The life of the most honourable and vertuous lady the Lady Magdalen Viscountesse Montague / written ... by Richard Smith. And now translated into English, by C. F[ursdon]..

Of her happy Passage vnto God.

CHAP. XIIII.

VVHen she had piously and blessedly liued com∣plete 70. yeares, & had seene her third genera∣tion, and aboue thirty persons of her issue, and all by the grace of God Professors of the Catholike fayth, the next day after her birth-day, to wit, the 21. of Ianuary of the yeare 1608. at which tyme there was such an extreme frost in England, that the Riuer Thames being frozen, men, horses, and carts passed ouer vpon the ice, yea meat being rosted theron, people did banquet there, as vpon the firme land; at such tyme (I say) as the frost gaue such a gene∣rall horrour, the Lady Magdalen fell into a Palsy, wher∣by she lost the motion of the right side of her body, and much wanted the vse of her tongue. Within two dayes, the most prudent Lady perceiued her disease to be mor∣tall, neither yet did she desire any medicine, or sent for any Phisician, but calling for her Cōfessor, desired to par∣ticipate of all the sacraments of Christ, which in such case are requisite. Which hauing with exceeding deuotion & tranquillity of mind receiued, & deliuering her last will and testament to one, she prepared herselfe for death, re∣questing that thence forward she might be free from all molestation of temporall affaires. But almighty God, for

the greater glory of his name, for her merit, and our edifi∣cation, did prolong her infirmity for eleuen whole wee∣kes, to wit, till the eight of Aprill. In which time it can∣not be vttered, what admirable patience she shewed, both in words and deeds, neuer wayward, or tedious, but al∣wayes thankefull, euen to the meanest of her seruants, when they had done any thing about her; and oftentimes euen in her extremest torments, praying God to increase both her paine and patience. Her accustomed prayers (as before I sayd) she distributed amongst her friends. She heard Masse euery day, at which time she would be lifted vp in her bed, which she omitted not, euen the last day of her life. There did hang at her beds feete a siluer Crosse guilded, of Christ crucified, which was sometimes her Grandmothers, the famous Countesse of Shrewsbury; to it she did very frequently lift her eyes, and sometimes (as she could) her hands, without vttering a word, but with great signes of deuotion: sometimes she would double those petitions of the Pater noster: Fiat voluntas tua sicut in cae∣lo & in terra. Dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut & nos dimit••imus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. At other ti∣mes she prayed with vs, or gaue eare to the reading of the Passion of Christ, or some pious booke, and now & then would admonish vs to put her in mind of heauen, & hea∣uenly things. Sometimes she enquired the estate of other sick persons; & as occasion was presented, she did exhort Catholikes to constancy in their fayth; and sometimes al∣so she spake to Heretikes of imbracing the Catholike fayth. But how much at that time she was enflamed with the loue of God, euen by this it may appeare, that once she exceedingly loathing a certaine potion, when after many importunate requests one had desired her to take the same for his loue, who for her dranke vinegar & gall, presently without giuing any answere, she tooke the cup and dranke it all vp; so sodenly did the memory of the Passion of Christ make that seeme sweet, which before was very loathsome vnto her. She so little feared death,

that from the beginning of her sicknes, to vs who much desired her life, she seemed too much to desire her death; & therfore when we did propose vnto her the examples of S. Paul, S. Martin, and others, who for the consolation of their friends were cōtent to liue, she would humbly ans∣were: The will of God be done. And whē once, she falling in∣to a sound, her seruant cryed out in lamentation; as soone as she returned to her selfe, she reprehended her, saying: Weep not for me, but weep for thy sinnes, and I command thee that thou pray not for my life. O singular confidence of a pure con∣science! O contempt of this life, and desire of the future! After this patient and pious manner did the La. Magdalen spend that tedious time of her grieuous infirmity, wherin certayne things were obserued, which perhaps may seeme speciall markes of her excellent piety towards God, and of his diuine fauour towards her. For albeyt there was nothing about her, that could produce any sweet odour, yea euery day oyntment applyed to her necke and arme for cure of the Palsy, which gaue a loathsome smell, yet one day her body seemed to yield a pleasing sauour, which not only Catholikes, but euen some Protestants which then by accident were present, did feele, and ad∣miring, demaunded whence that sweet odour was. To others it seemed another kind of sauour, yet most de∣licious and beyond all common sauours. To me it see∣med much like sweet balme, so that reflecting on the odour of vertue which she left behind her both to Catho∣likes and Protestants, I reputed that saying of Ecclesiasti∣cus to be fulfilled in her: Sicut balsamum aromatizans odorem dedi. Another tyme also of her sicknes, a certayne very graue & pious man kneeling to pray without the Chap∣pell, but behind the place wherin she accustomed to pray did fiue or six tymes feele a certaine breathing of the most delicious sauour that euer he felt in his lyfe, to come forth of the Chappell; which sauour he likened to the gumme of the balme-tree, yet far exceeding all earthly odour, and filled him with exceeding admiration and pleasure.

But what doe we admire so sweet a sauour to proceed frō the place where the Lady Magdalen accustomed to pray, when she (as the Apostle sayth) Was a sweet odour of Christ in euery place? Another thing which to me seemeth wor∣thy of consideration, was, that wheras the Phisitian three or foure dayes before her death, gaue vs hope, either of recouering her health, or at least of prolonging her life, neither indeed did there appeare to vs any signe of immi∣nent death; neuerthelesse the seauenth of Aprill, which was the day before her death, she requested me to intreat my brethen the other Priests (for we were then fiue) that we would all that day say masse for her in honour of the Blessed Virgin: and I demaunding of her, to what end she desired those masses to be celebrated; That (sayd she) I may haue no will but the will of God, and that his most sacred will may be fulfilled in me, either in life, or death. O admirable perfe∣ction of this woman, prepared either to liue or dye, as it should please God, and of herselfe desirous of neither, but only of the fulfilling of his diuine pleasure! And behold, wheras before this time (as is sayd) we saw no signes of imminent death, not long after the celebration of the Masses, the very pangs of death did assault her, neyther did they euer leaue her, till they bereaued her of this mor∣tall life. And albeit those pangs were very violent and continuall from Thursday three of the clocke in the after noone, till almost midnight of the day following, which was the eight of Aprill, when she gaue vp her Ghost; yet did she perseuere with the same admirable patience and tranquillity of mind. In so much that the Friday mor∣ning, being asked how she had passed the precedēt night, she answered: The best of all that euer I passed. For the most prudent woman perceyued death to draw on, and that night to open vnto her a day which was neuer to haue end. Whiles her senses continued, she prayed with vs, & in one hand she held a Crosse till her forces fayled; in the other a hallowed light, which she held so fast euen af∣ter her death, that without force it could not be wrested

frō her. Her last words which could be vnderstood, were those of our Sauiour: Into thy hands (O Lord) I commend my spirit; which without any resistāce or reluctation she pea∣ceably yielded vp, a litle before midnight: at which time, as the Scripture sayth, There was a clamour made, Behold the bridegrome commeth, go ye forth to meet him: she with the holy women, within the Octaues of our Lords Resurrection, arose out of this valley of teares, & her lampe being pre∣pared, entred, as we hope, with the Bridegrome to the Mariage. Her bowels were buryed at Battell where she dyed, in the monument of her husbands Father, and her body honorably caryed to Midhurst, and there layd in the Sepulcher of her husband.

Notes

• An extre∣me frost in England.
• The Lady Magd. falleth in∣to a pal∣sy.
• How she prepared for death.
• Her ad∣mirable meeknes and pa∣tience.
• Her de∣uotion in her sicknes.
• She rather wisheth then fea∣reth death
• The body of the La∣dy Magd. breathed a sweet o∣dour.
• A most de¦licious sa∣uour came forth of the place where he accusto∣med to pray.
• The ad∣mirable perfection of the La. Magd.
• Death speedily ensued af∣ter she said she was prepared for lyfe or death.
• She pea∣ceably de∣parteth.
• Matt. 25.