Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	meditation_n	night_n	thursday_n	2,853	5	15.4807	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09859	The flowers of the liues of the most renowned saincts of the three kingdoms England Scotland, and Ireland written and collected out of the best authours and manuscripts of our nation, and distributed according to their feasts in the calendar. By the R. Father, Hierome Porter priest and monke of the holy order of Sainct Benedict, of the congregation of England. The first tome.	Porter, Jerome, d. 1632.; Rucholle, Peeter, 1618-1647, engraver.; Baes, Martin, engraver.	1632 (1632)	STC 20124; ESTC S114966	523,559	659

applie his mind to the diuine seruice of allmigtie God In which place The deuill ennieth his studie of vertue being remooued from the noyse and disquiet of others he bent all the endeauour and power of his soule to prayer meditation and contemplation of diuine and heauenly mysteries which his pious exercise serued as bellowes to blow the coales of the Deuils enuie and hatred against him For as the holy man was one night earnestly bent O●wald vaquish●h his diabolicall practises with the signe of the crosse to his prayers and meditations the wicked spiritt raysed the most horrid noyses and cries that humane eares euer heard intending therby ether to make him desist from his holy enterprise or at lest to performe it more slouthfully or neuer more to attempt the practise of anie such deuotion But he was deceaued in all for OSWALD keeping fast his footing vnder the approoued protection and bucklar of a firme and constant fayth was noe more terrified with the roaring of lions the hissing of serpents and the horrid cries and howling of other beasts which that wicked authour of mischief did faine then yf he had heard the sillie bleating of soe manies innocent lambs or sheepe and therefore he contemned and scorned all those vglie cries togeather with the diabolicall author of them The deuill confounded hereat suddenly vanished away and straight appeared vnto him trāsformed into the shape of an angel of light Whe he that knew a good angel would not be troubled at the signe of the holy crosse presently armed himself therewith which the wicked tempter noe sooner perceaued butihe be trayed himself to be a Messenger of darkenes vanishing out of his sight like a puffe of smoke and he remayned free euer after from his hellish practises III. NEERE vnto his priuate oratorie was a place where twelue poore men receaued their dayly sustenance from the monasterie one of which dayly assisted S. OSWALD at the dreadfull sacrifice of Masse It happened one day that as the holy man being past the ghospell lifted vp his eyes to heauen in his prayers his seruant saw a person of a verie reuerend countenance houlding with great reuerence a little peece of white bread in his hands lifted ouer his head The poore man allthough wonderfully terrified with this visiō yet he stood stiffely to it and would not offer to runne away But perceauing the same bread to encrease more and more as the Priest went forward in his masse and at length to become of an vnaccustomed bignes he durst stay noe longer but fled out of the Church with all the hast he could Therefore S. OSWALD the Priest remayned alone with the Angel on his right hand that seemed to assist him In the meane time the poore man would euer now and then trembling peepe in at the Church doore to hearken and espie what was done about the aultar and when the seruanr of God as the manner is pronounced Per omnia saecula saeeulorū other such like he heard the Angel answeare him distinctly to euery thing and saw him verie officiously wayting vppon him Masse being ended his fugitiue seruant returned and perceauing the Angel to be gone he ranne quaking to S. OSWALD and related the cause of his running away inquiring of him yf he likewise had seene the Angel Truely sayd he I both saw and heard what thou doest rehearse all mightie Gods name be for euer blessed who did not forsake me being destitute of helpe in his holie sacrifice And I strictly commaund thee neuer to reueale this vision while I liue IV. SAINCT ODO Archbyshop of Canturburie hearing the fame of S. OSWALDS holie conuersatiō and manner of life gaue infinite thankes vnto the authour of all goodnes and with manie guifts sent to the monasterie shewed declared him self in name of his nephew very gratefull and thankfull both to the Abbott and Monks thereof withall fignifying vnto them that he greatly desired to enioy his presence in England as well for that now being tired with old age he supposed his death to be neere at hand as allsoe for that he was determined by his meanes to order and traine vp those of his owne Countrey in regular and monasticall discipline This message sorely troubled the monks of Fleurie who were verie vnwilling to par● with OSWALD and OSWALD was as vnwilling to leaue them soe desirous he was to liue a priuate retired life But nether daring to contend against the Archbishops will they obeyed and sent him back with due honour and respect But before he arriued at Conturbury his vncle S. ODO had taken his iourney to heauen V. But he had an other Vnkle called Osketill who at that time gouerned Osketill Archbishop of Yorke the Church of Dorcester and hearing of Oswalds arriuall not only entertayned him very courteously but gaue him soe high a seate in his fauour that he made him of his counsell in the more secret affayres of his soule Till not long after Osketill being elected to the Archiepiscopall sea of York S. DVNSTAN with his prayses and commendations of OSWALD brought him into great grace and familiaritie with noble King Edgar who caused DVNSTAN to aduance him to the Episcopall sea of Worcester In this sacred dignitie he behaued him self worthyly both for the benefitt of the English Church and restoring William Malm. de gest reg Ang. cap. 7. of monasticall disc pline which by the barbarous incursions of the Danes and the lasciuious furie of late king Edwy who totally fauoured the vices of the secular Clergie was much impayred And first in the village of Westberie he gathered a little Conuent of twelue Benedictin monkes whom he vsed verie often times to visitt and confort with his pious exhortatiōs togeather with them to labour him self in the pious exercise of a retired life in watching fasting and prayer Afterwards he built the Benedictine Abbey of Ramsey among the fennes of Huntingtonshire which florished from that time to the vnfortunate age of Henry the eight It was first founded vppon this occasion VI COVNT Ailwin a neere kinsman to King Edgar had for manie Records of Ramsey yeares endured the cruell torments of the goute When a certaine fishermā of his called Vulget entring with his boate into the water of Ramesmere soe the place was called endeauoured to take some fish for his master but hauing laboured a long while in vaine at length much wearied he fell asleepe when our holy father S. BENEDICT appeared vnto him with these words at the rising of the morning sayd he cast thy netts into the water and according to thy desire thou shall take great store of fish of which take the greatest called a Pike The vision of a Fisherman and present it to Alwin thy master in my name bidding him that he receaue my guift courteously and out of hand build a monasterie for monks in this Iland to the honour of the most holy Mother of God mine and all the

horrid desert affoorded His hard and spare diet to him liuing in Commons with other beasts Till after some yeares he was wont to make his owne bread of barly flower mingled with a third part of ashes which he would not vse vntill it had been dried and hardened for the space of three or fower yea sometimes six moneths whereby it lost all gust sauour of bread Insteed of herbes sallets he made him self a kind of strāge gruell or pottage of the wild and sauage leaues weedes of the desert pounded and beaten togeather in water and soe boyled without eyther salt or spice which allsoe fearing too daintie a feeding he would nether tast before it was growne aged with hoarnes nor make new before the wormes and maggots began to take possession of the old Nether did he euer vse anie other food but this nor anie other drinke but pure water vnlesse when the extremitie of his hunger or thrist was such that it threatned him with the losse of his life Sometimes he continued his fasting for the space of three whole daies togeather and sometimes more To this soe rare and spare diet his sleepe was allsoe correspondent which he did not take in bed but His manner of sleeping lying vppon the ground or leaning his wearied limmes to a stone or wall neuer yeelding to this short and hard allowance of rest vntill the verie necessitie of nature by force compelled him therevnto after the heauie toyles of his day and night-labour● His continuall labours For he laboured not only by the sunne but by the light of the moone allso as well in the parching heates of summer as through the rigid sharpnes of winters frost and snow being in the meane time allwaies loaden with his coate of maile And in these exercises as often as he was not busied in meditation and prayer allthough indeed at this time he was not idle from both he spent his whole nights and daies banishing from him self thereby all signes of sloth and dullnes of mind and bodie VI. BVT amidst all these labours he seuerely exacted and obliged His dayly and nightly prayers him self to certaine sett howers and times by night and day in which according to the custom of the Church he performed his whole and dayly taske of prayer as at midnight at sunne-rising at the third sixt and ninth hower and Euensong At which times no occasion or hindrance neuer soe great could withdraw him from his deuotion the punctuall obseruance of his times of prayer and diuine office which was not that of the Church to which his learning would not reach but such Psalmes as he him self by a diuine grace had allotted to him self for his deuotion And to these times of prayer he called him self and his fellowes by the sound of a litle bell prepared for that purpose And because ouer and aboue this exercise he was wont to adde a great number of other prayers at each of them lest he should omitt some through obliuion he layd by a litle stone to signifie how manie were past and how manie were to come giuing him self allso a triple remembrance at the end of each prayer with three blowes on the breast the better to incline allmightie God to mercie But of all these prayses nothing deserued more fame and admiration then that when not only in the summer but allsoe in the cold winter and chiefly those nights in His inuincible pacience which the waters were cruelly frozen breaking the ice he would enter vp to the neck into a freezing pond and watch a whole night therein in prayer teares and a self-punishing suffrance All which austeritie of cruell winters cold by the force and power of the flames of the diuine loue that inhabited his soule he easily eyther contemned or patiently and couragiously endured And when the vehemencie of the cold made his teeth to chatter and beate one other for heate when all his limmes were starke and stiffe with that extremitie he vsed these words to him self These suffrings are indeed grie●ous enough but nothing in comparison of Hells torments Such a generous He endured manie diseases and vnshaken mind this braue champion bore in the suffrance of worldly paynes Of which I know not whether he euer gaue a more liuely example then in the painfull diseases which it pleased the goodnes of allmightie God to send him for the greater triall of his patience and more glorious encrease of his heauenly crowne and reward Which diuine trialls he was soe farre from taking in ill part that contrariwise he most dutifully rendred thankes vnto allmightie God as to a most indulgent father who voutchased to chastise his vnworthy child seruant with temporall and light punishments and mercifully to free him from the eternall paines which he deserued VII BVT what He not only endured with a quiet mind these Note a rare example of patience griefes of proofe sent from heauen but caused vnto himself a new paine noe lesse grieuous and painfull then the former For when his whole bodie was couered ouer with loathsom vlcers and clothed as it were in a horrid scurfe of vgly scabbes which opening and separating them-selues in manie places from the flesh sett forth to be seene the picture of a most ill-faucured and foule spectacle How gently and courteously sayd he our Lord deales with me by preuenting my eternall torments with such mild and sweet remedies But why am J myself soe remisse and soe great a sluggard in punishing and expiating my owne offences And presently he caused salt to be brought and powred into those gaping and open vlcers and moued with a cruell pietie he made his seruant rubbe and scoure those places with a rope of rude straw in most dolefull and pittifull manner In which labour when his Seruant did sweat with tormenting and he was not wearied with suffring he tooke the rope him self and with much more pittilesse violence he chafed and rubbed the same vexed sores O miraculous example of patience In which and manie other vertues His wonderfull hum●●●e allthough he were excellent and great yet he neuer seemeth greater in my eyes then when I consider the humble meeke and low mind of the man and soe farre from all that vaine human prayse and glorie the only plague that manie times is wont to defile yea and vtterly to ruine the famous deedes and praises of worthy and renowned men But our GODRICK suffered not his prayse-worthie deeds to come to light and the knowlege of men but endeauoured by all meanes to suppresse them vnder the vayle of humilitie Nay to him it was a griefe to come in person to the sight and speech of men Whence it was lawfull for noe man but on certaine daies in the weeke and that but with the good leaue of the Benedictin Prior of Durham vnder whose obedience he liued to haue accesse vnto him The Authour of his life a man verie familiar

powers both of his bodie and soule In humilitie he was most lowly in obedience most readie and full of charitable affection towards all men Hauing passed ouer his youth in the continuall exercise of these and other Monasticall vertues he receiued the dignitie of Priesthood and then he did not only shine vnto his He is made Priest brethren and draw them to vertue by his good example but allsoe by reading and expounding the holy scriptures by pious exhortations and preachings he would winne them to the loue of true religion and deuotion At length by the meanes of that great pillar of the Benedictine familie S. DVNSTAN he was chosen Abbot of the same Monasterie in the performance of which holy charge it is beyond the force of weake words to expresse how much he laboured And Abbot of westminster for the saluation of foules and what excellent examples of vertue and godly life he shewed vnto his brethren But such were his rare vertues that long they could not be contayned within the bounds of a weake Cloister For king Ethelred called him thence as it were from vnder the obscure bushell of his Monasterie to be placed in the view and admiration of the world in the Bishoprick of Sherburne and by the free election of the Clergie and greate applause of the poeple he was exalted to the gouernment of that Sea Then it was rare to behould how worthily he beganne to rule his people thundring at first a dutifull respect into their The true vertues of a good Bishop hearts he afterwards shined all loue among them his first and principall care being to appeare vnto his subjectss such as he would haue them be and to be such as he appeared making his godly life the example of his owne doctrine and his doctrine to arise as it were out of his deeds Soe that in a small time he wanne singular loue in his people and engraffed singular confidence His dayly exercise was to exhorte his subjects to comfort the afflicted to feed the hungrie to cloath the naked to redeeme captiues to entertaine poore pilgrims to teach the ignorant to withould the desperate from the shipwrack of their soules to enflame the tepid and animate the seruent to prouide carefully for those vnder his charge and punctually to performe the dutie of his profession and calling He was wont to spend the time of Lent within the Monks cloister were freed from the tumultuous affaires of the world he led a rigid monasticall life exercising him self in fasting and prayer and heauenly contemplation On maundie thursday he came abroade and hauing consecrated holy Chrisme according to the custome of Consecration of Chrisme the Catholicke Church he would preach vnto the people giue them his benediction After the celebration of the feast of Easter he was wont to visitt his whole diocesse as well to teach instruct and direct his vnder-pastours and clergiemen worthily to performe their duties as allsoe to amend correct and punish whatsoeuer was done amisse contrarie to the rules of good order discipline and iustice II. HE WAS wonderfull carefull both to augment and exalt that auncient sea of Sherburne and to establish it in a continuall peace in good order and discipline and to that end he cast out from thence Nichol. Harp saec 10. c. 9. William Malm. Monks ought nor to be subiect to Bishops the secular clergimen for their bad life and in their steede brought in the Benedictine Monks ouer whom he would haue placed an Abbot but they desired rather to liue vnder his gouernment whereunto though vnwilling he consented foretelling them that it would be a beginning of great calamities vnto their successours to be subiect to the Bishops But in all that he did for the Monks he neuer detracted anie part of the meanes belonging to the Bishoprick to sett them vp withall but prouided elsewhere sufficient reuenews for them allwaies preseruing the Episcopall Sea in her owne auncient and splendour in all things III. THVS hauing for the space of fiue yeares worthily gouerned his flock and done the office of a good pastour he fell into a vehement sicknes togeather with a vertuous knight and his deare S. Wulsine falls sick friend named Egeline who hearing of his lords infirmitie seemed to suffer more therein then in his owne and therefore not able to goe him self he sent to know in what danger he was The languishing holy man by the messenger willed his si●kly friend suddenly to dispose of him self and his estate and to prepare for his last iourney for to morrow next sayd he we shall goe both togeather to the court of our eternall King where he shall receiue the reward of his faithfull seruice The messenger being departed he vsed these words to his Monks By the filiall loue you haue euer shewed vnto me I doe coniure you my deare children that before you committ my bones to the earth you cause the bodie of this our faithfull friend to be brought hither and to be buried with me in this Church of Sherburne that in death our bodies be not separated whose soules during life were tied faithfully togeather in the bands of true loue and friendship To these words the Monks that were present could giue noe other answere but teares the woefull witnesses of the sorrow they conceaued to depart from soe deare a father But he exhorted them all to be rather ioyfull then grieued at his neere approching happines and alwaies to liue in the feare and loue of God till he felt the pangs of death beginne to cutt of his discourse when lifting vp his hands and eyes towards heauen he cried out with the first martir S. STEPHEN Behould I see the heauens opened and Iesus standing on the right hand of God and with the breath of these words he breathed forth his pure soule to receaue her reward in the purest He dieth place the eight day of Ianuary about the yeare of our Lord 985. Of this B. Sainct doe make mention ARNOLD WION in the appendix of his martirologe WILLIAM MALMESBVRY IOHN CAPGRAVE NICHOLAS HARPSFIELD and others whom we haue followed The life of S. ADRIAN Confessor and Abbot of the holy order of S. BENEDICT IAN. 9. SAINCT ADRIAN borne in Africa for his great vertue Out of venerable Bede and learning was chosen Abbot of the Benedictin Monasterie of Niridan in Campania not farre from Naples He was a great diuine and very skillfull both in the Greek and Latine tongue and to these sciences was added as an ornament of all a true zeale of the seruice of allmightie God and monasticall discipline with a perfect knowledge of Ecclesiasticall gouernment All which shined soe cleerly in him as they gaue sufficient testimonie with how sincere a desire of vertue he had first forsaken the world and putt on the habitt of religion II. IT happened during the time of this holy Abbot that the Metropolitan Sea of Canturbury by the death

carried thither where the fier came on with greatest violence Which done this weake man began with his prayers to driue that away against which the force of manie strong labouring hands could not preuayle And suddenly as yf he had been the moderatour and ruler of the winds the wind that blew out of the south and was as the bellowes of those flames chainged into the North and soe constrayned that outragious element to forsake the food which soe eagerly it hunted after and turned it back to feed on its owne ruines whereby the cittie was freed from the imminent perill of ruine and the citizens ascribed the preseruation of them selues and their fortunes to their holy Archbishop MELLITVS who because he vehemently boyled with the fier of diuine loue and was wont by his often prayers and exhortations to driue away the stormes of the ayrie powers from hurting him and his he was found worthie to whom God gaue power to preuayle against the forces of the fiers and winds of this world At length when this Blessed Archbishop whom Trithemius a graue authour in his worke of the famous men of saint BENEDICTS order calls a man of most holy life a lib. 3. cap. 56. lib. 4. cap. 50. contemner of the world a louer of God the rule of all religion and a mirrour of vertue had gouerned the Sea of Canturbury the space of fiue yeares he left this mortall life to ●●ke his long desired iourney to the immortall the foure and twentith day of Aprill in the yeare of our Lord 624. He was buried in the Benedictin Monasterie of saint PETER and saint PAVL in Canturbury by his predecessours And in his Epitaph is made mention of the foresayd miracle of the fier in these two verses speaking to him Laudibus aeternis te predicat vrbs Dorouernis Cui simul ardenti rest as virtute potenti His life we haue gathered chiefly out of saint Bede de gest Ang. lib. 1. cap. 29. lib. 2. cap. 3. 4. sequ Ealred abbot of Rhienall Baronius tom 8. Malmesbury de pont l. 2. the Roman Martirologe Nicholas Harpsfield see 7. cap. 7. Vsuard Ado Arnold wion and others make honourable mention of hi●● The life of S. EGBERT Priest and monke of the holy order of saint BENEDICT APR. 24. Out of Venerable Bede THE admirable master of humilitie and most zealous aduancer of Christs Ghospell saint EGBERT borne of a noble race of English parents in the south parts of England spent the flower of his youth in the monastery of Lindisfarne or Holy-Iland In which schoole of vertue he receaued the first grounds of true religion vnder the holy Rule of saint BENEDICT which afterwards he communicated to other places to the great honour and encrease of the Benedictin order It was the manner in those dayes of manie of our English to goe ouer into Ireland there to apply them selues in a more strict course of holy meditation watching fasting and prayer and other exercises of a monasticall life Amongst the rest holy EGBERT forsaking friends and countrey went thither with a feruent desire to pietie accompanied He goeth into Ireland with an other noble Englishman called Ethelune And huing togeather in Jreland in a monasterie called in Irish Rathmelfigi they were both infected with the plague which at that time mustered whole troupes of poeple vnder the black banner of death When holy EGBERT expecting nothing but to be enrolled in the same number of deaths seruants went one morning out of that mournfull lodging where the sick monks lay expecting their end into a secret and solitarie place where sitting downe to entertayne him self with his owne throughts he beganne to cast vp a strict accompt of his former life wherein he found manie Items whose remembrance begott such contrition in his heart that the teares trickling downe his cheekes were worthy witnesses to prooue it excellent Then in the heate of true deuotion he humbly besought allmightie His petitiō to Allmigh tie God God to graunt him a litle longer respite in this world as well to bewaile the sinnes of his youth as allsoe more abundantly to exercise him self in the workes of religious perfection vowing withall neuer more to returne into his natiue conntrey of England but to liue a pilgrim all the dayes of his life Moreouer besides his canonicall office he was wont yf sicknes did not hinder him He dayly recited Dauids Psalter to recite euery day the whole psaker of Dauid in honour of allmightie God and to fast one whole day and a night euery weeke without anie food at all But when his prayers had set a periode to his teares and his vowes to his prayers he returned back to his lodging where he found his fellow Edelhune that laboured with the same disease fast asleepe and he him self layd downe his feeble limmes to recreate them a while with rest But long he had not reposed when his companion awaked and looking pittifully vppon him O brother Egbert sayd he what hast thou done I had hoped we should haue gone ioyfully togeather to the Kingdom of heauen but now by thy desire we must be seperated for know that thy request is graunted It had been reuealed vnto him in a vision what EGBERTS request was and that he had had a graunt there of from God II. THE night following Edelhune died happily and EGBERT by a He is miraculously cured of the plague speciall fauour of diuine grace recouering his health afterwards adorned his monasticall vocatiō with the dignitie of priesthood and ●nnobled that dignitie with worthie actions of vertue and good life Allwaies gouerning him self with the rules of perfect humilitie sweet meeknes pure continencie plaine simplicitte candid innocencie His example of life his labour in teaching his authoritie i● reprehending and his liberalitie in bestowing what the charitie of the rich gaue him was of wonderfull great profitt and edification to all the countrey where he liued in voluntarie banishment And His rigid fasting to encrease the austeritie of his owne life he added to the vowes aforesayd to make but one small meale a day throughout all the Lent which was a little bread and a poore quantitie of thin●e milke which he did eate cold after it had stoode a whole night and when the creame or fatter substance thereof was skimmed off This manner of fasting he obserued like wise fortie dayes before Christmas and as manie more after Whitsuntide Vppon these well setled foundations and grounds of holines in a short time saint EGBERT raysed a spirituall building of vertues to the very height of monasticall perfection soe that the same of his sainctitie was blowne into the royall eares of Kings of whom some much admired and honoured the man others that contemned his pious admonitions felt the heauie punishment of him that allwaies defends the cause of his true seruants as appeares by that which venerable BEDE recounts of Egfrid King of the Northumbers Who in the