The shamefull opinions of the Papists concerning Loretta.Frier Alexander being ravished (say they) with the Vision, went and reported it to Nicholas Frangipano, Lord of that Countrey. And incontinently he sent this Prior and other foure Friers to Nazareth, whereby he might know the trueth thereof, but in that journey they dyed. The Virgin Mary perceiving their incredulity, caused Angels the second time to transport the house over the gulfe of Venice, to a great wood neere by the sea side, in the territory of Riginati in Italy, being 300. miles distant. Which, when the country-men had found, and [I. 31.]remarking the splendor of the illuminating Image, dispersed these newes abroad. And the Citizens of Riginati, having seene what great miracles was daily done, by the vertue of this Chappell, imposed then to it this name, Our Lady of Miracles. A little while after the people resorting to it with rich gifts, there haunted in the wood many theeves and cut-throates, who robd and murthered the Pilgrims. Which innocent spilt bloud, pricking their pitifull Lady to the heart, she made the Angels transport it the third time, and set it on the top of a little Mountaine, belonging to two brethren in heritage, being forty foure miles distant from the former place. But they upon a day quarrelling, and discording about the utility of the Foure times transported.Offerings to this House, the Angels did remoove it the fourth time, and placed it in a high broad way, where it standeth unremooved to this day, which place is now called the Village of Loretta; and from the last Station nine miles distant. A confirmation by the Popes.This was confirmed by the Papall authority to be of an undoubted trueth, after a hundreth and fifty three yeares deliberation. Loe, as briefly as I could, have I layd open to thy judicious eyes, the transportations, Originall, and Papisticall Opinions of Loretta; protesting I have added nothing to the Authours description, but onely collected these speciall Warrants; omitting other infinite foolish toyes, conceived for their blind-folded credulity.
This Chappell, or rather dwelling house, as they would have it, stood alwayes alone, till of late, that Pope Clement 8. caused build a glorious Church over it: And here by accident I encountred with a very courteous and discreet Gentleman, James Arthur, whose company was to me most acceptable: Our acquaintance being first made at the [I. 32.]beginning of the same voiage upon the mountaines of Ferrara in Paese du Burbon, and bound to visite Venice, in his returning home for Scotland, as well as he had done Rome and other Cities of Italy.
Now I remember here of a pretty jest, for he and I going in to see the inravled image with sparrets of iron, and musing on the blacknesse of her face, and the richnesse of her gowne, all set with precious Stones and Diamonds; and because she is sightlesse, foure lampes of oyle they keepe alwayes burning before her face, that the people may see her, because she cannot see them. There was, I say, a young lusty woman hard by my elbow, busie at A fleshly false-sprung miracle.her Beades, who with the heate of the throng, and for lacke of ayre, fell straight in a sound: the women about her gave a shoute, and cryd that our blessed Lady had appeared to her; whereupon she was carried forth and layd upon the steppes, that discend from the Chappell to the Church-floore, five hundreth more come to visite her with salutations of Saint, Saint, O ever blessed Saint; Now it was Friday in the fore-noone, and the woman having travelled all night, and to save charges of fish, had eaten a cold bit of her owne meat privately in the Taverne, with halfe a Buckale of red Wine: The people more admiring this imaginary heavenly trance, than the reliefe of the woman; at last sayd I, brother Arthur, I will goe open yonder womans breast, and I did so: and holding up her head before all the people, there sprung a flood of vin garbo downe the Alabaster stayres, intermingled with lumpes of ill-chewd flesh: Whereat the people being amazed, from a Saint swore she was a Divell: And if my friend and I, had not made hast to carry the sicke woman from the Church to a Taverne, doubtlesse, they had stoned her to death; and here was one of their miracles.
[I. 33.]Another time, comming backe from my second Travels in Affricke, it was my lucke to stumble in here againe, where I saw an old Capuschin Frier conjuring the Divell out of a possessed woman, who had stayed there, and two men keeping her above eighteene moneths, being twise a day brought before the Chappell. The Frier stood up before her, the two men holding both her armes; A Capuschin Frier conjuring the Divell.and sayd, laying his formost finger on her brow; In nomine Patris, &c. Io vi cargo a dirmi, per quale cagione, havete posseduto l’anima di questæ poveretta; & vati ne via io ti adjuro, alia quei luogi, dionde tu sei venuto: I charge thee to shew me for what cause thou hast possessed the soule of this poore wretch, and I adjure thee to goe backe unto these places from whence thou camest. Meane while the woman stood dumbe and silent for the space of a quarter of an howre, not being usuall before: the people gave a shoute, and cry’d, the Divell had left her, whereat he that held her right arme did let it fall downe by her side: But by your leave, in the twinckling of an eye, the Divell in the woman gave the Frier such a rattle in the face, that he was stroke downe upon his backe among the people: And if it had not bene that she was borne downe with strength of hands, she had torne the silly old conjurer in peeces: crying, O false and dissembling knave, pretendest thou to have power to cast out evill Spirits, when thou thy selfe is in a worser case than I, and all thy profession too; Hell, hell, is your reward.
This is another of our Lady of Lorettaes Miracles, though many moe I could recite: As for any more vertue of this Cymberian image, I have knowne sicke folkes loaden with all kinde of diseases, criples, lame, maimed, deafe, dumbe, and numbers possessed with evill spirits lie here before this Lady, till I returned againe from Asia & Affrick, that same way: imploring, fasting and [I. 34.]penitentially weeping for health; But alas poore soules, they lost their labour. When they had both spent all their meanes, and perhaps the poorest of them three yeares attendance, and forced to my knowledge to returne againe to their severall stations with sorrowfull and comfortlesse hearts.
O strange and wonderfull frailty of men! what damnable imperfections domineere over their brain-sicke knowledge: Sathan, thou Prince of darkenesse, hast so over-sylled the dimmed eies of their wretched soules, that notwithstanding of Gods eternall word, ordained to call them through the spotlesse bloud of Christ Jesus; to be the heires and adopted sonnes of Salvation: yet thou all abhominable enemie of mankind, overthrowest both their spirituall and naturall understanding in a bottomelesse Ocean of darke ignorance; promising to thy obdurate souldiers, to build Castles in the Ayre; and contrarywise is busie, digging downe dungeons, to welcome thy hellish eternized guests, with horrible torments, and never-ceasing flames of everlasting fire. What wilfull-hearted man can be so apt to believe, that our blessed Lady, had such estimation of morter and stones, as to have (although she had, had power) caused Angells to transport a rotten house so often? No, I say, beleeve it who so will; questionlesse, the Judgements of God in the trueth of his all-seeing Justice, shall reward their too credulous mindes accordingly; Then shall they know their foolish and superstitious errours.
But now to leave them with their Idolatry to stones, mettall, and Images, I come to their blasphemies against the sacred Deity: Looke to the workes of Bernardini de Busti, Bonaventure, and Fereolus Lucrius, how shamefully they derogate the glory from God, and attribute all grace, mercy and omnipotency, to the Virgin Mary. So [I. 35.]Ludolphus and Chrysostome affirme, that Velocior est non unquam salus invocato nomine Mariæ, quam invocato nomine Domini, vinci filii ejus: Men may oftentimes be sooner saved by calling on the Virgin Mary, than on Christ. Omnia quæ Dei sunt, Mariæ sunt, quia mater & sponsa Dei illa est, all things which are Gods, are the Virgin Maries, because she is both the Spouse, and the mother of God, saith a Rabbin of theirs: and as many creatures honour the Virgin Mary, as honour the Trinity, saith another: So, Imperio Virginis, omnia famulantur & Deus, all creatures & God himselfe, are subject to the Virgin Maries command. And in their Bonaventure Ladies Psalter, Monstrate esse matrem, & coge illum peccatoribus misereri, Shew thy selfe a Mother, and compell him (viz. Christ) to have mercy upon sinners. Infinit citations could I produce, of such like intollerable The Virgin Mary divided in a thousand Ladies.attributs, besides the dividing of her in a 1000 stiles, viz. The Lady of the wines, Lady of the oyles, Lady of the cornes, Lady of the woods, Lady of the mountains, Lady of the meeds, Lady of the sheepe and goats, Lady of the springs, Lady of the fire, Lady of the shepheards; from earthquakes, thunder and fire-flashes, Lady of the Angels which is at Asisi in Ombria, Lady of miracles in divers places, Florence, &c. Lady of life in Bullogna newly found, Lady of all noble Ladies, and Nunnes, Lady of the galley-slaves, Lady of shipwracking seas, Lady of rivers and waters, Lady of young children, and orphanes, Lady of all consolation, Lady of pure Virgins, Lady of distressed widdows, Lady of the sicke, and women with child, &c. Besides the powerfull Lady of Mountserrata in Catalogna, the aforesayd miraculous Lady of Loretta, and the clementious Ile-ruling Lady of Trapundy in Sicilia, &c. Thus they make it manifest, [I. 36.]that Shee, that is Ladye of the one, is not Ladye of the other; each of them having divers gifts, divers graces, divers powers, as they alledge, divers Chappells, divers offerings, and divers pilgrimages, according to the severall seasons, eminent or past-perills, peculiar invocations, and the particular neede of each family, man woman and living creature.
Whereby it plainely appeareth, by their dividuall acknowledgements, she is neither superior in power, universall in power, nor equall in power to God: For if she were, one Chappell, one name, one place, one pilgrimage, one offering would suffice for all. They chatter over on their beads ten Ave Maries to our Lady, and but one Pater noster to Christ: They make their orations thrice a day in the streets to the Virgin, and none to God: they say God divided the Kingdome with the Virgin, reserving to himselfe Justice, graunted to his mother mercy, wherefore if any man be aggrieved with Gods Justice, he may appeale to the court of her mercy.
But to conclude their blasphemies, & horrible lies, blessed is the blessed Virgin Mary (the Mother of Christ according to the flesh) above all women for ever and ever.
Leaving both this and Loretta, and returning to my Ancona.purpose, James Arthur and I imbarked at Ancona, (15. miles from thence) in a Frigato; This City of Ancona, in the time of Trajanus the Emperour, flourished mightily in fame, and reputation, and yet a gallant place to this day;