Saints who yet with no great difficulty ayme at the piety of lesse vertuous persons And vnto these I propose a woman not famous for rudenesse of habit or rigour of diet or seuerity of discipline or abnegation of the For edification of our neighbour world but one that was humble chast meeke patient and pious neither resplendent by miracles but abounding with vertues so that they who despaire to imitate the admirable sanctity of S. Mary Magdalen may see themselues capable to attaine the piety of Magdalen Viscountesse Montague Neither yet doe I enrole her in the number of Saints or the Blessed Mine intention is only for the glory of God edification of my neyghbour sincerely to commend her lyfe to writing whether she deserued the opinion of sanctity let others iudge Thus much deuout Reader I desired to premonish thee before thou takest in hand the reading of the lyfe of our Magdalen Make thou the benefit thereof and farewell THE LIFE OF THE LADY MAGDALEN VISCOVNTESSE Montague Of the Birth of the La. Magdalen Viscountesse Montague and her Education vnder her Mother CHAP. 1. THE most Ho. ble and Vertuous Lady Magdalen Viscountesse Montague was borne in England of most Noble Catholike parents at Naward Castell the Mansion-house of her Father scituat in the County of Cumberland not far from the borders of Scotland the yeare of The Father of the La. Magdalen Christ 1538. the 20. of Ianuary Her Father was William Lord Dacre Baron of Ghisland a man besides the most ancient Nobility of his family of such power and estate as that he possessed seauen Baronyes which scarce any Noble man of England euer had and was of eminent authority His nobility in the North parts of England and both himselfe and his ancestors of very famous esteeme in England in regard of their notable prowesse in matters of warre for the safety and honour of their Country Neither was he of lesse His piety piety towards God for when King Henry the VIII calling a Parlament purposed by the voyces of both Houses to renounce the obedience to the Church of Rome and by an vnheard of President to arrogate vnto himselfe the title Sander de schism l. 1. p. 120. of head of the Church of England fearing least the Lord Dacre would not only refuse to assent vnto his lust but by his example and authority would animate others to the defence of the ancient fayth he tooke order to haue him called in question for treason wherin notwithstanding he was easily declared innocent And when afterwards the King told him that by the consent of Parlament he was made Head of the English Church and demaunded his opinion what he thought therof scoffingly deriding the vanity of the King he answered Hereafter then when your Maiesty offendeth you may absolue your selfe Another time when Queene Elizabeth the daughter of Henry exceeding her Father endeauoured vtterly to exterminate Catholike Religion out of England the Lord Dacre exhorted the Nobility not to giue consent to such an enormous act and to certaine of them offered himselfe and his forces for defence of the Catholique Religion Her Mother was a woman of like Nobility and Piety the daughter of N. Talbot Earle of Shrewsbury whose ancestors for their The Mother of the La. Magdalen most heroicall victories gotten in France are exceeding famous both in the French English Chronicles And so terrible hath the name of Talbot byn heretofore vnto the French that Mothers and nurses to still their crying children accustomed to say Talbot comes Of these most noble ancestors descended the La. Magdalen Montague which I relate not as though she did much esteeme therof but because though Nobility do not augment the valour of vertue yet it doth adde a kind of lustre and ornament vnto it and maketh it to appeare more gracious in the sight of man For as we may say with the Poet Gratior est claro veniens de sanguine Virtus Vertue hath more grace when it descends of noble race For as a pearle is of great price though it be hidden vnder the earth or couered with ordure be trodden vnder foot or to vse S. Hieromes words A Iewell glittereth in loathsome Epist. 2â— matter and the splendour of a most pure pearle shineth euen in dirt yet it is more gracious and delectable when it is set in gold So vertue is very estimable with whatsoeuer ragged pouerty it is ioyned but where it is vested with Nobility as it were with purple it doth mooue a greater admiration and as the Sunne in a cleare day dispersing the cloudes doth far and neere dilate the beames of his light For as nothing appeareth more pleasing and beautifull to those that cast vp their eyes then the heauens in a cleere night glittering with diuers starres so to vs casting downe our sight nothing appeareth more gracious then Nobility adorned and as it were glittering with diuers degrees of vertue For Nobility illustrated with Vertues is a heauen scituate on earth adorned with starres Which in these times we may auerre to be so much the more true as the coniunction of Vertue with Nobility is more rare There was a time when Kings Queenes and Princes Many holy Kings Queenes in England in time past men and women in England as they excelled others in dignity so did they endeauour to exceed them in vertue whence we may find recorded among the Saints neere twenty Kings of England and as many Queenes but of Kings children Princes noble persons more then may be nuÌ„bred But now O griefe our Princes saruing from the fayth of their predecessors the Nobility also for the most part degenerate from the piety of their ancestors Wherfore this noble woman deserueth the greater prayse before God and men who would not staine her Nobility with vices and impious heresie but endeauoured with all her forces to adorne and illustrate it with vertues and the purity of the Catholike fayth as in the discourse of her life shall appeare Till the thirteenth yeare of her age she had her education in her Fathers house vnder the pious gouernment of her Mother where although as well in regard of her youthfull yeares as by example of her sisters and the custome of other Noble Virgins as also by the delight of the pastime she might haue bin induced to She deligteth not in hunting the sports of hauking and hunting she notwithstanding contemning all this pleasure made choice by example of the B. Virgin rather to abide in quiet repose at home then after the manner of prophane Diana by chasing wilde beasts and foule to stray in the mountaines and forrests so without a teacher she fulfilled the counsaile which S. Hierome giueth to Virgins Let her neuer goe forth least those Epist ad Laetâ—â—… who wander about the citty do find her least they strike and wound her and bereaue her of the veyle of her chastity Of her
Education vnder the Countesse of Bedford CHAP. II. VVHen she was now thirteene yeares of age she was by her Father commended to the Countesse of Bedford to be educated vnder the prudēt discipline of that Catholique and Religious Lady Of whome she accustomed to make this relation which for the instruction of other women I thought very requisite to commit A barren woman immoderatly desireth children to writing Wheras she was barren had a vehement desire to haue a child she for a long tyme both by her selfe others besought Almighty God to vouchsafe to graunt her a sonne But as Christ sayd to his disciples Nescitis quid petatis yee know not what yee aske as S. Augustine witnesseth God sometymes in anger granteth our petition so this pious woman by the ill euent experienced that she knew not what she asked and insteed of a benefit requested a punishment of God For she brought forth a She is punished by them sonne but such a one as not only fell into heresy which she did extremely abhorre but did oftentimes so impiously behaue himself towards his Mother as that she would sometymes with exceeding griefe and teares publikely confesse that she grieuously offended God when desiring a sonne she had not added this condition If it might be for his glory and her comfort and therfore sayd she I am iustly punished by the thing I immoderatly desyred Which may be a document to pious parents that sterility is not alwayes to be esteemed as a punishment inflicted of God nor that children are alwayes to be reputed as a gift and testimony of diuine fauour and that they should demaund no temporall thing of God but as far forth as his diuine prouidence foreseeth it to be agreable to his pleasure and profitable for them But let vs returne to the La. Mōtague She liued three yeares vnder the said Countesse whome she so diligently attended that she did not only performe the office of her gentlewoman but in the absence of her chamber-mayd discharged her seruice also being ready euery houre of the night whensoeuer the Countesse called which by reason of her old age and infirmities she often did to rise out of her bed and diligently to attend her Yea the right Noble Virgin being delicately educated did not disdaine of her owne accord and vnknowne to the Countesse to performe that base kind of seruice which curious eares refuse to heare related So much had God preuented her with his benedictions and Her rare humility and duty had indued her with such humility euen in that age wherein as being the flower of youth women are ordinarily puffed vp in pride and insolencie And this act she sometimes accustomed to relate to her Grand-children without blushing yea with a kind of complacence by such example to exhort them to humility Of her liuing at the Court vnder Queene Mary and of her Marriage vnto the Viscount Montague CHAP. III. VVHen in this manner she had spent three yeares in all vertue and piety vnder the discipline of the Countesse of Bedford it happened that K. Edward the sixt being dead whose childhood certaine impious men abused to ouerthrow Catholike Religion in England Queene Mary not without euident miracle the great benignity of God against all power and policy of heretikes obtayned the Kingdome of England and expelling perfidious heresy restablished the auncient and true Religion She admitted Magdalen to the Court and to She is Maid of honour to Q Mary the number of her noble wayting-women who are vsually called Ladyes of Honour where her vertue and virginall modesty got not only more ample place to demonstrate it selfe but also found greater occasion and example of progresse and increase For at that tyme the Court of England was a schoole of vertue a nursery of purity a mansion of piety The Queene her selfe did shine What the Court of England vvas vnder Q Mary as the Moone in all kind of vertue whose prayses all histories doe record Her Ladyes and women did glitter as the starres and what shining starres they were the Reader may coniecture by what I will relate of one of them from the mouth of the La. Magdalen She accustomed to arise from her bed very early and attyring her selfe with all possible speed hastened to the Chappell where kneeling against a wall and the other part of her face couered with her head attyre she accustomed to spend certayne houres in deuout prayer and to shed abundance of teares before Almighty God And yet withall would she not be any tyme absent frō any office of piety prescribed to her her cōpanions Neyther was she content in this sort to spend the day but arose from her bed in the night and prostrate on the ground applyed her self to prayer a good part of the night Which when the La. Magdalen had once perceyued she finding her deuotion to be discouered no otherwise then if she had byn apprehended in Rare deuotion of of one of the maydes of honour some notorious Iewd fault falling on her knees with many teares she besought her for the honour of God that she would not bewray her secret exercises of piety to any creature whiles she liued O humble O truly pious virgin and truly a Mayd as she was called of Honour for she was a mayd of Honesty of Purity and of Piety O happy Court with such Courtyers and happy England with such a Court which for vertuous lyfe gaue not place to many Cloysters whence as from a fountain-head examples of piety did flow into all Prouinces of England Would to God this purity had continued in our Virgin Courtiers and the Mother therof the Catholike Religion had still florished then had not the Court of England byn spotted with the notorious infamy of lasciuiousnes as soone after it was But that I may expresse my griefe in this cause I desire my Countrymen to consider the notable purity of the maydes of Honour vnder Queene Mary and the infamous reproches which some The difference of the Court vnder a Catholike and an hereticall Queene of them haue incurred vnder Q. Elizabeth and they will find what difference there is betweene a most chast Religion and a most impure Heresy Vnder such a worthy Queene and with such Companions the La. Magdalen being educated she had scarce liued two yeares in the Court but that the rare vertues and ornaments both of her body and her soule drew the hartes of many principall Courtyers to affect her Among whome two especially at one tyme did earnestly seeke her in the way of Diuers desire to marry the La. Magdalen mariage The one was Syr Iohn Arundell knight cōmonly for his great wealth authority called the Great who afterward vnder Q. Elizabeth suffering long imprisonment for the Catholike Fayth dyed a glorious Confessour He was so enflamed with chast affection towardes this Lady that he would neuer desist to sollicite her till he vnderstood
THE LIFE OF THE MOST HONOVRABLE AND VERTVOVS LADY THE LA. MAGDALEN VISCOVNTESSE MONTAGVE Written in Latin and published soone after her death By RICHARD SMITH Doctour of Diuinity and her Confessour And now translated into English by C. F. Mulier timens Dominum ipsa laudabitur Prou. 3. Permissu Superiorum M. DC XXVII TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE ANTONY-MARIA Viscount Montague My very good Lord and Mayster RIGHT HONOVRABLE HAVING finished this little Translation the Authour of the Worke whose Will was to me a Commandment to vndertake the same did also enioyne me to addresse it to the protectiō of some worthy Patron which once resolued I made no difficulty of the choyce For as your Lord. p may of due iustice challeng the whole interest of all my actions and labours this subiect in particuler hath most proper relation before any other vnto your Lordiship For besides that it containes many passages of the lyfe and to the Honour of your Lo. ps most Worthy and Honourable Grandfather so neere and deere vnto your Lordship this Honourable Lady whose Vertuous Lyfe is the scope of this treatise though she were not the naturall authour of your Lord. ps lyfe as in Consanguinity descending from her yet did she proue herselfe a true and tender Mother and Grandmother which many euen naturall Parents neglect in preseruing both your Lord. p and your Honourable Fathers lyfe and what her sincere affection and continuall care was of your Lord. p in your tender yeares none can better testify then your Lo.p. And though your Lo. p were not nourished with the milke of her breasts yet your Lo. p hath sucked the true tast of her Vertues and made your selfe an heyre of her Honourable talents I hope therfore that your Lord. p in regard of the Subiect will fauour and countenance the Worke beare with the rudenes of the stile which yet I presume contayneth nothing but Truth and therein is the more conformable to this Worthy and Honoured Lady who though exteriourly affected no curiosity yea prudently shunned it yet contayned in her the sincerity of true Vertue Piety I beseech Almighty God to graunt your Lord. p all Happines and Prosperity for your present Comfort and eternall Felicity for your future Glory Your Lord. ps most obliged Seruant C. F. THE PREFACE OF THE AVTHOR to the deuout Reader THOSE auncient Fathers deuout Reader who by their writings eyther gaue ornament to the Christian Religion or defended it agaynst Heretikes did also accustome to commend to writing the liues of such pious women of their tymes as eyther by affinity or familiarity were conioyned vnto them Wherof whosoeuer hath byn but indifferently The cause of this Worke. conuersant in the workes of S. Hierome S. Augustine S. Gregory or others cannot be ignorant For these most holy men vnderstood that therby they did satisfy theyr owne deuotion gaue honest intermission to We iudg vertues by the mind not by the sexe their grauer studies praysed God in his Saintes and finally by these examples induced others to piety I imitating their proceedings though in a far meaner degree omitting for the present my writing against our moderne Heretikes which also by enioyned employments I was Hier. de obit Marcellae inforced to interrupt haue vndertaken to write the lyfe of the right Vertuous Lady Magdalen with whome I familiarly conuersed many yeares and was her Confessour The manner of writing In writing wherof as I haue endeauoured to auoyd barbarous language so haue I purposely abstayned from the pleasing veyne of eloquence the flourishes of Rhetorike For as the one vseth to offend the eares of the Reader and sometymes to auert him from reading the matter written so the other by ouermuch delighting maketh him lesse attentiue to the matter it selfe and sometymes makes him doubtfull of the truth therof The beauty of a chast Matrone ought to be as free from paynting as from vncleannes Let those be adorned with wordes whose lyfe is not adorned with deeds Our Magdalen doth so shine with Vertues that she needeth not the splēdour of a pleasing discourse Yea rather as she euer abstained from painting neuer made vse of a looking-glasse so is it requisite that all vnnecessary flourish of speech be shunned in the description of her lyfe My principall ayme shal be at the truth that I write nothing but what The fidelity of this writing my selfe haue seene or haue receyued from the mouth of this Lady her selfe or of other witnesses worthy of credit so that with S. Hierome writing the lyfe of S. Paula I may call IESVS to witnes and his Saints the very Angell who was Guardian and companion of this admirable Woman that I speake nothing for fauour nothing in flattering manner but what I am to say I speake as a testimony and lesse then her merits And that which may be a great satisfaction to indifferent Readers what I heere commit to writing I vttered before a great audience at the funerall of the Lady Magdalen her familiar acquaintance there present and diuulging it within the space of 19. monthes after her death if I lye I may be disproued by the mouth eyes testimony of all that knew her and especially of Heretikes who sith they could not endure true glory to be attributed vnto her liuing would lesse permit false honour to be fayned on her dead Therfore their silence in this matter may be an assured testimony That the liue so some pious people may be writen vnto posterity of the truth of my discourse But as I feare not calumniators of the truth so do I desire to satisfy others who perhaps thinke that the liues only of such persons ought to be recorded whose worthy Sanctity meriteth that they be enrolled in the Catalogue of Saints From the iudgment of these I cannot but dissent considering that not only the liues of S. Paula and S. Marcella but also of Blesilla Fabiola and the like are writen For exāple by that most graue Father S. Hierome and the life of S. Monica by her Sonne S. Augustine whiles he feareth that she was yet detayned in the paines of Purgatory And with good reason for as Gods power doth not only shine in the composition of the sunne and moone but appeareth also in the fabrick of the lesser starres so his heauenly grace doth not only giue a lustre in the perfection of famous Saints but shineth euen in the worth of euery pious person Besides the sunne and moone to haue added also starres vnto the heauēs was not the least increase of their ornament and so to record the liues of some pious people wil be some addition to the glory of God For the honour of God and of his Church And as men for the most part do rather admire then clime the highest mountaynes who yet by the lownes of little hilles are inuited to ascend so more doe commend then imitate the vertues of famous
nostra sicut nos dimitâ—imus debitoribus nostris Et ne nos inducas in tentationem At other times she prayed with vs or gaue eare to the reading of the Passion of Christ or some pious booke and now then would admonish vs to put her in mind of heauen heauenly things Sometimes she enquired the estate of other sick persons as occasion was presented she did exhort Catholikes to constancy in their fayth and sometimes also she spake to Heretikes of imbracing the Catholike fayth But how much at that time she was enflamed with the loue of God euen by this it may appeare that once she exceedingly loathing a certaine potion when after many importunate requests one had desired her to take the same for his loue who for her dranke vinegar gall presently without giuing any answere she tooke the cup and dranke it all vp so sodenly did the memory of the Passion of Christ make that seeme sweet which before was very loathsome vnto her She so little feared death that from the beginning of her sicknes to vs who much desired her life she seemed too much to desire her death therfore when we did propose vnto her the examples of She rather wisheth then feareth death S. Paul S. Martin and others who for the consolation of their friends were coÌ„tent to liue she would humbly answere The will of God be done And wheÌ„ once she falling into a sound her seruant cryed out in lamentation as soone as she returned to her selfe she reprehended her saying Weep not for me but weep for thy sinnes and I command thee that thou pray not for my life O singular confidence of a pure conscience O contempt of this life and desire of the future After this patient and pious manner did the La. Magdalen spend that tedious time of her grieuous infirmity wherin certayne things were obserued which perhaps may seeme speciall markes of her excellent piety towards God and The body of the Lady Magd. breathed a sweet odour of his diuine fauour towards her For albeyt there was nothing about her that could produce any sweet odour yea euery day oyntment applyed to her necke and arme for cure of the Palsy which gaue a loathsome smell yet one day her body seemed to yield a pleasing sauour which not only Catholikes but euen some Protestants which then by accident were present did feele and admiring demaunded whence that sweet odour was To others it seemed another kind of sauour yet most delicious and beyond all common sauours To me it seemed much like sweet balme so that reflecting on the odour of vertue which she left behind her both to Catholikes and Protestants I reputed that saying of Ecclesiasticus to be fulfilled in her Sicut balsamum aromatizans odorem dedi Another tyme also of her sicknes a certayne very A most delicious sauour came forth of the place where he accustomed to pray graue pious man kneeling to pray without the Chappell but behind the place wherin she accustomed to pray did fiue or six tymes feele a certaine breathing of the most delicious sauour that euer he felt in his lyfe to come forth of the Chappell which sauour he likened to the gumme of the balme-tree yet far exceeding all earthly odour and filled him with exceeding admiration and pleasure But what doe we admire so sweet a sauour to proceed froÌ„ the place where the Lady Magdalen accustomed to pray when she as the Apostle sayth Was a sweet odour of Christ in euery place Another thing which to me seemeth worthy of consideration was that wheras the Phisitian three or foure dayes before her death gaue vs hope either of recouering her health or at least of prolonging her life neither indeed did there appeare to vs any signe of imminent death neuerthelesse the seauenth of Aprill which was the day before her death she requested me to intreat my brethen the other Priests for we were then fiue that we would all that day say masse for her in honour of the Blessed Virgin and I demaunding of her to what end The admirable perfection of the La. Magd. she desired those masses to be celebrated That sayd she I may haue no will but the will of God and that his most sacred will may be fulfilled in me either in life or death O admirable perfection of this woman prepared either to liue or dye as it should please God and of herselfe desirous of neither but only of the fulfilling of his diuine pleasure And behold wheras before this time as is sayd we saw no signes of imminent death not long after the celebration of the Masses the very pangs of death did assault her neyther did they euer leaue her till they bereaued her of this mortall life And albeit those pangs were very violent and continuall from Thursday three of the clocke in the after Death speedily ensued after she said she was prepared for lyfe or death noone till almost midnight of the day following which was the eight of Aprill when she gaue vp her Ghost yet did she perseuere with the same admirable patience and tranquillity of mind In so much that the Friday morning being asked how she had passed the precedeÌ„t night she answered The best of all that euer I passed For the most prudent woman perceyued death to draw on and that night to open vnto her a day which was neuer to haue end Whiles her senses continued she prayed with vs in one hand she held a Crosse till her forces fayled in the other a hallowed light which she held so fast euen after her death that without force it could not be wrested froÌ„ her Her last words which could be vnderstood were She peaceably departeth those of our Sauiour Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit which without any resistaÌ„ce or reluctation she peaceably yielded vp a litle before midnight at which time as the Scripture sayth There was a clamour made Behold the Matt. 25. bridegrome commeth go ye forth to meet him she with the holy women within the Octaues of our Lords Resurrection arose out of this valley of teares her lampe being prepared entred as we hope with the Bridegrome to the Mariage Her bowels were buryed at Battell where she dyed in the monument of her husbands Father and her body honorably caryed to Midhurst and there layd in the Sepulcher of her husband Of the shape of her Body and Mind CHAP. XV. OF Stature she was very tall so that as Saul amongst men she among women of middle stature appeared from the shoulders vpward yet very vpright neither did she stoop in the least manner euen till her death her very body being erected by her vpright mind She was fat and grosse in body her head was round in regard of the greatnes of her body seemed litle her haire in her youth was faire and enclining to yellow her face beauttfull and long her forehead