THis gloryous and blessyd confessour & true relygyous keper called saynt Nycholas of tollentyne / was borne in a countree called Pycen in a well dysposed Cyte called Fyrmane. His fathers name was Compagnous. His mother hyght Amata / bothe were very deuoute folke / and well dysposed. The whiche longe lackynge a chylde gretely desyrynge to haue one / full besyly bothe daye & nyght besoughte almyghty god with deuoute voyce & prayers y t they myghte haue one y t myght be his dylygente seruaūt. And bycause they thought themselfe vn worthy to be herde / they dayly worshipped blessyd saȳt Nycholas deuoutly besechynge hym to be theyr aduocate y t they myght obteyne theyr petycionand askynge. And at the laste of theyr more deuocyon by the inspyracyon of the holy ghost they wente on pylgrymage to a towne of y e coūtree of Apuley called Barus. Where the for sayd gloryous bysshop saȳt Nycholas by an ymage y t was there of hym y t was gretely sought & worshypped. And whan they had done theyr pylgry mage they retourned home agayne faythefully trustynge on god our lady & saynt Nycholas to haue theyr desyrynge & petycyon / as at the laste they had by theyr concessyon & grace. For anone after they came home y e forsayd deuoute womā Amata conceyued and by processe she had a chylde / whome she caused to be crystened Nycholas in the worshyp of theyr aduocate & patron saynt Nycholas that they behette to for a chylde.
lectio. ij.
THis forsayd chylde Nycholas brought vp in the vertuous examples & holsome techinges of his father & mother / & also well lettered in scrypture / grewe in chyldhode meruaylously good / so y t all the folke of the [Page]towne praysed his vertuous lyuynge beȳge but a chylde / & his gracyous dysposycyon ayenst all men / as prophecyenge afore / sayd playnly y t grete holynes sholde proue afterwarde in hym / for his lyfe shewed and appered a certayne specyall prerogatyue of all gentylnesse certely / mekenes / softenes / chastyte of mynde and body and so grete abstynence he dyde y t whā he was but .vij. yere olde he fasted thre dayes in the weke. Also he was of gret pyte / so y t oftentymes wylfully he brought pore men seke or dyseased in to his fathers house / and there through his entyse caused them to be releued & cherysshed. Also he was of good relygyon and byleue vnto god whose ensamples he loked vpon or redde or elles remē bred / y e good wordes & cōmaundementes w t a ryght feruent desyre he gladly herde & fastly euer prynted them in his mynde. In y e whiche thynge is noted a meruayll y e whiche blessed Nycholas tolde in his laste dayes to a certayne relygous man that toke hede to hym whan he was sore seke on a tyme / saynge y t in his chyldehode whan he dyde helpe a preest to synge masse. Whan the blessed sacrament was lyfte vp / our sauyour Iesu cryst appered to hym in the lykenes of a fayre chylde in a relucent garmente and a bryght shynynge face and mery chere / saynt Nycholas herde hym sayng these wordes.
Innocentes & recti adheserunt michi. That is to saye Innocentes & good harmeles men hath drawen vnto me. Also he sayd y t in so moche that he strongely relysted theyr grete temptacyon of all goostly enmyes & euer for soke his owne wyl to please hym / he sholde haue y e more grace and accepcyon of prayers. Lo what mede it is to waxe good by tymes / for grace groweth after gouernaun̄ce.
Lctō. iij.
AS he was a yonge man he gretely coueyted relygyon / whiche euer he specyally loued / & was made a chanon in a place called saynt sauyour / he grew vp in vertue as he begon tredynge downe & leuynge a syde all y e vyces of youth & with grete payne merueyllously for berynge and leuynge all maner of slouth wyldnes & sȳnes of youth. It forturied on a tyme he herde a certayne relygyous man of the nombre of them y t blessed saynt Austyn had ordeyned & called frere heremyte whan this blessed saynt Nycholas herde this holy rely gyous man declare & shewe openly amonge the people y e perylles / Ieoperdyes & vanytees of y e worlde exortȳ ge all folke in theyr hertes to dyspyse y e worlde / & whan this blessed Nycholas herde hym anone it kyndeled hȳ inwardly / in so moche y t vtterly he purposed wylfully to do & fullfyll y t thynge w t all his herte y t the relygyous man had aduysed hym to do. Wherfore he yode to y e relygyous man whose wordes were roted in his herte & lowly prayed hym y t he wolde helpe hȳ for charyte out of y e bandes of the worlde in the whiche sayd saynt Nycholas I haue ben fetered & combred vnto this daye / & that I myght be worthy too be receyued amonge the nombre of your bretherne freres hermytes of the ordre of saynt Austyn. For I quod saynt Nycholas hertely desyre euer to serue & gyue me to god / vtterly to for sake y e worlde / y e deuyl / & my flesshe. And in euery thynge & poynt to lyue relygyously to y e vttermest of my power by the grace of god / & so dyde he gladly. His father and his mother were gladde thereof / and at the fyrst consented therto.
lctō. iiij.
AS this blessed saynt Nycholas had takē upon hym the relygion of frere hermytes of the ordre [Page]of saynt Austyn aboute y e .xv. yere of his age / helyued vertuously therin tyll conuenyent & able tyme of his ful aege / and than he was made a preest in a towne called cȳgulꝰ. At y e laste he was sente of y e rulers of y e ordre to Tollentyne where he ledde almoost all his lyfe with a merueylous abstynēce in so moche y e he fasted .iiij. dayes euery weke brede & water alonely / besyde the dayes that were commaūded by the chyrche. Also flesshe / fysshe nor egges / whyte mete nor apples this blessed Nycholas neuer ete. And on a tyme whan he was sore seke they y t had power to commaunde vnneth coude brynge hym or cause him to ete fless he a certayne season bycause to make hym stronge and restore his helthe. And an other tyme whan he was so sore & greuously seke than there semed no lenger lyfe in hym / nor no man behete hym lyfe in this worlde / as he was in a faynt slepe he sawe Mary vyrgyn mother of god / & also saynt Austyn whose helpe he besought w t all entencyon of all his herte standynge by hym w e a mery chere. And whan this blessed saynt Nycholas sawe them afore hym he gretly meruaylled and thanked them of theyr comynge. And they exorted hym & cōmaūded hym to be of good chere / the blessed vyrgyn Mary shewed her fynger to a strete and cōmaunded hym y t in the name of her sone he sholde go in that strete to a certayne woman whose name she shewed hym / & that he sholde aske y e woman newe bake brede in the honoure of our lady & her sone and wete it in water / and anone he sholde amende. And as he was cōmaūded in his slepe he dyde whā he waked trustȳge in almyghty god & the blessed vyrgyn mary and saynt Austyn to be heled / & so he was.
lctō. v.
THis blessyd saynt Nycholas punysshed his flesshe & his body with grete hardnes & correccyon And for more correccyon he ware moost often chaynes of yron. And also softe & easy beddes & syttynges & softe and easy clothes & raymentes he euer refused. He laye vpon chaffe y e whiche he thoughte was to easy for his body. Also y e clothes y e he ware was sharpe course and harde and often chafed his body in many places. Also in hym was grete stedfastnes / for on a tyme whan he was entysed & counsaylled of a certayne ryche kynnesman of his / y t he sholde leue so sharpe & harde a lyfe and go backe to an other place y e he coude gete him to where he myght lyue more plenteously / and more delycyously saynt Nycholas euer refused it vtterly with a stronge mynde in god / for he coude neuer bowe his mynde therto. His mekenes & obedyence was excedynge without mesure / for not alonely to his superyour / but also to his euenall and his inferyor. He was obedyent in goodnes and suffred them all. He had to all folke a synguler and a meruaylous pyte and charyte / namely to poore folke / and nedy / & to theym y t were in ony trouble or sekenes / whome often he vysyted & conforted whan he was very seke and weyke hymselfe. Somtyme he comforted them & releued them with wordes and somtyme he exhorted theym to kepe pacyence with good doctryne of scrypture. And somtyme he refresshed theym with bodely fode and clothynge euery man after his nede. Also he caused thrughe his swete exortacyon and grete dyly gence many men that he knewe had rychesse to do the same too the poore and nedy. Whan this blessed saynte Nycholas had knowledge of ony folkes synnes or fautes eyther by preuy confessyon / or by ony otherwyse he [Page]was so sory that he wolde wepe and praye for them and punysshed his body sore with fastes and correccyon to gete them forgyuenes and grace to amende themselfe and to contynue in goodnes. This blessed saynt Nycholas was pale of face shamefast and gladde / and mery of countenaunce / of a smothe and fayre flesshe / and kynde to euery body. And he was moost myse / redy / and dylygente to ony thynge that he sholde do that was good & goodly
Lctō .vi.
ALso this blessed saynt Nycholas sayd masse euery daye / but he neuer sayd masse but he was clene shryuen afore / ne there can no tongue tell the deuocyon that he had euer and in especyall at masse / for the streyght of his masse was so spedy towardes god that on a tyme whan he wente to a place called Pethaurus in a certayne wyldernesse by the waye and layde hym downe vpon the grounde for fayntnes / and was halfe a slepe there appered vnto hym the soule of a certayne man whome saynt Nycholas knewe well ynoghe and loued in his lyfe / the whiche prayed hym instauntly y t he wolde saye masse for hym / the whiche sholde not delyuer and do profyte alonely to hym but also it sholde profyte vnto innumerable other soules the whiche soules were in a certayne playne there nye by that he shewed to saynt Nycholas / where they were punysshed and tormented with greuous paynes / and that same soule the whiche was comen vnto saynt Nycholas for socoure and helpe was also tormented with them with the same selfe tormentes that they hadde. And euen so it was done. ¶ For seuen dayes after this blessed saynt [Page]Nycholas had done the masse he sawe than in his slepe y e same soule in grete & infynyte Ioy and myrthe thankynge saynt Nycholas entyerly besechynge hym that thrughe his helpe the other grete innumerable multytude of soules myght be delyuered from theyr greuous paynes / and that they myght come to heuen to euerlastynge Ioye and gladnesse.
Feria. ij.
lec. j.
THe custome of syngynge of this blessed saynte was euer to be besy so y t he slepte neuer a nyght almost / but prayed contynually / and the daye also / saue whā he was besy eyther in refresshynge his body with mete or drynke / the whiche he toke full soberly and full seldome as it is shewed before / or elles in herynge confessyons or doyenge other necessary thynges that were good and vertuous. He prayed with so grete stedfastnes and entencyon & was eleuate & fyrmly set with so grete attendement & vehemente of deuocyon y t he semed holely rauysshed in god / & vtterly delyuered & done of fro man / nor there was nothynge so hygh and grete to obteyne but with the excelente delyte & besynes as who sayth with soo hote affeccyon & hyghe deuocyan of his moost stedfast prayers this blessed saynt obteyned it & gate it.
lctō .ij.
FOr y e whiche namely he vsed a certayne oratory & praynge place Ioyned & fast by an aulter where nowe his moost holy bones are & rest. Also in his celle laye a stone y e whiche he kneled vpon / & another y e he lened his armes vpon whan he was so wery y t he coude [Page]in no wyse holde theym vp no lenger / and wynter and somer kneeled on the colde stones.
lectio. iij.
HErof the fendes had grete dyspyte so y t they cesed not alonely to tempte hym w t dyuers temptacyons / but also they seynge y t they coude in no wyse cause hym to consente to no maner suggestyons of temptacyons / sette agaynste hym open bataylle / and vexed hym with moost sharpest rebukes / threttes vexacyons and sore woundes. More ouer more Inwardly and hardly than a man can thynke. ¶ And more ouer on a tyme whan this blessed saynt Nycholas amended his garmentes the deuylles toke it awaye frome hym bycause his prayer was of soo grete effecte / & they wolde haue caused hym to leue of his prayer / and muse on thynges vnprofytable to his soule the whiche this blessed saynt Nycholas knewe ryght well bycause of his good lyuȳ ge & mooste grete payne in resystynge temptacyon the whiche two thynges good lyuinge and forsakynge the consentynge of temptacion & for the same cause another tyme they put out his lampe & cast it on y e grounde and brake it.
lctō. iiij.
ALso oftentymes these forsayde deuylles made grete noyses in his celle houlynge abhomynably / bycause his prayers was of so grete effecte / & made russhynge & claterynge of stones / and crackynge of the tymbre as all the celle shold haue fallen downe. And forall this they seynge that they coude not in no wyse let hym of his prayer / nor ones too make hym to loke asyde [Page]for he thought on god. And ones he sayd yf it be tēptacyon I wyll praye moche more to haue grace to with stande it. yf it be goddes sonde I wyll praye feruentely to haue mercy and grace for I care not what payne come to my body so it be to the helthe of my soule. And the deuylles seynge y t they coude not let hym but he prayed more and more / they came in at his dore with huge and oryble lokes & ferefull noyses / rorynges and cryenges. And they scorged hym so gretely & bette hym so fyersly y t many days after the markes of the whyppes & scorges appered in all the partes of his body.
Lectio. v.
THe whiche also another tyme they dydde vnto hym in his celle dore where they mette hym by nyght goynge to his oratory / they chydde hym & ouerthrewe hym greuously to the grounde. And euer whan he wolde haue rysen vp they bete hym downe agayne and hurte him ryght sore / and made so grete noyse that the freres herde it and rose from theyr beddes. And as they knewe the horryble batayle of this holy man they toke hym vp as deed and bare hym too his bedde. And therof this blessed saynt Nycholas was soo feblysshed y t euer after he was lame. And lyke wyse we rede that it happened soo to saynt Anthony abbot. This thynge was of gret proue & holynes / & that he was good whiche the deuylles hated so / & dyde so grete payne and persecucyon y t he was a martyr ghostly.
lectio. vi.
THese wycked deuylles also had greate enuy of saynt Nycholas good bretherne & of the bryghtnes [Page]of his moost holy lyfe / fro whome as they knewe wel came so bryght bemes of vertue that chased all derkenes of deedly synne and lyghtynge with good ensample / and gloryfyed all holy chyrche bothe ferre & brode. Also thrughe the grete counsayll of god it fortuned that this blessed saynt Nycholas sawe a meruaylous vysyon of a starre y e fyrste appered vnto hym whan he was a slepe as there were a grete multytude of people vpon it so y t hȳ thought it stratched fro y e towne that he was borne in / vnto Tollentyne where after he deseased. At laste it appered vnto hym more oftener / whan he was awaked & euer it wente afore hym to an aulter that stode by his oratory y t he prayed in.
Feria. iij.
lctō. j.
WHan this blessed saynte Nycholas turned his backe to go fro the aulter the starre vanysshed away / y e whiche whan this vertuous father vnderstode many yeres afore his dethe cōmaunded y t his body sholde be buryed there whan he shall departe and that no mā sholde take it fro thens. Also by this vysyon playnly god wolde it sholde be sygnyfied that the moost bryghtest clerenes of his moost holy lyfe and y e bryghtnes of his grete deserues shewed eueuery where & y e ful constaunt & shyninge bryghtnes of his grete and innumerable myracles sholde lyghten & sprynge out at the aulter where by the vysyon of god wolde he sholde be buryed.
HEre shall be shewed the myracles of this blessed saȳt bryefly. There was a certayn womā y t euer whā she conceyued y e chylde was borne or y e tyme / & she [Page]toke grete sorowe & confessed herselfe w t grete waylynges & wepynges / & betoke herselfe to hym do what he wolde with her / mekely besechynge hym too praye for her / for it was vtterly agaȳst her wyl. And this blyssed saynt Nycholas soo prayed for her vnto god that euer after she had good delyueraunce. ¶ The same woman had a lytyll doughter y t had so greuous a swellynge vnder her chȳne y t it must nedes be cut & not without grete peryll. And yet this blyssed saynt Nycholas thrughe his prayer yelded her safe & soūde to her mother.
lcō. iij.
ALso this blyssed saynt Nycholas delyuered an other woman y e whiche thrughe trauayll .viij. dayes tofore was greuously payned vnto dethe. Also he heeled another woman fro grete payne y t she had in her eyen & in her heed & in her face swellynge / thrughe the besechynge of her sone to saynt Nycholas y t knewe than his vertue. Also another chylde that fel in the fyre & the handes & the armes was so sore brēned y t the fyngers grewe togyder / whiche was heeled thrughe the prayers of saynt Nycholas.
lctō. iiij.
IN lykewyse he heled another womans sone that fell also in to the fyre & brent all his face & lost his syght. And also he gaue another woman her sight that had two grete eyen & they stared out and yet she coude not se. Also another woman had so grete disease in her eyen y t she coude not se at all. And she had bothe leches and charmes for the same cause / and whan they hadde done the beste that they coude she was neuer the better [Page]but had more sorowe / for she lost bothe her wytte & naturall strengthe / but by y e prayers of this blessyd saynt Nycholas she had perfyte syght and strength.
lctō. v.
ALso it is to be noted that he perfytely heeled an other woman y t was so often vexed with so grete need ache y t she myght nother heere nor se. ¶ Also he perfytely heled a woman of the blody flyxe / whome no leche nor medycyne coude helpe. Also he perfytely heled a womans breste y t was sore hurte. Also he fully heled a certayne relygyous man of his ordre y t was brusten & sore vexed withall. Also he heled perfytely another y t had loste y e strength of all y e lefte syde of his body / and y t fote of his lefte syde. And also another that was moost greuously vexed with heed ache & many other he delyuered fro moost greuous and ferefull axes. Also he fully heled another man y t hewed blockes & cut y e shynnes of his legges w t so grete stroke y t all y e leches sayd playnly that there was no hope at all y t euer he sholde be heled.
lctō. vi.
THis saynt Nycholas also knewe afore and proued full many thynges by y e holy ghost. Al [...]o a poore woman gaue hym a certayne of floure for almesse / he lefte some of it / and she had that lytyll home in her vessell / and it was so encreased whā she sholde occupye it by myracle that it was moche more than euer it was. Also at masse whan there was water brought hym and he lacked wyne / by his prayer the water was torned in to good wyne.
Also partryges was brought hym deer and rosted / he cōmaunded them to flee and they had fethers and lyfe / [Page]& flewe forth with all as well as euer they dyd. Also by his prayer he made a stone hole agayne y e kynge afore the crucyfyxe w t yron chaynes & fell vpon his heed. Also by his prayer he made hole another stone that a grete blacke byrde lyke a kyte dyde breke / whan there was a counsayll taken in the cloyster of Tollentyne too make a pyt and wyte where it myght best be done thrughe y e prayers of this holy man it is sothe y t in the top of a certayne rede the water sprange vp / by the whiche token they vnderstode playnly y t there it was best to dygge it. ¶ In translatio sctī Nicolai.
Lectio. j.
ALso this greate myracle is to be had in mynde y t whan this pytte was in dyggynge a greate quaue began bothe in the pytte & in the foundacyon of y t chyrche. And whan this blyssed saynt prayed wepynge y e grounde was sad & sure / so that there was no fere fallynge. Whan that this moost holy man shone with so grete myracles at the laste god ordeyned to call hym vnto hym / and whan the ende of his lyfe drawed nye he herde by nyght before matyns tyme the moost swetest aungelles the which abode contynually .vi. monethes before his dethe.
lctō. ij.
THis blessed saynt Nycholas had so grete delyte in the herynge of them that he brennynge for y t desyre of another lyfe and ceased not to saye with saynt Paule I desyre and coueyte to be departed & to be with cryste / for than I were surer. And openly he sayd vnto them y t were present that the tyme of his dethe was nye / the whiche h e toke with so grete mekenes and deuocyon y t they meruayled that stode by / namly whan they sawe hym with so grete mekenes askynge theym forgyuenes for all y t he had trespassed them. He wente [Page]with so grete Ioye & gladnes y t he was sene stonde euer by the heuenly company of aungelles / and it was no meruayll bycause our sauyoure Iesu cryste appered to hym with his blyssed mother vyrgyn / & saynt Austyn his aduouryes confortynge hym & sayenge / well thou be thou good seruaunt and true come in to the Ioye of thy god. &c.
¶ Thus endeth the lyfe of saynt Nycholas of Tollentyne. Enprynted at London in Fletestrete at the sygne of the sonne by Wynkyn de worde.