THE L I FE OF

S A I N T P H I LI P N E R I
A P O S T L E OF R OME , AN D FOU N D E R

OF T H E C O N GR E GA T I ON OF

T HE OR AT O R Y

FROM T H E I T AL I A N OF

FA T H E R B A C C I
(W T HE R OM AN OR AT OR Y
‘

NE W AN D RE VIS E D E DI TI ON

E D ITE D BY

FREDERICK I GN ATI U S AN TROBU S

O R AT ORY

L ON D O N
‘
 APR 2 0 m5 3
T he r ig hts f
o t ra ns la tio n a nd o
f ee
r eprod uc tio n a re r s r ved

h unted b y B ALL ANTYN E HAN S ON , Co .

At t h e B al l an tyn ePe
r ss
 T AB L E OF CO N TE N T S

VO L . I

I MP RI MAT U R

DE D I C AT I O N

PRE FA CE TO PRE S E N T E DI T I ON

PEDI GRE E OF S T . P HI L I P
N OTE S ON T HE C HR ON OL OGY

P HI L IP S’
F
LI E xv u

PREFAC E OF VEN ETIAN E DI T OR x x v ii

TAB LE OF T HE P OPE S xxx v fi

L I S T OF I L L U S TR ATI ON S xxx ix

C ON TEN T S OF LI FE OF S T P HI L IP .

—
3 39 2
T H E S E C U L A R C L E R G Y
O F T HE C AT H O LIC C H URC H IN E N G LAN D,

THE S U CC E S S O R SA N D S PI R I T UA L C H I L D RE N
OF G E N E R AT I O N S OF M A R TY R S ,

W H O,

BY T H E I R C H E E R F U LN E S S I N H O L Y POVE RTY ,

T H E I R D I L I GE N C E
I N O BS C U R I TY A N D U N D E R O PPR E S IO N S ,

T HE I R UN E X A MPL E D C ON F I D E N C E
I N T H E T R U T H S T H E Y TA U G H T ,

T H E IR F O R GI IN G C H A RITY
V

T O W A R D S U N GE N E R O US O PO N E N T S
P ,

A N D T H E I R S E L F -D E N YI N G KI N D N E S S T OW A R D S T H OS E
\ H O M T H E I R P R AY E R S
V
,
T H E I S A C R I F IC E S
R

A N D T H E I R S U FF E R I N GS

R E S C UE D F R O M T H E D A R K N E S S OF E R RO R ,

H AVE PR E SE RVE D T O T H E IR CO U N T R Y ,

TOG E T H E R WI TH TH E P R E C IOUS EX A MPL E

OF THE IR OW N T UE S
V IR
,

THE U N F A I LI N G L I G H T

OF T HE CA T H O L IC F A I T H ,

AND TH E H E R E D ITA R Y D E VO TI O N T O THE H OLY SEE

W H I C H D I S TI N G UI S H E D
 PRE FA CE TO P RE SE N T E DI T I ON

W HEN Fath er Faber began in 1 8 4 7 th e s eri es of , ,

tran s latio n s of Live s of the Sai n t s u n d er th e titl e of ,

“
Th e Sai n ts an d Servan t s o f God th e life o f St , .

Philip Neri Ap o s tle of Rome an d fou n der of th e

, ,

C o n gregation of th e Orat o ry w as t he fir s t to e n g age ,

h is atte n tio n It appeared in two volume s 8 v o

.
, ,

tran slated from th e en larg ed an d c orrected editi on of

th e Life of th e Sai n t by Fat h er Pi e tro Giac o mo Bacci
, ,

of the Roman Oratory published at R o m e by Mai in i

.
'

in 1 8 37 .
I
x

In 851 a\ ;n ew ed i tio n work of B ac c i s c l a s s 1 c al

‘
1 ,
‘

L a Vita (a:S a n Filippo N eri h ad appeared in Flore n ce

.
a

, ,

compri s i n g certain eme n datio n s an d additio n s from ,

th e Lives of th e Sai n t by Fath er s Gallo n io Bern abei , ,

Ricci an d ot h er s w hic h were i n corpor at ed in th e

, ,

text togeth er with twelve addition al L etter s of the

,

Sain t u n kn own to previous editors .

The tra n slatio n of the Life of S t P h ilip publi s h ed .

,

in 1 8 4 7 h ad bee n lo n g out o f prin t w h en in 1 8 6 8 a

, , , ,

s eco n d editio n appeared I n order to compres s it i n to .

o n e volum e th e Fift h an d Sixt h Book s recordin g th e

, ,
x11 PREFACE TO PRESENT EDITION

variou s additio n s made in the Flore n ce edi t io n of the

Life by Bacci were i n s erted .

Aft er a space of thirty-four years this seco n d ed i tio n

h a s bee n lo n g o u t of prin t an d is rarely to be met ,

wi th A n ew impressio n bein g a desideratum for the

.

devotee s of the Sai n t it h as bee n t hough t advisable to ,

reprin t the Fift h an d Sixth Boo k s an d the Le t ters an d ,

make two volume s of the work .

The miracle s are of t he m s elve s mo s t in terestin g

readi n g an d m o reover give a graphic picture of Italian
, , ,

life in the b egi nn in g o f th e seve n tee n th ce n tury ; they

al so h elp us to u n der s t a n d b etter the rapid in crease of
d evoti o n t o St Philip in Italy
. .

A fe w n o te s t o uc h in g o n perso n age s an d places

c o n n ect ed wit h St P hil ip hav e bee n added For tho s e
. .

i n tere s ted in th e older live s o f the Sain t a tr an slatio n ,

of the Pr eface to L a Vita d i S a n Fil ippo N eri publis h ed ,

a t Ve n ice in 1 794 wh ich appears in the Flor en ce

,

editio n of 1 8 5 1 has bee n added In more rece n t

, .

time s Italy Fran c e Spain G erman y have each c o n

, , , , ,

tributed to the Hi s tory of th e Life an d Times of S t .

P hilip I n Fran ce app e ar ed in 1 8 5 9 La Vie de S t

.
, , .

P hilippe d c N ém p ar l Abb é Bayle In E n glan d Mrs

’
’
. .
, ,

Hope publis h ed her life of St P h ilip Neri w hich .

,

1
is a small but valuable work In co n n ectio n wi th the .

E nglis h lives of the Sain t it is in tere s tin g to me n tio n ,

t h e followin g w o rk Th e Holy Life O f Philip N eriu s ,

Fo un der of th e Co n gregatio n of th e Oratory tran s ,

1
l
P ub is h e d aa .
, b ut c ir ca 1 8 68 .
 PREFACE TO PRES E NT E DITION xiii
lated out o f the Lati n Copy by J a c ob u s Ba c c ius small ,

8 v o Paris 1 6 5 6
, It is publish ed an o n ymou sly but
, .
,

was probably tran s lated by on e of th e man y exiles for

th e Fait h from E n glan d w h o w ere freque n ters at s ome , ,

time or oth er of th e Oratory in Rom e, .

In Italy in 1 8 7 9 appear ed by far th e m o s t im

, ,

portan t o f all modern works on S t P hilip L a Vita dz

—
’

S n F ili o N i— writte n by Fat h er Alfo n s Capece

a pp er o

latro for man y years Superior o f th e Orat o ry of Napl es

, ,

n o w Cardin al Arc h bi s h op of Capua

- an d Li brarian of ,

th e Holy Roman C h urc h T hi s Life is n o t writte n in .

t h e old H agiograp h al styl e b u t co n s i s t s of a flowi n g ,

n arrative compri s i n g a n accou n t o f th e relati o n s O f St

,
.

P h ilip with th e co n temporary Sain t s h oly Per so n age s , ,

Popes Cardin al s Roman n oble s pain ter s an d mu s ician s

, , , ,
.

Of t hi s work a versio n in E n gli sh appeared in 1 8 8 2 ,

m ade by Fat h er T h oma s Ald er P o pe of the Birm in g ,

h a m Oratory to w h o s e kin d n e s s t he pr es e n t Editor is

,

i n debted for permi ss io n to publi sh a tran slatio n by the

Very Rev F Ign atius Dudley Ryd er Sup eri or of th e
. .
,

Birmin gh am Oratory of tw o So n n et s of th e Sain t an d , ,

St P h ilip s ge n ealogical tree

.
’
.

The n otes o n th e chro n ology of St P hilip s life w ere

’
.

compiled by the late F Ric h ard Stan to n of the .

,

Lo n do n Orat o ry an d were fou n d amo n g his papers at

,

his d eat h .

In c o n clu s io n t h is New Editio n of t h e Life of St

,
.

P h ilip it is h o ped may prove acceptable to th e man y

, ,

in E n gla n d an d E n glis h speaki n g cou n tries to wh om

-
, ,
word s an d who h ave felt t he in fluen c e of
,

an d life of t he S ain t reproduced

live s an d wri t in gs of t w o of
so n s J ohn He nry C ardin al Newman
, , ,

\Vilfrid Faber .

F I A
. . .

Tm : O nxro nr , LO N DO N ,

Feas t of St . P hil ip
,
1 90 2 .
 N O T E S ON T HE CH R ON O L O GY O F
ST P H ILI P S LI F E
’ 1
.

B R OC C H I , Vita d ei S S Fio rentim p v th

’

v ol i 490 i es e
.
, . . .
, g
p ed i
gr ee of St . l p fr
P hi i ,
om N e ri of Ca s t lfr n c
e a o,

A D . . 1
3 3 0 . He say th ur n
s e s am e N e ri i s an a bb r i ev a

tio n Of Ra n ie i r .

T he Ar m s w h ich ,
he sa y s are a cc u ra te ly t k fr a en om

t he to m b Of th e s a id N e ri ,
ha v e th e r w ith ight
s ta s e

po in t s , n ot
‘

m u ll e ts o f five p o in ts , as th e y u u llyare s a

A D . . d r wna .

1
5 5 1 . St Ph il ip r
N e i w as bo rn on S atu d a r y ,
a 1 st J u ly
1
Th es e n ot es a re ta k en l
a m os t en t i e r ly (e xc e p t w h e re ot h e rwi se

s t a t ed ) fr om t he Li f e of t h e S a in t writ t en b y GA L L ON IO in t h e fr o m

of A n na s a n d l p b li h
u s ed in R o m e in 1 60 0 un d e r t he f ll wi
o o ng t it l e :
Vita B ea ti P . P hil ipp i N er ii Fl o ren tin i Con gr ega tion is Or a to rii Fu n d a
t or is in A n nos D igesta A u c to r e A n to n io Ga l l on io R om a n o eju s d em
.

Con g r eg a tion is P r es byter o C um P r ivil egio S u m m t P on t Ro m a e apu d

. .

Alo ysiu m Za n n ettu m a n n o J u bil ez MD C

'

.
,

rvr l p
On t h e e e s e o f t it e - a g e t o t h e rs t ed it io n o u s t h e o o w in g fi cc r f ll
Appro b a t io , ”
w c
h i h m a y b e o f in t e e s t t o t h e R e a d e r r
N os A l
n g e us V el l ius P ra e n e s t in u s C o n re a t io n is Ora t o rn P a e
g g r
po s it us Ge n e a is , e t rl
e ut a t i, i t a e B ea t i P hi i Dp
i N e rii Fl o ren t ini V l pp
e jus d em C o n grega t io n is F un d a t oris , ib o s t es a P n t o n io Ga l l on io l r r . A
e d it o s , per d uo s n o s t rae C o n g reg a t io n is S a e d o t e s re c ogn o s c i m a n d a cr
v im u s :
q u os c um ll
i i a pprob a v e rin t , eo s d eq ; A pl i i
m ss m i S RE . . .

r
C a d in a l es in f ra s c ript i i po s s in t ,
a ppro b en t , pro b am u s e t ia, u t i p i m r m

m o d e pl a c u e rit R e v e re n d i s s im is o m in is V ic es g eren t i, e t P Ma g is t ro D .

cr
S a i Pa l a t ii a t um . D
R o m a e d ie S S C h is t i m a rt yru m P a pia e et . r
M ri q rt
au ua o K a l Feb rua ria s
. an . 1 60 0 .

Om n ia , q ua e d e B ea t o Ph i i l pp N ri c cript
e e o ons a s un t , p rti
a m

c rt g i i e o ra v s s m o rum v irorum

r
C a d Pa ra v ic in us . .
 CHRONOLO G Y OF ST . PH ILIP S LIFE ’

1 5 5 1 , at 6 hou rs of th e n igh t — that is , at 2 A 11 .

(h e

d ied at th e sa m e ho u r , a 6th May He w as

ba p tiz e d the ne xt d ay, un d e r the n am es of Fil ipp o

Rom o o l .

B ro cchi y s sa t hat in those pa ts r every one th en too k

R lo
om o as c
a s e o n d n am e . T he S ain t s br o th er bo rn
’
,

in A n to n io R om ol o
w as
15 2 0 ,
.

Th e S ain t w as bo r n in the P o p ul o Pi er Gattolin i di S . .

B r o cc hi s ay s the house is n o w in co rpo ra ted in the

C on v en t o f the Con v er tite w here there is a w e ll cal l ed , ,

P oz z o (a: s Fil ippo Be f o r e th e bi rth o f An to n y in

. .

5 1 2 0 l f t his
t h is h ou e f a the r had e s .

Th S in t s f th r Fr n c e c o a rr i d L ucr ezia
’
e a a d e , a s ,
m e a

M sc i n o t A pr il 5 3
a S h
o, e w asrsth S in t 1 1 . e a
’
s

m ther o n d he o the r w as
, Len a (n o t Lu cre ia )
a r m z

S l di o Fr n c es c o d id n t m arry a ec ond tim e ; it

. a o s

w hi t p
as ther Ben ed e tto Le n i w ho k e p t house
s s e m o , . z ,

f hi or nd w so at ta c h d to th
m a S a in t Fran cesco
as e e .

di d th Oc to be r 1 5 5 9
e 1 1 (C A PE C E LATB O ) . .

A t the ag f fiv e P hi l ip s ho w s ext rao rd in ary s igns o f

e o

goo d n es s an d obed i n c e e .

Fed eric us S .Ma ria e An ge lo rum P r es b . r

C a d Bo rrom . ae us .

F ra n c is c us Mar ia C a rd Tit ul i S . . B a rt ho l o m a ei Arc h ie pis oo pus S enen .

C a esa r C rd a . Ba r ch in a Tit u i S S l . N r i t Ac hill

e e e ei .

Alph on s us S . S ixt i P r es b yt r C e a rd V ic c . e o m es .

A g l V ll i P r p it
n e us e na ae os us .

P tr eP hius e ra c c o n us

G r ic F id l i
e m an
D p us e s
e uta t i .

Th B i
om a s o z z us

J uven al is An c ina .

Im prim at u r .

P E pis c 0 pus Ba v el l en , Vic es geren s

.
 ’
CHRONOLOGY OF ST . PHILIP S LIFE xix
AD .

1
5 2 2 or 2
3 .
cc iden t of th A
Th e a e ss z— B A C CI sa y s it w a s at

C te l fr n c
as GALL ON I O a o s eem s to im ply that it w as at

Fl or n c e e
.

1
5 6 2 . At th g O f l vn h g
e a e e e e e oes t o th e r
s e m on s of Fra
Ba l du in o n d fr equ n ts t h ,
a e e Dom in ic an s of S . Marc o .

(B A C C I
) .

Ab o ut th is tim e he s tud ies

gr am m a r an d a f t rw r ds e a

r h et r ic o un d e r Cl em en te .

1 53 0 or 31 . H e h as a d an ge r ou s f v r e e . Th e fi re in h is f ath e r ’
s

h ous e ab out th e sam e t im e .

(B ACC ) I .

Th e S ain t l v ea Fl r en c fo S
es o e r . G r no
e m a an d R om e .

Ro m o o l N er i to w h
,
h w om e a s sen t, w as fi rtc
s o us in to

h is f ath e r Fr n c es c o n d
a
“
,
a z io c ugin o (on c le a la
m od e d e B reta gne) of th e S ain t — S ee B R OCCH I
’
S

p edigr e e, a n d s up ra , p xv . .

1 53 3 . GAL L ON I O sa y s th at y r f g th e S ain t w as 1 8 ea s o a e

w h n n t to S G r n o n d th t h t y ed nly
e se . e m a ,
a a e s a o a

f w d
e a ys d th n w nt t an R o i n th e y r 53 3
e o m e e ea 1 .

Ho w th n c ou l d h o Of t n v i it th C r uc ifix t G ta ?
,
e ,
e s e s e a ae

B A C C I l so y s th t h w
a sa b ut 8 wh n a n t toe as a o 1 e se

S G r . n ; th
e m at f t e r bo in g t h r a f w d y
a a h e e e e a s e

r es o lv ed to quit th w orl d ; th t he f t n i it d th e a o e v s e e

C r u c ifi x t G a ta ; t h ta h e re in d th r
e b ou t tw a m a e e e a o

n d th en w en t t o Ro in th e y r 533 m e ea 1
y e a a rs, .

Her e t o th r e i cl rly o
,
o ,
e it k s ea s m e m s a e .

B R OCC H I ( l i p vo w ithout giv in g his uthority

. . .
a ,

s y a it is s i t k to y
a m th t h
s a w 8 t
eh at in f c t sa a e as 1 ,
a

h we o n ly 5
as w h n n t t S 1 G r n o ; the t h e se o . e m a a

t y d th er
s a e b ou t t w y r e a n d t h n w en t t Rom o ea s , a e o e.

A t p 49 8 h e .
y s P h i l ip h ad nsat c pl e t d h i 5 th o om e s 1

y r w h n h W n t t S G r n in 5 9 n d th t
ea e e e o . e m a o 1 2 ,
a a

h we n t to R e i n 53 3 w h ic
om eh w o u l d m k h i
1 ta y ,
a e s s

t S G r
a .no t le m a t thre ye r a eas e a s .
xx CHRONOLO GY OF ST . PHILIP S LIFE ’

AD.

1 533 . c on s i s ten t, an d d iffi cul t to rec o nc il w ith e the acc oun t

of f ev r at Fl or ence in 1 5 3 o 3 1
th e e 0 r .

Al l agr e that h rr iv d in Ro in 5 3 3
e e a e m e 1 .

B ER NA B EI ys h w as a
sal st 8 w h en h e w en t to
e m o 1

S G r m an
. en d t h t he ta y d there t w
o, a y r b ut a s e o ea s

d n t
o es
y in w oh t y r
sa h w n t to R e a ea e e om .

1 53 3 . S t P h il ip ca
. to Ro in 5 3 3 o n the 1 t o f J u ly
m e m e 1 ,
2 s ,

i w hic h y r h c
n pl ted hi 8 th y e r H e w n t
ea e om e s 1 a . e

i m medi t ly to l iv in th h us e o f Gal tt C cc i
a e e e o eo o a a .

H r h r e e ain d e ny y em r ppa r n t ly till he w as

e m a ea s , a e

r d in d in 5 5 l e d in g t h l if of a h r it The
o a e 1 1 ,
a e e e m .

two n f G C cc i w r c ll ed th on Mic hel an d

so s o . a a e e a ,
e e e

th th r I pp l it
e o e Mic h l be ca ol t r n R c to r
o . e e m e a e o e

f the C hurc h o f S n D n at in C it ill e n e r Fl o r n c e

o a o e a e ,

n d I pp l ito a C i te rc i n
a o Mon k un d r the n m e o f s a e a

D n An d r ac c o r d in g to MANN I Ra giona entz

'

o ea , m

s ull a Vita d i S a n F ilippo .

1
534 or 35 G A L
. L O N I O s eem s to sa yhe be ga n to s tud y p h il o so p hy
in 1 5 3 4 B . AC C I y sa s a f te r y ea rs
tw o , ie . in 1 53 5 .

Af te r p hil os o p h y he r ea d s t heo l ogy .

1
53 7 . GA L LO N I O th in k s it c o pl e t d hi
w as in 1
53 7 t ha t he m e s

s t ud i e l d hi bo k n d ga v him se lf so l el y to
s, so s o s, a e

pr y r He t h n b g n to v is i t th S e v n C hurch
a e . e e a e e es

an d the c ta c m b s t n igh ta B AC C I r e po r ts t hat h

o a . e

wa a id by F C a rd n
s s to ha v e l ived in t he ca ta c om b s
. o e

fo ten y rs ( l o B ROCC H I
r ea ol i p a s though his ,
v . . .

d om ic il e w as w i th Ca cc i h l so visits th hos p i ta l s at a e a e

this t im e .

1 53 8 . H e b egin s to fr eq u en t p ubl ic pl ac e s an d to c on v e r t
s in n e s r .

In thi s y r h e w S gu ittzna to Ofi z zal z d z P a l azzo

’

ai
’ ’ ’

ea as
1 539 .

cl et
'

B enefi c ia tz
’

at Fl r en c
o e at h is f ath e r s w ish
’
,
but
w ith cc R OCC H I , p
ou t su ess .
(B .
 CHRONOLOGY OF ST . P HILIP S LIFE ’

Assis ts Gabrie ll e Tan a in h is las t il l n ess .

Or a to ry c ons t u r c ted o v er the a is l e o f the c hu rc h of S .

Gir o l am o .

P r edic tion c o n c ern in g Fran ce sc o an d Gio v an Ba t tis ta

S ar ac en i .

The Po pe v ic r f o r bid s the vis its to the S e v en c hu rc hes ;

’
s a

s to p s the ex e rc is es a t t he Ora to ry for a f o rt n ight an d

d e priv es S t Phil ip o f his f ac ul ties . .

Ec s ta y at t he M in e rv a
s .

Th S a in t s f ather d i es a t Fl o r ence 1 1 th Oc to b e r (BA CC I )

’
e , . .

S t P h il ip w ee p s a t the cl o th in g o f Fr an c e o Ba ss o
. sc .

S t Ph il ip ass is ts F E n r ic o Pie t ra in es tab l is hin g the

. .

C o n gr ega tio n o f t he F the r o f C hris tian d o c tr in e at a s

S Agata in T r as te v er e ; a t the ho us e o f t hese f a thers

.

th e r e is a r oo m in w hic h t he S a in t s o m et im es sl e pt .

(B no tiz za Cacc ia guen

’ ’
’
l P 8 vo ,
'

r ev e d z Co m pa om oe .
'
a,

R om a, 1 7 1 2 ,
pp . 2 2 ,

S eb as tian , t h e m us i c ian , d ies in S t . P hi l ip s arm s ’

.

Dan ger o us s ic kn ess .

Death of Gio v a n n i Ba tt is ta S a l v iat i .

The S ain t a cc p t
e s t he go v ern m en t Of S Gi o v ann i d e
.
’

Fior en tin i Th Congr eg tio n of the Orat ry begun

. e a o

t her e t he f ther go thr ee t im es a day to S Gi ro l m o

a s . a

fo th s er o n s an d exe rc i ses
r e m .

Po pe P ius I V d i s in the arm s of S S Phil ip and . e .

C harl es M A R C I A N O v l i l ib p
( .
,
o . . . 11 . .

J a n ua ry P redic ts th e l c tion o f S t Pi u V
. e e . s .

An oth r p er sec ution

e .

The s er m ons at the Ora to ry d el ted to S t P ius V e . .

S t P hil ip s fr ien ds hip begins w ith F Agos tin o Ado rn o

’
. .
,

f ounder of the C l rk s Min or ; w hen the S ain t l eft e

S Gi r o l am o in 1 5 8 3 F Ad o rn o cc up ied his r oom s

.
,
. o

1 7 2
1 ,
6
p 7 .
)
 ’
CH R ONOLOGY OF ST . PHILIP S LIFE xxiii

Vision of th e d eath of An im u cci a .

R es to r es Ba on iu to h l th r s ea ;

P r edi c t th l c tion f Gr gory X I I I (BACCI )

s e e e o e . .

Th e Fl or en tin es c on s tr u c t n Or t ry t S Gi v n n i a a o a . o a ,

an d th ex rc i e e r e o v d thith re s s ar em e e .

Th e S ain t ob t in s th c hurch f S n t Mar i in V ll i a e o a a a a

c ll e Th a C on gr eg tion
. r c t d ther b y Gr gory
e a e e e e e

X I I I (d t f b u ll J u ly 5 th )
. a e o , 1 .

Fir s t t n f n w church l aid b y C rdin l A l

s o e o dro
e a a essan

d e Med ic i p r
’
7 th S t b , 1 e em e .

S t Phil ip s e
. th M d onn a su pp or t r o f of th e
es e a o

church .

F ur F th r en t t Mil n
o a e s s o a .

S r i u ill n
e o sf th S in t es s o e a .

3r d F b ua y
e r Th n w c hu rcrh O p d fi
. r t M aid e e en e s as s s

b y th e A rc hb i h p f Fl r c s o o o en e.

I n A pr il th r n tr n f rr d t th V l l ic ll an d
e se m o s a s e e o e a e a,

S Gi v n n i quitt d b y th f th r
. o a e e a e s .

8 th rlf a y S t P hil ip e l c t d P r o v o t (MAR C I A N O v l i

. . e e s .
,
o . .

l ib i p . . .

Th pr i s t Vi c on ti j in s th r t ry n d giv e hi
e e s o e o a o a s s

h ouse the t b l e of w hic h i tu r n ed in t

,
s a n Or t ry s o a a o .

M A R C AN O p
( I , .

M n y joi n th Con gr eg ti n GAL L ON IO s y

‘

a e C t r m a o . a s, ce e zt

in tra p a ucas a n nos a d eo c revit s oc ior um n um erus , at

ho m in es ad c en tum trigin ta , qua m quam n on om n es c on,

fl uen tes a d m itteba n tur , Congrega tion i s es e d ed td ertn t ; at

s zngul orum tna ad ild in a n im o

’

n om u num r ecens ore m

”
non es t .

Ch urc h of the Val l ic ell a exem p ted from th e j u r i dic tion

s
xxiv CHRONOLO G Y OF ST .
‘

PHILIP S LIFE ’

AD
. .

1 5 79 . S t Charl es d ur i ng his
. vis it to Ro m e at this t im e in ?
s titutes th r r
ee s e m o n s o n S a turdays at the C on fra te rnity
of th e Lo m b a ds , r
w hic h w as to be prea ch d byon e of e

a F at he r of th Orat ry S t Phil i p preac hed one day

e o . .

in t he pr s n c e f S t Charl es (MARC IAN O v ol i

e e o . .
, .
.

p
1
5 8 0 . St .l p wr it s to th B isho p of F rm o about the
Phi i e e e

pr p o d f oun d ti on o f n O to ry in th t c ity (B eve

o se a a ra a .
1
r

no ti ia d 5 p
'
z ,
o . 1 s ,
.

1 5 8 1 and 8 C n v en t f S E l i a be th w ith so e ther hou es

2 . o o . z m o s

p urc h sed b y C r d in l C i to en l arg t he h use of the

a a a es e o

C o n gr g ti n e a o .

6 th Af a h Th Mir acl o f P o l o d M i i
’
1 8
5 3, 1 ra . e e a e ass m .

nd N
2 2 e be S t P h il ip r e o v
ov m fr m S Giro l am o
r . . m es o .

t th V ll ic e ll
o e a a .

1 8
5 4 . C n v r t Ps l l go
o e
(sB A C C I ) eo o . .

1
5 8 6 . Dan g r ou ill n e in J an u ry
e s ss a .

Or t ry t Fer m o f oun ded ; F Ricc i sen t by S P hil ip

a o a . .

to F r m o e v r l t im e
e al s en ds a c o py o f t he R u l e
s e a s so s

t fi r t o b serv ed b y the F ther o f R o

a s a s m e .

1 8
5 7 .
91t h J u n e T h e S a in t d cl . re d P raepo situ pe pet uus o f e a s r

th C on gr eg tion
e a .

1
5 9 0 . S t P h il ip pp e r s to S t C ather in
. a f Ricc i a . e o .

1 1 th F brua ry T he re l i cs of S S P p ias an d Mah rus

e . . a

t r n l ateda s .

Acc e ion o f U rban V I I

ss .

P r ed ic ts the el ec ti n o f Gr egory X I V (BACC I ) o . .

1 590 or 9 1 Th S ai n t ob tain s fr om Gr g ry X I V th c h pe l in
. e e o . e a

his o w n r o an d i d i pen sed fr o

o m th Div in e Offi c e
,
s s m e .

1 59 1 . Assis ts F N i c olb Gigl i at the hour of d ath

. c e .

1 59 2 . Dan ger ou i l l n s s e s .
 CHRONOLOGY O F ST PHIL IP S LIFE .
’
xxv
AD
. .

1
593 . 2 3 rd
-
J u ly . He r en oun c e s his offi e c of Pe petuar l
S u p er ior .

B aron ius l c ted S up r ior e e e .

1
5 94 . B u
arsArc hd c on f Al x n dr i c
m ,
ea o e a a, om es to R o m e .

I n M y ill n s n d v i it f ou B l e
a , es a
“

s o r s s ed L ad y .

1
595 . Ab ut E s ter c ur s th gout f C l
o a e e o em e n t V II I — . E as te r
D yw a 6 th M rc h as 2 a .

3 o th Ill a rc h . T h e S a in t tak en il l ill du in g the r w ho l e

Of A pr il .

7 th Ap ril . S p eak s
ppr o chin g d th in l tter of his a a ea a e

to P Vitt r io d l l A n c i — thi l tt r i k p t t th
’
. o e sa s e e s e a e

S t bilite s
a r l ic (B n t a
y S
e e p a e . reoe o zz za , (
'

. ( , .

m t A I y On F e t of S S P hil ip n d J
a . h y as . a am es e sa s

M s — then thr e d y w itho ut M — th n M s

as e a s as s e as

d ily
a .

1 2 th M y N ew ttac k — r c iv
a . Vi ticu fr om C a e e es a m ar

d in al Fr d r ic k B rr e an d
e Ov e o om o, rec ers .

2 3 r d 4 th
, n d
2
5 th Pl y H s y ,
M a 2 .
a . e a s as s .

2
5 th M a y F t o f C rp u D. in i e as o s om .

2 6 th rlf y At A H (6 th h ou r
a . f the n ight ) g t 2 . . o o es o

Heaven .

2 7 th AI a
y . r
B u ied b en eath the C ho i r ,
n ea r the High
A l tar— soon a ft e r th c e o ffin w as pl c a ed l l in itt e Ch a p e l
a bo v e fi r
rc h on th E p i t l e id st a e s s e o f C h urc h .

za d Augus t
‘

Firs t pr c b gun (Bac on ) . o es s e .

1 596 . C r d in a l Cus n
a en d an ff r in g to th to b a o s s o e e m .

B n iu
aro nd T ugi cr t ed C r d in l
s a (C A E C E L AT R O )
ar ea a a s . P .

1 5 9 8 . 29 th b I a c h T h/
P o prgi v l v f M
. t o b e s id e e es ea e or as s a

in his r oo (B A C CI ) m . .

1
599 . C hurc h c on s cr t d b y C r din l f Fl r en c ( f t rw r d e a e a a o o e a e a s

L XL)
eo
(B A C C I
) . .

Offer in g of Mg V i c on ti Bi ho p of C rv i t th r . s ,
s e a, o e
 of the S ain t .
(BAC C I ) .

1 60 2 . 2 4 h
t an d 2 5 th Ma y . T he S a cr ed Bod y trans l a ted to n ew
c hap e l fi r t Ma s s id by Card in l T ugi (Ba con )
s s a a ar .

Ma y 2
5 th . B l e ed Phil ip is b eatified b y Paul V
ss .

(B AC CI ) .

1 62 2 . . l[ a reh 1 2 th . B l essed Phil i p is canon iz ed by Gregory X V .

AC C 1 )
(B .

Th c o ffin is o p n d n d the bod y i again f un d

e e e a s o

in c o rr u p t (B A C C I ) . .

Offic o f S t P hil ip m ade a d o ub l e of prec ep t fo the

e . r

w h l e Churc h b y C l en t I X
o em .

Al x n d r V I I I gr an ted the pr o p e r Mass f the S in t

e a e . o a

to th w ho l c h urc h e
(B A C C I
e
) . .

B n d ic t X III c
e e an d d th f as t to be ob s r v d as
. om m e e e e e ,

f p
o e p t in
r ce R n d ,
i n t r od u c ed th e c us to m
om e, o f a

h l din g P p l Ch p l in th e C hi esa N uo v a on t he
o a a a a e

f as t o f the S in t (BAcc r )
e a . .

P iu IX
s gr n t . S p e c i l M aass f or In sF es ta
a del a

J I ac l o o n Ma r c h 6 th a t the Pa l o Mass i o
'

zr o 1 az z m .

(C AP E C E LA TRO .
)
 P R E F AC E
OF

T HE VE N E T IAN E DIT OR O F T H E L I FE
O F ST P H I L IP NE RI 1 .

GEN E R EADE
TL Bei n g a n xious t o reproduce t h e
R, —

Book of t he Life O f St P h ilip N eri F o u n d er o f th e .

,

Co n gregatio n of th e Oratory in order to prom o te th e ,

glory Of the Sain t an d your devotio n t o ward s him I , ,

though t it would be an ardu o u s an d u s el es s u n der

takin g if after s o ma n y cel ebrated aut h or s w h o h ave
,

written th e Life an d s u n g the prai s es Of th is H oly

Man I tri ed to compo s e on e t h at migh t b e call ed
, ,

e n tirely n ew Th e c h ief difficulty for me w as to

.

c h oo s e am on g th e v ari o u s writer s the o n e mo s t apt

, ,

to help me in th e ta s k I h ad u n d er tak en The fir s t .

to collect th e admirabl e act s of St P hilip w as F . .

A n to nio Gal l on io a pri es t of his C on gr egati on an d

,

tru s t ed di s ciple w h o fiv e years aft er th e h appy d eat h

,

of th e Sain t publis h ed in 1 6 0 0 his life in Rom e

, ,

u n der th e form of an n al s T hi s life w as writte n in .

Latin wit h wo n derful exact n es s t h e main fact s h avi n g

, ,

b een wit n e s s ed by th e auth or h im s elf an d for th e re s t ,

r elyi n g on th e s worn d epo s itio n s of about t h r ee hun

dred p erso n s In th e fo llowi n g year the s am e bo o k
.

1
La Vit a di S . F il ippo N eri s crit ta d a
,
P PI E
. TRO A M A
GI C O O B C C I ,
ill r
us t a t a e d a ccr c i es uta da un P r et e de ll a r V
C o n g eg a z io n e d i en e z 1 a .

[ P B 1 A S U ZZI ] FOL, V en ez ia , 1 794

vii
. .
.

xx
xxviii PREFACE OF THE VENETIAN EDITO R

w as publi s h ed in Rome in the v e rn acular with some

, ,

additi o ns ; an d bot h editio n s were later reproduced ;

t h e fi r s t by it s elf at May en ce an d in the gr e at work
,

Of t he Bolla n di s t s (Acta SS Maii t o m vii pp 4 6 3

.
, . . .

an d t h e s eco n d at Napl e s an d Be n eve n to .

To t he work o f Gal lonio s ucceeded the o n e of,

Fat her Pi etro Giac o m o Bacci O f th e Ro m an Orato ry ’

w h o mi n u t ely e xami n ed t h e Proc e ss es i n stitut e d for

t h e c a n o n iza t io n of t he Sai n t o n which his work is

,

en tir ely bas ed . It w as pri n t ed in the year 1 6 2 2 by

t h e C o n gr eg a t i o n,
an d d edica t ed to t he Sovereig n
Po n t ifi Gr eg o ry XV Do n Gae t an o Volpi in his
'

.
,

Apologia per la Vita d i S Filippo N eri p 4 4 pri n t ed

.
, .
,

at Pad u a in 1 7 4 0 d e plore s that this d edicatio n

, ,

plac ed in t h e fir s t editi o n o f Bacci w as omitted in ,

t h e fo ll o wi n g o n es t h r o ug h lack of good tas te a n d he ,

h as it pri n t ed ag ai n in full an d in order t h at s uc h a

,

d o cume n t s ho uld n o t b e wan tin g in the prese n t editio n ,

I t h o ught it w e ll to i n sert it here

To His Hol in e s s Pope G r egory XV the Co n grega
t io n of the Or a tory ;

B ein g o n th e poi n t of publis hin g fo r t he s piritual ,

profit an d co ns olatio n of man y t he Life of St Phili p , .

Neri fo u n d er of th e Co n gregatio n of the Or atory:

,

based o n fac ts gat h ered in t h e Pr o ce s se s in sti t uted fo r

his Can o n izatio n t h ere 1 8 every reaso n for t h is work
,

to appe ar u n der the augu s t prot e ctio n of your Holi

n es s . B eside s all the trouble take n by your Holin es s ,
'

w h ilst auditor of th e Rota in order to s tart t his Pro

ces s it is You w ho related t he facts to Paul V of
,
.

gloriou s memory t h us i n ducin g him to declar e Philip

,
xxx PREFACE OF THE VENETIAN EDITOR
Ve n ic e in 1 6 1 1 an d fi n al ly a t hird o n e by Mgr , ,
.

Agostin o Barbosa in 1 6 2 1 .

Th e fo llowin g au t hor s wro te a lso summarie s of S t .

P h ilip s life a n d work s : Mgr A n dr é de Saussay

’

.
,

Bi sh o p of Toul who hav in g an n otated the Pope s bull

’

fo r the can o n i z atio n o f th e S ain t added it to his li t tle ,

work publi s hed u n d er the titl e : Epito m e Vitae S

, .

P hilippi N er ii c um B u l la j
e aa Ca non iz a tion is ,
n o tis d id a c
t ic is ,
s el ec l is b
o serva t on Giuseppe i ibus illus tra ta . Don
Ramirez O f Val en cia with imme n se labour compo se d
h is e pi to me e n tirely with word s draw n from the Holy
Scrip t ur es e n ti tli ng it : Via lac tea sea Vita ca nd t dis
'

, ,

s tm a S P hil ippi N er ti
. Do n G iovan n i Maran go n i en .

t i tl e d his w o rk : Ris tr etto della Vita ed opere del S P . . .

Filippo N eri W Sa n Girol a m o d el la Oa rtta Mgr . .

P o m peo Sarn elli Bi s h op Of Bis eglia in h is Specs/t ic del

, ,

Cl erc S ec ola re t he e rudit e Do n Giuseppe M aria Brocc h i ,

in his Vite d e S a ntt e B ea ti Ftor en tim

’
G iovan n i Forti
’

of the Co n gregatio n of the Ora to ry at M acerata ,

Niccol o Mac hirelli an d o ther s about t we n ty at least , , ,

w h ose n ame s I omit for the s ake Of brevity I must .

,

h owever poin t out t h at beside s th e above -n am ed

, ,

epitome s all writt en in prose there are three in Italian ,

v erse in the form of s hort poems writte n t he on e by

, , ,

Giovan n i Jacopo Ricci th e ot her by F An to n io , .

Glielm o of the Co n grega tio n of the Oratory of Naple s

, ,

an d the ot h er by Ign azi o Buss oni The followin g .

authors wrote about the Sain t s acts more or less ’

di ffu s edly F Ludovic us Beltran Marco of the

. .
,

Order of Preach ers wrote in Castilian F An to n io , ,

.

Vasquez of the Clerks Min o r an d a certain Miguel

, ,

A n to nio Fran cis de U rro tigoyt i in Spanis h ; F Her .

bertu s Ros w eyd of the Society of Jesu s in Flemis h ;, ,

 OF T HE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI xxxi
an d F G irolamo Bern abei of t he Co n gr egatio n of th e
.
,

Ora t ory in Latin ; wh ich latter life h as be en r epro

,

du c ed by th e B ollan di s ts o n th e 2 6 th May aft er th e

o n e O f F Gall o n io The learn ed F Dan i el Papebro c h
. . .
,

SJ
. a co n tin uator of th e B o llan di s t s in his i n tro
.
, ,

d uc tory comme n tary De S P hilippa N erio s ay s th at to .

,

th e Life writte n by F Gal l o n io a di s ciple o f th e Sain t

.
, ,

h e wi sh ed to add a rat h er l o n g s uppl em en t drawn ,

from th e o n e wri tte n by F Bacci b o t h in Itali an an d .

,

Lati n as well a s from th e Pr o ce s s es Bu t F L ean dr o

, . .

C o lloredo at that time a prie s t Of th e C on gr egatio n o f

,

th e Oratory at Rome an d lat er a Cardi n al o f t h e H o ly

,

C hurc h s en t him all t h e s e writin gs on th e par t o f th e

,

above n amed C on gregatio n t og et h er wit h a n ew Life

-
,

O f th e Sain t writte n in Lati n by F Gir o lamo B ern abei .

,

o f th e Roma n Orat o ry fou n d ed o n th e Proce s s es in , ,

order t hat h is work migh t b e i n s erted in th e Acta

San ctorum bei n g desiro u s Of m eetin g the wi sh es of
,

F Papeb ro c h w h o w as w ell kn own to him an d held

.
, ,

by him in high e s teem I t is a plea s ur e t o m e to .

repeat th e very word s of F Papeb ro c h o n t hi s s ubj ect .

wh ich are to be foun d in Sect 6 of t e ab v m enh o e - .

tio n ed comme n tary : T a lem ergo oita m (n em pe a B ern a beo

cons cr i t ) ta n togu e fi ectu ra epa r t ta m et com
'
cu m p a
p am ,

m un ica tam n obis , n e as d ux i r el un ieo ver bo sect

f tru nca re,

totum huic operi in seren d a m p u ta ri . S uperfluum etia m

cen su i,p os t
j
e us m odi S er iptoris ta m a ccura ti la borem ,

scrupu losius eo oloer e P r ocess uum hue pa riter m iss orum

volum in a : quid en im is thic a m e spera rem in ven ieudum ,

gu od ille n on devotio n to
cura rer it a d n ota re ? Th e
th e Sai n t becomin g more an d more i n te n s e in
, ,

1 670 a twelft h editio n was published in Rome of

th e Italia n Life of Bacci u n der t he directio n of
x xxn PREFACE OF THE VENETIAN EDITOR

F Master G iacomo Ricci of the Order of Preac h ers

.
,

who spared n o trouble to brin g it to the highes t

degree of perfection as is s how n in the letter of ,

dedicatio n to the Fa thers of the Co n gregatio n of the

,

Or a tory August 2 0 1 6 7 0 : I made hold to beg t he

, ,
“

V ery Revere n d F Marian o S o z z in i who was at the

.
,

time Superior to be allowed to examin e an d read the

,

Pr o ce ss es of the can o n izatio n an d th e Co n gregatio n ,

mo s t graci o u s ly acceded to my reques t I very dili .

g en tly read a n d s tudi ed all I fou n d th ere an d took ,

advan tag e o f certain de tail s besid es those a lready pub ,

lis h ed by t he Rev F Giacom o Bacci in h is Life. .

,

w hic h are v ery c o pi o u s an d valuabl e o n accou n t of the

s piri t o f G o d w h ic h pervade s t h em a n d w h ic h I here ,

tra n s m i t t o yo u etc e n ric hin g it moreover wi th brief

, , ,

Liv es o f s om e o f th e Sain t s c o mpa nio ns But although ’

.

it ca n n ot be d en i ed t h at he h as too liberally laid h an ds

Ba c c i s w o rk correctin g c h an ging addin g to
’

on F .
, , , ,

an d ,
i n de ed n o t alway s happily his work n o t o nly
, ,

reac h ed t he fo urt h editio n towards the en d of the ,

ce n tury in w h ic h it was publish ed but is s till the ,

mo s t po pular amo ng devo tees of St P hilip n o t .

,

wit hs tan din g two n ew an d very detail ed Lives writ te n

in Italian On e of these by F Marcian o of the
.
,
.

Oratory of Naple s published in 1 6 9 3 an d th e ot her

, , ,

by F S o n z o n io of th e Oratory of Ve nice which ap

. ,

pe er ed th er e in 1 7 2 7 The Lif e of St Philip Neri . .

,

publi sh ed by F Marcian o w hic h is drawn as he s ay s

.
, , ,

from all th ose t h at wrote before him o n th is subj ect ,

forms the seco n d book of th e first volume of his

Mem orie Historiehe
’

della Congrega z ion e dell Or a torio .

Th e Life written by F S on z on io w as . s ix years later

followed by a seco n d editio n published ,
in Padua wit h ,
 OF TH E LIF E O F ST P H I LI P N E RI xxxiii
’

additio n s an d an I n dex an d a Bibli ography of over

,

e ig h ty works from w h ic h h e affirm s al l th e mat erial s

,

fo r his work were take n .

Th e writers o f th e Life of St P hilip bei n g t her efo re .

s o n umerous I e n deavo ur ed fr o m th e b egin n i n g to

,

study atte n tively w h ich o f t h em it w o uld b e be s t t o

fo llow s o a s t o offer yo u m o r e pr o mptly an d accurat ely
,

t he re s ul t o f my work It migh t s eem t h at F S on . .

z o n io s work b ei n g t h e mo s t r ec en t s h ould be th e be s t
’

, , ,

but in truth th e s o urc es fr o m wh ic h h e d eriv es th e

, ,

greate s t part of it do n o t a lways app ear r eliabl e fac t s ,

are Oft en repeated an d his s tyl e is s o high -flown a s to,

bec o me weari s om e Wit h regard t o F Marcia n o th e . .

,

bad tas te so pr eval en t in lit erature in his tim e is s o

evide n t t h at I s p eedily arrived a t t h e c o n clu s io n to

leave th at part of th e Mem orie H is toriehe in the Ob s c u

rity in w h ic h it h as b ee n lyi n g ev er s in c e the fir s t
edi t io n app e ared I n th e w o rk o f B er n ab ei n on e o f
.

th e qualitie s required in h i s t o ry ar e w a n ti n g t h a t is t o ,

s a clear n e s s pr eci s io n an d t rut h ; but bei n g writt en

y, , ,

in Latin I decided to l e av e it o n o n e s ide n o t wi s h i n g

, ,

to offer you a tra n s latio n but an origi n al w o rk in th e

ver n acular n o w an d t h en makin g u s e o f it Fo r the
,
.

s am e reaso n I w as n o t s ati s fi ed wit h th e Liv es writte n

by Va s quez Ludovicu s B eltra n Ro sw eyd an d Urro

, , ,

t igo yt i I h ad t h er efo re to c h o o se betwee n two Liv es

.

o n ly writte n in Italian by Gallo n io an d Bacci On

, ,
.

comparin g th em h owever I s o o n fou n d o u t th at wh ilst

, , ,

Gallon io write s wi th remarkabl e e xact n e s s n e v ert h e ,

le ss fo r two po w erful r ea s o n s his work w as i n feri o r t o

, ,

th at of Bacci Th e fir s t is t h at his me t h od of writin g

. ,

h
t e Life O f t h e Sai n t u n d e r t h e form o f a n n a l s w o uld
xxxiv PREFACE OF THE VENETIAN E DITOR

while desirous of readin g virtuou s ac tio n s of t he Sain ts ,

like to h ave th em all gat hered up toget her framed as , ,

it were in a clear an d fi n i sh ed picture an d n o t to h ave

, ,

to pick t h em out here an d there as if in a picture ,

r o ug hly outlin ed The o ther is t h at as Gall o nio wrote

.
, ,

a s I h ave alr eady s tated in 1 6 0 0 m an y circu m s t an ces

, ,

of gr eat imp o r tan ce are n o t to be fou n d in his Life ,

and h ave be en o n ly revealed in th e Proce ss es th at

t o o k pl a c e la t er As I t herefore fo u n d in Bac c i s
’
.

w o rk all th a t c an s a ti s fy th e devo tio n of the read er it ,

app ear ed t o me t h a t t h is w a s t h e Life I s o ugh t m erely ,

a ddi n g t o it w h a t h as bee n di s covered s in ce 1 6 4 6 th e ,

d a t e o f its o rigin al publicatio n up t o our o w n t ime so , ,

a s t o m ak e it as far a s is po s sibl e perfect in every

s en s e
. F Ma s t er Giacomo Ricci of the Order Of
.
,

Pre a c her s a very lear n ed m an an d devoted to th e

, ,

Sai n t w as al s o d esirous o f publi sh ing as perfec t a Life

,

a s p o ss ible b u t I mu s t o w n t h a t w h oever ex am i n es it
,

impartially will so o n p erceiv e th a t his additio n s are

O ft en out o f place o r quite superfluou s bein g fr eque n tly ,

repe titio n s of w h a t is to be fou n d in Ba c ci for the m ost ,

par t wri t te n h urriedly an d he n ce n o t s ubmit t ed to the

,

critical s pirit w h ich s hould be an in t egral part o f all

s uc h u n dertakin g s Nevertheless all devotees of S t
.
, .

Philip mu s t feel grateful to him as his work though , ,

n o t faultless h as giv en rise to n ew s tudi es an d com

,

pariso n s as in my cas e e n ablin g me thus to o ffer you

, ,

t h e prese n t Life whic h will be more exact an d brin g

, ,

in to greater ve n eratio n th e h oly Fat her I must als o .

o w n my de ep o bligatio n s to thi s writer who h as h elpe d

'

me to approach alt hough I n ever c an h ope to rea c h it

, ,

t he perfectio n to be aim ed at You will t herefore fin d

.

in this work be s ides the text of F Bacci the most

,
.
,
 OF T H E LIF E OF ST . PHILIP N ERI xxxv
no table illu s tration s an d additio n s t h at are s catt er ed
in o th er auth or s man y ot her detail s m o s t wort h y of
,

n o tice t h at I succeeded in e xtracti n g fr o m aut h en tic

docume n t s kept in th e Flor en tin e arch ive s an d in ,

t h o s e of Rome In statin g th ese fact s I h av e en

.

d eav oured wit h o ut alterin g t h em a s Ricci h as do n e at

, ,
'

time s to pres erv e through ou t th e s implicity of dicti on

,

in B a c c i s Life in us e at t h at ep o c h a n d w h ic h t o me
’

app e ar s adapted to a bo o k Of dev o tio n of t h i s ki n d .

We h ave n ow I t hin k s aid en ough c on cern i ng th is

, ,

n ew e ditio n of t h e Life of St P h ilip . .

W ith r egard to th e L etters placed by me at t h e en d

of th i s Life I s h ould s ay t h at t h ey were all publi sh ed
,

i n 1 7 3 7 in Flor en ce by D o ctor A n to n Maria Bisci o n i

in his Ra ccol ta d i L ettere ali S a u ti e B ea ti Fior en tin i ;

an d I h ave bee n able my s elf after muc h re searc h to ,

add as man y more wh ic h I h av e tran s cribed fr o m

,

th e auth e n tic o rigi n als It is c ertain t h a t St P hilip

. .

wr o t e man y more letter s t h an th os e placed here a s is ,

a t te s t ed by th e book it s elf Of his Life in which are ,

fo un d fragme n t s O f oth er s th e origi n al s Of wh ic h will

,

probably be discovered in th e c our s e of time T h ere .

w ere in s ome of th em words eit h er faded through

, ,

time o r impos s ible to b e deciph ered owi n g to the

n um erous era s ures made by t h e Sai n t h imself w h ic h ,

w ere r eplac ed by th e copyi s t wi th dot s I h ave

n o t j udged it righ t to e n deavour to s upply th e mi ss i n g

w o rd s as I wish you to b e a ssured t h at all I o ffer is

,

really th e Sain t s You will in readin g th em r emark

’
.
, ,

a c ertain differ en c e in s tyle am on g t h em but t h is ,

mu s t n o t lead you to s uspect t h ey do n ot all c o me

from St P h ilip T h is differe n ce arises from the fact
. .

th at th e Sain t did n o t always write th em with his o w n

xxxvi PREFACE OF THE VENETIAN EDITOR

han d at times dictatin g word by word at others

, ,

suggestin g briefly to Gall onio or some on e else what

th e co n te n ts of the letter s hould be . When written
he used to read th rough th e letter making the ,

n ecessary correctio n s a s c an
,
be a s certain ed in some
aut he n tic copie s but with regard to s tyle all he asked
, ,

w as t h at h is se n time n t s s h ould be w e ll express ed .

Be t herefor e kin d e n ough to accep t th e book I o ffer

you s uc h as it is a n d th us e n courage me to pub lis h
, ,

the live s of t h e mo s t illu s t riou s s o n s of St P hilip w ho

.
,

flouri s hed a t all t ime s in the C o ngregatio n s of the

Orat o ry T he s e live s collec ted from many sources
.
, ,

I am n o w e n deavourin g to put together for the

s piritual be n efi t o f all May it pl eas e God t hat t he
.

p eru s al o f t hi s b o o k dev o u tly un dertake n an d atte n

,

tiv ely co n t i n ued may brin g fort h in your min d the

,

s ame admirable frui t w hich in former time s t h e Life

an d Let t ers of t he h oly Father produced in such

abun dan ce .
 LI ST O F I LL U ST R AT I ON S
VOL . 1

GOOD PI PP O to f a c e titl e-pa ge

CH I E S A N U OVA , E XT E R I O R . to f a c e p a ge 1 0 7
T h isch rc h c ll d S t M r i i V ll ic ll d d d ic t d t
u ,
a e a . a a n a e a, a n e a e o

o ur Bl d L dy es s ed S t Gr g ry w a g v
i b y P p Gr g ry
an . e o ,
as en o e e o

X I I I t S t P h il ip w h h d t h l d c h ch p ll d d w d
. o .
,
o a e O ur u e o n an

t h pr e t c h rc h b il t
es e n T h fir t t wu l id i 5 7 5 b y u . e s s on e as a n 1

Al dr
es s a n d M d ic i Arc hb i h p f F l r c
o e
’
eft w d , s o o o en e, a er ar s

P p L
o e XI th eo rc h it c t w M t t o d C t ll d
.
,
e a e s e re a e a as e o an

L un ghi d f th f c d R g h i t h egaxij i i g h f
'

,
an or e a a e, u es : o n n o us e o

th eC gr g t i on wit h t h O t ry nd Lib r y w r
e a on e ra o a ar e e c on

t r c t d b y B rr N vi w n b giv i t ri r
h
"
s u e i i o f t
om n . o e ca e en o e n e o

f t h Or t ry it w i d b y h fIt l ianG
'

o e a o , as t as se z e e a ov ern m en

a f t r t h i v i f 8 7 d c v er t d i t L w C r t
e e n a s on o 1 0 an on e n o a a ou .

“
S L N FAT H A N M l t f
”
‘

I E C E H E ,
R T
I S S Y G as s a
p g E I . o a ce e 1 48
O cc t f h i tr rd i ry d v ti
n a o un O d f q s ext t ao na e o on a n re ue n ec s a

i
s es P p Gr g ry X I V g v S t P h il ip l
o e e o v t yM i . a e . ea e o sa as s n a

priv t Or t ry Aft r t h A g D i t h rv r p t t t h
a e a o . e e n us e e se e u ou e

c d l l ight d l p d l f t t h S i t l with hi
an es , e a am , an e e a n a on e s

L rdo A t ic j i i g il c w h g t h d r d
. no e en o n n s en e as un on e oo ,
an

it w as ft tw O th r en h r b f r t h rv r w o or ee ou s e o e e se e as re

a d it t d
m O th
e w ll h g t h b ll t h t w
. n e d t a an s e e a as us e a

S t Phil ip
. M d l ’
s cr cifi th t b l g d t hi
ass, a n a so a u x a e on e o m ,

an d whic h i lw y h g b v t h b d f y s a a b r f
s un a o e e e o an m em e o

th Re Or t ry w h h
om a n r c iv d t h L t S cr
a o t o as e e e e as a am en s .

C H I E S A N U OVA I N T E R I O R ,
to f a
p g a ce e 1
59
A b v t h H igh Al t r i t h v r b l p ic t r f S t M ri
o e e a s e en e a e u e o a. a a

d ll V ll ic ll w h ic h w
e a a i th
e l d c h rc h
a d it w b v as n e o u , an as a o e
xl LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
CORRID OR L EA D I N G ST P H 1 L1P R OO M to f ac e page
’
TO . s .

S t Phi i
. lp r c rrid r ric hly d c
’
s oo m is a ppr c h oa ed by a o o e o

r t d wit h b t f t h S i t v r t h d r B t h t h r
a e a us o e a n o e e oo . o e oo m

of S t P hil ip d h i priv t O t y w r
. rigi lly h igh r p
an s a e ra o r e e o na e u

i th h
n h vi g
e v i w cr t h Tib r t S O fri
o us e, a n a e a oss e e o . no o,

b t wh
u th h w en r b il t f t r fi t h y w r v d
e o us e as e u a e a re e ere em o e

t
s on e by t t t h ir pr t p it i
s one d l gro e es e n os on , an so no on e

h v a h e t vi w e sa m e e .

ST P H I L1 P R OOM to f a ce pa ge
’
. s

Th is r o om c h p l d r ic h ly d c
h as b ee n t u n ed r in t o a a e an e o

r t d Th h d
a e . f it r d pic t r w r t t h i
e an som e u rn u e an u e e e no e re n

S t Ph il ip A b v t h l t r i G id R i rigi l
' '
. ti s m e . o e e a a s u o en s o na

p ic t r O t h Ep i t l id f t h l t r cl d i
u e . n e s e s e o e a a , en os e n a

c b i t i t h S i t c f i l hi b d b i g
a ne ,
s e th a n
’
s o n es s o na , s e e n on e

G p l id
os R l ic
e s f M r tyr e d r th
. lt r e s o a s a re un e e a a .

T HE S AC R I S TY
T h S cr i ty c e tr ct d b
a th rc hit t M u lli i
s ons u e y e a ec ar ce s o ne

f th fi
o ti R e th r
n es f i p i t d b y Pi t r d C rt
n o m e, e oo s a n e e o a o o na ,

and b v th a lt r i
o rb l t t f S t Phil ip b yAlg d i
e e a a s a m a e s a ue o . ar .

I th
n S cr i t y e pr rv d a y r l ic f th S i t i
s a re es e e m an e s o e a n , n

c l d i g hi b rr t t t hr gh w hic h
u n s y i cl h v b
e e a, ou m an m ra es a e ee n

w rk d A t gr p h l t t r f S t F r c i d S l i l
o e . n au o a e e o . an s e a es s a so

k p t t h r whil
e g th tr
e e, r i b t if l c h lice a m on e ea s u es s a ea u u a e

g iv by P p L X III t h cc i f S t Phil ip t '

en o e eo . on e o as o n o . s er

c t rye n ena .
CON T E N TS O F LI F E OF ST . PH ILI P
VO L . I

B OO K I

T H E AC T I ON S OF P H ILI P F ROM H I S B I R T H TILL H E

W EN T TO LI VE AT S AN T A MAR I A I N V ALL I C E LL A
C HAP .

1 . r
B i th an d y
b o hoo d Of P hi i lp
II . At s ixt ee n he is s en t to S . Ge r m an o , to l r ea n b u si
n es s u n d e r hi c s o u s in

I II . H e go e s t o R o m e . h is fi r t f rv r
s e ou

IV l p t di p hil
. P hi i s u es o so p hy d t h l g y
an eo o

V H l v hi t di
. e ea es st s u es d giv
an hi lf wh lly es m se o o

p irit u l rc i s a exe s es

V I Of t h ir c l p lp it t i fhi h r t
e m a u o us a a on o s ea

f c h r it y t h t
.

V II T h wi . i g f el d t h w rk
nn n o s o u s , an e o s O a a

h d id hi y th e 1n s ou

V I II P hil ip w it h
. th b gi
,
th c fr t r it y f
s om e o e rs , e ns e on a e n O

T r i it d P ll gr i i d C
’
th S ti i
’
e an ss m a n a e e e n e e on

vales c en ti

In O b e die n c e t o his c f r h i r d i d pri t

o n es s o e s o a ne es ,

an d u n de rt a ke s t h c h rg
e f h ri g c
a f i e o ea n on e s s o n s

X . T he b e gin n in g Of th ep irit l c v r t i i hi
s ua on e sa on s n s

r oom

Of s o m e Of his p e n it e n t s w h l dh l y
o l ive o es

r
Of t he g ea t n e s s o f P hi i lp l f t h h ly f it h
’
s z ea or e o a

F o r t he sam e e n d o f o n c v rt i g b l i v r h
e n un e e e s e c om

m a n ds Ce sa r e B a ro n iu t c s p hi ccl i t i
o om os e s e es a s

c al a n n a s l
X IV . Of P hi i lp ’
s s p ir it l ua ex e rci se s at S Gi . r l
o am o de ll a
 CONTENTS
C RAP . PAG E

XV . T he F l r r P hilip t u d rt k t h
o e n t in es d es i e o n e a e e

ch rg f t h ir c hu rch f S Gi v nni t R
a e o e o . o a a om e

XVI . Phil ip d ur eny p r ut i n b c u f t h

es m an e s ec o s e a se O e

x rc i
e e ses

X V II . F u d ti
o n f t h Co
a on r
g g t i fo t h O t y i e n e a on o e ra o r n

t h c h urc h f S
e t M ri V l lic ll
o an a a a 1n a e a

X V III . P hil ip l v S G ir l
ea d g
es t liv w it h hi
. o am o , an oe s o e s

di c ipl
s t t h V ll ic l l
es a e a e a

X IX . Of t h i t it u t
e d g v r
ns t f t h C gr g
e an o e n m en o e on e a

t io n
XX . Of t he g r ea t o b edie n e an d c rv
e ere n e c whic h hi s s ub

jeet a p a id t o him

BOO K II
OF HIS V I RT UE S
l p l v d d v ti t w rd G d
I . P hi i
’
s o e an e o on o a s o

I I Of P hil ip d v ti Bl d L dy d t
’
. t u s e o on o o r e ss e a , an o

h ly r l ic o e s

I II Phil ip c
. u ic t d v ti t th
om m wh c nv n a es e o on o o se o o e rse

wit h hi m

I V Of P hil g if t f t r
’
. s o ea s

V Of pr y r. a e

V I Of P hilip c h rit y c c rn i g t h lv t i f ul
’
. s a on e n e sa a on o so s

V II Ph il ip w d rf ul w y f k p i g y ung p pl
’
. s on e a o ee n o eo e

fr v ic om e

V II I Of t h g r t c r whic h P hilip t k f hi p it
. e ea t a e oo o s en en s

wh t h y w r ill en e e e 20 1

r ub lt o es

X P hil ip d l iv
. e ers m an y f ro m m e an l c h ly o a n d sc ru pl es

Of P hi i lp ’
s a m s l
 P AGE

H o w fa r r em o v ed Phi ilp w as fr om e v ry
e kin d Of

Of t he m o rt ifi c a t io n s wit h which Phil ip e xe rci s ed his

2 99
l p p ti c
Of Phi i
’
s a en e
313
Of P hil ip p r v r c e a n d s t ab i l it y i w ll d - o in
’
s e se e an n e g 32 6

BOO K III

HIC H T RE AT S OF T H E GI F T S W H I C H G OD

V OU C H S AF E D T O HI M

l p r pt r
P hi i
’
s a d c t i
u es a n e s a s es

Phil ip v i i
’
s s o ns

P hil ip g if t f pr p h cy H pr d ic t t h d ea t h of
’
s o o e — e e s e
.

m an yp r e so n s

Phil ip pr d ic t t h r c v ry f
e s y
e e o e O m an

Ot h r pr d ic t i
e e f P hil ip
on s O

H pr p h i t
e o es esv r l t h t t h y will b
o se e a a e e r
C a d in a l s
 L I FE O F S T . PHILI P N ERI

C H APT E R I
B IRT H AND BO Y H OO D OF P H I LIP
P H ILI P was born in the city of F lore n ce in 1 5 1 5 th e , ,

th ird year Of Leo the T en t h s po n tific ate in th e mo n th

’

1
of July s ix h our s after n igh t fall on th e ev e o f
, ,

St M ary Magdalen He w as bapti z ed in the C hurch

. .

of S t J ohn th e Bapti s t as is cu s t om ary in F lor en c e

.
, ,

t h ere b ei n g in fact n o oth er bapti s m a l fo n t in th e C ity .

H e rec eiv ed his gran dfath er s n am e P hilip an d t o t h i s

’

, ,

w a s added Rom o lo from th e gr eat dev o tio n sh ow n in

, ,

t ho se part s to th e Sain t of that n am e His fath er , ,

.
,

Fran c es co Neri w as a lawyer h on o urab ly kn o wn in

'

h is profes s io n an d a great frien d dt o th e r eligi ou s

‘

, ,

order s e specially to th e D o m ini can s His f amily cam e

,
.

o rigi n ally from Ca s telfran co bu t

l b
iad een lo n g e s tab
’

,
/

l ish ed in Floren ce an d h ad b ec oirie alli ed wi t h th e

,

ch ief n obl e famili es O f the city t h ough in his time it ,

h ad s ome wh a t fall en i n to decay His mot her w as .

n amed Lucre z ia a n d w a s th e daug h ter of A n to n i o

,

d An drea of Mo s cian o an d Le n a Soldi Th e S o ldi were

’
.

o n e of th e n oble h ou ses of Flor en c e an d in th e time o f ,

th e republic h ad lo n g h eld h igh o ffi c es in t h e s tat e .

l
t h e I t a ia n r ck
e on in g t his w ld b
ou e 2 A M
. .
 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NE RI

Fra n cesco N eri h ad four c h ildren two girl s Caterin a ,

an d Eli s abetta a n d two boy s Phil ip a nd A n t o n io who

, , ,

died you ng Phil ip was gifted with excelle n t tal e n ts

.
,

a n amiable dispo s i t io n a winn i ng app ea ran ce an d a

, ,

wo n derful p o wer of attractio n ; qualities which are

u s ually fou n d in t ho se w ho are c h o s e n to g ain s ouls
t o God .

H is par en t s gave him a n excelle n t educati o n He .

w en t t h r o ugh the u s ual c o urs e o f grammar a nd s uc ,

c eed e d s o w ell a s n o t o n ly to keep up with his com

n i n b u t t o a s t o n i s h e v e ry o n e He a l s o we n t o n
p a o s ,
.

to th e c o ur s e o f r h et o ric a nd attain ed the greatest ,

p r o fi ci en cy in it H i s mas t er in t h e s e studie s w as a
.

c ert ai n Cleme n t e a m an o f n o s mall s ki ll an d le arn in g

,

fo r t h o s e t im es .

A m o n g the s igns of fu t ure s a n c t i ty which Phil ip

g a v e w h il e s till a child w ere a great reveren ce to w ards
, ,

h is elders a s in gular m ode s ty a n d a more t h an usu al

, ,

a ttractio n t o t h e t h in g s o f God H e w as s o o bedien t .

t o h is fa t her t h a t he n ever caus e d h im t he leas t um

,

e as i n e s s except o n ce w h e n h e gav e h is sist er Cate rin a

,

a s ligh t pu s h becau s e wh ile h e w as re ading the psalm s

, ,

wit h his other s i s ter Elisa b etta she kept o n in terrup t ,

in g t h em in th e ir prayers For this fa ult if fault it .

,

r eally c an be called he w as co rre c ted by his father , ,

an d w h e n h e reflected upo n it h e was so grieved th at ,

h e s hed man y tear s .

His atte n tio n to his mother s c omm an ds w as equally

’

e xemplary If s he told him t o s t ay in a particular

.

plac e n ot hin g would i n duce him t o move with out h er

,

leave After her d eath his father married again an d

.
, ,

Ph ilip s dutiful n ess to h is s tep -mother was such th at

’

s h e quite revere n ced him an d loved him as te n derly

,
 “
GOOD PIPPO 5

as if he had been h er o w n ch ild ; so th at wh en he

left Flore n ce sh e wept bitterly an d o n her death ,

bed appear ed t o hav e him alway s b efor e her kept ,

pro n ou n cin g his n am e an d d eclared th at the very

,

remembran ce of him w a s a r efr esh men t to h er .

It w as n ot o n ly to his pare n t s t h at P hilip w as

re spectful but t o all w h o w er e old er t h an him self
, .

With his equal s an d i n ferior s he w as ligh th earted ,

an d so peaceable t h at h e se emed n o t t o kn o w h o w t o
,

b e an gry .H e w as n ever h eard to spe a k evil of an y

on e . H is c on duct with all ra n k s an d ag es w a s s uc h
as made him a u n iver s al fav o urit e ; an d fro m the
ki n dli n e s s of his temper an d th e purity o f his ways ,

his comrad es n ickn a m e d h im Good P ipp a Nor w as .

it o n ly in the s igh t of m en th at h e fo u n d fav our ,

becau s e of th e g o odn e ss of h is di s po siti on ; but h e

s eemed t o b e u n der a s p ecial guardian s h ip o f Provi

de n ce On e day w h en h e w as about eigh t or n in e

.
,

year s o ld he s aw an a ss s tan din g in th e c o urt yard

,
-
,

an d wit h a b oy s t h ough tl es s n e ss j umped up on it s

’

back . By s o me accide n t h e an d th e b ea s t both

tumbled down a fligh t of s t ep s i n to a cellar H e fell .

ben eath th e as s an d n o part of h is b ody w as vi s ible

,

except an arm A woman w ho wit n es s ed the accid en t

.
,

ran to him a n d dr ew him fro m u n d er the an imal n o t ,

as s h e e xp ect ed kill ed or m a imed but s afe a n d s o u n d

, , ,

with o ut th e l east v es tige o f h is fall H e often r elated .

t his e s cape as on e of the great es t favo ur s the M aj es ty

of God h ad co n ferred on him and w a s c o n tin ually
,
 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

t ho s e exhibitio n s of childi sh piety which are laudable ,

en ough in t hem s elve s s uch as dr es s in g l ittle al t ars

,

and the like but in prayin g recitin g ps alm s an d

, , ,

a b ove all in eagerly li s te n in g to the word o f God .

He n ever s pok e lig h tly as b oys will do of bec o ming a

, ,

prie s t or a mo n k but co n cealed the wi sh o f h is h eart

, ,

an d bega n eve n from h is childhood to s hu n a ll parade ,

o f w h ich h e was ev er an implacable e n emy T his .

maturi ty of S pirit u n i t ed wi th h is c hildlik e i nn oce n ce

, ,

re n dered h im s o d e ar to G od t h at He app ear s to h ave

gra n t ed him w h at ev er he prayed for \Vhe n he had .

lo s t a nyt h in g h e h ad recour s e to prayer in order to

,

fin d it T hu s for in s t an ce re t urn in g o n ce from the

.
, ,

Z ecca to th e Pi tt i palace n ear which he w as born ,

a n d dwelt h e l o s t a gold n ecklace but n o soo n er h ad

, ,

h e pr a yed t h an h e fou n d it ; a n d an other t ime he

r ecov er ed by th e s am e means s ome thi ng s which h ad
dropped fr o m u n der h is arm a gre at way o ff .

At thi s time P h ilip frequ en t ed amo n g other ,

c hurches t h a t o f St M ark b elo ngin g to the Dominican

, .
,

F riars from w ho m he received the firs t germ s of

,

s pirituality He n ce aft erwards whe n he w as at Rome

.
, ,

he u s ed to s ay to s ome F a th er s of that order w ho

were accu s tomed to go to vis it him : All the good I “

h ave ever h ad from my youth up I owe to your ,

’
Father s of St Mark s at Flore n ce ; an d he n amed in
.

particular F Ze n o bio de Medici an d F S erv a n z io

.
’

,
.

Min i in evide n ce of w h o s e virtue s he u s ed to relat e

,

t h e followin g amo n gst variou s o t h er an ecd o t es T he se .

t w o father s h ad agreed t o geth er t o h ear e ac h other s

’

con fess io n s every n ig h t before th ey we n t to matin s in ,

o rder t h at they mig h t say o ffi ce wit h gr e ater devotio n

but the devil was e n viou s of so much good an d o n e ,

HIS YOU THF UL R E LI G IOUS E XERCIS E S 7

n igh t about t w o h o urs before th e u s ual tim e h e ,

k ocked at th e c ell of Fra Zen obio sayin g

n “
Up , ,

quickly it is time
, At t h ese word s th e go od fa ther
.

woke an d got up an d w en t as u s ual in to t he C hurch

, ,

wh ere h e fou n d th e devil u n der th e form of Fra

S erv an z io walkin g up an d do wn n ear th e c o n fess io n al
, .

Believin g it w as really his co m pa n io n h e k nelt d o wn ,

to make his c on fe ssi on The d evil at th e s am e tim e

.

s a t dow n a s if to h ear h im a n d at eac h fault w h ic h

,

Fra Zen o bio n amed h e cri ed out

' “
,
T h at is n o th i ng , ,

”
th at is n othi n g At la s t th e friar addin g a faul t
.
,

whic h s eem ed to him o f a s o mewh at mor e grav e

c h arac ter th e d evil s till s aid t h at is n o th in g ; wh en
,
“

Fra Ze n o bio h eard th is fo r m o f s pe ec h h e beth ough t

h im s elf a littl e a n d s u s pectin g n o t wit h o u t r eas o n
, , ,

s ome diabolical illu s io n h e at o n c e mad e t h e s ig n o f

,

t he h o ly cro s s s ayi n g,
P er h ap s you are a devil from
,

h ell at w h ic h w o rd s t he evil s pirit w as c on fo u n d ed

,

a n d im m ediat ely di s app eared .

Be s ide s th es e two with who m P hilip w as on t erm s

,

o f th e greate s t c o n fid en ce a n d familiarity h e u s ed t o ,

delig ht in h earin g a famous preach er of th o s e time s ,

call ed F Balduin o of t he order of th e Umili ati t o

.
,

who s e h olin e ss t h e s ai n t u s ed ofte n t o b ear witn es s ,

d eclarin g th a t by t he prayer o f t h at good s ervan t o f

,

God th e city of F lore n ce w as much h elped in th e d is

,

tu rb an c es an d tr o ubl es o f 1 5 2 7 wh en th e Duke o f ,

Bourb on made his pas s ag e th rough Italy .

8 TH E LIFE OF ST . PHI LIP NE RI
by a violen t fever in the s ix tee n th year of his age he ,

e n dured it with suc h patie n ce an d fortitude that h e ,

eve n s ought to co n ceal by s ile n ce so far as he could , ,

-
’
h h h
w at e really s u ffered ; but is ste p mother s sis ter
perceiv ed it an d took pain s to provide everythin g h e
,

wan t ed wit h out h is as kin g an yt hin g of her or of ot h ers

N o r did h e di s play le ss firm n ess in a fire which
h app en ed in t he h o u s e an d de s troyed a gr eat deal of ,

pr o per ty ; for s o r emarkable was the calm n e ss with

w h ic h h e t ook t he ma t ter th at man y pers o n s o n tha t ,

o cca s i o n predicted t h at h e would b e n o ordin ary m an .

Fur th ermor e by m ea n s of th e same s piritual exercis e s

, ,

he ac quired in addi t i o n t o t h e l o v e of virtue an actual

av er s i o n to t ho s e t hin g s wh ic h th e world mo s t est e em s .

On o n e o ccas io n a pap er w a s give n him co n tain in g a ,

p edigr ee of h is fa mily ; but in s te ad of readin g it he ,

tor e it in piec es n o t cari n g to be put dow n in that

, ,

l
b u t o n ly in t h e Book of Etern al Life with the Just .

F ro m St . Ph i i lp p
'
s r
ed ig e e v
gi en in B R O CC HI ,
Vite de
’
S a n ti c

B ea t i Fio r en tin i, t o m . i. p 49 2
.
( v l
2 o s .
4 to , F iren z e , it is cl ea r

t ha t B AC C I, supra , p .
4, is in rr
er o . F ran c c
es o, t he f a t he r of t he
Sa in t , d id not m a rry a
ga in . I t w a s his s te p- m o t he r
, B e nede tta Le n z i ,

w ho k pt h
e o use f or him , an d w as s o at ta ch ed t o S t Phi i
. lp .
10 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
in the way of perfectio n he beg an to t h in k within
,

h im s e l f o f dispo s in g oth erwis e of his life ; an d th is

th ough t w as quicke n ed by a devotio n which he adop t ed

in t h o s e part s .

N ear to t he h arbour of Gaeta n o t far fr o m S an ,

German o t here is a c el ebrated m o u n tain whic h ac c o rd

, ,

in g to a v ery a n ci en t an d comm o n traditi o n is o n e of ,

’
t h o s e w h ic h w ere r e n t at o u r Saviour s deat h It .

bel on g s t o t h e B en edicti ne fat hers o f M o n te C as sin o ,

w h o h ave a c h urc h t h e r e dedicat e d to t h e M o s t Holy

Trin i ty T h is m o u n t a i n is s pli t from t o p to bottom

.

by t h r ee huge fi s s ure s ; an d in th e middle on e w hich ,

is th e l a rge s t t h er e is a lit tle c h apel o n a r o ck u n der

, ,

t he c a r e o f th e m o n k s a n d o n it a crucifix pai n ted

, ,

w hic h th e s ail o r s s alu te wi th th eir gu n s as t hey p ,

b en eat h H ere P hi lip w as in the h abit of retirin g for

.

pray er an d m edi ta ti o n o n t he Pass io n o f his Lord I t .

w as duri n g t h e s e r e t ir e me n ts that his dis dai n of e art h ly

t hin g s gr e w o n him by li t tl e an d little an d h e ,

d elib erat ed o n the be s t mean s of putt ing in executio n

t h e d es ign wh ich h e h ad co n c eived ever sin ce h is

comi n g to S an G erman o of leavi n g trad e an d givin g

, ,

h im self up to God in a s tate of lif e in w h ich he

could s erv e Him with le ss h in dran ce Whe n his .

cousin became a w ar e of t his h e e n deav o ured by every,

po s s ibl e mean s to di s s u ade him from his p urpo s e ,

proposin g wh at he h ad already de s ig n ed t o make him

, ,

h eir of all his fortu n e He bad e him als o th in k of his

.

family of w h ich h e w as th e las t r epresen tative an d

, ,

above all n o t to adop t ligh tly a r es oluti o n of su c h

importan ce addin g t h at h e w as n ot co ns ci o u s t h at any
,

t h in g had bee n wan ti n g o n his part to de s erve at leas t

gratitude from P hilip for the love an d t he acts of
,
 HE .
R E NOUNC E S E ART H LY RIC H E S I I

kin dn es s wh ic h h e h ad b estowed o n him Philip a t .

,

o n c e puttin g away fr o m h im s elf all id ea of earthly

rich e s an s wered with th e mod es t br evi ty b efi t tin g
,

s uc h re s o lutio n s t h at h e n ever S ho uld forg et his

,

c o u s in s ki n d n e s s b ut t h at as to the r es t h e w as m o r e
’

, ,

pl eas ed with h is a ffectio n th an wit h his advic e .

1

1
Acc r di o ng to an an ci
en t and u nb rko en r
t ad it io n t h e ho u s e in
lp
h a b it e d b y S t P h i i a t S a n G e m a n o s
. r
e x is t s , a n d a oo m t il l
in it is r
c ll
a ed t h e Ro o m o f S t P h i i T he a lp F th r
e s o f t h e O a t o ies o f R o m e r r
N pl w r p w
. .

and a es e e o n t he o in t o f b uyin g t h e h o u s e h e n t he R e v o l u ~

f 86 b r k l i p 77 f CA C A P E C E L AT R O
’
tion o 1 0 t S o e ou . ee v o . . . o R D I N AL S

L if f S t P hil ip N r i
e o .
(E gl i h T r l ti e n s a ns a on ) ,
2 v l o s . 8 vc , L o n d o n ,

1 88 2 .
 CHAPTER III
HE E
GO S T O R OM E : H IS F I RS T F E R V OU R

P H I LI P k ept firmly to his in te n tio n in s pi te of all th e ,

s ugge s t i o n s w hic h w e re m ad e t o divert him from it

He h ad n o w re s id ed two y e ar s in t h o s e par ts an d in ,

1 53 3
,
after m at ur e c o n s ideratio n he dep ar ted for ,

R o m e wi th ou t e v en let tin g h is father kn ow ; t h o ugh

in all o th er ma tt e rs h e h ad n ever so muc h as delibe r
at ed ab o ut an y th i ng wi thout his k n owledge He ac ted .

in th i s way t h at h e migh t n o t be turn ed from his

good d es ig n o f s ervi n g Go d in d e tac hme n t from worldly
t h i n g s a n d es pe cially from ric he s
,
He c arried n oth i n g
.

wi th him t h at h e migh t the more free ly traffic for the

,

m erc h a n di s e o f H eav en t o w hich he felt the Lord c o n

,

t in u a lly callin g h im No s o o n er h ad he arrived a t

.

Rome t han an occas i o n o ffered its e lf of servin g God as

,

h e de s ir ed ; for the fir s t place to w h ich h e be n t his

s t eps w as th e h ous e of a Flore n ti n e ge n tleman n amed

G al eotto Caccia who s eein g his mode s ty an d withal

, ,

co n sidering h is n eed gave him a l ittle room to live in

, ,

a n d a yearly allowan ce of c o rn which P hilip gave ,

to the baker goin g daily to get br ead from him

, ,

as he wan ted it In ord er to r e turn that ge n tle

.
 I3
’
ST . PH ILIP S EAR LY AUSTERITIES
an d mode s ty ,
so th at th ey became as it were tw o
an gel s .

W h ile h e remai n ed th ere wh ich w as for man y years , ,

he led a life o f gr eat h ard s h ip an d rigour c o urti n g ,

s olitud e a s muc h a s migh t be ; s o t h a t s o me h av e s aid

t h at h is w as rat h er t h e life o f a h ermit t h an an yth in g

el s e . I n fo o d h e w a s s o ab s temiou s t h at h e s eemed t o
take n o th ough t eit h er o f eatin g or dri n kin g At fir s t .

th e peopl e of th e h ou s e were w o n t t o re s erve for him

s ome part of t h eir meal s ; but h e n o t wi s h i n g for a n

y
,

th in g t o ok a roll a n d retir e d b el o w i n t o th e c o urt -yard

, ,

n e ar th e well ; t h er e h e ate h is bre a d a n d t h en dr a n k ,

s o me water addi n g at tim es s o me few h erb s o r olive s

,
.

In ge n eral h e o n ly a t e o n c e a d ay ; n ay h e s o m etim es ,

co n ti n u ed t hr ee en tir e day s with out t aki n g fo od of an y

s ort a n d in
,
lat er y ear s wh en a prie s t h e u s ed on
, ,

o ccasio n to r elat e to h is S piritual c h ildr e n by way of ,

s t imulati n g t h e m to m o rt ifi c a t io n of t h e fl esh h o w ,

th at in his youth h e w a s co n te n ted with t en S ixp en ce s

a mo n th .

As to his room to say n ot h i n g of its extreme s mall

,

n ess it w as s o poor t h at t h ere w a s n ot h i n g in it but a

, ,

littl e bed an d s ome b o ok s ; an d his cl o th e s lin en or

, ,

woolle n w er e hu n g o n a rop e wh ic h we n t acro ss th e

,

room It w as n o rare t h i n g for him to make th e fl o or

.

his bed ; an d th e tim e wh ic h w a s n o t s p en t in s leep

w a s give n mo s tly t o pray er in w h ic h h e had suc h a ,

facility th at h e felt h im s elf impelled t o pray er rath er

th a n h ad n eed of a n y e ff ort to excit e h im s elf t o it .

I n d eed h e som etime s S pe n t en tire n igh t s in it S o .

un u sual a way o f life beg an by d egr ees t o b e s pok en

o f s o t h at th e rumour of it w as n o t o n ly S pr ea d OVer
,

al l Rome but trav e lled,

as far as Flore n ce O n e of his .
1 4

relatio n s heari n g s om e o n e s peak of his

,

o f t he wo n der s t h at he wrough t a n d havin g kn o wn him

,

“
i n timately from a child sa id I do n o t wo n der at this
, , ,

for I r ememb er v ery well w h a t P hilip w as while he

was yet a b oy at Flore n ce : whe n t herefore you re t urn
”
to Rome bid him pray to Go d for me
,
.
 CHAPTER IV
P H I LI P ST UD I E S P H ILOS OP H Y AND T HE OLOG Y
W HEN th e youth ful P hilip h ad led t h i s au s tere life fo r
ab o ut two year s h e determi n ed in o rder th e b ett er t o
, ,

un d erstan d h eave n ly t h i n g s an d to ta s t e t hem more

,

perfectly to add th e s tudy of p hilo so phy an d th e ology

,

t o w h at h e h ad pr eviou s ly l ear n ed F irs t t herefor e

.
, ,

h e betook h im s elf to p h il o s o p hy in w h ic h h e profit ed

,

s o muc h t h at accordi n g t o t h e te s tim o n y o f Al es s an dr o

,

Bu z io his fell o w s tud en t an d aft erw a rd s an emi n e n t

,
-

p h ilo s op h er h e w as recko n ed o n e o f th e m o s t di s tin

,

u is h ed s c h olar s at t h at time in th e s c h ool s o f Rome

g .

His m a s ter s in ph ilo s oph y w er e C es are J ac o m el li w ho ,

w as aft erward s bi s h o p of B en c as tro in Calabria an d ,

 1 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP N ERI

Whe n he co n versed with s uch of his spiritual chil

dre n as were s tude n t s bo th for their advan ceme n t
, ,

a n d as a mea n s of e n deari n g him s e lf to them a n d so ,

w i n n i n g t h em to th e s ervice of God he would e n ter ,

in t o di s cu s s io n with t h em with as much eas e as if he

,

made th o s e que s tio n s h is daily study He n ce m an y .

you n g m en delig ht ed to freque n t his room s w h ere ,

t hey fou n d both a h elp a n d a s timulus in th eir s tudies .

At o t her time s t ho ugh n o t ofte n he would di s course

, ,

a s o cca s io n aro s e wi th th e fir s t t h e o l o gia n s of t h e age ,

a n d in particular wit h F t a Ambr o gi o of Ba n u o l o w h o

g ,

w as afte r w a rd s made bi s ho p o f Nard o by St Pius V . .

,

F t a Pa ol o B er n ardin i o f Lucca a m an of th e gr ea te s t
,

l e arn in g a n d prude n c e an d o t her s with whom he

,

w a s o n t e rm s o f fa milia rity But with t h ose with

.

w h o m h e h ad n o t the like i n timacy it was h is way ,

s o t o c o n c e a l h im s elf t h at n o o n e w o uld have take n

him for a m an of educatio n es pecially as in famili ar

,

co n ver s a ti o n h is mann er was co n ci se an d i n terrupted ,

an d h e did n o t u s e m a n y words to dev el o p his

t ho ugh t s : ye t w h e n he cho s e he co uld di s course with

a le ngt h an d s eque n cy most s trikin g to his heare rs

,
.

Thu s a pr elat e of gr eat worth h avi n g o n e day h ad a ,

lo n g co nvers ation with him s aid whe n he we n t away

, ,

I t ho ught th at fath er was a sim ple an d illiterate m an ,

but I h ave fou n d him great bo t h in s pirituality an d

in lear n in g T he s ame happe n ed to t h e Blessed
l
Ale ssan dro S auli b is hop of Pavia a very holy an d
, ,

deeply read m an .In co n ver s atio n wi t h P h ilip he ,

en tered upo n some t heological que s tio n s an d was ,

a s to n i sh ed at t h e lear n ed an swers which the Sain t

1 pr r l
S u e io Ge nera o f t h e C l rk
e s R egu lr k w
a no n as Ba rn a b it es
d ied I 5 9 2 , b ea tifi ed 1 74 2.
 THE
“

1 8 LIFE OF ST . PHI LIP NERI

W hile however P h ilip atte n ded to his studies he

, ,

did n o t n eglect th e thin gs of the spiri t He c o n tin u .

ally vi s ited the hospitals a n d o fte n after the sch ool s

, ,

were clo s ed we n t to th e portico of S Pe ter s or of

, .
’

S J o hn Lateran to in s truct t he poor in the holy

.
,

faith an d s pe n t the n igh t in pro trac ted prayer

, .

H is ferv o ur far fr o m dimin i s hin g so in cr e ased that

, ,

he w a s u n able t o a t t e n d to th e t heological lecture in

t h e s c h o o l o f t he Augu s tin ian fa th ers becau s e of a very

d e vo ut crucifix w hic h hu n g in th e lecture hall ; fo r

e v ery t ime h e be h eld it h e w as u n able to re s train his

s ig h s a n d t ea r s .As in Flore n ce he had bee n calle d

G o o d Pippo s o in R o me h e w as c o mmo n ly called Good
,

Philip a n ame by w hic h A n to n i o Al to v it i arc hbishop

, ,

o f Flor en ce ,
u s ed t o call him an d Ce s are J aco m elli
, ,

h is ma s ter in t h e o logy an d man y o thers

, .
 C H APTER V

HE L EAVE S H I S S T UD I E S AND G I VE S H IMS E L F

WH OLL Y TO S PIR IT U AL EXE RC IS ES
i

H E had now made s u flic ien t

‘
advan c em en t in lear n in g ,

n o t fo r h is o w n u s e o n ly but al so for t h e ed ific a tio n o f

,

o th ers ; a n d h e bega n to c o n s ider th e ap o s tle s w o rd s

’

N on plus s aper e guam Opor tet s aper e, seal saper e ad

sobr ieta tem (Rom . x 11 N o w.t h er e

. for e h e laid hi s

s tudie s a s ide an d applied h im s elf who lly to t h a t

,

s ci en ce w h ic h is fo u n d in th e crucifix He gave him .

s elf u
p more t h a n ever to pray er k n owi n g full w ell ,

t h at th at was t h e mea n s of arrivi n g at th e p erfecti o n

whic h h e de sired ; w h er eas S tudy is a gr eat h i n dran c e ‘

to perfectio n prayer an d s tudy with equal j ealou sy

,

deman di n g th e wh ole m an Fir s t of all t h e n he s old .

all his books an d gave the price away for th e l ove o f

,

God After th i s h e gave h im self up t o prayer in such

.

a way th at from t h at time forward h e h ad n oth in g

,

more at heart th an perseveran ce in t h at exercise ; an d

i n deed h e sometimes c on tin u ed in it fo rty h ours at a
,

time While h e prayed h e felt the i n cen tives of divi n e

.

l ov e mu ltiply with s uc h p o wer with in h im an d kin dle ,

s uc h a fl ame in h is brea s t th at be s id es c o n ti n ually ,

Weepin g an d s igh in g h e w as oft en obliged in ord er to

'

, ,

m o d erate the fire to th r o w him self o n th e groun d to ba re

, ,

h is brea s t an d u se o th er mean s to r elieve his S pirit w hic h

,
2 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

Beside s prayer he s tudied how to m acerate his fles h

,

w ith every s ort of m o rtifi c a t ion He slept very little . ,

a n d that mo s tly upo n the bare earth an d disciplin ed ,

him s elf n early every day with s o me little c h ain s o f

iro n . He loved poverty as his dearest compan io n ,

a voided co n ver s a t i o n an d all recreatio n s eve n blam e

, ,

l ess o n e s ; in a word he s tudied ho w to d eprive himself

,

o f everythi n g which could brin g c o mfo rt or pleas ure to

his body His life n o w became m o r e retired than

.

e ve r ; i n deed h e almo s t s eparated hims elf like a

, ,

hermit fr o m c o mmerce wi th m en
,
Above all things .

he gave h im s elf to s il en ce w h ich he prized an d prac ,

t is ed all h is life l o n g s o far as h is in s titu te allowed ;

,

a n d he made us e of th es e mea n s to e n able him s elf to

a t te n d wi th gr eat er fervour to th e co n t emplatio n of

divin e thi ng s ; in ord er to do so with grea ter rec ollec
t io n h e adopted t he devotio n of goin g every n igh t t o
,

t h e Seve n C hurch es a di s ta n ce of some twelve mil e s

, ,

a nd particularly to the C emetery of S an Callist o ,

ge n erally called the Catac o mbs of S Sebas tian an d .

,

th er e b e prayed for a lo n g while tog e ther He u s ed .

to carry wit h him either u n der his arm or in hiS h o od

'

, ,

s ome devout book a n d a roll o n whic h he lived a ll ,

day It w a s in co n s eque n ce of these prac tices that

.

a Domin ic an Friar n amed F Fran cesc o Cardo n e da

, .

Cameri n o m aster of the n ovic es in the co n ven t of the

,

Min erva u s ed to propose him to the n ovi c e s a s a

,

mod el of p en an ce an d ofte n said to them Philip

,
“
,

Neri is a great Sain t an d am o n g o ther wo n derful , ,

t hin g s h e h as d w elt for t en years in the cav es of

,

S Sebastian in th e practi c e of pen an ce an d h as lived

. ,

”
on bread an d the r oo ts of herbs For although .

his r eg ular habitatio n was in th e house of G aleot to

 HE VISITS T H E SEVEN C H URC H E S 2 1

C accia he
, mostly sp en t th e n igh t in the above -n am ed
places .

Wh en ever h e fou n d th e c hurc hes S hut he u s ed t o ,

remai n u n der th e p o rtico es where h e w as oft en se en ,

readi ng by t he ligh t of the moo n particularly at S , .

Mary Maj or s an d S Peter s ; for he liv ed in s uch

’
.
’

p ov erty t hat h e c o uld n o t provid e him self even with

,

a piece of can dl e fo r a ligh t B es ide s th e above .

me n tio n ed vi sit s he we n t for som e time to th e fou r

c hurc hes ; for o n c e wh e n s peaki n g dis paragingly of
,

him s elf h e me n ti o n ed t h at h e h ad gon e for man y

,

y ears t o th e four ba silica s o f S P e ter S Jo hn Lat eran .

,
.
,

H o ly Cro ss an d S Mary Maj or wh ere he o fte n c c

,
.
,

c u ied h im s elf in i n s tructin g t h e p o o r w h o s tay abou t

p
th e doors of t ho s e c h urc h e s .

In th ese place s P h ilip w a s o ft en s urpris ed by suc h a n

a bu n da n ce o f s piritual co n s ola t i o n s t hat u n abl e an y , ,

l on ger to en dur e s o gr e at a fire of l o ve h e w as forced to ,

”
cry out N o more Lord n o m o r e an d th rowing h im
, , , ,

s elf dow n h e u s ed to ro ll up on t he gr o u n d n o t h avin g

, ,

s tr en gth to en dure th e v eh em en t affectio n w h ic h h e fel t

in his h eart ; an d bei n g th u s s o full of Go d w e n eed ,

n o t w o n der at h is ofte n s ayi n g t h at to o n e w h o ,

t ruly v
lo e d God n ot h i n g,
was S O r e ally burde n s o m e a s

life ; for t h es e word s w er e o ften o n his lip s Th e ,

“

t ru e se r v a n t s of G o d take lif e pati e n tly a n d d ea t h ,

”
e agerly .

N o twi th s tan di n g how ever the great s e n s ibl e c on s o

, ,

l a tion s wi
,
th w h ic h t h e Lord favour e d H is serva n t ,

w h il e h e we n t ab o ut al o n e vi s iti n g t h es e plac es by day

an d b ig h t et v ry grievou s al s o wer e t h e t e m
p t a
y n y e ,

i
t on s by m e a n s o f w h ic h th e devil s o ug h t t o div e rt
2 2 TH E LI FE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

On e day as he was p assin g by the Co lis eum on his ,

road to S John Lateran the devil who n ever s lee ps

.
, , ,

prese n t ed himself to him un d er the appe aran c e of a

n aked perso n an d excited mo s t fil thy thoughts in
,

h is im agin atio n ; but P h ilip perceivin g the device o f

,

t he e n emy be took hh s elf to h is u s u al remedy of

,

prayer an d remain ed co n queror in th e fight At other

, .

t ime s an d e s pecially in t he dark the evil s piri t t ri ed

, ,

t o t e rrify him On e n ight t h e Sa in t w as n ear S

. .

’
S ebastian s at t he place cal led Capo di Bove ; he w as
,

a l o n e a n d prayin g as he w en t alo n g w h ich was his ,

u s ual cu s to m w hen there appeared before him three

,

demo n s of ho rribl e s h apes wit h t he de s ign of frighte n

ing h im an d h in deri n g h is devoti o n s ; but as he mad e
gam e o f t hem an d pur s ued his way without takin g
,

fur th er n o tice o f t hem t hey disap peared P hilip had

, .

ot h er c o mb a t s a n d t emp t a t io ns while he was leadin g ,

t h is s olitary life b u t like a good s oldier of C hrist he

, , ,

came victori o u s o ut of t hem all .

 C H APT E R VI
or T HE MIR C A U L OU S P A L PIT AT I ON or H IS H E AR T

P H I L I P h ad be en fo ll o wi n g t hi s man n er o f life a l on g
time ,
a n d w a s twe n y n in e y ears o ld w h en God gave
t -
,

h im amo n g o t h er grac es a miracul o u s palpi t a ti on o f

t h e h ear t a n d a n o l eS S w o n d erful fra cture o f his
,

rib s w h ich h appe n ed a s foll o w s On e day a li t tle b e

, .
,

fo r e t he feas t o f W hit s u n tid e he w as prayi n g acc o rdin g

,

t o his wo n t to the H o ly G h os t fo r W h o m h e h a d s uc h,

a devoti on t h at h e daily p o ur ed ou t b efo r e H im m os t

,

ferve n t prayer s impl orin g His gifts an d grace s an d

, ,

wh e n a pri es t al w ay s s aid at mas s w hen th e rubric

Deus cm "
, ,

’
a ll o wed t h e prayer
,
0m m cor
p a tet
,
N o w .
,

wh ile h e w as wit h th e greate s t earn e s t n es s a skin g o f

t h e H o ly Gh os t His gift s th er e app e ared t o him a gl o b e
,

o f fire w h ic h en t er ed i n t o h is mouth an d lodged in h is

,

breas t ; an d t h ereupo n h e w as s udde n ly s urpri sed by

s uc h a fire o f l o ve t h at u n abl e to bear it h e t hrew
, , ,

h im s elf o n th e grou n d an d like o n e t ryi n g t o c o o l

, ,

h im s elf b ar ed his br e a s t to t emp er in s om e m eas ur e

, ,
2 4 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
n or ever afterwards was it atte nd ed wi t h the sl ightes t
pain or wou n d .

W he n ce thi s s well i n g proc eeded an d wha t it w as , ,

w as m a n ife s ted after his d eat h ; fo r whe n his bod y w as

op en ed it was fou n d that the two high es t of the fiv e

,

fal s e rib s t h at is the fourth an d fifth were comple tely

, ,

bro ke n an d t hru s t outward an d the t w o S ide s s tan ding

,

wid e a p ar t n ev er h avin g re-u nited n o r return ed to

,

their pro per po s iti o n in all the fifty y ears which Phil ip
lived after t his miracul o u s eve n t It was at the sa m e .

t im e t h a t th e palpi t a ti o n o f his h eart comme n c ed ,

w hic h l as t ed all his l ife t ho ugh he was of a good

,

c o n s titutio n a v ery lively temp era me n t an d with ou t

, ,

t he l e as t t en de n cy t o melan ch o ly T hi s palpit a ti o n o nl y .

c ame o n wh en h e w a s p erfo rmi n g s o me s piritual actio n ,

s uc h as pr ayi n g s ayi n g m a ss commu n icatin g giving

, , ,

ab s o lu ti o n t alki n g of h eav en ly t hi ngs an d th e l ik e

, ,
.

T he tr em bli n g w hic h it caused w as so veheme n t t h a t ,

it se em ed a s if h is h ear t would break out from his

brea s t an d his chair his bed an d s ome time s the w hol e
, , ,

room were s hake n as if by an earthqu ake On on e .

'

o c c as m n w h e n he w as in S Pe ter s kn eelin
’

u on a
g p .
,

h e avy plan k he made it shake a s if it h ad be en of n o

,

weigh t at all ; an d sometime s whe n he w as lyi n g upo n

the b ed wit h his cl o th e s o n his whole body bo u n d ed ,

in to the air Wh e n ever he press ed a ny of his s pirit ual

.

childr en to his br e ast th e beatin g of h is heart again s t

th eir h ead w as s o viole n t t hat t hey felt as if t hey

received a smart b lo w the pul s atio n s re s emblin g the

,

s t rokes of a hammer w h il s t they experie n ced in t h u s

,

a pproac h in g h im the greatest co n s olatio n an d s piritual

co n te n tme n t an d man y foun d the m s elve s in the very
,

act delivered from temptatio n s .

2 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
o ne of his spir itual childre n said t hat so metim es whe n ,

h e touc h ed his han d it burn ed as if th e Sai n t w as

,

s u fferin g from a ragin g fever ; t he same was a lso per

c eiv ed by th e Aba t e G iacomo t he Cardin al s broth er

’

, ,

w h o w as also t e n derly bel o ved by P hilip Eve n in .

win t er he almo s t always h ad his clo thes o pe n from his

girdle upward s an d s om etime s whe n they told him to
, ,

fa s ten t h em l e s t h e s ho uld do him s elf so me inj ury he ,

u sed to s ay h e really c o uld n o t because o f the excessive

h ea t w h ic h h e felt On e day at R o me wh en a grea t
.
, ,

quan ti t y o f s n o w had fall en he w as walkin g in the ,

s tr eet s wit h h is c as s o ck u n but to n ed ; an d w h en s ome

o f his pe n ite n t s w h o w ere wit h h im were h ardly abl e

t o en dur e t h e c o ld he laug h ed a t t he m an d s aid t h a t
, ,

it w a s a s ham e fo r y o un g m en to feel cold wh e n

old m e n did n o t \Ve may h er e relate what is s aid
.

t o h av e h appe n ed in th e t ime o f G regory KIII

l
.

An o rder h avi n g be en pub l ish e d t h at all c on fe sso rs

S h ould w e ar th e co tt a in t h e co n fe s sio n al the Sain t ,

we n t o n e day to the Pope with his doubl et an d

ca ss ock u n butto n ed : h is H o li n e ss marvel lin g very ,

W hy s aid
”
much as ked him the reaso n of it
, .
“
,

P h ilip I reall y cann ot bear to keep my doublet

,
“

button ed an d ye t your Holin ess w ill have me wear

,

” “
a cotta beside s N o no . replied the Pope we
, , ,

do n o t mean t he o rder to apply to you ; do as yo u

pleas e .

On accou n t of th e variou s e ffec ts of t h is palpi tatio n

o n h is sy s tem t h e p h y s ician s who t rea ted him
, often
gave him remedie s whic h he kn ew to b e of n o use ;
upo n whic h h e would s a ban teringly : I pray God “

y
1
U g o B o n e o m pa gn i, b o n 1 50 7 ,
i r l ct
e e ed Pe pe 1 57 2 ,
f am o us fo r his
rfr e l r
o m o f t he C a e nd a , died 1 5 8 5 .
 AMOR E LAN GUEO

t h at the s e m en may be able t o u n d ers tand my in fir

m ity n o t choo s i n g ope n ly to di s c o ver t h a t h is i n firmity
,

w as n o t n atural but caused by th e love of God

, H en c e .

it w as that in t h e fervour s o f the palp it atio n h e was

wo n t to s ay, I am w o u n ded with love a t ot h er

times consid erin g him s elf as it were impri s on ed by th i s

,

love h e broke o ut i n t o th es e v er s es :
,

5 i com
"
Vow ei saper da 1 0
’
ella é f a tta
’
u esta r ete d am m
'

,
che ta n ti ha preso .

I would kn ow from you h o w t h a t n et o f l o ve is

made w h ich h as taken s o man y At ot h er tim es .
,

u n able to s ta n d up o n his feet h e w as o bliged to t hr ow ,

h im s elf up o n h is b ed an d l an gui s h t her e s o t ha t h is

, ,

o w n peopl e wer e accu s t o m ed t o s a t h at t h e w rd

y os o s ,

of the Spou se w er e v erifi ed in him : Fulcite m e flori

”
bus s tip a te m e m a lts gu m a m or e l a ngu eo
, , Wh en h e .

w a s s urpri s ed by th ese a ffecti o n s h e u s ed t o tell his ,

s piritual c h ildre n about a Fra n ci s c an o f Ara C oeli ,

n amed Brot h er An t o n y a m an of m os t h oly life w h o

, , ,

t hough h e did n o t mac erate his b ody by any grea t

au s teritie s w as always cryi n g ou t
,
A m ar a la nga ge , ,

a m ore l a n ueo
g a n d la,
n gui s h i n g I n t h i s way t h r o ug h

love of Go d wa s t ed s l owly away till h e died Bu t

, .

in h is o w n cas e th e Sain t t o h ide th e r eal cau s e , ,

prete n ded th at all th i s w as bodily in firmity or ,

a h abit wh ich he h ad co n trac t ed in his yo ut h ,

an d h e almo s t alway s kept his h an dk erc hi ef in

his br ea s t o n th e s id e o f his h eart in o rd er th at n o
“

, ,

o n e migh t perceive t h e s welli n g He could n o t ho w .

ever den y wh e n s p eakin g o n c e to F ran c es c o Zazz era

, ,

for th e m os t part his in firm ities ca m e from the

r
,
2 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

The whole appe ars s till mor e wo n de rful from th e

fact th at the palpitatio n was in his c as e perfec tly
vo lu n tary He me n tio n ed th is to Cardin al Frederick
.

Borromeo h is m o s t i n timate an d devoted frie n d telling ,

h im t h at I t w as in his power to s t o p t h e motio n by a

s imple act o f h is will : but that in prayer he d id n o t

a pply h im s elf to d o t h is in ord e r n o t to di s tract him ,

s e l f o r keep thi n kin g of it : an d t h at the palpitatio n

w a s so far from bein g pain ful t h at it created a feelin g ,

o f lig h t n es s an d j o y o u s n ess T hi s however did n o t .

a lway s h appe n n o r did it exactly ob s erve an ge n e ral

,
y
rule s Th e phy s ician s who atte n ded him in his ill
.

n es s es c o n s id e red t h i s p alpitati o n m ir a culous an d s uper

,

n atural T hi s w as th e opini o n o f Alfo nso Catan io

.
,

D o me n ic o Sarace n i an d o ther s an d in s uppor t of it

, ,

A n drea C es a l pin o A n to n io Porto Rido lfo S ilvestri

, , ,

B ern ard in o Cas tellan i an d A n gelo d a Bagn area h ave , ,

writte n par ticular tr e atise s o n t he palpitatio n all agree ,

ing t h at Go d h a d wr o ugh t in him tha t fracture of t h e

rib s s o t h at t he heart might n o t be inj ured in thes e
,

viole n t beatin gs an d the s urrou n din g par ts be the

,

more ea s ily dilat ed an d the he art kept su fficie n tly ,

cool .

W he n P hil ip h ad received th is great an d remarkabl e

gift from G od he freque n ted th e Seve n C hurche s wit h
,

s til l more ardour T here he was ofte n s urpri s ed with

.

such veheme n t devotio n that he could e n dure n o more

’

.
,

One day in particul ar u n able to stan d h e thr e w him , ,

s elf bn t he grou n d a n d fee l in g him s elf actually dyin g

,

t h rough t h e fervour an d impetuo s ity of his s pirit cried ,

o u t ve h eme n tly I cann ot bear so muc h my God I

cann ot bear s o much Lord "
, , ,

”
for see I am dyin g of it
, ,
.

From t h at hour God grad u ally mitiga ted his i n te n s e

 AMORE LAN GU EO 2 9

d ev o tl o n ,
th at h is body migh t n o t
weaken ed by an d perman e n tly

h is latter year s h e u s ed t o s ay I
,

wh e n I w as youn g th an I h ave
,
 CHAPTER VII
T HE W I NN I N G OF SO U LS AND
,
T HE W OR K S OF C HARIT Y
T HAT HE DI D I N H IS Y O UT H

P H I LI P h avin g t hu s liv ed a r e tir ed life fo r s o me tim e ,

a n d fe eli n g h im s elf mor e a n d m o re called by Go d to

t h e c o n vers i o n of s oul s r e so lved to qui t in part th e

,

enj o ym e n t o f so litud e fo r w h ic h h e h a d th e reat es t

g
a t tracti o n a n d t o giv e h im self up with grea ter fervour
,

t o t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f h is n eigh bour To th is en d h e.

began abou t th e year 1 5 3 8 to go about th e square s ,

s ho p s s c h o o l s a n d s o me t im es eve n the b an ks talkin g

, , ,

w ith all s o rt s o f p ers o n s in a m o s t e ngaging way abou t

s piritu a l t h in g s Am o n g s t o t her s he ex h orted youn g
W ell "
.
,

m en in th e ware h ou s es to s erve God s aying

“
, ,

”
my bro th er s w he n sh all we begin to do go od ? an d
,

t hu s with his n atural s weetn e ss an d wo n derful power

o f at t racti o n h e gradually gai n ed s uch in flue n ce over
,

th em as to w in them to G od .

Amo n g m an y who m he brough t to the service

of God in the s e early time s was E n rico Pietra of ,

Piac en za who w as employed at the warehouse of the

,

Bettin i an d w ho left busin e ss became a pri est an d

, , , ,

after an edifyi n g life di ed mo s t holily at S G irolamo

, .

della Carit a He it was w ho exten ded s o much the

.

compan y of Chri s tian Do ctri n e in which u n dertakin g ,

’
h e w as greatly aided by P hilip s advice an d assista n ce .

A n oth er of his co nverts was Teseo Raspa who al s o ,

CONVERSIONS EFFE CT E D B Y T HE SAINT
'

3 1

aban don ed worldly bu s in es s an d lived an d died givin g

, ,

great edifi c ation at S an Gir o lamo

,
A n o th er w as .

Giovann i Man z eli from the wareh ou s e o f th e Bon

,

S ign o ri ; h e remai n ed a layman but l ed a m os t h o ly

,

an d ex emplary life T h ere w er e al s o man y o th er s

.

wh o m w e s h all h av e occas io n to m en ti on in th e foll ow

in g c h apt er s .

But P hilip s earn e s t lo n gi n g aft er t he s alv a ti on o f

’

o t h er s did n o t s t o p h ere By a particular i n spirati on

.

o f God h e bega n t o c o n v er s e wit h m en o f th e very

,

wor s t live s ; h e we n t o u t every d ay in s earc h o f

s i n n er s wh o s e co n ver s i o n h e co n ti n u ally b egg ed o f
God w 1 th abun dan t t ear s t hrough t h e d eat h o f His
divin e S on ; an d s o m etim es h e would even go an d eat
a n d dri n k in t h eir compan y t o w in th em the m o r e
e as ily ; a n d s o wi t h his u s u a l c h arity a n d d ext erity h e

co n verted m an y to th e L o rd in a sh ort time But h e .

avoid ed e sp ecially at t h a t time o f his life any att empt

, ,

to co n vert vicious w o me n ; th ough aft erward s Go d

mad e h im th e m ean s of bri n gin g m an y eve n of t hem
to pen an c e an d t o th e religiou s s tate
,
.

Amo n g t h e co n vers io n s w hic h h e made o n e of the ,

mo s t remarkable was t h at of Pro s per o Crivelli a ,

Milan e s e an d ca sh ier of the pri n cipal ban k o f Rom e

,
.

His s o ul w as in such evil pligh t as well becau s e ,

o f illicit gain s as of carn al S in s t h at his c on fes s o r

, ,

F G i o van n i Polan co a J es uit refu sed him ab s olution

.
, ,
.

H orrified an d dis c on s olat e h e w en t to P hilip an d

, ,

t ell in g him all th at h ad h appen ed r ec o mm en d ed him ,

3 2 T HE LIFE or S T . PHILIP NE RI

with h is u s ual b en ign ity an d sweetn ess fi rst s et ab ou t ,

c on soli n g him After muc h co n vers atio n o n s piritual

.

matters he s aw t h a t t he cas h ier was moved to c o m

,

pu n ctio n but had n o t the h eart to aban do n e n tirely

,

h is s in ful habit s At le n gth he dismi ss ed him s aying

.
, ,

Go an d I will pray for you a n d I will pray so t h a t

, ,

wi th out any furth er difficulty yo u S h all s e par a te your

”
s elf f r o m thi s o cca s io n o f S in An d s o it pr o ve d ; fo r
.

Pr o s p er o s o o n aft er gav e up his S i n ful in tim acy c on ,

fe ss ed to F P o lan c o an d rec eiv ed ab s olutio n ; an d t h en

.
,

put t in g him s elf e n t ir ely u n der the care o f P hilip he ,

ca m e a s piritu al m an an d gave the m o s t excell en t ,

e xample t o t h o s e w h o m he h ad s can daliz ed by his

fo rm er imm o ral life A gre at man y who wer e co n ver ted
.

by him t o a g o od life eve n b efore he w as a pri est an d

,

co n fe s s or h e s en t in to differe n t religious orde rs ; s o

,

th at S Ig n atiu s t he fo u n d er of the Comp an y of Jes us

.
, ,

who w as at t h a t t ime a t R o me us ed to c a ll hi m The ,

”
B ell m ean i n g t h at as the bell calls peopl e in to Chur c h
, ,

but stay s it s elf in the b elfry s o P hilip sen t o the rs in to ,

religi o n b u t s tay ed in the world h ims elf And in fac t

, .
,

S Ign atius tri ed several times to dra w him in t o t he

.

Society ; but God h ad destin ed him to work in His

vin eyard with differe n t mean s an d therefore he t e ,

mai n ed in th e w o rld I t is s a id however tha t he w as

.
, ,

t h e fir s t who pers u aded I t a lian s t o en ter in to the

Society of Je s us .

It w as common ly ob served th at those w ho did no t

’

profit by Philip s admo n itio n s and r eproo fs cam e to an

un fortun ate en d Amo n g o thers there w as a cer tain
.

p h ilosoph er who led a bad life an d bein g reproved

, ,

by the S ain t for s in paid n o h eed to t h e ,

m a n h ad hardly left the

34 T HE LIFE or S T. PH ILIP NERI

word s to t w o of th em w h o were c o mme n ding t he soul

o f a dyin g perso n which cir cums tan ce is n o t ed in t h e
,

book of their chro nicle s ; an d M arcell o de Hans is a ,

priest of that o rder has m ad e use of it in his boo k

,

o n as s istin g t h e dyin g as a m o t ive to in cite t h e fai t h

,

ful to so piou s a work .

 CHAPTE R VIII
P H I LI P WIT H
, S OM E HE RS B E GI N S T HE
OT , C ON FR A

o r T H E S AN TI S S I MA T R I N I T A
’
T E R N IT Y , DE PE L

C O NVA L E S C EN T I
’
L E GR I N I E DE

W IT H th e
ame purpo s e o f a s si s ti n g h is n eighbours
s ,

o n th e 1 6 th of Augu s t 1 54 8 P hilip t og et h er with

~
, ,

his c o n fe s s or F Per s ian o R o s a a pri es t of h o ly life

.
, ,

w ho liv ed at S
1
Gir olamo d ella Cari t a b ega n th e
.
,

Co n frat ern ity o f th e San ti s s ima Tri n it a d e P ell egrin i ’

e de C on vale s c en t i in t he C hurc h of S Salvator e in

’
.

Camp o In t hi s place P h ilip h ad u n ited t ogether

.

a bout fift ee n c o mpan i o n s s impl e p er s o n s an d p oo r b u t

, ,

full of fervo ur an d d evotio n Be side s freque n tin g t h e .

s acrame n t s t hey had differe n t S piri tual ex erci s e s an d

, ,

in particular familiar c on ver s ati o n s o n e wit h a n o t h er

ab o ut the t h in gs of Go d in flam ing o n e an oth er by , ‘

word s an d exampl e with th e de s ir e of C hri s tian per

fec t ion On th e first Su n day of every mo n th an d
.
,

durin g H oly W eek t hey exp o sed th e Ble ss ed Sacra

,

me n t for th e for ty h our s prayer wh en P h ilip (s om e ’

t ime s at every h o u r w h eth er of th e day or nigh t )

,

d eliver ed di s cour s e s s o full of u n cti on th at b esid es ,

excitin g the h earer s to works of mercy they oft en ,

36 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

recalled n umbe rs of sinn er s to a good l ife There w as .

n o h eart so hard t h at it w as n o t softe n ed by his w o rd s .

On o n e occas io n he co n verted thirty dissolu te youth s

by a S ingle serm o n ; an d m an y of his auditors s aid
th at to hear him w as e n oug h to co n vin c e an y o n e o f

his sa n ctity an d o f his earn es t de s ire to gain souls t o

,

Christ I n deed s o me w ho we n t t o h ear him for the

.
,

v ery purp o s e o f maki n g game of h im whe n they ,

w it n es s ed t h e s t r a n ge S igh t of a laym an preac h in g

w h ich h i g c o mmo n ly s ee n in th o s e day s )

( w a s a t n n o t
w e r e captiva t ed by h is words a n d h a ppily co n verted .

Ordi n a rily P hilip n ever w en t aw a y durin g the

,

w ho l e t im e the d ev o tio n l as t ed but watc hed for t he ,

m o st part t h roug h th e w h ole n ig h t calli ng o n e after ,

t he ot h e r t h o s e w h o s e tur n it w as to ass i s t an d w he n ,

t h e h o ur w as fi n i s h ed givin g t he m n o tice t h at it w as
,

t im e to giv e place t o t he o t her s Fo r this purpose h e .

kept a littl e bell n ear him with w hic h he gave the ,

s ig n al s ayi n g
,
N o w my broth e rs away ; t h e hour is
,
“
, ,

fi n is h ed ; b u t the t ime to do goo d is n o t fi n is h ed yet .

The o bj ect of t hi s co n fra tern ity w as t hen as n o w , ,

to rec eiv e fo r a few day s the po o r pil grims w ho com e

daily t o Rom e to vi s it the holy places The in s tituti o n

, .

of it took plac e in 1 5 5 0 o n occasio n of the j ubil ee of

,

Julius III I n the y ear of t he j ubil ee an imme n se

.

n umber of pilgrims are accu s tom ed to flock to Rom e ;

an d a s t h ere was n o particular place de s tin ed to receiv e

t h em P h ilip an d his companio ns were moved with

,

c harity an d hired a s mall house to which t hey c o n

, ,

duct ed t h o s e w h o were poor amo n g them an d provided ,

th em with all t h ey s tood in n eed of But as th e .

n umber augme n ted an d the charitable work we n t

,
-

on ,
th ey were obliged to hire a larger house w here ,
 S S MA TRINITA DE
’

PELLEGRINI
. .
37

t h ey could l o dge all who came to them with greater

c o n v e n I en c e .

I t w as a mo s t edifyin g thin g t o s ee the great

a ffectio n with w hich P h ilip a n d his c o mp a n io n s serv ed
t hi s gr eat multitud e n igh t an d d ay providin g t h e m ,

with food makin g th eir bed s wa sh i n g t h eir fe e t c on

, , ,

s oli n g t h em wit h ki n d w o rd s an d S h owi n g t o a l l th e

,

m os t perfe ct c h arity In co n s equ en ce of th i s th e c o n

.

fratern ity go t a grea t n ame t h at y ear an d t he g o o d ,

o d o ur of it w as S pr e ad t h r o ug h all C h ri s t en d o m M an y .

were importun ate to b e admitted in t o th e c o mpan y ,

a n d a h o u s e w as n o w t a k en an d s et apart o n purp o s e

for a h o s pital for po o r pilgrims The firs t brethre n .

o f th e compa n y w h o all revered P h ilip as t h eir fa t h er

, ,

w ere m en p o or as t h i s world c o u n ts p o ver ty b u t ric h ,

in virtue s Th e c o o k eve n w h o w as th e low es t amo ng

.
,

t h em arrived at s uc h p erfectio n t h at he o ft en we n t
,

out at n igh t wh en it w a s cle ar an d fixing his eyes o n

, ,

th e h e av en s w as s w ee tly ab s orbed in th e c o n t emplati o n

,

o f divi n e t h i n g s ; a n d a n ot h er of th e s ame h ou s e w a s

s o illumi n ated th at h e fo r esaw the d ay an d ho ur o f

,

h is deat h ; an d calli n g t o h im his S i s t er w ho w a s ,

n amed Margaret h e s aid On Friday at s uc h an h our

, ,

”
I s h all die w hich proved true In the ev en t
,
.

The brot h er s h o w ever wer e n o t co n t en t wit h t h i s

, ,

work of c h arity T hey kn ew the extr em e n eces si ty o f

,

th e po o r co n vale s c en t s wh en th ey first cam e out of t he

h o s pitals an d th at from th e weak n e s s of th eir r e ce n t

,

i n firmi ty th ey v ery o ft en had r elap s es m or e dan gero u s

,
 .

38 TH E LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NER I

ported there an d take n care of for a few days But .

t he co n frate rn ity in creased so much in b oth t h e d e a

rtm en t s of its charity that it w as ultimately tran s

p a ,

ferred from S Salvat o re in Cam po to the c hurch of

.

S Be n edict whic h w as al s o in the Rio n e della Regola

.
, ,

w here the San ti ss ima Trin it a di Po n te Sis to is at

pre s e n t To wh at an exte n t t hi s work fi n ally reached
.
,

w a s s ee n clearly in th e s ubseque n t j ubilee s o f t he year

1 5 7 5 u n d er Grego ry XIII a n d 1 6 0 0 u nder Cleme n t

.

VII I a t w hich la s t the n umber o f pil grim s received

,

am o u n ted to The lord s an d c hief prelat es

o f th e c ur
o t a d
n h,
igh bor n l adi es devoted t hem s elve s
-

wi th the greate s t c h ari ty th e fo rme r to the m en an d t he

,

l a t ter to t he w o me n an d t he Sovereign P o n tiff him s elf

, ,

Cl e me n t VIII freque n tly w en t t h ere to wash th eir

.
,

feet s ay grac e fo r the m s erve t hem at table an d per

, , ,

fo rm fo r t hem o ther o ffi ce s of c h arity to the marvel

a n d ed ific a t io n of all C hris te n d o m The same w as .

s ee n u n der U rba n VIII in 1 6 2 5 u n der I n n oce n t X

.
, .

in 1 6 5 0 a n d in all the s ub s eque n t j ubilee s t he work

, ,

h avi n g bee n co n tin u e d an d eve n in crea s ed in later

ti m e s u n der the pa t ro n age o f P hilip It also b ecam e .

t he o cca s io n of ma n y stri ki n g co n versio n s of heretics ,

w ho h avin g bee n e n tertai n ed in the house in the

charac ter of pilgrims were m o ved by t he examples of

,

c h arity an d humility which th ey sa w prac tised in it ,

abj ured their err o rs an d return ed in to the com m u nio n

o f t he holy Church .
 CHAPTER IX
IN OB ED I EN C E T O H IS C O N F E S S OR HE IS OR DAI NED
PR I E S T AND UNDE RT AKE S T H E C HA RG E
, O F HEA R

I N G C O N F ES S IO NS

GO D h a d de s tin ed P hilip for th e co n vers io n o f s oul s ;

b u t it w a s impo ssible t h at he S h o uld accompli s h t h i s
e ffe ctually s o lo n g a s h e remai n ed a layma n
,
Th e .

Almighty therefor e put it i n t o th e h eart o f F

, , .

Per s ian o R o s a P h ilip s co n fes so r to p ers u ad e him to

,
’

be ordain ed prie s t an d to u n dertake the c h arge o f

,

h eari n g c o n fe ss io n s t h at h e migh t be th e b et ter abl e

,

t o w in s oul s W hen P hilip fir s t h eard t he prop os al

.
,

he brough t fo rward all man n er of rea so n s to excu s e

h im s elf from it tryin g h is be s t to pr o v e to his c on fe s s o r
,

his i n ability an d u n fitn es s a n d e s pecially urgi n g th e

s tro n g de s ir e h e h a d to s er v e God a s a l aym a n But .

F PerS I an o approved o f his humility wit hout a d

.

mittin g th e v a lidity of his excu s e s an d de s ired h im to

,

s ubmit th e matter e n tirely to h is j udgme n t ; an d

P hilip w h o alway s th ough t the judgme n t of others
,

better t h an his o w n re s ign ed h im s elf e n tirely to the

,

will of his c o n fes sor .

I n t h e year 1 5 5 1 w hil e th e Co u n cil o f Tre n t w as

,

e t u n fi n i s hed P h ilip w h o w as t he n t h irty -s ix year s

y , ,

o l d received o n differe n t day s of t h e mo n t h of Marc h

,
40 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
In the s ame year o n Holy Sa turday h e was ordain ed
, ,

deaco n in the u sual c hurch o f S Jo h n La teran His . .

o rdin atio n as prie s t t o ok place o n the 2 3 rd o f May in

t h e sa m e y e ar in t h e s a me church of S T o mmaso in
,
.

Pario n e w h er e h e had rec eived m in or orders an d t h e

,

s ubdiac o n a t e He rec eiv ed all his o rders from G iovann i

.

Lu n el li bis h op of Sebast e ; t h e Vicar Ge n eral of th e

,

Pope at t hat t ime Juliu s I II bein g Philip Arc hin to

,
.
, ,

Bis h op o f Saluz z o .

W h en h e w as made prie s t he w en t t o live at S .

G iro lam o d ella Carita wh ere a few pries ts of holy life ,

w er e livi n g t o g e th er T he s e w e re Bo n s ign or Cacci a

.

gu err a o f Si en a a m an of repute Pers ian o Ro s a

, , ,

wh o m w e hav e alre a dy m en ti o n ed as P h ilip s co n fes so r ’

F ran ce s c o Mars u ppin i o f Ar e z zo a m an o f gre a t pu ri ty ,

a n d s implici ty o f life w ho w as P h ilip s co n fes s or afte r

’

t he dea t h o f P e r s ia n o a n o t he r Fran ce s co n o les s ,

vir tu o u s w ho w as s urn am ed the Sp an iard an d Piet ro

, ,

S pad ari al s o o f Ar ez z o w ho di ed in t he odour o f

, ,

s a n ctity a n d w as t h e las t of th e prie s t s o f S G irolam o

, .

w ho h e ard P h i lip s co n fe ss i o n s For aft e r t he death o f

'

t he th r ee we h ave n am e d P h ilip c o n fessed for a l o ng

t ime t o F J o hn Bap t i s t Pe ru s c o of t he Compan y of

.
,

Je s u s ; an d t hen till th e en d of his l ife to Ces ar e .

1
B aro n iu s who a s w e s h all s ee comme n ded his depar t
, , ,

in g s oul whe n it we n t to Parad ise Th ese serv an ts o f .

God lived in that hou s e with gr eat charity without an y ,

ki n d o f particular rule their o n ly rul e b e in g t h eir lov e ,

a n d revere n c e fo r o n e an ot h er T hey had n o s uperio r .

,

but o b s erved o n ly the order of s e n i o ri ty ; an d so they

C esa r Ba ro n io (1 5 3 8
e . r
cr Ca d 1 596 Se e L i es o f t h e C o m . . v
p a n io n s o f S t P hi i . e i, lpN r
”
8 vo, L o n d o n , 69 —1 0 9 , a nd t h e Li e o f pp .
f
C esa r e B aro nio by L dy A
a m abe l K rr
e , 8 ve , L o n d o n , 1 8 98 .
 C HAPTER X
T HE B E GI NN I N G O F T HE S P IRIT UA L CO NVE RS AT IO N S
IN H IS R OO M

IN t h o s e time s m en lived very remissly in matters o f

devo ti o n m o s t m en t hought it en ough to co n fess o nc e
o r t w ice a y e a r . P hilip regardin g t his as the cau se
,

o f p erditi o n t o a grea t n umber of s oul s applied him ,

s elf i n du s t ri o u s ly t o i n duce people to freque n t the

Sacram en t s an d o ther s piri tual exercis es but above
, , ,

a ll c o n fe ss i o n
, . He w as o n e o f the fir s t aided by the ,

h o ly m en already me n t i o n ed who revived in Rome the

,

practic e o f fre que n t c o n fes s i o n an d commu n io n I n .

o rder t o o btai n t h is o bj ect of h is de s ire more easily ,

he aban d o n ed every o the r care an d gave himself ,

e n tirely to h eari n g c o n fes s io ns He go t a n umber o f

.

pe n ite n t s to ge th er ; an d s eein g the fruit w hich he

o btai n ed by t h i s mea ns h e was n o t co n te n t to employ
,

th e day in th e c o n fess io n al but gave up a co ns iderable

,

part of the n igh t t o it as w ell Befo re su n rise in the

.

mor n in g he had ge n erally c o n fess ed s ome for ty per

,

s o n s in his o w n ro o m ; a n d for t h eir co n ve n ie n ce he

u s ed to leave t he key u n der the door of his apartme n t ,

t h at th ey migh t get in whe n ev er they pleas ed It was .

n o t o n ly whe n in t h e r e t ireme n t of his room th at h e

w a s ready to co n fe ss all w h o came to him but ev en if ,

h e was at prayer he broke off in stan tly as we shall s ee ,

lat er an d he w o uld eve n rise from table a nd leave h is

,
 HIS LOVE OF THE CONF E SSIONAL 43

meal if he k n ew that a ny o n e s ough t him for c on fes

,

sio n Whe n the c hurch w as o pen ed at daybreak he

.
,

we n t down there an d e n ter ed th e co n fe s s ion al an d ,

n ev e r left it except to s a ma w h ic h h u ually d id

y ss e s
,

abou t midday or for some oth er cogen t rea so n always

, ,

leavin g word w hi th er h e w as go n e If it h app en ed .

t h at n o pen ite n t s came he remai n ed n ear th e c o n fes

,

s ion al r e adin g or s ayi n g the ro s ary o r reciti n g o flic e

, , ,

a n d sometime s h e w o uld wait for t h em walki n g up an d

dow n out s ide th e door of th e c hurc h t h at he migh t ,

be the mor e r eadily s ee n ; so t hat an y o n e c o uld fin d

him with th e great es t ea s e at an y hour He ha d s uc h .

a s piritual reli sh in h eari ng co n fess io n s t hat h e s aid ,

h im s elf “
It is the great es t pl ea s ure to m e mer ely t o
,

”
S it in the co n fe s s io n a l s o t h a t h e n ev er gave up h ear
,

in g co n fe s sio n s for an y i n firmi ty w h ic h befell h im ,

u n le s s his phys ician s p o sitiv ely ord er ed it an d if an y ,

o n e t h rough pity s aid t o h im : Fat her w hy do you ,

”
fatigu e yourself s o ? h e a n sw er ed It is n o t fatigu e , ,

but rat her a relief an d recreatio n T hi s h e did to.

keep up th e d evotio n o f h is pe n it en ts an d n o t to ,

e xp o s e t h em to th e dan ger of gr owi n g tepid o r o f ,

fallin g back through th e di fficul ty of fi ndi n g him .

H e w as n o t co n t en t wit h h avin g th u s w on a n umb er

of p en ite n t s but de s iri n g to pre s erv e t h em he t o ok
, , ,

c are lik e a good fath er to i n v en t s piritual ex erci s e s

, , ,

by wh ic h t hey S h ould n o t o n ly main tain but keep c on ,

t in u ally i n crea s in g t h e ir fervour an d advan ci n g in ,

s piritual th i n g s Fo r th i s en d h e arran ged t h at ev ery

.

day after din n er t h at bein g g en erally the mo s t d an g er

,

o u s time t h ey S h ould c o m e to h im
,
in his room an d ,

t here lean in g or sittin g o n his littl e bed he gath ered

, ,

t hem arou n d him an d propo s ed to them after th e

,
44 THE LIF E O F ST . PH ILIP NERI

ma n n er of a co n fere n c e some moral su bj ect s uch as the

, ,

be a uty of virtue or the d eformity o f vic e or some

, ,

co n s ideratio n o n the live s of th e s ain ts At the c o n .

elu s io n h e t o ok up t he di s c our s e h imse lf an d s poke ,

wi th s o muc h fervour th at the u s ual palpitatio n o f h is

h eart came o n a n d m ade n o t o n ly th e bed but s ome
, ,

tim es the whol e ro o m S h ake an d m an y tim es h is whole

,

body w as s ee n lifted up in to the air .

I n t h es e co n ver s a tio n s he m ade gr e a t u s e of the

w o rk s of Jo hn Cas s i an as b ein g full of m o r al an d us e
,

ful i n s tructi on a n d w he n a s uffi cie n t t ime had bee n

,

s p en t in t h is s w eet an d frui t ful co n ver s a t i o n t h ey all ,

w en t o u t t og e th er ei ther for a wal k or t o some churc h

, ,

a n d s p e ci a lly to t h e Mi n erva w here t hey as s is ted in ,

c ho ir a t c o m pl in e a n d in s ummer at m atin s w hich are

, ,

t h en s aid in t h e eve n in g a n d in particular dur ing th e

,

o c t ave of C o rpu s Chris t i ; in deed t h ey n o t u n fr eque n tly

w en t t o t h e s ame church at n ight fo r m ati n s and ,

as s i s ted a t t hem wi th much fervour an d s piritual s wee t

n es s . Man y ge n tlem en u s ed to ac compan y h im an d ,

t h i s pr a c t ic e las te d un t il the e xerc ise s o f th e Orato ry

bega n t o take a regular form fi rst at S G iro l am o ,

.
,

t h e n in S Giovann i de F ioren tin i an d las tly in the

.
’

Vallicella T here wer e at firs t about s ev en o r eigh t

.

p er so n s who frequen ted the s e exercis es amo n g whom ,

w ere Simo n e Gra z zin i a Flore n t i n e M o n te Zazzera of

, , ,

t he s am e plac e Mic h ele of Pra t o t w o y o u n g gold s mit hs

, , ,

a n d o n e of the h o u se of M ass imi But the n umber .

i n crea s ed s o much afterwards t hat the roo m would ,

n o t hold t h em an d the Sain t t ook s ome o t h ers cl o s e

,

by an d mad e at his o w n expe n s e a pl a ce which would

, , ,

c on ve n ie n tly co n tain them all .

 C H APTER XI
OF S OM E OF HIS P EN IT EN TS ,
W HO LED H OL Y LI VES
P H I L I P attrac t ed by th i s work m an y of th e prin cip al
g en tl em en o f th e cour t w ho becam e afterward s m en of ,

wo n derful virtue Am o n g th es e w as Giovan n i Battis ta

.

Salviati br o th er o f Cardin al An t on i o Marl a S a lv ia ti a

,
l
,

per so n of great di s ti n c t i on b o th from the n obili ty o f ,

his o w n family an d his n e ar r elatio n s h ip t o C a t h eri n e

"
,

d e M edici
’
u ee n of F r an c e ; b u t muc h m o r e es timabl e
,

fo r th e g o o d n e s s o f h is life an d th e rar e e xample o f ,

humility w h ic h h e gav e H e w as a s s iduou s in prayer

.
,

in w ork s o f mercy an d in th e c o n ti n ual prac tic e o f

,

m o rtifi c a t io n in w h ic h t h e Sai n t ex erci s ed h im

,
daily .

He w as cons tan t in att en din g th e h o s pi t al s w h er e he ,

s erv ed th e S ick in all th eir n eed s h owever lo w ly a n d ,

m en ial On e day he we n t to th e ho s pital d ella C o n

.

s ola z i o n e an d fo u n d t h er e a S ick m an w h o h a d
,

formerly bee n his s ervan t He wi s hed accordin g to .

,

his cu s tom t o mak e his b ed fo r him a n d a s ked him

, ,

t o get up t h at h e migh t be able to d o s o ; th e s ick

m an as k ed him w hy W hy " replied Gi o va n n i

.
“
,

Battis ta b ecau s e I wan t to mak e y our b ed for you

,
.

’
T he s ervan t kn ew n ot h i n g o f his mas ter s c h an ge of
life an d t h in kin g h e w as makin g gam e of him s aid
, , ,

“
O Sign or Giovan n i Ba tti s ta thi s is n o t a t im e to ,

‘
,
A n t o n io Ma ri a, Ca rd i l
na Sa lv i t i a , c r. Ca dr . 1 58 3 , g r ea t -n e ph ew
4 6 TH E LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

make game o f poor s ervan ts ; I pray you let me alon e .

Giovan n i Battis ta an s wered : I tell you I wan t to “

make your bed for you an d what I am doin g is in ,

”
earn est an d n o t to m ake game of you
, The servan t .

h ow ever per s i s ted in th inkin g that he was bein g m ade

game of an d partly als i) moved by the respect h e fel t
for his old ma s ter o b s t in ately refused to let him make
,

h is b ed The c o n t e s t betwee n them l as ted for a lo n g

.

t im e but at le n g th the c h arity an d humility of t h e

,

m as ter got the be t t er of the pertin acious o b s tin acy of

t he s ervan t .

T h i s ge n tleman a t t ain ed a t l as t such a degree of mor

t ific a t io n th at w h ere as befo re he dre ss ed very s howil y ,

a n d w as a t te n ded by a gr e a t n umber of s erva n ts af t er ,

h e h ad become acquain t ed with t he S ain t an d had ,

s o me experie n ce o f a s piri t ual life he n o t o n ly dre ss ed ,

plai n ly b u t w o uld n o t h ave a ny se rvan ts to follow him

, .

P hilip ho w ever bade him o u t o f co nsideratio n fo r ,

o t h er s dre s s a s h is e qual s did

,
t h ough mode s tly an d , ,

be att en ded as m en of his ran k u s ually were God .

rewarded t hese an d his o th er virtues in the pe ace an d

h appi n e s s o f h is dea t h ; fo r whe n he had with e xceed
ing dev o tio n receiv ed t he l as t Sacrame n t s a n d w as ,

t o ld t h a t th e h our of his pas s ag e was come full of j oy , ,

h e lifted up his han d s to h eave n a n d began si n gin g , ,

L wtatus su m in h is , gun: d icta s un t m ihi ; in dom um

”
Dom in i ibim us , an d sh ortly after breathed his last in
’
Phil ip s arm s .

The Sain t h ad a lo n g whil e befo re dr awn Giovann i

’ ’
Battista s wife Porzia de M assimi to a s piritual life
, , ,

a n d h ad alre ady led her to a high degree of pe rfectio n ,

wh e n with h er as s istan ce h e at last made the co n que s t

bf her husban d After his death S he e n tered the
.
 FRANCESCO MARIA TARU GI 47

m o n as tery o f San ta Lucia at Flore n c e th at s he migh t ,

b e the better able to s erv e Go d ; but fi ndin g the air

i nj uriou s to h er She r eturn ed to R o me an d S hut h er
, ,

s elf u
p in t h e mo n a s t ery o f St Ca th erin e of Si en a in .

Mo n t e Magn an apoli buil t by h er s elf wh er e sh e di ed , ,

a s h olily a s S h e h a d liv ed .

Toget h er with Giovan n i Batti s ta Salviati w as Fran

l
ce s co Maria Tarugi of Mo n tepulcian o a r elative o f , ,

3
P o pes Juliu s an d Marc ellu s II a m an of brillian t .
,

t ale n ts in h igh favour wit h th e gr eat b ecau s e o f his

,

e n gagin g man n er s a n d co n s idered o n e o f th e most dis

,

t in gu ish ed m en of t h e Court He w en t on e day t o .

S G irolam o della Carit a to co n fe s s on th e occas i on of a

.
,

4
j ubilee publis h ed by Paul IV Wh en he h ad fi n i sh ed
his c o n fe s s io n P h ilip took him i n t o his r o om an d
, ,

t alked wit h him upo n vari o u s t o pic s After t his h e .

in duced h im to make an h o ur of pray er wi th him ,

duri n g which Tarugi alth ough h e h ad n ever practi s ed ,

m e n tal prayer before felt suc h s piritual s w eet n es s th a t , ,

th e h our pa ss ed away wit h o ut h is k n o wi n g ho w S O ex ,

c ess iv e w a s the in t erior deligh t w h ich h e experie n c ed .

H e cam e agai n at di ffere n t time s ; an d s eei n g th e Sai n t

s om etim es rai s ed fr o m th e gr o u n d at prayer h e fo rmed ,

a s till h igh er O pi n io n of him an d w a s i n flamed wit h ,

a n earn e s t de s ire to c h an g e his life T h ere were ho w .

,

ever s om e impedimen t s at th e tim e which s eemed t o

, ,

defer the c h ange he

'

m ake it n ece s s ary for him to

1 F ra n c es c o Ma ria T a r u gi ( 1 5 52 ne ph w e of Po p e l
J u ius III .
,
’

cr .Arc hb i h p f Av ig s o o n o n, 1 59 3 ; C a i d . 1 59 6 . S ee Li v es of t he
C omp i f S t Phil ip N r i
a n on s o . e ,
”
8 vo , L ond on, pp 9—69 . .

P p J li
2
oII I ( 48 7 5
e u us . 1 -1 Gio v ann i M r i C i cc h i d
a a o el Mon t e ,

el c t d P p
e e
55 o e 1 0 .

r P p
3
M rc llo e II ( 5 a e us . 1 0 1 Ma rc ell o Ce rv i n i, e e l ct ed Pe pe
1 555 .

P e pe Pa u IV l .
(1 476 Gia m p i tr
e o C a ra fe , e e l ct ed Pe pe 1 5 55 .
 48 THE LIFE or S T . P HILIP NE RI

wished an d he m ade a min ute stat e me n t o f them to

,

P hilip The Sain t an swered Do n o t be afraid ; the

.
,

hi n dran ce s will c ea se befo re a m o n th is over and s o

it proved Taru gi ther efore retur n ed to him at the

.

e n d of t h a t time a n d made a ge n eral co n fes s io n dur

, ,

in g whic h P h ilip di s cov ered to him h is sin s a n d secre t

t h ough t s T his circum s ta n ce kin dled in him s uch an
.

a ffe ctio n fo r th e S ain t t h a t he cared n o lo n ger for

,

c o ur t o r w orld an d gave him s e lf up complet ely i n to

,

P h ilip s h an ds an d t h at with s uch re ady obedie n c e

’

, ,

t h at t h e Sai n t did w h at h e ple as ed with h im an d ,

a ft erward s m a de gr e at u s e of him in wi nn i n g so ul s .

S o gr eat w a s th e fervour o f T arugi t h at he s oo n ,

h a d m o r e n eed o f t he bit than o f the s pur He had .

s uc h r es ig n ati o n t o t h e will of God t h at for the fi fty ,

y ea rs o r m o r e t ha t he liv ed after his co nver s io n h e ,

n ev er in g o o d o r e vil as he h im s elf oft en declared

, ,

l o s t t he i n t erior p e ace h e t he n acquired He was .

m o s t o bed i en t to t he Sai n t in all thi n gs an d s uch w as ,

t he re s p e c t he fel t fo r him a n d t h e opi n io n he had of

,

h is s an cti ty t h a t a fter he was mad e cardin al he

, ,

b oas ted of ha vi n g bee n Ph ilip s n o vice fo r fi ft y years

’

implyi n g t h at from his twe n ty -n in th year w hen he ,

’
gav e him s elf in to t he Sai n t s han d s u n til t he age of ,

e ig h ty -t h r e e to w h ic h h e lived h e h ad n o ot he r idea ,

o f h im s elf t ha n t h a t h e was Philip s n o vice He h ad ’

.

a n emi n e n t gift of pray e r an d o f tears ; an d h is s uccess

as a preacher w as s uch tha t h e w as the admiratio n of

,

t h e mo s t eloqu en t m en o f h is day an d w as call ed b

y
Baro n iu s in h is An n a ls Clem en t VIII ’
d ux ver bi
‘
. .

made him Archbish op of A v ign o n an d afterwards ,

Cardin al of h oly C hurc h In h is extreme old age h e

.

b egged of the fat hers to let him retur n to die in the

'
 50 THE LIFE OF ST . PHI LIP NERI
On on e occasio n wh e n he w as su fferin g dreadfu lly fro m
,

t h e s to n e without an y pr o s pe ct of relief an d every o n e ,

co n s idered him in the las t extremity P hil ip we n t to ,

visit him accordin g to h is c ustom ; an d after havin g

e x h or t ed h im to b ear his cro ss man fu ll y for th e l o v e
o f C h ri s t ,
w en t o u t of t he ho use an d retired in to a
n eigh b o urin g c h urc h t o pray for him which he did ,

with m o s t e a rn es t veheme n c e At the fi rs t te ar w hic h .

P hilip S hed Modio began t o pass t he s to n e a n d in a

, ,

s h o r t ti m e rec o v e red en t ir ely ; an d a t t ributin g his re

o th e Sai n t s in t erc ess io n h e gave himse l f com

’

c o v er
y t ,

p l e t el
y in t o h is han d s He w a s a very te n der -hearte d
.

m an , a n d s in gularly compass i o n ate t o the poor He .

h a d al s o co n s id erabl e tal e n t in p reachin g s o t ha t , ,

a l th o ug h h e w as a l ayma n P h ilip m ade him relate the ,

live s o f t h e Sain ts in t he Orato ry whic h he did to the ,

g i ea t delig h t an d profi t of t h e h earer s A f t er his deat h .

P h ilip ap poin ted An t on i o Fucci o f Cit ta di C as tell o to

s ucc ee d h im in t hi s o ffi ce of r elati n g the live s of th e
Sain t s He al s o w as a phy s ician a nd very learn ed
.
,

a n d w h a t is of more im or t an ce a v ery S piritual m an

p , ,

an d h e w as o n e of t ho s e w ho wis hed to accom pan y th e

S ai n t to t he I n die s to s h ed his blood for the holy fait h ,

as we sh all s ee later .

Marc ie Al tieri a Rom an n o bl e was als o on e of his

l
, ,

S piritual c h ildre n U n der the disciplin e of the Sain t

.

he arrived at s uc h perfectio n an d enj oyed such a savour

of the greatn e s s of God th a t th e h oly Father u s ed t o ,

Say of him th at like an ot h er M o s e s h e coul d n o t talk

, ,

o f G od for th e abu n dan ce of his devotio n He had .

s uch te n dern ess toward s t he poor t h at he hesita ted ,

1
Ma rc ie Al ti ri f e bl R,
of a no e om an am ly t whic h b l
i o e o ng ed E il i
m o,

C a rd in a l Al t i ri f t rw rd P p C l
e , a e a s O e em ent X (1 670
 T H E SAINT S HUMBLE R P E NITENTS
’

5 1

n ot to s trip him s elf in order to cloth e other s an d g ave ,

in alms eve n th e coverlet of h is b ed exp ecti n g from th e

,

Lord the promis ed reward .

To th ese may be add ed Matteo Sten dardi n eph ew o f ,

Paul I V B ern ardin o Valle of C omo m ae s tr o di cas a

.
, , ,

t o Cardi n al M o n t epulcia n o Fulvio Amodei Giac o m o

, ,

Marmita o f whom w e S h all s p eak aft erward s Gio van n i

, ,

A n to n io of San ta S ev erin a an d Lud o vico Pari s i w h o

, ,

S erved th e Sai n t out of d ev o t i o n for m o re t h an t h ir t y

y ear s ; with ot her s of th e prin cipal familie s of Italy ,

w ho wer e all h is p en ite n t s an d mirror s o f p erfec ti o n in

,

t h e court of Rome .

B eside s t h e s e h e h ad ot hers o f h umbl er co n diti o n ,

w h o were al s o m en o f m o s t s a i n tly live s Am o n g th em

.

w as Stefa n o a S hoemak er of Rimi n i w h o h a d bee n a

, ,

s oldi er for a lo n g time a n d w as full o f e n mitie s

, an d ,

a ltog et h er give n up t o t he th i n g s of t h i s world Stefa n o .

cam e to Rome an d by s om e g o od i n s piratio n w en t o n e

,

day to S Girolamo to h e ar th e s erm o n s

. T hr o ugh .

revere n c e an d re sp ect fo r o thers h e t o ok on e of th e

back s eat s ; but P h ilip with ou t ev er h avin g s een o r
,

kn own him before we n t t o him an d led him to the

,

fro n t W he n th e prayer w as fi n i shed he sho w ed h im

.

great a ffec t io n an d so capt ivat ed him by his man n er

, ,

th at from t h at d ay St efan o we n t co n tin ually to t h e

S ermo n s an d began to fr eque n t th e Sacrame n ts By .

th i s m ean s h e w as delivered from h is m o st o bstin ate

a n d i n v e terate pa s s io n s a n d became a m an o f wo n der
,

ful virtue s He w a s s o give n to w ork s of c h arity t hat

. ,

alth o ugh he w as very poor h e to o k n oth in g fr o m his

,

weekly earn in gs but wh at w as absolut ely n ecess ary an d ,

gav e th e re s t away for th e love of God H e t h ought .

con s t an tly of death an d kept h im s elf prepared for it

5 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

as if each day he was to die ; but for all th at he w as

n ever out of spirit s or dow n cast but alway s gay a n d ,

c heerful He was remarkable al s o for his obedie n ce

.
,

an d for his as s iduity in prayer in which he w as greatly ,

favoured by Go d an d he w a s s ee n o n e day in th e
,

c hurch o f the S an ti ss im a Tri n it adi Po n te Si s to s udde n ly

s urrou n d e d by a re s ple n de n t lig h t S tefan o pe rsevered .

in t he s e ex erci s es tw en ty -t h r ee year s livin g in a s mall ,

ho u s e by h im s elf His frie n d s to ld him t h at he would

.

d ie s ome day s udd en ly wi thout a n y o n e t o assist him

,

but he ans wer ed t ha t he put his co n fid en ce in th e mo s t

h o ly M ad o nn a a n d w a s quit e s ure t ha t s he would n o t
,

aban d o n h im : a n d s o it proved fo r b ein g assail ed o n e , .

n ig h t all o n a s udd e n by h is mortal s ickn e ss he we n t ,

o u t o f h is h o u s e a n d called his n eig hbour s t o ass is t h im

a n d to o fo r t h e p a ri s h prie s t a n d t h e n retur n in g t o o k
g ,

to his b ed w h er e h e r e c e i ved t he las t Sacrame n ts an d

, ,

gav e up his s o ul to Go d .

Fra n c es c o Maria c o mm o nly called 11 F errarese was

, ,

a n o th er o f P hilip s S piri tual chil dre n He w as a m an .

of the gr eate s t s implici ty an d of s uch go od n ess an d

,

purity o f life th at h e s o me t ime s heard the an gels

,

s i n gi n g
,
an d w a s phy s ically se n sible of th e n o isom e

o d o ur o f s in .He h ad al s o a mo s t emin e n t gift of tears ,

an d w h e n h e commu n icat ed w hic h w as o rdi n aril y ev ery

,

day or heard an y on e s peak of the t hin gs of God an d

, ,

particularly of Paradi s e h e wept immod erately He

, .

w as s o e n am o ur ed of s ufferi n g t hat b ein g o n e day in ,

exce ss ive ago n y from the s t o n e he prayed Go d to s e n d ,

h im a s till h eavier i n firmi ty ; an d he h ad n o s o o n er s aid

t h is t h an h e recovered He had a bur n in g z eal for the
.

s alva t io n of other s ; an d s eein g a Jew o n e d a h e w as

y ,

smitte n with such compassio n for his s oul that he ,

 DEVOT ION OF T HE SAINT S PENIT E NTS ’

53

pr ayed every day for him for three years co n tin uous ly ,

be s eech i n g the Divi n e Maj e s ty to giv e him the grace

of con versio n His prayer s wer e n o t in vain for
.
,

being on e mor n in g at S Pet er s he s aw mo s t un .

’

e xpectedly t h at very Jew go t o receive h o ly b apti s m

, ,

a n d h is h eart so m elt ed wi t h i n h im at the s igh t th at ,

h e immediat ely began to s hed mo s t abu n dan t flood s

o f tear s .

An o t h er tim e Fra n ce s co Maria Tarugi fo u n d h im

weepin g bitterly an d b ein g very urge n t wi th h im to
,

tell him th e cau s e th e good m an (al th ough an en tir ely

,

u n educated per s o n ) an s wer ed t h at h e w a s th in kin g o f ,

t h o s e word s w h ic h C h ri s t s aid to His di s ciple s Whe n ,

you h ave d on e all t h e s e t h in gs s ay w e are u n profitabl e , ,

”
s erva n t s ; For said h e if th e Ap o s tl es aft er
, ,
“
,

h av in g do n e s o man y miracl es a n d co n v erted th e w o rld

were fo r all t h at t o s ay We are u n pr o fitable s ervan t s
,
‘
,

wh at am I to s ay w h o h ave d o n e n oth in g ? T hi s is
,

w hy I w eep an d ca n n ot re s train my tear s

,
A n ot her .

time Tarugi fo un d him in prayer s t an di n g an d ev ery

, , ,

n o w an d t h e n drawi n g back a little maki n g g es tur e s ,

of s urpri s e T hi s h avi n g la s ted s o me time Tarugi

.
,

“
a s ked him w hy h e did s o : h e an s wered I am c on ,

s id erin t h e great n e s s o f God a n d th e more I c o n s id er

g ,

it the more it s eem s to gr o w b efore m e an d it s

, ,

v ery immen s ity fo rce s me to s tep backward eve n ,

”
c o rporally .

P h ilip h ad al so for h is pe n ite n t an ot h er s ervan t of

God n amed T o mmas o a Sicilian wh om h e led to s uc h
, , ,

a h eigh t o f perfectio n th at he c a me t o look forward as

,

an imme n s e privilege to b e comi n g s o me day sweep er

o f S Peter s
. T h i s po s t h e obtain ed acc o rdin g to his
’
.

de s ire an d co n ti n ued to S weep th e c hurc h for man y

,
54 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

y e ars with the greate s t dilige n ce an d d e lig h t In deed .

he n ever left it except w h e n he wen t to t he h oly fa th e r

to c o n fe s s io n At nig h t he s lep t in his cl o t hes o n
.
,

t he predella of o n e of t h e S e ve n Al t ars Th e devil . ,

a l w ay s t h e e n emy of h umili ty a n d perseveran ce en ,

d eav o ured o n e n ig h t to t errify him in to givi n g up his

u n der t akin g W hil e Tommas o w as asleep the malig
.
,

n a n t S pirit m a d e s uc h a di s turba n ce t ha t it s e e med t o ,

t h e good m a n as if all t h e b en c hes in t h e c h urc h w er e

bei n g th r o w n up i n t o th e air a n d w er e falli n g do w n

,

o n t h e fl o o r br o ke n in piec e s
,
Jumpin g up he ran to
.
,

t he lam p a n d lit a c a n dl e b u t fo u n d a ll th e be n ch es
,

qui e t in t he ir pl a c es He t he n s earc hed the c hurc h

.

dilige n tly th in ki n g t her e mig ht be a rob b er l urkin g

,

in it ; a n d in h is s e arc h b eheld t he d emo n behin d

o n e o f t h e c o lum n s u n d e r t h e ap eara n ce o f a n egro ;
,
p
he imm edia tely w en t up to him bo ldly an d raise d h is ,

ha n d to giv e him a blow upo n w hic h t he e n emy dis

,

appear ed a n d t he i n tr e pid Tommaso we n t b ack to

,

his place as if n o thi n g had hap pe n ed a n d fell quietly ,

a s le e p
.

A n o ther o f P hilip s pe n i t e n ts w as F ra Ludovic o o f

’

S pole t o H e w as n o t really a friar b ut w as so called

.
,

becau s e he wor e the h abit of S Fran cis This serva n t . .

o f Go d w as mo s t po or in ear thly go ods bu t richly ,

e n dowed with ev ery vir t ue an d o f a life mo s t s in gularly

,

pure in co n s eque n c e of w hic h the Sai n t s et him to

,

t ake c h arge of th e girl s of Sa n t a Cateri n a de Fu n ari

’

an d kn owin g his goodn e ss woul d n ever let him ,

aban do n the employme n t Pi et ro M o li n aro w as also

.

o n e of th ose w ho were most in P hilip s c o n fide n c e ’

.

T hrough the abu n da n ce of his tears he lo s t his sigh t ,

but G od re s tored it to him a ain by miracle There g .

 ’

THE SAINT S P E NIT E NTS 55

very man y oth er s of di fferen t trade s -an d pro fes

s i o n s w h o lived u n der th e care a n d discipli n e of P h ilip
, ,

a n d d ied in th e od o ur of s a n ctity ; but for br evity s

’

sake we mu s t omit particular accou n t of t hem excep t ,

a s our n arrative may from time to time lead us to

make me n tio n of them .

 CHAPTER XI I
C

or T HE GR EAT NES S o r P H I L I P S ’

Z EA L FO R T HE

H OLY F A IT H
P H I L I P h ad thu s created rou n d ab o ut him a goodly
S c h o ol o f s piritual m e n In t h e begin n i n g o f th e c o n
.

ferc n c es a n d c o n ver sa t io n s in his room they some t ime s ,

r e a d th e l et t er s w hic h came at th a t tim e to th e J es ui t

F a ther s fr o m t h e I n die s The Sai n t co n s id eri n g how
.
,

gr ea t th e h arv es t in t ho s e cou n t rie s w as an d ho w few ,

t h e l ab o ur e r s began t o t h i n k o f g o in g him s elf i n to

,

t h o s e par ts t o s o w t he S eed o f t h e ho ly fai th an d to

, ,

s h ed ,
if n e ed s be his blood fo r the l o ve o f C hrist
,
.

H e c o mmu n ica t ed t hi s t hough t to s o me of his pen i te n ts ,

a n d a m o n g t h e r es t t o Fran cesco M aria T aru i Gio v an

g ,

Ba tt i s ta M o di o A n t on i o F uc m a n d o thers to th e
, , ,

n umber o f twe n ty S o me of t hem he cau s ed to be

.

o rdai n ed pri es t s s o that t h ey might be ready to sta r t

,

as s oo n as t hey h ad received the P o pe s bles s in g .

Ph ilip however was n o t a m an to come to any grave

, ,

deci sio n witho ut prayer cou n sel an d time Firs t of , ,

.

all therefore he prayed about it fo r a lo n g while an d

, , ,

t h e n co n sulted a Be n edictin e mo n k w h o lived at S .

Paul s a m an of great weight bot h for his lear n in g an d

’

for his spirituality T hi s mo n k referred him to

.

Ago stin o Ghettini a Cis t ercia n father w h o w as the n

, ,

prior of t h e co n ve n t of SS Vi n ce n t an d An as tas iu s at
.
,

t h e T h ree Fou n tai n s .

5 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NER I

fai th an d what he could n o t do in the I n dies he did

, ,

n o t fail to do t o th e utmo s t of his po wer in Rom e .

W h e n ever he sa w a Jew h e felt so s tro n g a d es ir e fo r

,

h is co n versio n t h at at th e mere s ight he ofte n brok e

fo rth in to tears an d s ig hs an d left n o mean s u n t ried fo r
,

h is con vers i o n He we n t o n e d ay to S John La teran

. .

wit h Pro s p ero Criv el li a Milan e s e g en tleman w ho took

, ,

wi th him a J e w W hen t hey e n tered the churc h an d

.

k n elt d o w n b efo re the Ble ss ed Sacrame n t the Jew ,

al o n e s t o o d wi th h is head c o vered an d his back turn ed

t o t h e altar . P hilip s eei n g t h is s aid : Lis te n to m e ,
“
,

my go o d m a n : j o in me in thi s prayer : If T ho u ‘
,

C hri s t art really God in s pire me to become a Chri s

,

t ia n He a n s wer e d t h a t h e could n o t make s uch a

pr ay er a s t ha t because it w o uld be to doubt of his
,

faith P hil ip the n turn ed to the by s tan der s an d said

.
,

“
Pray to God fo r t hi s m an for wi t hou t doubt he ,

will b ec o m e a C hri s tia n ; a nd n o t lo n g aft erward s ,

t hro ug h th e prayers an d as si s ta n ce of the S ain t he ,

w as bap tized .

On t he vigil of S Pe t er an d S Paul M arcell o

. .
,

Ferro a priest a n d o n e of his first s piri t ual childre n

, , ,

fou n d two you ng J e ws u n d er the portico of S Pete r s .

'

a n d began t o talk to them a b out t he faith an d in par ,

t ic u l ar about the gl o ry of tho s e holy apostle s w h o h ad

t hem s elve s bee n J e w s Prol on gin g the con versa ti o n he

.
,

at last got t hem t o promis e t h at t hey w o uld go s o m e

day an d speak to P hil ip at S G irolamo W hen they . .

came to perform this prom is e as s oo n as ever th e ,

S ai n t sa w t hem he s ho wed t h em so much afi ec t io n ,

t h at for s everal mo n ths they cam e to him n early every

day Some time however havi n g elapsed wit hou t
. , ,

vi s it from t h em th e Sai n t de s ired Marcell o to fin d

an
y ,
 H IS JEWIS H CONV E RTS 59

t he yout hs out Marcell o we n t to th eir h ou se an d

.
,

as ked th eir m o ther w h at h ad b ec om e of h er s o n s S he .

an s w er ed th at o n e o f t h em w as lyin g very ill almo s t ,

at the p oi n t o f d eat h Marc ell o e xpr es s ed a grea t

.

d es ir e to s ee h im a n d Go d s o di s p os in g t he moth er s
,
’

h eart S h e all o w ed h im to go up s tair s

, T her e h e fo u n d .

t h e Jew i n d eed in t h e gr eat es t d an g er o f d ea t h a n d as ,

h e would n o t tak e an y fo o d t h e m o t her begg ed Mar ,

c ell o to try t o per s uade him to e a t so m et hi n g a s h e ,

migh t p erh ap s t ake it from his h a n d s Marc ell o readily .

a ss e n t ed an d th e J e w as r ead ily to o k all t hat h e gav e

,

h im Marcello t h en watch in g for an occas i on w h i s p er ed ,

“
i n t o his ear : F a th er P hilip des ir es to b e r em emb ered
”
to you . At t h e s e word s th e i n valid w as full o f jo y ,

an d Marcello at p a rti n g s aid : Rememb er you h av e “

promis ed Fat her P hilip t hat you will b e a C hri s tian .

H e a n swered : I d o rememb er it a n d I i n te n d to d o ,

S O if God s pare s my life

, Marc ello r elat ed t he wh o l e
.

t o t he Sai n t w h o s aid : DO n o t b e afraid ; w e will

“
,

h elp h im with o u r pray er s an d h e will be co n verted , .

Th e J ew ge t w ell an d return ed t o P h ilip t o g et h er wit h

,

h is br o t h er an d u n d er th e Sai n t s c are th ey b o th b e
’

cam e Ch ri s tian s .

H e al s o co n v erted to th e faith a Jew w ho bel o n g ed ,

t o o n e of th e c h i ef an d w e a lt h ie s t famili es am o n g th em .

H e was bap t i z ed at S P eter s b u t as his fath er w h o

’
.
, ,

remai n ed a J ew h ad freque n t i n t erc o urs e wit h h im

, ,

P o pe Gregory XI II w as afraid l es t his fait h S hould

.

s uffe r inj ury an d t o ld P h ilip t h at t h i s i n t ercour s e w as

,

n o t pleasi n g t o h im P hilip told his H olin es s t h at his

.

r eas o n fo r all owi n g it to go on w as t h at h e felt c on fi

d en t the fa ther w o uld be c o n vert ed t hroug h the s o n .

T hi s h appy ev en t did actually take place for th e ,

60 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

C hristia n s o n in duced h is father to go to P hilip whose ,

e fficaciou s w o rd s s o o n overcame h is obj ectio n s s o t h a t ,

h e became a C hristia n h im s elf in a very s hort tim e .

M an y years afterward s th is m an got away fro m the ,

Jew s his four youn g n eph ews who s e fat her was dead , ,

a n d cau s ed them t o b e ca t ec hized t h at they migh t

e mbrace t h e h oly fai th On e day after P h ilip h ad
.
,

l eft S Gir o lamo an d was g o n e t o the Vallicella h e

.
,

t o o k t h e s e n e ph ew s t o th e h oly fa t h er P hilip accord . ,

in g to h is cu s t o m s howed t h e m great affectio n bu t

, ,

did n o t en ter i n t o a ny c o n v e rs a t ion abou t the faith .

On e ev en i n g h ow ev e r m an y day s aft er he begged

, , ,

t h em t o r ec o m m e n d t h em se lv es t o t h e God o f Abrah am
‘

I s aac a n d Jac o b t h at H e w o uld in s pire them with a

, ,

k n o wl edg e o f the t ru t h He added th at h e h ad already

.

m ade t h e s am e pr a yer an d t h at t he n ext m o r ni n g a t

,

m as s he wo uld pray fo r t he m an d d o holy vi o le n ce to ,

Go d . T hen he aid os t t h e by s tan d er s : To m o rr o w

- “

m o rn in g at m , y ma ss t h ey will sa
,
y y e s ; an d o n e ,
‘

o f t h e m a f t e rward s c o n fe s s ed wh en h e w as exam in ed ,

in th e pr o ce ss t h a t in t he m o r n i n g h e w as co n s trai n ed
,

t o s ay yes becau s e h e s eemed t o h e ar a s pirit s ayin g

, ,

”
Say yes W he n the morn i n g c ame t hey were more
.

o b s ti n ate t h a n ev er ; th ey argued w it h differe n t people

fo r s ev eral h o ur s a n d remain ed still m o re fixed in t h eir

,

o w n opi n io n But it w as ob s erved th at at the very

.

t ime t h e h o ly father w as s ayin g ma s s a s udde n ,

c h an ge came o ver t h em an d th ey co n s e n ted t o become ,

C hristian s T he n th ose wh o were pre s en t r emembe red

.

t h e word s whic h th e Sai n t h ad said the eve nin g befo re ,

t hat he would pray for th em in h is m as s an d do

viole n ce to God So firm did t hey remai n in t heir
.

d e termin atio n th at n either the prayers an d caresses of

,
62 THE LIFE OF ST . PHI LIP NERI
m et Giov an
Battista fell ow cou n trym an M artell i ,
his -
,

a n d said to him : A wo n derful thin g has befalle n me

“

to day
- Thi s morn in g I vis i ted a patie n t at th e Valli
.

c ella who was in dan ger of dea th ; an d I have j u s t

,

b ee n there again an d fo rm d him wi thou t fever so t ha t ,

a t firs t I doubted w h e t h er th e fa th e rs h ad n o t played

’
me a trick an d put som e o n e el s e i n to the s ick man s
,

“
b ed . Mar t elli a ns wered him : O you m ay be su re
”
Fa th er P hilip h as cured him T he medic al m an re .

j o in ed T h is is a gre a t m iracl e an d P hilip is a gre at

,
“
,

”
Sain t I n th e ev en in g the h o ly fat her we n t to visi t
.

t h e i n valid a n d whi s ered h i My you “

p t o , m : s on ,

c er t a i n ly w o uld h ave died b u t I did n o t wan t it to be ,

so l es t y o ur m o th er s ho uld say we h ad cau s ed your

,

”
dea th T w o m o n t hs a fter his recovery he an d h is
.
,

br o ther s w ere bap t iz ed o n t he fe as t of S Simo n an d .

1
S Jud e in S J o h n La teran by Po pe Cleme n t VI II
.
, .
,

t o t h e grea t joy an d co n te n tm e n t of the Sain t as well

as o f t h e m s elv es T he elde s t took th e n ame of Al es s

.

an dro th e n ext Ago s t in o t he third Ippolito an d the

, , ,

l as t Cl eme n te .

As s oo n as t hey were bap t ized t h ey began to be ,

an xi o us for t he co n vers i o n of their moth er an d foun d ,

mean s to h ave her placed in the hous e of Giul ia Orsini ,

t h e Marc h esa Ran go n a They the n ask ed the S ain t .

wh at h ope s he h ad of the s u c cess of t his experim en t ;

h e replied T hat s he would n o t be con vert ed an d
,
“
,

t h at it would n o t eve n b e we ll for t h em if s h e em

br ac ed the faith then bu t that she would do so at ,

an other t im e with grea t er fruit to herse lf and to

”
them So it p roved in the eve n t ; for she w as co n
'

1
Po p e C l e m en t V III .
(1 5 3 6 I pp lit
o o Al d o b rand ini, e e l ct ed

Po p e x59 2 .
 HE CONV E RTS MANY H E RETICS 63
‘

verted about five or six year s after an d brough t ov er

wit h h e r twe ty fo ur relati o n s whi ch sh e w o uld n o t
n -
,

h ave do n e h ad s h e bee n co n v ert ed at th e time h er

s o n s d es ired it .

P hilip al s o co n verted m an y h er etic s wh o se n am es ,

we can n o t men tio n for grave reas o n s W e s h all o n ly .

r elate th e co n versi o n of on e of t h em n am ed Pal eologu s ,

a s b ein g amo n g t h e m o s t r emarkabl e T h i s m an h a d

.

be en impris o n ed by o rd er o f the H o ly I n qui s i ti o n as ,

well for b ein g an h ere s iarc h as fo r o th er o ffen c es o f

,

w h ich h e h ad bee n accu sed E v ery p os sible m ean s.

w a s u s ed to co n v ert h im ; but h e co n t i n u e d o b s ti n at e ,

a n d n ot h i n g could i n duc e h im t o abj ur e At las t h e .

w a s co n dem n e d to d ea t h an d a s an ob s tin at e h er et ic
, ,

t o b e bur n t aliv e Th e Sai n t h a d alr eady vi s it ed h im

.
,

a n d tried to w in h im by ge n tl e w o rd s an d a rgum en ts ,

a n d h a d laboured wit h great a ff ec t i o n fo r his c o n v er

s i o n w h en
,
o n e m o r n i n g h e w a s t o ld t h at t hey wer e

l e adin g him to pu n i sh m en t in th e Campo di F i or e .

P hilip w as t h en at S Girol am o an d a s u s ual in th e

.
, , ,

c o n fe s s io n al H e w as m o v ed with compa s sio n at the

.

n ew s an d felt a bur n i n g de s ire for th e s alvatio n o f a

,

s oul in so perilou s a pligh t an d s o n ear to certai n

,

r eprobation . He immediately left th e c on fes s io n al ,

an d w e n t to me et th e crimin al in th e Strad a del

Pellegri n o He t hrew h im s elf i n to th e crowd boldly
.
,

pas sed t he guard s an d full of z eal for the so ul of the

,

u nh appy m an w en t up t o him an d embraced him an d

, ,

wi th th e gr eate s t t en dern es s b egan in w o rd s m o s t

calculated to excite compu n ctio n an d full of d evotio n , ,

to s peak to h im of th e , s alvatio n of his s o ul an d to ,

e x h ort h im with gr e ater c h ari ty an d fervour th an he

h a d ever do n e before to b e co n verted
,
When t hey .
64 T H E LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP N E RI

were n ear the place of executio n but before they had ,

r eached th e s take P hilip wi th the authority whic h , ,

God gave h im a t the mome n t comman d ed the o ffi cers ,

to stop an d n o t to proceed wi th t he executio n The

, .

re s pect an d revere n c e w hich th ey had fo r him w as

s uc h t h at t hey s to pped imm edia tely ; a nd P hil ip ,

h avi n g in t h a t s ho rt time t urn ed t he heart o f t he

mi s erable m an i n duc ed him to mou n t a ben c h o n the
,

s p o t a n d to m a k e a public reca n ta t i o n o f his e rror

, ,

to t h e gr e a t as t o n i s h m en t o f t h e crowd w ho were

a s s e mbl e d t o wi tn ess t he execu t io n He t hen im .

m edi a t ely s ucce ed e d in gettin g him re c o n duc t ed to

pri s o n w her e the m o re to so ft en h is hear t he go t very
, , ,

l a rge alm s a s s ig n ed to him by G r egory XIII in ad di .

t i o n t o t h e d a ily all o w a n c e o f t h e Holy O ffice He .

h i m s elf w en t alm o s t e v ery day to vi s it him an d t o keep ,

h im t o h is g o o d re s o lu t i o n H e al ways co n vers ed wit h

.

h im o n m a t te rs o f devo t i o n s uch as were likely to ,

br eed c o mp un c tio n o f hea r t Wit h the des ire of over .

c o mi n g t he prid e a nd s elf s uffi c ien c y ge n erally foun d

- -

in s uc h per s o n s he gave him th e live s of t he Ble ss ed

,

1 2
J o hn C o l o mbi n i a n d t he Ble s s ed Giac opo n e t o read ;
,
’
r

s ayi n g t h a t m e n o f t h a t s o r t are mor e ofte n c o n ver ted

by s impl e th i n gs a n d by t he example s o f the sa i n ts

, ,

t h an by muc h di s pu t i ng o n d o c tri n al questio n s Paleo .

lo gus h im s elf s a id t h at h e wis h ed he h ad k n own Phil ip

s oo n er b ecau s e h e s e e m ed t o s peak wi t h Christia n s in
,

c erity an d accordi n g t o t he t e achi n g of t h e G o s pel .

He did n o t h owever pers evere l o n g in his good d is

positio n s but beg a n t o wav er agai n an d the n return ed
, ,

1 F o un d e r o f t h e Ord er o f t h e Ge s ua t i a t S ien a in 1 36 3 .

9
B Gia c o po ne d e T od i d ied
. , I 30 6 . A ut ho r of t he S ta ba t Ma ter a nd

r pr
o t h e s i it ua a n t i es lc cl .
 CHAPTER XII I
FO R T HE A ME END OF C O NVE RTI N G UN BE LI EVE RS
S

HE C O MMAND S C E S A R E B ARON IUS T O C OMPOS E H IS

E C C L E S I AS T IC A L ANNA LS
PH IL IP gr ea t z eal fo r t he propaga t io n of the fait h
'

w as n o t c o n fi n ed t o Rome He s ym pathis ed with t he

.

t rav a il s of H o ly C hurc h ; a n d s eein g how much b er e ti

c a l s e c t s m ul t ipli ed every day in the n o rthern parts of

E ur o p e h e t oo k c o urag e t o O p po s e th em to the utmo s t of

,

h is po w er t ru s t i n g in t hat Lo rd w ho u se s w eak things

,

t o c o n fo u n d t h e s t r o n g By a s in gular ins p iratio n o f

.

Go d h e t h o ug h t o f a m eth od by w hic h h e c o uld att ack

,

t h e m fr o m a di s t a n c e H avin g i ns t itut ed (as we s hall

.

me n t io n in it s plac e ) an Ora tory wh er e several spiritual ,

di s cours es w e r e deliv ered every day he determ in ed to ,

i m po s e o n on e of th o s e w ho d elivered them t he task ,

o f r el a t i n g t h e whole h i s t ory of the Church from th e

b eginn i n g in o rd er t h at m en might se e clearly th e tru e

,

fo rt u n es of H o ly C hurc h her progres s an d the truth

, ,

co n c ern i n g pas t a e s so t h at t he false h ood s of t he

g
,

her et ic s migh t be e xpo s ed an d t h us th e s imple might

,

n o t be s o e asily m is led an d the better i n form ed migh t

,

at lea s t be in excu s able .

For t h is work he cho se Ce sar e Baro n ius of Sora a ,

m an of imme n s e zeal an d a doctor o f civil an d can o n

,

law w h o be side s his learn in g w as s o ful l of chari ty

,

an d th e bo wels of mercy t h at he n o t o n ly gave t o th e

,

poor t he little mo n ey h e h ad but ev en his cloth es an d ,

lin en D urin g a scarcity h e sold a very rich reliquary

.

66
 BARO N IUS PUBLISH E S THE ANNALS 67
"

o f s ilver , bough t c orn w ith th e pr ice of it in o rd er

an d ,

t o s upply th e poor wit h bread H e w as s o d etac h ed

.

from all d esir e o f gr e atn e s s an d h ad s o littl e a ffecti on

'

fo r t h e t h in g s wh ic h th e world e s t eem s t h at h e ev en ,

t o re up th e c ertificate of h is d o ctor s d egr ee On h im ’

.
,

t h en P h ilip impo s ed th e ta s k of publi s h in g th e h i s t o ry

,

o f t h e C h urc h after h e h a d s ev e ral tim es ov er r el a ted

,

a n d duri n g m an y y ear s carefully arra n g ed an d revis ed

it a n d t h at pri n cipally t o o ppo s e th e C en turi es “

publish ed by th e en emi es of th e H oly F aith an d th e ,

o ppo n en t s o f th e H o ly Cat h o lic R o ma n C h urc h T hi s .

h ug e work B aron iu s aft er man y v igil s a n d lab o ur s

h appily acc o mpli sh ed H e h im s elf in t h e pr eface to t h e
.
,

e igh t h v o lum e o f h is A n n a l s a s s ur e s u s t h at we may

,

r a t h er attribut e his w o rk to P h ilip th an to hi m s elf d e ,

c l arin at gr e at l en gt h t h at th e h o ly fat h er w as t h e au th o r
g
o f th e A n n a l s a n d attributi n g th e w h ole to th e prayer s
,

o f th e S a i n t r a t h er t h a n t o h is o w n lab o u r s T hi s pr efac e .

we h av e d etermi n ed to giv e h ere th at ev ery o n e may b e ,

1
a bl e t o read it an d s ee th e trut h o f what w e h av e s tat ed
,
.

I I A T H AN K S G V N G

TO T HE BLE SS E D P H ILIP N E RI ,

F OUNDE R OF T H E C O N GR E G A T I O N OF T H E OR A T OR Y ,

FO R THE

E CC L E S I A S T I C A L ANNA LS OF C E S A R E B AR ON I U S ,

C AR D I N AL P R I E S T O F T HE H OL Y R OM AN C H U R C H ,

T I T U L A R O F S A I N T S NE R E U S AN D AOH I L L EU S ,

AN D AP OS TOL IC A L L I B R A R I AN .

Up to th i s time i t h as
“
n ot b ee n po s s ible for m e t o
t o uch upo n t h e fir s t origi n an d pr o gr ess of th e E c c l es i

f o un d in t h e App en d ix to Ma n s i s ’
E d iti on of th e
68 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NER I

i
ast c a l A n n a ls exce pt in s uc h a w ay as to s h ed Oh
,

s c urit
y rath er t h an light upo n t h e s ubj ect T h i s w as .

b ecause he o f w h om I had to s peak w as al ive and w as ,

a d etermin ed e n emy Of his o w n prais es But n o w th at .

he has g o n e t o he a ve n my pen c a n run more free ly in

,

r ecou n ti n g t he b enefit s I hav e rec eived from him In .

trut h it is a j o yful t hi n g to pres erve t he mem o ry of

,

o ur a n ce s t o r s fro m who m a s fr o m a fo un tai n in

, , ,

n umerabl e gr a c e s a n d fa v o ur s have fl o wed dow n to u s ;

b u t it is pro fi t abl e a s well as j o yful ; b e cau s e father s ,

a n d s ai n ts a s t h ey a re th ey c o n tin u a lly admo nish u s

,

n o t t o d eg e n era t e fr o m t h eir vir t ue s accordin g t o that

,

s ayi n g o f H o ly Sc ri pture Lo o k u n to the rock whe n c e

,

o u a re h ew n a n d t o t he hol e o f th e pit from whic h

y ,

yo u a re dug o u t ; l o o k u n t o Abra h am yo ur fat her an d ,

B ut be s ide s be i n g use ful an d

’
t o S a ra t h a t b ore yo u .

j o yful it is al s o n ec ess ary if we would n o t be upbraided

, ,

with s h am eful in gratitud e in fo rgettin g an d passin g

o v er in s il en c e t h o s e from whom we have received
be n efit s .

“
Holy Writ t eac hes us in ma n y place s that the
pr o s perou s fortu n es of children are ge n erally to be
a t tributed t o their fathers ; particularly w h ere it r e lates

t h at th e patriarch Jac o b in givin g his be n ed ictio n t o

,

h is s on J o s e p h s aid t h ese w o rds : H is b o w r es t ed

,
‘

u po n the s tr o n g an d the ban d s of his arms an d h is

,

h an ds were loosed by the han d s of t he mighty on e of

,

Jacob : th en ce he came fort h a pas t o r the s to n e o f ,

I s rael . Seein g th e n that H o ly Scriptur e attribut es

all t he pro s perity of Joseph to the powe rful h an d o f
Jac o b his fa ther who w as n o t o n ly far away from him
, ,

b u t h ad already b ewailed h im as d ead ; w h at s hall I

sa
y of that fat h er who ever ,prese n t with me an d aidin g
70 THE LIF E OF ST . P H ILIP NERI

Fo r it w as th e ble s s ed P hilip w h o by divi n e in spirati o n

c o mma n ded me to perfo rm t h is work lik e a n o the r ,

Moses committin g to the wo rkm e n the buildi n g of th e

Tab ern ac le accordin g t o th e model which he had se en
,

o n t h e Mou n t .

I s et mys elf th e n t o t h is grea t u n dertakin g after ,

r ep eat ed order s fr o m h im very muc h again s t my o w n,

will obj ecti n g an d en tirely d is tru s tin g an y ability for

,

s uc h a w o rk I u n d erto ok it o u t of o bedie n ce to the

.

will of Go d an d o n th is gr o u n d al s o b e co n s tan tly

,

urg ed m e fo rward w hen ever overpo w ered by my ,

burd en I in t errup t ed t he w o rk fo r a s hort t ime a n d

, ,

wi th s h arp rebuke s c o m pell ed me to re s u m e my tas k

imm edi a tely .

“
Burn i n g th en wi th z eal o h m y Fath er (for it is to
,

t he e I w o uld s p e ak ) bur n in g I s ay wi t h z eal for t he , ,

cau s e o f H o ly C hurc h n o s o o n er did thy m in d illum i

, ,

n a ted by Go d a n d fu ll if I may s o s pe a k of t he
, ,
p ro ,

p h e t ic s piri t be ho ld t ho s e C en t urie s o f Sata n is s ue o u t

,

of the ga tes o f hell to the detrime n t o f the Churc h ,

t h a n t h ou did s t ri s e up t o o fo r th a n d combat in
g
be h alf o f t he p eo ple o f God But th ou dids t n o t s et .

t hy self t o l evy a multi t ude of tr o op s greater o r ev en ,

e qual to t he n umber of t he e n emy T hou kn ewe s t .

t h at God ch o o s eth th e weak thin g s of the world to

confou n d t he stro n g and so thou did s t s elec t o n e o f

,

t h in e o w n s o n s th e leas t amo n g his bret hre n a n d of

, ,

t he mea n es t ab ility to se n d alo n e an d u n arm ed t o d o

,

battle agai st n t h e n umerou s a n d well armed ran ks of

-

t h e e n emy .T he n feign i ng a far o t he r proj ect t ho u

, ,

did s t n o t at o n ce s en d him in to the s pac io us fi eld but ,

t o make trial of his s tre n gt h thou did s t c h o o se a ,

n arrow room th e Orat o ry of S Girolamo comma n di n g

,
.
,
 PR E FAC E TO THE ANNALS 7 1

me to relat e in the daily dis c o ur s e s th e hi s tory o f t he

C hurc h . T hi s I b egan in o bedien c e to th ee an d ,

pers everin g happily for t hirty years I w en t th ro ug h ,

the e n tir e h i s tory of th e C hurch s eve n tim es .

T ho u wert co n tin ually by me s purrin g m e o n wi th

,

t hy pre s en c e a n d urgi n g me fo r w ard with t hy word s

, ,

a lways a s ter n exact o r (pard o n m e fo r s ayi n g s o of h

) t e

d aily ta s k t hou did s t requir e o f m e s o th at it s e em ed ,

as if I h ad co mmitted a s acril eg e if ever from ti m e ,

t o tim e I tur n ed a s id e t o s o m et h i n g el s e ; fo r th o u

c o uld s t n o t e n dure t ha t I s hould s werv e o n e h air s

’

bre adt h fro m the u n d ertakin g Oft e n I co n fes s I w as

.
, ,

h alf s can dali s ed a n d it s eem ed to m e t h at t hou w er t

,

deali n g tyra n n ically wit h m e ; fo r I w a s taki n g t h e

meas ure o n ly of my o w n s tr ength a n d did n ot p erceiv e
,

t h at t h ou wert firs t t r ea tin g o f the w h ol e ma t t e r

s ile n tly wit h God No t o n ly w as n o compan io n giv en
.

t o m e t o h elp m e but as it h app en ed t o t h e c h ildr en

, ,

o f I s ra el in Egyp t th e labour w as i n cr e a s ed a n d n o
,

s traw give n .Ma n y o ther t hi n g s w er e r equir ed o f m e ;

to t he weigh ty ta s k of th e A n n al s w er e added t h e

burde n s o f th e cur e o f s o ul s preach in g th e go vern

, ,

m en t of th e h ou s e an d o f man y ot her occupati o n s

,

w hic h w er e daily impo s ed upo n m e n o w by on e an d n o w

by an o th er An d so it s eem ed as if in th u s treati n g
.
,

me or in lettin g other s d o s o th o u w er t de siri n g alm o s t

,

a n yt h i n g of me ra th er t han th e o n e th in g w hic h
bey on d all el s e thou w ert aimin g at .

“
I t s eemed a s if in t hi s t h o u did s t imitat e E lias ,

w h o w he n h e wi s h ed t o o vercome th e prie s t s o f Baal

by cal li n g down fire from h eave n to c o n s um e t he

victim ma de t hem fir s t o f all dren ch it thrice wi t h
,

fo ur ve s s els of water th a t th e po w er of God migh t be

,
7 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

more m an ifes t Bu t o n the o th er han d wh ile thou

.
,

wert by the aid of thy prayer s s tr e tc h in g o u t thy h an d

o ver th e work it s eemed t h at t h o u dids t imitate
,

E li s eus w h o laid his h an d upo n th e h an d of th e king

, ,

a n d t h en mad e him by the sh o o tin g of the arr o w the

c o n queror o f all Syria T hu s did s t th ou act ; th ou
.

did s t j oi n thy s tro ng h an d to my weak on e an d c hange ,

my blu n t pen i n to a n arr o w o f the Lord agains t t he

h eretic s As I k n ow th i s t o be true it is a ple as ur e
.
,

t o m e t o m ak e public ackn owl edgm en t o f it .

T ho u w er t t hen in tru th th e comba t an t alth ough

“
, ,

accordin g to thy cu s to m by t he ha n d o f a n oth er ; fo r

,

t h ou w ert e ver w o rkin g wo n d er s yet s trivin g n o t to ,

a ppear w o n derful t h y s elf ev er takin g car e abo v e all

,

th in g s n o t t o b e m ad e muc h o f O ft en c o vering t hy ,

wi s d o m wit h th e man tle o f folly b eari n g al w ay s in ,

m i n d t h e parad o x o f th e a o s tle W h o s o wis h et h t o

‘

p ,

’
be wi s e le t him become a fo o l
,
Eve n s o t hou w ert
.

n o t p os s e s s ed wi t h t h e vai n r ej o icin g o f t he worl d b u t ,

like David w ho feig n ed h im s elf m ad t hou w er t c on

, ,

t in u ally h idin g th e gift s of t h e H oly G host with out

ward demo n s trati o n s o f th e c o n trary kn owin g as the , ,

a p o s tle s ays ho w bo th to ab o u n d a n d t o su ff er n ee d
, .

T h u s migh te s t t ho u s ay with h im If w e exal t o ur ,

‘

s elve s we do it for t h e h o n our o f Go d a n d if we abase

, ,

ours elve s we do it for your pro fit ; an d s o like P hilip

, ,

the Deaco n w ho s e n a me t h o u b eare s t t hou wert a c

, , ,

c o rdin g as th e s ea s o n required o n e whil e a t t en din g ,

to the s alvatio n of oth ers an d an o t h er wh ile carri ed , ,

away by t he veh eme n ce of the Spirit lifted o n high in ,

t h e co n templa t io n of heave nly thin g s .

But th i s glory wh ich whil s t alive th ou did s t h ide

,

in th e treasury of C hri s t He Him self did aft er thy ,

74 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NE RI
th ou wert pr es e n t because t h ou s eest Him w ho is
,

o m n ipre s e n t — c o m e a n d prot e c t this work of t h in e

;
a n d that the vict o ry m ay be attributed to thee com e , ,

a s Joab wro t e t o David com e a n d fi n i s h wha t r emain s

,

o f t h e battle a n d by m e an s of thy prayers s e n d

, an

a rmy from h e av en a n d utterly d is c o m fi t t he e n emy

, ,

t h at we m ay s i n g wit h D ebbora H ea v en has fough t ‘

,

fo r u s an d t he s t a r s s ta n d in g s till in t he ir ord er hav e

, , ,

w arred ag ai n s t Si s era An d n o w look d o wn on m e

.
’

t hy s o n t o w h om w hil e o n ear th t hou w e rt ever a

,

pro t ecto r w ho m tho u dids t gu a rd by t hy vigila n ce

, ,

w h o m t ho u did s t g o v er n w ith thy c o u n s el with whom ,

t ho u did s t b e ar in t hy pati en c e ; n o w fr o m h eave n

w h ere t ho u dw e ll es t give me s till s tro n ger aid an d let ,

t hy p e rfect an d c o n s umma t e c h arity s uccour me s till

m o re .An d gr a n t m e fur th er o n ly in a greater degre e ,

a s m o re n e edin g it w h a t Gr eg o ry N az ian z e n declar ed

,

t h a t h e re c eiv ed fr o m S t Bas il t h at is to h a ve h im.

, ,

fo r h is m o n i t o r a n d corre c to r e ve n after death ; s o

t h at s till h oldi n g t he rein s of my life t ho u may es t ,

guid e w h at r e main s o f my totte rin g old age t hat it ,

s t umble n o t ; t h a t t h u s w he n my la bo ur s a re fi nis h ed ,

I may att a in a t l en gt h to t h at bles s ed res t w hic h thou

e n o es t n o w in t he Fath e r S o n a n d Holy Gho s t
jy ,t o , ,

Whom in perfect u n ity b e glory prais e an d ho no ur , ,

”
for evermore Am en . .

Suc h are t h e word s of Ba ronius : an d w e may s ee

fr o m them ho w he himse lf attribute s the An n als to
Philip I n deed th e sai n t him s elf a little b efore he
. ,

died called Baro n ius to him an d s aid O Ces are kn ow

, ,
“
,

t h at you ought to h umbl e yourse lf an d ackn owledg e ,

t h at your writi n gs h ave n o t bee n composed by your

o w n wisdom but h ave all bee n th e m o s t evid en t gift

,
 BAR ON I U S T HE
’
REPUGNANC E TO TASK 75

o fGod T hi s he repeated sev eral times over Baron ius

.
,

a lways replyi n g t h at h e ack n o wledged h im s elf to o w e

a ll to h is pray er s .

B aron iu s h ad a pr o o f of t hi s in a vi s i o n
.
W h en h e .

fir s t began to preac h in the Oratory h e almo s t always ,

di s cours ed on t errifyin g s ubj ect s such as dea th , ,

hell an d j udgme n t
,
W hen h e h ad do n e t hi s for.

s ome time the Sain t s aw in s pirit t h a t h e would dis

,

c o urs e on C h urc h H i s t o ry with muc h mor e fruit b o t h

to h im s elf an d ot h er s an d e s pecially t h a t h e w o uld ,

t h u s establi sh a firm fo u n dati on on w h ic h to erect a

barri er agai ns t h ere s y H e e x hort ed him th er efo r e .

t o giv e up t h o s e oth er s ubj ect s a n d to begi n r elati n g ,

t he h i s tory O f h o ly C h urc h in c h r o n ol o gical ord er , ,

year by y ear AS B aron ius did n o t put t hi s de s ign in

.

e x e cutio n very r eadily b ecau s e o f th e gre a t repug ,

n an c e h e felt for it t h e Sain t kept fro m time t o ,

t ime r emi n din g h im of it u n til at la s t o n e day h e gav e ,

h im an expre s s o bedie n ce t o do it T hi s ob edi en c e .

a ppe a r e d to B aro n iu s exc es s iv ely h ard an d r epug n a n t

t o h is n atural tur n of mi n d yet o n th e o th er h an d h e

did n o t like t o re s i s t it ; s o th at h e w as in great d is
t r es s o f mi n d B u t t h e L o rd to reli eve h im o f t hi s
.
,

di s tr es s an d al s o t h e more to excite him t o execut e

,

P h ilip s obedi en ce sign ified His will to him in the

’

followi n g m an n er .

H e s e em ed o n e n igh t in a dr eam to b e t a lki n g wi t h

1
O n ofrio Pan v in o w h o h im s elf w as at t h at time com
,

pilin g a h i s tory of th e C h urc h ; an d s pe akin g to him

a bout t h e obedi en c e w h ich P h ilip h a d laid upo n him ,

h e be s o ugh t O n ofrio wit h th e greatest e arn es t n es s t o

Bo r n I 52 9 , en t e e dr t h rd r f t h H r it
e o e o e e m s of St. Aug us t ine , d ie d

I 56 8 a u th o r of se v r l w rk
e a H i t ry d A
o s on s o an n t iq uit ies .
 76 TH E LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NE RI

fi n i s h work he had begun

th e Whil e B aron ius
a n xiou s ly uttered t h e s e word s O n ofrio seemed as if ,

h e did n o t wi s h to li s t e n a n d turn ed the ot her way

, .

B aro n ius wi s h in g to fo llow up t h e co n v ers atio n bega n

f
,

t o prov e t o him h o w it w as b e s t in ev ery r espect t h at

h e s hould com po s e t he A n n al s ; u po n whic h he h e ard

t h e v o ic e o f t h e h o ly fat h er qui t e s en s ibly a n d d is

t in c t ly s a yi n g , "
uiet y o urs elf Baron ius an d d o n o t , ,

w e ary y o urs elf a n y lo n g er w i t h t hi s di s cu ss io n fo r it ,

is yo u a n d n o t O n o fri o w ho h a s t o write t h e h is to ry
, ,

o f t h e C h urc h W hen h e h e ard th is h e felt cl e ar

.

a b o ut t h e will o f Go d a n d s et him s elf to di s cour s e

,

u po n eccle si a s tic a l hi s t o ry ; a n d h avin g go n e throug h

it a l l o n c e from t he birt h o f C hri s t to his o w n tim e s
, ,

t h e S a i n t o rd er ed h im t o be gi n afresh an d fo r t he ,

s pac e o f t h ir t y y ea r s a s he him s elf affi rms in t he

,

pr efa c e j u s t m en t i o n ed he n arra t ed t he w hole s ev en

,

t i m es t hr o ug h in t h e Orat o ry b e fore h e publi s hed t h e ,

firs t v o lu m e o f t he A n n al s Wit h w h a t s uccess his .

u n d ertaki n g w as crow n ed the w ho l e world is su ffi ci en t ly

a w are On t h e st h o f Ju n e 1 5 9 6 B aro n iu s w as m ad e
.
, ,

c ardi n al u n d er t he ti t le of S ain ts N er eu s an d Ac hil

,

l eu s by Cl eme n t VI II Thi s dig n ity as he him s elf

,
.
,

a ffi rm s in s everal plac e s o f h is A n n al s an d as a
ppe ar s ,

in his life al ready pri n ted he o n ly accepted t hro ug h ,

o b edi en ce h avi n g do n e all h e c o uld to avoid it a n d

, ,

h avi n g lo n g before r efu s ed t hree o f the be s t bi s h opric s

o f Italy .

T his g o od cardin a l di ed w o rn o ut with la bo ur s o n ,

t h e l as t day of Jun e 1 6 0 7 at the age of s ixty n in e a s

,
-
, ,

h a d bee n r eveal ed to him s everal years before He .

w a s s eiz e d wi t h his la s t illn e s s at Frascati a n d a s th e ,

medical m en s aid that ther e was s ome prospect o f its

 CHAPTER XIV
or P H I LI P S’
S P IRIT UA L EXE R C IS E S AT 8 . G I ROL A MO
DE LL A OAR IT A
P H I L I P b ein g n o w fix ed in R o m e a s we h ave alr eady ,

s e en,
a n d t h e n umb er o f h is s p iritual c h ildr en c o n

s t a n tl
y i n cr e a s in g t h eir ,
fo rm e r pl a c e of m eeti n g in ,

s pi t e o f its h a vi n g b ee n e n larg ed b e c am e t oo s m a ll to
'

h o ld a l l t h o s e w h o fl o ck e d t o th e e x erci s e s I n t he .

y e ar 1 5 5 8 t h er e fo r e t he S a in t o b t ain ed from t h e
, ,

d e pu ti e s o f S Girol am o d ella Cari t a o n e sid e of t h e

.

c hurc h a b o v e t h e n av e o n t he rig h t h an d an d t h er e
, ,

fit t e d u p an Oratory a n d t r a n s ferr ed to it the S p iri t u a l

,

e xerci s e s w h ic h u s e d t o t a k e pl a c e in his room addin g ,

a l s o t h e practice o f a n h o ur o f prayer before daybreak

o n all gr e at fe a s t s T hi s Or a t o ry s till exist s alt hough

.
,

it is b ett er fur n is h ed a n d m o re c areful ly kept tha n it

was ; an d t h e fath e r s a t S Girolamo keep up t h ere .

wit h great fruit me n tal pray er every day an d dis ,

cour s es on fe as t days .

H er e t he n every day aft er d in n er Philip an d th e

, ,

o th e r s u s ed to ass emble to di s course o n s piritual

matter s in the fas h io n of a co n feren ce When the .

exerci s e s were fi n ish ed he u s ed to take them to s ome

o pe n place for recreatio n ; or if it w as a fe as t day h e

would lead th em n o w to o n e churc h an d n o w to

,

an other to h ear ve s pers or complin e or a sermo n

, , , ,
 BEGINNIN G OF T HE EX E RCISES 79

ward s Bi sh op o f Perugia a m os t l ear n ed m an w h o

, ,

w a s expou n di n g th e Miserere in t h e c h urc h of th e

Min erva to a gr eat multitud e of p eo pl e In th i s .

Orat o ry after a littl e tim e P h ilip b eg an t h o s e familiar

, ,

di s cours e s wh ich are s till give n ev ery day in o ur

,

c hurc h a n d al so th e m en tal prayer ev ery eve n in g ;

,

a n d h e w a s t h e fir s t w h o i n tr o duc ed i n t o Rom e th e
daily Word of G od .

But to give th e r ead er a m o r e ex a c t id ea o f th e

way an d of th e o rd er in wh ic h t h ey u s ed to pr eac h a t
t h at time I will i n s ert h er e w h a t B aro n iu s writ es in
,

th e fir s t v o lum e of his A n n a l s w h en s p e aki n g of t h e

,

reu n io n s of th e primitive C hri s tia n s a cc o rdi n g to th e

form give n by th e Ap os tl e in his E pi s tl e t o th e
C o ri n th ian s He s ays as fo llow s : I t is c ert ai n ly by
.
“

th e Divi n e di s p o s iti o n t h at w e h av e s e en in gr e at part

, ,

re n ewed in our d ay in th e ci ty o f R o m e wh at th e
Apo s tle c omman d ed to b e d on e of old for th e pr o fi t o f
t h e C hurc h in th e m et h o d o f di s cour s i n g of t h e th i n g s
,

o f Go d to t h e e d ifi c a tio n o f t h e h e arer s T hi s h as.

b een th e work of th e Rever en d F at h er Ph ilip Neri O f

Flore n c e w h o like a skilful arc hit ect laid t he fou n d a
,

ti on o f it an d of th e R ev er en d Fath er Fra n c es c o Maria

,

Taru gi o f Mo n tepulcian o h is scho lar who fo r th e

, ,

exc e ll en c e o f h is preac h i n g mig h t well be call ed th e

captain o f th e W o rd of God To th e pai n s an d in

.

d u s try of t h e s e two w a s primarily o w i n g th e arra n g e

me n t th at every day t h o s e w h o w ere d esirious o f
,

C hris tian p erfecti o n s hould com e t o t he Oratory of S .

G irolam o from wh ic h th e C o n gr egatio n o f th e Oratory

,

a fterward s to o k its n ame an d t h er e h o ld a pi o u s an d

,

devout me eti n g in th e fo llowin g man n er : aft er som e

tim e s pe n t in me n tal pray er o n e of th e brot hers read
,
80 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

a spiritual book an d in th e middle of t he readin g

, ,

t h e fath er w ho s uperi n te n d ed t he w h ole di s coursed

upo n w hat w as read explain in g it wit h grea ter ao

,

curacy en largi n g up o n it an d in si n ua t in g it in to th e
, ,

h earts o f the h earer s S o metime s he d esired o n e of

.

t h e br o t h er s t o give his o pin io n o n t he s ubj ect an d ,

t he n th e disco ur s e proce ed ed in t he form of a dialogu e ;

a n d t hi s e x erci s e las ted a n h o ur t o t h e great co n so ,

l a ti o n o f t he audie n c e Aft er t hi s o n e of h is o w n
.

p eopl e at his c o mma n d moun t ed to a seat rais ed a

, ,

fe w s t e p s a b o v e t he r e s t a n d withou t an y ad orn m en t
,

o f l a n guage disc o ur s e d upo n s ome approv ed live s o f

t he s ai n t s illu s t r a tin g w h at h e s aid by pass ag es o f
,

Scrip t ur e o r s en te n ce s o f t he fat her s He w as s u c

, .

c eed e d by a n o t h er in t he s ame s tyle but o n a di ffere n t

, ,

s ubj e ct ; a n d la s t ly cam e a t h ird who disco ursed upo n ,

e ccl es ias t ical h is t o ry E a ch of them w as al lowed o n ly

.

h a lf-a n -h our W he n all t hi s was fi n is h ed to the

.
,

wo n d erful co n te n tme n t as well as profit O f the h earers ,

t h ey s a n g s ome s piritu a l ca n ticle prayed again for a ,

s ho rt tim e a n d s o t he exercis e fi n is h ed
,
T hings be in g .

a rra n g ed in t h i s ma nn er a n d approved by the Po e s

’

, p
a ut h ority it s eemed as
,
if the an cie n t apo s to lic al an d
b eautiful m e t ho d o f Ch ris tia n as s emblie s w as re n ewed .

Good people applauded t he practice an d did their ,

best to propagate t he s e pious exerc ises in differe n t

”
place s . Suc h is t h e accoun t whic h Baronius gives of
t he fou n datio n a n d b egirm in g of the Oratory .

Beside s these exercis es which the Sain t in troduced

for ordin ary days h e origin ated o t hers for Feasts In
, .

th e mor n in g after co n fe ss io n they mad e t h e ir prayer ,

un t il the time for mas s After mass they co mmu n i .

c at e d
, an d he the n se n t t h em to diffe re n t h o s pi ta l s ,
82 T HE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

t hey came to laud s t h ey began s in gin g Philip him

,
.

s elf for a lo n g t ime we n t t h ere ev ery n igh t so t h at t h e ,

s acri s ta n o f th e Min erva kn e w h is kn o ck a t t he c h urc h

door an d u s ed to go imm edi a tely to l et him in Such

,
.

w as t he l o v e w hic h th o s e s e rva n t s o f God bo re to t h e

Sain t t ha t th ey gave him key s of t he c o n ven t so t h a t

, ,

h e c o uld en t er w h en h e pl ea s ed ; an d be s ide s t h is
c o n fid en ce an d familiarity bot h th e Domin icans an d
,

Capuc hi n s affiliat ed him t o t h e ir ord er s .

P hilip w as n o t h ow ever c o n te n t ed wi th a ll this ; b u t

t h e m o re effec tually t o wi t h dra w h is pe n i t en ts from

t h e da n g er s i n t o w h ic h th e gr e ater n umbe r of m en
,

a n d particularly y o u n g m en are w o n t to fall h e u s ed ,

s e v e ral t im es in th e year a n d es pe cially at c e rtai n

,

m o r e da n g ero u s s ea s o n s to go with t hem to t he Seve n

,

C hurc h es T hi s h e did p ar ticu larly durin g the Car

.

n ival a n d t h e day s a ft er E as t e r ; but in h is latt e r years

h e o n ly w en t duri n g the Carn ival At firs t h e had .

but fe w c o mpan io n s five a n d t wen ty o r t hirty a t

,

m o s t ; b u t v ery so on the n um b er in creased so muc h

t h a t ev en du ri n g h is life time there were upwa rd s o f

two t h o u s an d per s o n s All s ort s of peo ple w ere ad

.

m it t ed exc e p t wome n ; a great n umber of religiou s

j oi n ed ; very oft e n twe n ty or five an d twe n ty Capu
c hin s we n t at a time ; but mo s t o f all the Domi n ican s ,

w h o s ometim es s e n t all t h eir n ovices .

Th e ord er t h ey ob served in goi n g a n d w hic h wit h ,

s ome trifli n g vari atio n s is still in force w as t his : t h e ,

day bein g fixed th ey we n t early in th e morn in g t o

,

St Peter s an d the n to St Paul s in w h ic h latter plac e

.
’

,
.
’

they u n it ed t h em s elv es all togeth er an d we n t in regular ,

order to the ot h er church es The time of their walk .

was S pe n t partly in meditatin g u po n some s piritual

 VISITS TO THE SEVEN C H URC H E S 83

co n sideration a ss ign ed th em by the fat h er w ho l ed

t em for t h ey were divided in to man y clas ses an d to
h —
, ,

eac h cla ss was as sign ed a l eader to guid e an d i n s truct

t h em -partly in S i n gin g in two c h o ir s s o m e p s alm
, ,

hym n or s piritual c an ticle an d s om etim es th e li t an ies

, ,

a n d t h ey h a d mu s icia n s w i th t h em t h e w h o l e w a If
y .

an
y time w as left aft er t h i s t h ey talked o n e wit h ,

an oth er upo n th e t h i n g s of God d o i n g t h eir b es t to ,

avoid all vai n an d u s eless co n v er s atio n .

In e ach c h urc h except t h e two alr e ady m en tio n e d ,

th ere w a s a s h ort s erm on eith er by P h ilip or on e o f ,

his p eople or s ome religiou s ,

W h en t h ey came to St . .

’
Sebas tian s for w h ich S S t efan o Rot o n d o w a s a fter
,
.

ward s s ub s tituted a s b ei n g mor e co n v en ie n t m a ss w a s ,

su n g an d at its c o n clu s ion th e gr eat er part o f t h em

,

commun icated as is do n e a t pre s en t in t h e c h urc h o f

,

Sain ts N ereu s an d Ac hill eu s T hey t h en w en t to th e .

v in eyard o f th e Ma s s imi or t he Cres c en z i or to th e ,

1
garde n of the Mattei on the C el ian to w hic h la s t pl a c e ,

t h ey h ave always g on e from th e d ea t h o f th e S a i n t to

thi s d ay t he fa mily h avi n g wit h gre a t ki n d n es s per
,

m it t ed t h em to do S O H ere t h ey s a t d o w n in o rd er
.
,

an d to eac h w a s give n bread an d wi n e in s u ffi ci en t

quan tity wi th an egg a littl e c h eese an d s o m e

, , ,

fruit . W hil e t h ey were eatin g t h er e w as eit h er ,

s in gin g or in s trume n tal mu s ic partly for r ecr eati o n ,

an d partly to k e ep t h e min d o ccupi ed in th e divi n e

prais es Wh e n din n er w as o ver t h ey pur s u ed t heir

.

j ourn ey to the oth er ch urc h e s an d th e n r etur n ed h o m e ,

wit h gr eat j oy an d spiritual fruit t o t h eir s o ul s Man y .

w h o came at fir s t out of curio s ity w er e s o m o v e d t o ,

compun ctio n t h at t h ey wer e t horough ly c o n v ert ed

, ,

an d gave t h emselve s up t o t h e frequ en t a tio n o f t h e

1
T he f ll wi
o o ng in s cripti on is t o b e s ee n in t h e ga d e n r of t he V ill a

Di s
"
o
ui
c rr v
S .

e a c o i s uo i
F I LI P P O N E RI
Di c p li
s e o
D ll
e e C os e d i Dio .
84 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

Sacrame n ts an d to a spiritual life takin g for their ,

guide th e holy fat h er an d obeyin g him in everyth in g,

.

At firs t the Sain t always j oi n ed in this devotio n ,

an d was so a n xious t h at all s h ould turn out well an d

edifyin gly t h at the exc es s ive fatigu e h e we n t th rough

,

som eti m e s br o ugh t o n a fever In th e latter year s of .

his life as well o n accou n t of h is age as because the

,

exerci s e w a s well u n ders tood an d e s tablis h ed he re ,

main ed at h ome leavi n g the man ageme n t of it to

,

oth er s . God w as pleased to s how if n o t by miracle s , ,

at l e ast by grace s an d particular favour s how accep t ,

abl e t h i s devotio n w as to Him On e year Philip we n t .

,

wi th t h e u s ual cro wd to make th e pilgrimage ; while

t hey were betwee n St Paul s an d St Sebastian s there .
’
.
’

a ro s e a treme n d o us s torm an d t h o s e who were in t h e ,

’
Sai n t s comp an y fearin g le s t they s hould get wet
, ,

wi s h ed t o seek s helt er ; but he told t h em n o t to fear ,

for t h at t hey w o uld n o t get wet Some be lieved th e .

Sain t s word s w hil s t o ther s w ho did n o t took t o fligh t

’

, , ,

a n d S o it was t h at t h o s e w ho foll o wed him althoug h

, ,

t h ey w ere n o t very far from th e ot h er s did n o t catc h ,

a s in gl e drop o f rain wh il s t t h o s e w ho ran away got

,

wet t h r ough .

Philip had n o t lo n g e s tablis hed the s e holy an d piou s

exerci s e s with th e d es ign o f main tain in g th e fervour of
his s piritual c h ildre n an d al s o of excitin g devoti on in
,

t h o s e w h o wit n e s s ed the freque n tati on of the Sacra

me n ts th e vi s itin g of t h e h o s pital s th e ab un dan t
, ,

preac hin g O f th e word of G od the p ilgrim age to th e ,

Seven C hurc h es and oth er edifyin g t h in g s wh ic h were

,

practi s ed w h e n his in s t itute began to give suc h

,

pleasure t h at man y pe rso n s of learn in g an d in flue n ce

,

g ave it t h e hig h e s t praise bot h by word of mouth an d

O
 C H APT E R XV
T HE F LOR EN T I NE S DE S IR E H IL I P
P TO UNDE RT AKE T H E
HA RG E
C OF T HE I R C H U RC H OF S G I O VANN I AT
.

RO ME

T HE Fl o re n ti n es c o n sid erin g t he great frui t w hic h

,

P hilip o btai n ed t hrough th e s e ex ercise s an d with w h a t ,

prud en c e a n d d exteri ty b e go vern ed th o s e w ho placed

t hem s elv e s u n der h is dir e ctio n an d k n owi n g t he in ,

t egrity an d s a n cti ty of his life d e t ermin ed to u s e every ,

e n d e av o ur t o in duc e h im to u n dertake th e c h arge o f

1
t heir c h urc h o f S Giova n n i T h ey h ad o btain ed fro m
. .

Le o X in t h e y ear 1 5 1 9 aut h ority to es tablis h in it a

.
,

c o n frat er n i t y o f t en pri es ts t o atte n d to th e good o f ,

s o ul s an d empl o y t he m s elv e s in hearin g c o n fess io n s ,

pr eachi n g teac h in g C hris tia n doctrin e an d o t h er re

, ,

l igio u s exerci s e s u n der th e directio n of o n e appoi n t ed

, ,

by t hem as h e ad o ver the re s t an d who s e duty it w as ,

t o see t h at all w a s carri ed o u t wi t h exact n e s s an d

s piritual profit I n th e ye ar 1 5 6 4 t h ey fixed t h eir

.
,

eye s o n P hilip de s iri n g t o impo s e t h i s o ffic e o n him

, ,

a n d accordin gly s en t a deputatio n t o pray him in th e ,

n ame of t h e ir cou n try m en to acc e pt the c h arge o ffer , ,

in g to provide him with a h abi t ati o n an d everyt hin g

1
T he C h u h o f S rc . GI O VANN I DE
'
F I OR E N T I N I l
w a s b ui t f or h is
c o un t ry
m en b y L eo X fr . om t h e d es ign s of v
S a n s o in o . T he f a ade by
c
ll
Ga i ei w as a d d ed by C l e m en t X II S ee R E LL I N I , op c it
. A M . . p . 2 75 ,

S vo , Ro m a, 1 887 ; PIA ZZ A , E vsevol og io Rom a n o , 1 2 5, 4to p .

, Ro m a,

1
86
C H URCH OF S GIOVANNI DE F IORENTINI .
’
87

e sel th at h e migh t n eed The Sain t replied th at h e .

s h ould lik e to t h i n k it o v er a n d pray ab o u t it an d if ,

h e u n der s tood it to b e th e will of Go d h e w o uld n o t ,

fail to comply wit h th eir wi sh S o me day s aft er w ard s .

t h ey r e tur n e d for his a n s wer ; h e s aid t h at h e fel t t h e

greate s t repug n an ce an d di ffi culty ab ou t it for t h a t ,

h e could n o t bri n g h i m s elf in an y w ay to leav e S .

Girolamo On receivi n g t h i s a n s wer Mgr Cirillo

.
, .
,

C o mmen dat o re o f Sa n t o Spirito Gi o va nn i Batt is t a ,

Al tov iti an d Pier A n to n io Ban di n i Flore n tin e g en tle

, ,

m en of th e high e s t ran k w h o h a d th e ma n agem en t o f ,

t he busi n e s s adop te d t h e expedie n t o f g o in g t o t he

,

Pope at t h at ti m e P iu s IV of h appy mem o ry an d

, ,

ge t ti n g him t o in terpo s e h is auth o rity T hey o btain ed .

t heir requ es t an d th en retur n i n g to P h ilip s aid th at it

, ,

w as th e will o f h is Holi n es s t h a t h e s hould u n d ertak e

t he gov er n m en t of t h eir c hurc h P hilip t h en imm e .

dia tely acc epted th e c h arge with all s ubmi s s io n o n ,

c on dit ion ho w ever th at h e s h ould n o t be o blig ed t o

, ,

l eave S Giro lam o . To th i s c o n ditio n th ey agr eed an d

.

h e accordin gly t ook c harge of S Giovan n i w h il s t .

,

n tin u in a t th e s am e time to direc t t h e ex erci s es a t

g
S Gir olamo
. .

W h e n h e to o k S Giovan n i h e h ad t h ree of his .

,

s ubj ect s ordain ed prie s t s ; o n e o f t h em w a s Cesar e

B aro n ius t h e s eco n d Giov an Fran ce s c o Bordi n i a
, ,

R o man a m an o f great tale n t for pr eac hin g wh o w as

, ,

l
firs t mad e Bi s h op of C av iglion e an d aft erwards Arc h ,

bi shop o f Avign o n where h e died ; an d t he t h ird ,

2
Alessan dro Fe d eli o f Ripa Tran s on a a m an of great , ,

1
Ma d e B is h o p of Ca v ill
a on , in t h e C om t é -V en a is s in , F ra n c e , in
1 59 2 ,
t r an s e f rr ed to Avig 59 7 d i d 6
n on 1 ,
e 1 0 9 .

Bo r
n 1 52 9, t r d th
en e e Or t ry 56 3 e a o 1 , d ied 1 59 6 ; s ee
“
v
Li es of

t he C o m p a n io n s o f S t P h l ip
.

i p 9 , . 10 .
88 THE LIFE OF ST . P H ILI P NERI

goodn es s an d purity of life Th ese t hree h e s en t to .

’
live tog e ther in c o mmu n ity at S Gio v ann i d e F ioren .

tin i w h ere Ale s s an dr o took wit h h im his n ep hew

, ,

G erman ic o F ed eli t h en a youth about s ix t e en years ,

o ld . Wit h th es e P hilip j o i n ed n o t as pri es t s d epe n d ,

ing o n t h e Orat o ry but as two o f t he t en ma in ta in ed ,

t her e as w e h a ve explai n ed by t h e Fl o re n t in e s Gia

, , ,

c o m o S al o rti o f M aj orca an d Giova n n i R aus ic o both , ,

e xc ell en t pri es ts t o t h e l a t t e r of w h om h e committed

,

t h e car e o f th e pari s h N o t lo n g aft er he ad d ed to .

,

t h e n umb e r F ra n c es c o M a ri a T a ru gi o f wh o m we h av e ,

l
already s p o k en an d A n g el o V el li o f P al es tri n a a m an
, , ,

o f t ruly a n el ic life a n d s in gular puri t y o f c o n s ci en c e

g .

H e w as the s ec o n d s ucc es so r o f th e Sain t in th e gov e rn

m en t o f th e C o n gr egati o n a n d e n d ed his day s in pe ac e ,

o n t h e l o th o f Dec emb e r 1 62 2 a t th e a e o f eigh ty

g , ,

fiv e .

On e P hilip s c hi e f tho ugh t s o n u n dertakin g the

of
’

gover n m en t of th e c hurc h an d th e prie s ts a t tac hed to

it w a s to i n tr o duc e am o n g t hem a n ecclesias tical c o m
,

mun i ty life H e s aw the imme ns e advan tag es wh ic h

.

th ey migh t d erive fr o m s uc h a m ann er of livin g an d ,

drew up acc o rdi ngly a few co n s titutio n s whic h they ,

immediately began to ob s erve wi th u n ivers al s ati s

factio n T hey n o w applied them s elves with grea t
.

fervour to labour in t h eir little vin eyard T hey w en t .

to S Girolamo every morn in g to co n fess to P h ilip an d

.
,

r e turn ed there again durin g t he day to the serm on s ,

e it h er to h ear t h em or to preac h t h em accordin g t o ,

t h eir tur n s In the eve n i n g t hey wen t there a third

.

1
Bo r n 1 5 3 7, r
en t e ed t h e O ra t o ry 56 5 d d i d 6
1 , an e 1 22 ,
v
ha in g w it
nes s ed t h e c a n o n is a t io n o f St . Phil ip th t h M rc h
on e 12 a o f t ha t ea y r .

S ee Li v es o f t he C o m p a n io ns o f S t P hil ip
. p 5 ,
”
. 1 1 .
90 TH E LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NE RI

of t h e m had to leave the con fes s io n al to atte n d to t he

fu n ctio n s of the altar F or so me years Baronius an d
.

Bordi n o preached in cotta from the p ulpi t o n fes t ivals ,

t akin g it in tur n s ; th e Sain t makin g th i s c o n cessi o n

t o give s ati s factio n to th e Flore n tin e s w ho m ade a ,

great poin t o f it After din n er t h ey san g Ves pers

. .

an d t hen we n t to me e t t he Sain t e i ther at the

Mi n erva or t he R o t o n da o r s ome o ther place wher e
,

h e had told t h em b efor eh an d t h at h e i n te n ded to

go ; an d t h ere s o metime s to the n umber of t hre e
,

hu n dr ed t hey h a d a s piritual c o n fer en ce P h ilip or

, ,

s om e on e w ho m h e n amed pr o po s in g t he poin ts ,

a n d cal li n g fir s t o n o n e an d th e n o n an o th er fo r
a n s w er s
.

F ro m t hi s a r os e th e prac tice of goi n g after Easter

t o th e hill o f Sa n t O n ofri o a n o pe n place with a mo s t
’

beautiful vi ew o ver t he wh o l e city of Rome a n d during ,

th e great h e a t s o f s u m m e r t o s o m e c hurc h w i t h in t he
,

in h abited par t o f the ci ty ; t here after s in gin g s o m e ,

devou t hym n a s ho rt s erm o n is recited by a bo y w ho

,

h as lear n e d it by h e ar t ; after w hic h s o me o f the

fat h ers d e liv er s h ort dis c o urs e s in t ers p er s ed an d c on ,

clud ed wi th mu s ic In win ter th at is from the 1 s t

.
, ,

o f N o vember till E as t er in t h e eve n in g aft e r t he u s ual

,

m e n tal prayer in t h e Orat o ry th e li t an i es are s u n g,

with the an tip ho n o f our Lady proper to the s eas o n ,

t he n c o m es t h e s erm o n recited by a b oy an d a ft er ,

t h at h alf an h our s d iscour s e wit h music befo r e an d

’
- -
,

after t hes e ex erci s e s bein g atte n d ed by a gr eat n umb er

,

o f people .

Such w as th e life w hic h the s e fir s t priests led at S .

Giovan n i d e Fi o re n tin i It las ted for ten years an d

’

.
,

we have bee n an xiou s to give t h is min ute accoun t o f

 EX E RCIS E S TRANSF E RR E D

it ,
th a t it m ay be s e en with wh at a s pirit of h umili ty
t h os e good pri es ts lived togeth er alth ough th ey wer e ,

s o em in e n t bot h fo r bir th a n d l e arn i n g th a t t h eir meri t

r ai s ed th em to t he distin gui s hed po s iti o n s wh ic h th ey

aft erward s occupied in th e Church of God By th e .

Sain t s d es ire man y you n g cleric s w h o w er e his p en i

’

ten t s an d by degr ee s oth er eccle s i as tic s w er e r ec eiv ed

, ,

i n t o th e h ouse as boarders an d h e plac ed t hem u n d er ,

t h e s am e rul es a s t he re s t s o far a s th e circum s t a n c es ,

o f each ad m itted in o rder to mak e th em m o r e a n d ,

mor e ferve n t in the s ervic e of Go d W h en th e ten .

y ear s were ov er t he F loren tin e s c o n s iderin g the gr ea t

, ,

i n c o n v en ien ce s u ffer ed by th e fat her s in g oi n g thr ee

t ime s a day to S Gir o la m o t h r o ugh th e h e a t th e w e t .
,

a n d t h e mud urg ed t h e Sai n t m o s t earn es tly t o tra n s

,

fer th e ex ercis e s fr o m S Gir o lamo t o S Gi o van n i . . .

Accordin gly in 1 5 7 4 the 2 n d y ear o f Greg o ry X I I I th s ,

’

o n t ific a t e an d th e 5 9 th o f P h ilip s age o n t h e 1 5 t h

’

p , ,

o f April in t h e Octav e o f E a s ter t h e fa t h e r s l eft t h e

, ,

Orat o ry o f S Girolam o an d b ega n t o give the s ermon s

.
,

at S Gio van n i in a mor e spaciou s Orat o ry buil t fo r

.
,

th e purpo s e by th e Fl o r en tin es Th e multitud e th a t .

a s s embl ed to h ear t h e w o rd o f God i n cr eas ed very “

muc h to the great ed ific ation o f t h o se w h o w en t th er e

, .

F ather Gi o vann i Gi o ve n ale An c in a pri es t o f our Co n

1
,

re a tio n an d aft erward s bi s h o p of Saluz z o w h o di e d

g g , ,

in th e od o ur of s a n c tity an d w as d eclar ed V en erabl e ,

an d w h o s e life h as bee n publi s hed we n t to th e ex er ,

ci s e s at th e Oratory of S G iovan n i be fore h e en t er ed .

o ur Co n gregati o n ; an d h e w as s o de e ply i m pr es s ed

1
Bo r
54 5, e n t e
n 1 r ed r t ry 5 78 B i h p f S l
t he O a o 1 , s o o a uz z o 1 60 2 ,
d ie d
L if f B J v lA ia
fl
”
60 b e a t ifi ed 1 89 0 S ee en a nc n ed it ed b y Re v
1 4 , . e o . u ,
.

Fr H Or t ry 8
‘

. C . . B o w d en of t he a o L,
d 89 vo , on o n, 1 1 .
9 2 THE LIFE O F ST PH ILIP N E RI .

bo th by the in stitute an d by Philip s san c ti ty t h at in

’

a letter writte n from R o me o n the 2 8 th of May 1 5 7 6 , ,

t o F G iova n n i Ma t t eo , his? br o the r w ho w as in Pi ed

1
.
,

m o n t h e s p eak s as foll ow s : Fo r s o me tim e pas t I

,
“

h av e bee n goin g to th e Orat o ry o f S Giovann i d e

’
.

F i o r en tin i w h er e th ey d eliver ev ery day mo s t beautiful

,

s piritual di s c o ur s es o n t he G o s p el or on the vir tu es ,

a n d vice s or eccl es i a s t ic a l h is to ry or t he l iv es of t he
, ,

Sai n t s T here are four or fiv e w ho pr eac h eve ry d ay

.
,

a n d bi s h o p s pr el a te s a n d o t h er p er s o n s o f dis t in cti o n
, ,

go to hear them At th e c o n clu s i o n there is a littl e .

mu s ic t o c on sol e an d recreat e t he min d w h ich is ,

fa tigu ed by the pr ec edin g di sco urs es T hey h ave go n e .

t h r o ugh th e l ife o f t he gl o ri o u s S t Fr a n ci s an d t ho s e .

o f s o m e o f h is fir s t dis cipl es an d of S t A n ton y o f , .

P adu a I as s ure yo u it is a m os t d elight ful exerci se

.
,

a n d a m o s t c o n s oli n g a n d edifyin g t h i n g ; an d I r egr e t

'

very muc h t h a t n ei th er yo u n o r I kn ew of th is n obl e

a n d h oly practic e l as t y e a r You mu s t kn ow too t h a t .

th o s e w h o deliv er the dis c o ur s es are m en o f dis tin cti on ,

in h oly ord er s a n d o f m os t exemplary a n d s piritual

,

liv es T h eir s uperior is a cer tain R evere n d Father

.

Philip an O ld m an o f s ixty but wo n d erful in man y

, ,

r es pect s an d e s pecially for h o lin ess Of l ife an d for his

, ,

a s t o n i s hi n g prude n ce an d s kill in i n ve n t in g an d
pro

m o t in s piri t ual ex ercis es ; h e w as t he aut h or o f t h a t

g
great work of charity w hic h w as d on e at the Trin ita
d e Pellegrin i duri n g the l as t j ubilee
’
Fath ers Toled o .
,

Poss evin o an d o th er s r eport w o n d erful t hin g s o f him

2
,
.

I n fact t h ey s ay h e is an oracle n o t o n ly in R o me b u t
, ,

1
Bo r n 1 55 2 , r
e n t e ed t he O r
a to ry 517 8 , d ied 1 6 3 8 . S ee L i v es O f the
L iv lp pp ”
two An c in a in es o f th e C o m
pa n io n s o f S t P hi .
, .
3 and 2 1 3 .

2
F F T o ed o
. . l a nd Po ss e vin o , em in e n t m em be r s of t h e S o iet c y of

J e s us .
 C H APTER XVI
P H ILI P ENDU R E S M AN Y E RS E C UT ION S
P B E C AU S E OF

T HE EXE RC IS E S
T HE S E laudabl e e x erci s e s wh ich caused n othing but
,

l o v e an d go o d feelin g in pi o u s m en excited th e e n vy ,

o f s o m e m aliciou s m en an d became a very h otbed of

,

calu m n i es At th e v e ry outs e t w he n Philip in tro

.
,

d u c ed th e c o n fe r en c es an d s piritual di s cour s es in his

own r oo m w h ic h
,
w as about 1 55 2 ill -n atur e d perso n,
s
in th e s a m e w ay b ega n at fir s t s ecretly an d the n ,

o p en ly t o s p e a k agai n s t t h e work a n d s ay all t he evil

,

agai n s t it t h a t cam e i n to t h e ir h ead s The chief of .

t h es e w as Vi n c en z o Te c c o s i of F ab rian o a p hysician
, , ,

a n d o n e o f t h e d eputi es of S G irolamo de l la Carit a;

.

h e w as j o in ed by two apo s t ate mo n ks w ho u n der the ,

cl erical h abi t lived in t h a t h ouse wit h out be in g re

c o gn is ed an d at t h e in s t igatio n o f Vi n ce n zo did all
, ,

th ey c o uld to make P hilip leave S Girolamo They . .

h ad th e care of t h e s acri s ty an d s ometimes whe n ,

P hilip we n t to s ay m as s t hey would s hut the doo r in

his face ; at o t h er t ime s t h ey refus ed to give him
vestm en t s or t h ey gave him s uc h as were Old an d
,

torn with in s ultin g w o rd s Sometime s th ey took the

,
.

ch alice o r mi ss al o u t o f his h an ds or hid t hem from ,

him ; at ot h er tim es w h e n h e w as ready t h ey told

h im to u n ve s t or made him leave o n e altar j u s t w h e n
,

h e w as about to b egin an d go to an o t h er or eve n

, ,

94
 PERSECUTIONS UNDE RGON E 95

re turn in to the s acri s ty tru s ti n g by t h es e an d s imil a r

,

i n s ult s to drive him j fro m S Gir o lamo ; n ay t h ey

.
,

s om e time s we n t S O far a s to pu s h him

'

about ; s o t h a t
he s aid o n ce to Marc ell o F err o S eewh at t h es e m en
,
“

d o to me ; b u t let us pray to Go d fo r t h em .

P h ilip we n t o n c h arit ably di s s emblin g all th e s e in

j urie s an d affro n t s n o t allowin g h i m self to be in th e
,

l e as t di s t urb ed by th em ofte n i n d e ed maki n g ligh t

,

o f t h em a n d laugh i n g abou t t hem prayi n g for th eir

,

auth or s with c on ti n ual ly i n creas in g z eal an d be h avin g ,

to t hem wi th th e gr eat es t ki n dn es s an d humility H e .

n ev er let a n o cca s i o n s lip o f d o in g t h e m a s ervic e o r

y ,

s peaki n g well of t h em ; i n deed w h e n his o w n peopl e

b egged him to leav e t h a t c hurc h an d go t o liv e el s e

wh ere h e an swer ed th at he w o uld n o t on an y accou n t
,

fly from th e cro s s whic h Go d s en t him in t h at plac e .

W hil s t h owever h e w as doin g his be s t to s ubdue th eir

i gn oran t i n s ole n ce by h is patie n c e t h ey w er e s o far
,

n n ,
h
from bei g s ofte ed t at t heir ill tre atme n t i n creased
-

in pr o portio n to h is g en tl en e s s The good fath er

.
,

s eein g t h a t his e ff o rt s availed n o t h i n g bet o ok h im s elf

,

for comfort t o t h at Lord w h o n ever fail s His s erva n t s

in t h eir greate s t n eed s On e mor n i n g wh en h e w as
.

s ayin g ma s s h e fixed his eye s upo n t h e crucifix an d

, ,

s aid,
O my good J es us why do s t T h ou n o t h ear me 7
,

So lo n g an d with s uch importu n ity I h ave a s ked

patie n ce of T hee w hy has t T ho u n o t h eard me ?
,

Imm ediately he heard an i n terior voice s ayi n g to him ,

Dids t tho u n o t ask patie n ce o f Me ? Kn ow t he n

t h at I will giv e it t h e e ; but it is My Will t h at t h ou
”
s h ould s t gain it by thi s mean s P hilip s tren gt hen ed
.
,

by th i s voice e n dured from t hat time every kin d o f

,

inj u ry w hich t hey o ffered him wit h more j oyful mi en

96 TH E LIFE O F ST . PHILIP NERI
an d greater con te n tme n t ; s o that the mal ice of his
per s ecuto rs w as t ired o u t s oo n er t h a n his patie n c e .

I n deed he came at las t n o t o n ly t o h ave n o se n s ibl e

feeli n g of the s e i n s ul ts but e ve n to d es ire them ; an d
,

w he n th ey or o th er s ill tr eated him he ei ther mad e

-
,

n o acc o u n t o f it o r did his be s t t o excu s e t hem

, The .

Sai n t u sed to relate th e s to ry to his s piritual c h ildre n

by way o f a n imati ng t h em to per s everan c e in prayer ,

s a yin g t h at if t h ey did n o t o b t a in w h at t h ey asked at

on ce ,
t hey s hould n o t o n th at accou n t d esis t from
t h eir peti t i o n s .

Ab o ut two years afte rw a rd s it h app en ed t hat o n e

o f h is per s ecut o r s m et h im in o n e o f th e pas s ages of
t he h o u s e a n d immedi a tely b eg an to lo a d him
,
with
o ppr o briou s e pi t h e t s a n d t o put hims el f i n to suc h a
,

pa s s i o n wi th him tha t t he o ther apo s tate who was

, ,

pr es en t c o n s id erin g th e great an d lo n g -co n tin ued

,

p a ti en ce o f P hilip w as s o c o m plet ely overcom e by his

,

virtu e t h a t t o uc h ed wi t h compas s io n he s udd enl y

, , ,

fr o m h is en emy b eca m e h is defe n der t hrew him s el f ,

i m p etu o u s ly up o n his c o mpa n io n an d s ei z i ng him by ,

t h e t h roat would hav e s t ra n gled him but for the in

, ,

t e rferen c e o f th e h o ly fat h er Th e result w as t h at t he

.

o th er al s o began t o r eflect o n t h e gr e at wro n g w h ic h

h e h ad do n e the s ervan t O f God an d calli n g to min d ,

the r eligi o u s o rd er wh ic h h e h ad left h e to ok P hilip ,

i n t o his co n fid en ce an d by his advic e return ed to his

,

o rder publis hin g ev e ry w h ere th e s an ctity of t he ho ly

,

father an d becomi n g his mo s t devoted frie n d

,
.

Eve n Vin c en z o Tec c os i w as at las t overcome by

P h ilip s meekn e s s an d repe n tin g o f his fault w en t to
’

, ,

h im an d in t he pre s en ce of s everal o t h er s pro s trated

,

h imself before h im an d h umbly begged his pardo n .

98 THE LIFE O F ST . PHILIP NERI

mean s t h o s e who were really guilty w o uld more readily

perceive their fault .

T he s e rumours howev er i n cre ased an d at last came ,

’
to the ear of th e Pope s Vicar w ho be ing mis led by ill ,

n atur ed i n formatio n s ummo n ed P hilip be fo re him

, ,

a n d r ebuked h im w ith great s everi ty Are you n o t “

as h am ed s aid h e you w ho make pr o fe ss io n o f d e

, ,
“

s is in
p g t h e w o rld to coll ect toget h er s uch a multi t ud e
,

Of p ers o n s in order t o c o ur t popular r epu t e an d ,

t h u s u n d e r pret en c e o f s a n ctity to hu n t for pr e fer

m en t 7 An d aft er bitterly r e pro vi n g h im wi th t h ese

a n d s imilar w o rd s h e comma n ded h im
,
to ab s tain fr o m
h e ari n g co n fes s i o n s fo r a fort n igh t n o t t o co n ti n ue th e ,

e xerci s e s wi tho u t fre sh l e av e an d n o t to go abou t ,

wit h a n y c o mpan y of per so n s threate n i n g him with ,

impri s o n m en t if h e sh ould di s obey an d furth ermor e ,

o bligi n g him to give s ecurity for h is app earan ce at the

fir s t s ummo n s P hilip very mode s tly replied th at as
.
,

h e h a d begu n t he s e e x ercis es for the glory of G od so ,

fo r His gl o ry h e w o uld leave t h em o ff that h e should

alway s prefer the inj u n ctio n s of h is su periors to h is
o w n pla n s ; an d that h is o n ly obj ect in i n troduci n g t he

pilgrimage to th e Sev en C hurc h e s h ad be en to recrea t e

the mi n d s of his pe n ite n t s an d to keep t hem o ut o f
,

t h e way of the S in s s o commo n ly committed durin g

Car nival time The Vicar replied You are an a m
.
,
“

b itio u s m an an d wh at you do you do n o t for t he glory

, ,

o f God but to make yourself h e ad of a party

,
W he n .

Philip heard th is he tur n ed to a crucifix whic h was

,

th ere an d s aid Lord Thou kn e we s t if what I do is

, , ,

to make my s elf h ead of a party or for Thy s ervice ; ,

an d t h e n we n t away .

But Phil ip had always e s teemed obedie n ce above

 THE SAINT INCULCATES PATIENCE 99

everyth i n g el s e e specially obedie n ce t o ecclesia s tic al

,

s up erior s an d t h er e fore he forbade h is di s ciple s to

,

accompan y h im He t o ld t h em to h ave patie n ce fo r

.
,

th at t h e world would fin d out th e trut h in tim e a n d ,

th at mean whil e t hey w er e to pray ; an d to h in d er

th em a s much as h e could fr o m followin g him o n ,

goin g out of the h o u s e h e told s ome to go to o n e

,

place an d o t h er s to an oth er th ough h is c hildre n w h o

, , ,

c ould n o t b ear to be away fr o m h im u s ed t o s tep a side ,

a n d wait an d w h e n h e h a d pa s s ed
,
fo llo w him a t a
,

dis tan ce an d th e more h e fo rbad e t h em th e m or e

, ,

t h eir de s ir e to be wit h h im i n cr ea s ed P h ilip h avi n g .

thu s comme n ded his cau s e to th e L o rd an d ob tai n ed ,

th e prayers o f ma n y s erva n t s of God w a s in t h e ,

Oratory on e day wit h s ome o f his pe o pl e w h e n a ,

prie s t appear ed am on g s t t h em w h om t h ey h ad n ev er
,

s ee n before an d n ever s aw afterward s H e w a s cl o t h ed

.

in a coar s e h abit an d girt with a cord an d s aid h e ,

h ad com e o n th e part Of s ome religi o u s w h o h ad h ad

a revelatio n about the o ppo s itio n to th e e xerci s e s o f
th e Oratory an d t h at th e fath er s were to h av e th e
,

Forty h our s prayer from w hic h great fruit would

-
’

follow The n goin g clo s e to Fran c es c o Maria Tarugi

.
,

“
h e wh i s pered s ecretly in his ear Th e p ers ecuti o n
,

will s oo n en d in t h e e s tabli s h me n t an d i n crea s e of th e

”
w o rk ; an d adde d t h at tho s e w h o were n o w Opp o s ed
,

to it w o uld s oo n bec o me its s upporter s ; t h at w h oever

per s ev ered in attackin g it would be sever ely pu n ish ed
by G od ; an d t hat th e prelate who w as most forward
in th e per s ecutio n would be dead with in fiftee n day s .

An d so it h appe n ed for h e peri s h ed mi s erably by a

,

Sudde n death aft er h e h ad bee n to t h e Pope to give

h im a stateme n t of th e matter .
1 0 0 THE LIFE OF ST . P H ILIP N E R I

I t w as n ece ss ary ho wever fo r Philip to give a n , ,

a cc o u n t to his s uperi o r s O f t h e ac cus a t i ons brou h t g

again s t him t ho ug h in doin g s o he w o uld n o t call to

, ,

his aid a ny worldly mean s b u t o n ly his in n oce n c e an d ,

prayer He w as c o n tin ually sayi ng to his followers

.
,

“
T hi s pers ecuti o n is n o t fo r yo u b u t fo r me ; God
w is he s to make m e humbl e a n d patie n t ; an d be su re
t h a t a s s o o n a s I h av e gain ed from it t he frui t w h ic h

Go d i n t e n d s a n d am t ho roug hly mor tifi ed the pe rse

, ,

He would n o t allow a s ingle word

”
c u t io n will c ea s e .

t o b e s p o ke n ag a i ns t t h e pr ela te w h o h ad bee n h is

pri n cip a l o pp o n en t a n d w h en o n e O f his pe n i t e n ts

,

w e n t o n e d ay t o c o n fess i o n an d wan ted to remark ,

up o n t he j udgm en ts o f Go d w i th refer en ce to his

s udd en d e a t h t h e Sain t in s t an tly t o ok t h e w o rd s o u t
,

”
o f h is m o u t h a n d s aid Hold y o ur p eace
, , .

After s o m e t im e Paul IV 1 w ho w as t hen Po pe ,

h avi n g h ea rd t he w ho l e a ffair an d ascertain ed the ,

i n n o ce n c e of P hilip a n d s e e in g t ha t it w as G od w ho
,

guid ed h im in h is ac t io n s s e n t him as a m ark of his , ,

go o d will tw o o f the gilded c an dle s which are burn t

,

b efo re his H o li n e s s o n th e fe as t o f t he Purificatio n ,

w i t h a me s s ag e to the effec t th a t he g a ve h im fu l l
l eave to h ave the pilgrimage to the S eve n C hurc h es ,

t o resume h is e xerci s e s an d in all r es pec ts t o go o n ,

as befor e His Hol in e ss furt her ad ded t hat h e w as

.
,

s o rry h e c o uld n o t go t h ere in pe r so n but begged ,

P hilip to pray for him W h en t ho s e w ho wer e prese n t

.

h eard t h is m e ssage d eliv ered t h ey return ed t h a n ks t o ,

God ; an d s oo n aft er the fath ers made t he pilgrim ag e

t o th e Seve n C h urches ac c omp an ied by an imme n se

multitude praisin g the Divin e Goodn e ss for t h e h appy

,

1
Gio v a n ni P iet r o C ara fia , b o r n 1 47 6 , e e l ct ed Po p
e 1 555 d ied
, 1 5 59.
 1 0 2 T H E LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NE RI

bei ng added that her co n duct was direc ted by a parti

c n lar i n s pira t io n Of the H oly G h os t Immediate ly .

a ft er the audie n ce th e ambassador we n t to t h e s ermo n

,

at th e Mi n erva w h ere h e s a w immedia tely in fro n t

,

o f h im German ic o F ed el i o n e o f Phil ip s p en ite n ts

,
’
.

G erman ic o requ es ted h im o n t he part of the S ain t to , ,

go to S Girolamo as s o o n a s h e could fo r th at P h ilip

.
,

particularly wi s hed to s pe ak to him a n d begged h im ,

t o e xcu s e his n o t rat he r g o i n g to vi s it h im as he ough t , .

becau s e h e w as lame an d c o n fi n ed to his bed I n t he .

after n o o n Ale s s a n dro we n t to S Girolamo but befo re .

,

go in g up to P h ilip h e determ in ed to hear th e dis

,

c o ur s e s an d am o n g s t ot h ers h e h eard Fra n c es c o Maria

,

T a rugi w h o by t he S a in t s comma n d h a n dl ed th e very

’

m a tter w hic h h a d be en th e s ubj ect Of co n v ersati o n

b e tw ee n t h e P o pe an d his Excell en cy in the morn in g ,

a n d in p a r t icular r elated t h e s to ry o f St Apoll o n ia .

w i t h pr o p e r cau t i o n w h ic h greatly a s to ni s h ed the

,

a mba s s ad o r Aft e r t he discours es h e w en t up to the

.

S a i n t s r o o m a n d the very firs t word s t hat P hilip sa id

’

t o h im w ere : I pray you t ell me Sign or Ale s s a n dro , ,

”
w h a t the P o p e s aid abo ut us t his mor ning Ale s .

s a n dr o S ee in g in s o ma n y way s t h at it w a s all kn ow n
,
,

fre ely related the w hole m arv ellin g how Philip could
,

h ave become acquain ted wit h a t h in g whic h h e had

n o t s poke n of t o a n o n e an d w h ic h th e Sain t could
y ,

n o t h ave kn own exc ept by divin e revelati o n .

The religiou s commi s s io n ed by the Pope h avin g ,

duri ng some time n arrowly Ob s erved all t h at w as s aid

,

an d do n e made their report to his Holi n ess an d

‘

, ,

declared t h at t h ey h ad h eard n othin g in the s ermo n s

at S Girolamo t h at w as n o t accompan ied by t he gr eatest
.

piety an d learn i n g an d t h at they were as to n ished to

,
 F AVOURABL E REPORT OF S E RMONS 1 0 3

h e ar in t he preach in g such a u n io n of fervour an d

s ecurity . Th e Pope w as deligh ted with t hi s go o d
rep ort an d rej oiced at h avin g in h is tim e m en w h o
,

to o k s uch pain s to plan t fervour an d devo tio n in the

h e art s of th e faithful From t h at time h e h ad s o
.

great an esteem for P h ilip an d his s ubj ect s t h at w hen ,

Cardin al Ale ss an dri n o his n eph ew we n t as legate in t o

, ,

Spai n Fran ce an d Portugal he de s ired F ran c es c o

, , ,

Maria Tarugi to go wit h him maki n g him acquain ted ,

with all th e a ffairs whic h were to be tr eat ed about in

t hose cou n tries The fa ther s al s o wh om th e P o p e h ad
.

deputed co n ceived s uc h an a ffecti o n to th e i n s ti t ut e

, ,

t h at for man y y ear s t h ey w en t almo s t every day t o

h ear th e s erm o n s an d ofte n preac h ed t h em s elv es ; a s
,

did Father F ran c esc hin o of F errara the C on v en tu alis t ,

a m an of ho ly life an d a famou s pr eac her an d m an y ,

o t h er r eligiou s of di ffere n t order s .

An ot her p er s ecuti on aro s e agai n s t P hilip an d his

di s cipl es at S Gio van n i de F ior en ti n i w h ic h thr ea te n ed
.
’

th e m o s t di s a s trou s co n s equ en ce s An eccl es ia s tic h ad.

bee n r eceived i n t o th e little c o m mu n ity w ho w as s oon ,

fou n d out to be a turbule n t s pirit U n abl e to e n dure .

th e s ugg es tio n s an d exhortati o n s o f t h e Sai n t w h o ,

d esired to lead him i n to t he way of perfectio n h e ,

began to s et h im s elf again st him an d th e other fat h ers ,

an d at le n gth P h ilip fi n di n g him i n c o rrigible came t o

, ,

th e d e ter m i n atio n togeth er with his c h ildre n to s e n d

, ,

h im away from the commu n ity wh ich w as d o n e ,

.

Be n t h owever on reve ngin g him s elf for his expul s ion

, ,

from th e h o u s e h e s et to w o rk to try an d drive o ut

,

P hilip an d h is p eople e n deavo uri n g by slan d er s an d

,

calum n ies to bri n g him in to bad Odour with th e

F l ore n ti n e s an d leavi n g n o sto n e u n turn ed to succeed
,
10 4 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

in h is wicked purpose He m an aged to give s uc h a

.

s kilful colourin g to his fal s e r e pre s e n tati o n s an d c o n,

c eal ed his fraud so s ucce ss full y t h a t t h e F lo ren tin es

,

a ctually h eld several meeti n gs for th e purpo s e of

t a kin g from P hilip t he c h arge w h ich afte r s u c h t e
,

a t ed e n trea t i e s a n d t h r o ug h t h e i n t e rp o s i t io n O f t h e
p e ,

Pop e s a ut h ori ty t hey had l aid upo n him an d at the

’

, , ,

s a m e t ime of di s mi s s in g from t h e h ou s e al l w hom th e

,

S a in t had plac ed t her e Bu t God dis po s ed o th erwi s e ;

.

fo r o n e O f t h e Fl o re n tin e s t h em s elve s urge d s uc h s olid

a n d effi caci o u s reas o n s in favo ur of t he Sai n t an d h is

c hildren t hat n o res olutio n w as c o m e to ag ain s t t h e m

,
.

I n d eed th is attack re s ul t ed in the more s t ead y pro s e

cu t ie n o f the w o rk w h ic h h ad be e n s o well begun an d ,

in s uc h a n e s tablis hme n t of the n e w i n s ti t u te as to

i n s ure it s perpe t uatio n .
1 0 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

of s uch importan ce o n which the fru i t of the in stitute

,

depe n ded to h ave a c o n fere n c e with the Pope at tha t

, ,

time Gregory XII I co n siderin g t his the bes t way to

,

ascertain th e will of God The Pope recomme n ded .

him to take the c h urc h o f San ta M aria in Val licell a as ,

b ein g in a more freque n ted part of the tow n th an the

o t h er ,
an d t her e fo re be s t s uited for t he e xercises .

P hilip r eceiv ed th i s a n s wer as the expre ss io n o f th e

will o f Go d an d wi th o ut any furt her delay to ok mean s
,

t o o b t ai n t h e c h urc h .

N o s o o n er h ad h e Obtai n ed it t ha n he erected in it ,

by ap o s tolic au t hority as appear s by t he Bu ll of the ,

s a me P o p e da t e d July 1 5 t h
, 1 5 7 5 a Co n gregatio n o f , ,

s ecular Prie s t s wh ic h h e n am ed the Co n gregatio n o f

,

t h e Or a t o ry wi th pow er t o make decrees an d c ons titu

,

ti o n s for its go o d g o ver n me n t o n the co n dition th a t , ,

after t h ey h ad bee n d raw n u p an d put in fo rce th ey .

,

w ere t o h ave the appro ba tio n a n d co n fir m atio n of t he

H o ly S ee W hen Philip h ad got possessio n of the
.

c h urc h h e s e n t t w o o f his disciple s to live th ere

, ,

n amely G erma n ic o F edeli an d Giovan n i An to n io Lucci

, ,

O f B a n area a very virtuou pri es t an d o n e of the

g ,
s

Sain t s earli es t spiritual c h ildre n T hey were to per

’
.

form th e fu n ctio n s o f the c hurc h to take c h arge of ,

t he surr o u n di n g pari s h whic h its fo rmer Rector , ,

A n to n i o Adju ti of Me s s in a h ad give n up to t hem , ,

reservi n g to him s elf the reve n ue an d to s uperin t e n d ,

th e small buildi n g w hich P h ilip de s ign ed to erect

t h ere But the fat hers s eein the church s mall an d
.
,
g

in b ad repair began t o discus s how t h ey could improve

,

it T hey would have wis h ed to build i t afres h from

.

the fo un datio n s but as they had n o mo n ey t h ey could

, ,

n o t ve n ture o n s uch a d etermi n atio n Whil e t hey .

C H I E SA N U O V A .
10 8 TH E LIFE O F ST . PHILIP NERI

As th e
buildin g we n t on O pposi tio n did n o t fail to
,

a ri se as is ge n erally t h e case wi t h ev ery work of God

,
.

Some o f t h ose who dwelt n ear bega n to s peak ill o f

t he fat h ers an d some of t h e mor e evil -di s po sed tried
,

t o wou n d Fath er Giova nn i An to n io Lucci who s uper ,

i n te n ded t he w o rk wi th cross -bow s an d s to n es : b ut

,

Go d alway s pr es erv ed him fr o m i nj ury ; an d it w a s

o b s erved t h a t all t ho s e w ho h a d mo s t ac t iv ely oppo s ed
,

t h e w o rk died wi th in t w o y e ar s Th e buildin g w a s .

fi n i s h ed in 1 5 7 7 a n d o n th e 3 rd o f F ebruary w hic h ,

w a s S e p t uage s ima Sun day t h e fa t h er s b egan to cel e

,

bra t e th e divi n e Oflic es ther e I n order to give grea te r .

s ol em n i ty t o t h e o p en i n g t h e P o p e gran ted a ple n ary

,

i n dulgen c e t o a ll w ho vi s i ted the n ew c h urc h o n t h a t

d a y An imm en s e n umb e r o f p eo ple flocked t o it an d
.
,

t he Arc h bi s ho p o f Fl o r en c e c elebra t ed th e firs t Mass

s o l e m n ly I n t h e m o n t h o f April in the sa me year

.
,

t h e Sai n t h avi n g giv e n up a ll s uperin te n de n ce ov e r the

c h urc h an d its c o mmu n i ty in w h ic h h o wever the rul es

,

h e h ad i n tr o duc ed co n tin u ed t o be observed t he fa th ers ,

l eft t h e Ora to ry o f S Giovann i d e F io ren tini an d

.
’

bega n t he discours e s in the n ew churc h of the Valli

cell a tho ugh the h oly Fath er wo uld n o t h imself
,

leave S an Girolamo dell a Carita Th e fo llowin g y e ar .

,

t h e n ew c hurc h w as d eclared by a s pecial privil ege of ,

t h e Pope exempt from th e j urisdicti o n of t he Churc h

,

o f S an Lore n z o in Dama so an d from t h at of th e t itular

,

Cardin al .

T he n umber o f t h e fa t her s an d br o t her s i n creased so

rapidly th at alth ough all w ho a s ked to e n ter the Co m
,

mu nity w ere n o t admitted th ey s oo n amou n te d to o n e

‘

h u n d red an d thirty an d t h ere w as n o t roo m e n ough

,

t o lodg e them T h ere stood h owever clo s e to t heir

.
 THE M ONASTERY OF ST ELIZAB E T H . 1 0 9

buildin gs a littl e m on a s tery of St E li z abeth in w hic h .

,

w er e a few Poor Clare s wh o s e superior s h ad ordered

,

t h em to rem o ve t o an o t h er h ou s e comm o n ly call ed ,

d el le Mura te bel on gin g t o t h e s ame order ; a n d t hi s

,

mo n a s tery th e fat hers t hough t of buyin g W h e n th e .

plan w as propo s ed to P h ilip he wo uld n o t o n an y ,

a ccou n t agree to s uc h an e xp en s e a s it w o uld l o ad th e ,

h ous e with debt a n d h e h a d s uc h co n fide n c e in Go d

,

t h at h e felt s ur e a d w elli n g w o uld b e provid e d fo r

t h em in s o me o ther way As if fo r th e v ery purp o s e

.

o f S h o wi n g t h at P h ilip s j udgm en t o n t h e ma t t er w a s
’

a ccordi n g to God a n d t h a t h e fo re s aw ev en t s b efo r e

,

t h ey t o ok place t h e Lord permitted t h at s o m e o f t h e

,

fat her s sh ould try t o obtai n th e m on a s t ery c o n trary t o

’
t h e Sai n t s wi s h T hey actually carri ed t h eir pr oj ect
.

i n t o effect but w h e n it came t o the e x e cutio n o f th e

,

de ed Mario Marzio th e Prela te c h arg ed wit h th e

, ,

g o v er n m en t o f th e m on a s tery w o uld n o t acc ept th e ,

b a n k bill wh ic h th e fath er s O ffered him an d i n s i s t ed ,

upo n h avi n g ready m o n ey w hic h is by n o m ean s u s ual

,

in s uc h purc h as es Upo n th i s P o mpe o Pa t eri a prie s t

.
, ,

of the Co n gr egati o n s et o ff t o S Gir ola m o to r ela t e

, .

t he w ho le a ffair t o P hilip ; b u t a s h e w as s tar tin g h e

met th e Sain t w ho w as j u s t g o i n g up th e s t ep s i n t o our

churc h an d befo re P o mpe o c o uld utt er a word P hilip
,

s a id
,
Did I n o t tell you t h at th i s m o n as tery w a s n o t
“

to be bough t ?
”
an d t h en h e added G ive me t h at ,
“

bill ; for alth o ug h we S h all n o t buy t he mo n a s t ery ,

God will provide fo r u s in an ot h er way : an d i n d eed

fi v e m on th s afterward s Cardi n al Ce s i bough t th e
mo n as tery tog eth er with s o m e o th er h ous e s an d gave ,

t h em to th e Co n gregati o n .

I n all t h i s w o rk P h ilip s h owed a remarkabl e tru s t

 1 10 TH E LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

in Divin e Provide n ce He began build ing wi t h s carcely .

fu nd s a n d yet n o soo n er w as t h e work s tarted

an
y ,

t h a n aid came from all quarter s s o t h at in two year s ,

t h e fabric w a s completed ; an d t h o ug h he was o fte n in

wan t o f mo n ey he n ever l o s t courage but alway s s aid

, , ,

”
“
Go d will help me N or w as h is relian ce vain ; for .

in t h i s buildi n g a s i n deed o n every o th er occas i o n

,

wh en he h ad n e ed m o n ey came to him in s uch a way , ,

t h at man y s eein g him s pe n d s o muc h an d n ever as k

,

for a n y b eli ev ed t h at he o b t ai n ed it miraculou s ly

,
.

S o m e mai n t ain ed t h a t h is u n der t aki n g at the Vallicell a

could n o t be carri ed o u t an d t h at h e w as maki n g the ,

“
buildi n g fa r to o large ; b u t he a n s w ered I c an a ss ure ,

o u t h at my c o n fid en c e in God is s uc h t h at I could
y
fi n d it in my hear t to pull d o w n thi s buildin g an d ,

build a n o t h er larg er an d m o r e s umptuou s an d talk

in g o n e day o n t hi s s ubj ect wi th t h e C o u n t es s Adrian a ,

wife o f C o u n t Pro s pero d ella Ge n ga he replied to s ome ,

r emarks w h ic h t ha t lady m ad e I h ave mad e a ,

barg ai n wi th th e Mado n n a n o t t o die u n til the c h urc h

is c o ver ed in w h ich i n de ed w a s verified by the eve n t
, .

Th e firs t m o n ey with w h ich the buildin g w as begu n

w as a s u m of two h u n dred crow ns give n by St C h arle s .

1
Borromeo T h e n Gregory XIII give eight t hou s an d ;
. .

2
Cardin al Ce s i bequeathed a n o th er eight t h ou s an d ;
A ngel o h is broth er bi s hop o f T o di s pe n t more than , ,

th irty thou s an d o n the fa cade be s ides buildin g the ,

chapel of the Pre s e n tatio n ; Cardin al Frederick Bor

rom eo al s o gave four t housan d : an d all the rest whic h ,

1
S t C ha
. rl es Bo rr o m eo , Arc hb i h p s o of Mil a n a n d neph w e of P ius IV .

bo r n 1 5 3 8 , d ied 1 58 4 . S ee G U S AN
I S O, Li f e of St . C h rl
a es Bo rr om eo

E l
( gih n s 2 v l 8
o s .
,
vo, L o n d on , 1 88 4 .

2
Pierd o n a t o , C a rd i l C na es i, of an i ll us t ri o us Ro m an f am i ly , bo r n

1 5 2 1 ,
d ied 1 58 6, b u ri d i t h
e n e C h ies a N v uo a .
 C H APTER XVIII
P H IL IP L EAVE S S . G I RO L A MO AND
, GO S E TO LI VE W IT H
HI S D IS C I PL ES AT T HE VA LL IC E LL A
T H OU G H P h ilip h ad n o w bro ug h t t he fo un datio n of
t h e C o n greg a t io n t o a s ucc es s ful i ss ue a n d t h ough h e ,

h im s elf g o v e rn ed it a n d a s origin ato r O f th e w h ol e

,

work n o t h in g w as d o n e wi th out him s till he had n ever ,

y e t b e en w illi n g t o l e av e h is dw e llin g at S Girolamo .

d ella C arit a a lt h o ugh th e fa th ers had often begged

,

him t o d o s o an d u se d ev ery mean s to in duce him

, .

T hi s r e luc t a n c e app e ar ed t o h is di sc ipl es a little hard ;

but th e r e al cau s e o f it w as his dislik e to be ca lled the
fo u n d er o f t he C o n gr ega tio n a t itle very u n co n ge n ial
,

t o h is lowly o pi n i o n o f h im s elf Beside s w hich he

.
,

s a id t h a t h e did n o t wi s h t o fly from t he cros s or from ,

t h e plac e in w hic h th e Lo rd had give n him so ma n y

o pportu n itie s o f meriti n g ; an d lastly t hat h avin g ,

liv ed t here fo r t hr ee a n d t hir ty years he coul d n o t ,

brin g h imself t o aban d o n th e h o pe of keeping up to

th e en d h is l o n g per s ev era n ce .

But th e fa th ers sa w ho w n ecessary for the Co n gre

a tio n w as t h e pr es en c e of its h ea d ; an d as they h ad
g
failed hit herto in pers uad in g him to comply with t heir
wis h e s t h ey h ad rec o urse t o Card in al Cesi beseechin g
, ,

him to reque s t the Po pe to give P hilip an obed ie n c e

t o live wi t h t h em at t he Vallice l la The Pope c o n .

s id ered t h e petitio n o f t h e fathers to be r e as o n able ,

 COMMANDED TO LIVE AT VALLICELLA 1 1 3

an d told the Cardi n al to comman d P hilip in his n ame , .

by all mean s to go to liv e at th e n ew c hurch Th e .

Sain t ever a lover of obedie n ce above ev ery oth er

,

virtue an d e s pecially o f obedie n ce t o th e Sovereign

,

’
Po n tiff s ubmitted in s tan tly an d on St Cecilia s day
, , .
,

1 58 3 ,
left S Girolamo an d we n t to th e Vallicella
. .

Th e chan ge of place h owever made n o di ff ere n ce in

, ,

his man n er of livin g a n d his retired h abit s At th e .

Vallicella h e c h ose o n e of th e h ig h e s t an d mo s t remote

rooms Of the hou s e that h e might give h im s elf th e
,

more eas ily to co n templatio n a s at S Girolamo ; an d , .

th i s mann er of walkin g in th e way of Go d w h ich h e ,

h ad u n dertake n whe n h e w as o rdai n ed priest h e per ,

s evered in to th e very en d of h is life .

On the day of his rem o val h e comma n ded h is d is ,

c i l es to carry in pr o ce s s io n fr o m S Gir o lamo t o th e

p .

Vallic ella all t he fe w h ou s eh old g o od s h e h ad s uch as ,

fryin g-pan s s h ovel s an d o t h er mean ute n s il s an d

, , ,

wh ile th ey pa s s ed by th e Corte S av el la w hich w as at ,

th at time a public gaol th e pri s on ers s aw t h em an d ,

m ade game of them an d on e o f th em cried o u t , ,

“
Fath er fry u s som e good pan cake s ; s o t h at th e
,

Sain t accordi n g to h is usual cust o m m an aged to earn

, ,

a little m ortific ation both for h im s elf an d his follower s .

Such was the affectio n he bore to th e c h urch of S .

Girolamo th at as lo n g as he lived h e kept the key s of

,

h is room s s o metime s goin g th ere h im s elf for an h our

,

o r s o a n d ofte n s en din g o n e or a n ot h er of his c h ildre n

,

t o look at t h em He ever liv ed h o w ever in h oly

.
, ,

peace at t he Vallicella an d his re s ide n ce t here gave

,

th e greatest sati s factio n n o t o n ly to his Co n gr egatio n

, ,

but to all Rome .

 CHAPTER XIX
O F T HE I N S TIT U T E AND GO VE R N MEN T OF

T H E C O N GR E G A T I O N

W HEN P hilip we n t to live at the Vallicella he was as , ,

the ackn owledged head an d fo un der of the Co ngrega

tion elected by c o mmo n co nsen t its actual s uperior
, .

He accepted t hi s burde n against his o w n will but ,

de s irin g to give an example in his o w n case of what

w as to be O b s erved aft er his deat h n amel y th at the , ,

sup eri o r was ei ther to be elected o r co n firm ed afresh

ev ery t hree years h e had this carried out in his o wn
,

regard I n 1 5 8 7 however the fathers j udged it ex

.
, ,

d ien t to except P h i lip from this ru le an d o n the

p e ,

1 9 t h o f Ju n e in t h at year they declared him perpetua l

,

prov o st of the Co n gregatio n At fir st he w as de ter

.

min ed n o t to ac cept the o m c e but he w as at last over

,

come by the un an im ous e n treaties of his subj ects an d

co n s e n ted
.

Thu s co n fi rmed as perpetual provos t he laid down ,

as the bas is of th e Co ngregatio n in accord an ce with its,

fir s t erection that t h ose w ho e n tered it were to live as

,

secular prie s ts an d clerics an d in all outward t hin gs to

,

be co n formed to t h at s t a te T hey were by n o mean s

.

to be boun d by vow or oath ; for he said t h at if an y

o n e was desirous of a more perfec t sta te and wis h ed ,

to take vows there were ple n ty Of religi o u s ord er s in

,

which they could fully sa ti s fy their de s ire ; but th at

1 1 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

j udgme n t The s e co n s titutio n s aft er bein g carefully

. ,

co n s idered an d acted upo n for more t h an t h irty years

s ucce s s ively were fi n ally approved an d c o n firmed in a n
,

1
apo s tolic brief of February 2 4 1 6 1 2 by Pope Paul V , ,

from w h om our Co n gregatio n grat efully ackn o w l ed ge s

t h a t it h as received v ery m a ny favours .

The govern m en t a n d ma nn er of l ife of th e Co n gr e

atio n are treated o f fully in th e c o n s t itutio n s an d
g ,

t h erefo re we s h all n o t s ay muc h abo ut t h em I t is .

e n o ugh t o remark t h at by S t P hilip s me a n s t he

’
.

Divi n e Maj e s ty h as in troduc ed i n to R o me a method o f

pr eac h i n g th e Word o f God every day familiarly an d
pro fitably For P hi lip h avin g from the very begin n in g
.

o f t h e di s cours e s at S Girolamo h ad experie n ce Of t h e

.

grea t frui t o f t hi s ex erci s e estab lis h ed as part of t he ,

I n s titut e th e pr a ctice w hic h h ad bee n pre v ious ly Ob

,

s e rved t h a t e v ery day Saturday s except ed

, ,
after s om e ,

t ime s pe n t in s piri t ual r ea di n g fo ur di s cou rses s h o ul d ,

be preac h ed in s ucc es io n o f half eu -hour e a ch ; after

s -
,

w hic h s o me hym n s s ho uld be s u n g to recre at e the

min d s o f t h e h ear ers ; a n d then th a t the ex erc ise
s ho uld c o n clude wit h a li t tl e prayer an d s om e P ater s ,

a n d Av e s fo r t h e n eed s of Holy Church a n d o t her ,

particular in te n tio n s He h im se lf for m an y ye ars

.
, ,

w as pre s e n t at all the fo ur s ermo ns eve ry day as were ,

al s o the great er n umber o f his s ubj ects ; an d whe n the

Oratory was a t S Giro lamo he was n o t o nl y prese n t
.
,

but durin g s ome time always bore a part in the dis

cour s e s .

H e comma n ded th o s e who delivered the dis cour s es

n o t to treat of sc h ola s tic matters except w h e n it was ,

un avoidable ; fo r he sa id that the de s ign of th e Oratory

1
C am i ll o B orghes e, b . 1 55 2 , l ct
e e ed Po p e 1 60 5 , d . 1 62 1 .
 THE SERM ONS TO BE SIMPL E 1 1 7

was not to cultivate sch olastic k n owledge but to teach ,

m en h ow to acquire C hri s tia n virtue s an d t o av o id

s in ; a n d t h at if t h ey wi s h ed fo r l ear n i n g t h ere wer e ,

m a n y s c h ool s a n d lecture s to w h ic h t h ey could re s ort .

He al s o i n s tructed th e pr eac her s n o t to in dulge in fin e

a n d far -fetc h ed con ceits but t o s peak in a u s eful a n d
,

popular way To s ome h e a ss ig n ed Live s O f the

.

Sain t s for their s ubj ect t o o th er s C hurch H i s tory t o

, ,

others again the Dialogue s o f St Gr egory or ot h er .

,

dev out matter s by w h ic h t hey migh t m o ve th e

,

h earer s rath er to compu n cti o n th an to admirati o n .

When h e h eard t h em to u c h up on s ubtl e an d curi o u s

que s ti on s h e made t h em c o m e d o wn fr o m t hei r s ea t
, ,

eve n if th ey w er e in th e middl e of t h eir s er m o n H is .

ge n eral i n s tructi o n s to all w er e to u s e an e a sy an d

plain s tyle an d to expa tia te upo n th e b eau ty o f virtu e
,

a n d t h e d eformity of vice an d h e laid particular s tre s s,

o n t h eir relati n g s o me life or exampl e of a Sai n t in

th eir di s c o urs e a s h e h im s elf always did s o as to

, ,

impre ss th e d o ctrin e more upo n t he min ds of the

audie n ce .

I n ord er t h at h is c h ildr en migh t n o t be draw n i n t o

givin g up t h i s mann er O f di s cours in g h e would n o t l et ,

t hem becom e ab s orbed in t heir s tudie s or grow t o o

much attached to t hem T hu s he would n ever all ow .

B aro niu s to leav e commu n ity duties suc h as pr ayer , ,

s erm o n s th e c o n fes s io n al an d other ordi n ary fu n cti o n s

, , ,

fo r th e s ake of s tudy He did n o t i n deed fo rbid t hem

.

t o s tudy but h e bade them give t h em s elve s to s tudi es

,

s uitable t o t h e i n s titut e a n d n o t s eek to h ave t h e

,

n am e of b ei n g s c h ol a r s o r to make a S how O f lear n i n g

,

in t he pre s e n c e of o t h er s ; t h e s erva n t of God o ugh t ,

he said to try to acquire k n owl edg e but n o t t o d is

, ,
1 1 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

play it ; n or again to pursue it with ex c essive appli

,

catio n for in th at t h ere m ight eve n be s in ; but he

,

s h ould do a little at a time for th is above other ,

r eas o n s that the mysteries of Holy Scripture are

,

learn ed rather by prayer t h an by study .

To t h e word of Go d P h ilip added the d aily exe rcise

of m en tal prayer an d fo r t hi s en d he o rdered th e
,

Oratory to be ope n ed every eve n i n g on week days in -

,

t h e win ter at s u n s et an d in s ummer a n hour be fore

,

s u n s et bei g at liberty t e n ter except

an
,
y on e n o

wom en The e x erci s es began with half -a n -ho ur s

.
’

m en tal pray er t h e n they rec ited the litan ie s a n d c o n

, ,

clud ed wit h s o m e P e ters an d A ves fo r s uc h pub l ic or

private n ece s s iti es as w ere urg en t at th e ti m e On .

M o n d ays W ed n es days an d Friday s in pl a ce of the

, , ,

litan i es after a s h o r t a n d d evo ut com pe n dium of our

,

Lo rd s Pa ss io n t h ey to o k the disciplin e whic h las ted

’

, ,

t h r o ug h t h e Miser erc t h e De prof u nd is an d some short

, ,

prayer s ; aft er w h ich t hey s an g the pr o per an tipho n of

o ur Lady — t h e S a l ve Re ina or wha t ever it might b e
, g , ,

acc o rdi n g to the s ea s o n .

As t o t he freque n tatio n of the Sacrame n ts his wis h ,

was t h at the pri es ts of the Co n gregatio n s hould

o rdin arily sa
y mass every mor n in g ; a n d alth o ugh he
refu s ed to give s ome Of t h em leave to celebrate every
day by way of mortifyi n g t hem yet he expec t ed them
, ,

to be prepared at an y mome n t t h at he s h ould give

t h em the order to do so H e preferr ed mas s to be .

rather s hort t h an lo n g yet n o t too s h ort for the ,

d ecorou s performan c e of s uc h an ac tio n : s o t h at he

ex horted those who felt an excessive abun dan ce of
“
s weet n e s s durin g mass to say to t h emselves
,
I do n ot ,

”
w i s h for you he re but in my room ;
,
me an in g t h at ,
1 2 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

the Sain t s desir e t h at the Co n gregatio n s foun ded in

’

ot h er place s o n the mod el of that of R o me s h ould b e ,

i n depe n d en t o f it an d gove rn t h em selves be ing s ub

, ,

j c e t to t h eir o rdi n ari es a n d wit h out an y depe n de n c e ,

o n e upo n a n o t h er T h is w a s co n firm ed by G regory XV

. .

in a bri e f dated July 8 Paul V h ad pre , .

v io u s l
y gra n ted a n o t h er o n M a rc h 3 1 6 1 2 in whic h , , ,

h e fo rbad e all t h e C o n gr egati o ns o u t of R o me w hich ,

pr o fes s ed to b e o f the Oratory a n d t o liv e u n d er the ,

pro t ecti o n of St P hilip N eri to mak e o r promulgate

.
,

o t h er co n s t itu t io n s ; a n d o rd er ed t h em t o receive
an
y
a n d o b ey t h o s e already m en t io n ed in t h eir m ann er of ,

life an d o b s erva n c es as fa r as l o cal c ircum s tan c es ,

s h ould permit M o r eo v er he fo rbade an y o n e to erect

.
,

a n o t her Co n gr ega t io n o r t o o pe n fre s h h ouses of t h e,

i nstitute in R o m e .

P hilip had s uc h a fir m c o n fide n ce that God would

pre s erv e h is Co n grega t io n t h at if all the s ubj ect s in ,

t he h ou s e h a d de t e rmin ed to leav e h im he would n o t

in t h e lea s t h ave lo s t he art He s aid that God h ad .

n o n eed o f m en ; a n d w h e n a n y o n e left t h e Co n gre

gati e n he u sed t o cry o u t God is able of these s to n es ,

to rai s e up c hildre n to Abraham an d he declared tha t ,

God Him s elf h ad made the Co ngregatio n an d would ,

main tain it On o n e occasio n it was m en tio n ed that

.

some religiou s h ad tried to ad o pt the practice o f daily

dis cour s es an d o n e of the fathers of the hou s e remarked
,

to Philip t h at t hi s w as n o t right a n d oug h t to be ,

O ppo s ed ; b u t th e Sai n t corrected him an d s aid , ,

1 Al es san d or L ud o vis i, b . 1 5 54 , cr . r
C a d ina l 6 5 l ct d P p 6
1 1 , e e e o e 1 2 1.

d .
3 G
1 62e g o . r ry XV c l r
e e b a te d o n . 12 t h M rc h 6a th c i ti 1 22 e a n o n sa on

of S t . lp y l
P hi i , S t I g na t ius L o o a , . St F . c i X vi r S t I id r
ra n s a e , . s o e

A rc l
g i o a , a n d S t T r
e es a o f J es us
. .
 “ ”
B E CAU SE I COMMAND LITTLE 1 2 1

"u is d et a t om n is
p r ophetet used to declar an d
e he
t h at he de s ired n oth in g but the h o n our of God ,

an d that he w a s ready to go o n wit h th e Oratory or to

give it up to hear co n fe ss io n s or n o t ; a n d th u s in
,

t hin g s n o t o n ly in differen t but eve n go o d h e w as

, ,

always resign ed t o th e will of G od He n ce he w a s .

n o t very a n xiou s abou t e n largin g his Co n gregatio n or ,

i n creas in g th e n umber of its m ember s He h ad c on .

t in u al Opportun itie s if h e h ad c h o s en to avail h im s elf

,

of t hem of gettin g th e best s ubj ect s in R o me ; ye t

,

co n s tan tly w h e n h e met wi t h you n g m en w h o t o all

,

outward appearan c e were exc ellen tly fitted for t he

i n s titute he eith er advi s ed th em to en ter i n to differe n t
,

religiou s order s or to persever e in piety in th e con di

,

tio n of life in which t h ey were acc o rdi n g a s h e j udg ed

,

mo s t exp edien t for t h eir s o uls .

For t h e rest P hilip always govern ed th e Co n grega

,

tio n wit h the greate s t j udgm en t a n d prude n ce an d in ,

such a way as to main tai n all in h oly peac e an d c on

“
cord He u s ed to say o f its govern me n t N o o n e
.
,

would believe h o w h ard it is to keep t o g et her free

s ubj ects ; t h er e is n o ea s ier way to do it t h an by
bein g g en tle an d S parin g in givin g o rders ; he w ho
wa n t s to b e well obeyed s h ould give few comma n d s .

O n ce when St C h arl es Borrom e o a s k ed him h o w it

.

w as t h at h e was so promptly obeyed h e a n s wered , ,

“
B ecau s e I comman d little He n ce h e u s ed n ot to
.

do this or d o th e ot h er ; but gave his ord ers rat h er

sa
y
, ,

“
in th e s h ape of a n ex h ortatio n t h an of a comman d ; I
” “
s h ould like you to do t h i s h e would s ay but if it
, ,

”
s eem s h ard I will do it fo r you I s h ould like to .

”
impos e t h i s c h arge upo n you w h at do yo u s ay to it
,
?

An d by this mea n s h e obtain ed everyt hi n g h e wish ed .

1 2 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

But n otwith s tan din g this gen tlen ess he kn ew how

, ,

to us e authority whe n it was n eeded In deed his .

a uthority over man y of his s ubj ects w as suc h t h at ,

wit h o n ly a look he could guide t h em as he pleas ed .

To fix his eye s everely on a pe rs o n w as his ordina ry

method of rebuki n g him He h ad s uch a horror of .

di s ob edie n ce that w he n an y on e had s hown a n otable

,

repugn an ce to an y duty it matter ed n o t what he , ,

wi s h ed him imm ediately to l e ave t he (b ngrega tio n .

Upo n t hi s s ubj e ct th e followin g word s m ay s till be

s ee n in a pape r writte n by h is o wn h an d : In c as e a “

m a n is s e n s ible t h at h e ca nn ot go o n wit h out makin g

a tr o ubl e eit her about meal s or t he work t h at is ,

wa n t ed of h im in t h e c h urc h or el s ewhere let him , ,

a s k p ermi s s i o n t o l e ave t h e Co n gregatio n as quickly

a s p o s s ible ; fo r ot h erwise after t h e firs t or seco n d

o ffen ce ,
h is di s m iss al will be give n him ; for I am
fully r es olved my fat hers n ot to kee p an y in the
, ,

h o u s e w h o are n o t o b s ervers of th e few orders which

are give n t h em .

On t h i s accou n t in order to train them in the sub

,

mi s s io n of their o w n j udgme n t whe n h e gave an ,

obedi en ce to an y o n e an d saw t h at he h ad a great

,

repugn an ce to it or excused himself he p ressed it o n

, ,

him more t h an ever He ofte n s e n t his s ubj ec ts to do

.

t h in gs at hours an d times which w ere co n trary to the

dictates of h uman pruden ce ; an d all this was for the
.

obj ect of keepin g his spirit u al childr e n in a h umble

opin io n of t h em s elves an d preve n tin g them fro m
,

occupyin g themselves as he u s ed to s ay in m im bil ibus

, ,

s uper 8 6 .

It will be well to in s ert here a letter whic h Cardin al

Baron ius whe n he was at Ferrara with Cleme n t VIII
,
.
,
1 2 4 TH E LIFE OF ST
. PH ILIP NERI
’
1 4 th of Augu s t 1 59
, 8 Y o ur Revere n ce s brother t o
.

”
comman d C es are Cardin al Baro nius
, .

P h ilip als o h eld it to be a matt er of great im por t

a n ce in t he gover n me n t of the C o ngregat io n to s pen d ,
.

the rev en u es v ery eco n omically c alli n g them as th ey , ,

really are th e property of t h e poor an d the patrimo n y

, ,

of C hri s t He w a s s o s e n s i tiv e upo n t h is poin t th a t

‘

h e could n o t en dur e a n y expe n s e s in t he C o n grega t io n ,

exc ept s uc h as w ere ab s olu t ely n ece s sary a ll egin g t he ,

an e cdote in C a s sia n o f t h e c o ok who w as s o s harply

,

rebuk ed by his s up erio r s fo r l ettin g t hree l en ti ls s poil ;

a n d a l s o t h a t o f St An to n in u s Arc h bis h op o f Fl o r en ce
.
, ,

w h o w en t t o s t udy by t h e lam p in t h e c h urc h tha t he ,

migh t n o t dimin is h a s he s a id t h e goods of the poor

, ,
.

If a n y o n e t o ld him t h at t his w as r unn in g mat te rs to o

fi n e h e u s ed to sa y R emove thi s s c ruple Of min e
“
, ,

a b o ut t h eir b ei ng t h e good s o f t he c h urc h an d t h e n d o ,

what yo u will .
 C H APTER XX
OF THE GR EAT OB ED I EN C E AND R EVE R EN C E WH I C H
HI S S U BJ E CT S P A I D T O H I M

W HEN the Co n gregatio n w as fairly e s tablis hed o n e o f ,

t h e th in g s P h ilip h ad m o s t at h eart w a s o b edi en c e .

It w as practi s ed s o p erfectly n o t o n ly by th e memb er s

,

of his Co n gregation but eve n by h is ot her pe n ite n t s

, ,

t h at t h ere w as n ot h i n g h owev er difficult w h ic h th e

, ,

maj ority of t hem would n o t r eadily h av e d o n e at his

comma n d He n ce Cardi n al Tarugi d eclar es th at
.
,

t h ough h is subj ect s w ere n o t bou n d to h im by a v o w

of obedie n ce s ome of th em almo s t equalled th e old
,

mo n k s of Egypt in t h eir s ubmi s s io n ; an d o n s om e

o t h er occa s io n s w h e n t h e Cardi n al w as s peaki n g upo n

t his subj ect a n d ex hortin g som e of our p eo pl e to

,

obedie n ce h e s aid t h at s o far as he kn ew n o r eligiou s

, , ,

superior n o t eve n o f an ci en t time s w as ev er m ore

, ,

p erfectly ob eyed t h an P hilip w a s by s ome o f h is

s piritual chil d re n N eit h er w a s thi s as s ertio n un
.

fou n ded ; for man y d eclared with r egard to th em

s elve s
,
t h at they h ad s uch faith in P h ilip t h at if ,

h e had s aid to t h em T hrow yours elf o ut of th e

,
“

win dow th ey would have d o n e so wit h o ut fail ; an d

,

o th ers d e clared t h at if he h a d ord er ed t h em to t h row

,

t hem s elve s in to th e fire t h ey would h ave do n e S O

,

without rea s o n in g upo n it b ecau s e t h ey co n sid ered

,
1 2 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

appear exaggerated if the in sta n ce s which we s hall

n o w proceed to relate are well co n sidered .

P hilip w as on e day talki ng familiarly wi th s ome o f

his s piritual children o n th e virtue of O bed ie n ce an d ,

exhortin g t hem to it especially in arduou s an d difficul t

,

matters It s o h appen ed t at there was a fis h po n d

. h -

in t h e place an d in th e course of t he c o n vers atio n h e

,

s a id ,
W hic h of you would be s o prompt in t h i s vi rtu e
t h at h e would t hr o w him s elf in to that i s h po n d if I
f -
,

He h ad scarcely uttered t h e wo rds

”
ordered h im ? ,

w h en o n e o f the com pan y wit h great s implicity an d , ,

wit h out s te ppin g to refl ect that t his w as n o t the

Sain t s in t en t i o n l ea pt in to the po n d an d ran so me
’

, ,

ri s k o f b e in g dr o w n ed t h ough fortu n at ely s ome of the

,

by s t a n d er s pulled him o ut u n inj ur ed .

A n o t her tim e in order to try t h em an d to mak e

, ,

t he m ad v a n ce in s pirituali ty he o rdered t h ree of h is ,

di s cipl es t o s trip t he m s elv es an d walk through t he

B an c h i T hey immedia t ely se t o ff t o perform the
.

O b edi en c e a n d h ad eve n begun to strip the m selv es

, ,

w hen th e Sain t s ati s fi e d with t h eir promptitude bad e

, ,

t h em put o n t h eir clothe s agai n sayin g Tha t w ill , ,

“

”
do ; th ere is n o t h in g more n eeded .

A n ot h er t ime a s h e was pas s ing the Co lis eum wi th

s ome of h is di s ciple s o n h is way to visit th e s ick in
"

t h e h o s pital O f S Jo h n Latera n h e fo un d a poor

.
,

m an lyi n g in t he dirt ve r y ill cov ered wit h woun ds , , ,

a n d appare n tly dyi n g T hi s spectacle moved his com

.

pa s s io n an d h e made a S ign to on e of them n amed

, ,

Fran cesco to take him on his s h ould ers an d carry him

,

to the h o s pital The Sai n t ha d s c arcely mad e t he

.

s ign before Fran c es co had take n him up ; an d he

carried him to the h ospital which is s ome dist an ce ,
1 2 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

n oth in g but br o th an d th e o ther o n ly ate reluctan tly

,
.

Fabrizio wis h ed to take them to a ca s tle o f h is call ed ,

Ar s o li about twe n ty-eigh t mile s from Rom e h o pin g

, ,

t h at by l e avin g Rome h e mig h t s ave th eir live s He .

co n s ulted th e phy s icia n s who told h im that as it ,

w a s July an d in th e dog -day s h e was o n n o accou n t

, ,

t o move t h em ; in fact th ey declar ed t h at if he took ,

t h e c h ildr en from Rom e t h ey w o uld i n evitably die .

F a bri z io w en t to tak e th e advic e of the holy father ,

w h o s aid O p en ly an d b efor e o n e of th e ph y s ician s ,

t h a t h e w a s by all mea n s t o tak e t h em an d to hav e ,

t h e litt er s r e ady for th e fo llowin g day an d n o t t o h ave ,

fe ar ab o ut t h e m atter F a b riz io obeyed an d

an
y . ,

r ec eivin g th e Sai n t s bl es s in g s et o ff th e n ext d ay

’

wit h h is c hildre n w ho did n o t s u ffer th e least eit h er

, ,

o n t h e road o r at Ar s o li ; in de ed o n e o f t h em when , ,

o n ly fo ur mil es fr o m R o m e de s ce n d ed from th e litter , ,

m o u n ted o n h or s eback an d acc o m pli s h ed the re s t o f

,

t h e j o urn ey as if h e h ad be en w ell .

Vi n c en z o C res c en z i brot h er of Cardin al Cresc en z i

, ,

bei n g o n e day in th e Sain t s room with some ot her ’

you n g m en a s ked l eave to go out for a wal k wit h

.

t h em as far as S Fran c es co di Ripa an d all of t h em

.
, ,

aft er h avin g o btain ed his bl es sin g left th e room It ,

.

h appe n ed that as they wer e ret u rn in g home in a

carriage Vin ce n zo u n fortu n ately fell from the door
,

upo n a paved road an d on e of th e wheel s passed over

,

h is leg s His compan io n s immediately cried out t o

.

h eave n thi n ki n g t h at his leg s w ere bot h broke n an d

, ,

that he would be crippled Neve rt heless he got up .

of hims elf without th e s ligh te s t inj ury an d walked ,

“
h ome on foot sayin g Obedie n ce to our father saved
, ,

”
me . Whe n he return ed to the Sain t Philip told ,
 OBEDIENCE BLESSED 1 2 9

him it was a miracle an d t h at he mu s t be min dful of

,

it an d t h an k G od for it ; a n d t h i s he repeated at
,

differe n t times The you n g m an after wards b ecame a

.

Barefooted Carmelite friar an d died s ome years after ,

provin cial of his order h avin g by his devout life giv en ,

great edific ation to all who kn ew him .

An ot h er you n g Roman n oble relates of h imself t h at ,

after his marriage w h e n ever for an y j u s t cau s e h e

,

was obliged to go out to an y party if he w en t wit h ,

P hilip s leave he w as n ot molest ed by bad t h oug h t s ;

’

but whe n he we n t wit h out his leave h e was always ,

as s ailed by them .

Th e Abate M arco A n to n io Ma ff a of w h om we s h all ,

s peak el s e w h ere was mo s t aver s e to preac h in g an d

, , ,

as he him s elf declare s h e h a d s uc h a repug n a n c e to it

, ,

that he would rat h er have bee n expos ed to an y dan ger

t h an preac h ; yet wh en P hilip comman ded him t o
deliver a discourse h e m ortified h imsel f an d obeyed
, ,

an d became on e of th e be s t preac h ers in the

Orat ory .

W h e n the fathers wis h ed on on e occasio n to s e n d

F Pom peo Pateri to Milan upo n some importan t
.

busin ess he excu s e d h im s elf on th e gr o un d of un fit

,

n ess Th e Sain t h owever ordered him to perform th e

.

Obe di e n ce laid upo n h im a n d a s h e l eft Rome he , ,

said to him “
GO an d trust in G od : but b eware of
, ,

examin in g th e comman d of your superiors for every ,

”
t h in g will turn out h appily an d as you would wis h .

An d s o in fact it did an d t h at very s h ortly n otw ith

, ,

stan din g th e veh eme n t O ppositio n of person s of in flu

e n ce an d th e t hreats t h ey uttered again st him
,
In .

all his n ece ssities an d peri ls h e n ever h ad recourse to

an y o n e save o n ly to the prayer s of t h e Sain t rec om
, ,

V OL . 1 . 1
1 3 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PHI LIP NERI

me n din g h im s elf to him by let ter an d bein g always ,

mi n dful of his words .

On t h e other h an d it was observ ed that those

,

who di s ob eyed P hili p ge n erally got them se lves i n to

trouble Fra n ce s co M aria Tarugi was mos tly ve ry
.

o b edie n t to the Sain t ; but h e h ad a s tro n g de s ire

to ris e d urin g the n ight to pray an d he asked ,

l eav e to do s o P hi lip kn owi n g the d elicacy of

.
,

his c on s tituti o n refu s ed it ,

T hi s did n o t s atisfy
.

Ta rugi w h o b egged harder than ever an d at las t

, ,

put h is t ho ugh t in t o e x ecutio n But th e very first .

n ig h t t h a t h e did s o h e inj ur ed his h ead so much

t h at for tw elv e mo n ths he could make n o m en tal

pray er at all .

A n ot her o f the Sai n t s pe n it en t s took the di s ciplin e

’

ev e ry d a wit h o ut h is l e ave u n til at las t a scruple

y , ,

a ri s i n g in h is mi n d h e as ked pe rmi ss io n to do so
, .

P hilip kn o wi n g t h at it was n o t good for him s aid

, ,

t h a t h e w as s o fa r from bein g ple ased with his ta kin g

it ev e ry day t h at h e w i s hed him n ever to take it

,

at all The pe n ite n t was n o t co n te n ted with t h i s

.
,

an d i m po rtu n ed Philip so muc h that at l ast h e s aid ,

“
W ell I com m a n d you to take the dis ciplin e o n ce a
,

week at th e s ame time fi xin g t he day Str an ge to

,
”
.

say n o lo n g time elap s ed before the pe n ite n t came

,

an d t hrew him s elf at his feet an d co nfess ed that ,

wh e n the appoin ted day came on whic h he was ,

u n der ob edie n ce to take th e disciplin e he felt such ,

a repu gn an ce that h e actually could n o t in flict it

upo n himself ; although before he had rec eived
the o bedie n ce h e had th e greate s t pleasure in
,

th at pen an ce an d in flicted it upo n h imse l f every

,

day .
1 3 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

herd n amed Domenico had pl aced in a ban k three

, ,

h u n dred crown s which was his whole fortun e ; o n e

,

day Philip said to him G o an d take that m o n ey

,
“
,

”
out directly He obeyed an d shortly aft er the ban k
.
,

bro ke The same t hi n g h appen ed in t he cas e of much

.
,

larger sum s of mo n ey to Ludovico Parisi an d Fr an ,

ce s co Fortin i Marc An to ni o U b ald in i in l ik e m ann er

.
’

by obeyi n g t he Sain t e s caped a great lo ss which ,

m an y oth ers in curred A n oble family who were .

goi n g t o en t er in t o an arra ngeme n t in volv ing man y ,

t h ou s an d crow n s with a r elativ e to w h ose property

,

t hey w ere to succ eed c o n s ult ed Philip who s aid Do , , ,

“

n o t d o it an d a few days afterwards the relatio n

, ,

w h o w a s t hen quit e well a n d in t h e flower of his age , ,

di ed s udd en ly an d th ey w er e at o n c e m aster s an d
,

h eir s o f all .

P h ilip taught the virtue of Obedie n ce by exampl e

a s w ell as by w o rd s AS he w as a s ecular prie s t an d
.

n e a rly alway s sup erior of th e Co n r eg a tio n he h ad

g ,

n o t t h e full O pportun ity of s howin g to what an ext en t

h e re a lly po s se s s ed it ; but h e was most e x act in

practi s i n g it as far as he co uld We h ave a lre a dy .

s ee n w h at regard he paid to th e slightest hin t of his

s uperior s in the in s titutio n of the Co n a tio n ; an d

g g
e

in t h e daily occ u rre n ces of community life as well in ,

the public servic e as in private he w as always most ,

pu n ctual in everyt hin g Wh e n c al led to the door on .

bu s in ess or to the sacristy to say m as s or to the

, ,

churc h to hear co n fes s ion s h e left everythin g else an d ,

wen t dow n immediately n ever requirin g to be sum ,

moued a seco n d time an d goin g down for all sorts of ,

people an d at all hours He said it was better fo r a

.
.

m an to obey the sacrista n or porter who called him

,
 OBEDIENCE TO H I S PHYSICIANS 1 33

t h an to remain in his room prayin g ; an d if an y on e

said t h at at l east time ough t to be give n to prie s ts to
prepare for s ayin g mas s h e an s wered t h at certain ly
, ,

preparatio n w as n ecessary but t h at th e true prepara

,

tio n of a good pri est w as to live s o t h at h e could as ,

far as his co n s cien ce was co n cer n ed sa y m ass or com ,

m un ic a t e at a n h our
y .

H e w a s so obedi en t to his p h ysicia n s t h at al

t h ough he h ad such a repugn an c e to takin g medi
cin e t h at it almo s t made him sick h e alway s ,

s ubmitted a n d took w h atever w as ordered If t h ey .

s aid h e w a s to leave o ff s ayi n g ma s s or h eari n g ,

co n fe s s io n s or maki n g men tal pray er h e did so

, ,

immediately with out an y reply A n g el o da B agn area .

o n ce comman ded him to desi s t from s ayin g o ffice

for forty day s ; he obeyed wit h o ut a word alt h ough ,

it w as the keen est m ortific ation to him W hen h e .

w as ill at S Girolamo from an i n firmity w h ich w as

.

altoge t h er supern atural th e ph ys ician s ordered th e

,

draugh t from a win dow to b e s topped as if t h at ,

would be of s ervice to him He co n s e n te d a n d

.
,

beh aved a s if h e quite agreed wit h t h em an d as ,

if th e in di s positio n aro s e from the cau s e s t h ey sup

posed . Whe n the p hy s ician s were gon e G iovan n i ,

An to nio Lucci said to him “

I su s pect t h is i n firmity
,

doe s n ot come from th e cause t h ey as s ign an d yet ,

”
you agreed wit h all th ey said The Sain t an s wer ed
.
,

W h y what would you h ave me do ? on e must

,

yield to oth ers s om etimes .

He al s o gave man y i n s tructio n s on t h is matter .

He said t h at th o s e w h o really de s ired to advan ce in

'

t h e ways of God must give t h emselves up altoget h er

in to th e h an d s of t h eir superiors ; an d t h at t h ose w h o

1 34 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

did n o t live un der obedie n ce ought to mak e a v ol un

tary submissio n of them s elve s to a l e arn ed an d discr ee t
con fess or whom they s hould obey in the plac e of God
, ,

dis coveri n g to him all t h eir a ffairs with t h e utm o s t

freed o m an d simplicity an d d et e rm in in g n oth in g wit h
,

out his cou n s el : an d he added t h at t ho s e who ac t ed

in this way were s ecured agai n s t h avi n g to give a n
accou n t o f their acti o ns to God . H e admo n ished
pers o n s to t h i n k well a n d t o pr ay muc h before c h oo s
in g a co n fess or ; but w h en th ey h a d o n c e c ho s e n him ,

n o t to l e a ve him except for mo s t urg en t re a so n s an d ,

t o put t h e gr e at es t po s s ible tru s t in him a n d co n fer

,

wit h him a b o ut the min ute s t poin ts ; fo r t hat God will

n ever a ll o w h im to err in t h in g s w hich s ubstan tially
regard the s alvati o n of t h eir s ouls He used t o sa y
.

t h at it w a s a c o mm on art ifice of the devil whe n he ,

c o uld n o t m ake a m a n fa ll in to great s i n s to put forth

,

all h is s kill t o c reate distru s t be twe en him an d his

co n fe ss o r for by t his mea n s he co n triv es lit t le by l ittl e
,

to do gr e a t mi s chi ef H e added that obedi en ce was a

.

com pen diou s way of arrivin g at perfectio n ; an d he

very m uch preferr ed a m an who lived an o rdin ary
life u n der obedie n ce to o n e who prac tised great
,

pe n an ces out of his o wn h ead ; an d l astly h e said ,

t h at Obedie n ce is t he true holocaust which we sa crific e

to G od o n the altar o f our h e art He de s ired mor e

.
,

over that a m an sh o uld force him s elf to obedien c e

,

eve n in trivial t h in g s which appear of n o mome n t ,

because it is th e bes t practice for obedie n ce in great

t hi n gs .

I m ust n ot omit to relate an amusin g i n cide n t

bearing on this s ubj ect which happe n ed to Fran cesco
della Molara a Rom an n obl e an d o n e of P hilip s
,
’
1 36 T HE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

qualities he h ad P h ilip m ade n o accoun t of him ;

,

a n d alth o ug h he was ordin arily fu l l of sweet n ess yet ,

toward s t h o se w ho failed in community duties — who , ,

for i n stan ce were n o t at meal s with t h e res t —h e

, ,

s h owed h imself extrem ely s ter n an d reb uk ed t h em ,

v ery sh arply as di s turbers of t h e public peace an d

, ,

s aid t h at it oug h t to b e c o n s idered as cert ain t hat ,

what is comma n d ed u s by t h o s e w ho h old the place

o f Go d toward s us is in r eality th e be s t an d most

p erfect t h in g we c an fin d to d o w h atever appearan ces ,

t h ere may be to th e co n t rary .

W he n ev er an y of t h e n umerou s S piritual childre n

wh om h e s e n t i n to variou s religiou s orders came to .

vi s i t h im h e u sed to give t h em this advice that if

, ,

t h ey w e r e doin g g o od in an y place an d ac tually eo n ,

v erti n g s o ul s a n d o bedie n c e o rdered th em to quit

,

t h a t pl a c e for a n other t h ey w ere to leave everythi n g

,

willi n gly an d wi t hout a word eve n t h o ugh the fruit ,

w er e c er t a i n in th e o n e place an d t h ey were sure to ,

do n o go o d in t h e ot h er be cause th e comman d was ,

a S ign t h at Go d did n o t wi s h to have that g ood by

t h eir mea n s For it is n o t en ough as h e u s ed ofte n

.
,

to s ay to s ee if God wi s h es to h ave the good at whic h

,

we aim but we m u st co n sider also if He wis h e s to

,

h ave it through our i n strume n tality in t h at way an d , ,

at t h at time ; an d it is true obedie n ce which e n ables

us to di s cern all this He u s ed to teac h al so t h at.

to be perfect it is n ot e n ough to obey an d hon our

,

s up erior s but we mu s t ho n our our equals an d in

, ,

feriors al s o He repeatedly told co n fe s s o rs that t h ey

.

did very ill w h e n they h ad an y opportun ity of ex er

,

ci s in g their pe n ite n t s in this virtu e of obe dien ce an d ,

through n egligen ce or huma n respect omitted to do

 MORTIFICATI ON OF THE WILL 1 37

an d he urged th em rat h er to mortify th e will an d

u n derstan din g of t h eir s piritual c h ildre n by obedien ce
t h an to impose upo n t h em a multitude o f corporal
pe n an ce s for h e said t h at to mortify o n e pa ss io n ,

h owever s mall w as of m o re use t h a n ma n y ab s ti

,

m e n ee s fasts an d discipli n es
,
.
 CHAPTER I
P H IL I P S
’

LO VE AND DEV OT IO N TO WA R D S G OD

H IT HE RT O we h ave related P hilip s acti o n s an d th e ’

h oly life which h e l ed first a s a layma n a n d afterward s

,

as a prie s t ; we have n ow to give t h e reader a m o r e

vivid an d fait h ful picture of his virtue s in particular .

It will be well to begin t h er efo re wit h t h at virtu e

, ,

w h ic h is t he root an d fo u n datio n o f all others t h at is ,

c h arity an d the love of G od w hic h s o burn ed w it h in

,

him t h at t h e i n terior flam e S eem ed to br e ak fort h e ve n

in his body ; so t h at some t ime s in s ayi n g o ffice or aft er ,

mas s or in any oth er S piritual actio n s park s as it wer e

, ,

of fire wer e see n to dart fr o m his eye s a n d fro m his fac e .

T hi s i n ward fire was suc h t h at it s ometim es made him

s woo n forci n g h i m
,
to throw h im s elf on h is bed wh ere ,

h e is said to h ave lain occasio n ally a w h ol e day wit h ou t

ot h er sick n e s s t h a n t h at of divin e lov e O
an
y n on e .

occa s i o n it s o burn ed his t hroat that he was ill fo r

s everal day s Sometime s eve n whe n m compan y wit h
.
,

oth ers h e was surpri s ed by t hi s fire an d would u n warily

, ,

“
break out in to th e word s of the apostle I d esire , ,

but imm ediately recollectin g h im s elf h e would to , ,

c on ceal his devotio n suppre ss t here s t of the s en t en ce

, ,

“ ”
to be d issolved a n d to be w ith Christ He n ce Fat h er.

Ign azio Festin i the Domin ican w h o befor e he becam e

, ,

a religiou s u s ed to go to h im every morn in g declares ,

that h e u s ed to find him in a s ort of ecstas y an d t h at ,

 1 4 2 TH E LIF E OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

in P hilip seemed to be realized what St Paul said of .

h imself : I a m fi l led w it h co nsolat ion ; I m ore tha n

”
a bou nd w ith oy
j Ot h ers s aid t h at P hilip might truly
.

cry o ut with S Ephrem : Lor d w ithhold the wa ters of

.
,

Thy grac e a nd depa rt f rom m e,

f or I am no t a bl e to
”
end ur e the m agn itu de of I n d eed thi s
Thy sw eetn ess .

a ctually did happe n to him s ev eral t im es in h is firs t

fervour s as we have al re ady me n tio n ed

,
S o me time s .

wh en h e e n tered a c hurch h e felt h im self so mov ed by

,

th i s ferv o ur t h at he c o uld s c arc ely k n eel dow n before

,

h e w a s o bliged to get up agai n for fear o f goin g in to ,

a n e c s ta s y ; a n d at ot h er times wh en he w a s prayin g ,

in public he w as s o carried away an d rem ai n e d wi t h

, ,

h is ey es fix ed o n he av en so i n te n tly that those who ,

s a w h im c o uld well imagi n e th ey beheld the glorious

St M ar tin in the a c t of prayer
. .

T houg h P hilip tas ted s uch s weet n esse s an d co n tin u ,

a lly h ad a sublim e s e n s e of heav en ly thi n gs in prayer ,

et h e wi s hed t o s erv e God n o t for in tere s t as h

y , e ,

called it but for pur e lov e ; a n d t h erefore he would

,

h ave d es ir ed t o lov e the Divi n e Maj e s ty wit h out a n y

s en s ible s weet n e s s simply b e cau se It w as t h e d eserv
,

in g obj ect of h is love .

To pa s s o n to the particular e ffects of this love ,

Philip s devotio n to the Blessed Sac rame n t of t he

’

Altar was more te n der than c an be express ed Whe n .

h e was a layma n he ge n erally comm un icated every

morn i n g an d w h en h e was subd eaco n an d dea c o n he
,

h ad th e most se n sible pl eas ure in touchin g the ch alice s ,

a n d it s eemed as if h e could n ever s atia t e himself wit h

h an dli n g t h em After he w as ordain ed priest h e s aid

.
,

mas s every morn in g wh e n h e w as well an d commun i ,

c at ed whe n he was too u n well to celebrate ; an d t h i s

1 44 THE L IFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

An ton io Gall on io w h e n he was comm un icatin g him

, ,

h eld the Blessed Sacrame n t in his ha n d fo r som e tim e ,

a n d was slow in givin g it to him ; but the aged Sa in t

u n abl e to e n dure the delay a nd overcome by his ,

desire turn ed to him an d s aid : An to n io why do you

,
“
,

hold my Lord in your han d an d n o t giv e Him to ,

me ? Gall o n io perceivi n g th e wo n derful a ffectio n o f

,

th e s erva n t o f Go d could n o t c on tain h is tears wh il e

,

h e was givin g h im commu n io n .

T his devoti o n to the Ble s s ed Sacrame n t in duced

h im to c o un s el all his p enite n t s w h o were priests to
a d o pt t h e h oly an d prai s ewort h y c ustom of s ayin g
ma s s every day w h e n n o t legitimately h in d ered This
, .

w a s by n o m e a n s c o mmo n in those day s ; but he

t h o ug h t it a grave error t o abs tain from sayin g m

daily u n d er t he pret e xt of rest or recreatio n an d n o t
, ,

“ ”
for an y ot h er s uffici en t re aso n : For said he the
“
, ,

s o ul t h at s eeks r ecr e atio n out of the Creator an d c o n ,

”
s o latio n o u t of C hri s t will n ever fin d them ;
,
a n d he

u s ed to add : He w ho seeks co n solatio n out of the

“

proper plac e s eeks h is o wn dam n atio n an d h e w ho

, ,

would be wis e wit h out the true wisdom or saved ,

wit h out the Saviour is n ot well but sick ; is n o t wi s e

, , ,

”
but a fo o l ,
It is true that he forbade several to say
mas s every day as I have me n tio n ed a lready ; but h e
,

did it in order to mortify t h em an d to e n able t h em to

merit more ; an d s ome oth ers h e wo uld n ot allow to
celebrate immediat ely aft er t h eir ordin atio n but held ,

them back for aw h ile in order to kin dle in them a ,

greater desire an d h u nger for t h is mo s t h oly food .

He was a n xiou s also that layme n as well as priest s , ,

should frequen t t h is Sacrame n t ; he n ce som e of his

'

pe n ite n ts commun icated every week man y o n every ,

 ST . PHILI P S MASS 1 45

fe as t s om e t hre e time s a w eek a n d s o m e th oug h

, , ,

t hey were but few every day ,

Man y by thi s mean s .

became m en of h oly live s an d of gr eat perfecti o n .

He wi s h ed h ow ever t h at co n fes s io n s h o uld b e ev en

more frequ en t t h an commu n i o n ; s o t h at v ery man y
co n fes s ed every morn in g alt h oug h t hey did n o t c o m
,

m u nic at e s o ofte n .

His devotio n in s ayi n g m a s s w a s so gr e at t h a t ,

w hil s t ot h er s h ave to recoll ect t h em s elves in o rder to

celebrat e devo utly h e w a s obliged t o di s t ract h im s elf
,

in o rd er to get t hr oug h his ma s s a n d n o t go i n to an

e c s ta s y Hen c e befo re appr o ac hin g th e alt ar h e u s ed
.
, ,

ge n erally to get Fath er Pi etr o Con s olin i t o r ead t o

him s ome ligh t or amu s i n g b o ok Yet even t h e n h e .

could n ot altoget h er r es train him s elf an d w as o fte n ,

obliged to pau s e till h is s tr en gt h w hic h divin e l ov e ,

h a d tak en from him retur n ed agai n ,

At ot h er tim es .

h e mad e s uc h viole n t e ffort s t o repre s s h is fervour ,

t h at his wh o l e b o dy flutt ered a n d made th e pr edella ,

o f t h e altar tr e mbl e ; a n d w h e n h e w a s s ayi n g ma s s

in h is private c h apel h e s ometime s made th e w hol e,

room s h a ke ; a t ot her time s again h e w as s o ab s tr a c ted ,

a n d ab s orbed in God t h at th e server w as oblig ed to

,

pull him by t he chasuble a n d r emin d h im of th e ,

ep istle or th e go s pel On thi s accou n t wh en h e s aid

,
.

mas s in public b e allowed n o on e t o s erv e him b u t

th o s e o f his o w n s ubj e cts w h o were m o s t familiar wit h

h im an d accu s tomed to him s o t h a t a s s oo n as t h ey ,

p erc eived anyth in g of th i s kin d c o min g o n th ey migh t

a t o n ce recall him T h e s e moveme n t s of his w er e
.

very quick an d n o t accompan i ed by an ythin g

,

gain ly ; s o th a t the bys tan der s e a s ily p erceived t h at

it migh t b e s aid Ageba tur potins gua m ageret an d wh en
, ,

V OL . I . K
1 4 6 THE LIFE OF S T . PHILIP NERI
th ey s aw h im thus abstrac ted far from taking s can dal ,

o r bein g d ise dified by it o n ly felt excited to devotio n

,

a n d revere n c e .

In t h e cours e of m as s w h en h e came to t h e Offer ,

t o ry t h e j oy a n d exultatio n w h ich he fel t w ere so

,

r e at t h a t his h a n d r e peatedly leaped in suc h a way

g
t h a t h e could n o t po ur t h e win e in to th e c h a l ice

wit h o u t l e an i n g his arm u po n th e altar e ve n w hen h e ,

w a s in t h e flower o f his age an d t h oug h h e n ever h ad ,

a n yt h i n g like pals y about him Yet h o w ever muc h .

h e flutt ered t h o ugh h e w as accusto m ed to put a good

,

d e al of wi n e in t o t h e c h alice an d th e c h alice was a ,

v ery s m a ll o n e h e n ever s pill ed a s i n gle drop M ar

,
.

c ell o B en c i w h o s erved his m ass s ays that he re

, ,

e a t edl s a w t h e c h a l ic e w hic h P h ili p h ad filled wit h

p y ,

wi n e full o f pure blood aft er the con secratio n I n

, .

t h e m e me n to he m ade e xtrao rd in ary moveme n t s eve n ,

l e ape d an d w as agi t ated all over ; whe n he perceived

,

it h e w o uld s tamp with his fo ot ru b his foreh ead or , ,

sa
y to t h e s erv er Tur “
n tho s e dog s out se n d those
, ,

”
beggars away to e n deavour to ge t rid of the trem
,

blin g ; s o metim es e s pecial ly after the co n sec ratio n in

, ,

t h e exaltati o n of his spirit h e would rise upo n the ,

tips of h is toes an d seem as if he were da n cin g ; at

,

ot h ers he w a s l i fted a span or more from the gro un d .

At the elevatio n of the Sacred Ho s t it ofte n happe n ed ,

t h at his arm s rem ain ed lifted up in th e air wit hout

h is bein g able to draw them back agai n for awhil e ;
an d in o rder to avoid t his he w as accus tomed as soo n , ,

a s he had rais ed the Ho s t a little above his head to ,

l o wer it again immediately ; for if h e paused ever so

short a time he coul d n o t easily do so The same .

happe n ed to him at the Dom ine non sum d ign us ,

 1 48 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
so m uch devotio n that it co n tin ually c aused te ars in
,

t ho s e w ho were pre s e n t Afte r m ass he use d to cov er .

,

his face in ord er n o t to be obse rved d urin g his than ks

givi n g an d h e w o uld have liked to h a v e pas s ed hours
,

a lo n e in prayer Aft er his t h an ksgi v in g he re t urn ed

.
,

to his r o om s o ab s t r a cted t h at h e o ft en pas sed pe o pl e ,

wi t hout perceivi n g them a n d his fac e w as as pal e as ,

d e at h s o t hat h e h a rdly l o o ked like a livin g pe rs o n

, .

In t h e latt e r y ear s o f his l ife by t he advice o f ,

l e arn ed an d s piri tu a l m en he o btain ed l e ave from ,

l
Greg o ry X IV t o c el ebr a te in a little chape l cl o se to
.

h is r o o m in o rd e r t h at he mig h t be able to t r e at wit h

,

h is L o rd wi t h gr e a t er fre ed o m of s pirit T her e w h e n .

h e c a m e t o t he Agn u s Dei t ho s e w h o w er e as s istin g ,

a t h is m a s s w en t o u t a n d t h e s e rv er ligh t ed a littl e
,

l a mp a n d t hen put o u t t he al t ar ca n dle s fas t en ed the

, ,

s hu t t er s w h ic h w e r e t wic e folded an d locked bot h th e ,

d o ors s o t h a t n eit her the Sain t s v o ice n or an y

,
’

a ff ecti o n t o w h ic h h e mig h t ive ve n t duri n g t h e tim e

g ,

c o uld by a n y m ea n s be o v er heard Thi s be in g do n e .

,

t he s erv e r h u n g o ut s id e t h e chape l a lit tl e tabl e t o n

w hic h w a s writt en Sil en c e " t he Fat h er is sayin g

,
“

”
ma s s .I n about t w o hours or so m e tim es m o re h e
r eturn ed a n d kn ock ed at t he door ; if the Sain t
a n s w er ed he en t ered lighted th e altar ca n dl es again , ,

o pe n ed t h e s h utter s a n d the Sai n t we n t o n with t h e

,

ma s s s orrowin g that t he tim e h ad pa s s ed s o quickly

, .

If he gav e n o an s w er to t he kn ock t he s erver wait e d ,

a w h ile an d t h en r e t u rn e d a n d did s o till t h e Sain t ,

gav e th e s ign al fo r him to go in Wh at passed .

be t wee n him a n d God durin g that time n o n e c an s ay;

1
N icc l o o S fo n d ra t i, b 1 5 3 5, c r
. . C a d ina r l 1 5 80 ,
e e l ct ed Po p
e 1 590 ,

t oo k th e r
n am e o f G ego ry
X IV d . 1 5 9 1 .
“
S I LE N C E ; T HE AT H
F E R Is S A N M
YI G AS S .
1 50 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
’
Nero s bri n gi n g with him t he arc hdeaco n for w h o m ,

h e h ad m ade part icular prayer in h is mass in doin g ,

w hich he had become m o re fe rve n t t h an us u a l bot h ,

becau s e th e arc hdeaco n w as a s tran ger an d becau s e ,

P hilip kn ew t h a t h e h ad c o me to the Po pe o n very

im po rtan t bu s i n es s A n o th er time w he n he w as givin g
.

c o mmu n io n to the M arc he s a R an go n a the part icl e ,

wit h w h ic h h e c o mm u n icat ed her w as s e en in th e air

s e parat ed from his fi n g e r s to t h e gre a t ad miratio n o f
,

t he b eh older s : a n d o n e morn i n g in his l i t tle c h a pe l ,

h e h im self was s ee n r ais ed a s p a n fr o m t he gro un d

w hil e h e w as comm un ic a t i n g ; s o gr eat w as the devo t io n
wit h w hic h he pe rfo rm ed t hi s actio n .

P h ilip h a d al s o a n exc es s ive d evo tio n to the m o s t

h o ly Pa s s i o n o f our S a vio ur a n d m editated almo s t
,

c o n tin u ally up o n it He alway s k e pt abo ut him a

.

figure o f o u r crucifi ed Lord in bro n z e s ep arate from

t h e cr o s s t h a t he mig h t t he m o r e e as ily v en t t h e
,

a ffectio n s o f h is he art u po n it Fro m t hi s d evotio n .

s pra n g h is d es ir e o f w h ic h we h ave a l ready s poke n

, ,

t o go to t h e I n die s a n d s h ed h is blood for th e l o ve o f

C hri s t As h e w as n o t able to carry this in to effec t

.
,

h e ma n ag ed at l e a s t to s ati s fy h is de s ire in part afte r .

a n other fa s hi o n ; for whe n blo o d iss ued from his n o s e

o r from h is m o uth he prayed the Lord t h at s o m uc h
,

migh t flo w a s would c o rre s po n d in s ome m ann er t o

t h e Blood s h ed for love of hi m In thi s r equest our
.

Lord gratified him for o n e day t h er e i s s ued from

,

h im such a quan tity t h at h e lo s t his sig h t for a tim e ;

,

an d at oth er tim es h e was left as if dead wit hout ,

an y discer n ible T h us we read of S t Lu tgarde .

,

t h at w h e n she lofi ged j or mart yrdom an d G od did

” ‘
‘
,

n o t see fit to m a hei
f
f
r u es t He co n te n ted her by
t
'

p
e
z q ,

f
 HIS D E SIRE OF MARTYRDOM 1 5 1

allowin g a large quan tity of blo o d to flow from h er

mouth : an d t h en C hri s t appeared t o h er an d told h er ,

t h at for th e great de s ire wh ic h He h ad s ee n in h er

to sh ed h er bl o od for His s ake He h ad accord ed h er ,

t h at grac e S o it h appe n ed t o P hilip wh o m th e L o rd

.
,

all o wed man y time s ov er to s h ed his bl o od v ery

copiou s ly ; in fact h is la s t in firm ities wer e n ot h in g
el s e but di s c h arg es of bl o od H en c e aro s e th e cu s t o m
.

of pai n tin g him a s a pri es t in red v es tm en t s alt h o ug h ,

red is properly th e exclu s ive colour of martyr s to ,

d en ot e th e ve h eme n t de sire h e h ad to sh ed his bl o o d

for the l ov e of C hri s t .

Thi s arde n t t h irs t to o ffer h im s elf as a ho locau s t to

his crucified L o rd s t imul a t ed h im
,
t o i n flam e t he

h eart s of oth er s wit h th e s am e lov e s o t h a t s om e

“ ’
time s h e w o uld s ay May Sai n t A n to n y s fire bu rn
,

”
you ; m ean i n g m ay you burn wit h th e s am e fire o f
,

divi n e l o v e a s S a in t A n to n y To o t h er s h e s aid .
,

”
May you b e murd er ed —m ea n in for t h e fait h by
,
o
'

, ,

m e an s of h oly mar tyrdom ; a n d o n c e w h en h e w as in

t h e a n t e c h amb e r of Gr eg o ry XIV h e s aid th e s am e
- .
,

of the P o p e .

La s tly h e h ad so t en d er a d evotio n t o the mo s t

,

h oly Nam e of Je s u s t h at in pr o n o u n ci n g it a s h e re
, ,

p e a t edl
y did h e,
felt a n u n s p e akabl e s w eet n es s H e .

h ad al s o a n e xtraordi n ary reli s h in r eciti n g the Cr ed o ,

an d s aid th e Pater No s ter wit h s uc h atte n tio n t h at ,

w h en h e o n c e began it it s eemed as if h e could n ever

,

r each th e en d .
 CHAPTER I I
or P H IL I P S DEV OT I O N T o OU R B L ES S ED
’
L AD Y , AN D

T o H OL Y R E L I C S

OU R ble ss ed L a dy is a s St B er n ard t e ac hes us t he

, .
,

n e ck by w h ic h all S piritual gift s d es c e n d from Chris t

t he h e a d i n t o t h e my s t ical body o f t he H oly Churc h

, .

P hilip t h erefo r e w as s o d ev o t ed t o her t h at he h ad

h er n am e c o n t i n ually in h is m o u t h c all in g h er his ,

l o v e a n d h is c o n s o lat i o n a n d e xal ti n g he r as t he
,

di s p en s atrix o f all the grac es whic h t he good n ess o f

Go d b es to w s u po n t he s o n s of Ad a m H is a ffe ctio n.

t o ward s h e r w a s s o te n d e r t ha t he use d to s pe ak of
,

h e r a s lit t l e c h ildr e n s pe a k of t h eir m o t h er c al lin g ,

He frequ e n t ly visit ed her im ages

”
her M a m m a n ria .

in t he c h urc h es o f Sa n t a Maria del Popolo S Agn e s e , .

in th e Pia z za N a vo n a S M aria in Tras tevere a n d

, .
,

el s e w h er e remai n i n g b e fo r e t he m a lo n g whil e givin g

, ,

free v en t t o his d evotio n toward s her He oft en s pe n t .

w hol e n igh t s in prayer in dulgin g in t h e s w ee tes t

,

colloqui es wit h h er He w as o n c e seriou s ly ill at S

. .

G irolamo d ella Carit a an d t he phys ician s h ad ordered

.

that h e sh ould n ot b e l eft alo n e at n ig ht but t ha t ,

s ome o n e s h ould alway s r e main in t he r o om wit h him .

On e n ig h t F a t h er G iovan n i An t o n io Lucci sat up wi th

him an d a s it w as summ e r an d the room extrem ely
, ,

s mall the h e at was s o in t en s e t h at h e did n o t t h in k

,

he could persevere at his post through the n igh t an d ,

1 54 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

pre posed t hi s d evotio n to him as a rem edy an d soo n ,

aft e r h e a dopt ed it he w a s e n ti rely freed from the

,

a n n oyan c e .

P hilip d ecl a red t h at h e h ad rec eived n umbe rl ess

fav our s fr o m o ur Bl e s s ed Lady a n d in particular t h a t
,

in prayi n g b e fo re a n image o f h er he w as d el iver ed

fr o m ma n y ho rrible t h i n g s wit h w hic h t he devil a t
t em pt ed to frigh t en h im He h ad a gra te ful rem e m
.

br a nc e of th e b e n efit s w hich he h ad rec eived from he r ;

a n d w h en t h e a l t a r s w e r e be i n g e r ected in t h e n e w

c h urc h he o rd e re d t h at a mys t e ry o f o u r Savi o ur s ho uld

,

b e p a i n t ed o n ea c h o f t he m a n d t h at th e Mad o n n a
,

s h o uld a pp ea r in t he my s t ery H en c e aft e r the

.
,

b ea t ifi c a t io n o f t h e S a i n t w hen t h e fat her s h a d

,

t o e x o s e his pictur e in his c h apel t h ey d e cid ed

p ,

t h a t our Bl e s se d L ad y s ho uld be i n trod uc ed i n to it ,

b e cau s e t he y r em e mb e re d ho w like a n o the r S t Be r, .

n a rdi n e o f Si en a he w as s o t o s pe ak e n amoured
, , ,

o f h er .

Duri n g t he buildi ng o f t he church Giovan n i An to n i o ,

Lucci w h o s upe ri n te n ded t he work h ad left a piece of

, ,

ro o f abov e a par t o f t he o ld c h urc h where th ere w as ,

a n a n ci e n t a n d v e ry d e v o ti o n al picture of our Blessed

L a dy t he s am e w hic h is n o w at the h igh al t a r He

, .

h ad do n e t hi s in o rd e r t h at m ass might be s aid u n d e r

it an d th e Ble s s ed S a crame n t re se rved On e morn in g
, .

t h e holy fat h e r s e n t for h im in great h ast e a n d ord e red ,

h im to h av e th e r o o f t ak en o ff immediat ely be caus e ,

t h at very n ight he h ad s een t h at it would have falle n

if t he glorious Virgin had n o t held it up with her ow n
han ds G iova n n i A n to n io immediat ely we n t wit h so m e
.

workme n to ex ecut e the O b edie n ce a n d foun d t ha t ,

t he pri n cipal b e am had s tarted from the wall a n d

, ,
 D EVOTION TO H IS PATRON SAINTS 1 55

w as appare n tly s elf upport ed in t he air so t h at all

-s

A miracl e " a miracle "

,

w h o s aw it cried out ,

Our Bl ess ed Lady corr es po n d ed to th e dev o tion o f

P hilip by givi n g h im a c h urc h dedicat ed u n d er h er
,

most h oly n am e t hat the s on w h o w a s s o d ev o ted t o

,

h er migh t n o t b e removed fr o m h is m o th er ; an d
befo re h e di ed S h e favoured h im wit h t h a t w o n d erful
apparitio n of w h ic h we s hall S peak fully in its plac e
, ,

w hic h l e ft him s o full of s we et n es s a n d of d evo tio n

toward s h er t h a t duri n g th e s h o rt time th a t h e s u r
,

v iv ed h e could n ever s atiate h im s elf wi t h cryi n g o u t

,

over an d over agai n : 0 my c h ildre n be dev o ut to

“

t h e Mado n n a b e d e vot e e s o f Mary "

,

He h ad s o gr eat a r ever en c e a n d a ffecti o n for all

th e Sai n t s b o t h in ge n er a l a n d in particular t h at in
, ,

h is l a s t year s h e h a d t h eir liv es read to h im ev ery

day for s everal hour s a n d b o t h h eard an d S p oke o f
,

t h em wit h s uc h reli s h t h a t h e could h ardly tear him

,

s elf from thi s O ccup a tio n His par ticular p a tr o n s

.

were St Mary Magda l en o n wh os e vigil he w as born

.
, ,

a n d the a p o s tl es St P h ilip a n d St
. Jame s on who s e .
,

fea s t h e u s ed to giv e h is c hildre n s o m e particular re

creatio n On the more s o l em n fea s ts h e w a s s i n gu
.

l a rly favour ed by God wit h s en tim en t s o f extr a ordi n ary

d evotio n ; an d he w as accu s tomed t o s ay t h at it w as ,

o rdi n arily a bad S ig n n o t to h av e s om e particular feel

in g o f d evoti o n o n s uc h s o lem n itie s H e h ad al s o t h e

.

v ery gre at es t r ev er en ce for h oly relic s H e did n o t .

gen erally c a rry th e m about h is pers on n or wo uld h e ,

e a s ily p ermit h is p en ite n t s to do s o becau se it oft en ,

h app en s t h at t h ey are n o t treated wit h becomi n g

re s p ect an d al s o l es t t h ey sh ould b e i nj ured in cours e
,

o f time by t h e n egl e ct of th o s e i n to w h o s e h an d s t h ey
1 56 TH E LIFE O F ST . PH ILIP NERI

migh t fa ll after w ards He was n o t however al t o~

.
, ,

ge ther oppo s ed to their bei n g kept in a room ; for he

h im s elf had a reliquary in h is r o o m w hic h he trea t ed ,

wi t h grea t reveren ce a n d care Aft e r t he Sain t s dea t h .

’
,

t h i s came i n to t h e h a n d s o f B aro n ius a n d God vouc h ,

s afe d to gr a n t s ome s p ecial grac e s by mean s of it .

A n to n io Fran c hi a cl erk r egul a r o f the M in ori a t

,

R o m e w as s o ill that t he phy s ici a n s looked upo n him

,

as a d e ad m an an d he h ad alr ea dy receiv ed t he
,

Viaticu m w he n Ce s are Ba ro n ius wen t to vi s i t him

,
.

He carri e d with him t hi s r eli qu a ry a n d to uc h ed him ,

w i t h it a n d t hen for h is gre a t er c o n s olatio n l eft it

,

w i th h im W he n n ig h t cau re o n t he i n valid fearin g

.
, ,

l es t th e r eliquary s ho uld be brok e n put it as id e ; b u t ,

he pr es en t ly b ega n to feel s uc h t e rribl e di s tre s s t h at h e

t o o k it ag a in a n d s aid a Pa t e r a n d Av e prayin g th e ,

Lord by His m ercy a n d t he i n t erc ess i o n of t he bless ed

P hilip to w ho m he h ad a gre a t dev o tio n to dis
, ,

po s e o f h im as mig ht b e fo r His o w n grea te r gl o ry .

W hile s ayi n g t hes e pray e r s h e fell asl e ep an d ,

w h en h e a w o k e in t he m o r n i ng h e h ad n o feelin g
o f ill n e s s b u t in a s h ort tim e l e ft t he h ouse perfectly
,

w ell .

P hilip gav e evid en ce of t hi s rev e re n c e for holy

relic s in a s t riki n g man n er in the tran s latio n of th e
,

b o di es o f t he h o ly martyr s Papia s an d Mauru s Whe n .

our church w as compl e ted so far as the fabric w as ,

co n cern ed Cardin al Cu s an o o n e of P hilip s spirit u al

, ,
’

c h ildr e n an d mo s t t en d erly be lov ed by him w i s hin g

, ,

t o r e move t h e high altar at S Adria n o in the Cam po .

Vacci n o h is titul ar churc h in ord er to erect on e mor e

, ,

be autiful an d m agnifi ce n t fou n d be n eat h it t he bodi es

,

o f t h e holy M artyrs Flavia Domitilla N ereu Ac il

s h - r
, ,
1 58 THE LIFE OF ST . PH I LI P NERI

brough t in most s olem n proc es s io n t o our church of

San ta Mari a in Vallic ella with a n umerou s atte n d ,

a n ce of clergy an d a vast co n course o f people, Te n .

Cardi n al s w en t to the door o f the churc h to m eet t he

1
h o ly treas ure s : Cardi n a l G es ualdo Bi sh op of Po rto , ,

Cardi n al Pal eo tt o Bis h op of Al b an o f Cardin al Pi n ell o,

3
of S Lo ren zo in Pan is pe rn a C a rdi n al Aldobran d in o
.
, ,

Gran d P en i t en tiary an d afte rw a rd s Cl eme n t VIII ,

Cardi n al d ella Rov e re of S Pi etro in Vin coli Cardin al "

5
.
,

°
Go n z ag a o f San t a Maria d el P o po l o Card in al di ,

7
C a m e ri n o o f Sai n t s P e t er an d M a rc elli n u s Cardin al ,

8
Fr ed erick B o rrom eo afterward s Arc hbis h op of Milan , ,

9
C a rdi n al Cu s an o o f S Ad ria n o an d Cardin al P e poli .
,

10
o f Sai n t s C os m as a n d Damia n Whe n the holy bi e r .

arriv ed a t t he c hurc h Cardi n al Cu s an o by order of , ,

Six t us V co n s ign ed the re lic s o f the m artyrs to

P h ilip in t h e pr es en c e o f t he Cardin als
,
Phili p .

r e c eiv ed t he m wi th s uc h j oy an d e xul tatio n t hat

h e c o uld n o t c o n tain h imse lf The u s ual flutt er .

i n g s of h is heart came o n h e leaped an d showed his , ,

i n t ens e d elight by extraordi n ary movem e n ts of his

w h ol e body The relic s were de po s it ed o n a richly
.

ad or n ed altar e r e cted fo r the purpose in the middle

o f t h e c h urch where t h ey rem ain ed for four days to

,

1
A L N S O GES UALD O C rd i l 56 d 6 3
FO , c r. a na 1 1 , . 1 0 .

1
GA L PA O O
B R IE E C rd i l 56 5 d
LE
59 7 TT , er . a na 1 , . 1 .

3
D O M N I C O P N LL O b 5 59
E C rd i l 5 8 5 d
I E 6 ,
. 1 , cr . a na 1 , . 1 1 1 .

1
IPP OL T A L D O R A N D N O b 5 3 6 l c t d P p 59 d 6
I O B I 1 e e e o e 1 2
, .
, , . 1 0 5,
a b so lv d H ry I V K i g f F c
e en .
,
n o ra n e .

5
GI LAMO D LL A R V R E b 5 8
RO E C rd i l 5 8 6 d 59 O E , . 1 2 , c r. a na 1 , . 1 2 .

0
S C P N GO N AGA b
I IO E 54 3 C rd i l 5 8 7 d
Z
59 3 , . 1 , or . a na 1 . . 1 .

7 MA RI A N O PI RB N D T I b 5 3 8 E C d in l 5 89 d 6
E E ET , . 1 , c r. ar a 1 , . 1 1 1 .

8 F R D C O B ORR M O b 564
E E RI C r di l 5 8 7 Arc hb i h p
O E , . 1 , cr . a na 1 , s o of

Mil an d ,
. 1 63 1 .

9 A G OS T N I O CU S AN O ,
b . 1 54 2 , cr . C ard ina l
588 d 1 598
1 , . .

1°
GU I DO PE P OL I , b . 1 560 , cr . C a din ar l 1 5 8 9 d 1 5 99 , . .
N AV E OF C H I E S A N U O VA .
 CHA PTER II I
P H ILI P C O MM UN IC A T E S DEV OT IO N T O T H OS E
W HO C O NVE RS E W IT H H I M

Ir
'
w as on e of P hilip s admira bl e gift s that he n o t
’

o n ly h ad d e voti o n a n d t h e l o v e o f Go d him s e l f b u t ,

by a s in gular privil ege o f h eav en comm un ica ted t h em

also t o t h o s e w ho co n v e rs ed wit h h im The mo s t .

luke w a rm o f h is p eni t en t s if t hey on ly we n t freque n tly

,

t o h im ,
w er e fill e d li t t l e by li t tle wit h holy fervo ur ;
t h o s e w h o w e n t s eld o m bec ame s e n s ibly more luk e

w a rm in t h e s ervic e o f Go d a n d som e who fel l o ff

,

fro m h im l o s t all d ev o ti o n an d s pirituality whatsoev e r .

Lavi n ia de Ru s tici t he firs t wife of F ab riz io de

’

,
'

Ma s s imi b efor e s he b ega n t o c o n fes s to t he h oly fat her

, ,

h ad n o gr ea t O pi n io n of him a n d eve n laughed a t

,

him ; i n d e ed by her h u s ba n d s accoun t s h e could n o t

’

, ,

e n dur e t o h e a r h im m en tio n ed : but on e day wh e n

s h e h e ard him s e a k of divin e t h i n gs s h e felt s uch a
p ,

moveme n t of divin e lov e in her h eart t h at s he w as all ,

inflamed with a d es ire to s e rve Chris t S h e took .

Philip for her s piritual fath er began to co n fess an d ,

commun icate thr ee t im es a w eek gro win g in co n tem pt ,

of h ers elf an d giv in g h ers elf up to prayer in w hic h

, ,

s he w as oft e n favour e d wit h divin e raptur es an d ,

became a pers o n of suc h pie ty t h at the Sain t s aid ,

of her t h at with out doubt s he was in h e ave n rej oicin g

,

wit h th e an ge l s C o s t an z a Draghi Cresc en z i heard

.

1 60
 ’
EFFECT OF THE SAINT S MASS 1 61

Philip s ma ss in our c h urc h with Eugen ia h er s ervan t

’

on t h e fea s t of St A n drew t h e Ap o s tle an d in a

.
,

mome n t t h ey wer e both o f th em s ei z ed wit h s uc h a

s pirit of compu n ctio n a n d suc h an abu n da n ce of tear s ,

“ ”
t h at Co s tan za s aid t o E ug en ia Do you fe el t h i s ? ,

”
a n d s h e a n s w er ed Yes i n d eed I do feel it
,
“
W hen , .

t h ey came to r efl ect upo n t h i s circum s tan ce aft er

wards t h ey co n cluded t h at it w as an e ffect of th e
,

d evotio n wh ich th e Sai n t h ad obtain ed for t h em in

h is ma s s N ero del N ero w h o h as bee n a lr eady
.
,

me n ti on ed su ffered very muc h from di s tractio n s in

,

prayer ; but h e declare s t h at th e fir s t time h e h e ard

P h ilip s ma s s h e e xperi en c ed suc h a facility in medi
’

tatin g on wh at h e pl ea s ed t h at h e w as quit e a s to n i sh ed
,

at h im self ; an d th e s a m e h appen ed to him ev ery tim e

t h at h e h eard him s ay ma ss O n c e w h e n th e Sain t .

wi sh ed to co n s ole a p ers o n in di s tr es s h e s aid I will , ,

”
pray for you an d yo u sh all feel it ; an d in fact th e
,

perso n felt him s elf mov ed wit h s uc h an extraordin ary

fervour t h at h e cam e all tremblin g to ackn o w l edge it
,

a s a gift of th e Sai n t .

He commu n icat ed s uc h sweetn e s s t o t h o se with

w h om h e prayed t h at en tire h our s of prayer s eem ed
,

to t h em like mom en t s an d s om e s aid t h ey could h av e

,

remain ed in prayer with him the w h ol e n igh t t h rough .

On e day w h e n Simo n e G ra z z in i of Flore n ce an d Al es

s a n dro Salvi o of Si en a two o f his earlies t spiritual
,

c h ildr en wer e prayin g wit h him t h ey felt t heir h eart s

, ,

fill ed wit h s uc h sweet n e s s t h at alth ough t h ey prayed ,

a wh ol e h our it s e emed to t h em to be n o tim e an d

, ,

t h ey declar ed t h at t h ey would willin gly h av e b een

always prayin g if t h ey could always h av e felt wh at
t h ey did t h en Th e same h appe n ed m an y time s to
.

L
1 62 TH E LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

ot h ers an d whe n they me n tio n ed t h eir feelin gs to t he

,

“
Sai n t he would s ay Thi s is the milk whic h our
, ,

”
L o rd giv es to tho s e w ho b egin to s erv e Him .

W hil e he w a s hearin g co n fessio n s t he fire whic h ,

burn ed wit hi n his breas t w a s s o arde n t that ma n y o f ,

h is pe n i t en t s fel t t heir h e a rt s in fl a med wit h t he lov e

o f Go d duri n g c o n fes s io n a n d e s pe cially w h e n h e gav e
,

t he m ab s olu tio n a s he w a s accu s to m ed in d o in g so

,

t o pr e s s t h e m t o his br e as t w hic h u s ed to impart to

,

t h e m a n e xtra o rdin ary c o n s ola ti o n a n d i n expre s sibl e

s piritu a l r e fr e s h me n t a n d s w e et n e s s Thi s is co n fi rm ed
.

by Gi o va n n i Az z in a o f M a r s ic o Nuovo in t h e kin gdom

, ,

o f N a pl e s w h o w h il s t a t R o m e kept up a fa miliar a n d
,

c o n t i n u a l in t erc o ur s e wi t h t he ho ly fa t h er He s ay s .
,

W hen I en t er ed his r o o m I b ega n to tr emble a n d ,

t hi s h a p e n e d ev e ry t im e I w en t in ; ye t I t ook a
p
d elig h t in g o i n g i n to t he pres e n c e o f t hi s ho ly o ld
m a n a n d k n e e lin g b e fo re h im ; a n d wh e n h e l a id h is

bl es s ed h a n d u po n my s ho uld e r o r pulled my hair or ,

c a r s I fel t m a n y g oo d d e s ires ki n dl e d in my mi n d in
, ,

a w ay w hic h mad e m e t hin k t ha t a particular grac e

w a s de s ce n di n g upo n me fr o m h e a v e n an d I im m ed i ,

ately ran to the Bl es s ed S acram en t to pray .

Th e Ab a t e Marco A n t o n i o Ma fi a apo s t olic vis it o r , ,

g iv es s imilar evid en c e He. s ay s Ev er s in c e I kn e w

,
“

Fat h er P h ilip in tim a tely I have ve n e rated him as a

,

Sain t an d I frequ en t ed his com pan y as muc h as my

,

d u t i es allowe d me Wh en I co n fessed to him an d

.
,

e s pecially w h ils t he gave m e ab s olutio n I felt as if he ,

breat hed fort h s an ctity an d my heart became in flam ed

,

as I h ave de s cribed ; an d t h e n at mass I ha d a par

t ic u l ar devotio n an d tears ; an d thi s n ever h appe n ed

to me whe n I co n fe ss ed to ot hers N um berless tim es .
 CHAPTER IV
H I LIP S F EA RS
’
or P GI T or T

A LT H O UG H in t hi s s e co n d book we prO po s e to treat

o n ly o f t h e virtue s of t he Sai n t r es ervi n g t h e re l atio n
,

o f h is gift s for t h e t h ird e t as t h e ift of tears i

y , g s

pr o p erly a fruit o f d e v o t i o n it s eem s mo s t n atural to

,

giv e s o m e acc o u n t h er e of th e way in w hic h God

favour ed h im in t hi s r es pect The love which burn ed .

w i t h i n h im s om e tim e s m el t ed h is h e art s o com plet ely ,

t h at w h e n an y o n e s pok e in h is pr e se n ce of thin gs

t h a t br ed c o mpu n c t io n o r te n der n ess h e immedia t ely ,

bur s t i n t o t ears I n lik e mann er w h e n h e met wit h

.
,

a s i n n e r h e co n s id e r ed t h e sta t e of h is s oul an d much

, ,

mor e t h e o ffen c e d o n e t o God by h is s in s an d straight ,

w ay h is pity w as mov ed an d he would bur s t out i n to

,

t h e m o s t v eheme n t w e e pi n g almo s t like a c h ild w h e n

,

it is s ev er ely pu n i s hed Card in al Frederick Borrome o

.

atte s t s t h at he wit n es sed t his man y time s Two year s .

before his deat h he s aid wit h tears to a perso n who he

,

feared was in a d elusio n Old as I am I will still

,
“
,

take the di s ciplin e for you .

The Sai n t o n ce discovered that a y o u n g m an of

n oble family did n o t accu s e h im s elf wit h sin ceri t y in

h is co n fess io n s to h is ordin ary co n fessor but co n cealed ,

s ome s i n s t h rough s h ame T hi s youth was on e day

.

’
in t h e Sai n t s room where he ofte n we n t out o f
,

devotio n T here was n o other p er s o n prese n t an d

.
,

1 64
 THE SECRETS OF H E ARTS 1 65

P hilip fi xin g his eyes up on h im b egan to w eep mo s t

, ,

te n d erly an d at the s am e tim e gain ed for th e s i n n er

,

s uc h a s oft en i n g of h eart t h at h e too w as co n s trai n ed

,

to sh ed t e ars an d bot h of t h em r emai n ed for a lo n g

,

time u n abl e to s peak T h en th e Sain t ex h ort ed him

.

in t h e mid s t of h is sob s to en t e r 1 n t o h im s elf a n d ,

mak e a s in cer e co n fes s i o n an d t h e you n g m an mor e

, ,

a n d mor e moved made up his mi n d t o ack n owl edg e t o

,

h is co n fess or all t h at h e h ad h it h erto k e pt back rec o m ,

m en din g h imself earn estly to the prayers o f t h e S ai n t ,

w h o embraced h im a n d co n s oled h im
,
wit h his u s u al
sw eet n e s s an d c h arity But t h e te n d e r heart o f P hilip
.

h ad n o t yet ha d s uffici en t v en t ; h e r etir ed i n t o a

room alo n e an d t h er e givi n g fr ee c o ur s e t o his s igh s
,

a n d t ear s wept abu n da n tly

,
Th e pe n ite n t t h en m ad e
.

a g en eral co n fess io n to his ordi n ary co n fes s or ; aft er

w hic h h e r etur n ed to t h e Sai n t an d told him o f t h e ,

c o n fes s io n h e h ad mad e wh en P hilip s aid My s o n

, ,
“
,

alt houg h you h ave n o t co n fess ed your s in s to m e I ,

k n ow t he m all o n e by o n e for God h a s rev eal ed t h em

, ,

“
to m e . T hen he add ed You h av e c h an g ed y o ur
,

l o o k n ow an d h av e got a g oo d cou n t en an c e an ex
, ,

pr ess io n h e ofte n u s ed w h en s in n er s r eturn ed from a

s tat e of s in to th e grac e of G od Th e p en ite n t re c o m
.

m en d ed h im s elf again to his prayer s an d b egged him ,

t o obtai n for h im m o r e compu n ctio n an d s orrow fo r

h is s i n s ; an d at t h e very mom en t h e mad e t h i s
r eque s t h e felt such abu n dan ce of co n triti o n an d gri e f
c o m e i n to his h eart t h at h e could n o t h av e wi s h ed
,

for mor e ; yet b efo re h e h ad co n versed wit h th e Sain t ,

h e did n o t s o m uch a s kn ow w h at compu n ctio n an d

d evo tio n w ere .

W he n P hilip s poke of divin e t h in gs it w a s n o t lo n g ,

1 66 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

befo r e t h e tear s cam e in to h is eye s an d that in s uc h ,

a bu n da n ce t h a t h e w a s o fte n obliged t o de s i s t from

S e akin g or to c h a n ge t h e c o n vers atio n ; s o t h at s ome

p ,

t im es w h e n h e w as preac h in g o r s pe akin g familiarly

o n s piritu al m att er s ,
he w o uld i n s e rt so m e exam ple ,

o r s o m e p h il o s op h ical s ayin g a t h i n g w h ic h oth e rwi se

,

h e w a s n o t accu s to m ed t o do He o n c e w en t to
.

t h e vi n eyard o f Pa t ri z i o Pa t ri z i wi t h C e s are B aro nio ,

Gio v an F r a n c es co Bordin i T o mma s o B o zio an d

, ,

s ome o th e r s of his pe n ite n t s a n d a fter di n n er at

, ,

t he h o ur a t w h ic h t h e s erm o n s wer e ge n erally

pr e a c h ed in o ur c h urc h he c o mm a n d ed T o mm a s o
,

Bo z i o t o mak e a n e x t e m po r e di s c o urs e s o t h at t h ey ,

m ig h t n o t a l t o g e t h e r l o s e t h e fruit o f t h e word of

Go d . W h en T o m m a s o h ad fin i s hed t h e S a in t wis he d ,

t o a d d a fe w w o rd s in c o n firm a t i o n o f w h a t he h a d

s a id . B u t h e h a d s c a rc e ly o pe n ed his mout h befo re

h e bega n t o t r embl e from h e ad t o fo o t an d to w ee p ,

so v eh em en tly t h a t h e c o uld n o t ut ter a word .

I n d eed t hi s w a s s o comm o n wi t h him whe n he wis h ed

t o s p e a k o f t he t hin gs of Go d t h a t if he wan ted t o
,

c o n tin u e h is r e m ark s it w as
,
a b s olut ely n e c ess ary for

h im to b e tak e him s elf to s o m e worldly ill us t ratio n

o r cool p h ilo s o phic argum en t a s it
, were t o dis trac t
h im an d que n c h t h e e xc es s o f his ferv o ur .

I n readin g t h e Lives of t h e S ain t s he s ometim es ,

s h ed tear s at e v e ry word .A prel ate o n e day foun d

him weepin g an d asked him w hy h e did so P hilip to
hid e th e real cau s e s aid a s if in j oke : W h at "
.
, ,

,
may “

I n o t weep w ho am left a poor orp h a n with out fat h er

,

”
or mother ? An oth er tim e An gelo da B agn area
, ,

e n t erin g his room un expectedly fou n d h im readin g ,

th e Live s of the Holy Father s an d s heddi n g flood s ,

 1 68 TH E LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
t he time but as th e n umbe r h ad n o w i n cre a sed t h a t
, ,

a s s i s tan ce w o uld n o t be given to him .

At other tim es w he n he w as read ing or meditating o n

,

t h e Pa s si o n h e w a s s e en t o turn as pale as as h es an d
, ,

h is eye s fill ed wit h t e ar s s o t h a t it moved eve ry o n e

,

t o d e votio n mer ely to lo o k a t him At le n gt h he w as .

'

u n abl e ev en to co n v er s e in privat e o n thi s s ubj ect ;

fo r oft en if h e o n ly h eard t he P as s i o n n am ed h e w as ,

s o overw h elm ed wit h grief t h at he b e came motio n le s s

a n d s p e ec h l es s H e w en t o n e mor n in g to din e wi t h
.

t h e Cardi n al of V e rcelli in t h e r e fe c t o ry of Sa n t a

Pr a s s ed e an d w h e n t he repa s t w a s ov e r an d t h ey had
, ,

re tir ed i n t o a l a rg e r o o m th e S ain t a t th e r equ est o f

, ,

t h e Cardin a l pr o po s ed a s piri t ual qu es tio n m akin g

, ,

t h o s e w h o w e r e pr e s en t give t h e ir O pin io n s upo n it in

t he fo rm o f a c o n fe r en c e At the en d w he n in sum
.
,

m i n g up t he O pi n i o n s t h a t h ad been give n he b ega n ,

t o s peak o f t he l o v e wi t h whic h C h ris t h a d su ffered for

u s h e w a s s o o v e rc o m e wit h t e ar s an d s ig hs t h at he
,

c o uld n o t s peak a word more ; an d whil s t he w as

m aki n g an eff o rt t o ma s t e r himself the Cardi n al , ,

s e ei n g h o w m uc h he s u ffe r ed in timated to him t h a t

,

he n eed n o t go o n .

A n oth e r tim e w he n he was ill t hey brough t him

, ,

some drin k ; he t o o k th e glas s in his h a n d b u t be fo re ,

puttin g it to his mouth bega n to w e ep mo s t bitterly

, ,

“
a n d tr e mblin g all over s aid alo u d : ,
T hou my C h ris t , ,

T hou upo n t he cro s s wert t h ir s ty an d t h ey gav e Thee ,

n ot h i n g but vin egar an d gall to dri n k an d I am in ,

bed wit h s o man y co n ven i en ce s an d se rv ed by s o ,

m an y ge n tl em en w ho s ta n d aroun d m e ; an d re peat
in g t h is the tears s tre amed from h is ey
,
e s an d h e ,

could n o t s wallow th e beverage in s pite of his e fforts

 GIFT OF TEARS 1 69

to do so . On e morn i n g in H oly We ek wh e n h e w as ,

r e adin g th e Pa s s ion in th e ch urc h of S Girolamo h e felt .

,

h im s elf b ei n g carri ed away an d b ega n to m ake viol en t

,

effort s to di s tract h is atte n tio n str etc hi n g th e altar

,

clot h an d pulli n g out a watc h an d s om e k eys T hi s .

was s ucce ss ful for a time but w hen h e cam e t o our

,

Lord s death h e brok e out i n t o lam en t a ti o n s an d t ear s

’

, ,

causin g admirati on an d te n d ern ess in t h e bys tan d er s

an d h e h ad th e greate s t diffi culty in fi n i sh i n g th e
m as s.

Wh en he gav e commu n io n to his s piritual c h ildr en ,

h e s om etim es w e pt s o bitt erly th at h e could h a rdly

c o mmu n icate t he m ; an d w h e n h e w a s givi n g t h e
Bl es s ed Sacram en t to t h e m an d th ey s aw him wit h
,

h is fa c e all bath ed in t e ar s ma n y c o n fes s ed t h at t h ey

,

felt t h em s elve s m ad e partaker s o f h is s pirit so gr ea t ,

w a s t h e devotio n w h ic h t h ey co n c eiv ed by s imply

looki n g at h im Th e h oly m an took s uc h d eligh t in

.

h eari n g th e Divi n e O ffic e s u n g an d li s ten ed wit h s uc h

,

s we et n ess t h at his h e art m el t ed wit h i n h im

, a n d h is ,

eye s s tr e am ed wit h tear s H e w a s o ft en s een at com

.

plin e or matin s in th e c h o ir of the D o min ica n s wit h ,

h is clot h es wet wit h tear s W hen ever h e s aw his

.

per s ecut o rs h e w as i n s tan tly m ov ed to compa ss io n fo r

t h e d elusio n u n der w h ich t h ey labour ed a n d fort h wi t h ,

b eg an t o we e p In a word his h eart w a s s o te n d er

.
, ,

t h at it laid h old of th e s ligh t es t occa s io n in s piri t ual

m att er s an d fo u n d in it an e xcu s e for h oly t ear s His
, .

w eepin g w a s s o co n tin ual th at it pa s s ed fo r a miracl e

t h at h e h ad n ot lo s t his sigh t w h ic h n evert hel es s ,
1 70 THE LI FE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

he u ed good -h u m o u red l
to say rather th an
as s
y ,

fo r a ny n eed b e had of t h e m Aft er his death it

.

plea s ed G od to u s e t h e s e S pectacles as in strume n t s o f

m a ny m iraculo us favours Si s t e r Lucia Maz z an i a
.
,

n un at Sa n ta Lucia in Silic e was a fflic ted w i t h a ,

t e rribl e h e adac h e fo r w hich s h e could fin d n o remedy

, .

Ov e rc o m e wit h pai n s he fl u n g herself upo n her bed

, ,

a n d s eei n g a p a ir of t h e Sain t s s pe ctacles n ear her

’

s he u t t h em o n w ith faith a n d d ev o t io n a n d imme

p ,

d ia tely t he p a i n c e a s ed .

Al t ho ug h P hilip h ad t hi s gift of t e ars in s uc h a n

e mi n e n t d egr e e his h umility did n o t allow h im t o
,

h av e a n y gr e a t es t ee m for it in his o w n c ase He .

u s ed t o s ay W hy e v e n had wom en w eep e as ily fo r

,
“
,

”
li t t l e t hi n g a n d t h at d o es n o t m ak e t h em sain t s
an
y , .

He oft en r e pe a t ed t h at pe rfe cti o n does n o t co n sis t in

t h e se o u t w a rd t h i n g s a n d t h at t ea r s are n o si n tha t
,
g
a m an is in t he grace of God .
 1 72 T HE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

came to him s elf Whe n he we n t out he was for the

.

m o st part s o abstracted that it was n ecessary for ,

some o n e to admo n is h him every time h e w as s alut ed ,

or had to s alut e a ny o n e Sometim es it was n ece s .

s ary to pull him by h is clot he s in order to b ri n g him ,

to him s elf an d t hen h e would make a ges t ure as if

,

j u s t r o u s ed fro m a d eep s l eep He quit e did viole n c e .

t o h im s elf in o rd e r to lo o k like ot he r m en ; an d in

S pit e o f his effo r t s if he gav e way t o his habit of

,

prayer in t he mo s t trifli n g d egree h e immediately ,

b ec a m e t o t ally i m mer s ed in c o n t empl a tio n Once .

a ft e r an a udi e n c e wit h Gr eg o ry XIII he s aid to .

,

F a t he r A n t o n i o Gallo n io an d Fran c es co d ella Molara

, ,

w h o h a d b ee n w a iti n g o u t s id e fo r h im I h ave com “

,

m it t ed a fo lly ; I w a s ab s t ract e d w h en I e n tered t h e

c ha mb e r o f h is H o li n es s a n d go t cl o s e u p to his se a t
,

wi t ho u t k n o wi n g he w a s t he r e or s o muc h as taki n g ,

”
o ff my b e r e t t a .

I n t h e a ft e r n o o n it w as n ece ss a ry to di s tract him ,

l es t th e c o n ti n ual t en s io n s hould b e pr ej udicial to h is

h ea l th . V ery O ft en fro m the same cau s e he w a s
u n able t o s l ee p ; a n d t he n he u s ed to call Fat h e r
A n t o n i o Ga llo n io an d s ay to him ,
“
A n to n io if you , ,

wi s h m e to go to s le ep you k now wh at you mu s t ,

do ; give me s ome bo o k t h at I do no t lik e mea n i ng ,

t h at he was to try by s ome mea n s to divert him from

h is v eh em ent applica t io n to prayer T hu s it w as truly .

h is ow n exp eri en c e w hich h e u s ed to expr es s in t he

“
t hird perso n — t h a t a s oul really e n am o ured of Go d
c o m es to s uc h a pas s a s to b e forc ed to c ry out Lord "
,

”
let me sleep an d agai n t h at he w ho could n o t pray
, ,

j u s t after din n er did n o t look as if h e h ad the true '

”
spirit of prayer .
 FIXED H OURS FOR PRAYER

He always h ad recour s e t o prayer befor e tran s actin g

busi n es s e s pecially if it w a s o f imp o rta n ce ; an d
an
y ,

s uc h w a s th e co n fid en c e in G od w h ic h h e t h u s gai n ed ,

t h at h e would s ay As I h ave time to pray I

,
“
,

h ave an a s s ur ed h o pe of obtai n i n g fr o m our Lord

”
wh atever favour I as k Som e tim es h e co n c eived
“
s o great a co n fid en ce t h at h e w o uld s ay I wi sh
, ,

s uc h a t h in g to turn out in t h i s way an d s uch a ,

”
t h in g in th at way an d s o it w o uld turn out in th e
,

eve n t.

Notwit hs tan din g t h at o wi n g to t h i s h a bit his w ho l e

life migh t b e called o n e c on ti n u o u s pray er P h ilip had ,

certain fixed hours for t h i s ex erci s e In the s umm er .

,

every mor n i n g an d eve n i n g w h en h e w a s n o t h i n d er ed

,

by s om e importan t bu s in es s o r piou s w o rk h e retir ed ,

fo r t h i s purp o s e to th e h igh e s t part o f t h e h o u s e ,

w h en c e h e could s ee th e sky an d th e O p en cou n try .

W h e n he w a s at S Girolamo h e h a d a platfo rm r a i s ed
.

upo n th e r o of an d wh en h e cam e t o th e Vallicella h e

,

h ad a small gall ery mad e h igh up in t h e h o u s e w h ere ,

h e s eclud ed h im s elf for pray er I n th e latt e r year s o f

.

his life h e u sed to go upo n th e roof o f th e c h urc h

, ,

a n d t h ere s pe n d man y h o ur s in spiritual exercis e s .

If h e w as call ed duri n g t h e s e tim es h e w en t dow n ,

imm ed iat ely to t h e per s o n w h o h ad a s ked for h im ,

s ayi n g t h at t h i s w a s n o t r eally leavi n g prayer but ,

o n ly l e avi n g C hri s t for C h ri s t t h at is a s h e explai n ed

, , ,

deprivi n g o ur s elv es of s piritual s weetn e sse s in o rd er t o

gain s o ul s to Chri s t As soo n as h e h ad fi n i shed th e
.

bu s iness for w hich he h ad bee n call ed he return ed ,

up s tairs an d w en t on with his m edita tion ; an d h e’

u s ed to s ay t h at h e fo u n d n o di s tracti on from th e
i n t erruptio n b ut on th e co n trary felt h im s elf more
,
1 74 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

i n flam ed wit h divin e l o ve an d more recollected from

, ,

h avi n g bee n e n gaged in w o rk s o f c h ari ty I n win ter .

h e mad e his prayer a lit t l e aft e r t he Ave M aria an d ,

c o n ti n u ed it for tw o or ev e n t hre e hours w it h a lit tl e ,

lam p befo re his crucifix d a rke n ed o n t he s id e towards

,

h im s elf s o a s to t h r o w all its lig ht o n the figure

,
In .

o rd e r t o be pu n c t u a l a t his m o rn in g pray er before ,

goi n g t o s l e e p he pl a c ed at t he h e a d of h is bed a
watc h o n t he fa c e o f w hic h he c o uld t ell wh at o cl oc k
,
’

it w a s by m e r ely to uc h in g it a figur e o f our Lord ,

d etac hed fro m t h e cros s a n d his b e ad s s o t ha t all w as

, ,

re a dy fo r h im t o b egi n prayin g as s o o n a s h e aw o k e ;

a n d h e did n o t u s ually s l ee p m o r e t h a n fo ur or at t he ,

m o s t fiv e ho ur s .

S o m e tim e s if a ny o n e h a d s e en h im go to bed lat e

, ,

ind e t fo u n d h im ri s e n e arly in t he m o r n in g h e would

y ,

I s l e p t v e ry li t t l e l a s t n ig h t —w h a t d o o u mean
sa
y y ,

w ha t d o yo u m ea n ? T he n if t he o t her ans w ered ,

Fa t he r yo u h av e been pra yin g he w o uld reply T h is

, ,
”

is n o t t he t i m e to s l e e p fo r P a ra di s e is n o t fo r slug
,

”
g a rd s o r s o m e t h in g o f t he kin d W h en he w as hi n dered
,
.

durin g t he day h e s ubtrac t ed t he tim e from his re s t

, ,

a n d d o ubl ed his vigil s H e r e pe a t edly s a id

. I did n o t
s le e p at all la s t n ig h t fo r I w as h i n d er ed ye s terday
, ,

”
a n d I h a d t o mak e it up durin g t h e n ig h t ; a n d if

n atur e w as s o m e tim es w eig h ed d o w n by wa n t of re s t ,

h e kept h im s elf aw a k e by kn o t t i n g an d u n kn o t t i n g a
cord At s om e s ea s o n s of th e y ear as at t he m o re
.
,

s ol e m n fe as t s a n d in urg en t s piri t u a l n e ce ss i t ie s public

, ,

o r privat e he g a v e h im s e lf up mor e t h a n ordin arily t o

,

prayer ; but ab o v e a ll duri n g Holy W eek w h en h e ,

w a s accustomed for ma n y y e a r s to remain in pray er

, ,

a t t h e Se pulc h r e fr o m a ft er ma s s o n T h ur s day mor n

1 76 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

to s ay they ough t n o t to b e read i n di s crim in ately by

all — th e Imi t atio n o f C hri s t the Life of S t Ca th erin e
, ,
.

of Si en a an d ab ove all t h at of t he Bl es sed Jo hn

, ,

Colombin i t h e work s of F a t her Luis de G re n ada a n d

"
, ,

t he uiv er of Divin e L o v e by S erafin o da Fermo .

He g en erally r e ad ev ery d ay a c h a p t er of t h e Live s

o f t h e H o ly Fat h er s a n d o f Li
’
o m a n s Live s of t he
pp ,

Sai n ts Of t h e di ffere n t b o oks o f H o ly Scripture h e

.
,

h a d a p a r t icular liki n g fo r t he Epi s t l es of St Paul ; .

but in o rd er t o mak e h is r e adi n g o f t h em fr uitful he ,

r e ad s l o w ly an d pau s i n gly a n d w hen he felt hims elf ,

m o v e d by w h at h e r e ad we n t n o fur t h e r but s topped , ,

t o p o n d er t h e t e x t ; w hen t h e fe eli n g s ub s ided h e re

s u m e d his r ea di n g a n d t h u s w en t o n wit h pas s ag e

,

a ft e r pa s s ag e I t w a s a g e n eral ma xim of his es pe c i

.
,

ally fo r t he membe r s o f h is o w n C o n gregatio n an d for ,

o t he r s w h o a re c a ll ed t o mi n i s t er t h e \Vo rd o f God tha t ,

b o th fo r pray er a n d fo r s t udy t h ey s hould r ead c hi efly th e

a u t h o r s w h o s e n am es b egi n wi t h S t h at is S t Augu s .
, , .

t i n e St Gr eg o ry S t Bern ard a n d o t h er Sain ts

,
.
,
.
,
.

H e w a s a n xi o u s t h a t p eopl e s h o uld n o t go from prayer

w e ari ed a n d s icke n ed b u t rat her wi t h s weet n ess an d a
,

d es ire to r e t ur n t o it an d t h erefore h e us ed t o teach all ,

but e s pecially t h o s e w h o could n o t make pro lo n ged medi

t a tio n s oft en to lift up t h eir min d s to God in ej ac ulatory
,

prayer s a few of w h ich w e h ave t h ough t it n o t out of plac e

,

to subj oin s o me in Latin an d some in the vern acular

,
.

L A TIN EJ A C U L ATI ON S
Cor mu n dum crea in me Deus et s pirit um rectum ,

i n n ova in visceribus meis .

Deus in adjut oriu m meum in te n de : Domin e ad

adj uvan dum me festin a .
 PIOUS . E JACULATIONS 1 77

Doc e me fa c ere v ol u n t at em tuam .

Domin e n e te ab s c on d as mih i
, .

Domin e vim patior ; r es po n d e pro m e .

Ego s u m via v eritas et vita ; dixit Domi n u s

, ,
.

Fiat volun tas t ua s ieut in c oel o et in t err a ,

.

J e s u s is mi h i J es us
, .

Om n is valli s im pl eb itu r et o m n is m o n s et colli s

, ,

h u m il iab it ur .

Verbum caro factum es t , (to fr e e m e from th e fl esh ) .

Ne n os in d u c as in t en t a tio n em .

Ne rem in is c aris D o min e in iqu it at u m m ea ru m (fo r

, , ,

Thy mo s t h oly Pa ss i o n s s ak e )
’

"
.

uan do te d iliga m filial i am o r e ?

San cta Tri n itas u n u s D eu s mi s er er e n o bi s
, ,
.

Tui a m oris in me ign em a cce n d e .

M aria mater gr a ti ae mater m is eric o rd iee tu n os a b

, ,

h o s te prot ege et h ora morti s s u s c ipe

, .

As s um pt a Maria in c oelum g a ud en t An g eli , .

EJ A C U L AT IO N S IN T HE VE R NA C UL AR
I kn ow T hee n o t yet my J es us becau s e I d o n o t
, ,

s ee k T h ee .

My Je s u s what s h all I do if T h ou d o s t n o t aid m e

,

My J es us w h at c an I d o to pl ea s e The e ?
,

My J es us wh at c an I d o to fulfil Thy will ?

,

My J es u s give m e grac e to s erv e T hee n ot fo r fear

, , ,
 1 78 THE LIFE OF ST ‘

. PHI LIP NERI

My J es u s I h ave n ev e r lov ed T h ee ye t but I would

, ,

fa i n lov e T hee n o w .

I s h a ll n ev e r l o ve T he e if Thou do s t n o t help m e ,

m
y J esus .

I w o uld fai n lov e T h e e my J es u s but I k n ow n o t , ,

ho w .

I s e ek T hee an d d o n o t fin d T h ee m y J es u s , .

My J es u s if I did but k n o w T he e I should also

, ,

k n o w mys elf .

If I s h o uld d o all th e go o d in th e world what ,

w o uld it b e w ort h after all 0 my J es u s ? ,

I s h all fa ll my J es u s if T ho u uph old m e n o t

, ,
.

My J es u s if T ho u would s t h av e m e cl ear away all

, ,

t h e h i n dr a n c e s w h ic h k e ep me from T hee .

My L o rd I wi s h to l e arn the r o ad t o Heave n

,
.

My Je s u s wi thou t Thy h elp I kn ow n o t what t o

,

sa
y or do .

My J es u s if T ho u help me n o t I am rui ned

, , .

O my J es u s gran t th a t I m ay n ever o ffe n d T hee

, .

O my Bl es s ed L ady giv e me grace ever to re ,

m e m b e r T h ee .

H e u s ed a s l o to teach h is c h ildre n to sa
y Deus in
,

ad utor ium
j m eu m inten de : Dom in e ad a d uva nd u m
j
fes tina or a n,y other of the above ej aculatio n s sixty ,

t hree time s in th e fa s hio n of a rosary j ust as we h ave

, ,

e xplai n ed with regard to tho s e to our Lady Fat h er .

Fran ce s co Zaz z ara s aid t hat the Sain t used to prais e

mo s t high ly the s e ej aculatory pr ayers a n d used to ,

teach them to him at di ffere n t time s of the year ,

makin g him s ay on e at on e time an d a n oth er a t

an oth er an d t h at h e gai n ed imme n se help from
,

t h em I t is also s aid that he suggested to some o f

.
1 80 T HE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

for to de s ir e to giv e ourselv es to praye r without

mor ti ficatio n is like a bird tryin g t o fly before it is
fl edged H en ce w hen o n e o f his pe ni t en ts asked him
.
,

Be hu m bl e
“
t o teac h him ho w t o pray he repli ed , ,

a n d o bedi en t , a n d t h e Holy G ho s t will teac h you .

He u s ed al s o to s ay t ha t n o o n e could arriv e at t h e
c o n templ a t iv e life w ho ha d n o t firs t dilig en tly exer
,

c is ed him s elf in t he a ctiv e life He in s tructed all .

,

b u t e s pe ci a lly t ho s e w ho w ere b eginn e rs in t h e s piritu a l

life t ha t it is a gr ea t h elp t o prayer t o r e ad O fte n
, ,

d evo u t b o o k s an d t he Live s o f th e Sain t s ; addi n g

ho w ev e r t h a t t hey w e r e n o t to read o u t o f curio s ity ,

o r in a h urry but wi t h pau s es an d a li tt l e a t a tim e

, , ,

s t o ppi n g a w h il e w h en ev e r t h ey fo u n d th e m s elv es
m o v ed t o c o mpu n c ti o n o r d ev o t i o n He s aid th at .

w e o ug h t t o ob ey t he s pirit w hic h God gives in

r ay er ; an d w h en for e xampl e He dr aws u to

p , s ,

m e di t a t e on t h e P as s i o n w e oug h t n o t t o go o n
,

t ryi n g t o m e dit a t e o n s o me ot h er mys t ery Als o that .

w h en w e go t o c o mm u n i o n we o ug h t to fo ll o w t he
,

s piri t w e h ad in o u r pray e r an d n o t c as t a b out for

,

n ew th o ug h t s . He s aid t h at w h en w e have be gun to

as k s o m e fa vo ur from G od w e ought n o t to l eave O ff
,

prayi n g s im ply becau s e He d elays to gr an t it but

, ,

s till s triv e to o btai n it by t h e s a m e m e a n s He us ed .

to add t h at w h en a S piritual pers o n e xperi en c es great

calm n e s s in prayi n g for a ny grace it is a good S ign ,

t h at G od ei t h er h as gran t ed or will s oo n gran t t he

,

petitio n .

He exhorted his children to de s ire to do great

t h in g s for G od an d n o t to be co n t en t wit h ordin ary
,

good n ess b ut to wis h to s urpas s if it were possibl e

, , ,

even S t Peter an d St
. Paul in san ctity an d lov e ; for
.
 NECESSITY OF PRAY E R 1 8 1

though it be n o t po s s ibl e for m an to a ttain t h is it is ,

a t l e as t w ell to effe ct in h oly d es ir e s w h a t w e can n o t

a ccompli s h in act No on e m o reov er o ugh t to t h i n k

.
, ,

h e h as do n e an yg oo d or be co n t en t ed wit h th e degr ee
,

of p erfection to w h ic h h e m ay h av e arriv ed h o w ev e r ,

h ig h it b e b ecau s e C h ri s t h a s giv en u s t he fo rm o f
,

o u r perfectio n in putti n g b e fo r e u s t h a t o f t he E t e r n al

F at her Be ye p erfect ev en a s y o ur h eav en ly F at he r

,
“
,

is p erfe ct .

H e re comm en de d his p en it en t s w h en en gag ed in ,

praye r n o t to fix t h eir eyes to o i n t en tly on pictur es

,

a n d image s or gaz e at t h e m fo r l o n g tog et h er ; fo r

,

t h i s s aid h e n o t o n ly h urt s t he h ead but O p en s t h e

, , ,

way t o illu s i on s as w ell t h rough t h e w eakn es s o f t he

,

s igh t a s t h roug h t h e mac h i n a t io n s o f t h e d evil

,
In .

t h e tim e o f s piritu a l dryn es s h e a dvi s ed a s a n e xc ell en t

r em edy t h a t w e sh o uld pictur e ours elv es as b egg ars in
t h e pr e s en c e of God an d of t h e S ai n t s a n d go as s uc h ,

fro m on e S ai n t to an o t h e r to as k S piritu a l al m s o f
,

t h em with th e sam e urg en cy as b eggars in t he s tr eet s

,
.

He s aid it w as s o m etim es w ell to d o t h i s ev en in a

bodily way goi n g fir s t to th e c h urc h o f one S a in t an d
, ,

t hen to th e c h urc h of a n oth er to as k t h is h oly alm s ,

.

He r ecomm en d ed al l but p a rticularly b egi n n ers t o

, ,

m editat e on th e F o ur L as t T hin g s an d h e u s ed to s ay ,

t h at h e w h o do es n o t go dow n i n t o h ell w h en h e is
aliv e run s a gre at ris k o f goin g t h er e w h en h e is
,

d ead H e admo n is h ed his s ubj ect s n ev er t o aban do n

.

t h e e v en i n g pr ay e r a n d di s cipli n e a t th e Oratory ; he

e x h ort ed a l l t o r ecomm en d t h e m s elv es t o t h e pr a ye r s

o f ot he rs ; a n d w h en a n o n e as k ed h is pr a y er s h
y e ,

n o t o n ly u s ed to pr a y fo r h im h i m s elf b u t go t o t h er s ,

t o do th e s am e To expr es s t he n ec es s i ty o f pray er he
.
,
1 82 THE LIFE OF ST . PHI LIP NERI

s aid that a m an without prayer was an an imal witho ut

r e as o n . His physicia n s o n ce forb ade his makin g
me n tal prayer o n acco un t of his health an d thoug h ,

h e s tr o ve to obe y yet as almost his whole time w as

,

giv en to it he c o uld n o t e xist wi thou t it an d he said

Ah me "
, ,

t o Gall o nio w h o w as wit h h im An to nio I

“

s e em to my s elf to h av e becom e a beas t " Lastly h e

, , ,

d e clared t h a t t he re is n o t hi n g whic h t h e devil fears

s o muc h o r s o m uc h trie s t o hi n d e r as prayer
,
In .

t hi s m a tter P hilip w as s o h ig h ly privileg e d a n d ill u m i

n a t ed by God t h a t h e kn e w w he n a m an had mad e

,

h is pray e r in t he morn i n g o r n o t .

By t he he lp o f t he s e an d o th e r in s tructio n s his ,

p en it en t s a n d di s cipl e s m a d e s uch progr ess in this

e x e rci s e t h a t n o t r e ligi o u s o n ly b u t s ecular pers o ns
, , ,

a r t i s a n s m e rcha n t s p hy s ici an s la w y er s an d courti e rs

, , , , ,

rea c hed a h ig h d egr ee o f s pirituali ty u n der his direc

t i o n an d be cam e s uc h m e n o f prayer as to r e ceiv e
, ,

t he rei n e x t ra o rdin ary fa vou rs from God l e adin g in , ,

t h e mid s t o f t h e ir t e m po ral O ccupatio n s a life as pur e ,

a n d d ev o u t as t he mo s t fe rve n t re l igious in their

mo n as t erie s .
1 84 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

great s in n e rs an d p ers o ns wit h i n veterate habi ts of

,

vice fell i n to his han d s at fi rs t h e o n ly required of ,

t h e m t o ab s tain from mortal s in s an d t h en l ittle by ,

littl e c o n duct ed t h em to t h a t h eigh t of vi rtu e whic h

h e h ad in vi ew .

A p en it en t w en t t o co n fess to him w ho w as so ,

de eply imm er s ed in a particul ar s in th at he fell alm o s t

e v ery d a Th e S a i n t g a v e h im o o t h er pe a n ce
y . n n

t h a n t o c o m e to c o n fes s io n immediately afte r eac h

fa ll an d n ev er t o w a it fo r a s e c o n d mi s fortun e The
, .

p en i te n t ob ey ed an d P hilip al w ay s g av e him abso lu

,

t i o n s imply r en e wi n g t h e s am e pe n a n ce a n d by t h i s
, ,

o n e m e a n s g a v e h im s uc h r e a l a s s i s ta n ce th a t in a ,

fe w m o n t h s h e w a s e n t ir ely fre e n o t o n ly from tha t ,

s in ,
b u t fr o m m a n y o t h er s b es id e s an d in a S h or t ,

t im e a t t a i n ed s uc h p erfe c t i o n t hat t h e h oly F a t her ,

h i m s elf d e cl a r e d h e h a d b ec o m e a n an gel .

Wi th s imil a r s w eet n es s he co n vert ed a diss olu te

y o u t h by o n ly b eggi n g him to s ay the Salve Regin a
,

s ev en tim e s a d a a n d t h en to kiss t h e grou n d re

y , ,

e a t in T o -m o rr o w p er h aps I may b e dead Th

“
p g , e

yout h ob eyed him an d in a s hort time began to lead

,

a m os t exc ell en t life a n d fo urte en y ea rs after died ,

w i t h s ig n s of great d ev o ti o n .

An oth er call ed Dom en ico Sarace n i of Co ll es c epo li

, , ,

we n t to co n fes s i o n t o th e Sai n t ; h e h ad always been

accu s tomed at hom e t o giv e s om e thi n g t o his c o n
, ,

fos s or ; an d w hen he h ad fi n is h ed his co n fess io n fin din g ,

t h at he h ad n o mo n ey about him h e said Pard o n ,

“

”
me fat her ; I h ave br o ugh t n o m o n ey with m e
,
.

P hilip s mil ed an d s aid Come n o w ins te ad o f th e

,
“
,

mo n ey yo u w ere goi n g to giv e m e prom ise that yo u ,

will retur n to me n ext Saturday The pe n ite n t .

 ’
THE SAINT S PENITENTS 1 85

r eturn ed an d after a littl e tim e b ecame so take n wit h

, ,

P hilip s s we et n e s s t h at h e put h im s elf u n d er his d irec

’

tio n an d b ecame a v ery piou s m an goi n g to c o n fes s i o n

, ,

an d commu n io n at l e a s t o n ce a we ek .

I n th e y e a r I 5 6 2 a y o ut h n am ed Gi o van ni T o mm as o
,

Are n a o f C a t a n z aro w en t v ery o ften to the s erm o n s a t

S Gir o lam o It w a s h ow ev er m o r e to make gam e
. .

o f th e e x erci s es t h a n wi th a n y s eri o u s i n t en ti o n o f
,

tur n i n g t o God S o m e of t he br o t hers of th e Or a t ory

.

p erc eiv ed t h i s an d b ei n g i n dig n an t at h is c o n duc t

, ,

m en tio n ed it t o th e h o ly fat h er in o rd er t h at h e migh t ,

”
apply s o m e remedy Hav e a littl e p a ti en c e h e
.
“
,

a n s w er ed a n d do n o t b e afraid
, Gi o v an n i T o m m a s o .

s till we n t o n tur n i n g th e fr e qu en t er s o f th e Orat o ry

i n t o ridicul e wit h out s h o wi n g an y s ig n s o f am en d

,

m en t The S ain t h o w ev er w o uld n ot all o w a w o rd

.

’
t o be s aid to h im Th e g o od fat h er s p a ti en c e w a s
.

n o t in vai n Littl e by li ttl e th e yout h w a s s o ften ed

.

by th e w o rd o f Go d an d P hilip s i n c es s an t pr ay er s ’
.

He began t o reflect upo n h is mi s co n duct an d c o n ,

c eiv ed s uc h c o n triti o n t h at h e gav e h im s elf up en tir e ly

i n to P hilip s h a n d s a n d grew s o ferv en t t h a t by th e

’

, ,

h o ly fa t h er s c o u n s el h e en ter ed i n t o t h e o rd er o f St
’
.

Domi n ic an d di ed a h oly d ea t h duri n g h is n o viciat e

,
.

A yo u n g N eap o litan n am ed Pi etr o F o cil e a m an o f ,

irr egular life an d muc h giv en t o u n s ea s on abl e j es ti n g

,

a n d buffo o n ery w a s broug h t on e day to t h e e x e rci s es

,

a t S Gir o lamo
. W h e n h e e n t er ed dr es s ed in a wh im
.
,

s ic al fash i on h e p erc eived t h at t h e S ain t k ept his

,

ey es co n ti n ually up o n h im ; e v ery l o o k s ee m ed to go

t h rough him like a dart an d h e fe lt t hat P hilip w as ,

a ctually r e adi n g his s ecr e t s i ns He h ea rd th e dis .

c o ur s es an d a s s i s t ed at all t h e e x e rci s e s o f th e Ora t ory

1 86 TH E LIFE O F ST PHILIP NERI .

t h at day ; and they took such h old of him t hat he ,

s e e med to hav e sudde n ly c h an ged his n at ufe an d ,

become a di ffe ren t m an Whe n he we n t out his .

,

c o m pan i o n s as k ed him w h at had h ap pe n ed to him ,

fo r h e did n o t s eem lik e t he s ame pe rs o n A we ek .

pass ed an d t he work w as m e an w h ile g o i n g o n in his

,

h eart an d a t las t h e d e t e rmin ed t o make a good

,

c o n fes s i o n He w e n t to S Gir o lamo an d placed him

. .
,

s elf n e ar t h e S a i n t s c o n fes s i o n al in o rd e r to co n fess ;

’

but P hilip pr et en d ed t o t a k e n o a cc o u n t o f him an d ,

w h en h e h ad fi nis he d c o n fes s in g t he o t hers told him ,

t o r e turn a n o th e r tim e for t h a t h e c o uld n o t h e ar

,

h im t h e n H e tr e a t ed h im in t h i s way ev e ry t ime he
.

c a m e a n d w en t o n put t i n g him o ff a n d biddin g him

, ,

r e t urn fo r t w o w ho l e m o n t hs a lw ay s s ayin g to him

, , ,

”
I c an n o t he a r yo u ; c o m e ag a in But the more th e .

S a i n t m o rtifi ed him t he m o r e an xiou s w as Pietro t o

,

r e t urn to h im At las t w he n P hilip s aw t h e tim e

.
,

w as c o m e h e he a rd his c o n fe s s io n to his gr e at jo y
, ,

a n d from t h at tim e Pi e tr o b e came o n e of his m o s t

fe rv e n t p enit en t s He w as o n ce m akin g t he visit o f

.

t h e S e v en C h urc hes in c o mpa n y wit h t he S ain t an d ,

w he n th ey w er e a t St Sebas tian s Pietro wis hed t o

.
’

k n eel down to make his co n fe s s io n but the Sain t s aid ,

to him Get up fro m h e re an d go to Fat he r Pompeo

,
“
.

He did s o wh e r e upo n P h i lip aro s e an d s aid to Father

,

”
Pom pe o Do n o t c o n fes s t hi s fellow
,
“
Pi et ro th en
w en t back to t he Sain t who s aid I do n o t kn o w , ,
“

you . At las t ho w e ver he h eard his co n fes s io n b u t ,

would n o t let him h av e commun io n In t he ev ening .

h e s e n t for him an d co n so led him ; for what he had

do n e w as in ord er to r e fin e him by mean s o f m ortific a ~
t io n . Philip p roph es ied to him that he w o uld die
‘
the exercis es fo r fo ur o r five days m ade a ge n eral ,

co n fes s io n duri n g wh ich P hilip k e pt his eyes fi xed o n

,

h e ave n an d tr embli n g in h is u s ual m an n er di s clo s ed

, ,

t o t h e y o u n g m an t h e s e cr e t s o f his h e art an d m an i ,

fes t ed t o h im h is s i n s . B e fo r e givin g h im abs o luti o n

h e fell up o n h is n e ck a n d s aid
,
O my s o n d o n o t
,
“
,

”
r es i s t t h e H o ly Gh o s t ; Go d w i s hes to s ave yo u .

M a rc ell o w en t o n goi n g t o him ev e ry day an d th ough ,

a t fir s t h e did n o t l e a v e o ff dr es s in g in h is u s ual way ,

P hilip n ev er s aid a w o rd t o h im o n t he s ubj ect b ut ,

o n ly t o o k c a r e by pr a y e r a n d o t h e r m e a n s t o e xci t e

h im m o r e a n d m o r e t o c o mpu n cti o n At l en gt h a ft e r
.
,

fift e en o r S ixt e en d ay s t he cl e ric b ecam e as h am ed o f

his d re s s a n d ab a n d o n e d it o f his o w n accord an d
, ,

t hen givi n g h im s e lf up e n t ir ely t o t h e h oly fat h e r

, ,

b ec a m e o n e o f his m o s t i n t imat e an d favouri t e

p en it en t s .

By t h i s m e t h o d h e br o ug h t back an al m o s t in fi n i t e
n umb e r o f s i n n e r s t o t he pat hs o f h o li n es s Th e y .

ack n o wl edg ed t h at u n d e r God t h ey ow ed t he ir s alva

ti o n t o him a n d m a n y o f t h e m at t he ho ur o f d e at h
,

e xclaimed Bl es s ed b e t he d ay a n d hour in wh ic h I
“

cam e to kn o w Fat h e r P hilip " Ot he rs as t o n is hed at

,

”
,

t h e gr e at c o n v e r s io n s he effected s aid F a t h e r P h i li p
, ,

draw s s o ul s as t he load s to n e dr aw s ir o n a n d n o s o o n e r ,

do es an y o n e go to co n fess i o n to him t h an h e se em s ,

”
to b e co n s trai n ed to go ag a in .On th e oth e r han d ,

P h ilip was gr e atly dis ple as ed with c o n fes s ors w h o

m ad e the path of virtu e t o o difficult e s pecially t o ,

p en it en t s rece n tly c o n vert ed He could n o t e n dur e

.

t h at t hey should exas pe rate t h em wit h hars h r ebuk es ,

a n d by alarmi n g t h em at th e difficulties of r e tur n in g

,

t o G od , m ake t h em aban d o n th eir co nfess i on an d

 T HE SAINT ON DRESS

pers ev ere in th eir s i n s H e would have them com

.

pas s io n at e th eir pe n it en t s s eek t o gain t h em by s we et

,

n es s a n d love c o n d es c en d to t h e m a s far a s ever t h ey

,

p o s s ibly could an d e mpl o y ev ery device of c h arity t o

,

draw t h em to th e lov e of G od .

For th e s am e r eas on h e n ev er i n veig hed in an

e xagg e rated way agai n s t c ertain van iti es in clot h es
a d
n h ead dre s s to w hic h wom en n o t u n frequ en tly giv e
-
,

way He di ss e mbled as muc h as h e could s o as t o

.
,

bri n g t h em th e more r eadily lat er o n t o th e en d h e

h ad in view . He s aid t h at w e must s o m e tim es b ear
wit h t hes e defect s in o t he rs j u s t as w e a re oblig ed ,

again s t our ow n will to b ear wit h d efect s in o urs elv es ;

“
h e u s e d to s ay O n ly l et a little d evoti o n g ai n
,

admi t tan ce i n t o t h eir h e art s an d t h en yo u may l eav e

,

t h em to t h e m s elv es ; t h ey will s o on d o a ll or m o r e
”
t h an all you wi s h T h u s a l ady on e day as k ed him
.
,

if it w as a s in to w ear s h o es with v ery high h eel s

’
t h e S a i n t o n ly a n s w e red Tak e car e yo u d o n t fall
“
.
,

On e o f h is pe n it en ts u s ed t o w ear a collar wit h an

i n o rdi n at ely larg e ru ff : P hilip touc hi n g him ligh tly
Ah "
,

o n th e n e ck ,
s aid ,
I s ho uld car es s yo u a go o d
“

deal often er t h an I do if t h i s collar did n o t hurt my

,

h an d s . T he lady l e ft o ff h er h igh s h o es an d th e ,

ge n tl e man took th e ru ff o ff his collar .

For th e s ame purpo s e o f drawi n g s oul s to t h e s ervic e

o f God h e k e pt th e door o f h is room alway s o p en s o ,

t h at h e w as at th e s ervic e of ev ery o n e w h o c a m e ;
a n d w h e n an o n e w o uld h av e r e tired throug h r es pect
y ,

h e took him by t h e h an d an d dr ew h im in H e re .

s e rved n eit h er t im e n o r plac e w h ich h e could call h is

o w n but wi s h ed ev ery o n e to c o m e in eve n w h e n h e

, ,

was un w ell ; a n d in t he ev en i n g even t hough he had ,

1 9 0 T HE LIFE OF ST PHI LIP NERI
‘

go n e to b ed to r es t him s elf he gave au di en ce to all ,

who came an d would n o t h av e an y on e go away wi th

,

o u t co n solatio n He t h us at tac h ed pe ople to him in

.

s uc h a way t h at t h er e w as n ot h i n g t h ey would n o t

mo s t willi n gly h ave d o n e fo r him He wo ul d o n n o .

”
accou n t allow any o n e to s ay Philip is re s tin g or ,
“
, ,

“ ”
h e doe s n o t wi s h to be d is t urb ed On e day An to nio .

Gall o n io prev en ted a p er s o n from e n teri n g as t h e h our ,

s e em ed u n s eas o n able ; but w h en Phili p heard o f it h e ,

r ebuk ed h im s ev e r ely a n d said : Have I n o t told yo u

,
“

”
t h at I wi s h to h a v e n o tim e or hour for my o w n ?

A n o t h er t im e Fran c es co Zaz z ara s hut t he Sai n t s room ’

t h a t h e mig h t n o t b e di s turb ed ; Phi lip perc eivin g ,

t h a t s om e o n e w as waiti n g fo r h im call ed Fran cesco , ,

a n d g a v e h im a s evere r e priman d in t he pre s e n ce o f ,

t he pe r s o n whom h e had kept w aitin g At other .

tim es h e w o uld go u n expect edly i n to the room of som e

fa th e r w h er e h e th o ug h t there migh t be some o n e
,

waiti n g fo r him ; an d if it w as s o he would s harply

r ebuke t h o s e w ho s e bu s i n es s it w as t o have told him .

Noth i n g gav e him greater d is pl e asur e t h an to hear

t h a t an y o n e h ad bee n i n co n ve n i en c ed by h avin g to

wait fo r him On o n e occ as io n s o me pe rs o ns said to

.

He
”
him ,
Fath er d o n o t make your s elf s o commo n
“
,
.

an s wered I tell you that t h o s e of my pe n ite n ts w ho

,
“
,

a re n o w the mo s t s piritual are j u s t t h o s e whom I hav e

,

gai n ed to the Lord by layin g myself out eve n at n igh t

fo r t h eir co n ver s io n ; an d re s t as s ured t h at n othin g
bri n g s s o muc h c o n s olatio n an d s weet n e s s to s o uls
t h at lov e G od as leavin g C hri s t for Christ
.
, .
”

But Phi lip was n o t co n t en t with s tayin g in t he

c h urc h to hear co n fe ss io n s an d receivi n g in his room all
,

w h o c h o s e to come to him
. though by these me an s he
,
 “
ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN ”
1 9 1

r eap ed an abun dan t h arve s t of s oul s He n ever s par ed .

h im s elf in an y ot h er ki n d of toil w h atev e r it mig h t

,

be s o lo n g as it w as in th e s ervic e o f s o ul s H e t h o ugh t
, .

n o t h i n g o f rai n or wi n d h e a t o r cold o r ri s k s o f an
,
y ,

s o rt , t ho ugh t hey in v o lved life o r r e putati o n if h e ,

could but co n v ert a s i n n er an d draw a s o ul t o C hri s t .

H e w as o n c e i n form ed t h at a yo ut h at court w a s in
gr eat dan g er o f bei n g as s ass i n at ed b ecau s e o f a lady o f
h igh ran k in R o m e an d t h at alt h o ugh s ev e ral pr elat es
,

h ad do n e all in t h eir pow e r t h ey could n o t turn t h e

,

youn g m an from h is pervers e i n t en ti o n P hilip s en t .

fo r him ,
a n d wit h h is u s ual d e xt e ri t y a n d pati en c e ,

i n duced him t o ackn owl edg e his err o r s o fully that ,

h e n o t o n ly gave up h is en t erpri s e but eve n ab s tai n e d

,

fr o m pas s in g th e lady s h ou s e for t w o y ears tog et h e r

’
.

T h i s r es olutio n h e k ept s o fai th fully t h at in a ecom ,

pan yi n g a gr eat pri n c e in h is carriag e w hic h h e did ,

frequ en tly wh e n t h ey cam e n e ar t h at s tre et h e a s k ed

,

leave to r etire : s o effi caci o u s w er e P hilip s word s o r ’

perh ap s rat h er P h ilip s pray er s

’
.

I n fin e h e w a s all t h i n g s to all m en
,
He s uit ed .

h im s elf to t h e h igh an d th e l o wly t o th e you n g an d ,

th e old s ubj e ct s an d pr el a t es l e ar n e d an d ig n oran t

, , .

H e r ec eived tho s e w h o w er e s tran g er s to h im as

ki n dly as if they h ad be en h is o w n c h ildre n an d ,

e mbrac ed them wit h as muc h love an d c h arity a s if

h e h ad b ee n l o n g exp ecti n g t h em Wh e n he w as .

call ed upo n t o be m erry h e w as s o ; if t h ere w as a

,

d em an d upo n h is sympat h y h e w as equ ally r eady

, .

He gav e th e s ame welc o m e to al l care s s i n g the po o r

,

e qually wit h t h e ric h an d labouri n g in t h e s ervic e o f

,

a ll to th e utmo s t limits of h is pow er I n co ns eque n c e

.

o f h is b ei n g s o acce s s ible a n d s o r e ady to receive all

,
1 9 2 THE LIFE OF ST PHI LIP NERI .

comers man y we n t to him every day an d s om e c o n

, ,

t in u ed for t h e space of t h irty n ay fort y year s to vi s it

, ,

him v ery oft en both morn i n g an d eve n in g ; s o t h at

his r o o m w en t by th e n ame o f t h e Sc hool of San ctity ,

a n d the S h elter of C hri s tia n Mir t h .

Alt ho ugh by t h es e w a ys of his he r e aped gr ea t ,

fruit in t h e co n v e r s io n a n d e d ific ation of s o uls ther e ,

w er e no t w a n t i n g m en w ho c en s ur ed an d s everely
r e pr o v ed h im a n d t h a t n o t o n ly a m o n g th e worldly
, ,

but amo n g t ho s e o f e xc ell en t a n d e v en holy live s .

E xp eri en c e h ow ev e r s ho w ed t ha t P hilip reaped m o r e

frui t by his g en tle n es s t h an t h ey did by t h e ir s ev e rity
a n d s t rict n e s s T es e o Ra s pa a pri es t an d co n fe ss or at
.
,

S Gir o l a m o a h o ly m an but s o mewhat rigid did n o t

.
, , ,

a ppr o v e o f P h ilip s g en tl e n e s s a n d easi n e s s in t h e c o n

’

fe s s io n al s o u n lik e h is o w n pr a c t ic e
,
But alt ho ugh h e .

h ad ma n y p en it e n t s at fir s t n e a rly all of t h e m soo n

,

ab a n d o n ed him w he r e as Philip s n umb e r s w ell ed daily :

,
’

a n d it is a fa c t w e ll w o r t h r e c o rdin g that s o m e of his ,

p en it en t s n o twit h s t an din g t h at h e o n ly all o wed t h em

,

t o c o m e t o c o n fes s io n o n ce a we e k a n d very oft en ,

l es s fr e qu en tly s t ill b ecau s e of t he ir s tudi es o r o t he r

d uti es w e r e m o r e advan c ed and b et ter g rou n ded in
, , .

t h e S piritual life t h a n th e p en it e n t s of ot h e rs .

Y et Philip k n ew how to em pl o y rigour an d s everity ,

wh en he s aw t h at it was n ece ss ary an d act ed with ,

a firm n e s s whic h s h o wed t h at h e w as abl e to rule n o t

o n ly t h o s e o f his Co n gregatio n or pe n ite n t s of a yi e ld
in g di s po s itio n but eve n t h e mo s t s tubbor n c h aract e r s
,
.

He w as o n c e s en t fo r by t h e compan y o f th e Miseri
cordia to atte n d a crimin a l w h o w as goin g to be exe
o uted ,
and w h o ob s ti n at ely r es isted all att e mpt s to
co n vert him t h ough m an y members of the com pan y
, ,
 CHAPT E R VI I
P H I L I P S W O NDE R FU L w a r or KEE PIN G Y O UNG
P E O P L E F RO M v 1 c 1;

PH I L I P k n ew v e ry w e ll t h a t m e n m o s tly c a rry to t he
gr a v e t he s i n ful ha bit s fo rm ed in yo ut h He n c e .

a l t h o ug h h e w as a n xi o u s t o turn a ll ki n d s o f peopl e

fr o m s in he labo ured wi t h a s pe cial z e al fo r t he

,

c o n v e rs i o n a n d pe rs evera n c e o f yo un g m en s edulous ly ,

i n v en t i n g w ay s o f kee pin g t he m fr o m o ffe n din g Go d ,

a n d i n s i n ua t i n g i n t o t h e ir h e art s t h e de s ir e o f virtu e .

Ev e n w he n h e h ad r e ac h ed a n adva n c ed age an d ,

his s t r e n g t h w as n e arly e x h aus ted by his gr ea t labo urs ,

t he h o ly m a n w as s till t o be s ee n g o i n g abo ut t he

s tr e e t s o f R o me wi t h a trai n o f y o u n g m e n c o n ve rs in g ,

wi th t he m o n a l l s ort s o f s ubj e cts acc o rd in g to th e ir

di fferen t pr o fes s i o n s makin g th em aff ecti o n a te o n e
,

t o ward s a n o t h er an d w in n in g the ir r ev e r en c e an d lov e

,

t oward s him s elf . So metime s he l e ft his pray e rs an d

w en t dow n t o s po rt an d ban te r wit h t he youn g m en
an d ot h e rs w h o fl o cked to him as w e l e arn from ,

Cardin al C res c en z i an d by his s w eet n es s an d t he

,

allurem en t s of his c o n ve rs atio n to keep t h e m c heerful

,

and w in t h e ir s o uls . He v e ry o ft en t o o k t h em
to s om e O pen gro u n d an d t he r e s et t hem play
,

in g together at mall o r s om e s imilar gam e He .

g en erally began t h e game him s e lf but aft e rward s ,

retired to s om e t h icket o r hillock e it h e r to read o r , ,

1 94
 HE WINS MEN TO VIRTUE 1 95

to meditat e on s om e p o i n t o f the Pas s1 on Fo r t h i s .

purpo s e h e u s ually carri ed ab o ut with h im a l ittl e

book co n tai n in g n o t h in g but th e en d s o f t he four
G os pel s ; alth ough after he h ad r e ad a littl e wh il e h e
w as u n abl e to o on but b ecame moti o n l es s an d
g ,

ab s orbed in c o n t e mplatio n He u s ed al s o to appoi n t

.

s om e of h is tried a n d e xp e ri en ced pe n ite n t s e s p ecially

,

at fi r s t to watc h over th e you n g e r o n es to bri n g t h em

, ,

Oft en to h im ,
a n d to take care t h at t h ey did n o t
a s s ociate wit h ot h e r s w h o mig h t tur n t h e m a s id e fr o m

t h e good pat h .

Wh en ev er an y o f t h e m l eft o ff c o mi n g to c o n fes s i o n
or a s s i s tin g at th e Orat o ry th e s am e a ffe cti on at e
,

c h arity m o v ed h im to s en d fo r t h em o n s o m e ingeni
o u s pr et ext ; a n d if th ey h a d u n fo rtu n at ely s w erved

from th e pat h o f vir t u e h e w a s i n d efat igabl e in

,

brin gi n g a bout t h eir r e turn to th e s ervic e o f Go d ,

e v en e mpl o yi n g s om e o f his pe o pl e t o s e e k t h e m o u t

u n der o n e excu s e or an o t h er an d to try ev ery mean s

,

to w in t h em back to th eir fo rmer good h abit s s o t h a t ,

s o m etim es t h ey e n t e red agai n upo n t he pr actic e o f

a d e vout life w it h e v en gr e at e r fervo u r t h a n b efor e .

So w ell kn o w n t h r o ugh o ut Rom e an d particularly

,

a m o n g s t t h e religi o u s o rd e r s w as P hilip s w o n d e rful

’

gift o f exciti n g you n g m en t o th e lov e o f virtu e an d

t h e d es ir e of perfe ctio n t h at t h e Fat h e r Sup e rior o f
,

t h e D o mi n ica n s at t h e c o n v en t o f the Mi n erv a

fr equ en tly s en t him his n o vic es t h at h e mig ht tak e
t h e m o ut w h e r e h e pl e a s e d fo r recr e a ti o n feeli n g ,

c o n fid en t o f the fruit t h ey w o uld r ea p from h is con

v er s ati o n Sometim es h e t o o k t h e m t o t he Sev en
.

C hurc h es part icularly at th e tim e o f t he C a rn ival

, ,
1 9 6 THE LIFE OF ST PH ILIP NERI .

that th eir Carn ival ; at other tim es h e we n t with

t hem t o s o me agr ee abl e s pot wh ere t h ey would s to p ,

all day an d di n e t o g eth e r Th e h o ly Ol d m an took

, .

gr eat pl e as ur e in s eei n g t h e m eat an d enj oy t h em

s elv es ; h e u s ed to s ay E at my c h ildr en an d do n o t
,
“
, ,

h a v e an y s crupl e ab o ut it fo r it m ake s me fat to ,

”
w a tc h yo u W hen di nn e r w as o ver h e m ade t h em
.

s it d o w n o n t h e gr o u n d in a rin g r o u n d h im a n d ,

gave t h em m an y cou n s el s t el li n g th em the s ecr e ts of

,

t h e ir h e a rt s an d e x h o rti n g t h e m t o t h e practice of
,

a ll virtu e s but es p eci a lly o f p er s ev era n c e as su ri n g

, ,

t h e m t h a t t h e Divi n e M aj es ty had c o n ferr e d o n th e m

o n e o f H is gr e at e s t b en efit s in h a vi n g call ed t h em t o

“ ” “
r e ligi o n ; an d t hi s h e add ed t hi s I s ay with all
, ,

my h e a rt an d as h e s pok e t he n o vic es felt their

, ,

h e a r t s bur n w it h fe rv o ur a n d wit h t h e d es ir e to
pr o fit by t h eir voc a ti o n a nd u s ed to r eturn happy ,

a n d lig h t h e ar t ed t o t h e ir co n v e n t
-
.

The p a ti en c e which P h ilip h ad with you n g m en ,

w hen h e w as tryi n g t o k ee p t h em fr o m s in was s o m e ,

t hi n g i n d es cribabl e He l et t he m m ak e w h at n o i s e
.

t h ey pl e as ed ev en cl o s e to his room an d w h en s om e
, ,

of t h e Fat h e rs c o m pl ai n ed of t h eir wan t o f dis cre t i o n ,

an d t h e y o uth s t o ld P h ilip o f it h e a n sw er ed
“
Le t , ,

th e m talk ; go you o n with your play an d b e merry ,

all I w an t of you is to k eep out o f t he way of s in .

He eve n m ad e t h e m play at ball in fro n t of his r o om ,

t h at t h ey might n o t h av e an y o ccasio n to go e ls e
where .

A certai n Roman ge n tleman w h o o ft en we n t to ,

vi s it th e Sai n t wo n deri n g at the uproar the youn g

,

m en made a s ked him how h e could po s s ibly bear it

,
.

“
P hili p an swered So lo n g as they do n o t s in th ey
,
1 9 8 THE LIFE OF S T . PHILI P N E RI
an d g es tur es t he youn g r e ligiou s r e main ed as me rry
,

a n d c h ee rful as b e fore an d did n o t S h ow t h e s l ig h te s t

,

s ig n of dis pleas ure wh e re as h is com pan io n show ed

,

by his look s h ow d ee ply he fe lt the m o rt ific at io n ,

t h ough it h ad n o t fall e n o n him pe rs o n ally Th e .

S a in t n o t co n t en t ed wit h a ll t hi s b ad e the yo un g
, ,

m onk t a k e o ff h is cl o ak t elli n g him h e was n o t ,

w o rt hy t o w e ar it ; t o w hic h t h e you n g m an r e pli ed ,

“
Your R ev e r en c e is m as t er ; I c an go v e ry wil l in gly
w ith o ut my cl o ak n o t o n ly b e c a u s e I am n o t w o rthy
,

t o w e a r it b u t b e cau s e I a m n o t c o ld ; an d ab o ve all
, ,

”
b e c a u s e I h av e h ad a v e ry g o o d m eal t h is m o rn in g .

The S ai n t t h en pl ay ed s ev e r a l o t h e r tricks wit h him ,

but n o t hi n g c o uld di s turb his g oo d humour o r tir e ,

o ut h is i n s ta n t o b edi e n c e At last P hi l ip lookin g .

fi e rc ely at h im s e n t him aw ay w ithout t es tifyin g the

, ,

l e as t affec t i o n fo r him b u t s t ill th e friar was as ,

c h e e rful a n d p a t i e n t as ev e r T he t w o r eligio us left .

t h e r o o m b u t w h e n th e y h ad go t t o t h e botto m o f
,

t h e s t a ir s P hilip h ad t he m call e d back again an d as

, ,

s o o n as e v e r h e s a w t h e yo u n g e r o n e h e ran t o him , ,

e mbrac ed him wit h t he gr e ate s t w armt h s h ow ed him ,

e x t ra o rdi n ary a ffectio n an d gave him some bl ess ed

,

b ead s an d ot h er d evout thin g s ; an d as h e we n t aw ay ,

h e s aid to him My s on pe rs ev e r e in y o ur cheerful

“
, ,

n e ss fo r t h i s is t he tru e w ay t o advan ce in ev ery

,

”
virtue .

But m uch as h e liked c heerful n es s he w as fa r ,

from san ctio n i n g an yt hi n g like dis s ipati o n On t he .

c o n trary he s aid it was n ec ess ary to tak e great car e

,

n o t to become di s sipated or to give way as h e us ed , ,

to s ay to a b uffoo n in g s pirit ; fo r buffoo n e ry n o t o n ly

,

re n d ers a m an i n capabl e o f rec eivi n g an y ad ditio n a l

 “
S I TI E N T E S V E NIT E AD A UAS " ”
1 99

s pirituality fr o m God but ev en r o o t s up wh a t lit t l e

,

h e may h av e pr evi o u s ly a cquir ed .

H e w as an xi o u s al so to s ee th e yo u n g m e n w h o
w er e ab o ut h im a lways o ccupi ed S o m e tim es h e
.

would bid t hem s we e p o u t th e ro o m o r m a k e th e ,

b ed o v er ag a i n o r mov e t h e tabl e from o n e pl a c e t o

,

a n ot h e r . S o metim es h e w o uld s et t h em to t h r ea d
a r o s ary o r plait
,
garlan d s o f fl o w er s or r ead s o m e ,

b o o k ; in s h o rt h e w o uld giv e o n e em ploy m en t t o o n e ,

and an o th e r t o a n o t h e r s imply t o k e e p t h e m fr o m
,

idl en e ss w h ich h e h at ed s o muc h t h at n o o n e e v e r

,

fo un d him u n em pl o y ed .

H e wi sh ed y o u n g p eo pl e t o go t o c o n fes s i o n v e ry
fr equ en tly but n o t t o co m mu n ic a t e s o o ft en N o t
,
.

I m fre u c n t l h m a d e t h e m pr e p a r e fo r c o mmu n i o n
q y e

with th e gr eat es t dilig en ce biddin g t h e m O ffe r u p

,

p articul a r d ev o ti o n s for t h at purp o s e ; an d t h e n in

t h e morn i n g w h en t h ey w er e g o i n g t o c o mmu n i o n h e ,

w o uld put th em o ff t o a n o th er tim e givi n g t h e m ,

fr esh d evoti o n s t o p erfo rm ; an d h e w o uld go o n

d e ali n g wit h t h em in t h i s w ay u n t il h e j udg ed it ,

w ell fo r th em to c o mmu n ic a t e Th e r eas o n h e g av e .

fo r a cti n g t h u s w a s t h at o n c o mmu n i o n d a ys t h e
d evil g en er ally m ak es gr ea t er an d mor e vio l en t
as s a ult s t h an at o t her tim es ; a n d O ft en y o un g m en
d o n o t r es i s t t h em a n d so c o m e at l as t t o d o a gr e a t
,

i nj ury t o t h e h o ly Sacr a m en t H e w as a n xi o u s
.

m o r eo v er t h at th ey s h o uld appro a c h t h e a lt a r wit h

a gr e a t d es ir e fo r t h a t h eav en ly fo od Wh en t hey .

as k ed h is l eav e t o go t o commu n i o n h e u s ed t o ,

a n s w er ,
N O no , S itien tes sitieh tes ven ite a d a ga as
, , ,

“
T hir s tin g th ir s ti n g c o m e ye t o th e w at ers
, Fo r .
2 0 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

him four or fiv e days n o tice whe n th ey wis hed to

’

re ceive commu n io n ; an d aft e rw ards in order to mak e

t h e m gather greater fruit from th e Sac ram en t h e ,

gav e them some extra d evotio n s for a few d ays ,

s uc h as s ayin g fiv e P a ters an d A ves with their arm s

e x t en ded
,
or r e citi n g s om e of the chaplet s he had
t a ug h t t h em or s om e thi n g of a S imilar n atur e
,
.

Durin g t h e Car n ival h e u s ed to s et his youn g

p en it en t s t o act plays in o rd e r to pr ev en t t h eir go i n g
,

t o t h e C o r s o or t o dan g er o u s c o m edi e s
. It w as for
t h e s a m e purpo s e t h at h e i n tr o duc ed t h e pilgrimag e

t o t h e S ev en C hurc h es an d t h e s piritual co n fe r en c es
,

in o p en pl a c es as at Mo n t e c av a l l o or S O n o frio o r
, , .
,

in a n y o t he r s po t w h ic h h e foun d co n v en i e n t.

In a word in dir e c t i n g y o un g m en a n d in keep in g

, ,

t h e m fr o m s in P h ilip h a d a gift p e culiarly his o w n

, ,

a n d o n e in w h ic h few o f h is tim e e qualled h im ; an d

what w as m o s t o f all t o b e admired w as that h e ,

b es t o w ed s uch a S pecial care u po n eac h o n e in

p a rticular t h at it s eem ed as if that o n e were the
,

o n ly p en ite n t he h a d to guide .
2 0 2 THE LIFE O F ST . PHI LIP NERI
in t h is w ay for t w o ho urs s ucc ess ively with o u t ,

r e c eivi n g a n y co n s olat io n wh en t ho s e w ho w er e ,

ab o ut him s en t for th e rector of t h e pari s h ; b u t

S ebas tia n w o uld n o t look at h im o r lis t e n to him ,

t ur n in g h is fa c e t h e o th e r way d isdain ful ly an d s ayin g ,

t h a t h e h ad n o fa it h in h im t h at h e w as l o s t a n d , ,

p as t all h o p e o f s a lvati o n His fri en d s did n o t kn ow .

wh a t to d o u n til at las t t h ey t h ought of s en din g

,

fo r t h e h o ly fath e r P hilip c am e an d as so o n as he
.
,

s e t fo o t o n t h e t h r es h old o f t he r oo m s aid in a l o ud ,

v o ic e s o t ha t ev e ryb ody c o uld h e ar W ha t is t his ? ,

“

o n e o f his u s ual e xcl a m a ti o n s

; h e t h en we n t up to t h e

b ed l a id his h a n d o n t h e s ick ma n s h ead a n d s aid

’

, , ,

Do n o t b e afr a id S ebas t i an w as c o mfo rt ed in sta n t ly

.
,

a n d b eg a n t o c r
y o ut F a t h e r P h ilip is d rivi n g t h e
,
“

d e vil s a w ay ; t h e d evil s a re flyi n g P h ilip is d rivin g

t h e m o ff ; 0 w o n d e rful po w e r o f F a th e r Philip "
,

Viv a
Cri s t o " Viv a F ilip po w ho has s av ed me fro m h ell "
Viv a l Or a to ri o " T hen in an o u t burs t o f joy he
,

b eg an t o s i n g the hym n s w hic h w e r e s u n g at t h e

Orat o ry a n d particularly t he o n e w h ich begin s
J es u s " J es u s " J es u s " l et ev e ry o n e c all o n Jesu s "
, ,

“ "

H e t h e n r a is ed his h an d s an d eye s t o h e av en a n d ,

”
s aid ,Lo o k a t t h e an ge ls look at the arc h an ge ls an d
“
, ,

n am in g o n e by o n e all t h e ch o irs of t h e an gels (t h e

v ery n am es of w h ic h h e n ev e r kn ow b e fo r e for he w as ,

uit e a n ign o ran t m an ) h e gave up his s o ul t o G od in

q ,

P h ilip s arm s in th e m o n t h of S e ptem be r t he d ay

’

, ,

befo r e t he fe as t o f S t Mic h a el t he Arc h an ge l

.

W hen Pers ian o R o s a P hilip s dir ector w as in his ,

’

las t il ln ess he h ad to s u s tain mo s t trem en d o us as s aul ts

,

o f t h e d evil duri n g wh ic h h e cried o ut loudly T a

, ,

ud ic a m e Deus
”
j Tu d iscer ne ca usa m m eu m
, Whils t h e .
 DEATH O F HIS DIR E CTOR ,

repeated t h es e w o rd s h e s a t up in b ed mad e th e s ig n ,

of t he cr o ss an d t h r ew h im s e lf fir s t o n o n e sid e an d
,

t h en o n t he o t h er in th e utm o s t t err o r Mean w h il e

,
.

P h ilip a rriv ed an d Per s iano as s o o n as h e s aw him

, , ,

S a n cte P hil ippe or a pro m e fo r s o h e w as a ccu s

“
s a id , , ,

“
t o m ed to call him ; a n d t h e n add ed I b eg o f yo u t o ,

d riv e away t h at fi erc e black d og wh ic h is tryin g t o

”
t e ar m e W h en P hilip h eard t h i s h e imm ediat ely
.
,

b et o ok h im s elf t o prayer an d ex h o rt ed t h e bys tan d er s ,

t o s ay a P a ter an d A ve fo r t h e s ick m a n He h a d .

s c a rc e ly kn elt d o w n b e fo r e P e r s i a n o b eg a n t o cry o u t

T h an k God "
,

t h e dog is g o i n g t h e d o g is ru n n i n g
“
,

a w a y ; s ee h e h a s r eac h ed th e d o o r
,
P h ilip t h en go t .

up an d S prin kl ed t h e s ick m an an d th e wh o l e r o o m
,

wit h ho ly wat er o n wh ic h t h e d evil di s a pp ear ed a lt o

,

g et h er an d t h e fo llowin g day P e r s i an o p as s ed h a ppily

,

a n d qui e t ly t o a b etter world .

Gab riell e Tan a o f Mod en a a y o ut h o f ab o ut eig h t een , ,

in th e s e rvic e of Gi o va n n i Ricci C a rdi n a l o f M o n t e ,

pulcian o w as in h is la s t ill n es s H e w as o n e of P hilip s

1
,
.
’

firs t p en ite n t s an d fo r two y ear s b e fo r e h is ill n es s h ad

,

giv en h im s elf up en tir ely t o d ev o ti on c o n fes s i n g an d ,

c o mmu n icati n g at l eas t twic e a w eek He w as m o s t .

dilige n t in w o rk s o f pie ty an d e s p e ci a lly in vi s iti n g t h e ,

h o s pital s H e h ad b een c o n fi n e d t o his b ed fo r t hr e e

.

we ek s wit h a d an ger o u s il ln es s ; n o tr ea tm en t s ee m ed
to do h im t h e l ea s t good an d h e w as drawi n g t o ward s ,

t h e cl os e o f h is life wh en t h e r e cam e upo n him ,

a

t e mptati on of t h e d evil in t h e s h ap e o f a mo s t an xiou s

d es ir e to get w ell tog et h er wit h an i n ordin at e fear,

an d a b h orr en c e o f d e at h Th e h o ly fat h er w h o .
,

1
Gio v a n n i, r
C a d in a R i l cci ,
a n ati e of v Mon t ep ulc ia n o and c o un t ry
m a n oi T a rugi, cr . Ca rd i l 5 5
na I 1 ,
d . 1 5 74 .
2 0 4 THE LIFE O F ST . PHILIP NERI

vi s ited him co n tin ually fo un d him in t h is s tate an d

, ,

as ked him h o w h e felt ; h e an s we red I am in g o od ,

“

s pirit s ,
becau s e it s eems to m e that it is n o t God s ’

He th en begged
”
Will t h at I s ho uld die t hi s time .

t h e Sai n t to pray fo r h im in h is mass that Go d w o uld ,

giv e him tim e t o d o p en an c e for his sin s The Sain t .

re pli ed W ell I w ill go to S Pi etro in Mo n to ri o an d

,
“
,
.
,

ma s s fo r o u in t h e c h ap e l wh e r e t h e holy apo s tl e
sa
y y
w a s crucifi ed Ga b riel le full of his desir e to r e cover
.
, ,

“
r e p e a t ed s ev e r a l ti m e s Pray to God fo r m e to gran t
, ,

m e tim e t o d o p en a n c e The Sai n t t h e n perc eiv ed

.

t ha t t hi s w a s a t e mpt a ti o n for he h ad h ad a r e v elatio n

,

o f G a bri e ll o s d e a t h ; h e s aid th e r e fo r e Ga b riell e I “

’

, ,

wa n t yo u t o m a k e m e a pr es en t o f your will an d I ,

w ill o ffe r it t o Go d a t t he o ffert o ry o f th e mas s s o t h at ,

if He s h o uld d es ir e t o c all yo u t o Him s elf an d t he ,

d evil s ho uld w a n t to mol e s t you you may b e able to ,

an s w er : I h av e n o l o n g e r a n y will o f my o wn I h av e
‘
,

giv en it a w ay t o C hri s t ’
G a bri ello agreed an d P h ilip
.
,

t o ld t h e by s t a n d e r s to pr ay fo r him w hi lst h e w en t to ,

ma W h en h e r e turn ed to t he s ick m an a fter

sa
y ss .

mas s h e fo u n d him en tir ely c h an g ed an d r e pe a tin g

, ,

o v er a n d O v e r ag a in wi t h great fe rvour t ho s e w o rds of

the apo s tl e I de s ir e t o be di s s olved an d to be wi t h
“
,

He took h is crucifix in his han d pre s se d it

”
Christ .
,

t o h is h e art an d with his eye s full o f t e ars t en derly

,

e mbraced an d ki s s e d it exhortin g an d e n courag i n g

,

t he fri en d s who s tood roun d h im to d evote th e m s elve s ,

to th e service of Go d in good e arn e s t an d to c as t t h e ,

van iti es o f th e world b ehin d th em an d r e p e ati n g agai n ,

“
an d again T h i s life h as becom e odiou s to m e ; I
,

w ish to die that I may go to Paradise T hen turn in g .

”

to th e S ai n t h e added Up to this time Father I

, ,
“
, ,
20 6 TH E LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

b efore th e d e vil c am e to te m pt t h e you t h to pres um p

tio n m aki n g it appe ar to him t hat he h ad merited
,

gr e atly by h is go od w o rks an d that his s alvatio n w as ,

alre ady s e cur e Th e S ign o f this t e mptatio n w as

.
,

t h a t whe n h e h e ard t h e li t a n ie s whic h are u s ual ly

r ecit ed at the c o m m en dati o n o f a d e parti n g s o ul at ,

t h e word s A m arte m a l a l ibei a ea m Dom ine h e s miled

'

a n d s h o o k his h ead s a yin g He w h o h as Ch rist in

, ,
“

”
h is h eart c a n n o t d ie a b ad d e a t h But imm ediately .

p e rc eivi n g t h e d ec e it o f t he e n emy h e bega n t o cry ,

“
o ut,
H elp m e I en tr ea t yo u my br o t h ers h e lp m e
, , ,

wi t h yo ur pr ay e rs ; fo r w ha t I h av e j us t s aid w as a
”
t e m p t a ti o n o f t h e d e vil He had s c a rc ely d is cov e r ed
.

a n d v a n ui s h e d t h i s t e mptati o n b e fo r e t h e advers ary

q
as s ail ed him wi t h a s e c o n d tryi n g t o h in d e r him from
,

pr o n o u n ci n g t he N a m e o f J es u s w h ich he so ard en tly ,

d es ir ed to u tt e r es pecially a t t he m o m en t o f deat h
, ,

t h a t he h ad pr ay ed his fri en d s t o r e min d him at

t h e las t F eeli n g him s e lf h i n der ed by an i n te rn al

.

vi o le n c e h e cri e d o u t Help my brot hers h elp for I

, ,
“
, , ,

”
c an n o t n am e It T hey as ked w ha t it w as t h at he
.

c o uld n o t n am e addi n g Is it t he mo s t holy Nam e

, ,
“

”
o f J es u s w h ic h t h e d evil will n o t l et you pr o n oun c e ?

T he n Gab riell e s ho w ed by s ign s t h at it w as s o an d ,

’
turni n g to Gi ac o m o Marmita the Cardi n al s s ecr etary
Alas "
, ,

a n d o n e o f P hilip s p en ite n ts h e s aid t o him

’ “
, ,

what t emptati o n is t h is t h at I c a nn ot pro n ou n ce th e

,

”
Name of J es u s ? an d alt h ough h e pro n o un c ed it
s everal time s h e s t ill fan cied t h at h e could n o t d o s o
, .

Th e bystan ders c o mfort ed him an d t o ld him t pro ,

’

n ou n ce it in his heart if h e could n o t with his lips

, .

He w as h ar as s ed by t h is t emptatio n for a lo n g tim e ,

a n d a v iole n t pe rs pirati o n e ns ued wher eu po n th ey

“
v
,
 I BELIEV E ,
I BELI EV E 2 0 7

S en t im m ediat ely for th e h oly fat h er W h en h e .

a rriv ed Gab riel l e b ec a m e quit e ch ee rful an d pro

, ,
~

n o u n c ed t h e N am e o f J es u s wit h -P h ilip s ev er al tim es ,

ve ry di s tin ctly r e peatin g it affecti o n at ely an d jiis t in
,

t h e w ay h e wi s h ed w h il s t t h e S ai n t h elp ed him by ,

e crucifix an d a s it w er e putti n g t h e
'

s h o w in h im t h
g ,

m os t h oly N a m e i n t o h is m o ut h wit h w o rd s full o f ,

t en d erness The d evil h o w ev e r would n o t l eav e t h e

.

fi eld but n o w t empt ed him in his fait h in s in u ati n g at

, ,

t h e s am e tim e i n t o his h eart a h o p e that h e would b f;

s ur e t o et w ell G ab riel l e tur n ed to P hilip a n d s aid
g .
,

H elp m e fat h er fo r I s eem n o t to h av e fa ith an d

, , ,
.

”
likewi s e I fa n cy t h a t I a m n o t g o i n g t o d ie P hilip .

r eplied D es pi s e t h i s fres h d ec ei t my c hild a n d s ay

“

wit h m e I b eli ev e I b eli eve " But a lt ho ug h h e

, , ,

, ,

pro n o u n c ed t h es e w o rd s wit h t he S ai n t s ev er al tim es

mo s t di s ti n ctly h e t h o ug h t t h at h e could n o t pro
,

n o u n c e t h e m pr o p erly o r b eli ev e in t h e way h e wi s h ed , .

H er eup o n P hilip o rd er ed t h e bys tan d er s t o r ecit e t he

Cr ed o a loud a n d t o ld Gabri ell o t o d o s o in his h e ar t
,

Aft er t his he kn elt d o w n an d pr ay ed fo r him an d ,

imm ediat ely th e t emptati o n c ea s ed ; in d eed t he dyi n g

m a n r eli ev ed s om ew h at o f his fe ar s b ega n t o a s s um e
, ,

a h o ly bold n es s a n d m o ck ed a n d triump h ed o v e r h is
,

a dv e r s ary s ayi n g I will b eli ev e in S pi t e o f yo u

, ,
“

w h et h er you will o r n o t I will b elieve fo r all et ern ity , .

T hu s t h is n ew t e mpt a tio n c eas ed an d t h r o ugh t h e ,

grac e o f Go d G abri ell o w as l eft m a s t er o f t h e fi eld ,

t ho ugh muc h e xh a u s ted At l a s t t he cr a fty s erp en t .

,

w as driv en t o h is fi n al r es o urc e of de s p a ir He ap .

ea red t o Gab riel l e a n d putti n g h im s elf in fr o n t o f

p ,

him wit h a fi erc e a n d th r e at en i n g as p ect t errifi e d him ,

in s uc h a man n er t h at his w h o le cou n t en an c e c hang ed ,

2 0 8 THE LIFE OF ST PH ILIP NERI .

an d h is ey es full o f terro r wan d ered here an d ther e

, ,

di s tract edly but fo un d n o place o n whic h t h ey coul d

,

lig h t wit h o ut horror I n t h is s tate o f wretc hed n ess

Ah u n happy m e " ho w m an y s in s "
.

h e cri ed o u t ho w
m an y s i n s " ah m e " mercy O my God "
,

Father d riv e
, ,

away t h o s e black d o g s t h at a re all rou n d m e P hilip .

laid his h a n d s u po n th e s u ffe re r s h e ad an d address in g ’

t h e d evil s aid
,
H ast th o u p ow er t ho u wicked s pirit
, , ,

t o striv e ag a i n s t th e grac e o f Go d ? T hese han d s

h a v e t o uc h ed C h ri s t t h is m o rn in g ; I comm a n d t h ee
t h e r e fo r e in H is N am e to d e p a rt h en ce an d to leav e ,

t h i s His cr ea tur e a t p eac e No s oo n er h ad he s aid

.

t h i s t h a n t h e t e mpta t i o n c e as ed He th en turn ed t o .

“
G abri ell e a n d s aid Be c o mfo rted my s o n an d s ay
, , , ,

‘
D ep a r t fro m m e a ll ye t h a t w o rk i niq uity an d do
, ,
’

n o t b e afr a id fo r if yo u have s i nn ed C h rist also h as

, ,

s u ffe r e d a n d p a id fo r o u : en t e r the n my i n to
y s on , ,

H is Sid e an d in t o His mo s t h oly Wo un d s ; an d fear

,

n o t but c o mb a t ma n fully a n d yo u w ill soo n be t h e

, ,

c on qu e r o r .

H e t h en k n elt d o w n at t h e foot of the bed an d ,

“
Gab rielle full of j oy an d h a ppin es s c ried o ut W hat
j oy my broth e rs what joy"
,

,
t h e d o g s a re d e partin g ;
,

Fat h e r P hilip is d rivin g th e m away ; s ee h ow furiou s ly

t h ey fly "an d h e p o in t ed wit h his fi n g er to the pl ac e
“
wh ere h e s aw t h em At last h e s aid We h av e w o n .
,

t h e fi gh t an d you are go n e in spit e of yourselv es ;

n o w I c an fr e ely pro n oun ce t h e Name of Jesus "
,

”
an d

t h u s fill ed wit h comfo rt Gabri ello fi xed his eyes st ead ,

fastly on a crucifi x w h ic h o n e of t h o s e prese n t held in

h is h an d an d prayed with such fervour that t h er e w as
,

n o t o n e in the room w h o did n o t s h e d tears Pres e n tly .

,

turn in g to tho s e who were b es ide him he said to ,

2 10 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP N E RI

die . An d
so it was ; for s c arc ely h alf-an -hour a fter
ward s Gab rielle turn ed o n his rig ht s id e w here Philip
'

s tood an d
,
pro n ou n ci n g the Nam e o f Je s us pass ed ,

happily o u t of this life s uc h be auty r e mainin g o n h is ,

feat ur es t hat he l oo k ed l ik e an an g el of Paradis e .

Gi acomo Marmit a w ho w as m en tio n ed above as ,

s e cretary of th e Cardin al of M o n t e pulcian o w as o n e o f ,

t h e Sain t s s piri t u a l c h ildr e n a m a n O f gr e a t l e arn in g

’

a n d prud en c e an d abov e all full of t h e fe ar of Go d

, , .

He w as at t ack ed by a v e ry s h a rp fever wit h p a in s in ,

his b o dy a n d o t h e r s u fferin g s w hich br o ught h im t o

, ,

t he last e x t r e mity As th e m o m en t o f his d e part ur e

.

dr e w n ea r t h e w e akn es s o f t he fle s h as s e rt ed itself
, ,

a n d h e b ega n t o l a m e n t a n d s e e m ed u n abl e t o fin d

an
y c o m fo r t T h e S a i n t w h o w as t h er e s aid t o him
.
, , ,

C o urag e M es s er Giac o m o call o n the Lo rd an d say

, , , ,

Deus
’
et v irtue, a d utor in tm hul a tion ibus
nos ter r e ug iu m f j
"
.

to w hic h ick m an r e pli ed

t he su a e in vener u nt n o ,
s

”
n im is . P hilip b egan t o pray for him a n d t h en wen t ,

on a gain c o ns oli n g him u n til in a s hort time h e ,

br o ug h t h im t o a s tat e o f the gre a t es t tran quillity

and r es ig n a tio n t o th e Divin e Will an d n o t lo ng ,

a fterward s t o th e edific a t io n of all pr es e n t h e q uietly

, ,

gave up his s o ul to G od .

Fat h er N ic c ol o G igli a prie s t of o ur C o n gr ega t i o n

1
, ,

fell gri ev o usly ill an d w h e n his death drew n e ar w as

, ,

much har assed by the devil but came o ut o f the trial ,

victorious t h ro ugh the praye rs o f Philip in th e fo ll o w ,

in g m ann e r The h oly father w as s ayin g m as s in th e

.

c h apel of w hich we have s pok en abo v e an d w as ,

prayin g m o s t e arn estly for the s ick m an w hen s om e ,

o f the fat h e rs h eard t rem en dou s n oise s in t h e hou s e ,

S ee Li v es o f th e Co m p a n io n s o f S t Phi i
. lp p ,
"
. 1 37 .
 F NICCOL O GIGLI
. 2 1 1

as of rocks or gr e at mill s bein g dragged o v er

- t o n es

the paveme n t W hil e th i s n oi s e w as g o in g o n P h ilip

.
, ,

w ho w a s alo n e in t h e little c h ap e l prayi n g c a ll ed o u t , ,

a n d Fat h er Pi etr o C o n s oli n i ran to h im t o s ee w h a t

Th e Sai n t s aid to h im
“
h e wan t ed . Mak e h a s t e an d ,

l e t m e kn o w h o w Nicc o l o is He h a s te n ed t o t h e .

S ick m an an d fo u n d h im wit h h is h an d s j o in ed an d
lo o ki n g up toward s h eav en r e peatin g wit h gr eat ,

ferv o ur Let u s giv e t h an k s t o th e L o rd o ur Go d ;

,

”
h e came he h as go n e h e is co n qu er ed
, , Pi etr o r e .

t ur n ed to t h e Sai n t a n d t o ld him ,
w h at had p as s ed ,

o n wh ic h P h ilip a n s w e r ed in his u s u a l w a
“
y T h a t is ,

en ough that is en oug h that will d o

,
A littl e w h il e
,
.

l a ter he we n t him s elf to the S ick m an : a s s oon as

Nicc o l o s a w h im he c as t o n him a l oo k full o f
Ah "
,

“
aff e ctio n an d s aid
,
my fath er w hy h av e I n o t
, ,

kn own yo u l o n g l on g S i n c e ? w hy s o lat e 0 m y
, ,

fat her ? He h ad exp erie n c ed in his c o mb a t th e

effi cacy o f P hilip s prayer s an d o btai n ed a vivid
’

kn o wledg e of h is s an ctity .

Niccol o w as a Fre n c hman ; s o fr ee w as h e fr o m all

e art h ly attac h m en t s es pecially t o h is r el a ti o n s th at h e
, ,

w o uld n ot r ead the lett ers w h ic h th ey s e n t h im but ,

t h r ew t h e m i n t o t h e fire a s s oo n as t h ey arrived He .

w a s a gr e at lover o f o b edi en c e an d an en emy t o ,

idle n es s ; he w a s a ls o a s s idu o u s at t h e c on fes s i on al ,

h e ari n g all s ort s o f pers o n s wit h out ever growi n g

weary He w as muc h giv en to prayer an d m ortific a
.

ti o n an d gr eatly b el o v ed by th e holy fat h er an d

, ,

b efor e h e fell ill fo r etold th e d ay o f his d e at h H e

, .

liv ed tw en ty y ears in th e C on gr egati o n an d gave up

h is s o ul t o God o n th e 1 4 th of Jun e 1 5 9 1 leavi n g , ,
’

s uch a re u t at io n fo r s a n ctity t h at t h h oly fat h r

p e e ,
2 1 2 T HE LIFE OF ST PHI LIP NERI
.

used to keep s ometh in g of his abo ut him as a

relic .

Carl o M azzei an other o f P hilip s p en it en ts a littl e

,
’

befo re his deat h h ad to s u s t ain mo s t violen t as s aults

of t he d evil who app eared t o h im an d e n d eavour ed
,

to driv e h im t o d es p a ir at t h e s am e tim e putti n g

,

b e fo r e him a ll h e h ad s aid o r d o n e in his life The .

s ick m a n s o n ly a n s w e r w a s t o r e p e a t t w ic e
“
’

I a p peal ,

”
t o P hilip a t w hic h w o rd s t h e d evil imm ediately lost
,

c o ur ag e a n d di s a ppe ar ed in c o n fu s i o n
, The holy .

fa t h er a ft e r w a rd s s aid t h a t i f t h e s ick m an h ad
,

r e a s o n ed wi th t h e d evil h e w o ul d m o s t certai n ly
,

h a v e b e en d ec e iv ed by h im ; a n d h e d eclar ed t h a t
t h e s o ul of C a rl o w as g o n e i n t o a place of s afety ,

addi n g t h a t h e h ad b een d eliv e r ed fro m th e h a n ds of

t h e e vil o n e by t ho s e very w o rd s T hi s in cid en t th e
.

S ai n t u s ed to r el at e as a pro o f o f the fear whic h the

d evil h as o f o u r s piri t u a l fa the r .

It w as w ell k n o w n amo n g his s piritu al childr en ,

t h a t w h en P hilip e n t e red a room h e u s ed to put t h e

d evil s t o fligh t by s imply s ayi n g W ho is h ere

“
,
an d

t ho s e pr es en t imm ediat ely felt t h em s elve s freed from

t h eir t emptati o n s Man y als o in their ago n y saw th e
.

d evils in vi s ible s h ape s departi n g at t he appeara n ce of

P hilip .

But to return to his c h arity to the S ick He ex or .

c is ed it n o t o n ly toward s his o w n frie n d s but towards ,

all w h at ever might be their s tate or co n ditio n an d

, ,

ev en towards tho s e who pers ecut ed him Man y in .

s tan ces o f thi s will occur in the c h apter o n the h oly

fat h er s patien ce ; at pre s e n t I will o n ly me n tio n

’

o n e case A p ers o n who had do n e all t he e vil in

.
 CHAPT E R IX
P H IL I P F R EE S M AN Y F RO M D I FF E R ENT T E MPT ATI O N S
AND TR OU B L E S
P H I L IP did n o t limi t h is c a r e an d s o licitud e to the
b o dily an d s piritual n eed s o f t h e s ick Scarc ely an y .

o n e h o w ev e r tri ed an d afflict ed
,
h ad recourse to him
, ,

w h o w as n o t fr e ed fr o m his t e m p t a t i o n s an d c on

s o l ed in h is tr o ubl e s .

M a rc ell e B en c i a g en tl em an o f Mo n tepulci an o an d
, ,

a r elat io n o f Cardi n al Ta rugi w as very m uch d is

,

t u rb ed ab o u t a dan g e r in whic h h e was placed o f

fa lli n g i n t o s in He s pok e abo ut it s ev eral time s t o

.

h is c o n fes s o r F a t he r A n g e lo Velli w ho told h im t h a t

, ,

i f h e w a n t e d t o b e rid o f it he m us t s eek a r em edy

,

fr o m F a t her P hilip Marcello in obedi en ce to t h is

.
,

a dvice gav e t he Sain t a full acc o un t o f t h e t e m t

,
p a

tio n an d o f t he dan ger in w hic h he w as an d rec o m

, ,

me n din g him s elf wi th m uc h e a rn e s t n e s s to his praye rs ,

implored him fo r t he love of God t o fr ee him from

it E ven du ri n g t h e very tim e that he was s peak
.

in g wit h h im h e felt gr eat i n t eri o r c o n s olatio n an d

, ,

t h e co n v er s atio n w as h ardly fin is h ed b e for e h e fou n d

h im s elf en tirely s et free from t he t e m ptati o n w hic h ,

n e ver troubl e d him an y m o re .

An to n io Fan tin i of Bagn acavallo a pe e r h uckst e r

, , ,

w en t to co n fes sio n to P hilip for t h irty years s ucc es

 T HE SAINT S ’

/
d aily th e n di ed giv i n g g rea tf edific atie n to all w h o
an d
‘

, ,

kn ew h im He w as married to a very yo un g wife an d - ’

.
,

’
p erc eivin g t h at a g en tleman s s e rvan t w h o used t o
pas s u n d e r th e win d o w w as in th e h abit o f beh avin g
,

s o a s to giv e h im cau s e fo r di s pl ea s ur e warn ed him ,

n o t to pa s s t h at way agai n or t h at h e s h ould r e p en t o f

it The s erv an t h o wev er c o n ti n ui n g to act a s b efo r e

.
, , ,

A n ton io in a fit o f an g e r i n w a rdly r es o lv ed t o ass a s

, ,

s in a t e h im He p er s ever ed in t h i s i n t en ti o n fo r t h r ee
.

days wh en a feas t occurr ed o n w h ic h h e h ad a lways

,

g o n e to c o n fess i o n an d c o m mu n io n wit ho ut fail He .

fo rc ed him s elf th er e fo r e t o go to th e h oly fa t h er an d ,

kn ee li n g d o wn told him all th e b eh avi o ur of t h e s erv an t

,

a n d h is o w n r e s o luti o n to murd e r him W h en t h e .

Sain t h ad h e ard it all h e m er ely put his h an d o n ,

A n t on i o s h ead an d s aid with a s mil e

’
Go aw ay ;
God be wit h yo u it is n o t h i n g " No s o o n er h ad h e
, ,

”
,

s aid t h e word s t h a n An to n i o w h o h ad com e di s tract ed ,

wit h troubl e felt h im s elf all at o n ce filled wit h joy an d

,

ligh t h e art ed n e s s an d th e temptati o n w h olly go n e

,
.

Nay wh e n he met th e s ervan t h e w as n o t c o n s ci o u s

, ,

o f t h e s lig h t es t m o v em en t o f a n g e r toward s h im ; a n d

w h at is ev en m o r e s tran g e t h e s ervan t n ev er pass ed ,

in fro n t o f his h ou s e agai n .

A yout h w h o h ad n o t l on g be en u n d er P hilip s ’

dir ectio n could n o t b e per s uad ed to fo rgiv e an i nj ury

,

wh ic h h e h ad r ec eived Th e S ai n t did all h e could .

t o i n duc e him to do s o but his h eart s e e m ed o n ly t o ,

et h ard e r t h an v r O d fi n di n g ot h r
g e e n e a
y . no e ,

m e an s o f an y avail h e t o ok up a crucifix an d s aid t o

, ,

h im wit h gr eat fe rv o ur L oo k at t h i s an d t h i n k h o w
, ,

muc h Blood o u r Lord h as sh ed for th e lov e of you ;

a n d H e n o t o n ly p a rdo n ed His en emie s but prayed ,
2 1 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

the Etern al Father to pardo n t h em als o Do yo u n o t .

s ee my o o r child t h at every d wh o u say t h e

, p ,
a
y en
y
P a ter N os ter i ns tead of as kin g pardo n for your s in s
, ,

”
o u are calli n g dow n v en g e a n ce u po n yo u r s elf ? He
y
t h e n o rd er ed him t o kn ee l down an d r e peat after him , ,

at the fo o t of t h e crucifix w hic h h e h eld befo r e him ,

a pray er in w h ic h t he S ai n t m a gn ified t h e h ard n e ss

a n d o b s ti n acy o f his h e art an d S how e d him
,
wh a t a
gri evou s s in h e w as c o mmitti n g Th e yo uth kn elt .

d o w n at t h e Sai n t s biddi n g an d tri e d to r e pe at the

’

r a y e r b u t b eg a n to tr e mbl e al l o v e r an d c o uld n o t
p ,

pro n o u n c e a w o rd He r em ai n ed a l o n g tim e in t h is
.

“
s t a t e b u t a t l as t g e tti n g up e xcl a im ed
,
H e r e I am , ,

fa t he r r e a dy t o O b ey yo u ; I pard o n every inj ury I

,

ha v e ev e r r e c e iv e d ; y o ur R e v e r e n c e h as o n ly t o t ell
m e w hat o u d e s ir e m e t o d o an d I will comply wit h
y ,

yo ur wi s h ; a n d h e ke p t his w o rd .

Pi e tr o F o cil e o f w ho m w e ha v e alread y s po ken

, ,

w en t o n e d ay to make his c o n fes s io n t o t he Sain t ,

w h o h a d s e v e ral tim e s laid o n him s ome comman d s

w h ic h Pi e tr o h ad n ev e r obeyed On t his occas i o n .

Ph ilip g ave h im a s ev ere repriman d o n which t h e ,

p en it en t v e ry m uch o ut of humour s aid to him s e lf

, , ,

W hy what is t hi s ? d o e s he t h i n k t h e r e is n o oth e r
,

”
co n fes s or in Rom e but hims elf ? an d w en t off to c on
fess io n s om ewher e e lse ; but n o s o o n e r had he do n e so
than t h ere came upo n him s uch a d e pr es s i o n of spirit s ,

a n d u n easi n es s o f c o n s ci e n c e th a t h e could get n o re s t

, .

Two days pas s ed an d o n the third the Sain t in his

, ,

us ual way se n t for him ,

Pi e tro r ecov e red his S pirit s
.

directly he h eard that P hilip h ad asked fo r him ; but

whe n he saw him his h e art w as s o m elt ed t h at he
,

t hrew him s elf at his feet an d w e pt bitt e rly Philip .

2 1 8 TH E LI FE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
fo r P h ilip that ev en w he n h e re turn ed to S an Severi n o
, ,

he did n othi n g of im po rtan c e wit h out co n s ul t in g t h e

Sai n t by letter an d h e h ad s uc h fai t h in him t h at h e
,

rec o mme n d ed him s elf t o him while s till livi n g as if

h e w er e a ca n o n iz ed S a i n t O n c e durin g a v i s it t o
.
,

R o me h e w as o n th e po i n t o f fallin g fro m a r o ck in to
,

t h e Tiber w h e re n o o n e w o uld h ave s ee n h im

,
or

w o uld ever have k n o w n w h a t had become of him ; h e

r e c o m m en d ed him s el f wit h a ll h is heart t o Philip ,

w h o as w e h av e s aid w as s till livi n g an d in an i ns t an t

, , ,

h e fo u n d h im s elf re s c u ed fro m his dan ger he kn e w ,

n o t ho w T hi s g o o d pri es t al s o declar ed t h at w he n
.

e v e r he w as as s ail ed by a n t e m pta t i o n h e h ad o n ly
y ,

t o r e c o m m e n d h im s elf m en t a lly t o t he ho ly fat h e r ,

a n d h e w a s im m edi a t e ly fr ee d fr o m it an d r e cov e r e d ,

h is pe a c e o f c o n s ci e n c e .

F r a n c es c o M a ri a Ta rugi h avi n g an a lm os t irr e ,

s is t ib l e t e m pt a t i o n t o idl e n es s d iscl o s ed it to t h e ,

S ain t w ho w as a t t ha t tim e c o n fi n ed to h is b ed He
, .

prayed fo r h im at o n c e an d with s uch a ffe c t io na te ,

e ar n es t n ess t h at h e w a s rai s ed up from his b ed abou t

,

t he h eig h t o f a s p a n ; aft e r so m e t im e h e s aid to him ,

”
Fran c es c o M aria ho w do yo u fee l n e w ? Fran c es c o
,

”
r e pli ed V e ry w ell fat he r ; I n ev e r fe lt b et t e r
,
“
,
In .

like m an n e r w h en Ago s ti n o Bo n c o m pagn i a yo ut h

, ,

of eig h t een was haras s ed by s o me tem ptatio n s

, ,

t h e Sai n t t o ld him to com e to his m as s an d tha t

h e would commu n icat e him He s erved t he Sain t s ’

.

m as s an d commu n icat ed an d t he t emp t a ti o ns l e ft

, ,

h im .

Others s ay th a t every tim e t he Sain t h eard t h eir

c o n fessi o n s or laid his han d s u po n th e ir h ead s o r
, ,

t hey themselves made us e of t he remedies he h ad ,

 HE DISP E LS T E MPTATIONS 2 1 9

taught t h em th ey were s ure to h av e t h eir troubl es

,

ligh ten ed an d to b e comfo rt ed in t h eir t em ptation s

, .

At time s in his playful way h e w o uld give h is

, ,

pe n it en t s a g en tl e s lap o n th e c h eek s ayin g It is , ,

“

n o t you I am b e ati n g but t h e d evil ; a n d w h en ev e r ,

h e did t h is bad t h ough t s se em e d to fly at h is v ery

,

touc h I n de ed s ome co n fess ed t h a t by m er ely pro

.

n o un c in his n ame t h ey w er e d eliv e r ed from t e m t

g p a

tio n s .

Man y w er e th e s e al s o wh o m h e d e liver ed fro m th e

tr o ubl es w h ic h occur in th e d aily aff airs O f t he world .

Giulio Petru c c i a Sie n es e n obl e wh om th e Sai n t aft er

,
‘

ward s pl a ced in th e servic e o f St C h arl es w as h ara s s ed .

,

by som e gr e at a n xi ety ; an d as h e h a d heard o f t h e

good n e s s an d s an ctity o f P h ilip h e we n t t o c on fes s t o ,

him wit h a co n fide n t h Ope t h a t h e would b e d eliv er ed

,

from his tro ubl e Nor w a s h e di s a pp o in t ed for n o .

,

S oo n er h ad h e related h is gri eva n c e t h a n h e fou n d ,

h im s elf a s c o mpl etely r eli eved fr o m an xi ety a s if it

h ad n ever di s quiet ed h im T hi s o ccurr en c e i n s pired .

h im wit h suc h a n O pi n io n of P hilip t h a t h e put him ,

s e lf e n tirely u n der o b edie n c e to him a n d n ever wit h ,

dr ew from it s o l on g a s th e Sain t liv ed ; more ov er ,

from th at day fort h ev en in th e decrepitude of old ,

a e h e n ever failed to fr equ en t t h e e x e rci s e s of t h e

g ,

Or a tory to th e gr e at e dific ation o f all w h o kn ew him

, .

I
W h en Sixtu s V s ucceed ed t o th e po n tific at e t w o .
,

a pot h e cari es Bern ardi n o C o tta a n d G h era rdo Caracci

, ,

c o n t en d ed for th e o ffic e of apot h ecary t o t he Pe pe an d ,

s o warm did t hey b e c o m e in t h e con t es t th at o n e ,

1
F el ic e Peret t i b F ra n c is c an F r i r r l
C a d in a 1 5 68 , e e t e d lc
"
, . 1 52 1 , a , er .

P e pe 1 5 8 5 , d .
5 1
9 0 . S ee L a Vie d c S ixtc uin t, pa r l e B AR O N D E UB E R H N ,

3 vl o s . 8 v0 ,
Pa is , r 1 8 70 .
2 2 0 THE LIFE OF ST PHI LIP NERI .

e ve n in g they were on the poin t of murderi n g e ach

ot h er A n to n ia the s i s ter of Gh erard o im mediately
.
, ,

we n t to th e holy fat h e r a n d told him the s t ate of

t hi n g s Philip pret en d ed to pay h ardly any at t en tio n
.

t o w h at s h e s a id but s imply r e plied :

“
Tha t will do ;
,

g o h o me an d d o n o t be afraid H e the n s aid m as s .

,

at w hic h S he w a s pres en t ; a n d o n her return home

s h e fo u n d t h at her br o t h e r ha d go t t he o flic e he
w as s eeki n g an d t hu s a ll c o n t e s t w as a t an en d
, .

Giov an B a t t i s t a Mag n a n i a g e n tl e m a n of B o logn a o n e , ,

o f Gr eg o ry X I II S a tt en d a n t s h a d l o s t m a n y hun dr ed
’
.
,

cr o w n s at pl ay a n d h a d bec o m e ha lf de s perat e in
,

c o n s e qu en c e T he ho ly fat he r m e t h im
. at Cort e
S a v el l a an d a l th o ug h h e did n o t kn o w h im h e t o ok
, ,

him by t h e h a n d a n d s aid wi t h muc h feeli n g : Do “

,

n o t d es p a ir ; Go d w ill h elp o u ; d o but o to

y g c on

fes s io n a n d yo u s h all s e e t he grac e of G od

”
,
He .

t o o k him t o S Gir o lam o a n d h e ard his c o n f e ss io n an d

.
,

w h en he laid his h a n d upo n his h ead Giov an Batti s t a ,

imm edi a tely felt his h eart ligh t en ed an d all his dis ,

tr es s g o n e He w as fill ed with s uc h wo n d e r by t h is
.

in cid en t t h a t he w en t a b o ut everywher e sayin g that ,

o f a trut h F a t h er P hilip was a great Sain t .

Bo ezio Giu n ta a cleric of S in igaglia bein g also in , ,

great troubl e w en t to S G irola mo della Carit a to c on

,
.

fe s s an d fi n di n g t he Sain t in t he co n fe s s io n al kn elt
, ,

down No s o o n er had he m ade the S ign of the cro s s

.

t h an Philip t h ough h e had n ev er had a ny kn owledge

,

of him b efore lifted up h is eye s to h eav en an d s aid :

L o rd "
,

"
“
th is is a s oul griev o us ly di s tressed an d t he se ,

word s alo n e were s uffi ci en t to comfort Bo ezio an d t o

free him from all a n xiety A n oth er cleric a Roman .
,

n amed Bartolomeo Ma n tica corrector of t h e press t o ,

2 2 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

h er uch in support abl e vexatio n an d trouble that s he

s ,

c o uld n eith er read n o r s ay her usual pray ers a nd ,

w hen s he w en t to co n fess io n s he fo un d n o co m fort in

it At las t becomin g imp a ti en t an d a burd en to
.
, ,

her s elf s he was s en t by Fat h er An gelo Vel l i her c on

, ,

fes s o r tO s peak to t h e holy fat h er a b out this t ribul a tio n

,
'

W hen s he cam e to t he co nfe s s i o n al before s he had ,

s poke n a s in gl e w o rd Philip r ela ted with ac curacy ,

e v e rythi n g s he in t en ded to t ell hi m ; t he n layin g his ,

h a n d upo n h erh e ad h e s aid s o m e pray ers an d makin g

, ,

t he s ig n o f t he cr o s s o n her fore he ad se n t h er a w ay , .

In a n in s ta n t a l l her di s t re s s v an is hed an d s he w as ,

fill ed with c o n s o la t i o n a n d fre ed fr o m all im pa t i en c e

,

a n d di s qui e t ud e .

T he s am e t h in g ha pp e n ed to Livia V os tri O rsin a ,

w h o w as h a r as s ed by a particular t houg ht fo r s ix

m o n ths to g e t he r F a t her V elli w as her co n fes so r als o

.
,

a nd ,
b e in g un abl e t o fr ee he r s e n t her to t he ho ly ,

fa t h e r .H e heard w ha t s he had to say m ere ly ,

a n s wered It is n o t hi n g an d imm edia tely all trouble

,
“
,

va n i s hed fr o m he r mi n d T he re w as a n o ther ih .

s t a n ce o f t h e s a me so r t in Ca m ille Pan filie fat her ,

of I nn oc e n t X He had b e e n awake t he who le

.

n igh t t hr o ug h u n able t o s lee p bec aus e o f so m e

,

bu s i n es s w hic h pre s s e d u po n his min d The n ig ht .

s e e m ed a tho u s a n d ye ars lo n g so an xious w as he ,

t o s peak to t he S ain t In the m o r n in g directly .

,

P hilip s aw him he s aid : O C a m ill e I wo uld hav e

, ,

you kn o w that I have be en wi t h you all this n ight

in o rd er to c o n s o le you ; at which word s all dis

t urb an c e left him and t he bus in e s s turn ed out

,

e x actly a s he wi s h ed .

W e will co n clude wi th the word s o f Cardin a l

 DUTY O F GRATITUD E 2 2 3
1
G iro lamo Pan fili o broth er o f Camill o ab o ut th e Sain t
, , .

In all my n ece s s itie s I r e c o mme n d e d my s elf to P h ilip ,

a n d by his pray e r s a n d c o u n s el I w a s fr e ed from a l l

troubl s s o t h at w h en h e h elp ed m e I felt quit e

m
y e ,

s ec ure a n d w a s a fraid o f n ot h i n g
,
W e will o n ly ad d .

t h at h e w as m os t urgen t in en fo rci n g t h e duty o f

t h a n kful n e ss up o n t h ose w h o w e r e deliv er e d fr o m

t e mptati on s o r o t h er car e s ; for h e kn ew h o w s o o n

,

m en fo rg et t h e fav o ur s t h ey h av e r ec eiv e d fr o m Go d .

T hu s h e gave an o bedi en c e to o n e o f his p en it en ts

w ho h a d r ec eiv ed a m o s t s ig n al fa v o ur t o r e cit e t h e ,

Offic e o f th e Cr o s s an d t ha t o f t h e H o ly Spiri t ev ery

, ,

day fo r the r emai n d er of his life .

1
rl Gi o am o Pa n fi lio , b . 1 54 4 , cr
. r
C a d in a l 1 60 4, d . 1 6 10 —a s p ci l
e a

f v rit
a ou e of S t Phi i
. lp .
 CHAPTE R X
P HI L I P DE LI VE RS MAN Y FR O M E LAN C H OLY A ND
M
S C R U PL E S — HI S S I N G U LA R POWE R OF GI V ING

C O N S OL A T I O N

P HI L IP h ad a m o s t s i n gular gift o f d isp ell in g low S pirit s

a n d s crupl e s b o t h o f w h ic h a re s o difficult to c ure
,
. A
R o m a n n o bl e w as livin g in r e t ir e m en t in t he co n v en t
o f S Gr eg o ri o b ec a u s e o f a qu a rr el
.
,
. On e d ay a bo dy
,

w as br o ught t o b e buri ed in t he c h urc h an d amo n g,

t ho s e t h a t fo ll o w e d t h e c o rp se w as a po ss es s ed pe rs o n .

W hen t h e fu n e r a l w as o v e r t he g en tl eman b egan askin g

,

t hi s p er s o n qu e s t i o ns o u t o f curi o s ity w hen after s om e

,

c o n v e r s a t i o n he w en t cl o s e t o him with e xtrao rdi n ary

"
a n d t e rrific g e s tur es a n d s aid
, Yo u are p o s sessed too .

At t h es e w o rd s a wild fe ar an d melan ch o ly took po s

s es s i o n -o f t h e n obl e ; h e b e came afraid t h at he w as

r eally p os s es s ed an d we n t s o far as to have him s e lf

,

e xorci s ed ; an d t h is s tran ge idea took s uch hold of

h im th a t w h en th e exorcist asked him his n ame h e
, ,

gave di ffere n t n am es o f devi ls j us t as his fan cy

,

prompted him ; b es ide s givi n g m an y other sign s of

actual po ss es s io n : so t h at t h e pri es t who more than
,

o n ce exorcis ed him decided that the po s s ess io n was

,

r e al The e xorcis ms seemed h owev er o nl y to i n creas e

.

t h e evil ; an d his m ela n choly gr ew to such a pitc h ,

t h at he w as put i n to the han d s of four of t he prin ci

pal medical m en in Rome Th ey tried many remedi es
.
,
2 2 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
an d that a great n umbe r of dev ils we n t out o f him ;
h e immediat ely awoke cal l in g u po n the holy Name o f,

Je s u s an d from that mome n t was e n tirely free from

,

h is di s tress The n ext day he relat ed the circum s tan ce

.

to Philip who put his han d o n his head gave him a

, ,

ge n tl e box on the ear an d said : Vade at noli a m pl ia s

, ,

ecca re
p .

Dome n ico Sarace n i an emi n e n t phys ician of that

,

d ay fell i n to a terribl e m elan c ho ly fo r w hic h he could

, ,

n ei t h e r fin d a n rem edy h im s elf n o r o b t ain an re l ief

y y ,

fro m th e pre s cri pti o n s of ot h er medical m en He .

co n ceiv ed ho wev e r a liv ely fait h th a t he w o uld obtai n

his cur e t h roug h t he meri t s o f P hi l ip an d w en t to s ee ,

him . P hilip rec eiv ed him wi t h great charity an d ,

s aid ,
Do n o t b e a fraid ; yo u wil l b e cured with o ut
“

an
y d o ubt At t h
. e s e word s Dome n ico fe lt a sudde n

lig ht en i n g of h is afflic t io n a n d without a ny furt he r ,

r em edy go t rid o f his mel an choly al tog e t her He .

aft e rward s mad e a fo rmal declaratio n o n o ath that he

beli eved his cure to b e mirac ulou s Almo s t the sam e .

t hin g h appe n ed t o an infl ue n tial pe rs o n about t he

court w ho h ad falle n in to a profou n d melan choly
,
:

“
Philip r elieved him by sim ply s ayin g Do n o t de s pair , .

He al s o c ured Fat her Fran c e sco B e rn ardi of t he ,

Co n gregatio n o f a terri ble d e pres sio n a n d restored

, ,

h is former cheerfuln e ss by s imply i n vitin g him t o ,

r un wit h him .

As to scruples it would be im po ss ible to e n umerat e

,

all t hose whom he fr eed from t h em or the method s ,

h e used for t h e purpo s e Th e followin g cases will.

s uffi ce for the co n s olatio n of those w ho are h arassed

by s cruples an d to e n courage them to recom m e n d

,

themselves to Philip in their distress G iulia n o .

 A CURE FOR S CRUPL E S 2 2 7
Fus c h erio a prie s t o f S Girolam o d ella Carit a an d a
, .
,

m an of most exemplary life h a d a p en it en t w h o h ad

,

bee n broug h t to s uc h a p as s by s cruple s t h at h e c o uld ,

n o t go to c o nf e s s io n Giulian o h ad se n t him to sev eral

.

pri es t s to s ee if t h ey could r eli eve h im in some way

,

or ot her ; but a s n o good cam e of it h e re s o lv ed at ,

la st to se n d him t o t h e h o ly fat h e r As s oo n a s P hilip .

saw t he pen ite n t h e s aid to him My s on yo u are

, ,
“
,

su fferin g un der a temptatio n of th e devil ; I kn ow you

very w ell ; but o n ly h ave a g oo d will an d all will c o m e ,

H e t h e n embraced him wit h muc h

”
righ t in the en d .

affectio n ; an d as h e s aw t h at t he w h ol e pr o ce ed ed
from t he s pirit o f pride t h roug h wh ic h t h e d evil h ad ,

obtain ed a h old upo n his h eart t h e Sai n t in o rd er t o , ,

co n fou n d t he e n emy an d at th e s ame tim e to h umbl e

,

t h e p en ite n t an d t h u s t o fr ee h im from h is s crupl es

, ,

“
s aid to him in t h e pre s en ce o f Fat h er Fu s c h erio Will ,

y o u m tio your s in s o u t loud to u s two tog t er

en n e h ?

T he p en ite n t replied “
Y es fat h er m o s t willi n gly for
, , , ,

I do n o t hold back eit he r t h ro ug h fear or h um an

”
r es p ect but s imply fro m an i n ability to expre ss mys elf
,
.

T hen P hilip s aid Kn eel down betw een u s tw o an d

,
“
,

”
b egi n at o n ce to me n tio n your sin s W h en h e had .

fi n i sh ed P hilip added Now ki s s th e grou n d for th e

, ,
“

c on fu s io n of th e d evil ; an d n o s oon er h ad h e ki ss ed
t h e grou n d t h an all his s crupl es melted away in a
m o me n t l eavin g him in p erfect fr eed o m an d able t o
, ,

go to co n fess io n ev er aft erward s wit hout th e s ligh t es t

difficulty .

A v ery c o mmo n remedy w hic h the Sai n t made u s e

o f to cure his o w n s ubj ects of s cruple s w a s to mak e ,

t hem kn eel down in th e r e fectory of th e Co n gr egatio n

at meal times an d accu s e t h em s elve s of t h eir s cruple s
,
.
2 2 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

Cardi n al Frederick Bo rrom eo m en tio n s the case of an

eccl es ias tic w h o w as pai n fully s crupul o us in s aying
o ffice a n d got worse every day
, At l as t almo s t in
.
,

d es pair he we n t to Philip who m erely promis i n g to

, ,

pr ay fo r him s hut t h e d o o r in his fac e an d s e n t him

,

a way He r e turn ed hom e s et h im s elf to s ay h is o ffice

.
, ,

s a id it t o his o w n gr e a t as to n i s h m en t without the

, ,

s ligh t es t hi n dran c e an d w as n ev er troubled w ith

,

s crupl es agai n .

P hilip u s ed to give vari o u s r em edi es an d in s t ru c

t io n s o n t h i s s ubj ec t W hat he m o s t i ns i s t ed u po n
.

w a s t h at w h en a s crupul o u s pe r s o n h a d o n c e m ade
,

u p his mi n d t h a t h e had n o t c on s en ted to a t em pta

tion he was n o t t o e xami n e hims elf again as t o
,

w het h e r h e h a d d o n e s o o r n o t ; b ecau s e s uc h refl ec

t i o n s fr e qu en tly brin g the t e mptati o n s b ack again .

M a n y a re ha ras s ed wit h s crupl es b ecau s e t hey are

u n certai n w het her or n o t t hey h av e co ns e n ted to a
s ugg es ti o n P hilip laid dow n two rule s for an y o n e
'

t h u s tro ubl ed ; t h e firs t is to co n s id er whether in the

t em ptati o n he h as alway s pre s erv e d a l o v e of t h e

virtu e agai n s t w h ich h e w as t e mpted ; for in that

c as e h e m ay s u ffi cie n tly co nj ecture that he has n o t
co n s en t ed The s eco n d rule is to refl ect wheth er h e
.

is ready to m ake oat h that he h as co ns e n ted to t h e

temptatio n kn owi n g it to be a mortal s in t o swear
,

to an yt h in g as certai n which is doubtful ; an d if h e

could n ot s w ear that he h as co n s en ted he may ,

co n s ider that h e h as n o t do n e s o in real ity Be s ide s .

t h e o rdin ary remedy of submittin g alway s an d in

everyt hin g to the j udgme n t o f t h eir co n fe s s or b e ,

s pe cially exhorted his pe nite n ts to de s pise th

2 3 0 T H E LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
s peaki n g of t he s e words s aid Wh e n I co n versed , ,
“

with Philip I had s uch a fe eli ng o f in ward s ati s faction

t h at I would fai n n ever h ave left him Every time .

h e met m e in t he s tre e t he pre s s ed my fac e b etw een

his h an d s an d s aid , How a re yo u an d what are
,
‘

d
’

y o u d oin g ? an whil e h e did s o I u s ed to feel a ,

particular c o n s o latio n an d it s eemed as if his fle s h

,

gav e fo r t h a m o s t s we et fragran ce On e day he m et .

m e at t h e pal a c e o f Cardi n al Sforza a n d as so o n as ,

h e cam e up t o m e he bega n care s s i n g me in his

u s ual ma n n e r wi t h his h a n d s u po n my fac e s ayin g , ,

‘
W ell w h a t is S an Pellegri n o about n o w ? an d his
,
’

w o rd s l eft s uc h c he erfuln e s s in my h eart such joy ,

a n d h a ppi n es s t ha t for v e ry lighthearted n e s s I did

,

n o t k n o w w he r e I w as g o i n g .

I n d eed n o t o n ly t he Sai n t him s elf but his very

, ,

r o o m h ad s uc h an effect u po n peopl e that tho s e w ho ,

w ere a b o ut him re s or t ed t o it as their ordi na ry r e med y

in t h eir t r o ubl e s M a r z io Altieri was so in un dated
.

wi t h j oy w hil s t he s tayed in it that he u s ed to say , ,

”
P hilip s r o o m is n o t a ro o m but an eart hly Paradi s e
’

, .

Giulio B en ig n o Arc hbi s h o p o f T h essalo n ica said t he

, ,

s ame an d w a s in the habit o f go in g t h ere v e ry o fte n

, .

Cardin al Fred erick Borrom eo took such pl e as ur e in it ,

t h at eve n whe n he had n othin g to S peak to t he Sain t

about he este e m ed it a great privil eg e S im ply to
,

remai n in his room Aless an dro Cardin al o f Flor en ce

.
, ,

aft erwards Leo XI w en t there s ever al tim es every

.

w eek ofte n rem ain l ng fi ve or s ix h our s a t a tim e ;

,

a n d he frequ en tly s aid to h is att en dan ts that h e could ,

n o t bear to hear t h e Av e rin g b ecau s e t h e day s ee med ,

to have g o n e too quickly Nay m an y by o n ly s t an d .

,

in g at the door of his room without goi n g in felt their ,

 CHA PTER XI
or P H I L I P S A L MS
’

A LT H OU G H P hilip s c h arity w as c h iefly i n te n t o n s uc

’

c o uri n g o t he rs in t heir s piri t ual wan t s he did n o t ,

c o n fi n e hi m s e lf to t h i s b ut en d eav o ured al s o by all

,

t he me a n s in h is po w e r t o a ll eviate t h e t e m poral
di s t res s es o f his n e ig hbour \Vh e n he vi s ited s ic k
.

p eo pl e w ho w e r e po o r he g en erally t o ok t h em a lm s
, ,

n o t o n ly o f m o n ey b u t o f ev e ryt h i n g e l s e w hich t hey

,

m ig h t n e e d in t h e ir s ickn es s He did n o t wait to b e

.

s e n t fo r ,
b u t m ad e it h is bu s in es s to fin d out t he
a b o d e s o f t h e po o r an d o ft e n carri e d u n d e r h is cloak
, ,

o r in h is p o ck e t s c o m fo r t s fo r t ho s e wh o m he vi s ited
,
.

He mig ht b e s een goin g a bout at all hours an d in all ,

w e a th e rs w hen t he r e w as any work o f charity to b e

,

d o n e H e v e ry o ft en carried peti t i o ns to t he Po pe
.
,

an d u t h im s elf to tr o uble in ot h er ways for po o r

p
pers o n s wit h w ho m he was h ardly at all acquain ted .

So arde n t was his charitabl e zeal t h at G od oft e n ,

rewarded him by s howi n g him in S pirit t he n ec ess iti es

o f ot h er s T hus a c e rtain mu s ician of Cas tel S
.
, .

A ngelo havin g fa ll en i n to pov erty t he holy fat her ,

s uccoured him every time that h e was in wan t w it h ,

out bei n g in fo rmed of it either by the poor m an

h im s elf or by ot he r s o n his be h alf
, H e did th e s am e
.

to An to n io Fan ti n i w ho has bee n already me n tio n ed

, .

On o n e occasio n A n to n io we n t as u s ual to co n fe ss io n
 T HE
’
SAINT S ALMSGIVING 2 33

at a time w hen he h a p pen ed to b e in extreme n ece s s ity ,

a n d P h ilip gav e him s ixte en cr o w n s wit h out h is m en

t io n in g a word about his di s tr es s In lik e man n e r h e

.

pro vided fo od an d clot h i n g durin g a l on g tim e for a

d ecayed n obl eman in gr eat poverty of w ho se di s tr es s ,

h e h ad n o n atural s ource s o f i n fo rmati o n N eit he r .

w er e P hilip s alm s trifli n g He u s ed to giv e in larg e

’
.

quan titi es both mo n ey an d o t he r t h in g s ; an d wh en a

,

lady of r an k h ad giv en h im furn iture for his r o om h e ,

imm ediately h ad it s old an d gav e away th e pric e of it

,

fo r t h e l o ve of Go d H e r eli ev ed th e n ec es s iti es n o t
.

o n ly of s i n gle i n dividual s but o fte n o f w h o l e famili es

, .

On o n e o ccas io n h e fo u n d a m o t h er wit h fo ur littl e ,

c h ildr en an d t h e gran dmot h er s o p oo r t h at t h ey had , ,

n o m e an s of pr o vidi n g e it h er foo d or cl o t h i n g Fo r t h e .

s pac e of fo ur y e ar s P hilip t oo k car e o f t h em pr o vid e d ,

t h em eac h day wit h t h e mean s o f livi n g an d s om etim ,

gave t hem in additi o n as m uc h as eigh t een an d tw en ty

crown s at a tim e t o aid t hem in o t h er n ec es s iti es
,
.

Th e wife o f Vi n c en z o Mi n iator e of w h o m we S h all ,

h av e t o s p eak l a t e r a m o s t e xcell en t w o man w as l eft

, ,

a widow wit h s ix c h ildren P hilip pr o vid ed h er wi th

.

fo od an d cloth i n g an d g a v e on e o f t he d augh ters th e

,

m ean s o f bec o mi n g a n un When Gabri ella o f C o r .

to n a a pi o u s an d high ly r es p e cted lady l os t h er

, ,

h u s b a n d P hilip s uppli e d ev e ryt h i n g n eedful fo r h e r

,

family an d s e ttl ed o n e o f h er daugh ters in marriag e

, .

H e him s elf ev e r o n th e l o o k -out to gai n s o ul s o r t o

, ,

a id ot h e r s to gai n t h em w en t to the w eddi n g an d

, ,

t o o k wi th h im B aro n iu s Fran c es co Maria Tarugi an d

, ,

Gi o van n i Fran c es c o Bordin o an d w h il e t h ey w e r e at

,

tabl e ord er ed Baron iu s to s i n g th e Mi s erer e as a s ub

s titu t e for s piritual readi n g .
2 34 THE LIFE OF ST . P H ILIP NERI

But al t hough Phili p w as full of cha ri ty toward s all ,

h e S h owed great er g en e ro s ity toward s poor girls t h an

toward s an y o n e el s e Some n iece s o f G iovanni An i
.

muccia were left without a ny r es ource s wher e upo n h e ,

gav e t hem an alm s of s ix h u n dred cro w n s be s id es ,

s upplyi n g t h eir daily n eed s u n til they were s ettled .

He fo u n d two F lo ren t m e gi rl s w h o wer e left in Rome

,

wit hout fa t her o r mot h er in gre at pe ril o f th eir ho n our

,
.

He pr o vid ed fo r th e m s o l o n g as t hey rem ain ed there ,

a n d t h en fo u n d a n o pportu n i t y o f s e n di n g them to
Flor en c e w he r e by his as s i s tan c e th ey became n u n s
, , ,
.

A n o t her t im e he gav e e ighty cr o w n s t o a girl to en abl e ,

h e r t o en t er a c o n v en t ; an d t h r e e o t h e r orph ans in
e x t r e m e di s t r e s s h e pr o vid e d wit h marri ag e port io n s ,

givi n g t h e hu s b an d o f o n e o f th em a h un dr ed crow ns
o v e r a n d a bov e t h e d o wry t o put him in the way of
,

m a ki n g a livi n g .

I n t h e y e ar 1 5 8 6 a p o or woman w h o was burd en ed

,

wi t h s ix c hildre n fo ur s o n s an d two daugh t ers in c o n

, ,

j u n c t io n wit h two o t he rs as poor as h ers elf an d all ,

t h r e e pe n it en t s o f t h e Sai n t m o ved as th ey t h ough t

, , ,

by t he s pirit o f c harity form ed t he de s ign of gat h erin g

,

t o g e t h er po or aba n do n ed orp h an girls an d in le s s t h an ,

t w o year s had got tog e t h er ab o ut twe n ty All this w as .

do n e wit h out t heir taki n g P hilip s ad vice o r h avin g

’

mea s of s u pporti ng their orp h an s as they them

an
y n ,

s elv e s were straite n ed by poverty Philip th e re fore

.

s e n t for them a n d fi r s t of all mo rtified an d humbled

,

t hem most s everely comm an din g them n o t to en t e r a

,

c h urch for s ome days He t h e n took upo n him s elf

.

t he care of the poo r girls an d by degrees di s tributed

,

t h em in di ffere n t place s s om e in co n ve n t s ot h er s with

, ,

l adie s who o ffer ed to take charge of them an d the rest ,

2 3 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP N ERI

mo n ey seein g that he gave s o largely an d fo r so

,

lo n g a tim e .

God set the s eal o f His approval o n h is al m s givin g

by variou s miracl es In the year 1 5 5 0 as he w a s .
,

carryin g s om e br e ad in t he d e a d o f n igh t to o n e w ho
w as a s h am ed to b e a n d w ho w as advan c e d in years
g ,

a n d o f a n o bl e fa mily P hilip in e n d e av o u rin g to et

,
g ,

o u t o f t he w a f a c a rriag e t h at w as c o mi n g al o n g
y o

t he road wi t h gr e at r a pidi t y fell i n to a v e ry d ee p ,

.

ho l e but a n a n g el U p h eld him

,
by t he h air a n d ,

bro ug ht him fo r t h wit hou t an y i nj ury On an ot he r .

o cc as i o n abo u t t he s am e tim e w hil e P hili p w as em

, ,

pl o ye d in t hes e pi o u s w o rks an an g el pr es en t ed him ,

s elf t o him in t h e fo rm o f a b eggar a n d as k ed an alm s ,

o f him T he S a i n t im medi at e ly g a v e him t h e few

.

pi e c es o f m o n ey he ha d a bo u t h im But t he an gel .
,

s eei n g h is pro m p t i t ud e r e fu s ed t hem s aying I , , ,

“

wi s hed t o s e e w ha t yo u w o uld d o a n d imm ediat ely ,

dis app ea red F r o m t ha t mom en t P hilip u n d e rstood

.

s t ill m o r e cl e a rly t he exc ell en ce an d t he virtue o f

a lm s givi n g a n d h is t e n d e r n e ss of h e art t oward s t he
,

p o o r w as gre at e r t han ev e r ; whils t t he remem bran c e

o f t h i s fa v o ur w as a S pur t o his pers everan ce in h is

d eed s of c hari ty an d in t he ge n erou s libe rality of h is

,

a l m s iv in g w hic h w e h ave d e s cribed

‘

g ,
.

In a word his c h ari ty w as s o gr eat that his pe n ite n t s

,

ge n e rally call ed him Fa t her bo t h o f s oul an d b o dy ; an d

a ft er h is death man y w e pt a t t h e mere remembran ce of

h is alm s w hil s t o t he rs c ri ed out N ever will an oth e r “

m an com e in to t he w o rld s o c h ari t abl e as P hilip "

, ,

l
I t was fo r t hi s reas o n t h at Cardin a l Bell a rm in e a ,

1
Ro b erto B e ll a rm ino , b . 1 54 2 , ph w f P p M rc ll
ne e o o e a e us II .
, en t e ed r
t he c y
S o iet of J es us, cr . C a d inar l 598 Arc hb i h p f C p
1 ,
s o o a ua, d . 1 62 1 .
 MUTUAL GRATIT U D E 2 37

m an as famou s fo r s an ctity a s for l earn i n g to w h o m ,

t h e Sacred C o n gr egatio n of Rit es committ ed th e

c au s e of P hilip s can o n izati on call ed him a s ec on d
’

St Jo hn th e Alm on er becau s e o f t h e n um erou s

.
,

a lm s r ecord ed o f him in t he pr o c es s es W hen S

. . .

F ran ce s ca Roman a w as can o n i z ed in t he year 1 6 0 8 ,

a p o or w o man n am ed Maria d ella Volta w h o h ad ,

o ft en r ec eiv ed large alm s fro m P hilip w en t i n t o ,

St P et er s an d calli n g him to mi n d bur s t i n to t ear s

.
’

, ,

an d cri ed out An d w h e n will my F a t h e r P hilip b e

,
“

can on i z ed 7 Fo r if San ta Fr an c es c a carri ed wo o d

u po n h er h ead to give it in al m s t o t h e poor m y ,

Fat h er P hilip h as c o u n tl es s tim es c o m e to my h ou s e

l o aded wit h br ead c o n c eal ed u n d er his cl o ak an d ,

s upplied my par en t s wit h wi n e a n d o il a n d mo n ey

an d h elp o f every ki n d "

, ,

Th e Sai n t h ad i n s truct ed t hi s p o or woman wit h

gr eat pati en ce an d c h arity in m en t a l pr ayer t elli n g ,

h er t o c o n s id e r w h e n s h e r ecit ed t h e Our Fat h er “

,

t h at s h e h ad Go d for h er F a t h e r in h eav en an d S O o n ,

wit h th e r es t t eac hin g h er t o m edit at e on it word by

,

word . H e aft erward s h

gav e e a r o s ary b oo k t o en abl e
r -
,

h er to l e ar n h ow to m editat e on t h e Pa s s i on .

P hilip s c h arity toward s th e p oo r w as u n ited wit h a

’

S pirit of ge n er o s ity toward s all a n d of i n t en s e gratitud e

,

fo r an y ki n d n es s t h at w as d o n e to him Cardi n al .

Girolamo Pan filio s aid of h im : Th e h oly fat h er was “

mo s t grat eful to all w h o did h im an y s ervic e h o wev er ,

i n s ig n ifican t g en erally r ec o mp en s in g t hem eve n in

, ,

t e mpo ral mat t er s far b eyo n d t h e valu e o f w h at h e

,

r ec eiv ed ; an d h e kept mo s t t en aciou s ly in r em e m

”
bran c e th e l eas t ki n d n es s w h ic h w as s h own him The .

Abat e Marco An to n io Maffa g av e t he s ame t es timo n y .

2 3 8 THE LIFE O F ST . PHILIP NERI
”
Philip ,
he s ayswas s o grateful and court eo us that
, ,

n o o n e c o u ld m ake him a prese n t wit hout rec eivin g

'

a n other from him of double its value ; and I remember

that o n ce whe n I had begged him to accept some
,

little trifle as a m ark o f my affectio n for him he ,

pre s e n tly s e n t me a bro n ze c ruci fi x of beautiful work

man ship which mu s t have co s t s everal crown s an d
, ,

w hich I k ee p n o w as a mo s t preci o u s relic o f that

”
h oly m an .

Ye t fo r all P hilip s c h ari ty toward s the poor he

’

, ,

c o uld n o t bear to s ee th e m goi n g abo ut the church

a s ki n g fo r alm s an d he would ev en get u p from the
,

c o n fes s i o n al him s e lf to s en d t hem to t he door ; n o t

t h r o ugh a n y wa n t o f c o m pas s io n but t o preve n t the ,

div in e o ffi c es b e i n g dis turbe d He acted in the sa me

.

way wi t h childr en wh en th ey c ried out an d with ,

w o rkm en o r o t h e rs w ho made an y n ois e that w as n o t

,

ab s o lu t ely n ec es s ary ; a n d if he heard an ythin g of this

s o rt wh e n h e w as a t t he altar he made a S ign to have ,

it s t o pp ed .
2 4 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
he procured their freedom an d in the tim e o f Sixtu s V .
,

h e obtai n ed th e r e leas e of a Rom an ge n t l em an a gr ea t ,

n umber of w h os e vas s als h ad com e from differe n t vil

l ag es o n h is estate to brin g fals e accu s atio n s agains t

h im .

T he ame S pirit o f com pas s i o n c o ns tan t ly im pell ed

s

h im to act s o f ki n d n e s s tow a rd s al l I n t he year I 5 5 1 .

,

duri n g a s ev e r e fam in e S ix loave s were s e n t to him as

,

a pr es e n t ; but kn o win g t h a t t he re w as a poor priest ,

a for eign er at S Gir o lamo w ho w as s u fferi n g from

,
.
,

h u n g e r P hilip s en t t h e s ix l o av e s t o h im
, an d h ad ,

n o t h i n g t o e a t h im s elf all t h at d ay e xcept a few o l ives .

On e o f h is pen ite n t s fi n di n g t h i s o u t as ked w hy h e ,

h ad d o n e s o an d h ad n o t ra th er r e s erved at le as t h alf
,

t h e br ea d fo r h im s e lf ? P hilip a n s wer ed t h at he w as
w ell e n o ug h k n o w n in R o m e an d so mebody was s ure
,

t o h e lp h im but t h at t he po o r foreign er would n o t so

,

r ea dily h ave fo u n d help in his n ec es s ity .

He had a S p ecial t en d e rn es s t o ward s arti s an s an d in ,

p a r t icul a r t o ward s t ho s e w ho after w o rkin g h ar d fo r

,

t heir br e ad fo u n d di fficul t y in s el l i n g th eir good s

,
His .

c ha rity w as in g en iou s in fi n di n g m ean s of helpin g them .

T her e w er e t w o brot he rs Fren c h me n who were goo d

, ,

workm en in t heir trade w hich w as t h at of watc h makers

, ,

but w ho h ad grown old an d w er e burd en ed wit h

familie s o f gr o wn -u p daughters The Sain t in ord er .
,

t o as s i s t them gave them an ord e r fo r a great n umb e r

,

o f watc h e s of d ifferen t kin ds w hich he afterward s ,

begged rich pe rs o n s to buy t h u s helpin g the n eedy by

,

g e tt ing mo n ey from t h o s e w ho would n o t s o easily hav e

parted wit h it in mere alm s On e of his pe nit en t s s aw
.

P hilip upo n on e occas io n pe rs u adi n g a m an of ran k t o

buy s everal of these watc he s an d w as s can dali s ed by,
 H IS C H ARITY TO ARTISANS 2 4 1

it as thoug h t h e h oly fat h er wer e per s uadin g him to

,

t h row away his mo n ey in an idl e an d foo li sh man n er ;

’
but w h e n h e aft erward s discovered th e Sain t s artifice ,

h e w as gr eatly ed ifi ed by it .

On e ev en i n g a poor c h icory s eller we n t to t h e ex er

-

ci s e s of the Oratory at S G irolam o an d suc h a vi o l en t

.
,

rain came on t h at h e could n ot get away t o s ell h is

c h icory T hi s i n cid en t at o n ce s tirred P hilip s c o m
’

pas s io n ; h e bough t part of th e c h icory h im s elf an d ,

b egged ot her s t o buy t h e rest s en din g t h e po or fello w

,

h ome in h igh s pirit s .We h ave alr eady s poken of his

te n dern e s s to t h e s ick an d es pecially to t ho s e in t h e
,

ho spital s an d we s h all have occa s io n to S p eak o f it

,

again He al s o felt a particular in t er es t in t h e poo r

.

o rp h an s of t h e Piaz z a Capran ica an d s everal tim es a ,

week sen t s om e of h is p en it en t s of tried virt ue to s erv e

t h em make t h eir bed s was h t h em an d perform ot h er
, , ,

works of mercy for t h em W e mu s t n ot omit an i n ci

.

d en t co nn ected wit h t h is work On e of t h o s e w h om .

h e u s ed to s en d on t h i s erran d of m ercy w as a lady ,

n am ed Fiora Rag n i w h o ,
alt h ough very pi o u s felt a
, ,

s tro n g r epugn an c e to it o n accou n t of s ome di s gust

in g in sect s w h ic h s h e met wit h in it s perfo rman ce .

S h e made kn ow n h er di ffi culty to t h e Sai n t w h o told ,

h er n o t to giv e up t h e good work an d w h at is more , ,

o rd e red h er t o put in to h er mout h t h e fir s t of t h e s e

in s ect s sh e cam e acro s s The good lady bow ed h er

.

h ead t o t h e c o mman d but do w h at s h e w o uld s h e n ev er

, ,

from t h a t mom en t s ucce eded in fi n din g on e Muc h .

a s to n i sh ed s he w en t back an d told th e h oly F at h er

, ,

w h o wit h h is u s ual s mil e s e n t h er away .

Th e t en dern ess of t h e Sain t s h eart w as n o t c o n fi n ed

’

to th e h uman race but flowed o ver eve n upo n an imal s

"
, ,

V OL . I .
2 42 T HE LIFE OF S T . PHILIP NERI
in whom he loved to co n tem plate the Creator A .

father of the Co n gregatio n p as s in g o n e day t h roug h

,

a court yard an d s eein g a lizard put his foo t u po n it ;

-

w her eu po n Philip s aid to him : Cru el fell ow "

, ,

“
what
h as t h at po o r little an imal d o n e to you ? Ano t h er
t im e pas s i n g n ear a butc h er s s h O
’

,
p h e s aw a butc h er ,

w o un d a dog w it h o n e of his kn ive s an d n o tw it h ,

s t an di n g t h e Sai n t s u s ual e qua n imity he w as greatly

’

t roubl e d at t h e s ig h t an d h ad s o m e di ffi cul t y in c alm

,

in g h im s elf On e of his pe n it en t s o n ce foun d a little

.

bird an d t o o k it to him ; as s oo n as he s aw it he w as
m o v ed wi t h pi ty an d s aid Do n o t h u rt it ; o pe n the
, ,

”
wi n d o w an d let it go The yout h o b eyed but a little
.
,

w h il e aft e r t h e Sai n t called him bac k again an d as k ed ,

h im w h a t h e h ad do n e wit h t h e bird ; he an swered

t h a t h e h ad l et it go in obedie n ce to his o rd e r Ph ilip .

r e pli ed It w o uld h av e b ee n better to have kept it an d

,
“

br o ug ht it u p fo r it is s o you n g t h at it will n o t kn ow
,

w he r e t o go an d pe r h aps will die of hu n g e r

, .

He c o uld n o t b e ar to s e e t h e s lighte s t cruelty s hown

to an im al s u n d e r any pr etext If a bird or an y ot her .
,

creatur e h appe n ed to get i n t o a room he would h ave

, ,

t h e wi n dow o r door o pe n ed immedi ately t h at it might

e s cape ; a n d if an y o n e caught an an imal alive h e
begged of t hem to let it go forthw it h or if it was mis ,

c hiev o u s to s et it free w h ere it could i nj ure n o o n e .

Whe n he was in a carri age he always warn ed the

co achman n o t o n ly n o t to run over an y o n e b ut to be ,

careful n o t even to hurt an an imal an d if live an imals ,

were giv en him h e woul d n o t h ave t hem killed but

, ,

se n t t hem to some of his pe n ite n t s tellin g t h em either ,

to take care of them them s elve s or to give them away to ,

some on e else ; his te n dern es s of h eart thu s co n tin ually

 CHAPTER XIII
or P H IL I P S V I RGI NA L
’
P UR IT Y
W E hav e th fa r P hilip s w o n drou s love of ’
us s ho wn
Go d an d o f h is n e ig hbour an d t h e t en dern e s s an d
,

c o m pas s io n o f h is heart Amo n g s t all his other

.

virtu es it s eem s m o s t n atural t o S pe ak firs t of his

,

virgi n al purity as t h a t w hic h is mo s t rarely m et w ith

,

in it s p erfec t io n a n d whic h mor e t ha n an y other

, , ,

r en d er s it s po s s es s o r s in gular an d wo n d erful in the

eyes o f m en P hilip w ell kn owi n g t he pleas ure which
.
,

Go d t a k es in cl e ann es s o f h ear t h ad n o soo n er come ,

t o y ea r s o f di s cr e t i o n an d learn ed to di s t in guis h b e twee n

go o d an d evil t h an he s et him s elf to wage war wit h

,

all his mig ht agai n s t t h e co n c upi s ce n ce of the fles h ,

a n d n ever r es t ed u n til he had gain ed the victory over

it T h u s it was t h at although t he religiou s exercises

.

m en ti o n ed in the las t book broug h t him in to co n tac t

wit h all ki n d s of pers o n s an d ex po s ed him to man y
,

occas io n s of fallin g he pre s erved his purity S potle s s to

,

the last .

In proof of t h i s fact Card in al B aro n ius his co n fes s or

, , ,

bears wit n es s t h at a few days before he died Phili p ,

ac kn owledged it to him amid floods of tear s an d ,

lame n tatio n s over his o w n in gratitude to G od Pers ian o .

’
Ro s a w ho was the Sain t s co n fe s s or in e arlier years
, ,

said the same ; an d in deed it was t he commo n belief ,

 CUSTODY OF T HE 2 45

h im ; an d th e Sacr ed Con gr egati o n of Rit e sz

f i n his

b eatific ation a s well as in his can on is at i on d eclar ed it

, ,

adequately proved In c on firmatio n of it s trut h w e

.

will o n ly add t h at h e h im s elf t o ward s t he clos e of his

,

life r ev ealed the fact t o on e of his p en it en t s w hen

,

h e ari n g his co n fes s i o n for t h e purpo s e of en c o uragi n g

,

him to liv e a c h as t e life by s h o wi n g him from h is o w n

,

e xp erie n ce t h at a m an may n o t o n ly live c h a s t ely but ,

ev en by th e grace of God pr es erv e his virgi n ity fro m

, ,

every s tain .

F rom his boyh o o d t o t h e v ery time of his deat h ,

P h ilip watc h ed over t his preci o u s tr eas ure wit h th e

g r e at es t dilige n ce H e w as n ot co n t en t wit h ke epi n g
.

it j eal o u s ly h idde n b en eat h th e a she s of h umility an d ,

s tan di n g guard ov er his ow n h eart wit h u n c eas i n g

s trict n e ss ; b ut h e took al s o t h e m o s t exact car e of all

h is outward se n s e s an d of ev e ry part o f his body

,
.

Lik e St An to n y h e n ever all o w ed an y part o f his

.
,

body to be s een u n cov er ed ; an d w e may m en tio n t h at

h e w as particularly plea s ed w h en h e n oticed t h at
ot her s ob s erved the s am e cautio n From his lip s n o .

word w as ever h eard t h at could o ffen d th e m o s t s e n s i

tiv e mode s ty So strict w as his cu s tody o f his eyes
.
,

t h at on e of t he mo s t beautiful w o me n in R o me w h o ,

w en t to co n fe ss io n to him for t h irty year s s ucce ss ively ,

declared t h at S h e could n ever perceive t h at he h ad

o n ce l o ok ed at h er durin g all t h at time F rom t h e .

s am e motiv e whe n h e first b egan to h ear co n fes s io n s

, ,

h e w as n o t very willi n g to h ear wom en ; i n deed t o th e ,

las t h e h ad always far mor e m en t h an women amo n gs t

,

his pe n it en t s H e n ever allowed w o me n to s peak to

.

him at t h e co n fe s sio n al exc e pt t h roug h th e grate ; an d

in oppo s itio n to th e u s ual S w eet n e s s of his c h aracter ,
2 46 THE LI FE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

he was by n o means affable with them bu t rather ,

roug h an d abrupt kee pin g his fac e turn ed the ot her

,

way whi ls t he S poke t o t hem In his old age h owever .

, ,

h e w as n o t s o au s ter e wit h t hem becau s e he s aid the ,

L o rd had give n him t he grace t o hear t h eir co n fe ss io n s

as he wi s hed On e o f h is pen ite n t s o n c e t ook him to
.

di n e at a g en tleman s ho u s e an d aft er din n er the Sain t

’

turn ed to h is pen i t en t an d s aid You hav e m ad e me ,

“

d o a t h in g w hic h I n e v e r did b e fo r e — eat in com pa n y

wi t h w o m en " ”

T he d evil h ow ev e r o fte n e n deav o ur ed n o t o n ly by

, , ,

s ugg es ti n g t o him in his ear l i e r y ear s e vil t hought s ,

w hic h by his prayers an d t ears he always promptly

o vercame but by variou s ot h e r a rt ific es t o s t ain the
, ,

w hite n es s o f his puri ty On e day w hil s t he was yet a .

,

layman he w as acco s ted w he n o n a j our n ey by some

,

ro fli a t es w h o probably allured by h is good lo o ks

p g , , ,

temp t ed him t o c o mmi t s in The ho ly yout h s first .

’

a n d m o s t an xiou s wi s h was to fly but s eei n g t ha t ,

impo s s ible he began t o s peak to them of the hideous

,

n e s s o f S in an d of the thi n gs of G od
,
s o winn in ly
g ,

a n d effi c a c io u s l t h at he t o n ly m ade t h em lay

y n o ,

as ide their hor rible thoug h t but eve n s ucceed ed in ,

reclaimi n g them from their evil ways an d bri n gin g ,

t hem to re pe n tan ce An other time al so whil s t he

.
,

was a laym an he was obliged to lodge o n e night at

,

t h e hou s e of a frie n d where there was a beautifu l but ,

immoral woman who e n tered his room s ecretly durin g

,

t h e n igh t an d tempted him to S in

,
But the Sain t .
,

armed with divin e grace so far from yieldin g to th e ,

perilous assault drove away from him t h at in s t ru

,

men t of hell an d came o ff victoriou s from t h e fearful

,
2 48 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

Divin e Maj esty that he n ceforth he received t he grace

,

to be free from all temptatio ns of the fle s h an d ,

B aro n iu s relates that the Sain t him s elf told him that ,

in thi s matter h e h ad become as in se n s ible as a log of

wood An to n io Gallon io S peakin g of P hilip s purity
.
,
’

and mod es ty s ays, ,

My in tercours e wit h the h oly
“

fat her h as co n vin ced m e t h at his purity was n ot in

ferio r to t h at w hic h by S pecial fav o ur of G od w as
, ,

c o n ferr ed o n Eleazar Cou n t o f Arian o an d S imo n e

, ,

Sal o t h e prai s e of w ho s e virtue S uriu s has borrowed

,

fr o m Met a ph ras tes bot h o f w hom led a l ife an gelic

,

rat he r t h an h uman in t he mid s t of the world an d o f

,

”
co n s t an t i n terc o ur s e wit h m en .

Th e e ff ect s o f t h is wo n drou s gr ace of puri t y were

a s s t riki n g an d s i n gular in P hi l ip as t h e gift itself
Th e lu s t re o f his in n oce n ce s h o n e forth eve n in his
c ou n te n a n ce a n d particularly in his eye s whic h eve n
, ,

in t h e very l ast year s of his life were as clear an d

brig h t as t ho s e o f a boy so t h at n o pain ter was ever
,

abl e to give th e expre ss io n o f t h em t h ough many took ,

t he gr e at es t pain s to do s o It was n o t e asy to keep

.

o n e s gaze s te adily fixed u po n his face as t h ere came

’

a s o rt o f ligh t from his eyes which S hot in to the eyes

o f tho s e w h o looked at him ; so tha t s ome have said
that his v e ry look was t hat of an an gel of Paradise .

His h an ds were so w hite an d tran spare n t t h at w h e n

see n again s t the light t h ey looked like alabaster His .

body emitted - an in de s cribable fragran ce w hich eve n ,

in his decrepit old age refres hed all those who cam e
,

n ear him ; an d man y declared t h at they felt piety an d

devotio n infused in to t h em s imply by the s mell of his

,

han ds or his breast .

Fabrizio Arago n a a ge n tleman of Man tua wen t to

, ,
 HI S S E NSE OF SMELL 2 49

co n fe s s to him an d fi n di n g him ill in bed expect ed ,

fr om th e Sain t s great age t h at t h ere would be s o m e

u n pl easan t odour ab o ut him in co n sequ en ce of wh ic h ,

h e tried to k eep at som e littl e distan c e fr o m h im At .

le n gt h h o wev er h e did draw n ear to t h e b ed wh en

, , ,

P hilip took him by the h an d an d pres sed him s tro n gly

to his bo s om an d at th e sam e mom en t F abri z io w as
,

sen s ibl e of so sw eet a fragran ce that h e was a s t on i sh ed , ,

an d did n o t kn ow w h at to lik en it to But aft e rward s .

h earin g th e h oly fat h er s virgi n al purity spok en o f h e

’

“
said to h im s elf T hi s n o d o ubt w as the cau s e fr o m
,

wh ic h th e fragran c e proc eeded Giov an Batti s ta Lam .

berti Be n eficiary of St P et er s wh il s t h e w as co n fe ss in g
,
.
’

to t h e Sain t lean ed upo n his brea s t to r ec eiv e ab s olu

,

tio n an d in d ein g so al s o perceiv ed a fragran ce w h ic h

,

gr e atly a s to n i sh ed h im .

God had e n dow ed th e Sai n t wit h t h e power o f d e

teeti n g th e vice of impurity by the sm ell : so t h at
som etimes w h en h e pas s ed in th e s treets a woman o f
bad c haracter w h o was quite u n kn own to him h e would
, ,

put his h an d o r his h an dkerc h ief to his n o s e wit h all ,

t h e ge s tur es of o n e s e n sible of an o ffen sive s mell ; an d

h e u s ed to s ay t h at t h e st en c h of t h i s vice was s o
h o rrible t h at n ot h i n g in t h e world could equal lit
, .

S o metim es w h e n an y of his p en it en ts w en t to him

,

s tain ed wit h t h i s vice h e would say to them befor e

t h ey had time to s peak O my s on "
,

h ow foul is t h is
ste n ch "or My s on "
,

,
I kn ow your sin s already by
t h eir ill odour He n c e some w ho felljin to t his s in
.
, ,

awar e of his gift w e re reluctan t to go in to his pr es en ce

, ,

le s t h e s h ould d etect t h em ; in de ed he ofte n did s o by

t h eir very looks .

Man y c on fe s s ed t h at t hey were at o n ce delivered

2 50 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

from temptatio n s of im purity by his merely layin g his

h an ds o n t heir heads ; an d ot hers by simply co n vers in g ,

wit h him felt t hem s elves i nspired wit h the love of

,

purity an d by ke e ping up t heir in tim acy with him

,

s ucce eded in pe rs everin g in it He im parted the grace .

o f c h as tity t o a gr e at n umb e r by S imply pressin g them

t o his b o s o m ; an d w h a t is s till more remar kable n o t ,

his h an d s o n ly b ut in an imate t hi n g s w hic h he had

,

t o uc h ed o r us ed w e re gifted wi t h t he p o wer o f rem ov

in g t e mpta t io n s An t o n i o Fucci a phys ician of Ci t ta
.
,

di Cas t e ll o an d o n e o f t he Sain t s fir s t di s ciples was

’

, ,

h aras s ed wit h t e mpta t i o ns in atte n din g wome n an d in ,

co n s equ en c e had a c t ually d e termin ed at all co s ts to

giv e up his pr a c t ic e AS h e h ad how ever n o ot h er
.
, ,

m e an s o f s upp o r t he co ns ul t ed the holy father about

,

h is r es o lu t i o n P hilip piti ed him exce edin gly an d gave

.
,

him o n e o f h is gar t er s t e lli n g him t o go o n follo w in g

,

h is pr o fes s i o n a n d t h at provided he kept as careful

,

a cust o dy o v e r his s e n ses as circum s tan ce s would

a llow h e s ho uld n e v e r b e t roubl ed by t h e temptatio n
,

agai n An t o nio obse rv ed the co n ditio n an d always

.
,

’
carried P h ilip s gift about wi t h him an d fo l lowed ,

his pr o fessio n fearle s sly w ithout the temptatio n ever ,

haras s in g him again .

T he very n am e of Philip s eemed to have power to

repres s t he viole n ce of t he evil on e A you n g woman .

of fourtee n who w as left a w idow was grievously

, ,

torme n ted wit h temptatio n s of the fle s h ; s he laid

o pe n her trial in co n fe s s io n but fin din g n o relief s h e , ,

was se n t by F An gelo Velli h er co n fe s sor to the h oly

.
, ,

father who said to her W he n you fe el tem ptatio n s

, ,
“

of t his s ort s ay to t h e devil I will accuse you to that ,

‘

’
dull ass of a Philip The woman obeyed thi s s tran ge
.
2 5 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

I n deed the devil oft e n lulls his prey in to s ecurity in

,

order to make him fall an d uses for t h is purpose t he

,

weaker vessel t h at is wome n On e morn i n g t h ere

, ,
.
,

cam e to our c h urc h a prie s t n amed Pro s pero Som ai ,

w h o w as u n kn ow n to Philip as P hi lip was to him

,
but
t h e Sai n t s aw i n s p i rit t h i s faili n g in him an d taki n g ,

him a s ide adm o n i s hed him t h at it w as n o t well

, ,

e s p ecially fo r a prie s t to be s o in tim ate with wome n

, ,

an d t h at h e m u s t b e more cautiou s for the future .

T h e pri es t w as b eyo n d meas ur e as t o n i s h ed at Philip s

’

acquai n tan c e wi t h t he fact S i n ce as we h ave said he

, , ,

w a s a p e rfe ct s tra n g e r t o him But the Sain t w as so

.

co n vi n c ed o f t he im po rt an c e of t he matter that he ,

j udg ed it b ett e r n ot to c on ceal h is kn owledge alt hough ,

it w as clear t h at it came to him by divin e revelatio n ,

t h a n to o mit t h e war n i n g in a c ase s o full of dan ger ;

a n d t h e pri es t c o rrec t ed his fault .

He ex hort ed pri est s n ever to tru s t t h em s elves ,

ei t he r o n the gro u n d o f ex perie n ce or le n gth o f time , ,

o r o ld a e o r ill n es s but alway s to fly every occ asio n

g , , ,

s o l on g t o u s e h is o wn expre s s i o n as t h ey h ad th e
, ,

power o f rai s in g t heir eyelid s He bade them also .

tak e n o exam pl e from him in t h i s re s pect as G od had ,

give n him gift s w hich He doe s n o t ordin arily gran t to

a ll . Fat h er G iove n ale An c in a w he n at Naple s was , ,

appoin ted to h ear co n fe ss io n s ; whereu po n h e wrote to

P hilip to ask coun sel wit h regard to the c irc um s pec
,

tio n w h ic h that s acred m in istry require s especially in ,

h earin g the co n fessio n s of wome n The Sain t sen t .

“
him the followin g an s wer : Do n ot be scrupulous
about what h appe n s to you be sure t h at like thin gs ,

happe n to others ; o n ly take care n o t to be more will ,

in g to hear o n e clas s of s in s t h an an ot h er ; do n ot be
 PRI E STS AND P E NIT E NTS 2 53

curiou s to kn o w more t h an is j ust en ough to e n able

you to apply t h e r em edy an d n ever go in to an y o t h er
,

d etail s t h an t hos e w h ic h you mu s t ab s olutely kn ow in ,

o rd e r to u n derstan d t h e quality or S pecie s of t h e s in

for t he r es t recomm en d your s elf t o God w ho n ev er

, ,

fails to giv e mor e t h an ordi n ary h elp in works of t h i s

kin d provided w e e n gage in t h em wit h lov e an d
,

”
caution .

He s tro n gly recomme n ded pri es t s to c o n fes s you n g

m en at t h e grate o n t h e grou n d t h at y o ut h s a re m o s t
,

k ee n ly aliv e to S h am e an d migh t b e t empt ed if t h ey

,

made t h eir co n fes s io n s mor e o p en ly t o omit s o m e S in

,

out of sh amefac ed n es s He u s ed to giv e yo u n g m en

.

five s h ort rule s for ke epin g t h e m s elv es pur e : t h e fir s t

was to s hu n bad compan y ; t h e s econ d n o t t o pamp er ,

t h eir bodie s ; th e t hird w as t o avoid idl en e ss ; th e

fourt h t o b e dilig en t in prayer ; t h e fift h to frequ en t
, ,

th e s acrame n t s an d e s pecially co n fess io n ; an d o n e

,

day he S h ow ed Marc ell o Ferro th e di s ciplin es w hic h

h e u s ed an d t o ld h im t h at to o btai n c h as tity it is
,

n ecessary to mortify t h e fle s h .

His ge n eral advice t o ev e ry o n e w as t h at h umility ,

is t h e true guard of c h a s tity ; an d t h er efo r e t h at ,

w h en w e hear of an y on e h avin g falle n we s h ould be ,

mov ed to pity an d n o t to di s dain an d t h at a wan t of

,

compas sio n in s uc h ca s e s is a for eru n n er of a s pe edy

fall in o ur s elv es ; an d he u s ed to add t h at in th e
matt e r of purity t h er e is n o dan ger so great as bein g
wit hout fear of dan ger .

Amo n g th e Sai n t s pe nite n ts w as a you n g m an w ho

’

in his pas t life h ad h ad an i n timacy wit h a wicked

woman ; s om e time after his co n vers i on t h in ki n g h e ,

h ad n o w gai n ed s u ffi cie n t stability in virtue t he de s ire ,

2 54 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

came in to his m in d to co n ve rt her also ; bu t in stead

of co n vertin g her he was pe rverted himse l f an d ,

r elap s ed in to S in He did n o t d are to go to t h e

.

Oratory wit h his co n s cie n ce thus s tain ed an d feelin g ,

as h am ed t o appear before Phi lip he we n t to c o n fes s io n ,

e l s ew h e r e At last h e came b ack to him an d t he

.
,

Sai n t imm ediately s aid T her e are s om e w ho because ,

“
,

t h ey h av e gain ed a li t tl e s piritual ity t h in k they c an ,

d o a n y t h i n g an d co n v e rt t he world an d t h e n they
, ,

fa ll a n d b e cau s e t hey are as h am ed to come to their

,

o w n c o n fe s s o r o a n d co n fe s s s omew h e r e el s e W h e n
g , .

t h e y o u n g m an h eard thi s he turn ed pale but th e ,

Sai n t l ayi n g his h an d s o n his head c ar es s ed him very

, ,

a ffecti o n a t ely as h e h ad bee n accu s tomed to do an d

, ,

s aid t o him Are n o t you he w ho h as b ee n fallin g

,
“

”
i n to s in an d t hen g o in g to Arac oeli t o co n fess ? an d
,

wit h t h es e fe w word s he pe rs uad ed him to return an d

frequ en t t h e Oratory as before .

He d eclar e d more o v e r t h at the best mean s for the

, ,

pre s ervati o n o f c h as tity is to lay bare our every ,

t h o ug h t wit h perfect O pe nn e s s to our co nfe s sor an d ,

t o keep n ot h i n g hidd en in our o wn b reast s ; an d t h at

wou n d s of t hi s ki n d are healed as s oo n as ever they

are s how n to t h e p hysician of our s oul He used to .

a d d at t he s ame time that in order to gain an d to

,

pre s erve this virtue it is im port an t to have a good

,

an d experie n ced co n fe s sor .

He s aid t h at as s oo n as a m an felt t he prese n ce

of tem ptatio n he was to fly to G od utterin g devoutly
, ,

that ej aculatio n so much esteemed by the h oly fathers

of the desert Dam in adjutorim n m eum ,
inten d e :
”
Dom ine a d adj uva nd um m e f estim
,
or the vers e Cor , ,

m u nd um crea in m e, Deus ,
ct spiritum rectum innova in
 CHAPTER XIV

OF
’

PHi Li P s ABST INENC E

P H I LIP j u s tly r egard ed m o rt ific ation of the flesh as
o n e o f t h e chie f h elps t o ward s t h e mai n te n an ce of
c h as tity Be s id es t he au s teritie s which he practis ed
.

in his yo ut h an d w hich are r elated in t h e firs t book

, ,

h e w a s a ccu s t o m ed w he n h e was a prie s t to take

, ,

n o t h i n g in t h e morn i n g or at mo s t a little bread

,

an d win e min gl ed wit h a good deal o f water an d ,

t h i s h e g en e rally t o ok pacin g up an d down In t h e .

e ve n in g
,
he u s ually c o n te n t ed him s elf wit h a s al ad ,

o r an e
gg
,
or at m os t a coupl e of eggs ; an d h e

com m o n ly had n o br e ad broug h t him but ate the ,

remain d e r o f w ha t had bee n brought for his breakfast ;

to this h e s o m e time s add e d a little fruit accordin g to
t h e s eas o n ; b u t for t h e mo s t part he re s tric ted him
s e lf to o n e of the thin g s w e have me n tio n ed s o t h at ,

B aron iu s s aid in a s erm o n that the Sain t m ade every

,

day a fast day He n ever took milk or butter or

.
, ,

food dre s sed wit h t hem ; he n ever tas ted brot h ,

s eldom fish an d still more s eldom fle s h except whe n

, ,

he was u n well or di nin g in the com pan y of s tran gers

, .

W hen he pas s ed by the butchers s h ops he u s ed to ’

say : By t he grace of G od I have n o n eed of t h e s e

“

thin gs ; an d whe n he lived at S Girolamo if an y .

,

fle s h meat was sen t him as a pre s e n t he u s ed to give ,

it to t he boys w h o s erved th e m asses in the c h urc h .

2 56
 HIS SPARING DI E T 2 57

M o reover scan ty as w as his far e he always man ag ed

, ,

to le av e s om et h in g ov e r from his m eal an d h e u s ed ,

to put pi ec es of bread in t o a littl e bas ket an d giv e ,

t h em t o his pe n it en t s t o eat by way o f m ortific ation , ,

w h e n t h ey came to s ee him ; but in trut h t h ey o ft en

to o k t hem secr etly t h em se lv es an d gav e t h em to ,

ot h er s out o f devotio n H e u ed g
s .o o d hu m o u redly
-

to s ay t h at h e at e t hu s sparin gly for fear o f b ec o mi ng

,

a s fat as his frie n d Fran c es c o Scarlatti a m erc h an t ,

w h o w as rat h er corpul en t .

W h e n ev er t h e ord er s o f his medical m en o blig e d

him t o tak e an y s ub s tan tial n o uri s hm en t h e u s ed t o ,

complain an d declare t h at it mad e him ill an d t h a t ,

he w as over -eatin g h im s elf ; an d h e h ad t h e gr eat es t

difficulty to brin g him s elf to c o m ply Toward s t h e .

clos e of his life aft er c o mmu n io n w hen h e w as re

, ,

mi n d ed o f his breakfas t at t he u s ual hour his an s w er

Br eakfa s t "I h av e h ad it
,

“
was ,
At o t h er time s .
,

w hen it w as n oticed t h at h e h ad n ot eate n an yt hin g ,

an d h e w a s a s ked t h e r e a s o n h e s aid he h ad fo rgott en

,

to do so He ge n erally h ad his m eal s in his o w n r oo m

.

by him s elf wit h a n apkin S pr ead on a littl e tabl e an d

, ,

wit h out an y s ort of att en dan ce He refrai n ed fr o m .

goin g in to t h e refectory partly t h at he mig h t ke ep

,

his gr e at ab s ti n e n c e m o r e s ecret a n d partly b ecau s e , ,

aft er s o man y c on tin u o us year s o f S par e diet he ,

could n o t e at wit h ot her s wit h ou t eit her i nj urin g

his h ealt h or se emi n g S in gular If he co n s e n t ed t o
.

eat wit h ot hers w h ic h h e occ as i on ally did t o

,

w in s o ul s as we h ave r elated el s e w her e he w as

, ,

car eful t o avoid an y appearan c e o f s in gularity or

o s t en tatio n .

He w as as S pari n g in his drin kin g as in his eati n g .

VOL . I .
R
2 58 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

He had a flagon s o small t h at it h eld o n ly on e g las s ,

a n d he put so much water in to his win e that it dese rved ,

t h e n ame of water an d win e rat h er t h an that of win e

,

an d water . The little h e dran k he did n o t drin k till it

,

h ad b ecom e flat havin g per h aps rem ain ed in the fla go n

,

t w o or t h r ee days ; an d v e ry o ft en h e dran k water o n ly .

H e u s ed t o dri n k out o f a little rude cu p of gl as s

w it h out an y fo o t t o it He s en t o n e of these glas ses
.

a s a pr es e n t t o Gi o va nn i An t o n io Lucci an d told him ,

o n e day t h at h e h ad u s ed it fo r m a n y y e ars in order to

o verc o m e his fastidi o u s n a tur e whic h rebelled again st

,

t h e u s e o f s uc h a c o mm o n glas s An o t h er o f the s am e
.

ki n d t h o ug h bro k en is pre s e rv ed a t Cracow in Polan d

, , ,

a n d o n t h e Feas t of his Can o n iz ati o n w as car ried

t h r o ug h t h e ci t y in proc es s io n with gr e at pom p in a
, ,

c o s tly s ilv e r r e liqu a ry .

I n d eed his ab s tin e n ce w as s o great t h at s everal

p hys ician s o f n am e d e clar ed u po n oat h t hat na ture ,

c ould n o t b e s u s t a i n e d o n s o l ittle accord in g to ordi ,

n ary law s ; a n d it w as beli eved that he lived rather

on t h e vir t ue of t he Ble s s ed S acrame n t w hich h e ,

r ec eived d aily t h an o n n at ural food

, .

Alt ho ug h he w as s o au s tere h ims e lf he would n o t ,

allow h is s piritual c h ildre n to imitat e him in this re

spe ct He t o ld them that at tabl e an d e s pecial ly in
.
,

c ommu n i ty t hey ought to eat wh at ever was before

,

t hem an d n ot to s ay I d o n o t wi s h for t his or I

,
“
, ,
”

”
do n o t like t h at He de s ired t he m e mbers of his
.

Co n gregatio n n ev e r to as k for an yt hin g S pecial un less ,

it were ab s olutely n eces s ary for t hem but t o be c on ,

te n ted wit h w h at God s e n t t hem He was particularly .

di s pleased wit h an y on e who ate out of meal time s ;

 LIFE
’

2 60 THE OE ST . PHILIP NERI

‘ ’
’

sem p er
p lcw u it ,
sordes Poverty has
z e er o n u n qu a m ;
”
always bee n pleasin g to me but n ever dirt , .

Suc h w as the au s t e rity of his life to the very en d .

I n deed t he o lder he grew t he more he in cr eas ed his ,

s i
ab t e c e an d s elf de n i a l n o t so muc h from the wan t
n n -
,

o f vigour c o mmo n t o advan ced age as in deed from the ,

de s ire o f s u fferin g an d o f mac eratin g s till fur t her his

,

worn out body ; an d if an y o n e s aid to him that he

-

o ug h t t o h av e r egard if n o t to his age at le ast t o his

, ,

d ecre pi t ud e he would ei t her turn the co n vers ati o n

,

or an s wer laug hi n gly Paradi s e w as n o t made fo r ,

“

c o ward s .

Au s t e r e as P hilip w as with h im s elf he w as most ,

gen tle wit h o t hers n ay affectio n ate beyo n d measure

, .

He c o uld n o t bear to s ee h is childre n att e m pt what

w a s t o o muc h fo r t h eir s tre n g t h an d h e u s ed to s ay ,

t hat it w as g en e rally better to let t he bo dy h ave s o me

w ha t t o o much fo od than to o li tt le ; because it is easy
t o s ubtract t h e t o o much but whe n t h e too little has ,

o n c e i nj ured a m an s co n s titutio n it is n o t s o e asy to

’

me n d t he matter He added t h at the devil some

.

tim es craftily urge s s piritual perso n s to pe n an ce s an d

bodily au s terities in o rder t h at by in discre e t practices
,

they may s o weaken them selves as e ither to be u n able ,

to atte n d to works of greate r importan ce or to giv e u p ,

their u s ual exercises of piety an d turn t heir b ack upo n ,

the service of God altog e ther in alarm at the i n firmity ,

whic h they hav e brought upo n them s elve s He liked .

therefore to see m en rat her pay moderate atte n tio n to

bodily m ortific at ion while turn in g their zeal chiefly to
,

th e m o rt ific at ion of t he will an d un ders tan din g than ,

give t h emselves exclu s ively to bodily rigours an d

au s teritie s .
 C H APTE R XV
OF P H IL I P S DE T A C H MEN T F R OM
’
W ORL DLY G OO DS
TO his ab s ti n e n c e an d purity P h ilip j o in ed a S i n gular
detac h m en t from ric hes an d th e con v en i en ce s o f life .

T ho ugh h e n ever mad e an y vow Of pov erty he kep t ,

.

his affecti o n s far r e moved fr o m all s elf-i n t ere s t o r

desire of worldly go od s W e h av e already related h ow
.

he re n ou n ced h is cousi n s prop erty w h il s t h e w a s a

’

layman an d th e life o f p o v erty w hic h h e volu n tarily

,

impo s ed u po n h ims elf w h il e livi n g in t h e hou s e o f

,

Galeotto Caccia W hen h e w as rai sed to t h e pri es t

.

h ood an d u n d ertook t h e h e ari n g of c o n fes s io n s di ffer en t

, ,

perso n s of ran k an d w ealt h r e p eatedly o ffer ed him

pre s e n t s ev en of t h ou s an d s of cr o w n s s imply as per
, ,

s o n al gift s an d wit h out an co n ditio n s r es tricti n g t h e

y
applicati on of t h e mo n ey to piou s purpo ses P hilip .

h o wever would n ever accept an yt h i n g t h oug h he ,

migh t lawfully h av e do n e s o s ayin g t h at h e did n ot

,

wi sh to receiv e th e reward of his labours in t h is world ;

an d if som e tim es a pre s e n t w a s forc ed upo n him he ,

s p en t t h e w h o l e of it e it h er up o n t h e C hurc h or upo n

t h e p o or . He h ad s om e prop erty at Cas t elfran co in

t h e Valdar n o t h e origi n al s ettl eme n t o f t h e fa mily
,

of N eri On e day his p enit en t Simo n e Graz z in i a

.
,

Flore n tin e t o ld h im t h at h e ough t to lo o k aft er it for

, ,

it w as n ot well t h at it s h ould b e in th e p o s s es sio n of

t h o s e w ho w er e n ot th e lawful o wn er s ; but P hilip
 2 62 T HE LIF E OF ST . PHILIP NERI
“
an s wered Take care n ever to S peak to me about s uc h
,

thi n gs again for I take n o in terest in th e m

,
.

A lo n g time before whi lst he w as living at S G ir o , .

la m o he received a let t e r fr o m the husban d o f his

,

s i s t e r Cat e rin a in formin g h im t h at his fat h er Fran c esc o

,

N e ri w as dead an d h ad l e ft a will making his elder

,

s i s t e r Cat e rin a his heir wit h out an me tio o f him

y n n , .

P h ilip c heerfully a n s w e r ed th at he cared fo r n o i nh erit

an c e an d th at b e fully rati fi ed the arran gem en t mad e
,

in h is fa t h e r s will B u t a ft e rward s be in g m ade aware

.

t h a t he h ad him s elf be en left heir of everyth in g during

his life tim e h e in s t a n t ly e xecuted a deed by which he
, ,

’
fully an d a mply r en o u n c ed all claim s on his father s
pr o p e r ty in fav o ur o f his t w o s i s t er s Caterin a an d
, ,

Eli s ab et ta His si s t er Elisabe tta who h ad n o he ir but

.
,

him s elf s ev e r a l tim es wr o t e to him from Fl o re n ce

, ,

o ffe ri n g him all he r pro pe r ty ; but he always declin ed

it t elli n g her t o pro vide h ers e lf with an o t her heir as
, ,

h e h ad fix ed his ey e s up o n a di ffere n t in heritan ce o f ,

gre at er valu e an d m o r e las tin g D uri n g the S ixty

, .

yea r s th at he live d in Rome he would n ev e r t ake any ,

t hin g fro m his relatio ns ; at the begin n in g he received

o n e or t w o s h irts fr o m his father who t e n d e rly lov e d ,

him an d o n c e afterward s Elis a betta s e n t him two oth e r

,

s hirts ; but P h ilip desired her to se n d n o more an d ,

in deed those were spo iled o n the road by the n egli

ge n c e of the bearer .

It was t h e c us tom in his time as at t he pr e se n t day , ,

to assign to e ac h priest who we n t to S G iro lamo two .

small rooms an d a certain s u m of mo n ey e very mo n t h

,

for his s upport But P hilip co n te n ted him s elf w ith

.

the ro o m s o nl y an d refused to take an ythin g else ;

,

n ay h avi n g built s ome additio n al rooms as we have

, ,
2 64 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

plain sayi n g
, Ah " ,
“
father why have you bee n so ,

lo n g in comin g to s ee me ? The doc tor s h ave given

me warn in g t h at my death w as in evi t able if t he
usual paroxysm c am e o n to—d ay an d it has actually ,

c ome . P hilip r e plied Alt h ough I h ave n ot come

,
“

t o see you I have n o t fo rgotte n you n o r h ave I ,

omitted d o i n g an yt h in g fo r you w hich I S hould have

d o n e h ad I vi s it e d you ev e ry day But t he re is a .

talk in Rom e t h at yo u h ave m ad e me your heir an d ,

s o I h ave n o t com e to see o u b e cau s e I do n o t wan t

y ,

e it he r y o ur i n h e rita n c e o r y o ur mo n ey ; an d t o S h o w

o u t ha t I will n o t h ave a n yt h in g belo n gin g to you

y ,

I a m n o w g o in g t o St Pe t er s to be g of God most
’

u rgen tly t o r es t ore you t o he alt h an d if it cann ot be ,

d o n e o t h e rwi s e I will pray Him to lay yo ur in firm ity

,

”
u po n m e . Sayin g t h is he laid his h an d s o n t he
h an d s o f t he s ick m an an d we n t away almost weepin g
, .

T he dyi n g m an fe ll a s le e p a n d awoke in a s ho rt time ,

p e rfectly r es t o r ed t o health .

Fr o m t hi s av er s io n to ric hes there s pran g up in ,

P hilip s hear t a mo s t in t ense desire of poverty But

’

h e was n o t abl e to put it in to executio n as he would

h av e desired be cause it was n o t com pa t ible wit h
,

h is p o s itio n or wit h the rule of his C o n gregatio n

, .

I n wardly h owever he loved povert y as his c h o s en

, ,

S po us e s o that h e would man y times exclaim :

“
Oh
that I mig h t be reduc ed to go a bout beggin g "Would
,

that I were come to be in wan t of s ixpe n ce or a

t h re e pe nn y piec e for my s upport an d to fin d n o o n e
-

to b es tow it on me "I S hould esteem it a special

,

favour of G od if I were reduced to die in a hospital "

,
”

an d ot h er wis h es of a S imilar n ature So u n iver s al .

 HIS SPIRIT OF D E TAC H MENT 2 65

th e sacristy to say mas s h e would say : G ive me th e ,

“

”
oldest an d s h abbi es t th i n gs It was th e s ame de s ire .

to live as a poor m an w h ic h urg ed him to beg as an

alms t he o ld s h o e s of Cardin al Ales s an dri n o ; an d t h e
little food w hic h h e ate he r eceived durin g th e latter , ,

years of his life as an alm s from s o m e of his S piritual

,

c hildr en T h us h e go t Fat her Gall on io wit h out

.
,

makin g kn ow n t h at it w as by h is d es ir e t o i n duce ,

Cardi n al Cu s an o an d Cardin al B o rr o m eo t o s en d him

e very day a s an alm s t he o n e a littl e fl a s k of wi n e ,

a n d s o me egg s an d t h e ot h er a roll o f br e ad
, ; w h il s t
Cardin al Mo n talto o u t o f r ev er en ce for t he Sain t
1
, ,

vi ed wit h Cusan o in s upplyi n g him wit h the v ery

little win e he r equir ed Fat h er Fran c es c o B o z io 2 w as .

o n ce pres en t w hen t h es e t h in g s w er e broug h t t o him ,

a n d t h e Sai n t said
“
Fran c es co I am pr e parin g mys elf
, ,

fo r d e at h ; I h av e d etac h ed my s elf from ev eryt h i n g ;

I wan t t o live an d d ie as a p o or m an an d s o I am ,

gettin g my v ery fo o d by alm s ; implyi n g t hat h e w h o

would arrive at p erfe cti on mu s t h ave n o attac hm en t ,

to an y s in gl e t hi n g in th e world .

P hilip d es ired t o s ee in h is di s cipl es t h e s ame

abh orre n ce of ric hes w hic h h e h ad h im s elf Di s cov er .

in g o n c e t h at o n e of h is p en ite n t s h ad got toget h er a

little pr o perty wit h s om e e ag ern ess h e s aid to him , ,

My s on b efo re you po s ses s ed t hi s prop erty you h ad

,

t h e fac e of an an gel an d I took a pl e a s ure in l o oki n g ,

at you ; but n ow your cou n t en an c e is c h an g ed ; you

h ave lost yo ur m erry l o ok s an d are d o w n ca s t ; s o look ,

1
Al e s sa n d r o Pe r e tt i D am a s c en i, n e ph w e of S ix tu s V .
, a nd k w no n as

r
C a d in a lM o n ta lt o, b . 1 57 1 , d . 1 62 3 , f am o us f or t h e im m en s e s um s be
r
d is t ib ut ed in . ch rity
a .

2
F r Fra n c es c o B o z io , b
.
’

r th r o e of Fr . To m m aso. S ee “
Li v es o f t he
Com p a n io n s o f St . P hil ip p 5 ,
”
. 12 .
2 66 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
” ’
to yourse lf The m an blushed at Philip s word s
.
,

an d from that time chan ged his purpo s e an d de ,

v o ted all his e n ergy to accum ulating riche s fo r

an ot her l ife .

l
The Sa in t o n e day as ked Egidio C al v elli a brother ,

of th e C o n gr egatio n if he would like to have some

,

m o n ey Egidio an s wered Fa t he r I have n o desire

.
,
“
,

fo r an y s uc h t hin g ; u po n w hic h Phili p r ej oin ed : In “

t h at cas e w e wi ll c e rtain ly go to Par adi s e an d I myself ,

will t a ke yo u t he re ; but r em e mbe r o n co n diti o n that ,

o u c o n s t a n t ly b e o f Go d n ever t o l e t a desire for

y g
ric he s fin d a pl ac e in yo ur he ar t P hili p kept this .

l es s o n c o n t in ually be fo re the min d s of his pe n i te n ts ,

an d h ad a lm o s t alw a y s in his mouth his favo urite

m a xim t h a t a ll t he l o v e w e h av e for cr e ature s is so
,

muc h t aken fro m Go d .

Fran c e s c o Zaz z ara w hen he w as you ng an d oc c u

,

pi ed wit h his law s t udi es d evo ted himself to th e m ,

wi t h gr e at ea rn es t n ess in th e ho pe of ri s in g at cou rt .

On e d ay t he se rva n t o f G od ca l l ed him an d Fran c e s co ,

kn e lt d o w n at his fee t The Sain t immedia tely beg an

.

to lavi s h t he mo s t u n u s ual care ss e s u po n him an d at ,

t h e s am e t ime t o lay o pe n to him all his s ecret hopes

0 h appy you "he s aid
”
an d plan s n o w you are
“
.
,

s tudyi n g ; aft e r a time you wil l be made doc to r an d

b egin to g ain mo n ey an d to advan ce your family ; you

,

will become an advocate an d t h e n some day you may ,

be rai s ed to be a pr elate an d s o h e w en t o n d esc rib

in g step by s te p al l t h e ho n our s whic h the world could

give or which h ad ever passed t h rough the you t h s ’

imagin atio n repeatin g again : 0 happy you "

,

, then
you will look for n othin g more Fran ce s co t h ough t .

1
E gid i o Ca lv ll i
e . S ee Li v es o f t h e Co m p a n io n s o f S t Phi i
. lp p,
”
.
32 5 .
2 68 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

to th e n ew co n fessor was n ever to to uch th e purs e of

,

his pe n ite n ts ; for he use d to say that it is im po s sible ,

to gain souls an d mo n ey at the s ame time He us ed .

ofte n to repe at : If yo u wi s h to gain souls you mu s t

“
,

”
leav e purs es al o n e To his pe n i te n t s he freque n tly
.

’
quoted St Paul s word s : I s eek n o t the thin gs that
.
“

He warn ed n o t o n ly t h o s e who
”
are y o urs b u t yo u
, .

wer e c o n fes s or s but all t he m embers of t he Co n gre

,

gati e n ge n e rally n ev er on any accou n t to m eddle in

,

t h e m at t e r o f w ill s b e cau s e t h is is alway s looked u po n

,

wit h s u s picio n by p eopl e in t he w o rld ho wever go od ,

a n d h oly t h e i n te n t io n m a
y really be H e u sed to sa
y .

al s o t ha t n o o n e w o uld ev e r advan c e in virtue w h o w as

in an y w ay t h e s lav e o f avaric e an d t h at he h ad foun d
by ex pe rien c e t h at s en s ual pe rs ons are more eas ily c o n
v e r t ed t h an the c o v et o u s s o t hat he called avarice the
,

pe s t o f t he s o ul W hen he o b s e rved that an y o n e w as

.

s ubj e c t t o it he form e d a very bad opin io n of him

,
an d

if an avarici o u s m an as ked his leave to fast he would ,

o od Sir n o "
”
sa
y ,
“
My g give alms ,
W h en he wis h ed .

to r e prove an y o n e in dir ec t ly for t his vice he would ,

m an age t o bri ng out in t he course of co n v e rsatio n some

s uch s ayin gs as He who wan ts to be rich will n ever
,
“

”
be s piritual or Let t he youn g m an loo k to his fle s h
, ,
“

an d the old m an to h is avarice an d the n we S h all all ,

be Sai nt s or All S in s di s please G od but e s pecial ly

, ,

”
those of t he fl esh an d covetou s n ess He co n side red .

t h e s e two vic es mo s t h ard to cure an d s aid t h at we ,

ough t n ever to omit praying to God to pre s erve us

from b ein g mastered by th e S pirit of avarice an d to ,

e n able us to live in detac hme n t from worldly thin gs .

In a word h e co n s idered t h is ab h orre n ce of ric hes so

,

im portan t an d so fertile of good that h e used to say , ,

 TH E Tw o GR E AT VICES 2 69

O n ly give me t en truly detac h ed m en an d I do,

”
n ot de s pair of co n v ertin g th e world wit h t h em .

To t h e memb ers o f t h e C o n gr egatio n h e u s ed to

say,
“
G od will n o t to provid e you with pos
se s s io n s but s ee t o it t h at h avin g po s s e ss i on s you
, ,

”
fail n ot in S pi ri tuality
.
 CHAPTER XVI
H OW F AR R E MO VED H ILI P W AS FROM EVE RY K I ND
P

O F A MB IT I O N

P H I LI P w as as muc h detac hed from the h o n ours an d

gr e a t n es s o f t he w o rld as he w as fr o m it s ric hes He .

w a s l o o k ed u po n in Rom e as a Sain t n o t o n ly by t he ,

h umbl e r clas s es b u t eve n by t h e great w h il s t t he

, ,

s o v e r e ig n p o n t i ff s t h e m s elve s n o t o nl y loved him but ,

h eld him in t h e hig hes t e s teem an d revere n c e Yet .

amid s t a ll thi s h o n o ur amid s t all the s e opportu n ities

,

o f a dva n ci n g h im s elf h e e ver pre s erved his hum ility

,

an d s elf c o n t e m p t
- . He very s e ldom we n t to vi s it the
P o p e s o r Cardi n al s or oth er prin ce s an d the n o nl y to
, , ,

pr o m o t e s o m e c ha ritabl e purpo s e or co n tribute to the

,

g en er a l g o o d He w o uld n ever ac cept pensio ns be n e

.
,

fi c es o r di gn iti es o f an y kin d ; n ay fully kn owing t h at

,

in t h e S ig ht o f wis e m en the gl o ry o f refusin g dign itie s

is as gr e at as t h a t w h ich is gain ed by acceptin g t hem ,

he man aged to a v o id t h em wit h so much dexterity ,

that t he v ery pe r s on s w ho wis h ed to bestow them o n

him hardly perc eived his refu s al ; an d t here were very
,

few i n de ed w h o t h oroug h ly saw throug h th e art ific es

o f h is h umility . T hu s whe n h e refused the c an o n ry of
,

S t Pet e r s w h ic h G reg o ry XIII o ffe red him he ex

’
. .
,

c u sed h im se lf o n t h e gr o u n d t h at h e did n o t kn ow

h o w to w e ar a can o n s dr es s an d it is most certain

’

t h at h e refus ed n o t o n ly t he fi rst can o nr i es in

2 72 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

b ei n g co n fi n ed to his bed by ill n ess he s en t hi m a ,

petitio n The Pepe in his an swer cl e arly S how s t h a t

.

he de s ired to make the Sain t a Cardin al but that he ,

w o uld n o t accept t he dign ity To e n able t he re ader .

t o j udge for h im s elf w e s ubj o in P hilip s m e m o rial

’

toget h er wit h t he Pope s an s wer to it ’

Mo s t ho ly Fa th er "
.

w h o am I to have Cardin al
s ,

c o mi n g to vi s it me an d es p ecially t he C a rd in al of
,

Flor en c e an d C a rdi n al Cu s an o y es terday eve n in g ?

, ,

An d b ecau s e I h ad n ee d of s ome m ann a for my

m edici n e t he s aid C a rdi n al of Floren ce procured me
,

t w o ou n c es fr o m Sa n t o Spirito s eein g that his Lord ,

s h ip h a d j u s t s en t a larg e uan tity of it to that p lac e

q .

T he s a m e day h e s t ay ed till two ho ur s after t he Ave ,

prai s i n g yo ur H o lin ess rat h er more t h an appe ared to

m e t o b e pr o p e r ; fo r s ee in g t h a t you are Pope you
, ,

ough t to b e h umi lity itse l f Chri s t at t he s ev en th

.
,

h o ur o f t h e n ig h t came to i n corporate Him s elf with

,

m e ; an d y o ur H o lin e s s has n o t so much as o n ce come

t o our c h urc h . C hrist is both God an d m an an d He ,

c o m es t o vi s it m e as often as ever I will Yo ur .

Holi n es s is a m e re m an bor n of a good an d wort hy

,

fat h er ; but He is born of G od the Fat her Your .

Ho li n e s s is th e s o n of the lady Agn e s in a a very sain tly ,

lady ; but H e is th e s on of the Vir gin of virgin s I

could s ay still more if I c h o s e to back up th e p as sio n
, ,

I am in . I comman d your Holin e ss to do my will

respectin g a certai n girl w h om I wis h to p l ace at
,

Torre di Specc h i S he is a daugh ter of Claudio Neri

.
,

an d your Ho l i n es s promi s ed to protect h is c h ildre n ,

an d remember t h at to keep h is prem ises is t h e rig h t

sort of t h in g for a Pop e to do T h erefore h an d over .

t h i s busi n es s to me an d let m e make us e of your

,
 THE POPE S RE PLY
’
2 73

n ame as I may fin d occas io n see in g t h at I kn ow best

, ,

wh at th e girl s wish is an d t h at I kn ow h er for ’

certai n to be moved o n ly by Divi n e i n s piratio n ; an d so

”
wit h all proper h umility I ki ss your most h oly feet .

The Pope wit h his o w n h an d wrot e o n t he p etitio n

, ,

th e followi n g words The Pope says t h at th e first part “

of t he n ote savours a little of t he s pirit of ambiti on ,

wi shi n g to let him kn ow t h at Cardin al s come to visit

your rever en ce very frequ en t ly an d me n tio n i n g it u n der ,

t h e prete n ce of l etti n g h im kn ow t h at s uc h g en try are

very s piritual w hic h h e kn ows very well alr eady As
,
.

to his n ot comi n g to s ee you h e s ays t h at your reve r ,

e n ce doe s n ot d es erve it becau se you h ave n ot accept ed ,

t h e Cardi n al s h at w h ic h h e h as o ff er ed you s o man y

’

tim es As to th e ob edi en ce your revere n ce h as give n

.

him h e gives you leav e wit h yo ur u s ual imperiou s n ess

, , ,

to admin i s ter a good rebuke to t h o s e exc ell en t mot h ers ,

if t h ey do n o t be h ave as your r everen ce wi s he s I n re .

turn he se n d s you an obedie n ce to take care of your

,

self an d n o t to go back to the co n fessio n al wit hout

,

leave ; an d w h e n our Lord com es to see you to pray ,

for him an d for the urge n t n eeds of C hri s te n dom

,
.

The allu s io n in thi s n ote is also co n firmed by the fact ,

t h at whe n P hilip we n t to kis s the feet of Cl eme n t at

t h e begin n i n g o f his pon t ific at e t h e Pe pe s aid to him ,

in t h e pre sen c e of G iu s eppe C arad o ro Can o n of St Jo h n , .

Lateran N o w I will take good care t h at you S h all n ot

,

”
be abl e to avoid the Cardi n alate .

T h re e mo n t hs b efor e P hilip died h e w as talki n g in ,

t h e mo s t free an d co n fid en tial mann er in his o w n room

1
with Bern ardin o Coro n a a brot her o f t he Con gr egatio n , ,

an d amo n g s t o t her t h i n g s h e s aid t o h im B ern ardin o , .

1
Be r rd i
na no Co r o na — s ee
“
Li v es of t he C o m p a n io ns o f S t Phi i lp ”

p
.
,

.
31 1 .

V OL . I .
2 74 THE LIFE OF ST ‘

. PHILIP NERI

the Po pe wan ts to make me a Card in al ; what do you

”
th in k of it ? Coro n a s aid that he ought to accept
t h e dig n ity if for n o oth e r reaso n at le ast for the good
, ,

o f th e Co n gregatio n But the Sai n t takin g off his

.
,

“
b e r etta an d looki n g u p to heave n exclaimed Par ad ise , ,

Paradis e An ot her time whe n some of his pe ni te n ts

,

were s pe akin g of t he pr elacies an d ho n ours of Ro me ,

in co n n ecti o n wit h t h e Sai n t s fre edom an d familiarity

’

“
wit h t he P o pe s Philip s aid to them
,
My c hildre n , ,

believ e my w o rd s ; I would rath er pray to G od to s e n d

me my deat h yea ev en by lig h t n i n g from heave n t h an
, ,

t h e t ho ug h t o f s uc h dig n i t i es ; I covet i n deed the piety

a n d t h e virtue s o f Card in als an d Pope s but n o t their ,

great n es s .

Th e Abat e Marco A n to n io Ma ff a co n siderin g P hilip s

’

d etac h m en t decl a red t h at of him might be truly said

,

w h at St J ero m e write s in his life of St Hi lari o n ; Le t

. .
“

o t h e r s admire t h e mirac l e s t h at he wrought let them ,

admir e his i n cr edible ab s tin e n ce his le arn in g his , ,

humi lity ; fo r my part I am mo s t asto nis hed at the

w ay in w hic h h e could tread glory an d ho n our un der

fo o t ; e s pecially as Phili p trod them un der his feet in

the very heart of Rome amid so man y dign ities an d , ,

so man y opportu n itie s of as pirin g to them .

But P hilip was n ot o n ly ave rse to all public dis tin o

tio n s ; he eve n re n ou n ced tho se w hich seemed in every
way due to him as father an d fou n der of the Co n gre
,

gati en Havin g bee n elected perpetu al su perior he

. ,
,

w as very im po rtun ate with the father s two years before ,

his death to all ow him to lay do wn his ofi c e sayin g

, ,

that he was n ew old an d wan ted a little time to pre

, .

pare him s elf for death The fathers however would

.
, ,
2 7 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

For this fault he would rebuke eve n Card in als an d

prelates of high ran k an d he ofte n succeed ed in gaining
,

his poi n t wit h them He refu s ed to hear the con fos

.

s io n s of prelate s who n otwith s ta n di n g their obligatio n

, ,

of reside n ce lived at Rome without an y lawful r easo n ;

,

a n d in this matter h e w o uld n o t excu s e eve n Cardin al s

them s elve s s o that Baro niu s s aid of him

,
Philip was ,
“

a m an of great fr eed o m in rebukin g wha tever he kn ew

t o b e wro n g especially in prelate s a n d perso ns o f rank
, ,

always however in the right plac e an d at the right

tim e In his familiar di s c o ur s es Philip used sometim es
.

t o i n veig h again s t the va n itie s o f the world with so

muc h ear n e s tn ess t h at a great man y were moved by his

w o rd s to m ake ge n erou s resolu t ion s about their way of
life At t he en d of t h ese discou rses he u s ed to ad d
.

in a m o s t touc hi n g ma nn er Va n ita s va n itatum

,
at ,

”
o m n ia va n itas
.
—ther e is n o thin g good in this world
,

o r s imilar words w h ic h he S po k e wi t h so much un ctio n

,

that t h ey pe n etrated the hear ts of all who heard him .

He u s ed al s o to say t h at the co n tem pt of riches an d

,

h o n our s was more n ece s s ary in Rome than an ywhere

el s e becau s e t he r e is more t o dazzle m en there than in
,

an
y o th er city in the world H is detachme n t from
.

pos s es sio n s an d from all de s ir e of great n ess may be

summed u p in o ne of his sayin gs which he ofte n ,

repeat ed I fin d n othin g in this world that gives m e

“
,

p leasure ; an d t h is is the o n e thi n g that gives me

s upreme pleasure t h at I fin d n othin g that please s me ;

,

an d the n h e would add that if a soul co ul d keep alto

,

gether free from ven ial S in s the greatest pain it could

,

feel would be the co n tin uan ce of t his life because of ,

t h e veheme n t desire it would have to un ite itself with

 CHAPTER XVII
OF P H I L I P S H U MI L I T Y
’

TH E di s like which Philip h ad to worldly prosperity

an d great n e s s S pra n g
, n o t o n ly from his bei n g en

ligh te n ed to di s cern the true value of t hi n gs an d ,

esteem them accordin gly but als o from h is profou n d,

humility . Suc h was th e perfectio n in w hic h h e

possessed this virtue t h at like St Fran cis h e u n
, , .
,

affectedly believed h imself to be th e great es t sin n er in

t h e world ; an d w h en h e s aid t h is it was wit h so ,

muc h feelin g that n o on e could doubt for a m ome n t

t h at it came from t he b o ttom of his h eart If h e .

h eard of an y on e h avi n g committed a s eriou s crime

he would say God gran t th at I may n ot do worse
,

From th e same feeli n g h e u s ed to read very ofte n ,

an d wit h great e motio n th e life of St Mary of Egypt ;

, .

for h e desir ed to imitate h er in h er spirit of pe n an ce ,

alt h ough he h ad n ot imitated her in h er sin s .

Every day h e u s ed to make a protest to G od wit h

the Blessed Sacrame n t in his h an d sayi n g Lord " “
, ,

beware of me to -day le s t I S h ould betray T he e an d

, ,

do all th e evil in th e world At ot h er times h e .

“
would say The Wou n d in C hrist s s id e is larg e b u t
,
’

if G od did n ot keep H is h an d over me I S h ould make

it larger ; an d ofte n j u s t befor e commu n icatin g him
,

self h e would s ay Lord I protest befor e T hee t h at I

, , ,

am good fo r n oth in g but to do evil H e used to say .

2 77
2 78 TH E LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

that his o n ly preparatio n for M ass was to prese n t him

self before G od as on e who was ready so far as he ,

was co n cern ed to be guilty of an y a nd every evil if

, ,

G od did n o t assis t him .

Earlier in life whe n he was ill h e used to say If

, , ,

G od give s me back my health I will c han ge my life ,

an d begi n to do good : but at the close of his life ,

filled with a greater S e ns e of his o w n n othin gn ess he ,

“
s aid o n the co n trary Lord if I recover so far as I
, , ,

am co n cer n ed I s hall do wors e than ever ; fo r I have

,

promi s ed s o m an y time s be fore to chan ge my life an d ,

h av e n o t kept my word that I am ho peless about ,

mys elf He thought that G od c hastised him for his

.
”

S i n s ; a n d whe n he w as ill he used to say that G od ,

h ad se n t him h is i l ln ess to co n vert him .

At co n fe s sio n he would s hed abu n dan ce of te ars

an d s a s in gle o o d thi n g ;
“
y I have ,n ever do n e a g
a n d eve n o u t o f co n fess io n so pe n etrated was he with ,

"
t hi s idea that w he n he s aw you n g perso n s an d thought
,

h o w muc h tim e they h ad be fore them to do good in

he would s ay O happy you " 0 happy you "
,

“
,
who
”
hav e time to d o good w h ilst I have n ever do n e any
.
, .

Whe n he saw religious he oft e n broke out in to such

exclamatio n s as t hese : 0 happy you " who have left
the world which I s hould n ever have had the co urage
,

”
to do He felt th is with such sin cerity that he ofte n
said I am past hope "an d o n e day meet ing two
.

“
, ,

Domin ican s he passed betwee n them sayin g Le t m e

‘

, , ,

pass I am without hope

,
Th e good fathers u n der .
,

stan din g his words in their or din ary se n se stopped ,

him an d began to c ons ole him an d to as k him a

'

.
,

number of q uestio n s ; but at last h e smiled an d said ,

”
“
I have n o hope of myself but I trust in GOd ,
.
2 80 THE LIFE OF ST . PHI LIP NERI
”
you are n o t what the world takes you for he an swered , ,

Be sure of this that I am a m an like my n eighbours

, ,

an d n othin g more ; so do n ot be troubled at this

”
temptatio n ; it is of n o co n s eque n ce .

Persuaded that he was a very great s inn er o f n o ,

merit before G od an d u n worthy to be a priest he

, ,

made a practice of recomme n din g him se lf to the

prayer s of all an d u s ed to s e n d to have prayers m ade
,

for him in man y di ffere n t co n ve n t s He recomme n ded .

h im s elf s pecially to t he n ovice s of religiou s house s ,

havin g a peculiar co n fid en ce in t h eir prayers He .

u s ed als o to have m as s e s s aid fo r hi m s el f n o t o n ly ,

w h en he w as ill but o n occasio n of an y tem poral or

,

s piritual wan t w h ich h e might h av e He h ad them .

s aid by religi o u s o f differe n t order s a n d particular ly ,

o n t h e fe ast s of t he Sai n t s who s e days fell about the

tim e an d in t heir churches tru s t in g by t h is mean s

, ,

to o btain what he w o uld n o t ve n ture to expect through

his o w n prayer s Thu s he was accustomed to attri
.

bute to th e prayers o f o ther s every grace an d favour

w h ich he r eceived from G od On e mornin g while .
,

he w as s ayin g m ass at S G iro lamo wit h n o on e

.
,

pre s e n t in th e church but the server an d on e old

woman t h ere w as a great tremblin g o f th e earth
, .

W he n m ass was over h e was asked if he could

,

“
accou n t for the tremblin g ; to whic h he replied It ,

”
was t he prayer of that o ld wom an which cau sed it .

So whe n he gave his pe n ite n t s a pe n an ce he used to ,

beg of them to apply half of it to him ; or if they

were priests to s ay mass for him or at least to put
, ,

him in to their meme n to Al though he was himself

.

so excellen t a master of prayer an d had received ,

such privileges in it he had so lowly an opin io n of

,
 HIS HUMILITY 2 8 I

himself t h at meetin g two Jesuits o n e day in Rome

, ,

“
he said to th em You are so n s of a great fat her ;
,

I am un d er great obligatio n to him ; for Ign atius

h as taugh t me h ow to make me n tal prayer Yet .

in trut h before h e k n ew St Ign atius h e h ad rec eived

,
.
,

from G od th e miraculous palpitatio n of his h eart an d ,

h ad perseveri n gly devoted h im s elf to me n tal prayer

with all the s weet n ess an d profit wh ic h we h ave al
ready de s cribed .

Pen etrated with t hi s lowly opin io n of h imself h e ,

c ould n ot bear to be though t g o od an d greatly bewailed ,

it If h e h eard th at an y on e h ad a good Opin io n of

him he used to s ay Ah poor me "
.

, ,
h o w man y ign o
“
,

ran t peasan ts h ow man y poor girls will be far ab o ve

me in paradi s e " On e of his pe n ite n ts r eturn in g
,

”
,

from a pilgrimage to our Lady of L o reto t o ld th e h oly ,

fath er wit h great simplicity t h at in every plac e t h roug h

,

w hich he had pas s ed people t h ough t h im a Sain t an d ,

as suc h recomm en ded t hem s elve s t o his pray er s All .

t h at eve n in g P h ilip did n ot h i n g but br eak out i n t o

l a men tatio n s an d say O po o r me " miserable m an
t h at I am "
,

would t h at God would giv e me th e grace

to be wh at t h ese p eople t hin k I am " ”

He avoided all m arks of h o n our as a very pestile n ce ;

h e c o uld n ot bear to receive an y sign s of r es pect an d ,

would n ot allow any on e to remain u n cover ed in his

pre s e n ce h owever lowly his co n ditio n W h en h e came
, .

in to ch urc h all bot h m en an d wome n tri ed to touc h

, , ,

h is clot h es an d kn elt a s h e pa ss ed by ; P h ilip could

,

n o t e n dure t h i s h omage an d u s ed to s trik e t h em some

, ,

times wit h his lo n g S l eeve an d s ometim es wit h his h an d ,

He did n o t
“ ”
sayin g Get up get out of my way
, , .

lik e peopl e to ki s s his h an d s t h ough h e allowed some ,

2 89 THE LIF E OF S T . PH ILIP N ERI

to d o s o lest he should hurt their feelin gs by refusin g ;

,
“

and others because they w ere his pe n ite n ts an d liv ed in f

familiar i n tim acy with him He would n ot ge n eral ly .

talk o n spiritual subj ect s with pers o n s w ho were them

.

selves reputed to be spiritual He would n ev er all ow

'

his o w n s ubj ect s to call him in the Commu n ity Father ,

Provo s t or Father Rector but he l iked to be calle d ,

S imply Father an d fou n d s pecial s weet n ess in

,
t his
n ame because it impli ed love rat h er than authority ;
,

an d h en c e has come the cu s tom in our

'

of calli n g the superior by the S imple title of t he ‘

’
Fat h er He had a particular di s like to bein g c all ed
.

the Fou n der of t he Co ngregatio n ; an d he used to

say expres s ly to t h o s e who talked to him o n the
“
subj ect I as s ure you I had n o thought of foun din g
,

a Co n gregatio n but God in His good n es s cho se to

,

make u s e o f me as a very feeble in strume n t that ,

”
His power mig h t s hi n e fo rth all the more I n deed .
,

ofte n an d oft en l o oki n g back an d reflectin g o n the

p ast he used to wo n der that G od should have deign ed
,

to m ake u s e o f him .

He was a great e n emy to eve ry kin d of rivalry an d

co n te n tio n He hated every affectatio n bo t h in himse l f
.

a n d others whether in speaki n g in dres s in g or in

, , ,

a n ythi n g el s e He avoided certain ceremo n i es which

.

savoured of th e world an d the empty complime n ts ,

practi s ed in court s ever s howin g himself a gre at frie n d

,

of Chri s tian S implicity ; s o that whe n he had to deal

with m en of worldly prude n ce he did n ot very re adily
accommodate himself to t h em But above all he dis ~
.
~

liked h avin g an ythin g to do wit h double faced pe rso n s

-
,

who did not go simply an d straigh tforwardly to work

in their dealin gs He could n o t e n dure liars an d
.
,
2 84 THE LI FE OF ST PHILIP NE RI .

thin k how a thin g so plain an d i n dubitable could have

passed so to speak in sile n ce ; an d were un able to
, ,

c ome to an y ot h er co n clusio n than that the Sain t like ,

Simo n e Salo had obtain ed this as a special favour o f

,

G od by his prayers Eve n tho s e who perceived his

.

miracle s kn owin g the extreme disple as ure it would

,

have give n him to m ake t h em kn own did n o t d are to ,

s peak o f t h em .

B aro n iu s w as o n ce prai s i n g hi m for somethi n g c on

n ec ted with his miraculou s power s ; but Philip an swered ,

“
Ce s ar e I as s ure you it is a gr eat s ubj ect of regret to
,

m e t h at p e o pl e s ho uld take me for what they do ; I

co n s t an tly pray to God n o t to do an ythin g t h rough

my in s trum en tality which may give them occasio n to
,

e s teem m e for w h at I r e ally am n o t ; an d believe me ,

if at tim es an yt h in g has happe n ed of a s upe rna tural

character it h as bee n t h rough t he faith of others
, ,

”
a n d n o t t h roug h my merits At oth er time s whe n
.

h e vis it ed t he s ick an d s ome o f t hem asked him

,

t o touc h t he m wit h his h an d s or to pray over t h em ,

h e would e xclaim quit e an grily wit h every m ark of ,

grief Th es e peopl e wan t me to work mir acles an d I

,
“
,

”
kn ow n othi n g about workin g m iracle s .

In a w o rd his co n duct toward s every on e was

,

marked wit h the deepest h um ility ; h e was respectful

in givi n g order s s parin g in layin g work upo n his
,

subj ect s m o s t agreeable in dealin g wit h ot h ers fu l l of

, ,

sweet n e ss in co n versatio n an d so co ns iderate that he

,

could n o t bear ot hers to su ffer an ythin g o n his accoun t .

Thus whe n h e walked about his room h e used to put

, ,

o n a pair of t hin felt s h oes lest t h e n oise s h ould be

dis agreeable to those in the room below He was so .

n n -
com pletely u tai ted by self esteem t h at those who ,
 “ ”
BE HUMBLE BE LOWLY , 2 85

were co n tin ually in his compan y n ever detected in him

the least appearan ce of complacen cy in an yt h i n g t h at
he did ; an d so great an e n emy w as h e to pride t h at ,

alth ough h e dealt with all ki n d s of si nn er s in order to

gai n t h em to C hri s t it appear ed really as if h e could ,

n ot feel at h om e wit h t h e proud a n d h aug h ty Like .

St T h omas Aquin as h e was n ever so much as tempted

.
,

t o vai n glory He always ab h orred to speak of h imself

.

u n less t h ere w as s ome good reas o n for it ; so t h at the

“ ”
expressio n s I said I did were rar ely in his mout h ;
,
“
, ,

an d h e e x h orted ot h ers n ev er to m ake a n y di s play

of self wh et h er in j oke or in e arn es t particularly in

, ,

t h in gs wh ic h migh t redou n d t o t h eir cr edit .

He used to labour to implan t t he virtue o f h umility

in h is c h ildr en wit h ev en gr eat er z e al t h an ot h er
,

virtues Ofte n bot h in yout h an d old age h e u s ed to

.
, ,

r epeat in a s ort of c h an t “
H umility an d Detac h ,

m en t ; an d as St John th e Evan g eli s t w as co n ti n ually

.

“
s ayi n g to his di s ciples Love o n e an oth er s o P hilip , ,

“
was ever r epeatin g his favourit e l es s o n B e h umble , ,

”
be lowly an d laid th e greatest s tr es s upo n it Fran
,
.

cesco Maria Tarugi w as preac h in g on e day an d exaltin g ,

with great fervour th e excell en c e an d utility of su ffer

ing to th e delight of all w h o h eard h im
,
The h oly .

fath er who was prese n t fearin g le s t it sh ould be an

, ,

occasio n of vain glory to Fran ce s co began to make his ,

u s ual flutterin g mov eme n ts an d gettin g up s truck a , ,

pilas ter wit h his h an d thus drawin g the w h ole atte n tio n ,

of th e audien ce upo n h im s elf H e co n ti n u ed to do so .

u n til the en d of t he s ermo n an d t h e n mou n ti n g in to ,

Tarugi s place cried out wit h a loud v o ic e t h at n o n e

’

, ,

of the Co n gregatio n h ad any o ccas io n to be vain

glorious or boastful s in ce up to t h at time n ot on e of
,
2 8 61 T HE LIFE OF ST . P HI LI P NERI

them had shed so much as a drop o f blood for th e

love of Christ but o n the co n trary by their service
, ,

an d followi n g o f their Divi n e Mas ter they had o n ly ,

earn ed for t h emselve s ho n our an d revere n ce ; an d he

we n t o n to d iscourse at s ome le n gth u po n t his subj ec t ,

to the great edific at io n o f t h o s e w h o were pre se n t .

He s aid that n o o n e ought ever to utter a wo rd o f ,

s elf-prai s e eit h er in j oke or in earn e s t ; and t h at if we

,

ever do a g o od work an d an other take s the credit o f ,

it t o h im s elf we ough t to r ej oice at it or at least

, ,

s h ould n o t gri eve that ot h e r s tak e from us the praise

o f m en s eei n g t h at it o n ly e n s ure s a greater ho n our

,

b e fo re Go d He ofte n s aid t o h is spiritual childre n

.
,

“
T h r o w yo ur s elve s i n to God s h an d s an d be sure ’

t h at if He wa n t s an y th i n g of you He will give you ,

all that is n eed ful for the purpose for w hich He

wi s hes t o us e yo u He ex h orted them to beg of.

Go d if He gav e t h e m any virtue or an y gift to keep

, .
,

it co n c eal ed even fro m t hemselves that s o they might ,

r e main h umble an d n ot fin d an occ asio n of vain,

glory I f ev e r t hey s aid an ythin g which redoun ded

.

to th eir o w n credit he immediately reproved them , ,

”
s ayin g S ecr etu m m eum m ihi secretum m eu m m ihi
, , .

It was a c o m m on warning with him that w h e n a

.
,

m an puts h im s elf of his o w n c h oice in to an o c c as m n

“
of sin sayin g I shall n o t fa ll I s hall n o t commit
, , ,

”
s in ,
it is an almost in fall ible sign that he will fal l ,

an d fall with e s pecial dam age to his s oul Hen ce he .

declared t h at he fe ared less for a m an who had

temptatio n s of the flesh an d resisted them by avoid ,

in g the occasio n s than for o n e who was n ot gtem pted

,

at all but did n o t avoid t he occasio n s He recom

, .

me n ded his childre n ofte n to exclai m from : their - .

,
2 88 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

t h em tribulatio n s ; he rat h er desired his childre n to

pray that the Lord would of His i n fi n ite goodn ess gran t
t hem patie n ce in t h o s e trial s an d ann oyan ces which
“
s hould happe n to t h em from day to day There is .

”
n othi n g ,
h e s aid “
more dan gerous for beginn ers in
,

th e s piritual life t h an wi s h i n g to play the mas ter an d

, ,

”
guide an d co n vert ot her s He would have them l ook
.

fir s t to t h eir ow n c o n vers io n an d keep t h emselves ,

h umble le s t t h ey s h ould begi n t o thi n k that they have

,

d o n e s ometh in g great an d s o ru n in to the s pirit of

,

prid e I n o rd e r th e more c o m pletely to avoid all risk

.

o f vai n glory h e rec o m me n ded per s o n s to practise in

,

th eir o w n r o o m s certai n particular devotio ns whic h ,

migh t ot h erwi s e attrac t atte n t i o n an d n o t to seek for ,

s weet n e s s a n d s piritual c o n s olati o n s in public place s .

He was urge n t wit h t hem to avoid all si n gu larity ,

w h ic h g en erally n ouri s he s pride e s pecially spiritual ,

pride He would n o t however h ave an y o n e forbe ar

. , ,

from doi n g an y g o o d actio n s imply out o f a desire to,

avoid vai n gl o ry For accordi n g to the te achin g of

.
,

th e h oly fat h er s h e u s ed to di s ti n guish three so rts o f

,

vai n glory ; the fir s t he called the mi s tress ; this is

whe n vai n glory rise s in the m in d be forehan d an d is ,

the motive an d en d of the actio n ; the seco n d he call ed

the compan io n ; this is whe n a m an does n ot perform
an actio n for th e sake of vai n glory but feels a com ,

l ac en c y in do in g it ; t h e third he called the slave ;

p
an d t h is is whe n vai n glory rises in the perform an ce

of a good deed an d is put down the mome n t it rises ;

,

an d h e u s ed to add Take care at least t hat it be n o t

,

mistress ; an d though as comp an io n it does n o t take

away the merit of a good actio n yet perfectio n co nsists ,

”
in havin g it as a slave Lastly he used to say that
.
,
 2 89

are
w o rld to de s pise n o on e
, ,

b ei n g d es pi s ed by oth ers
n u ll um ,
spern er e se ipsu m ,

V OL . I .
 CHAPTER XVIII
H IL I P S MOR T I F IC A T IO N H I MS EL F
’
or P or

P H I LIP j oin ed t o his hum il ity w h at is u s uall y called

t h e vir t ue o f m o rt ific at io n ; a n d from the degree to

w hic h h e carri ed it bo t h in his o w n life an d in the

,

guid an c e o f his p en i t e n t s he was j u s tly looked u po n

,

by all as t he great mas ter of it As to him s elf his chief .

,

s tudy w as to get h im s elf t h o ught a mea n an d worth

le s s pers o n an d he we n t to the utmost exten t of what

,

is lawful in h is e n d e avours t o appe ar as s uch in t h e

e ye s o f m e n T hu s he co n s tan tly said an d did thin gs
.

w hic h if l o o k ed at o n ly e xtern al ly seemed frivo lities

, ,

’
an d folli es Bu t tho s e w ho reflec ted o n the Sain t s
.

o bj ect in d o i n g t h e m s o o n perceived that it was the

,

l o v e o f t h at wi s d o m w hich passe s for foolishn ess in the

’
w o rld s e s t ee m whic h led him t o w a lk alo n g that road
, ,

a n d to guide h is s piritual childre n alo n g it also .

P hilip mortified himse lf bot h at home an d abroad ,

in public an d in private with every variety of morti ,

fic atio n . He would freque n tly s kip about in the

prese n ce of importan t perso n s eve n of Cardin al s an d ,

—
prelates n ot o n ly in out o f th e way s pots where t here
- -
, ,

were few people but ev en in places of ge n eral re s ort

, ,

s uc h as palace s s quare s an d s treets

, Sometim es he
, .

umped up or dow n t h ree or four s tep s at a time an d

j ,

t h e n said to som e o n e pr e s e n t
“
Wh at do you t hin k o f
,

He began o n ce o n the firs t o f Augu s t to

”
t hat ? , ,
2 9 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

way leavin g it doubtful whic h of the two was the most

,

perfectly mo rtified .

Cardi n al Alfo n s o Gesualdo w ho te n derly loved the

1
,

h oly father gave him a fur cloak a n d made him

,

promis e to wear it t hin kin g it really n eed ful for him, ,

o n acco un t of his ad van ced a e an d co n tin ual at te n d

g ,

an c e in the c o n fes s io n al P hilip complied an d wore .

,

it for a w h ole m o n t h t o g et her t o mortify him se l f ; an d

in o rd e r t h at all t he world mig h t se e that he wore a
fur cloak h e u s ed to walk o u t in it wit h a grave an d
,

s tat e ly p ace looki n g arou n d wit h an air o f adm iratio n

, ,

as if h e w e re a p e acock ; h is o n e o bj ect bei n g to draw

up o n h im s elf like an other Simo n e Salo the ridicule o f

, ,

a ll w ho s aw him .

On occas i o n bei n g in vited t o din e with C ardin al

one ,

Al ess an drin o in ord e r to mortify himse l f he t ook with

, ,

h im o n e of his pe n it en t s an d m ade him carry s ecretly ,

a di s h o f c o oked l en tils in an earthe n ware pipkin ,

which as s oo n as t hey sat do w n to table he had plac ed

, ,

b e fore him But the Cardin al w ho well kn ew his

.
,

virtue far from t aking his co n duc t am iss or de s pisin g

,

h im fo r it in si s ted o n parta kin g o f Philip s dish with

’

all his o t h er gu es ts ; for though the Sain t was ever

tryi n g by mean s of s uch s tran ge devices to obtain for
him s elf the r eputatio n of a fool his e n deavours ofte n ,

failed an d produced as o n t h is occas io n the very

, , ,

opposite re s ult his real h o lin ess an d wisdom bein g

,

well kn ow n from his ot her actio ns This s tory is a .

s pecime n of m an y m o rt iflc a t ion s w h ic h P hilip practised

o n t h e variou s occas io n s whe n he we n t to din e wit h

ot h er s for th e sake o f win n in g s ome soul to piety

,
.

1
Alf o ns o Ges ua d o , l cr . r
C a d in a l 1 56 1 , d . 1 60 3, D ean of the Sa cr ed

Co ll eg e .
 MORTI F ICATION OF SELF 2 93

On t h e day of th e tran slatio n of th e bodi es o f t he

h o ly martyrs Sai n ts Papias an d Mauru s w h en o u r ,

c h urc h w as quit e full of p eopl e P hilip w a s stan din g ,

n ear t he d o or aw a iti n g the s acr ed r elic s w he n h is

, ,

eyes falli n g on on e of th e Swi ss o f th e P o pe s guard ’

w h o w as o n duty t h ere an d w h o h ad a fin e b eard in

, ,

order to m o rtify h im s elf in t h e midst o f all th e joy h e

felt an d to giv e s o m e r eli e f to th e fervour of h is s pirit
, ,

h e w en t up t o him to o k h old o f his b eard an d pull ed

, ,

it tw o or t hr ee time s car es s i n g it in a mo s t e xtra

,

ordin ary man n er Some of th e s pectator s were lo s t in

.

am az em en t ot h er s laug hed wh il s t man y w h o s aw

, , ,

w h a t P hilip w as aimi n g at w er e gr eatly ed ified ,

.

H e o n c e hit up o n an o t h e r d evic e t o draw upo n him

s e lf ridicul e an d co n t e mpt ; h e h a d h is be a rd c u t o n

o n e s id e o n ly an d w en t o u t wit h h alf a b eard j umpi n g

, ,

a n d dan ci n g a s if h e h a d gai n ed s ome gr e at triump h .

Som etim es to mortify bot h h im s elf an d a br o t h er of

,

t h e Co n gregatio n n amed Giulio S av era w h o w as a

, ,

skilful barb er h e u s ed to c all him to s o m e plac e

,

wh er e t h ere w er e a n umb er o f p eo ple an d make him ,

trim his h air an d heard Num er o u s s p ectat o r s o f .

cours e gat her ed rou n d wh il s t from time to tim e P h ilip

,

would s ay Ah t h a t will d o n ic ely ; n ow you a re

,
“
,

trimmin g m e w ell .

H e fr equ e n tly w en t out accompan i ed by his p en i ,

te n t s carryi n g in his h an d a h ug e n o s egay of broom

,

flow er s w h ic h h e s m elt at ev ery n ow an d t h en t o

, ,

mak e h im s elf a laughi n g -s tock an d to m or t ify at th e ,

s am e tim e t h o s e w h o w e r e wit h h im .

H e o ft en w en t about Rom e wit h o ut an yt h in g ov er

his c a s s ock a n d in a pair of gr e at w h it e s h o es lik e
, ,

t h ose of a friar w hic h Cardin al Al es s an drin o h ad give n

,
2 94 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
h im as alm s ; or he woul d begin re ad in g in public
an ,

a n d t h e n m ake gro s s mi s take s o n purpo s e es peciall y ,

wh en he s aw that pers o n s of educ atio n wer e s tan din g

n ear an d lis te n in g ; an d afterward s h e would as k his

o w n people Wh at did s uch an o n e s ay

,
I n a word ,

h e v e ry s eldom left t he h o u s e without en deavourin g

by s o m e act of m o rtific atio n to b rin g ridicule upo n
h im s e lf .

At h o m e th es e act s w e re i nn um erable ; in d e ed it
mig h t t ruly b e s a id t h at his w h ole life w as on e c o n
t in u a l m o rt ific a t io n ; but in o rd e r n o t to weary t he

re ad e r a few i n s ta n c es o n ly s hall b e s elect ed The

, .

ho ly o ld m a n would o ft e n r e m ai n in h is room to rec eive

vi s i t o rs w it h a pair o f w h ite s h oe s o n h is feet a tin y ,

b er et t a o n his he ad an d a red s hirt over his waistcoat

, ,

r e a c h i n g b el o w his kn ees ; an d in t his co s tume he

r ec eiv ed all w ho came eve n t h ough they might be,

p ers o n s o f ra n k or imp o r t a n c e in t he hop e of e a rn i ng

,

t h e ir c o n t e mpt S o m e time s he w en t down in to the ‘

c h urc h o n a gre at feas t wit h a j acke t o n i n s id e out

,

ov er h is c as s o ck an d his beretta c o oked on o n e s id e

, ,

fo llow ed by o n e o f th e commu n ity with a bru s h w ho ,

k ept bru s hi n g him b e fo r e all th e people Sometime s .

h e put o n a w h it e s atin doublet which had belo n g e d

to St Piu s V ; w h ilst at ot h er time s h e t o ok a great
. .

cu s h io n lin ed wit h blue clo th an d carried it o n his ,

head in public .

On on e occasio n o n th e 8 t h of Sept e mb er whe n ,

t h e fe ast of our c h urc h was b e i n g kept an d a n umber ,

of Cardin al s were pr es en t P hilip m ade his appearan ce ,

in c h oir in the middle of v esper s in s ome s uc h ex ,

t rav agan t costume h opi n g probably to r e c e ive a s e vere

,

rebuk e from some of th e pr elates w h o were t h ere ;

2 9 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NER I

th n i gs The n obleme n after rem ain i n g for s ome time

.
,

loo ki n g on e an other in th e face at le n gth took their ,

le ave completely bewild ered As s oo n as they were

‘

.
,

o n e Phil i p told Father Co n so li n i to put the book

g ,

“ ”
a way s ayi n g
,
We have do n e all that was wan t ed
, .

Be s ide s maki n g s uc h u s e s of t h e s e books the Sain t ,

a l s o took care t o make kn ow n that he kep t t h em whe n ,

e ver h e fo u n d a n o pp o rtu n ity n o w t o o n e gr e at pe rso n , ,

an d n ow t o a n o t h er in the h o p e o f establishin g a
,

c h arac t e r fo r l evi t y an d wa n t o f prude n ce With the .

s ame obj e ct h e w o uld s ometime s recite from memory

v e rs e s from s t o ry b o o k s o f battl es or compo s e s ome of

-
,

h is o w n o n t h e s pur of t h e mom en t He was o n ce at .

t h e h o u s e o f t he M a rc h es a Ran go n a wh en the Cou n tes s ,

d Oliv a re z the wife o f t h e Sp a n i s h ambas s ador was

’

, ,

t h er e Aft er s o m e c o n vers at io n t he Co un tess as ked

.
,

him h o w l o n g it w a s s i n ce he h ad left the world .

P hilip a n s w er ed I d o n o t kn ow that I have ever left

,

t h e w o rld a n d im mediately tur nin g to An to n io G al

“
l o n i o wh o m h e h ad brought with him he said Tell
, , ,

m e A n t o n io do I n o t take delight in tho s e be autiful

, ,

books o f p o etry an d tal e s ? Gallo n io replied “

Yes , ,

fa t he r but w h at wo n der whe n you c an n ot in an yother

, ,

way cool the fire of your love of God ? This was a ”

very di ffer en t an s wer from tha t which Philip h ad ih

te n ded ; for he kn ew that that lady had formed a very
high opi n io n of him an d h e had hoped by dwelling
, ,

o n the s e frivoliti e s t o d es troy it an d to m ake her thin k

, ,

ill of him On re ac hin g h ome therefore he rebuked

.
, ,

“
G all on io an d said to him There n ow a pretty an swer
you gave me "G od fo rgive you "
, , ,

w h at c an h ave bee n
ru n n in g in your he ad t h at you should say s uch a t h in g
,

as t h at
 MEN DETECT HIS SANCTITY 2 97

Lor en z o Altieri a Rom an n obl e we n t on e day t o

, ,

visit him an d n ot kn owin g P hilip s ways was n o t a

,
’

little a s to n i s hed to see him so merry an d to h ear h im ,

speak so fr eely W hen h e t o ok his leave h e t old

.
,

An gelo da B agn area w h o had pers uaded him to pay ,

the vi s it t h at h e was an ythi n g but edified by th e Sain t s

,
’

way of goi n g on An gelo an s w e red t h at th e h oly fat h er

.

act ed as he did in ord e r to h id e his san ctity The .

n obl ema n h e ari n g t h i s an d refl ectin g o n it felt a gr e at

, ,

desire t o vi s it him a seco n d time Mean while A n g el o .

,

told P hilip wh at Altieri h ad s aid an d b egg ed him to ,

be h ave wit h more gravity if th e n obl eman sh ould c o m e

again P hilip an s wered An d pray w h at would you
.
,
“
,

h ave m e do ? Do you wan t m e to b e o n my good

be h aviour an d look grav e t h at t h ey may s ay T hi s
, , ,
‘

is Fath er P hilip an d the n begi n to s p o ut fin e w o rds l

’

Let m e tell you if he com es again I s h all be h av e worse

, ,

t h an ev e r The n obleman did retur n but en t eri n g

.
,

i n to P hilip s ways an d perceivin g t h at t h ere w as s o me

’

t h in g h idde n u n der his stran ge ext erior h e n ot o n ly ,

c eased t o w on d er at his h abit s but began to fin d out ,

his s an cti t y an d to d erive th e gr e at es t ed ific atio n from

,

him .

I n his commu n ity h e was co n ti n ually be h avi n g

ow n

in s uc h a way as to le s s en th e e s t eem of th e fath ers

fo r his j udgme n t or at all ev en t s to h id e from t h em
,

w h at h e r eally w as S o m etim es h e would i n vit e t h em

.

to ru n wi t h h im an d would actually s et o ff ru n n i n g ;
,

s o m e tim es h e c h alle n ged t h e m to j ump ; o r h e w en t

i n to his r o o m an d put on a red b e r e tta t h e v e ry o n e

, ,

t h at h ad be en s en t t o him by Gr egory XIV an d t h en

waited for th em to come t o him Som e s eei n g him .
,

dr ess ed in th i s fa shi on did n o t dare to en ter up on , ,

2 9 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

which he ca lled them an d asked w hy t hey did n o t

,

“
come in They a n s wered Becaus e we do n o t kn ow
.
, ,

Fath er whether to call you Illust rissimo or plain

, ,
”
Rev ere n d o s eein g yo u wit h a Cardin al s beretta o n
,
’
.

T hen he would laugh an d take it o ff s aying What a

, , ,
“

s illy fell o w I am am I n o t ?
,
The ac t s o f t his kin d
w hic h P hilip did were inn um er a bl e ; but for all tha t ,

h e n ever succe eded in le ss e n in g the ve n eratio n of his

c hildr e n for his h o lin es s .

By h is c o n tin ual m o rtifi c a tio n s h e gain ed a t le n gth

compl et e c o n tro l over al l his pas s ion s an d he h eld ,

in s u s pici o n a n y n atural in clin atio n w hich was n o t

th o r o ug h ly m o r t ified He used t o feel a repugn an ce
.

t o s ay m as s wi th t h e c h alice s of ot h er prie s ts ; he

m o r tifi ed h im s elf an d o vercame it ; but wh en he felt

t h at he h ad c o mpl e tely co n quered his n ature in t h is
r es pe c t he had a c ha lice mad e fo r h ims e l f G iovan n i
,
.

A n to n i o Lucci as k ed h im w hy he h ad do ne s o an d ,

h e a n s wered ,
B ec au s e I am n e w m aster of myself ;
“

h itherto I h ave h ad to u se th e c h alices of othe rs in

order to ge t t he b e tter o f my fas tidiousn ess .
30 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

gloriou s pleasure in his fin e cloth es to go to t he d oo r ,

of San ta Maria Maggi o re to as k alms biddin g him eat ,

n o thi n g that day but w h at w as give n him o u t of

c h arity : an d he t h e n s en t ot he rs o n purpo se to m oc k
a n d teas e h im .S o metimes he s e n t them to the c h oir
of t h e Domin ican s to h ear complin e an d o rdered them ,

t o lie at full le n gt h o n be n che s as if they we re de ad

u n til th e S a l ve Regin a was fi ni s hed He had also a .

n umber of pair s o f s pectacle s which he s eldom used ,

h im s elf an d w hic h he would put s o metime s o n o n e

, ,

s o m e t ime s o n a n o t h er e specially if t h ey wer e boy s

, ,

a n d t h en s e n d t he m o n vari o us e rran d s wit h th e s pec

t a c l es o n . The i n ve n ti o n s o f t hi s s ort which h e hit

up o n w e re alm o s t n umb e rl e ss ; b u t t he en d of all of
t hem w a s t o keep his s piri tual childre n h umble an d ,

m a k e t hem r egardl es s o f t h eir r eputatio n an d of the

e s t ee m o f m en .

He mad e Fat h er F ra n ce s co Bo zio lie flat o n his face

in c h urc h in fr o n t o f his co n fess io n al in t h e morn in g
, ,

w hil e pe opl e w er e comi n g for co n fe ss io n an d kept ,

'

h im th ere for a c o ns id erabl e s pace of time An o t her .

morn in g he did th e s ame to Giov an Battista Ligera ,

a pri es t who w as give n to l o w s piri t s an d s crupulo s ity .

A n n a Borrom e o who was al s o troubled by s crupl es

, ,

after c o n fe s s in g to t h e Sai n t on e morn ing came back ,

almo s t immediately to co n fe ss over again Philip .

mortified her publicly in th e c hurch in the pre s en ce ,

of a great man y per s o n s by drivin g h er away wit h out

,

h e arin g her con fe s s io n an d rebukin g her in a loud

,

to n e of voice The lady without chan gin g c oun t e

.
,

n a n ce, turn ed mod estly away an d left t he c h urc h ,

without m akin g an y an s wer .

A n other time he s e n t a youn g m an to rin g a bell

 HE MORTIFIES H IS P E NIT E NTS 3 0 1

through the Campo di Fiore an d the Via de Giub ’

bon ari populou s quarters in th e m o st crowded part

, ,

of R o me ; th e arti s an s attracted by th e un u s ual

,

soun d took him for a madman an d h ooted after him

, , .

An ot her time h e s e n t on e of his pen it en t s t h rough

Rome wit h a gr e at box lid fas te n ed to his sh oulders
-

o n w h ic h was writte n in large l etter s F or h avin g

“

e ate n curd s an d w h ey "

,

On e day P hilip we n t wit h s everal of his pe n it en ts

to vi s it Cardin al Ale s san dri n o an d b efor e taki n g , ,

“
l eave s aid to th e Cardi n al Mo n sig n ore I wi s h you
, , ,

would give me s om et h i n g fo r t h es e c hildre n of min e .

The Cardin al w h o un der s to o d th e Sain t t h or o ugh ly

, ,

kn ew very w ell t h at he wan t ed n ot h in g but was ,

s e e ki n g a n O pportu n ity to mortify t h em ; accordi n gly

h e w en t immediat ely to a cupboard an d took out a ,

large cake w hic h h e gave to him

,
P hilip t h an ked .

him ,
s ayi n g T h i s is j u s t wh at I wan t ed ; an d a s
,
“

s o o n as t h ey got out of the palac e h e br o ke th e cake

in to s everal piece s an d gave a pi ec e to eac h of t h em
, ,

orderin g them all to begin eati n g ; an d so t h ey wen t ,

a ll mu n c h i n g th e cake toget h er t hrough t h e s tr eet s

,

of Rome .

On e of his p en ite n ts wis h i n g to leave off th e toup ee

w h ic h w as w or n at t h at t ime th e Sain t n ot o n ly ,

would n ot all o w him to do so but co m man d ed him ,

t o h av e it trimm e d ; an d to mortify him still furt h er ,

t o ld h im to go t o Fra F elic e th e Capuc hin an d th at

, ,

h e would h av e th e c h arity to dre s s his h a ir for h im .

Th e go o d pe n it en t w en t accordin gly a n d F ra F elice , ,

w h o w as in l e agu e wit h th e S a i n t in stead of trimmi n g

, ,

him ,
s h aved th e w h ole o f his h ead w hich he bore ,

wit h th e mo s t p a tien t good h umour An oth er of his .

30 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
’
pe n ite n ts a carpen ter n am ed Albe rto ask ed the S ain t s
,

“
leave to wear a h air s hir t ; th e S ain t s aid By al l
'

m e an s but o n co n ditio n you wear it outside your

j acket The pe nite n t readily obey ed an d wore it in
.
,

t hi s way till his death s o that people nickn amed him

, ,

‘
Ber to of th e h air sh irt .
’

On e o f the mo s t in flue n tial m en at co urt had a dog

whic h h e prized very muc h an d petted in th e most ,

extraordin ary way It h appen ed t h at on e m orn ing a

.

ge n tl ema n o f his s uit e broug ht t hi s dog with him to

S Giro lam o an d directly Phil ip began to care ss it
.
, ,

t h e d og t oo k s uc h a fa n cy to him t h at it would n ot
l eav e his r o om s al tho ugh t he Sain t s e n t it back to
,

it s m as ter tim e aft er time At firs t the own er of the

.

d og w as very muc h an n o yed at th is ; h e petted it

m o re t h a n ever to h in der it from runn i n g away an d ,

ev en k ep t it tied up fo r some days At l as t s ee in g .

,

t h at it alway s ran o ff t o S G irolamo as s oo n as it was .

le t l o o s e a lt h o ug h P hilip h ad n o t hin g to give it but a

,

b it o f br ead h e s aid laughin gly in allusi o n to s o m e of

, ,

his ge n tlem en w ho by P hilip s pe rsuasio n h ad left his

’

s ervice in o rder to serve G od more perfectly

“
Fat h er ,

P h ilip is n o t c on te n ted wit h takin g m en from me ,

”
but he mu s t n eed s take from me eve n my an imals .

Th e h oly fath er made great use of this dog in morti

fying h is spiri tual c hildre n Alt h ough it was v ery .

large h e would sometime s carry it himse lf an d ofte n

, ,

made o n e or ot her of his pe nite n t s eve n m en of ran k , ,

carry it in t h eir arms t hroug h the s treet s ; s ometimes

h e s et t hem to wa sh an d comb it ; an d s omet ime s he
m ade t h em lead it tied wit h a chai n or cord t hrough
, ,

Rome wh e n he h im s e l f we n t out walkin g makin g use

, ,

of it for h is o wn m ortific ation as well as th eir s ; for

3 0 4 T HE LIFE or s r . PHILIP NERI

to make him carry the cross before fun eral s through

th e stree t s by way of m o rtific at io n
,
.

In like m ann er as soo n as Bern ardin o Coro n a on e ,

of Cardin al S irl eti s ge n tleme n put h imself u n der his ,

guidan ce Philip b egan to mortify him in every po ssible

,

way He ofte n m ade him pas s before his old m aster s

.
’

palace leadi n g a horse by th e bridle as if he were a

, ,

gr o om Bern ardin o had a remarkably fin e beard an d

.
,

P hilip comman d ed him to s have o fl h al f of it as he ,

h im s elf h ad do n e Coro n a s et off at o n ce to perform

.

t h e ob e die n ce but the Sai n t s eein g his readin e s s told

,

h im h e n eed n o t do it All who liv ed wi th Bern ardin o

.

in th e C o n gr egatio n kn e w t o w h at a purity o f li fe h e
at t ain ed t hrough these an d other m ortific ations ; he
b ecam e a s pure an d s imple as a c hild an d o n this ,

accou n t the Sai n t b o re him the greatest affection .

On e day d urin g t he s ummer whe n P hilip w as cal led ,

in to c h urc h t o s peak to a lad y he we n t in a cassock ,

lin ed wit h fur ; as he came b ack from the church he ,

t o o k it o ff in t he c o urtyard an d put it i ns ide out on , ,

M arc ell o Vit ell esc hi a Rom an n oble an d o n e of his

,

pe n i te n t s Ve s per s w ere bein g sun g at the time an d

.
,

he ord ered h im to go in t o th e c h oir with a message to

Cesare Baroniu s who w as t he n s uperior The yout h
, .

was ashamed to b e see n in t h at gui s e an d we n t be hin d ,

the be n ches t o s peak to him for t he c h oir w as n o t ,

arran ged th en as it is n o w The Sain t perceived .

Marcello s d evice an d as s oo n as he c ame back se n t

’

, ,

him again o n th e same erran d in his stran ge costum e ,

e nj oin in g him to pass through the middle of th e c h o ir ,

wh ic h M arc ello did .

F at h er An to n io Gall on io was s o littl e able to hea r

an ythi n g like h eat t hat eve n in th e most rigorou s
,
 HE MORTIFI E S GALLON IO

wi n ter he w ere n o t hi ng but a s erge cas s ock ; th e Sain t ,

in o rder to mortify him made h im wear a fur cl o ak

,

over h is ca ss ock for t h ree mo n th s togeth er an d t h at ,

in th e h eat o f summer F at her An to n io kn ew s ome

.

so n gs in the N orc ian patoi s ; an d wh e n Cardin al s an d

ot h er per s o n s of ran k came to the h ou s e P hilip would
,

ord er him to s in g t h em in t h eir pre s e n ce or s om e ,

times in prese n ce of n u n s ; mortifyi n g at o n ce h imself ,

t h e poor prie s t an d th e audie n ce

,
Before Gallon io
.

w as a prie s t P h ilip ordered h im to ab s tai n from com

,

m un io n for s ix or eigh t mo n t hs w h ic h his great

,

devo t io n mad e a h eavy m ortific ation to him W he n .

h e was m ade prie s t h e u s ed t o sh ed tear s at ma s s

,

through the gr eat n es s of his fervour ; wh ereupo n t h e

Sain t ordered h im to say m ass o n ly t hre e tim es a
we ek ; an d it w as n o t till a lo n g time after t h at h e
all o wed him to celebrate five tim es a week H e oft en .

s e n t h im befor e th e meal s began i n to the middle of

th e refectory to as k for his di n n er o r s upper for th e
lov e of G od ; a m ortific at ion to wh ic h h e put ot h ers
als o ; an d at time s h e made him carry several load s
o f brick s to differe n t place s .

Th e devil o n c e put i n to th e mi n d of a member

of t h e Co n gregatio n t h oug ht s o f di s este em of P h ilip ,

to mak e h im lose fait h in t he cou n sel s th e Sain t

gav e h im in co n fes s io n At la s t he man ife s ted th e
.

t emptati on to th e h oly fat h er out of co n fe s s io n an d ,

P h ilip o n t h e lookout as u s u al fo r every O pportun ity

,

of m ortifyin g both h imself an d oth ers c o mman d ed him

,

to declare t h ese t h ough t s publicly in th e r efectory .

Th e p en ite n t ob eyed an d P h ilip li s te n ed wit h every

,

mark of u n usual j oy T hi s publi s hi n g o f temptati on s

.

befor e o t h er s w as a remedy w h ic h P hilip o ft en u s ed

V OL . I . U
3 0 6 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
whe n he saw the perso n was able to bear it for over ,

comin g th e tem ptatio n s themselves Fra Ign azio .

Fe s tin i a Domin ican rela tes that h e o n ce in o bedie n ce

, , ,

to Philip man ifested publicly s ome temptatio n s whic h

,

otherwise n ot h in g in th e world would h ave in duced

him to tell an d that n o word s c an expre s s t he in ward
,

s ati s factio n an d co n t e n tme n t which he felt in doin g so ,

a n d likewi s e t h at a s a remedy it succeeded perfectly .

Ago s ti n o Mann i of Can z ian o a pri est o f the Co n

l
, ,

re a t io n a m a n Of great devotio n an d charity who

g g , ,

died in 1 6 1 8 h avi n g o n on e occa s io n preached an ex

,

c el l en t s erm o n in o ur c h urc h P h ilip s en t for him an d ,

ordered h im to deliver the s ame di s course s ix tim e s

ru n n in g an d n o t wi t ti n gly to alt er a s in gle word
,
.

Ago s ti n o obeyed an d wh en the people s aw him moun t

,

in g the pulpi t t h ey said ,

There is th e father w ho ,
“

h as o n ly go t o n e s ermo n
T hat w hic h P hilip d esired to mortify above all
”
th i n gs w as rea son ing e s pecially whe n there was s ome
,

s how of plau s ibility in it a ki n d of m o rtific ation of ,

exce edi ng difficul ty bu t most highly prized an d com

,

m en ded by the Sain t s As an illu s tratio n of the im .

portan ce whic h Philip attach ed to it we shall relate an ,

i n cid en t which happe n ed o n o n e oc cas io n to B aro n iu s .

The Pope to whom the good fat her h ad pres e n ted his
,

A nn ota t io n s o n the Roman M artyrology assign ed him , ,

in spite of his refu s al s a certai n sum of mo n ey in ,

order to e n able him to go o n wit h his Ann al s N O .

soo n er did Philip h ear of this than he at o n ce laid

hold of it as an O pportu nity of mor tifyin g him He .

sign i fi ed to Baro nius that it was his will that he

sh ould n o w co n tribute to t he expe n s es of the h ouse ,

1
S ee “
Li v es o f t he C o m p a n io n s o f S t P hi i
. lp p ,
”
. 1 73 , 8 v o, L o n d o n .
3 0 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
The n Philip s aid to him Now you h ave d o n e all I
,
“

wan ted ; I do n ot wish for an y of y o ur mo n ey but ,

learn a n oth er time to s ubmi t yours elf promptly to

o bedie n ce .

Th e m o rtifi c at io n to whic h he put F Fran cesco .

Maria Taru gi w as h ardly le s s s evere I n de ed he .

,

made a p o i n t of mortifyin g more e s pecia lly those w ho

were di s ti n gui sh ed for n obility o r t ale n t kn owi ng how ,

grea tly b es ide s t he be n efit to themselv es oth ers are

, ,

ed ifi ed by it On e day he s e n t fo r F Bozio and

. .

o rd e red him to go immediately an d t ell Ta rugi to

leave t he C o n grega t io n becau s e h is co n duct w as n o t

,

bec o min g T a rugi w as fill ed wit h a n guis h at this

.

u n expected me s s age an d s pe n t his time day an d nigh t

,

in exami ni n g h is ac tio n s to fin d out what h ad bee n

wro n g Bu t n o t di s coverin g an ythi ng by w hich he
.

c ould h av e de s erved t he Sain t s i n dign atio n after ’

man y an d lo n g prayer s he we n t to F Bozio an d .

,

implored him to be his med iator wi t h P hil ip to ask ,

w hat his Offe n ce had be en an d to offer o n his behalf

,

to s ubmit to a ny pe n an ce rather th an leave t he Con

re a tio n B o zi o u n der took the o ffi ce t h oug h from
g g .
,

t h e firm n e s s h e h ad wit n e s sed in P h ilip he gr e atly

feared t h a t he s h ould n o t succeed He we n t wi th .

Tarugi w h om he left outside the door of the Sain t s

’

room an d t h e n told P hilip that he had brough t back

,

th e wa n derin g s h eep an d did n o t doubt that he would

,

receive him as before wit h ten dern e ss an d love At .

this pray er Philip seemed to be appeased an d a s if he ,

kn ew by a heave n ly ligh t th a t Tarugi w as at the door ,

told Bozio to b rin g him in No soo n er had h e en tered

.

’
th an he threw h imself at the Sain t s feet but was ,

un able to utter a word through grief an d tear s .

 MORTIFICATION OF T H E RAZIONALE 30 9

P hilip said to h im “
Well s in ce you a sk pardo n I
, ,

gran t it to you ; but take care n o t to b eh av e agai n in

s uch a way as to re n der your s elf u n wort h y t o live in
”
t his h ou s e ; an d h e the n di s mi s s ed h im perfectly
co ns oled . Ph ilip afterwar d s s aid to F ath er Bo z io ,

You would h ardly believe to wh at a degre e of m erit

Tarugi has attai n ed duri n g th e la s t few days th rough
”
this m ortifi c ation .

Th e Sai n t laid so muc h s tre ss on t he n ece s s ity of

takin g the utmo s t pain s to mortify th e in t ellect th at ,

h e u s ed to s ay “
A man s s an c tity li es wit hi n th e
’

”
compas s of t hr ee fi n gers an d a s h e s aid t h i s he
,

touched his fore h ead an d t h e n add ed in explan atio n of

h is m ea n in g,
“
t h e all -imp o rtan t th i n g is t h e m o rtific a

tio n of th e ra z ion a le a word w h ic h w as co n s t an tly in

,

his mouth t o s ign ify exce s s iv e rea s o n i n g a n d wi s hi n g ,

to act the prud en t m an an d di s cu s s everyth in g I t .

w as o n e of his m a xim s th at a m an w h o ca n n ot e n dure

,

the los s of h o n our is i n capable o f makin g pr ogr es s in

spiritual th i n gs H e n ce w h e n ever an y on e came in to
.
,

his h an d s who h ad a reputatio n fo r s an ctity h e u s ed ,

to try his virtue by m ortifi c ation s an d if h e foun d it ,

stan d th e t rial h e h o n oured it as real h olin es s ; if n o t

, ,

h e su s pected it as delu s io n .

I n a word lik e a n ot h er G i o va n n i Colombin i of

, ,

w h o s e s pirit he had deeply dru n k h e kept his spiritual ,

c h ildre n in an i n c es san t ex ercise of m ortific ation s o far ,

as w as practicable for secular prie s t s Sometimes wh e n .

o n e of t h e fat h er s w a s preac h i n g an d was in th e full

fervo ur o f his di s cour s e h e would se n d an o t h er to tell

,

h im to ho ld his ton gue an d co m e down fr o m th e p ulpit ,

for t h at h e h im s elf w as goin g to preac h ; h e would

freque n tly order s o me o n e to get up an d preach a
3 10 THE LIFE O F ST . PHILIP NERI

sermo n o ff-h an d though the result sh owed t h at h e

,

k n ew well what he was doin g ; for whe n pre ac h ed in

ob edie n ce t o h im the un prepared sermo n was always ,

better than the well -s tudied disc ourse would have be en

from th e same preac h er Sometimes h e se n t t h em to .

bookseller s s hops to as k for books with ex travag an t

’

”
t itle s s uch Piovan o Arlotto Mat teo M aria “
, as , ,

“ ”
B oj ardo JE s o p s Fables an d the like e nj oin in g
’

, , ,

t h em expr es s ly to as k wi t h a loud voice so that they ,

migh t b e heard by ev erybody a n d thu s fully tas te the ,

h umilia t io n At o th er time s he made t h em go from

.

t h e Vallicella to S G irolamo with out a cl o ak or wit h .

,

t o r n s le eve s or h ol es in th eir garme n ts ; s o th at o n e

,

day a g en t l ema n w ho s aw o n e of t hem in th e s tree t

, ,

o ffered h im a p air of s leeve s for the love of God ; an d

t he S a i n t lear n in g that h is pe n ite n t had refu sed the

,

alm s s e n t him back to the ge n tleman t o say that

, ,

alth ough h e h a d refu s ed the s l eeve s before h e should ,

n o w be v ery glad to accep t t hem as h e was in wan t of ,

t h em The ge n tleman accordin gly gave t hem to him

.
,

a n d t he Sain t m ade him wear them He ordered some .

to kis s the feet of the visitors who came to s ee him ;

o ther s to da n ce a n d s i n g in the pre s e n ce of Cardin als

a n d prelate s He m ade s everal go abou t wit h a sk ull

.

cap of whi te clo t h u po n their h e ads an d o thers with a ,

h uge hat an d a cord pas s i n g u n der the chin a ft er the

an tique fashio n He would h ang a large rosa ry l ike a
.

’
hermit s rou n d their n ecks an d make th em go to ,

church in that c ostume or deck them out with beard s ,

of taffety an d gold frin ge He ofte n se n t F Pietro . .

Co n s olin i about Rome with purple taffety an d gold

lace rou n d h is h at : an d he repeatedly se n t G iulian o
Magal ufli in to the refec tory durin g supper with a ,
3 1 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHI LIP NERI

reach such perfectio n ; or some other expressio n ,

showing at o n ce the importan ce he att ached to mor

t ific a tio n an d his opin io n of its di ffi culty
, .

Although the practice of m o rtific atio n bo th o f him

,

self an d others w a s quite o n e of Philip s specialities

,
’

yet in the latter years of his lif e he was more sparin g

in impo s in g outward m ort ifi c at ion s ; for h e said that
s i n ce t he s e practice s h ad beco me such well kn own
marks of s piritu a li ty t h ey were n o lo n ger s o fruitful
, ,

an d might eve n bec o me occa s io n s of pride an d vain

glory .
 CHAPT E R XX
OF
’
P HI LI P s P AT I EN C E
W E n o w come to the virtue whic h th e Sain t s c on
s ider th e touc h st o n e Of all s a n ctity t h at is patie n ce
, ,
.

B esid es what w e h ave m en tio n ed in th e fir s t b ook in ,

givi n g an accoun t of the exercise s w hic h h e in tr oduced

at S Girolamo della Carit a we may s ay t h at his w hole
.
,

life as it w as on e co n ti n uou s act o f m o rtific ation s o

, ,

al s o w as it on e u n br o ke n exerci se of pa ti en ce b ecau s e ,

of th e co n tradictio n s he m et with in all th at h e did .

H e was th e butt an d laugh i n g -s tock of th e c ourtier s

in almo s t every palace T h ey s aid ev eryth in g bad o f
.

him w h ic h ca m e i n to t h eir mi n d s e s p ecially w h il s t h e

,

w as livi n g at S G irolamo ; so t h at g en erally n o s o o n er

.
,

did an y of his p en ite n t s app ear at court t h an h e w as ,

a s ked wh at Padre Me s s er Filippo w as doin g an d wh at ,

good th in g s h e had eat en t h at morn in g h ow man y ,

cap o n s h ad been pres en ted to him an d h ow man y ,

dai n ty di sh es his s piritual c h ildre n h ad se n t him with ,

o th er s im il ar iec es of di s resp ect a n d imp erti n e n c e

‘

p .

Th is s arcastic talk las ted for year s an d years so t h a t ,

Rome was full of it an d t h r o ugh all t h e s h o p s an d

,

coun tin g -h ou s e s th e idlers an d sc ap egrace s did n o th in g

,

b ut ridicul e P h ilip or h is pe n ite n ts All th i s w as .

of cours e kn o wn to th e Sain t ; an d every on e was

 1
3 4 TH E LIFE OF ST . P H ILIP N E RI

in t h is mann er A p erso n of ra n k who used h imse lf

.
,

to make game of him reflect ing upo n his u n wearied

,

patie n ce co n ceived such an esteem for him t h at he

, ,

s e n t co n ti n ually t o recomme n d him s elf to h is prayer s ,

an d w h erever Philip w as the subj ect of co n versatio n ,

extolled his perfect an d truly wo n derful goodn e s s .

T h ere were so me who out of a spirit of j ealousy or

, ,

for other rea s o n s of their o w n could n o t be ar to see ,

t h e exerci s e s of t h e Ora tory pro s perin g or the odour ,

of P hilip s s an ctity d aily i n creas in g T he s e pe rso n s

’
.

laid h old o f every occa sio n t hey could to s pread abro ad

a bad o pi n i o n of him On e day t h ere w as a cry all
.

t h r o ug h R o m e t h at Fat h er Philip of S G ir o lamo had .

b ee n pu t in priso n for immorali ty The fou n datio n for .

t hi s report w as th at a serva n t w ho lived t her e and w ho ,

w a s al s o n amed P hilip h ad be en impriso n ed for that

,

cau s e ; bu t his calum n iator s maki ng u s e of the ambi,

gui ty o f the n ame we n t a bo ut fas te n in g the rumour on

,

t h e Sain t . W he n P hi lip h eard of it he did n ot take ,

it in t he leas t amis s but with the greatest c alm n ess

,

co n te n ted him s elf with a s imple s mile .

On o n e o ccasio n h e we n t to s peak to a prelate o n

’
behalf o f Fabrizio de Ma s s imi a Rom an gen tleman , ,

an d o n e of his pe n ite n ts w h o h ad bee n fal sely accu s ed

,

of a capital crime whic h the Sai n t kn ew for certain h e

,

had n o t committed Th e prelate n o t o nly refu s ed to

.

lis te n to the t ru th but reviled P hilip in s uch a mann er

,

th at Father Pompeo Pateri w h o was pre s en t w as lost

, ,

in asto n i sh me n t at th e co n duct of th e dign itary ,

an d stil l more at th e patie n ce an d ge n tle n ess of

the Sain t in bearin g his in s ults with suc h a cheerful
coun te n an ce ; in the en d h owever the inn oce n ce of the
, ,

accused was proved an d he was acquitted accordingly

, .
3 6
1 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI
looks towards th em O n c e whe n an importan t affair
.
,

regar din g the Co n gregatio n was u n der discus sio n a ,

letter o n the subj ec t was pre s e n t ed to the holy fath er

as s up erior an d whilst he was readin g it o n e prese n t
, , ,

th in kin g th e letter co n tain ed someth in g whic h he did

n o t wa n t Philip t o kn ow in sole n tly s n a tc hed it out
,

of his h an d sayin g th at it was no t to be re ad The

, .

Sain t took the affro n t wi th s uch in comparable meek

n e ss th at n eit her by l o ok word or ge s ture did h e
, , , ,

b etray the s ligh te s t emo tio n B ut a lo n g t im e afte r .

wards he g ave order s to F G erman ico F edeli that

, .

aft er his deat h the o ffe n der s hould be corrected in ,

o rd er t h at h e mig h t ac kn owledge an d do p en a n ce

for h is faul t an d s o o btai n pardo n an d in dulge n ce

,

of Go d .

A gre at n umber of t he i n sult s whic h Phi lip re

c eiv ed mu s t be passed over in s ile n ce for th e sake of ,

brevi ty ; w e w ill o n ly add that Fran cesco Rosa n o a ,

p h il o s o p h er an d t heologia n of considerable n ote s ee in g ,

th e wro n g s whic h t he Sain t s u ffered d aily especial ly ,

at th e time he was e stabli s hin g the exercise s at

S Gir o lam o della Carita s aid Philip is in his right
.
, ,
“

place at t he c hurc h of St Jerome w ho had to bear .

,

such gr eat co n tradic tio n s an d persecu ti o n s as lo n g a s

he liv ed .

But it is remarkable th at t h ose w ho in any way

haras s ed the Sain t eit her repe n ted an d cam e to ask
,

his pardo n or were before lo n g c h astis ed by G od

,
.

A per s o n who had bee n spe akin g against him o n e

eve n in g in goin g out of his hou s e the n ext day fell
, ,

over a s teep place an d was in dan ger of lo s in g his

l ife t hough he es caped wit h a s eriou s inj ury to o n e
,

of his leg s ; an d he co n fessed t h at he believed t his

 EVIL END O F H IS OPPON E NTS 3 1 7

j udgme n t to h ave come upon him for h avi n g s poke n

ill of P hilip ; h e added th at if h e h ad s poke n as h e
did wi th a malicio u s in te n ti on h e was s ure h e sh ould ,

h ave broke n his n eck ; an d from th at day forward h e

could n o t en dure to h ear an y o n e say th e lea s t word
again s t th e Sai n t .

A n oble lady o f great age w h o w as In dan ger of ,

dea th fr o m a s evere ill n ess was repeatedly vi s ited by ,

P hilip w h o we n t to h ear h er c on fes s io n Her n eph ew

, .
,

a very in flue n tial m an s eein g P hilip go to vi s it his

,

au n t s o ofte n w as afraid th at sh e migh t leave th e

,

C on gregatio n h er proper ty an d th e S ain t w as given ,

to un d ers ta n d t h at h e w as to di s co n tin ue h is vi s its .

However as the good of h er s oul w as his o n ly m o tive

, ,

he persisted in s pite of th e t h reat ; wh ereup on th e

ge n tleman mor e an gry an d more s u s pici o u s t h an ever
, ,

o rdered th e s erva n t s n o t to let him in o n a n y accou n t .

P h ilip br o ke through all t h e s e Oppositio n s an d c o n ,

t in u ed to vi s it h er wit h ou t payi n g an y r egard eith er

,

to me n ace s or to wh atever else of a wor s e s o rt th ey

migh t devi s e again s t him T he fat h ers of th e C o n
.

re a tion h eari n g of t h is e n treat ed th e Sai n t n o t to

g g , ,

go t h ere any more as h e w as puttin g him s elf i n to

,

dan ger by it P hilip an s wered

.
“
I go to th e sick ,

woman for th e good of her soul an d if I s hould be ,

killed in co n s equen ce it would be the b est piece o f

,

luck t h at could h appe n to me The fath ers r ej oi n ed .

,

t h at n everth ele s s t h ere w ere ca s e s in w h ic h it was

“
bett er to giv e way T h en Ph ilip said . Well you , ,

n e ed n o t be afraid I sh all n ot be hurt ; th e sick

,

woman w ho is s o ill will sho rtly get w ell an d her ,

n ep h ew w h o Is I n s uc h good h eal th will die wit hi n a

, ,

”
fortn igh t . E very word o f t h is predictio n came true ;
3 1 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

the lady recovered an d lived a lo ng time an d the , ,

n ephew died in a fort n ig ht .

A n other time the Sain t h avin g go n e as usual with , ,

his s piritual childre n to t h e S e ven C hurc h e s a pe rso n ,

who did n o t approve of this practice said c on te m ptu

o us l
y to his compa n i o n W h a t do you t h ink ? T h ese ,
“

Gero lim in i (th e n ame give n a t fir s t to the Fat h ers of

th e Oratory ) h av e g o n e to th e Seve n Churc h es an d ,

h ave take n wit h t h em s eve n as s e s loaded wi t h tarts ;

addin g o th er idle j ok es an d t urn i ng th e whole thin g ,

in to ridicule Not may days afterward s th e speaker

.
,

w as murd e r ed an d t h e l is t e n er di ed
, .

A prelat e who s e n ame is purposely n o t given

, ,

calum n iated th e Sain t to o n e Of t he Cardin al s with ,

th e view of rai s in g oppositio n an d h i n dra n ce to the

exerci s e s at S G irolamo ; th e calum n y was of so

.

s eri o u s a n a t ur e t h at t h e Cardin al s poke t o t h e Pope

abou t it P h ilip alt hough h e kn ew all that had

.
,

h app en ed n ev er s aid o n e wo rd again s t his accuser ;

,

na
y h e,
we n t v e ry O fte n to that s ame Cardi n al fr om ,

w hom he rec eived man y m ortific atio ns t hu s making ,

u s e of th e occurre n ce as a mea n s for subd uin g him

self more th an ever Me an w h ile it h appe n ed t hat an .

attack w as made upo n th e prelate by the mo n ks of

Mo n te Olive to w ho s aid t h at h e was an apostate from
,

the religiou s s tate an d h ad bee n five year s in their

,

order The p oor pr elate fell ill from vexatio n an d

.
,

died with in a few day s almo s t in d es pair The Sain t , .

,

forgetti ng his i nj uries visited him several times d urin g ,

his ill n ess ; an d w h e n the n ew s of his death was

brought to him he w as greatly grieved an d asked
, ,

o n e who was with h im to reach him a Bible ; he

O pe n ed it a s it were at ran dom an d lit upo n those
3 2 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

at me eh ?
, On e morn in g as he was comin g o u t
,

of his little chapel after sayin g m ass he m et Fa ther ,

A n to n io Gallonio ; n o s oo n er did he s ee h im t h an he
prete n ded to be greatly dis plea s ed with him an d ,

without rhyme or reaso n gave him a s evere rebuke ,

attackin g him so sh arply th at Gall on io could n o t

co n ceal his emotio n The aged Sai n t perceivin g this
.
,

in the very heigh t of h is prete n ded passio n said ,

”
“
A n t o n i o give me a ki s s an d h e in si s ted u po n his
, ,

ki ss i ng him in order to remove an y lur ki n g fee lin g

,

of bittern e s s from his heart This actio n of the .

S ai n t Cardi n al Cres c en z i at t ributes n o t so much to

h is d es ir e o f exerci s in g Gall o n io in m ortific at ion as ,

t o his wi s h t o hide the wo n derful pale n ess which used

t o o ver s pread h is face after he had said m as s so that ,

h e s e emed like a dead pers o n .

N o o n e ever s aw P hilip melan choly ; tho s e who

we n t to h im always fou n d him with a cheerful an d
s milin g cou n te n an ce yet mixed with gravity ; an d t his
,

w as s o well k n o w n amo n gst his discipl es that they

u s ed to s ay You may say or do what you like to

,
“

Fat h er P h ilip an d i n s ult him as you pleas e but you ,

”
can n o t put him out of temper O n c e he was told .

t hat s ome people h ad called him an old dotard at ,

wh ic h he was greatly pleased An oth er ti m e h e heard

.

t h at a religious h ad declared t h at he was in his dotage ,

an d it put him i n to suc h good s pirits that he told

Cardin al Cu s an o of it with imme n s e glee an d se n din g ,

for the religiou s care s sed him with marks of the

,

warmest affecti on Again w he n he was t old th at

.
,

people thought him mad for carryin g a dog in his

arm s about Rome h e laugh ed an d was highly de
,

lighted ; an d an other time w h e n he heard t h at people

,
 HIS PATI E NC E IN SICKN E SS
h ad b ee n preac h in g publicly again s t the I n stitute of
t h e Oratory h e did n o t a n s wer a wo rd or betray th e
,

l ea s t emotio n .

P h ilip s h owed equal pa t ie n ce in t h e s ickn es se s

wh ic h h is great labours brough t o n almo s t every year .

The yo ft en la s ted fifty o r s ix ty day s at a t im e an d h e ,

received Extreme U n c tio n fo ur time s but h e alway s ,

h ad t h e s ame calm an d j oyous c o u n te n an c e O n ce .

wh e n th e physic l an s h ad give n him over an d he s aw

all arou n d h im in afflictio n at th e id e a o f his deat h h e ,

said with a firm voice an d u n dau n ted courage P a ra tus ,

sum et n o n s um turba tus He n ever s p oke o f his

.

illn es s except t o th e medical m en an d n ever g a ve an y ,

o utward s ig n of th e pai n h e s u ffered h ow ever s h arp it ,

migh t be but eve n j oked in th e mid s t of it Wh e n

,
.

h e s poke it w as to break out i n to s uc h exclamatio n s

,

“
as t h e s e : My Lord if T h ou w o uld s t call me h er e I
, ,

”
am ;
“
My Love I h av e n o t k n o wn T h ee I h ave n o t
, ,

do n e an y good a n d w h il s t h e s poke t h u s h e u s ed to ,

s h ed tears He alw ay s co n ti n ued to h ear th e c on

.

fe ss io n s o f his p en ite n t s u n l es s the ph ys ician s ex pr es sly

,

forbade it ; an d if th e fat h er s b egg ed him to de s i s t

becau s e of his illn e ss he would tell t hem t o l et him go
,

on,
fo r t h at h eari n g co n fe s s io n s w a s a recr e atio n to
h im ; so great w as his z eal for th e s alvati o n of s o ul s .

H e w a s n ever h eard to c h an ge h is voic e as i n valids

gen erally d o but s poke in th e same s o n o rou s t o n e a s
,

w h e n h e w as w ell I n de ed w h e n h e w as ill i n s tead

.
, ,

o f rec eivi n g c o n s olatio n from h is vi s itor s h e mi n i s tered ,

co n s olatio n to t h em an d en tertain ed t h em in his u sual

,

wi n n in g way s o t h at it always tur n ed out t h at th e

,

c h arity w as rat h er o n his s id e t h a n t heir s .

T h er e w as a kin d of miracle t o o about his recoverie s

V OL . 1 . X
 .

3 2 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

for n o soo n er was he able to leave his bed even wh e n ,

he was o ld an d th e in dis posi t io n had b ee n lo n g an d

serious tha n h e was able at o n ce to say mass an d
,

perform a ll his oth er dutie s T here w as n ever any .

sign of co n vale s ce n ce ab o ut him so tha t v ery ofte n ,

after b ei n g in t he eve n in g alm o s t at the poin t of deat h ,

h e mig h t be s ee n in th e morn in g pe rformin g his

o rdi n ary dutie s as freely a s if he h ad n ever bee n
u n w ell W h e n his p hy s ician s were expre s s in g their
.

s urpri s e o n e d ay at t h e s e s udde n recoveries P h il ip to , ,

s ho w th at t h ey w ere races fr o m above s aid to th e m

g , ,

Let m e tell yo u it is n o t you who h ave cured me

, ,

b u t t h at reliquary poin tin g to on e w hic h St Charle s

, .

h ad give n him a n d w hich co n ta in ed a piece o f t h e

,

wo o d o f th e H o ly Cro s s an d re l ics of Sain t s Pet er an d

,

Paul an d o f St Fra n ci s
,
. .

T he fo llowi n g i n cide n t is s u ffi cie n tly c o nn ected wi th

our s ubj ec t to fin d a place h ere On e o n e occasion .
,

w h en P hilip w as dan gerou s ly ill at S G irolamo he .

,

asked Giuli o P etrucci to give him a little water mixed

wi th p o m egra n ate wi n e Giuli o reflected for a m o me n t
.

w heth er it w o uld n o t be b ett er to put so me sugar i n to

it to t emper th e crude n e ss of the wa ter an d th e acidity
,

of th e pomegran ate j uice ; decidin g to do s o he loo ked ,

about for s ome sugar but could n o t fin d any an d w h ile ,

h e was a n xiou s ly debati n g wit h him s elf w h a t to do ,

s udde n ly a yout h stood before him w h om he h ad n ever

see n before holdin g a loaf of sugar in his h an d G iulio

, .

was s o eager for th e sugar that he did n o t give the

s tran ge n e s s of t h i s circum s tan ce a t h ough t but h as te n ed ,

to s weeten th e win e an d water P hilip h avin g dru n k .

,

it turn ed o n th e other s ide an d had remain ed quiet

for a very s hort tim e wh en h e rose an d said Giulio "
, ,

“
,
,
3 4
2 TH E LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
’
t here is n o surer or clear er mark of God s love t h an
”
advers ity . W he n a co n fe ss or was o n ce complain in g
to h im t h at he w as u nj ustly per secu ted P h ilip re ,

proved him s ayi n g ,

“
Ho w c an yo u t e ac h o ther s
,

patie n ce if you are s o wa n ti n g in pat ie n ce yourself ?

,

My s o n the great n e s s of our love for G od is k n own by

,

”
t h e grea t n e s s o f our de s ire t o s u ff er for His love .

H e u s ed t o say furt h er t h at th ere is n o t hin g w h ich

produce s c o n t empt o f t he w o rld m o re quickly or ,

u n i te s t h e s oul t o God more cl o s ely t h an be in g tried

,

a n d afflict ed a n d t h a t t h o s e w h o are n o t a dmit ted as

,

s c holar s to t h i s s c ho o l m ay well be called u n fortun a te .

He u s ed t o reit era t e th a t in th i s life t here is n o

purg at ory ; it is ei th er all h ell or all paradi s e ; for he
,

w ho s u ffer s tribulati o n wi t h pati en ce e nj oys paradis e ,

an d h e w h o doe s n o t s u ffer s hell A n o th er favourite

.

maxim o f h is w as t hi s ; th a t whe n G od s e n ds extra

o rdi n ary s w e et n e ss e s to t he s oul a m an s hould prepare

him s elf for s o me s eriou s tribulati o n or temp t atio n an d ,

s ho uld as k of Go d w h il s t h e e nj o y s t h a t li t t le u n usual
,

fervour grace an d for titude t o bear whatever it m ay

,

be the will of His Divi n e Maj es ty to sen d upo n him .

He said also that duri ng suc h spiri t ual s weetn esse s a

m an ough t to be very much upo n his guard because ,

t here is al w ays da ng er of s in be hin d t hem ; an d there

fore h e ough t imm ediately t o h umble h im s elf an d to ,

pray th at th e dan ger w hich th ey foreshad ow m ay n o t

be mortal s in but some ot her ki n d of tribulatio n
, ,

whic h may n o t s eparate him from the Divin e grace ,

an d t h at w h atever it is he may n o t offe n d G od in it ,

even v en ially .

I n order to a n imate his disciples to this virtu e of

patie n ce h e ex h orted th em n ever to lose h e art because
, ,
 T H E NEED OF PATIENCE 3 2 5

it is G od s way to make h uman life a s ort of web

’

s e n di n g fir s t a trial an d t h en a co n s o l atio n ; h e in

structed t h em n ever to fly fr o m a cros s for they ,

would be sure to ligh t upo n a greater o n e an d th at ,

ther e is n o fi n er t hin g o n eart h t h an t o make a virtue

of n ece s s ity in s tead of d oin g w h at m en mostly do
, ,

man ufac ture cr os s es for th emselve s .

He did n o t h owever advis e his p en it en t s to ask tri

b ul ation s of G od b u t wi s h ed t h em t o walk m o s t warily
,

in t hi s matt er for a m an is doi n g n o little t h i n g wh e n

,

h e hears w h at G od s e n d s him day by day Y et h e .

h im s elf o n o n e occa s io n compa s s i o n ati n g a p o or i n valid

,

giv en o ver by th e p hys ician s b egged of God in th e , ,

mo s t ab s olut e ma n n er an d wit h an act of h eroic

c h ari ty th e l ife of th e s u fferer o fferin g h imself t o
, ,

un dergo his s u fferin g an d da n ger ; an d his prayer w as

an swered to the l et t er .

He recomme n ded s ome w ho h ad be en tried in th e ,

s ervice o f Go d for a l o n g tim e to imagin e in th e tim e ,

of prayer th at all ma nn er of i n s ul ts an d affro n t s wer e

o ffered to t he m s uc h a s blows w ou n d s an d th e like ;
, , ,

a n d t h e n to make act s of c h arity in imitati o n O f th e

c h arity of C hri s t an d from t h eir h eart s forgive the

,

i nj urie s offer ed t hem ; an d he said t h at t hi s exercise

would bri n g with it a great in crea s e of s piritual
,

s tre n gth .To o n e per s o n h owever w ho b egg ed him

, ,

“
to teac h him th i s exerci s e h e s aid No it will n ot , , ,

”
do fo r you n or fo r all
, .

With t h e s e an d s i m ilar h o ly admon itio n s did Ph ilip

’
co n firm him s elf an d o ther s in th e virtue of patie n ce .
 CHAPTE R XXI
OF P H ILI P S
’
P E RS EVE R AN C E AND ST A B IL IT Y IN

WE LL D OI N G -

T HE la s t of P h ilip s virtu es o f w hich we h ave to

’

s peak is t h at w h ic h w as as it w ere th e complemen t

, ,

of all t he re s t H e kn ew w ell that n o actio n be it

.
,

ever s o gr eat or h ero ic c an l ay a j u s t claim to th e ti tle

,

o f vir t u e w hic h is n o t acc o mpan ied by s tability an d

,

p er s evera n c e ; an d th er efore fro m b oy ho od upwards

h e aimed a t t h es e quali ti es in all h e did W he n h e .

c a me to R o m e an d l earn ed t ha t it was the will of God

t h a t h e s h o uld lab o ur in His vin eyard t h ere t h er e did ,

h e remai n c o n s t a n t ly fo r s ix ty years an d n ever we n t

,

b ey o n d t h e g a t e s excep t s o far as t he circ uit of the

,

Seve n C h urc h es ext en d s He w as ofte n recomme n ded

.

c h an ge of air by t h e doc tors ; his frie n ds repeatedly

begged him mo s t im port un ately to go with them to
differe n t place s an d his relatio n s at Fl o re n ce e s pecially
,

urged him to pay a visit to his o w n coun try But .

they n ever could move him from his dete rmin atio n ;
for as h e s aid to Vitt o ria Go ttifred i s uperiore s s of
, ,

Torre di Specchi he recogn ised n o n a t ive lan d but

,

h eave n .

W h e n he became a p riest an d co n fessor his atten ,

ti on was co n tin ually fi xed on the proper disc h arge of

those t wo offices of the pri esth ood an d the c on
3 2 8 T H E LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
.

He w as very muc h opposed to the omissio n of

regular devotio n s s uc h as goin g to co n fes s io n o n th e
,

appoin ted days an d hearin g mass on week day s for

, ,

th e s ake of every little occasio n al distractio n tha t

might arise He also di s liked to see perso ns load in g

.

them s elve s wit h a n umber of s piritual exercises ; for

t h ere are some w ho by little an d li t tle take upo n t hem
selve s th e o bligatio n to sa y so man y rosaries an d Offi ce s ,

t h a t t hey pre s e n tly tir e of t hem an d eit h er do n o t ,

pers evere or if t hey p er s evere s ay them w it hou t devo

, ,

ti o n He n ce his cou n sel w as t o u n dertake but littl e

.
,

an d t h en t o k eep to t h at lit t le wi t hout in termi s s io n ;

fo r if t h e d evil c a n o n ly get u s to drop o n e exercise he ,

will e a s ily p er s u ad e u s to drop a sec on d an d then ,

a t h ird u n til all our heap o f devoti o ns melt s i n to

,

n o t h i n g ; h en ce h e used freque n tly t o say to his

di s cipl es N u lla d ies s ine l inea
,
.

H e ex h o r ted h is pe n i te n t s to re n e w their good reso

lutio n s freque n tly a n d n ev er t o be cas t do wn becaus e
,

o f t h e vi o l en ce o f t h eir t empta t io n s agai n s t t h em for ,

Go d wh en He wi s h e s to gran t an y vir t u e ge n erally

, ,

allow s t he s oul to be firs t harassed by temptat io n s

again s t it ; an d as a remedy fo r di s courag eme n t he ,

recomme n ded t h at w h e n a te mptatio n come s upo n us ,

w e s h ould call to min d the s weet n e s s es we have fe lt in

prayer at other time s an d we s hall th u s eas ily o ver

,

come it .

He used to say th at fervour is ge n er ally great at the

“
begi nn in g an d t he n the Lo rd fing it se longius ir e
, ,

”
“
make s as t hough He would go further an d th a t we ,

mu s t then stan d firm an d n o t be troubled ; for God

sometime s with draw s His most holy Han d from pour ’

in g out His sweet n esses upo n us in order to try our ,

 THREE DE G REES IN SPIRITUAL LIFE 3 9
2

fortitude an d p er s evera n ce ; an d t h e n if w e re s i s t an d
overcome our tribula t io n s an d temptatio n s th e s weet ,

n e s ses an d h e av en ly co n s o latio n s retur n ; n a in th e

y ,

en d o u r L o rd redouble s t h em .

H e said t h at t h ere are t hree degree s in th e s piritual

life : th e firs t h e called th e a n imal life ; t h i s is the life
led by tho s e w h o ru n after s e n s ibl e d ev o t io n wh ic h ,

God mo s tly give s to b egi n n er s in o rder th at th ey may

,

b e dr a w n o n by its s weet n e ss j u s t a s an an imal by a

s e ns ible obj ec t an d so give th e m s elve s t o th e spiritual
,

life : the s eco n d h e called th e h uman life ; it is th e life

o f t h o s e w h o cea s e to experie n ce s en s ibl e swee t n e s s but ,

figh t agai n s t t h eir pas s io n s in t he str en gth o f vir tue a ,

t hin g wh ic h is proper to m an the t h ird h e c all ed th e

a ngelic life ; it is th e d egr ee a t wh ic h t h o s e arriv e w h o ,

h ave bee n exerci s ed for a lo n g time in th e t ami n g o f

t h eir pas s io n s an d at le n gth receiv e from God a qui et
, ,

t ran quil an d a s it wer e a n gelical life eve n in t h i s

, , ,

w o rld Of t h e se th ree degr ee s P h ilip ex h orted his p en i

.

t en t s to per s ev ere in the s ec on d becaus e a s sur edly God

,

in His o w n time will gra n t th e t h ird .

As to y o u n g m en h e s aid t h at avoidi n g evil pr a ctic es

,

an d ke e pi n g g o od co m pan y are as n ece s sary to t h eir

p erseveran ce in th e ways of virtu e a s th e fr eque n tin g

,

O f th e Sacrame n ts He did n o t very readily put fait h

.

in t h em wh at ever s ign s of d evoti on t h ey migh t give ;

,

so th at s o m etimes w h en per s o n s s poke t o him of

c ert ain youth s makin g great progre ss in th e S piritual
life he would s ay Wait till th ey are fledged an d th en
, , ,
”
l et u s see w h at ki n d Of flig h t t h ey mak e .

H e exh orted all to pray wi t h out ceasi n g t h at G od

of His goodn e ss would vouc h safe t o gran t t hem t he
gift o f per s ev eran ce an d h e i n tr o duced the cu s tom of
,
3 3 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

sayin g in the Oratory every eve n ing five Paters and

Aves to obtain from the Divin e M aj e s ty perseveran ce
,

“ ”
in His holy service “
But he said in order to
.
, ,

begin well an d en d better two th in gs are n ecessary

, ,

to be devout to the mos t holy Mother of G od an d to ,

h e ar ma ss every mor n i ng whe n t here is n o legitima te

,

h in dra n ce .

Wh en an y of h is pe n ite n ts had a desire for the

religi o u s s tate in o rder to i n sure t heir pers everan ce in
,

it h e u s ed t o begi n by mortifyin g t h em for a lo n g

,

time an d breakin g dow n t h eir s elf-wil l in the t h in g s

,

t o w h ic h h e s aw t h ey h ad t h e greatest repugn a n c e .

Man y in c o n s e qu en ce w ho e n tered upo n the religious

, ,

life u n d er his directio n h a ve repeatedly said t h at if

, ,

t h e h o ly fat h er h ad n o t d e alt wit h t h em in this m ann er ,

t hey s h o uld n o t h ave per s evered A Capuchin father .

“
w h o vi s ited t h e Sain t kis s ed h is h an d an d s aid 0 ,

Fath er the m ortific atio n s w hich I u s ed to r eceive from

,

yo ur rever en ce are n oth in g compared to t hose of the

religiou s s tate ; but I am s u re I may say co n fide n tly ,

t h at if it h a d n o t bee n for your s I should n ever h ave

”
bee n able to go t h r o ugh the othe rs The h oly father .

u s ed also to s ay th at if a religiou s foun d him self in an

,

order wh ic h h ad dege n erated an d lived in it wit h ,

observa n ce an d edific ation he ought to remain in it , ,

for G od may wi s h to make u se of him at some time

t o re n ew th e spirit of the order .

H e held all c h an ge in suspicio n ; an d did n o t like

m en passin g from o n e good state t o a n other eve n ,

though it w ere to a better with out gr eat deliberatio n ;

,

for he said t h at the devil ofte n transforms himself in to

an a n gel of light an d makes m en u n der the prete xt
, ,

of doin g better leave eve n wh at is good It was n ot

, .
33 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PH ILIP NERI

me n d ed The holy fath er did n o t relish this but th e

.
,

youth bein g importu n ate about it especiall y as h e ,

wished to go in compan y with an o ther membe r of the

Co n gregatio n w ho h ad some n ece ss ary occasio n to leave
Rome the Sain t humbly yielded to his importu n i ty an d
,

gave him leave But he s aid to some of the fathers

.
,

T h ere are two goin g away b u t o n ly on e will com e ,

back ; an d s o it proved for the you t h we n t to his

,

n ative place an d overcome by th e love of home re

,

turn ed n o more Philip h owever wrote him a le t ter

.

of w hic h an extract shall be give n t h at the Sain t s

’

de s ire m ay be be t ter s ee n in his o w n words I t was

my wi s h t ha t G erm an ico s hould go later an d that yo u ,

s h ould n o t re m ain t h er e lo n g amid fle s h an d blood ,

an d t h e l o ve of mo t her an d bro t h ers for I had n o ,

d o ubt w hat the co n s eque n ce would be h avin g before ,

my eye s t he example of Sain t s Marcus an d Marc ellian us ,

w ho h avi n g be en bold t hrough so man y martyrdoms

, ,

w ere at las t o n the poin t o f de nyin g Christ through

lov e of fat her an d mother an d c hildre n an d would ,

h ave do n e s o if S t Sebas tian h ad n o t stre ngthe n ed

.

”
t h em wit h his h oly word s ; an d at t he en d he ad ds ,

Now the n it is for you to decide whether you will

stay o r come back for we do n o t wan t pre s sed m en
,

”
here .

Fat her Giovann i An to n i o Lucci who has alre ady ,

bee n me n tio n ed left Rome to go to Bagn area his n ative

,

place The Sai n t tried to detain him s ayin g G iovann i

.
,
“

”
An tio n o do ,
I am sayin g ; an d
”
h e added ,
Dei ka bca m Lucci .

wen t v e wit h h ome an d ,

n ever T h e same th in g
h ome a ai n st his g
 HE INSISTS ON STABILITY 333

will ; some of th em died w h il s t t h ey were t h ere an d ,

ot h ers retur n ed n o more to th e Con gr egatio n .

He w a s al s o reluctan t to give h is s ubj ect s leave to

go an d fou n d Co n gregatio n s in ot h er citi es ; h e wi sh ed
t h em to remain s teadily in th e Co n gregatio n of R o me ,

an d atte n d to t h e best of t h eir p o wer t o t h e di s charge

o f t h eir dutie s in it .H ow s tr on g th i s feeli n g was in

h im may ea s ily be gat h ered from a l etter w h ic h h e
wrot e to Sir Ch arl es Borromeo wh om h e te n derly loved ,

an d greatly r ev ered St C h arl es had a sked for some

. .

of his s ubj ec t s an d P h ilip an s wer ed Some o f t h em

, ,
“

are as yet but u n ripe stude n t s an d I ca n n ot see m y ,

way t o taki n g t h em from t h eir s tudie s ; I t h i n k I

”
s h ould make a mi s tak e in d oi n g s o ; an d a little
furth er o n he add s The rip e o n e s I cann o t s en d you
,
“
,

for we are too muc h in wa n t of t hem h ere ; an d I fear

an d tr e mbl e w h e n I h ave to make a c ho ic e eve n
amo n gs t th em o f s om e o n e to s en d t o an y place or
, ,

put in to an y kin d o f c h arge ; an d I rec o mm en d mys e l f

”
mo s t earn estly to Go d & c From t h i s w e may see
, .

h ow aver s e h e w a s to removi n g a n y of his s ubj ect s from

t h e Co ngr eg a tio n of Rome .
 CHAPTER I
P H ILI P s
’
R A PT U R E S AN D Ec s r xsm s

P H I LI P S great an d solid virtue s w hic h we h ave related

’

in th e precedi n g book were crow n ed an d ador n ed by ,

th e Divi n e Maj esty wit h various gifts an d graces .

Th e Lord was n o t co n te n t ed wit h havi n g raised h im

to th e heigh t of ch arity we h ave described an d given ,

him so great a spirit of pray er It w as His good .

plea s ure to exalt him to a kn owledge of the i n e ffable

secr ets of the Divi n e Great n ess in wo n derful ecstas ies
an d rap t ure s w h ic h were of freque n t occurre n ce dur
,

ing the w h ole of his life alth ough in his h umility he ,

s trove to t h e utmost to avoid t h em .

I n co n seque n ce of an importan t cause w h ic h was

1
before the Pope th e Domin ican Fath ers h ad the ,

devotio n of th e Forty Hours at t h eir co n ven t of th e

Mi n erva an d P h ilip toget her with Fran ce s co Maria
, ,

Tarugi an d some oth er s w as t h ere by i n vitatio n , .

W h il s t he was kn eeli n g in o n e of the mo s t out -of-th e

way corn ers of the church prayi ng ferve n tly h e fell ,

all at on ce i n to an ec s ta sy an d remai n ed with his eyes ,

fixed o n th e Ble s s ed Sacrame n t his face slig htly s mil ,

in g an d the rest of his body perfectly motio n less

, .

Th e prior Fra A n gelo Diac c eti afterward s Bish op Of

, ,
‘

1
A D NAL C A C
C R I PE E L AT R O , op . c it. v ol . . E l
i , 2 9 5 ( n g is h Tra n s l a
ti )
on y t hi c
,
sa s s a us e w a s t h e q u es t io n o f t he c
o n d em n a t ion o f t h e

writi g f S v r l
n s o a o na o a .

V OL . I .
338 THE LIFE O F ST . PHILIP NERI

Fie s ole who was a great frie n d of Philip n oticed it

, , ,

a nd in compan y with an other friar we n t up to him

a n d called him several tim es

; they t h e n to uched him
an d fou n d him as cold as ice Thin kin g th at he was .

in some fit or s woo n they carried him to a cell in the

n oviciate where after remain i n g a lo n g tim e in that
stat e he retur n ed to him se lf an d cried out Victory "
, ,

victory "
, , ,

our prayer is heard The prior in great .

asto n ishme n t seei n g that he had n o t be e n in any fi t

, ,

begged him ear n e s tly to explain the cause of the

c h an ge t h a t had come over him an d what victory it ,

w as of which he spoke The Sain t at fir s t resis te d all

.

a t tempt s to ob t ain an y explan atio n ; but at last pre

‘

’
vailed up o n by the prior s r eiterated e n treatie s he s aid , ,

“
Well the bu s in e ss for which we have had this devo
,

”
tio n has e n ded happily an d we have bee n h eard ,
.

Whe n he was que s tio n ed more n arrowly about his

ecstasy he said that he had see n Jesus Christ in
,

the co n s ecrated Host giving be n edictio n with His

,

most holy Han d to all those who were prese n t

at the devotio n ; an d that they ought th erefore
to than k G od for the victory they had gain ed It .

was afterward s foun d that at the very mome n t

whe n the Sain t return ed to himself the Pope h ad ,

give n s e n te n ce in favour of the Domin ican s in the

cause for which t h ey had had the devotio n of the
Forty Hours .

Fabrizio de M assimi goin g o n e morn in g to c on fes

’

sio n to him foun d the door of his room closed an d

, ,

O pe nin g it very softl y he saw the Sain t in the ac t of

prayin g s tan din g up with his eyes raised to heave n

,

an d his han ds uplifted m aki n g man y gesture s He

, .
°

s tood for awhile watchi n him an d then we n t c lose g

,
34 0 THE LIFE OF S T . PH ILIP NERI

t hey might h ave form ed of him from fin din g him in

an ec s tasy .

Paolo Ricuperati a prelate of bo th the Segn ature

,

a n d o n e of the holy father s familiar frie n ds we n t

’

o n e eve nin g to co n fe s s io n t o him at S G ir o lamo an d .

,

fou n d him at s upper wit h Me s s er Giova nn i Animuccia .

P h ilip ro s e from table an d h eard his co n fessio n but ,

a s h e w a s in th e act of puttin g his ha n ds o n his head

t o give him ab s oluti o n he we n t i n to an ecs tas y an d

,

becam e m o tio n les s He rem ain ed in thi s s ta te for a

.

c o nsiderable t ime to the asto n is h me n t of th e prelate

,

a n d A n imuccia bo t h of whom wit n ess ed it At l ast

,
.

h e came to himself an d gave him absolutio n ; the like

h appe n ed to ot h er s O f his pe n i t e n t s m a n y of w h om ,

fou n d him in ec s tas y whe n t hey we n t to co n fessio n .

Abou t the ye a r 1 5 8 5 Fat her An to n io Gal l onio foun d

,

Philip in b ed o n e morn in g appare n tly almo s t dead .

The medical m en were immediately s ummo n ed an d ,

thi n ki ng it was g o ut applied a ho t iro n to his head

, ,

bli s ter s to his arm s a n d other rem edie s to his shoulders

,
.

Nothin g however seemed to h ave an y e ffect an d F , .

Gio van Fra n ce s co Bordi n o gave him Extreme U n ction ;

after whic h he immediately came to hi m se lf an d ,

ope n in g his eyes looked o n all the fath ers who s tood
aroun d him weepin g ; but whe n o n e of them s aid ,

“ “ ”
Fat h er you have bee n very ill he an swered Nay
, , , ,

I have had n o other illn e s s t h an the on e you h ave

”
provided me with They fou n d afterwards that it
.

was n o fit but an ecstasy ; an d it was perhaps because

,

of these freque n t ec s tasie s t h at he u s ed ofte n to say

in biddin g t h em good night after he was in bed GO ,

away an d if you fin d m e dead to -morrow morn in g

, ,

"
bury me At mas s h is ecstasies were freque n t as we
'

. ,
 T HE E OS TAS I E S
’
SAINT S 34 :

learn from th ose who served him an d especially from ,

Cardin al Ottavio Paravicin i w h o wh e n you n g served ,

the Sain t s m as s for twe n ty year s t h ough n o t co n ti n u

’

ousl W h e P h ilip was in th e pre s e n ce of the Pope

y . n ,

he fou n d it so diffi cul t to preve n t h imself goin g in to

an ecstas y because of th e i n teri o r movem en t s w hic h it
,

caused in his heart th at w h e n ever h e w as goi n g to see

,

his Holin es s h e used to s ay to th e fat h ers Now pray ,

for me t h at I m ay n o t commit s ome foolery or

,

”
oth er .

He was ofte n see n wit h his w h ole body rai s ed in

1
t he air ; amo n g others Paol o S fon d ra to Cardin al of ,

S Cecilia saw him in prayer rais ed s everal s pan s from

.
,

t h e grou n d i n deed almo s t to t h e ceili n g as he told

, ,

Paul V a little before his death Giovan n i Batti s ta

. .

Modio was on on e occa sio n s o grievou sly ill t h at his

death w as h ourly expecte d an d h e had already l o s t ,

his speec h an d s e n s e s At t h i s j u n cture th e h oly

.

fath er came to vi s it him an d after s tayin g a little ,

wh ile with him b ein g o n familiar term s in Mo dio s

,
’

h ouse retired i n to a solitary room to pray for him

, .

Whe n mid n ight w a s pas s ed some of t h o s e w h o were ,

atte n din g th e sick m an began to wo n der wh ere P hilip

h ad retir ed an d o n l o oki n g fou n d him with his body
, ,

rais ed en tirely up in to th e air an d surrou n d ed wit h

rays of glory Seei ng him t hu s t h ey cried out
.
, ,

“
Com e h ere quickly ; come h ere quickly ; on w hic h
all w h o were with the sick m an ran to th e s pot an d ,

saw him rai s ed from the grou n d to suc h a h eigh t

t h at his h ead almost touch ed th e c eilin g w h il s t a ,

1
Pa o l
S f o n d ra t o , n e h ew o f G eg o
o pX I V w ho r ry
ea ted h im cr.

r l
C a d ina in 1 5 90 , d is t in g uis h ed f o r e xt ao d in a o s of r r ry w rk p y
ie t , d ie d
lf fr
1 6 1 8 , a n d e t a l l his o t un e t o h is t it u a C h u h Of S t C e i ia l r rc cl . .
342 T HE LIFE OF S T . PHILIP NER I

bright light s ho n e all aroun d him In abo ut half .

-an

ho ur Philip came to h im self an d we n t to the in valid

in great j oy an d layin g his han d o n his head said to
,

“ ”
him , Be of good heart you will n ot die ; a t that
,

in s tan t the power of s peech return ed to the s ick m an ,

so that he began to co n verse with the Sain t as dis

t in c tly as if he h ad n o t bee n ill at all an d in a few ,

days he e n tirely recovered .

Father Gregorio Oz es the D o min ican declared that

, ,

before he e n tered religi o n he al s o s aw P hilip rais ed

in th e air a n d wi th a re s ple n de n t lig h t arou n d him ;
an d F .Fra n ce s co M aria Tarugi that he had beheld ,

h im rai s ed a palm abov e h is bed whe n the Sain t was ,

prayin g o n ce fo r Tarugi s deliveran ce from a tem ptatio n

’

o f s loth w hich imm ediately l eft him

,
T hese occ ur .

re n ee s were n o t co n fi n ed to priva t e pl ac es or wit n ess ed ,

o n ly by a few ; eve n in churche s an d pub l ic place s

t h e Sain t w as carried away again s t his will in to ,

ec s ta s ie s .On o n e occ as io n h e w as prayi n g in St .

’
P e t er s at the tombs of the Apo s tles whe n his whole ,

body w as see n to rise s udd en ly in to the air with his ,

clo the s gath ered up as they had bee n whe n h e was

kn eeli n g an d t he n to desce n d with eq ual s udde nn ess ;
,

after whic h fearin g that he migh t h ave bee n ob s erved

, ,

he fled away with the utmost rapidity The same .

thi n g h appe n ed in many oth er c h urc h e s so t h at whe n ,

he en ter ed a c hurc h in c ompan y with others he u s ed ,

to stay a very little tim e o n ly s aying a Pa ter an d ,

Ave an d t h e n ris i n g from his kn ees to preve n t the ,

po ssibility of his g o in g in to an e c stasy .

He was repeatedly s ee n raised in to th e air when

h e w as sayin g mass At Torre di Specchi so m e of
.
,

t h e nu n s sa w him three or four palms ab o ve the ,

3 44 THE LIFE OF ST PH ILIP NERI .

thin kin g it might be perhaps some defect in h is sight ,

turn ed his eyes away several times in order to chan ge

the impressio n an d t h e n looked agai n but still saw the ,

same t hi n g dis ti n ctly He ru bbed his eyes with his

.

han d an d his pocket h an dkerc hief an d then loo ked at ,

the h eads of other people prese n t wit h out seein g an y

t hin g O f the kin d but w he n he looked again at P h ilip
, ,

he s aw the glory as plai n as before an d it lasted un til ,

the holy father had commu n icated .

Several times w h e n he w as sayin g ma s s at S .

Girolamo a little girl about twelve years Old s aw him

,

raised in the air an d surrou n ded by a most white an d

,

re s ple n de n t cloud wh ic h en compas s ed his wh ole bod y ,

an d alt h o ug h his ves t me n t s were red o r of so me other ,

c o l o ur n o t wh i t e yet he appeared all white an d re

, ,

s pl en de n t a n d remain ed t hu s for hal f a quarter of an

,

h o ur . Mu z io Ac h illei a prie s t of S Severin o an d

,
.

P hilip s pe n ite n t al s o s aw the Sain t s face shin in g

’

,
’

durin g his m as s like bright gold .

W h e n Vin ce n zo Lan t eri Arc hbi s hop of Ragu s a was

, ,

a little b oy P h ilip u s ed to pull his h air an d bo x

,

h is ears w h e n ev er he m et him On e day Vin ce n zo

.
,

meetin g him in the street an d fearin g l est he s hould do

t he s ame in public determi n ed to be be forehan d with
,

him an d goin g up to him too k his h an d an d kissed it

,

rev ere n tly w he n he perceived it all of the colour of

,

gold an d shin in g with brigh t rays which issu ed from

its ce n tre Wo n derin g w h ether this could come fro m
.

n atural cause he look ed a b out h im an d s a w t h at

an
y ,

th e air was thick an d n o su n s h i n e w as to be se en an y

wh ere Full of wo n der an d perplexity he wen t im
.
,

mediately to Chiesa Nuova an d related the occurre n ce

,

to Father Tomm aso Bo zio who co n fi rmed h im in his

,
 THE SAINT S H AND
’

belief that it was s uper n atural an d told that man y

h ad see n P h ilip s h an d with th e same appearan ce
’
A
.

great n umber of fact s migh t be adde d but

,

t hey resemble eac h other s o clo s ely that we s h all n ot

weary the reader by relatin g them .
 CHAPTER II
P H ILI P ’
S V IS ION S
P H I LIP w as al so favoured with m an y visio n s revelation s ,

a n d apparitio n s ; in d eed t h ey h appe n ed to him almo s t

every n igh t His humility co n cealed them as far as

.

p o s s ible n evert h el es s we s h all relate s ome of the most

,

s trikin g w h ich o n di ffere n t o c c asio n s he m ade kn own

to o n e or a n ot h er of h is s piritual childre n that the ,

re a der may S ee ho w t hi s glorio us S ain t whose min d ,

a n d hear t were co n t i n ually in hea ve n was favour ed by

,

Go d wit h h eave n ly visit s a n d u n eart h ly co n solation s .

On o n e occas io n before he was ordain ed pri es t or ,

h a d c o me to a determ in atio n as to his sta te of life he ,

w as prayin g with particular fervour that he migh t

kn ow the wil l of G od about it It was in the morn in g

.

j u s t at s u n ri s e an d as he was prayin g the glorious

,

precurs or of C hri s t St John the Baptist appe ar ed to

.

him He was so filled with devo t io n at this app aritio n

.

th at the usual tremblin g came over him an d after he ,

had remain ed in rapture for so me time th e vision

di s appeared leavin g in his heart a great s piritu al
,

fervour an d burn in g love ; an d from some circum

stan ces in the apparitio n he told Cardin al Frederick
,

Borromeo t hat he gathered it to be t he will of God

that he shoul d live in Rome for the good of his
n eighbour in poverty and in special detachmen t from
,

everyth in g The s ame thin g was signifi ed to him in

.

3 46
348 T HE LIFE OF S T . PHILIP NERI

elevatio n of the chali c e an d that after m ass he return ed

,

to the sacristy with a joyou s an d smilin g cou n te n an ce .

Cesare afterwards asked him why he had bee n so lo n g

at the elevatio n an d why he had come back to the
,

sacristy so j oyou s the Sai n t laid h is han d o n Cesare s ’

head an d smil ed but gave him n o an swer ; but his

,

pe n i te n t growin g importu n ate an d askin g him over

a n d ov e r again Philip at las t reluctan tly told him that
,

som e time s at m as s after the co n s ecratio n God was ,

pleased t o S ho w him th e glory of paradi s e in a visio n ;

but h e begged h im n o t to tell t hi s to an y on e else .

H e al s o h ad th e co n s olatio n of s eein g t he sou l s of

man y a n d par ticularly of h is frie n ds an d pe n i te n ts go
, ,

up to heaven Mario To s in i o n e of the fi r s t m embers

.
,

o f t h e c o mpan y o f t h e S a n ti ss ima Trin it a a m an of ,

S i n gular go o d n es s w h o s e life h as bee n writ te n by

,

Bo n s ign o r C a c c iagu erra appeare d to P hil ip im me ,

dia tely after h is d ea th about midn igh t full of j oy , ,

.

”
He called twic e wi th a loud voice Philip Philip ,
“
, ,

a n d the Sai n t lift i n g up h is eye s t o h eave n s aw t he

, ,

s o ul of Mari o all brig h t a n d resple n de n t e n t er in t o

paradi s e The fo llowi n g mor n i ng h e heard the n ews

.

of his death an d foun d upo n in quiry th at h e h ad

,

expired at the very time the vi s io n appeared The .

Sain t h imself r elated thi s to some of his spiritual

childre n whe n s peaki ng to t h em of the goodness Of
,

t h at s ervan t of God an d add ed t hat human lan guage

,

could n ever expre s s t he b eau ty of a j ustified s o uL

Vin cen zo Min iatore an oth er of the firs t brothers of
,

the San ti s sima Tri n ita al so a pen ite n t of the holy ,

father an d a m an of great perfectio n appeared to him

, ,

immedia t ely after his death all gl o rious an d Philip ,

s aw h im asce n d to heave n s urroun d ed with s ple n dour .

 HIS MAR VELLOUS INSIGHT 34 9

I n th e morn i n g he we n t to co n sole his widow an d ,

s aid to her Your h usban d kn ocked at my door

,

durin g the n ight an d recomme n d ed you an d all your

,

fam ily to my care ; fear n o t but be a ss ured that he is ,

go n e to paradi s e an d from th at time th e h oly fath er

always a s si s ted th e family in its n ec essities as has ,

bee n me n tio n ed el s ewh ere .

Marco A n to n io C ort es elli of Como cas hier o f th e , ,

ban k of th e C ev oli on e of h is deare s t spiritual

,

c hildren a m an muc h give n to prayer an d works of

,

mercy an d who for ma n y year s h ad tran s acted th e

,

busin e ss of th e Capuc hi n s for t hem pas s ed to a better ,

life ; th e Sai n t we n t with Fath er A n to n i o Gallon io

a n d a n ot h er prie s t to s ee h is body w h ic h w a s in th e ,

c h urch of San ta Cat erin a clo s e t o S Gir o lamo della,

.

Carit a After looki n g at him for some time with

.

great atte n t io n h e made a pain ter take a portrai t of

,

h im ; o n th e priest expre s si n g wo n d er a t t h i s Gall on io ,

told him h e n eed n o t be s urpri s ed for t h at P hilip had ,

said The s oul of Corteselli appeared to me las t n igh t

,
“

all lumin ous an d remain ed co n vers in g with nie for

,

about two h our s an d was th e n bor n e up to heaven by

,

t h e a n g el s an d had added t h at th e room r e mai n ed

,

filled with brigh tn ess from his prese n ce Corteselli .

o n t he ot h er h a n d had suc h an opi n io n of P h ilip t h at ,

o n e day talki n g wit h Paolo Maggi a priest a n d pro

, ,

curator of th e Sacr ed P en ite n tiary h e s aid in the ,

s pirit of prop h ecy Me s ser Paolo thi s good fa ther is

, ,

n o t kn ow n an d s ome t hin k him a n ordi n ary m an ; but

”
h e will b e well k n ow n wh e n h e is d ead .

Fabrizi o de Mas simi h ad a daugh ter about t hirteen

’

years old n amed E l en a This c h ild was most ferve n t

, .

in the love of Christ an d most obedie n t to her ,

3 5 0 THE LIFE OF .
ST . P HI LIP NERI
dir ector in th e l e as t pa rticular ; she wept b itterly over
our Lord s P as sio n commu n icate d at least three t im es
’ '
'

a we ek an d that w ith abu n dan ce of tears an d relish ed ,

prayer as mos t m en relish the food which is th e ir

bodil y n ouri shme n t She had a l owly opin io n of
.

herself pr eferrin g every o n e to herself an d had an

, ,

extreme de s ire to su ffer t h at she might in s ome ,

meas ure corre s po n d wi th our Lord s Passio n In her ’

.

la s t illn e s s w he n Baro n ius to ok her the Holy Com

mu n io n after s he had commu nicated s he behold Jes us
,

C hri s t s heddi n g His Pr eciou s Blood in to her s oul ; an d

at l as t h avi n g be en favoured wit h a fores ight of her
,

deat h s h e pas s ed away t o h eave n w ith sign s of the

,

gre a te s t d evo tio n N o s oo n er had s he breathed h er

.

last th a n P hilip h eard the a ngel s s in gin g an d saw ,

t hem a s he him self t old B aro n ius carryin g th e little

, ,

Virgi n s s o ul to paradi s e as t hey s a ng He h eard t his

’
.

S i ngin g of t h e a n gel s o n di ff ere n t other oc c asio n s an d ,

”
B aro n iu s s ays t h e Sai n t called it a Hebrew so n g .

I n fact t ho s e w ho were most in tima te wit h Philip

h eld it as certain t h at n o n e of his spiritual ch ildre n
died without his receivi ng a kn owledge of the s tate of
their s ouls Similar apparitio n s to those al read y m en
.

tio n e
’
d h appen ed a t the deat hs of Lavin ia de Ru s tici ,

the first wife of Fabri z io de M assimi of Sister El en a

’

an d Si s ter Sc h olastica her daughter s w ho w ere both

, ,
.

at Torre di Specc hi of Pa t rizio Patrizi an d of Virgilio

, ,

Cres c en z i In co n solin g th e so n s of the last n amed

.

he said “
DO n ot make yourselves unh appy ; your
,

”
fath er is in par adise an d I tell you that I kn ow it
, ,

an d h e repeated t h ese words s everal time s over Man y .

other in stan ces of a like n ature might be me n tion ed .

Cardin al Frederick Borromeo says that Phil ip S poke to

3 52 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

th e Oratory was over His frie n d replied that it was

.
,

forgettin g at th e mome n t that Animu c cia was dead .

A n imuccia th ereupo n add ed Will you have the kind ,

n e s s to beg Fat h er Philip to pray to G od for me ?

”

The Portuguese the n began to reflec t an d remember ,

in g that h is frie n d had bee n dead a good wh ile im ,

mediately return ed to the place where he h ad seen'

h im but the apparitio n h ad disap pear ed : whe reupo n

,

h e we n t to t he Sain t in great fear an d told h im w h at ,

h ad h appe n ed The n ex t morn in g Philip mad e him

.

rela t e the wh ole vis io n in the Oratory in the prese n c e ,

o f all a n d t h e n s e n t to differe n t churches to have mass

,

said fo r the s oul of t he dece ased besides havin g a ,

’
s olem n Re uiem s u n g at S Giova n n i de Fiore n ti ni ;
q .

aft er wh ic h he s aid to the broth ers of the Ora to ry ,

A n imuccia h a s arrived mean i ng that he h ad pass ed

,

from purgat o ry to paradi s e .

P hilip was allowed moreover to see the beau t y

, ,

o f s oul s eve n while they were un i ted to the bod y

, .

Speakin g o f S t Ign atius the fou n der of the Society

.
,

O f J e s us h e said t h at th e in t erior beauty of that holy

,

m an was s o great t h at he could discern it in his co un

t en an c e an d h e declared t h at he h ad several tim es s ee n

,

rays of glory issue from his face an d from his eyes .

So high was the opi n ion which P h ilip had of him ,

tha t after h is death in case of an y special n e ed he

, ,

used to go to his tomb an d recomme n d h imself to him ,

although h e was n o t yet can o n ized an d obtain ed by ,

this means wh atever h e asked ; an d after he had re ad

his life he oft e n said How man y more thin gs are left
out than are writte n "Oh if all had bee n recorded
, ,

’
how would me n s admiratio n for Ign atius be in
”
creased .
 THE BEAUTY OF SANCTITY 353

P hilip be h eld the face o f St C h arles S O beautiful an d .

re s plen den t t h at h e declared it seemed to him as if

h e lo o ked upo n an a ngel He saw also a great sple n .

dour in th e cou n te n an ce of on e of his yout hful pen i

ten ts n am ed Giovan n i Battista Sarace n i of C oll es c epol i
, ,

w h o after w ards became a Domi n ica n an d w as called

Fra Pietro Martire ; by his virtue an d abili tie s h e w as

raised to the c h ief offi ces of his o rd er of wh ich h e w a s ,

at las ted elected Vicar -Ge n eral e n di n g his edifyin g life ,

by a most h oly deat h P hilip al s o saw at differe n t

’

tim es s ome Cart hu s ian mo n ks with their face s S h in in g

as they came from prayer ; an d h e was able to dis cern
th e i n terior beauty of souls whic h were in th e s tate o f
grace .

Wh ilst P hilip was favoured wit h S O man y visio n s for

h is co n s olati on he h ad al s o very frequ e n t apparitio n s
,

of the evil s pirit s for th e exerci s e o f his virtue an d

the i n s tructio n of oth er s W he n h e was livi n g at .

S G irolamo he ordered F Giovann i A n to n io Lucci to

.
, .

exorcise a pos s e ssed woman an d in co n temp t of the ,

devil to give her s everal blows Th e evil s pirit w as S O .

e n rag ed at t h i s t h at he appeared t o P h ilip the n ext

,

n igh t in a mo s t h id eous form in ord er to frigh te n h im ,

an d w h e n he we n t away left s uc h a ste n c h in th e r o om ,

t h at th e Sain t s melt it fo r a lo n g time after w ards .

On e day h e w as in th e Oratory at S G ir o lamo w h en .

,

be s ide s th e broth ers Gabriello Paleo tto w ho was aft er

1
, ,

wards Cardin al w as th ere T hey were con vers ing of

, .

t he t h in g s of God w h e n sudde nly P h ilip rose an d s aid

, ,

“
My broth er s h er e is the devil ; kn eel down an d
,

1
Ga b ie r ll o P a l eo t t o , b . 1 5 2 4, c r. C a d in a r l 1 56 5, t he fi rs t A i
r chb s hop

of Bo l o g na , t h e in t im at e fri en d o f S t C ha
“

. rl es a nd o f Po p S ixt us V ,
e .

d ied 1 59 7 in t h e P o n t ific a t e of C l em e n t V I II .
, w ho ha d b een h is u i p pl
in t h e s t ud y of Ca non La w .

V OL . I .
close to San ta M aria degli A n geli whe n h e sa w above ,

o n e of t he a n cie n t mo n ume n t s there the devil in the ,

form of a young m an ; an d lookin g fixedly at him he ,

ob s erved that h e c hanged his coun te n an ce appe arin g ,

sometime s you n ger s ometime s older sometime s ugly

, , ,

a n d s o m e time s b eautiful Perceivin g t hat the devil

.

w as d o i n g t hi s in order to delude him h e comman d ed ,

him in the n ame of God to depart ; upo n which h e

immediately van is h ed l e avin g as in t he las t in stan ce
, , ,

a m o s t h orrible ste n c h b ehin d him Th is s te n ch was .

like sulphur an d although in ge n eral he alo n e s melt

,

it s o metime s o ther s perc eived it as well ; t h us o n e

, ,

mor n i n g whe n he laid his h a nd o n t he head of a pos

se s s ed pers o n such a pe s tile n tial s mell w as left upo n
,

h is ha n d t h at t h o ugh h e washed it with soap an d dif

,

feren t s weet -s ce n ted th in g s the ste n c h lasted for th ree

,

days durin g w hich he gave h is han d to s everal pe

,

to s mell in ord er that t hey might take oc c asion from

,

it to avoid s in more carefully On other oc cas io n whe n.

Philip was in ou r church the devil appeared to him in

.
,

the form of a bo y of S ix or seven years of age holdin g ,

a h an dkerchief to h is mouth an d maki ng gam e of him .

The Sain t lookin g severely at him drove him away ;

, ,

he the n asked Gall onio who was there if he h ad see n ,

that boy ; he an swered that he h ad ; on which the

Sain t add ed “
It was the devil w ho c am e i n to the
'

”
church to do some evil .
35 6 T HE LIFE OF S T . PHILIP NERI

spiritual s weet n esse s an d co nsolatio ns in the hidde n

n ess of our o wn room an d keep them as
,
secret as
po s s ible He al s o used to say t hat vis io n s both good
.
,

an d bad will come eve n to those who do n o t w is h for

,

t h em a n d therefore t h at n o o n e mu s t feel secure a n d

,

n gs an d so I s hall no t
“
sa
y
, I do n o t desire t hese thi ,

”
be expo s ed to delu s io n s or to evil visio n s .

He u s ed to add that it is a di ffi cult th ing to receive

vi s io n s an d n o t be puffed up by t h em more d iffi cult ,

n o t to t h i n k o urselve s worthy of t h em but most d iffi ,

cult o f all to th in k o ur s elves actually u n worthy an d ,

to prefer patie n ce obedie n ce an d hum ili ty to the

, , ,

sweet n e s s of vi s io n s He taught th at visio n s which

.

are n o t usefu l either t o the perso n who receives t h em

,

or to the Church in ge n eral are in n o way to be ,

e s teemed ; al s o that real visio ns begi n by breed i n g

horror an d fe ar but leave be hi n d them great peace
,

a n d tra n quillity w hereas cou n terfeit visio ns prod uce

,

j ust t he co n trary e ffect ; an d that great hu m ility ,

re sign atio n a n d d e tachme n t are required to avoid , ,

comi n g a t last t o leave Go d for vi s io n s He warn ed .

co n fe s s o rs n o t to at t ach any im porta n ce to the revela

tio n s o f t heir s piritual c h ildre n particularly of wome n ; ,

because t h ey S eem s o metime s to be far adva n ced in

s pirituality b u t more ofte n t h a n n o t it all melts away
, ,

an d ma n y h ave su ff ered s h ipwreck in fo llowin g after

such t h in gs He t h erefore cou n selled an d in man y

.
,

i n s tan c es comman ded his spiritual c h ildre n to r ej ect

them wit h all their might an d n o t to have the least
,

fear of displeasin g the Divi n e Maj esty in doing so ,

because t h i s is on e of the very t ests to dist in guis h true

from fal s e visio ns On e day whe n he we n t up in to
.
,

the pulpit to preach he spoke again st t hose who give

,
 THE DANGER OF ECSTASIES .

3 57

crede n ce to vi s io n s rapture s an d ecstas ies an d added

, , , ,

I kn ow a per s on pre s e n t h ere who could go in to an ,

ecstas y if he plea s ed G od h avin g gran ted him this

,

amon g s t oth er grace s but such t h in g s o ugh t to b e

s h unn ed an d h idde n ; whe n he h ad s aid t hi s h e fel t ,

h imse l f bein g carried away in s pirit : w h ereupo n h e

strove to t he utmost of his power to h i n der h im s elf
from goin g in to an ecsta s y an d bein g u n able to go o n
,

with his sermo n h e struck his h an d upo n his kn ee

,

an d said
“
,
He w ho wi sh e s for ec s tasie s an d vi s io n s ,

does n o t kn ow w h at he desire s ; Oh if everybody did

but k n ow wh at an ecsta sy is "an d t h e n burs tin g ”

i n to tears he came down from th e pulpit an d we n t

,

away .

An oth er time wh e n F Gio v an Fran cesc o Bordi n o

.

h ad been discours in g upo n ecstas ies after h e h a d ,

fi n i s hed P h ilip mou n ted th e pulpit an d s aid that a s

,

t h at fat h er h ad s poken O f ecsta s ie s h e wi sh ed t o add ,

a word or two t o the discour s e ; I kn ow h e c on

“
,

"
t in u ed a woma n of h oly life w h o had c o n ti n ual
‘

ec s tasies for a lo n g time an d th e n God took them fr o m

,

h er : n o w I ask yo u —w h e n do you t h i n k I esteemed

,

th at woman most wh e n s he h ad ecstasies or whe n S h e

, ,

had n o t ? I tell you t h at to my min d she was wit h out

compariso n more to be e s teemed when s h e h ad n o t
”
e c s tas ie s t h an w h e n S h e h ad ; an d with the s e w o r d s

he came down from the pulpit an d we n t away On .

o n e occas io n h e w as told t h at a n u n of t h e t h ird order

of St Domin ic h ad freque n t visio n s of our Lo rd an d of

.
,

St Cath erin e of Sie n a Th e Sain t wh o had h ad great

. .
,

“
experien ce in s uc h matters replied Wome n are , ,

easily deluded ; tell h er therefore wh e n s uch apparitio n s ,

come to spit in th eir face an d wh oever th ey may be

,
:

, ,
35 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

to m ake n o ac coun t of them taking care n o t o n ly n o t ,

”
to de s ire them but to despise th em
,
The religiou s .

acted upo n this advice an d kept her s elf alway s in ,

p r ude n t fear of bein g deceived with the greatest ,

advan tage to her soul .

We h ave alre ady me n tio n ed Fran cesco M ari a com

m on l s ur n amed I l Ferrare s e o n e of t h e S ain t s fi rst
y ,

s piritual childr en On e n igh t the devil appe ared to

.

h im in th e form of th e Blessed Virgin s urrou n ded with ,

glory Next morn in g Fran ce s co told Philip of it but

.
,

t h e Sai n t a n s wer e d
“
T hi s is the devil an d n o t the
, ,

”
Virgi n ; if h e r et urn s agai n s pit in h is face The .

followi n g n igh t t he vi s io n return ed ; Fran ce sc o s pat

in his face a n d th e demo n imm ediately disappeared
,
.

He t hen co n tin ued his prayer an d prese n tly the mo s t ,

h oly Virgi n came t o him in r eality ; h e tried to s pit a t

”
h er b u t t he Mado n n a s aid
,
“
Spit if you c an an d he , ,

fou n d his mou th an d to n gue so dry an d parched that

h e could n o t Our Ble s sed Lady told him that he
.

h a d do n e w ell t o perform th e obedie n ce w h ich had

be en give n him an d t h e n di s appeared leavin g him
, ,

fu ll of co n solatio n an d j oy .

A n to n io Fucci the phy s ician of whom we have

,

S poke n before was atte n di n g a n u n of holy life who

,
.

w as seriou s ly ill an d fi n di n g h er o n e day ab s o rbed in

,

divi n e co n templatio n he wait ed u n til s he came to ,

hers elf w h e n turn in g immedia t ely to him she said

, ,

0 how beautiful h ave I see n you j ust n o w in

paradise " An to nio reflectin g on these wo rds we n t, ,

a n d told t h em to t h e h oly fat h er an d o n th e same day ,

fell ill His in dispositi on co n tin ually in creasin g the

.
,

e n emy of man kin d in order to delude him came to

, ,

vis it him s everal time s u n der th e guis e of a p hy si c ian

, ,
3 6 0 THE LIFE OF '

ST . PHILIP NERI

exceedin gly s harp thorn s through which the Sain t ,

pas sed unhurt whilst Maffei su ffered greatly as he w as

,,

d ragged through them The holy fat h e rt h e n led him

.

in to an other most beautiful m ead ow at the en d of whic h ,

w as a little h ill an d at the foot of it th ree an gels

,

in s hi n i n g garme n t s o n e be arin g a cro s s in his han d

, ,

an d the ot h er two carryin g c an dle s ticks with lighted

can dles B ehi n d th em follow ed an imme nse mul t i

.

tude of virgin s widows an d m arried wome n man y of

, , ,

w h om made an obei s a n ce to the h o ly fat h er an d man y ,

asked Maff ei if he w i s hed to go with them ; b ut as he

did n o t dare t o s peak the Sain t an s wered for h im , ,

s ayin g t h at it was n o t time yet because he was n o t ,

alto g e th er a go o d m an All th e multitude t he n pas sed

.

t h rough a wide ave n ue bordered o n either s ide with ,

fl o wery trees o n w hich were little a n ge ls w ho kept ,

breakin g Off bra n c h e s covered wi th blo ss om s an d throw

ing th em dow n o n the crowd below S in ging all t h e ,

while mo s t s wee tly Gloria in m els is Dee an d the

,
“
,
”

“
hym n ,
J esu cor ona Virgin um
,
At las t whe n the .
,

multitude r eached the top of the hill th ey e n tered ,

in to a mo s t brig h t an d b eautiful pal ace an d wh e n all

had e n tered M affei awoke and the dream e n ded H e
,
.

we n t immediately to co n fessio n to the Sai n t an d b efore ,

he h ad spoke n a word P h ilip asked him if he believed ,

in dreams ; Maffei tried to lay hold of t h i s oppo rtun ity

to relate his dream but the Sain t with a s evere an d
,

almost me n acin g look cu t him short an d said Get , ,

away wi th you ; he w ho wi shes to go to parad ise must

be an ho n est m an an d a good Christian an d n o t a ,

”
believer in dr eams .

L astly he co n stan tly repeated the max im th a t we

,

must cat ch by the feet those who wish to fly w ithout

 NOT TO BELIEVE DR E AMS 3 6 1

win gs an d drag them down to the grou n d by main

,

force le s t they sh ould fall i n to th e devil s n et ;

,
’

those who go after vi s io n s dreams an d th e like an d

, , ,

implyin g that we must always walk alon g the road of

t h e m ortifi c atio n of our o w n pa s sio n s an d of holy
,

h umil ity .
 P H ILIP S
’
G IFT OF PR OP HE C Y P R ED I CTS
— HE T HE

DEAT H OF MAN Y P E RS O N S

TO t he gift of vi s io n s P hilip j oin ed th at of prophecy ;

i n deed h e was di s tin gui sh ed eve n amo n gst other S ain ts
in t h e exte n t to whic h h e pos s es s ed this gift as we ll in ,

predicti ng future eve n ts as in s eein g ab se n t thin gs an d ,

readi n g t he s e cre ts of hearts If all th e in stan c es .

w h ic h it w o uld be easy t o collect were related they ,

would fill e n tire volume s as man y of the wit n esses

,

declar ed in t he pro c e ss e s ; an d the Co n gr egatio n of

“
Ri t e s pro n ou n ced tha t in t h is gift of p rophecy N on ,

” ”
es t in c en tu s s im il is illi N 0 on e was foun d like him
, .

It will b e s u ffi cie n t t herefore to give a fe w in stan ces ,

from w hic h it may be ga thered how s in gularly he was

fav o ured by God in thi s respect ; an d we will begin
wit h the predic tio n s whic h he m ade of the dea ths of
others .

Co s ta n zo Tasso n e who has bee n me n tio n ed b efore

, ,

was summo n ed from Milan to Rome by St Pius V .

an d o n his arrival we n t s tr aight to S G irolamo de lla .

Carit a On e of P h ilip s pe ni ten ts was at a win dow

.
’

w h ic h looks i n t o th e piazza an d imm ediately ran to ,

”
th e Sai n t an d s aid
“
,
Fat h er here is Me s ser Costan zo
,
.

P hilip t h ereu po n ordered Ot t avio Paravicin i an d

G erman ico Fedeli who were both yout hs at the time
, ,

to stretch t hemselve s like dead m en over the threshold

3 62
 6
3 4 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

appearan ce of il ln ess about her but in ten d ays s he

'

was seized with a malign an t fever and died with in the ,

fortn igh t .

G irolamo Cordella a physic ian of gr e at repu ta tio n

,

an d a frie n d of the Sai n t w as appo in ted phy s ician to,

the court but co n t in ued n o t withs tan din g to go abo u

, , t ,

R o me vi s iti n g his patie n ts ; whereupo n the S ain t said ,

“
T his will l as t but a s hort time ; he pe rs is ts in t e
t urn in g to his O ld labo ur s a n d he will die Soo n ,
.

after C ordella s wife s e n t s ome on e to the Sain t to let

’

him k n ow th at h er h usba n d was ill an d to beg h is ,

prayer s . Fat h er Gallonio we n t down stair s to see

w ho it w a s t h at w as as kin g for Philip an d what was ,

wan ted W hil s t he was go n e the S ain t began to say

Poor Cord ella "Ah "
.
,

“
this time he will die without
fail ; his hour is come T ho s e w ho were prese n t
.

w o n d ered at the s e word s for Fath er Gallonio had n ot

,

yet retur n ed wit h t he n ew s of h is il ln ess But wh e n .

h e came back an d delivered the message of C ord ella s

’

wife th e Sain t again s aid

,
“
0 poor Cordella " the ,

cour s e o f his life is fi n ish ed ; he will die prese n tly .

“
T hos e w h o were t here s aid We ll Fa ther if we , , ,

cann o t h elp his b o dy we may at least help his so ul

, .

P h ilip replied in his u s ual mann er Yes t h at we c an , ,

”
do certain ly t h at we c an d o
,
The eighth day of .

C o rd el la s ill n e ss came a n d early in the morn in g o n

’

, ,

Father Gall on io an d Father Co n s olin i takin g a ligh t

to the Sai n t he s aid Cordella died at s uch an hour
, , ,

did he n o t ? but perceivin g th at they kn ew n othin g

about it h e immediately tur n ed the co n versatio n to
’

someth in g else When the fathers se n t to s ee how

.

matters stood they foun d t hat Cordella had di ed at

,

the very hour t hat Philip h ad n amed an d P hil ip

 HE FORETELLS DEATH S 6
3 5

him s elf said afterward s to Cardi n al Ago s tin o Cusan o

I was pre s en t at Girolamo C ordell a s death alth ough ‘
’

I was in my o w n room all th e whil e .

Orin z ia th e wife of Pompeo Colo n n a a lady of

, ,

n oble birt h a n d emi n e n t piety co n s tan tly visited th e ,

h o s pital of S Giacomo of th e I n curable s in order to

.
,

s uccour the poor patie n ts in soul as well as in body .

At la s t she fell ill an d w as atte n ded by the prin cipal

,

p hysician s of Rome w ho h ow ever all said th at her

, , ,

i n di s po s itio n w as n o t of any importan ce But Ori n zia .

,

puttin g n o co n fiden ce in th e medical m en s en t to a sk ,

P hilip to vi s it h er He we n t an d c o n vers ed wit h h er

.
,

for a lon g time upo n spiritual matters ; before takin g

h is leave he dipped h is fi n ger in h oly water mad e t he
, ,

S ig n of the cro s s upo n h er a n d u rged h er to call to ,

min d the P as s io n of our Saviour AS h e w as goi n g .

out of th e palace h e met th e p hys ician s an d wh en h e ,

said th at the lady w as very ill t h ey ridiculed him .

T hen Philip replied Well you may laug h at me

,
“
,

n o w but I tell you that o n s uc h a day (me n ti o n i n g

,

th e day ) she will pa s s to a n ot h er world At t h e s e .

words th e p hysician s bur s t out laughi n g ; but on th e

day me n tio n ed Ori n z ia di ed .

E le n a Cibi fell S ick toget her with h er h u s ban d '

D o me n ico Mazzei an d Tam iria C ev oli Ele n a s mot her

, ,
’

fearing from th e symptom s of their complain t t h at

both her daugh ter an d her son -in -law w o uld die we n t ,

to the Sai n t to recomme n d t h em to his prayers .

“
Fath er S he s aid
,
I fear th at both of th em will
,
“

” ” “
die .
“
No n o replied th e S ain t o n e is e n ough
, , , ,

an d s o it w as fo r Dome n ico died a n d E le n a got w ell ,

, ,

an d leavin g the care s of the world becam e a n un ,

in the co n ve n t of S Vin ce nz o at Prato in Tu s can y

.
, .
 6
3 6 T HE LIFE OF ST . PH ILI P NERI
’
Vittoria Cibi Ele n a s s is ter we n t to the Sain t to make
, ,

her co n fe ss io n ; he asked her how lo n g it was s i n ce

she h ad vi s ited an ot her sis ter who was a n un at T o rre
di Specchi called Sister Vi n ce n za Vit toria replied
, .

“ ”
t h at it w as a lo n g time We l l them an swered the .
,

Sain t ,
go an d see her freque n tly for s he will die ,

V ery sh ortly Not lo ng aft erwards the n un w ho was

.
,

in p erfect h ealth an d of a s tro n g c o ns titutio n was ,

s udde n ly attacked by a malign a n t fever w h ich carried ,

h e r o ff in eigh t ee n day s .

Marc ell o Ferro wi s h ed to l eave Rome wi th C ardin al

Ga m b arra ; but the h oly fat h er t old him n o t t o go ,

becau s e h is fa th er Alfo n s o Ferr o would die in a few

, ,

days M arc ell o o b eyed an d al th ough his fat her w as

.
,

s tron g an d well he died t hree w eeks afterw ard s

, .

Ale s s an dro Cres c en z i we n t to the Sai n t on the fi rs t

of Augu s t 1 5 9 4 in excelle n t health ; but Philip as
, , ,

so on as he s a w h im s aid G et ready for in a s hor t

, ,
“
,

”
time you will die ; an d on the sixtee n t h of t he same
mo n th Al ess an dr o expired G uglielm o the brother .
,

of Gio v an Fran ce s co Bucca fell ill an d P hilip sa id , ,

“
to Giov an Fra n cesco Your bro ther will die but do , ,

n o t grieve about it for it is well for him tha t he

,

should die n ow an d his death took pl a ce accordingly .

A cleric of the Co ngregation n amed Leo n ardo of ,

exemplary life w as ill an d th e Sain t was asked to

, ,

pray for him that he migh t n o t die But Philip

,
.
,

havi n g withdraw n for a whil e return ed an d told ,

An t on io Gall onio that he wo ul d rather no t make

that prayer probably because he kn ew that it w oul d
,

be b etter for t h e sick m an to die than to re c over ,

an d Leo n ardo died .

3 6 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NE RI

be a little precipitate ; an d yet w he n he h ad m ade

his will an d received the last sacram e n ts h e died He .

was a great s e rvan t of Go d an d the Sain t put the ,

greatest po ss ible con fide n c e in him an d after his death ,

recomme n ded himself to his praye rs .

Fra Desiderio Co n salvi a Domin ican was dangerously , ,

ill of a pestile n tial fever ac compan ied by de lirium ; ,

t h e medical m en de s paired of him an d he was at ,

th e p o i n t o f deat h An other re ligi o us F ra Fran c esc o

.
,

Ben c in i w a s ill in th e same co n ve n t but no t so

, ,

S eriou s ly as Co n s alvi P hilip wen t to see both Of

.
‘

“
t hem ; h e vi s ited Fra Fran ce s co first an d s aid This , ,

o n e will die H e t h e n we n t t o F ra De s ide ri o an d

.
,

h e h ad s carcely e n tered his cell before the in valid

’
came to h im s elf an d o n the Sain t s laying his ha n ds
,

o n his h e ad th e delirium left him in s t an tly an d P h ilip

, ,

”
s a id ,
Be of good c h eer you will get well
“
At these
, .

words th e sick m an felt his heart fill ed with j oy ,

secretly believi n g t h at God was going to res tore him

to h ealth t hrough the mea n s of His se rvan t Ph ilip ;
na ,
y h e s eemed to be already cured an d an swered , ,

“
I tru s t in you Fath er ; pray for me an d for my
,

”
welfare .Whe n Philip bade him go od bye he said
“
to him a seco n d time Keep up your heart ; you will,

fec o v er without doubt An d so it w as ; for co n trary

.

to the o pin io n of all he recover ed an d F ra Fran cesco

,

died ; so that the friars w he n they saw Fra De siderio ,

“ ”
re s tored to health called him the Rise n Laza ru s ;
,

an d G iovan n i C o m paro t ti a m edical m an of the order , ,

“ ”
used to call this cure the miracle of miracles It .

happe n ed on the 2 2 n d of July I 5 9 1 , .

Fi n ally he predicted the death Of St Charles

, .

Borromeo C ec c olin o Margaru c c i a priest of S Severin o

.
,
.
 F OR E T E LLS DEAT H O F ST CHARLES .
369

an d proto n o tary apostolic w h o h ad bee n se n t by th e

,

h oly fat h er to th e service of St C h arles h avin g a s ked

.
,

leav e t o stay three or four mo n th s at h ome in ord er

to s ettle s ome affairs of his o w n an d de s irin g t h e h oly
,

Cardin al to gran t him a favour befo re his return t o

Milan wro te to P hilip to beg him to o btain thi s favour
,

for him from th e Cardin al P h ilip r epli ed th at it w as

.

u s ele s s to do anyth in g about th e matt er becau s e by , ,

th e tim e h e t h oug h t of retur n i n g to Mil a n s ometh i n g ,

would h ave h app en ed w h ich would preven t h is goi n g

back to the Cardin al s s ervice Ma rgaruc c i c o uld n o t
’
.

at th e tim e u n d ers tan d w h at P h ilip mean t ; but th e

mys tery w a s cleared up wh e n h e received the n ew s
of St C harl e s d eat h j u s t as h e w as gettin g ready t o
.
’

return to Milan He h ad writte n his letter to th e

.

h oly fath er a mo n t h before th e Cardi n al s death wh e n

’

th ere w as n o S ign of ill n e s s about him Whe n .

Margaru c c i retur n ed to R o me s ome mo n th s afterward s ,

P hilip s aid directly h e saw h im

, Did I n o t tell you
,
“

s omet h i n g would h appe n w h ic h would preve n t you

from retur n i n g to th e S ervice of Cardi n al B o rromeo
 CHAPTER IV
P H ILI P PR ED ICT S THE R E C OVE R Y O F MAN Y

TH E reader mu s t n o t im agin e that P hilip w as o nly

t h e me s s en ger of death T h ere were m any in s tan ces
.

in w h ich h e predicted th e recovery of tho s e who

s e emed at the p o in t of deat h Cardin al Fra n c es c o .

1
Sfo rz a was ill of a pe s tile n tial fever an d dys e n tery ,

-
a n d for twe n ty t w o day s the malady h ad a fflic te d h im

wi th l o s s o f app e tite an d cruel paroxy s m s so that ,

he had mad e his co n fessi o n an d received th e h o ly

Vi a ticum but n o t Extrem e U n ctio n Whil s t he w as
, .

in t hi s s tate Caterin a Sforza his mother se n t to make

, , ,

a n o ff er in g of a ca n dle to P h i l ip a n d to beg h im to ,

pray fo r the rec o very of her so n the Cardin al P h ilip .

waited fo r a littl e wh ile an d t he n se n t word to her,

n o t t o be c as t dow n be c ause her so n would certain ly

,

n o t die ; a n d th e Cardin al recovered The s ame t h in g .

happe n ed to Michele Mercati of S Mi n ia to a fam o us , .

,

physician an d on e of P hilip s most in timate frie n d s .

Whe n he was lyin g at death s door P h ilip co ns tan tly ’

s aid to his father Pietro Mercati who w as al so a ,

”
physician Do n o t be a larm ed ; your s on wil l no t die
At last Pietro s aid to him o n e day Father "
.
,

“
we may ,

almost coun t the min utes n o w ; Philip an s wered ,

1
r
C a dinal S f r i hi
o z a. n s rly l if
ea e w as a so ldi r
e a nd f ght i
ou n

Fl r
a n d e s un d er th c l b r
e e e d Al
ate es sa n d o r F r a n es e ; he aft rw rd
e a s
37 2 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

but did n o t resign his place an d four years afterw ard s ,

he died of the fir s t illn e s s w h ich he h ad after t h e

’
Sain t s predictio n .

Olimpia del N ero wife o f M arco An to n io Vi t elleschi

, ,

w as take n da n gerously ill ; t h ree fevers came on e aft er

an oth er and there w as every symptom of inevita ble
,

death Girolamo Cordella w h o atten ded her told her

.
, ,

h usba n d t h at durin g his w h o le practice h e had had

but t hree patie n t s w i th th e s ame sympt o m s an d th at ,

all t hree h ad died P hilip however told M ar c o

.
, ,

A n t on i o a n d o th ers n o t to be afraid becau s e he fel t ,

c o m p as s i o n fo r t h a t fa mily fo r wh om Olimpia s death

,
’

w o uld be S O h e avy a l o s s an d that he would pray to

,

God for her with t he greate s t earn e s tn e ss an d he ,

add ed T hi s is a ca s e in w hic h we mu s t n e eds do

,

viole n ce to Go d an d pray ab solu t ely for her becau se ,

s h e h as s o m an y c hildre n Th e in valid began to .

am en d as so o n as the Sain t h ad gon e an d got well in a ,

few days co n trary t o the o pi n io n of the medic al m en

, .

Cardi n al Girolamo Pan filio before he w as promoted ,

to t he Cardi n alate an d whil s t he was audi tor of the

,

Rota fell s ick an d ev ery o n e j udged his dis eas e to be

, ,

mortal W hen th e malad y w a s at its wor s t P h ilip

.
, ,

who we n t to vi s it him t wice a day moved by the ,

God took the s u fferer by t he h e ad an d held

, ,

with both his h an d s Mean while all trem .

,

blin g an d agitat ed in his usual way he prayed for him , ,

a n d w h en h e had fi n i s hed h is prayer said Be of good ,

c h eer an d do n o t be afraid you will no t die t his time ;

, ,

”
in a few days you w ill be free fr om your complain t .

Pan filio began to ame n d immediately an d in a sh ort ,

time was completely well The same Cardin al testifies .

,

that this happe n ed also to his n ephew Alessan dro .

 H E CURES MANY BY H IS TOU CH 373

Th e physician s h ad already give n him over wh en

P hilip came to vi s it h im H e S imply touch ed him
.

with some relics prayed for him an d the n said t h at

, ,

h is ill n e s s would be of n o co n s equ en c e

’
Th e youth s .

complai n t took a favourable tur n immediately an d h e ,

recovered to th e s urpri s e of the medical atte n dan ts

, .

Fau s t in a C en ci th e wife of C afl o G abrielli was at

, ,

t h e poin t of d e at h Th e h o ly fat h er we n t to visit h er

.
,

laid h is h an d upo n her h ead an d said Do n o t fear , ,

“
,

y o u will n o t die H e t h e n prayed for a w hil e a n d

Fat her "

.
,

“
S h e said ,
I am dead P hilip r epli ed N 0 , ,

keep up your S pirits ; I a s s ure you t h at you will n o t

die t h is time ; n or w as it a vain a ss uran ce for in ,

a S h ort time S he recovered perfectly Co s tan z a del .

Drago w as al s o at the poi n t of deat h w h e n th e Sain t

we n t to visit her He s aid to h er DO n o t be afraid
.
, ,

you will s o on com e t o co n fes s io n at S Girolamo an d .

S O it w a s fo r from t his time s h e became o n e o f th e

,

Sain t s p en ite n t s an d co n fess ed to h im as lo n g as S h e

’

liv ed A n other tim e w hen Co stan za w as eigh t mo n th s

.
,

adva n ced in pregn an cy S h e w as attacked by s carlet

,

fev er On e n igh t S h e b ecame very muc h wor s e lo s t

.
,

-
her s p eec h an d h ad s carc ely an y pul s e s o t h at S h e
, ,

receiv ed th e h oly Viaticum an d th e priest remai n ed in ,

readin e s s to give h er Extr eme U n ctio n At daybr eak .

P h ilip came to vi s it h er an d sh e related to h im th e

,

cri s i s S h e h ad had durin g the n igh t an d th e d an g er ,

s h e was in Th e Sai n t laid h is h an d o n h er h ead an d

.

an s w ered I h ave been wit h you all th e n igh t ; do n o t

,
“

”
fear for you are n o t goi n g to die a t pre s e n t
,
'
From .

t h at mom en t th e impr o v eme n t gain ed grou n d an d in ,

a sh ort time co n trary to th e u n ivers al opin ion S h e

, ,

recovered .
374 T HE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

Th e ame thin g h appen ed to the wife of Giov an

s

Fran cesco Bucca a Roma n She was at the very po in t

, .

o f death ; an d the brot her s of the compan y of S .

G iovan n i de Fiore n ti ni h ad already re c eived n otice to

’

be re ady to accompa n y her t o the grave Phil ip how .

,

ever we n t to vi s it her an d touc h i ng her with some

, ,

relics prayed for her an d t h e n said to her husb an d

, , ,

“
Yo ur wife will certai n ly n ot die ; an d to the am aze
me n t of all w ho h ad wi tn e s s ed her h opeless state she ,

ralli ed an d r ecovered p erfectly .

G iovan n i A n to n io Lucci whe n upwards of sixty ,

years Old fell from his h ors e as he was com in g to

,

R o me He received a co n tu s io n o n the he ad an d
.
,

di s l o ca t ed his S ho ulder a nd he was so much inj ured , ,

t h at every o n e l o oked upo n his deat h as certain In .

co n seque n ce of thi s accide n t a fever came on an d the ,

p hys icians pro n ou n ci ng him in da n ger G iovan n i An to nio ,

s en t fo r t h e h oly fat h er t o h ear his c o n fes s io n Whe n .

P h ilip cam e Lucci begged him to pray for his recovery

, ,

n o t t h at h e was afraid of deat h but beca use h e h ad ,

n o t s ettled h is a ff air s as h e should wis h to do Philip .

embraced him an d s aid Do n o t fear you will s ettle , ,

your a ff air s as you wi s h and you will h ave time to ,

make your will at your lei s ure From t h at mome n t .

he bega n to ame n d an d in a s hort time perfectly re

,

covered an d survived the Sai n t some mo n t hs Philip

,
.

gave the same a s suran ce to Giov an Fran ce s c o Be rn ardi ,

a fat her of the Co n gregatio n w h o had already received ,

Extreme U n ctio n an d yet recovered to the surprise of

, ,

everybody The Sain t afterward s s aid to him

. My ,
“

Giov an Fra n cesco I prayed for you in t h at da ngerous

,

illn es s that G od would be plea s ed to heal you if it

, ,

was for your good To Agn esin a Colo n n a a lady as

.
,
 CHAPTER V
OT HE R PR ED ICTI O N S OF P H IL I P
P H I LIP made many other predictio n s of various kin ds .

S ul piz ia Sirleti t he wife of Pietro Focile w h om we

, ,

h av e already me n t io n ed had a daug h ter four year s Old

,

w h o w a s dan gerously ill S he s e n t for the h oly father

.
,

w ho w as h er c o nf e s sor an d begged h im
,
with m an y
t ear s to h eal h er c h ild The Sa in t replied Be calm ;
“
.
,

God wi s hes fo r h er let it be e n ough for yo u to h ave

,

n ur s ed h er for Him But see ing that sh e hesitated

.

a n d did n o t qui t e re s ig n h er s elf as S h e ought to h ave

do n e P hilip added W ell you will have a so n who

, ,
“
, ,

”
will give you s uc h trouble tha t it will be ill for you .

At the en d of about two years an d a half she had a ,

s o n who did n o t h i n g h is w ho le life lo n g but give c o n

,

t in u al di s ple asure t o his fa t her an d mother Ele n a .

Cibi the wife of Dome n ico Mazzei bein g in t he pain s

, ,

o f child birt h s en t for the holy fa t her to hear her c on

-
,

fes s ion H avin g do n e t his s he begged of him to hold

.
,

at the fo n t the c h ild th at w as about to be born or at ,

leas t to fin d some on e else to do so whichever he pre ,

“
ferred ; P hilip an swered T h ere will be n o n eed of a
,

godfather ; an d the n igh t followin g Ele n a was co n fi n ed

of a dead c hil d .

T h ere was a lay brother in th e Co n gregatio n n amed ,

 PREDICTIONS OF T H E SAINT 377

in certain wagers wh ic h were commo n at th e time In .

co n seque n ce of t his h e w as very an xiou s th at his s on ,

sh ould leave the C on gregatio n an d s tudy for th e prie s t ,

h ood in order t h at h e migh t as si s t in rai s i n g th e

,

family Pi etro Paol o in ord er to get rid of h is fath er S

.
,
’

importu n ities determin ed by th e advic e o f th e fath er s

,

to go to Naple s W h e n h e we n t to P hilip for his

Well "
.

“
blessi n g th e Sai n t s aid
,
go S in ce th e fath er s , ,

”
are of t h at o pi n io n But in the ev en i n g w h e n h e w a s
.

goin g to bed he gav e orders to an o th er lay br o t h er

, ,

t he n ext mor n i n g w h en Pietr o Pa o lo w as t o s tart on

his j ourn ey n o t to let h im go ,
Pietro Pao lo was .

greatly asto n i sh ed but imm ediate ly w en t back t o the

,

Sain t with ready Obedi en ce wh e n P hilip s aid t o h im , ,

I do n o t wi sh you t o go ; but do n o t be afraid Go d ,

”
will take care of you T hree mo n t h s afterwards .
,

Pietr o s fath er lo s t all his mo n ey at play an d co use

’

quen tly gave his s on n o furth er troubl e .

Olimpia del N ero wife of Marco A n to n io Vitelle s c h i , ,

h ad s eve n daugh ters an d w as extremely d esir o us of ,

h avi n g a s on Havi n g gr eat faith in the h oly fat h er

.
,

S h e we n t to him an d s aid F ather I h av e s ev en ,

“
,

daug hter s P hilip repli ed Well d o n o t be afraid ;

.
“
,

you will h ave n o mor e girl s S h e h ad aft er t hi s t h r ee .

boys in s ucces s io n an d t h e n th i n kin g h er family w as

,

becomin g too larg e S h e we n t again to the Sai n t an d

Fath er t h r ee son s " P hilip ans wered
,

”
s aid
“
GO
aw ay with you "
, , ,

you will h ave n o more eit h er boys or ,

”
girl s an d t h e pr edictio n w as fulfilled
,
.

Th e Sai n t o n e day en t ered th e c on ve n t o f Torre

di Sp ecch i an d as h e w as go i n g with four o f th e go o d
,

m o th er s to on e o f th eir c h u rc h e s w h ic h is n ow called
'

th e C h i e s a V ecc h ia h e s aid t o Por z ia C a po z u c c hi w h o

, ,
3 7 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
“
was of them
o ne Porzia give yourse lf to prayer ;
, ,

s h e replied
“
I c an n ot Fat h er becau s e I am in o flic e
, , , ,

an d I have always active work to do An other of .

them Maria Maddale n a A n guillara s aid An d what

,
“
, ,

of me Father ? I do n o t give myse l f up to prayer

, ,

an d yet I h ave n ot h in g t o do The Sain t an s wered

Yes yes "
.

in h is u s ual w ay as if j okin g you do n o

, ,
“
,

t hi n g an d you S h all be Preside n te ; so give yoursel f to

,

prayer n o w fo r you will n o t be able to do s o whe n you

,

are s up eriore ss Th e ot h ers o n hearin g this began to

.
, ,

laugh fo r Maria Maddale n a was the n o n ly about twe n ty

.

“
or t we n ty -o n e : t h e Sai n t s aid Laug h away laugh , ,

away an d yet yo u will say afterwards P h il ip said

, ,
‘

it.
’
W he n he s aw t h a t Maria M addale n a h er s elf was
la ughi n g h e s aid to her You laugh do you ? remem
,
“
, ,

ber P hilip h as t o ld you

, A n umber of s u perioress es .

died o n e after th e o t her an d a t las t after the c an on i , ,

z a t io n o f t h e Sa in t G irolama Taschi was elected ; but ,

in th e year 1 6 3 5 s he became perfectly bli n d an d be ing ,

n o l o n ger able t o atte n d t o h er dutie s resign ed her

offi ce an d at t h e n ew electio n the mothers chose

,

Maria Maddale n a A n guillara as Pre s ide n te T hey t h e n .

remembered P h ilip s prophecy which w as thu s fulfill ed ’

forty year s after h e h ad made it co n trary t o all expec ,

t atio n i n asmuc h as G irolama Taschi was you n g an d

, ,

lik ely to live a lo n g time .

The Co n stable Marco An to n i o Colo nn a an d Felice

1
,

Ors i n a his wife were distressed that th eir s o n Fabrizio

, ,

h ad n o h eir s A n n a Borromeo the sister of S t

.
, .

C h arle s an d Fab riz io s wife who was a p en ite n t of th e ’

1
Marc o A n t o n io Co l onna c om m an d ed with Don J oh n of A ri t
us t a a

t he f a m o us n a va l vict ry f o o Le p a n to a ga in s t t he T ur k s, 1 57 1 ft r
a e

w rd
a s V ic r y f S icily d
e o o , .
5 84 1 His . wif e, F e l ic e O r s in a P r tt i
e e

D a m as c i w gr t - i c
en ,
as ea n e e o f S ixt u s V .
3 8 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

the Sain t t urn ed to some prie s ts w ho were p rese n t an d ,

“
said to them This m an is your brother
, He th e n .

asked the captai n what his professio n was ; he repl ied

t h at he was a soldier “
NO said Philip
. n ot a ,
”
,
“

soldier but the brother of these ; an d t h e n layin g his

, ,

h an d o n his head h e ble s sed him,

Now Otton ell i w as .

a married m an h ad several so n s an d daugh ters an d

, ,

w as exc eedi n gly fo n d of his profe s sio n In a very .

s h ort time ho wever his wife a n d some of h is daugh ter s

, ,

died ; tho s e w h o s urvived became n u n s an d b e him ,

s elf in th e year 1 6 0 9 by th e in s piratio n of G od

, ,

w a s o rdai n ed priest an d aft er s ome year s became a

,

religiou s a m o n g the fath ers o f the Pious Sc hools .

I n t he ye a r 1 5 7 6 four o f our fa th ers were sen t by

th e C o ngr ega ti o n to Mila n u po n busin es s On e day .

t he h o ly fa t h er s udde n ly called Fran ce s co Maria

T arugi an d s aid t o him
, Wri te immediately to our
,
“

fath er s a t Mila n an d tell t hem to return h ome as

s o o n a s p o s s ible Ta rugi an s wered t hat it would n o t
.

b e well t o rec a ll th em le s t it s hould create scan dal at

,

Mila n as t h ey had n o t acc o mpli shed the bu s in ess o n

,

w hich t hey were s e n t P hilip replied .M ake n o ,

“

an s wer ; yo u o bey me an d write ; an d write that t hey

are to com e home immedia tely The letter had .

scarcely arrived at Mil an whe n the plague broke out ,

al though there h ad n o t bee n s o muc h as the least

t hreate n in g of it previou s ly ; an d it w as so sudde n
t h at two of the father s had great diffi culty in getti ng
away an d p assing the barrier on t h eir retur n On e of
,
.

t h e four fa t h ers Pompeo Pa teri had wi s h ed a few

, ,

mo n th s before to go to Spain with a prelate w h o w as

greatly attach ed to th e Co n gr egatio n as well to please ,

th e prelate as to facilitate th e ac c ompli s h me n t of the

 T HE BARNABITES AT S . SEVERINO 3 8 1

busin e ss j u s t m en tio n ed Milan bei n g at th at time ,

‘

u n de r the gov er n me n t of Spai n The fath ers were of .

O pi n io n t h at h e ough t to go ; th e re s oluti o n w a s take n ,

an d t h e packet fa s te n ed up to se n d to him by post

wh e n P h ilip s aid to F Ago s tin o Ma n n i W rite to “
.
,

Pompeo an d t ell h im n o t to go to Spain but t o s top ,

”
at Milan Two mo n th s h ad n o t pa s s ed before a
.

per s o n died w h o s e death would h ave en tailed a very

S eriou s loss upo n th e Co n gregatio n if Pompeo h a d n o t ,

bee n in Milan at th e time .

W h ile t he c h urc h O f th e Mado n n a dei Lumi w as

bei ng built at S Severin o fo r o ur C on gregatio n th e .
,

Sain t s aid t h e s e preci s e word s to s ome B ar n abit e

“
fath ers I am build in g fo r you
,
Th e C o n gregatio n .

w as e s tabli s h ed in th e c h urc h but S ix y ears after t h e ,

death of th e holy fat h er th e c o mmu n ity gave up th e ,

c hurch t o the Bar n abite s as the Sain t h ad foresee n , .

He also predicted to th e Bar n abite s t h at th ey would

h ave t h e c o llege Of St Paul at R o me an d de s ig n ated .
,

in th e S pirit of prop h ecy th e place wher e it w o uld be ,

man y year s before th e eve n t as is related in the an n al s ,

O f t h eir o rder .

He foretold to th e Ve n erable Giova nn i L eon ardi 1

.

th e fou n der O f th e Clerk s Regular of th e M o t h er of

God w ho w as his pe n ite n t t h at h e w ould n o t live
, ,

to see h is co n gregatio n erected i n to a religiou s order ,

say in g to him God does n o t will to do everyth i n g ,

“

”
in your tim e .

Pi er Filippo Lazzarelli a pari sh prie s t w as in dan ger , ,

of lo s in g h is b en efic e th rough th e favour wh ic h his

1
Bo rn 1 5 43 , f cc Or t ry ;
o un d ed at L u a an a o in 1 62 1 , t w lv y
e e ea rs

a ft r th
e e d ea t hf th f od r th C gr g t i e o un e , e on e a on be c am e a r l igi e o us

o r d r with
e l
s o em nv w S C A D N AL CA C o s . ee R I PE E L AT R O , op . c it v o l .
. ii .
,

pp . 1 79 et se qq (E g l i h T r
. n l ti ) s a ns a on .
3 8 2 THE LIFE OF S T . PHILIP NERI

e n emies e nj oyed with a certain in flu en tial prelate .

T his drove him in to s uch de s pair that h e left Off say

in g mas s a n d o ffi ce an d de termi n ed to sh oot his ad ,

Whil s t h e was in thi s s tate it happen ed that

v ers ar
y .
,

o n e of h is brot h er s broug h t him o n e morn i n g to our

c hurch an d as t h ey were bo t h kn eelin g before th e

,

high altar th e priest tur n ed a n d saw t h e S ain t at the

,

co n fes si o n al Alt h ough he had n ever s ee n him before

.
,

h e felt s o draw n to him that he could n o t restrai n him

s elf from g o in g an d thr o wi ng h im s e lf at his fee t ,

wit h out k n o w i n g w h a t he w as doin g P hilip seein g .

,

him full O f care an d n o t utteri n g a word to o k ho ld Of ,

h im by the e a r an d s aid “
You are tempted are you , ,

not He r eplied I am tempted to s uch a degree, ,

”
Fat her t h at I am o n th e poi n t of do ing gr e at evil an d
, ,

h e t h e n t o ld h im all t h at he had in his m in d P hilip .

a n s w er ed GO away an d do n o t be afraid ; in a fort

, ,

”
n ig h t you w ill b e freed from the s e tr o uble s an d ,

h avi n g s aid t hi s h e h eard h is co n fe s sio n At the en d .

o f th e fort n igh t the prie s t met his ad vers ary who ,

s aid ,
I give u p to you n o w an d co n sider myse l f to
“
,

h ave l o s t my cau s e as my patro n has bee n removed ,

from his o ffice T he prie s t t h e n rememb ered the holy

.

fath er s word s an d gave Go d than ks for prese rvi ng him

’

from the great s in he had meditated .

The same thin g h appe n ed to Orazio Ricci a kn igh t ,

of Malta He was in the service of Ca rdin al Frederick

.

Borrom eo an d w as greatly a fflicted be cause of a serious

,

accu s atio n set o n foot again s t him in the Cardin al s ’

court whic h in volved his ho n our an d reputatio n He

,
.

rose very early on e mor n in g in great distress of mind ,

an d we n t i n to th e ope n air to give ve n t in som e

me asure to th e storm which agitated him In the
'

.
 8
3 4 THE LIF E OF ST . PHILIP NERI

re s pects to him w he n P hilip wi th a bli th e coun ten an ce

,

said to him Go c h eerfully w h ere holy obe die n ce

,
“

s e n ds you a n d atte n d to the s alvatio n of Souls ; an d

,

k n ow t h at in progres s of time you will be m ad e a

bi s ho p in o rder to labour more e ffectu al ly for t he
,

s alva t i o n O f o t h er s But I warn you t h at in this

.

j o ur n ey you will run a great ris k Of your life an d ,

t houg h by favour o f our Lord an d His most h oly

Mo th er yo u w ill come s afely out of the dan ger it wil l
, ,

n o t b e wit h o u t grea t di ffi culty The fat h er set Off .

fo r Cr em o n a a n d w he n h e came to t he mou n tain s of

,

F l o r en c e tryi ng t o pas s o v er a bro ad ditc h w hich w as

,

full o f liquid clay o f wh ic h he was n o t aware he fell

, ,

in t o g e t her w i th h is h o r s e an d it was so deep t h at ,

bot h t he bea s t an d h im s elf s ank up to the n eck .

H is c o mpan io n s were u n able to as s i s t h im an d began ,

t o make th e c o mme n da t io n of his sou l At that

mome n t th e good father though t Of P h ilip an d call ed .

him to his aid f n an i ns ta n t he bega n to have t h e

i .

u s e o f his h an d é an d B? l ittle an d little got out of t he

3
clay t ho ugh h al ffl ead ; w hil s t the hors e was afterward s
,

e xtricated by the help O f two pair of oxe n He arrived at .

Cremo n a a n d laboure d I n h is order till the year 1 6 1 9 ,

w h e n Paul V app o in ted him bis h op of Oria ; the whole

.

of P h ilip s predictio n bei n g t hu s fulfilled to the letter

’
.

It is related o f St Fran cis de Sales th e n a very .

,

you n g m an t h at on his first visit to Rome h avin g a

, ,

great desire to kn ow those who t h e n lived t h ere w ith

the repu t atio n of san ctity h e we n t from that motive ,

to vi s it P hilip an d t h at the Sain t kis s ed him o n the

,

forehead an d foretold that he woul d be a great s ervan t

of G od an d most u s eful to the Churc h ; an d th ere
exist o l d picture s represen tin g the in cide n t .
T HE S A C RIS TY .
 CHAPT E R VI
HE I R OP HE S IE S
’
TO EVE R A L T HA T T HE Y W ILL
S

BE C A R D I NA L S OR P O PE S

P H I L I P proph e s ied t o ma n y that t hey would be

C ardi n al s an d to o th ers that th ey would be Pope s
, .

S o m e y o u th s w ere o n e day in h is roo m an d am on g ,

t h e m wer e Pietro Ald o b ran d in i th e Abate Cres c enz i

, ,

an d Marc ello Vi t ell es c hi The h oly fat her tho ugh

.
,

t her e w as n o vaca n cy in th e H o ly See or a n yt h i n g to ,

s ugg es t t h e co n ver s a t io n called Pie t ro Al d o b ra n d in i to

,

h im , a n d comman ded h im u n der h oly o bedi en ce to

sa
y to hi s compa n i o n s Fa t,h “
er P h ilip sa y s I am to
t ell yo u th a t in a sh or t t ime you will h ave to call me
Illu s t ri s s im o a n d t h a t you will es teem it a favo ur to
,

h ave an opp o r t u n i ty of s pe aki n g wi th me Pi etro .

o bey ed o u t o f th e r espect whic h h e h a d for t h e Sai n t ,

but h e blu s h ed an d was n o t a li t tle as h amed In a .

s h ort t ime th e Holy See became vacan t a n d Cardin al ,

Ippolit o Aldob ran din i his u n cle b ein g elec t ed Pope

, , ,

Pietro was m a de a Cardi n al A little w h ile b efo re

.
,

Philip as if he were m aki n g game of him s aid t o

, ,

“
Pietro w ho w as s till a yout h See what I am come
, , ,

to t h a t I s h all S h or tly h av e t o call you Illu s trissimo

,

Gio v an Fra n ce s co Ald o b ran din i n eph ew Of Clem en t,

VIII an d ge n eral of th e H o ly C hurc h we n t to P h ilip s

.
,
’

r oom an d s aw stuck up t h er e tw o Card in al s armorial

,
’
 ’ “ ”
PHILIP S TWO CARDINALS 387

th e Sh ield Wi shi n g to kn ow th e m ean in g of t his h e

.
,

as ked w h at the two Cardin al s h at s an d d eath s h ead s ’ ’

s ign ified . Ph ilip with s o me little r eluc t an c e s aid to

, ,

h im ,
“
T h ey sign ify t h at after my d eath I s h all h ave
tw o Cardi n al s in my Co n gregati o n ; a n d accordi n gly ,

a year aft er th e Sai n t s deat h Fran ce s co Maria Tarugi ’

an d Ce s ar e B aro n ius bot h prie s t s of th e Co n gregatio n

, ,

wer e made Cardin als I nd eed tw en ty years befor e .

,

t h eir pr o motio n h e h ad s p oke n of it to Mgr Paol o .

Ricuperati At vari o u s times he S p ok e of it to o t h er s

.
,

an d particularly to Fran ce s c o Neri a pri e st o f th e ,

c o mpan y of Je s u s w ho a s ked th e Sain t if B aro n ius

,

wo uld ever be Pop e P hilip an s w ered expr es s ly t h at .

h e w o uld n o t ; s o t h at w h e n B aro n iu s w a s in co n clav e

after th e death o f Cl em en t VIII an d w as c o mm o n ly
rep o rted to be n ear to th e papacy Fran ce sco c o n fid en tly ,

a ss ert ed th at h e would n o t be c h o s e n b ecau s e th e ,

ble s sed P hilip h ad told h im it would n o t b e S O .

Girolam o Pan filio t es tifi es t h at P h ilip pr o p h e s ied t o

h im t h at h e would be a Cardi n al W h en I w en t to .

”
c o n fe s s io n o n e mor n in g s ay s G irolam o to th e bl es s ed , ,

fat h er w h o w a s ill h e s aid to me Would you like to

, , ,

b e a Cardi n al ?
’
I an s wered t h at I n ever th ough t o f
s uc h a t h i n g He rej o i n ed Well yo u will b e a
.
,
‘
,

Cardin al .
’
I laugh ed at him an d said An d pray ,
‘

w h o will mak e me
’
n
o e ? Howev er th e bl es s ed ,

fath er repeate d twice over I tell you you will be ,

‘

’
a Cardin al .Cardi n al Pan filio received th e ha t from
’
Clem en t VIII man y year s aft er th e S ai n t s deat h
. .

Car din al I n n oc en z i o d el Bufalo S pe ak s a s fello w s

I n I 5 9 3 o r 1 5 9 4 if I r em emb er righ tly th e bl es s ed
, ,

F ath er P h ilip t o ld me th at I s h o uld h ave a can o n ry

’
at St Peter s I laugh ed at th is becau s e I w as n o t in
. .
,
3 8 8 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI

th e Pope s service or eve n kn own to him so far as I

’

could tell an d I did n o t see ho w my appoin tme n t

,

could come about ; an d th e ofte n er Father P h ilip

repeated it the l ess I believed it However in 1 5 9 4 . ,

about th e m o n th O f Augu s t if I remembe r righ tly ,

Cardin al Ald ob ran din i wi th out my h avin g s oug h t it ,

or made an y e ffo rt s for it s e n t for me an d told m e ,

t h a t t he Pope t ho ug h t o f givin g me the can o n ry of S t .

Peter s w hic h was vacan t by th e deat h of Mo ns ign or

’

Maffei The fo llowi ng d ay o r a few days aft erwards I

. ,

we n t t o s ee th e ble s s ed Fa t her P h ilip an d S h owed ,

great s ig n s of j oy w hic h I really felt abou t my , ,

a pp o in tm en t t o t h i s can o n ry ; h e said t h at t his was

n o thin g for t ha t t h e P o pe w o uld al so make m e
,

Cardi n al T hi s s eemed s o u nl ikely an d in deed S O

.
,

impo s s ibl e t h a t I laugh ed immod era t ely at him ; but

,

fo r all t h a t h e repe a t ed it s everal t imes n o t o n ly t ha t

, ,

day but o ver a n d o v er agai n at o ther times After

, .

ward s whe n by the grace o f Go d an d his Holin ess I

,

w a s crea t ed Cardi n al I l e ar n t t hat the ble ss ed Fat h er ,

P hilip h ad predicted it s everal time s to Sis ter Silvia

del Bufalo my s i s ter a n un at T o rre di Specc hi an d
, ,

on on e occasio n wh e n n ews cam e to Rome of a

da ng erous ill n e ss wit h which I had bee n s eiz ed in
Fra n ce my s i s ter s aid t h at I should certain ly n o t die
, ,

becau s e I must be a Cardin al firs t accordin g t o the ,

”
predictio n of t he bles s ed F a t her P hilip .

Cardin al Fran ce s co Diatris tan o in like man n er

1

says Whe n I w as youn g an d livin g at Rome as

,
“
,

c h amberlain of ho n our to Cleme n t VIII Cardin al .

,

Pie tro Ald ob ran dini took me to the churc h o f S Maria .

1
F ra n c is , C o un t D i tric h
e s t e in , B is h o p of l
O m ut z , or . r
C a d ina l 1 598 ,
d . 1 63 6 .
39 0 THE LIFE OF ST . PHILIP NERI
had already predicted to oth ers an d w ho was elected ,

as he had sai d After the death of St Piu s V . .

,

Marcello remembered how Philip had prophe s ied his

el ectio n an d accordin gly prayed him very impor
,

t un at ely to tell him w h o would be Po pe n o w Phi lip .

a s ked him w h o w as talked of in R o me as lik ely ;

“ ” “ ”
Marcello an s w ered Cardin al Moro n e ;
,
No replied ,

“ ”
Philip ,
it will n o t be Moro n e but Bo n c om pagn i , ,

who was elected accordin gly an d took the n ame of ,

G r egory XIII .

Duri n g th e vacan cy o f th e Holy See after the death

o f Sixtu s V Cardin al Niccol o S fo n d rato came o n e day
.
,

t o vi s it th e h oly fat h er P hili p se n t him word n o t to

.

c o me up s tairs but to s tay in t he gue s t -roo m an d he

, ,

w o uld c o m e d o w n to him W hen he came d o wn he .

fo u n d t h er e Pietr o Pa o lo C res c en z i w ho w as afterwards ,

Card in al wit h the Abate Giacomo h is brother M arcello

, ,

Vi telle s c h i an d o ther s ; an d befo re h e s poke to the

,

Cardin al he c o mman ded all O f them to ki s s the feet of

h is E mi n en c e w h ic h t h ey d id
,
A day or tw o after .

ward s the s ame Cardin al came in to our ch urch an d ,

Fra n cesco della M o lara we n t an d t old th e Sain t o f

it.
“
Philip an s wered That Pope eh ? ,
Even wh ile ,

Sixtu s V w as alive P hilip had in di ff ere n t w ays

.
,

poin ted to Cardi n al S fo n dra to as the future Pope an d ,

o n ce in particular about a year before the death Of

,

’
Sixtu s The Cardin al w as in P hilip s room ac c ording
.

to his custom with M arcello Vitelleschi an d other s

, .

P h ilip said to Marce llo Ope n th at cupboard an d give

,
“
,
’
me the Pope s cap which is there ; this was a skull -cap
wh ic h h ad belo n ged to St Pius V an d was preserved . .,

by the h oly father as a relic Philip took it an d tried .

’
“
to put it o n th e Cardi n al s head sayin g to him Try , ,
 HE FORETELLS FUTURE POPES 39 1

it a little an d see h ow well it fits you m ean ing by

, ,

t h at to i n s in uate wh at was to h app en lat er Urban .

VI I w h o w as ch ose n to succeed Sixtu s o n ly lived

.
, .
,

tw elve days an d th e n Cardin al S fo n drato w as elected

, ,

an d took t h e n ame of Greg o ry XIV

. .

But his predictio n of the papacy to Cardin al Ippolito

Aldob ran din i w as eve n more wo n d erful Some time .

before th e Cardi n al w as in th e gard en of Curz io d e

,
’

Ma ss i mi togeth er with Cardin al Cu s an o th e Sai n t an d , ,

s ome ot h ers w h e n Cur z io cam e t o P h ilip an d s aid to

,

him ,
I wi sh your Revere n ce w o uld get me take n i n to
th e service of Cardi n al Al d o b ran din i
”
P h ilip repli ed .
,

“
I w ill do so with out fail ; leave it to me ; for I tell
you h e will n o t die Cardin al ; an d four m on th s after
ward s h e was elect e d Pope Th e very even i n g before .

th e electio n P h ilip s aid t o th e Abate Marc o A n t o n i o

,

Maffa am on g s t oth ers t h at Al dob ran d in i would be Pope

,

an d would tak e th e n am e o f Cleme n t wh ic h h e did ; ,

an d t h at same ev en i n g Mgr Papia s e n t th e Sai n t a

, .

s o nn et a skin g him to pray t h at t hey migh t h ave a

,

good Pope an d a s p eedy electio n upo n w hic h P h ilip ,

s en t h im a n oth er s o n n et in reply co n tai n in g th e s ame ,

proph ecy Of Al do b ran din i s electio n

’
.

To Leo XI before he w as Cardin al an d w h e n h e

.
,

’
w as t h e Gran d Duke s ambas s ador P hilip mad e ,

“
th ree proph ecie s in th e few followin g words ; Sig n or
Ale ss an dr o you will be Cardin al an d Pop e but yo ur
, ,

”
reign will last o n ly a sh o rt time Fra Girolamo .

Gh etti a Roman w ho w as afterward s ge n eral of th e

, ,

order of the H ermit s Of St Augu s tin e wh e n preach in g .

,

durin g th e octav e of the Sai n t S can o n izatio n declared ’

th at h e h eard th is from Leo s o w n m o ut h wh e n h e w as ’

Cardin al ; an d it w as co n firmed by Gregory XV w ho .

,
hearin g what Fra G irolamo h ad s aid in his s ermo n
“
added I am sur e it is true for wh en I was auditor o f
, ,

the Rota an d we n t to kiss the feet of Leo XI amo n gst .

,

other t hin g s he said I sh all n o t weary people lo n g

,
‘
,

for I s hall s oo n be out of th e way which was ful ,

’

filled by his early deat h .

Alt hough Philip al most always foresaw who would

be Pope h e n ever me n tio n ed it except for so me grave
,

r easo n or in familiar co n versa tio n with some of his

,

pe n ite n ts as if he were in j oke ; an d he used always to

,

add t hat we o ugh t by n o mean s to give eas y cr ede n ce

to S imilar predictio n s or to wish f or t h em because
, ,

man y deceits an d s n ares of the devil might be hidde n

in t h em ; an d h e w as very severe tow ard s t h o s e who
we n t to tell him t h at t h ey had had revelatio n s or
m a de prophecies .

END OF V OL . I .

Prin ted b y B ALL AN TYN B , H ANSON dr’ Co .