the spirituall leprosy dead in sinne buried in her filth abhominable before thyne eyes a marke for thy fury a prey to death and eternall confusion O my Redeemer immortall thankes be to thy infinite mercy for this great benefit since thy mercy hath no boundes add also O sweet Iesu to this benefit the firmnesse of a holy perseuerance whereby I may alwayes preserue the Temple of my soule body pure neat from all filth ordure of sinne Conserue O Lord the house thou camest to purify 2. Mach. 14.36 Psal 50.5 by the light heat of thy holy Spirit cleanse it beautify it alwayes more and more and more and more wash me from my sinnes purge me of my sinnes giue me grace that as I haue hitherto serued the Flesh the World and the Diuell the most cruell enemies of my good and saluation so I may with all my force loue honour and serue thee for heerafter O my life my Creatour and Sauiour descended into earth and made man to seeke me poore strayed sheep and make me participant of thy deity ascended also vp to the Crosse there to shed thy precious bloud to wash and cleanse me there to dye to giue me life Graunt O Prince of mercy that for all thy benefits I may affoard thee an humble an entire seruice vnto my last gaspe to liue after this mortall soiourning eternally with thee and to glorify thee in heauen where thou liuest and reigning with the Father in the vnity of the holy Ghost for euer and euer Amen This shal be the shutting of the 21. day and third weeke finishing the first period of his pilgrimage the which representeth as we haue sayd the life of those which beginne the way of vertue the way of Purgation by vertues purgatiue In the morning the Pilgrime shal begin his second part which representeth the estate of those that are gone forward and aduanced in the way of perfection and light THE PILGRIMES ABODE AT LORETO The two and twentith day and the first of his abode A Meditation vpon the holy Eucharist CAHP. I. FOR the meditation of the first dayes iourney of this second Part of his Pilgrimage the Pilgrime shall fitly take the subiect of the Eucharist for he cannot better begin to honour this holy place then with so holy an action nor more refresh solace the trauaile of his pilgrimage then by this refectiō nor better open the doore of his soule to the light of the Holy Ghost then by the receauing of such a Sacrament and this should be the first meale and the last banquet of euery true Pilgrime he shal make his Meditation early in the morning at the holy house with these partes The prayer preparatory accustomed shal demand grace to direct all his actions to the glory of God and saluation of his soule In the first preamble he shall set before his eyes the history of the two Pilgrimes Luc. 14. Aug. epist 50. ad Paulin. who first of all other Christians receaued at our Sauiours handes after his resurrection in the village called Emaus The second shall demand a speciall light well to penetrate the maiesty and profit of this mystery The first Point Of three figures of the Holy Sacrament CHAP. II. THE first point of the meditation shall containe three old Figures Gen. 14.18 among diuers others of this B. Sacrament The first is the Sacrifice of Melchisedech sometyme King of Salem and high Priest who entertayning Abraham as he returned victorious from the battaile offered to God Bread and VVine in thankes-giuing for the victory blessed him and refreshed him and his companie Our Sauiour the true Melchisedech in figure of the Sacrifice of the Body and Bloud of Iesus Christ the Christian Eucharist which the same Iesus Christ the true Melchisedech the true King of peace and high Bishop did institute and ordaine when in his last supper he did communicate his Apostles giuing them his Body to eat vnder the figure of Bread and his Bloud to drinke vnder the figure of Wine after the order and forme of the Sacrifice of Melchisedech and making them his Vicars and Deputies commanded them and their Successours in their person to do the same Luc. 22 1◠and to continue this Sacrifice and Supper in his name remembrance which hath heene alwayes performed hitherto and shall be alwayes heereafter vnto the worldes end For as Iesus Christ is Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech and not of Aaron whose Priesthood togeather with the sacrifices were ended and fullfilled on the Crosse so his Sacrifice according to this order of Melchisedech shall be perpetual and euerlasting in yielding of thankes to God and in the feeding and refection of Christians the spirituall children of Abraham Psal 109. fighting in the Church heere militant on earth and shall one day triumph altogeather in heauen returning cōquerours from the combat The second Figure is the sacrifice of the Paschall Lambe which was ordayned the night before the deliuerance of the Hebrewes Exod. 12. from the captiuity of Aegypt and continued in remembrance of this great benefit vntill that our Sauiour the true Lambe did institute our Eucharist of his precious Body and Bloud in the euening before his Passion and our Redēption and shall continue as a memoriall thereof vntill he come againe not to be iudged and condemned to death as he was at his first comming but to iudge the world by the weights of their workes to kill death for euer after and to deliuer his children from all euill The third Figure is the Manna Exod. 15.16 giuen from heauen to the Hebrewes whilest they were Pilgrimes in the wildernesse walking towardes the land of promise euen so the Eucharist the true bread of heauen and the true drinke is giuen in the Church of God for the solace and sustenance of our soules in the desert of this world and for our prouision and food vntill we be brought to the land of the liuing in heauen The second point Of the Maiesty of our Sauiour in this Blessed Sacrament CHAP. III. THE second point shall be to meditate in this Sacrament first the power of our Sauiour Power conuerting by his almighty word the Bread into his body and the Wine into his bloud Second y the goodnes of the same Sauiour who hauing giuen himselfe a price and ransome for our Redemption Goodnes hath also vouchsafed to giue himselfe for food and to vnite himselfe with his creature soule to soule body to body in the straitest manner that can be imagined Thirdly the diuine wisedome Wisedome seasoning and tempering this precious food in so familiar and easy a fashion vnder the forme and taste of bread and Wine of the one side facilitating our senses to the taking of his flesh and bloud without horrour and on the other side instructing our fayth to vnderstand and acknowledge the vnion of faithfull Christians made heerby one
haue present the holy Apostles thy seruants wast receiued body soule into the heauenly habitations of the celestiall spirits as Queene of the Angels mother of their Lord maister The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee be my Aduocate in all tymes and places and deliuer me from sodaine and vnprouided death and when I shall passe out of this world defend me from all the temptations of the diuell that my soule may haue free accesse to the ioyes of my God and Sauiour Of the Coronation The Oblation Glori ∣ ous 5 O Most high glorious Lady Empresse of the whole world I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues one Pater noster to the glorious mistery of thy Coronation which was the accomplishment of all thy ioyes and the crowne of all thy deserts when thou wert exalted aboue the Angelicall spirits and to the blessed Trinity the Father Son and holy Ghost thou wert crowned and appointed Queene Lady of all and the defendresse and aduocate of all that inuocate thee The Prayer WE reioyce O B. Lady at thy exaltation and glory and beseech thee that froÌ„ the high throne where thou art placed thou wouldest remember thy poore children which wander heere in this vale of teares and that thou wouldest obtaine for vs plentifull gifts and graces that we may deserue with thee and all the holy Saints to enioy the B. Trinity Amen THE CORONE OF B. LADY THe manner of saying the Corone of our B. Lady consisting of 63. Aues six Pater noster in remeÌ„brance of the 60. yeares of her life euery Pater noster with the 10. Aues are to be sayd and offered in the honour and remembrance of 10. yeares of her life and of what 〈◊〉 did or suffered in that time with a prayer eyther before or after crauing those graces and vertues which most did shine in the actions of those yeares The Oblation of the 1. O Most innocent and immaculate Virgin I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues one Pater noster in honour of the first 10. yeares of thy life and all thou didst therein in honour of thy immaculate Conception miraculous Natiuity of a barren wombe of thy blessed infaÌ„cy and Presentation into the Temple and all thy vertuous exercises and deuotions there whereby thou wert disposed and prepared to be a meete mother for the sonne of God The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that I may offer my best first times to the seruice of God and by exercise of vertue and eschewing occasions of sinne I may dispose my soule to receiue Gods grace in this life and his glory in the next The Oblation of the 2. O Most happy and chosen Virgin I humbly offer vp 10. Aues and a Pater noster in remembrance of the high vertues which dayly increased in thee first vowing chastity and espousing thy selfe to chast Ioseph receiuing with ioy humility and resignation the ioyfull newes of the Incarnation of the Sonne of God in thy virginall wombe bearing thy Creatour swadling and resting him in the manger seeing him glorifyed by the Angells visited by the shepheards adored by the Kings circumcised presented and redeemed in the Temple at thy Purification didst nurse him and giue him sucke and stedst with him into AEgypt and there in a strange Idolatrous Country didst worke for his maintenance and thine The Prayer I Beseech thee obtaine for me part of these ioyes which in this tyme thou didst receiue and the imitation of thy chastity and speciall loue of pouerty which thou and thy sonne so greatly did imbrace The Oblation of the 3. O Most B and patient Virgin I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues a Pater noster in remeÌ„brance of thy poore pilgrimage entertaynement in AEgypt and in thy returne from thence the feares thou hadst at returning thy sorrow in loosing and ioy in fynding thy Son in Hierusalem and in honour of all that sweetnes and ioy thou receiuedst in the conuersation company of thy heauenly guest child The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that in all my pilgrimage of this life I may haue thine and thy sonnes company neuer long want the comfort of his gracious presence doctrine and Sacraments The Oblation of the 4. O Most happy gracious Virgin I huÌ„bly offer vp to thee 10. Aues and a Pater noster in remembrance of all that ioy and pleasure â—ou hadst in the presence of thy sweet Iesus eating drinking talking and wo king with him that giueth meate drinke speach and strength to all creatures The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that in all my life and actions I may be so conioyned with Iesus so communicate with him that whether I eate or drinke or whatsoeuer I do I may do it in his presence and to his onely glory and praise The Oblation of the 5. O Most ioyfull dolorous Lady I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues and a Pater noster in remembrance of those pangs and 〈◊〉 which after all the ioyes thou receiuedst by departing of thy Sonne from thee of thy cares and feares thou hadst of him and the excessiue griefe thou tookest when he was betrayed taken bound led captiue beaten spit vpon mocked whipped crowned with thornes blindefolded buffeted condemned crucifyed blasphemed pierced taken downe and buried in remeÌ„brance also of thy great ioyes in his Resurrection Apparition Ascension sending of the holy Ghost The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that among the comforts discomforts of this life I may remaine firme and constant at the foote of the Crosse with thee and thy blessed company that at last I may be partaker of the ioyes and glory of his resurrection and Ascension and of the comfort of his holy spirit The Oblation of the 6. O Most perfect patient and blessed Lady I humbly offer vnto theâ— 10. Aues and a Pater noster in remembrance of thy most holy life heere on earth after the Ascension of thy Sonne of the longing thoâ— hadst to be with him and loathing of this life of the light comfoâ—â— and example thou gauest to the Apostles and all Christians of thâ— zeale for the glory of thy Sonne of thy deuotion to his B. Body and often visitation of the holy places of his life Passion Resurrection The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that being heere on earth I may haue like longing to be with thy Sonne and loathing of this life with deuotion to all his remembrances and Sacraments The Oblation of the 7. O Most happy and glorious Virgin I humbly offer vnto thee 3. Aues and a Pater noster in honour of the last three yeareâ— of thy life of the ioyfull expectation of thy depositioÌ„ with most perfect workes and more feruent desires in remembrance of thy great ioy at the calling of thy Sonne and spouse of thy visitation of Angels and their heauenly melody the presence of the Apostles praysing and lauding him and finally in remembrance honour of thy most happy passage ioyfull Assumption and glorious Coronation The Prayer PRay for me I beseech thee that I may so liue as I may expect a ioyfull end and a comfortable passage that I may not want the rites and ceremonies of thy holy Church nor the comfort and company of thy seruants but may be protected by my good Angels my soule by them caryed where thou doost sit in glory and behold the face of the most blessed Trinity the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Amen FINIS
tempore Chyrs l. 2. de orando Deo Prayer is a conuersion of the hart of God sayth S. Augustine It is a demand of some good thing sayth S. Basil S. Iohn Damascene comprehending them both sayth Prayer is an eleuation of the spirit vnto God and a demand of things conuenient Prayer sayth S. Gregory Nâ—ssene is a contemplation or talke of the holy soule with God a contemplation of inuisible thinges a certaine fayth and beliefe of things we should desire it is an angelicall state vocation an increase of good and subuersion of euill It is the key of heauen sayth Augustine and the sinnewes of the soule This is sayth S. Chrysostome the instrument that should alwayes be in the Christians hand day and night in the towne and field in prosperity aduersity in peace and warre in health and sicknes and in all thinges It is good reason then to learne the manner of praying well It appeareth by the foresayd definitions that the essence and foundation of true prayer consisteth in the soule that which is made with the mouth and voice only deserueth not the name of prayer It is the language of a Parrot that speaketh it knoweth not what Prayer of the spirit speaketh properly to God and maketh himselfe to be vnderstood as an Angell though the lips stirre not and he cryeth aloud to God in profound silence Exod. 14.15 Moyses moued not his lippes when God sayd vnto him Why cryest thou It was the crye and voice of his prayer which he then made in the closet of his hart The prayer of the mouth is not good except it be caried with the wings of the spirit both togeather make a perfume that pierceth the heauens a sacrifice most acceptable to God and a pregnant request to obtaine whatsoeuer shall be demanded of his Maiesty The inward is the roote and fruit of deuotion the outward is the flowre and budd To doe it well he must learne to meditate well for meditarion and contemplation do illuminate the vnderstanding do heat the wil eleuate the soule to God and ioyneth it to his loue which is the very essence and vigour of prayer Fire is kindled in my meditatioÌ„ sayth Dauid that is to say My prayer shall be feruent if I meditate well To meditate Christian-like is to discourse in the vnderstanding of some diuine subiect of the creation of the world of the Natiuity of the Sonne of God of his death of his resurrection of the purity and humility of the B. Virgin Mary of some vertue or vice of death iudgement hell heauen and such like matters This discourse is made in noting the causes The discourse of Prayer and effects and deducing conclusions agreable to the honour of God and our good For example meditating of the creation of the world I obserue that God is the supreme cause of all thinges who hath made all of nothing by his only word that heauen and all the creatures with them are the workes of his power wisedome and bounty heereof I conclude Conclusion of our Prayer that he is almighty hauing brought forth such goodly effects of nothing all wise hauing so diuinely ordered them all good in hauing giuen them all to men againe I conclude that I am bound to feare him as my soueraigne Lord adore him as the supreme wisedome and loue him as the infinite bounty and to serue him with all my hart and with all my forces as my Creatour my King my Maker my Father and my all in all By this discourse my vnderstanding is delighted in the meruailous workes of God my will is warmed in his loue and of them both my soule taketh a tongue to speake vnto him and maketh her prayer adoring his greatnes admyring his wisedome magnifying his bounty casting her selfe into the armes of his holy prouidence declaring her infirmityes offering her abilityes her vowes teares sighes and desires and al that she hath demanding what she hath not perfect humility fortitude patience charity and other vertues and finally drowning her selfe in praying to this supreme Deity as before she did in meditating Contemplation is a regard of the eyes of the soule fastened attentiuely vpon some obiect DefinitioÌ„ of Contemplation as if after hauing meditated of the creation she should set her eye of her vnderstanding fast and fixed vpon the greatnes of God vpon the beauty of the Heauens or hauing discoursed of the passioÌ„ of our Sauiour she behouldeth him present seeth him crucifyed and without any other discourse perseuereth constantly in this spectacle Then the soule doth contemplate vpon her meditation CoÌ„templation more theÌ„ Meditation so that contemplation is more then meditation and as it were the end thereof and it groweth and springeth vpon it many tymes as the braunch doth vpon the body of the tree or the flowre vpon the branch For the vnderstanding hauing attentiuely and with many reasons to and fro meditated the mystery and gathered diuers lights togeather doth frame vnto her self a cleere knowledge wherof without further discourse one way or other she enioyeth as I may say a vision which approcheth to the knowledge of Angells who vnderstand without discourse although it may so happen The knowledge of Angels that the deuout soule may enter into contemplatioÌ„ without any meditation going before according as the diuine wisedome shall affoard her inward obiects after the manner of visions as it did often to the Prophets and his most familiar friends and seruants or els where the party himselfe doth choose some one where he feeleth greatest gust and there stayeth without stirring It may happen also that meditation may follow contemplation as if one hauing attentiuely beheld an obiect doth thereof afterward ground some discourse as Moyses did Exod. 3.3 when hauing seene the visioÌ„ of the burning Bush he approched discoursing why it consumed not Heereof we learne the difference betwixt these two actions The difference between contemplation meditation for meditation is lesse cleere lesse sweet and more painefull then conteÌ„plation it is as the reading of a booke which must be done sentence after sentence but contemplation is like casting the eyes vpon a picture discerning all at once Meditation is like eating Contemplation like drinking a worke more sweet cooling and more delicate lesse labour and more pleasure then eating is For he that meditateth taketh an antecedent doth behould weigh and consider it as it were shewing the meate with some paine and afterward doth gather conclusioÌ„s one after another as it were swallowing downe of morsells and taketh his pleasure by peeces but he that contemplateth receaueth his obiect without paine swiftly and as it were altogeather as if he tooke a draught of some delicate wine such is Meditation and such is Contemplation All prayer therefore and all eleuation of the spirit for to carry it selfe with a strong and swift flight before the throne of the diuine Maiesty must be carryed by them or by the
to our profit and of his whole holy Church Suscip â—â— Dominus ho. sacriâ—cium c. After he shall offer vp his soule and body with all that he hath in holocaust to this soueraigne Maiesty who hath beene so liberall and so gentle to vs as to giue himselfe after so many fashions and to familiarize himselfe in this action Per â—mâ—â—aâ— sâ—â—ula â—e 〈◊〉 Dominus â—oâ—â—â—â—m Suâ—â— coâ—â—â— with so amiable a presence and so straite an amity When the Priest pronounceth the foure precedent clauses of the Preface he shall answere therto with hart and mouth and withall his might shall excite his fayth and loue towardes God especially at these words Sursum corda Our harts on high what is myne Come O my Lord and enter into the house of thy poore seruant to strengthen it to beautify it to make it pure with thy purity and beautifull with beauty capable of thy blessings enriched with 〈◊〉 â—races and happy with thy present goodnes Amen After he shal receaue the body of our Lord at the handes of the Priest withall the humility that a poore seruant can bring receauing into his house the Maiesty of his God and if any foolish conceit happen to fall into his fancy such as the Diuell often vseth at that tyme to cast into the bosome of the deuout soule to breake and disgust the tast of his deuotion he shall contemne it and make no reckoning thereof but shall passe on sticking to the MeditatioÌ„ of the B. Sacrament which he commeth to receaue In the last part of the Masse which is all that followeth after the Communion consisting in nothing but prayers and thankesgiuing he shall thanke God and say the prayer following A prayer after receauing CHAP. X. IMMORTAL thankes be vnto thee for thy fauour O my Creatour Redeemer thanks for this heauenly food this virginall flesh this deified body for this precious purifying quickening and deifying Bloud In this banquet O my Lord I behould the meruailes of thy almighty power of thy infinite goodnes and wisedome and acknowledge that to be true which thy Prophet did sing long since Psal 110. Our Lord hath made a memoriall of his wonderous workes he hath prepared food for those that feare him O my soule now fill thy selfe seeing that hauing taken this food thou hast within thee him that filleth all satisfy thy selfe on this meat which giueth glory life euerlasting O my senses heere be you astonished you my eyes see nothing but the whitenes roundnes of the bred thou my tongue feelest only the tast of a fraile elemeÌ„â— and thou my vnderstanding canst not with the wings of thy discourse ascend to the height and knowledge of this mystical banquet It is true but be not therefore sory O my senses for such a noble dish must be serued to a more noble taste the tast of the soule not to the palate of the body as other earthly meates are taken indeed by the body but chewed and tasted by the spirit considered by the eyes of faith and consumed and digested by the fire of heauenly charity not by the heat of our body or mortall stomacke But you are not here left without your part also for this flesh that seedeth the soule giueth also immortality to the body and will bring you to the immortal glory in the general resurrection of al mankind O flesh immortall O flesh virginall O flesh diuine O fruitfull virgin O most pure Mother who hast seasoned this flesh and bread for vs blessed be thou and blessed be the fruit of thy wombe for euer and euer Procure O Virgin by thy intercession that it may conserue me in the loue of thy SoÌ„ne in the purity of thy grace and nourish me vnto life euerlasting Amen Masse being done and his prayers said he shal retourne to his Inne to his refection How to heare a Sermon CHAP. XI BECAVSE the hearing of the word of God after Masse is one of the most common important actions of Christians and wherein diuers errours are committed which depriue the soule of the fruit it might receaue thereby the pilgrime that will profit The art of hearing is as necessary as the art of speaking wel and get saluation by his deuotion must needes be instructed in this exercise and know as well how to vse his eares as the Preacher his tongue The common sort thinke it sufficient that the Preacher can speake well and mount vp to a pulpit or chaire furnished with goodly stuffe thence to sell his words to the eares of hearers but it is not so for reason doth tell vs that the art of hearing is as necessary as the art of speaking our Sauiour the true wisedome doth teach vs that the greatest part of the hearers of his word loose their tyme for want of this art and preparation For of foure sortes he assigneth he signifyeth Matth. 1â— that three reape no profit thereof The word of God is the meat and medicine of the soule as the body if it be ill prepared insteed of being nourished by its materiall meat The word of God the medicine of the soule or helped by the potion it receaueth into the stomack were it the most exquisite in the world waxeth worse and ingendreth crudities and dyeth by the medicine in like sort he getteth little good by the sermon who heareth it without due preparation and the Aphorisme of that great Physician Hippocrates The more we nourish the body ill affected the more we hurt it is found most true by similitude in the soule for the more that an impure and indisposed soule is preached vnto Why the Pharisies waxed worse by our Sauiours sermons the more it becometh ouercharged and weake And therefore the Scribes and Pha isies waxed worse by hearing the sermons of our Sauiour And that which Aristotle wrote that young men that is such as suffer themselues to be câ—ryed away with the heat of their sensuality and passion are not proper schollers for the schoole of Philosophy may b tter be verified of Chri tians ill disposed and prepâ—red to heare good instructions that they are not capable to heare the word of God How it importe h to be prepared for the word of God Contrarywise a good and due preparation reapeth an vnspeakable fruit euen from a meane Pre cher and we haue knowne sometimes hearers well disposed to haue vndertaken notable resolutions of pennance and vertue by one word yea by some one gesture of him that spake who at other tymes without that disposition haue beene hardened and obstinate to the amplifications and forces of the most fine and rare eloquence One sparke of fire is sufficient to kindle a whole barrell of powder but a great cole is not sufficient to heat a peece of Brasse The word of God is the electuary of the soule This therefore is a most necessary knowledge to heare well the word of God the word of
honour the estate of virginity and mariage and therin to figure and represent the condition of the Church which being a virgin is notwithstanding marryed to Iesus Christ and remayning a virgin doth bring forth children by Baptisme The 3. first causes concerne the person of our Sauiour the fourth and fifth his Mother and the other the Church and altogeather the honour of God and his Mother and our good and saluation The Espousals being done the Virgin remayned in Nazareth in her Fathers house Philo Iud. de special legib which espousalls were as fast of as great force a the mariage it self so that if the espoused should commit any fault in the house of her Father she should be stoned as an Adulteresse who had broken her fayth in her husbands owne house In the same house the B. Virgin was saluted by the Angell and there dwelt with Ioseph after the death of Ioachim and Anne and not in the house of Ioseph which by likelihood was at Bethleem wherof the Scripture giueth no reason but only that by silence it signifyeth that these espousals were of another quality then others were and that she was alwayes a virgin as those that remayne alwayes in the house of their Fathers and go not to the house of their husband to celebrare the marriage as other marryed folkes do who must loose their virginity The Pilgrime shal marke all this thereby to prayse the diuine Maiesty and to giue him thankes ending in this speach O heauenly marriage The mariage of Adam Abraham Isaac Iacob Tobie and worke worthy of the soueraigne Wisedome a marriage all spirituall and diuine hauing nothing carnall or earthly in it a marriage that did beâ—re the beauty of all the goodliest alliances of the world doth exceed them in honour as farre as the heauens in largenes exceed the earth The marriage of Adam and Eue made and blessed by the hand of God himselfe the mariage of Sara with Abraham of Rebeca with Isaac of Rachel with Iacob of Sara with Tobie All these mariages were nothing in comparison of this and the most worthy of them were honourable in this respect that they gaue seed and beginning to these two maried folkes of this husband and this wife children of Abraham Isaac and Iacob and of twenty other Kinges their ancestours in the house of Iuda married to God by an excellent band of Fayth Charity and inuiolable Virginity O noble paire O noble husband Psal 44.10 and more noble wife and verily the daughter of the great King clothed in gold and adorned with the richest iewells that euer came out of his cabinet O worthy mariage of this couple A mariage most worthy to be honoured with the most glorious fruit that euer woman bare Spirituall mariages O daughter of Sion O Christian daughters learne thus to marry your selues to marry your selues to God to giue him your body and soule feare not either the priuation of that pleasure which passeth like a dreame nor yet the barrennes of your body for your pleasures you shall haue the delightes of earth and heauen and for the children of your body a thousand goodly workes that shall accompany you aboue as an honourable and immortall posterity and a thousand crownes of glory insteed of the children you might haue had but if you be marryed already after the fashion of these holy Dames let it be to the same end for posterity not for pleasure and alwayes with the honour of christian chastity and coniugall fidelity O soueraigne Lord authour of these virginall marriages be thou alwayes praysed in them as in all thy workes O Virgin obtaine for me that spirit that made thee so to marry and thou holy Ioseph a heauenly branch of the house of Dauid giuen for solace and succour to this diuine Virgin solace vs with thy prayers succour vs with thy help that we may follow thy fayth and word and may be made partaker of that reward and recompence which thou hast receaued in heauen This shall be the Pilgrimes meditation in the morning after which he shall heare Masse and doe his accustomed deuotions vntill Noone when he shall take his repast The After-dinner and euening of the six and twentith Day Of the rare vertues of S. Ioseph CHAP. XXI IN the afternoone he shall follow his former exercises only the subiect of the meditation changed which he shall vary according to the diuersity of the thinges he did meditate in the morning Hauing heard Euensong he shall employ some tyme to read or meditate the vertues of S. Ioseph The vertues of Ioseph which without doubt were rare and worthy of a man chosen to be the spouse of the greatest Lady of the world before God and the foster-father of the sonne of God himselfe His innocency his fayth his hope his charity obedience magnanimity prudence humility and other royall vertues appeared in his actions performed in matters most difficult to belieue and most hard to execute Why he is called Iust which may easily be verified by some examples First when it was first perceaued that the Virgin had conceaued not knowing either the cause or the mystery he shewed himselfe a perfect wise man when on the one side he deliberated to dwell no more with her not to consent in his conscience to any suspicion of dishonesty and on the other side he would not defame nor rayse scandall without cause about her reputation Matth. 1 19. for the which cause he is called Iust by the Euangelist by a name that comprehendeth al the qualityes of a holy soule SecoÌ„dly he shewed his fayth and vertue when without contradiction he belieued the words of the Angell aduertising him that his wiues being Great was a worke of the Holy Ghost and obeyed him with promptitude and humility taking againe his Spouse at that instant louing reuerencing her more then euer seeing she was chosen to be the mother of such a child so much the more assisting her with loue and solid respect His respect to the B. V. by how much it was founded more in the soule then in the body more in the beauty of the spirit then in the fairenes of the face and if holy Elizabeth was thought to haue so much reuerenced the Virgin for hauing by sweet inspiration vnderstood that she was the mother of God how great may we thinke was the reuerence that Ioseph did beare her in this respect being informed by so cleare testimonyes and oracles of this truth of her vertues hauing also experience thereof by dayly and domesticall conuersation What care besides what diligence what patience what prudence His prudence must he needes haue shewed in conducting this Virgin from one Country to another flying the persecution and fury of Herod the Tyrant Dwelling so long in Aegypt a strange Country Alwayes firme in fayth and Charity Surely the holy Doctours could not tell with what wordes to expresse his
vow of Pilgrime go to our Lady of Loreto euen when the Turkes were ready crying to lay their hands vpon their barke They had no sooner pronounced their vow but streight behold a sodaine furious tempest arose which scattered the vessels and separared them one farre from another and so disordered the Pursuers that they were forced to seeke rather some shore to saue themselues then to take the ship they followed These three that had thus fled did see the other terribly tossed by the waues caried sometimes hither and sometimes thither sometimes aloft sometimes below whome they knew by their turbants which made them be seene a farre of Themselues in the meane time held on their course as in the calme Sea driuen with a fauourable wynd blowing in the poope which did comfort them with a sweet admiration seing in such contrariety of wether of tempest and of calme in the same time almost in the same place that it was the stroke not of the Sea but of heauen an euident testimony of the fauour of God towards them They sailed happily vntil they arriued at the port of Catara from thence went to Loreto where cleansed from their sinnes by the Sacrament of PenaÌ„ce and made partakers of the Table of our Sauiour they rendered immortal thankes to God and the B. Virgin by whose intercession they were deliuered from a double danger of boÌ„dage and of death A French man of Prouence deliuered The second history is of one of our Nation a French man of the CouÌ„try of Prouence who hauing had newes of the death of his Father at Constantinople whilst he followed the Embassador of France being before Almener to the Duke of Mercury returned in a common vessell and as he came to the I le of Zant he saw himselfe enuironed with 4. Frigots of the Turkes who approched swiftly vnto his shippe prepared themselues to the prey both of men merchandize which they hoped to find This good Gentleman seeing his danger so desperat recommended himselfe hartily to our B. Lady of Loreto as also did all his company at the same instant almost they found themselues brought vnto a hauen of Calabria without knowing which way they came thither nor yet what was become of the Pirats They came immediatsly to Loreto to yield thankes to God and the glorious virgin and told their good fortune to one who told it me againe not long since I doubt not but you haue heard of the first miracle for it is one of the most ancient and recorded in the histories of Loreto perhaps also of the second but you haue forced me to tell what you knew before and brought me in danger to be importune were it not that as I persuade my selfe you do willingly heare repeated the miracles which concerne the praise of our good Lady not only without wearines but also with delight My good father answered Lazarus I learned alwayes haue now learned by this your narration what I knew not for of the later miracle I neuer heard before the other you haue represented with a greater Emphasis and force then I had heard it hitherto And I haue taken a singular pleasure in your discourse do confesse by all these great miracles more clearely then euer that with good right and reason the Church calleth the B. Virgin The Starre of the Sea for by her intercession The B.V. the starre of the Sea as by the aspect of an heauenly starre not only are defended those that saile the Seas but are deliuered also from many great dangers which commonly the stars do not performe The good old man would willingly haue entertayned Lazarus longer to heare him discourse for he did perceiue vnder the habit of a Pilgrime some thing generous extraordinary in him but thinking he was weary that it was late he durst not aske him any more demandes and therefore hauing caused their collation to be brought he conducted them both to a little chamber where were prepared two beds and a little Oratory to pray in some of the houshold came to wash their feet after the custome of Christian hostes but Lazarus thanked them harrily aledging for his excuse that it would mâ—ke their feet tender more easy to blister and take hurt and so euery one retired themselues The host caused according to his custome the Letanies to be sayd to all his houshold Lazarus said them with Vincent which being done they coÌ„ferred togeather about the subiect of their meditation for the morning following which was of little Iesus when his mother lost him found him againe in the Temple The points were these 1. The going of the B. Virgin and holy Ioseph with little Iesus to the Temple 2. The seeking enquiry they made when he was lost 3. How they found him in Hierusalem and brought him to Nazareth These points being noted in their memory either of them made their examen of conscience praiers for the Euening The practise of the examen of confessâ—â—e The examen of Lazarus was such after he had sayd the Credo My God enlighteÌ„ my soule to see thy benefits I thaÌ„ke thee for the assistance I haue had of thy liberality and specially this day by the meanes of this good housholder thy seruant who hath receaued vs into his house Enlighten me also if it please thee that I may see my faultes and amend them by thy grace I confesse O my soule that in my morning meditation I did not present my selfe before thy diuine Maiesty with that reuereÌ„ce I ought nor made my prayer with due attention and that by my only fault for I did not well prepare my selfe according to the rules of deuotion as neither to my examen in the morning and after dinner I haue wandered in my senses and thoughts my phantasy hath often carryed me out of my selfe I haue twice or thrice loosed the reines to my proper will with some vaine delight complacence and to foolish impressions in my imagination opened my eyes to a carelesse and curious beholding of thy creatures my eares to curiosity and my tongue to many idle words I confesse these sinnes and belieue I haue committed many more which I know not and who is he that knoweth his secret sinnes I confesse them all O Father of mercy humbly demand pardon of them with a firme purpose to amend them by the assistance of thy holy spirit Giue it if it please thee O Lord to me and to all of this house and graunt that we may passe this night without offending thee without illusion of him who day and night lyeth in watch to defile our body and spirit and whilest our body sleepeth taking its rest Cant. 5 2. that our haâ—t may wake in the light of thy grace Glorious Virgin assist vs and thou my good Angell-keeper This was the tenour of his Examen for the conclusion he sayd the Credo the Pater noster
and Aue Mari◠and cast himselfe vpon his bed in his cloathes as his custome was Vincent did the like and being weary of their way they fell a sleep straight About midnight Lazarus had a dreame which frighted him for hee seemed to see Theodosius his companion present himselfe before him Lazarus his dreame all disfigured with a face pale blacke desiring him to call for the ayde and help of the B. Virgin for him for that he was brought to a pittifull estate and extreame danger both of body and soule he leaped off his bed and asked Vincent if any body had beene in their chamber Vincent answered that he thought no body and knew well it was the violence of some vision whereof he would question no further at that tyme but wished him to go to bed againe and not trouble himselfe with dreames and that he himselfe had dreamed also he could not tell what and so they slept againe Lazarus sayd not one word more vnto him but prayed God in his hart in this sort O my sweet Iesus Lazarus his prayer I haue been depriued of the company of my little Brother who I hope is now with thee thou gauest me him as a faythfull companion of my Pilgrimage him whose image was presented vnto me this night thou knowest if he be in that distresse my dreame told me help him according to thy fauourable prouidence wherwith thou assistest thy children and seruants Content thy selfe if it please thee with taking one and forbeare this other for a while aboue all keep him from offending thee or committing any thing against thy holy Law conserue in him the will which thou didst giue him to serue thee alwayes with an entire and perfect hart and if that which was represented to myne imagination were only a dreame and not a presage of some misfortune and if my companion be not in that danger I feare I know notwithstāding that in what estate soeuer he standeth he taketh care of me as I doe of him do vs the fauour once againe to see ech other And thou glorious Virgin help thy deuote if he be tossed on the Sea by any furious tempest thou art the Starre of the Sea reach him thy helping hand if he be in danger of Theeues thou hast deliuered many deliuer him also that we may togeather alwayes sing this thy fauour among thousands of others we haue receaued of thee Hauing thus prayed he slept vntill three of the clocke when the day began to breake and the Cockes to crow Then he arose and awaked Vincent to make their prayer who was quikly ready The two and thirtith Day and the second of his Returne A Meditation of the history of little Iesus lost and found amidst the Doctours in the Temple CHAP. V. LAZARVS began his Meditation in this manner 〈◊〉 2.42 I presume to present my selfe at the feet of thy Maiesty hauing confidence in thy infinit Clemency which vouchsafeth to harken to the prayers of thy seruant It is to meditate the Pilgrimage of thine only Sonne my Redeemer when being twelue yeares old according to his humanity he wēt from Nazareth to Hierusalem to celebrate the feast which thou didst command thy people to obserue euery yeare He hid himselfe from his mother three dayes and at the end of the third day he was found againe in the Temple among the Doctours hearing and demanding Heere is presented to the eyes of my vnderstanding thy deare and only Sonne that walked with his Mother a litle Pilgrime towards thy Temple where he was honoured with thee but was hidden in the cloud of his humanity and was not seene but to those to whome thou hadst giuen the eyes of fayth He went thither on foot and grew in labour as he did in yeares when he fled into Aegypt he was carryed in the armes of his deare Mother now he is carryed vpon his owne feet with more paine O Lord make thy light shine vpon the eyes of my soule that I may see the points of this mystery and to thy glory reape profit therby By expresse Law it was commanded to all the Iewes to go offer sacrifice at Hierusalem where the Temple was Thrice yeare mē went to Hierusalem thrice in the yeare at Easter Pentecost and the feast of Tabernacles The women were left at liberty whether they would go or no by reason of the inconueniency of their sexe yet the deuout did willingly vndertake the paine choosing rather to vse their deuotion Exod. 34.23 then their Priuiledge The B. Virgin then watchfull of all occasions to doe well went to Hierusalem as alwayes in the company of women leading her little sonne with her Ioseph with men went another way Take heere O my soule matter to condemne thine owne coldnes and flouth and to stirre thy selfe vp to thy duty thou seest Ioseph came from farre to adore God in his Temple how often hast thou omitted it being hard by How often hast thou omitted to heare Masse when thou wert bound to be present Or hast thou at least adored and serued God in the Temple of thy body Our body the Temple of the holy Ghost the Temple of his holy spirit which thou carryest alwayes about thee The B. Virgin taketh her iourney choosing rather to haue merit with paine then to vse her priuiledge for ease and how often hast thou better liked of exemption then of merit How many tymes hast thou beene glader of some occasion or let that hindred thee 1. Cor. 3. 6. 2. Cor. 6. to watch fast or to performe some other worke of piety then to be constrained to do thy diligence and walke with others to the seruice of God Iesus goeth with his mother his mother with him Iesus and Mary fit company and who should rather walke with the Virgin of virgins then purity it selfe and who rather with Iesus then the Virgin of Virgins O heauenly company O little Pilgrime O way of my soule and the goale guerdō of my Pilgrimage Graunt that I may be Pilgrime with thee and with thee and thy holy Mother walke in this exile to enter in your companie into the Temple of the celestiall Hierusalem But heere behould a meruailous accident Luc. 2.45 Iesus is gone from Mary Mary hath lost Iesus Iesus without the knowledge of his Father or mother Our Lady seeketh Iesus remayned behind in Hierusalē but without disobedience for himselfe was maister might dispose of himselfe at his pleasure and that he was subiect or obedient to any creature it was humility and not duty Mary and Ioseph returning from Hierusalem to Nazareth walked without him the first day thinking he returned with his Vncles or kinsefolkes another way as often it happened thinking to meet him againe at night But Iesus appealed not and Mary was amazed and not without reason for though there were no fault in her and that the will of her Sauiour was the only
And saying this with teares he fell on the necke of Lazarus who also wept tenderly And soone came Pauline and being iofull of this loâ—ing leaue which he saw was granted to his brother and full of hope to obtaine as much for himselfe with the like or more facility cast himselfe at his Fathers feete who was set in his closet sad pensiue desiring to haue his blessing so long desired But behold nature and some contrary and aduerse spirite helping her played her part to trouble the peace of the father and to crosse the designement of the Sonne for as the good old maÌ„ saw himselfe at the point to be depriued of the dearest of all his children pierced with the griefe of the losse and loosing the memory of his former resolution and of all he had sayd a little before to Lazarus he sodainly changed his loue into fury being traÌ„sported with anger as a Lionesse in the losse of her litle ones Well then Pauline quoth he thou wilâ— also abandon and forsake me after thy brother and insteed of succouring my solitude thou preparest to leaue my house destitute and desolate and hereto thou demaundest my blessing Tell me thou vnnaturall child and cruell Impe haue I brought thee into this world and nourished thee so fatherly to be forsaken by thee without piety at the brinke of my graue Haue I fashioned and cherished thy youth with all sorts of fauours benefits to reape in my old age these fruits of anguishe of thy vngratefull ground Doth God command thee to be forgetfull disobedient or cruell to him that begat thee To be his death after thou hast receiued of him thy being and all the good that a child could receiue of a good father But with what face wilt thou present thy offering to God after thou hast left thy father loaden with the burden of a thousand troubles torments endured for thee and wounded with a hartbreake and with a deadly stroke by thy murtherous hands God commaundeth to loue thyne enemies and thou wilt kill thy father and darest thou appeare before the holy Altar of the supreme Iustice soiled with so great a sinne And if thou wilt serue God as a perfect seruant who letteth thee to performe it in the house of thy father whome God commaundeth thee to serue and honour Of thy Father I say who hath alwayes giuen thee by his works and wordes good testimony that he caryeth the feare of God in his hart and loueth vertue and is pleased to see his children perfect in all piety Thinkest thou that there is neuer a good man in the world nor any worthy of thy company Is there no place in heauen but onely for Religious Or may we not liue a perfect life among men without leauing the company and conuersation of men After these periods and clauses shot like sharp and pointed arrowes he paused a while and as if all his choler had beene spent and disgorged yet Nature forced him to apply for a second assault and battery the force of a contrary passion He tooke the language of loue stroaking and imbracing whome he would not anger but winne and resuming his speach O sayth he my well beloued Pauline O my life and my comfort haue compâ—ssion of me thy desolate Father behold these white hayres these hollow eyes these teares hasten not my end lyue yet a while with me and if thou desirest my death thou shalt see it shortly it draweth on apace with the roll of my yeares and infirmities and knocketh already at the doore of all my senses assigning me ouer to my sepulcher Stay a litle that I may giue thee my last benediction in peace and that thou maist take it without offence expect tary till I be put in my graue and then thou maist go which way thou wilt heere he held his peace being stopped with the violence of his sighings and aboundance of teares which trickled downe his cheekes great and feruent and held the head of Pauline fast in his haÌ„ds vpon his knees a man might see in his face inflamed and his body shaking the conflict of an extreme passion that ruled in his soule Pauline was at this anger and commotion of his Father more astonished then offended for he easily perceiued that it was not of any euill will but that the subtilty of the wicked spirit had surprised the good old man by an ambushment layd behind the wals of Nature and fatherly affection and had of him great compassion and with a calme countenance sayd vnto him My most honourable Father if I had thought that my demaund would haue offended you I protest that I would neuer haue made it neither except I had long before perceiued by euideÌ„t signes that my vocation had beene full pleasing vnto you dared I to haue opened my mouth to discouer it And now Syr let not God suffer me to grieue honorable old age which I haue alwais respected as becometh a maÌ„ of honour althogh otherwise it had not touched or concerned me any thing at all nor so farre to forget my selfe eyther of your immortall benefit or of the duty of a true Sonne nor to foule my soule with the vice of such ingratitude contemning your commaÌ„dement which I am bound to obey with a thousand merits and a thousand titles of loue My most deere Lord Father be you in rest I will stay as long as it shall please you and will serue you in your house and will account my self much honoured to liue in your company and vnder your obedience and do verily belieue that God will weâ—l accept this duty done for his loue according to the directioÌ„ of his lawes And if it please you I will also do my best to perswade my brother Aime-Dieu to stay his voiage also to dwell with you and to employ himselfe with me to your contentment and comfort At these words vttered with so great simplicity of hart countenance of a child the good old Syr was in that instant pacifyed and his heat asswaged and it seemed that the speach of Pauline entring at his eares had also mollifyed and transformed his hart as it were with some sweet drinke of heauenly liquour and therefore taking againe his spirits of loue and prudence returning in a sort to himself O my God sayth he where am I And into what errours hath the iniquity of my soule transported me O mercifulâ— Father haue mercy on me and haue not regard to my folly and rashnes in speach O my well beloued Pauline I know well thy obedience and piety towards me thou hast vndertaken nothing but by the inspiration of God with my good will and lyking thou didst long since aduertise me of this desire O soueraigne God pardon me and do thy pleasure with my Sonne or rather with thine owne for thine he is and not myne Pardon me my Sonne and excuse my infirmity this was an excursioÌ„ of a child of Adam that old
we see that all Palestine in generall is called the Holy Land because it was inhabited and haunted by Abraham Isaac Iacob and other holy Patriarches but principally because the Sauiour of the world being made man there conuersed with men and hath sanctifyed it by his pilgrimages therein after him the Apostles and other the chiefe and first ornaments lights of the primitiue Church In particuler we read of diuers places inhabited by Saints to haue beene in great honour reuerence Places holy by the habitation of Saints as among others was that Denne in the desert where S. Iohn Baptist dwelt froÌ„ his childhood vntill he came forth to preach pennance testify Iesus Christ Also Bethania the house of Mary Magdalen and Martha neere vnto Hierusalem Io. 11.18 where our Sauiour raysed their brother Lazarus from death at which place S. Hierome sayth was built a Church for christians All Aegypt and Syria Hier. de locu sacru was heeretofore full of places sanctifyed in this sort as there be also many such yet amongst Christians But if euer place were priuiledged in this respect it is this Chamber of the B. Virgin for it hath receaued and entertayned for guests and inhabitants the noblest persons of Heauen and earth Nicâ—ph l. 〈…〉 First the B. Virgin was there borne and brought vp vntill the third yeare of her age when she was presented in the Temple of Hierusalem where hauing remained eleauen yeares or therabout she returned to Nazareth remayned there almost vntill the death of our Sauiour Iesus Christ the holy of holyes dwelt there after his returne out of Aegypt about the seauenth yeare of his age 〈◊〉 9 5â— vntill the thirtenth yeare when he began to manifest himselfe to the world and not to haue as he sayd to those that desired to follow him any house of his owne wherein to rest his head I speake not of S. Ioachim S. Anne Luc. 9.58 S. Ioseph that dwelt there also neither of S. Zachary S. Elizabeth S. Iohn the Apostles and Disciples of our sauiour and all those worthy lights of the Law The Saints who dwelt in the house of the B. Virgin and the Ghospel both before the death of our Sauiour and after who were all often there It is inough of these two starres Iesus Christ I meane and his glorious Mother and especially of the one of them not only to exalt the dignity of this little house aboue the greatnes of all royall pallaces that euer were but also aboue the maiesty of Salomons Temple and aboue the sanctity of all the holy places held in veneration all the tyme of the Law of Nature and of Moyses inough to make this house to be truly called an heauenly Pallace or a terrestriall Heauen where God and his heauenly and angelicall Court doth dwell For who can doubt but that the sacred Trinity was there daily present after a speciall and singular manner the Father and the Holy Ghost with the Sonne when this Sonne the selfe same essence with them cloathed with our Nature dwelt there corporally visible and continually And there being God in his Maiesty The court of heauen could the Angells Archangells Principalityes Powers Vertues Dominations Thrones Cherubims and Seraphims faile to be there in state and magnificall array to admire serue adore this supreme Deity this diuine Humanity O little House 9. orders of Angels O royal Pallacâ— O diuine lodging O sacred Cabinet O paradise not earthly as that of Adam but heauenly seeing thou hast entertayned within thee the God of maiesty the felicity and happines and most bright and glorious light of heauen How the house of Loreto is admirable for diuers diuine touchings CHAP. XVII OF this habitation whereof I speake ensueth another cause which doth greatly aduance the honour of this place in a thoâ—sand manners For since our Sauiour The fifth cause of touching his holy Mother and diuers other Saints dwelt there how often in this their dwelling lid they sanctâ—fy it by their comming and going by their breathing and looking by their holy talke communication by the spirit and fire of their prayers and by so many workes of Religion of piety of mercy and other actions of vertue which they did during their residence there How often hath the holy Humanity sighing for our miseries Iesus Christ honoured this House sanctifyed with his breath the walles of that chamber How many tymes walking and working therein hath he hallowed it with his steppes of Obedience How often longing sighing after our RedeÌ„ption hath he honoured this house by there laying vp his sighes and desires How often hath the glorious Virgin his Mother made this place honourable by the offices and seruices of Charity of deuotion of piety of teares other signes and markes of sanctity Chaines sanctifyed And if by the only touch of the Apostles or Martyrs bodyes bandes and iron chaines haue become more noble then the Crownes Scepters of Kings and haue receaued power and vertue to expell wicked spirits to heale innumerable diseases and to raise the dead what glory and satisfaction shall we thinke that this little ChaÌ„ber hath receaued so often honoured with the conuersation of these most holy guests Which hath beene so familiarly visited and haunted by the presence of such noble bodyes Which hath beene so cleerly enlightned by the beams of these diuine stars And if the Crosse The Crosse which was the bed of our Sauiours last ill rest and torment if the launce which pierced his side if the sponge which reached him Vinegar to drinke if the thornes that crowned his head if the nailes that pierceâ— his handes feet if the other instruments of his paine and Passion if the Sepulcher that lodged his body if so many places as this body touched were made diuine by a short touch and as it were in passin g who will doubt but that ground of this holy house troden on by the feet of this Lord and Lady ayred witâ— their breath touched with their handes for so many yeare hath beene thereby singularly sanctifyed What place therforâ— in the earth what habitation in the whole world is more noble and honourable by this title then that of Loreto Places famous for some great or mysticall effects and that heerein Loreto is more admirable then them all CHAP. XVIII The sixth cause of mystery THE holy Scripture as also profane Histories do reporâ— vnto vs diuers places that are made memoraâ— by thâ— sixt cause that is by some high and secret worke by some action of rare vertue some sacrifice some battaile some victory some sacrament or some other thing verily diuine or sâ— accounted The old Testament recoÌ„mendeth vnto vs the mouÌ„taine Moria made noble by the obedience of Abraham Gen. 22.2 when hâ— layd his sonne Isaac vpon the Altar to sacrifice him The mouÌ„â— Thabor was made famous by the noble victory of
Debora Iud 4.13 The valley of Terebinthus where Dauid a child fighting the field for the hoast of the Lord of hoastes 1. Reg. 17 caused the great Giant Goliath to kisse the ground and cut off his head with his owne sword getting the victory which was a notable figure of our redemption Places sanctifyed in the law of Grace The new testament doth also affoard vs many places famous in this fashion The desert wherein S. Iohn who waâ— sanctifyed in his mothers wombe passed all his youth in austerity of seuere pennance instructing sinners to purge themselues and those that were good to perfect themselues The other desert where our Sauiour fasted fourty dayes fourty nights Matth. 4. and repelled the Diuell his tempter with confusion that where he filled fiue thousand men with fiue loaues two Fishes Ioan. 6. The mountaine of Thabor where he shewed the glory of his body transfigurated to Moyses Matth. 17 Elias and his three Apostles and the other where he made that worthy sermon coÌ„tayning the eight Beatitudes most of them Paradoxes to the wisedome of the foolish world The mount of Caluary The mountaine of Caluary where fighting in the field of his Crosse he ouercame the truâ— Goliath and his troupes giuing him a deadly blow in his forehead with the weapons and stones of his death and humility The parlour of the Eucharist The house wherein he changed water into wine also where he made his last supper with the Paschall Lambe substituting for it the true Lambe in the institution of the Sacrament of his body That where he powred downe that heauenly loue of the Holy Ghost in forme of fiery tongues Of the Holy Ghost and a thousand places more illustrated with some worke of the almighty power wisedome or goodnes Profane writings also haue their places famous in this respect their mountaines of Olympus Parnassus Ossa Pelion and such other bearing the memory of some worke of their pretended Goddes or of some great man in their Law their Lake of Lerna where Hercules killed Hydra dreadfull to the whole countrey of the Argians Strabo 〈◊〉 8. Their denne of Salamine where Euripides wrot his Tragedie and other places which I omit not to be too long in laying forth a verity for the which the testimony of Gentils are too commoÌ„ and too often giuen in their bookes full of recommendation of such like places But when we shall haue reckoned vp by name the most renowned places of all the world as well out of profane Writers as out of the sacred Scriptures the Chamber of Loreto exceedeth them all in this condition The chaÌ„ber of Loreto more famous in such mysteries in hauing been the closet where the marriage of the Sonne of God with our humane Nature was celebrated in the B. Virgins womb the most high and mysterious worke that the holy Trinity maker of all thinges did euer accomplish for therein God was made man the Creator a creature the supreme cause an effect the Word flesh the spirit did take a body the first â—s become last and Alpha Omega the incomprehensible is enclosed in the wombe of a Virgin Eternity hath subiected it selfe to tyme the Almighty is become weake the soueraigne wisedome goeth to schoole to learne the souueraigne goodnes doth suffer and contrarywise on the other part Man was made God the Creature Creator flesh was made the word â—he body tooke a spirit the last was made first and Omega Alpha the little became incomprehensible tyme hath passed â—o eternity infirmity became almighty folly supreme wiseâ—ome mortality became to giue life and suffering felicity This is the mystery of mysteries the first foundation of all that the Christian fayth adoreth in the Church of God The IncarnatioÌ„ is the ground of al mysteries Christian feasts Natiuity Circumci ioÌ„ c. The fouÌ„dation of that of the Natiuity of the Circumcision of the Passion Resurrection Ascension of the sending of the Holy Ghost of all the feastes of Saints of the B. Virgin his mother his Apostles Martyrs Confessours and Virgins For the Son of God being once made man gaue ground and footing to all these solemnities and without it we had had none al were inclosed in the sacred bosome of this worke and mystery and can there be any thing greater or more admirable May the Creation of a thousand worlds be compared to the maiesty of this exploit And this diuine Chamber hauing beene the House and Closet wherein it was performed doth it not coÌ„prise in it selfe the very maiesty of all the remarkable thinges and places of the old Testament all which did figure and had relation to this Incarnation Hath it not more honour in it then if it had beene a Temple with a thousand altars or an altar or a thousand sacrifices More then the mountaines of Moria Thabor Then the valley of Terebinthus of S. Iohns desert Or finally then all the places in the world honoured with any token or signe of diuinity put togeather O little Chamber more capable at that tyme then the whole world enclosing with thy walles the Virgin that was great with him whome the largenes and capacity of the Heauens could not comprehend a Chamber more rich then all the Princely pallaces that euer ware contayning the endles treasure of felicity a chamber more cleere and bright then the day hauing in thy bosome the glorious morning and true Sunne Thrice honourable for this mystery alone The chaÌ„ber of the B. Virgin the first chappell of Christians and thrice honourable also for hauing beene the first of all earthly houses erected and dedicated for a Christian Temple by the Apostles where the body of the same Sonne of God was as it is still offered in an vnbloudy sacrifice and Masse was celebrated after the descent of the holy Ghost in that happy infancy of the Church of God made therein a most worthy noble match to that parlour which entertayned our Sauiour when he instituted the sacrament and sacrifice of his B. Body before his Apostles the night before he was deliuered for vs more honourable in this respect then the Temple of Salomon which contained nothing but Altars where the bodyes of dead beastes were sacrificed The holy of holies or the saÌ„ctuary of the Temple whereas in this Chappell was also an Altar which caryed the oblation of the body of the sonne of God more worthy also by this honour then the place of the sayd Temple which is called Sancta Sanctorum Holy of Holyes for there was but the materiall arke of the Hebrews whereas this Chappell containeth in verity Iesus Christ the Holy of all Holyes That the House of Loreto is renowned by miracles CHAP. XIX THE seauenth cause that maketh a place venerable The 7. cause of miracles are miracles which either are done or haue beene done thereat which are most certaine testimonies of the presence of God there seeing
that such workes cannot proceed but from the handes of God or from such as he giueth power vnto only â—od authour of miraracles This hath made admirable an infinite number of the Tombes and sepulchers of Martyrs Confessors and Virgins infinite Temples dedicated to the honour of God in their name infinit Images hallowed in their remembrance as all doe know Temples that are not altogeather ignorant of the histories of Christians namely of the glorious Virgin in a thousand places of christendom Images as are for exaÌ„ple to choose the neerest to our knowledge in the Kingdome of France of our B. Lady of Clary of Charters of Puy of Vaultfleury of Grace of Ioy of Argilliers In Spaine Montserat Piemont Montdoni and diuers others where God hath done and doth still powre downe his benedictions by works proper to his omnipotency but in this holy House he hath wrought so many and so markable besides those I haue already spoken off that he seemeth to haue made choice thereof out of the whole word for a Theater there to shew the maiesty the power treasure and graces of his omnipotency wisedome and bounty There the bodyes and soules of mortall men haue not ceased since the first arriue thereof into Europe to receaue heauenly benefits in sicknes in health in warre in peace by land by sea against Diuells against men euery way and to all sortes of men whereof the histories do testify and namely that of Horatius Turselinus as also the people that see them with their eyes and thousands of images tables of deuotion which those that receaue benefits there do hang vpon the walls of the Temple which eÌ„closeth this Chapell for thankesgiuing and testimony of the bounty of God neither is it possible but that he who belieueth this in his hart should also conceaue in his soule a great respect and loue towardes the maiesty of God the chiefe giuer of so many guifts towardes the glorious Virgin Mary by whose intercession they are giuen vnto men Admirable conuersions of Loreto and he that belieueth them not maketh vs belieue that he is depriued not only of christian fayth but of humane faith also who will not yield to the depositioÌ„ of so many witnesses nor be persuaded by so many supernaturall workes so open and manifest vnto all And if there were no other miracles then the admirable conuersion of many great sinners which is there wrought euery yeare it were inough to testify the fauour and grace of God singularly preseÌ„t in that place Multitude of penitents there do sometymes in a weeke confesse 60000. Pilgrimes where an 100. Confessours if there be so many caÌ„not suffice to heare all that come and who can reckon al that come for this purpose in a whole yeare all that haue done penance since 300. yeares in visiting this place all that haue left their riches honours and commodityes togeather with their sinnes to consecrate themselues liuing sacrifices to God in a true holocaust and to passe the years of their mortall life vnder the straite obseruance of a religious law farre from the vanity of the lost world Are not these meruailes great inough to make the place meruailous And if heertofore diuers places haue beene admired for only one miracle done there what admiration deserueth this for hauing beene honoured with millions of meruailes Why God worketh more miracles in one place then in another CHAP. XX. BVT whence coÌ„meth it that God doth make such choice and difference of places and that in some he hath beene so liberall Aug. epist. 137. ad clerum pop Hyp. and specially in those of the mother of his Sonne and in this of Loreto aboue all the rest S. Augustine speaking of miracles which were done in certaine places dedicated to Martyrs and not in others toucheth this question and doth in a sort confesse that he cannot playnly decide the matter Who can search sayth he the secrets of God and know wherefore miracles are done in some places and not in others And hauing told how a certaine thiefe comming to Miln with inteÌ„tion to take a false Oath in the Church oâ— the Martyrs Geruasius and Protasius where the Diuells were terribly tormented and forced to tell what they would not Epist 137. was constrayned to confesse his fault to restore what he had stollen he addeth Is not Africa full of the bodyes of Martyrs and yet these things are not done there for as the Apostle sayth 1. Cor. 12 as euery Saint hath not the guift of healing nor euery one the guift of discerning spirits so he that distributeth to euery one their proper vertues would not that these thinges should be done at euery memory of Martyrs So that the only reason he assigneth for these priuiledges of diuers places is the will of the Creatour who maketh his miracles shine where he listeth and diuideth his guifts as he thinketh good So we see that according vnto his pleasure Nature is fertill and plentifull in one place of that she cannot bring forth in another and though there be natural causes therof yet they are for the most part vnknown to vs and we know nothing thereof but in generall It is God that hath so wrought or as the Naturalists doe say it is Nature that hath done it Palestine yieldeth Balme Arabia Incense India Rubarbe the Philippines and the neighbour Hands Spices Aeygpt the bird Ibis Peru the bird of Paradise Brasil Ibis enemy to Serpents the bird Toucan the lake of Bourget in Sauoy the fish Lauaret contrary Peru most fertill in a thousand rare plantes and trees cannot nourish diuers of ours The birds called Woodpeckers abound in many Countreyes yet they are not to be seene in the country of Tarento no more then Wolues in England in the I le of Rhodes we cannot find one ayrie of Egles nor in the territory of Fidena neere vnto Rome one Storkes neast Plin. â—lâ— 20. 29. nor one Storke within two leagues of the lake of Como in Italy Who hath giuen these priuiledges and boundes vnto Nature Who knoweth or can declare it It is not the diuersity of Heauen or earth for we see that diuers of these places we haue named diuers others which we might name be of the same scituation and climate which yet are very different in the production of thinges And contrarywise diuers of different country and climate to be a like either in wanting or abounding It is therfore the only will of God Particuler causes of the diuersity of effects in nature aboue nature which is the supreme cause of all this diuersity As therefore the Creatour who is the father of the family of this world and maister and dispenser of all therin hath made Nature the diuision of his guifts so hath he made certaine holy places more fertill and more honourable with his guifts and wonders because so it pleased him This is the general reason which
life to the pilgrimages of deuotion The spirituall habits of the Pilgrimes CHAP. II. GOING on his way after he hath sayd the prayers of trauailers admited blessed the diuine Maiesty at the behoulding of the Heauens the chiefe and principall worke of his handes he shall ruminate his morning meditation to draw thereout some new tast and deuotion For this is the force of prayer to giue alwayes new light according vnto the measure and manner that it is vsed To ruminate or chew the Cudde and the proper exercise of deuout persons is often to remember in their mindes what they haue once learned to the imitation of those Beasts who in the law of God are called cleane whose property is to chew the cudde and to take thereof new gust and new substance Cleane beastes Leu. 11.3 he shall gather then a new and consequently of that he hath meditated that the pilgrimage he maketh to Loreto and all others that men make vpon the earth are but figures and similitudes of the pilgrimage that all mortall men do make from their birth to their graue and comparing the figure to the truth he shall find the one most liuely expressed and represented in the other The likenes of the earthly pilgrime to the spiritual The true Pilgrime hath alwayes in his thought the place whither he tendeth he chooseth the shortest and surest way he goeth forward without any markable stay The Citties buildings paâ—laces fields gardens places of pleasure if he musâ— needes see them yet he seeth them only as in passing by them being alwaies attentiue to his end He endureth in towne field all the incommodities and dangers of men and beasts contempt iniury hunger thirst want heat cold haile snow sometyme lying vnder the house-roofe sometyme vnder the cope or canopy of heauen sometimes merry and wel disposed somtime againe weary crazed humble patient courteous wise and circumspect in all his actions He shall find all this point by point practised in the pilgrimage of mans life The spirituall Pilgrime by those that are well aduised pilgrimeâ— these walking vpon the earth haue heaueÌ„ in their hart whicâ— is the end of their mortal course they striue walke withouâ— rest towards vertue holding the directest surest way whicâ— is that which the Catholike Church our good and commoâ— Mother doth shew vs in her great Itinerarium of the lawes anâ— commandments of God The Itinerarium of the lawes of God they make no reckoning of worlâ—ly magnificence and take with an equall mynd prosperity aduersity If their affaires goe well forward they thanke thâ— diuine prouide are without pride if they suffer shipwrack they lift their hands to heauen blesse the same prouidence They are sober in aboundance abound in want they are humble in honours and magnanimous in the midst of disgraces Finally there is no accident in the variety of this changeable inconstant life wherof he reapeth not some profit towardeâ— eternity Our pilgrime shall marke all these similitudes to thâ— true pilgrimes and shal contemplate in the figure of his thâ— forme and tenour of the other and make his profit thereof He shall also allegorize all the parts of his furniture and appartell and shall attire his soule to the likenes of his body For his Hat he shall take the assistance of God his shooes shaâ— be the mortification of his affections Patience shall be 〈◊〉 mantle or lether cloake Ciuility shall be his coate or caâ—ssacke Chastity his girdle contemplatioÌ„ meditation shall his bag and bottle the loue of the Crosse his pilgrimes staffe Faith Charity and good workes shal be his purse and mony so shall he spiritually attire the inward man of the spirit to the imitation of the Apostle S. Paul who arming the Christian souldier giueth him his furniture framed of the stuffe of such like allegories and armes forged of the same mettal Ephes 6. The shield of Verity a breast-plate of Iustice shooes of the preparation to the Gospell the buckler of faith the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit of God In such exercises shall he passe the after noone talking to God and himselfe making his prayers and examen as before saluting the B. Virgin in her houres saying his beads singing some hymne proper for the tyme or some spirituall song drawn out of his meditation as this that followeth A Canticle of the Pilgrimage of this world O brightsome day which makes me cleere perceiue The state of this life mortall And in my soule for to conceiue A liuely expectance of th' eternall Heere I seeke in Pilgrimes weed The way that vnto heauen doth lead This path mâ—â—â— faire I walking winde By shaddow of my pilgrimage Wherein at euery steppe I find An heauenly draughâ— and image Of my fraile mortality Tending to Eternity O mortall men who tread the ground Of this false earth disastrous As though beneath were to be found The blisse of life delicious You mâ—cke your selues this world below No such pleasure can bestow The woods affoard no fish nor wine Nor from the Sea doth timber flow In this vaine world naught els in fine But thornes and fayned fruite doth grow Of fayned ioy vnfayned griefe The fruit of this our dying life This life we lead heere in exile All fraught with danger and deceyte Resembleth passengers by Landes hostile Seeking after Heauens retraite Such was Adam and such was Eue Whilst in earthly Paradise they liue Such was IESVS though God and Man Such was MARY his Mother deare Such were all Saints both now and than In this vale of woe and feare Teaching vs to seeke by hand The milke and hony flowing land Merily then let 's march apace Vnto this Blessed Virgins Hall There shall we see the Heauens Grace Inclosed in a Chappell small And learne to be of this mayde-wife Perfect Pilgrimes all our life At night he shall take vp his lodging such as he shall find to take some rest and to get new strength of body and spirit the more cheerfully to continue his iourney the next day The second dayes Iourney The meane and way happily to performe the pilgrimage of this life is to suffer and fight vnder the banner of Iesus Christ and goe alwayes forward in vertue CHAP III. IN the second dayes iourney a good while before the Sun rise the Pilgrime shall examine his actions of the night past he shall say the Credo Pater and Aue and after continuing the matter begun he shall meditate of the meanes and manner how to performe happily the Pilgrimage of this humane life hauing already obserued in his first meditation that euery man must of necessity make it seeing that euery man is a Pilgrime vpon the earth and that some make it well of which number he desireth to be one and others ill whome he would not follow The prayer preparatory heere after shall be alwayes as before The first Preamble shall represent
it by true vsing of his grace Loue that rare and boundlesse beauty Loue eke thyne owne felicity Thy Neighbours friends and foes must be inclos'd VVithin the boundes of thy vnfeyned loue For this iust Law was framed and compos'd By God that sittes and ruleth from aboue VVho sayth he loues God not his brother Loueth neither th' one nor th' other The mortall race of mortall men we know Of one sole man did their beginning take So all that from this one did spring and grow One houshold only and no more do make Euery of whome by right of kind To fastest loue doth straitly bind Yet straiter is the knot and neerer band VVherewith God bindes vs in his holy house Sweetly vs conioyning with his blessed hand To be all one in his sole Sonne IESVS VVherto in reason all are lead Since all are members of one head Blessed is that soule which this Law keeps And is found faythfull to her spouse aboue VVho daily him doth seeke and neuer sleeps Burning in the flames of his holy loue VVho ' boue all thinges loues God the best And for his sake loues all the rest The After-dinner and Euening of the ninth dayes Iourney Threats and punishments of man 〈…〉 CHAP. XXII IN the After-noone the 〈…〉 make some repetition of what he meditated 〈…〉 setting before his eyes the threates which God 〈…〉 against mankillers also some examples of such as haue from heauen beene discouered and punished for this sinne contrarywise some others of such as haue byn easily pardoned Math. 2◠All those that take the sword sayth our Sauiour shall perish by the sword And long before that he sayd VVho so shall spill the bloud of man Gen. 9. his bloud shall be spilled for God hath made man to his Image Cain was accursed for killing his brother Gen. 3. and by his owne mouth he condemned himselfe for well worthy of banishment death Plutar. lib Quae animalia sūt prudentiora for his murder Before Pyrrhus King of Epyrus a dogge discouered the murderers of his Maister who were therefore punished Hesiodus his dogge also discouered them who had killed him The swallowes him that had killed his Father The greatest men haue beene most sweet and courteous Moyses Dauid yea euen among Paynimes Alexander Iulius Caesar and the like Great men gētle and courteous and contrarywise slaues base and cowardly people haue beene fierce and cruell to reuenge Our Sauiour the patterne of all perfect and high vertue was wonderfull in this which he shewed at all occasions where he might make triall but most cleerly in the last distresse of his death and passion when he prayed that diuine prayer for his enemyes who crucifyed him encountring with a singular exploite of clemency the cruelty of his crucifyers Hauing discoursed vpon these examples and the like and sayd his beades or some other prayer to the B. Virgin he shal end his iourney betake him to his lodging The tenth day A Meditation vpon the 6. Commandement Thou shalt not commit Adultery CHAP. XXIII THE sixth Commandement shall be the matter of the tenth dayes Meditation The sixth commādement well placed after forbidding to kill which followeth very fitly after the forbidding of killing for the second and next iniury a second death whereby a man may offend and hurt his owne body or his neighbour is adultery and as by murdering the society of men is iniuried so also by adultery fornication and other such vices of the flesh the cōmon wealth is dishonoured disturbed with confusion of children The preparation and preamble shall be as before the substance of the meditatiō shal consist in these pointes following The first point shall ponder that this precept prohibiteth not only adultery Al impurity forbidden which man or wife committeth but also all kind of impurity all that may cause it as thoughtes words touchings lookes kissings gestures dishonest songs vaine superfluous attire wanton talke dissolute beholding paynting vnchast bookes and such like allurements to this vice Adultery is named as the principal head the other acts as making way thereunto and as complices to the crime How pleasing to God purity of body is The 2. shall be employed to meditate how cleanesse and purity of body is in it self pleasing to God and his Angels It is a vertue wholy heauenly diuine for to liue in flesh and not to sinne with the flesh is to liue in spirit and to be like those heauenly spirits who liue without stayne of flesh The Sonne of God made thereof so great account that he would be borne of a virgin he preached chastity and by all meanes inuited mē thereunto he would haue about his Altars ministers not maried but perpetually chast virgins also in his house as Queens betroathed to his maiesty by vow of virginity barren in body but in soule fertill in all sortes of vertuous workes Finally he hath restrained the mariage of all those that liuing vnder the name of Christians Chastity in euery vocatiō will be maried to one only wife establishing a law of Chastity in all estates and degrees of his houshould The 3. point shall consider how contrariwise Impurity is as pleasing to the Diuell our capitall enemy The sin of the flesh pleasing vnto the Diuel wherfore as it is displeasing to God our Creatour For though this wicked spirit hauing no body cannot directly take any pleasure therein notwithstanding it pleaseth him wonderfully well knowing that it displeaseth God and that aboue all other sinnes it maketh a man forget both heauen and hell for there is none doth so darken the iudgement and vnderstanding of man and take away the tast of heauenly things the feare of hell fire that doth more draw man from heauen and from saluation and that maketh him more carnall more stupide and beastly By meanes wherof this old preuaricator vseth all his craft deuises possible to make men fall thereinto therein to hold and keep them vnto old age yea euen vnto death Against playes wanton bookes To this purpose he inflameth their flesh with extraordinary fire by al sortes of enticements he chafeth them by charmes he proposeth them playes and comedyes which in Threaters may represent vnto them the fond fancies and loues as Painters do in the pictures of Amadis and such other wanton Writers which paint them in the bookes of base soules Against lasciuious Poets vnder the name of Poets who like trumpets of flesh and ignominy blow forth without blushing and with full mouth the shame of their owne others passions and finally he worketh al the wayes to giue the reines and liberty to this Cupid infernal Theon euen vnto the transforming himselfe into man or woman cloathing himselfe with figure and fantasticall body to pollute and defile the bodyes and soules of those whome he would hold fast in the fetters and chaynes of his tyranny thence
inordinate desire of excellency whether it reigne within the soule only or be manifested or discouered by wordes or workes outwardly This is the King of sinnes altogeather abhominable before God Aug. ep 5â— Greg. 3. Mora. 31. and the Capitall enemy of all vertue thence as from a pestilent root do all vices spring and take life and especially these Disobedience Boasting Hypocrisy Contention Pertinacy Discord and Curiosity Couetice is a disordinate appetit of hauing an insatiable thirst making continually more drye the more it drinketh Basil hom in diuites 117. from thence come Treason Fraudes Deceit periury Disquietnes violence inhumanity and hardnes of hart Lechery is a disordinate appetite of pleasures of the body she bringeth forth blindnesse of spirit inconsideration Isido l. 2. de bono 39. inconstancy precipitation in affaires seâ—fe loue hatred of God greedines of this life feare â—nâ— horror of death and iudgment and despaire of life euerlasting Basil hom 11. de liuore Cir de zelo liuore Enuy is a sadnes or griefe at the good of others and hate of their prosperity or good successe either of their Superiours because they cannot equall them or of their inferiours in that they would not haue them equalls her daughters are Hatred Murmuring Detraction wicked Ioy of the euill wicked Grieft at the good of another Gluttony is an inordinate desire of eating and drinking her children are Foolish mirth lesting Prating Scurrility Stupidity of senses Greg. mor. 31. and Vnderstanding Anger is a disordinate desire of reuenge of whome do rise Debates Swellings Contumelies Clamours Indignation Bern. ser de Asc Blasphemy Slouth is a languour of spirit remisse and flow to doe well Greg. 3. part curae past 10. and a heauines and sadnes in spirituall thinges of her groweth Malice Rancour Pusillanimity Despaire a loathing of necessary commandements Euagations The Pilgrime hauing this afternoone cast his eyes atteÌ„tiuely vpon these bodyes and branches vpon these Captaines and their companies and recommending himselfe in the euening with some particuler prayer to God the B. Virgin his good Angell that he may be alwayes assisted by their ayde against these enemies he shall looke for lodging and rest The seauenteenth Day Of the first sinne which was of the Angells and of the second which was of Adam and of their effects and of the sinnes of euery one in particuler which maketh the third sort CHAP. XXXVIII WELL to penetrate and discouer the deformity of sinne and to conceaue a duâ— hatred thereof the Pilgrime shall bestow one day in the meditation of the effects of sin therein cleerely to see it selfe for as by the fruit the tree is knowne and the workeman by his worke so is the malice of sinne manifest by the euills thereof The sin of the Angells The first point shall bâ— to bring into his mind and memory the sinne of the first Angel and his Confederates in that faction who hauing beene created to the Image of God in estate of grace and endowed with many excellent guifts of nature rebelling afterward against their Lord and Maker of such noble spirits as they were were made Diuels thrown headlong from heauen to hell there for their rebellion to suffer the torments of euer-burning flames Whereupon the Pilgrime vsing the light of his vnderstanding How to discourse of the sin of Angells to enlighten and moue his will and to stirre it vp to a detestation of sinne in generall and to shame and confusion for his owne in particuler shall thus discourse If these diuine spirits and the most goodly and glorious creatures that were in heauen for one onely sinne were so turned and transformed from an extreme beauty to a monstrous foulnes and deformity how abhominable are those who commit many Who doe nothing els Who are plunged in their vices as Swine in their durt 2. Pet. 25 And with what filthines haue I deformed my owne soule by so many as I haue committed And if God spared not these noble CittizeÌ„s of heauen and seruants of his owne houshould but hath cast them as the Apostle sayth with chaines of darknes into the dungeon of hell reserued for that great day and generall iudgement what entertaynement may I expect at the handes of this soueraigne Iudge if I amend not my life The 2. point shal be appropriated to the consideration of the sinne of Adam which is the second sinne in regard of the person which is man differing in nature from the Angells The sine of Adam heere the Memory shal represent to the Vnderstanding the dolefull fall of our first Fathers and their honourable estate chaÌ„ged into a miserable exile banishment how Adam hauing beene formed of durt and quickned with a soule bearing the Image and likenes of God and Eue brought forth to the likenes of man of one of the sides and ribs of Adam suffering theÌ„selues to be persuaded by their capitall enemy did eat of the forbidden fruit and sodainly lost the grace and fauour of their Creatour the life of the soule and all that they had good besides the guifts of the Holy Ghost Iustice Charity their right to heauen and the immortality of their body Our Pilgrime then shall behould them as present driuen out of Paradise cloathed in beastes skins and from the place of pleasures and delights cast into a countrey of death and malediction Gen. 3.2 in which they performed a long seuere pennance that is 900. yeares and more and finally he shall consider the great corruption that hath come from this root hauing like a generall plague infected all mankind and thrust thousand-thousandes of persons to euerlasting death out of which consideration he shall draw light to discouer the poison of sinne to hate and detest it Euery ones proper sins The third point shall be to meditate in himselfe his owne faultes which is the third sort of sinne in regard of the person Heere our Pilgrime calling to remembrance his owne enormityes shall consider that many thousands are in hell that perhaps had committed but one of those sinnes that he hath done himselfe he shall thinke that many are coÌ„demned to the same hell of euerlasting death for sinnes lesse and fewer then his are whereby he shall learne how great the goodnes of God is toward him hauing thus patiently expected him to pennance and how great is the malice malignity of sinne hauing moued and incited the infinite bounty so farre as to ordaine paines vnspeakable for the grieuousnes of them and eternall for the lasting to punish it withall With which consideration being heat and warmed he shall speake in his speach thus to our Sauiour The speach O souueraigne Lord and Redeemer of my soule how great is the peruersity of this monster whose foulenes thy light hath discouered to me in her effects It made a reuolt in heauen among thy domesticalls making them rebell against thee It hath brought confusion and
Bread one Body one Bloud one Flesh in Iesus Christ to the likenes of materiall Bread which is composed of diners graines and wine made of many grapes as our Doctours doe expound The third point Of the effects of this Holy Sacrament CHAP. IV. The effects of B. Sacrament S. Tho. 3. quest 79. THE third shall be to consider the effects of this diuine mystery which are many The 1. wherof is to Quicken and giue the grace of God the life of the soule as our Sauiour sayth He that eateth me shall liue by me The second to Nourish and increase the same grace euen as corporall meate maintaineth life Ioan. 6. and maketh the body to growe The third to Enlighten the spirit as appeareth by the first Communion which our Sauiour after his resurrection gaue vnto his two Disciples at Emaus by the which their eyes were opened they knew their Maister presently Luc. 24. Aug. epist. 59. ad Paulin. whome before they knew not they belieued that he was risen againe whome they thought had beene still in his graue The fourth to Vnite the soule with God and with our Neighbour and to dissolue all emnity and discord so teacheth our Sauiour He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud Ioan. 6. Act. 4.31 remaineth in me and I in him An effect which did manifestly appeare in the first Christians who receaued euery day of whome it is sayd that they were one hart one soule The fifth to Enkindle deuotion and Charity towardes God and men euen as bread and wine doth increase the vitall spirits and heate the body The sixth to Extinguish quench the concupiscence of flesh and to preserue from sinne as a remedy against the flesh of our first Father Adam by the which men were defyled and made prone to sinne The seauenth to Fortify and strengthen vs against all the stormes and tribulatiōs of this mortall life Dauid prophesying of this effect sayd Thou hast prouided a table for me Psal 22.5 against those that trouble me So we read that the Prophet Elias persecuted by Queene Iezabel and constrained to fly through the desert 3. Reg. 19 sustained the trauaile of fourty dayes and fourty nights with the refection of that bread which the Angell had brought him which was a figure of this our Angelicall bread the flesh of our Sauiour The eight to Contente fill and reioyce the soule which of it selfe cannot be satisfyed or filled or find any firme or solid repose in things of the earth although she had them all alone euen so Christians in the beginning of the Church made no reckoning of riches but reioyced in possessing nothing and in suffering some thing for the name of Iesus The last to Bring to euerlasting glory for this deified Flesh holily and deuoutly receaued breedeth in the soule an insatiable desire of her heauenly Cōtrey and transporteth and carryeth the hart and affection to heauen and giueth to the body a seed of the glorious resurrection which is signifyed by the wordes of our Sauiour Ioan. 6.54 He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Bloud hath life euerlasting and I will rayse him againe at the last day After these considerations the Pilgrime shall admire the greatnes of this guift and benefit and in his admiration shall say this prayer following A speach to God and thankesgiuing CHAP. V. O My soueraigne Lord and sweet Redeemer I behould in all thy diuine workes and especially in the Sacramēt of thy Blessed Body that thy power is infinite that thy wisedome is a depth thy bounty a sea without bottome or bounds thou hast made all this visible world of nothing for the vse of man thou hast allied thy selfe to the house of Adam The liberality of our Sauiour and taking thereof a mortall body and matching and marrying it with thy diuinity wast made man to make man God thou hast giuen this body on the Crosse a ransome for our redemption not content with so great a liberality hast also left it in this mystical Table of thy Church for the nourishing of our soules and the resurrection of our bodyes tying thy selfe with this second band of loue and charity neuer heard of with all euery one of thy members What shall I wonder at in this mystery and guift Thy almightines His power Who hast so wonderfully changed this common and mortall bread into thy glorious and immortall Body by the same authority and power wherwith it made the whole world of nothing but with greater meruaile and miracle for this Body is more worth then a thousand worlds Shall I admire thy wonderfull wisedome His wisedome which in the heauēly Table of this thy body dost teach vs Faith Hope and Charity Humility Obedience Prudence Chastity Fortitude Piety Meeknes and all other goodly Christian vertues And whereas other bodyes could not nourish ours but for a tyme this Body duly receaued doth feed and fat the soule with spirituall riches His boūty and powreth into our flesh the seed of immortality Shall I admire thy infinit bounty in making vs this present of thy Body a present that surpasseth the price of al things created a present of thyne owne selfe of infinit valew for with the same Body thou gauest vs thy soule and deity which are inseparable companions and therefore in this holy Table we haue a liuely figure and pledge of the future felicity which shall be to liue in heauen of thy selfe and to enioye the immortall food of thy selfe what shall I then say of this banquet O my Redeemer but only that I am oppressed and ouerwhelmed in the consideratiō of thy infinite power wisedome and goodnes O deere depth O sweet Sauiour what wilt thou worke in them who haue this grace to receaue thee holily Do me sweet Iesus this fauour thus to eate and receaue thee and to see my selfe alwayes drowned in the depth of thy infinite charity How to Heare Masse CHAP. VI. HAVING finished his prayer he shall heare the diuine Office and goe to Confession if he need and shall heare Masse to receaue afterward which to do profitably it is good to know the manner that euery Christian must keep to heare it well Purity deuotion to heare Masse First he must haue his soule not only pure as much as may be from sinne but also prepared with a speciall deuotion for sinne is a generall barre to all blessinges and therefore whosoeuer will fruitfully assist the diuine mysteryes get good by hearing or dealing with them he must be cleansed from sinne by Confession and if he want meanes therto by holy contrition and sorrow for his faults with purpose to confesse at his next commodity as we haue sayd elswhere Attentiō to help deuotiō Secondly he must be attentiue to euery part thereof to enkindle deuotion Our Pilgrime as also any man els that loueth piety shall consider three thinges which he must haue learned in
36. Moyses prayed by that great ineffable Name that it would please him to shew his face so much desired Dauid sayd When will my beloued come O Lord my sonne and my Father whome I haue fortould whome I haue song whome I haue exalted in my mortall dayes When will come that little Dauid elder thē his grand-father truly to bury the Giant Goliath whome I killed only in figure and shaddow Esay when shall come that God of whome I sayd to the people of Israell God shall come in person Isay 36. and saue you Micheas When shall he come of whome I prophecied saying Behould our Lord shall come out of his place and descend and all with one voice shall call vnto him In meditating heereof he shall admire the Prouidence of God who in so good tyme did promise a remedy of our fall in a Redeemer his Wisedome in that he deferred the execution thereof so many ages to teach men the grauity of their sinne to make them feele their owne infirmities to humble them in their misery to cause them to cry vnto heauen and to beate at the gates of his mercy with sighes prayers and teares to obtaine that by merit which without merit was promised vnto them In this deuotiō the Pilgrime shal passe the midnight with thankes giuing to the goodnes of Almighty God The Meditation for Morning and Noone Of the Annunciation made to the B. Virgin by the Angell Gabriell CHAP. XXIV OVR Pilgrime hauing taken some rest shall go betimes to the holy Chappell there to make his morning Meditation which shall be of the Annunciation of this mystery which he commeth to meditate Preparation to the Meditation In the beginning of his meditation he shall conceaue in his mind as profound reuerence towardes God as possibly he can as one that is to speake in his presence of a chiefe worke of his of a mystery and Embassage full of maiesty he shall with equall humility demaund a sufficient light to see it and to profit by it He shall not neere need to imagine a place where the history happened as in his other meditations for he shall meditate the mystery in the same place where it was both tould and performed yet he may set before his eyes our B. Lady praying at the now Gospell corner of the Altar when the Angell Gabriel brought her this tydings The Angell saluting the Virgin glittering and shining with an extraordinary light and accompanied with many of the chiefe of Angels as we may piously belieue and as we haue sayd before Cap. 18. The first point shall be taken of the beginning of the history which sayth In the sixth moneth the Angell Gabriel was sent of God to Nazareth a citty of Galily to a Virgin whose name was Mary espoused to a man called Ioseph of the house of Dauid Behould an Embassage in euery point excellent and honourable In the Maiesty of him that sent it who is God of the messenger sent who was one of the principall Angells of the person to whō it was sent who was the greatest Lady that euer was in the sight of God The excellency of the Embassage of the mystery or message it selfe that was brought a mystery of all mysteries which is the marriage of the Sonne of God made with the Nature of man agreed on by the sacred Senate of the glorious Trinity for the comfort of men of the end for which it was sent which was to informe the B. Virgin to haue her consent and accomplish and celebrate the mariage Heere now the deuout soule contemplating the maiesty of this Embassage in the foresayd circumstances shall set before his eyes all the ranckes of the heauenly Court of all those happy Angelicall spirits reioycing there aboue in this mission and the assembly of those iust Soules that before this departed who hauing heard this good newes in Limbo were in an admirable expectation of the comming of their Redeemer It is sayd that this message was done the sixth month This at the first hearing seemeth to be referred to S. Iohn who was six monthes elder then our Sauiour Christ incarnate in the 6. age but in a mystical sense the mention of this number goeth further and teacheth that this Conception of the Sonne of God is annoūced and accomplished in the sixth Age of the world as Beda sayth Also Man created the sixth day which is Friday on which day christ was crucifyed that as God created Man in the sixth day of this world which is our Friday and that at the sixth houre of the day which is our mid-day so he descended into the earth the sixth day and at the sixth houre of the day for on such a day was this Embassage made to wit the fiue twenty of March which that yeare was Friday And vpon the same day and houre he ascended vp the Crosse as the Scripture doth expresly signify Conueniences which doe easily declare that the benefit of our Redemption was no more by chance or aduenture then that of our Creation but proiected of purpose many ages before euen from all Eternity and this long prouidence doth testify the ancient fatherly loue of God towards vs. The Aue Maria thrice a day The Catholike Church in remembrance of this Embassage and Mystery which it teacheth saluteth the Virgin at high noone with these wordes of the Angell as also at morning and night to giue thankes to God for so notable a benefit in those three tymes which we haue shewed before to be remarkeable by the deuotion of the Saints and therein she sheweth that she doth not loose the memory of that immortall benefit The second point shall consider the wordes following When the Angell was entred to her he saluted her thus All haile full of grace Luc. 2.28 our Lord is with thee blessed be thou among women But she hearing this was troubled at his speach and thought what manner of salutation this might be And the Angell sayth to her Feare not Mary for thou hast found grace with God behould thou shalt conceaue in thy wombe The Maiesty of this salutation and shalt bring forth a Sonne and shalt call his name IESVS He shall be great and shall be called the Sonne of the most High And our Lord shall giue him the seat of Dauid his Father and he shall reigne in the house of Iacob eternally and of his Kingdome there shall be no end And Mary sayd to the Angell How shall this be done seeing I know not man And the Angell answering sayd vnto her The Holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the vertue of the Highest shall shadow thee and therfore the Holy that shall be borne of thee shall be called the Sonne of God And behould Elizabeth thy kins-woman she hath also conceiued a sonne in her old age and this is the sixth month to her that is called barren because euery word shall not be impossible with God And
giuen vs so notable a pledge of his loue he must needes giue vs great cause of hope and trust in him There was nothing sayth S. Augustine more necessary to vphold our hope Lib. 13. de Trinit c. 10. then to haue some token of his loue and what token greater can there be then to see the Sonne of God vnited to our nature Now by the demonstration of this loue he hath most liuely inuited and incited man to loue him for there is nothing so naturall as to loue him of whome we see our selues beloued August de catech iudâ—â—us c. 4. VVherefore sayth the same Doctour if heertofore we were slow to loue yet now let vs be ready to render loue Moreouer could there be a more noble meanes to make man partaker of this supreme nature our happynes then by this alliance whereby God is made Man and man God To breake the hart and pride of the Diuell then to see the nature of man which he so much despised and abased to be exalted aboue the nature of Angells To tame his arrogancy and presumption and to remoue the yoke of his tyranny by a Man God man alone not being sufficient to satisfy and ouercome for mankind and God alone could not suffer being impassible To teach man humility the foundation of all vertue Phil. 2. seeing God not only humbled but also annihilated taking the forme of a seruant and suffering the death of the Crosse To teach obedience purity liberality deuotion prudence constancy Philip. 2. magnanimity and other vertues whereof he hath giuen so good instructions both by word and worke all his life long and specially in the three last yeares that he manifested himselfe to the world and most clearely and effectually in that admirable conflict of the Crosse To teach finally to doe nothing against the dignity of man so much honoured by this alliance Are these meanes effectuall inough to redeeme man Do they sufficiently declare the infinit wisedome of God Of the power of God in the same Mystery CHAP. XXVIII DOTH not the power of God also diuinely appeare in this mystery The power of God in the IncarnatioÌ„ for therein we see two natures infinitly different to be ioyned togeather the diuine and the humane and by a bound so admirable and so strait that remayning distinct and without confusion they make but one person the closest and neerest vnion that can be of thinges diuerse This therefore is a worke of one Almighty and a most manifest demonstration of an infinit power It is without comparison greater then that he shewed in the Creation of man in ioyning his spirit and body an heauenly soule with an earthly body making as it were an abridgement of the whole world for the soule was not infinitly distant from the condition of the body as the diuine nature is from the humane this was only to ioyne two creatures of diuers rankes and degrees but to ioyne the word of God with our flesh in one person is to haue vnited two natures infinitely vnequall S. Berna serm de Natiuit to haue made an admirable abridgement of the whole world and of the Author of the world and to haue inclosed infinitenes in littlenes and eternity in tyme. This is infinitely more then to ioyne East to West or North to South or heauen and earth together for such a coniunction should be of things farre different yet with some proportion and measure but this is of two natures infinitely distant the one from the other the diuinity with the humanity the infinit with the finit the most souerain maiesty with the least reasonable creature stable Eternity with floting Time the supreme power with infirmity impassibility with sufferance God with man the Creatour with his Creature which are so many exploites and testimonies of an Almighty power Motiues to the loue of God Heere then the contemplatiue soule shal admire shall prayse and exalt the wonders of this soueraigne God in this mystery he shall stirre vp himselfe to his loue seeing the effects of his wonderfull bounty to reuerence and respect seeing the signes of his infinit wisedome to his feare considering the greatnes of his maiesty He shall thanke the Father for sending his Sonne and the Sonne for taking our flesh by the will of the Father and also the Holy Ghost the bond of the Father and the Sonne and shall adore this diuine soueraigne Trinity one God in three persons all and euery one the maker of this admirable and principall worke greater then had beene the Creation of a thousand worldes The eight and twenty day and the seauenth of his Aboade Of the Visitation of the B. Virgin CHAP. XXIX THIS day the Pilgrime shall make his meditation of the voiage of the B. Virgin to the house of her Cousin Elizabeth The modesty of the virgin in her voiage whome she went to visit immediatly after she was saluted by the Angell For the first point of the meditation the Pilgrime shal take the first part of the history In those dayes Mary rose went quickly to the mountaines vnto a towne of Iudea he nameth not this towne as he did Nazareth because it concerned not the mystery of the visitation such a writer puts nothing superfluous in his history he declareth only the courage and diligence of the B. Virgin to vndertake and performe this Pilgrimage which principally he meant to report Here the deuout soule shall first cast her eyes vpon this heauenly mayd great with God Almighty walking the fieldes not with the traine or company of an earthly Queene in Coach or Litter garnished with veluet or cloth of gold with soft beds and cushions but in the simplicity of a daughter of Sion on foot in company of her Spouse Ioseph though assisted with a great company of Angels for the guard of him they caried and of her and followed her foot by foot through all the places she passed Secondly she shall consider the humility of the B. Virgin practising by worke the vertue which she professed in word Her humility in visiting S. Elizabeth calling her selfe the seruant of our Lord the greater goeth to the lesse the virgin to the wife the daughter of Dauid to the daughter of Aaron the mother of God to the mother of a man the mother of our Lord to the mother of a seruant which are so many proofes of an heauenly humility It was also very coÌ„uenient that she should excell in this vertue meete for the Mother of him who descended from heauen to her wombe by humility to beginne to walke in humility The Daughters of this world do not so for when they are by others exalted to any greatnes they make themselues also greater in their own hart and do highly disdayne their inferiours and the ordinary fashion of women with child is to become heauy and to seeke rest and ease of body This B. Virgin goeth another way as she
Tragical spectacle presented vnto theÌ„ there were two great armies of these little creatures hanging in the ayre and ranged in battell aray and ready to encounter The swarme had left the loafe all mullied with hony and made an host and a swarme new come made another Either of theÌ„ had their King flying in the midst of his troupes beautifull shyning bigger by halfe then any of his souldiers and with his buzing exhorted them grauely to shew themselues valiant in this present necessity There were of either side sundry squadrons of diuers fashions some round some square some triangular some of the forme Croissant all armed with the same armes which was a coate of scales of equall courage all Lanciers mounted vpon their winges The signe being giuen by a confuse buzing of both sides the shocke began squadron against squadron assaulting some tyme on the front sometyme on the flancke sometyme defending sometyme assaulting with such a furious encounter and slaughter that a man might see in the ayre as it were a haile of fire or bullets of hargebushes The way to depart apease them one flying against the other falling thicke and threefold to the ground and had not Lazarus parted theÌ„ of purpose with a little honyed water which he quickly made in his dish these two people had beene vtterly ouerthrowne so enraged were they the one against the other Vincent was not well pleased heerwith being sory to see his good Hostesses of whome he had receaued so good a refectioÌ„ both of body and spirit to kill one another and to ouerthrow their estate by this ciuill warre And Lazarus considering their great courage I meruaile not sayth he if heeretofore the Cittizens of Alba Gracia did help themselues with the succour of these Bees Bonfin l. 4. de 4. filling the campe of Amurath the King of the Turkes who assieged them with hyues of Bees giuing to their enemy an extreme trouble by the stings and buzings of those little creatures This peace being made they continued their way all the rest after dinner very ioyfully with many good spirituall discourses namely vpon the subiect of their morning meditation Vincent recited the comfort he had in meditating the way of little Iesus in the desert of Arabia for he seemed to see him carryed sometyme in the armes of his glorious Mother and sometyme in the armes of good Ioseph then fastened to the tet of the Virgin sucking her milke and taking refreshmeÌ„t then laughing sometyme on the one sometyme on the other with a countenance full of grace and maiesty giuing them by his diuine lookes strength and courage to sustaine the trauaile of their Pilgrimage and himselfe he sayd was fortifyed vnto his iourney by the meditation of this history and he asked Lazarus Angells accoÌ„panied our Sauiour into Egypt if he thought not that Angells did often present theÌ„selues to doe some seruice to their Lord and his Mother I doubt not answered Lazarus but as the Angell aduertised Ioseph to vndertake this iourney so he did accompany them in the same and as these heauenly spirits had visibly announced his Conception and honoured his Natiuity that they did also conuey him through the desart in visible forme and that the Scripture hath made no mention thereof it is because it could not be doubtful to those that could well coniecture it and if it hath passed in silence thousands of miracls which our Sauiour wroughr in his life as S. Iohn doth signify those that were written sufficing to plant the fayth of his diuinity Ioan. 21.25 is it meruaile that there is no mention made of diuers things happened in this iourney and in all the tyme our Sauiour abode in Aegypt And therefore I belieue that not only the Angells did assist them trauelling in the desart and remayning in Aegypt but also the Birdes and wild Beastes too yea the very Trees and plants driuen with a certaine extraordinary and supernaturall instinct did acknowledge and adore in some sort their Creatour and gaue some signe of ioy to see that diuine company walking vpon the ground where they did grow The tree Persis You know that the Fayth of the Primitiue Church hath left vs from hand to hand what happened neere to Hermopolis a Citty of Thebais neere to which a Tree called Persis adored by the poore superstitious people by reasoÌ„ of the huge greatnes and the inchantments the Diuell there wrought did all shake and bow downe his highest branches euen to the ground Sâ—zomen l. 5. c. 20. at the coÌ„ming of our Sauiour into the Towne as adoring him and giuing testimony that the Diuell who reigned there before was driuen away and receaued the benediction of his Creatour Niceph. l. 10. c. 31. for that afterward not only the fruit was more pleasant then before but also cured healed many incurable diseases as also the leaues and barke did the like The same tradition obserued by our Doctours doth teach vs Isa 19.1 that the Idols did fall to the ground at the presence of our Sauiour entring into this towne which was the nursery of Idolatry a signe that our Sauiour should destroy it throghout all the whole world as heere he had battered it in her root and spring And therefore Athanasius the Great magnified this exploit of little Iesus and sayd VVho among all the Iust or Kinges made the Idols of Aegypt to fall by their coming Athan. lib. de Intarn Verbi Abraham came thither Moyses was borne there and yet their errours remayned alwayes and euery where neither had ceased had not the Sauiour of all come thither in his flesh and beene carryed theron as on a cloud descended to root them out And Origen expounding the words which the Angel sayd to Ioseph Fly into Aegypt c. Orig. hom 3. It is to the end quoth he the workes of the handes of the Aegyptians and their false Gods and Idols should be ouerthrowne the Diuells terrifyed and the machines of the Kings destroyed in destruction of their Idols and that by the coming of our Sauiour should be wrought the ruine of these fugitiue slaues the wicked spirits Thus Origen The arriuall of the Pilgrimes at the Farme-house 1. Tables of Loreto and of the flight of our Sauiour into Aegypt 2. The ship of the Ragusians deliuered 3. Two Capuchines and three country men a Supper 4. Three Slaues 5. One of Prouence The B. Virgin starre of the Sea 6. The practise of the examen of Conscience CHAP. IIII. COntinuing their discourse and way in this manner The arriual of the Pilgrimes at the countrey House they came in the euening to a prety Farm-house about which fed certaine heards of Cattell and sheep pertaining to a good old man very rich and withall very deuout to the B. Virgin and very charitable to Pilgrimes This good man was at that time in a chamber ouer his gate which looked towards the way as soone as
assistance escaped victorious the fury of the floting waues and the rage of those mad Merchants and carried by that Element that choketh others they landed againe at the hauen of Ancona and presently without shifting or drying their cloathes they came all wet and mullied to visit againe the holy Chapell and before all thinges to render thankes to the Sonne and the Mother of so notable a benefit Concerning the history of the other Table I thinke it is that good Florentine Dominico de Castro Tursel l. 4. cap. 17. who had his house ioyning to the riuer of Elsa and was surprised in the night by the inundation of the sayd riuer and was carryed downe the streame almost two miles with his sayd house floting with him and three of his companions also and in the end were deliuered by the intercession of the sayd Virgin so we haue heard it told The tale is very true sayth their Host as I haue alwayes vnderstood Lazarus would faine haue learned the history of the other two Tables Their supper the Pictures whereof he admired without knowing the story but their Host fearing to make them stay too long Let vs leaue sayth he somewhat for afterward in my opinion we were best now go to supper the history may be told in Supper tyme or after so they returned to the Hall where they found the Table couered with victualls They washed their handes sayd Grace and sat them downe euery one did his attendance and the good old man was alwayes calling vpon his guests to be of good cheere with a singular demonstration of harty good will especially when he vnderstood they were French men towardes whome he alwayes bare a particuler affection and in signe of the greater friendship spake French with them Whilst they supped diuers discourses were proposed of matters pious and pleasant both such as talke at the Table should be They talked of the Pilgrimages of the old Fathers in the law of nature of Christians now of the piety of the ancient French men in that behalfe of the misery and troubles of this present age of the prouidence of God therein towards his Church what these Pilgrimes endured in their iournyes and namely in the holy Land by reason of theeues and robbers And vpon this occasion their Host told them good tydings of their way as long as they should trauaile in those parts that a notable good Captaine with a certaine number of Hors-men did scoure the fields and the woods by the Princes commandement to chase away the robbers who infested the wayes had lately made an incursion and lead away certaine Pilgrimes prisoners fiue or six dayes since At these wordes Lazarus fetched a deep sigh for they went to his hart doubting least Theodosius might fall into some mischance and be perhaps one of those prisoners for it was iust about that very time that they lost him The good old man marked how he became pensiue thinking it was vpon apprehension of these theeues and robbers sayd vnto him Feare you not for the wayes are now cleare and safer then they were any tyme these two yeares and will be safer euery day when these gallants and good fellowes shal be catched as no doubt but they wil be shortly I hope answered Lazarus that though there should be dāger yet that God would assist vs by the intercession of our good Aduocate giue vs grace either to auoyd all euil or to profit by all that may befall vs by his permissiō But I cannot choose to grieue at the absence of one of our Countreymen a vertuous yong man and faithfull companion of our pilgrimage who six dayes since strayed from vs and we know not whether he be dead or aliue and I feare much that he is fallen into the handes of some theeues or which were more lamentable deuoured of some sauage beast the very point of my griefe is this that I can neither help him not heare any newes of him since we first lost the sight of him although we haue vsed all possible diligence and we can now do no more nor lesse then to sigh pray to God for him whersoeuer he be and to hope in the prouidence of God and in the help of this glorious Lady to whome he was singularly deuoted Behold the cause of my griefe and my resolution Your griefe saith their Host commeth of a singular loue friendship and your resolution is Christian If I haue any experience of the particular assistance of God towards them that serue him with a true and loyall hart and honour the Mother of his deare Sonne I dare assure you that you shall shortly see him safe and sound and therefore be merry and make good cheere of this little we haue and to which you are most hartily wellcome Lazarus thanked him much and found himselfe much comforted in this good old mans talke taking it as a Prophesy and shewed from thenceforth a more cheerefull countenance When grace was sayd he called immediatly for the narration of the miracles attending to heare them for a sweet recreation after their supper I remember saith their host I haue promised you to tel you two memorable histories though I see you haue more need of rest then of talke but I will not refuse what you request so courteously heare then the first In the towne of Cabala neer to Gallipolis a certaine Burgesse of note among the Catarians Three slaues deliuered Tursel lib. 4. cap. 1◠called Michaell Boleta had now remayned fiue yeares slaue among the Turkes and not able any longer to endure so great affliction of body spirit tooke a secret resolution with two of his companions of the same cōdition to seeke some meanes to escape be deliuered from their paine and hauing long watched an occasion for this purpose one day they found at the hauen a barke fraighted without maister or guard they entred it hoised vp the sailes and hoping the wind would be for them sailed into the full sea as farre as they could with their oares They had not gone farre but their maister perceauing they had stayed longer then they were wont repayred to the port to heare newes of them where at the same time he found the maister of the barke and both of them were informed that three men had a little before taken the barke as to go on fishing Immediately they made out after them two Brigantines furnished with men weapons who followed them so lustily with sailes and oares that they discouered them three or fowre miles of Michael and his mates discouered thē also and saw them follow after them in all fury comming within the very sight of their barke there appeared no way to escape the handes of these Barbarians nor the cruell torments they were to endure if they were taken In the very point of the danger they had recourse to the mother of him who commandeth windes and waues and they make a
you that we neuer had eyther letter or message from him this seauen years since he parted hence which maketh vs belieue that he is dead neither should there haue wanted gold or siluer to haue redeemed him if we could haue knowne where he had been I would to God he had followed my counsell whome he loued so dearely and of whome he was loued againe as much as euer wife loued husband the good Syr I wisse had now beene aliue and had not endured so much paine as I imagine he did suffer I haue lamented for and my condition had not beene so pittifull by his afflictions and myne owne and she began to weep but good Father do you know any thing of him I suppose you did not desire speake with me for nothing The good Syr seing by the countenance and wordes of his wife that he was yet vnknowne answered if I should let you see him could you know him As she changed colour for this word went to her hart he vsed his familiar language and sayd to her Mamy doe you not know Bagueuille your husband and this halfe ring therewith he presented her with the half of the ring which they had diuided The Lady seeing this gage fastening her eyes attentiuely vpon the man and aduising well she remembred the figure of his countenance and the sound of his voyce and casting herself vpon his necke with teares O my Lord and husband quoth she therewith she sâ—unded he though but weake yet held her vp The Steward and the seruitours who from the lower part of the hall did see them talke without hearing what they sayd seeing this ioy and entertainmeÌ„t ranne presently vnto them and straight did acknowledge their old maister in an instant all the Castle sounded of the rumour of this newes and his vnexpected returne Lazarus being come thus farre in his history he looked vpon Dom-Prior Lo Father sayth he I haue serued you with all that is in my budget will you that I should recite also the astonishment of the new bridegroome newly espoused to this Lady the ioy and admiration of all the kinsfolks and the old seruants and that I dresse you in this religious house where you eate no flesh a mariage feast of fish and finally that I trouble you any farther with superfluous ill seasoned meates Syr Lazarus quoth Dom-Prior the meate you haue giuen vs is very pleasant and sweet and so well dressed that it whetteth the stomacke to those that eate and filleth without glutting but it seemeth you desire to be serued no more with ours for you eate nothing I will add this yet quoth Lazarus that this Syr built the Chappell which he vowed to S. Iulian died soone after in good peace where his beard and perruque remayned a long tyme hanging in the roofe of the same Chappell as an honourable memory and hath beene seene of diuers not 40. yeares since I know not if they be there still As he sayd this came in the seruitours to take away with them the Beare marching right vpon his two hinder feete and carying in his forfeete a great basketh Euery man began to laugh to see the poore beast do such seruice as his companions in the wood are not wont to do when the cloth was taken away and grace sayd euery man rose Lazarus tooke his leaue of Gratian and exhorted him to haue good courage commending himselfe vnto his prayers Gratian thanked him with all his hart and recommended himselfe to his prayers shewing a great trust and confidence in God Dom-Prior led Lazarus his company to their chaÌ„ber where they would not suffer their feete to be washed and so he left them with his blessing They made their examen of conscience sayd the Litanies and tooke the subiect of their morning meditation which was in three points 1. Of the descent of our Sauiour to hell 2. Of his Resurrection 3. How he appeared first to his Mother After each one betooke himselfe to his bed Theodosius and Vincent were streight asleepe But Lazarus could do nothing but thinke of Sir Gratians good fortune and the fauour of God towards him O Gratian sayth he how happy a merchant art thou The desire of a deuout soule thus to haue left the worldly and earthly traficke and to haue escaped out of the gulfe of this deceitfull world Out of this Citty of confusion that maketh mortall men drunke with the cuppe of a thousand charmes vnto eternall death Thou shalt trafike henceforth with the mony of a better maister who shall make thee gayne a hundred for one and after that thou shalt wax rich thereby he will make thee heire of all his goods which are of more value theÌ„ a thousand worlds O when will that day come that like vnto thee I may serue this maister in his house whither he doth call me wherto I haue aspired euer since his light did discouer vnto me the darcknes of the earth and the inconstancy of this life where with his houshold seruants I may carry the coller of his yoke most sweet and honourable Matth. 11.30 walke the wayes oâ— his counsells gayne way to heauen by those pathes which himselfe hath marked with his owne steps and the steps oâ— his best beloued seruants to march without any hinderance of thornes which choake the good grayne to liue in the body without corruption of the body like the celestiall spirits to haue no other iudgement or will besides the iudgemenâ— and will of that soueraigne wisedome without any iudgâ—ment or will of myne owne to iudge well of all to bridlâ— myne appetites to command and maister my selfe O sweeâ— Iesus when shall this be O sweet Virgin it shall be then when it will please thee with thy credit and authority to further thy suppliant and deuoted seruant And with these desires and sighes he slept The eight and thirtith day and the eight of his returne A Meditation of the Descent of our Sauiour into Hell and of his Resurrection CHAP. XX. A LITâ—E after the Religious had begunne Mattins about midnight the Pilgrims hauing examined their conscience and resumed the memory of their meditation went to the Church into a chappell where they had marked the day before the picture of our Sauiours descent into hell and of his Resurrection very deuoutly represented euery one set himselfe to his Meditation Vpon the first point Lazarus remembred the prophecy which sayth in the person of our Sauiour Eccles 24. I will penetrate the lower partes of the earth and will looke vpon those that sleepe on all those that hope in our Lord In which words he marked three different places of soules which our Sauiour did penetrate accomplishing this prophecy the first was the bosome of Abraham where were assembled in repose the soules of the iust the second Purgatory Orig. 15. in Gen. where were the soules of the iust also but in paine and
Litanies togeather after which TristraÌ„ was caryed to his bed in another chamber where he slept quickly The Pilgrims made their examen and tooke the subiect and points of their morning Meditation The subiect was the life of the glorious Virgin after the Ascension of our Sauiour into heauen in these points 1. Wherefore she liued after our Sauiours Ascension 2. Of the profit she brought vnto the Church of God 3. Of her death The nine and thirtith day and the ninth of his Returne Of the Life and conuersation of the B. Virgin after the Ascension of our Sauiour and of her death CHAP. XXII AT three a clocke in the morning when no body was vp sauing some seruants that went to labour the Pilgrims began their meditation a part Lazarus the first in feruour and heat of spirit began in admiration wondering that our Sauiour ascended into heauen and left his glorious mother amongst mortall men seeing he knew well that she should be in continuall griefe for his absence and longing for his presence and that she desired nothing more then to go out of this vale of miseries and to be with him and there was not any creature more worthy of heauen and of his company then she was Why the B Virgin was left on earth after the Ascension of our Sauiour But the heauenly light shewed vnto him in the progresse of his meditation that the Almighty and all wise Sonne of God did herein shew a singular prouidence for the good of his most honourable mother and of all his whole Church for if the scripture reporteth that for a great fauour which is sayd of the lust that God hath honoured him in making him labour and hath accomplished his trauailes this was a speciall prerogatiue and a great honour which our Sauiour did to his mother to leaue her somtime after him in this life therin to shew employ her vertues The B Virgin was left as the moone when the Sunne was gone which hitherto had beene in a manner hidden vnder the cloake of profound humility knowne onely to God and to few men besides by a thou sand goodly workes wrought in publicke make her multiply the vsury of her merits vnto the highest heape and degree and so much to increase the glory of her felicity It was also a great fauour vnto the Church to see shine in her beginning and birth vpon the earth this starre as the moone after that the great Sunne taking himselfe from the eyes of mortall men Our Sauiour his Churche both bred and brought vp by the B. Virgin was mounted into the heauens and to conteÌ„plate in her the admirable beauty of that sunne it selfe liuely represented in the lustre of the diuine actions of this B. Virgin as we behold the visible splendour of the sunne painted in the face of the moone And euen as God would that his Sonne Iesus-Christ Espouse and Sauiour of the Church should be conceiued borne and brought vp by the sayd Virgin so would he that the same Church should in some sort be ingendred by the feed of the sayd Virgins vertues should be illustrated set in view and in a manner brought forth by meanes of her nourished and brought vp by the example of her admirable workes Namely that she should be the light of the Apostles and disciples teaching them diuers misteries of the fayth that none knew but her selfe and which the holy Ghost would haue knowne by her so by her he taught the secret of the Annunciation of the Incarnation of her perpetuall virginity of the Natiuity of our Sauiour of the musique that Angells sung thereat of the Visitation of the shepheards of the Circumcision of the Adoration of the Kings of the Presentation in the Temple of Simeons prophecy and other points which the Euangelists haue recorded and specially S. Luke Luc. 2. who therefore is called the Notary of our B. Lady Greg. Nis in fest Assump It is he that sayd Marie kept all these things in her hart Signifying as an ancient Doctor sayth that she had diligently noted the mysteries she had seene to reueale them in due tyme and that what he had written he had drawne out of the mine treasury of the Virgins hart who was Secretary and of priuy Councell to the meruayles of God And as God hath giuen at diues tymes holy women to magnify his greatnes in them and to succour his people as a Debora to counsell and conduct the armies of Israell a Iudith to encounter with the great Tyrant an Hester to winne the King and oppose herselfe against the enemies of his people also amoÌ„g the heathens diuers Sibilles women emineÌ„t in knowledge in the gift of prophecy to instruct the ignorant of the mysteries of the Sauiour of the world so he left in his bodily absence this his heauenly mother to be a Debora a Iudith a Hester and the Prophetesse of the Christians the refuge of the afflicted the booke of the doctours the strength of the faintharted the force of those that fight and f nally to be a Regent in the beginning of the spirituall kingdome of her Son by the accord of her diuine contemplations actioÌ„s to giue a modell and patterne of the contemplatiue act ue life of the Apostolicall perfect Christian way She was a patterne of actiue and contemplatiue life as she did And therfore both then euer after she was ordained called the Protectrix of all religious Families a generall Aduocate of the Church of her Sonne for euer God meaning in a woman to encounter coÌ„found vice Idolatry confound Pride the forces of Sathan who in a woman had confounded all mankind thrust mortall men into all sort of sinne She liued then many yeares after the Ascension of our Sauiour 10. after the opinion of some and 21. in the opinion of others but the common tradition is foureteene 10 Nicep li. 2. cap. 3. And being arriued to that terme which he had prefixed who gouerneth the tyme and lott of the life of man she receiued a message of her departure out of this world by an Angel in the Citty of HierusaleÌ„ 21. Epiph. serm de Derp Virg. where she had remayned since the death of our Sauiour with S. Iohn the Euangelist whither the Apostles dispersed through diuers partes of the world by the power of God were assembled togeather and with them diuers other holy men amongst whome was S. Denu the Arcopagite the Apostle of France in this last period to assist the Mother of his maister and to do her obsequies Almighty God honouring with the presence of the principall lights of his Church the deposition of that Virgin who had brought forth the Sauiour of the world Dion Metapâ—r ora de obit Virg. and illustrating the death of the mother of his Sonne with this singular prerogatiue as he had by a thousand more illustrated her life
the smelling of the dogge To pursue him with their eyes shut to carry their sight science rather in their nose then in their head to sent the Hart the Doe the goate in his feet and going the Beare and Bore by his traces and view To haue giuen him such docility as to vnderstand the voyce and eye the horne and hallowing of his maister to runne to stand still His dooâ—lity to opeÌ„ to hold his peace at a point To accord with the horse and with him conspire to the taking of a beast at the pleasure of their maisters hide themselues To haue giuen vnto beasts courage weapons and craft to assault and defend and rid themselues from danger To a greyhound courage to assault to a Bore force to resist to a wolfe subtilty to flye and without failing make his retraite when he goeth by the worse in the combat In which three beastes you haue noted the three principall acts of valour in warre comprehended in this sage and short sentence The assault of the Greyhound The defence of the Bore The retraite of the Wolfe When you said that the Bore when he would take the bush and remaine there as in his Fort doth alwayes at the entry vse some craft me thinkes I see a Captaine of warre who maketh his turnings and rauelins at the gate of his castle where he meanethâ— to place himselfe in garrison And what you sayd of the Hare was also admirable in a contrary note for God hauing giuen to this beast neither force nor courage as vnto the Bore to make head against her enemies and to defend herselfe hath endewed her insteede of all this with a great swiftnes in her course a thousand shifts to saue herselfe sometime taking the sent from the dogs sometime putting them at default sometime escaping by some vnknowne way You remember and so do I with admiration what you recounted of the foxe the badger and such other beasts The discourse you made of hawkes me thought was most worthy of consideration Of hawkes to draw froÌ„ thence matter of praise vnto the Creatour who hath giuen them such parts You noted in the Hobbie the Goshawke the Sparrowhake the like their bold attemptes their great and high flight The magnanimity of these birds with a certaine feeling of honour as birds that flye not for desire of prey for the kitchin and their belly as the Kite and Crow dooth but for the coÌ„bate and victory you haue noted then docility to be taught inured to the flight some to the fist som to the lure the facility familiarity of the FaulcoÌ„ with men and the hunting horses hauing the wit and boldenes to mingle herselfe among them for her prey although the were neuer taught The maiesty of the Gerfaulcon her high points her maine stoopings her fast gripings his piercing billings these are so many markes of the greatnes of God author of these creatures and of their qualities Hunting an image of waâ—r Now in all these huntings you see a true image of warre for there be enemies weapons armes forces craft combat victory honour and profit Profit I say not of prey a vulgar commodity but which is proper to Nobility of the exercise most profitable to their body making it strong and nimble vigorous and supple and no lesse profitable to the spirit being a lesson of warre to those that can note it here is the chiefe point large matter to praise God who hath prepared in his creatures this pastime of honour and profit to the end therby to be glorifyed by man who hauing vnderstanding and reason yieldeth him thankes and homage of all the force industry which for loue of him he hath bestowed vpon the beasts who cannot acknowledge it themselues wanting iudgement and discours Mowing Of hawkes That which you obserued of the tyme that hawkes are in the mew which is from spring to Autumne is a draught of the diuine prouidence hauing giuen this time and season for the rest and replumage of those birds that in the meane time the fruits of the earth may not be hurt by the Faulconers and that their sport should not endomage any nor spoile the seed and trauaile of poore labourers wherunto all Noble men of conscience haue great respect An aduertisement for gentlemen and chastice their children and seruants if they offend therin It is needlesse hereupon to recite the seate of prudence and notable iustice of a great Lord in France The Marquesse remembred presently the man the matter and interrupting Lazarus Syr sayd he I pray you passe not in silence this history for it is very fit to our pupose of hunting also proper to inst uct our yong huntsemen Syr quoth Lazarus I will obey you though I may be too long And as following his discours One day sayth he came vnto this Lord a poore man a Tenant of his owne to complaine that the Count his sonne had with a number of hunters trampled and spoiled his field of corne he commanded his purse bearer to recompence his losse bad him say nothing to any man of this complaint and signifyed to his steward what he should do to correct this fault and instruct his sonne others The company arriued at the Castle in the euening with good store of prey and saluted Monsieur he shewed them good countenance All these nobles full of fire and gallantry were restlosse though they had donne nothing but runne and ride all the day long some leaped about the court of the Castle some walked in the platforme some recited the encouÌ„ters happened in their hunting others the craft and shifts of the beasts that were taken and all attending their supper with good deuotion when it was ready they began to couer the table grace being sayd all the company sat them downe Monsieur sat at the bords end Madame his wife on his right hand and the Count his sonne on the left and the rest in order when euery man had cast their napkins ouer their shoulders they marked that there was no bread euery man held his hands and meruailed Monsieur shewed himselfe much offended and sent for his steward and the Count was angry in himselfe in good earnest The waiter ran about the house for bred and the steward could not be found they sent to the bakers in the towne and there was no bread in their shopes Madame feyned herselfe angry and could scarce hold from laughing seeing these yong gallants fit at the table well furnished with good cheer armed with good appetite courage to looke one vpon an other and could not play with their hands At last Monsieur hauing coÌ„passion of his Penitents made a signe to his page who had the watchword to fetch bread and then sayd to the Count his sonne My sonne when you go on hunting take heed of spoiling the corne as it happened yesterday for you see the paine we are in for want of bread
he saw a Citty oâ— forme foure square great wonderfull spacious compassed with walles of squared Amâ—thystes of India and christall checker wise and pointed diamond wise fastened with gold enamelled with azure The Towres were of the same matter and fashion sauing that their batlements were made of Emeralds Iacinths The houses of the Citty were all great palaces built of Diamonds Saphires Topazes other precious stones of admirable lustre and variety cut most artificially for couerings or roofes they had the seeling of heauen-flaming varying in colours like the rainebow MeÌ„ entred in by twelue gates three towards the east and three towards the west as many towards the North and towards the south euery one made of a whole entire precious stone figured and wrought with art surpassing the stuffe The market place and streetes were paued with bricke of fine gold in the same place was seene a fountaine of liuely water which made a torreÌ„t of pleasure running through the streets and trees alwayes greene loaden with the fruite of life and with floures which cast a most sweet odour all ouer the Citty The Cittizens men and women were diuinely beautifull their bodies subtile shyning like the sunne all went and flew nymbly like to Eagles cloathed like the Kings children some in scarlet some in crimson damaske others in white satine some in beaten gold and others in other stuffe and these habits being wrought and garnished with embrodery and passe main lace of gold poudered with all sorts of exquisite and choice pearle and precious stones were couered with a garmeÌ„t of a glittering color thin swimming after them as a mantle of Cypres through the which the beauty of their ornaments appeared more admirable Their heads were crowned with Tissues of gold set with great orientall pearles Rubies Diamonds and Emeraldes and on their forhead hung a glittering Crosse made of diuers great Diamonds of wonderfull brightnes They caryed a palme of immortality in their hands and euery one had â—is pallace and liued all vnder one King and at his owne table in great aboundance of all good things without feare of any euill with a peace vnion and contentement vnspeakeable and there was heard without ceasing sundry consorts of musike of voyces instruments vpon the Towres which made all the Citty sound with an incredible melody As the Baron was plunged in the rauishment of this vision he awaked about midnight and perceiued well that it was God that shewed him the image of this Citty and of these Cittizens He resolued from thenceforth to be a Pilgrime vpon earth and to serue God with all his hart one day to be receiued in the number of these Cittizens a few dayes after he tooke his Fathers blessing became Religious In the same houre when Theodosius and Vincent had slept Lazarus dreamed that being neer his Fathers house his brother Pauline met him saying all amazed O my brother Aâ—me Dieu are you aliue Lazarus also more amazed imbraced him and said O my deare brother Pauline are you yet in the world I kept your funerals at Loreto and with the shadow of this ioy he awaked perceiued it was but a dreame slept againe Three houres after they a rose and kneeled to their prayers making their Meditation euery man by himselfe as they were wont Niceph li. 15. c. 14. ex lanen Episc Ieros Glâ—a alijs Niceph. li. 2. cap. 23. lib. 15. ca. 14. Lazarus meditated first of the piety and deuotion of the Apostles to our B. Lady perseuering three whole dayes to visite her sepulcher and to honour it with hymnes and canticles togeather with the consorts of Angels who in the same time afforded an admirable harmony of their heauenly melody to the honour of the same Virgin Secondly he considered how S. Thomas comming by the Prouidence of God the third day and desirous to honour the body of the B. Virgin whome he could not serue at her decease as his companions did was cause that they opened the sepulcher to giue him contentment and to behold that sacred treasure layd vp in it and that not fynding it there they acknowledged the glorious Asssiption of the B. Virgin caryed to heauen both body and soule and priuiledged after her death with a prerogatiue of a glorious resurrection before the great and generall day as she was priuiledged with a thousand graces all the course of her life And thereupon came into his memory the prophecy of King Dauid foretelling in these wordes the Resurrection of the Sonne of the mother Psal 133. Arise O Lord into thy rest thou and the Arke of thy Sanctification The wordes also of the Sonne speaking vnto his mother Cant. 4. as vnto his well beloued Spouse Arise my friend my doue and come the winter is now passed the raine is ended and gone make hast my loue without staying for the last general resurrection of men Come betimes from the shadow of the graue and come to the light of heauen for winter is passed with you the showrs of your teares are dried vp he made her make haste not letting her lye three litle and short daies in her Sepulcher So it was meete that that sacred body which had brought forth life should not be swallowed by death and giuen for a prey and foode to wormes nor the matter of incorruption turne to ashes and that she who had by priuiledge beene exempted from originall sin Gen. 3. and the common malediction of women in their childbirth should also be exempted from the paine and malediction incurred by the same which was to be by death turned into dust and ashes Heere Lazarus considered attentiuely the glory of this resurrection which doubtlesse was worthy of the Sonne mother of God and such as the Angels might well admire but not expresse and therefore seeing her ascend they sayd who is she that coming from the desert ascendeth loaden with delights Cant. â— and leauing vpon her well beloued They admired and demaunded and could not otherwise expresse the beauty of this creature And if these celestiall spirits so well seene in all great things do shew by their wondering that they neuer saw the like in heauen what can men say or conceiue of the glory of this Assumption Of the Meditation of this glory particular of the B. The ioy glory of Paradise Virgin Lazarus tooke occasion to thinke of the ioyes of Paradise â—he coÌ„sidered first the essence of that ioy which consisteth in the vision of God a perfect ioy and alone sufficient to satisfy and fill the hart of man which cannot be filled but with the possession of an infinite good and if the knowledge of creatures of the heauens of the starres of other creatures though imperfect and full of obscurity can rauish with ioy the spirits of mortall men in the darknes of this base low world what ioy may redouÌ„d to the blessed soules aboue
of the cleare vision and contemplation of their Creatour the cause of all beauties that are in heauen or earth and infinitly more beautifull then all other beauty put together Of the body He meditated in the second place of the glory which the bodies of the â—ust shall haue after the ResurrectioÌ„ which can not otherwise be declared but as the Apostle declareth the whole felicity That the eye hath not seene nor the eare heard nor the hart of man comprehended â— Cor. 2. what God hath prepared for those that loue h m he could say no more then in saying as he did that it is impossible to conceiue that felicty The scripture sayth that the iust shall shine like the sunne and compareth them to eagles Matt. 15. signifying the beauty agility of their body Our Sauiour to whose similitude we shall rise agayne came out of the graue that he rose out subtile impassible such in similitude shall our bodies be in such qualities shining Phil. 3.20 transpareÌ„t agile subtile penetrant and immortall heere withall euery particular part of the body shall haue a supernaturall beauty as now it hath a naturall with this difference that then all the body being transparent like christall all parts shall be visible in it as well the inward as the outward the bones the muscles the sinewes the veines the arteries the lungs the liuer the hart all shall be cleansed and cleared from all imperfectioÌ„ indewed with their proper beauty in propoâ—tion clearenes and colour This of Saphire that of Emeraldes one of Carbuncles another of Diamonds and aboue all shall be most adm rable those which haue beene employed in some speciall and peculiar seruice of the diuine Maiesty So the skinne of S. Bartholomew stead off for the faith shall shine with a particular beauty the armes and feete of S. Peter crucifyed the head of S. Paul cut of the tongues of true preachers the hands of Almoners the armes of the true souldiours of Iesus-Christ the eyes of chastity the hayres of virginity nothing shall be without recompence without excellency without particular glory Lazarus was plunged in this meditation and sayd O my soule if thou beest rauished meditating these beauties how great shall thy ioy be in enioying them O Lazarus what doost thou to deserue them What giuest thou to buy them What sufferest thou to gaine this honour And with what pace walkest thou to get the goale of this glory O soules redeemed with the precious bloud of Iesus thinke vpon these honours O Christian Dames who so highly esteeme the beauty of the body that not hauing it you would gladly purchase it with great summes of gold and siluer hauing it do hold it so deere tender it so carefully by art by gold by apparell by chaynes carkenets and iewels your beauty is nothing it is foule and ill fauoured in respect of this and if it were any thing you know well it shall finally perish eyther by some misfortune or by touch of sicknes or by age or surely by death Where is the beauty of AbsaloÌ„ of Lucrece of so many men women admired in the world Loue then the beauty of this Resurrection which shall be proper for euer vnto your bodies and to obtaine it loue now the beauty of your soules O my soule be thou amorous and in loue with this beauty O glorious Virgin O faithfull aduocate aduaÌ„ced this faire and ioyfull day aboue all the thrones of the heauenly and happy spirits the wonder of all goodly creatures on earth whilst thou wert aliue the wonder of all the creatures in heauen for euer the honour of the triumphant Church the refuge of the militant the comfort of the afflicted the guide of wanderers helpe vs with thy graces and credit with him by whome thou wert this day carryed vp into heauen with the company of all the heauenly hostes Procure o most B. Virgin that we obtaine grace holily to liue vpon earth to the imitation of thy selfe and happily to dye to thy example and one day to enioy eternally the riches of the triumphant Resurrection in the Kingdome of thy Sonne Iesus 1. An exhortation to a sick person in agony of death 2. The affliction of Lazarus 3. His arriuall at his Fathers house 4. His farewell to his Father and to the world CHAP. XXV THVS Lazarus ended his prayer Theodosius and Vincent ended then also and had felt great inward ioy therein The steward came early to their chamber hauing made ready their breakfast but they would eate nothing saying it was to soone They desired him humbly to salute in their behalfe Monsieur the Marquesse the Abbot the Vicount the Baron his children and to assure them that they would pray to God for their prosperity The steward had closely put into Lazarus bagge ten Crownes wrapped in a paper with these words of the Marquesse owne writing Pray to God for the Marques which Lazarus found at night in his fathers house He imbraced the Steward with many thankes after they had sayd their Pilgrims prayers they went out of the Castle and hauing beene a while silent they began to talke Lazarus praised much the prudence and liberality of the Marques and of his brother the sincere and harty loue of his children full of humility and courtesy the true markes of true nobility as contrariwise pride and disdaine is a true token of a base and rude mynd he commended also greatly the modesty diligence of all the officers and seruants and tooke this for a sure signe of the Marquesse his vertue for commonly like maister like men and the subiects doe for the most part frame themselues after the fashions of their Lord. Theodosius sayd that he noted at supper a meruailous contentment of all in the answere that was made to Syre Cime and that he did neuer better perceiue the leuity obstinacy of heresy then in that man who sought nothing but to talke and shew himselfe though he shewed himselfe alwayes void of good learning Pride the Father of heresy Whereupon Lazarus sayd Pride is the Father of heresy and vanity is her Mistresse and therefore you may not meruaile to see an Heretike both proud and vayne togeather Wherefore then quoth Vincent doth not the Marquesse his nephew shew himselfe like his maister Because sayth Lazarus he is not so much an Heretike as bred and brought vp in heresy neuer hauing beene Catholike knowing nothing but what they haue giuen him to vnderstand without contradictioÌ„ it is well to be hoped that as he is of a noble tractable nature and of a goodly spirit that as soone as he shall haue free liberty to conferre with some learned man or cast his eyes vpon some learned booke he will discouer the deceits of these impostures which his maister hath commended vnto him for rules and maximes of his Religion will imbrace the truth of the Catholike fayth Surely sayd Vincent I longed much
this is twesday and on Saterday we had newes of your death God giue me grace quoth Lazarus well to dye and well to rise againe This being sayd they returned to the Castle Monsieur caused good almes to be giuen and Lazarus aduised Vincent to giue the steward the ten Crownes in his bagge to giue also in almes to the poore and the remaynder of their Viaticum Open house was kept all that day and the next to all commers they went quickly to supper and al supper time and after also was nothing but questions and answers and admirations About ten a clocke in the night the Pilgrimes tooke their leaue of the old man giuing him the good night and he to them They were brought euery one to their chamber their feetâ— were washed new chaÌ„ge of apparell brought them to put on when they rose In the morning all the Pilgrimes made their meditations and communicated without omitting any of their accustomed exerses of deuotion A fortnight passed in diuers recreations namely in recounting the miracles and fauours of the B. Virgin the aduentures and accidents the encounters and dangers of their Pilgrimage in Palestine in Aegypt in Africa in Asia and in Europe since Pauline was prisoner who also related vnto Lazarus and his companions how he fell into the hands of the Saracenes and the manner how God deliuered him and conducted him home Theodosius returned to his Fathers house to take his blessing and after came backe to Lazarus Pauline was alwayes in his feruour of leauing the follies of the world and pressed Lazarus as much as he could to hasten that affaire as also Vincent Lazarus was glad to see all the house in good order and his sister who had beene widdow now three yeares like a good mistresse of the house gouerne the family insteed of her mother departed and in mynd to marry no more and his brother Francis full of prudence and piety honouring and solacing his father as much as could be desired of a Sonne so that he watched nothing but a fit houre to bid his father farewell fynding him one day as he desired he spake to him in this sort Lazarus his farewel to his Father and the World My most honourable Father and Lord by Gods fauour power I am returned from my seauen yeares voyage and vpon the point to beginne another longer then that with your leaue and blessing I beseech you to permit me vpon my departure solemnely to confesse and acknowledge that I am as much bound vnto you as euer was sonne to his father or subiect to his Lord and that I vse this confession to iustify the request I meane to make make it graÌ„table I owe vnto you next to God all that I haue and all that I am for I am your Sonne and you are my Father by which title I owe you all And a Father not such as onely hauing begotteÌ„ me and giuen me my body as other fathers to leaue me heyre of your earthly possessions The obligation of the Sonne to the Father without taking any care or very small of the saluation of my soule but like a true Father you haue nourished me in my childhood in the feare of God without sparing of any care or temporall meanes haue prouided me of the best and choisest maisters in Christendome hauing learned good literature vntill 18. yeares of age you made me learne to weare handle armâ—s after the fashion of our Nobility of France in the best Vniuersities of Eâ—rope After I was sent into Hungary to wars against the Turkes where I coÌ„manded three yeares with honorable successe of my trauailes contentment of the Captaine in whose coÌ„pany I carried armes being returned from this voiage and no occasion presenting it self vnto me in our France honorable to imploy my desire and calling you were of opinion depriuing your selfe of me for loue of me that I should trauaile into the East that so I might learne vertue in the schoole of the world seeing diuers countries and diuers nations and you did condescend that my brother Pauline should go with me because he desired it and you caused vs to be furnished with honourable prouision of men and horse but I desired you to permit me to go trauaile as a Christian Pilgrime and namely to that noble place of Loreto and that enduring some paine for the loue of God and satisfaction of my sinnes I might winne heaueÌ„ you praysed mine intention yet notwithstanding you recommended vs to certaine french Gentlemen which were in the East and made vs to take letters of Banke to help vs if we should be in necessity Then I declared vnto you as also did my brother Pauline the desire I had in my soule euer since my youth to leaue the world and to dedicate my selfe to the seruice of God a desire which hath alwayes increased in me and growne so much the more earnest feruent by how much the more clearely I did discouer the vanity of this life in euery vocation and learne that there was nothing stable vnder the heauens nothing more noble or worthy then to seeke euerlasting riches a desire which came not of my self but of God for whome I haue heard you often say that we must leaue Father and Mother and all It came also of you Syr by reason of the good instructioÌ„s which you gaue me and had caused to be giuen me so that for all and euery way I am bound and obliged to you Behold then my request grounded vpon two good titles of the goodnes and will of God and of your vertue and merit towards me and this my desire is that for the honour of God whome your selfe honour aboue all things and for the holy loue you beare vnto me and haue shewed by a thousaÌ„d benefits that it would please you to take in good part that without any longer delay I may leaue the world to consecrate my selfe to the seruice of him who hath called me to follow him and that giuing me your blessing you would crowne with this benefit all others that hitherto I haue receiued of you all which I will remember whilst my body shall breath and for the which I shall demaund of God with warme teares a recompence worthy of his diuine Maiesty The manner of life which I shall choose shall not make me leaue or forget the loue and respect which I owe vnto you but will make it more solide and firme for the counsels of God which teach vs to follow him neere are not contrary to his law which commaundeth to honour Father and Mother and Religion doth not destroy the law of nature but doth purify confirme and increase it And therefore thogh I should be absent in body yet I shall be alwaies present with you in spirit in what place soeuer the prouidence of God shall let me liue I shall alwayes remaine your most humble Sonne and Seruant and will put you in the