men without effecting the object they had in view?

"After so many wonderful achievements, is it not clear that the arms of the enemy were blessed by the false benedictions of Rome, while theirs were strengthened by the protection of the great God, and King of Kings ?"

CHAPTER XI.

THE fidelity and valour of the Vaudois to the Duke of Savoy, were of the utmost importance to that prince in his wars with France, in consequence of which new promises were made, and additional privileges conferred on these faithful people. But, alas! the ungrateful Victor Amadeus soon forgot both his promises and the obligations under which he lay to his Vaudois subjects. Immediately on the termination of the war with France, he issued an edict, "ordering all the Vaudois who were not natives of the valleys of Piedmont, to leave his dominions on pain of death." Such was the recompense which Victor Amadeus rendered to a people, whose loyalty and fidelity he had repeatedly acknowledged, and through whose instrumentality his very throne had been preserved.

Petitions and remonstrances were of no

avail. The ungrateful prince gave orders that his cruel edict should immediately be carried into effect; in consequence of which the greater part of the inhabitants who had been established in the valleys within forty years, together with those in the valley of Perosa, amounting altogether to the number of three thousand persons, were banished, in 1698, from the territories of the Duke of Savoy. To lessen their sufferings, he promised to furnish them with provisions till they were beyond the limits of the country from which they were expatriated; but no sooner had they begun their march, than this promise was also broken; and the poor exiles were left to procure for themselves a miserable subsistence. In this wretched condition they arrived at Geneva, with the intrepid Arnaud, who was among the number of the sufferers, where they were received with the greatest kindness. Scattered throughout the Protestant cantons of Switzerland, they were supported for some time by private charity, and by contributions which were raised for them in England and Holland. At length colonies of these exiles were established in the dominions of the Elector of Brandenburg, the Landgraves of Hesse Cassel, Darmstadt, and Homberg, &c.; and through the intercession of William, King of England, and of the Dutch government, provision was made for the greater part

of them in the possessions of the duke of Wirtemberg. Of the ministers of the churches, seven, with their schoolmasters, were paid by the king of England who also, allowed M. Arnaud a pension to bring up his family; four ministers were paid by the States General, and the rest by then adopted sovereigns and their own churches. Thus kindly favoured by the princes, under whose mild laws they had taken shelter, they lived peaceably, praying God for the preservation of their benefactors, &c.

After the expulsion of the three thousand, liberty of conscience, not unmixed, however, with many vexations and trials, was enjoyed by the Vaudois who still inhabited the valleys of Piedmont. This was owing, under Divine Providence, to the powerful protection of the Protestant states of Europe, and in particular, to that of England. The pensions which had been granted by the English government to the Vaudois pastors from the national contributions which were made in 1665, were discontinued under the reigns of Charles II. and James II.; but in 1689, William and Mary renewed these pensions, which were not withdrawn by the English government till 1807, although no remittances were made to the poor Waldenses after 1797.

The difficulties with which the Waldenses have had to contend since their restoration by

Victor Amadeus, have been by no means of a trivial nature. Notwithstanding the numerous obligations under which that prince lay to these faithful people, he issued an edict, in 1721, banishing the pastors and teachers from the valley of Pragela, forbidding the assembling of more than ten persons together in said valley for any purpose whatever, under the severest penalties." The interposition of foreign powers prevented, it is true, the former scenes of persecution from being renewed; but from time to time edicts of restriction were issued by the dukes of Savoy, which pressed so heavily on the afflicted Vaudois, that England was again called upon, in 1768, to send them pecuniary relief. The pensions which were given by William and Mary, "being found insufficient, in 1770, a general collection was made, the interest of which was paid under the name of the English National Subsidy. From these sums, the pastors received their incomes, amounting from 180 to 220 dollars, those of the most laborious parishes receiving the largest payment. The interest of the Dutch collections was applied to the salaries of the Dutch schoolmasters, widows of pastors, and retired pastors. And in Switzerland, studentships were established at the universities of Geneva, Lausanne, and Basle, for the young Vaudois intended for the ministry."

"In the year 1768, the king of England granted his royal letters patent in favour of the Protestants of the Vaudois churches in the valleys of Piedmont, to empower them to solicit the contributions of well disposed persons, to enable them to maintain the ministers, churches, schools, and poor, which they were not able to support in any tolerable manner.' The king also directed, that the amount of this charitable collection should be paid into the hands of the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and be by them invested in government securities, the interest of which should be appropriated to the religious uses of the Protestant inhabitants of the valley of Piedmont. In obedience to these directions, the treasurer was empowered to receive the contributions, and carry into effect these designs; since which period, annual stipends have been regularly paid to the thirteen pastors of the valley of Piedmont, independently of certain small allowances to the widows of the deceased ministers. By the accumulation of the excess of interest, and other gratuities, the capital sum has been raised to £10,000, (44,444 dollars,) which has enabled the Society to extend the gross amount of the salaries to £292 (1298 dollars) per annum, for which sum the thirteen pastors draw upon the treasurer."