exposed them to
a long and cruel persecution, during which a colony of exiles was
planted by one of the Greek emperors in Bulgaria.[742] From this
settlement they silently promulgated their Manichean creed over the
western regions of Christendom. A large part of the commerce of those
countries with Constantinople was carried on for several centuries by
the channel of the Danube. This opened an immediate intercourse with
the Paulicians, who may be traced up that river through Hungary and
Bavaria, or sometimes taking the route of Lombardy into Switzerland and
France.[743] In the last country, and especially in its southern and
eastern provinces, they became conspicuous under a variety of names;
such as Catharists, Picards, Paterins, but above all, Albigenses. It is
beyond a doubt that many of these sectaries owed their origin to the
Paulicians; the appellation of Bulgarians was distinctively bestowed
upon them; and, according to some writers, they acknowledged a primate
or patriarch resident in that country.[744] The tenets ascribed to them
by all contemporary authorities coincide so remarkably with those held
by the Paulicians, and in earlier times by the Manicheans, that I do not
see how we can reasonably deny what is confirmed by separate and
uncontradicted testimonies, and contains no intrinsic want of
probability.[745]

[Sidenote: Waldenses.]

But though, the derivation of these heretics called Albigenses from
Bulgaria is sufficiently proved, it is by no means to be concluded that
all who incurred the same imputation either derived their faith from the
same country, or had adopted the Manichean theory of the Paulicians.
From the very invectives of their enemies, and the acts of the
Inquisition, it is manifest that almost every shade of heterodoxy was
found among these dissidents, till it vanished in a simple protestation
against the wealth and tyranny of the clergy. Those who were absolutely
free from any taint of Manicheism are properly called Waldenses; a name
perpetually confounded in later times with that of Albigenses, but
distinguishing a sect probably of separate origin, and at least of
different tenets. These, according to the majority of writers, took
their appellation from Peter Waldo, a merchant of Lyons, the parent,
about the year 1160, of a congregation of seceders from the church, who
spread very rapidly over France and Germany.[746] According to others,
the original Waldenses were a race of uncorrupt