ll the chests
and closets, sounded the walls, examined the sick man's room, and
found nothing!

Court himself, as well as the other pastors, worked very hard. On one
occasion, Court made a round of visits in Lower Languedoc and in the
Cevennes, at first alone, and afterwards accompanied by a young
preacher. In the space of two months and a few days he visited
thirty-one churches, holding assemblies, preaching, and administering
the sacrament, during which he travelled over three hundred miles. The
weather did not matter to the pastors--rain nor snow, wind nor storm,
never hindered them. They took the road and braved all. Even sickness
often failed to stay them. Sickness might weaken but did not overthrow
them.

The spies and police so abounded throughout the country, and were so
active, that they knew all the houses in which the preachers might
take refuge. A list of these was prepared and placed in the hands of
the intendant of the province.[55] If preachers were found in them,
both the shelterers and the sheltered knew what they had to expect.
The whole property and goods of the former were confiscated and they
were sent to the galleys for life; and the latter were first tortured
by the rack, and then hanged. The houses in which preachers were found
were almost invariably burnt down.

[Footnote 55: It has since been published in the "Bulletin de
la Societe du Protestantisme Francais."]

Notwithstanding the great secrecy with which the whole organization
proceeded, preachers were frequently apprehended, assemblies were
often surprised, and many persons were imprisoned and sent to the
galleys for life. Each village had its chief spy--the priest; and
beneath the priest there were a number of other spies--spies for
money, spies for cruelty, spies for revenge.

Was an assembly of Huguenots about to be held? A spy, perhaps a
traitor, would make it known. The priest's order was sufficient for
the captain of the nearest troop of soldiers to proceed to disperse
it. They marched and surrounded the assembly. A sound of volley-firing
was heard. The soldiers shot down, hanged, or made prisoners of the
unlawful worshippers. Punishments were sudden, and inquiry was never
made into them, however brutal. There was the fire for Bibles,
Testaments, and psalm-books; galleys for men; prisons and convents for
women; and gibbets for preachers.

In 1720 a large number of prisoners were captured in the famous old
qu