antecedents
of the people of Merindol. Their report, which has fortunately come down
to us, constitutes a brilliant testimonial from unbiassed witnesses to
the virtues of this simple peasantry. They set forth in simple terms the
affecting story of the cruelty and merciless exactions to which the
villagers had for long years been subjected. They collected the
concurrent opinions of all the Roman Catholics of the vicinity
respecting their industry. In two hundred years they had transformed an
uncultivated and barren waste into a fertile and productive tract, to
the no small profit of the noblemen whose tenants they were. They were a
people distinguished for their love of peace and quiet, with firmly
established customs and principles, and warmly commended for their
strict adherence to truth in their words and engagements. Averse alike
to debt and to litigation, they were bound to their neighbors by a tie
of singular good-will and respect. Their kindness to the unfortunate and
their humanity to travellers knew no bounds. One could readily
distinguish them from others by their abstinence from unnecessary oaths,
and their avoidance even of the very name of the devil. They never
indulged in lascivious discourse themselves, and if others introduced it
in their presence, they instantly withdrew from the company. It was true
that they rarely entered the churches, when pleasure or business took
them to the city or the fair; and, if found within the sacred enclosure,
they were seen praying with faces averted from the paintings of the
saints. They offered no candles, avoided the sacred relics, and paid no
reverence to the crosses on the roadside. The priests testified that
they were never known to purchase masses either for the living or for
the dead, nor to sprinkle themselves with holy water. They neither went
on pilgrimages, nor invoked the intercession of the host of heaven, nor
expended the smallest sum in securing indulgences. In a thunderstorm
they knelt down and prayed, instead of crossing themselves. Finally,
they contributed nothing to the support of religious fraternities or to
the rebuilding of churches, reserving their means for the relief of tho
poor and afflicted.[474]

[Illustration: MAP OF THE VAUDOIS VILLAGES IN PROVENCE.

_To face p. 240._]

[Sidenote: Francis signs a letter of pardon.]

Although the enemies of the Waldenses were not silenced, and wild
stories of their rebellious acts still found willing list