condition; as well as in their persecutions. If these papists would only make due reflections upon what they know of the primitive church, and consider, what is predicted of the state of the true church of God in future ages, they would have quite other sentiments, than to think them abandoned, because of their unparalleled calamities. For is there any thing more evidently predicted in scripture, than that the state of the church was to be militant; and that particularly under the anti-christian domination, it should suffer a long and dismal oppression, grievous harassings, and frequent persecutions, and even an extermination in some places, so as to be forced to take her flight into the closest coverts? What else can mean those words of John, Revelation xii. 6. That the "woman should fly into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, and that there she should be fed a thousand two hundred and threescore days,” which, in the prophetic style, mean twelve hundred and sixty years; "and that there she should prophecy the whole term in sackcloth?" Revelation xi. 3. The wilderness doth most aptly denote the chief place of her residence, and close retirement in the middle ages especially; and her being in sackcloth, the sadness of her heart, her outward poverty, and her sad condition during that time. But the god of this world hath so blinded their eyes, that they cannot see the light.

It would indeed have been an amazement to me, but that they lock up the scriptures from themselves as well as others, that so many learned men among them should not see the true church described in these words. For the same reason I should be still more amazed, that they should make prosperity a note of the true church, when, on the contrary, the word of God makes that very thing so clear a mark of the false one. So that when "she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, and hath said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow”—

she would do well to consider this in time, "lest her plagues come upon her in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she be utterly burnt with fire: for strong is the Lord who judgeth her." Revelation xviii. 7, 8.

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It now only remains, that I give some account of the several books comprised in this third part, or history of the Vaudois. My design in the whole martyrological history was, to collect such of the more valuable among the smaller pieces already printed, and to dispose them in such order, as will make up a regular history of such matters. And my design in making up the history thus, was not only because I would have others authority answerable for the whole; but indeed, to preserve those pieces, which I esteemed too valuable to be lost, from that fate which is incident to pamphlets more than any other writings; but especially to preserve them from the practices of the enemy, who make it their care to smother and suppress, as much as they can, these accounts as soon as they come forth, that protestants may be kept in deep ignorance of the hellish cruelties and barbarities of their anti-christian church; and this their policy seems to have been practised upon this very history of the Vaudois, as it was published by Mr. Boyer.

As to the second, third and fourth chapters concerning the original of the Vaudois, the purity of their religion, and their ecclesiastical government and manners, I have given the account just as I found it in Boyer, judging what is farther requisite to be known on these heads, may be seen in the foregoing history of Perrin. In the succeeding chapters from six to twelve, I have given the history of their several persecutions, more appositely under the character of inquisitions, crusades, and massacres, and have taken in several enlargements from Leger.

The eighth and ninth persecutions of the Vaudois are by

Boyer, and the account of the tenth persecution was but printed at Oxford, an authority with reference to that and other parts of their history, sufficient to stop the mouths of cavillers.

The account of their wonderful return and establishment in their own country, after a total extermination, as was thought, is given from Boyer, with additions from the late history of their re-entry by their pastor Henri Arnaud.

CONTENTS.

BOOK I.

HISTORY OF THE VAUDOIS.

I. The Introduction.-II. Showing the Original of the Vaudois.-III. of the Religion of the Vaudois of Piedmont.-IV. Of the Ecclesiastical Government of the Churches of the Vaudois of Piedmont, and the manners of the Vaudois.-V. Of the great calm the Vaudois Churches enjoyed for many ages, and of the first Persecution which succeeded it, by way of Inquisition, from the year 1198, to the year 1400.-VI. Of the second Persecution of the Vaudois, by sudden and surprising Massacres, from the year 1400, till 1487, in order to exterminate them.-VII. The third Persecution of the Vaudois of Piedmont, in way of crusades; which was made against them by Innocent VIII. in the year 1487, and their condition from that time, till the year 1135.-VIII. Of the fourth Persecution of the Vaudois of Piedmont, under Charles I. Duke of Saxony, and Francis I. King of France, by way of massacre, and of their other sufferings between the years 1535, and 1559.-IX. Of the fifth Persecution of the Vaudois of Piedmont, by war and massacres, from the year 1559, and of their sufferings till 1580.-X. Of the sixth Persecution of the Vaudois, partly by the savage wars of their Princes, as in the Marquisate of Salluzo; but chiefly by the vexations of the Inquisition, from the year 1580, to the year 1650.-XI. Of the seventh Persecution of the Vaudois, by the subtle artifices and diabolical practices of the new Council de Propaganda Fide & Extirpandis Hæreticis, established at Turin, 1650.-XII. The eighth Persecution of the Vaudois of Piedmont, by the Dutchess of Savoy, and Charles Emanuel her son, by treachery, massacre and war, from the year 1655, till 1662. I. Of the abominable means that the Marquess of Pianesse made use of to surprise the Vaudois of Piedmont, and to enter into the Valleys, and of the cruel massacre he made of these poor innocents, after his entry, in the year 1651. 2. Of the conjunction of Jayer and Janavel, captains of the Vaudois; and the wonderful exploits they did in the Valleys. 3. Reflections upon the war in the year 1655, and of the ensuing peace made at Pignerol, by the mediation of the Ambassador of France, and the Ambassadors of the Protestant Cantons. 4. Containing the wicked artifices which the enemies of the Vaudois made use of to complete the destruction of those that had escaped the massacre and war of 1655, with the breaking of the peace of Pignerol.-XIII. Of the ninth Persecution by massacre and war, made against the Vaudois of Piedmont, in the year 1662, and 1663, by Charles Emanuel, Duke of Savoy. 1. Showing the ill success of the massacres. 2. The second peace made between Charles Emanuel, and the Vaudois, by the mediation of the Protestant Cantons, in the month of February, 1664, which continued till the year 1686, during which time the Vaudois did signal service to the Duke of Savoy.

BOOK II.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE TENTH PERSECUTION OF THE VAUDOIS, BY LOUIS XIV. KING OF FRANCE, AND VICTOR AMADEUS II. DUKE OF SAVOY; WITH THE PERFIDIOUS TREACHERIES OF THEIR ENEMIES, WHICH WAS THE CAUSE OF THE RUIN AND DISPERSION OF THOSE POOR CHURCHES.

I. Wherein is recapitulated their former history; and showing withal, the antiquity of the Vaudois, their original, rights, and conditional submission to the Dukes of Savoy, with the merits of their services; and justifying their conduct, with reference to their defence in the preceding, and the following massacres and wars.-II. An entire history both as to its preparations and executions, of the tenth and last Persecution of the Vau dois, in 1686, by the French king, and the Duke of Savoy.-III. Containing the just diffidence of a part of the Vaudois, which was the cause of their preservation; their

courage and firm resolution to defend themselves, which procured them a safe retreat out of the Duke's dominions, with letters of safe conduct.-IV. Of the ill-treatment of the Vaudois, that had laid down their arms upon the security of the public faith, with a relation of those cruelties that were exercised on them in prisons; and at last of their enlargement, at the entreaty of the Swiss Cantons.

BOOK III.

AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR WONDERFUL RETURN AND ESTABLISHMENT IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY.

I. Of the good reception that the Vaudois of Piedmont, unjustly driven out of their country, received from the Republic of Geneva, and the Protestant Cantons, and Protestant Princes of Germany.-II. Of the return of the Vaudois into their own country, of their courage and valour, of the great exploits they did, or rather God did, for their re-establishment in their country.-III. Where it is shown, how the King of France and the Duke of Savoy leagued together, to oppose their return, as they had been leagued to drive them out in the year 1686.-IV. Of the disunion and discord between the King of France and the Duke of Savoy, which caused the re-establishment of the Vaudois in their own country, by order of their Prince, and of the wonders that God wrought for their re-establishment.-V. Of the two Prophecies of the Scripture, accom. plished in the hsitory of the Vaudois of Piedmont, the one contained in the 11th chapter, and the other in the 12th chapter of the Revelations.