⧠THE TRANSlation of a letter written by a Frenche Gentilwoman to an other Gentilwoman straunger her frind vpon the death of the most excellent and vertuous Ladye Elenor of Roye Princes of Conde contaynyng her last wyll and Testament Doone by Henry Myddelmore Gentylman at the request of the Ladye Anne Throkmorton ¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Daye for Humfrye Toye dwellyng in Paules Churchyarde Cum priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis 1564. ⧠The last wyl and Testament of the Princes of Conde SO soone as reason and gods worde mighte commaund mine eies and that this paper watered ouer with my teares mighte drye it selfe I dyd take my penne in hande to answere the request that so instantlye you made vnto me to wrytte you a brief discourse of the maner course of my Ladye the Princes of Condes sicknes For the greate desier you haue as you saye that the shadowe of hyr death maye serue you for a lighte to lighten your doings against the thicknes of the darknes of oure lyfe in this perillous pilgrimage But I pray you yf I do not satisfice your expectation accordynge to the sufficiencye of the subiect accuse the basenes of my wytte rather then the good wyl I haue to content you and to gyue by this priuate letter since better I cannot do it a faythfull testimonye of hyr vertue which wel deserueth a publike setting forth The prophane auncientes were wont to saye when they dyd lose suche patternes and examples of vertue that God beinge angrye wyth men dyd beareft them of so great a good before the tyme. And you shall gyue me leaue to say to you that in very conscience I beleue he iudged vs vnworthye of a thinge of so great valure And nowe leauynge to speake of the reste of hyr lyfe of the first and furthest causes of hyr euell that is to saye the extreame sorowes whiche she was dryuen to deuoure in that firste peryllous tyme of the imprisonment of my Lorde the Prince hyr husbande and lykewyse of Madame de Roye hyr mother the same being a right worthie argument of a great historye whereby might be eternised and made perpetuall the singular graces which God had endued this noble Princes wyth and the vnspeakable force and constancye of hyr mynde in all hyr aduersities I wyll begynne with the most euidentes and freshest I doubt not but you haue harde how that after she had letfe my Lord hyr husbande at Meaux at the same tyme that he resolued to goo to Orleās as she was traualynge towardes hyr house called Muret and passynge by a vyllage named Vanderay nere vnto Lizy vpon the ryuer of Ours a companye of paisants whiche then were goinge in procession dyd set vpon hyr and the Marquis of Conty hyr eldest sonne wyth staues stones crosses and banners and that without any occasion geuen but that there was a malicious naughty priest emongest them who for the hatred that he bare to the religion incited set on the sayd troupe of paisants so to outrage hyr and hyr companye at this very tyme the fyer of the troubles for religion did begynne to kyndle and in the moste partes of all Fraunce the sparkelles thereof dyd alreadye appeare Thys furor and populous rage dyd so moue and vnquiet this good Lady that hauynge gonne to the ende of cyghte monethes she was the same daye by feare and before hyr tyme delyuered of two boyes at a village called Gandalu before she could recouer any of hyr owne houses And within fewe dayes after as she was naturallye of greate courage and harte she toke hyr waye towardes Orleans to mete wyth my Lord hyr husbande Whether she came in the ende by longe and dangerous iourneis For you must imagine that all the wayes and passages were alreadye taken and kepte And that therfore she was dryuen to vse great circumspection and to expose hyr person to verye great daunger to make that hasardous voiage Note you that of this same inconueniencye Of the second tyme of the imprisonment of my Lord hyr husbād after the cruell conflict of a battail Of the besiegyng of the towne of Orleans and so of the paynes and continuall trauailes which she dyd suffer abyde duryng the whole tyme of the troubles besyde that she dyd not diligentlye inough loke to hyr selfe when she had the last yere the smale pokes at Galleō hath growen and proceaded by course of tyme all hyr sicknes and indisposition But chyefly an Issue of bloud caused by a Carcinome or eatyng canker in the Matrice whiche hyr shamefastnes and chastitie woulde neuer suffer to be dressed as it was requisite and necessarye This fluxe of bloud which was faier redde and of good substaunce beganne the .xxvj. daye of April last past but toke hyr more aboundauntlye the thursdaye and Sonday nexte followynge and so continued and lefte of at certain times vntyll the .xxiij. daye of this present moneth of Iuly At what tyme hyr forces were so abated and weakened that she lost vtterly the power retentiue so as the same then runnyng oute vnto the droppe of that lyttell that remayned of the former great voydynges she yelded happelye vp hyr sprite to God throughe lacke of natural heate at Conde about xj of the cloke in the mornynge This euacuation was very muche hastened by a dyet whiche a lyttell before she had taken in hande and would nedes continue the same after hyr retourne from Troye where settinge asyde all other thynges she had bene in great hast to see my Lord her husband then newly fallen into a sicknes which dyet was cleane contrarye to hyr the drinke that she toke dyd greatly heate chafe hyr bloud whiche of it selfe was ouer subtil Herein I canne assure you that after the Phisitions and Chirurgiens were on s made acquainted with all they dyd omite nothynge of that that order and knowledge might commaunde And it had bene very easye at the beginnynge to haue remedyed and healed it if the matter had been so soone declared as it was requisite In the tyme of this sicknes manye accidents happened as the laske the feuer Hetique whiche was with some accesse payne of the raynes with great vnquietnes faintinges and soundings throughe the venimous vapours caried from the diseased part to the stomacke to the lyuer to the harte and to the braine You muste thynke that I cāne hardlye expresse vnto you all her griefs for they were by the iudgement of them that be most expert in that arte so dyuerse and violent that they had bene vndurable to any other Wherin I pray you marke wel how greatlye God dyd assist and strengthen her for she neuer opened her mouthe to murmur nor made any shewe or countenaunce of impacience I did alwayes see her in her greatest paines with drye eyes without cryinge without teares and without complaintes whiche be ordinary to all sicke folckes yea to the most strongest and constants And because I knowe it wylbe great pleasure vnto
speake wyth her ordinary laughyngs and smilyngs that she would haue accommodated her selfe to haue dwelt there some lōg time And yet dyd she not this but that she knewe welinough that her true most assured buyldyng was in heauen But she sayd it was not to be marueled at if she dyd so speake and deuise of all matters as thoughe she had not set at al before her eyes the daunger wherin she sawe her selfe For that god had geuen her the grace euer since she had the knowledge of him and his worde that she dyd thinke she was as well subiect to death at one time as at an other that the true christian will also beleue that therof doth depende the greatnes of of his blessednes and contentation She was borne at Chastillion vpon the ryuer of Loing the xxiiij daye of Februarye 1535. And was maried to my Lord the Prince the .xxij. day of Iune 1551. Of ths mariage be issued seuen children in sixe times of greatnes that is to say thre daughters Catherine Marguerit Magdalene and fowre sonnes Henry Fraunces at her last deliuerye Charles and Lewes twynnes Henry Fraunces Charles Marguerit be lyuyng God hath taken the others She lyued .xxviij. yeres .iiij. monethes .xxvij. dayes and .xj. houres In the time of her sicknes she was visited of many greate personages good folks namely of my lords her three vncles of Chastillion who did to her al the good godlye and charitable offices that were possible to haue bene desiered I will not here discouer vnto you the noblenes of her race as wel French as strange for euery one vnderstandeth it sufficiently and you knowe as wel as I that of her fathers syde she is descended of the righte lyne by the woman of Lewes the sixth Kynge of Fraunce Yet I will write vnto you thus much more which hath seamed vnto me to appartaine to that that goeth before which you shall receyue as vsurye of my good wyll This death was declared to my L. the Prince who had retired himselfe alone īto his chāber was gone to bed after his retourne frō the preaching At the cōming vp of the Minister la Bossiere who was made messenger for the purpose he suspected that whiche was in dede happened neuertheles he cōtinued somtime in readynge in a booke of praiers which he had in his handes soone after tournīg his face towards the minister he asked him howe his wyfe did she is my L. said he with god whether you shall go also one day At this worde he coulde not kepe hīselfe frō sighing sorowing In so much the two or thre gētilmen and the minister Perrucel who then came in were greatly troubled to sée him in that heauye case yet neuertheles durst not approch to breake of his bitter cōplaits lamentatiōs vntil such time as a certain man towardes the lawe came vnto him prayed him to resolue coūforte himselfe as he had done in all his other great aduersities herevpon the two ministers toke occasiō to cōtinue this maner of talke according to the largenes of the scope that was offered thē notwithstandyng he remained for a good tyme sylent and after puttyng his handkerchyef to his face he said He trusted the god wolde not impute vnto him the infirmitie that good men wolde support him in those his greuous passiōs seinge that his sorowes proceaded not but of the loue of vertue That in very dedede he had great reason to cōtent him selfe for the assurāce he had of the good rest of hys deare wyfe moitye who had dyed the death of a sainct but also that he was excusable for his heauines to lose the cōpanye of so wyse vertuous a Lady that had alwayes honored him aboue al things- loued him so derely as she wold haue sacrificed her owne lyfe for hym that had gouerned his house in all holynes and brought vp his children in al wisedome in rendering to him all due obedience He added to this turning his face to heauen a lyttel prayer to God the sentence wherof as I was writynge this vnto you is fallen into my mynde in these foure verses without as it were thinkynge of it It is I good Lorde not she hath done the faulte And reason wold that I shuld therfore gryeue Yet I do wronge vnto thy prudence hault For to saye truth I dye and she doth lyue Here vpō after hauing deuotly vowed the rest of his life in the seruice of God he sent for my lords his childrē but being desired to eate somwhat for it was then past noone he defferred to sée them tyll after his dinner whiche was God knoweth a smale thinge ful of sighes and heauines After grace being said his childrē my Lords Marquis Fraūces with theyr sister were brought ī to hī his daughter was sette vpō his bed my Lordes his two sonnes stode by him whether the litel soules were no sooner cōme but they fel so into wéepyng that al those that were present could not withholde them selfes frō it no more could my L. the Prince their father as for me I can not now tel it you but I melte awaye in teares You shuld haue séene this litle Ladye who is a liuely picture of beautye take my L. her father about the necke washe his face berde with the aboundaunce of her teares wythout hauynge power to speake to hī but in halfe broke words My L. her father vsed suche wayes to her as the in the end he appaised her wéeping did drie her face with som prety admonitiōs mete for her age whiche I will tel you if I haue caryed them well away My daughter we must wéepe no more our good God wylbe angrye with vs do not you remēber that you say to him euery daye Thy wyl be done he hath taken your mother out of prison to set her by him in libertie because he loued her wel wyl you be angry with it he is so wise that we shuld neuer aske why he doth any thinge he hath lefte you here for the image of her as I haue loued her aboue all the women of the world so I wil loue you but you must not be only the image of her face but also of her spirit and vertu for although she were fayre of personage it was nothinge in comparison of her gentil wel disposed mīde which neuer did office but of chastitie no more then her hart her tonge her handes her eares As you shall waxe great growe enquire diligētlie what maner of womā this good mother was And whē you shal here that she neuer loued man but her husbande that she dyd alwayes lyue without any blote of dishonestie yea without suspition that all her doings countinaunces haue bene holy chast modest playne vertuous Then enforce your selfe my minniō to resemble her to thintent god may assist you as he hath done her that euery
in the place of euerlastinge felicitie In the meane tyme I wyll studye to kepe wel the gages which she hath lefte me and wyl continue them in the same maner of teachinge that so christianlye they haue begonne to thintent that the vse and the propertie of the mother of the father and of the children be all to God who by his puissaūt hande hath so oftentymes deliuered and conserued this house of ours If I do consider waye the rarenes of my good fortune herin whiche doth present it selfe incessauntly before myn eyes and wherof I sée my selfe vtterlye spoyled by this separation It can not be that I cane fynde here sufficient or egall consolation when no man is able to nomber by all the milliōs that may be assembled the infinitnes of so notable a losse I will therfore haue my recourse to hym if I dare saye so that hath geuen me the wounde who shall and please hym fournishe me of aswaging plaister of his word to heale the same as it is saide of them that be bytten by the Scorpion must seale the remedie of the Scorpion And as to that she prayeth me by you to double my good wyll towardes our children I dyd feale in my harte at the very same instant that you spake these wordes to me I can not tell what maner of hydden infusiō that hath encreased in me the fyer of fatherlye loue whiche I dyd before beleue coulde not haue receaued anye encrease persuadyng alwayes my selfe that it was not possible to augment it in me You shall now retourne and saye to her I pray you that this oratiō whiche she hath made me by your mouthes hath so resolued me that I feale in me the effectes of the force of her noble courage and that I do praise God greatly for the inestimable constancye that he hath geuen her but I praye her that in any wyse she do not omitte nor forsake any of those meanes whiche God hath departed to men by art and industrie for the recoueringe of her health to thintent she do not leaue behinde her an encrease of my sorowes when I shoulde vnderstande hereafter the fault of her remedye This discourse was muche more great graue as you may well thinke but excuse I praye you the memorye of a woman so greuouslye troubled and attainted This done she caused two Notaries to come vnto her vnto whom she spake from worde to worde her last wyll and Testament commaundynge them to write in this sorte followinge COnsideryng the fragilitie and vncertaintie of this lyfe and that God by this greuous sickenes wher wyth it hath pleased him to visite me hath warned me as it were by a callynge vpon to prepare my selfe to take order in my worldlye affaires that I might be ready with spede to followe his wyll whē it shall please hym to call me I haue made sayd and ordayned this whiche followeth for the declaration of my laste will and testament reuokynge all others in any sorte made heretofore First I beseche thee my good God that when it shal please thee to delyuer me of the miseries and peynes of this lyfe to take my soule out of the prison of this bodye wherin it is closed but for a tyme that of thy goodnes mercye thou wylte vouchsafe to receyue it into thy handes and to place it in the possession and enioyinge of that felicitye whiche thy deare Sone hath bought vs by his death and passion And by this meanes to assure the stedfast faith which thou hast geuen vs by thy promisses sealed as wel by the sacramēt of Baptysme as by the same of thy holy Supper of the generall remission of oure synnes all whiche we beleue to be so defaced by the bloude obedience of thy Sonne that they shall neuer come in accompte before thee Secondly I recommende vnto thee our children praying the that accordyng to thy promisse thou wylte be theyr God theyr Father and protector that extendyng thy blessyng vpon them it may please thee to illuminat instruct them in the knowledge and feare of thy holy name and to serue thy selfe of them as thou hast donne of their father to exalte thy glory to procure and cōserue the reapose and quietnes of thy churche and to plucke vp by the roote al that which thou hast not planted therein Make them by thy speciall goodnes instrumentes and vessels of thy glorye replenishe them with thy heauenly graces commādyng them by the authoritie which thou hast geuen me ouer them that they do aduowe and dedicate all their lyfe to thy seruice and to the same of thy churche I referre the buryinge of my bodye to the good wyl pleasure of my Lord my husbande knowing wel that where so euer it doth lye it wyll reste there in a verye certaine hope of his resurrection Then she disposed her goodes to my Lordes her chyldren and gaue many charitable Legacies And emongest others one for the entertaynynge of the Colledge of la Ferté au Col which a littel before my Lorde her husbande and she had instituted and erected She dyd also ordeyne that vpon her landes a certaine pencion shuld be yerely leauyed towards the fyndynge of the Ministers of gods worde and dyd her selfe heare the accomptes of al her seruaunts to th ende she might helpe them to that that in any sorte might be due vnto them so great was her care to do right to euerye bodye and to vnderstande her houshold affaires wherunto she wold be made preuye euē vnto the last extremitie geuing as good order in them and with as sounde a iudgement as at any tyme she was accoustumed to do in her most perfect health That beinge donne she caused the minister Perrucel to be called and declared vnto hym howe glad she was to vnderstand that she shold very shortly go to her God by the ende of this sicknes And that therfore she woulde consider of the state of her consciēce Not sayd she thankes be to God that I do feele my selfe otherwyse thē well disposed towardes my creatour readye to go to hym when it shall please hym but to the end that you father whome god hath ordeyned shepheard in my Lorde my husbands house and myne may knowe the face of this shepe of your flocke and that I dye contented that I haue geuen before the Minister of the churche of the Lorde a true testimonye of my fayth hope of health whiche by hys grace and goodnes I receyue of hym Then with ioined handes and eyes lyfted vp on highe she made humble confession of her fayth declarynge that she dyd beleue confesse God to be and in beinge to be God only distinct notwithstandynge in thre persons which are the Father the Sone the holy Ghost that he is creatour conseruer and gouernour of heauen the earthe the Sea and all that is in them without whose wyll pleasure no creatures be they Aungels Dyuels or any
other canne make or moue any thinge and yet neuerthelesse he can not be sayd nor ought to be sayd the procurer to euyll or the cause or author of synne whiche doth proceade of the corruption malice that man hath purchassed to hym selfe After this she protested that she dyd not thynke that ther was any other meane or waye by the whiche men might haue remissiō of their synnes health and euerlastynge life but by Iesus Christ only and that there is no other name geuen to man for his saluation but that only and that as he is very God he is also only sauiour and redemer mediatour aduocat of man towardes God and sole sacrificatour sacrifice who hath ones for all satisfysed appaised the wrathe and strayte iudgement of God the father by his death for vs hath fully iustified vs in his resurrection Wherfore I take him sayd she for my only and notwithstādyng sufficient ransom for my peace for my wisdome for my iustice for my santcfication assuryng my selfe that he dyd prepare a place for me in heauen when he ascended thyther that he doth there tarye me with his father mine by hym with the holy Ghost the Aungels and the saints where I desyre to be with all my harte and whether I am sure I shal go or it be longe Thyrdly she gaue to vnderstād that we ought not to serue God otherwyse or in other sorte then as he hath appointed vs by hys worde And therfore that she did acknowledge two partes in the true seruice of God Wherof the first and principall is to trust and beleue stedfastly in him to obey his holy commandements to cal vpon him in all our necessities to giue thankes to him onlye as the only author of all goodnes Thother is to exercyse in the churche those thinges whiche he hath established as the ministery of his worde and of his Sacramentes the ecclesiasticall Discipline in her purenes followynge his order therin withoute mynglynge eyther of the witte or inuention of man and therfore addressynge her speache a newe to God she sayd further on this sort Howe aboundauntly oh Lord hast thou vouchsaft to shewe thy mercies vpon me that by thy holy sprite hast made me vnderstād and see that thy holy worde the holy Baptisme the holy Supper whiche be the two Sacramentes that thy Sonne Iesus Christe hath lefte to thy churche his spouse body the discipline and correctiō of sinners ordeined by hym in his Gospel be purelye and sincerely administred in the reformed churches of Fraunce also that in the same churches the true doctrine of obedience of repentaunce of faythe and iustification by the same through the merite of Iesus Christ wythoute that there may be anye thynge at all allowed of ours for payment is there preached and constantlie declared that Gods name is truly called vpon there that is to saye in the onlye name of Iesus Christ and that to hym alone begyuen al thankes for al his goodnes receyued For these causes I say Oh my Lord delyuerer I do acknowledge that these reformed churches with all other lyke vnto thē wher soeuer they be do make togethers the spouse and the body of thy Sōne Iesus Christ thy chosen vyne thy flocke thy holy Ierusalem and thy lawfull assemblye thankynge thee wyth al my hart that thou haste called me to this moste happye knowledge yea and I thāke thee more that thou haste made me one of the stones of this thy buyldynge humble Citie one of the shepe of this thy flocke one of the braūches of this thy vyne and one of the members of this body and of this spouse of thy Sonne Iesus Christ Make me so to perseuere oh dyuine goodnes and continue in me these graces euen vnto the last sighe of my lyfe to the ende that accordynge to thy promesse I may be receaued of the into the kyngdome and heritage of thy most happy chyldren The ende of the wyll Wythin an houre after she sent for and caused to come into her chamber the Minister de l' Espine of whome I haue already spoken to you and continuynge in one maner of feruencye affection the talke which before she had entamed she began to recite the fauours whiche God had shewed her hauynge as vnto the worlde made her greatly honorable and imparted largely inoughe vnto her of the goods of the same assisted her in all her affaires defended and susteyned my Lord her husbande my Lady her mother her selfe her children her kynsfolks and frindes against all the enterprises and conspiracies of their ennemyes and yet that al these his graces dyd seame lyttel vnto her in respect of the knowledge which he had geuen her of hym of his Sone by his holy worde for in that only cōsisted al her felicitie it was the certaine and true foundation of all her hope And being by all these reasons infinitly bounde to serue God that notwithstandyng she had not done her dutye to acknowledge and confesse the author frō whome so many and sondrye blessyngs came vnto her to giue vnto him for thē all thankes praises and glorye Neuerthelesse for all these greate ingratitudes which she had vsed towards God she dyd verely hope that by hys mercy and the merite of his Sonne the same and all other his fautes shulde be entyerely pardoned assurynge her selfe to be in the nomber of his shepe by the grace she had receyued to heare the voice of her sheppeard pastour and that by his callynge of her she was assured of her Iustice and glorie For these causes she sayd she desired nothing more earnestly thē to be quicklye out of this worlde that she might go into the armes of her Sauiour that notwithstanding she dyd leaue behynd her my Lord the Prince her husbande my Ladye her mother my Lords her children whiche she dyd loue as muche and as well as nature and dutye might beare yet she preferred God to all them And that there was nothing so deare vnto her as to followe redilye and chearefullye his good wyll and pleasure The Dyuel she said dyd set before her eyes many sondry imaginations touching the kyngdome of heauen went about to persuade her that it was not the same that she toke it to be that by that meanes he might brynge her to be lothe to leaue the vaine pleasures delightes of this worlde But for al that she dyd remayne ancred in that faith that eye neuer sawe care neuer harde nor harte of mā could euer conceaue which god hath prepared for his elect As she had thus made an ende came into the chamber my Lorde the Prince as he was very diligent in visitinge of her and after that he had spent a fewe wordes in the coumfortyng of her she sayd vnto him there were fowre things which dyd greatly satisfice and content her The firste was the assuraunce she had of her saluatiō for by the hope and hande
of fayth she dyd alreadye enioye eternall lyfe Her second contentation was in the reputation of an honest woman whiche she had alwayes had by the grace of God Thyrdly she dyd assure her selfe that euen as she had as faythfully serued hym loued hym and honored hym as anye woman in the worlde coulde doo her husbande so she dyd as verily beleue that on his part he dyd holde hym selfe very well content satisfised of her And for the last point she dyd greatlye reioice that God dyd leaue suche a father to her children and suche a Grandmother as would bring them vp in the feare of the Lord which was the chefest of her desiers My Lord the Prince could no longer abyde to heare this maner of talke and therfore after hauynge felte her poulse he retired hym selfe vpon this worde which she said to hym Syr thus I must ende my course to wynne the price whiche I sée prepared for me at the end of the lysts of this painfull carire After the Prince was thus retourned into his chamber he sent vnto her my Lord Marquis their sonne to make her merye vnderstanding that she had sent for hym that she toke greate pleasure to sée hym as he is very amiable doth promesse many good thynges whiche ought to be desired in a good Prince When she had asked hym howe he dyd and the Seigneur of Garannes his gouernour how he vsed hym selfe she demaunded of him yf he woulde not be content that accordyng to the order of nature she dyd first go to God since it was so his pleasure to call her that beinge our Father he dyd nothynge but for our aduauncement and profit I praye you my sonne sayde she feare hym aboue all thinges honor hym as author of all goodnes at whose hādes you ought to looke for all fauour since it hath pleased him to leaue in our house so greate an earnest of his beneficence whiche you shall muche better iudge with more yeres Growe in vertu my lyttel frynde whiche is the true ornament of the great to the ende you may be capable to do the Kyng agreable seruice In whose face euery man may sée the printe and marke of a well borne Prince and of a litell Iosias of whome you haue harde me so often speake Honor my lord Cardinal of Bourbon my Lorde your father my Ladye youre grandmother your vncles my Lordes of Chastillion Rochefoucault whiche be men that feare God and haue made good prouffe of their vertues in fondry sortes Loue well the common wealth and procure it by all iust meanes without offendynge your conscience Loue your two brethern and your sister not as a brother but as a father for so you must be to them since you are the eldest and be no more a child Talke the ofteneste that you may with the Ministers Perrucel de l'Espine for your soules health beleue the coūcel of thre mē of Lawe whiche you knowe to be beloued and estemed of my Lorde youre father and me Beware that you neuer do any thinge vnder collour or procurement that any man shall saye to you that your gouernour be he neuer so watchful shall not here nor knowe of it For your Father who is in heauen doth sée vnderstand and know all thing therfore you should be ashamed to do euell as if he were alwayes present by you accordyng to the godlye instructions of your booke of Salomō which you shuld neuer leaue out of your handes to the ende that in all your lyfe and conuersation you may speake recite to euerye body that whiche is conteyned therein Be gentyll and tractable to suche as be so abatinge the pryde of them whose audacitie should make them forget thē selfs Let your mouth be the house of truth your hande open to the poore your gates closed to flatterers If you do this my Iuell you shall haue as Abraham Isaac Iacob had gods blessinge and mine whiche I do gyue you with this ringe of Diamāt that you shall kepe for my sake and in remembraunce of that which I haue said to you Wherof your gouernour is wytnesse canne wel put you in minde of it in tyme and place conuenient as he is most carefull of your well doinge She dyd then tourne her talke to my Lady her daughter and wylled her to marke diligentlye that whiche she had sayd to her brother and that she should beleue the councel and aduise of the Ladye of sainct Cir her gouernesse no lesse thē as if she were her naturall mother These lyttell children whiche sometymes kyssed her mouth somtymes her handes were by her commaundement taken oute of her sight least they should haue bene made more sorowfull and because with all that she could doo she could note stay them by any meanes from most bytter weepynge After she had thus sayd to her children she beganne with a newe admonition to her maydes and Gentilwomen but you shall holde me excused if I doo not tel you the hoole for I dyd then go forth to prepare a thing whiche the physitions had appointed for her And I came againe as she was praying thē to remēber the good bringing vp and nourriture which they had had in her house and the example whiche she had geuen them Haue alwayes my daughters saide she the reuerence of God before your eyes and let your honor be more dere vnto you then your lyfes Loue my Lady my mother my daughter for thei loue that that toucheth me and you shall continue with them vntyl you be maried Farewell my maydens thinke me happye and contented and learne you to dye wel At night féelyng her selfe troubled with a great laske with a shorte breath with a peyne in her throte she caused the Minister Perrucel to come to her to talke to her of God as oftentimes he dyd and as he was in comfortynge of her she lifted vp her handes to heauen and with a softe sighe said in this sorte Ha my God my Father it is nowe that I shal come to thee I haue foughtē a good combat I haue kepte my faith I haue ended my course and all by thy grace and fauour for the whiche I assure my selfe that I shall haue or it be longe the crowne of Iustice and shall lyue of the lyfe that thou kepest for me and hast hidden for me in Iesus Christ Then stretchynge out her hande to maister Perrucell she sayde Father praye to God to gyue me perseuerance and encrease in all his graces that he wyll strengthen me against all assaults and temptations that he wyl alwayes holde his hande ouer me as I do sée he doth in his sonne Iesus Christ that he do make me continuallye féele his loue towardes me that he do deliuer me frō all grief sorowe which might trouble me for the leauynge of any corruptible thing of this worlde and that the violence of my sicknes do not hynder me from the magnifyinge of