The Present STATE OF THE VAUDOIS, Drawn out of Three LETTERS. 

I. One from Mr. Cox, Their Majesty's Envoy in Suitzerland.  
II. The second from Monsieur de Loches, their Colonel.  
III. The last from Monsieur Arnaud Minister of the Vaudois.    

I. Part of a Letter of the Honourable Thomas Cox Esquire, His Majesty's Extraordinary Envoy into Suitzerland concerning the Vaudois, Dated at Berne the 25th of October, Old Style, 1690.  
AS for our little Army of Vaudois, Piemontois, and French Refugiez, consisting of about 3000 fight Men under Colonel des Loches, and his two Lieutenant Colonels, Julien & Mallet; notwithstanding that, they have been hitherto divided into three small bodies, at Suze, Lucerne and Brigueras, they have behaved themselves well upon all occasions offered, and particularly at Lucerne, where they killed 7 or 800 French, with the loss of 25 or 30 only on their side, and but four or five Piemontois of their small number, and took two Colours from them which I sent to the King by the Messenger that carried the Treaty, as the First-fruits of their Courage in those Parts. Their Encouragement and Subsistence is of vast importance to the good Cause and the Protestant Religion, both there and in all these parts of the World; besides the inexpressible consequence it is of, as a back Door, and indeed the only safe and certain Inlet into France. Oh what glorious things might be done in all Europe, and particularly in this, for its Freedom and Deliverance, and for the Honour of the Protestant Religion, if the Parliament would without delay in this extraordinary Conjuncture of Affairs, assist the King so vigorously and plentifully, as to enable Him to finish Honourably and Successfully those noble and important Concerns that lie before Him, both at Home and Abroad, and to the completing of which, God has called him in so wonderful a manner!  
We are in great straits what to do about the distressed Vaudois Families, (I mean the Women, Old Men, and Children among them, for the Men that can bear Arms are in the Valleys) that are come into these parts before their time, in impatient hopes of returning into their old Habitations. They came without Order, there being nothing r●●●y for them; yet in the Valleys where all 〈◊〉 Houses are burnt and destroyed, and no possibility of sowing Corn this year, great Numbers of them are like to starve and perish for want of Bread, all the Collections of all sorts for them in these Parts, being totally at an end. It would be a most generous, Christian, and seasonable Assistance, if we could get another very speedy, though small Collection, from England and Holland, without which, I see no way to avoid their perishing. Monsieur Arnaud is come to see his Family at Neu Chastel, and returns speedily into the Valleys. He spent two or three days with me here. The whole History of the Subsistence, Deliverance and Victories of these Protestants in the Valleys, is a continued Miracle, and would make a good Protestant of a professed Atheist, if he were not arrived to the last and fatal degree of Obduration. I have persuaded and finally determined him, as he assures me, to begin speedily, and to finish a second History of the Vaudois, and of all the Miracles that have attended their whole late State and Concerns; which I desire him may be much more circumstantiated and particular, than that of Monsieur Leger, his Nephew, who is settled a Professor at Geneva, and was employed there in the late Collection of England and Holland for the Vaudois. I desired Monsieur Arnaud to consult for some Papers, etc. and I hear he is now at Geneva for that purpose.   

II. Part of a Letter of Monsieur de Loches, Colonel of the Vaudois.  
A Fortnight ago I had notice given me, that the Enemy, whose Army which was Encamped near Carmagnole, had caused their first Line to March, with six pieces of Cannon, and that the rest followed them close on purpose to exterminate those of the Religion, and totally to ruin them in these Valleys, and that Monsieur Catinat and other Generals of the French Army had publicly made known this their Design. I do not in the least doubt of this Intelligence, for our Troops daily Intercepting their Convoys, and being a continual plague to the Garrison of Pignerol, it was likely they would do their utmost to be rid of them. I writ to His Royal Highness about it, and to some others at Turin, who knew very well how few Men I had with me, without Money, or Provision; most of them without clothes, Shoes or Stockings, and several of them Sick: His Royal Highness did me the Honour to Answer me by three Couriers one after another, That it was true he had been Informed the Enemy had such a Design, but that the condition his Army was in would not permit him to oppose it; and therefore I should do well to leave the Valleys, and so gain the Hills towards Coney, 15 or 20 Leagues from hence.  
I must confess that in this occasion I visibly found that God by his Providence did watch for our Preservation. For notwithstanding the evident dangers I was exposed to, instead of Flying, as I was advised, he so strengthened me, that I resolved to stand the Enemy. Accordingly I did send a Detachment of a 130 to the Town of Barges, three Leagues from this place; where on the third instant, being Attacked, they Fought so well Retreating, that they killed many of the Enemy, and following the Orders which I had given them, they retired to a Village called Bibiane, that is half a League from hence. There they were Joined by another Detachment of 90 Men, which I had posted in that place. The next day at 11 in the morning they were Attacked by 8 Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons, and as many Batalions of Foot, the best Troops of all the French Army, Commanded by the Marquis de Feuquieres Lieutenant General. Our Men made their Discharge at them, but when they were very near, got out of the Village, and Disputed the Ground with so much courage, that they stopped the Enemy in every Post that did any wise favour their Retreat, killing several Officers and Soldiers; which when I heard, I Detached a Captain with 50 Men to back them, and being Informed that they gave ground, I sent two several times Lieutenants with 20 Men to Faciliate their Retreat: But their obstinacy hindered them from executing my Orders, and being got within Cannon shot of this Town, they gained the Hills of Roura. Then the whole Body of the Enemy fell upon Lucerne, all the Inhabitants whereof are Papists, and which being Dismantelled, lies open on all sides. By the help of God I stopped the Enemy for 3 hours, hindered them from passing over a stone Bridg, and forced them to wade through the River, where they lost several Officers and Soldiers; but being overpowered by their number, I Retired to a Hill that commanded this Town; from thence I sent Orders to the Vaudois, who keep the Post of the Valleys of St. german, St. Bartholomew, and St. John, to Join with all speed. The Enemy Detached their Vanguard, which entered the Town a quarter of an hour before Night, burned some Houses, killed 8 or 10 Women, some old sick Men, and little Children who could not get away, having made no greater stay than was necessary for their Troops to March off. Monsieure de Feuquieres made a show as if he would have Encamped near the Town, by making a great number of Fires there; but soon after he caused his Men to March towards Pignerol without Drum or Trumpet, and without committing any other act of Hostility upon the Lands of the Protestants, being favoured by a thick Fog, and making use but of two Lights; but when they had got half a League off, they lighted above a thousand, and begun to beat their Drums. This hasty March broke all the Measures I had taken to fall upon his Rear the next day, and to pursue the Sieur de Feuquieres in the same manner as we had done when we came into the Valleys. I have lost in all these Attacks, a Sergeant and three Soldiers, and some Wounded; and the Sieur de Feuquieres, to hide his loss, Ordered his Dead to be Buried in the way, so that we met with Graves at every step. I am come back into Lucerne, and thank God with all my Heart that he has permitted us, with a handful of Men, to baffle the most cruel Design that ever was Form against these Valleys.   

III. Part of a Letter written to a Gentleman of Note by Monsieur Arnaud, Minister of the Vaudois, who in Autumn last year, brought the first of them back into the Valleys of Piedmont, from whence they had been totally expelled, and who was there with them in continual service against an Army of 13000 French; the Vaudois having no other Captain to command them in all their Engagements, till Midsummer last.  
MAy I beg of you, Sir, to continue your charitable Offices in the behalf of these poor and distressed Vaudois, whereof the greatest part is already in Piedmont, and the remainder of them in Geneva and Suitzerland, among the Grizons, and at Wirtemberg. As for my own particular, I cannot but praise God for the health, which by his Blessing I have enjoyed, having not had the least Indisposition, notwithstanding the inconceivable Fatigues I have suffered, with my 367 brave Soldiers and good Christians: I praise him also for his Divine Assistance, which has enabled us to resist the Devil and 13000 Men, both from France and Piedmont, without any Commander, Money, Supplies, Intelligence, Habitations, and without Bread: But God who Confounds the strongest things by the weakest Instruments he makes use of, hath brought our Affairs to the pass wherein they are now. Pray Sir give our Friends to understand that our Valleys may open to them the surest way to mortify the common Enemy. I am Informed by Letters, That he hath taken Suze by Composition. There is a Mystery in it. Our Men have Surprised and Taken Chateau Daufin. I suppose they will stop there, the season of the Year being too far spent.  
We are about Publishing the History of the Miracles, which God has wrought in behalf of his Children, that all the World may know there is a God in Heaven, to raise up his to Witness when the time marked out by his Providence is come. I Implore his Heavenly Blessing for the Preservation of our King, etc.  
From Lucerne the 5th of Novemb. 1690.    

The History of the Wars in Ireland to this Time, in 2 Parts, by the Honourable Ri●●ard Cox, Esq Published by Command.  
London, Printed for Joseph Watts, at the Angel in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1691.