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.

THE SIXTEENTH CHAPTER. Of the life and death of Blessed S. Lewis king of France.

THis glorious saint was borne of blessed parents, to wit, of Lewis the 8. king of France, and Blancha queene of Castile, both holy persons, in the yeare 1215.

being obtained of almightie God by the intercession of our B. lady. For his deuout mother (who also was of this third order) grieuing that she had no children to suc∣ceed in the kingdome, was per∣suaded by S. Dominicke to implore the aide and helpe of the B. vir∣gin, and to that end instructed her the manner of saying the Ro∣sarie, which had newly begunne. Her prayers were not without fruit, for she obtained her desire, in enioying so blessed an of∣spring, who at twelue years old was crowned king of France, yet remained vnder the protection of his mother, who would often in∣cultate these words vnto him, My most deare sonne, I had rather thou shouldest vndergoe a temporall death, than by one mortall sinne of∣fend thy creatour. Which words

tooke such root in his mind, that Gods grace so preseruing him he neuer sinned mortally in his life, his mother still instructing him in the way of vertue, and procureing alwayes some religious men, es∣pecially Franciscans and Domini∣cans to be with him, that by their example he might be drawne to vertue and pietie.

And being now of age fit for marriage she prouided a wife for him, to the great ioy and comfort of all his subiects, but for three nights after his marriage he still continued in prayer, bridling his coniugall desire with the feare of God, and euer after liued most chastly with his queene. Hee was greatly addicted vnto pietie and deuotion, daily saying the ca∣nonicall houres, and much loued humilitie, pouertie, charitie, pa∣tience,

and other vertues, stu∣dyeing the workes of pennance, and mercy, liuing in watchings, prayers, fastings, disciplines, and haircloath, and continually medi∣tateing on the sacred misteries of the Incarnation, and Passion of our Sauiour; the principall instru∣ments whereof he from all places procured, as that of the crowne of thornes, great part of the Crosse, the Iron of the lance that opened our Sauiours side, with many others.

He was very deuout in hea∣ring Masse, and did communicate often, and that with such deuo∣tion, that he would allure others to pietie, so strong in faith there∣to, that being one time called to behold an apparition of a most beautifull child, when the priest did eleuate the holy Sacrament,

he refused to goe to see it, saying that such signes were for those that did not belieue.

Out of his great zeale of Gods honour he went forth to make warre with the Sarazens, whe∣rein at the first he properously proceeded, but in the end, God so willing, he was taken prisoner, but by composition being set at liber∣tie, in his returne God by his prayer deliuered both himselfe and his company from ship∣wracke. And as in this he shewed his feruent desire to reduce those infidels to the light of faith, so he alwayes did defend the Church against its enemies, he loued and maintained all religious orders, especially those of the Friar mi∣nors and Preachers; but was a se∣uere enemie to all heretickes, euen to the houre of his death,

for on his death bed it was one of his last and greatest charges he gaue to his sonne. Fili, saith he, fis deuotus & obediens matri nostrae Romanae Ecclesiae, & summo Ponti∣fici tanquam Patri spirituali, be de∣uout and obedient to our mother the Romane Church, and to the Soueraigne bishop as to a spiri∣tuall Father.

It is reported of him, that going in pilgrimage to Rome, he passed by Perusia to see Brother Giles one of the companions of our holy Father, a man of great contemplation, who by reuela∣tion vnderstanding of his com∣ming, and meeting the king in a disguised habit (for he went in a pilgrimes weed) he presently most ioyfully receiued him, and both falling prostrate to each o∣ther, and both rising together af∣ter

an houres space they went one from another. Brother Giles being demanded why he did not speake to the king sith he knew him, he answered we saw one a∣nothers hearts so clearely, that it was not needfull to speake any thing.

Omitting many other most excellent things in his life, I will conclude with his death, which was thus. In the yeare 1270. ha∣uing receiued all the Sacraments of the Church with great deuo∣tion, and casting himselfe pro∣strate on the ground with a haire-cloath and ashes vnder him, holding his hands stretched forth in the forme of a Crosse, he gaue vp the Ghost, and afterward shined with many miracles, espe∣cially that of curing the disease commonly called the kings Euill,

and as some will haue it, from him all the succeeding kings haue that vertue. For the great vertues and miracles that God wrought by this saint, he was ca∣nonised by Pope Bonifacius the 8. in the yeare 1298. And that he was of this third order is manifest by all the ancient monuments of our order, the whole order ha∣uing alwayes celebrated his feast with peculiar right. And Paulus 3. in his Bull Cum à nobis petitur. 1547. numbers him amongst the saincts of this third order. See the Martirologe of the Friar Minors on the 25. of August.