maid How almightie God permitted the deuel to haue power ouer her bodie and how she ouercame all with great patience Chap. 33. THe malice that the damned sprites bare to this holie virgin was verie great and the battailes that they made continually against her to remoue her from her constancie and vowe of virginitie were surely verie fierce and cruel All the which she ouercame by the grace of God and triumphed ouer all their malice and wilines as we haue in part touched before but as our Lord would not suffer them to haue anie power ouer her soule which could not be without synne so did he permit them to vexe her bodie and put it to great paine for her further increase of merite and higher crowne In so much that some tymes they threwe her into the fyer sometymes they cast her downe headlong from her horse and one tyme when doctour Raimundus her Confessour with diuerse other was present they hurled her downe in such sort that both she and her horse were ouer the head and eares in the myer Wherat she smyled pleasantly and said to her companie Be not afraid for this is the worke of Malatasca And this happened most commonly vnto her when she had done some special worke that tended to the edifying of soules As she declareth verie well her selfe in her hundreth and sixt epistle where after that she had declared what intolerable paines she suffred which were in deed so vehement that for verie paine she raught at her garmentes and looke how much she latched with her hand so much she rent awaie and how the next daie being to write letters to the Popes holines and to three Cardinals when she had ended her letler to the Pope she was able to write no more by reason of the violent paines that came vpon her she writeth these wordes And so standing stil a litle while there began a terrour of deuels which was done in such sort that they set me quite besides my selfe raging like mad dogges against me as though I seelie worme had ben the occasion of taking out of their handes that which they had holden longe tyme in the holie Church And this terrour together with the paine of my bodie was so great that I had thought to haue gone from my studie and to get me to the chappell as though my studie had ben the occasion of my paines but sodainly I was throwen downe And being throwen downe it seemed to me that my soule was departed from my body howbeit not so as when it was departed in deed for then my soule did tast the felicitie of the immortal spirites and did receiue that most soueraigne blessednes with them But now it seemed as a thing reserued though it seemed not to be in my bodie but I sawe my bodie as though it had ben an other These be the verie wordes that she writeth in that epistle in the which she describeth certaine newe battailes made against her by those damned sprites farre greater and more terrible then euer she susteined at anie other tyme. And in the next epistle she declareth how she was verie sore beaten and tormented by them bicause she praied with a great zeale for the Catholike Church where she saieth moreouer that the more she suffred in her bodie the greater was her loue towardes the Church and the more she desired to see the same refourmed How she deliuered a certaine yong maid that was possessed of a wicked sprite Chap. 34. AS it was well knowen to diuerse and sundrie persones that this holie maid was meruelously vexed and put to intolerable paines by the malice of wicked sprites so it pleased God to shewe likewise to the wordle that he had graunted her as it were by special priuilege authority iurisdiction ouer the said sprites to commaund bynd and cast them out at her pleasure to the great comfort of the true and humble seruantes of God and withal to the vtter confusion of those proude sprites that set them selues vp against God and his seruantes as maie appeere euidently by these examples here ensewing There was in the citie of Siena a certaine notarie called maister Michael who when he was well striken in yeares determined with the consent of his wife to forsake the wordle and to geue him selfe to a more streigth order of life He determined also to dedicate two of his daughters to the seruice of God in a monasterie founded in the name honour of S. Iohn Baptist in the same citie Where when they had continued a certaine tyme one of the daughters whose name was Laurentia a child of eight yeares old was by the secret iudgement of God posessed with a wicked sprit by reason wherof the whole monasterie was much disquieted Wherupon by common consent they sent for her father and gaue him his daughter againe After that this child was thus taken out of the monasterie the wicked sprite vttered many wonderful thinges by her mouth and answered to manie darcke and hard questions And which was most strange he spake commonly in the latine tongue He disclosed also manie secret vices of diuerse and sundrie persones to their great reproach and slaunder Which thing turned the father and mother and others also of their kinred and acquentance to great heauines who left no meane vnsought wherby they thought they might ease the child Emong other thinges wherin those deuout folkes hoped in tyme to find helpe comfort one special meane was the reliques of Sainctes kept in manie places in the citie vnto the which places they resorted daily with all diligence namely to S. Ambrose tombe who had ben in his life tyme a Fryer preacher to whome almightie God had graunted a singular grace in casting out deuels frō such as were possessed in so much that his cope or scapular which were there kept being laied vpon them that were vexed with vncleane sprites did verie commonly chase them awaie Wherfore they brought the child thither and laied her downe vpon the tombe cast the said clothes ouer her And the father and mother in the meane tyme set them selues earnestly to praier beseeching our Lord with great instance that it would please him at the contemplation of that holie Saincte to take mercie on their child But their praier was not heard as then Which thing happened vnto them not for anie synne that they committed but bicause it was otherwise disposed by the prouident wisdome of God who vndoubtely put it in the heartes of certaine of their frindes to geue them counsel that they should repraire to the holie maid for the reliefe of their child Which counsel they folowed in deed and first sent vnto her praying her in most earnest maner that she would vouchsafe to doe her best to helpe their daughter wherunto she made answere that she had inough to doe with the wicked sprites that did from tyme to tyme molest and trouble her selfe and therfore praied them that they would hold her
AT what tyme Pope Vrbanus the sixt was enforced to flee out of Rome by reason of a rebellion that was raised against him in the citie by the french faction the holie maid which as then was left behind in Rome and sawe the miserable state of the Church wept daie and night and with continual sighes and sobbes made her praier to our Lord beseeching him most instantly that he would voutchsafe to cease the furie of those wicked rebels and geue peace to his afflicted Church And it was well seene that her praier was heard For soone after it pleased God so to dispose that in one daie both those factious schismatikes that had taken armes against the Sea Apostolike were vanquished and taken and the castle of S. Angelo which had holden out long tyme before rendred it selfe into the Popes handes When our holie father the Pope vnderstood of this great victorie he returned to the citie againe where he asked the holie maid her aduise what she thought best to be done in that case And her aduise was that he should goe bare footed to S. Peeters Church and all the people with him to thanke God with all submission and sowlines of hart for that ioyous calme after so lōg stormes And thus the Church of Christ began as it were to reuiue againe and the holie maid tooke passing great comfort to see it But that ioye endured not long For within a litle tyme after these troubles were pacified the deuel whose malice is euermore vigilant against the Church of God raised vp a newe tempest And what he could not bring to passe by the furie of strangers that did he attempt againe by sowing discord betweene the citizens of Rome and the Popes holines When the holie maid perceiued that and sawe the imminent peril that was like thereby to ensue to the Church of God she turned her selfe to our Lord in praier and besought him that he would hold his holie hand ouer the people and not suffer them to commit such a wicked and heinous synne And as she was thus praying she sawe the citie full of damned sprites stirring and exciting the people to kill the Pope And those sprites cried horribly to her and said Thou cursed wretch thou art euermore busie to let our designementes But be thou well assured we shall put thee to a foule death She gaue them no word to answere but continued her praier with greater feruour and deuotion beseeching our Lord with all instancie that he would voutchsafe to keepe her from all mischiefe and also that it would please him to preserue the Pope his lieuetenant and vicar general in earth from all the violent attemptes of those wicked conspiratours for the honour of his owne holie name and for the redresse of his deere Spouse the Church which as then was in verie lamentable state She praied likewise for those impious rebels and besought our Lord most earnestly that he would voutchsafe of his infinite mercie to mollifie their hartes not suffer them to commit such a horrible sinne as to murder their owne Father and Pastour When she had praied often after this maner it pleased God one tyme to geue her this answere Daughter said he suffer the people to accōplish their malice in committing this damnable synne that they are about that I maie exercise my iustice and punish them according to their desertes For their wickednes is so odious and horrible in my sight that it maie no longer be endured When the holie maid heard those dreadful wordes she set her selfe to praier againe with farre greater deuotion and vehemencie of spirite then before and said O most merciful Lord thou seest how thy deere of Spouse the Church whom thou hast redeemed with the price of thy most precious blood is this daie miserably vexed and afflicted almost through out the wordle Thou knowest on the one side how fewe there are that shewe them selues readie to assist and comfort her and thou art not ignorant on the other side how manie there are and how cruelly bent that seeke by all possible meanes to annoye and discomfort her And in this behalfe it can not be hidden from thyne eyes which see all thinges how manie treacheries and treasons there are now in contriuing to make our holie father thy vicar out of the waie The which most detestable conspiracie if it take place must needes turne not only this citie of Rome but also the whole bodie of Christendome to great discomfort and slaunder Therefore ô blessed Lord I most humbly beseech thee that thou wilt for this tyme temper the rigour of thy iustice and spare thy people whom thou hast bought so deere After this maner did the holie maid continue manie daies and manie nightes together in feruent praier in the which tyme our Lord did euer more alleadge iustice and she craued mercie And all the tyme that she was thus occupied in praier the wicked sprites did so vexe and torment her with their horrible scriching and crying that her bodie waxed meruelous feeble In so much that if our Lord had not by his almightie power susteined her it had not ben possible for her to haue endured but her hart must needes haue burst in sunder In the end she concluded her praier with these wordes O Lord said she seeing it is so that thy mercie maie not be granted without thy Iustice I beseech thee despise not my praiers but whatsoeuer paine is to be laied vpon this people laie it vpon my bodie and I will beare it with all my hart for the loue that I beare to the honour of thy holie name and to the saluation of their soules After the tyme that she had spoken these wordes our Lord made no more mention of his iustice but held his peace and gaue her the victorie as the effecte declared euidently For from that verie hower foreward it was seene that the people did by litle and litle cease off their conspiracies and practises against the Popes holines and in the end submitted them selues wholly to his authoritie But as their malice relented by litle and litle and in tyme ceased so did her paine and smart likewise increase answerably by the permission of God by whose suffrance the wicked sprites vexed and tormented her bodie so cruelly that it seemed incredible but only to such as were present with her and sawe how it was in part rent and torne as it had ben with yron hookes in part swollen and full of blacke and blewe wailes as though it had ben beaten with clubbes and all ouer so pitifully araied that it seemed rather a thing to wonder at then a natural bodie All the which notwithstanding she gaue not ouer her accustomed maner of praier but continued in the same both longer tyme together then she was wont to doe before and also with greater feruour of spirite and deuotion then she was wont to haue at other tymes And euermore as she increased in praier charitable
THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAINCT CATHARINE OF SIENA Drawne out of all them that had written it from the beginning And written in Italian by the reuerend Father Doctor Caterinus Senensis And now translated into Englishe out of the same Doctor by Iohn Fen Priest Confessar to the Englishe Nunnes at Louaine I H S With permission of Superiors Anno 1609. TO THE VERTVOVS AND CONSTANT LADIE THE LADIE D. I. ALL HAPPINES PERSEVERANCE AND INCREASE IN VERTV MADAM It is now long since that my hart hath had not only a verie inward compassiō of your miseries but also a vearie earnest desire to present vnto you some godlie Treatise which might both be consolatorie vnto you amidst your discomforts and a patterne for your conformitie vnto the life of Christ Knowe you therfore that amongst all the vertues which can shine in a perfect and constant Christian the forsaking of worldly riches and the patient supporting of tribulations are two most noble and incomparable vertues Which doctrin was set foorth by our Sauiour him selfe whē he willed the young man in the gospell first to forsake all that he had and next to take vp his crosse and to followe him Vnto this contempt of worldly riches especially when there is question of the honor of God or zeale of vertu many examples not only sacred but prophane doe plentifully exhort vs. Bias one of the seauen Sages of Greece seeing his cuntrie all in fire and flames and euery man gathering of moueables and riches to carrie with him beeing admonished by one to doe the like said Truly so I doe for all myne I carrie with me meaning his vertues Crates the Philosopher hauing cast all his monie into the bottom of the sea said Malo te perdere quam vt tu me perdas I had rather cast away thee then that thou should cast away me Aristippus coming to Diogenes and finding him washing his rootes said vnto him Thou bening a wise man and a Philosopher if thou vvouldest credit me thou shouldst not neede to vvash rootes but shouldst remaine in the court of a noble Prince with me To whom Diogenes answered and if thou quoth he wilt credit me and vse meane pouertie thou oughtest not with flatterie to lie to Princes To applie these examples vnto our selues That of Bias doth teache that vertu is the only iewel which a wise man should seeke to preserue before al worldly riches That of Crates that riches are to be cast from vs to be renounced when they can not be kept without the hinderance of vertu or offence of God That of Diogenes that the vertu of pouertie with peace of conscience is far to be perferred before a princes fauour when for the same we must flatter or dissemble against our conscience And thus you see in these heathen Philosophers which knewe no God what riches they contemned what treasures they despised what honors they refused what pouerty they embraced only for the zeale of morall vertu But alas so passing greate is the corrupted and abused iudgment of many in these our dayes that no man is deemed happie but he that is in honor no man wise but he that is wealthie no man wretched but he that is in wantes nor no kinde of punishement like to worldly pouertie How many are there who expose their soules to euerlasting perill thorough the inordinate loue of their worldly riches And how few are there who like vnto the mariners when they see any stormes or tempestes arise at sea doe cast out of their ship their riches and marchandise to saue their liues This caused holie S. Bernard to crye out and say O Vtinam congregata perirent non congregator eorum O would to God the thinges gathered might only perish and not their gatherer This caused holie Dauid to crie out and say Cadent à latere tuo mille decem millia à dextris tuis There shall fall a thousand on thy left side ten thousand on thy right side By the right hand spiritually is signified riches and prosperitie and by the left pouertie and aduersitie In both these men are mightilie assaulted many fall and many are quite ouercome but without comparison far greater slaughter is made in the time of prosperitie wealth and pleasure then in the time of aduersitie pouertie and miserie And this caused S. Gregorie to say that the seruantes of God in his world are more a fraid of prosperitie then they are of aduersitie For this respect our mercifull Lord out of his tender loue to his elect and fore-knowing to what hurt and danger their riches may turne them if they should beare an inordinate loue vnto them by sundrie meanes doth take them from them Imitatinge herein the cunning hunter who hauing espied out the tree against the which the Elephant vseth to leane when he would sleepe doth saw asunder the tree wherunto he thinking to repose falleth downe and so is taken Euen so doth God from some by cutting a sunder the liues of their frendes from others by taking from them their temporall goods vnto which they leaned more then to him and vnto others by touching them with sundrie kindes of tribulations Which yet he doth not of any hate but of a speciall loue which he beareth vnto them In figure whereof Isaac said vnto Esau gen 27. Come neere me that I may touch thee and that I may proue if thou be my sonne And S. Gregorie askinge the question what was wanting to Iob that he should be afflicted seeing he was adorned with all vertu This saith he that he might knowe to giue thankes in aduersitie For as the Apostle S. Paul saith Vertu is perfited in infirmitie To vvhich purpose vvhen a certaine person besought a holie man that by his praiers he vvould deliuer him of his sicknes the holie man hauing heard that he vvas better and deuouter in his sicknes then in his health ansvvered I beseeche our Lord to keepe thee in that state in vvhich thou art best For vvell he knevve that our Lorde hath a vvonderfull care ouer such as he suffereth to be afflicted Vnto vvhom he is as the phisitien is to the patient vvho fighteth not against the man but against his disease Vnto vvhom he speedely runneth as to a hurt member of his bodie and vvith a most speciall care and prouidence doth looke vnto him and povvre into his soule most plentifull store of heauenly grace and diuine consolation Novv Madam for as much as you haue voluntarily depriued your selfe of the riches and pleasures of this vvorld for the honor of God hovv may you not ioyfully reioyce vvith our Sauiour Christ and say Nunc venit princeps mundi huius in me non habet quicquam Novv the prince of this vvorld cometh and in me he hath nothing And hauing likevvise so paciently supported so great tribulations hovv may vve not al vvith vvonder say Venite videte opera Domini quae posuit prodigia
God Whose prouident goodnes disposeth all thinges for his chosen seruantes so sweetly that he turneth euen their synful deffectes to their further good benefite And therfore he would not suffer his deere spouse to cōtinue long in that state but that there might be nothing to hinder her feruour and deuotion he laid his hand soone after vpon Bonauentura her sister by whose meanes she was induced to that inconuenience and tooke her out of this life with great anguish and trauaile in child-bearing not withstanding that she was otherwise a lustie yong woman and like to beare manie children This Bonauentura was euer of good life and conuersation and yet bicause she had attempted to drawe her sister from the seruice of God to whom only she had wholly deuoted her selfe and to allure her to the vanities of the worlde it pleased God to shewe this dreadful example vpon her for the terrour of all such as should at anie tyme afterwardes be meanes to hinder holie vowes and purposes And yet would he not haue her to be vtterly lost but as it was reuealed afterwardes to this holie virgin and she declared the same secretly to her ghostlie Father she was in Purgatorie and there abode manie grieuous paines and tormentes for a long season and longer should haue done if this blessed virgin had not hopen her with her deuout praiers Now when her sister Bonauentura was thus passed out of the wordle this deuout maid being by her departure deliuered from that importunate clamour which was before verie troublesome vnto her began to see more cleerly both the deformitie of her synne and the vanitie of the wordle Wherupon with an humble knowledge of her selfe and sure affiance in the mercie of God she cast her selfe downe at the feet of our Lord with Marie Magdalen and there lying prostrate with much lamentation and teares besought him of pardon for her offence and would neuer geue ouer her weeping and wailing but continued stil her most humble sute that she also might at the lenght heare those comfortable wordes spoken by our Lord to her hart Thy sinnes are forgeuen thee And from that daie foreward she began to beare a special loue and deuotion to the said Marie Magdalen and to conforme her selfe to her in the workes of penance It can not be expressed with wordes what inward griefe of mynd shee tooke so often as that offence came to her mynd She sighed and sobbed she wept and wrang her handes she tooke no comfort in anie thing but only in the endles mercie of God of the which she made her selfe well assewred that it did infinitely passe all the sinnes that anie man doth or can commit and that it was alwaies freely offred to as manie as would require it with a contrite and humble hart wherupon she sequestred her selfe from all creatures which she sawe were void of cōfort and turned her selfe to God in whom only she fownd her selfe to receiue perfecte and sownd comfort With him she sought by all meanes to make her peace and attonement so that made to set her whole loue and felicitie in him But the ghostlie enemie of mankind enuying the blisful state of this goodlie peace did his endeuour to disturbe the same by putting into the myndes of her parentes and kinsfolke how expedient it was to bestowe her honestly in mariage especially now considering that her other sister was departed this life And so by these and other the like suggestions the craftie serpent perswaded them to be earnest and diligent both in solliciting her to embrace that state of life and in prouiding her of a conuenient husband But when the wise virgin sawe by the light of Gods holie spirite that all that was but the sutteltie of the deuel meanyng therby to withdrawe her from her holie purpose she contrarie wise set her selfe more earnestly then she was wont to continual praiers heauenlie meditations and other workes of austeritie and penance She eschewed the sight and conuersation of men and gaue all her frindes to vnderstand plainely that she would haue no earthlie creature for her husband but only the euerlasting Sonne of God vpon whom she had fixed her loue The which resolution when her father and mother vnderstood they thought good to take an other waie which was to send for one of the Dominican Friars whose authoritie they thought she would reuerence and to intreat him to talke with her and to see if he could by anie meanes alter her mynd The Friar came and promised to doe what in him laie and so did in deed He set out vnto her in manie wordes what austeritie of life belonged to that profession that she mynded to enter into what a hard matter it was to hold out in the same what snares the deuel would laie to entrappe her how the wordle would vse manie meanes to circumuent flatter her how fraile and weak the flesh was what a great danger and shame it would be if when she had once put her hand to the plough she should looke backe againe Vnto the which pointes the faithful spowse of Christ answered with such wisedome and constancie that the religious man which came to turne her was turned him selfe and so being sorie that he had waded so farre with her in that course changed his stile and said these wordes Daughter seeing it is so that yee are fully resolued to serue God in the holie state of virginitie and that yee are therunto called as I am thoroughly perswaded by your wordes euen by God him selfe I haue no more to saie in the matter it is the best part that yee haue chosen our Lord geue you grace to folowe it And now if yee thinke good furthermore to folowe my counsel I would aduise you to cut off your haire For in so doing it is like yee shall both cut of all hope of mariage in your parentes and withal redeme a great deale of tyme and labour which otherwise must needes be spent about the trymmyng of the same When the holie virgin heard those wordes she tooke them as spoken by God him selfe and foorthwith she ranne and tooke a payre of sheares and cut of her haire hard by the skynne For she had before conceiued a certaine displeasure against her haire bicause she perswaded her selfe that by the trymmyng of the same she had committed a grieuous offence against God And when she had so done she couered her head with a coyfe and so went about her busines contrarie to the maner of all other maidēs The which when her mother espied she asked her what that coife meant Wherunto she made no direct answeere bicause she was afraid to tell the truth and to make a lie she had a great conscience Whereupon her mother stept hastely vnto her and taking of the kerchefe from her head sawe that her faire haire was cut of hard by the head The which sight and losse so pinched her by the hart that for verie inward griefe she
sicke woman In this meane tyme the slaunderous rumour was bruted and came to her mothers eares Who for her selfe made no doubt at all of her daughters innocēcie for she knewe manie thinges that the worlde knewe not and yet she could not but take it verie heauelie when she heard tell that such a slawnder was raised vpon her The griefe wherof so ouercame her mynd that she flang to her daughter with great heat and vehemencie of spirite and began with her after this maner How often tymes haue I told thee that thou shouldest no more serue yonder stinging old croyne See now what reward she geueth thee for all thy good seruice she hath brought vp a foule slaunder vpon thee emong all thy sisters which God knoweth whether thou shalt euer be able to rid thy selfe of so lōg as thou liuest If euer thou serue her againe after this daie or if euer thou come where she is neuer take me for thy mother For I tell thee plaine I will neuer knowe thee for my daughter These and other the like wordes did the mother vtter in great heate choler whereat the daughter at the first was somewhat astoined But after a litle tyme when she had gathered her selfe together she went to her mother and kneeling downe before her with great reuerence she spake these wordes Sweete mother thinke you that our Lord would be pleased with vs if wee should leaue the workes of mercie vndone bicause our neigbour sheweth him selfe vnthankeful towardes vs When our Sauiour Christ hong on the Crosse and heard there the reprochful talke of that vngrateful people rownd about did he in regard of their cruel wordes geueouer the charitable worke of their redemption Good mother you knowe verie well that if I should leaue this old sicke woman she were foorthwith in great danger to perish for lacke of keeping bicause she should not find anie that would come neere her do such seruice as is requisite to be done about a woman in this case And so should I be the occasion of her death She is now a litle deceiued by the ghostlie enemie but she maie hereafter by the grace of God come to acknowledge her fault and be sorie for the same With such wordes she qualified her mothers mynd gate her blessing and so returned againe to the seruice of the sicke woman About whom she did all thinges with great diligence loue neuer shewing neither in wordes nor in countināce so much as anie token of discontētantiō or displeasure In so much that the sicke sister seeing her demeanour was verie much astoined withal ashamed of that she had done and so began to haue great sorrowe at hart and repentance for the slaunder that she had raised vpon her Then also it pleased our Lord to shewe his mercie towardes his faithful spowse to restore her againe to her good fame estimatimatiō after this maner On a daie the holie maide went to the sicke sisters chamber to serue her as she was wont to doe At what tyme as she was comyng towardes her bed where she laie to doe some thing that was to be done about her behold the sicke woman sawe a meruelous goodlie light commyng downe from heauen which filled all her chamber and was so beautifull and comfortable that it made her vtterly to forget all the paines of her disease What that sight might meane she could not conceiue But looking about her here and there she beheld the maidens face gloriously transformed the maiestie wherof was so strang that she seemed to her rather an Angel of heauen then anie earthlie creature And this beautiful light enuironed the holie virgins bodie rownd about The which brightnes the more the old woman beheld the more did she condemne the malice of her owne hart and tongue in that she had conceiued and vttered so fowle matter as she had done against such an excellent and pure creature as the holie maid then shewed to be This vision continued a good tyme and at the length when it ceased left the sicke woman both in sorrowe and also in comfort In sorrowe bicause on the one side she sawe what a heynous synne she had committed in dissamyng that innocent virgin In comfort bicause on the other side she sawe the mercie of God freely and franckely offred vnto her The which thing so mollified her hart that with much sobbing weeping she confessed her fault to the holie maid and besought her of pardon When the good virgin sawe the hūble maner of her repentance and submission she likewise verie amiably tooke the old woman in her armes kissed her and spake very sweet and comfortable wordes vnto her saying Good mother I haue no displeasure in the worlde against you but only against our enemie the Deuel by whose malice suttiltie I knowe all this is wrought but rather I haue to thanke you with all my hart for you haue put me in mynd to haue a more careful and vigilant regard to my selfe and so doing you haue turned the malicious drifte of the feend to my further good and commoditie With such sweet speeches she comforted the sicke sister and then she set her selfe to doe all such seruices as were wont to be done about her And when she had done all she tooke her leaue verie gently as her maner was and so retired her selfe to her chamber to geue God thankes so the prosperous successe that she had had in this matter and to enter into her accustomed exercise of praier meditation In this meane tyme the old woman who had a great care to restore the innocent virgin to her good name againe when anie of those came to her before whom she had made that slaunderous report tooke occasion to vnburthen her conscience and confessed openly with great lamentation and teares that whatsoeuer dishonestie she had anie tyme reported by that holie maid she had ben induced to report it by the crafte of the deuel not by anie thing that euer she sawe or knewe in her And therfore she cried them all mercie and besought them for charitie to forgeue her She affirmed furthermore that she was able to make good proofe that the holie maid was not only free from all suspicion of anie vncleannes of bodie but also endued with manie high singular graces of God and that she was in deed a verie pure virgin and a Saincte Thus much said she I speake not vpon heresaie or opinion but vpon verie certaine knoweledge Then certaine of the elder and sadder women talked with her secretly and required to vnderstand what certaine tokens and knowledge of holines she had in the maid Whereupon she declared vnto them so much as hath ben here receited before And said furthermore verie constantly and with great feruour of spirite that in all her life tyme she neuer knewe what true sweetnes of sowle and spiritual comfort meant vntill that tyme when she sawe the holie maid so transfourmed
But she affirmed constantly that so it was and for confirmation of the same declared how our Sauiour had taken it out with his owne hand All the which talke perswaded him nothing at all How is it possible said he that anie man should liue without a hart yee saie truly Father said she vnto man it is in deed impossible but vnto God there is nothing impossible Within a fewe daies after this it chaunced her to goe to a certaine Chapple of the Friars preachers where the sisters of penance were wont to kneele And when they were all gone home she continued there in praier wherin lifting vp her hart to God with great feruour and deuotion she was rauished in spirite as her common maner was That done she set her selfe in the waie to goe homeward And as she went behold a goodlie light from heauen enuironed her round about and in that light appeered our Sauiour Christ holding in his handes a redde shinyng hart At the sodaine sight wherof she was so afraid that she fell downe to the ground all quaking and trembling Then came our Lord vnto her and openyng her side put the hart that he held in his hand into her bodie and said these wordes Loe deere daughter as I did this other daie take awaie thy hart so do I now in steed of that geue thee my hart with the which thou shalt liue euerlastingly When he had so done he closed vp the wound againe that was made in her bodie and went his waie Howbeit he did it in such sort that there remained euer afterwardes a certaine marke or scarre as it were of a wound healed as she declared oftentymes to her ghostly Father and manie of her sisters sawe it with their eyes From that tyme foreward she altered the maner of her praier and said not as she was wont to doe before Lord I beseech thee keepe my hart but Lord I beseech thee keepe thy hart Of diuerse and sundrie visions which she had at the sight and receiuing of the blessed Sacrament and how she felt her selfe wonderfully altered after the receite of that newe hart Chap. 17. AFter that she had receiued this newe hart she increased meruelously in high and heauenlie contemplations especially when she was occupied in praier about the Aulter from whence she neuer parted without some verie strange visions and illuminations namely when she receiued the blessed Sacrament Manie tymes she sawe our Sauiour Christ betweene the priestes handes in the forme of a litle sucking babe sometymes she sawe him like a pretie stripling and sometymes also like a hote burnyng fornace into the which it seemed to her that the priest did enter when he did communicate Many tymes when she receiued B. Sacramēt she felt such passing sweet sauours that her bodie was almost ouercome with the sweetnes of the same And generally whensoeuer she did either see or receiue the holie Sacrament she receiued withal such aboundance of newe ioyes and vnspeakeable comfortes that manie tymes her hart daunced in her bodie and made such a sensible noyse that it might well be heard of them that stood by And it was well perceiued that the noyse was not natural such as other mens bodies are wont to make but it was altogether strange and aboue the common course of nature In this inward and spiritual Iubile that she felt in her selfe she would breake out sometymes speake to her ghostlie Father after this maner O Father see you not that I am not now the same woman that I was before O that you could feele that I do now feele in my hart Surely surely Father there is no man in this worlde so proud or so hard harted that would not relent and become humble if he felt what I feele And yet is that that I tell you nothing in comparison of that that I feele inwardly There is such a great fyer of Gods loue enkendled in my hart that this external and material fyer being compared with that seemeth rather cold then hote I am so replenished with inward ioye and gladnes that I can but meruaile how my soule maie abide in this wretched bodie This hote burnyng fyer doth so purifie renewe my soule in innocencie and cleannes that me thinketh I am come againe to the age of fiue yeares This diuine fyer doth so inflame me with the loue of my neighbour that it were the greatest ioye in the wordle to me to die for anie man that liueth in the wordle These thinges did she declare to her ghostlie Father to the glorie of God and to the behoofe of the worlde that we might vnderstand and see the vnspeakeable loue of almightie God towardes man and what wonderful effectes the holie Ghost bringeth foorth in flexible and ployant hartes to moue vs that be dull of spirite to the keeping of his holie commaundementes in hope of the comfortable rewardes that we are to receiue at Gods hand not only in the life to come but also in this present life How our Lord reueled manie high misteries to the holie maid and how Marie Magdalen was assigned to her to be her mother Chap. 18. AFter that this holie maid was thus replenished with such great abondance of verie singular graces and gyftes it pleased almightie God to reuele vnto her diuerse and sundrie high mysteries of the which this was one On a tyme our Lord appeered to her to comfort her in her holie purpose accompanied with our blessed Ladie and S. Marie Magdalen and asked her this question Daughter said he what thing desirest thou Wherunto she made answere and said Lord thou knowest better then I what thing is most behoueful for me And of my selfe thou knowest I haue no will nor hart but only thy will and thy hart As she was speaking those wordes it came to her mynd how Marie Magdalen committed her selfe wholly to our Lord when she sate and wept at his feete With that she felt the like swetnes in her hart as Marie Magdalen felt at what tyme she wept at our Lordes feete whereupon she fixed her eyes vpon her Our Lord seeing that and withal looking to the inward bent of her mynd to satisfie her godlie desire said these wordes vnto her Behold deere daughter from this time foreward I geue thee Marie Magdalen to be thy mother to whom as to a louing mother thou maiest at al times flee for special cōfort for vnto her specially haue I committed the gouernemēt of thee When she heard that she gaue our Lord most humble thankes turnyng her selfe to Marie Magdalen with great humilitie and reuerence she besought her that she would vowchsafe so to take her vnder her motherlie protection And from that tyme foreward Marie Magdalen acknowledged the holie maid for her daughter and she tooke her euermore for her mother which thing maie seeme to be done not without great mysterie if we consider what liknes there was betweene the mother and daughter in the whole state of their life
be receiued vnworthely If S. Augustine had knowen that it had ben euel to receiue daily he would not haue said that he did neither like nor dislike of it but would haue said in plaine termes that he did vterly mislike it How much better were it for such rash iudgers of other mens consciences to harken to S. Ambrose who inuiteth thē to receiue daily with these wordes Take this bread saieth he euerie daie bicause you baue neede euerie daie to be purged restored comforted And the angelique doctour S. Thomas after a lōg discourse had about this matter cōcludeth in the end that such persones as find them selues to haue a greater deuotion and reuerence to the blessed Sacrament by their often receiuing maie safely receiue it often tymes And surely this increase of deuotion reuerence was euidently seene in the holie maid in whome it was noted by diuerse and sundrie persones that conuersed with her but especially by her ghostlie Father who sate at the sterne of her conscience that the oftener she comunicated the more she increased in humilitie in holie feare in feruour of deuotion in charitie in patience in all other vertues And when she might not cōmunicate as it happened sometimes by reason of certaine vrgent necessarie lettes she had a certaine fainting languishing paine not only in her soule but also miraculously in her bodie which was more grieuous to her then if she had ben sick of a burning ague or anie other bodily infirmitie Which point could neuer be perswaded to diuerse of the religious persones that liued in house with her who did what in them laie to hinder her from so often receiuing wherby they put her to meruelous intolerable paines But her ghostlie father who knewe in deed the state of her soule condescended easily to her earnest and holie demaund and was euermore verie readie to minister the blessed Sacrament vnto her bicause being a wise learned mā he vnderstood that her desire and longyng was of God To whome when she came to require the blessed Sacrament she was wont to speake verie sweetly after this maner Father I am hungrie I praie you for gods loue geue me the bread of life In respecte of the which good mynd and deuotion towardes the blessed Sacramēt Pope Gregorie the nynth made her a graunt that she might choose for her ghostlie father what priest she would and that she might carrie with her a portable aulter whether soeuer she went to the end that she might confesse and receiue wher and whē she would How our Sauiour Christ ministred the blessed Sacramēt vnto her with his owne holy hand Chap. 31. ON a tyme doctour Raimundus making his abode in Siena for certaine busines that he had there to doe came one mornyng to visite the holie maid and fownd her verie sore pained with diuerse and sundrie diseases but specially with a great griping in the flanke commonly called Iliaca passio All the which paine notwithstanding after certaine conference had betweene them concernyng the worthines and excellencie of the blessed Sacrament she besought him that she might receiue that mornyng Whervnto he assented with a good will and so went to the Church to prepare him selfe to say masse But her paines increased so vehemently vpon her that she sent one of her sisters after him to entreate him to tarrie a litle while hoping after a tyme to haue some such release of her paines that she might be able to come to the Church Where withal he was well contented and abode her leisure till it was about noone At what tyme she fownd some ease and came in deed to the Church to communicate But before she had signified so much to the father certaine of the sisters which sawe that the tyme was farre spent and knewe also that her maner was after she had receiued to be rauished in spirite and so to continue for the space of three fower or fiue houers came to her and perswaded with her that she should absteine from receiuing that daie in consideration that the tyme was past and that it would be a great trouble to the brethren who must attend so long to shut the Church doores when all was done Which counsel she yealded vnto with great meekenes But yet she had such an impatient desire to receiue that she turned her selfe to our Lord after a ruthful maner and said O my deere Lord and sweete comfort of all afflicted hartes seeing it hath pleased thee so graciously to put this desire into my hart I most humbly beseech thee that it maie also please thee to perfourme the same by thy selfe which can not be perfourmed by men without their great trouble and disquiet Our Lord who neuer despiseth the desire of a good hart heard the inward gronyng of his hand maid and gaue her comfort that he would accomplish her godlie request not only mercifully but also meruelously Wherupon she sent one of her sisters to doctour Raimundus to praie him to begynne masse at his pleasure for she might not receiue at his hand that daie With that he went to masse supposing that she had not ben in the Church but at home in her chamber And after sacring when the tyme was to breake the holie Host he thought to breake it according to the maner and ordinance of holie Chuch into three partes But behold contrarie to his meanyng and expectation he sawe fower partes Of the which one part skipped from aboue the chalice where he held it in his hand and laid it selfe downe vpon the corporal to his seeming Where he beheld it aduisedly and afterwardes when he receiued sought for it diligently and so did he likewise when Masse was done both on the corporal and on the aulter and al about beside the aulter and vpon the ground but could neuer find it Which put him in a great maze and perplexitie of conscience Wherupon he thought good to take the aduise of his priour who was accounted a verie discrete and godlie man and so in the meane tyme couered the aulter and gaue a great charge to the Sacristane to see that none should come neere the aulter til he came againe Now as he was going in the way he met with the priour of the Carthusians his verie frinde and familiar who came to conferre with the holie maid of certaine matters and therfore praied him that he would bring him to her speech I beseech you said doctour Raimundus haue a litle patience while I goe and speake two wordes with our Father priour and I will returne with all possible speed and bring you to her cell Sir said he I maie not tarrie for this is as you knowe a solemne fasting daie with vs and I must needes eate this daie with my brethren in the refectorie The tyme is farre spent as you see and I haue well nigh three miles home Wherefore I must desire you for Gods loue to dispatch me as soone as you can For I am moued
affection towardes the Church of God so did those wicked feendes increase their crueltie towardes her beating and bounsing her daie and night and withal filling her eares with their most horrible cries saying O thou cursed wretch thou hast euer ben against vs. But be thou well assured the tymes is now come that we will be euen with thee Thou hast oftentymes disappointed vs of our purposes And therefore now we will neuer geue thee ouer vntill we haue made a full riddance of thee in such sort that thou shalt neuer be able to hinder vs anie more Thus much the holie maid wrote her selfe in a letter to Doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father And so she continued in such vexation and tormentes from the sonday of Septuagesima vntill the last sauing one of April on the which daie it pleased our Lord to call her out of this life How the holie maid obteined by praier that she might satisfie the iustice of God for the paines dwe to her father in Purgatorie Chap. 8. WHen Iames this holie maides father sawe that his daughter was wholly geuen to the seruice of God as it hath ben declared in the first part of this booke he cast a verie special loue and affection to her and entreated her in his house with great respecte and reuerence and had this opinion of her that she was able to obteine at Gods hand for him what she would And she likewise bare a verie singular loue and reuerence to her father and commended his health to God in her dailie praiers in most earnest maner It chaunced that her father fell into a verie grieuous sickenes kept his bed The which when she vnderstood she turned her selfe to God in praier after her accustomed maner and besought him that her father might recouer againe But answere was geuen her from God that the end of his daies in this life was come and that it was not expedient for him to liue anie longer With that she went foorthwith to her father to visite him and to examine him how he was disposed in his soule and found him readie and willing to passe out of this wordle whensoeuer it should please God to call him wherof she was verie glad and thanked our Lord with all her hart Then she praied furthermore that seeing our Lord had voutchsafed to call her father out of this life in the state of saluation it might also stand with his holie will and pleasure to make him this graunt that he might passe out of hand to the ioyes of heauen not be staied anie tyme in the paines of Purgatorie Whereunto our Lord made her answere that the order of iustice must needes be obserued which would not beare that anie soule should haue the fruition of those vnspeakeable ioyes vnlesse it were most perfectly purged before And though her father had lead a conuenient good life in his vocation and had done manie good workes also which were verie acceptable in the sight of God of the which one principal worke was the mainteinyng of her in religion yet there remained some rust of earthlie conuersation which of right must be tried out with the fyer of purgatorie When she heard that she made her praier to our Lord after this maner O most mercifull Lord how maie I abide that the soule of my deere father whome thou hast appointed to be the meane to bring me into this wordle by whome I haue ben so carefully prouided for in my tender age at whose hand I haue receiued so manie comfortes and reliefes by whose handie labour and charges I haue ben mainteined thus maine yeares in thy seruice should now be tormented with the paines of Purgatorie I beseech thee O father of mercies and God of all comfort for all the louing kindnes that euer thou hast shewed to mankind that thou wilt not suffer my fathers sowle to depart out of his bodie vntill it be by one meane or other so perfectly tried and purified that it need no further purgation A wonderful thing to consider After the tyme that the holie maid had said those wordes it was euidently seene that her fathers bodie decaied more and more as it did before to wardes death all his powers failing sensibly in such sort that all men sawe by the course of nature it could not continue anie tyme. And yet for so long time as she continued in praier wrestling as it were with almightie God and labouring to incline him in some degree if it were possible from iustice to mercie they might perceiue that his soule was holden in his bodie by some spiritual power and could in no wise depart At the length when she sawe that the iustice of God must needes be satisfied she said thus O most merciful Lord if it cā not otherwise be but that thy iustice must be answered I beseech thee turne thy iustice vpon me whatsoeuer paines thou hast appointed for my father laie the same vpon my bodie I will willingly beare them To that our Lord consented said vnto her Daughter for the loue that thou bearest to me I am content to graunt thee thy petition to transpose the paines due to thy father to laie the same vpon thee which thou shalt beare in thy bodie so long as thou liuest With that she thanked God most hūbly and said O Lord thy iudgemētes are all iust be it done to me as thou hast determined And so she made hast towardes her father who laie in extremes And she cōforted him meruelously with that glad tidinges wēt not frō him vntill he had geuē vp the ghost So soone as her father was departed she felt her selfe foorthwith pained with a grieuous disease in her side called Iliaca passio which neuer wēt frō her so lōg as she liued The which paine she bare not only patiētly but also cheerefully cōceiuīg such an inward ioy of that B. state that she knew her father was in that she litle esteemed the outward paine of her owne bodie In so much that at the tyme of her fathers departure when all other that were present made great lamentation she smiled sweetely and shewing great gladnes in her countenance said these wordes Deere father would God I were as you are Our Lord be blessed How the holie maid by praier brought her mother to life againe and so deliuered her from the paines of hell Chap. 9. AS the holie maid shewed her selfe to be a verie louing and duetiful child towardes her father so did she likewise afterwardes shewe the like loue and charitie towardes her mother as her duetie required Her mother Lapa was verie sicke and her sickenes grewe on her euerie daie more and more in such sort that there were seene in her great tokens of death and small hope of life All the which notwithstanding she was so drowned in the wordle that she might in no wise heare of death and be brought to confourme her will to the will of God When her daughter
desired for otherwise I am well assured that our Lord and S. Dominicke who haue called me to their seruice will so dispose of me that you shall not haue me long neither in that habite nor in anie other These wordes she repeated so often and with such vehemencie that her mother at the lenght being verie sore afraid lest her daughter showld haue died in deed went againe to the religious sisters and intreated them so earnestly that they were ouercome with her importunitie and so made her an answere after this maner If your daughter said they be not ouer-faire we are content to receiue her If she be the malice ye knowe of the wordle is such that you shal hassard the good name both of your daughter and of all vs. And therfore we maie in no wise receiue her Wherunto the mother answered and said Come your selues and iudge whether she be faire or no. Whervpon they sent two discreete matrons chosen out emonge them selues to goe and consider both of the state of her bodie and also how she was affected in mynd Which coming to the howse fownd the maid lying sicke on her bed and by sickenes so altered that they might not well discerne the diposition of her bodie Howbeit by her wordes they sawe verie euidently that she had a meruelous feruent desire in her hart to serue God wherat they were both verie much astoined also verie glad to see so yong a maid to passe a nomber of auncient women in vertue and godlines And so taking their leaue there they went home to the rest of their companie and declared vnto them what they had heard seene Vpon the which report they communicated the matter to the brethren of the Order and that done resolued with a full consent to receiue her into the habite sending word to the mother that so soone as her daughter was recouered she should bring her without anie longer delaie The which tidinges was so ioyful to the yong virgin that she wept for verie ioye and thanked God and S. Dominicke that it pleased them at the lenght to perfourme their promise And then she began to alter the tenour of her praier for wheras before she was euermore glad of bodilie sickenesses and diseases now contrariwise she besought our Lord in most humble earnest maner that he would vowchsafe to deliuer her out of hand from that infirmitie of bodie that staied her there from the accomplishing of her vowe and purpose referring her selfe notwithstanding in all thinges to the holie will and disposition of almightie God Who gaue eare to the inward groanyng of his faithful spowse and graunted her petition in such sort that she receiued foorth with both health of bodie and also the habite that she so much longed after And bicause she was the first virgin that was receiued into that habite she was also accounted afterwardes the head and sowndresse of all the virgins that by her example were admitted into the same Order Of the holie Vowes designementes and exercises which the blessed virgin vsed after the receiuing of the habite and what effectual exhortations she made to excite her selfe to the seruice of God Chap. 15. When she had receiued the habite though it were not the maner in that Order to make a publike and solēne profession yet she made a ful prefecte resolution frō the botome of her hart to serue God in extreme pouertie and streight obedience the which she obserued so precisely that at the verie tyme when she was to passe out of this life she said boldly that she could not remember that she had euer transgressed or failed in anie thing that was commaunded her by her superiors were it neuer so litle Her pouertie also was so perfecte that in all her life she did not only her selfe not possesse or desire anie things that were superfluous but besought almightie God also most hartely for her father and mother brethren and sisters that it would please hin to diminish their state and substance to the end that a nomber of occasions and inducementes vnto synne which are commonly annexed with the aboundance of earthlie thinges might be taken awaie from them and they by lacke necessitie brought to remēber God and to flee vnto him for succour and helpe in their distresse And it was euidently seene that her praier was heard for it fell so out by the prouident goodnes of God that they came in deed to great penurie and lacke by strange chaunces without anie fault on their part Now being thus newly entred into the discipline of the sissters penitentes she tooke such a passing delite in the obseruation of the rule and had such a desire and earnest longyng to atteine to the perfection of spiritual life that she would speake to her selfe at tymes after this maner Loe Catherine thou art now entred into a state of religion frō hence foreward thou must take an other trade of life and not liue as thou hast done hitherto Let the wordle passe now begynne to thinke of religion dost thou not consider the colour of the habite which thou hast taken and what it meaneth Thyne ynner garment is white to geaue thee to vnderstand that thou must be inwardly white and pure of life without anie mixture of anie vncleannes Thyne outward garment is blacke wherby thou art put in mynd to mortifie thy flesh with new watching fasting and praier and with other the like workes of austeritie Thou must now fight manfully and subdue thy rebellious flesh Thou must die to the wordle and liue only to thy spowse Looke thou therfore what is required of thee to doe and not what most men doe Thou hast taken the streight way that leadeth to life wherfore it behoueth thee to streighten thy selfe and to walke warily in this waie Thy spowse teacheth thee that this is the waie that fewe take which is a warnyng to thee that thou must haue an eye not to the multitude but to the fewest and best For the waie of the greater nomber of men is wide and leadeth to damnation These and other the like speeches she would vse at tymes to stirre vp her selfe to the better obseruation of her godlie vowes and designementes And emong other thinges she determined to keepe a verie strange rigorous maner of silence In so much that for the space of three yeares she neuer spake with anie creature but only with her ghostlie Father with him she spake only in cōfession not otherwise Out of her cell she neuer went vnlesse it were to the Church to heare Masse or some other diuine seruice And bicause she began then to eate none other meate but only bread and rawe herbes she needed not to goe out for anie other prouision She determined neuer to goe to take anie repast or bodilie sustenance without much weeping before as though that had ben a cōuenient antepast to procure an appetite After this maner she fownd the meanes to find
the which he mynded to make a perfecte buylding of spiritual life An other goodlie doctrine by the which a sowle is made pure and meete to ennioye the familiaritie of almightie God euen in this life with a miracle wrought by our Lord on the sea for confirmation of the same Chap. 18. IT pleased almightie God to teach this his scholer an other verie notable lesson not vnlike to that afore mentioned On a tyme he appeered vnto her and said these wordes Daughter thinke on me and I shall thinke on thee The which wordes she tooke to be spoken in like sense as she declared afterwardes to her ghostlie Father as if our Lord had said in plaine wordes vnto her Daughter haue no thought or care of thy selfe neither bodily nor ghostly for I that knowe what is behoueful for thee better then thou dost thy selfe will thinke vpon thee and prouide with all care and diligence for thy necessities Only set thou thy self to thinke on me for in that standeth thy perfection and final blisse This is a great lesson and vndoubtedly verie profitable to him that would exercise it faithfully For the will of God towardes vs as the Apostle saieth is our sanctification which consisteth in vniting our selues to him by loue which loue cānot be wrought in our willes vnlesse our hart be wholly discharged of the cares of all earth lie thinges Forsomuch as God is a thing of such excellencie that he deserueth to dispossesse our hart of all other thinges that him selfe maie enter take possession of it as the only rightful Lord and owner of the same But bicause he seeth that we stand in need of manie thinges for the preseruation of our bodie which if we haue not prouided from tyme to tyme it must needes decaie therefore he added furthermore and said and I will thinke on thee Which wordes import so much as those that he spake to his disciples when he willed them to be careles for all earthlie thinges aperteinyng to the maintenance of the bodie and to set their whole hope and affiance in his prouident goodnes For if it be so that he prouideth so dwely for the necessarie sustentation of byrdes in the aier of beastes and wormes in the earth and of all other liuing thinges if he haue such a fatherlie care to clad the verie trees plantes flowers and other insensible creatures how much greater care is it like that he will haue of man for whose sake all these creatures were made as being the most excellent creature made vnto the image of God specially chosē to haue the ioyfull fruition of him selfe She reasoned furthermore with Church men specially with Priestes and religious persons after this maner Seing it is so said she that we haue made a full resignatiō of our selues vnto God first in Baptisme and afterwardes when we entred into holie Orders or tooke vpon vs the state of a religious life surely there is no cause why we should be houefull for our selues in anie thing forsomuch as God to whom we haue resigned our selues both can and will prouide whatsoeuer he knoweth to be behoueful for vs. Wherefore our whole and onlie care ought to be how to please and serue him And that we must doe not only in respecte of the reward that we looke for at his hand but specially and principally in consideration of the worthines of that blessed band of loue and vnion which is betweene vs and him In so much that the blessed state of life euerlasting is to be desired of vs not so much for it selfe as bicause it vniteth vs perfectly and inseparably to our begynning and original being which is almightie God It can not be expressed in wordes what a great affiance this holie maid conceiued of those wordes of our Sauiour And I will thinke on thee in the which wordes she tooke such a passing ioye and delite that she could neuer haue her fill of thinking and speaking of them In so much that she made a treatise called a Dialogue wherin she expressed the wonderful frutes of the same as they maie well perceiue that read it or rather to saie better that can perse into the matter and haue a tast in it She was wont also to saie to Doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father and to other that were familiar with her when she sawe them dismaied and pensiue for anie strange accident that chansed vnto them Leaue all said she to God what haue you to doe of your selues For you to take care for these thinges is to take from God his care and prouidence as though he either would not or could not prouide for you in all cases Knowe you not that he hath a greater care of you then you haue of your selues And that he is both able and willing to award you from all euels It chaunced on a tyme that Doctour Raimundus and manie other both men and women were in a ship on the sea emong whom was this holie maid also and when the night came on they were in great peril as the pilote said to be caried for lacke of a good wind into strange ylandes and farre countries The which thing Doctour Raimundus vnderstanding came to her and spake after a lamentable maner Mother said he for so they vsed to call her see you not in what danger we stand To whom she made answere readily and said What haue you to doe of your selues With that Doctour Raimundus held his peace tooke a better comfort And anon after there blewe a contrarie wind which enforced the pilote as he said to returne back againe which thing her ghostlie Father went and declared vnto her also Wherunto she said Let him turne the ship a Gods name and folowe the wind that God sendeth And so he did and she in the meane tyme bowed downe her head and made her praier to God And they kept not on that course so farre as a man would shoot an arrowe but that there came a gracious wind that brought them to the hauen that they desired to their great wonder and gladnes singyng all with a ioyfull voice Te Deum laudamus Certaine goodlie sayinges which she was wont to vse to excite her selfe and others to the perfection of Charitie Chap. 19. OFten tymes when she conferred with her ghostlie Father and talked concernyng the worthines and state of a sowle that loued God with a perfecte charitie she was wont to vtter this sentence A sowle said she that loueth God perfectly neuer seeth loueth or remembreth anie other creature neither it selfe nor anie other thing The which saying she declared more plainely after this maner Such a sowle said she seeth that of it selfe it is nothing and that all her being and welfare dependeth of God only in whom she findeth by experience that al her felicitie standeth and in none other creature and therfore she wholly forsaketh both her selfe and all other thinges doth as it were plonge her selfe in the loue of
dishonestie vnto whom she maketh none answere whatsoeuer he saie neither will she so much as looke in his face but foorthwith turneth awaie from him and so keepeth her selfe faithfull and true to her husband And so did this chast virgin to her spowse Christ and by this meane she gate a great victorie ouer her enemie boring his eares with the naile of a strong and faithful praier Howbeit though he sawe his first assault thus easily frustrate and put by yet did he not cease but moued an other battaile against her which was much more fierce and cruel then the foremer How the enemie accompained with a great multitude of vncleane spirites renewed his battarie against this strong Fortresse and vsed greater enforcement then before Chap. 21. WHen the vncleane spirites sawe that this attempt tooke no place but was by the grace of God easily ouercome they tooke diuerse and sundrie shapes of men and women and setting them selues in such fourmes before the eyes of the chast virgin they exercised most filthie actes of the flesh and spake verie fowle wordes and vsed all possible meanes to sterre vp her mynd and bodie to vncleannes The which what a great griefe it caused to her vnspotted and maidenlie hart those only are able to consider that knowe what a goodlie treasure a pure and chast conuersation is in the sight of God and so consequently what a great losse it is to be in danger to be spoiled of the same It was also a great torment and increase of heauines to her mynd to consider that her deere spowse and Lord who was wont afore to visite and comfort her oftentymes seemed now as though he had vtterly forsaken her and would no more relieue and succour her in her distresse although for her part she did what in her laie knocking at the gate of his mercie with continual praier teares and hard discipline vpon her bodie And when she sawe that he made no answere she began to deuise a certaine newe maner of sleight to encounter with the enemie how be it not without the secret instincte of God which was this She conceiued a meruelous great misliking of her selfe and against her owne synnes and so turnyng her indignation as it were against her selfe she vttered such wordes Ah most vile wretch lookest thou to receiue cōfort Thinkest thou that thy synnes haue deserued it at Gods hand O most vnkind caitife is it not ynough for thee that thou art pardoned of the paines of hell O vnthankeful creature dost not thou take it to be gaine ynough that the endles mercie of God that changed those euerlasting tormentes into these temporal afflictions Were it not a verie gaineful exchange for thee though they should endure all the tyme of thy life Wilt thou then be dismaied and relent thy wonted mortification and discipline knowing that by theses meanes thou shalt escape endles paines and within a short tyme receiue endles ioye and comfort at the hand of thy deere spowse Iesus Christ By this maiest thou trie whether thou haue chosen to serue God for these temporal visitations and comfortes or else in hope of that euerlasting blesse and ioyful fruition of him selfe in the life to come A wake therefore take a good hart fight manfully and expecte with patience the good will and pleasure of God Now is the tyme for thee to increase to thy selfe labour and paine and to his holie name honour and glorie It can not be expressed in wordes how much she was strengthened in sowle by this meane and contrariwise how much the prowd enemie was by the same confownded and weakened She confessed afterwardes to her ghostlie Father that there was such a rabble of those fowle feendes at that tyme in her chamber mouing her diuerse and sundrie waies to vncleannes that she was enforced for a tyme to flee from her chamber to the Church and there to keepe more then she was wont to doe How be it euen in the Church also she was molested thought not so much as before in her chamber Whether when she returned afterwardes she was againe so beset with such a compaine of vncleane spirites representing there before her so manie actes of filthines and that with so great importunitie and strange maners that it was a verie miracle how she was able to susteine the same But she forth with falling downe to the earth there lying groueling on her face in praier besought God of his mercie with such mightie sighes and groanes that in contemplatiō of her pitiful crie he somewhat asswaged the furie of those fowle feendes And so continuyng in such afflictions and troubles a great number of daies at the lenght when at a tyme comyng from the Church and lying after such a maner in her chamber she made her earnest praier vnto God crauing his mercifull aide and assistance there appeered a certaine comfortable beame of the holie Ghost which brought vnto her remembrance the goodlie lesson that our Lord had thaught her before when she praied vnto him for the gyfte of Fortitude And so vnderstanding that all that was there done was only the tentation of the enemie she receiued great ioye in her hart and determined from that daie foreward to suffer meekely gladly all maner of tentations and afflictions for the loue of her spowse Iesus Christ Then one of those wicked sprites who was peraduenture of greater boldnes and malice then the rest spake vnto her after this maner Wretched woman what meanest thou Thinkest thou euermore to lead such a state of life as this is Make thy selfe well assured of this We shall neuer geue thee one hower of respite but shall paine and vexe thee continually vntill thou yeald and consent vnto our will Vnto whom she made answere out of hand with a great courage and affiance in God and said I haue chosen paine for my refreshing and therefore it shall not be yrckesome to me but rather pleasant and delitefull to suffer these and all other afflictions for the loue of my Lord and Sauiour so long and so much as shall please his diuine maiestie With that woord all that detestable companie of vncleane sprites vanished quite awaie with a verie dreadfull horrible noyse And behold foorth with there appeered a meruelous goodlie light from heauen which shone all ouer her chamber and in that light our Sauiour Christ in such fourme and maner as he was when he hong vpon the Crosse and there shed his most precious blood for the redemptiō of the worlde Who called her vnto him and and said these wordes Myne owne daughter Catherine seest thou not what I haue suffred for thy sake Thinke it not much therefore to suffer for me After that he approched neerer vnto her in an other fourme to comfort her and spake vnto her manie sweet and louing wordes and she likewise to him O Lord said she vsing the wordes of S. Antonie where wert thou when my hart was so vexed with sowle and
lothsome tentations Daughter said he I was in thyne hart Then said she againe O Lord sauing alwaies thy truth and my dutiful reuerence to thy diuine Maiestie how is it possible that thou shouldest dwell in an hart replenished with so manie filthie and shameful thoughtes Whervnto our Sauiour said Tell me daughter Those vncleane thoughtes did they cause in thy hart grief or delite No said she they caused very great griefe and sorrowe Who then said our Lord was he that caused that griefe and misliking in thyne hart Who was it but only I that laie secretly within in the middle of thy soule Assure thy selfe of this If I had not ben there present those fowle thoughtes that stood rownd about thyne hart seeking meanes to enter but euermore with the repuâ—â—e had without all doubt preuailed and made their entrie into thy sowle with full consent of thy will and synful delite But my presence was it that caused that misliking in thyne hart and moued thee to make resistance against those fowle tentations the which thy hart refused so much as it could bicause it could not doe so much as it would it conceiued a greater displeasure both against them and also against it selfe It was my gracious presence that wrought all these goodlie effectes in thyne hart wherein I tooke great delite to see my loue my holie feare and the zeale of my faith planted in thy sowle my deere daughter and spowse And so when I sawe my tyme which was when thou haddest through my grace and assistance thoroughly vanquished the pride and insolencie of thyne enemie I sent out certaine external beames of my light that put these darcke feendes to flight For by course of nature darckenes maye not abide where light is last of all by my light I gaue thee to vnderstand that those paines were thy great merite gayne and increase of the vertue of Fortitude And bicause thou offredst thy selfe willingly to suffer for my loue taking such paines with a cheerefull hart and esteemyng them as a recreation according to my doctrine therefore my will and pleasure was that they should endure no longer And so I shewed my selfe where vpon they vanished quite awaie My daughter I delite not in the paines of my seruantes but in their good will and readines to suffer patiently and gladly for my sake And bicause such patience and willingnes is shewed in paines and aduersitie therefore doe I suffer them to endure the same Take this similitude of my bodie At what tyme my bodie hong vpon the Crosse in extreme paines and tourmentes and afterwardes when it laie dead vpon the ground no man could euer haue thought that all that notwithstanding there had ben in it hiden that true life that geueth life and mouing to euerie liuing thing And yet so it was by reason of the inseperable vnion that was and is betweene my Godhead and humane nature though not so vnderstood of men no not of myne owne Apostles and disciples that had conuersed with me a long tyme. Now as at that tyme when my bodie laie there dead void of sense and without all outward shewe of anie inward power there was not withstanding in it a diuine power able to quiken and geue life to other creatures no lesse then afterwardes when it was raised from death and endewed with the glorious gyftes of immortal life euen so though after a different maner do I dwell in the sowles of my faithful seruantes at one tyme couertly and without shewing my selfe for their exercise further merite and at an other tyme openly and without couert for their comfort and ioye In this the tyme of thy battaile I was in thyne hart armyng and fortifying thee with my grace against the force of the enemie but couertly for to exercise thy patience and increase of merite But now that thou hast through my grace fought out thy battaile manfully and vanquished the enemie I geue thee to vnderstand that I am and wil be in thyne hart more openly yea and withal more often for thy comfort And with these wordes that blessed vision ended at what tyme the holie virgin was left replenished with such abundance of ioye and sweetnes that no penne is able to describe it And specially she tooke passing great comfort in that that our Lord called her Myne owne daughter Catherine And therefore she entreated her ghostlie Father that when he spake vnto her he would vse the selfe same wordes and saie My daughter Catherine to the end that by the often repetition of those wordes she might often tymes renewe the inward sweetnes that she felt in her hart of those ioyous wordes of her Deere Lord and spowse How our Lord with diuerse other Sainctes visited her oftentymes verie familiarly And how he taught her to read by miracle Chap. 22. FRom that tyme foreward it pleased our Lord to vse a verie vnwonted familiaritie with her and to visite her both verie often and verie louingly euen as one frend is wont to visite an other comyng to her sometymes him selfe alone sometymes bringing with him his most blessed mother the virgin Marie some tymes the holie patriarke S. Dominicke sometymes also with his mother S. Marie Magdalene S. Iohn the Euangelist the Apostle S. Paul and other Sainctes whom he brought with him sometymes all together and sometymes againe some one or els some few of them according as his pleasure was For the most part he came alone and conferred with her euen as one familiar is wont to doe with an other In so much that manie tymes they walked vp and downe in her chamber together and said the psalmes or diuine seruice together as though they had ben two clerkes or religious persones Which maie seeme a verie strange thing and so much the more if it be considered withal that she neuer learned to read by the teaching of anie man or woman for as she declared to her ghostlie Father she had a great desire to learne her mattins and therefore on a tyme she besought one of her sisters to geat her an A. B. C. and to teach her the lettres But when she had trauailed about the same a certaine of weekes and sawe that she did but leese her tyme she thought good to geue ouer that course and to set her selfe againe to her customable exercises of praier and meditation And one tyme lying prostrate on the grownd she made her praier after this maner Lord if it be not thy holie will and pleasure that I shall atteine the knowledge of reading I am verie well content for thy loue to continue in my ignorance and to spend my tyme in such simple meditations as it shal please thee to graunt me But if thou wouldest vowchsafe to shewe me so much fauour as that I might be able to read and sing the deuine seruice I would be right glad also to serue thee in such maner It is a wonderfull thing to report that she had no sooner ended her praier
but that she was foorthwith able to read as readily as one that had ben trained long tyme in the studie of learnyng Whereat her ghostlie Father was meruelously astoined forsomuch as it was well knowen to all that conuersed with her that before that tyme she could not only not read or spell but also verie hardly knowe one letter from an other After this tyme she gate her bookes of Church seruice and began to saie her Mattins and other Canonical howers in the which she noted disigently the verses of the psalmes but especially that verse that is vsed commonly in the begynning of euerie hower to wite Deus in adiutorium meum intende Domine ad adiuuandum me festina and kept the same in her mynd with a special regard to her liues end How she increased so much in heauenlie contemplations that she was often tymes rauished in the same and how she was espowsed to our Sauiour Christ with a Ring Chap. 23. AFter this tyme increasing daily in heauenlie contemplations she was at the lenght enforced almost to geue ouer all vocal praier bicause she was no soener set to praie but that foorthwith she was so much eleuated in the height of her spirite and so rauished from her bodilie senses that she might scantly endure to end one Pater noster Whereupon hauing an earnest desire in her hart to haue yet a further increase of perfection in spiritual life and to clymme vp to the highest point of charity she made her petition vnto almightie God in most humble maner that it would please him to geue her such a light of faith that being guided by the same she might from that tyme foreward walke surely and without alteration in the pathes of his holie commaundementes and make resistance against all the attemptes of of the enemie The which request our Lord tooke in good part and answered verie comfortably and sweetly saying these wordes I will make thee my spowse in faith And euermore as she increased in desire and multiplied her praier so heard she the same sentence repeated and confirmed by our Lord saying vnto her I will make thee my spowse in faith At the last it happened a litle before the begynning of lent in the shrouing daies at what tyme men are wont of a corrupt custome to gather together after a synful maner and to geue them selues ouermuch to bellie cheere that this wise virgin sequestred her selfe from all companie and closing her selfe vp all alone in her cell she besought our Lord with great austeritie of life with long fasting continual watching and feruent praier that he would vowchsafe to perfourme his promise in geuing her that perfection of faith that she so much desired While she was thus praying with great feruour of mynd and instance behold our Lord appeered vnto her after a verie comfortable maner and said these wordes Bicause thou hast forsaken all the vanities of the worlde and set thy loue vpon me and because thou hast for my sake rather chosen to afflicte thy bodie with fasting then to eate flesh with others especially at this tyme when all other that dwell rownd about thee yea and those also that dwell in the same howse with thee do bancket make great feastes therefore I am determined this daie to keepe a solemne feast with thee and with great ioye and pompe to espowse thy sowle to me in faith As our Lord was speaking these wordes there appeered in the same place the most glorious virgin Marie mother of God the beloued disciple S. Iohn the Euangeliste the great trompet of the holie Ghost S. Paul the Apostle and the most worthie patriarke fownder of her order S. Dominicke and after these came the kinglie prophet and poete Dauid with a musical psalter in his hand on the which he plaied a heauenlie song of inestimable sweetnes in the eares of the newe spowse Then our blessed Ladie came to her and tooke her by the hand and withal stretched out her fingers towardes her Sonne with a verie comelie grace and besought him that he would vowchsafe to espowse her to him selfe in faith Whereunto he assented foorthwith with a verie sweete and louelie countenance and taking out a ring that was set about with fower precious pearles and had in the other part a meruelous ritch diamant put the same on the finger of her right hand saying thus Behold I here espowse thee to me thy Maker and Sauiour in faith Which shall continue in thee from this tyme forward euermore without anie change or alteration vntill the tyme come that thou shalt consummate the same with me in a most perfecte and blesful coniunction in the ioyes of heauen Wherefore from hence foorth beare thy selfe stowtly and be not dismaied for thou art now armed with the armour of faith by the vertue whereof thou shalt withstand and ouercome all the assaultes of the enemie And with that this vision vanished awaie and left her replenished with such ioye and sweetnes that no tongue is able to expresse it Certaine proofes of the holines of this blessed virgin declaring the afore-mentioned streight frindship and familiaritie betweene our Lord and her to be a thing vndoubted Chap. 24. IT may be that manie of the thinges mentioned before in this booke maie seeme to to some men verie strange and almost incredible And no merueile for whie so they seemed euen at that tyme to manie men not only of such as had litle acqueintance with her but of those also that liued familiarly with her who as they were much induced to thinke reuerently of her by seeing her vertuous and holie conuersation so contrariwise they were put in great doubt and perplexitie by reason of the thinges that she did Emong others that cast such doubtes was doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father a great learned and wise man who at the begynnyng of his familiaritie with her could not resolue whether those wonderful thinges that he heard and sawe in her were true or counterfeicte and whether they proceeded of God or of the deuel While he stood thus in doubt and had a great desire to be resolued in the matter bicause it stood him vpon being her ghostlie Father neither to deceiue nor to be deceiued but to iudge aright of spirites it came to his mynd that if he could by her meanes and intercession obteine for him selfe a true Contrition of all his synnes such as he neuer had before together with a perfecte sorowe for the same and earnest desire to make a full Satisfaction in the sight of God and that he might perceiue sensibly that all that came to him by her meanes he would take that for a most certaine and infallible token that whatsoeuer she had done was the worke of God and not of Satan transfiguring him selfe into an Angel of light And this trial liked him verie well bicause being learned in the studie of diuinitie he knewe that the deuel could not possibly be the authour of true Contrition
reuerend full of maiestie And for a litle tyme he sawe that face only and could see none other thing which put him in such a feare and terrour that casting vp his handes aboue his shoulders he cried with a lowd voice and said Oh Lord who is this that looketh thus vpon me It is he said she that is And with that she came againe to her owne fourme These and other the like thinges did doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father report of his owne experience all which he affirmed to be most certainly true with a verie great and earnest protestation THE SECOND PART How the spowse of Christ was made by litle and litle to shewe her selfe to the wordle Chap. 1. AFter that our Sauiour Christ had thus espowsed this holie virgin to him selfe and beawtified her with manie graces and gyftes his will pleasur was that she should from that tyme foreward by litle and litle shewe her selfe to the worlde that the graine that had now lyen hidden in the grownd a conuenient tyme and was sufficiently mortified might bud flower and bring foorth the frute of manie excellent vertues to the comfort of men Wherefore on a tyme when he had shewed her many mysteries of the kingdome of heauen and had taught her also to saie the Psalmes and Canonical howers with him selfe as is declared before he bad her that she should goe downe to eate with others and then returne to him againe When she heard that she sobbed and wept fell downe at his feete after a verie pitiful maner and said vnto him O most sweet Iesu whie wilt thou put me awaie from thee If I haue offended thy diuine Maiestie behold here my bodie at thy feete laie what penance it shall please thee vpon it and I will helpe with all my hart Only this I beseech thee let me not be so sharply punished as to be sundred from thy blessed presence What haue I to doe with their meates I haue meate to eate that they knowe not of Oh my good Lord wherefore dost thou will me to goe to eate with them Doth man liue of bread only and not rather and better of euerie word that cometh out of thy mouth Art not thou he my deere Lord that hast cawsed me to eschewe the conuersation of men that I might the better conuerse with thee And now that I haue fownd thee without anie desert on my part only of thy mere liberalitie and goodnes shall I be so vnhappie as to forsake such a goodlie treasure for to returne to the conuersation of men and so to dymme the puritie and cleerenes of my faith Suffer not that O my deere spowse and Lord for thyne infinitie goodnes When she had thus powred out her hart before our Lord pitifully sobbing and weeping and lying prostrate at his feete he like a merciful Lord gaue her verie sweet wordes againe and said My deere daughter leaue the care of thy selfe to me It is meete that thou doe fulfill all righteousnes Which thou canst not doe vnlesse thou be fruteful and profitable not only to thy selfe but also to others Thinke not my good daughter that it is my meanyng to separate thee from me but rather to vnite thy hart more firmely vnto me Knowest thou not that all the lawe and prophetes stand of two pointes to witt of the loue of God and of the loue of thy neighbour Wherefore to make thee perfecte my will is that thou exercise thy selfe in the loue of thy neighbour with great compassion and mercie that thou maiest flie vp to heauen not with one wing but with two Call to mynd the zeale that thou haddest of winning sowles which I planted in thy hart euen in thyne infancie at what tyme thou haddest a desire to change thyne habite and to clad thy selfe like a man that thou mightest be receiued into the order of the Fryars Preachers Remember that this habite which thou wearest is the habite of thy father S. Dominicke and was geuen vnto thee by my deere mother namely for a special loue and affection that thou barest vnto him for the great trauaile that he susteined in wynning of sowles Behold I doe now dispose and ordaine thee to that end that thou diddest through my secret inspiration so much desire in thy yowth I dispose thee to that function that my Father disposed me vnto in the earth I ordaine thee to that ministerie that I ordained my beloued Apostles and disciples vnto before I departed from them on the earth And all this I doe for thy further merite and greater crowne At these wordes the humble virgin tooke great comfort and bowing downe her head with all submission said O Lord thy will be done in all thinges and not myne for thou art light and I am darckenes thou art he that is and I am she that is not But yet I beseech thee my Lord God let me be so bold as to aske how I a wretched vile woman should be able to doe anie good in thy Church How shall I being a simple womā be able to instructe wise and learned men How shall it be seemelie for me to liue and conuerse emong men Vnto that our Sauiour answered and said Who is he that created man made a distinctiō betweene man womā was it not I If I thē be the creatour of man womā what lawe maie restraine me that I shall not doe with my creatures what I shall thinke good Can my power be limited that I shall not dispose of man and woman of learned and vnlearned of noble and base according to my will Touching thy question therefore which is how a woman that is the weaker vessel should be an able and sufficient meane to edifie men with doctrine and example bicause I knowe that this thy demaund proceedeth not of anie lacke of faith in my almightie power but only of an humble consideration of thyne owne weakenes and frailtie I will impart vnto thee my secret in this behalfe Daughter it is so that now a daies there aboundeth such pride in the worlde and specially in those that hold them selues for learned and wise that my iustice can no lōger beare it But bicause my mercie is aboue all my workes as I haue determined to doe iustice vpon this heinous synne so haue I also prouided a soueraigne medicine against the same to as manie as will accept it The proper medicine and punishment of pride is to be confownded and brought to shame And therefore my deliberation is that these men that are wise in their owne conceite shal be made ashamed and controlled in their owne iudgemēt when they shall see those creatures that they account vile and abiecte as fraile and weake women to vnderstand the hidden mysteries of God not by humane studie but only by grace infused and to shewe the same to the worlde both by word and example of life and for confirmation of such doctrine to worke manie strange signes wonders and miracles
tyme as that she might be able to goe succour that poore woman Anon after feeling her selfe meruelously well comforted she rose vp early in the mornyng and filled her sacke with corne she tooke two great flascats also one of wyne and an other of oyle and withal whatsoeuer she fownd in the howse meete to be eaten And when she had laid this prouision together thinking it impossible to carrie it all at once to the widoes howse which was farre from thence the thinges weighed no lesse then an hūdred powndes she cast vp her hart to her spowse and besought him of his gracious assistance That done she began to trie with a stowte hart what she was able to doe Some part she laid vpon her shoulders some she trussed vnder her gyrdle some she carried in her right hand and some in her lefte And when she had loded her selfe with all this burthen she felt no more of it then if it had ben a wad or wispe of strawe but so soone as the common bell of the citie had rong before the which tyme it was not lawful for anie persone to walke in the streetes she tooke her waie towardes the poore widowes howse and went so light on the grownd not withstanding all that heauie waight of prouision and great feeblenes of bodie withall as if she had caried nothing but had ben caried her selfe as in truth she was But when she was almost come to the howse the burthen that seemed before verie light became so heauie and paineful to her that she thought she could not beare it one foote further The which strange alteration when she felt in her selfe she conceiued foorthwith that it was the will of God that it should so be And therefore she turned her selfe to him with a great affiance in his mercie and made her humble petition to him that he would vowchasafe to ease her againe and make her able to goe thorough with her burthen And with that finding her selfe to haue receiued sufficient strength to beare it out she held on her waie till she came to the widowes doore which by the prouision of God she found halfe open And so putting it from her softely with her hand she laid in her prouision with as litle noyse as was possible Howbeit it was not done so priuily but that the widowe awaked withal The which she perceiuing made awaie as fast as she could But there came vpon her euen at that instant such a feeblenes and withal such a heauisomenes of bodie that she was not able to crawle awaie though her life had lyen on it Wherefore turnyng her selfe to our Lord with a heauie hart bicause she feared lest her being there alone at that tyme of the daie might be scandalous to weake myndes and yet on the other side with a cheereful and smyling countenance bicause she sawe it was the will and pleasure of her spowse so to dalie with her betweene game and earnest as it were she spake vnto him after this maner O my deere Lord whie hast thou thus deceiued me Shall it doe well thinkest thou that all the worlde laugh me to scorne Is it thy pleasure that all the neighbours here see my folie and hold me for a verie foole and sott See o Lord the daie cometh on fast which will discouer me to the worlde and so shall I be taken for a fantastical woman or peraduenture for worse O my good Lord and sweet loue of my hart hast thou now forgoten thyne old mercies shewed from tyme to tyme to me thyne vnworthie handmaid Geue me I beseech thee so much strength that I maie be able to returne home to my chamber and then laie vpon me so much weakenes as pleaseth thee With that she enforced her selfe the best she could to creepe with hand and foote vpon the grownd and while she was so creeping she spake to her bodie after this maner liue thou die thou awaie thou must Whether thou be able or not able here is no being And therefore on a Gods name And so what with going and what with crawling she wonne a litle grownd But before she could get out of sight the poore widowe came downe seeing her in the street and no moe but her knewe by her habite whoe it was that had done her that charitable pleasure Thē our Lord heard the groanyng of his deere spowse and pitying her poore case gaue her so much strength that she gate home before it was brode daie Where she receiued great cōfort of mynd in cōsideratiō of Gods mercie and louing kindnes towardes her and withall her ould diseases feeblenes of bodie for her further increase of grace merite An other verie notable example of her great Charitie towardes the poore Chap. 6. WHile this holie maid was on a tyme in S. Dominickes Church there came by her a poore man and besought her for Gods loue that she would geue him somewhat To whom bicause she had nothing there to geue for it was not her maner to beare neither gold nor syluer about her she spake verie gently and praied him that he would haue so much patience as to tarrie there till she might goe home and come againe The poore man made answere that he could not tarrie so long but if she had anie thing there to geue she should geue it for otherwise he must needes goe his waie She was loth that he should goe from her without somwhat therefore bethought her selfe carefully what thing she might haue about her to serue that poore mans need Anon it came to her mynd that she had a litle crosse of syluer that hong by her beades which she brake of with all speed gaue it gladly to the poore man Who likewise when he had receiued this almes at her hand went his waie and was seene no more to begge that daie as though his coming had ben for that Crosse only The night folowing while this deuout virgin was occupied in praier after her accustomed maner our Sauiour Christ appeered vnto her hauing that same Crosse in his hand set with diuerse and sundrie precious stones and said vnto her Daughther knowest thou this Crosse Yea Lord said she I knowe it right well but it was not so richly decked when I had it Then said our Lord to her againe Yesterdaie thou gauest me this Crosse with a chereful hart and great charitie which great loue and charitie is signified by these precious stones And therefore I promise thee that at the daie of iudgement I will shewe the same in the presence of all men and Angels to the great increase of thyne euerlasting ioye and glorie For I will not hide nor suffer to be hiden such deedes of charitie as are done by thee With that this apparition ceased and left her replenished with vnspeakeable ioye and gladnes And from that tyme foreward there increased in her a passing great desire of relieuing the poore An other verie wonderful example of her
to leese no more tyme about her she turned her selfe to God who only is the phisitiō in such desperate cases besought him most instantly that he would take mercie on her sister molifie her hart This praier was made with such feruour vehemēcie of spirite that it perced the heauens and sownded into the eares of almighty God who to cure that froward womā finally of her synful disease of mynd smote her mercifully with a certaine grieuous infirmity of bodie Whē the holy maid heard tell that Palmerina was so dāgerously sicke she was a heauie womā for her For she sawe that if she should depart the worlde in that state her soule was lost euerlastingly Which consideratiō wrought so in her that she determined to leaue nothing vndone that might possibly be done for the recouerie of that sowle And so she went to her and with verie sweet and louelie wordes offred both her selfe all that she had to be at her deuotion and seruice But the churlish woman was so maliciously bent against her that she not only refused al this courtesie but also reuiled her vsing most vnseemelie and reprochful lāguage against her and in the end bad her goe out of her chāber with great threates thundering wordes All which vilanie the holy maid bare with great meekenes patiēce and continuyng her wonted charitie and cōpassion towardes that furious womā turned her selfe to God againe in praier In this meane tyme that wretched womans sickenes by the diuine prouidence and disposition of God increased so vehemently vpon her that without making anie reconciliation with God or the wordle she drewe on verie fast to death both of bodie soule The which thing when the holie maid vnderstood her hart being thoroughly perced with the dartes of compassion she shut her selfe vp in her Cell and there casting her selfe downe prostrate vpon the grownd with much sobbing weeping and lamentation she made her praier vnto God after this maner O Lord my God Maker maie it be that I wretched creature shold be borne into the worlde to this end that sowles which thou hast created to thine owne ymage likenes should by anie occasion of me be condemned to euerlasting paines Canst thou my good Lord and deere spowse suffer that I which ought to be to my sister an instrument of euerlasting saluation should now become an occasion of her euerlasting woe and calamitie Turne awaie that dreadful iudgement O Lord I beseech thee for thy mercies sake It had ben better for me that I had neuer ben borne then that the sowles which thou hast redeemed with the price of thy most precious blood should through me be brought againe into that miserable captiuitie of our auncient enemie the Deuel O Lord are these the promises which thou madest vnto me when thou diddest saie that I should be an instrument and meane to wynne manie sowles to thee Are these the fruites of life which I thyne vnworthie hand-maid should bring foorth to the behoofe of others There is no doubt O Lord but that my synne is the cawse of all this out of the which I can not looke to receiue anie better fruite then this is But yet O Lord I am right well assured that the botomles sea of thy mercies can not be drayned or in anie part diminished and therefore I set my selfe here before thee with a great affiance and humbly beseech thee that thou wilt vowchsafe to cast downe the eyes of thy clemencie vpon this wretched creature thy seruant my sister This I most instantly craue of thee o most sweet comforter of all afflicted hartes not trusting in anie worke or merite of myne owne but only in thy wonted mercie and goodnes These and other the like wordes did the holie virgin vse in her praier as she declared afterwardes to her ghostly Father which she powred out before God rather with feruour of desire and inward affection then with outward noyse and sownd of voice And our Lord to moue her to further compassion and to make her yet more earnest in praier gaue her to vnderstand and see the euident and imminent peril that her wretched sister was in and she heard it pronownced in plaine termes that the iustice of God could not beare but that such an obstinate malice and hardnes of hart must needes be punished The which horible sentence geuen vpon her sister Palmerina whose sowles health she tendred exceedingly strooke her to the verie hart so mightily that she fell downe to the grownd againe and there lying prostrate groned vnto almightie God after a most lamentable sort saying O Lord God almightie Father of mercies and onlie helper in all extremities I am right well contented yea I most humbly craue it at thy hand that thou wilt vowchsafe to laie all the paine dwe to this wretched womans synnes vpon my backe punish me for them for I am the cause of them and not she Wherefore I most instantly beseeche thee beate me but spare her And with that she raised vp her hart to God with a greater affiance and said furthermore O merciful Lord I will neuer rise out of this place vntill thou shewe mercie to my sister Wherefore I here groane and crie vnto thee O lord euen from the verie botome of myne hart beseeching thee by thyne vnspeakable goodnes by thine infinite mercie and by the price of thy most precious blood shed for the redēption of mankind that thou wilt not suffer my sisters soule to depart out of her bodie vntill the tyme that thou haue graunted her the grace of due penance and contrition for all her synnes Thus did the holie maid make intercession to almighty God for the recouery of her sisters soule her praier was as the euent shewed of meruelous great force vertu For the sicke womā laie in extremes three daies and three nightes drawing on continually in such sort that as manie as were presēt looked euerie hower whē she should passe out of this wordle for they all saw that she was staied in that paineful state of life not by any strength of nature but by some secret extraordinarie power All the which tyme the deuout virgin cōtinued in most earnest feruēt praiers for her and neuer gaue ouer vntil she had with her teares and humilitie as it were wrested the sword of Gods iustice out of his almightie hand and obteined for that wretched woman so much mercie grace that she might first see the deformitie of her synnes then vnderstand the dreadful decree of Gods iustice against her for the same last of all be hartily sorie repentant for her life past with a sure hope of forgiuenes by the mercy of God through the merites of the most precious blood death of our Sauiour Christ This blessed alteratiō was reuealed by God to the holie maid also who vpon the vnderstanding of the same went foorthwith to her sicke sisters chamber to comfort her Whether when
therefore lesse circumspecte in such matters and so to make his entrie vpon them both together He began to sowe in the hart of the sicke woman diuerse and sundrie surmises against her by craftie meanes bringing her in great gelowsie and disliking of all that she did by reason wherof in processe of tyme she waxed meruelous weerie of her and might not well abide to see her Which weerisomenes increasing in her daily more and more engendred a certaine malice and malice in tyme bred a plaine hatred Now this malice and hatred had in continuance by litle and litle so corrupted her iudgement that she not only suspected of her the worst that anie euel mynd could ymagin but also bleleeued firmely that all such ymaginations were most certaine and vndoubted truthes in so much that whensoeuer the holie maid was anie where out of her sight she beleeued assuredly that she was about some fowle acte of fleshlie pleasure The which thing though the innocent virgin vnderstood verie well yet did she shewe her selfe no lesse louing meke seruiceable about her then she was wont to be before But the more meekenes and diligence the good seruant of Christ vsed towardes that froward old woman the more testie and cholericke waxed she against her by the instigation of the deuel in so much that at the length she came to that that she would no longer keepe her conceiued suspicions vnder the couert of priuate gelowsie but without all modestie shame gaue them out in plaine and brode termes to as manie as would geue eare to her slawnderous talke This fowle brute being once thus raised it went on from one to another vntil in the end it came to the eares of the sisters who to vnderstād the verie original of the rumour went to the chamber where the sicke sister laie and examined her of the matter She auowched stowtely to them so much as she had reported to others before and accused the maid constantly of actual incontinēcie vncleannes Whereat they were verie much astoined at the first but yet wheighing the age behauiour constācie of the accuser they gaue credit to her wordes thereupon calling the maid before them they gaue her verie rough and sharpe language rebuking her with meruelous vile and reprochful wordes and asking her how she was caried awaie and brought to commit such a synful and vncleane acte Wherunto she made answere with great humilitie and patience saying no moe wordes but only these Truly good mothers and sisters by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ I am a maid And whatsoeuer they said to her she gaue them none other word to answere but only this Truly I am a maid Truly I am a maid neuer vtterring so much as one word that might seeme to touch her accuser Vpon whom she attended and serued with as great loue and diligence as if there had neuer passed anie such matter betweene them And yet was she sorie at the verie hart for the slaunder and infamie that was raised vpon her Wherefore when she had done what was to be done about the sicke woman she retired her selfe for comfort as her maner was in all aduersites into her chamber and there casting her selfe downe prostrate vpon the ground she opened the griefe of her hart to almightie God more with gronyng of hart then with sound of voice after this maner O almightie God my deere Lord spowse thou knowest verie well what a tender thing the good name of virgins is especially of them that haue vowed their virginitie to thee and how much subiecte they are to the violent strokes of slawnderous tonges And that was the cause why thy prouident wisedome disposed that thy most glorious mother should be committed to the charge of Ioseph who was called and was in deed her husband not for anie acte of matrimonie but to keepe her name of virginitie from slander Thou knowest O Lord that all this slawnder that is raised vpō me is wrought by the father of lying who hath done this to withdrawe hinder me from this charitable woorke that thou hast appointed me to doe I haue willingly takē vpon me for thy loue Wherefor I most hūbly beseech thee O my deere Lord most mightie protectour of all innocentes that thou wilt not suffer this wicked serpent whom thou hast troden vnder foote in the tyme of thy sacred passion to haue the mastrie ouer me When the holie maid had thus made a long praier to our Lord with much inward gronyng and plentie of teares behold our Lord appeered to her holding two crownes in his hādes one in his right hand of gold all decked with ritch perles and precious stones an other in his left hand of verie sharpe thornes said these wordes vnto her Deere daughter it is so that thou must needes be crowned with these two crownes at sundry tymes Choose therefor whether thou haue lieffer to be crowned with the sharpe crowne of thorne in this life and that other to be reserued for thee in the life to come or elswhether thou like better to haue this goodlie golden crowne in this life that other sharpe crowne in the life to come To this demand the hūble discrete virgin made answere after this maner Lord said she thou knowest verie well that I haue resigned my will wholly to thee haue made a full resolution to doe all thinges according to thy direction and therfore I dare not choose anie thing vnlesse I maie knowe that the same shall stand with thy most blessed will and pleasure Neuertheles because thou hast willed me to make answere concernyng this choise that thou hast here made vnto me I saie thus that I doe choose in this life euermore to be conformed and made like to thee my Lord Sauiour cherefully to beare Crosses thornes for thy loue as thou hast done for myne With that she reached out her handes Iustely and tooke the crowne of thornes of our Lordes handes and put the same vpon her owne head with such a strength and violence that the thornes perced her head rownd about in so much that for a long space after she felt a sensible paine in her head by the pricking of those thornes as she declared afterwardes to her ghostlie Father Then our Lord said to her Daughter all thinges are in my power And as I haue suffred this slawnder to be raised against thee by the deuel and his membres so is it in my power to cease the same when I will Continue thou therefore in that holie seruice that thou hast begon and geue no place to the enemie that would let thee from all good workes I will geue thee a perfecte victorie ouer thyne enemie and will bring to passe that whatsoeuer he hath imagined against thee it shall all be turned vpon his owne head to thy great ioye and his great paine Thus was she well comforted againe and so continued still at the seruice of that
and conuersation How hangyng in the ayer she sawe certaine secrets and high mysteries of God which it is not lawful to disclose to anie man Chap. 19. THIS holie maid from the tyme that she was thus endued with newe graces vntill the xxxiij yeare of her age at what tyme she departed out of this life was so wholly occupied in diuine comtemplations that in all that tyme she neuer needed anie bodilie sustenance And in those contemplations her soule was so mightely drawen vp to heauenlie thinges that her bodie also was by the vehemencie of the spirite taken vp often tymes withal and suspended in the ayer At which tymes she sawe manie wonderful thinges and spake manie high wordes of heauenlie matters which were heard of diuerse and sundrie persones On a tyme her ghostlie Father seeing her so rauished from her bodilie senses and hearing her speake certaine wordes softely to her selfe came neere to hearken what she said And standing by her he heard her speake these wordes distinctly in latine Vidi arcana Dei that is I haue seene the secrets of God And she repeted the same wordes often tymes Vidi arcana Dei Her ghostlie Father afterwardes being verie desirous to knowe what she meant by those wordes and whie she repeted them so often asked her after this maner Good mother said he I praie you tell me whie you repeated those wordes so often What is the cause whie you will not declare your secrets to me now as you were wont to doe To that she answered and said that she might not speake otherwise whie so said he whie maie you not declare the thinges that our Lord reuealeth vnto you as well now as you were wont to doe Good Father said she I should haue as great a conscience if I should declare the high misteries that almightie God hath now reueled vnto me with my defectuous and imperfecte tongue as I should haue if I had blasphemed or dishonoured our Lord in wordes For there is so great difference betweene heauenly thinges apprehended in an vnderstanding that is illuminated by God and the same thinges vttered by the speach or tongue of man that me thinketh they are almost contrarie the one to the other And therefore for this tyme I praie you hold me excused For the thinges that I haue seene are vnspeakeable After this great reuelation that our Lord made to her of vnspeakeable thinges it seemed to her that her hart did leap out of her bodie and that it did enter into the side of our Sauiour Christ and there was made one hart with his hart And at that instant she felt her soule all molton and resolued with the force of his diuine loue in such sort that she cried out with a loude voice often tymes Domine vulnerasti cor meum Domine vulnerasti cor meum Lord thou hast wounded my hart Lord thou hast wounded my hart This thing was done vpon S. Margarets Daie in the yeare of our Lord. 1370. How she put her mouth to the side of our Sauiour and drancke and of manie other wonderful thinges that happened about the blessed Sacrament Chap. 20. IT chaunced also the same yeare on S. Laurence daie that this holie maid comyng to the Church to heare Masse set her selfe downe neere to the Aulter as her maner was that she might the better see the holie Sacrament And kneeling there deuoutly in her praiers she brake out into weeping and sobbing so much that her ghostlie Father came to her warned her that she should refraine so much as was possible for not molesting the priest at Masse Wherupon like a meeke and obedient daughter she remoued her selfe farther from the Aulter and made her humble praier to our Lord that he would vouchsafe to illuminate her Confessours hart that he might see and vnderstand that such violent motions of the spirite might not be witholden and kept in by the strength of man and her priaer was not vaine For it pleased God to make her ghostlie Father to vnderstand perfectly by experience that such feruour of spirite could not be so kept in but that the force of diuine loue would needes breake out The which when he vnderstood he neuer rebuked her afterwardes for anie such matter Now kneeling after this maner farre of from the Aulter she groned in her hart and manie tymes also brake out into wordes and said after a languishing and ruthful maner I would faine receiue the bodie of my Lord and Redeemer I would faine receiue the bodie of my Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ One tyme as she was so so crying behold our Lord appeered vnto her with the wound of his side all open and bringing her mowth to the same said Receiue of my flesh and drincke of my blood so much as thou wilt With that she sucked greedily and tooke so much that it seemed to her that for verie pure loue she was at the point of death by reason of the passing great sweetnes that she felt in her hart The selfe same yeare vpon S. Alexius daie this holie maid made her praier to God that he would vowchsafe to graunt her a feruent and burnyng desire to receiue his most holie bodie and blood At what tyme she vnderstood by reuelation that on the morowe she should receiue without all doubt For she had ben forbiden for certaine respectes that she should not receiue so often When she had that comfortable reuelation she praied againe to our Lord that he would vowchsafe to clense her hart against the tyme of receiuing that she might receiue the more worthily to her greater profite Behold while she was so praying she felt a certaine raigne comyng downe into her soule in maner of a great abondant flood not of water or of anie other such licour but of blood myngled with fyer which as it seemed to her clensed her soule so mightely that the strength and operation of the same redounded into the bodie and clensed it also After this on the morowe she was so extremely sicke that to her seemyng she was not able to moue one foote though the worlde had lyen on it All the which not withstanding she doubted nothing of the promise made vnto her by our Lord but with a ful affiance in him set her selfe in the waie towardes the Church Whither when she was come she kneeled downe in a chappell besides an Aulter and besought almightie God with great instance that her ghostlie Father might come and saie Masse there For she had a special inhibition not to receiue at anie other priestes hand And she vnderstood by reuelation that almightie God had graunted her that petition also Now while she was thus attending there for the performance of all these comfortable promises her ghostlie Father who before found small disposition in him selfe to saie Masse that daie knewe not of her being there was sodainly touched at the hart with a verie strange feruour and deuotiō Wherupon he prepared him selfe to Masse and went
to the same Aulter wher the holy maid was at which Aulter he was neuer wont to saie Masse at other tymes When he came thither and found her there attending his comyng and desiring to communicate he vnderstood that it was our Lord that had moued him to saie Masse that daie and to choose that Aulter contrarie to his accustomed maner He said Masse and at the end as the maner is he came to minister the blessed Sacrament to her at the Aulters end While she was receiuing her ghostlie Father beheld her and sawe her face all red and shynyng and bedewed with great aboundance of teares wherat he was meruelously astoined And she by receiuing the blessed Sacrament at that tyme was so replenished with the ioyous presence of our Lord and so mightely drawen inward by the vnspeakeable sweetnes that she felt in him that all the daie after she might not speake so much as one word to anie creature On the next daie her Confessour asked her what she eiled and what the cause was she had such a goodlie shynyng read in her face the daie before while she was receiuing the blessed Sacrament To whom she answered and said Father of what coulour my face was at that tyme I knowe not But this I knowe verie well When I vnworthie wretch receiued that blessed Sacrament at your hand it drewe me into it after such a sort that all other thinges sauing it alone waxed lothsome vnto me not only temporal thinges and delites of the worlde but also all other comfortes and pleasures were they neuer so spiritual Wherupon I made my humble praier to our Lord that he would take all such comfortes and delites from me that I might take pleasure in none other thing but only in him I besought him also that he would vouchsafe to take awaie my will and geue me his will The which petition he graunted me and said after this maner Behold deere daughter now I geue thee my will by the vertue whereof thou shalt be so strong that whatsoeuer shall happen vnto thee from this tyme foreward thou shalt neuer be altered or moued but shalt continue euermore in one state She declared yet furthermore to her Confessour and said Father said she will you knowe how our Lord serued me the last daie for sooth he dalied with me euen as a mother is wont to dalie with her child whom she loueth tenderly She will set her child some tymes a good waie from her when she myndeth to shewe him her tette and there will she suffer him to stand and crie after it All the which tyme she taketh pleasure to laugh at the fondnes of the child At the lenght when she hath suffred him to crie a good while she runneth to him with a laughing cheere clyppeth him in her armes huggeth and kisseth him and so geueth him the tette In like maner did our Lord with me He shewed me the blessed wound in his side and made as it were a certaine tender of the same vnto me but yet a farre of The which I seeing for the great desire that I had to put my mowth vnto it out of hand wept abondantly Our Lord suffred me to weepe and seemed to take pleasure in it At the length when I had wept a good while he came to me with a meruelous sweete and cheereful countenance and tooke my soule in his armes and put my mouth to his blessed wound Where by reason of the greedie desire that I had my sowle entred in all wholly and sucking there at will drewe out such vnspeakeable sweetnes and withal such a great knowledge of his diuinitie and godhead that whoso were able to conceiue it would be astoined to consider how it was possible for my hart not to breake feeling and receiuing such aboundance of loue into it as it did at that tyme. And he would meruaile now also to thinke how it were possible for me to sustaine life hauing such a continual flamyng fyer of charitie in my hart as I feele Of certaine other reuelations shewed vnto her vpon the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament And how she obteined graces for diuerse and sundrie persones Chap. 21. THe same yeare vpon the 18. daie of August when she was to receiue the blessed Sacrament she said with great feruour and deuotion these wordes Lord I am not worthie that thou shouldest enter into my bodie And our Lord made her answere againe but I am worthie that thou shouldest enter into me And so receiuing the blessed Sacrament it seemed to her that her soule entred into him and he into her soule euen as a fish entreth into the water into the fish And with that she felt her selfe so mightely drawen vp into almightie God that the powers of her bodie failing her she had much a doe to returne home to her chamber whether when she was come she laied her selfe downe vpon her hard bed of boordes and laie there for a good space like a stone without anie mouing At the length her bodie was taken vp in the aier and there hong for an other space in the presence of three persones that bare witnes of all that happened at that tyme and so comyng downe againe she began as it were to awake out of a dead sleepe and lying verie weake and feeble vpon her bed she spake softely manie sweet wordes and vttered much good matter of high contemplations which caused as manie as were present to weepe Emong other wordes that she spake she praied for manie persones and for some specially namely for her Confessour who was at that tyme in the Church and had no mynd of anie thing that might moue him to deuotion and yet of a suddaine found in him selfe such a strange and wonderful feruour of deuotion as he neuer felt the like in his whole life before wherat he had great wonder While he was thus casting with him selfe what that strange and soddaine alteration might meane one of the sisters that had heard and seene the whole processe of the matter came in to him and said Father sister Catherine hath praied for you verie much this daie at such an hower When he heard that he vnderstood foorthwith that her praier was the cause of all that gracious alteration in him selfe Then he asked that other sister what maner of praier the holie maid had made And she tolde him that she had praied for him and for other that our Lord would vouchsafe to graunt then euerlasting life She tould him furthermore that when the holie maid had made this praier she stretched out her hand and besought our Lord to graunt her this petition And so taking in her hand againe she seemed to make as though it had ben verie sore and said with great sighing these wordes O Lord worshipped maiest thou be For so was she wont to saie so often as she felt anie griefe in her bodie When her Confessour heard all this he went foorthwith to her lodging and praied her that she
would declare all her vision to him She like an obedient daughter declared vnto him the whole vision in such sort as it is described here before And when she came to that point where she praied for certaine special persones she said to him Father when I praied for you and for other that our Lord would vouchsafe to graunt you euerlasting life it pleased his goodnes to geue me an assured comfort in my hart that in deed so it should be With that I besought him that he would graunt me some token of the certaintie therof not that I doubted anie thing of his promise but bicause I was desirous to haue some notable memorial of the same Then he bad me that I should stretch out my hand And I did so And he put into my hand a naile and closed the same so fast within my hand that I felt a great paine in my hand as if there had ben a naile striken into my hand in deed with an hammer And so our Lord be blessed for it I haue in my right hand one of the markes of my sweet spowse and Sauiour to my selfe sensible though to others inuisible How she receiued the blessed markes of our Sauiour Christ in the citie of Pisa Chap. 22. ON a tyme this holie maid went to the citie of Pisa accompanied with diuerse and sundrie persones emong other doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father was one When she came thither she was enterteined by a certaine worshipful man whose house stood beside S. Christians chappell where her Confessour said masse at her request and ministred the holie Sacrament vnto her after her accustomed maner When she had receiued she was foorthwith rauished from her bodilie senses for a good space All the which tyme her Confessour with diuerse others a waited there to see what would become of her and to heare some spiritual and comfortable wordes of her as they were wont to doe commonly when she came to her selfe againe Sodainly as they beheld her the bodie that laie prostrate vpon the ground was raised vp and she kneeled vpon her knees strethching vp her armes and handes shewing in her face a meruelous goodlie and cleere brightnes When she had kneeled after this maner a good while at the length she fell downe sodainly like one that had receiued a deadlie wound and soone after that she was restored againe to her bodilie senses Then she caled for her ghostly Father and said secretly vnto him these wordes Father I geue you to vnderstand for certaine that I beare now in my bodie by the grace and mercie of God the blessed markes of my Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ Her Confessour hearing that asked her how that might be and how it had ben with her in all that tyme of her traunse Wherunto she made answere and said Father I sawe our Lord fastened vpon the Crosse comyng downe towardes me and enuironyng me rownd about with a meruelous beawtiful light With the which gracious sight my sowle was so rauished and had such a passing desire to goe and meete with our Lord that my bodie was constreined by the verie force of the spirite to set it selfe vp as you might see Then there came downe from the holes of his blessed woundes fiue bloodie beames which were directed towardes the same partes of my bodie to witte to my handes feete and hart With that I cried out to our Lord and said O Lord I beseech thee let no singes of these holie markes appeere outwardly to the sight of men Sodainly while I was speaking these wordes before those beames were fully come downe to my bodie they chaunged their coulour out of a sanguine red into a meruelous brightnes and so in the fourme of a goodlie pure light they lighted and rested vpon the said partes of my bodie When she had thus declared her whole vision her ghostlie Father asked her whether anie of thoses beames came downe to her right side or no. She answered no but only to her lefte side vpon the hart He asked her furthermore whether she felt anie sensible paine in those partes or no. With that she fetched a great sigh and said Father I suffer such a great and sensible paine in all those fiue partes of my bodie and specially at my hart that vnlesse almightie God shewe a newe miracle I can not long endure in this life That word did her ghostlie Father take verie good head vnto and he looked diligently whether he might espie anie tokens of sensible paine in those partes of her bodie When she had said so much as she would saie at that tyme they went out of that chappell together towardes their lodging and the holie maid betooke her selfe to her chamber and laie downe and shewed such euident tokens of extreme sickenes that as manie as were about her thought certainely that she would haue dyed out of hand Whereupon her Confessour with certaine other that kept him companie were called to see that strange case When they came and sawe her in such extremitie they were all ouercome with sorrowe and heauines for though they had seene her oftentymes before in verie weake case yet had they neuer seene her so feeble to their seemyng so neere to death Neuertheles within a while after she came to her selfe againe and recouered so much strength that receiuing a litle meate she was able to speak and said to hir ghostlie Father as she had said before that vnlesse almightie God would by some newe miracle continue her life she had but a litle tyme to endure in this wordle When her Confessour heard that he called all her spirituall children together both men and women and besought them with manie teares that they would all with one voice offer vp their humble praier to God beseeching him that he would vouchsafe to lend them their mother that laie at the point of death for a tyme to directe and traine them yet further in the pathes of spiritual life They assented all to his request with a verie good will and went with him to the chamber where the holie maid laie in a traunse And doctour Raimundus in the behalfe of them all spake vnto her after this maner Good mother we knowe well that your desire is to be with your deere spowse and Lord our Sauiour Christ But our desire and earnest sute is that you would take pitie on vs your poore children and not leaue vs thus comfortles and without direction Your reward is safely laied vp for you in heauen and abideth your comyng But we are in danger of perishing a thousand waies in this tempestuous sea of the wordle We knowe also good mother that your deere spowse loueth you so tenderly that he will denie you nothing that you aske him Wherfore we beseech you all with one voice to make your humble praier to him that he will vouchsafe to lend you yet a litle tyme of life emong vs for our further instruction in this holie order of life
in conscience to talke with her of certaine matters when doctour Raimundus heard that for verie charitie he lefte his owne busines vndone and went with him towardes the holie maides chamber supposing to haue fownd her there But when he came thither and asked for her the sisters answered that she was gone to Church To Church said he when went she to Church for sooth said they before Masse and there she hath continued euer sence With that he was much astoined and turned backe againe to the Church with the priour of the Carthusians where he fownd her in deed in a corner kneeling vpon her knees rauished in spirite as her maner was to be some other of the sisters with her To whome he spake and praied them that they would vse such meanes as they might conueniently to bring her to her selfe againe so soone as were possible For there was there with him a frind of his that had a great desire to speake with her and yet might not tarrie long Now when she was come to her selfe againe doctour Raimundus tooke her aside and in fewe wordes opened his owne case to her that he might geue place to his frind whose vrgent busines required a more speedie dispatch When she hade saide she smyled on him after a comfortable maner and asked him whether he had vsed such diligence as was requisite in seeking that peece Wherunto he answered that he had sought it with as great diligence as was possible If you haue done so said she whie are you so careful VVith that she smyled againe and went towardes the priour of the Charterhowse to speake with him In the meane tyme doctour Raimundus remained somewhat comforted but not fully satisfied vntill he might knowe in deed what was become of it So soone as she had done with the priour and satisfied him in all such demaundes as he made vnto her she returned againe to doctour Raimundus who being verie desiours to vnderstand the truth of the matter began with her after this sort Mother said he it is you I trowe that hath taken awaie this peece of the holie Host No for sooth father said she it was not I but an other that tooke it awaie from you and therfore take no more care for it for I assure you you shall neuer find it Then doctour Raimundus praied her that she would declare to him the whole processe of the matter which she did with a good will to the honour of God and to satisfie his careful mynd Father said she be you no more careful for that peece of the blessed Host For I tell it to you as to my ghostlie father that it was brought to me and I receiued it at the reuerend handes of our most blessed Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ And that you maie vnderstand the cause also I thinke it good to make yet a further declaration of the matter vnto you Father it is so that I was this mornyng in purpose and had withal a verie earnest desire to receiue But my sisters gaue me counsel to the contrarie bicawse my receiuing was like to be troublesome to some of the brethren who as they said grutched somewhat at it wherupon I thought with my selfe to folowe not myne owne will but their aduise But my desire was so great that when I sawe that I could not receiue at the hands of men without their great trouble and disquet I turned my selfe to God and besought him in most humble wise that he would vouchsafe to helpe his poore handmaid Our gracious Lord heard my petition and so foorthwith appeered vnto me and ministred that fourth part that you speake of to me with his owne handes wherfore good Father be you of good comfort for you haue lost nothing and I haue fownd that wherby I remaine meruelously well refresshed and satisfied When doctour Raimundus heard that he was likewise fully satisfied and so departed towardes his couent praising and magnifying the infinite goodnes of almightie God who filleth the hungrie with good thinges and geueth the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding to them that serue him in holines and righteousnes and keepe them selues with a warie and fearefull regard from all such thinges as they thinke maie in anie degree offend his diuine maiestie How her face did shine like an angel while she was receiuing the blessed Sacrament and of certaine other strange signes Chap. 32. ON a tyme doctour Raimundus returnyng from Auinion to Siena went to visite the holie maid and entering into her lodging about noone tyde fownd her praying in her oratorie This thing happened vpon S. Marckes daie the Euangelist When she sawe him she rose vp after a ciuil maner as it were to welcome him and said these wordes O father if you knewe how hungrie my soule is Doctour Raimundus vnderstood wel what she meant and therfore made her answere that the tyme was farre spent and that he was him selfe so weerie of his iourney that he could hardly dispose him selfe to saie Masse that daie With that she held her peace a litle while and soone after brake out againe said Father I am verie hungrie Then doctour Raimundus to satisfie her impatient desire which he knewe was of God prepared him selfe to Masse in her owne chapple not farre from her lodging which she had peculiar to her selfe by special licence from the popes holines when he had receiued the blessed Sacrament him selfe he made readie an Host that he had there consecrated to minister to her also And turnyng him selfe to her to geue her the general absolution as the maner of holie Church is behold he sawe her face transfigured like the face of an Angel all cleere lightsome and casting out beames of a meruelous brightnes With the which strange sight he was so astoined that he said in him selfe to almightie God Surely Lord this is not Caterines face this is vndoubtedly the face of thy deerely beloued spowse With that he turned him selfe againe to the aulter and looking vpon the consecrated Host said these wordes in his hart Come O Lord to thy spowse And he had no sooner spoken those wordes in his mynd but that the holie Host came of it selfe into his handes and did as it were offer it selfe to be caried to the mouth of his deer spowse Thus much did doctour Raimundus testifie him selfe who was a verie graue wise and learned man There were also diuerse other credible persones that affirmed constantly that when this holie maid did at diuerse and sundrie tymes receiue the blessed Sacrament they might heare sensibly how the holy Host made a noyse in her mouth as though it had ben a stone cast with great strength and violence For confirmatiō wherof brother Barthelmewe who was likewise a doctour of diuinity verie godlie man testified that manie tymes when he ministred the blessed Sacrament vnto her the holie Host departed from his fingers after a violent maner and so entred into the mouth of the holie
sawe that being moued with pitie she turned her selfe to God after her accustomed maner in praier and besought him with great instance that he would voutchsafe to prolong her mothers life Our Lord made answere that if she could be brought to dispose her selfe to die at that tyme it would be best for her forsomuch as if she liued longer there were such stormes of troubles and aduersitie towardes her as she should not be able to beare The holie maid hearing that went to her mother and comforted her and vsed manie sweet perswasions with her to induce her to be content seeing it was the will of God to passe out of this wretched state to a more happie and blessed life But the mother geuing but a deaffe eare to this kind of talke charged her daughter earnestly that she should rather praie to God for the continuance of her life for as yet she could in no wise be brought to depart out of the wordle Then the holie maid in great anguish and perplexitie of mynd became a mediatrix betweene almightie God and her mother humbly beseeching him on the one side that he would not suffer her mother to depart vntill she were resolued to die willingly for his loue and earnestly exhorting her on the other side that she should yeald her hart fully and wholly to the will of God But she was so fixed on the wordle that she might not abide to heare of death Whereupon our Lord speake to the holie maid after this sort Daughter said he tell thy mother that if she will not consent to die now a tyme shall come when she shal be so afflicted that she shall desire to die and shall not be heard Which saying of our Lord tooke effecte within a litle tyme after and she was in deed so miserably tormented in mynd with the losse of her temporal goods vnto the which she bare a meruelous inordinate loue that she brake out impatiently into certaine wordes as it were of desperation and despite against God saying Is it possible that God hath so inclosed my soule in this crooked bodie that it can find no waie out Haue I sent so manie of my sonnes and daughters kinsfolkes and frindes housband and all out of the wordle before me with great griefe and now am constreined to remaine here alone after them all to see my selfe ouerwhelmed with heauines and miserie And so with this bitternes of hart and murmuring against God she passed out of this life without anie further contrition or repentance for her synnes Her daughter tooke this maner of her departure meruelous heauily and could receiue no coÌ„fort but setting her selfe to praier which she had euermore tried to be a present remedie against all euels she sighed sobbed and wept verie lamentably and powred out the griefe of her hart before God with these wordes O my deere Lord and God are these the promises that thou hast made me that there should no one of my house and familie perish in the handes of the enemie Behold ô Lord my mother is now passed out of this life without repentance for her synnes without confession without the rightes of holie Church O sweet Lord O Father of all comfort I most humbly beseech thee in the bowels of thy tender mercie that thou wilt not reiecte the petition of thy lowlie handmaid at this tyme. See ô Lord I lie here prostrate before thy diuine Maiestie and will not rise out of this place vntill my mother be restored to life againe and I ascertained of her saluation that thy promises maie be verified and my soule comforted While the holie maid was thus praying there were a nomber of women in the chamber some of the houshold and some of the neighbours that came thither at that tyme as the maner is to mourne and to doe such thinges as were to be done about the dead corps Emong these women some there were also that gaue diligent eare to the holie maid heard distinctly what wordes she spake in her praier But they all sawe this and were witnesses of the same that soone after the holie maid had ended her praier the sowle returned to the bodie againe and the woman liued afterwardes a conuenient tyme to repent her of her former offences and so died in the state of grace This storie did the holie maid her selfe declare afterwardes to Doctour Raimundus her ghostlie father How the holie maid obteined of God by praier the conuersion of two theeues that were lead to execution Chap. 10. ON a daie while the holie maid was in the house of one of her sisters called Alexia it chaÌ„ced that two famoê° theeues condemned to death were caried in a cart thorough the streete towardes the place of execution Their sentence was that by the waie as they were caried they should be pinched now in one part of their bodie and now in an other with hote yrons or pincers and so in the end put to death Which paine was so intolerable that they which were before in a desperate state and might by no perswasions be brought to repent them of their manifold and heinous offences committed against God and the wordle blasphemed God all his Sainctes In so much that it seemed that the temporal tormentes that they were now in were but a begynning and waie to these euerlasting tormentes and fyer that they went vnto But our merciful Lord whose prouident goodnes disposeth all thinges sweetly had otherwise determined of them When they were come neere to this house Alexia hearing a great concourse and noyse of people in the streete went to the windowe to see what it might be And seeing the horrible maner of the execution she ranne in againe and said to the holie maid O mother if euer you will see a pitiful sight come now With that the holie maid went to the windowe and looked out and so soone as she had seene the maner of the execution she returned foorthwith to her praiers againe For as she declared afterwardes secretly to Doctour Raimundus she sawe a great multitude of wicked spirites about those fellons which did burne their soules more cruelly within then the tormentours did their bodies without Which lamentable sight moued her to double compassion She had great pitie to see their bodies but much more to seâ— their soules wherefore turning her selfe to our Lord with great feruour of spirite she made her praier to him after this maner Ah deere Lord wherefore dost thou suffer these thy creatures made to thyne owne image and likenes and redeemed with the price of thy most precious blood to be thus lead awaie in triumph by the cruel enemie I know ô Lord confesse that these men are iustly punished according to the measure of their offences So was the theefe also that hong by thee on the Crosse whom notwithstanding thou tookest to mercie saying that he should be with thee that verie daie in Paradyse Thou diddest not refuse Peeter but gauest him a
the sisters that was there with her at that tyme that when the holie maid came to her selfe againe she should desire her in his name and also charge her in the vertue of her obedience that she should extend her charitie towardes that miserable man that laie on passing and praie to God hartely for his recouerie When the holie maid vnderstood the lamentable state of the sicke man and withall the charge that was geauen her from her ghostlie father she taried not but foorthwith set her selfe to praier and besought our Lord with great instance and feruour of spirite that he would not suffer that soule to perish whome he had redeemed with the price of his most precious blood To that our Lord made answere and said that the iniquitie of that wicked man was so heinous in his sight that the crie thereof perced the heauens and called for iustice for he had not only in wordes most horribly blasphemed the holie name of God and of his Sainctes but also with great despite and malice throwen a table into the fyer in the which was painted the death and passion of our Sauiour Christ together with the images of our blessed Ladie and other Sainctes By the which facte he had deserued euerlasting damnation When the holie maid heard that she fell downe prostrate before our Lord and said O Lord if thou wilt looke narrowly to our iniquities who shal be able to stand Wherefore camest thou downe from heauen into the wordle Wherefore tookest thou flesh of the most pure and vnspotted virgin Marie Wherefore diddest thou suffer a most bitter and reprochfull death Hast thou done all these thinges ô Lord to this end that thou mightest call men to a streight and rigorous account for their synnes and not rather that thou mightest vtterly cancel their debtes and take them to mercie Why dost thou ô merciful Lord tell me of the synnes of one lost man seeing thou hast borne vpon thyne owne shoulders the synnes of the whole wordle that none should be lost Doe I lie here prostrate at thy feete to demaund iustice and not rather to craue mercie Doe I present my selfe here before thy diuine Maiestie to pleade the innocencie of this wretched creature and not rather to confesse that he is gyltie of euerlasting death and damnation and that the onlie refuge is to appeale to thyne endles mercie Remember ô deere Lord what thou saidest to me when thou diddest first will me to goe abrode and to procure the saluation of manie soules Thou knowest right well that I haue none other ioye or comfort in this life but only to see the conuersion of synners vnto thee And for this cause only I am content to lacke the ioyful fruition of thy blessed presence Wherefore if thou take this ioye from me what other thing shall I find in this vale of miserie wherein to take pleasure or comfort O most merciful Father God of all comfort reiecte not the hūble petition of thyne handmaid put me not awaie from thee at this tyme but graciously graunt me that this my brothers hard hart maie be mollified and made to yeald to the working of thy holie spirite Thus did the holie maid continue in praier and disputation with our Lord from the begynning of the night till the nexte morning All the which tyme she neither slept nor tooke anie maner of rest but wept and wailed continually for great compassion that she had to see that soule perish our Lord euermore alleaging his iustice and she crauing his mercie At the length our Lord being as it were ouercome with her importunitie and crying gaue her this comfortable answere Deere daughter I will stand no longer with thee in this matter Thy teares and lamentable crying haue preuailed and wrested the sword of my iustice out of myne hand This synful man shall for thy sake find such fauour and grace as thou requirest for him And with that our Lord withdrewe him selfe from the holie maid and appeered the same hower to the sicke man and spake to him after this maner Deere child why wilt thou not be repentant for the synnes that thou hast committed against me In anie case be sorie for thyne offences and confesse the same and I am readie to pardon thee That word so persed the hart of that obstinate man that he relented foorth with and cried with a lowd voice to them that were there present besought them for Gods loue that they would helpe him to a ghostlie father with all possible speed For said he my Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ hath shewed him selfe mercifully to me and willed me to be confessed of all my synnes When they heard that they were verie much astoined but withall meruelously comforted to see that soddaine and blessed alteration in him And they made great hast to bring him a ghostlie father to whome he made a perfecte Confession of all his synnes with great contrition and so passed out of this wordle in the state of grace How the holie maid by praier procured the conuersion of a fierce yong gentleman in Siena called Iames Tolomes Cap. 12. THere was in the citie of Siena a gentleman of a worshipfull parentage called Francis Tolomes who tooke to wife on Rabes a gentlewoman likewise of a good howse and by her had manie sonnes and daughters His eldest sonne was called Iames a prowd and hawtie yong man and of nature verie fierce and cruel in so much that being yet but a child of age he killed two men with his owne handes which cawsed all men both to dread him and to shunne his companie And as he grewe in yeares so did he also increase in malice and wickednes and ranne without raine or bridle euen as his outragious mynd caried him into all kindes of mischiefe He had two sisters the one called Francis the other Ginoccia which were also dissolute and light of behauiour and specially Ginoccia which was wholly geuen to vaintie and superfluous decking of her selfe And yet had she euermore a care to keepe the virginitie of her bodie which she did rather for feare of shame in the wordle then for anie feare or loue of God Which thing was no small griefe to their mother Rabes who being a woman that feared God and tendred much the soules health of her daughters went on a daie to the holie maid and declaring the state of her daughters besought her for Gods loue that she would bee so good as to come with her and geue them some godlie exhortation The holie maid which had euermore a passing great desire to wynne soules to God went with the gentlewoman with a verie good will and did as she was required And her wordes so wrought in the hartes of those two yong maidens that they gaue ouer all the vanities of the wordle and tooke the habite of S. Dominicke Ginoccia foorth with and Francis soone after In the which rule and discipline they liued a verie streight and rigorous life
ghostlie enemie For sometymes she held her peace and sometymes she made answere as it were to some demaund Sometymes she smyled as though she had scorned his reasons and sometymes she rose in choler Emong other thinges one word she spake which was noted of as manie as were present And surelie it maie well be thought that it was the will of God that she should vtter it When she had held her peace a pretie while at the length setting a pleasant countenance vpon it she made answere as it were to some slaunder that the enemie charged her withal saying Vaine glorie Neuer but only the true glorie and honour of God Which wordes were not spoken without a special prouidence of God to remoue a sinister opinion conceiued of her not only in the wordle but also in manie deuout and spiritual persones who seeing her passing sweet and charitable demeanour towardes all kindes of men and withal how readie and desirous she was not only to receiue exhort and comfort all such as resorted to her at home but also to trauaile into farre and strange countreis to extend her charitie to as manie as was possible doubted somewhat that in these thinges she might either seeke the praise of men or at the least take some delite in it when she heard her selfe praysed But Doctour Raimundus who being her ghostlie Father heard her Confession both general and special oftentymes and considered of all her doinges with great warines and aduisement gaue her this testimonie with a solemne protestation that he iudged verily and tooke it vpon his conscience that whatsoeuer she did in that kind she did it by special inspiration and commaundment from God and that she did not so much as thinke either vpon the praises of men or vpon the men them selues but only when she praied to God for them or did some other charitable woorke to the edifying of their soules But now to come to our matter againe whē the holie maid had thus fought a long combat with the ghostlie enemie and had in the end through the grace and assistance of God obteined a full and final victorie ouer him comyng to her selfe againe she made a general Confession not Sacramentally but openly saying Confiteor as the maner is and so required the general absolution to be likewise pronounced ouer her That done it was sensibly perceiued that all the powers of her bodie decaied foorthwith by litle and litle The which notwithstanding she ceased not to exhort and speake comfortable wordes not only to them that were there about her but also to other that were absent Emong others she shewed her selfe to haue a verie special remembrance and care of Doctour Raimundus vnto whom she willed them all to haue recourse in all their doubtes and distresses for spiritual counsel Commend me to him said she and bid him to be of good comfort and not to faint or feare whatsoeuer betide For I will be with him and will from tyme to tyme deliuer him from all dangers And if he chaunce at anie tyme to doe otherwise then he should doe I will geue him discipline These wordes she repeated againe and againe vntill her speach began at the length to faile her Last of all when the verie throwes of death came vpon her she said these wordes Lord into thy handes I commend my spirite And with that she gaue vp the Ghost in the yeare of her age 33. of our Lord. 1380. the 29. daie of April which as then was sondaie and the feast of S. Peter the Martyr about eight of the clocke before noone THE FOWRTH PART How it pleased our Lord to make the holines of his spowse knowen to the wordle by diuerse and sundrie euident tokens from heauen And first how she spake certaine comfortable wordes to Doctour Raimundus after her departure out of this wordle Chap. 1. AT what tyme the holie maid passed out of this life doctour Raimundus her confessour chaunced to be in the citie of Genua about such a affaires as his office required being then the prouincial of his Order in those partes And bicause there was a general chapter appointed to be kept at Bolonia within a fewe daies after for the choosing of a newe general doctour Raimundus with certain other doctours brethren made them selues readie to passe by water from thence to Pisa and so to Bolonia And when they had hyred a boate they taried for a good wind which as then did not serue in that meane tyme vpon S. Peters daie in the mornyng which is a solemne daie emong the Friers preachers bicause he was a great martyr and of their Order doctour Raimundus went downe from his cell to the Church to saie Masse And when Masse was done he returned backe againe to the dorter to set him selfe in order towardes his iourney Where passing by the image of our ladie he said an Aue Maria softly to him selfe as the maneris and staied a litle while And sodainly there was framed a strange voice if it maie be called a voice which expressed verie distinctly and plainely certaine wordes not outwardly to his bodilie eare but inwardly to his hart The wordes were these Be not afraid I am here for thee I am in heauen for thee I will protect and defend thee Stand fast without care and feare not I stand here for thee Doctor Raimundus hearing or rather conceiuing those wordes in deed more liuely expressed to this mynd then if they had ben pronounced by the voice of anie man was much astoined and began to cast with him selfe what maner of comfort and warrant of securitie that might be and from whence he might thinke that it came And bicause he was then doing a litle worke in the honour of our blessed Ladie he began to thinke whether it might not be she that had geuen him those comfortable wordes Howbeit considering his owne vnworthines he durst not presume so much Then it came to his mynd that there might be some great trouble towardes him for the which cause he praied to our blessed Ladie the mother of mercie whome he knewe to be a special comforter of all afflicted persones that she would vouchsafe by that her comfortable promise to make him more warie circunspecte and readie to beare whatsoeuer it should pleased God to laie vpon him And there was some cause also whie he might suspecte such troubles the more bicause he had at that tyme preached against certaine scismatikes that were in the citie of whome he stood in some doubt that they would haue set for him to doe some mischiefe to him and his compaine as they should passe betweene Genua Pisa And so at that tyme he could not vnderstand what that voice should be what it should meane or whence it should come But afterwardes when he came to Tuscan and heard them there tell of the tyme and maner of the holie maides departure he called this strange voice to mynd againe and sawe by the computation of
the tyme that these wordes were spoken to him at that verie hower when the holie maid passed out of this wordle to God Wherefore he gaue most hartie thankes both to our Lord and also to his blessed spouse S. Catherine for the great grace and comfort that they had vouchsafed to send him How it pleased God to geue a testimonie of her holines in her life tyme by an euident miracle wrought at the tombe of S. Agnes Chap. 2. IT was reuealed to the holie maid as she declared secretiy to doct Raimundus to doct Thomas her confessour also that in the kingdome of heauen she should haue the blessed virgin S. Agnes of mount Politian for her companinion and be placed there in equal degree with her Wherupon she bare a verie special deuotion to S. Agnes and therefore besought her confessours that they would geue her licence to goe thither in pilgrimage with some other of her sisters to visite the holie relikes Which request they graunted with a good will and went them selues also with her to see if almightie God would shewe anie token of his determination concernyng the afore promised felowship that should be betweene these two holie virgins When the holie maide came to the monasterie she went foorthwith accompained with the sisters of her owne retinue and most of the Nonnes of the same monasterie also to the place where S. Agnes bodie laie all whole and vnperished euen as it was the first daie that it was laid there And comyng to the holie shryne she kneeled downe vpon the ground and bowed her head with great reuerence and deuotion to kisse the feete But the dead bodie of S. Agnes as it were refusing that honour of her companion lifted vp one foote in the presence of them al so high that she might haue kissed it without bowing downe either bodie or head The which thing when the holie maid sawe she humbled her selfe the more stooped downe with greater reuerence And so S. Agnes bodie drewe her legge downe againe and set it as it was before This miracle it pleased almightie God to worke at that tyme to the honour of those two blessed virgins in the presence of all the aforesaid sisters of penance and Nonnes of the same monasterie And yet there lacked not some one or two emong them that did what in them laie to depraue the maner of the miracle Which turned in the end by the disposition of God to the further setting out of the same For the next daie when doctour Raimundus with the rest of his companie came thither which by occasion had staied behind hearing by the common brute what a strange worke had ben wrought there to the honour of God and of the two blessed virgins and vnderstanding withall that there was one or two euill disposed women amonge them that wente about to discredit the matter sayinge that the holie mayde had done it by art magicke or otherwise by some sleyghte of the deuill he called the whole couent of Nonnes together before him by vertu of a commission graunted to him by the General of that prouince and charged them all in the vertu of of their obedience that they should declare what they had seene protesting to them that his desire was to vnderstand the verie truth of the matter to the glorie of God and no more nor no lesse but only the verie bare truth They made hin answere one by one and declared so much as hath ben declared here before Then he called one of thē before him that laboured to impugne the truth of the miracle and asked her whether the matter had passed in such sort as the rest had deposed And she confessed plainely before them all that it was euen so as they had said But said she S. Agnes did not worke that miracle to anie such end as you imagin To that doctour Raimundus made answere and said Deerely beloued sister we aske not you what the meaning of S. Agnes was bicause we knowe that you are neither hir secretarie nor yet of her counsel But we aske of you only whether you sawe that lifting vp of the foote and taking of it downe againe in such sort as the rest of your sisters haue declared Yea said she that can not be denied When doctour Raimundus had thus put her to some shame before the whole couent he enioyned her such penance for her offence as the order of their discipline required and he thought most expedient for the example of others An other tyme the holie maid comyng to the monasterie againe to place two of her brothers daughters there in the seruice of God the first thing that she did she went to visite the holie reliques of S. Agnes as she had done before And there went with her certaine of her owne compaine and certaine of the Nonnes of the same monasterie When she came to the place she set her selfe downe not as she had done before at the feete but at the head with great ioye and cheerefulnes and put her cheeke to the cheeke of S. Agnes which was couered with a veile of silke and there held it a good while After that she had continued so a good long space at the length she turned her selfe sodainly backe and spake to the sisters that were there present and namely to her cosen Lisa after a meruelous ioyful and humble maner saying Whie do you not consider of this great gyfte of God that is sent vs here from heauen VVherefore are you so vngrateful VVith that Lisa and the rest held vp their heades and behold they sawe a certaine Manna to wite a verie white and small graine to come downe from heauen and to couer the bodies of those two blessed virgins And this Manna fell in such abundance that Lisa filled both her handes of it and kept it afterwardes for a relike and monument for comfirmation of the truth of this great miracle The like chaunced to the holie virgin S. Agnes oftentymes in her life tyme namely when she set her selfe to praier and meditation as we read in the storie of her life which I thought good to touch briefely in this place for the comfort and satisfaction of such deuout persones as are desirous to vnderstand more of her and yet haue not peraduenture the whole storie writen specially in our tonge When the blessed virgin S. Agnes should be borne into the wordle there were a nomber of goodlie lights seene in the place where her mother trauailed lighted by the almightie power of God without anie helpe of man which continued and yealded a meruelous confortable light to as manie as were there present vntill such time as the babe was fully borne and then ceased By the which our Lord would foreshewe what a goodlie and singular light of diuerse and sundrie vertues she should geue in tyme to come to the wordle In her life tyme as she grewe in yeares so did she likewise increase in all kinde of vertue in humilitie
great hedach which tormented him verie sore and were as he knewe vndoubted signes of the common infection that raigned ouer the citie at that tyme. The which notwithstanding he did what he could to make an end of his diuine seruice In the mornyng calling a felowe to him he went with great paine towardes the holy maides house whether when he came he found her not at home For she was gone out to visite an other that was sicke Then being no longer able to hold vp his head he laied him selfe downe vpon a couch that was there in her house praied the sisters that they wold send for her with al speed When the holie maid came home and found him there and vnderstood in what case he was she kneeled downe by the bed and laying her hand vpon his forehead she began after her maner to lifte vp her hart to God in praier And foorthwith he sawe that she was quite abstracted from her bodilie senses rauished in sprite Which was no vnwonted sight to him nor yet vncomfortable at that tyme. For he hoped well that she should obteine some great benefite for him both of bodie and soule at Gods hand When she had continued after that maner about the space of halfe an hower he felt in him selfe a mightie alteration and stirring in euerie part of his bodie and withal a vehement prouocation towardes a vomite which he had seene to hapen before to many that had died of that disease How beit it fell not so out with him but rather contrariwise For it seemed to him that he felt sensibly how those corrupt humours that caused his paine were violently drawen from within to the vttermost partes of the bodie And certaine he was that he found present ease of his paines And before the holie maid came to her selfe againe he was fully and perfectly restored to his health sauing only that there remained a litle feeblenes in him which he thought our Lord suffred to remaine in him as a token either of the disease that was cured or els of the weakenes of his faith So soone as the holie maid had obteined this grace at Gods hand for her ghostlie father she was foorthwith restored to her bodilie senses And finding him as yet in some weakenes she willed her sisters to prouide some meate for him such as is wont to be geuen to sicke folkes The which when he had receiued at her holie hand she willed him to lie downe and rest a while and so he did And when he had rested a litle tyme he rose vp and felt him selfe as strong and in as good liking as if he had neuer ben sicke Then said the holie maid to him Father goe your waie and labour about the edifying of soules and be thankeful to almightie God that hath deliuered you out of this present danger The like miracle did the holie maid worke about the same tyme vpon father Bartilmewe of whome mention hath ben made diuerse and sundrie tymes before The miracle was much alike but the cure seemed somewhat greater biause he was both longer and also more grieuously sicke How the holie maid healed a great nomber that were sicke of other diseases after the like maner Chap. 4. AFter the tyme that this pestilence was ceased in Siena it chaunced that manie deuout and well disposed persones as well religious as others but specially certaine Nunnes of Pisa hearing the fame of the holie maid had a great desire to see her and to heare her doctrine which was reported to be and was in deed verie wonderful And because it was not lawful for many of them that had this godly inclination to come to her to Siena they sent letters and messengets to her very often beseeching her that she would take the paines to come ouer to them to Pisa And to allure her the more to take that iourney vpon her they declared vnto her what frute and gaine of soules was like to ensue by her comyng thither The holie maid though she had no desire to be from home yet being ouercome with their long importunate sute especially considering that there was great hope of winning soules to God first she asked the aduise of them that liued in house with her of the which compaine some were with her going to Pisa and some against it Then when she sawe that she could not be resolued by men she fled vnto almightie God as her maner was and besought him humbly that he would vouchsafe to make her to vnderstand what his will and pleasure was that she should doe in that case And it came to passe after certaine daies that our Lord appeered to her and willed her that she should accomplish the godlie request of those his seruantes hand maides in Pisa without delaie Wherupon she went to her ghostelie father and declaring thus much to him besought him like an obedient daughter that he would geue her licence to doe as she was willed by God He assented willingly to her demaund and went him selfe with her and with him two other of his brethren to heare the confessions of such as should resort vnto her according to a graunt made to her by Pope Gregorie the eleuenth When she came to Pisa she lodged in the house of an honest citizen called maister Gerardus where on a daie there was presented vnto her a certaine younge man of the age of twentie yeares or there about which had ben sore vexed with a quotidian ague for the space of a yeare and halfe and neuer missed one daie And though there were no fit of an ague vpon him at that tyme yet might she see that he had ben long sicke For whereas he was by constitution of bodie a verie strong and lustie yong man he was now brought so lowe that he had neither flesh strength nor colour And no medicine could be found that would doe him good Wherfore they entreated the holie maid that she would commend his lamentable state to God in her praier The holie maid pitied his case verie much and asked him how long it was sence he was last confessed To that he answered and said that it was a good manie yeares Yea said she and that is the cause whie our Lord hath laied this discipline vpon you bicause yee would not clense your soule in all this tyme by confession Wherfore deere sonne see that yee goe out of hand to confession and rid your selfe of these sinnes that haue infected you both bodie and soule With that she caused Doctour Thomas her owne confessour to be called and deliuered the yong man to him willing him to heare his confession That done the yong man returned to her againe and she laied her hand vpon his shoulder and said these wordes Sonne goe your waie with the peace of our Lord Iesus Christ For I will not that these agues trouble you anie more She said and it was done for the almightie power of him spake in her who said and it
come downe with me and see And with that he would needes haue him downe into the cellar and shewed him the vessel Wherein that red wine had ben And the messenger might well perceiue that the vessel was drie and that it had stood long emptie But yet the good man for the more assurance in his presence would needes drawe out the spigot also that he might see it with his eyes and so satisfie maister Gerardes mynd So soone as he had taken out the spigot behold there issued out of the vessel a goodlie red wine which ranne abondantly euen as from a full tappe and wette all the ground vnderneth VVherat the good man of the house was meruelously astoined and putting vp the spigot againe called all that were in his house both men and women and examined them diligently if anie of them knewe of anie wine that was put into that vessel They said all and sware also that the vessel had stood emptie for the space of three monethes before and they thought it not only vnlike but also impossible that anie creature should bring so much wine into the house and put it into the vessel without their knowledge Which made them to thinke as it was in deed that this wine was sent them from God to the behoofe and comfort of the holie maid And when the messenger that was sent from maister Gerard came home with his bottel ful of that wine and declared to him and the rest what had happened they all tooke great comfort in it and magnified the bountifull goodnes of almightie God that had so miraculously prouided for the reliefe of his true handmaid The fame of this miracle being spread thorough out the citie it chanced within a fewe daies after when the holie maid was recouered that she had an occasion to goe abroad to visite a certaine patriarke that was newly come to the citie sent from the Sea Apostlolike While she passed thorough the streetes the people hauing vnderstanding of her comyng abroade forsooke their worke and shoppes and ranne from all partes of the citie to see her and said What a woman is this that drincketh water her selfe and yet filleth our vessels with wine VVhen the holie maid sawe that presse of the people and vnderstood the cause of the same it went to the verie hart of her as she declared afterwardes in confession to her ghostlie Father And therefore she turned her selfe to almightie God after a sorowful maner spake to him in her hart after this sort O Lord whie hast thou plagued me thy poore hand-maid thus as to make me a laughing stocke to all the people All other thy seruantes maie be seene emong men only I can not Who desired this wine of thee for me Thou knowest O Lord that I haue long forborne the drincking of wine and now for a litle wine I am made a common talke in euerie mans mouth I most humbly beseech thee O my deere Lord for all the mercies that euer thou hast shewed vnto me thine vnworthie handmaid that thou wilt cause this wine vtterly to vanish awaie in such sort that the brute that is raised of me emong the people maie cease withal Thus she praied with deepe sighes and inward gronyng of hart and our Lord despised not her praier For wheras the people repaired stil to the house to drinke of the wine and manie honest citizens drancke of it for pure deuotion and euermore perceiued that there was nothing the lesse wine for all their drincking comyng now to the vessel to drincke they found that all the wine was turned to thicke dregges And wheras before it was a verie pleasant wine it was now of a sodaine become so pudlie and vnpleasant that no man might abide to drincke of it VVhich thing caused a great alteration in the myndes of the people For wheras before they thought spake verie reuerently of the holie maid manie of them began now to imagin that this wine was a thing counterfeicted by the deuel and that almightie God to make such treacherie knowen to the wordle had turned it vnto dregges VVhich made the good man of the house and all other that had before by occasion of this miracle geuen the holie maid a report of great vertue and holines so much ashamed that afterwardes they durst not once to open their mouthes to speake anie thing that tended to her commendation But the holie maid her selfe was verie glad of it and gaue God most humble thankes that had deliuered her from such vaine and troublesome applauses of the people VVherin she shewed her selfe in deed to be the true disciple and folower of our Sauiour Christ whose maner it was euermore when he had wrought miracles to auoid the fauourable speaches of men And howsoeuer it pleased euel disposed persones to interprete these two miracles there could be no fault in the holie maid For of the foremer which they ascribed to the deuel she knewe nothing vntill it was done and the latter was wrought by almightie God at her request But a charitable mynd would rather interprete them thus that our Lord shewed in the foremer miracle how much he loued her and in the latter how she answered his loue againe with a profound humilitie In the foremer he gaue vs matter to praise her in the later example to folowe her In the foremer he taught vs how she was adorned with grace in the latter how she was staied with wisdome for where humilitie is there is also true wisedome Of a goodlie vision that was shewed to a certaine deuout matrone in Rome at the departure of the holie maid out of this life Chap. 9. AT what tyme the holie maid departed out of this life there was in the citie of Rome a certaine deuout matrone of honest parentage called Semia This woman in hir husbandes daies serued God diligently But after her husbandes death being lefte with two sonnes she gaue her selfe wholly to praier visiting of holie places and other the like deuout exercises and so continued manie yeares Her maner was to rise euerie night to praier and towardes the mornyng to take a litle rest lying downe or leanyng her head for a while to her beds side that she might the better endure the labour of going the stations in Rome the next daie This Semia when the holie maid came first to the citie being infourmed by diuerse and sundrie persones of her great vertue and holines resorted much to her house and in tyme became verie familiar with her Howbeit she was so thoroughly occupied what with her ordinarie stations and pilgrimages and what with the necessarie attendance vpon her two sonnes that sometymes for certaine daies together she had no leysure to come and see the holie maid as it chaunced in deed at the tyme of her final sickenes passage out of this worlde The night before the holy maid gaue vp the ghost in the morning this deuout matrone rose vp after her accustomed maner
wrought to declare how acceptable her workes of charitie were to him Chap. 8. Of a passing great charitie and diligence which she vsed in attending vpon a sicke woman and of her inuincible patience in bearing the waywardnes of the same woman Chap. 9. An other verie strange example of her charitie and patience towardes a sicke woman of her owne order and how she rendred great good for great euel Chap. 10. How she serued an old widowe that had a festered sore runnyng vpon her by whom she was also infamed And of diuerse strange accidentes that ensued vpon the same Chap. 11. How she was endued with manie goodlie priuileges How she had a passing desire to receiue the blessed Sacrament How being fortified with the spirite of God she endured much labour and trauaile without anie bodelie sustenance Chap. 12. How she was molested by diuerse and sundrie persones disswading her from her streight abstinence and how she ouercame her gostlie father by reason Chap. 13. How her strange maner of life was gainesaid and slaundered and how such gainesayinges and slaunders maie easily be answered Chap. 14. How she shewed her selfe meruelous seuere and rigorous towardes her selfe and contrariwise wonderfull gentle and meeke towardes them that slaundered her which she did to wynne them to God Chap. 15. How our Sauiour tooke her hart out of her bodie and after a certaine of daies gaue her a newe for it Chap. 16. Of diuerse and sundrie visions which she had at the siight and receiuing of the blessed Sacrament and how she felt herselfe wonderfully altered after the receite of that newe hart Chap. 17. How our Lord reueled manie high mysteries to the holie maid and how Marie Magdalen was assigned to her to be her mother Chap 18. How hangyngh in the aier she sawe certaine secrets and high mysteries of God which it is not lawful to disclose to anie man Chap 19. How she put her mouth to the side of our Sauiour and drancke and of manie other wonderful thinges that happend about the blessed Sacrament Chap 20. Of certaine other reuelations shewed vnto her vpon the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament And how she obteined graces for diuerse and sundrie persones Chap 21. How she receiued the blessed marckes of our Sauiour Christ in the citie of Pisa Chap. 22. How she was rauished in spirite for the space of three daies and how afterwardes she did penance as long for a woord that escaped her vnwares Chap. 23. Of certaine other reuelations and againe of the tendernes of her conscience Chap. 24. How it pleased God to reueale to her the worthines and excellencie of the blessed patriarke S. Dominicke and of his true children Chap. 25. How the holie virgin being wholly inflamed with the Loue of God desired instantly to be loosed from this life and to be with Christ and how by that meane she obteined to beare in her bodie euerie particular paine that our Sauiour Christ suffred for vs. Chap. 26. How bearing the Crosse of Christ continually in her bodie she tooke great delite to reason of the same and how she reuealed manie strange mysteries vpon the holie scriptures concerning the Crosse Chap. 27. An other exposition vpon the same place of the gospel with certaine other mystical sayinges And how she passed in deed out of this life in the panies of the Crosse Chap. 28 How she passed in deed out of this life and had the fruition of heauenlie ioyes and how afterwardes her soule came againe to the bodie Chap 29. How she had a meruelous deuotion and longyng after the blessed Sacrament and how she bare manie reproaches and slaunders for the same Chap. 30. How our Sauiour Christ ministred the blessed Sacrament vnto her with his owne holie hand Chap. 31. How her face did shyne like an Angel while she was receiuing the blessed Sacrament and of certaine other strange signes Chap. 32. How almightie God permitted the deuel to haue power our her bodie and how she ouercame all with great patience Chap. 33. How she deliuered a certanie yong maid that was possessed of a wicked spirite Chap. 34. How she deliuered a woman that was possessed of a wicked spirite Chap. 35. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTEINED IN THE THIRD PART OF THIS BOOKE HOw the holie maid was endued with the spirite of prophecie and foretold what calamities should happen to the Church and likewise how it should be restored againe Chap. 1. How the holie maid sawe the secret thoughtes of mens hartes and how she vsed that gyfte to the benefite of diuerse and sundrie persones Chap. 2. How the holie maid deliuered Doctour Thomas her confessour and an other Frier that iournied with him from being murthered in the waie Chap. 3. How she prophecied long tyme before of the conuersion of a gentleman called Francis of Malauolt Chap. 4. How the holie maid made an exhortation to the Carthusian monckes in the which by the spirite of prophecie she touched the most secret defectes of diuerse and sundrie of them verie particularly Chap. 5. VVhat a singular grace the holie maid had not only in seeing the state of their soules that were present with her but also in discernyng the qualities and condicions of them that were farre from her and in strange countries with certaine other pointes of like sort worthie to be noted Chap. 6. How the holie maid praied continually for the state of the Church and how by prayer she obteined of God the ceasing of two rebellions Chap. 7. How the holie maid obteined by prayer that she might satisfie the iustice of God for the paines due to her father in Purgatorie Chap. 8. How the holie maid by praier brought her mother to life againe and so deliuered her from the paines of hell Chap. 9. How the holie maid obteined of God by prayer the conuersion of two theeues that were lead to execution Chap. 10. How by the praier of the holie maid an obstinate synner was turned to God Chap 11. How the holie maid by praier procured the conuersion of a fierce yong gentleman in Siena called Iames Tolomes Chap. 12. How the holie maid by praier obteined the conuersion of a gentleman called Mannes Chap. 13. VVhat a wonderful grace the holie maid had in making exhortations and conuerting soules vnto God Chap. 14. How the holie maid mede manie goodlie Sermons or collations in the presence of Pope Gregorie and afterwardes likewise in the presence of Pope Vrbanus and his Cardinals Chap. 15. How the holie maid was sent to Pope Gregorie from the Florentines about a treatie of peace and how she was sent backe againe with the conditions of peace freely put in her owne hand Chap. 16. How the holie maid was sent backe from Pope Gregorie to the Florentines with the conditions of peace freely put in her owne hand Chap 17. How the holie maid shewed her selfe to be excellently well learned both by her writinges and workes set out to the whole wordle and also by her conferences and disputatiōs had with certaine great learned men Chap. 18 A briefe repitition or somme of manie pointes of heauenlie doctrine reuealed vnto the holie maid immediatly from God Chap. 19. A praier or answere made by a faithful and deuout soule to the wordes of almightie God here before recited Chap. 20. VVhat a sure affiance the holie maid had in the truth of Christ and how she longed after martyrdome Chap. 21. How the holie maid made a final exhortation to her spiritual children and so passed out of this life Chap. 22. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTEINED IN THE FOVRTH PART OF THIS BOOKE HOw it pleased our Lord to make the holines of his spowse knowen to the wordle by diuerse and sundrie euident tokens from heauen And first how she spake certaine comfortable wordes to doctour Raimundus after her departure out of this wordle Chap. 1. How it pleased God to geue a testimonie of her holines in her life tyme by an euident miracle wrought at the tombe of S. Agnes Chap. 2. How the holie maid in her life tyme healed manie that were sicke of the plague Chap. 3. How the holie maid healed a great nomber that were sicke of other diseases after the liker maner Chap. 4. How the holie maid made good bread of fustie and stincking corne and how she multiplied the same Chap. 5. How the holie maid multiplied bread an other tyme in Rome for the prouisiom of her familie Chap. 6. How the holie maid wrought the like miracle in the couent of the fryers preachers in Siena after her departure out of this wordle Chap. 7. How almightie God caused wine to be founde in an emptie vessel to the vse of the holie maid and how he caused the same to cease againe at her instance Chap. 8. Of a goodlie vision that was shewed to a certaine deuout matrone in Rome at the departure of the holie maid out of this life Chap. 9 How the holie maides bodie laie three daies and three nightes aboue the ground vnburied and of a nomber of miracles which it pleased our Lord to worke in that meane tyme. Chap. 10. VVhat miracles almightie God wrought to honour the holie maid after her burial Chap. 11. The end of the Table
the howse to comfort the afflicted mother When they were there and sawe what had happened it is hard to saie whether of them two they pitied more either the mother whose bowels they sawe were so inwardly moued with compassion on her deere child or the daughter who had exercised such rigorous iustice and bloodie reuenge vpon her owne bodie for the synnes of others How she desired earnestly to receiue the habite of S. Dominicke and how her mother to turne her mynde lead her awaie to the batthes What penance she did euen in the batthes Chap. 13. WHen this blessed maid was thus at libertie to occupie her selfe in the afore mentioned exercises of godlines and penance the more the ghostlie enemie busied him selfe to hinder her good purposes the more earnest she waxed in folowing the same And now calling to mynd the religious habite promised vnto her long before by the blessed Father S. Dominicke she neuer ceased to praie to God with inwarde groanyng teares both by daie by night that he would vowchsafe to fulfill his promise with speed For she sawe that she should neuer be free from the molestatiō of her parents vntill such tyme as she had receiued it therfore she humbly besought thē also that they would be contēted to dismisse her to be meanes to the sisters that liued in penance vnder the rule of S. Dominicke cōmonly called there the sisters of the Mantel that she might be admitted into their cōpany But her mother who had no liking of her sute but sought rather somewhat to qualifie the rigour of her exercises alreadie begon determined to goe to a hoat bath and to take her daughter with her hoping thereby to bring to passe what by cherishing of her bodie with such sensual delites and what by distracting her mynd from her wonted meditations that she should in tyme by litle and litle relent the extremitie of her rough discipline Vndoubtedly this was not done without the instigatiō of the deuel whose bent was to withdrawe that deuout sowle from folowing the calling of her spowse But there is no counsel against God who taught his true seruāt to turne all the treacherous wiles of the enemie to her further cōmoditie profit Whē she came to the bath she fownd out a new maner of bathing such as had not lightly ben hard of before that tyme. she intreated her mother that she might be in the bath alone when all other had bathed thē selues The which thing when her mother had graunted with a verie good will being in deed a plaine meanying woma nand nothing suspecting the wilines of her daughter in that matter she went and set her selfe vnder the spowt where the water came scalding hoate into the bath and there suffred patiently greater paines of the heat of the water then she was wont to doe at home when she beat her selfe with the yron chaine Now when her mother had espied that also and sawe that whatsoeuer she coulde deuise for the solace or comfort of her daughters bodie was by her wilines turned to the contrarie she determined to returne to her howse againe where not withstanding she ceased not to shewe in wordes that she had a great misliking of her extreme seueretie and penance Vnto the which wordes the good daughter gaue but a deafe eare hauing euermore greater regard to the holie spirite of God speaking inwardly in her hart then to the outward sownd of wordes that tended to the hinderance of her godlie designementes Afterwardes when her ghostlie Father who had heard tell of her bathing by the report of her mother demaunded of her how it was possible that she shoulde be able to suffer the heat of that scalding water so long tyme without the extreme domage and peril of her bodie she made answere and said verie simply that being in the bath she called to mynde the paines of hell purgatorie and so made her praier to almightie God whom she had so grieuously offended that he would vowchsafe of his endles mercie to change the tormentes that she had deserued by her synnes into those paines that she would willingly put her selfe vnto there for is loue Vnto the which praier it pleased God to make answere by geuing her such a passing great ioye and gladnes in her hart that all the paine that she suffred was pleasant and deliteful vnto her and the almightie power of God so dispensed with her bodie that it had in deed a verie great and sensible feeling of paine but no hurt or blemish at all When she had thus satisfied the demaund of her ghostly Father she went home and fell againe to the exercises of her accustomed penance How she receiued the habite of S. Dominicke and how she was the first virgin that receiued the same Chap. 14. NOw to come to our matter againe whē this blessed virgin was returned from the batthes she ceased not to sollicite her mother that she would moue the aforenamed sisters of the Mantel that she might receiue the habite that she had so long and earnestly desired The mother being ouercome with the importunitie of her daughter went to the sisters and intreated them that she might be receiued into their companie Wherunto they made answere that it was not their maner to receiue yong maidens into their habite but only widowes and women of sad yeares such as were thought able and likelie to haue experience to gouerne them selues bicause they had no common place and conuersation as commonly couentes of religious persons haue but liued echone a part from other in priuate celles When the mother came home with this answere to her daughter she was nothing daunted withal but besought her mother after a verie humble maner that she would take the paines to renewe her sute againe and vse more earnest meanes to perswade with them then she had done before Which thing she was well content to Doe and went againe but in fine could obteine no better answere then she had at the first The which vnpleasant answere also the good daughter tooke in verie good part remitting her selfe humbly to the will of God in all thinges and making her selfe well assured that the holie Father S. Dominicke would in tyme when it should please God fulfill his promise In the meane tyme it chaunced this blessed virgin to be visited with a verie painful sicknes Her bodie was so disfigured with the measels that she could scantly be knowen and withall she was so sore vexed with a hoat burnyng ague that her mother who loued her emong all her chidren most tenderly had verie great pitie and feare of her The which occasion the wise virgin thought was not to be slipt but taking the oportunitie of the present state and tyme began to moue her mother once againe after this maner Good mother as yee tender my life and health so I beseech you to vse diligent and earnest meanes to procure me the habite that I haue so long