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history, with a genuine Waldensian document of the early part of the thirteenth
century. Thus, the destructive critics on Waldensian literature illustrate their
brethren on Biblical literature.
Prof. Albert H. Newman, well says:
“Dieckhoff doubtless went further than the facts in his possession, warranted
in his rejection of Waldensian testimony and in his respect for that of Roman
Catholic inquisitors.” f641
Of this same poem, after a thorough examination of both sides of the question,
Leger says: “La date I’an 1100 qu’on lit dans ce poema merite toute
confiance” — the date 1100 which is given the poem is worthy of all
confidence. f642
Gilly, a more reliable authority than Leger, says:
“For my own part, I believe the Noble Lesson to be of more ancient date than
the British Magazine and its correspondents are inclined to allow, even of the
early part of the twelfth century.” f643
Dr. Montgomery well concludes his discussion, after thoroughly considering
the discussions of Dieckhoff, Herzog and others:
“The date in the Noble Lesson, not affixed, but embodied in the poem, seems
so to resist all attempts made against it; that of itself, it may be held sufficient
proof of the existence of the Vaudois under their present name in the
beginning of the twelfth century.” f644
Herzog concludes that instead of their being of Hussite origin numbers of the
Waldensian MS. “must be older than the time of the Hussite influence” —
from 1298 to 1415 A.D. f645 Owing to the attempt to impute the Waldensian
writings to the “Hussite influence,” and, thus, get them out of the way as proof
of Waldensian antiquity, I call special attention to this concession of Herzog.
In speaking of the Noble Lesson, do not forget that, while not so strong
evidence as it is, other Vaudois manuscripts prove the antiquity of the
Waldenses. Dieckhoff is forced to concede that: “there is abundant evidence of
the existence of Vaudois books at an early date.” f646 Dieckhoff’s attempting to
weaken the force of this concession by proving these manuscripts had become
very rare by the end of the sixteenth century, proves only that a drowning man
will readily catch at a straw, since there are sufficient copies of them to attest
Waldensian antiquity. While, to an extent deserved, frequent characterization
of some alleged Waldensian manuscripts and some Waldensian writers as
“falschung,” “falscher,” “absichtsvolle Falschung” — falsifying, forged, full
of intentional falsifying — is thus well animadverted on by Dr. Montgomery: