: had not a soul near her to whom she could look for comfort and after eight days of the most critical danger, at the moment when she most wanted assistance, the woman who was to attend her, left her bed-side to go to mass! In addition to deprivations and sufferings such as these, which are inseparable from her present condition in life, she has had to encounter all those vexatious and harassing proceedings, to which the Protestant wife of a Romanist is subject in this country. Her father-in-law has instituted several suits to annul her marriage, and to prove the illegitimacy of her children; happily, without success: but her husband has so far entered into the bigoted feelings of his father, as to oblige her to receive the visits of priests, who have resorted to every expedient to effect her conversion. He has even treated her at times so harshly, because she would not be an apostate from her faith, that, to use her own words, she has literally been "without food, clothes, or shelter." But, in spite of such ill treatment, she is so dutifully attached to her husband, that, to my own knowledge, she refused to accept an invitation from her kind friend, Madame Vertu, when he was not asked to be of the party; and I never heard her speak of him but in terms of tenderness and affection. Those who know the importunities of the Roman Catholic priesthood, and the never ceasing perplexities to which a Protestant wife is exposed, will know how to estimate the firmness of this unfortunate lady. Before I left Turin, I had several times the means of gratifying my curiosity by a sight of the royal family. They move about with very little parade or ostentation, and appear to have no apprehensions of an unfavourable reception from the people. At the opera, a stranger may have a full gaze at them almost every evening: they are constant in their attendance there, and sit in full view of the audience. The queen has not a very prepossessing countenance: hers is the long, uninteresting Spanish-Bourbon face, in which we can discover nothing attractive. The king is a mild, goodhumoured looking man, with nothing, but this indication of a kindly disposition, particularly striking either in his aspect, or deportment; and to judge from several favourable traits of character, which have discovered themselves, when he has acted for himself, I should be inclined to believe, that the grievances, of which his Protestant subjects, the Vaudois, complain, are to be attributed to others, rather than to himself. The Vaudois themselves are decidedly of this opinion; and never speak of the king personally, but in the language of respect and affection. On the nights that I visited the opera at Turin, I observed that there was but little notice taken of the royal party, which may be owing, in part, to their showing themselves so frequently in places of public resort. Every body rose at their entrance, but there was nothing expressive of a cordial or joyous reception; and perhaps this struck me the more forcibly, from the recollection of what I had witnessed the year before, at our own opera in London, when the King of England presented himself before a hearty English audience, who had been waiting with impatient anxiety for his appearance. I thought the magnificent chandelier, suspended over the pit, must have been shaken from its hold, under the acclamations with which the house rang, when George the Fourth made his first entrée in the royal box. How enviable must be the feelings of the sovereign, who listens to the honest applauses of his people; and who knows that he has merited them. When kings reign by virtue of a constitution, and in the z I have lately received a letter from a Protestant gentleman in Piemont, dated the 28th of March, 1825, in which he complains of permission having been refused to a young surgeon to exercise his profession in Turin, for no other reason, but that he adheres to the religious tenets of the Vaudois. "BUT I DARE SAY," continues my correspondent, "THE KING HIMSELF HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH REFUSAL, OTHERWISE HE IS TOO GOOD AND TOO JUST TO SANCTION IT. Note to Second Edition. LATE KING OF SARDINIA. 61 spirit of it, they cannot fail of reigning in the hearts of their people. It is by Roman Catholic courtiers, that the divine right of kings has been principally asserted, and yet it cannot but have been noticed, that almost all the late revolutionary movements have been in Roman Catholic countries. Protestant subjects are generally less lavish of adulation, but not less faithful in the hour of trial; the truth of which has often been experienced by the kings of Sardinia. The late king of Sardinia was reminded of this, and requested by a British minister to ameliorate the condition of the Vaudois. He gave a quibbling answer: "Do you emancipate the Irish Catholics, and I will emancipate the Vaudois." It was rejoined, "We only beg of your Majesty to concede as much to the Protestants of the valleys, as has been conceded to the Roman Catholics of Ireland." The king was silent, but inexorable. CHAPTER IV. Leave Turin-The Po-Face of the country-Irrigation-Pinerolo-Popish hospital-Infant stealing-Edict of Victor Amadeus-Defile between Pinerolo and Fenestrelle-Valley of the Clusone-Inn at Perosa-Excellent fare-Pomaretto-Mountain torrents-A Vaudois village-Presbytery of PomarettoRodolphe Peyrani-Moderator of the Vaudois-His extreme poverty, and sufferings-Erudition of Peyrani - Interesting conversation-Pattern of Christian mildness—The moderator's library-Sold to purchase the necessaries of life-Episcopacy among the Vaudois-Reduced numbers of the Vaudois-Innovations-Waldensian Church-Church of England-Persecutions-The Protestant valleys of Piemont, the cradle of the Reformation-Wickliffe-Lollards-Doctrines of the Vaudois not Calvinistic-Peyrani and Napoleon-Anecdote-Napoleon's pension to the Vaudois—The pastor Rostain-His extreme poverty-Toilsome duties of the Vaudois clergy-British pension to the pastors of the Vaudois-The Count] Truchsess-Emperor Alexander-New hospital at La Torre-Letters from the valleys-Suspension of the royal pension-Collection for the Vaudois during the Protectorate-Oliver Cromwell establishes a fund for the Vaudois-King William III.-Noble character of Peyrani-Lord William Bentinck-Victor Emanuel, the late king-Anecdote-Ferdinand Peyrani, pastor of Pramol-Parting with Peyrani-Reduced condition of the Waldensian Church -Death of Peyrani-The moderator's son in poverty at Lausanne-Peyrani's admirable pamphlet-Anecdote. ON Saturday, January 11, we set out from Turin on our journey to the mountains. Our excellent friend M. Vertu, had not only provided us with letters of introduction to some Vaudois families, but had the kindness to allow his son to accompany us, a most amiable and intelligent young man of about twenty years of age, whose knowledge of the English language, and of the country to which we were directing our steps, promised us every assistance and facilty of intercourse. We proceeded through the borgo of Monviso, out of the Porta Nuova, passed the citadel, and then followed the high road to Pinerolo, in a south-westerly direction from the capital. The Po was in view for a few miles upon our left; but from this part of the river at least the swans were fled, which once used to haunt its banks. It ran now swiftly but calmly, and without any indications of that power, which it shows when swelled by the floods of spring; at such times it not unfrequently happens that it overflows its banks for many miles, and rushes along in one broad impetuous torrent, that sweeps away every thing before it, fully justifying the character it has obtained from the Roman poeta. There was nothing strikingly interesting in the first sixteen or eighteen miles, but Sterne had said, "If I were in a desert, I would find out wherewithal to call forth my attention," and so it was with us. The scenery was new, though not particularly picturesque, and the division of the lands, the costume of the peasants, and the novel form of the buildings furnished materials enough for curiosity and conversation. Nona was the only town through which we passed before we arrived at Pinerolo (Pignerol,) but the population of this part of the province appeared to be as great as its fertility, and the meadows, vineyards, and corn-fields bore ample proof of the industry of its inhabitants. The method |