The treasure of vowed chastity in secular persons. Also the widdowes glasse. VVritten by the RR. Fathers Leonard Lessius, and Fuluius Androtius, both of the Society of Iesus. Translated into English by I.W. P.

CHAP. VIII. Of the works of Mercy, Deuotion, Courage, and Constancy of widdowes. And of the Mantle, and the Ring.

AMONGST many, this is not the least, nor last pious Considerati∣on, that in all Countreyes of Christendome, the no∣ble workes and monumēts of widdowes are yet extāt. Nor shall we need at this tyme to trauaile out of our owne Iland of England, to view the same.

For it is well knowne,

that ther is scarse any Citty, Towne, yea or Borrough thoughout all England, without some monument or other, of pious widdow∣es.

For how many goodly Hospitalls, Almes-houses Free-schooles, yea some famous Churches also haue you seene built, and endo∣wed with sufficient rents, & reuenews by widdowes? How many High-wayes, Bridges, Wels, Crosses, haue byn made, and exected by pious Widdowes, for the increase of deuotion in the

people, and for the good of their owne soules?

What Prayers, I pray you, what Mortifications, Tēperance, Night-watch∣inges giuing of almes, ha∣ue the deuout Widdowes of our Countrey in former ty∣mes (and now a dayes very many also, but yet not com∣parable to the former) exer∣cised, for the loue of God; taking a true delight therin in their most Chast Wid∣dow-hood, to serue their spouse Christ Iesus, whome they had chosen insteed of their deceased husbands?

How many of prime Nobility haue we had, in our Countrey, that haue contemned second marria∣ges? And if we should re∣count all, we should per∣haps surpasse the greatest part of Christendome ba∣sides, in that kind: some en∣tring into Religion and becomming Nunnes, yea great Saints also; & others exercising workes of mercy at home among the poore, to the great comfort of the distressed.

And to begin with Queenes, how many I pray

you, haue we had in our little Iland, that after the death of their Lords, haue set aside all pompe and va∣nity of the world, vtterly refusing a second marriage, and haue either voluntari∣ly shut themselues vp in Cloisters, there to spend their dayes in prayer and contemplation with God; or els haue retyred to some priuate place, continually exercising themselues in de∣uotion and meditation of heauenly thinges.

Before the Conquest our Iland was more fertile in

this kind, as being neerer to their primitiue feruour, & that in few ages, thē it hath byn euer since. For within the compasse of 500. yeares, there haue byn aboue thir∣ty Queenes, that our Histo∣ries do make mention of, to haue made themselues ey∣ther Nuns in Monasteries as is aboue said, or els haue li∣ued priuatly at home, con∣tinuinge in their Chaste widdowhood to their dy∣ing day.

Of the bloud Royall, and other Noble familyes, the number is far greater;

neyther will it be to our purpose in this place to re∣count them all. Only this I note, that the greatest part of the forsaid Queens (be∣sides others of noble fami∣lies) were many ages ago accoūted Saints, & for such acknowledged throughout Christendome; and many Churches, Altars, and Mo∣numents of sanctity erected in their honour, and their very Names famous to all Posterity. For to omit S. He∣len the Empresse, a Brittish Widdow, and Mother to Constantine the great the first

Christian Emperour, we haue S. Ermenild & S. Ermen∣burge Queenes of Mercia, or middle Englishmē; S. Algiue mother, and S. VVilfride wife to king Edgar the first Mo∣narch of England; S. Edil∣burge, & S. Ethelwide Queenes of the VVestsaxons; S. Eadgith, S. Ethelburge, S. Chineburge, S. Ealflede, S. Audry Queenes of Northumberland; S. Osith Quee∣ne of the Eastsaxons; S. Sexburg Queen of Kent; S. Hereswide Q. of the Eastangles; S. Aga∣tha, widdow of Prince Ed∣ward surnamed the Outlaw; S. Margaret Queene of Scol∣land,

Maude the Empresse &c.

All these, and very many others, were most eniment in piety & deuotion, both in their widdowhood, and continēcy: yea some of thē vowed chastity their Lords and Husbands yet liuing, as S. Edilburge Queen of the VVestsaxons, & S. Audry Queen of Northunberland; at whose bodyes and reliques it hath pleased God to shew won∣derous signes, and worke many Miracles to testify the same; wherby they haue byn euer since, and still are

honoured for Saints tho∣roughout the world.

It was an ancient custo∣me in our Iland (and the same continueth in some parts of Germany vntill this day) that in tyme of warre, plagues, famyne, or of any publicke necessity, there were in many Citties and Townes a certaine number of widdowes ordayned to watch & pray continually, night and day, in the Churches, by their turnes or courses, one or more to∣geather: because it was held, that their prayers were of

more efficacy, and power with Almighty God, to as∣swage his wrath, then the prayers of other common people, as persons dedicated wholy to his seruice, by the obseruation of Continency, in their Chaste, and Holy widdowhood.

Neyther is the true Va∣lour and Constancy of de∣uout Widdowes, in our Countrey; lesse to be praised and admired; since in that kind also we haue gone be∣yond many other Nations, especialy in these later days, when as their noble and

heriocall Examples heerof haue made them famous to posterity; whether we res∣pect their courage & con∣stācy in suffering both losse of goods & imprisonment for their faith and religion, as glorious Confessours; or els the sheeding of their bloud in testimony of the same, as triūphant Martyrs.

For vpon some of these widdowes hath God besto∣wed an inuincible coura∣ge and fortitude, ioyned with an admirable patiēce in suffering for the Catho∣like Cause, not only im∣prisonmēt

of their bodyes, but losse also of goodes and fortunes, to their wholy vndoing in their temporall estates in this world, that they might receaue a more plentifull reward and me∣rit in the world to come. And what Catholike in England is there, that can∣not witnesse the same suf∣ficiently?

Vpon others, hath sweet Iesus, of his infinite loue, and superabundant Cha∣rity bestowed a more high and supereminent gift, not only in suffering, as is afor∣said,

losse of goods & liberty in this life; but also to seale the same with their dearest bloud, for his Names sake, Honour, Faith, and Reli∣gion. And this not vpon the meanest sort, but euen vpon some of the Bloud Royall of England; as is well knowne in the Lady Marga∣ret Plātagenet widdow, coū∣tesse of Salisbury, and daugh∣ter to the Duke of Clarēce, in time of K. Henry the 8. & in the Soueraign Lady Q. Ma∣ry of Scotland, Widdow, and mother to our Soueraigne that now raigneth; vpon

the deuout widdowes also M^s. Marg. Clitherow at Yorke, M^s. Anne Lyne at London, & o∣thers, in the late raigne of Q. Elizabeth: All giuing their liues for the constant profession & defence of the Catholike Faith, & therby made worthy of a crown of a Martyrdom, in their holy widdowhood.

Of the Mantle, & the Ring.

IT was also an ancient custome in England, (which I haue not read to haue byn practised in other Coūtreyes) for widdowes

to weare a proper, and pe∣culiar vpper garmēt, called a Mantle, by which they were knowne, and distinguished from other people.

This Mantle was a lōg, loose Garment, which co∣uered them all ouer, & did touch the ground, made of blacke cloath ordinarily, though others, who were more noble, vsed them of stuff, yet always black; signi∣fying therby that they wer be accounted as dead to the world, & to spēd the rest of their days in mourning for their own sins, & the sinnes

of others, for whō of their Charity they did pray.

It seemes that this custo∣me was in vse in our Iland long before the Conquest, aboue 900. yeares ago. And the first that I read of, to haue brought in the same, was S. Theodore Archb. of Canterbury, sent into Englād by Pope Vitalian, about the yeare 660. And a little after him againe, by S. Adelmus Bi∣shop of Sherborne amōgst the VVestsaxons, who liued in the yeare of Christ 709. of whō it is recorded, that he gaue hallowed Mantles to diuers,

both Virgins & Widdowes who had vowed Virgini∣ty & Continency: after the taking wherof, it was not lawfull for them to marry, vnder payne of grieuous sinne.

Afterwards, the same be∣came more frequent, & was ordinarily vsed throughout Englād, euen vntil this last age of Schisme & Heresy in the same. At the receiuing wherof, were vsed diuers pious and godly Cerimo∣nyes: to wit, that such widdowes, as had for a cer∣taine number of yeares, li∣ued

in Continency & wid∣dowhood (after the death of their first husbāds only) & well proued themselues therein, receaued from the Bishop, a hallowed Mantle, kneeling before the high al∣tar, in the Church, in tyme of solemne Masse; as also a Ring of Gold, or Siluer, made plaine and round, like to a wedding-Ring, which was also hallowed. And this Mantle was put about their neckes, by the Bishop himself, he pronouncing in the meane while, a short prayer; as also the ring vpō

their fourth finger, with a prayer likwise pronoūced by the Bishop. After which, receauing the Bishops bles∣sing, was songe Te Deum lau∣damus, in thanksgiuing; & the widdow thus adorned (with a veyle also ouer her head) was led home to her house by two graue matrōs, and afterward held and re∣puted for a sacred person, al the dayes of her life.

Nor after this, was it lawfull for her euer to mar∣ry, or to fall from this her pious purpose, without a most grieuous syn, & other

Eccleasisticall punishments ordayned for the same, ha∣uing once receau'd that hal∣lowed Robe, & Ring, as a pledge of her faith made to her Celestiall spouse Christ Iesus, by so publike and solemne a Cerimony of his Church

And we read, that about the tyme of K. Henry the first, a widdow was seuerly punished by the Bishop, for marrying, after she had rece∣aued the Mātle & the Ring in the manner aboue sayd. Wherby it seemeth, that the custome was to make some

vow of perpetuall Conti∣nency to the Bishop, at the receauing therof; and ther∣by became subiect to Ec∣clesiastial power, & punish∣ment also, if she trangressed, or sacrilegiously violated the same.

FINIS.