_ 173 _ We resumed our journey over ascents and descents which were not very severe, passing through nine or ten villages and places inhabited by similar French people, with the same stone and mud houses covered in very small black stones. Some houses were made of pine on the sides of these very high mountains, which were covered in snow and rough pine trees; the people use these, for they have no other firewood for heating, nor timber. At sunset, we put up at a town called Modane, four leagues from Lanslebourg. On the next day, we travelled through mountains and over rough roads, passing four or five villages and many places and small castles and dining in a large castellated town called La Chambre, eight leagues from Modane, and we slept at Aiguebelle, four leagues from La Chambre. On the next day, we dined at the village of Montmélian, four leagues from Aiguebelle. This was being strongly fortified by the Duke for fear of the Lutherans of Geneva, which is twelve leagues from there to the north. The Duke’s land borders here with the lands of the Bemese, who are Swiss. Geneva has been the cause of the destruction of France and is the capital in those parts of the accursed Lutheran doctrine. We resumed our journey, leaving here in the afternoon and passed through a valley with many farms belonging to Savoyard noblemen. We had
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