so as al this matter passed with singular commendations of heroicall magnanimity on his behalfe and in most honorable manner But for that he had learned of his deare Maister B. Fa. Ignatius not only to seek the glory of God but maiorem Dei gloriam the greater glory of God in all thinges because he thought that he might haue done more good in Capua then in Rome therfore did he sorrow had this remorse O noble Bishop O zealous mynd O rare example worthy of the name renowne and eminent vertue of Bellarmyne How holy was his life not stayned with mortall sinne How secure a conscience that had at his death no scruple but for the exchange of one good worke for another and that imposed vpon him by an ineuitable commaund What shall I heere say but that fecit mirabilia in vita sua he hath euen Eccles 31. in this mortall life done vvonderfull things This scruple being remoued and Scipio Card. Cobellutiuâ— his mynd quieted there remayned one difficulty touching his temporall estate to wit for repayment of his Cardinalls Ring for effecting of which he vsed the help of the Cardinall of S. Susanna to his Holines alleadging this reason that non erat soluendo for he had not wher withall to bury him much lesse to pay that debt adding further that the same grace had beene before graunted vnto Cardinall Baronius and another Cardinall Vnto vvhich request the Pope most willingly yielded and further at the request of the Generall for the Cardinall sought it not the Pope also condescended to giue a pension of three hundred crownes betweene his two nephews had doubtles graunted more if more had beene demaunded but the Cardinall little mynded his nephews or earthly preferments hauing his thoughts on heauen which he alvvayes called his Home there was his reward layed vp Et merces eius magna nimis When it vvas knovvne in the Citty that the Pope had beene with the Cardinal that he had taken his Viaticum that he vvas anneyled and that there meanes to see the â—â—eke Cardinall was no hope left of longer life wonderfull it vvas not to only heare the honorable reports which all made of him but to see the meanes and inuentions vsed that by men of Quality to come vnto him Some sued vnto the Cardinalls and great Personages some intreated the Fathers some vsed the help of his seruants and others made other deuises and this not only to see him but to kisse his handes his head or some other thing about him when therin they had satisfied their deuotion they vvould touch his body with their bookes their beads handkerchieffs Crosses Medalles and other the like thinges and that very reuerently on their knees and in this kynde none were more forward then the Cardinalls themselues who by reason of their more frequent conuersation did best know him and some of them mentioned his Canonization when once they knew of his sicknes they came very often vnto him and ten of them somtymes in one day who all desired his blessing but he constantly refused to giue it and one of them taking him by the hand kissed the same theÌ„ touched his eyes and head therwith at which Bellarmine meruayling when the other was gone asked those about him vvhat kind of curtesy this was and how long it had beene in vse amongst the Cardinalls Another tyme the Cardinalls that came would needs before they departed kisse his hands at which he was much Great reuerence done him by Cardinalls and Prelates grieued and would haue withdrawne them backe but was not able to resist their importunity and therefore only sayd non sum dignus I am not worthy of this honor especially froÌ„ you my Lords he offered to haue kissed theirs againe one by one but they would not yield he was to weake to force theÌ„ some Cardinalls agayne togeather with other Prelats would needs haue his benediction which he vtterly refused to giue they continuing to aske it he craued theirs so as the contention grew who shold blesse ech other which a Cardinal perceauing decided the matter by taking Bellarmynes right hand and blessing himselfe there with perforce at which sight the others not vvilling to vse that violence desired agayne so earnestly his blessing on their knees as he to auoyde so importunate molestation giue it but sayd withall after he had giuen it what will the blessing of a poore miserable wretch as I am aualye you why doe you trouble me so much for it And so in his death life the honours which with their sweet stings do deadly wound others he alwaies turned to his greater humiliation Two Cardinalls aboue the rest seemed Cardinall Hippolitus AldobraÌ„dinus to be more sollicitous of him Aldobrandino Farnesius the first was then in Rome the other absent the first came very ofteÌ„ to the Nouitiate to enquire how he did out of courtesy forbare to visit him as not willing to trouble him with his presence yet at length he resolued to see him although his sight cost him teares when he saw him past all hope of recouery and measuring Bellarmyne by other men he demaunded of F. Minutoli vvhether the present apprehension of death did not affright him Nothing lesse quoth the Father of which your Honour shall now see the experience and then asked the sicke Cardinall whether he would not gladly depart to another life I would to God said Bellarmyne that I might and that very soone I wish that I vvere already gone for vvhat should I stay any longer in this world with other lik words which shewed not a desire oÌ„ly but a delight also that he had to thinke on death in so much as vvhen any would comfort him in his sicknes they would mention the same as a discourse most pleasing vnto him Diuers wayes did this forsayd the Cardinall manifest his affection vnto Bellarmyne which I heere forbeare and when he vvith others requested that when he came to heauen he would remember Bellarmine notwithstanding his singular confideÌ„ce in God had great distrust of himselfe them and pray for them although the vertuous Cardinall alwayes shewed a great hope and confidence in Gods mercy yet vvas this conioyned with no lesse distrust of himselfe for he wold earnestly craue euery maÌ„s prayers and to this petition of the Cardinalls he answered more theÌ„ once saying To go to heauen so soone is a great mater to great for me men vse not to come thither in such hast and for my selfe I shall thinke it no small fauour to be sure of Purgatory and there to remayne a good while in those flames that must purge and cleanse the spotts of my offences satisfy the iust wrath iustice of almighty God But when I am come Home quoth he I will not faile to pray for you all and this he promised to doe not only for these Cardinalls but for all his
they are not my seruants but my brethren brethren they are and for such I esteeme them And that indeed he esteemed them more like his brethren then seruants many wayes appeared especially if any of his house fell sicke as there did two immediatly before he â—ell sicke himselfe â—or then his custome waâ— to go to their chaÌ„bers to sit and talke with them to comfort them euery way to assist help them And touching these two the last of which Matthaeus Tortus was one the other an attendant of his chamber this memorable thing is recorded that wheras Tortus was exceeding sicke and held to be in great danger of death and the other but in the entrance of his disease which he seemed not much to regard yet the Cardinall hauing seene theÌ„ both sayd that Tortus should recouer and the other dye which as it seemed strange to all that heard it who saw great signes of death in the one scarce the appearaÌ„ce of any sicknes in the other so the euent proued to be true for the later within few dayes departted this life and Tortus is yet liuing and in perfect health His resignation and indifferency of His resignation indifferency of mind was very exact without all contradiction or reply whatsoeuer hapned whatsoeuer was determined nothing troubled his mind no exception was made one thing only excepted if yet that thing be subiect to exception for thus it hapned He hauing from the beginning of his sicknes prepared himself to dye it fel out that the seauenth day held by the Phisitians for Critical he begaÌ„ to be somwhat better much ioy was coÌ„ceaued therat the same signified vnto the Cardinal who weighing the matter in another ballaÌ„ce was somwhat troubled with this soden resolution and said myldly vnto the Doctors I had thought at this tyme to haue gone to my house and home and now I see that you will hinder me I pray you let me goe Their answere was that it belonged vnto their office to preserue his life as long as they could and was pleasing vnto God and he also was bound therein to concurre with them to doe as they should ordayne and be contented to stay in this world vntill that God should otherwise dispose Well then quoth the Cardinal his will be done but if the choice were in my handes I should rather dye then liue wherfore doe as you will I shall follow your direction And when the Phisitians were gone he seemed so much to be discomforted that his Attendants vvere all mooued to comfort him and that no lesse then ordinarily men vse to comfort others that are to dye would longer liue Agayne at another tyme vvhen three of his foure Phisitians had consulted and determined to make tryall of a nevv remedy he sayd vnto them Will you not yet let me goe Ah let me alone novv it is high time Fa. Minutoli ansvvered and sayd the Rule of our Society doth bynde vs in sicknes to obey the Phisitians he had no sooner named the Rule but the other recalling his former wordes sayd you say well there is a Rule let them appoint what they wil I wil do whatsoeuer they wil haue me so punctual he was in obseruing the Rules of the Society in all thinges eyther for life or death with or against his owne inclination Some neere perhaps vvill say that notvvithstanding he loathed this life thirsted after heauen and vvould gladly be vvith God yet he was not to wish for his ovvne death To vvhich idle fancy I ansvvere vvith S. Augustine Aug. lib. 2. in Gaudient cap. â—â— in fine Non est iniustum homimi iusto optare mortem quando amarissima est viâ—a sed si Deus optatam non dederit non erit iustum nisi tolerare eam amarissiman vitam it is lawfull for a good man to vvish for death vvhen as life it selfe is very bitter vnto him but if God yield not vnto his desire he caÌ„not lavvfully refuse to endure his bitter life So he And so the Cardinall although he vvished for death vvas yet resigned vnto Almighty God to vndergo the longer endurance of a bitter life But leauing his vertues for a vvhile vvhich euery vvhere occurre to be recounted let vs a little behold vvhat other things hapned in the vvhole course and successe of his sicknes in the beginning vvherof it vvas thought good for auoiding of recourse to speak little therof to extenuate the same as not mortall but rather some casuall indisposition and this persuasion continued for three or foure dayes till the Pope truly Pope Gregory visiteth him on his deathbed enformed by his owne Phisitian who repayred dayly vnto the Cardinall by the Generall of the Society in what state he was came in person to visit him the fifth day of his disease for then all apprehended the matter as it was made no other accouÌ„t but to loose him WheÌ„ the Cardinal saw his Holines enter into his chamber he sayd with the good Centurion Non sum dignus vt intres sub tectum Luc. 7. meum I am not worthy that you should enter vnder my roofe with other wordes of great dutifulnes and humility when the Pope shewed the griefe of mynd he conceaued for his sicknes and how much he esteemed his losse the other answered as he had alwayes done that he had liued long inough and therfore desired no longer respit on earth I will pray God quoth he to graunt The humility of Pope Gregory your Holines as long life for he is ten yeares younger then Bellarmyne was as he hath vnto me The Pope replied but not in so lowd a voyce as the Cardinall could heare him I haue more need of Bellarmines meritts then of his yeares Many wordes past betweene them of great affection in the one and submissiue humility in the other The Pope after that he had twice most louingly imbraced him being to depart sayd that he would pray to God that he might recouer not quoth the Cardinall that I may recouer being now fit for nothing but that Gods will and pleasure may be done eyther for life or death After that the Pope was gone he seemed to be much more cheerful then he was before the cause whereof he disclosed vnto F. Minutoli saying Now truly doe I well hope that I shall dye for the Popes are neuer known to haue visited Cardinalls but when they were in danger of death or rather past all hope of life to which effect he alleadged diuers examples Remayning therfore in this ioyfull hope when diuers of the Society came to him and offered to say masse and pray for him he would very louingly thank them all but still accepted their curtesy with this Caueat that they should not pray for his longer life but contrariwise His desire to leaue the world that he might soone make an exchange therof for a better that his passage might be safe and soone The cause
the Creed in protestation of his beliefe and that he dyed a member of the Catholik Apostolike RomaÌ„ Church presently he began the same and sayd it all through and which was much noted with the end of the Creed he ended his speach these being the last wordes that euer he spake cleerly and distinctly Vitam aeternam Amen in this life Et vitam aeternam Amen life life euerlasting Amen After which his voice so fayled that they could scant with all diligence vsed heare him yet he sayd very softly to himselfe in such manner as he was able Iesus Iesus Iesus and continued still in the same till the last gaspe which of such as beheld him was in a manner insensible without any violent motion of his body or contracting of his countenance any writâ—ing of his mouth any panges or gasps in so still quiet and peaceable fashion as it seemed a sleep rather then death rather a mylde and voluntary passage theÌ„ a matter of horrour or dread rather a Saint-like repose then a finall departure out of this life He left this world the seauenteeth day of September betweene six and seauen of the clocke in the morning wanting not three weeks of threescore and nynteene yeares for he was borne on the fourth of October being S. Francis day and dyed on the feast of the same Saint dedicated to his sacred woundes which miraculously he had receaued the solemnity of which feast the Cardinall much laboured with Paul the fifth to haue grauÌ„ted to the Religious of that Order with a speciall Office for that day His body soone after his departure by a secret way for auoyding the resort of people was conueyed in coach to the Church of the Fathers where he was to The deuotion reuerence shewed to hiâ— body be buried because as yet nothing was prepared for his exposing it was carryed into a priuate chamber of the house with expresse order of debarring as yet all accesse vnto it but there came so many to see and kisse the same and so great personages as the prohibition was soone recalled and leaue graunted vnto most to come All kneeled thereat as to the body of a Saint and with great deuotion kissed the same some commended his learning some his vertue all his mylde louing and most affable behauiour amongst the rest a great Prelate on his knees kissed the thumbe and two forefingers of his right hand which had written so much to the glory of God good of his Church and comfort of many no lesse then fifty tymes and another not inferiour to the former did the same after him which deuotion of people and Prelates continued vntill it was an houre within night and had done much longer but that the Popes Phisitian togeather with his brother a Surgeon came to open and enbalme the body who earnestly requested this office as a fauour at the Fathers hands saying that they should both of them grieue much in case any other should do it As soone as they began the same many were present with to wells handkerchiffs He is embalmed his bloud saued kept for reliques sponges and other linnen to saue the blod preserue it for Reliques and so Religiously industrious and diligent they were as nothing thereof was lost the Phisitian himselfe in lieu of reward cut away a little piece of the hinder part of his which he esteemeth as a peerles Iewell and inestimable treasure the other three Phisitians were already prouided for wheras in the beginning of his sicknes they prescribed that he should be let bloud another time to haue horseleeches applyed to dravv more at both of these tymes they came with cleane handkerchiffs and dipped or rather dyed them in the bloud which by them and others was so greedily taken as that no drop remayned the Phisitians were heerunto the more moued for that besides the common report and opinion of his vertue they saw in this sicknes such liuely proofe therof as none of them had euer seene the like in any before which they neuer cease to admire and commend whensoeuer any mention is made or occasion giuen theÌ„ to speake of his sicknes The next morning the Nobility Gentry of the Congregation of our B. Lady got his body into their Oratory or Chappell where being all assembled they sayd the Office of the dead for him two Gentlemen alwayes standing at his head to keep the multitude from kissing his beare face permitting them only his handes and feet He lay on a fayre hearsâ— vested like an Archbishop with his myter and pall in so gratious manner as I neuer saw a fayrer corse and the same was sayd by very many that saw him The Office being ended the narrownes of this place was not capable of so great concourse to auoid the incoÌ„uenience of such presse of people the more hast was made to carry him into the Church where being layd on a bed The wonderful deuotion of the people to his body when it was exposed in the Church prepared for the same there came to behold it or rather to reuerence and worship it as though not the dead body of Cardinall Bellarmyne newly departed but eyther the body of S. Augustine or S. Ambrose or S. Athanasius or some auncient Doctour Bishop or Patriarke had beene exposed and layed open to be honoured and I know not what more deuotion the people could haue vsed vnto their sacred reliques then now they did vnto the body of this Cardinall For they came not as ordinarily on such occasions they vse to doe to gaze see the pompe of the funeralls which heere was very litle not to pray for the party deceased not to enquire of his heires his testament his wealth his buriall or the like more curious then necessary matters but to see as they called him the Saint to pray vnto him to reuerence his body and that in such sort as if already he had beene canonized for that it was now placed higher then they were able to reach and compassed by some of the Popes Guard and Mace-bearers of the Cardinals that came to be present at the Dirige they wearyed them all with giuing their beades vnto them which the one on the top of their truncheons the other of their Masses lifted vp to touch his bare face and so many beades being giuen to touch and that so continually without any intermission all looked or rather feared that his face would haue been disfigured therewith for it was touched as most coniecture by more then twenty thousand payre of beades and there had beene no end of touching it had not the Fathers with help of the Popes Guarde after more theÌ„ three houres within night caryed it away perforce as presently shall be said and notwithstanding that the body lay aloft was well guarded with troncheous and halbardes yet were there of these pious theeues so cunning as that some of them cut away pieces of his