of Nūnes Here is diligently to be cosidered that we may so both stoppe the blasphemous and venemous mouthes of Herticks Of the nature of Indulgences and by Catholickes make the fruite of these Indulgences to be enioied that no Indulgence can be obtained out of the state of Gods grace Therefore whosoeuer feeleth his mind wounded with any mortall sinne or purpose or desire or deliberate affection liking of the same let him before he seeke Indulgence reconcile him selfe vnto God either by the Sacrament of penance or if he can not conueniently at the least by perfect sorrow and repentance and stedfast purpose of amendment and of Receauing the Sacramēt of penance at conuenient time without which disposition of minde none can euer obtain Gods grace and by which disposition he may at any moment accordinge vnto Gods most gratious promise and mercy For an Indulgence is a remission of temporall punishment due vnto sinnes already forgiuen and not possible therfore to be applied but to him which hauing forsaken sinne is in Gods holy fauour And hereby maist thou cōfound the gracelesse ignorant hereticke Also for the better vnderstanding of the nature of Pardons the meaning of so many daies or yeeres of Pardon is that looke how much pain of PVRGATORY we could redeem with so many daies or yeres of such penance as might by reason be imposed vpon vs for to match our faultes our deuotion earnest sorow and purpose of satisfaction considered so much by the Indulgence of soe many daies or yeeres is taken away Neither is it necessary that we might liue so many yeeres whereas perhapps the worlde shall not last so long as the yeeres of some Indulgences for sufficient it is that we may deserue so many yeeres of punishmēt which the iustice of God may by the seuerity of the painefully inflict in one houre of the fire of Purgatory And to grosse is the ignorance of our heretickes who thinke that he that hath a hudred yeres of pardō may by the Popes leaue sinne with-out remorse all his life as by this which we haue said is most euident It is also to be vnderstood that one may apply the saying of his beades for whatsoeuer necessitie of his owne or of others excepte where in the Indulgēce it is other wise required To what intētion the beades are to bee imploied neither is he boūd to say the Rosary once a weeke for the Society so that saying it for what purpose he will he intend to say it as a member of the Society for to obtaine the gtaces of the same OF THE STATIons of Rome Cap. 4 THERE hath bene at Rome a continuall holye custome of the people for thes 1000 yeres at the least at diuers times solēnly to visite certaine principall Churches therin to offer vp their deuotions iointly with one mind for their owne necessities and of the wholle Church of God These solemne religious deuoute meetings are commonly called Sations And by diuers Popes there hath bene graunted vnto the foresaid Churches either specially in those daies in which the Stations are there kept or generally all the wholle yeere very great and large Indulgences I will here therfore note the daies and places of the same Stations as for the Indulgences it is sufficient here to aduertise that in euery one of these Churches they are very great and neuer lesse then of tenne thousād yeeres Yet because often times there is a Plenary Indulgence and the deliuery of a soule out of Purgatory I will expresly sett downe when either of these so great graand fauours may bee obtained which thing will be also profitable for those which by hallowed Graines will gaine the Stations 1 The first Sonday in Auent at Sancta Maria Maior 2 The 2. Sonday at S. Crosse in Hierusalem a Plenary The 3 Sonday at S. Peter 4 Wednesday in the Imber weeke at S. Maria Maior 5 Friday in the Imber weeke at SS Apostoli a Plenary 6 Saturday at S. Peter 7 The 4. Sonday at SS Apostoli a Plenary 8 Christmas Eue at S. Maria Maior 9 In the night following at the Chappell of the Cribbe in the same Church a plenary 10 Christmas day in the morning at S. Anastasia a Plenary 11 At the third MASSE on Christmas day at S. Maria Maior 12 On S. Steuens day at Saint Steuens a Plenary 13 Saint IOHNS day at Sancta Maria Maior 14 Innocents day at S. PAVLE a plenary 15 Newyeeres day at S. Mariatrans Tiberim a Plenary 16 Twelfe day at S. Peter a plenary 17 The Sonday of Septuagesima at S. Laurēce extra muros a soule out of Purgatory 18 The Sonday of Sexagesima at S. PAVL 19 The Sonday of Quinquagesima at S. Peter 20 Ashwednesday at S. Sabina a plenary 21 Thursday ar S. George 22 Friday at SS IOHN PAVL 23 Saturday at S. Triphon a Plenary 24 The first Sonday in Lent at S. IOHN Laterane a Plenary infinite Indulgēces 25 Monday at S. Peter in vinculis a Plenary 26 Twesday at S. Anastasia a Plenary and a soule out of Purgatory 27 Wednesday at Sāsta Maria Maior 28 Thursday at S. Laurence in Palisperna a Plenary 29 Friday at SS Apostoli a Plenary 30 Saturday at S. Peter a plena 31 The 2 Sonday in Lent at S. Maria in Nauicella 32 Monday at S. Clement 33 Twesday at S. Balbina 34 Wednesday at S. Cecely 35 Thursday at Sancta Mariatrans Tiberim 36 Friday at S. Vitalis 37 Saturday at S. Peter Marcelline a plenary 38 The 3 Sonday in Lent at S. Laurence extra muros a soul out of Purgatory 39 Monday at S. Marke 40 Twesday at S. Potentiana 41 Wednesday at S. Sixtus 42 Thursday at SS Cosma Damianus 43 Friday at S. Laurence in Lucina 44 Saturday at S. Susan a Plenary 45 The 4 Sonday in Lent at S. Crosse a Plenary a soule out of Purgatory 46 Monday at SS qnatuor Coronati 47 Twesday at S. Laurence in Damaso 48 Wednesday at S. Paule 49 Thursday at S. Siluester 50 Friday at S. Eusebius 51 Saturday at S. Nicholas in carcere a Plenary 52 The 5 Sonday in Lent at S. Peter 53 Monday at S. Chrisogon 54 Twesday at S. Cyriacus 55 Wednesday at S. Marcellus 56 Thursday at S. Apollinaris 57 Friday at S. Steuens a soule out of Purgatory 58 Saturday at S. Iohn ante portam latinam a soule out of Purgatory 59 Palme Sonday at S. IOHN Lateran a Plenary twise 60 Monday at S. Praxedes a plenary 61 Twesday at S. Prisca a Plenary 62 Wednesday at Sansta Maria Maior a Plenary 63 Thursday at S. Iohn Lateran a Plenary twise 64 Friday at S. Crosse a Plenary many other Indulgēces 65 Saturday at S. Iohn Lateran a Plenary 66 Easter day at Sancta Maria Maior a Plenary 67 Monday at S. Peter a Plenary 68 Tuesday at at S. Paule a plenary 69 Wednesday at S. Laurence extra muros a soule out of Purgatory 70 Thursday at SS
satisfactiōs which if he were in grace he should receaue yett is this no smalle helpe besides the generall communion of the praiers of the wholle CHVRCH to haue such particuler reliefe whereby Gods wrath may be the easier appeased and he the more euery day disposed vnto repentance and perfecte conuersion The Feast of the Rosary Secōdly it is to be vnderstood that GREGORY the 13. in the yeere of our Lord 1573. the first day of Aprill for a perpetuall memory thankesgiuing vnto God and our Blessed Lady for the triūphant victory receaued the yeere before ouer the Turkes See the booke of the Rosary in Italiā instituted a solemne feast vnder the title of the feast of the Rosary euery yere to be cellebrated on the first Sunday of october whereas the yeere before on the like Sunday being than the 7 of the same moneth so gloriouse a victory was obtained not without the speciall intercession as he saieth of the Mother of God whose deuoute Clients through the wholle worlde the same day as being the first Sūday of the moneth religiously according to theire laudable custome made their ordinary processions wheras also this deuoute maner of praier was by holy Saint Dominicke first instituted for the appeasing of Gods wrath the obtaining of our Ladies intercession against most perniciouse heresies with which Frāce and Italy in his time was sore vexed as also more largely is to be seene in the letters of Pius 5. in the 17. of sept 1569. where he after diuerse of his Predecessours confirmeth the same Society and seriously cōmendeth it vnto all deuout Christians as a soueraigne and necessary remedy for all the common euells of our age This feast of the Rosary is only to be obserued such first Sunday of October vnderstanding that Sonday which is in deed the first within the month not that which is neerest vnto the beginning of the moneth where there is any Chap pell or Altar of this Society after the maner of a high dubble feast with the office of our Lady according to the manner of her other feastes Thus much I thought woulde be as well for thy comfort gentle Reader to knowe as for the generall benefite of CHRIST his Church in this miserable time to obserue OF OTHER MANner of saying the Beades Cap. 6. NOw that I haue briefly set downe what necessarily belongeth to this deuoute Society I will for the farther comfort of the persons of the same shewe also vnto thē how they may in their beades finde variety of other repast greater store of dainty dishes thereby to prouoke their appetite which in this kind of food cā neuer exceed in gluttony Yet will I first admonish thē as I haue also touched before that in no case they omit for any other kind of deuotion in the beades to say the wholle Rosary in euery weeke but that beeing done they may satisfie their deuotions according as they shall find most comforte and delight There is therfore an other kind of saying the beades which is called the Corone of our B. LADY very much frequented of deuout people The corone of our Lady which consisteth of 6. Pater nosters and 63. Aues in remēbrāce of her most holy life which abounded with so many vertues that it may be as S. Lib. 2. de virg Ambrose saieth a patterne of all goodnes to all sorts of mē And though there be no necessary cause therof yet haue some so deuided these Aue Maries that in euery one is recorded some seuerall mysterie of the life of Christ our Lady so that no principall point of either is omitted as we will afterward sette downe This is of great fruite and comforte but not for the simple although such also may very well and do euery where rehearse this Corone without speciall remembrāce of so many diuers misteries A third kind of beades or at the least of saying of the beades there is The corone of our Lord. in which to the honour of our Sauiour Christ are rehearsed 33 Pater nosters and as many Aue Maries This is called the Corone of our Lord in worshippe of his holy life which in this world continued 33 yeeres Some also vse a Corone of the fiue wounds of our Lord at euery wound saying one Pater noster fiue or tenne Aue Maries Of the 5 woūdes There is also an other kind of deuotion which may bee vsed either with the beades or without of saying 15 Pater nosters Aues which deuotion perhaps might grow of the imitation of those 15 Psalmes Of the 15. Paters and Aues which are cōmonly called graduall which as some say were wont to bee song on high daies by the Leuites on the fiftene staires goeing vp to the Temple by which with singuler deuotion and more thē ordinary grace and alacritie our Lady being 3 yeere olde and caried to be presented in the Temple her selfe ascended to offer her selfe to Almightie God not without great admiration of her deuout Parents or as some other say were made to signifie certaine degrees or stepps of perfection in Gods seruice which did singulerly shine in this Virgin or els this custome of saying 15 Paters and Aues might be first commēded for that according to the opiniō of some deuout Doctours by reuelatiō made vnto some contēplatiue holy person who saieth euery day 15 Paters and Aues in one yeere shall make vp the number of all the woundes which our Sauiour receiued of his barbarous tormentors counting with euery stripe of his whipping the cruel prickings of the sharpe thornes wherwith he was crouned so that one day in a yeere which is not leape yere Ludolphus de vita Christi Par. 2. c. 52. the said number of 15 Paters and Aues bee dubled Or finally the cause of this deuotion might be for the respecte of those 15 yeeres which our Ladye liued after her sonnes afcentiō in most speciall quiett and hope and continuall visitatiō of Angels comfort of the dilating the glorious name of her sonne by his Apostles and other Disciples a thing no doubt worthy of no small consideration when she did euidently see euē in this life fulfilled the Prophesie long before made by her selfe that all generations should call her blessed This do I the rather set downe in this place because set downe in this place because that all my Countrei-men should knowe An Indulgēe for any Christian what soeuer that what-soeuer faithful of Christ yea although he be not of this Society of which in this place we intreate shall say fifteene Paters and Aues for all those which are in mortall sinne shall for euery time that they doe so charitable a deed obtaine the remission of the third part of their sinnes Which Indulgence hath bene of long time graunted and is so authenticall that I will be a warrant to all my countrei-men that it is no way coūterfeited as it may be some Indulgences haue bene
Lordes praier is to bee said Luc. 11. When ye pray saieth Christ saye Father hallowed be thy name how cā we perseuer in such short forme of praying excepte that wee often repeate our Lordes praier 7 Againe thou wilt say that our Lord in that very institutiō Mat. 6 did admonishe that Those which did pray should not speake much where the greeke worde is Battologin proper vnto those that do vainely repeate one thing often I answere that Christ doth there reprehēd only the vaine babling of the heathens that did thinke God as well as men woulde be delighted with eloquēce and affected speaches 8 A notable place for to cleare this kinde of repetition from all superstition L. 4. diuin instit c. 28 we find in Luctātius where the differēce betwene superstitious persons and those that are religious or deuout alleaged by Tully L. 2. de nat deorum For that saieth he those pray to their Gods whole daies togither these do it with moderation he disproueth in these words What reason is ther saith he that to pray for the health of his children once should be the part of a religious or deuout man and to do the same ten times should be an acte of superstition for if it be very good to doe it once how much more to do it oftner If the first houre be good therfore the wholle day also If one host or Sacrifice be well pleasing more pleasing doubtlesse are more Sacrifices because dewties and seruices being multiplied do rather meritte then offend For those seruantes do not seeme vnto vs worthy of hatred that haue bene daily and howerly diligent in their seruice but rather to be beloued And againe saith he This argument holdeth in the contrary For if to pray and offer Sacrifice wholle daies be a fault therfore to doe it once is also a faulte And why shold the name of a fault be attributed vnto that which is as honest and iust a thing as can be wished For as Cicero saith Religious men haue their name a relegendo that is because they often handle with diligence as it were read againe those thinges which do appertaine to the worshippe of God why therfore should they that doe the same often in one day loose the name of religious men for as much as by the daily vse and custome it selfe they do more diligently read againe those thinges wherwith God is honored Thus farre Lactantius 9 By which speach it is euidētly proued that they are not onely not superstitious that do often repeat the same kind of praiers in the Rosary but that it is better more acceptable to God rather often then once to repeate the same And besides that there can be nothing more iust and honest then this kinde of repetition Finally that those that pray in this maner of the Rosary are properly Religious as who do diligently by daiely vse custome read ouer and ruminate those thinges that appertaine to the worship of God 10 There followeth the number of the praiers of the Rosary free also from the same touch of superstition 4 The nūber of praiers Esa 6. Apoc. 4. For the Angels in Esay the Prophet and the Beasts in the Apocalips which neuer rested neither day nor night doe thrise repeat one word to the honor of God Holy holy holy Lord God of Saboth Psa 118. The Prophet Dauid 7 times in the day pronoūced praise vnto Almighty God whose example the Church following hath distributed the diume office into 7 diurnall nocturnal hours Christ praying in the garden repeated one and the same speach Luc. 22 thrise Thrise also did S. Paule request our Lord that the Angell of Sathā might depart frō him 2. Cor. 12 And that S. Bartholemew did pray vppon his knees an hundred times day night Abbias his own scollar witnesseth we read in Palladius and Socrates that S. Macarius one of the most auncient An chorits recited euery day an hundred praiers vnto almighty God Paulus Aegiptius three hundred and a certaine virgin seuen hundred 11 Now if number be not void of a godly and misticall signification as in deed it is not neither in the number of the Rosary nor in the exāples alleaged Esa 11 See Hie rom S. Amb. l. de spir san c. 20 Aug. l. 1 de ser domi in mōt c. 3. l. 2 de doct Chri. c. 7 for the number of three signifieth the B. Trinity and the number of seuen betokeneth the giftes* of the holy ghost then is there nothing in the number but that which may easily be proued For we doe repeate our Lords praier fiue times to putt vs in minde of the fiue woundes of Christ And to euery such praier we do adioine 10 Aue Maries that we may remember the 10 commandements of God And those Aue Maries we doe repeat 50 times in the whole Rosary Greg. ho 19. in Eze l. 1 mor. c 28 that by the intercession of the B. Virgin through the merittes of our Lords Passiō we may attaine full remission of sinnes which is signified in holy Scripture by the number of fifty being a number of Iubiley as appeareth Leuit. 25. 12 Now there remaineth the Beades wher-with we pray 5. The Beades in which the simple may perhapps thincke that there is some kinde of superstitiō but in deed there is none at all For although Christs faithfull people do vse them now cōmendably as a manifest badge or tokē of the Romane Religion yet the vse of them was for no other cause at the first brought into the Church as holy Fathers make mention then to the intēt that by sensible touching vew of the beades we should not easily be deceaued in the finishing of the number of praiers 13 It is recorded by auncient Historiographers Palladius Sozomenus Cassiodorus that the famous Anchorite Paulus of Libia the father of fine hūdred Moncks had wont to pay euery day fiue hundred praiers as a tribute vnto almighty God And to the intent that he might not be deceaued in the number he cast a little stone into his bosome at the end of euery praier Also that Saint Clare a most holy woman did repeate certaine Pater nosters vnto our Lord and kept account of them by a heape of little stones her actes recorded do testify In sūme of what ātiquity the vse of beads is the auncient stones of Sepulchers do well declare vnto vs. 14 Therfore to no other end were beades as it semeth vsed at the first then as Places and Images were by Oratours of old for to keepe the remembrance of words matter Or as counters by Marchants for to count great summes of mony or as by the Catholicke Church the Crosses and Images of Christ and his Saintes which serue to this end for to preserue the memorie of the life of Christ and his Saintes 15 And that they haue bene reduced afterward to a certain nūber so to put folkes in mind
Christ yee be so conioined with vs and so neere vnto vs that we do no lesse then behold and alway looke vppon you as though you were heere present with vs and doe continually in our mindes thinke vpon you yea we be so moued with euery euent of your affaires that with you and in you we doe reioice and to gither also with you we beare your crosses for in our harte we holde you and in the Bowelles of Iesus Christ we be singularly reioiced our very spirite doth take comfort in our Lord when as we doe heare of your constācy in the Catholicke faith of your patience of the fortitude of your christiā courage and of your gloriouse confession of the name of Christ For you beeing by the singular goodnes of God strengthned with the grace and vertue of the holy Ghost haue with most especiall dilligence and as it were a pretious treasure as it is indeed safely and inuiolably preserued that sacred Depositum of the Catholicke faith which youre Auncestors haue from this holy Romane Church the mother mistres of all the faithfull receiued and as a matter of inheritance vnto you deliuered haue not suffred your selues by any incōueniences or miseries nor yet by any of Sathan his deceiptes or intisementes and vaine hope of worldly thinges to be remoued aside from that rocke of faith whereupon Christ our Lord hath found his Church which is one Catholicke Apostolicke Romane out of which there neither is nor can bee any saluation whose vnion you doe as members of the body of Christ conioyne vnto the head with greate praise and fruite of spirituall life retaine and hold in cōtinuance These be the things that do fill our hart with ioy and gladnes This is that which doth edifie the Church of GOD and which doth cause all Catholickes to turne and fixe their eies vpon you who beholding your zeale and good workes do glorifie the Father of mercies who is in Heauen But like as in these thinges which yee do so godly religiously and constantly performe for the glory of God behoofe of your owne soules we do togither with you with all good men reioice and cōgratulate so do we on the contrary part suffer togither with you in your greefes and in the tribulations which haue come too too much vpon you For it hath bene brought vnto our vnderstāding that you are for the confession of the Catholicke faith most greeuously vexed at the hands of your owne Brethren who haue forsake the God of their forefa-fathers and haue betaken themselues to the following of strange Godds that is the prophane nouelties of errors and heresies and not considering their owne miserable estate do not only lye them selues in darkenes in the shadow of death but doe also most cruelly assault and persecute such as be the children of light their owne brethren who do firmely retaine the aunciēt religiō which they haue so many ages since bin taught by the holye ROMANE Church And doe further vppon the instigatiō and exagitation of a certaine furie neuer heard of be fore vse crueltie towardes their owne flesh and butcher teare asonder their owne bowels We haue compassion of your deare children and with all affection of charitie we do sorow togither with you for your calamities But we also reioice with you and for you in that ye be now the disciples of Christ with him fastened vpon the Crosse neither doe we doubt but that he who is present with his seruantes in tribulation and descendeth with them into the vgly dongeons and forsaketh them not in their bonds and fetters euen he so rich and aboundant in mercie doth visite you doth recreate you doth merueilously comforte you that euen as the passions of Christ do abound in you so also by Christ your cōfortes may abound And we also who though without our owne desert and vnworthy do holde the place of Christ our Lord vpō earth when as we did heare that you were in this maner afflicted resolued by our letters to cōfort you as our children singulerlye well beloued of whose welfare and glory in our Lord we be especially carefull Be ye therfore of good courage and as you haue hitherto done so stand ye in our Lord my dearest stedfast strōg in faith and rooted and founded in charitie carefull to preserue the vnitie of spirite in the bond of peace This peace of CHRIST which surpasseth all vnderstanding keepe you my childrē that ye may be one hart and one spirit Your concord your vnion your cōiunction of mindes Sathan trēbleth at That doth he and his ministers seeke to ouerthrow But all the driftes of enemies will fall to nothing if ye persist and remaine all of one minde with all humilitie and meeknes with patience supporting one an other in charitie And God is faithfull who will not permitte you to be tempted aboue that which you are able But will make with tēptation issue that ye may be able to sustaine Let your hartes therfore be comforted be cōstant and expect our Lord. For coming he will come and will not linger his reward is with him and he will comfort his seruants so that what yee haue sowen in teares the same yee shall in ioy and exultattion reape againe Be yee not therfore wearied fainting in your hartes but laying away all waight and sinne that compasseth you by patience runne to the fight proposed vnto you looking on the author of faith and the consummator Iesus who will geue you good measure pressed downe shaken togither and running ouer in the day of eternitie He gouerne and keepe you and replenish you with the grace of the holy Ghost and crowne you vpon the accomplishmēt of your lawfull cōbate Pray for vs deere children for many are the pastorall cares which by night day do vexe trouble vs. Do ye also pray for the Catholicke Church that all contradictions and errors being destroied shee may serue him with secure libertie And we with all affection of fatherly charity do impart vnto you our Apostolicall Benediction Giuen at Rome at Saint Markes vnder the fishers Ring the 18. of September the Sixt yeere of our Popedome DILECTIS FILIIS CAtholicis Albanensibus qui in Albaniae regno sunt Clemens Papa DILECTI filij salutē Apostolicam benedictionē Longo quidem terrarum marisque internallo a nobis disiuncti estis O filij Albaniae sed in vnitate fidei in vinculo charitatis Christi ita nobiscum cōiuncti estis ita propinqui vt vos tanquam presentes intueamur de vobis assidue cogitemus quin etiam quouis rerum vestrarū euentu ita commouemur vt vobiscum at que in vobis gaudeamus vobiscum etiam patiamur Habemus enim vos in corde nostro in visceribus Iesu Christi Gaudio autem singulari afficimur exult at in Domino spiritus noster quum audimus vestram in fide Catholica constantiam vestram patientiam