Creed of Athanasius sayth this is the Catholike faith that we adore the Vnity in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity a secret incomprehensible and worthy of a high and generous Faith not cōmunicated to the rude people of the Iewes sauing a to few of more excellent vertue but to Christian people who in the schoole of perfection are taught to belieue all things that are proposed by the Church be they neuer so high and transcendent The first person of the B. Trinity Meditating the second point he shall obserue God the Father and the vnity of the diuine essence in the first Commandement for the first is the fountaine and beginning of the other as the Father is of all the deity and by forbidding to haue more Gods he teacheth that there is but one only diuine Essence which must be adored In the third point he shal note that the Sonne the second person of the Trinity is signified in the second Cōmandment for therein is verity and truth spoken of periury forbidden Now Ioan. 14. the Sonne is called Verity I am the VVay the Verity the Life And as the Sonne is ingendred of the Father so this commandement commeth from the first though in a diuers fashion For the fourth point remembring the third Commandement which speaketh of sanctifying the Sabboth he shall there find the third Person of the B. Trinity noted that is the Holy Ghost the true sanctification and repose of reasonable creatures And as the holy Ghost proceedeth of the Father of the Sonne and is as it were the bond of this diuine Trinity so though in different manner this 3. Commandment floweth from the two first and ioyneth them together in the execution of the worship of God In his speach and prayer he shal direct his hart and words to this diuine incomprehensible Vnity Trinity admiring praising and thanking him demanding aid helpe alwaies more and more to admire praise and serue him hauing walked some way that morning he shall sing the Canticle following both for deuotion and recreation together A Canticle of the three first Commandements which are a figure of the B. Trinity O ineffable Trinity Three persons in one Essence One glory One maiesty One wisedome One puissance ' Graue in my soule thy holy Faith Hope the liuely flame Of holy loue vnto thy law print in the entrailes of the same My Faith let see thy Greatnes my Hope let thee attend My Loue let seeke thine honour and nothing els pretend My Vnderstanding alwayes let humbly thee admire And let my Will sincerely to honour thee aspire My Tongue let praise thy Name thy goodnes and thy glory Thy Feasts in euery season be alwayes in my memory But if my tongue nor thought nor those of Angells neither Can speake or thinke inough of thee take my desires rather With hart lowly humbled thy maiesty I adore And loaden with the weight of sinne thy mercy do implore And he shall make an end saying Pater Aue Credo c. The After-dinner and Euening of the seauenth dayes Iourney A thankesgiuing for the first weeks well passed CHAP. XVII IN the Afternoone of this seauenth day the Pilgrime shall imploy himselfe to thanke God for all the goods he hath receaued of him and namely for this grace and fauour that he is come to the end of the first weeke of his Pilgrimage as to a station of his first rest and repose and he shall say thus either with hart A prayer to the B. Trinity or mouth Be thou blessed for euer O Lord and for euer praised of Angells and men and of all creatures in the whole world for to thee only belongeth benediction and soueraigne praise who art soueraigne power wisedome and bounty soueraigne Trinity in three Persons soueraigne Vnity in one Essence soueraigne Maiesty the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost O ineffable Trinity and sacred Senate Creatour Gouernour Redeemer of the world soueraigne Law-giuer of all good Lawes thy selfe being the eternall law God the eternall Law eternall iustice and eternall reward to those that feare loue and serue thee with all their hart and with the same hart keep thy commandements O infinite bounty doe me the fauour for thy owne sake and for the merits of that diuine person that descended from thy bosome O heauenly Father and by thy worke O holy Ghost was made man to repaire man that was lost that my Sabboth rest may be euery day in thy loue in thy feare and seruice in the obseruation of thy holy lawes that all the webbe of my life may be with such dayes and all my dayes composed of the houres of this repose And that at the end of my mortall course I may without end praise thy holy name and for euer rest in the bosome of thy blessednes With these and like prayers he shall passe the after dinner of his first weeke and shall take vp his lodging as he may after the manner of Pilgrimes The eight day Of the loue of our Neighbour and how one Man is Neigbour to another CHAP. XVIII THE Pilgrime hauing runne ouer the Commandments of the first Table which concerne the loue and worship of God he shall passe to those of the second Table appertaining to the loue and duty we owe to our neighbour that is to Angells and men For this worde comprehendeth both Neighbour vniuersally is mā to man though principally man is neighbour to man being neere allied one to the other not onely by likenes of their reasonable nature and of the end common to Angells and men which is eternall happinesse but also for the kindred both by the first Adam of whome al men descend and are brethren by that title and also by the second Iesus Christ by whome they are redeemed if thēselues be not in fault and knit together by a knot of holy spirituall brotherhood As then the three precedent Precepts are conteyned vnder one alone which is the end of all which biddeth to loue God with all our hart for himself so also the seauen following are conteyned vnder that which commandeth to loue our neighbour as our selues for the loue of God to help and assist him with our goods with our ability and industry and to do him no wrong and finally to loue him as our selfe Also S. Thom. 2. 2. q. 26. as there be diuers and different obligations among men so there be diuers degrees of loue and therefore S. Augustine sayth He leadeth a iust holy life who iudgeth iustly of things such is he who endewed with a well ordered Charity Aug. lib. 1. de keepeth himselfe from louing that he should not loue or from louing too much that he should loue lesse or from louing equally that he should loue differently or differently that he should loue equally The straitest bond that is amongst men is betweene Father and sonne and therefore the father holdeth the first place in the list
admirable in this kind for thereon God gaue within a cloud the Tables of his law with many admirable preparations of thunder lightning sound of Trumpet and other signes of maiesty and where Moyses twice remayned forty dayes and fourty nights without meat or drinke Exod. 24.18 44 28. all which thinges haue made this place venerable with an immortal memory There be a thousand places more sanctifyed with like visions of God and of his Angells The apparition of Loreto admirable but none was euer so noble in this respect as this heauenly House and Chamber For the embassage of the Annuntiation made therein was an apparition most noble and diuine in euery circumstance of the thing it selfe of the person that ordained it and of the person that did it and of the fashion and manner how it was done The Scripture sayth expresly that the Archangell was sent on the behalfe of God which is to shew the dignity of this mission as being appointed immediatly from God and of purpose for although all good Angels come vnto men by the ordinaÌ„ce of God yet the Scripture is not wont to expresse so much but leaueth it to vs to belieâ—e But heer it declareth it in expresse termes to signify some thing extraordinary euen as it telleth vs Gen. 1.26 that God wheÌ„ he would make man sayd Let vs make man to our similitude and likenes to teach vs say Deuines by these wordes of deliberation that it was a higher worthier worke then the creatioÌ„ of other things where God did not vse this ceremonious language although he made them all with wisedome and prudence By this expression then is signifyed the maiesty of this embassage and apparition as also by the person sent which was the Angel Gabriel one of the greatest in the court of heauen bearing the name of our Sauiour whom he announced Theoph. in 2. Luc. 〈◊〉 Proc. Episc in ho. assidente Nestorio Vide Saâ—mer l. 3. p. 25. for Gabriel signifyeth Man God as Doctors interprete it a name proper to Iesus Christ the only Man God called Archangell by the holy Fathers not as being of the first order of the first Hierarchy but a Prince among the Angels as are among vs the name of Archbishop Archdeacon Archduke and such like title of dignity and not of order So the Angell that shal giue the signe of the great and last day is called by S. Paul Archangell that is a Prince of Angells as also S. Iude calleth S. Michael Archangell in that sense that S. Paul 1. Thesâ— 4 6. S. Iud. ep Dan. 10.13 and the Prophets called him Prince of Angells It was also conuenient sayth S. Gregory that the Embassadour of so soueraigne a worke as is the saluation of men should be one of the highest and that he who should be sent to a Virgin in whome the Sonne of almighty God should be incarnate Greg. hom 43. should surpasse the excellency of all the Angells and be one of the principall Spirits and of the Seraphims themselues by speciall prerogatiue and to confront Lucifer and Satan who were Princes of the Seraphims and the first workers and messengers of the fal and ruine of mankind The manner of this apparition was rare and singular for we must not doubt but that he appeared with an outward maiesty meet for his person and message with an extraordinary light in the forme of a heauenly yong man his face shyning as S. Aug. ser 14. in natiuit c. 10. Augustine sayth his habit glittering with a maiesticall regard and admirable presence The salutation was also without example for though Angells heeretofore haue shewed themselues to Agar Gen. 21.16 Iud. 13.9 and to the mother of Sampson and diuers other women we read not for all that they saluted theÌ„ either much or little But the Angell not only saluted but most honourably saluted her which caused the B. Virgin who was as low in humility as she was high in other vertues to be troubled at so great and vnaccustomed prayses Some Deuines haue written Albert. magn in postil that there were two other Angells companions to Gabriel in this Embassage to announce in the figure of the Trinity the IncarnatioÌ„ of the Sonne of God which was a true work of the selfe same very Trinity though Gabriel only did speake Gen. 18. euen as the prediction of the birth of Isaac was giuen by three persons whereof but one did speake This apparition therefore wherewith this holy House was honoured The maiesty of the Embassage of the AnnuÌ„ciation of the Son of God was before all others full of maiesty for all the circumstances and particularityes are not found in any neither is there any in others which is not found in this The apparition made to Abraham was noble for that there was present the B. Trinity in the forme of three men heere the same Trinity was peculiarly present in each person the Father sending his Sonne the Sonne taking flesh in the wombe of the Virgin the Holy Ghost also ioyning in the heauenly worke of this Incarnation and besides this a principall Angell in maiesty an Embassadour of God almighty The vision of Iacob was but a shaddow in respect of this Gen. 18. as also was the burning Bush and that of Sinai Exod. 3. where God gaue his Law and let himselfe be seene only in smoke and lightning and heard only by a voice framed in the ayre and by the sound of Trumpet heere he gaue his Sonne the author of the law to make himselfe be seene in him to speake by his word and by him to giue the Law and saluation to mortall men and let his Angells appeare in the most beautiful forme that euer they were seen in worthily to announce the mystery of all mysteries This apparition therefore wherewith this Chamber was honoured was euery way diuine how many more thinke we haue there beene since Luc. 2.13 How often haue the Angels come to adore their Lord in his infancy in his tender youth as they did adore and sing vnto him at his Natiuity How often haue they come to serue him in this little Cabbinet Matth. 4.11 as they did in the desert And who can doubt but that they did continually assist his humanity in earth whose sacred diuinity they continually assist in Heauen And though the Scripture hath not expressed it in plaine words it hath signifyed it by silence thinking it needlesse and superfluous to specify that which euery Christian may iudge certaine and vndoubted this was then a house of continuall apparitions and heauenly vision and honourable in this respect aboue all other places of the world Places made famous by the habitation of holy men and Saints and that the house of Loreto is most honourable in this respect CHAP. XVI THE fourth quality that maketh a place honourable The 4. cause habitation of Saints is the dwelling and frequenting of great persons so
law of God in what sort soeuer and in the end say Pater Aue. In the 4. point he must say Confiteor knocking his breast for his faults found with dolour and dislike and also with hope to knocke at the gate of Gods mercy humbly crauing pardon for the snnes we find our selues to haue committed The 5. point is to make a firme purpose neuer by the help of Gods grace to fall againe into the like and with the first commodity to goe to Confession so to end with Pater Aue And Credo This is the dayly exercise of all that be carefull and solicitous of their owne saluation commanded by the Scripture and practised by the Saints Eccl. 28.29 Locke vp thy gold siluer sayth the Wise man and make a weight vnto thy wordes and put a strict bridle in thy mouth That is vaunt not of thy vertue nor glory in thy good actions weigh and examine all euen vnto thy wordes and keep thy selfe from euill and haue a purpose to abstaine for afterward Iob sayd I feared all my workes Iob. 9.28 knowing that thou dost not pardon the offender And this without doubt was because he weighed all in the ballance of Gods iustice which he knew left nothing vnweighed Dauid Psalm 76. I meditated in the night with my hart I did exercise my selfe I did sweep cleanse my spirit Vpon which wordes S. Augustine sayth He enquired of himselfe he examined himselfe and he iudged himself within himselfe He examined in the night the fit and proper tyme in silence with attention hauing his eyes shut to other thinges he exercised himselfe in good earnest with all his hart with feruour and vigour of deuotion and not with a distracted and wandering cogitation dead without motion of life and sorrow My sinne is alwayes before me Psal 50. Because he was in continuall examination of his actions alwayes finding some defect and heereof he sayd to God Psal 18.14 Who is he that knoweth his faultes Deliuer me from my secret sinnes and pardon thy seruant the sinnes of others He that doth not his diligence to performe this once a day sheweth himselfe to haue no great care of his owne soule for he putteth himselfe fondly in danger to be surprised and sodainly arrested by the executioner of the supreme Iudge hauing the accountes of his life ill ordered charged with debts which he shal neuer be able to discharge The deuout Christian doth it often in the day How often in the day the deuout ChristiaÌ„ should examine his conscience Our Pilgrime shall do it thrice in the morning when he riseth he shall examine the night past at noone examine the morning and at night when he goeth to bed shut vp the account and reckoning of the whole day A generall distribution of what the Pilgrime should do euery day And first of the Credo CHAP. VII Clem. Const Apost l. 7. c. 25. THE dayly prayers and spirituall exercises of the pilgrime are distributed into three tymes of the day Morning after dinner and Night according to that distribution of K. Dauid who sayd In the Euening and Morning and at Midday I will pray to thee O Lord and speake thy prayses and myne owne necessityes Psal 54. Which also Daniel practised in his captiuity as before him all iust men in their owne dwellings Dan. 6.10 In the Morning he shall make the principall meditation at Noone and after he shall make others or els if he be loath to change the subiect hauing some tast thereof in the Morning he may goe ouer it againe by way of repetition at euery one of these three tymes of prayer he must still repeate the Credo Pater Aue Confiteor as a true child of the Church who reciteth them in the midst among other prayers she maketh he that prayeth must haue Fayth Hope and Charity Fayth is the foundation of the others by fayth he doth often say in his prayers the Creed as making profession of his fayth comprised therein by these 12. Articles 1. I beleeue in God the Father almighty creator of heauen earth 2. And in Iesus Christ his only Sonne our Lord. 3. Who was conceaued by the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary 4. Suffered vnder Pontius Pilat was crucified dead and buried 5. Descended into hell the third day he rose againe from the dead 6 He ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty 7. From thence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead 8. I belieue in the holy Ghost 9. The holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints 10 The forgiuenes of sinnes 11. The resurrection of the body 12. And life euerlasting AmeÌ„ This is a summary of fayth called the Symbole collection or gathering because it was composed by the Apostles euery one bringing and contributing his part as they doe at a reckoning after a banket representing by the number of the Articles the 12. Authors and compounders thereof for which cause S. Ambrose calleth it the Apostolike fayth Amb. ser 38. Aug. ser 1â—1 de tempore Leo c. 13. ad Pulchr composed by those 12. Artificers also the key whereby is discouered the darknes of the Diuell that the light of Iesus Christ might appeare S. Augustin calleth it the Apostolike fayth because it contayneth the abridgment thereof and would haue euery one learne it by hart The Symbole or Creed sayth he is short in wordes and great in mystery let euery one therefore that is come to the yeares of discretion learne the Apostolike fayth which he hath professed in Baptisme by the mouth of his God-father These twelue Articles containe all that euery Christian ought distinctly to belieue of God and his Church The 8. first teach vs the beliefe we must haue of the B. Trinity one God and three persons and specially of the mystery of our Redemption The foure last deliuer vnto vs what to belieue of his Church Of the Pater Noster Aue and Consiteor CHAP. VIII THE Pater noster is the summary of our hope as the Creed was of our fayth contayning seauen petitions in forme of prayer as followeth 1. Our Father which art in heauen hallowed be thy Name 2. Thy kingdome come 3. Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heauen 4. Giue vs this day our daily bread 5. And forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. 6. And lead vs not into temptation 7. But deliuer vs from euill Amen The foure first demand the guift of good thinges the three last deliuerance from euill The 3. first aske that which pertayneth to life euerlasting the foure last that which concernes this temporall to attaine vnto the other as S. Augustine sayth Aug. euch c. 115. serm Dom in montel 2. cap. 17. This is a prayer made and dictated from the mouth of the Sonne of God the richest and worthyest of all the
Church maketh to the diuine Maiesty contayning as the foresayd Doctour sayth all that the Christian should desire hope feare and aske for this life for the next and therefore most worthy to be recited often in the day as a testimony of our hope as the Credo is of our faith to demand of God what we want although it be lawfull for vs to pray and professe our fayth in other words which the holy Ghost shall sugest After the Pater noster we salute and pray to the B. Virgin in these wordes Haile Marie full of grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou amongst all women and blessed is the fruit of thy wombe IESVS Holy Mary Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and at the houre of our death Amen The first words are partly of the Archangell Gabriel partly of S. Luc. 2.28 42. Elizabeth the last clause is a prayer that all holy men make to the mother of God The Church therefore reciteth the Aue Maria after the Pater noster as it were coupling an excellent salutation with an excellent prayer vsing the sayd salutation as a diuine praise to the honour of the mother of God and as a thankesgiuing to God for the benefit of the Incarnation of his Sonne and of his benefites giuen vs by the sayd B. Virgin praying her to be our Aduocate to our Creatour that he would heare vs in the requests we make saying the Pater noster and especially to help vs at the houre of our death a ryme of very dangerous conflict and of our greatest necessity The Confiteor is thus I confesse to Almighty God to the B. Virgin S. Mary to the Bl. S. Michael the Archangell to the B. Saint Iohn Baptist to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul to all the Saints to you my ghostly-Ghostly-father for that I haue grieuously sinned in thought word and deed through my fault through my fault through my most haynous fault Therfore I beseech the Bl. Virgin Mary the Blessed S. Michael the Archangell the Blessed S. Iohn Baptist the holy Apostles Peter and Paul all the Saints and you my ghostly-Ghostly-father to pray for me to our Lord God When the Confession is not made to the Priest we must leaue out those wordes and to you my Ghostly Father This is the ordinary and generall forme of Confession that euery Christian maketh to God to the B. Virgin to al Saints to the Priest and to them all present if it be made in company acknowledging himselfe a sinner before the diuine Maiesty before Angels Men asking pardon of his sinnes committed and praying the B. Virgin and all the Saints the Priest all the standers by to pray to this end for him Of this is spoken after in the 21. iourney This confession is the generall and common there is another generall sacramentall and secret which is made in the eare of the Priest at some certaine tyme whereof we will speake after This should be made often euery day eyther alone or with others for as often we fall into faults little or great so often also must we humble our selues confessing our faults asking pardon of God whome we haue offended The pilgrime then praying these three tymes a day morning after dinner and night must recite at the beginning of his deuotions and at the end according vnto the circumstances the Credo Pater and Aue professing his fayth and hope toward God and demanding thinges necessary the Confiteor also at the same time in signe of humility confessing himselfe a sinner and asking pardon of his offences if he findeth his conscience charged with any mortall sinne he shall acknowledge his fault making his confession to God with repentance and purpose at the next commodity to confesse to the Priest for sacramentall absolution as hath beene sayd in the first part of the Examen Of the signe of the Crosse CHAP. IX HE shall remember also the signe of the Crosse the signe of the Crosse must be familiar in all our actions Tertul. de coron mil. Matt. 28.19 not only in his exercises of deuotion but also in all other his domesticall and ciuill actions at his rising and going to bed and putting on his cloathes and putting them off in going out in comming home at the beginning and ending of his reading and refection and in other like workes and occasions This is the signe of a Christian and being made with the words spoken by our Sauiour In the name of the Father and of the Sonne of the Holy Ghost is a briefe symbole or collection and a short profession of the B. Trinity and of our Redemption against the infidelity of the Paynimes and Iewes specially in these tymes it is a marke of a Catholike against Heretikes Amb. ser 43. Athan. in vit◠〈◊〉 Antonij It is a signe of good successe in our actions sayth S. Ambrose serm 43. And a signe of victory against Sathan ouercome by the Crosse sayth S. Athana ius in vita S. Antonij It is an armour and defence against temptations and all our ennemyes sayth S. Ephrem And therefore we must vse at all occasions to blesse crosse our forehead Tertul. de coron â—â—l Basil de spiritusâ—ncto c. 27. Greg Na ora 1. con Iuli 1. Chrys ho. 55. in Matt. Athan. vt supra Hier m. c. 9. Ezech. Aug. l. de cathe rudibus cap. 20. tract 118. in Ioan. our mouth our brest our house our letters our bookes our table our meate and all thinges euery where as hath beene the custome of the Church founded in the Tradition of the Apostles as we may learne by the waitings of the Doctours thereof Tertullian S. Basil S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Chrysostome S. Athanasius S. Hierome S. Augustine and other holy persons And whosoeuer for shame or negligence shall forbeare to signe his forehad and his actions wirh this signe he is vnworthy to beare the name of a Christian deserueth at that great day to heare thundered against his folly and ingratitude the sentence of confusion and eternal paine prepared for the ennemies of the Crosse What the Pilgrime should doe euery day CHAP. X. BESIDES this we haue spoken the Pilgrime must euery day as well working dayes as holy dayes make some meditation proper for the day So he may meditate of our Sauiours Resurrection on Sunday of Death on Monday of Iudgement on Tuesday of Hell on Wednesday of the B. Sacrament on Thursday of the Passion of our Sauiour on Friday and of his Buriall on Saterday On holy dayes he shall take some subiect either out of the Ghospell or mystery of the day or of the life of the Saints as to meditate of the hearing of the word of God on Sexagesima-Sunday on the excellency of Martyrdome on s. Stephens day of the holy Ghost at Pentecost of patience and charity on S. Laurence day or any other Saint vpon the day of his martyrdome or feast with
honour the estate of virginity and mariage and therin to figure and represent the condition of the Church which being a virgin is notwithstanding marryed to Iesus Christ and remayning a virgin doth bring forth children by Baptisme The 3. first causes concerne the person of our Sauiour the fourth and fifth his Mother and the other the Church and altogeather the honour of God and his Mother and our good and saluation The Espousals being done the Virgin remayned in Nazareth in her Fathers house Philo Iud. de special legib which espousalls were as fast of as great force a the mariage it self so that if the espoused should commit any fault in the house of her Father she should be stoned as an Adulteresse who had broken her fayth in her husbands owne house In the same house the B. Virgin was saluted by the Angell and there dwelt with Ioseph after the death of Ioachim and Anne and not in the house of Ioseph which by likelihood was at Bethleem wherof the Scripture giueth no reason but only that by silence it signifyeth that these espousals were of another quality then others were and that she was alwayes a virgin as those that remayne alwayes in the house of their Fathers and go not to the house of their husband to celebrare the marriage as other marryed folkes do who must loose their virginity The Pilgrime shal marke all this thereby to prayse the diuine Maiesty and to giue him thankes ending in this speach O heauenly marriage The mariage of Adam Abraham Isaac Iacob Tobie and worke worthy of the soueraigne Wisedome a marriage all spirituall and diuine hauing nothing carnall or earthly in it a marriage that did beâ—re the beauty of all the goodliest alliances of the world doth exceed them in honour as farre as the heauens in largenes exceed the earth The marriage of Adam and Eue made and blessed by the hand of God himselfe the mariage of Sara with Abraham of Rebeca with Isaac of Rachel with Iacob of Sara with Tobie All these mariages were nothing in comparison of this and the most worthy of them were honourable in this respect that they gaue seed and beginning to these two maried folkes of this husband and this wife children of Abraham Isaac and Iacob and of twenty other Kinges their ancestours in the house of Iuda married to God by an excellent band of Fayth Charity and inuiolable Virginity O noble paire O noble husband Psal 44.10 and more noble wife and verily the daughter of the great King clothed in gold and adorned with the richest iewells that euer came out of his cabinet O worthy mariage of this couple A mariage most worthy to be honoured with the most glorious fruit that euer woman bare Spirituall mariages O daughter of Sion O Christian daughters learne thus to marry your selues to marry your selues to God to giue him your body and soule feare not either the priuation of that pleasure which passeth like a dreame nor yet the barrennes of your body for your pleasures you shall haue the delightes of earth and heauen and for the children of your body a thousand goodly workes that shall accompany you aboue as an honourable and immortall posterity and a thousand crownes of glory insteed of the children you might haue had but if you be marryed already after the fashion of these holy Dames let it be to the same end for posterity not for pleasure and alwayes with the honour of christian chastity and coniugall fidelity O soueraigne Lord authour of these virginall marriages be thou alwayes praysed in them as in all thy workes O Virgin obtaine for me that spirit that made thee so to marry and thou holy Ioseph a heauenly branch of the house of Dauid giuen for solace and succour to this diuine Virgin solace vs with thy prayers succour vs with thy help that we may follow thy fayth and word and may be made partaker of that reward and recompence which thou hast receaued in heauen This shall be the Pilgrimes meditation in the morning after which he shall heare Masse and doe his accustomed deuotions vntill Noone when he shall take his repast The After-dinner and euening of the six and twentith Day Of the rare vertues of S. Ioseph CHAP. XXI IN the afternoone he shall follow his former exercises only the subiect of the meditation changed which he shall vary according to the diuersity of the thinges he did meditate in the morning Hauing heard Euensong he shall employ some tyme to read or meditate the vertues of S. Ioseph The vertues of Ioseph which without doubt were rare and worthy of a man chosen to be the spouse of the greatest Lady of the world before God and the foster-foster-father of the sonne of God himselfe His innocency his fayth his hope his charity obedience magnanimity prudence humility and other royall vertues appeared in his actions performed in matters most difficult to belieue and most hard to execute Why he is called Iust which may easily be verified by some examples First when it was first perceaued that the Virgin had conceaued not knowing either the cause or the mystery he shewed himselfe a perfect wise man when on the one side he deliberated to dwell no more with her not to consent in his conscience to any suspicion of dishonesty and on the other side he would not defame nor rayse scandall without cause about her reputation Matth. 1 19. for the which cause he is called Iust by the Euangelist by a name that comprehendeth al the qualityes of a holy soule SecoÌ„dly he shewed his fayth and vertue when without contradiction he belieued the words of the Angell aduertising him that his wiues being Great was a worke of the Holy Ghost and obeyed him with promptitude and humility taking againe his Spouse at that instant louing reuerencing her more then euer seeing she was chosen to be the mother of such a child so much the more assisting her with loue and solid respect His respect to the B. V. by how much it was founded more in the soule then in the body more in the beauty of the spirit then in the fairenes of the face and if holy Elizabeth was thought to haue so much reuerenced the Virgin for hauing by sweet inspiration vnderstood that she was the mother of God how great may we thinke was the reuerence that Ioseph did beare her in this respect being informed by so cleare testimonyes and oracles of this truth of her vertues hauing also experience thereof by dayly and domesticall conuersation What care besides what diligence what patience what prudence His prudence must he needes haue shewed in conducting this Virgin from one Country to another flying the persecution and fury of Herod the Tyrant Dwelling so long in Aegypt a strange Country Alwayes firme in fayth and Charity Surely the holy Doctours could not tell with what wordes to expresse his
prayses S. Chrysostome doubteth not to say That he was eminent in all thinges commendable and accoÌ„plished in all vertues hauing well discharged the office and duty of a true Father to Iesus Christ neither was euer father so carefull of his owne sonne begotten of his body as this spirituall Father was of this child He had sayth he wisedome aboue the law he was alwayes attentiue to meditate the Prophets and by these titles deserued the name of Iust Hom. 2. de B. Virg. which the Scripture giueth vnto him as we haue sayd S. Bernard with the like stile exalteth him for a man of singular fayth and perfection groundeth his proofe vpon that he was the husband of this Virgin VVe must not doubt sayth he but that this Ioseph was a good and faythfull man seeing he was giuen for a Spouse to the Mother of our Sauiour a faythfull seruant and a wise say I seeing our Lord gaue him for a solace to his Mother Matth. 24 Luc. 12.41 a foster-foster-father to his owne body and alone chosen for a most faythfull Condiutor of that great Councell The reason is good for God being Wisedome it selfe did choose no doubt an Espouse agreeable to the vertues of the Mother of his Sonne and to the Maiesty of them both All these great vertues which are not easily found in a young man Whether Ioseph were an old man gaue occasion perhaps to many to thinke that Ioseph was ould when he was espoused to the B. Virgin as the painters with their pensils haue amplified making him all white representing him old and gray headed and whilest on the one side they would make his continency and other qualities seeme more credible by the conueniency of his age they haue on the other side abased the praise thereof laying that vpon nature which was of grace a beginning or root much more noble and not marking that the mariage might haue beene suspected by this inequality of age in the parties It is probable indeed that he was of good years mature and strong and fit to exercise actions of prudence but not old neither needed the Paynters to vse that fiction seeing it is as easy to God to giue chastity to youth as to age And if the anncient Patriarch Ioseph Genes 39.7 who had no vow of continency and was to be Father of many children was at 18. yeares olde chast with an vnchast mistresse might not our Ioseph bound with vow of chastity and specially assisted by the grace of God be so with a most pure Virgin except he were old Heere therefore the Pilgrime shall take matter to meditate of the sanctity and perfection of this holy personage and shall thereby learne that his death was happy Of the time wherof the Scripture sayth nothing Ioseph dyed som years before our Sauiour Epiph. con haeres 78. we may gather notwithstanding that he died before our Sauiour for that it is not likely that in his life tyme our Sauiour would haue commended his mother to S. Iohn not to him Some say he departed when S. Iohn Baptist began to preach The opinion of Epiphanius that he died about the 12. yeare of our Sauiour is more agreeable to holy Scripture which neuer in her narration forgetting to name Ioseph as long as he liued neuer meÌ„tioneth him Luc. 2 after the history telleth of our Sauiour found in the Temple at Hierusalem amongst the Doctours at 12. yeares of age which certainely was because he died about that time After these meditations and the like the Pilgrime shall take his refection and rest vntill his midnight meditation which he shall make vpon the same subiect or what other he shall choose The seauen and twentith Day Of the Incarnation of the Sonne of God Of the miseries of mankind when this happened CHAP. XXII HERE cometh the mayne and chiefe meditation of our Pilgrime all the tyme of his abode at Loreto For it is of the Incarnation of the Sonne of God the most high Sâ— important mystery of our Religion announced â—â—th B Virâ—â—â— and performed in this holy Chamber and 〈…〉 to penetrate the Maiesty as well of the Mysteries as of the Embassage he must appoint three tymes for meditation midnight morning and noone with the euening At midnight for the first point setting before him the fall of our first father Adam his estate and misery he shal meditate withall the goodnes of Almighty God who made so great shew of his mercy to this his poore creature at that very tyme when he was offended for then accursing the Serpent who by a woman had wrought all our misery and in counteruaile threatning him with a woman and the seed of a woman who should crush his head he promised in the same wordes a Redeemer to mankind who should be borne of that woman I will put sayth he to this Seducer emnity betweene thee and the woman Iesus the seed of a woman and betwixt her seed and thy seed and she shall crush break thy head This woman was the B. Virgin and her Sonne Iesus Christ our Sauiour truely her seed and borne of her only seed for those who are borne of other women are of the seed of men and women both This promise was signified by the beastes skinnes wherewith Adom and Eue were cloathed after their fall in the euening Gen. 3.13 For this was a figure foretelling that the same God who then did speake should take the flesh of man in the euening of the world and should become a Lambe to be killed and sacrificed and to gaine for vs by his death the robe of innocency in this life couering the confusioÌ„ of our sinnes with the stole of glory in the next life meriting for vs the kingdome of Paradise and this towardes the euening deferring the execution of this his comming by Iustice that the pride Why the Sonne of God was incarnate towardes the end of the world wherby man was fallen into misery might be punished and man might be througly humbled by the long knowledge and feeling of his infirmity and so might crye to the Physician to be cured If the Sonne of man had beene incarnate presently men would not haue acknowledged their maladies or woundes and in tract of tyme they would haue forgotten the benefit of their saluation for if we forget it already it being but fresh and the other day hauing been done towardes the end of the world what had we done if he had come foure thousand years before Besides it was conuenient that many ceremonies prophecies sacraments sacrifices and other preparations should goe before so great a Lord into the world to dispose and prepare the harts of men Fit preparatiues to the coÌ„ming of our Sauiour to receaue him with a liuely fayth profound humility a burning charity In the second point he shall meditate on the one side the increase of corruption in our humane nature going still from ill to worse after
giuen vs so notable a pledge of his loue he must needes giue vs great cause of hope and trust in him There was nothing sayth S. Augustine more necessary to vphold our hope Lib. 13. de Trinit c. 10. then to haue some token of his loue and what token greater can there be then to see the Sonne of God vnited to our nature Now by the demonstration of this loue he hath most liuely inuited and incited man to loue him for there is nothing so naturall as to loue him of whome we see our selues beloued August de catech iudâ—â—us c. 4. VVherefore sayth the same Doctour if heertofore we were slow to loue yet now let vs be ready to render loue Moreouer could there be a more noble meanes to make man partaker of this supreme nature our happynes then by this alliance whereby God is made Man and man God To breake the hart and pride of the Diuell then to see the nature of man which he so much despised and abased to be exalted aboue the nature of Angells To tame his arrogancy and presumption and to remoue the yoke of his tyranny by a Man God man alone not being sufficient to satisfy and ouercome for mankind and God alone could not suffer being impassible To teach man humility the foundation of all vertue Phil. 2. seeing God not only humbled but also annihilated taking the forme of a seruant and suffering the death of the Crosse To teach obedience purity liberality deuotion prudence constancy Philip. 2. magnanimity and other vertues whereof he hath giuen so good instructions both by word and worke all his life long and specially in the three last yeares that he manifested himselfe to the world and most clearely and effectually in that admirable conflict of the Crosse To teach finally to doe nothing against the dignity of man so much honoured by this alliance Are these meanes effectuall inough to redeeme man Do they sufficiently declare the infinit wisedome of God Of the power of God in the same Mystery CHAP. XXVIII DOTH not the power of God also diuinely appeare in this mystery The power of God in the IncarnatioÌ„ for therein we see two natures infinitly different to be ioyned togeather the diuine and the humane and by a bound so admirable and so strait that remayning distinct and without confusion they make but one person the closest and neerest vnion that can be of thinges diuerse This therefore is a worke of one Almighty and a most manifest demonstration of an infinit power It is without comparison greater then that he shewed in the Creation of man in ioyning his spirit and body an heauenly soule with an earthly body making as it were an abridgement of the whole world for the soule was not infinitly distant from the condition of the body as the diuine nature is from the humane this was only to ioyne two creatures of diuers rankes and degrees but to ioyne the word of God with our flesh in one person is to haue vnited two natures infinitely vnequall S. Berna serm de Natiuit to haue made an admirable abridgement of the whole world and of the Author of the world and to haue inclosed infinitenes in littlenes and eternity in tyme. This is infinitely more then to ioyne East to West or North to South or heauen and earth together for such a coniunction should be of things farre different yet with some proportion and measure but this is of two natures infinitely distant the one from the other the diuinity with the humanity the infinit with the finit the most souerain maiesty with the least reasonable creature stable Eternity with floting Time the supreme power with infirmity impassibility with sufferance God with man the Creatour with his Creature which are so many exploites and testimonies of an Almighty power Motiues to the loue of God Heere then the contemplatiue soule shal admire shall prayse and exalt the wonders of this soueraigne God in this mystery he shall stirre vp himselfe to his loue seeing the effects of his wonderfull bounty to reuerence and respect seeing the signes of his infinit wisedome to his feare considering the greatnes of his maiesty He shall thanke the Father for sending his Sonne and the Sonne for taking our flesh by the will of the Father and also the Holy Ghost the bond of the Father and the Sonne and shall adore this diuine soueraigne Trinity one God in three persons all and euery one the maker of this admirable and principall worke greater then had beene the Creation of a thousand worldes The eight and twenty day and the seauenth of his Aboade Of the Visitation of the B. Virgin CHAP. XXIX THIS day the Pilgrime shall make his meditation of the voiage of the B. Virgin to the house of her Cousin Elizabeth The modesty of the virgin in her voiage whome she went to visit immediatly after she was saluted by the Angell For the first point of the meditation the Pilgrime shal take the first part of the history In those dayes Mary rose went quickly to the mountaines vnto a towne of Iudea he nameth not this towne as he did Nazareth because it concerned not the mystery of the visitation such a writer puts nothing superfluous in his history he declareth only the courage and diligence of the B. Virgin to vndertake and performe this Pilgrimage which principally he meant to report Here the deuout soule shall first cast her eyes vpon this heauenly mayd great with God Almighty walking the fieldes not with the traine or company of an earthly Queene in Coach or Litter garnished with veluet or cloth of gold with soft beds and cushions but in the simplicity of a daughter of Sion on foot in company of her Spouse Ioseph though assisted with a great company of Angels for the guard of him they caried and of her and followed her foot by foot through all the places she passed Secondly she shall consider the humility of the B. Virgin practising by worke the vertue which she professed in word Her humility in visiting S. Elizabeth calling her selfe the seruant of our Lord the greater goeth to the lesse the virgin to the wife the daughter of Dauid to the daughter of Aaron the mother of God to the mother of a man the mother of our Lord to the mother of a seruant which are so many proofes of an heauenly humility It was also very coÌ„uenient that she should excell in this vertue meete for the Mother of him who descended from heauen to her wombe by humility to beginne to walke in humility The Daughters of this world do not so for when they are by others exalted to any greatnes they make themselues also greater in their own hart and do highly disdayne their inferiours and the ordinary fashion of women with child is to become heauy and to seeke rest and ease of body This B. Virgin goeth another way as she
Virgin then following the law came from Nazareth to Hierusalem where was the only and the famous Temple of the Iewes the fourtith day after the birth of her eldest Sonne with a payre of Pigeons This is the history whereon the Pilgrime shall discourse in his spirit and contemplate this heauenly Virgin coÌ„ming with the blessed fruit of her wombe first to offer him to his Father to exercise her humility submitting her selfe to the law of Purification though neither the one nor the other had any need thereof and that the soueraigne Sauiour Prince of the law was aboue the law and the Blessed Virgin was exempted for not hauing conceaued so as she could become vncleane like other women for whom this Law was made And thus hauing made his midnight prayer he may rest vntill the morning Ceremonies and feastes instituted for men to acknowledge Originall sinne the root of all the misery of mankind CHAP. XXXIX IN the morning he shall continue his meditation vpon the same mystery in three pointes The cause of this ceremony The first point shall be to consider that the principall cause of this ceremony was to make man vnderstand and acknowledge his impute and vncleane generation by reason of that infernall staine of originall sinne wherwith all the children of Adam borne by the ordinary course are infected This is the confession which Dauid made when bewailing in his owne person the misery of all mortall men he sayd Psalm 50 Behould I am conceaued in iniquity and my Mother hath conceaued me in sinne And because this knowledge was necessary to men for to huÌ„ble them and make them call for help whereby they might be cleansed from this corruption God did institute certaine Ceremonies which containe a lesson of this learning and knowledge as were the ceremonies and sacrifices of the law of Nature which did sufficiently shew the beginning of man to haue beene infected Circumcision in the law of nature and the great need he had of the fauour of God to be cleansed But aboue all was the Circumcision commanded to Abraham which was done by cutting the most rebellious part of the body the instrument of concupiscence of generation and corruption In the law of Moyses ceremonies were so much more multiplyed Purification in the law of Moyses as men were more deeply drowned in darknes and the ignorance of their owne misery and had need of more light to discouer it For there was not almost any man beside the Iewes that had any newes or notice of originall sinne nor of the remedy thereof The Paynime Philosopers boasted of knowing all thinges Most 〈◊〉 ignorant of original sinne but they could not discouer the ground and roote of all those errours and disorders wherein they saw mankind wander which though being a reasonable creature should of all others haue beene best ruled and ordered But among all these Iudaicall ceremonies ordained in the law to discouer this euill this of the Purification of the woman deliuered Leuit. 11. held the first place for it did plainly and publikely declare the corruption of our generation and the necessity of the expiatioÌ„ thereof The first point theÌ„ doth make vs see on the one side the misery of the corruption of men which beginneth at their first being on the other side the obedience of the Sonne of God and his Mother obeying the law they were not bound vnto their humility placing themselues among sinners and offering sacrifices for sinne although the one was cleanesse it selfe come for to cleanse vs and the other all pure and free not only from actuall sinne but also by a singular prerogatiue preserued from the touch of Originall common to all men as is sayd before God will be known in his guifts The second point shall meditate the ceremony of the offerings and sacrifices shall shew him how the Iustice of God requireth that with thankesgiuing we offer vnto him the good we haue receaued of him and namely that Fathers and Mothers should offer their children which is the best fruit of mariage Good workes are spiritual children that all Christians should offer their good actions which are their spirituall children ingendred and brought forth by the inspiration and grace of God and this was the morall sense of this ceremony In particuler the deuout Pilgrime shall marke that this day was presented to the soueraigne God The noblest offering that ouer was presented in the Temple the most noble and rich offering that euer was presented in the compasse of the Sanctuary and that by the handes of the greatest Lady of the world The offering was his owne deere sonne a sacred and liuing oblation infinit rich noble She that presented it was his glorious Mother gloriously endowed enriched and adorned with al the vertues that might exalt a creature aboue all other creatures humane or Angelicall Anna made an honorable present 1. Reg. 1.24 when she offered to the Temple her little child Samuel who was to be a great seruaÌ„t of God yet he was but a seruant a creature a vassall or subiect Heere is offered the Maister the Creatour the King the Sonne of the Father God of God Almighty of Almighty not by an ordinary Virgin or Mother but by a Virgin singular and without example in her degree and a mother most singular the mother of God The Prophet foretould this present and this day speaking in the person of him that receaued it Behould I send my Angell who shall prepare the way before my face and straight Malaâ—h 3. the Lord whome you seeke and the Angell of the Testament whome you desire shall come vnto his holy Temple The Father is he who speaketh the first Angell is S. Iohn Baptist the face of our Lord is his Sonne Iesus Christ the naturall and true Image of his Father the Lord and the Angell of the Testament is the same Sonne which is offered God and man the Angell and mediatour of the Testament and Couenant betweene God and man offered this day as man and adored as God for otherwise the Scripture would not haue sayd that he came into his Temple seeing that no pure creature may haue a Temple no more then an Altar or Sacrifice this preeminence being proper to the supreme deity In respect of this offering the second Temple of the Iewes being lesser in all outward humane respects was by another Prophet preferred before that of Salomon Agg. 2. being much more magnificall in gold siluer and fashion this being magnificall by the Maiesty of our Sauiour who was there offered in person The third point of the Meditation Of the Canticle Nunc dimittis CHAP. XL. THE third point shal meditate the Canticle of venerable old Simeon a man iust and fearing God who a few dayes before had reuelation from the Holy Ghost that before his death he should see the Annointed of our Lord that is the Sauiour of the world IESVS
them behould heere one oppressed with the burden of his sinnes cryeth at thyne eares from the bottome of his hart If this thy Clemency be accustomed to preuent sinners and to receaue them into thyne armes to shew them mercy then behold one who casteth himselfe at thy feet confounded at his owne faults crying that he hath sinned against heauen Luc. 15. which he dareth not behould against thee to whome he dareth haue recourse hoping in thy mercies Heare my crye Luc. 18.15 O Father of mercies and receaue to mercy thy prodigall penitent sonne and who hast giuen me courage and strength to visit thee in this little-great house of thy Sonne Iesus Christ and kisse the walles and doores of that sacred Chamber which he and his mother haue sanctifyed a thousand wayes graunt me grace by the infinit merit of thy Sonne and of the glorious Virgin to serue thee all the dayes of my life with an entire and perfect hart And if I may be worthy to lift vp my handes to thy holy heauenly Throne for the body of thy Catholike Church For the whole Church whereof by thy grace I am a child and for those thou hast made worthy and principall members of the same I beseech thee O Lord for all the sayd Church in generall defend it increase it sanctify it according vnto thy power and mercy I beseech for him who in the same holdeth as from thee For the Pope the keyes of heauen that he may perfectly and faythfully gouerne this Common-wealth of thy house to thy honour and glory and the profit of the flocke committed to him for the Princes and Pastours who do assist him and vnder his authority haue the gouernement of souies For the Prelats that they may wisely instruct and faithfully defend their flocke and charitably feed them vnto life euerlasting For all Kinges and Christian Princes For ChristiaÌ„ Princes who vnder the protection of thy prouideÌ„ce do coÌ„mand the people that as true Fathers and Protectours of the publike good they may carry the raynes and gouernement of their earthly policy which thy power hath put into their handes may vse iustly the sword which they beare for the defence of Innocency and punishment of wickednes For the most Christian King his deere Queene the Princes of the bloud and all the Royall house and Realme For the King assist them O Lord with thy fauours and graces remembring the seruices which thy holy Church hath receaued of their Ancestours and of the French nation hauing heertofore often left their houses and countrey not sparing their goods nor their bloud to go buckle with the Squadrons of the enemyes of thy name and to replant the banner of the Crosse in barbarous Countryes But specially I present my most humble vowes prayers for this noble Fleuron-de-Lys Monsieur the Dauphine thy guift For the Prince and the hope of the Crowne of France Make him great in wisedome valour piety and in all those vertues which gaue the title of Most-Christian to his Ancestours the name of Great to Charlemaine S. Lewis the place and honour of a Saint in the Church of God to his great GraÌ„d-father Lewis the IX Make him great and holy on the earth there to be a stay and bulwarke to the Catholike faith the ioy of his Father and Mother the honour of the nobility and of his house and the rest and repose of his people that he may reigne one day in heauen in the rank of thy greatest Saints Assist the sonne who hast assisted the Father so many wayes and so meruailously that France vnder him may shine in piety abound in peace florish in glory and may be thy chosen Kingdome and the French nation thy well-beloued people I beseech thee Lord for all those to whome I am bound in any title whatsoeuer For benefactours of bloud benefits friendship or otherwise and who haue hope in my prayers for my Parents my friends For frieÌ„ds and enemies my enemies make them partakers of thy graces and me worthy to obtaine some thing for them O heauenly Father O mighty Sonne my soueraigne Lord and Maister equall to thy Father in power and bounty O Holy Ghost the bond of both To the B. Virgin O ineffable Trinity harken to my voice and heare my prayer O glorious Virgin the principall worke of this one and of these three most happy Mother faithfull Aduocate carry this my voice and prayer to the Sanctuary of this supreme Maiesty who hath made thee so great in heaueÌ„ and earth Obtaine for me an hart and forces to serue thee as a true Pilgrime all the tyme of my mortality to praise blesse and adore his greatnes and goodnes for euer in the Kingdome of heauen in the company of thy selfe the Angels Saints of al those for whome I am to present my humble requests This is the prayer I make to thee in thy holy Chamber departing from thence Adieu sacred Chamber Adieu noble little Palace Adieu pretty house more large then tâ—e whole world more rich then the Orient more pleasant then Paradise vpon earth The remembrance of thy Altars of thy pauements of thy walles and of thy wonders shall remayne alwayes planted in my hart as a liuely and pregnant memorial to stirre me vp to yield honour prayse and immortall thankâ— to the Sonne and the Mothet who with their honour haue made thee so honourable The After-dinner and Euening of the 30. day and the ninth of the Pilgrimes aboad How the Pilgrime departed from Loreto CHAP. XLII AFTER his spirituall refection he shall take his leaue of his friends bid them farewell thanking them and recommending himselfe to their prayers and taking necessary instructions for his returne and he shall not forget to doe some markeable Almes if he be able and hauing taken his corporall refection he shall depart in good tyme with a resolution to suffer much more for our Sauiour For in what measure he hath receaued new graces new light and forces he should also labour and do more in proofe and tryall of his loue for him in all occurrences For his Itinerarium and guide of his iourney he shall haue the Ten dayes of Lazarus The ten dayes of Lazarus which are the ten dayes iourney following whereby he shall take example and direction in the exercise of his deuotion in his way If the number of dayes be too short he shall diuide the meditation of one day into more to haue inough or shal take them els where and if he may returne in lesse tyme he may choose what will be fittest for him and leaue the rest and what is sayd of this third part of the ten dayes of Pilgrimage of lengthning or shortning the meditations according to the way may be practised in the precedent parts also THE RETVRNE OF THE PILGRIME OF LORETO Or the Ten dayes iourney of Lazarus The one and thirtith day of the
Pilgrime of Loreto and the first of his Returne CHAP. I. LAZARVS a man much beloued of God wise and well versed in the learning of Saints and yeâ— deuour to the glorious Mother of God departed from his CouÌ„trey in the yeare 1583. to goe see the world in Christian Pilgrimage with a little brother of his called Pauline about 18 yeares of age at his departure himselfe being 24. and a Cousin of theirs called Theodosius of the same age a yong man of rare vertue and excellent conuersation with a faithfull and pietis seruant of their Fathers somewhat elder then they who was called Vincent They had already spent togeather six yeares in the most famous Pilgrimages of Christendome and els where and alwayes with these exercises of deuotion which we haue set downe before in the direction of our Pilgrime still continuing the same though not without difficulty but in the beginning of the seauenth yeare by mischance Pauline was taken prisoner and made slaue to the Barbarians in Alexandria and â—s Lazarus being at Constantinople was ready to send his ransome Pauline made prisoner which he had gotten by meanes of the French Embassadour he vnderstood that he was dead which newes did meruailously afllict him notwithstanding being a Gentleman of great courage vertue he bare it patiently hoping that his death was happy by reason of the piety and deuotion which he had alwayes marked in that youth specially towardes our B. Lady The other three returned towards FraÌ„ce came the second time to Loreto for they had beene there at the beginning and still caried themselues as Pilgrimes of Loreto and did their deuotions there certaine dayes not forgeting to pray for the soule of Pauline where also Lazarus caused his funerall to be kept So they parted full of spirituall ioy froÌ„ that holy place and came along vntil they were within few dayes iourny of their Fathers house wheÌ„ good Theodosius was lost froÌ„ his coÌ„pany no man knowing what was become of him notwithstaÌ„ding the enquiry that Lazarus had foure or fiue dayes together caused to be made after him This losse did so much the more grieue him the lesse it was looked for and almost at their home as it were a shipwracke in the mouth of the hauen He offered some vows to God our B. Lady of Loreto for him with a pious resolution continued his way hauing now no companion but Vincent and conceaued a great hope in God by the Protection of the B. Virgin that he would haue a speciall care of her Pilgrimes Now he had changed his name which he had from his infancy which was Aime-dieu and called himselfe Lazarus because he desired not to be knowne but by title of a poore and humble seruant of God which he sought with a Christian magnanimity from his hart and with all auersion and disdayne did eschew the vanity and glory of the world as a plague of al noble actions The first euening therfore of these Ten dayes that I write being at an Hospitall by a forrest before going to bed he tooke for subiect of his morning meditation following The flight of our Sauiour into Aegypt and conferred with his companion Vincent these three pointes following The points of the meditatioÌ„ following The first how S. Ioseph a little after the Presentation of our Sauiour to the Temple was aduertised in his sleep by an Angel from God to take the child his mother to fly into Aegypt by reason of the persecution of Herod at hand who already contriued his death The second the B. Virgins abode in Egypt with her Sonne Iesus The third the returne of our Sauiour to Iury and his retyring to Nazareth Meditations vpon the flight of our Sauiour into Aegypt togeather with his glorious Mother and Ioseph CHAP. II. EARLY in the morning an houre before going abroad Lazarus and Vincent entred into the meditation of these points a part by themselues Lazarus spake thus to God and to his soule My Lord and faithfull guide direct if it please thee my affections and actions to thy honour and glory to the profit of thy poore seruant I behold thy deare Sonne made a litle Infant and feeble for me to fly the persecution of of Herod vniust vsurper of the Scepter of the Hebrewes thy children and thy kingdome and to be caried into Egypt in the armes of his diuine mother as the Sunne in the heaueÌ„ I desire to see the course of this mystery and to profit thereby accomplish my desire seeing thou hast giuen it me and to haue my vnderstanding enlightned with the beames of thy grace well to meditate my Wil heated with the fire of thy loue straitly to imbrace vertue and to walke constantly in the wayes of thy commandements I consider here O my soule the faythfull and sweet Prouidence of this heauenly Father aduertising Ioseph by his Angel to fly and to withdraw his SoÌ„ne from the cruelty of the Tyrant for though he were sent and came to dye yet not in that age nor in that sort but in the flowre of his age and by the death of the Crosse would he accomplish our Redemption and bestow on vs in the meane tyme the benefit and vse of his life to instruct vs by the example of his heauenly vertues and wonderfull workes by the doctrine of his holy preachings to shew in his life and death the signes of his infinite loue with most manifest and cleere proofes If he had beene put to death in his cradle men had wanted all those euident testimonies of his Charity so many motiues to belieue in him and to receaue him for the promised Messias This little child then persecuted so soone by the Princes of the world visible and inuisible taketh his way to Aegypt and as weake giueth place to the Tyranny which he could as well haue repressed by resistance as auoid by flying But he would doe what himselfe had before taught his seruants and would by his example shew his disciples what they should do in like case So Iacob left the house of his Father to auoyd the fury of Esau Moyses left the Court of Pharao to escape his hands so little Iosias 4. Reg. 2. the lawfull successour of the Crowne was hidden from the massacre which cruell Athalia made of the Princes of the bloud I see heere that holy Ioseph obeyeth simply without excusing or asking why he The obedience of Ioseph whome he heard to be come to saue the world would not rather saue himselfe staying in Iudaea then by flying into Aegypt It is inough to obey the voice of him that commandeth without searching the secret or reason of the commandement teaching the true seruaÌ„ts of God to obey their Superiours without pleading or resistance He arose in the night tooke the child with diligence tooke the Mother and went towardes Aegypt by the same desart whereby the Hebrewes passed to Iudaea This tender Virgin bare her little child
in her bosome and closed in her armes whome the capacity of the heauens could not comprehend she feareth his danger and relyeth in his prouidence willingly endureth the horrour of the desart and the wearisomnes of the way and gathereth of her paines the ioyes of iust soules in the loue of him who came into the desart of the world to suffer O how gracious a spectacle to heauen is this little company O desart more happy in these three Hebrew Pilgrimes then in that infinite multitude that passed before A desart sanctifyed by these heauenly trauaillers signed and consecrated one day after to be the repaire of sanctity the earthly Paradise of deuotion to thousands of Religious soules who shal there sing the prayses of their Redeemer The desart of Egypt inhabited by Religious A desart more plentifull then all the orchards of Eden then all the Gardens of Aegypt yea then earthly Paradise it selfe for although thy trees be barren thou bearest notwithstanding at this tyme the fruit of life the mother of life and the faithfull spouse of life O Lazarus behould this pretty Pilgrime behould this trauailer and his faithfull Spouse doe them some seruice in the way giue them some fruit some ease or refreshment from thy hands request of the B. Virgin that little load she carryeth in her armes and take him into thyne to ease her but alas thou art not worthy although thou wert yet she would not leaue him This burden though it be more weighty theÌ„ the whole world is light vnto her yea giueth her vigour and strength to go the better If she will not gratify thee in this take boughes and shadow this little God who heeretefore shadowed his children in a cloud from the scorching Sunne and enlightened them with a Pillar of fire in the shadowes of night Psalm 77.14 and if thou canst do them no other seruice kisse humbly their shadow kisse the steps of their feet and haue compassion of the payns of this child and confesse thy sinnes to be the cause He entred into Aegypt according to the prophesy which he gaue many ages before Behould God shall ascend vpon a little cloud Isa 19.1 and enter into Aegypt and the Idols of Aegypt shall be troubled at his face This Cloud is the precious humanity of the Sonne of God in the which he is carryed It may be also the glorious Virgin compared to a cloud because she is heauenly and diuine like the humanity of her Sonne without any burden of sinne hauing brought forth her Sonne as the cloud doth the rayne without corruption and carryeth him in Aegypt els where as the cloud carryeth the rayne within her bosome O celestiall cloud O heauenly rayne O diuine child O diuine Mother He entreth into Aegypt whence his Father called him as he foretould by his Prophet I haue called my Sonne out of Aegypt He had called before the Hebrewes his adoptiue sonnes Ose 11. and people out of Aegypt he calleth now his naturall Sonne borne of his owne substance but in another manner Then he called the Hebrews to recall them from a cruell slauery bondage to make them enter into Iudaea now coÌ„trarywise he calleth this his Sonne from Iudaea to Aegypt to enter there and deliuer the Aegyptian himselfe from a more cruell seruitude to crush their Idols and breake the kingdom of Pharao who oppressed them vnder his tyranny with thousandes of horrible superstitions Arise then O Aegypt receaue with a good entertainement this little Sonne haue no feare of the plagues Exod. 6. 7. c. wherewith the malice of thy Ancestours hath heretofore been plâ—ged by him he coÌ„meth to sanctify thee to saue thee he is a great God but is become a little child affable of easy accesse a King full of sweetnes and mercy receaue him then receaue with good cheere these three Pilgrims the most noble that euer marched vpon thy grouÌ„d The Sages of Greece the Platoes Philosophers haue visited Egypt the Aristotles the Gallants of the world the Great Alexanders braue Caesars that haue heeretofore visited thee were nothing but poore wretched slaues of Ambition hauing their soules bound with chaines of iron howsoeuer they seemed gold glittered only in the outward of worldly vanity these heer doe passe the greatnes the brightnes of the glory of a thousand worlds This footman who is called Ioseph bringeth one who is a Virgin and a Mother the greatest Lady of the whole world admired of the Starres and Angells and shall one day be the admiration and refuge of al mortall men And this mother bringeth thee a Sonne who is the Maiesty of the heaueÌ„s the King of Angells the Sonne of a Father all mighty all wise all good himselfe as wise as good and as old as his Father in euery thing equall to his Father Creatour of the heauens with thâ— Father Gouernour of the whole world with the Father and sent by his Father from heauen to redeeme vs here in earth Receaue him then as a Pilgrime seeing Herod chaceth him out of his Countrey and whilest this Tyrant embrueth Iudaea with the bloud of the litle InnoceÌ„ts make much of this little Innocent father of them all rewarder of their life lost for him make much of his Mother and of his foster-father O my sweet Iesus did it please thee so soone to be chaced out of thy Country and to be a Pilgrime and banished maÌ„ to bring me vnto my heauenly couÌ„try whence my graÌ„dfather Adam hath so long been excluded Wouldst thou suffer euen in thy cradle what my sins deserued and what shall I eÌ„dure for thee in my Pilgrimage O mother who hast carryed this prety Pilgrim in a strange couÌ„try who hast suffered with him nursed weaned him who can conceaue the care the Charity the zeale the diligence the seruices thou didst eÌ„ploy in these seaueÌ„ years thou wert in Aegypt faithfully to nourish bring vp this litle God cloathed in the sackcloth of our mortality The goodly example thou gauest of all vertues to that people blacker in their superstitioÌ„ then in their coÌ„plexion O B. Virgin that after thy exaÌ„ple I might serue my God not now like a Pilgrime suffering in Aegypt but as a Conquerour triuÌ„phing in heauen It is I that am in Aegypt this valley of affliction where I haue need of his visit and help and of thyne O fauourable Virgin help thy Pilgrimes and deuotes The seauen yeares of this Pilgrimage being expired Herod in Iudaea being dead and the Lyon of Aegypt being buried the Angell of God aduertiseth Ioseph in his sleep to returne into Palestine The returne of Iesus to Palestine and because Archelaus the sonne of Herod successour both of his crowne and cruelty reigned in Iudaea he retyred himselfe from Galiley vnto the Citty of Nazareth where the little child Father of all ages seauen years old in his humanity was brought vp by his Mother and
beginning midle and end of my best prayers and desires And I haue full hope in the goodnes of him Gen. 12.14 that sayd Go out of thy country out of thy kindred and from the house of thy Father that if he giue me the grace to be a good religious man as he hath giuen me the desire he will also yield more comfort to your person and more seruice to your house by my prayers then by my presence I could affoard what estate or calling soeuer I should imbrace And in this respect the prudence and piety of my well beloued brother and my deerest sister shall supply all the want you may haue by my absence For you haue had good triall experience this seauen yeares that this house can well stand without me and that your old age receiueth by their onely assistance obedience and charity all the seruice and succour that a father may expect of his best children And therefore I beseech you my most honourable Father to heare my request blesse my departure saying this he cast himselfe at his feete The good old man began to weepe a good while and being somewhat pacifyed caused his Sonne to rise vp and sayd vnto him with a graue and constant countenance My Sonne Aime-dieu thy words do shew that thou hast pitty and compassion of thy Father and that thou wouldest part from me without violence thou doost well and like a good child for though thou knowest not yet what it is to be a Father thou dooâ—t notwithstanding wisely coniecture that fatherly loue doth make me feele thy departure and thou doost piously endeauour so much the more the asswage the griefe that groweth in me by nature by how much the more pricking and piercing it is Know thou my Sonne that I haue beene now long time prepared to conforme my selfe to the will of God namely seauen yeares since thou wentst in pilgrimage with thy brother Pauline when togeather with him thou madest thy meaning knowen vnto me I found some difficulty to resolue my selfe but at the last this is my mynd and my resolution I am content glad that the will which God hath giuen thee to do well and serue him with a perfect hart hath continued in thee liuely and constant shall be more glad to see thee happily effectuate the same I thinke I cannot wish a better fortune then to see thee in the seruice of such a Lord and that I cannot haue a desire more worthy and fit for a Father then to desire thy saluation The obligation thou hast to me is small in it selfe and nothing in respect of that thou owest vnto God Of me thou hast the beginning of thy being in the mortall seed of thy mortall body which being well considered is a thing of nothing and should indeed haue beene nothing if the Almighty hand of God had not giuen force to nature to forme thy members within in the wombe of thy mother and all these members formed are but a lumpe of nothing if he had not infused a soule bearing his owne image and likenes to rule therein to quicken and gouerne it and finally that little I haue contributed to thy generatioÌ„ coÌ„meth also froÌ„ the liberality of the same Lord so that all being well deducted it is God that hath giuen thee all thou hast and all thou art and from him all thy goods do rise to his goodnes thou must returne duty and homage and to me thou owest nothing but by the law of the same God who commaundeth thee to honour father and mother in consideration of what thou hast receyued of them For the rest thou art all his and if he had taken thee twenty yeares since or before from me or froÌ„ this world he had done me no wrong taking but his owne And when these dayes past I had newes of thy death I setled my selfe to a resolution to thanke him for all with the hope I conceyued that he had shewed mercy vnto thy soule and hauing now conserued thee in life and desire to serue him I haue the more to thanke him for the honour he doth me calling thee to the seruice of his Altar An honour much greater then if thou wert called to the court of the greatest Prince in the world The care paine and charges that I haue bestowed to bring thee vp in vertue and to make thee worthy of a noble house and which thou hast learned in schooles in warres in thy peregrinations are also gifts of his holy hand and caÌ„not receiue a richer recompence nor a better fortune nor a more roiall imployment then in the house of God And if I be a true Father I cannot desire thee a better inheritance then that which thy heauenly Father will giue thee if thou seruest him as a faythfull child And if I should pretend to haue some comfort of thy presence I should receiue an vnspeakable comfort to vnderstaÌ„d that thou wert in the traine and wages of this King placed amongst his domestâ—call seruants leaning his eares to thy deuotion speaking to him of me and praying to him for me and demaunding of him by thy continual prayers some gift for the saluation of my soule Thou settest before myne eyes for my comfort the assistance of thy brother sister Surely the proofe I haue had of their filiall sincerity obedience hath made me hope wel of theÌ„ but know thou that the hope of my repose solace is in God who hath giuen me such children and if he will call them also to his seruice I will then also expect help at his hands in my viduity and solitude and will thinke that I haue receiued at his Maiesties hands a new benefit without fearing that my house and race shall end by them for if it shall once take an end according to the common course of families of this world it cannot be more honourable ended then by this sacred sterility of religious persons vowed vnto God Many Fathers will thinke my iudgment and opinion inhumane but I am content that it is reasonably and magnanimous before God If for my temporall commodities which I may expect of my children I should hinder their vocation from heauen vnto eternall goods which specially I should desire vnto them I should not be a true Father for this should not be to loue my children but to loue my selfe to preferre mine owne temporall ease before their honour and saluation and therefore my Sonne haue no griefe to leaue thy Father to serue God Thou leauest not thy Father neyther but doest obey him If I haue done any thing for thee thanke him who made me thy father beseech him to do me this fauour to end my mortall pilgrimage vnder the safe conduct of his grace I beseech him with all my hart to make thee great in his sight and a worthy seruitour in his holy house and thy fellowes and this is the blssing I giue thee farewell my deare Sonne fare thee well
And saying this with teares he fell on the necke of Lazarus who also wept tenderly And soone came Pauline and being iofull of this loâ—ing leaue which he saw was granted to his brother and full of hope to obtaine as much for himselfe with the like or more facility cast himselfe at his Fathers feete who was set in his closet sad pensiue desiring to haue his blessing so long desired But behold nature and some contrary and aduerse spirite helping her played her part to trouble the peace of the father and to crosse the designement of the Sonne for as the good old maÌ„ saw himselfe at the point to be depriued of the dearest of all his children pierced with the griefe of the losse and loosing the memory of his former resolution and of all he had sayd a little before to Lazarus he sodainly changed his loue into fury being traÌ„sported with anger as a Lionesse in the losse of her litle ones Well then Pauline quoth he thou wilâ— also abandon and forsake me after thy brother and insteed of succouring my solitude thou preparest to leaue my house destitute and desolate and hereto thou demaundest my blessing Tell me thou vnnaturall child and cruell Impe haue I brought thee into this world and nourished thee so fatherly to be forsaken by thee without piety at the brinke of my graue Haue I fashioned and cherished thy youth with all sorts of fauours benefits to reape in my old age these fruits of anguishe of thy vngratefull ground Doth God command thee to be forgetfull disobedient or cruell to him that begat thee To be his death after thou hast receiued of him thy being and all the good that a child could receiue of a good father But with what face wilt thou present thy offering to God after thou hast left thy father loaden with the burden of a thousand troubles torments endured for thee and wounded with a hartbreake and with a deadly stroke by thy murtherous hands God commaundeth to loue thyne enemies and thou wilt kill thy father and darest thou appeare before the holy Altar of the supreme Iustice soiled with so great a sinne And if thou wilt serue God as a perfect seruant who letteth thee to performe it in the house of thy father whome God commaundeth thee to serue and honour Of thy Father I say who hath alwayes giuen thee by his works and wordes good testimony that he caryeth the feare of God in his hart and loueth vertue and is pleased to see his children perfect in all piety Thinkest thou that there is neuer a good man in the world nor any worthy of thy company Is there no place in heauen but onely for Religious Or may we not liue a perfect life among men without leauing the company and conuersation of men After these periods and clauses shot like sharp and pointed arrowes he paused a while and as if all his choler had beene spent and disgorged yet Nature forced him to apply for a second assault and battery the force of a contrary passion He tooke the language of loue stroaking and imbracing whome he would not anger but winne and resuming his speach O sayth he my well beloued Pauline O my life and my comfort haue compâ—ssion of me thy desolate Father behold these white hayres these hollow eyes these teares hasten not my end lyue yet a while with me and if thou desirest my death thou shalt see it shortly it draweth on apace with the roll of my yeares and infirmities and knocketh already at the doore of all my senses assigning me ouer to my sepulcher Stay a litle that I may giue thee my last benediction in peace and that thou maist take it without offence expect tary till I be put in my graue and then thou maist go which way thou wilt heere he held his peace being stopped with the violence of his sighings and aboundance of teares which trickled downe his cheekes great and feruent and held the head of Pauline fast in his haÌ„ds vpon his knees a man might see in his face inflamed and his body shaking the conflict of an extreme passion that ruled in his soule Pauline was at this anger and commotion of his Father more astonished then offended for he easily perceiued that it was not of any euill will but that the subtilty of the wicked spirit had surprised the good old man by an ambushment layd behind the wals of Nature and fatherly affection and had of him great compassion and with a calme countenance sayd vnto him My most honourable Father if I had thought that my demaund would haue offended you I protest that I would neuer haue made it neither except I had long before perceiued by euideÌ„t signes that my vocation had beene full pleasing vnto you dared I to haue opened my mouth to discouer it And now Syr let not God suffer me to grieue honorable old age which I haue alwais respected as becometh a maÌ„ of honour althogh otherwise it had not touched or concerned me any thing at all nor so farre to forget my selfe eyther of your immortall benefit or of the duty of a true Sonne nor to foule my soule with the vice of such ingratitude contemning your commaÌ„dement which I am bound to obey with a thousand merits and a thousand titles of loue My most deere Lord Father be you in rest I will stay as long as it shall please you and will serue you in your house and will account my self much honoured to liue in your company and vnder your obedience and do verily belieue that God will weâ—l accept this duty done for his loue according to the directioÌ„ of his lawes And if it please you I will also do my best to perswade my brother Aime-Dieu to stay his voiage also to dwell with you and to employ himselfe with me to your contentment and comfort At these words vttered with so great simplicity of hart countenance of a child the good old Syr was in that instant pacifyed and his heat asswaged and it seemed that the speach of Pauline entring at his eares had also mollifyed and transformed his hart as it were with some sweet drinke of heauenly liquour and therefore taking againe his spirits of loue and prudence returning in a sort to himself O my God sayth he where am I And into what errours hath the iniquity of my soule transported me O mercifulâ— Father haue mercy on me and haue not regard to my folly and rashnes in speach O my well beloued Pauline I know well thy obedience and piety towards me thou hast vndertaken nothing but by the inspiration of God with my good will and lyking thou didst long since aduertise me of this desire O soueraigne God pardon me and do thy pleasure with my Sonne or rather with thine owne for thine he is and not myne Pardon me my Sonne and excuse my infirmity this was an excursioÌ„ of a child of Adam that old
haue present the holy Apostles thy seruants wast receiued body soule into the heauenly habitations of the celestiall spirits as Queene of the Angels mother of their Lord maister The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee be my Aduocate in all tymes and places and deliuer me from sodaine and vnprouided death and when I shall passe out of this world defend me from all the temptations of the diuell that my soule may haue free accesse to the ioyes of my God and Sauiour Of the Coronation The Oblation Glori ∣ ous 5 O Most high glorious Lady Empresse of the whole world I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues one Pater noster to the glorious mistery of thy Coronation which was the accomplishment of all thy ioyes and the crowne of all thy deserts when thou wert exalted aboue the Angelicall spirits and to the blessed Trinity the Father Son and holy Ghost thou wert crowned and appointed Queene Lady of all and the defendresse and aduocate of all that inuocate thee The Prayer WE reioyce O B. Lady at thy exaltation and glory and beseech thee that froÌ„ the high throne where thou art placed thou wouldest remember thy poore children which wander heere in this vale of teares and that thou wouldest obtaine for vs plentifull gifts and graces that we may deserue with thee and all the holy Saints to enioy the B. Trinity Amen THE CORONE OF B. LADY THe manner of saying the Corone of our B. Lady consisting of 63. Aues six Pater noster in remeÌ„brance of the 60. yeares of her life euery Pater noster with the 10. Aues are to be sayd and offered in the honour and remembrance of 10. yeares of her life and of what 〈◊〉 did or suffered in that time with a prayer eyther before or after crauing those graces and vertues which most did shine in the actions of those yeares The Oblation of the 1. O Most innocent and immaculate Virgin I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues one Pater noster in honour of the first 10. yeares of thy life and all thou didst therein in honour of thy immaculate Conception miraculous Natiuity of a barren wombe of thy blessed infaÌ„cy and Presentation into the Temple and all thy vertuous exercises and deuotions there whereby thou wert disposed and prepared to be a meete mother for the sonne of God The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that I may offer my best first times to the seruice of God and by exercise of vertue and eschewing occasions of sinne I may dispose my soule to receiue Gods grace in this life and his glory in the next The Oblation of the 2. O Most happy and chosen Virgin I humbly offer vp 10. Aues and a Pater noster in remembrance of the high vertues which dayly increased in thee first vowing chastity and espousing thy selfe to chast Ioseph receiuing with ioy humility and resignation the ioyfull newes of the Incarnation of the Sonne of God in thy virginall wombe bearing thy Creatour swadling and resting him in the manger seeing him glorifyed by the Angells visited by the shepheards adored by the Kings circumcised presented and redeemed in the Temple at thy Purification didst nurse him and giue him sucke and stedst with him into AEgypt and there in a strange Idolatrous Country didst worke for his maintenance and thine The Prayer I Beseech thee obtaine for me part of these ioyes which in this tyme thou didst receiue and the imitation of thy chastity and speciall loue of pouerty which thou and thy sonne so greatly did imbrace The Oblation of the 3. O Most B and patient Virgin I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues a Pater noster in remeÌ„brance of thy poore pilgrimage entertaynement in AEgypt and in thy returne from thence the feares thou hadst at returning thy sorrow in loosing and ioy in fynding thy Son in Hierusalem and in honour of all that sweetnes and ioy thou receiuedst in the conuersation company of thy heauenly guest child The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that in all my pilgrimage of this life I may haue thine and thy sonnes company neuer long want the comfort of his gracious presence doctrine and Sacraments The Oblation of the 4. O Most happy gracious Virgin I huÌ„bly offer vp to thee 10. Aues and a Pater noster in remembrance of all that ioy and pleasure â—ou hadst in the presence of thy sweet Iesus eating drinking talking and wo king with him that giueth meate drinke speach and strength to all creatures The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that in all my life and actions I may be so conioyned with Iesus so communicate with him that whether I eate or drinke or whatsoeuer I do I may do it in his presence and to his onely glory and praise The Oblation of the 5. O Most ioyfull dolorous Lady I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues and a Pater noster in remembrance of those pangs and 〈◊〉 which after all the ioyes thou receiuedst by departing of thy Sonne from thee of thy cares and feares thou hadst of him and the excessiue griefe thou tookest when he was betrayed taken bound led captiue beaten spit vpon mocked whipped crowned with thornes blindefolded buffeted condemned crucifyed blasphemed pierced taken downe and buried in remeÌ„brance also of thy great ioyes in his Resurrection Apparition Ascension sending of the holy Ghost The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that among the comforts discomforts of this life I may remaine firme and constant at the foote of the Crosse with thee and thy blessed company that at last I may be partaker of the ioyes and glory of his resurrection and Ascension and of the comfort of his holy spirit The Oblation of the 6. O Most perfect patient and blessed Lady I humbly offer vnto theâ— 10. Aues and a Pater noster in remembrance of thy most holy life heere on earth after the Ascension of thy Sonne of the longing thoâ— hadst to be with him and loathing of this life of the light comfoâ—â— and example thou gauest to the Apostles and all Christians of thâ— zeale for the glory of thy Sonne of thy deuotion to his B. Body and often visitation of the holy places of his life Passion Resurrection The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that being heere on earth I may haue like longing to be with thy Sonne and loathing of this life with deuotion to all his remembrances and Sacraments The Oblation of the 7. O Most happy and glorious Virgin I humbly offer vnto thee 3. Aues and a Pater noster in honour of the last three yeareâ— of thy life of the ioyfull expectation of thy depositioÌ„ with most perfect workes and more feruent desires in remembrance of thy great ioy at the calling of thy Sonne and spouse of thy visitation of Angels and their heauenly melody the presence of the Apostles praysing and lauding him and finally in remembrance honour of thy most happy passage ioyfull Assumption and glorious Coronation The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that I may so liue as I may expect a ioyfull end and a comfortable passage that I may not want the rites and ceremonies of thy holy Church nor the comfort and company of thy seruants but may be protected by my good Angels my soule by them caryed where thou doost sit in glory and behold the face of the most blessed Trinity the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Amen FINIS
THE PILGRIME OF LORETO PERFORMING HIS VOW MADE TO THE GLORIOVS VIRGIN MARY MOTHER OF GOD. Conteyning diuers deuout Meditations vpon the Christian Cath. Doctrine By Fa. Lewis Richeome of the Society of IESVS Written in French translated into English by E.W. PRINTED At Paris Anno Dom. M.DC.XXIX TO THE MOST HIGH AND EXCELLENT PRINCESSE MARY BY GODS SINGVLAR PROVIDENCE QVEENE OF GREAT BRITAINE FRANCE AND IRELAND c. MADAME This Pilgrime being drawn with a great desire to present himselfe and his seruice to your Maiesty was driuen backe by a double feare the one of offending with his ouer-boldnes in presenting himselfe poore Pilgrime to so great a Princesse the other least the very name of Pilgrime might debar him of all accesse and Audience Yet at last he resumed his first resolution considering that he was to appeare before a Queene not so Great as Gracious as all that conuerse in your Royall Court do try and testify You are the daughter of that great and Gracious King who heertofore hath with gracious acceptaÌ„ce intertained this same Pilgrim in FraÌ„ce presented vnto him by that eloquent learned and Religious Frenchman F. Lewis Richeome Accept then MADAME in England what your renowned Father imbraced in France He desireth only to be graced and honoured with your Maiestyes Name and to shroud himselfe vnder the winges of your Princely protection and to be admitted your Maiesties poore beadesman For the bare Name of Pilgrime though it may chance to breed some iealousy at the first yet whosoeuer shall but search him and examine his instructions and directions find nothing but of deuotion meditation prayer and particulerly for your Maiesty he may hope rather to be admitted for his innocency and loyall Intention then excluded for the only name of Pilgrime which Name though now strange hath heertofore beene so vsuall and esteemed in our Court S. Helene and Country as Kinges and Queenes haue not only vndertaken it but gloried therein Canutus And so great sayth an ancient Authour 900. yeares since was the deuotion of Englishmen in that tyme Ceadwalla after all the Country was conuerted and christened that not only the Noble men and the meaner sort Clerickes and Layickes but the Kinges the Kinges children leauing their kingdomes and the wealth of the world Marcelliâ— in vita S. Switbâ—râ—â— haue out of their great deuotion chosen for a tyme to go Pilgrims for Christ on earth This Pilgrime was presented to your Maiestyes Father in France of purpose to offer his prayers for the then Daulphin now King the benefit and fruit whereof he hath found and felt in good successe of his affaires and for all the Royall house Realme of France wherein your Maiesty had a part he commeth now wholy and particulerly to do the like for both your Maiesties that God by the intercession of his Blessed Mother would blesse your Royall persons your people and kingdome with all earthly and heauenly benedictions And namely that hauing vnited you in the sacred bandes of holy Matrimony and lincked your hearts with so fast Loue and Affection as all your Subiects do ioy to see and heare that he would also blesse you with the happy fruit thereof and make his Maiesty a ioyfull Father and You a Mother of many goodly and Godly Princes who may longe sway the Scepter of great Britaine after you may imitate in vertue and sanctity S. Edward and S. Lewis your Maiesties glorious predecessours and in wisedome and valour your Maiesties noble Father of famous memory Neither doe I see MADAME why this Pilgrime should feare to come to any Court or company seeing he coÌ„meth euery where but among his fellowes for though all be not Pilgrimes of Loreto neither is this booke only or principally to direct such yet whilest we liue in this world we are though as Kinges Queenes and Emperours all Pilgrimes as a great King sayd of himselfe Aduena peregrinus sum ego Psal 38. Who though they haue thousandes of Castles and Citties yet haue they not heere any one Ciuitatem permanentem which shall not be taken from them before they dye or they taken from it by death but futuram inquirimus hauing no mansion-house or byding place in this world we goe seeking one in Heauen where be multae mansiones Which this Pilgrimage vnder the shadow of his other Pilgrimage doth exactly teach vs to do exhorting vs with S. Peter 1. Pet. 2. as strangers and Pilgrimes to abstaine from carnall desires which fight against the soule and to seeke the spirituall and eternall the increase whereof will make your Maiesty greater before God and man For the honours and glory of this mortal life your Maiesty hath as much as your heart can reasonably desire You haue for your Ancestours great Emperours and Kings of Hungary and Bohemia for your Progenitors the great Dukes of Tuscany for your Father Great Henry of France and for your husband the King of Great Britaine all Great Being placed in the top of these honours there is no roome for more nor cause to desire any greater fortunes but only those which may and alwayes should increase in vs in this life and prouide matter for a Crowne of glory in the next These MADAME are holy vertues which adorne noble deuout soules as silke siluer gold pearles and precious stones doe the body these are the ornaments which haue aduanced meane women aboue Queenes Queenes aboue theÌ„selues as they did Hester who though she were exceeding beautifull yet her humility modesty charity wisedome other diuine qualities of her soule made her more admired in her life theÌ„ the beauty of her body or the Diademe of her head and after her death hath left her Name grauen in the memory of all following ages These goodly ornaments I say togeather with the corporall guifts which the hand of God hath liberally cast vpon You wonne the harts of those who knew you in France and were the titles wherby you were iudged to be a Princesse worthy of a Kingdome and a fit Consort for so great a King To conclude these are the treasures which only You shall carry with You departing this life to raigne for euer in the other with the Blessed The other guifts as beauty riches honour Iewelles the Crowne it selfe and all other earthly treasures the spoyle of tyme do passe from their being to their buriall as a shadow that vanisheth as a Post that gallopeth away as a Ship on the sea as a Bird in the ayre who leaue no path nor trace behind them as dust or a lock of woll hoysted with the wind as the froth and fome of the Sea broken with a storme as smoke dispersed in the ayre and as the memory of a guest which stayeth but one night Thus sayd Salomon out of his owne experience and we see as much euery day by ours Sap. 5. How vaine then O most Christian Queene is all this world
and carryed from thence CHAP. IIII. AFTER the triumphant Ascension of our Sauiour three places in Palestine were aboue the rest in singular honour and veneration with all Christians Three places famous in Palestine In Galilee this chamber of Ioachims house where the Virgin Mary was saluted by the Archangel Gabriel in Nazareth in Iudea the Cribbe where our Sauiour was borne in the little towne of Bethleem and the Sepulcher where he was buryed by Hierusalem These places honoured with goodly Temples built by Constantine and his Mother Temples built at the Crib Sepulcher of our Sauiour in the house of the B. Virgin Guil. de Nangis in in life Io. Vill. c. 17. 92. were visited of an infinite number of Christians comming from all partes of the world to adore God there and to acknowledge his guifts in that land which he had sanctifyed with his owne steps when he liued man amongst men and which was marked with the markes of his power wisedome and goodnes which deuotion endured aboue 1200. years that is vntill the yeare of our Lord 1228. at which tyme the Turkes and Sarazens made many incursions and great spoile in the holy Land which was the cause that valiant King Lewis father to al the most Christian Kings that since haue worne the Crowne of France and the last Protectour of that holy Country made two voiages thither at the prayer and solicitation of Christians to recouer it out of their handes and restore it to liberty An. 1254 The first was in the yeare 1254. when he armed forth about 1800. Shippes that set forth from Marsiles the 7. of August An. 12â—9 The second was in the yeare 1269. which he called the Pilgrimage of the Crosse wherin he was accompanied with the King of Nauarre and though he there performed many worthy exploites both of valour piety for the recouery of this holy patrimony of the children of God and after him the Knights of the Temple of S. Iohn of Hierusalem yet could he not establish and settle such a peace stay in Christians affaires but that the Infidels quickly became maisters thereof againe Tripolis taken by assault by the Infidels 1291 14. of April Aemil l. 8 For in the yeare 1291 the 14. of April about Easter 30. years after his death the King of Aegypt tooke by assault Tripolis in Syria and Ptolemais a famous citty in Phenicia and diuerse others that stood for the Christians in those parts and rased them to the ground killed the inhabitants and chased Christianity cleane out of Palestine God of his iustice so permitting it for the sinnes of men who had made way to their owne destruction and namely the factions of the Guelfes and Gibellines The factions of the Guelfâ— Gibellines Platin. Blond l 7. Tâ—â—th in chron and other Christian Princes who warred one against another whilest the holy Land lay destitute of the accustomed succours of Europe In such sort that from that tyme Christians of other countryes could not goe thither but with excessiue charges â—nd danger of their life specially vnto this holy Chappel which was furthest within Palestine and furthest from Christians of all the three places and more also exposed to spoile and iniury nothing remaining there after the Temple was pulled downe but a little poore building worke contemptible to the Infidells wheras the Cribbe and the Sepulcher were founded vpon Rockes and stones The cribe of our Sauiour being by their naturall scituation in some sorte assured neere also vnto the Christians Therfore our Sauiour meaning to take this precious prize out of the haÌ„des of the Infidels and if we may so say raise it from death The Sepulcher by a meane meet and worthy of his almighty power and to make a present thereof vnto the fayth and deuotion of his Church he caused it miraculously to be transported into a Christian country and place of liberty and that at diuers tymes and to diuers places as we shall declare How the house of our B. Lady was carryed from Nazareth to Sclauonia and from thence into Italy and to diuers places there CHAP. V. Diuers remoues of the house of Loreto IN the yeare 1291. the 9. of May this house was carryed from Galiley into Sclauonia to a plaine at the top of a little hill scituated betwixt two townes called Tersact and Flumen not far from the Mediterranean sea in which place it remayned about 4. yeares and from thence it was transported the second tyme into Italy in the yeare 1294. the 19. of Nouember The first from Nazareth to Sclauony 1281. to three seuerall places First into the Marke of Ancona neere vnto the Sea in a forest of the territory of Reccanata which pertained to a noble and deuout Lady called Lorete whence this holy place tooke the name Secondly from this forest infected with theeues and robbers it was remoued to a little hill hardby 2. from Sclauony to Italy 1294. pertayning to two brethren whence also for their auarice within lesse then a month it was once againe translated a bow-shot from thence placed on another little hill by the high way to Reccanata halfe a mile from the Sea where now it is VVhy the Chamber of the B. Virgin hath beene so often transported CHAP. VI. BVT wherefore will some say was it so often remoued within Christendome This demand may be pertinent because it is profitable and it may be curious also for that we must admire and prayse the workes of God rather then search the causes which cannot be but iust Notwithstanding we answere with respect and humility that the same power which remoued that heauenly house from amongst the Heathens causing it to be caried aboue 500. leagues could at the first haue placed it where it should remayne and where it remayneth at this tyme but that it rather pleased his diuine prouidence to doe as he hath done and to make his worke more certaine and admirable by such changes and remoues For first the meruaile hath beene thereby better knowne and auerred The first cause and is more great and famous by these manifold transportations neuer heard of before being remoued in so diuers places in the sight of many people and in short tyme from Asia into Europe from one coast to another and all this in places neere one to another and in short space to wit from 1291. to 1294. within lesse then fiue yeares The 2. cause Secondly the diuine Bounty hath this way shewed it selfe more liberal imparting and communicating it selfe to more people that is to the Sclauonians and to those of this side the Sea and the diuine Iustice hath beene more auailable instructing men how to respect holy things and not to abuse them except they would be depriued of them and punished For God causing this holy house to be remoued from vnfaythfull Palestine to Sclauony from thence to Italy and there from
we see that all Palestine in generall is called the Holy Land because it was inhabited and haunted by Abraham Isaac Iacob and other holy Patriarches but principally because the Sauiour of the world being made man there conuersed with men and hath sanctifyed it by his pilgrimages therein after him the Apostles and other the chiefe and first ornaments lights of the primitiue Church In particuler we read of diuers places inhabited by Saints to haue beene in great honour reuerence Places holy by the habitation of Saints as among others was that Denne in the desert where S. Iohn Baptist dwelt froÌ„ his childhood vntill he came forth to preach pennance testify Iesus Christ Also Bethania the house of Mary Magdalen and Martha neere vnto Hierusalem Io. 11.18 where our Sauiour raysed their brother Lazarus from death at which place S. Hierome sayth was built a Church for christians All Aegypt and Syria Hier. de locu sacru was heeretofore full of places sanctifyed in this sort as there be also many such yet amongst Christians But if euer place were priuiledged in this respect it is this Chamber of the B. Virgin for it hath receaued and entertayned for guests and inhabitants the noblest persons of Heauen and earth Nicâ—ph l. 〈…〉 First the B. Virgin was there borne and brought vp vntill the third yeare of her age when she was presented in the Temple of Hierusalem where hauing remained eleauen yeares or therabout she returned to Nazareth remayned there almost vntill the death of our Sauiour Iesus Christ the holy of holyes dwelt there after his returne out of Aegypt about the seauenth yeare of his age 〈◊〉 9 5â— vntill the thirtenth yeare when he began to manifest himselfe to the world and not to haue as he sayd to those that desired to follow him any house of his owne wherein to rest his head I speake not of S. Ioachim S. Anne Luc. 9.58 S. Ioseph that dwelt there also neither of S. Zachary S. Elizabeth S. Iohn the Apostles and Disciples of our sauiour and all those worthy lights of the Law The Saints who dwelt in the house of the B. Virgin and the Ghospel both before the death of our Sauiour and after who were all often there It is inough of these two starres Iesus Christ I meane and his glorious Mother and especially of the one of them not only to exalt the dignity of this little house aboue the greatnes of all royall pallaces that euer were but also aboue the maiesty of Salomons Temple and aboue the sanctity of all the holy places held in veneration all the tyme of the Law of Nature and of Moyses inough to make this house to be truly called an heauenly Pallace or a terrestriall Heauen where God and his heauenly and angelicall Court doth dwell For who can doubt but that the sacred Trinity was there daily present after a speciall and singular manner the Father and the Holy Ghost with the Sonne when this Sonne the selfe same essence with them cloathed with our Nature dwelt there corporally visible and continually And there being God in his Maiesty The court of heauen could the Angells Archangells Principalityes Powers Vertues Dominations Thrones Cherubims and Seraphims faile to be there in state and magnificall array to admire serue adore this supreme Deity this diuine Humanity O little House 9. orders of Angels O royal Pallacâ— O diuine lodging O sacred Cabinet O paradise not earthly as that of Adam but heauenly seeing thou hast entertayned within thee the God of maiesty the felicity and happines and most bright and glorious light of heauen How the house of Loreto is admirable for diuers diuine touchings CHAP. XVII OF this habitation whereof I speake ensueth another cause which doth greatly aduance the honour of this place in a thoâ—sand manners For since our Sauiour The fifth cause of touching his holy Mother and diuers other Saints dwelt there how often in this their dwelling lid they sanctâ—fy it by their comming and going by their breathing and looking by their holy talke communication by the spirit and fire of their prayers and by so many workes of Religion of piety of mercy and other actions of vertue which they did during their residence there How often hath the holy Humanity sighing for our miseries Iesus Christ honoured this House sanctifyed with his breath the walles of that chamber How many tymes walking and working therein hath he hallowed it with his steppes of Obedience How often longing sighing after our RedeÌ„ption hath he honoured this house by there laying vp his sighes and desires How often hath the glorious Virgin his Mother made this place honourable by the offices and seruices of Charity of deuotion of piety of teares other signes and markes of sanctity Chaines sanctifyed And if by the only touch of the Apostles or Martyrs bodyes bandes and iron chaines haue become more noble then the Crownes Scepters of Kings and haue receaued power and vertue to expell wicked spirits to heale innumerable diseases and to raise the dead what glory and satisfaction shall we thinke that this little ChaÌ„ber hath receaued so often honoured with the conuersation of these most holy guests Which hath beene so familiarly visited and haunted by the presence of such noble bodyes Which hath beene so cleerly enlightned by the beams of these diuine stars And if the Crosse The Crosse which was the bed of our Sauiours last ill rest and torment if the launce which pierced his side if the sponge which reached him Vinegar to drinke if the thornes that crowned his head if the nailes that pierceâ— his handes feet if the other instruments of his paine and Passion if the Sepulcher that lodged his body if so many places as this body touched were made diuine by a short touch and as it were in passin g who will doubt but that ground of this holy house troden on by the feet of this Lord and Lady ayred witâ— their breath touched with their handes for so many yeare hath beene thereby singularly sanctifyed What place therforâ— in the earth what habitation in the whole world is more noble and honourable by this title then that of Loreto Places famous for some great or mysticall effects and that heerein Loreto is more admirable then them all CHAP. XVIII The sixth cause of mystery THE holy Scripture as also profane Histories do reporâ— vnto vs diuers places that are made memoraâ— by thâ— sixt cause that is by some high and secret worke by some action of rare vertue some sacrifice some battaile some victory some sacrament or some other thing verily diuine or sâ— accounted The old Testament recoÌ„mendeth vnto vs the mouÌ„taine Moria made noble by the obedience of Abraham Gen. 22.2 when hâ— layd his sonne Isaac vpon the Altar to sacrifice him The mouÌ„â— Thabor was made famous by the noble victory of
house then the earth a dwelling common to the beasts also and to the creatures of vilest and basest condition yea although he had not sinned this base world had beene assigned vnto him notwithstanding as a land of pilgrimage not painefull and wretched as it is now but gracious and honourable where hauing a while delighted himselfe with the contemplation of his Creatour and his goodly workes and in thankesgiuing for the benefits receaued of that supreme bounty without any death or payne he should haue mounted with his body to heauen his true Countrey there to raigne for euer in the company of Angels his countrey-men and fellow-cittizens The earth therfore was graunted giuen vnto him as a dwelling pleasant indeed yet not perpetuall but only for a tyme as it were in passing so by reason of this preheminence he was still a Pilgrime and no Cittizen Why mans pilgrimage heer is so paineful Now the cause why this pilgrimage is so painefull and full of miseries is the sinne of Adam for the which he was driuen out of the earthly Paradise and became a poore Bandit about the world and in him all his posterity and race of mortall children were depriued for the most part of the dominion of the world which was their portion and inheritance moreouer for this old fault and for other new dayly committed by themselues they are made subiect to cold heat hunger thirst wearines want dangers from men and beastes strangers one to another and enemyes one to another and finally condemned to a thousand miseryes incident to this life last of all to death that dolefull close of all our whole pilgrimage if it be not made in the grace of God The fourth point shall be to consider the course of the pilgrimage limited with two boundes our birth and our death 4. The bondes a small tyme for all whereas the lasting of tyme cannot be but short though the tyme were long yet lesse for some then for some other by reason of a thousand chances and accidents that trauerse and ouerthwart our life and doe hasten vnto many the boundes assignation of death The fifth point shall consider the saying of S. Peter 5. Man must liue like a pilgrime 1. Pet. 2.19 exhorting Christians in these wordes My well beloued I beseech you to abstaine as strangers and pilgrimes from carnall desires that fight against the soule And therupon we must consider the great blindnes of the most part of men who forgetting their condition and pilgrimage do liue vpon the earth as if they should abide there alwayes without euer lifting vp their eyes to heauen mans true country The speach shall be a summary of all these points The colloquy or speach of the prayer where the pilgrime hauing his soule enlightned by the light of this meditation and possessed with a new loue of heauen and disdaine of the earth and so much the more straightly vnited to his Creatour whome he hath perceaued to be so bountifull and wise in disposition of his guifts he shall speake confidently vnto his Maiesty and thanke him and intreat him demanding his ayde and help happily to beginne and end his pilgrimage in these or such like wordes O Lord with what hart shall I loue thee and with what tongue shall I prayse and thanke thee I say not for thy benefits receaued from thy holy hand since my first being but eueÌ„ for that which thou dost bestow vpoÌ„ me at this very time in the cleere knowledge of thy wisedome and bounty of my own estate conditioÌ„ I see O my soueraigne that thou hast created this world with an admirable variety of creatures ordayned for my vse and sustenance and that thou hast made me to be borne vpon earth endowed me with thy owne image and likenes there to liue not for euer as a Cittizen but for a small tyme as a pilgrime there to passe and walke there to serue thee as long as tyme shall last and after come to enioy thee for euer in heauen in that celestial Citty of thy Kingdom a Citty built of gold and precious stones vpon the foundations of eternity and rich in glory infinit treasures I see this world is but a pilgrimage a mortall and short race and that aboue thou hast founded the land of the liuing and the seat of our rest and repose for them that will passe this way-faring habitation in the obseruatioÌ„ of thy holy lawes O how great is thy liberality To make so small account of the guift present of the vniuersall world enriched and beautifyed with so many tokeÌ„s of thy greatnes as to giue it man only for his Inne and passage What a place then may that be which thou hast prepared for him to dwell with thee in all eternity If the common Cabbine for beastes be so magnificall what shall be the Pallace which thy Maiesty reserueth for him in the company of thy immortall spirits the Princes and Nobles of thy heauenly Court O my Creatour may it please thee to graunt me an inflamed desire to serue thee and meanes to enioy thee one day in the dwelling of thy pallace there and an assured direction of all my actions and affections to walke that way and to arriue there keep me from wondering at my Cottage forgetting of thy Pallace Ap ayer to the B. Virgin O most holy Virgin who already reignest there most happily exalted aboue the highest seates of honour help my infirmity with thy authority and whilest I am thy pilgrime towards thy litle-great house of Nazareth obtaine me the grace happily to accomplish my great pilgrimage begun from the wombe of my mortall mother which must be ended in the graue in the bosome of my other mother The earth our graÌ„d Mother If it please thee to aske thou canst not misse to obtaine all that is necessary for my end for how can the Father refuse thee who hath chosen thee for mother to his Sonne And that Sonne being the Sauiour of men how can he repell his Mother treating for my saluation And the holy Ghost equall to them both what can he deny thee by whose worke thou hast brought forth the Sauiour of the world receaued the Title of the Mother of God! Aske then O most mighty gracious Virgin the graunt is assured to thee in thy power grace and to me in this graunt the fauour and assistance of God The Pilgrime hauing armed his soule with this prayer taketh his refection for his body signing his forehead mouth and breast with the signe of the Crosse goeth out of his lodging on his way with the accustomed farewell to thâ—se of the house and he shall begin the steps of his pilgrimage vnder the protection of God and of the glorious Virgin his good Angell who must guide him as Raphael did young Toby The afternoone and euening of the first dayes Iourney The likenes of the Pilgrimage of mans
and seeke all the possible meanes to attaine it And seeing that euery man is thereunto obliged by nature is not the Christian much more bound then other by reason of the law he professeth which is a law of perfection How can he worthily beare his name if he endeauour not to be a perfect Christian according to his name and degree The King a perfect Christian in his rule and roialty the Captaine a perfect Christian in his warres and managing of Armes the Magistrate in gouernment the Iudge in administration of iustice the Merchant Artificer Labourer in then trafike shop and trauaile as the Religious in his vocation Is heauen only for Religious If it be for all why doe not all seeke the way with Religious Heauen is not oÌ„ly for Religious euery one as we haue sayd according to his estate and degree This instruction will teach the Pilgrime to make dayly progresse in good life as he doth in his way and with so much the more courage as the merit and fruit of vertue is more precious and to be desired then the wynning of way in the world and this shall suffice for the afterdinner and euening of the second day The third Day The Commandements of God are the way of our pilgrimage of this life CHAP VI. IN the third day our Pilgrime being well forward on his way and iourney and hauing attentiuely meditated the conditions and qualityes of his mortall pilgrimage The way to heaueÌ„ is the coÌ„mandements of God Psal 118. â—2 he shal enter into meditation of the heauenly way by which he must come to the heauenly countrey as by the other he shall come to Loreto marching with the feet of his body he shall cause his soule also to walke with hers which are her affectioÌ„s This way is the keeping of the law coÌ„mandments of God wherof Dauid sayd I haue runne the way of thy commandements when thou hast enlarged my hart This way is Iesus Christ who comming into this world hath from point to point fullfilled the law giuen by himselfe he hath cleered bettered it with his doctrine and instructions and hath made it easie both to the eye and to the hand and in his owne pilgrimage hath traced the true path of saluation for which cause he is called Ioan. 14 1 The Way Verity Life This is the spirituall way which the pilgrime shall first consider a far off and in generall as if he were vpon some high mountaine like vnto Moyses when from the mountaines of Abarin Nebo in the land of Moab Deut. 32.9 he beheld the way and countrey of the land of Promise and after he shal run ouer all the commandements in particuler from the first to the last one by one A Meditation vpon the ten Commandements of God in generall The first and second pointe why the Law was giuen with so great Ceremonies in ten Articles and two Tables CHAP. VII THE Prayer preparatory as alwayes before The first preamble shall frame in the imagination the figure of the mountaine of Sina couered in the top with a thicke bright cloud rebounding with the noise of trumpets and thunder God appearing in soueraign Maiesty to Moyses to giue him his law and the Hebrewes incamped in the plaine by terrifyed and attending the issue of this new spectacle In the second Preamble he shall demaund grace of God whereby he may throughly vnderstand the beauty and importance of this law and the whole length and continuatioÌ„ of the way that leadeth vnto Heauen The first point shall recite the law with the clause going before it Preface of the Law where God speaketh thus vnto his people I am the Lord thy God who hath brought thee out of the land of Aegypt and the house of bondage And after giueth the same Law contayned in ten Articles 1. Thou shalt not haue strange Gods before me Exod. 20. 2. Thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in vaine for our Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine 3. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabboth day 4. Honour thy Father and Mother 5. Thou shalt not kill 6. Thou shalt not commit adultery 7. Thou shalt not steale 8. Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy Neighbour 9. Thou shalt not couet thy Neighborus house 10. Thou shalt not couet thy Neighbours wife nor his seruant nor his mayde nor his Oxe nor his Asse nor any thing that is his In meditating the foresayd Preface he shall make this coÌ„clusion God when he would dictate his law putteth in the beginning what he is saying I am the Lord thy God as also the deliuerance of the Hebrewes he would haue vs therefore in the first place set before our eyes his greatnes and maiesty afterwardes the benefits he hath bestowed vpon vs to the end we may be stirred vp to the keeping of his commandements by that obligatioÌ„ we owe vnto him by the title of our Creatour and soueraigne Lord and our Benefactour our Conseruatour and rewarder meditating the rest he shal gather these or the like conclusions God published the law with great ceremonies with thunder and lightning Exod. 19.16 trumpets with cloudes and fire and smoke earth-quakes he will therefore that it be receaued of vs with great reuerence Psal 11â— feare and humility For the Feare of God is the beginning of wisedome He would haue it sinke deep into our soules seeing it was sent with fire voice and extraordinary noise and by whatsoeuer might most mooue our eyes and eares our two most noble senses and might most deeply print any thing in our harts He published it in the top of an high mountaine therfore would haue vs meditate thereof with a spirit eleuated and lifted vp from the earth this is the conclusioÌ„ which Dauid practised often and aduised others also to practise Psal 811.24 Psal 118.14 Psal 118.47 Psal 1.2 Thy testimonyes are my meditation Also Giue me vnderstanding I will meditate thy law I haue meditated vpon thy commandements which I haue loued Happy is the man that thinketh of thy law day night He gaue it to Moyses to communicate it vnto the people and make them to keep it he would haue them put it in execution and that as we ascend to meditate it so we should descend to execute it This is the signification of that heauenly Ladder which Iacob saw in his sleep vpon the which Angells did ascend and descend Gen. 28. for the children of God do mouÌ„t and ascend by the steppes and degrees of contemplation in the knowledge of the Law of God descend againe by the workes of the same law as it were by the same steps in the actiue life for the loue of God and profit of their Neighbour The nuÌ„ber of 10 a note of perfection He hath giuen it in ten Articles signifying by the number of perfection that it
the good we haue in body and soule and in all the whole world and at whose handes we expect eternall felicity By these such like discourses the Pilgrime shal kindle the fire of his meditation to heate himselfe in the loue of God and to make his soule diuinely amorous of him whome he is bound to honour and serue withall his hart and all his strength and shall shut vp his discours with this speach or a better if God shall put it in his mouth A prayer to God O Lord how iust and absolute is thy Law in al respects and how reasonable are thy precepts Is it not iustice it selfe that he hath ordayned who is al wise that he hath commanded who is Almighty That he may be acknowledged who is all good Is there any thing more iustly due on our part or more fit and conuenient for vs thy creatures then to loue the supreme beauty To admire the supreme wisedoeme To adore thee supreme Deity To serue thee supreme Power To embrace thee to reuerence thee to accomplish all thou commandest with so many titles of right and maiesty But to whome shall I giue my loue and seruice if I refuse it to thee to whome I owe seruice and homage of all that I possesse hauing receaued all of none other but of thy holy handes And who dost further promise to giue me thy selfe also in recompence if I acknowledge thy benefits in keeping thy holy Law And what profit hast thou of my loue and seruice Why God would be loued serued by vs. or what harme if I doe not loue and serue thee None at all O my Lord what then moueth thee to demand this deuotion at my hand but thine owne infinit bounty thereby to find occasion to shew thy selfe yet more liberall vnto me Be then more liberall still O my King and most mercifull Father grant me if it please thee sufficient light vnderstanding to penetrate the beauty of thy Lawes The mouÌ„taine of God is the knowledge of his Law and the bond I haue to keep them Take me vp into thy mountaine that I may heare thee speake kindle in me the heauenly fire of thy holy loue that I may cleerly see thy holy will and happily descend to the practise of thy commandements that I may walke with a light foot and a fiery affection the way of thy holy Law and that at the end of my course I may find thee aboue in heauen there to admire and adore thee for euer in the mountaine of thy eternall felicity The after dinner and the euening of the second day CHAP. IX AFTER dinner the Pilgrime eyther alone or with coÌ„pany shall for his spirituall recreation sing the Canticle following concerning the ten Commandements A Canticle of the Law of God the way of this life Now fellow-Pilgrimes euery one Our harts and voices let vs tune To sing with a glad courage The Law which must vs alwayes lead And teach vs truely how to tread The paths of this our pilgrimage Adore one God that 's Soueraigne Take not his holy Name in vaine Rest vpon the Sabboth day To holy workes see thou attend Thy sighes vnto thy maker send Him in all thinges prayse and pray Honour with a reuerence milde Father and Mother as a child The soueraigne high Iustice Shall be thy helper alwayes And will prolonge thy dayes On earth for that seruice Stretch not thy murderous hand nor knife To kill or hurt thy Neighbours life Nor with aduoutry staine his couch Fly all light and wanton nicenes Forbeare eke of couetousnes Thy Neighbours goods to touch False witnes see thou beare gainst none Speake good not ill of euery one Let thy sayings be sooth and true Couet not of others good Neyther VVife nor liuely-hood Nor ought of any value These are Gods ten holy Sawes These are his ten diuine Lawes This is the Harpe of ten stringes Which King Dauid playd vpon That sweet Psalmist and whereon The soule deuout Gods prayses sings Let this Harpe be day and night Our hart our loue our whole delight Alwayes sounding in our eare Let our eyes still this behould Let our hands this Harpe fast hould Let our feet still this way weare This sayd he shall repeat his morning meditation or meditate some other matter that may seeme proper to the circumstances of the time place and his owne deuotion And he shall not faile to bespeake the B. Virgin for his Aduocate to God that he may well hold the way of his Law in this banishment and exile and attaine the end of his great pilgrimage which is heauen He shall say the old deuout Salue Regina or some other Hymne to the honour of the sayd Mother of God And in these and such like exercises solacing his trauaile he shall end his iourney when tyme shall aduertise him to take his lodging to repose if he find any Inne or to merit by patience if he must endure some discomodity of the seraine or ayre without dores at the signe of the Starre The fourth Day A Meditation vpon the first Commandement Thou shalt not haue any other Gods before me Thou shalt not make any grauen Idol CHAP. X. AFTER the Pilgrime hath meditated in generall of the Law of God Thou shalt adore and loue one oÌ„ly God perfectly he shall come to euery Article in particuler and goe forward in spirit as well as in body and therfore his principall meditation vpon the fourth day shall be of the first commandement The prayer preparatiue and the first preamble shal be as before The second preamble shall frame in his imagination the two Tables of the Law and shall behould them as before his eyes In the first he shall read the first Commandement written with the finger of God in great letters THOV SHALT NOT HAVE ANY OTHER GODS BEFORE ME THOV SHALT NOT MAKE ANY GRAVEN IDOLL The first point of meditation shall marke The expâ—â—â—tion of the wordes of the CoÌ„mandement that this commandement is the conclusion of the clause precedent I am the Lord hy God as if God had sayd I am thy God therefore thou shalt haue no other but me And the meaning is that as he is the only God so only should he be acknowledged for God and Lord Almighty all wise all good Creatour of heauen and the first cause of all thinges This acknowledgement is called of the Deuines by a Greeke word Latria which soundes as much Argu. de â—â—â—ip Deâ— l 10. c. 1. 4. Idem con Faust. lib. 19. 20. cap. 21. as soueraigne honour and supreme worship due to God only and to none other and comprehendeth two parts the one inward in the soule which requireth that we haue such esteeme and beliefe of God in verity as we should without any mixture of errour or heresie the other outward in the body whereby we honour him with sacrifices visible adoration and the fruites of our goods The second
point shal consider that this honour worship is payed by the fine of the three Theologicall vertues How this honour is yielded to God Fayth Hope and Charity By Fayth we belieue that God is an essence infinite eternall incomprehensible one God in three persons the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost God that hath created the world and gouerneth it with his power and wisedome and hath redeemed it by his bounty and by his iustice shall giue vnto euery one according to his workes This is the subiect of Fayth and the rest that is contayned in the Apostles Creed By Hope we haue our soueraigne trust in him expect of him as of our first cause and last end help and succour in the necessityes of this world and eternall glory in the other By Charity we loue and serue him with all our hart aboue all thinges according to his titles of Maiesty adoring honouring him with the inward acts of our soule and outwardly by corporall workes agreeable to our fayth and inward actions also by first fruits and tithes of our goods but principally by sacrifices as the iust haue alwayes done before the comming of our Sauiour by their sacrifyces made of the bodyes of mortall creatures Masse the great sacrifice of the ChristiaÌ„s and afterward Christians by that of the Holy Masse wherein is offered vnto God the immortall body of his only Sonne in an vnbloody sacrifyce after the Order of Melchisedeth The third point shall obserue as conclusions drawne out of the two precedent that all those that adore many Gods giue the soueraigne honour due to God only to their Idols and false Gods as the Pagans did and doe still that they are Idolatours and breakers of his first Commandement as are also all other Infidels Iewes Turkes Heretikes Magicians Sorcerers and all sortes of superstitious people as also they that despaire or put their chiefe trust or coÌ„fidence in creatures of whome Hieremy sayeth Accursed is he that trusteth in man Ierem. â—7 5. that is as in God and that putteth flesh for his arme and draweth his hart from God They also that loue any creature more then God eyther Angells men women children goodes landes or any thing els whereby they leaue to serue God with all their hart or which is worse doe altogeather forsake him despising his Lawes and Commandements The fourth point shall teach To honour Saints is not against this commaÌ„demeÌ„t that it is not against this coÌ„mandment to honour with a second not soueraigne honour some creatures according vnto that degree of excellency that God hath bestowed vpon them as Fathers Mothers Kings Magistrats with a ciuill honour The B. Virgin the Angels and Saints departed and reigning in heauen with a religious honour to prayse them and pray to them and desire their help as being the friends of God and faithfull Hier. in Vigil epist. 53. Damas l. 14. ortho fidei c. 16. Basil in 40. Mart. Naz. ora 55. Cyp. Athan. Basil and charitable intercessours for our necessityes in heauen as when they liued they were vpon earth And this honour and seruice doth not derogate to the Maiesty of God but doth increase his honour praysing and honouring him not only in himselfe but also in his seruants whome he hath made heeretofore instruments of our saluation in his Church militant and afterwards glorious lightes in his Church triumphant where they pray him without ceasing and intercede for vs are carefull for vs as for the members of the same body In the fifth point he must consider how that Images and the honouring of them vsed in the Church of God Chrys de cateâ— S. Petri. is not repugnant to that part of the commandement which forbiddeth carued Idolls for an Idoll is the representation of a false Deity as those of the Paynimes that represented Saturne Iupiter and other false Gods or those that euery ones fancy did faine and forge vnto himselfe An Image is a representation of a true thing of God of Iesus Christ of an Angell of a Saint and the honour done vnto it is referred and redoundeth to the patterne therof and therefore as it is piety to honour Iesus Christ his Angells and Saints although with diuers degrees so also is it to honour their Images as things appertayning vnto them in that they represent them and as heÌ„ honoureth the King with a ciuil honour The Image of a king capable of ciuill honour who honoureth his Image so he honoureth God and his seruants deceased who honoureth their representations This is not therfore to adore the gold siluer wood stone after the manner of Idolatours but to honour God and his Saints in those thinges that represent their memory after the manner of Christians The speach shall giue thankes to God for the light of this his commandement and shall aske his ayde to performe it The after-dinner and Euening of this fourth dayes Iourney How the iustice of God doth shine in his first Commandement Prayers to auoyd the Idolls of false Christians CHAP. XI IN the Afternoone hauing made some Meditation proper for the day or some other spirituall exercise vpon the occasions of tymes How straitly man is bound to serue God or places he shall resume the pointes of his morning meditation and shall admire the iustice the importance and fruit of this Commandment for what can be more due and agreable then the soueraigne honour to the soueraigne Lord Supreme loue to the supreme Bounty Supreme respect to the supreme wisedome What more strait bond of Obedience can there be then of the creature to the Creatour of the sonne to the Father of the vassall to his Lord Liege To whose glory should man employe all the actions of his soule and body better then on him of whome he hath both soule and body vnderstanding will memory all the interiour facultyes of his soule his eyes eares nose tongue hands and all the exteriour parts and members of his body And finally of whome he hath his being of whome he dependeth by whome he is redeemed and from whome he expecteth endlesse glory So shall our pilgrime discourse and say vnto himselfe A speach to his soule O my soule adore this Lord seeing he is thy soueraigne serue him with all thy might seeing he is Almighty loue him with all thy hart seeing he is all louely serue him with al thy powers seing they come all of him seing thou hast nothing good that commeth not from him that made thee that redeemed thee who preserueth thee and hath giuen thee all this world and his owne only Sonne will giue thee himselfe at the last of himselfe prepare thee a blessed banquet and feast of felicity He shall speake also vnto God and say O my soueraigne Lord my Father my all in all be thou alwayes my Lord my Father my God and let me be alwayes thy seruant and thy sonne Let my vnderstanding adore
of neighbours and for him is made the first commandement which shall make the meditation of the eight day in this sort The Morning Meditat on of the 4. Commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother to the end thou maist liue long vpon the earth CHAP. XIX THE Prayer preparatiue as before The first Preamble shall set before his eyes The first Preamble the wordes of this Commandement HONOVR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER The second shall aske grace of God to gather profit of this meditation For the first point the Pilgrime shall meditate the equity of this commandement taught by the wiseman saying The 2. Honour thy Father thy mother and forget not the paines of thy mother Eccl. 27.9 and remember that without them thou hadst not beene borne and render vnto them as they haue done vnto thee He meaneth they are cause that thou art in the world Why Fathers should be honoured and haue suffered much for thee they haue nourished and brought thee vp with great labour and trauile thou art then bound by law of nature to render them honour to succour them if they haue need of thy help to obey them so they command thee nothing against the commandments of God or the counsells of our Sauiour as to kill another to be an heretike not to follow the way of perfection if God call thee for then we must sticke to that exception taught by our Sauiour himselfe He that hateth not his father Luc. 14. Act. 5. and mother is not worthy to be my disciple And that which S. Peter sayth VVe must obey God before men The name of father extendeth to all parents and Superiours For the second point the pilgrime shall marke that in this Cōmandement are comprehended Fathers Mothers Vncles Ants and all sortes of superiours spirituall and temporall as are Prelats Pastours Priests Maisters Kings Princes Magistrats Tutors and such like to whome to euery one by this law is due honour respect and obedience in all that toucheth their charge with the foresayd exception that they command nothing contrary to God In the third point he shall note that this law doth secretly teach that Fathers and Mothers should carry themselues Christianlike towards their children to the end they may deserue and retaine worthily the right of this honour commanded by God to them to loue them with a Christian loue to giue them good example and edification in wordes and workes to bring them vp in vertue and in the feare of God Eph. 6.4 You Parents sayth the Apostle bring vp your children in the doctrine of our Sauiour To prouide for their necessityes but specially that concerne the life of their soules for this is the end of true and fatherly loue as all the care of beastes toward their yong ones is the life of their bodyes the like should other Superiours performe with due proportion to their subiects The speach shall prayse the diuine Maiesty in the iustice of this his Commandement The speach and shall demand grace for all children that they may honour and serue their parents for al subiects that they may respect and obey their Kinges Superiours and Magistrates for Fathers Kinges Pastours Magistrates and Superiours that they may discharge toward God that fatherly care they owe to their children subiects and that both by the one and the other he may be praysed blessed in the execution of this his Commandement shall end with this prayer It was not inough for thee O Lord to giue vs lawes cōcerning thyne owne honour thou hast made lawes also for thy creatures seeking to haue euery thing wisely and iustly ordered in thy house for this is the house of thy soueraigne Wisedome and iustice the creature with his Creatour the creatures among themselues giuing and taking euery one his due that appertayneth vnto him and that man should honour thee not only in thy selfe but also for the loue of thee in thy workes Powre forth O Lord thy holy spirit in aboundance vpon all fathers and children subiects and superiours and namely those that liue in the compasse of thy holy Church that they may holily accomplish thy commandement and by a reciprocall performance of honour and obedience prayse thy holy name and merit eternall glory the reward of good and faithfull subiects The after-dinner and Euening of the eight dayes Iourney The corporall and spirituall VVorkes of mercy CHAP. XX. IN this afternoone the Pilgrime shall frame some Meditation of the workes of mercy both corporall and spiritual for in them we make proofe of our loue to our Neighbour The corporall are 1. To giue meate to the hungry 2. To giue drinks to the thirsty Matth. 25 3. To cloath the naked 4. To lodge the pilgrime 5. To visit the sicke 6. To visit prisonners 7. To bury the dead Tob. 1.2 2. Reg. 9. The spirituall are 1. To correct the sinner 2. To instruct the ignorant 1. Tim. 5.20 3. To counsell those that doubt 4. To set those that erre into the right way 5. To comfort the afflicted 6. To pardon iniuryes 7. To beare patiently the troublesomnes of others 8. To pray for the liuing and the dead By all these workes men make triall of the loue they beare vnto their Neighbour and principally by the spirituall which concerne the health of the soule by those also principally the Son of God hath shewed his infinite loue towards vs attending to no other exercise euen to his last breath In particuler for that which concerneth this fourth Commandement the Pilgrime shall haue ready some examples of holy Scripture of such as singularly haue beene true children of their Fathers and Mothers as were Isaac Iacob Tobie and such like Plin. l. 7. cap. 36. as also among the Gentils that Roman Damsell who nourished many dayes with her own milke her Mother being condemned to dye by famine in prison by visiting her in the way of comfort Vai Max. l. 5. c. 4. secretly giuing her her breasts to sucke and was the cause that the Iudge wondring at this piety not only deliuered this prisonner but gaue her also a perpetuall pension out of the publicke treasure The piety of Storkes The like is written of a Grecian Lady towardes her Father Cimon prisonner in his extreme age He shall consider also the like piety in some vnreasonable creatures as in Storks who nourish their father and mother growing old and impotent bringing them their prey into their neast as they were wont to nourish them when they were yong But aboue all he shall admire the Sauiour of the world who not only honoured his heauenly Father by his obedience but also his Mother and Creature the B. Virgin Mary and his presumed father Ioseph He was subiect to them sayth the Scripture that is Iac. 2.51 he respected them he honoured them he obeyed them O sweet Iesus O Creatour of heauen and earth O
whilest you haue light least darkenes do apprehend you And againe by one of thy Scribes Doe iustice before thy d parture Ioan. 12. Luc. 19. Eccles 14.17 for there is no food to be found in hell These are thy aduertisements most excellent and most worthy of a prudent valiant Capitaine for they comprehend and teach all that is necessary well to defend our selues well to fight and to ouercome well to liue and well to dye Graunt then O my soueraigne Lord that I may follow this point by point execute with a faithfull and constant obedience all that thy loue wisedome hath aduised me for my saluation that my life may be nothing but a prudent and continuall preparation to death my death a doore to life euerlasting The After-dinner and Euening of the eighteenth dayes Iourney Diuers sentences of Death CHAP. XLI THE rest of the day the Pilgrime shall passe his tyme way Psal 101.4.12 meditating some sentences of the Scripture or the holy Fathers written of this subiect As are My dayes haue sailed as a smoke and my bones haue withered and dryed vp like small stickes My dayes haue passed like a shaddow and I haue withered like grasse Iob. 14.5 And againe The dayes of man haue passed and the number of his monthes are in thy handes thou hast set boundes which he cannot passe 1. Pet. 1. And againe All flesh is grasse and the glory thereof like the flowre of the field Eccl. 9.12 the grasse hath faded and his flower hath fallen And man knoweâ—h not his end but as Fishes are taken with netts and Birds with snares so are the children of men taken in an euill tyme when it cometh sodainly vpon them Eccl. 9.10 And againe Labour and doe well with thy handes while thou canst for in the graue whither thou goest there is neyther worke nor industry nor knowledge nor wisedome Aug. l. 50 hom 27. Also The gate of pennance is open to vs and the day of death hidden from vs that by despaire we doe not increase our sinnes Item All the rest of our good and euill is vncertaine onely death is certaine Item Idem de verb. De. serm 21. de ciuit l. 13. cap 10 All the tyme of our life is but a race to death With thâ—se sentences and the like he may also remember the happy death of many persons Martyrs and others borne to heauen dying to the earth of diuers wicked men who by disastrous death haue begunne their hell in this world and so he shall passe this day and the next night and euery night after when he goeth to bed he shall remember death and his graue represented by that action and place for sleep is the image of death as the bed is the graue Death is a long sleep and the graue a long lying sleep and the bed are transitory death the graue firme and lasting The nineteenth Day A Meditation of Iudgement Particuler and Generall CAHP. XLII AFTER death sayth S. Paul followeth Iudgment Heb. 9. After the death of euery one in particuler cometh particuler Iudgement after the generall death of all men The Meditation of iudgemeÌ„t profitable commeth the generall Iudgement The memory and meditation of these two is a strong bridle to hold men from sinne a sharp spur to incite him to pennance and to prepare his pleas and books before he be presented to the examination of a Iudge so iust wise and mighty as he that must heare and iudge him Therfore the Pilgrime shall help himselfe with this consideration to cleare himselfe before the iudgment come and also to make him worthy to enter into the Sanctuary of that noble house the end of his Pilgrimage and to visit it with the profit of his soule The Prayer preparatiue as alwayes before The first Preamble for particuler Iudgement shall be to imagine a soule gone out of the body Matth. 25. as presented before God to be iudged and for the general to behould Iesus Christ coÌ„ming in maiesty accompanied with Angells and Saints to make a publike triall and iudgement of all mortall men both in bodyes and soules and to reward or punish euery one according to his workes good or bad The second Preamble shall demand a holsome feare of this fearefull day The first point shall be to meditate the sentences of Scripture that make mention of that day with some great exaggeration of speach as that Sayings of this IugemeÌ„t 2. Cor. 5.10 Heb. 10. Psal 142.2 Iob. 3. 2. Pet. 4.18 VVe must appeare before the Tribunall of Christ that euery one may receaue in his body as he hath done good or bad And It is a horrible thing to fall into the handes of the liuing God The wordes also of Dauid who though he were an holy man yet trembling at the expectation of that day he sayd Lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for none liuing can be iustifyed in thy sight And of Iob VVhat shall I doe when God shall rise to Iudgement and when he shall aske what shall I answere And of S. Peter If the lust shall hardly be saued where shall the sinner appeare With which sayings the soule shall spurre forward her selfe saying If the Saints haue so feared this iudgement what shall I poore sinnefull creature do The maiesty of the Iudg. The second point shall bring in consideration the quality of the Iudge wise to know all iust to punish all mighty to execute all his Iudgements and Decrees Whose power none can escape whose wisedome none can deceaue whose equity none can bow Aug. l. de 10. chordis c 1. 2. Innoc. l. 3. de ciuit mundi and from whose sentence none can appeale as the Doctours say And if we tremble before a Iudge whoÌ„ we thinke will not be corrupted what shall the Proud doe before that Iudge who infinitly detesteth that vice What the couetous before the supreme bounty and liberality The Lecher before Purity it selfe What other sinners before him who is the Capitall enemy of all sinne The generall iugement The third point shall set before our eyes that dreadfull generall Iudgement whereof holy men speaking could not find wordes great inough proportionably to expresse the greatnes of it Sound forth sayth one of them sound forth the trumpet in Sion cry out on my holy mountaine that all the Inhabitants of the earth may tremble for the day of our Lord coÌ„meth it is at hand Seph 1.4.15.16 a day of darknes and obscurity a day of cloudes and tribulation And another The great day of our Lord is after this day this is a day of wrath a day of tribulation and anguish a day of tumult and desolation a day of darknes and obscurity a day of cloudes and tempestes a day of the sound of trumpets and alarums This is the day which properly is called the Day of our Lord. The day of Iudgement when the
coÌ„fession by the viewing of our sinnes thus altogeather and make vs more ready and prompt to satisfy by good workes more capable of the mercy of God by our humility it stirreth vs vp more effectually to the loue of God making vs see his long patience hauing so long tyme mercifully supported so many faultes of ours It giueth meanes to repaire our negligences which might peâ—hâ—ps haue happened in the precedent Confessions and putteth the Conscience in great peace ioy and tranquillity for afterward And therefore it is good to vse it often namely from yeare to yeare not of all their life but of the sinnes of that yeare though they haue beene often confessed within the yeare but that it be done alwayes with the counsell of a sage and discreet Confessour The Diuell who is Father of the Proud hateth all confessions of Christians Why the Diuell hateth coÌ„fession but specially those who doe more humble the deuout soule put it in better estate more easily to obtaine pardon and grace therefore as a crafty and malicious workemaÌ„ he withdraweth them by feare and shame as much as he can and by other lets whereof the Pilgrime must take good heed and arme himselfe with a strong resolution to breake couragiously through all the snares of this deceauer There is also another Confession generall in another sense Generall confessioÌ„ in common before chap 8. in the Pilgrims preparation when one confesseth to God without a Priest which may be called Generall which should be made often in the day with the ordinary Confiteor or otherwise as we haue sayd before This we speake of heere is the Generall Sacramentall But whether the Pilgrime maketh this Generall or els hauing made it already confesseth now since his last confession he must vpon so good an occasion exactly cleanse his conscience of all sinne and therefore to prepare himselfe well he shall bestow that morning in the meditation of pennance well to doe it in confessing himselfe and attending to other good workes his Meditation shall haue the whole and entiere pares The accustomed prayer preparatory The first Preamble shall represent Adam and Eue put out of Paradise to doe pennance all their life long and our Sauiour and his Precursour Saint Iohn Baptist Matth. 2.1.4.17 beginning their preachings to men themselues hauing â—â—ad all their life in pennance What penance is The first point shall shew that pennance is a Sacrament wherein the sinner duely confessed and contrite receaueth absolution of his sinnes which power of absoluing was giuen to Priests by Iesus Christ Conc. Tri. sess 4. c. 1 Can. 1. Conc. Câ—st sess 15. Ambr. l. 1 de Poenit c. 2. 7. Conc. Tri. sess 14. c. 6. Can. 10. Ioan. 20. when he sayd to his Apostles in their person to all Priests Receaue the Holy Ghost whose sins you forgiue shall be forgiuen and whose you retaine shal be retained And againe All that you bind in earth shall be bound in heauen and all that you loose in earth shal be loosed in heauen It is God then that absolueth by the seruice of the Priest and not the Priest by his owne power The second point shall note that to obtaine the fruit of this Sacrament and to be reconciled to God three thinges must be done The first to leaue and detest his sinnes and make a firme purpose to sinne no more for such is truly contrite The second to confesse The third to satisfy for as we haue offended God in three sorts by hart by word worke so by the same meanes we must recouer his fauour grace as the Scriptures Psal 50. 1. Ioan. 1. and the Holy Fathers doe teach vs Thou shalt not despise a contrite and humble hart this is the first Let vs confesse our sinnes this is the second Redeeme thy sinnes with almes this is the third Ioan. 4. So it is sayd that the Niniuites turned themselues to God cryed vnto him cloathed themselues with haire and fasted Luc. 15. And the prodigall Child rose cried Peccaui and submitted himselfe to punishment S. Chrysostome sayth Contrition is in the hart De poenit tâ—ni 5. Confession in the mouth and all humility in worke This is perfect and profitable Pennance And S. Augustine God healeth those that haue a contrite hart healeth those that confesse healeth those that punish themselues In Psal 146. The other holy Doctours and Saints write in the same stile The third point shall first consider that the detestation hatred of sinne required to contrition is grounded in the loue of God True peÌ„nance fouÌ„ded in the loue of God and not in the feare of hell or other temporall euill that is to say the Penitent must be sorry that he hath sinned because he hath offended his Creatour not that he hath incurred punishment of Iustice to purpose also heereafter to auoid sinne for the loue of God with a filiall feare and not for any other euill which shall be a seruill feare In the second place he shall renew in his memory the principall qualityes of true Confession which are ConditioÌ„s of true Confession that it be whole and entire that is of all his sinnes he can remember since his last confession that it be Simple without affectation of superfluous or choice wordes also Faythfull declaring his sinnes with their circumstances in truth as before God who seeth all accusing not historically that is in way of accusing our selues and not as telling a tale or story and finally Humble and respectiue as comming from a contrite and an humbled hart accusing it selfe before the Maiesty of so great a God offended and asking pardon In the third place he shall note Satisfaction a marke of the goodnes and Iustice of God that Satisfaction which maketh the third part of pennance doth not any thing derogat to the Passion of our Sauiour but doth honour it more for this Passion hath truly satisfyed for vs paying for vs to the diuine Iustice that fine which we could not pay to deliuer vs froÌ„ eternall death but it was with a condition that we should contribute of good will what we could satisfy also by the merit of the same Passion But as it is more honourable to God to worke miracles not only by his owne handes but also to giue power to his seruants to do the like so is it greater glory to our Sauiour to make his seruants works meritorious satisfactory then if himselfe alone had merited and satisfyed But in tne end of the reckoning as al good coÌ„meth from him as from the first fountaine and spring so all the prayse of our satisfaction will redound vnto him as to the last end Prayers and thankes-giuing to God and the Blessed Virgin CHAP. XLVII O Lord behould me at last arriued by thy fauour at the place I haue long desired there to cleanse the spots of my soule and to beautify it with the
nightes and men that liued in those dayes liued in darknes altogeather or at most in that small weake light of the Moon and starres of the law of Nature and Moyses Be thou therefore O day of such a Natiuity blessed aboue all the dayes of the world and be thou O chamber honoured aboue all the Princely palaces of the earth for hauing receaued into thy bosome this rysing starre O people of Sion reioyce yee in the birth of this Virgin whome your mysteryes haue so much celebrated your Prelats so much foretould your Fathers so desired as the best and most noble flower of the race of your Kinges of your Synagogue Reioyce also O yee Gentils behould the morning that endeth the night of your ignorance and bringeth you the light of heauen a Virgin that shal beare you a Redeemer a Queene that shall giue you a King that shall make you all Kinges Reioyce thou also O my soule that thy eyes doe see the place where this morning this Virgin this starre was first seene and pray her there with a deuout hart that with the aboundance of her graces she wold obtayne of this great God whome she gaue vnto the world light to vnderstand his holy lawes loue to imbrace them force to performe them as long as thou shalt walke Pilgrime vpon the earth that thou mayst prayse him eternally in heauen Hauing made his prayer he shall heare Masse and communicate with his accustomed preparation and employ all the morning in like exercises The After-dinner and euening of the foure twentith Day Of the B. Virgins Auncestours and of the vanity of worldly greatnes CHAP. XVI IN the Afternoone hauing taken some honest recreation in reading some good booke or talking with his Ghostly Father or some other of good conuersation he shall heare Euensong and the diuine Office and shall haue his meditation ready against night The B. Virgin her Auncestours which shall be of the same matter of the first gathering some new instructions and points as of the nobility of the B. Virgin hauing for her Auncestours the holy Patriarches Abraham Isaac Iacob so many Kinges Princes and Lords as are recited and named in the Ghospel of the day The vanity of worldly greatnes Of the vanity of worldly greatnes and the solidity of vertue and eternall goods setting before his eyes on the one side the long list of those Princes and that notwithstanding the house of Dauid was brought to the condition of a poore Artificer the Scepter thereof being vsurped by Herod a straÌ„ger and forrenner How god raysed the house of Dauid Considering on the other side how God would rayse this royal house of Dauid not by ordinary wayes by aboundance of honours and worldly treasures but by giuing a Virgin that should surpasse the nobility of all the Kings of the earth and who should bring forth a Sonne that should restore the Kingdome The spiritual kingdome of Dauid established by Iesus Christ and seat of his Father Dauid by a way worthy of an Almighty King changing earth to heauen tyme to eternity writing his heauenly lawes in the harts of mâ—n and making them to be published ouer all the world establishing with the price of his owne precious bloud an heauenly and euerlasting kingdome therin to crowne for Kings all his friends and seruants and to heape on them glory and euerlasting riches Of these and like considerations he shall take occasion to prayse our Lord so wise as to find such wayes to repaire the ruines of mankind so liberall to communicate his goods and graces to his creatures and namely to this sacred Virgin to make her Mother of his Sonne and his Sonne Redeemer of the world And hauing made his speach and conclusion of his deuotion he shall draw towardes his lodging shall finish the rest of his Iourney saying our Ladyes Litanies or other prayers to take his repose and rise the more fresh fit for his morning exercise The fiue and twentith Day A meditation of the Presentation of the B. Virgin in the Temple CHAP. XVII THIS day The B.V. presented to the Temple the Pilgrime hauing sayd his accustomed prayers at his lodging shall goe to the holy House there to performe his principall Meditation which shall be of the presentation of the holy Virgin when her father Ioachim and Anne her Mother Niceph. l. 1. cap. 7. Niss ser de human Christi S. Euod epist. ad Antioch did bring her to the Temple of Hierusalem at three yeares of age there to offer and consecrate her to God The prayer preparatory as before The first preamble shall represent S. Ioachim and S. Anne as standing at the gate of the Temple to offer their little creature this Virgin to the high Priest to be admitted receaued among the virgins consecrated to Almighty God The second preamble shall demand grace duely to vnderstand this mystery The first point shall be to consider Our Bl. Ladyes childhood wonderfull euery way that as the Conception of the B. Virgin was a worke beyond the ordinary course and law by a singular grace wherby she was so conceiued of barren and old parents and by a speciall priuiledge aboue all the children of Adam preserued from all sinne and vncleanes being all pure and heauenly as also her Natiuity was diuine correspondent to her Conception so her childhood exceeded the common course of others and was endowed with all the blessings that might make that age admirable And if the holy Scripture sayth nothing thereof The son of Cresus Zoroastes Hercules S. Ambrose Plato it is because it may necessarily be presumed Some children haue beene meruailous for speaking a little after their birth others for laughing when they were borne others for hauing killed serpents S. Ambrose was honoured with a prodigious swarme of Bees that set themselues on his mouth who will not then belieue that the infancy of our B. Lady was honoured with all spirituall and rare graces and that this part of her life was agreeable proportionate to the two preceding The vertus of this virgin infant and ensuing parts thereof which were all admirable therfore heere the contemplatiue soule must represent her a little creature as a wonder of creatures a child prudent sage aduised modest deuout hauing nothing childish but body and yeares and hauing a great soule in a small body and finally a Virgin bearing in her childhood all the qualityes conditions that should make the fouÌ„dation of vertue for the most noble wise couragious and most vertuous Lady of the world And in such discourses he shall prayse the greatnes of the workeman for hauing made such a creature and shall stirre vp his loue and deuotion to the seruice of him and of this Virgin for the loue of him Why she was presented The first cause The second point shall containe two causes among many other of this oblation wherof the neerest
its first fall vntill the comming of the Sonne of God incarnate he shal consider the confusion and miserable condition of men plunged for the most part in the darke duÌ„geon of ignorance of God and heauenly thinges and oppâ—essed vnder the tyranny of him who inthralled our first Father and held all his posterity prisoners in the slauery of all sort of sinnes vices The prodence of God towardes man before his sonnes coÌ„ming infinitly more cruel then that which the Iewes suffered in Aegypt for that was only a figure and shaddow of this On the other side he shall behould the diuine prouideÌ„ce not ceasing still to prouide help and succours to prepare dispose this patient by conuenient remedies and to retayne men in their duty and vertue by good lawes and good workes by punishments promises threatnings as the examples of the deluge of the burning of Sodome of his protecting of the iust do teach vs. And heere he shall remember how the Father of mercy in what measure he seeth our misery increase increaseth also strengthneth his remedies more liuely stirring vp his friends to the fayth hope of his helpe and benediction which namely he performed in the person of AbrahaÌ„ Gods promises for the comfort of the world when hauing foretold him that his posterity should be captiue in a strange country he promised also that in the fourth generation they should be deliuered and should retourne from whence they parted which is according to the outward letter of the history the deliuerance of the Hebrewes the children of Abraham happening in the fourth generation that is foure hundred yeares after they entred into Aegypt allowing euery generation a hundred yeares Foure diuers generations and were put in possession of the land of Promise According to the interiour or mystical sense it is the redemption of man wrought by the comming of the Sonne of Man into the world in the fourth kind of generation which was this For the first was that of Adam without Father and Mother the second that of Eue made of the substance of Adam without a Mother the third is the ordinary of all men borne of Father and Mother by the common law of Nature the fourth then was this of the Sonne of God made Man and borne of a Mother without a Father He shall note also in the same place and marke that faith and hope were alwayes entertained and renewed among the people of God by diuers sacraments sacrifices ceremonies and prophecies which did figure and foretel this future Messias Redeemer of mankind as is euident in all the law of Moyses The third point of the Meditation The desires of the Saints dead and liuing of the comming of the Messias CHAP. XXIII FOR the third point the Pilgrime shall choose certaine places of Scripture which declare the desires and longing of the Saints who from the tyme of the law of Nature Moyses The Fathers desirous of the comming of Messias bewayling the great miseries of mankind and longing after the promised Redeemer were in an incredible expectation of his comming and ceased not to cry for him with prayers sighes teares so much the more feruent by how much the more they saw the greatnes of our euill and misery Moyses sayd Exod. 4. I pray thee O Lord send whome thou wilt send He spake to the Father Exod. 4. desiring him to send his Sonne How long sayth Dauid O Lord wilt thou turne thy face from vs How long wilt thou forget our pouerty and anguish Psalm 43. How long shall our enemies lift vp their hornes and glory in our destruction Arise O Lord arise and for the loue of thy name send vs help and succour As if he had sayd Lord if thou deferrest thy comming to the end by thy staying to make vs acknowledge our owne misery and pouerty alas we know already too well and cannot sufficiently bewayle it we know full well that without thy help we are lost Psal 8.20 help vs then O Lord and shew vs thy face we shall be safe Send vs this promised face this valiant woman this diuine seed Gen. 3.13 that should crush the head of our enemy shew thy image thy face thy Sonne incarnate which fully doth resemble thee to the end that we may be deliuered out of our misery And in another place as it were comforting himselfe in a holy hope he singeth out this diuine generation Psal 71. He shall descend like a showre of raine vpon a Fleece signifying the heauenly and virginall Conception of the Sonne of God And this was the rayne dew which Esay the Prophet demanded O heauens powre downe thy dew from aboue Isay 45. and let thy cloudes rayne downe the Iust. Let the earth open and bring forth our Sauiour Let it bring forth this iust man that must be borne of a Virgin and beare our iniquityes And againe Isay 64. I would thou wouldest open the heauens and descend the mountaines would melt at thy presence His meaning was O King of heauen when wilt thou descend from thy heauenly throne I would thou wouldest open the heauens and come downe to vs at thy only presence our spirituall enemies the mountaines of pride should be abased and confounded After these places of Scripture considered he shall cast his eyes vpon those great and holy soules The iust soules in Limbo or Purgatory who after the death of the first Iust Abel being shut in the prison of Limbo or wrapped in the flames of Purgatory did expect the comming of the Redeemer in whome they belieued and hoped in their life tyme and did inuocate him in this prison of hope did pray him and presse him for his mercy sake to make hast Genes 3.13 Adam sayd Send this woman and that seed O my Maker wherewith thou didst threaten the pride of that old Dragon the first cause of my fâ—ll and finish this my long banishment Abel sayd Gen. 4.4 O Father of the whole world send that Lambe which thou madest me to figure by my first sacrifice and open our prison gates Noe sayd O God Almighty make that Prince of peace to appeare signified in my tyme by the raynebow in the cloudes a figure of thy Couenant which thou didst promise to make with mortall men Abraham O Lord Genes 12.3.18.18.22.18 46 4. Act. 3.25 thou didst often promise to multiply my seed as the Starres of heauen and as the sandes of the Sea and to giue them the Country of Chanaan and didst sweare vnto me by thy selfe to blesse all Nations in my seed my race is multiplyed the country of Canaan is giuen according to thy word when will it please thee to accomplish the principall point of thy promise and rayse that branch wherein the world shall be blessed and draw vs out of these shadowes into the possession of thy light and euerlasting felicity Isaac and Iacob sayd as much Genes
is he that hath powred downe these deluges of water and fire vpon the impiety and fifth of the world that hath beaten downe the Tyrants of Egipt made wayes for his people through the waues of the sea opened the bosome of the water the earth to swallow down armed pride or the proud army who sent his Sonne to tye an euerlasting knot of amity and friend ship with men to make himselfe litle humble in his litlenes and humility to confound the counsell and arrogancy of the proud and to ouerthrow the power of hell and the world 7. He hath put the mighty from their seate hath exalted litle me◠So is he King of Kings it is he that placeth and displaceth according to his pleasure he maketh the little great and the great litle he changeth times and ages translateth kingdomes Dan. 2. Ec. l. 10. Iob. 11. and establisheth them he giueth the scepter of one people to another because of iniustice and iniuries he shall vnlose the girdles of Kings and gird their loynes with a rope he taketh the needy from the dust and the poore from out of the smoke to make him sit in the company of Princes and inherit a seat of glory 8. He hath filled the hungry with good things and hath sent the rich away empty This is the worke of the mercy and iustice of God to relieue the necessity of the needy and to leaue empty the pride of those who do sumptuously solace themselues in the abundance of their riches 9. He hath receaued his Child Israel remembring his mercy He seemed to haue forgotten but he sheweth well the contrary for as the father taketh his child in his armes so hath he shadowed vnder the protection of his wings poore Israell afflicted vnder the Tyranny of a Paynim poore mankynd which was to be his people oppressed vnder the tyrāny of the Diuel cometh now in person true King and true Redeemer of Iewes and Gentills to help both to winne the Roman Ruler make him one people with the Iew his vassall and ioyne all in a sweet liberty and obedience of one law of one faith of one King and herein he sheweth that he hath remembred the old promises of his mercy and that he meant to performe what he had spoken Gen. 13.3 15.3.17.19.18.9 21. 10. As he did speake to Abraham and to his seed for euer For this is the holy Patriarch Father of the Iewes and head of all the children of God to whome he first promised expressly that in his seed all nations of the world should be blessed Gen. 26 4 and after to Isaac Iacob Dauid and others who followed after and this blessing should last as long as the world and the effects thereof vnto all eternity This is the song and sense of this Canticle Gen. 28.14 O diuine finger of the praises of thy Sonne Gabriel Elizabeth the Angells and men sing thy honour Psal 131.11 and thou singest the glory power bounty mercy and iustice of him that made thee worthy to be praised and exalted by men and Angels in what measure they cast their eyes vpon thy greatnes the more thou humblest thy selfe The ten Verses of the Magnificat is the B. V. Harpe with ten stringes and dost oppose thy humility to the greatnes of God Dauid thy great Grand-father was a meruailous singer out of the great workes of the Creatour thou art not inferiour to him in any thing and thy Harpe often stringes reacheth as neere to the throne of Maiesty as his soundeth as loud as his for euer in the sanctuary of the church of God Learne heere O Christian soules to humble your selues when you are magnifyed and when any prayse doth sound in your eares be you stirred vp to prayse him whose guifts haue made you prayse-worthy Teach me O B. Virgin teach thy Pilgrime the manner to sing after thee the meruailous workes of the Creatour teach me to acknowledg his good deedes and my miseries to extol him in his power to despise my selfe in my basenes that my soule may magnify him that my spirit may reioyce in him that my tongue and hart may sing to him thankesgiuing for euer and euer Amen After this meditation he shall heare masse and the diuine Office and then go to his dinner The After-dinner and Euening of the eight and twentith Day VVhat the B. Virgin did in the house of S. Elizabeth CHAP. XXXI THIS After dinner the Pilgrime shall employ himselfe in his wonted exercises according to the time in reading conference hearing the Sermon and Euensong and occupying himselfe in such like exercises towards the euening he may make some short meditation taking for his subiect the rest of the history discoursing in his thoughts vpon those good workes which the B. Virgin did in the house of her Cousin S. Elizabeth during the three moneths she stayed there For now he shall see her praying in her Oratory then lifting vp her hart to God then humbling her selfe to his maiesty the more she did see discerne it sometime sighing for mankynd whose Redeemer she carried in her bowells at other tymes heare her discourse with her Cousin of heauenly things of the greatnes of God of his goodnes of his prouidence of his wonderfull workes and other points of deuotion which she had touched in her Canticle He shall behold her also in her lesse businesses working with her needle and employing her selfe with all humility and charity in the meane seruices of the house for the solace and help of her Cousin Elizabeth Two great Ladyes big with two great Saints Finally lodging in this house by contemplation he shall set before his eyes these two admirable Ladies the one great with a Saint that neuer had greater before him the other great with Sanctity it selfe A heauenly Guest of S. Elizabeth with whome she lodged and an heauenly hostesse of God whome she lodged in her wombe both mother and Virgin rauishing with admiration both heauen and earth with the most excellent beauty of her vertues And hauing at her returne accompanied her from the house of S. Elizabeth to Nazareth he shall end the euening with thankes-giuing shal go to his lodging there to end the day and take his rest and resection The nine and twentith Day and the eight of his Aboad The Meditation for midnight of the Natiuity of our Sauiour CHAP. XXXII THE nine and twentith Day shall contayne 3. meditations at 3. times at midnight of the Natiuity of our Sauiour in the morning of the Circumcision and at night of the adoration of the three Kings For preparation to the first after hauing demanded the assistance of God he shall first seeke and follow in spirit the way which the B. Virgin with Ioseph had held frō Nazareth to Bethleem whither they of the house of Iuda came then as to their chiefe Citty to giue vp their names to the enrolment
this stable in this equipage of pouerty he bruized the vanity folly and vaine delights of the world and flesh he crushed them in his cradle with the weapons of his profound and vnheard of humility not only in that he was made man and clothed with the infirmity of our condition The victory of the child Iesus but also he would be the least and lowest amongst men he would be borne not in a princely pallace in a soft bed royally arrayed not in a house of his owne nor yet in an Inne as some others did to wit the poorest sort but in a cribbe and stall for beastes and that borrowed This battaile is glorious and which mortall men could neuer hitherto gaine to their race and nature and so much the more glorious as it was more quickly vndertaken and wonne by a child The ancient Authors boast of their Heroes for that in their cradle they strangled materiall serpents Hercules but though it were true and not feyned it is nothing in respect of this childes exploit making proofe of his prowes valour against the strongest enemy of man before he could speake this is that the Prophet song as a miracle neuer heard of Call the name of this Child Isa 8. â— Make hast to spoile make hast to pillage for before the Child can call Father or mother he shall carie away the spoile and strength of Damascus noting the age the quicknes the force and glory of this Conquerour and of the conquest woÌ„ne the goodly spoile of soules drawne out of the handes of Satan O glorious fighter O litle Child O great God! welcome art thou into thine and our world thine because thou hast made it by thy almighty word ours because of thy infinit bounty thou hast bestowed it vpon vs But how art thou heere entertayned O King of Kings where is the trayne of thy Court Where are thy Princes and lordes thy Gentlemen pages gromes of thy chamber where is thy guard and all thy roiall furniture O sweet Infant the traine of thy Court is aboue heauen is thy lowest Tower the Angells are thy Princes thy guard is thy selfe who guardest all things thy seruitours and pages are the starres and all the creatures of the whole world O Caesar if thou knewest the King who is now borne in thy Empyre if thou knewest whome thou inrollest in the Record of thy Registers thou wouldst come in person poore vassal to present thy self at his feet to do him homage and adore his cradle at Bethleem whose maiesty the Angells admire and adore in heauen and wouldst request him to make thee be enrolled in his great booke of life O heauenly Angells it is iust wisely done The Angels sâ—â—g at this natiuity to sing this night and honour with your holy quires sweet melody of your heauenly musike the natiuity of this King to shew the shepheardes to teach vs them how we should receaue him this is your office and duty for you haue long serued him and know the fashions of the ciuility of his Court we poore mortal men ill taught and rude cannot worthily performe this duty but only thou O Virgin-Queene who hast learned this manner in the house of God Hester and as a heauenly Hester art prepared with attire and iewels chosen out of the treasury and cabinet of the Father of thy sonne King of Kings thou mayst coÌ„fidently present thy selfe to see him to receaue and handle him But O heauenly Mother how didst thou receaue vse him how didst thou entertayne this Sonne this God this Child giuen vs this King of heauen and earth In what spirituall cloathes didst thou wrappe him with what embracings didst thou cherish him With what deuotion didst thou adore him What were the eleuations of thy mynd hauing before thyne eyes thiâ— pretious gage issued out of thine owne bowells come into the world a little Child a great God visible palpable the glory of heauen the saluatioÌ„ of the earth the hope of maÌ„kind the ioy of men and Angells What a spectacle was this vnto thyne eyes beholding this diuine Sunne What admiration to thy soule contemplating this obiect of infinit beauty What extasies of loue imbracing this incomprehensible beauty O little God O Almighty child grant me leaue by that infinit loue which made thee man to draw vs vnto thee to come neere thee with my senses to behold thee with myne eyes to heare thee moane my miseries to touch those heauenly hands to kisse those sacred feet to adore that litle humble humanity married vnto thy greatnes to offer my soule and body to thy maiesty say a thousand times on thy birth day Viuat Rex viuat Rex Regum in aternum To him be all honour for euer Amen So he shall passe the houre of midnight taking the rest of the night for his repose or he may employe the whole night in meditating the song of the Angells and the visite of the shepheards who being warned came to adore our Sauiour borne in Bethleem The Morning Meditation Of the Circumcision of our Sauiour and of the Name of Iesus CHAP. XXXIV IN the morning the Pilgrime shal take for subiect of his meditations the Circumcision of the Sonne of God made according to the Law eight dayes after he was borne Our Sauiour circuÌ„cised on the first day of the yeare coÌ„secrated to Ianus the first day of the yeare and of guiftes according to the ancient custome of the Romans and consecrated to Ianus their two faced God with one face beholding the yeare past with the other the new yeare to come The first and fundamentall point of this Meditation shall be to consider the institution of this Ceremony the deuout soule calling to remembrance the commandment of God made to Abraham to circumcise Gen. 17. and in that place to cut his owne flesh his sonne Ismaell and all his hosue-hold and to cause it from thenceforth to be kept as a law to all his posterity S. Thom. 1. 2 q. 102 p. 3. q. 68. as a token of the eternal Couenant betwixt God and them to be also some remedy against originall sinne and a profession of their fayth towardes the true God Wherupon the Iewes kept it exactly euer after causing their male children to be circuÌ„cised the eight day after their birth and then giuing them their name as we do now in Baptisme whereof Circumcision was a figure and as now he that wanteth Baptisme is not reckoned among the children of God but is excluded from all right and hope of heauen and hath neither name nor honour in his houshould so then were those who were vncircumcised Gen. 1â— 14 Heere therefore he must meditate how Iesus Christ the true child of Abraham according to the flesh by whome the race of Abraham Why Christ would be circumcised and all nations of the world were to receaue benediction and peace of God would be
Christ who cōming then in spirit into the Temple when the B. Virgin and S. Ioseph brought him hauing confessed and adored him tooke him in his armes and song a Canticle of thankesgiuing which the Church hath vsed euer since for the conclusion of the diuine Office sayd Nunc dimittis c. Now thou dimissest thy seruant O Lord according to thy word in peace For my eyes haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people A light to the reuelation of the Gentills and the glory of thy people Israell And as the B. Virgin and Ioseph meruailed at these thinges that were sayd Simeon did congratulate them and call them happy and spake to Mary the Mother of the child saying Behould he shall be put for the ruine and the resurrection of many and for a signe which shall be contradicted and the sword of sorrow shall pierce thy hart that the cogitations of many may be made manifest In which history the pious soule shall contemplate the notable faith charity deuotion and ioy of this noble old Man expressed by his wordes and gestures he confessed and adored by his confession the Annointed of God though a little child in the eyes of men He foretold the redemption at hand of mankind which he should bring to passe he straitly imbraced this precious pledge of our saluation he did exalt and magnify him Our Sauiour the ruine of the obstinate and prophecyed of him and of his Mother he foretold that he was set for the fall of many obstinate for their malice such as were Herod the Scribes and Pharisies such like who running against him as against a hard stone should ruine both their soule and body and as since them haue done many Tyrants and persecutours of the same Sauiour his Church all in the end buryed in the ditch themselues diged and strucken to eternall death by the Iustice of him whome they persecuted He foretould also the resurrection of many The resurrectiō of the good who belieuing in him should liue holily and should be raysed from sinne to be made afterwards happy and glorious and by this meanes haue the cogitations of many beene knowne the hate or the loue which the Iewes and Paynimes did beare to our Sauiour he foretould that he should be a signe or marke of contradiction Our Sauiour a signe or marke of contradiction and as a butt for the vnbelieuing to shoot the arrowes of their tongues against this marke but most plainely and cruelly in his Passion when he was not only the marke of the calumniations and blasphemies of the wicked but also of the cruelty of those butchers striking all partes places of his body And this was the sword that pierced the soule of the Blessed Virgin beholder of his cruell Passion The like contradiction hath alwayes followed the mēbers of the same Sauiour his Church by the Iewes and Paynims neither was there euer Religion planted or maintayned with more contrarieties and opposition of all sortes of people then the Christian for as it is the perfectest of al other The height of the Christiā fayth enemy to the flesh the world and the diuell so hath it found most resistance in the corruption of mankynd which were very great very generall Behold the Christiā perfection it eleuateth the vnderstanding of man to the beliefe of things altogether repugnant to fleshly humours It preacheth the Crosse contempt of wisedome of the world as also of her honours and riches and by many Maximes to the world so many Paradoxes striketh iust vpon the face of her pride maketh warre to defiance with the pleasures of the body honoureth Virginity a chiefe enemy to sensuality imbraceth fastings watchings disciplines and such like austerities that hāper the body otherwise then it well liketh promiseth in this life nothing but persecution This world being corrupted could not digest this doctrine nor the flesh vnderstād it but had it in horrour and abhomination Sathan bestirred himselfe and entred into a rage and kyndled fire to those fond and foolish soules and put them in a fury therefore the more maligne the malady was the stronger the medicine so much more obstinate hath beene the contradiction and the sicke so much the more incensed against his Physitian Psal 117.13 as his frensy was fierce and burning But if the Sauiour hath beene persecuted and so contradicted he hath not for all that beene ouercome he hath beene thrust at Why God permitted these persecutiōs but not throwne downe to the ground and God hath permitted these persecutions to shew therein that his Sonne was God omnipotent and too strong for the strength and gates of hell and to draw from them his owne glory and the good of his elect The Pilgrime hauing meditated all this The zeale of Saint Anne shall turne the eyes of his Spirit vpon that which is sayd That at the same houre the most holy and deuout widow Anne did praise our Sauiour in the Temple and spake of him to all the faithfull Iewes whome she found there so was our Sauiour magnified in his Temple by the testimony of two persons diuerse in sex venerable in age singular in sanctity Heere the Pilgrime hauing found in his meditation the sense of this ceremony shall learne the truth in the shadow shal acknowledge the misery and corruption of man from the first instant of his Conception infected with original sinne he shall learne to humble himselfe and to make small account of the nobility of his birth which he seeth to be so base and abiect in the beginning he shal offer what he hath good to God the giuer of all good he shall imitate holy Simeon imbracing in his armes with like loue and purity the litle child Iesus either when he receaueth the B. Sacrament of the Altar couered vnder the visible forme as a child swadled in his litle cloathes or when he doth meditate ioyne himselfe to him by loue He shall praise him with holy Anna the Prophetesse and shall preach him to euery one by good speaches and examples of good workes and finally he shall offer him vnto God his Father as the B. Virgin did for our saluation and shall offer himselfe for his honour and seruice Hauing ended his meditation and heard Masse he shall receaue the blessed Body of our Sauiour the Viaticum of his Returne as it was of all the rest of his Pilgrimage and shll say to God the prayer following The Pilgrimes prayer at his departure from Loreto CHAP. XLI MY Lord and most merciful Father myne eyes behold thy bounty and myne owne misery more cleerly then euer heeretofore by the light it hath pleased thee to giue me It remayneth to finish my vowes and desires and to conclude my most humble prayers and requests at the end of my aboad heere If thy clemency doth willingly harken to the groanes of poore sinners to heare
foster-Father not manifesting himselfe by the markes of his greatnes to any but to his glorious Mother whose soule he enlightned at euery moment with the brightnes of his Deity to men he shewed himselfe as a little child and as such was subiect to this Father and Mother being adored of them both He was Cittizen of Nazareth as before Pilgrime of Aegypt and ruling in the heauens he suffered vpon the earth and being greater then the heauen was inclosed in the walles of a little Cottage O Nazareth O happy citty of such a Cittizen happy house of such a Guest happy chamber of such an Inhabitant how often hast thou beene honoured with the steps of this heauēly child walking vpon thy ground how often sanctified by the prayers the sighes the talkes and desires of this little Sauiour preparing himselfe betymes with the sweat of his face to our redēption for the which he descended from the bosome of his heauenly Father and sanctifyed also with the charitable offices of his heauenly Mother O my soule canst thou expresse it canst thou comprehend it It is easier to honour them in silence and to beg of the mother and the Sonne grace to follow and imitate them I aske it of thee O my Redeemer withall my power grant it me if it please thee for thy goodnes I aske it of thee O holy Mother obtaine for me for thou canst do it Let the memory of this mansion and of this Chamber which by thy grace I haue visited be vnto me a continuall spurre to stirre me to the loue of him who hath passed his youth in humility and voluntary pouerty for me 1. The fountaine of Bees 2. The dinner and meetinges 3. Presages of eloquence and the nature of Bees obserued fifty yeares by Aristomachus 4. The wonders of our Sauiour going into Aegypt 5. The tree Persis adoreth him 6. The Idols of Aegypt ouerthrowne CHAP. III. THVS prayed Lazarus in the morning according to the light God had imparted to him Vincent for his part hauing made the same meditation and recommending themselues to the protection of the B. Virgin and their good Angell they began their iourney saying their Itinerarum and their other accustomed prayers And they walked thus ioyfully vntill about noone ouer the wild plaines and barren but only of briers and broomes wherof they saw good store in the bare Champion without meeting either man or beast and they felt themselues now well wearyed tyred as wel for hauing eaten little that morning as for the excessiue heat of the Sunne At last looking heere and there about them searching some place to refresh themselues in they spyed on their right hand certaine willowes behind a little hille and hoping there to find some water they went straight thither and they found in the midest of these thicke shadowy trees a fountaine cleere as Chrystall which bubling out plentifully made a litle brooke full of cressits which was a signe that the water was good It was some what deep the bankes being high and couered partly with mosse and partly with herbes and floures of that season for it was the moneth of May. Then sayd Vincent Our way agreeth not ill with the matter of our meditation for this morning we passed in spirit through the desart of Arabia desiring to suffer somewhat to the imitation of litle Iesus and his good Mother who suffered there diuers incommodities we haue also passed this with some paine It is true replied Lazarus we haue suffered but little and good Iesus and his Mother had quickly compassion of vs hauing at a pinch prouided vs of a resting place The Pilgrimes dinner so fit for our dinner and refreshing and so they stucke their staues in the ground and set them downe to take their repast They had in their sackes two or three manchets a peece of cheese with a few aples and a little wine in their botles and as they sett forth their prouision vpon their greene napery they perceaued a farre off one wandering hither and thither seeking as they throught either his way or some fountaine they had compassion of him and thought it a worke of charity to set him in his way or to make him partaker of their good fortune therefore they hung their dinner vpon the bough of the neerest willow least some wormes or venemous beast might touch it vpon the ground and ranne speedily where they had espied him But they were amazed so soone to haue lost the sight of the man and could not conceiue that he should so quickly be walked out of their view in so large and open a champion and they did not perceiue that as soone as he saw them taking them for theeues he hid himselfe in a ditch behinde a little bush through which he saw them not being seene and beheld them running from one part to another being sore afraid to be foūd and spoild of that little siluer he had which he caried to buy stuffe for his shop for he was a merchant So they returned softly vnto their fountaine againe persuading themselues that this fellow made such hast thinking they were theeues or els that it was some spirit which they iudged more likly because he vanished sodenly Being returned to the willowes they go for their dinner and behold they found a swarme of bees lighted vpon one of their loaues and had all couered it with their hony dew Oh saith Vincent our Lord would sweetē our bread and our trauell we must hope so quoth Lazarus for this little people is commonly a presage of good lucke and benediction So it is sayd S. Ambrose that a like swarme did sit on the mouth of Saint Ambrose being a little child in his cradle and the like is sayd to haue happened to Plato Plato in signe they should be such as they proued Oratours endewed with a heauenly honylike eloquence the one amongst the Paynims the other more happily in the chaire of truth in the Church of God so they tooke the other two loaues and the rest for their dinner leauing the third to the Bees not to scarre them so soone But holding their bread in their hands they perceiued in the bodies of diuerse trees certaine hides out of one of the which this swarme came they went to visit it tooke out two or three combes of hony for their dinner when they had said grace and began to fall to their meat these little creatures came flying and buzzing about them some lighted vpō their bread some vpon the grasse kissing and pinching with their little mouth the flowres wherewith the beauty of the fountaine was diapred and sucked out the liquour to make their hony diuers drunke of the riuer stryking at the little greene froggs who lay like spies to entrappe them Frogges ◠enemies to Bees they came often about them without doing them any harme but onely serued them for a sweete recreation Vincent seeing their so great familiarity began to
and Aue Mari◠and cast himselfe vpon his bed in his cloathes as his custome was Vincent did the like and being weary of their way they fell a sleep straight About midnight Lazarus had a dreame which frighted him for hee seemed to see Theodosius his companion present himselfe before him Lazarus his dreame all disfigured with a face pale blacke desiring him to call for the ayde and help of the B. Virgin for him for that he was brought to a pittifull estate and extreame danger both of body and soule he leaped off his bed and asked Vincent if any body had beene in their chamber Vincent answered that he thought no body and knew well it was the violence of some vision whereof he would question no further at that tyme but wished him to go to bed againe and not trouble himselfe with dreames and that he himselfe had dreamed also he could not tell what and so they slept againe Lazarus sayd not one word more vnto him but prayed God in his hart in this sort O my sweet Iesus Lazarus his prayer I haue been depriued of the company of my little Brother who I hope is now with thee thou gauest me him as a faythfull companion of my Pilgrimage him whose image was presented vnto me this night thou knowest if he be in that distresse my dreame told me help him according to thy fauourable prouidence wherwith thou assistest thy children and seruants Content thy selfe if it please thee with taking one and forbeare this other for a while aboue all keep him from offending thee or committing any thing against thy holy Law conserue in him the will which thou didst giue him to serue thee alwayes with an entire and perfect hart and if that which was represented to myne imagination were only a dreame and not a presage of some misfortune and if my companion be not in that danger I feare I know notwithstāding that in what estate soeuer he standeth he taketh care of me as I doe of him do vs the fauour once againe to see ech other And thou glorious Virgin help thy deuote if he be tossed on the Sea by any furious tempest thou art the Starre of the Sea reach him thy helping hand if he be in danger of Theeues thou hast deliuered many deliuer him also that we may togeather alwayes sing this thy fauour among thousands of others we haue receaued of thee Hauing thus prayed he slept vntill three of the clocke when the day began to breake and the Cockes to crow Then he arose and awaked Vincent to make their prayer who was quikly ready The two and thirtith Day and the second of his Returne A Meditation of the history of little Iesus lost and found amidst the Doctours in the Temple CHAP. V. LAZARVS began his Meditation in this manner 〈◊〉 2.42 I presume to present my selfe at the feet of thy Maiesty hauing confidence in thy infinit Clemency which vouchsafeth to harken to the prayers of thy seruant It is to meditate the Pilgrimage of thine only Sonne my Redeemer when being twelue yeares old according to his humanity he wēt from Nazareth to Hierusalem to celebrate the feast which thou didst command thy people to obserue euery yeare He hid himselfe from his mother three dayes and at the end of the third day he was found againe in the Temple among the Doctours hearing and demanding Heere is presented to the eyes of my vnderstanding thy deare and only Sonne that walked with his Mother a litle Pilgrime towards thy Temple where he was honoured with thee but was hidden in the cloud of his humanity and was not seene but to those to whome thou hadst giuen the eyes of fayth He went thither on foot and grew in labour as he did in yeares when he fled into Aegypt he was carryed in the armes of his deare Mother now he is carryed vpon his owne feet with more paine O Lord make thy light shine vpon the eyes of my soule that I may see the points of this mystery and to thy glory reape profit therby By expresse Law it was commanded to all the Iewes to go offer sacrifice at Hierusalem where the Temple was Thrice yeare mē went to Hierusalem thrice in the yeare at Easter Pentecost and the feast of Tabernacles The women were left at liberty whether they would go or no by reason of the inconueniency of their sexe yet the deuout did willingly vndertake the paine choosing rather to vse their deuotion Exod. 34.23 then their Priuiledge The B. Virgin then watchfull of all occasions to doe well went to Hierusalem as alwayes in the company of women leading her little sonne with her Ioseph with men went another way Take heere O my soule matter to condemne thine owne coldnes and flouth and to stirre thy selfe vp to thy duty thou seest Ioseph came from farre to adore God in his Temple how often hast thou omitted it being hard by How often hast thou omitted to heare Masse when thou wert bound to be present Or hast thou at least adored and serued God in the Temple of thy body Our body the Temple of the holy Ghost the Temple of his holy spirit which thou carryest alwayes about thee The B. Virgin taketh her iourney choosing rather to haue merit with paine then to vse her priuiledge for ease and how often hast thou better liked of exemption then of merit How many tymes hast thou beene glader of some occasion or let that hindred thee 1. Cor. 3. 6. 2. Cor. 6. to watch fast or to performe some other worke of piety then to be constrained to do thy diligence and walke with others to the seruice of God Iesus goeth with his mother his mother with him Iesus and Mary fit company and who should rather walke with the Virgin of virgins then purity it selfe and who rather with Iesus then the Virgin of Virgins O heauenly company O little Pilgrime O way of my soule and the goale guerdō of my Pilgrimage Graunt that I may be Pilgrime with thee and with thee and thy holy Mother walke in this exile to enter in your companie into the Temple of the celestiall Hierusalem But heere behould a meruailous accident Luc. 2.45 Iesus is gone from Mary Mary hath lost Iesus Iesus without the knowledge of his Father or mother Our Lady seeketh Iesus remayned behind in Hierusalē but without disobedience for himselfe was maister might dispose of himselfe at his pleasure and that he was subiect or obedient to any creature it was humility and not duty Mary and Ioseph returning from Hierusalem to Nazareth walked without him the first day thinking he returned with his Vncles or kinsefolkes another way as often it happened thinking to meet him againe at night But Iesus appealed not and Mary was amazed and not without reason for though there were no fault in her and that the will of her Sauiour was the only
the ground three or foure pace before him This fal was an occasion froÌ„ heauen for me to saue my selfe I rose quickly others got the wood I left my horse and my spurres for I had no need of them to go on foot and came to find you where you attended me without any appointment as I found you without searching for you Behould in few wordes the course of my fortune since I haue beene absent from you But sayth Vincent you tell vs not what you sayd to the Captaine in his eare when you parted from him That is also a secret quoth Theodosius smyling yet I wil not sticke to tell it to my friends It was that I recoÌ„mended hartily vnto him good Tristram if by fortune he should fall into his handes and he promised to remember my commendations and haue regard to the good will of him who recommended him God be praysed sayth Lazarus for this fauour done vnto you for deliuering you out of so great a danger and for restoring vs our companion In such discourses they spent their tyme in the chamber vntil super tyme after which they retyred themselues quickly sayd Letanies made their examen and tooke the points of their morning meditatioÌ„ of the subiect of our Sauiour youth or adolescence which were three 1. How our Sauiour remayned with great humility in Nazareth vntill thirty yeares of age without manifesting himselfe 2. The exercises of the deuotion and piety of Iesus and his glorious Mother and Ioseph liuing in Nazareth 3. Of their offices and seruices Hauing marked these points in the Table of their memory they cast themselues vpon their beds to take rest The three and thirtith day and the third of their Returne A Meditation of the youth and dwelling of Iesus Christ with his Mother and Ioseph at Nazareth CHAP. VIII ABOVT three of the Clocke in the morning the Pilgrimes began their meditation that they might depart by foure euery one by himselfe a part The humility of our Sauiour in not making himselfe knowne Lazarus greatly tasted in the first point the wonderfull humility of our Sauiour hauing remayned in that litle house of Nazareth from twelue yeares to thirty obedient to his Mother nurse-nurse-father bearing himselfe only for a Carpenters sonne and an inhabitant of this poore vnknowne village O great God of Israel sayd he before thou madest the world thou wert hidden from the world an infinite number of ages knowne only to thy selfe and now being made a Cittizen of this little Towne of Palestine thou remaynest in silence the most part of thy tyme preparing thy selfe to speak vnto the world to teach it and redeeme it O heauenly humility of my Redeemer and foolish presumption of thyne O vaine man that thou art who before thou knowest how to hold thy peace wilt preach vnto the world and vndertake to reach it wisedome and wilt teach others the knowledge of heauen before thou hast learned thyne owne ignorance to make thy selfe be knowne before thou knowest thy selfe O miserable pride how foolish and senseles art thou who wilt be a guide vnto the blind thyne owne eyes being out The admirable silence of the scripture Theodosius stayed vpon the second point considering the admirable silence of the Scripture telling nothing of all that our Sauiour did in this priuate dwelling the space of eighten yeares which no doubt were wonderfull but it had rather haue it to the beliefe and consideration of wise ContemplaÌ„tes of the workes of God then to record them to the end that the fruit of such knowledge might be reserued for them who search them worthily as also to teach men to send their workes before their wordes The obedience exercise of Iesus in Nazareth Vincent was rauished in the Meditation of the third point and he thought he was in Nazareth saw little Iesus going heere and there about that happy house sometime seruing his Mother sometyme Ioseph sometyme praying sometyme labouring O heauenly house O diuine family O happy Ioseph more happy Mother and most happy Child 1. A discourse with two Merchants 2. The manner to liue well 3. A sinner repulsed from entring Loreto 4. It is impossible to serue God and the world 5. How a man may be a good Christian and a good Merchant 6. No estate without difficulty CHAP. IX THEIR meditation being ended they tooke their leaue of their Host who would take nothing of them and departed at foure a clocke in the morning They sayd their accustomed prayers and walked with great comfort courage to a place called Maisonette foure leagues off where arriuing about noone they tooke their refection and there stayed some tyme discoursing of their deuotion the way informing themselues thereof by their host who knew it very well Beaurepoâ—â— so they departed all lusty to finish their iourney reach Beau-repos to bed distaÌ„t from thence three leagues Hauing walked one league they saw on their left hand two Horse-men accompanied with two foot-men running by them who galloped towardes them They were two Merchants who ouertaking them saluted them courteously One was called Gratian the other Ludolph Gratian sayd vnto theÌ„ Well my friends you come from our B. Lady of Loreto Lazarus as being the last and neerest vnto them A discourse with two MerchaÌ„ts marry do we Syr it is not replyed the Merchant without hauing learned some good thinges In truth sayth Lazarus we haue had good occasions but to learne well in a good schoole one must be a good scholer also euen as to become rich by trafique a man must be a good Merchant and know well how to buy and sell Gratian sauouring this answere wel as stuffe out of his owne shop It is well answered sayth he and this your answer maketh me belieue you are come from that holy place good maisters of deuotion and we pray you hartily make vs partaker of that you haue learned For though we be not Pilgrims as you are that our estate is to trafique in merchandise yet are we also Pilgrimes in that we are mortall haue no continuall aboad in this world no more then you Lazarus perceiuing that they were merchants and coniecturing by their wordes that they were men of vnderstanding and conscience thought it would not be time lost to hold them some spirituall discourse and sayd vnto them My masters I would I had digged so deep in the treasures of Loreto that I might enrich you with bestowing freely vpon you what we haue learned there by experience and haue often heard before that this place is a heauenly repaire of deuotion for there is not any man so cold who is not warmed in the loue of heauenly things at the very sight of this sacred house which is without doubt because God is there singularly present as he shewe by an infinit nuÌ„ber of miracles which are done in fauour of those who call for his help by the intercession of the mother of
siluer of diuers branches and a great plume of diuers colours scarfes of greene taffata fringed with gold their Armes were Azure a Wheele Or and in Chiefe three Moones greene in a field Argent Merefolly the guide retrait of worldlinges All this company went to the Inne of Mere-folly as they sayd there to banquet and after to accompany her to the Theater where she should be carryed in a triumphing chaire They saw these things in passing without making any great account thereof and came straight vnto the Hospitall Sap. 5. They had dined when Gratian came vnto them who tooke Lazarus apart and wringing him by the hand Affliction openeth the eyes sayd with teares in his eyes Syr Lazarus although I haue not had the good fortune to know you but of late yet the good discourses I heard of you yesterday haue ēgrauen in my hart a great conceit of your vertue as also a great confidence in your friendship Our good Lord hath visited me Syr Lazarus yesterday a little after we came to this Towne I had news that my wife was dead and a little sonne I had the hope of my house and old age I thought little of this accident whē talking with you I sayd that were it not for the hinderance of my family I would willingly haue serued God with that liberty as you do and in saying this he began to weep and sobbe that he could speak no further Lazarus sayd vnto him Syr Gratian you haue lost nothing which you should not haue lost once this is but a little preuenting the tyme Death is a cōmon debt and perhaps you haue gayned much heerein for how know you what fortune would haue followed your sonne as if insteed of being the staffe of your old age he might haue tormented and vndone you your house himselfe as hath fallen out to many Fathers And if you had beene sure of his vertuous course God would haue him and bestow on him a farre better inheritance then you could haue left him or at the least haue giuen you some other supporter insteed of your sonne He tooke nothing but his owne he gaue him you with this condition to take him againe when he would and now he hath taken him it is his right and his will to the which you neither may nor can resist It resteth only for you to haue Christian patience and to profit by your losse Gratian being somewhat asswaged resumed his discourse and sayd Well seeing it hath pleased him thus to afflict me in taking from me what was deerest in this world I resolue to cast my selfe wholy into his armes and heale my wound by that hand that made it I haue now no band that bindeth me to the seruice of the world and hindreth my liberty to serue God withall my hart to liue a true Pilgrime vpon earth it is longe since the world did stinke vnto my nose and my experience of her infidelity hath breed in me a hatred and loathing to deale with her this is the very matter that I would cōsult with you and take aduise about retyring my selfe from vanity to serue God in assurance all the rest of my life and I coniure you in the name of God and by the zeale which I know you haue to his honour and the saluation of soules to assist me with your direction Lazarus told him in few wordes Syr Gratian I am of all other the vnfittest to instruct you though I dare place my selfe among the first in harty affection towardes you I will tell you notwithstanding freely that I behould in this accident a great prouidence of God towardes you for I doubt not but he hath striken you with this blow to bring you out of the gulfe where you were in danger to haue made shipwracke of your soule me thinks you should not call affliction the death of two dearely beloued but a double benefit being vnto your selfe a doore with two hinges to enter at your ease into the rest of Paradise in this life and of eternall felicity in the next he had prepared and disposed your hart heereunto by making you tast the bitternes of the world he graued therein by little and little a desire to leaue the vanityes thereof now he vntyeth your feet and your handes and openeth you a way to execute the desire he hath giuen you For that you demand my counsell you haue diuers Religious men of great learning and conscience more capable then I without comparison that may aduise you in this affaire yet seeing it pleaseth you to addresse your selfe to the meanest by way of friendship I will tell you as a friend that if you haue a mind to leaue the world to serue God withall your hart you are in a good way and you may your selfe alone decide the matter with Almighty God The matter is extremely commendable the intention holy the conclusion cleare what should you consult In high and heroicall enterprises there is more need of execution then of consultation All that you can doubt of is what choice to make of Religions for euery Religion is not for euery body You say well quoth Gratian and this is the principall point How to choose a Religion wherein I desire your direction Heerein sayth Lazarus you must first take heed to choose a Religion well ordered for to go out of the world into a Religion debaucht disorderly is to leaue Aegypt and ioyne with the murmurers in the desart there to be exterminated by serpents or swallowed downe into the ground There is nothing more goodly or excellent in the Church of God then a Religious company walking according to their rules towardes perfection neither is there a confusion more pernicious then a dissolute and vnruled congregation hauing nothing of Religion but the title and the habit and therefore in the first place you must choose a Religion that keepeth well its Order Secondly among many Religions well reformed you must choose that which hath the most worthy noble end The highest and the best meanes or rules of greatest perfection and more Apostolicall which hath more meanes and help to fashion and frame the inward man to cultiuate the soule and plant therein the most noble vertues S. Thom. contra retrahentes à Relig. c. 2. that contributeth most to the seruice of God and profit of our Neighbours and therfore that which attendeth to Contemplation is to be preferred before that which dealeth only with Action and that which tendeth to both is the better A mans owne inclinatiō In the third place he that will make his choise must obserue whereunto himselfe is more apt and inclined to God-ward some imbrace austerity of life others action others contemplation he shall therefore haue regard not only to the perfection of the rule but also to his owne capacity and shal thereupon conferre with God by prayers and with some good spirituall Father by conference
set before the the house on a little banke they came to him and saluted him courteously and he did the like to them and with a friendly and kind countenance said vnto them My good brethren haue you not misled of your way Father quoth Lazarus I thinke you haue sayd true but fynding this holy place we are glad we lost our way for we hope that this good chance will set vs againe in our way and bring vs some good fortune besides It shall be you quoth he that shall comfort to our good Father for he doth willingly see all Pilgrims of Loreto whence I gesse that you come we come from thence indeed quoth Lazarus by the grace of God I will go tell him so much quoth the good man and went in where he met the good old Father coÌ„ming towards them knowing of the Pilgrimes coÌ„ming by secret reuelation so they made towards him and he towards them and imbraced them with a shew of great charity They were all much moued to see so venerable an old man all white yet right vp and vigorous with his long lockes beating vpon his shoulders and a long beard in a rugge gowne girded with a thicke rope buttened with a maÌ„tle of the same stuffe they saw not the hayre he wore next his skin He said vnto them My good brethren God be with you The good Angell hath brought you hither for my comfort and for your owne good I haue long desired to see some Deuote of the B. Virgin the mother of my Sauiour She hath directed you by a secret way to this little desert and hath withall deliuered you from two immineÌ„t dangers The one from theeues who this after dinner thinking you had more mony then you haue did watch for you in the right way to haue spoiled murdered you he that aduertised them was one of their companions who lay hidden behind the fountaine when you opened your bags for bread they remembred then well what they said when they found their peeces of gold and they harkened to the good old man as a Prophet who followed his discourse The other danger saith he you shall know by and by let vs now go salute our Sauiour the B. Virgin and so brought them into an Oratory where was a great Crucifixe of wood hauing on the right side a very deuout table conteyning the picture of the B. Virgin with little Iesus in her armes and on the left hand another table of S. Antony In this he vsed to say masse they prayed there a while and from thence he lead them into a little chamber ioyning to his cel which serued for a refectory gaue them for their collation a little bread and wine with a few cherries which the good porter had gathered a little before After he asked them of their Pilgrimage to Loreto of their fortunes and aduentures they told him in briefe the comfort they had receaued in the sacred House the miracles that are daily wrought there and finally their way and aduentures they had had vntill that time and namely th s of the robbers But Aime-dieu saith the Hermit you teâ—l me nothing what you saw and suffered in your pilgrimâ—ge of Palestine Aegipt and other countries bâ—yond the Sea The Pilgrimes were astonished to heare him name Lazarus by his owne name hauing neuer seene him before and perswading theselues fuâ—ly that this Hermit spake as a Prophet they cast themselues downe at his feet The Hermit lifted them vp streight and Lazarus said vnto him My reuerend Father we need not discourse vnto you what hath hapened vnto vs in diuers countries during our seauen yeares pilgrimage for as we see God hath reuealed it vnto you as well as my proper name which I changed into Lazarus thinking my selfe vnworthy to be called Aime-dieu that is a I ouer of God not louing him with that perfection and purity I should haue taken the name of Lazarus to remember that I am poore and needy The name is good saith the hermit and the inuention is better and speaking to them all three My good brethren saith he I will not put you to the paine to recount your fortunes it sufficeth me to know and thanke God therefore that you haue suffered much for his name and that you are Deuotes of the B. Virgin the most glorious mother of his Sonne As he said this the porter perceiued a far oft a great troupe of horsemen who galloped with all fury towards the hermitage and he cried out my Father we are vndone Feare not quoth the Hermit not being any whit moued we are stronger then they they were aboue fifty carying a cloud of dust which their horses raised in the aire As they came neere the hermitage they went thrice about it crying and shouting like mad men and after they returned whence they came without doing any more harme This is said the Hermit a company of souldiers pertayning to the Captaine of that towne whence you came who seeke nothing els but to hurt men or at least scare them And God did you a faire grace inspiring you not to stay at Mondeuil whereby you passed yesterday at dinner that you were not entrapped in the sedition that was raised a little after and to direct you this day to this place for without doubt you had suffered domage this is the second danger I signified vnto you before Blessed be God and the B. Virgin quoth Lazarus for this fauour all others we haue receaued from his holy hand as well which we know not as which we know Well saith the Hermit that you may haue occasion to praise yet more hartily that supreme bounty I will tell you the qualities of another Citty the mother of this out of the which he hath deliuered you long since a benefit which you must alwayes haue before your eyes The Pilgrimes shewed great desire to vnderstand of this Citty and her conditions which the hermit knowing by their countenance sayd vnto theÌ„ I will make you the description of this Citty by her causes and qualities and if thereby you shall vnderstand it you will be glad that I haue made you remember it The description of a mystiall Citty This Citty saith he is built in the midst of the earth yet neere vnto the Sea in a marish ground vpon great wooden postes the founder and gouernour therof was a naughty and seditious person who reuolting from his King built this Citty and made it his retraite and refuge of rebellion and a denne of wicked persons Insteed of walles he hath made great ditches to the which he hath raised high rampires of earth such as you haue seene if you remember and to the end to make himselfe strong against his lawfull Prince if perhaps he would force him to his allegiance he made both himselfe The laws of the world and his Citty vassall to a cruell Tyrant The lawes it holdeth are to loue none but themselues to haue
of earth for that her defences are but bottoms and hils of errour and pride The first founder made himself vassall and tributary to a Titant for Selfeloue all the burgesses of that citty are alwayes rebels to God tributary to the Diuell him they haue loued to him they haue bowed their knee though a tyrant of all tyrāts the most cruell that euer was seeke help of him against their God The fundamentall lawes of that Citty are those fiue I touched before the first for each man to loue himself The laws of selfe-loue and the world and euery thing for himselfe for the humour of the world worldly men is to affect onely their owne particular profit hauing clean banished out of their hart the loue of God and their neighbour The 2. to haue no Religion to vse and abuse all for their temporall commodity this is to too much verified by the experience of all the children of this world whose common custome is to make Religion a pretext of their designements and to make vse of the name of God for their owne glory very hypocrites and sacrilegious impostors To haue no Religion To authotize vice and disgrace vertue The 3. to cast down vertue and set vice aloft according to this law the world prayseth those that liue in delights as most happy and the pleasures of the body as the ioyes of felicity It cōmendeth the couetous as prudent to aduance further their own affaires It bosteth of the ambitious calling them men of valour and courage and therefore it is that this Citty is filled with the brood of these families To sow discord all great courtiers of Mere-folly The 4. is to loue and sow dissention and to entertaine subiects with false reports calumniations and other malicious meanes thinking that by their discord and debility their estate should be strong and firme And as the Kingdom of God is peace and charity and his spirit is to nourish and mainteine peace so the Kingdome of the Diuell the estat of the world is trouble hatred the spirit of the world is to make discord when there is question to do euill To promise riches The 5. is to entice deceiue men by the promise of riches honours which passe vanish so many abused do perceiue whē they come to dy though late that all they haue gotten is but shadowes dreames Psal 75.6 The rich men saith Dauid haue slept their sleep in the end found nothing in their hands They haue passed this life as a dream resting themselues on the saffran bed of their riches and at the end haue found their braines troubled with fumes their hands empty of good workes their conscience loaden with sinnes These are the lawes of this world and of this Citty And as her lawes are but disorders so is her fayth perfidiousnes her end nothing els but to ruine her acquaintance and to send them to the slaughter that serue her best and are most faithful vnto her will you see this Cast the eyes of your memory vpon the histories of all ages passed how many gallants hath she precipitated into confusion after they had a while runne the race of their vanity in the sight of men How many hath she most miserably strangled that had to her performed most faithfull seruice Was there euer any that more honoured or better serued her then the Assuerus Caesars Alexanders Pompeies Neroes Diocletians Decians and other like Princes and Lords of her Court great admirers of her maiesty sighing seeking nor breathing any thing els but her greatnes hath she not made them all dye death euerlasting Thousands see this at euery moone and euery day but the world is such a cosener that it bereaueth mortall men of their senses and men are so foolish and simple that stil they suffer themselues to be seduced by her gaudies present delights so that they honour and serue her as their soueraigne Lord not able to open their eyes to behold eyther the misfortune of others or their own danger nor their eares to heare the voice of the iustice of God who threatneth them The good mixed with the bad in this world and perseuer in such sort vntill they be ouerwhelmed in the ditches of their enemie without help or hope euer to come out Now God who is our soueraigne King will ruinate this Citty raze it to the ground for he must iudge the world drench the obstinate but because there be diuers of his owne seruāts amongst these sinners as of Lots in Sodome he doth not yet exterminate the world but expecting in fauour of the good and by patience inuiting sinners to pennance in the tyme of mercy not to incurre at the day of iudgement the seuerity and rigour of his eternall iustice This is the Citty of which I told you yesterday out of the which by the grace of God you haue beene long since sequestred and shall be yet more if you be good Pilgrims as I esteeme you Thus did the Hermit expound his Allegory often looking vp to heauen and sighing The Pilgrims heard him with great attention and contentment their way seemed short Lazarus seeing him hold his peace sayd vnto him My reuerend Father you haue set before our eyes a wholsome picture of the Citty of this world and of the vanities of worldly men you haue bound vs in eternall benefit we desire to be bound vnto you also for your praiers and to obtaine for vs of our Lord that as he hath already drawn vs from the snares of this deceifull world so that he would giue vs grace to perseuer vnto the end in his loue and feare He will do it sayth the Hermit do only what is in you walk on euery day from good to better like good Pilgrims be perfect before him and you shall come by Gods grace to your desired country The B. Virgin whome you serue will help you with the assistance of her praiers the holy Apostles our good Fathers the Hermits S. Iohn S. Paul S. Anthony S. Hilarion S. Bruno and others who haue trampled vpon the world with the feet of constancy lyuing in the deserts as Pilgrims vpon the earth will procure you ayd happily to finish your course You haue yet som way to dispatch and some crosses to endure you shall passe not without paine and trauaile but with the profit of your soules As for you Lazarus you shall be lamented of many and your funerals shall be kept before your death and those that shall most mourne for you shall be most comforted in your fortune and that you may the better remember what I haue foretold you keep this and gaue him a litle paper folded like a letter conteining these foure verses At that fayre Day the last which you desire Two dead reuiu'd without death shall ech other see And being seene after their funerals kept Shall to the world
bringeth vs we shall be sure to loose nothing This is not all quoth Lazarus our fellow Vincent hath yet some fine things and made him draw out of his bagge his witchery trash WheÌ„ Dom-Prior saw the paper wherin was written the name of Hezares the distribution of offices and the rest O sayth he with admiration how cruell is this enemy of mankind and how abhominable are those who serue him in his cruelties But to what vse thinke you was giuen them this wolfes skinne To that end that with the application thereof this tyrant maketh those we call Loup-Garons People transformed for he charmeth enchanteth so strongly the fantasy of those he giues it vnto and that take it with a band of friendship that they altogether seeme to themselues wolues and doe indeed assumâ— diuers of their qualities as going on all foure and going like other wolues to hunt specially for little children a prey for the rage of this infernall wolfe who hateth cruelly men and specially little innocents whome Iesus-Christ loueth most teÌ„derly against the which this Antichrist setteth in fury these his wolues who not onely doe take the inward feeling of the wolues but also do outwardly so appeare to others euen as Nabuchedonozor thought himself a beast Dan. 4.3 and seemed so also to others and that woman of whome Palladius writeth Pallad 〈◊〉 cap. 19. who seemed to be turned into a mare and seemed so to euery one but to S. Macarius who hauing prayed and cast holy water vpon her made the charme vanish away both from the woman who was healed and also from the seers who beheld her as she was before in the shape of a woman Such were those illusions of men whome in old time men falsely belieued to be turned into wolues or other beasts It is not in the Diuels powre to chaÌ„ge one creature into an other for it is not in the power of the Diuel to change one creature into another specially man for so his soule must dye and the wolues or some others soule succeed in the place which is impossible mans soule being incorruptible and immortall It is therfore witchcraft and illusion and we must thinke that those wolues which came towards you vpon the oake were men transfigured in that sort by the touch of this skinne or by the meanes of some other superstition and that they were hurt with the fall they had and who so could fynd them should see that they carry the marke thereof My Father answered Lazarus this is very true and I will shew you a shadow of the effect of this charme and that is that beholding my companion that carried it me thought somtimes he looked like a wolfe but very slender inconstant vanishing as soone as it did appeare Vincent taking his wordes verily sayth he you make me bold in good coÌ„pany to tell my foolish thought that held me all this morning when I did or endeuoured to meditate still me thought I was a wolfe and I doubt there was some secret charme in this ill fauored stuffe that I carried in my bagge which I signified vnto you couertly when I told you that I thought my distraction câ—me of my cariage But good Father can this skinne haue such force to alter the imagination and sense of men in such sort How the Diuell altereth mens senses Sonne answered Dom-Prior it is not the skinne that bringeth forth these illusions but rather the secret hand and malice of the Diuel hauing as I sayd a naturall power to trouble our outward and inward senses if otherwise he be not hindered and make things seeme of other figures than they are indeed but he vseth and abuseth creatures and helpeth himselfe with the skinne of a wolfe with the head of a catt with latchets of the lions skinne with Virgin-parchement and with other such things as you found vnder the Sabboth oake putteth such stuffe to worke by ceremony and affected malice the more finely to deceiue men and to entertaine them in their superstition by these visible things and to induce them to greater sinne making them abuse the creatures against the honour of the Creator to be honoured himself in them But we haue spoken inough of sorcerers wil you now go see our prisoner Gratian knowne Good Father quoth Lazarus your good graue discourses haue enchanted vs and made me almost forget your prisoner we will gladly see him if it please you Dom-Prior brought them into the chamber where he was shut and entring said vnto him Loe my friend these good Pilgrims come to see you The prisoner as soone as he saw them cast himselfe vpon Lazarus his necke who at first knew him not and crying out O happy meeting saith he Syr Lazarus Lazarus looking on his face and beholding his attire cryed also O my good friend are you heere Theodosius and Vincent imbraced him with the same affection Dom-Prior and Dom-Procurator all that were present were astonished coÌ„sidering these entertainemeÌ„ts not knowing the cause Lazarus beholding Dom Prior Father quoth he know you that this is the great good man Syr Gratian whome we left foure dayes since at Mondeuill Verily sayth Dom-Prior I am amazed and glad both of so happy a meeting and of the testimony you giue to him whome we held for a false ladde God forgiue vs if we iudged ill and Syr Gratian also and he must attribute it to the fault misery of the time which is naught and wicked and of men who cannot see and iudge within but onely by the exteriour and are many tymes deceiued Good Father quoth Gratian if you haue esteemed me a sinner and a thiefe you haue iudged right of me for I am both not for hauing stollen any thing but for that I haue often grieuously transgressed the law of my maister Euery sinner is a theefe ofteÌ„ with held his interest and rents which I ought him of the good which I had of his and ill emploied the mony of his grace and finally I haue beene a thiefe in so many points as I haue receiued commaundements and commodities from him and therfore he is offended with me and hath beaten me but as a Father striking me with the rod he is wont to chastice his children withall shewing me mercy euen amidst the blowes of his iustice for verily he hath taken from me all my teÌ„porall goods wise children and all the hope of my house and old age but he hath giuen me in lieu of all this meanes to saue my soule and gaine heauen giuing me the mynd to mend my selfe do penance for my sinnes as I declared but foure dayes since to Sir Lazarus heere and was ready to put it in execution when the good Angell of God as I beblieue carried me to this house of Bon heur by that meanes deliuering me from the danger I incurred that day that you pâ—ssed that way Syr Lazarus For as the sports were ended and that all
the world was busied in making good cheere some wicked Cittizens driuen with rage and enuy against them that had wonne the prize and against the Magistrates that by paâ—sicke senteÌ„ce had adiudged it them set fire to the towne house and raised in this publicke flame a most cruell sediâ—ion against the Cittizens diuided amongst themselues I found my self besieged in a lodging hard by the house with diuers othâ—â— merchants whome they sought to kill and had already broken downe the doores to enter fynding my selfe thus betwixt the fire and the sword without meanes to escape a miserable death I had recourse to God with al my hart making a vow to him that if it would please him to deliuer me from the danger of this dolefull day I would not deferre to dedicate my selfe wholly to his seruice and I was heard for I had no sooner pronounced this vow but I felt some body without seeâ—ng any that seized on me with great violence and carying me in the aire brought me hither in an instant into the orchard where I was found the last wednesday Therfore if it be God that hath giuen me will to doe well if it be he also that made me be thus caryed to follow his counsells your Fatherhood may iudge by the circumstances and not refuse to open if it please you the gate of mercy to a poore penitent with these wordes he began to weep and cast himselfe at the feete of Dom-Prior And continuing his discourse my Father saith he refuse not a prodigall child whome to saue the Sonne of God descended from heauen If you account me a thiefe I haue confessed and doe still that I am so but I am also penitent punish me here with you for satisfaction I will contribute my life and death with youâ— therefore reiect me not for being a thiefe our Sauiour would be crucified betweene theeues and at the tyme of his death he shewed so much and his last exploit of clemency and mercy was employed in the behalf of a thiefe But doe with me what you will I will not goe from that place where the Angell of God hath put me and so he held his peace sighing and weeping All that were present were much moued to compassion And Dom-Prior sayd vnto him with a graue and gracious countenance My friend your teares sighes make me belieue that you are touched by God and that your desire deserueth to be heard but weigh well your strength and the designement you vndertake and letting him kneele still to try his constancy and patience What he must doe who leaueth the world went forward with him saying My sonne you aspire to a high enterprise you must wholly renounce the world and all her vanities you must make deadly warre with your owne body by labours abstinence fastings watchings hairecloth disciplines other skirmishes troublesome painefull to a man that is worldly who hath nourished his flesh at a full table Math. 16.24 and a soft bed and which is most difficult of all you must renounce your owne selfe according to our Sauiours decree that is giue ouer your owne iudgement and will â—au 9.23 which are two of the most potent peeces of the soule and which a man can leaue with more difficulty then all the good of the world besides You must become a litle childe and when you shall iudge that any thing should be thus and thus done for you you shall be commanded the contrary when you would goe to the garden you shall be sent to the kitchen you will loue to sing they will set you to write and finally you must be ruled by the rules of religion and your superiours and not by your owne iudgement Are you content to contract with God and vs vpon these conditions My father quoth Gratian I desire not to be admitted vpon any other condition The world then to doe all that your rule and commandement shall bid me For as concerning the world I haue renounced it already and haue in horrour her vanities which to my cost I know to be deceitfull and pernicious experience hath taught me that lesson The flesh And for my Flesh I hope to handle it as it deserueth and payne shall be no great newes vnto it for it hath laboured allready and endured but too much for the world and for farre lesse wages then I expect for my labour in the seruice of God My iudgement and my will are no more my owne I now make an offering of them to God Proper iudgmeÌ„t and leaue them vpon his Altar in your hands and haue firme confidence in him who hath giuen me the desire to consecrate my selfe wholly to his seruice that he will also giue me strength to accomplish it This was Gratians answere which did woÌ„derfully content all the company and Lazarus turning to Dom-Prior My Father saith he your benignity cannot deny this request for it is iust the grant easy I am content quoth Dom-Prior but so that you will be content to yield to one small request which I shall make for him There is nothing in my power quoth Lazarus that I will refuse I require quoth Dom-Prior only that you would stay this day with vs nothing can be more reasonable nor more easy you shall comfort vs your friends to morrow is Sunday and this day a day of rest say the word and Gratian is receiued Father quoth he vnder correction you should haue demaunded some better thing you require nothing in this but to proloÌ„g your paine to your charge but seeing it pleaseth you that shall not hinder Syr Gratians contract with your Fatherhood Arise then my dearely beloued quoth Dom-Prior I imbrace you now as my litle brother you shall be no longer at prisoners table but sup with your host this night and to morrow god willing you shall haue a maister who shall begin to furnish you with the weapons of religion The rumour of this miracle was presently caryed ouer all the Conuent Dom-Procurator who was present all ioyfull beheld Lazarus I said wel Sir Lazarus that your coming would bring vs good fortune for not only you haue recouered vs our sacred moueables but haue also deliuered from suspicion this innocent and will be a cause to make him our brother It is not we answered Lazarus that brought good fortune hither but we found it heere But Dom-Prior was wonderfully glad of these good fortunes and namely that the Pilgrims would stay vntill the morning All the afternoone vntill Euensonge was imployed in seeing the parts and offices of the Conuent and the Cells of Religious They saw three goodly pictures in a faire chamber where they vsed to make their recreation The first represented on one side diuers persons who caryed their purses to the feete of certaine Prelates and on the other a great ship tossed in a terrible tempest the mast was brokeÌ„ the shipmen vpon the hatches casting all their merchandise
brethren that we shall haue cause to mourne to day at our arriuall Then am I farre besides my reckoning quot Vincent for I make account to rest and make merry It will be then at the funerall quoth Lazarus that you must be merry for yonder fellow told me that my brothers obsequies are kept this day They are quoth Theodosius the obsequies of Pauline But I feare me quoth Lazarus that they are of my brother Francis haue I not then cause to lament both mine owne estate that of the good old man my fathers With what face can I looke on him what hart-breake shall my presence be vnto him when by me he shall vnderstand the death also of his other sonne his hart and his dearling I pray you quoth Vincent let vs not found melancholy vpon shadowes it is but a coniecture you haue we must not hold it for certaine truth Let vs expect a while without giuing the alarum at the voice of a peasant Lazarus sayd no more but marched all mute As they were a quarter of a mile from the Castle I see there below quoth Vincent fiue or sixe persons I thinke they be of Monsieur his people stay a while I pray you vntill I go and know Lazarus and Theodosius stayed as he came about ten paces from them he perceiued Pauline with three or foure of his Cousins amongst whome was a brother of Theodosius Pauline perceiuing him also ranne straight vnto him and imbraced him Vincent all rauished And what sayth he we thought you had beene dead in Africa and Lazarus mourned for you euen now My brother Lazarus quoth Pauline and is he aliue Yea saith Vincent and as lusty as euer he was sauing that he is somwhat melancholy Alas we haue made his obsequies His obsequies quoth Vincent do the bury folkes aliue in this country He thoght they had beene the funerals of his brother Francis He is quicke and queath too God be thanked quoth Pauline but where is my brother Lazarus He is there quoth Vincent shewed him where they stayed vnder the trees Pauline fell a running and crying without seeing any body my brother Lazarus my brother Aime-Dieu where are you Lazarus hearing this voice sayd to Theodosius Is not this voice of Pauline Do I not dreame still Hearke Pauline cried againe it is euen so quoth Theodosius and they went â—eâ—â—e Lazarus saw Pauline who cast himselfe into his armes Lazarus 〈…〉 his necke both weeping 〈◊〉 remaining to a wâ—iâ—◠〈◊〉 speaking At last saith Lazarus but is not 〈◊〉 â—â—earâ—e that giueth me a vaine ioy Theodosius imbracing Pauline It is surely Pauline that I hold quoth he doubt you nothing And speaking to Pauline O my good Cousin Lazarus hath made your obsequies 〈◊〉 Loreto are you yet liuing And we haue made his heere quoth Pauline This then quoth Lazarus is the fulfilling of the two first verses of the Hermits prophecy At that fayre Day the last which you desire Two dead reuiu'd without death shall ech other see For behold you my brother raised againe to mine eyes without dying and I to yours and I hope that the other two verses with the whole prophecy shall he accomplished but is our honourable Father well and in health and our wel-beloued brother decrest sister All the world is well and galliard quoth Pauline God be thanked there was nothing but the newes of your death that did contristate vs. Amidst these imbracings the other gentlemen came the brother of Theodosius and imbraced streight not without many teares Lazarus arriued at his Father house Now the question was how to aduertise their Father Pauline would preseÌ„tly haue gone vnto him but Lazarus was of opinion to vse dexterity least receiuing newes of a great ioy presently vpon a great heauines he should fall into some deadly sounding by the encountring of these contrary passions No quoth Pauline he is resolute and constant and the newes of your arriuall will not hurt him I warrant you Let me alone with the matter all shall go well Expect onely in the court of the Castle vntil I warne you of a fit time to come in Pauline went and saluted his father who was in his chamber with his brother Francis somewhat pensiue He sayd vnto him Sir you must reioyce and not be sorry for the death of my brother Aime-Dieu My child answered his father my greatest griefe is past I am resolued to patience seeing it is the will of God so I hope I shall see him shortly in heauen Sir quoth Pauline would you not be glad to see him in earth If it had beene Gods will I would gladly haue seene him returned from his pilgrimage before I did end myne but seeing it is fallen out otherwise God be blessed for all Sir quoth Pauline reioyce your sonne is yet aliue and you shall see him shortly and therewith made a signe to the page who had the watch word to call his brother How vnderstaÌ„d you that saith his Father And as he would haue spoken asked further Lazarus entred in with Theodosius and Vincent saying aloud Sir behold your sonne risen againe The good good old man as it were a waked out of a deep dreame and astonished as if he had seene a body rise out of the graue fastened his eyes on the face of Lazarus and imbracing him bathed him in warne teares O my Sonne quoth he how litle looked for and how greatly pleasing is thy coming vnto me thou art wellcome with all thy coÌ„panions but art thou yet aliue Art thou he whose funerals we celebrated yesterday and for whome we hanged this house with blacke Is it not a dreame that doth thus transport me Syr quoth Lazarus it is your sonne and heere loe your nephew Theodosius and your faythfull seruant Vincent Loe verily I do remember them well sayth he and imbracing them God saue you my good friends quoth he Francis imbraced his brother Aime-Dieu with a wonderfull demonstration of ioy as also Theodosius and all the Castle towne did ring of the newes of these Pilgrimes returne The hall which was hanged for doâ—e was straight hanged with tapistry the countenance of the persons and of the very walles changed from a great sadnes to a sudden ioy and there was nothing but imbracements and voyce of ioy and the good old man come to himselfe and as it were becomming yong againe with the returne of his sonne Go we sayth he to giue thankes to God and lead them to the Church in their Pilgrims weed as they came into the Castle The Church was full of the townesmen astonished and rauished to see their maisters Sonne sound and lustie for whome they had mourned in the morning After they had song Te Deum and giuen thankes the old man said to Lazarus My sonne Aime-dieu your brother Pauline told me that you had changed your name and were called Lazarus behold to that purpose you are raysed againe the fourth day for
this is twesday and on Saterday we had newes of your death God giue me grace quoth Lazarus well to dye and well to rise againe This being sayd they returned to the Castle Monsieur caused good almes to be giuen and Lazarus aduised Vincent to giue the steward the ten Crownes in his bagge to giue also in almes to the poore and the remaynder of their Viaticum Open house was kept all that day and the next to all commers they went quickly to supper and al supper time and after also was nothing but questions and answers and admirations About ten a clocke in the night the Pilgrimes tooke their leaue of the old man giuing him the good night and he to them They were brought euery one to their chamber their feetâ— were washed new chaÌ„ge of apparell brought them to put on when they rose In the morning all the Pilgrimes made their meditations and communicated without omitting any of their accustomed exerses of deuotion A fortnight passed in diuers recreations namely in recounting the miracles and fauours of the B. Virgin the aduentures and accidents the encounters and dangers of their Pilgrimage in Palestine in Aegypt in Africa in Asia and in Europe since Pauline was prisoner who also related vnto Lazarus and his companions how he fell into the hands of the Saracenes and the manner how God deliuered him and conducted him home Theodosius returned to his Fathers house to take his blessing and after came backe to Lazarus Pauline was alwayes in his feruour of leauing the follies of the world and pressed Lazarus as much as he could to hasten that affaire as also Vincent Lazarus was glad to see all the house in good order and his sister who had beene widdow now three yeares like a good mistresse of the house gouerne the family insteed of her mother departed and in mynd to marry no more and his brother Francis full of prudence and piety honouring and solacing his father as much as could be desired of a Sonne so that he watched nothing but a fit houre to bid his father farewell fynding him one day as he desired he spake to him in this sort Lazarus his farewel to his Father and the World My most honourable Father and Lord by Gods fauour power I am returned from my seauen yeares voyage and vpon the point to beginne another longer then that with your leaue and blessing I beseech you to permit me vpon my departure solemnely to confesse and acknowledge that I am as much bound vnto you as euer was sonne to his father or subiect to his Lord and that I vse this confession to iustify the request I meane to make make it graÌ„table I owe vnto you next to God all that I haue and all that I am for I am your Sonne and you are my Father by which title I owe you all And a Father not such as onely hauing begotteÌ„ me and giuen me my body as other fathers to leaue me heyre of your earthly possessions The obligation of the Sonne to the Father without taking any care or very small of the saluation of my soule but like a true Father you haue nourished me in my childhood in the feare of God without sparing of any care or temporall meanes haue prouided me of the best and choisest maisters in Christendome hauing learned good literature vntill 18. yeares of age you made me learne to weare handle armâ—s after the fashion of our Nobility of France in the best Vniuersities of Eâ—rope After I was sent into Hungary to wars against the Turkes where I coÌ„manded three yeares with honorable successe of my trauailes contentment of the Captaine in whose coÌ„pany I carried armes being returned from this voiage and no occasion presenting it self vnto me in our France honorable to imploy my desire and calling you were of opinion depriuing your selfe of me for loue of me that I should trauaile into the East that so I might learne vertue in the schoole of the world seeing diuers countries and diuers nations and you did condescend that my brother Pauline should go with me because he desired it and you caused vs to be furnished with honourable prouision of men and horse but I desired you to permit me to go trauaile as a Christian Pilgrime and namely to that noble place of Loreto and that enduring some paine for the loue of God and satisfaction of my sinnes I might winne heaueÌ„ you praysed mine intention yet notwithstanding you recommended vs to certaine french Gentlemen which were in the East and made vs to take letters of Banke to help vs if we should be in necessity Then I declared vnto you as also did my brother Pauline the desire I had in my soule euer since my youth to leaue the world and to dedicate my selfe to the seruice of God a desire which hath alwayes increased in me and growne so much the more earnest feruent by how much the more clearely I did discouer the vanity of this life in euery vocation and learne that there was nothing stable vnder the heauens nothing more noble or worthy then to seeke euerlasting riches a desire which came not of my self but of God for whome I haue heard you often say that we must leaue Father and Mother and all It came also of you Syr by reason of the good instructioÌ„s which you gaue me and had caused to be giuen me so that for all and euery way I am bound and obliged to you Behold then my request grounded vpon two good titles of the goodnes and will of God and of your vertue and merit towards me and this my desire is that for the honour of God whome your selfe honour aboue all things and for the holy loue you beare vnto me and haue shewed by a thousaÌ„d benefits that it would please you to take in good part that without any longer delay I may leaue the world to consecrate my selfe to the seruice of him who hath called me to follow him and that giuing me your blessing you would crowne with this benefit all others that hitherto I haue receiued of you all which I will remember whilst my body shall breath and for the which I shall demaund of God with warme teares a recompence worthy of his diuine Maiesty The manner of life which I shall choose shall not make me leaue or forget the loue and respect which I owe vnto you but will make it more solide and firme for the counsels of God which teach vs to follow him neere are not contrary to his law which commaundeth to honour Father and Mother and Religion doth not destroy the law of nature but doth purify confirme and increase it And therefore thogh I should be absent in body yet I shall be alwaies present with you in spirit in what place soeuer the prouidence of God shall let me liue I shall alwayes remaine your most humble Sonne and Seruant and will put you in the
that dolorous mystery when thy Sonne praying in the garden to his eternall Father in his agony swet drops of bloud in such aboundance that they ranne downe vpon the ground and after was by one of his disciples betrayed and deliuered to the ministers of the Iewes by whome he was taken and his hands being manicled with a cord about his necke was cruelly haled to the houses of Annas and Cayphas The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me of thy deare Sonne the gift and grace of true prayer and that in all my tribulations and afflictions I may conforme my will vnto Gods bearing them all with patience and that he will assist me in the agony of my death Amen Of the Whipping The Oblation O Virgin most afflicted I humbly offer thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster in memory of the griefe and shame which thy Sonne felt Dolo ∣ rous 2 when after all the scoffing beating and spitting of that darke and dolefull night the next day he was in the house of Pilate despised and put to shame being he that cloathed the heauens with beauty and is himselfe the most beautifull of all the children of men bound to a piller and whipped most cruelly with no lesse then 5000. stripes and more The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee aske of thy Sonne for me that he would rid me of all earthly affections giue me grace and courage to chastice and subdue myne owne flesh that it preuaile not against the spirit and that I may patiently beare the rods and chasticements which in this life his diuine Maiesty shall send me Of the Crowning The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 3 O Virgin distressed I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster in reuereÌ„ce of that griefe which thy Sonne our Lord Iesus-Christ suffered when the cruell tormentors crowned him with a crowne of thornes which pierced his most tender and holy head in such sort that his precious bloud trickled downe round about most aboundantly They mocked him also put in his hand a reed for a scepter striking him therewith on the head The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee pray for me that I may auoid all desire of pride presumption and may rather desire â—â—ame iniuries for my sweet Sauiour Christ his sake that in this life being crowned with thornes of tribulation I may deserue hereafter to be crowned with glory in thy blisse euerlasting Of the carrying of the Crosse The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 4 O Virgin so darkened and filled with griefe sorrow I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster for the sorrow thy holy soule felt when thou didst see thy dearely beloued Sonne led through the streetes of Hierusalem with proclamation condemned to death as a malefactour and disturber of the people carying all along that heauy Crosse vpon his weake shoulders and sawest him failing to the ground with the weight thereof with which dolefull sight thou wert euen pierced with griefe and sorrow The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me perfect feeling and tendernes of hart and compassion in these sufferings of thy Sonne and tâ—â—e repentance whereby I may weepe also for my selfe confessing correcting and satisfying for my sinnes and that with promptitude and alacrity I may carry any Crosse which God shall lay vpon my shoulders Of the Crucifying The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 5 O Virgin spring and fountaine of teares at the foote of the crosse crucifyed in hart with thy Sonne I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster to the incomparable griefe which thou feltst when in mount Caluary thou â—awest thy good Iesus that lambe without spot fastened to the Crosse with cruell blowes which pierced thy hart where after pardoning of his enemies and fulfilling the scriptures with a great cry and teares he commended his soule to his eternall Father thou sawest him yield vp his ghost The Prayer BY the greatnes of thy griefes which heare B. Lady thou didst suffer obtayne for me that I may pardon and loue myne enemies that our Lord may pardon me all my sinnes and not forsake me in the houre of my death but that hauing performed all my duty I may yield my soule into his holy hands Amen Of the Resurrection The Oblation O Queene of heauen full of ioy I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster for the ineffable ioy thou tookest in the Resurrection Glori ∣ ous 1 of thy well-beloued Sonne when to thee before all others he appeared glorious risen from the dead and conuerted all thy sorrow into ioy and gladnes and after in token of his great loue and for confirmation of the fayth of this Resurrection he appeared often to his Apostles and disciples The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee procure me the true ioy of a good coÌ„science and that my soule may rise againe in newnes of life and manners and firmely belieue the misteries of the fayth which our holy Mother the Catholike Church teacheth Amen Of the Ascension The Olation O Glorious Lady full of comfort I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues Glori ∣ ous 2 and one Pater noster for the ioy thou haddst in the wonderfull Ascension of thy Sonne our Lord when thou sawest him with glorious triumph mounted vp accompanied with the blessed soules of the holy Fathers adored and worshipped of all the quires of Angels ascending into the heauens there sitting at the right hand of God his Father leauing thee heere on earth for the stay and light of his Apostles for the example comfort of his Catholike Church The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me that my hart may be lifted vp to loue heauenly things and that thou wilt be to me a sweete comforter in the iourney of this present life that I may deserue life euerlasting Amen Of the comming c. The Oblation O Excellent Spouse of the holy Ghost mother of the motherles comfort of the comfortles I humbly offer 10. Aues and one Pater noster to the sacred mystery of the coÌ„ming of the holy Ghost when Glori ∣ ous 3 in the figure of fiery tongues he descended vpon thee most B. Virgin and the whole company of the Apostles euen as thy Sonne promised in such sort did inflame and fill their harts that immediatly they began to speake in diuers tongues the wonders of God The Prayer PRay for me O B. Lady that I may deserue to receyue plentifull grace the gifts of the holy Ghost the language of ChristiaÌ„ loue in all my conuersation with my neighbours and perseuerance in vertue and all good purposes Of the Assumption The Oblation Glori ∣ ous 4 O Soueraigne Lady and Virgin the honour of mankind beauty of the heauens I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster to the glorious mystery of thy Assumption when by the B. Sonne thou wert called to his euerlasting glory deseruedst at thy happy passage to
Virgo Maria Alleluia Resp Quia surrexit Dominus verè Alleluia Oratio DEuâ— qui per Resurrectionem filij tui Domini nostri Iesu Christi mundum laetificare dignatus es praâ—â—ta quaesumus vt per eius Genâ—tricâ—m Virginem Mariá perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae Per cumdem Christum Dominum nostrum Amen A Sabbato post Pentecost vsque ad Aduentum Vers Ora pro nobiâ— sancta Dei genitrix Resp Vt digni efficiamur prone issionibus Christi Oratio OMnipotens sâ—mpiterne Deus qui gloriosae Virginis Matrio Mariae corpus animam vt diuinum filij tuâ— habitaculum effici increâ—etâ—â—â— Spiritu sancto cooperan◠〈◊〉 da vt cuius commemoratione laecamur eius pia intercessione ab instaÌ„tibus malis a morte perpetua liberemur Per cumdem Christum DominuÌ„ nostrum Amen In Festiuitate Conceptionis Natiuitatis Praesentationus Visitationis B Virginis Vers Conceptio Natiuitas PraeseÌ„tatio Visitatio est hodie sanctae Mariae Virginis Resp Cuius vita inclita cunctas illustra Ecclesias Oratio FAmulis tuis quaesumus Domine caelestis gratiae munus impertire vt quibus B Virginis partus extitit salutis exordium CoÌ„ceptionis vel Natiuitatis vel Praesentationis vel Visitationis eius votiua solemnitas pacis tribuat incrementum Per Dominum nostrum c. In Assumptione B. Maria. Vers Exaltata est Sancta Dei genitrix Resp Super choros Angelorum ad caelestiar egna Oratio FAmulorum tuorum quaesumus Domine delictis ignosce vt qui tibi placere de actibu nostris non valemus Genitricis filij tui Domini nostri intercessione salueâ—â—ur Per euÌ„dem Dominum nostrum c. THE ROSARY OF OVR B. LADY conteining the 15. Mysteries The 5. Ioyous 1. The Annunciation of the Angell Gabriel to our B Lady 2. The visitation of our B. Lady to S. Elizabeth 3. The birth of Christ our Redeemer 4. The Presentation of her litle Iesus in the Temple 5. The fynding of of him in the TeÌ„ple The 5. Dolorous 1. The prayer of our Sauiour when he swet bloud in the garden 2. WheÌ„ he was bouÌ„d to the piller and whipped 3. WheÌ„ he was crowned with thornes 4. When he carried his Crosse 5. When he was crucifyed The 5. glorious 1. The Resurrection of our Sauiour 2. His Ascension 3. The comming of the holy Ghost 4. The Assumption of our B. Lady 5. Her Coronation Euery Mystery must be considered with an Oblation and a Prayer eyther before or after the Aue Maria. Of the Annunciation The Oblation O Most holy Virgin full of grace I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Ioyous 1 Aue Maria and one Pater noster in honour of the ioy thou receiuedst when being in thy closet thou wert saluted by the holy Angell S. Gabriel with these sweet words All hayle full of grace our Lord is with thee And brought thee that good tydings how the Sonne of God came to be made man and incarnate in thy virginall wombe for the remedy of mankind and thou Blessed Lady thy vow of chastity prouided for with profound humility didst answer saying Behold the handmayd of my Lord be it with me according to thy word The Prayer I Beseech thee O B. Virgin obtaine for me of thy beloued Sonne to liue in this world with great recollection and heed of my soule that I may performe all the vowes and good purposes I haue offered vnto God and perfect humility wherewith in all things I should resigne my selfe to his holy will and pleasure Of the Visitation The Oblation Ioyous 2 O Most excellent Virgin blessed aboue all women I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Auâ—s one Pater noster in remembraÌ„ce of that ioy thy soule felt when inflamed with charity thou wentst in all hast to visit thy Cousin S. Elisabeth at which visitation the blessed child S. Iohn began ioyfully to exult in his mothers belly and was therewith sanctifyed and thou most B Lady being knowen and saluted for the mother of God didst sing that diuine Canticle of Magnifiâ—at The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee O B. Lady to obtaine for me of thy deare Sonne that I may alwaies seeke good company and conuersation and walke right wayes and haue feruent charity to God and profit of my neighbours and sanctification of mine owne soule Of the Natiuity The Oblation Ioyous 3 O Virgin Queene of Angels mother of God I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster to that ineffable ioy which thy soule felt when of thy virginall bowels for the remedy of man the Sonne of God was borne thou remaining a pure Virgin before in and after his birth and with ioy and admirable reuerence didst swadie him in poore cloutes and rest him in the manger and as true God didst adore him in whose birth the quires of Angells song Glory to God on high and iâ— earth peace to men of good will The Prayer O Alwayes Virgin obtaine for me that with thee I may loue thy little new borne Iesus with all my hart in all things seeke his glory and keepe peace with my neighbours that in honour of so g eat pouerty wherewith my God lay in a manger I may abhorre the vanities and delights of this world Of the Presentation The Oblation Ioyous 4 O Most pure Virgin the glasse of humility I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster in remembrance of the ioy thou feltest when after that thy Sonne had beene glorifyed by the Angels visited by the Shepheards and adored by the Kings obseruing the law of Purification whereto thou wert not bound 40 dayes after thy childbirth thou didst present thy litle Iesus in the Temple where he was agnized and knowne of holy old Simeon and Anne the Prophetesse and adored for Messias and the true God The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for mo of thy deare Sonne perfect chastity and purity of conscience that being purifyed in soule body I may be presented before thy diuine sight Amen Of the fynding c. The Oblation O Virgin Mother of mercy the comfort and help of the afflicted and distressed I humbly offer thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster Ioyous 5 for the ioy thou receiuedst when after the affliction of thy soule for hauing lost thy little Iesus the light of thine eyes thou foundst him in the Temple at three dayes end set amongst the Doctours hearing and demaunding with admirable wisedome and returned in thy company and was subiect vnto thee and thy holy and most pure spouse Ioseph The Prayer GRant me O Blessed Lady to seeke my God with great griefe sorrow for hauing lost him and grace neuer more to loose him and perfect obedience to all my superiours Amen Of the Prayers in the garden The Oblation O Most holy Virgin in the Passion of thy Sonne so sad and desolate Dolo ∣ rous 1 I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster in reuerence of