this Sacred Veil and wear it till you come before the Tribunal of the Eternal Iudge to whom all Knees both in Heaven and Earth and Hell are bent remember you have for ever taken leave of the World and given and united your self wholy to Iesus Christ as to your beloved Spouse may he defend and protect you from all Evils and receive you at length into Eternal Life Amen Then the Bride with a loud Voice recited the words of St. Agnes He has put a Mark and Veil ever my Face that I may admit no other Lover but himself Then the Abbess put on the Brides head a Crown saying Take my dear Sister this Temporal Crown as a certain pledge of that Eternal one which your Divine Spouse has prepar'd for you if you be faithful to him After this the Abbess also put a Ring on her Finger saying at the same time My beloved Daughter take this Ring as a Mark of that love and fidelity which you ought inviolably to keep to your faithful Spouse Iesus Christ as long as you love To which the Bride Answer'd with a high Voice My Lord Iesus Christ has engag'd me to him with his Ring and adorn'd me as his Spouse with a Crown Then the Abbess put into her hand a Crucifix and said Receive here and embrace your Spouse may he receive bless and preserve both you and us for ever Amen After she had receiv'd the Crucifix the Father recited the following Prayers LOrd Iesus Christ who by the immense goodness of thy Purity hast vouchsafed to Espouse our Souls with an indissoluble band of Love grant we beseech thee that this thy Servant being firmly engag'd by thy Ring of Faith may become so constant faithful and devout a Spouse in thy service as that she may firmly persever in it to the end who livest and reignest c. O God who by thy love hast inflam'd this thy Servant and drawn her from the Vanity of the World to the reward of so high a Calling vouchsafe so to purifie her heart with thy presence and the infusion of thy Divine Grace that she may persever in it that being strengthen'd by thy assistance she may be able to perform what by thy Divine inspirations she has promis'd and by the execution hereof happily partake of the Eternal reward thou hast promis'd those that persever in thy service through Christ our Lord Amen These Prayers being ended the Quire began to Sing the following Responsal The Kingdom of this VVorld and all it's Ornaments I have contemn'd for the Love of my Lord Iesus Christ Which having ended they began the Hymn Te Deum Laudamus and whilst they were Singing it the Bride went round the Quire and receiv'd the Embraces and Congratulations of all the Religious then returning to her place she and the rest of the Religious kneeling in their order the Father recited that Verse of the 67 Psalm Confirm O God what thou hast wrought in us and then made a very moving Sermon upon the following Text out of the 9th Psalm Sperent in te Domine qui noverunt nomen tuum Let them hope in thee O Lord who know thy Name In this Exhortation he First lay'd open the nature of this Action or Ceremony they had perform'd by evidencing that a greater Act of hope could not be express'd then by a Voluntary Contempt of the present but transitory Comforts of this World in expectation of those solid and inexplicable joys whose durance was to be Eternal in the next Believe me said he the vain hopes of the Earth are too poor and inconsiderable for so generous hearts as yours are the Kingdom of Heaven as you have made out to Day is only worthy of them Secondly He shew'd there could be no way more Compendious to Honor and Celebrate this great Feast of All-Saints then by striving to make themselves conformable to those Great Originals which in this present conjuncture they had done by so generously undervaluing all the transitory goods of this Life and so might justly hope to arrive at that pitch of Sanctity this Contempt of the World had rais'd the Saints unto and also to share with them the Crown of Glory in the World to come Thirdly Addressing himself to the Bride he assur'd her she had strictly follow'd the direction of St. Austin in Solemnising this Feast by so closely following the Example of Saints nay even the hardest example which is that of Martyrs Whereby she had made a better and a more moving Exhortation by her Example then he was able to make by his words she having verified those of this great Doctor Ser. 47. de Sactis Ab ipsis Martyrum Festivitatum gaudia celebrantur qui ipsorum Martyrum exempla sequuntur Solemnitates enim Martyrum Exhortationes sunt Martyriorum ut imitari non pigeat quod celebrare delectat The joys of the Festivals of Saints are best Celebrated by those who follow their Examples for the Solemnities of Martyrs are so many Exhortatations to Martyrdome that it may not be tedious to Practice what is delightful to Celebrate Proving that the Bride had couragiously enter'd upon the hardest of Martyrdoms by taking upon her so long and terrifying a one as was that dying Life or living Death she had so joyfully embrac'd for the love of God CHAP. II. What Effects this Ceremony wrought upon her self and those that were present at it The great Victory she had obtain'd over her passions manifested by her unconcernedness in this and two other very moving occasions Having ended the Ceremony of her Profession I hope the taking notice of some moving Circumstances in it and of the effects it wrought both upon the Bride and those that were present will prove as grateful to the Reader as I believe the foregoing Relation has been The Ceremony was so moving as that there was scarce a Religious or Secular Person present who were as many as the Doxal could hold that was able to refrain from Tears Nay the Governor himself the Marquiss of Flavecoeur a Person not at all subject to this passion declar'd that he could not refrain from weeping at the sight of it no more then the rest and that he had never felt such a tenderness of heart in all his Life She her self who was the Actor was the only person that seem'd unmov'd in this action appearing all the while with a chearful yet so recollected a Countenance as if she had been totally absorpt in God whose Sacrifice she fell that Day Her little ones stood by her all the time she perform'd the Ceremony which was enough to have mov'd any heart but hers For they being of an Age not sensible of their loss seem'd as little concern'd as their Mother and were very much pleas'd at what they understood not being very busie in assisting at the Ceremony The one put on her Veil the other her Crown at which Sister Clare smiling told her in a low Voice she wore that for her
a narrow compass his plentiful Estate was contracted by reason of Sequestration and other inconveniences he lay under that he would not put himself to the expences of giving her a Servant designing hereby to inure her self to the exercise of such labors as she could not otherwise have the occasion of practising whereby she might be the better able to prepare her self for the like labors in Religion to which she still found her self strongly inclined And one day whilst she was busied in rubing her Chamber her Father suddenly came in upon her and finding her upon her Knees all in a sweat took her up in his Arms and embraced her with Tears in his Eyes telling her God would one day give her a particular blessing for conforming her self after so particular a manner to those Circumstances his Providence and her kindness to himself had reduced her The troubles still rather increasing than diminishing Sir Thomas that his Family might not be too troublesome to his Father-in-law resolved to go and live with his Mother at Haughton but he stayed not long there for Sir Thomas Harvey urging his Daughters return to him again Sir Thomas Hanmer accepted his kind invitation and left his Daughter behind him where her former desires of a Religious Life returned and to fit her self the better for that State she hoped sooner or later to enjoy she resolved to set upon the practice of those Mortifications she was likely to undergo and preluding as it were to those Pious Austerities she began to Fast once a week abstaining from Meat and Drink till night she rise constantly at Midnight to her Prayers and exercised such labors and humble Offices as were only fit for her Servant upon pretext she found them beneficial to her health She had her time hourly regulated from Morning till Night a Method she began to practice whilst she was in France and never after omitted still making Rule and Order the Standard of her Actions She was so industrious in whatever she undertook that she never failed to accomplish it and by her ingenuity not only learnt the French Tongue whilst she was at Paris but without the help of any Master acquir'd such a sufficient knowledge of the Italian and Spanish Tongues as to understand any Book Having lived some time in this manner here her Father sent for her to London with design to take her to live with him at Leusham not far distant from thence whether his Lady and he resolved privatly to retire themselves in those troublesome times Finding him here alone her Mother-in-law not being yet come out of Suffolk she thought this a good occasion given her of bringing about her design wherefore she earnestly intreated him that since there was no probability of better Times in England Cromwel having banished the Cavaliers as well as Sequestrated their Estates but rather that they would grow worse and he become less able to provide for her than now he was and if it pleased God that any misfortune should happen to him she knew how much it would be augmented by the thoughts of what she would be like to suffer and since her inclinations were wholy fixed upon it desir'd him that he would be pleas'd to give her leave to go beyond-sea and also wherewith to enter into a Monastry where she might both live securly and die happily Her Reasons were so solid and convincing that he knew not what other Answer to return than a grant to her request and his Affection for her was such that he thought the giving her Liberty in this particular could in no kind be so prejudicial to her as those sufferings she might undergo if he denyed her and any misfortune should happen to himself Having gain'd her Fathers consent she makes her application to some of her Catholic acquaintance to beg their Assistance to find a Priest that might direct her to some Monastry Providence so ordain'd that the person to whom upon this occasion she was recommended was one of her own Family viz. Father Hanmer of the Society of Iesus who took to Heart her concern and advis'd her to go to Paris to enter there into a Monastry of the Order of Saint Bennet that he should recommend her to and giving her the Rules of Saint Bennet told her what Portion was requir'd for her admittance which Sir Thomas was contented to give and moreover he undertook to be her Conducter thither and the very day was appointed on which they were to begin their Journy CHAP. II. Her Pious Designs are crossed by her Mother-in-law and what happen'd to her till the time of her Marriage GReat Resolutions are seldom undertaken especially in the way of Vertue which meet not with great oppositions the hopes the young Lady had conceived of Consecrating her self to God in a Religious Family were nipt in the very bud For the Night before she was to set out from London my Lady Hanmer her Mother-in-law came thither and being inform'd that Sir Thomas had given his consent for his Daughters going beyond-sea to be a Nun used such moving Arguments to perswade him to recal his consent as had their effect Telling him all the World would look upon it as an Argument of her unkindness that having one only Daughter he should dispose of her no better than to Imprison her in the Inclosure of a Monastry That it would give suspition also to the World that he himself was a Papist and consequently expose him to greater difficulties than he lay under at present They being Persecuted no less for their Religion than for their Loyalty These Arguments caus'd Sir Thomas to recal his consent and reverse all his former promises His Daughter thô she receiv'd his Commands of staying with submission yet the sorrow to see herself on a suddain depriv'd of that happiness she thought herself ready to possess was not ordinary As chearfully as she could she accompanied her Father and my Lady to Leusham where for a Year she continued much the same kind of Life she had lead at Haughton at the end of which her Father leaving Leusham sent her to live with Mrs. Ellis a Relation of his at Halrhey in VVales A fier which is smother'd for a time seldom fails of breaking forth afresh yea rather seems by Imprisonment to get force and strength so it hapen'd with this young Lady who being now more mature than formerly she thought upon such probable means as were likely to enable her to effect her desires which were these Her Father having given her such a yearly allowance as his present circumstances would permit him it being short of what the maintaining of her according to her Quality requir'd she took this pretence to beg leave she might buy Barly and get it made into Malt and Sell it to his own Tenants by the profit of which she hop'd to augment her allowance to a competency for her maintainance after such a manner as became his Daughter shewing hereby her Humility to
LADY WARNER In RELIGION Sister CLARE of IESVS THE SECOND BOOK CHAP. I. She takes the Habit at Liege amongst the English Nun's call'd Sepulchrines of the Order of St. Austin THE Religious she design'd to go to were of the Order of St. Austin commonly call'd Sepulchrins who Honor St. Iames the Apostle as their Founder and by their Regularity and Exact observance had justly gain'd themselves so great a Reputation both at home and abroad as hereby they had obtain'd a very ample Foundation from the Prince of Liege and so considerable assistance of others as to Build themselves a very fair and convenient Monastry But that which would have charm'd others even at her first coming and enterance into the Monastry gave little satisfaction to her insomuch that the same Night she arriv'd in return to all those Cordial expressions of kindness the Reverend Mother and Religious shew'd her and her Children she declar'd that she thought that was not the place Almighty God had call'd her out of the World to live in So displeasing was it to her to receive any Worldly satisfaction after she had made a Sacrifice of all those Earthly Comforts which God Almighty had before bestow'd upon her However out of submission to her Ghostly Father she took the Schollars Habit on the 20th of September the Feast of Our Lady's Presentation And so great was her deference before she receiv'd it to the Religious that where ever she met any of them she us'd to prostrate her self as a Mark of her profound respect towards them The time of her Schollarship was partly taken up with the sollicitude and care she had for Sir Iohn who was still in England partly with Pious thoughts how to set out and Adorn the Church Upon which account she sent to Sir Iohn for some Pictures Hangings and other Rich Ornaments she had left behind her in England which she thought necessary for the beautifying the Church and Altar Upon the 10th of March Sir Iohn left London and took with him all those things she Writ for excepting the Pictures she desir'd of St. Iohn Baptist St. Austin St. Mary Magdalen and St. Teresa Saints to whom she was particularly Devoted from the time of her Conversion for which Reason I Name them He not being able to get them made time enough in England for his departure but procur'd them for her from Antwerp After a Prosperous Journy he arriv'd at VVatten in Flanders the 20th of March 1665. where he took the Novices Habit of the Society of Iesus and the Name of Brother Iohn Clare which as soon as he had acquainted her with she resolv'd also to follow her Ghostly Fathers Advice in taking the Habit of her Order upon St. Catherin's Day the 30th of April following together with Sir Iohn's Sister Mrs. Elizabeth VVarner and his Kinswoman Mrs. Frances Skelton who accompany'd her from England My Lady took at her Cloathing the Name of Sister Teresa Clare she having had even whilst a Protestant a very particular esteem of St. Teresa upon the Reading her Life which accidently fell into her hands Father Martha a Famous Preacher in the VValoon Province of the Society of Iesus made her Cloathing Sermon And did it after such a manner as prov'd one of the greatest Mortifications she had met with since her leaving England It happen'd not long before that a Carmelite-Fryer having quited his Habit and Religion also to avoid just Punishment had taken Refuge in Holland whereby he had given a great occasion of scandal at Liege The Father to retrive that Honor which he thought Religion might have lost by so foul an Action as this was extol'd that which she had done of quitting Heresie and the World with such an Heroical Resolution to such a hight as gave her so great a confusion that she was scarce able to continue in the Church And most perceiv'd the Mortification she suffer'd by the extraordinary Colour which his Encomiums and frequent Interrogation whether what he said was true brought into her Face But the happiness she felt at her Cloathing and the hopes she fed her self with of enjoying afterwards a secure and perfect repose in the State of Life she had embrac'd out-ballanc'd this present Mortification and was too great to continue long without some interruption One would have thought at this distance from England in a Catholic Country that there had been no fear of Persecution Yet the Enemy found an opportunity of giving her an Alarum and cause of great disturbance even in this place of Repose which happen'd as follows There came a Person of Quality to Town extreamly well attended the first Visit she made thô she profest her self a Protestant was to the Monastry where she desir'd to speak with my Lady VVarner pretending a Message to her from Sir Thomas Hanmer her Father My Lady came to her her self but finding she brought no Letters from Sir Thomas and that she refus'd to make any other declaration of her self or Quality than that having told him of her coming over and that probably she should pass by Liege he had desir'd her in his Name to give a Visit to his Daughter and Grand-children whom she would find in an English Monastry in that Town excus'd her Childrens coming to her thô she earnestly prest to see them Fearing there might be a greater design in this Visit than only kindness as the Lady pretended Which that she might the more easily prevent and at the same time avoid the disturbance also she found in her Soul by the distraction she receiv'd from her Childrens presence she resolv'd privatly to remove them to the Vrsulin's And the Queen Mother of England having upon her Mothers account who as before related had been Maid of Honor to Her Majesty express'd a kindness to my Lady on all occasions she took the liberty of beseeching Her Majesty that she would vouchsafe to take her Children under her Royal Protection who where otherwise in great danger either by suttlety or force to be taken from her and carried into England And at the same time she humbly Petition'd Her Majesty to signifie to the Superiour of the Vrsulin's at Liege where she had privatly plac'd her Children her Gracious concern for them Whereupon the Queen Wrote this following Letter Translated out of the Original in French Dated from Colombe Iuly the 17th 1666. MOTHER I Have heard with a great deal of satisfaction that the two Children of Sir John Warner are at present at the Ursulin's under your Tuition Thô I do not doubt but you have all immaginable care of them yet I cease not to recommend them to you and desire you not to permit that they be taken from your House without Orders from their Father or Mother who put them into your Hands or from those whom they shall order to have care of them in their absence and if it should happen that any other by any means should endeavour to take them away from you without