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 prayer, humility, pouerty, obedience and forgetfulnes of iniuries, of S. Elizabeth, and of the reuelation which God made vnto her of the remis∣sion of her sinnes.

THE X. CHAPTER.

THis vertuous woman was so feruent in prayer, that she neuer prayed without weeping, and yet in such sort as she kept it vnknowne. In her prayer she felt both sorrow and ioy in her soule: she would say that to weepe with force and heauinesse was to shew an euill countenance vnto God. It once happened that being according to her custome in prayer, her hart, eyes and han∣des eleuated towardes heauen, her soule was so rapt and swallowed vp in God, that burning coales falling on a fold or plait of her gowne, burned a good part therof she not perceiuing it, and had burned yet farther, if one of her seruantes passing by, had not hastely ex∣tinguished the same: in doeing wherof she cryed so loud that she caused the pious lady to retourne to her selfe, who with her owne handes sett a piece on that part of her gowne which was burned. She would not ha∣ue her seruantes and the poore people to cal her Lady, but would cōuer∣se with them as their equall causing them to sitt by her, and eating, spin∣ning and worcking with them without any ceremony. She so affected humility, that she disdayned not or omitted the basest occurance for the loue of God. In the middest of the greatest prosperity that she euer had, she alwayes desired the estate of pouerty, to imitate and follow that of IESVS CHRIST in this life, shunning all pompe and worldly glory. By this fauour and holy desire, she would often being alone in her house with her friendes and seruantes, cloath her selfe poorly, affirming that if she fell into pouerty, she would in that sort be cloa∣thed. She would be alwayes present att generall processions and litanies, bare foot, and attyred in linnen, and with great humility would heare the sermons among the simple people. When she went first to Church in the morning, she would not goe attyred accor∣ding to her quality, but the most simply she could, in example of the Virgin Mary, carying her child in her armes and laying it very reuerently on the Altare, there offring a lambe and a candell. Re∣tourning home after the seruice, she would giue the cloathes she woa∣re att masse to some very poore woman. And the more perfectly to obser∣ue the rule of humility, she promised obedience in that concerned the good of her soule to her Cōfessour M. Courard a poore Religious, but of great piety and doctrine, whose counsailes, though generally vertuous,

she so strictly obserued, as if IESVS CHRIST himselfe had comman∣ded her. By this obedience and vpō a scruple of her consciēce she would neither touch nor vse any thing bought with the mony a••ysing of any gaine made by the Officiers of Lantg••aue her husband, fearing that it might be gotten of the blond of the poore subiectes. And albeit the sa∣me were lawfull and permissable to that sainct, in regard of the simpli∣city of those times, yett att this present it may not be done nor permit∣ted to any.

* 1.1 Hauing in her widowhood receaued a great iniury, which exceeding∣ly troubled and disquieted her, she fell to her prayers, and began with great abondance of teares to pray vnto God for those that had done her iniury, beseeching him to bestow on each of them a grace wherby they might receaue some consolation of his diuine Maiesty. During the fer∣uour of this prayer, she heard a voice that sayd vnto her: thou hast ne∣uer presented a prayer vnto me more gratefull then this, which hath thorough pearced my bowels. Wherfore I pardon thee all thy sinnes, and giue thee my grace. This holy Princesse knowing the mercy which God had shewed her, considered with her selfe, what course of life she might thenceforward vndertake to become more gratefull to his diuine Maiesty, and to serue him more dilligently. But being in deep conside∣ratiō herevpō, the ineffable searcher of hartes sayd vnto her: hope in God, doe good worckes, and shunne sinne, & thou shalt alwayes haue cōfort.

Notes

• * 1.1

  To pray for ones enem••es is very pleasing vnto God.