sicke woman In this meane tyme the slaunderous rumour was bruted and came to her mothers eares Who for her selfe made no doubt at all of her daughters innocēcie for she knewe manie thinges that the worlde knewe not and yet she could not but take it verie heauelie when she heard tell that such a slawnder was raised vpon her The griefe wherof so ouercame her mynd that she flang to her daughter with great heat and vehemencie of spirite and began with her after this maner How often tymes haue I told thee that thou shouldest no more serue yonder stinging old croyne See now what reward she geueth thee for all thy good seruice she hath brought vp a foule slaunder vpon thee emong all thy sisters which God knoweth whether thou shalt euer be able to rid thy selfe of so lōg as thou liuest If euer thou serue her againe after this daie or if euer thou come where she is neuer take me for thy mother For I tell thee plaine I will neuer knowe thee for my daughter These and other the like wordes did the mother vtter in great heate choler whereat the daughter at the first was somewhat astoined But after a litle tyme when she had gathered her selfe together she went to her mother and kneeling downe before her with great reuerence she spake these wordes Sweete mother thinke you that our Lord would be pleased with vs if wee should leaue the workes of mercie vndone bicause our neigbour sheweth him selfe vnthankeful towardes vs When our Sauiour Christ hong on the Crosse and heard there the reprochful talke of that vngrateful people rownd about did he in regard of their cruel wordes geueouer the charitable worke of their redemption Good mother you knowe verie well that if I should leaue this old sicke woman she were foorthwith in great danger to perish for lacke of keeping bicause she should not find anie that would come neere her do such seruice as is requisite to be done about a woman in this case And so should I be the occasion of her death She is now a litle deceiued by the ghostlie enemie but she maie hereafter by the grace of God come to acknowledge her fault and be sorie for the same With such wordes she qualified her mothers mynd gate her blessing and so returned againe to the seruice of the sicke woman About whom she did all thinges with great diligence loue neuer shewing neither in wordes nor in countināce so much as anie token of discontētantiō or displeasure In so much that the sicke sister seeing her demeanour was verie much astoined withal ashamed of that she had done and so began to haue great sorrowe at hart and repentance for the slaunder that she had raised vpon her Then also it pleased our Lord to shewe his mercie towardes his faithful spowse to restore her againe to her good fame estimatimatiō after this maner On a daie the holie maide went to the sicke sisters chamber to serue her as she was wont to doe At what tyme as she was comyng towardes her bed where she laie to doe some thing that was to be done about her behold the sicke woman sawe a meruelous goodlie light commyng downe from heauen which filled all her chamber and was so beautifull and comfortable that it made her vtterly to forget all the paines of her disease What that sight might meane she could not conceiue But looking about her here and there she beheld the maidens face gloriously transformed the maiestie wherof was so strang that she seemed to her rather an Angel of heauen then anie earthlie creature And this beautiful light enuironed the holie virgins bodie rownd about The which brightnes the more the old woman beheld the more did she condemne the malice of her owne hart and tongue in that she had conceiued and vttered so fowle matter as she had done against such an excellent and pure creature as the holie maid then shewed to be This vision continued a good tyme and at the length when it ceased left the sicke woman both in sorrowe and also in comfort In sorrowe bicause on the one side she sawe what a heynous synne she had committed in dissamyng that innocent virgin In comfort bicause on the other side she sawe the mercie of God freely and franckely offred vnto her The which thing so mollified her hart that with much sobbing weeping she confessed her fault to the holie maid and besought her of pardon When the good virgin sawe the hūble maner of her repentance and submission she likewise verie amiably tooke the old woman in her armes kissed her and spake very sweet and comfortable wordes vnto her saying Good mother I haue no displeasure in the worlde against you but only against our enemie the Deuel by whose malice suttiltie I knowe all this is wrought but rather I haue to thanke you with all my hart for you haue put me in mynd to haue a more careful and vigilant regard to my selfe and so doing you haue turned the malicious drifte of the feend to my further good and commoditie With such sweet speeches she comforted the sicke sister and then she set her selfe to doe all such seruices as were wont to be done about her And when she had done all she tooke her leaue verie gently as her maner was and so retired her selfe to her chamber to geue God thankes so the prosperous successe that she had had in this matter and to enter into her accustomed exercise of praier meditation In this meane tyme the old woman who had a great care to restore the innocent virgin to her good name againe when anie of those came to her before whom she had made that slaunderous report tooke occasion to vnburthen her conscience and confessed openly with great lamentation and teares that whatsoeuer dishonestie she had anie tyme reported by that holie maid she had ben induced to report it by the crafte of the deuel not by anie thing that euer she sawe or knewe in her And therfore she cried them all mercie and besought them for charitie to forgeue her She affirmed furthermore that she was able to make good proofe that the holie maid was not only free from all suspicion of anie vncleannes of bodie but also endued with manie high singular graces of God and that she was in deed a verie pure virgin and a Saincte Thus much said she I speake not vpon heresaie or opinion but vpon verie certaine knoweledge Then certaine of the elder and sadder women talked with her secretly and required to vnderstand what certaine tokens and knowledge of holines she had in the maid Whereupon she declared vnto them so much as hath ben here receited before And said furthermore verie constantly and with great feruour of spirite that in all her life tyme she neuer knewe what true sweetnes of sowle and spiritual comfort meant vntill that tyme when she sawe the holie maid so transfourmed
Raimundus to goe with him certaine other religious persones to the place When she was come the Priour ordeined for her and for her sisters that came with her a conuenient lodging without the monasterie the men he tooke into his cloister with him selfe The next morning he came with his whole couent to the holie maides lodging and besought her verie earnestly that she would voutchsafe to saie some thing wherby both he and his brethren might be edified She of humilitie refused a great while and said that it was more meete for her being a woman to be instructed by them then to take vpon her to instructe them But at the length being ouercome with their importunitie she spake as it pleased God to put in her hart And specially she tooke occasion to touch a nomber of sleites and illusions which the ghostlie enemie is wont to vse to deceiue and entrappe those spiritual persones that geue them selues to solitarie life And when she had briefely and plainely declared the tentations she did with the life briefnes and plainenes teach them against euery particular tētation a particular remedie And these thinges she vttered so orderly and with such apte termes that they were all astonied to heare her When she had made an end the Priour turned him selfe to Doctour Raimundus said these wordes Thus manie yeares haue I heard the confessions of these my brethren as the maner of our religion requireth whereby you maie presume that I do knowe the state of euerie man And I saie to you that if this holie maid had heard their confessions as I haue done she could not haue spoken more to the purpose and more to the profit and edifying of euerie one of them then she hath done Whereby we maie cleerely see that she is vndoubtedly a great prophetesse and that the holie spirite of God speaketh in her VVhat a singular grace the holie maid had not only in seeing the state of their soules that were present with her but also in discerning the qualities and condicions of them that were farre from her and in strange countreis with certaine other pointes of like sort worthie to be noted Chap. 6. MAnie deuout persones resorting vnto the holie maid at tymes for spiritual comfort did vse to kneele downe before her and to doe greater reuerence to her then was vsually done to other religious persones The which thing because she did not refuse some that were present tooke offence and murmured ymagining with them selues that she had ben vaine-glorious and that she had taken pleasure in such curtesies Doctour Raimundus to take awaie this occasion of offence went to the holie maid and told her what was conceiued of her To whom she made answere in this sort Father said she our Lord knoweth that I am so thoroughly occupied in vewing the secret qualities of the soules of them that resort to me that I take litle heed to the outward gestures of their bodies And as she sawe the secret disposition of soules so did she likewise take either passing great delite in them if they were vertuously disposed or verie great griefe and bothsomenes towardes them if she sawe them geuen to vice and vncleannes On a tyme while the holie maid was talking with Pope Gregorie concerning the state of the Church where Doctour Raimundus was vsed for an interpretour betweene them because the Pope vnderstood not the Italian tongue and she spake no latine emong other thinges she lamēted her verie much of the court of Rome and said that where of reason there ought to be a most pleasant paradyse of vertue and holines there she found a most lothsome syncke of all stincking vice and vncleannes The Pope being somewhat moued with those wordes asked of Doctour Raimundus how long it was sence she was first acqueinted with the court of Rome And vnderstanding that it was but a fewe daies he asked her how she came to haue such knowledge of the maners of the court in so fewe daies With that she raised her selfe vp with a certaine comelie boldnes whereas before she held downe her head and said these wordes to the Pope To the honour of almightie God I dare well saie thus much that I had a more perfecte sent of the horrible stench of the synnes that are cōmitted in the court of Rome when I liued at home in myne owne countrey where I was borne then they haue them selues that doe commit such synnes euerie daie When the Pope heard these wordes he held his peace and wondred much at the strangenes of her answere But Doctour Raimundus aboue all other was meruelously astonied seeing her to speake in the presence of so great a Prelate as that Pope was with such an vnwonted boldnes and authoritie It happened often tymes as Doctour Raimundus and diuerse other credible persones reported that when she came with them into places where neither she nor they had euer ben before there resorted vnto her manie men and women that seemed by their apparel wordes and outward behauiour verie honest and godlie folkes but were in deed geuen to some vncleane vice Which thing she perceiued by and by and therefore would in no wise be brought to speake with them of heauenlie matters as they required nor so much as to turne her face towardes them And if she sawe that they taried ouer long she would breake out into wordes also and saie to them that if they mynded to talke of God or of godlie matters they should first ridde them selues out of the deuels snares and amend their liues And with that she would find some occasion to withdrawe her selfe from their companie Now her Confessour and other that were about her at such tymes enquiring further of the behauiour and conuersation of such persones as she refused thus to speake withal found in deed that they were noted of some grieuous crime and that they continued in the same without repentance An other tyme there came a woman to speake with the holie maid whose behauiour was so woman lie and talke so honest that so manie as were there present tooke her to be a verie vertuous woman The which notwithstanding the holie maid turned her face awaie from her as it seemed of purpose because she would neither see the woman nor be seene of her Whereof Doctour Raimundus had great wonder and therefore tooke occasion afterwardes to aske her secretly what the cause was whie she had so done To whom she made answere after this maner O Father said she if you had felt such a stench of synne as I felt while that woman spake to me I am well assured you would haue cast vp all that had ben in your stomake Vpon this Doctour Raimundus vsed meanes to come to the knowledge of that womans conuersation and vnderstood that she was a priestes concubine How the holie maid praied continually for the state of the Church and how by praier she obteyned of God the ceasing of two rebellions in Rome Chap. 7.
feared God and had a more Christian consideration of thinges then the rest had calling to mynd the Doue which he had seene not lōg before ouer her head with diuerse sundrie other the like verie euident tokens of some strange grace and fauour of God towardes her after a good season when he had wonne so much of him selfe that he was able to speake made her this answere Deere Daughter said he God forbid that we should will or desire anie thinge contrarie to the will of God from whom we doubt not this holie determination of yours proceedeth Your long patience and constancie declare vnto vs verie euidently that this your designement cometh not of anie childish lightnes but of a feruent loue towardes God Doe therfore a Gods name freely what you haue vowed folowe the waie that the holie Ghost sheweth vnto you From this daie foreward we shall no more hinder you but shall confourme our willes to the will of God Only this praie hartely for vs to your spowse whom yee haue chosen in your tender age that we may after his life be fownd worthie of the blisse that he hath promised vs. Then turnyng to his wife and other children he said likewise to them From this daie foreward see that none of you be so hardie as to molest or hinder my Daughters deuotion Let her serue her spowse with all diligence and freedome for in truth this alliance that she hath made is both more honorable and also more for the aduancement of our familie then that was that we sought to make We haue no cause to complaine of her doinges The exchange that she hath made is this She hath refused to match with a mortal man and hath chosen to be maried to the immortal God and man Iesus Christ the redeemer of the wordle When the father had spoken these wordes not without manie teares both in him selfe and in others that were there present and namely in the mother who bare a verie tender and natural loue to this daughter the ioyous virgin whose hart was as it were rauished with vnspeakeable gladnes yealded most humble thankes First to almightie God by whose gracious assistance she had ouercome this battaile then to her father and mother for their most comfortable graunt made vnto her from that hower foreward she had none other care in her hart but how she might best directe her life wholye to the honour of her deere spowse Of her great Abstinence Chap. 9. AFter that her parentes had made her this graunt of freedome to serue God without anie hinderance or molestation she began foorthwith to dispose her life after a meruelous goodlie order And first of all she besought them that she might haue some litle chamber to her selfe which was graunted without anie difficultie in the which what rigorous discipline and austerite she exercised vpon her bodie with what diligence and carefulnes she sought to haue the deliteful presence of her spowse no tongue is able to expresse There began she to renewe the exercises of the auncient Fathers in Egipt which wer the more meruelous in her bicause they were done without anie example or instruction of man by a fraile woman in her tender age not in a wood caue or solitarie place but in a citie not in a couent of Nonnes but in her fathers howse At the verie entrie therfore into this streight maner of life first and foremost she resolued vtterly to absteine from all flesh the which kind of abstinence she continued so precisely that at the length by long vse and custome all flesh became lothsome vnto her in so much that it was euidently seene that the only smell of it was noysome to her bodie Wherby she became verie leane thynne and feeble Which thing her ghostlie Father perceiuing on a tyme and knowing that the cause therof was that she receiued no meate or drincke that was of good substance and nourishment gaue her counsel that she should put in her water which she dranke a litle suger to comfort and quicken the spirites Wherat she was somewhat moued and turnyng sodainly to him said these wordes That litle life that is lefte in me me thinketh yee goe about to quench it vtterly With that he began to examine her concernyng the order of her diet and fownd by examination that the wordes which she spake were verie true for in deed she had so accustomed her selfe to bitter meates and vnsauorie drinkes that all sweet thinges were become hurtful to her bodie forsomuch as her natural disposition was altered by custome Her ordinarie drinke from the begynning was a litle portion of wyne as the maner of that countrey is myngled with so much water that it lost both tast and sauour and a great part of the coulour also But when she was fiften yeares old she gaue ouer all wyne and drancke water alone She weaned her selfe likewise by litle and litle from all maner of sodden meates and susteined her bodie with bread only and a fewe rawe herbes After this when she was of the age of twentie yeares or there about she gaue ouer the eating of bread also and held her selfe to rawe herbes only Last of all she came to such a high state of life not by anie force of nature but by the supernaturall power of God that for a long tyme together she susteined her life without eating and drinking at all and yet endured withal willingly and cheerfully both verie paineful sickenesses and also verie hard labours of the bodie Moreouer and all this it was certainly knowen that her stomake had quite lost the office and power of digestion and yet neither was that moisture which the phisitians call Radical consummed nor the strenght of her fraile bodie anie iote decaied Which thing can not be ascribed to anie exercise or custome of abstinence but only to that fulnes of spirite which abounded so much in the sowle that it redownded into the bodie also Of the great austeritie which she vsed about her bed and apparel Of the shirt of haire and chaine of yron which she ware about her middle Chap. 10. SHe made her selfe a bed of boordes only without anie other thing betweene them her body vpon the which sometimes she sate or stood vpright in meditation and sometymes she kneeled or laie downe prostrate in praier And when she would lie downe to sleepe she neuer put of her clothes The clothes that she ware both next her bodie and without were all wollen Sometyme she would weare a rough shirt of haire vpon her skynne But bicause she was much geuen to cleanlines she tooke it that the haire was an occasion of some vncleannes she laid it aside tooke for it a chaine of yrō which she gyrded so hard to her sides that it made a deepe dent into the flesh as though it had ben burnt with a hoate yron as some of her spiritual companions and daughters reported afterwardes whose helpe she was ēforced to
vse at tymes by reason of great infirmities and diseases vnto the which her bodie was verie much subiecte The which thing her ghostlie Father vnderstanding at the lenght by them not long before her death being moued with pittie commanded her by vertue of obedience that she should leaue it off Which though she was verie loth to doe bicause she perswaded her self that the roughnes therof had a great comformitie with the life of Christ yet bicause she knewe on the other side that obedience was more acceptable in the sight of God then anie austeritie of life she did humbly as she was commaunded Of her wonderful watching and of the griefe that her mother tooke for the same Chap. 11. HEr watching was verie strange wonderful for at the length she had by a litle and litle so ouercome sleepe that in two daies two nightes she would allowe no more but one halfe hower to sleepe the which halfe hower also she would neuer take but when very feeblenes of bodie constreined her Her bed as it is said before was bare bordes her bolster or pillowe a hard peece of wood The which thing her mother perceiuing being moued with motherlie affection and pitie towardes her owne flesh entreated her earnestly that she would geue ouer her owne hard bed for a tyme and be contented to lie with her vpon her bed and there to take her sleepe if she could if she could not at the least to rest her selfe a litle She shewed her selfe in all pointes obedient to her mother and went with her into her chamber and when her mother was laid in one side of the bed she went laid her selfe downe in the other side Where she continued watching in praier and meditation vntill at the lenght perceiuing her mother to be fast a sleepe she rose vp softely without making anie noyse gott her selfe to her wonted exercises But the suspicious mother whose hart was euermore waking espied forthwith the wilines of her daughter and tooke it verie grieuously VVherupon the good daughter who had alwaies a great care to doe nothing that might grieue her mother deuised a newe sleight by the which she thought she might both satisfie her mothers mynd and exercise in some degree her accustomed discipline She tooke two peeces of tymber and put them priuily into the bed vnder the sheet on that side where she should lie and laid her selfe downe vpon the same But it was not so secretly done but that the mother who had a great iealousie of all her doinges within a short tyme fownd it out The which when she espied and sawe withal that how diligent and carefull soeuer she was to qualifie the rigour of her daughters life she would on the other side be as politike and inuentiue to find meanes to continue the same as one ouercome she gaue ouer and said vnto her after this maner Daughter I see well it booteth not to striue with you anie longer I doe but leese my labour Wherfore a Gods name goe your waie take your rest in your owne chāber at what tyme and after what maner yee shall thinke best And so after this tyme she entermedled no more in her doings but suffred her freely to folowe the instincte guidāce of the holie Ghost in all thinges When the blessed virgin had thus by her godlie wilines ouercome this battaille that was raised against her by the malice of the ghostlie enemie to hinder her heauenlie designemētes she returned to her former spiritual exercises againe with a passing great increase of feruour and deuotion She tooke such a delite in meditating reasonyng vpon thinges apperteinyng to godlines that doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father who was a verie graue wise and learned man affirmed this to be a thing which he tooke to be most certainly true that if she might haue come into the companie of men of vnderstanding that would haue reasoned with her of God a hundred nightes she would haue continued with them in such communication without eating drinking or sleeping Yea he affirmed furthermore that whē she had anie such occasion to speake or heare others speake of God she was sensibly nourished recreated and conforted withal as contrary wise when she might not be so occupied it was euidently seene that she drooped and became leane drie and feeble He confessed also to the honour of God of his holie spowse though withal to his owne shame confusion when that blessed virgin would at tymes speake of the goodnes of God and of his mercies towardes her he by reason of the lenght of tyme which she spent euermore willingly about that matter and also bicause he was farre from that feruour of loue that was in her being ouercome with the heauines of his bodie fell into a slomber she in the meane tyme being mightiely caried vp into God by the vehemence of her spirite continued her discourse still taking no heed to him vntill at the lenght after a long tyme casting her eye aside and seeing that he was a sleepe she would crie to him alowd and saie Alas Father why leese you the profite of your sowle for a litle sleepe Doe I speake to a wall or to you How she beate her selfe for a long tyme thrise in the daie with a chaine of yron Chap. 12. THis holie virgin hauing a great desire to folowe the steppes of S. Dominicke vsed for a long space to beate her selfe three tymes euery daie with a chaine of yron The first tyme for her selfe the second for the liuing the third for the dead The which discipline she was enforced at the lenght to geue-ouer by reason of the weakenes of her bodie Being demaunded on a tyme of her ghostlie Father how and after what maner she did that penance she answered with great bashfulnes that for euerie tyme she tooke an hower and a halfe and beat her selfe so that the blood tricled downe from her shoulders to her feet And while she was in this exercise laid on so sore vpō her bodie that her mother being one tyme neere vnto the chamber hearing the noise of the strokes was in wardly moued with motherlie pitie and so entred in sodainly vpon her But when she sawe the maner of it when she beheld presently with her eyes the roughe yrō chaine wher with she beate her selfe the bodie of daughter miserably rent and torne the bloodie streames that ranne downe to the grownd on all sides being ouercome with natural compassion she cried out like a woman besides her selfe and said Alas Daughter what doest thou what meanest thou Wilt thou kill thy selfe Who hath counselled my daughter to exercise such crueltie vpon her tender bodie with that she scright out as lowd as euer she could and tare her haire and clothes and sared like a madd woman In so much that the neighbours rownd about hearing the lamentable criyng of the old woman and dowbting of some strange and heauie mischance came runnyng into
aboue the course of nature I will doe now as I did when I was conuersant in the worlde at what tyme I sent simple men idiots and fisshers but replenished with heauenlie knowledge and strength of my spirite to controll the wisedome of the worlde so will I send thee at this tyme and other ignorant persones both men and women to confownd the pride of those that are wise in their owne eyes The which confusion if they receiue and humble them selues before me confessing that all wisedome power is myne if they will reuerently embrace my doctrine spread throughout the worlde by such weake fraile vessels I will haue mercie vpon them and geue them a further increase of grace and their confusion shal be to them a medicine vnto euerlasting saluation But if they refuse to receiue this medicine and will needes folowe on in their old course despising my holie word persecuting my belowed seruantes and frindes I shall bring them to such confusion that the whole worlde shall despise them and set them al at naught And if after such temporal confusion in this worlde they shewe them selues stiffe necked and vnrecouerable I will adiuge them moreouer to euerlasting confusion in the world to come Where with great bitternes of hart and penance without frute they shall see them selues so much depressed and holden downe vnderneth them selues as they had a desire in this life to be magnified and exalted aboue them selues Wherefore daughter set thy selfe in a readines to be sent out into the worlde for I wil be with thee at all tymes and in all places I will visite thee and directe thee in all thinges that I shall send thee to doe When she heard that she bowed downe her head with great reuerence and went downe as our Lord had willed her to eate with the rest of the howsehold with whom she continued for that tyme bodily but her hart was fixed in God And whatsoeuer she sawe or heard of wordlie affaires was tedious and yrckesome vnto her and therefore so soone as she might conueniently she withdrewe her selfe out of all companie and returned againe to her Cell that she might there with the greater quetnes enioye the desired presence of him in whom she had reposed her whole loue and felicitie From that tyme foreward there grewe in her a passing great desire of receiuing the blessed Sacrament of the bodie and blood of Christ whereby she beleeued faithfully that she should receiue a further increase of grace and be vnited to God not only with the vnion of spirite but also after a sort with a blessed coniunction of bodies while she receiued his most blessed bodie into her bodie Of her vertuous and lowclie conuersation emong men and how she would debase her selfe to doe the vilest seruices in the howse Of manie strange visitations excesses and trawnses which she had in the presence of manie Chap. 2. BEing thus appointed by the expresse commaundement of God to spend some part of her life in the compaine of men that her conuersation might be the more fruteful to them in all her doinges she shewed a meruelous profownd and syncere humilitie withal a verie earnest hartie zeale to the honour of God to the edifying of al such as happened to cōuerse with her For shewe of a great humilitie she set her selfe with a verie willing and cheereful mynd to doe all the vilest fowlest seruices in the howse as to swepe the howse to scowre vessels to wassh disshes and to doe other more base and lothsome seruices then these such as doe properly apperteine to abiecte seruantes and drudges And it pleased God also that the seruant of the howse should be often sicke by reason whereof her charge trauaile was doubled For it laie vpon her both to serue the whole howsehold withal to haue a verie special and diligent regard to the seruant that was sicke All the which notwithstanding she would find a tyme to geue her selfe to her wonted exercises of praier and penance and to continue as it were with certaine enterteinementes her loue and familiaritie with her spowse who to answere her loue visited her also by euident miracle diuerse and sundrie tymes in the presence of all that liued in howse with her While she was occupied about the seruices of the howse it happened verie often that she was in a trawnce at what tyme her bodie was lifted vp into the ayer and hong there without anie thing to staie it vp euē as a peece of yron is wōt to hang at the adamant stone And as we see that fyer doth naturally tend vpward euen so was it made in a sort almost natural to her by reason of the heauenlie fyer with the which her hart was wholly inflamed to be caried vp towardes Christ her spowse in whom only her spirite fownd rest In the tyme while she was in such trawnces which happened verie often vnto her it was euidently seene by as manie as chaunced then to be present that her sowle did withdrawe it selfe from the bodilie senses and that it did so forsake the bodie that her handes feete were drawen together in so much that if they happened to latch at anie thing they held it so fast that yee might sooner breake them thē sunder them from the thing of the which they tooke hold Her eyes were closed vp her necke was stiffe like an horne and it was no small daunger once to towche her in that tyme though it were done neuer so gently Her mother on a tyme standing by assaied to set her necke straight for it seemed to her that it stood a litle awrie But as God would haue it one of the sisters that was then present vnderstood the danger of the same cried out vnto her and bad her in anie case that she should not doe it And anon after when she came to her selfe againe she felt her necke so sore as if it had ben beaten with a staffe And she said furthermore to doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father that if her mother had put a litle more strength vnto it she had without all doubte broken her necke How being in a trawnse she fell into the fyer and continued there a good while without anie harme Chap. 3. IT happened on a daie that this holie maid was turnyng the spit at a hoat fyer of coales to rost a peece of meate for the howsehold At what tyme being her selfe rosted within with a farre hoater fyer of the spirite of God then was that fyer that rosted the meate on the spit she was rauished in sowle and taken awaie from her bodilie senses by reason wherof the spit stood still The which thing her brothers wife called Lysa perceiuing and knowing right well the condicions of the holie maid tooke the spit out of her hand let her alone When the meat was readie the howsehold set them selues at the table and taking a conuenient tyme for their repast sawe
she was come the sicke woman which was now verie weake in bodie but well strengthened in spirite made signes of great reuerence and ioye and partly with woordes as well as she could partly with tokens and gestures of bodie and countenance she lamented her vncharitable demeanour towardes her and besought her of mercy and pardon That done she made her cōfession with great humilitie and contrition so receiuing the Sacramentes rightes of holie Church she yealded vp her soule to God At what tyme it pleased almightie God to shewe to the holie virgin what a blesful beautiful state that saued sowle was in which as she declared afterwardes to her ghostlie father was so great that no tongue of man is able to expresse it And yet was not this that beawtie that she should receiue afterwardes in the blesse of heauen but only that godlie state that the sowle had in her first creation and receiued againe at the tyme of her Baptisme Thē said our Lord to the holie maid How saiest thou my deere daughter is not this a faire and goodlie sowle which through thy paines and diligēce is now recouered out of the hādes of the enemie What man or woman would refuse to take paines for the wynning of such a beawtiful creature If I which am the most high and soueraigne beawtie and of whom proceedeth all maner of beawtie was notwithstāding so ouercome with the loue and beawtie of mans sowle that I refused not to come downe from heauen to clad my selfe with the simple weede of mans bodie in the same to susteine labours and reproches for the space of manie daies and yeares and in the end to shed myne owne blood for his redemption yet had I no need of mans sowle but was most sufficiently and most perfectly blessed in my selfe how much more ought you to labour one for an other and doe what in you lieth for the recouerie of such a noble and excellent creature For this cause haue I shewed thee the beawtie of this sowle that hereafter thou mightest both thy selfe be the more earnest about the wynnyng of sowles and also procure others to doe the like With that she thanked our Lord in most humble maner and besought him furthermore that he would vowchsafe to geue her a newe grace which was that she might from that tyme foreward be able to see the state and condicions of all such sowles as should by occasions haue anie conuersation or dealing about spiritual matters with her that by the sight of the same she might be the more prouoked to procure their saluation Vnto the which demaund our Lord made answere after this maner Daughter bicause thou hast forsaken all carnal conuersation for my sake and hast by all meanes laboured to vnite thy selfe to me in spirite which am the most excellent and soueraigne spirite therefore I here make thee a full graunt that from this verie instant thy soule shal be endewed with such a gracious light that thou shalt see and behold both the beawtie and also the deformitie of euerie sowle that is presented before thee And as hitherto thou hast seene the proportion and qualitie of bodies with thy bodilies eyes euen so from this tyme foreward thou shalt see the condicions of sowles with the spiritual eye of thy sowle not only of such as shal be present before thee but also of all other for whose sowles health thou shalt make intercession to me though thou neuer see them with thy bodilie eyes How she serued an old widdowe that had a festered sore runnyng vpon her by whom she was also infamed And of diuerse strange accidentes that ensued vpon the same Chap. 11. THere was emong the sisters of penance one sister called Andrea who had vpon her brest a verie lothsome sore commonly called a Canker This sore had fretted and eaten so much flesh rownd about and the corruption of the same yealded such an horrible sauour that none might come neere for stench By reason whereof there was none fownd that would attend vpon her in her sickenes The which thing when the holie maid vnderstood she went out of hand to visite her and seeing her vtterly forsaken and destitute of all succour and comfort she made her selfe well assured that the prouidence of God had reserued that sister for her keeping And so accepting the charge of her as at Gods hand she began to speake comfortable wordes vnto her and to make her a free offer of her owne person to attend and serue her to the vttermost of her power which made the widowe a glad woman The holie maid therefore set her selfe to the seruice of that poore woman she tooke care for her that she might haue whatsoeuer was necessarie or requisite for a woman in that case when tyme was she opened her sore clensed it of all the fowle matter she was shed it and wypt it and couered it againe with plaisters and cleane clothes and in all this she neuer shewed so much as one litle token of lothsomenes but did euerie thing with such diligence and cheerefulnes that the sicke sister was astoined to see so great loue and charitie in a maid of those yeares But the malicious feend who hath great enuie at all workes of charitie bent him selfe to doe all that in him laie to disannull if it were possible if not at the least to hinder this godlie and merciful enterprise so much as might be And first of all vpon a daie as the holie maid was about to open the sore to dresse it there came out such an horribile stench that she could hardly beare it but that she must needes vomite The which thing when she perceiued she entred into a passing great choler and displeasure against her owne skeymish bodie ane stomake and said to her selfe Ah vile and wretched flesh dost thou loath thy sister whom our Lord hath bought so deerely euen with the price of his owne most precious blood The daie maie come when thou also maiest fall into the like sickenes or peraduenture worse As I am a Christian woman thou shalt abide for it And with that she bowed downe and held her mowth and nose ouer the sore so long vntill at the length it seemed that she had comforted her stomake quite ouercome the skeymishnes that she felt before All the which tyme he sicke sister cried out vnto her and said Good daughter stand vp good daughter geue ouer cast not thy selfe awaie endanger not thy bodie with this infectuous sauour But she would neuer geue ouer vntill she had ouercome both the tew lines of her owne stomake and also the tentation of the ghostlie enemie When the suttle serpent sawe that this his assault was thus repelled being vtterly in despaire of anie better successe against that holie virgin which stood euermore like a strong fortresse well furnished defenced he deuised to laie his batterie to the weake woman whom he knewe to be of lesse experience and
be receiued vnworthely If S. Augustine had knowen that it had ben euel to receiue daily he would not haue said that he did neither like nor dislike of it but would haue said in plaine termes that he did vterly mislike it How much better were it for such rash iudgers of other mens consciences to harken to S. Ambrose who inuiteth thē to receiue daily with these wordes Take this bread saieth he euerie daie bicause you baue neede euerie daie to be purged restored comforted And the angelique doctour S. Thomas after a lōg discourse had about this matter cōcludeth in the end that such persones as find them selues to haue a greater deuotion and reuerence to the blessed Sacrament by their often receiuing maie safely receiue it often tymes And surely this increase of deuotion reuerence was euidently seene in the holie maid in whome it was noted by diuerse and sundrie persones that conuersed with her but especially by her ghostlie Father who sate at the sterne of her conscience that the oftener she comunicated the more she increased in humilitie in holie feare in feruour of deuotion in charitie in patience in all other vertues And when she might not cōmunicate as it happened sometimes by reason of certaine vrgent necessarie lettes she had a certaine fainting languishing paine not only in her soule but also miraculously in her bodie which was more grieuous to her then if she had ben sick of a burning ague or anie other bodily infirmitie Which point could neuer be perswaded to diuerse of the religious persones that liued in house with her who did what in them laie to hinder her from so often receiuing wherby they put her to meruelous intolerable paines But her ghostlie father who knewe in deed the state of her soule condescended easily to her earnest and holie demaund and was euermore verie readie to minister the blessed Sacrament vnto her bicause being a wise learned mā he vnderstood that her desire and longyng was of God To whome when she came to require the blessed Sacrament she was wont to speake verie sweetly after this maner Father I am hungrie I praie you for gods loue geue me the bread of life In respecte of the which good mynd and deuotion towardes the blessed Sacramēt Pope Gregorie the nynth made her a graunt that she might choose for her ghostlie father what priest she would and that she might carrie with her a portable aulter whether soeuer she went to the end that she might confesse and receiue wher and whē she would How our Sauiour Christ ministred the blessed Sacramēt vnto her with his owne holy hand Chap. 31. ON a tyme doctour Raimundus making his abode in Siena for certaine busines that he had there to doe came one mornyng to visite the holie maid and fownd her verie sore pained with diuerse and sundrie diseases but specially with a great griping in the flanke commonly called Iliaca passio All the which paine notwithstanding after certaine conference had betweene them concernyng the worthines and excellencie of the blessed Sacrament she besought him that she might receiue that mornyng Whervnto he assented with a good will and so went to the Church to prepare him selfe to say masse But her paines increased so vehemently vpon her that she sent one of her sisters after him to entreate him to tarrie a litle while hoping after a tyme to haue some such release of her paines that she might be able to come to the Church Where withal he was well contented and abode her leisure till it was about noone At what tyme she fownd some ease and came in deed to the Church to communicate But before she had signified so much to the father certaine of the sisters which sawe that the tyme was farre spent and knewe also that her maner was after she had receiued to be rauished in spirite and so to continue for the space of three fower or fiue houers came to her and perswaded with her that she should absteine from receiuing that daie in consideration that the tyme was past and that it would be a great trouble to the brethren who must attend so long to shut the Church doores when all was done Which counsel she yealded vnto with great meekenes But yet she had such an impatient desire to receiue that she turned her selfe to our Lord after a ruthful maner and said O my deere Lord and sweete comfort of all afflicted hartes seeing it hath pleased thee so graciously to put this desire into my hart I most humbly beseech thee that it maie also please thee to perfourme the same by thy selfe which can not be perfourmed by men without their great trouble and disquiet Our Lord who neuer despiseth the desire of a good hart heard the inward gronyng of his hand maid and gaue her comfort that he would accomplish her godlie request not only mercifully but also meruelously Wherupon she sent one of her sisters to doctour Raimundus to praie him to begynne masse at his pleasure for she might not receiue at his hand that daie With that he went to masse supposing that she had not ben in the Church but at home in her chamber And after sacring when the tyme was to breake the holie Host he thought to breake it according to the maner and ordinance of holie Chuch into three partes But behold contrarie to his meanyng and expectation he sawe fower partes Of the which one part skipped from aboue the chalice where he held it in his hand and laid it selfe downe vpon the corporal to his seeming Where he beheld it aduisedly and afterwardes when he receiued sought for it diligently and so did he likewise when Masse was done both on the corporal and on the aulter and al about beside the aulter and vpon the ground but could neuer find it Which put him in a great maze and perplexitie of conscience Wherupon he thought good to take the aduise of his priour who was accounted a verie discrete and godlie man and so in the meane tyme couered the aulter and gaue a great charge to the Sacristane to see that none should come neere the aulter til he came againe Now as he was going in the way he met with the priour of the Carthusians his verie frinde and familiar who came to conferre with the holie maid of certaine matters and therfore praied him that he would bring him to her speech I beseech you said doctour Raimundus haue a litle patience while I goe and speake two wordes with our Father priour and I will returne with all possible speed and bring you to her cell Sir said he I maie not tarrie for this is as you knowe a solemne fasting daie with vs and I must needes eate this daie with my brethren in the refectorie The tyme is farre spent as you see and I haue well nigh three miles home Wherefore I must desire you for Gods loue to dispatch me as soone as you can For I am moued
maid How almightie God permitted the deuel to haue power ouer her bodie and how she ouercame all with great patience Chap. 33. THe malice that the damned sprites bare to this holie virgin was verie great and the battailes that they made continually against her to remoue her from her constancie and vowe of virginitie were surely verie fierce and cruel All the which she ouercame by the grace of God and triumphed ouer all their malice and wilines as we haue in part touched before but as our Lord would not suffer them to haue anie power ouer her soule which could not be without synne so did he permit them to vexe her bodie and put it to great paine for her further increase of merite and higher crowne In so much that some tymes they threwe her into the fyer sometymes they cast her downe headlong from her horse and one tyme when doctour Raimundus her Confessour with diuerse other was present they hurled her downe in such sort that both she and her horse were ouer the head and eares in the myer Wherat she smyled pleasantly and said to her companie Be not afraid for this is the worke of Malatasca And this happened most commonly vnto her when she had done some special worke that tended to the edifying of soules As she declareth verie well her selfe in her hundreth and sixt epistle where after that she had declared what intolerable paines she suffred which were in deed so vehement that for verie paine she raught at her garmentes and looke how much she latched with her hand so much she rent awaie and how the next daie being to write letters to the Popes holines and to three Cardinals when she had ended her letler to the Pope she was able to write no more by reason of the violent paines that came vpon her she writeth these wordes And so standing stil a litle while there began a terrour of deuels which was done in such sort that they set me quite besides my selfe raging like mad dogges against me as though I seelie worme had ben the occasion of taking out of their handes that which they had holden longe tyme in the holie Church And this terrour together with the paine of my bodie was so great that I had thought to haue gone from my studie and to get me to the chappell as though my studie had ben the occasion of my paines but sodainly I was throwen downe And being throwen downe it seemed to me that my soule was departed from my body howbeit not so as when it was departed in deed for then my soule did tast the felicitie of the immortal spirites and did receiue that most soueraigne blessednes with them But now it seemed as a thing reserued though it seemed not to be in my bodie but I sawe my bodie as though it had ben an other These be the verie wordes that she writeth in that epistle in the which she describeth certaine newe battailes made against her by those damned sprites farre greater and more terrible then euer she susteined at anie other tyme. And in the next epistle she declareth how she was verie sore beaten and tormented by them bicause she praied with a great zeale for the Catholike Church where she saieth moreouer that the more she suffred in her bodie the greater was her loue towardes the Church and the more she desired to see the same refourmed How she deliuered a certaine yong maid that was possessed of a wicked sprite Chap. 34. AS it was well knowen to diuerse and sundrie persones that this holie maid was meruelously vexed and put to intolerable paines by the malice of wicked sprites so it pleased God to shewe likewise to the wordle that he had graunted her as it were by special priuilege authority iurisdiction ouer the said sprites to commaund bynd and cast them out at her pleasure to the great comfort of the true and humble seruantes of God and withal to the vtter confusion of those proude sprites that set them selues vp against God and his seruantes as maie appeere euidently by these examples here ensewing There was in the citie of Siena a certaine notarie called maister Michael who when he was well striken in yeares determined with the consent of his wife to forsake the wordle and to geue him selfe to a more streigth order of life He determined also to dedicate two of his daughters to the seruice of God in a monasterie founded in the name honour of S. Iohn Baptist in the same citie Where when they had continued a certaine tyme one of the daughters whose name was Laurentia a child of eight yeares old was by the secret iudgement of God posessed with a wicked sprit by reason wherof the whole monasterie was much disquieted Wherupon by common consent they sent for her father and gaue him his daughter againe After that this child was thus taken out of the monasterie the wicked sprite vttered many wonderful thinges by her mouth and answered to manie darcke and hard questions And which was most strange he spake commonly in the latine tongue He disclosed also manie secret vices of diuerse and sundrie persones to their great reproach and slaunder Which thing turned the father and mother and others also of their kinred and acquentance to great heauines who left no meane vnsought wherby they thought they might ease the child Emong other thinges wherin those deuout folkes hoped in tyme to find helpe comfort one special meane was the reliques of Sainctes kept in manie places in the citie vnto the which places they resorted daily with all diligence namely to S. Ambrose tombe who had ben in his life tyme a Fryer preacher to whome almightie God had graunted a singular grace in casting out deuels frō such as were possessed in so much that his cope or scapular which were there kept being laied vpon them that were vexed with vncleane sprites did verie commonly chase them awaie Wherfore they brought the child thither and laied her downe vpon the tombe cast the said clothes ouer her And the father and mother in the meane tyme set them selues earnestly to praier beseeching our Lord with great instance that it would please him at the contemplation of that holie Saincte to take mercie on their child But their praier was not heard as then Which thing happened vnto them not for anie synne that they committed but bicause it was otherwise disposed by the prouident wisdome of God who vndoubtely put it in the heartes of certaine of their frindes to geue them counsel that they should repraire to the holie maid for the reliefe of their child Which counsel they folowed in deed and first sent vnto her praying her in most earnest maner that she would vouchsafe to doe her best to helpe their daughter wherunto she made answere that she had inough to doe with the wicked sprites that did from tyme to tyme molest and trouble her selfe and therfore praied them that they would hold her
excused The parentes whose hartes were verie heauie and careful for the innocent child would not take that excuse but tooke their daughter and went to her to her lodging And came to the house so sodainly that she could not possibly escape by the dore but that they must needes haue a sight of her The which whē she sawe she fownd the meanes to conueie her selfe out by a windowe and so hid her selfe for that tyme in such sort that they could not find her At the last when they had tried all waies sawe that they could by no meanes come to her speech for she had geuen charge to as manie as were about her that none should moue her in that matter they resolued to goe to doct Thomas her ghostlie father to entreat him that seeing the case was so lamētable she so vnwilling to deale in it he would cōmaund her in the vertue of her obedience to keepe the child with her for a tyme. Doctour Thomas was much moued with their pitiful sute and therfore put them in comfort that he would doe for his part what was possible to be done But bicause he knewe well that if he spake to her him selfe she would of humilitie make one excuse or other in such sort that he should not be able to moue her anie further he deuised this wyle He awaited a tyme late in the euenyng when he knewe that the holie maid was abrode then tooke the child that was possessed and put her into a chamber whether he knewe she would come that night leauing word with the rest of the sisters that they should tell her when she came home that he commaunded her in the vertue of her obedience to suffer that child to remaine there with her all that night vntill the next morrowe And so he went his waie and lefte the child with them Anon after when she came home and espied the child in her chamber she asked the sisters who had brought that child thither They made her answere and said that doctour Thomas her confessour had lefte the child there And they declared furthermore that he had willed her in the vertue of her obedience to take the charge of the child till the next daie When she heard that she made no more a doe but set her selfe foorthwith to praier and caused the child to kneele downe and praie with her And so they continued together all that night encountering and fighting against the wicked sprite vntill at the length a litle before daie he was constreined by the force of her faithful praier to depart and to leaue the innocent child without doing anie harme to her bodie The which thing when one of the sisters caled Alexia perceiued she ranne to doctour Thomas and told him that the child was deliuered Doct Thomas likewise being very glad of that ioiful newes wēt to the father mother and brought them with him to the holie maides chamber Where when they sawe the child deliuered in deed they wept for ioye and glorified almightie God that had geuen such power to his humble spowse But the holie maid knewe that the wicked sprite had not quite forsaken the child and therefore intreated the father and mother that she might remaine there with her a litle tyme which they graunted with a good will Then she began to instructe the child exhorted her to geue her self to continual prayer And withal she gaue her a great charge that she should in no wise depart out of the house vntill her father and mother came thether againe to fetch her home Which pointes the child obserued verie well Now it chaunced in this meane tyme that the holie maid had occasion to goe home to her owne house about some necessarie busines for all this was done not in her owne house but in the house of one of the sisters called Alexia of whome mention is made before and there to continue all that daie for the which tyme she lefte the child with a seruant gaue her a great charge withall When she had passed ouer the whole daie in her owne house about such necessarie businesses as she had there to doe and night was come she willed Alexia to giue her her mātel for she would returne with her to her house To that Alexia made answere and said that it was verie late and that it would be euel thought of if women esp religious persones should be seene abrode at that tyme of the night O Alexia said she we must needes goe for that hellish wolfe is about to take my litle lambe awaie from me againe And with that they went both together and found the child in deed verie strangely altered her face all red and her wittes vtterly distracted When the holy maid sawe that she brak out with great indignation into these wordes Ah thou foule feend of hell how durst thou thus to enter againe vpon this poore innocent I trust in the great goodnes of my deere Lord and Sauiour that thou shalt now be cast out in such sort that thou shalt neuer dare to enter againe And with that she tooke the child with her into her chamber where she continued for a certaine tyme in praier Which done she brought out the child againe fully deliuered of that wicked sprite and willed that other sister that was there with her to take the child and laie her downe vpon the bed that she might rest a while And the next morrowe she sent for the father and mother to whome she spake after this maner Take your child home with you on Gods name for from this daie foreward she shall neuer be troubled more with that wicked sprite They tooke their child with glad hartes and lead her to the monasterie from whence she came where she liued a verie blessed life vnder that holie rule and discipline and was neuer molested more to her dying daie Which thing was so ioyous to maister Michael her father that he could neuer tell it afterwardes but that he wept for ioye And he honoured the holie maid in his hart as if she had ben an Angel of God Doctour Raimundus being certified of this great miracle by the faithful report of doctour Thomas Alexia and of the father and mother of the child went him selfe to the holie maid and desired her that she would enforme him particularly of the matter But specially he was desirous to knowe the cause whie the thing was not wrought by the vertue of some holie reliques which the father and mother sought so diligentlie vnto or els exorcismes as it is wont to be Wherunto she made answere that it was a verie rough and stubborne sprite so obstinatly bent that at the first tyme she was faine to continue in battaile against him from the euenyng til the fourth houer of the night before she could expell him And at the length when he sawe that he must needes depart being indeed therunto constreined by the force of her feruent praier
and by vertue of the charge that she gaue him in Gods be halfe he said these wordes to her If I must needes depart out of this child I will enter into thee Wherunto she made answere said If it be Gods pleasure without whose licēce I am well assured thou maiest doe nothing our Lord forbid that I should be against his holie will in anie thing The which wordes proceeding of a verie humble and and resigned spirite so strooke the proud feend that he lost all the strenght that he had before against the innocent child Howbeit in passing out he rested a while in the chides throte which was perceiued by a great swelling that he made in that place Which thing the holie maid seeing she made the signe of the Crosse ouer the childes throte by vertue wherof the wicked sprite was vtterly dispossessed in such sort that he might neuer returne to disquiet the child againe How she deliuered a woman that was possessed of a wicked sprite Chap. 35. ON a tyme while this holie maid was at a certaine castel or towne called Rocka within the territorie of Siena with a worshipful ladie whose name was Madam Bianchina it happened that a womā of the same castel was sodainly taken and miserably tormented with a wicked sprite The which piteful sight when Madame Bianchina sawe she was so moued with compassion that she thought to become an earnest suter to the holie maid for her deliuerie But bicause she vnderstood that such sutes were commonly verie vnpleasant to the holie maid who of a great humilitie shewed her selfe euermore verie loth to meddle in anie such matter she asked counsel of certaine of the religious sisters that were there with the holie maid whose aduise was that the woman should be brought to her presence sodainly and vnawares to her that the sight of the piteful creature might moue her to compassion The which aduise seemed verie good and according to the same the woman was in deed on a daie brought in before the holie maid in a place where she happened to be making a loue-daie betweene two that were fallen out When she sawe the wretched woman and sawe withal that she could by no meanes auoid she turned to the ladie Bianchina and said Ah madame God forgeue you Wote you what you haue done knowe you not that I haue trouble inough by these wicked sprites that doe from tyme to tyme molest myne owne persone wherfore then doe you increase my trouble in presenting others before me that are vexed with these foule feendes With that she turned to the woman that was possessed and said to the wicked sprite Thou malicious enemie of mankind I charge thee laie downe thy head here in this mans lappe and abide there till I come againe She had no sooner spoken those wordes but that the woman that was vexed laid downe her head in a certaine Anchorites lappe that was there by who was called Sanctus and neuer remoued till she came againe In this meane tyme while the holie maid was gone out to make vp a full peace betweene two men of warre that were at variance whose dwelling was not farre from that place the sprite cried out mightely by the mouth of that miserable woman leanyng her head in the Anchorites lappe and said Whie doe ye hold me here I praie you let me goe for I am verie hard houlden They that stood thereby made answere and said to him againe And whie dost thou not goe thy waie who holdeth thee Is not the doore open Oh said he that cursed woman hath bound me here She holdeth me that I maie not depart What woman said they That that cursed woman said he and would not or peraduenture could not name her but after a raging maner cried out that cursed creature that cursed woman myne enemie Then the Anchorite asked him whether he tooke her for his great enemie or no. Yea said he the greatest that I haue this daie in the wordle Then those that were there present being much disquieted with his outragious crying said to him Hold thy peace Caterine cometh meanyng therby to put him in feare and so to cause him to cease his crying No no said he she cometh not yet She is in such a place where she was in deed They asked him what she did there what doth she said he She is now doing of a thing as she is at all tymes wherin I take small pleasure And with that he cried out againe verie sore and said Ah whie am I thus holden here And it was euidently seene that he neuer moued from that place where the holie maid charged him to abide till her comyng againe At the last he said Now is that that cursed woman comyng They demaunded of him where she was She is now said he in such a place And now she is gone from thence and goeth towardes such a place And so declared from tyme to tyme how she passed from place to place vntill at the length when she was come to the gate of the house where they were he said Now she is come When she was entred into the house and began to make towardes the chamber wherin they abode her returne he cried out with a lowd voice said Ah why hold yee me here by force The holie maid made answere and said Arise wretch and get thee hence and leaue this creature of God and from this houer foreward see that thou be neuer so hardie as once to molest her againe And with that it was seene that the wiked feend forsooke all the other partes of that womans bodie and gathered him selfe into her throte where he made such an horible swelling that it moued as manie as were present to great compassion Then the holie maid made the signe of the Crosse ouer the place that was swolen and forthwith he went his waie lefte the woman safe and sound in the presence of a great manie that were there and sawe this euident miracle with their eyes But bicause the poore woman had ben sore trauailed by the feend the holie maid willed thē to bring her home to her howse that she might rest a while take some sustenāce And so they did Now when she was fully come to her selfe againe and knewe the place and personnes that were about her she had great meruaile asked some of her acqueintance what she did there and how she came thither They made her answere and declared vnto her in what case she had ben and what had ben done by the holie maid about her deliuerie When she heard that she was astoined and said that in truth she could remember no such thing Only this she confessed that her bodie was verie sore shaken and brused as if it had ben beaten with a cluble Then she turned her selfe after a verie humble maner towardes the holie maid and with most hartie thankes acknowledged the great benefite that she had there receiued at Gods hand through her meanes
sawe that being moued with pitie she turned her selfe to God after her accustomed maner in praier and besought him with great instance that he would voutchsafe to prolong her mothers life Our Lord made answere that if she could be brought to dispose her selfe to die at that tyme it would be best for her forsomuch as if she liued longer there were such stormes of troubles and aduersitie towardes her as she should not be able to beare The holie maid hearing that went to her mother and comforted her and vsed manie sweet perswasions with her to induce her to be content seeing it was the will of God to passe out of this wretched state to a more happie and blessed life But the mother geuing but a deaffe eare to this kind of talke charged her daughter earnestly that she should rather praie to God for the continuance of her life for as yet she could in no wise be brought to depart out of the wordle Then the holie maid in great anguish and perplexitie of mynd became a mediatrix betweene almightie God and her mother humbly beseeching him on the one side that he would not suffer her mother to depart vntill she were resolued to die willingly for his loue and earnestly exhorting her on the other side that she should yeald her hart fully and wholly to the will of God But she was so fixed on the wordle that she might not abide to heare of death Whereupon our Lord speake to the holie maid after this sort Daughter said he tell thy mother that if she will not consent to die now a tyme shall come when she shal be so afflicted that she shall desire to die and shall not be heard Which saying of our Lord tooke effecte within a litle tyme after and she was in deed so miserably tormented in mynd with the losse of her temporal goods vnto the which she bare a meruelous inordinate loue that she brake out impatiently into certaine wordes as it were of desperation and despite against God saying Is it possible that God hath so inclosed my soule in this crooked bodie that it can find no waie out Haue I sent so manie of my sonnes and daughters kinsfolkes and frindes housband and all out of the wordle before me with great griefe and now am constreined to remaine here alone after them all to see my selfe ouerwhelmed with heauines and miserie And so with this bitternes of hart and murmuring against God she passed out of this life without anie further contrition or repentance for her synnes Her daughter tooke this maner of her departure meruelous heauily and could receiue no coÌ„fort but setting her selfe to praier which she had euermore tried to be a present remedie against all euels she sighed sobbed and wept verie lamentably and powred out the griefe of her hart before God with these wordes O my deere Lord and God are these the promises that thou hast made me that there should no one of my house and familie perish in the handes of the enemie Behold ô Lord my mother is now passed out of this life without repentance for her synnes without confession without the rightes of holie Church O sweet Lord O Father of all comfort I most humbly beseech thee in the bowels of thy tender mercie that thou wilt not reiecte the petition of thy lowlie handmaid at this tyme. See ô Lord I lie here prostrate before thy diuine Maiestie and will not rise out of this place vntill my mother be restored to life againe and I ascertained of her saluation that thy promises maie be verified and my soule comforted While the holie maid was thus praying there were a nomber of women in the chamber some of the houshold and some of the neighbours that came thither at that tyme as the maner is to mourne and to doe such thinges as were to be done about the dead corps Emong these women some there were also that gaue diligent eare to the holie maid heard distinctly what wordes she spake in her praier But they all sawe this and were witnesses of the same that soone after the holie maid had ended her praier the sowle returned to the bodie againe and the woman liued afterwardes a conuenient tyme to repent her of her former offences and so died in the state of grace This storie did the holie maid her selfe declare afterwardes to Doctour Raimundus her ghostlie father How the holie maid obteined of God by praier the conuersion of two theeues that were lead to execution Chap. 10. ON a daie while the holie maid was in the house of one of her sisters called Alexia it chaÌ„ced that two famoê° theeues condemned to death were caried in a cart thorough the streete towardes the place of execution Their sentence was that by the waie as they were caried they should be pinched now in one part of their bodie and now in an other with hote yrons or pincers and so in the end put to death Which paine was so intolerable that they which were before in a desperate state and might by no perswasions be brought to repent them of their manifold and heinous offences committed against God and the wordle blasphemed God all his Sainctes In so much that it seemed that the temporal tormentes that they were now in were but a begynning and waie to these euerlasting tormentes and fyer that they went vnto But our merciful Lord whose prouident goodnes disposeth all thinges sweetly had otherwise determined of them When they were come neere to this house Alexia hearing a great concourse and noyse of people in the streete went to the windowe to see what it might be And seeing the horrible maner of the execution she ranne in againe and said to the holie maid O mother if euer you will see a pitiful sight come now With that the holie maid went to the windowe and looked out and so soone as she had seene the maner of the execution she returned foorthwith to her praiers againe For as she declared afterwardes secretly to Doctour Raimundus she sawe a great multitude of wicked spirites about those fellons which did burne their soules more cruelly within then the tormentours did their bodies without Which lamentable sight moued her to double compassion She had great pitie to see their bodies but much more to seâ— their soules wherefore turning her selfe to our Lord with great feruour of spirite she made her praier to him after this maner Ah deere Lord wherefore dost thou suffer these thy creatures made to thyne owne image and likenes and redeemed with the price of thy most precious blood to be thus lead awaie in triumph by the cruel enemie I know ô Lord confesse that these men are iustly punished according to the measure of their offences So was the theefe also that hong by thee on the Crosse whom notwithstanding thou tookest to mercie saying that he should be with thee that verie daie in Paradyse Thou diddest not refuse Peeter but gauest him a
the sisters that was there with her at that tyme that when the holie maid came to her selfe againe she should desire her in his name and also charge her in the vertue of her obedience that she should extend her charitie towardes that miserable man that laie on passing and praie to God hartely for his recouerie When the holie maid vnderstood the lamentable state of the sicke man and withall the charge that was geauen her from her ghostlie father she taried not but foorthwith set her selfe to praier and besought our Lord with great instance and feruour of spirite that he would not suffer that soule to perish whome he had redeemed with the price of his most precious blood To that our Lord made answere and said that the iniquitie of that wicked man was so heinous in his sight that the crie thereof perced the heauens and called for iustice for he had not only in wordes most horribly blasphemed the holie name of God and of his Sainctes but also with great despite and malice throwen a table into the fyer in the which was painted the death and passion of our Sauiour Christ together with the images of our blessed Ladie and other Sainctes By the which facte he had deserued euerlasting damnation When the holie maid heard that she fell downe prostrate before our Lord and said O Lord if thou wilt looke narrowly to our iniquities who shal be able to stand Wherefore camest thou downe from heauen into the wordle Wherefore tookest thou flesh of the most pure and vnspotted virgin Marie Wherefore diddest thou suffer a most bitter and reprochfull death Hast thou done all these thinges ô Lord to this end that thou mightest call men to a streight and rigorous account for their synnes and not rather that thou mightest vtterly cancel their debtes and take them to mercie Why dost thou ô merciful Lord tell me of the synnes of one lost man seeing thou hast borne vpon thyne owne shoulders the synnes of the whole wordle that none should be lost Doe I lie here prostrate at thy feete to demaund iustice and not rather to craue mercie Doe I present my selfe here before thy diuine Maiestie to pleade the innocencie of this wretched creature and not rather to confesse that he is gyltie of euerlasting death and damnation and that the onlie refuge is to appeale to thyne endles mercie Remember ô deere Lord what thou saidest to me when thou diddest first will me to goe abrode and to procure the saluation of manie soules Thou knowest right well that I haue none other ioye or comfort in this life but only to see the conuersion of synners vnto thee And for this cause only I am content to lacke the ioyful fruition of thy blessed presence Wherefore if thou take this ioye from me what other thing shall I find in this vale of miserie wherein to take pleasure or comfort O most merciful Father God of all comfort reiecte not the hūble petition of thyne handmaid put me not awaie from thee at this tyme but graciously graunt me that this my brothers hard hart maie be mollified and made to yeald to the working of thy holie spirite Thus did the holie maid continue in praier and disputation with our Lord from the begynning of the night till the nexte morning All the which tyme she neither slept nor tooke anie maner of rest but wept and wailed continually for great compassion that she had to see that soule perish our Lord euermore alleaging his iustice and she crauing his mercie At the length our Lord being as it were ouercome with her importunitie and crying gaue her this comfortable answere Deere daughter I will stand no longer with thee in this matter Thy teares and lamentable crying haue preuailed and wrested the sword of my iustice out of myne hand This synful man shall for thy sake find such fauour and grace as thou requirest for him And with that our Lord withdrewe him selfe from the holie maid and appeered the same hower to the sicke man and spake to him after this maner Deere child why wilt thou not be repentant for the synnes that thou hast committed against me In anie case be sorie for thyne offences and confesse the same and I am readie to pardon thee That word so persed the hart of that obstinate man that he relented foorth with and cried with a lowd voice to them that were there present besought them for Gods loue that they would helpe him to a ghostlie father with all possible speed For said he my Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ hath shewed him selfe mercifully to me and willed me to be confessed of all my synnes When they heard that they were verie much astoined but withall meruelously comforted to see that soddaine and blessed alteration in him And they made great hast to bring him a ghostlie father to whome he made a perfecte Confession of all his synnes with great contrition and so passed out of this wordle in the state of grace How the holie maid by praier procured the conuersion of a fierce yong gentleman in Siena called Iames Tolomes Cap. 12. THere was in the citie of Siena a gentleman of a worshipfull parentage called Francis Tolomes who tooke to wife on Rabes a gentlewoman likewise of a good howse and by her had manie sonnes and daughters His eldest sonne was called Iames a prowd and hawtie yong man and of nature verie fierce and cruel in so much that being yet but a child of age he killed two men with his owne handes which cawsed all men both to dread him and to shunne his companie And as he grewe in yeares so did he also increase in malice and wickednes and ranne without raine or bridle euen as his outragious mynd caried him into all kindes of mischiefe He had two sisters the one called Francis the other Ginoccia which were also dissolute and light of behauiour and specially Ginoccia which was wholly geuen to vaintie and superfluous decking of her selfe And yet had she euermore a care to keepe the virginitie of her bodie which she did rather for feare of shame in the wordle then for anie feare or loue of God Which thing was no small griefe to their mother Rabes who being a woman that feared God and tendred much the soules health of her daughters went on a daie to the holie maid and declaring the state of her daughters besought her for Gods loue that she would bee so good as to come with her and geue them some godlie exhortation The holie maid which had euermore a passing great desire to wynne soules to God went with the gentlewoman with a verie good will and did as she was required And her wordes so wrought in the hartes of those two yong maidens that they gaue ouer all the vanities of the wordle and tooke the habite of S. Dominicke Ginoccia foorth with and Francis soone after In the which rule and discipline they liued a verie streight and rigorous life
wrought to declare how acceptable her workes of charitie were to him Chap. 8. Of a passing great charitie and diligence which she vsed in attending vpon a sicke woman and of her inuincible patience in bearing the waywardnes of the same woman Chap. 9. An other verie strange example of her charitie and patience towardes a sicke woman of her owne order and how she rendred great good for great euel Chap. 10. How she serued an old widowe that had a festered sore runnyng vpon her by whom she was also infamed And of diuerse strange accidentes that ensued vpon the same Chap. 11. How she was endued with manie goodlie priuileges How she had a passing desire to receiue the blessed Sacrament How being fortified with the spirite of God she endured much labour and trauaile without anie bodelie sustenance Chap. 12. How she was molested by diuerse and sundrie persones disswading her from her streight abstinence and how she ouercame her gostlie father by reason Chap. 13. How her strange maner of life was gainesaid and slaundered and how such gainesayinges and slaunders maie easily be answered Chap. 14. How she shewed her selfe meruelous seuere and rigorous towardes her selfe and contrariwise wonderfull gentle and meeke towardes them that slaundered her which she did to wynne them to God Chap. 15. How our Sauiour tooke her hart out of her bodie and after a certaine of daies gaue her a newe for it Chap. 16. Of diuerse and sundrie visions which she had at the siight and receiuing of the blessed Sacrament and how she felt herselfe wonderfully altered after the receite of that newe hart Chap. 17. How our Lord reueled manie high mysteries to the holie maid and how Marie Magdalen was assigned to her to be her mother Chap 18. How hangyngh in the aier she sawe certaine secrets and high mysteries of God which it is not lawful to disclose to anie man Chap 19. How she put her mouth to the side of our Sauiour and drancke and of manie other wonderful thinges that happend about the blessed Sacrament Chap 20. Of certaine other reuelations shewed vnto her vpon the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament And how she obteined graces for diuerse and sundrie persones Chap 21. How she receiued the blessed marckes of our Sauiour Christ in the citie of Pisa Chap. 22. How she was rauished in spirite for the space of three daies and how afterwardes she did penance as long for a woord that escaped her vnwares Chap. 23. Of certaine other reuelations and againe of the tendernes of her conscience Chap. 24. How it pleased God to reueale to her the worthines and excellencie of the blessed patriarke S. Dominicke and of his true children Chap. 25. How the holie virgin being wholly inflamed with the Loue of God desired instantly to be loosed from this life and to be with Christ and how by that meane she obteined to beare in her bodie euerie particular paine that our Sauiour Christ suffred for vs. Chap. 26. How bearing the Crosse of Christ continually in her bodie she tooke great delite to reason of the same and how she reuealed manie strange mysteries vpon the holie scriptures concerning the Crosse Chap. 27. An other exposition vpon the same place of the gospel with certaine other mystical sayinges And how she passed in deed out of this life in the panies of the Crosse Chap. 28 How she passed in deed out of this life and had the fruition of heauenlie ioyes and how afterwardes her soule came againe to the bodie Chap 29. How she had a meruelous deuotion and longyng after the blessed Sacrament and how she bare manie reproaches and slaunders for the same Chap. 30. How our Sauiour Christ ministred the blessed Sacrament vnto her with his owne holie hand Chap. 31. How her face did shyne like an Angel while she was receiuing the blessed Sacrament and of certaine other strange signes Chap. 32. How almightie God permitted the deuel to haue power our her bodie and how she ouercame all with great patience Chap. 33. How she deliuered a certanie yong maid that was possessed of a wicked spirite Chap. 34. How she deliuered a woman that was possessed of a wicked spirite Chap. 35. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTEINED IN THE THIRD PART OF THIS BOOKE HOw the holie maid was endued with the spirite of prophecie and foretold what calamities should happen to the Church and likewise how it should be restored againe Chap. 1. How the holie maid sawe the secret thoughtes of mens hartes and how she vsed that gyfte to the benefite of diuerse and sundrie persones Chap. 2. How the holie maid deliuered Doctour Thomas her confessour and an other Frier that iournied with him from being murthered in the waie Chap. 3. How she prophecied long tyme before of the conuersion of a gentleman called Francis of Malauolt Chap. 4. How the holie maid made an exhortation to the Carthusian monckes in the which by the spirite of prophecie she touched the most secret defectes of diuerse and sundrie of them verie particularly Chap. 5. VVhat a singular grace the holie maid had not only in seeing the state of their soules that were present with her but also in discernyng the qualities and condicions of them that were farre from her and in strange countries with certaine other pointes of like sort worthie to be noted Chap. 6. How the holie maid praied continually for the state of the Church and how by prayer she obteined of God the ceasing of two rebellions Chap. 7. How the holie maid obteined by prayer that she might satisfie the iustice of God for the paines due to her father in Purgatorie Chap. 8. How the holie maid by praier brought her mother to life againe and so deliuered her from the paines of hell Chap. 9. How the holie maid obteined of God by prayer the conuersion of two theeues that were lead to execution Chap. 10. How by the praier of the holie maid an obstinate synner was turned to God Chap 11. How the holie maid by praier procured the conuersion of a fierce yong gentleman in Siena called Iames Tolomes Chap. 12. How the holie maid by praier obteined the conuersion of a gentleman called Mannes Chap. 13. VVhat a wonderful grace the holie maid had in making exhortations and conuerting soules vnto God Chap. 14. How the holie maid mede manie goodlie Sermons or collations in the presence of Pope Gregorie and afterwardes likewise in the presence of Pope Vrbanus and his Cardinals Chap. 15. How the holie maid was sent to Pope Gregorie from the Florentines about a treatie of peace and how she was sent backe againe with the conditions of peace freely put in her owne hand Chap. 16. How the holie maid was sent backe from Pope Gregorie to the Florentines with the conditions of peace freely put in her owne hand Chap 17. How the holie maid shewed her selfe to be excellently well learned both by her writinges and workes set out to the whole wordle and also by her conferences and disputatiōs had with certaine great learned men Chap. 18 A briefe repitition or somme of manie pointes of heauenlie doctrine reuealed vnto the holie maid immediatly from God Chap. 19. A praier or answere made by a faithful and deuout soule to the wordes of almightie God here before recited Chap. 20. VVhat a sure affiance the holie maid had in the truth of Christ and how she longed after martyrdome Chap. 21. How the holie maid made a final exhortation to her spiritual children and so passed out of this life Chap. 22. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTEINED IN THE FOVRTH PART OF THIS BOOKE HOw it pleased our Lord to make the holines of his spowse knowen to the wordle by diuerse and sundrie euident tokens from heauen And first how she spake certaine comfortable wordes to doctour Raimundus after her departure out of this wordle Chap. 1. How it pleased God to geue a testimonie of her holines in her life tyme by an euident miracle wrought at the tombe of S. Agnes Chap. 2. How the holie maid in her life tyme healed manie that were sicke of the plague Chap. 3. How the holie maid healed a great nomber that were sicke of other diseases after the liker maner Chap. 4. How the holie maid made good bread of fustie and stincking corne and how she multiplied the same Chap. 5. How the holie maid multiplied bread an other tyme in Rome for the prouisiom of her familie Chap. 6. How the holie maid wrought the like miracle in the couent of the fryers preachers in Siena after her departure out of this wordle Chap. 7. How almightie God caused wine to be founde in an emptie vessel to the vse of the holie maid and how he caused the same to cease againe at her instance Chap. 8. Of a goodlie vision that was shewed to a certaine deuout matrone in Rome at the departure of the holie maid out of this life Chap. 9 How the holie maides bodie laie three daies and three nightes aboue the ground vnburied and of a nomber of miracles which it pleased our Lord to worke in that meane tyme. Chap. 10. VVhat miracles almightie God wrought to honour the holie maid after her burial Chap. 11. The end of the Table
the caue would suffer her to rise And so she continued from mornyng till noone But whē she perceiued that she was thus lifted vp from the earth she began to feare and to suspecte that it might be some deceite of the ghostlie enemie whose drifte might be by this meane to put her in feare and so to hinder her designement of going into the wildernes And therfore she set her selfe to praie more feruently and to abase her self more and more before God Wherevpon about that verie hower that our Sauiour after his passion was taken downe from the Crosse it pleased his diuine maiesty that she likewise should descend by litle and litle in like maner as she had ascended And he made her to vnderstand by his secret inspiration that the tyme was not yet come in the which she should forsake her fathers howse and put her bodie to such penance and affliction Wherfore she was in mynd to returne home againe But when she came foorth and sawe her selfe all alone and beheld the gate of the citie which seemed to be so farre off that she douted her weake and feeble bodie would neuer be able to endure so long a iourney fearing also lest her father and mother should thinke that she had ben lost she set her selfe againe to praier and cōmitted the matter wholly to God who failed not to supplie the weakenes of his litle hand maid and sent a litle clowd which tooke her vp from the grownd and carying her in the ayer set her in a verie short tyme in the gate of the citie from whence she went with all speed home to her Father and mother who suspected nothing at all of anie such matter but thought she had ben with her sister Bonauentura How shee vowed her virginitie vnto almightie God Chap. 4. SVch was the vertue and operation of this afore mentioned reuelation that it drewe al wordlie loue and affection out of the hart of this yong maid and wrought in the same a certaine holie loue to the Sonne of God only and to his most glorious mother the virgin Marie And this loue was so great that she accounted all the delites and pleasures of this wordle as verie durt and dong in comparison of her sweet spowse Iesus Christ Moreouer being now seuen yeares old she had learned only by the inward instructiō of the holie Ghost in her hart that is was a goodly state of life withal verie acceptable vnto God to liue in all puritie cleannes both of bodie and sowle She had learned also that our blessed Ladie the most pure vnspotted mother of God was the first that dedicated her selfe by vowe to serue God in that most cleane and perfecte state of virginitie And therfore she thought it most expedient for the obteinyng of that grace to make her humble suite to her who had before al others obteined the same at Gods hand for her selfe and vndoubtedly for all those that should afterwardes require it at her hand with the like humilitie and earnest desire Being therfore of the age of seuen yeares she set her selfe verie grauely sadly to take aduisement what order of life was best for her to take and for the better resolution in that point she praied to our blessed Ladie queene of Angels and virgins that it would please her to make intercession to her deere Sonne that he would vowchsafe to teach her by the instincte of his spirite what waie she might best take that were most to his glorie and to her sowles health Our blessed Ladie mother of pitie and comfort by whose gracious mocion this holie desire was first planted in her hart heard the discrete demaund of this wise yong virgin and answered her iust request First with a dailie increase of greater desire longing after the thing requested which was to knowe how she might order her life to be most acceptable vnto God then also with a resolution from God certifying her by secret inspiration in her hart that his will and pleasure was that she should serue him with all purity both of bodie and sowle in the state of virginitie The which when she vnderstood she suffred not that heauenlie fyer enkendled in her hart to be quenched nor to slake but being wholly inflamed with the loue of that most excellent and goodlie maner of life she chose out a secret place in the howse farre from the conuersation of all persones where she might with the more freedome of spirite offer vp her praiers and vowes to almightie God and there composing her selfe both in bodie and mynd with all humilitie she made her praier after this maner O most blessed Ladie O most glorious and sacred virgin mother of God which before all other women diddest by vowe consecrate thy virginitie vnto God becamest therby so gratious in his sight that he would haue his only Sonne to be borne of thee I most humbly beseech thee trusting not in anie merites of myne owne but only in thyne vnspeakable pitie that thou wilt vowchsafe to obteine me such grace and fauour with thy only begotē Sōne that frō this day foreward I may take him for the lawful deerly belowed spowse of my sowle And I here geue my faith and promise both to him and to thee that I shall neuer take other spowse but shall by the assistance of his holie grace doe what in me lieth to keepe my selfe a true and vndefiled virgin to him alone Thus praied this yong handmaid of Christ with great lowlines and feruencie of of spirite And her praier was heard her vowe accepted and she receiued to be the vndefiled spowse of the vnspotted lambe of God Iesus Christ The which thing when she vnderstood as she did by and by by the inward inspiration of the holie Ghost being replenished with a certaine holie feare she emploied her whole care and studie how she might best keepe her selfe chast true to her deere spowse And though as yet she felt no motion to vncleannes in her flesh yet to prouide like a wise womā for the tyme to come she began euen in those tender yeares to tame her bodie with fasting watching abstinence from all deliteful thinges and namely from eating of flesh In so much that when anie flesh was laid vnto her at the table either she gaue it to her brother Steuen that sate by her or els she conueied it priuily awaie that no man might see it She praied verie often and much subdued her bodie with much hard and sharpe discipline sometymes by her selfe alone sometymes with other yong children which resorted vnto her at tymes and were as it were trayned vnder her in spiritual exercises And so with these and other the like workes she preserued increased the graces of God that were plāted in her by her deere spowse Iesus Christ Of a woderfull zeale that was in her to wynne sowles to God and how for that cause she cast a great loue to
out a wildernes in the middle of the citie and to make her selfe a solitarie place were there was great resort and concourse of people She continued in praier meditation in the night season vntill the Friars Preachers rang the second peale to Matins And then she went to take a litle rest saying these wordes to our Lord. Lord hitherto haue thy seruantes my brethren taken their rest and I haue kept the watch for them before thee our gardian protectour beseeching thee to keepe them from the assaultes of the enemie and all euel Now are they risen to praise thee wherfor I humbly praie thee to keepe them and to geue me leaue to rest a while And so she laid her selfe downe vpon the bare boordes and put vnder her head a hard blocke in steed of a bolster or pillowe Of diuerse and sundrie visions and reuelations shewed vnto her With a doctrine how to discerne betweene true and false visions Chap. 16. THis holie virgin declared in secret confession to her ghostlie Father that at what tyme she began to retire her selfe from all conuersation and to liue alone in her cell it pleased her spowse Iesus Christ to visite her in visible maner and to geue her instructions in matters concernyng her saluation Father said she take this for a most certaine truth that I was neuer taught the rule of spiritual life by anie man or woman but only by Iesus Christ the spowse of my sowle who hath informed me alwaies either by secret inspiration or els appeering openly vnto me and speaking to me as I now speake to you She declared moreouer to her ghostlie Father that at the begyning her visiōs were for the most part only wrought in her imagination but afterwardes they were sensible in so much that she sawe with her bodilie eyes and heard with her bodilie eares the sownd of the voice that spake vnto her She reported furthermore that at the begynning she began to doubt and feare lest it might be some deceite or illusion of the ghostlie enemie who transfigureth him selfe into an Angel of light Which feare our Lord misliked not but rather commended it highlie vnto her and said that so long as a man or woman liueth in this life he should alwaies stand in feare according as it written Blessed is the man that is euer fearfull And he asked her whether she were willing to learne of him certaine notes and tokens by the which she might be able to discerne betweene the true visions of God and the false illusions of the enemie Wherunto she made answere with great submission and lowlines of spirite and besought him humbly that he would vowchasafe to teach her Then he said these wordes Daughter It were an easie matter for me to informe thy sowle inwardly with the secret instincte of my spirit in such sort that thou shouldest at all tymes discerne perfectly and without errour betweene true visions and counterfeicte illusions But bicause my will is that it should profit others as well as thee therfore I will teach thee a general rule and lesson which is this My vision beginneth euermore with feare and dread but in processe of tyme it setteth a sowle in great ioye quietnes and securitie It begynneth with some kind of bitternes but in continuance it waxeth more deliteful sweet The visions of the enemie are contrarie For in the begynning they shewe a kind of securitie and gladnes but in processe they turne to feare and bitternes which increase afterwardes and waxe greater and greater And it standeth with good reason for so much as my waies and the waies of the enemie haue this special difference My waies are the keeping of the commaundementes in perfection of a vertuous and godlie life which leadeth vnto me These seeme at the begynnyng to be full of difficultie and vnpleasant but in tyme they become easie ynough pleasant But the waies of the enemie are the transgressing of my commaundementes in the libertie of the flesh and licentiousnes of life which shewe at the begynnyng to be deliteful and pleasant but in continuance of tyme they proue in verie deed dangerous painful and vnpleasant Take this also for a most certaine and infallible rule to discerne betweene true and false visions Bicause I am truth it can not otherwise be but that euermore by my visions the sowle of man must needes receiue a greater knowledge of truth by the which knowledge he cometh to vnderstand both his owne basenes the worthines of God and so consequently to doe due honour and reuerence to God and to make litle account of him selfe which is the proper condicion of humilitie The contrarie happeneth in the visions of the enemie For he being the father of lying and king ouer al the children of pride can geue none other thing but only what he hath and therfore in his visions there must needes ensue in a sowle ignorance and errour by reason wherof it conceiueth a false reputation of it selfe which is the proper condicion of pride By this maiest thou knowe whether thy visions be of me or of the enemie of truth or of falshood If they come of truth they will make thy sowle humble if they come of falshood they will make thy sowle prowd Thus was she instructed of the teacher of all truth Iesus Christ and she kept his doctrine and instructions verie faithfully in mynd and vttered them afterwardes to her ghostlie Father and others for their instruction as it shal be declared hereafter And after this time it pleased God to send her so manie visions and reuelations that who so would consider of them aduisedly he should see that it were hard to find anie two men in the wordle more familiary acquenited then our Lord and she were In so much that whether she praied or read or meditated or walked or waked or slept she was at all tymes and in all places visited and comforted of our Lord. And which is more while her tongue was outwardly speaking vnto men her hart was inwardly bent vpon God and spake spiritually with him Howbeit that could not endure anie long tyme forsomuch as her sowle was within a litle space so drawen vp and vnited to God that it could not choose but forsake vtterly the senses and powers of the bodie Of a verie goodlie and profitable doctrine of our Sauiour worthie to be planted in the hartes of as manie as are desirous to come to spiritual perfection Chap. 17. EMongest a nomber of goodlie and high lessons that she learned of our Sauiour this was one On a tyme while she was praying our Sauiour appeered to her and said Daughter knowest thou what thou art and what I am If thou haue a perfecte knowledge of these two pointes thou art blessed For by the meane therof thou shalt easily escape all the snares of the enemie and shalt not at anie tyme geue consent to anie synne that is against my commaundementes but contariwise thou shalt be
life manie a one shall take occasion of slaunder and offence and thou shalt be gainesaid of manie that the thoughtes of manie hartes maie be opened But in anie case see that thou be nothing afraid or troubled with anie of these thinges For I will be with thee alwaies and will deliuer thee from lying lippes and slaunderous tongues Folowe therfore freely the guydance of my holie spirite and labour diligently in this charitable woorke wherin I haue apointed thee For by thee I haue determined to deliuer manie soules out of the dragons mouth and to bring them to my euerlasting rest in heauen These and other the like wordes spake our Lord to her and repeted the same againe and againe and specially that word where he bad her that she should not be afraid or dismaid Wherunto the holie maid made answere with great humilitie and perfecte obedience saying Thou art my Lord and my God and I thy creature and vnworthy hand maid thy will be done in all thinges Only this O Lord I beseech thee remember me according to the multitude of thy mercies and helpe me And with that the vision ceased and the blessed virgin conferred those comfortable wordes of our Sauiout in her hart easting earnestly with her selfe what that gracious alteration might meane From that tyme foreward the grace of God increased daily in her hart so much the gyftes of the holie Ghost replenished her soule in such aboundant maner that she was her selfe astoined at it and by reason of that passing great increase of spiritual ioye and comfort that she felt in her soule her bodie being not able to beare it waxed feeble faint Her hart was wholly caried vp into God and that with such a vehemēcie and feruour of loue that she could not endure anie tyme without thinking and meditating vpon his most noble workes and endles mercies towardes her selfe and all mankind The force of the which loue so ouercame the natural powers of her bodie that she languished and decaied in strength and could find none other remedie for that sickenes but only to runne vnto God with an amorous affection and to powre out her hart befor him with great aboundance of teares and so to renewe her selfe as it were in the forge and fyer of loue At the length it pleased our Lord to geue her to vnderstand by the secret instincte of his holie spirite that the most soueraigne medicine for that disease was often tymes to receiue the blessed Sacrament of the aulter Where she should haue the ioyful fruition of her loue not in such sort as she should haue it afterwardes in the blesse of heauen but yet so as that she should find her selfe satisfied in some dergree for the tyme Now after that she had vsed for a certaine tyme to comunicate euerie daie as she did vnlesse she were letted by sickenes or by some other necessarie occasion she had at the length such a passing great longing and as it were an impatient desire to receiue the blessed Sacrament that if she were enforced by anie such vrgēt necessitie to abstaine but only one daie it seemed that her body fainted sēsibly failed forsomuch as being now fully accorded with the soule it had abādoned the natural powers senses and so receiued nourishment and sustentation not of the meates that the bodie is wont to be fed withal which did her more harme then good but of the foode of the soule which is the grace of God which grace was so abōdant in her soule that it redounded into her bodie and by miracle tempered that wasting heat that is wont to consume the radical moisture Her ghostlie Father examinyng her vpon this point asked whether she had euer anie appetite to eate or no. Wherunto she made answere that she was fully satisfied with the holy Sacrament and had none other appetite Then he asked her yet further in case by occasion she absteined from receiuing the blessed Sacrament whether she were then hungrie or no. To that likewise she answered and said that the only presence of the Sacrament did satisfie her and not only the Sacrament but the priest also that had touched the Sacrament did satifie and comfort her in such sort that she could not so much as thinke of anie other meate And in deed it was well knowen to as manie as liued with her from the begynnyng of Lent vntill the Ascension daie she continued in verie good liking without receiuing anie maner of bodily food or sustenance in the worlde And vpon that daie by commaundement of God she tooke only a litle bread and a fewe herbes for her stomake might not brooke anie deintie or fine meates After that she obserued a simple maner of fasting for a tyme vntill at the length by litle and litle she came againe to her old maner of abstinence which was to eate nothing at all And so she passed ouer her life in a continual and euident miracle verifying that saying of the holie Scripture that man liueth not only by bread but by euerie word that cometh out of our Lordes mowth Her ghostlie Father testified that he sawe her him selfe and that not once or twise but often tymes when continuyng after this sort without anie maner of sustenance vnlesse it were a litle water she became so weake that as manie as were about her looked euerie hower when she would geue vp the ghost At what tyme if occasion were ministred to wynne a sowle to God or to doe anie other charitable worke to the honour of God they all sawe to their great astonishment that she was sodainly altered in the state of her bodie in such sort that she was able to rise and goe without anie token of weakenes or weerines and also to endure great labour in doing that good worke that she tooke in hand for Gods sake And those that went with her hauing their perfecte health and strength could hardly folowe her here there but that they must needes be more weerie then she shewed to be Which made them all to confesse that it was the almightie power of God that susteined her and not anie naturall force How she was molested by diuerse and sundrie persones disswading her from her streight Abstinence and how she ouercame her ghostlie Father by reason Chap. 13. THis streight and vnwonted maner of Abstinence was to the holie maid an occasion of great vnquietnes and trouble both by them that liued with her in howse and also by others who seeing the order of her conuersation to be so farre aboue the common course of mans life perswaded them selues and trauailed much to perswade her also that it was not the gracious gyfte of God but only a suttle deceite tentation of the Deuel With this errour were a great nōber caried awaie emong others her owne ghostly Father who imagining all this to be nothing els but only a craftie illusiō of Satan transforming him selfe into an Angel of light commaunded her
right well that both the one and the other should be restored When her Confessour had heard this reasō discourse he replied no more but held his peace for in deed he was astoined and knewe not what to answere to the wisedome and spirite of God that spake in her An other exposition vpon the same place of the gospel with certaine other mystical sayinges And how she passed in deed out of this life in the paines of the Crosse Chap. 28. BEing on a tyme rauished in spirite she learned an other exposition vpon this place of the gospel which her Confessour douctour Thomas commited to writing and it was thus Our Lord said she approching neere to his passion set before the eyes of his mynd that great multitude of wicked men and women which he sawe through malice and obstinacie would not take the benefite of his death The which sight put him into such an agonie that he sweat water and blood for verie pitie that he had of those miserable creatures he was as it were enforced to vtter those wordes Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me Which is as much as if he had said Father this cup that is here presented before me is surely a verie bitter cup to me seeing as I do to my great griefe the damnation of so manie soules which without anie cause shall make light of this great loue that I am here to shewe to mankind and leese the benefite of my blood which is now readie to be powred out for their sake Wherfore if it be possible I beseech thee that thou wilt pardon them and in so doing take awaie this bitter cup from me This said she was the praier that our Sauiour made to his eternal Father And she added furthermore and said that he had without all doubt obteined the thing that he demaunded if he had requested the same absolutely and without condicion for what petition could he make to his Father that should not haue ben heard who as the Apostle saieth was heard for the verie reuerence that was in him selfe But as on the one side the tender loue that he bare to mankind wonne so much of him that he made that petition in their behalfe so on the other side the loue of Gods iustice moderated the vehemencie of his loue towardes mankind and cawsed him to qualifie his earnest demaund with this clause and condicion howbeit O Father not my will be done but thyne This holie maid declared yet further to her confessour and said that the paines which our Sauiour suffred for the redemption of mankind were so excessiuely great that it had ben impossible for anie man in this wordle to endure the same but that he must needes haue dyed if it had ben possible manie tymes For as the loue that he bare to mankind was vnspeakeable and incomprehensible so were the paines that he suffred for their loue so great that no man had ben able to esteeme them and much lesse to beare them What man said she would haue beleeued that those thornes of his crowne should haue persed thorough his scull into his braines And yet so it was Againe who would haue thought that the bones of a man should haue ben drawen a sonder and disiointed And yet the prophet Dauid saieth They told all my bones speaking of the vnmerciful and cruel tormentours which haled and pulled him here there so violently that they plucked his bones out of ioynt Certaine it is that the malice of those wicked Iewes was verie great and that they vsed him verie cruelly and yet could not their malicious and cruel vsage haue done it but only that his will was to shewe his vnspeakeable loue towardes vs as it were vtterly to forsake him selfe and to suffer his bodie to be destitute of all such force and strength as might make anie resistance against paines and tormentes So that the principal cause of his passion was the desire which he had of shewing his loue to vs euidently and effectually It was not the violent hand of those tormentours that were able to hold him whome he made to fall downe at his foote with one woord of his mouth It was not the nailes that were able to holde him fast to the Crosse which were his creatures and had no further power vpon their Creatour but only so much as he would geue them but it was the loue that he bare to mankind that tooke him it was loue that held him fast it was loue that nailed him fast to the Crosse and made him there to endure a most bitter and reprochful death Such high wordes and sentences did she vtter to her confessour concernyng the passion of our Sauiour And she affirmed furthermore that whatsoeuer paines our Sauiour had borne in anie part of his bodie the same had she borne in her bodie also in like maner as our Sauiour did but not in like measure for that had ben impossible for her bodie to beare And to shewe in deed that she knewe by exeperience which of all those paines was greatest she said that all the other paines were passed and gone but one remained still in her bodie which was the diuulsion as they terme it or sundering of the bones in the brest which paine was of all other paines as she said most grieuous Now this paine of the brest grewe on so vehemently vpon her and withal the loue of our Sauiour to whome she was confourmed by suffring such paines increased so mightely in her hart that she was wholly ouercome with the force of the same and her hart like a thynne glasse filled with a verie strong liqour being not able to beare the strength of that diuine loue brast in sunder as she declared afterwardes and clefte in the middle from the highest to the lowest part of the same And certaine it is that she dyed in deed in the presence of manie vertuous and credible persones and so continued a long tyme. Of this matter she made mention afterwardes in a letter writen to her ghostlie Father with her owne hand in the which letter she declared emong other thinges how she was taught by S. Iohn the Euangelist and S. Thomas of Aquine to write in a verie short space How she passed in deed out of this life and had the fruition of heauenlie ioyes and how afterwardes her soule came againe to the bodie Chap. 29. HEr ghostlie Father being desirous to learne the verie certainty of this matter at her owne mouth on a tyme reasonyng with her besought her that she would tell him plainly what had passed She stood still a great while and could not geue him one word to answere for weeping but at the length she spake after this maner O father said she is it not a pitiful and lamentable case that a soule which hath ben once deliuered out of a darcke prison and hath had the fruition of a most ioyous and beawtifull lighte shoulde be constreined to forsake
Holie father how thinke you This Caterine of Siena is she of such great holines as she is reported to be The Pope made answere and said Truly we beleeue she is a holie virgin If it please your holines said they we will goe to see her And we beleeue said he you shal be well edified And so they came to our house foorthwith after nyne of the clocke in sommer When they knocked I went to open the doore vnto them And one of them said to me tell Caterine that we would speake with her When she vnderstood of their being there she came downe with doctour Iohn her confessour and certaine other religious persones in to one of the lower roomes where in a conuenient place they caused her to sit downe in the middle And so they entred talke with her after a verie insolent manner prouoking her to choler with their biting wordes And emong other thinges they said We come from the Popes holines and are desirous to vnderstand of you whether you be sent from the Florentines or no as the common brute is Haue not they one sufficient man to send about a matter of so great importance vnto so great a prince And if you be not sent by them we meruaile much how you being a seelie woman dare presume to treate of so weightie a matter as this is with our holie father the Pope c. But the holie maid stood fast like an vnmoueable piller and gaue them verie humble and pitthie answeres in so much that they merueiled much at it And when she had satisfied them at the full concernyng this matter they put out vnto her verie manie and withall verie great questions especially touching her abstraction and singular manner of life And bicause the Apostle saieth that the angell of Satan transfourmeth him selfe into an angell of light they asked her how she knewe whether she were deceiued or no. And so they spake manie wordes and proposed manie questions and in effecte protracted the tyme vntill it was night Sometymes Doctour Iohn would answere for her And though he were a Doctour of diuinitie yet were they such great learned men that in fewe wordes they shut him vp and said vnto him You maie be ashamed to speake after this manner in our presence Let her answere for her selfe for she satisfieth vs much better then you doe Now emong these three one was an Archbishop sometymes a frier of S. Francis order which bare him selfe like a proud Pharisee in countenance as it appeered and made sometymes as though he would not take the answeres of the holie maid But the other two at the length set themselues against him and said What would you haue more of this maid Without doubt she hath declared these matters more plainly and more copiously then euer we found them declared by anie of the doctours And she shewed manie moe verie certaine and true tokens vnto them and so there arose a great iarre emong them selues But in the end they departed all alike satisfied and comforted and made this report of her to our holie father the Pope that they neuer found a soule neither so humble nor so illuminated Howbeit when the Pope vnderstood how they had ruffled with her to moue her to choler he was verie angrie with them made his excuse to her verie effectually declaring that it was done without his will or consent And he said furthermore that if those prelates came anie more to speake with her they should shut the doores against them The next daie doctour Francis the Popes phisicion said these wordes vnto me Knowe you those prelates that came yester daie to our house I made him answere that I knewe them not Then said he to me I assure you that if the knowledge of those three were put in one balance and the knowledge of all the rest that are in the court of Come were put in the other the knowledge of these three would weigh much more then all theirs And therefore I will tell you that if they had not found this maid Caterine to haue a verie good ground she had made as ill a voiage at this tyme as euer she made in her life And then he commended her with verie great and effectuall wordes which I omit in this place for breuities sake These are the verie wordes of that blessed and holie man father Steuen who was as it is said long tyme conuersant with her as her spirituall sonne and scholer and afterwardes became a monke and so consequently for his vertue and holines a Priour ouer a couent of Carthusians neere vnto Pauia Where being earnestly required he wrote a short abbridgment of the holie maides life In the which is conteined brefely and in effecte the whole substance of this booke For corroboration wherof he caused the said abbridgement to be firmed with the great seale of his couent and to be subsigned with the handes of two publike notaries in the presence of a great nomber of witnesses And made this solemne protestation withall in as earnest and vehement termes as he could deuise that for confirmation of the truth of that whole storie and euerie point conteined in the same to the honour of God and edifying of soules he would be found readie at all tymes to take a corporall oathe in whatsoeuer fourme it could be most exactely deuised and to put his hand not only to that present writing but also into the fyer if it were required And of this he called almightie God to witnes who kewe the secretes of his hart Abriefe repetition or somme of manie pointes of heauenlie doctrine reuealed vnto the holie maid immediately from God Chap. 19. THe holie maid was as we haue declared heretofore oftentymes rauished in spirite and vtterly abstracted from her bodilie senses At which tymes it pleased almightie God to vtter by secret inspiration vnto the soule of his deere spouse diuerse sundrie pointes of mysticall doctrine Which she being so rauished and abstracted vttered in the presence of manie godlie and great learned men which wrote as she spake and compiled a booke conteinyng sixe treatises The conclusion wherof I thought good to laie downe in this place word for word as it is written bicause it compriseth in fewe wordes an abbridgement or briefe somme of all such matters as are set out at large in the whole booke before The wordes of almightie God to his spouse are these Now most deere and welbeloued daughter I haue satisfied thy desire from the begynnyng of my talke vnto the last that I had concernyng obedience for if thou be well remembred thou requiredst of me with a carefull desire as thou knowest I caused thee to desire that I should make the fyer of charitie to increase in thee Thou requiredst I saie fouer petitions of the which one was for thy selfe The which I satisfied by illuminating thee with the light of my truth shewing thee that through the light of faith with the knowledge of thee
great hedach which tormented him verie sore and were as he knewe vndoubted signes of the common infection that raigned ouer the citie at that tyme. The which notwithstanding he did what he could to make an end of his diuine seruice In the mornyng calling a felowe to him he went with great paine towardes the holy maides house whether when he came he found her not at home For she was gone out to visite an other that was sicke Then being no longer able to hold vp his head he laied him selfe downe vpon a couch that was there in her house praied the sisters that they wold send for her with al speed When the holie maid came home and found him there and vnderstood in what case he was she kneeled downe by the bed and laying her hand vpon his forehead she began after her maner to lifte vp her hart to God in praier And foorthwith he sawe that she was quite abstracted from her bodilie senses rauished in sprite Which was no vnwonted sight to him nor yet vncomfortable at that tyme. For he hoped well that she should obteine some great benefite for him both of bodie and soule at Gods hand When she had continued after that maner about the space of halfe an hower he felt in him selfe a mightie alteration and stirring in euerie part of his bodie and withal a vehement prouocation towardes a vomite which he had seene to hapen before to many that had died of that disease How beit it fell not so out with him but rather contrariwise For it seemed to him that he felt sensibly how those corrupt humours that caused his paine were violently drawen from within to the vttermost partes of the bodie And certaine he was that he found present ease of his paines And before the holie maid came to her selfe againe he was fully and perfectly restored to his health sauing only that there remained a litle feeblenes in him which he thought our Lord suffred to remaine in him as a token either of the disease that was cured or els of the weakenes of his faith So soone as the holie maid had obteined this grace at Gods hand for her ghostlie father she was foorthwith restored to her bodilie senses And finding him as yet in some weakenes she willed her sisters to prouide some meate for him such as is wont to be geuen to sicke folkes The which when he had receiued at her holie hand she willed him to lie downe and rest a while and so he did And when he had rested a litle tyme he rose vp and felt him selfe as strong and in as good liking as if he had neuer ben sicke Then said the holie maid to him Father goe your waie and labour about the edifying of soules and be thankeful to almightie God that hath deliuered you out of this present danger The like miracle did the holie maid worke about the same tyme vpon father Bartilmewe of whome mention hath ben made diuerse and sundrie tymes before The miracle was much alike but the cure seemed somewhat greater biause he was both longer and also more grieuously sicke How the holie maid healed a great nomber that were sicke of other diseases after the like maner Chap. 4. AFter the tyme that this pestilence was ceased in Siena it chaunced that manie deuout and well disposed persones as well religious as others but specially certaine Nunnes of Pisa hearing the fame of the holie maid had a great desire to see her and to heare her doctrine which was reported to be and was in deed verie wonderful And because it was not lawful for many of them that had this godly inclination to come to her to Siena they sent letters and messengets to her very often beseeching her that she would take the paines to come ouer to them to Pisa And to allure her the more to take that iourney vpon her they declared vnto her what frute and gaine of soules was like to ensue by her comyng thither The holie maid though she had no desire to be from home yet being ouercome with their long importunate sute especially considering that there was great hope of winning soules to God first she asked the aduise of them that liued in house with her of the which compaine some were with her going to Pisa and some against it Then when she sawe that she could not be resolued by men she fled vnto almightie God as her maner was and besought him humbly that he would vouchsafe to make her to vnderstand what his will and pleasure was that she should doe in that case And it came to passe after certaine daies that our Lord appeered to her and willed her that she should accomplish the godlie request of those his seruantes hand maides in Pisa without delaie Wherupon she went to her ghostelie father and declaring thus much to him besought him like an obedient daughter that he would geue her licence to doe as she was willed by God He assented willingly to her demaund and went him selfe with her and with him two other of his brethren to heare the confessions of such as should resort vnto her according to a graunt made to her by Pope Gregorie the eleuenth When she came to Pisa she lodged in the house of an honest citizen called maister Gerardus where on a daie there was presented vnto her a certaine younge man of the age of twentie yeares or there about which had ben sore vexed with a quotidian ague for the space of a yeare and halfe and neuer missed one daie And though there were no fit of an ague vpon him at that tyme yet might she see that he had ben long sicke For whereas he was by constitution of bodie a verie strong and lustie yong man he was now brought so lowe that he had neither flesh strength nor colour And no medicine could be found that would doe him good Wherfore they entreated the holie maid that she would commend his lamentable state to God in her praier The holie maid pitied his case verie much and asked him how long it was sence he was last confessed To that he answered and said that it was a good manie yeares Yea said she and that is the cause whie our Lord hath laied this discipline vpon you bicause yee would not clense your soule in all this tyme by confession Wherfore deere sonne see that yee goe out of hand to confession and rid your selfe of these sinnes that haue infected you both bodie and soule With that she caused Doctour Thomas her owne confessour to be called and deliuered the yong man to him willing him to heare his confession That done the yong man returned to her againe and she laied her hand vpon his shoulder and said these wordes Sonne goe your waie with the peace of our Lord Iesus Christ For I will not that these agues trouble you anie more She said and it was done for the almightie power of him spake in her who said and it
restitution both of the one and the other to wite both of the honour of God and also of the saluation of man was appointed by God to be wrought by the meane of his Crosse therfore he had euermore a meruelous great desir to come vnto it which desire was vndoubtely a verie cordial and continual Crosse vnto him and neuer ended vntill the tyme came that his bodie was in deed stretched out and nailed vpon the tree of the Crosse She reasoned yet further concerning that Crosse of desire and said thus No man liuing is able to make a iust estimate of the paines and tormentes that our Sauiour suffred in his hart by reason of the desire that he had to paie the debt of mankind to deliuer them from the sentence of death and to bring them againe into the fauour of God They only that loue God with all their hart with all their sowle with all their strength and their neighbour as them selues maie ghesse in some degree what his paine was Such good men maie iudge in part by the loue that they haue thē selues to the honour of God and saluation of man and by the griefe that they feele in them selues when the thing that they loue is either taken awaie or long delaied what his griefe was They maie iudge I saie in part not perfectly forsomuch as the loue that man hath or can haue to the honour of God and saluation of man be it neuer so great is nothging in comparison of that passing great loue that was in the hart of our Sauiour Christ And therfore the desire that he had to recouer both the one and the other must needes cawse in him a greater sorrowe without all comparison then euer was or could be in man vntill he sawe an effectual and perfecte restitution made to God of his honour and reuerence to man of his former state of grace in this presente life and of glorie in the life to come And thus much he signified to his disciples when he said those wordes I haue had an earnest desire to eate this passeouer with you and afterwardes likewise when in his praier to God the father he said Father take awaie this cup from me Which is as if he had said in plaine wordes Father I see here prepared for me a verie bitter cup of most sharpe tormentes and death which I haue droncke continually in desire euen from the hower of my conception but now do begynne to drincke the same in deed and so to make an end of drincking this paineful potion of the Crosse which I desire thee to hasten and bring to an end For that being once passed and gone I shall reape the frute of my long and earnest desire to witte I shall haue fulfilled myne obedience in all pointes to thee restitution shal be made perfectly to God of his due honour to man of his foremer state And I desire not to haue this cup of my passion taken awaie which thou hast here made readie for me which I take at thy fatherly hand like an obedient sonne and drincke it willingly but I desire to haue that cup taken awaie from me and ended which I haue droncke with such an earnest and greedie desire so manie yeares for the loue that I beare to thyne honour and to the saluation of mankind This was the exposition that she made vpon this place of the gospel against the which bicause it seemed straung and singular her ghostlie Father doctour Raimundus reasoned after this maner Mother said he you knowe that the holie Fathers do commonly geue an other interpretation to this place almost contrarie to this that you haue said They saie that our Lord desired in deed rather not to drincke that cup then to drinke it meanyng therby to declare to vs that he was true man and that as true man his flesh did naturally abhorre death as the flesh of euerie man doth And by this he would geue a doctrine and withall an example in him selfe to all weake and fraile men that they should not be dismaied though they felt in them selues that they did feare death Forsomuch as the like feare frailtie was seene in our head also who tooke vpon him all our infirmities onlie synne excepted To this the holie maid made answere thus Father said she I knowe right well that the holie doctours do expound this place as you haue said and I find no fault with their exposition And though this interpretation that our Lord hath taught me seeme diuerse or almost contrarie as you thinke to that yet is it verie true and maie well stand with the common exposition of the holie Fathers Father it is certaine that our Sauiour Christ was head not only of the weake and fraile that feare and flee death but also of the strong and mightie that beare it manfully and yeald not to the feare and shrynking of the flesh And therfore he would in this acte and wordes geue a doctrine and example to them both He would tremble and feare and desire that the bitter cup of his passiō might passe awaie to geue an example to the weake that they might likewise feare and flee death without anie offence if they had no commaundement from God to the cōtrarie He would also ouercome that feare and quaking of the flesh by the force of reason and zeale of Gods honour and desire his Father to hasten that cup of his passion and death to geue an example to the strong that they should not yeald to the frailtie of the flesh and shrincke at the terrour of death but folowe the direction of the spirite and offer them selues valiantly to tormentes and to death it selfe when by so doing they might either honour God or edifie their neighbour And I see no cause whie one place of the scripture should not haue manie interpretations forsomuch as the holie scripture as you knowe hath manie senses and meanynges Which the holie Ghost hath so ordained that the holie scripture might serue diuerse and sundrie persones to diuerse and sundrie effectes As we see this present text being diuersely expounded serueth men of diuerse qualitie to verie good purpose The weake for a refuge if they retire and saue them selues the strong for a warrant if they steppe forewardes and offer them selues to euident danger for Gods sake Then if you aske me how these two interpretations maie stand together the one being contrarie to the other for by the one our Sauiour required that the cup of his passion might be hastened by the other that it might passe awaie I answere that I take it for none inconuenience that in that agonie he should haue those two contrarie effectes in him selfe the one according to the flesh whose propertie it is naturally to repine at anie thing that maie hurt the other according to the spirite which looking to the honour of God and saluation of mankind desired earnestly the bitter cup of his death by the drinking wherof he knewe