right well that both the one and the other should be restored When her Confessour had heard this reasō discourse he replied no more but held his peace for in deed he was astoined and knewe not what to answere to the wisedome and spirite of God that spake in her 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 paines of the Crosse Chap. 28. BEing on a tyme rauished in spirite she learned an other exposition vpon this place of the gospel which her Confessour douctour Thomas commited to writing and it was thus Our Lord said she approching neere to his passion set before the eyes of his mynd that great multitude of wicked men and women which he sawe through malice and obstinacie would not take the benefite of his death The which sight put him into such an agonie that he sweat water and blood for verie pitie that he had of those miserable creatures he was as it were enforced to vtter those wordes Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me Which is as much as if he had said Father this cup that is here presented before me is surely a verie bitter cup to me seeing as I do to my great griefe the damnation of so manie soules which without anie cause shall make light of this great loue that I am here to shewe to mankind and leese the benefite of my blood which is now readie to be powred out for their sake Wherfore if it be possible I beseech thee that thou wilt pardon them and in so doing take awaie this bitter cup from me This said she was the praier that our Sauiour made to his eternal Father And she added furthermore and said that he had without all doubt obteined the thing that he demaunded if he had requested the same absolutely and without condicion for what petition could he make to his Father that should not haue ben heard who as the Apostle saieth was heard for the verie reuerence that was in him selfe But as on the one side the tender loue that he bare to mankind wonne so much of him that he made that petition in their behalfe so on the other side the loue of Gods iustice moderated the vehemencie of his loue towardes mankind and cawsed him to qualifie his earnest demaund with this clause and condicion howbeit O Father not my will be done but thyne This holie maid declared yet further to her confessour and said that the paines which our Sauiour suffred for the redemption of mankind were so excessiuely great that it had ben impossible for anie man in this wordle to endure the same but that he must needes haue dyed if it had ben possible manie tymes For as the loue that he bare to mankind was vnspeakeable and incomprehensible so were the paines that he suffred for their loue so great that no man had ben able to esteeme them and much lesse to beare them What man said she would haue beleeued that those thornes of his crowne should haue persed thorough his scull into his braines And yet so it was Againe who would haue thought that the bones of a man should haue ben drawen a sonder and disiointed And yet the prophet Dauid saieth They told all my bones speaking of the vnmerciful and cruel tormentours which haled and pulled him here there so violently that they plucked his bones out of ioynt Certaine it is that the malice of those wicked Iewes was verie great and that they vsed him verie cruelly and yet could not their malicious and cruel vsage haue done it but only that his will was to shewe his vnspeakeable loue towardes vs as it were vtterly to forsake him selfe and to suffer his bodie to be destitute of all such force and strength as might make anie resistance against paines and tormentes So that the principal cause of his passion was the desire which he had of shewing his loue to vs euidently and effectually It was not the violent hand of those tormentours that were able to hold him whome he made to fall downe at his foote with one woord of his mouth It was not the nailes that were able to holde him fast to the Crosse which were his creatures and had no further power vpon their Creatour but only so much as he would geue them but it was the loue that he bare to mankind that tooke him it was loue that held him fast it was loue that nailed him fast to the Crosse and made him there to endure a most bitter and reprochful death Such high wordes and sentences did she vtter to her confessour concernyng the passion of our Sauiour And she affirmed furthermore that whatsoeuer paines our Sauiour had borne in anie part of his bodie the same had she borne in her bodie also in like maner as our Sauiour did but not in like measure for that had ben impossible for her bodie to beare And to shewe in deed that she knewe by exeperience which of all those paines was greatest she said that all the other paines were passed and gone but one remained still in her bodie which was the diuulsion as they terme it or sundering of the bones in the brest which paine was of all other paines as she said most grieuous Now this paine of the brest grewe on so vehemently vpon her and withal the loue of our Sauiour to whome she was confourmed by suffring such paines increased so mightely in her hart that she was wholly ouercome with the force of the same and her hart like a thynne glasse filled with a verie strong liqour being not able to beare the strength of that diuine loue brast in sunder as she declared afterwardes and clefte in the middle from the highest to the lowest part of the same And certaine it is that she dyed in deed in the presence of manie vertuous and credible persones and so continued a long tyme. Of this matter she made mention afterwardes in a letter writen to her ghostlie Father with her owne hand in the which letter she declared emong other thinges how she was taught by S. Iohn the Euangelist and S. Thomas of Aquine to write in a verie short space 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. HEr ghostlie Father being desirous to learne the verie certainty of this matter at her owne mouth on a tyme reasonyng with her besought her that she would tell him plainly what had passed She stood still a great while and could not geue him one word to answere for weeping but at the length she spake after this maner O father said she is it not a pitiful and lamentable case that a soule which hath ben once deliuered out of a darcke prison and hath had the fruition of a most ioyous and beawtifull lighte shoulde be constreined to forsake
and enuironed round about with that heauenly and vnspeakeable light the beawtie and brightnes wherof was so great that no tongue was able to expresse it This testimonie of the sicke woman was spread allouer the citie by reason wherof the fame of the blessed virgin and the opinion of her rare vertue and holines was so much increased as the malice of the deuel had thought to haue obscured the same by this false treacherie But in all this as she was nothing deiected by the raising of that slanderous reporte so was she nothing puffed vp with pride for all the honour that the wordle gaue her but acknowledging humblie all vertues and holines to be the gyftes of God she continued still in her foremer state at the seruice of that sicke woman But the ghostlie enemie whose malice ceaseth not though he sawe that he had had verie euel lucke in all that he had euer attempted against her before yet like an earnest gamester he thought he would aduenture one cast more as it were vpon desperation On a tyme as the holie maid was dressing the old womans sore by the malicious working of the feend there issued out of it such a loathsome and horrible stench that she was vpon the point to haue cast vp all that was in her bodie The which when she sawe perceuing that it was the practise of that venemous serpent she entred into an earnest displeasure against her owne flesh and spake to her selfe with great vehemencie of spirite saying Ah wretched and caraine flesh dost thou loath thyne euen Christian I shall make thee not only to endure the sauour of it but also to reciue it within thee With that she tooke all the wasshing of the sore together with the corrupt matter and filth and going aside put it all into cup and drancke it vp lustely And in so doing she ouercame at one tyme both the skeymishnes of her owne stomake and malice of the Deuel This was told afterwardes to her ghostlie Father in her presence and she confessed that it was all true and said furthermore that she could not remember that she had euer eaten or droncken such a pleasant and delicate meate or drincke as that seemed to be in all her life The next night folowing after this glorious victorie our Sauiour Christ appeered vnto her and showed her his handes feete and side in them imprinted the fiue woundes of his most bitter passion said vnto her Deere daughter manie are the battailes that thou hast susteined for my loue and great are the victories that thou hast atchieued through my grace and assistance For the which I beare thee great good will and fauour But especially that drincke that thou tookest yester daie for my sake liked me passingly well in the which bicause thou hast not only despised the delite of the flesh cast behind thy backe the opinion of the wordle and vtterly subdued thyne owne nature I will geue thee a drincke that shall passe in sweetnes and pleasure all the licours that the wordle is wont or able to geue With that he reached out his arme and tooke her about the necke and brought her mouth softely to the sacred wound of his side and said vnto her Drincke daughter drincke thy fill at the verie founteine of life This drincke shall replenish thy soule with vnspekeable sweetnes in such sort that it shall abound and ouerslowe into thy bodie also which thou hast so vtterly despised for my loue Then the holie maid set her mouth to with great greedines and drewe out of that founteine of euerlasting saluation the licour of life And so she continued sucking a good while not only with the mouth of her bodie but also and that much more with the mouth of her soule vntill at the length when his holie will and pleasure was she gaue ouer feeling her selfe in a meruelous blesful state For she had droncke her fill and yet was nothing glutted but rather thirstie and desirous to drincke still Which thirst and desire was no paine at all to her but rather a passing great delite pleasure After this tyme the holie maid was so replenished with heauenlie grace that she neither did nor might eate her bodilie meate in such sort as she was wont to doe before How she was endewed with manie goodlie priuileges How she had a passing desire to receiue the blessed Sacrament How being fortified by the spirite of God she endured much labour and trauaile without bodilie sustinance Chap. 12. AFter that the faithful disciple of Christ had thus by the grace of God ouercome diuerse and sundrie tentations being now thoroughly tried like fine gold in the fornace of tribulation there remained nothing els but only to receiue the crowne of iustice in life euerlasting But bicause the diuine prouidence of God had so disposed of her that she should yet remaine in this life a litle while for the benefite of others in the which tyme she was not able to receiue the fruition of that endles blesse that is prepared for the tyme to come and yet our Lord of his goodnes would not suffer her to continue anie longer in this present life without some degree or state of blessednes he gaue her a certaine tast or pledge of that blesful state that she was to receiue in the other life euen in this vale of miserie And he did it after this maner On a tyme while she was praying in her chamber our Lord appeered vnto her and spake after this maner My deere daughter Catherine I geue thee now to vnderstand that the rest of thyne abode in this wordle shal be full of such strang and vnwonted gyftes of my grace that it shall cause diuerse and sundrie effectes in the hartes of men Simple and ignorant persones shal be greatly astoined to see the thinges that shal be wrought by thee Carnal men and such as haue litle experience in spiritual matters shal be in danger to fall quite from their faith Yea and manie of those also that are good and vertuous seeing certaine tokens of my passing great loue towardes thee such as haue not lightly ben heard of and withal the wonderful strangenes of the thinges that thou shalt worke shall suppose that all is but deceite and illusion For I will endue thy soule with such abundance of grace that it shall redound into thy bodie also by reason wherof thou shalt lead such a meruelous kind of life as the wordle hath not oftentymes seene or heard tell of Againe I will enkendle in thine hart such a fyerie zeale both of myne honour and of the saluation of soules that thou shalt in a maner forget thyne owne kind and alter the wonted order of thy whole conuersation For thou shalt not from hence foorth shonne the compaine of men and women as thou hast hitherto but rather to wynne them to God thou shalt presse in emong them and labour to the vttermost of thy power Of this maner of
the caue would suffer her to rise And so she continued from mornyng till noone But whē she perceiued that she was thus lifted vp from the earth she began to feare and to suspecte that it might be some deceite of the ghostlie enemie whose drifte might be by this meane to put her in feare and so to hinder her designement of going into the wildernes And therfore she set her selfe to praie more feruently and to abase her self more and more before God Wherevpon about that verie hower that our Sauiour after his passion was taken downe from the Crosse it pleased his diuine maiesty that she likewise should descend by litle and litle in like maner as she had ascended And he made her to vnderstand by his secret inspiration that the tyme was not yet come in the which she should forsake her fathers howse and put her bodie to such penance and affliction Wherfore she was in mynd to returne home againe But when she came foorth and sawe her selfe all alone and beheld the gate of the citie which seemed to be so farre off that she douted her weake and feeble bodie would neuer be able to endure so long a iourney fearing also lest her father and mother should thinke that she had ben lost she set her selfe againe to praier and cōmitted the matter wholly to God who failed not to supplie the weakenes of his litle hand maid and sent a litle clowd which tooke her vp from the grownd and carying her in the ayer set her in a verie short tyme in the gate of the citie from whence she went with all speed home to her Father and mother who suspected nothing at all of anie such matter but thought she had ben with her sister Bonauentura How shee vowed her virginitie vnto almightie God Chap. 4. SVch was the vertue and operation of this afore mentioned reuelation that it drewe al wordlie loue and affection out of the hart of this yong maid and wrought in the same a certaine holie loue to the Sonne of God only and to his most glorious mother the virgin Marie And this loue was so great that she accounted all the delites and pleasures of this wordle as verie durt and dong in comparison of her sweet spowse Iesus Christ Moreouer being now seuen yeares old she had learned only by the inward instructiō of the holie Ghost in her hart that is was a goodly state of life withal verie acceptable vnto God to liue in all puritie cleannes both of bodie and sowle She had learned also that our blessed Ladie the most pure vnspotted mother of God was the first that dedicated her selfe by vowe to serue God in that most cleane and perfecte state of virginitie And therfore she thought it most expedient for the obteinyng of that grace to make her humble suite to her who had before al others obteined the same at Gods hand for her selfe and vndoubtedly for all those that should afterwardes require it at her hand with the like humilitie and earnest desire Being therfore of the age of seuen yeares she set her selfe verie grauely sadly to take aduisement what order of life was best for her to take and for the better resolution in that point she praied to our blessed Ladie queene of Angels and virgins that it would please her to make intercession to her deere Sonne that he would vowchsafe to teach her by the instincte of his spirite what waie she might best take that were most to his glorie and to her sowles health Our blessed Ladie mother of pitie and comfort by whose gracious mocion this holie desire was first planted in her hart heard the discrete demaund of this wise yong virgin and answered her iust request First with a dailie increase of greater desire longing after the thing requested which was to knowe how she might order her life to be most acceptable vnto God then also with a resolution from God certifying her by secret inspiration in her hart that his will and pleasure was that she should serue him with all purity both of bodie and sowle in the state of virginitie The which when she vnderstood she suffred not that heauenlie fyer enkendled in her hart to be quenched nor to slake but being wholly inflamed with the loue of that most excellent and goodlie maner of life she chose out a secret place in the howse farre from the conuersation of all persones where she might with the more freedome of spirite offer vp her praiers and vowes to almightie God and there composing her selfe both in bodie and mynd with all humilitie she made her praier after this maner O most blessed Ladie O most glorious and sacred virgin mother of God which before all other women diddest by vowe consecrate thy virginitie vnto God becamest therby so gratious in his sight that he would haue his only Sonne to be borne of thee I most humbly beseech thee trusting not in anie merites of myne owne but only in thyne vnspeakable pitie that thou wilt vowchsafe to obteine me such grace and fauour with thy only begotē Sōne that frō this day foreward I may take him for the lawful deerly belowed spowse of my sowle And I here geue my faith and promise both to him and to thee that I shall neuer take other spowse but shall by the assistance of his holie grace doe what in me lieth to keepe my selfe a true and vndefiled virgin to him alone Thus praied this yong handmaid of Christ with great lowlines and feruencie of of spirite And her praier was heard her vowe accepted and she receiued to be the vndefiled spowse of the vnspotted lambe of God Iesus Christ The which thing when she vnderstood as she did by and by by the inward inspiration of the holie Ghost being replenished with a certaine holie feare she emploied her whole care and studie how she might best keepe her selfe chast true to her deere spowse And though as yet she felt no motion to vncleannes in her flesh yet to prouide like a wise womā for the tyme to come she began euen in those tender yeares to tame her bodie with fasting watching abstinence from all deliteful thinges and namely from eating of flesh In so much that when anie flesh was laid vnto her at the table either she gaue it to her brother Steuen that sate by her or els she conueied it priuily awaie that no man might see it She praied verie often and much subdued her bodie with much hard and sharpe discipline sometymes by her selfe alone sometymes with other yong children which resorted vnto her at tymes and were as it were trayned vnder her in spiritual exercises And so with these and other the like workes she preserued increased the graces of God that were plāted in her by her deere spowse Iesus Christ Of a woderfull zeale that was in her to wynne sowles to God and how for that cause she cast a great loue to
S. Dominicke and to his order Chap. 5. AFter that this yong virgin had thus espowsed her self to the Sonne of God she was wholly enflamed with the holie fire of his heauenlie loue in such sort that she had a passing great desire and zeale not only to be vnited her selfe to him with a pure and syncere loue but also to wynne other sowles also By reason of the which zeale she cast a speciall affection to those Sainctes that she vnderstood had taken paines specially about the bringyng of sowles vnder the sweet yoke and obedience of Christ And vnderstanding by reuelation from God that S. Dominicke had institued the order of the friars Preachers to that end she had the brethren of that order in such reuerence that when she sawe anie of them passing by her fathers howse she would goe after them with great humilitie and deuotion and kisse the verie steppes where they had set their feet She had also a meruelous great desire to be professed her selfe in that rule that she with the rest of the brethren might doe what in her laie to wynne some sowles vnto God But when she sawe that she might not doe so bicause she was a woman she thought to take an other waie which was to goe into some farre countreys and there to change her apparel and so to be receiued into some cloister for a man Thus she thought of her selfe but yet not altogether without some president For she had vnderstood befor of S. Euphrosina by whose name she was commonly called while she was a litle one peraduenture by Gods prouidence to for-signifie this holie designemēt that she had after such a maner chāged her attire and liued a verie religious and streight kind of life in a monasterie among men But though this desire and purpose continued long in her mynd yet at the lenght by her humble and continual praier she obteined at Gods hand to vnderstand that he would not haue her to take that waie wherupon she gaue it ouer Now this yong virgin waxed fast in the growth and stature of her bodie but much faster in the encrease of vertue in meekenes in deuotion in graue and womanlie behauiour demeanyng her selfe in all her wordes and deedes so discretly and with such an vnwonted grauitie in that age that her parentes acquaintance neighbours had her in great admiration Emongest a nomber of thinges that passed verie notably of that sort this one acte me thinketh is not to be passed ouer with silence It befell on a daie that her mother hauing a special deuotion to S. Anthonie would haue a Masse to be said in the honour of the said Saincte Wherupon she called her daughter vnto her and taking her certaine candels and money in her hand said these wordes vnto her Goe daughter said she to the church praie our parish Priest that he will sing or cause to be song a Masse in the honour of S. Antonie And offer vp this money and candels vpon the aulter She tooke the money and candels of her mother willingly as she was euermore verie glad and readie to doe whatsoeuer she was commanded by her parentes especially if it tended to the honour of God and wēt without anie tariance to the church and did as she was willed to doe And furthermore for her owne priuate deuotion she continued out the whole Masse and all the rest of the diuine seruice Now her mother thought she would haue returned home againe so soone as she had made her oblation vnto the Priest And therfore when she was come home to make her ashamed of her long tarying she spake vnto her as the maner of mothers is to speake vnto litle children Cursed be those wicked tongues said she that said my daughter should come no more She is come at the lenght though it be long first The child hearing those wordes held her selfe still for a while and gaue no word againe But after a good space when she had as it were well aduised her selfe she tooke her mother aside and with great sadnes of countenance said meekely vnto her Good mother when yee see that I do transgresse anie commandement of yours beate me with a rod as you shall thinke best that I maie be the more warie an other tyme for it standeth well with right and reason that yee so doe But one thing I praie you for my faultes curse no man or woman in the wordle good or bad for it is vnseemelie for you to doe it and to me it is a great griefe of mynd to heare it The mother was so astoined at the discrete answere and graue counsel of her yong daughter that for a good tyme she could not deuise how to say anie more vnto her How beit bicause she would not haue her to vnderstand so much she turned to her againe and said Whie werte thou then so long awaie Deere mother said she I taried to heare that Masse and the rest of the diuine seruice and that done I came streight home without tarying in anie place Then was the mother more edified by those wordes then she was before and went to her husbād and told him all that had passed betweene her and her daughter The which when he heard he weighed the matter like a wise man with him selfe and tooke it to be a verie certaine token of some great grace and singular holines that was like to ensue in his daughter who increasing daie by daie in the loue and feare of God lead her life in these and other the like woorkes of vertue and godlines vntill she came to the age of twelue yeares How shee relented somewhat in her spirituall exercises being therunto induced by the importunitie of her mother and sisters who would needes haue her to vse some diligence in trymyng and setting out of her selfe And of the penance which she did for that offence Chap. 6. WHen this maid was now come to the age of twelue yeares vpward her father and mother tooke great care how they might bestowe her honestly in mariage for the better perfourmance wherof that there might not lacke anie grace or comelines to set her foorth withal that either was in her by nature or might be had by diligence her mother after the maner of women in that countrey in deed rather much vsed then greatly commended was earnest with her that she should bestowe more tyme and diligence in washing and scowring her skynne in kembing and couloring her haire in plucking vp such haires as grewe in her face or necke disorderedly and in other the like vaine and superfluous attendances about the trymming and decking of her bodie to please the eyes of men But the yong spowse of Christ whose hart was wholly preuented with the loue of the fairest beawtifullest emong the sonnes of men who had also both the louelines of her spowse and her owne faith and truth so lately plight to him euermore present before her eyes could in no wise be
induced to withdrawe anie tyme from the inward decking of her soule to make it appeere seemelie in the sight of God and to bestowe the same about the outward adornynge of her bodie to make it gratious and liking to the eyes of men And therfore she shewed her selfe to be vtterly vnwilling to folowe her mothers counsel in that point When her mother sawe that her wordes and perswasion could take no place she was verie angrie with her and sent for her other daughter called Bonauentura which was maried and willed her to deale with her sister and to vse all possible meanes to cause her to condescend to her request Who did as she was willed by her mother and in deed left no thing vn-assaied wherby she thought she might wynne her purpose And so in the end what by the importunitie of the mother and what by the example and faire speach of Bonauentura vnto whome Catherine had alwaies borne a special loue affection euen from her child hoold the yong virgin was as it were enforced to yeald somewhat to the folie commonly receiued emong women and so to spend some tyme more then she was willing about the attiere of her bodie But afterwardes when she had retired her selfe from companie and considered of the matter by her selfe alone she tooke meruelous great sorowe for it and was Confessed also for it with such sobbing and sighing that anie man would haue supposed that she had committed some verie grieuous offence She vsed often times to make a general Confession of her whole life and euermore when she came to this point she could make no end of weeping and lamenting The which thing the Confessour perceiuing though he knewe that it was a token of a timorous and well disposed mynd sometymes to feare synne where none is yet bicause it seemed strange to him that she should haue a conscience of it as of a mortall sinne wheras he by his learnyng was fully resolued that in truth it was not so he asked her whether she had in all that tyme anie deliberate will and purpose to doe anie thing contrary to her vowe Whervnto she answered and said that it neuer came in her hart Then he asked her further more whether she did it to that end that she might be the better liked of men To the which demaund shee made aunswere likewise and said that there was no one thing that grieued her more then when she was driuen by anie necessarie occasion either to see or to be seene of men whom otherwise she was wont to flee like as men flee serpents For the which cause she would neuer stand at the doore or windowe to see or to be seene of men passing by the howse The Confessour proceded in examinyng the matter and demaunded whether her attiere were ouer gaie light or otherwise excessiue aboue that that was commonly vsed of other women of her degree Wherunto she answered said that it was not Whie then said he do yee take your offence to be so grieuous in the sight of God Sire said she sobbing and sighing from the botome of her hart bicause I thinke I did at that tyme preferre the loue of my sister before the loue of God and whiles I was afraid to offend a silie transitorie creature I offended the diuine maiestie of the euerlasting Creatour and sweet spowse of my sowle Iesus Christ And with that she fell a weeping and wailing verie ruthfully did great penance vpon her selfe The which the Confessour seing pitying her state and thinking it expedient to comfort her in that case said vnto her Albeit there was some maner of excesse yet considering that it was but litle and done for no wicked or euel intent but only for a vaine pleasance for that tyme I take it it was not against the commandement of God When she heard her Confessour saie so she lift vp her eyes to heauen and cried with a lowd voice Oh my Lord God what a ghostlie Father is this that excuseth my sinnes And so with an earnest displeasure against her selfe she turned to her Confessour againe and said Father thinke you that this most wretched and vile creature which haue receiued so manie graces and gyftes of my Creatour only of his more goodnes without anie merite on my part should withdrawe anie tyme from the seruice of such a louing and bowntiful Lord and bestowe the same about the setting out of this rotten and stincking flesh which might also be a cause or inducement to deadlie synne When the Confessour hard those wordes and sawe that they proceeded from a hart wonderfully inflamed with the fyer of Gods loue being not able to answere her he gaue ouer to speake of that matter anie more Neuertheles he proceded to examine the whole state of her life And when he had done in that behalfe so much as apperteined to a learned and discrete ghostlie Father to doe he gaue afterwardes a verie sufficient testimonie before God and his holie Church that when he had heard her Confessions both general and speciall all the tyme of his life he could neuer espie anie spot of mortall synne in her conscience vnlesse this be taken for a mortal synne which no learned diuine I thinke would euer iudge He testified furthermore both by word of mowth and in writing that he found her alwaies so cleane from venial synnes that he could scantlie perceiue by her Confession which she made both verie often and verie exactely that she did commit anie offence at all in so much that it was well knowen not only to her ghostlie Father that examined her conscience but also to as manie in effecte as had anie conuersation or doinges with her that she did neuer or seeldome offend so much as in word And so will anie man iudge that shall with good diligence and attention read ouer the whole storie of her life For he shall see that the order of her life was such her silence so wonderful her sleepe so short her eating and drinking so spare her praiers so continual her meditations and contemplations so heauenly her exhortations to others so earnest and so often vsed her whole conuersation so meeke sweet that where such graces did abound it was not possible that sinne should take anie place and where so much tyme was spent in holie exercises there could not be much tyme spare to be bestowed in synful workes How she recouered her wonted libertie in seruing God and was reconciled againe to her spowse How the persecutions that she susteined at home did not only not hurt her but also profit her verie much Chap. 7. WHen this yong maid had ben thus induced by the importunitie of her mother and sister to condescend to their vngodlie request so farre forth as is before declared she perceiued in her selfe that she was much slacker and colder in her praiers and meditations then she was wont to be before Which happened vnto her vndoubtedly by the permission of
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
him and directeth all her workes and thoughtes together with all the powers of her sowle in him according to the rule and direction that she findeth in him And without him she listeth not to be forsomuch as in him she findeth all that the hart maie delite in all beautie all sweetnes all quietnes all peace And so by this meane there increaseth daily a certaine vnion and streighte bande of loue betweene her and God which in tyme cometh to be so wonderfully wrought that she is altogether as it were transfourmed into him Wherupon it cometh to passe that she can loue delite thinke and remember none other thing but only him All other creatures she loueth knoweth and considerereth in him euen as a man doth that diueth and swymmeth vnder the water who seeth and feeleth nothing that is not either water or conteined in the water And if he see anie thing that is out of the water he seeth it not properly as it is in it selfe but as the likenes of the same sheweth in the water and not otherwise This is a verie perfecte and sure rule by the which a man maie make a iust estimate both of him selfe and of all creatures grownded vpon a most certaine and infallible truth which is almightie God Vpon this she brought in an other Doctrine also which she tooke such pleasure in that she ceased not to repeate it againe and againe as a thing verie worthie to be noted A sowle said she that is thus plonged in the loue of God looke how much she loueth God so much she hateth her selfe that is her owne sensualitie which is the roote and beginnyng of all synne and from whence she seeth to arise the cause of her separation from God which is her whole felicitie and final perfection The which thing when a sowle preceiueth she conceiueth a great misliking which bringeth foorth a certaine holie hatred against her owne lustes and withal an earnest desire to kill the roote of the same which roote is selfe loue But bicause she seeth that the roote is so deepe that it can not be vtterly grubbed vp but that there will remaine some peece of it which will from tyme to tyme molest her therefore doth she likwise increase daily in this holie hatred whereof is engendred a certaine frutful despising and setting at naught of her selfe which by the force and vertue of the loue of God the ouercomer of all deiection and confusion riseth vp with a greater hope desire and auanceth it selfe towardes God for whose loue she is desirous to abide all paines and roughnes of discipline hoping thereby to subdue al inordinate appitites and pronenes to synne in her selfe which are the lettes and staies that keepe her from her desired ioye and vnion with God And in this humble submission of her selfe she receiueth an inward light of grace by the which she cometh to see and to acknowledge the mercifull goodnes of God who is euermore readie to pardon and will not the death of a synner but rather that he turne and liue Which consideration increaseth her loue towardes him passingly and by loue she purchaseth daily greater grace strenght and fulnes of peace in her selfe and so goeth foreward in perfection of charitie vntill at the lēght it pleaseth God to plucke her as a melowe apple from this tree of bitternes and to transpose her wholly into him selfe who is the euerlasting tree of sweetnes and life And thus is this holie hatred the true keeper and gardian of the sowle the forteresse and sure castel of a quiet and assured hope in God This is that which the holie Apostle meant when he said VVhen I am weake then am I strong For our Lord had declared vnto him that strenght is wrought in weakenes And therefore he saieth also I will gladly reioyce in myne infirmities that the power of Christ may dwell in me Now this infirmitie was nothing els but only that hatred of him selfe that we here speake of Which was caused in him by the knowledge of that roote of inordinate lustes and of his weakenes and insufficiencie to all good workes which he sawe was in him selfe The which thing when he perceiued he waxed weake and feeble that is he despaired in him selfe and acknowledging his owne feeblenes yealded him selfe humbly into the mightie handes of God in whom only it laie to cure his infirmitie Who like a louing Father foorthwith accepted that lowlie resignation of him selfe and laying his almightie hand vpon him made him strong in God that was content to confesse how weake and in sufficient he was in him selfe When this holie virgin spake these and other wordes to like purpose she burst out as it were of a certaine inward ioye and iubilee that she felt in her spirite and said O wonderful goodnes of God how strangely dost thou dispose of of thinges Out of vice thou drawest vertue out of weakenes strength out of offence great grace and fauour O deere children said she haue this holie hatred in your selues for out of it ariseth true meekenes and humilitie of hart by reason whereof you shall account all your workes and other thinges as smoke and vanities and shall glorie only in God This holie hatred shall make you to haue a great moderation and staie in prosperitie and withal a goodlie quietnes and patience in aduersitie It shall cawse you to be modest and comelie in your conuersation with men gratious and acceptable in all your workes of pietie before God Manie tymes also she would adde furthermore and saie contrariwise Woe be to that sowle in the which this holie hatred lodgeth not for it can not be chosen but that in such a sowle there must needes reigne selfe loue which is the roote fowndation and syncke of all inordinate lustes And therefore when she sawe anie synne or vice in anie person being moued with a certaine compassion she vsed often tymes to saie This is the frute of selfe loue the mother of pride and of all other euels Doe therefore said she to her ghostlie Father and others your vttermost endeuour to grubbe it vp out of your hart and to plant in the same that holie hatred for that is the kinges high waie verie certainly knowen and well troden in the which all our defectes are perfectly corrected without anie errour and by it we clyme vp to the mount of all vertues in the highest perfection Thus much sawe the glorious Father S. Augustine when he described two cities the owne fownded vpon the loue of our selues which tendeth to the dishonour of God and the other grownded vpon the loue of God which tendeth to the abbasing of our selues Of the strange battailes which she had against the deuel and how she armed hir selfe with a strong faith and other heauenlie vertues and so gate a most glorious victorie ouer her enemie Chap. 20. AFter that she had learned these lessons which were manie moe then are here specified it pleased the wisedome
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
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
aboue the course of nature I will doe now as I did when I was conuersant in the worlde at what tyme I sent simple men idiots and fisshers but replenished with heauenlie knowledge and strength of my spirite to controll the wisedome of the worlde so will I send thee at this tyme and other ignorant persones both men and women to confownd the pride of those that are wise in their owne eyes The which confusion if they receiue and humble them selues before me confessing that all wisedome power is myne if they will reuerently embrace my doctrine spread throughout the worlde by such weake fraile vessels I will haue mercie vpon them and geue them a further increase of grace and their confusion shal be to them a medicine vnto euerlasting saluation But if they refuse to receiue this medicine and will needes folowe on in their old course despising my holie word persecuting my belowed seruantes and frindes I shall bring them to such confusion that the whole worlde shall despise them and set them al at naught And if after such temporal confusion in this worlde they shewe them selues stiffe necked and vnrecouerable I will adiuge them moreouer to euerlasting confusion in the world to come Where with great bitternes of hart and penance without frute they shall see them selues so much depressed and holden downe vnderneth them selues as they had a desire in this life to be magnified and exalted aboue them selues Wherefore daughter set thy selfe in a readines to be sent out into the worlde for I wil be with thee at all tymes and in all places I will visite thee and directe thee in all thinges that I shall send thee to doe When she heard that she bowed downe her head with great reuerence and went downe as our Lord had willed her to eate with the rest of the howsehold with whom she continued for that tyme bodily but her hart was fixed in God And whatsoeuer she sawe or heard of wordlie affaires was tedious and yrckesome vnto her and therefore so soone as she might conueniently she withdrewe her selfe out of all companie and returned againe to her Cell that she might there with the greater quetnes enioye the desired presence of him in whom she had reposed her whole loue and felicitie From that tyme foreward there grewe in her a passing great desire of receiuing the blessed Sacrament of the bodie and blood of Christ whereby she beleeued faithfully that she should receiue a further increase of grace and be vnited to God not only with the vnion of spirite but also after a sort with a blessed coniunction of bodies while she receiued his most blessed bodie into her bodie Of her vertuous and lowclie conuersation emong men and how she would debase her selfe to doe the vilest seruices in the howse Of manie strange visitations excesses and trawnses which she had in the presence of manie Chap. 2. BEing thus appointed by the expresse commaundement of God to spend some part of her life in the compaine of men that her conuersation might be the more fruteful to them in all her doinges she shewed a meruelous profownd and syncere humilitie withal a verie earnest hartie zeale to the honour of God to the edifying of al such as happened to cōuerse with her For shewe of a great humilitie she set her selfe with a verie willing and cheereful mynd to doe all the vilest fowlest seruices in the howse as to swepe the howse to scowre vessels to wassh disshes and to doe other more base and lothsome seruices then these such as doe properly apperteine to abiecte seruantes and drudges And it pleased God also that the seruant of the howse should be often sicke by reason whereof her charge trauaile was doubled For it laie vpon her both to serue the whole howsehold withal to haue a verie special and diligent regard to the seruant that was sicke All the which notwithstanding she would find a tyme to geue her selfe to her wonted exercises of praier and penance and to continue as it were with certaine enterteinementes her loue and familiaritie with her spowse who to answere her loue visited her also by euident miracle diuerse and sundrie tymes in the presence of all that liued in howse with her While she was occupied about the seruices of the howse it happened verie often that she was in a trawnce at what tyme her bodie was lifted vp into the ayer and hong there without anie thing to staie it vp euē as a peece of yron is wōt to hang at the adamant stone And as we see that fyer doth naturally tend vpward euen so was it made in a sort almost natural to her by reason of the heauenlie fyer with the which her hart was wholly inflamed to be caried vp towardes Christ her spowse in whom only her spirite fownd rest In the tyme while she was in such trawnces which happened verie often vnto her it was euidently seene by as manie as chaunced then to be present that her sowle did withdrawe it selfe from the bodilie senses and that it did so forsake the bodie that her handes feete were drawen together in so much that if they happened to latch at anie thing they held it so fast that yee might sooner breake them thē sunder them from the thing of the which they tooke hold Her eyes were closed vp her necke was stiffe like an horne and it was no small daunger once to towche her in that tyme though it were done neuer so gently Her mother on a tyme standing by assaied to set her necke straight for it seemed to her that it stood a litle awrie But as God would haue it one of the sisters that was then present vnderstood the danger of the same cried out vnto her and bad her in anie case that she should not doe it And anon after when she came to her selfe againe she felt her necke so sore as if it had ben beaten with a staffe And she said furthermore to doctour Raimundus her ghostlie Father that if her mother had put a litle more strength vnto it she had without all doubte broken her necke How being in a trawnse she fell into the fyer and continued there a good while without anie harme Chap. 3. IT happened on a daie that this holie maid was turnyng the spit at a hoat fyer of coales to rost a peece of meate for the howsehold At what tyme being her selfe rosted within with a farre hoater fyer of the spirite of God then was that fyer that rosted the meate on the spit she was rauished in sowle and taken awaie from her bodilie senses by reason wherof the spit stood still The which thing her brothers wife called Lysa perceiuing and knowing right well the condicions of the holie maid tooke the spit out of her hand let her alone When the meat was readie the howsehold set them selues at the table and taking a conuenient tyme for their repast sawe
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
passing great Charitie like to this afore writen Chap. 7. AFter that our Lord had thus by his ioyous presence and large promises allured the hart of his spowse to doe yet greater workes of charitie on a daie when the diuine seruice was done at the Fryers and she remained behind alone with one of her sisters to praie as she was comyng downe from a chapel that was there ordained for the sisters of penance our Lord appeered to her in the likenes of a poore pilgrime at the age as it seemed to her of two or three and thirtie yeares halfe naked and besought her that she would geue him clothes for the loue of God Tarrie here a litle while said she till I goe to yonder chapel and come againe and then God willing I will helpe thee of clothes With that she went vp againe to the chapel and did of her kyrtel vnder the which she ware a sliueles peticote which she put off and came downe againe and gaue it to the poore man with a glad cheere When the poore man had receiued that cote he besought her furthermore that seeing she had serued his turne of a wollen garment to weare outwardly she would also be so good as to geue him some shirt of lynen to weare next his bodie With a verie good will said she come home with me I will seeke one out for thee And so she went on afore and the poore man came after When she was come home she went to the chestes and presses where the lynen clothes of her Father and brothers were laid vp and tooke out a shirt and certaine other lynnen clothes and gaue the same gladly to the poore man When the poore pilgryme had receiued all those thinges at her hand he went not his waie but praied her yet more that she would geue him slewes to his peticote to couer his armes withal With a good will said she for otherwise I graunt this cote were to no great purpose And with that she went and sought all about for slewes and at the last sownd a newe cote of a maid seruant that was in the howse hanging on a perch which had neuer ben worne and tooke of the sleeues from the same and gaue them cheerefully to the poore pilgrymme Who receiued those sleeues also thankefully at her hand as he had done all the rest and said vnto her Maistres ye haue now clothed me thoroughly he for whose loue ye haue done it thanke you for it But yet one demaund more I haue to make vnto you I haue a companion lying in an hospital hereby who standeth in great need of clothes If it shall please you to send him anie I will carrie them vnto him in your behalfe with a verie good will This newe request troubled her somewhat and cawsed her to haue a certaine conflicte within her selfe On the one side she was much moued with cōpassion of that poore man and had a passing great desire to supplie his necessitie On the other side she cōsidered the murmuring grudging of as manie as were in the howse who waxed so weerie of her liberal dealing out of thinges that to keepe them from her handes they began euerie one to keep their apparel other goods vnder locke keye Againe she thought she had done ynough to take awaie the sleeues of the seruantes newe cote that was neuer worne that she could not with discretion take anie more from her being her selfe also needie poore Then began she to reason with her owne selfe to discusse in her mynd whether she might conueniently depart with her owne garmēt or no. She was much inclined to doe it bicause she knewe that it was a great worke of charitie and sawe also in reason that she was better able to bear that lacke of clothes then the pore man was But cōtrariwise she cōsidered that if she should spoile her selfe of her clothes and goe naked she should in so doing trangresse the rules of common honestie which might cause great offence in the myndes of as manie as should happen to see her All the which thinges thus considered and discreetly weighed she resolued in her selfe that in this case it was farre better for her and withall more pleasing to God to absteine from geuing her almes then by geuing the same to geue iust occasion of offence to her neighbour And vpon this resolution she spake to the poore man after a verie gentle and sweet maner and said Truly good man if I might doe it with honestie I would spoile my selfe euen of this cote that I weare with all my hart bestowe it vpon thy companion But bicause I haue no moe garmentes to put on but only this and therefore to geue it awaie to an other and to lacke my selfe were not only an vndiscrete part but also against all honestie woman-hood I mustes needes praie thee to hold me excused for in truth there lacketh no good will in me but only abilitie With that the poore man smyled vpon her and said Maistres I see right well that if yee had ought to geue you would gladly geue it I thanke you for your good will God reward you and keepe you And so he tooke his leaue of her and went his waie in such sort that she gathered by certaine signes that this poore pilgryme should be he that was wont to apeere vnto her But such was her lowlines base estimation of her selfe that she thought her selfe vnworthie to receiue anie such cōfort and honour at Gods hand therefore with an hūble mynd she returned to her wōted seruices in the howse where not withstanding she kept her hart euermore fixed vpon her deere spowse Iesus Christ who the next night folowing appeered vnto her againe as she was praying in the likenes of that poore man holding in his hand that cote that she had geuen him all decked and set with goodlie perles and precious stones that shone all ouer the chamber and said vnto her Deere daughter knowest thou this cote yea Lord said she I knowe it verie well but it was not so richly decked when it was with me Then said our Lord to her againe Yester daie thou gauest me this coate verie freely charitably to couer the nakednes of my bodie and to keepe it from cold and shame This daie for recompence of thy great charitie towardes me I geue thee a cote that shal be inuisible to other men but to thee alone both visible and also sensible by the vertue whereof thou shalt be defended both in bodie and sowle from all hurtful cold and with this garment shalt thou be clad vntill the tyme come that in the presence of all Angels and Sainctes I shall put on vpon thee that most blisful and glorious garment of immortalitie in my kingdome When he had said these wordes foorthwith he tooke out a cloth of a sanguine colour with his owne holie handes out of the wound of his side shynyng all about
great reuerence as if she had ben her owne mother Which charitable and humble seruice the sicke woman tooke in verie good part at the first and thought her selfe much beholding vnto her for it But afterwardes when she sawe that the holie maid continued her diligent attendance with such regard and loue as no seruant would haue done the like like a prowd and vnthankeful woman she tooke all that she did to be more then duetiful and looked for it In so much that if anie thing were done otherwise then her pleasure was to haue it done she would chide with her and reuile her and speake such wordes of villanie and reproch vnto her as no honest woman would haue spoken the like to her bondwoman or slaue that she had bought with her money If it happened as it did sometymes that she taried at Church about her deuotions longer then her accustomed maner was the waiward sicke woman would receiue her at her returne with verie sharp and despiteful termes saying Ah ladie queene yee are welcome Where hath ladie queene ben so long It seemeth that the queene can neuer haue her fill of these Fryars These and other the like wordes would the old woman powre out against her with great stomacke and choler But the holie maid gaue her not one euel word to answere but went about her busines diligently and when she sawe her tyme she would speake to her after a gentle and lowlie maner saying Good mother for Gods loue haue patience And if anie thing be amisse it shal be amended by and by And with that she bestirred her selfe about that she had to doe for her with all possible diligence and made a fyer and dressed her meate and serued her of all necessaries after such humble sort and with such sweete wordes that the impatient woman that was so caried awaie with her passions that she seemed rather a raging bedlame then a resonable creature had great wonder of her patience This brawling continued a long tyme and the more the disease increased vpon the old woman the more wayward and tedious she waxed and yet was this holie maid neuer weerie of her lothsome seruice but held out still and did all that was to be done about her with great loue and reuerence At the length her mother Lapa who had a great misliking of that kind of seruice cried out vpon her and said Daughter it can not be but that if thou continue in this maner of seruice thou must needes in tyme become a leaper which thou knowest I maie not abide to see And therefore I charge thee in anie case to geue it ouer Whereunto she made answere verie discreetely and said Good mother haue you no feare or doubt of that for the seruice that I do about this sicke woman is done by the commaundement of God And thinke yee not that he will laie so fowle a plague vpon me for that that him selfe hath willed me to doe And so with such wordes she quieted the mynd of her mother But our Lord whose pleasure it is to trie his faithful seruantes to the vttermost permitted in deed the enemie of mankind to haue such power ouer her bodie that he infected her handes with the leprie in such sort that euerie one that looked vpon her iudged by and by that it came to her by the towching of the contagious bodie of that ould woman Which thing caused manie of them that spake euel of her before to speake worse now Some said this and some said that euerie man might speake his fantasie freely for it seemed that they were not altogether without some good grownd And which was most of all euerie bodie shuned her companie as a woman infected with a contagious disease All which disgrace moued her nothing at all but that she continued her wonted charitie and seruice towardes the sicke woman and tooke no care what became of her owne bodie so long as she might emploie it to the seruice of God That womans sickenes continued manie daies but the holie maid thought them verie fewe by reason of the great loue that she had to our Lord whom she thought she serued in that sicke woman At the length when our Lord had thus sufficiently tried the loue and constancie of his faithful spowse he determined that this her paineful and lothsome seruice should haue an end by the passing of that sicke woman out of this wretched life At the which passage the holie maid stood by her and comforted her with her seruice with good praiers with godlie wordes and exhortations and neuer gaue her ouer vntill the last breath And when the bodie was dead she tooke off the clothes and wasshed it and shrowded it in the winding sheet and so laid it on the beere readie to be caried to the place of burial Where when the Dirige and other diuine seruice was done according to the order of the Church she tooke it off againe and laid it in the graue and couered it with earth with her owne handes That done behold by euident miracle and worke of almightie God her handes which were before fowly disfigured with the leprie were now at that verie instant become not only sownd whole but also much fairer and cleerer then anie other part of her bodie to the sight of as manie as beheld her 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. THe charitie of this holie maid shewed vpon that vnthankeful leperous woman was surely verie great and so was her charitie and patience shewed towardes a sister of her owne Order no lesse great and worthie to be remembred There was emong the sisters of S. Dominickes Order commonly called the sisters of penance one sister namel Palmerina who by reason of certaine workes of charitie that she did outwardly shewed to the worlde to be a merciful woman to others but in deed was vnmerciful both to her selfe others as it maie appeere by that that shal be here recited This Palmerina bare such a deepe malice and hatred in her hart against the holie maid that it was a great paine to her not only to see or speak to her but also to heare her named or spoken of by others In so much that whensoeuer mention was made of her she could not hold her selfe but that she must needes breake out into reprochful wordes into backbiting slawndering yea sometymes to plaine curssing and banning Whē this holie maid vnderstood that she bare her selfe cōtrariwise verie lowlie and louingly towardes her and did what in her laie to wynne her loue with gentle behauiour sweet wordes But the more hūble she shewed her self ready to please the more did the proud woman despise her and set her at naught The which when she sawe taking the disease of that womans mynd to be incurable by ought that man could doe therfore resoluing
she was come the sicke woman which was now verie weake in bodie but well strengthened in spirite made signes of great reuerence and ioye and partly with woordes as well as she could partly with tokens and gestures of bodie and countenance she lamented her vncharitable demeanour towardes her and besought her of mercy and pardon That done she made her cōfession with great humilitie and contrition so receiuing the Sacramentes rightes of holie Church she yealded vp her soule to God At what tyme it pleased almightie God to shewe to the holie virgin what a blesful beautiful state that saued sowle was in which as she declared afterwardes to her ghostlie father was so great that no tongue of man is able to expresse it And yet was not this that beawtie that she should receiue afterwardes in the blesse of heauen but only that godlie state that the sowle had in her first creation and receiued againe at the tyme of her Baptisme Thē said our Lord to the holie maid How saiest thou my deere daughter is not this a faire and goodlie sowle which through thy paines and diligēce is now recouered out of the hādes of the enemie What man or woman would refuse to take paines for the wynning of such a beawtiful creature If I which am the most high and soueraigne beawtie and of whom proceedeth all maner of beawtie was notwithstāding so ouercome with the loue and beawtie of mans sowle that I refused not to come downe from heauen to clad my selfe with the simple weede of mans bodie in the same to susteine labours and reproches for the space of manie daies and yeares and in the end to shed myne owne blood for his redemption yet had I no need of mans sowle but was most sufficiently and most perfectly blessed in my selfe how much more ought you to labour one for an other and doe what in you lieth for the recouerie of such a noble and excellent creature For this cause haue I shewed thee the beawtie of this sowle that hereafter thou mightest both thy selfe be the more earnest about the wynnyng of sowles and also procure others to doe the like With that she thanked our Lord in most humble maner and besought him furthermore that he would vowchsafe to geue her a newe grace which was that she might from that tyme foreward be able to see the state and condicions of all such sowles as should by occasions haue anie conuersation or dealing about spiritual matters with her that by the sight of the same she might be the more prouoked to procure their saluation Vnto the which demaund our Lord made answere after this maner Daughter bicause thou hast forsaken all carnal conuersation for my sake and hast by all meanes laboured to vnite thy selfe to me in spirite which am the most excellent and soueraigne spirite therefore I here make thee a full graunt that from this verie instant thy soule shal be endewed with such a gracious light that thou shalt see and behold both the beawtie and also the deformitie of euerie sowle that is presented before thee And as hitherto thou hast seene the proportion and qualitie of bodies with thy bodilies eyes euen so from this tyme foreward thou shalt see the condicions of sowles with the spiritual eye of thy sowle not only of such as shal be present before thee but also of all other for whose sowles health thou shalt make intercession to me though thou neuer see them with thy bodilie eyes How she serued an old widdowe 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. THere was emong the sisters of penance one sister called Andrea who had vpon her brest a verie lothsome sore commonly called a Canker This sore had fretted and eaten so much flesh rownd about and the corruption of the same yealded such an horrible sauour that none might come neere for stench By reason whereof there was none fownd that would attend vpon her in her sickenes The which thing when the holie maid vnderstood she went out of hand to visite her and seeing her vtterly forsaken and destitute of all succour and comfort she made her selfe well assured that the prouidence of God had reserued that sister for her keeping And so accepting the charge of her as at Gods hand she began to speake comfortable wordes vnto her and to make her a free offer of her owne person to attend and serue her to the vttermost of her power which made the widowe a glad woman The holie maid therefore set her selfe to the seruice of that poore woman she tooke care for her that she might haue whatsoeuer was necessarie or requisite for a woman in that case when tyme was she opened her sore clensed it of all the fowle matter she was shed it and wypt it and couered it againe with plaisters and cleane clothes and in all this she neuer shewed so much as one litle token of lothsomenes but did euerie thing with such diligence and cheerefulnes that the sicke sister was astoined to see so great loue and charitie in a maid of those yeares But the malicious feend who hath great enuie at all workes of charitie bent him selfe to doe all that in him laie to disannull if it were possible if not at the least to hinder this godlie and merciful enterprise so much as might be And first of all vpon a daie as the holie maid was about to open the sore to dresse it there came out such an horribile stench that she could hardly beare it but that she must needes vomite The which thing when she perceiued she entred into a passing great choler and displeasure against her owne skeymish bodie ane stomake and said to her selfe Ah vile and wretched flesh dost thou loath thy sister whom our Lord hath bought so deerely euen with the price of his owne most precious blood The daie maie come when thou also maiest fall into the like sickenes or peraduenture worse As I am a Christian woman thou shalt abide for it And with that she bowed downe and held her mowth and nose ouer the sore so long vntill at the length it seemed that she had comforted her stomake quite ouercome the skeymishnes that she felt before All the which tyme he sicke sister cried out vnto her and said Good daughter stand vp good daughter geue ouer cast not thy selfe awaie endanger not thy bodie with this infectuous sauour But she would neuer geue ouer vntill she had ouercome both the tew lines of her owne stomake and also the tentation of the ghostlie enemie When the suttle serpent sawe that this his assault was thus repelled being vtterly in despaire of anie better successe against that holie virgin which stood euermore like a strong fortresse well furnished defenced he deuised to laie his batterie to the weake woman whom he knewe to be of lesse experience and
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
life manie a one shall take occasion of slaunder and offence and thou shalt be gainesaid of manie that the thoughtes of manie hartes maie be opened But in anie case see that thou be nothing afraid or troubled with anie of these thinges For I will be with thee alwaies and will deliuer thee from lying lippes and slaunderous tongues Folowe therfore freely the guydance of my holie spirite and labour diligently in this charitable woorke wherin I haue apointed thee For by thee I haue determined to deliuer manie soules out of the dragons mouth and to bring them to my euerlasting rest in heauen These and other the like wordes spake our Lord to her and repeted the same againe and againe and specially that word where he bad her that she should not be afraid or dismaid Wherunto the holie maid made answere with great humilitie and perfecte obedience saying Thou art my Lord and my God and I thy creature and vnworthy hand maid thy will be done in all thinges Only this O Lord I beseech thee remember me according to the multitude of thy mercies and helpe me And with that the vision ceased and the blessed virgin conferred those comfortable wordes of our Sauiout in her hart easting earnestly with her selfe what that gracious alteration might meane From that tyme foreward the grace of God increased daily in her hart so much the gyftes of the holie Ghost replenished her soule in such aboundant maner that she was her selfe astoined at it and by reason of that passing great increase of spiritual ioye and comfort that she felt in her soule her bodie being not able to beare it waxed feeble faint Her hart was wholly caried vp into God and that with such a vehemēcie and feruour of loue that she could not endure anie tyme without thinking and meditating vpon his most noble workes and endles mercies towardes her selfe and all mankind The force of the which loue so ouercame the natural powers of her bodie that she languished and decaied in strength and could find none other remedie for that sickenes but only to runne vnto God with an amorous affection and to powre out her hart befor him with great aboundance of teares and so to renewe her selfe as it were in the forge and fyer of loue At the length it pleased our Lord to geue her to vnderstand by the secret instincte of his holie spirite that the most soueraigne medicine for that disease was often tymes to receiue the blessed Sacrament of the aulter Where she should haue the ioyful fruition of her loue not in such sort as she should haue it afterwardes in the blesse of heauen but yet so as that she should find her selfe satisfied in some dergree for the tyme Now after that she had vsed for a certaine tyme to comunicate euerie daie as she did vnlesse she were letted by sickenes or by some other necessarie occasion she had at the length such a passing great longing and as it were an impatient desire to receiue the blessed Sacrament that if she were enforced by anie such vrgēt necessitie to abstaine but only one daie it seemed that her body fainted sēsibly failed forsomuch as being now fully accorded with the soule it had abādoned the natural powers senses and so receiued nourishment and sustentation not of the meates that the bodie is wont to be fed withal which did her more harme then good but of the foode of the soule which is the grace of God which grace was so abōdant in her soule that it redounded into her bodie and by miracle tempered that wasting heat that is wont to consume the radical moisture Her ghostlie Father examinyng her vpon this point asked whether she had euer anie appetite to eate or no. Wherunto she made answere that she was fully satisfied with the holy Sacrament and had none other appetite Then he asked her yet further in case by occasion she absteined from receiuing the blessed Sacrament whether she were then hungrie or no. To that likewise she answered and said that the only presence of the Sacrament did satisfie her and not only the Sacrament but the priest also that had touched the Sacrament did satifie and comfort her in such sort that she could not so much as thinke of anie other meate And in deed it was well knowen to as manie as liued with her from the begynnyng of Lent vntill the Ascension daie she continued in verie good liking without receiuing anie maner of bodily food or sustenance in the worlde And vpon that daie by commaundement of God she tooke only a litle bread and a fewe herbes for her stomake might not brooke anie deintie or fine meates After that she obserued a simple maner of fasting for a tyme vntill at the length by litle and litle she came againe to her old maner of abstinence which was to eate nothing at all And so she passed ouer her life in a continual and euident miracle verifying that saying of the holie Scripture that man liueth not only by bread but by euerie word that cometh out of our Lordes mowth Her ghostlie Father testified that he sawe her him selfe and that not once or twise but often tymes when continuyng after this sort without anie maner of sustenance vnlesse it were a litle water she became so weake that as manie as were about her looked euerie hower when she would geue vp the ghost At what tyme if occasion were ministred to wynne a sowle to God or to doe anie other charitable worke to the honour of God they all sawe to their great astonishment that she was sodainly altered in the state of her bodie in such sort that she was able to rise and goe without anie token of weakenes or weerines and also to endure great labour in doing that good worke that she tooke in hand for Gods sake And those that went with her hauing their perfecte health and strength could hardly folowe her here there but that they must needes be more weerie then she shewed to be Which made them all to confesse that it was the almightie power of God that susteined her and not anie naturall force How she was molested by diuerse and sundrie persones disswading her from her streight Abstinence and how she ouercame her ghostlie Father by reason Chap. 13. THis streight and vnwonted maner of Abstinence was to the holie maid an occasion of great vnquietnes and trouble both by them that liued with her in howse and also by others who seeing the order of her conuersation to be so farre aboue the common course of mans life perswaded them selues and trauailed much to perswade her also that it was not the gracious gyfte of God but only a suttle deceite tentation of the Deuel With this errour were a great nōber caried awaie emong others her owne ghostly Father who imagining all this to be nothing els but only a craftie illusiō of Satan transforming him selfe into an Angel of light commaunded her
to eate her meate and not to geue anie credit to such deceueable visioÌ„s Wherunto she made answere and said that she found by experience that she was more healthie in bodie when she receiued no bodilie sustenance at all then she was when she did eate The ghostlie Father was nothing moued with that talke but taking all to be but only excuses he commaunded her precisely that she should eate Then she to shewe her selfe a true daughter of obedience did as she was commaunded and began to eate her meate vntill by eating she became so weake and wasted that she was at the verie point of death without anie hope of recouerie vnlesse she returned againe to her former Abstinence Wherupon she sent for her ghostlie Father and said vnto him Father said she I praie you tell me one thing in case I should by ouer much fasting kill my selfe should I not be gyltie of myne owne death yes said he Againe said she I beseech you resolue me in this Whether do you take it to be a greater synne to die by ouermuch eating or by ouermuch Abstinence By ouermuch eating said he Then sir said she seeing it is so that you see by experience that I am verie weake and euen at deathes doore by reason of my eating Whie doe you not forbid me to eate as you would forbid me to fast in the like case To that reason he could make none answere and therfore seeing by verie euident to kens that she was neere the point of death he made her this final resolution saying Daughter doe as God shall put in your mynd folowe the guydance of his holie spirite praie for me For I see the thinges that our Lord worketh in you are verie strange and not to be measured by the common rule How her strange maner of life was gaine-said and slawndered and how such gaine-sayinges and slawnders maie easily be answered Chap. 14. THis strange and vnwonted maner of life as it was to some of the better sort an occasion of praysing God in his wonderful workes so did it minister to manie vngodlie and ill disposed persones mater of slaunder and offence Some said that she made her selfe better then our blessed Ladie the Apostles yea better then our Sauiour Christ him selfe who as the holie scripture recordeth did eate and drincke Some other alleaged the rules of spiritual life which doe precisely forbid anie Religious persone to folowe anie singular maner of life Some other reasoned and said that vertue consisted in the meane and that all extremitie was to be suspected of vice Some said that she was beguyled by the Deuel some other said in plaine termes that she was an hypocrite and perswaded them selues that she did fast openly to bleere the eyes of the worlde but that she had good morsels in corners which the worlde knew not of Thus did euerie bodie thinke and report of her as it is wont to happen in such cases not as they found her better or worse but as they found them selues better or worse disposed But to make answere to these vaine surmises and false reportes briefely it is to be knowen that all men especially Religious and spiritual persones if they haue not vtterly ouerthrowen or done their best to ouer throwe self-selfe-loue in them selues but do labour still to gett the vaine estimation of the worlde are in great danger to be ouerthrowen by their owne ambitious mynd and so being blinded with such malice to enuie the gyftes and graces of God in others namely if they be such excellent and singular gyftes as maie seeme in anie degree to make their owne qualities to shewelesse in the opinion of men Such persones are wont commonly to couer their owne malice with the cloke of a certaine zeale which they pretend to haue to the honour of God and edifying of sowles vnder the which couert they will goe about to obscure and slaunder the gyftes of God in their neighbours geuing the worlde to vnderstand that whatsoeuer they see in them all is but the deceite of the Deuel illusions counterfeicting hipocrisie or lacke of discretion But in the end such malice is wont to discouer it selfe as this against the holie virgin doth especially if it be examined and tried by the rules of holie Scriptures and examples of other Sainctes of whom we are well assured that they were in the like case directed by the spirite of God To them therefore that saie that she preferred her selfe before our blessed Ladie the Apostles and Christ him selfe in that she obserued such a streight kind of fast as we read not the like of them it may be answered that our Sauiour Christ did as it is writen both eate and drincke contrariwise S. Iohn Baptist as our Sauiour him selfe witnesseth did neither eate nor drincke and yet will no man preferre S. Iohn before our Sauiour in regard of his singular Abstinence The like maie be said of manie of the auncient Fathers as S. Antoine Maâ—arius Hilarion Serapion and others who likewise kept a streighter fast then we reade of the Apostles and yet doth no man preferre them before the Apostles If they will adde furthermore and saie that this holie maides case is not altogether like to those auncient Fathers forsomuch as though they liued a meruelous streight kind of life and fasted farre aboue the common course of men yet did they eate somewhat and fasted not simply from all maner of bodilie sustenance to that it maie be answered that she had euen for that point the example of Marie Magdalen who liued in a rocke of the sea for the space of thirtie yeares together and neuer eate nor drancke in all that tyme. And yet was she neuer thought to be better then our blessed Ladie which did both eate and drincke To them that alleage the rules of spiritual life which doe expressely forbid all singularitie it maie easily be answered that no man ought to take such order of life vpon him selfe without a verie good and assured warrant from God but if he be commaunded by God to take anie such singular maner of life vpon him he maie not refuse it in respecte of the singularitie for that were to refuse the gyfte and grace of God The like answere maie be made to them also that reason and saie that all extremities are to be eschewed and only the meane to be embraced For it is a most certaine ground that whatsoeuer almightie God willeth can not be taken for an extremitie forsomuch as his will is to vs a most true and infallible rule by the which rule he measureth to euerie one accordingly as he seeth most expedient And manie tymes what we imagin to be to one man a great extremitie that knoweth he to be to an other man the verie iust meane wherin consisteth vertue As for those that said that she was deceiued by the Deuel there needeth none answere to be geuen forsomuch as the thing it selfe answereth them sufficiently For admit that she
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
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
wherin you haue begun to trade vs. We will praie with you also but what are we seelie wretches and sinful creatures we are vnworthie to appeere before his diuine maiestie beinge as we are full of iniquitie and subiecte to manie imperfections And therefore we praie you deere mother that our sute maie be offred vp to almightie God by you who for the tender loue that you haue alwaies shewed to vs are like to sollicite it more carefully and for the singular fauour that you haue found in his sight are like to obteine it more certainly Manie such wordes spake her Confessour and the rest to her with great heauines of hart which they shewed more with the teares that they shed then with the wordes that they spake When they had said the holie maid made them answer after this maner It is now long as you knowe sence I resigned my selfe wholly vnto God and haue no will of myne owne but do remit all to the direction of his blessed will True it is that I loue you verie entierly and haue a great desire of your saluation And it is no lesse true that he loueth and tendreth you infinitly more then I do or can do and that he thirsteth after your saluation more then I and all men are able to conceiue wherof we haue most sufficient testimonie the shedding of his most precious blood His will therfore be done in this and in all other thinges I wil not cease to praie for you howbeit not otherwise but only that his will be done which I knowe shal be best for you howsoeuer it fall out When she had spoken these wordes they went aside fot a tyme in great heauines and perplexitie vntill the tyme that they might heare some more comfortable answere The next daie after she called her Confessour vnto her and said Father I beleeue our Lord hath somewhat condescended to your petition and I hope you shall vnderstand his will and pleasure touching the same within a short tyme. And as she said so it prooued in deed For vpon the next morowe which was sondaie she receiued the blessed Sacrament at her Confessours hand And as on the sondaie before she was brought to verie great weakenes after the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament so at this tyme she was meruelously refresshed and strengthened in bodie Which seemed strange to as manie as were there present Then doctour Raimundus seeing that wonderful and comfortable alteratiō in her bodie said these wordes I am now in great hope that our Lord hath accepted our teares and that he hath geuen fauorable eare to the humble praiers of vs his vnworthie seruantes With that for their further assurance and comfort he asked the holie maid whether the paine that she was wont to haue in her handes feete and side did continue still as it did before Wherunto she made answere and said that our Sauiour Christ had now so wrought in her bodie that those woundes or markes were no more a griefe and torment vnto her but rather a passing great ioye and sensible comfort and that our Lord at their instance and sute had graunted her a longer tyme of affliction in this life which she was glad of for the loue she bare to them How she was rauished in spirite for the space of three daies and how afterwardes she did penance as long for a word that escaped her vnwares Chap. 23. VPon the feast of S. Pauls conuersion this holie maid was meruelously rauished frō her bodilie senses and her spirite was so mightely drawen vp to heauenward that for the space of three daies three nightes she was vnmoueable and without all bodilie feeling in so much that manie thought verily that she had bin fully dead But there were some that vnderstood her condicion better then the rest who were of opinion that she should be rauished with S. Paul into the third heauen At the lenght when the three daies were ended she came to her selfe againe But her spirite was so comforted with the thinges that had ben reuealed vnto her in that tyme that she stood long tyme after like one that had ben neither fully sleeping nor fully awaked In the meane tyme whil she so stood there came to her doctour Thomas her first Confessour and with him an other Friar called brother Donatus of Florence who were going to visite a certaine holie Heremite in the wildernes And taking this holie maid in their waie and finding her in this case they thought they would proue whether they might awake her fully by inuiting her to doe some worke of charitie And so they asked her whether she would goe with thē to see that holie man Yea said she not knowing in deed at that verie instant what she said For as yet she remained in that sleepie state that she had ben in before But so soone as she perceiued that such a woord had passed her she had such a remorse of conscience bicause she had said otherwise thē she mynded to doe that for verie griese of mynd sorrowe for her offence she awaked altogether as she had ben before three daies three nightes in a deliteful contēplation of heauenly thinges so did she likewise cōtinue three daies three nightes after a verie lamētable maner waling weeping for her synne and said to her selfe O most wicked and peruerse woman hast thou thus requited the infinite goodnes and mercie of thy Lord and Sauiour with making a lie Be these the truthes that thou hast learned in heauen Be these the frutes of the doctrines that the holie Ghost hath inspired in thy hart Thou knewest well when thou spakest those wordes that it was not thy meanyng to goe with them And yet thou wouldest saie yea and make a lie to those good men and vertuous priestes that haue charge of thy soule Ah wretched creature Ah wicked woman These and other the like wordes did she speake with an earnest displeasure against her selfe and did great penance vpon her bodie for the space of three daies and three nightes for that lie that she had made if it maie truly be termed a lie and not rather a word that escaped her vnwares Howsoeuer it was she was permitted by the prouidence of God so to slide and also to haue a timorous remorse for her offence to keepe downe her hart that it should not be puffed vp with pride in regard of those heauenlie reuelations that she had seene Which were so great as she declared afterwardes to her ghostlie Father that no tongue of man was able to expresse them Of certaine other reuelations and againe of the tendernes of her conscience Chap. 24. AT an other tyme the Apostle S. Paul appeered to her and gaue her warnyng that she should geue her selfe earnestly to praier The which warnyng she receiued with verie great obedience and did in deed set her selfe wholy to the exercise of praier and therby deserued to haue manie goodlie reuelations Vpon S. Dominickes eueen a
of life to deliuer sowles from the snares of the deuel which are errour and synne And that was his principal intent when he first founded his order to witt to wynne sowles out of the bondage of errour and synne and to bring them to the knowledge of truth and withal to the exrcise of a godlie and Christian life And for these cawses doe I liken him to my natural Sonne This was the reuelation which she had at that tyme while she was conferring with Friar Barthelmewe in the Church at what tyme she chaunced to cast her eye aside as it is declared before How the holie virgin being wholly enflamed 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. THis holie virgin was now replenished with such aboundance of grace that she bestowed in a maner the whole tyme of her life in heauenlie contemplations by reason wherof being often tymes rauished in spirite and abstracted from her bodilie senses she became so feeble and fainte that she was constrained to keepe her bed Where she laie as it were in a continual longyng languishing after her spowse with the diuine loue of whome she was so much inflamed that she might not well reason or thinke of anie other thing but only of him And manie tymes by reason of the vehemencie of that holie fyer burnyng in her hart she brake out into these wordes and repeated the same againe and againe O my most sweet and louelie Lord Sonne of God O my most deere amiable spowse Sonne of the B. virgin Marie With such wordes did she expresse the inward gronyng and melting of her hart This was her mornyng and euenyng song this her repast when she was hungrie this her rest after labour In this tyme our Lord appeered vnto her oftentymes which also increased the fyer in her hart in so much that on a tyme being ouercome with the heate of the same she began like one that were impatiently set to haue a thing as it were to quarel and expostulate with him saying O my most sweet and louely Lord O deere spowse of my soule wherfore dost thou suffer me to be holden here prisoner in the dongeon of this wicked worlde Wherfore dost thou not loose my bandes and call me awaie to thy blesful tabernacles Dost thou not see ô Lord that there is nothing vnder the sunne wherin I can take delite Dost thou not knowe that I do loue no creature in this worlde but only in thee or for thee Dost thou not see ô eye of heauen which seest all thinges that all thinges are to me vnsightly and yrckesome the beawtie of thy diuine maiestie only excepted wheron my hart is fixed wherfore then dost thou suffer this my wretched bodie to be so long a let and staie that I can not come and haue the ioyful fruition of that most excellent beawtie that I so much desire O my most gracious and amiable Lord O most sweet loue of my hart suffer me no longer to dwell in this earthie and foule prison but take me out and call me to dwell with thee in thyne euerlasting tabernacles To these wordes proceeding from such a louing and languishing spirite our Lord answered sweetly after this maner Deere daughter when I liued in earth I laboured to fulfill not myne owne will but the will of my Father And though I had an earnest desire to eate that last passeouer with my disciples as they heard me saie often tymes and so to be with my Father yet did I patiently abide the tyme that my Father had ordeined Thus much I tell thee to instructe thee by myne owne example that though thou haue a feruent desire to be perfectly vnited to me in blesse yet must thou tarry the tyme that I haue appointed Vnto the which wordes she made answere readily and said O Lord seeing it is thy pleasure that I shall not yet passe out of this life thy blessed will be done in all thinges both in heauen and in earth But yet one thing I most humbly beseech thee seeing it is so that I maie not be vnited to thee in blesse during the tyme of myne abode here in this life graunt me thus much that I maie be vnited to thee at the least in thy passion and that I maie haue a feeling of euerie particular paine and torment thou diddest suffer for me on the Crosse euen to the yealding vp of thy most holie spirite Thus she praied with great vehemencie of spirite and our Lord gaue fauourable eare to her petition for as she declared afterwardes secretly to her Confessour our Sauiour Christ neuer suffred anie kind of paine in his bodie which she did not likewise suffer in some degree And therfore she tooke a passing great delite to reason of the Crosse and passion of our Sauiour Christ and she reuealed diuerse and sundrie strange mysteries and made manie goodlie expositions vpon certaine places of the gospel such as were neuer by anie of the holie doctours before How bearing the Crosse of Christ continually in her bodie she tooke greate delite to reason of the same and how she reuealed manie strange mysteries vpon the holie scriptures concernyng the Crosse Chap. 27. REasonyng at diuerse and sundrie tymes of the Crosse of Christ she would take occasion to vtter manie goodlie doctrines and sentences which were of great force and efficacie to stirre vp the myndes of the hearers to the loue of Christ crucified Emong other thinges she affirmed constantly that our Sauiour Christ did from the verie hower of his conception to the end of his life beare a continual Crosse in his hart And of this doctrine she gaue a verie good reason after this maner Is it not most certaine said she that our Sauiour Christ the mediatour betweene God and man true God and true man was at the verie point of his conception replenished in the highest and most perfecte degree with all fulnes of grace knowledge wisedome and charitie In so much that it was not necessarie for him to learne ought of anie creature in heauen or in earth Then being so replenished with charitie it folweth necessarily that he had in him selfe the loue both of God and also of his neighbour in the highest perfection And being replenished with knowledge it foloweth likewise that he sawe most cleerely two pointes the one that almightie God was depriued of his honor feare and reuerence that man owed vnto him the other that man was depriued of euerlasting blesse which was dewe to him for the said honour feare and reuerence And of this loue and knowledge it must needes be that he bare a meruelous heauie and continual Crosse in his sowle which had euermore such a great and vehement thirst to the honour of God and to the saluation of man And bicause he knewe that the
restitution both of the one and the other to wite both of the honour of God and also of the saluation of man was appointed by God to be wrought by the meane of his Crosse therfore he had euermore a meruelous great desir to come vnto it which desire was vndoubtely a verie cordial and continual Crosse vnto him and neuer ended vntill the tyme came that his bodie was in deed stretched out and nailed vpon the tree of the Crosse She reasoned yet further concerning that Crosse of desire and said thus No man liuing is able to make a iust estimate of the paines and tormentes that our Sauiour suffred in his hart by reason of the desire that he had to paie the debt of mankind to deliuer them from the sentence of death and to bring them againe into the fauour of God They only that loue God with all their hart with all their sowle with all their strength and their neighbour as them selues maie ghesse in some degree what his paine was Such good men maie iudge in part by the loue that they haue thē selues to the honour of God and saluation of man and by the griefe that they feele in them selues when the thing that they loue is either taken awaie or long delaied what his griefe was They maie iudge I saie in part not perfectly forsomuch as the loue that man hath or can haue to the honour of God and saluation of man be it neuer so great is nothging in comparison of that passing great loue that was in the hart of our Sauiour Christ And therfore the desire that he had to recouer both the one and the other must needes cawse in him a greater sorrowe without all comparison then euer was or could be in man vntill he sawe an effectual and perfecte restitution made to God of his honour and reuerence to man of his former state of grace in this presente life and of glorie in the life to come And thus much he signified to his disciples when he said those wordes I haue had an earnest desire to eate this passeouer with you and afterwardes likewise when in his praier to God the father he said Father take awaie this cup from me Which is as if he had said in plaine wordes Father I see here prepared for me a verie bitter cup of most sharpe tormentes and death which I haue droncke continually in desire euen from the hower of my conception but now do begynne to drincke the same in deed and so to make an end of drincking this paineful potion of the Crosse which I desire thee to hasten and bring to an end For that being once passed and gone I shall reape the frute of my long and earnest desire to witte I shall haue fulfilled myne obedience in all pointes to thee restitution shal be made perfectly to God of his due honour to man of his foremer state And I desire not to haue this cup of my passion taken awaie which thou hast here made readie for me which I take at thy fatherly hand like an obedient sonne and drincke it willingly but I desire to haue that cup taken awaie from me and ended which I haue droncke with such an earnest and greedie desire so manie yeares for the loue that I beare to thyne honour and to the saluation of mankind This was the exposition that she made vpon this place of the gospel against the which bicause it seemed straung and singular her ghostlie Father doctour Raimundus reasoned after this maner Mother said he you knowe that the holie Fathers do commonly geue an other interpretation to this place almost contrarie to this that you haue said They saie that our Lord desired in deed rather not to drincke that cup then to drinke it meanyng therby to declare to vs that he was true man and that as true man his flesh did naturally abhorre death as the flesh of euerie man doth And by this he would geue a doctrine and withall an example in him selfe to all weake and fraile men that they should not be dismaied though they felt in them selues that they did feare death Forsomuch as the like feare frailtie was seene in our head also who tooke vpon him all our infirmities onlie synne excepted To this the holie maid made answere thus Father said she I knowe right well that the holie doctours do expound this place as you haue said and I find no fault with their exposition And though this interpretation that our Lord hath taught me seeme diuerse or almost contrarie as you thinke to that yet is it verie true and maie well stand with the common exposition of the holie Fathers Father it is certaine that our Sauiour Christ was head not only of the weake and fraile that feare and flee death but also of the strong and mightie that beare it manfully and yeald not to the feare and shrynking of the flesh And therfore he would in this acte and wordes geue a doctrine and example to them both He would tremble and feare and desire that the bitter cup of his passiō might passe awaie to geue an example to the weake that they might likewise feare and flee death without anie offence if they had no commaundement from God to the cōtrarie He would also ouercome that feare and quaking of the flesh by the force of reason and zeale of Gods honour and desire his Father to hasten that cup of his passion and death to geue an example to the strong that they should not yeald to the frailtie of the flesh and shrincke at the terrour of death but folowe the direction of the spirite and offer them selues valiantly to tormentes and to death it selfe when by so doing they might either honour God or edifie their neighbour And I see no cause whie one place of the scripture should not haue manie interpretations forsomuch as the holie scripture as you knowe hath manie senses and meanynges Which the holie Ghost hath so ordained that the holie scripture might serue diuerse and sundrie persones to diuerse and sundrie effectes As we see this present text being diuersely expounded serueth men of diuerse qualitie to verie good purpose The weake for a refuge if they retire and saue them selues the strong for a warrant if they steppe forewardes and offer them selues to euident danger for Gods sake Then if you aske me how these two interpretations maie stand together the one being contrarie to the other for by the one our Sauiour required that the cup of his passion might be hastened by the other that it might passe awaie I answere that I take it for none inconuenience that in that agonie he should haue those two contrarie effectes in him selfe the one according to the flesh whose propertie it is naturally to repine at anie thing that maie hurt the other according to the spirite which looking to the honour of God and saluation of mankind desired earnestly the bitter cup of his death by the drinking wherof he knewe
that goodly light and to returne againe to dwell in his former darke and stinkinge dongeon O good Father I am that wretched creature vpon whom this calamitie is fallen by the ordinance of God for my sinnes How so said he Forsooth saide she the fyre of Gods loue was at that time soe stronge in my harte and the desire which I had to be vnited to him so vehement that though my hart had ben of stone or of yron it must needes haue broken in sonder And therfore I geue you thus much to vnderstand for certaine that my hart was in deed vndone and opened from the vppermost part to the neither only by the violence of that mightie loue which I beleeue was of such force that no creature in this worlde had ben able to abide it in so much that me thinketh I feele yet certaine tokens of that clefte in my hart And so often as it cometh to my mind what a blesful state my soule was in in that meane tyme while it was separated from my bodie I can not but weepe lament for my returne againe to this vale of miserie With that her Confessour praied her that she would make a declaration of the whole matter from the begynnyng Wherunto she made answere and said Father after that I had ben fed and comforted a long tyme with diuerse and sundrie reuelations and visions which it pleased our Lord of his great mercie to shewe vnto me at length for verie pure loue I fell so sicke that I was constreined to keepe my bed Where lying I made my humble petition to our Lord that he would vouchsafe to deliuer me out of this wretched wordle and vnite me perfectly to him selfe Which petitiō as then he would not heare But yet he graunted me thus much that I should suffer in the tyme of myne abode in this life all the paines of his Crosse and passion by the suffring wherof I should both learne the better how passing great his loue was towardes me and also be stirred by the example of his vnspeakeable loue in some degree to loue him againe And so in deed it came to passe that seeing as it were by an euident experience in my selfe how great loue our Sauiour bare to me and how intolerable paines he suffred for my sake I was wholly ouercome with the force of such inestimable kindnes and my hart being not able to beare the strength of so much loue as it had conceiued brake in sunder by reason wherof my soule was also deliuered out of this mortal bodie and had the fruition of his diuine maiesty howbeit but for a litle tyme which was my great griefe Then said doctour Raimundus to her I praie you good mother tell me how long was your soule out of your bodie And what thinges did you see in that tyme With that she fetched a deepe sigh said Faher those that were about my bodie made preparation for my burial said that it was about a fower howers In the which tyme I sawe the diuine essence of almightie God which causeth me now to liue with such discontentation of mynd and misliking of all thinges here in the worlde And had it not ben for the zeale that I haue to the honour of God and edifying of myne euen Christians for whose sakes my sowle was restored againe to the bodie without all doubt I must needes haue dyed for sorrowe And now the greatest comfort that I haue in the worlde is that I knowe and am well assured that the more I suffer in this life the more blessed I shal be in the life to come And therefore all tribulations are to me not vncomfortable and yrckesome but rather comfortable as you see and deliteful I sawe also the paines of the damned in hell and of those likewise that are in purgatorie which were so great that no tongue of man is able to expresse them I assure you Father if wretched synners might see those horrible paines and tormentes they would rather choose to suffer an hundred deathes in this worlde if it were possible then to endure the least paine that is there for the space of one daie But aboue others I sawe that they were specially punished which had broken their faith and promise geuen in matrimonie not keepinge them selues within the honest boundes and yoake of wedlocke but following the inordinate lustes of their flesh and sensualitie Which was so ordained not bicause the breach of weddelocke is the most heinous offence that is there punished for there be manie greater synnes but bicause the offenders in this vice for the most part had neuer had anie remorse of conscience for this offence as they had for the rest of their synnes and also bicause they had commonly fallen more often into this synne then to any other for manie tymes a synne which is in it selfe not so great displeaseth God highly if it be oftentymes committed and no care had of amendement by contrition and penance Now when I had seene all these thinges and had conceiued withal a most certaine hope that for myne owne part I was passed all paines and come to a state of all ioye and gladnes our Lord said vnto me Daughter seest thou not these vnhappie synners and transgressours of my lawes on the one side what ioyes they haue lost and on the other side what paines they haue found for this cause haue I shewed these thinges to thee bicause I will haue thee to returne againe into the worlde to declare to my people their synnes and iniquities and withal the great peril and paine that hangeth ouer them if they will not amend When I heard that I should returne to the worlde againe I was striken with a meruelous great feare and horrour Wherupon our Lord to comfort me againe spake thus sweetly vnto me Daughter there are a great nomber of sowles in the worlde which I will haue to be saued through thy meanes and that is the cause whie I send thee thither againe Wherfore goe thy waie with a good will and be of good cōfort From this tyme foreward my will is that thou shalt change the order of thy life Thou shalt no more keepe within thy cell but goe abrode into the worlde to wynne sowles Thou shalt beare my name before al sortes of men high and lowe clerkes and secular I will bring thee before the bisshops and head prelates in my Church to confownd their pride Be not afraid to conferre with them in high pointes concernyng the saluation of sowles For I will geue thee a wit to conceiue and withal a mouth to speake in such sort that none shal be able to withstand thee While our Lord spake these wordes to me of a sodaine my sowle was restored to the bodie The which when I perceiued for verie sorrowe I wept three daies and three nightes and neuer ceased And yet to this daie I can not possibly absteine from weeping when it cometh to my mynd how I
was depriued of that passing great ioye and felicitie and sent backe againe to this darcke prison of my bodie Thus much I thought good to signifie to you father and to others also for this end that when you vnderstand what a blesful state of life I haue forgon for a tyme God knoweth howe long and that I haue forgon the same by the ordinance of God for the weale and edifyng of soules you should not meruaile hereafter if you see that I beare a great loue to them who haue cost me so deere and that to wynne them to God I do alter the state of my life and conuerse with them more familiarly then I haue done hitherto When doctour Raimundus had heard thus much he gaue a great charge to as manie as were present of the brethren and sisters that they should in no wise vtter anie part of her talke so long as she liued For being a wise man he sawe that wordlie persones such as had not wholly and perfectly subiected all their vnderstandinge to the power of Christe were like to take more harme by it then good And he sawe then presently by experience that some of her owne scholers which had before that tyme heard and folowed her doctrine went backeward bicause they were not able to apprehend the high mysteries that she vttered vnto them But after her death fearing lest he should haue offended God if he had concealed such great workes and wonders he committed all to writing for the benefite of the posteritie For further confirmation wherof I thinke it not amisse to towch briefely a verie notable thing that it pleased our Lord to worke by her while she was so seperated from her bodie At what tyme this holie maid drewe neere to her death to the seemyng of such as were about her there resorted vnto her diuerse and sundrie of her spiritual children to see the maner of her passage and with them manie deuout persones both men and women By whome her Confessour doctour Thomas was also sent for to be present at her departure and to helpe her as the maner is with the praiers and Sacramentes of holie Church Who came speedily and three other of his brethren with him When they sawe that she had geuen vp the Ghost they lamented all for the losse of their deere mother but aboue the rest one of the religious brethren whose name was brother Iohn of Siena sorowed so much and wept so vehemently that he brake a vaine in his brest by reason wherof he coughed and auoided great gobbettes of blood Which was an occasion of double sorowe to as manie as were there for both they lamented the decease of the holie virgin which was alreadie gone and also the peril of that good man who with such paine was not like to continue long after Wherupon doctour Thomas her Cōfessour being inwardly moued with compassion said to that sicke Friar with a great faith and affiance in God Brother Iohn you knowe that this holie maid was of verie great merite and estimation in the sight of almightie God for her vertuous conuersation Wherfore take her hand and put it to the place of your bodie where you feele your selfe aggrieued And I doubt not but that you shal find helpe and comfort He did as he was willed and foorthwith the disease of his brest lefte him and neuer came againe so long as he liued There was present at all these doinges besides these afore named one of her spiritual daughters called Alexa who departed out of this wordle not long after There were also two other of the sisters of penance who came to make the bodie readie for the burial One of them was named Catherine which had bene her companion long tyme in religion the other was her cosen and was called Pisa These spirituall persons with many other gaue testimonie for the truthe of all this matter but aboue all others Friar Ihon did not only testifie it in wordes as other did but also declared the maner of it and affirmed it constantly in all places wheresoeuer he became 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. THis holy maide had such an earneste longinge after the blessed Sacramente of our Lordes body and blood and receiued the same so often that manie of them that resorted to that Church and saw hir verie often at the Aultar to receiue supposed that she had communicated daylie Which was an occasion of greate trouble both to her and to her Confessor by certaine vndiscreet and ignorant persons who being puffed vp with an opinion of knowledg and withall pretending some colour of pietie said that her often receiuing was not to be liked bicause it would in tyme cause her to haue the blessed Sacrament in lesse reuerence and estimation Which vaine and ignorant supposition her Confessour answered very learnedly alleaging most certaine and infallible groundes first out of the Actes of the Apostles where it is writen by S. Luke that the disciples of Christ and such as were newly turned to the faith by them did continue daily in breaking of bread that is in receiuing of the blessed Sacrament then also out of S. Denyse S. Pauls scholer who declareth likewise in his booke intituled Ecclesiastica Hierarchia that in the primitiue Church the faithful people did vse to communicate euerie daie and last of all out of the holie ghospel where we are taught by our Sauiour him selfe to saie in our dailie praier Geue vs this daie our daily bread Which bread maie in deed signifie our bodilie food and sustenance but not only nor principally for the bread that we ought principally to seeke at Gods hand euerie daie is the bread of our soule or rather to speake truly the bread of our soule and bodie Which is the bodie and blood of our Sauiour Christ really substantially ministred vnto the faithful people in the Church vnder the forme of bread in the holie Sacrament of the aulter But contrariwise for confirmation of their opinion they alleaged to the holie maid a saying of S. Augustine whose wordes are these To communicate daily is a thing which I neither praise nor blame Which fond allegatiton she answered her selfe verie pretily saying If it be so said she that S. Augustine will not blame me wherefore do you blame me As who should saie If S. Augustine who was a great learned man and knewe how to directe his iudgement by the rules of Gods word durst not take vpon him to determine the matter lest he should seeme to set him selfe a iudge ouer other mens consciences how dare you to iudge of my conscience and to blame me for often receiuing considering that the thing being in it selfe indifferent is made either verie good or verie euel according to the disposition of the persone that receiueth verie good and holesome if it be receiued worthely verie euel and pernicious if it
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
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
vpon the firme and liuely rocke Iesus Christ my only begotten Sonne And this truth is clad with a most goodlie and shynyng light which dispatcheth darkenes Wherefore clad thy selfe with truth my sweete and most deerely beloued daughter A praier or answere made by a faithfull and deuout soule to the wordes of almightie God here before recited Chap. 20. THen that deuout soule after that she had seene with the eye of her vnderstanding and knowen by the light of faith the truth and excellencie of the vertue of obedience after that she had felt it with a right sense and tasted it in her affection with an vnspeakeable desire beholding her selfe in the diuine maiestie she gaue thankes to almightie God saying Thankes be to thee O eternall Father bicause thou hast not despised me thy creature neither hast thou turned thy face from me nor made light of my desires Thou being the light diddest not looke to my darckenes Thou being life diddest not looke to my death Thou being the phisician diddest not refuse my grieuous infirmitie Thou being the euerlasting purenes diddest not despise me that am full of durt and infinite miseries Thou being endles diddest not reiecte me that must haue an end Thou being the most high wisedome diddest regard me that am a foole for these and manie other euels and infinite defectes that are in me thou hast not contemned me thy bountifulnes thy wisedome thy clemencie thyne endles and inestimable goodnes hath not despised me But in thy light thou hast geuen me light in thy wisedome I am come to knowe truth in thy clemencie I haue found the loue of thee and charitie towardes my neighbour And who hath inforced thee to this Not anie vertue of myne but only thy fatherlie loue This loue therefore enforceth thee to illuminate the eye of my vnderstanding with the light of faith that I maie knowe and vnderstand thy truth that is opened vnto me Graunt me O Lord that my memorie maie be found of sufficient capacitie to receiue and keepe thy benefites Let my will burne with the fyer of thy most sweet loue let that fyer make my bodie to powre out blood geuen for the loue of blood and so cause me to open the gate of heauen with the keye of holesome obedience This same request doe I also make in most hartie maner for euerie reasonable creature both in generall and in speciall and for the mysticall bodie of our holie mother the Church I coÌ„fesse and denie not that thou hast loued me before I was and that thou louest man so much that thou art in a sort likened to one that were ensotted and made a foole with ouermuch loue O eternall Godhead O euerlasting Trinitie which through the vnion of the diuine nature hast made the price of the blood of thy only begotten Sonne to be of so great value O eternall Trinitie thou art a certaine deepe sea in the which the more I seeke the more I find and the more I find the more I seeke thee Thou dost after a sort satiate or fill the soule insatiably for in thy botomles deapth thou dost so satiate the soule that it remaineth euermore hungrie and longyng after thee O euerlasting Trinitie and desirous to see thee with the light that is in thy light Euen as the hart longeth after the spring of runnyng water so doth my soule long to be out of this darcke bodie and to see thee in truth as thou art Oh how long shall thy face continue hidden from myne eyes O euerlasting Trinitie ô fyer and botomles deapth of charitie dissolue out of hand the cloud of this my bodie For the knowledge that thou hast geuen me of thee in thy truth doth verie much enforce me and cause me to haue a passing desire to laie downe this heauie â—ompe of my bodie and to yeald vp my life for the honour and glorie of thy name bicause I haue tasted and seene with the light of vnderstanding in thy light thy botomles deapht ô euerlasting Trinitie and the beautie of thy creature WherupoÌ„ beholding my selfe in thee I sawe that I was thyne image by reason that thou O eternal Father hast geuen me of thy power of thy wisedome and of thyne vnderstanding which wisedome is properly ascribed to thy only begotten Sonne And the holie Ghost which proceedeth from thee the Father from thy SoÌ„ne hath geuen me a will by the which I am made apte to loue For thou O eternal Trinitie art the Creatour and I the creature And therefore I knowe by the light that thou hast geuen me in the newe creation that thou hast wrought in me by the blood of thy only begotten Sonne that thou art enamored with the beautie of thy creature O botomles deapth O euerlasting Trinitie O Godhead O deepe Sea what greater thing couldest thou geue me then thyne owne selfe Thou art the fyer which dost euer burne and neuer waste Thou art the fyer which dost consume with thy heate all selfe loue in a soule Thou art the fyer which takest awaie all coldnes and dost illuminate myndes with thy light with the which light thou hast made me to knowe thy truth Thou art that light aboue all light which geuest a supernatural light to the eye of our vnderstanding in such perfection and aboundance that euen the light of faith is made more cleere by it In the which faith I see that my soule hath life and in this light it receiueth thee that art the light For in the light of faith I get wisedome in the wisedome of the word thy SoÌ„ne In this light of faith I am made strong and constant and able to hold out In this light of faith I coÌ„ceiue a hope that thou wilt not suffer me to faint in the waie This light teacheth me the waie by the which I must walke and without this light I should walke in darckenes And therefore I made my petitioÌ„ to thee O eternal Father that thou wouldest illuminate me with the light of this most holie faith Truly this light is a sea which doth feede the soule in thee the quiet and calme sea vntill it be wholly in thee O calme sea euerlasting Trinitie The water of this sea is not troubled and therefore it causeth no feare but geueth the knowledge of truth This is a most cleere water which sheweth thinges hidden And therefore where this most goodlie shyning light of thy faith aboundeth there is the soule as it were clarified and made bright by the thing that it beleeueth This is a second glasse which thou ô euerlasting Trinitie dost make me to knowe The which being holden with the hand of loue before the eyes of my soule represeÌ„teth to me my selfe in thee shewing that I am thy creature And it doth likewise represent thee in me by reason of the coÌ„iunction which thou hast made of thy deitie with our humane nature In the light of this glasse there is represeÌ„ted vnto me I knowe thee the most high
and excellent goodnes the goodnes that is aboue all goodnes the happie goodnes the incoÌ„prehensible goodnes the inestimable goodnes the beautie that is aboue all beautie the wisedome that excelleth all wisedome for thou art wisdome it selfe Thou being the food of Angels with the fyer of charitie hast geuen thy selfe to men Thou art the garmeÌ„t that couereth my nakednes Thou feedest the huÌ„grie with thy sweetnes for thou art all sweete without anie maner of bitternes Wherefore ô euerlasting Trinitie in the light that thou hast geueÌ„ me I haue receiued by the meanes of this light of thy most holie faith thyne owne selfe shewiÌ„g the same vnto me by diuerse sundrie wonderful declarations I am come to knowe the waie of great perfectioÌ„ to the end that froÌ„ this tyme foreward I should serue thee with light not with darckenes and be a glasse of a good and holie life and so raise my selfe vp from this miserable life in the which I haue hitherto serued thee euermore in darckenes for I knewe not thy truth and therefore I loued it not But wherefore did I not knowe thee Forsooth because I sawe thee not And wherefore did I not see thee with the light of this most holie and glorious faith Because the myst of selfe loue had dymmed the eye of myne vnderstanding But thou O eternal truth hast with thy light dissolued my darckenes And who shal be able to reach to thy heyght and yeald thee thanckes for this passing great gyfte and for the manifold and large benefites that thou hast bestowed vpon me and for the doctrine of truth that thou hast reuealed vnto me The which doctrine is a certaine special grace aboue the general grace that thou geuest to other creatures Surely thou wouldest condescend to my necessitie and ro the necessitie of other creatures also which in tyme to come looking in it as in a glasse shall haue a desire to behold them selues Thou therefore O Lord answere and satisfie thy selfe for me Thou that art the giuer make satisfaction also for the benefites that thou hast bestowed vpon me that is powre into me the light of thy grace that with that light I maie yeald thee thankes Cloth me and make me to put on thy selfe which art the euerlasting truth that I maie runne out the course of this mortal life with true obedience with the light of a most holie faith of the which light me thincketh thou dost euen now make me droncke a newe What a sure affiance the holie maid had in the truth of Christ and how she longed after Martyrdome Chap. 21. WHat a great affiance this holie maid had in the goodnes of almightie God and how securely she reposed her selfe in the infallible truth of his word it maie appeare verie well by a nomber of dangers that she offred her selfe vnto willingly and with a great courage when soeuer occasion was ministred to doe anie good charitable worke and namely when she had to treat with Prlnces and great personages vnto whom she declared the truth of all such thinges as she had to vtter vnto them with a meruelous freedome boldnes and wisedome not looking to their persones or dignities but only to the honour of God Treating on a tyme with Pope Gregorie the eleuenth concernyng the troubles and turmoiles that were then in the Church and how the same might best be quieted she was not afraid to tell him his duetie in plaine termes and to aduertise him in Gods behalfe how he ought to rule and feed his flocke Emong a nomber of particular informations and exhortations that she made vnto the Popes holines at that tyme she spake these wordes in the presence of diuerse and sundrie of his Cardinals and other Prelates Come said she against these false and rebellious children with the meekenes of the Crosse and not with the furie of the swoord and so shall you see that these wolues shall laie downe their heads in your lappes and humbly submit them selues vnto you It is not conuenient that the vicar of Christ should fight against his enemies with the temporal swoord And therefore our Sauiour Christ rebuked S. Peeter when he strooke Malcus and said Put thy swoord into the scabberd Thus did she speake at that tyme to Pope Gregorie concernyng his pastoral charge and at an other tyme concernyng the horrible stench of the vices and synne vsed in the court of Rome which point was briefely touched before And in all this talke she neuer shewed so much as anie litle token either of flatterie or of feare but spake with a meruelous constant and discreete boldnes to the great wonder of as manie as heard her In like maner after the decease of Pope Gregorie in the tyme of Pope Vrbanus the sixt there was a consultation in Rome to send the holie maid and with her an other holie maid whose name was also Catherine daughter to S. Briget of Sweâ—ia into Sicilia to queene Ione to see if they could by their godlie perswasions induce her to cease that wicked and cruel rebellion that was at that tyme through her support raised and continued against the Church But in the end the thing taking no place because the Pope liked not of it no more did that other S. Catherine her selfe Doctour Raimundus came to the holie maides chamber where she kept her bed at that tyme and laie in verie great paine and declared to her their final resolution And for the satisfying of her mynd he said furthermore that he thought verily that it was both the better and also the safer waie that they had taken For said he you are both maidens and yong and therefore in danger of villanie if anie be offered if none be yet at the least of the speach of naughtie and slaunderous tongues And you haue to deale there with manie wicked and cruel harted men which being obstinately bent to coÌ„tinue in their malicious enterprise and loth to heare anie thing to the contrarie will not sticke to make you out of the waie in case they see that you are like to preuaile or doe anie good in the matter When the holie maid heard that she cried out with a great feruour and vehemencie of spirite said If S. Agnes S. Margaret and other holie Virgins had cast such perils they had neuer worne those glorious crownes of martyrdome that they now weare in heauen Alas father why saie you so Haue not we our Spouse to accompanie vs also euen as they had And is not he able to defend our bodies and liues from all villanie that shall or maie be offred vnto vs by a noÌ„ber of base and abiecte men Surely surely father these feareful cogitations are but vaine and do proceede rather of a weake faith and lacke of affiance in almightie God then of true wisedome At these wordes Doctour Raimundus was so striken that he held his peace and gaue her not one word to answere For being her Confessour and thereby
of her paines with the Popes holines but tooke it vpon her with a verie good will When she came to Auinion she spake to the Pope so effectually and vsed such perswasible meanes to induce him to condescend to the peace that he without anie further deliberation or sticking at the matter made her this resolute answere Daughter said he that you maie see how much I tender peace and concord I put the whole matter in your hand Doe in it as you shall thincke good Only this haue a regard to the honour of the Church And with that he reuoked his processe and sentence of excommunication against the cittie of Florence by reason wherof they had some respite for a tyme from such vexations and troubles as they suffred before in all places where they had trafficke with other nations The which when certaine craftie persones that bare the swaie at that tyme emong the people perceiued they thought to vse the oportunitie of that release to the furtherance of their malicious intent which was to hinder the peace And though they spake openly of pacification yet did they worke couertly by all possible meanes to depraue and discredite whatsoeuer was spoken or done for the confirmation of the same In so much that when the holie maid sent the condicions of peace to them requiring them to set their handes to them and to make a publike instrument vpon the same as the maner is when anie composition of peace is made they denied vtterly to doe it The which thing Pope Gregorie foresawe verie well and in deed said these wordes to the holie maid before she sent vnto them Beleeue me Catherine said he these Florentines haue beguyled thee And either they will send thee none answere at all or if they doe they will not doe it to such effecte as thou requirest And in truth as he said so it was For afterwardes when the Embassadours came from Florence to the Pope and it was thought that they should haue conferred with the holie maid they refused it plainely and said that they had no such commission The holie maid seeing that was in deed verie sorie to see ther vnhonest and craftie dealing Howbeit she ceased not to asswage the displeasure of the Popes holines iustly conceaued against them and she vsed meruelous meanes to perswade him that he should rather shewe him selfe a pitiful father towardes them then a rigorous iudge While the matter stoode in these termes the Pope being resolued to returne againe to the cittie of Rome which was also wrought by the wonderful perswasion of the holie maid thought good to differre this treatie of peace with the Florentines vntill he came thither where it might be done with better oportunitie And so the Pope returnyng to Rome the holie maid with Doctour Raimundus and the rest of her companie went home to Siena where she busied her selfe after her accustomed maner about the wynning of soules to God How the holie maid was sent backe from Pope Gregorie to the Florentines with the condiditions of peace freely put in her owne hand Cap. 17. AT what tyme these thinges were in doing it chanced that Doctour Raimundus was verie familiarly acqueinted with a worshipful gentleman of Florence called Maister Nicolas Soderines who was well thought of emong all good men for vertue and godlines Doctour Raimundus reasonyng with him on a tyme and complainyng of the vniust dealyng of the Florentines in that treatie of peace the gentleman made answere that in truth it was the fault of some fewe which being in office and authoritie emong the people were able to lead the multitude where they listed And if those fewe could by anie meanes be displaced he doubted not but that anie iust demaund would be heard emong the people When Doctour Raimundus had heard that he conferred with the holie maid and by her aduise drewe out certaine treaties of peace which were thought both verie honorable and also verie profitable for both parties if they might be receiued and exhibited the same to the Popes holines as sent from her And declared withall what he had heard of the afore named gentleman concernyng the hinderance of the said peace Within a fewe daies after the Pope called for Doctour Raimundus againe and spake vnto him I haue said he receiued letters in the which it is signified vnto me that if the holie maid will goe to Florence the peace is like to be concluded To that Doctour Raimundus made answere that not only the holie maid but he also and all the rest of her spiritual sonnes and daughters would be found readie at all tymes to offer them selues to Martyrdome whensoeuer anie like occasion was ministred to shewe them selues dutiful and obedient children to our holie mother the Church No said the Pope I thinck it not good that you should goe at this tyme. It maie be dangerous for you But she being a woman and also holden in great reuerence emong them for her vertue and holines maie I thinke goe without anie danger And so it was concluded and the Pope wrote his letters to the cittie of Florence in the which he gaue her a meruelous testimonie of holines and with the same sent her as an oratrice from the Sea Apostolike When she came to Florence she was receiued of the godlier sort with all honour and reuerence and by the meanes of the afore mentioned Maister Nicolas Soderines came to conferre priuately with manie of those citizens that liued in the feare of God who were easilie induced by her to accepte the peace that was offred vnto them by the Popes holines After this she went and conferred likewise with that companie or partie of the cittie that were called Guelphi and to them set out with manie vehement wordes what a prowde insolent and vngrateful part it was to hinder that holie peace calling those fewe that were the doers therof enemies and vndoers of all common weale and therefore vnmeete to beare office emong the people She declared furthermore what a profit was like to insue to their cittie by that peace if it might be receiued not only in their temporal goods but also and much more for the furtherance edifying of soules Then she shewed the heynousnes of their faicte to be such in the sight both of God and man that if the rigour of lawes and iustice should be extēded vpon them they had deserued to be extremely punished in bodie and soule Last of all she gaue them to vnderstand what a fatherlie loue the Popes holines bare to them and how inclinable he was to shewe mercie if they would submit them selues seeke it at his hāds And these pointes she set out vnto them with such a comelie grace with wordes of such efficacie that all those Magistrates with manie other honest citizens being brought by her talke into an vtter misliking of their present troublesome state and also into a great loue and longyng after that blessed peace which they sawe
euidētly by her wordes must needes turne them to verie great cōmoditie and comfort wēt foorth with to the lordes and nobilitie of the citie perswaded with thē that in anie case they should seeke to be recōciled to the Popes holines And because certaine persones ther present had openly impugned this peace and specially one capitaine or principal man of the partie called Guelphi which were in nōber eight had spokē against it in plaine wordes they depriued thē of their offices Wherof there ensued a great turmoyle in the citie by reason that the persones so depriued for enuie malice to be reuēged of those that had caused it sought by the fauour of the people to cause manie other to be depriued also in the end caused so manie to be depriued that for lacke of discreete Magistrates there grewe much disorder in the common weale And though the holie maid did shewe openly at all tymes in all places that she had no liking of these broiles but rather great heauines sorrow to see that whereas her meaning was to set thē at vnitie concord abrode her charitable trauaile was through the malice of certaine euel disposed persones made an occasion of ciuile discord and tumult at home yet there lacked not a nomber of wicked and diuelish men which bare the common people in hand that the holie maid and such as she dealt withal were the cause of raising those troubles in the citie Whereupon first of all they bent them selues against those men that had ben doers in anie degree about the afore mentioned depriuation And of them some were driuen out of the cittie some were slaine and some were constreined to flee for feare Then they began to make outcries against the holie maid her selfe Some said Come let vs goe to that naughtie womans house Some others said Let vs kill the queanc and cut her in peeces With these and other the like wordes those good folkes that kept her were put in such feare least some great mischiefe might come either to them selues or to their houses for her sake that they entreated her to depart Whereat she shewed her selfe to be no more moued neither in wordes nor yet in countenance then if there had ben no such thing But smyling sweetely to her selfe as her maner was and speaking comfortably to the rest she went her waie into an orchyard not farre from thence Where when she had made an exhortation to those deuout persones that were about her she set her selfe to praier While the holie maid was thus praying in the orchyard after the example of our Sauiour Christ there came rushing in vpon her a fierce companie of cruell men with clubbes speares and swoordes readie drawen showting and crying horribly Where is that naughtie woman where is that cursed wretch where is she With the noyse of this outragious and beastlie crie the holie maid being as it were violently broken of the sweet sleepe of her meditation start vp sodainly and ranne to meete with them with as louelie and cheerefull a countenance as if she had ben a yong spouse and had gone to receiue her loue whom she had long looked for And seing emong them one man that came on faster then his companie hauing a verie cruell and murdering looke shaking his swoord after a dreadfull manner and crying lowder then the rest where is the naughtie woman which is she which is Caterine she offred her selfe to him and kneeling downe before him said I am Caterine Doe your will with me but let these alone At those wordes the cruell harted man that came with a full purpose to strike her was so striken himself that he had neither strength to hold vp his hand against her nor boldnes to looke her once in the face She kneeled boldly before him without anie weapō and he stood trembling before her with his swoord in his hand There lacked no will nor boldnes in her to receiue the stroke but there lacked both strength and courage in him to geue it As it maie appeere by a letter that she wrote afterwardes to doctur Raimundus in the which she maketh a verie pitifull lamentation that she could not at that tyme effectually offer vp her blood to the vspoted lambe of God that had offred vp his most precious blood so freely vpon the Crosse for her loue Now though this wicked attempt of these furious men was thus staied by the mightie hand of God Yet did there remaine such a feare striken into the hartes of all good folkes both of the citie and of her companie and retinue that no man hauing the boldnes to receiue her into his house they all gaue her counsell to depart But she vpon a great affiance that she had in the mercifull goodnes of God and also as a prophetesse well assured of the finall successe and effecte of the matter said in plaine wordes that she would neuer depart the citie vntill the peace were fully and perfectly concluded Which thing came to passe within a fewe daies after euen as she haid said when Pope Gregorie was dead and Pope Vrbanus chosen in his place At what tyme the first mouers and principall workers of this tumult in the citie of Florence were seuerely punished and specially those that did anie thing against the holie maid And a firme peace was made established betweene the Popes holines and their cittie to the honour of God and great comfort not only of both parties but of all Christendome besides How the holie maid shewed her selfe to be excellently well learned both by her writinges and workes set out to the wordle and also by her conferences and disputations had with certaine great learned men Chap. 18. YF anie man doubt whether the holie maid were learned let him reade her workes namely her booke of Epistles or the Dialogue that she wrote concernyng the prouidence of God and there is no doubt but that he shal be fully satisfied and perswaded that no creature could euer haue conceiued such pointes of high and heauenlie learnyng without a verie special grace light geuen from God And as she shewed her selfe to be diuinely learned by a nomber of bookes and treatises that she endited and set out to the wordle so did she also meruelously satisfie yea and passe the expectation of all learned men that came of purpose to appose her and to trie in deed whether the opinion of such excellent knowledge generally conceiued of her had his true grownd in her or rather in others as they suspected Concernyng this point a blessed and holie man called Steuen sometimes her gostlie child trained vnder her discipline afterwardes a monke of the Charterhouse writeth one verie notable example worthie to be remembred The which can not better be set out then with his owne wordes which are these When Pope Gregorie being in Auinion gaue much audience and reuerence to the holie maid there came three great prelates vnto him and said