e to be burnt; when two women of the Waldenses, who had
renounced their religion to save their lives, were ordered to carry
fagots to the stake to burn him; and as they laid them down, to say,
Take these, thou wicked heretic, in recompense for the pernicious
doctrines thou hast taught us. These words they both repeated to him to
which he calmly replied, I formerly taught you well, but you have since
learned ill. The fire was then put to the fagots, and he was speedily
consumed, calling upon the name of the Lord as long as his voice
permitted.

As the troops of ruffians, belonging to the monks, did great mischief
about the town of St. Germain, murdering and plundering many of the
inhabitants, the reformed of Lucerne and Angrogne, sent some bands of
armed men to the assistance of their brethren of St. Germain. These
bodies of armed men frequently attacked the ruffians, and often put them
to the rout, which so terrified the monks, that they left the monastery
of Pignerol for some time, till they could procure a body of regular
troops to guard them.

The duke not thinking himself so successful as he at first imagined he
should be, greatly augmented his forces; ordered the bands of ruffians,
belonging to the monks, should join him; and commanded, that a general
jail-delivery should take place, provided the persons released would
bear arms, and form themselves into light companies, to assist in the
extermination of the Waldenses.

The Waldenses, being informed of the proceedings, secured as much of
their properties as they could, and quitting the valleys, retired to the
rocks and caves among the Alps; for it is to be understood, that the
valleys of Piedmont are situated at the foot of those prodigious
mountains called the Alps, or the Alpine hills.

The army now began to plunder and burn the towns and villages wherever
they came; but the troops could not force the passes to the Alps, which
were gallantly defended by the Waldenses, who always repulsed their
enemies: but if any fell into the hands of the troops, they were sure to
be treated with the most barbarous severity.

A soldier having caught one of the Waldenses, bit his right ear off,
saying, I will carry this member of that wicked heretic with me into my
own country, and preserve it as a rarity. He then stabbed the man and
threw him into a ditch.

A party of the troops found a venerable man, upwards of a hundred years
of age, together with his grand-daughter, a