NOE truth is more appro­ued thē that which doth both teach and assure vs that euery liuing mā must once dy, to liue agayne [Page 2]ther in heauen with the S [...] and blessed Soules, or in hell with the damned & wretched ghosts, since this is the last sentence frō which there is noe ap­peale; neuer to be reuew­ed agayne, pronounced by the mouth of god our souueraigne iudg. And truth it self by the apostle in these termes; It is de­creed that all mē must once dye and after that comes iudgmēt. For which cause the most important and serious [Page 3]buisines that a Christian man can haue in this world is to learne to dye well: For this is the Sci­ence of Sciences. And thereto ought wee to ap­plye that sayeing in the ghos [...]ell soe much pray­sed by our sauiour to S. Mary Magdalene. But one thing onely is necessary. Whereupon S. Iohn doth esteeme, and call those onely blessed amongst mortall men who dye in our lord: that is to say in [Page 4]his grace; Blessed are the dead vvho, dye in our Lord.

Nowe since it is soe that eyther from à good, or euill death, the eternall and chiefe felicity is de­riued, or els euerlasting and dreadful misery, if there be any thing, deare reader, which thou oughst to haue in singular recō ­mendation whilst thou dost reside in this valley of teares, it is to search and knowe the meanes which thou must vse and [Page 5]practise to render the pas­sage out of this mortall life, as much as in thee lyeth, most easy and as­sured. And to this end I haue bene willing to laye downe for thee, at the end of these prayers, some wholesome lessons for thy instruction, howe thou oughst to behaue thy self both in sicknes and in he­alth, to the end thou maist more happily finish thy dayes and life. Of which lessons the principall, and [Page 6]most assured (next to à good life) is to haue re­course as you shall heare hereafter in fitt place to the perfectiōs, and merits of the Saynts, and aboue all of the most holy, and euer glorious mother of god. In which I shall de­clare vnto thee (beloued reader) certayn deuout and religious persons be­ing well instructed, cast themselues one daye, be­ing inspired from god, vpon that consideration [Page 7]that our good mother the church doth call the bles­sed virgin, mother of God; the Gate of heauen, and doore of paradise: & that shee doth daily sing vnto her; Marye mother of grace, mother of mercy, defend [...]s frō our aduersary and receiue vs at the houre of death. But this was performed with soe serious attentiō, and soe much feruor of deuotion; that from that time they resolued to ad­dresse themselues alwa­yes [Page 8]with reuerēce to her, and to implore her ayde and speciall assistance that they might more duely dispose themselues for that difficult, and dange­rous passage of death.

For these considera­tions they did agree to­gether to say euery daye the Lytanyes of our Ladye of Loretto to the honor & glory of her name, one for another; as alsoe the pra­yers of the most glorious Patriarchs S. Ioseph, S. [Page 9]Augustin [...], S. Barbara, to whom they particarly deuoted thēselues that by they intercessiō they mi­ght be assisted in these theyr indeauours.

And forasmuch as noe mā can fully possesse that high vetrue of Charity without hauing à parti­cular care of the wellfare and safty of his neigh­bour; to prouide also that theyr small number in ti­mes to come might in­crease in this deuotiō, and to augment the effectuall [Page 10]merit of theyr prayers by à laudable and holy multiplication, they did aduise amongst themsel­ues and determine, that each one of them should associate to theyre com­pany twelue deuout per­sons, and that those twelue if they would, when the occasion should be offe­red might likewise each one of them associate o­ther twelue, and they al­soe euery one of them twelue others, and soe cō ­sequently [Page 11]from one to another all those, whoe should from time to time be added by any one, that had bene formerly admit­ted, should haue the same power, which those had whoe did admitt thē. And hence it doth proceede, deuout reader, that this Company is very fitly named at this time the holy society of twelue, Whereunto since that time soe many are vnited in France, Italy, Germany [Page 12]Spayne; yea euen as farre as the Indyes, that they are accompted at this presēt of eyther sexe, men and woemen, more then three, or foure hundred thousand of the societye, But whereas almost infi­nite persons men and woemen cannot (not be­ing able to read) say the foresayd litanies it hath bene thought by some of the principal most zea­lous, and affectionate to the sayd holy association, [Page 13]that in stead of them those [...]hat are admitted, which cannot reade, say theire [...]eads; and for the psalme De profundis, which those whoe are more learned ought to say for such sou­ [...]es as are departed of the sayd holy Company, shall say 3. Pater Noster, and 3. Aue Maria.

Nowe to the end that those, who are admitted, may not erre in the num­ber of those, whoe they are to admitt into the [Page 14]sayd holy association; [...] were good, as soon as they shall be receiue to register and write th [...] downe in some sma [...] booke; or els, which we [...] better, and wherein ther [...] is more merit, euery on [...] of them shall prouid twelue of these littl [...] bookes to giue them gratis to each one of thos [...] whom they shall admitt [...] so shal he know by the finishing and distribution of his bookes that the nū ­ber [Page 15]of those whome he may admitt is compleat and ended.

Another meanes more certaine and sutable to the condition of secular persons, especially woe­mē, is, to intreat him that shall admitt them, if he be à priest, or religious man, to accept and take the charge vpon him to asso­ciate for them such persōs as he shall iudg in poynts of religion to be most ca­pable [Page 16]giuing him the tw­elue bookes, which they haue prepared for that purpose; nor ought those priests or religious men refuse this cōmission, and act of charity; but rather ought to seeke and demād it. Yea they ought not to admitt but very few, or scarce any secular men at all, especially woemen; without this condition, to witt that they shall not receiue any one without the knowledg of their [Page 17]Cōfessor; cōsidering that great profit will redound from thēce to the holy as­sociatiō, which otherwise by degrees might be filled with à great number of li­bertins, and debaushed persons without deuotiō, which in the end would bring dishoner to the so­cietye. By which meanes the sayeing of the pro­phet Esay should be veri­fyed; Thou hast multiplyed the nation, but hast not in­creased theire ioye.

Moreouer this holy and [Page 18]flourishing Company, with those prayers which are exercised therein hath bene receiued, and allowed by many graue and renowned persōs, af­well of the chiefe of the cleargy as of the seculars. By famous and learned preachers and by good, and holy religious men, whoe haue bene admit­ted from diuers orders both austere and refor­med. By whom all [Page 19]Christēdome, perceiuing the fruit and proffit which must needs arise to the church of god from this laudable and holy so­ciety, doth labor to haue it approued, authorised, and inriched by the holy apo­stolique seat with the treasures of the sayd church obtayning for it plenary indulgences in forme of à Iubilie, which those of the company shall gayne twice in theire life, that is to say, [Page 20]then when they shall en­ter into the sayd holy So­ciety, and at the article of death, and other plenary indulgēces likewise, with the deliuery of à soule frō purgatory, to be applyed by manner of suffrage to such soules, as are depar­ted in the sayed holy soci­etye, which they may gayne as well vpon all the feasts of our blessed Lady, as of the foresayd blessed S. Ioseph, S. Francis, S. Au­gustin, and S. Barbara, [Page 21]with this condition, that those whoe are of the so­ciety doe confesse them­selues to allowed Cōfes­sors, and communicate vpon the sayd feasts.

And that they may be made pertakers of soe many good prayers, which are continually offered vp by soe deuout soules, and in soe many parts of the Christian world, it is requisite be­fore they enter into this holy societye to haue à­firmed [Page 22]to liue & die ther­in and withall to obserue as they shall be able, all that which shall be heere. after sett downe although there be noe obligatiō or tye of conscience, other then that which euery Christiā hath to liue well, and serue god, and to loue theire neighbour.