feare of interruption when he was laid to sleepe So that night and daie she sought none other thing but how she might occupie her selfe in such vertuous exercises as were most liking to her heauenlie spowse vnto whom she commended her selfe and praied without ceasing that it would please him to be the keeper of her virginitie saying euermore with the glorious virgin and martyr Cecilia O Lord let my hart and bodie be kept vndefiled And our Lord who neuer faileth to succour his faithful seruantes in their distresse heard the crie his vniustly afflicted spowse and gaue her such strenght and comfort from aboue that she bare ouercame with great facilitie all that heauie burthen of vexations and troubles that her parents and kinsfolkes had laid vpon her And the greater enforcement they vsed to remoue her from her holie purpose the more firme and vnmoueable she shewed her selfe to be in continuyng the same In so much that at the lenght when her parentes sawe her firmenes and constancie they confessed and said in plaine wordes She hath ouercome vs. And her father who was more innocent then the rest considering secretly with him selfe of the doinges of his daughter perceiued euerie daie more more that she folowed in the whole state of her life not anie lightnes of youth or stubbernes of hart towardes her parents but only the motion and guidance of Gods holie spirite For the better confirmation wherof it pleased God so to dispose that on a daie when she was in her brothers chamber at praier leauing the doore open for her father mother had geuen her charge that she should be no where with the doore shut vpon her her father in the meane tyme entring into the chamber by chaunce seekyng some thing there of his sonnes that he had need to occupie at that tyme fownd her in a corner kneeling deuoutly vpon her knees and casting vp his eyes sawe a litle white doue sitting ouer her head which doue so soone as he was entred to his seemyng flewe out at the chamber windowe wherat being somewhat amazed he asked her what doue that was Sir said she I neuer sawe doue nor other byrd in the chamber that I wote of The which when he heard he was verie much astonied but kept the matter secretly to him selfe About this tyme the desire which this holie virgin had had of long tyme to put on the habit of S. Dominicke began to increase in her hart daily more more for the accomplishment wherof she ceased not by daie by night to offer vp her humble praiers and supplications to almightie God Who liked well of her request graunted the same therfore for her better assurance confort sent her this strange and euident vision Being on a tyme a sleepe it seemed that she sawe diuerse and sundrie of the Fathers and fownders of the rules of religion and emong them she sawe S. Dominicke whom she knewe well ynough by a white lilie that he held in his hand which lilie seemed to her to be all in a bright fyer as the bush was that Moyses sawe which burned and cōsumed not Those Fathers willed her to choose some one of their rules in the which she might lead her life and serue God with the greater merite She cast her eyes vpon S. Dominicke and turned her selfe whole to him who likewise came towardes her bringing in his hand the habite of the sisters commonly called the sisters Penitentes of S. Dominicke and said thus vnto her Daughter said he be of good comfort and dread no peril for it is certaine that thou shalt receiue this apparel and weare it The which wordes were so comfortable vnto her that she wept for ioye and gaue most humble thankes to almightie God and to the worthie patriarcke S. Dominicke And so with the force of teares gushing out of her eyes she awaked and came to her selfe againe By this vision she receiued such comfort and strength both in bodie and sowle and withal such a trust and affiance in God that the selfe same daie she called her father and mother brethren together and spake vnto them with a great grace and comelie boldnes after this maner It is now a long tyme sence yee first began to treat with me that I should marrie with some mortal man The which talke how much I euer abhored I neuer declared plainely but concealed it in part for reuerence that I bare vnto you But now I may no longer hold my peace and therfore I mynd to open my hart and purpose vnto you in plaine wordes It is so that I haue made a full resolution and promise to my Lord and Sauiour and to his most glorious Mother the blessed virgin Marie that I will serue them all the daies of my life in the cleane and holie state of virginitie And I geue you to vnderstand that this is no newe thing or lately come vpon me but a thing that I did long since euen in myne infancie being not with standing therunto moued not by anie childish lightnes but by long and sad aduisement and that not without verie euident tokens and most assured reuelations from almightie God And I haue vowed withal that I will neuer incline myne hart to accept anie other husband but only him And therfore now being come by his gratious goodnes to the yeares of discretion and more perfite knowledge I thought it my bownden duetie to aduertise you in expresse termes that thus much I haue by the will of God faithfully promised and thus much I will by the grace of God truly obserue This determinate purpose is so deepely imprinted in my sowle that it shal be more easie to make a hard flint softe then to take this godlie resolution out of myne hart Wherfore I most humbly beseech you that yee wil leese no more tyme in treating with me about mariage For in this matter I maie in no wise condescend to your request bicause I haue plight my faith and truth to Iesus Christ alone whose loue I doe and must preferre before all earthlie creatures Now if it shall please you to keepe me in your house with this condicion as your common seruant I will serue you willingly and obediently to the vttermost of my power If yee thinke by putting me out of your howse to enforce me to yeald vnto your demaūd for lacke of necessarie prouision assure your selues no feare of lacke can alter my mynd in this case For I haue chosen him for my husband that geueth foode to al liuing creatures who will not suffer them to be destitute of thinges necessarie that repose thēselues with a sure affiance in his prouident goodnes With these wordes pronounced with such a comelie grace modestie they were all so astoined withal so ouercome with tendernes of hart and weeping that for a good space they were not able to geue her one word for answere At the lenght her father who was a man that
out a wildernes in the middle of the citie and to make her selfe a solitarie place were there was great resort and concourse of people She continued in praier meditation in the night season vntill the Friars Preachers rang the second peale to Matins And then she went to take a litle rest saying these wordes to our Lord. Lord hitherto haue thy seruantes my brethren taken their rest and I haue kept the watch for them before thee our gardian protectour beseeching thee to keepe them from the assaultes of the enemie and all euel Now are they risen to praise thee wherfor I humbly praie thee to keepe them and to geue me leaue to rest a while And so she laid her selfe downe vpon the bare boordes and put vnder her head a hard blocke in steed of a bolster or pillowe Of diuerse and sundrie visions and reuelations shewed vnto her With a doctrine how to discerne betweene true and false visions Chap. 16. THis holie virgin declared in secret confession to her ghostlie Father that at what tyme she began to retire her selfe from all conuersation and to liue alone in her cell it pleased her spowse Iesus Christ to visite her in visible maner and to geue her instructions in matters concernyng her saluation Father said she take this for a most certaine truth that I was neuer taught the rule of spiritual life by anie man or woman but only by Iesus Christ the spowse of my sowle who hath informed me alwaies either by secret inspiration or els appeering openly vnto me and speaking to me as I now speake to you She declared moreouer to her ghostlie Father that at the begyning her visiōs were for the most part only wrought in her imagination but afterwardes they were sensible in so much that she sawe with her bodilie eyes and heard with her bodilie eares the sownd of the voice that spake vnto her She reported furthermore that at the begynning she began to doubt and feare lest it might be some deceite or illusion of the ghostlie enemie who transfigureth him selfe into an Angel of light Which feare our Lord misliked not but rather commended it highlie vnto her and said that so long as a man or woman liueth in this life he should alwaies stand in feare according as it written Blessed is the man that is euer fearfull And he asked her whether she were willing to learne of him certaine notes and tokens by the which she might be able to discerne betweene the true visions of God and the false illusions of the enemie Wherunto she made answere with great submission and lowlines of spirite and besought him humbly that he would vowchasafe to teach her Then he said these wordes Daughter It were an easie matter for me to informe thy sowle inwardly with the secret instincte of my spirit in such sort that thou shouldest at all tymes discerne perfectly and without errour betweene true visions and counterfeicte illusions But bicause my will is that it should profit others as well as thee therfore I will teach thee a general rule and lesson which is this My vision beginneth euermore with feare and dread but in processe of tyme it setteth a sowle in great ioye quietnes and securitie It begynneth with some kind of bitternes but in continuance it waxeth more deliteful sweet The visions of the enemie are contrarie For in the begynning they shewe a kind of securitie and gladnes but in processe they turne to feare and bitternes which increase afterwardes and waxe greater and greater And it standeth with good reason for so much as my waies and the waies of the enemie haue this special difference My waies are the keeping of the commaundementes in perfection of a vertuous and godlie life which leadeth vnto me These seeme at the begynnyng to be full of difficultie and vnpleasant but in tyme they become easie ynough pleasant But the waies of the enemie are the transgressing of my commaundementes in the libertie of the flesh and licentiousnes of life which shewe at the begynnyng to be deliteful and pleasant but in continuance of tyme they proue in verie deed dangerous painful and vnpleasant Take this also for a most certaine and infallible rule to discerne betweene true and false visions Bicause I am truth it can not otherwise be but that euermore by my visions the sowle of man must needes receiue a greater knowledge of truth by the which knowledge he cometh to vnderstand both his owne basenes the worthines of God and so consequently to doe due honour and reuerence to God and to make litle account of him selfe which is the proper condicion of humilitie The contrarie happeneth in the visions of the enemie For he being the father of lying and king ouer al the children of pride can geue none other thing but only what he hath and therfore in his visions there must needes ensue in a sowle ignorance and errour by reason wherof it conceiueth a false reputation of it selfe which is the proper condicion of pride By this maiest thou knowe whether thy visions be of me or of the enemie of truth or of falshood If they come of truth they will make thy sowle humble if they come of falshood they will make thy sowle prowd Thus was she instructed of the teacher of all truth Iesus Christ and she kept his doctrine and instructions verie faithfully in mynd and vttered them afterwardes to her ghostlie Father and others for their instruction as it shal be declared hereafter And after this time it pleased God to send her so manie visions and reuelations that who so would consider of them aduisedly he should see that it were hard to find anie two men in the wordle more familiary acquenited then our Lord and she were In so much that whether she praied or read or meditated or walked or waked or slept she was at all tymes and in all places visited and comforted of our Lord. And which is more while her tongue was outwardly speaking vnto men her hart was inwardly bent vpon God and spake spiritually with him Howbeit that could not endure anie long tyme forsomuch as her sowle was within a litle space so drawen vp and vnited to God that it could not choose but forsake vtterly the senses and powers of the bodie Of a verie goodlie and profitable doctrine of our Sauiour worthie to be planted in the hartes of as manie as are desirous to come to spiritual perfection Chap. 17. EMongest a nomber of goodlie and high lessons that she learned of our Sauiour this was one On a tyme while she was praying our Sauiour appeered to her and said Daughter knowest thou what thou art and what I am If thou haue a perfecte knowledge of these two pointes thou art blessed For by the meane therof thou shalt easily escape all the snares of the enemie and shalt not at anie tyme geue consent to anie synne that is against my commaundementes but contariwise thou shalt be
life manie a one shall take occasion of slaunder and offence and thou shalt be gainesaid of manie that the thoughtes of manie hartes maie be opened But in anie case see that thou be nothing afraid or troubled with anie of these thinges For I will be with thee alwaies and will deliuer thee from lying lippes and slaunderous tongues Folowe therfore freely the guydance of my holie spirite and labour diligently in this charitable woorke wherin I haue apointed thee For by thee I haue determined to deliuer manie soules out of the dragons mouth and to bring them to my euerlasting rest in heauen These and other the like wordes spake our Lord to her and repeted the same againe and againe and specially that word where he bad her that she should not be afraid or dismaid Wherunto the holie maid made answere with great humilitie and perfecte obedience saying Thou art my Lord and my God and I thy creature and vnworthy hand maid thy will be done in all thinges Only this O Lord I beseech thee remember me according to the multitude of thy mercies and helpe me And with that the vision ceased and the blessed virgin conferred those comfortable wordes of our Sauiout in her hart easting earnestly with her selfe what that gracious alteration might meane From that tyme foreward the grace of God increased daily in her hart so much the gyftes of the holie Ghost replenished her soule in such aboundant maner that she was her selfe astoined at it and by reason of that passing great increase of spiritual ioye and comfort that she felt in her soule her bodie being not able to beare it waxed feeble faint Her hart was wholly caried vp into God and that with such a vehemēcie and feruour of loue that she could not endure anie tyme without thinking and meditating vpon his most noble workes and endles mercies towardes her selfe and all mankind The force of the which loue so ouercame the natural powers of her bodie that she languished and decaied in strength and could find none other remedie for that sickenes but only to runne vnto God with an amorous affection and to powre out her hart befor him with great aboundance of teares and so to renewe her selfe as it were in the forge and fyer of loue At the length it pleased our Lord to geue her to vnderstand by the secret instincte of his holie spirite that the most soueraigne medicine for that disease was often tymes to receiue the blessed Sacrament of the aulter Where she should haue the ioyful fruition of her loue not in such sort as she should haue it afterwardes in the blesse of heauen but yet so as that she should find her selfe satisfied in some dergree for the tyme Now after that she had vsed for a certaine tyme to comunicate euerie daie as she did vnlesse she were letted by sickenes or by some other necessarie occasion she had at the length such a passing great longing and as it were an impatient desire to receiue the blessed Sacrament that if she were enforced by anie such vrgēt necessitie to abstaine but only one daie it seemed that her body fainted sēsibly failed forsomuch as being now fully accorded with the soule it had abādoned the natural powers senses and so receiued nourishment and sustentation not of the meates that the bodie is wont to be fed withal which did her more harme then good but of the foode of the soule which is the grace of God which grace was so abōdant in her soule that it redounded into her bodie and by miracle tempered that wasting heat that is wont to consume the radical moisture Her ghostlie Father examinyng her vpon this point asked whether she had euer anie appetite to eate or no. Wherunto she made answere that she was fully satisfied with the holy Sacrament and had none other appetite Then he asked her yet further in case by occasion she absteined from receiuing the blessed Sacrament whether she were then hungrie or no. To that likewise she answered and said that the only presence of the Sacrament did satisfie her and not only the Sacrament but the priest also that had touched the Sacrament did satifie and comfort her in such sort that she could not so much as thinke of anie other meate And in deed it was well knowen to as manie as liued with her from the begynnyng of Lent vntill the Ascension daie she continued in verie good liking without receiuing anie maner of bodily food or sustenance in the worlde And vpon that daie by commaundement of God she tooke only a litle bread and a fewe herbes for her stomake might not brooke anie deintie or fine meates After that she obserued a simple maner of fasting for a tyme vntill at the length by litle and litle she came againe to her old maner of abstinence which was to eate nothing at all And so she passed ouer her life in a continual and euident miracle verifying that saying of the holie Scripture that man liueth not only by bread but by euerie word that cometh out of our Lordes mowth Her ghostlie Father testified that he sawe her him selfe and that not once or twise but often tymes when continuyng after this sort without anie maner of sustenance vnlesse it were a litle water she became so weake that as manie as were about her looked euerie hower when she would geue vp the ghost At what tyme if occasion were ministred to wynne a sowle to God or to doe anie other charitable worke to the honour of God they all sawe to their great astonishment that she was sodainly altered in the state of her bodie in such sort that she was able to rise and goe without anie token of weakenes or weerines and also to endure great labour in doing that good worke that she tooke in hand for Gods sake And those that went with her hauing their perfecte health and strength could hardly folowe her here there but that they must needes be more weerie then she shewed to be Which made them all to confesse that it was the almightie power of God that susteined her and not anie naturall force How she was molested by diuerse and sundrie persones disswading her from her streight Abstinence and how she ouercame her ghostlie Father by reason Chap. 13. THis streight and vnwonted maner of Abstinence was to the holie maid an occasion of great vnquietnes and trouble both by them that liued with her in howse and also by others who seeing the order of her conuersation to be so farre aboue the common course of mans life perswaded them selues and trauailed much to perswade her also that it was not the gracious gyfte of God but only a suttle deceite tentation of the Deuel With this errour were a great nōber caried awaie emong others her owne ghostly Father who imagining all this to be nothing els but only a craftie illusiō of Satan transforming him selfe into an Angel of light commaunded her
and conuersation How hangyng in the ayer she sawe certaine secrets and high mysteries of God which it is not lawful to disclose to anie man Chap. 19. THIS holie maid from the tyme that she was thus endued with newe graces vntill the xxxiij yeare of her age at what tyme she departed out of this life was so wholly occupied in diuine comtemplations that in all that tyme she neuer needed anie bodilie sustenance And in those contemplations her soule was so mightely drawen vp to heauenlie thinges that her bodie also was by the vehemencie of the spirite taken vp often tymes withal and suspended in the ayer At which tymes she sawe manie wonderful thinges and spake manie high wordes of heauenlie matters which were heard of diuerse and sundrie persones On a tyme her ghostlie Father seeing her so rauished from her bodilie senses and hearing her speake certaine wordes softely to her selfe came neere to hearken what she said And standing by her he heard her speake these wordes distinctly in latine Vidi arcana Dei that is I haue seene the secrets of God And she repeted the same wordes often tymes Vidi arcana Dei Her ghostlie Father afterwardes being verie desirous to knowe what she meant by those wordes and whie she repeted them so often asked her after this maner Good mother said he I praie you tell me whie you repeated those wordes so often What is the cause whie you will not declare your secrets to me now as you were wont to doe To that she answered and said that she might not speake otherwise whie so said he whie maie you not declare the thinges that our Lord reuealeth vnto you as well now as you were wont to doe Good Father said she I should haue as great a conscience if I should declare the high misteries that almightie God hath now reueled vnto me with my defectuous and imperfecte tongue as I should haue if I had blasphemed or dishonoured our Lord in wordes For there is so great difference betweene heauenly thinges apprehended in an vnderstanding that is illuminated by God and the same thinges vttered by the speach or tongue of man that me thinketh they are almost contrarie the one to the other And therefore for this tyme I praie you hold me excused For the thinges that I haue seene are vnspeakeable After this great reuelation that our Lord made to her of vnspeakeable thinges it seemed to her that her hart did leap out of her bodie and that it did enter into the side of our Sauiour Christ and there was made one hart with his hart And at that instant she felt her soule all molton and resolued with the force of his diuine loue in such sort that she cried out with a loude voice often tymes Domine vulnerasti cor meum Domine vulnerasti cor meum Lord thou hast wounded my hart Lord thou hast wounded my hart This thing was done vpon S. Margarets Daie in the yeare of our Lord. 1370. How she put her mouth to the side of our Sauiour and drancke and of manie other wonderful thinges that happened about the blessed Sacrament Chap. 20. IT chaunced also the same yeare on S. Laurence daie that this holie maid comyng to the Church to heare Masse set her selfe downe neere to the Aulter as her maner was that she might the better see the holie Sacrament And kneeling there deuoutly in her praiers she brake out into weeping and sobbing so much that her ghostlie Father came to her warned her that she should refraine so much as was possible for not molesting the priest at Masse Wherupon like a meeke and obedient daughter she remoued her selfe farther from the Aulter and made her humble praier to our Lord that he would vouchsafe to illuminate her Confessours hart that he might see and vnderstand that such violent motions of the spirite might not be witholden and kept in by the strength of man and her priaer was not vaine For it pleased God to make her ghostlie Father to vnderstand perfectly by experience that such feruour of spirite could not be so kept in but that the force of diuine loue would needes breake out The which when he vnderstood he neuer rebuked her afterwardes for anie such matter Now kneeling after this maner farre of from the Aulter she groned in her hart and manie tymes also brake out into wordes and said after a languishing and ruthful maner I would faine receiue the bodie of my Lord and Redeemer I would faine receiue the bodie of my Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ One tyme as she was so so crying behold our Lord appeered vnto her with the wound of his side all open and bringing her mowth to the same said Receiue of my flesh and drincke of my blood so much as thou wilt With that she sucked greedily and tooke so much that it seemed to her that for verie pure loue she was at the point of death by reason of the passing great sweetnes that she felt in her hart The selfe same yeare vpon S. Alexius daie this holie maid made her praier to God that he would vowchsafe to graunt her a feruent and burnyng desire to receiue his most holie bodie and blood At what tyme she vnderstood by reuelation that on the morowe she should receiue without all doubt For she had ben forbiden for certaine respectes that she should not receiue so often When she had that comfortable reuelation she praied againe to our Lord that he would vowchsafe to clense her hart against the tyme of receiuing that she might receiue the more worthily to her greater profite Behold while she was so praying she felt a certaine raigne comyng downe into her soule in maner of a great abondant flood not of water or of anie other such licour but of blood myngled with fyer which as it seemed to her clensed her soule so mightely that the strength and operation of the same redounded into the bodie and clensed it also After this on the morowe she was so extremely sicke that to her seemyng she was not able to moue one foote though the worlde had lyen on it All the which not withstanding she doubted nothing of the promise made vnto her by our Lord but with a ful affiance in him set her selfe in the waie towardes the Church Whither when she was come she kneeled downe in a chappell besides an Aulter and besought almightie God with great instance that her ghostlie Father might come and saie Masse there For she had a special inhibition not to receiue at anie other priestes hand And she vnderstood by reuelation that almightie God had graunted her that petition also Now while she was thus attending there for the performance of all these comfortable promises her ghostlie Father who before found small disposition in him selfe to saie Masse that daie knewe not of her being there was sodainly touched at the hart with a verie strange feruour and deuotiō Wherupon he prepared him selfe to Masse and went
litle before euen song tyme being in the Church occupied in praier manie reuelations were shewed to her by S. Dominicke him selfe and by diuerse other Sainctes The which reuelations were so familiar to her that she was able at one tyme both to geue heed to them and also to declare the same to others While she was thus occupied it chaunced that brother Barthelmewe her Confessours companion entred into the Church in whom she had as great affiance as in her Confessour him selfe for in her Confessours absence he was her ghostlie Father When she perceiued that he was come she arose and went towardes him and said that she had to conferre with him concernyng certaine reuelations Wherupon they sate downe together in the Church and she began to declare to him manie strange thinges that our Lord had reuealed to her Emong other thinges she declared to him that at that verie instant while she was speaking to him she sawe her holy father S. Dominicke there present as well as she sawe the Friar that sate by her and that he was neerer to her then the Friar was In this meane tyme while she was thus declaring to him manie wonderful reuelatiōs it happened that hir yonger brother whose name was also Barthelmewe came by And she seeing by like the shadowe of his bodie or els hearing the noise of his feete cast her eye a litle a side and beheld her brother and so thought to returne to her foremer discourse againe But considering with her selfe what she had done she was toched at the hart with such an inward grief for that litle distraction that for a good tyme she held her peace and spake not one word but wept and wailed verie bitterly At the length the Friar that was there seeing that she made no end of weeping spake comfortable wordes vnto her and praied her that she would goe foreward in her godlie talke But she so sobbed and wept that she was not able to geue him one word to answere After a long spcae when she had wonne so much of her selfe that she was able to speake she began with her selfe after this maner Ah wretch that thou art thou shalt surely abide for it With that Friar Barthelmewe asked her what offence that should be that she tooke so heauiely Out vpon me vile wretch said she sawe you not while our Lord was shewing me his great mysteries and secrets how I turned myne eye a side to behold a creature Then the good man who had great wonder to see the tendernes of her conscience and therfore desired to excuse or qualifie her offence said vnto her Surrely mother it seemeth verie strange to me that you should make so great lamentation for a matter of so light importance for that turnyng aside for your eye endured so litle tyme that I assure you I could not espie it O father said she if you knewe how sharply our blessed Ladie rebuked me for that trespas vndoubtedly you would weepe and lament with me When she had said those wordes she held her peace and would speake no more of her reuelations but continued sorrowing and weeping for her offence vntill such tyme as she had made her Confession and so with heauie cheere she went home to her chamber She declared afterwardes to her ghostlie Father that S. Paul appeered to her also and reprooued her so roughly for that litle losse of tyme that she would rather suffer all the shame of the worlde then abide such an other rebuke at the Apostles hand And of that rebuke she tooke occcasion to speake to her ghostlie Father after this maner O Father saide shee thinke you what a confusion and shame that shal bee that all wicked and vnhappie synners shall abide at the later daie when they shal stand before the maiestie of God seeing that the presence of one only Apostle is so dreadfull and intolerable I assure you father the apostles wordes and contenance were so terrible to me that if I had not had comfort of a goodlie bright lampe that stood by while he spake to me I thinke verily my hart had neuer ben able to abide the same but would haue dyed for verie sorrowe that it had of that extreme shame and confusion And thus it pleased God now and then to put her in mynd of her owne frailtie especially after such great reuelations which otherwise might haue moued her hart to pride How it pleased God to reueale to her the worthynes and excellencie of the blessed Partriarke S. Dominicke and of his true children Chap 25. ON a tyme conferring with Friar Barthelmewe of the reuelations that our Lord had shewed vnto her emong other thinges she declared that she had seene in deed by a vision of imagination how almightie God the Father brought foorth his coequal true Sōne as it seemed to her by his mouth the which Sonne in the nature of mankind which he had taken shewed him selfe to her also in the substāce and fourme of a true man She sawe likewise how almightie God brought foorth the glorious patriarke S. Dominicke not out of his mouth but out of his brest enuironed round about with a meruelous goodlie light and brightnes And she heard a voice proceeding from the mouth of almightie God which said these wordes Deere daughter I haue brought forth as thou seest these two sonnes the one naturally the other by adoption She was much amazed at the strangenes of that comparision made betweene the Sonne of God and S. Dominicke Whereupon the voice proceded and declared the meanyng of it after this maner As this my natural Sonne was in his humane nature which he tooke euermore most perfectly obedient to me euen to death so was this my some by adoption obedient to me in all pointes euen from his childhood to his dying daie and directed all his workes according to my commaundementes and kept that puritie both of bodie and soule which he receiued of me in Baptisme cleane and vnspotted vntill the end of his life And as this my natural Sonne spake openly to the wordle and gaue a most cleere testimonie to the truth that I put in his mouth euen so did this my sonne by adoption preach the truth of my gospel as well to heretikes and scismatikes as also emong my faithful people And as this my natural Sonne sent out his disciples to publish the gospel to all creatures so doth this my sonne by adoption now at this present and shall hereafter from tyme to tyme send out his brethren and children vnder the yoke of his holie obedience discipline And for this cause is it graunted to him and his by special priuilege that they shall haue the true vnderstanding of my wordes and shall neuer swarue from the same And as this my natural Sonne ordained the state of his whole life in deedes and wordes to the saluation of soules euen so did this my Sonne by adoption emploie him selfe wholly both in his doctrine and in example
restitution both of the one and the other to wite both of the honour of God and also of the saluation of man was appointed by God to be wrought by the meane of his Crosse therfore he had euermore a meruelous great desir to come vnto it which desire was vndoubtely a verie cordial and continual Crosse vnto him and neuer ended vntill the tyme came that his bodie was in deed stretched out and nailed vpon the tree of the Crosse She reasoned yet further concerning that Crosse of desire and said thus No man liuing is able to make a iust estimate of the paines and tormentes that our Sauiour suffred in his hart by reason of the desire that he had to paie the debt of mankind to deliuer them from the sentence of death and to bring them againe into the fauour of God They only that loue God with all their hart with all their sowle with all their strength and their neighbour as them selues maie ghesse in some degree what his paine was Such good men maie iudge in part by the loue that they haue thē selues to the honour of God and saluation of man and by the griefe that they feele in them selues when the thing that they loue is either taken awaie or long delaied what his griefe was They maie iudge I saie in part not perfectly forsomuch as the loue that man hath or can haue to the honour of God and saluation of man be it neuer so great is nothging in comparison of that passing great loue that was in the hart of our Sauiour Christ And therfore the desire that he had to recouer both the one and the other must needes cawse in him a greater sorrowe without all comparison then euer was or could be in man vntill he sawe an effectual and perfecte restitution made to God of his honour and reuerence to man of his former state of grace in this presente life and of glorie in the life to come And thus much he signified to his disciples when he said those wordes I haue had an earnest desire to eate this passeouer with you and afterwardes likewise when in his praier to God the father he said Father take awaie this cup from me Which is as if he had said in plaine wordes Father I see here prepared for me a verie bitter cup of most sharpe tormentes and death which I haue droncke continually in desire euen from the hower of my conception but now do begynne to drincke the same in deed and so to make an end of drincking this paineful potion of the Crosse which I desire thee to hasten and bring to an end For that being once passed and gone I shall reape the frute of my long and earnest desire to witte I shall haue fulfilled myne obedience in all pointes to thee restitution shal be made perfectly to God of his due honour to man of his foremer state And I desire not to haue this cup of my passion taken awaie which thou hast here made readie for me which I take at thy fatherly hand like an obedient sonne and drincke it willingly but I desire to haue that cup taken awaie from me and ended which I haue droncke with such an earnest and greedie desire so manie yeares for the loue that I beare to thyne honour and to the saluation of mankind This was the exposition that she made vpon this place of the gospel against the which bicause it seemed straung and singular her ghostlie Father doctour Raimundus reasoned after this maner Mother said he you knowe that the holie Fathers do commonly geue an other interpretation to this place almost contrarie to this that you haue said They saie that our Lord desired in deed rather not to drincke that cup then to drinke it meanyng therby to declare to vs that he was true man and that as true man his flesh did naturally abhorre death as the flesh of euerie man doth And by this he would geue a doctrine and withall an example in him selfe to all weake and fraile men that they should not be dismaied though they felt in them selues that they did feare death Forsomuch as the like feare frailtie was seene in our head also who tooke vpon him all our infirmities onlie synne excepted To this the holie maid made answere thus Father said she I knowe right well that the holie doctours do expound this place as you haue said and I find no fault with their exposition And though this interpretation that our Lord hath taught me seeme diuerse or almost contrarie as you thinke to that yet is it verie true and maie well stand with the common exposition of the holie Fathers Father it is certaine that our Sauiour Christ was head not only of the weake and fraile that feare and flee death but also of the strong and mightie that beare it manfully and yeald not to the feare and shrynking of the flesh And therfore he would in this acte and wordes geue a doctrine and example to them both He would tremble and feare and desire that the bitter cup of his passiō might passe awaie to geue an example to the weake that they might likewise feare and flee death without anie offence if they had no commaundement from God to the cōtrarie He would also ouercome that feare and quaking of the flesh by the force of reason and zeale of Gods honour and desire his Father to hasten that cup of his passion and death to geue an example to the strong that they should not yeald to the frailtie of the flesh and shrincke at the terrour of death but folowe the direction of the spirite and offer them selues valiantly to tormentes and to death it selfe when by so doing they might either honour God or edifie their neighbour And I see no cause whie one place of the scripture should not haue manie interpretations forsomuch as the holie scripture as you knowe hath manie senses and meanynges Which the holie Ghost hath so ordained that the holie scripture might serue diuerse and sundrie persones to diuerse and sundrie effectes As we see this present text being diuersely expounded serueth men of diuerse qualitie to verie good purpose The weake for a refuge if they retire and saue them selues the strong for a warrant if they steppe forewardes and offer them selues to euident danger for Gods sake Then if you aske me how these two interpretations maie stand together the one being contrarie to the other for by the one our Sauiour required that the cup of his passion might be hastened by the other that it might passe awaie I answere that I take it for none inconuenience that in that agonie he should haue those two contrarie effectes in him selfe the one according to the flesh whose propertie it is naturally to repine at anie thing that maie hurt the other according to the spirite which looking to the honour of God and saluation of mankind desired earnestly the bitter cup of his death by the drinking wherof he knewe
be receiued vnworthely If S. Augustine had knowen that it had ben euel to receiue daily he would not haue said that he did neither like nor dislike of it but would haue said in plaine termes that he did vterly mislike it How much better were it for such rash iudgers of other mens consciences to harken to S. Ambrose who inuiteth thē to receiue daily with these wordes Take this bread saieth he euerie daie bicause you baue neede euerie daie to be purged restored comforted And the angelique doctour S. Thomas after a lōg discourse had about this matter cōcludeth in the end that such persones as find them selues to haue a greater deuotion and reuerence to the blessed Sacrament by their often receiuing maie safely receiue it often tymes And surely this increase of deuotion reuerence was euidently seene in the holie maid in whome it was noted by diuerse and sundrie persones that conuersed with her but especially by her ghostlie Father who sate at the sterne of her conscience that the oftener she comunicated the more she increased in humilitie in holie feare in feruour of deuotion in charitie in patience in all other vertues And when she might not cōmunicate as it happened sometimes by reason of certaine vrgent necessarie lettes she had a certaine fainting languishing paine not only in her soule but also miraculously in her bodie which was more grieuous to her then if she had ben sick of a burning ague or anie other bodily infirmitie Which point could neuer be perswaded to diuerse of the religious persones that liued in house with her who did what in them laie to hinder her from so often receiuing wherby they put her to meruelous intolerable paines But her ghostlie father who knewe in deed the state of her soule condescended easily to her earnest and holie demaund and was euermore verie readie to minister the blessed Sacrament vnto her bicause being a wise learned mā he vnderstood that her desire and longyng was of God To whome when she came to require the blessed Sacrament she was wont to speake verie sweetly after this maner Father I am hungrie I praie you for gods loue geue me the bread of life In respecte of the which good mynd and deuotion towardes the blessed Sacramēt Pope Gregorie the nynth made her a graunt that she might choose for her ghostlie father what priest she would and that she might carrie with her a portable aulter whether soeuer she went to the end that she might confesse and receiue wher and whē she would How our Sauiour Christ ministred the blessed Sacramēt vnto her with his owne holy hand Chap. 31. ON a tyme doctour Raimundus making his abode in Siena for certaine busines that he had there to doe came one mornyng to visite the holie maid and fownd her verie sore pained with diuerse and sundrie diseases but specially with a great griping in the flanke commonly called Iliaca passio All the which paine notwithstanding after certaine conference had betweene them concernyng the worthines and excellencie of the blessed Sacrament she besought him that she might receiue that mornyng Whervnto he assented with a good will and so went to the Church to prepare him selfe to say masse But her paines increased so vehemently vpon her that she sent one of her sisters after him to entreate him to tarrie a litle while hoping after a tyme to haue some such release of her paines that she might be able to come to the Church Where withal he was well contented and abode her leisure till it was about noone At what tyme she fownd some ease and came in deed to the Church to communicate But before she had signified so much to the father certaine of the sisters which sawe that the tyme was farre spent and knewe also that her maner was after she had receiued to be rauished in spirite and so to continue for the space of three fower or fiue houers came to her and perswaded with her that she should absteine from receiuing that daie in consideration that the tyme was past and that it would be a great trouble to the brethren who must attend so long to shut the Church doores when all was done Which counsel she yealded vnto with great meekenes But yet she had such an impatient desire to receiue that she turned her selfe to our Lord after a ruthful maner and said O my deere Lord and sweete comfort of all afflicted hartes seeing it hath pleased thee so graciously to put this desire into my hart I most humbly beseech thee that it maie also please thee to perfourme the same by thy selfe which can not be perfourmed by men without their great trouble and disquiet Our Lord who neuer despiseth the desire of a good hart heard the inward gronyng of his hand maid and gaue her comfort that he would accomplish her godlie request not only mercifully but also meruelously Wherupon she sent one of her sisters to doctour Raimundus to praie him to begynne masse at his pleasure for she might not receiue at his hand that daie With that he went to masse supposing that she had not ben in the Church but at home in her chamber And after sacring when the tyme was to breake the holie Host he thought to breake it according to the maner and ordinance of holie Chuch into three partes But behold contrarie to his meanyng and expectation he sawe fower partes Of the which one part skipped from aboue the chalice where he held it in his hand and laid it selfe downe vpon the corporal to his seeming Where he beheld it aduisedly and afterwardes when he receiued sought for it diligently and so did he likewise when Masse was done both on the corporal and on the aulter and al about beside the aulter and vpon the ground but could neuer find it Which put him in a great maze and perplexitie of conscience Wherupon he thought good to take the aduise of his priour who was accounted a verie discrete and godlie man and so in the meane tyme couered the aulter and gaue a great charge to the Sacristane to see that none should come neere the aulter til he came againe Now as he was going in the way he met with the priour of the Carthusians his verie frinde and familiar who came to conferre with the holie maid of certaine matters and therfore praied him that he would bring him to her speech I beseech you said doctour Raimundus haue a litle patience while I goe and speake two wordes with our Father priour and I will returne with all possible speed and bring you to her cell Sir said he I maie not tarrie for this is as you knowe a solemne fasting daie with vs and I must needes eate this daie with my brethren in the refectorie The tyme is farre spent as you see and I haue well nigh three miles home Wherefore I must desire you for Gods loue to dispatch me as soone as you can For I am moued
in conscience to talke with her of certaine matters when doctour Raimundus heard that for verie charitie he lefte his owne busines vndone and went with him towardes the holie maides chamber supposing to haue fownd her there But when he came thither and asked for her the sisters answered that she was gone to Church To Church said he when went she to Church for sooth said they before Masse and there she hath continued euer sence With that he was much astoined and turned backe againe to the Church with the priour of the Carthusians where he fownd her in deed in a corner kneeling vpon her knees rauished in spirite as her maner was to be some other of the sisters with her To whome he spake and praied them that they would vse such meanes as they might conueniently to bring her to her selfe againe so soone as were possible For there was there with him a frind of his that had a great desire to speake with her and yet might not tarrie long Now when she was come to her selfe againe doctour Raimundus tooke her aside and in fewe wordes opened his owne case to her that he might geue place to his frind whose vrgent busines required a more speedie dispatch When she hade saide she smyled on him after a comfortable maner and asked him whether he had vsed such diligence as was requisite in seeking that peece Wherunto he answered that he had sought it with as great diligence as was possible If you haue done so said she whie are you so careful VVith that she smyled againe and went towardes the priour of the Charterhowse to speake with him In the meane tyme doctour Raimundus remained somewhat comforted but not fully satisfied vntill he might knowe in deed what was become of it So soone as she had done with the priour and satisfied him in all such demaundes as he made vnto her she returned againe to doctour Raimundus who being verie desiours to vnderstand the truth of the matter began with her after this sort Mother said he it is you I trowe that hath taken awaie this peece of the holie Host No for sooth father said she it was not I but an other that tooke it awaie from you and therfore take no more care for it for I assure you you shall neuer find it Then doctour Raimundus praied her that she would declare to him the whole processe of the matter which she did with a good will to the honour of God and to satisfie his careful mynd Father said she be you no more careful for that peece of the blessed Host For I tell it to you as to my ghostlie father that it was brought to me and I receiued it at the reuerend handes of our most blessed Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ And that you maie vnderstand the cause also I thinke it good to make yet a further declaration of the matter vnto you Father it is so that I was this mornyng in purpose and had withal a verie earnest desire to receiue But my sisters gaue me counsel to the contrarie bicawse my receiuing was like to be troublesome to some of the brethren who as they said grutched somewhat at it wherupon I thought with my selfe to folowe not myne owne will but their aduise But my desire was so great that when I sawe that I could not receiue at the hands of men without their great trouble and disquet I turned my selfe to God and besought him in most humble wise that he would vouchsafe to helpe his poore handmaid Our gracious Lord heard my petition and so foorthwith appeered vnto me and ministred that fourth part that you speake of to me with his owne handes wherfore good Father be you of good comfort for you haue lost nothing and I haue fownd that wherby I remaine meruelously well refresshed and satisfied When doctour Raimundus heard that he was likewise fully satisfied and so departed towardes his couent praising and magnifying the infinite goodnes of almightie God who filleth the hungrie with good thinges and geueth the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding to them that serue him in holines and righteousnes and keepe them selues with a warie and fearefull regard from all such thinges as they thinke maie in anie degree offend his diuine maiestie How her face did shine like an angel while she was receiuing the blessed Sacrament and of certaine other strange signes Chap. 32. ON a tyme doctour Raimundus returnyng from Auinion to Siena went to visite the holie maid and entering into her lodging about noone tyde fownd her praying in her oratorie This thing happened vpon S. Marckes daie the Euangelist When she sawe him she rose vp after a ciuil maner as it were to welcome him and said these wordes O father if you knewe how hungrie my soule is Doctour Raimundus vnderstood wel what she meant and therfore made her answere that the tyme was farre spent and that he was him selfe so weerie of his iourney that he could hardly dispose him selfe to saie Masse that daie With that she held her peace a litle while and soone after brake out againe said Father I am verie hungrie Then doctour Raimundus to satisfie her impatient desire which he knewe was of God prepared him selfe to Masse in her owne chapple not farre from her lodging which she had peculiar to her selfe by special licence from the popes holines when he had receiued the blessed Sacrament him selfe he made readie an Host that he had there consecrated to minister to her also And turnyng him selfe to her to geue her the general absolution as the maner of holie Church is behold he sawe her face transfigured like the face of an Angel all cleere lightsome and casting out beames of a meruelous brightnes With the which strange sight he was so astoined that he said in him selfe to almightie God Surely Lord this is not Caterines face this is vndoubtedly the face of thy deerely beloued spowse With that he turned him selfe againe to the aulter and looking vpon the consecrated Host said these wordes in his hart Come O Lord to thy spowse And he had no sooner spoken those wordes in his mynd but that the holie Host came of it selfe into his handes and did as it were offer it selfe to be caried to the mouth of his deer spowse Thus much did doctour Raimundus testifie him selfe who was a verie graue wise and learned man There were also diuerse other credible persones that affirmed constantly that when this holie maid did at diuerse and sundrie tymes receiue the blessed Sacrament they might heare sensibly how the holy Host made a noyse in her mouth as though it had ben a stone cast with great strength and violence For confirmatiō wherof brother Barthelmewe who was likewise a doctour of diuinity verie godlie man testified that manie tymes when he ministred the blessed Sacrament vnto her the holie Host departed from his fingers after a violent maner and so entred into the mouth of the holie
Of this euident miracle were witnesses the ladie Bianchina that holie Anchorite in whose lappe it was done other moe to the number of thirtie persones Manie other miracles she wrought of like sort in casting out of deuels in the presence of diuerse and sundrie credible persones the which honour triumph ouer the enemie it pleased out Lord to geue her in the sight of the wordle bicause she had at all tymes so valiantly resisted and ouerthrowen him in her owne persone when soeuer he moued her by anie meanes either to pride of mynd or vncleannes of bodie THE THIRD PART How the holie maid was endued with the spirite of prophecie and foretold what calamities should happen to the Church and likewise how it should be restored againe Chap. 1. EMONG manie goodlie gyftes and graces with the which this holie Virgin was endued one was the spirite of prophecie which was in her so strange and singular that she not only foresawe the thinges that were to come so perfectely as if they had ben present but also persed into the verie secrets of mens hartes told them what they thought Which thing caused the wordle to haue her in such admiration that when she spake to them of matters concerning their soules health they heard her wordes with greater attention and reuerence About the yeare of our Lord. 1375. at what tyme Gregorie the eleuenth was Pope manie cities and territories in Italie rebelled against the Sea Apostolike withdrawing them selues and their yearelie reuenwes from the Church of Rome Which reuolt all good men tooke verie heauily and namely Doctoure Raimundus whose griefe was so great that he went of purpose to Pisa where the holie maid chaunced to be at that tyme to powre out his hart before her As he was declaring to her the lamentable state of thinges abrode with sorowful wordes and manie teares she shewed likewise in countenance that she had great compassion of a nomber of soules that were like to perish through that synful rebellion But when he had said she made him answere after this maner Father said she begynne not to weepe so soone for all this is but honye mylke in comparison of that that shall come hereafter What said he Thinke you that I shall euer haue greater cause to sorrowe then I haue at this present seeing as I now see the people so wickedly bent that they are not afraid to set them selues against our holie mother the Church and to make light of her curse excommunication What remaineth now but only that they do vtterly denie the faith of Christ To that the holie maid made answere and said Father all that ye see hitherto is done by the common laie people but you shall see hereafter an other maner of rebellion then this is contriued and practised by the clergie When Doctour Raimundus heard that he was meruelously astonied for a tyme. At the length he asked her whether she thought it a thing possible that the clergie should rebell against the Church Yea said she it is possible and you shall see it For when our holie Father the Pope shall goe about to reforme their maners then shall they set them selues vp against him and make a schisme in the Church Wherof shall arise great slaunder and offence to all good men And therefore I geue you warning before that you arme your selfe with patience for you shall see all this Doctour Raimundus at that tyme mistooke the holie maides wordes supposing that she had meant that all these thinges should haue come to passe then presently in Pope Gregories daies And therefore when he sawe that Pope Gregorie was dead he thought no more of her wordes because he imagined that the terme of her prophecie had ben expired But afterwardes in the tyme of Pope Vrbanus the sixte when he sawe and felt also that wicked rebellion that was raised against him by the proude prelates of the Church he called to mynd what the holie maid had said vnto him before and thought euerie hower a daie vntill he might haue some oportunitie to conferre with her concerning the state of those present troubles Which by the disposition of almightie God came to passe euen as he desired for in that furie of rebellion and schisme the holie maid was sent for to Rome by commaundement of the Popes holines where Doctour Raimundus repaired vnto her and put her in mynd of such communication as had passed betweene them long tyme before in Pisa I remember well said she that such wordes I spake to you at that tyme which now you see verified And now I will geue you to vnderstand thus much more Like as I said to you then that the rebellion of that tyme was but mylke and honey in comparison of this that you see now euen so I tell you now that these present troubles are but a childes game in comparison of those horrible calamities that are to come And with that she began to recite diuerse and sundrie plagues which she foresawe should fall vpon manie partes of the wordle and namely vpon the Kingdome of Sicilia and countreis there about The which prophecie was in deed fulfilled soone after in the tyme of Queene Ione and of her successour with such vnwonted scourges calamities and almost vtter subuersion not only of the Kingdome of Sicilia but also of all other Kingdomes Territories and Cities lying neere vnto it that Doctour Raimundus and as manie as liued and sawe afterwardes the horrible state of that bloodie tyme confessed that the like had not ben often seene in those partes of the wordle before When Doctour Raimundus had heard thus much concerning the scourges and afflictions that were towardes the Church of the which some he sawe then presently verified and therefore doubted nothing of the rest he asked the holie maid whether after all these stormes there were not like to come a calme emong the people of God Wherunto she made answere after this maner Father said she almightie God hath determined thus to purge his Church by calamities and tribulations The which when he hath once done he will raise vp a newe spirite in his chosen seruantes and send such godlye Pastors and Curates ouer his flocke that my hart reioyseth within my bodie to thinke vpon that goodlye reformation that shall insue in all states of men And as the Church of Christ seemeth now poore deformed and naked so shall it then be seene in a verie glorious and beautifull state clad with the seemelie ornamentes of vertue godlines The good shall ioye to see the Church of God in such a flourishing peace and the euel shal be allured by the sweet sauour of their vertuous conuersation to folowe them in the patthes of Gods holie commandementes Therefore father thanke our Lord who of his gracious goodnes voutchsafeth after raine and tēpestes to send faire wether Thus much spake the holie maid touching the state of the Church to Doctour Raimundus whom she lefte in a
especially Ginoccia which of the two liued in greater austeritie and penance When their brother Iames who was at that tyme abroade heard tell of this strange alteration of his two sisters he raged like a mad man and cursed all them that had moued his sisters to take that habite And he threatned verie boldly that he would teare those garmentes from their backes and bring them home againe And no man durst aduenture to staie him in that rage but only a yong brother of his that was in companie with him at that tyme who spake to him after this maner Brother Iames said he you are not acqueinted with this sister Catherine But if you goe to Siena you shall see she shall turne you also and make you to goe Confession To Confetsion said he I defie thee and them all Assure thy selfe I will cut the throtes of all those Priestes and friars before they shall bring me to confession Well brother said the child and he repeated his wordes oftentymes speaking with great affiance as though he had foreseene the euent of this matter in the spirite of prophecie you shall find my wordes true and shall see that the holie maid shall bring you to grace Those wordes set him in such a furie that he cursed and banned and fared like a man distracted And in this furie he entred into the citie and went foorth with to his fathers house where he tooke on like a madd man threatnyng and swearing that he would doe manie horrible mischiefes vnlesse they brought to passe that his sisters and specially Ginoccia might put off that habite and come home againe But his mother Rabes who was well acqueinted with his furious nature therefore feared lest he would of a sodaine do some mischieuous acte as his maner was came to him and with faire wordes staied his rage that he did no harme that night And the next morning she sent for Doctour Thomas beseeching him for Gods sake that he would take the paines to come and geue her sonne Iames some godlie exhortation Doctour Thomas came with him frier Bartilmewe And they spake manie good wordes to the impatient yong man but for ought that they could perceiue all in vaine All this tyme was the holie maid in praier and laboured earnestly to wynne that yong mans soule to God for she vnderstood not by the relation of anie man but only by reuelation from God in what a damnable state he stood and she sawe in spirite what paines those good men tooke to recouer him And it was euidently seene afterwardes by the proofe that our Lord blessed and furthered their charitable trauaile in that behalfe for the holie maides sake and in contemplation of her deuout praiers For when these men had spent a good tyme about him and sawe that they could doe him no good at the length while Doctour Bartilmewe was speaking to him behold of a sodaine and contrarie to all expectation the yong man being vndoubtedly touched by the finger of God resented and said of him selfe that he was verie well content and glad that his sisters should serue God in that holie rule and discipline And he required furthermore with great humilitie that he might be Confessed and absolued of his owne synnes that he might serue God with them also The which he did in deed verie perfectly to the great wonder and comfort of as manie as were there present which a litle before had seene him as fiercc as a lion and now as myld as a lambe His mother Rabes was a ioyful woman to see this strāge and blessed alteration in her sonne and so were all the rest of her familie with her Now when Doctour Thomas and Doctour Bartilmewe his companion had rendred thankes to almightie God for this great mercie shewed vpon that yong man they went out of hand with ioyful hartes towardes the holie maides lodging and thought the tyme long vntill they might impart these glad tidinges of his conuersion to her But when they came thither they vnderstood that the holie maid was aboue in an vpper chamber in praier and rauished as her maner was in spirite and one other of the sisters with her By reason wherof they were constreined to tarrie a while At the length when the holie maid was come to her selfe againe that other sister came downe to enterteine Doctour Thomas her Confessour who saluted her with a cheereful countenance and began foorthwith to declare the cause of his coming to her Sister said he we are come to bring you verie good newes Maister Iames Tolmes is by the grace of God become a newe man and this mornyng hath made a general Cōfession of all his synnes to Doctour Bartilmewe Father said that sister we haue great cause both to reioyse and also to thanke our Lord for these ioyful tydinges Howbeit they are no newes to vs for sister Catherine before I came downe to you told me so much as you tell me now And with that they went vp into the vpper chamber to the holie maid who immediatly vpon their entrie spake to them after this maner Fathers said she we are much bound to thanke our Lord and Sauiour that neuer dispiseth the humble praier of his seruantes And as he putteth holie desires into their hartes so doth he also accomplish the same to their benefite and comfort The wicked feend had thought to haue gotten a litle lambe of the which he had conceiued some hope But he hath through the vnspeakeable goodnes of God lost a great preie of the which he had full posession He laid for Ginoccia but he hath lost Iames. And so it falleth out oftentymes with this rauenous and insatiable wolfe that while he openeth his iawes wider to geat more he both letteth fall some better morsel that he had in his mouth before and yet misseth of that other thing that he so griedily snatcheth after Our Lord be blessed and thanked for euer more whose prouident wisedome disposeth all thinges sweetely and turneth the wilye malice of this suttle serpent to the benefit and comfort of his chosen seruantes After this Ginoccia continued without anie molestation in that holie state of life that she had vowed wherein when she had suffered manie sickenesses with a verie patient and cheereful mynd she passed out of this wordle to God with a meruelous inward sweetnes and comfort as it was euidently seene by the maner of her departure Soone after her sister Francis likewise tooke the habite and rule of the sisters of penance and therein continued with great commendation and opinion of holines so long as she liued which was in deed no long tyme. And it was noted of her also at the tyme of her passing out of this life that she smyled sweetely and shewed great tokens of spiritual ioye euen when she was at the verie point of death And this Iames their brother after that he was thus reclaimed by the deuout praier of the holie maid and diligence of
good men became a newe man and liued in the state of matrimonie a verie quiet and orderlie life to the great comfort of his frindes and example of vertue to as manie as chaunced to conuerse with him How the holie maid obteined by praier the conuersion of a gentleman called Nannes Chap. 13. THere was in the cittie of Siena a worshipful gentleman called Nannes de Vannis which bare a great swaie emong the people by reason that as he was a verie fierce and warlike man so he was also of a meruelous suttle and craftie wit to deale in wordlie affaires This Nannes with the rest of his familie allies and frindes mainteined a faction and perpetual quarrel against certaine other families in the cittie who dreading his power and policie sought by meanes and with great submission to make their peace with him He made them answere that it was all one to him whether they had peace or no peace and that for his owne part he was verie readie and willing to come to accord if they could wynne certaine other to it to whome it apperteined as well as to him selfe And thus he gaue them verie faire wordes and put them in hope of peace but in the meane tyme he dealt secretly with those other persones willing them to stand stiffely to it and in no wise to condescend to anie condicions of peace This matter came to the eares of the holie maid which seeing herein a goodlie occasion ministred vnto her of working a verie charitable worke sought by manie meanes to speake with him But euermore when he vnderstood that she was comyng towardes him he fled from her euen as the serpent is wont to flee from the enchantour that cometh to charme him At the length by the importunitie of a certaine holie Heremite of S. Augustines order called brother VVilliam an English man they wonne so much of him that he was content to heare the holie maid speake but yet with this protestation that whatsoeuer she said concernyng the accord he was fixed and would not be remoued And with this resolution he went to the holie maides house at a tyme when she was abrode by a verie vrgent occasion of procuring the health of soules But Doctour Raimundus by the prouidence of God was there at that tyme who vnderstanding that Nannes was comyng was verie glad of it for he knewe that the holie maid had a great desire to speake with him Wherefore he went out to meete with him and to geue him enterteinement vntill her returne When they were come into the house Doctour Raimundus lead him the waie into the holie maides chapple or oratorie where he caused him to sit downe and ministred such talke vnto him as he thought most conuenient to protracte the tyme. But after that they had sate there a litle while and sawe that she came not Nannes thought the tyme long and therefore began to breake with Doctour Raimundus after this maner Father said he I promised brother VVilliam that I would come hither and speake with the holie maid But now seeing she is abrode about some other busines and I haue at this present certaine affaires that must needes be dispatched out of hand I praie you excuse me vnto her and tell her that I would gladly haue spoken with her if she had ben at home Doctour Raimundus was verie sorie that the holie maid came not awaie Howbeit to wynne yet a litle more tyme he tooke occasion to enter in talke with him concernyng the peace and asked him how the matter stood betweene such and such persones Whereunto he made answere after this maner Father said he to you that are a priest and religious and to this blessed maid of whome I heare report of great vertue and holines I will make no lie but tell you plainely and syncerely how the case standeth betweene these men True it is that I am he that letteth this accord and agreement though in deed it seeme otherwise because the matter is openly contriued by others I alone do priuily mainteine and vphold one side and if I alone would geue my consent to the peace the matter were ended But to tell you my meanyng in fewe wordes my peace shal be made and firmed with the blood of myne aduersaries This is my resolution and from this I will not be remoued Wherefore I praie you set your hartes at rest and trouble me no more And with that he rose vp and tooke his leaue to depart But Doctour Raimundus was verie loth to let him goe and therefore though he sawe that he was vnwilling to tarrie there and for that cause loth also to heare anie moe wordes of that or anie other matter yet did he to gaine more tyme aske him diuerse and sundrie questions and by that meanes held him there so long that the holie maid was come home and entred into the house before he could get out of the oratorie When Nannes sawe the holie maid he was sorie that he had taried so long But she was right glad to see him there and bad him welcome after a verie charitable and louing maner and caused him to sit downe againe And when he was sette she asked him the cause of his comyng He made her answere and declared so much in effecte as he had declared before to Doctour Raimundus adding his protestation withal that concernyng that matter of the peace he would abide no talke for he was resolutely bent to the contrarie The holie maid hearing that began to exhort him to brotherlie loue and concord and shewed him withal what a dangerous and damnable state they were in that liued out of charitie But he gaue but a deaffe eare to her wordes Which thing she perceaued well inough and therefore she sate still and spake no more to him but casting vp her eyes and hart to God she besought him of grace and mercie for that hard harted man When Doctour Raimundus which had euermore a diligent eye to the holie maid had espied that he spake some wordes to Nannes to occupie him the while nothing doubting but that she should worke some better effecte in him by that silent praier then both he and she had done before with manie wordes And so it prooued in deed for within a litle tyme after he spake to them both after this maner It shall not be said of me that I am so hard and vntractable that I will haue myne owne mynd in all thinges and relent in nothing I will condescend to your mynd in some one thing and then I will take my leaue of you I haue fower quarels in the cittie of the which I am content to put one into your handes Doe in it what you shall thinke good make you my peace and I will abide your order With that he rose vp and would haue gone his waie But in the rising being inwardly touched he said these wordes to him selfe O Lord what comfort is this that I feele at this instant in
Holie father how thinke you This Caterine of Siena is she of such great holines as she is reported to be The Pope made answere and said Truly we beleeue she is a holie virgin If it please your holines said they we will goe to see her And we beleeue said he you shal be well edified And so they came to our house foorthwith after nyne of the clocke in sommer When they knocked I went to open the doore vnto them And one of them said to me tell Caterine that we would speake with her When she vnderstood of their being there she came downe with doctour Iohn her confessour and certaine other religious persones in to one of the lower roomes where in a conuenient place they caused her to sit downe in the middle And so they entred talke with her after a verie insolent manner prouoking her to choler with their biting wordes And emong other thinges they said We come from the Popes holines and are desirous to vnderstand of you whether you be sent from the Florentines or no as the common brute is Haue not they one sufficient man to send about a matter of so great importance vnto so great a prince And if you be not sent by them we meruaile much how you being a seelie woman dare presume to treate of so weightie a matter as this is with our holie father the Pope c. But the holie maid stood fast like an vnmoueable piller and gaue them verie humble and pitthie answeres in so much that they merueiled much at it And when she had satisfied them at the full concernyng this matter they put out vnto her verie manie and withall verie great questions especially touching her abstraction and singular manner of life And bicause the Apostle saieth that the angell of Satan transfourmeth him selfe into an angell of light they asked her how she knewe whether she were deceiued or no. And so they spake manie wordes and proposed manie questions and in effecte protracted the tyme vntill it was night Sometymes Doctour Iohn would answere for her And though he were a Doctour of diuinitie yet were they such great learned men that in fewe wordes they shut him vp and said vnto him You maie be ashamed to speake after this manner in our presence Let her answere for her selfe for she satisfieth vs much better then you doe Now emong these three one was an Archbishop sometymes a frier of S. Francis order which bare him selfe like a proud Pharisee in countenance as it appeered and made sometymes as though he would not take the answeres of the holie maid But the other two at the length set themselues against him and said What would you haue more of this maid Without doubt she hath declared these matters more plainly and more copiously then euer we found them declared by anie of the doctours And she shewed manie moe verie certaine and true tokens vnto them and so there arose a great iarre emong them selues But in the end they departed all alike satisfied and comforted and made this report of her to our holie father the Pope that they neuer found a soule neither so humble nor so illuminated Howbeit when the Pope vnderstood how they had ruffled with her to moue her to choler he was verie angrie with them made his excuse to her verie effectually declaring that it was done without his will or consent And he said furthermore that if those prelates came anie more to speake with her they should shut the doores against them The next daie doctour Francis the Popes phisicion said these wordes vnto me Knowe you those prelates that came yester daie to our house I made him answere that I knewe them not Then said he to me I assure you that if the knowledge of those three were put in one balance and the knowledge of all the rest that are in the court of Come were put in the other the knowledge of these three would weigh much more then all theirs And therefore I will tell you that if they had not found this maid Caterine to haue a verie good ground she had made as ill a voiage at this tyme as euer she made in her life And then he commended her with verie great and effectuall wordes which I omit in this place for breuities sake These are the verie wordes of that blessed and holie man father Steuen who was as it is said long tyme conuersant with her as her spirituall sonne and scholer and afterwardes became a monke and so consequently for his vertue and holines a Priour ouer a couent of Carthusians neere vnto Pauia Where being earnestly required he wrote a short abbridgment of the holie maides life In the which is conteined brefely and in effecte the whole substance of this booke For corroboration wherof he caused the said abbridgement to be firmed with the great seale of his couent and to be subsigned with the handes of two publike notaries in the presence of a great nomber of witnesses And made this solemne protestation withall in as earnest and vehement termes as he could deuise that for confirmation of the truth of that whole storie and euerie point conteined in the same to the honour of God and edifying of soules he would be found readie at all tymes to take a corporall oathe in whatsoeuer fourme it could be most exactely deuised and to put his hand not only to that present writing but also into the fyer if it were required And of this he called almightie God to witnes who kewe the secretes of his hart Abriefe repetition or somme of manie pointes of heauenlie doctrine reuealed vnto the holie maid immediately from God Chap. 19. THe holie maid was as we haue declared heretofore oftentymes rauished in spirite and vtterly abstracted from her bodilie senses At which tymes it pleased almightie God to vtter by secret inspiration vnto the soule of his deere spouse diuerse sundrie pointes of mysticall doctrine Which she being so rauished and abstracted vttered in the presence of manie godlie and great learned men which wrote as she spake and compiled a booke conteinyng sixe treatises The conclusion wherof I thought good to laie downe in this place word for word as it is written bicause it compriseth in fewe wordes an abbridgement or briefe somme of all such matters as are set out at large in the whole booke before The wordes of almightie God to his spouse are these Now most deere and welbeloued daughter I haue satisfied thy desire from the begynnyng of my talke vnto the last that I had concernyng obedience for if thou be well remembred thou requiredst of me with a carefull desire as thou knowest I caused thee to desire that I should make the fyer of charitie to increase in thee Thou requiredst I saie fouer petitions of the which one was for thy selfe The which I satisfied by illuminating thee with the light of my truth shewing thee that through the light of faith with the knowledge of thee
vpon the firme and liuely rocke Iesus Christ my only begotten Sonne And this truth is clad with a most goodlie and shynyng light which dispatcheth darkenes Wherefore clad thy selfe with truth my sweete and most deerely beloued daughter A praier or answere made by a faithfull and deuout soule to the wordes of almightie God here before recited Chap. 20. THen that deuout soule after that she had seene with the eye of her vnderstanding and knowen by the light of faith the truth and excellencie of the vertue of obedience after that she had felt it with a right sense and tasted it in her affection with an vnspeakeable desire beholding her selfe in the diuine maiestie she gaue thankes to almightie God saying Thankes be to thee O eternall Father bicause thou hast not despised me thy creature neither hast thou turned thy face from me nor made light of my desires Thou being the light diddest not looke to my darckenes Thou being life diddest not looke to my death Thou being the phisician diddest not refuse my grieuous infirmitie Thou being the euerlasting purenes diddest not despise me that am full of durt and infinite miseries Thou being endles diddest not reiecte me that must haue an end Thou being the most high wisedome diddest regard me that am a foole for these and manie other euels and infinite defectes that are in me thou hast not contemned me thy bountifulnes thy wisedome thy clemencie thyne endles and inestimable goodnes hath not despised me But in thy light thou hast geuen me light in thy wisedome I am come to knowe truth in thy clemencie I haue found the loue of thee and charitie towardes my neighbour And who hath inforced thee to this Not anie vertue of myne but only thy fatherlie loue This loue therefore enforceth thee to illuminate the eye of my vnderstanding with the light of faith that I maie knowe and vnderstand thy truth that is opened vnto me Graunt me O Lord that my memorie maie be found of sufficient capacitie to receiue and keepe thy benefites Let my will burne with the fyer of thy most sweet loue let that fyer make my bodie to powre out blood geuen for the loue of blood and so cause me to open the gate of heauen with the keye of holesome obedience This same request doe I also make in most hartie maner for euerie reasonable creature both in generall and in speciall and for the mysticall bodie of our holie mother the Church I coÌ„fesse and denie not that thou hast loued me before I was and that thou louest man so much that thou art in a sort likened to one that were ensotted and made a foole with ouermuch loue O eternall Godhead O euerlasting Trinitie which through the vnion of the diuine nature hast made the price of the blood of thy only begotten Sonne to be of so great value O eternall Trinitie thou art a certaine deepe sea in the which the more I seeke the more I find and the more I find the more I seeke thee Thou dost after a sort satiate or fill the soule insatiably for in thy botomles deapth thou dost so satiate the soule that it remaineth euermore hungrie and longyng after thee O euerlasting Trinitie and desirous to see thee with the light that is in thy light Euen as the hart longeth after the spring of runnyng water so doth my soule long to be out of this darcke bodie and to see thee in truth as thou art Oh how long shall thy face continue hidden from myne eyes O euerlasting Trinitie ô fyer and botomles deapth of charitie dissolue out of hand the cloud of this my bodie For the knowledge that thou hast geuen me of thee in thy truth doth verie much enforce me and cause me to haue a passing desire to laie downe this heauie â—ompe of my bodie and to yeald vp my life for the honour and glorie of thy name bicause I haue tasted and seene with the light of vnderstanding in thy light thy botomles deapht ô euerlasting Trinitie and the beautie of thy creature WherupoÌ„ beholding my selfe in thee I sawe that I was thyne image by reason that thou O eternal Father hast geuen me of thy power of thy wisedome and of thyne vnderstanding which wisedome is properly ascribed to thy only begotten Sonne And the holie Ghost which proceedeth from thee the Father from thy SoÌ„ne hath geuen me a will by the which I am made apte to loue For thou O eternal Trinitie art the Creatour and I the creature And therefore I knowe by the light that thou hast geuen me in the newe creation that thou hast wrought in me by the blood of thy only begotten Sonne that thou art enamored with the beautie of thy creature O botomles deapth O euerlasting Trinitie O Godhead O deepe Sea what greater thing couldest thou geue me then thyne owne selfe Thou art the fyer which dost euer burne and neuer waste Thou art the fyer which dost consume with thy heate all selfe loue in a soule Thou art the fyer which takest awaie all coldnes and dost illuminate myndes with thy light with the which light thou hast made me to knowe thy truth Thou art that light aboue all light which geuest a supernatural light to the eye of our vnderstanding in such perfection and aboundance that euen the light of faith is made more cleere by it In the which faith I see that my soule hath life and in this light it receiueth thee that art the light For in the light of faith I get wisedome in the wisedome of the word thy SoÌ„ne In this light of faith I am made strong and constant and able to hold out In this light of faith I coÌ„ceiue a hope that thou wilt not suffer me to faint in the waie This light teacheth me the waie by the which I must walke and without this light I should walke in darckenes And therefore I made my petitioÌ„ to thee O eternal Father that thou wouldest illuminate me with the light of this most holie faith Truly this light is a sea which doth feede the soule in thee the quiet and calme sea vntill it be wholly in thee O calme sea euerlasting Trinitie The water of this sea is not troubled and therefore it causeth no feare but geueth the knowledge of truth This is a most cleere water which sheweth thinges hidden And therefore where this most goodlie shyning light of thy faith aboundeth there is the soule as it were clarified and made bright by the thing that it beleeueth This is a second glasse which thou ô euerlasting Trinitie dost make me to knowe The which being holden with the hand of loue before the eyes of my soule represeÌ„teth to me my selfe in thee shewing that I am thy creature And it doth likewise represent thee in me by reason of the coÌ„iunction which thou hast made of thy deitie with our humane nature In the light of this glasse there is represeÌ„ted vnto me I knowe thee the most high
to cast awaie and I will make bread of it for the poore Alexia did as she was willed Then the holie maid tooke it of her and made past of it and of the past made such a deale of bred and that also so quickely that Alexia her seruant that beheld her al the time were astoined to see it for they thought verily that there could not haue ben made so manie loaues of fower or fiue tymes so much meale as the holie maid deliuered out of her handes to Alexia to laie vpon bordes and carrie to the ouen And which was most meruelous there was no euel sauour in those loaues as there was in all other made of the same corne But when they were baked and set on the table to eate they that eate of them could find no maner of bitternes or euel tast in them but rather said that they had not in their life tyme eaten better and more sauorie bread This miracle being spread in the citie doctour Thomas her confessour came with certaine other learned men of his brethren to examine the matter and found in verie deed that there were two great miracles wrought one in augmēting the quantitie of the past and an other in amending the euel qualitie and stench of the corne And the third miracle was added soone after which was that wheras the same bread was verie liberally dealt out to the poore and none other eaten in the house but that yet there remained euermore great store of it in the hutch And so it continued manie daies and weekes Which moued certaine deuout persones that vnderstood the truth of the matter to take some of the said bread and to laie it vp reuerently where it might be kept for a relique and perpetual remembrance of the great worke that almightie God had wrought by his deere spowse After wardes Doctour Raimundus being desirous to be more particularly infourmed of the matter by the holie maid praied her one a tyme in secret talke that she would declare vnto him for his satisfaction how and in what order the thing had passed And she made him answere simply after this maner Father said she I had a great zeale that the thing that God had sent vs for the reliefe of man should not be lost And I had withal a great compassion on the poore Wherupon I went to the hutch of meale with a great feruour of spirite So soone as I was there behold our blessed Ladie was there likewise with me accompanied with a nomber of Sainctes and Angels and bad me to goe foreward with my worke as I had determined And she was so benigne and charitable that she vouchsafed to labour with me and to worke the past with her owne handes and so by the vertue of her holie handes were those loaues multiplied in such sort as yee haue heard for she made the loaues and gaue them to me and I deliuered them from me to Alexia and her seruant Truly mother said doctour Raimundus I maruaile not now if that bread seemed to me and others that tasted of it passing sweet considering that it was made with the handes of that most heauenlie glorious Queene in whose sacred bodie was wrought and made by the holie Trinitie that liue bread that came downe from heauen to geue life to all true beleeuers How the holie maid multiplied bread an other tyme in Rome for the prouision of her familie Chap. 6. AT what tyme the holie maid came to Rome by commaundement of Pope Vrbanus the sixt she had in her companie to the nomber of fower and twentie persones to wite sixtene men and eight women Which folowed her almost against her will some to visite the holie places in Rome and some to get certaine spiritual graces of the Popes holines but all as her ghostlie children to be trained by her in the rules of spiritual life Besides these there came to the citie at that tyme a nomber of good and godlie men which bicause they were sent for by the Pope at the holie maides motion instance resorted vnto her and lodged in her house And though she neither had nor would haue anie thing for the reliefe of her selfe and al her familie but only what she receiued of pure almes yet was she so liberal and free of hart had such a loue to hospitalitie that she made no difference betweene receiuing one man and one hundred for she doubted not but had a full trust and affiance in God that he would prouide for them all For the better perfourmance wherof she tooke this order emong her women that they should be stewardes in the house by course one after an other euerie weeke so that one of them was euermore occupied about the prouision of meate drincke other thinges that the rest might the more freely intend their pilgrimages other holie exercises for the which they were come to the citie And bicause the bread that they eate was all of almes she gaue them charge that whosoeuer was steward for the weeke should alwaies signifie to her a daie before the bread was all spent that she might send some other of the sisters or goe her selfe to begge more One tyme it chaunced that one of the sisters called Ione being steward in her course lacked bread and yet forgat to signifie so much to the holie maid vntill the verie hower of dyner was come Then remembring her selfe and being ashamed of her negligence she went to the holie maid with a heauie cheere confessed her fault Ah sister said she God forgeue you Wherefore haue you brought vs to this distresse contrarie to the order that I gaue you Behould our familie is now verie hungrie they haue fasted long And where shall we find so much bread of a sodaine as may suffice thē al To that sister Ione could saie nothing els but only acknowleged her forgetfulnes and cried her mercie VVell said the holie maid cause them to sit downe at the table Alas said she there is not bread inough for fower persones whatsoeuer there is said the holie maid will them to goe to dyner and to begynne with that litle that is vntill God send more And with that she went her selfe to praier Then sister Ione according as she was commaunded caused them to sit downe and set that smal prouision that was of bread and other thinges before them They fell to their meate gridily for they vsed to fast verie much that daie they had taried for their dyner longer then they were wont to doe and thought in deed that they should soone dispatch that short pitance But our Lord at the instance of the holie maid so wrought in that bread that they cut soppes into their potage and eate euerie man so much as sufficed and yet was the bread nothing diminished but rather increased Wherat when they were all astoined they asked what the holie maid was in doing And vnderstanding that she was earnestly occupied in praier they
God Whose prouident goodnes disposeth all thinges for his chosen seruantes so sweetly that he turneth euen their synful deffectes to their further good benefite And therfore he would not suffer his deere spouse to cōtinue long in that state but that there might be nothing to hinder her feruour and deuotion he laid his hand soone after vpon Bonauentura her sister by whose meanes she was induced to that inconuenience and tooke her out of this life with great anguish and trauaile in child-bearing not withstanding that she was otherwise a lustie yong woman and like to beare manie children This Bonauentura was euer of good life and conuersation and yet bicause she had attempted to drawe her sister from the seruice of God to whom only she had wholly deuoted her selfe and to allure her to the vanities of the worlde it pleased God to shewe this dreadful example vpon her for the terrour of all such as should at anie tyme afterwardes be meanes to hinder holie vowes and purposes And yet would he not haue her to be vtterly lost but as it was reuealed afterwardes to this holie virgin and she declared the same secretly to her ghostlie Father she was in Purgatorie and there abode manie grieuous paines and tormentes for a long season and longer should haue done if this blessed virgin had not hopen her with her deuout praiers Now when her sister Bonauentura was thus passed out of the wordle this deuout maid being by her departure deliuered from that importunate clamour which was before verie troublesome vnto her began to see more cleerly both the deformitie of her synne and the vanitie of the wordle Wherupon with an humble knowledge of her selfe and sure affiance in the mercie of God she cast her selfe downe at the feet of our Lord with Marie Magdalen and there lying prostrate with much lamentation and teares besought him of pardon for her offence and would neuer geue ouer her weeping and wailing but continued stil her most humble sute that she also might at the lenght heare those comfortable wordes spoken by our Lord to her hart Thy sinnes are forgeuen thee And from that daie foreward she began to beare a special loue and deuotion to the said Marie Magdalen and to conforme her selfe to her in the workes of penance It can not be expressed with wordes what inward griefe of mynd shee tooke so often as that offence came to her mynd She sighed and sobbed she wept and wrang her handes she tooke no comfort in anie thing but only in the endles mercie of God of the which she made her selfe well assewred that it did infinitely passe all the sinnes that anie man doth or can commit and that it was alwaies freely offred to as manie as would require it with a contrite and humble hart wherupon she sequestred her selfe from all creatures which she sawe were void of cōfort and turned her selfe to God in whom only she fownd her selfe to receiue perfecte and sownd comfort With him she sought by all meanes to make her peace and attonement so that made to set her whole loue and felicitie in him But the ghostlie enemie of mankind enuying the blisful state of this goodlie peace did his endeuour to disturbe the same by putting into the myndes of her parentes and kinsfolke how expedient it was to bestowe her honestly in mariage especially now considering that her other sister was departed this life And so by these and other the like suggestions the craftie serpent perswaded them to be earnest and diligent both in solliciting her to embrace that state of life and in prouiding her of a conuenient husband But when the wise virgin sawe by the light of Gods holie spirite that all that was but the sutteltie of the deuel meanyng therby to withdrawe her from her holie purpose she contrarie wise set her selfe more earnestly then she was wont to continual praiers heauenlie meditations and other workes of austeritie and penance She eschewed the sight and conuersation of men and gaue all her frindes to vnderstand plainely that she would haue no earthlie creature for her husband but only the euerlasting Sonne of God vpon whom she had fixed her loue The which resolution when her father and mother vnderstood they thought good to take an other waie which was to send for one of the Dominican Friars whose authoritie they thought she would reuerence and to intreat him to talke with her and to see if he could by anie meanes alter her mynd The Friar came and promised to doe what in him laie and so did in deed He set out vnto her in manie wordes what austeritie of life belonged to that profession that she mynded to enter into what a hard matter it was to hold out in the same what snares the deuel would laie to entrappe her how the wordle would vse manie meanes to circumuent flatter her how fraile and weak the flesh was what a great danger and shame it would be if when she had once put her hand to the plough she should looke backe againe Vnto the which pointes the faithful spowse of Christ answered with such wisedome and constancie that the religious man which came to turne her was turned him selfe and so being sorie that he had waded so farre with her in that course changed his stile and said these wordes Daughter seeing it is so that yee are fully resolued to serue God in the holie state of virginitie and that yee are therunto called as I am thoroughly perswaded by your wordes euen by God him selfe I haue no more to saie in the matter it is the best part that yee haue chosen our Lord geue you grace to folowe it And now if yee thinke good furthermore to folowe my counsel I would aduise you to cut off your haire For in so doing it is like yee shall both cut of all hope of mariage in your parentes and withal redeme a great deale of tyme and labour which otherwise must needes be spent about the trymmyng of the same When the holie virgin heard those wordes she tooke them as spoken by God him selfe and foorthwith she ranne and tooke a payre of sheares and cut of her haire hard by the skynne For she had before conceiued a certaine displeasure against her haire bicause she perswaded her selfe that by the trymmyng of the same she had committed a grieuous offence against God And when she had so done she couered her head with a coyfe and so went about her busines contrarie to the maner of all other maidēs The which when her mother espied she asked her what that coife meant Wherunto she made no direct answeere bicause she was afraid to tell the truth and to make a lie she had a great conscience Whereupon her mother stept hastely vnto her and taking of the kerchefe from her head sawe that her faire haire was cut of hard by the head The which sight and losse so pinched her by the hart that for verie inward griefe she
cried out Alas daughter said she what hast thou done But the maid couered her head againe and went aside At this crie of the mother came the good man of the howse and his other children hauing great feare and wonder what the matter should be But when they vnderstood the cause they were verie much offended with her in so much that they reproached her both in wordes and deedes Thou vile wretche said they trowest thou thus by cutting of thyne haire to escape our handes It will grewe againe in spite of thy teeth Though thou burst for curst hart thou must marrie And make thy selfe well assured of this thou shalt neuer haue good daie vntill thou conforme thy will to our will And with that they tooke order that she should haue no more anie secret chamber in the howse to resort vnto but should be continually occupied about the commō seruice of the howse that she might haue neither tyme nor place to retire her selfe to praier and meditation And to geue her to vnderstand how litle account they made of her they put awaie the kitchen maide and appointed her to doe all the workes of drudgerie about the howse And while she was so occupied they ceased not to reuile her whether soeuer she went in the howse and to loade her eares with most opprobrious and despiteful wordes weenyng therby to bring to passe that she should either yeald to them or be weerie of her life Last of all to enforce this battaile vpon the seelie maid with as great strēgth and policie as was possible they fownd out a comelie yonge man of a good kinred and welbeloued of all that were in the howse whom they tendered vnto her But her hart was so thoroughly possessed with the loue of Christ her chosen spowse that she might not abide to heare of any other And wheras they had debarred her of that commoditie which she was wonte to haue of a secret place to withdrawe her selfe vnto for praier and meditation our merciful Lord who will not suffer his faithful seruantes to be tempted aboue that they are able but euen with the tentation geueth an issue taught her by the inward instincte of his holie spirite how she should buyld a secret chamber or oratorie in her owne hart where she might dwell delitefully with her sweet spowse so long as she listed and neuer be plucked out whatsoeuer befell And wheras before she was enforced sometymes by occasions to goe out of her chamber and so to be distracted with out ward affaires now contrariwise she shut vp her selfe so closely in this closet and tooke such passing delite in the presence of her loue and ioye Iesus Christ whose delite it is to dwell in pure and cleane hartes that howsoeuer they cried and called about her whatsoeuer beating and bounsing they made outwardly reproching her in wordes or deedes she passed with all such thinges so quietly as if they had neuer ben spoken or done to her And thus had she a verie sensible and experimental vnderstanding of that goodly lesson which our Sauiour teacheth vs in the ghospel where he saieth The kingdome of God is within you For vnto a sowle thus disposed where Christ reigneth by faith and holie loue all creatures are made vassal and do serue ech thing in his kind and course orderly euen as obedient subiectes do their Prince in a well gouerned kingdome Now when this towardlie disciple of Christ had thus learned this high lesson by the teaching of the holie Ghost as she had shewed her selfe to be an humble scholer in the schoole of God so had she also a charitable desire to become a discrete schoole-mistres to others and namely to Doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father whom at tymes when he was occasioned to goe abroad by reason of his charge and affaires she would warne that he should buyld a secret cell or closet in his sowle out of the which he should neuer depart The which wordes at the first seemed to him to be verie obscure and darcke but afterwardes when he had considered of them aduisedly he sawe that they were to verie good purpose and profit He sawe what a goodlie thing it was for a man to buyld a tēple in his hart for almightie God and to dwell in the same with quietnes of conscience and peace of God that passeth all vnderstanding And he sawe how litle the deuel had gayned at this holie virgins hand by mouing her parentes to debarre her of that litle commoditie of a secret chamber which she had in their howse The losse wherof was an occasion to her to buyld an heauenlie chamber in her hart where she might enioye the sweet presence of her louelie spowse so often and so long as she listed without anie trouble or molestation And as for the abbasing of her to the vile seruices of the howse how litle that turned to the aduantage of the enemie it may appeere by that that she her selfe declared afterwardes to her ghostlie Father When she sawe that her father and mother had appointed her to doe all the workes of drudgerie in the kitchen and other places of the howse she neuer repined at it but turned all that basenes to her great commoditie merite by this holie imagination She had this conceite with her selfe that her father represented in the howse our Sauiour Christ her mother our blessed Lady her brethrē sisters and others of the familie the Apostles and disciples of Christ The kitchen she imagined to be the innermost tabernacle of the temple called Sancta sanctorum where the most principal burnt sacrifices were dight and offred vp to God And with this godlie imagination she went vp and downe the howse like a diligent Martha and in her father mother and brethren serued Christ with his blessed mother Sainctes so cheerefully and with such a glad hart that the whole howse had great wonder of it And thus she turned all that drudgerie wherunto she was put by the malice of the ghostlie enemie to the honour of God to the inward comfort of her owne sowle and to the great contentation of her parentes and edifying of as manie as sawe it Of her continuance in her feruent and deuout exercises and how her father sawe a Doue ouer her head Of a singular affection that she bare to the habite of S. Dominicke and how it was declared vnto her by a cleere vision that she was heard How she preuailed against all those in the howse that went about to hinder her holie designementes and vowes Chap. 8. BVt yet bicause she cold not be without some chamber where she might take her rest in the night season and a priuate chamber she might not haue bicause her father and mother had taken order to the contrarie she chose to be in her brother Steuens chamber where she might in the daie tyme withdrawe her selfe from companie whiles he was out of the waie and in the night set her selfe to praier without
the howse to comfort the afflicted mother When they were there and sawe what had happened it is hard to saie whether of them two they pitied more either the mother whose bowels they sawe were so inwardly moued with compassion on her deere child or the daughter who had exercised such rigorous iustice and bloodie reuenge vpon her owne bodie for the synnes of others How she desired earnestly to receiue the habite of S. Dominicke and how her mother to turne her mynde lead her awaie to the batthes What penance she did euen in the batthes Chap. 13. WHen this blessed maid was thus at libertie to occupie her selfe in the afore mentioned exercises of godlines and penance the more the ghostlie enemie busied him selfe to hinder her good purposes the more earnest she waxed in folowing the same And now calling to mynd the religious habite promised vnto her long before by the blessed Father S. Dominicke she neuer ceased to praie to God with inwarde groanyng teares both by daie by night that he would vowchsafe to fulfill his promise with speed For she sawe that she should neuer be free from the molestatiō of her parents vntill such tyme as she had receiued it therfore she humbly besought thē also that they would be contēted to dismisse her to be meanes to the sisters that liued in penance vnder the rule of S. Dominicke cōmonly called there the sisters of the Mantel that she might be admitted into their cōpany But her mother who had no liking of her sute but sought rather somewhat to qualifie the rigour of her exercises alreadie begon determined to goe to a hoat bath and to take her daughter with her hoping thereby to bring to passe what by cherishing of her bodie with such sensual delites and what by distracting her mynd from her wonted meditations that she should in tyme by litle and litle relent the extremitie of her rough discipline Vndoubtedly this was not done without the instigatiō of the deuel whose bent was to withdrawe that deuout sowle from folowing the calling of her spowse But there is no counsel against God who taught his true seruāt to turne all the treacherous wiles of the enemie to her further cōmoditie profit Whē she came to the bath she fownd out a new maner of bathing such as had not lightly ben hard of before that tyme. she intreated her mother that she might be in the bath alone when all other had bathed thē selues The which thing when her mother had graunted with a verie good will being in deed a plaine meanying woma nand nothing suspecting the wilines of her daughter in that matter she went and set her selfe vnder the spowt where the water came scalding hoate into the bath and there suffred patiently greater paines of the heat of the water then she was wont to doe at home when she beat her selfe with the yron chaine Now when her mother had espied that also and sawe that whatsoeuer she coulde deuise for the solace or comfort of her daughters bodie was by her wilines turned to the contrarie she determined to returne to her howse againe where not withstanding she ceased not to shewe in wordes that she had a great misliking of her extreme seueretie and penance Vnto the which wordes the good daughter gaue but a deafe eare hauing euermore greater regard to the holie spirite of God speaking inwardly in her hart then to the outward sownd of wordes that tended to the hinderance of her godlie designementes Afterwardes when her ghostlie Father who had heard tell of her bathing by the report of her mother demaunded of her how it was possible that she shoulde be able to suffer the heat of that scalding water so long tyme without the extreme domage and peril of her bodie she made answere and said verie simply that being in the bath she called to mynde the paines of hell purgatorie and so made her praier to almightie God whom she had so grieuously offended that he would vowchsafe of his endles mercie to change the tormentes that she had deserued by her synnes into those paines that she would willingly put her selfe vnto there for is loue Vnto the which praier it pleased God to make answere by geuing her such a passing great ioye and gladnes in her hart that all the paine that she suffred was pleasant and deliteful vnto her and the almightie power of God so dispensed with her bodie that it had in deed a verie great and sensible feeling of paine but no hurt or blemish at all When she had thus satisfied the demaund of her ghostly Father she went home and fell againe to the exercises of her accustomed penance How she receiued the habite of S. Dominicke and how she was the first virgin that receiued the same Chap. 14. NOw to come to our matter againe whē this blessed virgin was returned from the batthes she ceased not to sollicite her mother that she would moue the aforenamed sisters of the Mantel that she might receiue the habite that she had so long and earnestly desired The mother being ouercome with the importunitie of her daughter went to the sisters and intreated them that she might be receiued into their companie Wherunto they made answere that it was not their maner to receiue yong maidens into their habite but only widowes and women of sad yeares such as were thought able and likelie to haue experience to gouerne them selues bicause they had no common place and conuersation as commonly couentes of religious persons haue but liued echone a part from other in priuate celles When the mother came home with this answere to her daughter she was nothing daunted withal but besought her mother after a verie humble maner that she would take the paines to renewe her sute againe and vse more earnest meanes to perswade with them then she had done before Which thing she was well content to Doe and went againe but in fine could obteine no better answere then she had at the first The which vnpleasant answere also the good daughter tooke in verie good part remitting her selfe humbly to the will of God in all thinges and making her selfe well assured that the holie Father S. Dominicke would in tyme when it should please God fulfill his promise In the meane tyme it chaunced this blessed virgin to be visited with a verie painful sicknes Her bodie was so disfigured with the measels that she could scantly be knowen and withall she was so sore vexed with a hoat burnyng ague that her mother who loued her emong all her chidren most tenderly had verie great pitie and feare of her The which occasion the wise virgin thought was not to be slipt but taking the oportunitie of the present state and tyme began to moue her mother once againe after this maner Good mother as yee tender my life and health so I beseech you to vse diligent and earnest meanes to procure me the habite that I haue so long
him and directeth all her workes and thoughtes together with all the powers of her sowle in him according to the rule and direction that she findeth in him And without him she listeth not to be forsomuch as in him she findeth all that the hart maie delite in all beautie all sweetnes all quietnes all peace And so by this meane there increaseth daily a certaine vnion and streighte bande of loue betweene her and God which in tyme cometh to be so wonderfully wrought that she is altogether as it were transfourmed into him Wherupon it cometh to passe that she can loue delite thinke and remember none other thing but only him All other creatures she loueth knoweth and considerereth in him euen as a man doth that diueth and swymmeth vnder the water who seeth and feeleth nothing that is not either water or conteined in the water And if he see anie thing that is out of the water he seeth it not properly as it is in it selfe but as the likenes of the same sheweth in the water and not otherwise This is a verie perfecte and sure rule by the which a man maie make a iust estimate both of him selfe and of all creatures grownded vpon a most certaine and infallible truth which is almightie God Vpon this she brought in an other Doctrine also which she tooke such pleasure in that she ceased not to repeate it againe and againe as a thing verie worthie to be noted A sowle said she that is thus plonged in the loue of God looke how much she loueth God so much she hateth her selfe that is her owne sensualitie which is the roote and beginnyng of all synne and from whence she seeth to arise the cause of her separation from God which is her whole felicitie and final perfection The which thing when a sowle preceiueth she conceiueth a great misliking which bringeth foorth a certaine holie hatred against her owne lustes and withal an earnest desire to kill the roote of the same which roote is selfe loue But bicause she seeth that the roote is so deepe that it can not be vtterly grubbed vp but that there will remaine some peece of it which will from tyme to tyme molest her therefore doth she likwise increase daily in this holie hatred whereof is engendred a certaine frutful despising and setting at naught of her selfe which by the force and vertue of the loue of God the ouercomer of all deiection and confusion riseth vp with a greater hope desire and auanceth it selfe towardes God for whose loue she is desirous to abide all paines and roughnes of discipline hoping thereby to subdue al inordinate appitites and pronenes to synne in her selfe which are the lettes and staies that keepe her from her desired ioye and vnion with God And in this humble submission of her selfe she receiueth an inward light of grace by the which she cometh to see and to acknowledge the mercifull goodnes of God who is euermore readie to pardon and will not the death of a synner but rather that he turne and liue Which consideration increaseth her loue towardes him passingly and by loue she purchaseth daily greater grace strenght and fulnes of peace in her selfe and so goeth foreward in perfection of charitie vntill at the lēght it pleaseth God to plucke her as a melowe apple from this tree of bitternes and to transpose her wholly into him selfe who is the euerlasting tree of sweetnes and life And thus is this holie hatred the true keeper and gardian of the sowle the forteresse and sure castel of a quiet and assured hope in God This is that which the holie Apostle meant when he said VVhen I am weake then am I strong For our Lord had declared vnto him that strenght is wrought in weakenes And therefore he saieth also I will gladly reioyce in myne infirmities that the power of Christ may dwell in me Now this infirmitie was nothing els but only that hatred of him selfe that we here speake of Which was caused in him by the knowledge of that roote of inordinate lustes and of his weakenes and insufficiencie to all good workes which he sawe was in him selfe The which thing when he perceiued he waxed weake and feeble that is he despaired in him selfe and acknowledging his owne feeblenes yealded him selfe humbly into the mightie handes of God in whom only it laie to cure his infirmitie Who like a louing Father foorthwith accepted that lowlie resignation of him selfe and laying his almightie hand vpon him made him strong in God that was content to confesse how weake and in sufficient he was in him selfe When this holie virgin spake these and other wordes to like purpose she burst out as it were of a certaine inward ioye and iubilee that she felt in her spirite and said O wonderful goodnes of God how strangely dost thou dispose of of thinges Out of vice thou drawest vertue out of weakenes strength out of offence great grace and fauour O deere children said she haue this holie hatred in your selues for out of it ariseth true meekenes and humilitie of hart by reason whereof you shall account all your workes and other thinges as smoke and vanities and shall glorie only in God This holie hatred shall make you to haue a great moderation and staie in prosperitie and withal a goodlie quietnes and patience in aduersitie It shall cawse you to be modest and comelie in your conuersation with men gratious and acceptable in all your workes of pietie before God Manie tymes also she would adde furthermore and saie contrariwise Woe be to that sowle in the which this holie hatred lodgeth not for it can not be chosen but that in such a sowle there must needes reigne selfe loue which is the roote fowndation and syncke of all inordinate lustes And therefore when she sawe anie synne or vice in anie person being moued with a certaine compassion she vsed often tymes to saie This is the frute of selfe loue the mother of pride and of all other euels Doe therefore said she to her ghostlie Father and others your vttermost endeuour to grubbe it vp out of your hart and to plant in the same that holie hatred for that is the kinges high waie verie certainly knowen and well troden in the which all our defectes are perfectly corrected without anie errour and by it we clyme vp to the mount of all vertues in the highest perfection Thus much sawe the glorious Father S. Augustine when he described two cities the owne fownded vpon the loue of our selues which tendeth to the dishonour of God and the other grownded vpon the loue of God which tendeth to the abbasing of our selues Of the strange battailes which she had against the deuel and how she armed hir selfe with a strong faith and other heauenlie vertues and so gate a most glorious victorie ouer her enemie Chap. 20. AFter that she had learned these lessons which were manie moe then are here specified it pleased the wisedome
of God who seeth that his seruantes doe commonly take more good of their battailes against the enemie then they doe in the tyme of peace to suffer his humble handmaid to enter a great combat with prowd Satan And bicause his will was that she should ouercome in that battaile he would that besides the furniture which he had geuen her before she should now put on a special armour of Fortitude to serue her against all the assaultes of the enemie The which though he were willing to geue her of his own more bowntifulnes yet bicause he deliteth to be sought vnto and geueth his graces more willingly when they are earnestly sought and instantly craued at is hand therefore certaine daies before this battaile should begynne he put in the hart of his spowse that she should humble her selfe before him in praier and craue the vertue of Fortitude The which praier our Lord answered effectually and gaue her both the vertue that she desired and withal a verie sweet lesson concernyng the same saying Daughter if thou wilt haue the vertue of Fortitude thou must endeuor to folowe me True it is that I was able of myne owne power to ouercome all the forces of the enemie by diuerse and sundrie waies But for your behoose and example I chose rather to vanquish him by dying vpon the Crosse that you that be only men might learne if you mynded to encounter with the enemie to take the Crosse as I did and so by vertue of the same to ouercome al his wyles and strength And be you well assured that this Crosse shal be a refresshing vnto you in your tentations if you haue mynd of the paines that I suffred on it for your sake If you suffer for my loue with me you shal be rewarded with me And the more like you be to me in this life in persecutions and paines the more like shal you be to me in the life to come in ioye and rest Embrace therefore my deere daughter embrace the Crosse receiue all bitter thinges and aduersities with a willing and cheereful hart And dread no power neither of man nor of the deuel For in whatsoeuer tyme or maner they shall make anie enforcement against thee by this meane thou shalt easily withstand put backe all their violent attemptes When this good disciple of Christ had heard this lesson she forgat it not but laied it vp with a diligeÌ„t regard in her memorie And euermore afterwardes she had passing great ioye and delite in bearing tribulation and aduersitie In so much that there was nothing in the earth that she tooke such inward comfort in as she did in Crosses troubles and hard discipline For she beleeued assuredly that by troubles and vexations she approched neere vnto her spowse and was made like vnto him the which the longer they were and more extreme the greater weight of glorie she knewe that they wrought in her for the tyme to come Now when our Lord sawe that his spowse was thus sufficiently furnished armed against all assaultes it seemed a fit tyme to open the waie to the enemie and to permit him to come against her with all his strength malice Satan sawe how much she profited in spiritual life how lustely stowtely she clymmed vp to the mount of all perfection He coÌ„sidered that she was of the weaker kind to witt a woman and withal of yeares verie yong and tender all the which turned him to greater griefe confusion He weighed also the great opinion and â—ame of vertue which men had conceiued of her by reason whereof he sawe that in tyme he was in daÌ„ger to leese manie sowles whereupon when he was permitted by God he began to assiege this stroÌ„g fortresse diuerse and sundrie waies The first assaultes were verie strange tentations of the flesh in the which sommetymes he fourmed in her fantasie both waking and sleeping illusions and dreames which were wanton and vnhonest and sometimes he made certaine corporal visions to appeere vnto her forming bodies in the ayer the which he caused to vtter manie wordes and gestures which were verie filthie and vnseemelie to be spoken When the blessed virgin heard and sawe those thinges she ran foorthwith with great feare and horrour according to the doctrine that she had learned to her yron chaine with the which she beat her bodie so much that the blood ran out in streames And vnto that rough discipline she added further more so much watching that in a maner she yealded no rest at all to her bodie But the more she increased her austeritie of discipline the more did the enemie busie him selfe in renewing and multiplying his assaultes cawsing such visions to appeere vnto her both more manifestly and also in greater nomber and sometymes they shewed them selues to haue as it were a certaine pitie and compassion on the great penance that she put her selfe vnto and said vnto her Alas poore wretch what meanest thou thus to torment thy bodie in vaine Weenest thou that thou shalt be able to endure this hard discipline to the end What gayne shall it be to thee if thou murther thy selfe How much better were it for thee to leaue off this folie before thou be vtterly spent Thou art yet a yong woman and the tyme of pleasure is not passed Nature is not so decaied but that thou maiest well recouer both thy strength bewtie and so shew emong other women and take a husband and leaue some increase to the worlde Maiest thou not as well please God in the holie state of matrimonie as in this barren and vnfruteful state that thou hast now taken Hast not thou heard tell of Sara Rebecca Lia Rachel with manie others that liued verie perfectly and honorably in the state of matrimonie Who hath brought thee to enter into this singular trade of life so hard and streight that thou shalt neuer be able to hold out in it All the while that the enemies were speaking these and other the like wordes vnto her she continued in praier and kept her hart pure from all vncleannes and gaue them not one woord to answere sauing only when they went about to bring her in despaire of continuance in that holie order of life then would she saie I trust in my Lord Iesu Christ and not in my selfe And they could neuer gett other word of her And therefore afterward when she talked with her ghostlie Father and others that conuersed with her she was wont to geue them this lesson for a general rule that when they had to deale with the enemie tempting them to anie maner of synn they should neuer stand to reason or dispute with him forsomuch as he trusteth verie much in his malicious sophistical suttelties if he maie a litle incline the will of man he wil soone induce his vnderstaÌ„ding to errour But the surest waie in this case is to deale as a true wife is wont to doe when she is moued by an adulterer to
dishonestie vnto whom she maketh none answere whatsoeuer he saie neither will she so much as looke in his face but foorthwith turneth awaie from him and so keepeth her selfe faithfull and true to her husband And so did this chast virgin to her spowse Christ and by this meane she gate a great victorie ouer her enemie boring his eares with the naile of a strong and faithful praier Howbeit though he sawe his first assault thus easily frustrate and put by yet did he not cease but moued an other battaile against her which was much more fierce and cruel then the foremer How the enemie accompained with a great multitude of vncleane spirites renewed his battarie against this strong Fortresse and vsed greater enforcement then before Chap. 21. WHen the vncleane spirites sawe that this attempt tooke no place but was by the grace of God easily ouercome they tooke diuerse and sundrie shapes of men and women and setting them selues in such fourmes before the eyes of the chast virgin they exercised most filthie actes of the flesh and spake verie fowle wordes and vsed all possible meanes to sterre vp her mynd and bodie to vncleannes The which what a great griefe it caused to her vnspotted and maidenlie hart those only are able to consider that knowe what a goodlie treasure a pure and chast conuersation is in the sight of God and so consequently what a great losse it is to be in danger to be spoiled of the same It was also a great torment and increase of heauines to her mynd to consider that her deere spowse and Lord who was wont afore to visite and comfort her oftentymes seemed now as though he had vtterly forsaken her and would no more relieue and succour her in her distresse although for her part she did what in her laie knocking at the gate of his mercie with continual praier teares and hard discipline vpon her bodie And when she sawe that he made no answere she began to deuise a certaine newe maner of sleight to encounter with the enemie how be it not without the secret instincte of God which was this She conceiued a meruelous great misliking of her selfe and against her owne synnes and so turnyng her indignation as it were against her selfe she vttered such wordes Ah most vile wretch lookest thou to receiue cōfort Thinkest thou that thy synnes haue deserued it at Gods hand O most vnkind caitife is it not ynough for thee that thou art pardoned of the paines of hell O vnthankeful creature dost not thou take it to be gaine ynough that the endles mercie of God that changed those euerlasting tormentes into these temporal afflictions Were it not a verie gaineful exchange for thee though they should endure all the tyme of thy life Wilt thou then be dismaied and relent thy wonted mortification and discipline knowing that by theses meanes thou shalt escape endles paines and within a short tyme receiue endles ioye and comfort at the hand of thy deere spowse Iesus Christ By this maiest thou trie whether thou haue chosen to serue God for these temporal visitations and comfortes or else in hope of that euerlasting blesse and ioyful fruition of him selfe in the life to come A wake therefore take a good hart fight manfully and expecte with patience the good will and pleasure of God Now is the tyme for thee to increase to thy selfe labour and paine and to his holie name honour and glorie It can not be expressed in wordes how much she was strengthened in sowle by this meane and contrariwise how much the prowd enemie was by the same confownded and weakened She confessed afterwardes to her ghostlie Father that there was such a rabble of those fowle feendes at that tyme in her chamber mouing her diuerse and sundrie waies to vncleannes that she was enforced for a tyme to flee from her chamber to the Church and there to keepe more then she was wont to doe How be it euen in the Church also she was molested thought not so much as before in her chamber Whether when she returned afterwardes she was againe so beset with such a compaine of vncleane spirites representing there before her so manie actes of filthines and that with so great importunitie and strange maners that it was a verie miracle how she was able to susteine the same But she forth with falling downe to the earth there lying groueling on her face in praier besought God of his mercie with such mightie sighes and groanes that in contemplatiō of her pitiful crie he somewhat asswaged the furie of those fowle feendes And so continuyng in such afflictions and troubles a great number of daies at the lenght when at a tyme comyng from the Church and lying after such a maner in her chamber she made her earnest praier vnto God crauing his mercifull aide and assistance there appeered a certaine comfortable beame of the holie Ghost which brought vnto her remembrance the goodlie lesson that our Lord had thaught her before when she praied vnto him for the gyfte of Fortitude And so vnderstanding that all that was there done was only the tentation of the enemie she receiued great ioye in her hart and determined from that daie foreward to suffer meekely gladly all maner of tentations and afflictions for the loue of her spowse Iesus Christ Then one of those wicked sprites who was peraduenture of greater boldnes and malice then the rest spake vnto her after this maner Wretched woman what meanest thou Thinkest thou euermore to lead such a state of life as this is Make thy selfe well assured of this We shall neuer geue thee one hower of respite but shall paine and vexe thee continually vntill thou yeald and consent vnto our will Vnto whom she made answere out of hand with a great courage and affiance in God and said I haue chosen paine for my refreshing and therefore it shall not be yrckesome to me but rather pleasant and delitefull to suffer these and all other afflictions for the loue of my Lord and Sauiour so long and so much as shall please his diuine maiestie With that woord all that detestable companie of vncleane sprites vanished quite awaie with a verie dreadfull horrible noyse And behold foorth with there appeered a meruelous goodlie light from heauen which shone all ouer her chamber and in that light our Sauiour Christ in such fourme and maner as he was when he hong vpon the Crosse and there shed his most precious blood for the redemptiō of the worlde Who called her vnto him and and said these wordes Myne owne daughter Catherine seest thou not what I haue suffred for thy sake Thinke it not much therefore to suffer for me After that he approched neerer vnto her in an other fourme to comfort her and spake vnto her manie sweet and louing wordes and she likewise to him O Lord said she vsing the wordes of S. Antonie where wert thou when my hart was so vexed with sowle and
lothsome tentations Daughter said he I was in thyne hart Then said she againe O Lord sauing alwaies thy truth and my dutiful reuerence to thy diuine Maiestie how is it possible that thou shouldest dwell in an hart replenished with so manie filthie and shameful thoughtes Whervnto our Sauiour said Tell me daughter Those vncleane thoughtes did they cause in thy hart grief or delite No said she they caused very great griefe and sorrowe Who then said our Lord was he that caused that griefe and misliking in thyne hart Who was it but only I that laie secretly within in the middle of thy soule Assure thy selfe of this If I had not ben there present those fowle thoughtes that stood rownd about thyne hart seeking meanes to enter but euermore with the repuâ—â—e had without all doubt preuailed and made their entrie into thy sowle with full consent of thy will and synful delite But my presence was it that caused that misliking in thyne hart and moued thee to make resistance against those fowle tentations the which thy hart refused so much as it could bicause it could not doe so much as it would it conceiued a greater displeasure both against them and also against it selfe It was my gracious presence that wrought all these goodlie effectes in thyne hart wherein I tooke great delite to see my loue my holie feare and the zeale of my faith planted in thy sowle my deere daughter and spowse And so when I sawe my tyme which was when thou haddest through my grace and assistance thoroughly vanquished the pride and insolencie of thyne enemie I sent out certaine external beames of my light that put these darcke feendes to flight For by course of nature darckenes maye not abide where light is last of all by my light I gaue thee to vnderstand that those paines were thy great merite gayne and increase of the vertue of Fortitude And bicause thou offredst thy selfe willingly to suffer for my loue taking such paines with a cheerefull hart and esteemyng them as a recreation according to my doctrine therefore my will and pleasure was that they should endure no longer And so I shewed my selfe where vpon they vanished quite awaie My daughter I delite not in the paines of my seruantes but in their good will and readines to suffer patiently and gladly for my sake And bicause such patience and willingnes is shewed in paines and aduersitie therefore doe I suffer them to endure the same Take this similitude of my bodie At what tyme my bodie hong vpon the Crosse in extreme paines and tourmentes and afterwardes when it laie dead vpon the ground no man could euer haue thought that all that notwithstanding there had ben in it hiden that true life that geueth life and mouing to euerie liuing thing And yet so it was by reason of the inseperable vnion that was and is betweene my Godhead and humane nature though not so vnderstood of men no not of myne owne Apostles and disciples that had conuersed with me a long tyme. Now as at that tyme when my bodie laie there dead void of sense and without all outward shewe of anie inward power there was not withstanding in it a diuine power able to quiken and geue life to other creatures no lesse then afterwardes when it was raised from death and endewed with the glorious gyftes of immortal life euen so though after a different maner do I dwell in the sowles of my faithful seruantes at one tyme couertly and without shewing my selfe for their exercise further merite and at an other tyme openly and without couert for their comfort and ioye In this the tyme of thy battaile I was in thyne hart armyng and fortifying thee with my grace against the force of the enemie but couertly for to exercise thy patience and increase of merite But now that thou hast through my grace fought out thy battaile manfully and vanquished the enemie I geue thee to vnderstand that I am and wil be in thyne hart more openly yea and withal more often for thy comfort And with these wordes that blessed vision ended at what tyme the holie virgin was left replenished with such abundance of ioye and sweetnes that no penne is able to describe it And specially she tooke passing great comfort in that that our Lord called her Myne owne daughter Catherine And therefore she entreated her ghostlie Father that when he spake vnto her he would vse the selfe same wordes and saie My daughter Catherine to the end that by the often repetition of those wordes she might often tymes renewe the inward sweetnes that she felt in her hart of those ioyous wordes of her Deere Lord and spowse How our Lord with diuerse other Sainctes visited her oftentymes verie familiarly And how he taught her to read by miracle Chap. 22. FRom that tyme foreward it pleased our Lord to vse a verie vnwonted familiaritie with her and to visite her both verie often and verie louingly euen as one frend is wont to visite an other comyng to her sometymes him selfe alone sometymes bringing with him his most blessed mother the virgin Marie some tymes the holie patriarke S. Dominicke sometymes also with his mother S. Marie Magdalene S. Iohn the Euangelist the Apostle S. Paul and other Sainctes whom he brought with him sometymes all together and sometymes againe some one or els some few of them according as his pleasure was For the most part he came alone and conferred with her euen as one familiar is wont to doe with an other In so much that manie tymes they walked vp and downe in her chamber together and said the psalmes or diuine seruice together as though they had ben two clerkes or religious persones Which maie seeme a verie strange thing and so much the more if it be considered withal that she neuer learned to read by the teaching of anie man or woman for as she declared to her ghostlie Father she had a great desire to learne her mattins and therefore on a tyme she besought one of her sisters to geat her an A. B. C. and to teach her the lettres But when she had trauailed about the same a certaine of weekes and sawe that she did but leese her tyme she thought good to geue ouer that course and to set her selfe againe to her customable exercises of praier and meditation And one tyme lying prostrate on the grownd she made her praier after this maner Lord if it be not thy holie will and pleasure that I shall atteine the knowledge of reading I am verie well content for thy loue to continue in my ignorance and to spend my tyme in such simple meditations as it shal please thee to graunt me But if thou wouldest vowchsafe to shewe me so much fauour as that I might be able to read and sing the deuine seruice I would be right glad also to serue thee in such maner It is a wonderfull thing to report that she had no sooner ended her praier
but that she was foorthwith able to read as readily as one that had ben trained long tyme in the studie of learnyng Whereat her ghostlie Father was meruelously astoined forsomuch as it was well knowen to all that conuersed with her that before that tyme she could not only not read or spell but also verie hardly knowe one letter from an other After this tyme she gate her bookes of Church seruice and began to saie her Mattins and other Canonical howers in the which she noted disigently the verses of the psalmes but especially that verse that is vsed commonly in the begynning of euerie hower to wite Deus in adiutorium meum intende Domine ad adiuuandum me festina and kept the same in her mynd with a special regard to her liues end How she increased so much in heauenlie contemplations that she was often tymes rauished in the same and how she was espowsed to our Sauiour Christ with a Ring Chap. 23. AFter this tyme increasing daily in heauenlie contemplations she was at the lenght enforced almost to geue ouer all vocal praier bicause she was no soener set to praie but that foorthwith she was so much eleuated in the height of her spirite and so rauished from her bodilie senses that she might scantly endure to end one Pater noster Whereupon hauing an earnest desire in her hart to haue yet a further increase of perfection in spiritual life and to clymme vp to the highest point of charity she made her petition vnto almightie God in most humble maner that it would please him to geue her such a light of faith that being guided by the same she might from that tyme foreward walke surely and without alteration in the pathes of his holie commaundementes and make resistance against all the attemptes of of the enemie The which request our Lord tooke in good part and answered verie comfortably and sweetly saying these wordes I will make thee my spowse in faith And euermore as she increased in desire and multiplied her praier so heard she the same sentence repeated and confirmed by our Lord saying vnto her I will make thee my spowse in faith At the last it happened a litle before the begynning of lent in the shrouing daies at what tyme men are wont of a corrupt custome to gather together after a synful maner and to geue them selues ouermuch to bellie cheere that this wise virgin sequestred her selfe from all companie and closing her selfe vp all alone in her cell she besought our Lord with great austeritie of life with long fasting continual watching and feruent praier that he would vowchsafe to perfourme his promise in geuing her that perfection of faith that she so much desired While she was thus praying with great feruour of mynd and instance behold our Lord appeered vnto her after a verie comfortable maner and said these wordes Bicause thou hast forsaken all the vanities of the worlde and set thy loue vpon me and because thou hast for my sake rather chosen to afflicte thy bodie with fasting then to eate flesh with others especially at this tyme when all other that dwell rownd about thee yea and those also that dwell in the same howse with thee do bancket make great feastes therefore I am determined this daie to keepe a solemne feast with thee and with great ioye and pompe to espowse thy sowle to me in faith As our Lord was speaking these wordes there appeered in the same place the most glorious virgin Marie mother of God the beloued disciple S. Iohn the Euangeliste the great trompet of the holie Ghost S. Paul the Apostle and the most worthie patriarke fownder of her order S. Dominicke and after these came the kinglie prophet and poete Dauid with a musical psalter in his hand on the which he plaied a heauenlie song of inestimable sweetnes in the eares of the newe spowse Then our blessed Ladie came to her and tooke her by the hand and withal stretched out her fingers towardes her Sonne with a verie comelie grace and besought him that he would vowchsafe to espowse her to him selfe in faith Whereunto he assented foorthwith with a verie sweete and louelie countenance and taking out a ring that was set about with fower precious pearles and had in the other part a meruelous ritch diamant put the same on the finger of her right hand saying thus Behold I here espowse thee to me thy Maker and Sauiour in faith Which shall continue in thee from this tyme forward euermore without anie change or alteration vntill the tyme come that thou shalt consummate the same with me in a most perfecte and blesful coniunction in the ioyes of heauen Wherefore from hence foorth beare thy selfe stowtly and be not dismaied for thou art now armed with the armour of faith by the vertue whereof thou shalt withstand and ouercome all the assaultes of the enemie And with that this vision vanished awaie and left her replenished with such ioye and sweetnes that no tongue is able to expresse it Certaine proofes of the holines of this blessed virgin declaring the afore-mentioned streight frindship and familiaritie betweene our Lord and her to be a thing vndoubted Chap. 24. IT may be that manie of the thinges mentioned before in this booke maie seeme to to some men verie strange and almost incredible And no merueile for whie so they seemed euen at that tyme to manie men not only of such as had litle acqueintance with her but of those also that liued familiarly with her who as they were much induced to thinke reuerently of her by seeing her vertuous and holie conuersation so contrariwise they were put in great doubt and perplexitie by reason of the thinges that she did Emong others that cast such doubtes was doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father a great learned and wise man who at the begynnyng of his familiaritie with her could not resolue whether those wonderful thinges that he heard and sawe in her were true or counterfeicte and whether they proceeded of God or of the deuel While he stood thus in doubt and had a great desire to be resolued in the matter bicause it stood him vpon being her ghostlie Father neither to deceiue nor to be deceiued but to iudge aright of spirites it came to his mynd that if he could by her meanes and intercession obteine for him selfe a true Contrition of all his synnes such as he neuer had before together with a perfecte sorowe for the same and earnest desire to make a full Satisfaction in the sight of God and that he might perceiue sensibly that all that came to him by her meanes he would take that for a most certaine and infallible token that whatsoeuer she had done was the worke of God and not of Satan transfiguring him selfe into an Angel of light And this trial liked him verie well bicause being learned in the studie of diuinitie he knewe that the deuel could not possibly be the authour of true Contrition
to anie man and that it is not in the power of anie creature but only of God to moue the hart of maÌ„ to what him listeth And so with this intent he went vnto her without declaring anie thing particularly he desired her that she would doe him a pleasure What pleasure said she forsoouth said he that you would be a meane to your spowse for me that he of his great mercie would pardon me all my synnes Whereunto she made answere with a cheereful countenance as casting no doubt at all of the effecte that she would doe it Then said he againe Daughter I thanke you for this But yet thus much I must tell you more That vnlesse you procure me some good assurance of the same you doe me no pleasure at all What assurance would you require said she I would require said he that I might haue a full Pardon and a Bull drawen vpon the same after the maner of the court of Rome With that she smiled sweetly and asked him what maner of Bull he would haue The Bull said he that I desire is that I maie feele in my selfe a certaine deepe and perfecte Contrition of my synnes beyond the common course At that word she gaue him such a coÌ„fortable looke that it seemed to him that she had entred into all the secrets of his hart Well said she such a Bull shall you haue also And so they parted for the daie was almost spent The next mornyng doctour Raimundus was taken after his customable maner with certaine infirmities which were notwithstanding verie grieuous and as then so paineful vnto him that he was inforced to keepe his bed There was at that tyme about him brother Nicolas of Pisa a verie religious man and one that he loued deerely The place where he laie was a Monasterie of Nunnes of S. Dominickes order not farre from the lodging of this holie maid who saw right well in spirite in what case doctour Raimundus was and said to her companion Come let vs goe to visite our father doctour Raimundus for he is sicke what will you doe said she ye are in worse case then he But she foorthwith set her selfe in the waie with her companion and making more hast then she was wont to doe at other tymes came vpon him sodainly â—â— lying in his bed and said Father how is it with you Which was to him so vnlooked for that he had no tyme to talke with his brother and to take order for thinges as he would haue done if he had knowen of her comyng And scantly could he answere her and saie that he was sorie that she should take such paines in comyng to him being her selfe in farre weaker state then he was but that she was entred without anie further circumstances into an high discourse as her maner was of heauenlie matters of God and of his benefites bestowed vpon his creatures and contrariwise of our vngratefulnes towardes him and pronenesse to offend such a good and bowntiful Lord. Which wordes were spoken with such grace that he felt that his hart was strangely drawen by the vertu of the same and that it receiued great comfort And so for maners sake he caused him selfe to be taken out of the bed were he laie and to be set on an other lower cowch neerer to her Who went on with her discourse he neuer thought of his petition made vnto her ouer night coÌ„cernyng the Bull but was caried awaie with the efficacie strength of her wordes which pearsed his hart like sharpe dartes Whereupon his mynd being thus forcibly driuen and entring at the length into a certaine deepe and inward coÌ„sideration of his synnes such as he neuer had in his life before there was represented vnto him iâ— a most cleere vision the iudgement seat of Christ before whom being arrained accused and acknowledging him selfe gyltie he heard a sentence of euerlasting damnation pronounced against him selfe which he confessed he had deserued by the order of Gods iustice This senteÌ„ce he heard openly read and he sawe withal a preparatioÌ„ made for his execution in such order maner as is wont to be when malefactours or theeues are condemned to the gallowes At the length when this dreadful and horrible vision had continued a good space our Sauiour appeered againe vnto him not like a terrible Iudge but like a pitiful Father wheras he was naked he clad him with his owne garmentes lead him into his howse gaue him to eate and drincke plentifully made verie much of him accepted him into his familie as one of his howsehold seruantes and changed the sentence of euerlasting death into a firme promise of euerlasting life The which when he sawe and considered inwardly with him selfe first the deformitie of his sinnes and danger that he was in and then the merciful goodnes of our Sauiour that receiued him againe so louingly he burst out into groanyng sobbing sighing and weeping so aboundantly that in all his life tyme there neuer happened the like vnto him The holie maid that was by all this while sawe how the medicine wrought began then to hold her peace and to let him alone for a good tyme that he might haue his fill of weeping CoÌ„trition And when she sawe her tyme she spake to him againe and said Father I praie you geue ouer this maner of reading and coÌ„sider well of the tenour of the Bull. The Bull said he And with that turnyng him selfe towardes her he said Ah daughter maie this be the Bull that I required of you yester euenyng This is it good Father said she Wherefore be yee myndful of the benefites of God That said she tooke her leaue foorthwith went her waie Doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father declared yet an other verie euident signe of her great holines and familiaritie with almightie God which was this Being on a tyme verie sicke and feeble she laid her downe as her maner was vpon her boordes Where hauing diuerse and sundrie reuelations she caused her ghostie Father to be sent for that she might impart the same to him So soone as he was come she began after her accustomable maner to speak of God to recite vnto him many thinges namely those thinges that our Lord had vowchsafed to shewe vnto her at shrofte whereof we spake a litle before When he heard the thinges that she reported and considered of the greatnes of the same in comparison of that he had read of other Sainctes he said thus in his mynd Is it possible that all this should be true that she saieth And with that looking stedfastly vpon her he sawe her face sodainly transfourmed into the face of a man who likewise set his eyes stedfastly vpon him and gaue him a meruelous dreadful looke The face that he sawe was somewhat long he shewed like a man of middle age his beard was of the colour of ripe wheat that is betweene red and yallowe his countenance was verie comelie
to leese no more tyme about her she turned her selfe to God who only is the phisitiō in such desperate cases besought him most instantly that he would take mercie on her sister molifie her hart This praier was made with such feruour vehemēcie of spirite that it perced the heauens and sownded into the eares of almighty God who to cure that froward womā finally of her synful disease of mynd smote her mercifully with a certaine grieuous infirmity of bodie Whē the holy maid heard tell that Palmerina was so dāgerously sicke she was a heauie womā for her For she sawe that if she should depart the worlde in that state her soule was lost euerlastingly Which consideratiō wrought so in her that she determined to leaue nothing vndone that might possibly be done for the recouerie of that sowle And so she went to her and with verie sweet and louelie wordes offred both her selfe all that she had to be at her deuotion and seruice But the churlish woman was so maliciously bent against her that she not only refused al this courtesie but also reuiled her vsing most vnseemelie and reprochful lāguage against her and in the end bad her goe out of her chāber with great threates thundering wordes All which vilanie the holy maid bare with great meekenes patiēce and continuyng her wonted charitie and cōpassion towardes that furious womā turned her selfe to God againe in praier In this meane tyme that wretched womans sickenes by the diuine prouidence and disposition of God increased so vehemently vpon her that without making anie reconciliation with God or the wordle she drewe on verie fast to death both of bodie soule The which thing when the holie maid vnderstood her hart being thoroughly perced with the dartes of compassion she shut her selfe vp in her Cell and there casting her selfe downe prostrate vpon the grownd with much sobbing weeping and lamentation she made her praier vnto God after this maner O Lord my God Maker maie it be that I wretched creature shold be borne into the worlde to this end that sowles which thou hast created to thine owne ymage likenes should by anie occasion of me be condemned to euerlasting paines Canst thou my good Lord and deere spowse suffer that I which ought to be to my sister an instrument of euerlasting saluation should now become an occasion of her euerlasting woe and calamitie Turne awaie that dreadful iudgement O Lord I beseech thee for thy mercies sake It had ben better for me that I had neuer ben borne then that the sowles which thou hast redeemed with the price of thy most precious blood should through me be brought againe into that miserable captiuitie of our auncient enemie the Deuel O Lord are these the promises which thou madest vnto me when thou diddest saie that I should be an instrument and meane to wynne manie sowles to thee Are these the fruites of life which I thyne vnworthie hand-maid should bring foorth to the behoofe of others There is no doubt O Lord but that my synne is the cawse of all this out of the which I can not looke to receiue anie better fruite then this is But yet O Lord I am right well assured that the botomles sea of thy mercies can not be drayned or in anie part diminished and therefore I set my selfe here before thee with a great affiance and humbly beseech thee that thou wilt vowchsafe to cast downe the eyes of thy clemencie vpon this wretched creature thy seruant my sister This I most instantly craue of thee o most sweet comforter of all afflicted hartes not trusting in anie worke or merite of myne owne but only in thy wonted mercie and goodnes These and other the like wordes did the holie virgin vse in her praier as she declared afterwardes to her ghostly Father which she powred out before God rather with feruour of desire and inward affection then with outward noyse and sownd of voice And our Lord to moue her to further compassion and to make her yet more earnest in praier gaue her to vnderstand and see the euident and imminent peril that her wretched sister was in and she heard it pronownced in plaine termes that the iustice of God could not beare but that such an obstinate malice and hardnes of hart must needes be punished The which horible sentence geuen vpon her sister Palmerina whose sowles health she tendred exceedingly strooke her to the verie hart so mightily that she fell downe to the grownd againe and there lying prostrate groned vnto almightie God after a most lamentable sort saying O Lord God almightie Father of mercies and onlie helper in all extremities I am right well contented yea I most humbly craue it at thy hand that thou wilt vowchsafe to laie all the paine dwe to this wretched womans synnes vpon my backe punish me for them for I am the cause of them and not she Wherefore I most instantly beseeche thee beate me but spare her And with that she raised vp her hart to God with a greater affiance and said furthermore O merciful Lord I will neuer rise out of this place vntill thou shewe mercie to my sister Wherefore I here groane and crie vnto thee O lord euen from the verie botome of myne hart beseeching thee by thyne vnspeakable goodnes by thine infinite mercie and by the price of thy most precious blood shed for the redēption of mankind that thou wilt not suffer my sisters soule to depart out of her bodie vntill the tyme that thou haue graunted her the grace of due penance and contrition for all her synnes Thus did the holie maid make intercession to almighty God for the recouery of her sisters soule her praier was as the euent shewed of meruelous great force vertu For the sicke womā laie in extremes three daies and three nightes drawing on continually in such sort that as manie as were presēt looked euerie hower whē she should passe out of this wordle for they all saw that she was staied in that paineful state of life not by any strength of nature but by some secret extraordinarie power All the which tyme the deuout virgin cōtinued in most earnest feruēt praiers for her and neuer gaue ouer vntil she had with her teares and humilitie as it were wrested the sword of Gods iustice out of his almightie hand and obteined for that wretched woman so much mercie grace that she might first see the deformitie of her synnes then vnderstand the dreadful decree of Gods iustice against her for the same last of all be hartily sorie repentant for her life past with a sure hope of forgiuenes by the mercy of God through the merites of the most precious blood death of our Sauiour Christ This blessed alteratiō was reuealed by God to the holie maid also who vpon the vnderstanding of the same went foorthwith to her sicke sisters chamber to comfort her Whether when
she was come the sicke woman which was now verie weake in bodie but well strengthened in spirite made signes of great reuerence and ioye and partly with woordes as well as she could partly with tokens and gestures of bodie and countenance she lamented her vncharitable demeanour towardes her and besought her of mercy and pardon That done she made her cōfession with great humilitie and contrition so receiuing the Sacramentes rightes of holie Church she yealded vp her soule to God At what tyme it pleased almightie God to shewe to the holie virgin what a blesful beautiful state that saued sowle was in which as she declared afterwardes to her ghostlie father was so great that no tongue of man is able to expresse it And yet was not this that beawtie that she should receiue afterwardes in the blesse of heauen but only that godlie state that the sowle had in her first creation and receiued againe at the tyme of her Baptisme Thē said our Lord to the holie maid How saiest thou my deere daughter is not this a faire and goodlie sowle which through thy paines and diligēce is now recouered out of the hādes of the enemie What man or woman would refuse to take paines for the wynning of such a beawtiful creature If I which am the most high and soueraigne beawtie and of whom proceedeth all maner of beawtie was notwithstāding so ouercome with the loue and beawtie of mans sowle that I refused not to come downe from heauen to clad my selfe with the simple weede of mans bodie in the same to susteine labours and reproches for the space of manie daies and yeares and in the end to shed myne owne blood for his redemption yet had I no need of mans sowle but was most sufficiently and most perfectly blessed in my selfe how much more ought you to labour one for an other and doe what in you lieth for the recouerie of such a noble and excellent creature For this cause haue I shewed thee the beawtie of this sowle that hereafter thou mightest both thy selfe be the more earnest about the wynnyng of sowles and also procure others to doe the like With that she thanked our Lord in most humble maner and besought him furthermore that he would vowchsafe to geue her a newe grace which was that she might from that tyme foreward be able to see the state and condicions of all such sowles as should by occasions haue anie conuersation or dealing about spiritual matters with her that by the sight of the same she might be the more prouoked to procure their saluation Vnto the which demaund our Lord made answere after this maner Daughter bicause thou hast forsaken all carnal conuersation for my sake and hast by all meanes laboured to vnite thy selfe to me in spirite which am the most excellent and soueraigne spirite therefore I here make thee a full graunt that from this verie instant thy soule shal be endewed with such a gracious light that thou shalt see and behold both the beawtie and also the deformitie of euerie sowle that is presented before thee And as hitherto thou hast seene the proportion and qualitie of bodies with thy bodilies eyes euen so from this tyme foreward thou shalt see the condicions of sowles with the spiritual eye of thy sowle not only of such as shal be present before thee but also of all other for whose sowles health thou shalt make intercession to me though thou neuer see them with thy bodilie eyes How she serued an old widdowe that had a festered sore runnyng vpon her by whom she was also infamed And of diuerse strange accidentes that ensued vpon the same Chap. 11. THere was emong the sisters of penance one sister called Andrea who had vpon her brest a verie lothsome sore commonly called a Canker This sore had fretted and eaten so much flesh rownd about and the corruption of the same yealded such an horrible sauour that none might come neere for stench By reason whereof there was none fownd that would attend vpon her in her sickenes The which thing when the holie maid vnderstood she went out of hand to visite her and seeing her vtterly forsaken and destitute of all succour and comfort she made her selfe well assured that the prouidence of God had reserued that sister for her keeping And so accepting the charge of her as at Gods hand she began to speake comfortable wordes vnto her and to make her a free offer of her owne person to attend and serue her to the vttermost of her power which made the widowe a glad woman The holie maid therefore set her selfe to the seruice of that poore woman she tooke care for her that she might haue whatsoeuer was necessarie or requisite for a woman in that case when tyme was she opened her sore clensed it of all the fowle matter she was shed it and wypt it and couered it againe with plaisters and cleane clothes and in all this she neuer shewed so much as one litle token of lothsomenes but did euerie thing with such diligence and cheerefulnes that the sicke sister was astoined to see so great loue and charitie in a maid of those yeares But the malicious feend who hath great enuie at all workes of charitie bent him selfe to doe all that in him laie to disannull if it were possible if not at the least to hinder this godlie and merciful enterprise so much as might be And first of all vpon a daie as the holie maid was about to open the sore to dresse it there came out such an horribile stench that she could hardly beare it but that she must needes vomite The which thing when she perceiued she entred into a passing great choler and displeasure against her owne skeymish bodie ane stomake and said to her selfe Ah vile and wretched flesh dost thou loath thy sister whom our Lord hath bought so deerely euen with the price of his owne most precious blood The daie maie come when thou also maiest fall into the like sickenes or peraduenture worse As I am a Christian woman thou shalt abide for it And with that she bowed downe and held her mowth and nose ouer the sore so long vntill at the length it seemed that she had comforted her stomake quite ouercome the skeymishnes that she felt before All the which tyme he sicke sister cried out vnto her and said Good daughter stand vp good daughter geue ouer cast not thy selfe awaie endanger not thy bodie with this infectuous sauour But she would neuer geue ouer vntill she had ouercome both the tew lines of her owne stomake and also the tentation of the ghostlie enemie When the suttle serpent sawe that this his assault was thus repelled being vtterly in despaire of anie better successe against that holie virgin which stood euermore like a strong fortresse well furnished defenced he deuised to laie his batterie to the weake woman whom he knewe to be of lesse experience and
to eate her meate and not to geue anie credit to such deceueable visioÌ„s Wherunto she made answere and said that she found by experience that she was more healthie in bodie when she receiued no bodilie sustenance at all then she was when she did eate The ghostlie Father was nothing moued with that talke but taking all to be but only excuses he commaunded her precisely that she should eate Then she to shewe her selfe a true daughter of obedience did as she was commaunded and began to eate her meate vntill by eating she became so weake and wasted that she was at the verie point of death without anie hope of recouerie vnlesse she returned againe to her former Abstinence Wherupon she sent for her ghostlie Father and said vnto him Father said she I praie you tell me one thing in case I should by ouer much fasting kill my selfe should I not be gyltie of myne owne death yes said he Againe said she I beseech you resolue me in this Whether do you take it to be a greater synne to die by ouermuch eating or by ouermuch Abstinence By ouermuch eating said he Then sir said she seeing it is so that you see by experience that I am verie weake and euen at deathes doore by reason of my eating Whie doe you not forbid me to eate as you would forbid me to fast in the like case To that reason he could make none answere and therfore seeing by verie euident to kens that she was neere the point of death he made her this final resolution saying Daughter doe as God shall put in your mynd folowe the guydance of his holie spirite praie for me For I see the thinges that our Lord worketh in you are verie strange and not to be measured by the common rule How her strange maner of life was gaine-said and slawndered and how such gaine-sayinges and slawnders maie easily be answered Chap. 14. THis strange and vnwonted maner of life as it was to some of the better sort an occasion of praysing God in his wonderful workes so did it minister to manie vngodlie and ill disposed persones mater of slaunder and offence Some said that she made her selfe better then our blessed Ladie the Apostles yea better then our Sauiour Christ him selfe who as the holie scripture recordeth did eate and drincke Some other alleaged the rules of spiritual life which doe precisely forbid anie Religious persone to folowe anie singular maner of life Some other reasoned and said that vertue consisted in the meane and that all extremitie was to be suspected of vice Some said that she was beguyled by the Deuel some other said in plaine termes that she was an hypocrite and perswaded them selues that she did fast openly to bleere the eyes of the worlde but that she had good morsels in corners which the worlde knew not of Thus did euerie bodie thinke and report of her as it is wont to happen in such cases not as they found her better or worse but as they found them selues better or worse disposed But to make answere to these vaine surmises and false reportes briefely it is to be knowen that all men especially Religious and spiritual persones if they haue not vtterly ouerthrowen or done their best to ouer throwe selfe-loue in them selues but do labour still to gett the vaine estimation of the worlde are in great danger to be ouerthrowen by their owne ambitious mynd and so being blinded with such malice to enuie the gyftes and graces of God in others namely if they be such excellent and singular gyftes as maie seeme in anie degree to make their owne qualities to shewelesse in the opinion of men Such persones are wont commonly to couer their owne malice with the cloke of a certaine zeale which they pretend to haue to the honour of God and edifying of sowles vnder the which couert they will goe about to obscure and slaunder the gyftes of God in their neighbours geuing the worlde to vnderstand that whatsoeuer they see in them all is but the deceite of the Deuel illusions counterfeicting hipocrisie or lacke of discretion But in the end such malice is wont to discouer it selfe as this against the holie virgin doth especially if it be examined and tried by the rules of holie Scriptures and examples of other Sainctes of whom we are well assured that they were in the like case directed by the spirite of God To them therefore that saie that she preferred her selfe before our blessed Ladie the Apostles and Christ him selfe in that she obserued such a streight kind of fast as we read not the like of them it may be answered that our Sauiour Christ did as it is writen both eate and drincke contrariwise S. Iohn Baptist as our Sauiour him selfe witnesseth did neither eate nor drincke and yet will no man preferre S. Iohn before our Sauiour in regard of his singular Abstinence The like maie be said of manie of the auncient Fathers as S. Antoine Maâ—arius Hilarion Serapion and others who likewise kept a streighter fast then we reade of the Apostles and yet doth no man preferre them before the Apostles If they will adde furthermore and saie that this holie maides case is not altogether like to those auncient Fathers forsomuch as though they liued a meruelous streight kind of life and fasted farre aboue the common course of men yet did they eate somewhat and fasted not simply from all maner of bodilie sustenance to that it maie be answered that she had euen for that point the example of Marie Magdalen who liued in a rocke of the sea for the space of thirtie yeares together and neuer eate nor drancke in all that tyme. And yet was she neuer thought to be better then our blessed Ladie which did both eate and drincke To them that alleage the rules of spiritual life which doe expressely forbid all singularitie it maie easily be answered that no man ought to take such order of life vpon him selfe without a verie good and assured warrant from God but if he be commaunded by God to take anie such singular maner of life vpon him he maie not refuse it in respecte of the singularitie for that were to refuse the gyfte and grace of God The like answere maie be made to them also that reason and saie that all extremities are to be eschewed and only the meane to be embraced For it is a most certaine ground that whatsoeuer almightie God willeth can not be taken for an extremitie forsomuch as his will is to vs a most true and infallible rule by the which rule he measureth to euerie one accordingly as he seeth most expedient And manie tymes what we imagin to be to one man a great extremitie that knoweth he to be to an other man the verie iust meane wherin consisteth vertue As for those that said that she was deceiued by the Deuel there needeth none answere to be geuen forsomuch as the thing it selfe answereth them sufficiently For admit that she
would declare all her vision to him She like an obedient daughter declared vnto him the whole vision in such sort as it is described here before And when she came to that point where she praied for certaine special persones she said to him Father when I praied for you and for other that our Lord would vouchsafe to graunt you euerlasting life it pleased his goodnes to geue me an assured comfort in my hart that in deed so it should be With that I besought him that he would graunt me some token of the certaintie therof not that I doubted anie thing of his promise but bicause I was desirous to haue some notable memorial of the same Then he bad me that I should stretch out my hand And I did so And he put into my hand a naile and closed the same so fast within my hand that I felt a great paine in my hand as if there had ben a naile striken into my hand in deed with an hammer And so our Lord be blessed for it I haue in my right hand one of the markes of my sweet spowse and Sauiour to my selfe sensible though to others inuisible How she receiued the blessed markes of our Sauiour Christ in the citie of Pisa Chap. 22. ON a tyme this holie maid went to the citie of Pisa accompanied with diuerse and sundrie persones emong other doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father was one When she came thither she was enterteined by a certaine worshipful man whose house stood beside S. Christians chappell where her Confessour said masse at her request and ministred the holie Sacrament vnto her after her accustomed maner When she had receiued she was foorthwith rauished from her bodilie senses for a good space All the which tyme her Confessour with diuerse others a waited there to see what would become of her and to heare some spiritual and comfortable wordes of her as they were wont to doe commonly when she came to her selfe againe Sodainly as they beheld her the bodie that laie prostrate vpon the ground was raised vp and she kneeled vpon her knees strethching vp her armes and handes shewing in her face a meruelous goodlie and cleere brightnes When she had kneeled after this maner a good while at the length she fell downe sodainly like one that had receiued a deadlie wound and soone after that she was restored againe to her bodilie senses Then she caled for her ghostly Father and said secretly vnto him these wordes Father I geue you to vnderstand for certaine that I beare now in my bodie by the grace and mercie of God the blessed markes of my Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ Her Confessour hearing that asked her how that might be and how it had ben with her in all that tyme of her traunse Wherunto she made answere and said Father I sawe our Lord fastened vpon the Crosse comyng downe towardes me and enuironyng me rownd about with a meruelous beawtiful light With the which gracious sight my sowle was so rauished and had such a passing desire to goe and meete with our Lord that my bodie was constreined by the verie force of the spirite to set it selfe vp as you might see Then there came downe from the holes of his blessed woundes fiue bloodie beames which were directed towardes the same partes of my bodie to witte to my handes feete and hart With that I cried out to our Lord and said O Lord I beseech thee let no singes of these holie markes appeere outwardly to the sight of men Sodainly while I was speaking these wordes before those beames were fully come downe to my bodie they chaunged their coulour out of a sanguine red into a meruelous brightnes and so in the fourme of a goodlie pure light they lighted and rested vpon the said partes of my bodie When she had thus declared her whole vision her ghostlie Father asked her whether anie of thoses beames came downe to her right side or no. She answered no but only to her lefte side vpon the hart He asked her furthermore whether she felt anie sensible paine in those partes or no. With that she fetched a great sigh and said Father I suffer such a great and sensible paine in all those fiue partes of my bodie and specially at my hart that vnlesse almightie God shewe a newe miracle I can not long endure in this life That word did her ghostlie Father take verie good head vnto and he looked diligently whether he might espie anie tokens of sensible paine in those partes of her bodie When she had said so much as she would saie at that tyme they went out of that chappell together towardes their lodging and the holie maid betooke her selfe to her chamber and laie downe and shewed such euident tokens of extreme sickenes that as manie as were about her thought certainely that she would haue dyed out of hand Whereupon her Confessour with certaine other that kept him companie were called to see that strange case When they came and sawe her in such extremitie they were all ouercome with sorrowe and heauines for though they had seene her oftentymes before in verie weake case yet had they neuer seene her so feeble to their seemyng so neere to death Neuertheles within a while after she came to her selfe againe and recouered so much strength that receiuing a litle meate she was able to speak and said to hir ghostlie Father as she had said before that vnlesse almightie God would by some newe miracle continue her life she had but a litle tyme to endure in this wordle When her Confessour heard that he called all her spirituall children together both men and women and besought them with manie teares that they would all with one voice offer vp their humble praier to God beseeching him that he would vouchsafe to lend them their mother that laie at the point of death for a tyme to directe and traine them yet further in the pathes of spiritual life They assented all to his request with a verie good will and went with him to the chamber where the holie maid laie in a traunse And doctour Raimundus in the behalfe of them all spake vnto her after this maner Good mother we knowe well that your desire is to be with your deere spowse and Lord our Sauiour Christ But our desire and earnest sute is that you would take pitie on vs your poore children and not leaue vs thus comfortles and without direction Your reward is safely laied vp for you in heauen and abideth your comyng But we are in danger of perishing a thousand waies in this tempestuous sea of the wordle We knowe also good mother that your deere spowse loueth you so tenderly that he will denie you nothing that you aske him Wherfore we beseech you all with one voice to make your humble praier to him that he will vouchsafe to lend you yet a litle tyme of life emong vs for our further instruction in this holie order of life
excused The parentes whose hartes were verie heauie and careful for the innocent child would not take that excuse but tooke their daughter and went to her to her lodging And came to the house so sodainly that she could not possibly escape by the dore but that they must needes haue a sight of her The which whē she sawe she fownd the meanes to conueie her selfe out by a windowe and so hid her selfe for that tyme in such sort that they could not find her At the last when they had tried all waies sawe that they could by no meanes come to her speech for she had geuen charge to as manie as were about her that none should moue her in that matter they resolued to goe to doct Thomas her ghostlie father to entreat him that seeing the case was so lamētable she so vnwilling to deale in it he would cōmaund her in the vertue of her obedience to keepe the child with her for a tyme. Doctour Thomas was much moued with their pitiful sute and therfore put them in comfort that he would doe for his part what was possible to be done But bicause he knewe well that if he spake to her him selfe she would of humilitie make one excuse or other in such sort that he should not be able to moue her anie further he deuised this wyle He awaited a tyme late in the euenyng when he knewe that the holie maid was abrode then tooke the child that was possessed and put her into a chamber whether he knewe she would come that night leauing word with the rest of the sisters that they should tell her when she came home that he commaunded her in the vertue of her obedience to suffer that child to remaine there with her all that night vntill the next morrowe And so he went his waie and lefte the child with them Anon after when she came home and espied the child in her chamber she asked the sisters who had brought that child thither They made her answere and said that doctour Thomas her confessour had lefte the child there And they declared furthermore that he had willed her in the vertue of her obedience to take the charge of the child till the next daie When she heard that she made no more a doe but set her selfe foorthwith to praier and caused the child to kneele downe and praie with her And so they continued together all that night encountering and fighting against the wicked sprite vntill at the length a litle before daie he was constreined by the force of her faithful praier to depart and to leaue the innocent child without doing anie harme to her bodie The which thing when one of the sisters caled Alexia perceiued she ranne to doctour Thomas and told him that the child was deliuered Doct Thomas likewise being very glad of that ioiful newes wēt to the father mother and brought them with him to the holie maides chamber Where when they sawe the child deliuered in deed they wept for ioye and glorified almightie God that had geuen such power to his humble spowse But the holie maid knewe that the wicked sprite had not quite forsaken the child and therefore intreated the father and mother that she might remaine there with her a litle tyme which they graunted with a good will Then she began to instructe the child exhorted her to geue her self to continual prayer And withal she gaue her a great charge that she should in no wise depart out of the house vntill her father and mother came thether againe to fetch her home Which pointes the child obserued verie well Now it chaunced in this meane tyme that the holie maid had occasion to goe home to her owne house about some necessarie busines for all this was done not in her owne house but in the house of one of the sisters called Alexia of whome mention is made before and there to continue all that daie for the which tyme she lefte the child with a seruant gaue her a great charge withall When she had passed ouer the whole daie in her owne house about such necessarie businesses as she had there to doe and night was come she willed Alexia to giue her her mātel for she would returne with her to her house To that Alexia made answere and said that it was verie late and that it would be euel thought of if women esp religious persones should be seene abrode at that tyme of the night O Alexia said she we must needes goe for that hellish wolfe is about to take my litle lambe awaie from me againe And with that they went both together and found the child in deed verie strangely altered her face all red and her wittes vtterly distracted When the holy maid sawe that she brak out with great indignation into these wordes Ah thou foule feend of hell how durst thou thus to enter againe vpon this poore innocent I trust in the great goodnes of my deere Lord and Sauiour that thou shalt now be cast out in such sort that thou shalt neuer dare to enter againe And with that she tooke the child with her into her chamber where she continued for a certaine tyme in praier Which done she brought out the child againe fully deliuered of that wicked sprite and willed that other sister that was there with her to take the child and laie her downe vpon the bed that she might rest a while And the next morrowe she sent for the father and mother to whome she spake after this maner Take your child home with you on Gods name for from this daie foreward she shall neuer be troubled more with that wicked sprite They tooke their child with glad hartes and lead her to the monasterie from whence she came where she liued a verie blessed life vnder that holie rule and discipline and was neuer molested more to her dying daie Which thing was so ioyous to maister Michael her father that he could neuer tell it afterwardes but that he wept for ioye And he honoured the holie maid in his hart as if she had ben an Angel of God Doctour Raimundus being certified of this great miracle by the faithful report of doctour Thomas Alexia and of the father and mother of the child went him selfe to the holie maid and desired her that she would enforme him particularly of the matter But specially he was desirous to knowe the cause whie the thing was not wrought by the vertue of some holie reliques which the father and mother sought so diligentlie vnto or els exorcismes as it is wont to be Wherunto she made answere that it was a verie rough and stubborne sprite so obstinatly bent that at the first tyme she was faine to continue in battaile against him from the euenyng til the fourth houer of the night before she could expell him And at the length when he sawe that he must needes depart being indeed therunto constreined by the force of her feruent praier
in awe of her euen as a child doth of his maister and was wholly directed by her in all thinges vntill his dying daie which was within one yeare after And so he liued a godlie life and died in the state of grace How the holie maid deliuered Doctour Thomas her Confessour and an other Fryer that iourneyed with him from being murthered in the waie Chap. 3. ON a tyme Doctour Thomas the holie maides Confessour and an other Fryer called brother George Naddi Doctour in Diuinitie likewise went on horse backe together towardes Mount Politan to visite Doctour Raimundus who was at that tyme there Father Cōfessour ouer a Monasterie of Nunnes These two religious persones being on the waie chaunced to be espied by a nomber of theeues that were drincking in a tauerne where they should passe Of the which there arose from the table to the nomber of ten or twelue which preuented these Friers in a place whether they knewe they must needes come and there setting vpon them verie fiercely made them to alight from their horses And when they had spoiled them almost of all their clothes and of whatsoeuer they had about them besides they lead them towardes a darcke thicket that was there by mynding there to haue murdered them and so to haue bestowed their bodies in that vnhaunted place that their facte should neuer be espied When Doctour Thomas perceiued partly by their suspicious maner and partly by some wordes that they cast out what their meaning was being in a great agonie he cast vp his hart to God and to the holie maid and said these wordes secretly to him selfe with great deuotion O deere Catherine Gods deuout seruant and spowse helpe vs now in this our great distresse He had scantly spoken those wordes in his hart but that one of the theeues that was before in mynd to haue killed them being quite altered from that cruel purpose spake after this maner to his felowes Sirs what meane we to she we such crueltie to these good men that neued did vs harme Surely it is a great synne Let them goe a Gods name We maie trust them well inough they will neuer discrie vs. At these wordes the rest being likewise touched as it were with a certaine remorse of conscience restored vnto them againe their horses clothes and all other thinges only a litle money excepted and sent them awaie without anie further hurt Now the thing that is most to be noted in this storie is this At that verie tyme when Doctour Thomas spake those wordes in his hart the holie maid being then in Siena said to one of the sisters these wordes Doctour Thomas calleth me And sure I am that he is in great distresse where soeuer he is And therefore let vs praie to God for him And with that she set her selfe to praier by vertue whereof she ouercame and altered the myndes of those wicked theeues that would haue murdered him as the effecte declared afterwardes How she prophecied long tyme before of the conuersion of a gentleman called Francis of Malauolt Chap. 4. THere was in the citie of Siena a gentleman called Francis of Malauolt worshipfully borne but youthfully geuen And though he had a wife yet could he not keepe at home but would be oftentymes abrode Which thing grieued all his frindes and especially one man that kept him cōpanie most commonly who being a vertuous man for verie entier loue that he bare vnto him and also for compassion that he had in his hart to see his frind to liue in such a damnable state exhorted him that he would goe one daie with him and heare the holie maid The young gentleman was well content to goe with him and to heare her speake And resorting vnto her at diuerse and sundrie tymes he was then presently much stirred to compunction by her godlie exhortations and determined with him selfe to leaue his synful life but within a fewe daies after he fell to it againe The which thing the holy maid perceiued well and had great pitie on his weakenes therefore praied to God earnestly for him on a daie when the young man came after his accustomed maner to heare her exhortation she spake these wordes to him with great feruour vehemēcy of spirit Sōne said she thou comest often to me but afterwardes thou farest like a wild byrd and fliest awaie from me to thy old hauntes But one thing I tell thee I shall once by Gods grace laie such a yoke on thy necke that thou shalt not flie from me anie more as thou dost now The yong gentleman tooke good heed to her wordes and so did manie moe that were present but yet he sawe them not verified so long as she liued And for a tyme also after that she was passed out of this wordle he gaue him selfe againe to his wonted licentiousnes and vicious maner of life And so much the more freely because he had none then to restreine him as he was wont to haue of her before But as the holie maid was an earnest intercessour for that yong man while she dwelt here on the earth so was she also a much more diligent sollicitour in his cause before God when she was in heauen as the end declared Not long after the decease of this holie maid it chaunced that the young mans wife and that deere frind that loued him so intierly and in whom he reposed a verie speciall trust died also The departure and lacke of which two he tooke so deepely because he seemed as a man abandoned and lefte alone in the wordle that he willingly forsooke all the vaine ioyes and pleasures of the wordle and put his head into the holie yoke of religion in the which discipline he liued and died not without a verie great opinion of vertue and holines And whensoeuer he happened in his life tyme to talke to others of his dissolute life in the worlde and of his conuersion and entring into religion he would confesse that whatsoeuer grace he had he had to thanke God from whom all goodnes proceedeth and the holie maid by whose effectual praier he acknowledged he was wonne from the wordle to God How the holie maid made an exhortation to the Carthusian Monckes in the which by the spirite of prophecie she touched the most secret defectes of diuerse and sundrie of them verie particularly Chap. 5. THere was besides the citie of Pisa in an Iland a couent of Carthusians the Priour whereof was called Don Bartilmewe of Rauenna This Priour being a good religious man and desirous to traine vp his couent in all perfection of spiritual life hearing of the vertue and holines of this holie maid and what a singular grace she had in mouing mens hartes with her godlie exhortations besought Doctour Raimundus that he would be a meane to her and intreat her to come one daie to his house to geue some spiritual lesson to his brethren The holie maid was content at the request of Doctour
Raimundus to goe with him certaine other religious persones to the place When she was come the Priour ordeined for her and for her sisters that came with her a conuenient lodging without the monasterie the men he tooke into his cloister with him selfe The next morning he came with his whole couent to the holie maides lodging and besought her verie earnestly that she would voutchsafe to saie some thing wherby both he and his brethren might be edified She of humilitie refused a great while and said that it was more meete for her being a woman to be instructed by them then to take vpon her to instructe them But at the length being ouercome with their importunitie she spake as it pleased God to put in her hart And specially she tooke occasion to touch a nomber of sleites and illusions which the ghostlie enemie is wont to vse to deceiue and entrappe those spiritual persones that geue them selues to solitarie life And when she had briefely and plainely declared the tentations she did with the life briefnes and plainenes teach them against euery particular tētation a particular remedie And these thinges she vttered so orderly and with such apte termes that they were all astonied to heare her When she had made an end the Priour turned him selfe to Doctour Raimundus said these wordes Thus manie yeares haue I heard the confessions of these my brethren as the maner of our religion requireth whereby you maie presume that I do knowe the state of euerie man And I saie to you that if this holie maid had heard their confessions as I haue done she could not haue spoken more to the purpose and more to the profit and edifying of euerie one of them then she hath done Whereby we maie cleerely see that she is vndoubtedly a great prophetesse and that the holie spirite of God speaketh in her VVhat a singular grace the holie maid had not only in seeing the state of their soules that were present with her but also in discerning the qualities and condicions of them that were farre from her and in strange countreis with certaine other pointes of like sort worthie to be noted Chap. 6. MAnie deuout persones resorting vnto the holie maid at tymes for spiritual comfort did vse to kneele downe before her and to doe greater reuerence to her then was vsually done to other religious persones The which thing because she did not refuse some that were present tooke offence and murmured ymagining with them selues that she had ben vaine-glorious and that she had taken pleasure in such curtesies Doctour Raimundus to take awaie this occasion of offence went to the holie maid and told her what was conceiued of her To whom she made answere in this sort Father said she our Lord knoweth that I am so thoroughly occupied in vewing the secret qualities of the soules of them that resort to me that I take litle heed to the outward gestures of their bodies And as she sawe the secret disposition of soules so did she likewise take either passing great delite in them if they were vertuously disposed or verie great griefe and bothsomenes towardes them if she sawe them geuen to vice and vncleannes On a tyme while the holie maid was talking with Pope Gregorie concerning the state of the Church where Doctour Raimundus was vsed for an interpretour betweene them because the Pope vnderstood not the Italian tongue and she spake no latine emong other thinges she lamēted her verie much of the court of Rome and said that where of reason there ought to be a most pleasant paradyse of vertue and holines there she found a most lothsome syncke of all stincking vice and vncleannes The Pope being somewhat moued with those wordes asked of Doctour Raimundus how long it was sence she was first acqueinted with the court of Rome And vnderstanding that it was but a fewe daies he asked her how she came to haue such knowledge of the maners of the court in so fewe daies With that she raised her selfe vp with a certaine comelie boldnes whereas before she held downe her head and said these wordes to the Pope To the honour of almightie God I dare well saie thus much that I had a more perfecte sent of the horrible stench of the synnes that are cōmitted in the court of Rome when I liued at home in myne owne countrey where I was borne then they haue them selues that doe commit such synnes euerie daie When the Pope heard these wordes he held his peace and wondred much at the strangenes of her answere But Doctour Raimundus aboue all other was meruelously astonied seeing her to speake in the presence of so great a Prelate as that Pope was with such an vnwonted boldnes and authoritie It happened often tymes as Doctour Raimundus and diuerse other credible persones reported that when she came with them into places where neither she nor they had euer ben before there resorted vnto her manie men and women that seemed by their apparel wordes and outward behauiour verie honest and godlie folkes but were in deed geuen to some vncleane vice Which thing she perceiued by and by and therefore would in no wise be brought to speake with them of heauenlie matters as they required nor so much as to turne her face towardes them And if she sawe that they taried ouer long she would breake out into wordes also and saie to them that if they mynded to talke of God or of godlie matters they should first ridde them selues out of the deuels snares and amend their liues And with that she would find some occasion to withdrawe her selfe from their companie Now her Confessour and other that were about her at such tymes enquiring further of the behauiour and conuersation of such persones as she refused thus to speake withal found in deed that they were noted of some grieuous crime and that they continued in the same without repentance An other tyme there came a woman to speake with the holie maid whose behauiour was so woman lie and talke so honest that so manie as were there present tooke her to be a verie vertuous woman The which notwithstanding the holie maid turned her face awaie from her as it seemed of purpose because she would neither see the woman nor be seene of her Whereof Doctour Raimundus had great wonder and therefore tooke occasion afterwardes to aske her secretly what the cause was whie she had so done To whom she made answere after this maner O Father said she if you had felt such a stench of synne as I felt while that woman spake to me I am well assured you would haue cast vp all that had ben in your stomake Vpon this Doctour Raimundus vsed meanes to come to the knowledge of that womans conuersation and vnderstood that she was a priestes concubine How the holie maid praied continually for the state of the Church and how by praier she obteyned of God the ceasing of two rebellions in Rome Chap. 7.
AT what tyme Pope Vrbanus the sixt was enforced to flee out of Rome by reason of a rebellion that was raised against him in the citie by the french faction the holie maid which as then was left behind in Rome and sawe the miserable state of the Church wept daie and night and with continual sighes and sobbes made her praier to our Lord beseeching him most instantly that he would voutchsafe to cease the furie of those wicked rebels and geue peace to his afflicted Church And it was well seene that her praier was heard For soone after it pleased God so to dispose that in one daie both those factious schismatikes that had taken armes against the Sea Apostolike were vanquished and taken and the castle of S. Angelo which had holden out long tyme before rendred it selfe into the Popes handes When our holie father the Pope vnderstood of this great victorie he returned to the citie againe where he asked the holie maid her aduise what she thought best to be done in that case And her aduise was that he should goe bare footed to S. Peeters Church and all the people with him to thanke God with all submission and sowlines of hart for that ioyous calme after so lōg stormes And thus the Church of Christ began as it were to reuiue againe and the holie maid tooke passing great comfort to see it But that ioye endured not long For within a litle tyme after these troubles were pacified the deuel whose malice is euermore vigilant against the Church of God raised vp a newe tempest And what he could not bring to passe by the furie of strangers that did he attempt againe by sowing discord betweene the citizens of Rome and the Popes holines When the holie maid perceiued that and sawe the imminent peril that was like thereby to ensue to the Church of God she turned her selfe to our Lord in praier and besought him that he would hold his holie hand ouer the people and not suffer them to commit such a wicked and heinous synne And as she was thus praying she sawe the citie full of damned sprites stirring and exciting the people to kill the Pope And those sprites cried horribly to her and said Thou cursed wretch thou art euermore busie to let our designementes But be thou well assured we shall put thee to a foule death She gaue them no word to answere but continued her praier with greater feruour and deuotion beseeching our Lord with all instancie that he would voutchsafe to keepe her from all mischiefe and also that it would please him to preserue the Pope his lieuetenant and vicar general in earth from all the violent attemptes of those wicked conspiratours for the honour of his owne holie name and for the redresse of his deere Spouse the Church which as then was in verie lamentable state She praied likewise for those impious rebels and besought our Lord most earnestly that he would voutchsafe of his infinite mercie to mollifie their hartes not suffer them to commit such a horrible sinne as to murder their owne Father and Pastour When she had praied often after this maner it pleased God one tyme to geue her this answere Daughter said he suffer the people to accōplish their malice in committing this damnable synne that they are about that I maie exercise my iustice and punish them according to their desertes For their wickednes is so odious and horrible in my sight that it maie no longer be endured When the holie maid heard those dreadful wordes she set her selfe to praier againe with farre greater deuotion and vehemencie of spirite then before and said O most merciful Lord thou seest how thy deere of Spouse the Church whom thou hast redeemed with the price of thy most precious blood is this daie miserably vexed and afflicted almost through out the wordle Thou knowest on the one side how fewe there are that shewe them selues readie to assist and comfort her and thou art not ignorant on the other side how manie there are and how cruelly bent that seeke by all possible meanes to annoye and discomfort her And in this behalfe it can not be hidden from thyne eyes which see all thinges how manie treacheries and treasons there are now in contriuing to make our holie father thy vicar out of the waie The which most detestable conspiracie if it take place must needes turne not only this citie of Rome but also the whole bodie of Christendome to great discomfort and slaunder Therefore ô blessed Lord I most humbly beseech thee that thou wilt for this tyme temper the rigour of thy iustice and spare thy people whom thou hast bought so deere After this maner did the holie maid continue manie daies and manie nightes together in feruent praier in the which tyme our Lord did euer more alleadge iustice and she craued mercie And all the tyme that she was thus occupied in praier the wicked sprites did so vexe and torment her with their horrible scriching and crying that her bodie waxed meruelous feeble In so much that if our Lord had not by his almightie power susteined her it had not ben possible for her to haue endured but her hart must needes haue burst in sunder In the end she concluded her praier with these wordes O Lord said she seeing it is so that thy mercie maie not be granted without thy Iustice I beseech thee despise not my praiers but whatsoeuer paine is to be laied vpon this people laie it vpon my bodie and I will beare it with all my hart for the loue that I beare to the honour of thy holie name and to the saluation of their soules After the tyme that she had spoken these wordes our Lord made no more mention of his iustice but held his peace and gaue her the victorie as the effecte declared euidently For from that verie hower foreward it was seene that the people did by litle and litle cease off their conspiracies and practises against the Popes holines and in the end submitted them selues wholly to his authoritie But as their malice relented by litle and litle and in tyme ceased so did her paine and smart likewise increase answerably by the permission of God by whose suffrance the wicked sprites vexed and tormented her bodie so cruelly that it seemed incredible but only to such as were present with her and sawe how it was in part rent and torne as it had ben with yron hookes in part swollen and full of blacke and blewe wailes as though it had ben beaten with clubbes and all ouer so pitifully araied that it seemed rather a thing to wonder at then a natural bodie All the which notwithstanding she gaue not ouer her accustomed maner of praier but continued in the same both longer tyme together then she was wont to doe before and also with greater feruour of spirite and deuotion then she was wont to haue at other tymes And euermore as she increased in praier charitable
affection towardes the Church of God so did those wicked feendes increase their crueltie towardes her beating and bounsing her daie and night and withal filling her eares with their most horrible cries saying O thou cursed wretch thou hast euer ben against vs. But be thou well assured the tymes is now come that we will be euen with thee Thou hast oftentymes disappointed vs of our purposes And therefore now we will neuer geue thee ouer vntill we haue made a full riddance of thee in such sort that thou shalt neuer be able to hinder vs anie more Thus much the holie maid wrote her selfe in a letter to Doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father And so she continued in such vexation and tormentes from the sonday of Septuagesima vntill the last sauing one of April on the which daie it pleased our Lord to call her out of this life How the holie maid obteined by praier that she might satisfie the iustice of God for the paines dwe to her father in Purgatorie Chap. 8. WHen Iames this holie maides father sawe that his daughter was wholly geuen to the seruice of God as it hath ben declared in the first part of this booke he cast a verie special loue and affection to her and entreated her in his house with great respecte and reuerence and had this opinion of her that she was able to obteine at Gods hand for him what she would And she likewise bare a verie singular loue and reuerence to her father and commended his health to God in her dailie praiers in most earnest maner It chaunced that her father fell into a verie grieuous sickenes kept his bed The which when she vnderstood she turned her selfe to God in praier after her accustomed maner and besought him that her father might recouer againe But answere was geuen her from God that the end of his daies in this life was come and that it was not expedient for him to liue anie longer With that she went foorthwith to her father to visite him and to examine him how he was disposed in his soule and found him readie and willing to passe out of this wordle whensoeuer it should please God to call him wherof she was verie glad and thanked our Lord with all her hart Then she praied furthermore that seeing our Lord had voutchsafed to call her father out of this life in the state of saluation it might also stand with his holie will and pleasure to make him this graunt that he might passe out of hand to the ioyes of heauen not be staied anie tyme in the paines of Purgatorie Whereunto our Lord made her answere that the order of iustice must needes be obserued which would not beare that anie soule should haue the fruition of those vnspeakeable ioyes vnlesse it were most perfectly purged before And though her father had lead a conuenient good life in his vocation and had done manie good workes also which were verie acceptable in the sight of God of the which one principal worke was the mainteinyng of her in religion yet there remained some rust of earthlie conuersation which of right must be tried out with the fyer of purgatorie When she heard that she made her praier to our Lord after this maner O most mercifull Lord how maie I abide that the soule of my deere father whome thou hast appointed to be the meane to bring me into this wordle by whome I haue ben so carefully prouided for in my tender age at whose hand I haue receiued so manie comfortes and reliefes by whose handie labour and charges I haue ben mainteined thus maine yeares in thy seruice should now be tormented with the paines of Purgatorie I beseech thee O father of mercies and God of all comfort for all the louing kindnes that euer thou hast shewed to mankind that thou wilt not suffer my fathers sowle to depart out of his bodie vntill it be by one meane or other so perfectly tried and purified that it need no further purgation A wonderful thing to consider After the tyme that the holie maid had said those wordes it was euidently seene that her fathers bodie decaied more and more as it did before to wardes death all his powers failing sensibly in such sort that all men sawe by the course of nature it could not continue anie tyme. And yet for so long time as she continued in praier wrestling as it were with almightie God and labouring to incline him in some degree if it were possible from iustice to mercie they might perceiue that his soule was holden in his bodie by some spiritual power and could in no wise depart At the length when she sawe that the iustice of God must needes be satisfied she said thus O most merciful Lord if it cā not otherwise be but that thy iustice must be answered I beseech thee turne thy iustice vpon me whatsoeuer paines thou hast appointed for my father laie the same vpon my bodie I will willingly beare them To that our Lord consented said vnto her Daughter for the loue that thou bearest to me I am content to graunt thee thy petition to transpose the paines due to thy father to laie the same vpon thee which thou shalt beare in thy bodie so long as thou liuest With that she thanked God most hūbly and said O Lord thy iudgemētes are all iust be it done to me as thou hast determined And so she made hast towardes her father who laie in extremes And she cōforted him meruelously with that glad tidinges wēt not frō him vntill he had geuē vp the ghost So soone as her father was departed she felt her selfe foorthwith pained with a grieuous disease in her side called Iliaca passio which neuer wēt frō her so lōg as she liued The which paine she bare not only patiētly but also cheerefully cōceiuīg such an inward ioy of that B. state that she knew her father was in that she litle esteemed the outward paine of her owne bodie In so much that at the tyme of her fathers departure when all other that were present made great lamentation she smiled sweetely and shewing great gladnes in her countenance said these wordes Deere father would God I were as you are Our Lord be blessed How the holie maid by praier brought her mother to life againe and so deliuered her from the paines of hell Chap. 9. AS the holie maid shewed her selfe to be a verie louing and duetiful child towardes her father so did she likewise afterwardes shewe the like loue and charitie towardes her mother as her duetie required Her mother Lapa was verie sicke and her sickenes grewe on her euerie daie more and more in such sort that there were seene in her great tokens of death and small hope of life All the which notwithstanding she was so drowned in the wordle that she might in no wise heare of death and be brought to confourme her will to the will of God When her daughter
sawe that being moued with pitie she turned her selfe to God after her accustomed maner in praier and besought him with great instance that he would voutchsafe to prolong her mothers life Our Lord made answere that if she could be brought to dispose her selfe to die at that tyme it would be best for her forsomuch as if she liued longer there were such stormes of troubles and aduersitie towardes her as she should not be able to beare The holie maid hearing that went to her mother and comforted her and vsed manie sweet perswasions with her to induce her to be content seeing it was the will of God to passe out of this wretched state to a more happie and blessed life But the mother geuing but a deaffe eare to this kind of talke charged her daughter earnestly that she should rather praie to God for the continuance of her life for as yet she could in no wise be brought to depart out of the wordle Then the holie maid in great anguish and perplexitie of mynd became a mediatrix betweene almightie God and her mother humbly beseeching him on the one side that he would not suffer her mother to depart vntill she were resolued to die willingly for his loue and earnestly exhorting her on the other side that she should yeald her hart fully and wholly to the will of God But she was so fixed on the wordle that she might not abide to heare of death Whereupon our Lord speake to the holie maid after this sort Daughter said he tell thy mother that if she will not consent to die now a tyme shall come when she shal be so afflicted that she shall desire to die and shall not be heard Which saying of our Lord tooke effecte within a litle tyme after and she was in deed so miserably tormented in mynd with the losse of her temporal goods vnto the which she bare a meruelous inordinate loue that she brake out impatiently into certaine wordes as it were of desperation and despite against God saying Is it possible that God hath so inclosed my soule in this crooked bodie that it can find no waie out Haue I sent so manie of my sonnes and daughters kinsfolkes and frindes housband and all out of the wordle before me with great griefe and now am constreined to remaine here alone after them all to see my selfe ouerwhelmed with heauines and miserie And so with this bitternes of hart and murmuring against God she passed out of this life without anie further contrition or repentance for her synnes Her daughter tooke this maner of her departure meruelous heauily and could receiue no coÌ„fort but setting her selfe to praier which she had euermore tried to be a present remedie against all euels she sighed sobbed and wept verie lamentably and powred out the griefe of her hart before God with these wordes O my deere Lord and God are these the promises that thou hast made me that there should no one of my house and familie perish in the handes of the enemie Behold ô Lord my mother is now passed out of this life without repentance for her synnes without confession without the rightes of holie Church O sweet Lord O Father of all comfort I most humbly beseech thee in the bowels of thy tender mercie that thou wilt not reiecte the petition of thy lowlie handmaid at this tyme. See ô Lord I lie here prostrate before thy diuine Maiestie and will not rise out of this place vntill my mother be restored to life againe and I ascertained of her saluation that thy promises maie be verified and my soule comforted While the holie maid was thus praying there were a nomber of women in the chamber some of the houshold and some of the neighbours that came thither at that tyme as the maner is to mourne and to doe such thinges as were to be done about the dead corps Emong these women some there were also that gaue diligent eare to the holie maid heard distinctly what wordes she spake in her praier But they all sawe this and were witnesses of the same that soone after the holie maid had ended her praier the sowle returned to the bodie againe and the woman liued afterwardes a conuenient tyme to repent her of her former offences and so died in the state of grace This storie did the holie maid her selfe declare afterwardes to Doctour Raimundus her ghostlie father How the holie maid obteined of God by praier the conuersion of two theeues that were lead to execution Chap. 10. ON a daie while the holie maid was in the house of one of her sisters called Alexia it chaÌ„ced that two famoê° theeues condemned to death were caried in a cart thorough the streete towardes the place of execution Their sentence was that by the waie as they were caried they should be pinched now in one part of their bodie and now in an other with hote yrons or pincers and so in the end put to death Which paine was so intolerable that they which were before in a desperate state and might by no perswasions be brought to repent them of their manifold and heinous offences committed against God and the wordle blasphemed God all his Sainctes In so much that it seemed that the temporal tormentes that they were now in were but a begynning and waie to these euerlasting tormentes and fyer that they went vnto But our merciful Lord whose prouident goodnes disposeth all thinges sweetly had otherwise determined of them When they were come neere to this house Alexia hearing a great concourse and noyse of people in the streete went to the windowe to see what it might be And seeing the horrible maner of the execution she ranne in againe and said to the holie maid O mother if euer you will see a pitiful sight come now With that the holie maid went to the windowe and looked out and so soone as she had seene the maner of the execution she returned foorthwith to her praiers againe For as she declared afterwardes secretly to Doctour Raimundus she sawe a great multitude of wicked spirites about those fellons which did burne their soules more cruelly within then the tormentours did their bodies without Which lamentable sight moued her to double compassion She had great pitie to see their bodies but much more to seâ— their soules wherefore turning her selfe to our Lord with great feruour of spirite she made her praier to him after this maner Ah deere Lord wherefore dost thou suffer these thy creatures made to thyne owne image and likenes and redeemed with the price of thy most precious blood to be thus lead awaie in triumph by the cruel enemie I know ô Lord confesse that these men are iustly punished according to the measure of their offences So was the theefe also that hong by thee on the Crosse whom notwithstanding thou tookest to mercie saying that he should be with thee that verie daie in Paradyse Thou diddest not refuse Peeter but gauest him a
frindlie and comfortable looke though he like an vnkind man had thrice refused and denied thee Thou drewest Marie Magdalen to thee with the lines of loue when she had estranged her selfe from thee by her manifold synnes Thou tookest Mathewe the Publicane from a synful trade of life in the wordle to be an Apostle and Euangelist Thou diddest not repell the woman of Cananee nor Zacheus the Prince of Publicans but didest most sweetly accept the one and inuite the other Wherefore I most humbly beseech thee for all thy mercies hitherto shewed vnto man and for all those also that thyne infinite goodnes hath determined to shewe hereafter that thou wilt voutchsafe to looke downe vpon these wretched creatures mollifie their hartes with the fyer of thy holie spirite that they maie be deliuered from the second death Our Lord heard the praier of his Spowse and graunted her such a grace that she went in spirite with those two theeues towardes the place of execution weeping and lamenting for their synnes and mouing them to repentance for the same Which thing the wicked sprites perceiued well inough and therefore they cried out vpon her and said Catherine leaue to trouble vs. If thou wilt not we will surely enter into thee and vexe thee To whom the holie maid made this answere As God will so will I. And therefore I will not cease to doe what lieth in me for the reliefe of these poore wretches because I know it is the will of God that I should so doe And so continuing in praier she procured them a verie singular fauour and grace as the effecte declared For when these theeues were come to the gate of the citie our Sauiour Christ appeered to them shewing to them his precious woundes all streamīg downe with blood inuiting them to become repētant for their former life Which if they did he put them in a sure cōfort that all was quite forgeuen At this strāge sight their hartes were sodainly so altered to the great wōder of as manie as were there presēt that they changed their stile and turned their blasphemie into thākesgeuing praysing God for his great mercies And shewing thēselues to be hartely sorie contrite for their synnes desired earnestly that they might haue a Priest to heare their Cōfessiōs That done they went forward cheerfully towardes the place of executiō where they shewed likewise great tokens of ioy cōfort for that they had to passe by a reproachful death to a glorious life All the people sawe this strange alteratiō were much astonied at it because as thē they vnderstood not the cause thereof which afterwards came to light by this meane The Priest that heard these fellōs Cōfessiōs wēt soone after to visit Doct. Rai the holie maides Cōfessour in talke declared vnto him how wonderfully God had wrought with thē Doct. Rai foorthwith begā to suspect as it was indeed therfore asked Alexia what the holie maid was doīg at that tyme whē the theeues were lead thorough their street towardes the place of executiō She made him answer declared the whole processe of the matter so much as she had seene heard in her owne house Whereby Doctour Raimundus sawe a verie great likelihood that the thing had ben wrought as he deemed before by the praier and intercession of the holie maid Howbeit for the more assurance he tooke an occasion afterwardes to aske the holie maid her selfe And she to the honour of God and for the satisfaction of her ghostlie father declared vnto him particularly how euerie thing had passed Within a fewe daies after this was done certaine of the sisters that chaunced to be present while the holie maid was praying heard her saie these wordes in her praier with a full voice O Lord Iesu I most hartely thanke thee that thou hast deliuered them out of the second prison Of the which wordes being demaunded afterwardes what she meant by them she made answere that the soules of those theeues were as then deliuered out of Purgatorie and restored to Paradyse Such was her charitie towardes them that as she had by praier deliuered them from the euerlasting tormentes of hell so she neuer ceased to praie for them vntill she sawe that they were also passed the temporal paines of Purgatorie and receiued into euerlasting blisse How by the praier of the holie maid an obstinate synner was turned to God Chap. 11. THere was a man dwelling in the citie of Siena called Andrewe Mardine well endued with wordlie substance but bare of heauenlie ritches void of the loue and feare of God a baretter blasphemer and wicked liuer This man about the fortieth yeare of his age was sodainly taken with a verie grieuous sickenes which held him so vehemently that he was faine to keepe his bed where he laie waxed euerie daie weaker weaker vntill at the length he was geuen ouer by the Phisicions and despaired of all men His curate hearing that came to visite him and as his Pastoral charge required exhorted him with manie wordes that he should now in the end of his life dispose him selfe to Confession and penance for his soules health But he was so obstinately bent that he litle esteemed the Priest and lesse his counsel Which thing his wife perceiuing which was a good woman and had a great desire to sawe her husbandes soule ranne to diuerse and sundrie religious persones both men and women besought them that they would come and doe their diligence to turne his hart They came at her instance and vsed manie perswasible meanes to bring him to a better mynd setting before his eyes now the horrible threates of hell fyer and now the sweete peomises of the ioyes of heauen but all in vaine After them came the curate againe with great heauines and care to doe what in him laie towardes the recouerie of this sowle that was thus in danger to perish He exhorted him as he had done before and thereunto added manie goodlie perswasions to induce him to be repentant for his foremer life and to call to God for mercie But the wretched mans hart was so hardened that he might not endure to heare him speake but scorned both him and his holesome exhortations In so much that at the lenght he fell into plaine desperation and synne against the holie Ghost and in that damnable state drewe on a pace towardes his end This matter chanced to come to the knowledge of doctour Thomas who hauing great compassion of the wretched mans case went foorthwith towardes the holie Maides lodging hoping by her mediation to find some grace in the sight of God But when he came thither he found the holie maid rauished from her bodilie senses And so long as she was so he durst not doe anie thing to her bodie wherby to bring her againe and tarrie there anie longer he might not bicause it wae verie late in the euenyng Wherefore he gaue a verie streight charge to one of
the sisters that was there with her at that tyme that when the holie maid came to her selfe againe she should desire her in his name and also charge her in the vertue of her obedience that she should extend her charitie towardes that miserable man that laie on passing and praie to God hartely for his recouerie When the holie maid vnderstood the lamentable state of the sicke man and withall the charge that was geauen her from her ghostlie father she taried not but foorthwith set her selfe to praier and besought our Lord with great instance and feruour of spirite that he would not suffer that soule to perish whome he had redeemed with the price of his most precious blood To that our Lord made answere and said that the iniquitie of that wicked man was so heinous in his sight that the crie thereof perced the heauens and called for iustice for he had not only in wordes most horribly blasphemed the holie name of God and of his Sainctes but also with great despite and malice throwen a table into the fyer in the which was painted the death and passion of our Sauiour Christ together with the images of our blessed Ladie and other Sainctes By the which facte he had deserued euerlasting damnation When the holie maid heard that she fell downe prostrate before our Lord and said O Lord if thou wilt looke narrowly to our iniquities who shal be able to stand Wherefore camest thou downe from heauen into the wordle Wherefore tookest thou flesh of the most pure and vnspotted virgin Marie Wherefore diddest thou suffer a most bitter and reprochfull death Hast thou done all these thinges ô Lord to this end that thou mightest call men to a streight and rigorous account for their synnes and not rather that thou mightest vtterly cancel their debtes and take them to mercie Why dost thou ô merciful Lord tell me of the synnes of one lost man seeing thou hast borne vpon thyne owne shoulders the synnes of the whole wordle that none should be lost Doe I lie here prostrate at thy feete to demaund iustice and not rather to craue mercie Doe I present my selfe here before thy diuine Maiestie to pleade the innocencie of this wretched creature and not rather to confesse that he is gyltie of euerlasting death and damnation and that the onlie refuge is to appeale to thyne endles mercie Remember ô deere Lord what thou saidest to me when thou diddest first will me to goe abrode and to procure the saluation of manie soules Thou knowest right well that I haue none other ioye or comfort in this life but only to see the conuersion of synners vnto thee And for this cause only I am content to lacke the ioyful fruition of thy blessed presence Wherefore if thou take this ioye from me what other thing shall I find in this vale of miserie wherein to take pleasure or comfort O most merciful Father God of all comfort reiecte not the hūble petition of thyne handmaid put me not awaie from thee at this tyme but graciously graunt me that this my brothers hard hart maie be mollified and made to yeald to the working of thy holie spirite Thus did the holie maid continue in praier and disputation with our Lord from the begynning of the night till the nexte morning All the which tyme she neither slept nor tooke anie maner of rest but wept and wailed continually for great compassion that she had to see that soule perish our Lord euermore alleaging his iustice and she crauing his mercie At the length our Lord being as it were ouercome with her importunitie and crying gaue her this comfortable answere Deere daughter I will stand no longer with thee in this matter Thy teares and lamentable crying haue preuailed and wrested the sword of my iustice out of myne hand This synful man shall for thy sake find such fauour and grace as thou requirest for him And with that our Lord withdrewe him selfe from the holie maid and appeered the same hower to the sicke man and spake to him after this maner Deere child why wilt thou not be repentant for the synnes that thou hast committed against me In anie case be sorie for thyne offences and confesse the same and I am readie to pardon thee That word so persed the hart of that obstinate man that he relented foorth with and cried with a lowd voice to them that were there present besought them for Gods loue that they would helpe him to a ghostlie father with all possible speed For said he my Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ hath shewed him selfe mercifully to me and willed me to be confessed of all my synnes When they heard that they were verie much astoined but withall meruelously comforted to see that soddaine and blessed alteration in him And they made great hast to bring him a ghostlie father to whome he made a perfecte Confession of all his synnes with great contrition and so passed out of this wordle in the state of grace How the holie maid by praier procured the conuersion of a fierce yong gentleman in Siena called Iames Tolomes Cap. 12. THere was in the citie of Siena a gentleman of a worshipfull parentage called Francis Tolomes who tooke to wife on Rabes a gentlewoman likewise of a good howse and by her had manie sonnes and daughters His eldest sonne was called Iames a prowd and hawtie yong man and of nature verie fierce and cruel in so much that being yet but a child of age he killed two men with his owne handes which cawsed all men both to dread him and to shunne his companie And as he grewe in yeares so did he also increase in malice and wickednes and ranne without raine or bridle euen as his outragious mynd caried him into all kindes of mischiefe He had two sisters the one called Francis the other Ginoccia which were also dissolute and light of behauiour and specially Ginoccia which was wholly geuen to vaintie and superfluous decking of her selfe And yet had she euermore a care to keepe the virginitie of her bodie which she did rather for feare of shame in the wordle then for anie feare or loue of God Which thing was no small griefe to their mother Rabes who being a woman that feared God and tendred much the soules health of her daughters went on a daie to the holie maid and declaring the state of her daughters besought her for Gods loue that she would bee so good as to come with her and geue them some godlie exhortation The holie maid which had euermore a passing great desire to wynne soules to God went with the gentlewoman with a verie good will and did as she was required And her wordes so wrought in the hartes of those two yong maidens that they gaue ouer all the vanities of the wordle and tooke the habite of S. Dominicke Ginoccia foorth with and Francis soone after In the which rule and discipline they liued a verie streight and rigorous life
my soule vpon the only namyng of this word peace And soone after he said againe O Lord O God what vertue or strength is this that holdeth and draweth me after this sort I haue no power to goe hence I can denie you nothing that you require me O Lord ô Lord what thing maie this be that thus enforceth me And with that he burst out into weeping and said I am quite ouerthrowen I am not able to make anie longer resistance Then sodainly he cast him selfe downe at the holie maides feete and with meruelous great submission and aboundance of teares said these wordes O blessed maid I am readie to doe whatsoeuer you commaund me not only in this matter of peace but also in all other thinges whatsoeuer they be Hitherto I knowe well the deuel hath lead me vp and downe fast tied in his chaine but now I am resolued to folowe you whether soeuer it shall please you to lead me And therefore I praie you for charities sake be you my guide and teach me how I maie deliuer my soule out of his bandes At those wordes the holie maid turned to him and said Brother our Lord be thanked that you are now through his great mercie come to vnderstand in how dangerous a state you stood I spake to you concernyng your soules health and you made light of my wordes I spake to our Lord touching the same matter and he was content to heare me My aduise therefore is that you do penance for your synnes in tyme for feare of some sodaine calamitie that maie fall vpon you which finding you vnprouided maie otherwise beare you downe and quite ouerwhelme you This gentleman was so inwardly striken with these wordes of the holie maid that he went foorthwith to Doctour Raimundus and made a generall Confession of all his synnes with great sorrowe and contrition And so when he had made his peace with almightie God by the aduise of Doctour Raimundus and vertue of the holie Sacrament of penance he was content likewise to submit himselfe to the order of the holie maid and according to her direction and arbitrement to make a firme peace with all his aduersaries Within a fewe daies after this Mannes was thus conuerted it chaunced that he was taken by the gouernour of the citie and cast into a streight prison for certaine outrages that he had committed before And it was commonly talked emong the people that he should be put to death The which when Doctour Raimundus vnderstood he came to the holie maid with a heauie cheere and said Loe mother so long as Mannes serued the deuel so long did all thinges goe prosperously with him But now sence the tyme that he began to serue God we see the wordle is wholly bent against him This sodaine alteration putteth me in great doubt and feare of the man lest being as yet but a yong and tender branch he should be broken of by the violence of this storme and so fall into despaire Wherefore I beseech you hartely good mother commmend his state to God in your praiers And as you haue by your mediation deliuered him from euerlasting death so doe your endeuour also to deliuer him from this temporall and imminent danger To that the holie maid made answere Father said she whie take you this matter so heauily Me thinketh you should rather be glad of it for by this you maie conceiue a verie sure hope that our Lord hath pardoned him all his synnes and changed those euerlasting paines that were due to him for the same into these temporall afflictions When he was of the wordle the wordle made much of him as one that was his owne But nowe sence he began to spoorne at the wordle no meruaile if the wordle do likewise kicke at him againe As for the feare that you haue lest he being ouerlaied with these calamities should fall into despaire be of good comfort and assure your selfe that the mercifull goodnes of our Lord that hath deliuered him out of the deepe dongeon of hell will not suffer him to perish in prison And as she said so it prooued in deed For within a fewe daies after he was deliuered out of prison His life was in deed spared but for that they set a great fyne of money on his head Whereof the holie maid was nothing sorie but rather glad for said she our Lord hath mercifully taken awaie from him tha poison with the which he had before and might agine haue poisoned him selfe So soone as this Mannes was thus deliuered he like a gratefull gentleman ascribing the benefite both of his foremer recouerie out of synne and also of this his deliuerie out of prison to the merites and praier of the holie maid made a deed of gyfte to her of a goodlie palace that he had four myles from the citie Of the which by licence of Pope Grogorie the eleuenth she made a monasterie for her spirituall daughters the sisters of penance and dedicated it to our blessed Ladie and in the honour of her named the place Our Lord of Angels And he after this happie conuersion was wholly directed by doctour Raimundus and lead a verie blessed life What a wonderfull grace the holie maid had in making exhortations and conuerting soules to God Chap. 14. EMong a nomber of strange gyftes that were in this holie maid one was a meruelous singular grace that she had in drawing the hartes of men vnto God not only with the wordes that she spake vnto them but also with her onlie presence And in this she so much passed all that we read or heare reported of other great Sainctes that it might seeme incredible but that it pleased almightie God to make it knowen to the wordle by diuerse and sundrie effectes wrought in such sort that they could not be couered Manie tymes as she was passing from place to place the people came out from all sides by hundreds and thousandes to see her of the which great nombers were wonne to God by her godlie exhortations and went foorthwith to be confessed of their synnes with great sorrowe and contrition Of the which thing when Pope Gregorie the eleuenth was enformed by the report of credible persones to further her charitable trauaile in winnyng of sowles to God he made her a speciall graunt by his bull or letter patent that she might haue alwaies three learned confessours about her vnto whome he gaue authoritie to absolue from all kindes of synne in as ample maner as anie bishop hath within his diocese And those three confessors were so thoroughly occupied by reason of the great multitudes that were turned to God by her meanes that Doctur Raimundus who was one of the three and euermore assistant to her reported both of him selfe and of the other two also that manie tymes they sate in confession from morning to night without anie bodilie recreation or refection yea and sometymes when night came had scantly so much leisure as to receiue a litle sustenance
of her paines with the Popes holines but tooke it vpon her with a verie good will When she came to Auinion she spake to the Pope so effectually and vsed such perswasible meanes to induce him to condescend to the peace that he without anie further deliberation or sticking at the matter made her this resolute answere Daughter said he that you maie see how much I tender peace and concord I put the whole matter in your hand Doe in it as you shall thincke good Only this haue a regard to the honour of the Church And with that he reuoked his processe and sentence of excommunication against the cittie of Florence by reason wherof they had some respite for a tyme from such vexations and troubles as they suffred before in all places where they had trafficke with other nations The which when certaine craftie persones that bare the swaie at that tyme emong the people perceiued they thought to vse the oportunitie of that release to the furtherance of their malicious intent which was to hinder the peace And though they spake openly of pacification yet did they worke couertly by all possible meanes to depraue and discredite whatsoeuer was spoken or done for the confirmation of the same In so much that when the holie maid sent the condicions of peace to them requiring them to set their handes to them and to make a publike instrument vpon the same as the maner is when anie composition of peace is made they denied vtterly to doe it The which thing Pope Gregorie foresawe verie well and in deed said these wordes to the holie maid before she sent vnto them Beleeue me Catherine said he these Florentines haue beguyled thee And either they will send thee none answere at all or if they doe they will not doe it to such effecte as thou requirest And in truth as he said so it was For afterwardes when the Embassadours came from Florence to the Pope and it was thought that they should haue conferred with the holie maid they refused it plainely and said that they had no such commission The holie maid seeing that was in deed verie sorie to see ther vnhonest and craftie dealing Howbeit she ceased not to asswage the displeasure of the Popes holines iustly conceaued against them and she vsed meruelous meanes to perswade him that he should rather shewe him selfe a pitiful father towardes them then a rigorous iudge While the matter stoode in these termes the Pope being resolued to returne againe to the cittie of Rome which was also wrought by the wonderful perswasion of the holie maid thought good to differre this treatie of peace with the Florentines vntill he came thither where it might be done with better oportunitie And so the Pope returnyng to Rome the holie maid with Doctour Raimundus and the rest of her companie went home to Siena where she busied her selfe after her accustomed maner about the wynning of soules to God How the holie maid was sent backe from Pope Gregorie to the Florentines with the condiditions of peace freely put in her owne hand Cap. 17. AT what tyme these thinges were in doing it chanced that Doctour Raimundus was verie familiarly acqueinted with a worshipful gentleman of Florence called Maister Nicolas Soderines who was well thought of emong all good men for vertue and godlines Doctour Raimundus reasonyng with him on a tyme and complainyng of the vniust dealyng of the Florentines in that treatie of peace the gentleman made answere that in truth it was the fault of some fewe which being in office and authoritie emong the people were able to lead the multitude where they listed And if those fewe could by anie meanes be displaced he doubted not but that anie iust demaund would be heard emong the people When Doctour Raimundus had heard that he conferred with the holie maid and by her aduise drewe out certaine treaties of peace which were thought both verie honorable and also verie profitable for both parties if they might be receiued and exhibited the same to the Popes holines as sent from her And declared withall what he had heard of the afore named gentleman concernyng the hinderance of the said peace Within a fewe daies after the Pope called for Doctour Raimundus againe and spake vnto him I haue said he receiued letters in the which it is signified vnto me that if the holie maid will goe to Florence the peace is like to be concluded To that Doctour Raimundus made answere that not only the holie maid but he also and all the rest of her spiritual sonnes and daughters would be found readie at all tymes to offer them selues to Martyrdome whensoeuer anie like occasion was ministred to shewe them selues dutiful and obedient children to our holie mother the Church No said the Pope I thinck it not good that you should goe at this tyme. It maie be dangerous for you But she being a woman and also holden in great reuerence emong them for her vertue and holines maie I thinke goe without anie danger And so it was concluded and the Pope wrote his letters to the cittie of Florence in the which he gaue her a meruelous testimonie of holines and with the same sent her as an oratrice from the Sea Apostolike When she came to Florence she was receiued of the godlier sort with all honour and reuerence and by the meanes of the afore mentioned Maister Nicolas Soderines came to conferre priuately with manie of those citizens that liued in the feare of God who were easilie induced by her to accepte the peace that was offred vnto them by the Popes holines After this she went and conferred likewise with that companie or partie of the cittie that were called Guelphi and to them set out with manie vehement wordes what a prowde insolent and vngrateful part it was to hinder that holie peace calling those fewe that were the doers therof enemies and vndoers of all common weale and therefore vnmeete to beare office emong the people She declared furthermore what a profit was like to insue to their cittie by that peace if it might be receiued not only in their temporal goods but also and much more for the furtherance edifying of soules Then she shewed the heynousnes of their faicte to be such in the sight both of God and man that if the rigour of lawes and iustice should be extēded vpon them they had deserued to be extremely punished in bodie and soule Last of all she gaue them to vnderstand what a fatherlie loue the Popes holines bare to them and how inclinable he was to shewe mercie if they would submit them selues seeke it at his hāds And these pointes she set out vnto them with such a comelie grace with wordes of such efficacie that all those Magistrates with manie other honest citizens being brought by her talke into an vtter misliking of their present troublesome state and also into a great loue and longyng after that blessed peace which they sawe
and me by such meanes as I declared vnto thee thou camest to the knowledge of truth Thy second petition was that I should shewe mercie to the wordle Thy third petition was for the bodie mysticall of my holie Church beseeching me that I should take awaie from it darckenes and persecutions which it suffreth at this present And thou requiredst that I should punish the iniquities of the euell vpon thee Whereupon I declared vnto thee that no paine that hath an end or is geuen in tyme that hath an end is able of it selfe alone to satisfie for a synne done and committed against me which am an endles goodnes But it maie well satisfie if it be ioyned with contrition of hart and desire of sowle The maner also how this satisfaction maie be made I haue declared vnto thee Then I made thee answere that I will shewe mercie to the worlde shewing thee that it is proper to me to be mercifull Whereupon for mercies sake and for the inestimable loue that I bare to man I sent my only begotten Sonne and word The which thing that I might declare more plainely to thee I likened him to a bridge that reacheth from heauen to earth by reason of the vnion that is made in him betweene the nature of God and man And to geue thee yet a further light of my truth I shewed thee how the waie to clymme vp this bridge is by three steppes to witte by the three powers of the soule And of this true bridge shewed vnto thee I made a figure in my bodye resembling those three steppes as thou knowest verie well the first in my feete the second in my side and the third in my mouth In the which I put the three states of the soule to witte the state imperfecte the state perfecte and the state most perfecte in the which the soule atteineth fully to the excellencie of inward loue And in each of these I shewed thee plainely what thing that is that taketh awaie imperfection and what is the defecte or let of perfection and by what waie one maie come to it I spake to thee also concernyng the secret deceites of the deuels and concernyng spirituall selfe loue Furthermore I spake to thee in these three states of the reproofes that my clemencie maketh The first reproofe I put to be made in this life before they depart out of their bodie The second at their death which toucheth them that die in mortall synne Of whome I told thee that they went vnder the bridge by the waie of the deuell and I shewed vnto thee of their myseries The third reproofe I shewed should be at the generall iudgement where I shewed thee somewhat concernyng the paines of the damned and glorie of the blessed when euerie one shall receiue the dowries of his bodie In like manner I promised thee and doe promise that with much sufferance of my mynisters I will refourme my spouse the Church inuiting you to such sufferance complainyng my self with thee of their iniquitie and shewing thee withall what an excellent place I haue put them in and what reuerence I doe require that secular personnes should doe vnto them And I declared vnto thee that my will was that their reuerence should in no wise be diminished for anie defectes or excesses that are in them and how much it displeaseth me when the contrarie is done I spake also to thee of the vertue of those that liue like Angels Where I touched withall the excellencie and worthnes of the blessed Sacrament of the Aulter Againe while I was speaking to thee of the three states of the soule thou wert desirous to be infourmed concerning the states of teares and to know from whence teares proceede Whervpon I declared the matter orderly vnto thee shewing that the states of teares haue an accordance with the states of the soule and that all teares doe proceede out of the fountaine of the hart And of this I assigned the cause proceeding orderly Moreouer I declared that there were fiue kindes of teares of the which the fifte engendreth death Then I made answere to thy fouerth request which was that I should prouide for a certaine particular case that had happened for the which I prouided as thou knowest verie well And vpon this I declared vnto thee of my prouidence both in generall and in speciall from the begynning of the creation vntill the end of the wordle Where I shewed how I made and doe make all thinges with a most high and diuine prouidence geuing or permitting all thinges to witt comfortes and tribulations spirituall and temporall for your good that you maie be sanctified in me and my truth fulfilled in you For my truth was and is this that I haue created you to haue life euerlasting Which truth is opened to you with the blood of the Word which is my only begotten Sonne Last of all I satisfied thy desire and discharged my promise made to thee by declaring vnto thee and speaking of the perfection of obedience and of the imperfection of disobedience and from whence it cometh and what thing that is that taketh obedience from you And I put it for a generall keye and so it is And I spake to thee of the particular and of the perfecte and imperfecte personnes liuing both in religion and out of religion Of each of these pointes I informed thee plainely and distinctly I spake to thee likewise of the peace that obedience geueth and of the warre that disobedience causeth adding and shewing withall how by the disobedience of Adam death came into the wordle Now I the euerlasting Father the most high and eternall veritie doe conclude openly that you doe obteine euerlasting life by the obedience of the Word to witt of my only begotten Sonne And as all men haue taken death and damnation of the first man Adam so haue all men that will beare the keye of obedience taken life euerlasting of the newe man Iesus Christ my most deerely beloued Sonne Of whome I haue made you a bridge after the tyme that the waie of heauen was broken downe that you maie passe without harme by this sweete and streight waie which is a cleere and lightsome truth with the keye of holesome obedience And so passing without harme thorough the darckenes of this present life at the last with the keye of my Word you find heauen open vnto you Now I inuite thee with the rest of my frindes and seruantes to weepe for by weeping and by continuall and humble praier I mynd to shewe mercie to the wordle Runne therefore by this waie of truth that thou be not rebuked afterwardes for going slowly for there shal be more required of thee now then before bicause I haue shewed my selfe vnto thee in my truth And take good heed that thou neuer goe out of the cell of the knowledge of thy selfe but in this cell keepe and spend the treasure that I haue geuen thee which treasure is a doctrine of truth founded
and excellent goodnes the goodnes that is aboue all goodnes the happie goodnes the incoÌ„prehensible goodnes the inestimable goodnes the beautie that is aboue all beautie the wisedome that excelleth all wisedome for thou art wisdome it selfe Thou being the food of Angels with the fyer of charitie hast geuen thy selfe to men Thou art the garmeÌ„t that couereth my nakednes Thou feedest the huÌ„grie with thy sweetnes for thou art all sweete without anie maner of bitternes Wherefore ô euerlasting Trinitie in the light that thou hast geueÌ„ me I haue receiued by the meanes of this light of thy most holie faith thyne owne selfe shewiÌ„g the same vnto me by diuerse sundrie wonderful declarations I am come to knowe the waie of great perfectioÌ„ to the end that froÌ„ this tyme foreward I should serue thee with light not with darckenes and be a glasse of a good and holie life and so raise my selfe vp from this miserable life in the which I haue hitherto serued thee euermore in darckenes for I knewe not thy truth and therefore I loued it not But wherefore did I not knowe thee Forsooth because I sawe thee not And wherefore did I not see thee with the light of this most holie and glorious faith Because the myst of selfe loue had dymmed the eye of myne vnderstanding But thou O eternal truth hast with thy light dissolued my darckenes And who shal be able to reach to thy heyght and yeald thee thanckes for this passing great gyfte and for the manifold and large benefites that thou hast bestowed vpon me and for the doctrine of truth that thou hast reuealed vnto me The which doctrine is a certaine special grace aboue the general grace that thou geuest to other creatures Surely thou wouldest condescend to my necessitie and ro the necessitie of other creatures also which in tyme to come looking in it as in a glasse shall haue a desire to behold them selues Thou therefore O Lord answere and satisfie thy selfe for me Thou that art the giuer make satisfaction also for the benefites that thou hast bestowed vpon me that is powre into me the light of thy grace that with that light I maie yeald thee thankes Cloth me and make me to put on thy selfe which art the euerlasting truth that I maie runne out the course of this mortal life with true obedience with the light of a most holie faith of the which light me thincketh thou dost euen now make me droncke a newe What a sure affiance the holie maid had in the truth of Christ and how she longed after Martyrdome Chap. 21. WHat a great affiance this holie maid had in the goodnes of almightie God and how securely she reposed her selfe in the infallible truth of his word it maie appeare verie well by a nomber of dangers that she offred her selfe vnto willingly and with a great courage when soeuer occasion was ministred to doe anie good charitable worke and namely when she had to treat with Prlnces and great personages vnto whom she declared the truth of all such thinges as she had to vtter vnto them with a meruelous freedome boldnes and wisedome not looking to their persones or dignities but only to the honour of God Treating on a tyme with Pope Gregorie the eleuenth concernyng the troubles and turmoiles that were then in the Church and how the same might best be quieted she was not afraid to tell him his duetie in plaine termes and to aduertise him in Gods behalfe how he ought to rule and feed his flocke Emong a nomber of particular informations and exhortations that she made vnto the Popes holines at that tyme she spake these wordes in the presence of diuerse and sundrie of his Cardinals and other Prelates Come said she against these false and rebellious children with the meekenes of the Crosse and not with the furie of the swoord and so shall you see that these wolues shall laie downe their heads in your lappes and humbly submit them selues vnto you It is not conuenient that the vicar of Christ should fight against his enemies with the temporal swoord And therefore our Sauiour Christ rebuked S. Peeter when he strooke Malcus and said Put thy swoord into the scabberd Thus did she speake at that tyme to Pope Gregorie concernyng his pastoral charge and at an other tyme concernyng the horrible stench of the vices and synne vsed in the court of Rome which point was briefely touched before And in all this talke she neuer shewed so much as anie litle token either of flatterie or of feare but spake with a meruelous constant and discreete boldnes to the great wonder of as manie as heard her In like maner after the decease of Pope Gregorie in the tyme of Pope Vrbanus the sixt there was a consultation in Rome to send the holie maid and with her an other holie maid whose name was also Catherine daughter to S. Briget of Sweâ—ia into Sicilia to queene Ione to see if they could by their godlie perswasions induce her to cease that wicked and cruel rebellion that was at that tyme through her support raised and continued against the Church But in the end the thing taking no place because the Pope liked not of it no more did that other S. Catherine her selfe Doctour Raimundus came to the holie maides chamber where she kept her bed at that tyme and laie in verie great paine and declared to her their final resolution And for the satisfying of her mynd he said furthermore that he thought verily that it was both the better and also the safer waie that they had taken For said he you are both maidens and yong and therefore in danger of villanie if anie be offered if none be yet at the least of the speach of naughtie and slaunderous tongues And you haue to deale there with manie wicked and cruel harted men which being obstinately bent to coÌ„tinue in their malicious enterprise and loth to heare anie thing to the contrarie will not sticke to make you out of the waie in case they see that you are like to preuaile or doe anie good in the matter When the holie maid heard that she cried out with a great feruour and vehemencie of spirite said If S. Agnes S. Margaret and other holie Virgins had cast such perils they had neuer worne those glorious crownes of martyrdome that they now weare in heauen Alas father why saie you so Haue not we our Spouse to accompanie vs also euen as they had And is not he able to defend our bodies and liues from all villanie that shall or maie be offred vnto vs by a noÌ„ber of base and abiecte men Surely surely father these feareful cogitations are but vaine and do proceede rather of a weake faith and lacke of affiance in almightie God then of true wisedome At these wordes Doctour Raimundus was so striken that he held his peace and gaue her not one word to answere For being her Confessour and thereby
her But she might not abide to heare anie wordes that tended to her owne commendation and therefore she went awaie As she was going out doctour Raimundus came towardes the howse and met with her in the gate looking verie heauily of the matter for he knewe nothing of all this that was done in the howse but came directly from the phisicion When he sawe her there being as it were ouercome with sorrowe he said to her O mother will you suffer this good man that is soe deere to vs so profitable and necessarie to mà nie others to die after this sorte To that shee made answere verie humblie shewing in deed that she had no liking in such wordes O Father said shee what maner of talke is this that you vse to mee Take yee me to be a God that you would haue me to deliuer a mortall man from death I pray you said he speake these wordes to some other that is a stranger to you and not to me that knowe your secretes I knowe right well that whatsoeuer you aske of God hartely he will grant it you With that she bowed downe her head a litle smyled and after a tyme looking vp to him againe cheerefully she said these wordes Father be of good cheere for he shall not die at this tyme. VVhen doctour Raimundus heard those wordes he was a glad man for he knewe well what grace and prerogatiue was geuen to her from aboue And so he went into the house to comfort his frind not knowing in deed that he had no need of it but supposing that the thing had ben yet to do that was alreadie done VVhen he came in he found him sitting vp in good health and liking declaring vnto them that were about him the maner of the miracle that was wrought vpon him selfe For the further confirmation wherof the table was laid and they eate together that mornyng not such meates as sicke men vse to eate but rawe oynions and such other grosse meates as can not be digested but only in whole stomakes And as they were eating they tooke great pleasure to recite the wonderful thinges that it pleased God to worke by the holie maid In the tyme while this contagious disease reyned in Siena it chaunced a certaine Hermite called Sanctus that liued in an Hermitage a litle without the citie to be infected with the same The which thing when the holie maid vnderstood she caused him to be taken out of his cell and brought to this afore mentioned hospital of our Ladie of mercie VVhere she came to him with certaine other of her sisters tended him prouiding for him all such thinges as she thought necessarie or requisite for a man in that case And to comfort him with wordes also she put her head to his and whispered him softely in the eare saying Be not afraid howsoeuer yee feele your selfe for yee shall not dye at this tyme. But to the rest that were there she said no such thing but rather when they entreated her that she would praie to God for his recouerie she gaue them but an vncomfortable answere which made them verie sad for they all knewe him to be a holie man and therfore both honoured and loued him verie tenderly The disease increased howerly more and more and he decayed so sensibly that they dispairing his life gaue ouer the charge of his body and looked only to the health of his soule At the length when he was in extreames they all stoode about him with greate heuines looking only when he woulde giue vp the ghost the holie maide came to him againe and said in his eare Be not afraid for yee shal not die at this time The sicke man both heard vnderstood that word though before it seemed that he was past all sense And he tooke comfort in it rather crediting the word of the holie maid that sounded in his eare then the throwes of death that griped him by the hart Howbeit he shewed no token of amendement and therefore they not vnderstanding what she had said prouided lightes and other thinges necessarie for his burial looking still when he would depart out of this life And in this howerly expectation of death they continued certaine daies longer in deed then men are wont to liue that are sicke of that disease At the length when it seemed that he was euen passing out of the wordle the holie maid came to him againe and spake these wordes in his eare I commaund thee in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that thou passe not at this tyme. At that word he tooke comfort of spirite and strength of bodie and rose vp in his bed and called for meate and in the presence of them all eate his meate with good appetite and receiued perfecte health and liued after manie yeares and was one of them that were present with the holie maid in Rome when she departed out of this wordle And he declared afterwardes what wordes the holie maid spake in his eare how by the vertue of the same his soule that was vpon the verie point of departing out of his bodie was mightely reteined adding furthermore that he esteemed the miracle that was wrought vpon him selfe to be no lesse then if she had raised him vp againe from death to life and that without all doubt it was no natural cause that had restored him againe but only the almightie power of God working by the meanes of that holie maid During this tyme of pestilēce in the citie of Siena it pleased God to worke an other miraculous cure by the meanes of the holy maid vpon Doct Raimundus her owne ghostlie father after this maner The plague increased so sore and the inhabitantes fled so fast for feare of infection not only the citizēs but also the priestes and religious persones that manie soules remained without comfort or counsel But doct Raimundus taried still in the citie would not remoue but determined with him selfe that he would visite helpe as manie as he could possibly The which charitable purpose being once knouē he was so much called vpō to earnestly intreated to come now to one house and now to an other bicause there were fewe or none to helpe him that he had scantly leisure to eate his meate or to take his rest One night whē he had rested on his bed thought to haue risen vp after his accustomed maner to say his seruice he felt a verie great paine in his flāke And feeling with his hand he found that there was a great sweelling in the place which made him sore afraid For experience had taught him that the disease begā commonly after that maner Wherfore he laie still in his bed durst not rise but began to thinke of death euermore wishing that it had ben daie that he might haue gone and spoken with the holie maid before the disease had taken full place in him In the meane tyme the ague came vpon him and withal a
great hedach which tormented him verie sore and were as he knewe vndoubted signes of the common infection that raigned ouer the citie at that tyme. The which notwithstanding he did what he could to make an end of his diuine seruice In the mornyng calling a felowe to him he went with great paine towardes the holy maides house whether when he came he found her not at home For she was gone out to visite an other that was sicke Then being no longer able to hold vp his head he laied him selfe downe vpon a couch that was there in her house praied the sisters that they wold send for her with al speed When the holie maid came home and found him there and vnderstood in what case he was she kneeled downe by the bed and laying her hand vpon his forehead she began after her maner to lifte vp her hart to God in praier And foorthwith he sawe that she was quite abstracted from her bodilie senses rauished in sprite Which was no vnwonted sight to him nor yet vncomfortable at that tyme. For he hoped well that she should obteine some great benefite for him both of bodie and soule at Gods hand When she had continued after that maner about the space of halfe an hower he felt in him selfe a mightie alteration and stirring in euerie part of his bodie and withal a vehement prouocation towardes a vomite which he had seene to hapen before to many that had died of that disease How beit it fell not so out with him but rather contrariwise For it seemed to him that he felt sensibly how those corrupt humours that caused his paine were violently drawen from within to the vttermost partes of the bodie And certaine he was that he found present ease of his paines And before the holie maid came to her selfe againe he was fully and perfectly restored to his health sauing only that there remained a litle feeblenes in him which he thought our Lord suffred to remaine in him as a token either of the disease that was cured or els of the weakenes of his faith So soone as the holie maid had obteined this grace at Gods hand for her ghostlie father she was foorthwith restored to her bodilie senses And finding him as yet in some weakenes she willed her sisters to prouide some meate for him such as is wont to be geuen to sicke folkes The which when he had receiued at her holie hand she willed him to lie downe and rest a while and so he did And when he had rested a litle tyme he rose vp and felt him selfe as strong and in as good liking as if he had neuer ben sicke Then said the holie maid to him Father goe your waie and labour about the edifying of soules and be thankeful to almightie God that hath deliuered you out of this present danger The like miracle did the holie maid worke about the same tyme vpon father Bartilmewe of whome mention hath ben made diuerse and sundrie tymes before The miracle was much alike but the cure seemed somewhat greater biause he was both longer and also more grieuously sicke How the holie maid healed a great nomber that were sicke of other diseases after the like maner Chap. 4. AFter the tyme that this pestilence was ceased in Siena it chaunced that manie deuout and well disposed persones as well religious as others but specially certaine Nunnes of Pisa hearing the fame of the holie maid had a great desire to see her and to heare her doctrine which was reported to be and was in deed verie wonderful And because it was not lawful for many of them that had this godly inclination to come to her to Siena they sent letters and messengets to her very often beseeching her that she would take the paines to come ouer to them to Pisa And to allure her the more to take that iourney vpon her they declared vnto her what frute and gaine of soules was like to ensue by her comyng thither The holie maid though she had no desire to be from home yet being ouercome with their long importunate sute especially considering that there was great hope of winning soules to God first she asked the aduise of them that liued in house with her of the which compaine some were with her going to Pisa and some against it Then when she sawe that she could not be resolued by men she fled vnto almightie God as her maner was and besought him humbly that he would vouchsafe to make her to vnderstand what his will and pleasure was that she should doe in that case And it came to passe after certaine daies that our Lord appeered to her and willed her that she should accomplish the godlie request of those his seruantes hand maides in Pisa without delaie Wherupon she went to her ghostelie father and declaring thus much to him besought him like an obedient daughter that he would geue her licence to doe as she was willed by God He assented willingly to her demaund and went him selfe with her and with him two other of his brethren to heare the confessions of such as should resort vnto her according to a graunt made to her by Pope Gregorie the eleuenth When she came to Pisa she lodged in the house of an honest citizen called maister Gerardus where on a daie there was presented vnto her a certaine younge man of the age of twentie yeares or there about which had ben sore vexed with a quotidian ague for the space of a yeare and halfe and neuer missed one daie And though there were no fit of an ague vpon him at that tyme yet might she see that he had ben long sicke For whereas he was by constitution of bodie a verie strong and lustie yong man he was now brought so lowe that he had neither flesh strength nor colour And no medicine could be found that would doe him good Wherfore they entreated the holie maid that she would commend his lamentable state to God in her praier The holie maid pitied his case verie much and asked him how long it was sence he was last confessed To that he answered and said that it was a good manie yeares Yea said she and that is the cause whie our Lord hath laied this discipline vpon you bicause yee would not clense your soule in all this tyme by confession Wherfore deere sonne see that yee goe out of hand to confession and rid your selfe of these sinnes that haue infected you both bodie and soule With that she caused Doctour Thomas her owne confessour to be called and deliuered the yong man to him willing him to heare his confession That done the yong man returned to her againe and she laied her hand vpon his shoulder and said these wordes Sonne goe your waie with the peace of our Lord Iesus Christ For I will not that these agues trouble you anie more She said and it was done for the almightie power of him spake in her who said and it
seditious citizens against the holie maid that her freendes doubting and fearing her life counseled her to depart But she made them answere that she had an expresse commaundement from God not to depart vntill the peace were fully agreed vpon and openly published in the said citie Howbeit she was contented a litle to geue place to the furie of the people and to withdrawe her selfe into a secret place not farre from the citie there to remaine for a tyme vntill the tempest were somewhat asswaged Now as she was preparing her selfe to his voiage in a maner readie to set foreward one of her sisters called Ione fell sicke Her foote was swollen very much of what cause no man knewe he paine anguish wherof was so great that it cast her into an ague also By reason wherof she was not in state to take that iourney with the rest of her compaine VVhen the holie maid vnderstood of her sickenes being vn willing to leaue her there behind bicause she was manie waies subiecte to the furie and malice of naughtie men she fled to her accustomed refuge of praier besought almighty God of his infinity mercie that he would prouide for the indēnitie of her sister God heard the petition of his spouse For al the whil that she continued thus in praier that other sister slept sloundely Out of the which sleepe so soone as she awaked she found her selfe in as perfecte health strength as if she had neuer ben sicke And so she rose vp set her selfe in order went the same mornyng with the maid and the rest of the compaine so nimbly that they wer al astoined to se it When Pope Greg. had resolued to remoue out of Frāce vnto the citie of Rome againe the holie maid likewise with doctour Raimundus the rest of her retinue departed from auinion towardes Italie And passing through the prouince they came to a citie called Tolonne where when they had taken vp their Inne the holie maid to auoid the presse of the people which flocked meruelously about her in al places to doe her honour left her compaine and as her maner was conueied her selfe as secretly as was possible to an inner chamber And her whole compaine knowing how troublesome such resort had ben to her at at other tymes did what they could to prouide that fewe or none should knowe of her being there But as they vsed all diligence to keepe the matter secret so it seemed that the verie stones of the streete cried out and be wraied her to the people for she was no sooner in her chamber but that they came to the house from all partes of the citie flocking in great nombers first of women and then of men and asked wher that holie Ladie was that came from the court of Rome At the length when Doct Raimundus the rest sawe that the matter could no longer be hidden being ouercome with the importunate pressing of the people they were contented to admit the women only Emong whome there was one that had a yong infant so strangely swollen especially in the bellie that it seemed rather a mōster thē a child for the which infant the women besought the holie maid that she would vouchsafe to take it into her armes she refused it at the first for humilities sake but afterwardes being ouercome with pitie and seeing their faith she yealded vnto thē So sone as the child was in her armes it beganne to let out out great store of wind and with that in the presence of all that multitude the swelling of his bellie and whole bodie asswaged and she gaue it againe to the mother in perfecte health and shape of bodie The fame of this miracle being spread thoroughout the citie it came to the eares of the bishop Who sent out of hand for Doctour Raimundus and desired him that he would be a meane to the holie maid that he might speake with her and told him withal that the child vpon whom this great miracle was wrought was nephewe to his vicare generale She came with doctour Raimundus and certaine of her sisters and spake with the bishop and he found him selfe meruelously well edified by her talke and behauiour Manie other miracles did the holie maid worke to the benefite and health of mens bodies But these maie suffice to declare that the power of God dwelt in her which was the principal worker of all these thinges How the holie maid made good bread of fustie and stincking corne and how she multiplied the same Chap. 5. BIcause the order of iustice requireth that such as shewe thē selues perfectly obediēt to God should be obeied of all his creatures our Lord to declare to the wordie that the obediēce of his spouse was verie perfecte towardes him caused his creatures likewise to shewe their obedience towardes her At the tyme while the holie maid liued in Siena it chaunced that a yong widowe called Alexia of whom mention hath bē made oftentimes before in this booke bare such a singular affectiō to her that it seemed she could not almost liue without her For the which cause she gaue ouer the wordle tooke the habite vpō her which the holy maid ware and forsaking her owne house tooke an house neere vnto the place where the holie maid dwelt that she might resort vnto her more commodiously continue longer tyme in her compaine And the holie maid likewise to auoid the distractions of her fathers house and to retire her selfe more closely to praier and contemplation would goe to the house of Alexia and there continue with her sometymes whole daies sometymes whole weekes yea and sometymes whole monethes At that tyme it chaunced one yeare to be such a scarcitie of corne in the citie countrie that the people were constreined to eate bread made of fustie and stincking corne that had ben kept long tyme vnder the ground in cesternes caues bicause there was none other to be gotten for money Of such corne had Alexia made prouision for her selfe and her familie for that yeare But before her store was spent the haruest tyme was come and she heard tell that there was newe corne to be sold in the market wherupon she thought to cast awaie that litle portion that was lefte of the stinking corne and buye newe But before she did it the holie maid being in house with her she chaunced to breake her mynd to her and to tell her what she was about to doe What will yee doe said she Will you cast that awaie that God hath sent for the sustenance of man If you will not eate of that bread your selfe yet bestowe it vpon the poore that haue no bread to eate To that Alexia replied and said that she had a conscience to geue such stinking vnholesome bread to the poore she would rather buye newe corne and make them bread of that Well said the holie maid bring me here a litle warer and that meale which you mynd
concluded all with one voice which were in nōber sixteene persones that it was her praier that had procured that increase from heauen for said they yee see that we are all satisfied and the bread that was set before vs is not lesse but rather more then it was at the begynnyng And when their table was taken vp there remained so much bread as sufficed the sisters aboundantly and after them the holie maid commaunded the rest to be geuen out to the poore which was also a plentiful almes The like happened the same yeare and in the same house in the lent tyme by the like default of an other of the sisters called Francis How the holie maid wrought the like miracle in the couent of the Friers preacheers in Siena after her departure out of this wordle Chap. 7. THe holie maid died in the citie of Rome as it is said before from whence her head was sent afterwardes to Siena and receiued but not with such honour as was thought meete and answereable to the holie life that she had lead in that place VVhereof Doctour Raimundus hauing some remorse of conscience and being moued also as it was thought by God was in hand with his bretheren that they should appoint some day when that pretious relique might be brought as from some other place by the whole couent and the rest of her spiritual sonnes and daughters with hymnes and psalmes and other solemnities such as were common to the Saints in heauen for as yet it was not lawful to singe any particular seruice in the honour of her bicause she was not canonized Which being agreed vpon he went and inuited al her spiritual children that were abroad to come at the day appointed and to honour their good mother euery one in the best maner that he could deuise And withal he entreated them to take a part of their pitance that daie with the couent When this solemnitie was ended and the tyme come that they should goe to dyner the brother that had the charge of the butterie came to the priour with a heauie countenance and told him that there was not bread inough in the howse to suffice the one halfe of the couent and much lesse to suffice the strangers also that were inuited which were to the nomber of twentie persones When the priour heard that he went first into the butterie to see the prouision And when he sawe that it was so in deed he sent that brother with Doctour Thomas the holie maides foremer ghostlie Father to certaine of their special frindes houses to make a sufficient prouision of bread for the whole companie But those men taried somewhat longer then it was thought they would haue done Wherefore the priour hauing consideration of his strangers caused them to sit downe and set before them so manie loaues of bread that there remained for the couent but only so much as they thought would haue ben a competent portion for fower or siue men At the length when the priour sawe that they came not awaie he willed the couent to sit downe also and to begynne with that litle vntill more came They did so and eate their meate And though those two brethren came not at all with anie new prouision yet was their bread so much increased vndoubtedly by the merites of the holie maid that the whole couent which were to the nomber of fiftie persones was abundantly satisfied both at the first and second dyner And after all was done they gathered vp a great quantitie of bread which was also reserued till an other tyme When the couent dyner was done the priour with certaine of his brethren went to the place where the strangers sate Doctour Raimundus with them Who was still sitting at the table with them and making a sermon or collation in the praise of the holie maid Which sermon the priour interrupted and told them what a wonderful worke it had pleased God to worke that daie in the couent When doctour Raimundus heard that he turned himselfe againe to the companie and said these wordes Surely surely our good mother sheweth that she liketh well of the seruice and honour that we haue done her this daie in that she feedeth vs with bread by miracle which was in deed a common thing with her while she liued And in this she sheweth also that she is the true daughter of our blessed father S. Dominicke of whome we reade in the storie of his life that twise in his life tyme he wrought the like miracle in multiplying of bread How almightie God caused wine to be found in an emptie vessel to the vse of the holie maid and how he caused the same to cease againe at her instance Chap 8. IN the yeare of our Lord. 1375. the holie maid went to the citie of Pisa and lodged in a worshipful citizens house called maister Gerard Bonconties Where by reason of a great abstraction that she had from her bodilie senses she was brought to such an extreme feeblenes that it seemed she was at the verie point of death Wherefore doctour Raimundus fearing her present departure out of his wordle began to cast with him selfe if it were possible to deuise anie thing that might somewhat refresh or comfort her bodie in that case Flesh egges and wine he knewe well she might not abide and much lesse electuaries or anie other the like confortatiues that were made of sweet thinges Wherefore he came to her and praied her that she would suffer them at the least to put a litle sugar into the cold water that she droncke To that she answered quickely and said Alas father that litle life that is lefte in my bodie yee goe about to quench vtterly for yee knowe that all sweet thinges are become verie hurtful and deadlie to me Then Doctour Raimundus and the said maister Gerard in whose house she laie began to deuise carefully what thing they might doe to relieue and comfort her if it were possible And it came to their myndes which they had seene oftentymes proued in the like cases that when a sicke persone was not able to receiue anie sustenance inwardly it was good to take red wine and with the same to wash the temples and pulses of his hand-wrestes VVherupon maister Gerard sent to one of his neighbours which was wont euermore to haue one vessel of that wine and praied him that he would be so good as to send him a botel of it The neighbour when he vnderstood maister Gerardes request and withal the extreme feeblenes of the holie maid made answere to the messenger and said Truly frend I could find in my hart to bestowe if it were that whole vessel vpon maister Gerard. But it is now three monthes sence it was all drawen out euen to the lees And at this present there is not in my howse one droppe of that kind of wine wherof I am verie sorie But that you maie be well assured that it is so in deed I praie you
come downe with me and see And with that he would needes haue him downe into the cellar and shewed him the vessel Wherein that red wine had ben And the messenger might well perceiue that the vessel was drie and that it had stood long emptie But yet the good man for the more assurance in his presence would needes drawe out the spigot also that he might see it with his eyes and so satisfie maister Gerardes mynd So soone as he had taken out the spigot behold there issued out of the vessel a goodlie red wine which ranne abondantly euen as from a full tappe and wette all the ground vnderneth VVherat the good man of the house was meruelously astoined and putting vp the spigot againe called all that were in his house both men and women and examined them diligently if anie of them knewe of anie wine that was put into that vessel They said all and sware also that the vessel had stood emptie for the space of three monethes before and they thought it not only vnlike but also impossible that anie creature should bring so much wine into the house and put it into the vessel without their knowledge Which made them to thinke as it was in deed that this wine was sent them from God to the behoofe and comfort of the holie maid And when the messenger that was sent from maister Gerard came home with his bottel ful of that wine and declared to him and the rest what had happened they all tooke great comfort in it and magnified the bountifull goodnes of almightie God that had so miraculously prouided for the reliefe of his true handmaid The fame of this miracle being spread thorough out the citie it chanced within a fewe daies after when the holie maid was recouered that she had an occasion to goe abroad to visite a certaine patriarke that was newly come to the citie sent from the Sea Apostlolike While she passed thorough the streetes the people hauing vnderstanding of her comyng abroade forsooke their worke and shoppes and ranne from all partes of the citie to see her and said What a woman is this that drincketh water her selfe and yet filleth our vessels with wine VVhen the holie maid sawe that presse of the people and vnderstood the cause of the same it went to the verie hart of her as she declared afterwardes in confession to her ghostlie Father And therefore she turned her selfe to almightie God after a sorowful maner spake to him in her hart after this sort O Lord whie hast thou plagued me thy poore hand-maid thus as to make me a laughing stocke to all the people All other thy seruantes maie be seene emong men only I can not Who desired this wine of thee for me Thou knowest O Lord that I haue long forborne the drincking of wine and now for a litle wine I am made a common talke in euerie mans mouth I most humbly beseech thee O my deere Lord for all the mercies that euer thou hast shewed vnto me thine vnworthie handmaid that thou wilt cause this wine vtterly to vanish awaie in such sort that the brute that is raised of me emong the people maie cease withal Thus she praied with deepe sighes and inward gronyng of hart and our Lord despised not her praier For wheras the people repaired stil to the house to drinke of the wine and manie honest citizens drancke of it for pure deuotion and euermore perceiued that there was nothing the lesse wine for all their drincking comyng now to the vessel to drincke they found that all the wine was turned to thicke dregges And wheras before it was a verie pleasant wine it was now of a sodaine become so pudlie and vnpleasant that no man might abide to drincke of it VVhich thing caused a great alteration in the myndes of the people For wheras before they thought spake verie reuerently of the holie maid manie of them began now to imagin that this wine was a thing counterfeicted by the deuel and that almightie God to make such treacherie knowen to the wordle had turned it vnto dregges VVhich made the good man of the house and all other that had before by occasion of this miracle geuen the holie maid a report of great vertue and holines so much ashamed that afterwardes they durst not once to open their mouthes to speake anie thing that tended to her commendation But the holie maid her selfe was verie glad of it and gaue God most humble thankes that had deliuered her from such vaine and troublesome applauses of the people VVherin she shewed her selfe in deed to be the true disciple and folower of our Sauiour Christ whose maner it was euermore when he had wrought miracles to auoid the fauourable speaches of men And howsoeuer it pleased euel disposed persones to interprete these two miracles there could be no fault in the holie maid For of the foremer which they ascribed to the deuel she knewe nothing vntill it was done and the latter was wrought by almightie God at her request But a charitable mynd would rather interprete them thus that our Lord shewed in the foremer miracle how much he loued her and in the latter how she answered his loue againe with a profound humilitie In the foremer he gaue vs matter to praise her in the later example to folowe her In the foremer he taught vs how she was adorned with grace in the latter how she was staied with wisdome for where humilitie is there is also true wisedome Of a goodlie vision that was shewed to a certaine deuout matrone in Rome at the departure of the holie maid out of this life Chap. 9. AT what tyme the holie maid departed out of this life there was in the citie of Rome a certaine deuout matrone of honest parentage called Semia This woman in hir husbandes daies serued God diligently But after her husbandes death being lefte with two sonnes she gaue her selfe wholly to praier visiting of holie places and other the like deuout exercises and so continued manie yeares Her maner was to rise euerie night to praier and towardes the mornyng to take a litle rest lying downe or leanyng her head for a while to her beds side that she might the better endure the labour of going the stations in Rome the next daie This Semia when the holie maid came first to the citie being infourmed by diuerse and sundrie persones of her great vertue and holines resorted much to her house and in tyme became verie familiar with her Howbeit she was so thoroughly occupied what with her ordinarie stations and pilgrimages and what with the necessarie attendance vpon her two sonnes that sometymes for certaine daies together she had no leysure to come and see the holie maid as it chaunced in deed at the tyme of her final sickenes passage out of this worlde The night before the holy maid gaue vp the ghost in the morning this deuout matrone rose vp after her accustomed maner
more phisicke vnto him When all men had geuen him ouer as a dead man a certaine deuout woman that was about him called Cecola Cartaria made a vowe to the blessed virgin S. Caterine in his behalfe and foorthwith the yong man began to amend and within a verie litle tyme was fully recouered of his disease In like maner a certaine woman called Gilia Petruccies when the phisicions had geuen their diffinitiue sentence that by the course of nature she must needes die made the like vowe to S. Catherine of Siena and with that found present ease of her paine and within a fewe daies after was perfectly restored to her health There was also at this tyme in the citie a certaine noble and deuout woman called Ladie Ione Ilperines which was well acquenited with the holie maide in her life tyme. And therefore seeing the miracles that were wrought after her death she conceiued the greater opinion of holines in her In so much that wheresoeuer she went to visite anie that were sicke and diseased she would alwaies perswade with them that they should commend them selues deuoutly to the holie virgin S. Caterine of Siena By the which meanes she procured the recouerie of a great manie that were sicke of diuerse and sundrie diseases On a tyme it chaunced that one of this ladies owne children sporting and runnyng rechlesly as yong children are wont to doe in an vpper lofte of the house fell downe headlong to the ground in her presence She seeing the sodaine fall of her child whome as a good mother she could not but loue tenderly and considering of the thing as it was like to be in the discourse of man which was that her sonne should either die presently or els at the least be sore crusshed that he should prooue but a criple or wraile all the daies of his life after cried out mightely and said O blessed S. Caterine of Siena I commend my child to thee It is a wonderful matter to consider that though the height and other condicions of the place from whence the child fell were such that in reason they might hope of none other but only present death yet when they came to take vp the child they found that he had no maner of harme in anie part of his bodie but was fully in as good case and liking after that great fall as he was before When the mother sawe that she gaue most humble thankes to almightie God and to his deere spowse S. Caterine and ceased not wheresoeuer she came to set out her holines and vertues to the vttermost of her power There was also a poore woman in the citie called good Ione which being a common landresse gate a poore liuing by seruing of others specially by washing of clothes This Ione wasshing on a tyme by the riuers side called Tiber happened emong other clothes to wash a quilte of the which one part was in the riuer and the other vnder her hand in washing But that part the swame in the riuer being heauier then the other of a sodaine drewe that part that was in wasshing from vnder her and so the whole was caried away with the swaie of the streame Whē the poore womā sawe the quilt gone knewe that if it were lost she was neuer able to paie for it hauing a greater care to recouer the quilt then to saue her selfe she reached so farre after it that she fell into the water also and was caried likewise a good waie from the land Being there in great distresse and destitute of all mans helpe it came to her mynd what great miracles were wrought at that time in the citie by the holie maid Wherupon she cried out said O blessed virgin S. Catherine of Siena helpe me now in this great need She had no sooner spoken those wordes but that foorthwith she was holpen vp by the almightie hand of God and brought against the course of the streame and set with the quilt in her hand vpon the bancke without anie helpe of man When she sawe her selfe there and could not imagin how she came thither she thāked God with all her hart and ascribed the benefite of her escaping from that present danger as it was in deed to the merites of B. S. Caterine Not long after the death of the holy maid doct Raimund being made the general ouer his whole order came to Rome as his charge required And being there translated the holie bodie of S. Caterine vpon that verie daie that she had prophecied that it should be done manie yeares before By trauailing wherin in other affaires apperteining to his office his bodie was distēpered in such sort that he had need to haue the aduise of some learned phisicion Wherupon he sent for one that dwelt ther by not farre from the monasterie called maister Iames of our Ladie the round which coming one time to visite doct Raimundus talking of the holy maid told him of a very strāge thing that had chaūced in his oune knouledge to a certaine yong man called Colas of Ciuccio This Colas lay sick in his father in lawes house whose name was Cincius Tancancim of a verie grieuous disease in his throte called the Squinancie Which increased so mightely vpon him that the phisiciōs gaue him ouer said plainely that by the course of nature he must needes die that within a verie fewe houers when the yōg mā was euen at the point of death Alexia hearing of it who loued Cincius wel bicause he was a deuout man and bare a singular affection to the holie maid in her life tyme went to the house in great hast and tooke with her a tooth of the holie maid which she kept as a great relike and iewel And when she came sawe the yong mā as it were vpon passing out of this wordle by reason that the aposteme had streightened his throte so much that he was euen at the point of choking she put the said tooth to his throte And foorthwith the aposteme brake and he lifted vp his head and auoided a great quantitie of rotten matter out at his mouth And within a very litle tyme he recouered perfectly gaue most hūble thākes to almighty God to his glorious spouse S. Caterine by the vertue of whose tooth he confessed in al companies in all places wheresoeuer he came that he had ben deliuered euen from present death In so much that one tyme when doctour Raimundus had made a sermon in the cōmendation of the holy maid had emong other thinges touched this present miracle the yong man being there at that tyme by chance stood vp befor al the people said these wordes It is true that yee saie maister doctour for I am the man vpon whom this great miracle was wrought At what tyme queene Ione of Sicilia sent Rainald of Vrsine with a great companie of men of armes against Pope Vrbane the sixt with purpose either to expell him out of
wrought to declare how acceptable her workes of charitie were to him Chap. 8. Of a passing great charitie and diligence which she vsed in attending vpon a sicke woman and of her inuincible patience in bearing the waywardnes of the same woman Chap. 9. An other verie strange example of her charitie and patience towardes a sicke woman of her owne order and how she rendred great good for great euel Chap. 10. How she serued an old widowe that had a festered sore runnyng vpon her by whom she was also infamed And of diuerse strange accidentes that ensued vpon the same Chap. 11. How she was endued with manie goodlie priuileges How she had a passing desire to receiue the blessed Sacrament How being fortified with the spirite of God she endured much labour and trauaile without anie bodelie sustenance Chap. 12. How she was molested by diuerse and sundrie persones disswading her from her streight abstinence and how she ouercame her gostlie father by reason Chap. 13. How her strange maner of life was gainesaid and slaundered and how such gainesayinges and slaunders maie easily be answered Chap. 14. How she shewed her selfe meruelous seuere and rigorous towardes her selfe and contrariwise wonderfull gentle and meeke towardes them that slaundered her which she did to wynne them to God Chap. 15. How our Sauiour tooke her hart out of her bodie and after a certaine of daies gaue her a newe for it Chap. 16. Of diuerse and sundrie visions which she had at the siight and receiuing of the blessed Sacrament and how she felt herselfe wonderfully altered after the receite of that newe hart Chap. 17. How our Lord reueled manie high mysteries to the holie maid and how Marie Magdalen was assigned to her to be her mother Chap 18. How hangyngh in the aier she sawe certaine secrets and high mysteries of God which it is not lawful to disclose to anie man Chap 19. How she put her mouth to the side of our Sauiour and drancke and of manie other wonderful thinges that happend about the blessed Sacrament Chap 20. Of certaine other reuelations shewed vnto her vpon the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament And how she obteined graces for diuerse and sundrie persones Chap 21. How she receiued the blessed marckes of our Sauiour Christ in the citie of Pisa Chap. 22. How she was rauished in spirite for the space of three daies and how afterwardes she did penance as long for a woord that escaped her vnwares Chap. 23. Of certaine other reuelations and againe of the tendernes of her conscience Chap. 24. How it pleased God to reueale to her the worthines and excellencie of the blessed patriarke S. Dominicke and of his true children Chap. 25. How the holie virgin being wholly inflamed with the Loue of God desired instantly to be loosed from this life and to be with Christ and how by that meane she obteined to beare in her bodie euerie particular paine that our Sauiour Christ suffred for vs. Chap. 26. How bearing the Crosse of Christ continually in her bodie she tooke great delite to reason of the same and how she reuealed manie strange mysteries vpon the holie scriptures concerning the Crosse Chap. 27. An other exposition vpon the same place of the gospel with certaine other mystical sayinges And how she passed in deed out of this life in the panies of the Crosse Chap. 28 How she passed in deed out of this life and had the fruition of heauenlie ioyes and how afterwardes her soule came againe to the bodie Chap 29. How she had a meruelous deuotion and longyng after the blessed Sacrament and how she bare manie reproaches and slaunders for the same Chap. 30. How our Sauiour Christ ministred the blessed Sacrament vnto her with his owne holie hand Chap. 31. How her face did shyne like an Angel while she was receiuing the blessed Sacrament and of certaine other strange signes Chap. 32. How almightie God permitted the deuel to haue power our her bodie and how she ouercame all with great patience Chap. 33. How she deliuered a certanie yong maid that was possessed of a wicked spirite Chap. 34. How she deliuered a woman that was possessed of a wicked spirite Chap. 35. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTEINED IN THE THIRD PART OF THIS BOOKE HOw the holie maid was endued with the spirite of prophecie and foretold what calamities should happen to the Church and likewise how it should be restored againe Chap. 1. How the holie maid sawe the secret thoughtes of mens hartes and how she vsed that gyfte to the benefite of diuerse and sundrie persones Chap. 2. How the holie maid deliuered Doctour Thomas her confessour and an other Frier that iournied with him from being murthered in the waie Chap. 3. How she prophecied long tyme before of the conuersion of a gentleman called Francis of Malauolt Chap. 4. How the holie maid made an exhortation to the Carthusian monckes in the which by the spirite of prophecie she touched the most secret defectes of diuerse and sundrie of them verie particularly Chap. 5. VVhat a singular grace the holie maid had not only in seeing the state of their soules that were present with her but also in discernyng the qualities and condicions of them that were farre from her and in strange countries with certaine other pointes of like sort worthie to be noted Chap. 6. How the holie maid praied continually for the state of the Church and how by prayer she obteined of God the ceasing of two rebellions Chap. 7. How the holie maid obteined by prayer that she might satisfie the iustice of God for the paines due to her father in Purgatorie Chap. 8. How the holie maid by praier brought her mother to life againe and so deliuered her from the paines of hell Chap. 9. How the holie maid obteined of God by prayer the conuersion of two theeues that were lead to execution Chap. 10. How by the praier of the holie maid an obstinate synner was turned to God Chap 11. How the holie maid by praier procured the conuersion of a fierce yong gentleman in Siena called Iames Tolomes Chap. 12. How the holie maid by praier obteined the conuersion of a gentleman called Mannes Chap. 13. VVhat a wonderful grace the holie maid had in making exhortations and conuerting soules vnto God Chap. 14. How the holie maid mede manie goodlie Sermons or collations in the presence of Pope Gregorie and afterwardes likewise in the presence of Pope Vrbanus and his Cardinals Chap. 15. How the holie maid was sent to Pope Gregorie from the Florentines about a treatie of peace and how she was sent backe againe with the conditions of peace freely put in her owne hand Chap. 16. How the holie maid was sent backe from Pope Gregorie to the Florentines with the conditions of peace freely put in her owne hand Chap 17. How the holie maid shewed her selfe to be excellently well learned both by her writinges and workes set out to the whole wordle and also by her conferences and disputatiōs had with certaine great learned men Chap. 18 A briefe repitition or somme of manie pointes of heauenlie doctrine reuealed vnto the holie maid immediatly from God Chap. 19. A praier or answere made by a faithful and deuout soule to the wordes of almightie God here before recited Chap. 20. VVhat a sure affiance the holie maid had in the truth of Christ and how she longed after martyrdome Chap. 21. How the holie maid made a final exhortation to her spiritual children and so passed out of this life Chap. 22. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTEINED IN THE FOVRTH PART OF THIS BOOKE HOw it pleased our Lord to make the holines of his spowse knowen to the wordle by diuerse and sundrie euident tokens from heauen And first how she spake certaine comfortable wordes to doctour Raimundus after her departure out of this wordle Chap. 1. How it pleased God to geue a testimonie of her holines in her life tyme by an euident miracle wrought at the tombe of S. Agnes Chap. 2. How the holie maid in her life tyme healed manie that were sicke of the plague Chap. 3. How the holie maid healed a great nomber that were sicke of other diseases after the liker maner Chap. 4. How the holie maid made good bread of fustie and stincking corne and how she multiplied the same Chap. 5. How the holie maid multiplied bread an other tyme in Rome for the prouisiom of her familie Chap. 6. How the holie maid wrought the like miracle in the couent of the fryers preachers in Siena after her departure out of this wordle Chap. 7. How almightie God caused wine to be founde in an emptie vessel to the vse of the holie maid and how he caused the same to cease againe at her instance Chap. 8. Of a goodlie vision that was shewed to a certaine deuout matrone in Rome at the departure of the holie maid out of this life Chap. 9 How the holie maides bodie laie three daies and three nightes aboue the ground vnburied and of a nomber of miracles which it pleased our Lord to worke in that meane tyme. Chap. 10. VVhat miracles almightie God wrought to honour the holie maid after her burial Chap. 11. The end of the Table
euidētly by her wordes must needes turne them to verie great cōmoditie and comfort wēt foorth with to the lordes and nobilitie of the citie perswaded with thē that in anie case they should seeke to be recōciled to the Popes holines And because certaine persones ther present had openly impugned this peace and specially one capitaine or principal man of the partie called Guelphi which were in nōber eight had spokē against it in plaine wordes they depriued thē of their offices Wherof there ensued a great turmoyle in the citie by reason that the persones so depriued for enuie malice to be reuēged of those that had caused it sought by the fauour of the people to cause manie other to be depriued also in the end caused so manie to be depriued that for lacke of discreete Magistrates there grewe much disorder in the common weale And though the holie maid did shewe openly at all tymes in all places that she had no liking of these broiles but rather great heauines sorrow to see that whereas her meaning was to set thē at vnitie concord abrode her charitable trauaile was through the malice of certaine euel disposed persones made an occasion of ciuile discord and tumult at home yet there lacked not a nomber of wicked and diuelish men which bare the common people in hand that the holie maid and such as she dealt withal were the cause of raising those troubles in the citie Whereupon first of all they bent them selues against those men that had ben doers in anie degree about the afore mentioned depriuation And of them some were driuen out of the cittie some were slaine and some were constreined to flee for feare Then they began to make outcries against the holie maid her selfe Some said Come let vs goe to that naughtie womans house Some others said Let vs kill the queanc and cut her in peeces With these and other the like wordes those good folkes that kept her were put in such feare least some great mischiefe might come either to them selues or to their houses for her sake that they entreated her to depart Whereat she shewed her selfe to be no more moued neither in wordes nor yet in countenance then if there had ben no such thing But smyling sweetely to her selfe as her maner was and speaking comfortably to the rest she went her waie into an orchyard not farre from thence Where when she had made an exhortation to those deuout persones that were about her she set her selfe to praier While the holie maid was thus praying in the orchyard after the example of our Sauiour Christ there came rushing in vpon her a fierce companie of cruell men with clubbes speares and swoordes readie drawen showting and crying horribly Where is that naughtie woman where is that cursed wretch where is she With the noyse of this outragious and beastlie crie the holie maid being as it were violently broken of the sweet sleepe of her meditation start vp sodainly and ranne to meete with them with as louelie and cheerefull a countenance as if she had ben a yong spouse and had gone to receiue her loue whom she had long looked for And seing emong them one man that came on faster then his companie hauing a verie cruell and murdering looke shaking his swoord after a dreadfull manner and crying lowder then the rest where is the naughtie woman which is she which is Caterine she offred her selfe to him and kneeling downe before him said I am Caterine Doe your will with me but let these alone At those wordes the cruell harted man that came with a full purpose to strike her was so striken himself that he had neither strength to hold vp his hand against her nor boldnes to looke her once in the face She kneeled boldly before him without anie weapō and he stood trembling before her with his swoord in his hand There lacked no will nor boldnes in her to receiue the stroke but there lacked both strength and courage in him to geue it As it maie appeere by a letter that she wrote afterwardes to doctur Raimundus in the which she maketh a verie pitifull lamentation that she could not at that tyme effectually offer vp her blood to the vspoted lambe of God that had offred vp his most precious blood so freely vpon the Crosse for her loue Now though this wicked attempt of these furious men was thus staied by the mightie hand of God Yet did there remaine such a feare striken into the hartes of all good folkes both of the citie and of her companie and retinue that no man hauing the boldnes to receiue her into his house they all gaue her counsell to depart But she vpon a great affiance that she had in the mercifull goodnes of God and also as a prophetesse well assured of the finall successe and effecte of the matter said in plaine wordes that she would neuer depart the citie vntill the peace were fully and perfectly concluded Which thing came to passe within a fewe daies after euen as she haid said when Pope Gregorie was dead and Pope Vrbanus chosen in his place At what tyme the first mouers and principall workers of this tumult in the citie of Florence were seuerely punished and specially those that did anie thing against the holie maid And a firme peace was made established betweene the Popes holines and their cittie to the honour of God and great comfort not only of both parties but of all Christendome besides How the holie maid shewed her selfe to be excellently well learned both by her writinges and workes set out to the wordle and also by her conferences and disputations had with certaine great learned men Chap. 18. YF anie man doubt whether the holie maid were learned let him reade her workes namely her booke of Epistles or the Dialogue that she wrote concernyng the prouidence of God and there is no doubt but that he shal be fully satisfied and perswaded that no creature could euer haue conceiued such pointes of high and heauenlie learnyng without a verie special grace light geuen from God And as she shewed her selfe to be diuinely learned by a nomber of bookes and treatises that she endited and set out to the wordle so did she also meruelously satisfie yea and passe the expectation of all learned men that came of purpose to appose her and to trie in deed whether the opinion of such excellent knowledge generally conceiued of her had his true grownd in her or rather in others as they suspected Concernyng this point a blessed and holie man called Steuen sometimes her gostlie child trained vnder her discipline afterwardes a monke of the Charterhouse writeth one verie notable example worthie to be remembred The which can not better be set out then with his owne wordes which are these When Pope Gregorie being in Auinion gaue much audience and reuerence to the holie maid there came three great prelates vnto him and said