The testament of William Bel. Gentleman Left written in his owne hand. Sett out above 33. yeares after his death. With annotations at the end, and sentences, out of the H. Scripture, fathers, &c. By his sonne Francis Bel, of the Order of Freers Minors, definitor of the province of England: guardian of S. Bonaventures colledge in Dovvay: and professor of the sacred Hebrevv tongue, in the same. Electo meo fœdus excidi

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL M^R. EDWARD SHELDON of Beoley, &c.

SIR.

Anciently, when after the rihgt of natu∣re, the earth was Cōmon, and all the gooddes therof: ••hat a man Could say to his

neighbour 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 hast thou not all the earth before thee?* 1.1 separate thy selfe from mee, if thou go to the lef•• hand I will keep the right, i•• thou go to the Right hand •• will howld the left. Men gau•• in theyr testaments to they•• children only coelestiall doc∣trines, that to whom they had given being, they migh•• also giue well-being.* 1.2 By thee•• meanes wee haue heard an•• knowne so manie things: de¦clared to vs by our fathers which in the next generatio•• were not hid from they•• children, declaring the pray¦ses

of our Lord, his virtues, and mervailes done by him, ••hat reised vp testimonie in ••acob: and gaue a lawe to ••sraël▪ how manie things did hee commande our fathers ••o make knowne to their ••onnes to the end that the ••ext generatiō might know ••hem, that the children that ••hould arise and bee borne of ••hem, might tell them againe ••o theyr children, and all, ••hat they might sett theyr ••ope in God, not forget his ••orckes, and search out his ••ommands. Moyses.* 1.3 Re∣••ember the dayes of oulde

thincke vpon everie severall generation, aske thy father & hee will declare, thy elders and they will tell thee. Men gaue, I say, from hand to hand the lawe of God, his feare, & loue: with benedic∣tion to the keepers, maledi∣ction to the breakers of it▪ Commending vertue, con∣demning vice: foretelling payne and glorie the reward•• of both.* 1.4 Such testament▪ the seaventh man from A¦dam,* 1.5 Enoch made. Such wa•• the Patriarch Iacobs testa¦ment disposed to his 12. son¦nes: such also those, of thes••

12. Patriarches themselves.* 1.6 But of that new & everlas∣ting testament of IESVS-CHRIST the sonne of God what shall I say? therin is all knowledge of the heavenly kingdome: the aeternall beati∣tude and foelicitie of man. After this incomparable Testament, in which are all the treasures of the riches and wisedome of God, I may bring in that godly testamēt of my holy Father S. Francis, which after he was signed with the sacred stigmats of our Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, full with fervour, and the

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

holy ghost, neer the end of his life, he left to vs his chil∣dren, that more sincerely and catholickly we might keep his Evangelicall rule.

Divers pious testaments haue been by sundrie devout persons, at severall times or∣dained: And not among the last doe I accoumpt this te∣stament of my father, a man knowne and esteemed of your worship no less then of M.^r Raphe your father of happie memorie. It hath been kept in his owne ma∣nuscript thees 44. yeares and more. By divine providence,

it hath at last come to my hands: who hauing been aboue 18. yeares out of my countrie in forraine lands, neither sought for, nor thought of anie such thing (although seing it now, I re∣member that in my younger yeares I haue seen it before) when a graue father of our seraphicall order venerable for his well spent, yeares from his infancie till 67. (so ••owld he is at this day) and no ••ess for his profownde iudge∣ment and eloquence both in ••peach and style, lighting ••pon it sent it out of Eng∣land

to mee, with no small commendations therof. His censure animated me to put it in print. And for a patrone to whom I might dedicate it I had not farre to seeke: your Constant Christianitie and professing of the Catholike Religion: who like the great Patriarch Abraham, to fol∣low God, haue gone out of land and Countrie and fa∣thers house and friends and kinred, and familiars, or like Saint Peeter out of all, doth Chalenge so christianlike a testament: especially from mee who, as appeareth in the

34. §. of it, am severely char∣ged to bee serviceable towards you and yours.

That service together with my selfe I offer here to your worship, for vs all that haue the charge there layde vpon vs: that we be not chalenged with the vile vice of ingrati∣tude: or breach of the dead mannes will. my selfe haue had part of my education frō M.^r Frācis Daniel, my vncle, of whom mention is made in the 32. §. who now liveth not on earth. Of the Throckmar∣tōs of Coughton or Fekenhā mentioned in the 33. §. I

haue yet no knowledge, nor of Sir Ihon Littletons house, spoken of in the end of the 34. §. I may liue to doe them service. your selfe only remaines the man that most extended his godnes towards vs in accomplishing this wil: in bringing vp my brother Edmund together with your owne sonnes to learning to musicke, & to the vniversitie of Oxforde, as was required. your sister also the Religious Ladie Russell gaue educatiō successiuely to two of my si∣sters Margarit & Dorothe.

Receiue therfore from me

this last will of my father as my first will to serue you, which with my life shall last, and bee my last▪ so shall I fulfill that iterated precept of the holy ghost

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉* 1.7 hear o my sonne the instru∣ction of thy father. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉* 1.8 keep o my sonne the precept of thy father.

God praeserue your worship long to his highest glorie, the good of our familie, and chiefly of our seraphicall or∣der to which you haue alwaies shewed a charitable affectiō:

and finally chosen in our Convent at Namur Abra∣hams double caue for buriall to your happilie decessed wife and you. From our celle•• in S. Bonaventures Colledge in Doway this 7. of Ianuarie▪ 1632.

Your worships obliged Br. FRANCIS BEL••

Notes

• * 1.1

  Genes. 13.9.
• * 1.2

  Psalm. 77,
• * 1.3

  Deut. 32.
• * 1.4

  Epist. Iud. ca. 1.14.
• * 1.5

  Gen. 48 49.
• * 1.6

  A most ancient Hebrev booke, called, the te∣stamēt of the 12. Pa∣triarchs
• * 1.7

  Pro∣verb. 1.8.
• * 1.8

  Pro∣verb. 6.20.