The skilfull'st Physiognomers who Scan Each line and wrinkle in the face of man Can tell no more what Soules dwell there then wee By Seing Stars can tell what Angels be Then ask not at the door who 't is if so This Shadow cannot tell thee Read and know A Generall Martyrologie CONTAINING A COLLECTION Of all the greatest PERSECUTIONS which have befallen the CHURCH OF CHRIST From the Creation to our present Times Both in England and all other Nations Whereunto are added two and twenty LIVES OF ENGLISH Modern Divines Famous in their Generations for Learning and Piety and most of them great Sufferers in the Cause of CHRIST As also the Life of the Heroical Admiral of France slain in the Parisian Massacre and of Joane Queen of Navar poisoned a little before By Sa. Clarke Pastor in Bennet Fink London The second Edition Corrected and Enlarged having the two late Persecutions inserted the one in Piemont the other in Poland PSAL. 44.22 For thy sake are we kiâ—â—led all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter Nihil crus seâ—tit in nervo cum animus est in caelo Tertul. Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe for 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 in Saint Pauls Church-yard near the little North-door MDCLX TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Especially to the suffering Saints in these three Nations Christian Reader THou hast here presented to thy view that strange sight which so much astonished Moses Exod. 8.3 A bush burning with fire and not consumed A lively Emblem of the Church oft times all on a light flame with the fire of Persecution and yet so far from being consumed that The bloud of the Martyrs proves the seed of the Church And indeed she is the only and true Salamander that can live in the fire Yet this not by any strength of her own but because the Angel of the Covenant even the Lord Jesus Christ is in the bush either to slack the fire or to strengthen the bush and make it incombustible In this Book thou maiest see as in a Mirrour what hath been the lot and portion of the Church and people of God from the Creation hitherto viz. Through many tribulations to enter into the kingdom of heaven Here thou hast a certaine and infallible mark of the true Church of Christ viz. To be hated and persecuted by the Devil and his instruments Here thou maiest see what is the constant concommitant of the Gospel when it is received in the love and power of it viz. Persecution according to that of the Apostle Ye became followers of us and of the Lord having received the word in much affliction c. Neither yet is God an hard Master in dealing thus with his faithfull servants He knows that heavy afflictions are the best benefactors to heavenly affections and that grace is hid in nature here as sweet water in rose leaves which must have the fire of affliction put under to distill it out He knows that when afflictions hang heaviest corrupt affections hang loosest upon his children Yet doth not the Lord afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth but he will hereby try who are his indeed and in truth not in name and profession only For as the Eagle tries her young ones by turning their faces to the sun beams so those Christians that can outface the sun of Persecution are sincere indeed One thing is very remarkable in this History that usually before any great Persecution befell the Church the holy men of those times observed that there was some great decay of zeal and of the power of godliness or some mutuall contentions and quarrels amongst the people of God or some such sin or other that provoked God against them and then as the shepherd sets his dog upon his sheep when they go astray to bring them in and then rates him off again So God le ts loose wicked Persecutors upon his own children but it 's only to bring them in unto him and then he not only restrains their rage but casts the rod into the fire If judgement begin at the house of God what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God Much excellent use may be made of this History As teaching us That whosoever will take Christ truly must take his Crosse as well as his Crown his Sufferings as well as his Salvation That persecution is the bellows of the Gospel blowing every spark into a flame and that Martyrs ashes are the best compost to manure the Church their bloud to water it and make it fertill That Gods children are like Starres that shine brightest in the darkest night Like Torches that are the better for beating Like Grapes that come not to the proof till they come to the presse Likes Spices that smell sweetest when pounded Like young Trees that root the faster for shaking Like Vines that are the better for bleeding Like Gold that looks the brighter for scouring Like Glow worms that shine best in the dark Like Juniper that smels sweetest in the fire Like the Pomander which becomes more fragrant for chafing Like the Palm tree which proves the better for pressing Like the Camomile which the more you tread it the more you spread it Yea God knoweth that we are best when we are worst and live holiest when we die fastest and therefore he frames his dealing to our disposition seeking rather to profit then to please us That when God exposeth us to Persecution he expects our speedy and thorow Reformation if we desire the affliction to be removed For as it were to no purpose for the Finer to put his gold into the fire except it lie there till it be refined So were it to small purpose for God to lay afflictions on us if so soon as we whine and groan under his hand he should remove them before we be bettered thereby Whereas afflictions like Lots Angels will soon away when they have done their errand Like plaisters when the sore is once whole they will fall off of their own accoâ—d That we should with patience submit to the afflicting hand of the all wise God and our mercifull Father saying with the Church I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Considering also that impatience under affliction makes it much more grievous As a man in a feaver that by tossing and tumbling exasperates the disease and encreaseth his own grief That all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution It hath been the portion of all the Saints from the creation hitherto What son is there whom the Father chasteneth not One son indeed God had without sin but not without sorrow for though Christ his naturall Son was sine corruptione without corruption yet not sine correctione without correction though he was sine flagitio with out crime yet not sine flagello without a scourge
that she began to waver and let go her first faith this the adversaries much rejoyced in and the poor flock of Christ in that place hearing of it were as much afflicted with the news but God left them not in this mournful condition long For a Monk one day going to her perswaded her to draw her sonne Martin to the same recantation with her self which she promised to do but when they came together Martin perceiving the grievous Apostacy of his Mother bewailed it with many tears saying to her Oh Mother what have you done have you denied him that redeemed you Alas what injury hath he done you that you should requite him with so great an injury and dishonour Now am I plunged into that woe which I most feared Ah good God that I should live to see this which pierceth me to the very heart His mother hearing his pittiful complaints and seeing him drowned in tears for her sake began again to renew her strength in the Lord and with tears cryed out Oh Father of mercies be merciful to me miserable sinner and cover my transgression under the righteousnesse of thy blessed Son Lord enable me with strength from above to stand to my first confession and make me to abide stedfast therein even to my last breath Presently in came the seducers hoping to finde her in the same minde that they left her but she no sooner saw them but cryed Avoid Satan get thee behind me for henceforth thou hast nether part nor portion in me I will by the help of God stand to my first Confession and if I may not sign it with ink I will seal it with my blood and so after this time through Gods gracious assistance she grew stronger and stronger Then were they both condemned to be burnt alive and their ashes to be sprinkled in the aire When the sentence was passed as they returned to prison they said Now blessed be God who causeth us thus to triumph over our enemies This is the wished hour our gladsome day is come let us not therefore forget to be thankfull for that honour that God doth us in thus conforming us to the image of his Sonne Let us remember those that have troden this path before us for this is the high-way to the Kingdom of heaven c. Hereupon some of the Friars being ready to burst for anger said unto Martin that was most valiant We see now Heretick that thou art wholly possest body and soul with a Divel as were thy father and brother who are now in hell Martin answered As for your railings and cursings God will this day turn them into blessings in the sight of himself and all his holy Angels When they came into prison there came to them two persons of great quality of whom one of them said to Martin Young man I have compassion on thee if thou wilt be ruled by me and return to the Church of Rome thou shalt not only be freed from this shameful death but I will also give thee an hundred pounds Martin presently replyed Sir you present before me many temporal commodities But alas do you think me so simple as to forsake an eternal Kingdome for the enjoyment of a short temporal life No Sir it s now too late to speak to me of worldly commodities I will hearken to no other speech but of those spiritual commodities which I shall enjoy this day in Gods Kingdome c. Soon after Martin and his mother were carried to the place of their Martyrdome and being bound to the stake the woman said We are Christians and that which we now suffer is not for murther nor theft but because we will believe no more than the Word of God teacheth us The fire being kindled the heat of it did nothing abate the fervency of their seal but they continued crying Lord Jesus into thy hands we commend our spirits and so they blessedly slept in the Lord. A Friar at Gaunt called Charles Coninck being through Gods mercy converted to the truth left his Friars weed and joyned himself to the brethren for which he was apprehended and remaining constant was condemned then came a special friend perswading him to recant and he would procure him a Cannonship To whom Charles answered Sir I thank you for your good will and kind offer but I cannot accept them without offending God and that rest is no true rest and quietnesse which is obtained against the peace of a good conscience Shortly after his death one of his adversaries which had the greatest hand in procuring of it fell into grievous terrour and horrour of conscience whereof within a few dayes he died The Persecution of the Duke de Alva in the Netherlands WHen the light of the Gospel was much spread abroad in the Netherlands King Philip of Spaine sent the Duke de Alva with a great Army to root out the Professors of it who exercised unparalell'd cruelty against all sorts of persons both of the Nobility and Commons permitting his souldiers to ravish honest Matrons and Virgins many times causing their husbands and Parents to stand by and behold it This Duke on a time boasted at his own table that he had been diligent to root out heresie for that beside those which he had slain in war in the space of six years he had put into the hands of the common hangman above eighteen thousand persons His sonne also Don Frederick being sent by him to Zutphen was re-received by the Bourgers without any opposition yet was he no sooner entred but he fell to murther hang and drown a number of the inhabitants with infinite cruelties shewed upon wives and virgins yea not sparing the very infants From thence marching to Naerden in Holland the inhabitants made an agreement with him and he entred the town peaceably but never did Turks or Scythians or the most barbarous and inhumane Nations in the world commit more abominable cruelties than Don Frederick did in this town for when the Bourgers had given the best entertainment that they could to him and his souldiers he caused it to be proclaimed that they should all assemble themselves together in the Chappel of the Hospital where they should be made acquainted with such Laws according to which they should hereafter govern themselves but when these poor people were thus assembled he commanded his souldiers to murther them all without sparing any one the men were massacred the women were first ravished and then murthered most cruelly the children and infants had their throats cut and in some houses they tied the inhabitants to posts and then set fire on the houses and burnt them alive so that in the whole town neither man wife maid nor child old nor young were spared and then the town was wholly razed to the ground without pity or mercy After this Don Frederick besieged Harlem which held out against him for a long time
the way to kill him chap. 25.3 but when that was denied them they went to Cesarea to accuse him there whereupon he is forced to appeal to Caesar ver 11. Then he was sent to Rome and there committed Prisoner to the Captain of the Guard chap. 28.16 where he continued prisoner at large for two years and then being released he visited the Churches of Greece and Asia Afterwads he preached in Spain and France and at last returning into Italy he was again apprehended and imprisoned at Rome where also he suffered Martyrdom as afterwards you shall hear The Jews being much displeased that they could not reak their teen upon Paul turn themselves against James the brother of Christ him therefore they bring and set them in the midst of them requiring him publickly to renounce the faith of Christ but he on the contrary made a bold and open confession of Jesus to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the world Then did they set him upon a Pinacle of the Temple again requiring him in the audience of all the people to tell them which is the way of Jesus crucified to whom he answered Why ask you me of Jesus the son of man when as he sits at the right hand of God in Heaven and shall again come in the clouds of the air this so enraged the Scribes and Pharisees that they threw him down head-long but he not being dead with the fall gat upon his knees and said Father forgive them for they know not what they do Then one taking a Fullers Club struck him on the head and brained him This James was sirnamed Justus of whom Aegesippus writes that his knees were as hard as Camels knees by reason of his continual kneeling in prayer But shortly after his death Vespasian came into Judea and subdued the Jews and his son Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple Andrew the brother of Peter preached the Gospel to the Scythians Sogdians and Aethiopians and was at last crucified by Aegeas King of Edessa Philip preached the Gospel in Phrygia and at last was crucified at Hierapolis Bartholemew preached to the Indians and as some say was beaten with Cudgels to death or as others he was flaid alive and then beheaded Thomas preached unto the Parthians Medes and Persians c and in Indian he was slain with a dart Mathew preached to the Aethiopians and at last by the command of the King was ran thorow with a sword Simon Zelotes preached in Mauritania and Africk and at length was crucified under Traian being above 112 years old Judas the brother of James preached to the Edesseans and at last was slain by the command of the King Matthias preached first in Macedonia and afterwards coming into Judea he was by the Jews first stoned and then beheaded Mark the Evangelist preached in Alexandria and the neighbouring Regions and afterwards was burnt by the furious Idolaters Nicanor one of the Deacons was martyred together with two thousand other faithful Christians Collected out of the New Testament and Dorotheus THE PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH UNDER THE Heathen Roman Emperors CHAP. VII The First Primitive Persecution which began An. Christi 67. THis first Persecution was begun by Domitius Nero the sixt Emperour Anno 67. or thereabouts the occasion whereof was this Nero having passed over the first five years of his reign somewhat plausibly he then began to fall to all manner of prodigious impieties and amongst other wicked designs he had a great desire to consume the stately imperial City of Rome with fire pronouncing King Priamus an happy man because he beheld the end of his Kingdom and Countrey together yea said he let not all be ruined when I am dead but whilst I am yet alive and for the effecting of this villany he sent divers to kindle the fire in sundry places yea some of his own bed-chamber were seen to carry Flax Toe Torches c. to further it and when any attempted to quench it they were threatned for it others openly hurled firebrands crying They knew what they did there was one would bear them out This fire first began amongst the Oyl-men and Drugsters The night-watch and Praetorian guards did openly cherish it and when it was throughly kindled Nero went up to the top of Maecenas Tower which over-looked the whole City where he fed himself with the sight of infinite burnings and sang to his harp the burning of Troy Amongst other stately buildings that were burned down the Circus or race-yard was one being about half a mile in length of an oval form with rows of seats one above another capable to receive at least a hundred and fifty thousand Spectators without uncivil shouldrings but the particulars were innumerable the damage inestimable besides which many thousands of people perished the flame and smoak smothered some the weight of ruins crusht others the fire consumed others others threw themselves into the fire out of sorrow and despair and villains slew many But Nero finding that this fire which continued burning nine dayes brought a great Odium upon him to excuse himself he transferred the fault upon the Christians as if out of malice they had done it and thereupon he raised this first persecution against them For there was at this present a flourishing Church of Christians in Rome even before St. Paul's arrival there and Nero's own Court was secretly garnished and enriched with some of those Diamons whose salutations the Apostle remembers in his Epistle to the Philippians But whilst Nero with their blood sought to quench and cover his own infamy he procured to himself new envy whilst many that abhorred Christians for their Religion commiserated their sufferings as undeserved Some he caused to be sewed up in the skins of wild beasts and then worried them to death with dogs some he crucified others he burnt in publick to furnish his evening sports with Bonefires Many he caused to be packed up in paper stiffened in molten wax with a coat of sear-cloth about their bodies bound upright to Axletrees many of which were pitcht in the ground and so set on fire at the bottom to maintain light for Nero's night-sports in his gardens Some of them were gored in length upon stakes the one end fastened in the earth the other thrust into their fundaments and coming out at their mouths Nor did this Persecution rage in Rome alone but it was extended generally over the whole Empire insomuch that a man might then have seen Cities lie full of mens bodies the old lying there together with the young and the dead bodies of women cast out naked in the open streets without all reverence of their sex Yea his rage and malice was so great that he endeavoured to have rooted out the very name of Christians in all places Whereupon Tertullian said That it could be no ordinary goodness which Nero
afflicted what evil have we done If we be called to dispute Why are we spoiled of all we have Why are we slandred Why are we forced to remain here amongst the dung-hills afflicted with hunger and nakedness far from our Churches and houses Herewith the Tyrant was so enraged that he commanded his horsemen to ride over them whereby many of them were sore bruised and wounded especially the aged and weak men Then did he command them to meet him at the Temple of Memory and when they came thither they had this writing delivered to them Our Lord King Hunrick lamenting your obstinacy in refusing to obey his will and to embrace his Religion yet intends to deal graciously with you and if you will take this oath he will send you back to your Churches and houses Then they all said with one consent We are all Christians and Bishops and hold the Apostolical and only true faith and thereupon they made a brief confession of their faith But the Kings Commissioners urged them without any further delay to take the oath contained in that paper Whereupon they answered Do you think us bruit beasts that we should so easily swear to a writing wherein we know not what is contained Then was the Oath read unto them which was this You shall swear that after the death of the Lord our King his son Hilderick shall succeed him in the Kingdom and that none of you shall send letters beyond the seas If you take this oath he will restore you to your Churches They that were plain-meaning men amongst them were willing to take it but others that saw further into the subtilty of it refused it Then were those which would take it commanded to separate themselves from the other which being done a Notary presently took their names and of what Cities they were he did the like also by the Refusers and so both parties were committed to ward and shortly after the King sent them word first to those that would have taken the oath Because that you contrary to the rule of the Gospel which saith Thou shalt not swear at all would have sworn The Kings Will is that you shall never see your Churches more but shall be banished into the wilderness and never perform any Ministerial office again and there you shall till the ground But to the Refusers of the oath he said because you desire not the reign of our Lords son you shall therefore be immediately sent away to the Isle of Corse there to hew timber for the ships He also sent abroad through all Africk his cruel tormentors So that no place no house remained free from lamentation screeching and out-cryes They spared neither age nor sex but only such as yielded to their will Some they cudgelled with staves some they hung up others they burned Women and especially gentlewomen they openly tortured stark naked without all shame Amongst whom was Dionysia whom when they saw bolder and more beautifull then the rest they first commanded her to be stript naked and made ready for the cudgels who spake boldly to them saying I am assured of the love of my God vâ—x me how you will only my woman-hood disclose you not But they with greater rage set her naked upon an high place for a publick spectacle Then did they whip her till the streams of blood flowed all over her body Whereupon she boldly said Ye Ministers of Satan that which you do for my reproach is to me an honour And beholding her only son that was young and tender and seemed fearfull of torments checking him with a motherly Authority she so encouraged him that he became much more constant then before To whom in the midst of his terrible torments she said Remember O my child that we were baptized in the name of the holy Trinity Let us not lose the garment of our salvation least it be said Cast them into outer darkness where is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth For that pain is to be dreaded that never endeth and that life to be desired that alwayes lasteth The youth was so encouraged hereby that he persevered patient in all his sufferings till in the midst of his torments he gave up the Ghost Many by her exhortations and example were gained to God and animated in their sufferings Not long after Cyrillas the Arrian Bishop at Carthage stirred up the Tyrant against the Christians telling him that he could never expect to enjoy his Kingdom in peace so long as he suffered any of them to live Hereupon he sent for seven eminent Christians from Capsa to Carthage whom he first assaulted with flattery and large promises of honour riches c. if so be they would imbrace his faith But these servants of Christ rejected all those profers crying out One Lord one faith one Baptism saying also Do with our bodies what you please torment them at your will it s better for us to suffer these momentary pains then to endure everlasting torments Hereupon they were sent to prison loaded with great iron chains and thrust into a stinking Dungeon But God stirred up the hearts of many godly persons by great bribes to the Jayler to procure daily access to them and by their exhortations they were so corroborated in the faith that they much desired to suffer the like things for Christ with these men and would willingly have laid down their necks to the Persecutors swords The Tyrant hearing of it was exceedingly enraged caused them to be kept closer loaden with more chains and to be put to great torments Then did he cause a ship to be filled with combustible matter commanding that these holy Martyrs should be put into it and fast bound in the same and fire to be set to the ship in the sea that they might be burned to death When they were brought out of the prison the multitude of Gods people accompanied them to the ship who as innocent Lambs were led to be sacrificed looking upon their weighty irons as rare Jewels and Ornaments With chearfulness and alacrity they went towards the place of execution as if they had gone to a banket singing with one voice unto the Lord as they went along the street saying This is our desired day more festival then any feâ—â—ivity Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation when for the faith of our Lord God we endure death that we may not loose the garment of obtained faith The people also with one voice cried Fear not O servants of God neither dread the threats of your enemies Die for Christ who died for us that he might redeem us with the price of his saving blood Amongst these was a pretty boy to whom a subtil Seducer said Why hastest thou my pretty boy unto death let them go they are mad Take my counsel and thou shalt not only have life but great advancement in the
them yea they were so spread in Germany that they could travel from Collen to Milan in Italy and every night lodge with Hosts of their own profession Hereupon the Pope hath always used all his art for their utter extirpation by his Thunder-bolts Curses Canons Constitutions Decrees and whatsoever else might make them odious to Kings Princes and people giving them over to Satan interdicting them all Communion and society with others making them incapable of any charges honours profits to inherit lands to make wills to be buried in Church-yards yea confiscating their goods dis-inheriting their heirs and where they could apprehend any of them they condemned them to be delivered to the secular power their houses to be razed their lands and goods to be confiscated commanding Kings Princes Magistrates Consuls and people to make an exact inquisition to shut the City-gates to ring the Toll-bell to arm themselves to apprehend kill or use any other violence to them giving to their Accusers a third part of their Estates condemning all favorers of them to the same punishment Anno Christ 1163. came some of these godly persons to Collen in Germany out of the parts of Flanders where they secretly remained for a time in a barn near the City But the diligence of the Popish Clergy found them out by their not coming to their Church and so caused them to be apprehended and brought before them and after examination because they constantly adhered to the truth and would by no means be brought to recant the same they condemned them and delivered them to the secular power who carrying them out of the City being four men and one young woman they first bound the four men to a stake and set fire to them The people much pitied the young woman and would fain have saved her hoping that the burning of her companions would have wrought her to a recantation but she perceiving their drift strugled out of the hands of those that held her and voluntarily leaped into the fire whereby she was burned with them Godfridus Monachus Anno Christi 1194. Aldephonsus King of Arragon probably by the instigation of Pope Celestine and mis-information of his Clergy published this evil Edict against them Aldephonsus by the grace of God King of Arragon c. to all Arch-Bishops Bishops and the rest of the Prelates of the Church in his Kingdom to Earls Vicounts Knights and all the people of his Kingdom and to all that are in Authority health c. Because God would have us to be over his people it is a worthy and just thing that we take continual care as far as in us lies of the salvation and defence of them Wherefore being imitators of our Predecessors and in obedience to the Canons we judge that all Hereticks cast out of the sight of God and of all Catholicks are to be condemned and persecuted every where namely the Waldenses or poor men of Lyons whereof there is no number who being cursed by his holy Church We also command to depart and flie from all our Kingdoms and places within our power as enemies to the Cross of Christ our selves and this Kingdom Therefore from this day forward shall presume to receive the foresaid Waldenses into their houses or to hear their doleful preaching or to give them meat or any other relief let him know that he hath incurred the indignation of God and of us and that he shall be punished as a Traitor and all his goods shall be confiscated without remedy or appeal And this our Edict we command to be published upon Sundays by Bishops and all Rectors of Churches c. through all our Dominions And we command that the foresaid punishments be inflicted upon all Transgressors of it by our Bailyffs Justices c. And if any of the foresaid naughty people whether noble or ignoble shall presume to stay three days after the publication hereof and not hast their removal we will and command all men to bring upon them all mischief disgrace and agrievance except death or cutting off their members which shall be gratefull and acceptable to us neither shall they fear any punishment for the same c. But this same Aldephonsus that made this cruel Edict by the just retribution of God the very next year lost part of his Kingdom to the Moors and his son having also fifty thousand of his men slain in one battel Hoveden The Popelings exercising such cruelty against the Gospellers they began to defend themselves by arms repelling force with force and when being overpowred by multitude they could defend themselves no longer they left their places and became souldiers abroad and many of them became very helpfull to our King Henry the second in his Wars when he was molested about Arch-Bishop Beckets death Also our King Richard the first at his return out of the Holy land as they called it made good use of them who though they were cursed by the Pope yet were they blessed by God for the recovery of his right and for the defence of his people Valdo notwithstanding all the curses of the Pope continued to publish that the Pope was Anti-Christ the Mass an abomination the Host an Idol and Purgatory a fable whereupon Pope Innocent the third Anno 1198 seeing that the other remedies were not sufficient to suppress these Hereticks as he called them authorized certain Monks Inquisitors who by process should apprehend and deliver them to the secular power by a far shorter but much more cruel way then was used formerly for by this means the people were delivered by thousands into the Magistrates hands and by them to the Executioners whereby in a few years all Christendom was moved with compassion to see all those burnt and hanged that did trust only in Christ for salvation The Pope seeing that this suppressed not but rather increased the number of his enemies sent certain Bishops and Monks to preach in those places of the Waldenses but their preaching converted not any of them from their former opinions Amongst those Monks was Dominick who was a zealous persecutor of these Saints of God both in word and deed who seeing himself to be in Authority instituted an Order of begging Monks called after his name Dominicans which order was confirmed by the Pope for their zealous assisting of him against the Waldenses and this Dominick laboured in the inquisition with such contentment to the Popes that from that time forward the Monks of his order have always been imploied in the inquisition The power of these Inquisitors was without limitation they could assemble the people by the sound of a bell when they pleased proceed against the Bishops themselves they could imprison and release without controul Any accusation was sufficient with them A sorcerer a whore was a sufficient witness in the case of pretended Heresie It mattered not who accused or whether by word of mouth or ticket thrown in before the
be subdued with Arms they knowing bettter the straits of their Country then the assailants and that the skin of one of the Waldenses would cost him the lives of a dozen of his other subjects where upon he vsed Arms no more against them but as any of them was caught in Piedmont he put them to death if they changed not their belief Notwithstanding with rigour they persisted in their resolution and that things might be carried on in the better order they assembled out of all their Vallies to Angrogne Anno 1535. viz. the heads of all their families with their Pastors where they heard that their brethren of Provence and Dauphine had sent two of their Pastors George Morrell and Peter Masson into Germany to confere with Oecolampadius Bucer and others about their relief which they had held from father to son time out of minde Where also the Germane Divines acknowledged that God had been very mercifull and gracious to them in preserving them undefiled in the midst of so many superstitions which had defiled all Christendom under the tyranny of Antichrist encouraging and exhorting them not to bury those Talents which God had given them onely they blamed them for delaying so long to make a publick profession of their adhering to the Gospel and causing it to be preached publickly leaving the success to God c. Then were the Letters of Oecolampadius and Bucer which they sent to them openly read together with the Propositions and Articles of Religion which they had agreed upon which were all approved signed and sworn to by all the assistants with one consent to perform observe beleeve and retain amongst them inviolably as being conformable to the Doctrine which they had been taught from their fore-fathers for many hundred years and all taken out of the Word of god When this Agreement came abroad to the ears of the Priests they were much astonished despairing to see these people reclaimed and brought back to the Church of Rome whereupon they retired from amongst them without speaking a word The Waldenses because they had only the New Testament and some books of the old amongst them in the Waldensian Tongue resolved speedily to send the whole Bible to the Press all their books hitherto being but Manuscripts and those but a few They sent therefore some to Newcastle in Suitzerland where they gave 1500. Crowns in gold to a Printer who brought to light the first Impression of the Freâ—ch Bible that was seen in France They sent also to Geneva to make a large supply of books fit for the instruction of the people but their messenger as he passed over the hill de Gap was apprehended for a spy by the Lord of Champelion and as soon as they knew him to be a Waldensian they sent him to Grenople where he was first imprisoned and then in the night drowned in the river least he should speak of his belief before the people Shortly after there happened warres between King Francis the first and the Princes of Piedmont which through Gods grace turned to the great peace and quiet of these poor people which peace continued till Pope Paul the third sollicited the Parliament of Turin to persecute them as pernicious Hereticks Whereupon the Parliament caused a great number of them to be burnt at Turin Then these Waldenses petitioned the King that they might not be persecuted for their Religion in which they and their Ancestors had lived for many hundred years But the King reiected their petition commanding them to live according to the Laws of the Roman Church upon pain of being punished as Hereticks adding that he did not burn the Lutherans through his whole Kingdom of France to let them amongst the Alps escape Hereupon the Parliament of Turin commanded them presently to send away all their Ministers and receive the Priests to sing Masse c. To which they answered that they could not receive any such commandment it being contrary to Gods Word whom they would rather obey then men But through Gods mercy the King had other imploiments elsewhere whereby they wanted leasure to prosecute these servants of Christ and therefore they only proceeded by the Inquisition receiving such as the Monks condemned to the fire Anno 1555. They increased the persecution condemning to the fire Bartholmew Hector a Stationer to be executed at Turin who died with admirable constancy and so edifying the spectators that they wept and compassionated him justifying him in their speeches and praying for him Hereupon the Parliament resolved wholly to extirpate them and for that end sent two men with authority either to reform or root them out These persons went first to Perouse where by Proclamation in the Kings name they command all to go to Masse upon pain of loosing their lives Then they went to Pignorol where they cited many to appear before them and amongst others a poor simple labouring man appeared whom the President commanded to have his childe re-bapzed by a Priest The man requested respite to pray to God before he answered him which with great laughter was granted Then falling down on his knees he prayed unto God and when he had done he said to the President I will cause my child to be rebaptised upon condition that you will give me a bill signed with your own hand that you will discharge me of the sin which I shall commit hereby and bear one day before God the punishment and condemnation which should befall me for the same taking this iniquity upon you and yours The President hearing this commanded him out of his presence and pressed him no further The President framed diverse Indictments against sundry persons in the Vallies and collected whatsoever he thought might hurt them and going to one of their Churches he caused a Monk that he brought along with him to preach in the presence of the people and when he had ended the people desired that some one of their Pastors there present might answer his discourse but that was denied by the President whereupon there was such a murmur amongst the people that the President without any more speech gat him away to Turin where he reported all to the Parliament and withall told them that if they sought by violence to reclaime this people they were resolued to defend themselves and that the places of their abode were of such strength that it was a work for a King of France to root them out Thereupon this report and the Indictments were sent to the King who having other occasions returned no answer that year Only the Inquisitors proceeded as they could catch any to deliver them to the secular power At the years end the King commanded the Parliament to cause them to do that by force which they would not by words be brought to Then did the Parliament send the President again to Angrogne where he commanded them in the name of
over other Churches sought to obtrude his superstitions upon the Bohemians also but especially he commanded that all their sacred service should be in the Latine tongue and that they should not have the cup in the Sacrament the Bohemians sent two Ministers and four others to Rome Anno 977. to the Pope desiring to be eased of these grievances and at last obtained their request Yet afterwards they were againe inhibited the use of their own language in holy services whereupon Urateslaus Duke of Bohemia who shortly after for his valiant service to the Roman Empire was created King sent Embassadors to Rome requesting a confirmation of the Liberties formerly granted to them but the Pope Hildebrand absolutely refused it Anno 1197. Pope Celestine sent a Cardinall into Bohemia to inhibit Ministers marriage and to divorce such as were married but the Bishop and Ministers almost stoned him to death Also when afterwards the cup was taken away in the Sacrament there were many that opposed that sacriledg and amongst the rest John Melicius of a noble family and fervent spirit much honoured for his rare learning and holinesse of life in his ministry he earnestly exhorted his auditors to a frequent communicating in both kindes at last he was much moved in spirit to go to Rome and there to testifie that the great Antichrist was come and did then reign He prayed unto God with fasting and teares desiring that unlesse these thoughts came from Gods Spirit he might be delivered from them but when yet he could finde no inward quiet he went to Rome and wrote upon the Cardinals doors Antichrist is come and sitteth in the Church He also in his conferences with many asserted the same For this the Pope imprisoned him and excommunicated both him and his auditors Mr. Mathias of Prague also was a zealous defender of the Communion in both kindes Anno 1375. He with some other learned men went to King Charles that then raigned requested him to call a Oecumenicall Counsel for the reformation of the Church Charles sending to the Pope about it he was so incensed at the message that he commanded the King to punish those rash and Hereticall men Whereupon Mathias was banished the Kingdom and then was the use of the Sacrament in both kindes prohibited through all Bohemia so that the godly could not administer and receive it but in private houses in woods and caves and yet neither so but with the hazard of their lives for they were set upon in the high-waies plundred beaten and drowned in rivers so that at last they were necessitated to go together in companies and armed and this continued to the daies of John Husse Concerning the persecution of John Husse and Jerome of Prague See in my first part their lives But when these holy men of God were so unjustly burned at Constance the adversaries were not satisfied with their bloud but took further counsell for the destruction of the whole Nation for when fifty eight of the chief Nobles of Bohemia in the name of all the Commons Anno 1416. had sent Letters from Prague to the Council complaining that their Pastor an innocent and holy man and faithful teacher of the truth was unjustly condemned the Council instead of answering them wrote their Letters to some violent Papists who were in authority to assist their Legate in oppressing the Hereticks Thus the Bohemians were incited more and more to mutuall contentions the Priests daily from the Pulpits divulged their excomunications and execrations against the Hussites and to stir up the greater hatred against them they used lying signs for putting dirt about the wicks of their Tapers when the flame had burned the wax to the dirt the Taper went out Then cried they out That God by miracles declared his hatred of those wicked Hereticks who were unworthy to enjoy the light and thereupon they persecuted them all manner of waies and they used such violence as raised a tumult at Prague Anno 1419. wherein the enraged multitude threw twelve Senators of Prague with the Maior out of the windows of the Senate-house who fell upon the points of spears After this the Pope publikely excommunicated the Bohemians at Florence exciting the Emperour Kings Princes Dukes c. to take up Arms against them entreating them by the wounds of Christ and their own salvation unanimously to fall upon them utterly to extirpate that cursed generation promising universal remission of sins to the most wicked person if he did but kill one Bohemian Hereupon great wars were raised against them but it pleased God still to give them the victory under that brave Captain Zisca Whereof see more in my second Part in Zisca's Life Yet still as the Popish party prevailed at any time they exercised all manner of cruelty upon the poor servants of Christ insomuch that at Cuttenburg where were deep mettall-mines Anno 1420. they threw into one of them a thousand and seven hundred persons and into another a thousand thirty eight and into a third a thousand three hundred thirty four persons Also a Merchant of Prague coming to Preslaw in Silesia the Emperour and Popes Legate being their was in his Inne drawn into discourse where pleading for Husse and the Sacrament in both kindes he was cast into prison the next day a Student of Prague was cast into the same prison The Merchant exceedingly encouraged him saying Oh my Brother What an honour is it that we are called thus to bear witness to the Lord Jesus Let us undergo the trouble with cheerfullnesse the fight is but short the reward is eternall Let us remember the Lord what a cruel death he under went for us and with what guiltlesse bloud we are redeemed and what torments the Martyrs have patiently endured c. But when they were brought to execution and the ropes by which the horses were to drag them through the streets were fastened to their feet the Student affrighted with the terrors of death and allured by the fair promises of the Legate recanted But the Merchant like an unshaken rock told them that their hopes of any recantation from him were but vain I am ready to die saith he for the Gospell of the Lord Jesus And so being drawne slowly through the streets he was brought to the place of execution and there burnt Anno 2420. Pichel the chief Magistrate of the City of Litomeritia having taken twenty four of the chief Citizens and amongst them his son in law put them in an high Tower and at last he brought them out half dead with hunger and cold and adjudged them to be drowned When they came to the river Albis their wives children and friends greatly mourning the Majors own daughter came wringing her hands and falling at her fathers feet beseeched him to save her husbands life but he harder then a rock bad her give over saying What can you not have a worthier husband
called together in a Synod in the mountaines to ordain Ecclesiastical Laws whereby they should be governed they appointed also sundry daies of Fasting and Prayer for themselves and their dispersed friends taking counsell from Gods Word concerning those things which were required to the fuller Reformation both of life and doctrine That which most afflicted them was for want of Pastors not knowing where they should have new ones after those were dead who then lived with them but after debate they resolved that Christ had given this authority to his Church that such as were ordained themselves might ordain others Yet some scruple arose whether such as were but Presbyters might ordaine without a Bishop For which cause they met together and with fasting prayers and teares they sought unto God to reveal his will to them in this difficulty and afterwards making a scrutiny by lot the Lord answered them that it was lawfull for Presbyters to ordain Presbyters which occasioned great joy unto them Then did these Brethren deliberate among themselves whether they should joyn with the Waldenses in Moravia and Austria and so be one people with them and one Church The purity of their Doctrine and Christian Conversation did much please but again it much displeased them that they concealed the truth not openly professing it as they ought but to avoid persecution they frequented the Churches of the Papists and so communicated with Idolaters Therefore they concluded to admonish them of this evil and for this end they sent some able men to them to acquaint them with it The Waldenses answered that to be in unity with them was very gratefull and for the evils objected against them they were not ignorant of them nor would defend them but rather would labour to amend them Concluding that they desired to have a sixt day of meeting with the Brethren in which they would take some further order about this businesse But before the time came the Papists having some intelligence of it raged so violently against the Waldenses that they burnt one of the chiefest of them at Vienna and so persecuted the rest that they were fain to provide for their own safety by flight Anno 1468. There came out a new Decree against these Brethren requiring all the Nobles of Bohemia within their severall jurisdictions to apprehend as many as they could and to proceed against them Many therefore were apprehended and put into prison where they were kept for a long time But thrâ—â—gh the wonderfull working of God the more the enemies laboured to put out this spark the more it brake forth into a great flame for many of their Peers submitted to the Discipline of the Brethren building Churches for them in their Towns and Villages so that Anno 1500. they had in Bohemia and Moravia about two hundred Churches After the death of Pogiebracius Uladislaus a Polonian succeeded in the Kingdom to whom the Brethren wrote an Apology by reason of many foul accusations that were carried to him against them This so exasperated their enemies that they endeavoured by a most impudent invention to stir up the hatred of all men against them The way they used was this They suborned a wicked villain to say that he came from amongst them and that he had been an Elder but had therefore forsaken them because in their meetings they used to blaspheme God the Virgin Mary and the Saints to traduce the Sacraments to mingle themselves incestuously after the manner of the Adamites to commit murther and practise witchcraft c. This man they led through the Townes and Cities as a spectacle they brought him to their Church where he must abjure his errors and beseech the people to pray for him a most miserable sinner and to take heed by his example of the wicked Piccards They also published his confession in writing being confirmed with the seals and subscripâ—ons of some Deans and Priests causing them to be read in the Churches to the people But the devil was befooled herein for the Brethren by publick writings did confute these lies and the villain trembling so often to forswear himself in the sight of the people confessed at last that he was suborned to do what he did and that he knew not any of the Piccards Yet thus far it made for good that some to make experience of so great villanies began privately and disguised to frequent the Assemblies of the Brethren and finding it to be farre other wise then it was reported did associate themselves with them as with true Christians Anno 1488. Mathias King of Hungary banished the Brethren from Moravia which caused some hundreds of them taking a Minister along with them to go into Moldavia Whereupon the Brethren in Bohemia sent one of their Elders to them to exhort them unto patience under this persecution which was for the truth Shortly after the restless enemies of God and his Church raised another persecution against the Brethren in Bohemia for some Bishops consulting together suborned the Queen great with childe so that they conceived that the King would deny her nothing in that state to request of him that he would severely punish the Piccards The King displeased at her request only nodded his head but gave no answer at all Yet the Bishops in his presence began to draw up the Edict The King going into his chamber fell down on his knees and with tears besought God to forgive the guilt of those bloudy counsels and to grant no successe to them and God heard his prayers and shewed some examples of his severe judgements on the Authors of this conspiracy The Queen who proposed to her fancy what gratefull spectacles she should have in seeing the Piccards brought to Prague and there some burnt some beheaded and others drowned in the water presently fell in travell and when she was not able to bring forth the Physitians advised that the childe should be cut out of the mothers womb which was accordingly done whereby the childe lived but the mother died Two years after the Bishops by their importunity prevailed with the King that sharp remedies should be used against those growing evils as they were pleased to call them whereupon an Edict was sent forth that all the Piccards without distinction of sex age or quality should be slain This Mandate was brought to the Assembly of States at Prague by two Bishops but divers of the chiefest Nobles opposed it so that eighteen moneths were spent in debate before any thing was done but at last by the cunning artifice of the Chancellor and his bloudy associates it was confirmed by the greatest part of the Nobility in the presence of the King and a mutuall confederacy was entred into that it should be prosecuted with an armed power but God following some of the chiefe contrivers of it with sundry judgements it almost came to nothing Yet in these troubles
that nothing should be done either against law or equity till he had further knowledge of the cause In the mean time the Brethren being much encouraged by letters from Luther Bucer and Capito went on constantly and through Gods mercy a great nummber was added to the Church till that fatal year 1547. At which time Charles the fifth putting in execution the decrees of the Counsell of Trent raised warres against the Protestant Princes in Germany At which time his brother Ferdinand sollicited the Bohemians for aid but they refused it in regard of their ancient league with the house of Saxony But the German Protestants being overcome in warre Ferdinand entred Bohemia with an Army seizeth on Prague imprisoneth the principall Nobles Barons and Citizens some he scourged some he beheaded and upon others he laid grievous Fines and of others he sequestred all their Estates Also he disarmed the City of Prague took away their privileges banishing some whilst others went into voluntary exile Then did the Devil raise up some to lay all the blame upon the Brethren to which malicious suggestions the King giving heed first by open Proclamation commanded all their Churches to be shut up and then he took away their Peers and banished them all out of his Realms When this Thunderbolt came abroad the brethren agreed amongst themselves that they would be more faithfull to God and their consciences then they had been and so by common consent dividing themselves into three companies they went into Poland and all of them had experience of an admirable divine protection in their journey escaping some that might and would have robbed them but that they were restrained by God as also in most places where they came they found Christian commiseration and liberality of men towards them and courteous entertainment in Poland though most of them were Papists Yet not long after the Bishop of that part where they were got a Mandate from the King to drive them away Then were they forced to goe into the farthest parts of Prusia whereby D. Albert Brandenburg they had a place of habitation alloted to them and one Paul Speratus a Protestant Bishop having conferred with them about their faith was very courteous and charitable to them The next Edict that Ferdinand set forth against the brethren was for the apprehending of all their Ministers whereupon some of them retired into Moravia others that they might be near their flocks hid themselves in private places in the night-time they visited the faithfull which continued for some years but at last three of them fell into their enemies hands yet one of them through the admirable providence of God escaped out of a deep dungeon in the Castle of Prague and fled to his brethren in Borussia and he sometimes passing through Polonia and preaching the Gospel through Gods mercy many of the Nobility and others were converted by his Ministry so that in a few years he erected twenty Churches in Poland The enemies having imprisoned John Augusta they much rejoyced at it because he was a chief Minister amongst the Brethren and as Luther in Germany against the Pope so he both by his Ministry and writings had mightily confuted the Calixtines and thereupon they laid to his charge his refusall to raise Forces for the assistance of Ferdinand and intentions of bringing in John Frederick Elector of Saxony to be King in Bohemia and for the discovery of this pretended conspiracy he was cruelly racked three times but when they could draw nothing from him they yet kept him in prison seventeen years Anno 1549. Ferdinand published another decree for the extirpating both of the brethren and Lutherans and the Ministers that had received Ordination in Germany or that were married were banished out of the Kingdom to the number of about two hundred Also the Baron of Schanow a man of much experience and learning being apprehended under the pretence of some conspiracy against Ferdinand was imprisoned examined and then laid on the rack he with an heroical indignation cut out his tongue and cast it away and being asked why he did it he wrote on the wall I did it because I would not by any tortures be brought to say any thing falsly against my selfe or others He also in a writing taxed the Tyrannical proceedings against himselfe and other innocents citing the King and his Counsellors to appear and answer it before the Tribunall of God and so shortly after died About that time Ferdinand brought Jesuites into Prague and built a stately College for them who sought by all means to overthrow the Church of Christ and added fuell to the fire of persecution After the death of Ferdinand Maximilian succeeded Anno 1562. who being of a peaceable disposition could by no means be induced that any should suffer for their faith After him Rodulphus succeeded Anno 1676. who treading in his Father steps the Church of Christ enjoyed peace under him yea pure religion so flourished through the whole Kingdom that there was scarce one amongst an hundred that did not professe the Reformed Religion But alas with liberty of Religion by little and little men began to be licentious in their lives and carnal security so encreased that some began to presage that an horrible tempest should again overwhelm them After the death of Rodulphus succeeded Mathias who comming into Bohemia Anno 1617. he called an Assembly of the States but it being harvest time few appeared To them that did appear Mathias complained that since he had no issue he would adopt Ferdinand for his son commendeth his vertues and desires that he may be crowned The Orders assembled affirmed that a matter of that consequence could not be done in the absence of the united Provinces Caesar urged that what Bohemia should do would be confirmed by all the rest that he grew faint and it could not be deferred till another time In brief the Oorders protested that the Term of Receiving him King was new that he ought first to be chosen and then received and some perceiving that there was no place for a free voice departed others partly allured by promises and partly deterred by threats staid and were present at the Cronation of Ferdinand after which he presently went into Moravia Silesia and Lusatia requesting to be received for their King The Persecution of the Church in Bohemia which began Anno Christi 1617. FErdinand the second Emperour of Germany being thus obtruded upon the Bohemians for their King contrary to the ancient constitutions and customes of the Kingdom and not lawfully elected thereunto as he ought to have been retired presently into Germany And thereupon the enemies of the truth began to crow and openly to threaten the Protestants and it appeared sufficiently that Ferdinand sware to the Orders with his mouth but in his heart to the Pope and presently after his
departure the popish Bishops Clergy and Nobles began to vex his Subjects for Religion contrary to that assurance which the King had given to them They attempted also the like in Prague the Jesuites daily threatning that their Liberty in Religion should not last long Then did they strictly prohibit the Protestants from printing any thing unlesse licensed by the Chancellor of the Kingdom themselves in the mean time divulging their own slanderous pamphlets and dangerous writings against the Protestants Then instructions were given to the Captains and Judges that they should suffer no meetings in Churches except themselves were present and except they had a Popish Priest to administer only in one kinde Then the Burgrave who had the custody of the Crown and priviledges of the Kingdom was apprehended because in the late Parliament he had stood for the free election of a King and delivered prisoner to one of the bitterest enemies of the Protestants In other places they destroyed the Churches of the Protestants In the begining of the year 1618 The Governors of the University and Consistory met together having formerly had power given them so to do and choosing six persons two Barons two Knights and two Citizens to consult what was best to be done in this time of their enemies insolency there presently came an injunction in Caesars name to inhibit them to call any together and that if any man was called he should not dare to appear upon the pain of high Treason Notwithstanding which the major part of the States met and when as new prohibitions and threats were spread abroad and the States were informed that those thunderbolts came not from the King but from the castle of Prague their abused patience was turned into severity and being guarded with a great Troop they went to the Castle and apprehended two of the chief Authors of these troubles and threw them headlong out of the Castle windows together with their Secretary that was privy to all their designs but God intending to preserve them to be the Bohemians scourges they caught no hurt in the fall falling upon the grasse and greate store of papers Hereupon a great tumult was raised in Prague but the States appeassed it the first thing they did was to banish the Jesuits out of Bohemia as the chief contrivers of these mischiefs then did they write to Caesar that they had no intention against his Royall Majesty but only to bring to punishment the disturbers of the publick peace being authorized thereto by his Majesties Letter and bound by their protestation yet he resolved to revenge this Treason as he called it by force of Arms and the Bohemians on the other side resolved to defend themselves and for that end they chose thirty Directors and the Moravians and Silesians resolved to joyn with them when they perceived Religion to be the cause of the quarrell And indeed this was that which the enemies aimed at and therefore they provoked the Bohemians by all waies that so they might make a conquest of Bohemia and for this end an Imperial Army presently entred the Kingdom under Dampier and a Spanish Army under Bucquoy In the mean time the States resolved not to admit Ferdinand to be their King who was so open an enemy both to their Religion and Liberties and who was obtruded upon them without a due election They sent also Embassadors to Franckford where the Electors were met together to choose a new Emperour desiring that Ferdinand might not be admitted amongst them as King of Bohemia notwithstanding which he was admitted and chosen Emperour The Bohemians in the mean time choosing Frederick Elector Palatine for their King This more enraged their enemies so that they sent another Army under Maximilian of Bavarie which took two Protestant Towns by storm and put all to the sword and every where made great slaughter of the Protestants Then the Imperiall Armies came to Prague which being struck with a Pannick fear the Protestant Army being overthrown in a set battell under the wals and their new King fled they delivered up the City to them the Conqueror promising to keep Articles agreed upon but performing nothing lesse For they did more mischief to the Church of Christ by their subtile and slow proceedings then lately by their outragious fury when the sword fire and wheel were the instruments of their rage against the faithfull For a little before when it was debated at Rome how they should deal with the Bohemians and Germans after the Conquest it was agreed that seeing their former strong purges which they had used to expell Hereticall humours had not proved effectuall they therefore resolved not to put them to death wherein they did glory as in Martyrdom but rather to weary them and to change the hatefull name of Inquisition into the milder name of Reformation And whereas there was a debate amongst the Imperialists at Prague whether all the protestants should be presently banished the negative was resolved on because they would then carry much away with them and so spoil the Province and indure their banishment with greater ease therefore they concluded that they must first be squeezed and deprived of their goods and for this end the souldiers at Prague were authorrized to plunder the houses of Noblemen and Citizens yet this was done at several seasons and mostly in the night by which meanes as the enemies boasted they took from the Protestants some millions of gold For indeed hither were all their riches brought in the time of war as to a place of the greatest security But as this fell to the Commanders shares so the neighbouring places were exposed to the fury of the rest the common souldiers robbing and spoyling Villages Towns and Churches burning and killing without any restraint The souldiers that were placed in Garrisons would not only have Free-quarter but extorted mony from their Landlords every day Then were Comissions sent abroad promising security to those Noblemen Knights Corporations and Ministers that would bring in a good Sum of money to pay the Army which yet they would not receive as a free gift but only desired to borrow it Caesars protection was also promised to those that were liberall the rest were threatned to be plundred by the souldiers They set down also what sums they expected from every one within such a time they promised also that when that was paid the Souldiers should be removed which made every one to bring in their Plate Money and Jewels the more willingly Then were Commissioners sent to require certain Cities that belonged to the Protestant Noblemen to mantaine the standing Forces of the Kingdome and to contribute corn for their publicke granaries but whilest they were fed with a vaine hope of lessening and removing the souldiers there were more listed which raised the taxes so high as was impossible for the people to pay
notable Papist was ran thorow with a spear But all this was done through military licentiousnesse Now we come to what was acted by processe of Law Anno 1621. Six Articles were exhibited to the Protestant Congregations in Prague 1. That they should lend some thousands of pounds to Caesar for the paiment of his Army 2. That they should publickly renounce the coming in of Frederick 3. That they should bring into the Church the Popish Rites and Ceremonies 4. That their Ministers should be ordained anew 5. That the Ministers should leave their wives or get a dispensation from the Archbishop 6. That such as would renounce their Ecclesiasticall functions should have publick promotions and the favour of Caesar. But they answered unanimously that they would doe nothing against their consciences Then came forth an Edict wherein the blame of all the former rebellion as they called it was laid upon the Ministers of Prague because they had stired up by their seditious and lying Sermons as they pleased to stile them and by their writings not only the common people but the Nobles also against Caesar and that they were the authors of the choice of Frederick and that they still laboured to stirre up in the people an hatred against Caesar. Thereupon all the Ministers within Prague were required within three daies to depart out of Prague and within eight daies to depart out of all the Kingdom and the Provinces belonging thereto and never to return again and if any under what pretence soever should stay or returne again or if any should presume to harbour or conceal any of them that both the one and the other should suffer death this was Anno 1621. Then were their Churches in Prague given to the Jesuits It can not be expressed what lamentations and mournings there were amongst the people when thus they must leave their Pastors and that for ever Yet the German Ministers whereof there were two were suffered to continue in favour to the Duke of Saxony Then did as many as understood Dutch flock to their Congregations which so vexed the Jesuits that they obtained not a banishment but a gracious dismission of them as they would have it called Multitudes of people followed them with great lamentations and tears and in the field they heard their farewell sermon The next design was to remove the Ministers out of other free Cities and the Commissioners of Reformation were imployed herein One of them with a Troop of horse coming to Slana and going to Church the Minister a godly and learned man was reading the Gospel The Commissioner sent a souldiers to him to bid him give over but the Minister still going on himself went to him with his sword drawn crying out Thou foolish Preacher leave off thy babling and withall he dashed the Bible out of his hand with his sword The Minister with eies hands and voice lift up to heaven repeated often Woe woe unto you you enter not into heaven your selves and forbid them that would Woe woe woe unto you But they mocking at these words presently laid hands on him justling him to and fro whereupon he said I for the name of my Lord Jesus Christ am ready to suffer all this and what else you shall impose The people were much affrighted but the chief Magistrates and many good women interceding for him he was at last dismissed provided that he should depart the City within three daies and thus was this faithfull shepherd not without the greate lamentations of his people banished where about three years after he died In a neighbouring City the Minister for fear of these barbarous proceedings went a way of himself yet the Commissioners extorted a great summe of money from his Church and banished him in his absence In another place they commanded the Minister to depart from his Parish within three daies and from the City within eight daies he modestly asking the reason of his banishment they told him Caesar by conquest was Master of all the Churches and that therefore he would put into them whom he pleased But into the rooms of these godly Preachers were put in unclean men wicked blasphemers and men illiterate and of no worth and yet they could not provide for all places so that one of their hirelings supplied divers Churches and in stead of the wholesome food of Gods Word he fed them with poison Then brought the ignorant Monks out of Poland unprofitable burthens to the earth yet fit enough to be scourges to unprofitable and common Gospellers Then a Commissioner with some Troops of horse entring into Ctutenburg a place famous for maintaining the Orthodox Faith cals before him the Ministers casts them out of their places and puts Jesuits into their Churches And these Jesuits urging it the Ministers were commanded to depart out of the City gates before break of day and out of the Kingdom within eight daies Hereby were twenty one Ministers driven away many Citizens accompanying them One of them at the parting preached upon that Text They shall cast you out of the Synagogues exhorting them to perseverance All the multitude much bewailed their losse and with great lamentations wailing and kissing each other they recommended themselves to the blessing and protection of the Almighty In every place the Ministers were cast out of their livings some imprisonned and after a while dismissed and all commanded to depart the Kingdom upon pain of death Some were stifled with stink whilest they lay in prison At last Anno 1624. an other Decree came forth from the King whereby all the Ministers of the Gospel were commanded to depart the Kingdom by a peremptory day prefixed because as was alledged they were seditious men and seducers of the people Yet herein they used this Artifice that in most places this Edict was concealed till the time was almost or altogether elapsed so that by this means the Ministers not having time to communicate their counsels together went into severall Provinces and some were faigne to hide themselves in caves dens and those either returned privately and visited their auditors or comforted such as came to them in the mountains and woods preaching and administring the Sacraments to them But as soon as the enemies understood it they presently published a new decree wherein a punishment was preposed to those that should conceal the Ministers and a rewarde to such as should betray them Whereupon some of the Ministers were taken and cast into prison Then by the Jesuits were they by all waies sollicited to Apostacy and fear of death hunger cold the stink of the prison c. prevailed with some to renounce their Ministery But most bore up couragiously against all storms and at last some by paying great fines others by giving it under their hands that they would never returne into Bohemia were dismissed One godly Minister was examined by tortures when where and to whom he had administred
years no man being suffered to come to him yet at last by the mediation of some friends he was again released and went to Ravenna where he preached the Gospel of Christ with such affections that he never spake of Jesus Christ but tears dropped from his eyes After a short time he was again cast into prison but foure persons of quality proffering to be his Bail through Gods mercy he was released after which so many flocked to him that his adversaries consulted to kill him lest his doctrine should spread further and apprehending him they sent him bound to Rome where again he was cast into prison for eighteen moneths in which time he was often assaulted sometimes with flatteries and faire promises sometimes with terrible threats but his constancy could not be shaken by either whereupon he with some others were brought forth to receive the sentence of condemnation at which time with great earnestnesse he confirmed his former doctrine affirmed the Pope to be Antichrist c. citing them to appear before the Tribunal of Christ. Being condemned and carried to the place of execution he exhorted the People to have no Saviours but Christ alone the only Mediatour betwixt God and man and so he was first hanged and then burned This was Anno Christi 1553. The year after Francis Gamba born in Lombardy having through Gods grace received the knowledge of the Gospel went to Geneva where he was much confirmed in the truth and received the Sacrament with them then returning into his own country he was apprehended and cast into prison whither many Nobles Doctors and Priests resorted to him labouring by all means to disswade him from his opinions But he disputing with them constantly affirmed that what he held was consonant to the Word of God and the evident doctrine of Jesus Christ and necessary for all men to believe if they would be saved Assuring them that rather than he would be found false to Christ and his Word he was there ready to shed his blood He was long assailed by the intreaties of his friends and threatenings of his enemies but could by no means be discouraged yea he gave thanks to God for accounting him worthy to suffer rebukes and death for the testimony of Jesus Christ and so by order of the Senate of Millain he was had forth to execution He went with a great deal of chearfulnesse and when a Crosse was brought him by a Friar he said that his mind was so replenished with joy and comfort in Christ that he needed neither his Crosse nor him then because he declared many comfortable things to the people his tongue was bored through and he was first strangled and then burnt undergoing death with admirable patience and constancy Anno 1555. There was one Algerius a Student in Padua a young man of excellent learning who having attained to the knowledge of the truth ceased not by instruction and example to inform others that he might bring them to the saving knowledge of Christ for this he was accused of heresie to the Pope by whose command he was apprehended and cast into prison at Venice where he lay long during which time he wrote an excellent letter to the afflicted Saints wherein amongst many other excellent expressions he thus writeth I cannot but impart unto you some portion of my delectations and joyes which I feel and find I have found hony in the intrals of a Lion Who will believe that in the dark dungeon I should find a Paradise of pleasure In a place of sorrow and death dwells tranquillity and hope of life· In an infernal Cave I have joy of soul where others weep I rejoyce where others shake and tremble there is strength and boldnesse c. All these things the sweet hand of the Lord doth minister to me Behold he that was once far from me is now present with me whom I could scarce feel before now I see more apparently whom once I saw afarre off I now behold near at hand whom once I hungred for he now approaches and reaches his hand to me he doth comfort me and fills me with gladness he drives away all sorrow strengthens encourageth heals refresheth and advanceth me O how good is the Lord who suffers not his servants to be tempted above their strength Oh how easie and sweet is his yoke c. learn therefore how amiable and merciful the Lord is who visiteth his servants in tentations and disdains not to keep them company in such vile and stinking dungeons c. And in conclusion he subscribes his letter From the delectable Orchard of the Leonine prison c. After this the Pope sent for him to Rome where by manifold perswasions and allurements he was tempted to desert and deny the truth which not prevailing he was adjudged to be burnt alive which death he most constantly endured to the great admiration of all that beheld him Anno 1559. John Aloysius being sent from Geneva to be a Pastor in Calabria was thence sent for by the Pope to Rome where he suffered Martyrdome Also James Bovellus a godly Minister in the same place and at the same time was sent for by the Pope by whom he was sent to Messina and there Martyred Pope Pius the fourth raised an hot persecution against the people of God in all the Territories of the Church of Rome whereby many constant Christians suffered Martyrdome Yea this persecution was so hot in the Kingdome of Naples that many Noblemen with their wives and divers others were there slain Anno 1560. A Papist writing to a Noble Lord about the cruelty shewed to some Christians hath these expressions When I think upon it I verily quake and tremble for their manner of putting to death may fitly be resembled to the slaughter of Calves and Sheep for eighty eight of them being thrust up together in one house as in a sheepfold the Executioner cometh in taketh one and blindfoldeth him and so leads him forth to a larger place adjoyning where commanding him to kneel down he cuts his throat and leaving him half dead he takes his Butchers knife and muffler all gore blood and goeth back to the rest and so leading one after another he dispatches them all How sad this spectacle was I leave to your Lordship to judge for my own part I cannot but weep to think of it neither was there any of the Spectators which seeing one to dye could endure to behold another But truly so humbly and patiently they went to their death as is almost incredible to believe All the aged Persons went to death more cheerfully the younger were something more timerous I tremble and shake to remember how the Executioner held his bloody knife between his teeth with the bloody muffler in his hand and his armes all gore blood up to the elbows going to the fold and taking every one of them one
apart a day of publick thanksgiving to God in the Church of St. Lewis and published a Bull of extraordinary Indulgences to such as should pray for the heavenly assistance to the King and Kingdome of France Strada The common people cut off the Admirals hands and privy members drawing his body about the streets three days and then hung it by the feet upon the Gallows All the Attendants of the King of Navar and Prince of Conde which lay in the Kings Palace were massacred the like was done to the Lords and Gentlemen that lay about the Admirals lodging and then through all the City were the Protestants murthered so that that night and the two next days there were slain in Paris about ten thousand persons of all ranks ages and sexes yea they spared not children in the Cradle nor infants in their mothers wombs But to colour this their villany they gave it out that the Huguenots had conspired to kill the King They boasted also that they had in one day done that which Processes sentences of Justice and open Warre could not do in twelve years The Lords and Gentlemen were most inhumanely muâ—thered some in their beds others on the roofs of their houses and in all other places wheresoever they were found There were at this time in Paris about sixty thousand men with pistols pikes curtelaces poinards knives and such other bloody instruments that ran up and down swearing and blaspheming the sacred Majesty of God cruelly massacring all that they met with The streets were covered with mangled bodies gates and doors defiled with blood Shoutings howlings of the murtherers mixed with the cries and groans of the dying the breaking open of doors and windows with the noise of guns and pistols all which made an hellish noise multitudes of dead bodies were thrown into the Seine which was died red with their blood The King certified the King of Navar and the Prince of Conde of all that was done saying that he saved their lives upon condition that they should renounce their Religion and turn Papists The King of Navar desired him not to force his conscience but to remember the Alliance so lately contracted betwixt them The Prince of Conde with more zeal told him that his body and estate were in his power to do with them what he pleased but for his Religion he was fully purposed not to forsake it but to remain constant therein to the losse of his life he put the King in minde also that he had given his faith to him and to those of the Religion and therefore he hoped he would not falsifie his oath c. This so enraged the King that he called him rebel and the sonne of a rebellious person with horrible threatnings that he should lose his head if within three days he altered not his mind The King and his Confidents perceiving that this Massacre would not quench the fire but rather stirre up the Protestants in other parts of the Kingdome to defend themselves they presently dispatched away letters to the Governours of Towns with expresse commands to masscacre all the Protestants yet at the same time the King wrote other letters wherein he laid the fault of the murther of the Admiral upon the Duke of Guise pretending that he had quieted all things in Paris and intended that his Edicts of pacification should hold inviolably Upon the receipt of the first letters the Papists fell upon the Protestants at Meaux Trois Orleance and other places and murthered them without all pity besides such as were massacred in Villages and Fields where they thought to save themselves so that in a few weeks there were above thirty thousand persons massacred in France But besides this general account some particulars deserve remembrance which are these that follow Monsieur de la Place President of the Court of Requests had a Captain armed that came into his house telling him that the Duke of Guise had slain the Admiral at the Kings appointment with many other Huguenots and that he was come to protect him in that common destruction only he desired a sight of the Gold and Silver that was in his house The L. de la Place amazed at his audaciousnesse asked him whether he thought that there was a King or no The Captain blaspheming willed him to go with him to know the Kings pleasure Hereupon the Lord went from him to secure himself Then did the Captain rifle his house taking above one thousand Crowns The Lord would have secured himself in three several houses all which refused to entertain him which caused him to go back to his own house again where he found his wife very heavy whom he rebuked discoursed to her of the promises told her that we must through many afflictions enter into the Kingdome of God c. which much comforted her Then calling his family together he made an exhortation to them went to prayer and began to read a chapter in Job with Calvins Exposition upon it Then went he to Prayer again resolving to suffer all torments or death rather than to do any thing that might be dishonorable to God Then came the Provost-Marshal with many Archers to his house pretending to secure him and safely to convey him to the King who would speak with him De la Place told him that he was most willing to do it but saw it impossible in regard of the horrible massacres committed every where without apparent danger of his life In brief presently after came the Provost of Merchants who would needs also have him to the King yet he would have excused it as before but the Provost would have no nay wherefore resolving upon death which he saw he could not avoid he embraced his wife wishing her above all things to continue in the fear of God and so went on his way boldly but in the street some murtherers that attended there for his coming with their daggers stabbed him and then pillaged him carrying his body into a stable and covering his face over with dung and the next day they threw him into the river Peter Ramus also the Kings Professor in Logick was not forgotten the murtherers breaking into the Colledge of Priests where he was massacred him then cast him out of the chamber-window so that his bowels issued out on the stones then was his body trailed through the streets and whipt by certain young Scholars who were set on by their Popish Tutors to do it A godly young man going early abroad on the Sabbath morning and hearing of the death of the Admiral and seeing the insurrection out of a singular child-like affection to his mother he hasted home informed her of the danger secured her in a place of great secresie after which he shut himself up in his study by Prayer to fit himself for death into which the murtherers breaking with battleaxes and staves so loaded him with blows on the
Religion sake these villains took and carried her through the streets with the greatest shame and disgrace that could be they put a mitre of paper on her head besmeared her face with dirt buffeted her on the cheeks then exhorted her to call upon the Saints but she smiling thereat said My trust and my salvation is only in my Saviour Jesus Christ and upon him only will I rest as for the Virgin Mary though she be blessed above all women yet is she not omniscient and therefore knows not our requests yea she her self had need of the merits of her own son without which she could not have been saved c. They still continuing to scorn and deride her she manfully said I willingly endure all this as it becomes me to do desiring no better usage seeing the same was done to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to his Apostles and to thousands of the holy Martyrs Then was she carried away and murthered in the fields Some Ministers and many other godly Christians men and women noble and ignoble were murthered sundry wayes Many hid themselves in holes and caves and woods out of which they durst not come but by night only to get them food yet were they so watched that many times they were murthered Others in those places were famished for want of food Others living upon roots herbs grasse c. contracted diseases whereof they dyed so that the mountains and woods lay scattered with dead carcasses everywhere Then came there a letter to these blood-suckers from a Governour that they should with all their power murther strangle and massacre without all pity and mercy all the Lutherans wheresoever they were whereupon these murtherers having slain all in Tyrane Bruse Tell Sondres and Malenâ—â— they went to Berbenno where they presently murthered sundry persons of good rank and quality and that with great cruelty contrary to their faith and promise given them the like they did in Caspano and Trahen and divers other places shewing neither pity nor favour to any In one house they slew a man and his wife and seeing an infant of three years old lying in a Cradle the child being a girle of a sweet and amiable countenance and seeming to smile upon them they took her by the heeles and dashed out her braines Then did these villains march to Braâ—e where also they murthered many shooting some drowning others stoning others burning others and grinding their very bones to powder Amongst others finding an aged Matron of eighty years old they much sollicited her to hear Masse wishing her to have respect to her age to whom she answered with a noble resolution God forbid that I who now of a long time have had one foot in the grave should forsake my Lord Jesus Christ who hath so long time preserved me in the knowledge profession of his truth to put my trust in creatures and instead of his holy Word to receive the traditions of men whereupon they instantly slew her CHAP. XXXVIII The Persecution of the Church in Scotland which began Anno Christi 1527. MAster Patrick Hamilton of an ancient and honourable family called Abbot of Fern as one hating the world and the vanity thereof left Scotland and went into Germany and the fame of the University of Wittenberg being greatly divulged thither he went and became familiar with those great lights and notable servants of Jesus Christ Martin Luther and Phil. Melancthon whereby he greatly encreased in godly knowledge and learning from thence he went to the University of Marpurg which was then newly erected by Philip Lantgrave of Hessen where he was intimate with other learned men especially with Francis Lambert by whose instigation he was the first that there publickly set up conclusions to be disputed of concerning faith and good works By reason of his learning and integrity of life he was had in admiration by many But the zeal of Gods glory did so eat him up that he could not rest till he returned into his own Countrey where the bright beams of the true light which by Gods grace was planted in his heart began most abundantly to break forth as well in publike as in secret In processe of time the fame of his doctrine troubled the Clergy and came to the ears of James Beton Arch-bishop of Saint Andrews who grew impatient that by this means the kingdom of darkness was disturbed and therefore he so laboured with Patrick Hamilton that he gat him to Saint Andrews where after divers dayes conference he had his freedom and liberty the Bishop seeming to approve his doctrine acknowledging that in many things there needed a reformation in the Church But withall fearing that their Kingdom should be endamaged they laboured with the King who was then young and much led by them to go on Pilgrimage to Saint Dothesse in Rosse that so by reason of his absence no intercession might be made to him for the saving the life of this innocent servant of Jesus Christ who not suspecting the malice that lodged in their hearts remained as a Lambe amongst Wolves The King being gone upon a night Master Hamilton was seised upon by the Bishops officers and carried to the Castle and the morrow after he was brought forth unto judgement and was condemned to be burnt for the testimony of Gods truth The Articles for which he suffered were about Pilgrimages purgatory prayer to Saints and for the dead c. And that his condemnation might have the greater Authority they caused it to be subscribed by all those of esteem that were theâ—e present and to make their number great they took the subscription of very children if they were of the Nobility Immediately after dinner the fire was prepared and he was led to execution yet most men thought that it was only to terrifie him and to cause him to recant But God for his own glory the good of his servants and for the manifestation of their beastly tyranny had otherwise decreed for he so strengthned him that neither the love of life nor fear of that cruel death could once move him to swerve from the truth which he had professed At the place of execution he gave to his servant that had long attended him his Gown Coat Cap and his other garments saying These will not profit in the fire they will profit thee After this of me thou canst receive no commodity except the example of my death which I pray thee to beat in minde for though it be bitter to the flesh and fearful before men yet it is the entrance into eternal life which none shall possesse which denies Christ Jesus before this wicked generation and so being tyed to the stake in the midst of coals and timber they gave fire to some powder which with the blast scorched his left hand and the side of his face but neither killed him nor kindled the wood and coals till they ran
extirpate all the Protestant Churches because they had taken an Oath of fidelity to the French King neither was it groundless for the thing was really propounded in the Dukes Councel but it pleased God so to order affairs that the leading men amongst them did not at all approve of the business yea the Duke himself did extreamly mislike it and after he had retaken Mirebuc he did not a little revive the spirits of the Representatives of the Protestants of Lucerna who met with him at Villaro on purpose to assure his Highness of their fidelity and to beg the continuance of his grace and favour to whom in the presence of a great number of his Lords he returned this Answer Be but faithfull unto me and I will be sure to be a good Princâ— nay a Father unto 〈◊〉 and as to the liberty of your Conscience and the exercises of your Religion I shall be so far from innovating any thing against those liberties in which you have lived unto this present that if any offer to molest you have recourse to me and I shall effectually relieve and protect you These words being spoken in such a presence and in so obliging a manner were very advantagious to the poor peoples interest for some time after they served to counterballance the threats of their fiercest Enemies Yet were there some amongst the Popish party that thought it an unpardonable sinne to suffer them to live one year in peace and on the contrary an acceptable service to molest them either by secret stratagems or by open force and violence Such was the condition of this poor people from the year 1595. to the year 1602. at which time all the Masters of Families in the Valley of Lucerna professing the Protestant Religion were cited to appear before Count Charles of Lucerna the Governour Ponte the Arch Bishop Broglia and others and were by them commanded in the Dukes name either to go to Masse or to quit Lucerna and all their pretensions thereto without the least hopes of ever obtaining favour to return or in case of disobedience to prepare themselves for inevitable mischiefs and calamities which threats were pressed with so much violence that it caused many of the poor creatures to submit at least seemingly to the change of their Religion though many others of them were the deeplier rooted by these shakings From Lucerna the aforenamed Lords removed their seat to Bubiana where they found the Reformed so stiff in their Principles that they could not remove them an hairs bredth from the same wherefore they caused the chief of them to be summoned to appear at Turin thinking that the Dukes presence might prevaile more with them than all their threatning speeches The persons thus summoned were Master Valentine and Mr. Boules his brother with one Peter Morese and Samuel Falc who were brought one after another before hi Hisghnesse Mr. Valentine was the first whom the Duke perswaded to embrace the Roman Catholick Religion and to draw others to do the like promising him great rewards and preferments if he obeyed c. To this Mr. Valentine answered that next to the service of God he had no greater desire then to obey and please his Highness in whose service he would willingly adventure his person and estate when ever there should be occasion But as for his Religion which he knew to be true and confirmed by the Word of God he could not abandon it without disobeying God and wounding his own Conscience so as never to enjoy any comfort in his soul afterwards and therefore he humbly intreated his Highness to be satisfied with what he could do with a good conscience and to leave him to the liberty of his Religion which he valued above his life the Duke replyed that he also doubted not of the truth of that Religion which he professed and that such as embraced it should find how much they had gratified him in so doing yet would he not force the Conscience of any man and so he gave them leave to depart CHAP. XLII The Marquisate of Saluces described with its several troubles and Persecutions THe Marquisate of Saluces is on the South side of the Valleys of Predmont containing in it several Cities and considerable Valleys very fruitfull in all sorts of fruits It s most Northerly Valley is that of Po where the famous River Po hath its rise and source one onely Mountain separates this from the Valley of Lucerna on the North side In this Valley were those ancient Churches viz. Pravillem Biolets and Bietone who retained the purity of Christian Religion for several hundreds of years and lived in great union with their neighbouring Churches Anno Christi 1561. The Church of Dronier which was one of the most flourishing understanding that the publick exercise of the Reformed religion was permitted in France obtained Letters from the Kings Council to Sieur Lovis of Birague Governour of that Country in the Duke of Nevers absence whereby he was ordered to provide for the Petitioners a convenient place for the publick exercise of their Religion But not long after their Adversaries by their importunity prevailed so far that the said letters were revoked This occasioned the said Church to send Monsieur Francis Galatee their Minister into France with some others to recover if it were possible their former priviledges But this falling out in the time of their troubles in France all that they could obtaine was only bare promises In the mean time they received many hortatory and consolatory letters from the chief Ministers in the Churches of France and amongst others from those of Grenoble Lions c. to perswade them to patience and perseverance in that truth which they had embraced which accordingly they did notwithstanding all the malice and subtilty of their adversaries So that their Churches were continued and upheld convenient order being had for the preaching of the Word administration of the Sacraments exercise of their discipline c. only there wanted in some places liberty of having General Assemblies and publick Sermons For the better safety of their Ministers in the places that were most dangerous one Pastor had the charge of the faithful in several Cities and Communalties which rendred their residence and exercises less visible to their Adversaries Hereby the Gospel through Gods mercy made a very considerable progress at Dronier Verzo and some other places of moâ—e noâ—e The Church of Aceil in the Valley de Mairi was extraordinarily peopled and enjoyed more liberty than the others by reason of the scituation of the place but Satan the Enemy of Christs Church and Kingdom perceiving such a growth of the reformed Religion in those places ceased not to imploy all his power and policy to hinder the same and therein he made use of instruments for the effecting of it viz. first the Anticodemites whose ringleader was Baronius who lived at Valgrane and thereabouts accommodating himself to
Pomerania in the agreement of Uscia and had delivered to them expressely and by name the chief Cities Posnania Kalisch Fraustat Meseritz and Lesna and the rest after some weak resistance had yielded themselves up to the Swedes yet while the King of Sweden was slowly and as it proved dangerously busied in Prusia they took counsel together for the resuming of their armes to fight for the liberty of their Countrey and the Catholick Religion as they call it to drive the Swedes out of the Countrey and to root out all the dissenters in grosse That this their purpose might make the quicker progresse and be set on the more strongly there were Jesuites and Monks sent out every way to intimate these things to the multitude and to encourage them to so glorious an undertaking compelling those that were slow with the thunderbolt of Excommunication and promising the relaxation of the pains of Purgatory and eternal rewards to them that were forward To this end King Casamire being recalled out of Silesia they commanded the Nobility to flock to him and to give the King of Sweden a meeting in his return out of Borussia The Commonalty also they stirred up against the Professors of the Gospel making themselves their furious leaders and such was their successe that in lower Poland a great number of families it is not yet known how many because the furious tumult still continues almost within the compasse of a moneth in February and March were miserably butchered men and women young and old being murthered without distinction all save such as could escape into the neighbouring parts of Hungary and so save their lives by flight But the Nobility of the greater Poland most of them having retired themselves into Silesia began there to gather themselves into small companies in the beginning of April and to break forth by whose coming the rest being encouraged made a great slaughter of the Swedes that were garrison'd in the small towns so that General Muller was fain to go forth with an army of Swedes to restrain them As for Lesna the hereditary Lord thereof the Treasurer of the Kingdome was gone into Borussia to salute the King of Sweden some way to take care for the safety of his Countrey But about the beginning of April he returned to Lesna without seeing him the King then being full of action and ranging up and down This businesse procured much more envy both to himself and the City as if he had plotted with the Swedes against his Countrey having never been true and faithful either to the Church or his Countrey therefore they breathed out flames and belched out threats so much the more fiercely both against him and his City However there were not wanting such as by private messages gave him hope of pardon if he would but withdraw himself from them as afterwards he did But the enemies prepared themselves to destroy that so populous a City by force if they could or else by flames furnishing themselves with many sorts of weapons for that purpose Of this doing although the inhabitants of Lesna had notice by several messengers yet a fatal security prevailed with them to think that there was no fear of such an enemy as was not furnished either with Infantry or Artilery for such a designe Upon Easter day a 〈◊〉 of Poles broke into some territories belonging to an eminent Professor of the Gospel neer Lesna for whom they made diligent search but finding that he was from home for he had retired himself to Lesna for Religion sake they plundered all his movable goods and took his â—ervant Martin Multz a Bohemian and hanging a great stone about his neck threw him into the river that ran by and so drowned him On the third Holy-day in Easter the report was very hot that the Swedes had lost all and that the King was slain upon which account when the Lord Treasurer did betake himself to Wratislavia in Silâ—sia the Citizens of Lesna were something afraid although the Commanders of the Swedes that were there in Garrison being three coâ—ours of horse did encourage them as did also the Administrator of the City and County of Lesna who requiring anew the oath of fidelity from the Citizens did promise them to stay with them and bid them be of good courage Being lifted up with this hope and drawn on with the promises of new Auxiliary forces to come very suddenly to them they promised themselves all manner of security so that no man took any care to get out of the way or to carry any thing of his goods to a safer place yet they kept strong guards night and day sometimes the third part of the Citizens and sometimes half being upon duty The Swedish horse also ever and anon made excursions to see what the enemy was a doing and whether they were neer But they never brought back any other news but that there were no footsteps or signes of any enemy appearing Yea even that very day in which the Poles came in the afternoon the Swedes returned with good booty but not a word of the enemy But about three dayes after upon Thursday April the 27. an army of the Polonian Nobility mixed with a rout of peasants shewed themselves unexpectedly out of the Woods and anon they drew forth into the open field and so set themselves within sight of the City about five or six furlongs from the Suburbs When this was perceived the alarm was given and the Citizens hasten to their armes and place themselves on the walls yet not knowing who they were and with what intent they came and wondring much why according to the custome they did not send forth a Trumpeter For that which they did bruit abroad afterwards and many perhaps beleeved that the Lesnians gave the occasion of hostility by killing their Trumpeter is just nothing Heaven and earth will bear witnesse that this was devised meerly to colour over the hainousness of the fact At length they begin their work with firing a Brick-kiln that stood not far from the Suburbs Then the Swedish Troopers about one hundred and fifty in number which were already mounted gone out of the City going a little farther encountered with the Enemy in light skirmishes for the space of two hours in which many of the Poles and some of the Swedes were slain But while the Swedes were earnest with the Citizens for some help as it were to defend the Suburbs from further burning some were drawn forth about seventy of the younger Citizens who mixed themselves rashly and confusedly among the Horse-men which when the Poles saw they feighned a flight returning towards the Wood But as soon as they perceived that they had drawn them far enough from the Walls they wheeled about some fetching a compass to come behind the Lesnians and so to get between them and home and the rest returning straight upon them fell on in a full body The Swedish Horse when they saw this turned their backs