THE Christians Calamities: OR, The Protestants Complaint, Collected out of many several Letters, that were sent from beyond the Seas into England, and presented to his Highness the Lord Protector, of England, Scotland and Ireland.  
The very truth of the matter is plainly set down in this little Book, to the end that whosoever either reads or hears it, may take good notice of what is here set down.  
And withal, to pray unto the Lord, that the like miseries may never befall us here in England.  
Faithfully collected, drawn up and written, By Laurence Price. 1655.  
From famine, bloodshed, plagues and sudden death,  
Good Lord deliver us whilst we are on earth.  
London, printed for Thomas Vere at the Angel without Newgate. 1655,   

AN INTRODUCTION, or Epistle to the Reader.  
BEloved Friends & Countrymen, the reason why I drew up the copy of this little Book, is, because the world should know the truth of the matter, how crueIly & how barbarously our Christian brethren are dealt withal beyond the Seas by their bloodthirsty enemies. It is a picture not drawn to the life, but of the death of many thousands of true and Faithful hearted Protestants; and so hoping that example of them may be a means to make us turn from our wicked ways, and seek the Lord whilst he may be found in mercy, I remain your loving Friend and wellwisher.  
L. P.   

A brief Description of the Bloody Usage and cruel Persecutions done upon Protestants in the valleys of Piedmont and other places, as you shall hear immediately.  
IN the famous and fruitful Country, which is called, The Valleys of Piedmont, and Lucern, under the command of the Duke of Savoy, there lately inhabited a people called Waldenses, famous for their constant profession of the Protestant Religion in all ages for about 500 years together; to whom the bloodthirsty Papists have always born a most venomous spite, and have often consulted amongst themselves how to get these Protestants quite rooted out and so to make themselves masters of all that they enjoyed. In the pursuance whereof about the later end of January last, the Duke of Savoy by the persuasion of the Romish Priests and jesuits, put forth a Proclamation that in case all of the reformed Religion, both inhabitants and strangers, should not in three days turn Papists they must for ever bid farewell to their native country, houses, lands and possessions, and that it should be death without mercy for any to disobey the same,  
Hereupon no sooner was the time limited, overpast, but immediately Priest and Monks sent in upon them a world of cutthroats and villains, who in the depth of Winter, not sparing even women with child near delivery, nor those that had Infants hanging on their breast, they were all without distinction both men, women, and children, driven out to wander through frost and snow in a most bitter season to seek for shelter in hollow caves and rocks, and other desolate places.  
The like cruelties have never been acted since the world's creation: for why? The Papists having gotten the upper hand of the Protestants, they stole and took away their horses and cattles from off their ground, they fired and burned the Rickes and Barnes of Corn, they ravished and deflowered both Women and Virgins, in such a most horrible and beastly manner, which may be a shame to be spoken of: and yet that was not the worst, for when the distressed Protestants had been by their Papistical enemies at first so falsely and beastly betrayed, and afterwards so terribly assaulted, as many of them that could make, any shift at all to escape away, fled into the mountains with their wives and children, but by the way were met withal by a great party of Irish Soldiers, which were under the Duke's command, who, fell upon them with such violence, that they murdered all both men, women and children, insomuch that they left not one of them alive that they could take or lay hands on, saying, that they would be revenged on them for the Romish Catholic blood that was spilt by the Protestants in Ireland.  
Yet here followeth more sad and sorrowful news, which is worse than that which hath been already spoken of, the people which did yet remain in the valleys, that had no time to shift for themselves, ran some of them into Créeks and corners and hid themselves in caves and hollow places, where many of them died miserable deaths for want of Food to sustain their hunger; and them that remained in Towns and Cities were so cruelly murdered that the very Channels in the streets were filled with blood: four hundred men at one time were burned to death in a Church; fifteen hundred of women and small children on that same day slain at a Fort called Milbour, the women had their throats cut and their children's brains were dashed against the rocks, and afterwards their Carcases burnt to powder. At the Town of Bricherus all the men put to the sword, and sixtéen great bellied women had their infants ripped out of their wombs; in a great Forest that was very near unto that place, were two hundred men that fled for their lives, overtaken, and afterwards nailed to the trees alive, some of them with their héels upward, and their heads downwards towards she ground. At the City of Turin was the Protestants Temple set on fire, and burned to the very ground by Friars and Romish Priests.  
The Ministers belonging to the same, Mr. Gros and Mr Aghit, with all the chiefest Gentlemen & officers were carried to prison, & stifled to death in their beds. Four Elders, amongst which Paul the Rossan, a man that was of very great note and esteem, with many others more hanged at la Tour. Some had their bowels pulled out of their Bellies, and thrown about the streets for Dogs to gnaw upon. The houses of Angrogue in which were three thousand Protestants got in for shelter, was fired, and never a man came out alive; the Soldiers and Romish Priests, Friars and jesuits, in companies running up and down from one house to another, and never left off murdering whilst the day gave light, Some Children by the Soldiers torn limb from limb, and thrown at out another's heads: and some were tossed upon the points of their pikes, to and fro. Many that were brought up high and mighty mountains, were tied neck and héels together, and tumbled down the stéep Rocks.  
At a gallant Town called Tollareta, they destroyed all the women and children that they could light upon, and cut off the children's heads, and boiled them, and eat the brains for sauce: and all the men that they could take they stripped them naked, and cut & slashed their bodies with Swords and Fanlchins and stopped up their wounds with Salt and Gunpowder. They overtook some in their running. and staked them fast to the ground. They hanged many up by the feet till they died, and some they breched through with spits and roasted alive.  
And thus were the poor Protestants put to most cruel and inhuman deaths, both in the valleys and in the mountains, and in every Town and City where the Romish Priests and Papists Soldiers came.  
Some women had their breasts cut off, some men had their members cut off, some ware starved to death with cold, and some were forced to eat their own excrement, all which miseries was inflected upon them, because they would not turn from their Religion, and from the true worship of the living God, to worship and honour Idolatry.  
A Religious man at Angrogue, named Peter Simon, being a hundred years of age, and his wife almost as much, with many other aged people having gathered themselves in a house together into one place, intending there to spend the remainder of the wretched time that they had to live in Divine Prayer and Supplycations to the Lord, were set upon by the bloody Tyrants, and most basely murdered because they would not go to Mass.  
In another house they took M. Thomas Margher almost an hundred years old, and because he refused to go to Mass, they first cut off his Nose, than one of his Ears, and after the other, and last of all they cut him joint from joint till they had cut all his Limbs in pieces, who spoke these words in the midst of his extremity to the Tyrants that did it. Torment my body how and which way you will or can, but I am sure that you have no power to hurt my soul, and therefore I fear you not, I will never turn from my Christian Faith to worship Idols, for had I ten thousand lives I could be well content to lose them all for the Truth and for the Gospel of Christ; these were the latest of his dying words, a great number more such horrible bloody Murders have been committed upon the Protestants, which if every several particular were set down, a bigger Book were not able to hold them: But here is a sad precedent in what is already set down, I would to God that it had been better, for it is too well approved on, that above thirty thousand Christians that were Protestants perished and were brought to untimely ends in two days and nights, which was done April the sixth and seventh this present Year, 1655,  

Here followeth a brief Description of the situation of the Country, where these Cruel, Bloody, and unhuman Massacries was committed and done.  
THe People of the Nation are called the Walldences, most of them are of a gallant resolve, which had rather die then to change and to turn from what their Ancestors were, and it is well to be known that the faithful Waldences have stood up for the true Protestant Religion at least five hundred years: Notwithstanding they have had many troublesome Mutinies and Persecutions raised against them by the bloodthirsty Papists, but never none like to this before: the countries wherein the Waldences did inhabit is called the valleys of Piedmont, and the valleys of Lucerne, adjoining close with Italy and France on the other side, Savoy is also near unto it; the Country in the valleys is very fruitful bearing and bringing forth Corn, Oil and Wine in a plentiful manner, and by the report of many knowing men which have been Travilers and past through that Country, there is never a place in all Urope so like unto England as that Country is, but the Lord in mercy grant that England may never be so cruelly abused, as the people of that Country have been: and now let us turn back and reflect upon ourselves; are not we almost in the same condition as they were in? suppose a foreign Nation should come as they have threatened to do and invade our Countries and over-comens, who knows but their cruelty might be as much to us as the Papists cruelty was to the Waldences; I am certainly persuaded that our sins are as great and numberless as theirs, and for aught we know our punishment may be as great as theirs unless we speedily repent: wherefore I desire every man and every woman, old and young, rich and poor, to betake themselves to true repentance by unfeigned prayers and amendment of life, & to prostrate ourselves both Souls and Bodies before the wrath of our merciful God cometh upon us, for if our Enemies should resist and make war against us, it is not the arm of flesh that could defend us, except the Lord of Hosts be on our side, although we were ten for one against them, but if the Lord God be on our side we need not fear our proudest Enemies though a thousand to one should magnify themselves against us: and now will & put you in mind of some sad miseries which have fallen and happened to many people in England since these last domestic wars began, which is known by woeful experience to be too true; all which calamities, we as it were pulled down upon our own hea●a for want of serding of God aright.   

Here followeth a true Relation of many cruel acts which have been done since these unhappy and unnatural wars began in England, which is a thing very necessary to be looked upon, and to kept in memory.  
THe Prophet Hosea, Chap. 4. crying out against the wickedness of the people of those times, saith, The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land, by swearing and lying, and killing and stealing, and whoring, they break out, and blood hath touched blood. The very same occasion hath been in England: For all manner of stnnes have so much abounded here, that the like was never before: here is envy, spite and hate amongst neighbours, here is covetousness pride and ambitien amongst rich men; here is lying, swearing & dissembling among Tradesmen, here is false doctrine & blasphemy taught among seditious men, and there is a general distemper amongst all men; insomuth that there are few men contented with their present estate; and this was the cause of our homebred wars at first, and that blood hath touched blood, we all know to be true: for stnee those wars began, there is no place in England but hath deeply tasted of this bloody cup of civil wars, whereby some have lost their goods, some their lives, and many thousands both goods and lives; so that the country people in many places knew not whither to flies to hid themselves from the terrible stroke of death. At night when men should have gone to their rest, the Drums beat up their martial Alarms; and by day when men should go to their labours, their horses & rattels were taken up for Service and the two great Armies were in the bowels of our nation, continually preparing themselves for slaughter: and this was the cause of our sorrows & troubles; had if not been for this, there had not been so many news of taking of towns, firing of houses plandering of Cities, ravishing of women, and deflowering of maids: had it not been for the wars, there had not been so many Lords, Knights, Colonels & Captains imprisoned, nor so many Gentlemen & others lost their Uves: those unnatural civil wars have caused many a woeful mother to bewail the death of her flain son, and many a sister to mingle tears with her brother's blood, many fatherless children to perish for want of nourishment, & many a mournful widow to fit weeping a loan for want of the company of her late deceased husband.  
And thus have you heard of the miseriss that we have brought upon ourselves long of our st●s and taking up arms to fight one with another here in our own Countries.  
And now to conclude, if our Friends and Neighbours were so violent and cruel amongst us, who knows but if an Army of strangers would come and invade our Land, but that they would be fare worse, which I hope shall never be: Therefore I desire of all men that they may love one another, and then will the Lord send Love and Peace amongst all: and for the distressed Waldences that are yet alive let every man and woman send up their Prayers to Almighty God for their deliverance, and happy are we if we can take warning by their harms.  
FINIS.