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 miracles wrought by the merittes of S. Clare, and first of posses∣sed personnes that haue bin deliuered.

THE XXVIII. CHAPTER.

THe cheefest marckes that sainctes can haue, and the worthiest testimonies of faith and reuerence, are sanctity of life, and the perfection of good worckes: for sainct Iohn Baptist, wrought no miracles during his life, and yet they that haue wrought many, shall not be esteemed more holy then he. And therfore the notable renowne of the religious life of saincte Clare, might suffice to make her appeare such as she is, if the tepedity, coldnes, and remissnesse of the world, and partly also deuotion did not otherwise require. But sith this holy virgin was not only in her life time by her merittes swallowed vp in the depth of diuine illumination, but was also after her death of mer∣ueilous splendour ouer all the world by the light of her miracles; and as the most pure verity hath caused the recording of many of her miracles, that they remayne as testimony, memory and denunciation of her san∣ctity: therfore also the multitude of them enforce the rehearsall of some, that they may be generally diuulged and knowne.

A child called Iames, seeming not so sick as possessed, in regard that sometimes he cast himselfe into the fire, or into the riuer, fell rudely on the ground, and with such fury did bite the stones that he brake his teeth withall, forced bloud out of his head, and wrested his mouth most strangely, yea sometimes would seeme a mōstrer, so dub∣ling and folding his members, as his feet would be on his necke. He was ordinarily twice in the day afflicted with the like tormentes, in such sort that two personnes sufficed not to restraine him from tearing of his cloathes, yea there was great difficulty to keep him from murde∣ring himselfe. Many Phisitians hauing in vaine laboured to cure him, att length his Father named Guidalot had recourse to the merittes of S. Clare, affectionatly saying: O holy virgin honoured of the world, to

thee I adresse my self, to beseech thee to obtaine of God my sōnes health. Then ful of cōfidence he conducted him to the sepulchre of this sainct, and layd him therevpon, and he presently miraculously obtayned the fauour he desired, his sonne being perfectly cured of all his infirmities, and was neuer troubled after.

Alexandrina of the towne of Frata, neere to Perusia, was possessed & tormented with an abhominable deuill, to whose power she was so left that he made her fly as a byrd to the topp of a rock neere to the riuer of Tiber, then made her descend to a branch of a tree that did hang over the sayd riuer, then to hang on that branch, there playing her idle pranc∣kes. This woman had halfe her body vtterly benummed, for which the Phisitians could find no remedy: Att lenght she came with great deuotion to the shrine of saincte Clare, and inuocating her merit∣tes she was cured of all her afflictions: for she had also the gout in her left hand, and her body halfe paraliticall was cured, and withall she was entierly freed of the oppression and seruitude of the deuill

An other woman of the same place was cured before the sayd sepul∣cher, who was in like sort possessed with the deuill, and had withall many other diseases.