46                                    HER   SICKNESS

that, for a perpetuall acknowledgement, shee desir'd her
eldest son to whome St. Antony's fell ajfter her decease,
that it might be as freely att their service as it was in her
life. Shee tould her other children it was for their sake
shee gave no more to that body, whereunto shee was so
much oblig'd, wishing them to perpetuate her respects in
their acknowledgements; for the portion they gott by a
natural obligation were due by little of gratitude, and
to[o] little for those from whome shee received this
benefitt.

After seaven years passed in this divine manner, under
my conduct, God seeing her more ripe in fruit than
years, ^dsited her with such a sickness as, if we may
credit Gregorius the great, was an uncontrolable argu¬
ment of his love, aud her predestination. Our Lord
comes, quoth the doctor, when he hastens to judgement;
he knocks when he intimates the approach of death
by sickness ; we open the door when we receive him,
" Venit Dominus, Sfc.,*' which is literally verified in
her lingering disease and happy egress out of this
world. Our Lord came not to her suddainly, or att
unawares, (much less unprovided) he knock'd and gave
her above six months warning by a languishing consump¬
tion or cough of the lungs, and shee, expecting his com¬
ing with the resign'd patience of Judith, and undefatigable
love of Jacob, open'd wilUngly the garden door of her
soul, that he might enter and reap the fruit he planted.

I do not without ground explain her love and patience
by the memory of this painless couple, for when she
perceiv'd that we, after the application of human industry,
'as if her recovery had been set at a rate, sought it without
effect by prayers, pilgrimages, pennance, and alms, shee
out of a perfect conformity of her will to God's reply'd
" we must not like the Bethulians tempt God, or prefix a
time for his designs, but think with Jacob all we suffer
to little for our celestial spouse.

Now her virtues began in troops to display their co¬
lours, and become more illustrious drawing near the end