THE Christians Calamities: OR, The Protestants Complaint, Collected out of many severall Letters, that were sent from beyond the Seas into England, and presented to his Highness the Lord Protector, of England, Scotland and Ireland.
The very truth of the matter is plainly set down in this little Book, to the end that whosoever either reads or hears it, may take good notice of what is here set down.
And withall, to pray unto the Lord, that the like miseries may never befall us here in England.
Faithfully collected, drawn up and written, By Laurence Price. 1655.
London, printed for Thomas Vere at the Angell without Newgate. 1655,
AN INTRODUCTION, or Epistle to the Reader.
BEloved Friends & Countrymen, the reason why I drew up the copy of this little Book, is, because the world should know the truth of the mater, how crueIly & how barbarously our Christian brethren are dealt withall beyond the Seas by their bloodthirsty enemies. It is a picture not drawn to the life, but of the death of many thousands of true and Faithfull hearted Protestants; and so hoping that example of them may be a meanes to make us turn from our wicked wayes, and seeke the Lord whilst he may be found in mercy, I remain your loving Friend and well-wisher.
A briefe Description of the Bloody Usage and cruel Persecutions done upon Protestants in the vallies of Piedmont and other places, as you shall hear immediatly.
IN the famous and fruitful Countrey, which is called, The Vallies of Piedmont, and Lucern, under the command of the Duke of Savoy, there lately inhabited a people called Waldenses, famous for their constant profession of the Protestant Religion in all ages for about 500 yeares together; to whom the blood-thirsty Papists have always born a most venemous spight, and have often consulted amongst themselves how to get these Protestants quite rooted out and so to make themselves masters of all that they enjoyed. In the pursuance whereof about the later end of January last, the Duke of Savoy by the perswasion of the Romish Priests and Iesuits, put forth a Proclamation that in case all of the reformed Religion, both inhabitants and strangers, should not in thrée dayes turn [Page 6] Papists they must for ever bid farewell to their native countrey, houses, lands and possessions, and that it should be death without mercy for any to disobey the same,
Hereupon no sooner was the time limited, overpast, but immediatly Priest and Monks sent in upon them a world of cut-throats and villains, who in the depth of Winter, not sparing even women with child néer delivery, nor those that had Infants hanging on their breast, they were all without distinction both men, women, and children, driven out to wander through frost and snow in a most bitter season to séeke for shelter in hollow caves and rocks, and other desolate places.
The like cruelties have never béen acted since the worlds creation: for why? The Papists having gotten the upper hand of the Protestants, they stole and tooke away their horses and cattell from off their ground, they fired and burned the Rickes and Barnes of Corn, they ravished and deflowred both Women and Virgins, in such a most horrible and beastly manner, which may be a shame to be spoken of: and yet that was not the worst, for when the distressed Protestants had béen by their Papisticall enemies at first so falfly and beastly betrayed, and afterwards so terribly [Page] [Page] [Page 7] assaulted, as many of them that could make, any shift at all to escape away, fled into the mountains with their wives and children, but by the way were met withall by a great party of Irish Souldiers, which were under the Dukes command, who, fell upon them with such violence, that they murdred all both men, women and children, insomuch that they left not one of them alive that they could take or lay hands on, saying, that they would be revenged on them for the Romish Catholick blood that was spilt by the Protestants in Ireland.
Yet here followeth more sad and sorrowfull news, which is worse then that which hath béen already spoken of, the people which did yet remain in the vallies, that had no time to shift for themselves, ran some of them into Créeks and corners and hide themselves in caves and hollow places, where many of them died miserable deaths for want of Food to sustain their hunger; and them that remained in Towns and Cities were so cruelly murdered that the very Chanels in the stréets were filld with blood: foure hundred men at one time were burned to death in a Church; fiftéen hundred of women and small children on that same day slain at a Fort called [Page 8] Milbour, the women had their throats cut and their childrens brains were dasht against the rocks, and afterwards their Carkasses burnt to powder. At the Towne of Bricherus all the men put to the sword, and sixtéen great bellied women had their infants ript out of their wombs; in a great Forrest that was very neare unto that place, were two hundred men that fled for their lives, overtaken, and afterwards nayl'd to the trées alive, some of them with their héels upward, and their heads downwards towards she ground. At the Citie of Turin was the Protestants Temple set on fire, and burned to the very ground by Friers and Romish Priests.
The Ministers belonging to the same, Mr. Gros and Mr Aghit, with all the chiefest Gentlemen & officers were carried to prison, & stifled to death in their beds. Four Elders, amongst which Paul de Rossan, a man that was of very great note and estéeme, with many others more hanged at la Tour. Some had their bowels pull'd out of their Bellies, and thrown about the stréets for Dogges to gnaw upon. The houses of Angrogue in which were thrée thousand Protestants got in for shelter, was fired, and never a man [Page] [Page] [Page 9] came out alive; the Souldiers and Romish Priests, Fryers and Iesuits, in companies running up and downe from one house to another, and never left off murdering whilst the day gave light, Some Children by the Souldiers torn limb from limb, and thrown at out anothers heads: and some were tost upon the poynts of their pikes, to and fro. Many that were brought up high and mighty mountains, were tied neck and héels together, and tumbled down the stéep Rockes.
At a gallant Town called Tollareta, they destroyed all the women and children that they could light upon, and cut off the childrens heads, and boyled them, and eate the brains for sawce: and all the men that they could take they stript them naked, and cut & slasht their bodies with Swords and Fanlchins and stopt up their wounds with Salt and Gunpowder. They overtooke some in their running. and staked them fast to the ground. They hanged many up by the féet till they dyed, and some they breched through with spits and roasted alive.
And thus were the poore Protestants put to most cruell and inhumane deaths, both in the vallies and in the mountains, and in every Towne and Citie where the Romish [Page 10] Priests and Papists Souldiers came.
Some women had their breasts cut off, some men had their members cut off, some ware starved to death with cold, and some were forc'd to eate their own excrement, all which miseries was inflected upon them, because they would not turn from their Religion, and from the true worship of the living God, to worship and honour Idolatry.
A Religious man at Angrogue, named Peter Symon, being a hundred years of age, and his wife almost as much, with many other aged people having gathered themselves in a house together into one place, intending there to spend the remainder of the wretched time that they had to live in Divine Prayer and Supplycations to the Lord, were set upon by the bloody Tyrants, and most basely murdered because they would not goe to Masse.
In another house they tooke M. Thomas Margher almost an hundred years old, and because he refused to goe to Masse, they first cut off his Nose, then one of his Ears, and after the other, and last of all they cut him joynt from joynt till they had cut all his Limbs in péeces, who spoke these words in the midst of his extremitie to the Tyrants [Page] [Page] [Page 11] that did it. Torment my body how and which way you will or can, but I am sure that you have no power to hurt my soule, and therefore I feare you not, I will never turn from my Christian Faith to worship Idols, for had I ten thousand lives I could be wel content to loose them all for the Truth and for the Gospel of Christ; these were the latest of his dying words, a great number more such horrible bloodie Murders have bin committed upon the Protestants, which if every severall particular were set down, a bigger Booke were not able to hold them: But here is a sad precedent in what is alreadie set down, I would to God that it had bin better, for it is too well approved on, that above thirtie thousand Christians that were Protestants perished and were brought to untimely ends in two days and nights, which was done April the sixth and seventh this present Yeare, 1655,
Here followeth a briefe Description of the Cituation of the Countrie, where these Cruell, Bloody, and unhuman Massacries was committed and done.
THe People of the Nation are called the Walldences, most of them are of a gallant resolve, which had rather dye then to change and to turn from what their Ancestors were, and it is well to be known that the faithfull Waldences have stood up for the true Protestant Religion at least five hundred yeares: Not-withstanding they have had many troublesome Mutinies and Persecutions raysed against them by the blood-thirstie Papists, but never none like to this before: the countries wherein the Waldences did inhabit is called the valeys of Piedmont, and the valeys of Lucerne, adjoyning close with Italy and France on the other side, Savoy is also neere unto it; the Countrey in the valeys is very fruitfull baring and bringing forth Corn, Oyle and Wine in a plentiful manner, and by the report of many knowing men which have bin Travilers and past through that Countrey, there is never a place in all Urope [Page] [Page] [Page] [Page 13] so like unto England as that Countrey is, but the Lord in mercy grant that England may never be so cruelly abused, as the people of that Country have bin: and now let us turn back and reflect upon our selves; are not wée almost in the same condition as they were in? suppose a forraign Nation should come as they have threatned to do and invade our Countrys and over-comens, who knows but their crueltie might be as much to us as the Papists crueltie was to the Waldences; I am certainly perswaded that our sins are as great and numberlesse as theirs, and for ought wée know our punishment may be as great as theirs unlesse wée spéedily repent: wherefore I desire every man and every woman, old and young, rich and poore, to betake themselves to true repentance by unfeigned prayers and amendment of life, & to prostrate our selves both Soules and Bodies before the wrath of our mercifull God commeth upon us, for if our Enemies should resist and make warre against us, it is not the arme of flesh that could defend us, except the Lord of Hoasts be on our side, although wée were ten for one against them, but if the Lord God be on our side wée néed not fear our proudest Enemies though a thousand to one should [Page] [Page] [Page 14] magnifie themselves against us: and now will & put you in mind of some sad miseries which have fallen and happened to many people in England since these last domestick wars began, which is known by wofull experience to be too true; all which calamities, we as it were pulled down upon our owne hea [...]a for want of serding of God aright.
Here followeth a true Relation of many cruell acts which have been done since these unhappy and unnatural wars began in England, which is a thing very necessary to be lookt upon, and to kept in memory.
THe Prophet Hosea, Chap. 4. crying out against the wickednesse of the people of those times, saith, The Lord hath a controversie with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land, by swearing and lying, and killing and stealing, and whoring, they break out, and blood hath touched blood. The very same occasion hath been in England: For all manner of stnnes have so much abounded here, that the like was never before: here is envy, spite and hate amongst neighbours, here is covetonsnesse pride and ambitien amongst rich men; [Page] [Page 15] here is lying, swearing & dissembling among Tradesmen, here is false doctrine & blasphemy taught among seditious men, and there is a generall distemper amongst all men; insomuth that there are few men contented with their present estate; and this was the cause of our homebred wars at first, and that blood hath touched blood, we all know to be true: for stnee those wars began, there is no place in England but hath déeply tasted of this bloody cup of civill wars, whereby some have lost their goods, some their lives, and many thousands both goods and lives; so that the conntrey people in many places knew not whither to flys to hide themselves from the terrible stroke of death. At night when men should have gone to their rest, the Drums beat up their martiall Alarms; and by day when men should go to their labours, their horses & rattel were taken up for Service and the two great Armies were in the howels of our nation, continually preparing themselves for flaughter: and this was the cause of our sorrows & troubles; had if not bin for this, there had not béen so many news of taking of towns, firing of houses plandering of Cities, ravishing of women, and deflowring of maids: had it not béen for the [Page 16] wars, there had not béen so many Lords, Knights, Colonels & Captains imprisoned, nor so many Gentlemen & others lost their Uves: those unnatural civil wars have cansed many a wofull mother to bewaile the death of her flain son, and many a sister to mingle tears with her brothers blood, many fatherlesse children to perish for want of nourishment, & many a mournful widow to fit wéeping a lone for want of the company of her late deceased husband.
And thus have you heard of the miseriss that wée have brought upon our selves long of our st [...]s and taking up armes to fight one with another here in our own Countryes.
And now to conclude, if our Friends and Neighbours were so violent and cruell amongst us, who knowes but if an Army of strangers would come and invade our Land, but that they would be farre worse, which I hope shall never be: Therefore I desire of all men that they may love one another, and then will the Lord send Love and Peace amongst all: and for the distressed Waldences that are yet alive let every man and woman send up their Prayers to Almighty God for their deliverance, and happy are wée if wée can take warning by their harmes.