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.

Of his prophesie of a Martyr before he was borne, and of the same Martyrdome.

THE XIII. CHAPTER.

AS he visited a woman att Assisium, great with child and ve∣ry nere her time, after he had exceedingly comforted her, she recommended vnto his prayers her deliuery, that it might be happie and easy. He not vnmindfullof her, recommend her to our Lord, and the first time that he saw her againe, he prophesied and willed her not to feare, because first she should be deliuered easilie; secondlie her child should liue; thirdlie it should be a man child: fourthlie he should be pious and feare God: fiftlie he should be a Frere Minor: and sixtlie he should be a Martyr. Now the three first of the conditions being easilie verified, it shall not be out of purpose also to iustifie the other three. The child then being borne, and baptised, was called Phillip, and liuing in manner of an Angell vntill he came to conuenient age, he became a Frere Mi∣nor, where being fortified in the feare and loue of God▪, he tra∣uailed with exceeding deuotion in pilgrimage to the holie land. And being in Azoto, when it was by treason taken from the Christians, who being in nomber two thousand were all condemned to death, he obtayned of those persidious dogges to be the last that that should be martyred, they supposing that he would renounce and deny IE∣SVS CHRIST. But this Sainct when this spectacle horri∣ble to the world, and gratefull to the diuine Maiesty and to him began, did animate and comfort them all with exceeding courage, crying vnto them, that God had reuealed vnto him, that the

very same day he should ascend into heauen with more then a thou∣sand martyrs: wherwith being much comforted they all offered their heades, as pleasinge sacrifices vnto God, vnder the sword of the executioners, who cutt them off. Now it being reported vnto the Soldan that he exercisced the office of a preacher; he commanded all the ioyntes of his fingers one by one to be all cutt off in presence of the Christians; which notwithstanding he desisted not to exhort them all to that glorious victorie, in such sort that they all mispri∣sing the honours and riches offered them, by the Mores, and the tor∣tures wherwith they threatned them, being by the valour of the Saint confirmed in IESVS CHRIST, they with one voice cryed out, that they would follow Brother Philip, on whose choice ofli∣fe or Martyrdome they relyed; which the Soldan taking very despi∣tefullie, caused him to be fleyed aliue, euen to the Nauell, and then his tongue to be cutt off, which supporting with inestimable con∣stancie and notable patience, he the more enflamed and moued the rage and furie of rhe Mores, and the hartes of the Christians mo∣re willingly to suffer death, as a momentarie matter, seeing him with an inuincible hart to endure the same, by such cruell tormen∣tes, in the middest wherof he ceassed not by the gestures and mo∣tions of his bodie to exhort them, beeing vnable to speake by reason that his tongue was bereaued him; Att length he was be∣headed with the rest, and in token of their croune (a thinge which the Mores beheld full sore against their willes) their bodies that re∣mayned many dayes in the street, without buryall, yelded no offen∣siue, but a pleasing sauour: Thus was the admirable prophesie of the glorious Father S. Antony accomplished.