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 two children were by saincle Clare rescued and preserued from the rage of wolues.

THE XXXI. CHAPTER.

THe vally of Spole••ū was accustomed to be much afflicted with wol¦ues, who did of••ē proy there on humā flesh. There dwelt a woman

called Bonna, on the Mount Galien, within the diocesse of Assisium, who hauing two children, had scarce ended her lamentations for the one which the wolues had deuoured, but, whiles she was busy in her house they carryed away the other. The wolfe carryed her child to the top of the mountayne, & grapled it by the throat when a labourer in the vineyardes hearing the pittifull cry of the child, called the mother, and admonished her to haue care of her sonne, in regard he heard a crying voice like to his. The woman not finding her sonne, presently be∣leeued that the wolfe had seased on him, and therfore began to rayse her lamentation towardes heauen, deuoutly inuocating the helpe of S. Clare in these tearmes: O blessed saincte Clare, haue compassion on me miserable woman, and restore me my child. Alas heare if thou please the prayers of an infortunate mother! permitt me not to conti∣nue in this so rigorous desolation. Whiles this poore woman so recommended her distresse to saincte Clare, her neighbours fourni∣shed with weapons hastened after the rauening wolfe, and comming to the top of the sayd mountaine, they found that he had left the child wounded in the throat, whose woundes a dogge was licking. And so the child was safely recouered by the merittes of saincte Clare, who was inuocated by his mother, to whome he was brought, and was inconti∣nently restored to perfect health.

A litle girle of the towne of Canary, being about noone abroad in the ayre where she did some seruice to an other woman, there came a wol∣fe, which being taken by the girle but for a dogge, he lept on her neck & tooke hold of her head. The other woman and the mother of the girle there present, ran after, and cryed for helpe, inuocating sainte Clare: and it was admirable to heare, that the child being in the teeth of the wolfe reprehended him, saying: Thou theefe, how canst thou carry me farther I being recommended to that holy virgin? The wolfe as daunted with those wordes, gently sett the girle on the ground, and as a theefe found and taken in the fact, he fled: and the girle retourned without any hurt vnto her mother.