i

CHARLES THE SECOND.

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Roman Catholic faith, could not entirely forget what was due from the king of a Protestant nation, to the Waldensian sufferers; and the copy of a letter is preserved, which he addressed to the Swiss cantons, in answer to their request, that he would use his intercession in favour of their brethren in the valleys. This letter is a curious specimen of the effect, which a just and righteous cause, supported by public opinion, could have, even upon the thoughtless and unsteady mind of Charles the Second.

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Mighty, respected, and noble sirs, our right good friends, "It is with great pleasure that we have received your letters of the 11th of June past; and as we have nothing more deeply at heart, or more agreeable to our minds, than to reestablish, and renew the ancient affection, which the reformed churches entertained for ourselves and our ancestors, and to deserve a continuance of it, we will do all in our power, and upon every occasion, as you have recommended us, to soften the calamities, and prevent, by our intercession with the Duke of Savoy, the dangers which threaten them. For this reason, as soon as we shall send our minister to that court, we will not fail to make use of our entreaties and interest with the duke, our cousin, in their favour and for their relief, to the end, that in future he may treat them with the mildness they hope for; and that they may exercise their religion with security and confidence. In the mean time, if any opportunity shall offer to promote their views, we shall, from our heart, do all we can towards the preservation and safety of those, who are so closely united to us by the sacred ties of a common faith.

"Given at our court at Hampton, the 14th of July, 1662, and in the fourteenth year of our reign.

(Signed)

"Your good Friend,

"CAROLUS REX".

u Translated from the copy preserved in Leger's work.

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COMPACT OF BLOOD-MILTON'S ODE.

In 1664 and 1665, the council of extirpation, at Turin, was proceeding so openly in its designs, for the total destruction of the Protestant families in the three valleys, that memorials were again and again presented to the French king, by the different Protestant ambassadors at that monarch's court, and the name of the English minister, Hollis, appears at the foot of several documents of this nature. But they were not worded in the strong and indignant language which distinguished the remonstrances of Cromwell, and they were treated with the contempt which feeble manifestoes deserve to receive. France and Savoy had a perfect understanding upon the subject, and the fiat went. forth for blotting the name of the Vaudois from the face of the valleys of Luzerna, Perosa, and San Martino, as it had already been effaced from that of Frassinière, and from the Marquisate of Saluzzo. Most providentially the compact of blood was dissolved in the year 1690, and the Vaudois are still bearing witness to the truth, in the settlements of its first professors.

It was during the dreadful persecution, of which I have been speaking, that Milton wrote the following sonnet.

Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints whose bones

Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold :

E'en them, who kept thy truth so pure of old,
When all our fathers worship'd stocks and stones,
Forget not; in thy book record their groans,
Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody Piemontese, that roll'd
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redoubled to the hills, and they
To Heaven. Their martyr'd blood and ashes sow
O'er all the Italian fields, where still doth sway
The triple tyrant; that from these may grow
An hundred fold, who, having learnt thy way,
Early may fly the Babylonian woe!"

SONNET 18.

CHAPTER XI.

A festive party-Alpine dance-Rustic beauty-Return to Turin -Delightful recollections of the Vaudois-General observations -Loyalty of the Protestants of Piemont-Gratitude of the Sardinian government-Ancient Waldensian church-Gradual advance of Romish corruptions--Christianity as it was in the primitive church-Progressive departure from it-Steady resistance and integrity of the Waldenses.

THE time passed so imperceptibly with the good pastor of La Torre, that it was late before we remembered, that we were engaged to look in upon the little festive party, which was collected at the house of one of the family of the Vertus. M. Bert's son and daughter, and one of his English pupils, had set out long before us, and I began to fear, lest I should have the appearance of forgetting the early habits of these simple mountaineers. My venerable friend quieted my scruples, by assuring me, that upon occasions like the present, amusements were extended till long past midnight,

We found the house to which we were invited, as full as it would hold. All the principal families of La Torre were assembled together, young and old, and the largest room was set apart for the use of the dancers. One or two adjoining apartments were employed as rooms, to which the company might adjourn for refreshments, or conversation. In the most complete sense of the word, it was a rustic assembly, where all was good humour, cheerfulness, and frankness. The music consisted of a flute, and a couple of violins the dances were those of the country; the refreshments were a thin wine, and cakes; and the dress was principally the costume of the Alps. One or two young girls, and among them the charming girl to whom the younger