Virgins seeing that point concerneth me more neerely in regard of my allready begun Course And it also will giue I thinke better satisfaction to my sister Cosmophila For what you haue aboue said of the first Institution of a religious lyfe may perhaps by her not be extended to women but to strayned only to men Confessarius I will condescend to your words First then we find that S. Ignatius the martyr who was the Apostles Scholler affirmeth Colledges of Virgins and saluteth them in his f Epistles Yea some of our Aduersaries the Protestants do thus confesse of this point In the flower of the Church meaning in the beginning of the primitiue Church there were g Virgins that professed perpetuall Chastity And which is more our learned Aduersaries the Century writers I meane all being eminent Protestants euen out of the rack of Truth confesse that in Constantines time being the first Christian Emperour there were Monasteries h of Virgins That there i then was a woman Gouernesse of professed Virgins And furthermore the said Protestants make particular mention of the Veyle k of the Virgins Of their religious l habit and particularly of their Consecration m and all this in the tyme of Constantine who liued three hundred yeares after Christ To conclude this point the Antiquity of Virgin Nunnes is much celebrated by Ioninian the third Emperour after Constantine and he had them in such Honour as that he published an Edict That who n should seeke not only to violate but euen to marry a professed Nunne should loose his life Thus much of this point Caelia I thanke you Good Father for thus your discoursing For I take great pleasure to heare that this Religious Course by me begun is warranted with such great Antiquity and particularly in vs Women And now Sister Cosmophila you may see that this my Chosen Course of lyfe is no late Innouation or out an humane inuention as some Enemyes thereto are not ashamed to affirme Cosmophila I agree with you Good sister in iudgment herein But Reuerend Good Syr seeing this Religious Course of life hath continued so many hundred yeares as that no more touching this point can be expected I would gladly know what kind of men and especially of women haue imbraced this course whether they haue beene but of the meaner sort only or of more noble and worthy Persons since this later degree of persons if so you can proue it will giue a great lustre and glory to a Religious life For I obserue that diuers of high place ranke in these dayes do euen contemne that Course holding it as sorting only to the meanor condition and sorâ— of Men of Women Abbesse You shall giue me leaue Good Cosmophila to take this taske touching this your lost question or demand from Father Confessarius with his good leaue and to impose it vpon my selfe to relate what I haue read as concerning this point in spirituall bookes written of this subiect in our owne tongue I am the more bould herein because many great examples not only of Men out euen of women imbracing this state of life may be here alledged And there Examples of women do more neerely concerne vâ— Women and therefore may with good shew of Reason be deliuered by a woman Therefore I will most briefly begin with men but will chiefly rest in the Presidents of Women First then we find to insist somewhat in fortaine Princes Lothaerius a Westerne Emperour about the yeare 800. Anastasius a Grecian Emperour in the yeare 750. besides some other Emperours Hugo King of Prouence and Emperour in the yeare 920 Pipin king of Italy and eldest sonne to Charles the Great king of France in the yeare 800. Bamba king of Spaine about the yeare 670. to haue vndergone a Religious and Monastical lyfe I will conclude omitting many other forraine kings Princes with Charlemaine who was king of Austrasia and Sueuia and who receaued the habit of a Monke at Pope Zachary his hands But to looke a little into our owne Country of England we shall find it to haue beene most fertil herein whiles the Land of England was deuided into many kingdomes According hereto we may reckon Sigebert king of the Northumbers anno 640. Ethelred king of the Mercians anno 704. Offa king of the East Saxons Some small tyme after Kenred Finally Inas king of the same West Saxons all which did forsake the world and became Religious Monkes Thus far of men omitting to speake of many other Princes Lords and Noble men imbracing the same Religious Course But now to come to women of worth and dignity as being more peculiar to our drift intention I will restrayne my selfe to Empresses and Queenes who haue forsaken all Regall dignity or soueraignty and after the death of their Husbands entered into a Monasticall life and became Nunnes as we are at this preâ—ent First then Theodora the Empresse about the yeare 880. imbraced this course of lyfe â—ugusta another Empresse anno 1190. Richarâ—is wyfe to the Emperour Charles le Grosse did build a Monastery into the which she after entred and therein dyed anno 890. Cunegundes wyfe to Henry the Emperour Agnes wyfe to the Emperour Henry the third gouerned some yeares the Empyre after her husbands death but in the end she surrendred vp the Empyre and chose to liue in the humility of a Monasticall life anno 1150. Elizabeth wyfe to the Emperour Albertus the first and Archduke of Austria did build a Monastery in the yeare 1290. and in that Monastery taking the Monasticall habit of a Nunne most happily ended her dayes This Elizabeth had two Daughters who followed her Example The one of them was marryed to the King of Hungary the other to the Count of Otâ—ighen in like sort the said Elizabeth had two grand children to wit the Queene of Polonia her daughter who both entered into a Religious lyfe of Nunnes although her said daughter was in some sort assured in marriage to the Duke of Vratistaw To come to particular Queenes And first Tesia wyfe to Rachisius king of Italy with her Daughter Retruda ended their dayes in a Monastery spending their tyme in great Sanctity In France Radegundis who was maried to king Clotaire got his consent to depart from him and entred into a Monastery at Poictiers liuing and dying there with great shew of piety and deuotion in anno 520. Within some few yeares after Adocra wyfe to Chilperick king of France together with her daughter Childerade betooke themselues to this heauenly profession Balda about the yeare 650. wyfe to King Clouis king of France after the decease of her husband went to Celles where she enlarged a Monastery afore built and till death professed therein a Nunnes life Yt we cast our eyes into Spayne we shall find the like Examples of Deuotion For we read that Nunez wyfe to Veremond king of some Prouinces of Spaine and Teresa wyfe to
say u Blessed are they who suffer persecution for Iustice sake for theirs is the kingdome of Heauen And the Apostle much celebrateth the benefit of the Anxietyes and Crosses of the vertuous in these words The x Passions of this tyme are not worthy of the glory which â—halbe reuealed in vs But now to turne the leafe ouer and to contemplate a little of the miscâ—ies of the wicked euen in the middest of their â—nioying temporall felicities and to obserue how their Tribulations are wholy destitute of those priuiledges granted to the troubles oâ— the Iust. First we find that the afflictions of the wicked are perpetuall and interminable for of them it is said y The worme of the wickeâ— meaning in hell shall not dye and their fiâ—â— shall not be extinguished And therefore the lossâ— and detriment insteed of all gaine which commeth from the Crosses and Tribulation of the Wicked is related by our Sauiour in those words which shal be spoken at the daâ— of the last iudgment z Goe into eternall fyer which is prepared for the Deuill and his Angells O most miserable Relegation Thus far Cosmophila I haue waded in thiâ— subiect for your pleasure and if it may be foâ— the greater satisfaction of the worthy knight your Father who apprehendeth worldly pleasures and delights as free from all griefâ— of mind with so strong a bent both of vnderstanding and will And now for the closure of all I refer to his more retired and impartialâ— iudgment Whether the commodities pleasures of the world being encompassed abouâ— on all sydes with miseries and afflictions oâ— mynd ought to preuayle so far with any man or woman carefull of their eternall felicity as to withdraw and hold them from imbracing a most vertuous and retired Course oâ— lyfe granting that the said Religious life is no for the tyme alltogether depriued of desolations deiections and other languishments commonly incident to the said vertuous life Cosmophyla I cannot deny Syr but that you haue declared all these reasons vrged by my Father not to be of that solidity and weight as I did at the first take them to be I would to God that my Fathers iudgment could be as easely herein conuinced which difficulties in a religious lyfe were the only or at least principall Motiues for his giuing the lesse approbation to this seuere and sequestred Course here in this place practised For you know Good Sister Caelia as I said aboue it was with much soliciting and intreating of him and my Mother that they gaue their consent for your departure out of EnglaÌ„d But seeing my iudgment is greatly altered or rather much quieted touching the force or weaknes in the allowing of the said Reasons of my Father I will proceed to another point in which I am to intreate your furtherance of discourse Reuerend good Syr. Caelia Stay a litle your intended proceeding deare Sister to any other branch of Speach for I meane with the allowance of our much Reuerende Abbesse and Ghostly Father heere present to insist in one impediment touching a Votary lyfe of which I confesse I had seuerall times strong Temptations through the subtilty of the Enemy of mans soule and Weakenes of my owne flesh for the relinquishing of my vndertaken Course But through his Grace which is neuer wanting to those who beg it with all humility and prayer I most easely ouer came it at last I am more willing to discouer the same thereby that others when the like occasion may occurre be not wholy dismayed at such like Temptations It was this which is in part before touched by my Sister Cosmophila and in part answered by Father Confessarius yet here I will repeate it hauing byn for the tyme greatly afflicted therewith and things of moment may warrantably be iterated or related oftner then once Oftentimes I was assaulted by the Enemy in my mind that many things are so hard in Religion that I much doubted whether my body through its former delicacy and softnes in education during my stay in EnglaÌ„d could euer brooke and endure all those corporall mortifications austerities which are found in a Religious Life as rising in the night fasting and sparenes of dyet submission to be vnder another silence at certaine tymes and the like But in the end during the small tyme I haue yet continued in this Monastery I ouercame them all and did find an extraordinary repose quietnes of my soule in the subduing of them fully confessing in that behalfe those words of our Sauiour to be most true In a your Patience you shall possesse your soules And indeed when I came seriously to waigh those suggested austerities in the ballance of Reason I did find most vnanswerable Reasons whereby our body might be most forcibly impelled to a voluntary and willing bearing and practising of them And first I was wont often to call to mind what I had heard learned men to say to wit That though our flesh affecteth liberty and much cherishing yet the Body euen as its first creation was made to be subiect to the soule and not the soule to the Body and therefore we are to chastice our body and to curbe all the inordinate motions thereof And indeed seeing the Soule is to haue a true command Soueraignty ouer the body and this by Gods ordination the maistring of the body in not yealding to the temptations thereof is nothing so difficult a matter as is commonly feared by most that haue a desire to enter into a religious lyfe And the reason hereof is in regard of many forcible Motiues which may much strengthen the soule to curbe the inbred desires of the flesh and bring it into subiection And those Motiues among diuers others here omitted may be drawne First from the Loue which we beare to God which Loue of God doth naturally take comfort in suffering hardnes tribulation or any aduerse fortune for Gods sake Againe the example of Christ himselfe ought to be a great Spur vnto vs in this Conflict betweene the Spirit and the Body who suffered so much for our Redemption Why then is it not reasonable for vs to follow his footesteps in a far lower degree of suffering Thirdly as aboue is intimated the Diuine comforts and Heauenly Consolations with which God vsually visiteth that soule which couragiously wars with the body for the soules owne good greatly animate the soule to this battel since these spirituall comforts as hidden Manna much allay the asperities vndergone for the conquering of the flesh and its pleasurs Againe the Expectation of an eternall Reward and Crowne which is infallibly after this life to be giuen to all such who bring the body into Obedience for the better seruing of God makes all the voluntary labours of the body to seeme nothing Lastly I may vrge that the Feareof eternall damnation both of soule and body which is incurred through the vnlawfull pleasures and cherishments of the body ought infinitly
her Meditations haue wrought very forcibly vpon her Iudgment I my selfe will goe and bring her forth Loe Good Father I haue freed Cosmophila of her voluntary imprisonment and haue brought her forth againe to your Reuerence Now Cosmophila you may freely heere vnfould to Father Confessarius whether you haue reaped any spirituall profit by this your willing restraint and by meditating of the points which were appointed you Cosmophila O Good Madame and you Reuerend Father I should be most vngratefull not only to your selues but chiefly to his diuine Goodnes if I should conceale the benefit which I trust I haue gotten in this Spirituall Exercise such internall consolation in hath pleased his diuine Maiesty to power 〈◊〉 Soule And indeed I here confesse with an inexplicable comforts that whereas before my retyrement I was most willing to imbrace a Religious life my desire thereof is now so infinitly increased as that my words are scarce able to expresse my thirsty greedines thereof And to lay my selfe openly to you both besides the prefixed order of meditating the foresaid points set downe in writing I after laboured to apply according to my weaknes of iudgment the vse of euery particular Meditation to the seconding and furtherance of my intended course of a Religious life I will exemplify this point in all the Meditations 1. In my meditation of Death I thus discoursed with my owne Soule Yf the ryme of our â—eath be most vncertaine vnto vs Yf at that tyme there must be an end of all the world so far forth as concerneth vâ— Yf at that hower all our tyme fruitlesly afore spent in the pleasures of the world will seeme most â—sple using to our Memory in regard what is to follow death haue not I then iust reason to spend my tyme â—reasâ—er is that most strict course of life which will â—nâ—â—melesse vnwilling to entertayne death when soeâ—er it shall come and will afford me greater confidence and hope of my future Saluation 2. The Meditation of Iudgment did most affraight my poore Soule considering the 〈◊〉 and terrible signes which are to be the fore-runners of the day of iudgment But specially considering the last Sentence proâ—â—inced by the Iudge to the wit led and to be Good or vertuous To the wicked in these wordes Goe you cursed into euerlasting fyre To be Good and vertuous Come you blessed of my 〈◊〉 posâ—esse the kingdome which is prepared for you 〈◊〉 beginning of the world I then concluded with my selfe That no paynes or labour in this world could be thought by any man enioying but any spark of reason to be ouermuch for the auoyding of the euerlasting fyre or for the gayning of that promise kingdome 3. In the meditation of Hell I did consider two points with reference to my determined life First the insufferablenesse of the paines of Hell Secondly that they were tâ— continue for all Eternity Alas thought I who is all the rigour and austerities in the most strâ—ct course of Religion that is in the world in respect of the leaâ—â— part of those dreadfull torments Againe What is to leade a life somewhat paynefull to flesh and bloud only for the space of some few yeares in respect suffering insupportable torments for alleternity and without end Then did I conclude in the secrâ—â— of my Soule Happy is that Man or woman whâ— with a Christian Resolution and courage is wholy beâ— to lead a most seuere and austere life for the preuâ—nceâ— the grieuousnes of the paines of Hell which are to continue for euer And then were presented vnto my trembling Hart those words of the Holy Scripture Who a can dwell with deuouring fyre and with euerlasting ardours 4. To end with the Meditation of Heauen O now was my Soule rauished with inexplicable comfort in pondering that it is in on power and will by suffering some laborioâ—â— Acts in this world and through the mercy God to purchase those most happy ioyes Heauen Then I said to my selfe Shall the obseruance of the three Vowes of a Religious life shâ— fasting shall rising in the night to prayse God or shâ— any other Morâ—ifications whatsoeuer practised in Monasteries be thought too great a price for the buying of the most pretious Margarite b of the kingdome of Heauen where all the Saints do now raigne with God and shall raigne for euer and euerlastingly No and hereupon came presently into my mind those words of the Apostle sometymes repeated by my owne Father The sufferings c of this tyme are not worthy of the glory to come that shall be shewed vnto vs In this sort were my thoughts busied after I had performed the Method prescribed in euery Meditation Confessarius I much reioyce Happy Cosmophila at this your more then expected fortunate proceeding Well then Seeing things so prosperously goe on there remayneth nothing but that the Lady Abbesse now at the feast of S. Iohn Baptist my Patron which is within these few dayes do admit you into the Nouiship with your sister Caelia In the meane tyme both of you may make your Letters ready which you meane to send to your PareÌ„ts mine ioyned to theÌ„ by that time shall not be wanting Your Retinue which you brought with you may stay here vntill the tyme aforesaid when you shall publikely receaue the vsuall Habit or cloathing of the Nunnes of this Monastery at the performance whereof your said-seruants may be present that so they may with greater confidence assure your Parents of all things here falling out either coÌ„cerning you or your Sister Caelia And seeing Religious Women in most Monasteries do change their Names at their first entrance into Religion therefore since your owne desire vpon your receauing of the Sacrament of Confirmation aboue expressed is such hereafter inâ—teed of Cosmophila signifying A louer of the world you shall be called Sister Christophila as hauing deuored your selfe wholy to the Loue and seruice of Christ our Redeemer and Sauiour Abbesse I condescend Cosmophila most willingly to all that which Reuer Father Confessarius hath disposed touching your admittance And at the day aboue named I will giue you your Habit and we will by Gods Grace account you hereafter as one of our owne Caelia No more then Cosmophila but sister Christophila O happy houres We are now Sisters in a double manner Before by Nature now by Grace before by Generation of Pâ—rents now by Regeneration of God himselfe briefly before by a certaine constraint and Necessity proceeding from Man now by our voluntary 〈◊〉 of one and the same Religious forme of liâ—e rising from the blessed impâ—â—ations of his Diuine Goodnes But Good sister seeing the tyme of your admittance will be within these so few dayes â—et vs in the meane while haue ready a ioint letter written from 〈◊〉 to our louing Parents to acquaint them with all the passages concerning vs both Cosmophila I shall louing Sister be most willing to put my name and hand to all what