came into


the Waldenses first

notice. Consequently the opinions of the Wal-


denses were not new to Europe in the eleventh or
twelfth centuries, and there is nothing improba-
ble in the tradition, that the Subalpine Church
persevered in its integrity in an uninterrupted
course from the first preaching of the Gospel in
the valleys.
In imitation of this plan, I have transcribed the
chief of the errors imputed by the Friar Reiner to
the Waldenses and other recusants contemporary
with himself ; and in a parallel column I have in-

serted a citation from some Itahan author, who


lived previously to the twelfth century, containing
a corresponding doctrine, to shew that the great
controversies which agitated men's minds in Rei-
ner's time, were not the inventions of modern in-

novators, nor were they of foreign extraction, but


had exercised the minds of native Christians in
countries bordering upon the Alps from very re-
mote periods. In a third column, I have set down
the corresponding sentiments of the Waldenses,
as avowed by them in their Noble Lesson of 1100,
or in expositions of a date nearly coeval ; and in a
fourth, the opinions published by the Vaudois
church in later times, so as to connect the modern
Waldenses, the Waldenses of 1100, and the Chris-
tians of the north of Italy, at periods antecedent

to the last-mentioned sera.


120 WALDEMSIAN RESEARCHES.

Someof Reiner* smarks ofheresy Opinions corresponding with


discovered in the opinions pro- these, as advanced hy Italian
fessed by separatists from writers and theologians pre-
Rome in 1250, and stigma- viously to the twelfth cen-
tized as novelties. See Bib. tury.

Pair. vol. xiii. p. 300.

1. " They speak evil of the 1. " During the whole time

Roman Church and Clergy, of the agitation of this question,

and say that the Pope is the from the beginning of it until

cause of all the errors in the now, our predecessors and our-

church. selves, with all our people, have


" They refuse obedience to avoided all communion with
the Pope and Prelates. Rome !"
— See letter of the Nine
" They say that the Roman Bishops of the north of Italy to

Church is the whore of the the Emperor Maurice, in 590,


Apocalypse." explaining their refusal to sub-
mit to the Roman Pontiff. Bar,
An. A. D. 590.
" Our public calamities are

to be attributed to Pontifical

ambition." — Epist. Gregor. 32.


" At that city, where all

things are venal, and apostoli-


cal letters may be bought for

money." — Ratherius, Bishop of


Verona, A. D. 933. See Spicil.

Dach. V. 2. p. 231.
" How profligate is the whole
body of shorn priests." — Ibid,
p. 218.
" The Clergy maintained that

the Ambrosian church of Milan


ought not to be subject to the

laws of Rome, and that the


Roman Pontiff had no right to

exercise jurisdiction in that See.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 121

Opinions of the ancient Wal- Opinions of modern Waldenses,


denses, collected from their collected from Professions of
** Nobla Ley gon," dated 1 100, Faith, and Catechisms, pub-
and from Treatises of the lished in later times,

same period, that on Anti-


christ, ^c, preserved in Mor-
land and Leger's Histories.

1. " Antichrist is a delusion, 1. "By what mark knowest


which hides the truth of salva- thou perverse doctrine ?

tion in substantial and ministe- **


When it teacheth contrary
rial matters. It is falsehood it- to faith and hope ; such is ido-

self, in opposition to the truth, latry of several sorts, towards a


covering- and adorning itself reasonable, sensible, visible, or

with a pretence of piety and invisible creature.

beauty. Iniquity, thus quali- " When priests, not knowing


fied, with all the ministers there- the intention of Christ in the
of, great and small, is that Sacraments, say, that the grace
which is called Antichrist, or is included in the external cere-
Babylon, the Man of Sin, the monies, and persuade men to

Son of Perdition." the participation of the Sacra-


" The holy Church is become ment, without the truth and
a synagogue of profligates." without faith. David hates the
" Now it is evident, as well church or congregation of such
in the Old, as in the New Tes- persons, saying, I hate the
tament, that a Christian stands church of evil men." — From a
bound, by express command very ancient Catechism, still in

given to him, to separate him- use among the Vaudois.


self from Antichrist." — Walden-
sian Treatise on Antichrist.
122 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Some of Reiner s marks^ 8fc. Opinions corresponding , ^c.

That it was disgraceful that a


church, which had always been
free, should now submit to

another church." — See Petr.

Damiani Epist. ad Hildebran-

dum, A. D. 1059. Dam. Oper.


p. 417.

2. " They maintain that the 2. " St. Paul forbids us to


Pope and all bishops, who en- contend with secular arms,

courage wars and violence, ^<J™- xii. and 1 Peter iii.;

(propter bella) are homicides." and yet in contempt of these


and of other exhortations of
Scripture, the malignant and
the wicked endeavour to impli-
cate the clergy in wars, if not
in their own person, yet by the
agency of those whom they
employ to fight their battles.
" Wherefore the blessed Am-
brose says, let us, the clergy,
have nothing to do with wars,
because the soul is our peculiar
charge, and not the body.
*
Put up again thy sword into
his place, said our Lord, for
all they that take the sword,
shall perish with the sword.'
Christ would not permit an
apostle to commit homicide,
even in a righteous cause, and
none can innocently use carnal
weapons, or permit others to
use such for them." Atto,

Bishop of Verceil, 950. « Spicil.

Dach. viii. p. 55^ bQ.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 123

Opinions of Ancient Waldenses, Opinions of Modern Waldenses^

2. " Like those who now per- 2.

secute,

Who ought to be Christians but


are not so

And in this they are to be abomi-


nated,
For that they persecute and im-
prison the good.

For it is no where found


That the saints entered into

conflict or persecuted."

Nobla Ley9on.
124 WALDENSIAN RESP:ARCHES.

Some of Reiner s marks, Opinions corresponding,


Sfc, SfC.

3. " They say of the sacra- 3. " Do not reckon upon ob-
ment of penance, that none can taining any absolution during
be absolved by a bad priest. They your mortal career, for whoso-
contend that heavy penances ever should profess to have the
ought not to be imposed, and power of extending it to you
urge the example of Christ, would be deceiving you. Since
who said, *
go and sin no you have sinned against God,
more.' from him only you are to look
for pardon." Ambrose, Bishop
of Milan in the fourth century.
See Ad. Virg. lap. cap. 8.

" She drew near to the foun-


tain-head, taking upon herself

the charge of her own repent-

ance. She did not seek it from


James. She did not ask of
John. She did not appeal to

Peter. She addressed herself to

him only, Jesus Christ, saying,

Lord have mercy on me." Ser-


mon of Laurentius, Bishop of
Milan in 507. See Mabil.
Analecta, p. 56.

4. " They say that the 4. " It has not escaped my


church has erred in forbidding observation, that in some of the
the clergy to marry." most retired places the clergy

discharged the duties of the


ministry and priesthood, and
had children, which they de-
fend upon the plea of ancient
custom." Ambrose, Bishop of
Milan. 1 lib. de officiis. cap. 50
WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES. 125

Opinions of Ancient Waldenses, Opinions of Modern WaldenseSj


Sfc. Sfc.

3. **
And thus he buyeth of his 3. ''
It is perverse doctrine
priest absolution. to attribute efficacy to man, or
And the priest pardons them to his words, or to his authority,

be they good or bad. or to say that God is satisfied,

Laying his hands upon their by satisfying the covetous si-

heads, and assuring them mony of priests."

that they are absolved. '*


Grace and remission of sins
But, alas, they are but imper- can only be looked for by a
fectly confessed, living faith, and true repent-
And will certainly be deceived ance, saying, '
repent ye, and
in such absolution. believe in the Gospel.' " Ancient

And he that maketh them be- Catechism now in use.

lieve it, sinneth mortally.

For I dare affirm it to be true,

That all the popes who have


been, from Sylvester to the
present time.
And all cardinals, bishops, ab-

bots, and the like

Have no power to pardon or


absolve one mortal sin.

'Tis God alone who pardons,


and none other."
Nobia Ley90n.

4. **
Marriage is good, holy, 4. The Waldensian clergy of

honourable, instituted of God the present day enter freely into


himself, and ought not to be the married state,

prohibited to any person, pro-

vided that there be no hinder-


ance specified by the word of
God." Ancient Confession of
Faith.
126 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Some of Reiner's marks ^


^c. Opinions corresponding, ^c.

The letter of Ratherius, Bi-

shop of Verona in 933, contains


some indignant observations
against those clergy who per-
sisted in marrying, contrary to

the Canons. See Spicil. Da-


cherii. 2. p. 169, 170. 172.

" You permit the clergy of


your church, of whatever order
they may be, to have wives, as

if they were under the sanction


of lawful matrimony." Letter

of Petrus Damianus to Euni-


bertus. Bishop of Turin, about

the year 1050. See Dam. Oper.


p. 559. opus. 18.
It is clear, therefore, that the
opinion of many of the sacer-
dotal order was then against
this rigid enactment of the
church, and that some refused
obedience to it ^

5. •'
They assert that any 5. The liturgy of the church
doctrine which is preached, and of Milan, called Ambrosian,
cannot be proved by Scripture, had the psalms and other scrip-
should be held as fabulous. tural passages rendered into the
** They say that the Holy Italic language. See Allix,

Scripture is as effectual in the Churches of Piemont, p. 39.

vulgar as in the Latin tongue. *'


That no man believe that
" They officiate and adminis- God is not to be prayed to ex-
ter the sacraments in the vulgar cept in one of the three Ian-
tongue." . guages, because man will be
1 The 9th canon of the Lateran council, held in 1139, is a fulmination

against such Priests as persisted in matrimony and it cites the enactments of


;

Gregory VII. Urban, and Paschal. The practice which required these suc-
cessive prohibitions was evidently of long standing, and a matter of ancient and
resolute contention.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 127

Opinions of Ancient Waldenses, Opinions of Modern Waldenses,

5. "We have always account- 5. " The true Cathohc and


ed, as an unspeakable abomina- Apostolic faith is that contain-
tion before God, all those hu- ed in the twelve articles of the
man inventions which are a Apostles' Creed." Catechism,
prejudice to the liberty of the
"We ought to receive the Holy
^P^" Scripture as the constant rule
The Holy Scripture con- of our life and faith ; and to
taineth sufficient doctrines con- believe that the same is fully
cerning- discipline, and not only contained in the Old and New
sheweth how every one in par- Testament." Confession of
ticular ought to live, but also Faith published in 1655.
what ought to be the union,
^11 the services of the Van-
consent, and bond of love in
^^j^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ performed in a
the communion of the faithful."
^^^-^^^ language.
Ancient Confession of Faith.
128 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Some of Reiner s marks, Sfc, Opinions corresponding, Sfc.

heard in whatever tongue he


may pray, and if he be right-
eous, he w'll have his petition
granted." 52 Can. of Coun-
cil of Frankfort, A.D. 790,
signed by Italian Bishops.

6. " They scorn all canoni- 6. " Holy Rachel, that is

zations, and the vigils of saints, the Church or wisdom, hid the
" They despise images, and consecrated images, because
relics, and call the holy cross the Church does not acknow-
nothing but a piece of wood." ledge vain imaginations, or the
vain representations of images."
Ambrose of Milan, de fug. ssec.

lib. 5.

" What is so unworthy as to


venerate a piece of wood the
work of our own hands. Let
them learn wisdom from this,

who think that it is neither


contrary to nature nor disgrace-
ful, to adore stones, and to im-
plore aid from images which
have no perception. Ibid, de
officiis. lib. i. cap. 26.
" We owe no religious wor-
ship to those who are departed

from this life, because they


lived religiously." Claude, Bi-
shop of Milan, A.D. 840. See
Mab. Analecta. p. 36.
" God commands us to bear

our cross, not to worship it."

Ibid. Bib. Patr. torn. iv. p. 164.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 129

Opinions of Ancient Waldenses, Opinions of Modern WaldenseSy

6, " He forbade service unto 6. " That those who are al-

idols."Nobla LeyQon. ready in possession of eternal


" The work of Antichrist life by their faith and good
perverts the worship properly works, ought to be considered as
due to God alone, by giving it saints and glorilied persons, and
to the creature, to saints de- to be praised for their virtues,
ceased, to images, carcases, and and imitated in all good actions
relics, to things senseless, and of their life, but neither wor-
insensible." Treatise on Anti- shipped nor prayed unto, for

christ. God only is to be prayed unto,

and that through Jesus Christ."


^ Confession of 1655.
" Dost thou adore or wor-
ship any other thing? No. Be-
cause of the commandment,
thou shalt worship the Lord
thy God, and him only shalt
thou sei*ve." Catechism now in

use.
130 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Some of Reiner* s markSf Sfc. Opinions corresponding, ^c.

7. " They do not honour the 7. " Therefore when sheun-

sepulchres of the saints, and derstood that the pious bishop


they deny that masses, prayers, (Ambrose of Milan) had for-
or oblations, can profit the bidden honour to be paid at
dead." the graves of departed believ-
ers, lest it should seem to be in
imitation of the superstitious
practices of the Gentiles, she

willingly abstained." Quoted as


a record of the opinion of Am-
brose bishop of Milan. Conf.
Aug. lib vi. cap. 2.

8. " They maintain that it is 8. Chromatins, bishop of


sinful to take an oath, and cite Aquileia, in the fifth century,
Matthew, v. 34. against all maintained that the Gospel for-
swearing." bids all kinds of swearing. See
Serm. 2. p. 168. and Bib. Patr.
tom. 5. p. 976.
" Since all oaths are for-

bidden to Christians, it is highly


reprehensible that priests should
compel others to do that, which
they ought to avoid themselves.
For Christ says, I say unto you
swear not at all." Atto, bishop
of Verceil, A.D. 950. Spicil.

Dacherii. vol. 8. p. 50.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 131

Opinions of Ancient Walden- Opinions of Modern Walden-

ses, ^c. s^5. ^c.

7. " The priest promises him 7. " A dead faith is to be-

and tales, lieve in other things besides


pardon, tells false

about saying mass for him and Christ : that is to say, in relics

his ancestors." Nobla Ley^on. of the dead, in worshipping,


"The errors and impurities of honouring, and serving the
Antichrist, are pilgrimages, ob- creature by prayers,
by fasting,

lations, sacrifices of great price, by sacrifices, by donations, by

celebrations of masses, vespers, offerings, by pilgrimages, by

vigils, intercessions, deliverances invocations, &c." Ancient Ca.

from purgatory." Treatise on techism now in use.

Antichrist.
*'
They pretend that every
faithful man ought to help the

departed by prayers, fasts, alms,


and masses." Dream of purga-
tory.

8. "The old law forbiddeth 8.

only to foreswear.
The new saith, swear not at all.
And let thy speech be yea and
nay." Nobla Ley^on.

K 2
132 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

SECTION IV.

THE PURITY OF THE WALDENSIAN CHURCH, AND THE


TESTIMONY OF THEIR OWN DOCUMENTS.

The only fair and correct estimate which can be


made of the doctrine and discipline of a religious

community, is that which is formed upon their


own documents and declarations —" Judge of us,

not from the articles of faith which our enemies


have drawn up in our name, but from those which
we ourselves have deliberately framed, of which
we have signified our approbation, and which we
have solemnly and publicly avowed." This is

what every Christian body has a right to demand,


and the Waldenses, happily for their own sakes,

and for the cause of truth, can point to treatises,

to confessions of faith, to catechisms, and other


instruments of unquestionable authenticity, and of
great antiquity, by which they are willing to be
tried. ''
These," say they, " contain the senti-
ments of our forefathers, and our own —they are
of seven hundred years standing at the least, and
herein is be found a plain exposition of the belief,

the discipline, and the morality of the Waldensian


Church. "
The Noble Lesson, " The Ancient —
Confession of Faith," '' The Catechism of the

Ancient Waldenses," and " The Treatise of An-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 133

iichrist'/' are the principal documents to which


an appeal is made.
These are believed by the Vaudois themselves to
belong to the beginning of the 12th centm-y, and
to have been composed between 1100, and 1120.
The dates were found on some old parchment
copies, which were saved from destruction during
the persecutions of the seventeenth century. Com-
petent judges, admitting the antiquity of some,
have been incUned to question the age of others
of these MSS. but, after having given my best at-

tention to the subject, I cannot come to any other


conclusion than this ; if any of the copies, bearing
upon the face of them the dates 1100 and 1120, con-
tain internal evidence that they were writfen in the

13th or 14th centuries, they also contain internal


proof of consisting, in part, of transcripts from
MSS. of an age quite as remote as any for Nvhicli

we would contend. It is likely, that some of the


treatises were originally composed in 1 100 and 1 120
that, from these, transcripts were occasionally made
at after periods, which contained, in addition to their
original matter, certain interpolations, such as
divisions of Scriptural passages by cha})ter and

* See Leger's Histoire des Eglises Vaudoises, and Morland's


** History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Pie-
mont," for copies of these expositions. It is there stated that
several copies of very ancient appearance have been preserved,
with dates noted upon each, some of 1100, others of 1120,
one of 1126,
134 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

verse, which came into use at after periods. It is

also possible that other slight characteristics of


later times may have found their way into new
copies from time to time, accordingly as they were
multipHed at different intervals. It is not con-
tended that all the MSS. bearing the date 1100,
were the identical and original documents of that
year. All that we maintain, as to the disputed
parchments, is this, that instruments of the same
name, purport, and description as those, which
are now referred to for a faithful exposition of
Waldensian principles, were promulgated at the
beginning of the twelfth century.
I have already shewn, (page 40) that the *'
Trea-
tise of Antichrist," and that on ''
The invocation
of Saints," bear this internal evidence of their
antiquity, that professing to point out the evils of
the Roman Church, they are silent upon those four
glaring, but more recent, abuses, the establishment
of the inquisition, the invention of the service of
the rosary, transubstantiation, and canonization.
" The Noble Lesson" speaks for itself — it presents
its own date, 1100, and the name of the people for

whom it was composed, thus :

" Brethren, give ear to a noble lesson.

One thousand and one hundred years are accomplished


since it was written '*
we are in the last times."

— Such an one is termed a Vaudois, (Vaudes.)


And they seek occasion, by lies and by deceit,
To deprive him of that which he has obtained by his labour."
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 135

Some objection has been made even against the


alleged date of this document. It is said, that the

citation, ''
We are in the last times," is taken
from 1 John ii. 18. and therefore the eleven
hundred years must be reckoned not from the
birth of Christ, but from the age of the Epistle,
which cannot have been written earlier than 68
A.D. If there be any thing in this sort of objec-
tion, we may argue, that the citation, not being
literal, is as likely to be from Acts ii. 17. 2 Tim.
iii. 1. Hebrews i. 2. 1 Pet. i. 5. 20. 2 Pet. iii. 3.

or from Jude 18, as from St. John's Epistle, and


that upon this principle we are justified in con-
tending for as early a date as 1130, computing
from the period alluded to in Acts ii. 17.

The passage, however, is not to be considered


a quotation from any one particular passage, but
an allusion to Christ's first coming, which was to
prepare us for his last coming. It was one of
those modes of writing down the year from th3
Incarnation, which was not uncommon and to :

this we may add, that considering how the chrono-

logical arrangement of Scripture has perplexed the


most learned among theologians, it is absurd to
suppose that the humble and obscure Waldensian,
who composed the Noble Lesson, meant to date
his poem from the year in which one of the canon-

ical books was written, instead of dating it at large


according to the year of our Lord.
136 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

The exact antiquity of the Noble Lesson may


continue to be a matter of doubt, but of its authen-
ticity, and of that of the other documents which
go with it, there can be no dispute. Morland,
who brought copies of them to England in 1658,

gives the following account in his History of the


Churches of Piemont, of the motives which in-

duced him to make researches after those valu-

able MSS., and of his success.


" Some days before my setting out for Savoy ^,

the late Lord Primate of Ireland, (Archbishop


Usher) sent for me on purpose to his chamber,
and there gave me a very serious and strict

charge, to use my utmost diligence in the enquiry

after, and to spare no cost in the purchase of all

those MSS., and authentic pieces, which might


give any light into the ancient doctrine and dis-
cipline of those Churches, adding there was nothing
in the world he was more curious and impatient
to know, as being a point of exceeding great
weight and moment for stopping the mouths of
our popish adversaries, and discovering the foot-
steps of our religion in those dark intervals of the
eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries. This serious
injunction of that reverend and worthy man,
together with mine own real inclinations, caused

On his mission from Cromwell to the duke of Savoy, to in-

tercede in behalf of the persecuted Vaudois.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 137

to me leave no stone unturned, nor to lose any


opportunity during my abode in those parts, for

the real effecting this thing, and although the


pope's emissaries had already gathered the more
choice clusters, and ripe fruits, yet I met at least
vv^ith the grape gleanings of the vintage, I mean
divers pieces of antiquity, some whereof had been
a long time buried under dust and rubbish, others
had been scattered about some here,
in the valleys,

some there, in desert and obscure places, and without


a singular providence had never come to light."
Morland brought to England the MSS. so col-
lected, and deposited them in the library of the
University of Cambridge. He represents the
Noble Lesson as a poem written on parchment,
in the language of the ancient inhabitants of the
valleys, in a very ancient, but excellent character.
He speaks of another MS. the letter of which was
almost worn out, but bearing internal evidence of
having been written at least 600 or 700 years
before (before 1658).
It is to be deeply regretted, that there is no
longer an opportunity of examining these vener-
able documents. Alhx ^
had seen them, and
found no reason to doubt their authenticity ; but
they have since disappeared from the library to
which they were so carefully consigned. I made
enquiries for them at Cambridge, on my return

^
See Churches of Picmont, p. 184.
138 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

from the valleys, after my first visit in 1823, and


found that a great number of the most ancient
and valuable had been withdrawn. Nobody could
tell how or when. The Noble Lesson is one of
those which is missing. A transcript of the ori-
ginal, and an English translation is preserved in
Morland's volume, but, what is of more conse-
quence, a copy of great antiquity is still existing
in the library of the University of Geneva.
Leger ^ the Waldensian historian, speaks of
this precious relic, as being '^
written on parch-
ment, in the old Gothic letter." I have received
the favour of a fac-simile of the seven first lines of
the copy preserved at Geneva, which is bound up
in a small book containing some other Waldensian
treatises of a very early period. M. Le Pasteur
Bourris, the librarian, is the person to whom I

am indebted for the fac-simile. He transmitted


it to me in the spring of the present year, 1830,
through my friend, Mr. Burgess, the English
chaplain at Geneva, and I insert an exact imita-
tion of it, that the learned in these things may
have an opportunity of judging of the aera in

which this copy was transcribed. Either it is not


the same of which Leger made mention, or he
misapplied the term Gothic, which is a character
of very different form.

^
Histoire des Eglises Vaudoises, Liv. 1. p. 26.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 139

C 'ivo f-Mcye <wp- -mcir ^<^la f>n A|p^

NOBLA LEY9ON.
O frayres entede una nobla lenzon
Sovet deve velhar erstar eu ozon
C nos veye aq'st mot esr p~s del chavo
Mot curios d'oria essr d' boas obas far

C nos veye aq'st mot dela fin apprar


Ben ha mil ecet ann"s npli entierm't
Que fo sc pta lora car sen al dene tep.

" I will defy the impudence of the devil him-


self,'* said Allix ^, " to find the least shadow of
Manichaeism" in the " Noble Lesson :" and I take
upon myself to add, that not one word can be
found in this faithful witness of the religious opi-

nions of the early Waldenses, which savours of


heterodoxy, fanaticism, or extravagance. It is a
poem composed in rhyming verse, to facilitate its
being learnt by heart, and is a summary, as Leger
has represented it to be,

1. Of the history of the creation.


2. Of the state of the world before the deluge.
3. Of the state of the world from the deluge to the time of
Abraham.

'
Churches of Piemont, p. 181.
140 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

4. Of the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations, laws, polity,

morals, &c.
5. Of the sins of the Israelites, and the judgments of God.
6. Of David, and other good kings and prophets.
7. Of the captivity in Babylon.
8. Of the return from Babylon.
9. Of the advent of Jesus Christ, and a parallel between the
Law and the Gospel.
10. Of the mission of the apostles, the descent of the Holy
Ghost, and primitive Church,
11 Of the gross erorrs of the papacy, the simony of the priest-

hood, masses and prayers for the dead, the impostures


of absolution, and the abuse of the power of the keys.

" Thus/' says Leger, " the poem is certainly an


abridgement of the history and doctrine of the
Old and New Testament, and was composed for
practical and controversial purposes in relation

both to faith and morality, and those wise Barbes,


our ancestors, desired to place this treasure of
divinity in the hands of their people in a me-
trical more agree-
form, to render the perusal of it

able, and that the young might the more easily


impress it upon their memory ^"
We will now try the religion and morality of
the ancient Waldenses by this test —and having
shewn how they rejected the abuses of the Church
dominant, we will bring forward passages from
the Noble Lesson in attestation of their strict ad-
hesion to the essential doctrines of the Gospel.

^
Leger, Liv. i. p, 30.

i
WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES. 141

The Trinity . .
''
The honor of God the Father should be his
first moving principle.

He should also implore the aid of his glorious


Son,
And of the Holy Ghost, which lights us to the
right way.

These three, the Holy Trinity, as being but one


God, should be worshipped.
Original Sin. . . How came this evil to enter into mankind ?

Because Adam sinned at the first beginning,


he brought death upon himself and all his

posterity.

Redemption. . . But Christ hath redeemed the good by his

death and passion.


Free Will . . . God gave man a power of doing good or evil,

but commanded him to do the good and


abstain from the evil.
Law and the Christ changed not the law, that it should be
Gospel. abandoned.
But renewed it that it might be better kept.
Baptism He ordained baptism as a means of salvation,
and commanded the apostles to baptize the

nations. Then began the regeneration.


Faith andWorks. The Scripture saith and it is evident,
That if any man loves the good, he must
needs love God and Jesus Christ.
Such an one will neither curse, swear, nor lie.

Neither will he commit adultery, nor kill.

Nor will he defraud his neighbour.

Nor will he avenge himself of his enemies.


Jesus Christ. . Then God sent the angel to the Virgin of
royal descent, saying, the Holy Ghost shall

overshadow thee.
His birth. . . . Thou shalt bear a son, whom thou shalt call

Jesus.
142 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

He shall save his people from their sins.


And there were many miracles when the Lord
was born.
Crucifixion. . . The Jews were they which crucified him.
Resurrection. . He rose again the third day out of the grave.
Ascension. . . Then our Saviour ascended into glory.

Descent of Holy At the feast of Pentecost he sent them the


Ghost. Holy Ghost.
Scriptures. . . . If we would love Christ and know his doctrine
We ought to watch and to read the Scriptures.

Ministration of This they ought to do who are pastors.


the Word. They ought to preach to the people and pray
with them.
And feed them often with divine doctrine.
And master sinners by discipline.
That is by declaring that they ought to repent,

That they fast and give alms, and pray with


fervent hearts,

For by these means the soul finds salvation.

Marriage. . . . That he keep firm the marriage tie, that noble


contract.

The old law had power to annul marriage.

And to grant bills of divorce ;

But the new law saith, what God hath joined


let no man put asunder.

Such are some of the leading topics discussed

in the Noble Lesson.


In the Treatise of Antichrist, co-eval with the
Noble Lesson —the doctrines of justification, sanc-

tification, and salvation through Christ alone, are


propounded with more emphasis.

Salvation thro' " Be it known that the cause of our non-con-

Christ alone. formity is this, namely, for the real truth's


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 143

sake of the faith, and by reason of our in-

ward knowledge of the only true God, and


the unity of the divine essence, in three

Persons, which knowledge flesh and blood


cannot afford — for the living hope through
Christ in God — for regeneration and the
inward renewing by faith, hope, and charity
— for the merit of Jesus Christ, with the
all-sufficiency of his grace and righteous-
ness — for the communion of saints, for the

remission of sins — for a holy conversation."


The Church. The ministerial truths are these, the outward
congregation of the pastors with the people
in convenient places, and time to instruct
them in the truth by the ministry, and
leading, establishing, and maintaining the
Church in the truths aforesaid.

Tlie things which the ministers are obliged to

do for the service of the people are these


the preaching of the word by the Gospel
the administration of the sacraments \

The forms of ordination, and the number of


orders are not mentioned, either in the Noble
Lesson, or in the Treatise of Antichrist, but in an
old MS. concerning discipline, we find the follow-
ing clauses.

" And afterwards having good testimonials and being well


approved of, they are received with imposition of hands.

^ In several of the MSS. it is declared that the Waldenses be-


lieved in two sacraments only, Baptism and the Supper of the
Lord.
144 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

" Among other privileges which God hath given to his ser-

vants is this, to choose the governors of the people, and priests

in their several offices, according to the diversity of the vs^ork in

the unity of Christ, according to the apostle's example, * For


this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order
the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as
I had appointed.'

This quotation evidently implies that the an-


cient Waldenses had degrees in the sacerdotal
orders.
The successive generations of the Waldenses,
from the aera in which these expositions of faith
and discipline were composed to the present time,
have maintained the same opinions, and have
avowed them from time to time by public acts
and instruments.
In the year 1556, they presented a confession
of faith to the parliament of Turin, in which they
thus explained themselves K

1 " We believe in all that is written in the Old and New


Testaments, and which is briefly comprised in the Apostles' Creed.
2. We acknowledge and receive the holy sacraments instituted
by Jesus Christ, according to the true meaning of their insti-

tution.

3. We approve of all that is contained in the Creeds, sanc-


tioned by the four first general councils of Nice, Constantinople,

Ephesus and Chalcedon. We also believe in the Creed of Atha-


nasius.

4. We abide by the Ten Commandments of God, contained

*
Leger, Liv. 1, p. 106.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 145

in the twentieth chapter of Exodus, and in the fifth chapter of

Deuteronomy.
5. We yield obedience to our superiors placed over us by

God, and we desire to submit to them in all which is not re-

pugnant to the commandments of God, who is sovereign Lord

and Master of us all. In this religion our fathers and mothers


have continued for many centuries, always protesting that they

were ready to forsake their errors if it could be shewn that they


were in error."

In 1655, a confession, the same in substance,


was published by the Vaudois, during the perse-
cutions of that year : in this they declared, " We
do agree in sound doctrine, with all the Reformed
Churches of France, Great Britain, the Low
Countries, Germany, Switzerland, Bohemia, Po-
land, Hungary, and others, as it is represented by
them in their confession, as also we receive the
confession of Augsburgh, as it was published by
the authors of it/'

This manifesto was accompanied by the follow-


ing denial and disavowal of the sentiments imputed
to them by their adversaries.

" Being accused of holding, 1 . That God is the author of sin.


2. That God is not omnipotent.
3. That Christ was not impeccable.
4. That Jesus Christ being upon the cross fell into despair.

5. That man is like a stock or stone in the actions where-


unto he is moved by the Holy Spirit for his own salvation.

6. That upon account of predestination it is an indifferent


thing, whether we live well or ill.

7. That good works are not necessary to salvation.

L
146 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

8. That repentance and confession of sins are absolutely con-


demned among us.

9. That fastings and other mortifications ought to be rejected,

and that we may live dissolutely.

10. That it is lawful for every one to interpret the Scripture

according to his own mind, and the motions of his own spirit.

11. That the Church may fall absolutely, and be reduced to

nothing.
12. That baptism is not at all necessary.

13. That in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, we have no


real communion with Jesus Christ, but only in figure or type.

14. That we need not submit ourselves to kings, princes, or

magistrates, nor yield obedience to them.

15. Because we do not pray to the Virgin Mary and the


Saints, we are accused of despising them, whereas, on the con-
trary, we account them to be happy and worthy of praise and
imitation ; and do the more especially esteem the glorious
Virgin, the blessed above all other women.
All these things, being falsely imputed to us, are held to be

heretical and damnable by our Churches ; and' we do with all

our hearts denounce anathemas against all those who maintain


^"
and hold the same

From these and similar sentiments, from opi-


nions held to be orthodox by the joint consent of
all the reformed Churches in Europe, the Vaudois
of the present day have not departed. In wit-
ness of this, I refer to the latest publications of
the Waldensian clergy, to their catechisms and
books of instruction^, to the Letters of the late

^ See the History by Morland, p. 70, 71.


2 Recent cavillers have accused the present Waldenses of
holding opinions inconsistent with the doctrine of the Trinity.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 117

Moderator Peyran, and his Historical Defence of


the Waldenses — to the eloquent work of Timoleon
Peyran, the Moderator's nephew^ now pastor of
'^
Maneille, entitled Considerations sur les Vaudois,
ou les Habitans des Vallees du Piemont/' printed
in 1825, —and to the plain and simple statements
'^
contained in a recent publication, Notice sur
I'Etat actuel des Eglises Vaudoises Protestantes,
des Vallees du Piemont," supposed to have been
written by one of the most eminent of the living
clergy of this ancient Church. I refer also to the
^'
Livre de Famille" of M. Bert, the pious and
distinguished pastor of La Tour, just published at
Geneva. These all cite triumphantly the ancient
confessions and expositions of their forefathers,
subscribe their names to those venerable docu-
ments, from which I have selected the extracts
above, and continue to uphold the reputation
of their Church, the only relic of the primitive
Church in Italy.

The late Moderator Peyran's defence of his


countrymen, against the false charges of Arianism
and Manichaeism, contains a passage, which I am

The following is extracted from one of their catechisms now


in use.

" Jesus Christ, est il Dieu ou Homme?


11 est vrai Dieu, et vrai Homme."

Jesus Christ, is he God or Man ?

He is very God, and very Man.


L 2
lis WALDENSIAN RESEARCHRS.

tempted to translate, and to lay before my readers^


for the sake of its indignant refutation of a calumny,
which has never had the least foundation in truth.
*'
I come now to the odious accusation of Arian-
ism and Manichaeism, which has been so often
renewed against our forefathers, and as often re-

butted, to the honour of their faith and innocence.


And here I might expose those base artifices

which have been employed to confound the Vau-


dois with the Arians and Manichaeans. Even the
titles of books have been changed, that the world
may be persuaded, that there is no difference be-
tween our principles and the tenets of those
heretics of old. Lucas Tudensis wrote against
divers sects, and entitled his book ^ Concerning
another Life, and Controversies of Faith ;'
and
behold, the Jesuit Mariana, to make it appear
that the book was written against none but the
Albigenses, was pleased to send it into the world
under this name, ^ Against the Errors of the
Albigenses.' Ebrard de Bethune composed a
treatise against the Manichaeans, which he simply
called * Antihaeresis.' And what does another
Jesuit do with this ? Gretser boldly changes the
title, and publishes it as a work ' Against the
Vaudois,' in order that posterity might believe
that the Vaudois were the Manichaeans whom
Ebrard had refuted. But the Vaudois and the
Albigenses were neither Manichaeans nor Arians
at the beginning of the twelfth century. This
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 149

appears on the face of that ancient monument of


their faith, the Noble Lesson, composed in the year

1100. In that exposition of their faith is found


enough to clear them from the double calumny
for it contains a subscription to the doctrines of
the Old Testament, which the Manichaeans re-
jected, and an acknowledgment of the divinity of
the Son. As we adore the Holy Trinity.' Is
^

this the language of Arians ? Nor were the Vau-


dois Manichaeans or Arians when they published
their Catechism or Formulary of Faith, in the

shape of a dialogue, in the year 1100; for there


we find a scheme of faith built upon the Old and
New Testaments, which is in direct opposition to

the impiety of the Manich^ans, and upon the


Godhead of the Son and the Holy Ghost, which is

at variance with the blasphemy of the Arians.


Were the Vaudois or Albigenses Manichaeans or
Arians when St. Bernard said in the twelfth cen-
tury, '
All heresies have their author —the Nesto-
rians have Nestorius for theirs, the Manichaeans
have Manes, and the Arians Arius, but this sect
have none to call themselves after T
They were not Arians or Manichaeans when
*^

Wilham of Puy-Laurens said of them, There are '

many heretics there are the Arians, the Mani-


;

chaeans, and the Vaudois they are all hostile to


;

the Cathohc faith, but they are opposed to eacli


other, and the last named dispute with uncom-
mon subtlety against the Manichaeans.' They
150 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

were neither Arians nor Manichaeans in the cele-

brated conference at Montreal, when their theo-


logians maintained against the Bishop of Osma
and the Romish doctors, not the abominations of
Manes, or the blasphemies of Arius, but these two
cardinal positions, that the faith of the Roman
Church had become corrupt, and that the mass
was neither instituted nor celebrated by Jesus
Christ.
" They were not Arians, nor were they Mani-
chaeans, when, after having refused to obey the
council of Lombes, Cqu. ?^ they published that
famous Confession of Faith, which still appears
among the acts of that council, and which is a
rejection at once the most explicit and solemn of
the errors of both ^"

RECAPITULATION.
In the preceding pages, I have endeavoured to
shew the ground, upon which the Waldenses rest

their claims to be considered a pure branch of the


primitive Church, and that my readers may have
the whole of the argument under one view, the
following is a recapitulation of the main points.
I. Immemorial tradition, v. p. 39 —48.
II. The situation of the valleys favourable for

^
See Peyran's Defence of the Waldenses, edited by Mr. Sims,
p. 15.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 151

an early reception of the Gospel, and for the pre-


servation of it in its pristine purity, v. p. 48 — 70.
III. The continued enjoyment of rehgious pri-
vileges and rights, in virtue of treaties so ancient

and obligatory, as to imply that they v^ere ob-


tained before the influence of the papal see wa,s
at its height, v. p. 70 — 77.
IV. The incidental mention of an Alpine com-
munity in non-conformity with the Latin Church,
found in authors of the eighth, ninth, tenth,
eleventh, and twelfth centuries, v. p. 77 95. —
V. The complaints of the papal authorities and
controversialists of the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries, against the extent and long-standing of
the Waldensian " heresy," v. p. 95 —
118.
VI. The strict conformity between the opi-

nions of the ancient and modern Waldenses, and


those of the theologians of the north of Italy,
before the Italian Churches of that rei^ion sub-
mitted to the jurisdiction of Rome, v. p. 118 — 131.
VII. The documents of the Waldenses them-
selves,some of which are coeval with the year
1100, V. p. 132—150.

The Waldensian MSS. deposited hij Morland in the

Library of the University of Cambridge.

Since the preceding pages went to press, I have


again made inquiries concerning the venerable
documents which I found to be missing in 1823,
152 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. ^

and I have again ascertained that they are no


longer in the place, where they are said to have
been deposited.
No traces whatever remain of mo^e than fourteen
out of the twenty-one volumes stated by Morland
to have been presented by him to the Cambridge
University Library, in August 1658. The MSS.
which have disappeared, are the most precious of
the whole, being the oldest, and those which esta-
bhshed the fact of the conformity between the
doctrine and disciphne of the ancient and present
Waldenses. The very writings which Archbishop
Usher was so anxious to obtain, as " being of ex-
ceeding great weight and moment for stopping the
mouths of our Popish adversaries, and discovering
the footsteps of our religion in those dark inter-
vals of the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries."
Copies of some of them have been preserved,
as I before remarked, in the works of Morland
and Leger, but it is not only grievous, but some-
what strange, that the pieces of greatest value
should be missing from the collection. Not a
clue remains by which they can be traced, and I

am informed that it is the opinion at Cambridge,


either that the seven volumes in question, (those
distinguished by the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G.)
were never sent by Morland to Cambridge with
the rest, or, that if sent, they were clandestinely
withdrawn or destroyed during the reign of
James II.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 153

As to the first supposition, Morland is so ex-


press in his representation, many times repeated
in his book, that the whole lot and parcel of
^^
rare and authentic Treatises, composed by the
ancient inhabitants of the valleys of Piemont/'
was presented by him as a free gift to the Cam-
bridge library, that I cannot bring myself to doubt
his correctness, more particularly since he not
only declared in print that he had given the
entire collection to the university, but he added
also in confirmation of his previous statement, that
there they were, and there they were to be seen.
" The true originals of all of which are to be seen
in the public library of the famous university of
Cambridge," page 95. of Morland's History of the
Churches of Piemont. Allix, who published
''
Some Remarks upon the Ecclesiastical History
of the Ancient Churches of Piemont," in 1689 or
1690, made mention of these documents (the
documents now missing) in terms which lead the
reader to suppose, that he had consulted them at
Cambridge, or at least that he knew they were
there safe in the place where they had been con-
signed. ''
But beyond this we have a piece dated
after the year 1100 of our Lord, entitled the
Noble Lesson, which is in the public hbrary of
the university of Cambridge, given by Sir Samuel
Morland in the year 1658," page 175.—" The
gentlemen of the university of Cambridge, who
have in their custody the MSS. of divers pieces of
154 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the Waldenses, and amongst them an old MS. of


some books of the Old and New Testament (con-
tained in volmnes E and F) give me a fair occa-
sion to make this comparison," &c. page 184.
The opinion now held at Cambridge is, that
there is no proof that the lost MSS. were ever
confided to the university. There can be httle

doubt, it is said, that Morland intended to send


the whole collection to Cambridge, and therefore
he stated work that they might be seen
in his

there —
but from some circumstance or other they
may never have arrived, for there is no mention
or memorandum of them in any catalogue that
can be found, although several catalogues do
make mention of the 14 volumes which remain.
It is also contended at Cambridge, that the obser-
vations of Allix do not go the length of asserting
that he himself had consulted the MSS.^ but con-
tain nothing more than a loose remark, hazarded
upon the credit which he attached to Morland's
own statement of their being to be seen in the
university library.
The other ground which is taken up at Cam-
bridge, is this. If the lost MSS. ever did arrive
at their destination, they very soon disappeared :

most probably during the reign of James II. The


reason assigned for this suspicion rests upon the
precautions taken by Tennison, afterwards arch-
bishop of Canterbury, who, having cause to fear
that the papists were ransacking the libraries at
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 155

Cambridge, and destroying or removing what was


offensive to them, had attested copies taken of
the valuable MSS. in Corpus Christi College
relating to the Reformation.
Such are the conjectures afloat in relation to
the matter in question. — The real facts in elucida-

tion of it are these.


A catalogue of the university library printed in
1690, says nothing about any of the Morland
MSS. But this is no authority, because it was
copied from one compiled before he made the
present of his collection.
Another made in 1753, speaks of the 14 volumes
only which yet remain, those from H to W.
In 1794, Nadsmith completed a catalogue of
the MSS. in the university library, at which time
seven volumes of the Morland MSS. and the box
of papers marked X were missing, and it would
seem from the following extract from Nadsmith's
catalogue, that nobody had any knowledge of the
manner in which they had disappeared.
''
No. 112—125.
" Fourteen thin paper books in folio (now bound
in five volumes) containing
" Original papers relating to the Waldenses,
particularly to the massacre of 1655, collected by
Sir Samuel Morland, the Protestant envoy in
1655 to the duke of Savoy. Sir Samuel has
printed a considerable part of J:hem in his History
of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of
156 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Piemont, to which he has prefixed a catalogue of


the MSS. From this catalogue it appears that
the collection originally consisted of 21 volumes,
and a box of papers, severally marked with the
letters of the alphabet. Seven volumes and the
box are now wanting ; the fourteen remaining we
shall describe in the words of Sir Samuel Mor-
land's catalogue, with such slight alterations as
the present state of the MSS. requires. The
volumes marked A, B, C, D, E, F, G, are wanting."
Such being the state of the case, and since the
lost MSS. were missing from the library in 1794,


and in 1753 and no light was thrown at either
of these periods upon the manner in which they
had been removed, I fear all trace must now be
considered as entirely gone, and nothing but
accident will clear up the mystery which hangs
about them.
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•ShCONI
CHAPTER I.

Objects of m?/ journey. —Amiens—Paris—Jura


Route by Calais
Mountains — Geneva — Chambery — Mo?it Cenis — Turin —
Pinerolo to La Torre. Reception in the valleys. San Mar-
garita. Observations on Vaudois character.

The object of my second visit to the Vaudois was


threefold. First, and principally, I was desirous
of judging, upon personal observation and enquiry,
how certain sums of money placed at my disposal
might be best employed, not only for the benefit

of the Waldensian Church, but for the advantage


of the Protestant cause at large, in this its only
strong hold in Italy. ''
The men of the valleys"
have a claim upon our interest, not merely as
descendants of the ancient Waldenses, but as bor-
derers and occupiers of some of the most important
Alpine passes between France and Italy, on the
chain that connects Mont Cenis and Mont
Viso : and what is more, as maintaining the ex-
traordinary position of a frontier Church, and a
primitive Church, upon the very point where, as
beacons and signal stations, they may be of the
greatest use. The faith of the first centuries, and
158 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the forms of early Christianity, like visions of de-


parted loveliness, have lingered here among these
mountaineers, when they fled from other regions.
Extrema per illos

Justitia excedens terris vestigia fecit.

And this is the spot from which it is likely that

the great Sower will again cast his seed, when it

shall please him to permit the pure Church of


Christ to resume her seat in those Italian states,
frpm which pontifical intrigues have dislodged her.
I was therefore anxious to be upon the ground
again, and to ascertain what institutions might be
established or strengthened, to serve as a base,
from which lines of communication may be ex-
tended, and movements conducted upon a greater
scale atsome future and more favourable period.
My second object was to see how far that aid
had proved effectual which had already been ex-
tended to the Vaudois, and to examine into the
condition of the hospital ^
and schools, which

^ The following extracts from the Report of the London


Committee, published March, 1830, will shew the amount and
the appropriation of the money collected in behalf of the Vaudois,

after the public appeals made in 1824.


No. I. Makes mention of the sum total raised among the
Reformed Churches, for the Hospital. The contributions from

France, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and some of the Ger-


man states were remitted at once, and made up the sum of
105,000 francs, (4,200/.) The amount of the English, Prussian,

and Dutch subscriptions was funded.


No. II. Contains a detailed account of the money (7,302/.

2 .
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 159

have been founded and^ endowed by funds raised


in the Protestant countries of Europe, principally
in England.

ls» 4c?.) which has been raised in the British dominions, through
the exertions of the London Committee, for the several purposes
therein expressed, in aid of the Hospital, and of General and
Ministerial Education.

The Government payment to the Vaudois pastors, of 277^.


annually, called the Royal stipend, and restored in 1827, is not
included in this account.

No. I.

THE HOSPITAL.
" This Institution, comprising the Establishment in chief at

La Tour in the Valley of Lucerne, and the Dispensary at Pomaret


in the Valley of Perouse, owes its origin to public subscriptions

raised among the Protestant states of Europe, [since 1824.]


Out of the sums so collected, the Vaudois received, in capital,
about 105,000 francs. The remainder was placed in the public

funds of England, Prussia, and Holland ; and the Interest is

remitted annually, for the maintenance of the Hospital and Dis-


pensary.
Of the 105,000 francs received by the Vaudois themselves,
an account has been communicated to the following effect, in

round numbers :

Francs.
Purchase of an estate at La Tour, consisting of
about 5Q journaux or acres, with farm-house and
buildings, and yielding an annual rent of 2000
francs 56,000
Purchase of a building and vineyard at La Tour,
which has since been converted into a house and
garden for the hospital — in addition to an an-
nuity to the proprietor of 460 francs 4,000
Furniture and outfitting of the hospital • • 5,000
160 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

I may confess that I set out with sanguine


expectations upon this subject ; and if I did not
hope to find that the sums of money remitted to

Francs.
Purchase of a house at Pomaret, to serve for a dis-

pensary, with charges for furniture, outfitting, &c. 16,000


Expenses of collecting the above, travelling expenses,

of the Vaudois agent, &c. &c. extending through


two or three years ••• • • 16,000
Balance invested in a mortgage 8,000

Total.... 105,000

INCOME OF THE HOSPITAL.


Francs.
Receipts from England annually, (120Z. for hos-
pital, 30Z. for dispensary,) 1501. or 3,750
From Prussia, ditto ditto, 150/. or 3,750
From Holland 2,500
Rent of Hospital estate at La Tour ••••• 2,000
Interest of 8,000 francs on mortgage 320

Total 12,320

No. II.

ABSTRACT of the TREASURER'S ACCOUNT, from the

Establishment of the London Vaudois Committee, filfaz/

26thy 1825,) to the 3lst of December 1829.

1. — money in the BRITISH FUNDS.


Interest.

5,0001. 3 per Cent. Consols £.150


800/. 3 per Cent. Reduced .... 24
1,200/. 3^ per Cents 42

£.216
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 161

the valleys had been expended there, in a manner


likely to please all parties equally, yet I felt

2. ANNUAL PAYMENTS.
£. s. d.

Towards the Support of the Hospital at La Tour- .120


Ditto. of the Dispensary at Pomaret 30
For the Education of Young Persons intended for

the Ministry - 20
For the Support of Four Girls' Schools of Industry 40
Annuity to M. Combe 4

£. 214

3. TREASURER D'" ON CASH ACCOUNT.


1. Subscriptions raised in the British Dominions;
£. s. d. £. s. d.

Received for Hospital and General


Purposes 5181 15 9
Received for Education of young ^ 6417 14
Persons intended for the Ministry 635 18 7
Received for Schools 599 19
2. Interest on Stock,
for the Year 1826 150
Ditto. 1827 209 5
'^^^
Ditto. 1828 216 0^ ^ ^

Ditto. 1829 216

3. Gained by Sale of Exchequer Bills in the Year


1826 6 10 2
4. Received for the payment of M. Combe's An-
nuity of 4/. a-year, as mentioned in the Report

of June 19th, 1827 86 17 6

£.7302 7 4
M
162 waldEnstan researches.

assured that they had been appropriated, so as to


do credit to the disinterestedness of those to whom
they had been confided.

4. TREASURER C'* ON CASH ACCOUNT.


1. By the Purchase of Stock £.5974 5 11
2. Transmitted to the Valleys, by order
of the Committee
In remittances for 1826, pre?;zows^?/ £. s. d.

to their final adjustment 135


Ditto, ditto, for 1827 184 10
Ditto, ditto, for 1828, after the
final adjustment 214
Ditto, ditto, for 1829, ditto, ditto 214
Paid to the Officers of the Table,
in June 1 826, for a special Pur-
pose of Education ; agreed upon
between the said Officers and
Messrs. Sims and Plenderleath 87 2
834 12
3. Disbursements :

In the Years 1824, 1825, 1826, for


Advertisements in a variety of
Newspapers, printing Circulars,
Historical Accounts of the Vau-
dois. Notices of Meetings, &c.
&c.; Stationery, &c. &c. «&c. .. 186 12 8
In 1827: the principal item of
which is the Bill for printing the
Report of June 19th, 1827,
together with the List of Sub-

scribers 23 3 10
209 16 6

Carried forward ... . £. 7018 14 5


WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES. 163

A noble proof was displayed of the benevolent


and upright feelings prevailing among the Vaudois,
v^hen the British government, at the intercession
of the London Vaudois Committee, restored the
royal stipend in the year 1827, after more than
twenty years' suspension. A communication was
then made to them to this effect :
" You will again
receive the British stipends which were withdrawn
during the war which so long interrupted the in-
tercourse between England and the continental
states, and 277/. will be remitted annually to be
divided as before, between the thirteen pastors of
the Waldensian Church." This would have given

Disbursements ( cordinued. J £. s. d.

Brought forward 7018 14 5


In 1828 : the principal item of
which is a Bill of 27 L 9s. for the
purchase of a Case of Surgical
Instruments, Freightage, &c. ; for

the use of the Hospital at La Tour 40 1 1 3


In 1829 : the principal Item of
which is a Bill for a Case of Sur-
gical Instruments, Freightage,
&c. ; for the use of the Infirmary

at Pomaret 30 1 11

70 13 2
4. Balance in the hands of the Treasurer, De-
cember 31st, 1829 ; of which a part has been
reserved for Special Purposes, by order of the
Committee; and 100/.

has since been added to the General

M 2
3 per Cent. Consols
Fund .

=
.

£.7302
212 19

7
9

4
104 WALDF,NSIAN RESEARCHES.

about 21/. to eacli pastor. They met in synod,


and came to the following resolution :
''
We are
to receive 6,800 francs a year from the English
government. We will not divide the whole of it

among ourselves, but we will reserve part of it for

public purposes. We will take 300 francs each,


instead of 523, and we will devote the remainder,
amounting to 2,900 francs, towards the main-
tenance of aged or incapacitated pastors, and the
widows of pastors, and towards the appointment
of two additional pastors in the more remote dis-
tricts, where the ministerial functions are at present

inadequately discharged for want of labourers in


the harvest." Thus did these good men throw
their mites into the treasury of the temple, and
make a voluntary sacrifice of not less than one
seventh of their scanty incomes ; for not one of
the pastors receives, with his recent augmentation,
more than 60/. a year, and much more than half
of this is derived from English bounty ; viz. from
the royal stipend paid by our government, and
from the national grant, paid by the Society for

the Propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts.


The third object which I had in view, was to

make myself more fully acquainted with the


general condition and character of the Vaudois,
and of the state of the Waldensian Church, than
I had done during my first short visit, and to cor-

rect some of the erroneous opinions which have


been formed upon these subjects.
With these intentions I was anxious to make
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 165

the best of my way to the valleys with my family


party, and to employ my three months' absence
from England entirely in this service, without
turning aside unnecessarily either to the right or
to the left. I can truly say, in the words of one
whom it is an honour to take for a guide, that
**
though I certainly did not shut my eyes to the
different objects of interest and beauty near which
my route carried me, that I never went out of my
way in pursuit of such objects, and went no where
where I had not something to perform, or which
was not in the direct road to some scene con-
nected with my proposed researches."
We embarked on board the Brocklebank steam-
boat, near London-bridge, on Wednesday morning
at six o'clock. May 27, 1829, expecting to land at
Calais on the evening of the same day. But we
had not only the disappointment of delay, but the
inconvenience of bad weather to encounter, and
did not reach Calais till seven o'clock on Thursday
evening, after a miserable passage of thirty-seven
hours, instead of our promised agreeable trip of
twelve. The well known route from the coast to
Paris by Abbeville, Amiens, and Chantilly, offered
no new subject to write upon, further than this :

that, contrary to expectation, we found some in-

terest even in that part of our journey, which is

usually thought dull and tiresome. We fancied


we saw an appearance of contentment and enjoy-
ment in the French peasantry, and to our eyes
several of the hamlets had an air of comfort as
166 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

well as prettiness. The general aspect of the


country may fairly be pronounced to be unattrac-
tive ; but when you catch a glimpse of a charming
village, like that between Nouvion and Abbeville,
which stands nestling among trees, with its neat
church and spire, and with every cottage sur-
rounded with a garden or orchard, you travel on
through the day in good humour with the people
and the landscape. The same may be said of the

village of Flixcourt, and the town of Perquigny, on


the road to Amiens, both situated on the banks of
a stream, and inviting you to be pleased with your
excursion. At Amiens we observed much to set
the mind at work. We arrived there on Saturday
evening, and stayed through the Sunday, expect-
ing to find a Protestant congregation and Protes-
tant service.
But the three hundred gentlemen's houses, and
the rustic population, which gave importance to
the reformed Church in this neighbourhood in the
sixteenth century, have scarcely left a wreck be-
hind them. Very few native Protestant families

are remaining in this city or its vicinity, and our


visit to the cathedral taught us, that the influence
of the Roman Catholic clergy is neither small nor
uninfluential at Amiens. At mass and at vespers,

the interior of this fine gothic building was crowded.


Men, women, and children, of all orders and de-
grees, presented an appearance of almost rapt de-
votion. The singing of the vesper's hymn by the
whole assembled multitude, and the preaching
WALDKNSIAN RESEARCHES. 167

of an eloquent canon, who evidently carried the


feelings of his hearers with him, were to us addi-
tional proofs that religion is on the advance in this

part of France at least. A spirit of enquiry is

abroad, many are seeking for the peace which the


world cannot give ; and when they discover that it

is not to be obtained before a painting, a relic, or


a crucifix, they will seek for it where only it is to
be found. Over against a shrine in the cathedral

containing a picture of Christ on the cross, a tablet


presented this inscription to the eye, " Tronc de
la restauration du crucifix miraculeux." I did
not learn the exact history of the miraculous
crucifix, but I saw many of the credulous put
money into the box ; and I witnessed enough to
understand that the faith of the Vatican is " sem-
per eadem," or *'
worse and worse," as the Irish
student construed it ; and that it will continue to
be open to the reproach of being idolatrous, so
long as those, who make a gain of the superstitious,
assign miraculous virtue to objects of sense, and
pretend that prostration before a certain picture,
or a certainwooden cross, which papal rites have
consecrated, is more meritorious than prostration
before a picture or a cross, which the Church has
not pronounced to be miraculous.
At no great distance from the cathedral, there
is a small tavern or wine house with this sign,
*'
A la grace de Dieu." When a priesthood sets
the example, and invites attendance at particular
shrines or altars, under the fabulous pretence that
168 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

such spots, being the scenes of preternatural mani-


festations, are hallowed by an unusual portion of
sanctity, no wonder that vintners and tavern-
keepers should have recourse to blasphemous sign-
posts, and to similar expedients to attract notice.
We arrived at Paris on Monday night, June 1st,

and there I had the good fortune to meet Colonel


Beckwith, whose long residence in the Valleys
during the last autumn and winter, enabled him to
form a most accurate estimate of the present con-
dition and wants of the Vaudois. He was so good
as to let me transcribe his notes upon the state of

public instruction, the hospital, the resources of


the pastors, and other matters connected with the
object of my journey ; and I should be doing injus-
tice to this judicious and zealous friend of the
cause, were I not to state, how much I am in-

debted to him for the information and suggestions


with which he favoured me. Unlike some of my
countrymen who have visited the Valleys, he did
not come away disappointed and dissatisfied, at

not finding the Vaudois far above all human be-


ings, in the scale of virtue and religion ; but he
judged of them fairly, according to their advan-
tages and disadvantages, their lights, their means,
and opportunities, and their local and statistic posi-

tion in society. I have invariably found, that those


who have seen most of the Vaudois, and who have
had opportunities of mixing with them, beyond
the hasty visit of a few hours or days, have come
away adoring the Providence which has preserved
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 169

them ; deeply impressed with the merits of a com-


munity, which has retained so much of ancient
simphcity and primitive purity, in spite of all the
difficulties by which they are surrounded ; and
acknowledging the importance of a helping hand
to trim the light, which has shone so long in that

recess of the Alps, and to lift up the hands that


hang down, and the feeble knees.
We were glad to proceed on our journey to-
wards the place of our destination, after a week's

stay in the French capital; but instead of travelling


into Italy by Lyons, we directed our course to-

wards Geneva. Some of the schemes which I had


in contemplation, relative to an improved system
of education for the Vaudois, rendered it neces-
sary to consult persons resident at the universities
of Geneva and Lausanne, previously to my arrival
in the Valleys. We travelled by Fontainbleau,
Sens, Dijon, and Poligny, and crossed the Jura
mountains, but had not the gratification of gazing
upon the lakes of Switzerland, and the glories of
Mont Blanc on our descent. The weather was so
bad, that we could scarcely see a yard beyond the
horses' heads.
June 12th. It was some disappointment to find
that the vacation had commenced at Geneva, and
that the Vaudois students had returned to their
homes. Three of them are receiving their edu-
cation here ; and it would have been satisfactory
to have had an opportunity of observing, upon the
spot, what effect is produced upon the minds and
170 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

manners of these young mountaineers, by living


in a gay city, and mingling with persons, many of
whom profess religious opinions, which are not in
strict accordance with the doctrines maintained
in their own pure Church.
There have been complaints of the degeneracy of
the Vaudois. If there be any truth in this reproach,

may we not attribute it in a great degree to the

foreign education which their clergy receive, at a


period of youth the most critical of all ? According to
the present state of things, the young men intended
for holy orders must necessarily go to Switzerland
for instruction. They have no means of obtaining
sufficient knowledge in their native valleys. They
are unprovided with books, and instructors, and
they are tempted to Geneva and Lausanne, by
certain exhibitions of the value of about 600 francs
a year each, which have been founded by bene-
factors in Holland. I do not presume to speak of the
academies or universities of Switzerland as scenes
of dissipation, or of bad example : but I can make
no hesitation in expressing my opinion, that new
habits, new wants, and wishes, and new opinions,
injurious to native simplicity, cannot but be ac-
quired by lads who leave their rustic and secluded
habitations on the mountains, and pass the greater
part of seven or eight years, from fifteen and six-
teen years of age, in a foreign town. Formerly
the Vaudois pastors were educated at home, but
when the college, or establishment for education
at Angrogna, of whatever kind it may have been.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 171

was destroyed, the candidates for ordination had


no other resource than to betake themselves to
Switzerland.
The evils of the present system have been
eloquently deplored by a Vaudois writer, Brezzi,
who published a history of the Vaudois about
thirty-five years ago, and who devoted many
pages of his book to the consideration of a plan,
which might obviate the necessity of expatriat-
ing his young countrymen at the most danger-
ous crisis of their lives. It was simply this ; that
the Vaudois should petition their friends in Hol-
land to make some slight change in the destination

of the grants, which are voted to enable their


youth intended for orders to receive a theological

education. Let the amount be remitted immedi-


ately to the valleys, and let there be added to it

that of the annual stipend paid to the master of


the Latin school at La Tour. These together
would enable the Vaudois to have a more com-
petent establishment of their own, and to appoint
two or three professors, who might preside over
the studies of the young men destined for ordina-
tion. The expense of journeys, and of the charges
incurred over and above the 600 francs a year
provided for them in Switzerland, would then be
spared, so that they might set the value of the
cost saved against the loss of the annual exhibi-
tions, and receive an education at once cheaper
and safer.
172 WAL!)ENSIAN RKSKAllCHES.

The enchanting banks of Lake Leman threatened


to be the Capua, which should detain us in idleness
and enjoyment, and divert us from our purpose of
hastening to Piemont without unnecessary loss of
time. For who can saunter in the gardens, mea-
dows, or corn fields, which run down to the margin
of the lake, or glide along in a boat upon its bright
blue w^aters, without being strongly tempted to
prolong his stay, and to enjoy that unrivalled
prospect of sylvan, pastoral, and mountain scenery,
which delight his eye in this favoured spot ? On
the Swiss side of the lake there are moral as well
as natural charms, which gladden the heart ; good
government, rich cultivation, and secure possession,
are conspicuous in every object. Not so on the
Savoy shore ; there you miss the beautiful villas
which grace the other bank —there you see long
tracts of marshy and poorly productive land. At
Geneva even the line of fortifications tells a tale
of happiness and comfort. The foss, and slopes
down to it, the scarp and counterscarp, are con-
verted into hay fields or flower parterres, and
realize the scriptural image of every man convert-
ing his weapons of warfare into implements of
husbandry or domestic use.
June 15th. From Geneva we went to Lausanne
in a steam-boat ; my business there was soon
concluded. I was desirous of conferring with Mr.
Cheesbrough, the exemplary and highly respected
English chaplain, and with M. Monastier, a Vaudois
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 173

by birth, and one of the professors of the academy.


These gentlemen have been the kind friends, and
I may say the kind protectors, of the two sons of
the late moderator Peyran, for several years past,
v^^hile the elder has been pursuing his studies, and
the younger learning a trade at Lausanne. The
latter in his humble station, by his good conduct
and assiduity, has shewn himself well worthy of
the kindness which has been extended towards
him, and has been enabled by aid of English con-
tributions to put himself in the way of securing a
maintenance sufficient and creditable, though it

be in a line of life which contrasts strongly with


the more refined pursuits of his accomplished
father. The elder brother, at the recommendation
of ''
the officers of the table," as the board of
ecclesiastical authority is called among the Vau-
dois, has since been appointed master of the
grammar-school at Pomaret, established in May
last.

Upon my consulting M. Monastier, the excellent


Monastier, as I have often heard him called, on
the subject of my enquiries as to the best means-
of benefiting the Vaudois, he gave me informa-
tion and advice, to which I attach great value.
His affection for his native country, his thorough
acquaintance with its condition, and his long ex-
perience as an instructor at Lausanne, where the
greater number of Vaudois candidates for orders
are educated, render him a judicious counsellor in
174 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

questions touching the education of the Vaudois.


He agrees in the main with Brezzi, and it is his

opinion, that the system requires improvement at


the fountain head ; that if it be indispensable that
the Vaudois youth should have their theological
education completed in Switzerland, the founda-
tion should at all events be well laid at home
and that they should not be sent away from the
paternal roof, at the early age of sixteen, seven-
teen, and eighteen, nor should they pass so many
years in their academical career, as must now be
the case, so long as they come ill prepared to
begin their course of higher studies. " But how,'*
said he, ^'
can this be managed, according to the
present state of things ? There is but one Latin
school in the valleys, that at La Torre. The
master is poorly paid, by a salary which does not
amount to 1000 francs a year. He has no assist-

ance, and must encounter all the drudgery of


teaching little boys their first elements, and
urging on the elder scholars. He has neither
the time nor the facilities of advancing knowledge
beyond a certain point. He has not the command
of books, or of any of the materials of superior
education."
M. Monastier further stated, that he did not
know of any better plan for amehorating the
general condition of the Vaudois, than this, that

the friends and protectors of the Waldensian


Church should combine their eiforts, and establish

I
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 175

an institution, where efficient instruction may be


given, not only to the young people who are
intended for the ministry, but to those also who

are destined to be the regents or masters of the


village schools. By this means general improve-
ment will be secured, and they who are to preside
over education will be well grounded in those
branches of knowledge, which are most essential
for a population like that of the valleys.
We returned to Geneva from Lausanne by the
same conveyance that brought us thither the day
before, a steam-boat. It would be endless to

describe the innumerable and varied beauties


presented to the eye during the passage from one
end of the lake to the other.

" A blending of all beauties, streams and dells,

Fruit, foliage, crag, wood, corn-field, mountain, vine."

The strong contrasts, between snowy sunnnits


and verdant plains, inaccessible rocks scarped with

ice in the distance, and in the foreground the


habitations and productions of man betokening
comfort and taste, would have kept us in a state
of indescribable enjoyment, if a contrast of another
kind had not marred it. It is grievous to turn the
eye from the Swiss to the Savoy side of the lake.
The one beamed and brightened with all that
denoted the happiness of a contented people,
flourishing under the blessings of free institutions
176 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the other, as I have before mentioned, displayed


no improvements, few or no trading vessels, and
small craft in its creeks, no country retreats of
wealthy citizens, no indication of prosperity.
June 17th. The same comparison forced itself

upon us when we left Geneva, and took the road


to Chambery, by Luiset and Aix. As soon as we
crossed the barrier, and had passed out of the
Swiss into the Sardinian states, pauperism and
mendicity, dirt and discomfort, scanty productions,
and inferior cultivation, proclaimed the change of
masters more than that of soil. And how can it

be otherwise ? The people are taught to look not


to the rewards of industry, for their gratifications,
but to the frequent recurrence of holidays and
church festivals, when it is penal to work. The
labours of the field are suspended, that the pro-
cessions in honour of some canonized saint may
be crowded, and hymns of joy are raised in the

streets, while want and misery are brooding at


home.
Our journey on the 18th, from Rumilly to St.
Jean Maurienne, lay through towns and villages,

whose whole population was poured out in honour


of a day, which seems to be highly distinguished
in the Roman calendar. The houses every where
were decorated with boughs of trees, tapestry, or

substitutes for tapestry ; long arrays of priests


and their attendants frequently obliged our pos-
tilions to pull up, and at Chambery we were
WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES. 177

detained for a considerable length of time, because


the official gentlemen, whose business it was to

examine our passports, were engaged like the rest

in celebrating the fete. The transport or hilarity


of the occasion had so intoxicated the man of
office, whose inspection and permission were ne-
cessary to the continuance of our route, that
when he saw my party described in the passport
as an ecclesiastic travelling with his wife, he
excited a loud laugh among his colleagues at
the idea of a married clergyman, and humorously
or insolently contrived to word the billet which
he gave me in exchange for my passport, so as
to make it contain an affronting equivoque.
If these things were calculated to raise unplea-
sant sensations, two observations served to remove
them ; most of the children and young people of
all degrees, whom I saw going or coming out of
the churches, carried books with them, an indica-
tion that education is on the advance in the Sar-
dinian dominions. The attention paid by order
of government to the convenience of travellers, was
anothergratifyingconsideration. There was nothing
troublesome or offensive in the search made by
the custom-house officers ; and a printed bulletin
was put into my hands, which was an effectual
guard against any imposition on the part of the
postmasters. It fully described the distances
from place to place between Chambery and
N
178 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Turin, and the number of horses which each stage


required.

Relais d* exchange. Posts. Observations,


Chambery a Montmeillan 2 3 ou 4 chevauxdu 10 Oc.
au 30 Avr.
Montmeillan a Maltaverne li idem. *

Lans le bourg ^ Mont Cenis 3 3 ou 4 chevaux du 1 Mai


au 30 Oc.
&c. &c. &c. &c.

Our passage of the Alps, by Mont Cenis, was


made under the most favourable circumstances of
season and weather but, upon the whole, the
;

impression left upon my mind was by no means


equal to that when I entered Italy in January
1823. Putting aside the force of anticipation,
and the intense interest one takes in being a
spectator, for the first time, of the wonders and
the beauties of which much has been read, there
is an inseparable association in the mind between
Alpine grandeur and Alpine difficulties. The
keen wintry air, and the scene bounded on each
side by icy fragments, or by pines fringed with
frost, and the road covered with snow, accorded

then more naturally with my preconceived notions


of the sublime and formidable Alps, than the
green slopes, and smiling foliage, and the warm
sunny atmosphere which now greeted us. My
companion's sensations were the same ; she too
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 179

was somewhat disappointed ; all was too easy and


comfortable to be Alpine. Besides this, the un-
safe but picturesque wooden bridges, which were
loosely flung over the torrents six years ago,
have been taken down and replaced by solid
arches of stone, which act in an inverse ratio

upon minds bent on the secure or the imposing.


We arrived at Turin on Saturday the 20th of
June. The hotel, at which we took up our abode,
looked into the Grande Piazza, and the scenes,
which we witnessed next day under our windows,
were true to the accounts which are usually given of
a Sunday on the continent. In one part, soldiers
were paraded and marched off to their posts. In
another, a rehgious procession extended its lines

from one side of the square to the other. Here


a fellow who presided over a blacking stall was
holding forth upon the excellency of his com-
modity, with all the earnestness and fluency of a
senator. There a quack-doctor had collected a
crowd by the sound of his trumpet, and was dis-
pensing his advice and his medicine out of a four-
wheeled open carriage drawn by one horse. At
one moment he was haranguing in stentorian tones,
which could be heard distinctly in our room : at
another, blowing a blast with his trumpet scarcely
more loud. We saw him draw the tooth of one
patient, and dress the wounds of another, as much
to the amusement as to the edification of the by-
standers. Not far from him a conjuror was exer-
N 2
180 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

cising his lungs and his ingenuity, and tempting


idlers away from the parade, the procession, and
the empiric. The clamours of these rivals for
public applause, the buz of voices, the rattling of
arms, and the sound of military music, mingled
strangely with the bells calling to Church, and
with the chaunting of the priests in procession.
No where is religion more ostentatious, or even
more obtrusive than at Turin, and yet the whole
of the Lord's day presents the spectacle of a fair,

rather than that of a holy convocation, and glad


were we to think, that one day more, and the
short distance of less than thirty miles, would
bring us to the valleys, and restore us to a state
of things more resembling those to which we are
accustomed at home.
On Monday, the 22nd of June, after having
had an interview with Mr. St. George, the British
charge d'affaires, who had just returned from La
Torre, full of admiration of the Vaudois, and of
kind intentions towards them, we left Turin at
about one o'clock, and taking a course south-west,
through Nona, Pinerolo, and Bricherasio, we
reached La Torre at seven. I cannot adequately
describe my feelings, as I approached the well
remembered spots, which are almost as dear to
me as my native soil. As the mountains neared
upon us, after travelling the long plain, and
straight line of road which extends from Turin
to Pinerolo, . it was more like the sensation of
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 181

returning home than of going to renew old ac-


quaintanceship. But when Castelluzzo broke upon
my view, and the church of San Giovanni, the
first Protestant village, rose before me, and when
a little afterwards the bridge of La Torre came in

sight, my emotions were such as any one on earth


might envy. I had one by my side,who under-
stood and participated in the feelings of the mo-

ment. If pure and unmixed happiness was ever


felt, it was on that evening, when I found myself
again within the sacred limits of the Pelice and
the Clusone, the seat of Christ's Church from the
primitive times to the present. We drove through
La Torre to the hamlet of San Margarita, and
were received by the pastor of La Torre, M. Bert
and his family, most kindly and heartily. It is

impossible to say how kindly. Arrangements had


been made to accommodate us in the house of
M. Bert, and sweet was the sleep we enjoyed in

one of the clean and comfortable apartments,


which we were invited to consider our own during
our stay in the valleys. With that delicacy which
belongs to the Vaudois character, every wish and
want of ours had been anticipated: and those,
who know by experience the inconveniences and
deprivations of which English travellers have to
complain in the best furnished hotels out of Britain,
will comprehend the pleasure we felt at finding a
provision of linen, and of basins and water vessels,

ample and capacious enough for the most luxu-


N 2 ^
182 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

rious ablutions. Another mark of attention to


their guests' supposed tastes and habits was con-
spicuous in the room, which M. and Madame
Bert had assigned to my especial use. It was the
pastor's own study, well stocked with books, having
a window opening upon one of the loveliest scenes
in nature. Many were the happy tranquil hours
which I enjoyed in this little room, turning over
the time-worn volumes of my host, and his ances-
tors, and reading interesting treatises of authors
of other days, whose names have long since passed
into oblivion ; or gazing upon the mountains, and
the beautiful vales they enclosed, and listening to
the wild notes of a shepherd boy, whose daily
occupation was to watch a few sheep and goats
upon a neighbouring hill, and whose song still

rings in my ears as one of the most melodious


sounds I ever heard. The sketch which faces this
page, was taken from the window of the study.
Domesticated thus with a Vaudois family, living
as they lived, keeping their hours, and established
in the midst of mountains and mountaineers, the
time which we passed here may safely be pro-
nounced to be among the happiest of our life.

We breakfasted early, dined at two o'clock, rising


from table immediately that the dinner was over,
and supped at nine. Our dinners consisted gene-
rally of potage, a small piece of beef or veal, not
remarkable for fatness or flavour, poultry, trout
caught in the Pelice, and some preparations of
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 183

eggs, rice, vegetables, or pastry. The substantial


dish at supper was a flowing bowl of milk rich as
cream, or of custard pudding with some preserved
fruit. At first the supply of meat was somewhat
scanty, and the table was spread with the frugality
and simplicity of a hermitage ; but when our hostess
had made her silent observations upon our ap-
petite, sharpened by exercise and fine air, she
provided accordingly, and, I am afraid, put herself
to no small inconvenience, for meat cannot be
procured with any regularity in the vicinity of
La Torre. These repasts, and particularly the
suppers, seasoned by the conversation and kind
attentions of the family, and by the demands of a
long evening walk, were enjoyable beyond all

description.
San Margarita continued to be our head-quarters
for two months, and from we made our
this spot

excursions in every direction, until we had visited


every one of the fifteen Vaudois Communes, and
the greater number of the hamlets into which they
are divided.
The first few days after our arrival in the valleys
were spent in delicious leisurely enjoyment of the
lovely scenery, and of the new situation in which
we found ourselves. The hamlet of San Marc^arita
is about half a mile from the village of La Torre,
at no great distance from the central school, the
church, the hospital, and the Latin school. We
could, therefore, first visit the places connected
184 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

with some of my enquiries, and afterwards ramble


among the secluded dells and chesnut groves in
their vicinity, and thus employ our mornings use-
fully and agreeably. Our host's house is his own
property, and, with the aspect of a farm-house or
large Swiss cottage, had all the comforts of a farm-
house, being situated in a farm-yard, and supplied
with the produce of a few acres which lay conti-
guous to it. Some rich meadows, shaded with
fruit-trees, and well irrigated by streamlets, led by
artificial channels from the mountains, and sloping
down to the banks of the Pelice, were at hand to
invite to walk, when we were in the mood to take
exercise without having any object to draw us be-
yond the precincts of the little domain ; and here
we away many of those hours, which we
loitered
should have called idle, had they not been in the
society of some of Mr. Bert's family or friends,
from whose conversation we were able to gather
much of the information we required. The plea-
sure, however, of our first ramble was a little dis-

turbed bythe sight of one of those formidable vipers,


which abound in the chain of mountains between
Piemont and Dauphine, so much so, that at certain
seasons of the year, men from Turin and Milan
make it their business to collect them for medicinal

purposes. I was advancing through a plantation


of willows to the edge of the torrent, and in stoop-
ing down to avoid a bough, I disturbed a viper
coiled upon it close to my face.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 185

The bay and corn harvest, and that gay and


important time when the produce of the silk-worm
is collected, were calling the whole rustic popula-

tion into full activity, and gave us ample oppor-


tunities of mixing with the peasantry, and seeing
them under all those circumstances which call the
character and peculiarities of a people into action.
The grass and grain had yielded an abundant
increase, and the season was favourable for secur-

ing them; but the mulberry trees had failed in


the early part of the year, and the silk worms, for
want of sufficient aliment, had in many cases
made so poor a return, that great distress was
the consequence. One poor family, who Uved
near us, had expended more in the purchase of
mulberry leaves than their silk sold for, and the
disappointment was lamentable ; but the tale of
their deprivations which resulted from it, was told
without the least repining, although their hut was
almost stripped of its scanty furniture to raise the
rent, which their cocoons were expected to pro-
duce.
Improvements find their way but slowly to such
retired corners of the world, as those in which we
were sojourning; therefore, the implements of
husbandry, and the use of them, as far as we
observed, belonged, like the Church of the Vau-
dois, to primitive times. The scythes and spades
were cumbersome and ill adapted for the despatch
of work ; the animals principally employed in the
186 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

fields were milch cows, whether to draw the


plough in seed time, or the wain at harvest. The
forks were for the most part of wood, split so as

to form the prongs, with a cross bar or wedge to


keep them distended. But there was another
observation of a more interesting nature still,

which reminded us also of patriarchal times : the


gentleness and docility of the cattle, and the kind-
ness with which they are treated and managed.
The kine, sheep, and goats are not driven, but
led, and become as familiar and tractable as dogs;
they obey the voice and movements of the hand,
come singly from the flock when their names are
called, and illustrate the scriptural passages, " He
calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them
out'*
— " One little ewe lamb, which lay in his
bosom."
Two or three days after our arrival in the
valleys, the pastors of Bobi, Villar, San Giovanni,
Rora, and Angrogna, and the master of the Latin
school, called upon us. I had not seen some of
these worthy men when I was here in 1823, but
among such frank and warm-hearted people, ac-
quaintanceship is soon made ; and as they knew I

did not askthem questions out of mere curiosity,

they were good enough to permit me to ascertain


their opinions on several matters connected with
my journey. In some instances, travellers have
returned from the Vaudois dissatisfied at finding
them reserved and uncomnmnicative. But they
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 187

might recollect that questions as to income, reli-


gious opinion, and the conduct of government,
when put by strangers, whose object is not intel-

ligible, are not altogether agreeable. The oppor-


tunities which I enjoyed of acquiring the confi-
dence of these mountaineers, promoted my views
in every respect. I was received in the family

of one of their most respected and intelligent

pastors; and I seldom stirred from place to place,


but in the company of some one who understood
the patois of the country, and was well known to
the natives. If I shall, therefore, appear to speak
of them in the tone of one, who thinks himself
famihar with their habits and sentiments, I may
boast that I obtained this knowledge by associat-
ing with them at their own abodes, and partaking
of their repasts ; by accompanying them to their
fields and pasturages, and by being the companion
of some of their journeys and adventures. It was
not only in the presbyteries, and churches, and
schools, that I studied their character, but in the
hut and chalet, by the side of the husbandman
and the vine dresser, and of the shepherds and
herdsmen, and hunters of their Alps.
The impression left upon my mind is decidedly
favourable. There were lights and shadows in the

picture, but the former prevailed. As for example,


if I witnessed amusements to which their ances-
tors strongly objected, I could not but perceive that

these were conducted with a degree of decency


188 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

and propriety very rare in other regions. No


drunkenness, or quarrels, or loose language dis-

grace their hours of hilarity. There is no open


and shameless rebellion against divine or human
laws, and the sins which call for admonition, are
the perpetration of individuals, and not general
enough to leave a stigma upon whole villages or

hamlets. I saw no indication of that profligacy


which results from passions, which young men in

too many countries seem to avow, rather than to


disguise.

At their devotions, they display a seriousness


which is quite exemplary ; and though the Lord's
day is not professedly consecrated to the same
number of services as with us, yet there are few
among them who are not regular attendants at
church. The average congregation of every
parish rarely falls short of, and generally exceeds,
the amount of half the population. Scarcely an
instance is known of a young person declining to
receive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper after
he has arrived at the proper age ; and the solemn
preparation, which is made for the communion,
speaks forcibly in attestation of the pains which
are taken to impress the youthful mind with its

importance.
But whether it is that extravagant notions have

been formed of the Vaudois, and that being sup-


posed to be exempt from all human defects, their
failings, when discovered, have been perversely
WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES. 189

exaggerated ; or whether they have been more


rigidly and nicely weighed than other people, cer-
tain it is, that if they have been overrated by

some, they have been underrated by others, and


advantage has been taken of the errors of indi-
viduals, to misrepresent the whole community.
If it could be shewn that some members of the
Waldensian Church have fallen ten times, where
they have only fallen once, and that the number
of admitted dehnquents could be multiplied ten-
fold, I would still subscribe to the opinion which
three recent travellers have put on record. " In
principles, habits, and manners," says Mr. Bridge,
" they approach more nearly to the primitive
professors of Christianity than any other com-
munity of Christians now have no
existing."
—" I

hesitation in saying," says Mr. Jackson, " that I


think the Vaudois, even in their present circum-
stances, the most moral people in Europe."
" They have the honour to be ranked as soldiers

of Jesus Christ, with that remnant of the noble


army of martyrs." Such is the witness of Mr.
Plenderleath —my testimony is the same. The first

opinion which I adopted in 1823, is my deliberate


and confirmed opinion in 1830.

The reader will sympathize with me, when I

relate, after this declaration, that two events oc-


curred while I was in the valleys, during my late
visit, which were of a nature to shake a casual
190 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

observer's estimate of the Vaudois character. One


man committed suicide, and another murder.
The sensation excited through every commune
was terrible. There was not a man but felt that
the virtuous reputation of his community was at
stake ; nothing like it had occurred for ages. I

was present when the remains of the suicide were


committed to the grave. The funeral took place the
day after the fatal deed, and before the cause and
circumstances had been fully ascertained by legal
process. The gloom was deep and universal. A
great concourse attended ; and the spectators of
the last ceremony appeared as if they had not the
courage to look each other in the face. An evi-

dent shock had been given to all. Happily, it

was upon inquiry, that the poor


clearly established
victim of his own violence was insane and then, —
but not till then, a weight seemed to be removed
from every man's heart and conscience. Some of
the Roman Catholics indulged in severe and sar-
castic observations at the expense of the suicide
and his religion. " What is the Protestant faith
worth," said they, " if its people first run into
excesses which unsettle their minds, and then fly
to the refuge of the grave from the agonies of
conscience ? The confessional would have pre-
vented the last guilty act at least, and the priest

would have given absolution and comfort at the

same time."
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 191

Of the murderer, I am unable to speak posi-


tively, either in defence or extenuation. He fled

as soon as the crime was committed, and the


particulars of it had not been ascertained when I

came away. It was said, however, to have re-


sulted from a quarrel, in which the manslayer
was not the aggressor.
CHAPTER 11.

System of Public Education, Central Schools, Obstacles in

the way of Instruction. Hamlet Schools and Scenery.

The first subject to which I desired to give my


attention, was the state of education, and the way
was greatly smoothed for me by Colonel Beck-
with, whose personal inspection of every school,
during his long residence in the valleys, had ena-
bled him to make some accurate notes upon the
manner in which the schools are conducted. The
following he was kind enough to allow me to
transcribe.
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
" The system of public instruction is carried
on among the Vaudois, in

1 Grammar School,
15 Great Schools,
126 Small Schools*,

* These small schools vary in number with the means of sup-

porting them. According to the report of the Table in 1826,


there were then only 76 open. In 1829, when I was in the

valleys, the number reported to me was 1 12.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 193

4 Girls' Schools^ supported by the London


committee,
4 Girls' Schools, supported by individuals.
Containing, in round numbers, 4500 children, of
whom the smaller half consists of girls.
'^
The 15 great schools ought to be held ten
months, but from the small stipends of the school-
masters, and from the circumstance of the child-
ren's being employed in various ways by the
parents, many of them are held only for five or
six.
" The smaller schools are held for five, (very
few) four, and three months. In bad weather
these schools are filled with children ; but in open
winters, the parents send the elder children '
en
pature' with the sheep and goats, so that these
children receive an imperfect education for four
or three winter months.
" These schools are directed by schoolmasters,
some of whom speak French tolerably well, and
write a pretty good hand, but in general they
neither speak French well, nor write well. They
all read French, but have a very imperfect know-
ledge of that language. The greater part of them
are in the habit of speaking patois, and there are
no means of learning French grammatically in the
valleys. They can all cypher a little, but have
no books of arithmetic, slates, or slate pencils.
" These schoolmasters teach by means of a
small spelling-book called a '
Carte,' Ostervald's

o
194 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Catechism, the New Testament, and Bible. They


set copiesupon detached sheets of paper in round
and small hand, and sums in the four first rules of
arithmetic from memory ; these the children work
out also on sheets of paper, but this mode of teach-
ing is too expensive for the parents, so that the
children are obliged to stop until the parents can
aflPord to purchase more paper.
" The children generally speaking, particularly
in large schools, are arranged by classes. The
master sets a lesson to each child, and they come
up in succession but where the school is numerous
;

this cannot be more than twice or thrice in the day.

The children idle away the rest of their time.


''
When the small schools are closed, many
children frequent the great schools for some time
longer.
" During the winter also, many persons prefer
sending their children to the great schools, where
they learn to write and cypher better; but the
system of instruction is the same as in small
schools.
" Notwithstanding all these defects and obstacles,
the children in the course of years learn to read
their catechism, a book of 125 pages, and the
Bible, with considerable fluency ; they know a
good deal of their catechism by heart, write, a

few very well, and the greater part very tolerably,

and make some progress in arithmetic, but pro-


bably not much.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 195

" Other systems of education, if they were per-


mitted, would bring on the children much faster,

but in the present state of the country \ and of


the population, it would be difficult to carry them
into effect. The greatest defect of the present
system is, that the means used to teach French do
not effect the object so as to enable the population
to read and listen to the Scriptures with the profit
that is desirable. There does not appear to be
any immediate remedy for this ; first, on account
of the expense of forming masters, the want of
means to pay these masters, and the difficulty of

teaching a foreign language to peasants who are


occupied in supplying their daily wants in a
country where there are no books written in the
dialect spoken by its inhabitants. The wants of
these schools are New Testaments, slates, and
slate pencils ; of the latter there are none in Pie-
mont, and they might probably be supplied cheap-
est from England, by way of Genoa."
The grammar school, of which Colonel Beck-
with speaks, is maintained principally by contri-
butions from Holland, and so are the great or
central schools, and the small or hamlet schools.
The benefactions received from Holland in 1829,
amounted to 9600 francs, or about 384/., and it

^ The Vaudois are prohibited by an edict of government, issued


July 1826, from having any committee of their own for the

regulation of public instruction, and from using any system of


mutual instruction.

o 2
196 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

was announced to the table, that the annual con-


tributions from that country in future would not
exceed this sum. Some years the grant had been
nearly 1000 francs more ^
Of the grammar school, I shall speak more at
large by and bye. The four girls' schools, main-
tained principally by the London Vaudois Com-
mittee, and the four private girls' schools, sup-
ported by benevolent individuals, will also be
mentioned in the course of my relation. At pre-
sent, the order of my narrative requires that I
should notice those called the great and the small
schools. Each parish contains one of the former,
and as many of the latter as are thought necessary
according to its population and situation. The

*
The appropriation of the 9600 francs, was
Francs.

In aid of the poor generally, of the 1 5 Vaudois


Parishes 1340
To Widows of Pastors 290
To particular objects of bounty 140
To retired Pastors 400
To a suspended Pastor 250
To 5 Doyens, or Senior Pastors 450
To Latin School-masters 650; Rewards 30 •• 680
To 15 Great and 1 12 Small Schools 3456
To Hospital 2500
Gratuities to Pastors of Prali and Maneille,
and casualties • • • 94

Total 9600
WALDKNSIAN RESEARCHES. 197

Dutch yearly allowance to the great schools varies

from 55 to 155 francs each — to the small schools

from 12 to 48 francs ; and these stipends to the


masters are increased by some small contributions
from each commune. The greatest payment
which is made at present to any of the masters or
regents of the 15 central schools^ who are in fact
the persons upon whom the burthen of instruc-
tion rests, is 400 francs, or 16/. a year, viz. to

the regent of La Torre ; and this, I believe, in-

cludes his salary as catechist and reader in the


church. The regent of Rodoret receives no more
than 128 francs annually. Some of the masters
of the small schools live with the inhabitants of
the hamlets in which they teach, one day in one
cottage, and one day in another ; but with such
poor pittances, it is not an object of ambition to
the young men of the rising generation to qualify
themselves for the purpose of carrying on public
instruction.

It is highly honourable to the Waldenses, that


they took the lead in promoting that system of
general education, which is extending itself more
or less in every state in Europe. Their pastors
have not only always recommended and assisted
in the instruction of children of all degrees, but
the synodical acts of the Vaudois Church have,
from time to time, rendered it imperative upon
the community to provide means of religious and
elementary education for all the children capable
198 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of receiving it. Nearly two hundred years ago,


Leger stated, " All the churches are obliged to
have a sufficient number of schools, well regulated,
wherein the fundamental principles of religion are
to be taught. But since there is little or no com-
merce in this country, it is not expected that many
of the children should learn to write ; in fact,

there are very few who can write their names,


although most of them can read well, and are well
versed in a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures."
Now, however, since education has taken great
strides in this quarter, as well as elsewhere, and
the demands of the age require that even the
village schools of the Waldenses should be placed
upon a more effective footing, it becomes a ques-
tion, whether some means cannot be devised of
preparing the masters, and perfecting them in
those branches of instruction which they are ex-
pected to undertake, before they are entrusted
with the difficult task of conducting schools, in
which a language different from the mother tongue
of the scholars, is themedium of communicating
knowledge. My own observations agree with
those of Messrs. Acland, Bracebridge, Sims, and
Jackson, who have strongly pointed out, in their
publications concerning the Vaudois, the necessity
of creating a new order of school-masters, and of
establishing a system in which they may be trained
to the duties of their vocation. The Dutch com-
mittee most considerately raised a purse for the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 199

express purpose of maintaining an institution,

wherein the regents might be instructed in the


routine of school management ; but while I was
at La Torre, a letter was received from Holland,
announcing the painful intelligence, that this sub-

sidy could be continued no longer. One of the


resolutions which the officers of the table adopted
in 1826, was to this effect:
— " A donner telle

etendue et direction a I'ecole Latine, qu'elle puisse

servir au meme tems a la formation des regens et


maitres d'ecole." It has not yet been carried into
execution for want of funds, but certainly no bet-
ter plan seems to present itself, than one which
shall economically combine a better elementary
course of study both for those intended for the
ministry, and for those who are to be the village
teachers.
The time of the year was not favourable for my
visits to the schools. The small ones were all

closed, and the great schools were held very irre-

gularly at a season, when the children are princi-


pally occupied in the fields, and in the mountain
pasturages, tending the flocks and herds, or in
collecting the produce of the silk-worms. The
school of La Torre being near at hand, we watched
our opportunity, and found the master and some
of his scholars at study. There were twenty-two
boys and girls present, the eldest might be about
sixteen, the youngest about seven. In the months
when the attendance is most regular, the numbers
200 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

are above 100. As many as 130 have been as-

sembled together, but the room is by no means


large enough to accommodate so many with any
degree of comfort or convenience. It is fitted up
with forms and desks. One boy was busy with a
sum in the rule of three. I heard a little girl of
eight years of age read in the catechism — she
read tolerably well ; but when I asked if she
thoroughly understood what she read, the master
shook his head. The catechism was in French
and upon my enquiring of the master, if he ex-
plained it in the patois of the country, he replied
that he had been brought up in France, and did not
understand the patois.
The vernacular tongue of the Vaudois is a bar-
barous dialect between Latin, French, and Italian,

more like the Spanish perhaps. The language of


the state is Italian, and that, in which they receive
instruction is French, without the means at present
of acquiring it grammatically. It is astonishing
therefore that a population should be grounded and
rooted in a faith, the knowledge of which is com-
municated to them under every possible impedi-
ment ; and it is hard to determine how the diffi-

culties of having to learn the principles of religion


in a language, not the spoken language of the
province, are to be met. Colonel Beckwith and
Mr. Sims have benevolently provided copies of
the Gospels of St. Luke and St. John in French
and in the Vaudois dialect, to be printed for the
1
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 201

use of the schools and parishes. But the dialect

or patois of the Vaudois varies so much in the

three valleys, that I am inclined to think the best


thing is to discourage the. use of it as much as
possible, and promote a more general adoption of
French, as the only language in which religious
books can be obtained, while Protestant works in
Italian are so strictly prohibited by the govern-
ment. This was the opinion of the synod in
1822. One of its articles imposed it as a duty
upon the pastors to converse in French with their

flocks, in order to familiarize them with the lan-

guage of their elementary treatises and church


services. The indefatigable and judicious Oberlin
overcame difficulties of the same nature in his
mountain parish of the Ban de la Roche, by per-
suading his people to reconcile themselves to the
colloquial use of the French, instead of the harsh
patois to which they had been accustomed. The
Vaudois have been gradually adopting the lan-
guage of France for two hundred years ; their
forefathers nobly and perseveringly led the way,
when they first received into their churches minis-
ters who understood neither the Waldensian nor

the Itahan tongue, after the sweeping pestilence


which carried off almost all their native pastors,
and we may hope that the present race will shew
equal perseverance and docility.
The master of the school complained, justly
202 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

enough, of the obstacles which were thrown in the


way of the due performance of his duty ; in the un-
certain attendance of his scholars, interrupted as
they are by the necessity of finding employment in
husbandry, and otherwise, in the occasional severity
of the weather, in the total want of materials to
carry on the work of education, and, above all, in
the prohibition of mutual instruction. The go-
vernment is so jealous on the subject of education,
that it is absolutely forbidden to have any recourse
to those expedients, by which the master may
have the assistance of his own scholars, and of
that intellectual machinery, which Dr. Bell has
introduced into the national schools of our own
country.
The elementary books used in the schools of

the Vaudois, were there enough of them, and


could they be thoroughly learnt, are well calcu-
lated for the purpose of instruction ; they are
simple and intelligible, and if the scholars clearly
understood the language in which they are com-
posed, (the French) they would greatly facilitate
their progress. The first book is a little treatise,

entitled, " L'A, B, C, pour les Enfans du premier


age." It contains, like our own spelling-books,
first the letters, and then words of one, two, three
and more syllables in succession ; next, short
prayers for before and after meat, and for entering
and leaving church ; the Lord's Prayer, the Creed,
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 203

and Ten Commandments ; then a brief catechism,


and concludes with a few occasional prayers. This
is of recent introduction. Before it was adopted,
a tract of the same kind, but containing longer
prayers, and several pages of instructions in verse,
was used. Two other little books were put into
the hands of children more advanced — the one
entitled, ^'
Deux Catechismes famihers par de-
mandes et reponses, extremement courtes." The
other, '^
Abreg6 de THistoire Sainte et du Cat6-
chisme, par J. F. Ostervald." The practical and
doctrinal parts of these treatises are sound and
orthodox, in the acceptance which the English
Church attaches to the word. Touching the
doctrine of the Trinity, the first contains this ex-
position :

*'
Who is your Saviour ?

Jesus Christ.
Who is Jesus Christ ?

The only Son of God.


Is Jesus Christ God or man ?

He is very God and very man.'


The second contains the same.
The third expresses itself thus :

^'
Are there many Gods ?
No ; there is but one God.
Is there only one person in the Godhead ?

There are three persons.


How do you call them ?

The Father, the Son, and the Holv Ghost.


204 WALDENSiAN RESEARCHES.

If there are three persons, are there not three

Gods?
No.
Wherefore ?

Because there is but one only, and the same


essence."
The fourth, or Ostervald's, discusses this im-
portant topic in this manner.
'^
How do you know that Jesus Christ is of the
same nature with God his Father ?
^^
Saint John says, ' In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.' And St. Paul says, ' Christ who is

over all, God blessed for ever.' "

Such are the lessons taught in their elementary


books to the young Vaudois, and therefore I was
not surprised to get the following brief and intel-
ligent answer from a boy of eleven or twelve years
of age, to whom I put the question — " Who is

Jesus Christ?"—" He is God \" Those, who

^ The Catechism used by the more advanced scholars con-

tains this explanation, on that fundamental doctrine of the


Primitive and Protestant Churches, Justification by faith in

Jesus Christ.

Abrege du Catechisme, Section 14.

Qu'est-ce que la foi justifiante ?

Celle par laquelle nous sommes justifies devant Dieu.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 205

know what liberties have been taken at Geneva


with the Catechism of Ostervald, in some of the
late reprints, wherein all that vindicates the God-

Comment nous justifie-t-elle devant Dieu ?


En embrassant et nous appliquant la justice de Jesus Christ.
Qu'entendez-vous par la justice de Jesus Christ?
Le merite de son obeissance et de sa mort, par laquelle il

a appaise Dieu envers nous et expie nos peches.


Qu*est-ce done qu'embrasser la justice de Jesus-Christ?
C'est croire qu'il est mort pour nous.
Que signifie le mot de justifier ?
Declarer juste celui qu'on tenoit pour coupable.
Comment nous qui sommes pecheurs pouvons-nous etre

declares justes devant Dieu?


Nous ne sommes pas declares justes en nous-memes, raais en
Jesus-Christ.
Comment justes en Jesus-Christ?
C'est que la justice de Jesus-Christ est faite notre.

Comment est-elle faite notre ?

C'est qu'elle nous est imputee par la grace que nous croions

en lui.

Qu'est-ce k dire cela?


C'est que Dieu nous pardonne tous nos peches, et nous
donne le droit k la vie 6ternelle pour I'amour de Jesus-Christ,
lors que nous croions en lui.

Quels sont les Actes de la foi justifiante ?

II y en a quatre principaux.
Quel est le premier ?

C'est de savoir et de croire que Jesus est le Fils de Dieu, et


que s'etant fait fils de I'homme, il a fait et soufFert tout ce qui

6toit necessaire pour nous acquerir le salut.

Quel est le second ?

C'est de recourir a lui et de chercher tout notre salut en lui.


206 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

head of Jesus is omitted, will be glad to find that


the copies of Ostervald, in use among our Protest-
ants of the valleys, are the genuine copies. They
are not editions mutilated like that of Paschoud,
published in 1814, in which the catechumen is

taught to respect, but not to adore the Son of


God ; but they still hold him forth to the worship
of youth, as very God and very Man. The tract
entitled " Deux Catechism es familiers," is from an
impression of the year 1759.
All things considered, more ex- I know not of a
traordinary phenomenon than that presented by
the Vaudois, when a view is taken of the state
of public instruction and its results. You have a
small population sharply watched by a jealous

Quel est le troisi^me ?

C'est de nous appliquer tout ce qu'il a fait et soufFert, comme


si nous I'avions fait et soufFert en nos propres personnes.
Quel est le quatri^me ?

C'est de nous assurer, que puis que nous avons tout notre
recours a lui, Dieu nous fera grace.

Comment sommes-nous assures d'etre re9us en grace en


recourant a Jesus-Christ ?

Parce que le Seigneur a declare qu'il ne rejettera point ceux


qui vont ^ lui ^
Quel avantage nous revient-il de cette assurance ?

Le sentiment de notre paix avec Dieu, I'esperance du salut

eternel.

Sur quoi est fondee cette assurance ?

Sur les promesses de I'Evangile. Croi et tu seras sauve.

• Jean vi. {^^.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 207

government, driven up into a corner, beset on


three sides by neighbours whose rehgion is widely
different, with very imperfect means of arriving
at a clear knowledge of the fundamental doc-
trines of their Church, and yet remaining true
to it, in spite of the temptations and menaces
to which they are exposed. There is nothing
on the principle of emulation, reward, or other
excitement to urge the masters on ; the ful-

filment of their bare duty, and the ordinary


routine of drudgery, is all that can be expected of
them. A good system of inspection might provoke
to zeal and activity, but how can you hope even
for this, where the pastor of the parish is almost
the only one, who knows what education ought to
be, and where all else, with few exceptions, are
peasants in every sense of the word. And yet the
children of these people do pick up more than a
smattering of rehgious knowledge. They learn
enough to render them a fair match for those who,
in the spirit of proselytism, often attempt to
seduce them from their faith by the sophistries of
the Romish superstition, and seldom or never has
there been an instance known of a Vaudois desert-
ing his Church from conviction. How well they
are fortified by lessons of moral duty, let their
adversaries testify, who have long ago abandoned
the attempt to impugn their reputation for uncor-
ruptible virtue and integrity.
It is under the persuasion that there is no
2
208 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

danger to be apprehended from a laxity of morals,


that I have never yet seen occasion to lament
the intermixture of boys and girls in the Vaudois
schools, so much as some do. For purposes of
improved female instruction it is advisable to
separate them, if you can obtain the means of
doing so, and the institutions for girls, which have
been established by the London Committee, and
by some kind-hearted individuals, will go a great
way towards giving a new impulse to that peculiar
education which the sex requires. But on the
score of morals, I should not think it imperative
to have separate rooms for boys and girls, who
associate together in the labours of the fields,

who, in each other's company, watch the flocks


on the mountains and the cattle in the plains,
without ever giving rise to any suspicion that
their intercourse ought to be interdicted. Of
what then is the nicest sense of decency to be
afraid, while they are under the eye of a common
teacher and superintendant ?

Although the small schools were not open


during any part of my residence in Piemont, yet I

was anxious to see the spots where they were


held, and this led me to some sequestered nooks
and corners of mountain scenery, which I should
not otherwise have explored. The description of
those schools belonging to La Torre, which I

examined, will suffice for the whole.

The commune of La Torre, consists of the prin-

I
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 209

cipal village known by that name, and of nine


hamlets, or *^
quartiers." The village is a long
street, running nearly parallel with the river Fe-
lice, and the hamlets are picturesquely situated
on the mountain sides, which slope down to the
rich vale through which the river or torrent flows.
To the eye, (so clear is the atmosphere) these
hamlets appear to be at no great distance from
each other and from the village, but many a
weary step must be taken before they can be
reached. Several of them are high up on the
mountain steeps, and can only be approached by
very rugged paths. They are separated also in
many cases by ravines and torrents, which, at

certain seasons, when


snow or waters are deep,
the
render communication with the main village diffi-
cult and precarious. There are times, therefore,
when the children belonging to these hamlets
would have no instruction, if it were not provided
for them at hand, and hence the establishment of
these smaller schools, which are usually conducted
by some of the better educated peasantry of the
quarter, who think themselves well paid if they
receive from 20 to 25 francs, for the three or four
months which they devote to this occupation.
The number of scholars, in these hamlet schools
of La Torre, may amount to about 350. The
largest, at Roussaing, receives fifty-five, and the
smallest, at Bonnetti, twelve. The school-rooms
are small and cheerless, for the most part unglazed,
p
210 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

having paper substituted for glass, with scarcely


any desks or seats in them, and warmed by rude
stoves or grates which must fill them with smoke.
The most capacious does not exceed sixteen feet
square.
But wretched as they are to the eye, some of
these humble tenements have been consecrated
to the noblest purposes, and have been among
the means of keeping alive the pure spark of truth,
when it was well nigh extinguished in other places.
In the days of persecution, when the more acces-
sible lowlands of the Vaudois were overrun by
their destroyers, it was here, in these remote
cabins, that the little lamp was trimmed, and that
men girt up their loins for the spiritual and tem-
poral conflict which they had to encounter. Here
the young were instructed, and the mature and
the aged were exhorted to abide true to their pro-
fession. That, which was a school-room during
the week, was the sanctuary on the Lord's day
and the pastor, driven out of his church, was glad
to find an altar and a congregation on summits,
which were too impervious for the enemy to ap-
proach with impunity. I have now an edict of

the year 1650 lying before me, by which, in

violation of all former grants and privileges, the

Vaudois were forbidden to exercise or teach their


religion in any part of the commune of La Torre
near Luserna, and were compelled to flee for

refuge to aerial hamlets, which, like Tagliaretta,


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 211

Bonnetti, and Borel, are on the steepest slopes of


the mountain. Sacred therefore are the walls,
which by no great stretch of the imagination, we
may imagine to have received the people of God,
when they were more pleasant
driven from their
habitations on the sunny banks of the Pelice, and
sacred is every path that leads to them for here ;

the ground was occasionally disputed inch by inch,


every crag was a watch-tower, every tree a battle-
ment, and by dint of the sword was the whole
mountain-side defended, as one of the last stronsf-

holds of religious liberty. There is this interest

in pursuing any enquiry in the territory of the

Waldenses. The scenery through which your


path lies is not only of the first order, but not a
rock or grove, in the higher regions, is without
its tale to vindicate the claim of the country to be
considered the most storied in all Europe.
But imposing as is the effect produced by
treading on holy ground, where martyrs and
champions of the faith have bled or striven, it is

a relief to direct one's steps from these scenes,


which speak to the fiercer passions of our nature,
to those where the eye and the mind may take
their recreation together, and where the landscape
is so inviting, that nothing is wanting to the
scene before you to make the heart dance with
joy. Such were some of the smihng dales in the
lower quarter within an hour's walk of San Mar-
garita. We frequently carried a small basket of
p 2
212 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

provisions with us, and wandered among them in

the full enjoyment of their exquisite beauty.


June 26th. Our excursion to Pralebrou6, in
quest of the school there, delighted us with the
sight of a profusion of wild flowers and fruits ; and
fields waving with grain, —a perfect reahzation of
the Hebrew poet's splendid image, " Thou visitest

the earth and blessest it —thou makest it very


plenteous. The little hills rejoice on every side :

the valleys also stand so thick with corn, they


laugh and sing." Our path lay across two bridges
flung over the Pelice, and along L'Envers, towards
the western limits of La Torre. The mountain-
side on our left rose in gentle acclivities, and its

summit was a blaze of rhododendrons. The pic-

turesque rocks of Castelluzzo were in full view to


our right. The towering peaks of Barrian, and
St. Julien, were just seen melting into distance
before us, or piercing the clouds, accordingly as
the light fell upon them. In the foreground were
meadows, orchards, parterres of wheat, and groves
of chesnuts, gracefully intermingled, with here
and there a venerable and gigantic oak or wal-
nut-tree, extending its solitary branches over a
cascade or rivulet, which chased its way into the
main stream. We were never out of sight or
sound of the Pelice, of its rapids or its foaming
waters. In the midst of this glowing landscape,
the cottages of Pralebroue just peeped out from
the foliage in which they were embowered, and
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 213

looked more like a petted hamlet in the vicinity


of an English park, than the dependency of a
Commune, many of whose inhabitants are miser-
ably destitute in the midst of plenty ;
— so poor,
observed Mr. Jackson, that they ought not to be
asked to contribute even to the purchase of a
Bible.
" Sic vos non vobis !" The fact

is, that the industrious Vaudois families, after

having brought spots like these to the highest


pitch of cultivation, are elbowed out by Roman
Catholic settlers, or become too numerous for the

narrow boundaries to which they are confined.


" Nos habitans sont comme entasses les uns sur
les autres par la loi barbare, qui defend aux
Protestans de s'etendre au del a de certaines
limites." This account, which they give of them-
selves, is too true. Although every span of land
that can be made to yield increase is in a rich

state of tillage, yet the territory produces less


than the demand, and hundreds of the Protestant
population are yearly sufferers from want and
hunger, notwithstanding abundant harvests, and
bountiful returns of seed sown.
So long back as the year 1655, a supplicatory
letter of the inhabitants of the valleys explained,

that there were not the means within the boun-


daries of employing or maintaining the natives
of the soil. It is for this reason, the super-
abundance of population in the richer part of
214 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the valleys, that there more dis-


is considerably
tress in such parishes as Le Torre and San
Germano, than in the higher and more sterile
districts of Prah and Rodoret, where there is

RO temptation for strangers to make themselves


masters of the little inheritances of the Waldenses.
The Vaudois. who is reduced to the necessitv
of alienating his property, has no resource left.

Public employments, and official stations of the


lowest kind, must be given to Roman Catholics :

and the law not only prohibits his making any pur-
chase of land on the other side of the limits, but
even imposes a penalty (in violation of the 16th
article of the edict of 1561, which permits the Vau-
dois " to stay, go, and come, to buy, sell, and traffic,

in any of his highness's dominions,") at the will of

the sovereign, if he carry on any trade or handi-


craft out of the boundaries. This law is not
rigorously executed, but still it exists, and cramps
enterprise and industry. The farms and vineyards
are for the most part too small to require the
labour of more than the owner's family. Under
these circumstances, every acre of land within the
Vaudois limits, which passes into the hands of a
stranger, is an injury to the Protestant part of the
community of a most serious nature.
While I am speaking of Vaudois landscapes
and cultivation, I cannot withhold an observation
which occurred to me on the day of our walk to
Pralebroue. We passed through several meadows
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 215

where they were making hay. But nothing out of


England is hke the haymaking of our own country.
There is not the same fragrance or exhilarating
effect. With us it more like a field-sport
is

than a labour. Whether the grasses abroad


are coarser and less odoriferous, or whether the
mode of spreading and drying the herbage is dif-

ferent, certain it is that nowhere as in England,


is the hay-field a field of such perfume and fresh-
ness. Neither is it elsewhere that we see the gay
and blithesome gang of haymakers, who cheerily
ply their work as if every load they secure were
their own property. The Vaudois peasants, whom
we saw occupied in cutting or gathering the pro-
duce of their meadow lands, looked resigned and
contented, rather than cheerful and light-hearted ;

and when they accosted us, it was not with the


arch smile, and humourous joke of "merry Eng-
land," but with the " bien bon jour" of softened
and subdued spirits.

In the course of one of our rambles, a poor


man, who was engaged in some work in the fields,

begged that we would him with a small gift,


assist

and pleaded the urgency of his wants. Mr. Amadee


Bert, the pastor's second son, who happened to
be with us, expressed great indignation at this act

of mendicity, and declared that he had never


before witnessed any thing of the kind. Upon
mentioning it to his father, the worthy pastor
himself was evidently vexed that such a circum-
216 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

stance had occurred^ but upon stating the petitioner's


name, he confirmed his tale of distress, and assured
us that the poor peasant had a large family, and
had suffered greatly from indigence, which no in-

dustry could prevent. He added, that the indiscreet


generosity of some of our countrymen had taught
several of his flock to beg, who, before they saw
almsgiving, as Englishmen sometimes give, had
never practised or imagined such a mode of seek-
ing relief.
CHAPTER III.

Church service of the Vuudois. Comparison hctiveen Sunday


services of the early Christian and Waldensian Churches.

Remarks on the Liturgies now used in the Valleys. Observance

of Lord's day. Pastoral duties of Vaudois Clergy.

June 28th. I was impatient for the first Sunday


in the valleys, and was desirous of observing in

what respect the Vaudois appear to have abided


by, or departed from the customs of the Primitive
Churches, in their manner of keeping the Lord's
day, both in the place of public worship, and
otherwise. The nominal hour for the Church
service to begin was nine o'clock, but there did

not seem to be any great punctuality as to time,


and when 1 entered the church, or temple, as
the Vaudois sanctuaries are called, to distinguish
them from those of the Roman Catholics, I found
the master of the central school officiating and
reading a chapter of the Bible to a very small
congregation, and the pastor not present. In the
mean time many people were loitering in the
church-yard, or in the approaches to it, and in-

dividuals kept dropping in, but the seats were not


fully occupied till Mr. Bert made his appearance.
218 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

which he did when the Scripture reading was


about half finished. The same practice prevails
in other Vaudois parishes. It may proceed from

two causes from the distance which many of the


:

people have to come, and the desire that some


sort of devotional exercise should be going on
with the earliest attendants, before the com-
mencement of the more solemn duties of prayer
and thanksgiving ; or from the little interest which
is taken in a service not always well performed.
The unseemly habit has at all events become too
general, and the difference of attention when this

functionary is engaged, and when the pastor takes


his part, is very perceptible. The readers are in
fact very often incompetent to the task of doing
justice to the sacred passages, which it is their

office to recite : but the appointment to such


office is as old as the earliest establishments men-
tioned in ecclesiastical history, and we recognize
traces of the antiquity of the Waldensian Church
in this, and other peculiarities, which somewhat
offend our prejudices. In old times, before learn-
ing was as common as it is now, congregations
listened with marked attention to the word of
God, when it was rehearsed in their ears, and had
no rigid criticism for the voice, or the manner, or
the ill-placed emphasis of the reader. But now,
when almost every one can read for himself, fas-

tidiousness comes into action, and an unbecoming


delivery of the sacred text offends, and the half-

instructed schoolmaster, or catechist is thought


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 219

but an indifferent substitute for the better educated


pastor.
When the regent had arrived at the conchision
of two chapters, and the reflections of Ostervald
annexed to them, Mr. Bert opened his book of
prayer, the old hturgy of Geneva, and the order
of the service proceeded as follows, very impres-
sively on the part of the minister, and with cor-
responding devotion on that of the congregation.
1. A short exhortation to confession.
2. A form of supplication and confession com-
bined.
3. A psalm sung.
4. Prayer before the sermon : extempore, or
precomposed.
5. The sermon preached from memory.
6. A long form of prayer for all orders of men,
for persons in authority especially.

7. The Lord's prayer.


8. The apostles' creed.

9. A psalm sung.
10. A benedictory address, and exhortation to
almsgiving.
11. The final benediction.

The whole of the service did not occupy more


than one hour and a half, and this is all the public
Sunday duty in which the pastor of La Torre,
or any of the Vaudois pastors, is expected to
take part. Out of church, the pastoral cares are
very laborious. The afternoon service, which is

short, is performed by the regent, whose regular


220 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

office it is to read the Scripture lessons of the


morning, to lead the psalmody, and to read the
prayers in the afternoon : to read also the Thursday
service, and to deliver a word of exhortation at

funerals,when the pastor does rot attend. I

cannot make any concealment of the difficulty I

find in reconciling myself to the functions of this


officer of the Waldensian Church. It is of very
ancient appointment, but the little veneration
which the people have either for the office, or the

services at which he presides, is the best argument


for its abolition or modification. It is very well
that a reader or catechist should be nominated to
supply the place of the pastor, during illness or
unavoidable absence, but there can be no reason
that he should relieve him in the performance of
services, which he could undertake without any
great fatigue to himself, and with infinitely more
edification to his flock.
The psalmody of their Church has great charms
for the Vaudois, and all present join in singing
with more earnestness perhaps than harmony.
Here again the regent, to my ears, took a part
much more conspicuous than agreeable. He sung
lustily, and with all his might, but I could not

praise either his voice or his selection of music,


and I missed the organ, now rendered useless,

which at my former visit helped to drown some of


the discordances. Once or twice during the two
months I remained in the valleys, I heard congre-
gational singing which gave me pleasure ; want
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 221

of science was made up by warmth of feeling, but


the tunes are generally so very dismal and mono-
tonous, as to leave not only an unpleasing but a
melancholy impression. I could only fancy that
these were the mournful notes descriptive of
sorrow and suffering, which the poor victims of
oppression used to raise in their asylums among
the rocks and forests, when they fled before the

sword of the destroyer.


Upon the whole, the reader will find in this
description of the nature and order of administra-
tion in the public worship of the Vaudois, (it is

nearly the same in all the Waldensian temples) a


strong resemblance to that which was in use in
the time of one of the most ancient Christian
fathers, whose writings are consulted for authority

in matters of early ecclesiastical history. It will

not be thought uninteresting to compare Justin


Martyr's account of the meetings of Christians, on
the Lord's day, with that which I have just related.
" And on the day called Sunday, there is an
assembling together of all who dwell in the cities
and country, and the memoirs of the apostles, and
the writings of the prophets are read as long as
circumstances will permit. Then, when the reader
has ceased, the president delivers a discourse, in
which he admonishes all present to the imitation
of these good things. Then we all rise together
and pray, and as we before said, prayer being
ended, bread and wine and water are brought.
222 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

and the president offers prayers in like manner,


and thanksgivings according to his abihty, and
the people express their assent by saying amen
and the distribution of that over which the thanks-
giving has been pronounced takes place to each,
and each partakes, and a portion is sent to the
absent by the deacons. And they who are wealthy
and choose, give as much as they
respectively
deem fit." See " some account of the Writings and
Opinions of Justin Martyr," by the Bishop of Lin-
coln, p. 88. The resemblance extends to the simple
form of administering the sacrament adopted by the
Waldenses, and to the poor box, which is always
placed ready to receive the contributions of the
charitable after the final exhortation.
" In Justin's account of the Christian Assem-
bhes," observes the bishop, ''
we find mention of
a president, deacons, and a reader."
Tertullian's testimony of the religious customs
prevailing in his time, are equally to the point.
^'
We come together for the purpose of offering

our prayers unto God. We pray for the emperors,


for their officers, and for all that are in authority

we pray that the course of this world may be


peaceably ordered, and the consummation of all

things may be deferred. We come together for


the purpose of reading the Holy Scriptures, when
the circumstances of the times appear to call for

any particular admonition, and for the careful dis-

cussion of any particular topics. Of this at least


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 223

we are sure, that our faith will be nourished, and


our hope elevated, and our confidence confirmed
by listening to the words of Scripture, and that
the Christian rule of life will be impressed upon
us with increased effect, through the inculcation
of the Holy Scriptures." — Bishop of Lincoln's
Ecclesiastical History of second and third cen-
turies, illustrated from the writings of Tertullian,
p. 351.
The Bishop's remark upon this passage is too
valuable to be omitted. " It is evident," says he,
'^
that none of the objects which Tertullian here
enumerated could have been obtained, if the
prayers had been offered, and the Scriptures read
in a tongue to which the majority of persons pre-
sent were strangers."
Now it is satisfactory to have it in my power to
state in this place, that the practice which pre-
vailed in the second and third centuries, of reading
Scripture, and of offering up prayers in a living

and intelligible language, was cherished by the


ancestors of the Waldenses, as the Waldenses
cherish it now, in those dark ages, when the in-

tolerance of the Latin Church interdicted the use


of Scripture in vernacular tongues, and inflicted
a ritual in an unknown tongue upon all the rest
of Christendom. Among the manuscripts rescued
from destruction by Sir Samuel Morland in 1655,
were the Proverbs of Solomon, the Book of
Ecclesiastes, the Four Gospels, the Book of the
224 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Acts of the Apostles, and eight of St. Paul's


Epistles, all in the old Waldensian language.
These were written on parchment, some bearing
the marks of having been composed 550 years
before, (before 1655), and others " at least six or

seven hundred years ago." That is, according to


Sir Samuel's opinion, in the tenth century. If

then, in those ignorant and gloomy periods, the


tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries, the Wal-
denses had copies of the Scriptures in their native
tongue, we may readily believe that they possessed
such previously to the tenth century, and that
they have preserved this privilege through the
course of successive ages, from their first reception
of the Gospel to the present time \
I must here be permitted to insert an observa-
tion relative to the antiquity of the Noble Lesson,
which I omitted to make when I was discussing
the question at length. (Section 4, p. 138.)
After all the valuable parchments and papers,
which were collected in the three valleys of Lu-
serna, Perosa, and San Martino, had been com-
mitted to the charge of Morland, and by him con-
signed to the University Library at Cambridge,

^ Perrin, who published his History of the Waldenses in 1618,


relates that he had in his possession a New Testament in parch-
ment, in the Waldensian language, very well written, though in

a very ancient letter. Leger makes mention of an ancient


Vaudois Bible which he found in the mountains of the Val
Clusone.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 225

Leger, the moderator and the historian of the


Vaudois, found in the valley of Pragela a thick
parchment volume^, containing several treatises in

the Waldensian language. This volume he gave


to Mr. Gerard, Principal of the College, and the
librarian of the library of Geneva, and took his
receipt for it, dated November 10, 1662. Among
other tracts, the volume contained a copy of the
celebrated '^
Nobla Ley9on," that which is now so
carefully preserved at Geneva, and concerning which
M. Jean Senebier entered the following note in his
Catalogue Raisonne of the Genevan MSS. :
" Je
crois ce MS. du 12 siecle ; I'ecriture et le langage
confirment cette opinion." Now, if this copy con-
tains such internal proof of its antiquity, we have
the greater reason to attach value to Sir Samuel
Morland's opinion of the ages of those, which he
presented to the Cambridge Library, but which
are now unfortunately missing.
A word now upon the subject of the Liturgical ser-
vice of the Waldensian Church. The liturcries now
in use are those which the Vaudois have adoi)ted in
consequence of their connexion with Switzerland,
into which connexion they have been drawn by
having no institution of their own for the theolo-
gical education of their candidates for orders, and
no hbraries, except the small private collections
of individuals, and by their inability to obtain any
religious books, conformable with the Protestant
faith, except such as are in the French language.
Q
226 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

But had they at any period of their history a


hturgy, which could properly be called their own,
peculiar to the Waldensian Church, and com-
posed in the Waldensian tongue ? There is every
reason to think they had, and I will briefly explain
why. When they were obliged to have recourse
to France and Switzerland to provide them with
reformed ministers, to supply the places of their
own native pastors, thirteen of whom out of
fifteen were victims of the plague of 1630, they
permitted those pastors to introduce the liturgies
of Switzerland into the Waldensian Churches.
This scarcely would have been allowed had the
Waldenses of that period been accustomed to
extemporaneous prayer; and certainly not, had
their abhorrence of forms of common prayer been
equal to that of some of our own congregations,
who, in their zeal to keep at the greatest possible
distance from Rome, have discarded every thing
that the Roman clergy practise. In a Vaudois
congregation, composed of persons hostile or even
unused to ''
book services," there might have
been some scene, like that so humorously described
by Sir Walter Scott in his Tales of a Grandfather.

The rash experiment of trying how the High


Church at Edinburgh would receive the English
liturgy, so exasperated the Presbyterians, that
stools and other missiles, flung at the head of the
officiating minister, soon determined the question
of book or no book.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 227

Another trace of the use of formularies among the


ancient Waldenses is to be found in the place, which
(according to all the documentary evidence that re-
mains), was given to the recital of the Lord's Prayer
and Creed, and Ten Commandments, in their ad-
ministration of Divine service, as well as in the nu-
merous articles or confessions of faith, which have
been drawn up by them at various periods of their
history, and more especially in their reception and
adoption of the Athanasian Creed, which, according
to the testimony of Leger, " they were very careful
to make their children learn." That historian
has preserved in his pages the version of this
Creed, in the old Waldensian language, which
began thus :
— *^ Quaquelque volesser fait salf,

devant totas cosas, es de necessita tenir la Fe


Catolica, laqual," &c. Leger has also furnished
us with a confession of faith, in answer to a fulmi-
nating edict against them, presented to the Par-
liament of Turin in 1556, in which they protested
that they believed in the Creed of Athanasius.
But better evidence still of their hereditary attach-
ment to " forms of prayer," and of their use of
them, is drawn from one of the documents, which
happily has not been lost out of the University
Library at Cambridge.
" Ed accioche ognuno vegga chiaramente cid
che crediamo in questo capo, aggiugniamo qui le

medesime espressioni che si trovano nella pre-


ghiesa, che facciamo avanti la communione nella
Q 2
228 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

nostra Liturgia, o' forma di celebrar la santa cena


e nel nostro Catechismo publico/' &c.
''
Now to the end that every one may see
clearly what our belief is as to this point, we have
here inserted the very expressions of that prayer,
which we make use of before the Communion, as
they are written in our Liturgy, or form of cele-
brating the Holy Supper, and in our public Cate-
chism."
A Liturgy of their own is manifestly alluded to
in this instrument of 1655, which is not one of the
several formularies introduced from Switzerland.
In reference to the words " our Catechism,"
they quote from the Catechism composed in the
twelfth century by some of their Barbes. In both
cases, therefore, I should say, that the term our
applies to that which was peculiarly Waldensian.
I have only to add, that there is yet extant in the
library of Geneva, a copy of a Liturgy in the
Waldensian language. Unfortunately it escaped
my recollection when I was at Geneva, that this
relic was to be seen there. I did not consult it

myself, and must therefore give the words of one


who has. " In addition to these MSS., there is
a short Liturgy in the Vaudois dialect, a small
octavo on vellum, bound in crimson velvet. I saw
it, and thought it quite complete." Jackson's
Remarks on the Vaudois of Piemont. Appendix,
p. 276.
Of the liturgies now used in the valleys, the
waldf:nsian researches. 229

Genevan is read by seven of the pastors, the


Neufchatel by six, and the Lausanne by two.
Thus it depends upon the option of the minister
to adopt which he pleases : in one or two cases,
the Genevan and Neufchatel are read by the same
pastor, accordingly as it suits his fancy; and the
regent of a parish will frequently rehearse prayers
on a Sunday afternoon, or Thursday morning, out
of a ritual different from that which his pastor
prefers. This want of uniformity is not commend-
able although the three forms are essentially
alike in doctrine, and do not greatly vary in the
order of the service.
I must, however, be particular in stating, that the
Genevan liturgy used by M. Bert and some others,
is not the modern but the old edition of 1754; and
this I think it necessary to mention, lest it should
be supposed, that the clergy of the Waldensian
Church are falling into the errors of the '^
vener-
able company of pastors" of Geneva, w^ho have
suffered recent copies of the ritual to be published
with sweeping expurgations of all the passages,
that were in opposition to the ''
Reglement" of
May 3, 1817. The object of this regulation was
to prescribe silence respecting the manner, in which
the Son partakes of the Godhead of the Father,
and the manner in which the Holy Spirit operates
upon the human mind, and to forbid any explana-
tion of the doctrines of original sin and predesti-
nation. So completely did this regulation have
230 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the effect of secularizing the Gospel, as the late


moderator Peyrani expressed it, " il a secularise
I'Evangile," that in a late reprint of the liturgy,
even the words, " nes dans la corruption," were
suppressed as being too dogmatical. It is not easy
to apologise for the '^
venerable company," nor to
explain the fears which have moved them to take
such a step ; but that they may be heard through
their principal and apologist, M. Cheneviere, pro-
fessor of Theology in the University of Geneva, I

will transcribe the account which he has given of


the matter, in a pamphlet entitled, ''
Precis des
Debats Theologiques, qui depuis quelques annees
ont agite la ville de Geneve."
" Tous etaient egalement penetres de la n^ces-

site d'eloigner de semblables disputes de la chaire

chretienne^ de s'attacher non aux termes mais a


I'esprit de I'Evangile, d'aimer et d'entretenir la
paix. Ce fut done cet esprit, et avec Tassenti-
ment des diverses parties, que fut redig6 le regle-
ment du 3 Mai, 1817, dont le considerant constitue
en effet la partie essentielle. Le voici dans son
entier.
''
La compagnie des pasteurs de TEglise de
Geneve pen^tr^e d' un esprit d' humilite, de paix
et de charit6 chr^tienne, et convaincue que les cir-

constances ou se trouve I'Eglise confiee a ses soins,


exigent de sa part des mesures de sagesse et de
prudence, arrete, sans porter aucun jugement sur
le fond des questions suivantes, et sans gener en
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 231

aucune maniere la liberte des opinions, de faire


prendre, soit aux proposans qui demanderont a
etre consacres au saint ministere, soit aux ministres
qui aspireront a exercer dans I'Eglise de Geneve
les fonctions pastorales, I'engagement dont voici
la teneur :
'
Nous promettons de nous abstenir,

tant que nous residerons et que nous precherons


dans les eglisesdu canton de Geneve, d'^tablir,

soit par un discours entier, soit par une partie de

discours dirigee vers ce but notre opinion :

" 1^ Sur la maniere dont la nature divine est


unie a la personne de Jesus Christ.
" 2^. Sur le peche originel.
" 3^* Sur la maniere dont la grace opere, ou
sur la grace efficiente.
" 4^. Sur la predestination.
" Nous promettons aussi de ne point combattre
dans des discours publics I'opinion de quelque
pasteur ou ministre sur ces matieres. Enfin nous
nous engageons, si nous sommes conduits a emettre
notre pensee sur I'un de ces sujets, a le faire, sans
abonder dans notre sens, en 6vitant les expressions
toangeres aux Saintes Ecritures, et en nous ser-

vant, autant que possible, des termes qu'elles


emploient."
This defence and exposition of the objects
which the " venerable company" had in view,
when they promulgated memorable regula-
their
tion, was published in the year 1824 by the Genevan

pastor who is professor of theology.


232 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Within the last two years it has been judged


expedient to suppress the Reglement, and it is no
longer enforced. The candidates for holy orders,
whom the faculty of Theology at Geneva now
admit into the sacred office, are iiot obliged to
enter into any such engagements. They are
simply required to declare their belief in the Scrip-
tures, and to take the Word of God for the rule

of their faith and conduct. At the examinations


previously to ordination, a thesis is presented,
and if approved in point of style and composition,
it is published with the professor's imprimatur to
the following effect :
*'
The faculty of Theology
having examined this thesis permit it to pass; but
without expressing any opinion as to the proposi-
tions therein contained.'' Such is Geneva, and
its theological consistency at the present time.
Its pastors are for the most part unwilling to
declare themselves, and its professors of divinity
refuse to commit themselves or their students to

any decided line of faith ; its press presumes upon


this laxity, and the result is, that the liturgies,
catechisms, and confessions of faith, which the
reformed Churches of France, and the primitive
Church of the Valleys, might formerly receive with
confidence, are now so disfigured by the several
suppressions, that their original tendency is scarcely
recognizable. It is, therefore, with a jealous eye,
that those who have hitherto looked with joy to
the little lamp of the wilderness, now see its oil
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 233

supplied from such vessels. Hitherto no evil has


accrued. The desks, and pulpits of the churches
of the valleys, still present to the enquirer's hand
the time-worn and time-honoured books of prayer,
whose title-pages bear the date of other and of
better days. But when these venerable copies
shall be mouldering away, from whence shall faith-

ful counterparts be obtained ; or who shall say,

that error will not creep into the sanctuaries of


the Waldenses, under the cover of new editions,

and reprints ?

Another peril threatens the Vaudois. At pre-


sent the orthodoxy of the living pastors, and the
sage counsel and surveillance of fathers may keep
their sons true to the faith of the ancient Walden-
ses, albeit that they study at Geneva. But in
the course of another generation or two, should
Genevan divinity be equally liberal, and the Vau-
dois youth still be tempted to accept the exhi-
bitions at Geneva, when those at Lausanne are
filled up, —^^(1 ought to state here, that by far the
greater majority of young men intended for the
Waldensian ministry are educated at Lausanne)
is there not every reason to fear that some leavening
may take place, and little though it be at first, that
it may eventually leaven the whole lump ?

Of what is it that the Vaudois make their


honourable boast ? And why is it that the name
of this mountain congregation is so dear to all
the Churches ? Not for their sufferings merely, or
234« WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

for the persecutions that they have frequently


endured ; but for their witness to the truth in all

its bearings. The valleys of Piemont are of no


further importance to Christendom, than as having
produced, from one generation to another, since
the dawn of ecclesiastical history, and as continu-
ing to produce, a race of confessors, who have
never yet denied the Lord who bought them. x4nd
what are the proofs of their perseverance, and the
evidence of their fidelity ? The Noble Lesson, and
the ancient catechism of the twelfth century, and
the manifestos and confessions of faith from age
to age, which have been signed at the cost or
hazard of life, and have been handed down from
father to son, as an inheritance more precious than
the wealth of provinces. The Vaudois are too
deeply compromised, by the articles and clauses
of these well known documents, to depart one inch

from the post of unflinching duty, which they have


hitherto held. No questionable orthodoxy, no
diluted divinity, no reserve on matters of doctrine ^,

* In proof of the chilling and withering effects produced by the


decisions of " the Venerable Company of Pastors" of Geneva,
I beg to refer my readers to one of the last works of the learned,

and, I believe, pious and orthodox Cellerier, professor of Hebrew


and of Sacred Criticism in the University of Geneva, " De L'Origine
authentic et divine du Nouveau Testament," published 1829.
The fourth chapter contains questions relative to the especial

character and object of each Gospel. In the discussion upon


the Gospel of St. John, one could hardly imagine by what
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 235

no timid, wavering declarations, no engagements


to abstain from handling disputed questions will
do for them. The descendants of men, who
chanted the hymn of the ancient Barbes of Pie-
mont, and magnified the Holy Trinity, and adored
God and God the Holy Ghost, and
the Son,
mourned over the havoc of original sin in the
metrical strains of La Nobla Leycon, (see p. 141)
must not sign away their ancestors* Christianity at

ingenuity the author could avoid touching' upon those passages,


which assert the Godhead of our Lord Jesus Christ, and which
are its distinguishing features. I transcribe the sentences which
appear as if they must lead to a fair grappling with the subject,
and it will be seen how determined the professor is to fly from it.

*' Mais ce qui distingue surtout son livre de ceux de Luc, Marc
et Matthieu, c'est le caractere nouveau dont il revet les enseigne-
mens du Sauveur. Ce n'est plus un docteur, ce n'est plus
un prophete (^ui parle aux hommes en leur langue, c'est le Fils

de Dieu qui fait entendre le langage du ciel dont il estdescendu,


mais ou il semble respirer encore. Amour, eternite, mis^ri-
corde, reconciliation de la terre et du ciel, sacrifice sanglant de
I'Agneau de Dieu, telles sont les touchantes scenes placees sur
le premier plan de cet auguste tableau. Union du Pere et du
Fils, divine efficacedel'Esprit-Saint, mysterieux abimes des con-
seils de Dieu !
Jean, uniquement occupe de montrer dans
Jesus Christ le Prince de la vie, et File Is de Dieu, semble oublier
de voir en lui le fils de Marie. — Les trois premiers evangelistes
ayant voulu faire I'histoire de la Nature humaine du Christ,
Jean avait voulu consacrer le sien a sa nature divine." These
are the strongest sentiments expressed in the whole passage, not

one of which developes the mystery of godliness. — God mani-


fest in the flesh.
236 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the invitation of Genevan liberality, nor must they


be suspected of doing so.

The Peyranis, and the Berts, and the Mus-


tons, and the Vin9ons, and the Monastiers, and
the Rostaings, and other notables of the present
day, whose names, under the hands of their
forefathers, are emblazoned on declarations of
adherence ''
to the sound doctrines" of all the
Reformed Churches of Europe, (see p. 145) are
pledged for themselves and their posterity to sub-
scribe to the eternal truths of God, " even as
their ancestors have done from the days of the
Apostles," and to be proof against temptations as
well as perils. It should, therefore, become a
question, how far the children of Waldenses who
are still taught to approach their Redeemer as
''
very God and very Man ;" who learn in the words
of their catechism, that Jesus Christ " is of the
same nature with the Father," and who are taught
by that catechism to cite Scripture in explanation
of the eternity of this union, can be consistently
entrusted to the charge of professors of Theology,
whose avowed opinions are hostile to any discus-
sion of the subject. Considering that it is impera-
upon the Vaudois themselves, and upon those
tive

who have gazed with admiration upon the " light


shining in the darkness," upon the Golden Candle-
stick of the Alps, that has never yet been removed,
to devise some plan which may avert the danger
that impends from connexion with Geneva, —
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 237

undertook the duty and obloquy of this task, the

result of which I shall communicate in the due


course of my narrative. (See Chapter X.)
I have before observed, that although the public
church service of the Vaudois clergy is light, their

pastoral charge out of church is sufficiently labo-

rious. The preparation for delivering their sermons


from the pulpit, memoriter, is more or less burthen-
some, according to their several abilities ; but the
duty of visiting the sick and aged presses hard
upon all of them, especially upon those who dwell
in the more mountainous parishes. There, the
conscientious pastor's work is never ended. His
labour encreases with his zeal : the earnestness of
his exhortations renders the object of his spiritual

concern more desirous of seeing him again and


again, and he himself at the same time is propor-
tionably moved to further exertions. My inter-
course with these worthy men, and the corres-
pondence which I held with some of them upon
this subject, enable me to say confidently, that I

believe they seldom spare themselves, but are


perpetually at the call of their flock, in the hour
of sorrow or sickness. I cannot resist the tempta
tion of giving extracts out of some letters, which
I received in reference to this point, they will best
explain how this pastoral duty is regarded and per-
formed, by the several writers.

1. " One of my most precious and pleasing occu-


238 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

pations is to visit those who are confined to their


homes by age or illness; not only when I am
summoned, but whenever I think I can put in a
word of consolation, I hasten to the discharge of
this sacred duty. In general, the salubrity of the
air and the simple life which my people lead, keep
the numbers low on the sick list ; but these causes,
on the other hand, increase the ranks of the aged,
and give me enough to do, for, as you well know,
many of the habitations are at such a distance
from my presbytery, that it is no easy task to
make my rounds as often as I ought.
2. ^^ It is my great comfort, that I have not been
totally unsuccessful in carrying joy and peace to
the dwellings of the afflicted. The scriptural
passage read, and the prayer offered, have been
apparently accompanied with blessed results, praise
to Him, who has granted His blessing through
Jesus Christ our Lord, in many cases ; and I have
observed that several of those, who at one time
were not such as I could have wished them to be,
have had their hearts touched during their mala-
dies, and after being graciously restored to health,

have become more pious and more religiously


attentive to their duties.
3. " I make a point of visiting the sick of my
parish invited or uninvited, for then is the season
of softened hearts and tender consciences, the
' mollia tempora fandi.' Upon these occasions I

adapt my conversation and prayers to the circum-


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 239

stances of their cases, and never does any ministry


produce more satisfactory to myself. I could
fruits

mention the names of persons who have put off


the old man, and put on the new man after the
image of Him that created them, and I take care
not to lose the influence which I have acquired by
their bed-sides.

4. " My ministry in this department is chiefly

exercised among the aged ; and when it is known


that I am going to read or to pray in the houses
of any of my grey-headed brethren, their chambers
present an edifying spectacle of friends and neigh-
bours coming in to kneel down with us, and to
invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit. When
the sick require to be comforted with the word of
God, I think the master of the great school is

sent for more frequently than myself; perhaps it


is, because some of their houses are so far from
mine, or in consideration of my great age.
5. " My Church is composed of hamlets far distant
from each other, and many of them high up on
the acclivities of the mountain ; nevertheless I feel

it to be a sacred duty, and dear to my heart, to


obey every summons, at whatever hour, or under
whatever circumstances they may be made, and to
hasten to the side of those, who desire the presence
and consolations of their friend and pastor. I

hope I myself profit upon such occasions. I

endeavour not to lose the influence which is inva-


riably gained after such visits. I see them on
every opportunity, and exhort them to redouble
240 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

their submission, their obedience, their love to-


wards Him who kills, and who makes alive. Inde-
pendent of the word of God, touching the corrup-
tion and misery of man, my own experience and
my observations convince me, that we are frail,
perverse, and corrupt beings, else so many good
resolutions made on the bed of sickness would not
so soon be forgotten. I hope many of my flock

keep the vows which they made, when they fear


lest their souls are going down to the grave —but
I know at the same time that they cannot be
true to their most solemn engagements without
help from above. May the Lord Jesus Christ give
me and mine the strength that we require.
6. " In general those who are ill signify a desire

to see me. The prayers which I offer up on such


occasions are for the most part extempore, adapted
to the occasion. If my visit is expected, there
are many present to join in supplications to God
for the invalid. I endeavour to convince the
sufferer of the vanity of all earthly things, and the
insuflSciency of all human succour. I direct his

thoughts to the price that was paid for his re-


demption, and remind him that there is none other
name under heaven given among men but that of
Jesus Christ, whereby we must be saved. I have
seldom attended a dying man, without having
reason to think that he considered that to die was
gain \"
^ Several Vaudois Pastors made similar observations upon
this awful subject.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 241

I had an opportunity of witnessing the manner


in which these interesting duties are conducted.
Mr. Bert had made an appointment to pray
with a venerable parishioner, whom the weight of
years was bringing gently down to the grave, on
this first Sunday after my arrival. At his invita-

tion I accompanied him. I felt that it was good


for me to be there. The dying man was supported
in his bed by some attentive children or grand-
children, and seemed more like one who was to
give, than to receive exhortation and comfort.
After a word or two from his pastor, he took up
his parable, and continued it with a strength of
voice and an earnestness of manner, which evinced
a foretaste of heaven. There was neither rapture
nor presumption in any thing that fell from his
mouth ; but an expression of humble confidence
in his Redeemer's love, and of dependence on the
promises of God, which denoted him to be in full

possession of that peace, which passeth under-


standing. Mr. Bert spoke of me to the old man
as an English clergyman ; he desired my prayers,
and promised to remember me in his. *'
I am
eighty-three years of age,'* said he, ''
and my
testimony of God's graciousness and mercy is more
than that of David. I have never been forsaken
even in my unrighteousness ; God is with me in
my old age, though I have too often gone astray
from him, both in youth and age."
The silent respect with which the pastor of La
R
242 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Torre listened to this old man, and the very fact


of his saying so little, and being a listener, until
he raised his voice in thanksgiving, for the conso-
lation that was bestowed from above upon the
more for his own piety than
expiring saint, spoke
the most copious and fervent address, which he
could have delivered.
From Christmas to Whitsunday, the pastors
deliver a sermon on Thursdays, and the solemn
preparation for the reception of communicants at
the Lord's table, four times during the year, occu-
pying nearly the whole of eight weeks ; the custom
of going to every hamlet once at least in the
course of the year, and assembling all the inha-
bitants for the purpose of questioning them as to
their spiritual condition and wants ; and the weekly
catechising both in the church and at the presby-
tery, during appointed seasons, are services which
not only bring the clergy into regular communi-
cation with their flocks, but are of a nature to
remove the opinions, which might otherwise be
formed, of the lightness of their public and pre-
scribed duties.
One of the younger pastors has undertaken
to open his church for a third Sunday service,
at which he reads the prayers and Scripture
himself, and gives a familiar explanation of some
scriptural passage. I heartily wish this good
example may be followed generally, it would be
more likely than any thing else to render the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 243

Lord's day what it ought to be, —a day not only


of rest, but of holy rest and solemn convocation
before the Lord, — and to bind the Vaudois to a
more sacred regard of the Sabbath than is at pre-

sent observed. I am persuaded that nobody, who


has been in the valleys, can accuse our Protestant
brethren there of profaning Sunday, as it is pro-
faned among ourselves, by entertainments, which
employ our servants from morning till night, and
by those licentious scenes which disgrace the streets

of almost every populous town in England.


The Vaudois do not make regulations to guard
the sanctity of the day, as we do, and profess to
hallow it, while they virtually desecrate it ; of this
they are not guilty. But they certainly indulge
themselves in amusements, which are inconsistent
with the spirit of an institution mercifully intended
to bring us into closer communion with God. Their
favourite game of bowls is not suspended. The
tirata, or firing at marks, is pursued with eager-
ness, when they can meet the expense of it : and
after the hours of public worship, the remainder
of the day is spent more like a festival than a
solemnity. This the friends of the Vaudois would
gladly see corrected. There is much to be said
in extenuation of their lax observance of the
Lord's day ; but still nobody can justify it, who
has serious opinions of the necessity of devoting
ourselves one day in seven to seeking God with
all our hearts and minds. The practice of all

r2
244 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

around them has been urged in excuse— and the


duty of glorifying God by cheerfulness and mirth,
so long as no intemperance or revelry disturbs the
serenity of their deportment. But the best argu-
ment in their favour is the example of many of the
early Christians, v^^ho may perhaps have handed
down to them a practice, v^hich partook of the
leaven of Paganism, and made the line too faint
between holiday and holy-day.
'^
From incidental notices scattered over Ter-
tullian's works, we collect," says the Bishop of
Lincoln, ''
that Sunday, or the Lord's day was
regarded by the primitive Christians as a day of
rejoicing." In our own country, the day of public
worship was observed with so little strictness in

the time of the Reformers, that an act was passed


in the reign ofEdward VL, not to suppress, but
to regulate Sunday sports. Subsequent acts,
which absolutely have the effect of legalizing some
games and recreations, were enrolled under the
government of James L and Charles L That
spiritual improvement, and field, or in-door sports
are consistent one with the other, is no easy
matter to prove, and it must remain equally hard
to reconcile the conscience to that sort of liberty,
which is in direct violation of the precept, and the
object for which one day in seven was set apart
for sacred purposes, first by the Jewish, and after-

wards by the Christian Church.


If we are to sanctify the day in earnest, it can
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 245

only be done by honouring the Lord the whole day,


" by not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine
own pleasures, nor speaking thine own words \"
The evening of my first Sabbath in the valleys
was closed as it should be. Mr. Bert assembled
his household to family prayer ; a chapter of the
Testament was read, a hymn was sung, and the
Divine blessing and protection were implored.
Our host and his family, the female servant as

well as his children, joined in the Scripture lesson,

' " The nature of these solemn duties seems sufficiently to

indicate the manner in which we ought to s|jend the large por-


tion of that day, which cannot be devoted, or, at least, which
never is devoted to the public service of the sanctuary. How
utterly shocked should we have been by the inconsistent conduct
of our Lord's disciples, had we found them rushing forth from
their retirement, from that spot hallowed by their Saviour's
presence, to mingle in the round of worldly business, or in scenes
of frivolity and amusement, or in the haunts of unhallowed and
guilty pleasure. Are there then any among us, who, after per-
forming the public services of the day, think themselves entitled
to spend the remainder of it entirely in such a manner as may
best suit their interests, their convenience, their pleasure, and
never feel that they are thus flagrantly transgressing the solemn
command of Him, who hath wholly sanctified it to himself?

But how, it is often said, how is the whole length of the day to
be consumed in religious exercises ? Is it to be spent in the ab-
straction from all enjoyment, from all recreation, from all plea-

surable amusement ? This question is generally put by those


who feel the Sabbath to be an intolerable burden, who know
nothing of religion but empty forms, who give nothing of
its

religious service to God, but what they dare not withhold."


Irvine s Sermons, Preached in the Temple Churchy London.
246 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

verse by verse^ and I thought I never heard


French sound so well^ as when it was recited by
the servant with the Italian pronunciation, and
even with a slight patois termination of final
vowels.
For example, the 34th verse of John iii. was
read as if annonce was a word of three, and donne
of two, syllables.
''
Car celui que Dieu a envoye annonce les

paroles de Dieu : car Dieu ne lui donne point


I'Esprit par mesure."

The patois version of the same verse runs thus


'^
Perque quel que Diou ha manda annoncia le

parole de Diou, perque Diou I'i donna pa le Sprit

per mesure."
In readins: the metrical lines of the Psalms of
David, the Vaudois almost always sounded the
final mutes, especially if it helped the rhythm ; as
Chaucer meant the word yarde to be pronounced
in the second of those beautifully descriptive
lines

** Her yellow hair was braided in a tress

Behind her back, a yarde long- I guess."


CHAPTER IV.

The Office of Pasteur- Chapelain to the Protestant Ambassadors


at Turin. Silk-worms — Tirata— San Giovanni. Angrogna,

June 29 to July 4. My brother arrived at La Torre,


and the domestic party was further increased by the
accession ofM. and Madame Bonjour, the son-in-
law and daughter of M. Bert. M. Bonjour occupies
the important station of chaplain to the three Pro-
testant Ambassadors at the Court of Turin, the
British, the Prussian, and the Dutch, and no man
is more qualified to fill it. But for this appoint-

ment, the Protestants resident in Turin would not


have the benefit of public service. It is prohibited to
celebrate the rites of the reformed Churches except
in the privileged house of a foreign minister ; and
the three Ambassadors not only give a stipend to
the chaplain of 1000 francs each, but permit the
service to be performed in the French language,
and according to the forms usually adopted in the

churches of the valleys, and provide a room large


enough for the accommodation of a numerous
congregation. I should pronounce the movement,
which led to this appointment, to be one of the
248 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

most important in regard to the Protestant


cause, which has taken place in Italy for many
ages. It involves concessions and recognitions,
the extent of which was not perhaps contemplated
when they were first made.
The ministers of the Protestant powers above
mentioned, having resolved to nominate a clergy-
man, who should be the common chaplain of the
three legations, fixed upon M. Bonjour, who, pre-
viously to his new charge, was the master of the
Latin school at La Torre, and in the line to suc-
ceed to one of the first Vaudois parishes that
might become vacant. It was of consequence,
therefore, to him, that his appointment to the
chaplaincy at Turin should not throw him out of
the order of succession, or vitiate his claim to fill

up a vacancy in the Waldensian Church. There-


fore, when the Count Waldbourg Truckses, the
Prussian minister, wrote to the officers of the

Table, 27th June, 1827, to request that body to


sanction the choice of himself and colleagues in
the election of M. Bonjour, they signified their

provisional approbation, and guaranteed the rights


of that clergyman, until the meeting of the next
Waldensian synod. When the synod assembled
in the following year, September 1828, the matter
was brought formally before the assembly, and
became the subject of the 18th article.
" It having been proposed to this assembly to
take into consideration the application, made by
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 249

the ministers plenipotentiary of the Protestant


powers at the court of Turin, to the Table in
June 1827, that the ministry of M. Bonjour should
be exercised in their chapel, the synod resolves
that the decision made in regard to this applica-
tion by the Table, on the 6th of July, 1827, was
just and equitable. The synod sanctions it, and
recognises the ministry exercised by M. Bonjour
at Turin, as much as if it were exercised in the

valleys, and guarantees to him the full possession


of his rights in relation to the other pastors, to
his juniors, and to the Vaudois Church : at the
same time it resolves, that as M. Bonjour enjoys
the advantages, he must also participate in the
charges imposed upon the body of pastors."
After this resolution of synod, M. Bonjour
adopted the style of Pasteur- Chapelaine, and
under this character he is now addressed. But
the importance of the proceedings depends upon
the joint recognition of the Protestant ambassa-
dors, the Waldensian Church, and the Sardinian
government. No synod can be convoked without
the king's permission, nor held but in the presence
of the intendant of the province, who represents
the sovereign, and whose duty is to take care that
nothing illegal is done. When the acts of the
synod have passed, without any veto on the part
of the intendant, their validity and legality is

tacitly acknowledged by the government. This


transaction, therefore, must be considered as a
250 WALDENSIAN HESEARCHKS.

great step gained. The Protestant ambassadors


desire to have a chaplain to officiate for them at
Turin ; they make application to a Christian com-
munity, which they regard as an organised, regular
Church. The application is received and granted,
and the transaction is enrolled with all the ne-
cessary formularies, in which the king's represen-
tative takes part. When the moderator addressed
the synod, before it was dissolved, he had reason
enough to congratulate them upon the matter,
and I am glad to be able to record his senti-
ments.
''
Such a proceeding is not only an act of con-
descension on the part of their excellencies, the
Protestant ambassadors, but it has the effect of
recognising the rights of our Church, in relation
to M. Bonjour, and his rights in relation to our
Church. We perceive in it one link more in the
tie which exists between us, our benefactors, and
our Church."
M. Bonjour's visit to his father-in-law threw
me into confidential intercourse with a person,
whose station at Turin, and whose intimate ac-
quaintance with every thing connected with the
ministerial and scholastic interests of the commu-
nity, rendered him a most valuable adviser and
ally, and I soon determined to consult him, and
to respect his opinion upon every project which I

had in contemplation.

Every thing combined to make this week one of


2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 251

the most interesting of those, which we spent in


La Torre. It was the harvest-home of the pro-
duce of our host's silk-worms, and his friends and
neighbours came to fehcitate him upon the occa-
sion, and to assist the family in collecting and
preparing the cocoons, or silk balls, for the pur-
chaser. The merry-making upon such events is

one of the festivities pecuHar to the country, the


recollection of which is sweet upon the memory.
When it was supposed that the insects had per-
formed their work, the silk balls were carefully
taken from the faggots, or brush wood, to which
they had been suspended, and brought down to
the farm yard, where they were picked and sorted
by a hvely group seated in a circle, whose occu-
pation it was to separate them from the outer web,
or film, and to throw them so cleaned into one
large basket. This was the last process before
they were ready for the market, and then nothing
remained but to weigh and sell them.
The party, whose services had been volunteered
for the purpose, dined with us, and the pastor's
modest mansion rung with the sounds of mirth
and good humour. The law^s of hospitahty re-
quired that I, as a stranger, should have the seat
of honour, and the seat of honour was the host's
chair at the head of the table, which said as much
as ''
you are master here." The task of helping
the guests to the principal dish fell in consequence
to my lot, and this soon made me feel at home
252 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

with every one of the party. I had seen the


Vaudois in their more serious moods, and now I

was to be a Hstener and a looker on during their


hour of convivial unreserve. The innocent joke
and the harmless jest went round, and now and
then the favourite topic, the martial spirit of their
ancestors, banished lighter themes for a moment,
and the men elevated their voices, and the females
changed countenance, while the mention of a pass
or defile brought to recollection the name of a
Jahier or a Janavel of other days. There is a
pride which the " Men of the Valleys" feel in allud-
ing to the deeds of their forefathers, which is

perfectly irrepressible ; their brows contract, and


their indignation kindles, and their lips quiver at

the slightest reference to the cruelties inflicted by


the scourges of their country in the seventeenth
century ; but, on the other hand, by an effort of

submission or forbearance, which contrasts strongly


with these bursts of resentment, they betray the
least possible emotion when any allusion is made
to their present wrongs ; and yet this does not
proceed from apprehension of the consequences
of any imprudent ebullition, or from want of
confidence either in one another, or in the
strangers who are admitted into their company.
It happened to me, many times, to have opportu-
nities of remarking the extraordinary frankness
which prevails among them, when they associate
together ; they have no reserve upon subjects the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 253

most important, but express themselves to each


other as openly, as if it were the last thing in the
world to be betrayed, or to think it necessary to
have secrets. T received a letter from one of the
pastors, the contents of which the writer certainly
would not have been pleased to have had exposed
to any eye but mine —and yet he sent it by a lad
unsealed : as if he could not have suspected that
any hand but my own would open it. This tells

well for the whole community, and the observation


does not arise out of one or two instances, in which
this mutual confidence was manifested, but from
repeated proofs of it. Hospitality is the virtue
of mountain countries. Wherever I was in the
valleys, I received visits, and the visitors coming

from some distance, were invariably invited to


stay and take their repast, whether sufficient pro-
vision were made or not for the additional mouths ;

and the same unreserve, of which I have been


speaking, characterised every circle.
A
word now upon the management of the silk-
worms. Raw silk is not only the staple commo-
dity of Piemont, but some of the best comes from
the valleys of Luserna and Perosa, and it is one of
the greatest resources which the Vaudois possess.
Lalande, who in his entertaining volumes entitled
''
Voyage en Itahe,'' occupied more than two
hundred pages with a description of Piemont,
yet suffered the scene of Waldensian story to
escape his personal observation. But, as if by an
254 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

after-thought, he lent one Httle corner to the


valley of Luserna, and cited that which M. Ber-
nouilli had written upon it ; and it would seem
that the three points which fastened upon M.
Bernouilli's memory were, the state of the roads ;

the kidnapping institution at Pinerolo, for the


instruction of Vaudois children in the Roman
Catholic religion ; and the amount of silk produced
in the valley. " Very near Luserna," said he,
" are two villages, the one called St. Jean, the

other La Tour. In the last I saw one of the most


considerable filatures in Italy ; the quantity of
cocoons, as they informed me, amounted to 2000
roubs, or 50,000lbs. weight, and the filature of
these cocoons lasts till the end of September. I

remarked that they turned the wheel with the


foot, and not with the hand, as I have seen in
other filatures, by means of a handle which'they
turn alternately, first with one hand and then with
the other. The advantage which they have here
in turning with the foot, and not with the hand,
consists not only in their moving the reel more
rapidly, but in directing the movement which acts
upon the cocoon, and of stopping it when neces-
sary."
The filature at La Torre is no longer to be
found ; and, among other deprivations, theVaudois
are the poorer by the loss of that manufactory,
which employed hands enough to reel 50,000lbs.

weight of silk in the year. This great work is


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHRS. 255

now conducted at Pinerolo. There is a small


concern of the kind at San Germano in Val Perosa,
but it cannot compete with that mentioned by M.
Bernouilli, although the same district still supplies

the mills with a very great quantity of the raw


material.
The eggs of the silk- worm, the bombyx, or
phalena mori, produce their larvae about the end of
April or the beginning of May. By good manage-
ment it is possible to accelerate the developement
of the worm, by placing the eggs in a stove-room,
the temperature of which should be raised gra-
dually in the course of twelve days from 64" to 82^
This, however, is more a matter of experiment
than of common practice. The egg is about the
size of a small pin's head, and when the animal
first issues from the shell, it measures about one-
fortieth of its full grown length, and weighs only
the hundredth part of a grain. It undergoes
five changes or moultings, and in a month it has
attained its full size, and the rapid increase of
one-fifth of an ounce, or ninety-five times its own
weight, from the time it came from the egg.
A further calculation has established the remark-
able fact, that the silk-worm is so voracious, as to
consume in thirty days more than an ounce of
leaves, or five times its own weight, when it is at
its greatest size. This voraciousness not only
renders the silk-worm an expensive and difficult
animal to rear, unless the supply of food is ample,
256 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

but exposes it to diseases which often prove fatal


hence in years when the leaves of the mulberry-
tree are scanty or of a bad quality, the peasants
lose their stock, or secure it at a heavy cost, and
are disappointed of one of their principal hopes.
This was the case in many instances within our
observation in 1829. The poor woman, whom I
before mentioned, raised as much silk (fifty pounds)
as sold for sixty francs ; but her mulberry-leaves
cost her nearly as much. It requires twelve
pounds weight of leaves to feed the number of
worms necessary to produce one pound weight of
silk cocoons.
The temperature, which the silk-worms demand,
is another provision which the hovel of a Vaudois
peasant cannot always command. In fact, such
nice attention and unremitting care are needful to
reap the harvest, when the worms are performing
their last operations, that they keep watch night
and day to prevent any mishap, and to secure the
cocoon at the precise time when it is completely
formed. When the insect is full grown, and has
fed himself into working order, he begins that
process which prepares him for a new state of

existence, and which supplies man with the richest


and softest material for dress or ornament. '^
As-
suredly," as Reaumur says, '^
he must have been
taught to perform his task by some great Master."
He first encloses himself in a loose web of the
slightest tissue ; this occupies one day. On the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 257

second day he draws a more regular and a closer


line of circumvallation. On the third day he
finishes the outworks of his ball, and conceals
himself within the veil of silk. The cocoon is then
complete to the eye of the observer, but the arti-

ficer in the interior is still busy, and he goes on


toiling for seven or eight days more.
Then is the critical time. When the animal is

supposed to have finished, and to be in a state of

torpor, the silk balls should be taken down from


the branches on the frame work, to which they are
suspended, and exposed to a degree of heat which
will kill the incarcerated workman ; otherwise, he
will recover his energies after a certain interval,
and damage the silk by working a hole out of
his prison-house, to assume his new but short-
lived character of a moth, to breed and die. The
finest and strongest cocoons are kept to perpetuate
the stock. The rest are prepared for sale by
clearing away the outer web or film, as I before
described, and in this form, and about the size of
a pigeon's egg, they are ready for the market.
Very few growers reel off their own cocoons ;

this operation forms a separate concern. The


cocoons fetch about one franc and a quarter per lb.

more or less, according to their quality.


Next for the filature, or mode of winding the
silk into threads fit for use, from the silk-worm balls.

This is done by throwing the cocoons into water


nearly boiling hot, and keeping them in constant
258 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

motion : the ends are then detached from the balls


by means of wisps of birch or rice straw, and are
gradually wound off by machinery upon a reel,

which uniting the fibres of four or five balls into

one thread, form a skein of sufficient strength and


thickness. The single threads, as they are drawn
out from the cocoons, are by far too fine and deli-
cate for use, and the skill of the reeler depends
upon the nicety, with which he joins the fibre of

one cocoon to that of another, before it is ex-


hausted, for those near the end of the ball have
not more than a quarter of their full thickness.

The art of combining the fibres of the cocoons,

and of twisting a thread of sufficient substance,


was looked upon as a mystery of the most pro-
found nature, and great precautions were taken
for many years to confine it within the walls of
the Piemontese manufactories. The wretched
policy of the Sardinian government, and the per-
severance of an EngHsh merchant, led to the pro-
mulgation of the secret. About a hundred years
ago, when persecution drove many of the Protest-
ant inhabitants of the valleys of Perosa and
Pragela to seek refuge in foreign countries, some
of them fled to England. The account, which one
of these emigrants gave to Mr. John Lombe, of
the wonderful performances of the machinery used
in Piemont, induced that enterprising speculator
to take a journey across the Alps, and to examine
the reels with his own eyes. This was done at no
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 259

inconsiderable personal risk, for he not only ob-


tained access to the forbidden objects, but he
made such drawings of them, as enabled him to
give orders for the construction of similar machines,
on his return to England. The model, which is

still shewn in the Tower of London, and the silk


mills which were in process of time erected at
Derby, and in other parts of England, were the
fruits of Mr. Lombe's adventurous spirit, and ori-

ginated in a communication made by a Vaudois


sufferer for the truth's sake. The reader will pardon
this long history of the silk-worm and its produc-
tion, for the sake of the concluding anecdote ; but
there needs no apology for adding Vincent Bournes'
beautiful lines on the bombyx, by way of helping
the memory of those, who would like to remember
the principal passages in the life of that extraor-
dinary insect, whose appetite requires 60,000 times
its primitive weight in vegetable substance, diu'ing
its brief existence of one month ; and which takes
ten days only to weave a thread, which, if drawn
out in length, would reach the extent of six EngUsh
miles.

BOMBYX.
Fine sub Aprilis bombyx excluditur ovo,
Reptilis exiguo corpore vermiculus.

Frondibus hinc mori, volvox dum fiat adultus,


Gnaviter incumbens, dum satietur, edit.

Crescendo ad justum cum jam maturuit aevum,


Incipit artifici stamine textor opus ;

s 2
260 WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES.

Filaque condensans filis, orbem implicat orbi,

Et sensim in gyris, conditus ipse latet.

Inque cadi teretem formam se coUigit, unde


Egrediens pennas papilionis habet
Fitque parens tandem, foetumque reponit in ovis ;

Hoc demum extremo munere functus, obit.

Quotquot in hac nostra spirant animalia terra,

Nulli est vel brevior vita, vel utilior.

The annual fair of La Torre was held this week,


on Wednesday, July 1st ; and this gave me the
advantage of observing the Vaudois character
under a new aspect. In their churches, in their
schools, in their fields, in their famihes, in their
hours of convivial gladsomeness, I might expect
to find them in character with themselves ; and the
remarks which the preceding pages contain, are
thrown together as the result of my two months'
observation, and not as the hasty expression of my
first week's observation only. I confess it was with
some degree of apprehension, lest any thing dis-

graceful should occur upon an occasion so trying to


morals, that I determined to mingle in the throng
which now crowded the usually quiet street of La
Torre. I could not forget our English fairs, or
their demorahzing effects. Nothing could be more
picturesque than the whole scene. As I walked
from the hamlet of San Margarita to the main
village, not only was the road filled with moving
objects, with buyers and sellers in their various

costumes, and arrayed in their best apparel, but

i
waldimNsian research i:s. 261

the sides of the acchvities on each side, and tlie

mountain paths also were ahve with the gathering


together of the people, approaching in merry
groups, or individually, towards the same spot.
Peasants from the plains of Piemont, and strangers
from the French frontier swelled the crowd ; and
the street was so densely occupied, that it was no
easy matter to push on to the wider part of the
village dignified by the name of Piazza, where the
wares and merchandise were exposed to sale.

Beyond this, towards the bridge thrown over the


Angrogna torrent, which tumbles into the Pelice,
and as far as the road that divides off to San
Giovanni and Luserna, the whole space on each
side was allotted to those who had brought their
mules, asses, sheep, goats, and cows to market.
These animals and some of their wild looking
owners, the mountain stream, and grove of ches-
nuts on its banks, its long wooden bridge, the
water-mill, the Catholic church and Maison Curiale,
when seen from the spot from which the annexed
sketch of the entrance into La Torre was taken,
presented a striking foreground to the line distant
prospect, breaking in over the village, and closed
by Castelluzzo to the left, and by the rocky heights
of Tagliaretta and Vandelin in the centre and to-
wards the right. Few persons can enter La Torre
without feeling that as soon as they have crossed
its bridge, they are in a new country — that which
they have left behind them, even San Giovanni,
262 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

belongs to the great plain of Piemont, but now


they are in the valleys : mountains enclose them
on each side^ and they are more and more walled
in by rock and cliff, the further they advance.
The roaring Pelice is seldom lost to the eye or ear;
its noisy tributary streams are crossed at short
intervals. There is no longer the undulating land-
scape, with green or variegated slopes, and exten-
sive levels of lowland, where abundant corn and
grass attest the bounty of nature ; but there is the
abrupt and broken ground, there is rock contending
with soil, and the elements with man. The earth
still pours forth her riches in places, but it is only
in places : the field, or ridge waving with grain, is

immediately contiguous to a mass of crags torn


from the crest that breaks the clouds, or to a bed
of sand or stones brought down with the waters.
These features increase and become more marked
as you ascend this or any Alpine valley ;
patches
of cultivation become thinner ; the vine, the wal-
nut, and the chesnut give way to the pine — this
too at last disappears, and a wilderness of cliff,

assuming a thousand formidable or grotesque


forms, proclaims that such wild places are only for
the occasional retreat, and not for the habitation
of man. The pathways that lead to these rocky
summits narrow as they ascend ; rugged and more
rugged is every access : at last the traces of foot-

steps disappear ; the adventurer makes his way


over a debris that has fallen from above, and tells
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 263

that more may yet fall and crush him the preci- ;

pice appears to yawn for him but the very danger ;

is inviting, and he urges on his onward pace, not

only to see more of these stern dominions of the


eagle and the vulture, but because he has a plea-
sure in sounding his own courage, in trying the
strength of his nerves, and proving to himself and
to others, that he is not to be outdone.
By some of the least arduous of these paths, many
of the people, andsome of the cattle had come to the
fair of La Torre, anxious to obtain the amount of

their rents or taxes, or of some money demand,


by selling a mule, a cow, or a few sheep or goats.
I know some of these traffickers came fifty
that
miles at the least, and crossed the main chain of
the Alpine barrier between France and Italy, to
carry back thirty or forty francs into Provence or
Dauphine, and that this journey is risked every
year for the same purpose.
In the booths I recognised the cottons of
Manchester, and the hardware of Birmingham,
and was made to smile by the earnestness with
which I was assured that some paltry knives and
scissars, of the very worst and hastiest manufac-
ture, the refuse of our own markets, were ^'
real
English." But the hardware of the continent is,

generally speaking, so very inferior to our own,


that it is no wonder to hear a blade puffed off,
which, bad as we might consider it, rises high in
value above the common articles of the same
2
264 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

sort of France and Italy. Coarse woollen cloths,


and wearing apparel of all kinds, commodities of
household use, implements of husbandry and
handicraft, fruit, vegetables, and corn, were the
principal things exposed to sale. A few toy-stalls
were decorated in their most attractive array to
cause longings and heart-burnings among the
Vaudois children, who accompanied their parents
to the fair. There was also some display of
finery, and gawdy ribbons, and embroidered hand-
kerchiefs of silk and gauze, were suspended in

alluring lines to tempt the daughters of vanity,


and to turn the heads of the damsels of the moun-
tains.

One little trait of character pleased me exces-


sively. I observed the eye of a boy of ten years
of age resting with admiring, perhaps with wishful
gaze, upon the treasures of one of the toy stalls.

He was the son of a pastor, and I desired him to


tell me what he would like to have among the
glittering and amusing objects before him. He
modestly declined making any choice. In vain I

urged him to select something. He could not be


tempted to accept my offer. At last I bought an
English knife, and put it into his hand ; he then
burst into tears, and it was with the utmost dif-

ficulty, and only at the command of one of his


relations, that he could be persuaded to put it

into his pocket. The secret of his tears and re-

luctance was this. He was fearful lest his longing


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 265

look should have been mistaken for a mode of


asking, and his fine spirit was racked by the idea.

T had other opportunities of noticing this noble-

minded boy. He seemed a lovely, and a tender


plant, not long for this world, — and I fear that he
is now only to be remembered among the number
of those regretted objects, whose display of early
talent and feeling is the presage of an early death.
His parents have already been bereaved of chil-

dren untimely cut off. The hectic colour, and


delicate appearance of this lad, gave but little

hope of his arriving at maturity. Perhaps, while


my heart warms at the recollection of him, his is

cold in the grave.


The fair did not have the effect of removing
any of my predilections in favour of the Vaudois
population. Unlike our English fairs, it was a
mart of business, not of amusement. There were
no shows, and nothing to lead to riot or levity. I

saw no intemperance, I heard no offensive lan-


guage : I witnessed no act of rudeness, or self-

forgetfulness. Crowded as the fair was with


strangers as well as natives, this speaks m honour,
not only of the Protestant community, in the
midst of whom it was held, but of all whom it

congregated together.
I should have liked to have seen that festival,

which was formerly the pride of the Vaudois, the


Tirata, or exercise of the rifle ; when the men of
the valleys, young and old, tried their skill, bv
266 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

shooting at a mark, and kept up the sport in the


true spirit of emulation and nationahty. Far from
defending its practice on a Sunday, as was usually
the custom, I yet lament its total discontinuance,

and cannot understand the policy of a government,


which looks with jealous eye upon the martial
pursuits of that part of its population, which is on
the frontier of France, and holds some of the most
important passes on the borders. The Waldenses
have always been a warlike tribe, and though they
have resisted the unrighteous aggressions of their
sovereigns upon their religious and personal liber-
ties, they have ever been distinguished as faithful
subjects, attached to the old dynasty, and utterly
unwilling to countenance invasion from abroad,
or revolt at home.
Had the Protestants of the Alps flashed a gun,
as a signal of their readiness to join the malcon-
tents in 1821, there w^ould have been an end of
the reigning branch of the House of Savoy. The
constitutionalists at Turin and Genoa, and the
insurgent regiments at Alexandria, supported by
the hardy mountaineers and unerring marksmen
of the three valleys, could not have been put
down. But the Vaudois would not embrace the
favourable opportunity of redressing their griev-
ances : they are loyal upon principle, they are
obedient to the powers that be, from high motives
of religious duty, and they once more gave occa-
sion to their ungrateful rulers, to applaud them
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 267

as " Nostri ben diletti, e fideli sudditi delle Valli,"


" Our well-beloved and faithful subjects of the val-

leys ";
and to try again the extent of their forbear-

ance and submission, by the imposition of new and


more galling vexations. The principal fortress,
upon the extensive line of border between Mont
Cenis and Mont Viso, is Fenestrelle. This and
the passes of Mont Genevre, and of the Col de
la Croix, as well as that across Mont Viso, by
which Francis the First descended into Piemont,
are completely within the grasp of the Vaudois.
The fortress of Fenestrelle might defy a besieging
army for months ; but the martial peasantry, who
live in its vicinity, and who know every approach
that leads to it, and every stone upon its walls,

who have constant opportunities of telling the


towers thereof, and marking well its bulwarks,
might assemble from the three valleys in a single
night, and make themselves masters of it, before
even their intentions could be known. And what
is to prevent their doing so, and throwing this

key of Piemont and themselves into the arms of


the French, should they be so disposed, in case of
a rupture between France and the king of Sardinia,
should the latter continue to act towards them
upon his present narrow policy ?

It is quite astonishing that a race, so faithful


to their princes from religious principle, and so
important to them ft'om their frontier position,
should be so little valued and trusted. Their
268 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

favourite amusement, the tirata, has heen virtually


prohibited. The government has not said, you
shall no longer have your fete days, and fire at

your targets, and crown the victor, and carry him


in procession with music and shoucs, but it has so
shackled the sport with expensive regulations and
vexatious accompaniments, that it is gradually
becoming obsolete. Leave must first be obtained
of the commandant of Pinerolo ; then there must
be the presence of an officer, and a certain number
of carabineers, under pretence of keeping order,
where it never was known that order was dis-
turbed, or that a single quarrel, or act of drunken-
ness or misconduct had occurred. Add to this,

the charge upon the quantity of gunpowder ex-


pended, and the cost attendant upon the necessary
formahties, and it will be clear enough, that there
is nearly an end of the tirata. There is scarcely
a cottage or a hovel, whose owner is master of a
gun, which does not display a block of wood, of
the size and resemblance of a Stilton cheese, which
has served as a mark, and yet contains a ball in
or near its centre, as a proud memorial of the
skill of one of the family. I have delighted many
a peasant by noticing this trophy of unerring aim,
and by asking the history of the triumphant day
in which the prize was won. And this is the
generous race who are treated with worse than
neglect, because a Jesuit at court, or a royal con-
fessor, can whisper into the ear of majesty, that
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 269

they are rebels against the authority of —the


bishop of Rome.
An historian of indefatigable research^ and who
is therefore inexcusable for his misrepresentations
upon this subject, has lately added one more to
the serviles of the Latin Church, who have spoken
of the Vaudois in the language of a Dominican.
*^
About the middle of the thirteenth century,"
says he, " the peculiar doctrines of the ' poor
men of Lyons' penetrated into the valleys of
Piemont, where they were cherished in obscurity
till the time of the Reformation, and were then
exchanged in a great measure for the creed pub-
licly taught at Geneva." This writer is thoroughly
aware, for the bulls of the Bishops of his own
Church (few of which can have escaped his
enquiring and penetrating eye) have informed
him, that at the beginning of the eleventh century,
these pecuHar doctrines were making Popes and
Prelates tremble for their authority, and that
Piemont was their seat of long and deep-rooted
estabhshment. He knows too, much better than
any writer of the Reformed Church can tell him,
for he has access to documents which we have
not, that those doctrines, though they were " che-
rished in obscurity" till the time of the Reforma-
tion, were the cause of martyrdom to thousands
and tens of thousands, who were destroyed by fire
and sword at the command of the Clements, and
Innocents, and Benedicts of the Vatican, who
270 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

blessed those who cursed them, and absolved those


from all sin who slew them. He knows, for he
has read it in the memorable " bull of Innocent
VIII., for the extirpation of the Waldenses/'
which is cited at length in two of the books, which
he professes in his marginal notes to have con-
sulted, that the doctrines which he affects to call

obscure till the time of the Reformation, were


" publicly preached" in Piemont ''
long ago"
long before Luther or Calvin were born. Did he
not know also, when he spoke of an event, which
he terms one " which by Protestants has been
called the massacre, by Catholics the rebellion,

of the Vaudois," that the Vaudois never acted


on that, or any other occasion, but upon the
defensive ; that they never advanced, under a
hostile banner, to dispute the supreme authority
of their rulers in any matters but those of con-
science, and that they never took up arms but in

vindication of rights and privileges, which were


guaranteed to them under the most solemn com-
pacts ? " We will submit in every thing, but in
acts of religious apostacy — we will obey you in
all things, where we can reconcile our duty to-

wards our God, and our duty to you." This has


ever been the language of the Vaudois to their
princes ; and when the historian of whom I com-
plain, stained his pages by his ungenerous and
unnecessary imputations, no man had better oppor-
tunities thanhimself of ascertaining that theVaudois
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 271

have been driven by despair to repel aggression, but


have never committed the crime of rebellion ^

The heat was so great, and there was so much


to keep our attention engaged, during the whole
of the second week after our arrival at La Torre,
that we made no distant excursions : but the even-
ing walks, in which we indulged, were as delicious
as briUiant weather, and all the combinations of
rural and pastoral scenery could make them. Two
strolls in particular have left an agreeable impres-
sion, which not even the grander character of the
higher valleys can efface. The one, through the
vineyards and corn-fields of San Giovanni to the
house of M. Meille, the late pastor of San Gio-
vanni and the other, to the presbytery of An-
;

grogna, and to the shady groves of magnificent


walnuts and chesnuts in its vicinity.

M. Meille has won the heart, and rivetted the


esteem of every stranger who has visited him.
From the Count Waldbourg Truckses, (whose
long residence at the court of Turin, as Prussian
envoy, gave him frequent opportunities of study-
ing the Vaudois character, and whose patronage
of the Vaudois is honourable both to himself and
to them,) to the humblest pilgrim, who has made
his acquaintance,and written or spoken of him,
M. Meille has been an object of equal veneration.
That warm devotional feeling, which, some have
^ See Lingard's England, vol. xi. chap. 3.
272 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

thought, may be looked for in vain among the


generahty even of those, who have the reputation
of it, has not been disputed in the person of this
minister. It is certainly impossible to converse
w^ith him, without bringing away the conviction
that you have been talking with one, whose whole
soul is under the influence of vital religion. The
loss of an only son has manifestly been sanctified
to him : but though the lines of a wounded spirit

are traced broadly in his countenance, there are


no marks of a broken heart, or of a mind which is

soured, or rendered austere by the affliction. His


face beams with benignity — his manner is tranquil
and winning in the extreme. It was observed of
him by one traveller, " He has all the tournure of
the ancient Moravians — ^he is not far from the
kingdom of God." He lives upon his own property,
which perhaps is larger than often falls to the lot
of a Waldensian pastor. His house, a well-built,

and substantial habitation, stands in the rich plain

of San Giovanni, and commands a view of the


imposing heights, which rise above Angrogna,
Luserna, and La Torre. It is not exaggeration
to call it a paradise, occupied by a patriarch. This
good man dwells among his own people, and,
having surrendered the charge of a large parish,
his time is principally employed in superintending

the cultivation of his vines and corn, and pasture


lands, and in that humble preparation for another
state of existence, to which the husbandman's
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 273

simple life, and the mountaineer's contemplations


are well adapted.
M. Meille was among
number of those to
the
whom I submitted my projects, before I made
them known to the Vaudois pastors at large.
After the smiling and open vale of San Giovanni,
which throws out almost every production of the
Italian soil in the richest luxuriance ; where the
soil yields at three different heights, corn below,
grapes between, and mulberries above ; where the
reapers are shaded from the sun by the broad
leaves of the vine, latticed along the trees, and
disposed in the most graceful festoons over their
heads, and where the rills, and streamlets of arti-

ficial irrigation, preserve freshness and verdure


in the meadows, even in a burning summer, the
hamlets of Angrogna offer contrasts of another
kind. Here the bold acclivities, the rushing waters,
and the sylvan glories of the scenery, among which
the cottages of Chabrazza, Seringa, and San Lau-
rent are constructed, prepare you for what you are
to expect, when you ascend to the more elevated
regions of this commune, which, commencing where
the softer features of San Giovanni end, break off
by degrees into the wild and rugged points of La
Vachera, Cella Vegha, and the Seiran Alp.
Angrogna lies more to the north than La
Torre and San Giovanni, and extends along a
valley famous in Waldensian history. The pres-
bytery of the pastor of Angrogna is in the hamlet
274 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of San Laurent, at no great distance from his


church. We were not expected, and as we ap-
proached, we were joined by a few of the pastor's
neighbours, whom the lovehness of the evening
had drawn out, and who swelled the party into a
company rather too large, we thought, both for
his apartments, and for his supper-board. The
former objection was soon remedied. M. Peyrot,
with the philosophy of a peripatetic, invited us to
take a ramble with him, and with the usual irre-
sistible propensity of a descendant of a long line of
Waldensian champions, talked of former achieve-
ments as he conducted us to defiles, which his
countrymen had well defended, or to spots where
the blood of the slaughtered had left a damning
stain, in the memory at least, which never can be
effaced. Not that he chose these scenes but what ;

part of Angrogna is without them ? He led us to


the brink of a tremendous looking precipice, which
still goes by the name
Roche Simon, from
of the
the miserable death which was there inflicted upon
an aged victim of fanatical cruelty.' In the mas-
sacre of 1655, Pietro Simondi refused to go to
mass. He was eighty years old, and he mildly
appealed to the oppressors " Would you," said
:

he, " when I have exceeded the age of man by


ten years —would you think the better of me, for

purchasing a few months' longer existence by an


act of apostacy ? Would you think a trembling
convert like myself worth having ? My forced re-

]
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 275

cantation can add nothing to your cause." Prose-


lyting zeal, however, was too fervent to listen to
reason. The old man was brought to this rock,
and flung from its top. Unhappily for him, a tree
upon a projecting ridge caught him, and he re-
mained suspended on its branches, beyond the
reach of help, till death relieved him from his
lingering and terrific punishment.
We saw but little of Angrogna on this occasion

but we saw and heard enou2fh to desire to devote


a day at least to exploring its venerable, and
storied barricades, and we agreed to take the first
opportunity of ascending its mountain paths, and
penetrating the recesses of rock and forest, where
the youthful Waldenses were taught to cherish
the faith of their ancestors — and where the manlv
forms of hardy, but half-armed, peasants stood the
shock of the mailed chivalry of France and Pie-
mont.
On our return to the presbytery, we enjoyed a
repast which Apicius would have praised, had he
been prepared for it by such a walk as we had.
Fruit in abundance, baked cakes, not unlike the
girdle cakes of the north of England, curds, and
the sausage of Pinerolo, sent us home as well
pleased with the good cheer, as with the legendary
lore of our host. A young lady from Geneva,
Mademoiselle Robin, was one of the party at
Angrogna, and seemed to enjoy the pleasures of
the evening, as much as she added to it by her
T 2
276 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

wit and good humour. On our way home we met


a band of young Roman Catholics on the bridge
of La Torre, who were practising the Vespers
hymn. At the same moment myriads of fire-flies
were flitting in the air, and lending their not feeble
aid to give the finishing efiect to our evening's
recreation.
The pastor of Angrogna has two churches under
his charge, at which he oflficiates every Sunday
the one at San Laurent, the other at Serre, higher
up the valley. Both churches are in wretched
condition, particularly the latter, and it requires
no small degree of attention to the interests of

religion, to keep this Protestant commune up to


the standard of its former reputation. There is

an active proselyting Romish priest in the parish,

who exerts himself to the utmost to diminish the


Vaudois flock, and to increase his own. He spares
no arts to attain his object ; he has recourse to
vexatious expedients to harass the pastor and his
congregation ; he lays complaints against them for
alleged transgressions of the penal statutes ; —he
watches narrowly to see that no work is done on
the festivals of the Roman calendar ; he marshals
them round the Protestant
processions, and leads
temple during hours of service, singing and voci-
ferating to the interruption of the pastor, who is

sometimes forced to stop for ten minutes together,


till the noisy crowd has passed.
The number of Protestants in Angrogna is about
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 277

2,100. The Romanists amount to five hundred.

The central school is situated near the temple,


and is open ten months during the year ; besides
which there are thirteen small schools, containing
from fifteen to sixty scholars each, open about
four months in the twelve. Mr. Sims has insti-

tuted a girls' school in this parish, which has been


of such essential service, in directing the atten-
tion of the inhabitants to the importance of an
improved system of female education, that it is

greatly to be hoped it will be continued. In the


summer, the pastor frequently preaches to the

shepherds and others of his people, who watch


their flocks and herds upon the green ridges of the
Seiran and Infernet Alps.
A very cursory view, or enquiry, will shew the
great difference between the highly favoured San
Giovanni, and its neighbouring commu!ie An-
grogna. The former is not only the wealthiest
village in possession of the Waldenses, but it

is also the best situated for all the purposes of


pastoral duty. Lying in the plain, its land is of
the very finest quality ; its hamlets are at no great
distance from each other, and its roads and paths
in the best condition. Add to this, its population

is almost entirely Protestant. Out of 1650 souls,

there are not more than six or seven Roman


Catholic families. The contiguity of the hamlets
of San Giovanni renders fewer schools necessary
to this parish, than to any other. There is one
278 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

central, and only four small schools but these are ;

so conveniently situated, that the pastor assured


me, he did not know of a single child belonging
to his congregation, who had reached the age of
six, without being placed under a course of educa-
tion. The girls' school in this commune, estab-
lished by the London Committee, is one of the
most interesting and promising institutions of its

kind. I shall have great pleasure in speaking of


it more at length, when I come to this part of my
subject.
San Giovanni is the extreme village of the
Vaudois on the Turin side of the valley of Lu-
serna, and therefore more exposed to aggression
and temptation than any other. Its situation is

such, that it will not admit of being placed within


the lines in a defensive point of view, and there-
fore we do not find that it ever occupied an import-
ant place in the mihtary history of the Vaudois.
The later edicts of the princes of Piemont, and
dukes of Savoy, hav9 denied its claim to be con-
sidered one of the privileged communes of the
ancient Waldenses. How then has it maintained
its religious integrity, and continued its name and
character of Vaudois up to the present hour ?

Humanly speaking, there is but one way of solv-


ing the question. Persecution and intolerance
quicken and exasperate religious ardour, and de-
termined spirits are rendered more resolute by
opposition.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 279

The inhabitants of San Giovanni have ever


been exposed to the first brunt of hostilities. The
sword of the crusaders, who have marched against
the valleys at the war-whoop of Rome, has always
been first dipped in the blood of this devoted
population. The incendiaries flung their torches
into the habitations of this exposed village, and
burnt them to the ground, as the beginning of
atrocities. The remnant of the sufferers, having

no chance of defending themselves, unless against


the vanguard of their enemies, were obliged to fly
to the remoter asylums of their brethren, and
carried with them the remembrance of their flam-
ing dwellings, their ravaged fields, and slaughtered
wives and children. They were forbidden to have
a church, or to hold public religious assemblies
they met together in secret, with zeal increased a

hundred-fold. Schools were prohibited : they in-


structed their children at home, and every hearth
was an altar, where the youth of San Giovanni
were taught to swear eternal hatred of apostates
and apostasy. To this day, their church and their
schools are suffered rather than permitted ; witness
the screen before the door of the temple, erected
by themselves, as the only condition upon which
the government would consent to wink at that,
which is pronounced to be a violation of the edict
against building any Protestant churches beyond
the boundaries. (See Chap. IX.) But all the
enmity and the power of the parii-pretre, could
280 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

not separate the people of San Giovanni from their


legitimate and ancient connection with the primi-
tive Church of the Alps; and as they were near to
the strong holds of Angrogna and Vandelin, they
fled from the storms that threatened them, and
returned, when the tempest was over, more in-

veterate recusants than ever.


I do not like to pronounce upon the sort of
faith or religious perseverance, which is nursed in
war, and kept alive by animosities. It may par-
take too much of the spirit which endeavours to
put it down. It must indeed lose in meekness what
it gains by conflict ; and when the fiercer and more
angry passions have been kept continually upoipi

the jar, as they have been by the oppressions and


vexations practised against the inhabitants of San
Giovanni, Christianity is not likely to assume its

mildest or purest form. Great reason, therefore,


have the admirers and well-wishers of the Vaudois
to look with pity upon the blemishes, which they
may occasionally discern in the white shield of
the valleys, and they should assist in washing
them out, and not turn away in disgust or disap-

pointment from that, which is inseparable from


their present condition and past history.
••"
. J4'

mahilse ©e s
mmED^m urn ttisie

ICCo.
PruOcd. byZngeljrhazm.
.>^»?z.g bvi i: XichcUon
CHAPTER V.

Excursion to Tagliaretta, and an attempt to explore the Cavern

of Ca&telluzzo.

July 6. A REFRESHING moming, and a clear atmos-


phere, enticed us to make the attempt of exploring
the rocks of Castelluzzo, in search of the celebrated
cavern, which, according to Leger, afforded an
asylum to three or four hundred Vaudois, during
one of the rifest periods of persecution. Its situa-

tion is described as being so peculiarly favourable


to the purpose, that one only can enter it at a
time, and yet it is spacious enough in its interior
to receive abundant supplies, besides having the
farther advantage of containing a spring of water
of its own. A peasant, named Grant, who accom-
panied Mr. Acland in his fatiguing, and often
hazardous adventures in the mountains, undertook
to be our guide to the spot, and we set out five
in party, Mrs. Gilly on a pony, which was to
carry her as far as the ascent would permit, my
brother, M. Amadee Bert, the guide, and myself.
To the eye, Castelluzzo was not far off, though
282 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

its cliffs appeared at an elevation which it would


be aspiring to reach ; but it required double the
time, which we calculated would be sufficient for
the excursion : so deceptive are all mountain dis-

tances. The cool fragrance of the air, and the


natural beauty and romance of the scenery, would
not suffer us to give a moment's admission to any
apprehensions that the endeavour to attain the
ridge of the cliff might be too much for unprac-

tised lowlanders. In vain did our friends assure


us, that when the sun should be well up, we
should repent of our undertaking, and abandon it

in despair. We trusted to the shade of the groves


which covered the mountain side, and commenced
the journey in high spirits and expectation.
Our path lay in the direction of the Biglione
torrent, which, in spring and autumn, pours down
its impetuous flood from Vandelin to the Pelice,
but at this season had not much water. A pro-
fusion of gigantic walnuts and chesnuts stretched
their branches over its broken and rocky bed,
and, for the first hour, we had no great reason to
complain either of the abruptness, or ruggedness of
the ascent. The slopes were beautifully coloured
with corn in various stages of ripeness, for, in

these regions, a quarter of an hour's walk will


bring you to spots, where, from the difference of
soil and situation, the grain is here of a bright
golden hue, and there as green as the foliage

which waves above it. The scattered cottages had


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 283

not only clusters of grapes hanging about the roofs


and eaves, but had also each its little vineyard

and orchard by its side, where the vine was not of


the dwarfish species like that of France, but clam-
bered from tree to tree. The depths and solitude

of the groves were broken by these objects rising


unexpectedly upon the sight, and were echoing
moreover with the songs of birds, and presenting,
to the fancy at least, enchanting images of rustic
enjoyment in the midst of that, which, at a dis-

tance, looked hke one vast forest, bordered by a


crest of rock. Alas, that these scenes should have
witnessed so much contention and suffering!
When we approached towards Tagliaretta, the
steepsbecame rough and threatening more like ;

a succession of terraces, which can only be sur-


mounted by scrambling over fragments of stone,
or by winding your way circuitously by that
which resembles a more than a path.
stair-case
The motion of the pony became here so uneasy,
from his having to step over and up such rugged
ground, that Mrs. Gilly begged to walk ; but the
guide assured her, that unless she consented to
break the journey, by riding as far as it was safe,

it was impossible that she could encounter the


fatigue and the heat of the day. After arriving at
Tagliaretta, we were on land in which every
foot had been the scene of action, of sanguinary
conflict, of daring enterprises, surprisals, assaults,
and defences. This hamlet, with Puy-Castel, Rua,
284 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Kiavoula, Costa Rossina, and Manaiida, all of


which find a place in the old maps of Leger and
Morland, and in the very accurate new map,
which Mr. Acland designed for his translation of

Henri Arnaud's *'


Rentree Glorieuse des Vaudois,"
(and which could not have been drawn but by one
well acquainted with the localities of the country)
constituted what was formerly called the commune
of Tagliaretta, the holy ground of La Torre.
At different periods of Waldensian history, when
the courts of Turin and Rome determined to make
new efforts to extinguish the light of truth, there

used to issue edicts, from time to time, which not


only forbade the exercise of any religion but that
of the Latin Church, except among the remote
craggs and thickets of the higher valleys, of the
valleys within the valleys, but commanded mass
to be celebrated in the lower districts. The people
of those parts naturally protested against such an
invasion of their rights, and pleaded the validity
of solemn treaties and ancient compacts. Some-
times their remonstrances were heard, but when
evil counsels prevailed, then the mandate was
peremptory, and the troops of the duchy of Savoy
were quartered in the main villages to enforce the

papal will. It is not without reason, that I have


so often ascribed the sufferings of the Waldensian
Church to aggressions instigated by the evil genius

of Rome. There is scarcely an instance, in which

the stern contests, or holy wars, into which the


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 285

Vaudois were forced, did not grow out of the


seeds of evil, out of the dragon's teeth, sown by
cardinal legates and nuncios, delegated by the
popes to up the wrath of the dukes of Savoy
stir

against the recusants of the valleys. Let the


reader, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant,
reflect upon the tendency of this one specimen of
the numerous edicts in my possession, and I shall

not be accused of doing wrong to the Church of


Rome, when I affirm, that the lintels of the Vati-

can are sprinkled with the blood of every Vaudois,


who died in defence of his religion. ''
Charles
Emanuel, by the grace of God, duke of Savoy,
prince of Piemont, &c. In conformity with the
brief pubhshed by his holiness, our Lord, Pope
Gregory XV. and with our desire to promote the
sacred wishes of his Holiness, we command," &c.
Then follows one of those penal enactments,
which drove unhappy men to desperation, and
converted scenes of peace into an arena of fright-
ful conflict.

Away went the inhabitants of the vale to the


mountain asylums. Ready to sacrifice all but
their religious integrity, — they fled from their
houses rather than go to mass, and left their

pleasant homes in possession of the soldiery.


So long as the troops found plunder enough in

the deserted houses and fields to satiate their

rapacity, the fugitives were left unmolested to


share the scanty supply, which their brethren of
286 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the upper hamlets divided with them. But when


no booty was left to keep them in good humour,
they would then scatter themselves in small bands,
and make predatory incursions with all the licen-
tiousness of brigands, and seek for plunder in
places, which were intended to be exempt from
their molestation. So dreaded were these marau-
ders, that even the Roman Catholic families sent
their daughters to the mountain hamlets of the
Protestants for protection. The unoffending na-
tives of those hamlets naturally considered that
they were justified in resisting such aggression.
But their conduct was misrepresented at Turin :

they were accused of opposing the troops in the


exercise of their duty, of not respecting the royal
standard and the forces of their liege lord.
Then came some ruthless ordinance which
drove them to despair : they were commanded to
deliver up all their children to be baptized by the
Romish —
clergy to surrender the heads of famihes
as hostages — to demolish their churches, (the
furious edict of the year 1624, commanded the
instant destruction of six churches, those of
Villar, Pramol, and San Germano, among the
number,) —to receive the troops at free quarters,
even in the most impoverished hamlets on the
Alpine ridges. Before the order could well be
published, the soldiers were in full march towards
the quarters which had generally been respected
whether they were come to kill and to take pos-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 287

session, or what were their intentions, was scarcely


understood. The presence of an unpitying enemy,
advancing towards their last retreats, produced
desperate resolutions of self-defence ; and the
wretched peasants found themselves driven to the
last resource of the oppressed, and man stood by
man, in the front of some narrow pass, to drive
the spoiler from his prey.
It was thus that loyal subjects were forced into
conflict with the troops of their sovereign, and
that a fierce, and unsparing, guerilla warfare began
to rage between the peasantry of the mountains,
and the trained mihtia of the principality, headed
by the best commanders of the day.
But the question naturally arises, how could
half-armed, and ignoble peasants, surrounded on
all sides by hosts of fighting men, renowned
throughout Europe as the infantry of Piemont,
how could they maintain their ground against
such fearful odds, and why is it that the Church
of the Valleys has not long ago been blotted out
from the face of the earth The Vaudois had
?

no fortresses into which they might retire when


hard pressed ; no magazines, no walled towns,
no castles bristhng with cannon; they had no
military leaders, who were men of war from their
youth, and schooled in the rules and stratagems
of war ; they had no nobles, or feudal barons,
under whose chieftainship they might be enrolled,
and whose personal influence could keep them
2
288 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

together, and direct their counsels. There was


neither rank, nor rewards of price or distinction
to stimulate them to enterprise, and to give one
man a place of eminence among his fellows ; no,
not a stimulant was there, to which the aspiring
combatant looks, who moved by the ordinary-
is

considerations which make the hero. And yet


these were the men, who jeoparded their lives
unto the death in the high places of the field, and
offered themselves willingly for the people. Again
and again did the fiat go forth for their utter

destruction. It was no relenting, nor want of


inclination, nor tender mercy on the part of
their enemies, that they were not destroyed
witness the sixty-eight enactments which were
put in force against them, between the years
1561 and 1686 : which were intended to extermi-
nate, and which did waste and reduce them. It

was the avowed object, the professed intention,

the impious plot to eradicate them. " Wishing


by every means in our power to eradicate, to bury
the heresy" — " In our zeal for the Holy Catholic,
Apostolic, and Roman faith, desiring to pluck up
the tares" — so ran the edicts, and such was the
intention. Why, then, was it not carried into
effect ? How could a handful of mountaineers
escape from the vengeance, that threatened their
total overthrow, and which achieved the downfall
of their brethren in other parts ? Because it was
the will of God, that thev should be left as a rem-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 289

nant —because it was written in the counsels of


heaven, that they should continue as a miracle of
Divine Grace and Providence.
BHnd must he be, who does not discern the
finger of God in the preservation of the Vaudois.
There is nothing like it in the history of man.
The tempest of persecution has raged against
them for seven hundred years, and yet it has not
swept them away, but there they are in the land
of their forefathers ; because the Most High gave
unto the men of the valleys stout hearts and a
resolute spirit, — because he made them patient of
hunger and thirst, and nakedness, and all manner
of affliction.
It was a natural wish to desire to see the
strong holds, and the mountain-keeps, which the
Almighty permitted to become scenes of defeat to
the mighty men of valour, who were commanded
to go up to the battle, and to slay " the people of
the Lord." When I saw the field of contention,
and remembered the material of which the adverse
parties was composed, I had no difficulty in be-

lieving the extraordinary tales, which are told of


victories gained under circumstances, which almost
realised the Scriptural promise, —" five of you
shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you
shall put ten thousand to flight, and your enemies
shall fall before you by the sword. And the sound
of a shaken leaf shall chase them, and they shall
u
290 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

flee, as fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall

when none pursueth."


When once the enemy diverged from the roads
in the lower part of the valley, and mounted the
acclivities, nothing like regularity could be pre-
served in their line of march. They had to make
their way over broken ground as well as they
could ; each man, at places, depending upon his
own agility and presence of mind, for the means
of extricating himself from the perils of torrents
and precipices. Every facility was afforded for

interruption, and none for progress. Many of the


assailants were unused to mountain combats, and
all of them impeded rather than assisted by the
rules of regular warfare. They were embarrassed
by the impossibility of keeping in their ranks, of
supporting or being supported by their comrades.
An ambuscade was ready to receive them in every
thicket, by peasants who understood every kind of
furtive annoyance. If they crossed a ravine, they
were assailed from above by all sorts of missiles.
If they arrived at a defile, or narrow pass, the
hardy few who defended it, prompt at shifting
their ground, had nothing to do but to dispute
their advance, as long as their strength was equal
to the struggle, and then to retreat and rally at

the next spot, which they considered more de-


fensible. When the troops attempted to push
boldly up a slippery steep, they were attacked
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 291

with stones set in motion by the shghtest touch,


and rolling every thing before them. After they
had scaled one height, they found, to their dismay,
that a succession of such impediments had to be
surmounted : no level gained, no position occupied,
put an end to their The peasantry, if forced
toils.

to yield one point, instantly made for another, and


the weary pursuer discovered that his strength
and his spirits were exhausted, without having
any thing more to boast of, as the price of his toils,
than a few hovels, which had already been aban-
doned by their inhabitants, and ransacked of their
miserable contents. In fact, the mountaineer in
his wild mode of warfare, relinquishes his post the
moment he finds it untenable, and then leads his
foe a wearisome chase from ridge to ridge, till

whole battalions are disorganised, and reduced to


the necessity of retreating, or of continuing the
contest with the certainty of defeat.
To the nature of these localities, all in favour of
the defenders of the soil, we must add the manner
in which the assailants were armed. It was during
the seventeeth century, and part of the sixteenth,
that our Subalpines so often repulsed the elite of
Piemont, and, at that period, regular troops were
so encumbered by the offensive and defensive
weapons which they bore, that it was quite impos-
movements could be made with
sible that their

any degree of celerity. Imagine a body of men


clambering up a rugged eminence, themselves
u 2
292 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

accoutred in like manner, or led by an officer

equipped after the fashion of the Ritt-master


Dugald Dalgetty ; with buff coat and jack-boots,
steel back and breast-plate, plate sleeves, and
head-piece ; and armed, not with the hght bayonet
and firelock of the present day, but with the pon-
derous arquebuss, the awkward matchlock and
caliver, and their necessary accompaniments the
match, the bandileer, and the rest. Every dis-

charge of their cumbrous pieces must have been


the work of time, even on level ground; but when
they came to be impeded by up-hill difficulties,

their advance could have carried but very little

terror to an unencumbered peasantry, who could


make deadly use, from their places of concealment,
of the very weapons, which were all but unservice-
able in the hands of troops, scrambling over broken
ground, and fainting under the weight of that
which they had to carry. The dropping fire, first

from one quarter, then from another, and every


shot telling, and multiplied by the echoes of the
mountain, carried terror to the hearts of the
bravest. In vain they raised their voices to en-
courage one another, and shouted for the battle :

if a momentary triumph appeared to exhilarate


them, and the mountaineers fled before them, it

was but to draw them into some ambuscade to ;

lead them breathless, and in broken order, to some


narrow and precarious defile, on the edge of a pre-
cipice, when the fugitives would turn round upon

1
WAl.DENSIAN RESEARCHES. 293

their pursuers, and man grappling man, would


make the welkin ring with the yells of terrified
wretches, tumbhng into the gulfs below, or flying
in confusion from the fate of their companions.
It was then that the work of death began. None
could rally the troops when once they turned their

backs in flight. The agile mountaineers had no-


thing to do but to pursue and to slay ; and who
can wonder if a frightful vengeance was wreaked
upon the aggressors ?

Thus even the flower of veteran armies, which


boasted of having been led to victory against the
chivalry of France and Germany in the plains of

Lombardy, were discomfited by hunters of the


Alps, and by shepherds and goatherds, who be-
lieved that God was with them, and who left their

sheepfolds, and the bleatings of their flocks, to en-

counter the perils of battle, rather than surrender


their personal and religious rights. Harassed by
marchings and counter-marchings, the troops and
their commanders became weary and disgusted
with the service. The counsellors of the prince
gladly sought for some plea, upon which they
might extricate their sovereign and his captains
from a disgraceful conflict ; and then they remem-
bered, that leagues, and treaties of the most bind-
ing nature, guaranteed to the Vaudois the uninter-
rupted possession of their valleys, and the free
exercise of their religion. The forces were con-
sequently recalled, old privileges were ratified.
294 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

sacred rights were recognised, and the Waldensian


Church had rest, — till fresh orders came from
Rome to vex it.

From the hamlet of Tagliaretta, we descended


into a deep ravine, and then mounted again towards
Kiavoula and Rua. From the latter, where we
were obliged to leave the pony, we had a fine view
of the mountain pasturages of La Cea, which at

this time were full of cattle. After resting our-


selves, for about half an hour at a chalet, and
enjoying the refreshment of some rich milk and
cream, we again crossed a ravine of considerable
depth, and then commenced the more arduous
task of climbing the rocks of Castelluzzo. Hitherto
we had been in the midst of cultivation of some
sort, and though we occasionally traversed tracts,

which man had not yet been able to subdue


beneath the spade or the hoe, the soil was for

the most part productive of something ; but now


the scene changed entirely, and, without a tree to
shade us, we toiled up a rocky acclivity under a
scorching sun, and upon a burning surface. This
steep was closed in by a cliff, which rose almost
perpendicularly from its base, and terminated in

that tower4ike summit, which has therefore ob-


tained the name of Castelluzzo ; but though we
strained our eyes to discern the means by which
we were to proceed, we discovered none, until we
arrived close to it. We then perceived a narrow
ledge, projecting from the face of the rock, but
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 295

only broad enough to admit one at a time to ascend


by its dizzy path, and overhanging the depth
below. This was formidable — and we enquired
of our guide with no little anxiety, if this were
the only approach to the place of which we were
in quest. Grant assured us, that by this we must
continue our route, or retrace our steps, and
return home. was one of those Alpine path-
It

ways, by which the peasants of Tagliaretta and


Bonetti had often eluded their adversaries : for

woe be to the fool-hardy pursuer, who would


venture to plant his foot on this track, with an
enemy in his front, or above him, resolved upon
disputing the passage.
We ascended in perfect safety. The guide led
the way —my brother followed. My wife held
fast by a leathern belt which was round my waist.

Mr. Amadee Bert brought up the rear ; and glad


enough were we, when we had cleared the ledge.
Again we had to clamber up another height, or
rapid slope. Mont Vandelin was to our right,
and on the craggs, which overhung our line of

march, we saw goats peeping down upon us, as if

curious to know what we wanted by invading


their aerial domains. This part of the ascent was
fatiguing, but not at all dangerous. But the heat
of the day was by this time intolerable, and we
were all almost expiring under thirst, and the
glare of the sun reflected from the masses of
rock, by which we were surrounded. We had
296 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

brought no water with us, for Grant had promised


we should find a spring at the very point
us, that
which we had now attained. The disappointment
was too great to be described, when we reached
the spot, and found the fountain dry
Again we toiled on towards the ridge that soared
above, and never shall I forget the bright vision
that burst upon us, when we attained it. As if by
magic, the arid and stony surface, over which we
had been dragging our weary steps, was succeeded
by one of those verdant pasturages of the Alps,
which the crest of the mountain concealed from
our view ; in fact, we had scaled the rampart, and
were at once transported to an amphitheatre of
rich grass, on the western side of the ridge. Cows
and sheep were grazing round their keepers ; the
lowing of the cattle, and the voices of men and
boys, greeted our ears ; and for a moment we forgot
our thirst and fatigue, in the charming prospect
that broke so suddenly upon us.
When we made oar wants known to the shep-

herds, they went in search of another spring, in

one of the cliffs of Mont Vandelin. It was at

some distance, and we waited impatiently for their

return. But again we were disappointed. This


supply had also failed, and we were almost in
despair. The cows, which were depastured here,
were not in milk ; but one of the boys bethought
him of an expedient to reheve us. He set up a
loud shout, and made the surrounding mountains
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 297

echo with his shrill and prolonged notes. Pre-


sently we saw goats dashing down the steeps, and
galloping towards us in all directions. It was the
boy's shaggy flock, which, faithful to his voice,
obeyed the well-known summons, and soon filled

our leathern cups with their milk. The beverage


was not such as to quench our thirst, but it allayed
it ; and never was there a more grateful supply.
Seated on the green sward, we shared the contents
of our basket with the boy and his companions,
who had so kindly volunteered their assistance
and after reposing for about an hour, and amusing
ourselves with the conversation of these children
of nature, we proceeded in search of the memor-
able cavern.
But I must not omit to mention the interest
we took in questioning the boys as to the religious
instruction which they had received. They
were about fifteen or sixteen years of age, and
had been in the habit of attending the hamlet and
central schools. Their answers were accurate
and satisfactory ; and they stated that it was so
arranged among themselves, that although the
greater part of the summer was spent among their
cattle on this mountain, or in the chalets near at
hand, yet they seldom absented themselves from
church two Sundays together, but took it by
turns, in their families, to descend to the vale
below at the hour of public service. Their ap-
pearance was as wild and uncouth as imagination
298 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

can paint, but there was nothing rude in their

curiosity at the sight of strangers, or shy or


awkward in their manner of accosting or replying
to us. They presented a striking contrast with
the clownishness of the peasant boys of our own
country.
We had taken Castelluzzo in reverse by a cir-

cuitous path, and notwithstanding the assurances


of our guide, that this was the right way to ap-
proach the spot, where we might expect to find
the cavern, yet I entertained doubts of our success.
Most of my informants had described it, as far as
tradition enabled men to form an opinion of its

situation, as being half way down the perpendi-


cular face of Castelluzzo, as it is seen from the
road between La Torre and Villar, and overhang-
ing the hamlets of Bonetti and Chabriole. We
were now much above this supposed site, and far

at the back of it. Grant's notion was, that some-


where near the pasturage, where we had taken our
we should discover a communication,
refreshment,
which would lead down to the cavern. The
shepherds confirmed this idea, and conducted us
to an opening in the rock, which had every ap-
pearance of a subterraneous passage, descending
into the bowels of the mountain ; and it answered
in part to Leger's representation of an entrance,
which would admit one person only at a time.

One of the boys entered first with a lamp, which


we had brought for the purpose. The opening
2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 299

was not unlike the mouth of a well, which had


broken in, and at the depth of about six feet,

there was an horizontal passage, about three feet


wide, which had a gentle inclination downwards.
My brother and I followed the boy one after the
other, but we soon came to some obstruction in

the natural formation of the rock, or occasioned


by the falling in of large blocks from above, which
prevented our further progress.
After making every attempt to discover another
passage, we gave up all hope of finding an entrance
to the cavern from this quarter ; indeed, I am
persuaded that it could not have been here, for
the spot would have been betrayed at once, being
concealed neither by a thicket, nor by crags, but
manifesting itself by its yawning mouth.
But though the disappointment was vexatious,
in not finding any trace of that which we were
seeking, yet the glorious prospects around much
more than repaid us for the fatigue of the day.

The shepherds assisted us in climbing to the high-


est point of Castelluzzo ; it was a calm still after-

noon when we reached it ; the heat of the day had


somewhat subsided, and there was not that flicker-
ing and dazzling haze in the atmosphere,which often
embarrasses the sight in sultry weather. Seated
upon the pinnacle of the rock, which commands
a view of the whole valley, both above and below
La Torre, we gazed on the enchanting scene, first

with inexpressible rapture, and afterwards with


300 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

those sensations of littleness and inferiority, to

which no man can be insensible, who finds himself

in the midst of the vast, the spacious, and the


enduring. Our eyes wandered, on one side, over
the plains of Piemont to those of Lombardy,
faintly discerned in the distance. Turin was
plainly marked on the map before us, and the
marble front of the Superga glittered under the
rays of the western sun. The Po was seen wind-
ing his course towards the north-east, and receiv-
ing the waters of many of his tributary streams
and torrents. We could distinguish nearly the
whole line of Vaudois territory towards the plain,
and many of the towns and villages which once
were Protestant, but have since been forced into
conformity with Rome. Looking over the Mar-
quisate of Saluzzo ^ it was melancholy to behold
Cavour, and Paesana, and Barge, and Campig-
lione, and Fenile, and Bubiana, and the rich vales

w^hich formerly added their numerous population


to the Waldensian Church, now reduced, like

each of these towns seen in the distance, to a


speck upon the earth.

* Several edicts of the years 1602-3, describe the Marquisate

of Saluzzo, as peopled in great part by professors of the Walden-


sian faith. An edict of the 18th Dec. 1629, signed Charles
Emanuel, represents the extent of non-conformity to be such, as

to prevail not only at Paesana, Versuola, and other places about


Saluzzo, but even as far south as Drovero, Carraglio, Accegho,
and the valley of Maira.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 301

Such were the remoter objects on which we


glanced from om' elevated watch-tower. Imme-
diately beneath us, to the left, were the lovely
scenes of San Giovanni and La Torre, embroid-
ered with vineyards, corn-fields, and meadows
and here and there shaded with groves and
thickets, and spread over a surface varied by hills,

knolls, and undulating slopes ; and watered by the


Felice, the Angrogna, Biglione, and other torrents,
and by those artificial channels which wind along
the sides of the mountain, and descend into the
plains in refreshing rills and streamlets. To the
right, we saw Villar and its hamlets, part of Bobi,
and the dark glens of Val Guichard, and the
whole of L'Envers, and the park-like beauties of
Pralebroue. L'Envers is the shady side of the
chain of mountains, enclosing Val Felice to the
south ; and where it is not clothed with natural
forests of alder and birch, it is variegated with
rhododendrons and flowering shrubs, the former
of which were in full blossom at this time, and
covering the ground hke a mantle of crimson. In
bold contrast with the habitations of man, and
the work of his hand, and with the lovelier fea-
tures of nature, were the tremendous chasms and
fields of rock, which glared upon us in the nearer

From the immediate point


vicinity of Castelluzzo.

where we were perched, we looked down into


the sheer depth of a precipice ; profound gulfs
302 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

and ravines yawned on every side, and the whole


scene was bounded by an indented line of moun-
tain, one peak rising above another in splendid
confusion, among which the towering heads of
Mont Viso and Visolet, and of the Cols St. Juhan
and D'Abries, were most conspicuous.
I may confidently affirm, that nothing on earth
is to be compared with the effects produced upon
the mind by the view of mountain scenery. We
enjoyed it upon this occasion to perfection. It

was not only the natural, but the historical map


of the Waldenses, and of the Church of the Alps,
which had been spread before us, and numberless
reflections crossed our minds, each of which added
to the interest of our excursion, and sent us home
full of *^
solemn thinkings."
We retraced our steps in part, and returned by
the narrow ledge, which had conducted us to the
summit of Castelluzzo. The descent was worse
than the ascent, but fortunately our heads did not
fail us. It rarely happens that a pathway, by which
a guide will take upon himself to conduct you, is

so narrow or slippery as to be absolutely perilous


to wary steps ; the sight of a precipice is bad
enough, but the adventurer ought to know whe-
ther his head will stand it or not ; if it will, there
are few places which a steady foot may not run
the risk of crossing, without having any great
matter for boasting. I was at first rather nervous
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 303

on my wife's account, but, when I saw that there


was no apprehension of her turning dizzy, my
fears abated.

Grant was rather piqued at our ill success in


regard to the cavern, and offered to conduct us to
another part of Castelluzzo, but lower down, where
he felt we should have better fortune. It
certain
would not take us much out of our way, he said, as
we might descend the mountain in that direction
and, therefore, we agreed to accompany him. He
took us round by the foot of the peak, from
whence we had enjoyed our glorious view, and
then by a thicket to the edge of a precipice. This
overlooked the face of the cliff, which common
tradition assigned to be that wherein the cavern
was situated. He chrected us to look down the
rock, which, for some hundred feet, was as per-
pendicular as a wall, and pointed to a spot, which
he pronounced to be the mouth of the cavern.
We were still incredulous. For how was it pos-
sible for any human being to reach it ? We were
obliged to hold each others hands and collars, and
to stretch our bodies and necks to the utmost
over the precipice, or we could not even see the
place where it was said to be.
Grant allowed that he had never been in it him-
self, but protested that he knew persons who had.
But how ? we asked — for to our eyes there was
not the slightest hold for man's hand or foot.
304 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

He explained, that the descent was achieved


by stooping over the projecting crag on which we
stood, and catching hold of the rough points of
the chff, and so letting yourself down till you
should come to a sort of tunnel or chimney, by
which it was easy to descend, one at a time, into
the cavern.
But how were women, and children, and aged
fugitives, to perform this exploit, which we con-
fessed ourselves utterly afraid to attempt ?

Grant supposed that there had been a second


entrance, which was now lost, but most pertina-
ciously insisted, that by the very means which he
had described, acquaintances of his had found
their way to the cavern. He also directed our

attention to an immense block of stone, which


appeared as if it had fallen from the rocks above
at no great distance of time, and which certainly
did seem to have rendered the approach more
difficult than formerly. ''
If," said he, " you could
obtain a good sight of the face of the cliff imme-
diately under this overhanging crag, you would
perceive that the achievement is not so impractic-
able as you may imagine." We leant over the
precipice, and went to the verge of prudence in
our endeavour to ascertain the fact, but without
coming to any conclusion upon the question, and
we gave up the enquiry for the present, with the
determination to come to the sgot again, provided
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 305

with rope ladders and other implements to facili-

tate the search.

We pursued our way back to San Margarita,


by Borel and Copia, fatigued certainly by our
day's work, but gratified beyond all expectation.
CHAPTER VI.

The Hospital. — The Grammar School.


The vicinity of the hospital to San Margarita
gave me frequent opportunities of visiting this in-
stitution ; and as the times at which I made my
visits were irregular, and often unexpected, I had
the satisfaction of believing, that the good order,
which I found to prevail there, was nothing more
than a specimen of the uniform attention paid to
the wants and comforts of the inmates.
The first steps towards establishing an hospital
for the express reception of Vaudois patients, was
taken in the year 1824, when a petition was ad-
dressed to the king of Sardinia by the officers of
the Table, soliciting his majesty's permission to
purchase a house and land in the commune of La
lorre, which might serve as an asylum for the
aged, infirm, and sick of the Vaudois population.
This boon having been granted, and with it the
royal sanction to nominate a commission for the
administration of the institution, the Table next
applied themselves to the equally important con-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 307

sideration of the ways and means of setting it on


foot. The result of their deliberation was^ to
make a public appeal to the Protestant Churches
of Europe. It was nobly answered by some of
them ; and as I have before stated (see note, p.

159.) 105,000 francs were raised in France, Swit-


zerland, Denmark, Sweden, and the German states,

which were remitted to the valleys at once ; and


with part of this sum they purchased the house,
which has since been converted into a hospital
and a farm, which is also in the commune of La
Torre, and which yields an annual rent of about
2000 francs. The subscriptions in England,
Prussia, and Holland, being carried to a much
greater amount, was prudently resolved, by the
it

committees who had the management of them,


to invest the capital in the public funds of the
countries where such subscriptions were raised,
and to remit the interestby yearly or half yearly
payments, to the hospital commission at La Torre.
This has been done, and the establishment in chief

at La Torre, and the dispensary at Pomaretto in


Val San. Martino, enjoy the benefit of an income
from abroad, to the amount of 400/. a-year viz. :

150/. from England, 150/. from Prussia, and 100/.


from Holland, besides the rent of the farm, and
about 13/. a-year upon a mortgage in all nearly :

500/. per annum. Among other benefactions to


this hospital, the late emperor Alexander of Russia
presented it with 4000 francs.
X 2
308 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

The building is admirably situated for the


purpose to which it is assigned. It is in the
hamlet of Copia, on the high road between La
Torre and Villar^ and very near the Protestant
church of the former. It is, therefore, in a direct
line of communication with the most populous of
the Vaudois villages, and in the centre of the
population of the valley of Luserna, amounting to
9,800 souls, or half the whole Protestant com-
munity. The house itself, consisting of twelve
rooms, the smallest about sixteen feet square,
is of a handsome exterior, and stands within an
inclosure of about two acres. A better site could
not have been chosen ; it is somewhat elevated,
perfectly detached from other buildings, and has
the advantage of a fine supply of running water,
besides two large pools or reservoirs, which minister
very considerably to the convenience and cleanli-
ness of the establishment. The ground, which
forms what we should call the garden, is very pro-
ductive, and is divided into allotments, which yield
corn, fruit, vegetables, and wine.
So airy and charming is the situation, that the
first view dissipates all our notions of an hospital,
but upon entering the house, and walking through
the rooms which are allotted to the patients,

nothing is missed, which is supposed to be essen-


tial to an institution for the relief of malady and
disaster. The rooms were kept clean and well
ventilated. The bedsteads were of iron, and no
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 309

greater number of beds were placed in each


chamber^ than the space would conveniently ad-
mit. Proper regard was paid to the separation of
male and female patients. In short, there v/as
every symptom of the strictest observance of all

that was necessary to render the establishment


creditable to the directors, and beneficial to the
unfortunate objects who claimed its protection, in
regard to aliment, economy, and treatment.
The Commission of the hospital, composed of a
president, treasurer, secretary, and hve members,
are in charge of the concern, and issue such orders
from time to time as they may consider proper,
but the internal management is in the hands of
the physician, M. Coucourde, who for the poor
salary of 500 francs a-year, and rooms in the
house, with such other advantages as the garden
and rations may afford, gives his principal, I may
say, his whole time to the establishment, and con-
ducts it with a degree of tenderness and regula-
rity, which speak well for his heart and judgment.
Under the physician are a ward-keeper, who re-
ceives 150 francs, and the matron, who is paid
120 francs a-year, for their services, with board
and lodging. The surgeon has an annual stipend
of 300 francs, and for this he visits the hospital
at stated periods, and as often as his presence
is required.
The hospital has convenient accommodation for
fourteen patients, and the dispensary at Pomaretto
310 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

for eight ; and the average expenditure, indepen-


dently of the salaries, is at the rate of one franc,
or ten-pence a day for each patient, including
charges for food, medicine, fuel, and wine. In
the course of the year, about two hundred persons
are admitted at the two houses. The complaints
most common to the sufferers arise from old age,
inflammation, accidents, rheumatism, and low
fevers, brought on by cold, and poor, and low
living. To those who have subscribed to this
institution, it will be gratifying to learn, that their
alms could not have been better bestowed ; that
the quantity of good effected, at little cost, is be-
yond what the most sanguine could have expected,
and it is so appreciated in the valleys, that many
a blessing is invoked upon the strangers, who have
contributed to its foundation and endowment.
" Oh sir," said a patient to me, who was but just
!

recovering from a long and painful disorder, " had


it not been for our brethren of other lands, I

should at this moment have been a hopeless suf-


ferer, and writhing under agonies, for which I

could have obtained no cure in my hut upon the


mountain ; for how could the surgeon have attended
me as often as my malady required him, at such a
distance from his home, and without any expecta-
tion of being remunerated for his trouble ?"

In addition to the annual remittance of 150/.


the London Vaudois Committee, at the request of

that watchful friend of the Vaudois, Mr. Bridge, have


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 311

sent two cases of surgical instruments, of English


manufacture, to the valleys —one for the use of the

hospital, the other for the dispensary ; and they


have also defrayed the expense of a warm bath.
It would be doing injustice to the managers of
this medical establishment, if I did not add to these
statements, that the shape, in which the daily and
monthly accounts are kept, is one of the most
perfect models of accuracy and perspicuity which
I ever examined. The number of patients ad-
mitted, dismissed, and retained, with their names
and parishes, the character and treatment of their
disorders, and the description and quantity of diet
and medicine administered to them,are inserted in
printed forms, which furnish the inspector with a
complete knowledge of what is going on ^

^ The first runs thus :

Cahier de Visite.
Visite du mois an 18
»3
S 2;
o Dates. w
c <u

c
^2J
Ph ^^ 05 u <
g-^ .-
vO) >
i
o
IZi 0) r" <
s
O
'"'
IS ^ S
^

f
312 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

o
H

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314 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

The farm belonging to the hospital is a nice


compact estate, lying in a ring-fence, as we should
say in England, and well irrigated by one of those
artificial streamlets brought from the mountains,
which add so much to the beauty and productive-
ness of the land. It is about fifty-six journeaux,
or acres, in extent, and yields grain of all kinds,
timber, grass, and wine, being laid out in those
parterres or strips, common to the country, which,
when the corn is ripe, present the picturesque
appearance to the eye of one large field of many
colours. This property is not immediately con-
tiguous to the hospital itself, but it is sufficiently

near, and lies to the right, abutting upon the road


as you come from La Torre to San Margarita.
It stretches up towards the hamlet of Ravadere,
where the ground begins to swell into a bold accli-
vity, and the farm buildings, standing in the midst

of fine spreading trees, give it a more imposing


appearance when seen from a distance, than a
nearer inspection will realize. The name by which
it is known, is Des Airals Blancs, and many a
pleasant ramble did I enjoy over its grounds,
taking an interest in every sheaf that was bound,
and in every load of corn that was carried, as if

the prosperity of the establishment, to which it be-


longs, depended solely upon the produce which
Des Airals Blancs might yield.

The Grammar School, as well as the hospital.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 315

was SO near our residence, that it was in my power


to make frequent visits to it without the least in-
convenience. A pleasant walk conducted to it,

either by the road which led to the church, or by


the groves and vineyards on the banks of the
Biglione. This latter lengthened the distance a
little, but the shade, and the refreshing sight of the
vines and clusters of grapes hanging in festoons and
in rich profusion, were tempting enough to draw
me in that direction even in the heat of the day.
There is no house appropriated to this School.

It is, at present, held in the Presbytery of La


Torre, close to the Protestant church, and it is

one of the defects of the system of public instruc-


tion in the valleys, that the only provision for the
maintenance of a Latin or Grammar School, at the
time of which I am speaking, was a small stipend
from Holland, towards the payment of a master.
This amounted to no more than 650 francs effec-

tives, or 780 livres neuves ; to which the Dutch


committee kindly added thirty francs, to be distri-

buted among the scholars by way of rewarding


merit. Without a fixed habitation for the estab-

lishment, with so small a salary for the instructor,


and without any of those advantages, which are
essential to the well-being of an institution, sup-

posed to be for the encouragement of a classical

and religious education, almost ridiculous to


it is

call it by the imposing name of a " Latin" or


" Grammar School." Having investigated its con-
316 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

dition, I could not but smile at Brezzi's account.


" II y a de plus deux ecoles Latines, ou les jeunes
gens, qui embrassent la carriere apostolique, ap-
prennent le Latin, et un peu de Grec, apres quoi
ils passent dans les academies de Lausanne, de
Geneve, de Bale, pour y finir leurs etudes."
et

Even the second Latin School, such as it was, that


is, the stipend for a second Latin schoolmaster, in
the upper valleys, had disappeared before my
arrival, for the benefactions from Holland had
fallen off so considerably, as to force the Table to
discontinue the appointment, for want of funds
necessary to its support.
A fatality seems to have attended every endea-
vour to improve the home education of the young
Vaudois, who are designed for the sacred and higher
professions. The college of Angrogna is no more :

so complete has been its destruction, that we


have nothing but tradition for the truth of its

having ever existed. Of what nature, and how


maintained, and how conducted, none can tell

every memorial but its name has departed, and


we know no more of it than this —that youth in-

structed in the deepest recesses of the valley of


Angrogna, were sent to the different churches and
colonies of the Waldenses, to preach the pure
faith of the primitive churches. That schools of
a superior order were instituted from time to
time, we learn from the edicts that were published
against the Vaudois by their jealous rulers. One
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 317

of them, dated 1602, commanded such schools to


be shut, under pain of death ; another permitted
them to be held within the assigned limits ; a
third fulminated confiscation and banishment
against an instructor of Val Dublone, whose suc-
cessful method of instruction seems to have
attracted the angry notice of the government.
The annual salary of 20/. which Oliver Cromwell,
at the persuasion of Milton, allotted towards the
maintenance of the " chief school of the valleys,"

was withdrawn at the restoration of Charles II.


Another benevolent attempt, to sustain a system
of effective instruction for the Vaudois, was made
by Sharpe, archbishop of York, in 1709 ; when
he urged queen Anne to make provision for the
schoolmasters, as well as for the ministers of the
valleys. This also failed. Again in 1778, His
late majesty George III. issued letters-patent, em-
powering the Protestants of the valleys to soHcit
contributions through the parishes of England, " to
enable them to maintain the ministers, churches,
and schools.'' The sum raised was only sufficient

to make a small increase to the allowances of the


clergy.
After all these endeavours and plans for the
amelioration of public instruction in this quarter,
it is lamentable to think, that the poor resources
that remained should be still further reduced,
and that nothing should have been left for the
encouragement of young persons, who show talent
318 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

and inclination for higher studies, than a pittance


for the maintenance of one teacher, and twenty-
five shillings to be distributed in prizes. Holland
has generously contributed to the utmost of her
means. There is reason to fear, that late political
events may dry up some of the sources, from
whence her bounty has hitherto flowed to the
valleys and if so, the central and hamlet schools
;

must be diminished. The letter addressed by the


Dutch committee to the officers of the Table in
1829, concluded with this affecting observation :

^'
You will perceive by this expos6, that it is im-
possible for us to subsidize the Latin school at
Pomaretto any longer ; we are seriously afflicted
by our inability to contribute further towards it, be-
cause we well know the necessity of that establish-
ment and our
; regret would be greater, if we had
not reason to hope, that our brethren in England
will be able and willing to supply the deficiency."
Their hope has been fulfilled. Since my return
from the valleys, a representation has been made
to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
in Foreign Parts, by the London Vaudois Com-
mittee ; and that venerable body has appropriated
the sum of 28/. or 30/. a-year towards the re-estab-
lishment of the Latin School at Pomaretto. To this,

12/. has been added out of private funds, and the


elder son of the late moderator Peyrani, at the
express recommendation of the officers of the
Table, was appointed master in May last ; and I
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 319

have been assured by several letters since received

from the Moderator of the valleys, that he is dis-

charging the duties of his office with zeal and


credit to himself. I beheve he is residing in the
house occupied by his father, and should I ever
revisit the valleys, I know of no greater pleasure
that I can receive there, than to find the son dwell-
ing on the spot, where old Rodolphe Peyrani first

inspired me with enthusiastic admiration of the


Waldensian character, and to be told that he
attempts to follow his father's steps, though he is

far behind him in talents and acquirements

Sequiturque palrem non passibus sequis.

With such inadequate provision, as I have been


describing, for imparting classical and elementary
theological knowledge to the Vaudois youth, I did
not make my first visit to the school-room of Mr.
Monastier, the Latin master of La Torre, with
any sanguine expectation of finding much interest
taken by the instructor in the duties of his voca-
tion, or any great proficiency on the part of his
pupils. What, thought I, can be expected of a
professor of Latin, Greek, and Sacred literature,
whose salary, at the utmost, is 35/. a-year, out of
which he is hable to have to pay rent for his
habitation and lecture-room ? Would a scholar
would a man of any pretensions undertake the
drudgery of teaching for such a remuneration ?
320 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Or if he does pay proper attention to his charge,


is it possible, that with all the zeal in the world,

he can prepare his boys sufficiently to enter upon


the higher course of studies at Lausanne or
Geneva ? It is not likely that the most studious
can be pushed on, under the present system in
the valleys, so as to be able to compete with their
fellows, upon their first arrival at the Swiss univer-
sities, or that any Vaudois youth, of eighteen or
twenty, educated in his own country, can acquire
the degree of knowledge, which other young men
of the same age are supposed to be capable of
attaining. Books, and every intellectual aliment
are wanting. I doubt whether there is a globe, a
box of mathematical instruments, a good lexicon,
or the requisite for pursuing any one scientific
enquiry, to be found in all the three valleys.
Unreasonable then would he be, who looks for
much in the Grammar School of La Torre, as it is

now constituted but I was most agreeably


; sur-
prised by finding the master well-informed, zealous,
active, and successful in his labours, far beyond
any thing which I was prepared to expect. I

have put together in this place the result of my


several observations at different times. The school
consisted of twenty-two boys, whose ages varied
from nine to fifteen and a half. These were divided
into five classes : all of whom are regularly in-
structed in religion, and read the Scriptures at
stated times.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 321

The fifths or lowest class^ besides writing and


arithmetic, learn the Latin grammar.
The fourth are taught out of an easy collection
of Latin sentences, called Chrestomathia.
The third enter upon the more difficult passages
in the Chrestomathia, Phaedrus's fables, and the
Greek grammar.
The second learn the Greek grammar, Cassar,
Quintus Curtius, and Ovid.
The first class read Cicero, Sallust, Livy, Virgil,
Horace, and Greek Testament, and geography.
I did not see any of these authors except in the

shape of collections, and select passages ; and there


were no dictionaries, but such as were lent by the
master. The art of prosody and scanning did not
form part of the routine of instruction. The price
of books is a heavy tax and drawback upon the
rustic scholars of the valleys, and it is for this
reason, that they have no authors entire. Almost
all come from Lausanne, and the
the books in use
impost at the custom-house is heavy. The first
cost of a Greek grammar is three francs a Latin ;

grammar, two ; the Chrestomathia, three ; the


selection from Livy, Sallust, and Cicero, three and
three quarters ; a dictionary, nine. The duty and
carriage add materially to these charges.
The geographical instruction communicated to
these lads is contained in a thin duodecimo, which
presents the merest outline, but M. Monastier has
taken great pains in drawing up and writing out a
Y
322 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

system of his own, which the boys copy for their

use.
The hours of attendance are from seven to ten,
and from two to four in the summer ; and from
eight to eleven, and from two to four in winter.
It must be remembered that all the scholars, ex-
cept two or three who board with M. Monastier,
come daily from some distance, from the village

and hamlets of La Torre, from Villar, San Gio-


vanni, and Angrogna. At the time of which I am
speaking, there were none from Rora or Bobi, in
Val Luserna, two only from Villar, and two from
Angrogna; not one from the valleys of Perosa
and San Martino. San Giovanni and La Torre
supplied the greatest number. The reason is,

that the parents cannot often afford to pay for the


board and lodgings of their children away from
home, and such only attend the grammar-school,
who can go and return the same day. And yet
the sum for which M. Monastier would furnish
bed, board, and washing, is only 20 francs a month,
reckoning ten months to the year, and charging
nothing for vacations.
Under all these disadvantages I was surprised
to find how well the boys were grounded. What-
ever they learnt, they had learnt well. It was my
favourite practice, before the school broke up for

the summer holidays, to stroll up to the presby-


tery, and to see M. Monastier and his scholars at

their studies. They answered my questions with


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 323

great good humour and readiness, without the


least shyness, and did credit both to their master

and to themselves. I was particularly pleased


with a boy of the first class, only eleven and a half
years old, Pierre Meille of San Giovanni, who
construed Virgil, in a passage to which I turned
at random, and replied to some mythological and
grammatical questions, which I put to him, with
an accuracy which shewed that he had lost no
time. Another boy, Paul CafFarelli, repeated
rules from the Greek grammar, which he had
learnt some time back, as fluently as if they had
been the lesson of yesterday. These were satis-

factory proofs that the foundation is well laid, and


made me regret the more, that the master and his
promising pupils had not more of those advantages,
which are indispensable to the prosperity of such
an establishment.

y2
CHAPTER VII.

Villar and its hamlets. Hamlet Readers. Gunpowder plot at


Miliar. Present harmony between Protestants and Roman
Catholics. The old Soldier of Liossa. The Virgin of the
Pillar. Bohi. Ruins of the Fort of Sibaud. The Vaudo'ts
Pastors Charge. The hero Jahier. Octavia Solara.

July 7 — 11. This week was spent in making


excursions to various quarters of the Val Luserna.
The pastors of Villar and Bobi had put us in
requisition, and from their presbyteries we found
our way to some of the retired hamlets in the
upper part of the valley. The road to Bobi is so
far practicable for a carriage, but our only mode
of travelling from the time we arrived at La Torre,
was on a pony or mule, or on foot.

On our way to Villar, west of La Torre, we


visited the small school of the hamlet of Theynaud,
held in an out-building belonging to a farm, the
property of M. Bonjour's family. The room was
about fourteen feet square ; and, in the winter,
between forty and fifty children of the hamlet
congregate together in this small space. They-
naud, the first hamlet after crossing the Carofratre
torrent, the boundary stream between Villar and
f
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 325

La Torre, is the most fertile of the eleven " quar-


tiers" into which Villar is divided, and occupies
the space between the acclivity of the mountain,
and the river Pelice. At this season of the year
it was offering a rich promise of corn and wine.
Above it, and to the north-west, and on the
wood-crowned heights, which terminate in rocky
precipices, is Chialmis, a picturesque hamlet,
where the land kept in a fine state of produc-
is

tiveness by the " canals d'arrosage," supphed by


the torrent Rospardo. These artificial streamlets
are under regulations, which provide that each farm
shall have an equal share of the benefit derived from
them. The main cut extends in a winding direc-
tion from the torrent, along the whole length of
the region which requires irrigation, and from this
sundry smaller canals are formed and so managed
as to convey the water into each field. The pro-
prietor to whom the fields belong, is permitted to
draw the stream into his land for a certain time
only, else the main supply would soon be ex-
hausted in dry weather, and his neighbours would
be injured. The process of diverting the water
into different parts of a field, the whole of which
lies on a slope, is contrived by means of a broad
implement, not unlike a spade, which throws it off
in the direction required.

Chialmis has a small school, where about forty


scholars assemble in the winter, and it has also a
building which they call an ancient church, but in
826 WALDENSIAN RESTIARCHES.

such a dilapidated state at present, that it is not


weather-tight. Here, in the troublesome times of
the seventeenth century, the Protestants of the
eastern part of Villar used to meet for public wor-
ship. Those of the western quarters found their

way to a more elevated hamlet called Bezze,


still

where they served God after the manner of their


fathers in a fabric, dignified, like this of Chialmis,
with the name of a church. In the former of these
sanctuaries, to which the hearts of the people still

cling with fond veneration, the regent of Villar


reads prayers every Sunday afternoon during the
year, and at each of these ^'
Eglises Annex^es," in
the winter months, the school-masters perform
the morning service of the Lord's-day at nine
o'clock.

In these provisions for the instruction of the


peasants, and for the gathering together of the
people in prayer, even though it be without the
presence of the shepherd of the flock, and under
the guidance of an inadequate substitute, we trace
the salutary practice of the early Churches. As
Christianity spread, the number of public readers
was increased ; and
was wisely thought expe-
it

dient, that the Scriptures, and " Memoirs of the


Apostles," and other pious works, should be opened
to the poor and ignorant of the remotest and most
obscure parts by every possible means. Where
it could not be done well, it was to be done indif-

ferently^ —rather than be left undone ; and hence


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 327

the office of reader was frequently undertaken by


men of very moderate acquirements. If there be
any supercihous scoffer who is inchned to sneer
at the practice, I would fain convey him to the
ruined chapel of Chialmis or Bezz^, in the stormy
months of January or February ; and were he to
behold a group of devout mountaineers kneeling
on the cold wet floor, and only half sheltered from
the rain or snow, beating in at the roof and the
unglazed windows, I would answer for his being

moved to better thoughts by the sight, even though


the most ignorant of the readers should be lead-
ing the service. Where the pastor can be present,
neither the recital of the prayers, nor the reading
of the Scripture passage ought to be left to the

regents; but in the more mountainous districts,


where he cannot find his way to the people, nor
they to him, it is most wisely and piously ordered,
that those,who hunger after the word of God,
should not go unfed. Happy would it be for the
members of our own Establishment, in some of the
extensive parishes which I could name, if there
were church officers, under the character of readers
or catechists, who should be authorised to assem-
ble the inhabitants of farms and cottages, which are
remote from the parish church, and read such part
of the Church service as might be thought conve-
nient.

Mr. Gay, the pastor of Villar, observed to me,


when I was conversing with him upon the con-
328 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

dition of his parishioners, that the inhabitants of


the mountain or higher hamlets, were more devout
than those of the vale. Villar is a populous com-
mune, and may be regarded as a fair specimen of
a Vaudois parish, both as to its localities, produc-
tions, and moral condition. It extends on each
side of the Pelice about three miles in length, and
its hamlets are spread north and south upon the
acclivities of the mountains, which confine this
part of the valley of Luserna. Corn, wine, chesnuts,
and other fruits, are as abundant as the nature of
a varying soil by rock and river side will admit.

Fish in the streams, and game in the woods, add


something to the resources of the inhabitants.
The great complaint here, as in most other
Vaudois parishes, is the increase of population,
without a corresponding increase of the means
of subsistence. Its present population is about
2,300 ; the increase in the last seven years has
been 100. From 280 to 300 of the people of
Villar are Roman Catholics, and the number of
these has recently augmented to the amount of
about fifteen every year. The families of the
custom-house ofificers, frontier guard, and others
in the civil or military service of the government,
account for this augmentation. In the Memoires
of Morel, printed in 1550, the number of persons
professing the Waldensian faith is stated to be
800,000. This must include not only the Vaudois
of Piemont, and the Protestants in the marquisate
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 329

of Saluzzo and province of Suza, but their brethren


also on the other side of the Alps^ in Provence
and Dauphine. In 1501, a process was instituted
against the Waldenses by the archbishop of
Embrun, and the commission reported, that in
the Alpine towns and villages of the dioceses of
Embrun and Turin, there were more than 50,000.
In the treaty between Henry IV. and the Churches
of the Valleys, dated 1592, the proportion, between
the Protestants and Roman Catholics of the val-
leys, was stated as a hundred to one. In 1826,
Mr. Bridge found the numbers to be, Protestants
18,729, Roman Cathohcs 2,880. In 1829, the
latter had increased to 3,320. In round numbers
therefore, the present proportion is only as six to
one. The number of Barbes, or Pastors, in the
sixteenth century, was 140.
Few places suffered more from religious feuds
than Villar, during the conflicts that raged from
1561 to 1690. A church, not like the small sanc-
tuaries of Chialmis and Bezz6, but of large dimen-
sions, with tower and belfry, was utterly demolished.
It was built so as to point north and south, and
was said for this reason to have been an object
peculiarly marked for destruction. A more terri-

ble act of vengeance was intended for the present

temple, and its congregation, about a century ago,


which resembled, both in its machination and dis-
covery, the gunpowder-treason-plot of our own
country. Formerly there was a convent which
330 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

stood at no great distance from the Protestant


church, and the scheme was to place gunpowder
under the foundations of the church, and to lay a
train from it to the convent, which was to be fired
when the Vaudois population were assembled at
the hour of Divine service. A Vaudois woman
received an anonymous scrawl from some humane
friend of the other religion, advising her not to go
to church on the day fixed for the execution of

the plot — this led to its detection.

The Protestant and Roman Catholic inhabitants


of Villar are, at present, living together without
any display of animosity, and I am quite per-
suaded, that all the natives of this part of Piemont
would regard each other with feelings undisturbed

by any religious differences of opinion, if the penal

statutes and inabilities were removed. I delight


in recording a proof of the good-will which pre-
vails between the two parties, and which is seldom
interrupted, except by the meddling of the cur6s.
The municipal council of Villar, which administers
the affairs of the place, is composed, as in the

other communes, of five members, of whom three


must always be Roman Catholic. When the
syndic or principal member is Protestant, the
syndic adjoint or depute, must be Roman Catho-
lic, and the reverse. But with this majority, the

council agreed to allow 100 francs a year to the


Protestant school-master, or regent of the central
school. The vote of the municipal body was not
2

I
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 331

carried into effect, because the superior authorities


issued a veto. This council, upon another occa-
sion, expressed its wilHngness to make the grant of
a piece of ground belonging to the commune, for
the site of a building for a girls' school ; the school
to be built by the London Committee. But the
committee could not accept the offer for fear of a

prohibition, when the work might be half finished.


During the whole period of the French govern-
ment, when the Vaudois were under the sceptre
of Napoleon, and in the enjoyment of religious
and civil rights, there was no instance known of
discord arising out of Protestantism or Romanism,
and in no case did a Vaudois visit upon a Roman
Catholic the injuries or the affronts, which he had
previously received. This was the more extraor-
dinary, because the recollection of the horrible
plot, concocted by the cure of La Torre, as related
in my first Narrative, was yet fresh in the memory
of several who were destined to destruction. I

may take this opportunity of mentioning, that the


amiable Odetti, the good Catholic who was the
means of defeating it \ was still living in 1829.

A peasant in my hearing sung a song in patois,


which contained the history of this plot, and its

providential discovery ; but there was no appeal


in it to angry or vindictive passions.
The objects at Villar, which the traveller will
find himself inclined to regard with peculiar inter-

'
See Narrative of an Excursion to the Vaudois, Chap. V.
332 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

est, besides those which I have already mentioned,


are the girls' school endowed by the London Com-
mittee — the palace, as it is called, a large building
on the road to Bobi, constructed by the Savoyards
who came to take possession of the confiscated
lands of the Vaudois in 1686 —the school at Subi-

asca, built at the expense of that generous bene-


factor of the Waldensian Church, Count Wald-
bourg de Truckses — the school at Puys, a hamlet
on L'Envers, established by Colonel Beckwith, a
name connected with some act of benevolence in
every parish of the valleys —the school of BufFe,
remarkable for the striking beauty of its situation,

^^
situe," as it was truly described to me, " dans
une vaste prairie, bordee au midi de magnifiques
chataigniers," —and the romantic abode of the old
soldier Giraudin, on the banks of the Liossa tor-

rent, which falls into the Pelice from the south.


We visited this latter spot in the cool of the even-

ing, after enjoying the pastor's hospitality, and the


society of as many of his friends as he could seat
at his table, where the same unreserved and open-
hearted manners were manifested, which I have
before described.
We expected to find one of those lovely glens
in which nature reigns supreme, without any of
the intrusive improvements of man. Whether it
is, that there is not the taste, or the means suffi-

cient to give that finished character to landscape


which we are in the habit of admiring in England,
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 333

by planting, laying out walks, and otherwise, or


whether the beauties of the natural scenery are
enough of themselves to satisfy the natives of the

valleys, certain it is that ornamental gardening,


and the cultivation of pleasure grounds, do not
form the study of the Vaudois. Here, then, we
were not a little surprised to find that every pos-
sible advantage had been taken of the local capa-
bilities, and that a spot, naturally beautiful, had
received all the improvement which could be
introduced, without disturbing its original features.

The venerable proprietor of the little domain had


served in the army, and had risen to the rank of
captain, before the withering edict was renewed
by the restored house of Savoy, which closes the
door of promotion upon the Vaudois. Captain
Giraudin had seen, in his campaigns, the modes
which are adopted in other countries, of giving
that helping hand to nature, which none but men
of taste can apply successfully. On his return to
his native valley, he resolved to amuse his declin-
ing years by practising the lessons which he had
learnt ; and could his " Sabine farm," with its

fountain, and rivulet, and overhanging rocks, and


the contentment that reigns there, be transported
to Windsor or Versailles, the richest jewel in the
royal crowns of England and France would not
be too much in exchange.
With singular felicity there is not a tree or
shrub either left or planted in a wrong place, there
334 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

is not a feature, which he has added, too formal,


too pretty, or in any degree out of character with
the wild and noble scenery by which he is sur-

rounded. He has diverted a branch of the Liossa


torrent, he has formed rills and cascades, he has
trained his vines, arranged his flower-beds, walled
up his little terraces, enlarged or contracted his

grottos, led his paths through groves and brakes


of small extent, and has accomplished his designs
with such a masterly hand, that it almost pro-
voked us to attempt to discover some fault. All
this has been done by his own manual labour

he has built a cottage adjoining his own, in which


the whole of the carpenter's and mason's work
was wrought by himself. The break-water in

miniature erected against the winter floods of the


Liossa, which might otherwise sweep away the
fruits of his toil and taste, consist of stones, every
one of which was placed there by himself ; and in

this charming spot he dwells in the garb and with


the simple manners of a peasant, but with the
mind and the enjoyment that princes might envy \

* Fenelon's beautiful picture rose before me, as we reposed


among the masses of rock which overhung the Liossa, and
gazed upon the old man's fairy-land. " Telemacque fut surpris

de voir, avec une apparence de rustique, tout ce qui pent charmer


les yeux. On n'y voyoit nior, ni argent, ni marbre, ni colonnes,

ni tableaux, ni statues ; cette grotte etoit taillee dans le roc, en


voutes pleines de rocailles,et de coquilles : elle etoit tapissee d'une
jeune vigne qui etendoit ses branches souples egalement de
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 335

Before we left this little paradise, M. Giraudin


invited us to enter his cottage, and to taste his
wine. The flavour of the juice by no means
accorded with the delicious aspect of the grapes,
as they hung in purple clusters from the tendrils,

and the interior of the habitation was as much


unlike the scenery out of doors as a hovel is un-
like a palace ; nothing that we saw bespoke com-
fort or attention to the delights of ''
home, sweet
home," save an old family Bible lying open upon
a table. Some magic wand seemed to have been
applied to tease and astonish us. Was the owner
of this cabin the man of refined taste, who had but
just realized to our sight the refreshing dreams of
the groves of Calypso, or the hanging gardens of
Babylon ? Such, however, are the Vaudois ; simple-
minded peasants, cultivators of the soil, keepers of
sheep, vine dressers, whose joy, like the Scripture
men of old, is to dwell under their vines and
their fig trees ^

tous cotes. Des fontaines, coulantes avec un doux murmure


sur des pres semes d'amaranthes et de violetles, formoient en

divers lieux des bains aussi pures et aussi clairs que le cristal

milles fleurs naissants emailloient les tapis verts dont le grotte

etoit environnee."

^ In going to and returning from Villar, we passed a shrine


called " Le Pilori," or " Pilori Taviere," humourously so termed
in memory of the gallant colonel, who protected himself behind
it during the heat of an engagement which was fought here in
the revolutionary war. I mention this again, to explain that
" The virgin of the Pillar," is one of the numerous distinctions
336 WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES.

July 8. We rose very early in the morning,


and pursued our way to Bobi before the sun was
too hot for the journey. Bobi is the last Vau-
dois commune towards the west and south-west,
at the foot of the great Alpine chain which
separates Piemont from Dauphine. It is so finely

situated, and presents such a scene of complicated


grandeur and beauty, that it defies all description.

Nor can it be represented faithfully by the pencil,


for the village is so embowered among trees, that

I know of no point of view, unless it be a bird's-

eye view, from whence a true drawing can be


made. Bobi, in fact, is so completely in the midst
of one vast grove of chesnuts and walnuts, and
under the shelter of the gigantic rocks which over-
hang it on two sides, that although the sky was
without a cloud, and the sun shot his fiercest
rays upon the earth, yet we spent the greatest

by which the Madonna is honoured, in consequence of a miracle


said to have been performed on a young girl, who fell into the

Po, and who was marvellously saved from drowning by the inter-
vention of " the mother of God" herself, in the year 1644. On
the spot near the banks of the river, where the Virgin was seen
interposing her services on that occasion, a church was built,

with a marble column, on which the miracle was emblazoned.


Many similar representations were painted in other parts, and
the " Virgin of the Pillar," became a favorite old saint, under a
new name, to the devout Piemontese. Among other places it

was determined to erect a shrine near Villar, and the noble

Taviere had reason to be grateful to the piety, which provided a


shield and buckler for him in the stone walls ol'this hiding place.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 337

part of the day in sauntering about, shaded by the


trees as we walked, or resting ourselves in the
grottos which abound in the immediate vicinity of
the village. The land is also so well irrigated,
that the verdure was more hke that of early spring
than of burning July.
Refreshed by the sight and sound of many
waters gushing and brawling under our feet, or
leaping from the rocks in cascades, we accompa-
nied the pastor to the hamlet of Sibaud, and to
the remains of the ancient fort where a detach-
ment of the Vaudois performed one of their
great exploits, under Henri Arnaud, in the year
1689. The spot is well calculated to assist the
imagination, and to add effect to Arnaud's nar-
rative. It overlooks the main village from a
precipitous cliff, and is reached from below by a
path winding among crags, or shaded by the thick
foliage of chesnuts. *'
From behind that thicket,"
said our conductor, " my countrymen rushed
upon their adversaries. The fort was taken sword
in hand. The Duke's soldiers leaped from the
walls and windows, when they found the place no
longer tenable. Down that declivity they fled
amain, with the exiles at their heels in fierce pur-
suit. Many of them tumbled over the chfF; others
caught by the projections of the rocks, or clung
to the roots and branches of trees, and there re-
mained till the slaughter was over. But upon the
z
338 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

whole," added the pastor, ^'


though the day was
nobly won, it was not a day to which we can look
with unmixed exultation. Bobi was then in the
hands of the Savoyards, to whom the court had
granted the confiscated lands of the Vaudois, and
the victors disgraced themselves by pillaging the
houses."
We explored an old building, which is now
used as a barn, and found our way into a vaulted
chamber, which, it is easy to believe, was the very
dungeon where the Count de Sibaud confined
some Vaudois prisoners, before his defeat by Ar-
naud. It was without any light, but such as was
admitted by the door, and a hole broken through
the wall, and was entered by passing through
another stone chamber of the same dimensions.
In the roof were two wooden staples, perforated
as if for ropes or chains to pass through them.
Our imagination was immediately busy in assign-

ing a use to which these staples were put. They


could be for nothing less than to confine, perhaps
to torture, the miserable inmates of the cell. Full
of these and similar fancies, we searched the walls,
to see if we could not find the names, perhaps the
lamentations, of some unhappy victims who had
languished here. We did not discover any thing
to confirm our suspicions, and perhaps the next
stranger who pursues the investigation, will be
able to solve the mystery, and to report that the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 339

tale-fraught staples have been recently fixed there


for purposes much more harmless than we were
inclined to suppose.
Some of my countrymen, who have visited

these scenes, have judged a little too harshly of


the pastor of Bobi, and others of his sacred pro-
fession, who seem to take pleasure in contemplat-
ing the warlike character of the Vaudois of former
times, and in recounting their achievements. For
my own part, though I look upon every appeal
to the sword as an event to be exceedingly de-
plored, as one in which man is reduced to a
condition, wherein the line between guilt and
innocence is scarcely to be discerned, yet I can-
not condemn the Waldensian clergyman, who
takes an interest in relating the deliverances
vouchsafed by Almighty God, in favour of the
Church of the Alps, through the valour of the
Jahiers, and the Janavels, and the Arnauds of
their day. His feelings are those of the scribes
and chroniclers of Israel, who penned the narra-
tives,and kept up the recollection of the mighty
deeds done by David, or Gideon, or Joshua.
The hand of the Lord has also been with the
Vaudois, and so long as the men of the present
generation give God the praise, for the victories
obtained by their forefathers, we cannot require
of them to be silent upon subjects of such deep
concern.
At the same time, I reverence that mild and
z 2
340 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Christian spirit, which would take seasonable op-


portunities of reminding the descendants of these
heroes, that, though it may be permitted to them
to dwell, with occasional delight, upon the services
rendered to the Waldensian Chmch by those who
have bled for her, yet the prevailing sentiment
ought to be that of thanksgiving, and humiliation
before God, who has so long found a place for
her, from the fury of the dragon, even though it

be in the wilderness. It should be accompanied


also by frequent meditation upon the nature of
that faith, which requires such sacrifices on the
part of its professors.

Whatever pleasure Mr. Muston, the pastor of


Bobi, may find in describing " how fields were
won," I can bear witness that there is an enjoy-
ment of another kind, in which he indulges largely
that of watching over his people with a parent's
eye. Few parish ministers know more of their
flock than he does, or are more beloved, and I

rejoice in this opportunity of adding my testimony


Mr. Jackson, who speaks both of Mr.
to that of
Muston, and his neighbour, Mr. Gay, as " atten-
tive ministers of the Gospel." The accurate and
very detailed statements, which these two pastors
gave me, in writing, of the condition of their
parishes, leave no doubt as to the zeal with which
they discharge their duties, and the watchfulness
which they exercise in the cure of souls.

The constitution of the Waldensian Church


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 341

assigns to each pastor a particular and a definite

charge. The scene of his exertion is marked out;


a territorial division, a parochial station in the
strictest sense of the word is affixed; and with a
habitation, and a " rural," or piece of glebe as we
should call it, small though it be, allotted to him,
he is entrusted with the spiritual care of the people
of the same faith with himself, who occupy the
village, hamlets, and chalets within the line of
demarcation, which bounds his fold. With very
few exceptions, where the Vaudois clergyman is

first placed, there he is likely to remain for life.

His stipend, his residence, and his charge, con-


tinuing the same, his duties, and his earthly
recompence are at once understood, and if his

heart be in the cause, which he undertakes to


serve, he employs himself forthwith and evermore
in taking that oversight of his flock, which, upon
tlie principle of fixed residence, and parochial dis-

tribution, it is binding upon his soul to exercise


diligently. Such charge and responsibilities be-
come more or less heavy, according to the number
of the population, and the manner in which it is

spread over the surface of the territory to which


the pastor is appointed '. In the case of Mr. Gay,

* " Not that any change of times or circumstances can vary the
essential sacredness of ministerial obligation, nor heighten the
motives, which are implied in that emphatic charge of the chief
shepherd, * feed my sheep.' Yet a diversity of places or seasons

may render necessary different degrees of exertion and endurance


342 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

pastor of Villar, and of Mr. Muston, pastor of


Bobi, the charge is necessarily laborious. The
one having a congregation of 2000, and the other
of 1700, dwelling in hamlets which are detached,
always difficult of approach, and sometimes inac-
cessible, we cannot hesitate to ascribe the character
of the true pastor to each of them, if we find them
praying, preaching, catechising, rebuking, ad-
monishing, and comforting, in the name of Christ
crucified, not only in their churches, and in the

habitations near their presbyteries, but in the dis-


tant dwellings also of their people ; in the cottages

upon the hill-sides and steeps, and in the chalets

upon the mountain pasturages. An English


clergyman accompanied the pastor of Bobi in a
morning walk, towards some of the hamlets of his

parish, which lay north of the village. ''


We were
out," said he, *^
ascending and descending from
eleven o'clock in the forenoon, till past six in the
evening, being exposed the whole time to a burn-
ing sun. However, thank God, I have not suffered
from the expedition : my companion seemed not to

have the most distant notion of being tired \" Does


not this speak volumes in testimony of the Wal-
densian minister's habitual toil and labour, which

in the ministry of Christ, for the accomplishment of those great


ends which all have in view." Bishop Blornfield's Charge,
1830, p. 11.
^
Mr. Jackson's Remarks on the Vaudois, p. 49.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 343

had inured him to fatigue. The ground over


which the two clergymen then walked, was but a
very small part of the parish, which extends on
that side to the summit of the Col Julien. It

branches off on the south towards Mont Viso,


and on the west it ascends to the very crest of
the Cols de la Croix and Malaure, and the lofty
ridge which separates Piemont from France.
I gathered these interesting particulars relating
to the Protestant congregation of Bobi. Twelve
hundred present themselves at the Lord's table,
and are considered regular communicants.
It is rarely that any of the flock absent them-
selves from public service, for more than two or
three Sundays together.
There is not a single instance of any of the
Protestant population, who desert the public as-
semblies entirely.
Every child in the parish, of sufficient age, is

receiving education.
The number of Roman Catholics is between 70
and 80. Half of these are strangers, custom-house
officers, soldiers, charcoal burners in the forests,
and their famihes.

Nearly every family has a New Testament, and


one-third of the famihes have Bibles. There are
63 subscribers to the Auxiliary Bible Society,
from 5 to 40 sous each.
There is a register of the names, habitation,
age, and condition of every one of his flock, kept
344 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

by the pastor, and altered from time to time, as


the occasion may require.
These assuredly are the outward indications at
least of a good pastor ; God only knows the secret
and true condition of the heart, but when man
forms his opinion, must be from such signs as
it

these. ^*^
The parson in his circuit," is one of the
views which George Herbert directs us to con-
template, when we would form our estimate of the
pastoral character. No man can render such an
account of his congregation, as that which I have
just exhibited, from the Speculum Gregis of Bobi,
without being very frequently and diligently on
his circuit.

Mr. Muston is Moderator Adjoint of theVaudois,


and consequently member of the Table, ex officio.

He is thoroughly acquainted with the present


position and wants of the Waldensian Church,
and it is him that the synod has entrusted the
to
difficult charge of drawing up articles and regula-

tions, for the improvement of the little community,

which are to be submitted to the next assembly.


I consulted him upon every measure which I

thought might be beneficial, and calculated to


promote the object of my journey to the valleys.
Mr. Muston's book-shelves contained many
volumes, which belonged to an ancestor of his,

M. Appia, who was ordained in London about a


century ago and among them some of the Enghsh
;

divinity and ecclesiastical history of that day. He


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 345

reads English himself, but does not speak it; and


it offers a goodly prospect for the spiritual interests
of the Vaudois, that several of the pastors make a
study of our language and literature, and entertain
a high opinion of the theology of the English
school of divinity. I have heard it observed more
than once, in the valleys, that the works of the
British divines, next to the Bible, are the main
support of the Protestant cause.
enquired of the pastor of Bobi,
I if he and the
Cure are upon friendly terms ? " We are not very
sociable," was his frank reply, " but we live upon
terms of harmony. When came into the
he first

parish, I expressed a wish that we might meet occa-


sionally, and confer upon theological subjects; but
he instantly put a bar to this, by telling me in plain
words, that as he did not mean to try to make a
proselyte of me, and as I should certainly not
be^ble to convert him, we had better avoid all

rehgious discussion."
Madame Muston is lineally descended from the
heroic Jahier, and with all her extreme simplicity
and gentleness of manner, she was evidently
pleased when I alluded to this true nobility of her
extraction. Jahier was the companion in arms of
Janavel, or Gianavello, whom, in the language of
one of those who has piously recorded his feats in
1655, " God raised up in those days, as a choice
instrument of his own, for the preservation of the
poor scattered remnant of his people." Jahier's
346 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

fame was not inferior to that of his comrade. His


romantic adventures, terrible onslaughts, and suc-
cessful surprisals, would fill a volume, and would
be well worthy of the pen of the translator^ of
Henri Arnaud's ''
Rentree Glorieuse.''
Jahier died with his face towards the enemy,
and with his hand upon his sword, and two of his
sons with him, in an engagement with a body of
horse in the vale of San Giovanni. The character
of this patriot is thus summed up in one of the
histories of the massacre of 1655 :
''
He was most
worthy of remembrance, and his fame to be re-

nowned to all posterity, especially for his great


piety, zeal for the service of God, and the protec-
tion of his poor afflicted Church and members ; a
man whom all the terrors of death and ten thou-
sand torments could never affright or make to
deny his Master. Bold as a lion in all his enter-

prises, but meek and humble as a lamb in |he


midst of his victories ; always lifting up his hands
towards heaven, from whence deliverance came,
and reciting sweet and comfortable passages of the
Scripture, wherein he was versed to admiration, to

^ It would, indeed, require the experience of mountain war-


fare to give effect to a record of this kind ; and as Mr. Acland has
been personally initiated in " hair-brained enterprises," and
" picturesque forages through mountain regions," among the

Guerillas of Spain, and has moreover traversed every inch of


Vaudois territory, who could better undertake it, ** Arms and the

man I sing," than himself?


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 347

the great encouragement of all his followers, and the


strengthening of their faith upon all occasions."
Such was the ancestor, of whom the pastor's
wife of Bobi has reason to be proud, and whom
she resembles in meekness and humility of temper,
and in the endurance of suffering ; she is often
tried by ill health, and I have seen her exert her-
self, as she did on the day of our visit to the pres-
bytery, when every effort to appear cheerful was
put forth in the midst of acute bodily pain. Her
door, like that of Madame Bert at La Torre, is

constantly open to the distressed wanderer; and I

speak as a witness, when I add, that no petitioner


goes unrelieved from the houses of the Vaudois
clergy. Some dole of alms is sure to be received,
when appeals are made to their charity; and be it

remembered, that the mendicants who beg in the


valleys are all strangers.
The mention of Madame Muston's honourable
descent from the hero Jahier reminds me of an
observation, which may not unfitly be introduced
in this place. There are no distinctions among
the Vaudois beyond that of pastoral and magiste-
rial precedency. All the Vaudois give place to
their clergy and syndics and elders. I could hear
of no seigneurial rights or privileges ; gentle and
simple are merged in one. " Each man is the
son of his own deeds." Family pride is conse-
quently entirely out of the question ; and the
individual who has raised himself by his talents
348 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

or industry above his former station, or that of


his kindred, displays no leaven of vanity. He
speaks of his brothers or his sisters w^ho may
chance to be in a humbler state of life, without
the least disguise, and he talks of the " paternal
house," be it the merest hovel, vs^ith all the af-
fection of hereditary attachment. I noticed two
striking instances of this. A pastor pointed to
a cabin, *'
There," said he, " I was born, and
there my forefathers have lived for generations

—my heart beats at the sight of it." A Walden-


sian, who had left the valleys early in life, and
had accumulated a comfortable independency of
his own, besides acquiring some property with his
wife, conducted me to a humble farm house, and
with a generous expression of complacency, spoke
of the enjoyment which he felt in revisiting the
sacred hearths of his ancestors.
There is no great man to throw the rest of the

Vaudois in shade. There is not a chateau, or villa,

in the three valleys, which would answer to our no-


tions of a gentleman's seat, which is occupied by one
who moves in the higher circles of society at Turin.
It is many years since the Vaudois could enume-

rate any of noble birth among the professors of


^

*
The historian Leger, mentions in his autobiography, that

his father's family was noble, and that by his mother's side,

through the Laurens, the Rostains, and the Pascals, he could


shew a sacerdotal line of Vaudois pastors for 400 years and
more. Leger was born in 1615.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 349

their faith. Gilles, the Waldensian historian, in


his annals of the year 1617, makes mention of
one, whose melancholy fate he describes at some
length. This was the Lady Octavia Solara, the
daughter of a nobleman of ancient and illustrious
family, which had long been distinguished for its
zealous adherence to the Protestant tenets. The
father of this lady, after having suffered greatly
from persecution, was stript of all his lands and
property, and took refuge with his wife and
children in the valley of Luserna :
—" Apres avoir
souifert la confiscation de toutes ses Seigneuries,
et autres biens a cause d'icelle Religion." The
beauty and virtues of Octavia attracted the notice
of the Count de Cavour, a man of great wealth
and influence at the court of Turin, who promised
not only to respect her rehgious opinions, and to
permit her to enjoy the free exercise of her reli-

gion, but engaged to exert his interest for the


restoration of the confiscated property of the
family, if she would marry him. Contrary to the
expostulations of the pastor of La Torre, who
foresaw and predicted the result, she accepted the
count's hand. Soon after their marriage, he used
every means in his power to force her to conform
to theChurch of Rome. He took away her Bible
and Psalm Book, and her other books of devo-
tion he prevented her having any communication
;

with a spiritual comforter of her own faith, and


drove her into a state of low melancholy, which
350 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

cut her off in the flower of her youth. A short


time before she died, a female friend expressed a
hope that she might yet recover. '^
Pray not for

my recovery," said the noble lady, " but implore


the Almighty to receive me while I am yet true
to my crucified Saviour, and before weakness of
mind or body shall reduce me to a condition, in
which I may be so lost as to deny the Lord who
bought me."
I wish to correct an error which appears in the
notice of Bobi in my first narrative. I have there
said, the break-water constructed to protect the
village from the violence of the winter torrents,
was erected by the aid of subscriptions raised in
Holland. Mr. Muston shewed me a book of
accounts, which goes like an heir-loom with the
presbytery of Bobi, from which it appears that it

was built by means of English contributions, after

the fatal inundation in the year 1740. The sum


remitted from England was 42,383 francs, or about
2503/., according to the value of money and ex-
change at that time. This money was expended
inmaking the digue, or mole, which still remains,
and in assisting the sufferers who had been injured
by the flood.

The central school of Bobi was not open, nor


were any of the small schools, when we visited the

village ; but at Col. Beckwith's girls' school, we


found several of the children industriously and
usefully employed.
CHAPTER VIII.

Excursion to Rora. Face of the Country. Observations on the


Extent of the Vaudois Territory. Luserna. The former
Sufferings and -present Prospects of Rora. The Silver Cup
of Victor Amadce. The Fire-fy.

July 10. Rora is the most southern village of the


whole Vaudois territory, and lies on the chain of
mountains, which, rising from the vale of the
Pelice, swell and sink in irregular elevations, till

they form the lofty ridge which separates the


valley of Luserna from that of the Po. I had not
visited this eagle's nest in 1823, and the whole
of the country on the other side of Luserna was
new to me.
From the extreme confines of Rora, the furthest
point south, or from the summit of the mountain
line, which separates the valley of Luserna from
the valley of the Po, to the summit of the Col
Alhergian, the furthest point north, the extent of
the present Vaudois country, measured in a straight
line, is about twenty miles, according to the scale
laid down in Mr. Acland's map of the valleys, and
twenty-four miles, according to that in Mr. Bridge's
2
352 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

map. From east to west, measuring from the


confines of Prarustino to the summit of the Col
d'Abries above Prali, which bounds the Walden-
sian district on the side of France, the distance
on Mr. Acland's map is sixteen miles, and on Mr.
Bridge's twenty. It is exceedingly difficult to lay
down the scale accurately, for I know of no map
published at Turin, where, if any where, we
should expect to find the most correct delineation
of the country, which is faithful in all its parts.

The large chart,drawn by Giuseppe Momo, and


printed in 1819, is the best; but it is by no means
free from mistakes, as I have ascertained by obser-

vations on the spot, with the chart in my hand.


Comprising all the continental dominions of the
king of Sardinia, it does not allow room enough
to the province of Pinerolo, of which our valleys
constitute a part, to admit of those minute delinea-
tions, which would help us to make a map of uni-
form accuracy. The best guidance is to consult
conjointly the old maps of Leger and Morland,
and the recent maps of Bridge and Acland with ;

these in his hand, the traveller, or reader, will be


able to understand the face of the country cor-
rectly enough. The map which accompanies
this volume is on Giuseppe Momo's scale, with a
few alterations in the range of the lesser mountains,
and in the position of the Vaudois villages, made
in conformity with my own observation compared
with the four maps, to which I have just alluded.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 353

If we take twenty-two miles as the greatest

length of the Protestant valleys, according to their


present limitation from north to south, and eighteen
miles as their greatest breadth from east to west,
we cannot be far from the mark. But if the traveller
should calculate his time of exploring the territory
by these distances, he would be wofully mistaken.
The surface varies greatly every quarter of a mile
ravines, precipices, mountains, torrents, and forests,

turn the pedestrian out of his course, or impede


his pace. The direction, in which the valleys may
be most easily traversed, and which will take in

the greater part of the population, is, from east


to west-south-west, about seventeen miles in a
straight hne, that is, from the confines of San
Giovanni to the frontier of France on the Col de
la Croix, above the Alpine pasturage, called the
Bergerie du Pra. This line of march would con-
duct the traveller with the course of the Pehce,
through the populous communes of San Giovanni,
La Torre, Villar, and Bobi. To Bobi the road is

tolerably good, passable even to a carriage, if it be


strong and will bear rough jolting ; from thence to
the French border, it is only practicable for mule-
teers and pedestrians. The time, required to go
from point to point in this direction, for ordinary
walkers, is about nine hours : of this it takes four
hours to ascend from Bobi to Pra. There is,

however, no one part of the Vaudois territory,


from which, in case of a ''
gathering," a fleet-footed
A a
354 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

''
Malise," might not " speed forward with the
fiery cross," and reach any other part in twelve
hours, and perhaps in less.
The shortest way from La Torre to Rora, is to
cross over to L*Envers, and to climb the steeps at
once but wishing to see Luserna,
: I took the lower
and more circuitous road by that town. It did for-

merly, and I beheve it does now, give the title of


count to a Piemontese noble, and it is still a walled
town, but of no great strength, and most of the
ramparts are in a state of dilapidation. It stands
very picturesquely on an eminence, at no great
distance from the river, backed by mountains, and
its whole vicinity is ornamented by woods and
trees of noble dimensions. These shade the road
which leads to Rora, till the land rises beyond the
line of great trees. The aspect of the Combe ^,
then becomes more and more savage. Some of
the cliffs to the right are composed of a rough
species of slate, which is used for purposes of tiling,

and most of them assume every grotesque and


fanciful appearance of which rock is capable. To
the left, the torrent called Lusernetta, rolls thun-
dering along, over crags and debris fallen from the
mountains, and ever and anon breaks into cata-
racts in a profound gulf, which deepens as you
ascend. The road is pretty good till you get
I
*
A valley walled in by mountain and cliffs ; the terras comba
in Italian, and combe in English, mean the same.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 355

beyond the hamlet of Fusme, it then becomes


rugged and exceedingly steep ; and after you pass
Les Vernais^ you find yourself so completely im-

prisoned by precipices on one side, and by rocks


nearly perpendicular on the other, and in your
front, that you begin to think you must have
mistaken the path, and that there is no further
progress to be made. I was alone when I first

explored this quarter, and could not help asking


myself in despair, — where can Rora be ? In vain
I looked about for some peasant to guide me.
There seemed to be no possible approach to any
village, in the line upon which I was moving. A
projection of the rock concealed the track from
me. But, upon advancing a little further, I came
to a zig-zag path called a tourniquet, which ascends
the mountain, " parvis componere magna," like
the road across Mont Cenis. But in places it was
not only climbing up-hill, but literally up-stairs,
by steps cut in the rock.

The traveller, who will not only drag his weary


way to the principal village of this commune, but
will also clamber to its rock-built hamlets, to
Rumero, and Arone, and Les Fournaisses, and to
the cliffs called Le Brie, and Roccarossa, and
others, too many to name, will find it no difficult

matter to believe, that the inhabitants of Rora


were able to defy their oppressors for many days
together, and for a short time to resist assaults
made by ten times their numbers. Unhappily for
Aa 2
356 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Rora, its situation is such as to tempt a gallant


band of mountaineers, determined upon the defen-
sive, to rely upon its strong holds and fastnesses.
Watch towers and battlements, as it were in the
natural face of the chfFs, which give them the re-
semblance of a line of fortresses ; passes, where two
or three only can advance abreast ; barriers already
more than half constructed by masses of rock, as
if placed there by the hand of Providence for the
purpose: and situations formed for ambuscades,
have often persuaded the people of Rora that their
position was impregnable ; and hence the desperate
combats which took place, in the 17th century,
between a handful of peasants and the troops of
Pianessa and Christophel. Isolated as Rora is,

these conflicts all ended unsuccessfully, however


manfully the posts were contested for a time.
The defenders of the village fell side by side.

While fighting men were left, the enemy was


driven back : but numbers prevailed, and twice in
one reign did the Duke's soldiers march over the
dead body of the last of its defenders, to pillage

the ill-fated Rora, and to massacre, and inflict

worse horrors upon its women and children, who


became the prey, first to their worst passions, and
afterwards to their swords
If the people of Rora were formerly renowned,
as a warhke community who preferred death to
the mass, they are now likely to enjoy the praise

of all the Churches, as a Christian congregation


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 357

distinguished for their great advancement in the


knowledge of the Gospel. Their pastor, M.
Monastier, brother to the master of the grammar-
school of La Torre, and nephew of the excellent
Monastier of Lausanne, is exerting himself faith-
fully for the improvement of his flock. He has
established a third Sunday service in his Church,
at which he gives a familiar exposition of some
Scriptural passage, and has invited many of his
flock to attend the family devotions in his own
house.
The temple of Rora is a wretched building, too
small for the population of about 800 : and its

situation, near the Roman Catholic Church, has


exposed the congregation and minister to some
very unpleasant interruptions by the Romish
Cure. He pretended that the voice of the
preacher, and of the singers, was heard in his own
sanctuary, to the disturbance of the faithful there,
and obtained an order to have the hour of the
Protestant service changed, and to begin at eight
in the morning, to the great inconvenience of those
who attend from a distance, particularly in the
winter. The injunction was meant to be a virtual
prohibition of any morning service, in violation of
ancient rights and grants, which guarantee to the
Vaudois the uninterrupted and free exercise of
their religion. Hitherto the order has been some-
what evaded, thanks to the irregularity of clocks
and watches. But Providence makes good to
358 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

grow out of evil. The effect of the Cure's med-


dhiig has been to stir up a zealous spirit among
the Protestants of Rora. Subscriptions have been
set on foot, plans have been designed, and it is

probable that ere long a new temple will rear its

head at Rora, larger and better situated, where


the congregation may assemble more comfortably
to themselves, and without the risk of giving
umbrage to their sixty Roman Catholic neigh-
bours. I saw the spot destined to be the site of
the new building, and a list of contributors, Vau-
dois, and English, and others ; and this, I trust,

will be so increased in a few years, as to enable


M. Monastier to have the first stone of the temple
laid.

The presbytery is but an indifferent one. But


it commands some fine mountain views. The
upper windows look upon the craggy points of
Mont Friolant, which are covered with snow
eight months, and are sunburnt the remainder of
the year.
It was in Rora that Victor Amadee, the scourge
of the Vaudois, took refuge, when the French
marched an army into Piemont at the beginning
of the last century. Strange that the oppressor
should fly to the oppressed, the wolf to the kid for
succour, and find protection in a village, which
had suffered in a more than ordinary degree under
the tyranny of himself and his predecessors ! Was
it that he relied more upon the honour of the Vau-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 359

more upon their sacred principle of loyalty,


dois, or

than upon that of his other subjects ? Was it that


there were no asylums, or no such inaccessible glens
in other mountain regions, which called him king ?

Or was it that some cunning Ahithophel whispered


to him, that his pursuers would never dream of

searching for him among the people, whom he had


most deeply injured, and whom he had chastised
with whips and scorpions ? Be it as it might, he
found that which he sought, concealment and
protection. A Vaudois received him kindly, and
kept his secret faithfully. Had the man proved
a betrayer, he might have received his house
full of gold as the price of the royal fugitive.

The reward of his fideUty at the king's hand, was


a present of the king's silver drinking cup, and
some paltry permission to enclose a cemetery.
When did Roman legates permit Vaudois to find
real favour in the sight of the house of Savoy ?

No services, no loyalty could atone for the crime


of non-conformity.
The family of the king's protector have fallen into
poverty. Some ten years ago, so great was the dis-
tress of one of them, that a few francs, a few ten-
penny pieces, were wanting to meet the urgency of
his necessities. Was there nobody to remind him,
that he had the drinking cup of Victor Amadee in

his possession, emblazoned with the royal arms, and


to tell him, that were he to present himself at the
palace of the reigning sovereign, and to hold up
360 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

that token of a monarch's debt, that promissory


note of recompense for value received, it would
act as a talisman, and fill the heart of the des-
cendant of Victor Amad^e with generous intentions
towards the descendant of that prince's protector ?

Perhaps he was so advised : but who, with the


brand of Vaudois on his forehead, would be so
sanguine, so credulous as to go to Turin upon
such an errand ? No, no ! The mountaineer dare
not even entertain the thought. But something
must be done to relieve immediate distress. The
silver cup was taken to Pinerolo, and sold, or

pawned for twelve francs What a reflection


! ! !

upon the donor and his successors Could it have !

been hoped, that there breathed in the heart of

any of them the slightest sentiment of kindness

towards the Waldensian Church, the peasant


would have starved, one must think, before he
would have parted with such a relic. At all events
he would have found some, aye hundreds, among
his countrymen, who would have filled the cup
with francs, had they sold house and land, and
given them in exchange for it. The Vaudois
are loyal, in the spirit of religious submission to
the powers that be, but there can be little love
mingled with their obedience. I tried to find out

what had become of the cup, and how the pur-


chaser had disposed of it, but without success.
It was late in the evening before I left Rora on
my return to San Margarita. A bright moon, and
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 361

a clear starry sky, and the balmy air of Italy,

tempted me to walk leisurely, and to enjoy the


serenity of the hour. When I reached the groves
about Luserna, I was rejoiced by the sight of

myriads of fire-flies, that most capricious and


beautiful of all the wonders of the insect world.
Lalande, in his " Voyage en Italic," has dwelt
with dehght upon the impression produced on his
mind, when he saw the fire-fly for the first time.
*^
The first spectacle," says he, " which announced
a change of cHmate, was that of those luminous
insects called ^
lucioles,' or '
luccioli ;'
it was on
the 15th of June, a lovely night, when the air

appeared to be on fire with these little phosphoric


animals, which are unknown on our side of the

Alps. I saw them sparkling by miUions : the


meadows, the trees, the hedges, the roads, were
studded with them, as with so many diamonds,
more lively, and infinitely more numerous, than
the glow-worms which we have in France."
Lalande could not have been more animated by
the vision than I was. The brilliant lights which
they emit, their rapid flitting motion through the
air, and the cheerfulness which they impart to the
spirits, by engaging us to watch for their playful

illumination, are quite indescribable. There is no


difficulty in catching them; and I had the satisfac-

tion of carrying one home with me, and gazing at


its mysterious lamp without doing it that injury.
362 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

which the poor butterfly, and too many other


beautiful insects experience, as the penalty they
are condemned to pay for the ephemeral enjoy-
ment of their splendid exterior. I placed it on a
book in a dark room, and could distinctly read
the words which were within the rays of its light.

But the light was not so bright, as when was


it

on the wing and in quick motion ; it was more


mellow, and like that of the glow-worm, in its state

of rest, but I did not perceive it to be in any


degree intermittent. The light proceeded from
the tail or lower part of the body, and the phos-
phoric segment is not above one-fourth of its

whole dimension. Its antennae were filiform, and


the segments of the abdomen terminated in folded
papillae, lapping over each other. It was a little

more than half an inch in length.


It is not easy to account for the silence of the
ancient poetsupon this most extraordinary insect.
Its rapid movements and vivid sparkling beauty,

the season and hour and place of its appearance


are all poetical, and how it could have escaped the
notice of Anacreon and Horace, and their tuneful

brethren, is a question which will continue to puzzle


the imagination of the critic and entomologist.
Some have fancied that the fire-fly, like the orange-
tree, was not known in Greece and Italy in early

times ; that it is one of those new animals, with


the production of which Nature amuses herself
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 363

occasionally in her fantastic moods. I have seen


this conjecture discussed in one of the periodical
works of the day, but I forget in which.

It is, however, an error to suppose that the fire-

flies were unknown to the ancient Greeks and


Romans. Aristotle mentions them under the
name TruyoXa^TraSac, and distinguishes them from
the glow-worm, by saying that these were winged,
the others not K Pliny also speaks of them, and
calls them " cicindelae," and takes care to describe

them as having wings, and thus differing from the


glow-worm. The Greeks, he says, called them
" lampyrides." Pliny admires the benignity of
Nature ^ which has bountifully produced these
brilliant insects, to encrease the beauties of the
lovely season, in which they usually make their

appearance.

'
Aristotl«'s Hist. Ani. Lib. iv. cap. 1.

2 " Lucent ignium modo noctu, laterum et clunium colore

lampyrides, nunc pennarum hiatu refulgentes, nunc vero

compressu obumbratae, non ante matura pabula, aut post de-


secta conspicuse." Plin. Lib. ii. cap. 34.
" Atque etiam in eodem arvo est signum illius maturitatis,

et horum sationis commune, lucentes vespere per arva cicindelae.

Ita appellant rustici stillantes volatus — Graeci vero lampyrides

incredibili benignitate Naturae." Lib. xviii. cap. 66.


CHAPTER IX.

The new Church of San Giovanni, Restraints imposed at the

Restoration of the House of Savoy, in 1814. Girls' School at

San Giovanni. Female Education in the Valleys,

The third Sunday after my arrival in the valleys,

(July 12) I attended public service at the church


of San Giovanni. The venerable pastor, M.
Mondon, used the Genevan liturgy
old his ;

prayer before the sermon was extempore, and


was poured forth with a considerable degree of
devotion. The principal object of his sermon,
from Acts x. 2, was to promote a local charity.
The application of the clause '^
with all his

house," was enforced with great judgment and


feeling, especially where the preacher explained
that there can be no true spirit of public piety,
where religious duties are neglected at home
and that we must begin by managing our domestic
affairs with prudence and economy, or we cannot
hope to have the means of answering those de-
mands upon our benevolence, which put Christ-
ian sincerity to the test. M. Mondon is not far
from fourscore years of age, and he is one of those
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 365

Vaudois clergymen, who have often crossed the


Alps, at all hazards, to be the bearers of spiritual
comfort to the forlorn remnant of the ancient
Waldensian Church of Dauphin e. Previously to
the year 1786, the Protestants of the Val Queiras
and Val Frassyniere, could only obtain the suc-
cours of the Church by stealth. Terrible penalties
were inflicted on those who administered, and on
those who received, the sacraments otherwise than
after the ritual of Rome, and it was to " feed the

sheep" in these remote folds, that M. Mondon,


and others of his brethren of the valleys, made
frequent journeys into France. When the new
Protestant Church of Frassyniere was consecrated
a few years ago, M. Mondon was present. He had
traversed the barriers of France and Italy, to enjoy
the cheering sight of a new order of things, and to
behold the members of the httle community, with
whom he had often prayed in private, offering up
their praises and supplications to Almighty God
publicly, and in a sanctuary of their own.
This aged pastor yet retains the vivacity of his
earher days ; his manner in the pulpit was both
expressive and impressive, and he had all the
appearance of being deeply in earnest. It is said

that he is severe and inflexible upon some points,


where it would be better to yield and to conci-
liate, to bear and to forbear. Whether this be
the case or not, I do not choose to take upon my-
self to determine. I cordially subscribe to the
366 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

sentiments expressed by an English friend, who


wrote to me thus, from the valleys :
" For myself,

I only wish to benefit the Vaudois population. It

is not my province to be a bearer of evil report.


Whatever defects may exist, I feel how much a
body of men deserve respect, who, like their fore-
fathers, have constantly opposed the enormous
corruptions of Rome."
The church of San Giovanni, spacious though
it is, was nearly full, and a heart-stirring sight it

was, to behold such a congregation of Waldenses


gathered together in a parish, from which perse-
cution has so often chased the brethren : and in a
sanctuary, which the Romish clergy have used
their utmost endeavours to put down. It is a
noble building, perhaps the most handsome and
substantial in the valleys, in form resembling a
horse shoe, about 100 feet long and 60 wide, very
lofty, large enough to contain 2000 persons, and,
with the exception of a strong echo, well calculated
for the purposes to which it is adapted. Like
most churches on the continent, it is fitted up
with seats and benches open to all. There are
no pews, those worst introductions of the worst
times, whether you consult taste, utility, or piety,

and which, with the exception of a very few new


churches in England, continue to be the disgrace
and deformity of our sacred buildings. Even
many of our cathedrals have admitted them.
Wherever pews occupy the whole or the greater
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 367

portion of the space in churches, it is as much as


to say, ''
Here the privileged may come to hear

the word of God, but there is not room, or there


is not accommodation for the poor, that they may
have the Gospel preached to them — it would be
inconvenient to the few to throw open the house
of God to the many."
It is the glory of the Roman Cathohc Churches,
that they receive all who enter them, upon a foot-
ing of equality, and it is cheering and edifying to
gaze upon the multitudes that fill them, kneeling,
or sitting, or standing side by side, as they may
chance to go in and to place themselves ; high
and low, rich and poor, one with another : and
were individual inclinations and interests to be
sacrificed to public considerations, and were our
own parish churches to be entirely thrown open, as
" free sittings," there is no doubt that the Sunday
congregations of the Establishment would soon
become what they ought to he\
The history of the new Waldensian Church at
San Giovanni is memorable. Many have been
the struggles between the Roman Cathohc and

* In proof of this, a large chapel, called the Galilee, at the


west end of the Cathedral of Durham, has been fitted up, as a
free chapel, for Sunday evening service, during the summer sea-

son. The first comer takes his seat, the tradesman and his
employer, the servant, the workman, and his master, the peasant
and the gentry of the neighbourhood, sit by each other as ac-
cident may dispose of them, and no where is there a more
numerous congregation in proportion to its size.
368 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Protestant interests in this commune. The


ministers of the dukes of Savoy and kings of
Sardinia have insisted, that San Giovanni is not
within the privileged hmits of the valleys ; and
obstinate have been the claims on one side, and
the refusals to concede them on the other. At last,

in the seventeenth century, there was a sort of


compromise. The Protestants of this commune
were permitted to erect a temple, not within their
own upon the edge of it, in one of
parish, but just
the hamlets of Angrogna, and hither they conti-
nued to resort, till Piemont was annexed to
France. The inhabitants of San Giovanni then
built for themselves this new church, in the centre
of their population, and at the cost of about 60,000
francs ; and great were the rejoicings and the
congratulations thereat. But when the king of
Sardinia was restored to his Piemontese domi-
nions in 1814, the evil spirit of Rome pounced
like a hawk upon its prey in the valleys, and the
court was advised to issue an edict, which at once
reduced the Vaudois to their former degraded and
oppressed condition, in violation of the treaty of
Paris \ which guaranteed all their rights of person

^
Art. XVI. '*The high contracting powers, desirous of bury-

ing in entire oblivion the dissensions which have agitated

Europe, declare and promise, that no individual, of whatever


rank or condition he may be, in the countries restored and
ceded by the present treaty, shall be prosecuted, disturbed, or
molested, in his person or property, under any pretext whatever,"
&c. &c.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 369

and property to the inhabitants of the ceded and re-

stored provinces. Among other inflictions, the clos-

ing of the new church of San Giovanni was peremp


torily commanded; an appeal was made to the Pro-
testant ambassadors at the court of Turin, and the
prayer of the petitioners, supported by the remon-
strances of the representatives of the kings of Eng-
land, Netherlands, and Prussia, more especially of
the latter, so far prevailed as to obtain a suspen-
sion of the order, and the church now continues
open by sufferance. The letter^ of the Intendant

^ " Monsieur,
" S. E. le Corate Vidua, Regent pour S. M., le Secretaire
de rinterieur, par sa lettre du trois Oct. dernier, en me trans-

mettant les Patents Royals du 30 Sep. precedent, concernant


les Vaudois, me charge de donner plusieurs dispositions pour
leur execution, parmi lesquelles il y a celle de faire clorre les

temples par les memes batis hors de limites fixees par les Edits,

et autres lois, qui ont ete remises en vigueur par I'Edit du 21


Mai dernier. C'est a vous, Monsieur le Moderateur, que je
m'addresse pour I'execution de cette disposition. Veuillez en

occuper de suite, et m'instruire, au plutot possible, des mesures


que vous aurez prises pour que je puisse en rendre compte au
Secretariat d'Etat, en m'indiquant en meme tems ceux des
temples qui se trouvent dans ce cas. Agreez, Monsieur, des
sentimens de la haute estime et consideration avec laquelle j'ai

I'honneur d'etre, Mr. le Moderateur,


'*
Votre tres devoue et tres ob. ser.

" Crotti.
" Pignerol le 25 Nov. 1814.
**
P.S. —Je pense, qu'il suffit de ne plus ouvrir le temple bati
liors les limites, d'aviser aux moyens de vous reimir ailleurs, et

B b
370 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of the province of Pinerolo, the Count Crotti,


addressed to the moderator of the Vaudois on this
subject, explained the rigid restraints which the
court of Turin intended to put upon the Vaudois,
as one of the first enactments of the restoration,
and the first fruits of papal influence, — of the inter-

ference of a foreign bishop, directing independent


sovereigns how to treat their native subjects.
If priestly intrigue did not so often guide the

court of Turin, the Vaudois would enjoy some


tranquiUity, for it does not appear that the seve-
rities which vex them originate in the royal breast,

or in any of the members of the government.


They invariably grow out of evil counsel whispered
into the king's ear by the jealous clergy of the
Latin Church. A presbytery has at length been
built for the pastor of San Giovanni, near the
church, an indulgence which was long refused in
accordance with the advice of the royal confessors.
It is a well-built and comfortable habitation, but
the garden is very small and unprotected. M.
Mondon, in his humorous style, compared the
presbytery and its dependencies to the handsome

de prevenir ceux de votre religion de Tendroit que vous aurez


choisi, sans en venir k des publications qui pourroient faire de
la peine a plusieurs. Je vous prierois cependant, Mr. le Mode-
rateur, de vouloir bien me faire une reponse detaillee du jour
de la cloture, qui datera du dernier jour de votre reunion, afin que
je puisse rendre compte au plutot au Bureau d'Etat, pour les

affaires interieures, de I'execution des ordres, qui m'ont ete


transmis par la lettre du 3 Oct. sus-enoncee."
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 371

form of Ulysses clothed in a beggar's dress. His


observations upon the commandments of the de-
calogue in his church, written on paste-board, were
equally piquant. *^
On serait porte a croire,"
said he, ^^
qu'ils participent a la nature de la

substance qui les porte : le papier se dechire si

facilement."
M. Mondon takes much delight in the girls'
school which has been established in his parish,
and pays great attention to it.

It was many days before I had an opportunity


of visiting either of the four girls' schools instituted
by the London Committee, because, at the busy
season of collecting the cocoons of the silk worms,
hay-making, and harvest, the children were not
regular in their attendance. That of San Gio-
vanni was the first to resume its activity, and to
give me an opportunity of judging of its useful-
ness. It is situated within a few minutes' walk
of the church and presbytery, and is approached
in that direction by meadows and fields, which
command fine prospects of that which Leger has
truly called the lovely Costi^re of San Giovanni.
The reader must not wonder, that I should so fre-

quently make allusion to the beauties of the land-


scape in this region ; perhaps I saw it with a very
favouring eye, for in truth I was in a mood to
enjoy all around me, and to exclaim

" There is every where beauty, and every where hght."

Bb 2
372 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

The " Costiere" is the sunny side of the valley,


to distinguish it from ''
L'Envers," which faces the
north.
The approach to this spot, (which is not the
fixed seat of the little establishment, for there are
not the means of providing more than a salary for
the school-mistress, who must procure a room for
her use out of the stipend) from La Torre, is first
through a vineyard to the right, after crossing a

stream, within half a mile of the church, and by


a path which traverses corn-fields, and conducts
to a farm in the occupation of the father of the
young woman, Pauline Muston, who is the teacher.
The chamber, appropriated to the use of herself
and scholars, is sufficiently large and airy ; and for

all the purposes of health, cleanliness, and con-


venience, a better choice could not have been
made, than the site both of the farm and the room
itself.

When the children began to assemble with


more regularity, I made several visits to this

school, and had every reason to be satisfied with


the manner in which it was conducted. The
mistress seemed to take real interest in her charge,
and the children had made quite as much progress
as could be expected from their age and several
abilities. Some were at needlework, some mark-
ing, and others knitting, and while these were at
their employments, one of the scholars was read-
ing to them out of the New Testament. Th^
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 373

average number, about twelve, was not so great as


I should have looked for. Twenty-eight had been
entered upon the list in the course of the last
twelve months; but I could collect, that the system
had not yet been tried long enough to secure the

confidence, or to remove the prejudices of the


people, who seem to prefer the old plan of sending
their daughters to the central and hamlet schools.
There are reasons for this. It is supposed there
that female teachers are not so competent to in-
struct as the masters. The very great poverty,
which is experienced in some of the famihes, oc-
casions an inability to provide their children with
the materials for work in the girls' school, without
which it would be useless to send them. This
will in future be obviated in part, by an allowance
made by the London Committee, for the express
purpose of supplying the schools with such ma-
terials. There is some reluctance also arising out

of the superior neatness and cleanliness exacted


of those, who now attend. The appearance of the
scholars of the girls' somewhat above
school, being
that of the generality of children, makes the ill-
provided ashamed of joining their ranks. These
objections will wear off in the course of time : the
good example, and habits of attention to personal
and household neatness will spread by degrees,
and the great advantage will be appreciated of
having their young females instructed in a manner
more becoming their sex, and in being directed
374 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

at an early age to the study of things necessary to


make them useful in their families. In a rustic
and mountain population, like that of the Vaudois,
these considerations are commonly too much neg-
lected, and the peculiar training, which girls ought
to receive, is left to chance. It was to correct
this evil, and to give them opportunities which
they had never before enjoyed, that these new
institutions were devised.
The Countess Fontana was, I believe, the first
person, who applied a benefaction for the especial
object of improving the state of female education
in the valleys. This lady devoted 200 francs, or
8/. payment of a school-mistress
a-year, towards the
for the commune of San Giovanni, and to the

judicious and warm-hearted friend of the Wal-


densian Church, Mr. Bridge, treasurer of the
London Vaudois Committee, grateful thanks are
due, for the zeal with which he directed the atten-
tion of the committee to this important object. It

was mainly owing to his representation, that those


resolutions were adopted, which led to the appropri-
ation of 40/. a-year towards the endowment of four
girls' schools, on the 1st of August, 1826, viz. four
pounds annually to that of San Giovanni, to make
the stipend 12/., aided by the contribution of the
Countess Fontana ; and 12/. each to the school at
Villar, to that of San Germano, in the valley of

Perosa, and to that of Clots, in the commune of


Villa-secca, in the valley of San Martino. These
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 375

are situated in the most central spots that could


be found ^
: but there is still a great want of similar

* The following extract, from the Report of the London Com-


mittee, published March 1830, will put the reader in possession

of further particulars relating to the three schools endowed by


the Committee, at Villar, San Germano, and Clots :

" Villar i situated nearly in the centre of the Valley of Lucerne,

" It was thought that the girls' school in this village would be
convenient for such as might choose to attend from Bobi, and
the western hamlets of La Tour and Rora. A girls' school is,

however, now instituted at Bobi, by Colonel Beckwith ; and the


inhabitants of Rora find themselves too remote, or too poor, to

send their children to Villar.


" The mistress is the widow Laurenzat. The school-room is

rented at 40 francs per annum, and is small and inconvenient


but there are difficulties in the way of enlarging the present
room, or building a new one.
" The population deriving benefit from this school is that of

Villar only —about 2000. The greatest number on the list has
been 36.
**
The foregoing statement will shew that Rora is the only
village in the valley of Lucerne, which has not the advantage of
a girls* school ; and it is earnestly to be wished that one could

be provided for that mountainous and secluded commune.

" St, Germain, in the Valley of Perouse.


**
The vicinity of this village to Rocheplatte, Prarustin, and
Pramol, pointed it out as a fit spot for one of these schools.

The rugged paths of Pramol are almost impracticable for child-


ren in bad weather ; and those who attend the school are chiefly

natives of St. Germain, whose population is 1000. The


mistress, the widow Long, pays 60 francs for the rent of her

apartnieuls. She is indefatigable, and capable —an example of


376 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

institutions in many parts of the valleys ; which


are cut off by distance, or other difficulties of
access, from the benefits of those which are now in
operation. I have already mentioned that Colonel
Beckwith has established a girls' school at Bobi.
It was opened in the presence of the pastor and

the sort of teacher who is required for these institutions. The


number of scholars in attendance has at no time exceeded 20,

and averages 12.


" As it is not likely that the inhabitants of the hamlets of
Pramol will be able to render the school at St. Germain ser-
viceable to themselves, it is to be hoped that some means will be
found of promoting female education in that quarter.

" The School at Clots, in the Valley of St. Martin.

*'
This was meant to extend its usefulness to the other hamlets

of Villeseche, and to Pomaret on one side, and to Riclaret and


San Martin on the other, including a population of more than
2000 ; but it is found to attract none but those who are in the

immediate neighbourhood. The average number of children, 11.


**
The school-room is airy and well situated ; and held by the
mistress, Madame Bretzi, at a rent of 30 francs. As a central

spot, it is the best that could be found for the district for which
it was intended ; but the hamlets in this region are so scattered,
so distant from each other, and so difficult of access at certain

seasons of the year, that it cannot be expected to be numerously


attended.
" The villages in the remoter part of this valley, Maneille,

Macel, Rodoret, and Pral, containing a population of 2400, are


entirely cut off by distance from the benefit of either of the in-

stitutions which have hitherto been established ; and it will be


for the committee to consider whether any thing can be done
to place this indigent, and comparatively neglected district upon
an improved system,"
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 377

elders, after a suitable prayer and address to the

mistress and children, on the 2nd of January, 1829.


Similar establishments were set on foot through
the exertions made by Mr. Sims, at La Torre,
Angrogna, and Prarustino ; but T am afraid that

the two latter are likely to be discontinued for


want of funds necessary to support them. It will,

indeed, be grievous, if such blessings must be


withdrawn, after they have been experienced and
appreciated. That at La Torre is extremely well
regulated and managed.
The following are the regulations by which
these schools are conducted.
The mistresses must be qualified to teach read-
ing, writing, needlework, knitting, and the works
necessary to the duties of the sex. Salary, 300
francs a-year.
The number conveniently admissible at each
school, is supposed to be twenty-five, but it is not
strictly limited.

All classes of children are eligible for admission,


but none should be received without the appro-
bation of the pastor.
The children of the villages and hamlets in the
vicinity of those, where the school is held, are
admissible.
In summer, the school hours are from 8 to II,
and from 1 to 4. In the winter, from 9 to 12,
and from 1 to 3.

The success of the institutions depending upon


378 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the Divine blessing, the school must begin and


end with prayer every day.
One child shall be reading a portion of Scrip-
ture, v^hile the rest are engaged in needlev^^ork, &c.
The work of one day in the week shall be de-
voted to the benefit of the hospital or dispensary,
the materials for such work being provided for
the purpose.
CHAPTER X.

Deliberations on the Restoration of some of tlie ancient Insti'

tutions of the Vaudois.

After spending three weeks in the valley of


Luserna, I was anxious to make a circuit of the
upper valleys of San Martino and Perosa, with
the intention of conferring with the pastors there,
upon the projects which I had now well considered,
in concert with those of the lower valleys to whom
I had communicated them.
M. Bonjour, the pasteur-chapelain, who was en-
tirely in my confidence, offered to accompany me,
to explain the objects I had in view, and the pro-
posed destination of the funds placed at my dis-

posal. These were not any part of a public sub-


scription, but private funds, over which I had the
sole control, and which I might appropriate in such
manner, as should appear to me to be most bene-
ficial to the Protestant cause in the valleys of Pie-
mont.
After much reflection and long deliberations
with persons competent to give an opinion, I was
380 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

encouraged to hope that a scheme which com-


bined the endowment of a college, with the resto-
ration of an uniform church service and discipline \

upon old Waldensian principles, would be sanc-


tioned and promoted, not only by the Vaudois
pastors individually, but also by the officers of the
Table, in their official capacity, as the constituted
authorities of the community, and by the people
at large. In this there was nothing new or
offensive to common prejudices, it was simply a
recurrence to the ancient order of things, and a
response to the public voice, which had long said,
" Give us, if possible, our former institutions
those institutions which made our ' Zion the city
"
of God, and the mountain of his holiness.'
The means, which I had at command were suffi-

cient to lay a foundation, and to promise success,

provided the plan should meet with approbation,


and be well seconded by the Vaudois themselves.
There were these reasons for supposing that it

would be well received.


The Vaudois had formerly a college of their
own, to the recollection of which they still hold
with national fondness, although not a vestige of
its existence remains. It has often been in con-

^ The 11th article of the synod, held September 1828, was


to the following effect :
" a communication having been made
to the synod touching, * un projet de discipline ecclesiastique,'

Resolved that this project be revised, and presented at the

next synod." Thus the question had been already agitated.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 381

templation to restore it, but there has never yet


been any helping hand to enable them to do so.

When the Waldenses were in treaty with Henry


IV. in 1592, at the time of the annexation of the
province of Pinerolo to France, it formed one of
the articles, ''
that His Majesty should be pleased
to found, erect, and maintain a college for the
instruction of the youth in their own valleys."

Brezzi, to whom I have often alluded, pressed


this object upon his countrymen, and their bene-
factors, about forty years ago, with all the elo-
quence and argument which he could employ,
and about eight years ago a similar project was
handed about the valleys.
An institution, (call it by what name you will,

a college, or a superior school, in the modest


terms suggested by the Vaudois themselves) re-
established upon a comprehensive system, might
give a stir to the whole body, and might also pro-
duce an impulse, not only in the immediate vici-

nity, but also in other parts. For this purpose, it

must be so conducted, as, 1st. to give a sound pre-


paratory education to the young men intended
for holy orders ; 2dly. to train school-masters :

and, 3dly. to instruct youth destined to other pro-


fessions, in such branches of knowledge as may
be necessary to their success in hfe.
Brezzi attributed the alleged degeneracy ^
of the

*
Those who complain most of the degeneracy of the Vau-
dois, guard their observations, by adding, that it is in comparison
382 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Vaudois, to the foreign education of their clergy,


and to their banishment from home at an early
age. Leger in 1662^ and Timoleon Peyrani^, in

his pamphlet published in 1825, ascribed it to a


departure from that ancient discipline, which had
the effect of keeping up both clergy and laity to
the high mark of primitive simplicity.
Each of these writers has recommended a re-

newal of those ecclesiastical regulations, which


had the effect of preserving sanctity of life and
^'
conversation. It is necessary," says the latter,

with the old Waldenses, and not with other Christians, that
the present Vaudois sink in estimation. " These blots," said

Brezzi, **
are inevitable to human weakness. Perhaps we are
falling into the common error of supposing that our ancestors

were so much better than ourselves. But I may proclaim, that


Europe does not produce a people of such good faith, simplicity,

and kind-heartedness as the Vaudois : they entertain a veneration


for religion, and a purity of morals, which are not to be found

among any other Christians."


*'
If the Vaudois have degenerated, it is from the virtue of
their ancestors : compared with other nations, they are equal to

them, or rather they excel them in the regularity of their lives

and conduct." Considerations, «fec. par T. Peyrani.


^ Timoleon Peyrani's work, Considerations sur les Vaudois,
gives a curious instance from Thuanus, of the origin of the first

law-suit among the Vaudois, arising out of education by


strangers. A peasant who was a little richer than his brethren,

sent his son to the university of Turin. The young man, upon
his return to the valleys, persuaded his father to prosecute a
neighbour for the recovery of the amount of some damage done
to his land by the man's cattle.

2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 383

(C
to put in force some articles of our ancient dis-

cipline : the relaxation of these, and the want of


that surveillance which formerly kept us in order,
account for much of that which is illaudable."

This, then, must be considered the second deside-


ratum, that the Moderator's visitations be con-
ducted with more regularity and authority.
The present ecclesiastical government of the
Vaudois, some degree, like that of the Pres-
is, in
byterian Church, but more relaxed and indulgent.
Anciently it was episcopal a fact which is traced* ;

in some of their documents, and more particularly


in the writings of their adversaries, —Reinerus for
example [see p. 116]. That this jurisdiction has
been banished from them, was their misfortune

* The Vaudois, like the members of the early Church, are

common people. Cut off from the distinctions and luxuries


of society, they are also removed from its temptations. It is for

this reason their church government continues to be popular. It

is most probable, that even while their ecclesiastical polity was


episcopal, that their bishop possessed no powers, except those of

ordination and censure, independently of the Synod. Hence


their bishops make no figure in history. At present their mode-
rator does not even ordain, nor does he seem to exercise any
authority, unless in conjunction with the Table, at the Synod,
as president.

Each church, by its own consistory, composed of minister,

deacon, and elders, manages its own affairs in ordinary matters,


and never receives a pastor, but by its own consent. In some
cases, indeed, parishes, for peace-sake, have acquiesced in ap-
pointments made by the Table and Synod, when they were not
altogether to their satisfaction, but still their consent was implied.
384 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

and not their choice. It is not exactly known at

what time, or by what means, the original polity

was changed ; but, at the latter end of the 16th


and the beginning of the 17th centmy, we find

the Moderator of their Church, as the chief eccle-


siastical minister was then, and is now called,

ordaining by the imposition of hands, and visiting


each parish every year, and censuring, or approv-
ing, and reporting to the Synod. The clergy from
France and Switzerland, who supplied the places
of those whom the plague had cut off, were not
Mode-
friendly to the rigid superintendence of the
rator. The visitations, by degrees, became little
more than matter of form the young men edu-
:

cated in Switzerland are now ordained in Switzer-


land, and recognised by the officers of the Table
first, and by the Synod afterwards, and then com-
mence their functions, as their services may be
required, or vacancies in the churches may occur.
Education at home, ordination at home, and a
system of church government upon the principles
which their best authors, and most esteemed living

pastors recommend, would be followed by many


other things which are allowed to be desirable.
A' third desideratum is a uniform Church service
or formulary. Anciently the Vaudois had a liturgy
of their own they now adopt the books of prayer
;

in use among the Swiss Churches. There can


be no inroad upon public opinion, or great inno-
vation, in attempting to introduce a liturgy, which
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 385

shall be common to all their congregations. The


Vaudois with whom I was in communication,
thought it would be a boon worthy of acceptance,
to procure a liturgy to be compiled by members
of the Waldensian Church, and to print a quan-
tity of copies sufficient for gratuitous circulation

among the families of the three valleys, with a


certain number of larger type for the churches'.
It was naturally a great object with me, not
only to obtain the general consent of the Vaudois
for the introduction of an uniform liturgy, but that

this liturgy should be formed, in part at least, after

the model of that of the Church of England ^


In this I felt that I was supported by the
opinions of some of the ablest and most judicious
divines of the Protestant body. Ostervald, whose
name is dear to all the Reformed Churches in
Europe, when he was consulted upon the design

* " Many certainly wish for a fixed liturgy of their own, and
disapprove of many little irregularities which have crept in."

Bracebridge's authentic details of the Valdenses, p. 138.


^ I did not recommend the Vaudois clergy to adopt the
English Liturgy entirely, but to see what part of it might be
useful and edifying among themselves, in conjunction with parts
of the hturgies now in use, and thus to compile a formulary
which might be generally approved. Mr. Sims had prepared
the way for this, by circulating a sheet containing prayers and
collects from the English ritual, translated into French. These
were very much admired.

c c
386 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of introducing a liturgical service into the German


and Swiss Churches, which should bear some con-
formity with that of the English Church, declared
that he entirely approved of it, " For, by such
means," said he, " it is reasonable to think, that a
uniform liturgy may in time be admitted into all

the Protestant Churches, which would indeed be a


most noble and useful work."
At one period of our history, an opportunity
presented itself of establishing a form of worship,
as near as possible to that of the Church of
England, in the dominions of the king of Prussia,
which was lost in a manner almost unaccountable.
It will not be out of place to mention the circum-
stance here\
At the beginning of the last century, the reigning
king of Prussia, by the advice of Dr. Ursinus, an
eminent divine of Berlin, with the title of bishop,
and Dr. Jablouski, first chaplain to the king, and
senior or superintendent of the Protestant Church
in Poland, meditated the design of introducing a
liturgy into the royal chapel and cathedral church,
and then to leave it free to the other churches,

to adopt it or not at the pleasure of the ministers


and congregations. For this purpose a translation
of the English liturgy was made, in preference to

* For the history of this proceeding, see Newcomers Life of

Archbishop Sharp, Vol. T. p. 403—449. Vol. II. Appendix


2nd.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 387

all others, and two copies were sent by order of


the king of Prussia, one to the queen of England,
(Anne) and the other to the archbishop of Canter-
bury, Dr. Tennison ; with the request that the
English hierarchy would give their opinion, as to
the correctness of the translation, and the expe-
diency of the proposed measure. A gracious and
satisfactory reply was received from Queen Anne ;

but, strange to say, no answer was given by the


archbishop of Canterbury, and no notice was taken
on the part of the Enghsh Church. It is supposed,
either that the copy, and the letter which accom-
panied it, were not delivered at Lambeth, or that
Dr. Tennison took longer time to consider of the
matter, than suited the impatience of his Prussian
majesty. This, how^ever, is certain, that the king

was exceedingly offended at the apparent neglect,


expressed his disgust at the indifference manifested
by the clergy of England, and suffered the matter
to drop.
But Dr. Jablouski, whose heart was set upon
the measure, (and whose wishes, to use his own
solemn protestation, " proceeded neither from a
desire of change, nor any other carnal motive, but
from conviction of its utihty, and from a sincere
desire to glorify God, and to edify his Church,")
would not give up the design, and he therefore
opened a correspondence upon the subject with
Sharp, archbishop of York, in 1710, tluough
cc 2
388 WALDENSTAN RESEARCHES.

the medium of Dr. Smalridge, afterwards bishop


of Bristol \
Archbishop Sharp was the very man to enter
warmly into an affair of this kind, for '^
no man,"
said his biographer, " had a more tender concern
for the Reformed interests abroad, nor was more
careful to preserve the beauty and order of the
Church of England, that it might be a standing
pattern for all other Protestants." In conjunction
with this distinguished prelate. Dr. Sprat, bishop
of Rochester, Dr. Robinson, bishop of Bristol, and
afterwards bishop of London, Mr. Hales, who had
been a great deal among the Reformed Churches
in France and Germany, and was well acquainted
with the sentiments of foreign Protestants, and
some of the queen's ministers, endeavoured to
redeem the opportunity which had been lost some
years before.
The affair was discussed in the despatches, which
were sent from the courts of London and Berlin.

A letter received about this period, 1711, from


Baron Prinzen, director of ecclesiastical affairs at

Berlin, explained, that the king of Prussia and his

clergy had, at one time, been exceedingly anxious

* " I hope," said Smalridge, " in a letter to the Archbishop,"


written expressly upon this subject, " your grace is making
haste to town, and I am sure you will make the more haste, if

you think that by being here, you can expedite a work, in which
the honour of your own Church, and the edification of foreign

Churches seem to be so much interested."


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 389

to establish a close union between their Churches


and the Church of England, and that although
their overtures had hitherto been neglected, they
continued to entertain the same favourable dis-

positions. This led to a conference between the


Prussian minister in London and Mr. Secretary
St. John ; and matters seemed to be in a fair

train, for the latter directed the British ambassador


at Berlin, to assure the king of Prussia, *'
that the
English clergy were zealous in the cause, and that
if former overtures met with a cold reception from
any of that body, such behaviour was directly
contrary to their general inclination, and to their
avowed sense, as appeared evidently from the
attempt which the Lower House of Convocation
made some years ago, to join with the bishops, in
promoting a closer correspondence between the
two Churches."
Unfortunately, however, the time had gone by,
many of the Prussian clergy had taken deep of-
fence, first at the indifference manifested in Eng-
land towards their proposal of adopting the English
liturgy ; and, secondly, at some injudicious zeal,
which was displayed by the friends of the measure,
in forcing other forms upon them, which were
not equally acceptable. Queen Anne, the king of
Prussia, and archbishop Sharp, died within a few
months of each other, and then the plan fell to
the ground entirely \

* The failuic, iii llie first instance, wasusciibeci, by M. Bunet,


390 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Dr. Jablouski was honest and discreet through-


out the whole affair, from the first to the last.
His principal anxiety was for the introduction of
the liturgical service, under the persuasion, that
when that was secured, the congregations would
be brought over by degrees, and reconciled to
other things, which then seemed unusual and
strange to them.
His reasons for recommending the English
liturgy to his countrymen, as the basis of their
own, were those by which I was moved in my
advice to the Vaudois : 1st. " That it was the
most perfect of any used in the Reformed Churches
2nd, That it was for the most part taken from the
best antiquity ; 3rd, That the Church of Neufchatel
had succeeded, to the great satisfaction of the
people, in ordering their public worship after the
English manner, though somewhat shorter ; 4th,
That the word of God ought frequently to be read
during Divine service, and the method of the
English Church is excellent in this respect, where
in the public prayer, the Old Testament is read
once a year, the New three times, and the Psalms
once a month."
One of this eminent man's observations applies

the Prussian resident in England, to the jealousy of the non-


conformist party. " On the other hand," said he, " the Whigs,

the Presbyterians, the Independents, and all the other non-


conformists would look upon this conformity with great concern,
as weakening and disarming their party."
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 391

peculiarly to that part of the Vaudois service, to


which I have alluded, with some regret, in Chap-
ter III. " That reading, which is among us, is not
looked upon as a part of the service, and is only
heard by those, who, through mistake, come into
Church a little too early, and is done without
devotion or respect, only to fill up the void time,
till the minister comes in and interrupts it."
CHAPTER XI.

Excursion to the Ujjper Valleys. The Col Julien. Alps and


Alpine Productions. The Germanasca — Prali — Anecdote.
Rodoretto. Massel. The Balsi — Maneglia. Perero. Villa-'

Secca — Pramol.

July 13. With the intentions, which I have stated


in the preceding Chapter, we set out on foot from
Bobi, at five o'clock in the morning, on our way
for the valley of San Martino, by the pass of the
Col Julien, or Guiliano.
The journey was considered too fatiguing for
Mrs. Gilly, and leaving her with the amiable family
at San Margarita, my brother and I slept the pre-
ceding evening at the presbytery of M. Muston,
and were joined at day-break by M. Bonjour, and
a guide, named Melli, who had accompanied Messrs.
Brockedon and Magrath in some of their explo-
ratory visits to the passes of the Alps in this
quarter \

^
I very much regret that Mr. Brockedon has not yet ilhis-

trated any part of this fine country, in the same style in which
he has brought other Alpine regions into notice. The fidelity

of his views, and the exact delineation of the country, in his


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 393

The ascent of the mountain commenced imme-


diately from Bobi. Our route lay nearly due
north, and as in the case of almost all tracks over
the higher mountains, we followed the line of a
torrent, which rises on the Col Julien, and falls

into the Pehce. After passing through some small


grass fields shaded with chesnut-trees, we pursued
our way by an abrupt and steep path, towards
Puy, or Poi. To our left, on the other side of the
torrent, rose the conical and aspiring Mont Bar-
rian, upon whose sides nature and man seem to
have had a terrible conflict. But the hitter has

at length prevailed, and has built his habitation,

and sown his corn on spots, where even the soil

would be carried away by the elements, but for


the walls and terraces which are erected at im-
mense labour to protect them. Seen at a distance,
the cabins, and the winding paths which lead to
them, and the plots of land under cultivation,
appeared to be upon the very edge of precipices,
and the latter so small, as scarcely to be worth all

the risk and toil by which they are rendered pro-


ductive. Most probably we were deceived by the
great space which lay between us and these objects.
They were picturesque beyond all description.
But while we indulge our admiration at the
sight of clifF-built cottages, and patches of grain

maps at the end of each number, render liis work one of great
utility to those who have occasion to consult it.
394 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

in situations, where none but animals of the chase


have a natural claim to the ground, we cannot but
condemn the policy, which has driven an indus-
trious population to seek resting places in such
wilds, instead of inviting them to descend into the
plains, and to employ their enterprising spirit

where it would have a more meet reward.


Almost every hundred yards, as we advanced,
brought us to a change of scene. At one time the
living rock was under our feet, and suspended over
our heads. At the next moment a rood of green
herbage or ripening wheat relieved the eye. Now
a bare surface, and there a grange, with a group
of huts. Thus it continued, a succession of ver-
dure and aridity, until we had passed beyond Puy
and Armagliere. At Puy, there is a small old
church, whose roof abutted upon our path, and
upon which we sat for a few minutes to take breath.
From Armagliere we descended into a deep basin,
or amphitheatre of rocks, at the bottom of which
the torrent was rushing, even at this time of the
year, with great rapidity, though with no vast
body of water. Again we ascended. At a grange
called Moulin de Pontet, we were shewn a preci-

pice down which a mule tumbled, but without


doing himself much injury. It was supposed that
the load on his back saved his bones. Above us,
to the left, were the heights of Mendron, of which
Arnaud took possession, before his bold attack
upon Sibaud. The steeps were here extremely
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 395

precipitous, but some of them were covered with


herbage, and we looked with terror at a woman
cutting grass, and at an old man leading his cow
to feed, where we supposed it scarcely possible
to plant the foot in safety.
At no great distance from Giauzarant, the tor-
rent divided. We took the left hand branch, and
in one of the most desolate parts we met a woman,

who asked us if we knew the owner of a pen-knife,


which she had found eight months ago. In answer
to our enquiry, why she imagined that we might
be able to say who had lost it, she said she had
been told the knife was made in England, and
belonged to an Englishman. Every stranger in
these regions, whose appearance denotes him to be
above the rank of a peasant, is supposed to be
from England. When the stupendous rocks of
Garnireugna, and those called Les Aiguillets de
Julien came in sight, we fancied that we were on
ground which might be defended, for some time at
least, against any force that could be brought
against it ; and it was here that a body of Piemontese
troops were posted to dispute the entrance of
Arnaud's men into the valley of Luserna. But
they were panic struck at the first charge of the
patriots, who had rendered themselves so formid-
able at the bridge of Salabertrand, [^see Acland's
translation of Rentree Glorieuse, pages 65 — 79,]]
and fled after firing a few volleys, which killed
one Vaudois. The spot where he was buried.
396 VVALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

under a rock at Les Paussets, was pointed out to


us, as the grave of a hero.

Amidst the ever-varying scenery on this day's

route, after toiUng over the rough bed of the tor-


rent,we came to a bank of rhododendrons, on
which we reposed for a few minutes, and then
pushed our way up an accKvity, which seemed to
have no end. If the tales of our guide, and the
anecdotes, which he had to tell in iUustration of
almost every striking feature of the mountain, had
not been of some assistance, we should have re-
pented of our hard day's work, before we had half
completed it. We arrived at the chalets of Julien,
after four hours walking, and there breakfasted
and although the interior of these summer huts
are not at all inviting in point of cleanliness, we

were glad to be under the shelter of their roofs,

from the burning heat of the sun. The Alp of


Julien is just under the Col of the same name,
and is one of those rich pasturages, to which you
find yourself transported, as I have observed in
another place, as if by magic, after having appa-
rently left all verdure far behind you. To these
spots the cattle are driven, and remain wdth the
owners and their families, for three or four months.
I counted forty cows and ten sheep, and was told
that many hundreds are fed on this and the neigh-
bouring Alps, which lie on this side of the chain

that divides Piemont from Dauphine.


I have here used the word Alp in its proper
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 397

and original acceptation, derived as it is from a


Celtic term, which does not signify mountain
height, but mountain herbage. Alp, or Alpen,
as Simler has shewn, is grass-land on the higher
mountains, on which the " herbage is not cut,
and made into hay for winter use, but is fed off by
flocks and herds sent to depasture there ;" hence,
" zu alp faren," is to lead cattle to the mountain
pasturages, in which they remain near the sum-
mits for the three summer months ^
With this meaning attached to the word, many
of the slopes near the summits in the Vaudois
territory are so called ; as the Infernet Alp, the
Pis Alp, the Crosena and Roussa Alps. It is on
such verdant heights, that vegetation ascends
much above the snow line, and that the traveller
frequently crosses patches of snow, and many
tracts of arid surface less favourably situated, be-
fore he comes to the green spots of which I am
speaking. Here different grasses, clover, and
heaths, (and, I believe, I may add the violet,)
flourish in fertile soil, warmed by the sun's rays,

* Josiae Simleri Valesiae et Alpium descriptio, p. 175. See


also, Procop. lib. 1. de bello. Got. p. 186. Ed. 1607. Eustath.
ad Diony. irepi-qr, page 42. Charta Guigonis And. an. 1222.
torn. 2. Hist. Delph. p. 505. and other passages, quoted sub
verbo Alpes, in Gloss. Med. et Inf. Latinitatis, to shew the
meaning of the word Alp. In the ninth part of the new edition
of the Encyclopeedia Britannica, under the word Alps, a note
observes, "some authors derive Alp from Alb, a verdant height.'*
398 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

and moistened by snow water, seven thousand feet


and upwards above the level of the sea.
The chalets on the Alp Julien were by no
means so picturesque to the eye, as most of the
Swiss chalets, as those on the Wengern Alp, for
example ; here they are built of stone, but there
of the trunks and limbs of the pine, so disposed
as to be equally pleasing to the eye, and proof
against weather. But glad enough were we to
lie down upon the hard seat, and to quench our
thirst with milk in one of these hospitable cabins,
before we proceeded to climb towards the elevated
ridge that separates the valley of Luserna from
that of San Martino, and the commune of Bobi
from Prali.

This last ascent was not performed till past


eleven o'clock : it was consequently under a flam-
ing sun that we scrambled up the Col Julien, and
more than once did we stop to rest our weary
limbs. One of our party was so overcome by
heat and fatigue, that whenever we stopped for a
minute or two, he lay down and instantly fell
asleep. Before we gained the summit we were
joined by four robust peasants, whose bare heads,
and arms, and legs, and rapid advance upon us,

made us wonder what brought them there. They


were crossing the mountain to cut grass on the
other side.
Sultry as the weather was, yet the snow
was still lying in places screened from the sun's
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 399

rays. When we reached the spine of the moun-


tain, the aspect of the country was totally differ-

ent on the other side. The steep by which we


had ascended was without a tree; the one
which we had to descend was at first bare of
all vegetation for some hundred yards, but be-
yond this there were forests extending along
the sides of the decUvities, and plots of rich
herbage enamelled with flowers. On one bank I

counted seven different sorts. The rapidity of


the descent towards Prali was such, that we found
it necessary to proceed with caution ; but, in the
meantime, the four peasants set off at quick pace,
and were far away and busily employed cutting
the grass for which they came, long before we had
reached the bottom of the first steep. This region
is very productive of that which serves as winter
fodder for the cattle, for we fell in with several
groups of mountaineers, who had collected some
large bundles of long grass mixed with moss, with
which they were plodding their way home ; and
to judge from the distance we walked before we
came any habitations, they must have had
to
much ground to traverse ere they arrived at the
place where they began to cut it.

Having traced our way to the summit of the


Col Julien by the course of a torrent, we descend-
ed towards the habitable part of the commune of
Prali, by means of a similar guide ; and first on one
side of the (iermanasca, and then on the other, we
2
400 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

journeyed on by the hamlets of Riba, Jourdaine,


Pomiers, Orgiers, and Malzotti, till we reached
Guigot, the hamlet where the Protestant church
and presbytery stand. Prali, or the Prals, Les
Prali, is the name of the commune, and there are
two hamlets which are so called, —
one high up
towards the source of the Germanasca, and the
other below Guigot. Guigot, as being the central
and largest village, is called La Ville, and is so
marked some of the maps.
in

It was two o'clock before we arrived at the


presbytery, and thoroughly tired we were. So
much so, that while Madame Peyrani was kindly
and busily employed in preparing dinner, my
brother and I enjoyed a hearty siesta.

The day's march had been somewhat hard, for

the heat was excessive, and the descent so rapid


as to shake us from head to foot. But it was a
day of great interest. We had crossed a moun-
tain at a high elevation, and had had opportu-
nities of noticing the peculiarities of two of those
transversal valleys which exhibit most of the
Alpine features, and have been acted upon, in a
greater or less degree, by the force of water. It

was interesting to trace the two streams on each


side of the mountain ; the one from its junction
with the Pelice to its source —the other from its

first rill to the impetuous rapids and deep pools


of the Germanasca. We saw the infant condition
of the latter, when he was nothing more than a fee-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 401

ble gush from a bed of snow. Following the little

streamlet, we came to a rent in the rocks, where


others joined it : presently there was a second
meeting of the waters, and then another, and
another, till the channel became more marked
and defined, and at length occupied the breadth

of a mighty rushing torrent.


Another agreeable occupation, as we ascended
and descended, was to notice the distribution of
vegetation. In the nine hours spent between
Bobi and Guigot, we had seen first the gradual
disappearance of the larger trees, till nothing
was left but dwarf shrubs, and then again the re-
appearance of foliage, and trees of different species.
At Bobi, the chesnut and the walnut are the giants
of the wood on the other side of the Col Julien,
;

the pine rises supreme above the rest. As we


climbed the mountain, every sort of grain vanished
by degrees from our sight : as we approached the
opposite vale again, wheat, and barley, and oats,
greeted us on our way ; but not any in a state of
ripeness. The hues of gold were entirely gone
and we were in a new chmate. The valley of
San Martino is a month or six weeks behind that
of Luserna.
A very little experience and observation will
soon teach the traveller to conjecture, from the
appearance of vegetation, the probable height of
the mountains which he has ascended, or the
elevation above the sea of the valleys which he
1) d
402 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

is traversing. He will see no oaks beyond 3,300'


feet, or thereabouts. The chesnut seldom ascends
above 2,400. The vine not more than 1,700.
The olive and orange will only grow at the foot of
the Alps, and principally near the coast. The birch
and the pitch pine will flourish at an elevation
of 4,500 feet ; but the beech stops at about 4000.
Of fruit-trees, the cherry may be cultivated as
high as any ; at 3000 feet. The alder ranges to
6000 — the rhododendron as high. The dwarf
willow can bear the greatest altitude. Barley,
oats, and wheat, will sometimes grow at upwards
of 5000 feet. Some of the finest pasturages are
found at 7000 ; and there are many herbaceous
plants and grasses which can bear the elevation
of 7,600 feet.
Another way of judging of the probable height
above the sea, is from the animals which are seen.
The highest summits, and the most pointed tops
of rock or ice are not too elevated for thebouque-
tin. The chamois does not ascend so high as the
bouquetin ; but he never finds his way into the
plains. He is only to be seen on very lofty ridges
and acclivities in the vicinity of the snow line.

The marmot and white hare frequent the slopes


of mountains, which are below the favourite haunts
of the chamois. The fox does not like to mount I
higher than where he can find brakes and thickets
to conceal him. The vulture and the eagle share
the domains of the chamois ; and the ptarmagan
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 403

those of the marmot ; while the heath-cock and


the grouse aspire no higher than the pine forests.
The pheasant is found in great abundance in

ahnost all the woody heights, which rise imme-


diately above the valleys.
In our journey over the Col Julien, we fre-

quently heard the shrill cry of the marmot, and


saw one of them. But in vain did we keep an
anxious look-out, under the hope of catching a
view of a chamois : Melli thought he espied a
young one, but if he did, we were not so lucky.
Nor were we favoured with the sight of eagle or
vulture though we were so entirely
; within their
region, that a crag was pointed out to us, where
David David, a celebrated sportsman, had de-
stroyed a nest and captured the mother bird. He
shot at, and wounded the eagle herself, but could

not approach nearer the nest, than to apply to it

and its contents a bunch of lighted straw at the


end of a long pole.

Our siesta and dinner at the presbytery restored


to us our alacrity ; and in the evening, we walked
with M. Peyrani by the banks of the Germanasca
to the lower Prali, where we called upon some of
the pastor's friends, and enjoyed the conversation
and frank manners of the veritable Vaudois of this
remote commune. Prali is called the poorest of
the Waldensian parishes. It is fenced in by rock
and forest. It lies directly under the great chain
of the Alps. It is often seven and eight, and even
Dd 2
404 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

nine months under snow. Its productions are


few and precarious, exposed as the whole com-
mune is to avalanches. It has no mulberry-
trees, no chesnuts, no vines. Wheat, barley,
and grow in the more fertile parts of its
oats,

long narrow defile, but there is neither abundance


nor certainty in the crops. And yet the poorest
though it is called, Prali is not the commune
where most wretchedness is found. The native
population has been less intruded upon by
strangers ; and the increase less than in many
other parts of the valleys : their wants are few
their habits of frugality and abstinence secure
them enough of the absolute necessaries of life,

and with these they are contented. It is an ob-


servation, which I have made before, but which I

may again repeat, that the most sterile districts of


the Waldensian territory, are not those where the
sufferings of poverty are most felt.

The Protestant church of ''


this doleful village,'*

as a late traveller called it, and doleful indeed it

looks, the central school and the presbytery are


all sorry buildings ; the pastor has done what he
could to improve his own habitation, and to obtain
the means of putting the school and church in
sufficient repair, but he has hitherto been unsuc-
cessful.

M. Peyrani is the son of Ferdinand Peyrani,


late pastor of Pramol ; and, according to the usual
regulations, should have exchanged this laborious
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 405

and remote mountain cure, for a parish in one of


the other valleys. Something, however, occurred
to disappoint him, and perhaps to vex him, but

he has submitted to the disappointment for peace


sake. I had reason to expect that the son of the
Waldensian clergyman, who expressed himself, in

his letter to the Society for Promoting Christian


Knowledge \ so plainly on the subject of the an-
cient institutions of the Waldenses, would be
pleased with the statement which M. Bonjour had
to lay before him, and so it proved.
July 14. We rose at an early hour, and ac-
companied by M. Pcyrani, we crossed the Ger-
manasca, and ascended toward the mountain called
Galmont, on our way to the other parish under his

charge, Rodoretto. This is four or five miles distant


from his habitation, and being only approached
by steep heights, and deep ravines, imposes heavy
and difficult duties upon him. Hitherto Praii
with Rodoretto as an annexe, and Massel with
Maneglia annexed to it, have been served by two
pastors, though the parishes require four, because
there have been no means of paying four ; and for
this reason it has been customary to offer the
pastors, who have been so burthened, the choice
of less onerous cures in the other valleys, when
vacancies have taken place. This excursion would
have given me sufficient evidence, had I wanted

*
See Narmlive of an Excursion, &c. p. 3. 4th Edit.
406 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

such, of the labours of a Waldensian minister


more particularly in the winter. The acclivities,

which we had to mount, must be absolutely formid-


able, when the ground is slippery from ice, snow,
or wet : and some of the paths are so narrow, and
shelving, as they overhang the precipices, that it

requires long habit, or the utmost caution, to


traverse them in safety. Loitering a little behind
my companions, I lost sight of them, but following
in the track, I came to a spot where the footing
seemed to be so insecure, and the gulf, which
yawned below, so appalling, that I paused, and
looked around, to see if there were no other pas-
sage. It was not till I had ascertained that it was
the only path, that I ventured to proceed by it.

And yet this was after some little practice had


inured me to such mountain horrors.
In the pine grove on the mountain side facing
the hamlet of Lower Prali, where is the Roman
Catholic church, and directly opposite to that
building, M. Peyrani shewed us a noble fir-tree,

and upon it a cross cut deeply in the bark. " This


emblem of her faith," said the pastor, ^'
was made
by a Roman Catholic woman, whose flocks and
chalet are on the Alp, immediately above us. The
church below is the nearest to her pasturage, and
here she comes, as frequently as she can, at the
hour of mass, and kneeling before this cross, and
within view of the sanctuary, where she knows
the priest is officiating before the altar, she offers
waldens:an researches. 407

up her devotions, and enjoys all the consolations


of her religion." The Protestant clergyman re-
lated the anecdote with every feeling of respect for
such sincere and simple piety, and I am sure that
we heard it with equal sympathy. There is not a
tale of Waldensian constancy or devotedness to
the truth, which I have recorded with more plea-
sure, than I note down this simple trait of Christ-
ian character in a member of the other Church.
On Galmont we visited the spot where the
Vaudois, under Arnaud, had a camp, and the
wood, wherein the sick and the wounded were
concealed. Galmont is strong by nature, and was
rendered more impregnable by two redoubts, or
entrenchments, which the patriots threw up. 1

paced the smaller of the two, of an oval form, and


found it to be about 100 yards in circumference.
This memorable height commands a fine view of
the defiles, in which Prali and Rodoretto are
situated : the one on the banks of the Germanasca,
the other on a torrent which flows into the Ger-
manasca. Our route from Galmont to Rodoretto
lay through a wood of firs, in which there were
some very fine acacias.
Rodoretto is a poor village, situated in a hollow
of the mountains : the church and central school,
like those of Prali, are miserable buildings. The
celebrated Leger, moderator and historian of the
Vaudois, was one of M. Peyrani's predecessors in
the cure of Prali and Rodoretto. In a memoir of
408 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

his own life, printed at the end of his history of


the Vaudois Churches, there is an animated notice
of his first appointment to this double cure. '^
It

was in September 1629, that I was sent to take


charge of the Prali and Rodoretto, in the highest
and the coldest of all the valleys, which is usually
covered with snow eight or nine months in the
year, with an injunction to preach four times a
week."
The memoir proceeds to state, that one Sunday,
when he was going from Prali to Rodoretto, in
the month of February, he was caught in a snow
storm, and suffered so dreadfully from the cold,
that he was frost-bitten, and attacked by an im-
posthume, which nearly cost him his life.

After having spent an hour at Rodoretto, we


proceeded towards Massel, by Guardiol and Fon-
tana : our path lay parallel with the torrent that
tumbles into the Germanasca, and offered one of
the finest views of a mountain gorge I ever saw.
The waters were at a great depth below us,
thundering and foaming in a succession of cata-
racts from rock to rock. The opposite steeps
were well covered with wood. The cliffs to our
left some places perpendicularly, and con-
rose in
tained many grottos and caverns of considerable
beauty. A " canal d'arosage," or aqueduct, run-
ning in a line with the path, was most ingeniously
contrived, so as to convey the water in part by
wooden troughs, supported by piles of stone, and
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 409

was as much deserving of notice, as some of those


magnificent constructions of the Romans^, which
continue to be the wonder of succeeding genera-
tions. This humble and useful work displayed
the utmost ingenuity and perseverance on the
part of its constructors, and was extremely pictu-
resque to the eye.
Nobody should visit the valley of San Martino,
without taking this route to or from Rodoretto.
It is much more worth a day's journey than many
of the scenes in Switzerland and Italy, which oc-
casion so much talk. The torrent, at its junction
with the Germanasca, is the finest water-fall in the
valleys, considering the height from which it falls,

and the body of descending water.


In the winter, the snow renders this pass very
dangerous : and a few years ago, a pastor would
have been lost, who slipped, and rolled down
towards the gulf below, had he not fortunately
been accompanied by persons, who were able to
catch hold of him before he was precipitated into
the vortex.
Leaving the romantic path by the torrent side,

we advanced towards Guardiol by a rocky acclivity,


which was empurpled with lavender. At Fontana,
the syndic of the commune, who resides there,
hailed us in, and would not suffer us to decline
his hospitable offers of refreshment. Perhaps,
however, we should have persisted in going on
without stopping, had he not urged us to visit a
410 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

new school-house, which was then building under


the benevolent auspices of Colonel Beckwith.
From Fontana, we had a long and weary way
before we could reach the top of the mountain,
which divided us from the valley in which Massel
and its hamlets are built. But the summit gained,
we had the satisfaction to find that much of our
route would then lie through a forest, where we
should be protected from the burning rays of the
sun. Before we began our descent, M. Peyrani
directed our attention to the pretty looking hamlets
of Le Coupe, and Didier, and Sanforan, and Le
Serre, on the left, and to Champs de Salse, Robers,
and Grange Didiers, on the right.

We arrived at Massel, about two o'clock, after


passing through that alternation of woodland,
meadowland, corn-fields, and rocky glens, which
relieves weariness, and keeps the spirits and curio-
sity continually on the alert.

M. Tron, a proprietor of a large tract of moun-


tain land, whose name figures in Vaudois history,
as Trono of Massel, received us hospitably in his
new-built house, which is a habitation of much
larger dimensions, and of better appearance, than
we should expect to find in this remote corner.
While every preparation was making by Madame
Tron, to entertain a hungry party of four or five
unexpected visitors, the mountain Laird escorted
us to the famous Balsi, or Balceglia : the scene of
one of the most extraordinary defences in modern
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 411

warfare. A narrow defile, and a road, steep,


rugged, and in many places almost impassable,
except to men on foot, led to this position, which
no less than 20,000 French and Piemontese troops
were employed to surround, with the intention of
cutting off the retreat of a few hundred Vaudois,
and of compelling them to surrender.
Our curiosity was excited to the utmost to ex-
plore a spot, which was described in the despatches
of the officers who commanded the royal forces,
as a natural fortress projecting between the Guig-
nivert, on one side, and the Col de Pis on the
other, the highest mountains in this region, and
forming the point of an angle, the sides of which
were two wild torrents. This citadel of living
rock, rose, it was said, in the shape of a cone, and
was broken towards the top by three distinct
points, each of which had a plateau at its foot,

which might serve as a retreat when the Vaudois


should be driven from the one below it. The
upper part was called the Fortin, and the lower
the Balsi, or castle. Before the French ventured
to make the attempt of taking it by assault, the
whole country was invested by a cordon of troops,
and the storming party consisted of 450 veterans,
supported by 700 miUtia.
Arnaud himself described the Balsi as " a lofty
and very steep rock, (see Acland's translation of
Arnaud, p. 147) rising by three different terraces,
on the top of each of which was a small flat space.
412 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

in which a sort of barrack had been excavated.


It possessed also three springs. Intrenchments
had been constructed here^ pierced with loop-
holes. Each post was provided with a large
store of stones, to hurl on the heads of the assail-

ants." Long before we arrived at the hamlet of


Balceglia, which is at the foot of this natural
fortress, we distinguished the three rocky points,
and formidable character of the position. The
lower terrace also, or Balsi itself, was plainly
marked, and is at present the site of one cottage.
A mural precipice rises from the torrent to the
platform on which the cottage stands. After
stopping a few minutes at the hamlet, where the
natives seemed highly pleased with the interest

we seemed to take in the celebrity of their name,


we crossed an Alpine bridge, and, by a very steep
and tortuous path, we reached the first terrace.
I suppose my expectations were raised too high,
for I confess I felt some disappointment at not

finding traces of the barracks that were excavated,


and of the intrenchments, and other proofs of the
terrible conflict maintained here. But I forgot
that it was 140 years ago, and that time must
have swept away many, if not all such memorials.
I should not have been led to believe that this
spot was once the retreat of four or five hundred
fighting men, who had thrown up artificial ramp-
arts, had I not been assured by history and tradi-
tion, that such was the case : so entirely had the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 413

face of every inch of ground, where soil could be


found or brought, been changed by cultivation.
It was manifest that a better position for defence

could not be chosen, but there was no proof to


the eye of its having been employed as such.
It was too late in the day to think of climbing
to the upper terraces, and had there been time,
M. Tron assured us that he should have dissuaded
us from the attempt, unless we had been better
prepared, with shoes nailed and spiked for the
purpose, and unless he had previously seen how
our heads could bear such an adventure. It was,
indeed, a frightfully precipitous steep to think of
ascending. I saw a woman cutting grass at a
great elevation, and apparently in a very exposed
spot above us ; and enquired how she could ven-
ture, where it would be hazardous for us. He
replied very significantly, ''
Habit and necessity
are her guides and safeguard."
We retraced our steps back to M. Tron's house,
determined to come again to the Balsi.
In the evening, we bade adieu to our kind enter-
tainers,and directed our steps towards the pres-
bytery of M. Timoleon Peyrani, at Maneille, or
Maneglia, where we were to sleep, and a toilsome,
dragging way it proved. After passing the Borgo
di Bobert, we advanced by the edge of precipices,
till the path led us down to the bed of the
river. We then had to perform the remainder of
the journey, for three-quarters of an hour, by
414 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES

scrambling up-hill, and never in my life was I

more exhausted than when I reached Maneglia


at nine o'clock. I could scarcely speak. I men-
tion this to record the remedy. My cordial was
a lump or two of sugar steeped in brandy. The
effect was almost instantaneous. After this I en-
joyed a good supper, thanks to the kindness of
Madame Peyrani, and did not regret that I had
been fourteen hours on foot this day. Bonjour
and my brother were not less sensible of the
effects of the day's march than I was ; but as for
M. Peyrani, he strode onwards from morning till

night, with an erect and stately pace, recounted


his tales, indulged in his dry humour, and planted
the soles of his feet, as firmly on the ground,
when he arrived at his brother's presbytery, as
when he left his own, fresh from his breakfast.
July 15. I was stiff and feverish, and every
joint ached, when they called me this morning, at
day-break, and gladly would I have folded my
arms for a little more sleep ; but we had another
long day's journey before us, and it was necessary
to bestir ourselves.
M. Timoleon ManegKa and
Peyrani, pastor of
Massel, was not at home when we arrived last
night but he came in, after we had retired to bed,
;

and I was introduced to him for the first time


this morning. I had been anxious to make his

acquaintance, not only as the brother of our friend


of Prali, and nephew of the late moderator, but as
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 415

the author of an energetic work on the Vaudois


Church and Character, worthy of his distinguished
family. His manner is modest, and at first intro-
duction he is somewhat reserved, but his conver-
sation, when he warms, is that of the gifted author
of " Considerations sur les Vaudois." I felt sure
of his cordial approbation of my plans, after read-

ing the piquant and characteristic introduction of


his book, (" De Valdensium doctrina Theses, quas,
Deo juvante, tueri conabitur Timoleon Peyran,")
and his many eloquent praises of the ancient in-
stitutions of his country. INI. Bonjour explained
my intentions to him, and once more I had the
satisfaction of hearing them approved.
The presbytery, church, and central school of
Maneglia, like those of Prali and Rodoretto, are
such as denote the scanty resources of a commune,
which is situated on one of the rugged and less

productive slopes of the upper valleys.


Baisse is the proper name of the hamlet which
is the residence of the pastor, and here again
Colonel Beckwith has made provision for putting
the central school in a better condition. If I
remember right, he has enabled Maneglia to con-
struct a new building. I should have been more
anxious to dedicate part of the funds at my dis-

posal to similar purposes, if I had not conceived


it to be better poHcy to devote them to a cause,
which nobody has yet undertaken to promote.
The ghls' schools are in the hands of the London
416 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Committee, and objects of concern to Mr. Bridge.


The salaries of the schoolmasters are under the
immediate eye of the Dutch Committee ; the pas-
tors' stipends have been considered by the English
government, and by the Society for the Propa-
gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Colonel
Beckwith has given his attention to the repairs
of the school-rooms, and the foundation of a
College became, therefore, an affair to which I

felt that I might usefully give my principal con-


sideration, and thereby assist the Vaudois in ob-
taining that on which they have long set their
hearts.
After breakfast we took our departure from
Baisse, and descended towards Perero, by the
romantic glens of Chabranza. As we left the
higher regions, we came into the land of
again
the vine, and the chesnut, and the walnut. Perero
is a small town on the Germanasca, and the popu-

lation is entirely Roman Catholic how it came to ;

be so, I did not learn : it is the only instance in


the valleys of the kind : but not in any of the
Protestant communes, were we more kindly wel-
comed than With the addition of the two
here.
Peyranis, who resolved to accompany us to Villa-
Secca, we were now six in party but the moment;

we entered Perero, we were hailed in by a Roman


Catholic surgeon, who invited some of his neigh-
bours to join us, and placed a repast before us, on
the strength of which we might have proceeded

I
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 417

till night. The kindness and genuine frankness


with which the three Vaudois clergymen, and the
English strangers, (whose Protestantism was known
to have brought them here,) were received by
these members of the other community, added
one more to the many convictions on my mind,
that there is no reason why Protestants and
Roman Catholics should not dwell together amic-
ably, wherever pains, and penalties, and disabili-

ties for religion sake are removed.


From Perero we proceeded to Villa-Secca,
the parish of M. Rostaing, the present Mode-
rator ; the son of the late pastor of Bobi, at
whose suggestion the Vaudois conveyed the
wounded French over the borders. On the emi-
nence to our right we saw Faetto, and to our left
San Martino, which gives the name to the valley.
Villa-Secca is situated on the slope of the
mountain above the hamlet of Clots. The house
where Leger was born, and the church of Villa-

Secca, with the presbytery, are at no great dis-


tance from each other, and having visited each of
these, we descended again with the Moderator to
Clots, where I had the gratification of finding the

children of the girls' school, busily at work in a

nice, clean, airy room, looking tidy and cheerful,


and the pictures of health. The more I saw of
these establishments, the more I felt convinced
that they will prove a great benefit to the Vaudois
population. The name of Rostaing will, I trust,

E e
418 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

long continue to find a distinguished place in the


chronicles of the Waldenses. The present head
of the family is Moderator. His son is pastor of
Prarustino, and has the reputation of being one
of the most active and pious ministers of the
valleys. One of the Moderator's daughters was
at the girls' school at Clots^ when I made my first

visit to it. Having reason to be pleased with the


proficiency of the children, I gave a few francs to
be divided among them by way of reward. M.
Rostaing's daughter, with a spirit worthy of old
Rostaing, of Bobi, gave her share to a school-
fellow, to enable her to buy a pair of shoes.
Our party, increased by the Moderator, M.
Jalla, pastor of Pomaretto, and the eldest son of
the late moderator Peyrani, dined at Clots, in the
house of the widow Bert. A salad, an omelet,
and some sausages, composed the dinner: and
over this frugal meal we discussed the matters
which had brought us together, and once more I

had an opportunity of studying the Vaudois cha-


racter in their hours of convivial unreserve.
At four o'clock we left Clots, and crossing the
river which runs through the valley, we ascended
the Combe Garin, on our route to Pramol. All
the party, like a guard of honour, and with the
kind object of shewing us attention, accompanied
us far up the mountain, under a scorching sun,
and by rough and rugged paths, until we reached
Riclaretto, the annexe of Villa-Secca. Here the
2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 419

Moderator took advantage of an elevated spot,


and pointed out to me the whole extent of his
laborious cure ; the hamlets of v/hich stretch
along on each side of the Germanasca, and mount
up to the brows of the hills which enclose the
valley. Within the nearer prospect we saw Lay-
rasse, Troussier, San Martino, the three Clots,
and Bovilla. Far away to our left we distinguished
the Col de Pis, and its cascade, Guignevert, and
Albergian. To the right Pomaretto, and the
heights above Perosa. These views were not
only interesting, inasmuch as they presented the
loveliest and most magnificent scenery to the eye,
but in the accurate judgment which they enabled
me to form of the face of the country. I had
now seen from different mountain-heights nearly
the whole of the valleys of Luserna and San
Martino. The Moderator, the three Peyranis,
and M. Jalla, took leave of us at Riclaretto, and
M. Bonjour, my brother, and I, pursued our way
to Pramol by Mont Lazare.
We reached the summit of Lazare at seven
o'clock, and would that I could describe the beauty
of that evening scene. We looked down upon
the hamlets of Pramol and San Germano. We
found ourselves upon one of those Alps, where
the green sward was as soft as a carpet, and the
airwas perfimied with the odoriferous herbs, which
grew there in profusion. It was the hour when
the cattle were collecting together, to move home-
rs e 2
420 WALDENSIAN RESEAKCHES.

wards, and the sounds of the lowing herds and


bleating flocks mingled pleasingly with the voices
of the shepherds, and the tingling of the sheep-
bells. The girls and women, who were attend-
ing their flocks, were at the same time busily
plying the distaff". The sensations of pleasure
produced by this scene of mountain and pastoral
life, were perfectly indescribable.
An accident which befell me, as we were de-
scending towards Pramol, dissipated some of my
agreeable reveries. My foot slipped, and falling

with some violence upon my hand, I dislocated


my middle finger. My brother and M. Bonjour,
set it again immediately, and cutting a couple of
splinters out of one of the walking poles, the finger
was put into a secure position, and with my neck-
cloth for a sling, we arrived at the presbytery of
M. Vin9on, at eight o'clock, where we were re-

ceived by himself and his young wife, with that

cordial and friendly welcome which made us feel

at home.
July 16. Paramolo, or Pramol. Never did I

witness more appearance of contentment and


peace, than M. Vin9on seems to enjoy in his
mountain parish. His presbytery is the abode of
domestic affection, and I think I may confidently
add, of happiness, although his income, until the
late increase by the restitution of the stipend from
England, could not have exceeded that of Gold-
smith's country curate. He is a great favourite
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 421

among his flock, and in testimony of their respect,

they have lately built him a very comfortable


habitation, at the cost of about 7000 francs, or

280/., close to his church, which is also in a state

of decent repair. Every English traveller, who


has visited Pramol, has spoken in terms of esteem
and admiration of this pastor : I was therefore
prepared to like him ; but there was an air of
comfort and cheerfulness in his dwelling, and of
good management in the regulation of his parish,

which sent me home more than ever enamoured


of the character of the Christian minister, who
lives in the midst of his family and his flock, with
all his wishes and wants, his hopes and his ex-
pectations, his cares and his anxieties, brought
within one narrow and dear circle.

Madame Vincon, a fair Swiss, had lived as


governess in England and Ireland ; in Ireland
with the family of an Archbishop, but leaving all

vain aspirings behind, she has brought to these


remote valleys many of those Englisli habits
which give a charm to domestic life. An Enghsh
lady. Miss Burroughs, with good judgment, and
the most charitable intentions, thought she could
not do better for this part of the valleys, than to
place a well stocked medicine chest under the
charge of Madame Vincon, who has by this means
been enabled to dispense to the necessities of many
of the sick and aihng, who would otherwise have
422 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

gone unrelieved. In this, and other charges which


she has taken upon herself, this amiable woman
is completely the clergyman's wife. Her two
blooming boys, one of five and a half, and the
other of three and a half, are so well taught, under
her maternal instruction, that when the elder, in

play,menaced the younger with a stick, the latter


exclaimed, " What, will you be like Cain, and kill
your brother ?"

Pramol realized our notion of an Alpine village,


as much as any in the valleys. It is situated in a
fertile basin, nearly at the top of a mountain, from
which you command a splendid view of the vale
of the Clusone, and the plains of Piemont. Its

hamlets are scattered in sight of the knoll on


which the church and presbytery stand, and the
variety of the productions, which grace the land-
scape, make as perfect a picture as the imagina-
tion can fancy.
If I could venture to point out one spot above
another as the scene of that rustic felicity, which
is the theme of romance and poetry, I should fix

upon that which is inhabited by M. Vin9on, and


his family. A young couple, with their three
lovely children, two boys, and an infant, the very
image of health, have here had their lots cast toge-
ther among the wild beauties of nature, and are in
possession of that which they call enough ; having
been separated for many years after their first
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 423

declarations of attachment, they are now united,

and fulfilHng their mutual vows of affection and


duty.
We should have gone from Pramol to San
Germano and Prarustino, to lay our proposals
before the only two pastors whom I had not yet
seen ; but my dislocated finger was some incon-
venience, therefore we determined to return di-

rectly to La Torre. Crossing the Russigha torrent,


which runs through a deep glen, we ascended
towards La Vachera, by some fine woods and
pasturages, and from the lofty heights that sepa-
rate Pramol from the communes of Angrogna
and Prarustino, we looked down upon Roccapiatta,
San Bartholomeo, San Secondo, and the plains
far beyond Pinerolo. It was a combination of
rock and wood, corn-fields and vineyards, of
mountain and vale, and of green pastures by the
water side, seen under the influence of an evening
sun. We passed through several of the hamlets
of Angrogna, and arrived at San Margarita in
time to take our places round the supper table.
I gained much by this journey to the upper
valleys. I had traversed on foot the whole length
of the valleys, and in such a direction as to give
me a good idea of the localities of all the parishes
and hamlets. I had become acquainted vdth
notables of the community, and had learnt their
sentiments upon many important topics. I had
424 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

seen the manners of the pastors, and principal


inhabitants, and of the poorest peasants, under
different circumstances. My favourable opinions
are all strengthened. If there were some few
things which vexed me, there were many which
gave me pleasure.

1
CHAPTER XII.

Proposals to the Vaudois Pastors and Officers of the Table


for the establishment of a College in the ValLys.

Having now visited thirteen out of the fifteen


Waldensian parishes, and conversed with all the
pastors but two, and most of the principal laity, I

felt that I was competent to form a pretty fair esti-


mate of the wants and wishes of the community,
and that I might put down upon paper the pro-
posals that I had to make. It was an object to
have my plan so stated, as that each of the pastors
might have an opportunity of reflecting upon it,

and giving his opinion more deliberately, than

when he had only an outline explained in conver-


sation to guide him. I therefore employed myself,
after my return from the excursion related in the
last Chapter, in drawing up some resolutions,
which were shaped and modified, with the assist-

ance of those of my Vaudois friends, who were at


hand. Having done this, the paper was sub-
mitted to the perusal of their brethren, as I had
opportunities of communicating with them, and
received their final sanction and signatures, under
426 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the form in which I now present it to my


readers. Upon one occasion^ ten pastors were
present, after the paper had been signed by
them separately, and these, having again consi-
dered the subject, in a body, signified their joint
consent by signing a second time in testimony of
their full approbation. It will be supposed that
some of my resolutions produced observations
and that explanations were asked, and amendments
proposed ; these I have noted, so that those who
desire to be in full possession of all that relates
materially to the scheme, will not, I trust, be dis-

appointed.

Proposals submitted to the consideration of the pastors


of the Waldensian Church, July 1829.

" The Waldensian historians, and writers, and


others, who complain that the Vaudois of the
present day have departed, more or less, from the
purity and simplicity of their ancestors, attribute
it to two causes : First, To the imperfect system
of education in the valleys, which obliges the
students of theology to expatriate themselves
eight, ten, and sometimes twelve years ^, at the

hazard of their morals, and of their religious prin-


ciples, and at very considerable expense ; a prac-

* " In the present state of things, young Vaudois often quit

their homes, for Switzerland, before they are sixteen years of


age." — Note by M. Bonjour.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 427

tice which necessarily results from the want of


means to obtain instruction at home suitable to

any of the higher professions. Secondly, To the


relaxation of the ancient discipline, particularly
of the ancient surveillance of the Moderator, who
formerly used to visit all the churches once a
year, that he might report accordingly ^
to the
synod.
" There is also great complaint in the Walden-
sian communes, that the churches, families, and
individuals experience a general want of books of
devotion, both for public services, and for private
use.
'^
Under these circumstances, I propose, (upon
certain conditions, and under certain regulations,)
to apply funds at my disposal to the endowment
of a school, or college, which shall serve for the
instruction of young persons intended for the

ministry, for regents, schoolmasters, &c. &c., and


which shall, as far as it is possible, be equally

beneficial to the three valleys. In the promotion


of this object, I engage to furnish five thousand
francs towards building a house for the proposed
estabhshment, provided that the Vaudois will

themselves give the site, within the commune of


La Torre.
" To give a stipend of 1500 francs a-year to the
head-master.

^ See Leger, page 207.


428 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

" To give ten exhibitions of 100 francs each to


students of the ten communes, situated at the
greatest distance from La Torre.
'^
To make these permanent endowments, if the
college goes on satisfactorily.
*^
To make a communication of these intentions
to the London Vaudois Committee, and to the

Dutch Committee \ under the hope that the

^ The idea of uniting the funds of the grammar-school with

those of the college, was not only strongly recommended by M.


Monastier, of Lausanne, " Avant tout," said he, " pour rendre
les moyens d'instruction efficaces, il faudroit les reunir;" but

some few years ago, a plan of a similar nature was in agitation,

and a letter was addressed to the sub-prefect of Pinerolo, to


the following effect :

Sir,
" The authorities of the Vaudois communes feel the necessity

of having a college of their own in their valleys, in which such


instruction may be imparted to their youth, as their several
destinations may require. Before they undertake a concern of
this kind, they have enquired into the nature of their resources,
and calculated the expenses. They require three professors,

the first to teach the elements of the French language, writing


and arithmetic ; the second, mathematics ; the third, Belles

Lettres, Latin, and Greek.

The first ought to have 700 francs a-year.

The second 900


The third 1000

2600
For rent of a house 400

3000 francs.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 429

former may supply the means of raising a salary


for a second master, and that the latter may con-
sent to transfer the stipend and services of the
master of the grammar-school of La Torre, to the
proposed college, by which a third mastership may
be established \
" To enter into a further correspondence with
the benefactors of the Vaudois in Holland, and to
request that the sum of 750 francs per annum,
now allowed to Vaudois students at Lausanne and
Geneva, at the rate of 70 francs a-year each, may
be assigned in augmentation of the ten exhibitions
at the college of La Torre, or to increase that num-
ber, when the students now in the enjoyment of
these gratuities shall have finished their studies.
*'
To assign 2000 francs for the purchase of
books, of my own choice, for the use of the students

" Towards this sum of 3000 francs required, we have 1000

francs annually from Holland, which may be applied to the


purpose ; and we propose to fix a charge upon the Vaudois
communes to raise the remainder. La Tour is the place where

the institution should be established ; and two ecclesiastics should

always fill the office of second and third professors," &c.


The plan failed, from an unwillingness, I believe, on the part
of government, to sanction the proposed mode of raising the
money.
*
The London Committee has the affair under consideration.
The Dutch Committee have been applied to, but decline
forming any union, and prefer keeping the grammar-school as
a separate concern.
430 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of the proposed establishment ; under the expecta-


tion that the pastors will contribute from their
own stock of books towards the foundation of a
library ^
" I engage also, to assign 500 francs annually to
the Officers of the Table, to enable them to meet
the expenses of annual visitation,
To the Moderator - - - - 200
To the Moderator adjoint - 150
To the Secretary of the Table 150
upon condition that they visit the college twice a
year, and that they also visit the parishes as
heretofore.
" To assign also 1300 francs annually, in equal
allotments, to the pastors, to enable them to meet
the casual wants of the poor, or of the schools of
their several parishes, upon condition that they
deliver a report in writing to the Moderator, every
year, in answer to the queries proposed at his visi-
tation.
^'
To defray the expense of printing 50 copies in
quarto, of a Book of Common Prayer, for the use
of the churches ; such book of prayer to contain

^ Since my return to England, a benevolent prelate of the

English Church has suggested the idea of making it known in

England, that presents of books will be very acceptable to the


infant institution. Messrs. Rivington have signified their will-
ingness to receive any books that may be sent to their care,

either at St. Paul's Church Yard, or Waterloo Place.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 431

public and private prayers, to be composed by a


commission of pastors \ chosen by myself, upon
the basis of the English liturgy, and the three
liturgies now in use, namely, the liturgies of
Geneva, Lausanne, and Neufchatel.
''
To have 2000 copies of the same printed in

12mo. or 8vo. for the use of families and in-


dividuals."

Copjj of the signatures of all the i)astors of the


Waldensian Church in approbation of the above.

" I will do all in my power to second the


views of Mr. Gilly ; but, considering my ad-
vanced age, and numerous pastoral functions, it

is with reluctance that I decline to subscribe to


the obligations imposed upon the Moderator. I

must leave these, and the advantages attached to


them, to my colleagues, who are younger than
myself, and to my successor.
" Alex. Rostaing,
" Moderator and Pastor of Ville Sechc."

*
1. This Commission to be composed of Vaudois pastors.
2. The liturgy not to be introduced into the churches, until

the body of pastors have approved of the compilation of the


commission.
3. Then to engage to use this liturgy, and no other.

4. The majority of pastors will decide, and engage for the


whole body.
Notes by J. Vincon.
432 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

" I approve of the plan proposed with lively

and sincere gratitude,


'"G. MUSTON,
" Pastor and Moderator Adj."

*'
With lively gratitude^ and on the conditions
to which I have put my name,
" J. V1N90N,
^^
Pastor, and Secretary to the Table."

D. Timoleon Peyran, pastor of Maneille and


Massel.
Jn. Jaqs. D. Jalla, pastor of Pomaret.
J. Rodolphe Peyran, pastor of Prali.

J. D. Monnet, pastor of St. Germains.


Cesar Augte. Rostaing, pastor of Prarustin.
J. P. Bonjour, Pasteur-chapelain.
P. Bert, pastor of La Torre.
F. Peyrot, pastor of Angrogna.
David Mondon, doyen and pastor of St. Jean.
Josue Meille, retired pastor.
Franc. Gay, pastor of Villar.
G. Monastier, pastor of Rora.
J. J. Bonjour, ordained 1829.
J. Revel, minister.
Paul Goante, retired pastor."

Before I left the valleys, I addressed a letter to


the Officers of the Table, in which I stated, that hav-

ing consulted the pastors of the Vaudois Church,


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 433

upon the appropriation of certain funds placed at


my disposal, I should remit the sum of 4300 francs
annually to the valleys, subject to fluctuations
in exchange, and reductions of interest, and
otherwise, for the purposes above mentioned,
together with 5000 francs towards the building of
the college, and 2000 francs for books, as soon as
the preparatory steps should be taken to accom-
plish the objects in view. I also named the com-
mission for the compilation of the liturgy : viz.

M. Rostaing, Moderator; M. Muston, Moderator-


adjoint ; M. Vin9on, Secretary to the Table M. ;

Bert, late Moderator, and president of the hospital;


and M. Bonjour, Pasteur-chapelain to the Protes-
tant ambassadors at Turin. This letter, and the
engagements therein contained, were witnessed
and approved by the pastors, Muston, Vinson,
Bert, Gay, Peyrot, Bonjour, Timoleon Peyran,
Monastier, Revel, and J.J. Bonjour, who happened
to be present when it was written.
Much correspondence has since passed between
the Table and myself, on the manner in which
the plans are to be carried into execution ; but I

must reserve that which I have to add on this

subject, till the conclusion of my narrative. I

cannot, however, withhold the mention, in this


place, of the disinterested conduct of the Officers
of the Table. They have declined accepting the
500 francs offered towards defraying the expense
of the annual visitations, and have begged that it

Ff
434 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

may be appropriated to some public object. The


reduction of the four per cents., in which the
money destined for the promotion of the plan
was invested, has already reduced the annual
amount of interest, and will still further reduce it.
The saving of this sum of 500 francs will, however,
prevent any diminution of the stipend of the head
master, of the ten exhibitions, &;c., for the present,
at least.
CHAPTER XIII.

Traits of Character. —Pra del Tor, and the ancient College of


the Vaudois,

The effects of the accident on Mont Lazare obliged


me to suspend my excursions for a week, and the
time was spent agreeably, and beneficially, I hope,
in sauntering about the immediate vicinity of La
Torre, and in making acquaintance with the pea-
sants, as I happened to find them in the fields or

in their cottages. Some of these had never been


far from their homes, others had served in the
army under Napoleon, and the prejudices of my
brother, a lieutenant in the navy, were terribly
shocked by hearing the praises of the late Emperor
of the French proclaimed by veterans, who had
fought in campaigns under his banner. The Vaudois
are naturally of a warlike turn, but they love their
native haunts better than any thing in the world,
and there are many instances of officers returning
to the humble occupations of their forefathers,
when they might have risen to distinction under
foreign princes. The more I intermixed with
these people, the greater reason did I find to be
Ff2
436 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

pleased with the genuine simplicity of their cha-


racter. The proofs of mutual kindness, and for-
bearance, which came under my observation, would
fill many pages. I should say they are almost
incapable of practising disguise or dissimulation.
When any of them came to state their com-
plaints or wants to M. or Madame Bert, the tale
was told at once without circumlocution or exag-
geration. If it was to ask a favour, the request
was made in the tone, and with the face of one
who felt, that there is no shame in one human
being making his distress known to another. I

select, as an instance, a poor woman who had


incurred some small debts, during a long illness,

which she could not pay. She stated her case to


the pastor, and, at his desire, she did the same to
me. Her open countenance, and frank explana-
tion, without the least whining or weeping, were
more persuasive than tears, and pleaded her cause
successfully.

A grievous loss befel a peasant during this


week, which gave me a still better opportunity of
observing the Vaudois character under calamity.
His corn had been cut and gathered, and the
whole of it stacked near his cabin. By some
carelessness, his wife, in heating her oven, set fire
to some straw, which communicated with the
stack, and very soon every sheaf was consumed,
and with it a great part of the dwelling and its

contents. This occurred in the hamlet of Copia, a


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 437

very short distance from M. Bert's, and I wit-

nessed the whole scene, the burning premises,


the ready assistance given to extinguish the
flames, and the conduct of the husband and his
faulty wife, during the progress of the fire, and the

impending consumption of their little all. The


woman was the picture of grief ; her countenance
expressed bitter self-condemnation ; nobody, how-
ever, reproached her, and her sorrow did not
paralyze her, she worked like the rest to put out
the fire. The husband calmly directed others,
and toiled himself, under the hope of saving
part of his property; and as he stood on the
roof, hurling water on that part of his cottage

which had not yet become a prey to the flames, I

looked in wondering admiration at the unagitated


figure and countenance of the man, whose sum of
earthly possession appeared to be perishing before
his eyes. When he afterwards, at my desire, gave
me an account of the amount of his loss, the esti-
mate appeared to me to be below the mark, so
little was he disposed to make the worst of his

misfortune, or to magnify the damages.


July 22. To the Pra del Tor, under the hope
of finding some vestiges of the college, or at least
of examining whether there might yet remain any
^'
veterum monumenta virorum," which should ena-
ble us to speak confidently as to the spot, where the
ancient Vaudois Barbes trained their pupils in the
doctrine of the first centuries, during the darkest
438 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

periods of Romish thraldom. The exact place,


where these instructions were given, is not satis-

factorily pointed out in any of the Waldensian


authors, which I have had an opportunity of con-
sulting. Leger's description is too vague to enable
us to determine, whether he spoke of a building,
where the instructors and their scholars assembled
together, or only of the region where they held
their meetings. " This place," said he, speaking
of the Pra del Tor, ''
is a hollow, un creux, envi-
roned by mountains, situated to the west of La
Vachera, and cannot be approached except with
much difficulty, and by a path, excavated in places
out of the rock, running along the edge of the
Angrogna torrent ; it is, however, capable of con-
taining a great many people. It was here, that
during the thick darkness and most cruel perse-
cutions, the ancient barbes, or pastors of the val-
leys, continued to hold their preachings, and
preserved the college, where they instructed those
whom they prepared for the ministry." —Page 4.

Liv. 1.
Gilles describes the Pra del Tor, as being " a
track of grass land, in the upper part of the valley
of Angrogna, and separated from the lower district
by stupendous rocks, which fortify it on all sides,

and comprise within their outworks several ham-


lets, a large number of isolated edifices, good pos-
sessions, and fruit trees of several kinds. The
path to it is very narrow, lying among tlie rocks
2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 439

by the torrent side. This basin is well peopled in


summer, but not so in winter." — Gilles, p. 141.

Brezzi states plainly, that the scene of study


was a cavern. " The cavern, which served for
the academy of our venerable barbes, where they
sowed and cultivated the principles of their pure
and blameless religion, and whence they spread
them through the world, is still in existence, it is

the cavern of the famous Pre du Tour, in the


parish of Angrogna." (Bracebridge's translation,
p. 142.)

The tradition, which helped Brezzi to give this

location to the college, did not assist us. We set

out for the Pra without having been able to col-


lect any legendary information, on which we could
rely for guidance to the precise spot, which had
thus been consecrated to the noblest purposes of
religion.

By way of varying our walk, we did not go by


the eastern bank of the Angrogna torrent, and by
St. Laurent, but by the old tower of La Torre and
the hamlets of Simonde and Roussaings. Nothing
remains of the once formidable fortress, which
used to keep the people of La Torre in check, but
its walls. A vineyard and a corn-field occupy the
ground where ramparts and bastions once frowned
defiance, and, in summer evenings, it is often the
recreation of the young people of the vicinity to
ascend to the hill, which was formerly planted with
440 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

cannon, and to sit and gaze upon the noble land-


scape below, under the foliage and trellises.

From the heights opposite to Angrogna, we saw


the finest parts of that commune to great advan-
tage, and when we descended into the vale,

through which the torrent dashes along, we en-


joyed that inexpressible pleasure, which lovers of
scenery experience in a leisurely stroll through
groves and meadows, which occasionally open
upon ^' hills whose heads touch he^-ven." The
brown crags, and the bright green pastures, which
were kept in a beautiful state of verdure by
irrigation and the shade of branching trees, re-

lieved us from the glare of the sun. The waters of


the torrent partook of the everchanging character
of the scenery, now white and foaming, as it swept
its course in a broad sheet over its broken bed,
and then dark and deep, sometimes sleeping in

pools, playing in cascades, or plunging down


steeps,and rushing through channels, which can
only be crossed by those frail bridges which add
so much to the " beautiful horrors" of these
regions. There were few glens so lonely in which
we did not find a cottage decorated with its little

orchard, and swarming with children.


This kind of scenery continued until we passed
over to the right bank, by a very narrow and
elevated stone bridge ; the aspect of the country
there became wilder and wilder, the defile closed
I

1
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 441

in, and we soon found ourselves approaching to-


wards that circumvallation of rock and mountain,
within which the Waldenses have so often betaken
themselves, as to a citadel of safety. Leger has
well described it. The immediate access to it is

rugged, narrow, and confined on one side by cliffs,

which rise abruptly from their base, and on the


other by the waters of the torrent. In many
places the channel of the river occupies the greater
part of the defile ; upon the whole, however, I did
not think it so impregnable as fame has repre-
sented it to be.
The amphitheatre, or basin, into which the defile
opens, is justly called the Pra del Tor, or meadow of
the tower. At first sight, all the acchvities seem to
be fortified with castles, and battlemented walls ;

the rocks assuming those appearances; but though


it is so fenced in by rock, there are spots of the
softest herbage. Of the two sketches which Mrs.
Gilly took, the first gives a fair representation of
the castellated crags, which might almost cheat
you into a belief that you see a strong line of

fortresses ; and the second, the view of Cella


Veglia, delineates the verdant character of several
of its sunny banks.
These opposite features of
nature are symbolical of the chequered history of
this sequestered spot. When no violent edicts were
issued to disturb its repose, it was the scene of
pastoral innocence and religious meditation. But
when the mandate went forth to compel the Vau-
442 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

dois to conform to the Latin ritual, it became a


field of blood.
It must have been a soul-stirring sight, to
behold on one side the royal troops approaching
from the lower valley in all the pride and pomp of
war, filling up the defiles with their hundreds and
tens of hundreds, and armed as fighting men then
were, with their glittering breast-plates of steel,

with their arquebusses, and morions, and halberts,


and making the rocks reverberate with their shouts,

and with the music of their clarions and trumpets;


and, on the other hand, to see a few resolute
mountaineers, wedged firmly side by side, occupy-
ing the pass in silent order, and solemnly wait-
ing the onset of their adversaries. On some of
the pinnacles above, stood the most venerable of
their pastors, raising their hands to heaven, and
imploring help from the King of Kings. On others
the feeble and the grey-headed were watching the
moment, when a slight movement would set masses
of rolling stones in motion, and carry destruction
into the crowded ranks of the assailants. Behind,
in the asylums of this mountain keep, were the
women and children, whose safety depended upon
the fortitude which their husbands, brothers, and
fathers should display in the shock of battle. If

any voice was heard from the little band, whose


bodies formed the barrier of the pass, it was the
sound of psalmody ; their brave spirits were still

further excited by the hymns, which their barbes


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHKS. 443

had taught them to chant in the hour of peril.

Reader^ be not incredulous, when you hear of


the marvellous exploits which were performed
on days of conflict, when the nerves of the " men
of the valleys" were strung to the utmost, by
every consideration that can steel the heart and
strengthen the arm. Wrongs inflicted, injuries

threatened, and religious fervour burning like fire,

were incentives which nothing could cool. Wonder


not then, that, upon one occasion, seven thousand
men were brought up in vain to carry this formid-

able position by assault. For four days, company


after company pressed on to the charge : and at

last retreated from the Thermopylae of the valleys,


without deriving either honour or advantage from
the attack.
We were utterly unsuccessful in our enquiry

after the cavern, or chamber in the rocks, which


served as the lecture-room for the young Vaudois
of the 14th and 15th centuries. Equally disappointed
were we in our search after some ruin, that might
bear the marks of having been the edifice wherein
sacred studies had been pursued. Not one stone
remains upon another, which our most daring
imagination could venture to ennoble as a relic of
the ancient college of the Vaudois. There was
no legend on the spot, no lingering tradition
which we could trust as our guide, in short, we
came away, without being able to flatter ourselves
that we had planted our feet in the halls or
444 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

grotto of the barbes of old. That the Pra del


Tor was the scene of their most solemn convoca-
tions, and that somewhere, within the sanctuaries
enclosed by the magnificent mountains which
rose in panorama above us, they instructed their
youth, there can be no doubt it is exactly the ;

theatre of such doings. Whether they sought for


safety, for concealment, or for opportunities of
contemplation, here they had it. It is in the very
centre of the valleys : every thing around is stamped
with the seal of the Creator's greatness and eter-
nity. Objects of unrivalled grandeur and sub-
limity appeal to the eye and to the fancy. The
Pra del Tor is like one vast monastery, where
every thing combines to invite to meditation, study,
and devotion. Its solitudes, its groves, its waters,

its beautiful and gigantic features possess all the


fascination, by which contemplative minds are sup-
posed to be most affected.

Praesentiorem conspicimus Deum


Per invias rupes, fera per juga,

Clivosque praeruptos, sonantes


Inter aquas, nemorumque noctem.

It is the belief of the Roman Catholics, quite as


much as of the Vaudois themselves, that this
region is famous in the ancient history of the
Waldensian Church ; and therefore it is that they
are now so anxious to make it their own, and to
triumph in the boast, that the place which was
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 445

formerly desecrated by heretics, is now consecrated


by Romish piety. A very handsome Httle church,
neatly built, was just ready to be dedicated to some
when we were there,
saint in the Latin calendar,

and every effort was made to proselytise the


natives of the hamlet. The church is about forty
feet by twenty-six ; the ceiling is painted, and the
decorations are in good taste. It stands on ground
which belonged to a Protestant, who was unwilling
to alienate it, and especially for the purpose for
which it was intended ; but he had a hint given
to him, which reduced him to submission, and
bongre ! malgre! the poor fellow was obliged to sur-
render the inheritance of his fathers upon Ahab's
terms. This proceeding is mortifying to the Pro-
testants, but it speaks in honour of the antiquity
of the Vaudois Church, and its traditionary college.
There would not be so much anxiety to occupy the
Pra del Tor, or to build there an expensive church,
but for its ancient reputation.
We returned to San Margarita by the lower
hamlets of Angrogna, and by the eastern bank
of the torrent.
CHAPTER XIV.

Journey to Val Queirns, and Val Frassyniere. Felix Neff.


The passes of the Col de la Croix. The Bergerie da Pra.
The Chamois Hunter. Preaching on the Mountains. San
Veran. Arvieux. Dormilleuse.

In the course of this work, I have made frequent


mention of the Waldenses of Dauphine and Pro-
vence. They were for the most part exterminated
under the reign of Francis I. of France. ''
What/'
said that monarch, in one of moments of zeal-
his
ous attachment to the Pope, and compHance with
his wishes, " shall I exert all my influence to de-
stroy the Lutherans in Germany, and suffer heresy
to flourish in my own dominions ?" The carnage
committed by his orders was frightful but some
;

of the proscribed found refuge in mountains covered


with snow three quarters of the year, where the
rage of the elements, dreadful as it is, was less

destructive than that of man. De Thou, the his-


torian, gives a deeply interesting account of a
remnant of the Waldenses inhabiting the savage
wilds of Val Frassyniere in the sixteenth century.
According to his representation, the natives of
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 447

this district were, in their moral and religious


cultivation, amidst such scenes of desolation and
squalid wretchedness, as the mind can scarcely
imagine, an example for the most civilised people
in Europe. (See Thuani Hist. Lib. 27.) Allix
speaks of the storm of Papal fury which swept
this tract of country in the fifteenth century ^
I had long entertained a strong desire of explor-
ing the Alpine valleys in the French territory,
where the last traces of the Waldenses of that
region were left. This feeling was greatly in-

creased by learning that a branch of the venerable


stock yet survived, and that families were to be
found, both in Val Frassyniere and in Val Queiras,
which have remained true to the primitive faith
from father to son, even to the present age, though
the sword had been suspended over their heads
from the reign of Philip Augustus, of atrocious
memory, to that of Louis XVL But these valleys
are so remote from all thecommon routes, so
repulsive from their situation among the highest
and bleakest of the French Alps, that I almost
despaired of ever finding my way to them.
A short time before my second journey to Pie-

* Allix quotes from the MSS. contained in Vol. G. of the


Morland Collection, see p. 324. The lost MSS. must therefore
have been safe in the University Library of Cambridge in 1689,
and the conjecture, that Morland omitted to send this portion

of the Waldensian papers, falls to the ground.


448 WALDENSIAN RESEARCPIKS.

mont, the kindness of Mr. Francis Cunningham


had put me in possession of some particulars,
which made me resolve to cross from the valleys
of Piemont to those of Dauphine, and to extend
my researches among the descendants of the
Vaudois of France, w^ho had escaped the cru-
sades of Francis I., and the dragonades or
Boiirhonades, as they should be called, of Louis
XIV. and XV. About seven years ago, Felix
NefF, a young Swiss clergyman, full of zeal, and
devoted to the cause of religion, heard of the ex-
istence of these scattered sheep of the wilderness,
and penetrated to the most secluded of their
retreats. One of these, Dormilleuse, is the highest
habitable spot in Europe, a village, whose site is

stolen from rock and glacier, and so inclemently


situated, and so perilous of approach, that at the

sight of it the beholder immediately identifies it

with the history of martyrs, " of whom the world


is not worthy," of wanderers " in deserts and in

mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."


One of the accounts, which was transmitted to me,
of this extraordinary spot, and of the self-denying
Neff, who transported himself from the lovely
banks of the lake of Geneva, to labour here in his

Master's cause, contained the following descrip-


tion :

" The valley of Frassyniere was the only one


left, where the persecuted could find shelter. The
most hardy retired to the very edge of the glacier.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 449

and there built the village of Dormilleuse, which


looks as if it were suspended from the mountain
side, like an eagle's nest, and serves as a citadel

for the residue of that afflicted people, who have


been preserved, without any intermixture with
strangers, to this day. Many a time it has been an
asylum for those who have been obliged to flee
from the valleys of Piemont. Without schools,
and without a pastor, but with a few copies of the
Scripture, the inhabitants cherished an imperfect
knowledge of the faith of their ancestors, with the
assistance of such instruction only as the Vaudois
clergy, from the Italian side of the Alps, could give

them occasionally."
The Latin poet who commemorated the enjoy-
ments and innocency of the golden age, imagined
that the noblest virtues might be spontaneously
cherished, without laws or restraints. It is for the
Christian historian to record, that in an iron age
of persecution, and in a climate where there are
no kindly and spontaneous productions, there an
afflicted race,

*'
Sponte sua sine lege fidem rectumqiie colebat."

In this condition NefF found the natives of Dor-


milleuse ; and, besides these, he discovered other
families in the neighbouring mountains, who, with-
out having the benefit of any regular ministry, or
spiritual superintendence, had persevered in calling
450 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

themselves members of the Primitive Church, with


a sort of traditionary affection for the creed of
their forefathers. They v^ere dispersed in seven-
teen or eighteen of the most remote villages, and
over an extent of country fifty miles in diameter.
First in one, and then in another, the missionary
took up his habitation, as he thought he might be
most serviceable, and five years he spent thus in
teaching and preaching, literally, from house to
house — in administering the sacraments, in train-

ing schoolmasters, and in helping to civihze a race,


who were more like the mild and docile savages
of the southern islands, than inhabitants of any
part of refined France. The exertions and the
success of this apostle of the Alps ; his perils amid
snows and precipices ; his nocturnal labours with
peasants, who were forced to toil for their sub-
sistence by day, and therefore implored him to
read and pray with them at night ; his journeys,

where he was obliged to be attended by young


men, who cut steps in the ice with axes before he
could proceed ; his ministration in places where
the congregation was composed of persons, some
of whom came twenty, thirty, and forty miles to
hear the Gospel from his lips ; his consuming zeal,
till his strength sunk under labours, which were
on a scale above the ordinary powers of body or
mind, — these must form the substance of a separate
volume, in which I hope to record events which
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 451

will place the name of NefF *


in not unfavourable
comparison, beside those of Swartz, and Oberlin,
and Heber.

^ **
The work of a preacher in the Alps resembles that of a

missionary among savages. The most barbarous of all my


valleys are those of Frassyniere : agriculture, architecture, all

is to be taught. Many houses are without a chimney, and


almost without a window. The whole family, for seven months,
live near the manure of the cow-shed or stable, which is cleaned
out only once a year. Their clothes and their diet are as coarse
and dirty as their dwelling. Bread is baked only once a year;
it is of pure rye unsifted : and if this bread come to an end before
the time, they bake cakes upon the cinders, as the easterns do.
— On that part of the valley called La Comb, the horizon is so
bounded, that for six months they never see the sun. On my
first arrival, so uncivilized were the inhabitants, that at the sight
of a stranger, the peasants fled into their houses like marmots.
My first difficulty was to be understood by them, for which pur-
pose I learnt their patois. — The first thing I found attractive to
them was music, of which I taught them some of the first prin-
ciples. They had no idea, I observed, of watering their meadows.
I proposed to them to open a canal for this purpose. They
were pleased with the idea of making one, and we agreed that
we would begin the work. Early next morning I assembled the
men, and distributed the work — myself setting the example. We
had to erect digues, eight feet high in some places, and to pierce

through beds of rock. After some hard labour, we were re-


warded by seeing the water flow to the meadows amidst shouts
of joy from all. — I determined to form a school, which should
comprise the most intelligent and best disposed young men of
my diflferent churches. We divided the day into three classes,
the first- from dawn to breakfast at eleven o'clock, the second
from noon to sun-set, the third from supper till eleven at night
in all fourteen hours a day. Reading, writing, grammar, arith-
Gg2
452 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

When I made known^ to my Vaudois friends,


my intention of going to the ancient seats of the
Waldenses, on the other side of the Alps, and to
the scene of Neff's labours, they were able to give
me that information, concerning the exact situa-
tion and distance of the places, which I had in vain
sought to obtain from other quarters. Several of
the pastors had visited, and ministered in all the
villages in the valleys of Queiras and Frassyniere,
where Protestant families were to be found and ; in

a small map which M. Muston, of Bobi, delineated


for me, every hamlet and torrent was laid down
so accurately, that I felt confident I should have
no difficulty in traversing the country. But when
Mrs. Gilly's determination to accompany me was
communicated to them, they thought that the
inconveniences and difficulties of the journey
would prove too formidable to her. The distance
to Dormilleuse, over a track of land every inch of
which was mountainous, was represented to be
more than twenty hours, or about sixty miles from
Bobi. This was not reckoning the deviations right
and left, which it would be necessary to make
to visit San Veran, Fousillard, and Arvieux. The
whole route, they said, must be performed on foot,

or on saddle, for not a wheel had ever impressed

metic, geography, and music, are our studies, always beginning

and ending with rehgious instruction. Some of them were so

ignorant, that tlfl?y did not know there were other countries."

Extracts from Neff's Journals.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 453

its mark some of the hamlets which we proposed


in

to visit, and, in many places, neither horse nor mule


could go in safety but my wife was resolved to
;

make the attempt, and on the 25th of July, we


rose at half-past two in the morning, and set out
from San Margarita, on our interesting journey,
with my brother, and Grant, who had been our
guide to Castelluzzo.
It was necessary to make some provision against
the want of accommodation which we were likely

to experience, and the rough weather, which every


body encounters, more or less, in his passage over
the higher mountains. For this reason, besides

the pony which carried Mrs. Gilly, we hired an ass


to convey our luggage, which 1 will describe for
the sake of other travellers, who may be dis-

posed to make similar excursions. Three large


cloaks, one of which was water-proof ; a water-
proof bag, (these articles we found to answer the
purpose most faithfully, and against some pitiless

storms they stood proof) ; an inflated air bag, to

serve as a seat or pillow ; some tea, sugar, choco-


late, biscuits, and brandy. Without these we could
not have pursued our journey, for in some places
we expected to find nothing but the sour wine
and the black rye-bread of the country. To this

list of things, absolutely indispensable, we added


the equally necessary changes of linen and clothes,
and a basket containing books and drawing ma-
454 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

terials. Three staves shod with iron completed


our preparations.
Our first stage was Bobi. There we breakfasted
at the presbytery, and at seven o'clock we were
fairlyembarked on our expedition, and ascending
the first steeps which lead to the passage of the
Alps, by the Col de la Croix. I have crossed the
Alps at several points, but I know of no defile
which answers more entirely to the idea, which
the mind loves to picture, of a mountain-pass than
this. Whether you look upon the objects in the
distance before you, or at those immediately about
you, as you advance, or whether you turn your
eye back upon the valley which you are leaving
behind, the whole scene forms a combination of
unsurpassable beauty and sublimity.
We were fortunate in the weather on the first

day, and the four seasons seemed to present them-


selves in succession before us. In the immediate
vicinity of Bobi, the aspect was autumnal, the corn
was cut, and perfectly ripe ; a little further up the
valley they were hay making, and the corn was yet
green ; at about three hours from Bobi, we saw
spring flowers in their first bloom, the violet was
just peeping out from a warm bank, on which the
snow had but lately melted, and on the summit of
some of the mountains we beheld icy pinnacles
and mantles of snow. The Pelice, whose windings
we followed during the greater part of the ascent.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 455

had made a channel for himself through some of


the most soft and inviting, and some of the most
savage scenes in nature and from delicious dells
;

and cascades, w^hich murmured under clusters of

magnificent chesnut trees, w^e w^ere transported to


fields of rock, where the river thundered in cata-
racts, and pursued his wild course at the foot of

crags, from which it was frightful to look down


upon his waters.

We were sitting under the shade of a chesnut,


and Mrs. Gilly was sketching one of those rude
Alpine bridges, which look as if they were thrown
up in a hurry, and were only meant to last for a

day, when we were joined by a venerable peasant,


with a wallet on his back, whose holiday garb bore
the cut of " auld lang syne." His coat, waistcoat,
and breeches were of a red brown ; he had lappets
to his waistcoat, and broad cut steel buttons to his

coat ; a cocked hat of enormous dimensions, and


a pig-tail of corresponding length and thickness,
completed his costume, and when he seated him-
self by our side,we felt glad of the chance which
threw us in the way of such a representative of
other days. He asked us, if we were the strangers
who were going to Val Queiras and Val Fras-
syniere, to visit the remnant of the Waldenses in

those parts. When we answered him as he ex-


pected, he told us that he himself was a native
of San Veran, and a descendant of the ancient
Vauduis of Dauphine, — that he had been to visit
456 -WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

some relations at San Giovanni, and was now on


his return home. There was an air about the old
man, which said, " I am an object of respect in
the eyes of these strangers," and the feeling gave
him confidence and eloquence. He amused us
with anecdotes of former times, and I gathered
from him, that he, like his father and grandfather,
and remote ancestors, had been baptized by a
Romish priest, and compelled in his youth to per-
form outwardly. ""
But," said he *^
we were Pro-
testants at heart ; we, and some of our neigh-
bours, used to meet secretly, and read a Bible,

which was concealed in the roof of the house ; and


when the Vaudois minister came to visit us from
these valleys, we received the sacrament at his
hands, and were exhorted to persevere in our faith,

and to hope for better days ; and, thank God, they


came at last. The edict of Louis the Sixteenth

gave us liberty of conscience, and then we avowed


ourselves. The priests kept it a secret from us
as long as they could, and it was many months
before we learnt that we had nothing to dread for
religion's sake."

Our new acquaintance accompanied us as far as


Pra, and there we parted but we saw him again
;

at San Veran.
The picturesque, the romantic, the pastoral, and
the classical, united to make this day's excursion

deserving of a marked place in our journal. In


one place, our path was turned by an enormous

I
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 457

rock, to the top of which a peasant had contrived


to carry soil, and to make a garden, which was
irrigated by a canal, connected by wooden troughs,
supported on beams and rafters. It was literally

a hanging garden. At another place, a hamlet in

a singularly wild position, appeared to suspend its

cabins from the face of a cliff, like a mural monu-


ment on the walls of a church, in deep relief.

Again, after scrambling over a rocky and sterile


tract of ground, we came suddenly upon a field of
hay, or upon a flock of sheep, browsing on a green
spot, the oasis of the glen. We scaled some of the
heights by steps hewn out of the rock : on one we
saw in the turn of the path immediately above us,
a groupe of figures, whose long poles and hatchets
in their hands, gave them the appearance of men
who were planted there to dispute our passage.
They were wood-cutters and charcoal-burners.
This defile has the traditionary honour of being
that by which Hannibal crossed the Alps into
Italy, and Julius Caesar into Gaul. The former
is supported by feeble evidence —the latter has
more probabiUty for its foundation. A mountain,
at no great distance from this pass, and within
sight, is still called the Col Julien. Francis the
First is another name of renown connected with
the pass of the Col de la Croix. Perhaps some of
the detachments of that monarch's army may have
descended into Piemont by this route, in the inva-

sion of 1515 ; but it is certain that the main body


458 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

marched by the pass of the Argentiere. The diffi-

culties of this passage of the Alps do not lie so


much within the compass of the defile between
Bobi and the summit of the Col, as on the French
side, between the Chateau Queiras and Guillestre
there the pass of the Guil presents obstacles almost
insuperable to a mass advancing with such a train
as an armament requires.
The fort Miraboco is now dismantled. It stood
in the very narrowest part of the defile —very
little of it remains. It never could have been
strong enough to resist a force determined upon
taking it by assault. Its guns only commanded a
space of ground which might be traversed in a very
few minutes, and the assailants would be under
the walls of the fort before many discharges.
Near the ruins there is a fine waterfall, and an
interesting spot called the Mal-Mort, where a ter-

rible conflict took place between the Vaudois and


their oppressors. It was here that we met a
miserable looking way-faring man, whose reply to
our salutation was made in a melancholy tone,
which seemed to say, '^
There can be no good day
to me !" He did not beg, but his appearance cried
" date obolum," more imploringly than his voice

could have done. Sterne would have made some-


thing of the incident.
We reached Pra, or the Bergerie du Pra, the
sheepfold of the meadow, as it is sometimes called,

at half-past eleven. On this Alp there is a house


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 459

opened for the reception of travellers, during the

summer months, and a station of carabineers, and


of custom-house officers, of the king of Sardinia.
We had appointed to make this our resting-place
for the day and night, in order to be present at
the service and sermon, which M. Bonjour was
to deliver next morning to the herdsmen, shep-
herds, and their families, who are depasturing
their cattle on these mountains. Pra is a basin or
hollow of an oval form, and about two miles in

length. It produces some corn, potatoes, and grass,


and is enclosed by elevated masses of rock, and
green slopes, on which are some rich pasturages,
but the cattle are called home and folded at night,
to protect them from the wolves. These summits
are terminated towards the south by the snowy
peaks of Mont Viso. On the whole range of the
Alps, there is not an elevation which more pre-
is

eminently a mountain, in character and aspect,


than Mont Viso. It rises to a towering height far
above all others in the same branch, and is distin-

guished by its white pinnacle, soaring proudly to


the skies, so that be it seen in what direction it

may, it cannot be mistaken. Mont Blanc and Mont


Rosa, are considerably more lofty, and are also
strongly marked ; but there is an aspiring beauty
in the form of Mont Viso, which secures recog-
nition, and admiration in a superlative degree.
I believe its summit has never yet been reached.
There are different accounts of its height ; some
460 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

place it as low as 9378 feet ; others have reckoned


it as high as 13,828. Brockedon calls it more
than 12,000 feet above the level of the sea. Seen
from the Superga, or from any of the hills near
Turin, and viewed comparatively with Mont Blanc
and Mont Rosa, the spectator will not hesitate to
pronounce for the greatest elevation which has
been assigned to it.

It is no easy matter to reconcile the many diffi-

culties opposed to the conjecture, that Hannibal


entered Italy by the passes of Mont Viso but cer-
;

tainly, if the appearance of the Alps, as described


by Livy, and the view of Italy from the summit of
the pass, as mentioned by Polybius, could decide
the question, all travellers who have had oppor-
tunities of inspecting the different routes attri-

buted to the Carthaginian army, would give their


suffrages in favour of this. The description of
the Alps (as seen from the French side), that is,

of the barrier ridge, of the main chain, '^


altitudo
montium, nivesque coelo prope immistae," answers
to the realities of Mont Viso to the very letter
and the view of the plains of the Po, and the mag-
nificent and extensive prospect which opens upon
the eye, from the highest spine of the pass, belong
exclusively to the region of Mont Viso for at the ;

foot of this mountain the Po rises, and is seen


flowing through a rich country till it is lost in

the horizon '.

^
This question is very ably discussed in a recent publication,
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 461

The little inn of Pra, where we took up our


quarters, is the favourite resort of sportsmen, w horn
the fascination of danger, and the inspiring pur-
suit of the chamois, invite to this part of the
mountains. Mr. W. Coke was here for fourteen
days, and left a good name behind him, as a keen
and intrepid lover of the chase. He and his

party killed about five and forty chamois, if I was


rightly informed, for chamois are not very plentiful

here.
I am led to suppose, that of all diversions the
pursuit of the chamois is by far the most alluring.

Its perils seem to add charms to it; and it is a well


known fact, not only that the professed chamois-
hunter generally finds a grave at last among the
precipices which he dares, but that he takes no-
thing less into account, and speaks of it as an event
for which he is fully prepared. The guides, who
accompany strangers through the Alpine valleys,

are fond of recounting the hair-breadth escapes,


and daring feats, which have come to their ears
and if it is heart-stirring to listen to these tales, I

can easily imagine with what glee the youthful


adventurer will engage in such enterprises.
Excitement is as necessary to some minds as
food to the body, and among the hardy peasantry
of the Alps, there must be many ambitious and

" Hannibars passage of the Alps, by a member of the University

of Cambridge,"
462 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

craving spirits, which long some stronger emo-


for

tions than those of every day Hfe, and will brave


any thing rather than not find them. The cha-
mois-hunter experiences them supremely. The
sport carries him to scenes of unrivalled magnifi-
cence. As he traverses regions untrodden most
likely by any foot but his own, he exults in the

proud feeling, that he only of all mankind has


breathed that air, and beheld the lonely sublimities
that open upon him. He may fancy that he is lord
of all he surveys, and that the fields of ice and
plains of snow are all his own. He may exclaim,

" Creation's heir, the world, the world is mine."

Who has ever met a hunter of the Alps, with his


staflf in his hand, and his rifle slung across his
shoulder, and watched his light and active step,
and gallant bearing, without feeling a certain de-

gree of inferiority, and envying the elasticity of his


frame, and the joyousness of his spirits ?

I have seen chamois, but never in their wild


state. The animals, which I had an opportunity
of examining, were confined in a large yard at
Chateau Blonay, near Vevay, in Switzerland; and
the activity, with which they sprung up a wall, and
balanced themselves upon the shghtest projections,
gave me an idea of their powers. The hard horny
points of the feet of the chamois, and the curva-
ture of his horns backward, enable him to adhere
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 463

to the face of a rock where the eye can scarcely


discern a resting place, and his leaps are like short
flights. With such surprising agihty does he
bound from point to point. The chamois does
not often herd in large flocks ; it is rare to see
more than eight or ten together, and they are so
quick of sight and hearing, that the sportsman
must patiently watch his opportunity, make long
detours to be in a favourable position for a shot,
climb terrific heights to get above them, and
expose himself for days and nights before he can
hope to secure the spoil. The eagerness of the
pursuit often takes him along narrow ledges, by
the edge of horrible precipices, and over crevices
and tottering crags, which he dare not face again
on his return, when his ardour is cooled ; and it is

upon such occasions that lives are lost.


Our accommodations at Pra were none of the
best, for the house was full and I do not mean to
;

reveal the secrets of the chamber in which we


were lodged, or the companionship amidst which
we went to rest. The intelligence of the sermon
had brought persons from the French as well as
the Italian side of the mountain, to Pra, and every
corner of the inn was filled. A large granary was
spread with straw, and here many of the party
slept.

Sunday, July 26. The morning was threatening,


the clouds were low, and the wind high, therefore,
instead of performing the service in the open air, as
464 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

is generally the case, at the mountain preachings,


the granary of the Pra was prepared for the solem-
nity. At nine o'clock, a man ascended the roof of
the auberge, and blew a loud and long blast with
a conch-shell, — this he repeated at half-past nine,
and at ten. The summons, I was told, might be
heard at a great distance. After the first blast,

we saw people approaching from different quarters,

and this picturesque gathering continued for more


than an hour. The service then commenced,
and never did I behold a more attentive congre-
gation. M. Bonjour's text was from Isaiah Hi. 7.
—" How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet
of him that bringeth good tidings, that publish eth
peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that
publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, thy
God reigneth." The sermon was eloquent, appro-
priate, and touching. It was delivered with great
animation and feeling, and seemed to make a
lively impression upon his hearers. The preacher's
allusions to the deliverances of Almighty God,
and his preservation of the Vaudois, and to the
advantages of a mountain life ^, in a religious point
of view, and to removal from the temptations of

^ Semler has observed, with great truth, that mountaineers


are less addicted to the grovelHng absurdities of image worship,

than other people. How, indeed, can the vast and sublime

objects by which they are surrounded, suffer them to accept any


perishable work of man's hands, as the representative of the
Great and Eternal Being wh© called those objects into existence.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 465

the world, were calculated to sink deep into the


heart ; and not less so, his appeals to consciences,
which had from early youth been awakened by
those means of grace, which the Lord had vouch-
safed in an especial degree to the Waldensian
Church.
Our ascent of the Col de la Croix from Pra was
made under torrents of rain, and such gusts of
wind, that we were frequently obliged to stop for
some time beneath the shelter of a rock, for fear
of being blown down the side of the mountain.
Two Frenchmen whom we met, advised us not to
proceed but having once mounted towards the
;

ridge, we were obliged to advance as well as we


could, for there was not even a hut to receive us
between Pra on the Itahan, and La Monta on the
French side. The state of the weather rendered
the descent difficult and even hazardous ; the
path, running in places along the face of a shelving
slope, was so narrow, broken, and slippery, that I

thought it unsafe for Mrs. Gilly to ride, and she


was obliged to walk the greater part of the way.
The time of crossing the Col, from Pra to La
Monta, was about two hours and a half, that is to
say, we were occupied so long in going over the
extreme summit of the Alps, from one side to the
other of the frontier line ; but the real ascent and
descent of the main chain should be calculated
from Bobi to La Monta, or about seven hours'
constant walking. The traveller is still walled in
H h
466 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

by mountains after leaving La Monta, but as he


follows the course of the Guil, through transversal
valleys to Guillestre, the vs^orst of the passage
is over w^hen the Col is surmounted.
When Strabo said^ that it would require five

days to reach the summit of the Alps, he was


speaking of very slow progress, and must have
been reckoning from the plains at the foot of the

first steeps to the very summit; and even so,

must have taken the Alpine range at its greatest

breadth. Simler, who published his work in 1574,


observing upon Strabo's statement, remarked, that
in his time it would require several days to go
from the plains to the top of the Alps ; but added,
that cHmbing the ridge only, the passage might
possibly be achieved in one day. " We," said he,
" when we talk of the ascent of the Alps, speak of
the crest of the mountain, where all is cold and
sterile ; when we have arrived at this point, then
we say, we begin to climb the summit, ' den berg
"
angon^J
It does not enter into my present plan to detail
all the particulars of my journey, in search of those
embers of ancient Protestantism, or rather of the
primitive churches, which yet remain in the moun-
tain recesses of Dauphine. I found so much to
interest me, that it would require much more
room than is left in this volume, to give a satis-

^
Sinileri V^al. deserip. p. 185.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 467

fiactory narrative of it. It will be enough to add


here, that we went into most of the villages and
hamlets where NefF had laboured, and never shall
I forget the proofs which we witnessed of the
strong devotional feeling, and pure Christian spirit
implanted among the Protestant families, in Val
Queiras and Val Frassyniere. Neff's name is so
reverenced, that it cannot be pronounced without
producing a sigh or a tear, and a blessing upon
his memory.
After sleeping at Abries, we crossed a mountain,
and visited Molines, Pierre-grosse, Foussillard, and
San Veran. In the two latter, Protestant churches
have lately been erected. From these remote
places, where they had never before seen a female
above the condition of a peasant, or dressed other-
wise than in coarse woollen, we descended again
towards the Guil, and passed a night at Chateau
Queiras. The next day's walk took us to Arvieux,
Chalp, and Brunichard. At Arvieux there is a Pro-
testant church ; and at Chalp the clergyman, M.
Herman, resides who succeeded Mr. Neff', and who
is the only minister who officiates among the scat-
tered congregation, in the valleys of Queiras and
Frassyniere, between Dormilleuse and Foussillard
the two are nearly five-and-forty miles distant. He
is scarcely ever at home, and takes up his habita-

tion for a week now at one hamlet, and


together,
then at another. M. Herman was absent when
we were at Arvieux. The day before our arrival
H h 2
468 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

his wife had taken in a forlorn woman, a stranger,


and her three children. The wanderer was con-
fined the same night, and thus five were hospitably
harboured. Our path to Guillestre was through
a defile, where there is barely room for the
torrent ; the path itself in many places is hewn
out of the perpendicular face of rocks, whose sum-
mits rise to the very clouds. No mountain pass
that I have seen equals this in gloomy horrors.
I should say its tremendous attractions exceed
those of the valley of Gondo, in the passage of the
Simplon.
On the fourth day after our departure from
Pra, we found ourselves, for a few hours, on the
high road between Embrun and Brian9on, but
at La Roche, we crossed the Durance, and
ascended towards the Val Frassyniere. We visited
Palons, Frassyniere, Violin, Mensals, and Dormil-
leuse ; the three last are peopled entirely by
Protestants ; the whole of the Roman Catholic
population of Violin and Mensals was converted by
M. Neff. No Dormilleusian ever bowed his knee
before an image of the Roman Church. The
village of Dormilleuse, in its situation at the foot

of the glacier, in its impregnable position, and in


its desolate and savage aspect, answered all our
high-wrought expectations. And so did the people.
At Palons, a young man, who accompanied us
from Guillestre, made it known that I was a Protes-
tant clergyman. The inhabitants left their houses.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 469

and their work in the fields, and flocked round


me to entreat me to preach to them. The same
at Frassyniere, Viohn, and Dormilleiise. 1 pleaded
my imperfect knowledge of French, and they
reluctantly gave up the point.
The scene was overpowering. We had been
deeply moved at Val Queiras, but the continued
excitement, added to the fatigue, was too much
for our spirits, and we felt the consequences
severely.
We did not sleep at Dormilleuse — in truth there
was not a place where we could have laid us down
with any hope of repose. We took up our lodging
at La Bressie, a village near the Durance.
This visit to the Protestants of Dormilleuse,
and of the valleys of Queiras and Frassyniere, I

may pronounce to have been intensely interesting,


as well as instructive. It confirmed my belief, that,

when the primitive Churches were supplanted


by the Roman Church in the plains, there were
branches of the old stock which still flourished in
the remote mountain hamlets. Some few of these
have survived. But the sight of them, and of the
scattered settlements of the Waldensian remnant
in Dauphine, has left me in greater admiration
than before, when I reflect that the Church of the
Valleys, and its fifteen united parishes, should have
been able, not only to escape extermination, but to
present a front, and to make conditions for them-
selves, and to succeed in their demands of being
470 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

recognised as an independent, organised, and regu-


larly constituted Church, through the most direful
ages of intolerance, and in the very midst of enemies
leagued to destroy it. The non-conformists of
Dauphine dwelt in a country whicn was quite as
defensible as the valleys of Luserna, San Martino,
and Perosa: —but Dormilleuse is the only village
there, which never received a Romish priest, and
whose inhabitants would not conform even out-
wardly. The shield of God is the first and principal
cause to which we attribute the protection of the
Vaudois of Piemont ; but the secondary cause is

the obligation of solemn treaties, by which the


princes of the house of Savoy pledged themselves,
on their first possession of the territory, and from
time to time afterwards, to respect the personal
and rehgious rights of the ''
Men of the Valleys;'*
ofmen who resisted the jurisdiction of Rome, and
who were members of an ancient independent
Church, long before the house of Savoy reigned
in Piemont. These were the treaties, as I have
maintained in the Introduction, by which the
dukes of Savoy were bound to tolerate them,
^'
astretti tolerarli,'' and were prevented from
eradicating them \

^
See page 73.

In the course of my journey through the valleys of Queiras


and Frassyniere, I enquired in vain for MSS. and ancient docu-

ments. Not a paper of the least value did I see.


CHAPTER XV.

Return to Piemont by Brian^on and the Pass of Mont Genevre —


Cesane — The Valleij of Pragela — The perfidy of Louis XIV.
and Victor Amadce in the extermination of the Waldenses of Val
Pragela — The Col Albergian — Fenestrelle— M. Coucourde
— Bartholomerv Coucourde^ —and anecdotes of the late Mode-
rator Peyrano.

July 30. Instead of returning to Piemont by


the way we came, and re-crossing the Col de la
Croix, we determined to take the route to Brian^on,
Cesane, and Fenestrelle, for the purpose of seeing
the pass of Mont Genevre, and the remains of the
old Roman road over the Cottian Alps ^, and of
visiting the valley of Pragela, where there were
six Waldensian churches, till the exterminating
edict of Victor Amadee completed the devasta-
tion which Louis XIV. had begun.
Our track from La Bressie, where the Durance
" wide and fierce came roaring by," was in the
line of road laid down in the Itinerary of Antonine;

but I could not satisfy myself that the distances


are there correctly given. Rama is stated in the

'
See page 5^.
472 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Itinerary to be eighteen miles from Brigantio


(Brian^on), but we were not three hours in walking
from Bouches, the village which is directly oppo-
site to the ancient station, said to be the Rama of
the Romans, to Brian9on. Rama, in the same
Table of Antonine, appears to be nearly equi-
distant from Brian^on and Embrun — whereas,
according to present measurement, the difference
is very great.
Near Saint Martin a peasant accosted us, and
told us of the terrors of a glacier near by, where
the cold is so intense, that any body who should
venture to cross it would die. In the times of
Hannibal, Polybius, and Livy, the ignorant natives
entertained strangers with the same marvellous
tales of the inaccessibiHty of the snowy mountains
in these regions.

The approach to Brian^on is magnificent. The


town and its main fortress occupy a fine position

on a rock, at the bottom of which the Durance


rolls his foaming waters ; and on the opposite side

of the river, a line of bastions and battlemented


walls extent to the summit of a mountain.
It was here that hundreds of English prisoners of
war were detained during the reign of Napoleon,
and many a heart sickened under the rigours of
captivity, and the disappointment of hope deferred,

amidst some of the most glorious scenes in nature.


We did not make any stay at Brian^on. The
archives of the Burgundian kingdom, and records
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 473

that would have served to illustrate the miHtary


history of the Cottian Alps, were formerly pre-
served in this frontier keep ; but when the duke
of Savoy burnt the town in one of the forays of
1692, they were all destroyed in the conflagi'ation.
Travellers are too much disposed to run in each
others' footsteps, and to confine their attention to
the well known regions of the Alps ; but it would
amply repay the tourist to make Brian^on his
head-quarters, and to explore from thence the
attractive and romantic country which lies within
a day's journey of it. The scenery, as described
by Brockedon and others, is of the very first

description. The historian would gather infor-


mation relative to some of the most interesting
events in border history, and the naturalist end-
less amusement in the quarries and forests. There
are no less than 2,700 species of aromatic and
other plants to be found in the vicinity of the
Durance. The sportsman would not only find
partridges and pheasants, but might occupy his
time in the nobler pursuit of the wolf, the bear,
and the chamois.
An event which occurred near Brian9on will
give some notion of the incidents, which emblazon
mountain life and field sports in these regions.
A peasant, with his wife and three children, had
taken up his summer quarters in a chalet, and
was depasturing his flocks on one of the rich Alps
which overhang the Durance. The oldest boy
474 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

was an idiot, about eight years of age, the second


was five years old and dumb, and the youngest
was an infant. It so happened that the infant
was left one morning in charge of his brothers,
and the three had rambled to some distance from
the chalet before they were missed. When the
mother went in search of the little wanderers, she

found the two elder, but could discover no traces


of the baby. The idiot boy seemed to be in a
transport of joy, while the dumb child displayed
every symptom of alarm and terror. In vain did
the terrified parent endeavour to collect what had
become of the lost infant. The antics of the one,
and the fright of the other explained nothing.
The dumb boy was almost bereft of his senses,
while the idiot appeared to have acquired an un-
usual degree of mirth and expression. He danced
about, laughed, and made gesticulations, as if he
were imitating the action of one, who had caught
up something of which he was fond, and hugged it
to his heart. This, however, was of some slight
comfort to the poor woman, for she imagined that
some acquaintance had fallen in with the children,
and had taken away the infant. But the day and
night wore away, and no tidings of the lost child.
On the morrow, when the parents were pursuing
their search, an eagle flew over their heads, at the
sight of which the idiot renewed his antics, and
the dumb boy clung to his father with the shrieks
of anguish and afiright. The horrible truth then
2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 475

burst upon their minds^ that the miserable infant


had been carried off in the talons of a bird of

prey : —and that the half-witted elder brother was


delighted at his riddance of an object of whom he
was jealous.
'
On the morning in which the accident hap-
pened, an Alpen yager

" Whose joy was in the wilderness — to breatlie


" The difficult air of the iced mountain's top,"

had been watching near an eagle's nest, under


the hope of shooting the bird upon her return to
her eyry. After waiting in all the anxious perse-
verance of a true sportsman, he beheld the monster
slowly winging her way towards the rock, behind
which he was concealed. Imagine his horror,
when, upon her nearer approach, he heard the
cries, and distinguished the figure of an infant in
her fatal grasp. In an instant his resolution was
formed, — to fire at the bird at all hazards, the
moment she should alight upon her nest, and
rather to kill the child, than leave it to be torn
to pieces by the horrid devourer. With a silent

prayer and a steady aim, the mountaineer poised


his rifle. The ball went directly through the
head or heart of the eagle, and in a minute after-

wards, this gallant hunter of the Alps had the


unutterable delight of snatching the child from
the nest, and bearing it away in triumph. It was
476 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

dreadfully wounded by the eagle's talons in one of


its arms and sides, but not mortally ; and within
twenty-four hours after it was first missed, he had
the satisfaction of restoring it to its mother's arms.
On the French side of the mountain, the road over
Mont Genevre into Italy is still as good as when
Buonaparte completed it, and gave it the name of
" La Route d'Espagne en Italic." That which was
but a mule-path at the beginning of the present cen-
tury, is now a noble road, thirty feet wide, which
ascends the face of the mountain by traverses, and
measures about six miles from the foot of the first

steep in the territory of France, to Cesane, the


frontier Italian town, at the bottom of the decli-

vity on the other side of this Alpine chain. We


were four hours and a quarter in going from
Brian^on to Cesane, and again we were unfortunate
in the weather. As if in sympathy with the wild
scenery of the Pass, the sky was first dark and
lowering, and then poured forth all its fury. We
ascended and descended Mont Genevre in a storm
of wind and rain.
On the highest part of the passage, we stopped to
look at an obelisk, 65 feet high, which was erected,
with an inscription in Latin and French, in honour
of Napoleon. The inscription was defaced by the
Austro-Sardinian army, which entered France by
this route in 1815; and though the late French
government, under Louis XVIII. and Charles X.
had not the magnanimity to restore it, it is to be
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 477

hoped that the ministers of the present king will

shew better taste and judgment, and not grudge the


imperial engineer the honour, which he ought to
share with Cottius and Augustus, as the projector
of one of the noblest roads in Europe, and one
which presents the shortest and easiest passage

across the Alps.


The rain poured down in such torrents, that
we passed the custom-house on the line of demar-
cation, without observing it, or being observed by
the officers there. This proved to be very unfor-
tunate.
When we crossed the Col de la Croix, we were
unprovided with the necessary forms to legalize
the admission of our Piemontese pony and ass
into France. A native of La Monta, hearing of
our dilemma, most kindly volunteered to be our
caution, or security ; but the regulations of the
Douane required that we should present ourselves,
and the paper signed by this gentleman, at the
French custom-house on Mont Genevre. We
passed it in the storm, and thus unwittingly ex-
posed M. Gerard to the penalties of the unfulfilled
conditions. On our return to La Torre, we wrote
to explain the matter, and thought that all was
right ; but let the reader conceive my shame and
distress, when I received a letter, six months after
I had been at home, acquainting me that M.
Gerard had been condemned to pay a fine of 110
francs, for our default, besides all the trouble and
478 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

uneasiness occasioned by the proceedings against


him. The worthy man took a journey from La
Monta to La Torre, to state the case to M. Bert,
and to ask for the address of the strangers in
whose cause he had thus suffered. Pecuniary
reparation was all that I could make ; but I record
the circumstance in gratitude for the kindness
which this French gentleman extended to a party
totally unknown to him, and at his own risk. I

mention it also as one of those incidents growing


out of border regulations, which frequently prove
so vexatious and harassing to travellers.
We arrived at Cesane, cold and wet, at four
o'clock in the afternoon, and took up our lodging
at a filthy and miserable inn, which, bad as it was,
was the best in a town which seemed to be peo-
pled by contrabandists and outlaws. We never
liked ourselves less, whether in regard to our
accommodation, or the suspicious characters among
whom we found ourselves thrown. There was
no other apartment with a fire in it than the
kitchen of the inn, which was soon filled with a
parcel of strange-looking fellows, who examined
us and our baggage with a species of curiosity,
which, to say the least, was unpleasant ; but there
We
was no help
as we
for it.

could, and at night were


dried our clothes as well
shewn into a room, I
which was open to the elements in more places
than one, where we passed some slee{)less hours
till day-break.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 479

July 31. Glad were we to leave Cesane at the

first dawn of light ; though in justice to the people


of the inn, I must add, that they did their utmost
to make us comfortable, but the cold, dirt, and
stench of the place were intolerable.
After passing the Col Sestriere, by a road which
was made as good as that over Mont Genevre, by
Napoleon, but is now suffered by the king of Sar-
dinia to fall hito a wretched state, we entered the
valley of Pragela.
Nothing in despotism or diplomacy was ever
more infamous than the transactions by which the
inhabitants of this valley were deprived of their
religious rights. They originally formed part of
the Waldensian community, and by virtue of the
same ancient treaties, were permitted to enjoy the
free exercise of their religion. In one of the
wars between the French and Piemontese, the
valleys of Pragela and Perosa were wrested from
the dukes of Savoy, and annexed to the crown of
France; but the Protestants, until the reign of
Louis XIV., remained in quiet possession of their
former privileges. These, indeed, were held so
sacred, that they were repeatedly made the subject
of express compacts ; and the French monarchs
pledged themselves, and their successors, to the
perpetual observance of them on their own part,
and to guarantee their observance, in case of ces-
sion. " All their franchises, liberties, immunities,
and privileges, both ancient and modern, shall be
480 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

confirmed to them, in the same manner as of right


they have enjoyed them heretofore. And if at
any time it shall happen that his majesty, or his
successors shall be constrained to surrender them
to the jurisdiction of any other, they shall be
transferred with the same conditions and privi-
leges that shall be granted to them by the present
treaty, together with their ancient privileges and
immunities, which, by the said transfer, shall neither
be changed nor altered in any sort whatever."
Such was the obhgation of the treaty of Henry
IV. of France, signed 1st November, 1592, upon
the Holy Bible ! The treaty was again solemnly
renewed, and the Most High God was invoked as
a witness to it by Henry, on the 25th of March,
in the following year. His son, Louis XIII., con-
firmed it in the camp of Moustier, in the month
of June, 1630 ^ Where was the faith of kings,
when the son of one of these monarchs, and the
grandson of the other, when Louis Bourbon trans-
ferred the inhabitants of Val Pragela to the Duke
of Savoy, in 1713, not only without the conditions
so sacredly guaranteed, but with the express stipu-
lation, that the Protestants of the ceded valley
should be deprived of all those religious privileges
and rights, to which his predecessors had pledged
themselves and him? The Waldenses of the
valley of Pragela have been exterminated, in

conformity with a secret compact made between

* See vol. J. Morland MSS. in the Cambridge library.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 481

Louis XIV. and Victor Amadee, but in violation


of the most binding treaties between the Bourbons
and the Waldenses. And where are the Bourbons
now ? Righteous art thou, O Lord
What adds to the infamy of this deed of oppres-
sion and perjury, is the fact, that previously to its

execution, the king of Sardinia, Victor Amadee,


had engaged, in a treaty between himself and
Queen Anne, signed in 1704, to leave the inha-

bitants of Val Pragela, " in the free exercise of

their religion" should that valley be ceded to him


by France. Victor signed this compact, and five
years afterwards wrote a letter to the British
sovereign, giving his royal word, not only that the
rights of the Protestants of this region should be
observed " ont of regard to the engagements of the
treaty,'' but that, for her Majesty's sake, *'
every
attention should be paid to her royal pleasure
upon the subject of the inhabitants of the valley
of Pragela." But the moment the transfer was
made, he sent his troops into the devoted territory,

and compelled every Protestant to renounce his


faith, or to expatriate himself. The cries of the

banished and the imprisoned at length reached


the ears of Mr. Hedges, the British ambassador at
Turin. This was in the year 1727. Mr. Hedges
presented a memorial to the king of Sardinia, and
made strong remonstrances in behalf of the com-
plainants. He recited the article of the treaty of
1704, the promises given to Queen Anne, and the
I i
482 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

obligation of ancient engagements ; and he pressed


his expostulations with an importunity, which at
last put the court to their shifts ; and the following
is the substance of the answer which he received
" The king of Sardinia cannot fulfil the promises
given to Queen Anne in 1704, with regard to the
inhabitants of the valley of Pragela, because he is

bound by the seventh article of the treaty made


at Turin in 1696, between the king of France and
himself, not to tolerate the Protestant religion in
any of the provinces ceded, or to be ceded, by
France \" Such was the perfidy qf Victor Amadee.
Mr. Hedges was recalled soon after receiving this

specimen of diplomatic treachery ; his successor

failed to espouse the cause of the injured Protest-


ants with the same zeal ; the work of extermination
went on, and it has been executed so effectually,
that every vestige of the Waldensian Church is

effaced in the valley of Pragela.


As we passed through the lovely glens, where
the sanctuaries of our own faith once stood, we
frequently enquired if any Protestants were left.

Not one ! was the invariable reply. The inhabi-


tants dare not avow the religion of their fore-
fathers ; but I was assured by persons on the
other side of the Clusone, that there are many
secret adherents to the ancient persuasion. One

^ See the correspondence of Mr. Hedges in the State Paper

Office.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 483

informant acquainted me, that a relation of his


in these parts had begged for a Bible or New
Testament ; and another related, that the peasants

who go into the Val San Martino, from the Val


Pragela, for work, very frequently attend service
at the Vaudois churches. The vicinity of the
fortress of Fenestrelle rendered the success of
bayonet conversion more easy, than it would have
been in many other districts.

It was a melancholy journey through this valley,

notwithstanding the grandeur of the landscape, for


we could not forget that every hamlet had been
the scene of recent oppression. In our excursion
through the valleys of Queiras and Frassynieie, on
the other side of the Alps, we saw that the people
of God were not forsaken ; but here we might have
desponded, but for that recollection, at the sight
of persons whose grandfathers had been forced to
allow their children to be baptised according to the
forms of a Church which they believed to be in
error. '*
In this valley," observed Perrin ^
in 1618,
" there are at this day six goodly churches, every
one having their pastor, and every pastor having

^
This extract is from a translation of Perrin, in a book called
" Luther's Fore-runners ;" and I gladly take this opportunity of

thanking the unknown friend, who sent it ine, with the following
note :
— " An individual, unknown to Mr. Oilly, who has lately

read his visit to the Waldenses, sends him a very scarce historical

book of that interesting community." 1 had often tried, but un-

successfully, to pick up this rare volume.

li 2
484 W ALDKNSIAN RESEARCHES.

divers villages, all filled with those who have de-


scended from the ancient Waldenses. They are
churches trulv Protestant time out of mind. Their
old people, (and some are about a hundred years
old,) have never heard from their fathers or grand-
fathers, that mass was ever sung in their country.
And though perhaps the Archbishop of Turin may
have caused it to be sung in the said valley, the
inhabitants have no knowledge of it, and there is

not any amongst them that makes profession of


any other faith or behef, than the confession of
which we have been speaking." What a change!
Now, there is not a living creature in all these
villages who dares refuse to go to mass
The Clusone was to our right, and beyond it

rose a chain of mountains, which separates the


valley of San Martino from that of Pragela. Above
the rest towers the lofty and picturesque Col Alber-
gian, or Albergo, so called in memory of one of the
most terrible events which the Waldensian history
recounts. In the autumn of 1400, the non-con-
formists were attacked from the side of Susa, but
repulsed their adversaries. On Christmas-day, they
were surprised by the advance of an overwhelming
force, and were obliged to fly from their houses,
and to take refuge in the caverns and hollows of
the mountains. The next morning, eighty infants,
and many of their mothers, were found dead among
the rocks. Many others were so benumbed with
cold, that they never recovered the use of their
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. iS5

limbs. When the news of this dreadful catas-


trophe reached the ears of the enemy, the moun-
tain was called, in unfeeling jest, the Albergo, or
''
lodging-house of the heretics."
After traversing the whole length of the valley
of Pragela, and passing through the villages of
Traversa, Choucherons, Sutiere, Fraisse, and Pour-
miere, we arrived at Fenestrelle, in seven hours
from Cesane, and were most hospitably received
there by M. Coucourde, a Vaudois resident in the
town. After a week of no common fatigue, and
some " adventures sufficiently disagreeable in the

advent, but full of poesy in the remembrance," as


Mr. Gait expresses was an unspeakable luxury
it, it

to find ourselves in clean apartments, and enjoy-


ing the refreshing attentions of a family, who
understand the value of well ventilated rooms,
and the use of cold water.
M. Coucourde enjoys some place under govern-
ment at Fenestrelle, a favour rarely extended to
a Vaudois, but by his long services, and well
known fidelity, he has rendered himself so worthy
of notice, that he is not likely to be removed. His
father held the same situation, and ingratiated
himself with a former sovereign by some signal
service ; but all the royal influence was not suf-
ficient to obtain the restoration of a daughter who
was kidnapped, and taken to a convent. In vain
did the parents implore, and the king protest, the
sacerdotal power was stronger than the royal, and
486 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the girl remained shut up within monastic walls,


till the French authorities superseded the house
of Savoy, and released her. Strange to say, she
died, under very suspicious circumstances, soon
after reaching the paternal abode. The history
of the whole family is full of interest. The wife
of M. Coucourde was the daughter of the mode-
rator Peyrani. His brother is now physician to
the hospital at La Torre, after serving with re-
putation in the medical staff with the French army
in Spain. His eldest son, Bartholomew, was edu-
cated by his grandfather Peyrani, and has already
experienced many of the sad vicissitudes of life.

He studied at Turin, and passed examination for a


surgeon's diploma ; but as soon as he was qualified
to practise, his course was arrested by the wither-
ing edict, which closes the door of the honourable
professions against the Vaudois. He next entered
a mercantile house at Turin. The house failed

and when we visited his father at Fenestrelle, we


found him there an unwilling and melancholy
idler, who would gladly devote himself to any em-
ployment which he could obtain. He earnestly
requested that I would endeavour to recommend
him as travelling companion to some gentleman,
to whom he might be useful as a linguist and

secretary. Since my return to England, I received


a letter from him, dated Marseilles, in which he
informed me, that he was picking up a precarious
subsistence there, as notary's writer.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 487

:
A traveller from the valleys has spoken of
Bartholomew Coucourde, as one of the most in-
teresting persons he had long met with \ To me
he was the same, and his anecdotes and reminis-
cences of that extraordinary man, his grandfather
Peyrani, were deeply moving, and, I may add,
heart-rending. M. Peyrani was scarcely ever free
from pain. His headaches were acute, and of fre-

quent recurrence, yet they rarely disturbed his


vivacity and good humour, or interrupted his in-

cessant studies and labours ; whatever he read, or


heard repeated, he remembered, and his memory
was a treasure-house of such inexhaustible re-
sources, that he was able to draw upon it without
the least apparent effort. His knowledge was
consequently profound and various ; but perhaps
it would have been happier for him, had his talents
not been of the highest order, for he had all that
carelessness about the ordinary, but necessary,
concerns of domestic life, which is too often the
defect of great genius.
His private affairs were in confusion ; he never
could refuse to give others assistance, however
urgent his own condition ; his books, and the public
demands upon his attention, diverted his thoughts
from his own wants, and those of his children

and he lived and died in a state of the most de-


plorable poverty. But in the midst of all his

^
Biacebrldge's Authentic Details of the Valdenses, p. 41.
488 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

destitution of the comforts, and even of the con-


veniences of life, he was not only in correspondence
with some of the first men in Europe, but his
humble dwelling was frequently honoured by
people of distinction, who came out of their way to
discourse with him. The Count Crotti, Intendant
of the province, was very fond of his conversation,
and once took him in his carriage to Pinerolo, and
having introduced him to the episcopal palace,
provoked a theological discussion between the
Moderator of the Vaudois, and the Roman Catholic
Bishop of the diocese.
A military officer of high rank and accomplish-
ments, who prided himself upon the address, with
which he could discuss most topics, heard of Pey-
rani's renown as a controversialist, and sought an
opportunity of entering the lists with him. The
aged pastor was victor in every tilt. At last the
general determined to try his strength on ground
which he considered entirely his own, the principles
and science of Gunnery. But here also he found
Peyrani equally upon his guard; and confessed
with great candour, that he was more than a
match for him. One more anecdote is sufficient

to shew the estimation, in which he was held, and


the general opinion of his abihties. When he died,
it was said, exultingly, by a Roman Catholic divine
of some eminence — ^' Now Peyrani is dead, we
shall soon succeed in making the valleys our own !"
This person understood the value of Peyrani's
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 489

genius and influence, but he little knew the dif-

ficulty of converting the Vaudois, nor did he take


into account the number of able and zealous men
in the Waldensian Church, who yet remain to
uphold the cause of Protestantism.
CHAPTER XVI.

Fenestrelle. Perosa, Pomaretto, The Grave and Epitaph of


Peyrani. Second Visit to the Valley of San Martino. Pont
de la Tour, and attempt at assassination. San Germano,
Memorials of English buried there. Roccapiatta. Prams-
tino. Return to la Torre. Reflections upon the present and
past condition of the Waldensian Church in France and Italy.

1st August. After having been permitted to in-


spect the fortress of Fenestrelle ^, where we gazed
with admiration on its covered way of 4800 steps,

and its 140 brass cannon, but grudged the Eng-


lish treasure with which it was built ; we bade
farewell to our amiable host, and proceeded to
pay a second visit to the valley of San Martino,
under the guidance of M. Bartholomew Cou-
courde. We followed the high road till we ar-

rived at Perosa, and then turned off to the right,

'
There are several state prisoners in this fortress. One is a
colonel who was implicated in the political movements, of 1821.
Another is a French priest, who finds an asylum rather than a
prison here, after having violated and murdered a young girl be-

longing to his parish.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 491

towards Pomaretto, by the same path which I

had taken in the winter of 1823. The country


now appeared under a new aspect, and as I gazed
upon the smiling vineyards and rich corn-fields,
with which the mountain sides were covered, I
could not but ask myself, " Is this the Pomaretto,
which I thought a dreary spot, when I first visited

itr
we entered the village, we made a pil-
Before
grimage to the new church and church-yard but ;

I find it impossible to describe our reflections as


we stood over the grave of Peyrani, surrounded
by his son and grandson, and nephew, Timoleon
Peyrani. Six years have but just passed away
since my interview with him, and now the sods
that cover him have nearly sunk to the level of
the ground ; the letters, that were faintly traced
upon his rude tomb-stone, are almost obliterated,
and in a few years nothing will remain to mark
the place where his ashes repose : so neglected is

the spot which is called the cemetery of Pomaretto.


Two English travellers have already recorded his
simple epitaph in their pages, and one, IVIr. Brace-
bridge, has given a sketch of the ground where he
sleeps. But I cannot refrain from making it a
thrice-told tale, and transcribing the inscription,
which is fast fading away, on the small rough
stone, which does not even stand upright above
the grave, but totters over it, and will soon fall to
pieces. " J. R. L. S. Peyran, Pasteur et Mode-
492 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

rateur ne le 11 Dec. 1752, Mort le 26 Avril, 1823."


The initials represent Jean, Rodolphe, Louis,
Samuel. The words are not placed in epitaphic
order, but run according to the number of letters,
that could be huddled together on the breadth of
the stone \ Near by repose the bodies of the
moderator's brother, Ferdinand Peyrani of Pra-
mol, and of his daughter Madame Coucourde.
Equally perishable stones, and fading inscriptions,
distinguish the places where they are deposited.
The church-yard is unenclosed. It is small,
and nothing separates it from a vineyard and
corn-field, but it is picturesquely situated, and com-
mands some very interesting views.

'
Measures have been taken to erect a marble tablet within the

porch of the church, in memory of the late Moderator Peyrani,


with the following inscription :

S. M.
JOHANNIS RODULPHI LUDOVICI SAMUELIS PEYRANI,
Qui, post vitam aliorum non sui omnino studiosam,
rSalutis 1823,
nKnfcnmn
Ubut anno < jc*. *• nn
1 jEtatis suae 72,

Ecclesise Vallensis Presbyter et Moderator,

Literis Humanis et Sacris apprime Doctus,


Nequaquam glorians nisi in Cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi,
In Patriam et Religionem intemerata fide notus,
Animo erga Omnes benevolus,

Operibus ingenii non autem praemiis felix.

Ne bene merenti, cui vivo deerant fere omnia,


Deesset etiam mortuo tumulus,
Hoc tandem posito marmore curavit

Aiienigena.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 493

The church of Pomaretto is a handsome new


building, calculated to hold 1000 persons, which
was lately erected at the cost of more than 16,000
francs, to which the late Emperor Alexander and
his mother contributed. On the pediment, there
is this inscription :

Ce temple a ete construit sous le regne de notre gracieux


Souverain Charles Felix. David Ribet Entrepreneur. L'an de
salut 1828.

I grieve to add, that it has nearly been the


ruin of the poor fellow, David Ribet, whose name
appears as the builder. He contracted to finish
it for 11,598 francs, and the materials of the old
church ; and such was his zeal for the honour of
his rehgion and of his parish, that he persevered
in completing it in the most substantial style,

though it was evidently a losing concern. The


consequence was, that it him 16,402 francs
cost
and the 4,800 francs expended above his con-
tract, is sum far beyond that, which a person of
a
his scanty means can conveniently meet. He has
been assisted by some small contributions in Po-
maretto and elsewhere, but the deficit remains
very large and pressing.
After inspecting the dispensary of Pomaretto,
where the surgeon, M. Droghero, conducted us
through the nice clean apartments, which are
fitted up for the reception of nine patients, we
were received witli a hearty welcome at the pres-
494 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

bytery, by M. Jalla, who insisted upon our dining


with him, though our party was by this time
swelled to eight or ten, by friends who met us at
Perosa, and came with us into Pomaretto. These
kind attentions were exceedingly gratifying; and
we never left one village or entered another, in our
journeys through the Vaudois communes, with-
out being accompanied by several of the warm-
hearted inhabitants, who seemed to adopt this
mode of shewing us civility. It was pleasing to
observe how hospitably these companions of our
walk were hailed in with ourselves to the houses
where we stopped, and how readily they accepted
the invitation, without appearing to think for a
moment that they were intruders.
M. Jalla is one of those unassuming village pas-

tors, who steal into the hearts of their people by


modest worth, and genuine benevolence. His
acts of kindness to the sons of his predecessor
have been countless.
In the afternoon, Mrs. Gilly and I proceeded,
by the communes of Villa Secca and Perero, to
Massel, where we were entertained at the house
of M. Tron. My brother was unwell, and returned
to La Torre from Pomaretto.
Next morning, August 2, we found our way to
the Balceglia, and at the foot of an immense fir
tree, near the spot from whence the French artil-

lery played upon the Vaudois, who defended the


first position, or lower terrace, Mrs. Gilly sketched

I
.. . ./ '
-wjU HI
'

., 1"^, • *•, ^BiSSa. ' 'Si's?* * „.

1 {' >

« Skfirh hj
On. SU'fLc uy r .\u.k<ji--^'-n 'ruu.ui i'u .'i!Liif.l?na.riM
ki'c
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 495

the striking objects before us. Below, on our


right, were seen the village of Balceglia, with the

bridge and mill : on the left was the bridge by


which the enemy attempted to cross the torrent,
and to attack the chateau. The three points,
occupied successively by the Vaudois, rise one
above the other in strongly marked lines, and so
rugged and precipitous is the ascent to each, that
it is no wonder that the assailants were so long
kept at bay. The Vaudois escaped, when they
could hold out no longer, by a path over the
Guignivert, which, under any other circumstances,
it would have been frenzy to attempt.
On our way back from the Balceglia to Massel,
the descent in places was so abrupt, that the pony,
which carried Mrs. Gilly was held back by two or
three men, to prevent his tumbling headlong down
the steep. The attentive kindness of M. and
Madame Tron would have been sufficient to tempt
us to stay several days under their roof, but we
had promised to pay a visit to Prah, and we so
far kept our word, as to pass one night at the
presbytery of M. Peyrani, having found our way
there by crossing the Salse mountain from Massel,
by Fontana and Guardiol : but we were both so ill,

and suffering so severely from the effects of our


rough journey into Dauphin^, as to be apprehensive
of the consequences of being laid up in this remote
village. We therefore rose early on the morning
2
496 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of the 3d of August, and took leave of the pastor


and his kind-hearted wife, after having had scarcely
any conversation with them. In passing the cas-
cade of Rodoret, my wife exerted herself, and
made an endeavour to take a drawing of it, but it

was finished afterwards from recollection, and can-


not therefore boast of being correct in all its

features.
The scenery in Val Martino changes, frequently
and rapidly, from the most harsh and rugged
aspect to that of the most attractive beauty. Stu-
pendous cliffs and terrific precipices^ give place
to verdant and flowery spots, and a turn of the
mountain path, by the torrent side, would bring
us out of a deep cleft of rock, where our feet were
bruised by the stones, to a bank of lavender, or
a green plateau of herby grass, soft as a carpet
or to a sunny nook, where the little property of
corn land is cultivated, like the patriarchal inhe-

ritances of the ancient tribes of Israel, by father


and son from generation to generation. The
Germanasca ^ whose waters we followed, was of

*
The pony which carried Mrs. Gilly, would always press
so near the edge of these precipices, as to render it not a little

alarming. Our guide said it was impossible to prevent it; the

animal enjoyed the current of air that came from the gulf below.
* In the course of our journey this day, and particularly near
Perero, we were tormented by a large fly, which had all the

voracity and venom of Virgil's Asilus, and seemed to haunt the


®^' mODBva-mjE'ff. TAJL ®F m.Am')VKm.
>"-*yj-yu-,.on\"^^^^'^^^
\j:t<tMna'Ui, ICtc UC'i
/vm a /AfffA h-.f,'" H (:,Uu.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 497

the same changing character. The deafening roar


of his flood almost stunned us in some places,

and soon afterwards, we came to a deep still pool


of azure blue, where he seemed to rest for a w^hile,
before he pursued his impetuous course again,
and where we felt that we could be tempted to sit

for hours with Isaac Walton's Angler, or poor


Sir Humphrey Davy's Salmonia, in our hand, and
enjoy the repose of the scene.
As we passed through Clots, we took the opportu-
nity of looking into the girls' school again, and then
pursued our way to Perosa, by the common route
over the Pont de la Tour. This, however, is not
the rude construction of which we read in Leger's

work, nor is it on the same spot ; but it is a conve-


nient stone bridge, somewhat nearer to Pomaretto
than that which the historian thus describes :

" The valley of San Martino is often rendered


inaccessible by the snow, and cannot be entered
except by a cleft in the rocks, which is called La
Pont de la Tour, and is only wide enough for the
channel of the river, or rather the wild torrent,

Germanasca, above which there is abridge thrown,


at a very great elevation. This abuts on each
side upon the frightful rocks, from which the

same sort of spot, the groves and dry banks of the Germanasca *.

The flanks and neck of the pony were absolutely bathed in blood
under its bite.

* Georgic. Lib. 3. 146.

Kk
498 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

mountains rise, which close in the valley, and out


of which a path has been hewn with great diffi-

culty, just wide enough for the passage of a horse

or mule. When the bridge is taken away, and it

is very easy to remove it, it is impossible to enter


the valley ; and should intruders be so hardy as
to attempt to replace the bridge, a few women
would be able to prevent them, by rolling frag-

ments of stone upon them from the rocks above \'*


The annexed sketch represents this formidable
pass, over which the Alpine bridge of Leger was
suspended ; but the narrow path has been widened,
and strengthened by masonry work, so that what
was formerly a mule path, is now a tolerably good
carriage road, as far as Perero. In the darkest
part of the pass, a murderous attack was made
upon a native of Villa Secca some years ago. The
assassin stabbed him, and after rifling his pockets,

left him for dead. In this condition he was


found, and restored to consciousness, and event-
ually to health ; but the poor man's mind was so
affected, that he never afterwards dare move from
his own door alone. The robber was a neighbour
of his, who, being a Roman Catholic, fled to an
asylum ; but having begged pardon and made his

peace with his intended victim, he was soon per-


mitted by the laws to be at large, as if nothing
had happened.

* Leger, Liv. 1. 5.
'aV, taW in. (t>^ ji, ^^ ]r A ^ ^ (OjW it IE IE (S S m M iiM A S € A.
NEAR THE PONT DE LA TOUB.
^I'fi nyEvcftlmajin yCo Frvrt a. SietcA H; . W" IV (<Uu
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 499

We dined at Perosa at the house of M. Drog-


hero, surgeon to the dispensary, where a large
party of Vaudois were invited to meet us by our
entertainer ; and though our host and one or two
of the guests were not Protestants, yet the conver-
sation was as unreserved, and Waldensian affairs

were as much the subject of conversation, as if we


were all of one mind. The Vaudois are universally
held in the highest estimation by their neighbours
of the mistress Church, and mutual confidence
subsists between them ; a fact which is equally
creditable to both parties.
From Perosa, we followed the banks of the Clu-
sone, and took up our quarters for the night at the
presbytery of M. Monet, pastor of San Germano.
August 4, San Germano. This is a lovely vil-

lage on the Clusone, containing about 1000 Pro-


testants, and 350 or 400 Roman Catholics. It

has one central school, and nine small schools in


the hamlets, which are picturesquely spread upon
the acclivities, which rise towards Pramol on one
side, and Rocca-piatta on the other. Its venera-
ble pastor is gently descending into the vale of
years. Formerly he had the church of Val Queiras
under his charge ; and Madame Monet is a native
of Arvieux, who was baptized by a Romish priest,

and obliged during her youth to conceal her reh-


gious sentiments. She amused us with tales of

the times when the Waldenses of Val Queiras


used to meet in cellars, and caverns, and lonely
Kk 2
500 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

places, to pray and read the Scriptures together.


She herself had been present amidst such congre-
gations, and remembered when a watch used to
be set, and a line of sentinels planted themselves
in communication with the place of meeting, so
as to guard against surprise. Speaking of the
religious customs of the Waldenses of Val Queiras,
she told me that they always knelt when the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper was received, and
when the Ten Commandments were recited ^
After visiting the girls' school, conducted by
Madame Long, daughter of the late M. Geymet,
pastor of La Torre, where we were extremely
gratified by the progress which the children were
making, (one, a child of six years of age, had made
twelve shirts, and was then knitting a pair of
stockings), we next directed our steps to the
church, a spacious, clean, and convenient building,
suitable to a congregation of ten or eleven hundred
people.
San Germano being at no great distance from
Pinerolo, and so communicating with Turin by a
good road, is the spot to which the English fre-
quently bring the bodies of their friends, who die

in the capital of Piemont, for burial. It was,


therefore, with no common interest that I read

the memorials of several of my countrymen, whose

^
I have omitted to state in chap. iii. p. 219, that the Ten
Commandments are always recited in the churches of the valleys

of Piemont during divine service.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 501

remains repose within this Protestant sanctuary.

Among others, there is an affecting inscription on


a tablet, near the grave of the two children of Mr.
Charles Badham, who died at Turin in 1814. M.
Monet shewed me a letter from the afflicted father,
which it was torturing to read. From the church we
went to the cemetery of San Germano one of the —
mo^t beautiful spots in all the world, and walled in,

a privilege not often conceded to the Vaudois. It

is surrounded by walnut-trees, within sight and


sound of the Clusone on one side, and of the vil-

lage church and bells on the other, and in the im-


mediate vicinity of all that is most pleasing to the
senses. San Germano itself is embosomed amons
mountains ; and when we visited its romantic
scenes, the air was soft and balmy, and every thing
announced that we might deUver ourselves up to
the full enjoyment of an Itahan climate. Just as
we entered the cemetery, saw before me, upon a
I

pillar supporting the porch, an English epitaph in


memory of the father-in-law of Mr. Casborne, the
early friend of my school-boy and college days. I

was not aware that he was buried here, and the


accidental sight of his tomb raised a variety of
mingled emotions not easy to be restrained.
" Beneath this stone are deposited the remains
of Capel Loft, who was lord of the manors of
Troston and Stanton, in the county of Suffolk,
England, born in London, 25th November, 1752,
died at Moncaliere, 26th May, 1824."
502 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Our road to La Torre lay through San Bartholo-


meo, and Prarustino, by a beautiful path, shaded by
chesnuts, and over a richly diversified country. We
were accompanied by M. Monet, and the Modera-
tor, and the latter introduced me to his son, M. C.
A. Rostaing, the pastor of Prarustino. This young
clergyman answered my expectations in every
respect. He is active, well-informed, and devoted
to the duties of his calling. His flock are sensible
of the value of such a pastor, and are building a
good house, which he is to occupy under the
name of the *'
Maison de Consistoire." The old
presbytery, a small and dilapidated building, is at
Rocca-piatta, and when the Protestants of Pra-
rustino asked permission of the superior authori-
ties to erect a residence for their minister, in a
more convenient and populous part of the parish,
a Romish confessor whispered objections into the
princely ear, and one of the highest magistrates
of the state condescended to write upon the peti-
tion, " Non mi piace." This breath of royal dis-
pleasure dissipated the hopes of the people of
Prarustino ; but it was intimated to, or understood
by them, that although they might not build a
new presbytery for their Waldensian pastor, they
might erect a " Maison de Consistoire" for them-
selves, and allow him to take up his abode in it.

The church of Prarustino has lately been com-


pleted, and is a very handsome building. It is large,

and has all the character of a sanctuary, and pre-


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 503

sents to view on the Lord's day the richest orna-


ment of which a Christian temple can boast a full —
congregation. The cemetery is at no great distance
from the church, and, from its unenclosed ground,
commands one of the finest prospects in Piemont.
The meanderings of the Clusone and the Pelice,
and the rich lands through which they wander,
are seen to great advantage, with Turin and the
Superga in the extreme distance. Were I a
Vaudois pastor, Prarustino should be jpny choice.

*'
Ille terrarum mihi prseter omnes
Angulus ridet."

There are not indeed, here, the grander and


more imposing forms of mountain majesty, but
cottages half concealed amidst luxuriant foliage,
fair fields of corn, streams that murmur through
groves and glades, where the grass is always ver-
dant, even in sultry weather, and an undulating
surface, which sometimes swells into lofty hills ;

these form such a lovely picture of enjoyment,


and apparent repose, as I have seldom seen in
other places. And here, too, I believe there is the
moral attraction of an orderly and devout flock,

who are united to their pastor by the firmest of


all bands —affection and respect. There are only
forty-five Roman Cathohcs in the parish, and most
of these are strangers, or settlers of recent date.
The Protestants in Prarustino, San Bartholomeo,
and Rocca-piatta, amount to about 1800. There
504 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

is a church annexee in the latter. One central


school, nine hamlet schools, and a girls' school,
instituted by Mr. Sims, which I hope will be con-
tinued, occupy much of the attention of the young
pastor, from whom we parted with every senti-
ment of esteem and admiration.
We reached La Torre, on the evening of the
4th of August, by a path through the woods which
lie between Prarustino and San Giovanni ; and
happy, indeed, were we to find ourselves again
within the walls of M. Bert's comfortable and hos-
pitable dwelling, after eleven days absence, and no
small fatigue and discomfort.
This journey into Dauphine, and my return by
the valleys of Pragela, San Martin o, and Perosa,
carried me into the fastnesses of the ancient Wal-
denses, both on the French and Italian side of the
Alps, and excited new emotions and new sym-
pathies. I have now planted my foot in every
village, which is most sacred in Waldensian his-

tory ; and have surveyed most of those spots, which


in their seclusion or natural strength, have been
the asylums of the persecuted. And what an illus-

tration do they present of the inscrutable wisdom


of Providence, in the different fate of primitive
Churches built upon the same confession, com-
posed of people of not dissimilar habits and dis-

positions, and established in provinces, where the


face of the country and its resources are nearly
the same ! Let the reader carry his eye over the
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 505

map which delineates the seat of the old Wal-


denses. The Subalpine congregations on the
French frontier, who dwelt in the mountains which
debouche upon the Durance and the Guil, were
scattered before the sword and torch, after the
revocation of the edict of Nantes, with the excep-
tion of a very small remnant : but this remnant
that escaped is now again taking root downward,
and bearing fruit upward.
The Waldenses of the Marquisate of Saluzzo
have utterly come to an end those of whom :

the historians of the sixteenth century spoke, as


a light miraculously preserved from time imme-
morial. Charles Philibert signed the warrant of
their extermination in 1603. They had settle-

ments as far south as Acceglia and Drovero, and


in the hamlets on the right bank of the Maira, but
not a vestige of them now remains.
The six Churches of the valley of Pragela, the
two near Susa, Meana, and Mathie, and the congre-
gations on the northern banks of the Clusone, which
were in communion with their brethren on the op-
posite side, between Fenestrelle and Pinerolo, were
become the objects of express
so important as to
and solemn treaty with Henry IV., and his son
Louis XIIT ^ At the period of the fearful massa-
cres of 1655, and long afterwards, the Churches
of Pragela not only had rest, but were enjoying

» See pp. 479, 480.


506 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

such prosperity, that Leger described their con-


dition in glowing terms hke these. *'
I have not
yet mentioned the beautiful and extensive valley
which lies contiguous to that of Perosa, and of
San Martino, where the Gospel truth has ever
been, and is now preserved in all purity by the
grace of God, in six glorious and flourishing
churches, where there has never been any inter-
mixture of Roman Catholics, save one priest, who
lives at Mantoules, and has nobody to be present
at mass with him, except his clerk, and a few oc-
casional passengers, unless some Jesuits have lately
been sent by the Council for the extermination of

heretics, from the nest at Fenestrelle. Thanks be


to God, these Churches, under the protection of
the kings of France, have not suffered the horrible
persecutions, which have been inflicted on their
brethren in the vicinity : but God has spared
them, as he did those of the valley of Queiras, on
the side of the valley of Luserna, that they might
serve as an asylum for the fugitives from the
dominions of the duke of Savoy."
But these Churches were spared no longer than
the beginning of the last century, their candlesticks
were then removed.
Thus the light was extinguished on all sides of

the three valleys of our more particular enquiry


and he who looks on the chart of the Waldensian
territory, will find one little spot only, where the

primitive Church has ever been permitted to survive


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 507

in a visible form, amidst the chances and changes


which proved destructive to all around. And the
Church of the Alps has been reduced even here in
her once strong hold, and we have to mourn, with
Leger, over the diminished number of her pastors.
That historian affirms, that previously to the spoli-
ations, which deprived him of many valuable docu-
ments, he had MSS. in his own possession, which
recorded acts of synod, by which it appeared, that
in the valleys of Luserna and San Martin o, the
Vaudois clergy were formerly much more numer-
ous than they are now. He then makes mention
of Rodoret and Macel \ and Faetto, of Taluc,
Revangie, Tagliaretta, Bezze, Val Guichard, and
Combe des Charbonniers, as having been dis-
tinct cures with separate pastors ^ Such has
been the work of extermination in these regions,
under princes like Louis XIV. of France, and
Charles Philibert, and Charles Emanuel, and
Victor Amadee, of Savoy ; and yet these were the
sovereigns who were called by their parasites, the
fathers of their people ! Their paternity was like

that of Saturn, who devoured his children.

* I shall have to shew presently that pastors have been pro-


vided recently for the cures of Rodoret and Macel, see p. 519.
' Leger, liv. i. 10.
CHAPTER XVII.

Second attempt to explore the Cavern of Castelluzzo.

August 5 — 14. The period of our delightful resi-


dence in the valleys was now drawing fast to a close,
and we regretted much that we could accept but few
of the many invitations, which were sent us from
our friends in the neighbourhood of La Torre. M.
Muston, the Syndic of La Torre, and his interest-
ing wife, whose delightful conversation and native
grace would adorn any station in life, would not
suffer us to depart without giving them a day,
and we met almost all our acquaintances of the
Val Luserna at their table. We also made an-
other excursion to Prarustino, San Germano, and
Pramol. At the latter place we were the guests
of M. and Madame Vin9on, and we shall write
down among the pleasantest days of our life, those
which we spent in their most agreeable society.
The pastor's apiary, and little terraced garden,
and modest library, are yet before my eyes ; and
long shall I remember the discourse which I held
with him, as we descended the rugged steeps
which led from his Alpine parish to the vale of
the Clusone.

^
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 509

I could not bid adieu to these mountain scenes


without making a second attempt to discover the
cavern of Castelluzzo ; and M. Bert having seen
two persons, named Chanforan and Ricca, natives
of Bonetti, the hamlet immediately under Castel-
luzzo, who professed to have found their way into
the cavern in their youth, we put them in requisi-

tion as guides ; and at five o'clock in the morning


of the 14th of August, my brother and I set out

upon an expedition, for which we made better


preparations than before. We were accompanied
by M. Bonjour, M. Revel, a Vaudois who is settled
in Holland, but who was then on a visit to his
native valleys, by my servant, and the afore-named
peasants. We were provided with a strong rope
ladder, made by my brother, with a spade, a pick-
axe, hatchets, lanterns, and cords, and directed
our steps towards the mighty rock, in whose
bosom the grotto was supposed to be, by Copia
and Bonetti. At Bonetti we inspected the re-
mains of an ancient church, part of which is now
used as a hamlet school. A large archway has
the appearance of having formed part of an aisle,

and bears marks of greater antiquity than any


other construction which I have noticed in these

parts. In the interior of the sacred ruin, a noble


vine occupies the place where the pulpit probably
stood. The numerous small churches, which are
still found, more or less dilapidated, in the upper
510 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

hamlets, confirm the assertions of Leger^ and


give sanction to the tradition that 140 barbes
formerly ministered in the Waldensian Church.
Making a detour by Borel, we arrived at the
same spot to which Grant had conducted us on
the 6th of July ^ and which he represented to be
the place from which the descent into the cavern
must be made. Nothing presented itself to the
eye, which gave the slightest idea that the wall
of rock, down which we looked with shuddering
gaze, contained an accessible hiding place, large
enough to admit 400 people.
Chanforan and Ricca pulled off their shoes and
stockings, stripped off their upper garments, and
looked as if they were rallying their courage for an
exploit. Two young peasants who had joined us,

the one twenty years old, the other sixteen, signi-


fied their intention to follow the two elder moun-
taineers, at all risk ; and the coolness with which
they stood over the precipice, and moved along its

dizzy edge, satisfied us, that they had nerve enough


for any thing. When the guides were ready for
the descent, they addressed their countrymen, M.
Bonjour and M. Revel, and told them, that they
would not dare to go down. " Then what will
our friends do T said they. " They are English,"
replied Chanforan, " and will break their necks,

'
See p. 507 ' See Chapter V.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 511

rather than turn back." The compliment was


more to my brother's taste than to mine.
Presently the four mountaineers disappeared.
How they sustained their footing, and to what
projecting points they clung, I could not imagine.
I looked down, but the cliff projected so much,
that I could not distinguish the means of their
descent. Presently we heard shouts from below,
and a voice directed us to lower the rope ladder,
which we had previously attached to a fragment
of rock, large enough to sustain any weight. The
ladder was let down, and made fast at the other
end by the men below. My brother was the first

of our party to descend by it. I went next. Our


precautions were so well taken, that I found the
descent more difficult than dangerous : but I con-
fess, that when I found myself suspended between
heaven and earth, by a swinging staircase of rope,

which the sharp points of the rock might cut in


twain, the sensation was any thing but enviable.
The ladder did not hang straight, but followed
the irregular lines of the face of the cliff, which
had given hand and foot-hold to the peasants who
led the way. At the depth of about twenty feet I

found the ladder resting upon a sort of shelf.

From this shelf the ladder hung in an angular


direction, and next lay along a rough sloping
ridge like a camel's back ; and then depended per-
pendicularly, rocking with great violence. At
about fifty feet from the top, there was a second
7
512 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

shelf, and this attained, I perceived a sort or


tunnel, or chimney, in the cliff ; but the ladder
was not long enough to reach to the bottom of it,
and with the assistance of Pticca, who was planted
thv-re to help me, I let myself down, much after

the fashion of a climbing boy descending a chim-


ney. This achieved, the grotto was attained with-
out much further difficulty.
The risk which the men encountered, who
descended without the rope ladder, consisted in
passing from ledge to ledge, where the hold was
very slight and insecure. What, then, must have
been the horrible nature of the persecution, which
compelled women and children to trust themselves
to the perils of such an enterprise ! It is probable,

however, that ropes had been before used to faci-

litate the descent, for I observed several places,


which looked as if they had been indented by the
friction of cordage.

My came down after me, then M.


servant
Bonjour, and after him M. Revel and never did ;

I see people more delighted than they seemed

to be.
We found the cavern, so called, to be an irre-

gular, rugged, sloping gallery, in the face of the


rock, of which the jutting crags above formed the
roof. At one end also there was a projection of
chff, which sheltered it on that side from the
weather. The gallery is wide enough to be secure.
In some parts the edge overhangs the depth below
'M Jluru byr.McKoUan M" IV
/irm n Sh^Uh by chll:.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 513

perpendicularly : at others it shelves gently down-


wards, but in all directions it is quite inaccessible,
except from above, and by the tunnel, down which
we descended ; and which will only admit one
person at a time. Some shrubs and rock plants
grow in the gallery, which in some degree shelter

it from the south, to which, in other respects, it is

entirely open. In the front, and to the right, as


you stand with your back to the rock, it is ex-
posed to no annoyance from assailants ; but to the
left, it is in some slight degree open to a fire of
musquetry from neighbouring cliffs, which com-
mand it.
The term cavern does not exactly apply to it.

It does not penetrate deep enough into the rock,


and it is perfectly hght in every part. The an-
nexed sketch is an attempt to represent its appear-
ance, and will help the reader to comprehend my
description; but the point from whence it was
taken, was not near enough for the purpose of an
exact delineation.
We discovered evident marks of a fountain.
The spot from which the water issued was still

moist, and most probably there is a constant flow


in less sultry months. But I could not satisfy
myself that the gallery would afford an asylum
for so many as 300 or 400 fugitives ; nor did we find
any relics of other days, though we searched
diligently, and used the implements we brought
with us in turning up and sounding the surface.
L 1
514 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

We saw no marks of smoke or fire, nor any thing


like the ovens of which the historian speaks. Now
then for the question. Is this the cavern men-
tioned by Leger ^
?

It answers to his description in many particulars.


1. In its situation on Mont Vandelin.
2. In being near the hamlets of Bonetti and
Chabriol.
3. In its capability of sheltering a great number
of people,
4. In containing a fountain.
5. In its productions, —shrubs and plants.

6. In its access by a tunnel or chimney.


7. In its admitting one only to enter at a time.
8. In its being defensible by one against many.
Chanforan said, that he once scrambled down the
cliff from the gallery, but that it was a bravado of
imminent danger, which nothing could induce him
to hazard a second time, and that it was utterly
impossible to ascend to it in the same direction.
The arguments against its being Leger's cavern,
are these :

1. There are no vestiges of its having been


enlarged or improved by artificial means, — " Tail-
lee par art."
2. It no longer answers to the description of
being vaulted, and formed like an oven,- — " Voutee
en forme d'une four." The form, however, may

^ Liv. i, p. 9. .
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 515

have been changed, from the faUing in, or decom-


position, of the cHfF.

There are no chinks or loop-holes, or any


3.

thing which serve for " fenestres ou sentinelles."


On one side, that which I have described as being
somewhat exposed to the fire of an enemy, there
is the appearance of a recent fall, and here it

is possible that there may have been the " fentes


dans le rocher," of which Leger makes mention.
4. There are not, and cannot have been, any
chambers, — y a quelque chambres."
*' il

5. There are no ovens, or resemblance of ovens,


" un four pour cuire du pain.'' But there are
large blocks of rock, which may have answered
the purpose, before they fell from their places.
One of the peasants incautiously set fire to some
of the dry leaves, which caused a great blaze, and
left traces, which future explorers of the cavern
may imagine to be proofs in favour of the tradition,

which ennobles it.

The only discovery we made was that of a


viper's skin.

After remaining about an hour in the gallery,


and inscribing our names, or initials in the rock,

we ascended by the same means by which we came


down and though we could not feel confident that
:

this was the " Merveilleuse Caverne \" of which

' I transcribe Leger's description :


" C'est aussi en cette meme
communaute, sur une pointe de la montagne de Vandelin, ou se

volt encore une merveilleuse trace de la retraite, que TAuteur


l1 2
516 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

we had come in search, — yet we were pleased with


our performance, and felt proud of having accom-
plished a feat of some difficulty.

Bonjour and Revel were in high glee, and Chan-


foran declared that he would preserve the five-
franc piece, which I gave him to the end of his
life, as a memorial of the day's achievement. We
reached San Margarita on our return at one
o'clock —having been occupied eight hours in the
adventure.

de Nature y avoit preparee pour mettre ses enfans a couvert de


la

toute la rage et la furie de leurs ennemis, dans les plus grandes


extr^mites, et comment ces pauvres fideles s'en sont prevalus.

C'est une grande caverne en un entre-deux de la montagne, ou


plutot du rocher de Vandelin, toute taillee dans le rocher, et par
la nature, et par I'art, a peu pres ronde et voutee en forme d'un
four, si spacieuse qu'elle pent contenir 300 ou 400 personnes :

meme il y a des fentes dans le rocher qui servent de fenestres et

sentinelles tout ensemble : il y a quelques chambres, une grande


fontaine, et memes quelques arbres, et un four pour cuire du
pain, et de plus i'on y voit encore des pieces d'une maits a petrir

extremement vieilles, et des pieces d'armoire : il est absolument


impossible d'y entrer que par un seul trou par le haut : on n'y
pent devaler qu'une seule personne a fois, qui se coule par

cette fente, par des petits degres coupes dans ce rocher, de


sorte qu'une seule personne y estant dedans seulement avec une
pique ou hallebarde, se peut defendre contre une armee toute
entiere." Liv. i. p. 9.
CHAPTER XVIII.

Departure from the Valleys — Appointment of the Suffragan


Pastors of Massel and Rodoret — Influence of the Polignac
Administration felt in the Galleys — Vaudois tribute to their

English benefactors during the French domination — (icyieial

observations as to the Religious Spirit which prevails among


the Vaudois —Establishment of the Vaudois College.

August 16 — 20. A few days before our depar-


ture^ a large party of pastors met at La Torre.
They came to take leave of us. It was upon this

occasion that an address to the king, drawn up


with legal nicety, was read and considered, pray-
ing his majesty to take the case of his Vaudois
subjects into consideration, and to repeal those
enactments which are injurious to their personal
and religious rights. The petition was temperately
worded, and after having been carefully discussed,
and cautiously weeded of every expression, which
was likely to offend, it was unanimously approved
by all present. The intention was to submit it to
the Officers of the Table, who were to assemble
on the 19th at San Germano, and with their sanc-
tion to obtain the signatures of all the notables,
and then to present it to the king of Sardinia.
518 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

On the 20th of August^ we said farewell to our


friends at San Margarita, and reluctantly turned
oUr backs upon the delightful spot, where we had
passed so many happy To M. and Madame
days.
Bert, to their three daughters, Madame Bonjour,
Julia, and Nancy, and to their son Amadee, and
to M. Bonjour, we owe a debt of gratitude, which
can never be repaid. During the whole time of
our abode with them, it seemed to be their prin-
cipal anxiety to study our wishes and to anticipate
them, and from every branch of the family w^e

received attentions which will endear them to us,


as long as we live. The separation was not with-
out tears; and many along look did we turn upon
them, while they were yet in sight, watching the
progress of the carriage as it conveyed us away.
At Turin we experienced similar attentions from
M. Bert's elder son, Eugene, who is married to
an English lady of good family. I regret very
much that her confinement at the time prevented
my making her acquaintance. I lament also
that I saw but little of M. Vertu and his son, the

friends of my first visit : our stay at Turin was so


short.

we reached Pinerolo on our journey


Just before
homewards, we met the Moderator, the Moderator
adjoint, the Secretary, and the two lay members
of the Table, Messrs. Brezzi and Poetti, who had
come from San Germano, to give us their parting
salutations. This mark of kindness was most
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 5J9

gratifying. They sent me away with the pleasing


intelhgence, that at their meeting the day before,
they had come to the resolution of nominating
M. Revel to the cm-e of Massel, and M. J. J.
J.

Bonjom', brother of my friend, " the Pasteur-


Chapelain," to that of Rodoret, as suffragan pas-
tors. These two parishes, which, for more than
two hundred years, have been served by the pastors
of Maneglia and Prali, for want of sufficient funds
to maintain ministers of their own, will now have
each its separate pastor, and one more benefit is

thus conferred by England upon the Waldensian


Church. The stipend of each will be 1000 francs,
derived from the royal grant, restored by the
English government in 1827. I stated in the
beginning of my narrative \ that it was the inten-
tion of the thirteen Vaudois pastors to make per-
sonal sacrifices for the sake of the community at

large ; and that among other deductions from the


sum of 277/. which is annually remitted from this
country to be divided among them, they had
determined to allot 2000 francs towards the ap-
pointment of two additional cures, Massel and
Rodoret. This is now carried into effect ; and the
Moderator and his colleagues were desirous that I

should have in my possession a copy of the instru-


ment, by which these appointments were formally
made by the Table. May God bless the ministry

'
See p. 163, 164.
520 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of the new pastors, to his own glory^ and the good


of his people!
But there was another piece of information of
a very different nature, which the members of the
Table had to communicate. They told me, that
the change of the French ministry, and the tidings
of Prince Polignac's nomination as prime-minister
of Charles X. had so strengthened the Jesuit
party, and the enemies of the Protestant cause in

Italy, that they could not take upon themselves


to advise their countrymen to petition the king at
that juncture of time. They must wait, they said,
for a more favourable opportunity. them I did
injustice. I thought at the moment that this was

a proof of strange timidity. But events have jus-


tified their opinion, and have proved that they

were right in entertaining fears of Bourbon in-


fluence, and in considering that there could be no
hope for them, or for the oppressed in Italy, so

long as despotic principles had the ascendancy in


France.
I add with feelings of the deepest mortification,
that I found it to be a very general opinion among
the Vaudois, that the members of the English
government had ceased to be their mediators, and
were not so friendly to their liberties, as in former

times. The Vaudois have certainly been over-


looked of late. At the Congress of Vienna, and
at Turin, the English ambassadors have not advo-
cated their cause with the same zeal as the repre-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 521

sentatives of the king of Pnissia, more perhaps


from a want of right information as to their con-
dition, than from any unfriendly spirit.

With a dehcacy, however, pecuhar to themselves,


the Vaudois pastors and others refrained from re-
proaching England with neglect, although I per-
ceived that they no longer looked with confidence
to any British interposition in their behalf. They
are thankful for the benefactions they have re-
ceived, and do not suffer political unkindness to
extinguish feelings of gratitude for private favours.
Two extraordinary proofs have been given of
the affection, with which these excellent people
have continued to regard England, even under
circumstances when a different spirit might have
been expected ; or, to say the least, when it was
almost heroic on their part to manifest feelings of
attachment to us.
When the Vaudois clergy petitioned Napoleon^
to organize them, and to grant them the same

* Napoleon never lost sight of the Church of the Valleys after


he had once learnt to take an interest in its fate. I have the
copy of an order signed by him at Moscow, in 1812, by which
he directed a negligent Vaudois Pastor to be suspended. Strange
that the invader of Russia, in the palace of the Czars, should

be concerning himself with the affairs of a small parish in the


remote wilds of Piemont, and that the Protestant representatives
of " the Defender of the Faith," should forget the Waldenses
at the congress of Vienna ! The usurpers Cromwell and Buona-
parte have left a better lesson behind them in regard to the
Vaudois, than the advocates of legitimacy.
522 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

allowances, which were made to the Roman Ca-


tholic clergy of the French empire, the animosity
of the Emperor against the English was known
to be at its highest pitch, and yet they had the
spirit to eulogise their old benefactors. " The
Vaudois," said the language of the address, ''
would
not have been in existence, but for the reformed
states, and but for Great Britain in particular.
The generosity of that nation has been extended
to us for more than 100 years. To her we owe
the stipends, without which the services of our
pastors could not have been continued. But un-
fortunately we have now fallen under the dis-

pleasure of our ancient benefactors, and the king


of England has withdrawn his succour in conse-
quence of our annexation to France."
Again, on the day of the great festival, in Oct.

1805, when the liberties of the Waldensian Church


under the French government, were proclaimed,
M. Bert preached at La Torre, before the Prefect,
and the assembled multitudes of French and Ita-

lians,who were present to celebrate the event. This


excellent man had then the virtue and moral
courage to pay this honourable tribute, from the
pulpit, to the nation, which was at war with his
new friends and benefactors. " But while w^e are
congratulating ourselves, and praising God for the
benefits to be enjoyed under our new condition,
let us not be guilty of the culpable ingratitude of
forgetting the source, from whence former kind-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 523

ness flowed. Let us cherish a grateful recollec-


tion of our ancient benefactors. Strangers to po-
litical feelings, piety demands of us an honourable
mention of the nation, which has so often be-
friended us : and who will blame us for it ?"

Alas, this good man little thought, that within


nine years, the Vaudois would again be reduced
to their former degradation, and that England,
forgetful of the humble Church in the wilderness,

would raise no voice in her behalf, though a word


would suffice.

Should the tendency of my observations in the


foregoing pages, seem to lean too much to the side
of eulogy, I beg that it may be remembered, that
my professed object has been to describe the
general character of the Vaudois, and to commend
their cause to the Protestant world. For this

reason, I have abstained from pointing out the


errors of individuals, wherein the opinions of a few,
and not of the many, are involved ; and though
many incidents of an unpleasant nature, and traits
of evil, did not escape me during a residence of
two months, yet I felt that it was not my business
to give them a place in my note book '.

* If I had entered at large into some **


untoward" differences,
which have agitated the minds of several persons in one of the
parishes of Val Luserna, and which have formed the subject for

paragraphs in English newspapers and magazines, I could not


have satisfied either myself or my readers, or the parties con-
521 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

There are, however, interrogatories which have


been put to me in conversation, and to which
answers may be expected in print.

To the main point, to the one cardinal and all-

important question, I am prepared to give a direct


reply, without any circumlocution. Is the Wal-
densian Church " a congregation of faithful men,
in which the pure word of God is preached, and
the sacraments duly administered, and in which
there is the confession of ' One Christ, very God
and very man, who truly suffered, was crucified,

cerned, because it is difficult for a stranger to arrive at the real


merits of a case of that nature, or to make such a statement as

shall be accurate in all its parts. Confined, as I believe these

differences to be, to one only of the fifteen Waldensian Com-


munes, it is better to be silent altogether as to the circumstances

which have produced them, and the uneasiness which they have
caused, in the little corner where they prevail, than to give them
a formal place in my narrative, and so to lead some readers to

imagine, that the whole community has taken part in them. I

had frequent opportunities of conversing with one of the persons,


who was principally concerned in the questions which have

been raised, and I entertain great esteem for his zeal and piety
but I had reason to think that he was not always guided by the
best judgment. The individual, too, of whose conduct and senti-

ments he complained, as being inconsistent with those of a true


Vaudois, is aged, much beyond the years of man, and, according

to the natural course of things, he cannot long continue to fill

a station where his influence is alleged to be injurious. I have


said thus much, in reply to those, who understand my allusions,
and who might else have been inclined to ask why 1 have been
silent upon a subject, which has produced considerable agitation
m the circle where it has been discussed.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 525

dead and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and


to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but
also for actual sins of men ?'
" Yes ! In proof of
the truth of this assertion, I refer to my Intro-
ductory Inquiry into the Antiquity and Purity of
the Waldensian Church \ The Liturgy, which has
been lately composed by a commission of pastors,
in which the Moderator-adjoint has taken an
active part, and which will be printed and published
as soon as it has been submitted to the synod,
will sufficiently prove to the world, that the modern
Waldenses adhere to the tenets and confessions of
faith of their ancestors —and that the orthodoxy
of a Church is to be tried by its professed articles
of faith, and public acts, and not by the acts or
opinions of individuals.
Other queries have been proposed, which I do
not undertake to notice, because different persons
would put their own construction both upon the
question and answer. Remembering, however,
the words of the Author and Finisher of our faith,
*^
By their fruits ye shall know them" —^and calling
to mind the definition of one of his apostles, '' The
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,

gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,"


I may affirm that in the Christian world, there is

not a community, where these indications of Gospel


purity are more manifest.

^
See Section iv p. 132, &c.
526 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

For the satisfaction, however, of those, who wish


for a statement of facts, and not of vague opinions,
I can state that to my own knowledge, in many
Vaudois houses and cottages, the Bible is read as
devoutly, and conversation takes as serious a turn,
and family prayers are conducted as regularly, as
the most pious mind could wish : and that there is

an increasing invitation to exercises of devotion,


which some few regard as " righteousness over-
if

much," many more estimate and approve. In


every religious society there will be some to pro-
mote, and some to dissuade from manifestations
of piety, which offend the world because they are
so. No wonder then, that this should be the case
even in the valleys of Piemont and that the term;

" momier," should occasionally disturb the har-


mony of those regions, where we might have
hoped that all would have been of one mind.
I am not blind to the defects which exist among
the Vaudois, —and it was for this reason, that when
I was entrusted with the disposal of a private fund
for their benefit, I thought it right to apply it in

such a manner, as should strengthen the weak


hands, — and be of service in a religious point of

view. A college, or superior school, where young


men intended for holy orders may be grounded in

the true principles of the Waldensian Church, and


where all, who are likely to fill influential stations

in the valleys, may receive the love of the truth


—a revived system of ecclesiastical discipline, con-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 527

sistent with ancient practice, —and an uniform


liturgy, may, with the blessing of God, have the
effect of providing a remedy against errors, which
might otherwise creep in.

I am happy in being able to report, that the

proposals which I made to the Pastors, and


Notables, and to the Table, and which were ac-
cepted, before I took my departure from the val-
leys, are likely to be carried into effect, so as to

meet my views in every respect. Had it been


otherwise, I should have been under the necessity
of withdrawing the offers which were made : —and
even now, should it ever happen, which God for-

bid, that the inhabitants of the Valleys should


cease, from choice or compulsion, to be " a con-
gregation of faithful men," in the sense presumed
by the Confessions of Faith, promulgated by the
ancient Waldensian Church, the funds destined
to the Vaudois college, will be applied to uphold
the true Protestant cause in some other part of
the world.
Since my return to England, many letters have
passed between the Moderator and myself, in

regard to the final arrangements relating to the


college. There was a natural anxiety expressed
on the part of several of the communes to have
the establishment fixed within their own bounda-
ries, and a noble rivalry has been displayed in
consequence. Among others, the parishes of
Pramol and San Germano offered to find some of
528 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the materials for the building, and to be at the


expense of the labour and carriage of materials,
provided the college should be erected in San
Germano, upon a piece of ground tendered gra-
tuitously by a proprietor of that village. Five
proprietors of San Giovanni offered to give sites
and a large subscription towards the cost of the
building was volunteered by the inhabitants of San
Giovanni, on condition that the institution should
be placed on their territory.
These generous offers were embarrassing; but
at length the Officers of the Table, and the Pas-
teur- Chapelain, invited a commission, consisting
of pastors and notables from each valley, to con-
fer with them, and to decide upon the site of the
proposed establishment. They came to the reso-

lution that the territory of La Torre, the place


which I had originally chosen, was the fittest spot,

(particularly now that a Latin school is established


at Pomaretto for the valleys of Perosa and San
Martino, and endowed principally by the Society
for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,
and partly out of the fund at my disposal), and
recommended that a house in La Torre, called
the ^^
Maison des Vallees," should be purchased
by the assistance of public contributions in the

valleys, for the reception of the professors and


students.
Until the completion of the purchase and trans-
fer of this building, it was proposed by the com-
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 529

mission to accept an offer of the proprietor, and


to apply an adjoining house of his to the use of
the institution. A letter, which I received the
beginning of this year (1831), requested that I

would signify my assent to these resolutions; I


have done so, with the intimation that the stipends
of the Principal, and of the ten exhibitioners,
might be considered to commence from the
first of January, in the present year, by half
yearly payments in advance. Remittances have
been made to the Moderator to carry this into

immediate effect, and I trust that before this

sheet issues from the press, the first lectures will


have been given.
But it is yet doubtful whether the institution
will continue to be fixed at La Torre, for the
patriotic inhabitants of San Giovanni have since
made a new proposal. They have offered to erect
a building entirely at their own expense, (in the

centre of an acre, or an acre and a half of ground,)


which shall contain as many rooms as the " Maison
des Vallees," if we will acquiesce in their petition

to have the college placed within their parish. This


proposal, reduced to a written form, they have
handed about the valleys, and have fortified it

with the signatures, in approbation, of more than


two-thirds of the principal members of the Wal-
densian community. I have just received this

interesting document, and if it perplexes me to

know how to reconcile conflicting opinions and


M m
530 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

wishes on the subject, it is exceedingly gratifying


to find that the project is so highly valued as to
become an apple of generous discord. If the
Table and the Commission should be inclined to
sanction the views of the inhabitants of San Gio-
vanni, it will not be easy to refuse my suffrage ;

but there are many prudential reasons to be as-


signed against it. Among others, the jealousy with
which the government has always regarded every
thing new in this commune, — witness the order to
close the new church in 1814, and the unwilling
permission which was afterwards granted for its

re-opening. The Consistory and civil authorities


of the parish have produced " Patentes Royales,"
which, it is said, authorise them to have establish-
ments for public instruction. But these are only
concessions, and matters of grace and especial
favour, which if one absolute sovereign may grant,
another may withhold ; and not being acknowledg-
ments and confirmations of privileges, claimed as

rights by the people of San Giovanni, in common


with the rest of the Vaudois communes, it seems
hazardous to risk the prosperity of the infant
institution by placing it on disputed ground.
For the present, it will have a location in the

house, which has been offered provisionally at La


Torre, and, under the name of ''
L'Ecole Supe-
rieure," (in its present humble character it cannot
aspire to that of a college,) will be governed by
the following regulations :
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 531

1. The institution is established for the benefit


of Protestant youth, who have made some pro-
gress in the Grammar-school of La Torre or
Pomaretto, or elsewhere.
2. So long as circumstances will not admit of
the appointment of more than one professor, the
Principal will be required to undertake to give
instruction in French, Latin, Italian, and Greek,
— History,— and Religion, according to the con-
fessions of Faith of the Waldensian Church.
3. The Commission, or its Delegates, are charged
with the examination of young persons desirous of
admission to " L*Ecole Superieure," that it may
be ascertained whether they are capable of pur-
suing studies, requisite to qualify them for the
various professions.
4. The students admitted into the institution
must be capable of attending the first course of
lectures, which will resemble those of the first

class of the college of Lausanne.


5. For ten students, to be elected out of the ten
Vaudois parishes most remote from La Torre,
there will be exhibitions of 100 francs each per
annum. If either of the parishes, which are entitled
to an exhibition, should not produce a claimant
qualified to receive it, the unappropriated exhibi-
tion will be offered in succession to the parishes
less distant from La Torre, according to a cycle
pre-determined.
6. The exhibitions will be granted, after exa-
M m 2
532 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

mination, to the most deserving of the candidates


from the several parishes, w^hich are to enjoy the
right of nominating claimants.
7. If candidates for the same exhibition should
prove equal in merit, it vs^ill be awarded to the
most necessitous.
8. All the students, and exhibitioners, who
attend the lectures of the institution, whether
they reside with the professors or not, will be
required to submit to the rules which shall be
adopted for its regulation.
9. The students must attend public service in
church every Sunday. Besides which they must
be present at a particular service within the insti-

tution, which will be composed and appointed by


the Commission.
10. Every student must daily attend at the hour
of prayer, and must be present in class, at a Scrip-
ture lecture, which will be given every day, either
in the original language of the Old or New Testa-
ment, or in the French or Italian tongue, or in
copies of the ''
Lengua Valdesa."
May the venerable pastor, M. Bert, under whose
roof, and by whose assistance, this institution was
planned, and may the members of the Commission,
who have carried it so far into effect, be permitted

to live to see it assume the character and designa-


tion, which our hopes anticipate
CHAPTER XIX.

The Treaties by which Personal and Religious Rights ought to

have been secured to the Vaudois.

After my return to England from my second


visit to the valleys of Piemont, I thought it right
to make another effort in behalf of the Waldensian
Church, and to address a memorial to his Majesty's
ministers, explanatory of the present condition of
the Vaudois, and the infraction of solemn treaties,
by w^hich the king of Sardinia is pledged to the
British government to preserve the rights of the
Vaudois inviolate.
We have heard a great deal lately of the ob-
Hgation of certain ancient engagements between
the crown of England and other states ^ and
having it in my power to shew that compacts^.

* " Impressed at all times with the necessity of respecting the

faith of national engagements." King's Speech^ 1830.


2 am indebted to Mr. Hawkins, of the British Museum,
I for

putting me in possession of papers, which first directed my at-

tention to these treaties. But for this, I believe the existence

of such treaties would have been forgotten.


534 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

equally strong, bind the court of Sardinia to leave


the Vaudois in the uninterrupted enjoyment of
immemorial privileges, and the kings of England
to guarantee their security, I therefore embraced
the opportunity of submitting the matter to the
consideration of the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs. The following is a copy of the corres-
pondence that passed upon the subject :

" To the Right Honourable the Earl of Aberdeen,


Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,

" My Lord,
" I most respectfully beg leave to submit the cause of the
*' Vaudois to your lordship's consideration; which his majesty's
" government, under the administration of the late Earl of
*'
Liverpool, honoured with its attention and protection. It is

**
the recollection of the encouragement which I then received
" to bring the subject under notice, which now persuades me to
" hope for the same indulgence.
" But should any other apology be deemed necessary, may I

" be allowed to urge the circumstance of my being Secretary to


" the Vaudois Committee,' an association which has charged
'

" itself with the duty of managing certain funds raised for the
" relief of the Vaudois, and which has the honour of naming
" upon its list. His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, and
" several distinguished members of both houses of Parliament.
*'
I do not, however, profess to address your lordship under the
*'
sanction of that body, but I can confidently refer your lord-
*'
ship to the Archbishop of Canterbury, or to any other member
" of the committee, in testimony of the strong interest which
" has been excited in this country in favour of the Vaudois.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 535

" I have lately spent a considerable time among them, visit-

" ing every village and hamlet, and have thus had opportunities
" of gathering information, which could only be obtained by
" being upon the spot, and by observing how the system of
" oppression works, and in what manner it threatens to com-
" plete the destruction of a Church, which is the origin of every
** Reformed Church in Europe.
" The accompanying Memorial will explain to your lordship
" the present afflicting condition of these Protestant subjects of
'*
the king of Sardinia, who, known under the name of Vaudois
" or Waldenses, inhabit three Piemontese valleys on the Italian
" side of the Alps. Although they have constantly suffered
" under intolerable grievances, they have just claims to especial
**
immunities and privileges ; first, upon the faith of concessions

" granted to their ancestors ^ as original possessors of the soil,


" and professing the religion which is now maintained there,

" long before the house of Savoy obtained the sovereignty of


*'
Piemont ; and, secondly, upon the strength of treaties and
" engagements made with foreign powers in their behalf. It

" was to preserve this most ancient stock from ruin (which has
" very truly been considered the connecting link between the
" Primitive and Reformed Churches), that the Vaudois have
" been mvited, at different periods of history, to appeal to the

" Protestant states of Europe, when they have had any com-
" plaints to make, and that every Protestant state ^ has inter-
•'
posed to protect them in some shape or other. * It is hard,'

" says an historian upon this subject, *


to furnish a like example

1 Seep. 73.
2 The Prince Elector Palatine interposed in 1566 : and
The Protestant Cantons of Switzerland, the Protector of England, the States

General of the United Provinces, the King of France, the King of Sweden,,
the Landgrave of Hesse, and the King of Denmark, in 1655 : and
King William III., and the States General of ihe United Provinces, in 1690.

The interpositions in 1655, and in 1690, saved the Vaudois from exter-
mination.
536 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

of the harmony and mutual consent of so many different na-


tions and states, in any one thing whatsoever relating to reli-

gion ^' The concern manifested for the Vaudois has been
so strong, that their own government has admitted their right

of appeal, and the right of foreign powers to interpose. With


regard to our own country, I may humbly venture to urge,
upon the authority of copies of correspondence preserved in

the offices of your lordship's department, and in the State

Paper Office, that the grievances of the Vaudois have rarely


failed to attract the sympathy, and to exercise the mediation
of the English government, at every period of its history, when
its counsels have been directed by Protestant ministers.
" Among the very particular instances of interposition on the
part of the English governmeftt, permit me to entreat your

lordship's attention to the following.


" In 1640, the envoy from King Charles I. to the court of

Turin, fixed his residence at La Tour, the principal village of

the Vaudois, that his presence amongst them, and his oppor-

tunities thereby of obtaining correct intelligence, might give


force to his mediation.
" Fifteen years afterwards, a minister extraordinary was

sent from England to the Duke of Savoy, the sole object of


whose mission was to mediate between the Duke and his Pro-

testant subjects.
" It was about the same time that the head of the existing
English government, not only invited the sovereigns of every
Protestant kingdom to take part with him in espousing the
cause of the Waldenses, upon the principle of community of
religious interests, but he also appealed to the French monarch,
and insisted that France was bound by treaties to see justice

done to the Waldenses. This was in reference to the treaty


of 1592, and the confirmation of it in 1630 ; by which, when
the Vaudois and their lands were incorporated with France,

the French kings obliged themselves and their successors for

^ Morland, p. 605.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 537

" ever to maintain the ancient liberties of the Vaudois. The


" clause ran thus :

*' * And if it should happen at any time, that his majesty *

" or his successors should be constrained to surrender them to


" the jurisdiction of any other, they shall be transferred with
*'
the same conditions, privileges, and qualifications, that shall
" be granted to them by the present treaty, together with their
*'
ancient privileges and immunities, which by such transfer
" shall neither be changed, renewed, nor altered in any way
*'
whatever.'
" The fruit of this mediation, on the part of the English govern-
**
ment in 1655, was a solemn compact signed by the duke of
" Savoy in favour of his Vaudois subjects, and guaranteed by
" the ambassador of the king of France, and the ambassadors
" of the Reformed Cantons of Switzerland. But the compact
" was soon violated, and in answer to a letter from the Swiss
" Cantons to Charles II. about the year 1666, requesting his
" majesty's interference, the king promised, *
We will from our
'*
heart do all we can towards the preservation and safety of those,
" who are so closely united to us by the sacred ties of a common
" faith.' There is every reason to believe that the promised in-
" tercession of Charles II. was but feeble; for at this crisis there
" commenced a system of more effectual persecution, which con-
" tinued to deprive the Vaudois of their lands and property,
" to confine them within more narrow limits, and greatly to re-
" duce their numbers. This oppression became more and more
" severe, until the non-interference of the English government
*'
under James II., and the revocation of the edict of Nantes in

" France, gave the duke of Savoy an opportunity of making a


**
new attempt to exterminate the Vaudois. The greater part of
" their population was massacred ; and of the remainder, some
" were obliged to conform to Romanism, and the rest were driven
" from their habitations. This took place in 1686.

* Henry IV. of France.


538 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

" Within a few years afterwards, the courage and conduct of


" the Vaudois refugees, who were aided by William IIT., enabled
**
them to repossess themselves of some part of their ancient set-
** tlements, and in 1690, the Waldenses were once more indebted
" to the English government, and recovered their political exist-

" ence.
" Your lordship will take some interest in reading the account,
" which an historian of that day gives of the decisive conduct
" of the English envoy, who managed the affair. '
The duke of
" Savoy granted a very full edict in favour of the Vaudois,
" restoring their former liberties and privileges to them, which
" the lord Galway took care to have put in the most emphatical
" words, and passed with all the formalities of law, to make it as
" effectual as laws and promises can be : yet every step, that
" was made in that affair, v/ent against the grain, and was ex-
" torted from him by the intercession of the king, and the States,
" and by the lord Galway 's zeal '.'

" The same zealous attention to the grievances of the Vau-


" dois was again shewn in the secret treaty of Turin, in 1704,
" between queen Anne and the duke of Savoy ; and it also ap-
" peared in the face of the correspondence between those powers
" in 1709. In the course of that correspondence, and in a con-
" versation with the ambassador Chetwynd, the duke admitted
" that he was bound both by treaties and promises to give satis-

" faction to England on this subject.

" Unfortunately for the Waldenses, the administrations, which


*'
immediately succeeded, did not watch the execution of these
**
treaties and engagements with sufficient vigilance, or they did
" not press the question with vigour. It is certain that one
" populous valley was wrested from the Protestants, and the
" inhabitants were compelled to abjure their faith, during the
" period of this inertness ; but in the midst of the evil, the argu-
" ment which I am humbly using with your lordship, (namely,

' Burnet's History of his Own Times, vol. ii. p. 176. Fol. edit, of 1734.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 539
" that there are ample grounds and precedents for interposition
" by virtue of
treaties,) derives strength from the language and

" conduct of the British minister, Mr. Hedges, at the court of


** Turin. He strongly protested against the infraction of treaties,
" and he wrote repeated letters to his ovs^n government, implor-
" ing them to be more in earnest, to instruct him to insist
" upon the observance of engagements with the Vaudois, and
" pledging himself that it only required to be in earnest to carry
*'
the point.
*'
The following extracts^ from the despatches of Mr. Hedges
" in 1727, are so much to the purpose, and so applicable to the
" present state of things, that I trust your lordship will pardon
*'
my troubling you with them.
" * I believe, if the Marquis D'Aix, (Sardinian envoy in Lon-
" don,) perceived an earnestness in England of having this affair
*'
remedied, it would very much facilitate it.' June 21, 1727.
" * I cannot but be of opinion, that one great reason of the
" coldness I meet with here on those subjects, arises chiefly from
" the little warmth with which it is urged to the Marquis D'Aix,
*'
at London, and as they are points by no ways agreeable to
" the king of Sardinia, I do not doubt but he informs his master
" that we have them not so much at heart, as to oblige him to
" make many alterations in either case. For the treaties are so
*' express with regard to the Protestants, that they cannot possi-
" bly have any thing to say in defence of their present behaviour
" to them.' August 23, 1727.
" * The Marquis de St. Thomas owned to me the hardships
" that the inhabitants of those valleys laboured under; but
" pleaded in excuse, that they were obliged not to suffer the
" exercise of the Protestant religion in them by the treaty made
" with France for the cession of those valleys in exchange for
**
the valley of Barcellonette ; but, as I had carefully looked over
" that treaty, and could find in it no one word relating to the

^ See the Papers of Mr. Hedges, in the State Paper Office.


540 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

not suffering the Protestant religion, but, on the contrary, it

it appeared to me, as your Grace will see by a copy of the


article enclosed, that the inhabitants should be maintained

inviolably in all their privileges and immunities. 1 told him


I could not possibly imagine it V7as capable of receiving any
such construction. I then told him that i could not but be
extremely surprised at the little attention that was shewn to

His Majesty's intercession, founded on solemn treaties,


which could not possibly be misunderstood.' August 30,
1727.
" '
I can assure you that talking firmly to them, and that by
persons of authority, and who they think are able to make good
their words, is the only way of obtaining the most just and

reasonable demands at this court; and nothing but great


steadiness on our side, and insisting strongly on our treaties,

and the king of Sardinia's promises, can preserve the Pro-


testants of the valleys from sure and certain destruction. The
inveteracy against our religion is incredible, and if it be not
supported with some warmth, since it is attacked with so
much, it must give way to superior power.' November 5,

1727.
" It is important to explain to your lordship, that during
the progress of these negociations, the king of Sardinia rested

the defence of his proceedings against the Protestants of the


valley of Pragela, upon the plea, that the inhabitants of that

valley, were not the Waldenses whose privileges he was bound


by treaty to respect. '
As to the Vaudois,' (or Waldenses of
the valleys of Lucerne, Perouse, and St. Martin,) the king and
his ministers declared that, * it was a different case with them,
that whatever just grievances they had should be relieved,'

' that there was no objection against the free profession and

exercise of their religion.' Letters June 7, and August 30,


1727.
" My lord, it is to these Waldenses \ to the few who now
» Of Piemont.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 541

remain in those regions, where the Waldensian Church once


consisted of 800,000 ^, that I entreat your attention. Up to

this moment EngUsh aid and mediation have been instrumental


in protecting them from the several aggressions, which have
threatened their overthrow, and unless they can still look to this
quarter for succour, there is every reason to dread, from the
present aspect of hostility, with which they are regarded, that
their name will be effaced from the history of the nineteenth
century,
*'
Your lordship may yet be the means of redressing the
injury done to the Vaudois in 1814, when they were placed
under their old yoke, without any suitable effort to lighten its

heavy burthen. They were then overlooked ; their claims


and their condition escaped the notice of the British govern-
ment, at a time when there was the greatest readiness to do
justice to such a cause. I shall be pardoned for throwing out
this observation, by the production of the following answer,
which the Earl of Liverpool gave, when an appeal was made
to his lordship in behalf of other Protestant sufferers, in

1815^
" * The invariable object of the British government, and that
of its allies, has always been to preserve, and upon every
convenient occasion to maintain, the principles of toleration
m matters of religion, with full liberty of conscience, and in
its last correspondence with the court of France, it has put
forward these principles as the foundation of its policy.'
" Throughout the whole of this letter, 1 have been more anx-
ious to set authorities before your lordship, and to guard my
view of the subject by the sanction of opinions, that are
likely to have weight with your lordship, than to obtrude my
own reasoning. Therefore, in conclusion, I beg leave to
transcribe from the reports of the proceedings of the House of

* In the Alpine provinces of France and Italy.


* After the troubles at Nismes.
542 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

Lords, in April last\ the very striking language of the present


Archbishop of Canterbury, when his Grace was supposing
that the time might come, when the exertions of the Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs would be necessary to the protec-
tion of Protestant interests abroad. *
The Archbishop of Can-
terbury said, that no adviser or minister of the crown, who
could not enter into the views of the king for the mainte-
nance of the true profession of the Gospel, and of the Pro-
testant reformed religion, could assist the king to fulfil the
obligations imposed upon him.' — * Let him call the attention

of their lordships to the Secretary of State for Foreign


Affairs. He apprehended one of the great causes of the im-
portance of this country on the continent to be its support of
Protestant states in every part of Europe, and not only of
Protestant states, but (which was of equal importance, both
as maintaining the true profession of the Gospel, and as indi-

cative of the power of England) of those little bodies of Pro-


testants which were found in large states, and of which, the
members, surrounded by the zealous disciples of the Church
of Rome, naturally looked to this country for protection, and
in time of danger sought refuge in the influence, the inter-
cession, or the power of the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs. He would not mention names, but he must be al-
lowed to say, that a former ^ Secretary of State for Foreign
Aflairs, with whom he had had the honour of being acquainted,
and with whom he had had frequent communications, had
told him, that his intercession as Foreign Secretary had often
been successful in behalf of oppressed bodies of Protestants
on the continent. He would not push this matter further,

but would content himself with observing, that in many foreign


states there were large congregations of Protestants, with
clergy attached to them, who required our care and protec-
tion.'

' During the debates in April, 1829, on the Catholic question.


^ Mr. Canning.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 543

'*
The Memorial, to which Inow most respectfully solicit your
" lordship's attention, will shew how greatly the Vaudois and
" their clergy stand in need of your intercession.

I have the honour to be,


My Lord,
Your lordship's most faithful and obedient
humble servant.

William Stephen Gilly."


College, Durham,
26th Nov. 1829.

" To the Right Honourable the Earl of Aberdeen,


Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

" The Memorial of the Rev. W. S. Gilly, Prebendary of Durham,


" in behalf of the Vaudois, or Waldenses, Protestant subjects
" of his Majesty the King of Sardinia :

** SlIEWETH,
'*
That the Vaudois, composing an organized Church, and being
" the most ancient of all Protestant communities, are at this
" time suffering oppression, such as no other body of Protestants,
" and no other body of separatists from an established Church,
" under any government in the civilized world, are exposed to.
**
That such oppression grows out of ancient edicts^ or of
" present acts of authority, which prevent the free exercise of
" their religion^
—prohibit the acquirement of property beyond

* So late as November last, 1830, a Vaudois pastor was questioned by a


provincial authority as to the new system of instruction which it is proposed to
adopt in the valleys, and was told that theological lectures would not be per-
mitted.
544 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

" defined and narrow —compel


limits, to observances contrary
**
to the dictates of conscience — forbid the exercise of certain
" professions, —separate children from their parents, under arbi-
**
trary pretences, and are in violation of solemn engagements
" between their sovereigns and themselves \ and of treaties, by
" which the dukes of Savoy, and the kings of Sardinia, have
" pledged themselves to England, and to other states, to respect
*'
the liberties and privileges of the Vaudois. That, these griev-
" ances admit of the following exposition, and are of a nature to
" call for the mediation of his majesty's government in behalf
" of the Vaudois ^.

" The Vaudois have had no other charge alleged against them
" in justification of the enactments enforced to their prejudice^,
" but their adherence to the Protestant religion, whose professors
**
having nothing in the tenets of their creed to shake their

1 See p. 73.
2 Even in times when the rights of subjects were much less understood than
they are now, the Vaudois prayed for relief as an act of justice and not of
grace. " We cannot be justly deprived of that which nature, the law of na-
tions, and the possession of many ages, give to us."
— *' Touching these rights,

we have neither received them from the dukes of Savoy, nor from any other
prince in the world, but we have them from God, and we have enjoyed them
as our birth-right from father to son, before ever the dukes of Savoy possessed
Piemont: and the truth is, we cannot find that any one of them did ever
make a grant for the first introduction thereof, or that the tenor of the most

ancient sanctions were any other, than to leave to our forefathers the enjoyment

of the exercise of that religion which they had received of their ancestors."

Petition of March 1656.


^ " How, in God's name, could it happen, that without any fault or crime on
their part, they should lose their rights, and be reduced to their ancient state of

servitude ? How could a mere change of sovereignty, the duty of which high

office is to protect all existing private rights, have produced so monstrous a me-
tamorphosis ? By what fatality has the restoration of the King of Sardinia

been followed by so dreadful a consequence as the degradation of his Protestant

subjects, while no similar effect was produced by the restoration of the Bour-

bons to France, nor by that of the other sovereigns to countries also formerly

united to France, but afterwards again dismembered?" — Count del Pozzo's

Pamphlet, p. 23.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 5i5

"obedience to their natural sovereigns, cannot be suspected of


" a divided or doubtful allegiance. In the actual state of things,
" when a more equitable and mild system of government pre-
**
vails in almost every state in Europe, and especially in coun-
" tries contiguous to that of the Vaudois, and under sovereigns
**
in the closest alliance with the king of Sardinia, they must
" naturally compare their own grievances and degradations with
" the happier condition of other subjects, and feel them aggra-
" vated by the comparison. More especially when they reflect,

" that England, to which they have hitherto been accustomed


*'
to look for protection, has set a benevolent example, and by
" yielding to the petitions of her Roman Catholic subjects, has
" added to her powers of remonstrance, and given herself a new
" right to interpose in favour of Protestants, who are complaining
" not of political, but of civil and personal deprivations.
" The Vaudois are, at this period of general amelioration,
" suffering under the revival of arbitrary edicts \ which do not
*'
in any degree accord with the principles of legislation, which
" even the most powerful monarchs in Europe, and such as are
*'
independent of any charters and compacts with their people,
" have adopted as the basis of their government. In the 19th
" century, the Vaudois are replaced under a system which had
**
its commencement in the dark ages ; and this, after having
" been put in full possession of religious and personal rights in
" common with the rest of their countrymen, and after enjoying
*•
such rights for several years. They are thus the only people,
**
who instead of benefiting by the restoration of the house of
" Savoy, and by other political changes effected during late

" events, have suffered in their persons, property, and conscience.


" It will appear from what your memorialist has to state, that

" the case of the Vaudois is not one wherein the actual admi-

' When the king of Sardinia was restored to his throne in 1814, principally
by the influence of England, he issued an edict, by which he revived all the

barbarous and perfidious enactments which had been put in force by his prede-
cessors, from the year 1476. — See page 369.
N n
546 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

" nistration of the law, softens the rigorous letter of the law, by
" its lenity, forbearance, and indulgence ; but, on the contrary,
" it is a case, wherein the practical enforcement of severe edicts
" extends even beyond the wording and meaning of them. It

" is at this juncture, and under the existing order of things, such
" as to realize the threat, '
and now, whereas my father did lade
" you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke \'
" Time which has softened other evils, has rendered the hard
" fate of the Vaudois still harder, and many of the edicts, which
" are referred to in the subjoined statement, have been enforced
" in a manner which the original promulgators never intended."

I. The Vaudois are confined by edict, to certain limits : they


may not inherit, purchase, acquire, or possess property
beyond arbitrary lines of demarcation.

This edict operates to their injury by restricting them to a dis-


trict which is insufficient for their subsistence. Their population
is too great, in proportion to the production of their valleys

and while they themselves are prohibited from acquiring property


elsewhere, Roman Catholics are encouraged by the government
to settle within their limits, and so to decrease their resources.

It affects the tenure of property acquired before the late resto-

ration of the house of Savoy, while the Vaudois enjoyed privi-

leges in common with the rest of their countrymen.


The edict is not permitted to sleep, but it is put in action at

the suggestion of individuals, who frequently provoke the govern-

ment to acts of oppression against the Vaudois. Thus, in

November 1827, an order was issued at PigneroP, reviving a

former order, and commanding four Vaudois, who had estab-

lished themselves there, " disgombrarej" to begone, to remove

with all their goods, and threatening all with the confiscation of

* " That species of novel and puny persecution which inflicts molestation,

but not martyrdom." Mackintosh.


^ A town within a few miles of their limits.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 547

property who should permit Vaudois to take up their abode with


them. This order was afterwards suspended, not revoked, upon
the exercise of especial interest, but the dread of it still hangs
over the parties \
The edict is of itself contrary to express stipulations, and an
aggravation of the law upon which it is pretended to be founded.
That law prescribed the limits for preaching, and building
churches, and holding religious assembhes; but did not prescribe
the limits of habitation, or of the acquirement of property. On
the contrary, it expressly stated, that those who had property
beyond the prescribed limits appointed for preaching, &c. might
return to their dwellings. By the 8th, 9th, 11th, and 20th,
articles of the enactment in question, the limits of habitation
were extended to all the towns and places appertaining to, and
adjacent to the three valleys.
In violation of these articles, the edict, against which the

Vaudois have to complain, was first put in force, and it has


been revived in violation of a more recent and memorable treaty ^,

which declared that in the countries affected by that treaty, no


individual should be disturbed in his person or property, under

any pretext \

^ The Vaudois who live at Turin, are there by sufferance only.


2 This subject has been ably discussed by the Couju Del Pozzo, in a pam-
phlet under the title of '* The Complete Emancipation of the Vaudois."

3 Treaty of Paris, SOth May, 1814.

The preamble spoke of the " equal desire to terminate the long agitations

of Europe, and the sufferings of mankind."


'* Art. IG. The high contracting parties, desirous to bury in entire oblivion the

dissensions which have agitated Europe, declare and promise, that no individual,
of whatever rank or condition he may be, in the countries restored and ceded
by the present treaty, shall be persecuted, disturbed, or molested in his person or

property under any pretext whatsoever, either on account of his conduct or poli-

tical opinions, his attachment either to any of the contracting parties, or to any
government, which has ceased to exist, or for any other reason, except for

debts contracted towards individuals, or acts posterior to the date of the present

treaty."
" Art. 27. National domains acquired for valuable considerations by French

\ N n 2
548 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

II. Vaudois are not permitted to practise as physicians \ surgeons,


or advocates.

This prohibition bears hard upon many, who previously to the

restoration in 1814, had qualified themselves for these profes-

sions, and had exercised them successfully.

III. In the formation of the municipal councils of the Vaudois


communes, sufficient regard is not paid to the relative popu-
lation or to qualification, but the majority is always made

subjects in the late departments of Belgium, and of the left bank of the
Rhine, and the Alps, beyond the ancient limits of France, and which now
cease to belong to her, shall be guaranteed to the purchasers.
'*
Le Prince de Benevente.
(Signed) " Castlereagh,
Aberdeen,
Cathcart,
Charles Stewart, Lieut.-Gen."

Treaty of Peace, 20th Nov. 1815.


**
Art. 8. All the dispositions of the treaty of Paris, of the 30th May, 1814,
relative to the countries ceded by that treaty, shall equally apply to the several
territories and districts ceded by the present treaty.
" Castlereagh,
Wellington,
Richelieu.*'

General Treaty, signed in Congress at Vienna, June 9, 1815.


" Art. 103. The inhabitants of the countries who return under the govern-
ment of the Holy See, in consequence of the stipulations of Congress, shall

enjoy the benefit of the 16th article of the treaty of Paris of 30th May, 1814.
" All acquisitions made by individuals in virtue of a title acknowledged as
legal by the existing laws, are to be considered as good."

Upon the same principle, the Vaudois, who returned under the government
of the king of Sardinia, should enjoy the benefit of the same article.

^ A petition was presented to the king of Sardinia in 1816, praying him to

repeal this edict. The answer informed the Vaudois, that they were at liberty

to exercise the professions of apothecary, architect, surveyor, or any other,

which did not require the laurea, or degree at the university ; that is to say,

they are still excluded from all the higher professions.


WALDEN8IAN RESEARCHES. 549

to consist of Roman Catholics, in the proportion of three-

fifths, or of two- thirds.

The injurious effect of this state of things is felt in the un-

equal administration of justice, and in the admission of Roman


Catholics of the lowest description into the municipal bodies
of some of the Vaudois communes, where the population being
almost entirely Protestant, none of the other religion are found
to take office but the illiterate and unfit.

This is contrary to the second article of the treaty of 1602,


which regulated the elections of " syndics, councillors," &c. &c.

IV. The Vaudois are compelled, " chomer les fetes particuliers,"

to abstain from work under penalty of fine and imprison-


ment, not only on days of great festivals, kept by the Roman
Catholic Church at large, but on other holidays, at the arbi-
trary will of the cures of the several parishes. They are in-

terrupted in their own religious services, and are forced to

join in some of the observances of the Roman Catholics, at

the pleasure of the cures.

Each of these exactions is an infraction of general and parti-


cular stipulations, according to which, the free exercise of their

religion, the right of conscience, and exemption from assisting

at, or contributing to, Roman Catholic services, were invariably

and expressly granted to the Vaudois. The grievance consists

for the most part in the indefinite and ill- understood nature of
the exactions : if they were regulated by law, they might be
borne more easily, but the local petty authorities, and the cures,
are allowed to decide pro arhitrio upon these matters. For ex-
ample, — 1. Very recently a young man was imprisoned three
months for putting on his hat after the host had passed him in

procession, in one of the Vaudois villages, and sooner than the

officiating priests thought he ought to have replaced it. 2. The


cure of a parish interrupted the service of a Vaudois church,
upon pretence that the congregation was singing so loud as to
550 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

disturb the devotions of his own flock. He afterwards obtained


an order, that the time of Protestant service should be changed,
and fixed at an inconvenient hour.

V. Every temptation is held out to induce the Vaudois to aban-


don their religion, and the penalty of death is enacted
against such as would dissuade a Vaudois from turning
Roman Catholic.

It is a just matter of complaint, that criminals who abjure


their faith should receive pardon, and that others who sign their

abjuration should be declared to be exempt for five years from


taxes and imposts, and from all charges real and personal, by
an unrepealed edict, bearing date Jan. 26, 1642 ; but can any
thing be more inconsistent with the spirit of toleration, than that

a Vaudois minister, who, in the exercise of his functions, endea-


vours to confirm the faith of a Protestant, wavering towards Ro-
manism, should be still subject to such an enactment as this ?

" His royal highness inhibits those of the pretended reformed

religion from diverting or dissuading any, whosoever he be, of


the said religion, who would turn Catholic, under the same
penalty of death, giving it in charge particularly to the ministers

of the said pretended religion inviolably to observe the above-said,


upon pain of answering the same in their own persons." — Order
of Guastaldo, Jan. 27, 1655.

VI. The Vaudois are forbidden to print any books within any of
the king's dominions.

The Sardinian government permits the Vaudois, under certain

censorship and regulations, to import books that are required for


their religious instruction and services, but forbids the use of a
press under any regulations. The consequence is, that the ex-

pense arising from conveyance, freight, and duties, in addition

to the prime cost of foreign books, is so heavy, that it amounts


VVALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 551

to a prohibition \ There are besides so many difficulties in

passing books through the provincial and district custom-houses,


after they have been cleared at the frontier, and at Turin, that

until this grievance is mitigated, the Vaudois cannot be said to


enjoy the free exercise of their religion.

VII. The Vaudois are forbidden to introduce any system of


mutual instruction in their schools.

VIII. Mixed marriages between Protestants and Roman Catho-


lics, are prohibited —and when they occur, the parties are
punished, the union dissolved, and the progeny declared to
be illegitimate. V-

A marriage of this kind, between a Vaudois and a Roman


Catholic was lately celebrated in France. When the couple
afterwards returned and settled in a Vaudois commune, the
marriage was pronounced to be illegal, and the husband was
committed to prison.

IX. Since the restoration of the house of Savoy in 1814, the


Roman Catholic clergy have claimed the illegitimate chil-
dren of Vaudois women, as children of the State, and
separating infants from their mothers by force, have sent
them to an institution at Pignerol.

This grievance is intolerable under any form, but it is rendered


more so by having no law to sanction it. When those who
proceed to tear children from their parents are asked to shew
the authority upon which they act, they plead ancient usage.

It is rendered still more unendurable by the construction of the


term illegitimate. See No. VIII.

' Until the Bible Society made some very handsome grants to the Vaudois,

they had very few Bibles. In several places, when I asked if they were well
supplied with the Scriptures, the answers were nearly the same — " Yes, thanks
to the British and Foreign Bible Society." But they are still lamentably des-
titute of books of devotion.
552 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

But the Vaudois are still further aggrieved by this barbarous


practice, inasmuch as it is a violation of the 15th article of the
Patent of 1655> which provided that Vaudois ch41dren should not
be taken from their parents, to be instructed in the Roman
Catholic faith, even by their own consent, till the males were

twelve, and the females ten years of age, and to the more recent
Edict of 1794 :
— " We renew our orders to prevent the taking

away of children, with a view of obliging them to embrace the


Catholic religion, and those children who have been taken away
must be restored."

In spite of these edicts, children are now taken away,


under the pretence of their being illegitimate. Two lamentable
cases of this sort occurred in one commune last year —one of
them was attended by circumstances which caused a general
sensation. A mother refused to deliver up her infant, and fled

with it to the mountains, where she was pursued by carabineers


despatched for that purpose. For many weeks she lived a miser-
able life among the rocks and forests, flying from place to place,
until the sufferings of the mother and child excited the pity of
the authorities who signed the order for the pursuit. The order

was withdraw^n, but not revoked, and the woman's fears and
anxiety continue, while she remains exposed to the same severity.
Such being the grievances ^ of which the Vaudois have justly

to complain, notwithstanding the many engagements which have


been made with them by theii sovereigns, and notwithstanding
the treaties and the promises by which the dukes of Savoy, and
the kings of Sardinia, have pledged themselves to England and

to other Protestant states, to respect the liberties and privileges

of the Vaudois, Your memorialist humbly prayeth, that their

1 (( WTg (Jo permit the fiee exercise of their rehgion." This is the language

of the Sardinian government. But how can people be said to have the free
exercise of their religion, who are debarred from obtaining books of devotion, and
from having schools, where mutual instruction is introduced; who are forbidden

to resist proselytism, who are exposed to the interruption of cures, and subject
to laws commanding them to do reverence to objects which they regard with
aversion ?
WALDEiNSIAN RESEARCHES. 553

condition —
may be taken into consideration, and that his Sardinian
majesty may be urged to repeal all edicts^ which are contrary to
those principles of toleration, which it has been the invariable
object of the British government and of its allies, to preserve as

the foundation of their policy \"

Note. —Some of the grievances enumerated in this memorial,


formed the substance of two petitions, the one presented to lord
William Bentinck, commander of the British forces ; and the
other to the Count de Bubna, military governor of Piemont, and
general of the Austrian troops in 1814.

At the same time that I sent this letter and


memorial to the earl of Aberdeen, I addressed
copies of them to the duke of Wellington.
The duke required me " to point out the treaties,

which exist between his majesty and the king of


Sardinia, respecting the Vaudois."
In my reply to his grace, I was obliged to con-
fess that I could not point out these treaties, but I

urged that I had given sufficient evidence of the

existence of such treaties, by referring his majesty's


government to the declarations of Mr. Hedges,
the British envoy at the court of Turin, in 1727,
contained in his official correspondence with the
secretaries of state at that period.
I received a second note from the duke of
Wellington, stating, that " The Duke was in hopes
that when Mr. Gilly mentioned treaties with

^ Declaration of the British government in 1815.


55i! WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

the king of Sardinia, he could state what they


were."
T was afraid there was an end of the matter,
and that the members of government were glad
to get rid of the question ; but I did them wrong
by the apprehension, for soon afterwards I was
honoured with the following communication :

Foreign Office, 9th January, 1 830.


Sir,
I am directed by the earl of Aberdeen to acknowledge the

receipt of your letter of the 26th of November last, enclosing a


memorial on the subject of the grievances of which the Vaudois
subjects of his Sardinian Majesty have to complain. I am to

acquaint you that the statements contained in your letter, and


in its enclosure, have been taken into consideration by his Ma-
jesty's government, with a view to the adoption of such measures
as may be in their power for the purpose of obtaining some ame-
lioration of the condition of the Vaudois.
I am. Sir,

Your most obedient humble servant,

DUNGLAS.

I had the honour of being known to Lord


Dunglas before this correspondence, and the
cause of the Vaudois stands indebted to his lord-
ship in a much greater degree than I am at liberty

to explain.
Shortly after I received the communication from
the Foreign Office, I had the satisfaction of hearing

from the Archbishop of Canterbury, that Lord


Aberdeen was sincerely desirous of serving the
2
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 555

Vaudois but ; still I was fearful that I had left the


case weak by my inability to point out the treaties

to which I had alluded. I therefore took a jour-


ney to London, and went to the State Paper
Office, where, if any where, the treaties or copies

of them were likely to be deposited. No custodian


of valuable documents has ever shewn more readi-
ness to promote the objects of persons, who require
his assistance, than Mr. Lemon, deputy keeper of
the state papers. I have often had reason to feel

obliged by his urbanity and patient attention, and


gladly do I take this opportunity of recording an-
other instance of the kind manner, in which he is

in the habit of rendering his intimate knowledge


of the contents of his office useful to the interests
of literature and truth.
Aftersome search Mr. Lemon produced the
identical document itself, not a copy, but the

original treaty to which Mr. Hedges had referred.

Archimedes himself, when he solved his problem,


did not exclaim evpr]Ka, " I have found it," with
greater delight than I did, when I held the treaty
in myhand, and saw the sign manual and great
seal of " V. Amede."

The fourth article of this treaty concluded


August 11, 1704, between Great Britain and the
duke of Savoy, begins thus :
— *' His Royal Highness
binds himself to confirm, and hereby does confirm,
the secret article of the treaty of October, 1690,
relative to the Vaudois." It then recites the treaty
556 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

between the king of England, the States General,


and the duke of Savoy, dated the Hague, Oct. 20,
1690, m which the following clause occurs: "Que —
Son Altesse Royale remet et conserve eux (ses
sujets Vaudois) leurs enfans, et posterite dans la

possession de tons et chacun leurs anciens droits,


edits, coutumes, et privileges, tant pour les habita-
tions, negoce, et exercise de leur religion, que
pour toute autre chose." '*
His Royal Highness
restores ^
and secures to the Vaudois, their child-
ren and posterity, the possession of all their ancient
rights, customs, and privileges, in regard to their

habitations, traffic, the exercise of their religion,


and other claims."
The reciprocal engagement on the part of Great
Britain was to guarantee to the duke of Savoy the
possession of certain territories, ceded by the
Emperor of Germany, on the confines of the
Milanese.
I immediately addressed letters to the duke of
Wellington and the earl of Aberdeen, to inform
their Lordships, that the treaty which I had been

^
I have now in my possession the copy of an edict of Victor

Amadee, dated Turin, May 23, 1694, in which he states, that

in conformity with the instances of the king of England, and of


the States General of the United Provinces, he had reinstated
the Vaudois in the full possession of all their personal, civil, and
religious rights, and that, for himself and his successors, he pro-

mised them the uninterrupted enjoyment of all their ancient

privileges and prerogatives, without any exception whatever.


WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 557

desired to point out is deposited in the State


Paper Office, and I described its contents. Events
of the first importance to Europe, and great
changes have since taken place, and attention has
been diverted from the concerns of the poor
Vaudois to affairs of more pressing moment. But
I cannot take leave of the subject, without
expressing my grateful conviction, that the late
administration meant to espouse the cause of
the Vaudois in earnest. I have been assured
that Lord Aberdeen had begun a paper upon the
subject before he left office, and that the day
before he gave up the seals, he expressed his

regret, that he had not been able to finish it.

It is a subject of great anxiety to know what


course his successor will pursue ; but trusting to
the righteousness and justice of the cause, I am
confident it will eventually succeed. The system
of non-intervention, which governs our present
counsels, ought not to be a bar in the way of
exercising that interference, which it is our duty
and right to exercise, by virtue of the most solemn
treaties.

At present the question stands thus.


The inhabitants of the valleys of Luserna, Pe-
rosa, and San Martino, and of the parts immedi-
ately adjacent, lay claim to the free exercise of
their religion, and to the uninterrupted enjoyment
of property acquired by them, by virtue of imme-
morial right. This right has been admitted from
558 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

time to time by the dukes of Savoy, and princes


of Piemont, and in the very edicts, which have
been issued to restrain Protestantism, and to keep
the Waldenses in check, express mention has been
made of the hberties, privileges, and prerogatives,
of the natives of the three valleys ; and compacts
have been cited, which ratified these liberties.
For example, an order of Emanuel Philibert of
the 10th of January, 1561, begins thus: ^^
Be it

known, that we, having examined the privileges,

immunities, exemptions, and concessions made


and confirmed by our most illustrious and ex-
cellent ancestors to our faithful and beloved sub-
jects of the valleys, &c., do approve and confirm the
same." Another dated 3rd of January, 1584,
recites several ancient edicts in favour of the men
of the valleys, and one in particular, published by
Duke Louis in 1448. The celebrated restraining
ordinance of 1602, contains this exception :
'*
We
prohibit the exercise of the said pretended religion,
every where within our dominions, except in the
limits where it is graciously tolerated, viz. in the
valleys of Luserna, San Martino, and Perosa."
In the answers which Charles Emanuel gave to
the memorials of the Vaudois in 1602 and 1603,
when there was so much alarm excited by the seve-
rity exercised in the marquisate of Saluzzo, it was
expressly stated, that, '^
in conformity with ancient
custom," the heretics of the three valleys should
enjoy their privileges without any interruption.
WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES. 559

''
In dette tre valli non gli sara data molestia." I

have alluded in another place to that extraordinary-


passage in the edict of 12th June, 1602, in which
the reigning duke acknowledged :
" It is not
possible for us to eradicate them in the valleys,

because we are bound to tolerate them there."

Bound by what ? By the obhgation of ancient


compacts. But at last bad counsels prevailed,
and out of compliance with the bishop of Rome,
the dukes of Savoy did attempt to root the Wal-
denses out of the three valleys, where their per-
sonal and religious rights had been so solemnly
guaranteed ; and they would have destroyed them
root and branch in 1655, had it not have been for
the interposition of England, and of other Protes-
tant states. Again was the death-warrant signed
by Victor Amadee in 1686, but the sword was
taken out of his hand by William III., and the
States General of Holland : and the solemn treaty
between the duke of Savoy on the one part, and
England and Holland on the other, in 1690, and
a second treaty with England in 1704, formed
on the basis of that of 1690, constitute the ground
upon which England has obtained the right of
interposing in behalf of the Protestants of the
valleys.

The Count del Pozzo, a Piemontese nobleman,


who has held the highest offices in the state, and
to whom the Vaudois are indebted for the most
luminous exposition of their wrongs, and for the
560 WALDENSIAN RESEARCHES.

most generous defence of their cause, which has


yet been pubhshed \ maintains that England has
obtained a further right of interference by the
16th article of the treaty of Paris, which all the
special pleading in the world cannot set aside.
I cannot better conclude my appeal in favour of
this ill-used community, than in the strong lan-
guage of the Count himself. "The fact is, that
no Protestants now exist in Europe in so low, so
degraded a condition as the Vaudois ; that they
are now still more secretly harassed by some
fanatics, than they were before the French domi-
nation, on account of the ascendancy gained anew
after the restoration of 1814, by the court of
Rome, the Jesuits, and the Parti-pretre. Never
did they stand in more urgent need of England's
interference, never could England interfere with
greater justice and efficiency."

* " The complete emancipation of the Protestant Vaudois of


Piemont, advocated in a strong and unanswerable argument, and
submitted to the duke of Wellington by their countryman, Count
Ferdinand del Pozzo, late Maitre des Requests, and first pre-

sident of the imperial court of Genoa."

THE END.

Gilbert & Rivington, Printers, St. Johr\*s Square, London-


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