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 the most feruent loue of Iesus Christ which enflamed the hart of S. Clare, and how the deuill tormented her: of an extasie wherin she continued a night and two dayes together.

THE XX. CHAPTER.

WHen S. Clare heard speake of the passion our Redeemer IESVS CHRIST, she oftē accustomēd to weepe in cōpas∣sion, in such sort that out of the sacred woundes she would sometimes draw dolorous feelinges & affectiōs, and att o∣ther times ioyes and consolations of admirable sweetnes. And the crosse of IESVS CHRIST, which with her Spouse she carryed in her soule, and the weight therof gaue her so much more tast of contētment as she felt more griefe. The great abondance of teares which she powred out for the passion of IESVS CHRIST, kept her sometimes out of her selfe, and the internall loue which she had imprinted in her hart, in manner continually represented vnto her IESVS CHRIST crucified.

She ordinarily gaue exāple by worckes, of what she taught her Reli∣gious by wordes. For admonishing them often and instructing them se∣cretly touching some exercise, before she had ended her discourse, she was seene to power out of her eyes abondance of teares. Among the houres of the diuine office that are sung in the Church, she was present with greatest deuotion att the Sixt and ninth, by reason that att such houres she was crucified with her Redeemer IESVS CHRIST.

The holy Virgin retyring one time to her priuate deuotion after the ninth houre, the deuill came to her, and did beat her outragiously,

and euen did so hurt her in the face, that her eye was all bloud-shott and the signe remayned on her cheeke: but S. Clare omitted nor for that to perseuer in her prayer. And to the end she might with the more deuo∣tion apply herselfe to the cōtentmentes which she conceaued in media∣ting of IESVS CHRIST crucified, she ordinarily contemplated the mi∣stery of the fiue woundes: and therfore she learned by hart the office of the crosse, as the true louer of the crosse S. Fancis had taught her. She accustomed to weare against her naked flesh a girdle of thirteene knot∣tes, wherto also were litle stones fastened in forme of knottes: which she did for a secrett memory of the woundes and doulours of our Redee∣mer IESVS CHRIST. One lent vpon Maundy thursday, wher∣on our Lord IESVS CHRIST shewed a particuler loue to his disciples, att the houre of the agony that our Redeemer did sweat bloud and wa∣ter in the garden, this holy virgin retyred into her oratory full of deep sorrow, and ioyned herselfe with almighty God in prayer as if she had seen him praying, and as if, by contemplation of the soule of IESVS CHRIST sorrowfull euen to death, she her selfe had felt and suffe∣red his prison, his derisions, his iniuries, reproches, affrontes, beatinges, sentence, crosse and most ignominious death, carrying in her memory a like sorrow, wherfore as vtterly transported, she sate on a straw-bed, and all that night and the day following, she was so absorpt and rapt out of her selfe, that her eyes being open and without motion, she seemed to hold them fixed in one place, and remayned so insensible being conioynt∣ly crucified with IESVS CHRIST, that a Religious familier vnto her, comming often to see if she wanted any thing, she found her alwayes in one same manner. But on the night of holy saterday, this deuout Reli∣gious came to her deere mother with a candle, and partly by signes and partly by wordes, she made her, the best she could, to vnderstand the commandement that the holy Father sainct Francis gaue her, that she should not passe one day without taking and eating something. So in the presence of this Religious, sainte Clare, as if she came out of ano∣ther place, sayd vnto her: what need haue you to light this candle? is it not day? Wherto the Religious answeared: Mother, the night of holy thursday is past, as also goodfriday, and we are now in the night of Ea∣ster eue. The Sainct replyed: my daughter, blessed be this sleep which almighty God att length after my long desire hath granted me. But I ad∣monish and command you, not to speake herof to any creature liuing, whiles I shall liue in the world.