my memory bring you forth also the narration of your dreame you had the last night you demand quoth Lazarus but a homely dish Such as will serue for Pilgrims and footmen answered Theodosius If you will vndertake replyed Lazarus to giue the interpretation thereof as a good sauce I am content to performe your wil. I wil do my best quoth Theodosius Heare thē my dream take heed you be not afraid Lazarus his dreame for it is full of dangerous peeces In the night me thought I saw come out of a towne diuers squadrous of men and furious beasts of Lyons enraged against Foxes and Foxes against Conies Dogs against Wolues and Wolues against Sheep I saw also in the sea Ships sayling in diuers coastes amidst of this confusion stirre some Pllgrimes walking vpon the earth like our selues Behold my dreame Vincent began to laugh said that Theodosius needes not dreame much to expound this dreame Why sayth Theodosius How can you misse saith he to interpret a thing so notorious and cleare Who knoweth not that there is warre amongst men and warre amongst beastes and that diuers saile vpon the sea and walke vpon the land Truly saith Lazarus Vincent hath reason to laugh for I dreamed nothing but that euery man seeth without dreaming and therefore Theodosius either laugh with him or find some serious interpretation to keepe you from laughing I thinke saith Theodosius that the most part of dreams are groūded vpō things that are in being which we haue seen The foūdation of dreames For the imagination which is the couch nursery of dreames representeth cōmonly what she hath receiued but reason slumbering when we sleepe the fantasy can not make of her formes figures any orderly or methodicall connexion Order is a worke of the vnderstanding for that is the worke of vnderstanding and reason but like a fond chambermayd she maketh absurd connexions putting the head of a beare to the body of a goat or the coppe of a mountaine vpon the necke of a man or of a monkey yet she layeth almost alwayes the ground of her representations vpon things otherwise seene or vnderstood in some sort and I think also that dreames come not only of nature but also by the inspiration of God Genes 2◠Iacob saw a ladder standing on the earth reaching to heauen and Angels ascending and descending theron and is there any thing more common then to see a ladder and men ascending and descending by the steppes yet this was a diuine dreame Ioseph the sonne of this Patriarch had a dreame composed of the sunne moone Genes 37. and 11. starres and another of many sheffes of corne Genes 41. Pharao saw in his dreame 7. fat Kyne and 7. leane seauen faire eares of Wheat and full of corne 7. other empty and blasted These were things naturall and vulgar yet the dreames were of God and therfore I thinke Vincent meant but to recreat vs in laughing at yours to the end that his laughing proceeding from a sophisme might giue vs matter to laugh You haue halfe ouercome me saith Vincent and there remayneth no more but the exposition of the dreame to stop my mouth altogeather your selfe to triumph either of my laughing or of my silence if I cannot reply For my part saith Theodosius I thinke that the matter of this dreame as Lazarus did wisely iudge came of the subiect of his meditation that it signifieth some other warre then the ordinary of men and beastes but I cannot expound it in particular that pertaineth vnto you Lazarus for I doubt not but as God hath put this dreame into your fantasy so also he hath in some sort written the interpretation thereof in your vnderstanding I know nothing more quoth Lazarus then your selfe haue vnderstood God will shew it vs if there be any thing els to his honour the profit of his Pilgrimes If you will haue any more than this at my handes you must giue me leaue leisure to aske of God what you aske of me If there be nothing els but the representation of the imagination we must be content with that knowledge which you haue with me and so Vincent may remaine victor in his laughing Discoursing in this sort and deceiuing the tediousnes of the way they came at 10. of the clocke in the morning to Mondeuille where the merchants the day before had lodged and were there still Gratian hauing heard very ill newes They went straight to the Church in the Suburbes and hauing heard Masse and done their ordinary deuotions without going into the towne they went vnto an hospitall which was in the suburbes at the other end of the towne to take a little repast and repose and to gaine waye but some told them that they could not passe ouer the ditches by reason of the inundation of waters whith had marred the way that they must needes go through the towne which was also the shorter way They yielded to necessity As they were entred a little into the towne they met by good fortune Syr Gratian who saluted them courteously and was much comforted in meeting them namely for Lazarus sake and vnderstanding that they went to the hospitall to rest a while and after go on their way I will meet you there by and by saith he I pray you Maister Lazarus do not depart the towne vntill I haue spoken a word with you who promised to stay for him In the streetes was nothing seene but troopes of horsemen cloathed in rich precious attire who made much sport with the Pilgrims iesting sometime at their Pilgrime staffe sometyme at their buckeram cloake wherewith the Pilgrimes were not much troubled there they heard the fiffes trumpets and haut-boyes sound in diuers places especially where the list for the tourney was prepared and the Theater for the playes of the feast and all the towne was full of reioycing They met in passing three companies of Caualliers Three bādes of the world with diuers habillements and ensignes The first wore Caslockes and breeches of crimson damaske powdred as with fethers of glittering siluer with scarfes of Carnation taflata with siluer fringe hats of beauer lyned with the same and edged with gold and a band of greene silke and for their plumes they had the fethers of the bird of Paradise their armes were Gules a Goat passant The second band were clad in blacke veluet figured in the ground with gold scarfes of yellow cypresse their hats plaited of blacke taffata with a band of siluer with two branches insteed of their plume a nose-gay of double marigoldes Their scutchion was Sable a Mercury argent with winged feet and holding a wand of the same colour in his right hand Those of the third band were clad in changeable taffata laced richely with glittering gold in manner of waues their hates were garnished with the same stuffe richely embrodered without the band was wound of gold and
law of God in what sort soeuer and in the end say Pater Aue. In the 4. point he must say Confiteor knocking his breast for his faults found with dolour and dislike and also with hope to knocke at the gate of Gods mercy humbly crauing pardon for the snnes we find our selues to haue committed The 5. point is to make a firme purpose neuer by the help of Gods grace to fall againe into the like and with the first commodity to goe to Confession so to end with Pater Aue And Credo This is the dayly exercise of all that be carefull and solicitous of their owne saluation commanded by the Scripture and practised by the Saints Eccl. 28.29 Locke vp thy gold siluer sayth the Wise man and make a weight vnto thy wordes and put a strict bridle in thy mouth That is vaunt not of thy vertue nor glory in thy good actions weigh and examine all euen vnto thy wordes and keep thy selfe from euill and haue a purpose to abstaine for afterward Iob sayd I feared all my workes Iob. 9.28 knowing that thou dost not pardon the offender And this without doubt was because he weighed all in the ballance of Gods iustice which he knew left nothing vnweighed Dauid Psalm 76. I meditated in the night with my hart I did exercise my selfe I did sweep cleanse my spirit Vpon which wordes S. Augustine sayth He enquired of himselfe he examined himselfe and he iudged himself within himselfe He examined in the night the fit and proper tyme in silence with attention hauing his eyes shut to other thinges he exercised himselfe in good earnest with all his hart with feruour and vigour of deuotion and not with a distracted and wandering cogitation dead without motion of life and sorrow My sinne is alwayes before me Psal 50. Because he was in continuall examination of his actions alwayes finding some defect and heereof he sayd to God Psal 18.14 Who is he that knoweth his faultes Deliuer me from my secret sinnes and pardon thy seruant the sinnes of others He that doth not his diligence to performe this once a day sheweth himselfe to haue no great care of his owne soule for he putteth himselfe fondly in danger to be surprised and sodainly arrested by the executioner of the supreme Iudge hauing the accountes of his life ill ordered charged with debts which he shal neuer be able to discharge The deuout Christian doth it often in the day How often in the day the deuout ChristiaÌ„ should examine his conscience Our Pilgrime shall do it thrice in the morning when he riseth he shall examine the night past at noone examine the morning and at night when he goeth to bed shut vp the account and reckoning of the whole day A generall distribution of what the Pilgrime should do euery day And first of the Credo CHAP. VII Clem. Const Apost l. 7. c. 25. THE dayly prayers and spirituall exercises of the pilgrime are distributed into three tymes of the day Morning after dinner and Night according to that distribution of K. Dauid who sayd In the Euening and Morning and at Midday I will pray to thee O Lord and speake thy prayses and myne owne necessityes Psal 54. Which also Daniel practised in his captiuity as before him all iust men in their owne dwellings Dan. 6.10 In the Morning he shall make the principall meditation at Noone and after he shall make others or els if he be loath to change the subiect hauing some tast thereof in the Morning he may goe ouer it againe by way of repetition at euery one of these three tymes of prayer he must still repeate the Credo Pater Aue Confiteor as a true child of the Church who reciteth them in the midst among other prayers she maketh he that prayeth must haue Fayth Hope and Charity Fayth is the foundation of the others by fayth he doth often say in his prayers the Creed as making profession of his fayth comprised therein by these 12. Articles 1. I beleeue in God the Father almighty creator of heauen earth 2. And in Iesus Christ his only Sonne our Lord. 3. Who was conceaued by the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary 4. Suffered vnder Pontius Pilat was crucified dead and buried 5. Descended into hell the third day he rose againe from the dead 6 He ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty 7. From thence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead 8. I belieue in the holy Ghost 9. The holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints 10 The forgiuenes of sinnes 11. The resurrection of the body 12. And life euerlasting AmeÌ„ This is a summary of fayth called the Symbole collection or gathering because it was composed by the Apostles euery one bringing and contributing his part as they doe at a reckoning after a banket representing by the number of the Articles the 12. Authors and compounders thereof for which cause S. Ambrose calleth it the Apostolike fayth Amb. ser 38. Aug. ser 1â—1 de tempore Leo c. 13. ad Pulchr composed by those 12. Artificers also the key whereby is discouered the darknes of the Diuell that the light of Iesus Christ might appeare S. Augustin calleth it the Apostolike fayth because it contayneth the abridgment thereof and would haue euery one learne it by hart The Symbole or Creed sayth he is short in wordes and great in mystery let euery one therefore that is come to the yeares of discretion learne the Apostolike fayth which he hath professed in Baptisme by the mouth of his God-father These twelue Articles containe all that euery Christian ought distinctly to belieue of God and his Church The 8. first teach vs the beliefe we must haue of the B. Trinity one God and three persons and specially of the mystery of our Redemption The foure last deliuer vnto vs what to belieue of his Church Of the Pater Noster Aue and Consiteor CHAP. VIII THE Pater noster is the summary of our hope as the Creed was of our fayth contayning seauen petitions in forme of prayer as followeth 1. Our Father which art in heauen hallowed be thy Name 2. Thy kingdome come 3. Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heauen 4. Giue vs this day our daily bread 5. And forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. 6. And lead vs not into temptation 7. But deliuer vs from euill Amen The foure first demand the guift of good thinges the three last deliuerance from euill The 3. first aske that which pertayneth to life euerlasting the foure last that which concernes this temporall to attaine vnto the other as S. Augustine sayth Aug. euch c. 115. serm Dom in montel 2. cap. 17. This is a prayer made and dictated from the mouth of the Sonne of God the richest and worthyest of all the
cause she was notwithstanding troubled with this chance and could not endure the losse The absence of her Iesus was an vnspeakable torment vnto her Therefore in the morning she went backe againe seeking her welbeloued in euery place and way amongst his parents and friends but alas without finding him O my soule cōsider in this seeking the thougthes of this afllicted Spouse who languisheth for absence of her loue Heare Mary saying in her affectiō what the Spouse sayd in hers I will arise and go about the Citty Cant. 5.2 and seeke through the streetes and publike places the wellbeloued of my soule Who speaketh to her deare Sonne and sayth Cant. 1.7 O the loue of my soule tell me where thou doost take thy repast repose at mid-day who not fynding him replieth sorrowfully Cant. 3. I haue sought and haue not found I haue called and he hath not answered O sweet Spouse O sweet Iesus let thy selfe be found by thy deare Spouse by thy mourning Mother and answer her quickly for she can no longer endure thy absence She cannot be without her Iesus her deere child her Creatour her Sauiour her All in All. Shew thy selfe vnto her and do not contristate her any longer Let her not so soone feele the point of the sword which Simeon foretould Luc. 2. she shall haue time inough afterward at the great Combat of thy Crosse See the sorrowes of her soule behold her teares The B. V. cōplaint heare her saying vnto thee O my well beloued where art thou Haue I displeased thee in any thing that might cause this diuorce betwixt thee and me Between thee and thy desolate Mother who loueth thee more then her selfe Art thou ascended vp to heauen to the bosome of thy Father for any discontentement thou hast receaued from me in thy little Nazareth Alas it was against my will I wil do penance appoint what punishment it pleaseth thee I will willingly endure it for loue of thee so that I may recouer thee haue thy presence With thee I wil endure any thing without thee all pleasure is paynfull Thus the B. Virgin lamented her losse The deuout soules care O my soule behold heere what a torment it should be to loose Iesus keep him therefore well whilst thou hast him hold him and loose him not for what shall become of thee without him and what shalt thou be without Iesus But if he absent himselfe sometime from thee vpon his owne good pleasure without thy fault as it happened heere to the B. Virgin and leaue thee in tribulation and anguish of mynd beare thy affliction patiently but arise notwithstanding with diligence and seeke him with teares and sighes as his holy Mother did Iesus is not foūd amongst his kindred Thou shalt find him at last as she did not in the world nor amongst his owne bloud and kindred but in the Temple amongst the Doctours and in the company of men of conscience and honour O sweet Iesus be thou alwayes with me if it please thee that I may alwayes be with thee and beware of displeasing thee Orig. hom 19. or dryuing thee away from me I know well that my sinnes imperfections haue giuen thee a thousand occasions but thou hast notwithstanding been vnto me Iesus in all the afflictions of my Pilgrimage Be so still O good Iesus be alwayes Iesus vnto vs and guid vs. Succour our lost companion do vs the fauour that we may find him be vnto him Iesus and Sauiour in his captiuity if he be captiue in his griefe if he be afflicted in his difficulty if he be in danger Be Iesus to this good old man who lodged vs for thy sake and recompence his hospitality and all his houshold with thy plentifull benediction a hundred fold which is the measure of thy liberality 1. Our Sauiour maketh not himselfe knowne vntill 12. yeares of age 2. Theodosius found 3. Lead away by Theeues 4. Made prisoner by the officers with Lazarus and Vincent 5. Lazarus his plea's 6. All three deliuered CHAP. VI. THVS prayed Lazarus accompanying his prayers with sighes and teares Vincent also performed his part on the same subiect He rested principally vpon this consideration how our Sauiour thought good to manifest himselfe to men by conuersation being now somewhat growne and past infancy to giue a glimpse of his Maiesty in such sort Why Iesus Christ did not manifest himselfe before 12 yeares of age as he shadowed it againe vnder the veile of his age For if he had spokē in his cradle if he had disputed with the doctours at three yeares old the demonstration had byn forced doing it at 12. years old which is the beginning of the vse of reason whē youth beginneth to bud forth some blossomes and flowres of their spirit and towardnes it was sweet and yet sufficient to testify that he was somewhat more then man and to prepare their harts to the beliefe of his Deity The modesty of our Sauiour amōg the Doctours It did also much commend the modesty of our Sauiour who being Wisedome it selfe yet obserued good manners and the rancke of his age carrying himselfe not as a Doctour among the Doctours but rather as an hearer or disciple and teaching not by sentences and axiomes but rather by questions and answers but such as the Doctours were therewith both instructed and astonished An example sayth S. Gregory which teacheth young men and weake to be disciples before they be Doctours Beda in Luc. He insisted also with great astonishment in that which is sayd that our Sauiour returned with Mary and Ioseph to Nazareth and was subiect vnto them The Creatour sayth Vincent in himselfe is subiect to a creature The obedience of our Sauiour the Almighty to infirmity soueraigne wisedome to simplicity And shall not I poore worme of the earth be subiect to God and to euery creature for his loue Shall not I make great account of Obedience which the Creatour hath so much honoured When they had both ended their meditation the good old man came vp vnto their chamber and gaue them good morrow and asked how they had rested that night they resaluted him and for our repose sayth Lazarus weary Pilgrimes cannot choose but rest well when they find so good lodging as we haue had If there be any thing good in my house quoth their host it is my good will and your well-come for the rest I am farre short of all others But my Maisters there is good newes which wil make you glad a certaine Church man a friend of myne a man of honour came hither late yester night Their departure from the Country-house who shall say you Masse this morning and shall beare you company for these two or three dayes for so long at least you must needs be my guests by the law of good Pilgrimes Good Father sayth Lazarus we are Pilgrims passengers will you haue vs insteed of such
Litanies togeather after which TristraÌ„ was caryed to his bed in another chamber where he slept quickly The Pilgrims made their examen and tooke the subiect and points of their morning Meditation The subiect was the life of the glorious Virgin after the Ascension of our Sauiour into heauen in these points 1. Wherefore she liued after our Sauiours Ascension 2. Of the profit she brought vnto the Church of God 3. Of her death The nine and thirtith day and the ninth of his Returne Of the Life and conuersation of the B. Virgin after the Ascension of our Sauiour and of her death CHAP. XXII AT three a clocke in the morning when no body was vp sauing some seruants that went to labour the Pilgrims began their meditation a part Lazarus the first in feruour and heat of spirit began in admiration wondering that our Sauiour ascended into heauen and left his glorious mother amongst mortall men seeing he knew well that she should be in continuall griefe for his absence and longing for his presence and that she desired nothing more then to go out of this vale of miseries and to be with him and there was not any creature more worthy of heauen and of his company then she was Why the B Virgin was left on earth after the Ascension of our Sauiour But the heauenly light shewed vnto him in the progresse of his meditation that the Almighty and all wise Sonne of God did herein shew a singular prouidence for the good of his most honourable mother and of all his whole Church for if the scripture reporteth that for a great fauour which is sayd of the lust that God hath honoured him in making him labour and hath accomplished his trauailes this was a speciall prerogatiue and a great honour which our Sauiour did to his mother to leaue her somtime after him in this life therin to shew employ her vertues The B Virgin was left as the moone when the Sunne was gone which hitherto had beene in a manner hidden vnder the cloake of profound humility knowne onely to God and to few men besides by a thou sand goodly workes wrought in publicke make her multiply the vsury of her merits vnto the highest heape and degree and so much to increase the glory of her felicity It was also a great fauour vnto the Church to see shine in her beginning and birth vpon the earth this starre as the moone after that the great Sunne taking himselfe from the eyes of mortall men Our Sauiour his Churche both bred and brought vp by the B. Virgin was mounted into the heauens and to conteÌ„plate in her the admirable beauty of that sunne it selfe liuely represented in the lustre of the diuine actions of this B. Virgin as we behold the visible splendour of the sunne painted in the face of the moone And euen as God would that his Sonne Iesus-Christ Espouse and Sauiour of the Church should be conceiued borne and brought vp by the sayd Virgin so would he that the same Church should in some sort be ingendred by the feed of the sayd Virgins vertues should be illustrated set in view and in a manner brought forth by meanes of her nourished and brought vp by the example of her admirable workes Namely that she should be the light of the Apostles and disciples teaching them diuers misteries of the fayth that none knew but her selfe and which the holy Ghost would haue knowne by her so by her he taught the secret of the Annunciation of the Incarnation of her perpetuall virginity of the Natiuity of our Sauiour of the musique that Angells sung thereat of the Visitation of the shepheards of the Circumcision of the Adoration of the Kings of the Presentation in the Temple of Simeons prophecy and other points which the Euangelists haue recorded and specially S. Luke Luc. 2. who therefore is called the Notary of our B. Lady Greg. Nis in fest Assump It is he that sayd Marie kept all these things in her hart Signifying as an ancient Doctor sayth that she had diligently noted the mysteries she had seene to reueale them in due tyme and that what he had written he had drawne out of the mine treasury of the Virgins hart who was Secretary and of priuy Councell to the meruayles of God And as God hath giuen at diues tymes holy women to magnify his greatnes in them and to succour his people as a Debora to counsell and conduct the armies of Israell a Iudith to encounter with the great Tyrant an Hester to winne the King and oppose herselfe against the enemies of his people also amoÌ„g the heathens diuers Sibilles women emineÌ„t in knowledge in the gift of prophecy to instruct the ignorant of the mysteries of the Sauiour of the world so he left in his bodily absence this his heauenly mother to be a Debora a Iudith a Hester and the Prophetesse of the Christians the refuge of the afflicted the booke of the doctours the strength of the faintharted the force of those that fight and f nally to be a Regent in the beginning of the spirituall kingdome of her Son by the accord of her diuine contemplations actioÌ„s to giue a modell and patterne of the contemplatiue act ue life of the Apostolicall perfect Christian way She was a patterne of actiue and contemplatiue life as she did And therfore both then euer after she was ordained called the Protectrix of all religious Families a generall Aduocate of the Church of her Sonne for euer God meaning in a woman to encounter coÌ„found vice Idolatry confound Pride the forces of Sathan who in a woman had confounded all mankind thrust mortall men into all sort of sinne She liued then many yeares after the Ascension of our Sauiour 10. after the opinion of some and 21. in the opinion of others but the common tradition is foureteene 10 Nicep li. 2. cap. 3. And being arriued to that terme which he had prefixed who gouerneth the tyme and lott of the life of man she receiued a message of her departure out of this world by an Angel in the Citty of HierusaleÌ„ 21. Epiph. serm de Derp Virg. where she had remayned since the death of our Sauiour with S. Iohn the Euangelist whither the Apostles dispersed through diuers partes of the world by the power of God were assembled togeather and with them diuers other holy men amongst whome was S. Denu the Arcopagite the Apostle of France in this last period to assist the Mother of his maister and to do her obsequies Almighty God honouring with the presence of the principall lights of his Church the deposition of that Virgin who had brought forth the Sauiour of the world Dion Metapâ—r ora de obit Virg. and illustrating the death of the mother of his Sonne with this singular prerogatiue as he had by a thousand more illustrated her life
he saw a Citty oâ— forme foure square great wonderfull spacious compassed with walles of squared Amâ—thystes of India and christall checker wise and pointed diamond wise fastened with gold enamelled with azure The Towres were of the same matter and fashion sauing that their batlements were made of Emeralds Iacinths The houses of the Citty were all great palaces built of Diamonds Saphires Topazes other precious stones of admirable lustre and variety cut most artificially for couerings or roofes they had the seeling of heauen-flaming varying in colours like the rainebow MeÌ„ entred in by twelue gates three towards the east and three towards the west as many towards the North and towards the south euery one made of a whole entire precious stone figured and wrought with art surpassing the stuffe The market place and streetes were paued with bricke of fine gold in the same place was seene a fountaine of liuely water which made a torreÌ„t of pleasure running through the streets and trees alwayes greene loaden with the fruite of life and with floures which cast a most sweet odour all ouer the Citty The Cittizens men and women were diuinely beautifull their bodies subtile shyning like the sunne all went and flew nymbly like to Eagles cloathed like the Kings children some in scarlet some in crimson damaske others in white satine some in beaten gold and others in other stuffe and these habits being wrought and garnished with embrodery and passe main lace of gold poudered with all sorts of exquisite and choice pearle and precious stones were couered with a garmeÌ„t of a glittering color thin swimming after them as a mantle of Cypres through the which the beauty of their ornaments appeared more admirable Their heads were crowned with Tissues of gold set with great orientall pearles Rubies Diamonds and Emeraldes and on their forhead hung a glittering Crosse made of diuers great Diamonds of wonderfull brightnes They caryed a palme of immortality in their hands and euery one had â—is pallace and liued all vnder one King and at his owne table in great aboundance of all good things without feare of any euill with a peace vnion and contentement vnspeakeable and there was heard without ceasing sundry consorts of musike of voyces instruments vpon the Towres which made all the Citty sound with an incredible melody As the Baron was plunged in the rauishment of this vision he awaked about midnight and perceiued well that it was God that shewed him the image of this Citty and of these Cittizens He resolued from thenceforth to be a Pilgrime vpon earth and to serue God with all his hart one day to be receiued in the number of these Cittizens a few dayes after he tooke his Fathers blessing became Religious In the same houre when Theodosius and Vincent had slept Lazarus dreamed that being neer his Fathers house his brother Pauline met him saying all amazed O my brother Aâ—me Dieu are you aliue Lazarus also more amazed imbraced him and said O my deare brother Pauline are you yet in the world I kept your funerals at Loreto and with the shadow of this ioy he awaked perceiued it was but a dreame slept againe Three houres after they a rose and kneeled to their prayers making their Meditation euery man by himselfe as they were wont Niceph li. 15. c. 14. ex lanen Episc Ieros Glâ—a alijs Niceph. li. 2. cap. 23. lib. 15. ca. 14. Lazarus meditated first of the piety and deuotion of the Apostles to our B. Lady perseuering three whole dayes to visite her sepulcher and to honour it with hymnes and canticles togeather with the consorts of Angels who in the same time afforded an admirable harmony of their heauenly melody to the honour of the same Virgin Secondly he considered how S. Thomas comming by the Prouidence of God the third day and desirous to honour the body of the B. Virgin whome he could not serue at her decease as his companions did was cause that they opened the sepulcher to giue him contentment and to behold that sacred treasure layd vp in it and that not fynding it there they acknowledged the glorious Asssiption of the B. Virgin caryed to heauen both body and soule and priuiledged after her death with a prerogatiue of a glorious resurrection before the great and generall day as she was priuiledged with a thousand graces all the course of her life And thereupon came into his memory the prophecy of King Dauid foretelling in these wordes the Resurrection of the Sonne of the mother Psal 133. Arise O Lord into thy rest thou and the Arke of thy Sanctification The wordes also of the Sonne speaking vnto his mother Cant. 4. as vnto his well beloued Spouse Arise my friend my doue and come the winter is now passed the raine is ended and gone make hast my loue without staying for the last general resurrection of men Come betimes from the shadow of the graue and come to the light of heauen for winter is passed with you the showrs of your teares are dried vp he made her make haste not letting her lye three litle and short daies in her Sepulcher So it was meete that that sacred body which had brought forth life should not be swallowed by death and giuen for a prey and foode to wormes nor the matter of incorruption turne to ashes and that she who had by priuiledge beene exempted from originall sin Gen. 3. and the common malediction of women in their childbirth should also be exempted from the paine and malediction incurred by the same which was to be by death turned into dust and ashes Heere Lazarus considered attentiuely the glory of this resurrection which doubtlesse was worthy of the Sonne mother of God and such as the Angels might well admire but not expresse and therefore seeing her ascend they sayd who is she that coming from the desert ascendeth loaden with delights Cant. â— and leauing vpon her well beloued They admired and demaunded and could not otherwise expresse the beauty of this creature And if these celestiall spirits so well seene in all great things do shew by their wondering that they neuer saw the like in heauen what can men say or conceiue of the glory of this Assumption Of the Meditation of this glory particular of the B. The ioy glory of Paradise Virgin Lazarus tooke occasion to thinke of the ioyes of Paradise â—he coÌ„sidered first the essence of that ioy which consisteth in the vision of God a perfect ioy and alone sufficient to satisfy and fill the hart of man which cannot be filled but with the possession of an infinite good and if the knowledge of creatures of the heauens of the starres of other creatures though imperfect and full of obscurity can rauish with ioy the spirits of mortall men in the darknes of this base low world what ioy may redouÌ„d to the blessed soules aboue
that dolorous mystery when thy Sonne praying in the garden to his eternall Father in his agony swet drops of bloud in such aboundance that they ranne downe vpon the ground and after was by one of his disciples betrayed and deliuered to the ministers of the Iewes by whome he was taken and his hands being manicled with a cord about his necke was cruelly haled to the houses of Annas and Cayphas The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me of thy deare Sonne the gift and grace of true prayer and that in all my tribulations and afflictions I may conforme my will vnto Gods bearing them all with patience and that he will assist me in the agony of my death Amen Of the Whipping The Oblation O Virgin most afflicted I humbly offer thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster in memory of the griefe and shame which thy Sonne felt Dolo ∣ rous 2 when after all the scoffing beating and spitting of that darke and dolefull night the next day he was in the house of Pilate despised and put to shame being he that cloathed the heauens with beauty and is himselfe the most beautifull of all the children of men bound to a piller and whipped most cruelly with no lesse then 5000. stripes and more The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee aske of thy Sonne for me that he would rid me of all earthly affections giue me grace and courage to chastice and subdue myne owne flesh that it preuaile not against the spirit and that I may patiently beare the rods and chasticements which in this life his diuine Maiesty shall send me Of the Crowning The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 3 O Virgin distressed I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster in reuereÌ„ce of that griefe which thy Sonne our Lord Iesus-Christ suffered when the cruell tormentors crowned him with a crowne of thornes which pierced his most tender and holy head in such sort that his precious bloud trickled downe round about most aboundantly They mocked him also put in his hand a reed for a scepter striking him therewith on the head The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee pray for me that I may auoid all desire of pride presumption and may rather desire â—â—ame iniuries for my sweet Sauiour Christ his sake that in this life being crowned with thornes of tribulation I may deserue hereafter to be crowned with glory in thy blisse euerlasting Of the carrying of the Crosse The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 4 O Virgin so darkened and filled with griefe sorrow I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster for the sorrow thy holy soule felt when thou didst see thy dearely beloued Sonne led through the streetes of Hierusalem with proclamation condemned to death as a malefactour and disturber of the people carying all along that heauy Crosse vpon his weake shoulders and sawest him failing to the ground with the weight thereof with which dolefull sight thou wert euen pierced with griefe and sorrow The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me perfect feeling and tendernes of hart and compassion in these sufferings of thy Sonne and tâ—â—e repentance whereby I may weepe also for my selfe confessing correcting and satisfying for my sinnes and that with promptitude and alacrity I may carry any Crosse which God shall lay vpon my shoulders Of the Crucifying The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 5 O Virgin spring and fountaine of teares at the foote of the crosse crucifyed in hart with thy Sonne I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster to the incomparable griefe which thou feltst when in mount Caluary thou â—awest thy good Iesus that lambe without spot fastened to the Crosse with cruell blowes which pierced thy hart where after pardoning of his enemies and fulfilling the scriptures with a great cry and teares he commended his soule to his eternall Father thou sawest him yield vp his ghost The Prayer BY the greatnes of thy griefes which heare B. Lady thou didst suffer obtayne for me that I may pardon and loue myne enemies that our Lord may pardon me all my sinnes and not forsake me in the houre of my death but that hauing performed all my duty I may yield my soule into his holy hands Amen Of the Resurrection The Oblation O Queene of heauen full of ioy I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster for the ineffable ioy thou tookest in the Resurrection Glori ∣ ous 1 of thy well-beloued Sonne when to thee before all others he appeared glorious risen from the dead and conuerted all thy sorrow into ioy and gladnes and after in token of his great loue and for confirmation of the fayth of this Resurrection he appeared often to his Apostles and disciples The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee procure me the true ioy of a good coÌ„science and that my soule may rise againe in newnes of life and manners and firmely belieue the misteries of the fayth which our holy Mother the Catholike Church teacheth Amen Of the Ascension The Olation O Glorious Lady full of comfort I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues Glori ∣ ous 2 and one Pater noster for the ioy thou haddst in the wonderfull Ascension of thy Sonne our Lord when thou sawest him with glorious triumph mounted vp accompanied with the blessed soules of the holy Fathers adored and worshipped of all the quires of Angels ascending into the heauens there sitting at the right hand of God his Father leauing thee heere on earth for the stay and light of his Apostles for the example comfort of his Catholike Church The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me that my hart may be lifted vp to loue heauenly things and that thou wilt be to me a sweete comforter in the iourney of this present life that I may deserue life euerlasting Amen Of the comming c. The Oblation O Excellent Spouse of the holy Ghost mother of the motherles comfort of the comfortles I humbly offer 10. Aues and one Pater noster to the sacred mystery of the coÌ„ming of the holy Ghost when Glori ∣ ous 3 in the figure of fiery tongues he descended vpon thee most B. Virgin and the whole company of the Apostles euen as thy Sonne promised in such sort did inflame and fill their harts that immediatly they began to speake in diuers tongues the wonders of God The Prayer PRay for me O B. Lady that I may deserue to receyue plentifull grace the gifts of the holy Ghost the language of ChristiaÌ„ loue in all my conuersation with my neighbours and perseuerance in vertue and all good purposes Of the Assumption The Oblation Glori ∣ ous 4 O Soueraigne Lady and Virgin the honour of mankind beauty of the heauens I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster to the glorious mystery of thy Assumption when by the B. Sonne thou wert called to his euerlasting glory deseruedst at thy happy passage to