incite their generous spirits stirred vp the most religious princes to carry the Croisaide esteeming it no lesse glory to raise the tropheys of the crosse on the frontiers of Egipt then did Alexander by erecting two altars in the vtmost confines of the Indyes Hercules two pillars on the bounds of his nauigation It was desired this enterprise might haue a Commander capable for the conduct of a roiall army and to returne victorious Andrew king of Hungary Transiluania by a common consent was chosen out for this charge which he accepted with that content wherewith the heartes of great Princes are euer possessed when they meete with occasions which free them from parity or corriuallship with others It could not fall into better hands although in the pursuites of ambition great honours willingly submitt to those who goe slowest as the Hart many tymes yields himselfe to the man that least chased him Hauing then taken away all affections from his owne will to become obedient to that which God discouered vnto him by this election he mustred all the forces of his kingdome and thereunto added those of his neighbours to ioyne with the Christian Army at Constantinople He left the Princes his sonnes vnder the charge of the Queene his wife indeed all of them together vnder the prudence fidelity of the Count of Bankban whom hee made Lieutenant Generall in high low Hungary His absence caused great griefe in his Court but the arriuall of the prince brother to the Queene sweetned them that so they might be seasoned with a strange bitternesse He was of an age wherein lust begins to warre against vertue where with Hercules was forcibly assailed by attraction of the one to forsake the other His heart was a fortresse which as yet had neuer receiued garrison hee hauing preserued it in the first liberty of its birth-Loue surprised it by gayning the eyes which were the sentinells He sawe among the Ladies of Court attending on the Queene his sister the Countesse of Banckban He iudged her the fairest found her one of the wisest Her beauty was not an vncomly hostesse in an handsome house For she obeyed vertue which held it in propriety neuertheles fell into discord with her honour Loue against her liking with out her consent made vse of her eyes for all manner of artillery They were fires to burne arrowes to wound burning mirrours to turne the vessells of those into cinders who vndertooke to sayle on this sea of the Courte loue Yet neuer durst he attempt this Minerua it being impossible to finde her idle The prince who ever had beene for him selfe was now for her so soone as euer he beheld her This passion forcing with its violence those things which cannot be inforced commaunded its liberty to manifest its seruitude He thought himselfe too couragious not to tell her of it her too courteous not to hearken to it Princes though all things stand faire for them are not free from trouble in these first circumstances for indeede they thinke ceremonies are not made but for such as are on equall termes if they vse them they vould haue them accounted an honour that their intreatyes may commaund that noe fauour be so great which they must not buy at a costly rate The torment of the prince which should be lesse cruell discouered then concealed redoubled the violence there of so soone as his tongue had vnfolded to the Countesse the euill which his eyes had done to his heart For this first view which was but a single desire became all loue by these approaches he tourned into fury an vniust conspiracy against her honour The Countesse in stead of accepting the power which the Prince offered her ouer his heart made it appeare vnto him she neither regarded his suite nor affection though it were the most ardent which true loue might tender to a heart well beloued and that hers could not receiue any impression then of the lawfull loue of her husband The Prince meeting with such soe couragious resistance despayring to ouercome this resolution discouered to his Sister all the woundes of his soule found noe comfort but in her affection who shewed her selfe not insensible of his torment We haue often seene seruants who haue betrayed their Mistresses but it is a prodigious thing when we behould seruants betrayed by their mistresses Shee conspired in fauour of the Prince her Brother against the honour of the Countesse and promised him to gaine her to his desire either by loue or force The next ensueing night the conspiracy was executed the body vanguished the heart inuincible There was but one night betweene this iniury the reuenge which transported the Count of Banckban in to such furie that earlie in the morning he stab'd his dagger into the bosome of the Queene who had beē a bad Mistresse to be a good Sister Heere it is where humane iudgment must strike sayle and cast it selfe into the vast Ocean of those of the liuing God in comparison of which the most cleare seeing eyes are Owles in the rayes of the sunne Of one same mother were borne two Sisters Gertrude who turned away from the feare loue of God Hedwige whose life was so replenished with piety adorned with so many vertues that she hath beene canonized for a Saint Sorrowes violent vnexpected are not for simple discourses Those are not great which can be expressed This accident by some esteemed parricide by others iustice offended scandalized the whole Court layed incurable woundes on the Sowle of the Princesse Elizabeth but she for all that murmured not against God whose wisedome she adored with all humility hauing her eye in this mishap noe more troubled then her heart Time and patience which cure all disturbances nourished gaue increase to hers Shee not so much reflected on the death of the body as she entred into strange apprehensions for the health of the Soule The Count of Banckban hauing sett the affaires of the kingdome in good order his wife Family into safegard went to Constantinople to cast himselfe at the feete of the king making him both iudge auenger of the fact which hee confessed to haue committed by a powerfull instigation for the which he at the least much repented him Teares hastned in ayde of the words which sorrowe stopped in his breast Yet for all this amazement could not seyze on the kings heart If he in middest of armes shedd teares to vapour out his griefe by them the sorrowe to haue lost a good wife his children a good mother would make them to powre them out in aboundance He patiently heard the Count of Banckban and prudently aunswered that at his returne he would vnderstand the trueth of this matter That those who are present neuer want excuses the absent euer suffer wrong That he would heare his brother in lawe the allyes of his wife He sent him
Mulier timens Dominum ipsa â—â—â—â—â—bitur THE HISTORIE OF S. ELIZABETH DAVGHTER OF THE KING OF HVNGARIE Written in French by Peter Mathieu and translated into English by Sr T. H. AT BRVXELLES By the Widdow of HVBERT ANTONY called Velpius Ano. 1633 TO THE honble THE LADY ENGLEFIELD THE ELDER all happines temporall eternall MADAM I hauing bin entreated by a vvorthy gentleman to reueivv this abstract of a greater history to the end it might passe to publique vse And finding according to my slender skill in forraine tongues that it punctually agreeth vvith the FreÌ„ch out of vvhich it vvas translated into our vulgar and iudging the subiect proper to our times vvherein as alvvayes examples moue more then doctrine to actes of piety I vvas Zealous to further the presse annecting an Appendix or adioynder of mine ovvne poore conceits as I hope not vnprofitable to the Reader VVhich done I easily resolued to begge your La pps Patronage of so pious a designe especially this great Princesse vvhose exemplar life is here abbreuiated being one of the first branches of that spirituall tree of Seraphicall S. Francis vnder vvhose shadovves you haue bin and are vertuously conducted in a penitentiall vvay to your great home vvhere by the infinite merits of our blessed Sauiour you hope to enioy the revvard of your vertues vvith other great personages of your family vvho haue humbly passed their pilgrimage vnder the same rule not vvithout note of sanctitie I omit my ovvne titles of obligation vvhich challenge both my pen person in all duty to your Lapp. begging of the diuine goodnes vvho is the butt of your actions his blessing to all your good desires MADAM Your La pps humble beades-man G. P. A COMMONITORY TO THE READER MY intentions in exposinge to publique veiwe the life of this glorious saint a knowne member of the Catholique church is by facts to shewe the church a posteriori by the effects to shewe the cause For surely god would not haue bene so solicitous to reduce these wandringe sheepe to his sheepfold as himselfe in holy writt by publique proclamation witnesseth With an Oportet reducere c. If he could haue faintes out of it Neither doe I thinke that any protestants excepte either weake or malicious puritanes will not finde matter of edification and I hope much spirituall profitt if piously not curiously they obserue this great Princes vertues yet it s not obscurely known to men who desire more vnitie of spiritts especially in matter of Religion that there are too many who soe much delight in the breaches of the church that they will haue noe Communion euen with the wery saints begotten in her These are they of whome Cassander sayth that they soe hate the church that they hate all good from her I must confesse I delight not much in the society of those souldiers who would haue though only the vpper garment of our sauiour deuided amongst them which Euthimius calls his cloake but I abhorre from those who will cutt his tunica in-consutilis inner-coate wich the Arabian interpretour calleth his shirte or truet which was in steede of a shirte beinge of wooll accordinge to the auncieÌ„t and mystically without seame without schisme and soe to be kept accordinge to the Prophett and subiect only to a Miserunt sortem in soe much that the outragious Iewes themselues durst not aduenture to cutt it yet I knowe there are too many cloaked vnder the name of christians who would rathermake more holes then stoppe one euen in our sauiours inner coate of whome our learned Countryman master Selden in his Prolegomena de successionibus hebraeorum Sui duntaxat ingenij vi sacras literas temere explicantes ridiculis atque impijs pacem Christianam nouationibus perturbare solere passim videmus their factious witts are made the touch-stone of our faith what many of them deny to the whole church They arrogate to their owne priuate spiritts which is to haue power to declare all dubious and more hidden texts of scripture and out of them to frame newe canons of beliefe Vincentius Lyranensis Chap 26. tells you of them and how to knowe them Audies etenim quosdam ipsorum dicere verite ô insipientes miseri qui vulgo Catholici vocitamini discite fidem veram quam praeter nos nullus intelligit quae multis ante saeculis laâ—uit nuper verò reuelata ostensa est sed discite furtim secretim delectabit enim vos Et item cum dediceritis latenter docete ne mundus audiat nec ecclesia sciat paucis namque concessa est tanti mysterij capere secretum See there how he prosecuteth it and when you haue perused him well iudge if it touch not to the quicke those factious spiritts that desire nothinge more then separation then sedition in christ his common wealth me thinkes in earnest he hath them at euery tourninge for their nouelty for their inuisibility their singularity their priuate spiritt their clanculare conuenticles their praeiudicate censures of all others their refractary resistance of peace in Religion Saint Hillarius de trin layes open the ground of their vertigo In deflexu motu aduersandi studium persistit vbi non voluntas rationi subijcitur sed his quae studemus doctrinam coaptans Truth and learninge must besquared accordinge to their inordinate affections and not their affections by truth they wrest the scriptures and fathers to their contentious ends Omnes tument omnes scientiam pollicentur saith Turtullian by their ouer-weeninge conceite of themselues they swell and must breake out into botches and infectious gangrenes to the preiudice of the wholl body of the church Had there not bene those turbulent spiritts in our country guilty of more will then witt we might not in vaine haue hoped longe since that most desired vnity in Religion Had they reuerently proposed venerable antiquity they would haue found all the fathers most scrupulous in giuing the least I doe not say cutt but stretch to our Blessed sauiour his mystically wholl coate which is his church according to all the fathers Wittnes Tert de praescriptionibus although afterwards he vnfortunately cutt it in peeces Ireneus especially lib. 3. Epiphanius de haeresibus throughout all saint Hierome against the Luciferans howe zealously against Ruffinus fearing least any breach should be made by him though indeed his flawes were not soe dangerous as for Patronizing Origen too much as saint Hierome notes Apol 2. and falsely attributing some ill opinions of Sixtus the Philosopher to saint Sixtus Pope and martir as saint Hierome notes ep ad Ctesiphontem whereby saint Augustine was deceiued at the first as appeares in his retractations li. 2. C. 46. and some other points How feruent against Vigilantius though I knowe the Magdeburgenses Cent 4. C. 8. would plead a not guilty for him yea to haue bin too hard for saint Hierome but the truth is he was faulty in denying all honour to reliques as saint Hier
there confutes him and my Lord of VVinchester against Peron Causabon against Baronius super annum Domini 34. nu 140. learnedly in the name of all England acknowledge a reuerence due to them as saint Augustine relates of the miracles done by the earth of the holy land which Hesperius reuerenced worthily as S. Augustine noteth He was faulty also in denying the saintes in heauen to pray for vs for this all learned protestant diuines allowe as conformable to all antiquity Howe carefull was saint Cyprian in this maine point though once indeed he gaue a scratch to our Blessed sauiour his coate yet he cutt it not and as saint Augustine sayth he reunited it againe with his owne blood Saint Augustine in all places against all spiritts of diuision Shall we heare a dismall sentence of his li. 4. Contra donatistas Cap. 8. Constituamus aliquem castum continentem non auarum non idolis seruientem hospitalitatem indigentibus ministrantem non cuiusquam inimicum non contentiosum patientem quietum nulli aemulantem nulli inuidentem sobrium frugalem sed haereticum nulli vtique dubium est propter hoc solum quod haereticus est regnum Dei non possessurum If he hath cutt our sauiour his wholl garment he hath no shelter for nakednes no defence against gods sentence of eternall death And herevpon we see with howe great care haue generall and Prouinciall Councells presently bene conuocated to cutt of all springing haeresies at their first buding As of Arius the Nicen in time of Siluester Of Macedonius the first Constantinopolitan in time of Damasus Of Nestorius the Ephesine in time of Celestinus Of Eutyches the Calcedon vnder Leo c. In like manner we might descend by al centuries Oportet quidem haereses esse saint Paule hath taught vs there hath bene and will be flawes in the church but a heauy VAE is adioyned to them that make them My desire therefore is where I see any breaches not to stretch them soe farre till I make them greater least saint Paul his VAE should lay hold on me rather if I can sowe them vp againe this I conceiue to be opus sanctorum This hath bene the imployment of antiquitie you knowe Salomon adiudged the childe not to be hers who vnnaturally would haue had it cutt in pieces that she might haue parte and the holy ghost commends his wisedome Howe much more will it argue the church not to be his mother who would haue her quartered Vnum ouile saith christ Our labour should be to keepe it one So he left it The woe lighteth heauily vpon those who first broke it and much heauier on those who delight in the breach I find not our best Protestant diuines to deny many saintes to haue bin euen in latter ages begotten and perfected in the church of Rome as of saint Thomas of Aquine my lord of Chichester doubteth not to stile him saint in his tracte of inuocation of saintes So Selden de successionibus saint Anselme so commonly stiled S. Bernard omnium calculo noe man so far callinge his owne iudgment in question as to doubt of it Soe doctour vvhite against vvhite dyed blacke so my lord of Ely in his funerall sermon my lord of VVinchester in his sermon of iustificacion frequently Causab in his exercitations Whittaker de ecclesia Saint Francis by very many Pantalion in Cron P. 95. saith he was a glorious saint melancthon with many learned diuines in corpore doctrinae lypsiae Saint Bonauenture ofen so intituled by that learned diuine who put out Dieta salutis and Catena aurea taken out of this learned and pious saints greater volumes Saint Brigitt by doctour Andrevves against Peron I could enlarge my selfe but I haue made choyce of these more eminent diuines and those whome our country hath reuerenced as Illustrious Prelats I can not omitt one more Master Hacclevvitt in his booke of Nauigations acknowledgeth saint Xauerius borne in these times in this Centurie to be a very great saint and discribes many particulers of his life I must stoppe in a subiect soe obuious I could wishe and so all good men that there were more departinge christians saints then to vse the phrase of the Machabees we should haue more louers of the brethren vvho vvould pray much for the people and for holy citty That is the church of god as Iudas found a Ieremy Mac. 2.15.14 for noe doubt in heauen they assist vs and by their holy prayers these diuisions in Religion would be cured and an vnity concluded Thus far antiquity and consent of holy fathers assure vs as all learned Protestants agree and in deed the creed declareth it for there is Communio sanctorum a fellowship betwixt the triumphant and militant church which must needs be by spirituall graces conferred By god vpon vs by their prayers So saint Gregorie Nazian oratione 18. learnedly explicateth and piously beleeueth Nay saint Nazianzen doth not only acknowledge that the saints pray for the church in generall but euen for his particuler flocke as there he saith of his deceased father Which passage of his I must needs say pincheth those who would haue only a generall intercession Neither is this all Antiquity goeth further saint Ambros To 1. l. de viduis saith Obsecrandi sunt qui nobis ad praesidium dati sunt martyres obsecrandi quorum videmur nobis quodam corporis pignore Patrocinium vindicare c. He saith more to the same purpose there Neither did I euer read any learned man that doubted this booke to be his except Master Perkins in his problemes but without reason only because there is a booke fathered on him vpon the Romanes wher in the first chapter he seemeth to teach the contrary But indeed it is cleare that this booke is not his but one Hillarius a Luciferan hereticke I haue read that saint Augustine citeth that booke by the name of one saint Hillarius how euer it seemes sure not to be his and the other sure to be his Saint Hierome in his funerall oration of saint Paula saith vale Paula cultoris tui vltimam senectutem adiuua orationibus what can this be called but inuocation saint Augustine de ciuit Li 21. C 10. Vos non martyribus templa sicut dijs sacrificamus oramus sed vtrumque in ordine ad Deum see how warily and Religiously this great saint speakes he denieth vs to pray to saints as to gods for so the gentills obiected against christians as is cleare in him and in saint Cyrill against Iulian li 6. yet he granteth expresly that we pray to them in order to god which passage or distinction of his me thinkes hath ended all the controuersy betwixte vs. So that if any deny this I say as Causab in his epistle to Bertius de Apostasia sanctorum in hoc video nostros docere contraria antiquis patribus for surely this is against them and therfore my lord of Chichester in the aforesaid tracte a booke