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england_n	daughter_n	henry_n	king_n	17,788	5	4.5034	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08095	The life of the most honourable and vertuous lady the Lady Magdalen Viscountesse Montague written ... by Richard Smith. And now translated into English, by C. F[ursdon]..; Vita illustrissimae Dominae Magdalenae Montis Acuti in Anglia vicecomitissae. English	Smith, Richard, 1566-1655.; Fursdon, Cuthbert.	1627 (1627)	STC 22811; ESTC S95235	39,355	62

Saints who yet with no great difficulty ayme at the piety of lesse vertuous persons And vnto these I propose a woman not famous for rudenesse of habit or rigour of diet or seuerity of discipline or abnegation of the For edification of our neighbour world but one that was humble chast meeke patient and pious neither resplendent by miracles but abounding with vertues so that they who despaire to imitate the admirable sanctity of S. Mary Magdalen may see themselues capable to attaine the piety of Magdalen Viscountesse Montague Neither yet doe I enrole her in the number of Saints or the Blessed Mine intention is only for the glory of God edification of my neyghbour sincerely to commend her lyfe to writing whether she deserued the opinion of sanctity let others iudge Thus much deuout Reader I desired to premonish thee before thou takest in hand the reading of the lyfe of our Magdalen Make thou the benefit thereof and farewell THE LIFE OF THE LADY MAGDALEN VISCOVNTESSE Montague Of the Birth of the La. Magdalen Viscountesse Montague and her Education vnder her Mother CHAP. 1. THE most Ho. ble and Vertuous Lady Magdalen Viscountesse Montague was borne in England of most Noble Catholike parents at Naward Castell the Mansion-house of her Father scituat in the County of Cumberland not far from the borders of Scotland the yeare of The Father of the La. Magdalen Christ 1538. the 20. of Ianuary Her Father was William Lord Dacre Baron of Ghisland a man besides the most ancient Nobility of his family of such power and estate as that he possessed seauen Baronyes which scarce any Noble man of England euer had and was of eminent authority His nobility in the North parts of England and both himselfe and his ancestors of very famous esteeme in England in regard of their notable prowesse in matters of warre for the safety and honour of their Country Neither was he of lesse His piety piety towards God for when King Henry the VIII calling a Parlament purposed by the voyces of both Houses to renounce the obedience to the Church of Rome and by an vnheard of President to arrogate vnto himselfe the title Sander de schism l. 1. p. 120. of head of the Church of England fearing least the Lord Dacre would not only refuse to assent vnto his lust but by his example and authority would animate others to the defence of the ancient fayth he tooke order to haue him called in question for treason wherin notwithstanding he was easily declared innocent And when afterwards the King told him that by the consent of Parlament he was made Head of the English Church and demaunded his opinion what he thought therof scoffingly deriding the vanity of the King he answered Hereafter then when your Maiesty offendeth you may absolue your selfe Another time when Queene Elizabeth the daughter of Henry exceeding her Father endeauoured vtterly to exterminate Catholike Religion out of England the Lord Dacre exhorted the Nobility not to giue consent to such an enormous act and to certaine of them offered himselfe and his forces for defence of the Catholique Religion Her Mother was a woman of like Nobility and Piety the daughter of N. Talbot Earle of Shrewsbury whose ancestors for their The Mother of the La. Magdalen most heroicall victories gotten in France are exceeding famous both in the French English Chronicles And so terrible hath the name of Talbot byn heretofore vnto the French that Mothers and nurses to still their crying children accustomed to say Talbot comes Of these most noble ancestors descended the La. Magdalen Montague which I relate not as though she did much esteeme therof but because though Nobility do not augment the valour of vertue yet it doth adde a kind of lustre and ornament vnto it and maketh it to appeare more gracious in the sight of man For as we may say with the Poet Gratior est claro veniens de sanguine Virtus Vertue hath more grace when it descends of noble race For as a pearle is of great price though it be hidden vnder the earth or couered with ordure be trodden vnder foot or to vse S. Hieromes words A Iewell glittereth in loathsome Epist. 2● matter and the splendour of a most pure pearle shineth euen in dirt yet it is more gracious and delectable when it is set in gold So vertue is very estimable with whatsoeuer ragged pouerty it is ioyned but where it is vested with Nobility as it were with purple it doth mooue a greater admiration and as the Sunne in a cleare day dispersing the cloudes doth far and neere dilate the beames of his light For as nothing appeareth more pleasing and beautifull to those that cast vp their eyes then the heauens in a cleere night glittering with diuers starres so to vs casting downe our sight nothing appeareth more gracious then Nobility adorned and as it were glittering with diuers degrees of vertue For Nobility illustrated with Vertues is a heauen scituate on earth adorned with starres Which in these times we may auerre to be so much the more true as the coniunction of Vertue with Nobility is more rare There was a time when Kings Queenes and Princes Many holy Kings Queenes in England in time past men and women in England as they excelled others in dignity so did they endeauour to exceed them in vertue whence we may find recorded among the Saints neere twenty Kings of England and as many Queenes but of Kings children Princes noble persons more then may be nūbred But now O griefe our Princes saruing from the fayth of their predecessors the Nobility also for the most part degenerate from the piety of their ancestors Wherfore this noble woman deserueth the greater prayse before God and men who would not staine her Nobility with vices and impious heresie but endeauoured with all her forces to adorne and illustrate it with vertues and the purity of the Catholike fayth as in the discourse of her life shall appeare Till the thirteenth yeare of her age she had her education in her Fathers house vnder the pious gouernment of her Mother where although as well in regard of her youthfull yeares as by example of her sisters and the custome of other Noble Virgins as also by the delight of the pastime she might haue bin induced to She deligteth not in hunting the sports of hauking and hunting she notwithstanding contemning all this pleasure made choice by example of the B. Virgin rather to abide in quiet repose at home then after the manner of prophane Diana by chasing wilde beasts and foule to stray in the mountaines and forrests so without a teacher she fulfilled the counsaile which S. Hierome giueth to Virgins Let her neuer goe forth least those Epist ad Laet●●… who wander about the citty do find her least they strike and wound her and bereaue her of the veyle of her chastity Of her

suffer whatsoeuer it should please God and did expose herselfe to the perill therof For wheras she had two goodly Mansion houses the one vpō the Thames side neere London-bridge in which from the first beginning of persecution The house of the La. Magd. a common refuge for Priests by Q. Elizabeth was a common retire for Priests comming in and going out of England and also a refuge for such as resided in London wherin also one Priest had his residence to minister the Sacraments to such Catholikes as resorted thither In this house happened a matter worthy obseruation which by the way I thought requisite to relate When in the chappell of this house which sometime appertayned to the Canons-Regular some persons did dig in the place where the high Altar had formerly stood vnder the same altar or neere therunto they foūd a leaden coffin within it the body of a Religious man lapped in linnen and bound hard with cords there buryed many yeares before so sound flexible and of so liuely a colour as it seemed aliue The La. Magdalen as her selfe told me putting her fingers into his mouth did a litle pull out his tongue which was fleshly red and dry another with a knife cut a slash in the flesh which within seemed very sound and fatty no signe appearing either of Balme or any other thing that could conserue that body from corruption And of this matter many eye witnesses worthy of credit are yet liuing In her other house which being distant foure miles from Hastings of that famous field which there was fought betweene William the Conquerour and King Herald is called Battell where herselfe with her family did for the most part reside she kepr three Priests one of whome was M. Thomas More great grandchild and direct heire of that famous Syr Thomas More sometime Lord Chauncellor of England a most worthy Martyr who seeking to participate rather of the vertues then of the lands of his great grandfather hauing resigned vnto his yonger brother a most ample patrimony being worthily adorned with learning vertues and made Priest deuoted himselfe wholy to the conuersion of his Country in which industry he hath laudably employed himselfe these 20. yeares Another was M. Thomas Smith Bachelor of diuinity a man no lesse venerable for his learning worthy piety and vnwearyed endeuour in helping his Country then for his grauity of yeares The third was my selfe These did minister the word of God and the Sacraments not only to the La. Magdalen and her family but to all Catholikes repayri●● thither She built a chappell in her house which in suc● persecution was to be admired and there placed a very faire Altar of stone wherto she made an ascent with steps She built a chappell with a Quier in her house and enclosed it with railes and to haue euery thing conformable she built a Quire for singers and set vp a pulpit for the Priests which perhaps is not to be seene in all England besides Heere almost euery weeke was a sermon made and on solemne feasts the sacrifice of the Masse was celebrated with singing and musicall instruments and sometimes also with Deacon subdeacon And such was the concourse and refort of Catholikes that sometimes Solemne Masse celebrated there were 120 together and 60. communicants at a time had the benefit of the B. Sacrament And such was the nūber of Catholikes resident in her house and the multitude The resort of Catholikes and note of such as repayred thither that euen the heretikes to the eternall glory of the name of the La. Magdalen gaue it the title of Litle Rome O happy woman and true mayntainer of the Romaine fayth who where the very name of Rome is to most so odious that they vse all The house of the La. Mag. called litle Rome their industry and vtmost endeuour to extinguish it there she did not only preserue the memory ther of but made it so famous as she deserued to haue the title therof giuen to her house Let others nominate their houses by what titles they please this only title of Litle Rome giuen by Heretikes vnto thy house O Honorable Magdalen by reason of the Romane fayth there professed appeareth more famous and more illustrious then all other titles Whiles she was present either at Masse or Sermon she did not cōceale herselfe for feare to be betrayed by some false brother as it sometimes happeneth in England but she did serue God publikely in the sight of all that by her example she might encourage all and when she walked abroad by her Beads or Crosse which she vsed to weare about her neck she professed herselfe to be a Catholike euen to whatsoeuer Hereticall beholders and so manifest was her religion that scarce any in England had heard ●●r name who knew her not also to be a Catholike She ●●●dered none from hearing Masse in her house if any Catholike had but the least knowledge of them vsing these words Let these poore people come they desire comfort as much as we And that which to others did strike a feare of trobles was vnto her occasion of great ioy to wit when on festiuall dayes she saw a great number of Catholiks in her Chappell in so much as she would sometimes shed She offereth leaue to print Catholike books in her house teares for ioy and would thanke God that by her meanes so many pious soules receiued spirituall consolation Yea so far streched the fortitude of this blessed woman in propagating the Catholike fayth that she twice offered me leaue to set vp a Presse to print Catholike bookes in her house which had bin done but that it was most difficult and almost impossible in such an ample family to to conceale such a matter from Heretikes This her couragious Constancy bred her great Enuie in her Hereticall neighbours wherwith some of them being moued presented her name and the names of almost all her family so the Iudges in publike assises for not obseruing the law of comming to Church euery month By which law it is commanded that whatsoeuer person of the age of 16. yeares shall abstaine for a month from the Protestant Churches shal be confined within the compasse of fiue miles of his house and shall pay at the choyce of the King either 20. ●● euery month or two thirds of his lands tenemēts with the losse of all his goods if he keep any Catholike The La. Mag. first of all the Nobility in Englād accused vpon the statute of going to hereticall Churches seruāt he shall pay besides for each one 10. ●● euery month Vpon which law the La. Magdalen was the first of the Nobility that euer in England was accused in publike iudgment But she was so far frō being terrified with this most hard proceeding or dismissing of any of her seruants that hauing intelligence therof with a pleasing Countenance she sayd If the King will haue