observance of the Lord's-day, the
Waldensian Church pays a religious regard to Christmas-day, New-year's-day,
Ascension-day, and Good Friday, which last it keeps with great solemnity as
a fast-day common to the whole Church of Christ.

FOOTNOTES:

[B] The Cottian Alps are to the north of Mount Viso, and among them are the
valleys of the Waldenses.

CHAPTER V.

THE BEGINNING OF PAPAL PERSECUTIONS.

"We kept Thy faith 'gainst kings of might,
And potentates infernal;
We kept Thy faith in Rome's despite,
By help of grace supernal.
The foe was fierce, the war was long;
But oh! our helper was more strong,
Our lover was eternal."

During the struggles of the papacy for temporal aggrandizement and
political usurpation, which marked its character from the seventh to the
twelfth centuries, anything so religious as even the attempt to convert
heretics by fire and sword seems little attended to. But in the twelfth
century arose the epoch in which men were to be thrown into a burning fiery
furnace who would not bow down to the tyranny of him who sat enthroned in
the city of the seven hills. Otho IV., Emperor of Germany by favour of the
pope, first gave his sanction to the persecution of the Waldenses, at the
instigation of James, bishop of Turin, about the end of the 12th
century.[C] But the first _systematic_ persecution began under the regency
exercised by Yolande, widow of Amadeus IX., Duke of Savoy, A.D. 1475. The
expression (in her directions to the governors of Pinerolo, Cavour, and the
magistrate at Lucerna), "It is our pleasure that the inhabitants of the
valley of Lucerna especially may be able _to enter_ into the bosom of the
holy mother church," would seem to recognize the fact that the Vaudois were
a community independent of Rome, otherwise we should expect the word
return, which is so generally used in reference to heretics, as the Church
of Rome delights to stigmatize all who reject her sway. This edict of
Yolande led to the martyrdom of Vaudois pastors, some by fire, some by
hanging, some in ways more revolting and excruciating, at Turin and other
places. But the destruction of a few victims would not satisfy the
malignant spirit of the papal antichrist, therefore the work of persecution
must be organized on a larger scale. Innocent VIII. selected Albert de
Capitaneis, Archdeacon of Cremona, as his agent for the accomplishment of