A treatise of the loue of God. Written in french by B. Francis de Sales Bishope and Prince of Geneua, translated into English by Miles Car priest of the English Colledge of Doway

How some of the heauenly Louers died euen of Loue. CHAPTER. XI.

1. All the Elect then, THEO: deceased in the habit of holy loue; but further, some died

euen in the exercise of it, some againe for it, others by it. But that which belongs to the soueraigne degree of loue, is, that some die of loue; ād thē it is, that loue doth not onely woūd the soule, ād there∣by make her languish, but doth euen pearce her through, hitting directly on the midst of the heart, and so deeply, that it forceth the soules de∣pa••ture out of the bodie, which fals out in this manner. The soule powerfully drawen by the di∣uine sweetenesse of her Beloued, to complie of her part with his deare allurements, forcibly springs out, and to her power tends towards her desired attracting friend, and not being able to draw her bodie after her, rather then to staie with it in this miserable life, she quits it and gets cleare, lonely flying as a faire doue into the delicious bo∣some of her heauēly Spouse. She throwes her selfe vpon her Beloued, and her Beloued doth draw and force her to himselfe. And as the Bridgroome leaues Father and mother to adheare to his deare Bride. So this chaste Bride forsaketh flesh and blood to be vnited to her Beloued. Now it is the most violent effect that a loue worketh in a soule, and which requires a great precedent puritie from all such affections as may detaine the soule pri∣soner either to the world or to the bodie, so that like as fire hauing by little and little seperated the Essen••e from its masse, and wholy purified it, at length it also driues out the QVINT-ESSENCE; euen so holy Loue hauing retired mans heart from all fantasies, inclinatiōs, and assions as farre fourth as may be, doth at length vrge the soule out, to the end that by that passage, pretious in the sight

of God, she might passe to eternall glorie.

2. The great S. FRANCIS, who in the matter of heauenly loue comes still before myne eyes, could not possibly escape dying by loue, by reason of the manifould and great langours, Extasies and tran••es which his loue to God, who had exposed him to the whole worlds view, as a MIRACLE OF LOVE, would not onely haue him die for loue, but euen of Loue. For consider, I beseech you his death. Perceiuing himselfe vpon the point of his departure, he caused himselfe to be laied naked vpon the ground, where hauing receiued a habite for God's sake, which they put on him, he made a speach to his bretheren, encouraging them to loue and feare God, and his Church▪ made our Sauiours passiō be red, and then with an extreame feruour began the 141. Psalme. With my voice I haue cried to our Lord: with my voice I haue Praied to our Lord: and hauing pronounced these last words, o Lord bring forth my soule out prison, that I may praise thy holy name, the iust expect me, till thou reward me; he died the 45. yeare of his age. Who sees not, I besseech you THEO: that the Seraphicall man, who had so in∣stantly desired to be martyred, and to die for loue, died in the end of loue, as in another place I haue explicated.

3. S. MAGDALEN hauing for the space of 30. yeares liued in a caue which is yet to be seene in PROVINCE rauished seuen times a day, and borne vp in the aire by Angels, as though it had bene to sing the seuen Canonicall houres in their Quire, in the end, vpon a Soneday she came to Church,

where her deare Bishop S. Maximinus finding her in contemplation, her eyes full of teares, and her armes stretched out, he communicated her, and soone after, she deliuered vp her blessed soule, who once a gaine for good and all, went to her Sauiours feete, to enioye the BETTER ••A•••• which she had already made choice off neare belowe.

4. S. BASILE had contracted a strict friendshipe with a Phisition, a Iewe by nation and religion, with intention to bring him to the faith of IESVS CHRIST, which neuerthelesse he could not effect, till such time, as, decaied by youth, old age and labours, being vpon the point of dying, he enqui∣red of the Phisition, what opinion he had of him, coniuring him to speake freely; which the Phisi∣tion refused not, but feeling his pulse, told him, there was no remedie (quoth he) before the Sunne let you will depart this life. But what will you saie, replied the patient, if to morrow I shall be aliue? I will become Christian I promisse you, laied the Phisition. With this the Saint praied to God, and obtained a prolongation of his owne temporall life, for the good of his Phisitions spi∣rituall life, who, hauing seene this Miracle, was conuerted, and S. Basile rysing couragiously out of his bed went to the Church, and baptised him with all his Familie: then being returned to his chamber, and gotten to bed, after he had passed a good space with our Sauiour in Praier, he holily exhorted the assistants to serue God with their whole heart, and finally seeing the Angels ap∣proch, pronouncing with an extreame delight

these words, ô God I recommend vnto thee my soule, and restore it into thy hands, he died. But the poore conuerted Phisition, seeing him thus deceased, colling him, and melting into teares vpon him: ô great Seruant of God Basile, quoth he, indeede if thou hadst list, thou had'st no more died to day, then yesterday. Who doth not see that this death was wholy frō loue? And the Bles∣sed S. Teresa, reuealed after her death, that she died with an impetuous assault of loue, Which had bene so violent, that nature not able to support it, the soule departed towards the beloued obiect of her loue.