THE widows MITE, Cast into the treasure-house of the Prerogatives, and Praises of our B. Lady, the Immaculate, and most Glorious Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. With Reasons why we are to have great confidence in her Prayers.  
WHEREUNTO Is annexed, A Prayer, for the Love of God, made in Contemplation of the Passion of Christ our Saviour.  
Published by allowance of Superiors. ANNO M.DC.XIX.   

TO MY NOBLE AND MOST DEAR FRIEND S. A.  
I Should have been most glad to print your name at large, and in capital Letters, in this front of the Dedication; which might have passed for some little testimony of the much service, that I own, & desire to pay you. But instead of doing you service, I would be sure not to do you displeasure: and we are fallen into so miserable times, as wherein I might better cheap entreat you to protect some thief or outlaw, then to patronize a work that tends to the honour of our B. Lady. It shall therefore suffice that herein we know the mind of one another. And although there was no remedy, but I must needs spare to mention your name; yet I could not think of failing to address the Treatise to your Favour. Both for the entiere devotion which you carry to the Glorious Queen of Heaven (and that of the best kind, because it leads you to as exact an imitation of her high Purity, as ever I have discovered in any creature of your condition & vocation:) & besides for that this Pattern was most due to you, to whom the whole Piece of that belongs, whereby I may any way acknowledge the noble Favour of a most worthy and well deserving Friend. I hope you will excuse it for his sake by whom it is written; nay I know you will esteem it for her sake of whom it is written. And I hope, that both you, and I shall one day be so happy, under the patronage of this immaculate Virgin, the Mother of God, as to discover, and behold that incomprehensible Glory, which she obtained by cooperating with God's incomparable Grace.  
Your humble Servant, & true Friend. A. G.   

Faults escaped in printing.  
Page. Line. Fault. Correction. 2. 20. which with 6. 14. deal of degrees 9 16. their turns the turns 15. 17. and not but rather. 27. 1. most moist 43. 13. is were 44. 22. which with 46. 2. believe to believe 46. 8. with which 62. 4. were need were in need 79. 6. speech her speech 122. 21. done due 124. 15. is no question is question 124. 24. plain great 126. 9 of the by the 133. 25. comfortable comfortably 137. 4. for now and now 143. 4. misery mystery 184. 16. duty drily 155. 14. distinct distinctiu● 159. 1. assumeth assureth 18●. 14. tottering torturing 184. 3. thy taste the taste 192. 1. This not 'tis not 195. 24. protection projection   

THE widows MITE. CASTANNA INTO THE TREASUREHOUSE OF OUR B. ladies PRAISES. With reasons why we are to have great confidence in her Prayers.  

CHAP. I.  
THERE was never found within the compass of Morality a more excellent Receipt and Secret, then that of Friendship, towards the softening & sweetening of all the miseries of this life. Friendship it is which doubleth our comforts, it divideth our cares, it locketh up our secrets, it revengeth our wrongs, and it maketh a large and liberal contribution of succour towards the relief of all our necessities. I speak not this of the thing which some miscall by the name of Friendship, and which indeed is no more, than a mere acquaintance, or familiarity of conversation; though the world be grown to the conceit of taking such froth as this, for the quintessence which I here commend: But I mean that most faithful and inviolable Friendship which mingleth or confoundeth fortunes, and uniteth minds, and which accounteth it for one of the greatest heart soars it hath that it cannot ever reach out the giving hand.  
And yet even this truest Friendship (which being all that I have said) is subject both to imperfection & destruction; for sometimes it is changed by fickleness, sometimes it is unstitcht by absence, sometimes it is torn in sunder by unfaithfulness, at least it is sure to die when they die that did profess it; and in fine, it ever carrieth such a testimony, and superscription in the forehead of it, as serveth to point men out to somewhat else, assuring them that it cannot possibly be complete, because all the parties to this contract are no better then sinful and mortal creatures.  
One help there is, whereby we may feed upon this sweet bit, without being troubled and tired with gnawing upon such bones as these, & it is by translating our affection from these inferior objects to those other of Saints and Angels, in whom there liveth a faculty of corresponding with us much more nobly, together with an impossibility of transgressing the true laws of Friendship, which consist in the entire communication of all things, and hath for spurs an extreme ardour of affection, & for bridle an impuissance to offend in the least degree.  
A pattern or proof hereof may be taken from those ecstatical wishes of the Patriarch Moses, and the Apostle S. Paul, who did so thirst after the eternal happiness of their brethren, as that they seemed content to lay aside the consideration and care of their own. Now ●f whilst they were yet encumbered with the heavy clothes of flesh and blood, they could soar so high into that spher of fire; how much more eminent are they now in this kind, together with all those other celestial spirits, since now they are freed from all impediments, & stand enjoying, & feeding face to face, upon the essence of God, which is the fountain of Love itself, into which by him they are transformed?  
We are also taught by holy Scripture, with what zeal the holy Angels do behold, & protect their several charges here on earth. 
Gen. 32.  The Angel Guardian of jacob, was a Champion that defended & drew him out of all inconveniences. The Angel Raphael mentioned in the book of Tobias, 
Tob. 11.  was both a Physician in restoring his sight, and a solicitor, or Master of requests in preferring his suits, to the throne of Almighty God. Our Saviour Christ himself hath inferred, 
Matt. 18.  that if we scandalise any of his little ones, their several Angels (who see the face of God) will resent their wrongs. And (which yet may seem more strange) the Angel to whose care the Medes were committed, 
Dan. 10.  did contradict and oppose to that other Angel of the Persians, in the quarrels and combats which their people had with one another; to show us that they do not only watch over our souls, but even over our fortunes and bodies also, with all which dependeth thereupon, concerning our good.  
This care and love of those happy souls and spirits, towards the poor inhabitants of this world, proceedeth from the knowledge they have of the bounty which his divine Majesty hath used in bestowing parts of his own perfection, and in designing that unspeakable glory which he hath prepared for us; so that in their loving of us, and cooperating to our salvation by their assistance, they perform an act of reverence, and homage to our common Creator. And therefore if the Angels and other Saints desire and procure our happiness, if they have compassion of our affliction, if they interpose for us the merits of Christ's death and passion in the degree of one, there can be no question amongst Christians (if indeed they be so) but that the Queen of Saints and Angels, the sacred and perpetual Virgin, the immaculate and glorious Mother of God, doth perform to us all these things (with infinite others which through our baseness and blindness we cannot think of:) I say not in the degree of one, but in the degree of so many millions of degrees as she exceedeth all the Angels and Saints of Heaven in the perfection and height of the knowledge and love of God.  
One particular reason of her unspeakable tenderness towards us all (to omit many others) may be the consideration of Christ our Lord's humanity, with he took wholly of her, & which he spent wholly upon us; besides that upon the Cross, he resigned her as it were, to be the Mother of all mankind, whereof hereafter I shall have occasion to make further mention. Now, as the unspeakable love of God which he inspired her heart withal, and wherewith so admirably she cooperated, maketh God unspeakably to love and delight in her: so it is reason, that for her love to us, we procure to correspond in all such devotion & reverence to her who is so gracious in the sight of God, and so well deserving of us, as may be afforded to the most incomparably sublime Creature, of a mere creature, that ever was, & the most abundant, & dear benefactor of mankind that can be thought of under God.  
There is not in this world so great a Monarch, to whom if we had obligation, and meant to make any retribution we might not impart somewhat which might concern him in a substantial and solid manner. For a very wealthy man might make him somewhat the richer, a valiant man might make his dominions the larger, a wise man might make his government the happier, a skilful man might make his health the firmer, and a confident faithful man might chance to make his life the safer. But with the Saints of heaven, it is not so; for all they, and especially this Queen of Heaven, hath such a fullness of all that, whereof they are capable, as excludeth the possibility of mankind from giving any thing to them, and much less to her, which may increase her happiness in any thing that inwardly concerneth her; but whatsoever we can offer, is extrinsical unto her, as namely Honour, whereof she is only capable at our hands.  
The expression of this Honour may be made by divers ways: by praising her, by praying unto her, by imitating in some small measure of her admirable virtues, & by carrying in our hearts a continual tenderness of devotion towards her.  
By this time, if the Reader be a Caluinist, he beginneth to shrink, he desireth to be excused, he reverenceth (forsooth) the Mother of God as he ought, if you will believe him, but he would feign be thought a zealous preserver of God's honour; and holdeth that the terms we use in professing our devotion to her, with the custom which we have in directing to her our prayers is to carry ourselves idly, if not impiously: and he will needs take upon him to ground himself upon holy Scripture.  
It is strange to see how these young Prentices will needs be Merchant-venturers in the art of understanding that diuin book; to the deep sea whereof they launch out in the shallow Cockboats of their own conceits, and think they are sailing into some safe port, when indeed they are splitting upon rocks. Strang I say it is, to see how they are blinded by the desire they have to make the Scriptures serve their turns of their passion, which suffereth them not to discern the evidence wherewith it establisheth often times the very point in Controversy which they contradict. For how could they otherwise make themselves believe, as they usually object, that the Scripture authorizeth any lessening of our ladies honour, that it excludeth her Invocation, and abridgeth her Praise, whilst indeed it doth abundantly testify her excellency, and give great warrant for all that the Catholic Church doth practise concerning her?  
There be holy, & learned men that affirm (& it is full of reason) that if the Scripture had said no more of her, but these only words, Maria, de qua natus est jesus, 
Matt. 1.  Mary of whom jesus was borne, it had said sufficiently of her, or rather that it had said so much, as to which no point of dignity could be added. For to affirm, that the Virgin was the Mother of God, is to give a title which evidently involveth supreme excellency; & which is so great in regard of the alliance, and conjunction it hath with God himself, as that no power of mind created, no man, no Saint, no Angel, nor they all together are able entirely, and exactly to comprehend what dignity it is to be the Mother of God. If therefore we are so far from being able to conceive the excellency of the glorious Virgin; shall we fear to express it in such poor fashion, and with such short terms as we are able to use? Or can we be in any danger of committing excess herein, so that we serve not (as we never do) from making her a mere creature, and from imputing the first cause of her greatness to the infinite goodness of Almighty God?  
The Adversaries of her glory might consider, that the words of holy Scripture are not to be valued after the rates of number, but of weight: and who hath arms wherewith to wield the balance, into which that massy quality of being the Mother of God, is laid? It goeth not, even in ordinary Audits, by the great number of figures, but if one be placed before a greater number of ciphers, that alone may stand for many others: & so this half line alone, whereof I spoke, may & doth import a greater eminency, then could have been expressed in the whole Bible without it; although both these Testaments, & all those pens of all the Prophets and Apostles had spent themselves in the celebration only of her praises.  
But because all their cunning-men and women, though they should be able to write and read the Scriptures, cannot yet cast account, especially after this manner; and that vulgar eyes are never satisfied with the riches of a jewel, unless it consist of many stones; I will therefore endeavour to let them see, that in holy Scripture there is no scarcity of that which themselves desire, or rather of that which I fear they desire not, which is, the great advantages, prerogatives, and privileges of the B. Virgin.   

CHAP. II.  
IN the first place I conceive that by the way of express praise, as meant for praise, there is little said in the new Testament of our B. Lady, no more then of our B. Saviour himself. I call that express praise, as meant for praise, when a person is ex professo commended, and extolled for this or that virtue, to this principal end, that he or she may win estimation among men: and in this sense I do not find, that either of them are greatly praised: only they testify some little things of themselves, and that concerning the self same virtue, which is Humility. Our Saviour said, Learn of me for I am Humble, and Meek: and our Lady said; that God had carried respect to her Humility. Many other persons are particularly commended in both the Testaments. 
Gen. 22. Num. 12. Reg. 1. c. 13. job. c. 10. Reg. 3. c. 10. Gen. 6. Luc. 1. Matt. 11.  Abraham as the type of Faith; Moses both of zeal and meekness; David, as being a man after Gods own heart; job for patience, S●lomon for wisdom, Noë, Zachary, S. john Baptist, and S. joseph for being just: But Christ our Lord, and our B. Lady are not praised directly for this or that virtue, though the Apostles may secondarily, and upon occasion be said to commend the life of Christ, when they exhort the people to whom they wrote, towards an imitation of his virtues.  
We need not go far to seek a reason that may be subject to our capacities why the holy Ghost might think good to take this course; for to have expressly commended them, had been to imply, after a sort, that words might have declared how much they ought to be commended; and a Reader might thereby have imagined, that their excellency had not surpassed all human thought, if it had been made subject thereunto by speech; and therefore they are both set out much more to the full, in that their praises are covered with the sacred veil of silence, than they would have been, if they had been exposed to sight, by the pen even of the very Apostles themselves. Whereas now by saying nothing in the way of praise, but by delivering so much by way of prerogative, there is left a liberty, or rather there is imposed a necessity, for men to conceive as highly, and nobly as they can; and yet to know, when all is done, that the least part of their excellency is not attained.  
Hence it is, that for reverence the Prophet I say (when he was to describe God himself in a vision that he had received) represented him all covered with the wings of Cherubims. And this course carrieth so great proportion, even with the very nature & mind of man, as that the famous Poets, and Painters of the world, have graced their arts with this point of Rhetoric, whensoever they have had occasion to describe the eminency of an unspeakable passion; for in such case they thought they could do it best, by not expressing it: and so in the funerals of such as were dearest to the survivors, they set forth the ordinary mourners by several postures, & countenances of lamentation; but as for a husband of a dear Spouse, or the Father of an only daughter, they have no refuge, but to hide the faces of those persons, in the deciphering of whose passion they cannot satisfy themselves.  
But though there be no particular, and express praises mentioned as praises, & not as lights, for imitation given in holy Scripture to the several virtues of our B. Lady, any more than (as I said before) they are to them of our B. Saviour; yet as the Apostles, and Evangelists recount those high and heroical actions, and the irrefragable testimonies from heaven, whereupon we may infer the supreme virtue and sanctity of our B. Saviour: in the same manner are their books the Chronicles of many passages in both those kinds, aforesaid, from whence the excellency of the B. Virgin may be deduced, which is infinitely inferior to that of our B. Saviour, but incomparably superior to that of all the other creatures, and is propounded to us for the mark of our admiration in some things, and of imitation in the rest.  
By the Genealogy of our B. Saviour which is set out by the Apostles, we understand what also that of our B. Ladies is; for he hath no Ancestors but hers. By them we therefore know, that her extraction and blood hath as much prerogative in it, as a mere creature can receive; for she is derived from the Royalty of Kings, from the sanctity of Priests, and from the illumination of Prophets.  
The gifts of Nature, and beauty of person which she had, are not so literally expressed in holy Scripture, otherwise then by the Prophetical speech which is used of our Saviour Christ; Speciosus forma prae filijs hominum: 
Psal. 44.  He was beautiful beyond all the Sons of men, whereby her beauty also may be known, since his holy humanity had no visible natural beauty at all, but that which it received from her. And howsoever among persons who are begotten by the course of mankind, we often see both that uncomely parents have handsome children, and the contrary: yet in the present case there can be no conceit of that difference, which proceedeth in others from the effects of original, & many times of other sins, whereof without blasphemy there can be no question made in the Incarnation of our Saviour Christ, which was wrought in the pure womb of the B. Virgin by the operation of the holy Ghost. And concerning the unspeakable dignity, and majesty of her presence to such as beheld it with pure eyes (and even they who beheld it with other, were altered by a singular privilege of hers, whose beauty instead of kindling, did quench all unruly appetite in such as saw her) I cannot but digress so far, as it is from the Apostles to one of their disciples, to wit, S. Dennis the Areopagite, of whom it is related, 
Dionys. Carthus. comment in c. 3. l. S. Diony. Areop. de divin. nom. àrt. 16.  that having the honour and happiness to see her, and enjoy her presence, found something in it so far exalted above the stamp of dignity & authority, which is wont to be imprinted upon creatures, as that he protested, if he had not known by faith, that Christ was God, he had not been able to detain himself from adoring her as God. And it is particularly to be noted, that he through whose mind this passed, and under whose name it is left registered to all posterity, was no Babe, nor old wife, nor ignorant Minister, but one of the prime Doctors of Athens, afterwards a disciple of S. Paul, and still accounted for a most sublimely learned, wise, and holy Father in the Catholic Church of Christ.   

CHAP. III.  
THESE external things being so little esteemed by the servants of God, and least of all by her (who was so much the more his servant, as she was more favoured, and honoured by him then all the rest) I may with the more reason pass over with brevity, though I could not persuade myself to pass over any thing entirely in silence, which concerneth her excellency any way. But the spiritual graces which she received, and the testimonies of her dignity, which were given from heaven, are they which we ought more seriously to ponder & reflect upon.  
Her life being such as seemed ordinary, though interiorly it were not so, and her vocation being so extraordinary as that she was to be made the Mother of God himself (when once he should be made Man) it was agreeable to the wisdom of the divine Majesty, to proclaim and publish to the world, the perfection of this creature, by an irrefragable evidence. 
Luc. 3.  Therefore as in the Baptism of our B. Saviour, whereby he might seem to have contracted sin, the Holy Ghost himself descended upon him, to witness the infinite sanctity of his soul: In like manner, when before that time, there was question of incarnating and bringing forth a Saviour of the world in human flesh, one of the highest Angels in heaven was dispatched in Embassage to witness the eminency, 
Luc. 1.  and fullness of her holiness; & that the world might know how that her bringing forth a son should not carry with it the least impeachment to the spotlesnes of her purity.  
The Archangel than did thus salute her; 
Luc. 1.  Hail Marry full of grace, our Lord is with thee. Our Adversaries, the enemies of our B. ladies Honour, will needs translate the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, according to that sense (of the three several ones which it hath) whereby they may hope to disadvantage her most; & therefore they will not allow it to signify Gratia plena, 
Comment. in cap. 1. Luc.  full of grace, but Gratis dilecta, freely beloved. It is plainly showed by Tollet in his Comment upon those words, that S. Ambrose, S. Austin, S. Hierome, S. Athanasius, S. Epiphanius, and in effect the whole Church hath used, & received the translation of Gratia plena; though yet if it had been otherwise, I see not greatly why they should triumph as after a victory: since if our B. Lady were as they must confess, Freely beloved, with such an eminency above all other creatures, as to be made the Mother of God; it doth by necessary inference of congruity imply all those perfections, in contemplation whereof the Catholic world doth homage unto her, with attributes incomparably superior to them of all other creatures. But she was found full of grace whether they will or no; and if then she were full, through the beauty of her soul (which being first adorned by Almighty God, drew his eyes afterward so down upon her, as even to be enamoured with her when he was yet to make her the Mother of the Eternal Word;) let them conceive that can, how she overflowed therewith afterward. And the example of the good Chananaean who did as it were oblige our Saviour to bestow of those crumbs upon her (being a Gentile) which fell from the table of the children of God, (who were the jews) may invite us to beg, that some drop of those overflowings which cannot through the goodness of God but descend from the superabundance of that grace, wherewith the B. Virgin was so much more then filled, may be applied to our benefit, and to the making of us gracious in his sight in some measure, which she was beyond all measure.  
It cannot but work in us an extreme reverence on the one side, when we hear by the voice of that Archangel Gabriel, that our Lord even then was with her in a most particular, and plentiful manner, 
Luc. 1.  saying Dominus tecum, Our Lord is with thee: as if he had said, He is indeed with all his creatures, and especially withal his servants; but yet he is so with thee per excellentiam, as if he were with no body else: and on the other side they are miserable, who be not drawn to affect this Sacred Virgin with unspeakable dearness & tenderness, for the infinite benefit which they receive by her, since they are capable of salvation by the mystery of the Incarnation, which (having been decreed in that high Consistory of the Holy Trinity) did receive effect and execution in the immaculate womb of the B. Virgin by her free consent. And as in the Passion of our B. Saviour (when he came to make a full point upon the period of his life) he did as it were resign his Mother to mankind in the person of S. john, 
joan. 19  when he said to him, Fili ecce Mater tua, Son behold thy Mother: so in this Incarnation of his she may be said after a sort, to have transferred the propriety which she had in Almighty God, 
Luc. 1.  who was with her (Dominus tecum) to the protection, and preservation, and sanctification, & redemption of all mankind; for immediately afterward, he grew to be called not, Dominus tecum, Our Lord is with thee, 
Matt. 1.  but Emanuel, which is, God with us.  
The Angel proceedeth (upon occasion given by the sacred Virgin) to express the manner how the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, was to be accomplished in her sacred womb; & he declareth to her, that she had no cause to fear the least spot in her purity, that she had found grace with God, that in her womb she should conceive & bring forth a Son, 
Luc. 1.  and should call his name JESUS, that he should be great, and be called the Son of the most High, that our Lord God would give him the seat of his forefather David, that he should reign in the house of jacob for ever, that his kingdom should know no end, that the Holy Ghost should descend from above into her, and the Virtue or Power of the most High should overshadow her, and therefore, that he who was to be borne of her should be called the Son of God.  
Quis surdus sicut populus meus? saith the Holy Ghost by the Prophet: 
Isa. 42.  Who is so deaf as my people, that will not hear? And in this case it may be said, who is so blind as he that will not see, what a cluster of heavenly grapes may here be gathered out of Holy Scripture, distilling in abundance the wine of Grace & Glory upon the immaculate Virgin, by describing the nature & quality of that Son, of which she was to be the so happy Mother? What doubling, and redoubling is there made here of her felicity, and sanctity? For notwithstanding that formerly she was full of grace; we see here she hath found more grace, her Son was to be the Saviour of the world; he was to have an Eternal Kingdom; the Holy Ghost was yet more plentifully to descend upon her; and the virtue or power of the most High was to environ, and overshadow her, whereby she might be enabled to enclose, and as it were again to overshadow the Son of God.  
The consideration hereof made the ancient & holy Fathers fly up, as if they had been in Ecstasies, when they entered upon the praises of this Blessed Virgin (which afterward I shall with better opportunity relate:) and in the mean time they who cannot see the high titles of Honour that are imparted to the B. Virgin in Holy Scripture, are in a miserable obscurity of mind, which they have deservedly fallen into, through the pains they take to bear no tenderness of devotion towards her. I think I say well, in affirming, that they take pains to this purpose; for otherwise it seemeth impossible that men who profess themselves Christians, and who take upon them to understand so well what is recommended in Holy Scripture, should carry such an aversion, as it is certain they do (howsoever sometimes they profess the contrary for very shame) from the Mother of that Son, by whom they say they hope for their salvation, notwithstanding that the Holy Ghost hath taken pleasure, to express all the circumstances that belong to her; and that he did not only employ the Evangelists thereabout when Christ was to be Incarnate, but the Prophets also so many hundreds of years before, who foretold what kind of creature she was to be. To which purpose these are the words of S. Bernard; The generation of our B. Lady is known to have been granted from heaven, 
Bernar. ser. in c. 12. Apoc.  for the singular privilege of sanctity which she had. Her birth was forepromised by the ancient Fathers, it was prefigured by mystical miracles, it was insinuated by prophetical Oracles, the Sacerdotal Rod which flourished without a root, the Fleece of Gedeon which grew most in the midst of a d●y floor, the oriental gate spoken of in the vision of Ezechiel, which was never open to the access of any, did design, & prediscover this Virgin.   

CHAP. four  
THE next Publication of the admirable privileges of our B. Lady was in the Visitation which she made of S. Elizabeth, at which time our B. Saviour (being then incarnate in her sacred womb) did also visit S. john the Baptist, whom S. Elizabeth had conceived in hers, some months before. The excellency of our B. Lady appeareth in lively colours by the happy change which was wrought in S. Elizabeth by her presence. 
Luc. 1.  For S. Elizabeth had no sooner heard her salutation, than (by the testimony of the sacred Text) the infant in her womb did even spring which joy; S. Elizabeth herself was replenished with the holy Ghost, she cried out with a loud voice, & said to the Virgin to this effect; Blessed art thou among women, 
Luc. 1.  and blessed is the fruit of thy womb: and how come I to receive this honour that the Mother of my Lord should visit me? for behold (saith she) as soon as ever the voice of thy salutation did approach mine ears, the Infant in my womb did spring with joy; and happy art thou who didst believe, for those things shallbe performed which were told thee by our Lord.  
What stupendious privileges, & prerogatives are here expressed by the Holy Ghost, to have been imparted to the glorious and immaculate Virgin? Upon the first approach of her presence, and the least sound of her voice, an infant in the womb of his Mother did spring with joy: 
Luc. 1.  which joy supposeth, & taketh for granted that he was already then endued with the use of reason: for such creatures as are not reasonable, are not capable of conceiving joy. And howsoever the working of this miracle may principally be imputed to the presence of our B. Saviour, as to the cause, yet who seethe not, that he was not pleased to impart such an unheard of benefit, but by the condition of his sacred Mother's presence, to which also she did so nobly concur? and in conformity hereof, it is plain, that S. Elizabeth herself reflected upon her, as a great means thereof.  
Again, the Mother was for her part, immediately upon the hearing of the Virgin's salutation, replenished with the Holy Ghost, in the strength whereof, she did with a loud and Prophetical voice, proclaim the blessedness of that Mother and Son, and confound herself with the mercy which was vouchsafed her, in that the Mother of our Lord would descend so low, as to visit her.  
This heap alone of miracles, which did as it were overwhelm S. Elizabeth, and the acknowledgement she made of her own extreme unworthiness to receive such graces from the mother of our Lord may justly kindle an unwonted ardour of devotion in the hearts of Catholics towards the Blessed Virgin; and as justly humble the proudest Caluinists heart in the world with shame enough, to consider how straightly at least they conceive of the glorious Queen of Heaven, who reigneth and shineth with immortal majesty, when they see a S. Elizabeth, a near kinswoman of Christ himself, and consequently derived from the loins of so many Kings, a Saint in so eminent degree, a Prophetess, and the Mother of the greatest among the children of Men, who was the very Precursour, and Baptist of Christ our Lord, so lose herself as it were with admiration, which she discovereth by those interjections of exclamation, to see that the Mother of God whilst yet she was but mortal, and the Saviour of the world not yet borne of her should diminish herself so much, as to vouchsafe her a visit. But I shall afterward resume this point, by occasion of the impiety, and fearful blasphemy of some Caluinists, when I compare the base mention which they tremble not to make of her, with the most honourable memory which the lights, & ornaments of the Catholic Church, the holy Fathers, have every where expressed. And in the mean time such as love the Son (as no man doth indeed who will not give all due honour to the Mother) must rise to more than ordinary veneration and devotion towards this perpetual Virgin, to the end, that the visits which she vouchsafeth to impart, not once, but often by her motions to us, & her prayers for us, may make the spiritual fruit of our hearts which is our actions, spring up with joy, upon the presence, & approach of Christ in the Holy Sacrament; and that we may keep such account of the inspirations, which she procureth for us, and sendeth so often into the ears of our soul, as may make it prove a fit house for the holy Ghost to inhabit.  
Well may we say with S. Augustine; 
Aug. li 1. Confess. cap. 4.  Angusta est domus animae meae, dilata eam; ruinosa est, refice eam. He confesseth to God that the house of his soul is straight, and he beseecheth him to enlarge it; he confesseth that it is ruinous, and he beggeth of him that he will repair it: and by what better means can we as it were engage Almighty God to bestow those mercies on us, through Christ our Lord, then when we present, and put him in mind of this Sovereign Virgin, who was enabled by his omnipotent hand to make room in her sacred womb, not only for the reception, but even for the regaling and delighting of him, whom Heaven cannot contain; according to that salutation which the Church useth to the B. Virgin; Quem Caeli capere non poterant, tuo gremio contulisti: So also will she know how to assist us in the reparation of these our spiritual houses, as well as in the enlarging of them; she I say who hath concurred more than all the whole world together, under God (by the faith she bore, and consent she gave) to the Incarnation of the Word, and consequently to the reparation, and redemption of the World. This may then be our contemplation, who are catholics: and before this discourse be at an end, even some of the Caluinists, I hope, will see, that they have not wholly such reason to dissent herein, as hitherto they have imagined.  
To my understanding there is no one circumstance that more setteth out the unspeakable excellency of our B. Lady then that which now I shall express. As soon as S. Elizabeth had ended that holy speech of hers, our B. Lady being also the much more plentifully inspired with prophecy, did enter into that diuin Hymn of the Magnificat, whereof the Church doth every day serve itself in offering up her praises to God. It is certain that the humblest pure creature, without all exception, that ever was, or will be, was the B. Virgin In so much as that although the perfection of all those virtues (which afterward are to be mentioned) did flourish and fructify beyond all human imagination in her sacred heart, yet in comparison of that height, or rather depth of humility, which reigned in her, she may be accounted to have scarce excelled in those other virtues: or rather to speak both more safely, and most truly, as in the other virtues she without all comparison excelled all other creatures, so in this she excelled herself.  
Such as hunt after praise (and whosoever doth not, hath reason to give God thanks, for he hath been enriched by him with a great treasure) do know that there is not in the world a greater thirst, than they have to obtain their end, and that they find no torment more unsufferable than if they be undervalued & contemned. And yet this other truth is as certain, that the person who is ambitious of praise, doth not more abhor to be despised, than the soul which is truly humble, doth apprehend and hate to be applauded. And if it endure not to be praised by others, how well, and how worthily soever it may deserve it; how much would men be ashamed to praise themselves, which not only the perfection of virtue, but even modesty and civility so far dissuadeth, as that whosoever (being of piety and discretion) doth it, we must suppose both some unquestionable and known truth of the thing itself, & some most necessary and just motive or mystery which urgeth him to it.  
Hereby it may easily be inferred, what aversion our B. Lady must be confessed to have had from making honourable mention of herself upon any occasion; and so it appears how that at the instant wherein she grew the Mother of God (and by that means became so far superior to all the creatures both of earth and heaven) she would know herself by no other title, but of a bondslave. Yet nevertheless the Holy Ghost entering at that time into her, in a most particular, and abundant manner, did so possess all the powers of her soul and so as it were inebriate, and transport her with the spirit of unspeakable joy, as that she fell, in this Canticle (as soon as she had first done her homage to Almighty God, in acknowledging, and adoring him as the Author of all the Graces that had been powered upon her) to declare and avow to the world, how humble and abject she was in her own eyes: but that yet withal she was so gracious in the sight of God as she said, would not only serve to make her Blessed, 
Luc. ●.  but that all generations should profess, and publish her to be such.  
Happy were the man, that could but feel the least part of that which passed in her pure soul, when she spoke those words; in heaven we may hope to have some notice thereof, and at the present it may serve us for an invincible demonstration of her being incomparably praiseworthy, the paradise of whose heart being hedged in with so much humility, was yet content to celebrate her own praise, or rather which was over wrought by the Holy Ghost himself, to profess how she was to be honoured, and admired for all eternity; to the confusion of all such as repine thereat, and to the entire comfort of devout catholics, since they, and they alone, are the men who daily strive to accomplish the prophecy of her glory.   

CHAP. V.  
BUT how much soever we shall endeavour herein, it will never come to that height which it deserveth; especially if we consider what succeeded in the person of our B. Lady, to whom the Scripture saith, the Son of God and her, was subject. This testimony was given upon the return he made with her from disputing in the Temple amongst the Doctors. And as it is evident enough that in all his life till that time (which were twelve years) he had been subject, and obedient to her; so it is yet more evident, that in the residue thereof, (which continued for the space of eighteen years till he came to preach & publish himself) he continued to be so. The Scripture saith, Et erat subditus illis, 
Luc. 2.  and he was subject unto them: That is, both to the B. Virgin, and S. joseph, and if to S. joseph, who was but his supposed Father, how much more to the B. Virgin, who was (for as much as concerned his sacred Humanity,) all the parents of flesh and blood that he had. To S. joseph, even for that former reason he lived in so plain subjection, as that when afterward the jews (making reflection upon his admirable doctrine) said, though it were with scorn; Nun hic est faber, & filius fabri? Is not this a Carpenter, and the son of a Carpenter? Whereby divers things are insinuated, both that in the eyes of all that knew him he appeared as S. joseph's son, who was a Carpenter (& consequently that they noted in him such a carriage as became the obedience of a Son to his Father:) and secondly, it is clear, that the Wisdom of God becoming flesh for our sake, did abase itself so far, as to perform the actions, and office of a Carpenter. And from thence it might come, that he took the manner of speech which he often used afterward for expressing his mind, & declaring his doctrine by Parables and Similitudes (as the ordinary custom of the jews did bear) taken from the Blow, 
Matt. 13.  & Husbandmen, and Tilling, and Sowing, and the like, in which actions the instruments that are made by Carpenters be employed. This last I say, is most probable, & conceived generally to be true: but in the other point of being subject even to this supposed Father of his, there is no place of doubt, without impiety, and heresy, since the Holy Ghost himself affirmeth it.  
By the way I cannot but here ask leave of the Reader, to extol and magnify the height of dignity, to which this holy Patriarch S. joseph was advanced, who as the B. Virgin was chosen from out of all mankind, to be the Mother of our Saviour Christ, so was he designed from all eternity, as the fittest and worthiest in the whole world, to be the Guardian both of him, & her. He it was that assisted in the Nativity, Adoration, Circumcision, and Presentation; He that secured the honour of the spotless Virgin from suspicion; He that defended both him, and her, by his incessant labours, and endless cares (though accompanied with unspeakable comforts) from dangers in that peregrination of Egypt; He that had so familiar commerce with Angels, and was as it were the interpreter of God's ordinances to them both; He of whom it may be literally, and in the highest degree of truth affirmed, that he was indeed, Fidelis servus & prudens, quem constituit Dominus super familiam svam. 
Mat. 24.  A faithful servant and wise, whom God did place over his family. O blessed family! or rather O Empire of Heaven upon Earth, which consisted of the Son of God, who was, and is God, and of the Mother of God, who was and is an immaculate Virgin.  
But it is no disparagement to S. joseph, yea it is honour to him, that the B. Virgin be infinitely preferred before him, both in dignity otherwise, and in the obligation as it were of duty, whereby our Saviour Christ was more tied to her, than to him. So as since our external actions are qualified, and aught to be denominated by our intentions; how much more was our Saviour Christ to be accounted subject to our B. Lady, then to S. joseph, and consequently how much greater was the superiority which she had over him, then S. joseph had?  
Let us consider then, what a sea, or rather what a world of excellency is hereby inferred, to have been in the person of our B Lady, of whom the Son of God was not only borne for our salvation, but to whom he continued (during very many years) so truly subject for her exaltation, and for our instruction. Let us consider what prudence, and power to govern, had been infused into that soul of hers, which the Wisdom of God, the Word Incarnate was appointed to obey? And now if you will look a little upon the mislike which is taken, that we account her for the Queen of Angels, and Saints; consider both how impiously, and how childishly withal she is denied to be so, they being but servants and sons adopted; whereas she cannot without blasphemy be denied to have been so many years Superior to the true, only, & begotten Son of God, who is the Lord both of Saints and Angels. Let others who have not the light of faith play the Hyprocrits in saying they fear to exceed in honour to our Lady, lest thereby they should derogate from that which they own to our B. Saviour: but let us have scruples of offend God, and let us continue to know that he receiveth a most acceptable honour at our hands by our professing devotion, and profound subjection to this sacred Virgin, to whom the Lord of life was not only subject, but the notice of it is left to us upon record, that we might learn thereby how to carry ourselves towards his Mother by this example, and that so much the more, because afterwards she was to become also ours.  
And indeed though Christ had not been subject to her, but that only she had received the happiness to cohabit with him so long, under the same roof; even from thence a great reason might be drawn for the proof of her unspeakable sanctity. Therefore was the Prophet David so careful, to keep wicked persons out of his house, because he knew that, Cum Sancto sanctus eris, 
Reg. 1.22.  & cum perverso perverteris. The company of wicked persons will pervert thee, but the society of Saints will sanctify thee. What then must be our B. ladies case, through her continual conversation with this Saint of Saints, but that her Understanding should be inestimably illuminated by the presence of that Sun of justice, which to her never set, & her Will be inflamed with the neighbourhood which she had to those excessive ardours of that sphere of Fire, whose very countenance hath served to heat frozen hearts, though it found in the B. Virgin no such matter, as that to work upon. And (to conclude) that from the sea of perfection, upon the top whereof she was so long sailing with a full & prosperous gale of the holy Ghost, she must needs be adorned and enriched with invaluable treasures, which by moments is cast up into her lap.  
The Scripture is not therefore so barren in description of the excellency of our B Lady, as they who envy her honour would fain make themselves believe, but in divers parts thereof it pointeth out sundry things with their circumstances, whereby we may, (and must if we will not be as bad as beasts) acknowledge her to be of so incomparable an excellency, as whereof the least part cannot be arrived to, by our highest thoughts. Nor were the flowers which grew in that delicious garden of her heart without abundance of fruit, nor were those causes, I mean the privileges, & great prerogatives which she had, without the effect of most Heroical virtuous actions, which may partly appear by the observation of her proceeding in all things, but through the depth and massines thereof, cannot by any created understanding be penetrated, and admired as they deserve.  
There is nothing which serveth more to humble men, then to employ themselves in reading and pondering well the lives of Saints; for thereby we are taught to think ourselves to be those poor creatures that indeed we are. But whosoever shall meditate upon the actions of our B. Lady, will find that in comparison of her, even eminent Saints do fall much more short, than we of them. And indeed they deserve to be thought of in the way of meditation, which a kind of Constructio loci, as they call it, which may represent to our imagination, as well the circumstances as the substance thereof. They are innumerable amongst our writers, who have at large discoursed hereupon: as for me I am so mindful both of my disability and of brevity, that I will but touch and go, like those dogs upon the banks of Nilus, one of which might yet more easily drink that deep River dry, than any man can with the study of his whole life, express the least perfection of her least Virtue.  
For by way of Parenthesis, or rather by way of a short Preface, two ponderations are to be made. First that our B Lady did whatsoever she did with perfect liberty of will, though prevented and assisted by the rich grace of God, to the very last point whereof, she did most eminently cooperate as a most elevated, active, and lively instrument; and was not of no more use unto herself then a very stock, or stone could be, according to that Manichaean, or Mahometan Principle, to which I would to God the Sectaries of our age did not approach so near. But as she was Blessed who believed and consented to the message of the Angel, by the testimony of S. Elizabeth; so could she not have been so in believing and consenting, if she could not have chosen but believe & consent, and with the self same elevated & entire liberty she performed all the rest of her incomprehensible actions. The second point to be pondered, and well imprinted in our minds, is the intense perfection, with all her actions received from the great degree of hergrace and the sublime quality of her person she being the Mother of God, who performed them; and the eminency wherewith she did them, being answerable to the dignity of a most worthy Mother.   

CHAP. VI  
FIRST then let it be weighed with how great humility and charity (immediately after that she was made the Mother of God) she went up with haste, towards the mountainous part of that Country, to visit and salute S. Elizabeth, It was no walk of recreation, but a long and laborious journey of fourscore and fifteen miles after the English account, from Nazareth to Hebron.  
It is already showed by the exclamation of S. Elizabeth, how far it is from the power of proud flesh and blood, to fall into a due consideration of such humility, as this was for the Mother of God, and the bearer of him then in her sacred womb, to honour thus her old kinswoman, with a visit that cost her so much pains. But as S. Paul said afterward, Charitas Christi urget nos, we are urged to these things by the love which Christ hath borne us: 
Cor. 2.  so did she find herself more deeply wounded with the love of God, for the Incarnation of his Son (the Mystery whereof was then wrought) nor could she find any rest, till she had made others happy by knowing of it, & especially such as would be well disposed for the receiving of such glorious news. And it may serve us both for an endless cause of consolation, and for an invincible reason of encouragement to hope for great blessings at the hands of God by her means, since the first action that we find her to have performed (after her being made the Mother of God) was to communicate herself to his creatures, before whom, upon that occasion, so many wonders were instantly wrought in that house of S. Elizabeth.  
For my part I can hardly meet with any thing in the life of our B. Lady which I find more admirably strange, than the contempt she showed of reputation, in not discharging the suspicion of S. joseph by some little protestation of her innocency, when he reflected upon her being so great with child. She could not but know that he must needs observe in what state she was, and it can hardly be imagined, but that the little countenance which peradventure he cast towards her, might give her assurance of how ill he took it; wherein he went so far, as that the scripture speaketh of a design in him to dismiss her secretly. 
Matt. 1.  Yet do we not find, that she did ever so much as open her mouth towards her own justification. She knew that Time would be his Teacher of Truth; she knew that she had already given herself away wholly to God; she knew it was a defect to seek or care for comfort at the hand of creatures; and chose rather to be ill understood, and mistaken, than she would discover a matter which might so far make to her honour and advantage, as to have declared herself to have been made the Mother of Christ, by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost.  
When the time was come, wherein she was to bring forth the Blessed Infant that she had borne, who is able to comprehend the merit that she (being then the Mother of God, as much as she is now) should vouchsafe to go in the midst of winter as far as Bethleem from Nazareth, that being the space of fourscore and sixteen miles, to have her name enroled, and her head taxed by the Officers of a profane Emperor; and at that journeys end to content herself with a Stable for want of better commodity, and with clouts instead of robes, wherein to lodge, and wherewith to  the King of Glory. Which though it do infinitely more weigh in the person of Christ then of hers, he being God, and she being but a pure creature; yet so far is that from diminishing her excellency, as that thereby is it sublimed. For without him that patience & poverty had not been exercised by a Mother of God, but only by her as she was otherwise, though even otherwise she was the most excellent creature in the whole world, the most perfectly, and highly virtuous, the most beautiful and the most nobly borne.  
Our Saviour Christ was not only her Son, but her Saviour, her God, her Father, and her Master, and there was never any disciple who followed on so near in imitation as she did of him. And therefore, because afterward he was pleased to be circumcised, whereby he stiched a badge of sin upon his sleeve (not that he was bound thereto, but that he might leave an example of Obedience to us) she thought it would become her also to be purified according to the ordinary custom of women, whereby it was supposed that she was unclean, and had reason to seek such remedies as were resorted unto by others; whereas indeed she had no more need of Purification, than Christ had of Circumcision: for as he was without sin, so had she ever been without the commerce of any other spouse than the Holy Ghost: but the imitation of our Saviour, & the holy zeal she had to give high examples of virtue, made her glory in nothing, but that which might serve to make her inglorious.  
Her flight to Egypt gave her not only shame, but pain, which yet she entered into, and accepted with that proof of unspeakable humility, which gave most bright lustre to all her actions. According to the discourse of flesh & blood she might have made answer to S. joseph when he declared the angels message, that in all likelihood he was mistaken: That it became not the Son of God, & God himself to fly from the face of an angry Tyrant: That if any such thing had been ordained, it was rather for her to have received the Order then for him: That the warning was to short, the provision too straight, the journey too long, the way too dangerous, the country too Idolatrous, and Barbarous, themselves without attendance, and without language, and such other cogitations of human prudence, or pride might easily have occurred to any creature, herself only excepted. But she who had dedicated herself already to the service of Almighty God, by the name of Ancilla, that is a Bondslave, or Handmaid, meant nothing less than to resume her grant; but did that which King David describeth in the Psalm; 
Psal. 12 2.  Sicut oculi ancillae in manibus dominae suae etc. As the eyes of the handmaid are upon the hands of her Mistress, so were her eyes upon the hands of her Lord, and Master. She expected not that he should reveal any thing to her (as he had done to S. joseph) by his own, or by an angels voice, but she contented herself with Becks or Signs, that is, with the least signification of his divine pleasure. In conformity whereof, this being at midnight, she instantly put herself upon the departure, and consequently upon the sustaining (for the space of time to which there was no limit put) of more incommodities than we are able to imagine; not feeling or rather not weighing (for that delicate constitution could not chose but feel to the extreme offence of flesh and blood) the ardour of that intemperate Climate, through the much more excessive inward heat of love, to the sacred humanity of our B. Saviour, which did both consume, and yet withal incredibly comfort her dear and tender heart.  
They had not been long returned from thence into Palestine, but that every year at Easter, they began to perform a pilgrimage from their poor Home (which was then in Galilee) to jerusalem being fourscore and ten miles forward, and as much backward, that so they might assist at the Ceremonies & Sacrifices of that holy time and place. In this she continued till the very death & Passion of our B. Saviour. Two other feasts there were besides that of Easter, one called Hebdomadarum of the Weeks, or of Pentecost; the other Tabernaculorum, of the Tabernacles, whereupon men were tied to go to Jerusalem by obligation, though women were not obliged otherwise then by voluntary devotion. But our B. Lady, whose business was to fill the world with the odour of a most excellent example, did in all likelihood put herself to the pain of both these other journeys, as well as we are certainly told by Scripture, that she performed this of Easter. And as a man had need be a great Saint, who would enable himself fully to conceive & comprehend the least degree of that sanctity wherewith our B. Lady (having ever the Son of God in her eye, and the will of God in her heart) made so many millions of most holy paces: so he is no Christian, yea and not so much as a reasonable creature, that shall not carry a kind of compassion, to a person every way so conditioned as she was, who measured so many thousand miles with her sacred, but weary feet, although there had been nothing in it, but the very labour, which yet in her case was the least.  
How good cheap do our Gossips speak impiously, by speaking meanly of this sacred Virgin? But their muddy souls are far from considering, that notwithstanding hers was full, not only of innocency, but absolute perfection, yet her body was never free from being employed upon penal actions of fasting, watching, praying, passing through the heats, and colds of most tedious and laborious journeys, with that object for her eyes to look continually upon, which old Simeon had set before her; 
Luc. ●2.  Et tuam ipsius animam doloris gladius pertransibit. And the sword of sorrow shall even pass and pierce thy very soul. Our Saviour Christ had the chalice of his bitter Passion always in his sight, and the B. Virgin had the sword of sorrow in hers, which was spiritually indeed, but most truly, and really to strike her through.   

CHAP. VII.  
THE height and perfection of her own condition, made her not condescend the less towards the feeble, and frail state of others, as the manner often is with the men & women of this world to do. A proof hereof may be taken from her gracious proceeding at the marriage of Cana of Galiley, where she found herself, & that for the present, without her Son. For the Text affirmeth, That he was invited afterward, together with his disciples; and it is most probable that she was the cause thereof, as she is now incomparably more the occasion of the coming of our B. Saviour, I say not, to the marriage of others but to espouse himself to the souls of such as desire it by her means.  
It was much for our B. Lady to let herself fall so low, as to be present at the celebrating of a marriage: Which howsoever it be an honourable, and lawful state, yet is it far from the purity & perfection of Virginity; as all Virginity of others is incomparably inferior to that of our B. Lady; and the objects thereof are such as yield no pleasure to a soul that meaneth inviolably to be chaste. It seemeth to have been made amongst the poorer sort of people, whose conversation she chief, and only loved, when she saw the King of heaven so impoverished for our sakes, that he wanted a cradle after he was borne, a house wherein to live, and a bed whereon to die.  
Her eyes gave her to understand, that at the wedding dinner the wine had failed, & she who had those very bowels of compassion about her, wherein Mercy itself had taken the nature of man, could not chose but declare their necessity to him who was best able to relieve it. 
joan. 2.  Vinum non habent, They have no wine. And howsoever the late Adversaries of our B. ladies Honour, tax her of presumption in so doing, under the colour of I know not what Pedantical, or Grammatical interpretation of some words in the text (which afterward I shall have occasion to mention) yet the effect which instantly followed (namely the working of the miracle, and that as she desired, & which our Saviour did rather show that he had no inclination of his own to work at that time, if his B. Mother had not, as a man may say, even induced him a little to break his pace) giveth sufficient assurance that her memorial, which he subscribed so easily, was grateful to him, and that it was to be no ill way for us to obtain any thing at the hands of Christ, if we should make his B. Mother our intercessor.  
If she had found that they had been in want of bread, which is the most necessary sustenance of man's life, it seemeth that in charity she had even been obliged to beg, and procure relief for them, but since she had so much compassion for their only want of wine, which is a creature that serveth rather for recreation then for necessary refection; we are taught hereby how dear a Mother she is towards her children; & that her piety extendeth not only to the obtaining of such things without which we cannot live at all, but of such others also as without which we cannot live with comfort. That wine was good, and for such it was praised in the Gospel; 
Cant. 1.  but meliora sunt ubera tua vino, thy breasts, o Blessed Lady, are better than the best wine, that is, the dearness of affection and favour wherewith thou dost obtain helps for us, is no less estimable and honourable often times, then are the very helps themselves.  
Out of these degrees of Humility, Purity, Patience, and Charity grew that height of Fortitude which she expressed at the Passion of our B. Saviour, at which time in effect there was nothing else amongst the creatures to content the eyes of Almighty God. The Synagogue was corrupt, the apostles were fled all but one who was there to receive (as it were by letter of Attorney, from all mankind) the rich legacy of the B. Virgin for his Mother, and in his person for ours, 
Ambros. lib. 10. c. 13. in Lucam.  as S. Ambrose doth teach us. One of his Apostles had out of frailty denied him, another with prodigious malice, avarice, and hypocrisy betrayed him, the rest forsook him: but the B. Virgin failed not there to present herself to receive the fullfilling of that Prophecy, which old Simeon made at the time of her Purification, concerning the sword of sorrow to pierce & pass through her heart, whereof I have already spoken. This sword did she receive into her, not so as to be defeated of her senses by it, as some bold or silly Painters have represented; but she did it standing fast by the Cross, 
joan. 19  to show that still she was full Mistress of herself, & that her sorrow though it were without limits (upon the sight of such affliction laid upon that sacred Humanity of her Son) was yet overwrought by a perfect resignation of all, into the hands of God, and an entiere approbation of all that Passion for the redemption of the world, howsoever the Action on the Crucifiers part did highly offend her, though our Saviour felt not the least offence in his body which did not slice as it were her very soul in sunder.  
There was nothing in our B. Lady which deserveth not to be esteemed, as long superioris ordinis, & therefore when after the Passion, the Resurrection of our Saviour was by some, in some sort, expected (among whom the mirror of Penance the holy enamoured Saint Mary Magdalen was one, who with incredible affection rather than faith (because it was compounded of hope and fear) ran to the sepulchre to see what there had happened) it is not read of the glorious Virgin (the rock of whose saith was not only not to be battered, but even not so much as touched with the lightest wave of infidelity, or doubt) that she so much as once stirred from those contemplations wherein she was employing her high thoughts; but she attended the accomplishment of that whereof she was already more certain without seeing, than her eyes could make her. Though we doubt not, but that both our B. Saviour appeared instantly to her after the Resurrection, and that the cause why she forbore to record her appearance at the Sepulchre, was not for want of thirst to enjoy the first moment of our B. saviours presence, but to show both what her faith was, and what kind of thing ours ought to be.  
The Holy Scripture indeed saith, that first our Saviour appeared to S. Mary Magdalen, and of the truth thereof no Christian doubteth; but so yet withal we understand those words to be meant of ordinary persons, & who were need to have their faith confirmed, and ever with exception to our B. Lady, of whom S. Ambrose, who well had weighed the afornamed place of Scripture, doth yet affirm, that she was testis prima Resurrectionis Dominicae, our Blessed Lady was the first witness of the Resurrection of our Lord.  
These are the most express attributes, Excellencies and actions of our B. Lady, whereof the Holy Ghost in the Gospel maketh mention in few, but infinitely massy words; for there is not one of them which concerneth her, that containeth not Mysteries beyond man's capacity. And as in human knowledge it is the fashion for Professors to hid● their ignorance when they cannot gi●● a reason of hard things by turning it over to certain sympathies, and secret properties: so in the understanding of Scripture, it is as ordinary on the other side, with men that would be thought to know all, to make a poor Paraphrase upon a Text, and to say boldly that no other thing is meant by it, than the little which they have been able to express. Whereas yet in truth there is no doubt, but that the passages of holy Scripture, and especially when they speak of our Saviour Christ, and that which concerned him so near as doth his holy Mother, do contain infinite mysteries. They look both upward and downward, forward and backward, and on all sides, as I shall show afterward; & are not to be comprehended by any one, till we may see as we shallbe seen in the next life. And as for many other prerogatives and excellencies of our B. Lady which appear to such as peruse the Ecclesiastical Histories, both concerning her most devout education continually in the Temple from three years of age, till immediately before the Annunciation, of her divine life after the Passion in the society of the beloved disciple of Christ, than her Son S. john, and of her miraculous Assumption into heaven, which is recorded (to omit others) by S. john Damascen, that great Saint, and great Scholar, & great Chapplaine of our B. Ladies, to have been at that time (which is almost nine hundred years ago) believed and received in the Church by a Tradition, which then he said was Ancient. These things, I say, with many others I pass over, partly, because with Catholics they would be needles, as being already so notoriously known, and by them so piously embraced, and partly because for the instruction of Caluinists they will not be of much weight, because forsooth they are not registered in Holy Scripture.  
I proceed further, and will show in few words how little reason they have, who laying aside so many and express passages of holy Scripture as I have mentioned, which do highly honour our B. Lady (both in the Attributes it giveth, & by the actions which it describeth) do catch greedily at three or four others, which when they have construed like Schoolmasters rather than Divines, they hope the excellency of our B. Lady (which in their hearts they cannot endure) may be obscured thereby: whereas if either grace or reason did prevail, it would teach them rather to rule doubtful, and obscure passages by plain ones; then on the contrary side such as are express, by others that are obscure; and in true account, conclude nothing but by way of inference made without book.   

CHAP. VIII.  
I Will therefore in this place by way of conclusion, for as much as concerneth Scripture in relation to our B. Lady, extract a few periods, which I have found in effect together in that holy man Canisius, writing of this admirable subject, where he setteth down in a cluster, that which is found in Scripture but in several passages, as so many distinct grapes of the old Testament, being so interpreted by the Fathers and Doctors of the Catholic Church; and those others also of the new, being expressed plainly without figure as myself have here already related them, but in a more scattered manner. and now to make a fair full point, I thought good, to see if by drawing all these several beams into one burning glass, I might inflame the Reader to more devotion. He showeth then in his first book of the B. Virgin, and 2. Chapter, how she was the 
(a) Bern. hom. 2. supper missusest.  woman whose seed was promised in Paradise; She was 
(b) Bern. serm. de B. Virg.  the true Rebecca; The true 
(c) Hier. ad Saluianum.  judith; The true 
(d) Lyra supra Esther.  Esther; The true 
(e) Rupert. in Cantic.  temple and Sanctuary of God prophesied by Ezechiel, and the very way of Saints; She was abundantly celebrated in spirit by 
(f) Bern. hom. 2. supper m●ssusest.  Solomon; She was that which Moses saw in the 
(g) Ibid.  bush and fire; That which Aaron 
(h) Bern. ser. signum magnum  saw in the rod and flower; The oriental gate of 
(i) Ibid.  Ezechiel; The fleece and dew foreshowed to 
(k) Bern. hom. 1. super missusest.  Gedeon; The star which rose out of 
(l) Amb. serm. 80.  jacob, and from whence that beam proceeded which did illustrate the whole world; She was the mystical Ark of the 
(m) Ber. de assum. B. Virg.  Testament, which contained the bread both of men and Angels; She was the golden propitiatory; The throne of that true 
(n) Bern. ibidem.  Solomon; The Prince's Court; The 
(o) Bern. ibidem.  bed of honour, wherein the Lord, and King of heaven did most delightfully repose.  
Now in the new Testament, behold that united which before you saw scattered, and consider the weight of those words of the Gospel spoken, either to her, or by her, or of her. All hail, O thou full of grace, Our Lord is with thee, 
Canis. l. 1. de B. Virgin ● cap. 2.  Thou hast found favour or grace with God, He hath done great things to me who is powerful, All generations shall call me Blessed, Blessed is the womb which bore thee, Blessed are the breasts that gave thee suck. How cometh it to pass that the mother of my Lord should visit me; Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb; She alone it is of whom the world doth joyfully profess, that it is of the holy Ghost which is borne in her; She alone unto whom the Angel did promise, that the Holy, which was to be borne of her, should be called the Son of God; She alone to whom the Archangel who was sent from heaven, and S. Elizabeth upon earth did celebrate with such sublime praises. Thus saith Canisius, and this he showeth.  
In fine I do much desire, that Catholics for their comfort, & Caluinists for the conversion of their souls to devotion, & tenderness towards this sacred Virgin, may resort to this excellent work of Canisius, where they shall see, besides the evidence of these things whatsoever they can expect from any man, concerning the greatness of our B. Lady, most excellently delivered, & clearly proved not only by the Scriptures of both Testaments, but by the authority of the Fathers of the Church in all ages, & of these Fathers I will in due place use a few testimonies, before I end this discourse, & by those few, the spirit of the rest may be conceived. Therefore it is great perverseness, and a sin even against common sense, that since there are so many places of Scripture, which testify our B. ladies perfections, those few others which they imagine to be in her prejudice, must yet be rather opposed unto those former by these men, than any way reconciled, or ranged under them.  
Yet indeed what can they argue out of those very places? They say, that the words of our Saviour; Quid mihi, & tibi mulier, which he used at the marriage of Cana, in answer of her suit, concerning their want of wine, do show that she was worthy of reprehension, and that he rebuked her. They translate those words, Woman what have I to do with thee? and they infer thereby, that our B. Saviour gave therein a great check to his sacred Mother; whereas it is plain, that they were only spoken for the instruction of them that heard, & of us that read them; to show that he was not to manifest himself as God by working of Miracles, till the time appointed by his Father, & therefore it is that he said also further; Nondum venit hora mea, My hour is not yet come, as also to make the world know that we are more to respect the immediate and known ordinance of God, than the suit of friends, though never so pious and meritorious.  
I omit to show that those words do more naturally signify to this effect; Quid mihi, & tibi? What have thou, 
joan. 2.  & I to do with their want of wine. As if he had said; This is not such necessity as aught to urge me toward the working of miracles so soon. But whatsoever the words crudely taken may seem in some construction to say; certain it is, that when our Saviour had made us know by them, that which he intended we should learn, he not only disposed himself inwardly to show that mercy by means of our B. ladies prayers (even as it were before his own time appointed) but by the manner he held in speaking the words, and by the gracious countenance which he used, he gave her puidently to understand that he would grant her suit. For otherwise, it would not have become her discretion to have so instantly required them that served at the dinner to be punctual in performing of whatsoever her Son should require of them. Yea, and by the circumstances of the Text (which describe the action succeeding after a most particular manner, in such sort, as if they had not been forewarned, it is morally certain that they would have made some fault) it is most probable that our B. Saviour did not only let her know that he would do the thing, but in what manner also he would do it And this at least is confessed, that the miracle was wrought, immediately after our ladies suit was presented: which is a real proof of her greatness, and the acceptableness of her prayers in the sight of God: and this truth deserveth to put to eternal silence whatsoever conceit is framed out of those words te her disadvantage.  
In like manner do they urge, how our Saviour Christ (being sought by our B. Lady, and S. joseph, and found at last in the Temple, & made acquainted with the much care which they had used in seeking him) answered thus; 
Luc. ●.  Quid est quod me quaerebatis, an nesciebatis quia in his quae Patris mei sunt oportet me esse? Why did you seek me, knew you not that I was to employ myself in those things which concern the service of my Father? But as in the former case, so in this also it is clear, that when he had taught the world by those words, that men were to prefer their obligations to God before any tenderness towards their flesh and blood, to be sure that they should have no colour to persuade themselves, upon this occasion, that he would disparaged, or discontent his holy Mother, the text immediately adjoins, that he went away with them who sought & found him, and that he came to Nazareth, Et erat subditus illis, and he there lived under them in subjection: whereby if men were not wholly blind, they would both be content to acknowledge this truth, That it is infinitely a greater dignity to have God for her Son, and her subject, then to be the Superior and Empress of all things created; and consider also here, as soon as he had performed the office of a Doctor, he made haste to restore the B. Virgin to her possession of him again as his Mother.  
Another offer there is made to impeach the excellency of our B. Lady upon this occasion. 
Mar. 3.  Our B. Saviour having wrought a miracle in the Synagogue, was sought by the Pharisees to be destroyed, he retired himself to the sea side, and on shipboard he preached to the people in huge multitudes, he wrought there innumerable miracles, he retired himself but was yet so pressed by the people, as that they gave him not so much as time to eat. Out of the tenderness of love, both in regard of his hunger, and of his danger, his B. Mother, and some of their kindred were solicitous, & they of the people who were next, interrupted his speech with saying, thus; Ecce Mater tua, & fratres tui foris quaerunt te. 
Mar. 3.  Behold thy Mother, and thy Brethren (that is thy kinsfolks) stand without & seek thee; and he answering said, Quae est matter mea, & fratres mei? Who is my Mother, and my brethren? and beholding them that sat about him he said, Behold my Mother, and my brethren; for he that doth the will of God he is my brother, my sister, and my Mother. This place is much in the discourse of some, as if it were indiminution of our B. ladies eminency, which yet yieldeth so little ground for an objection, as that, even for this very reason, it is hardly capable of an answer. The occasion of that speech was this. Our B. Saviour was most wickedly and foolishly slandered by the Scribes that came down thither from Jerusalem, that he was himself possessed with Beelsebub, and that in the strength of that maister-divell, he did cast out others of inferior rank. Our Saviour did not only demonstrate the falsehood, and the extreme absurdity of that allegation, but he did withal insinuate, that even they knew as much; and that of mere & perfect malice they had laid that imputation upon him against the dictamen of their own conscience. With all he denounced against them the final danger that they were in, by saying that all other sins should be forgiven to the sons of men, only that the sins and blasphemies against the Holy Ghost (whereby the sins of desperate & confirmed malice which impugneth a known truth, are understood) should never be forgiven, but punished with eternity of hell fire. The representation of which verity being made by our B. Saviour, with so great liberty, in the very teeth of them whom it concerned as parties, and who did so viperously desire to bite him to death, might reasonably move his friends, to retire him out of those dangers, wherein they understood him to be, and to ask for audience. But our Saviour desiring not to secure himself, but to save those people, seemed to lay aside that petition, and still to attend to their instruction. So as this exception taken by the Caluinists can proceed from no other cause, than a great ingratitude to God, a great opposition to our B. Lady, and a great contrariety to common sense, that the speeches which our Saviour used to make it apparent to the world how infinitely, dearly and tenderly he would love both all them and us, who would perform the will of God his Father, by saying that he would reckon of them no worse then if they were his own flesh and blood, should serve to no other end with than, but only to derogate from that same flesh and blood, yea from his B. Mother herself, who was the only precious creature from whom he fetched all his sacred humanity.  
Another like this last is, the exception which is taken from a like speech of our B. saviours, which he uttered upon a like occasion. He was instructing his disciples both in what manner, and in what words, they were to make their prayers to God; and at the end thereof, he was also convincing some of the jews, by proving, that he did not cast out one devil by another, but by the power of God. The multitude admired, though some few calumniated him; and whilst he was delivering most profitable doctrines, a woman in the company (being as it were rapt into an Ecstasy of admiration, to see both his divine presence, & his supernatural works, and to hear withal those words of Eternal Life, which were delivered by his heavenly mouth) could not contain herself from exclaiming thus; Beatus venture quite portavit, 
Luc. 11.  & ubera quae suxisti: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the breasts that gave thee suck. Whereupon he said; Quinimo beati, qui audiunt verbum Dei, & custodiunt illud. Yea, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it. These men (who are so wisely zealous of the sons honour, as that they cannot forbear to be carping at his Mother upon all occasions) would infer also by this passage, as if our Lady were no better than one of us, if we shall procure to be the servants of God; drawing (as I said before) a reason of honouring her less from that which ministereth none at all, but giveth us only cause thereby to consider the dignity of our own vocation.  
But indeed, it is not our B. Lady, who is immediately and principally commended by the good woman of this Gospel, but it is our B. Saviour; and she is praised there, but upon the reason of having brought him into the world, and for being the choice cabinet of such a precious jewel as she esteemed him; and therefore it is so much the more absurdly done, to infer by the declining which our B. Saviour made from his own praises, that he meant any way to diminish the dignity of his Mother. And yet abstracting this consideration for the answer of our Saviour, it is itself so pregnant in the proof of what I say, as that it needeth not to be much enforced.  
For first it may be considered, that he was in a great multitude of people, That he was treating about the state of their souls, That he was in the act of working a miracle, at the end whereof the people were already drawn into admiration, and whilst he might expect to reap the fruit of their conversion (which was to be ripened by driving away out of their minds those clouds of ignorance and obscurity, and those storms of malice and envy; this passionately affection at & devout woman with more fervour of loving zeal, then exact consideration of all due circumstances, broke off by her exclamation that profitable discourse of our B. Saviour, to which he with divine wisdom made the aforesaid answer: Whereby they might understand how true it was, that as his Mother was incomparably happy, so should they also be, according to their measure, if they would make their benefit of those instructions, that from time to time he gave them; & about which he was in a particular endeavour at that instant, and therefore it it is no marvel if he did not cherish the distraction which speech had caused in the hearers.  
But least of all other places doth this decrease the extent of our B. ladies felicity, for by it we learn that she was doubly happy. Happy she was, because her womb had borne the Saviour of the world, and because her breasts had given him suck; for our Saviour Christ did not reverse this sentence of the holy woman pronounced upon her which though it were not then so seasonable, was yet in itself most highly true. Nor could he who was Truth itself say that to be untrue, which the holy Ghost by the B. Virgins own sacred mouth, had formerly pronounced concerning her being Blessed, in that divine Canticle of the Magnificat. And happy again we find that she was, since by the testimony of our B Saviour they all are happy, who hear the word the word of God and keep it; for what creature did ever come so close to the keeping of the word of God, as she who had in her sacred womb kept God himself, who was, and is the Word, to which she communicated all the Humanity that it had, whose presence afterward she continually enjoyed, during the whole time of his abode on earth? whose perfections she imitated, whose Church whilst she survived she instructed, and whose kingdom, now that she is assumed into heaven, she hath beautified. And all this because Almighty God who made her the Mother of God, made her in all respect to be as worthy of that incomprehensible vocation, as the state of a creature could be capable, and with which also she did concur after an unconcevable manner. Now to be a Mother, and a Mother worthy of God himself implieth such mountains of perfection, as even fill, and exceed the world, and from which the least grain cannot be taken in any discourse of reason under the pretence either of holy Scripture, or common sense.  
But it were well (since it is so ill) that it were no worse, 
Melanc. ad c. 2. joan. Constant. Copron. apud Theo. orat. in S. Nicetan. Melchior Hoffmamnus asserens Christum non suscepisse carnem ex Maria Virgine apud Bulling. adverse. Anabap. l. 2. c. 13. in evang. Domin. 2. Epiphan. Caluin. harm. in Luc. 2.35. edit. Gal. Caluin. harm. in Matt. 12.48.  but that our Adversaries would only diminish the Honour of our Blessed Lady by seeking to prove, that she was less excellent, and not expressly to affirm things of her, which make her to have been an unworthy and sinful creature. In the strength of which spirit of giddiness, many say, That she was but like to other women in virtue; others, That she was but as a saffron bag, whereby they infer that having lost the spice, she was no more to be esteemed; others, That she was but as a Channel, or Conduct of water, insinuating thereby, as if Christ had scarce taken flesh of her, or else that at the best hand he infused not any virtue into her. Luther is often disgracing her, and ranking her with the rest of creatures in general, & Caluin doth as good as deduce that proposition into particulars, and draw Conclusions out of those principles: now saying, That the Virgin was at least inconsiderate, That she was importune, and did preposterously endeavour to break off the course of her sons doctrine; 
Caluin. harm. in joan. c. 2.  That she sinned by exceeding her bounds, and by intruding herself so far, as that she might chance to have obscured the glory of Christ thereby; and, that our Saviour made in a manner no account of that which the woman in the Gospel did only extol, which was her being his own Mother, as also when the Angel announceth the Incarnation of the Son of God, he findeth, 
Caluin. harm. in Luc. 1.34. edit. Latin.  That she had want of faith, he saith, That she did not with less malignity restrain the power of God, than Zacharias had done before upon another occasion, and when he hath done, the blasphemous Heretic concludeth, Quod non sit magnoperè laborandum etc. That there is no cause why he should take much pains in excusing the Virgin from not having committed some fault. 
jovin. apud August. haer. 82. Petr. Martyr. ad c. 4. epist. ad Rom. Apud Can. l. 2. c. 8. marial.   
To this let it be added, that they think, & often say, That she was delivered of our Saviour after the same laborious, vulgar, and uncomely manner to which other women are subject by their descendence from Eue. Some again, That she lived afterward with joseph, to all purposes as women use to do with their husbands: With a thousand such other beastly blasphemies, and heresies as these. For helvidius by the testimony of S. Hierome was condemned as an Heretic within four ages after Christ, for only holding that our B. Lady did not continue in virginity after the birth of our B. Saviour until the end of her mortal life: and I would to Christ that our poor Country did not swarm with these vile, and far worse opinions. But as the soul is infinitely to be more esteemed than the body, so may she be concluded to have received more offence by Caluins' tongue who wounded her in her soul, by his charging her thus with sin, then by these others who have subjecteth her sacred body to so much shame: & yet even in that kind, 
In the Preface to the Christian Directory.  Caluin himself hath hardly gone so far as our Countryman Bunny, who imputeth to her, with a most blasphemous mouth, the having committed no less than four mortal sins, in the short time of our saviours Passion.  
And those famous, or rather infamous Magdeburgians, who are called Centurioators, being certain Lutheran Doctors, who in corpse and by public Authority pretended to draw down an historical narration of the Church from age to age speaking in the first book of the first Century, of the life of our B. Saviour, took occasion thereby to tax most boldly & blasphemously the immaculate Mother of God, & to say, that when she lost her Son in the Temple, she committed so great a sin, as that they tremble not to compare it with that first most grievous sin of Eve, and so doubt which of the two sins were the worse.   

CHAP. IX.  
THE belief and practice of the Holy Catholic, apostolic, Roman Church is very different from that of these men, and hath been most express in this point; for it hath, throughout the whole course of so many ages, discerned, and applied the highest honours, under God, to our B. Lady, by giving her most glorious titles by erecting in memory of her most sumptuous Temples, by enjoining Christians to keep in contemplation of her most solemn festivities; and by pouring out before her continual supplications and prayers, that by her intercession of meditation, the intercession of Redemption which was performed by Christ our Lord, and could only be performed by him, may be applied to the saving of man's soul.  
When I name the Catholic, apostolic, Roman Church, I mean not, by Roman, that Congregation of Christians only, which is comprehended within the walls or diocese of the City, or Sea of Rome (as some would fain impose upon us, and thereby infer an absurdity upon that proposition, as if the same Church whereof we speak, were both universal in being Catholic, and particular in being but of the City of Rome:) but when I say the Catholic, Roman Church, I mean the Church of Christ which is spread into all the corners of the earth, but yet communicating every where in the same faith, and Sacraments, doth acknowledge the Bishop of Rome for the visible & supreme Head thereof under Christ. The dignity and eminency whereof if it be considered, & be weighed withal, how devout it hath ever been in tenderly honouring, & religiously praying to our B. Lady. I think there is no man of modesty, and even common sense, who will not be induced not only to an excuse, but even to an imitation thereof.  

August. confess. l. 6. cap. 11.  Non vacat, non estinane, quod tam eminens culmen authoritatis Christianae fidei toto orb diffunditur. It is no trifle, it is no matter of small importance that the Christian faith hath obtained over the whole world such a sublime top of authority. These are the words of S. Augustine, which he spoke being yet no Christian; and the same weight which that kind of discourse had against Paganism, or Manicheisme in his time, the same hath it, at the least in favour of Catholic Religion, concerning the honour and invocation of our B. Lady, amongst and above all the other Saints of God, against Caluinisme, or whatsoever other such Innovation. Non vacat, non est inane, it is no toy, it is no contemptible thing, which the whole Body of Catholics, hath so long, and so devoutly practised, concerning the honour of our B. Lady, and the need which it findeth mankind to have of her helping hand. Yea, and a Protestant, that is either morally wise, or discreetly modest, as S. Augustin was before he was a Catholic Christian, will think and speak reverently of this Church, though he shall abstract from this belief, That it is the only true Church of Christ, and do but confess (which no body in his wits will deny) that it is a congregation of great Order, Wisdom, Virtue, Learning, Extent, and Continuance.  
Though indeed (whatsoever may be pretended by our opposites) it is both more true, and more evident than the Sun is bright, That either Christ hath no Church at all, That the prophesies of the old Testament were false, and, That the promises of the new Testament were feigned, or else that this church is the true and only true Church of Christ, since all those marks, and plain tokens, which were delivered as belonging thereunto, do clearly apply themselves to this Church and to no other. For what other but this can (without the impudent face of an harlot) pretend, 
Tertull. l depraes. haer. Vita B. Bern. l. 2. c. 7. Beda in 6. Cant. Ambr. epist. 13. Ose. 2. 1. Tim. 3.  To have converted Nations, To have been fostered and nursed by a long series of Kings and Queens, To have embraced even the very ends of the world, To have been espoused to the Messiah with an indissoluble bound of Matrimony, as was fortould by those men of God in the old Testament? Or what other than this, can with any colour affirm, That it is the pillar, and ground of Truth, as S. Paul did witness, That it is but one, That it is, and hath ever been, and is to be ever Visible, That it hath been, and ever must be Infallible, as is clearly to be convinced by that one direction which our B. Saviour gave, Dic Ecclesiae, Tell the Church: And Si Ecclesiam non audierit, sit tibi tamquam Ethnicus & Publicanus, let him be to thee as a Pagan, and Publican, if he obey not the orders of this Church. For unless this Church were ever to be endued with Unity, with Visibility, and with Infallibility, impossible it were either for that counsel of our saviours to be followed (and this were to impute folly to him) or else though it were followed, it would be impossible for men to be saved by means thereof, and that were to lay a worse note if worse may be, upon the fountain of all Wisdom, and goodness? Or what other Church than this, 
Ephes. 4.  can apply to itself, that Legacy, which S. Paul to the Ephesians affirmed to have been given to mankind by our Saviour Christ, when he ascended up to heaven, namely Doctors, and Pastors to continue from that time till the end of the world, that so the body of Christ might be built up, and Christian souls be kept by the anchor of true faith, from floating (after the fashion of Heretics) by the winds, or waves of fantastical and foolish doctrines.  
No other congregation than the Catholic, will so much as pretend to many of these true marks of the Church; at lest none but she can prove that they any way belong to theirs or them, who therefore by a miserable necessity are constrained to hide themselves in certain castles of the air whilst they talk of Scripture, whereby they mean nothing else but that interpretation or conceit of their own which the interest either of their profits or passion doth suggest. By all which I infer, that since we make so fair a claim to be the true, & never erring Church of Christ, which even our moderate Adversaries will confess to be of great appearance; that doctrine which it teacheth, & from whence the honour & invocation of our B. Lady proceedeth, ought not in any reason to be so blasphemed, even by them who will not yet embrace it.  
This Church hath also further (being inspired and guided by the Holy Ghost) framed an Office of our B. Lady, that is to say, it hath composed a Service out of the Psalms, and other Scriptures, together with the writings of the Holy Fathers, which it commandeth to be recited at such time as her festival days are celebrated; and now and then it interposeth certain affectuous versicles, to show the admiration wherein it hath her supreme dignity, through the vouchsafing which God Almighty hath pleased to use with her, in making her a fit Mother for himself. Sometimes it exclaimeth thus, Faelix namque es sacra virgo Maria, & omni laud dignissima: quia ex te ortus est sol justitiae Christus Deus noster.  
And again; Sancta & immaculata virginitas, quibus te laudibus efferam nescio: quia quem caelicapere non poterant, tuo gremio contulisti! Beata es Virgo Maria quae Dominum portasti Creatorem mundi: Genuisti qui te fecit, & in aeternum permanes Virgo. Beata matter, & intacta virgo gloriosa Regina mundi, intercede pro nobis ad Dominum. Happy art thou, O sacred Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise; for the Son of justice Christ our Lord is borne of thee. O thou holy and immaculate virginity. with what praises shall I extol thee, since thou hast contained him in thy womb, whom the heavens themselves could not comprehend! Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, who hast borne our Lord the Creator of the world: thou hast borne him that made thee, and thou eternally remainest a Virgin. O blessed Mother and immaculate Virgin, O thou glorious Queen of the world, pray for us unto our Lord. In this manner doth the Church perform to her all due honour. And in other parts of the same office it applieth many other places of Scripture, and especially out of the Canticles, the book of Wisdom, and the Apocalyps, towards the dignifying, & celebrating the praises of our B. Lady, vesting, as it were, her person, with all those appellations, and other terms of honour which are there to be found in full measure, and among others these; Veni columba mea, veni sponsa mea, veni electa mea, veni coronaberis, pulchra ut Luna, electa ut Sol, terribilis ut castrorum acts ordinata, mulier amicta sole, & Luna sub pedibus eius. Astitit Regina à dextris tuis circumdata varietate: and a thousand such passages as these are sung by the Holy Church, in honour of our B. Lady, as being the Dove, the Spouse, 
Vide August, de symb, ad Catec. c. 1. Epiphan. serm. de laudibus Mariae. Bernard. serm. in eundem locum. Apoc. 12.1.  the eject of the King of heaven, one clad, and environed with the Sun, supported by the Moon, a Queen all clad with variety of riches, and standing at the right hand of God.  
Which sentences of Holy Scripture howsoever they are also applied otherwise, as sometimes to a Soul in grace, sometimes to Heavenly Wisdom, sometimes to the celestial Jerusalem, yet this is no impediment why they may not also truly, and most properly be applied to the person of our B. Lady, since the same Scripture hath several senses, and all of them may be true, so that they be not contradictory to one another. And the Holy spirit of God delivering them by the pen of the Prophets, and Apostles, had several regards and aims at several things to be expressed by the same words, which the Holy Fathers, and Interpreters (as children of the Catholic Church) were directed, and enabled by the same spirit to declare. Which howsoever it may seem strange, to such as in themselves are strangers to the truth of that which passeth in this particular, yet it must be confessed to be, as I say, by such as will not generally tax the Holy Fathers, both of folly, and falsehood, since they have expounded the Holy Scriptures according to four several senses, namely the Literal, the Moral, the Anagogical, and the Allegorical. Nay it is certain, how strange soever it may seem, that the same Scripture hath sometimes divers senses even Literal: and so hath that of, Expedit nobis ut unus homo moriatur pro populo, ne tota gens pereat, Filius 
(a) Cyril. in psal. 2. de humana generat. August. de aetern.  meus es tu, ego hody genuite. Omnia 
(b) Psal. 8. Aug. de nature. human. & Chrys. peculiariter de Christo orat. 4. in ep. ad Haebr. c. 2. August. confess l. 12. c. 25. & 31.  subiecisti sub pedibus eius: and the authority of S. Augustine alone may suffice to show, that out of the same words of Scripture may be drawn, magna copia verissimarum sententiarum, great abundance or variety of senses, which be all true. This he saith by occasion of the several interpretations of those only words, In principio fecit Deus caelum & terram: In the beginning God made the heaven, and earth. And he showeth afterwards, why Moses may be conceived to have foreseen all those true several senses of those words which should afterwards be gathered, Per quem Deus unus sacras literas vera, & diversa visuris multorum sensibus temperavit. God did by the pen of Moses, so temper and dictate those dim books, which he wrote, as that all the senses might be true, and yet differing from one another, according to the variety of interpretations which divers men should make thereof   

CHAP. X.  
BUT to return to the aforesaid Office of the Church, there are further brought in upon occasion divers passages of many ancient and Holy Fathers (for I will not touch upon them of the later times) which may excite the Readers to bear all due devotion to our B. Lady, through the pathetical and tender speech which they deliver of her. And I will accompany them which are taken out of the Breviary with some others of the same authority & tyme. Hearken then a while whosoever you be, who are so miserable as not to be devoted to the B. Virgin, that you may perceive how dangerous and different a way you take from those lights and ornaments of God Church, who are ready if you will to be your guides. And note that except S. john Damascen, S. Anselme, and S. Bernard, there is none of this full jury but above a thousand years old.  
And to begin with the most ancient, S. Irenaeus in his third book against heresies 33. Chapter, hath these words, Sicut eva inobediens etc. As Eve by disobedience was made the cause of death; so Mary was made a cause of salvation, both to herself, and to all mankind.  
S. Athanasius in his Epistle to Epictetus, 
Athan. epist. ad Epict.  saith thus: Idcirco gratia plena etc. Therefore is the B. Virgin called by the name of full of grace, because she did abound with all graces by the filling of the Holy Ghost, and was overshadowed by the virtue of the most high.  

Cyrill. Alexan. hom. count. Nestor.  S. Cyrill of Alexadria being assembled with other Bishops upon a time of solemnity, spoke thus in a sermon made against the Heretic Nestorius; Hilarem video coetum fidelium omnium etc. I see this Congregation of all the faithful to be full of alacrity, who are come together with cheerful minds, being called by the holy Mother of God, & yet ever Virgin Mary. Praise & glory be to thee, O Holy Trinity, who hast conducted us all to this solemnity. Praise also to thee, O thou Holy Mother of God. For thou art that precious pearl of the whole world; Thou art a lamp never to be extinguished; The crown of virginity; The sceptre of true faith; A temple not to be dissolved, containing him who could within no place be contained; A Mother and a Virgin. Blessed art thou amongst women, being the parent of him, who being blessed came in the name of our Lord. By thee the Trinity is glorified; By thee the precious Cross is celebrated, & adored throughout the whole world. By thee heaven triumpheth, Angels and archangels rejoice, Devils are driven away, and man himself is recalled to heaven. By thee all creatures (once detained in the error of Idolatry) are converted to the knowledge of the truth. The faithful are come to Holy Baptism, & Temples are built throughout the whole world. By thee do the Nations come to penance. What shall I say more? By thee the only begotten Son of God, that true light did shine to such as sat in darkness; By thee the Prophets did foreshow salvation to the Gentiles; And by thee did the Apostles preach it. Who can unfold the eminency of thy praise, O thou Mother and virgin Mary? Let us celebrate her, most beloved Brethren, adoring her Son the immaculate spouse of the Church, to whom be honour and glory for all eternities. Amen.  
S. Ephrem in an Oration of the praises of the most Holy Mother of God, 
Ephr. orat. de laudibus SS. Dei Matris.  Intemerata prorsusque pura etc. The untouched and entirely pure virgin the Mother of God; The Queen of all men; The hope of such as despair; My most glorious and best Queen; More sublime than the celestial spirits; More pure than the Sun beams and splendours; More honourable than the Cherubin, & more holy than the Seraphim.  
Hear what the holy and learned S. Ambrose saith in his book of the Institution of Virgins. Christi lilia etc. 
Ambr. de Instit. Virgin. cap. 15.  The lilies of Christ are especially virgins, whose virginity is bright & immaculate; for that Virginal womb was the beginning, and root, and perpetually springing fountain, from whence by that most powerful example of the Mother of God, all the Quires of Virgins did proceed.  
A Maria etc. (saith S. Epiphanius) of the Virgin Mary, 
Epiph. l. 3. hares. 73. post med.  life was borne unto the world so that she gave life to him that liveth and Mary was made the Mother of such as live.  
S. Hierome upon the eleventh Chapter of Isay, Virgam de radice etc. Let us understand the holy Virgin Mary, to be the Rod that springs out of the root of jesse.  
S. Theodoret upon the Canticles, Inter tot animas omnium hominum etc. Amongst the souls of all the men and women that shallbe saved, that only one is as the elected dove, who brought forth Christ, a virgin, a Mother, a maid, who doubtless did excel in purity both the Cherubin and the Seraphim.  

Aug. l. de nature. & great.  S. Augustine in his book of Nature & Grace: Cum de peccatis agitur etc. When there is any speech of sin, I will make no question of the Blessed Virgin, for we know that more grace was given to her for the total overcoming of sin, who deserved to conceive, and to bring him forth, of whom it is evident that he had no sin.  

August. tract. de symb. ad Cach. l. 3. c. 4. tom. 9  The same holy Father in a Treatise of the Creed unto Catholics, the third book, and 4. Chapter, in few but massy words speaketh thus of the B. Virgin, Per feminam etc. death came by a woman, and life also by a woman. By Eve came destruction, and salvation by Mary.  

Greg. in 1. lib. 1. c. Reg.  S. Gregory the great upon the first book and Chapter of kings Potest huius montis nomine etc. The ever most B. Virgin Mary Mother of God, may be designed by the name of this mountain. For she was a mountain who by the dignity of her election did transcend the altitudes of elected creatures. Was not Mary a high mountain, who that she might arrive to the conception of the eternal Word, did raise the top of her merits above all the Quires of Angels, till she came unto the throne of the Deity: for of the most excellent dignity of this mountain the Prophet I say doth say; 
Isa. 2.  In the last days there shallbe a mountain of our Lord prepared in the top of the mountains. For she was a mountain in the top of mountains, because the height of Mary doth shine above all Saints. And she is aptly called both a mountain, and house, who being illustrated with incomparable merits, did prepare her sacred womb wherein the only Son of God might repose.  
S. john Damascen in his book of Catholic faith, affirmeth of our B. Lady, that revera Domina facta est etc. 
Damasc. de fide orthoxa.  She was indeed made the Lady with dominion over all creatures when she was made the Mother of the Creator. And in his second oration of the death of the Mother of God: Clamemus cum Gabriele etc. Let us cry out with the Angel Gabriel, All hail, O thou full of grace, All hail O thou inexhausted sea of joy, All hail, o thou especial lightner of our burdens; All hail, O thou medicine of all the afflictions of our hearts, All hail, O thou holy Virgin, by whom death was banished and life introduced.  

Anselm. de concep. Virg. & peccat. orig. c. 18.  S. Anselme in his Treatise of original sin Chapter 18. Decebat ut illius etc. It was fit that the Conception of that man (he speaketh there of Christ our Saviour) should be made of the most pure Virgin, and therefore it was fit, that this virgin should most sweetly shine with so great purity then which a greater cannot be imagined under God, to whom God the Father resolved to give his only Son.  
S. Bernard in his sermon upon the corporal Assumption of the B. Virgin into heaven saith thus; Quis cogitare sufficiat etc. Who is able to conceive how gloriously the Queen of the world went forward as upon this day, and with how great entiernes of tender devotion the whole multitude of those celestial legions came forth to meet her? With what canticles she was conducted to the throne of glory? With how serene a face, with how dear a countenance, with how divine embracements she was received by her Son, & with that glory which became such a Son.  
In his fourth Sermon upon the Assumption, after he had with this protestation, Non est quod me magis delectet etc. There is nothing wherein I take more joy, & so yet there is also nothing which putteth me into a greater trembling of fear, then to discourse upon the glory of the Virgin Mary etc. he proceedeth shortly after to say this; Quae enim vel Angelica puritas etc. What purity though Angelical will presume to compare itself to this virginity, which was made worthy to become the sacred repose of the Holy Ghost? But how great and how precious was the virtue of thy humility with so great purity, with so great innocency, with a conscience wholly free from sin, yea with the fullness of so much grace? Whence hadst thou humility, & so great humility, O thou blessed Creature? Indeed thou wert worthy whom our Lord should regard, whose beauty the King should desire, by whose fragrant odour he might be drawn from that eternal resting place of his Father's bosom. Behold, O B. Virgin, we accompany thee a far off, as we may, with these acclamations, whilst thou art ascending to thy throne. Let it be an effect of thy piety to make known unto the world that grace which thou foundst with God, by obtaining through thy holy prayers pardon for such as are faulty, cure for the sick, strength of mind for the weak, comfort for the afflicted, and help and liberty for such as are in danger. And now in this day of thy solemnity & joy, by thee, O gracious Queen, let thy Son Christ jesus our Lord (who is God for ever blessed above all things) bestow the gifts of his grace upon us his poor servants, who with praise are calling upon the sweet name of Maria.  
These are some of those passages, which I find recorded amongst many others of some few Fathers, who partly speak, though but compendiously, in the Roman Office or Breviary, and some other few which I take out of their own undoubted works, whereby the Reader may see not only the judgement of the Church, but how express, and earnest the most excellent members thereof have been, and how devoutly they have not only celebrated the praises, but recommended themselves to our B. ladies prayers And there would never be an end if I should strive to deliver the almost infinite attributes of excellency which they have given to her, which some of her devout servants, having gathered out of their works, they grow even to fill whole books. Among others the Margarita, & Hebdomada Mariana may be considered, where the Reader shall find S. Irenaeus, S. Cyprian, S. Athanasius, S. Ephrem, S. Epiphanius, S. Ambrose, S. Chrysostome, S. Augustine, S. Gregory, S. john Damascen, S. Anselme, S. Bernard with the rest of these later ages, who have all strived to express themselves, as there you may find particularly cited, in calling her; The window of heaven; The treasure of the Divinity; The solace of the world; The woman which transfused grace into us; The ensign of faith; A cause of salvation to mankind; The throne of the Divinity; The Captain General; The fountain of all Consolation; The joy of Saints; The Queen of Angels; The Mother of Mercy; The mother of the living; The succour of such as are in danger; A Queen assisting, and reigning at the right hand of her Son; The unlocker of Heaven gates; The sceptre which commandeth all; The root of glory; The rose which hath perfumed all things with heavenly odours; A temple beautified by the holy Ghost; She who confoundeth all heretical pravity; The sceptre of orthodoxal Faith; A mountain of our Lord prepared in the top of the mountains.  
Innumerable I say are the Attributes of honour which the Holy Fathers have given to this sacred Virgin, and many of them have been delivered, though with great profit, and piety, yet in such affectuous terms, as the Catholics at this day dare scarcely use, through the extreme malignity of our Adversaries and hers: because as there is no word which may not have divers significations; so they will be sure to interpret them ever in the worst sense: whereas Charity requireth just the contrary. And if they proceeded according to the rule thereof, they would never charge, either the holy Fathers, or us their children with derogating any thing from Almighty God, by the honour we do to our B. Lady. But whensoever they find us to ascribe any quality or title to her, which to a weak, or wrong judgement may seem only to belong to him; they may know once for all, that we impute such things to God as to the Tree, from which she took her growth; he is the fountain, she is the stream; he is the great Artificer and primary cause, and she a most elevated Instrument; he is the Sun, and she the Beam, whereby he hath communicated his light, and heat to this dark & frozen world of ours.  
So that they need not thus perversely continue to ask us what it is, that we can say more in honour of Christ, than we say in honour of our B. Lady? For we can say, and we do say according to these most true professions, and protestations following, which may for ever serve to the justification of our whole practice herein, and for the discovery of their either folly, or malice that oppose it.  
We profess this difference between the excellency of Christ our Lord, and that of the B. Virgin, That the B. Virgin is no more but a pure creature, but that Christ is God, and so there is no comparison at all between the excellency of God, and her; That in respect of God she is infinitely less than the least grain of dust is less than the whole world; That it was the only goodness of God, that chose her first out of all mankind to be his Mother; That all her greatness, and perfection dependeth upon the first grace that God gave her. This I say, is that we all profess, and this being supposed and kept inviolable, it is evident that whatsoever honour or excellency we ascribe to her, so far we are from robbing God Almighty of his honour by it, as that on the contrary side we highly honour him, in acknowledging his unspeakable benignity and bounty towards mankind, a part whereof he hath so much ennobled, as to make it the Mother, and the so worthy Mother of Christ our Lord, who is also God.  
Now, since the honour we do to the most sacred Virgin, proceedeth only from this root, & the dependence thereupon: let it be considered what a ridiculous proposition this is? That we dishonour Christ by the excess of honour which we do to the Mother of God, whom yet we chief honour, because she was his Mother, and whom we honour not at all beyond the capacity of a pure creature. These propositions being then supposed, it will be lewdly done hereafter, by such as shall take exceptions at the terms wherewith the Catholic Church, or her children, have thought fit to celebrate our B. ladies memory. For if they be not rather school boys, than school men, if they be not such as had rather find a knot in a rush, then untie it, they will follow the counsel of S. Augustine in his book de utilitate credendi cap. 7. That whensoever any phrase, or speech is used by Catholics which may sound less plausible, men are to travail up and down over a whole world, if need be, for the finding of an excusable interpretation thereof, rather than to infer thereby that the doctrine or practice of the Catholic Church is impure.  
And so much the rather are they bound to do it, because there is no word which hath not in this respect, the nature of a Medal, that is, it hath a right side, and a wrong; and so hath every garment which they wear. And as he were a foolish servant that would apparel his Master with the wrong side outward, because there are two sides: so they are to be contemned, and cast out as wranglers who will needs take the words of another man in the ill sense, especially when he protesteth to mean them in the good; & most certain it is that by the same measure whereby they would take honour from our B. Lady, under the pretence which they make of our using terms that are subject to the misconstruction of malice, a man may as well take credit from the holy Scripture itself which saith; That God Almighty hath arms, and legs, and passions of the mind like mortal and sinful creatures.  
For if those words be not understood by a Religious discretion, that manner of speech will prove as unsafe at least as any other that we use, when there is question of doing honour to our B. Lady. But as our case standeth, we need not, that our Adversaries should put themselves to over much pains, since by the professions that are already made it is evident, how all titles of honour under God may agree to the B. Virgin, and not only that they may be given without sin, but that it is both piety in them that do it, and impiety in them that oppose to it.  
What dishonour is it to an earthly King, if his Mother be called the Queen of his Country: the kingdom is known to belong in right of propriety to the King and she leaveth not to be a subject though she have the honour to be called, & to be the Queen? Or what dishonour were it to a King, if that Queen were called the Queen of his subjects, of whose persons howsoever the King alone can dispose in rigour, yet who among them (being indeed a loyal, & loving subject to the King) would not hold himself for happy, in being able to execute any just commandment of his Mothers?  
Thus things do pass even here on earth, and it is well that they pass so; for these are not apish customs, nor humorous inventions, nor effects of servile flattery, but they flow from reason, and nature, and they are warrantable by all laws, both divine and human. And when any thing is so warrantable, a man may well infer, that in the spiritual Kingdom of Christ such things are practised with much more eminency, & perfection. Nor doth it by infinite degrees so well become an earthly Monarch, that his Mother be acknowledged for the Queen of his Country, and of his subjects, as it becometh the Humanity of Christ our Lord, that the sacred Virgin (from whom he took all the humanity that he had, uniting it hypostatically to the Godhead) should have the honour to be the Queen of heaven which is his Country, and the Queen of Angels & Saints who are his subjects; and who are glorious, and immortal by the merits of that blood which he took from her alone, and united it to himself.   

CHAP. XI.  
Thus standeth the case concerning the Attributes of honour, which Catholics are glad they have the grace to give our B. Lady: and touching the other point of her invocation, which is also both avowed, & devoutly practised by the Fathers, whom I have alleged, and with whom, and in whose company I might city the rest, 
Concil. Calced. act. 1. Dionys. Areop. 2. Eccles. hierarch. Ambr. l. de viduis ultra medium. August. serm. 84. in joan. Athan. serm. de annunt. Deiparae circa finem Basil. orat. in 40. Mar. etc.  I will leave for the present to press our Adversaries with their authority, remitting the more patiented Reader to whom he will of an hundred Catholic Writers, who have clearly evicted this point of controversy: & for my part (who could not pass it over wholly in silence) I will in very few words debate how the case standeth with them in reason, according to the grounds of their Religion.  
If invocation of the Saints in general, and in particular of the glorious Virgin be rejected, our Adversaries must do it first (if they will be true to their own grounds) for reasons drawn from Holy Scripture. When they press us to prove it by testimony thereof, they are justly told, that they proceed impertinently. For they are the men who should prove it to be forbidden by Scripture, & not we that it is expressly enjoined. For unless it be forbidden, they cannot upon that reason disclaim from the use thereof, who do themselves practise divers things, whereof there is no express commandment in Holy Scripture, as namely they baptise Infants, and they observe the Sabbaoth upon the Sunday etc. 
Exod. 20  The later of which points is so far from being commanded, that it rather seemeth to be forbidden, 
Act. 15.  when the Saturday is clearly assigned for that purpose. Nay the eating of blood, and strangled meats, was prohibited to the Christians of the Primitive Church which yet the Caluinists make no scruple to eat as well as we, which in us is no offence, who obey the Church, which telleth us that the time of keeping the Sabbaoth was ceremonial, and consequently abrogated by the coming of Christ, & that the Precept about abstaining from those meats was but temporary, and that now the date thereof is expired. But our Adversaries, who say they are only guided by that which is delivered to them in Scripture, are convinced by their own practice to be Hypocrites; and may justly, be doubly accounted so, if whilst they practise those things which are expressly against the Commandment of Holy Scripture, they do yet reject the Invocation of Saints, only because we do not show as they say, that it is expressly enjoined by Scripture.  
Two reasons they use to bring against it, the former whereof pretendeth to show, that it is not lawful, the latter that it is not convenient. But whosoever marketh their proceeding well, shall find the weakness of their cause by this, that howsoever these reasons be of very different nature, and independent of one another; yet if they be well encountered, they never stick to either of these pretences a part, but are ever hopping, or rather halting from one to the other. The former of them is, That (forsooth) invocation of Saints is both derogatory to the honour of God, and injurious to the mediation of Christ; and then they display their colours (for they are but colours) Gloriam meam alteri non dabo: unus est mediator Christus jesus; 
Isa. 42. 1. Tim. 2. Matt. 1.  Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis etc. I will not give my glory to any other: There is one mediator Christ jesus: Come unto me all you that labour, and the like. But what of all this? Therefore Christians may not pray to Saints? Who seethe not the childishness of this consequence? And when once we convince them, that it is of not dishonour to God, they have nothing to say, but that the Saints cannot hear us; and when again we prove that the Saints do hear us, they return to their impertinency of telling us, that we dishonour God.  
But howsoever to the first place of Scripture it is truly answered, that the Glory which there is spoken of, is the Glory incommunicable, and only due, and proper unto God himself; but that the Glory given by us to Saints in beseeching them to pray for us, is both so far of an inferior nature, as that we impart it to sinful men and women, as often as we recommend ourselves to their prayers; and we also give by them, a particular increase of honour to God, in acknowledging the mercy he showeth to his creatures whilst he enableth his better servants to assist us.  
To the second, no more occurreth to be said, but that Christ our Lord is the only mediator of Redemption, whereof the Apostle speaketh in that place; but if he were also the only mediator of Intercession between God and man, not only should all the Children in England be ill brought up, when they are appointed to ask their Parent's blessing, but the holy Apostle himself when he commended the necessity of his soul to the prayers of the Romans, 
Rom. 15.  had committed a most injurious act against the Saviour of the world whose faith he preached.  
The third place breedeth so little difficulty, as that it scarce deserveth an answer. For our B. Saviour therein exhorteth all men who were either over-burthned with the obligations of the old Law, or frighted with the horror of their old consciences, that they would resort to him, as to one that would deliver them from both. But he was far from diverting the members of his body from participating with the rest of their own communion, and from approaching to his mercy, by the means of his dearest servants, whether they lived still in this earthly pilgrimage, or were transplanted into that Garden of Eternal glory. And if the meaning of these passages of Holy Scripture had been such as the Caluinists pretend, it were strange that no one Father of the Church in any age should interpret them towards the impugnation of the invocation of Saints.  
Nay even by the Scripture itself which cannot be contrary to Scripture, we are taught that this place doth contribute nothing to the Caluinists opinion; since we find divers instances of men, that came to God by means of the prayers of other men, who yet were so far from derogating thereby, either from the glory of God, or their own good otherwise, as that thereby they obtained their just desires. There was a time when Almighty God made the children of Israë know, that he would not pardon them, 
Exod. 32.  but by the means of such prayers as his servant Moses should make in their behalf And the irreverend friends of job were instructed by God himself, 
job. 42.  that if they would obtain remission of their sins, they should make intercession to job that he might pray for them, expressing plainly that for his sake, and at his suit, they should find such favour as would have been denied them for their own. Nor hath any reason been ever yet alleged, why it should be of dishonour to Almighty God, that men should recommend themselves to the prayers of Angels and Saints, & that it should not be more dishonourable to him, that we should invocate and pray sinful men to intercede for us.  
The second reason which they bring against the invocation of Saints, is because they say, they cannot hear us. Let this therefore be considered of, and let them talk no more of the former, since these depend not upon one another. It is evident in the history of Tobias, by the relation of the Archangel Raphael, 
Tob. 12.  that he offered up the old man's devotions of prayers and alms to the acceptance of Almighty God: But this Book forsooth must be Apocryphal. If they mean not also to cast Christ out of the Canon, what answer can be made to that amorous speech of his, which telleth us, that the Angels of heaven do so rejoice at the conversion of sinners? 
Luc. 15.  Or what to the testimony of the beloved disciple, to whom this amongst other things was revealed, 
Apoc. 9  That the Angels were still offering up their prayers which were made upon earth? We are taught also by Truth itself, 
Matt. 22.  that the Saints are as the Angels of heaven: and to convince the Caluinists in one, is to do it in both. But can either of them offer up our prayers, unless they know them to be such? Or can they rejoice at my conversion unless they see the acts of my contrition, and of the faith whereby I believe the promises of Christ in general; and of hope whereby I apprehend, and apply them in particular; and of the charity whereby I am grafted as a living branch into that true vine, and in a most particular manner of the desires I have of their prayers for me? It is the part of a mad man to call these things in question.  
Again, 
Gen. 49.  the Patriarch jacob when he was upon the point to leave this world bequeathed his children to the protection of his good Angel, beseeching him that as he had preserved him, so he would also bless them. S. john the Evangelist in the very entrance of th' Apocalyps in these words, 
Apoc. c. 1.  Gratia vobis & pax ab eo quiest, & qui erat, & qui venturus est, & à septem spiritibus, beseecheth God and the seven spirits reigning with him to be gracious to them. 
Luc. 15.  And though Dives in the Gospel were a damned soul, yet he was not condemned for praying to Abraham after he was dead; and much less can it be affirmed, but that Abraham heard his prayer though it were not granted. The Angels therefore and the Saints may even out of Scripture be proved to hear our prayers, since we find thereby that men prayed to Saints without any note of that folly, which would have been done to them, if the Saints had not heard their prayers.  

2. Mach. 15.  Moreover since the Scripture teacheth us otherwise, that Onias, jeremias, and other Saints, after they had departed out of this life, did instanily, and incessantly make their prayers for the inhabitants of this world; what inconvenience can be imputed by our Adversaries to the belief we have, that in his face who seethe all things, they see also the prayers we make to him by their means? And since we all profess that the Saints of heaven are completely happy, how envious deserve they to be accounted who would abridge them of all power to help & hear miserable creatures, who rank themselves under their patronage, and recommend themselves earnestly to their assistance? Not as they would do to God upon whom their good originally dependeth, and from whom all grace and glory floweth; but as to his friends, and favourits, who on the one side have had experimental knowledge of our miseries and on the other side have been assumed to the reward of eternal happiness, and are as so many conveyances, and rich conducts of celestial graces to the souls of men.   

CHAP. XII.  
THERE is no article of our Religion which is more impugned by the enemy of mankind, than this of Saints: & I could name a great Caluinist, and a great man that lived not long ago, who could patiently enough be told that he was not truly called to the place he held, who yet when there was speech of the invocation of the B. Virgin, grew abruptly into such a passion, or rather fury, as that he seemed to be little better than possessed. And as all of them are extremely averse in the generality of praying to Saints, so particularly it hath place when there is no question of honouring, or imploring the aid of our B. Lady. But it hath pleased Almighty God in his goodness, that after the rate of their malice who impugn this article; so is the evidence, whereby they are to be convinced, plain, and testified not only by the practice of the Church, the express inference of Holy Scripture, the conformity with nature and reason, but with infinite arguments of miracles which God hath set as so many seals upon this Truth.  
It is strange (and would be incredible, if we were told by less than experience itself) that there should be such a deal of infidelity in the world, as to make men doubt, and of impudence as to make them deny, that the power and gift of miracles is still in the Church, & that they have been abundantly wrought by the providence and power of God, in proof of invocation of Saints, & above all of the glorious, and immaculate Virgin the Mother, the Daughter, and the Spouse of God. There is no corner of the Christian Catholic world, which is not full of them; but no time or place will be able more readily to rise up in judgement against our Caluinists, than the mercy of this kind which God hath showed, in honour of the sacred Virgin, in these very days of ours, and even in the next confines of our Country.  
For they are great numbers of most certain miracles which have been wrought in Brabant near to Sichem, in a Chapel there devoted to our B. Lady. The stories of the men, and women that have received miraculous cure by the prayers of the B. Virgin, to whom they recommended themselves, after exact, and severe examination of the parties themselves, of the persons who knew them both before and after, of whole Colleges of Physicians & Surgeons who had been formerly privy to their infirmities, have been proved and enrolled in the records of principal Cities. Yea & the providence of God hath been such, as to make some one of these miracles, fall upon the most known begging cripple of a whole Country, 
john Clement.  and of whom for his notorious deformity from his mother's womb, together with the importunity of his begging, all the states of the Court, and Town from the Archduke, and Infanta themselves, to the meanest Tradesman in Brussels have taken precise and perfect knowledge. There was I say a most impotent lame creature, who came deformed out of his mother's womb (and by occasion thereof he was her death) whose knees by continual cleaving to his breast, had made deep holes therein, whose legs hung down like a couple of drum-stickes, and who in his life had never made one pace, but on his hands and hips; this man, if he was not rather a monster, they all saw when he was thus, and within a fortnight after (when he had been miraculously, and in an instant cured by the prayers of the most gracious, and glorious Queen of heaven in that Chapel devoted to herself) they saw him again of a good stature, of good proportion, of good health and strength. And not only he was seen by them, but many of those noble English Gentlemen who accompanied the Earl of Hartford in his Embassage to that Court, did also see him, and speak with him, and so may yet as many more as will in Brussels, where he continueth to this day, and his name is john Clement.  
They are wont to tell us, I know not what of counterfeited miracles; and I doubt not but divers may have been counterfeited, and that even in the Apostles days, as well as ours: but so far off is that from proving that there are no true miracles, as this would be a ridiculous inference: The King's hand is counterfeited, therefore the King knoweth not how to write his name. It would rather hold on the otherside, That because sometimes either for pride, or profit some men are so wicked as to counterfeit miracles, it is an evident sign that true miracles are wrought sometimes, which no man would else be so sottish as to counterfeit, as no man would counterfeit the King's hand if the King could not write.  
But howsoever, I assure the Reader in the word of a Christian, and as in the presence of God, who needeth not that any man should tell a lie in his behalf, and who will grievously punish such impostures wheresoever he findeth them, That the Church our Mother detesteth all such impotent, & impure proceeding; and excommunicateth such as concur to the countenancing thereof. And as by occasion of the frequent miracles wrought lately in divers parts of Brabant, there have been some found so wicked, as to the uttermost of their power, to make some very few false miracles pass for true ones; so (the providence of God working by the prudence of such as have the office of looking into those matters) they have been detected, and grievously punished with whipping, having their tongues bored through, and being banished out their Country, as appeareth upon record in Brussels.  
And in those parts where miracles have been so frequently seen in these later times, the examination of the truth of them doth not (as God would have it) lie there in the hands of Ecclesiastical persons (whom the rage of heresy is wont to charge with at least connivency in this point, if not collusion) but the custom hath been of many years, for the secular Magistrates to take knowledge thereof, who will not be pretended even by our Adversaries to be so partial as those others.  
Now, for as much as concerneth the truth, or falsehood of our miracles, although it should be true that the most part of them are wholly false (which yet is no more possible than that the whole world except our Adversaries, should be all grown fools or knaves) yet if all that were granted, and that yet either they shall confess, or it may be justified that any one miracle was ever wrought by God upon the prayers made to our B. Lady, with the invocation of her aid, (which truth the Devil himself is not so dogged, or so damned as to deny) one of these two things will follow, that either Almighty God hath cooperated so far to a false doctrine, as to credit it by supernatural means (which cannot be conceived without blasphemy) or else that the invocation of Saints, and in particular of the immaculate and most glorious Virgin, cannot be impugned, or denied without heretical impiety.  
And if the inference of one true miracle be so pregnant, what will that be which may be made from so many hundreds, which howsoever they be most evidently true, and most easily known to be so, we are the less to wonder at the incredulity of our Adversaries, through the doctrine which is delivered in the person of Abraham, and recorded by the Evangelist S. Luke, 
Luc. 16.  where he saith that the friends of Dives, who then survived, had Moses among them and the Prophets, and if they refused to hear them, neither would they believe though one should rise to them from the dead. By changing only the terms it falleth out to be the Caluinists case, who having the Church of Christ in such a visible, and undoubted manner before their eyes, do yet contest, yea and detest the authority thereof; for the punishment of which perverseness, the most undoubted miracles which are wrought by God, in confirmation of the doctrine which she teacheth, 
Luc. 8.  are denied to be true by them who have eyes, and see not, who have hearts, and understand not, but are uncapable of all instruction; and which daily ripen towards damnation if they free them not from sinning thus against their conscience, as the jews did notwithstanding the infinite miracles of our Saviour Christ, which yet they would never be drawn to acknowledge but did impute those arguments of his Omnipotency either to collusion with the parties who were cured, or to the use of Sorcery in casting out some Devils by the help of others.  
The corporal miracles wrought by God at the intercession of our B Lady are in a manner innumerable; yet are they few in comparison of the spiritual miracles, which are daily seen by the conversion of souls to God's service, through the prayers of the Mother of God and us. It is most certainly true and known to be so, that innumerable sinners have been reduced to penance before their death, to which grace they were never known to have had any other disposition, but by some tenderness of devotion, though imperfect, which in their hearts they ever carried to our B. Lady. Innumerable they are who only coming into those sanctuaries, where God hath been most honoured in the devotion borne to his B Mother (as particularly in that holy house of Loretto) and there having recommended themselves (though unworthily enough) to our B Lady, they have yet found themselves, sometimes strucken down with the horrible fear of God's judgements, sometimes raised up with an extraordinary hope of mercy sometimes strocken through with reflecting upon the ugliness and baseness of sin as that in the same very instant they have resolved upon a whole change of their lives, without taking any longer time then of so many minutes as might conduct them, and cast them at the feet of a Ghostly Father, for the making of entire Restitutions, the quitting of sensual conversations, the deposing of mortal or rather immortal emnityes, and the performing of such other heroical, and high acts of mind; which as they cannot be purchased but by the infinite merit of Christ's passion, so that is never more comfortable, and effectually applied, then by the means of our B. Ladies sacred protection, and dear prayers. And although the acts & records of these spiritual miracles be not so well kept in parchment as are the corporal; yet I appeal to the conscience of observing and curious Catholics, which cannot fail to bear witness with me of this truth, that the bowels of our B. ladies compassion do by the providence of God extend themselves as much more frequently to the strange cure of souls then of bodies, as the body is less considerable than the soul: in so much as a whole City in Italy hath been found upon some devotion which it hath taken to our B. Lady, 
Luca.  to make within the space of a few years such a total change from vice to virtue and piety, as there is difference between a disorderly Tavern, and a devout Church.  
In the same manner if the State of Brabant, and the Provinces adjoining (for as much as concerneth Morality or Religion) be considered, and the difference well weighed concerning the great example of virtue, and manners, and the integrity of Faith, to the contrary in both these respects, whereby those countries were endangered until the miracles (wrought by the intercession of our B. Lady, near Sichem, and other places) made them cast a quicker eye of humble devotion towards her: If it be considered I say, how all the states of people are admirably improved since that time, all such, as together with common sense have not the poison of prejudicate passion in their hearts, and heads, will acknowledge the powerful and gracious hand of our B. Lady in this heavenly work, and will not fail to esteem it for a spiritual miracle.  
It is time that I grow to a conclusion, and I will procure to tie it up in as strait a compass as I can. I have endeavoured to show, how highly our B. Lady is honoured by the testimony of holy Scripture, and to remove such objections as her Adversaries take from thence, whereby to do her disparagement. I have showed her Genealogy, her Beauty, her perfection of virtue which filled the whole world with heroical actions. I have accompanied that discourse, with showing how the whole Church hath employed itself in her devotion, & how the ancient, most holy, and most learned Fathers have endeavoured to excel one another in piety towards her, wherein the sectaries of our time are as wholly unlike them as in other things. I have offered to the Readers consideration the authority both of corporal, and spiritual miracles, whereby Almighty God hath as it were laboriously concurred, in this age of ours, towards the planting of a Trophy to our B. Lady in the hearts of all men. Happy are they who mean to take occasion hereby, either to begin, or to increase in a most reverend, and filial affection towards her: and most happy should I account myself, if the little which I have been able to say, or do, might cause some few mites, after the example of this of mine, to be cast into the rich Treasury of her Praises.   

CHAP. XIII.  
BUT it is to be considered (for now I chief speak to my fellow-Catholikes) that the knowledge of our B. ladies greatness, and goodness must not go for a speculative, but for a practical kind of knowledge, because it doth excitare animum ad amorem, excite the mind of man to love, as also it must be remembered that true love is not idle, but operative, and doth show itself by a conformity of the will towards that of the party beloved. And therefore as in the beginning of this discourse, I moved my Reader to contract friendship with the Queen of Angels (for as her Humility holp to make her so, so her greatness maketh her not yet the less humble, or depriveth her of vouchsafing to contract an indissoluble league of amity with the meanest of those souls, for which the Son of God and her was pleased to die) so now in the end of it, I can advise nothing more to purpose, then that the law of true friendship towards her may be performed, which is idem velle, and idem nolle, to will, and not will the same thing. We have already seen how she stood affected in this life, all which was spent with extreme joy of heart in Poverty, Chastity, Recollection, Mortification, Humility, Patience, and Charity. The things that she cared not for, were the contrary of all those virtues, & now that she is assumed both in body and soul, into that height of glory which exceedeth the capacity of all the rest of Creatures put together, what other thing can she will, in respect of herself, but the good Will of God; and what other thing can she will concerning us, but that every one in his several calling should adore with her the same Will of God, & procure to arrive at that journeys end, by those ways which she hath traced out for our wandering steps-  
It will not become me to deliver any opinion, or to give any advise of the particular devotions, which men should do well to nourish in themselves, towards this B. Lady. The natures, & affections, and spirits of men are different, and it would be hard for a wiser man than myself to chance fair, in the giving of any such address. The most generally embraced devotions which are performed to her be two. The former whereof is the reciting of the Rosary, which was cast into that method by that great Patriarch S. Dominicke, the Founder of a most flourishing Order. It is a most excellent kind of prayer, compounded both of mental & vocal. The Vocal consisting all of Pater Nosters, and ave Maria's (which are also of that kind the most excellent prayers) and the Mental part, having no less matter for the subject, than all the principal mysteries of our B. saviours incomprehensible Incarnation, his most admirable life, his most dolorous Passion, and most glorious Resurrection, and Ascension.  
The other is of the Sodality of our B. Lady, so called by the society which men have one with another, in doing her honour and service, and consequently in being happy by her assistance. It was principally instituted in remembrance of her most glorious Assumption. The practice thereof consisteth in men's resolving at their first entrance, upon a renovation of their life, by making then a general confession, and by growing afterwards in spirit through the frequenting of Sacraments at certain times, under the happy conduct and direction of the Fathers of the Society of jesus. And in particular, besides the fasting upon the eves of all our B. ladies feasts, and the reciting of those Psalms, and Prayers every day whereof her Office is composed, it doth recommend a careful and daily examination of the conscience, especially for the getting and keeping of that purity, which maketh the soul so grateful in the sight of God. They meet together at least once a week, and then they receive light and help towards the performing both of that which hath been said already, as also for the exercising of such works of charity, whether they be corporal or spiritual, as in their several callings they can reach unto, namely visiting the sick, burying of the dead, releasing of prisoners, reconciling of enemies, and the like. And both to this Sodality, and to that other company of the Rosary, great Indulgences are applied by the Sea apostolic, and the particulars aswell of privilege as obligation, may easily be learned, by such as will, of their Ghostly Father.  
As for private devotions some exercise themselves in saying their Beads, in contemplation of the most holy actions of our B. Lady: Others say the holy Office before mentioned, which the Church hath composed in her praise of Psalms, and Lessons taken out of Holy Scripture for that purpose: Others recite her litanies, whereby she is both highly praised, and by her principal attributes prayed unto: Some fast upon the Saturday, because that day is particularly dedicated to her service: Some take a discipline or wear a haircloth in union of the spiritual Martyrdom that she suffered: Some make a vow of Chastity in conformity with her more than Angelical purity: And some there be who give often alms for her sake with as good a will as if it were for the relief of her wont poverty.  
These devotions with many others are performed by good Christians in the Catholic Church, wherewith to honour the Mother of God. Let every man continue in that, wherein he findeth himself most to profit; for there is none of them which procureth not, to the reverend users thereof, extraordinary comforts in this life, and which layeth not up incomparable rewards for the next. I only desire leave, that I may express a poor thought of mine. It is, that for as much as our B. Lady hath the office of assisting our souls when they are to departed out of this life (as doth evidently appear by the practice of the Church which commandeth her children to call daily & hourly upon her for that purpose) I think it would be profitable, and nothing painful (for such as have the means) to give daily (by way of addition to their other devotions) some little alms, though it were but a penny (or even less rather than nothing, where less coin is to be found) in honour of the immaculate Conception of our B. Lady, to which misery English catholics have reason to be particularly devoted (because in England it grew soonest to be most declared) & this to be offered to the end that she may be pleased in particular manner to assist, & comfort their souls in that fearful passage.  
Such as will not charge their memories to call this to mind, or will not trouble their hands in disposing of so miserable an alms, shall do well (though yet less well) in commanding some very honest servant to do that duty; but with this further caution, that if by negligence the alms of one day should be forgotten, the next day it must not fail to be doubled; and they who are so poor as to want this means, whether they be Religious persons or secular may instead of that little alms make some little prayer in honour of our B Lady, in contemplation of the same Mystery, and in expectation of the same benefit: I have not heard of a shorter, or a sweeter prayer than this which was used by that holy Archbishop of Canterbury S. Ans●lme, and may in this case be thrice repeated, P●e Domine jesu, parce servo Matris tuae. Amen. O dear Lord jesus, forgive the servant of thy Mother. Amen. And I have also known this other, used by some great servants of God, and with admirable success in their necessities, Maria jesus, sponsa joseph, per immaculatam Conceptionem tuam, & purissimam Virginitatem tuam adiwa me. O Marry the Mother of jesus, & the spouse of joseph, by thy immaculate conception: and thy pure virginity I beseech thee to assist me. For as we cannot better express our love to Christ our Lord, then by giving honour to our B. Lady; so neither can we more obligingly honour her, then by reverently remembering her only Son, and her dear Spouse S. joseph, as here is done.  
But to make either of these prayers with good hope of grace, a man must indeed be her Servant, as is expressed in the former of them; and though I do but point out the other particular devotion, without daring to advise in the election, I must needs adventure to recommend two general considerations, whereof the one will facilitate the other. The first of them may be, to accustom one's self after an easy, and liberal manner, and without over painful reflection, to conserve in the eyes of his mind, the continual presence of our B. Lady, & to consider the Nobility, and Solidity, together with the extreme Facility wherewith she performed all her actions: and the second to breed, and cherish a kind of tender, & sweet affection to her name, to her praise to her festivities, to her devoted servants, and to be frequent in giving God entiere thanks for the infinite graces which he imparted to her, and wherewith she did so divinely cooperate.  
This practice of this devotion, need not distract any man from others, it need not displace his temporal business, the use of it rather may be to fill up vacant times; and I know no cause, why a man may not hope from hence to find such helps, as may serve to make him run with pleasure through the career of this disordered, and distasteful life. For whosoever be the author of this conceit, to me it seemeth no ill one: That as the strength of a spiritual man's life must proceed to him from the blood and consideration of the Passion of our B. Saviour: so his comfort, and delight in God is the usual effect of the sacred milk, and the contemplation of the life of our B. Lady. Of whose goodness to mankind let us hear and ponder what S. Bernard saith, Sileat misericordiam tuam Virgo beata etc. Let him, 
Bernard. hom. 4. super missus est  O blessed Virgin, conceal the praises of thy mercy (if any such there be) who can remember that thou didst ever fail him, when he invoked thine aid in his necessity; but as for us thy poor servants, when we consider the rest of thy virtues, we rejoice rather in respect of thee; but in this of thy mercy we are glad in regard of ourselves. We praise thy Virginity, we admire thy Humility, but yet thy Mercy is to us of a sweet taste. We embrace thy Mercy more dearly, we remember it more frequently, and we invoke it more fervently. Thus he. And whosoever shall consider the life of Saint Bernard, one of the most devout servants of our B. Lady that she ever had, and see how full it was on the one side of extreme austerity, & sickness, & yet on the other how his soul did even regorge again with the excess, and satiety of spiritual comfort, will easily find in the passages of it, that our B. Lady is a Mistress well worth the serving, and that she did cast some such ingredient into the bundle of myrrh, that S. Bernard would needs lay next his heart, as made him even languish and half dye with love.   

CHAP. XIIII.  
HOw fit than it were, that since the Caluinists will not follow the instinct of this most holy Father, in giving high honour to our B. Lady, they should at least hear the voice of the very Mahometans themselves, who notwithstanding, that they believe not our B. Saviour to have been the Son of God, but only that he was an holy man, and an extraordinary Prophet, yet after the rate of the Mother of such a Prophet, they frankly yield so high honour to our B Lady, and they mention her purity and excellency upon all occasions with such tender and entiere respect, as no Caluinist in the whole world hath been ever known to do. For howsoever when a Catholic shall join issue with a Caluinist in the hearing of moderate men of his own Religion, concerning the excellencies of our Lady, he will be drawn to say (though duly enough) that she was a most happy creature, a blessed Virgin, and in fine our saviours Mother: yet as it is evident that they do not penetrate and ponder the unspeakable dignity which the being of his Mother doth involve; so they are never carried to do her honour with any willingness and cheerfulness, but only as it were by constraint, and violence. Some of them will praise her faintly, when they see that they must dispraise themselves if they do it not; but otherwise if a man leave them to the work of Nature, and of the principles which indeed they hold concerning her, a man may live amongst them so many years as to make even Matthusalem seem young, before he find them once enter voluntarily into any affectuous speech in honour of her, exprofesso.  
For the proof here of I might appeal to every man's particular experience, and to the conscience of my Reader at large. But to show it yet better, as upon Record, let it be considered, that since Caluinisme was set on foot, there hath not been (for aught that ever I could learn) any one discourse or book written by any one of that profession in honour, and admiration of this B. Virgin, either to publish her prerogatives, or to reflect upon her virtues, or to make contemplations upon her most holy and happy actions; and much less to exhort the world to imitate that most excellent Original of piety, which she did set before us by her life and conversation. Nay in all my days I have not been able to understand that ever they bestowed so much as one express sermon in honour of her, wherein howsoever they might (according to their erroneous belief) have discredited the doctrine of her invocation, yet withal they might at least have largely described, & praised her virtues, they might have magnified her prerogatives, they might have persuaded men to the imitation of her examples, if in their hearts they had prosecuted her with true affection and admiration.  
For could this omission peradventure come from want of matter worthy to be observed in the B. Virgin? Or be these things but fables which have been brought out of Scripture, and laid here before your eyes? No. But the true reason is, that there is something in the spirit of etrour, which is not compatible with a true, and tender, and filial reverence of affection to the sacred Virgin, which maketh them all carry a kind of tooth towards her: some grin, and show it, others bear it with more appearance of modesty, but with no less malice, and generally all of them have some kind of antipathy (whereof some of themselves do scarce know the root) against her. By whom although their souls may be assisted and favoured as soon, and sometimes before they have the grace to desire so great a blessing; yet their opinions are hated by her who brought him forth, that hath been the destruction of all former, and will be so of all future heresies. And it should seem that the enemy of mankind finding the wound to be so deadly which he hath received in great part by her means, procureth to revenge himself in a particular manner, by arming such as he hath drawn into error, towards an aversion from her.  
For whereas Catholics are taught to know that they do not honour her too much in giving her whatsoever a pure creature is capable of, and in believing her to have been preserved by the special prerogative of Almighty God, from those shames, and sins to which all the rest of mankind is subject; and even the Mahometans though they do not so much as believe in the divinity of our Saviour Christ, yet do they admire, and magnify her out of the very historical relation that they have of her life: These other adversaries of God's Truth, and Church (whereof they once were, though now they are departed from thence) such as are only jews, and Heretics be the only two races of men, that can be found under the cope of heaven (for the Pagans know little of her) to have lift up their hands, and opened their mouths to the reproach and blasphemy of this sacred, and immaculate Virgin.  
But I would beseech them even by the bowels of Christ jesus our Lord (if they care indeed for those bowels of his, who carry no more reverence to these bowels of hers which brought him forth) that if they will not be as pious towards her as they ought, they will at least not be so dangerously imprudent as they are to themselves. Let them take heed how they continue to arm themselves towards the assault of this Tower of strength: 
Hier. in jerem. 31. & Zach. 14.  Christ himself is the corner stone, and our B. Lady is the Quarry, or rather the Mine of spotless marble, out of which he would be taken, without the help of any other hands than those of the Holy Ghost. Our Saviour hath said of himself, in the similitude of this stone, 
Luc. 2●.  He that stumbleth upon it shall fall, and he upon whom the stone falleth, shallbe driven to powder: which howsoever it be principally, & literally true of him, in regard of them who offend him first, and afterward provoke him to take vengeance of them for their other sins; yet experience telleth us, that it carrieth some proportion towards such others as oppose themselves, and offend the honour of our B. Lady, who have come, after lives led in extreme obscurity of mind and misery, to end wretchedly in despair.  
I remit myself to good observers, whether some such as having been Catholics, and coming after to lose (together with their Religion) the very reputation both of Christianity, and common honesty, have not been formerly known to carry a secret, and subtle spite to the honour of our Lady: and on the other side, I could for a need name some Caluinists, who being in a fair way to obtain both temporal, and eternal felicity by finding themselves to be moved internally to grow into some tenderness of devotion towards our B. Lady, upon an express resistance of those good motions, and a fortifying themselves in the contrary purpose, have fallen into such poverty, and misery, and disreputation, and confusion, as that, at the instant wherein now I speak, they are grown to be the very By-wordes, and Proverbs of the places wherein they live.  
And as for such as are, and by the grace of God are to continue of our communion, whether they be of England, or any other Country (as there is a latitude in the natures, and inclinations of men) and some even amongst us are much more devoted to our B. Lady then some others (yet so that none of us do not take joy in giving her gladly all her rights, none of us that do not extol her, none of us that do not desire her prayers, that God Almighty may be merciful unto us through Christ our Lord:) so I can protest, as in the divine presence, that whosoever they be amongst us, that are, and appear to be the most tenderly affected towards the honouring, and loving of this sacred Virgin, are also found to be the men who in other respects deserve to be acknowledged as most eminent in all kind of Angelical virtue. So that devotion to her, is not only a distinct sign between good and bad, that is, between Catholics and no Catholics, but it is in like manner a sign of difference between good, and better, that is between ordinary Catholics and such others, as are the best amongst us. And though some may have their mouths and pens full of her praises, whilst their hearts are void of her virtues (and I beseech jesus from my very soul that myself may not be found the foremost of that rank) yet in the generality, that proportion which I first delivered is most certainly true.  
Towards the further building up of her greatness, in the judgement of any reasonable man, I will desire him yet to let one only other stone be added, by remembering that Parable of the Penny, which was given for the days work in the Gospel, and by considering that speech of our Saviour which he used against those envious old labourers: Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? 
Matt. 22.  and, Is your eye therefore evil because I am good? For hereby he may understand, that Almighty God is not any bodies Ward, that he disposeth of his treasures according to the latitude of his own heart; and that he would have the world rather enlarge itself towards the admiration of his unspeakable bounty, powered forth upon his creatures, then be accustomed, through certain mechanical, and envious little thoughts, to paint him out, as if he were some miserable aged Prince, that were in fear of being deposed, if he should raise his favourits to any extraordinary degree of greatness.  
But the case standeth far otherwise; for as God is infinite in all things, so is ●e most eminently infinite in the communication, and effusion of himself upon all such souls as do nobly serve him, and especially such as do it with greatest perfection, and are enabled by him to undertake, and discharge the highest functions. The patriarchs were made wonderfully fit for their offices, the Apostles for theirs, the Precursour of Christ for ●his, his supposed Father S. joseph (who really was his conductor, guide, & governor) for his. And so the immaculate, pure, most gracious, and most glorious mother of God, was above all made most fit for hers. But we may first descend a great deal lower, & yet not lose the sight of her greatness. For there is not the meanest of us all who shall not at the day of judgement, if he die in the state of Grace, have a body which shall then be knit to the Soul, more glorious than the Sun, as impassable as the Angels, incomparably more subtle than lightning; and we cannot now so easily translate a thought from one end of the world to another, as than we shallbe able to transport ourselves, as it were in an instant. We shall be immortal, we shallbe Heirs of the kingdom of heaven, we shallbe Coheirs with Christ, and if he be a King, we shall all be also kings of heaven. Fellowship in possessing of that kingdom doth not weaken, or lessen the excellency of dominion, as it would do here on earth: but it doth highly beautify and increase it through the union of will, which reigneth in those happy souls.  
Our Saviour speaking to his Apostles and disciples, and in their persons to such as would keep his commandments, entereth so far by words of tenderness as to despoil them of servitude, and to  them with the precious robes of friendship; 
joan. 15.  Vos amici mei estis etc. as if he had said, No longer will I account you now my servants, but I will advance you to the rank of being my friends. 
Luc. 13.  He had formerly avowed to the Apostles, that he disposed of his kingdom to their use as his Father had disposed thereof to his, Again he assumeth them, 
Matt. 19  that they who had left all, and followed him, should sit upon twelve seats, and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel, whereby the whole world is signified. 
1. Cor. 6.  And S. Paul taketh upon him to warrant, that Christians shall judge even very Angels at the last day. Now this judicature is an act, and exercise of a King's royalty, and the reason why earthly Kings do it not in their own person, is because, either they want knowledge, or industry, or for that they cannot be in so many places in so short a time as were convenient: but none of these things can be said of Christ, and therefore when he maketh his Apostles judges, it is not to excuse himself, but to impart to them a kind of supreme honour and authority over the rest his creatures.  
We see then the unspeakable bounty of Almighty God towards all such as are to praise and serve him in the Court of heaven for all eternity; we see that some of us shall judge the world; That we shall judge Angels; That we shall be Kings of heaven, heirs to God, and coheirs with Christ; yea and, That even in this life such as keep his Commandments are already entitled by the name of Friends, or favourits of Christ jesus. And is it possible for any Christian to have so little, and so poor a soul, as to think that the Mother of God is not to be honoured in a manner much superior to all this? Is it possible that since God doth not make Officers as earthly Kings make them (who take such as they find, whether they be good or bad, & so they continue) but he first maketh men fit for the places to which he calleth them? Is it possible, since the dignity of the Mother of God, doth unspeakably exceed the dignity of Patriarches, Prophets, Precursours, Apostles, and whatsoever employment whereof a pure creature is capable, that any man should be so void of natural Logic as not to draw an argument from the less to the greater: That if the less hath much excellency, the greater hath much more? Or rather that he should have so little wit, or common sense, as not to see, That as in numbers the more do exceed the fewer, so our B. Lady doth outstrip all the other creatures of God in greatness in grace, in authority, and in Majesty.  
Let not therefore our Adversaries, (for so in respect of their opinions they will needs deserve to be called) deceive themselves. 
Conclusion.  They may think it is zeal which they have in abasing the honour of our B, Lady, whereas indeed it is but ignorance in the most innocent of them, and in others either hypocrisy, or envy. 
Mat. 2●.  Many of them who saw how Caiphas did in that solemn assembly of Priests, & Doctors of Jerusalem, cast up his eyes to Heaven, and rend his Pontifical garments, & exclaim with horror against Christ himself, affirming that he had blasphemed, did doubtless judge by the appearance of it, that the High Priest had some reason. And some covetous, or malicious jew, who had been present, when judas censured the matchless enamoured Penitent of our Lord S. Mary Magdalen (as wasting that precious ointment upon his head, and crying out that it should rather have been employed upon the poor) would as willingly, & perhaps with as much reason, have given his voice with judas against Christ, as these men do eagerly malign and of whom I have seen some grow pale, and even sick through the rage of envy, when they observe how curious, and costly we are content to be in our desire, not only to anoint as it were, and adorn the head of this sacred Virgin with our praises, but to cast ourselves at her pure feet by our Invocations. Therefore here the Proverb may well come in, All is not gold that glistereth; and that twinkling Brother, who in the zeal he pretendeth to carry to God's honour, doth secretly repine and snarl at that of our Blessed Lady, instead of making for himself a Crown in heaven, may then be hammering out eternal chains for his soul in Hell. This may serve to them for a word of advice, that at least they may use modesty in this matter, if they will not be drawn to use piety.  
But we Catholics are far from needing such advice as this, who know our duties towards the blessed Mother of Almighty God, and who are not, in this respect, to be drawn from less wandering, but to be encouraged towards a faster going. I do therefore presume to cast myself, with most entiere veneration, at thy pure feet, O thou most gracious, and most triumphantly glorious Queen of Heaven, the Mother of my Saviour, & my God, the sum and top of all excellency, and perfection under him. I beseech thee by those thy immaculate bowels of mercy which embraced, and enclosed the Lord of life by those sacred breasts which gave him suck and fed him towards the accomplishment of our Redemption, look down upon us with those eyes, which since they be thine, cannot choose but be of extreme compassion. Look not only upon us but upon those others also whom before I mentioned who howsoever they be our Brethren according to the flesh, yet they will needs make themselves strangers from the Covenant of thy Son, rightly understood, and particularly from doing thee the honour that belongs to his most worthy, and most sacred Mother, Tros, Tyriusque tibi nullo discrimine— Intercede for us who are now begging thy assistance; intercede for them, who do not so, to the end that they may have the grace to do it. Tota pulchra es amica mea, & macula non est in te: Thou art all fair, and sweet, thou wast as entirely immaculate in thy Conception, as in thy Assumption. There was never any sin in thee, or any sad aspect towards us. Then let me resort to that notion of Friendship, wherewith I began this discourse, which I yet am making in thy honour.  
We catholics are thy humble, & obsequious servants, and servi are humiles amici; a kind of humble friends we are in being thy servants: nor wilt thou disdain to know us by the name of Friends since Christ himself thy Son our Saviour vouchsafed to call, and account them his friends, that follow his directions, as hath been said. Perform to us therefore, all those parts of Friendship, and protection, which thy State of Glory may afford, and our State of misery doth need; and obtain Grace for us, that we may never fail of Faith, and loyalty towards thee. Thou art the Woman who wert not only clothed by the Sun, but thou didst also  the Sun of justice, whilst thy immaculate flesh, and blood was imparted to the Son of thy womb. By him we beg of thee, that thou wilt intercede for us to him, that we may live in his fear, and die in his favour: and that as here we have the comfort to enjoy thee, as our chief Mediatrix of Intercession towards him; so with thee & at thy feet, we may praise, and glorify him in all eternity, as our only Mediator of Redemption.   
FINIS.   

A PRAYER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, Made in Contemplation of the Passion of Christ our Saviour.  

1.  
EVEN by the mist of sighs that overgrew  
Thy sacred face, which was designed to be  
The spotless mirror, where all souls might view  
The quintessence of their felicity:   

2.  
Even by the Sea of those salt tears, wherein  
Thine eyes like Suns did set, whose only sight  
Was able to have made even Hell begin  
To be competitor, with Heaven, for light:   

3.  
Even by the storm of bloody hail, which fell  
From thy faint limbs, and died the palid ground  
With Rubies of the Rock, dissolved so well  
By fire of Love, as doth man's skill confound:   

4.  
By that fierce agony, that deep distress,  
That desolation, and that bitter woe,  
That fear, that care, that heart-sick heaviness,  
Which in the Garden did exhaust thee so:   

5.  
(To thee no garden, but a bed of thorns,  
Whereon thou wert kept waking, to foresee,  
And count (together with my sins) those scorns,  
And pains, which soon thou wast to feel for me.)   

6.  
Dear Saviour of my soul, by all the Story  
Of that night's work (that night that had no end)  
Lend me thine ear of mercy, for thy glory▪  
For with what face can I my good pretend?   

7.  
They are not Thine, my sovereign Lord, but Thee  
Which I affect, with restless appetite:  
Thy creatures all (though Heaven included be)  
Fall short of giving me complete delight.   

8.  
Give me thyself, and (if a beggar may  
Become a chooser) give thyself just so,  
As in thy Passion thou didst go to pay  
That huge Rent-charge, which I, not Thou didst owe.   

9  
Thy Passion, which alone doth make me know,  
That as in other things thou dost surpass  
Angels and men: so here thou dost outgo  
Thyself, as far as Diamonds do Glass.   

10.  
For thee, to do all that thou canst conceive,  
Is nothing, for thou art Omnipotent:  
But for a God to suffer, and bereave  
Himself of power, shows power of more extent.   

11.  
For thee to govern such a world as this,  
Declares thy wisdom to be infinite:  
But to reform a world, that runs amiss,  
By dying on a Cross, shows more insight.   

12.  
'Twas matchless goodness, that thou wouldst inspire  
This poor dark body, with a soul divine:  
But 'twas much greater, that thou didst desire  
To save it, with such prejudice of thine.   

13.  
I grant that all thy life a Passion was,  
And as it were one act of suffering pain;  
In the first turn of thy lives hourglass,  
I think thou didst, & know thou mightst complain,   

14.  
Of bitter cold, and so great poverty,  
As that in a whole world, which thou hast framed,  
Even for thy birth, there was but on● hole free,  
Lent thee by beasts, of man's hard heart ashamed.   

15.  
From thence thou went'st to Circumcision,  
Learning as soon as borne, to shed thy blood,  
Which first in drops, and then in showers ran on  
So fast, that at the Cross they made a flood.   

16.  
Then didst thou in the Virgin's bosom range  
To Egypt, where thy beauty was died black,  
And forced (being grown at thy return) didst change  
Thy mother's bosom, for thy Father's back.   

17.  
Thy rest of life was full of care, and pain,  
Spent in obedience; thou dist pray, and fast,  
And preach, and travail, and receive disdain  
From such, as of thy bounty most did taste.   

18.  
All this, I say, I grant; but yet in this  
Thou hadst some comforts, thou didst hear & see  
Thy sacred Mother, that full Sea of bliss,  
And thine Apostles, rude, yet loving thee.   

19  
But in that later part of thy sad age,  
Which we most properly thy Passion call;  
I see thou art sold over, to the rage  
Of men most devilishly tyrannical.   

20.  
There were few comforts, there few blubbered eyes,  
Few bleeding hearts, few hands held up on high  
In wonder of those vast impieties,  
Wherewith they charged thy dear humanity.   

21.  
How did they rend that venerable hair  
From those rich Temples of thy royal head;  
And thus unseeled the roof, that they might tear  
The walls, so low as to be buried?   

22.  
These walls they first unhung, and off did take  
Thy coat, which once those virgin hands did frame▪  
But now their sordid eyes, a prey did make  
Upon thy nakedness. O sin, O shame!   

23.  
Prodigious sin in them, and shame to thee;  
Saving that instantly those scourges came,  
Which veyld thy flesh, with an imbrodery  
So thick, as than it did not seem the same.   

24.  
A purple garment did they cast with scorn  
About thy back: 'twas single, but did grow  
Soon after double; for thy skin was torn  
All off with it, and served to line it so.   

25.  
How did they, under colour of a Crown  
Pierce thy fair brow, the casket of that brain,  
Wherein the wisdom even of God came down  
To ransom us from Hell's eternal pain.   

26.  
Then took they up a Cane, more hate to show,  
And often beating it about thy head  
With skilful rage, each thorn, by every blow,  
Made a new wound, and they all inward bled.   

27.  
Thy face so bruised, and swollen, did make thine eyes  
As hollow, as their hearts that looked on thee,  
Hearts hugely hollow, that could so comprise  
The NON PLUS VLTRA of Iniquity.   

28.  
Thine Eyes I say, by swelling of thy face,  
Became the sinks of that foul house of thine,  
Or like two dirty valleys, which have place  
Between high Mountains, where no Sun can shine.   

29.  
So ghastly didst thou look, and let me say  
So ugly (for thou wouldst deserve that name)  
Their malice did find means, to make away  
The highest beauty, that even God could frame,   

30.  
Yea thou a God in substance, yet in show  
Wert scarce a man, but rather a poor worm;  
A leper, nay an ulcer, which did flow  
So fast, as even to drown thee in that storm.   

31.  
Thy Nose, thy sacred Ears, were springs of blood,  
Thy pores of sweat, but that which pain thee more,  
Was thy dear cheek, where still engraved stood  
The kiss which judas gave not long before.   

32.  
Thy Beard, which never razor durst offend,  
Their hands and hearts, more hard than hardest steel,  
And in some kind more sharp, did strive to rend:  
Nor is there torment which thou didst not feel.   

33.  
For where the winged Angels use to build  
Their nest of pleasure, and of sweet repose,  
They all with filthy dirt, and spittle filled,  
Incorporated to thy mouth with blows.   

34.  
Thus dressed, thou wert led forth, to act thy part  
Of bitter sorrow; thus they hide thy back  
Under that Cross, which did such weight impart,  
And pain withal, as made thy shoulders crack.   

35.  
And as a building, which top-heavy is  
Upon a weak foundation, ruins all;  
So thou thus feeble, with such weight as this,  
Wert forced to stumble oft, and oft to fall.   

36.  
There first thy Mother most disconsolate,  
Thy Passion saw, and through her eyes down came  
Thine Image to her soul, which did create  
Sharp swords of sorrow, that transpierced the same.   

37.  
But what she felt in soul, did back rebound  
Upon thy body, and that served alone  
Thy sense with greater anguish to confound,  
For now one pain, to be two pains was grown.   

38.  
Pain which thou likd'st so well, as not t'endure  
That those good women should once pity thee:  
Thou car'dst for nothing, so thou mightst be sure  
By suffering much, to show more love to me.   

39  
At last thou leftest the City gates behind,  
And crawling up (for then thou couldst not go)  
That hill which for thy murdering was designed,  
Again they stripped thee, though even shame said no.   

40.  
Thou didst not then (because thou wouldst not) sue  
A just appeal, against their Tyranny,  
Whilst they, being Captains of the damned crew,  
Made haste to hell, in spite of God and thee.   

41.  
Thine Arms & Thighs they racked, to make them find  
Those holes, which bored through the Cross had been:  
Then brought they nails, which with their points refined  
Wounded thy limbs, but killed their souls with sin.   

42.  
And so they reared that Cross, half discontent  
To have thus freed thee from more cruelties;  
But what they could they did, that is, torment  
Thy patiented ears, with hideous blasphemies.   

43.  
With some I could more easily dispense;  
But for that wretch, that had no parallel,  
And gnashing cried, Vab, come down from thence,  
I curse him to the lowest pit of Hell.   

44.  
The Rocks could cleave, the Temple's veil could rend,  
The Sun could mourn, the very dead could rise;  
Yet this enraged Imp would not relent,  
But heap high scorns, on thy deep miseries.   

45.  
Compared with this, those other sins were small  
Of losing Barrabas, of placing thee  
Between two thieves, that so thou mightst have all  
The marks of Honourable Infamy.   

46.  
Of giving Vinagre, and Gall to drink  
In thy last deadly thirst, a savage part;  
That reached thy mouth, but this foul scoff, I think,  
Was that which battered, and did break thy heart.   

47.  
And thus dear Lord thou wast content to die;  
This is thy story, which in blood was penned;  
But I mistook the Author, for 'twas I,  
Not they, that brought thee to so sad an end.   

48.  
My sins, my grievous sins, did cause all this,  
My serving thee, not ill in outward show,  
Whilst yet in heart I sinned, was judas kiss  
Which treacherously betrayed, and sold thee so.   

49.  
My Loathness to amend, were ropes to bind  
Thy hands behind thy back, my thoughts unchaste  
Were spittle, which almost did strike thee blind,  
By issuing from my festered soul so fast.   

50.  
My pride did make thy Crown; my shamelessness  
Plucked off thy clothes; the pampering of my sense  
Did urge those hands, which were so merciless,  
To scourge, and wound thee, with extreme offence.   

51.  
My heart of steel did yield those rails, that past  
Thy well deserving hands; my Gluttony  
Made thee of vinegar, and gall to taste,  
And I blasphemed thee by mine Heresy,   

52.  
All this did I, and yet thou diedst for me;  
And not content therewith, wast pleased to add  
Such circumstances of thy Charity,  
As may confound, and make man's reason mad.   

53.  
For when thou wast upon thy hard deathbed,  
And shouldst have thought of making a new Hell  
For lewd mankind, thou wert by goodness led  
To rain down treasures, which no tongue can tell.   

54.  
Thou praydst thy Father to forgive my sin,  
As if such malice were but want of wit;  
I see the eager thirst thy soul was in,  
That mine might in thy glorious kingdom sit.   

55.  
Thou taughtst me, that I ought to hope for grace,  
By that good thieves example, who was brought  
From state of sin to see God's brightest face,  
Selling so cheap, what thou so dear hadst bought.   

56.  
And, as if wickedness were good deserts,  
Thou gav'st me, in the person of Saint john,  
Thy sacred Mother, the true Queen of Hearts,  
A royal stock to build all bliss upon.   

57  
If then thou couldst have spoken, thou wouldst have said;  
Come soul, most sinful, yet most dear to me:  
Dear, for so dear a price as I have paid;  
And dear, for that dear Love I bear to thee.   

58.  
Thou seest where I am placed, then ponder well  
What I have done, and suffered for thy sake▪  
I who am God, for thee poor Imp of Hell,  
For so thou wert, till I did mercy take.   

59  
Thus doth the Eternal Father treat his Son,  
His only Son, who could not sin at all;  
And if the Sureties to such straits become,  
How wilt thou scape who art the Principal.   

60.  
O Penetrate my shame, my pains, my tears,  
My wounded body, my disfigured face,  
My soul oppressed with grievous cares, and fears,  
Lest thou shouldst live, and die in God's disgrace.   

61.  
See how my feet are nailed thus to a tree;  
To show that I will never stir from thence,  
Till thou mayst be procured to pity me,  
Who seek to save thee, with my lives expense.   

62.  
My head hangs down, to offer thee a kiss  
Of friendship, which shall never be dissolved;  
Mine arms are spread, that so thou mayst not miss,  
By chains of endless love to be involud.   

63.  
And that thou mayst be sure of what I say,  
Nor think my words can be as vain as thine;  
A lance shall pierce my side, and make a way,  
Whereby thou mayst discern this heart of mine.   

64.  
If justice cannot win thee to preserve  
From sin thy soul (that spark of fire divine)  
If no respect of gratitude can serve,  
To make thee his, who is so truly thine:   

65.  
At least let Interest (whose reign of late  
Extends itself to all but fools and Saints,  
Neither of which thou art) make thee change state,  
And cease thy miseries, with my complaints,   

66.  
For what canst thou, poor wretch, presume, or hope  
To purchase of the world, whose slave thou art,  
The world, which is but a plain peddlers shop,  
Of wares (small wares if measured with man's heart.)   

67.  
And what are these, but Honour, Pleasure, Riches,  
Which it sets forth, and cries, See what you lack,  
And so the eyes of simple men betwiches,  
Who do the Nutshell, for the keruell take.   

68  
For whom did Honour ever yet content,  
Most kind to them to whom it makes resistance;  
For as for those, to whom it gives consent,  
It fails them most, when most they crave assistance.   

69.  
Look upon them, who by the steady lance  
Of furious death, are thrust even under ground;  
Whom Honour made in that wild Maze to dance,  
Where is much motion, but no measure found.   

70.  
Look upon them that live (if they do live  
Who all their life do nothing else but dye)  
Serving in Courts, and who themselves do give  
To care, which sleepeth in their waking eye.   

71.  
For when they hope to rest on bed of ease;  
Their tottering mind converts it to a rack,  
Which winds, and winds it up, with such disease,  
As makes their poor, ambitious heart strings crack.   

72.  
And justly, since it is the forge of plots  
How to take justice prisoner, and the spring  
Which issues out of poisoned mouth, and rots  
Those high reports, which glorious virtues bring.   

73.  
Infamous mouth; foul host of that foul guest  
A double tongue; a sword with edges twain;  
A Razor and a Saw, for with this best  
They put their foes, with that, their friends in pain.   

74.  
And never speak their thoughts, but their words all  
Are like false thrusts which seem not what they mean  
Promiscuously deceiving great and small,  
And most themselves, when least thereof they dream.   

75.  
Next after Honour, Pleasure comes in play;  
Not that which God by his sweet law permits,  
But the unlawful, which presumes to say,  
I am thy God, not he that in heaven sits.   

76.  
Pleasure, thou ill deservest true Pleasures name;  
Who art of woes the Mother, and the Nurse;  
Thy Roots are plotted, and contrived in shame,  
Thy Flower is sin, thy Fruit an endless curse.   

77.  
Due curse, for thou commitst Adam's offence,  
Adam whose sin was seen, though he was hidden;  
Both guilty are of disobedience,  
Re tasting fruit, thou touching flesh forbidden   

78.  
Which the old Enemy of all mankind  
Keeps in his shambles, saying: Stolen flesh is sweet;  
Yet 'tis not stolen but bought, and when men find  
At how high rate, their sweet meats prove unsweet.   

79.  
For first they lose their souls, that substance rare  
Which Gods wise hand knew only how to frame,  
And next their servile bodies hired are  
For base delights, more short than is their name.   

80.  
And those, besieged and hedged about with fears▪  
Impatience, dotage, sickness, endless cost,  
With dangers, and suspicious eyes and ears,  
With lust at hand, but wit and judgement lost.   

81.  
Lastly this kind of man is made a slave,  
The very slave of slaves; for all the rest  
Pay tributes, more or less, of what they have,  
But this of blood is bound to pay the best.   

82.  
Yet what do endless Riches, do they leave  
A man in greater liberty of mind  
Then Honour, or then Pleasure? they deceive  
Themselves that travail with a guide so blind.   

83.  
All is but change of Tyrants, and this last  
Perhaps is more imperious than the rest,  
For Honours raise, Pleasures refresh thy taste  
But care of Wealth holds the whole man oppressed.   

84.  
Ambitious persons have an open hand,  
And carnal men with alms would cover sin,  
But greedy minds are like to Pools that stand  
Where nothing issues out, that once gets in.   

85.  
And if they seem their doubtful steps to bend  
To virtues sacred Temple, you may fear  
It is not love of God, but hate to spend,  
Their hearts are absent, though their face be there.   

86.  
Now if the greatest plague God sends be sin,  
What shallbe said of wealth, which breeds a vice,  
(A door by which all others enter in)  
Known by the odious name of Avarice?   

87.  
Other sins make men vicious, and profane;  
Besides all that, this makes them vile, and base;  
Thou art the Anti rack, that doth restrain  
Man's spacious mind, to thy penurious place.   

88  
For what's thy object? Gould, what's gold? fair dust;  
Who are thy friends? continual thought, and care;  
Thy counsellor is general Mistrust,  
Thy foes thou thinkest all them, that richer are.   

89.  
Thou art the Mist that doth benight Mankind,  
Before their time thou mak'st their heads grow grey,  
Their minds grow black, thou mak'st their reason blind,  
In all their life they keep no Holiday.   

90.  
Thou fillst them with insatiable thirst;  
And when they have obtained abundant store,  
Thou tellest them they have less then at the first,  
And still dost preach to them, Get more, Get more.   

91.  
Thou starust their bodies with thy penury,  
Which thou call'st Thrift, thou mak'st their souls fall sick  
Of inward dropsy, and of Lethargy:  
Others do kill, but thou dost bury quick.   

92.  
These are the Pageants that do stalk about  
The world's wide streets, and which men follow so;  
I call them Men, but yet wise men will doubt  
That they are beasts, although like men they show.   

93.  
Let muddy headed fish be so surprised  
With slippery worms, that cruel hooks do cover;  
Let simple flies, that seek their death, disguised  
With glorious flames, about such candles hover.   

94.  
But thou, O man, who art of heavenly race,  
Hast power to decipher this dumb show,  
And take it for no better, than a case  
Which masks the rotten stuff that lies below.   

95.  
Pluck off this mask, and thou shalt see the face  
Of that foul Idol whom thou didst adore,  
And hate the cause of thy so great disgrace,  
Wondering at it, but at thyself much more.   

96.  
And if thou be desirous to enjoy  
True Honour, Pleasure, Profit, follow me;  
I'll be thy guide, and teach thee to employ  
Thy pains on him, whose service makes men free.   

97.  
Recall thy thoughts, which Raven-like do feed,  
Upon the Carrion of inferior things,  
And send them up to Heaven, where they shall read  
Thy fortune written in the Book of Kings.   

98.  
Of Kings of Heaven, for God who only is  
The King in his own right, adopteth thee,  
To reign with him in everlasting bliss,  
For all his Sons, mine own coheirs shallbe.   

99  
Therefore my blood upon this Cross is sold,  
To save thy body, and thy soul from Hell;  
Changing thy house of clay, to Church of gold,  
Wherein the Holy Ghost himself shall dwell.   

100  
Ordaining Sacraments, whereby mankind  
May purge offences, and acquire new grace;  
Mysterious Sacraments, which not thy mind,  
Much less thy pen, can paint without disgrace.   

101.  
Bidding his Angels serve thee, and unfold  
The secrets of his love, and Satan's hate;  
Confound thyself with wonder, to behold  
Such honour added to thy base estate.   

102.  
Honour, with Pleasure: for what earthly joy  
Doth equal that which a good conscience gives?  
And doth full fill, whilst yet it doth not cloy  
The Spirit, and the soul wherein it lives.   

103.  
Not like to worldly pleasure, that transforms  
Itself to pain through sad remorse of mind;  
But in the midst of fortunes bitter storms,  
A quiet passage, and safe port doth find.   

104.  
So shalt thou see that they who take most care  
To bear this Cross of mine with humble heart,  
To ecstasy of joy transported are,  
Their bodies here, in heaven their better part.   

105.  
Although they cannot long enjoy that glory,  
Till after death, the end of all restraints;  
But then, they shall contemplate the whole Story  
Of all God's Attributes, with all his Saints:   

106.  
And understand one God in Persons three,  
Uniting that which seems so far asunder;  
Whom even the Angels tremble when they see;  
No trembling of base fear, but of high wonder.   

107.  
Where God is feign to give a special grace,  
To keep man's soul from melting with delight;  
In whose comparison the withered face  
Of worldly things, though great, doth vanish quite.   

108.  
Look up to heavens high vault, consider right  
The Stars, so big, though they so small appear;  
The Sun (except this instant) swollen with light,  
Yet void of heat, although it heat men here.   

109.  
Look on the earth, and wonder at her seat,  
See how the Sea moats in her fortress fair:  
Which though it be a Mass so hugely great,  
Hath no foundation but unstable air.   

110.  
Behold her garments wrought with curious cost,  
With bushes purld, with streams of silver last;  
With flowers embroidered, with fair woods embossed,  
Buttoned with hills, which bind it all so fast.   

111.  
This on her back she wears, but in her womb  
Rich metals are, and jewels beyond price;  
Which lie interred, as in a regal tomb,  
Till men do raise them up, by strange devise.   

112.  
All this God made, and made man Lord of all;  
And of himself, by giving him free-will;  
A Memory, and wit Imperial,  
An Understanding both of good and ill.   

113.  
A soul that might the seat of Virtues be,  
Of justice, Temperance, Prudence, Strength of mind,  
A hand, which with extreme facility  
Acts that, which is by buisiest brains designed.   

114.  
A curious knot of senses, Hearing, Smell,  
Sight, Taste, and Touch, which men so much adore.  
These are but patterns, which may serve to tell  
Of richer wares, that God lays up in store.   

115.  
For if his Footstool (and the world is such)  
Be so enriched, what is his Princely throne?  
And if man's miseries do shine so much,  
What shall his glory do? God knows alone.   

116.  
And man may say no more thereof but this,  
That when he hath devised the most he can,  
The world to come, as far excelling is,  
As God immortal doth exceed frail man.   

117.  
But thou, though frail be not so fond bend  
As to destroy thy soul, to flatter sense,  
And sell a Crown of glory permanent,  
For trash, which yet thou canst not carry hence.   

118.  
For here all dies with thee, thy sins excepted,  
And (that which follows sin) eternal pains;  
For having so preposterously neglected  
A Sun so full, to choose a Moon that wanes.   

119.  
How much more noble were it, since thou art  
Composed of Beast and Angel, to procure  
Thy flesh, to do her homage to that part,  
Which is superior, incorrupt and pure.   

120.  
So shalt thou grow like God thy heavenly Father;  
And suffering here with me, with me shalt reign,  
Thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost, or rather  
Be filled top full, with showers of his sweet rain.   

121.  
That spotless Virgin will behold thy state,  
As tender Mother doth her dearest Son,  
The Angel that attends thee, will relate.  
The glorious course that thou beginst to run.   

122.  
Thou shalt be bidden to a daily feast  
By thy good Conscience, which all plenty brings.  
And thy fair soul, from sinful flesh released,  
Shall mount to Heaven upon bright Angels wings.   

123.  
This not for need that I invite thee so,  
For know my glory will as brightly shine  
In thy damnation to eternal woe,  
As in the saving of that soul of thine.   

124.  
My love alone did force me to descend  
Into this Nothing, Love the loadstone is  
Which makes the iron rod of justice bend  
To mercy, pardoning all thou dost amiss.   

125.  
And so I ask no retribution  
But only Love, and if thou grant not this,  
Tigers may teach thee more compassion,  
And softness flint, for thy heart harder is.   

126.  
Such speech thou wouldst, nay such thou didst impart,  
Not to mine ears (for then thou wert grown domme  
And I was deaf) but to my sinful heart,  
Then take this answer which from thence doth come.   

127.  
Dear Lord, I grant that thou all reason hast,  
And I should rage's in Hell, who thus neglect  
Of thy still present love, the pledges past,  
To which my soul doth owe supreme respect.   

128.  
Wretch that I am, I want not grace to know  
The endless obligation I am in,  
The little that I pay, the much I own  
To thy dear Passion, that huge price of sin.   

129.  
But all this knowledge of what I should do,  
Detects me of unkindness so much more,  
Because mine actions do not suit thereto,  
Which are as cold, and careless as before.   

130.  
My taste, my touch, my smell, mine ears, mine eyes,  
I grant were given for scouts, who might fetch home  
A ladder, by the which my soul should rise  
From creatures, to the love of thee alone.   

131.  
The faculties, and powers of my Mind,  
Mine Understanding, Will, and Memory,  
I grant, were lent as locks and keys, to bind  
My heart to know, and love, and think on thee.   

132.  
All these thy mercies, and a million more  
I have misspent, and with the self same arms  
Which thou hadst willed me to keep in store  
For my defence, I did my soul most harms.   

133.  
So that they are not my foul sins alone,  
Which strike me with a sad remorse of mind;  
But even thy mercies, to such height are grown,  
As that in them more cause of fear I find.   

134.  
For how can I, to whom thou giv'st such grace,  
As would have served to make some men great Saints,  
Adventure to appear before thy face,  
In whom thou findest no cause but of complaints.   

135.  
From hence it is dear Lord, that I decline  
That seat of justice, and that royal Throne  
Where purest Angels, who most brightly shine,  
Do lose their lustre, when by thine 'tis shown.   

156.  
From hence it is, that I am trembling still,  
When I consider that dread Majesty,  
That light inaccessible, which doth kill  
All souls, wherein it finds impiety.   

137.  
From hence it is, that I did beg of thee,  
Not only that thou wouldst thyself impart,  
But that it might in such a fashion be,  
As should engrave thy Passion in my heart.   

138.  
For on the Cross, thou art all sweet, and soft,  
And poor, and humble, and surcharged with pain,  
For my ungrateful soul, which hath so oft  
Renewed thy wounds, and made them bleed again.   

139.  
O thou fair fountain with five springs of love,  
Which make such streams as that by running still,  
They grow to be a Sea, which flows above  
The banks of all, that hath the name of iii.   

140.  
Not only quenching the hot flames of Hell,  
(Though vulgar men conceive that this is all)  
But sanctifying wicked men so well,  
As makes them lead a life Angelical.   

141.  
Lend me one grain of that dear Love of thine,  
Which, by protection, may transmute me so  
From Lead to Gould, as that these debts of mine  
May both be paid, and I more rich may grow.   

142.  
Or rather I presume to beg of thee,  
Not that so much my Love may be increased,  
As that the object may quite changed be,  
And I love most, what I have yet loved least.   

143.  
For there was ever planted in my heart  
Great power to love, and happy had I been,  
If only I had well applied that part,  
To serve my God, instead of serving sin.   

144.  
Nay happy should I be, if from this hour  
My love were all divorced from human things,  
And so espoused to thee, as to want power  
Of seeking aught, but what thy service brings.   

145.  
How soon wouldst thou forget my follies past:  
Thy Grammar which must construe the expense  
Of all mine hours incongruously placed,  
Hath Future's, but no Preter perfect tense.   

146.  
here then receive all that doth yet remain,  
I take thy word, which once thou gav'st to me,  
That thou wouldst draw all souls to thee again,  
When, on the Cross, thou shouldst exalted be.   

147.  
Draw me, but draw me home, for else my heart  
Which is so slippery, and so heavy grown,  
Either by fraud, or else by force will start  
From such conjunction, as should make us one.   

148.  
Speak to my soul, but with so loud a voice  
As I may hear; and in a tune so sweet,  
That, deaf to other things, I may rejoice  
To tread the happy steps of thy pure feet.   

149.  
Turn back sometime, and breath upon me so  
That with delight I may advance my pace;  
And not remembering how to creep, and go,  
May run, and reach these odours of thy grace.   

150.  
I ask not that I may be worldly wise  
Nor learned, strong, nor rich, nor much esteemed,  
Such trash as this I hope I shall despise  
Who am from all erroneous faith redeemed.   

151.  
I ask not to be free from anxious thought  
Of sudden death, or dropping down to Hell:  
The matchless price, wherewith my soul was bought  
Persuades me that thou lovest it much too well.   

152.  
I ask not that thou wouldst these fetters lose,  
Which do my soul from heavenly bliss detain:  
For 'tis more noble, and I rather choose  
To suffer for thee, then with thee to reign.   

153.  
But let me only by thy hand be blest;  
Lend me one cast of thy propitious eye,  
Inflame me with desires to do the best;  
For good is nought, when better doth stand by.   

154.  
O that I could consider, as I know,  
The little which thy Law of me requires,  
The much that to thy ardent Love I own,  
And yet I frieze environed by such fires.   

155.  
Thou bidst me love thee, and I beg the same;  
How come I then to miss what I intent?  
'tis, that I ask it of thee, but for shame,  
And no strong purpose that I have to mend.   

156.  
For love consisteth not in words, but works;  
Not in velleities, but constant will,  
To root out passion (which so falsely lurks)  
And make stiff war against all show of ill.   

157.  
Herein I fail, and do not only crave  
Strength for the time to come, but humbly sue  
For pardon of sins past; the more I have,  
The greater praise is to thy mercy due.   

158.  
Let not thy sword of justice take my head;  
Let not my wretched heart be stand to death;  
Let not thy wheel of vengeance, which lies spread  
Against all sinners, take my dying breath.   

159.  
But, if I may not live, and please thee still,  
Rather let fire of Love consume me quite;  
Or let tears drown me, if it be thy will,  
Or endless sighing break my heart outright.   

160.  
And for my tomb, I neither will ask more,  
Nor care for less, than those dear arms of thine;  
Which have such virtue, as to keep in store  
All that they touch, free from the wrack of tyme.   

161.  
Let others seek for life, and liberty,  
And in that course eternised to be;  
The highest thoughts of my ambition, fly  
But to be dead, and buried thus in thee.   
FINIS.