The rule of penance of the seraphicall father S. Francis: approued and confirmed by Leo the X. for religious persons of the 3. order of S. Francis : together with a declaration of each point of the Rule, profitable not only to the religous of this order, but also to all religious women / by Br. Angelus Francis, friar minour.

What this sainct did vntill such time as she was married. §. 1.

OMitting the description of her noble race (for she was daughter to the king of Hun∣gary) and the prophecy reported to haue beene made before the world enioyed so rare a piece, of her birth, name, wit, miracles, and many, such like things worthy enough of recording; I will be∣ginne at the 7. yeare of her age, when she begins to shew forth the lustre of her future sanctitie. For euen now before she well knowes what vertue is, she is become the mirrour and patterne, of vertue, especially of patience and charitie. For although her infancy principally in the more tender sex might excuse her griefe

for her mothers death, yet she then aboue her age and sex, tooke it with a constant patience, and with a patient charity, not any waies seeking to reuenge her deare mother, but sweetly pray∣eing for thē who had iniuriousely takē away her life. And frō thēce forward you should find the little child alwayes in the Church, be∣fore some Altar or other, now prostrating her selfe in a most pious manner, now kneeling for a long space together, with eies and hands lifted vp to heauen, and if she could not get into the Church, sweetly kneeling at the doore, kisseing the threshold, doores and walles of that holy place.

As she encreased in yeares so she encreased in pietie, making a happy progresse in all vertues,

and begins now to lay solide grounds of a spirituall life. For at the 9. yeare of her age, she begins to haue God alwayes before her eies, and for his sake to despise, contemne, and cast of superflui∣tie of apparell, the pleasures of the flesh, and vanity of the world. Now she prescribes to her selfe certaine prayers which she resolued dayly to make, and if she chanced in the day time to be hindred (as seldome she was, because true deuotion will al∣wayes find occasion) that her defect would she supply in the night. Aboue all other saints next to our Blessed lady she made choise of S. Iohn Euangelist for her patron, hauing first made her prayer to God, that she might choose one who should most ad∣uance her pious desires: him she loued, and reuerenced so

much, that she would neuer deny any thing that was demanded for his sake.

Shee most religiously obserued the solemnities of feasts and holy dayes, and whereas according to the vanitie of the world others adorne and decke themselues with gay apparell, shee on those dayes would take away some thing of her ordinary attire, well knowing that it was more plea∣sing to God to haue the minde adorned with vertues, than the body with rich apparell, and that a soule addicted to the studie of religious pietie is more acceptable to him, than the corporall sub∣stance shining with purple, gold, siluer, iewels or pretious stones, which are but as the drosse of the earth.

Although she were but yet a

child, yet tooke she no delight in childish toyes, and playes, and if by chance she were compelled to daunce, she vsed such tempe∣rance therein, that she rather did manifest her ciuility in cōplieing to their desires, than any content she had in the recreation. She carried her selfe indifferent in all such things, and so by a quoti∣dian and dayly excercise resisted her naturall inclinations, and mortified her appetite alwayes declining from the libertie of a loose life, she did raise vp her selfe to greater meanes of perfe∣ction. Entring into the Church she would alwayes lay aside her crowne, vntill such time as all being done she were admonished to returne, for that she thought it a great impietie that her head should there be adorned with the

proude pompe of a glittering crowne, where was represented vnto her the head of our sauiour crowned with pricking thornes. Who could expect such deuotiō, such high vertues in so tender yeares. It seemed to many (and not without reason) that she was more fitting to liue amongst reli∣gious woemen, than in the court; you would iudge that she had beene some Angel in humaine na∣ture, especially where as so many occasions of wordly sensuality were presented vnto her, as all knowe the courts of Princes be subiect to.