taken in writing by the other Religiousâ— as she was vttering them Now these grew to multiply both in so great number and measure as that the foresayd second part did afterwards endure a diuision into fiue so as in all they are six parts and they make a large volume full of admirable Conceptions and Expressions Which yet because they are so high and full of Mysteryes I haue contented my â—elfe with translating only the first that being all the historicall part of her life wherein also are diuers sufficient touches of those other togeather with many most approued miracles whereby it pleased God to declare the sanctity â—f this his Seruant The Author whome I named is also a Florentine a Gentleman of a good house and of a good estate but which he is dayly giuing away for Gods sake and a man of great reputation both for his iudgment his piety and the good example of his life Which yet with â—ne is much the more considerable because I haue vnderstood by some who know him best that himselfe for as much as concernes conscience is also gouerned by others of great sanctity and experience in the way of spirit and it is well that he is so For though many do excellently gouerne others no creature is able to do it sufficiently for himselfe But as for his own vertue valew it is not a thing â—nly knowne to men of his owne Citty and Countrey but to many Gentlemen and some Noblemen of England and they not only Catholikes but Protestants This vertuous Priest was the Ghostly Father of that holy Woman and he gouerned her soule togeather with the whole Monastery where she liued for the space of some immediate years before she dyed And for the greater credit of that which is heere deliuered and to the end that not only no pious Catholike may doubt thereof but that euen no prudent Protestant may haue colour to quarrell or so much as question the truth of that which shall be in this booke declared I will deliueâ— some circumstances which I assure my selfe iâ— the iudgment of indifferent and morall men will serue the turne In the Monastery of Florence called Santa Maria de gli Angioli there be three score Religious women who are though worthy as worthy as flesh and bloud may be to receaue euery day the Body of our Blesseâ— Sauiour in the B. Sacrament though indeed this cannot be worthily done by any and iâ— must suffice that it be not done vnworthily To the so often feeding vpon this bread oâ— Angells they are admitted not by any importunity or fancy or particuler iudgment oâ— their owne but by the hand of this Priest whome I haue already described In whose gouernement of them if there be aâ—y imperfection it is in that he may be thought a little scrupulous through the great light he hath of the purity Maiesty of almighty God on the one side and the great indecency or rather deformity which he discouereth in the least sinne on the other Now the passages of this Saints life after she entred into the Monastery were verifyed and that vpon Oath by these other Religious women that liued with her in presence of their spirituall Magistrats who had authority to take full information thereof Let me further present to your consideration discreet Reader that at the tyme of taking those Oaths the Religious were particulerly put in mind though they were far from being ignorant therof before of the nature of an oath and with how much truth reuerence they were bound to sweare that they must not for the conuerting or sauing of the whole world tell the least officious lye especially in matters of this nature wherin as it was to be an act of Iustice and Religion to expresse a truth when they were lawfully called thereunto so to publish and authorize an vntruth truth was to commit a grieuous sinne And indeed the Catholique Apostolique Roman Church doth so much abhorre all collusion fraud in this high kind as that it denounceth a solemne sentence of most rigorous Excommunication ipso facto to be incurred by any that shall publish or any way cooperate willingly towards a false Miracle Now therfore that such a company of holy women as I haue heere described who do otherwise lead a life of so great perfection and pennance as is notorious to the world in those parts being directed in their coÌ„science by such a Ghostly Father being put in mind of their duty towards God and the world in so expresse manner by their other spirituall Gouernours should in despite of all Religion and reason combine and band themselues to deceaue the world and damne their owne soules by auowing solemne vntruths and to do all this betweene foure walls and in the middest of perpetuall fastings praying haire cloath disciplines and the like is not only improbable but impossible And I shall wonder with what sense by the Ciuill or Municipall Law of any Countrey the oaths of any two honest men or women may be admitted to rule the case of mens lands and liues and that the oaths of so many persons and such persons should be reiected in verifying of that which passed vpon their knowledge and vnder their eyes So that when this truth is tould you that the seuerall Chapters of this following history were ratifyed by the subscription and oaths of these Religious I assure my selfe that all danger of doubt will be remoued and to the end that there be no question made but that they did so subscribe sweare I will heer set down that part of the Authors Preface to the Reader which concerneth the act in law wherby it is expresly declared To the end that the truth of what is deliuered in this history might appear more clearely the most Reuerend Monsigr. Pietro Nicolini Vicar-Generall of Florence at the instance of the Gouernour of the Monastery came in person to the same place togeather with the Chancellour of the Archbishoprike vpon the 14. day of April in the yeare of our Lord 1609. where calling all the Religious of that House into their presence who had seen with their owne eyes the actions of their Mother Suor Maria Maddalena which are set down in this preseÌ„t work he examined them most particulerly concerning the truth therof Which Religious women amounting to the number of threescore who are accustomed euery morning to receaue the Body of our Lord did affirme vnder their oaths that those thinges which are recounted in this life of this seruant of God are meere and reall Truth and many of them did moreouer say by word of mouth that they had seene many more particulers then are written there Now therefore at the end of euery Chapter of this booke those Religious women who were present and saw the wonderfull things which therein are seuerally related did subscribe the same with their owne hand writing and so by the subscription of all these Chapters there is a
great booke filled and in the presence of Monsigr. the Vicar Generall and of the Gouernour of the Monastery and of foure witnesses there was an authentical Instrument or Writing made by Sigr. Frosino a Milanese Chancellour of the Archbishoprike which publique Instrument or writing togeather with the aforesayd booke full of subscriptions is kept for eternall memory in the Monastery and a coppy of them both being authenticated by the sayd Chancellour was entred is conserued in the Roles of the Archbishopricke of Florence And all this diligence was vsed to take from any man that shall read the great and wonderfull thinges that God did worke by this Mother Suor Maria Maddalena his beloued Spouse the least suspition or doubt of the truth therof This is contayned in the Authours Preface to the Reader touching those thinges that passed from the tyme of her entring into the Monastery which was in the seauententh yeare of her age vntill the tyme of her death which happened in the one and fortith yeare and for those other that are recounted from her first vse of reason till she entred into Religion her Mother and Seruants next kindred and Ghostly Fathers did certainly ionytly and seuerally auow that which is heer related besides that her selfe did confesse them to be true So that for as much as concernes the matter in fact the credit of the history being now settled as I conceaue it is I will only in a few words giue an aduice or two concerning the reading of this life whether it falâ— into the hands of Catholikes or Protestants And first let it be layd for a ground that mirabilis est Deus in Sanctis suis Almighty God is wonderfull in his Saints God iâ— wonderfull in all his workes and wayes buâ— he is sayd to be wonderfull per excellentiaÌ„ in his Saints as if in comparison of that wonderfullnes the rest of his works were not wonderfull Heerupon I would have it follow that in the reading of Saints Liues men ought tâ— carry themselues with great sobriety Catholikes must be sober and not venture to freely vpon the imitation of euery thing wherof they find an example in the life of Saints but content themselues with the knowledg of how litlâ— themselues are worth and with admiration oâ— that which is aboue their calling or the proportion of Gods grace giuen to them And for as much as concerneth practise they must imploy themselues in the purchase of those seueâ—ll solid vertues which shine so brightly in â—hose Liues according to the circumstances of â—me and place and in such cases as are queâ—ionable it is not safe to do any thing of moâ—ent without the aduice of their spirituall â—uides and Ghostly Fathers And aboue all we â—ust be sure not to despise or censure rashly â—hat which is represented by great authority â—nd with great Charity but praysing Almighâ—y God according to the aduise of Sales the â—ood Bishop of Geneua in that excellent book â—f his which is intituled An Introduction â—o a deuout life for the superabundance of â—is graces powred vpon others we must stay â—ur selues humbly in the ordinary for vs â—ore assured way lesse excellent in it selfe â—ut more sutable to our infirmity and pouerty wherin yet if we conuerse with humility and â—delity God will afterward raise vs vp to â—reatnes which is truly great And as for Proâ—estants if any such may read this booke I will only desire them to be that which they â—ould fayne be thought to be that is discreet â—nd not to oppose vpon this only reason beâ—ause we affirme nor to scorne thinges as vanityes and inuentions only because themseluâ— vnderstand them or see them not and finally not to be so discourteous euen to the Omnipocency of Almighty God as not to let him dispose of his creatures as is most pleasing tâ— himselfe We see that he gouerneth his seruants oâ— ordinary condition with great variety according to the seuerall temper of their mindes some are drawn by health plenty estimation and all kind of prosperity which without sinne may be enioyed some others againe would be as it were putrifyed by such warmth as that and are best kept in temper by the contraryes So also are his Saints in whom nature is not destroyed but perfected conducted by the hand of his admirable prouidence in seueral wayes some by Comforts and Rapts Extasies of loue and they also are in themselues of very seuerall kinds for some of them bind all the senses at once and some leaue them free to some particuler purposes euen as we see that naturally it happeneth sometyms in dreames And in like manner we also find by experience that some men are mad outright and others againe are so in some one particuler occasion and some againe are mad in all vnles it be only in some one wherein â—hey are of as sound discourse as any other man But it pleaseth God to lead on other Saints by great aridityes and desolations of spirit and so he maketh them appeare in the eyes of men to be no more then ordinary persons others againe he placeth as Lanternes and Beakons for all the world to behould and take example by through the supernaturall concourse which it pleaseth his diuine Maiesty to yield of working many and most vndoubted miracles in confirmation of their sanctity or otherwise for the manifestation of his owne greater glory as it hath been abundantly seene in the case of Suor Maria Maddalena The euidence of whose holynes and the testimony which it both pleased God to giue vnto it hath so appeared in the eyes of the world as that order is come from Rome to the Religious where she liued that they may publiquely expose her Picture in their Church with the Voto's round about it which are testimonyes of the graces that God hath granted by means of her intercession Now these things are yielded to so very rarely and neuer but after a most rigorous examination of particulers which is taken by a Congregation of Cardinalls and other learned and prudent pious men deputed euer for these purposes as that euen this circumstance alone doth much aduance our certainty of her sanctity and this so much the more because it hath beene done within a dozen yeares after her death A rare example for the Church walkes on with a foot of lead in such occasions as these and maks not such hast but vpon extraordinary inducements And whensoeuer any particuler is recompted if a man shall deride it because only it is strang or superiour to the course of nature or because it is ridiculous in his opinion and contrary to those foolish and false grounds which maÌ„s discourse being naturally both lame and blind hath framed for it selfe to walke vpon he may also scoffe at those particulers which are related in the holy Scripture it selfe That God condemned all mankind for one only mans and womans eating of an apple That he brought armyes of frogs into
themselues what fasting anâ— prayer and ground lodging they haue vsed in a word what painefull things they haue voluntarily vndertaken what contentments euen not vnlawfull in themselues haue been generously by them despised if you aske them I say any such question you must be also content to make your selfe the answere for they will hardly confesse the truth of hauing no such thing as this among them and they cannot proue so great an vntruth as that they haue any such Yet blessed be the glorious name of God not only our Ecclesiasticall historyes but euen our present eyes and hands are plenae gregibus bonorum exemplorum full of admirable and sublime examples of most heroicall holy men and women And in this respect we are well content to be more subiect to their profane false Criticismes then they can well be to our true ones since they haue no Text for vs to comment vpon whereas among vs there is no want in this kind But the Poets request was bâ—t reasonable when he desired the Reader either not to carp at his writings or els to vtter some of his owne which might be considered of Carpere vel noli nostra vel ede tua For our parts we find no one thing to be of more assistance and vse in the way of spirit then the reading of Saints Liues which giue the briâ—… to viâ—e and the spur to vertue opening to vs a large and cleere prospect vpon the mercyes of God and the miseryes of our selues the best of whome being compared with them are but as dwarfes in respect of Gâ—…ts And who can behould in this holy Woman the heroicall exercise of all vertue but he will admire God and be ashamed of himselfe In her he shall find a most prompt Obedience a most voluntary and exact Pouerty a most entire Chastity a most ardent Charity a most profound humility with a perfect contempt and mortification of her selfe and inflexible rectitude of intention and adoring resignation to the will of God and which shineth in her both amonge and aboue the rest an insatiable thirst of suffering for the meere loue of his diuine Maiesty and such a suffering as might be pure and without the society of so much as any spirituall comfort Wherein Almighty God did sometymes heare her prayer and she stood vnder all burthens with an inuincible and euen incredible constancy and strength of mind And who is there now I say that will not tremble to compare himselfe to such a patterne of perfection as this is At least who will not admire her and more admire God in her especially if he consider her life from the 52. Chapter to the end of the booke where as there is lesse mention of her Rapts and Miracles so is there much more particuler relation of her vertuous and heroicall operations wherof I had an inclination to set down some particulers respectiuely to all thâ—se vertues which I heere haue named but I feared to become tedious and I hope they will be drawn vp and drunke downe more profitably because more naturally at the very springes themselues where they grâ—w and where I desire they may be sought Vpon the true tast digestion whereof this conclusion I hope will â—esult that whatsoeuer so excellent and heroâ—call actions are performed it cannot be but â—hiefly by the insâ—irations and pious affections â—mparted by Almighty God that his diuin Maiesty who is supreme wisdome and goodâ—es and who exerciseth both an vniuersall â—et most particuler prouidence ouer all his â—reatures much more ouer his holy Church 〈◊〉 generall cannot in iustice concurre towards the producing of such acts in a false Religion whereby the iudgment of men may be intangled and abused But that wheresoeuer he doth so concurre it may serue for a great argument to proue the truth of that Religion which by the performers thereof is professed and the want thereof in any other congregation of pretended Christians may not lesse assure vs that it is possessed by a spirit of errour O wretched and thrice miserable creature that Suor Maria Maddalena was if the way of pennance mortification and most voluntary suffering both exteriour and interiour be not the true and only way to heauen How many painefull disciplines rude haire-cloaths hungry meales sad nights bitter sighs and salt teares did she with a noble faythfull hart endure send forth and shed And all in vaine if it should be true which Protestants affirme that fayth only iustifyeth that Christ hath so suffered for vs all as that we are not bound in our bodyes to suffer with him that these voluntary afflictions are no better then superstitions and that any satisfaction which we pretend to make to God though we protest we can make none but by vertue of his grace in Christ are no lesse then so many derogations to the infinite valew of his sacred Passion But on the other side O happy and a thousand tymes happy is that excellent soule of hers if it be both true and euident that the way to heauen is narrow and few there are that find it and if that of liberty be a wide and open way by which men runne with ease vpon perdition if heauen be such a thing as will not be gotten by one that seekes it tamquam aliud agens and much lesse in contrarium tendens but he must be carefull and studious laborious and earnest and ardent and euen violent in the attayning thereof Et violenti rapiunt illud This was euer true since the fall of Adam and hath much more byn euident since the Redemption of Mankind was wrought by Christ our Sauiour through the mystery of the Crosse yea and through all the actions and passions of his most sacred life For though he abrogated the Iudiciall and Ceremoniall law of Moyses which being but images and shaddowes must needs yield to the Truth Life which came into the world with him or rather which was he himselfe yet not only was the Morall law not abrogated or abridged Non veâ—i soluere legem sed implere but it was expresly ratifyed and may rather be sayd in some sense to haue beene enlarged by those Counsails of perfection of continuing in perpetuall chastity Qui potest capere capiat of giuing all to the poore following Christ louing our enemyes which like codicills after a sort were annexed to his last will and Testament by himselfe Besides that by the blessed example of his own admirable life those temporall benefits which vnder the old law were wont to hould so high a place as Riches Plenty Posterity and the like were then degraded in a manner and their contraryes as Paine Pouerty Persecution Chastity and Humility assumed into their place when they were sanctified in the person and by the practise of our B. Sauiour And euer since out of the abundance of his grace Et de plenitudine eius accepimus omnes the same hath beene done by the
by Almighty God CHAP. 6. GREAT was the contentment which the Nouiciate yea all the Monastery receaued through the health miraculously recouered by this beloued child of Iesus And the Superiours discouering that she was guided by Almighty God in a particuler manner and that euery day more then other she profited in the obteyning of vertue they deliberated about drawing her out of the Nouiciate although she had beene but lately profest and to put her in some seuerall place where she might with better opportunity serue our Lord. But when this resolution was come to her ears she was much afflicted as being an enemy to all singularity went suddainly to beseech the Superiours with great instance that they would not seuer her from the other Nouices or withdraw her from the obedience of her Mistresse accusing her selfe to be the most imperfect of thē al that she had more need then others to be directed by her in the way of vertue When her Superiours obserued this singular humility of hers they were cōtent to graunt her holy suite whereupon being confirmed vnder the care of the Mistresse it cannot be exprest with how much spirit she gaue her selfe to the contemplation of heauenly Misteryes And if in the first yeare of her Nouiciate she had made particuler proofe of her sanctity she grew in doing of it afterward not imploying her forces vpon any other thing then the procuring of those graces which make soules acceptable in the eyes of God She went euer thinking how she might inflame others towards diuine loue exhorting her Sisters to performe the seruice of God with humility and purity of mind From her mouth there came none but holy words She would excuse the defects of others Note and interprete euery thing to a good end She would neuer speake much vnles she were vrged by questions that which she sayd would be full of mildnes and charity In this meane tyme being yet more kindled to holy actions she was often rapt in spirit and was come to such a degree of perfection that no worldly thing could disorder the vnion which she had with the diuine Maiesty When it pleased God to restore her to her senses she would immediatly returne to her fellow Nouices and she proceeded towards them with so great humility and suauity that it seemed not to be she who so lately had beene seene to participate of so high and heauenly Misteryes as one who valued not much such gifts as those but attended only to solid vertue and the contempt of her selfe Now her Superiour obseruing the wonders that God wrought by meanes of this his true seruant since euery day after the holy Communion they had seene her in excesse of mind raysed vp to the vnderstanding of so high things they appointed her in vertue of holy obedience to preuent the loosing of so great heauenly treasures by communicating whatsoeuer God should manifest vnto her with the Reuerend Mother Suor Vangelista del Giocundo her Mistresse and Suor Maria Maddalena Mori Of these two Mothers the first who is yet liuing a Religious woman of great prudence of no lesse vertue and sanctity of life hath witnessed in particuler by oaths and writings vnder her hand that she hath with her owne eyes seene that which is recounted in this Story of Suor Maria Maddalena besides many other Religious who in like manner haue affirmed and do affirme the very same So as now Suor Maria Maddalena did relate to the sayd Mothers the fauours and intelligences which were cōmunicated to her by Almighty God in those Extasies And although she extremly desired to maintaine her self abiect vile in the sight of others yet neuertheles she alwayes preferred holy Obedience before any inclination of her own and the rather she did it in this case to be the better assured thereby whether or no there were any mixture of diabolicall fraud but in this point she was satisfyed by her Ghostly Father And for the better testifying of the truth the Right Reuerend Man Francesco Benuenuti Gouernour and Confessarius of the Monastery Penitentiarius of the Cathedrall Church of Florence subscribed with his owne hand to foure bookes written by the Religious which conteine many deuout and high intelligences By him they were deliuered to be reuiewed by the Fathers of the Society of Iesus who gaue this testimony that there was nothing to be found in them contrary to the Catholique fayth but on the other side many things of perfection worthy to be vnderstood by all to bring thē more in loue with God She seeth the soule of Madre Suor Maria Bagnese a Florentine rich with the glory of Heauen CHAP. 7. SVOR Maria Maddalena was wont to visit often the body of the venerable Mother Suor Maria Bagnese a Florentine who is buried in a case of stone within the Chapter-house of that Monastery and there did see exhibite earnest prayers to that holy soule to which she was most deuoted Whereupon she obteyned to see her in heauen many tymes but particulerly vpon the eleauenth of Iuly 1584. she saw her in a most excellent manner and being commanded in vertue of holy Obedience she related the Vision in these very words I haue seene in heauen a most beautifull Throne of incomprehensible light wherein did sit the Blessed Mother Suor Maria Bagnese all resplendent and full of wonderfull Maiesty And I vnderstood that this Throne was her virginity and purity which gaue her an extreme ornament I saw also that the sayd Throne was all set with precious stones these were all those souls which her example had brought to the seruice of God which compassing her in round about after the manner of a crown did giue her greater grace and beauty This was the relation which Suor Maria Maddalena made of that particuler But of how great sanctity the sayd Madre Suor Maria Bagnese was whosoeuer will may see in her life which is written by the Father Alessandro Capocchi a Dominican a man of great holynes as also by the Father Abbot Don Siluano Razzi of Camaldoli in the second part of Tuscan Saintes and by the Father Fra Serafino his brother a Dominican both who were men for their learning and vertue very much to be esteemed Three times our Lord made her know his will was that she should liue vpon bread and water Triall was taken of that motion by her Superiours and with their permission she began to execute the will of God CHAP. 8. ON the 21. of May 1585. this blessed Creature being then imployed about the exercises of the Monastery finding her selfe to be moued by God she went into the dormitory of the Nouiciate where at the instant that she arriued she was cast downe to the earth with great violence and remayning so a good while as if she had been dead she afterwards vttered these wordes O my Lord and what is it which thou demandest of me Is it perhaps the exteriour by the interiour