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A01200	The chronicle and institution of the Order of the seraphicall father S. Francis conteyning his life, his death, and his miracles, and of all his holie disciples and companions / set foorth first in the Portugall, next in the Spanish, then in the Italian, lastlie in the French, and now in the English tongue.	Marcos, de Lisboa, Bishop of Porto, 1511-1591.; Cape, William.	1618 (1618)	STC 11314.2; ESTC S4305	734,345	826

CHRIST which is not accomplished but in charitie and doth more oblige vs to desire the good of the soule thē of the body In this respect the Brethren from that holie time as obedient children that desired to accomplish the iust will of their Father were with their best industrie warie therof because to murmure what other thing is it said the same holie Father then with the gall of dishonour and treason to fill holie religion his true and deere mother Such murmurers are of the cursed race of Cham for as he discouered the nuditie of his Father so these discouer and aggrauate the defectes of their Superiours and of the Order Therfore they deserue the malediction of God they wallow in filth like hogges and seeke to lay false imputations on their Brethren and to make them like vnto themselues who haue their consciences exceedingly defiled and loathsome their office is conformable to that of dogges to bite to barck and to complaine of the order of the Superiours and of the discipline The voice of the murmurer is thus I want perfection of life and true knowledge I cannot attaine to tast the sweetnes of God and therfore I cannot find place neere his diuine Maistie nor repose with men I am resolued what to doe I will raise discord amōg the elect and the good people and I shal be fauoured of the principall so much the rather because I know my Superiour to be a man and that also as I doe he sometimes vseth this meanes Oh wretch thou feedest already on humane flesh why seekest thou not they food other where thou gnawest the liuer and bowels of those that liue well Those fellowes seeke to seeme vertuous not to be so and accuse the vices of others without indeauouring in the meane time co correct their owne They praise onlie them of whome they are praised or of whome they hope some benefitt yet doe they not prayse them but when they thincke or know it will come to their vnderstanding and that themselues shal be commended therfore The holie Father thus laboured with all his power to root out of his Order so many occasions of euels as arriue by an vnbridled tongue to the end his Brethren might obserue the Euangelicall silence And in that respect he hath att times exhorted them to auoid idle wordes as such wherof one should render an account and be punished for in the great and dreadfull day of iudgement and if he mett with any one that should forgett himselfe in this point he would verie sharplie reprehend him assuring his Brethren that holie silence was the gard and cōseruation of the purity of the hart that it was not one of the least vertues and that so slight regard ought not to be made therof sith the Scripture saith that death and life are in the power of the tongue Of the spirituall ioy he would that his Brethren should haue THE XXXVII CHAPTER HE had an especiall care that his Brethen in their prayers diuine offices and corporall exercises should euer haue interiourly some spirituall ioy against the venime of idlenes and melācholy as a signe that they were the habitatiō of Iesus Christ He did with all singularly affect in them this peace and alacrity of spiritt he assured them that this spirituall ioy was directly opposite to all kinde of deceipt and temptation of the deuill and said vnto them that if the seruaunt of God did labour to conserue in him interiourly and exteriourly the alacrity which springeth of the purity of the soule as his proper foūtaine which is caused by the vertue of prayer the deuilles cannot annoy him for they will say If this man be ioyfull in afflictions and trauailes by what meanes can we procure him euill And on the contrary when the deuill seeth the seruaunt of God disarmed of this spirituall alacrity he hopeth with all to make him loose the tast of prayer and of all his other good worckes and especially of the puritie of the soule for he well knoweth with what temptations and by what slightes he can endommage and robbe the peace of the spiritt and of the good disposition which is in the seruaunt of God But this mischeuious beast shall haue lesse power when the soule shal be dilligent to expell this heauines by the vertue of prayer which as a most pleasing odour hath power to chace far a way from her this fierce and venimous serpent but when the hart is oppressed with griefe and heauines the deuill reioyceth because he very easily plongeth him into melancholy or into dispaire or persuadeth it to wallow in worldly pleasures Thus did the holy Father exceedingly labour to preserue the ioy of the hart which is the oyle of spirituall vnction wherwith the holy Ghost annoynteth those whom he hath sanctisied and thereby preuenteth the dangerous disease of idlenes and of spirituall distast which the Sainct with such dilligence endeauoured to exterminate that when he felt it to breed in him he had incontinently recourse to prayer as to a most assured remedy and preseruatiue against so perillous a disease He counsailed his Brethren in like sort when they felt themselues troubled to haue instant recourse to prayer and being on their knees prostrate on the earth before God to say Restore me if thou please my God that grace which thou wert pleased formerly to graunt vnto my soule whereto I beseech thee to giue that alacrity and rast which it felt in thy holy seruice and comfort me by the same that I do not perish and he admonished them thus to perseuer till they were heard and that their former ioy retourned vnto them For said he if the soule permitt it selfe to be transported to heauines of spiritt the vice of confusion of Babilon will grow in it which rustieth the hart and silleth it with sorrow if it be not washed with teares And know yee said this good Father that the alacrity which proceedeth of a good conscience and of vnion with God by prayer is one of the principall giftes which one is to receiue and receaued ought to conserue Labour then all of you to obtaine it sith I loue it for my selfe and desire it for you both exteriourly and interiourly for the glory of God and the greater confusion of the deuill who only and his haue occasion to be melancholie wheras we on the contrary ought to reioyce in God I know well that the deuilles beare me enuie and that they cannot but against their wil endure so many graces to be imparted vnto me by his diuine maiesty and seeing they can not annoye me they endeauour to trouble my fellow-brethren but they lesse preuayling therin if it please God they shall depart with confusion If sometimes they tempt me with slugishnes idlenes and heauines of spiritt I free me therof by consideration of the alacritie of my Brethren Now it is here to be vnderstood that the holie Father being an Idea and paterne of all

and in his face to spett the venime of thy choller Which the said gentleman seeing was exceedingly edified and deuoted to the whole Order presenting himselfe entierly to the seruice of it The holy Father S. Francis was contrarily extremely afflicted when he vnderstood that any one had disedified his neighbour To this purpose it being related vnto him that a bishop had reprehended one of his Religious for hauing seene him doe something sauouring of hypocrisie as to procure the growing of his beard and other thinges vnbeseeming a Frere Minor he stood vp right and ioyning his handes he weeping said Lord IESVS CHRIST who hauing chosen twelue Apostles one of them proued a traytor and was therfore damned and the residue ouer all the world preached thy holie faith by wordes and by pious and vertuous worckes and now in this latter houre being mindefull of thy mercie it hath pleased thee to plant the Religion of Frere Minors for helpe vnto they church and for seruice of they holie faith and thy holie gospell haue care therof I beseech thee for thy pietie for if this Religion giue scandale in steed of good example who shall satisfie thee for her Thus vrged by zeale of the honour of God and the saluation of soules stretching his armes a broad with great effusion of teares he vrtered these wordes Good God and Father I beseech thee le●t all the Religious who by their euill example and impious worckes shall destroy that which by meane of thy true Frere Minors thou hast edified be accursed of thee of thy celestiall court and of me thy humble seruant Vpon a day reprehending a Religious that had giuen ill example among other thinges he said this Brother will you that I lett you know the displeasure which the Religious procure me that scandalize others the same that one should doe who hauing a rapiere in his hand should often thrust me into the flanckes and therwith I could not dye so the noughty Religious doe augment in my soule greifes vpon greifes giuing euill example and doebucher my bowels then he added Ah my God! if one wounded could fly him that threatneth his death would he not fly and why then doe not I fly into the Mountaines and desertes to auoid the hearing of such and the like matters of my Religious Of an answeare which God gaue to the holy Father S. Francis in prayer being exceedingly afflicted for some scandales committed THE XXVI CHAPTER THe afflicted S. Francis knowing that certaine Prouincialls of his Order gaue not good edification to the simple Religious foreseeing that therby many other in short time might swarue from the obseruance of the rule moued with great greife which afflicted him for the zeale of the honour of God often reiterating these wordes My God I recommend vnto thee this familie which thou hast giuen me he heard a voice that said Why troublest thou thy selfe poore man Why doest thou so much afflict thee if some Religious walke not my way and giue ill example esteemest thou that I haue so chosen thee for Pastour of this Religion as that I continue not the principal Pastour thereof Who hath planted this Religion of Freere Minors who cōuerteth men to pennance who giueth them force and vertue to perseuer in it Tell me doe not I al this yea I haue chosen thee expresly without learning or eloquēce yea simple that performing what lyeth in thee thou committ the rest to me and that this new conuersion of so great part of the world be not attributed to thy doctrine nor to any humane industry but to my grace alone Now to the end thatt thou and all the world know that I will watch ouer my flock I haue placed thee there as a blanck and paterne to all the Religious that by what thou shall doe they may see whervnto they are obliged and I will preserue and maintaine them And if it happen that some doe fall others shall rise They that walke in my way are mine and shall retourne to me they that walke not in it shall loose the litle good which they seeme to haue Therfore I commaund thee not so much to vexe they selfe henceforward but onlie perseuer in thy course and know that I haue planted and conserue this Religion which I so much affect that if one of the Brethren retourne to his vomitt I will referre his crowne to an other in his place and if he be not borne I will cause him to be borne And that thou mayest know how much I loue the Religion of thy Freres though in the Order there remayne but three I will not abandon them but those three shal be my Religion The poore Father was comforted with these wordes and so supported all with more patience In the Chapters he would often vse these wordes to his Religious I haue made vow and professiō of the rule of Frere Minors and all the Brethren are in like sort obliged thervnto I haue left the office of Gouernour of the Religious by reason of mine infirmities and withall because it was permitted by his diuine maiesty for the good of my soule I know the greatest furtherance that I can giue to my Religion is continually to pray for it and to beseech God to gouerne it I am not obliged to any other thing then to giue to each one good example And if any perish by my euill example I wil be obliged to yeld account for him vnto God Therfore they that hold the same rule with me and know very well if they will what they ought to doe for they see it practised both by me and others if they doe not their duety they worck their owne damnation God will chastise them I shall not be obliged for them in that respect wherin I referre my selfe to God Certaine Religious one time said to S. Francis with a good zeale thincking therby to meritt much Father doe not you know that Prelalates sometimes refuse to giue vs leaue to preach by reason wherof we spend much time idlye we therfore thincke it conuenient that you shall doe great seruice to God and much good to soules if you procure generall licence of the Pope to preach freely with priuiledge The holy Father exceedingly reprehended them foreseeing the scādall that therby might easily arriue betweene the Clergie and his Order and said vnto thē you Frere Minors will not know the will of God nor will permitt me to conuert the world in such sort as God will I should conuert it Therfore I tell you you ought to obtaine this licence of the Prelates themselues with your humility the good example of your life which cōtinuyng in you the Prelates will pray you to preach in their diocesses churches and to conuert their people to pennance After this māner they will more willingly call you to preach thē your priuiledges will doe which will only puffe you vp in pride and if you beleeue mine aduise you shall endeauour to keep

to you simple and to other in paraboles Manie monthes after that S. Francis being att our ladie of Angels the same Religious in extreme temptation recommended againe vnto him the aforesaid licence to haue a psalter to whome the holie Father said goe doe what the vicar generall hath graunted thee The Religious retourned whence he came but the holy Father considering what he had graunted went after him and ouertaking him said my sonne retourne with me and show me the place where I bid thee doe with the psalter what the vicar generall had permitted thee Comming thither S. Francis fell on his knees before the said Religious saying Brother I confesse my fault I confesse my fault then added know that he who wil be a good Frere Minor must haue nothing but his habitt the corde and linnen breeches as the rule enioyneth and they that are by manifest necessitie constrayned sockes euery thing els is superfluous and against the puritie and pouertie of the rule which we promise God to obserue the said Religious moued with the wordes beleeued this holy counsaile Being by diuers demaunded the like counsaile he answeared them with this sentence right worthy to be sett in letters of gold and not only painted or engrauen in marble but in the hartes of men A man hath so much knowledge as he is a man of vertue and loueth God and his neighbour and no more and the Religious so good as he doeth good worckes because the tree is knowne by his fruit When he retourned frō Syria a Prouinciall came to visitt him to cōferre with him of the affaires of the Order particulerly touching the vow of pouerty to know his will therin and of the obligatiō inserted in the first rule takē out of the gospell to witt whē you trauaile you shall carry with you neither mony nor wallett S. Fran. answeared I meane thus that the Frere Minors must only haue their habitt the cord linnen breches as the rule saith and such as are enforced by necessity the sockes The Prouinciall answeared What shall I doe with so many bookes as I haue that are worth more then fortie crownes which he said because he desired to haue licence of S. Francis to enioy them for he kept them with a remorse of conscience The S. replyed Brother I neither will nor ought nor can doe any thing against my conscience and the profession of the holy gospell which we haue promised Which this Prouinciall vnderstāding he was exceedingly troubled the S. perceauing him so sorrowfull with a great feruour of spirit said vnto him as if he had spoakē to all the Religious you would seeme to mē to be Frere Minors would be called Preachers of the gospell make shew to obserue it but in effect you desire to haue propriety and superfluity and to haue a purse The Ministers earnestly seeke to take away the first rule you shall not carry wallettes in your trauaile they supposing that they should so be freed from the obligation of this counsaile of Euangelicall perfection but the holy Father S. Francis in the presence of many brethren said the Ministers thincke to deceaue God and me but the deceipt falleth on them selues Lett them and all my other Religious know that they are obliged to the obseruance of Euangelicall perfection and will that it be thus written in the beginning and end of the rule That the Brethren are firmelie obliged to the obseruance of the holy gospell of our lord IESVS CHRIST Of the horrible malediction which S. Francis gaue to a prouinciall and wherfore and of the miracle that ensued THE XXIII CHAPTER BRother Iohn Estitia a very learned Minister of the Prouince of Bolognia ordayned an exercise of study in the Monastery of Bolognia without licence of the holy Father S. Francis who vnderstanding therof went incontinently thither and very sharply reprehended him by these wordes I rather desire that one obey the holy gospell and be employed in the study of holy prayer where the holy Ghost is Master then in humane studies and curious lessons wherin is lost the spiritt of humility and the sweetnes of God the ladder wherof is this Religion which annihilateth this new study But S. Francis being departed this Prouinciall began againe as before wherat the holy Father being for the zeale of God much disquieted he publikelie gaue him his malediction as to a disobedient child By which the said Brother Iohn fell incontinently very sicke and lying in his bedde perceauing that his sicknes did hourly encrease seased and touched rather with the feare he had of death then with true contrition he sent two Religious to pray S. Francis to reuoke the said malediction to whome the S. answeared God hath confirmed in heauen the maledictiō which I haue giuen him so that he is cursed of God In that instant there fell from heauen a litle stone of burning brimstone which transpearced both his body and bed and att the very houre he died yelding an extreme infection by this so seuere chasticement God shewed how iust and assured was the counsaile of the S. that they should not be curious of bookes but should rather study to ground themselues in holy humility prayers and pouerty The holy Father being once demaunded if he would consent that the learned who were and might enter into religion should study diuinity hee answeared affirmatiuelie prouided that they imitate the example of IESVS CHRST who prayed more then he read as is written also of his disciples and also that they omitte not the studie of prayer to gett learning and that they studie not onlie how they ought to speake but principallie how they may effect what they read and doeing so may teach others to doe good worckes I will that my Religious be disciples of the gospell and that so they make progresse in the knowledge of the truth and doe also encrease in puritie simplicity that from the prudence of the serpent they doe not separate the simplicity of the doue which IESVS CHRIST with his mouth hath vnited together The holie Father affirmed that by meane of the knowledge of ones selfe one easily obtayneth the knowledge of God prouided that one sought it with humilitie and without presumption Therfore he was much troubled when he knew that neglecting vertue and the vocation wherto the Religious was called of God one sought knowledge by curiositie with extreme dolour of his soule saying My Religious that are honoured by the curiosity of knowledge are found emptie handed in the times of tribulation I would rather exercise them in the vertue of humilitie that the perillous times of tēptations happening they might finde God with them in those anguishes for afflictions will come against which neither their bookes nor pourchaced science will auaile then would it be more expedient for them to be simple and feruent in obedience humilitie and charitie then great in commaunding and teaching in curiositie of science

to choose and loue diuine thinges and misprise particuler thinges for what can be greater then to know how to prayse the benefitts of God and to check himselfe for his proper malice I would I had bin taught in this schoole from the beginning of the world and there would study to the end therof if I were so long to liue there to contemplate the prayse dew to the benefites of God and the reprehension and chasticement due to my euill worckes True it is that if I must committ an errour I had rather it were in the consideration of my wickednes then in the acknowledgement of the benefites receaued of God For if we see many that for some litle seruice done them retourne many prayses and thanckes how much more are we obliged in that kind of acknowledgemēt vnto almighty God And in deed a man ought neuer to make any comparison with this loue towardes him that hath a will to deliuer vs from all miseryes and to conduct vs to the fruition of al good and that would euen dye to procure vs to liue A discourse of humility THE XXV CHAPTER A Man cannot attaine to the knowledge of God but by meane of humility sith that the true way to ascend on high is to debase ones selfe All the euils and all the ruines of this world proceed of pride as is seene in the euill Angell and in the first man wherof the one was created in heauen and the other in Paradice which also may be obserued in the Pharisie spoaken of in the Ghospel and in many others And on the contrary all good that euer hath bin done hath bin wrought by humility as is remarqued in the most sacred Virgin in the Publican in the Theefe and others But good God why doe we not ordinarily carry on our shoulders some weighty burthen to crush downe our hard head and to debase and humble it A Religious one day demaunding of Br. Giles how one might shunne pride he answeared Brother wash your handes put your mouth where your feet are consider your sinnes and haue contrition for them and then often incline your selfe towardes the ground Wretched is he that desireth glory and honour for his owne sinnes vanities A man is ascended to an high degree of humility when he acknowledgeth that himselfe is contrary to his owne good I also esteeme it a branch of humility to yeld to an other and not to appropriat to ones selfe I dare affirme that as one ought to attribute to God all goodnes as proper vnto him so to our selues all euill Happy is he that sheweth himselfe so vile before mē as he is before God Happy is he that walketh faithfully vnder the obediēce and iudgement of an other as the holy Apostles did after they were replenished with the holy Ghost He that will haue peace and tranquillity in him lett him repute al men greater then himselfe Happy is he that desireth not to be seene in his wordes and behauiours that are commendable but rather in the compunction and abiection wherin the diuine grace putteth him He that is the holyest man in the world and reputeth himselfe most vile he hath true humility Humility knoweth not how to speake and dareth not be talkatiue Humility is like the brightnes of heauen for as of the same brightnes and of vapours doe proceed thunders and earth quakes wherof in an instant no more is seene so humility doth ruine vices wickednes and the high toures of her ennemy pride and then causeth a man after the performance of great matters to repute himselfe nothing By humility a man findeth the grace of God and peace with men For euen as if a mightie Prince would send his owne daughter into a farre country he would not mount her on a restiue and proud horse but on a gentle nagge that shall amble easily and securely euen so God as soueraine king giueth not his grace to the proud but only to the humble A discourse of the seare of God THE XXVI CHAPTER THe holy feare of God expelleth out of man impious worldly feare and is the guard of those goodes which cannot be expressed not so much as by imaginatiō But to haue this feare is a speciall gift not graunted to all He that feareth nor sheweth that he hath nothing to loose The feare of God guideth and gouuerneth man and causeth him to find grace with his diuine maiesty by which whē he hath receaued this feare he conserueth it and hauing lost it doth recouer it All reasonable creatures that haue forgotten themselues in foule disorders had neuer fallen therinto if they had this gift of God which is proper vnto the sainctes And the more one is replenished with grace the more is he humble and fearfull Now albeit this vertue is least esteemed of men yet is it not therfore lesse then others for a man that in regard of his enormous offences committed against God is worthy of death cannot haue any assurance wherwith to shew himselfe in his diuine presence Happy then is he who acknowledgeth that to dwel in the world is to be in a prison and that there one daily offendeth God A man should alwayes feare that pride conduct him not into hell Thou oughtest to haue feare of thy selfe and thy like and to carry thy selfe respectiuely and warily for a man that liueth in the middest of his ennemies cannot be in perfect assurance Our flesh is our ennemy which with the deuill is continually aduerse to our soule A man should more feare to be surmonted and ouercome by his owne malice then by any other thing for it is impossible for a man to ascend to the glory of God or there to perseuer without a holy feare Not to haue it is a signe of perdition This feare causeth one to obey with humility and to stoope euē to the earth vnder the yoke of holy obedience and he that hath the greater feare is the more deuout in prayer and he that hath the grace to pray hath obtayned no litle grace of God The worckes of men appeare they neuer so great ought not to be iudged by humane iudgement but according to the diuine will and institution Therfore ought we my Brethren in IESVS CHRIST euer to liue in feare A discourse of Patience THE XXVII CHAPTER HE that for the loue of God could support with patience all afflictions should in short time obtaine abondance of graces and should be Lord of this world and haue one foot in the other All thee good and euill which a man doeth he doth it of himselfe therfore thou shouldest not be scandalized if one doe thee iniury but shouldest rather haue compassion of him Support iniuryes patiently for the loue thou owest to thy neighbour how much a man is prepared for the loue of God to endure abuses and affrontes so great is he before his diuine maiesty and no more and how much he is feeble and weakely prepared to support the same thinges

middest of the greatest prosperity that she euer had she alwayes desired the estate of pouerty to imitate and follow that of IESVS CHRIST in this life shunning all pompe and worldly glory By this fauour and holy desire she would often being alone in her house with her friendes and seruantes cloath her selfe poorly affirming that if she fell into pouerty she would in that sort be cloathed She would be alwayes present att generall processions and litanies bare foot and attyred in linnen and with great humility would heare the sermons among the simple people When she went first to Church in the morning she would not goe attyred according to her quality but the most simply she could in example of the Virgin Mary carying her child in her armes and laying it very reuerently on the Altare there offring a lambe and a candell Retourning home after the seruice she would giue the cloathes she woare att masse to some very poore woman And the more perfectly to obserue the rule of humility she promised obedience in that concerned the good of her soule to her Cōfessour M. Courard a poore Religious but of great piety and doctrine whose counsailes though generally vertuous she so strictly obserued as if IESVS CHRIST himselfe had commanded her By this obedience and vpō a scruple of her consciēce she would neither touch nor vse any thing bought with the mony a●ysing of any gaine made by the Officiers of Lantg●aue her husband fearing that it might be gotten of the blond of the poore subiectes And albeit the same were lawfull and permissable to that sainct in regard of the simplicity of those times yett att this present it may not be done nor permitted to any Hauing in her widowhood receaued a great iniury which exceedingly troubled and disquieted her she fell to her prayers and began with great abondance of teares to pray vnto God for those that had done her iniury beseeching him to bestow on each of them a grace wherby they might receaue some consolation of his diuine Maiesty During the feruour of this prayer she heard a voice that sayd vnto her thou hast neuer presented a prayer vnto me more gratefull then this which hath thorough pearced my bowels Wherfore I pardon thee all thy sinnes and giue thee my grace This holy Princesse knowing the mercy which God had shewed her considered with her selfe what course of life she might thenceforward vndertake to become more gratefull to his diuine Maiesty and to serue him more dilligently But being in deep consideratiō herevpō the ineffable searcher of hartes sayd vnto her hope in God doe good worckes and shunne sinne thou shalt alwayes haue cōfort Of the deuotion of this S. towardes the Frere Minors and how doubting of the loue of God towardes her he miraculously displanted a tree and replanted it where she desired THE XI CHAPTER THis blessed lady was both a singuler mother and daughter vnto the Frere Minors as one replenished with the spiritt of pouer●y and contempt of the world wherof they made profession the●fore hauing bin many dayes without the sight of any she was exceeding melancholy Her husband perceauing that she was more sad then of custome asked her the cause wherto she answeared that it was because she had not in a long time seene any seruant of God nor of them heard the word of his diuine Maiesty And therfore was she so heauy and melancholy both interiourly and exteriourly Which her busband vnderstanding he presently sent for Frere Minors to comfort her who being come she presently resumed her former serenity and mildnes of countenance and a long time discoursed of the estate of her soule with one of them who was her spirituall Father and among other thinges thus spake vnto him Father that which most afflicteth my soule is when I consider my sinnes to deserue that I be litle loued of almighty God sith I continually striue with my v●most ability to loue him and yet I much feare that he ●eiecte●h me as vnworthy his presence and his loue The Religious thervpon assured her that she was farre more beloued of God then he could be of her Wherto the Sainct replyed If it were so my God would not pe●mitt me to be separated from him one only moment but would ordinarily visitt me with some sicknesses or afflictions which I desi●e and would exceedingly effect for the loue of his diuine Maiesty This good Religious by very pregnant reasons demonstrated vnto her what and how great is the loue of God towardes his creature and how much it exceedeth ours in that his loue is infinite eternall strong pure and entier and ours is slender temporall feeble impure and imperfect But this Religious discoursed to litle purpose for the vertuous lady could not beleeue him and therfore shewing him a tree on the other side of a ●iuer wherby they were she sayd Father I would rather beleeue that the tree which you yonder see could remoue hither then beleeue my selfe to be more loued of God then I loue him being as I am att this present separated from the sweetnes of his true loue The sequell was most admirable for those wordes were no sooner spoaken but the tree was displanted by the rootes and transplanted on the side of the riuer where they were This Princesse then remayning as it were in extasie experiēced in her soule how much the loue of God exceedeth ours and so she acknowledged her selfe to be vanquished by the loue of God Of the great charity of this holy Princesse and how she spent her time in worckes of mercy THE XII CHAPTER THe liuely waters of the worckes of mercy did continually flow out of this fountaine of diuine loue wherwith the poore of IESVS CHRIST were refreshed who saith that he will accept the said worckes as done vnto himselfe This Princesse was extremely sparing and frugall in what was for her owne vse and pa●ticuler necessitie● but exceeding liberall towardes to poore whome she could not endure to want any thing necessary vnto them for which vertue the people called her the true mother of the poore who in regard of this her piety would often inuite her to be God mother to their children in baptisme whervnto she would voluntarily accord to haue ●ore occasion to assist thē and to procure the education of their child●ē She one time gaue one of her gownes to a poore woman who with this almose thought her selfe rich and conceaued therof such an excessiue ioy that att the instant she fell as dead to the ground And this compassionate Princesse hauing prayd for her she retourned to her selfe She earned mony by spinning and sowing with her maydes which she distributed to the poore She also employed her selfe in that exercise to giue example of humility vnto her women and maydnes and to shunne idlenes He● husband being in Italy there happened in her territories an extreme famine for reliefe wherof this pious woman gathered together all her reuenues