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St. Thomas, that Arch-stickler against the Prerogatives of the Crown and his King,* 1.1 to favour the Progresses of Church-Privileges and the Interests of the Pope, we are told, from his youth had vow'd his Cha∣stity to the Blessed Virgin; and being, on a time, among some of his
Companions (before he was Archbishop) he heard them boasting of their Mistresses, and the special Presents they had received from them. Thomas told them that they vapour'd foolishly, for he had a Mistress that far excelled all theirs; who had bestowed such a Present on him, that they never saw any thing like it. All this he intended in a Spiritual Sense; but, they urging vehemently that he would shew them what he talked of; he ran to the Church, and prayed the Blessed Virgin to par∣don the Presumptuous Word he had spoken of her. To whom she ap∣peared in a Vision, and incouragingly told him, that he did well to cry up the Excellency of his Mistress; and she gave him a very fine and a very little Box, which his Companions snatcht out of his hand, and opening, saw something of a Purple Colour, and taking it out, behold a wonderful fine Casula, (a Garment which the Priests wear••) This Story came to the ears of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent for Thomas, and learnt of him the truth of it, whereupon he secretly determined in his mind to make him his Successor. But this Favour of the Virgin's in the Present of a New Garment, was not so wonderful as another we are told of, that concerned an Old one. For when he was Archbishop, he used to wear a Hair shirt next his Skin on Saturday, (a Day dedicated to the Blessed Virgin) which being rent, Wickman tells us, that the Blessed Virgin held his Shirt, whilst he stitched it;* 1.2 but Gononus reports it thus. There was an English Priest that daily said the Mass of the Blessed Virgin, because he had not skill to say any other; who being accused, was suspended by St. Thomas from his Office for his want of skill. St. Thomas on a time had hidden his Hair-shirt under his Bed, that at a convenient season he might secretly sow it: The Blessed Virgin appeared to the foresaid Priest, and commanded him to go to Thomas, and tell him, that the Mother of God had granted leave to the Priest that daily celebrated her Mass, and was suspended, to officiate again; by this token, that she, for whose love he said Mass, had sowed his Hair-shirt that lay in such a place, and had left the Red Hair with which she sowed it. Thomas hearing this, was amazed, and found it so as the Priest related, and gave him power hereupon to officiate.
THE English Legend relates in the Life of St. Thomas, That when he was at Rome, upon a Fasting-day, a Fowl being provided for his Dinner, because no Fish could be bought, the Capon was miracu∣lously turned into a Carp, rather than the Holy Man should break the Orders of the Church.
NOw St. Thomas being accounted the King's Enemy,* 1.3 began to be contemned, and hated by the common People, that coming to a Town called Strode, the Inhabitants of that Place meaning to put an affront upon this good Despised Father, presumed to cut of•• his Horses Tail which he rode upon: but hereby they brought a perpetual re∣proach upon themselves; for afterwards it fell out, by the Pleasure of God, that all the Race of those Men that committed this Fact, were born with Tails, like Brute Beasts; whence the Proverb comes of Ken∣tish Long-tails.
ALL Men shunned their Company,* 1.4 and none eat or drank with them; they cast the Fragments of their Meat to the Dogs, and when they had ••asted them, they would eat no more of them: so ma∣nifest was God's Vengeance, that they who contemned the Lord's Anoin∣ted, were even contemned by Dogs.* 1.5 A Canoniz'd Historian adds fur∣ther, That of those who killed him, some with their Teeth gnawed off their own Fingers in pieces, others had their Bodies flowing with Cor∣rupt Matter, others were dissolved by the Palsy, and others miserably died of Madness.
A Little before St. Thomas returned out of Banishment,* 1.6 it was reveal∣ed to him, that a few days after his return he should go to Hea∣ven by dying a Martyr; and we are told that while he way praying at the Monastery of Pontiniac, he heard a Voice from Heaven, saying,* 1.7 O Thomas, Thomas, my Church shall be glorified in thy Blood. A certain Young Man being under an Infirmity, his Soul went out of his Body, and returned again; and he said he had been wrapt up into Heaven, and saw an empty Seat mightily adorned, placed among the Apostles; And when he asked for whom that magnificent Seat was prepared, an Angel answered, it was reserved for a certain great Priest of the En∣glish Nation; which was understood of St. Thomas.* 1.8 Heraclius also, the Patriarch of Ierusalem, coming into England, related this Vision. A cer∣tain Fryer was sick to Death in a Monastery of the Holy Land, the Abbot desired him to certify him of his state after Death, which he promised, and dyed. A few days after he appeared to the Abbot, and told him he enjoyed the Vision of God; and that you may not doubt of my Hap∣piness, know, saith he, That when I was carried by Angels into Heaven,
there came a great Man with an unspeakable admirably Procession follow∣ing him of Angels, Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles, &c. This Man stood before the Lord as a Martyr, all his Head being torn, and his Blood seeming to distil from the clefts of his Wounds. To whom the Lord said. O Thomas, thus it becometh thee to enter into the Court of the Lord; and added, I will give no less Glory to thee, than that I have bestowed on Peter. And the Lord took a mighty golden Crown, and put it on his Head. The Fryer added, Know for certain, that Thomas of Canterbury is slain about this time; mark my words, and observe the time: And so he vanished. This the Abbot told to the Patriarch, who related it in England.* 1.9 Before St. Thomas was buried, as he lay in the Quire upon the Bier, in the morning, lifting up his Right Hand, he gave his Benediction to the Monks.
* 1.10A certain Soldier, a great Lover of St. Thomas, was enquiring eve∣ry where, How he might get any of his Reliques? Which a crafty Priest hearing, at whose House he sojourned, said to him, I have by me a Bridle which St Thomas long used; which the Soldier hearing, gave him the Money he asked for i••, and received the Bridle with much De∣votion. And God, to whom nothing is impossible, willing to reward the Faith of the Soldier, vouchsa••ed to work many Miracles by that Bridle in Honour of his Martyr; which the Soldier considering, built a Church in Honour of St. Thomas, and, instead of Reliques, put therein this Bridle of the cheating Priest.
* 1.11THere was a Bird, says the Festivale, that was taught to speak, and could say St. Thomas; it hapned that this Bird sitting out of his Cage, a Spar Hawk seiz'd on it, and was ready to kill it; but the Bird crying, St. Thomas help, the Spar-Hawk fell down dead.
* 1.12King Lewis of France was extraordinarily heard, for coming over to offer at this Saints Tomb at Canterbury, and praying for a safe Pas∣sage, he obtained that neither he, nor any other from thenceforth that crossed the Seas between Dover and Withsond, should suffer any Loss or Shipwreck.
* 1.13Again, A special Friend of Thomas, being under an Infirmity, came to the Tomb of the Saint, to pray for the recovery of his health, which he received to the full: But being return'd home, he thought within himself, that perhaps that Infirmity was inflicted on him for his Salva∣tion, and was for the greater profit of his Soul than Health was; and therefore returning to the Sepulchre of the Saint, he prayed, That what should most conduce to his Salvation, whether Sickness or Health, that Tho∣mas would obtain it for him of the Lord. Whereupon his Infirmity re∣turned again upon him.
A Clerk having been troubled with Vomiting, and a bloody Flux,* 1.14 and a Pain in his Eyes, that he was almost blind, he had for 15 days together implored the Martyrs help at Canterbury: to whom St. Thomas at last appeared, and bid him rise quickly, and go to Durrham to St. Cuthbert, and by his Merits he should obtain Mercy and Health: For (said he) I will have my languishing Patients and Servants go to him for Cure, and his come to me. And the first day he came thither he was cured.
WE are told of an Hundred thousand People, that in some years,* 1.15 have come to pay their Devotions to his Shrine: Nay more, that their Zeal towards him was so hot, as sometimes they seemed to have but little consideration of the blessed Virgin her self, and none at all of Christ.* 1.16 For there being three Altars in the Church of Canter∣bury, one dedicated to Christ, another to the Virgin Mary, and a third to Thomas. We are told out of an old Lieger-Book of that Church, that one Year the Offerings at the Shrine of Thomas amounted to 954 l. 6 s. 3 d. when those to the blessed Virgin came only to 4 l. 1 s. 8 d. and to Christ nothing at all.
ONE Eilwardus having in his Drink broke into a Man's house, and stole some of his Goods, such an Action of Felony was laid against him, that he was condemned to have his Eyes put out, and his Privities to be cut off, which Sentence was executed upon him; and he being in danger of Death by bleeding, was counselled to pray to St. Thomas. In the Night he had a Vision of one in white Apparel, who bid him watch and pray, and put his Trust in God, and our Lady, and holy St. Thomas. The next day the Man rubbing his Eyes, they were restored; and a little after rubbing the other place, his Pendenda, (as he calls them) were also restored, very small at the first, but growing still greater, which he permitted every one to feel that would. No doubt the old Roman Breviary points at this Story, when it says thus:* 1.17 Thomas stretched out his powerful hand to unusual and unheard of Won∣ders: For even they that were deprived of their Eyes, and of those parts by which Mankind is propagated * 1.18, by his Merits had the Favor to receive new ones.
* 1.19St. Patrick, alias Socher, the great Apostle of Ireland, in A. D. 361. was born in the South-West Coast of Britany among the Dimetor in the Province called Pembrokeshire. His Father was Caliphurnius, a British Priest or Deacon; his Mother Concha, the Sister of St. Martin Bishop of Tours.* 1.20 The Village where he was born, was called Ban∣nava, where anciently Gyants are said to have dwelt.
* 1.21But Socher, afterwards called Patrick, was, in the Sixteenth year of his Age, led away Captive in an Incursion made by the Picts into England, and sold to a Noble-man in the Northern parts of Ireland. Six whole Years the devout Youth spent in this slavery, all the while addressing his Prayers to God an hundred times aday, and as oft in the night, using great Mortification likewise; so that with these two wings he mounted to such Perfection, as he enjoy'd a frequent Conversation with Angels. And particularly in Capgrave, we read how an Angel, called Victor, frequently visited him, and said to him, Thou dost very well to fast, ere long thou shalt re••urn to thy Countrey. But after six Years slavery,* 1.22 St. Patrick, by the admonition of an Angel, found un∣der a certain Turf a Sum of Gold, which he gave to his Lord, and so was delivered from Captivity, and returned to his Parents Countrey, which he gloriously illustrated with the admirable Sanctity of his Li••e.
Afterwards repairing to Rome, he received his Mission for the Con∣version of Ireland, from Pope Celestinus, who changed his Name to Patricius,* 1.23 as prophecying he should be the spiritual Father of many Souls, and so was promoted to his Episcopal Dignity, and directed to his Voyage into Ireland; and at the same time received of the Pope twelve Years of Indulgence.
The Irish Magicians gave this warning of St. Patrick's coming into Ireland several Years before, saying,* 1.24 A Man will come hither with his Wood, whose Table shall be placed on the East••rn side of his House, and some persons standing behind, together with the other, from the Table will sing, and the Congrega••ion will answer them, saying, Amen. When this Man comes he will destroy our Gods, subvert our Temples, destroy Princes which resist him, and his Doctrine shall remain and prevail here for ever.
* 1.25Now the piece of Wood foretold by those Magicians, is interpreted a certain wonderful Staff wh••ch St. Patrick•• before his Journey, recei∣ved from an Holy Hermit, a••d ••hich was calle••, The Staff of Iesus. Now the History of that Staff is as follows:
St. Patrick by Divine Revelation pass'd over to a certain solitary Her∣mit living in an Island of the Tyrrhen Sea, whose name was Iustus, which he made good by his Actions, being a Man of a Holy Life, great ••ame, and much merit. After devout Salutations and good Discourse, the same Man of God gave to St. Patrick a Staff, which he seriously affirmed had been bestowed on him immediately by the hand of our Lord Iesus himself, who had appeared to him.
Now there were in the same Island at some distance other Men also who liv'd solitary Lives: Of which some seem'd very fresh and youthful, others were decrepid old Men•• St. Patrick after some conversation with them, was informed that those very old Men were Children to those who appeared so youthful. At which being astonish'd, and enquiring the occasion of so great a Miracle, they thus acquainted him, saying, We from our Childhood by Divine Grace have been much addicted to Works of Mercy, so that our Doors were always open to all Travellers which demanded Meat or Lodging. On a certain Night it hapned that a Stranger, having a Staff in his hand, was entertain'd by us, whom we used with all the Courte∣sie we could. On the Morning after he gave us his Benediction, and said, I am Jesus Christ: My Members you have hitherto oft ministred to, and this Night entertain'd me in my own Person. After this he gave the Staff which he had in his hand to a Man of God, our Father both spiritually and car∣nally, commanding him to keep it, till in succeeding times a certain Stranger, named Patrick, should come to visit him: and to him he should give it. Ha∣ving said this, he presently ascended into Heaven. And from that day we have remained in the same state of youthful Comliness and Vigour to this hour.* 1.26 Whereas our Children, who then were little Infants, are now, as you see, be∣come decrepid old Men. Farther, in the vulgar Opinion with this Staff St. Patrick cast out of the Island all Venomous Beasts.
St. Patrick landed in the Province of Lenster in the Year 432. where having converted Sinel the Son of Finchado, he directed his Journey in∣to Ulster, where one Dicon coming suddenly with Weapons, intended to kill the Saint and his Companions. But as soon as he saw the Holy Bishop's face, he felt compunction in his heart, led the Saint to his House, had the Faith of Christ preacht to him, and was converted.
While St. Patrick remain'd in Ireland,* 1.27 the Holy Son of God shew'd him a Den, into which whosoever entred and staid there the space of one Day and Night, he was purged from all the Sins he had committed in his whole Life; and continuing in the Love of God, he might see all the Torments of the Wicked, and the Joys of the Blessed. And long after him, an Irish Soldier, in the Reign of King Stephen, entred this Purgato∣ry of St. Patrick, saw all the Punishments there inflicted, and had also a full view of the Terrestrial Paradise which Man lost by his Fall: And at his return to Earth again, gave the King a perfect Account of those Regions.
* 1.28 After eight years labouring in our Lord's Vineyard in Ireland, to the Conversion of that Island, St. Patrick return'd to Britany, and so went on to Rome, there to give an Account of his Apostleship. At his return thence to his Native Countrey, he retired to Glastenbury, where he fore∣told with the Tongue and Spirit of Prophecy many unfortunate,* 1.29 and many prosperous things which in ••uture times should befall Britany: and moreover foresaw and foretold the Sanctity of St. David who was in his Mother's Womb. And at last yielded to Nature in the thirty ninth year after his return to the said Island, and was buried in the Old Church on the Right hand of the Altar by Direction of an Angel, a great flame like∣wise in the sight of all breaking forth in the same place. He lived one hundred and eleven years.
* 1.30St. Rioch. entertained St. AEdus the Bishop, and set a great Supper of Flesh before him, but the Bishop would not eat Flesh, but blessing the Meat, it was turned into Bread, and Fish, and Honey. And in the Life of St. Moedoc we are told, That when St. Molua had killed a fat Calf for to receive him, hearing that St. Moedoc did not eat Flesh, he blessed eight pieces of Flesh, and they became eight Fishes; but the Bi∣shop knowing by Inspiration how they were made Fishes, he blessed them again,* 1.31 and they were turned again into eight pieces of Flesh; which St. Malua seeing, he was displeased; for he had no other Fishes in his Monastery, and therefore before them all, he blessed them again, and they became right Fishes the second time, and here the Contest ceased; and for the Honour of St. Molua, he was contented to seed upon them.
Genoni Chroni∣con. SS. Dei parve, p. 177.
Gonon. Ibid. p. 176. & Wick∣man's Sab∣batismus Maria∣nus, p. 73.
Polyd. Virgil. Angli Hist. Lib. 13.
Hoveden•• Hist. p. 299.
Antonin. Hist. To. 2. p. 70••.
Antonin. Hist. To. 2. p. 706.
Harps∣fields's Hist. Eccl. Angl. p. 334.
Capgrave in the Life of St. Tho∣mas f 292.
Hoveden Hist. p. 299.
Caesarius Dialog. dist. 8. c. 70.
Festiv. fol. 80. & An∣toninus loc. citat. p. 707.
Lambert's Peramb. of Kent, p. 143.
Antoni∣nus. Ibid.
Capgr. vit. St. Cuth∣bert. fol. 78.
W. Sum∣ner. Antiq. of Canter. p. 249.
Cited by Foulis History of Popish Treasons, &c. p. 17.
Brev. Ro∣man. an∣tiq. lect. 9.
Membris genitali∣bus priva∣ti.
Stani∣hur••t. ap. Haraeum. 17. Mart.
St. Beda.
Antiq. Glu••••on. in Patricio. Horaevas in Patri∣cio.
Iocelin. in vit. S. Pa∣tricii. c. 13.
In Antiq. Glaston. in Patricio.
Stanihurst in vit. S. Patric.
Ap. Cap∣grav. in S. Patricio.
Iocelin. in vit. S. Pa∣tricii. c 26.
Girald. Cambrens. in topo∣graph. l. 34.
Matt. Paris fol. 73.
Capgrave in Patric. Jocelin in Patricio.
Anti••. Glaston in Patricio. Gul. Malmsbu. Avam de Domer∣ham. Joan. Mona∣chu••.
Colganus ad 6 Feb. in vitam St. Riochi per 268.
Colganus Act Sanct. Hibern. ad ••ac. 31. p. 221.