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 said holy reliques were preserued, and of their miracles.

THE XIX. CHAPTER.

* 1.1 THe Prince of Portugall hauing receaued the holie reliques, presently prepared shrines or reliquaries of very great price, to place and preserue them in: But first he commited them to Iohn Rupert, Canon of Sainct Crosse of Conimbria, att that time his Chaplen and Confessour, a very pious and Religious Preist, to whome he sent three yong pages of his, who were very simple and virgins, that they might assist him to dry and accommodate the said holy bodies, who in the meane while neuer stirred out of his hou∣se, so to preserue themselues from profaning the said reliques in a∣ny sort, euen in thought as neere as they could. These youthes then dryed the sacred reliques in a very retired and priuate place, by* 1.2 commandement of the Prince, and separated the flesh from the bo∣nes, which they put in a precious chest, to be carryed iuto Por∣tugall; then did it please our Lord to illustrate them by miracle; For a knight called Peter de la Rose, not considering what danger it is for sinners to touch the holy reliques of the seruantes of God, would presume to present himselfe, notwitstanding he kept a wench whome he lasciuiously entertayned, but he had scarcely ascended the middest of the staires, but he fell and lamed himselfe, with∣out power to moue, till being contrite, repentant, and con∣fessed vnto the said Almosner of the Prince, and recommended vnto the Sainctes protesting to a abandon his vicious life, he obtayned mercy; for by litle and litle arising, he discended and went halfe cu∣red vnto the Prince, failing only in his speech which he had lost: the Prince therfore with a great confidence commanded his Almos∣ner to putt one of the sacred heades of the sainctes on his breast, which done he was att the same instant perfectly cured. A squier of the Princes accustomed to handle certaine peices of the said reliques, which were layed to dry on a buckler of his, without receauing any punish∣ment, by reason that he was then free from sinne: But falling one time, by instigation of the deuill, into a carnall sinne, as he thought to handle them, the buckler wheron they were so raysed it selfe, that he could not reach them: wherevpon reflecting on himselfe, he went and confessed, then retourning to the said reliques (which was admirable) he kneeled downe before them, and the buckler being discend to the ground and retourned to the sunne as before, they yel∣ded themselues to be touched. This fact cast such a feare into the hartes

of the Christians of the Princes Court, that thenceforward vpon this occasion they were carefull not to offend God mortally. This hath bin testified by Steuen Perez, Marquarid de Santeren, who was one of the three Pages that had care to accommodate the holy reli∣ques: he affirmed and swoare the aforefaid, to Dom. Matheiw, Bi∣shopp of Lisbone, confessing that he oftentimes abstained from offen∣ding God, for feare to be discouered as were the others, by the said reliques which he was necessarily to handle: Many of the Princes fa∣mily, haue also affirmed thus much, as being present and eye-wit∣nesses therof.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Punish∣ment of one that would touch the said re∣liques being in mortall sinne.
• * 1.2

  How pu∣re one ought to be to touch the said re∣liques.