The village of San Veran, which lies up among the mountains some

twelve miles to the east of Arvieux, on the opposite side of the Val

Queyras, was another of the refuges of the ancient Vaudois. It is at

the foot of the snowy ridge which divides France from Italy. Dr. Gilly

says, "There is nothing fit for mortal to take refuge in between San

Veran and the eternal snows which mantle the pinnacles of Monte Viso."

The village is 6,692 feet above the level of the sea, and there is a

provincial saying that San Veran is the highest spot in Europe where

bread is eaten. Felix Neff said, "It is the highest, and consequently

the most pious, in the valley of Queyras." Dr. Gilly was the second

Englishman who had ever found his way to the place, and he was

accompanied on the occasion by Mrs. Gilly. "The sight of a female,"

he says, "dressed entirely in linen, was a phenomenon so new to those

simple peasants, whose garments are never anything but woollen, that

Pizarro and his mail-clad companions were not greater objects of

curiosity to the Peruvians than we were to these mountaineers."

Not far distant from San Veran are the mountain hamlets of Pierre

Grosse and Fongillarde, also ancient retreats of the persecuted

Vaudois, and now for the most part inhabited by Protestants. The

remoteness and comparative inaccessibility of these mountain hamlets

may be inferred from the fact that in 1786, when the Protestants of

France were for the first time since the Revocation of the Edict of

Nantes permitted to worship in public without molestation, four years

elapsed before the intelligence reached San Veran.

We have now reached almost the extreme limits of France; Italy lying

on the other side of the snowy peaks which shut in the upper valleys

of the Alps. In Neff's time the parish of which he had charge extended

from San Veran, on the frontier, to Champsaur, in the valley of the

Drac, a distance of nearly eighty miles. His charge consisted of the

scattered population of many mountain hamlets, to visit which in

succession involved his travelling a total distance of not less than

one hundred and eighty miles. It was, of course, impossible that any

single man, no matter how inspired by zeal and devotion, could do

justice to a charge so extensive. The difficulties of passing through

a country so wild and rugged were also very great, especially in

winter. Neff records that on one occasion he took six hours to make

the journey, in the midst of a snow-storm which completely hid the

footpath, from his cottage at La Chalp to San Veran, a distance of

only twelve miles.

The pastors who succeeded Neff had the same difficulties to encounter,

and there were few to be found who could brave them. The want of proper

domestic accommodation for the pastors was also felt to be a great

hindrance. Accordingly, one of the first things to which the Rev. Mr.

Freemantle directed his attention, when he entered upon his noble work

of supplying the spiritual destitution of the French Vaudois, was to

take steps not only to supply the poor people with more commodious

temples, but also to provide dwelling-houses for the pastors. And in the

course of a few years, helped by friends in England, he has been enabled

really to accomplish a very great deal. The extensive parish of Neff is

now divided into five sub-parishes--that of Fressinieres, which includes

Palons, Violins, and Dormilhouse, provided with three temples, a

parsonage, and schools; Arvieux, with the hamlets of Brunissard (where

worship was formerly conducted in a stable) and La Chalp, provided with

two temples, a parsonage, and schools; San Veran, with Fongillarde and

Pierre Grosse, provided with three temples, a parsonage, and a school;

St. Laurent du Cros and Champsaur, in the valley of the Drac, provided

with a temple, school, &c., principally through the liberality of Lord

Monson; and Guillestre and Vars, provided with two temples, a parsonage,

and a girls' school. A temple, with a residence for a pastor, has also

of late years been provided at Briancon, with a meeting-place also at

the village of Villeneuve.

Such are the agencies now at work in the district of the High Alps,

helped on by a few zealous workers in England and abroad. While the

object of the pastors, in the words of Mr. Freemantle, is "not to

regard themselves as missionaries to proselytize Roman Catholics, but

as ministers residing among their own people, whose faith, and love,

and holiness they have to promote," they also endeavour to institute

measures with the object of improving the social and domestic

condition of the Vaudois. Thus, in one district--that of St. Laurent

du Cros--a _banque de prevoyance_, or savings-bank, has been

established; and though it was at first regarded with suspicion, it

has gradually made its way and proved of great value, being made use

of by the indigent Roman Catholics as well as Protestant families of

the district. Such efforts and such agencies as these cannot fail to

be followed by blessings, and to be greatly instrumental for good.

Our last night in France was spent in the miserable little town of

Abries, situated immediately at the foot of the Alpine ridge which

separates France from Italy. On reaching the principal hotel, or

rather auberge, we found every bed taken; but a peep into the dark and

dirty kitchen, which forms the entrance-hall of the place, made us

almost glad that there was no room for us in that inn. We turned out

into the wet streets to find a better; but though we succeeded in

finding beds in a poor house in a back lane, little can be said in

their praise. We were, however, supplied with a tolerable dinner, and

contrived to pass the night in rest, and to start refreshed early on

the following morning on our way to the Vaudois valleys of Piedmont.

[Illustration: Valley of Luserne.]

CHAPTER VI.

THE VALLEY OF THE PELICE--LA TOUR--ANGROGNA--THE PRA DU TOUR.

The village of Abries is situated close to the Alpine ridge, the

summit of which marks the boundary between France and Italy. On the

other side lie the valleys of Piedmont, in which the French Vaudois

were accustomed to take refuge when persecution ravaged their own

valleys, passing by the mountain-road we were now about to travel, as

far as La Tour, in the valley of the Pelice.

Although there are occasional villages along the route, there is no

good resting-place for travellers short of La Tour, some twenty-six

miles distant from Abries; and as it was necessary that we should walk

the distance, the greater part of the road being merely a track,

scarcely practicable for mules, we were up betimes in the morning, and

on our way. The sun had scarcely risen above the horizon. The mist

was still hanging along the mountain-sides, and the stillness of the

scene was only broken by the murmur of the Guil running in its rocky

bed below. Passing through the hamlet of Monta, where the French

douane has its last frontier station, we began the ascent; and soon,

as the sun rose and the mists cleared away, we saw the profile of the

mountain up which we were climbing cast boldly upon the range behind

us on the further side of the valley. A little beyond the ravine of

the Combe de la Croix, along the summit of which the road winds, we

reached the last house within the French frontier--a hospice, not very

inviting in appearance, for the accommodation of travellers. A little

further is the Col, and passing a stone block carved with the

fleur-de-lis and cross of Savoy, we crossed the frontier of France and

entered Italy.

On turning a shoulder of the mountain, we looked down upon the head of

the valley of the Pelice, a grand and savage scene. The majestic,

snow-capped Monte Viso towers up on the right, at the head of the

valley, amidst an assemblage of other great mountain masses. From its

foot seems to steal the river Pelice, now a quiet rivulet, though in

winter a raging torrent. Right in front, lower down the valley, is the

rocky defile of Mirabouc, a singularly savage gorge, seemingly rent

asunder by some tremendous convulsion of nature; beyond and over which

extends the valley of the Pelice, expanding into that of the Po, and

in the remote distance the plains of Piedmont; while immediately

beneath our feet, as it were, but far below, lies a considerable

breadth of green pasture, the Bergerie of Pra, enclosed on all sides

by the mountains over which we look.

The descent from the Col down into the Pra is very difficult, in some

places almost precipitous--far more abrupt than on the French side,

where the incline up to the summit is comparatively easy.

The zigzag descends from one rock to another, along the face of a

shelving slope, by a succession of notches (from which the footpath is

not inappropriately termed _La Coche_) affording a very insecure

footing for the few mules which occasionally cross the pass. Dr. Gilly

crossed here from La Tour with Mrs. Gilly in 1829, when about to visit

the French valleys; but he found the path so difficult and dangerous,

that the lady had to walk nearly the whole way.

As we descended the mountain almost by a succession of leaps, we

overtook M. Gariod, deputy judge of Gap, engaged in botanizing among

the rocks; and he informed us that among the rarer specimens he had

collected in the course of his journey on the summit were the

_Polygonum alpinum_ and _Silene vallesia_, above Monta; the

_Leucanthemum alpinum_, near the Hospice; the _Linaria alpina_ and

_Cirsium spinosissimus_ on the Col; while the _Lloydia serotina_,

_Arabis alpina_, _Phyteuma hemisphericum_, and _Rhododendrum

ferrugineum_, were found all over the face of the rocky descent to the

Pra.

At the foot of the _Coche_ we arrived at the first house in Italy, the

little auberge of the Pra, a great resort of sportsmen, who come to

hunt the chamois in the adjoining mountains during the season. Here is

also the usual customs station, with a few officers of the Italian

douane, to watch the passage of merchandise across the frontier.

The road from hence to la Tour is along the river Pelice, which is

kept in sight nearly the whole way. A little below the Pra, where it

enters the defile of Mirabouc, the path merely follows what is the

bed of the torrent in winter. The descent is down ledges and notches,

from rock to rock, with rugged precipices overhanging the ravine for

nearly a mile. At its narrowest part stand the ruins of the ancient

fort of Mirabouc, built against the steep escarpments of the mountain,

which, in ancient times, completely commanded and closed the defile

against the passage of an enemy from that quarter. And difficult

though the Col de la Croix is for the passage of an army, it has on

more than one occasion been passed by French detachments in their

invasion of Italy.

It is not until we reach Bobi, or Bobbio, several miles lower down the

Pelice, that we at last feel we are in Italy. Here the valley opens

out, the scenery is soft and inviting, the fields are well tilled, the

vegetation is rich, and the clusters of chestnut-trees in magnificent

foliage. We now begin to see the striking difference between the

French and the Italian valleys. The former are precipitous and

sterile, constant falls of slaty rock blocking up the defiles; while

here the mountains lay aside their savage aspects, and are softened

down into picturesquely wooded hills, green pastures, and fertile

fields stretching along the river-sides, yielding a rich territory for

the plough.

Yet, beautiful and peaceful though this valley of the Pelice now

appears, there is scarcely a spot in it but has been consecrated by

the blood of martyrs to the cause of liberty and religion. In the

rugged defile of the Mirabouc, which we have just passed, is the site

of a battle fought between the Piedmontese troops and the Vaudois

peasants, at a place called the Pian-del-Mort, where the persecuted,

turning upon the persecutors, drove them back, and made good their

retreat to their mountain fastnesses. Bobi itself was the scene of

many deadly struggles. A little above the village, on a rocky plateau,

are the remains of an ancient fort, near the hamlet of Sibaud, where

the Vaudois performed one of their bravest exploits under Henri

Arnaud, after their "Glorious Return" from exile,--near which, on a

stone still pointed out, they swore fidelity to each other, and that

they would die to the last man rather than abandon their country and

their religion.

Near Bobi is still to be seen a remarkable illustration of English

interest long ago felt in the people of these valleys. This is the

long embankment or breakwater, built by a grant from Oliver Cromwell,

for the purpose of protecting the village against the inundations of

the Pelice, by one of which it was nearly destroyed in the time of the

Protectorate. It seems strange indeed that England should then have

stretched out its hand so far, to help a people so poor and

uninfluential as the Vaudois; but their sufferings had excited the

sympathies of all Europe, and of Protestant England in particular,

which not only sent them sympathy, but substantial succour. Cromwell

also, through the influence of Cardinal Mazarin, compelled the Duke of

Savoy to suspend for a time the persecution of his subjects,--though

shortly after the Protector's death it waxed hotter than ever.

All down the valley of the Pelice, we come upon village after

village--La Piante, Villar, and Cabriol--which have been the scenes

sometimes of heroic combats, and sometimes of treacherous massacres.

Yet all the cruelty of Grand Dukes and Popes during centuries did not

avail in turning the people of the valley from their faith. For they

continue to worship after the same primitive forms as they did a

thousand years ago; and in the principal villages and hamlets, though

Romanism has long been supported by the power of the State and the

patronage of the Church, the Protestant Vaudois continue to constitute

the majority of the population.

Rising up on the left of the road, between Villar and La Tour, are

seen the bold and almost perpendicular rocks of Castelluzzo,

terminating in the tower-like summit which has given to them their

name. On the face of these rocks is one of the caverns in which the

Vaudois were accustomed to hide their women and children when they

themselves were forced to take the field. When Dr. Gilly first

endeavoured to discover this famous cavern in 1829, he could not find

any one who could guide him to it. Tradition said it was half way down

the perpendicular face of the rock, and it was known to be very

difficult to reach; but the doctor could not find any traces of it.

Determined, however, not to be baffled, he made a second attempt a

month later, and succeeded. He had to descend some fifty feet from the

top of the cliff by a rope ladder, until a platform of rock was

reached, from which the cavern was entered. It was found to consist of

an irregular, rugged, sloping gallery in the face of the rock, of

considerable extent, roofed in by a projecting crag. It is quite open

to the south, but on all other sides it is secure; and it can only be

entered from above. Such were the places to which the people of the

valleys were driven for shelter in the dark days so happily passed

away.

One of the best indications of the improved _regime_ that now

prevails, shortly presented itself in the handsome Vaudois church,

situated at the western entrance of the town of La Tour, near to which

is the college for the education of Vaudois pastors, together with

residences for the clergy and professors. The founding of this

establishment, as well as of the hospital for the poor and infirm

Vaudois, is in a great measure due to the energetic zeal of the Dr.

Gilly so often quoted above, whose writings on behalf of the faithful

but destitute Protestants of the Piedmontese valleys, about forty

years since, awakened an interest in their behalf in England, as well

as in foreign countries, which has not yet subsided.

More enthusiastic, if possible, even than Dr. Gilly, was the late

General Beckwith, who followed up, with extraordinary energy, the work

which the other had so well begun. The general was an old Peninsular

veteran, who had followed the late Duke of Wellington through most of

his campaigns, and lost a leg while serving under him at the battle of

Waterloo. Hence the designation of him by a Roman Catholic bishop in

an article published by him in one of the Italian journals, as "the

adventurer with the wooden leg."

The general's attention was first attracted to the subject of the

Vaudois in the following curiously accidental way. Being a regular

visitor at Apsley House, he called on the Duke one morning, and,

finding him engaged, he strolled into the library to spend an idle

half-hour among the books. The first he took up was Dr. Gilly's

"Narrative," and what he read excited so lively an interest in his

mind that he went direct to his bookseller and ordered all the

publications relative to the Vaudois Church that could be procured.

The general's zeal being thus fired, he set out shortly after on a

visit to the Piedmontese valleys. He returned to them again and again,

and at length settled at La Tour, where he devoted the remainder of

his life and a large portion of his fortune to the service of the

Vaudois Church and people. He organized a movement for the erection

of schools, of which not fewer than one hundred and twenty were

provided mainly through his instrumentality in different parts of the

valleys, besides restoring and enlarging the college at La Tour,

erecting the present commodious dwellings for the professors,

providing a superior school for the education of pastors' daughters,

and contributing towards the erection of churches wherever churches

were needed.

The general was so zealous a missionary, so eager for the propagation

of the Gospel, that some of his friends asked him why he did not

preach to the people. "No," said he; "men have their special gifts,

and mine is _a brick-and-mortar gift_." The general was satisfied to

go on as he had begun, helping to build schools, colleges, and

churches for the Vaudois, wherever most needed. His crowning work was

the erection of the grand block of buildings on the Viale del Re at

Turin, which not only includes a handsome and commodious Vaudois

church, but an English church, and a Vaudois hospital and schools,

erected at a cost of about fourteen thousand pounds, principally at

the cost of the general himself, generously aided by Mr. Brewin and

other English contributors.

Nor were the people ungrateful to their benefactor. "Let the name of

General Beckwith be blessed by all who pass this way," says an

inscription placed upon one of the many schools opened through his

efforts and generosity; and the whole country responds to the

sentiment.

To return to La Tour. The style of the buildings at its western

end--the church, college, residences, and adjoining cottages, with

their pretty gardens in front, designed, as they have been, by English

architects--give one the idea of the best part of an English town.

But this disappears as you enter the town itself, and proceed through

the principal street, which is long, narrow, and thoroughly Italian.

The situation of the town is exceedingly fine, at the foot of the

Vandalin Mountain, near the confluence of the river Angrogna with the

Pelice. The surrounding scenery is charming; and from the high

grounds, north and south of the town, extensive views may be had in

all directions--especially up the valley of the Pelice, and eastward

over the plains of Piedmont--the whole country being, as it were,

embroidered with vineyards, corn-fields, and meadows, here and there

shaded with groves and thickets, spread over a surface varied by

hills, and knolls, and undulating slopes.

The size, importance, industry, and central situation of La Tour have

always caused it to be regarded as the capital of the valleys.

One-half of the Vaudois population occupies the valley of the Pelice

and the lateral valley of Angrogna; the remainder, more widely

scattered, occupying the valleys of Perouse and Pragela, and the

lateral valley of St. Martin--the entire number of the Protestant

population in the several valleys amounting to about twenty thousand.

Although, as we have already said, there is scarcely a hamlet in the

valleys but has been made famous by the resistance of its inhabitants

in past times to the combined tyranny of the Popes of Rome and the

Dukes of Savoy, perhaps the most interesting events of all have

occurred in the neighbourhood of La Tour, but more especially in the

valley of Angrogna, at whose entrance it stands.

The wonder is, that a scattered community of half-armed peasantry,

without resources, without magazines, without fortresses, should have

been able for any length of time to resist large bodies of regular

troops--Italian, French, Spanish, and even Irish!--led by the most

experienced commanders of the day, and abundantly supplied with arms,

cannon, ammunition, and stores of all kinds. All that the people had

on their side--and it compensated for much--was a good cause, great

bravery, and a perfect knowledge of the country in which, and for

which, they fought.

Though the Vaudois had no walled towns, their district was a natural

fortress, every foot of which was known to them--every pass, every

defile, every barricade, and every defensible position. Resistance in

the open country, they knew, would be fatal to them. Accordingly,

whenever assailed by their persecutors, they fled to their mountain

strongholds, and there waited the attack of the enemy.

One of the strongest of such places--the Thermopylae of the

Vaudois--was the valley of Angrogna, up which the inhabitants of La

Tour were accustomed to retreat on any sudden invasion by the army of

Savoy. The valley is one of exquisite beauty, presenting a combination

of mingled picturesqueness and sublimity, the like of which is rarely

to be seen. It is hemmed in by mountains, in some places rounded and

majestic, in others jagged and abrupt. The sides of the valley are in

many places finely wooded, while in others well-tilled fields,

pastures, and vineyards slope down to the river-side. Orchards are

succeeded by pine-woods, and these again by farms and gardens.

Sometimes a little cascade leaps from a rock on its way to the valley

below; and little is heard around, save the rippling of water, and the

occasional lowing of cattle in the pastures, mingled with the music of

their bells.

Shortly after entering the valley, we passed the scene of several

terrible struggles between the Vaudois and their persecutors. One of

the most famous spots is the plateau of Rochemalan, where the heights

of St. John abut upon the mountains of Angrogna. It was shortly after

the fulmination of a bull of extermination against the Vaudois by Pope

Innocent VIII., in 1486, that an army of eighteen thousand regular

French and Piedmontese troops, accompanied by a horde of brigands to

whom the remission of sins was promised on condition of their helping

to slay the heretics, encircled the valleys and proceeded to assail

the Vaudois in their fastnesses. The Papal legate, Albert Catanee,

Archdeacon of Cremona, had his head-quarters at Pignerol, from whence

he superintended the execution of the Pope's orders. First, he sent

preaching monks up the valleys to attempt the conversion of the

Vaudois before attacking them with arms. But the peasantry refused to

be converted, and fled to their strongholds in the mountains.

Then Catanee took the field at the head of his army, advancing upon

Angrogna. He extended his lines so as to enclose the entire body of

heretics, with the object of cutting them off to a man. The Vaudois,

however, defended themselves resolutely, though armed only with pikes,

swords, and bows and arrows, and everywhere beat back the assailants.

The severest struggle occurred at Rochemalan, which the crusaders

attacked with great courage. But the Vaudois had the advantage of the

higher ground, and, encouraged by the cries and prayers of the women,

children, and old men whom they were defending, they impetuously

rushed forward and drove the Papal troops downhill in disorder,

pursuing them into the very plain.

The next day the Papalini renewed the attack, ascending by the bottom

of the valley, instead of by the plateau on which they had been

defeated. But one of those dense mists, so common in the Alps, having

settled down upon the valley, the troops became confused, broken up,

and entangled in difficult paths; and in this state, marching

apprehensively, they were fallen upon by the Vaudois and again

completely defeated. Many of the soldiers slid over the rocks and were

drowned in the torrent,--the chasm into which the captain of the

detachment (Saquet de Planghere) fell, being still known as _Toumpi de

Saquet_, or Saquet's Hole.

The resistance of the mountaineers at other points, in the valleys of

Pragela and St. Martin, having been almost equally successful, Catanee

withdrew the Papal army in disgust, and marched it back into France,

to wreak his vengeance on the defenceless Vaudois of the Val Louise,

in the manner described in a preceding chapter.

Less than a century later, a like attempt was made to force the

entrance to the valley of Angrogna, by an army of Italians and

Spaniards, under the command of the Count de la Trinite. A

proclamation had been published, and put up in the villages of

Angrogna, to the effect that all would be destroyed by fire and sword

who did not forthwith return to the Church of Rome. And as the

peasantry did not return, on the 2nd November, 1560, the Count

advanced at the head of his army to extirpate the heretics. The

Vaudois were provided with the rudest sort of weapons; many of them

had only slings and cross-bows. But they felt strong in the goodness

of their cause, and prepared to defend themselves to the death.

As the Count's army advanced, the Vaudois retired until they reached

the high ground near Rochemalan, where they took their stand. The

enemy followed, and halted in the valley beneath, lighting their

bivouac fires, and intending to pass the night there. Before darkness

fell, however, an accidental circumstance led to an engagement. A

Vaudois boy, who had got hold of a drum, began beating it in a ravine

close by. The soldiers, thinking a hostile troop had arrived, sprang

up in disorder and seized their arms. The Vaudois, on their part,

seeing the movement, and imagining that an attack was about to be made

on them, rushed forward to repel it. The soldiers, surprised and

confused, for the most part threw away their arms, and fled down the

valley. Irritated by this disgraceful retreat of some twelve hundred

soldiers before two hundred peasants, the Count advanced a second

time, and was again, repulsed by the little band of heroes, who

charged his troops with loud shouts of "Viva Jesu Christo!" driving

the invaders in confusion down the valley.

It may be mentioned that the object of the Savoy general, in making

this attack, was to force the valley, and capture the strong position

of the Pra du Tour, the celebrated stronghold of the Vaudois, from

whence we shall afterwards find them, again driven back, baffled and

defeated.

A hundred years passed, and still the Vaudois remained unconverted and

unexterminated. The Marquis of Pianesse now advanced upon

Angrogna--always with the same object, "ad extirpandos hereticos," in

obedience to the order of the Propaganda. On this occasion not only

Italian and Spanish but Irish troops were engaged in a combined effort

to exterminate the Vaudois. The Irish were known as "the assassins"

by the people of the valleys, because of their almost exceptional

ferocity; and the hatred they excited by their outrages on women and

children was so great, that on the assault and capture of St. Legont

by the Vaudois peasantry, an Irish regiment surprised in barracks was

completely destroyed.

A combined attack was made on Angrogna on the 15th of June, 1655. On

that day four separate bodies of troops advanced up the heights from

different directions, thereby enclosing the little Vaudois army of

three hundred men assembled there, and led by the heroic Javanel. This

leader first threw himself upon the head of the column which advanced

from Rocheplate, and drove it downhill. Then he drew off his little

body towards Rochemalan, when he suddenly found himself opposed by the

two bodies which had come up from St. John and La Tour. Retiring

before them, he next found himself face to face with the fourth

detachment, which had come up from Pramol. With the quick instinct of

military genius, Javanel threw himself upon it before the beaten

Rocheplate detachment were able to rally and assail him in flank; and

he succeeded in cutting the Pramol force in two and passing through

it, rushing up to the summit of the hill, on which he posted himself.

And there he stood at bay.

This hill is precipitous on one side, but of comparatively easy ascent

on the side up which the little band of heroes had ascended. At the

foot of the slope the four detachments, three thousand against three

hundred, drew up and attacked him; but firing from a distance, their

aim was not very deadly. For five hours Javanel resisted them as he

best could, and then, seeing signs of impatience and hesitation in the

enemy's ranks, he called out to his men, "Forward, my friends!" and

they rushed downhill like an avalanche. The three thousand men

recoiled, broke, and fled before the three hundred; and Javanel

returned victorious to his entrenchments before Angrogna.

Yet, again, some eight years later, in 1663, was this neighbourhood

the scene of another contest, and again was Javanel the hero. On this

occasion, the Marquis de Fleury led the troops of the Duke of Savoy,

whose object, as before, was to advance up the valley, and assail the

Vaudois stronghold of Pra du Tour; and again the peasantry resisted

them successfully, and drove them back into the plains. Javanel then

went to rejoin a party of the men whom he had posted at the "Gates of

Angrogna" to defend the pass up the valley; and again he fell upon the

enemy engaged in attempting to force a passage there, and defeated

them with heavy loss.

Such are among the exciting events which have occurred in this one

locality in connection with the Vaudois struggle for country and

liberty.

Let us now proceed up the valley of Angrogna, towards the famous

stronghold of the Pra du Tour, the object of those repeated attacks of

the enemy in the neighbourhood of Rochemalan. As we advance, the

mountains gradually close in upon the valley, leaving a comparatively

small width of pasture land by the river-side. At the hamlet of Serre

the carriage road ends; and from thence the valley grows narrower, the

mountains which enclose it become more rugged and abrupt, until there

is room enough only for a footpath along a rocky ledge, and the

torrent running in its deep bed alongside. This continues for a

considerable distance, the path in some places being overhung by

precipices, or encroached upon by rocks and boulders fallen from the

heights, until at length we emerge from the defile, and find ourselves

in a comparatively open space, the famous Pra du Tour; the defile we

have passed, alongside the torrent and overhung by the rocks, being

known as the Barricade.

The Pra du Tour, or Meadow of the Tower, is a little amphitheatre

surrounded by rugged and almost inaccessible mountains, situated at

the head of the valley of Angrogna. The steep slopes bring down into

this deep dell the headwaters of the torrent, which escape among the

rocks down the defile we have just ascended. The path up the defile

forms the only approach to the Pra from the valley, but it is so

narrow, tortuous, and difficult, that the labours of only a few men in

blocking up the pathway with rocks and stones that lie ready at hand,

might at any time so barricade the approach as to render it

impracticable. The extremely secluded position of the place, its

natural strength and inaccessibility, and its proximity to the

principal Vaudois towns and villages, caused it to be regarded from

the earliest times as their principal refuge. It was their fastness,

their fortress, and often their home. It was more--it was their school

and college; for in the depths of the Pra du Tour the pastors, or

_barbas_,[107] educated young men for the ministry, and provided for

the religious instruction of the Vaudois population.

[Footnote 107: _Barba_--a title of respect; in the Vaudois

dialect literally signifying an _uncle_.]

It was the importance of the Pra du Tour as a stronghold that rendered

it so often the object of attack through the valley of Angrogna. When

the hostile troops of Savoy advanced upon La Tour, the inhabitants of

the neighbouring valleys at once fled to the Pra, into which they

drove their cattle, and carried what provisions they could; there

constructing mills, ovens, houses, and all that was requisite for

subsistence, as in a fort. The men capable of bearing arms stood on

their guard to defend the passes of the Vachere and Roussine, at the

extreme heads of the valley, as well as the defile of the Barricade,

while other bodies, stationed lower down, below the Barricade,

prepared to resist the troops seeking to force an entrance up the

valley; and hence the repeated battles in the neighbourhood of

Rochemalan above described.

On the occasion of the defeat of the Count de la Trinite by the little

Vaudois band near the village of Angrogna, in November, 1560, the

general drew off, and waited the arrival of reinforcements. A large

body of Spanish veterans having joined him, in the course of the

following spring he again proceeded up the valley, determined, if

possible, to force the Barricade--the royal forces now numbering some

seven thousand men, all disciplined troops. The peasants, finding

their first position no longer tenable in the face of such numbers,

abandoned Angrogna and the lower villages, and retired, with the whole

population, to the Pra du Tour. The Count followed them with his main

army, at the same time directing two other bodies of troops to advance

upon the place round by the mountains, one by the heights of the

Vachere, and another by Les Fourests. The defenders of the Pra would

thus be assailed from three sides at once, their forces divided, and

victory rendered certain.

But the Count did not calculate upon the desperate bravery of the

defenders. All three bodies were beaten back in succession. For four

days the Count made every effort to force the defile, and failed. Two

colonels, eight captains, and four hundred men fell in these desperate

assaults, without gaining an inch of ground. On the fifth day a

combined attack was made with the reserve, composed of Spanish

companies, but this, too, failed; and the troops, when ordered to

return to the charge, refused to obey. The Count, who commanded, is

said to have wept as he sat on a rock and looked upon so many of his

dead--the soldiers themselves exclaiming, "God fights for these

people, and we do them wrong!"

About a hundred years later, the Marquis de Pianesse, who, like the

Count de la Trinite, had been defeated at Rochemalan, made a similar

attempt to surprise the Vaudois stronghold, with a like result. The

peasants were commanded on this occasion by John Leger, the pastor and

historian. Those who were unarmed hurled rocks and stones on the

assailants from the heights; and the troops being thus thrown into

confusion, the Vaudois rushed from behind their ramparts, and drove

them in a state of total rout down the valley.

On entering the Pra du Tour, one of the most prominent objects that

meets the eye is the Roman Catholic chapel recently erected there,

though the few inhabitants of the district are still almost entirely

Protestant. The Roman Catholic Church has, however, now done what the

Roman Catholic armies failed to do--established itself in the midst of

the Vaudois stronghold, though by no means in the hearts of the

people.

Desirous of ascertaining, if possible, the site of the ancient

college, we proceeded up the Pra, and hailed a young woman whom we

observed crossing the rustic bridge over the Pele, one of the mountain

rivulets running into the torrent of Angrogna. Inquiring of her as to

the site of the college, she told us we had already passed it, and led

us back to the place--up the rocky side of the hill leading to the

Vachere--past the cottage where she herself lived, and pointed to the

site: "There," she said, "is where the ancient college of the Vaudois

stood." The old building has, however, long since been removed, the

present structure being merely part of a small farmsteading. Higher up

the steep hill-side, on successive ledges of rock, are the ruins of

various buildings, some of which may have been dwellings, and one,

larger than the rest, on a broader plateau, with an elder-tree growing

in the centre, may possibly have been the temple.

From the higher shelves on this mountain-side the view is extremely

wild and grand. The acclivities which surround the head of the Pra

seem as if battlemented walls; the mountain opposite throws its sombre

shadow over the ravine in which the torrent runs; whilst, down the

valley, rock seems piled on rock, and mountain on mountain. All is

perfectly still, and the silence is only audible by the occasional

tinkling of a sheep-bell, or the humming of a bee in search of flowers

on the mountain-side. So peaceful and quiet is the place, that it is

difficult to believe it could ever have been the scene of such deadly

strife, and rung with the shouts of men thirsting for each other's

blood.

After lingering about the place until the sun was far on his way

towards the horizon, we returned, by the road we had come, the valley

seeming more beautiful than ever under the glow of evening, and

arrived at our destination about dusk, to find the fireflies darting

about the streets of La Tour.

The next day saw us at Turin, and our summer excursion at an end. Mr.

Milsom, who had so pleasantly accompanied me through the valleys, had

been summoned to attend the death-bed of a friend at Antibes, and he

set out on the journey forthwith. While still there, he received a

telegram intimating the death of his daughter at Allevard, near

Grenoble, and he arrived only in time to attend her funeral. Two

months later, he lost another dear daughter; shortly after, his

mother-in-law died; and in the following December he himself died

suddenly of heart disease, and followed them to the grave.

One could not but conceive a hearty liking for Edward Milsom--he was

such a thoroughly good man. He was a native of London, but spent the

greater part of his life at Lyons, in France, where he long since

settled and married. He there carried on a large business as a silk

merchant, but was always ready to give a portion of his time and money

to help forward any good work. He was an "ancien," or elder, of the

Evangelical church at Lyons, originally founded by Adolphe Monod, to

whom he was also related by marriage.

Some years since he was very much interested by the perusal of Pastor

Bost's account of his visit to the scene of Felix Neff's labours in

the High Alps. He felt touched by the simple, faithful character of

the people, and keenly sympathised with their destitute condition.

"Here," said he, "is a field in which I may possibly be of some use."

And he at once went to their help. He visited the district of

Fressinieres, including the hamlet of Dormilhouse, as well as the more

distant villages of Arvieux and Sans Veran, up the vale of Queyras;

and nearly every year thereafter he devoted a certain portion of his

time in visiting the poorer congregations of the district, giving them

such help and succour as lay in his power.

His repeated visits made him well known to the people of the valleys,

who valued him as a friend, if they did not even love him as a

brother. His visits were also greatly esteemed by the pastors, who

stood much in need of encouragement and help. He cheered the wavering,

strengthened the feeble-hearted, and stimulated all to renewed life

and action. Wherever he went, a light seemed to shine in his path; and

when he departed, he was followed by many blessings.

In one place he would arrange for the opening of a new place of

worship; in another, for the opening of a boys' school; in a third,

for the industrial employment of girls; and wherever there was any

little heartburning or jealousy to be allayed, he would set himself to

remove it. His admirable tact, his unfailing temper, and excellent

good sense, rendered him a wise counsellor and a most successful

conciliator.

The last time Mr. Milsom visited England, towards the end of 1869, he

was occupied, as usual, in collecting subscriptions for the poor

Vaudois of the High Alps. Now that the good "merchant missionary" has

rested from his labours, they will indeed feel the loss of their

friend. Who is to assume his mantle?

CHAPTER VII

THE GLORIOUS RETURN:

AN EPISODE IN THE HISTORY OF THE ITALIAN VAUDOIS.

What is known as The Glorious Return, or re-entry of the exiled

Vaudois in 1689 to resume possession of the valleys from which they

had been banished, will always stand out as one of the most remarkable

events in history.

If ever a people fairly established their right to live in their own

country, and to worship God after their own methods, the Vaudois had

surely done so. They had held conscientiously and consistently to

their religion for nearly five hundred years, during which they

laboured under many disabilities and suffered much persecution. But

the successive Dukes of Savoy were no better satisfied with them as

subjects than before. They could not brook that any part of their

people should be of a different form of religion from that professed

by themselves; and they continued, at the instance of successive

popes, to let slip the dogs of war upon the valleys, in the hopes of

eventually compelling the Vaudois to "come in" and make their peace

with the Church.

The result of these invasions was almost uniform. At the first sudden

inroad of the troops, the people, taken by surprise, usually took to

flight; on which their dwellings were burnt and their fields laid

waste. But when they had time to rally and collect their forces, the

almost invariable result was that the Piedmontese were driven out of

the valleys again with ignominy and loss. The Duke's invasion of 1655

was, however, attended with greater success than usual. His armies

occupied the greater part of the valleys, though the Vaudois still

held out, and made occasional successful sallies from their mountain

fastnesses. At length, the Protestants of the Swiss Confederation,

taking compassion on their co-religionists in Piedmont, sent

ambassadors to the Duke of Savoy at Turin to intercede for their

relief; and the result was the amnesty granted to them in that year

under the title of the "Patents of Grace." The terms were very hard,

but they were agreed to. The Vaudois were to be permitted to re-occupy

their valleys, conditional on their rebuilding all the Catholic

churches which had been destroyed, paying to the Duke an indemnity of

fifty thousand francs, and ceding to him the richest lands in the

valley of Luzerna--the last relics of their fortunes being thus taken

from them to remunerate the barbarity of their persecutors.

It was also stipulated by this treaty, that the pastors of the Vaudois

churches were to be natives of the district only, and that they were

to be at liberty to administer religious instruction in their own

manner in all the Vaudois parishes, excepting that of St. John, near

La Tour, where their worship was interdicted. The only persons

excepted from the terms of the amnesty were Javanel, the heroic old

captain, and Jean Leger, the pastor-historian, the most prominent

leaders of the Vaudois in the recent war, both of whom were declared

to be banished the ducal dominions.

Under this treaty the Vaudois enjoyed peace for about thirty years,

during which they restored the cultivation of the valleys, rebuilt the

villages, and were acknowledged to be among the most loyal, peaceable,

and industrious of the subjects of Savoy.

There were, however, certain parts of the valleys to which the amnesty

granted by the Duke did not apply. Thus, it did not apply to the

valleys of Perouse and Pragela, which did not then form part of the

dominions of Savoy, but were included within the French frontier. It

was out of this circumstance that a difficulty arose with the French

monarch, which issued in the revival of the persecution in the

valleys, the banishment of the Vaudois into Switzerland, and their

eventual "Glorious Return" in the manner we are about briefly to

narrate.

When Louis XIV. of France revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, and

interdicted all Protestant worship throughout his dominions, the law

of course applied to the valleys of Perouse and Pragela as to the

other parts of France. The Vaudois pastors were banished, and the

people were forbidden to profess any other religion than that

prescribed by the King, under penalty of confiscation of their goods,

imprisonment, or banishment. The Vaudois who desired to avoid these

penalties while they still remained staunch to their faith, did what

so many Frenchmen then did--they fled across the frontier and took

refuge in foreign lands. Some of the inhabitants of the French valleys

went northward into Switzerland, while others passed across the

mountains towards the south, and took refuge in the valley of the

Pelice, where the Vaudois religion continued to be tolerated under

the terms of the amnesty above referred to, which had been granted by

the Duke of Savoy.

The French king, when he found his Huguenot subjects flying in all

directions rather than remain in France and be "converted" to Roman

Catholicism, next tried to block up the various avenues of escape, and

to prevent the rulers of the adjoining countries from giving the

fugitives asylum. Great was his displeasure when he heard of the

flight of the Vaudois of Perouse and Pragela into the adjoining

valleys. He directed the French ambassador at Turin to call upon the

Duke of Savoy, and require him to prevent their settlement within his

dominions. At the same time, he called upon the Duke to take steps to

compel the conversion of his people from the pretended reformed faith,

and offered the aid of his troops to enforce their submission, "at

whatever cost."

The Duke was irritated at the manner in which he was approached. Louis

XIV. was treating him as a vassal of France rather than as an

independent sovereign. But he felt himself to be weak, and

comparatively powerless to resent the insult. So he first temporised,

then vacillated, and being again pressed by the French king, he

eventually yielded. The amnesty was declared to be at an end, and the

Vaudois were ordered forthwith to become members of the Church of

Rome. An edict was issued on the 31st of January, 1686, forbidding the

exercise by the Vaudois of their religion, abolishing their ancient

privileges, and ordering the demolition of all their places of

worship. Pastors and schoolmasters who refused to be converted were

ordered to quit the country within fifteen days, on pain of death and

confiscation of their goods. All refugee Protestants from France were

ordered to leave under the same penalty. All children born of

Protestant parents were to be compulsorily educated as Roman

Catholics. This barbarous measure was merely a repetition by the Duke

of Savoy in Piedmont of what his master Louis XIV. had already done in

France.

The Vaudois expostulated with their sovereign, but in vain. They

petitioned, but there was no reply. They requested the interposition

of the Swiss Government as before, but the Duke took no notice of

their memorial. The question of resistance was then discussed; but the

people were without leaders. Javanel was living in banishment at

Geneva--old and worn out, and unable to lead them. Besides, the

Vaudois, before taking up arms, wished to exhaust every means of

conciliation. Ambassadors next came from Switzerland, who urged them

to submit to the clemency of the Duke, and suggested that they should

petition him for permission to leave the country! The Vaudois were

stupefied by the proposal. They were thus asked, without a contest, to

submit to all the ignominy and punishment of defeat, and to terminate

their very existence as a people! The ambassadors represented that

resistance to the combined armies of Savoy, France, and Spain, without

leaders, and with less than three thousand combatants, was little

short of madness.

Nevertheless, a number of the Vaudois determined not to leave their

valleys without an attempt to hold them, as they had so often

successfully done before. The united armies of France and Savoy then

advanced upon the valleys, and arrangements were made for a general

attack upon the Vaudois position on Easter Monday, 1686, at break of

day,--the Duke of Savoy assailing the valley of Luzerna, while

Catinat, commander of the French troops, advanced on St. Martin.

Catinat made the first attack on the village of St. Germain, and was

beaten back with heavy loss after six hours' fighting. Henry Arnaud,

the Huguenot pastor from Die in Dauphiny, of which he was a native,

particularly distinguished himself by his bravery in this affair, and

from that time began to be regarded as one of the most promising of

the Vaudois leaders.

Catinat renewed the attack on the following day with the assistance of

fresh troops; and he eventually succeeded in overcoming the resistance

of the handful of men who opposed him, and sweeping the valley of St.

Martin. Men, women, and children were indiscriminately put to the

sword. In some of the parishes no resistance was offered, the

inhabitants submitting to the Duke's proclamation; but whether they

submitted or not, made no difference in their treatment, which was

barbarous in all cases.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Savoy's army advanced from the vale of Luzerna

upon the celebrated heights of Angrogna, and assailed the Vaudois

assembled there at all points. The resistance lasted for an entire

day, and when night fell, both forces slept on the ground upon which

they had fought, kindling their bivouac fires on both sides. On the

following day the attack was renewed, and again the battle raged until

night. Then Don Gabriel of Savoy, who was in command, resolved to

employ the means which Catinat had found so successful: he sent

forward messengers to inform the Vaudois that their brethren of the

Val St. Martin had laid down their arms and been pardoned, inviting

them to follow their example. The result of further parley was, that

on the express promise of his Royal Highness that they should receive

pardon, and that neither their persons nor those of their wives or

children should be touched, the credulous Vaudois, still hoping for

fair treatment, laid down their arms, and permitted the ducal troops

to take possession of their entrenchments!

The same treacherous strategy proved equally successful against the

defenders of the Pra du Tour. After beating back their assailants and

firmly holding their ground for an entire day, they were told of the

surrender of their compatriots, promised a full pardon, and assured of

life and liberty, on condition of immediately ceasing further

hostilities. They accordingly consented to lay down their arms, and

the impregnable fastness of the Pra du Tour, which had never been

taken by force, thus fell before falsehood and perfidy. "The defenders

of this ancient sanctuary of the Church," says Dr. Huston, "were

loaded with irons; their children were carried off and scattered

through the Roman Catholic districts; their wives and daughters were

violated, massacred, or made captives. As for those that still

remained, all whom the enemy could seize became a prey devoted to

carnage, spoliation, fire, excesses which cannot be told, and outrages

which it would be impossible to describe."[108]

[Footnote 108: Huston's "Israel of the Alps," translated by

Montgomery; Glasgow, 1857; vol. i. p. 446.]

"All the valleys are now exterminated," wrote a French officer to his

friends; "the people are all killed, hanged, or massacred." The Duke,

Victor Amadeus, issued a decree, declaring the Vaudois to be guilty of

high treason, and confiscating all their property. Arnaud says as many

as eleven thousand persons were killed, or perished in prison, or died

of want, in consequence of this horrible Easter festival of blood.

Six thousand were taken prisoners, and the greater number of these

died in gaol of hunger and disease. When the prisons were opened, and

the wretched survivors were ordered to quit the country, forbidden to

return to it on pain of death, only about two thousand six hundred

contrived to struggle across the frontier into Switzerland.

And thus at last the Vaudois Church seemed utterly uprooted and

destroyed. What the Dukes of Savoy had so often attempted in vain was

now accomplished. A second St. Bartholomew had been achieved, and Rome

rang with _Te Deums_ in praise of the final dispersion of the Vaudois.

The Pope sent to Victor Amadeus II. a special brief, congratulating

him on the extirpation of heresy in his dominions; and Piedmontese and

Savoyards, good Catholics, were presented with the lands from which

the Vaudois had been driven. Those of them who remained in the country

"unconverted" were as so many scattered fugitives in the

mountains--sheep wandering about without a shepherd. Some of the

Vaudois, for the sake of their families and homes, pretended

conversion; but these are admitted to have been comparatively few in

number. In short, the "Israel of the Alps" seemed to be no more, and

its people utterly and for ever dispersed. Pierre Allix, the Huguenot

refugee pastor in England, in his "History of the Ancient Churches of

Piedmont," dedicated to William III., regarded the Vaudois Church as

obliterated--"their present desolation seeming so universal, that the

world looks upon them no otherwise than as irrecoverably lost, and

finally destroyed."

Three years passed. The expelled Vaudois reached Switzerland in

greatly reduced numbers, many women and children having perished on

their mountain journey. The inhabitants of Geneva received them with

great hospitality, clothing and feeding them until they were able to

proceed on their way northward. Some went into Brandenburg, some into

Holland, while others settled to various branches of industry in

different parts of Switzerland. Many of them, however, experienced

great difficulty in obtaining a settlement. Those who had entered the

Palatinate were driven thence by war, and those who had entered

Wurtemburg were expelled by the Grand Duke, who feared incurring the

ire of Louis XIV. by giving them shelter and protection. Hence many

little bands of the Vaudois refugees long continued to wander along

the valley of the Rhine, unable to find rest for their weary feet.

There were others trying to earn, a precarious living in Geneva and

Lausanne, and along the shores of Lake Leman. Some of these were men

who had fought under Javanel in his heroic combats with the

Piedmontese; and they thought with bitter grief of the manner in which

they had fallen into the trap of Catinat and the Duke of Savoy, and

abandoned their country almost without a struggle.

Then it was that the thought occurred to them whether they might not

yet strike a blow for the recovery of their valleys! The idea seemed

chimerical in the extreme. A few hundred destitute men, however

valiant, to think of recovering a country defended by the combined

armies of France and Savoy! Javanel, the old Vaudois hero, disabled by

age and wounds, was still alive--an exile at Geneva--and he was

consulted on the subject. Javanel embraced the project with,

enthusiasm; and the invasion of the valleys was resolved upon! A more

daring, and apparently more desperate enterprise, was never planned.

Who was to be their leader? Javanel himself was disabled. Though his

mind was clear, and his patriotic ardour unquenched, his body was

weak; and all that he could do was to encourage and advise. But he

found a noble substitute in Henry Arnaud, the Huguenot refugee, who

had already distinguished himself in his resistance to the troops of

Savoy. And Arnaud was now ready to offer up his life for the recovery

of the valleys.

The enterprise was kept as secret as possible, yet not so close as to

prevent the authorities of Berne obtaining some inkling of their

intentions. Three confidential messengers were first dispatched to the

valleys to ascertain the disposition of the population, and more

particularly to examine the best route by which an invasion might be

made. On their return with the necessary information, the plan was

settled by Javanel, as it was to be carried out by Arnaud. In the

meantime, the magistrates of Geneva, having obtained information as to

the intended movement, desirous of averting the hostility of France

and Savoy, required Javanel to leave their city, and he at once

retired to Ouchy, a little farther up the lake.

The greatest difficulty experienced by the Vaudois in carrying out

their enterprise was the want of means. They were poor, destitute

refugees, without arms, ammunition, or money to buy them. To obtain

the requisite means, Arnaud made a journey into Holland, for the

purpose of communicating the intended project to William of Orange.

William entered cordially into the proposed plan, recommended Arnaud

to several Huguenot officers, who afterwards took part in the

expedition, supplied him with assistance in money, and encouraged him

to carry out the design. Several private persons in Holland--amongst

others the post-master-general at Leyden--also largely contributed to

the enterprise.

At length all was ready. The men who intended to take part in the

expedition came together from various quarters. Some came from

Brandenburg, others from Bavaria and distant parts of Switzerland; and

among those who joined them was a body of French Huguenots, willing to

share in their dangers and their glory. One of their number, Captain

Turrel, like Arnaud, a native of Die in Dauphiny, was even elected as

the general of the expedition. Their rendez-vous was in the forest of

Prangins, near Nyon, on the north bank of the Lake of Geneva; and

there, on the night of the 16th of August, 1689, they met in the

hollow recesses of the wood. Fifteen boats had been got together, and

lay off the shore. After a fervent prayer by the pastor-general

Arnaud, imploring a blessing upon the enterprise, as many of the men

as could embark got into the boats. As the lake is there at its

narrowest, they soon rowed across to the other side, near the town of

Yvoire, and disembarked on the shore of Savoy. Arnaud had posted

sentinels in all directions, and the little body waited the arrival of

the remainder of their comrades from the opposite shore. They had all

crossed the lake by two o'clock in the morning; and about eight

hundred men, divided into nineteen companies,[109] each provided with

its captain, were now ready to march.

[Footnote 109: Of the nineteen companies three were composed

of the Vaudois of Angrogna; those of Bobi and St. John

furnished two each; and those of La Tour, Villar, Prarustin,

Prali, Macel, St. Germain, and Pramol, furnished one each.

The remaining six companies were composed of French Huguenot

refugees from Dauphiny and Languedoc under their respective

officers. Besides these, there were different smaller parties

who constituted a volunteer company. The entire force of

about eight hundred men was marshalled in three

divisions--vanguard, main body, and rearguard--and this

arrangement was strictly observed in the order of march.]

At the very commencement, however, they met with a misfortune. One of

the pastors, having gone to seek a guide in the village near at hand,

was seized as a prisoner by the local authorities, and carried off. On

this, the Vaudois, seeing that they were treated as enemies, sent a

party to summon Yvoire to open its gates, and it obeyed. The lord of

the manor and the receiver of taxes were taken as hostages, and made

to accompany the troop until they reached the next commune, when they

were set at liberty, and replaced by other hostages.

When it became known that the little army of Vaudois had set out on

their march, troops were dispatched from all quarters to intercept

them and cut them off; and it was believed that their destruction was

inevitable. "What possible chance is there," asked the _Historic

Mercury_ of the day, "of this small body of men penetrating to their

native country through the masses of French and Piedmontese troops

accumulating from all sides, without being crushed and exterminated?"

"It is impossible," wrote the _Leyden Gazette_, "notwithstanding

whatever precautions they may take, that the Vaudois can extricate

themselves without certain death, and the Court of Savoy may therefore

regard itself safe so far as they are concerned."

No sooner had the boats left the shore at Nyon for the further side of

the lake than the young seigneur of Prangins, who had been watching

their movements, rode off at full speed to inform the French resident

at Geneva of the departure of the Vaudois; and orders were at once

dispatched to Lyons for a strong body of cavalry to march immediately

towards Savoy to cut them off. But the Vaudois had well matured their

plans, and took care to keep out of reach of the advancing enemy.

Their route at first lay up the valleys towards the mountains, whose

crests they followed, from glacier to glacier, in places almost

inaccessible to regular troops, and thus they eluded the combined

forces of France and Savoy, which, vainly endeavoured to bar their

passage.

The first day's march led them into the valley of the Arve, by the Col

de Voirons, from which they took their last view of the peaceful Lake

of Geneva; thence they proceeded by the pyramidal mountain called the

Mole to the little town of Viu, where they rested for two hours,

starting again by moonlight, and passing through St. Joire, where the

magistrates brought out a great cask of wine, and placed it in the

middle of the street for their refreshment. The little army, however,

did not halt there, but marched on to the bare hill of Carman, where,

after solemn prayer, they encamped about midnight, sleeping on the

bare ground. Next day found them in front of the small walled town of

Cluse, in the rocky gorge of the Arve. The authorities shut the gates,

on which the Vaudois threatened to storm the place, when the gates

were opened, and they marched through the town, the inhabitants

standing under arms along both sides of the street. Here the Vaudois

purchased a store of food and wine, which they duly paid for.

They then proceeded on to Sallanches, where resistance was threatened.

They found a body of men posted on the wooden bridge which there

separated the village of St. Martin from Sallanches; but rushing

forward, the defenders of the bridge fled, and the little army passed

over and proceeded to range themselves in order of battle over against

the town, which was defended by six hundred troops. The Vaudois having

threatened to burn the town, and kill the hostages whom they had taken

on the slightest show of resistance, the threat had its effect, and

they were permitted to pass without further opposition, encamping for

the night at a little village about a league further on. And thus

closed the second day's march.

The third day they passed over the mountains of Lez Pras and Haute

Luce, seven thousand feet above the sea-level, a long and fatiguing

march. At one place the guide lost his way, and rain fell heavily,

soaking the men to the skin. They spent a wretched night in some empty

stables at the hamlet of St. Nicholas de Verose; and started earlier

than usual on the following morning, addressing themselves to the

formidable work of climbing the Col Bonhomme, which they passed with

the snow up to their knees. They were now upon the crest of the Alps,

looking down upon the valley of the Isere, into which they next

descended. They traversed the valley without resistance, passing

through St. Germain and Scez, turning aside at the last-mentioned

place up the valley of Tignes, thereby avoiding the French troops

lying in wait for them in the neighbourhood of Moutiers, lower down

the valley of the Isere. Later in the evening they reached Laval, at

the foot of Mont Iseran; and here Arnaud, for the first time during

eight days, snatched a few hours' sleep on a bed in the village.

The sixth day saw the little army climbing the steep slopes of Mont

Iseran, where the shepherds gave them milk and wished them God-speed;

but they warned them that a body of troops lay in their way at Mont

Cenis. On they went--over the mountain, and along the crest of the

chain, until they saw Bonneval in the valley beneath them, and there

they descended, passing on to Bessant in the valley of the Arc, where

they encamped for the night.

Next day they marched on Mont Cenis, which they ascended. As they were

crossing the mountain a strange incident occurred. The Vaudois saw

before them a large convoy of mules loaded with baggage. And shortly

after there came up the carriage and equipage of some grand personage.

It proved to be Cardinal Ranuzzi, on his way to Rome to take part in

the election of Pope Alexander VIII. The Vaudois seized the mules

carrying the baggage, which contained important documents compromising

Louis XIV. with Victor Amadeus; and it is said that in consequence of

their loss, the Cardinal, who himself aspired to the tiara, afterwards

died of chagrin, crying in his last moments, "My papers! oh, my

papers!"

The passage of the Great and Little Cenis was effected with great

difficulty. The snow lay thick on the ground, though it was the month

of August, and the travellers descended the mountain of Tourliers by a

precipice rather than a road. When night fell, they were still

scattered on the mountain, and lay down to snatch a brief sleep,

overcome with hunger and fatigue. Next morning they gathered together

again, and descended into the sterile valley of the Gaillon, and

shortly after proceeded to ascend the mountain opposite.

They were now close upon the large towns. Susa lay a little to the

east, and Exilles was directly in their way. The garrison of the

latter place came out to meet them, and from the crest of the mountain

rolled large stones and flung grenades down upon the invaders. Here

the Vaudois lost some men and prisoners, and finding the further

ascent impracticable, they retreated into the valley from which they

had come, and again ascended the steep slope of Tourliers in order to

turn the heights on which the French troops were posted. At last,

after great fatigue and peril, unable to proceed further, they gained

the crest of the mountain, and sounded their clarions to summon the

scattered body.

After a halt of two hours they proceeded along the ridge, and

perceived through the mist a body of soldiers marching along with

drums beating; it was the garrison of Exilles. The Vaudois were

recognised and followed by the soldiers at a distance. Proceeding a

little further, they came in sight of the long valley of the Doire,

and looking down into it, not far from the bridge of Salabertrans,

they discerned some thirty-six bivouac fires burning on the plain,

indicating the presence of a large force. These were their enemies--a

well-appointed army of some two thousand five hundred men--whom they

were at last to meet in battle. Nothing discouraged, they descended

into the valley, and the advanced guard shortly came in contact with

the enemy's outposts. Firing between them went on for an hour and a

half, and then night fell.

The Vaudois leaders held a council to determine what they should do;

and the result was, that an immediate attack was resolved upon, in

three bodies. The principal attack was made on the bridge, the passage

of which was defended by a strong body of French soldiers, under the

command of Colonel de Larrey. On the advance of the Vaudois in the

darkness, they were summoned to stand, but continued to advance, when

the enemy fired a volley on them, killing three men. Then the Vaudois

brigade rushed to the bridge, but seeing a strong body on the other

side preparing to fire again, Arnaud called upon his men to lie down,

and the volley went over their heads. Then Turrel, the Vaudois

captain, calling out "Forward! the bridge is won!" the Vaudois jumped

to their feet and rushed on. The two wings at the same time

concentrated their fire on the defenders, who broke and retired, and

the bridge was won. But at the further side, where the French were in

overpowering numbers, they refused to give way, and poured down their

fire on their assailants. The Vaudois boldly pressed on. They burst

through the French, force, cutting it in two; and fresh men pouring

over, the battle was soon won. The French, commander was especially

chagrined at having been beaten by a parcel of cowherds. "Is it

possible," he exclaimed, "that I have lost both the battle and my

honour?"

The rising moon showed the ground strewed with about seven hundred

dead; the Vaudois having lost only twenty-two killed and eight

wounded. The victors filled their pouches with ammunition picked up on

the field, took possession of as many arms and as much provisions as

they could carry, and placing the remainder in a heap over some

barrels of powder, they affixed a lighted match and withdrew. A

tremendous explosion shook the mountains, and echoed along the valley,

and the remains of the French camp were blown to atoms. The Vaudois

then proceeded at once to climb the mountain of Sci, which had to be

crossed in order to enter the valley of Pragelas.

It was early on a Sabbath morning, the ninth day of their march, that

the Vaudois reached the crest of the mountain overlooking

Fenestrelles, and saw spread out before them the beloved country which

they had come to win. They halted for the stragglers, and when these

had come up, Arnaud made them kneel down and thank God for permitting

them again to see their native land; himself offering up an eloquent

prayer, which cheered and strengthened them for further effort. And

then they descended into the valley of Pragelas, passing the river

Clusone, and halting to rest at the little village of La Traverse.

They were now close to the Vaudois strongholds, and in a country every

foot of which was familiar to most of them. But their danger was by no

means over; for the valleys were swarming with dragoons and

foot-soldiers; and when they had shaken off those of France, they had

still to encounter the troops of Savoy.

Late in the afternoon the little army again set out for the valley of

St. Martin, passing the night in the mountain hamlet of Jussand, the

highest on the Col du Pis. Next day they descended the Col near Seras,

and first came in contact with the troops of Savoy; but these having

taken to flight, no collision occurred; and on the following day the

Vaudois arrived, without further molestation, at the famous Balsille.

This celebrated stronghold is situated in front of the narrow defile

of Macel, which leads into the valley of St. Martin. It is a rampart

of rock, standing at the entrance to the pass, and is of such natural

strength, that but little art was needed to make it secure against any

force that could be brought against it. There is only one approach to

it from the valley of St. Martin, which is very difficult; a portion

of the way being in a deep wooded gorge, where a few men could easily

arrest the progress of an army. The rock itself consists of three

natural stages or terraces, the highest part rising steep as a wall,

being surmounted by a natural platform. The mountain was well supplied

with water, which gushed forth in several places. Caverns had been

hollowed out in the sides of the rocks, which served as hiding-places

during the persecutions which so often ravaged the valleys; and these

were now available for storehouses and barracks.

The place was, indeed, so intimately identified with the past

sufferings and triumphs of the Vaudois, and it was, besides, so

centrally situated, and so secure, that they came to regard its

possession as essential to the success of their enterprise. The aged

Javanel, who drew up the plan of the invasion before the eight hundred

set out on their march, attached the greatest importance to its early

occupation. "Spare no labour nor pains," he said, in the memorandum of

directions which he drew up, "in fortifying this post, which will be

your most secure fortress. Do not quit it unless in the utmost

extremity.... You will, of course, be told that you cannot hold it

always, and that rather than not succeed in their object, all France

and Italy will gather together against you.... But were it the whole

world, and only yourselves against all, fear ye the Almighty alone,

who is your protection."

On the arrival of the Vaudois at the Balsille, they discerned a small

body of troops advancing towards them by the Col du Pis, higher up the

valley. They proved to be Piedmontese, forty-six in number, sent to

occupy the pass. They were surrounded, disarmed, and put to death, and

their arms were hid away amongst the rocks. No quarter was given on

either side during this war; the Vaudois had no prisons in which to

place their captives; and they themselves, when taken, were treated

not as soldiers, but as bandits, being instantly hung on the nearest

trees. The Vaudois did not, however, yet take up their permanent

position at the Balsille, being desirous of rousing the valleys

towards the south. The day following, accordingly, they marched to

Pralis, in the valley of the Germanasca, when, for the first time

since their exile, they celebrated Divine worship in one of the

temples of their ancestors.

They were now on their way towards the valley of the Pelice, to reach

which it was necessary that they should pass over the Col Julian. An

army of three thousand Piedmontese barred their way, but nothing

daunted by the great disparity of force, the Vaudois, divided into

three bodies, as at Salabertrans, mounted to the assault. As they

advanced, the Piedmontese cried, "Come on, ye devil's Barbets, there

are more than three thousand of us, and we occupy all the posts!" In

less than half an hour the whole of the posts were carried, the pass

was cleared, and the Piedmontese fled down the further side of the

mountain, leaving all their stores behind them. On the following day

the Vaudois reached Bobi, drove out the new settlers, and resumed

possession of the lands of the commune. Thus, after the lapse of only

fourteen days, this little band of heroes had marched from the shores

of the Lake of Geneva, by difficult mountain-passes, through bands of

hostile troops, which they had defeated in two severe fights, and at

length reached the very centre of the Vaudois valleys, and entered

into possession of the "Promised Land."

They resolved to celebrate their return to the country of their

fathers by an act of solemn worship on the Sabbath following. The

whole body assembled on the hill of Silaoud, commanding an extensive

prospect of the valley, and with their arms piled, and resting under

the shade of the chestnut-trees which crown the hill, they listened to

an eloquent sermon from the pastor Montoux, who preached to them

standing on a platform, consisting of a door resting upon two rocks,

after which they chanted the 74th Psalm, to the clash of arms. They

then proceeded to enter into a solemn covenant with each other,

renewing the ancient oath of union of the valleys, and swearing never

to rest from their enterprise, even if they should be reduced to only

three or four in number, until they had "re-established in the valleys

the kingdom of the Gospel." Shortly after, they proceeded to divide

themselves into two bodies, for the purpose of occupying

simultaneously, as recommended by Javanel, the two valleys of the

Pelice and St. Martin.

But the trials and sufferings they had already endured were as nothing

compared with those they were now about to experience. Armies

concentrated on them from all points. They were pressed by the French

on the north and west, and by the Piedmontese on the south and east.

Encouraged by their success at Bobi, the Vaudois rashly attacked

Villar, lower down the valley, and were repulsed with loss. From

thence they retired up the valley of Rora, and laid it waste; the

enemy, in like manner, destroying the town of Bobi and laying waste

the neighbourhood.

The war now became one of reprisals and mutual devastation, the two

parties seeking to deprive each other of shelter and the means of

subsistence. The Vaudois could only obtain food by capturing the

enemy's convoys, levying contributions from the plains, and making

incursions into Dauphiny. The enterprise on which they had entered

seemed to become more hopeless from day to day. This handful of men,

half famished and clothed in rags, had now arrayed against them

twenty-two thousand French and Sardinians, provided with all the

munitions of war. That they should have been able to stand against

them for two whole months, now fighting in one place, and perhaps the

next day some twenty miles across the mountains in another, with

almost invariable success, seems little short of a miracle. But flesh

and blood could not endure such toil and privations much longer. No

wonder that the faint-hearted began to despair. Turrel, the military

commander, seeing no chance of a prosperous issue, withdrew across the

French frontier, followed by the greater number of the Vaudois from

Dauphiny;[110] and there remained only the Italian Vaudois, still

unconquered in spirit, under the leadership of their pastor-general

Arnaud, who never appeared greater than in times of difficulty and

danger.

[Footnote 110: The greater number of them, including Turrel,

were taken prisoners and shot, or sent to the galleys, where

they died. This last was the fate of Turrel.]

With his diminished forces, and the increasing numbers of the enemy,

Arnaud found it impossible to hold both the valleys, as intended;

besides, winter was approaching, and the men must think of shelter and

provisions during that season, if resistance was to be prolonged. It

was accordingly determined to concentrate their little force upon the

Balsille, and all haste was made to reach that stronghold without

further delay. Their knowledge of the mountain heights and passes

enabled them to evade their enemies, who were watching for them along

the valleys, and they passed from the heights of Rodoret to the

summit of the Balsille by night, before it was known that they were in

the neighbourhood. They immediately set to work to throw up

entrenchments and erect barricades, so as to render the place as

secure as possible. Foraging parties were sent out for provisions, to

lay in for the winter, and they returned laden with corn from the

valley of Pragelas. At the little hamlet of Balsille they repaired the

mill, and set it a-going, the rivulet which flowed down from the

mountain supplying abundance of water-power.

It was at the end of October that the little band of heroes took

possession of the Balsille, and they held it firmly all through the

winter. For more than six months they beat back every force that was

sent against them. The first attack was made by the Marquis

d'Ombrailles at the head of a French detachment; but though the enemy

reached the village of Balsille, they were compelled to retire, partly

by the bullets of the defenders, and partly by the snow, which was

falling heavily. The Marquis de Parelles next advanced, and summoned

the Vaudois to surrender; but in vain. "Our storms are still louder

than your cannon," replied Arnaud, "and yet our rocks are not shaken."

Winter having set in, the besiegers refrained for a time from further

attacks, but strictly guarded all the passes leading to the fortress;

while the garrison, availing themselves of their knowledge of the

locality, made frequent sorties into the adjoining valleys, as well as

into those of Dauphiny, for the purpose of collecting provisions, in

which they were usually successful.

When the fine weather arrived, suitable for a mountain campaign, the

French general, Catinat, assembled a strong force, and marched into

the valley, determined to make short work of this little nest of

bandits on the Balsille. On Sunday morning, the 30th of April, 1690,

while Arnaud was preaching to his flock, the sentinels on the look-out

discovered the enemy's forces swarming up the valley. Soon other

bodies were seen approaching by the Col du Pis and the Col du Clapier,

while a French regiment, supported by the Savoyard militia, climbed

Mont Guinevert, and cut off all retreat in that quarter. In short, the

Balsille was completely invested.

A general assault was made on the position on the 2nd of May, under

the direction of General Catinat in person. Three French regiments,

supported by a regiment of dragoons, opened the attack in front;

Colonel de Parat, who commanded the leading regiment, saying to his

soldiers as they advanced, "My friends, we must sleep to-night in that

barrack," pointing to the rude Vaudois fort on the summit of the

Balsille. They advanced with great bravery; but the barricade could

not be surmounted, while they were assailed by a perfect storm of

bullets from the defenders, securely posted above.

Catinat next ordered the troops stationed on the Guinevert to advance

from that direction, so as to carry the position from behind. But the

assailants found unexpected intrenchments in their way, from behind

which the Vaudois maintained a heavy fire, that eventually drove them

back, their retreat being accelerated by a shower of stones and a

blinding fall of snow and hail. In the meantime, the attack on the

bastion in front continued, and the Vaudois, seeing the French troops

falling back in disorder, made a vigorous sortie, and destroyed the

whole remaining force, excepting fifteen men, who fled, bare-headed

and without arms, and carried to the camp the news of their total

defeat.

A Savoyard officer thus briefly described the issue of the disastrous

affair in a letter to a friend: "I have only time to tell you that the

French have failed in their attack on the Balsille, and they have been

obliged to retire after having lost one hundred and fifty soldiers,

three captains, besides subalterns and wounded, including a colonel

and a lieutenant-colonel who have been made prisoners, with the two

sergeants who remained behind to help them. The lieutenant-colonel was

surprised at finding in the fort some nineteen or twenty officers in

gold and silver lace, who treated him as a prisoner of war and very

humanely, even allowing him to go in search of the surgeon-major of

his regiment for the purpose of bringing him into the place, and doing

all that was necessary."

Catinat did not choose again to renew the attack in person, or to

endanger his reputation by a further defeat at the hands of men whom

he had described as a nest of paltry bandits, but entrusted the

direction of further operations to the Marquis de Feuquieres, who had

his laurels still to win, while Catinat had his to lose. The Balsille

was again completely invested by the 12th of May, according to the

scheme of operations prepared by Catinat, and the Marquis received by

anticipation the title of "Conqueror of the Barbets." The entire

mountain was surrounded, all the passes were strongly guarded, guns

were planted in positions which commanded the Vaudois fort, more

particularly on the Guinevert; and the capture or extermination of the

Vaudois was now regarded as a matter of certainty. The attacking army

was divided into five corps. Each soldier was accompanied by a pioneer

carrying a fascine, in order to form a cover against the Vaudois

bullets as they advanced.

Several days elapsed before all the preliminaries for the grand attack

were completed, and then the Marquis ordered a white flag to be

hoisted, and a messenger was sent forward, inviting a parley with the

defenders of the Balsille. The envoy was asked what he wanted. "Your

immediate surrender!" was the reply. "You shall each of you receive

five hundred louis d'or, and good passports for your retirement to a

foreign country; but if you resist, you will be infallibly destroyed."

"That is as the Lord shall will," replied the Vaudois messenger.

The defenders refused to capitulate on any terms. The Marquis himself

then wrote to the Vaudois, offering them terms on the above basis, but

threatening, in case of refusal, that every man of them would be hung.

Arnaud's reply was heroic. "We are not subjects," he said, "of the

King of France; and that monarch not being master of this country, we

can enter into no treaty with his servants. We are in the heritage

which our fathers have left to us, and we hope, with the help of the

God of armies, to live and die in it, even though there may remain

only ten of us to defend it." That same night the Vaudois made a

vigorous sortie, and killed a number of the besiegers: this was their

final answer to the summons to surrender.

On the 14th of May the battery on Mont Guinevert was opened, and the

enemy's cannon began to play upon the little fort and bastions, which,

being only of dry stones, were soon dismantled. The assault was then

made simultaneously on three sides; and after a stout resistance, the

Vaudois retired from their lower intrenchments, and retreated to

those on the higher ledges of the mountain. They continued their

resistance until night, and then, taking counsel together, and feeling

that the place was no longer defensible in the face of so overpowering

a force, commanded, as it was, at the same time by the cannon on the

adjoining heights, they determined to evacuate the Balsille, after

holding it for a period of nearly seven months.

A thick mist having risen up from the valley, the Vaudois set out,

late at night, under the guidance of Captain Poulat, a native of the

district, who well knew the paths in the mountains. They climbed up on

to the heights above, over icy slopes, passing across gaping crevices

and along almost perpendicular rocks, admitting of their passage only

in single file, sometimes dragging themselves along on their bellies,

clinging to the rocks or to the tufts of grass, occasionally resting

and praying, but never despairing. At length they succeeded, after a

long detour of the mountain crests, in gaining the northern slope of

Guinevert. Here they came upon and surprised the enemy's outpost,

which fled towards the main body; and the Vaudois passed on, panting

and half dead with fatigue. When the morning broke, and the French

proceeded to penetrate the last redoubt on the Balsille, lo, it was

empty! The defenders had abandoned it, and they could scarcely believe

their eyes when they saw the dangerous mountain escarpment by which

they had escaped in the night. Looking across the valley, far off,

they saw the fugitives, thrown into relief by the snow amidst which

they marched, like a line of ants, apparently making for the mass of

the central Alps.

For three days they wandered from place to place, gradually moving

southwards, their object now being to take up their position at the

Pra du Tour, the ancient fortress of the Barbas in the valley of

Angrogna. Before, however, they could reach this stronghold, and while

they were still at Pramol in the valley of Perosa, news of the most

unexpected kind reached them, which opened up the prospect of their

deliverance. The news was no other than this--Savoy had declared war

against France!

A rupture between the two powers had for some time been imminent.

Louis XIV. had become more and more exacting in his demands on the

Duke of Savoy, until the latter felt himself in a position of

oppressive vassalage. Louis had even intimated his intention of

occupying Verrua and the citadel of Turin; and the Duke, having

previously ascertained through his cousin, Prince Eugene, the

willingness of the Emperor of Austria, pressed by William of Orange,

to assist him in opposing the pretensions of France, he at length took

up his stand and declared war against Louis.

The Vaudois were now a power in the state, and both parties alike

appealed to them for help, promising them great favours. But the

Vaudois, notwithstanding the treachery and cruelty of successive Dukes

of Savoy, were true to their native prince. They pledged themselves to

hold the valleys and defend the mountain passes against France.

In the first engagements which took place between the French and the

Piedmontese, the latter were overpowered, and the Duke became a

fugitive. Where did he find refuge? In the valleys of the Vaudois, in

a secluded spot in the village of Rora, behind the Pelice, he found a

safe asylum amidst the people whose fathers he had hunted, proscribed,

and condemned to death.

But the tide of war turned, and the French were eventually driven out

of Piedmont. Many of the Vaudois, who had settled in Brandenburg,

Holland, and Switzerland, returned and settled in the valleys; and

though the Dukes of Savoy, with their accustomed treachery, more than

once allowed persecution to recommence, their descendants continue to

enjoy the land, and to worship after the manner of their fathers down

to the present day.

The Vaudois long laboured under disabilities, and continued to be

deprived of many social and civil rights. But they patiently bided

their time; and the time at length arrived. In 1848 their emancipation

was one of the great questions of North Italy. It was taken up and

advocated by the most advanced minds of Piedmont. The petition to

Charles Albert in their favour was in a few days covered with the

names of its greatest patriots, including those of Balbo, Cavour, and

D'Azeglio. Their emancipation was at length granted, and the Vaudois

now enjoy the same rights and liberties as the other subjects of

Victor Emanuel.

Nor is the Vaudois Church any longer confined to the valleys, but it

has become extended of late years all over Italy--to Milan, Florence,

Brescia, Verona, Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Palermo, Cataneo, Venice, and

even to Rome itself. In most of these places there are day-schools and

Sunday-schools, besides churches. The new church at Venice, held in

the Cavagnis palace, seems to have proved especially successful, the

Sunday services being regularly attended by from three to four hundred

persons; while the day-schools in connection with the churches at

Turin, Leghorn, Naples, and Cataneo have proved very successful.

Thus, in the course of a few years, thirty-three Vaudois churches and

stations, with about an equal number of schools, have been established

in various parts of Italy. The missionaries report that the greatest

difficulties they have to encounter arise from the incredulity and

indifference which are the natural heritage of the Romish Church; but

that, nevertheless, the work makes satisfactory progress--the good

seed is being planted, and will yet bring forth its increase in God's

due time.

Finally, it cannot but be acknowledged that the people of the valleys,

in so tenaciously and conscientiously adhering to their faith, through

good and through evil, during so many hundred years, have set a

glorious example to Piedmont, and have possibly been in no small

degree instrumental in establishing the reign of right and of liberty

in Italy.

INDEX.

Aiguesmortes, Huguenot prison at, 193, 273, 300.

Albigenses, 75.

Anabaptists of Munster, 282-3.

Anduze, visit to, 125.

Angrogna, valley of, 481;

fighting in, 481-86, 498.

Arnaud, Henry, 215, 512;

leads back the Vaudois, 503-15;

defends the Balsille, 515-19.

Athlone, siege of, 349-50, 355-8.

Balsille, the, 510;

defence of, 515-19;

given up, 519.

Baridon, Etienne, 442-3.

Barillon, M. de, 323, 330-1.

Baville on the Protestants of Languedoc, 77, 86;

occupies the Cevennes, 87;

at Pont-de-Montvert, 92.

Beauval, Basnage de, 364.

Beauvau, Prince de, 273-4.

Beckwith, General, 478.

Berwick, Duke of, 310-11, 333, 351.

Bibles, destruction and scarcity of, 215-16.

Boileau, General, 351-2.

Bonnafoux repulsed by Camisards, 142.

Book-burning, 215, 235-6.

Bordeille, Raphael, 318.

Bourg d'Oisans, 409-10.

Boyne, battle of the, 341-7.

Briancon, 414-16.

Briset, Lieut., death of, 335.

Broglie, Count, 143-4, 148;

superseded, 149.

Brousson, Claude, 30;

advocate for Protestant church at Nismes, 31;

meeting in house of, 34;

petition by, 35;

escape from Nismes, 42;

at Lausanne, 43, 46;

at Berlin, 44;

in the Cevennes, 50-2, 54;

reward offered for, 56; at Nismes, 57;

preaching of, 58-9;

to Lausanne, England, and Holland, 61-2;

at Sedan, 64;

through France, 66-7;

portraiture of, 68 (note);

to Nismes again, 69;

taken, tried, and executed, 70-3.

Browne, Col. Lyde, 380.

Brueys on fanaticism in Languedoc, 91.

Bull of Clement XI. against Camisards, 160.

Caillemotte, Col., 339;

death of, 345, 348.

Calas, Jean, 257;

executed, 258;

case taken up by Voltaire, 259-62;

reversal of judgment on, 262-3.

Calvinism and race, 100 (note).

Calvinists, French and Scotch, compared, 100.

Cambon, Col., 357.

Camisards, the origin of name, 107;

led by Laporte, 109;

organization of, 112-13;

encounter troops, 113-14, 117;

war-song of, 115;

organized by Roland, 123-4;

successes of, 134-40, 142, 146-50;

spread of insurrection of, 138-9;

measures against, 139, 146-7;

defeat of, at Vagnas, 150;

defeat of, near Pompignan, 152;

success of, at Martinargues, 162-4;

bull against, 160;

success at Salindres, 164-5;

defeated near Nismes, 168-9;

reverses of, 170-1;

success at Font-morte, 176-7;

defeated at Pont-de-Montvert, and end of insurrection, 187-9.

Camisards, White, 160-1.

Carrickfergus, siege of, 335.

Castanet, Andre, 111, 113, 118, 123, 189.

Cavalier, John, joins insurgents, 108, 111;

family of, 121;

to Geneva, 121;

to the Cevennes, 122;

portrait of, 124;

in Lower Languedoc, 133;

defeats Royalists, 134-5;

takes Chateau Servas, 136-7;

repulses Bonnafoux, 142;

at Nismes, 144-5;

successes of, 148;

winter campaign, 148-9;

at Vagnas, 150-1, 153;

betrayed at Tower of Belliot, 156-8;

at Martinargues, 162-4;

at Rosni, 169;

his cave magazines, 170-1;

his interview with Lalande, 173-6;

attempts peace, 177;

his interviews with Villars, 177-83;

deserted by followers, 183-5;

to England, and subsequent career, 186.

Caves in the Cevennes, 125, 127-9;

at La Tour, 477.

Cazenove, Raoul de, 321, 367.

Cevennes, the, persecutions in, 39, 52-3, 85;

secret meetings in, 54, 84-8;

executions in, 59, 67-8;

description of, 79-82;

arming of the people, 85-6;

occupied by troops, 88;

prophetic mania in, 88;

encounter at Pont-de-Montvert, 92;

outbreak against Du Chayla, 96-7;

map of, 98;

Protestants of, compared with Covenanters, 100-1;

organization in, 123-5;

caves in, 125, 127-9;

visit to, 125-9;

present inhabitants of, 129, 131-2;

devastation of, 154-5.

Champ Domergue, battle at, 114.

Charlemont, capture of, 339.

Chateau Queyras, 467.

Chaumont, 271.

Chayla, Du, 93-4, 97.

Chenevix, 15 (note).

Choiseul, Duc de, 268.

Claris, 237.

Colognac, execution of, 59.

Comiers, 407.

Conderc, Salomon, 119, 123.

"Conversions," rapid, 289.

Converts, 19-23, 38-9.

Cook, Captain, last voyage round the world, 371;

cruel death, 371.

Court profligacy, 275 (note).

Court, Antoine, 206-17;

organizes school for preachers, 224;

marriage of, 231;

retires to Switzerland, 232;

results of his work, 233-4;

in Languedoc, 239.

Covenanters compared with Protestants of the Cevennes, 100-2.

Cromwell, 391-2, 476.

D'Aguesseau's opinion of Protestants of Languedoc, 76-7.

Dauphiny, map of, 382;

aspect of, 383-4.

Delada, Mdlle. de, 295.

Denbeck, Abbe of, 322-3.

Denese, Rotolf de la, 364.

Desert, assemblies in the, 83-8, 218-23.

Desparves, M., 297.

Dormilhouse, 438, 443-54.

Dortial, 238.

Douglas, Lieut.-General, 349-51, 355.

Dragonnades, 36-7, 42, 54-5, 288;

horrors of, 291.

Drogheda, surrender of, 349.

Dumas, death of, 52.

Dundalk, Schomberg's army at, 337-8.

Durand, Pierre, 236.

Easter massacre of the Vaudois, 390-92.

England attempts to assist the Camisards, 166-7.

Enniskilleners, the, 336.

Evertzen, Vice-Admiral, 325.

Execution of Pastors, 27.

Fabre, Jean, 265;

sent to galleys, 266-9;

obtains leave of absence, 269;

exonerated, 270;

life dramatized, and result, 270.

Fermaud, Pastor, 407.

Freemantle, Rev. Mr., visits of, to the Vaudois, 395, 450, 462.

French labouring classes, present condition of, 397-400.

Freney, gorge of, 411.

Fusiliers, missionary, 293.

Galley, description of, 197-8;

use in war, 200-4.

Galley-slaves, treatment of, 194-204;

liberation of Protestants, 204, 264 (note), 271-3.

Galway, Earl of, 360.

Gilly, Dr., visit to the Vaudois, 393-4, 468, 477.

Ginckel, Lieut.-General, 347, 354 _et seq._

Glorious Return of the Vaudois, 493-5.

Grace, Col. Richard, 351.

Guarrison, Mdlle. de, 294.

Guerin, death of, 67.

Guignon betrays Cavalier, 156;

executed, 159.

Guil, valley of the, 466.

Guillestre, 456-66.

Guion executed, 57.

Herbert, Admiral, 325.

Homel, tortures and death of, 40.

Hood, Lord, 376.

Huguenots, the (see _Camisards_);

emigrations of, 43, 76-8, 83, 287, 316;

persecution of, after Camisard insurrection, 190-204;

as galley-slaves, 194-204;

brought together by Court, 210-17;

reorganization of, 218-228;

outrages on, 228;

great assemblies of, 239-40;

last of the executions, 258;

last of the galley-slaves, 265-273;

character of, 274-5;

later history of, 276-283;

decrees against, 286-6;

in England, 309;

foreign services of, 316-17.

Ireland and James II., 331 _et seq._

Irish Brigade, 140-2, 359.

Iron Boot, the, 102.

James II., flight of, 309, 329;

lands with an army in Ireland, 309, 332;

campaign against William III., 309 _et seq._, 333 _et seq._;

deserted, 328;

taken prisoner, 329;

his last proclamation, 330;

at the French court, 331;

cowardice, 337, 347-8;

Catholic estimate of his character, 348.

Joany, Nicholas, insurgent leader, 120, 123, 151.

Johannot, 269.

Julien, Brigadier, 147, 150-1.

Lagier, Jean, 452, 453 (note).

Lajonquiere defeated at Martinargues, 162-4.

Lalande, his interview with Cavalier, 173-6.

Languedoc (see _Cevennes_), early liberty in, 75;

Albigenses in, 75;

Protestants of, 76-7;

industry of, 76;

emigration from, after Revocation, 78, 289;

arming of people of, 85-6;

outbreak of fanaticism in, 88-92;

present inhabitants of, 280-3.

Laporte, leader of Camisards, 109-10;

organizes insurgents, 112;

at Collet, 113;

at Champ Domergue, 114;

killed at Molezon, 117.

La Salette, 404;

miracle of, 405-6.

La Tour, 476-80.

Laugier at Guillestre, 463;

at Chateau Queyras, 464.

Lausanne, school for preachers at, 224;

Society of Help at, 224-5.

Lauteret, Col de, 413.

Lauzun, Count, 339, 358.

Lesdiguieres, Duc de, 402-3, 455.

Limerick, siege of, 351-4, 359.

Lintarde, Marie, imprisonment of, 54.

Locke, John, on Protestants of Nismes, 31 (note).

Londonderry, siege of, 333.

Louis XIV., 2, 10, 146, 205.

Louis XV., 275.

Louis XVI., 276;

maxim of, 285;

his decrees against Protestants, 285-6;

his mode of stopping the emigration of Huguenots, 287-8;

expulsion of Protestants, 316;

assists James II., 332.

Luttrell, Capt., brilliant naval achievement of, 372.

Mackay, Major-General, 355, 357.

Marillac, Michel de, inventor of the dragonnades, 288.

Marion on influence of Camisard prophets, 119.

Marlborough, Earl of, 354.

Marteilhe, autobiography of, 195, 201-4.

Martinargues, battle at, 162-4.

Massillon on Louis XIV., 10.

Mazel, Abraham, 120, 123.

Mialet, visit to, 127-8.

Milsom, Edward, 395, 451, 490-92.

Missionaries, booted, 288.

Montandre, Marquis de, 314.

Montauban, persecutions at, 289-90.

Montpellier, Protestant Church at, 32-3;

the Peyron at, 72;

execution of Brousson at, 73, 300.

Montrevel, Marshal, in Languedoc, 149;

at Pompignan, 152;

adopts extermination, 153;

at Tower of Belliot, 156-8;

character of, 159;

recalled, 167;

defeats Cavalier, 168-9.

Nantes, Revocation of Edict of, and its results, 1-19, 24, 44-5, 78;

contemporary opinion upon, 1-10;

enactments of Edict of Revocation, 12-15, 285-6.

Neff, Felix, 427-32;

life of, 394, 404;

his account of winter at Dormilhouse, 447;

his charge, 469.

Nelson, Lord, eulogium on Capt. Riou, 368;

at the battle of Copenhagen, 378-9.

Ners, visit to, 131.

Newton Butler, engagement at, 333.

Nismes, Protestant Church at, 31;

petition from, 41;

Brousson at, 57, 69;

Guion at, 57;

country about, 81, 130-2;

success of Camisards near, 143;

Cavalier at, 144-5, 177-83;

treaty of, 179-80;

Huguenot meetings at, 265.

Ormond, Duke of, 349.

Palons, 433-6.

Paulet, Mdlle., forgeries in name of, 32-4.

Pechell, Augustus, 315.

Pechell, Capt. William Cecil, 315.

Pechell, Col. Jacob, 313.

Pechell, Paul, 314.

Pechell, Samuel, extraordinary probity of, 314.

Pechell, Sir G. R. Brooke, 315.

Pechell, Sir Thomas, 315.

Pechels de la Boissonade, Samuel de, narrative of his persecutions, 291

_et seq._;

imprisonment, 296, 299-301;

meeting with his wife, 297;

condemned to banishment, 299;

embarkation, 302;

sails for America, 303;

sufferings, 304-5;

reaches the West Indies, 305;

illness and arrival in London, 307;

accepts a commission in the English army, 309;

campaign in Ireland, 310;

return to London, 311;

removal with his wife and son to Dublin, 312;

death of, 312;

his descendants, 313.

Pechels, family of, 290.

Pechels, Madame de, inhumanity towards, 294-5;

touching interview with her husband, 297;

further trials, 297;

escape to Geneva, 298;

in London, 308;

reunited to her husband, 311.

Pelice, Valley of the, 472.

Pelisson, 323.

Pont-de-Montvert, outbreak at, 92-7;

description of, 93-4;

end of Camisard insurrection at, 187-9.

Portland, Earl of, 361, 363.

Portland Vase, 363.

Poul, Captain, in Upper Cevennes, 108;

at Champ Domergue, 114-16;

takes Laporte at Molezon, 117;

defeated and killed near Nismes, 143-4.

Pra du Tour, 486-90, 499.

Preachers, education of, 221-4;

hardships of, 225-9, 236-8.

Project, the, 34.

"Protestant wind," the, 325.

Protestantism in France, present chances of, 417.

Quoite, execution of, 53.

Rapin, Capt. Paul, birth and education, 321-2;

emigrates to England, 322;

embarks for Holland, 323;

a cadet in the Dutch army, 324;

sails for England, 325;

encounters a storm, 326;

with the army of William III., 335 _et seq._;

aide-de-camp, 350;

wounded and promoted, 354;

conciliatory spirit, 358-9;

at Kinsale, 359;

tutor to Lord Woodstock, 360;

presented to the King, 371;

makes the "grand tour" with his pupil, 362-3;

secures the Portland Vase, 363;

marriage, 363;

at the Hague and Wesel, 364;

his "Dissertation on the Origin and Nature of the English

Constitution," 364;

"History of England," 364-7;

death of, 366.

Rapin, Daniel de, 324.

Rapin family, 317-21, 367.

Rapin, Solomon, 354, 360.

Ravanel, insurgent leader, defeats Royalists near Nismes, 143;

near Bouquet, 145;

supplants Cavalier, 182-5;

death of, 189.

Redothiere, Isabeau, 53.

Resseguerie, M. de la, 297.

Rey, Fulcran, his preaching and death, 25-7.

Riou, Capt., R.N., Lord Nelson's opinion of, 368;

ancestry, 368-70;

birth and education, 370;

becomes a midshipman, 370;

accompanies Capt. Cook in his last voyage, 371;

witnesses the murder of the captain, 371;

return to England and appointed lieutenant, 372;

a sharer in the glory of Capt. Luttrell's brilliant achievement, 372;

appointed to the command of the _Guardian_, 373;

letters to his mother, 373, 377;

his ship strikes upon an iceberg, 374;

remains with the vessel, 375;

letter to the Admiralty, 375;

extract from his log, 376;

rescued by Dutch whalers, and return to England, 376;

receives the special thanks of the Admiralty, 377;

commander of the royal yacht _Princess Augusta_, 378;

at the battle of Copenhagen, 378-9;

death of, 379;

his character, 379-80;

monument in St. Paul's Cathedral, 380.

Rochemalan, Vaudois struggles at, 482-6.

Roger, Jacques, 213.

Roland, nephew of Laporte, 111;

insurgent leader, 113;

succeeds Laporte, 118;

in Lower Cevennes, 122;

organizes Camisards, 123-5;

takes Sauve, 137;

at Pompignan, 152;

at Salindres, 164-5;

at Font-Morte, 176-7;

at Pont-de-Montvert, 187;

death of, 188.

Romanche, Valley of the, 401, 408.

Rosen, Count, 332;

indignation against King James, 337.

Rostan, Alpine missionary, 460 (note).

Rou, Jean, 363-4.

Roussel, Alexandre, 232.

Ruvigny, Major-General, 357.

St. Bartholomew, doubt thrown upon massacre of, 27.

Saint-Etienne, Rabout, 276-7.

St. Hypolite, meeting at, 35.

Saint-Ruth, Marshal, 38;

in Ireland, 38 (note), 354 _et seq._

Saint-Simon on the treatment of converts, 23.

Sands, Captain, 357.

San Veran, 468.

Sarsfield, General, 351-3, 356.

Savoy and France, war declared, 520.

Savoy, Duke of, takes refuge with the Vaudois, 520.

Schomberg, Marshal, 309 _et seq._, 317, 344 _et seq._;

death of, 345.

Schomberg, Count, 348.

Sedan, prosperity of, before Revocation, 64-5;

Brousson at, 65-6.

Seguier, Pierre, insurgent leader, 96, 103;

at Frugeres, 104;

at Font-Morte, 106;

taken, tried, and executed, 106-7.

Sirven, 263;

case of, taken up by Voltaire, 264.

Society of Friends in Languedoc, 281-2.

Souverain executed, 52.

Squeezers, the, 101 (note).

Synod of French Protestant Church, 283.

Talmash, Major-General, 357.

Telford, anecdote of, 82.

Testart, Marie Anne, 363.

Tetleau, Major-General, 357.

Toleration, Edict of, 276.

"Troopers' Lane," 310.

Tyrconnel, Earl of, 331-2.

Tyrconnel, Lady, retort to King James, 348.

Val Fressinieres, 423-5, 432-43.

Val Louise, 420;

massacre at, 422.

Vaudois, the country of, 385;

early Christianity of, 386-6;

early persecutions of, 388;

Easter massacre of, 390-1;

visits of Dr. Gilly to, 393-4, 468, 477;

passiveness of, 420-1;

massacre of, at Val Louise, 422;

persecutions of, 424-6, 455, 481, 495-500, 513-20;

refuges of, 459, 467, 475, 477, 481;

struggles of, at Rochemalan, 482-6;

flight at the Revocation, 495;

apparently exterminated, 500;

in Switzerland, 501;

prepare to return, 502;

Arnaud appointed leader, 502;

assisted by William of Orange, 503;

The Glorious Return of, 504-13;

struggles of, at the Balsille, 515;

assist Duke of Savoy, 520;

emancipation of, 521-2.

Venours, Marquis de, death of, 335.

Vesson, 212, 214.

Vidal, Isaac, preacher, 48.

Villars, Marshal, on prophetic mania in Languedoc, 90;

appointed to command in Languedoc, 167;

at Nismes, 169;

clemency of, 172-86;

treats with Cavalier, 177, 185;

suppresses insurrection of Camisards, 188.

Vincent, Isabel, prophetess, 89, 90.

Vivens, death of, 56.

Voltaire, takes up case of Calas, 259-63;

takes up case of Sirven, 264;

case of Chaumont, 271.

Waldenses, the, 384.

Walker, Dr. George, death of, 348.

Waller, Sir James, 359.

Wheel, punishment of the, 258 (note).

William of Orange lands in England, 308;

proclaimed King, 309;

campaign against James II., 309 _et seq._, 340 _et seq._;

his fleet, 325-7;

wounded, 342;

death of, 364.

Woodstock, Lord, 360-3.

Wurtemberg, Duke of, 340, 357.

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End of Project Gutenberg's The Huguenots in France, by Samuel Smiles