The extent of their learning has probably been exaggerated, yet there are references to sian doctors of medicine who seem to have been much sought for. In going about the country the Barbes adopted disguises, usually as mer chants, which made them inconspicuous. In the first stage of the movement learned in quisitors bore almost uniform testimony to their excellent moral lives; but in 1487 attention was again directed especially to them by Innocent VIII., who preached a crusade against them as heretics. The Waldenses in Piedmont made 'a heroic resistance, but in vain. The excessive cruelty of the Inquisitors led Louis X11. of France, the ruler of part of Piedmont, to inter pose, and he obtained from Pope Alexander VI. a bull absolving the Waldenses. In 1532 and 1533 they joined the reform party. This brought on them a fresh persecution by the Inquisition. In 1545 the Parliament of Aix ordered lords of lands on which the Waldenses lived to oblige their vassals to conform to the Established Church or to leave their lands. As they refused to conform, frightful massacres took place at Cabrieres and These horrors brought about a action, and one of the chief persecutors was con demned to death in 1557. For some time pacific means were employed to convert them, hut out success. Later they' were forbidden to open schools, c(mdemned to exile and violence, and massacres followed. In 1655 the Waldenses in Piedmont were ordered to conform to the lic faith within twenty days under penalty of death and confiscation of their property. As they remained firm, persistent attacks were made upon them, and these attacks were met by a valiant hut useless defense. This persecution fortunately lasted for only a short time, as within a few months the Duke of Savoy by the Treaty of Pignerol allowed them to follow their religious beliefs in the upper valleys of his dominions. Some Waldenses had returned to France, or else sonic persons there had been con verted to this faith. These enjoyed relative relig ious immunity until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. After that the decree went forth that their churches should lie destroyed and that their ministers should be banished. At about the same period persecutions began again in Piedmont. The Waldenses made a stubborn resistance, but 12,000 men, women. and children were taken prisoners. These were released within a few' mouths. largely through the intervention of the Swiss cantons, and were exiled. Many of them went to Switzerland as a land of refuge. In 1689 they resolved to make an attempt to re conquer their own valley homes in Piedmont. At first they were sueeessful, but a great force Was sent against them and their position seemed desperate. The political issues of Europe led to a coalition against Louis N1V. in 1690, and their aid was sought to defend the frontiers of mont against his troops. They reoeived in com
pensation official permission to return to their villages in 1694. The ponce of 1697 was II IS mist mons to them, as in 169S they were ordered to go into exile Bemuse of the character of their country, where in the upper valleys they were relatively secure, this decree was never fully en forced. In 1740 they secured some indulgence, but there was little change in their position, al though there was also little persecution. up to the time of the Fiend' Revolution. In 1799 lib erty (ff conscience was proclaimed. After the fall of Napoleon in 1S14 there was a reaction under Victor Emmanuel I. Finally, in 1848, under Charles Albert, the Waldenses acquired civil and religions liberty. In 1872 they organised a Gen eral Conference of the Waldenses, which was to meet once in three years. At that time there were reported to be 15 churches in Piedmont, 11 in Lombardy, 6 in Tuscany, 9 in Romagna, and 8 in Sicily. These were served by 15 pastors and 7 missionaries. In 1901 they were to have 47 churches, 66 stations, 49 pastors, S evangelists, and 6180 communicants. Besides the churches in Italy, they had established congre gations at Marseilles, France; Rosario, Argen tine Republic; Monett, Mo.; and in North Caro lina.
Much has been written about their literature. There are extant versions of the Scriptures, the Sen fences, as the extracts from the Fathers were ealled, various forms of services, and especially a considerable number of poems. The latter were written in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but were formerly supposed to be much older. They have been studied with great diligence, and there has been much discussion as to the lan guage spoken by the Waldenses. Naturally this language has been much contaminated by their wanderings, but it is Provencal. The best edi tions of their poems are by Apfelstedt, in the Zeitschrift fiir romanisehe Philologie, vol. iv., and in the Archiv fur das Siudi?Int de?. neueren Sprachen, vol. lxii. For their history, consult: L6ger, Histoire ge'nerale des c'glises eranyeliques des ralb'es He n11 P(ndoises (Leyden, 1669) ; Comba, History of the Waldenses (Eng. trans., London, 1888; later ed. in Freneh, Paris, 1898-1900) Lea, Distory of the Inquisition (Philadelphia, lSSS): Dieekhoff, Die Made:user int Nittelalter (G6ttingen, 1851) ; Herzog, Die ronenischen Wu/denser (Halle, 1$53); T,Hontet, Histoire des Fandois du (Paris, 1885) Muston, Israel of the .Ills; His tory of the Waldenses of Piedmont (Eng. trans., London, 1863) ; Origin, Persecution, and Doctrines of the Waldenses (ib., 1570); Preger, Die Verfassung Her franz.iisischen troldenser in der dltcrcn Zeit (Munich, 1590) ; Bompiani, Short History of the Italian. (New York, 1897). For their doctrinal belief. consult Schaff, Creeds of Christendom (New York, 1877 78).