Foxe - The Book of Martyrs

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
The Protestants proceeded on their march, and the troops of La Torre, on their approach,
made a furious sally, but were repulsed with great loss, and compelled to seek shelter in the
town. The governor now only thought of defending the place, which the Protestants began
to attack in form; but after many brave attempts, and furious assaults, the commanders
determined to abandon the enterprise for several reasons, particularly because they found
the place itself too strong, their own number too weak, and their cannon not adequate to the
task of battering down the walls.
This resolution taken, the Protestant commanders began a masterly retreat, and
conducted it with such regularity that the enemy did not choose to pursue them, or molest
their rear, which they might have done, as they passed the defiles.
The next day they mustered, reviewed the army, and found the whole to amount to four
hundred and ninety- five men. They then held a council of war, and planned an easier
enterprise: this was to make an attack on the commonalty of Crusol, a place inhabited by a
number of the most bigoted Roman Catholics, and who had exercised, during the
persecutions, the most unheard-of cruelties on the Protestants.
The people of Crusol, hearing of the design against them, fled to a neighboring fortress,
situated on a rock, where the Protestants could not come to them, for a very few men could
render it inaccessible to a numerous army. Thus they secured their persons, but were in too
much hurry to secure their property, the principal part of which, indeed, had been plundered
from the Protestants, and now luckily fell again to the possession of the right owners. It
consisted of many rich and valuable articles, and what, at that time, was of much more
consequence, viz., a great quantity of military stores.
The day after the Protestants were gone with their booty, eight hundred troops arrived
to the assistance of the people of Crusol, having been despatched from Lucerne, Biqueras,
Cavors, etc. But finding themselves too late, and that pursuit would be vain, not to return
empty handed, they began to plunder the neighboring villages, though what they took was
from their friends. After collecting a tolerable booty, they began to divide it, but disagreeing
about the different shares, they fell from words to blows, did a great deal of mischief, and
then plundered each other.
On the very same day in which the Protestants were so successful at Crusol, some papists
marched with a design to plunder and burn the little Protestant village of Rocappiatta, but by
the way they met with the Protestant forces belonging to the captains, Jahier and Laurentio,
who were posted on the hill of Angrogne. A trivial engagement ensued, for the Roman
Catholics, on the very first attack, retreated in great confusion, and were pursued with much
slaughter. After the pursuit was over, some straggling papist troops meeting with a poor
peasant, who was a Protestant, tied a cord round his head, and strained it until his skull was
quite crushed.
Captain Gianavel and Captain Jahier concerted a design together to make an attack upon
Lucerne; but Captain Jahier, not bringing up his forces at the time appointed, Captain
Gianavel determined to attempt the enterprise himself.
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