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<DATE>2010-08-03</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch Z100710.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="B01450">
<STC T="W">A396</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">53981437</BIBNO>
<VID>180084</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>AN ACCOUNT OF THE Sufferings AND <HI>Dying Words,</HI> Of Several <HI>French</HI> Prote&s;tants, Under this pre&s;ent
<HI>PERSEC&V;TION</HI> As it was received from the Hands of &s;everal
<HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Mini&s;ters, who Arrived lately in <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON</HI> Printed, and Re-printed at <HI>Edinburgh</HI>
1699</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="account">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>A Brief Account of the <HI>Suffer|ings</HI> and <HI>La&s;t Words</HI> of &s;everal <HI>French Prote|&s;tants,</HI> under this pre&s;ent Per|&s;ecution.</HEAD>
<P><HI>MOn&s;ieur de Hamlin</HI> (a young Gentleman of very good Parentage, and very Zealous in the <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Religion) living long privately in his own Hou&s;e, with an other Gentleman, and his Ho&s;t, whom he in&s;tructed in all the Principles of the <HI>Pro|te&s;tant</HI> Religion; at la&s;t they were Ap|prehended, and ca&s;t into Pri&s;on: And while they lay there, in came a Prie&s;t, with all his Accoutrements, to &s;ay
<HI>Ma&s;s:</HI> But <HI>Mon&s;ieur de Hamlin,</HI> inflamed with Zeal again&s;t &s;uch Ridiculous <HI>Fopperies,</HI> went and overthrew the Chalice and Candle|&s;ticks, &s;aying, <HI>Is it not enough to you to Bla&s;|pheme God in the Church, but you mu&s;t al&s;o polute the Pri&s;on with your Idolatries?</HI> The Jayler &s;eeing this, fell upon him, and beat
<PB N="4" REF="3">him mo&s;t de&s;perately, &amp; al&s;o removed him into a Dungeon, loading him with Irons, which made his Legs to &s;well, where he lay Eight Days in a mo&s;t pitiful manner: The other Gentleman, and his Ho&s;t terrifi|ed with the Pri&s;on, and Fear of Death, Re|nounced their Profe&s;&s;ion. Whereupon M. <HI>de Hamlin</HI> &s;aid to the other Gentleman,
<Q REND="margQuotes">O Unhappy, and more than Mi&s;erable Man! is it po&s;&s;ible that you &s;hall be &s;o Fooli&s;h, as to &s;ave your Life for a few Days? Doe&s;t thou think Eternal Life &s;o mean a thing, as to prefer the Pre&s;ent Life before it? Remember Man, that the &s;ufferings of this pre&s;ent Life are not comparable with the Glory that &s;hall be revealed: If thou &s;uffer with him thou &s;halt al&s;o Reign with him. Thou can'&s;t not an&s;wer for what thou ha&s;t al|ready done; yet the Gate of Mercy is not quite &s;hut: Heap not Sin upon Sin, le&s;t thou epente&s;t when it is too late, and be an Example to all Apo&s;tates.</Q> Having ended his Speech, the other young Gentleman with the Prie&s;t going out of Pri&s;on; The Prie&s;t informed grievou&s;ly a|gain&s;t <PB N="5" REF="3">M.
<HI>de Hamlin:</HI> And he being Con|demned, and carried to the place of Exe|cution, and there tyed to the Stake, he cryed out with a loud Voice,
<HI>Lord Je&s;us receive my Spirit. How long &s;hall Darkne&s;s overwhelm this Realm? How long wilt Thou &s;uffer the Tyranny of the&s;e wicked Men?</HI> They endeavoured to drown his Voice with the Sound of Trumpets, but in the mide&s;t of the Flame he Prayed and Ex|horted the People to Con&s;tancy and Truth. The Fire was &s;low, therefore put him to the greater Torment: But that which mo&s;t troubled him, was the Clamorous and Wicked Men &s;et on by the
<HI>Je&s;uites</HI> and <HI>Friers,</HI> who continually cryed, <HI>Turn thou Heretick, call on our Lady, &s;ay,</HI> Salve Regina. To whom he An&s;wered,
<HI>Depart from me, and trouble me not, ye Me&s;&s;engers of Satan: For the Fool hath &s;aid in his Heart, there is not a God: The Men of Sin have hardened them|&s;elves to do Evil continually; But tho&s;e that Suffer with Chri&s;t &s;hall al&s;o Reign with Him.</HI> So he render'd up his Soul unto God in the mid&s;t of the Flames, At <HI>Ma&s;con</HI> in <HI>France,</HI> the 17 of
<HI>April</HI> 1697.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<P>TWO Mini&s;ters who fled out of <HI>France</HI> in the time of the late Per|&s;ecution, into <HI>Germany,</HI> where they continued a long time: But returning to <HI>Valence</HI> in <HI>France</HI> to &s;ee &s;ome particular Friends; thinking to pa&s;s unknown; They being di&s;covered, and ca&s;t into Pri&s;on, the Judge commanded them to be brought before him; where they were accu&s;ed of In&s;tructing and Encouraging the
<HI>Prote&s;t|ants</HI> to continue in their Profe&s;&s;ion: To whom the Judge &s;aid, <HI>Are ye the Authors of this Sedition? Are ye the Cau&s;e that &s;o many lo&s;e their Lives? By God I &s;wear, that ye &s;hall &s;uffer for them all, and &s;hall &s;uffer the Torments ye encourage them to undergo,</HI> To whom they an&s;wered, <HI>Thy Sentence we joyfully embrace; and we are mo&s;t willing to be Sacrificed for our Brethren, and re&s;olve to &s;hed our deare&s;t Blood in the Profe&s;&s;ion of the</HI> Prote&s;tant Religion,
<HI>and unanimou&s;ly of|fer up our Lives for the &s;ame.</HI> The Judge being much in rage with this &s;tout An&s;wer, commanded their &s;ides to be Lanced with Knives, till their Bones were laid open: <PB N="7" REF="4">But the Holy Mini&s;ters preached the Li|ving God&punc; and the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and exhorted the People to continue in the <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Religion, and to Ab&s;tain from the Idolatrous Wor&s;hip of the Church of
<HI>Rome.</HI> Upon which the Judge comman|ded to &s;trick out their Teeth, that their &s;peech might be hindred. His Orders were obeyed, and their Faces al&s;o buffetted, their Eye lids torn off, their Cheeks Cut and Ga&s;ht with Knives, the Skin of their Beards by degrees pluck'd off, and their comely countenances wholly defaced and deformed. Yet for all this, the Meek and Patient Mini&s;ters and Marryers &s;aid only this; <HI>We thank thee, O Sir, that thou ha&s;t opened to us &s;o many Mouths to Preach our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to Con|fe&s;s the Truth of His reformed Religion: For as many Wounds as we have, &s;o many Mouths have we to Ble&s;s and Prai&s;e God, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Redeemer, for giving us Patience and Con&s;tancy in the Truth.</HI> The Judge being enraged with their Con&s;tancy, or|dered the one called <HI>Mon&s;ieur Perued,</HI> to go back to Pri&s;on, from the place of Exe|cution, <PB N="8" REF="5">&amp; ca&s;t in a Dungeon, &amp; there Strang|led: And the others Body to be teared and rent in Peices with a Hurdle and an I|ron Grate: But he being no way affright|ed or daunted therewith, did &s;ing. <HI>The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what Man can do unto me; I will fear no evil, becau&s;e Thou, O Lord, art with me. As for thee, O unju&s;t Judge! I appeal from this thy Ty|rany, to the Righteous Throne and Judgment Seat of Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Righteous Judge; where it will appear ye are but Bloody Ty|rants to inflict &s;uch horrid Tortures upon us innocent Prote&s;tants.</HI> Then coming to the place of Execution, the Judge cried to the Hangman or Executioner, <HI>Di&s;patch the Heretick Rebel:</HI> He nothing troubled therewith &s;ang aloud,</P>
<Q><L>&mdash; O Lord I yeild to Thee,</L>
<L>To whom the Death of all Thy Saints</L>
<L>We know mo&s;t dear to be.</L></Q>
<P>Thus per&s;wading and encouraging the People to dye in the like Cau&s;e, he with a chearfull countenance, gave up his Body to the Torments, and his Soul un|to God: And is one of the&s;e before the <PB N="9" REF="5">Altar that cries, <HI>How long,</HI> &amp;c. At <HI>Valence</HI> in <HI>France</HI> the 27 of <HI>June</HI>
1698.</P>
<P>ANother young Gentleman at <HI>Calis,</HI> who upon profe&s;&s;ing him&s;elf to be a <HI>Prote&s;tant,</HI> was apprehended and ca&s;t into Pri&s;on. And being brought be|fore the Judge, boldly acknowledged, He believed in Chri&s;t, and in the <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Reformed Religion, and valued not what they could inflict on him for his Profe&s;&s;ion. Then the Judge called for &s;everal Tortures, and all manner of Torments to be inflict|ed on him. To whom he &s;aid, <HI>It would be a Lo&s;s and Damnage to me, if I did not &s;uffer diver&s;e Torments and Puni&s;hments for Chri&s;t in his Cau&s;e.</HI> The Sheriff more incen&s;ed&punc; hereby, commanded all the Torments u&s;ual to be inflicted on him; with which he was nothing di&s;turbed, but &s;ung. <HI>The Lord is my Helper, I will not fear what Men can do unto me; I will fear no Evil, becau&s;e Thou art with me, O Lord.</HI> Then he blamed the Tormentors for favouring of him, and de&s;ired them to do their outmo&s;t. The Sheriff not prevailing that way. <PB N="10" REF="6">He, with &s;ome Je&s;uits and Prie&s;ts, though by Flattery to Seduce him. promi&s;ing him Preferment, Riches, and Honour, if he would deny his Profe&s;&s;ion: But he dreed|ed them as Fooli&s;h and Mad, &s;aying, <HI>I look for greater Preferment in Heaven than ye can give me here on Earth.</HI> He was then Condemned, and carried out of the City to be Burnt; Multitudes of Friends and others, following him, &s;ome Ki&s;&s;ing him; Weeping for him, and entreating him with Tears to pity him&s;elf: To whom he An|&s;wered, <HI>Weep not I pray you for me, but weep for the Enemies of God, who fight again&s;t the</HI> Prote&s;tants: <HI>Weep, I &s;ay, for them who prepare a Fire for us, purcha&s;ing Hell Fire for them&s;elves in the Day of Vengence. Cea&s;e, I pray you, thus to mole&s;t my &s;ettled and quiet Mind: For truely, for the Name of Chri&s;t, and the</HI> Prote&s;tant <HI>Reformed Religion, I am ready and willing to &s;uffer a Thou&s;and Deaths.</HI> Others per&s;waded him to deny his Religion with his Mouth, and to keep his Con&s;cience to him&s;elf. To which he An|&s;wered, O <HI>Fools! my Tongue, which by God</HI>'s
<HI>Goodne&s;s I have, cannot be brought to deny <PB N="11" REF="6">the
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ame: For with the Heart we believe unto Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and with the Tongue we Confe&s;s unto Salvation.</HI> And thus per&s;wad|ing and encouraging the People to be will|ing to Dye in the like Cau&s;e, and not to for&s;ake their Profe&s;&s;ion for earthly Enjoy|ments; with an unparalelled Countenance; he gave up his Body to the Flames, <HI>March.</HI> 18. 1698.</P>
<P>ANother young Gentleman, a Soldier in the Gari&s;on at
<HI>Dunkirk,</HI> for&s;ook all Company, gave him&s;elf to Fa&s;ting and Prayer, Meditation and Reading of the Holy Scripture; Coming into the City upon a Holy-day, and &s;eeing the People at their Pa&s;times, and other Ceremonial Follies, declared him&s;elf a <HI>Prote&s;tant,</HI> and cried, Away with &s;uch Ridiculous Idola|trous Foppries: For God will not be mocked with your Super&s;titions; For <HI>The&s;e that Wor&s;hip Him, mu&s;t Wor&s;hip Him in Spirit and in Truth.</HI> He was apprehend|ed, and tormented with diver&s;e Torments, which he regarded not, &s;aying,
<Q REND="margQuotes">There is nothing in my Mind that can be com|pared <PB N="12" REF="7">to the Kingdom of Heaven: Nei|ther is all the World, if it were weight|ed in a Ballance, comparable to the price of one Soul. And further &s;aid, <HI>Who can &s;eparate us from the Love of Chri&s;t? Can Tribulation or Angui&s;h?</HI> And again, I have learned of my Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, not to fear them that can kill the Body, and have no power to kill the Soul. Having endured a Multitude of Tor|ments, he received Sentence of Death:</Q> And at the place of Execution he &s;aid
<Q REND="margQuotes">I give Thee Thanks, O my Lord God, who ha&s;t accepted me to be a Partaker of Thy Death. and has not &s;uffered me to be Devoured of my fierce Enemies, Satan &amp; a &s;ubtile World, but ha&s;t kept me con&s;tant in Thy true Faith unto the end.</Q> And &s;o he lo&s;t his Head, but found a Crown of Glory; <HI>Dunkirk, Agu&s;t</HI> 3. 1698.</P>
<P>ANother young Gentleman, &s;eeing the Per&s;ecution of the
<HI>Prote&s;tants</HI> in <HI>Piedmont,</HI> being of eminent Religious Pa|rents, and he him&s;elf being mo&s;t Zealous in the Prote&s;tant Religion: His Parents <PB N="13" REF="7">fearing, that his Zeal might make him Guilty of his own Death, keeped him clo&s;s at their Countrey Hou&s;e, a great way from the City of <HI>Turin.</HI> But he hearing of the great many per&s;ecutions of the <HI>Pro|te&s;tants,</HI> both in City and Countrey, de|ta&s;ting any further delay, went all along through By-ways, and much Danger and Wearine&s;s, toward the City, where he came in the Morning: And going be|fore the Judge, &s;aid,
<Q REND="margQuotes">What a Shame is it for you, thus wickedly to take away Mens Lives by all manner of Cruelties? And al&s;o endeavour to de&s;troy their Souls, by compelling them to deny their Reli|gion? Would you know. O ignorant Souls, what I am? Behold I am a
<HI>Pro|te&s;tant,</HI> and an Enemy to your Devili&s;h Sa|crifices: I &s;corne and de&s;pi&s;e your Idols, and tread them under my Feet; and ac|knowledge only God Almighty, the Crea|tor of Heaven &amp; Earth, &amp; <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t His only Son our Lord:</HI> But for your prayers to <HI>Saints</HI> and your devili&s;h dead Idols, which are the work of Mens hands, none but Fools will owne and wor&s;hip the &s;ame, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> <PB N="14" REF="8">Come on therefore, and let the Hang|man. Burn, Cut, and Mangle this poor Mortal Carca&s;e; it is very ea&s;ie to break and de&s;troy a weak and brittle peri&s;h|ing Body, but the <HI>Mind</HI> and <HI>Soul,</HI> you cannot touch with all that you can do,</Q> The Judge enraged
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">herewith, &s;aid to the Executioner, Take him and let him feel the power of our Torments, and know what we can do:
<Q REND="margQuotes">Yet, O &s;turdy youth. I would fain have thee before thou dy|e&s;t, to Recant this thy Wickedne&s;s, and to &s;ave thy &s;elf from a wretched Death Con&s;ider what Plea&s;ures thou maye&s;t enjoy in the Hou&s;e of thy honourable Parents: Con&s;ider the Lamentations and Tears of thy mi&s;erable Family and Re|lations, which by thy Perver&s;ene&s;s will be brought to Ruine: Con&s;ider thou art in thy youth, in the flower of thine Age, in the way to Honour and Preferment, by an Honourable Marriage agreeable to thy Quality and E&s;tate; do not the&s;e gli&s;tering Glories, and the Delights of this World move thee? Does not the Terror and extream Grief of thy dear <PB N="15" REF="8">Parents incline thee to pity thy &s;elf and them? Yea, who is there doth not la|ment thy madne&s;s and folly. If this doth not prevail, con&s;ider the terrible Death that thou art like to &s;uffer: Con|&s;ider what variety of Torments are prepa|red for thee; for thou &s;halt either be Be|headed by the Sword, or thou &s;halt be torn in pieces by the Teeth of wilde Bea&s;ts; or el&s;e thou &s;halt be thrown alive into the burning Flames. Now, how ea&s;ie and &s;mall a matter is required of thee to avoid all this puni&s;hment, and take a little Incen&s;e between thy Fingers, and put into the cen&s;ure in honour of the
<HI>Ro|mi&s;h</HI> Religion, thou &s;halt be &s;et free pro|mi&s;ing always to de&s;ert from the <HI>Hugon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> Religion.</Q> When he heard him thus &s;peak: being extreamly moved, he &s;pit in the Tyrant's Face, and pre&s;ently threw down the Cen&s;ure, and kicked the Incen&s;e, and &s;aid; <HI>Away with your Idols out of my &s;ight:</HI> Whereupon the judge commanded the Hangman, without further delay to pluck his Limbs out of joint, and then with the Claws of wild Bea&s;ts, tore off the <PB N="16" REF="9">fle&s;h from his Bo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">es; while he not in the lea&s;t daunted with their cruel Torments, fell a &s;inging and prai&s;ing in this manner&punc; <HI>O Lord, I will never forget Thy Goodne&s;s and Mercy; what a plea&s;ure is it, O Lord Je&s;us, to remember thy triumphant Victories, who by &s;uffering ha&s;t attained the height of Glory?</HI> Thus with great Con&s;tancy and Courage he continued joyful, and chearfully &s;ang Prai&s;es to God, when he was all over&s;tain'd and imbrewed in his own Blood, and cruel|ly tormented in all parts of his Body. Then they proceeded to the la&s;t Torments, which was to ca&s;t him alive into the burning Flames; where he dyed a joyfull Marty&punc; &s;inging Prai&s;es and Hallelujah's to God.
<HI>Tu|rin October</HI> 27. 1698.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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