History of the Waldenses Author:Harvey Newcomb Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CONVERSATION III. PERSECUTION OF THE ALBIGENSES IN FRANCE, DURING THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY. Caroline. Well, mother, what are you going to tell us about, this... more » evening ? Mother. The subject of this evening's conversation will be the cruel persecutions of the Albigenses in France. Caroline. Who were the Albigenses? Mother. They were a branch of the Walden- ses, which took its name from the city of Alby, in France, where a great number of them were condemned and put to death. Caroline. Who did this, mother ? Mother. Like the Waldenses, they were hated and persecuted by the church of Rome. In the year 1163, a Synod was held at Tours, in France, which forbade all persons giving assistance to the followers of this heresy, as they called it, or having any dealings with them in buying or selling, under pain of excommunication, " that, being deprived of the necessaries of life, they might be brought to renounce their doctrines." Elizabeth. Why, mother, how much this is like the image of the beast described in the Revelations. " And he causeth all, both great Seo Great Apostasy, p. 44 and 5. and small, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark, in their right hand or in their forehead ; and that nu man migkt buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Mother. Yes ; this prophecy appears to have been, in this instance, literally fulfilled. It was, however, a common practice wherever the dominion of Popery was firmly established. This Synod also declared that, if any officer should neglect his duty in punishing the heretics, he should be excommunicated as a partaker of their guilt; and that the heretics should have all their property taken away, and be put in prison. The king banished them from his dominion...« less