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 Abbesse ought to visit her Religious.

THE X. CHAPTER.

LEtt the Abbesse visitt her Religious, admonish, reprehēd and cor∣rect them with charity, not commanding them any thing against their soule and the Order of your profession. Lett the Religious be mindefull also that for the loue of God they haue renounced their proper will: and that therfore they are obliged in all thinges to obey their Abbesse, according to their promise, prouided that it be not against their saluation and your profession. Lett the Abbesse vse such familia∣rity with her Religious, that they may comport themselues as mistres∣ses

towardes their seruantes: for in such sort must they liue together, as that the Abbesse be seruant to all her Religious. I also exhort my si∣sters, and in the name of our Redeemer IESVS CHRIST, I admonish them, to beware of pride, of vaine glory, of enuy, of auarice, of cogitations and solicitude of worldly affaires: not to speake euill of any, to shunne dissention, murmure and diuision: but lett them be all carefull to preserue vnity of fraternal loue, which is the knott of per∣fection. Besides, they that cannot read, lett them not regard to learne, but lett them only consider, that they ought aboue althinges to desire to haue the spiritt of IESVS CHRIST and his holy opera∣tion, that they ought alwayes to pray vnto God with purity of hart, & to be humble and patientin afflictions and in their sicknesses, and that they ought to loue them that reprehend them, because our lord sayth: Blessed are they they that suffer persecution for iustice: for theirs is the kingdome of heauen. He that shall perseuer vnto the end shalbe saued.