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 Prince departed from Maroccho with the said reliques, and therfore was poursued by king Miramolin, and of three miracles wrought in the way.

THE XX. CHAPTER.

THe holy reliques being will dryed, the Prince caused the heades and flesh to be dryed apart, and the bones to be separat∣ly putt in two shrines or reliquaries exceeding richly ador∣ned with gould and siluer, and so placed in his oratory, where he made often supplication to the holy Martyrs, that they would ob∣taine him the fauour to escape the cruelty of the Mores, and with∣out danger to passe into Spaine. For hauing determined himselfe to carry the holy reliques into Portugall, and hauing to that pur∣pose diuers times importuned the king Miramolin for permission, he was so farre from obtayning leaue, that the king on the con∣trary was aduised to putt him, together with all the Christians that were then resident in Marroccho, cruelly to death: Neuerthe∣les God did so mollifie his hart, that wheras he had manie ti∣mes denyed the Prince himselfe, he then of his owne motion, ha∣uing sent for him, told him that he would permitt him to depart against the aduise of his Councell, who held it requisite for the good of his estate to putt him to death; but for his part he could not consent to the death of a Prince, that not onlie had neuer offended him, but had freelie and willinglie done him seruice. The Prince therfore taking hold of this occasion, and loading a mu∣le with the said reliques, he with all his familie tooke his ior∣ney, suspecting that the king would not long continue in this good minde, but would alter his opinion, as in deed he did. But the Prince in such sort putt himselfe to trauell, that he doubled the ordinary dayes iorney, yea he made such progresse, that he was for∣ced

to spend one night in a desert place, called Arossa, where haunted many lyons, so that such as saw them take that way, reputed them as personnes deuoured that night. The Prince was not ignorant of all this, but reposing his full confidence in God, by the merittes of the sainctes whose reliques he had, he setled them in a place where the lyons were necessarily to passe in comming vnto him; for they were so neere as that their roaringes so full of fury were easily heard, but the holy reliques being layd on the ground, their fury was so restrayned, that flying* 1.1 thence they were from that time neuer seene there. Now the king Mi∣ramolin, not hauing patience to endure the said reliques to be caryed away to be honoured: incontinently sent after the Prince, a great trou∣pe of light horsemen. Which caused two great miracles; one was that the Prince inspired of God, as the arcke of the testament was of it selfe conducted by the kine, that it migh rest where it would, so did he putt the mule that carryed the reliques formost of the troupe, which tour∣ning them out of the direct way, conducted them through places vnac∣customed to trauel, by meanes wherof the horsemen that poursued thē* 1.2 could not finde them. But this was not all, for as these horsemen of the Mores, were well mounted, desiring to please the king, and with∣all to satiat their fury, they thought it not sufficient to make their scou∣tes about the ordinary wayes, but also crossed the feildes, where they so couriously pryed after the Prince, that they found him; which cha∣unced for another respect but the more to manifest the glory of the SS. of God, and of God himselfe in his sainctes. For hauing ouertaken the Prince, and heard his people speake, they were by the diuine puis∣sance so blinded, that they could neuer see them; and so these Mores to their extreme amazement retourned vtterly confounded, and the Chri∣stians proceeded on their iorney, thancking and praysing God, till they arriued att Cepte; where the inhabitantes with great solemnity enter∣tained them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The lyons respect the said reliques.
• * 1.2

  The reli∣ques mi∣racu∣lously saued the Prin∣ce.