The history of the Vaudois. Wherein is shewn their original; how God has preserved the Christian religion among them in its purity, from the time of the Apostles to our days; the wonders he has done for their preservation, with the signal and miraculous victories that they have gained over their enemies; how they were dispersed, and their churches ruined; and how at last they were re-established, beyond the expectation and hope of all the world. / By Peter Boyer ... ; and newly translated out of French by a person of quality.

ADVERTISEMENT.

OF all the people that ever have been, from the Creation of the world till our times, there is none except the ancient people of the Jews, whose History contains so many wonders as this of the Vaudois of Piemont; for whether one consider their Perseverance in the profession of the holy doctrine of the Apo∣stles, or one reflects upon the wars they have maintained these 200 years, to preserve a∣mong them the Purity of the Christian Religi∣on; one sees so many miracles of Wisdom, Goodness, and Power of God, that it's im∣possible not to confess, that God has declared himself plainly to be the God of this people, and that he is the Protector and Defender of their Persons, as well as Religion.

We learn from the Holy Scripture, that the people of the Jews, whom God had chosen above all the people of the Earth, to be his people, and in favour of whom he had done so many miracles in Aegypt, in the Red Sea,

and the Wilderness; often fell into Idolatry and polluted thimselves with the abominations of the Heathens, that dwelt round about them, but we do not find that the Vaudois did ever fall into Idolatry, after they were once planted in the field of the Church; we likewise see, that many Heresies were introduced into the Primitive Church by the craft of Satan, as those of the Eutichians, Nestorians, and above all that of the Arians; but we can never discover that any of these Heresies took footing in the Valleys of Piemont; and when all the world ran after the Beast of the Apo∣calypse, after the great Harlot, with whom the Kings of the Earth have committed Whoredom, and who with her wine made all the Inhabitants of the Earth drunk; the Churches of Piemont only followed Iesus Christ, and inviolably adhered to his Do∣ctrine. So the Valleys had antiently for their arms, a Torch environed with thick Dark∣ness, with this Motto, Lux lucet in tene∣bris, Light shines in darkness; and as all Ae∣gypt was covered over with palpable Dark∣ness, only in the Land of Goshen shined a clear bright Light, even so, as long as the Christian world was covered over with the Darkness of Idolatry and Errors, there were only the Churches of Piemont that were illu∣minated with the clear light of the Gospel.

Now how was it possible that this celestial verity should be preserved pure in these Valleys even to our times, if God, by his infinite power, and adorable wisdom, had not hindred Satan from sowing his Cockle in the mystical Field of his Church, to corrupt as he had done in other places, the good seed of his word, by the mixture of humane Traditions and Pagan Ceremonies, which have corrupted sound Doctrine; and that which is the greatest cause of admiration, is, that these Valleys are scituated in Italy, where the great Whore has her Seat, and the Princes of Piemont are subject to her Empire.

As to the wars that the Vaudois have maintained against their Enemies, who rose against them to destroy them, and to extinguish the bright Lamp of the Gospel; they are all full of Miracles, where one may see a handful of men, conducted by Chieftains of no military experience, put to flight great Armies, commanded by the most valiant and most ex∣perienced Captains of the Age; their Enemies were 20 and 30 and sometimes 100 against one. Now how was it possible they should have got so many signal victories, if the God of Battle had not fought for them, and de∣fended them? If God had not given them a most singular Courage, and had not confound∣ed their Enemies, and struck them with a

pannick fear; but that which is the fullest of miracles, and the greatest cause of Asto∣nishment is, that neither so many wars raised, by their Enemies, during the space of 200 years, nor so many Battels they have fought during those long and bloody wars, nor the cruel Persecutions they have endured, nor the diabolical artifices of the Emissaries of Anti∣christ have been able to destroy or to dissipate these poor Churches, till the year 1686. when Perfidiousness and Treachery triumphed over their Innocence.

If the subsistence of the Vaudois, in th•…•…s•…•… Valleys, during so long a space of time, and among so many obstacles be full of won∣ders, their return and re-establishment is not less miraculous.

The King of France and the Duke of Savoy, who were leagued together to destroy them and drive them out of the Valleys, joyned together to oppose their return and re-establish∣ment. Nine hundred Vaudois, and some Refugees of France pass the Lake of Geneva, enter into Savoy, cross an Enemies Country of 14 or 15 days journey, force many difficult passes and defiles guarded with a Force far greater than theirs, and in spight of all those rubs, they repossessed themselves of their Coun∣try; and while that these two Princes, who are the bitterest and cruelest Enemies of the

Vaudois, and breathed nothing but their ex∣tirpation and ruine, were joining their arms to execute their project, God blasts their designs, and reduces all into Smoak; he sows a great division betwixt those two great Friends, they become great Enemies, and turn their arms one against the other: In conclusion, in despight of their intrigues, God established the Vau∣dois in their own Country, even by order of their Prince, who excused himself to them, for intreating them so ill, and imputed the cause of it to the King of France; and of those the Duke designed for destruction, he has made his principal Rampart against France.

The surprising wonders that God has done for them, and the surprising changes and chances that have hapned to them, are in short, and truly represented in this Book, in which we speak first of all of their Original. Secondly, Of their Religion, which they have preserved pure from the time of the Apostles even to our times. Thirdly, Of the great calm they enjoyed during many Ages, even to the 15^th. Age. Fourthly, Of the Croisade made by Innocent the 8^th. for to destroy them, in the year 1488. Fifthly, Of the wars of the Dukes of Savoy and the Princes of Pie∣mont, from Philip the 8^th. to Charles Emmanuel the 2^d. Sixthly, Of the Mas∣sacre which was made of them by surprize, in

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