these ten yeares past by order of his Superiours giuen the account of his conscience in writing He had great coniunction with the Angells and Saints with whome he conuersed both in heauen and earth and especially with 24. of the more principall amongst whome he deuided the 24. houres to treate and recommend himselfe vnto them wherin he neuer fayled though in the night and in his sleepe awaking duly at the beginning of euery houre to performe his accustomed deuouotion which diligence of his our Sauiour recompensed by discouering vnto him his glory wherin he saw more perfectly and knew all 〈◊〉 B◠in Heauen their names and all particulers as if he had conuersed with them all his life time From his very infancy he bare so extraordinary and tender deuotion towards the Blessed Virgin at whose hands he receiued many fauours that one time discoursing and recreating as it were with her he said O Queene of heauen I loue thee more then my selfe I loue thee more then thou louest me The motherly affection of the Blessed Virgin could hould no longer but appearing presently she made answere vnto him No no Alphōsus it is not so I loue the more then thou louest me His familiarity with the Blessed Virgin and her Sōne was such as is wont to be betweene friends one to another or as of a little child with his father and mother and indeed he esteemed them for such who affoarded him often their corporall presence he spake vnto them but once especially when they entred into his heart with such deuotion sweetnes that he caused the same effectinall those that did heare him whome he exhorted wholy to forget themselues only to delight in his sweet Louers Iesus and Mary for so he was wont to call them because they would be carefull both of body and soule For 40. yeares together he dayly said the Office of the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Lady to which mystery he was much deuoted and the Blessed Virgin one day tould him that she was very much pleased with his deuotion which he did exhort all the Society dayly to practise telling them that one of the principall reasons of the Institution of the Society was to preach and defend the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Lady And this he said with so great affection that he neuer vsed the like feruour therby assuring them that he spake it nor of himselfe but had recaued it by reuelation from heauen The continuall vse of his beades as was found after his death had caused an extraordinary hardnes in his fingars ends I omit an infinite number of things which might be said of his rare vertues of his admirable lights and diuine fauours remitting the Reader to the history of his life which without doubt is one of the most rare and perfect amongst the liues of those Saintes which haue receaued extraordinary fauours from almighty God and will briefly recount his last sicknes death and buriall though from the very beginning of the 47. yeares which he liued in the Colledge of Maiorca our Lord exercised him in all sortes of paines as well diuers persecutiōs of the diuell which vexed him for many yeares as corporall infirmities grieuous sicknes wherwith he visited him from time to time yet he seemeth to haue made choice of the last 7. yeares wherin besides those infirmities which ordinarily accompany old age he began to be extremely troubled with the stone which caused him to keepe his bed continually and the three last monethes of his life to lye only vpon one side being not able to turne himselfe He spent all his time in prayer begging earnestly of almighty God not that he would mitigate or take away his paines but rather he would augment them and lay vpon him others more grieuous His ordinary complaints in his sicknes were that there was too much care had of him who desired rather altogether to be forgot or detested as a carion or dead beast Whē the Rectour once bad him take a few conserues of sweetmeates to comforte him he answered Belieue me Father those sweet things are paines vnto me and these paines sweetnes which he vsually also answered to those who asked him how he did By reason of great familiarity and conuersation with his Father and mother Iesus Mary he spake vnto them with great affection those wordes which he had learned of our Sauiour himselfe O Iesus and Mary my only comforts grant me that I may suffer and die for your loue and that I may be wholy yours and not mine owne Once when he could scarcely speake the Infirmarian asking what troubled him he answered Nothing but selfe loue Some few dayes before his happy death he was taken with such a vehement ague that renewing all his paines it seemed God would take him away within one houre in which time he did nothing but repeate these wordes Yet more good Lord yet more Therfore he receaued the B. Sacrament which for many yeares he had receaued twice a weeke for his Viaticum with his accustomed deuotiō as also the Sacrament of Extreme Vnction still begging of God with inuincible patience to increase his paines He bare such extraordinary respect to the Fathers that whē he could scarce stirre his armes yet he would alwayes when any came to him pull off his night cap. Vpon Saturday in the euening being the 29. of October almighty God performing that which he had promised him before he fell into an extasy much like to those which he had diuers times the yeare before in which he perseuered the three last dayes of his life And although his sicknes had disfigured his body yet after his extasy he became as beautifull as an Angell and as red as a Rose which were certaine proofes of the great flame which burned in his brest brake out by those exteriour signes and exclamations which he vttered from time to time O sweet Iesus O my deare mother and the like About ten a clocke in the night hauing giuen some signe of death approaching all the house came vnto him they oftē repeating the name of Iesus and giuing him a Crucifix to adore he presently opened his eyes which for three dayes before he had kept shut and looking vpon the Crucifix they perceaued thē to be more quicke and liuely then when he was in best health And with this kissing the feete of the Crucifix and saying O sweet Iesus he gaue vp the Ghost the Eue of All-Saints about midnight in the yeare of our Lord 1617. The rare vertue of this holy Brother was in such esteeme that not only those of this Prouince but also those of Italy Cast le And alusia Portugall and the Indies haue sent to Maiorca with earnest intreaty for some of his Reliques Many wrote vnto him cōmending themselues to his prayers only to haue his name written with his owne hand as graue Ecclesiasticall and Secular men Gētlemen of great note Grandies of Spaine
and so begged his victuals in the ship slept in the open ayre aboue the hatches hauing a cable rope for his bed He was alwayes ready to helpe the sicke not only begging of those who had meate for such as wanted but with his owne hands also dressing and parting it amongst them thinking no scorne euen to wash their cloathes or do any other seruice were it neuer so base for them in whose persons this holy and prudent seruant of Christ acknowledged and reuerenced Christ himselfe Hauing spent all day in praying taking paines he vncessantly watched all night in comforting the afflicted and administring the Sacraments to such as were in danger of death Whervpon some were wont to say that the only thinge Francis tooke pleasure in next vnto prayer was seruing of the sicke And this was euer his fashion and manner of liuing not only in this but also in all other voyages he made by sea where in he spent a great part of his life Neither did this his charity towards poore and sicke persons shine only vpon the sea but also vpō land while he abode in Citties the beames of the same charity neuer lost one iot of their brightnes Nay rather being now made all with all that he might gaine and purchase the soules of all for God Almighty to those that either by reason of wealth or health had no need of this kind of seruice he was neuer wanting in other seruioe of no lesse importance for them when occasion was offered neuer sparing of labour which he was to bestow in furthering the saluation of his Neighbours When he arriued at the Indies after a long yeares sea-faring he would graunt no time of rest to his weather beaten body but presently began to fling about the fire which he came to cast into those Prouinces going vp and downe the Citty and calling together with a litle bell into some Church or other the children and people there teaching them the Christian Doctrine with such effieacy of spirit that it pierced euen to the bottome of their hearts like vnto the Doctrine of the Apostles He perswaded them all to sing the prayers he taught them vp and downe the streetes and to teach their friends acquaintance the same at home Which custome by him brought into the Indies to the great glory of God remayneth and is obserued there euen vntill this day Those that were come to yeares of discretion by all gentle meanes possible he inuited to confession pennance and neuer ceased with an vndaunted courage and many times with euident danger of his life venturing into strange and vncouth Proninces that often times barefoote with torne and beggailie apparell to call heathens to the true liberty of the sounes of God In which enterprize Almighty God did specially assist the indeauours of his seruant confirming euery where what he preached with miracles that were most notorious and like to those which the Apostles wrought and inwardly mouing the hearts of those that heard him in such sort that he conuerted and baptized many tho Lsandes and drew many out of the puddle of sinne not without many and troublesome iourneyes both by sea and land Many are the Kingdomes Prouinces and Ilāds through which the Legate of Heauen and of the Roman Sea went sowing the word of God And at lēgth as he was seeking entrance for the Ghospell into the great Kingdome of China this faithfull seruant quite bruised broken with the intollerable paines which beyond all humane force he had so long indured for the glory of God and altogether worne out and consumed with the heauenly burning desire he had to see Christ his Sauiour being now at last out of a desert I le named Sancianum called home vnto his country of Heauen to the marriage of the Lābe of God entred into the ioy which our Lord had prepared for him the second day of Decēber in the yeare of our Lord 1552. The vertues of this holy Apostle are very many and most Heroicall some wherof I shall heere recount The daily profession he made of his faith in receiuing of the Sacraments himselfe with wonderfull great deuotion and with no lesse paines ministring the same to others his heroicall workes his great and dangerous pilgrimages to preach the same faith to Barbarous and Sauage people and that alone without any humane helpe at all expressing and setting foorth so liuely in himselfe the purity and sanctity of the Euāgelicall Doctrine finally the abundance of the fruit which he hath sent out of those forraine countreies into the granaries of the Catholike Church to wit so many millions of Christians amōgst whom so many glorious martyrs haue watered and fertilized the Primitiue Church of those Countre with their blood and so many Confessours in the very middle of most cruel persecutions haue defended the faith of Christ are pregnant proofes of the excellency of that Euangelicall seed of Faith which he carried with him Fiue things he had in him which cannot possibly consist without a most firme and stedfast Hope First a cōtempt of all temporall things most manifestly seene in his despising of all worldly honours dignities and riches which the world in all abondāce did assure him of and imbracing an humble kind of life in religious purity vnder the yoke of obedience and that in the very flowre of his youth Secondly his voluntary sufferance of excessiue trouble labours miseries to the which by how much more grieuous they were so much more willingly did he expose himselfe as it most plainly appeareth in the whole discourse of his life Thirdly an vndaunted courage in attempting hard enterprises putting his very life so oftē in danger amōgst strange and barbarous people As for example when alone he encountred a whole army of Badagars which afterward I will rehearse amongst other miracles Fourthly a wonderfull great security in dangers in so much that in the middest of cares he was without care and without feare in the middest of feares ship wrackes enemies and many other miseries hanging many times ouer his very head Lastly an incredible ioy in aduersity which may be euidently proued by his continuall cheerfulnes of mind and readines of will wherby glorying with the Apostle in the hope of the sonnes of God he suffered so many labours and troubles so many perills and aduersities liuing iustly holily in this world and expecting the blessed hope and comming of Almighty God For the loue of God he most exactly and perfectly kept all his commaundements daily meditating vpō his sacred Law with a pure consciēce and great horrour of neuer so little transgressing or doing any thing against the same him selfe and neuer without great care that others should likewise obserue the same wherin as also in keeping his vowes of voluntary Pouerty Chastity and Obediēce he so excelled that he did not only thereby stop the aduersaries mouthes but by the mouthes and tongues of all not only of Christians
Colledge called the colledge of gentlemen therin to instruct the young nobility in all vertue learning and discipline and another for the cleargy of the Heluetians and Switzers where they are instructed in Philosophy and Diuinity to help the the conuersion of their countries which produceth such exceeding fruit that it may of right be called the rampaire and defence of the Catholike Faith in the confines of Germany At Pauia he built another called the colledge of Borromeus which is without comparison the most goodly and most sumptuous that is in all Europe and endued the same with great reuenues He founded a congregation of secular priest called Oblats of S. Ambrose He built a Church neere our Ladies of Rauda in his diocesse in honor of the Queen of heauen and another very sumptuous in Milan called the Church of S. Fidelis which hegaue to the fathers of the Society for whom he also foūded the Colledge of Brera in Milan where they read all sciēces like vnto that which was erected in Rome by Pope Gregory the thirtēth He likewise built a Colledge for the order of Theatins Two other Seminaries he built in Milan the one in the Church and house of Saint Iohn Baptist capable of a hundred and fifty priests The other called Canonicall wherin are resident sixty cleargy mē who study the holy Scripture and cases of Conscience to become able to take vpon them the care of soules two others also in the Diocesse of Celana He erected two Conuents of the poore Clares with he babit of Capucinesses each containing fifty religious who leade so holy and austere a life that all th Citty of Milan hold for assured to be succoured by their prayers in any necessity He built also a house with prouision spirituall and temporall for poore maidens that were left fatherlesse that so their honesty should be conserued and two for women which eyther were forsaken by their husbands or by some meanes had blemished their good name or were any way in danger of soule or body and a Hospitall for those that were infected with the plague Finally to omit many more of like sorte for breuities sake he let passe no worke of charity towards poore and distressed persons of either sex as well of body as of soule For exāple at what time there was in Milan an infinit number of poore beggats gathered together who were ready to dye for hungar and thirst the plague being then in chiefest fury he caused to be giuen vnto them all the prouision that was in his house and after commaunded all his siluer and goldē plate to be carried to the kings coyners and to be stamped into mony and giuen vnto them And moreouer he disfurnished his palace of all the tapistry to the very carpets of his tables to cloth the poore against the rigor of the cold Yea his charity extēded it selfe so far as to lye himselfe vpon the bordes and cause his owne bed to be carried to the Hospitall And further he depriued himselfe of the Dutchy of Auriana in the kingdome of Naples valued at ten thousand Ducats yearly mony of Naples giuing all that sūme vnto the poore vnto Hospitals and vnto other works of piety so that one may iustly say that S. Charles was much more affected towards the poore then he was towards his owne kinred Amongst sixty or seauenty thousand poore persons sick of the plague and of other diseases one was not to be foūd that wanted foode or rayment so great was the care solicitude of S. Charles especially to those who were infected with the plague to whome this pittifull Pastour did goe in person frō tent to tēt to succor visit thē as they lay in the fields which visit he often continued till six or seauen houres within the night And albeit he had in his traine a great number of priests which he had sent for out of Sauoy to administer vnto them the holy Sacraments yet he himselfe also vndertooke the same work so full of perill as to visit them and to administer the Sacraments vnto them with his owne hands making no difficulty to stand by the beds side of those that dyed and to put them in mind of the mercy of God and to giue them full pardon in the houre of death Great likewise was the temperāce abstinence and austerity of life of this holy Saint who first accustomed to fast once a weeke then twice and afterwards foure tymes a weeke and so cōtinued vntill such time as quite for saking flesh wine and all other meates he accustomed himselfe to fast euery day except holy dayes taking only a meane refection in bread and water He likewise got a custome to eate and to study altogether so to gayne tyme and many tymes he was found eating vpon his knees because of his reading of the holy Scriture which he still did read in that posture of body to declare the great reuerence that he bare therto Sometymes he remayned in the Church by occasion of the forty houres prayer all the tyme that they lasted and almost in each houre preached to the people the concourse wherof was great both night and day To these rigors of fastings he added the chasticement of his body with whippes scourges woare a shirt of haire slept vpon a bed of straw or else vpon the bare bordes He would not in the greatest cold come neere the fier and alwaise had his handes bare so that sometimes the bloud issued from them For an euident signe of the fanctity of this seruant of God and in approbation of his great zeale in defending the rightes priuiledges of the Church and reforming of corruptiō crept in amongst the religious and cleargy vnder his care behold how the hand of Almighty God was very present assisting him at such tyme as a wicked Apostata attempted to slay him the occasion of which crime was as followeth This holy Archbishop endeauouring to reforme the order of the Religious called Humiliats of whome he was Protectour by order of the Apostolique Sea and labouring to restraine their scandalous liberty and to reduce them to the first obseruation of their anciēt rule foure of them who stifly withstood this reformation cōspired his death not otherwise able to auoid restraint by reason of the great zeale and authority of their zealous pastour and protectour Wherupon one of them named Hierom Farina for a summe of mony receiued promised to be executioner of this murder This fellow therfore conducted by the diuell as a second Iudas in the yeare 1569. the 26. day of October at one a clock in the night finding S. Charles according to his custome at prayer in his Bishops chappel euē as the quier sung these words of the ghospell Let not your hart be troubled nor feare you not This wicked murderer hauing got on secular apparell approaching neere vnto the Bishop shot off a pistoll charged with a bullet sundry other murthring shot the bullet wherof lighted full
vpon his back some of the other lesser shot pierced his garments euen to his flesh and others went thorough a table of an inch thick and the residue did notably batter the walls the were before him Sodainly all the assistants rose vp on their feete and began to be sore affrighted he only who had receiued the blow sitting still vpon his knees remained in peace not showing any signe of feare But because the blow had made him much to bowe downward fearing they should thinke that he were slaine holding his haÌ„des still ioyned together he at the last lifted vp his head towards heauen and hauing appeased those that were present he ended the prayer he had begun without so much as once more mouing his body Afterwards retiring himselfe to goe to rest he found that his Rochet was soyled with the bullet and his other garments also but were not pierced NotwithaÌ„ding there appeared vpon his back a buÌ„ch of a blewish coulor like to dead flesh where the bullet had light which fell at the feete of Saint Charles as it were for reuerence not drawing so much as a drop of bloud which marke remayned vntill his death for a memory of the fact The Doctors of phisick and many others which had seene coÌ„sidered the place that was shot iudged that it was a cleere manifest miracle In fine the murderer was appreheÌ„ded with his foure companions by the commandemeÌ„t of the Duke Asburquerco couernour of MilaÌ„ by an edict which he published the selfe same night and shortly after were put to death for their horrible fact Hauing walked in the narrow way of this world triumphed ouer vices and adorned himselfe with all the excellent vertues before rehearsed the houre of his departure approaching neere he first visited the holy Sudary of our Sauiour Iesus at Turino with a singular vnspeakeable deuotion and from thence went to the mount of Varalla neere vnto Nouara where there is a deuout solitary place of Religious men and the sepulcher of our Sauiour is erected like vnto that in Hierusalem with diuers other monuments of Christs passion whervnto the holy man was specially deuoted where he abode the space of fifteene dayes exercising himselfe in most austere workes of pennance reÌ„dring his soule capable of celestiall glory by a generall Confession of all his life with many sighes and abundance of teares But falling sicke by his too much rigour and feeling that his sicknes increased he returned towards Milan enflaming those that went in his company in the loue of God by a burning charity wherwith he was wholy inflamed and by his sermons which he made of the glory of the blessed which were so ful of fire and so piercing that the harts of those that heard him were touched therwith in such sort that from their eyes distilled fountaines of teares He arriued at MilaÌ„ vpon the feast of All Soules towards euening and hauing passed the day following in holy discourses and receiued the Sacraments of the Church with singular deuotion and humility holding his eyes fixed vpon a picture of the sepulture of the dead couered with a shirt of haire and with ashes like vnto another S. Martin whose vertues he had diligeÌ„tly imitated during his life with great tranquility and quiet of body and mind he rendred his soule vp to God about three houres after sunne setting the last yeare of the Popedome of Gregory the 13. 47. yeare of his age It is impossible to declare what sorrowe what lameÌ„tations and what sighings the vnexpected death of this most holy pastor caused both in poore and rich The Church deplored her vigilant Pastour the tribunalls their incorrupted iudge the orphanes their protectour and defender and the needy their most liberall benefactour Finally to satisfy the great deuotion of the people which flowed thither on euery side it was necessary to expose the body the space of three dayes in the Church to the view of euery one The Bishops Pallace was filled with deepe sighes the streetes with sobbs and the houses with teares mourning so that there was not any in so great a multitude of people which did not bewaile the losse of his good father for hard it was to iudge whether there were more people in the streetes then vpon the topps of the houses and who pursued not his most holy Pastour with complaints and inconsolable sorrow in such sort that all the people cryed out aloud Mercy mercy euery one thinking himselfe right happy to touch with their beades or Rosary his venerable hody The miracles which Almighty God wrought by the intercession merits of S. Charles were very many wherof these which follow were in part examined and approued for his canonization He healed by the vertue of his holy prayer Iohn Pietro Stopano at this day Archbishop of Maccia in the valley of Telino of a deadly disease being forsaken of the phisitians By the signe of the crosse he preserued the Abbot Bernardino Tarusi and Ioseph Cauallerio being drowned in the râ—uer of Tâ—cino By the force of his prayer he saued froÌ„ the perill of death Iulio Homatto who being on horsback fell froÌ„ the top of a most high horrible precipice He draue away by the benediction of his hands diuers diuells who had loÌ„g tyme obsessed a young youth With the same benediction he healed in an instant one Margarete Vertua who had a double tertian ague for the space of eight moÌ„ths was brought vnto so low estate that she could not lying alwayes on her bed moue so much as any one part of her body In an instant he likewise healed by his blessing a noble woman of a disease proceeding of witch-craft diuelish art These miracles with many others were wrought by him during his life but he wrought a great many more after his death wherof for breuity sake I will recount only some omitting the circumstances which make the miracles the more famous declare only the matter it selfe and substance of the things Dame Paula Iustina Casara religious in the great monastery of Milan hauing bene for the space of eight yeares and a halfe paralitique altogether dead on the one side infected with diuers other diseases and lastly giuen ouer of the best Phisitians of the Citty finally inuocated S. Charles Borromeus and that with very great fruit for as soone as she had made her prayer before the picture of S. Charles by her sted-fast faith she was healed the yeare 1601. vpon the feast of S. Ihon Baptist And at the selfe same instant fearing to be more slack in giuing thaÌ„kes vnto the Saint then he had beene to giue her health she went forth of her chaÌ„ber entred into the Church and sunge Te DeuÌ„ together with the other religious who were all assembled to see this miracle Sister Candida a religious woman of the conuent of Capucinesses in Milan hauing lyen three yeares sick and her disease being iudged incurable by the Doctors hauing
kindes As of the blessed Trinity of our blessed Sauiour of our B. Lady of S. Peter and S. Paul of the Angels yea and these were not only in spirit but her body also hath bene seene many times eleuated from the ground vntill through her humility she desired of our Lord the cessation of that miraculous fauour which he graunted her This holy Saint was fearfull herselfe least it might be a deceit of the deuill and therfore was content to be narrowly sifted and examined with all diligence not only in her Confessions but also in her life particuler actions and proceedings which were searched by very many Fathers of the Society of Iesus and almost by fourty other principall and the most famous learned men in Spaine and other Countries all graue and reuerend and the best spirituall Maisters then liuing who all allowed and approoued her life her proceedings for good and vertuous free from illusion or deceit After this the holy Saint beginning to build a Monastery our B. Lady S. Ioseph appeared to her and promised to protect and assist her which did encourage her so much as though she found many difficulties yet she brought at last to good effect and finished the same Adding to their former rules some others concerning Mentall Prayer and Meditation all which were approued by the Popes Holines And at the end our Blessed Sauiour appeared to her and set a crowne vpon her head as a reward of her former trauailes She founded diuers other Monasteries after this to the number of seauenteene well knowne as in Medina del Campo in Duruell in Malaga in Valladolid in Toledo in Pastrana in Salamanca in Alua de Tornes in Segouia in Beas in Seuill in Carauaque in Xare in Palencia in Sorie in Granada in Burgos Besides these she founded diuers others as namely fifteene for the discalced Brothers all well knowne in Spaine In all these her Monasteries she caused a reformation with addition of many good and spirituall constitutions all approoued by her Superiours and confirmed by the Pope And during her life time with her infatigable labour and continuall trauell from one to another she gouerned them all in most exact obseruance of their rules and exēplar life to the great edification of all amēdement of many in the way of more vertuous life She wrote foure bookes One of her owne life by commaund of her Ghostly Father one of the way of Perfection one Of the Foundation of her Monasteries And afterward three other bookes contayning relations of her life and of deuout prayers All which said bookes being approoued both by the Inquisition and the graue learned Father aforesaid her Cōfessours with diuers others and being sound and Catholike Doctrine and full of diuine learning and wholesome precepts were thought good to be translated into diuers languages that others reading her holy life following her coūsells might profit therby and increase in vertue to the saluatiō of their soules as very many haue done by her meanes as was before shewed vnto her in a vision The vertues of this Saint were very many and manifest and great store of examples there be therof in euery kind though for breuity sake I will but touch and only name a few of them First she was so carefull in obseruance of the Commandements of Almighty God as her Confessour thought she neuer committed any mortall sinne Her obedience was extraordinary to all her Superiours and Prelats in all things both humane diuine The guift of Chastity giuē her by our Blessed Sauiour was such as she was surnamed by her Confessors The treasure of Virginity And the purity of her mind appeared well by thevncorruptiō of her body after her death and by the modest obseruances she appointed for her Nunnes as the couering of their faces with a veile their strict in closure their silence and other the like She had a great loue to pouerty praising it and commending it to her Nūnes that not only in their holy estate in hauing their meanes without certainty of maintenance and their house without rent but also in their habit which she chose to be very meane Yet principally she commended and preferred inward pouerty of spirit wherin she was a rare and exemplar patterne to all In taming of her flesh she was very rigorous and austere for besides her spare diet she vsed sharpe disciplines sometimes with cordes with keyes with Iron chaines wearing cōtinually a hairecloth next her skin and ordayninge her Order to be one of the strictest in the Church of God And if any meate was made something more dainty by the fire as either rosted or baked she would refuse it saying Meate is to nourrish our bodies not to delight the taste Her sleepe was seldome aboue three houres in a night all the rest she spent in prayer In humility she excelled giuing many worthy testimonies thereof in diuers places both at Rome and abroad seruing all the rest of the sisters by her good will in the lowest ad basest Offices in the house Her courage was great as appeared by her continuall trauells and troubles in erecting Monasteries which yet at last she alwayes brought to good effect Besides the often apparition of deuills which she feared not but euer chased a way from her euen as flies Such was her admirable patience in all crosses and afflictions as she tooke great ioy comfort in suffring them hauing an ardent desire to die for Christ his sake and hauing these wordes often in her mouth O Lord graunt me either to die or at least to suffer for thy sake In her body she suffered long and grieuous sicknesses and infirmities besides her continuall trauaile and toyle In her reputation honour she suffered great detriment and no lesse inward spirituall cōbats and desolatiōs in her soule To speake of the wonderfull Prudence of this holy Saint in gouerning of her many Monasteries of her simplicity sincere vertue in religion and aboue all her extraordinary deuotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar and her other vertues wherein she did excell and was so exemplar it would truly fill whole volumes The same may be said of her diuine contemplation of her eminent Faith of her Hope of her enflamed Loue to God of her Charity to wards her neighbour of her forcible persuasiue vertue of speach her grace of interpretation of Scriptures and Prophesy and in discerning of spirits And for all these her vertues seruice and loue vnto our Lord it may well cause admiration in vs to consider his reciprocall loue and his continuall high and diuine fauours donevnto her His often consolations to her soule and inward spirituall apparitions as also corporally and frequently in diuers formes and manners instructing and directing her from time to time how she should proceed in all her affaires of importance best to his liking and seruice As also dictating to her with his owne voice the very words she should speake to
the Empire and Marques of the aboue named Castilion and of Martha Tana-Sanrenia no lesse Noble as the Inhabitāts about the Alpes can testify and vertuous as appeareth in that euen from the first day of her mariage she began to pray like another Anne not for feare of barrennes but for the glory of God that it would please our Lord to send her a sonne that in some Religion might wholy dedicate himselfe to his holy seruice And so it seemed that God Almighty therfore vouchsafed to sēd her this Samuel permitting him to haue a dangerous entrance into this world that he might the sooner marke him for his owne with the character of Baptisme which by the Phisitians aduise was giuē him before he was halfe come forth of his mothers wombe but the danger of this passage at lenght by theintercession of our B. Lady was taken away although for a space there remayned some feare and doubt whether he were aliue or dead For he lay still without mouing for the space of an houre whē to shew that he was aliue he gaue one little cry only so gaue ouer and neuer vsed to cry any more as other children are wont to doe a presage doubtlesse of his future behauiour and conditions which were alwayes most gentle mild and courteous After his mother had brought him vp in all piety and feare of God vnto the age of fiue yeares or thereabout his Father desiring to traine vp his sonne in warlike affaires frō his very cradle tooke him away with him to a towne called Casall the greater in the Territory of Milan where whensoeuer he mustered his souldiers he made him march before them in light armour with a little speare vpon his shoulder From hence the Marques his Father being to march with his army to Tunis a Citty in Afrike sent Lewis backe to Castilion where growing now towards seauen yeares of age at which time children begin to haue discretion to discerne betweene good bad he withdrew himselfe by little and little from the conuersation of souldiers and began to apply himselfe to the seruice of God saying euery day at home vpon his knees the prayers which are The Daily Exercise together with the seauen Penitentiall psalmes and the office of our Blessed Lady with so great feruour and care that he neuer omitted the same were he neuer so sicke and was wont to call that the time of his conuersion When the Marques came home and saw his sonnes warlike audacity changed into a pious and prudent modesty he reioyced exceedingly to see how wise and discret an heire he should haue to succeed him in the gouernement of his subiects But Lewis his intentions were leuelled at a farre higher marke which he was not afraid now and then to signify vnto his mother who albeit she desired nothing more then that one of her sonnes should become a Religious man yet was she halfe afraid to heare her eldest sonne and heire talke of taking that course of life much more to persuade him to it Not long after the Marques vpon some occasion going to visit the Duke of Florence tooke both Lewis and his younger brother with him and there set them both to schoole to the end that in that Great Dukes court they might not only learne good manners but other sciences also Lewis at the age of nine yeares being left there by his father began to exercise himselfe in all kinde of vertues especially of Chastity and purity wherof out of the great deuotion he had conceaued towards our Blessed Lady he made a vow to keepe the same perpetually before an Image of hers which the whole Citty hath in great deuotion He heard Masse euery day and besides masse vpon holy dayes he alwayes was present at Euensong And although he knew not yet how to meditate yet the neuer let passe the dayly Exercise and other Offices which we haHe spoken of before rising to say them euery morning as soone as it was day Heere finally he began to wayne himselfe from all kinde of pleasures and pastimes eschewing all conuersation that might giue him occasion to speake the least idle word for he had now begun to frequent the Sacrament of Pennance with much feruour And so euer after he was wont to call Florence the mother of his piety and deuotion Two yeares being now past in Florence Lewis and his brother taking their leaue of the great Duke with Order from the Marques went to liue at Mantua where he came to take so great delight in abstinence and fasting which was for a time prescribed him for the health of his body that afterwardes to the great domage of the same he could not be dissuaded from vsing still the same medicine for the good of his soule Here now as he began to thinke with himselfe how he might make all his inheritance ouer to his Brother and take vpon himselfe an Ecclesiasticall kind of life being called home from the heates of Mantua at the age of twelue yeares he receiued of our Lord the gift of prayer and contemplation and by aduise of Saint Charles Borromeus Cardinall then visiting that Diocesse he began to frequent the holy Communion with exceeding great deuotion But his stomacke now with praying and fasting was growne so weake that he was scarce able to disgest any meate at all Wherfore his Father sent for him to Montserrat to see if by any meanes he could draw him a little from that austerity that he might recouer his health But Lewis there for the space of halfe a yeare could take pleasure in nothing but in his former exercises vsing for his pastime only to visit holy places and Monasteries flying from the conuersation of all but Religious mē by whose examples he was so efficaciously moued that he fully purposed to take vpon him some Religious habit or other although being not yet full thirteene yeares old he had not yet determined of what Order he would be In the meane time being returned home againe with his Father to Castilion he went forward exceedingly in all kind of vertues especially in extraordinary abstinence and mortification From hence not long after as he trauailed into Spaine in company of his Father and other noble Italians he neuer omitted his accustomed contemplations and holy Exercises But he so behaued himselfe for the space of two yeares and more that he liued in the King of Spaines Court that no Prouerbe was so much in the mouthes of the chiefest Coutiers as that the yonger Marques of Castilion seemed not to be made of flesh and bloud Such progresse had he made in the contempt of all worldly honours and pleasures Heere how Lewis being at the age of fifteene yeares and an halfe began to feele in himselfe so ardent a desire of forsaking the world that after many dayes commending the matter to God Almighty in his prayers it pleased his diuine Maiesty by a voyce from heauen to giue him a particular vocation to the Society