§ 84. THE WALDEXSES. 495
Waldo sought counsel from a priest, who told him there were many ways to heaven, but if he would be perfect, he must obey Christ's precepts, and go and sell all that he had and give to the poor, and follow him. It was the text that had moved Anthony of Egypt to flee from society. Waldo renounced his property, sent his two daughters to the con vent of Fontevrault, gave his wife a portion of his goods, and distributed the remainder to the poor. This was about 1170.
His rule of life, Waldo drew from the plain precepts of the Bible. He employed Bernard Ydros and Stephen of Ansa to translate into the vernacular the Gospels and other parts of the Scriptures, together with sayings of the Fathers. He preached, and his followers, imitating his example, preached in the streets and villages, going about two by two.1 When the archbishop of Lyons attempted to stop them, they replied that "they ought to obey God, rather than men."
Very unexpectedly the Waldenses made their appearance at the Third Lateran council, 1179, at least two of their num ber being present. They besought Alexander III. to give his sanction to their mode of life and to allow them to go on preaching. They presented him with a copy of their Bible translation. The pope appointed a commission to examine them. Its chairman, Walter Map, an Englishman of Welsh descent and the representative of the English king, has left us a curious account of the examination. He ridicules their manners and lack of learning.2 They fell an easy prey to his questionings, like birds, as he says, who do not see the trap or net, but think they have a safe path. He com menced with the simplest of questions, being well aware, as he said, that a donkey which can eat much oats does not disdain milk diet. On asking them whether they believed
1 Per vicos at plateas evangelium prcedicare et Valdesius multos homines utriusque sexus viros et mulieres complices sibi fecit ad similem prcesumptionem, etc. Guy, p. 244.
2 de nugis, Wright's ed., p. 64 sq. Map, who felt highly honored by his appointment, called them simple and illiterate, idiotce et illiterate terms used also by de Bourbon, p. 292, and Guy, p. 244.
496 THE MIDDLE AGES. A.D. 1049-1294.
in the persons of the Trinity they answered, "Yes." And "in the Mother of Christ?" To this they also replied " Yes." At that the committee burst out laughing at their ignorance, for it was not proper to believe m, but to believe on, Mary. " Being poor themselves, they follow Christ who was poor, — nudi nudum Christum sequentes. Certainly it is not possible for them to take a more humble place, for they have scarcely learned to walk. If we admit them, we ourselves ought to be turned out." This vivacious committee-man, who delighted so much in chit-chat, as the title of his book indicates, further says that the Waldenses went about barefooted, clad in sheep-skins, and had all things common like the Apostles.
Without calling the Waldenses by name, the council forbade them to preach. The synod of Verona, 1184, desig nated them as " Humiliati, or Poor Men of Lyons," and anathematized them, putting them into the same category with the Cathari and Patarines. Their offence was preaching without the consent of the bishops.
Although they were expelled from Lyons and excommuni cated by the highest authority of the Church, the Waldenses ceased not to teach and preach. They were called to take part in disputations at Narbonne (1190) and other places. They were charged with being in rebellion against the ecclesiastical authorities and with daring to preach, though they were only laymen. Durandus of Huesca, who had belonged to their company, withdrew in 1207 and took up a propaganda against them. He went to Rome and secured the pope's sanction for a new order under the name of the " Catholic Poor " who were bound to poverty ; the name, as is probable, being derived from the sect he had abandoned.
Spreading into Lombardy, they met a party already organ ized and like-minded. This party was known as the Humili ati. Its adherents were plain in dress and abstained from oaths and falsehood and from lawsuits. The language, used by the Third (Ecumenical council and the synod of Verona,