thou art Lord of all in thy hand is power and strength honour and dignitis and kingdomes are in thy disposition therefore wee giue thee thankes O God and we extoll thy great and glorious name But who am I and what is my people that we should promise such things to thee For we are strangers before thee and soiourners as all our fathers were our daies are like a shadow vpon the earth and here is no abiding See how Dauid cannot content himselfe in abasing himselfe and extolling the Lord and in how many words his affections vtter themselues This was Dauids meditation and let this be your looking-glasse and into the looking-glasse of this meditation looke once a day and pray daily that God would still open your eyes to behold your owne vilenesse and his incomprehensible power and loue to yee that with King Dauid you may humble your selfe vnder the mighty hand of his Maiesty and acknowledge all power and glory to belong to God alone that so you may be made partaker of those heauenly graces which God bestoweth not on the proud and lofty but on the humble and meeke Remember that ordinance of the eternall God that saith Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches but let him that glorieth glorie in this in that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which doe mercy and iustice on earth for these things please me saith the Lord. Therefore my good Lord if you list to boast boast not as the world doth that you are rich or that you are of noble birth or that you are in fauour with the Emperour and other Princes or that you are heire apparant of a rich Marquesdome or that you haue married so noble a waman leaue this kind of boasting to them who haue their minds glued to the world and therefore haue no better things to boast on whose portion being here in this life they can looke for nothing in heauen But rather reioyce you in that you are entred into the kingdome of grace glory in this that the King of kings hath had mercy on you and hath drawen you out of the misty darkenesse of errors hath giuen you to feele his endlesse loue and mercy in Christ hath made you of the childe of wrath his owne sonne of a seruant to finne and the diuell an heire of heauen and of a bondslaue to hell a free denision of the heauenly Ierusalem and glory in this that euen Christ Iesus himselfe is giuen you and made your owne and with him all things else So that as Paul saith All are yours whether the world or life or death things present or things to come all are yours in and by Christ who is the onely felicity of our soules and therefore whosoeuer haue him haue with him all thing else This is the true glory and the sound boasting of Christianity for hereby is Gods mercy extolled and mans pride troden vnder foote by which a man trusting too much to himselfe rebelleth against God This glorious boasting makes vs humble euen in our highest honours modest and meeke in prosperity patient and quiet in aduersity in troubles strong and couragious gentle towards all men ioyfull in hope feruent in praier full of the loue of God but empty of all loue of our selues or ought in the world yea it makes vs Christs true beadsmen and his sworn seruants and maks vs yeelde vp our selues wholly to imitate and follow Christ and to esteeme all things else as fraile and vaine yea dung and drosse that we may winne him Right honourable and my good Lord you see that I am so willingly employed in this seruice of writing to your honour and in conferring with you of heauenly matters that I haue forgot my selfe or rather your honour in being so tedious which in the beginning I purposed not I am priuie to my selfe and of my owneignorance and guilty of mine owne insufficiency as being fitter to be a scholar then a teacher and to heare and learne my selfe rather then to teach others and therefore I craue pardon of your honour Farewell The most reuerend Embassadour desireth in his heart he had occasion to testifie indeede that true good will which in his soule he beares you In the meane time he salutes you so doth the illustrious Princesse of Piscarta her highnesse and all other the honourable personages which are with me all which reioyce for this good worke of God in you and in all kindnes do kisse your hands and they do all earnestly intreat the Lord for you that he that hath begun so great a worke in you would accomplish the same to the end and the richer you are in temporall goods in lands and lord shippes that he would make you so much the more poore in spirit that so your spirituall pouerty may doe that which your worldly riches and honour cannot namely bring you at last to the eternall and neuer fading riches of the world to come Amen Farewell From Viterbium Your honours most humbly addicted and most louing brother in Christ M. Antonius Flaminius CHAP. VI. Of the many temptations the diuell vsed to pull him backe as by his father his wife and by noble men of his acquaintance BY this and other holy meanes Galeacius was confirmed in the doctrine of the truth and went forward constantly in the course of Gods calling and the way of godlines But the more couragiously he went on the more fiercely the diuell raged against him by his temptations endeuouring thereby to hinder him in that happy course yea and if it were possible to driue him backe againe which course lie commonly takes against those who haue propounded to themselues to tame the rebellion of the slesh and to relinquish the vanities of the world And first of all this zealous course of his in Religion procured him an infinit number of mockes and made him subiect to most vile slanders yea made him incurre the hatred of a great number but especially did he herein displease vex his father as one that was not only of a contrary religion but one who onely intended the honour of his house and the aduancing of his posterity which in respect of Religion Galeacius cared not for at all and therefore he did often sharpely chide him and charged him with his fatherly authoritie to put away those melancholy conceits as hee termed them No doubt but this was most grieuous to him who alwaies was most submisse and obedient to his father But another griefe did more inwardly afflict him which was in respect of his wife Victoria Who though she was alwaies a most kind and dutifull wife as also very wise yet shee would by no meanes yeelde to this motion and change of Religion because she thought and feared it would breed infamy and reproch to her self and her house and therfore was continually working on him by all meanes and
dowrie sixe thousand fiue hundred pounds He liued with his wife Victoria vnto the yeare 1551. at which time he forsooke house familie and country for Religions sake and in that time he had by his wife six children foure sonnes and two daughters His eldest sonne died at Panorma in the yeare 1577. leauing behind him one sonne and one daughter the sonne obtayning by inheritance the Marquesdome of Vicum amongst diuers other things married a wife of noble birth afore his grandfather Galeacius died By whom as I heare he hath two children to whom this Galeacius is great Grandfather Now all these particulars doe I thus set downe to this end that the perseuerance of so great a man may appeare the better by all these circumstances which is no lesse then a most glorious victory ouer so many temptations CHAP. II. Of his preferment at Court and the first occasion of his conuersion THe Marquesse Calantonius seeing so good hope of the continuance of his house and posterity desiring not to preserue onely but to increase and augment the dignity of his house purposed therefore that his sonne Galeacius should seeke further honour and follow the Court. Wherefore making offer of him to the Emperour Charles he was most kindly entertained into the Emperours house and seruice and soone after was made the Emperours Gentleman-sewer In which place and office within short time he both wonne the fauour of the Nobility and the rest of the Court and grewe to be of speciall account euen with the Emperour himselfe for all mens opinion and iudgement of him was that there was not one of many to be compared with him for innocency of life elegancy of manners sound iudgement and knowledge of many things Thus Galeacius was in all mens opinions in the high way to all honour and estimation for the Prince whom he serued was most mighty and the Monarch of the biggest part of the Christian world But all this was little for God the king of kings of his singular mercy and grace did purpose to call him to farre greater dignity and to more certaine and durable riches And this so great and rare a work did the Lord bring to passe by strange and speciall meanes So it was that in those daies a certaine Spaniard a noble man did soiourne at Naplcs who had to name Iohannes Waldesius this Gentleman being come to some knowledge of the truth of the Gospell and especially of the doctrine of Iustification vsed often to conferre with and to instruct diuers other noble men his companions and familiars in points of Religion confuting the false opinions of our owne inherent Iustification and of the merits of good workes and so consequently detecting the vanity of many Popish points and the fondnesse of their superstitions by which meanes he so preuailed or rather the Lord by him that diuers of these noble Gentlemen began to creepe out of Popish darkenesse and to perceiue some light of the truth Amongst these was there one Iohannes Franciscus Caesarta a noble Gentleman and kinseman to this our Galeacius Of this Gentleman first of all did Galeacius heare diuers things in conference which seemed to him much contrary to the course of the vaine world yea much to crosse euen his age and estate and course of life as namely of the true meanes of our Iustification of the excellency and power of Gods word of the vanity of the most of Popish superstitions c. For Galeacius esteemed and vsed this Gentleman as his familiar friend both being neere of his blood and especially for that hee was a Gentleman of very good parts Now although the speeches of this gentleman did not at the first so farre preuaile with him as to make him forsake the vanities of this life notwithstanding it was not altogether in vaine for that God which had ordeined him to be a speciall instrument of his glory would not suffer so good seed to perish though it seemed for a time to be cast euen amongst thornes neither will it be beside the purpose to set downe particularly the meanes which it pleased God to vse for the working of this strange conuersion amongst which this was one CHAP. III. Of the meanes of his further Sanctification AT that time Peter Martyr Vermilius a Florentine was a publik Preacher and Reader at Naples This man was a Canon regular as they call them a man since then of great name for his singular knowledge in Christian Religion his godly manners and behauiours and for his sweet and copious teaching for he afterward casting away his monkes coule and renouncing the superstitions of Poperie he shone so brightly in Gods Church that he dispersed and strangely droue away the darkenesse and mists of popery Galeacius was once content at Caeserta his motion to be drawen to heare Peter Martyrs Sermon yet not so much for any desire he had to learne as moued and tickled with a curious humour to heare so famous a man as then Martyr was accounted At that time Peter Martyr was in hand with Pauls first Epistle to the Corinthians and as he was shewing the weakenesse and deceitfulnes of the iudgement of mans reason in spirituall things as likewise the power and efficacy of the word of God in those men in whom the Lord worketh by his spirit amongst other things he vsed this similie or comparison If a man walking in a large place see a farre off men and women dancing together and heare no sound of instrument he wil iudge them mad or at least foolish but if he come neerer them and perceiue their order and heare their musicke and marke their measures and their courses he will then be of another minde and not onely take delight in seeing them but feele a desire in himself to beare them company and dance with them Euen the same said Martyr betides many men who whē they behold in others a suddain and great change of their looks apparell behauiour and whole course of life at the first sight they impute it to melancholy or some other foolish humour but if they looke more narrowly into the matter and begin to heare and perceiue the harmony and sweete concent of Gods spirit and his word in them by the ioint power of which two this change was made and wrought which afore they counted folly then they change their opinion of them and first of all begin to like them and that change in them and afterward feele in themselues a motion and desire to imitate them and to be of the number of such men who forsaking the world and his vanities doe thinke that they ought to reforme their liues by the rule of the Gospell that so they may come to true and sound holinesse This comparison by the grace of Gods Spirit wrought so wonderfully with Galeacius as himselfe hath often tolde his friends that from that houre he resolued with himselfe more carefully to restraine his affections from following the world and his pleasures as
reuiled yea and scourged but euen to die vpon the crosse as a cursed malefactor and all for vs why should not we much more beare patiently the taunts and mockes yea euen the slanders of Gods enemies Let vs therfore arme our selues as it were with a holy pride and in a sort scorne and laugh at their mockes and putting vpon vs mercy and pity as the feeling members of Christ let vs bewaile so great blindnesse in them and let vs intreat the Lord for them to pull them out of that palpable darknesse into his true and marueilous light lest Satan binde them to himselfe in his euerlasting prentishippe and so being his bondslanes and hired sworne seruants of his blacke guard doe send them out to persecute Iesus Christ in his members Which when they haue done all they can and all that the diuell their master can teach them though the diuell himselfe should burst with malice and they for anger grinde their teeth yet shall it all tend to the magnifying of Gods glory which they labour to obscure and to the furtherance of their saluation whom they so disdained yea to the increase of their glory in a better world whom in this world they thought worthy of nothing but of all disgrace And surely my most honourable Lord he that is possessed with the certaintie of this faith will without doubt make open warre with the corrupt affections of his owne nature and with all the world yea euen with the diuell himselfe and will not doubt but in time euen to ouercome them al. Therfore let vs humble our selues to our God and Father euerlasting that he would increase that saith in vs bring forth in vs those most blessed sweet fruits of faith in our harts liues which he vseth to work in them whom he hath elected that so our faith being fruitful of good works may appeare to be not a fained but a true faith not a dead but a liuing faith not a humane but a diuine worke in vs that so it may be to vs an infallible pledge of our saluation to come Let vs labour to shew our selues the legitimate and vndoubted children of God in seeking aboue all things that his most holy name may be sanctified in our selues and others and in imitating his admirable loue and gentlenesse which makes his sunne to shine on good and badde Let vs worship his heauenly Maiestie in spirit and truth and let vs yeeld vp the temple of our heartsto Christ Iesus as an acceptable sacrifice vnto him yea letvs shew our selues members of the heauenly high Priest Christ Iesus in sacificing to God our owne bodies and in crucifying the flesh with the affections and the lusts thereof that sinne being dead in vs the spirit of God may create in vs a spirituall life whereby Christ Iesus may liue in vs. Let vs die to sinne and die to our selues and to the world that we may liue blessedly to God and Christ Iesus yea let vs acknowledge and shew by our liues that we were once â—â—ad but now are raised to the life of grace by the power of Christ Iesus Let our conuersation be heauenly though we liue on the earth let vs begin that life here which we hope to lead in heauen let the image of God shine bright in vs let vs disgrace and weare out the olde image of sinne and satan and labour to renue the image of Christ Iesus that all that see vs may acknowledge Gods image in vs. Which holy image of grace as it is beautifull and glorious in all Gods Saints so in you my good Lord it shall be so much more glorious in as much as you go before others in birth nobility honour and high place O what a pleasant sight is it to all true Christian men yea to the Angels yea how acceptable to the Lord himselfe to behold a man of your place and estate so farre to forget the world and denie himselfe so deepely to consider the frailty of his own nature and the vanity of all temporal things as to say with Christ I am a worms and no man and to crie out with Dauid turne thy face to me and haue mercy vpon me for I am desolate and poore O happy and true rich man which hath attained to this spirituall and heauenly pouerty and can giue a farewell to himselfe and the world and all things that he hath for Christs sake and can freely renounce and forsake carnall reason humane learning company and counsell of friends wealth honours lord shippes pleasures of all sorts delight of the court high places and preferments dignity and offices yea fauour of Princes yea his owneselfe How welcome shall he be to Christ which can denie all those for Christs sake Such a one may go for a foole in the world but he shal be of the Almighties counsell such a man knoweth that felicity consists not in any thing that this world can afford and therefore in the midst of all his wealth and abundance he crieth out to God as though he had nothing euen out of the feeling of his heart Giue vs this day our daily bread Such a man preferreth the rebuke of Christ before the honour of the world and the afflictions of Christs religion before the pleasures of the world and because hee despiseth all things in respect of Christ and his righteousnes and is possessed and grounded with Gods spirit therefore hee sings with true ioy of heart with the kingly Prophet The Lord is my shepheard therefore I can want nothing neither will I feare hunger or any outward thing he feeds me in greene pastures and leads me forth besides the water of comfort This man distrusts himselfe and all the creatures in the world that he may trust and cleaue onely to God neither aimes he at any pleasure any wisedome any honour any riches any credit or estimation but such as comes from God himselfe and therfore he professeth with the same Prophet I haue none in heauen but thee alone and none in the earth doe I desire but thee my slesh consumeth with longing after thee and thou Lord art my heritage and portion for euer He that spake thus was a wealthy and mighty King yet suffered he not the eyes ofhis mind to be blinded or dazled with the glittering glory of riches pleasures or honour or ought else that a kingdome could giue for he knew wel that they al came of God and were held vnder God and must all be vsed to his glory and that he that gaue them hath farre better things to giue his children And therefore that King and Prophet makes his heauenly proclamation before al his people Blessed art thou O Lord God our father for euer and euer thine O Lord is greatnes and power and glory and victory all that is in heauen and earth is thine thine is the kingdome Lord and thou excellest as head ouer all riches and honour come of thee and
they had neuer beene my children nor I their father Yea happy had I bin if I had either neuer had them or hauing them might enioy them To be a father is a comfort but a father of no children and yet to haue children that is a misery And you poore Orphans what shal become of you whē I am gone your hap is hard euen to be fatherlesse your father yet liuing and what can your great birth now helpe you for by my departure you shall lose all your honour all your liuing and wealth and all dignity whatsoeuer which otherwise you had bin sure of nay my departure shall not onely depriue you of al this but lay you open to all infamy reproch and slander and bring vpon you all kind of misery and thus miserable man that I am shall the time be cursed that euer they had me to their father And what can your wofull mother doe when she looketh on you but weepe and wring her hands her griefe still increasing as she lookes vpon you Yet thus must I leaue you al confounded together in heaps of griefe weeping and wailing one with another and I in the meane time weeping and wailing for you all Many other griefes temptations and hinderances assaulted him though they were not so weighty as these formerly named yet which might haue beene able to haue hindred any mans departure being in his case as to leaue the company of so many gallant noblemen and gentlemen his kinred and acquaintaince to lose so honourable an office and place as he bare in the Emperours Court to leaue for euer his natiue soile the delicate Italy to depriue himselfe and his posterity of the noble tittle and rich liuing of a Marquesdome to vndertake a most long and tedious iourney to cast himselfe into exile pouerty shame and many other miseries without hope of recouery for euer to change his former pleasant life into all hardnesse and to giue a farewel to al the delicacies of Italy wherein he was brought vppe to leaue that goodly garden of his father the Marquesses which once should be his owne the goodliest garden almost in all Italy or all Cristendome which was furnished with plants of all sorts and these not onely of all such as grow in Italy but euen such as were to be got out of all other countries this garden and Orchard was so exquisite both this way and in diuers other sorts of elegancies that a great number of men of all qualities resorted daily out of all countries to see it But this and all other the pleasures and delicacies of this present life could doe nothing with him to remooue him from his purpose but he renounced them all and resolued to leaue them all to follow Christ so strong and admirable was the constancy of this noble Gentleman CHAP. IX How after all the temptations which flesh and blood laid in his way to hinder his departure he consulted with the Lord and from him receiued grace to ouercome them all BVt it may be asked whereupon was grounded so great vnmoueablenesse of this purpose or whence came it If we aske the world and common iudgement they will answere that doubtlesse melancholike humours preuailing in him spoiled the man of his iudgement and naturall affections and empaired common sense and reason and thence proceeded this obstinate and desperate purpose as the world iudgeth of it But if a man lift vp his eyes higher and behold the matter more seriously he might haue manifestly seene that it came to passe by the mercifull blessing and strong hand of God who from al eternity had predestinate him that hee should stand so vnmoueable against all temptations and continue in one tenour steady and stedfast vntill he had made voyde all the attempts of Satan and remoued all the stumbling blockes which his flesh and blood and carnall reason could cast in the way for the which purpose the spirit of God enabled him to reason with himselfe on this sort Thou Lord art hee who drew and deliueredst me out of the thick and misty darknes of ignorance and hast enlightned my mind with the light of thy holy spirit and with the heauenly knowledge of thy truth thou hast made knowen to me the way of saluation and hast ransomed me to thy selfe by the blood of thy Sonne Now therefore good Lord and holy father I am wholly thine and consecrated to thy glory and as I am thine I will follow thee and obey thee and walke in the way of thy will whithersoeuer thou shalt call me Not my father nor my wife nor my children nor my honours nor my lands nor my riches nor all my delicacies and pleasures shall hold or hinder me one houre from following thee I denie my selfe O Lord and I deny this whole world for thee and thy sake O Lord thou knowest me and the readinesse of my mind to wait vpon thee and how that my heart is inflamed with the fire of thy loue yet thou seest againe how many enemies compasse mee how many hinderances lie in me way and how many temptations and impediments lie vpon me so that I am scarce able to moue or lift vp my head vnto thee O Lord I am now in the depthes of those troubles out of which the holy Prophet Dauid once cried to thee as I doe now O Lord haue mercy on me and deliuer my soule And although Satan and my owne flesh doe affright me in this my purpose whilst they set before my eyes the crosse and the infamy and the pouerty and so many miseries which I am like in this my new profession to vndergoe notwithstanding O Lord I lift vp my selfe in the contemplation and beholding of thy infinite Maiesty and therein I see and confesse that that crosse and affliction is blessed and glorious which makes me like and conformable to Christ my head and that infamy to be honorable which sets me in the way to true honour and that pouerty to be desired which depriuing a man of some temporall goods wil reward him with an heauenly inheritance then which there is nothing more pretious I meane O Lord with thy owne selfe and thy glory O euerlasting God and that by thy onely son Iesus Christ that so I enioying thy glorious presence may liue for euer with thee in that heanenly society O blessed and happy these miseries which pull me out of the worlds vanities and sinke of sinne that I may be made heire of an euerlasting glory Welcome therfore the crosse of Christ I wil take it vp O Lord and wil follow thee With these such like holy meditations other holy meanes he ouercame at last all the attempts of Satan al his owne natural and carnal affections yea and the world it selfe and verified that in himselfe which Paul affirmeth of Gods true elect that they that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts that is haue crucified their soules for Christ who crucified himselfe
goe about in words to expresse it I will therefore spare further speech and turne my selfe to God in praier desiring of his mercy that as he hath indued you hitherto with an heroicall courage and spiritual boldnesse so he would furnish you with an inuincible constancy to endure to the end for I am not ignorant how strangely the Lord hath exercised you heretofore and what dangerous pikes you haue passed ere you came to this by which former experience your spiritual wisdome is able to conclude that a hard and toilsome warfare doeth still remaine and wait for you and what neede there is to haue the hand of God from heauen raught out to assist vs you haue so sufficiently lea rned in your former conflicts as I am sure you will ioyne with me in prayer for the gift of perseuerance to vs both and for my part I will not cease to beseech Iesus Christ our King and God to whom all power was giuen of his father and in whom are kept all the treasures of spiritual blessings that he would stil preserue you safe in soule and body and arme you against all temptations to come and that still he would proceed to triumph in you ouer the diuell and all his vile and wicked faction to the magnifying of his owne glory and the inlarging of his kingdome in your selfe and others of his children 9. Call Feb. 1556. at Geneua Your honours most assured in the Lord IOHN CALVINE CHAP. XIII Newes of his departure to Geneua came to Naples and the Emperours Court and how the old Marquesse his father and other his friends were affected with the newes AND thus to returne againe to our story Galencius setled himselfe downe at Geneua as at a ioyfull resting place But when the newes of so sudden and strange a departure and so wilfull an exile came to Naples and were made knowen in the Emperours Court it would scarce be beleeued or thought how strangely it affected moued al that heard it All men wondred at it and the most could not be perswaded it was so but when it was certainely knowen and out of doubt it was strange to see how euery man gaue his verdit of the matter some one way some an other as the course of men in such cases is But aboue all it so abashed and astonished his owne friends and familie that nothing was heard or seene amongst them but cries and lamentations most bitter teares and pitiful complaints And surely to haue beholden the state of that family how miserably it seemed at that time to bee distressed a man would haue thought it euen a liuely paterne and picture of all woe and misery But none was more inwardly pinched then the Marquesse his father whose age and experience being great seemed to assure him of nothing to follow hereupon but infamy and reproch yea the vtter vndoing and subuersion of his whole estate and family notwithstanding passing ouer that fit of sorrow as soone and as easily as he could the wretched and carefull olde man began to bethinke himselfe by what meanes he might preuent so miserable a ruine and fall which seemed to hang ouer him and his One thing amongst other came into his mind which also had once caused many grieuous temptations to Galeacius and had much troubled his mind afore his departure It was this CHAP. XIIII The first meanes vsed by his father the old Marquesse to recall him home againe he sent a kinsman of his whom he knew his sonne deerely loued to perswade him to returne but he could not preuaile GAleacius had a cosen-german whom alwaies hee esteemed and loued as his brother this Gentleman so tenderly loued of Galeacius did the Marquesse send to Geneua to his sonne with commission and letters full of authority full of protestations full of pitifull complaints full of cryings and intreatings that he would come home againe and thereby cheere vp his old father and make happy againe his vnhappy wife be a comfort to his distressed children a reioycing to his kinsfolkes and to the whole citie of Naples and saue his whole house and posteritie from that extreame ruine which otherwise it would be sure to fall into Thus this Gentleman was dispatched away and hasted to Geneua with great hope for their ancient and faithful loue to haue preuailed with Galeacius Where by the way wee are to remember that Galeacius did alwaies so loue him that the gentleman was not so sorrowful for his departure but Galeacius was much more sorowfull that he could not winne him to haue gone with him in this holy pilgrimage for religions sake but he so much feared to haue bin hindred himselfe that he durst not deale with this gentleman his dearest cofin no nor with his wife to perswade them to haue gone with him The gentleman comming to Geneua inquired after Galeacius At that time Galeacius dwelt in an ordinary meane house which he had taken to his owne vse hauing no more attendance but onely two seruants the gentleman at last found him out and presented himselfe into his sight It had bin a pitiful spectacle to haue seene the meeting of those two gentlemen their first meeting and imbracings were nothing at all but sighes and sobs and teares and vnutterable signes of griefe such vnspeakeable sorow did their naturall affections breed in them that for diuers houres they could not speake a word one to other but at last the gentleman burning in desire to inioy againe his dearest Galeacius brast forth into speeches mixing teares and sobs with euery worde deliuered his letters till hee could come to more liberty of speech and at last hauing obtained of his affections leaue to speake he added to his letters exhortations strong perswasions earnest entreaties and withall plentie of teares that he would haue respect to the ouerthrow of his house the griefe of his olde father the desperate estate of his wife and children the continual complaints made by all his friends and kinsfolks all which notwithstanding were not so past cure but that yet they might be remedied by his returne again This was the substance of his message Galeacius taking not long time to aduise himselfe in this which the world would thinke so waighty a case addressed him immediatly this answere in briefe that he perceiued very wel al to be true that he said but as for his departure it was not done rashly nor vpon any fond conceit but vpon mature deliberation that the Lord was the author of the action that Gods grace was the cause mouing him and the meanes whereby he brought it to passe which grace of God he said had opened his eyes and enlightned his mind with the knowledge of the truth and made him see and discerne the cosenages and superstitions and Idolatry of Popery which by an impious and sacrilegious distribution diuideth the glory of God which is incōmunicable imparteth the same with fained filthy Idols he likewise told him that he wel foresaw
apparēt yet al which he saw he must leaue for Christ sake But one thing pierced his heart to see his wife and children and other his alliance standing on the shore who when they could not speake to him looked at him and when they could not see him ceased not to looke after the shippe as long as it was in sight neither could hee refraine but with a wofull countenance looke at them againe as long as hee could discerne them and withall he called to minde the bitter words and heauy farewell which the Marquesse his father gaue him at his departure all which cogitations running in his head did doubtlesse wring from his sorrowfull heart many a deepe sigh and heauy grone and many a bitter teare from his watrie eyes and yet notwithstanding all these the spirituall strength and courage of his minde was constant and inuincible And euen as a good Pilot in a raging sea when clouds and darkenesse thunder and lightnings storme and tempest runne together and tosse the shippe from waue to waue as lightly as a ball from hand to hand yet for all that he sits still at the helme with vndanted courage and markes his compasse and by his courage and skill together keepes on a right and stedfast course thorow all the rage of sea and weather euen so this our thrice noble Galeacius taking hold of the holy and heauenly anchor namely a liuely faith in Christ and a stedfast hope in God he surmounts the clouds and fixeth those anchor-holdes in heauen and looking stedfastly with a spirituall eye at the true load starre namely Christ Iesus and the hope of eternall happinesse he directs his course towards the same with an heroicall spirit and heauenly resolution thorow the tempestuous waues of those fearefull temptations and the shippe that caried his body did not so fast transport him from delicate Italy towards Dalmatia as the shippe of heauenly constancy and loue of God withdrew his minde and meditation from all naturall respects and worldly delights and made it mount alost in holy contemplation And thus the presence and grace of Gods spirit hauing ouercome the power of naturall affections he began to cheere vp himselfe after this tempest and first of all bending the knees of his heart to the eternall father in heauen hee yeelded his Maiesty most hearty thankes for that he had furnished his soule with such a portion of his grace as to withstand and conquere Satan in such a perillous battell and for that hee had deliuered him from the danger of Popish thraldome from the inquisition and from that perpetuall imprisonment both of conscience and body which the Popish Church would haue brought him vnto had he not thus escaped their hands Hee likewise praised God vnfainedly that he vouchsafed to giue him time opportunity and grace to discharge that duety to his wife the yong Marchionesse which at his first departure he had omitted and which oftentimes he had with great griefe bewailed and that he had enabled him to omit nothing which might haue perswaded her to haue left Sodome and to haue vndertaken with him this blessed pilgrimage towards the heauenly Ierusalem The remembrance of these things much refreshed his troubled minde It also much contented and satisfied his conscience that vpon that monstrous and vndutifull behauiour of his wife towards him spoken of before hee had made that protestation which hee did namely that he would vse the lawfull meanes to be diuorced from her who had first of al diuorced cut off her selfe from him by denying that duety of loue which the wife may not denie to the husband nor the husband to the wife he perswaded himselfe that this protestation would worke well with her and make her more confirmeable to her duetie when she had aduisedly thought of it CHAP. XXIII Of his iourney home againe by Venice and thorow Rhoetia Switzerland and his safe arriuall at Geneua and of the great ioy he brought to the Church by his safe returne REuiuing his troubled spirits with these cogitations he arriued at Lasina in Dalmatia which is the countrey ouer against Italy from whence he passed in a very quiet passage and calme sea to Venice where hee found many faithfull seruants of God and good Christians who hauing heard afore that he was gone to Vicum were exceedingly afraid for that imminent and ineuitable danger they saw he was in either to haue his conscience a slaue to Popish vanity or his person a prisoner to Popish cruelty therefore they ceased not to pray for him night and day and yet for all that they feared greatly what would become of him But when now at last they saw him returne both sound in conscience and safe in person such a glorious conquerer ouer Satan and ouer so many strong temptations with which the world and naturall affections had assailed him their feare was turned into comfort their sorrow into ioy and they all glorified the Lord for him And so after mutuall comfort giuen and receiued he departed from Venice and trauelled thorow Rhoetia and Switzerland where he visited the Churches of the Protestants and comforted them greatly with his presence and by telling them what great things the Lord had done for him and so by the good hand of his God vpon him he came in safety to Geneua the fourth of October in the yeare 1558. His safe arriuall brought exceeding ioy to the whole Church there but especially to the Italian Congregation for his long absence had brought them into some suspence and doubt not of any alteration of his Religion but of some cruell and false measures to haue beene offred him by the deceitfull Papists But when they saw him so safely returned vntoucht in conscience and vnhurt in his person and that he had passed so many pikes of temptations which they knew had beene pitcht against him they gaue great thankes to the Lord for him But when he had discourst vnto them particularly the whole course of the proceedings first what a strong battry of temptations and assaults the diuell and the world had planted against him then how manfully he fought and withstood and at last ouercame them all they fell into admiration of so rare constancy and thought him worthy of all honour to whom it is giuen as the Apostle saith to suffer so much for Christ and for Religions sake and in all earnest manner they magnified the singular grace and mercy of God towards him and towards the whole Church in him which had not suffred his seruant this noble Galeacius to be seduced out of the way of that holy calling whereto the Lord had called him and who had deliuered him from so subtile a traine laid by the policy of the enemy Satan to haue intrapt his soule and conscience by ouerturning him in the race of his Religion and they all acknowledged that this noble and godly Gentleman found it verified in himselfe which the kingly Prophet saith in the Psalme Because