vnderstanding perfectly the state of her soule he knewe right well that such wordes in her came not of anie inordinate heat or passion of the mynd but only of a verie perfecte and pure zeale that she had to the honour of God and aduancement of his Church The reformation of the which she so much tēdred that manie tymes whē she made hir praiers vnto God for the same she would beseech him in most hartie maner that she might die for it in extremitie of paines and tormentes and that she might afterwardes be restored to life againe and so die againe and againe so oftentymes as should be thought sufficient for the obteyning of that blessed reformation that she so earnestly longed after Verie manie tymes being in praier she would vtter these wordes with a passing great feruour of spirite O Lord let all the partes of my bodie all my bones all the marowe within my bones be beaten and pounded together in a morter only restore thy holie Church againe to her comelines and beautie And though the whole state of her life were in deed a verie martyrdome yet had she such a longyng and impatient desire to shead her blood for the loue she bare to Christ and his Church that all her wordes and deedes seemed after a sort to tend to it as it maie appeere by a letter that she wrote to Doctour Raimundus concernyng the same matter In the which it is to be seene what a passing delite she tooke in iterating these wordes againe and againe blood blood Iesus Iesus How the holie maid made a final exhortation to her spiritual children and so passed out of this life Chap. 22. WHen the holie maid vnderstood by reuelation from God that her tyme drewe neere in the which she should passe out of this wordle she called all her spiritual children about her both men and women and to them all in general she made a meruelous godlie and excellent sermon exhorting them to goe forward constantly in their purposed waie of vertue vntill they came to the perfection of the same And in this sermon she expressed manie notable pointes of doctrine which I thought good to touch briefely in this place for the direction of all such as mind to walke perfectly and not to erre in the streight patthes of a true Christian life The first and most principal point of her doctrine as it were the ground-worke of all her exhortation was this To a man that cometh vnfeinedly to the seruice of God and myndeth in deed to possesse God perfectly it is necessarie that he do vtterly spoile his hart and make it naked and bare of all sensible loue not only of all persones but also of all creatures whatsoeuer they be and being so spoiled that he do earnestly bend him selfe towardes God his Creatour with a single and whole hart For the hart said she can not be wholly offred vp to God vnlesse it be free from all other loue and withal open and simple without all doublenes And she declared vnto them that her principal labour studie euen from her childhood to her dying daie had ben to atteine to the perfection of this point Item she said that no man can possibly come to such state of perfectiō as to be able to offer vp his hart to God freely and wholly without anie let or encombrance vnlesse he seeke it at Gods hand by praier And she said withal that it is necessarily required in praier that it be grounded vpon humilitie and that the man that myndeth to obteine anie thing by praier must haue no cōfidence in anie vertue or merite of his owne but only in the goodnes of God reputing him selfe as nothing in the sight of God And she added furthermore that she had ben alwaies careful and diligent to geue her selfe to praier that she might haue a cōtinual habite of the same because she sawe that of praier all vertues receiue their increase strength as contrariwise without praier all vertues decaie fall quite awaie And for this cause she exhorted them to geue them selues earnestly cōtinually to the exercise of praier And here she declared vnto them that there were two kindes of praier the one called vocal the other mental that these two kindes were to be vsed the one at tymes appointed in saying or singyng the Canonical howers and Church-seruice the other at all tymes either in acte so long as it might be done with discretion or els in will and desire when it might no longer be continued actually Item she said that she sawe cleerely by the light of a liuely faith that whatsoeuer happened to her selfe or others in this life came all from God not of anie hatred that he had to anie but of a passing great loue that he bare to his creatures And thereof she conceiued a certaine loue and readines to obey the cōmaundments both of God and also of her superiours so taking their commaundments as though they had come immediately from the mouth of God either for the necessitie of her saluation or els for the increase of vertue in her soule Item she said that whosoeuer is desirous to come to a cleane and pure state of mynd must of necessitie refraine him selfe from all iudging of others and from speaking vainely of the doings of others and looke only to the will of God in all his creatures which doth or permitteth all thinges to a good end And for this cause she charged them verie effectually that they should neuer iudge anie person that is they should not by waie of iudgement despise or condemne anie persone though they sawe euidently with their eyes some synne committed but contrariwise if the synne were manifest they should haue cōpassion on the partie that had offended praie to God for his amendment And cōcernyng this point she added thus much not as of her self but as a most vndoubted truth receiued at Gods owne mouth that manie persones for not obseruing this precept had failed of their final intended perfection in spiritual life which otherwise for a nomber of excellent vertues that were in them might haue prooued great Sainctes Item she said that she had alwaies reposed a verie great hope and affiance in the prouidence of God and so she exhorted them to doe affirmyng that she had tried by experience that the prouidence of God was passing great and neuer failed them that put their trust in him The which thing both she and manie other that kept her companie had seene verified oftentymes by verie certaine and euident miracles These and manie other goodlie pointes of doctrine she vttered vnto them and in the end she concluded her long exhortation with that precept of our Sauiour Christ exhorting them verie humbly and withal verie earnestly that they should loue one an other My deere children said she loue one an other This saying she repeated againe and againe after a meruelous sweet and louelie maner and did what she could to
to praier And whē she had done she thought to rest her selfe a while as she was wont to doe Howbeit she had a care not to sleepe ouerlong bicause it was sondaie she entended to heare high Masse that daie which she could not doe conueniently vnlesse she rose vp quickely bicause she had her childrens dyners to dresse before she went to Church Now lying downe with this care her mind was so fully occupied with the same that as it is wont to happen in such case she seemed to speake to her selfe in her sleepe and to saie thus Woman what meanest thou Thou must needes rise quickely there is no remedie that thou maiest dresse thy childrens dyner and so goe to Church in dewe tyme. As she was speaking these wordes in her mynd to her selfe behold there appeered a meruelous goodlie child vnto her of the age as it seemed of an eight or ten yeares which spake to her after this maner I will not haue thee to rise yet vntill thou haue seene a thing that I will shewe thee She was much delited with the sight of that child and yet bicause she had great care of her busines and specially of hearing Masse she spake vnto him and said I praie thee good child let me rise for I must needes heare high Masse this daie In no wise said the child vnlesse thou see before certaine wonderful thinges that I am commanunded by God to shewe thee And with that he tooke her by her garmentes as it seemed to her and lead hir into a certaine open and large place in the which she saw the forme of a meruelous goodly oratorie or Church and in the top of the same a tabernacle of syluer close locked which shewed verie princely Then said the child to her Abide here a while and thou shalt see what is in yonder tabernacle He had no sooner spoken those wordes but that there appeered an other child like him which brought a ladder and with a golden keie that he had in his hand opened the doore of the tabernacle When the doore was open she sawe a meruelous goodlie and beawtiful yong maid roially appareled all in shynyng white with collars and owches of price She ware three crownes vpon her head which were verie finely wrought and set together in such sort that euerie one of them might be perfectly seene and discerned from the other The lower crowne was al of pure siluer and shewed white The second was of syluer myngled with gold and shewed a certaine glistering red colour such as is wont to be when an orient red ground is wrought ouer with threedes of gold The third and highest crowne was all of pure gold richly decked and set rownd about with perles and precious stones The widowe beholding this goodlie sight began to reason with her selfe what yong maid that might be that was so gorgiously trymed And looking steddily on her she might well discerne that it was the face of Caterine of Siena but her age was not answereable Which made her to suspecte that it should be some other Then the child that appeered to her first asked her whether she knewe that faire maid or no. Truly said she this is the verie face of Caterine of Siena but her age agreeth not While the woman stood thus and looked wishly vpon her the yong maid that was within the tabernacle smyled sweetly and said to those two children Loe this woman knoweth me not After this there came fower other children like vnto these and brought with them a settle to carrie one in made in fourme like a bride chamber and furnished thoroughly with ritch clothes of a purple colour And when they had set downe this chamber or settle by the aforesaid tabernacle of syluer they went vp nymbly and tooke the yong maid that was there crowned in their handes to bring her downe and put her in that chamber But while this was in doing the yong maid spake to those children and said Let me goe a litle to that woman first that seeth me now and knoweth me not And with that she went towardes her as it were fleeing and said vnto her Semia do not you knowe me I am Caterine of Siena euen as my face sheweth What said Semia Are you Caterine my spiritual mother I am said she But marcke well what thou hast seene and what thou shalt see When the blessed virgin had spoken those wordes the sixe children tooke her and brought her backe to the said bride chamber and placed her in the same and so lifted her vpon high Semia stood still and looked after to see what would become of her And behold she sawe in heauen a seate and vpon the seate a king sitting royally clad and crowned hauing in his right hand a booke open The children mounted vp with their cariage vntil they came to the foote of this seate and there they set downe the bed chamber and the maid in it And she foorthwith went out of the chamber and cast her selfe downe prostrate at the feete of the king and worshipped him That done the king said to her Welcome my right deerely beloued spowse and daughter Caterine Then being commaunded by the king she lifte vp her head and read in the booke that he held in his right hand so long as a man would well saie a Pater noster When she had done that the king commaunded her to stand vp And so she did and stood by the seate looking for the comyng of the Queene Which came foorthwith accompained with a goodlie traine of virgins and went as it seemed towardes the king When the Queene approched neere the holie maid went downe from the place where she stood and kneeling vpon her knees worshiped her The Queene embraced her verie louingly and said Hartely welcome my deere daughter Caterine And with that she tooke her vp and kissed her Then the holie maid kneeled downe againe and worshipped the Queene And when she had so done she went by commaundement of the Queene to all the rest of the virgins one after an other and they all receiued her likewise with passing great ioye and kissed her Now Semia that stood and behold all these thinges was so moued with the sight that she cried out alowde and said O blessed Ladie O mother of our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ make intercession for vs. And againe she said O blessed Marie Magdalene O blessed S. Catherine O blessed S. Agnes O blessed S. Margarite praie for vs. And with this crie she awaked out of her sleepe and openyng her eyes sawe that the sonne was of a great height Wherof being verie sorie both for the high Masse which she doubted would be almost done before she could come to her parish Church and also for her childrens dyner which could not be made readie against the due tyme she began to thinke with her selfe what the cause should be whie that vnwonted and strange vision should be shewed vnto her for she neither knewe nor
S. Dominicke and to his order Chap. 5. AFter that this yong virgin had thus espowsed her self to the Sonne of God she was wholly enflamed with the holie fire of his heauenlie loue in such sort that she had a passing great desire and zeale not only to be vnited her selfe to him with a pure and syncere loue but also to wynne other sowles also By reason of the which zeale she cast a speciall affection to those Sainctes that she vnderstood had taken paines specially about the bringyng of sowles vnder the sweet yoke and obedience of Christ And vnderstanding by reuelation from God that S. Dominicke had institued the order of the friars Preachers to that end she had the brethren of that order in such reuerence that when she sawe anie of them passing by her fathers howse she would goe after them with great humilitie and deuotion and kisse the verie steppes where they had set their feet She had also a meruelous great desire to be professed her selfe in that rule that she with the rest of the brethren might doe what in her laie to wynne some sowles vnto God But when she sawe that she might not doe so bicause she was a woman she thought to take an other waie which was to goe into some farre countreys and there to change her apparel and so to be receiued into some cloister for a man Thus she thought of her selfe but yet not altogether without some president For she had vnderstood befor of S. Euphrosina by whose name she was commonly called while she was a litle one peraduenture by Gods prouidence to for-signifie this holie designemēt that she had after such a maner chāged her attire and liued a verie religious and streight kind of life in a monasterie among men But though this desire and purpose continued long in her mynd yet at the lenght by her humble and continual praier she obteined at Gods hand to vnderstand that he would not haue her to take that waie wherupon she gaue it ouer Now this yong virgin waxed fast in the growth and stature of her bodie but much faster in the encrease of vertue in meekenes in deuotion in graue and womanlie behauiour demeanyng her selfe in all her wordes and deedes so discretly and with such an vnwonted grauitie in that age that her parentes acquaintance neighbours had her in great admiration Emongest a nomber of thinges that passed verie notably of that sort this one acte me thinketh is not to be passed ouer with silence It befell on a daie that her mother hauing a special deuotion to S. Anthonie would haue a Masse to be said in the honour of the said Saincte Wherupon she called her daughter vnto her and taking her certaine candels and money in her hand said these wordes vnto her Goe daughter said she to the church praie our parish Priest that he will sing or cause to be song a Masse in the honour of S. Antonie And offer vp this money and candels vpon the aulter She tooke the money and candels of her mother willingly as she was euermore verie glad and readie to doe whatsoeuer she was commanded by her parentes especially if it tended to the honour of God and wēt without anie tariance to the church and did as she was willed to doe And furthermore for her owne priuate deuotion she continued out the whole Masse and all the rest of the diuine seruice Now her mother thought she would haue returned home againe so soone as she had made her oblation vnto the Priest And therfore when she was come home to make her ashamed of her long tarying she spake vnto her as the maner of mothers is to speake vnto litle children Cursed be those wicked tongues said she that said my daughter should come no more She is come at the lenght though it be long first The child hearing those wordes held her selfe still for a while and gaue no word againe But after a good space when she had as it were well aduised her selfe she tooke her mother aside and with great sadnes of countenance said meekely vnto her Good mother when yee see that I do transgresse anie commandement of yours beate me with a rod as you shall thinke best that I maie be the more warie an other tyme for it standeth well with right and reason that yee so doe But one thing I praie you for my faultes curse no man or woman in the wordle good or bad for it is vnseemelie for you to doe it and to me it is a great griefe of mynd to heare it The mother was so astoined at the discrete answere and graue counsel of her yong daughter that for a good tyme she could not deuise how to say anie more vnto her How beit bicause she would not haue her to vnderstand so much she turned to her againe and said Whie werte thou then so long awaie Deere mother said she I taried to heare that Masse and the rest of the diuine seruice and that done I came streight home without tarying in anie place Then was the mother more edified by those wordes then she was before and went to her husbād and told him all that had passed betweene her and her daughter The which when he heard he weighed the matter like a wise man with him selfe and tooke it to be a verie certaine token of some great grace and singular holines that was like to ensue in his daughter who increasing daie by daie in the loue and feare of God lead her life in these and other the like woorkes of vertue and godlines vntill she came to the age of twelue yeares How shee relented somewhat in her spirituall exercises being therunto induced by the importunitie of her mother and sisters who would needes haue her to vse some diligence in trymyng and setting out of her selfe And of the penance which she did for that offence Chap. 6. WHen this maid was now come to the age of twelue yeares vpward her father and mother tooke great care how they might bestowe her honestly in mariage for the better perfourmance wherof that there might not lacke anie grace or comelines to set her foorth withal that either was in her by nature or might be had by diligence her mother after the maner of women in that countrey in deed rather much vsed then greatly commended was earnest with her that she should bestowe more tyme and diligence in washing and scowring her skynne in kembing and couloring her haire in plucking vp such haires as grewe in her face or necke disorderedly and in other the like vaine and superfluous attendances about the trymming and decking of her bodie to please the eyes of men But the yong spowse of Christ whose hart was wholly preuented with the loue of the fairest beawtifullest emong the sonnes of men who had also both the louelines of her spowse and her owne faith and truth so lately plight to him euermore present before her eyes could in no wise be
induced to withdrawe anie tyme from the inward decking of her soule to make it appeere seemelie in the sight of God and to bestowe the same about the outward adornynge of her bodie to make it gratious and liking to the eyes of men And therfore she shewed her selfe to be vtterly vnwilling to folowe her mothers counsel in that point When her mother sawe that her wordes and perswasion could take no place she was verie angrie with her and sent for her other daughter called Bonauentura which was maried and willed her to deale with her sister and to vse all possible meanes to cause her to condescend to her request Who did as she was willed by her mother and in deed left no thing vn-assaied wherby she thought she might wynne her purpose And so in the end what by the importunitie of the mother and what by the example and faire speach of Bonauentura vnto whome Catherine had alwaies borne a special loue affection euen from her child hoold the yong virgin was as it were enforced to yeald somewhat to the folie commonly receiued emong women and so to spend some tyme more then she was willing about the attiere of her bodie But afterwardes when she had retired her selfe from companie and considered of the matter by her selfe alone she tooke meruelous great sorowe for it and was Confessed also for it with such sobbing and sighing that anie man would haue supposed that she had committed some verie grieuous offence She vsed often times to make a general Confession of her whole life and euermore when she came to this point she could make no end of weeping and lamenting The which thing the Confessour perceiuing though he knewe that it was a token of a timorous and well disposed mynd sometymes to feare synne where none is yet bicause it seemed strange to him that she should haue a conscience of it as of a mortall sinne wheras he by his learnyng was fully resolued that in truth it was not so he asked her whether she had in all that tyme anie deliberate will and purpose to doe anie thing contrary to her vowe Whervnto she answered and said that it neuer came in her hart Then he asked her further more whether she did it to that end that she might be the better liked of men To the which demaund shee made aunswere likewise and said that there was no one thing that grieued her more then when she was driuen by anie necessarie occasion either to see or to be seene of men whom otherwise she was wont to flee like as men flee serpents For the which cause she would neuer stand at the doore or windowe to see or to be seene of men passing by the howse The Confessour proceded in examinyng the matter and demaunded whether her attiere were ouer gaie light or otherwise excessiue aboue that that was commonly vsed of other women of her degree Wherunto she answered said that it was not Whie then said he do yee take your offence to be so grieuous in the sight of God Sire said she sobbing and sighing from the botome of her hart bicause I thinke I did at that tyme preferre the loue of my sister before the loue of God and whiles I was afraid to offend a silie transitorie creature I offended the diuine maiestie of the euerlasting Creatour and sweet spowse of my sowle Iesus Christ And with that she fell a weeping and wailing verie ruthfully did great penance vpon her selfe The which the Confessour seing pitying her state and thinking it expedient to comfort her in that case said vnto her Albeit there was some maner of excesse yet considering that it was but litle and done for no wicked or euel intent but only for a vaine pleasance for that tyme I take it it was not against the commandement of God When she heard her Confessour saie so she lift vp her eyes to heauen and cried with a lowd voice Oh my Lord God what a ghostlie Father is this that excuseth my sinnes And so with an earnest displeasure against her selfe she turned to her Confessour againe and said Father thinke you that this most wretched and vile creature which haue receiued so manie graces and gyftes of my Creatour only of his more goodnes without anie merite on my part should withdrawe anie tyme from the seruice of such a louing and bowntiful Lord and bestowe the same about the setting out of this rotten and stincking flesh which might also be a cause or inducement to deadlie synne When the Confessour hard those wordes and sawe that they proceeded from a hart wonderfully inflamed with the fyer of Gods loue being not able to answere her he gaue ouer to speake of that matter anie more Neuertheles he proceded to examine the whole state of her life And when he had done in that behalfe so much as apperteined to a learned and discrete ghostlie Father to doe he gaue afterwardes a verie sufficient testimonie before God and his holie Church that when he had heard her Confessions both general and speciall all the tyme of his life he could neuer espie anie spot of mortall synne in her conscience vnlesse this be taken for a mortal synne which no learned diuine I thinke would euer iudge He testified furthermore both by word of mowth and in writing that he found her alwaies so cleane from venial synnes that he could scantlie perceiue by her Confession which she made both verie often and verie exactely that she did commit anie offence at all in so much that it was well knowen not only to her ghostlie Father that examined her conscience but also to as manie in effecte as had anie conuersation or doinges with her that she did neuer or seeldome offend so much as in word And so will anie man iudge that shall with good diligence and attention read ouer the whole storie of her life For he shall see that the order of her life was such her silence so wonderful her sleepe so short her eating and drinking so spare her praiers so continual her meditations and contemplations so heauenly her exhortations to others so earnest and so often vsed her whole conuersation so meeke sweet that where such graces did abound it was not possible that sinne should take anie place and where so much tyme was spent in holie exercises there could not be much tyme spare to be bestowed in synful workes How she recouered her wonted libertie in seruing God and was reconciled againe to her spowse How the persecutions that she susteined at home did not only not hurt her but also profit her verie much Chap. 7. WHen this yong maid had ben thus induced by the importunitie of her mother and sister to condescend to their vngodlie request so farre forth as is before declared she perceiued in her selfe that she was much slacker and colder in her praiers and meditations then she was wont to be before Which happened vnto her vndoubtedly by the permission of
the citie or els to take him and so to put him to death the Romaines stood verie duetifully and fought manie skirmishes in the defence of their citie and bisshop In the which skirmishes manie of them especially of the inferiour sort were taken by the enemie and cruelly handled Some were tied vp against trees and so let alone that they might die a long and paineful death Some other that were thought to be of some abilitie to ransome them selues were lead into a brode field and there after diuerse and sundrie horrible tormentes fettered with chaines and boltes of yron Of these it was generally marcked that so manie as called vpon S. Caterine of Siena were foorthwith loosed of their bandes returned home to their owne houses And some of thē to doct Raimundus and declared to him and other how wonderfully our Lord had wrought for their deliuerance These thinges did almightie God worke to honour the holie virgin after her death burial with many other that were not writen through the negligēce of a certaine notarie whome doct Raimundus put in trust Bicause he was him selfe at that tyme an old man could not remember so manie thinges as were credibly reported to him so particularly so precisely as he knewe was requisite for the credit of a holie legend or historie of a Sainctes life Howbeit whatsoeuer lacked in him or in the notarie was in some degree supplied by the deuotion of thē that had receiued such benefites Of the which there came a meruelous great nōber both men women and offred vp as the maner is certaine images of wax vpō her tōbe in the which was expressed as wel as they could the maner of each miracle to the honour of God the worker and geuer of all good thinges and of his glorious spowse S. Caterine in contemplation of whose merites it pleased him to worke such good thinges at that tyme. A TABL OF THE CHAPTERS CONTEINED IN THE FIRST PART OF THIS BOOKE OF the birth and infancie of this holie virgin and of certeine wonderful tokens of holines that shewed in her euen at that age Chap. 1. Of a verie strange vision shewed vnto her and of certaine wonderful effectes of the loue of God towardes her and of her loue towardes God Chap. 2. Of a bold entreprise which this blessed infant made to liue a solitarie life after the maner of the auncient fathers in Egipt and how she vnderstood that it was not the wil of God that she should enter into that state of life as yet Chap. 3. How she vowed her virginitie vnto almightie God Chap. 4. Of a wonderful zeale that was in her to wynne soules to God and how for that cause she cast a great loue to S. Dominicke and to his order Chap. 5. How she relented somewhat in her spiritual exercises being thervnto induced by the importunitie of her mother sisters who woulde needes haue her to vse some diligence in trymyng her selfe And of the penance wich she did for that offence Chap. 6. How she recouered her wonted libertie in seruing God and was reconciled againe to her spowse How the persecutions that she susteined at home did not only not hurt her but also profit her much Chap. 7. Of her continuance in her feruent and deuout exercises and how her father sawe a doue ouer her head Of a singular affection that she bare to the habit of S. Dominicke and how it was declared vnto her by a cleere vision that she was heard How she preuailed against all those in the house that went about to hinder her holie designementes and vowes Chap. 8. Of her great abstinence Chap. 9. Of her great austeritie about her bed and apparel Chap. 10. Of her wonderful watching and of the griefe that her mother tooke for the same Chap. 11. How she beat her selfe for a long tyme thryce in the daie with a chaine of yron Chap. 12. How she desired earnestly to receiue the habite of S. Dominike and how her mother to turne her mynd lead her awaie to the batthes VVhat penance she did euen in the batthes Chap. 13. How she receiued the habite of S. Dominike and how she was the first virgin that receiued the same Chap. 14. Of the holie vowes designementes and exercises which the blessed virgin vsed after the receiuing of the habite And what effectual exhortations she made to excite her selfe to the seruice of God Chap. 15. Of diuerse and sundrie visions and reuelations shewed vnto her with a doctrine how to discerne betweene true and false visions Chap. 16. Of a verie goodlie and profitable doctrine of our Sauiour worthie to be planted in the hartes of as manie as are desirous to come to spiritual perfection Chap. 17 An other goodlie doctrine by the which a sowle is made pure and meete to enioye the familiaritie of almightie God euen in this life with a miracle wrought by our Lord on the sea for confirmation of the same Chap. 18. Certaine goodlie sayinges which she was wont to vse to excite her selfe and others to the perfection of charitie Chap. 19. Of the straunge batailes which she had against the deuel and how she a med her selfe with a strong faith and other heauenlie vertues and so gate a most glorious victorie ouer her enemie Chap. 20. How the enemie accompanied with a great multitude of vncleane spirites renewed his batterie against this strong fortresse and vsed greater enforcement then before Chap. 21. How our Lord with diuerse other Sainctes visited her oftentymes verie familiarly and how he taught her to read by miracle Chap. 22. How she increased so much in heauenlie contemplations that she was oftentymes rauished in the same and how she was espoused to our Saurour Christ with a ring Chap. 23. Certaine proofes of the holines of this blessed virgin declaring the afore mentioned streight frindship and familiaritie betweene our Lord and her to be a thing vndoubted Chap. 24. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTEINED IN THE SECOND PART OF THIS BOOKE HOw the spowse of Christ was made by litle and litle to shewe her selfe to the wordle Chap. 1. Of her vertuous and lowlie conuersation emong men and how she would debase her selfe to doe the vilest seruices in the house Of manie strange visitations excesses and trawnses which she had in the presence of manie Chap. 2. How being in a trawnse she fell into the fyer and there continued a good while without anie harme Chap. 3. Of diuerse and sundrie miracles like to this afore writen And how it pleased our Sauiour Christ to geue the enemie power ouer her bodie Chap. 4. VVhat a charitable affection and great care she had of the poore and of a pleasant matter that fell out about the same Chap 5. An other verie notable example of her great charitie towardes the poore Chap. 6. An other verie wonderfull example of her passing great charitie like to this afore writen Chap. 7. Of two euident miracles which our Lord
suspected that the holie maid should be departed out of this life though she knewe well that she was verie sicke bicause she had seene by experience that the holie maid had often tymes recouered and escaped out of sickenesses that seemed verie grieuous and past all hope of recouerie VVherefore she rather thought that for so long tyme as she had ben occupied about this vision the holie maid had ben after her accustomed maner in some singular traunse or abstractioÌ„ in the which our Lord had shewed vnto her some great and notable reuelations But bicause the mornyng was so farre spent that she stood in doubt of finding anie Masse that daie she supposed that all this vision was none other thing but only some suttle illusion of the deuel to make her to transgresse the commaundement of our holie mother the Church in not hearing Masse on the sondaie Wherefore she hasted her selfe vp and set her pot ouer the fyer and ranne towardes the parish Church saying thus in her hart If I leese Masse this daie I will take all this to be the worke of the ghostlie enemie But if I come in good tyme to heare Masse then will I thinke that our Lord hath shewed these thinges vnto me for my good mother Catherines sake When she came to the Church she found that the gospel was done and the offertorie song Wherof she was verie sorie and said Out vpoÌ„ me wretch the wicked feend hath deceiued me With that she made hast homwardes againe to set her thinges in the kitchen a litle foreward that she migh goe to some other Church and find a whole Masse While she was at home thus occupied she heard a bell ring to Masse in a monasterie of Nunnes not farre from her house which made her a glad woman And so she set her selfe in order againe to goe to Church and for hast lefte her colewortes which stood by her readie piked and wasshed euen as they were and put them not into the pot as she had thought to doe VVhen she came to the Church she found them at the verie begynnyng of Masse wherof she was verie glad and said to her selfe Surely now I see that the deuel hath not deceiued me as I thought he had done But she had great care of the displeasure of her sonnes which were now of good yeares bicause she knewe their dyner was nor readie nor could not be made readie in anie conuenient tyme. Houbeit she committed all to God that she might heare Masse deuoutly beseeching him notwithstanding that if that vision were of him he would so prouide that there might no displeasure or cause of offence rise of the same betwene her her children And with that she set her selfe downe and heard out the whole Masse to the end wheÌ„ Masse was done as she was going homeward her sonnes met with her in the streete said Mother it is very late I praie you let vs goe to diner Tarrie a litle good children said she you shal dyne in good tyme. She went home a pace and found the doore fast locked and the keie within euen as she had lefte it So soone as she was within the house she weÌ„t streight to the kitchin thought to haue gone foreward with the dressing of dyner But when she came in she sawe that all was done to her hand her colewoortes and flesh thoroughly soddeÌ„ al other thinges in such readines that they might goe to the table when they would VVherat she was much astoined and said to her selfe Surely now I see our Lord hath heard my praier And she determined to goe after dyner to the holie maides house whome she thought to be yet aliue in the wordle and to tell her of all the thinges that had chaunced that daie Her sonnes that were not farre from the house she called home and set them to dyner And while they were eating her mynd ranne still vpon the strange vision that she had seene in the mornyng and vpon these wonders that had ensued vpon the same Her sonnes also that knewe nothing of the matter began to commend their meate and said that it was passing well seasoned and had a farre better tast then it was wont to haue Which wordes she put vp in her hart and said to her selfe as she declared afterwardes to Doctour Raimundus O my good mother Catherine it is thou that hast come this mornyng into my house to supplie my rome and office in the kitchen Now I knowe in deed that thou art a holie virgin the true haÌ„d maid of Christ And yet for all this she suspected nothing of the holie maides departure out of this life but so soone as her sonnes had dined she went forthwith to her house as she was wont to doe at other tymes and knocked at the doore but no bodie giue her answere The neighbours told her that of likelihood she was gone out as her maner was to visite some holie place and that there was no bodie at home Which she supposed to be true therfore went her waie Now the truth was that all those that vvere vvithin vvere in great heauines for the losse of their good mother vvhich vvas departed from them and had lefte them as motherles children in this wicked worlde And they did what they could to conceale her death from the people both for the auoiding of that great presse and tumulte which they knewe would be made if her death were once noised and also that they might with the more quietnes conferre with discreete persones concernyng the maner and order of her funerals But howsoeuer they laboured to keepe the matter secret the next daie when her bodie should be caried to the Church of the Fryers preachers commonly called Our ladie ouer Minerua it was knowen all ouer the citie And there was such a concourse of people runnyng and pressing towardes the place where she laie to touch some part either of her bodie or of her garmentes that those of her familie retinue that were there attending vpon the corps were in great feare and danger to haue had both their garmentes torne from their backes and their bodies sore hurt with the violent presse crowd of the vnrulie multitude In so much that they were constreined to remoue the beere from the place where it stood and to set it in S. Dominickes chappel which was well defended with a strong grate of yron While these thinges were in doing Semia came thither by chaunce and seeing such a great concourse of people asked what it meaned They made her answere and said that Catherine of Siena was dead and that her bodie was there caried to the Church to be buried VVhen she heard that she sâ—right pitifully and ranne towardes the place where her corps laie VVhen she came thither and sawe certaine women and sisters of the holie maides familie standing about her bodie she cried out and said O most cruel women whie haue you kept the departure of