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 the last lent that he preached, of the great fruit of his preaching, and of his pious worckes.

THE XXVI. CHAPTER.

BEcause it would be perhappes more tedious to you to read, then to me particulerly to describe all the Prouinces, where this glo∣rious S. hath preached, and consequently the affection, reuerence and deuotion, which all personnes, as wel Princes, gentlemen, burgesses, as the meaner people carryed towardes him, and how well, by his do∣ctrine, life and miracles, he recouered to almighty God the lost soules, I will endeauour, to make the same appeare vnto you altogether by the onlie relation of the last sermons he made att Padua, in a lent that he preached there. This sainct then being exempted by the Pope as be∣fore is said, the yeare of grace 1230. in a Generall Chapter held in the month of May, that he might the more commodiously employ himselfe for the saluation of soules, hauing passed and trauelled ouer manie Prouinces, in all which he sowed the word of God, he was att length by the holie Ghost conducted to Padua, where he had formerly much profited; In respect wherof he was very parti∣culerlie loued and reuerenced of the inhabitantes of that citty; and therfore when he began to preach there againe, such was the con∣fluence of people that pressed to heare him, that he was forced to preach in a spacious field without the Cittie, there being no Church capable of the people that from all partes flocked thither, though there were some verie great. Wherfore from the beginning of Lent, the deuill perceauing the great fruit which he did and would produ∣ce, he tooke him, and so wrested and crushed his throat, that as he after confessed to his companion, if the sacred virgin, whome he inuoca∣ted had not assisted him, appearing vnto him with a great light and to his confort, he had bin strangled: but arming himselfe with the signe of the crosse, and so deliuered from the ambushes of the de∣uill,

he gaue infinite thanckes to God and to his glorious Virgin mo∣ther. And being become more couragious (though he were verie feeble by reason of his abstinence and the labours which he ordina∣rily vndertooke, which so depressed him, that he had daily a litle fitt of an ague) his zeale of the saluation of soules, being more forcible with him, then whatsoeuer other consideration, he ceassed not to preach all the whole Lent, and to spend all the rest of the day in spiri∣tuall exercises, as to heare confessions and to giue Counsaile: but it was a worthy thing to behold the feruour and deuotion, not only of the Paduans: but also of the inhabitantes of the townes, borowes, vil∣lages, and castels there about, that in such abondance flocked to his ser∣mons, that some went with light in the night to take their place in the field. The bishopp was present att his preaching with all his Clergie, as also the principall of the Cittie; maryed women, maides and yong gent∣lewomen frequented them withall comlines and modesty, and without any pompe, wherby it was easy to iudge with what spiritt they were induced to heare him. During his predication all the merchantes and artificers did shutt vp their shoppes: audience of iustice was omit∣ted, and all other offices ceassed, so that it seemed some solemne feast. In the time of his sermon the audience was so quiett, that so much as one word was not heard amongest thirty thousand person∣nes there present: and it succeeded that they all retourned replenished with the spiritt of compunction: He that could touch the sainct or speake vnto him, esteemed himselfe happy: and if he had not bin pur∣poslie guarded, they would haue rent and cutt his habitt from his back and left him naked; for such was the feruour of these peo∣ple, that they seemed to see in him a true Apostle sent to them by almightie God. By his meane notorious and inueterat quarrels we∣re appeased; prisonners sett att libertie; debtes quitted and forgi∣uen, offences and iniuries pardoned and forgotten, and mony and other thinges stolen or ill gott, were restored: Briefly what els?* 1.1 men and women long accustomed to sinne were publikelie conuer∣ted, and did penance for their sinnes, in such sort frequenting the sacraments, that the Priestes had scarce time to serue them. The glo∣rious sainct hauing filled the Garner of almightie God with most pure corne, after he had tryed it, and burned the cockle, att the verie time that he resided att Padua, and hauing finished his three bookes of sermons vpon the sondayes and the Quarantine or sermons of Lent, and the booke of the sermons of Sondayes full of verie deep subtilitie and morall droctrine, which he had vndertaken and accomplished to satisfie his holinesse and the Guar∣dian of Hostie, he began to feele that God intended to call him vnto▪

him, and by signes and miracles to demonstrate the merittes of his most faithfull seruant, wherein the people had such confidence, that who∣soeuer could haue a bitt of his habitt, held himselfe happy, and kept it carefully as a precious holy relique.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Effects of the prea∣chings of S. Anto∣ny.