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WAL

1273

WAL

is known of his early life; but it was about the year 1160 that

he first publicly opposed himself to the doctrine and authority of the Church of Rome. Having enjoyed a superior education, he was able to read the Vulgate, and he either translated or caused to be translated the four gospels into French for the use of the people of Lyons. He grasped firmly the principle of the sole authority of the word of God in matters of faith and practice; but interpreting it too literally and too much in the spirit of ascetic piety, he deemed it his duty to become the follower of the poverty of our Lord and his apostles, as well as of their teaching, and surrendering all his wealth for the relief of the poor, he gave up his whole life to the mission of instructing his countrymen in a purer faith and practice than those of the dominant church. He preached in the public streets of Lyons, and gathered the people around him in small assemblies for the study of the scriptures. As his knowledge of the Bible grew, his eyes became more and more open to the degeneracy and corruption of the Church of Rome; but there is no reason to suppose that he ever reached the right understanding of the doctrine of St. Paul, or ever became fundamentally opposed to the Church of Rome on purely theological questions. It was her sacerdotal system that he mainly attacked—the arrogant assumptions, the ignorance, the superstition, and the vices of the clergy. He did not at first withdraw his followers from all connection with the church, resembling in this the early Moravians in Germany and the early Methodists in England. It was the persecutions of the church that compelled the followers of Waldo to become a hostile sect; Waldo was prohibited from preaching by the archbishop of Lyons, and attempts were made to apprehend him, which were defeated by the powerful support of his fellow-citizens, who kept him in concealment among them for three years. But at the end of that time he was anathematized by Pope Alexander III., who commanded the archbishop to proceed against him and his adherents with the utmost rigour. He was at last driven from Lyons, and took refuge in Dauphiny, where he preached with great success. Crossing the Alps into Piedmont and Lombardy, he found many in these countries who sympathized with his views. Among the Vaudois of Piedmont in particular, his influence is believed by some recent German authors, such as Dieckhoff and Herzog, to have been so great that it was from him they derived the name of Waldenses, while others maintain that the true meaning of that name is "Men of the Valleys," and that Peter of Lyons acquired the surname of Waldo or Waldus from his residence among them, and the identity of his opinions with their ancient faith. The latter is the view of the relations of Waldo to the Waldenses of Piedmont which is generally held in this country; but the researches of the two authors just named, especially of Professor Herzog, who of all living writers has the fullest acquaintance with Waldensian manuscripts, are well worthy of attention. The only additional facts of Waldo's life known to historians are, that he subsequently preached in Picardy and in Bohemia, and that in the latter country he died in 1179.—P. L. WALDSTEIN, Albrecht Eusebius Wenceslaus of, known in history by the name of Wallenstein, was born at Hermancè in Bohemia, on the 10th September, 1583, the third and youngest son of his parents, who were of ancient family, but not wealthy. They were protestants, and trained up Albrecht in their own creed. The boy was stubborn and passionate, and though subjected to severe discipline by his father, made slight progress in learning. He was still a boy when his parents died, and he was sent by an uncle to the Jesuit college at Olmutz. He was easily won over to the Roman catholic religion, and on quitting college travelled with a wealthy young noble to France, Spain, Germany, England, Holland, and Italy. In Italy he devoted himself for some time to the study of astrology, the delusions of which ever after exercised a strange influence over his mind. His Paduan teacher having predicted that he would attain to great military renown, young Waldstein joined the imperial army then warring against the Turks in Hungary. On the conclusion of peace in 1606 he returned to Bohemia without having obtained any remarkable distinction. His inherited fortune was small, and he owed much of his subsequent success in life to the money which he obtained by marriage with a wealthy widow who on her death bequeathed her fortune to him. For a period of ten years, from 1607 to 1617, he took no part in public affairs, but resided on his estates, busying himself, it is thought, with farming and rural economy. In 1617 he raised two hundred horsemen, and led them to the assistance of the Archduke Ferdinand, then engaged in a dispute with the Venetians. He skilfully relieved the blockaded fortress of Granitza, and having attracted universal attention by his splendour and generosity, was invited by the emperor to Vienna and created a Count. He was also appointed to the command of the Moravian militia, which he retained until he was driven out by the civil war which arose between the emperor and his protestant subjects of Moravia and Bohemia. When in 1619 Ferdinand became emperor, and the Bohemians renouncing their allegiance to him elected Frederick, elector of the Palatinate, their king, a religious war ensued in which Waldstein rendered eminent service to the emperor and the catholic cause. By a relentless system of confiscation of property in the districts which he overran, Waldstein contrived not only to maintain a princely magnificence in his own mode of living, but also to keep up a large army of mercenaries without cost to the imperial treasury. No more impressive picture of the horrors of the Thirty Years' war can be conceived, than is suggested by this fact. In 1621 Waldstein twice defeated Bethlehem Gabor in Hungary. Two years after he was created Count Palatine and Duke of Friedland, with the right of striking coin and granting patents of nobility. He showed great capacity and diligence in the administration of his new government, in which he exercised despotic sway. When King Christian of Denmark joined the protestants in 1625 Waldstein was empowered to raise an army of fifty thousand men, which he had the less difficulty in doing by reason of his reputation among the mercenaries as a liberal paymaster. By his able conduct at the head of this army he defeated Count Mansfeld, checked Bethlehem Gabor, conquered Holstein and Jutland, and raised the power of Ferdinand in Germany to the highest pitch. In 1628 his services were rewarded with the magnificent gift of the duchy of Mecklenburg, which the rightful dukes were declared to have forfeited by rebellion in forming an alliance with the king of Denmark against the emperor. From the siege of Stralsund, which had lasted some months, Waldstein was compelled to retire in the summer of the same year. Peace was concluded with Denmark in the January following, and Waldstein remained confessedly the most powerful subject in the empire. To him was intrusted the execution of the decree of restitution, by which protestants were forced to restore all the catholic church property they had sequestrated since 1555. The rigours of this arbitrary law were enforced by the powerful general, who did not disdain to share in the spoil which thus fell into the hands of the Romanists. His enemies treasured up every complaint made of his severity, and at length, in 1630 at the diet of Ratisbon, the duke of Friedland was formally charged with tyranny, with having ambitious projects of independence, and with permitting the cruel rapine of his soldiery. Waldstein was dismissed from his command, and retired to his estates in Bohemia. But Ferdinand could not long do without him. In June, 1630, Gustavus Adolphus came to aid the protestant cause in Germany, and in August, 1631, won the battle of Leipsic Count Tilly was slain in battle. In 1632 Waldstein was conjured to resume the command of the imperialists. He consented in April, and new life was immediately infused into the emperor's vast army. At the battle of Lützen, however, he was defeated by the superior genius of Gustavus. But the Swedish king fell, and ere long the emperor's cause once more prospered. At Steinau Waldstein made a Swedish force lay down their arms. He cleared Silesia of the enemy, and invaded Brandenburg. French diplomatic agents at this time began tampering with him. He was suspected and feared by his imperial master. Measures were about to be taken to deprive him of power, when he entered into a compact with the officers of his army for their mutual security. Thereupon the emperor, filled with alarm, declared this too powerful subject to be an outlaw, and gave secret instructions for his assassination. The illegal sentence was carried into effect at Egra, by certain Irish officers who had served under him. He was killed in his bedroom, 25th February, 1634.—(Mitchell's Life of Wallenstein.)—R. H. WALE, Samuel, R.A., was originally a bright engraver, but studied design in the St. Martin's Lane academy, and turned historical painter. He was one of the original members, and first professor of perspective, of the Royal Academy, and designed the vignette for the title-page of the catalogue of the first exhibition in 1769. Wale painted some ceilings; he also painted some signs at a time when sign-boards swung from every shopfront in the metropolis, and ambitious tradesmen sought to dis-

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