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 resolution of his canonization, and of certaine miracles there wrought.

THE XXX. CHAPTER.

TO speake the truth the dissention aforesaid was not with∣out cause, considering that they contested about so precious a treasure: it is also to be considered how iustly the Pa∣duans possessed this holy body, sith they hazarded their life for it, be∣fore it wrought any miracles; as if each of them had bin assured of the great number of miracles which God would worck by it, as he began that verie day, making this pacification to appeare so much more pleasing, and this treasure more deere and gratefull, as the contention had bin greiuous, by meanes of the recouerie of all the diseased that onlie touched his sepulcher, yea of those that, vnable to come to his sepulcher, or into the Church, inuocated his holy name without. This so notable and inexpected successe, spreading incontinentlie ouer all the neighbour places, the Bishop of Padua vnable to retaine thedeuotiō of the people, that publikely honou∣red him according to his merittes; he sent embassadours to Rome in his

name and the Paduans, to beseech the Pope to canonise this S. which God had bestowed on them. They being graciously entertayned and heard, together with the examen made by order of the said Bishop, and an other by the deputies of his holinesse, who were an Abbot of S. Be∣nedict, and a Dominican Prior, vpon the life, conuersations, and mi∣racles of the S. and finding more then sufficient proofe, he proposed to the Consistory his canonization att Spoletum, it being not full, but nee∣re a yeare after his death. Wherto there directly opposed himselfe a Car∣dinall, which caused further proceeding to be deferred, till the day fol∣lowing, but the first night after, the Cardinall had this dreame: It see∣med vnto him that his holinesse would consecrate an Altare, and to that end demaunded holy reliques of him. But he not knowing what to giue him, heard a voice that said: Giue him of the new reliques of S. Antony. Wherevpon, this Cardinall awakinge, sollicited the Pope mo∣re then any other, to hasten the canonization of the S. as hauing bin by this diuine voice, fully assured of his great merittes. Besides the appro∣bation of the vnder written miracles wrought after his death, nor in∣cluding those wrought in his life time, he cured nineteene that were lame, fiue of the palsie, fiue that were crooked, six blinde, three deafe, three mute, two of the gout: he raised two to life, and cured diuers o∣thers of sundry diseases. For which cause, the yeare 1232. on the day of Penticost he was enrolled by the Pope in the Catalogue of Sainctes, with great solemnitie. The said Pope composed and sung that worthy anthe∣me: O Doctor optime; and ordayned it to be sung in all churches the day of his feast, which was constitued to be yearly the thirteenth of Iu∣ne. One the day of his canonization all the belles of his cittie of Lisbo∣ne did ring of themselues, to the exceeding contentment of all person∣nes, wherof they knew no cause, but that they felt an inestimable ioy in their hartes: but they vnderstood afterward that their contryman and fellow-cittizen S. Antony, had bin that day canonized.

The bulle of the aforesaid canonization, taken out of the tenth chapter of the sixt booke, and heere more properly placed.

GRegory bishop, seruant of the seruantes of God, to our vene∣rable Brethren, Archbishops, Bishoppes, health and Apostoli∣call benediction. As God saith by the Prophett: I will make you honoured and praysed of all people; and by the sage, he promiseth that the iust shall shine in the presence of God, as the sunne; so it see∣meth vnto vs expedient that we also here on earth below, doe prayse the sainctes which his diuine Maiestie hath crouned in heauen; and consi∣dering withall, that God is knowne and adored principally in them,

who is praiseworthy and glorious in his Sainctes, and that miraculous∣ly to manifest his omnipotencie, and his mercy towardes our salua∣tion, he euen ennobleth here below by miracles, his faithfull ser∣uantes, with whome he hath concurred to the meritt of eternall glo∣ry, and this, to confound the obstinacie of many heretikes, and to confirme his church in his holy Catholique, Apostolike and Romane faith, and to expell out of lukewarme hartes, all sloath and negligence, awakening them to good worckes, by these holy examples, and that the hartes of heretikes might be made plyable to belieue by effect, what they seeme not to vnderstand by the holy scriptures; and finally, that all Iewes and Pagans, the vaile of blindnes being taken from before their eyes, may see this transparent light of the omnipotencie of our Redeemer IESVS CHRIST, and that they may not alleadge for excuse, that they had no occasion deseruing their conuersion vnto him, and their acknowledgement of him for true God and true man. Wherfore my beloued, we yeld thanckes to this bountifull giuer of all goodnes, if not as we ought, at least as we may, for that it hath plea∣sed him, for confirmation of our holy faith, and the confusion of he∣retikes, to bestow on vs, holy and famous men in these dayes, who by signes and manifest miracles haue declared, how true, inestima∣ble and indubitable is the faith of the holy Romane Church, sith they who dye therein, so dye in the grace of God, that they glitter, twinck∣le and shine in the world, as Sunnes in the firmament. Therfore being therein but one faith, and the same, by this diuine and manifest ap∣probation appearing most true, the falshood of all others must be very euident. Of the nomber of those that haue meritted to worck mira∣cles, before and after their death, is the blessed Father S. Antony, of the Order of the Frere Minors, who liuing in this world, was very fa∣mous for his great merittes, and liuing now in heauen, he shineth by many miracles which are ordinarily wrought att his sepulcher, wherof we are assured, as well by very authenticall worthy actes, as by reuela∣tion of personnes worthy of creditt: These two thinges, merittes and miracles, suffice to giue testimony among men of the sanctity of a man, yea they suffice to make vs yeld to honour and inuocate them, as our in∣tercessors vnto God, which two thinges, are taken out of this text of the Gospell: They goeing forth preached euery where: our lord worcking withall, and confirming the word with signes that followed. For this cause we haue giuen order to the abouesaid Bishop, to Br. Giles Iourdain, Priour of the Order of S. Benett, and to Br. Iohn, Priour of S Augustins, in the monastery of the Iacobins of Padua, that they should make an exact examen, and approued catalogue of the miracles of the said Sainct, which we hauing seene to be conformable to that which by our owne

experience we know to be very true touching his life and holy conuer∣satiō: that it may not seeme we would hinder or depriue him of his prai∣se, being therevnto vrged by the said Bishop of Padua, and the reueren∣ce of the seruantes of God, which so notoriously deserue the same: and by the aduise of our venerable Brethren, the Cardinalls of the holy Ro∣man Church, and of all the Prelates att this present neere vnto vs: we haue enrolled him in the Catalogue of the SS. Wherfore the candell not being sett on the candlesticke but to giue light, we pray and comma∣und all those to whome the knowledge of these presents shall come that in vertue of this Apostolicall Breuie they induce their subiectes, and procure them solemnly and reuerentlie to keepe and honour his feast, which is the thirteenth of Iune, to the end that God being moued and appeased by his holie prayers, doe giue vs his holie grace in this life, and his glorie in the other. Besides, that the sepulcher of this worthie Confessour, who by the splendour of his miracles beau∣tifieth our holie Church, be, with the honour due vnto it visited and frequented; we trusting in the diuine grace, and in the auctho∣ritie of the glorious Apostles sainct Peter and sainct Paul; we mer∣cifullie remitte and release a yeares penance enioyned them, to all those that truelie confessed and penitent, doe on the day of his feast, and all the octaue of euerie yeare, visitt the same. Giuen att Spoletum, the twelfeth of Iulie, in the sixt yeare of our Pope∣dome.

Notes

• A Car∣dinal op∣posing a∣gainst the ca∣noniza∣tion of the S. God ins∣pired him to chan∣ge his opinion.
• All the belles of Lisbone did ring of them∣selues.
• Marc. ••6.