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.

How the bodies of the fiue martyrs were dismembred by the Mores, and how the Christians recouered them and preserued them from the fire, that could not annoy them, and of the miracle which God wrought when the Mores cutting them in pieces thought vtterly to dissipat and annihilat them.

THE XVIII. CHAPTER.

THe bodies and heades of the holy Martyrs remayned in prey to the people, who reioyced to see them all murdered, and tooke pleasure to rent and traine them through the citty, omitting no kind of inhumanity that might be imagined, to be exercised on their poore bodies: they tossed their heades from one to an other, as if they had bin balles or baloones: the Christians in the meane time pray∣sed God, for the constancie which the martyrs had, & with loud voice thancked him for the same: others endeauoured to preserue or att least with their eyes to follow their reliques: which the Mores perceauing, they began so rudely to driue them away by casting stones, that it might be attributed to a miracle graunted in fauour of the sainctes, that the Christians could escape without detriment into their lodgeing, where

they were enforced to hide and keep themselues close and secrett, du∣ring three dayes which the fury of this enraged people continued, who of themselues would needes make a new massacre of them. These Insidels more wearyed then glutted with tormenting the sainctes bodies, cast them among the filthy ordure of the towne-sincke, whi∣ther the prince of Portugall aforesaid sent his Cousin Syr Martin Alphonsus Theglio, and the aforesaid Cheualier Peter Ferdinando de Castro, Castillan, to fetch them away: but they yelded their soules vnto their Sauiour and Lord IESVS CHRIST, in this seruice so gratefull vnto him and to his sainctes: for they we∣re slaine by the Mores that kept the bodies; which not satisfying them, they gott permission of the king, to burne them publikely altogether, and to this effect, they made a pile of wood, and thereon layd the bodies and heades: but the fire being applyed therto, could in no sort offend them, but retired to one side without touching them: Which many Christian Prisoners (that aduentured to be present) did testifie, and certaines Mores that were friendes to the Christians, also recounted the same as matter of admiration to the said Prince of Por∣tugall. The same may euen to this day be iustified by a head that is extant att S. Crosse of Conimbria, the haires wherof were neuer touched by the fire. But the rage of this barbarous nation not only was not qua∣lified by this so euident miracle, but was rather encreased: Wherfore he∣wing these holy reliques into small morcels, they thought to reduce thē to nothing, saying: Thus are the blasphemers and ennemies of our holy law chasticed. But the diuine vengeance, which by extremity recompen∣ceth tolleration, sodenlie sent from heauen such an vnexpected tempest and storme of haile, accōpanied with very frequent lightninges & thun∣derclappes, furious windes, and vehement rayne, that the vtter ruine of the citty seemed to be imminent, so that the feare & terrour which they had giuen to the Christians, retourned vpon themselues, yea in such sort that being fled into their houses, they scarce held thēselues secure. Which gaue courage, leasure, and commoditie to the Christians, to gather vp the holy reliques by the light of the lampes of heauen, which they in∣continentlie brought to the aforesaid Prince, none of them daring to take or keep them to themselues. And by reason that the said extremity of the storme did not permitt them to finde all the pieces of the holy bo∣dyes, they, partly by freindship, and partly for mony, gott them of the Mores.