The agreement was not however universal. During the six days' discussion several barbes and laymen might have been seen standing apart, in some shady place, with gloomy air and uneasy look, talking together on the resolutions proposed to the synod. At the moment when every one was affixing his signature to the confession, the two leaders withheld theirs, and withdrew from the assembly. [Sidenote: OLD WALDENSIAN MANUSCRIPTS.] During the discussion, and even before it, Farel and Saunier had had several conversations and conferences with the Waldenses, in the course of which the barbes had displayed their old manuscripts, handed down from the twelfth century, as they said: the _Noble Lesson_, the _Ancient Catechism_, the _Antichrist_, the _Purgatory_, and others. These writings bore the date of A.D. 1120, which probably was not disputed by Farel. One line of the _Noble Lesson_ seems to indicate this as the period when it was composed.[473] Since then, however, more recent dates have been assigned to the other writings, especially to the _Antichrist_, and even to the _Noble Lesson_. In any case, however, these documents belong to a time anterior to the Reformation.[474] The Waldensians displayed with peculiar pride several manuscript copies of the Old and New Testament in the vulgar tongue. 'These books,' they said, 'were copied correctly by hand so long ago as to be beyond memory, and are to be seen in many families.' Farel and Saunier had received and handled these writings with emotion; they had turned over the leaves, and 'marvelling at the heavenly favour accorded to so small a people,' had rendered thanks to the Lord because the Bible had never been taken from them. They did not stop there: Farel addressing the synod, represented to them that the copies being few in number they could only serve for a few persons: 'Ah!' said he, 'if there are so many sects and heresies, so much trouble and confusion now in the world, it all comes from ignorance of the Word of God. It would therefore be exceedingly necessary for the honour of God and the well-being of all christians who know the French language, and for the destruction of all doctrines repugnant to the truth, to translate the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek tongues into French.'[475] No proposal could be more welcome to the Waldenses; their existence was due to their love of Scripture, and all their treatises and poems celebrated it: The Scriptures speak and we must believe. Look at the Scriptures from beginning to end.[476] Thus spoke the _Noble Lesson_. They agreed 'joyfully and with good heart to Farel's demand, busying and exerting themselves to carry out the undertaking.' The proposition was voted enthusiastically, and the delighted reformers looked with emotion and joy at this faithful and constant people, to whom God had entrusted for so many ages the ark of the new covenant, and who were now inspired with fresh zeal for his service.[477]