But she affirmed constantly that so it was and for confirmation of the same declared how our Sauiour had taken it out with his owne hand All the which talke perswaded him nothing at all How is it possible said he that anie man should liue without a hart yee saie truly Father said she vnto man it is in deed impossible but vnto God there is nothing impossible Within a fewe daies after this it chaunced her to goe to a certaine Chapple of the Friars preachers where the sisters of penance were wont to kneele And when they were all gone home she continued there in praier wherin lifting vp her hart to God with great feruour and deuotion she was rauished in spirite as her common maner was That done she set her selfe in the waie to goe homeward And as she went behold a goodlie light from heauen enuironed her round about and in that light appeered our Sauiour Christ holding in his handes a redde shinyng hart At the sodaine sight wherof she was so afraid that she fell downe to the ground all quaking and trembling Then came our Lord vnto her and openyng her side put the hart that he held in his hand into her bodie and said these wordes Loe deere daughter as I did this other daie take awaie thy hart so do I now in steed of that geue thee my hart with the which thou shalt liue euerlastingly When he had so done he closed vp the wound againe that was made in her bodie and went his waie Howbeit he did it in such sort that there remained euer afterwardes a certaine marke or scarre as it were of a wound healed as she declared oftentymes to her ghostly Father and manie of her sisters sawe it with their eyes From that tyme foreward she altered the maner of her praier and said not as she was wont to doe before Lord I beseech thee keepe my hart but Lord I beseech thee keepe thy hart Of diuerse and sundrie visions which she had at the sight and receiuing of the blessed Sacrament and how she felt her selfe wonderfully altered after the receite of that newe hart Chap. 17. AFter that she had receiued this newe hart she increased meruelously in high and heauenlie contemplations especially when she was occupied in praier about the Aulter from whence she neuer parted without some verie strange visions and illuminations namely when she receiued the blessed Sacrament Manie tymes she sawe our Sauiour Christ betweene the priestes handes in the forme of a litle sucking babe sometymes she sawe him like a pretie stripling and sometymes also like a hote burnyng fornace into the which it seemed to her that the priest did enter when he did communicate Many tymes when she receiued B. Sacramēt she felt such passing sweet sauours that her bodie was almost ouercome with the sweetnes of the same And generally whensoeuer she did either see or receiue the holie Sacrament she receiued withal such aboundance of newe ioyes and vnspeakeable comfortes that manie tymes her hart daunced in her bodie and made such a sensible noyse that it might well be heard of them that stood by And it was well perceiued that the noyse was not natural such as other mens bodies are wont to make but it was altogether strange and aboue the common course of nature In this inward and spiritual Iubile that she felt in her selfe she would breake out sometymes speake to her ghostlie Father after this maner O Father see you not that I am not now the same woman that I was before O that you could feele that I do now feele in my hart Surely surely Father there is no man in this worlde so proud or so hard harted that would not relent and become humble if he felt what I feele And yet is that that I tell you nothing in comparison of that that I feele inwardly There is such a great fyer of Gods loue enkendled in my hart that this external and material fyer being compared with that seemeth rather cold then hote I am so replenished with inward ioye and gladnes that I can but meruaile how my soule maie abide in this wretched bodie This hote burnyng fyer doth so purifie renewe my soule in innocencie and cleannes that me thinketh I am come againe to the age of fiue yeares This diuine fyer doth so inflame me with the loue of my neighbour that it were the greatest ioye in the wordle to me to die for anie man that liueth in the wordle These thinges did she declare to her ghostlie Father to the glorie of God and to the behoofe of the worlde that we might vnderstand and see the vnspeakeable loue of almightie God towardes man and what wonderful effectes the holie Ghost bringeth foorth in flexible and ployant hartes to moue vs that be dull of spirite to the keeping of his holie commaundementes in hope of the comfortable rewardes that we are to receiue at Gods hand not only in the life to come but also in this present life How our Lord reueled manie high misteries to the holie maid and how Marie Magdalen was assigned to her to be her mother Chap. 18. AFter that this holie maid was thus replenished with such great abondance of verie singular graces and gyftes it pleased almightie God to reuele vnto her diuerse and sundrie high mysteries of the which this was one On a tyme our Lord appeered to her to comfort her in her holie purpose accompanied with our blessed Ladie and S. Marie Magdalen and asked her this question Daughter said he what thing desirest thou Wherunto she made answere and said Lord thou knowest better then I what thing is most behoueful for me And of my selfe thou knowest I haue no will nor hart but only thy will and thy hart As she was speaking those wordes it came to her mynd how Marie Magdalen committed her selfe wholly to our Lord when she sate and wept at his feete With that she felt the like swetnes in her hart as Marie Magdalen felt at what tyme she wept at our Lordes feete whereupon she fixed her eyes vpon her Our Lord seeing that and withal looking to the inward bent of her mynd to satisfie her godlie desire said these wordes vnto her Behold deere daughter from this time foreward I geue thee Marie Magdalen to be thy mother to whom as to a louing mother thou maiest at al times flee for special cōfort for vnto her specially haue I committed the gouernemēt of thee When she heard that she gaue our Lord most humble thankes turnyng her selfe to Marie Magdalen with great humilitie and reuerence she besought her that she would vowchsafe so to take her vnder her motherlie protection And from that tyme foreward Marie Magdalen acknowledged the holie maid for her daughter and she tooke her euermore for her mother which thing maie seeme to be done not without great mysterie if we consider what liknes there was betweene the mother and daughter in the whole state of their life
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
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
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
passing great Charitie like to this afore writen Chap. 7. AFter that our Lord had thus by his ioyous presence and large promises allured the hart of his spowse to doe yet greater workes of charitie on a daie when the diuine seruice was done at the Fryers and she remained behind alone with one of her sisters to praie as she was comyng downe from a chapel that was there ordained for the sisters of penance our Lord appeered to her in the likenes of a poore pilgrime at the age as it seemed to her of two or three and thirtie yeares halfe naked and besought her that she would geue him clothes for the loue of God Tarrie here a litle while said she till I goe to yonder chapel and come againe and then God willing I will helpe thee of clothes With that she went vp againe to the chapel and did of her kyrtel vnder the which she ware a sliueles peticote which she put off and came downe againe and gaue it to the poore man with a glad cheere When the poore man had receiued that cote he besought her furthermore that seeing she had serued his turne of a wollen garment to weare outwardly she would also be so good as to geue him some shirt of lynen to weare next his bodie With a verie good will said she come home with me I will seeke one out for thee And so she went on afore and the poore man came after When she was come home she went to the chestes and presses where the lynen clothes of her Father and brothers were laid vp and tooke out a shirt and certaine other lynnen clothes and gaue the same gladly to the poore man When the poore pilgryme had receiued all those thinges at her hand he went not his waie but praied her yet more that she would geue him slewes to his peticote to couer his armes withal With a good will said she for otherwise I graunt this cote were to no great purpose And with that she went and sought all about for slewes and at the last sownd a newe cote of a maid seruant that was in the howse hanging on a perch which had neuer ben worne and tooke of the sleeues from the same and gaue them cheerefully to the poore pilgrymme Who receiued those sleeues also thankefully at her hand as he had done all the rest and said vnto her Maistres ye haue now clothed me thoroughly he for whose loue ye haue done it thanke you for it But yet one demaund more I haue to make vnto you I haue a companion lying in an hospital hereby who standeth in great need of clothes If it shall please you to send him anie I will carrie them vnto him in your behalfe with a verie good will This newe request troubled her somewhat and cawsed her to haue a certaine conflicte within her selfe On the one side she was much moued with cōpassion of that poore man and had a passing great desire to supplie his necessitie On the other side she cōsidered the murmuring grudging of as manie as were in the howse who waxed so weerie of her liberal dealing out of thinges that to keepe them from her handes they began euerie one to keep their apparel other goods vnder locke keye Againe she thought she had done ynough to take awaie the sleeues of the seruantes newe cote that was neuer worne that she could not with discretion take anie more from her being her selfe also needie poore Then began she to reason with her owne selfe to discusse in her mynd whether she might conueniently depart with her owne garmēt or no. She was much inclined to doe it bicause she knewe that it was a great worke of charitie and sawe also in reason that she was better able to bear that lacke of clothes then the pore man was But cōtrariwise she cōsidered that if she should spoile her selfe of her clothes and goe naked she should in so doing trangresse the rules of common honestie which might cause great offence in the myndes of as manie as should happen to see her All the which thinges thus considered and discreetly weighed she resolued in her selfe that in this case it was farre better for her and withall more pleasing to God to absteine from geuing her almes then by geuing the same to geue iust occasion of offence to her neighbour And vpon this resolution she spake to the poore man after a verie gentle and sweet maner and said Truly good man if I might doe it with honestie I would spoile my selfe euen of this cote that I weare with all my hart bestowe it vpon thy companion But bicause I haue no moe garmentes to put on but only this and therefore to geue it awaie to an other and to lacke my selfe were not only an vndiscrete part but also against all honestie woman-hood I mustes needes praie thee to hold me excused for in truth there lacketh no good will in me but only abilitie With that the poore man smyled vpon her and said Maistres I see right well that if yee had ought to geue you would gladly geue it I thanke you for your good will God reward you and keepe you And so he tooke his leaue of her and went his waie in such sort that she gathered by certaine signes that this poore pilgryme should be he that was wont to apeere vnto her But such was her lowlines base estimation of her selfe that she thought her selfe vnworthie to receiue anie such cōfort and honour at Gods hand therefore with an hūble mynd she returned to her wōted seruices in the howse where not withstanding she kept her hart euermore fixed vpon her deere spowse Iesus Christ who the next night folowing appeered vnto her againe as she was praying in the likenes of that poore man holding in his hand that cote that she had geuen him all decked and set with goodlie perles and precious stones that shone all ouer the chamber and said vnto her Deere daughter knowest thou this cote yea Lord said she I knowe it verie well but it was not so richly decked when it was with me Then said our Lord to her againe Yester daie thou gauest me this coate verie freely charitably to couer the nakednes of my bodie and to keepe it from cold and shame This daie for recompence of thy great charitie towardes me I geue thee a cote that shal be inuisible to other men but to thee alone both visible and also sensible by the vertue whereof thou shalt be defended both in bodie and sowle from all hurtful cold and with this garment shalt thou be clad vntill the tyme come that in the presence of all Angels and Sainctes I shall put on vpon thee that most blisful and glorious garment of immortalitie in my kingdome When he had said these wordes foorthwith he tooke out a cloth of a sanguine colour with his owne holie handes out of the wound of his side shynyng all about
to the same Aulter wher the holy maid was at which Aulter he was neuer wont to saie Masse at other tymes When he came thither and found her there attending his comyng and desiring to communicate he vnderstood that it was our Lord that had moued him to saie Masse that daie and to choose that Aulter contrarie to his accustomed maner He said Masse and at the end as the maner is he came to minister the blessed Sacrament to her at the Aulters end While she was receiuing her ghostlie Father beheld her and sawe her face all red and shynyng and bedewed with great aboundance of teares wherat he was meruelously astoined And she by receiuing the blessed Sacrament at that tyme was so replenished with the ioyous presence of our Lord and so mightely drawen inward by the vnspeakeable sweetnes that she felt in him that all the daie after she might not speake so much as one word to anie creature On the next daie her Confessour asked her what she eiled and what the cause was she had such a goodlie shynyng read in her face the daie before while she was receiuing the blessed Sacrament To whom she answered and said Father of what coulour my face was at that tyme I knowe not But this I knowe verie well When I vnworthie wretch receiued that blessed Sacrament at your hand it drewe me into it after such a sort that all other thinges sauing it alone waxed lothsome vnto me not only temporal thinges and delites of the worlde but also all other comfortes and pleasures were they neuer so spiritual Wherupon I made my humble praier to our Lord that he would take all such comfortes and delites from me that I might take pleasure in none other thing but only in him I besought him also that he would vouchsafe to take awaie my will and geue me his will The which petition he graunted me and said after this maner Behold deere daughter now I geue thee my will by the vertue whereof thou shalt be so strong that whatsoeuer shall happen vnto thee from this tyme foreward thou shalt neuer be altered or moued but shalt continue euermore in one state She declared yet furthermore to her Confessour and said Father said she will you knowe how our Lord serued me the last daie for sooth he dalied with me euen as a mother is wont to dalie with her child whom she loueth tenderly She will set her child some tymes a good waie from her when she myndeth to shewe him her tette and there will she suffer him to stand and crie after it All the which tyme she taketh pleasure to laugh at the fondnes of the child At the lenght when she hath suffred him to crie a good while she runneth to him with a laughing cheere clyppeth him in her armes huggeth and kisseth him and so geueth him the tette In like maner did our Lord with me He shewed me the blessed wound in his side and made as it were a certaine tender of the same vnto me but yet a farre of The which I seeing for the great desire that I had to put my mowth vnto it out of hand wept abondantly Our Lord suffred me to weepe and seemed to take pleasure in it At the length when I had wept a good while he came to me with a meruelous sweete and cheereful countenance and tooke my soule in his armes and put my mouth to his blessed wound Where by reason of the greedie desire that I had my sowle entred in all wholly and sucking there at will drewe out such vnspeakeable sweetnes and withal such a great knowledge of his diuinitie and godhead that whoso were able to conceiue it would be astoined to consider how it was possible for my hart not to breake feeling and receiuing such aboundance of loue into it as it did at that tyme. And he would meruaile now also to thinke how it were possible for me to sustaine life hauing such a continual flamyng fyer of charitie in my hart as I feele 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. THe same yeare vpon the 18. daie of August when she was to receiue the blessed Sacrament she said with great feruour and deuotion these wordes Lord I am not worthie that thou shouldest enter into my bodie And our Lord made her answere againe but I am worthie that thou shouldest enter into me And so receiuing the blessed Sacrament it seemed to her that her soule entred into him and he into her soule euen as a fish entreth into the water into the fish And with that she felt her selfe so mightely drawen vp into almightie God that the powers of her bodie failing her she had much a doe to returne home to her chamber whether when she was come she laied her selfe downe vpon her hard bed of boordes and laie there for a good space like a stone without anie mouing At the length her bodie was taken vp in the aier and there hong for an other space in the presence of three persones that bare witnes of all that happened at that tyme and so comyng downe againe she began as it were to awake out of a dead sleepe and lying verie weake and feeble vpon her bed she spake softely manie sweet wordes and vttered much good matter of high contemplations which caused as manie as were present to weepe Emong other wordes that she spake she praied for manie persones and for some specially namely for her Confessour who was at that tyme in the Church and had no mynd of anie thing that might moue him to deuotion and yet of a suddaine found in him selfe such a strange and wonderful feruour of deuotion as he neuer felt the like in his whole life before wherat he had great wonder While he was thus casting with him selfe what that strange and soddaine alteration might meane one of the sisters that had heard and seene the whole processe of the matter came in to him and said Father sister Catherine hath praied for you verie much this daie at such an hower When he heard that he vnderstood foorthwith that her praier was the cause of all that gracious alteration in him selfe Then he asked that other sister what maner of praier the holie maid had made And she tolde him that she had praied for him and for other that our Lord would vouchsafe to graunt then euerlasting life She tould him furthermore that when the holie maid had made this praier she stretched out her hand and besought our Lord to graunt her this petition And so taking in her hand againe she seemed to make as though it had ben verie sore and said with great sighing these wordes O Lord worshipped maiest thou be For so was she wont to saie so often as she felt anie griefe in her bodie When her Confessour heard all this he went foorthwith to her lodging and praied her 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
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
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
suspected that the holie maid should be departed out of this life though she knewe well that she was verie sicke bicause she had seene by experience that the holie maid had often tymes recouered and escaped out of sickenesses that seemed verie grieuous and past all hope of recouerie VVherefore she rather thought that for so long tyme as she had ben occupied about this vision the holie maid had ben after her accustomed maner in some singular traunse or abstractioÌ„ in the which our Lord had shewed vnto her some great and notable reuelations But bicause the mornyng was so farre spent that she stood in doubt of finding anie Masse that daie she supposed that all this vision was none other thing but only some suttle illusion of the deuel to make her to transgresse the commaundement of our holie mother the Church in not hearing Masse on the sondaie Wherefore she hasted her selfe vp and set her pot ouer the fyer and ranne towardes the parish Church saying thus in her hart If I leese Masse this daie I will take all this to be the worke of the ghostlie enemie But if I come in good tyme to heare Masse then will I thinke that our Lord hath shewed these thinges vnto me for my good mother Catherines sake When she came to the Church she found that the gospel was done and the offertorie song Wherof she was verie sorie and said Out vpoÌ„ me wretch the wicked feend hath deceiued me With that she made hast homwardes againe to set her thinges in the kitchen a litle foreward that she migh goe to some other Church and find a whole Masse While she was at home thus occupied she heard a bell ring to Masse in a monasterie of Nunnes not farre from her house which made her a glad woman And so she set her selfe in order againe to goe to Church and for hast lefte her colewortes which stood by her readie piked and wasshed euen as they were and put them not into the pot as she had thought to doe VVhen she came to the Church she found them at the verie begynnyng of Masse wherof she was verie glad and said to her selfe Surely now I see that the deuel hath not deceiued me as I thought he had done But she had great care of the displeasure of her sonnes which were now of good yeares bicause she knewe their dyner was nor readie nor could not be made readie in anie conuenient tyme. Houbeit she committed all to God that she might heare Masse deuoutly beseeching him notwithstanding that if that vision were of him he would so prouide that there might no displeasure or cause of offence rise of the same betwene her her children And with that she set her selfe downe and heard out the whole Masse to the end wheÌ„ Masse was done as she was going homeward her sonnes met with her in the streete said Mother it is very late I praie you let vs goe to diner Tarrie a litle good children said she you shal dyne in good tyme. She went home a pace and found the doore fast locked and the keie within euen as she had lefte it So soone as she was within the house she weÌ„t streight to the kitchin thought to haue gone foreward with the dressing of dyner But when she came in she sawe that all was done to her hand her colewoortes and flesh thoroughly soddeÌ„ al other thinges in such readines that they might goe to the table when they would VVherat she was much astoined and said to her selfe Surely now I see our Lord hath heard my praier And she determined to goe after dyner to the holie maides house whome she thought to be yet aliue in the wordle and to tell her of all the thinges that had chaunced that daie Her sonnes that were not farre from the house she called home and set them to dyner And while they were eating her mynd ranne still vpon the strange vision that she had seene in the mornyng and vpon these wonders that had ensued vpon the same Her sonnes also that knewe nothing of the matter began to commend their meate and said that it was passing well seasoned and had a farre better tast then it was wont to haue Which wordes she put vp in her hart and said to her selfe as she declared afterwardes to Doctour Raimundus O my good mother Catherine it is thou that hast come this mornyng into my house to supplie my rome and office in the kitchen Now I knowe in deed that thou art a holie virgin the true haÌ„d maid of Christ And yet for all this she suspected nothing of the holie maides departure out of this life but so soone as her sonnes had dined she went forthwith to her house as she was wont to doe at other tymes and knocked at the doore but no bodie giue her answere The neighbours told her that of likelihood she was gone out as her maner was to visite some holie place and that there was no bodie at home Which she supposed to be true therfore went her waie Now the truth was that all those that vvere vvithin vvere in great heauines for the losse of their good mother vvhich vvas departed from them and had lefte them as motherles children in this wicked worlde And they did what they could to conceale her death from the people both for the auoiding of that great presse and tumulte which they knewe would be made if her death were once noised and also that they might with the more quietnes conferre with discreete persones concernyng the maner and order of her funerals But howsoeuer they laboured to keepe the matter secret the next daie when her bodie should be caried to the Church of the Fryers preachers commonly called Our ladie ouer Minerua it was knowen all ouer the citie And there was such a concourse of people runnyng and pressing towardes the place where she laie to touch some part either of her bodie or of her garmentes that those of her familie retinue that were there attending vpon the corps were in great feare and danger to haue had both their garmentes torne from their backes and their bodies sore hurt with the violent presse crowd of the vnrulie multitude In so much that they were constreined to remoue the beere from the place where it stood and to set it in S. Dominickes chappel which was well defended with a strong grate of yron While these thinges were in doing Semia came thither by chaunce and seeing such a great concourse of people asked what it meaned They made her answere and said that Catherine of Siena was dead and that her bodie was there caried to the Church to be buried VVhen she heard that she sâ—right pitifully and ranne towardes the place where her corps laie VVhen she came thither and sawe certaine women and sisters of the holie maides familie standing about her bodie she cried out and said O most cruel women whie haue you kept the departure of
vvealth of the vvorld The continance and encrease vvherof I euer vvish both to you and yours Your Ladiships seruant euer during his life IOHN HEIGHAM THE LIFE OF THE MOST PVRE AND ANGELIKE VIRGIN S. CATHARINE OF SIENA IN whom by whom almightie God wrought manie strange and wonderful thinges THE FIRST PART Of the birth and infancie of this holie virgin and of certaine wonderful tokens of holines that shewed in her euen in that age CHAP. I. THere was in Siena which is an ancient citie of Tuscan in Italie a certaine man called Iames benincasa a dyer by occupation no ritch man of substance but hauing conueniently well to liue He liued as he was brought vp in the feare of God and towardes the worlde he was a plaine and vpright dealing man welbeloued of all that had anie cōuersation with him by reason of his sweet and gentle demeanour which vertue emong manie other was noted in him to be singular This Iames tooke to wife a woman called Lapa who was likewise a vertuous woman verie careful and diligent about her familie and withal of verie modest chast and womanlie behauiour And therfore almightie God blessed her with manie children of the which she bare for the most part euerie yeare one and some yeares two Last of all it pleased God so to dispose that she brought foorth two daughters at one byrth The one was called Ione which after she was baptised liued not many daies The other was this Catharine of whom we mynd here to speake whom the mother brought vp with great diligence and loued more tenderly then she did the rest of her children bicause the rest coming on so fast one vpon an other that she might not endure to nourse them her selfe but put them out to others this only she noursed at home with the mylke of her owne brestes which was one great cause of special loue But the thing that did most principally moue the mother to cast a singular affection towardes this daughter was a certaine vnwonted and meruelous grace which shewed in the deliteful presence deedes gestures and wordes of this child euen in the tyme of her tender in fancie For when she was but only weaned from the mothers mylke and could a litle goe about the howse the parentes and neighbours thought they could neuer haue their fill of seeyng and hearing her her countenance was so sweet and amiable her talke so wittie and to so good purpose And as she grewe in yeares so did she also increase in grace and wisedome in so much that when she was fiue yeares old hauing then learned the Aue Marie she vsed continually to saie the same with ripe iudgement and feruent deuotion And going vp and downe a paire of stayers that were in the howse her maner was to say one Aue Marie vpon euerie steppe kneeling vpon her knees with great reuerence The which singular deuotion towardes our blessed Ladie how acceptable it was to almightie God it may right well appeere by the most excellent graces and priuileges that ensued therupon euen in her tender age which were vndoubtedly most certaine tokens of a verie noble high calling of God as hereafter shal be declared more at large Of a verie strange vision shewed vnto her and of certaine wonderful effects of the loue of God towardes her and of her loue towardes God Chap. 2. When she was sixe yeares olde her mother seeing her to be of a verie towardly wit sent her on a daie with her brother Steuen who was somewhat elder then she to a sisters howse of theirs called Bonauētura a maried woman either to see how she did as the maner of kinsfolkes is or els in some other arrand When she had done what she was willed by her mother to doe she returned homewardes againe and passing by a street which is called in their tongue Valle piatta she cast vp her head a litle and looked towardes the Church of S. Dominicke which stood there right ouer against her and behould she sawe in the aier a goodlie chamber royally decked and in it our Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ sitting in a seat imperial clad with a solemne pontifical robe wearing on his head a mitre such as the bisshops of Rome are wont to weare and with him she sawe the Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul and S Iohn the Euangelist When this blessed infant beheld all this at the first she was astonished But afterward being come to her selfe and well aduised she cast vp her eyes both of body and sowle to her Sauiour who likewise cast the eyes of his diuine maiestie vpon her with a louelie and smyling cheere And stretching out his right hand towardes her and ouer her made the signe of the Crosse as the maner of bisshops and prelats is to doe and gaue her his blessing The which foorthwith wrought so effectually and mightily in her that she was rauished and transfourmed spiritually into that most glorious and beawtiful Lord whom she beheld with such an inward and spiritual liking that she forgat not only her going and waie but also her own selfe In so much that she stoode still there without mouing any part of her bodie so would she haue stood not only then but manie other tymes also without regard or feare of either men or beastes which are wont to be dreadful to litle childrē if she had not ben towched or taken awaie by some other But at the lenght her brother Steuen who was gone on his waie imaginyng that she had folowed turnyng backe and seeing her a great waie behind standing still in the waie looking vp into the elemēt cried vnto her alowd called her by her nam But she gaue him no word to answere for she was in deed so wholly occupied in al her senses both in wardly outwardly that she gaue no heed to his crying whereupon he went neerer and neerer and euermore as he went he cried vnto her But all was to no purpose vntill he came at length to the verie place where she stood tooke her by the hand saying What doest thou here whie comest thou not awaie At the which wordes and pulling of her hand she cast downe her eyes a litle like one that had ben awaked out of a dead sleepe and said Oh said she if thou haddest seene that goodlie sight that I sawe thou wouldest neuer haue done so to me And whē she had said those wordes she cast vp her eyes againe thinking to haue seene it as she did before But when she sawe that it was vanished awaie she reuenged the iniurie done vnto her by her brother as childrē are wont to doe with weping And it grieued her so much the more bicause she perswaded her selfe that by the casting downe of her eyes she had deserued to leese the blisful fruition of that glorious sight Thus ended this wonderful vision leauing her with such a thirst and languishing loue after that heauenlie beawtie which she
the caue would suffer her to rise And so she continued from mornyng till noone But whē she perceiued that she was thus lifted vp from the earth she began to feare and to suspecte that it might be some deceite of the ghostlie enemie whose drifte might be by this meane to put her in feare and so to hinder her designement of going into the wildernes And therfore she set her selfe to praie more feruently and to abase her self more and more before God Wherevpon about that verie hower that our Sauiour after his passion was taken downe from the Crosse it pleased his diuine maiesty that she likewise should descend by litle and litle in like maner as she had ascended And he made her to vnderstand by his secret inspiration that the tyme was not yet come in the which she should forsake her fathers howse and put her bodie to such penance and affliction Wherfore she was in mynd to returne home againe But when she came foorth and sawe her selfe all alone and beheld the gate of the citie which seemed to be so farre off that she douted her weake and feeble bodie would neuer be able to endure so long a iourney fearing also lest her father and mother should thinke that she had ben lost she set her selfe againe to praier and cōmitted the matter wholly to God who failed not to supplie the weakenes of his litle hand maid and sent a litle clowd which tooke her vp from the grownd and carying her in the ayer set her in a verie short tyme in the gate of the citie from whence she went with all speed home to her Father and mother who suspected nothing at all of anie such matter but thought she had ben with her sister Bonauentura How shee vowed her virginitie vnto almightie God Chap. 4. SVch was the vertue and operation of this afore mentioned reuelation that it drewe al wordlie loue and affection out of the hart of this yong maid and wrought in the same a certaine holie loue to the Sonne of God only and to his most glorious mother the virgin Marie And this loue was so great that she accounted all the delites and pleasures of this wordle as verie durt and dong in comparison of her sweet spowse Iesus Christ Moreouer being now seuen yeares old she had learned only by the inward instructiō of the holie Ghost in her hart that is was a goodly state of life withal verie acceptable vnto God to liue in all puritie cleannes both of bodie and sowle She had learned also that our blessed Ladie the most pure vnspotted mother of God was the first that dedicated her selfe by vowe to serue God in that most cleane and perfecte state of virginitie And therfore she thought it most expedient for the obteinyng of that grace to make her humble suite to her who had before al others obteined the same at Gods hand for her selfe and vndoubtedly for all those that should afterwardes require it at her hand with the like humilitie and earnest desire Being therfore of the age of seuen yeares she set her selfe verie grauely sadly to take aduisement what order of life was best for her to take and for the better resolution in that point she praied to our blessed Ladie queene of Angels and virgins that it would please her to make intercession to her deere Sonne that he would vowchsafe to teach her by the instincte of his spirite what waie she might best take that were most to his glorie and to her sowles health Our blessed Ladie mother of pitie and comfort by whose gracious mocion this holie desire was first planted in her hart heard the discrete demaund of this wise yong virgin and answered her iust request First with a dailie increase of greater desire longing after the thing requested which was to knowe how she might order her life to be most acceptable vnto God then also with a resolution from God certifying her by secret inspiration in her hart that his will and pleasure was that she should serue him with all purity both of bodie and sowle in the state of virginitie The which when she vnderstood she suffred not that heauenlie fyer enkendled in her hart to be quenched nor to slake but being wholly inflamed with the loue of that most excellent and goodlie maner of life she chose out a secret place in the howse farre from the conuersation of all persones where she might with the more freedome of spirite offer vp her praiers and vowes to almightie God and there composing her selfe both in bodie and mynd with all humilitie she made her praier after this maner O most blessed Ladie O most glorious and sacred virgin mother of God which before all other women diddest by vowe consecrate thy virginitie vnto God becamest therby so gratious in his sight that he would haue his only Sonne to be borne of thee I most humbly beseech thee trusting not in anie merites of myne owne but only in thyne vnspeakable pitie that thou wilt vowchsafe to obteine me such grace and fauour with thy only begotē Sōne that frō this day foreward I may take him for the lawful deerly belowed spowse of my sowle And I here geue my faith and promise both to him and to thee that I shall neuer take other spowse but shall by the assistance of his holie grace doe what in me lieth to keepe my selfe a true and vndefiled virgin to him alone Thus praied this yong handmaid of Christ with great lowlines and feruencie of of spirite And her praier was heard her vowe accepted and she receiued to be the vndefiled spowse of the vnspotted lambe of God Iesus Christ The which thing when she vnderstood as she did by and by by the inward inspiration of the holie Ghost being replenished with a certaine holie feare she emploied her whole care and studie how she might best keepe her selfe chast true to her deere spowse And though as yet she felt no motion to vncleannes in her flesh yet to prouide like a wise womā for the tyme to come she began euen in those tender yeares to tame her bodie with fasting watching abstinence from all deliteful thinges and namely from eating of flesh In so much that when anie flesh was laid vnto her at the table either she gaue it to her brother Steuen that sate by her or els she conueied it priuily awaie that no man might see it She praied verie often and much subdued her bodie with much hard and sharpe discipline sometymes by her selfe alone sometymes with other yong children which resorted vnto her at tymes and were as it were trayned vnder her in spiritual exercises And so with these and other the like workes she preserued increased the graces of God that were plāted in her by her deere spowse Iesus Christ Of a woderfull zeale that was in her to wynne sowles to God and how for that cause she cast a great loue to
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
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
reuerend full of maiestie And for a litle tyme he sawe that face only and could see none other thing which put him in such a feare and terrour that casting vp his handes aboue his shoulders he cried with a lowd voice and said Oh Lord who is this that looketh thus vpon me It is he said she that is And with that she came againe to her owne fourme These and other the like thinges did doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father report of his owne experience all which he affirmed to be most certainly true with a verie great and earnest protestation THE SECOND PART How the spowse of Christ was made by litle and litle to shewe her selfe to the wordle Chap. 1. AFter that our Sauiour Christ had thus espowsed this holie virgin to him selfe and beawtified her with manie graces and gyftes his will pleasur was that she should from that tyme foreward by litle and litle shewe her selfe to the worlde that the graine that had now lyen hidden in the grownd a conuenient tyme and was sufficiently mortified might bud flower and bring foorth the frute of manie excellent vertues to the comfort of men Wherefore on a tyme when he had shewed her many mysteries of the kingdome of heauen and had taught her also to saie the Psalmes and Canonical howers with him selfe as is declared before he bad her that she should goe downe to eate with others and then returne to him againe When she heard that she sobbed and wept fell downe at his feete after a verie pitiful maner and said vnto him O most sweet Iesu whie wilt thou put me awaie from thee If I haue offended thy diuine Maiestie behold here my bodie at thy feete laie what penance it shall please thee vpon it and I will helpe with all my hart Only this I beseech thee let me not be so sharply punished as to be sundred from thy blessed presence What haue I to doe with their meates I haue meate to eate that they knowe not of Oh my good Lord wherefore dost thou will me to goe to eate with them Doth man liue of bread only and not rather and better of euerie word that cometh out of thy mouth Art not thou he my deere Lord that hast cawsed me to eschewe the conuersation of men that I might the better conuerse with thee And now that I haue fownd thee without anie desert on my part only of thy mere liberalitie and goodnes shall I be so vnhappie as to forsake such a goodlie treasure for to returne to the conuersation of men and so to dymme the puritie and cleerenes of my faith Suffer not that O my deere spowse and Lord for thyne infinitie goodnes When she had thus powred out her hart before our Lord pitifully sobbing and weeping and lying prostrate at his feete he like a merciful Lord gaue her verie sweet wordes againe and said My deere daughter leaue the care of thy selfe to me It is meete that thou doe fulfill all righteousnes Which thou canst not doe vnlesse thou be fruteful and profitable not only to thy selfe but also to others Thinke not my good daughter that it is my meanyng to separate thee from me but rather to vnite thy hart more firmely vnto me Knowest thou not that all the lawe and prophetes stand of two pointes to witt of the loue of God and of the loue of thy neighbour Wherefore to make thee perfecte my will is that thou exercise thy selfe in the loue of thy neighbour with great compassion and mercie that thou maiest flie vp to heauen not with one wing but with two Call to mynd the zeale that thou haddest of winning sowles which I planted in thy hart euen in thyne infancie at what tyme thou haddest a desire to change thyne habite and to clad thy selfe like a man that thou mightest be receiued into the order of the Fryars Preachers Remember that this habite which thou wearest is the habite of thy father S. Dominicke and was geuen vnto thee by my deere mother namely for a special loue and affection that thou barest vnto him for the great trauaile that he susteined in wynning of sowles Behold I doe now dispose and ordaine thee to that end that thou diddest through my secret inspiration so much desire in thy yowth I dispose thee to that function that my Father disposed me vnto in the earth I ordaine thee to that ministerie that I ordained my beloued Apostles and disciples vnto before I departed from them on the earth And all this I doe for thy further merite and greater crowne At these wordes the humble virgin tooke great comfort and bowing downe her head with all submission said O Lord thy will be done in all thinges and not myne for thou art light and I am darckenes thou art he that is and I am she that is not But yet I beseech thee my Lord God let me be so bold as to aske how I a wretched vile woman should be able to doe anie good in thy Church How shall I being a simple womā be able to instructe wise and learned men How shall it be seemelie for me to liue and conuerse emong men Vnto that our Sauiour answered and said Who is he that created man made a distinctiō betweene man womā was it not I If I thē be the creatour of man womā what lawe maie restraine me that I shall not doe with my creatures what I shall thinke good Can my power be limited that I shall not dispose of man and woman of learned and vnlearned of noble and base according to my will Touching thy question therefore which is how a woman that is the weaker vessel should be an able and sufficient meane to edifie men with doctrine and example bicause I knowe that this thy demaund proceedeth not of anie lacke of faith in my almightie power but only of an humble consideration of thyne owne weakenes and frailtie I will impart vnto thee my secret in this behalfe Daughter it is so that now a daies there aboundeth such pride in the worlde and specially in those that hold them selues for learned and wise that my iustice can no lōger beare it But bicause my mercie is aboue all my workes as I haue determined to doe iustice vpon this heinous synne so haue I also prouided a soueraigne medicine against the same to as manie as will accept it The proper medicine and punishment of pride is to be confownded and brought to shame And therefore my deliberation is that these men that are wise in their owne conceite shal be made ashamed and controlled in their owne iudgemēt when they shall see those creatures that they account vile and abiecte as fraile and weake women to vnderstand the hidden mysteries of God not by humane studie but only by grace infused and to shewe the same to the worlde both by word and example of life and for confirmation of such doctrine to worke manie strange signes wonders and miracles
tyme as that she might be able to goe succour that poore woman Anon after feeling her selfe meruelously well comforted she rose vp early in the mornyng and filled her sacke with corne she tooke two great flascats also one of wyne and an other of oyle and withal whatsoeuer she fownd in the howse meete to be eaten And when she had laid this prouision together thinking it impossible to carrie it all at once to the widoes howse which was farre from thence the thinges weighed no lesse then an hūdred powndes she cast vp her hart to her spowse and besought him of his gracious assistance That done she began to trie with a stowte hart what she was able to doe Some part she laid vpon her shoulders some she trussed vnder her gyrdle some she carried in her right hand and some in her lefte And when she had loded her selfe with all this burthen she felt no more of it then if it had ben a wad or wispe of strawe but so soone as the common bell of the citie had rong before the which tyme it was not lawful for anie persone to walke in the streetes she tooke her waie towardes the poore widowes howse and went so light on the grownd not withstanding all that heauie waight of prouision and great feeblenes of bodie withall as if she had caried nothing but had ben caried her selfe as in truth she was But when she was almost come to the howse the burthen that seemed before verie light became so heauie and paineful to her that she thought she could not beare it one foote further The which strange alteration when she felt in her selfe she conceiued foorthwith that it was the will of God that it should so be And therefore she turned her selfe to him with a great affiance in his mercie and made her humble petition to him that he would vowchasafe to ease her againe and make her able to goe thorough with her burthen And with that finding her selfe to haue receiued sufficient strength to beare it out she held on her waie till she came to the widowes doore which by the prouision of God she found halfe open And so putting it from her softely with her hand she laid in her prouision with as litle noyse as was possible Howbeit it was not done so priuily but that the widowe awaked withal The which she perceiuing made awaie as fast as she could But there came vpon her euen at that instant such a feeblenes and withal such a heauisomenes of bodie that she was not able to crawle awaie though her life had lyen on it Wherefore turnyng her selfe to our Lord with a heauie hart bicause she feared lest her being there alone at that tyme of the daie might be scandalous to weake myndes and yet on the other side with a cheereful and smyling countenance bicause she sawe it was the will and pleasure of her spowse so to dalie with her betweene game and earnest as it were she spake vnto him after this maner O my deere Lord whie hast thou thus deceiued me Shall it doe well thinkest thou that all the worlde laugh me to scorne Is it thy pleasure that all the neighbours here see my folie and hold me for a verie foole and sott See o Lord the daie cometh on fast which will discouer me to the worlde and so shall I be taken for a fantastical woman or peraduenture for worse O my good Lord and sweet loue of my hart hast thou now forgoten thyne old mercies shewed from tyme to tyme to me thyne vnworthie handmaid Geue me I beseech thee so much strength that I maie be able to returne home to my chamber and then laie vpon me so much weakenes as pleaseth thee With that she enforced her selfe the best she could to creepe with hand and foote vpon the grownd and while she was so creeping she spake to her bodie after this maner liue thou die thou awaie thou must Whether thou be able or not able here is no being And therefore on a Gods name And so what with going and what with crawling she wonne a litle grownd But before she could get out of sight the poore widowe came downe seeing her in the street and no moe but her knewe by her habite whoe it was that had done her that charitable pleasure Thē our Lord heard the groanyng of his deere spowse and pitying her poore case gaue her so much strength that she gate home before it was brode daie Where she receiued great cōfort of mynd in cōsideratiō of Gods mercie and louing kindnes towardes her and withall her ould diseases feeblenes of bodie for her further increase of grace merite An other verie notable example of her great Charitie towardes the poore Chap. 6. WHile this holie maid was on a tyme in S. Dominickes Church there came by her a poore man and besought her for Gods loue that she would geue him somewhat To whom bicause she had nothing there to geue for it was not her maner to beare neither gold nor syluer about her she spake verie gently and praied him that he would haue so much patience as to tarrie there till she might goe home and come againe The poore man made answere that he could not tarrie so long but if she had anie thing there to geue she should geue it for otherwise he must needes goe his waie She was loth that he should goe from her without somwhat therefore bethought her selfe carefully what thing she might haue about her to serue that poore mans need Anon it came to her mynd that she had a litle crosse of syluer that hong by her beades which she brake of with all speed gaue it gladly to the poore man Who likewise when he had receiued this almes at her hand went his waie and was seene no more to begge that daie as though his coming had ben for that Crosse only The night folowing while this deuout virgin was occupied in praier after her accustomed maner our Sauiour Christ appeered vnto her hauing that same Crosse in his hand set with diuerse and sundrie precious stones and said vnto her Daughther knowest thou this Crosse Yea Lord said she I knowe it right well but it was not so richly decked when I had it Then said our Lord to her againe Yesterdaie thou gauest me this Crosse with a chereful hart and great charitie which great loue and charitie is signified by these precious stones And therefore I promise thee that at the daie of iudgement I will shewe the same in the presence of all men and Angels to the great increase of thyne euerlasting ioye and glorie For I will not hide nor suffer to be hiden such deedes of charitie as are done by thee With that this apparition ceased and left her replenished with vnspeakeable ioye and gladnes And from that tyme foreward there increased in her a passing great desire of relieuing the poore An other verie wonderful example of her
and yealding a meruelous beawtiful light in proportion and quaÌ„titie answerable to the measure of her bodie and putting the same vpon her with his owne handes said This garment I geue thee for all the tyme that thou shalt liue here vpon the earth in token and pleadge of that immortal garment that thou shalt receiue at my handes in heauen And with these wordes that vision ceased and left her endewed with such a strange grace and qualitie not only in sowle but also in bodie that from that verie instant that our Lord spake vnto her she neuer felt alteration in her bodie but continued euermore in one temper whether it were winter or somer hote or cold wind or raine And whatsoeuer wether came she neuer ware moe or fewer clothes then one only single peticote vnderneth and one only single kirtel aboue and that rather for decencie then for necessitie Of two euident miracles which our Lord wrought to declare how accceptable her workes of Charitie were to him Chap. 8. THere was in the citie of Sienna a certaine poore man that had dispossessed him selfe of all his worldlie goods for Gods sake and was in great distresse for lacke of necessarie sustenance The which thing when this holie maid vnderstood being moued withal compassion she tooke a lynnen bag the she had and filled the same with egges and caried it priuily vnderneth her cote towardes the howse of the said poore man to relieue him withal When she came neere the place were he dwelt seeing a Church there by she entred into it first as her maner was to doe her deuotion Where lifting vp her hart to God in praier and comtemplation she was foorthwith so rauished in spirite that her bodilie senses failing she fell downe with all the waight of her bodie on that side where the bag of egges was There was also in the bag a thymble such as taylours do so we withal which she had forgoten to take out when she put in the egges This thymble was broken in three peeces and the egges remained as whole and as sownd as they were put in notwithstanding that she had lyen vpon them with the burthen of her whole bodie and that for the space of certaine howers It pleased almightie God to work an other verie strange miracle also to the like effecte a thing well knowen and testified by as manie as were in the howse which were to the nomber of twentie persones It happened that the howsehold had dronke out a vessel of wine so lowe that the remnant that was left seemed not good ynough to geue to the poore for her maner was alwaies to geue out the best in almes for Gods sake Where vpon she went to the next vessel and drewe out of that largely for the poore a nomber of daies together and was neuer espied by anie of the howsehold At the length when the other vessel was quite drawen out the Butler also went to the vessel that she had broched and drewe of it for the whole howse The howsehold drancke as they were wont to doe sufficiently and she gaue out as her maner was plentifully And yet the wine neuer decreased nether in quantitie nor qualitie but kept euermore at one staie both for fulnes and for freshnes All the howse had great wonder how the vessel should continue so long and withal so good For they all knewe that such a vessel was wont to serue the howse but only xv or at the vttermost xx daies And this had continued a ful moneth and yet to all their seemyng was neither the lesse in measure nor worse in tast but rather they all confessed that in their whole life tyme they had neuer tasted a better wine But that holie maid made no wonder of it for she vnderstood that it was the worke of God whose propertie it is to blesse multiplie the substance of those that are readie to geue to the poore for his loue One moneth was fully expired an other was well entred yet the wine continued still as good and as fresh as it was the first daie that it was broached At the length when the tyme was come that the grapes were ripe and readie to the presse to make newe wyne he that had the chiefe charge about the making of the same tooke order that this vessel which had continued so long with old wine should be emptied that it might be filled with newe wine Whereupon one of the seruantes which thought of all likelyhood that there had ben litle or nothing left in the vessel went about to drawe it out into bottels After the which maner when he had drawen a good deale he sawe still that it ran with full tap At the last they resolued to gawge the vessel and so to see what was in it The which they did and behold they fownd the vessel so drie as if it had stood without licour for the space of manie monethes before Whereat the whole household was meruelously astoined in so much that they had no greater wonder before to see the cleere colour freshnes and long continuance of the wine then they had now to see so sodaine an alteration and fayling of the same Of a passing great charitie and diligence which she vsed in attending vpon a sicke woman and of her inuincible patience in bearing the waiwardnes of the same woman Chap. 9. AS this holie maid had a passing great desire to relieue the poore in their distresse and extremitie so had she also a meruelous tender care and compassion ouer them that were sicke and diseased Concernyng the which vertue she left manie wonderful examples to the wordle emong others this was one There was in the citie of Sienna a poore widowe called â—ecca who for lacke of necessarie attendance and sustentation in her owne howse being verie weake and feeble was constreined to craue the ordinarie charitie of an hospital that was there by Where she was charitably receiued but the hospital was so poore that they were not able to make her allowance of such thinges and seruices as her disease required and so her maladie increasing daily more and more at the length she became disfigured with a verie fowle leprie all ouer her bodie Which made her so lothsome to all that were in the hospital that they eschewed her and there was none fownd that would serue her anie longer Wherupon they determined to send her to a spittle-house that was ordained for such Lazarous folkes about a mile from the citie But before she was remoued it pleased God that this holie maid should haue vnderstanding of their determination Who being inwardly moued with pitie went foorthwith to the hospital where she laie and serued her both with her bodie and with her goods mornyng and euenyng prouiding for her whatsoeuer she thought necessarie or requisite for a woman in that case and dressing the same for her with her owne handes And all this she did with as diligent a care and
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
therefore lesse circumspecte in such matters and so to make his entrie vpon them both together He began to sowe in the hart of the sicke woman diuerse and sundrie surmises against her by craftie meanes bringing her in great gelowsie and disliking of all that she did by reason wherof in processe of tyme she waxed meruelous weerie of her and might not well abide to see her Which weerisomenes increasing in her daily more and more engendred a certaine malice and malice in tyme bred a plaine hatred Now this malice and hatred had in continuance by litle and litle so corrupted her iudgement that she not only suspected of her the worst that anie euel mynd could ymagin but also bleleeued firmely that all such ymaginations were most certaine and vndoubted truthes in so much that whensoeuer the holie maid was anie where out of her sight she beleeued assuredly that she was about some fowle acte of fleshlie pleasure The which thing though the innocent virgin vnderstood verie well yet did she shewe her selfe no lesse louing meke seruiceable about her then she was wont to be before But the more meekenes and diligence the good seruant of Christ vsed towardes that froward old woman the more testie and cholericke waxed she against her by the instigation of the deuel in so much that at the length she came to that that she would no longer keepe her conceiued suspicions vnder the couert of priuate gelowsie but without all modestie shame gaue them out in plaine and brode termes to as manie as would geue eare to her slawnderous talke This fowle brute being once thus raised it went on from one to another vntil in the end it came to the eares of the sisters who to vnderstād the verie original of the rumour went to the chamber where the sicke sister laie and examined her of the matter She auowched stowtely to them so much as she had reported to others before and accused the maid constantly of actual incontinēcie vncleannes Whereat they were verie much astoined at the first but yet wheighing the age behauiour constācie of the accuser they gaue credit to her wordes thereupon calling the maid before them they gaue her verie rough and sharpe language rebuking her with meruelous vile and reprochful wordes and asking her how she was caried awaie and brought to commit such a synful and vncleane acte Wherunto she made answere with great humilitie and patience saying no moe wordes but only these Truly good mothers and sisters by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ I am a maid And whatsoeuer they said to her she gaue them none other word to answere but only this Truly I am a maid Truly I am a maid neuer vtterring so much as one word that might seeme to touch her accuser Vpon whom she attended and serued with as great loue and diligence as if there had neuer passed anie such matter betweene them And yet was she sorie at the verie hart for the slaunder and infamie that was raised vpon her Wherefore when she had done what was to be done about the sicke woman she retired her selfe for comfort as her maner was in all aduersites into her chamber and there casting her selfe downe prostrate vpon the ground she opened the griefe of her hart to almightie God more with gronyng of hart then with sound of voice after this maner O almightie God my deere Lord spowse thou knowest verie well what a tender thing the good name of virgins is especially of them that haue vowed their virginitie to thee and how much subiecte they are to the violent strokes of slawnderous tonges And that was the cause why thy prouident wisedome disposed that thy most glorious mother should be committed to the charge of Ioseph who was called and was in deed her husband not for anie acte of matrimonie but to keepe her name of virginitie from slander Thou knowest O Lord that all this slawnder that is raised vpō me is wrought by the father of lying who hath done this to withdrawe hinder me from this charitable woorke that thou hast appointed me to doe I haue willingly takē vpon me for thy loue Wherefor I most hūbly beseech thee O my deere Lord most mightie protectour of all innocentes that thou wilt not suffer this wicked serpent whom thou hast troden vnder foote in the tyme of thy sacred passion to haue the mastrie ouer me When the holie maid had thus made a long praier to our Lord with much inward gronyng and plentie of teares behold our Lord appeered to her holding two crownes in his hādes one in his right hand of gold all decked with ritch perles and precious stones an other in his left hand of verie sharpe thornes said these wordes vnto her Deere daughter it is so that thou must needes be crowned with these two crownes at sundry tymes Choose therefor whether thou haue lieffer to be crowned with the sharpe crowne of thorne in this life and that other to be reserued for thee in the life to come or elswhether thou like better to haue this goodlie golden crowne in this life that other sharpe crowne in the life to come To this demand the hūble discrete virgin made answere after this maner Lord said she thou knowest verie well that I haue resigned my will wholly to thee haue made a full resolution to doe all thinges according to thy direction and therfore I dare not choose anie thing vnlesse I maie knowe that the same shall stand with thy most blessed will and pleasure Neuertheles because thou hast willed me to make answere concernyng this choise that thou hast here made vnto me I saie thus that I doe choose in this life euermore to be conformed and made like to thee my Lord Sauiour cherefully to beare Crosses thornes for thy loue as thou hast done for myne With that she reached out her handes Iustely and tooke the crowne of thornes of our Lordes handes and put the same vpon her owne head with such a strength and violence that the thornes perced her head rownd about in so much that for a long space after she felt a sensible paine in her head by the pricking of those thornes as she declared afterwardes to her ghostlie Father Then our Lord said to her Daughter all thinges are in my power And as I haue suffred this slawnder to be raised against thee by the deuel and his membres so is it in my power to cease the same when I will Continue thou therefore in that holie seruice that thou hast begon and geue no place to the enemie that would let thee from all good workes I will geue thee a perfecte victorie ouer thyne enemie and will bring to passe that whatsoeuer he hath imagined against thee it shall all be turned vpon his owne head to thy great ioye and his great paine Thus was she well comforted againe and so continued still at the seruice of that
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
right well that both the one and the other should be restored When her Confessour had heard this reasō discourse he replied no more but held his peace for in deed he was astoined and knewe not what to answere to the wisedome and spirite of God that spake in her 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 paines of the Crosse Chap. 28. BEing on a tyme rauished in spirite she learned an other exposition vpon this place of the gospel which her Confessour douctour Thomas commited to writing and it was thus Our Lord said she approching neere to his passion set before the eyes of his mynd that great multitude of wicked men and women which he sawe through malice and obstinacie would not take the benefite of his death The which sight put him into such an agonie that he sweat water and blood for verie pitie that he had of those miserable creatures he was as it were enforced to vtter those wordes Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me Which is as much as if he had said Father this cup that is here presented before me is surely a verie bitter cup to me seeing as I do to my great griefe the damnation of so manie soules which without anie cause shall make light of this great loue that I am here to shewe to mankind and leese the benefite of my blood which is now readie to be powred out for their sake Wherfore if it be possible I beseech thee that thou wilt pardon them and in so doing take awaie this bitter cup from me This said she was the praier that our Sauiour made to his eternal Father And she added furthermore and said that he had without all doubt obteined the thing that he demaunded if he had requested the same absolutely and without condicion for what petition could he make to his Father that should not haue ben heard who as the Apostle saieth was heard for the verie reuerence that was in him selfe But as on the one side the tender loue that he bare to mankind wonne so much of him that he made that petition in their behalfe so on the other side the loue of Gods iustice moderated the vehemencie of his loue towardes mankind and cawsed him to qualifie his earnest demaund with this clause and condicion howbeit O Father not my will be done but thyne This holie maid declared yet further to her confessour and said that the paines which our Sauiour suffred for the redemption of mankind were so excessiuely great that it had ben impossible for anie man in this wordle to endure the same but that he must needes haue dyed if it had ben possible manie tymes For as the loue that he bare to mankind was vnspeakeable and incomprehensible so were the paines that he suffred for their loue so great that no man had ben able to esteeme them and much lesse to beare them What man said she would haue beleeued that those thornes of his crowne should haue persed thorough his scull into his braines And yet so it was Againe who would haue thought that the bones of a man should haue ben drawen a sonder and disiointed And yet the prophet Dauid saieth They told all my bones speaking of the vnmerciful and cruel tormentours which haled and pulled him here there so violently that they plucked his bones out of ioynt Certaine it is that the malice of those wicked Iewes was verie great and that they vsed him verie cruelly and yet could not their malicious and cruel vsage haue done it but only that his will was to shewe his vnspeakeable loue towardes vs as it were vtterly to forsake him selfe and to suffer his bodie to be destitute of all such force and strength as might make anie resistance against paines and tormentes So that the principal cause of his passion was the desire which he had of shewing his loue to vs euidently and effectually It was not the violent hand of those tormentours that were able to hold him whome he made to fall downe at his foote with one woord of his mouth It was not the nailes that were able to holde him fast to the Crosse which were his creatures and had no further power vpon their Creatour but only so much as he would geue them but it was the loue that he bare to mankind that tooke him it was loue that held him fast it was loue that nailed him fast to the Crosse and made him there to endure a most bitter and reprochful death Such high wordes and sentences did she vtter to her confessour concernyng the passion of our Sauiour And she affirmed furthermore that whatsoeuer paines our Sauiour had borne in anie part of his bodie the same had she borne in her bodie also in like maner as our Sauiour did but not in like measure for that had ben impossible for her bodie to beare And to shewe in deed that she knewe by exeperience which of all those paines was greatest she said that all the other paines were passed and gone but one remained still in her bodie which was the diuulsion as they terme it or sundering of the bones in the brest which paine was of all other paines as she said most grieuous Now this paine of the brest grewe on so vehemently vpon her and withal the loue of our Sauiour to whome she was confourmed by suffring such paines increased so mightely in her hart that she was wholly ouercome with the force of the same and her hart like a thynne glasse filled with a verie strong liqour being not able to beare the strength of that diuine loue brast in sunder as she declared afterwardes and clefte in the middle from the highest to the lowest part of the same And certaine it is that she dyed in deed in the presence of manie vertuous and credible persones and so continued a long tyme. Of this matter she made mention afterwardes in a letter writen to her ghostlie Father with her owne hand in the which letter she declared emong other thinges how she was taught by S. Iohn the Euangelist and S. Thomas of Aquine to write in a verie short space 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. HEr ghostlie Father being desirous to learne the verie certainty of this matter at her owne mouth on a tyme reasonyng with her besought her that she would tell him plainly what had passed She stood still a great while and could not geue him one word to answere for weeping but at the length she spake after this maner O father said she is it not a pitiful and lamentable case that a soule which hath ben once deliuered out of a darcke prison and hath had the fruition of a most ioyous and beawtifull lighte shoulde be constreined to forsake
The which when the holie maid perceiued she gaue charge to the rest that were about her that they should haue a care of the confesssours and prouide them of thinges necessarie Which was in deed verie requisite for they were so intentiue to their spirituall haruest and tooke such a passing inward delite to see the wonderfull increase that almightie God had sent in all places where they trauailed with the holie maid that they liue mynded either meat or drincke or anie thing els belongyng to the bodie And when all bodilie recreations failed it was no small recreation and comfort to them to see the holie maid her selfe what a spirituall Iubilee she kept and how her hart did as it were leape and daunce for ioye when she sawe such nombers of soules to leaue the broade waies of their accustomed synfull life and now by her direction to walke in the narrowe pathes of Gods holie commandements And as the wordes of the holie maid had a wonderfull vertue and strenght in drawing the hartes of such as were present and might heare her speake so had she also a singular gyfte of perswasion in her writinges to them that were absent and might not heare her wordes as it maie appeere by her letters writen with a meruelous heauenlie grace and eloquence to Popes and Cardinalls to Kinges and Princes to Bishops and Prelates to Lordes and Rulers to communities and common weales to Magisitates and priuate citisens to religious persones both men and women and also to diuerse and sundrie secular persones And such was her zeale and charitable affection towardes all kindes of men that whether they were present or absent she omitted not to doe good where soeuer occasion was ministred How the holie maid made manie goodlie sermons or collations in the presence of Pope Gregorie and afterwardes likewise in the presence of Pope Vrbanus and his Cardinals Cap. 15. AFter that this chosen vessell of God was apointed to shewe her selfe to the wordle as is before declared to beare the name of Christ before kinges and rulers and all other states of men and women she made diuerse and sundrie sermons in the presence of Pope Gregorie the eleuenth with such a wonderfull grace eloquence and authoritie that the Pope him selfe and all that were about him were astoined to heare her And afterwardes being required by Pope Vrbanus his successour to doe the like in open consistorie she made such a wonderfull and dreadfull oration concerning the particular prouidence of God ouer his Church and ouer the head pastour of the same whom she declared to be the said Pope Vrbanus the sixt affirming constantly before them all that she vnderstood so much by a most certaine reuelation from God and she rebuked both the pope and all his Cardinals with such a constant boldnes for their base myndes and lacke of manlie courage in Gods cause that they were all enforced to confesse that it was not she that spake but the spirite and wisedome of God in her Whereupon Pope Vrbanus turning him selfe to the rest said these wordes Behold brethren how contemptible we are become in the sight of God for being thus fearefull in his cause Our Lord hath sent here a seelie woman to controll and reproach vs of cowardise I call her a seelie woman not for anie defecte that I note in her but only to expresse the frailtie of her sexe or kind which as you knowe is naturally more subiecte to feare then we are It would be thought in this case that she as a woman should be timorous and we manlie and stoute But we see nowe that we are faint harted and deiected and she contrariwise verie full of manlie courage and comfort It is surely a great shame and reproach to vs all that we haue need to be comforted at this tyme by a woman Howbeit seeing it is the will of God to send vs such a comforter let vs accept it especially considering that her wordes are most true which are that the vicare of Christ ought not to feare though the whole wordle should set them selues in armes against him for so much as almightie God who hath taken the charge and protection of him is stronger then the wordle When the pope had said these wordes he turned him selfe to the holie maid and gaue her a verie graue testimonie of vertue and holines And when he had so done he opened the treasure of the Church and gaue manie spirituall graces both to her and to them that were there with her Manie other collations did she make in places where occasion was ministred to edifie soules to the great profit and comfort of them that heard her as it maie appeere in part by some thinges that are alreadie declared in this booke before and more by this present matter and some other thinges that shal be declared hereafter 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 condicions of peace in her owne hand Chap. 16. ABout the yeare of our Lord 1375. the citie of Florence which had in foretymes shewed it selfe euermore loiall and obedient to the Sea Apostolike being moued partly by the instigation of certaine euell disposed citizens that were in authoritie and partly also as it was thought by the lewd demeanour of some insolent persones that bare office in the Church began to withdrawe their obedience and to ioyne them selues with the enemies of the Church By reason whereof there ensued a general reuolt in Italie almost of all the territories that belonged to the Sea Apostolike which were at that tyme as it is reported to the nomber of three score cities and ten thousand walled townes Pope Gregorie the eleuenth seeing that proceeded against the Florentines by waie of excommunication whereof it came to passe that their merchantes and trauailers wheresoeuer they went were taken robbed and spoiled in all places and debarred of all trafficke with other nations The which smart and losse of temporal goods so pinched them that they were enforced to seeke all possible meanes how they might be reconciled to the Popes holines againe And because they vnderstood that the holie maid was in great credite and fauour with the Pope by reason of her vertue and holines the lordes and principal rulers of the cittie thought good that Doctour Raimundus her Confessour should be sent before as it were to make her waie And that done they sent for the holie maid also And when she was come almost to the cittie of Florence they went out against her to receiue her with all honour and besought her for Gods loue that she would take the paines to goe to Auinion where the Pope was then resident and to entreate him to condescend to certaine reasonable condicions or peace The holie maid had such a passing desire to make peace that she cast no doubt neither of the trauaile and tediousnes of the long iourney nor yet of the effecte
ghostlie enemie For sometymes she held her peace and sometymes she made answere as it were to some demaund Sometymes she smyled as though she had scorned his reasons and sometymes she rose in choler Emong other thinges one word she spake which was noted of as manie as were present And surelie it maie well be thought that it was the will of God that she should vtter it When she had held her peace a pretie while at the length setting a pleasant countenance vpon it she made answere as it were to some slaunder that the enemie charged her withal saying Vaine glorie Neuer but only the true glorie and honour of God Which wordes were not spoken without a special prouidence of God to remoue a sinister opinion conceiued of her not only in the wordle but also in manie deuout and spiritual persones who seeing her passing sweet and charitable demeanour towardes all kindes of men and withal how readie and desirous she was not only to receiue exhort and comfort all such as resorted to her at home but also to trauaile into farre and strange countreis to extend her charitie to as manie as was possible doubted somewhat that in these thinges she might either seeke the praise of men or at the least take some delite in it when she heard her selfe praysed But Doctour Raimundus who being her ghostlie Father heard her Confession both general and special oftentymes and considered of all her doinges with great warines and aduisement gaue her this testimonie with a solemne protestation that he iudged verily and tooke it vpon his conscience that whatsoeuer she did in that kind she did it by special inspiration and commaundment from God and that she did not so much as thinke either vpon the praises of men or vpon the men them selues but only when she praied to God for them or did some other charitable woorke to the edifying of their soules But now to come to our matter againe whē the holie maid had thus fought a long combat with the ghostlie enemie and had in the end through the grace and assistance of God obteined a full and final victorie ouer him comyng to her selfe againe she made a general Confession not Sacramentally but openly saying Confiteor as the maner is and so required the general absolution to be likewise pronounced ouer her That done it was sensibly perceiued that all the powers of her bodie decaied foorthwith by litle and litle The which notwithstanding she ceased not to exhort and speake comfortable wordes not only to them that were there about her but also to other that were absent Emong others she shewed her selfe to haue a verie special remembrance and care of Doctour Raimundus vnto whom she willed them all to haue recourse in all their doubtes and distresses for spiritual counsel Commend me to him said she and bid him to be of good comfort and not to faint or feare whatsoeuer betide For I will be with him and will from tyme to tyme deliuer him from all dangers And if he chaunce at anie tyme to doe otherwise then he should doe I will geue him discipline These wordes she repeated againe and againe vntill her speach began at the length to faile her Last of all when the verie throwes of death came vpon her she said these wordes Lord into thy handes I commend my spirite And with that she gaue vp the Ghost in the yeare of her age 33. of our Lord. 1380. the 29. daie of April which as then was sondaie and the feast of S. Peter the Martyr about eight of the clocke before noone THE FOWRTH PART 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. AT what tyme the holie maid passed out of this life doctour Raimundus her confessour chaunced to be in the citie of Genua about such a affaires as his office required being then the prouincial of his Order in those partes And bicause there was a general chapter appointed to be kept at Bolonia within a fewe daies after for the choosing of a newe general doctour Raimundus with certain other doctours brethren made them selues readie to passe by water from thence to Pisa and so to Bolonia And when they had hyred a boate they taried for a good wind which as then did not serue in that meane tyme vpon S. Peters daie in the mornyng which is a solemne daie emong the Friers preachers bicause he was a great martyr and of their Order doctour Raimundus went downe from his cell to the Church to saie Masse And when Masse was done he returned backe againe to the dorter to set him selfe in order towardes his iourney Where passing by the image of our ladie he said an Aue Maria softly to him selfe as the maneris and staied a litle while And sodainly there was framed a strange voice if it maie be called a voice which expressed verie distinctly and plainely certaine wordes not outwardly to his bodilie eare but inwardly to his hart The wordes were these Be not afraid I am here for thee I am in heauen for thee I will protect and defend thee Stand fast without care and feare not I stand here for thee Doctor Raimundus hearing or rather conceiuing those wordes in deed more liuely expressed to this mynd then if they had ben pronounced by the voice of anie man was much astoined and began to cast with him selfe what maner of comfort and warrant of securitie that might be and from whence he might thinke that it came And bicause he was then doing a litle worke in the honour of our blessed Ladie he began to thinke whether it might not be she that had geuen him those comfortable wordes Howbeit considering his owne vnworthines he durst not presume so much Then it came to his mynd that there might be some great trouble towardes him for the which cause he praied to our blessed Ladie the mother of mercie whome he knewe to be a special comforter of all afflicted persones that she would vouchsafe by that her comfortable promise to make him more warie circunspecte and readie to beare whatsoeuer it should pleased God to laie vpon him And there was some cause also whie he might suspecte such troubles the more bicause he had at that tyme preached against certaine scismatikes that were in the citie of whome he stood in some doubt that they would haue set for him to doe some mischiefe to him and his compaine as they should passe betweene Genua Pisa And so at that tyme he could not vnderstand what that voice should be what it should meane or whence it should come But afterwardes when he came to Tuscan and heard them there tell of the tyme and maner of the holie maides departure he called this strange voice to mynd againe and sawe by the computation of