He continued his journey through Bologna, from whence, after having

visited his brethren, he came to Imola. He first went to offer his

respects to the bishop, and asked permission to preach to his people.

"I preach," replied the bishop coldly, "and that is quite enough."

Francis bowed humbly, and retired; but an hour afterwards he returned,

and the bishop, surprised and angered at seeing him again, asked him

what he could possibly want? to which he replied, in a tone of sincere

humility: "My lord, if a father drives his son out of the house by one

door, it is right that the son should return through another." The

bishop mollified by this mild address, embraced him with affection,

and said: "From henceforth you and your brethren may preach in my

diocese. I give you a general leave, it is what your humility has

merited." Is there anything which can soften minds and obtain favors

sooner than this virtue?

The humility of Francis was accompanied with great courage, which

rendered him firm and confident in the most imminent dangers, this was

owing to the great confidence he had in God. Night overtook him once

when he was in company with Leo, between Lombardy and the Trevisan

Marshes, on a road having on one side the Po, one of the most

considerable rivers in Italy, and on the other a deep morass. Leo,

much alarmed, exclaimed: "Father, pray to God to deliver us from the

danger we are in." Francis, full of faith, replied: "God can, if it

is His good pleasure, give us light to dissipate the darkness of the

night." These words were hardly spoken, when they found themselves

surrounded by a brilliant light, which not only made the way clear to

them, but enabled them to see many things on either side of the way,

although the darkness was very dense everywhere else. They pursued

their route, singing the glories of God; the celestial torch served

them as a guide till they reached the place where they were to be

lodged, which was then very far off. This miraculous light was a

notification to the Saint that it was God's pleasure that he should

have a dwelling in the place to which His goodness had led him, and

he told this to his companion. The inhabitants made no difficulty in

assigning him one, after having heard him preach, and he gave the

convent the name of The Holy Fire, as it is still called.

In Piedmont, where he was well received, his preaching, with the

reputation of his sanctity, confirmed by many miracles, converted a

considerable number of persons, and procured him several houses. From

thence he went into Spain, but the writers of his life have not recorded

by what route. Now, it is scarcely to be doubted that he went by land,

and through France; ancient documents show that he entered Spain through

Navarre, and that he arrived in the year 1213 at Logrono, a Town of

Old Castile, which had formerly belonged to Biscay.

On the road he came up with a poor and abandoned invalid, for whom he

felt so much pity that he directed Bernard de Quintavalle, one of his

companions, to stay with him and take care of him, which Bernard

willingly undertook to do. At Logrono he miraculously cured a young

gentleman who was on the point of death; then he went on to Burgos,

where Alphonso IX., (or VIII., according to some,) father of Blanche

Queen of France and mother of St. Louis, then was. Francis presented

himself before the king, he showed him the rules of his Institute, and

entreated him to receive the Friars Minor into his states. This monarch,

who, in addition to his political and military talents, had a great

fund of goodness and piety, received the holy man very favorably; he

condescended to read the rules, and after having conversed with him

for some time, gave him leave to build houses in Spain.

Francis now fixed his thoughts only on advancing towards the sea-side

in order to embark for Morocco, there to suffer martyrdom, for this

was the great object of his wishes. If we only formed our opinion of

things by the ordinary rules of prudence, we should be surprised, that

a man, visibly sent by God for the institution of a new order of

religious, should leave it so short a time after its birth, to seek

for death among the infidels. But the saints only thought of following

the impulses which the Spirit of God suggested to them, with reference

to the works which they had commenced by God's order. St. Anthony,

father of a great number of Cenobites, left his monastery, and followed

at Alexandria certain confessors of the faith; he attended upon them

in prison, and exhorted them under torment to procure for himself the

palm of martyrdom. St. Dominic, animated by a similar spirit, had

formed the intention of going among the Saracens, only two years after

the institution of his order. Francis, thus inspired from above, desired

to meet death for Jesus Christ, and left to God the care of his rising

family.

This disposition, which was the fruit of ardent charity, was very

pleasing to God; it entered into the economy of His providence for the

salvation of souls and for the aggrandizement of the new Order, for

the Saint did not cease his labors when he took the route which was

to lead to martyrdom. Nevertheless, God did not choose that his design

should be carried into execution; and His will was made known to His

Servant by a violent illness, which put it out of his power to embark

for Morocco. Francis gave up his wishes, obeying what was thus signified

to him. and came to the resolution to return to Italy for the guidance

of his flock, however, he did not set out till the close of the year.

The authors of the Order are agreed in saying that he went to visit

the tomb of the Apostle St. James, at Compostella, the capital of

Galicia, to which place devotion has attracted, for many centuries

past, crowds of pilgrims, and that an angel appeared to him there, and

assured him that it was God's will that he should return to Italy,

after having founded some establishments in Spain. They also say that

he went into Portugal, where he raised to life the daughter of his

host at Guimaraens, a town of the diocese of Braganza, which caused

him to be spoken of as a saint throughout the whole country; and that

he went through nearly the whole of the Kingdom of Arragon and the

adjacent provinces; and, finally, they relate the following most

extraordinary circumstance:

Francis being one evening on the banks of the River Orbego, with his

companions, where there was no food, a young man of the Town of Novia

overtook them, and carried them over on some horses he had with him,

and received them hospitably. The gratitude the Saint had was shown

by saying: "May the Lord reward you for the kindness you have shown

us, when He rewards the just." Some short time after this, the young

man, having gone to Rome out of devotion, and having endeavored to put

his conscience in a good state, prayed fervently to God, to take him

out of this world before he should commit a mortal sin. His prayer was

heard; he died. His father desired to have a funeral service said for

him, and thirty Friars Minor attended to it without having been asked;

none knew from whence they came, nor whither they afterwards went,

which made it thought that the assistance was miraculous; and as it

was known what the holy man Francis had said to the deceased, it was

understood that he had, by this means, procured the reward of the just

for him whose hospitality he had received.

Gonzagues, Bishop of Mantua, who had been General of the Order of St.

Francis, says, that it is held as certain that St. Francis commenced

the establishments of Gasta, Arevalo, Avila, Madrid, Tudela, and caused

several other convents to be built. It is easily understood that in

the eight or nine months in which he remained in Spain after his

illness, he arranged much by himself and by his companions; the old

inscriptions which are still seen on the tombs of many Minors are an

additional proof. Moreover, it is certain that his holy life and his

preaching were of the greatest benefit to souls, and that his Order

was received in Spain with an affection which has passed from age to

age, from fathers to sons; so that Spain is one of the countries of

the world in which we find the greatest veneration for St. Francis,

and the greatest consideration for the Order of Friars Minor.

The same bishop tells us, on the testimony of universal and unvaried

tradition, of many miracles performed by the Almighty, through the

ministry of the holy man. We shall satisfy ourselves by relating one

of them, which is warranted by manuscripts and documents.

Francis was lodged at Compostella, at the house of a poor dealer in

charcoal, whose name was Cotolai, and he often went to pass the night

in contemplation on a neighboring mountain. God made known to him,

that it was His will that he should build a convent between two valleys,

the one of which was commonly called the Valley of God, and the other

the Valley of Hell. He knew that this ground belonged to the

Benedictines of Compostella, of the Abbey of St. Pay, or Pelagius,

since transferred to that of St. Martin; and, bearing in mind the

favors which the religious of this holy order had done him in the gifts

of St. Mary of the Angels, and at Rome, he called upon the Abbot and

asked unhesitatingly for permission to build a convent between the two

valleys. "What will you give me in payment?" said the abbot. Francis

replied: "As I am very poor, I have neither money, nor anything else

to give you, if you grant me what I ask. Yet what will be most precious

to me, I will give you in quit rent yearly--a small basket of fish if

they can be caught in the river." The abbot who was a very pious man,

admiring his simplicity and his confidence, granted him his request

on the condition proposed, and an act to that effect was prepared and

signed by both.

The holy man came to Cotolai and told him what had passed between the

Abbot of St. Pay and himself, and added: "My dear host, it is God's

will that you should build this convent; therefore prepare yourself

for the work." "Oh, how shall I be able to do that," answered Cotolai,

"I who am so poor, and who live by my daily labor?" "Take courage,"

said Francis, "take a pickaxe, and go to the spring which is close by;

make a hole a little in front of it, and you will find a treasure which

will enable you to execute the order of Heaven." Cotolai, relying on

the Saint's word, searched as he was bidden, found the treasure, and

built the convent, which is known by the name of St. Francis to this

day. This fact is narrated in an authentic manuscript in the archives

of the Abbey of St. Martin, from whence this is copied; and in two

very old inscriptions, one of which is on the tomb of Cotolai and his

wife, whose name was Mary de Bicos, and the other over the gate of the

church of the convent in which their tomb is. The deed which was

executed by Francis and the Abbot of St. Pay, is preserved in the

original in the archives of the Abbey of St. Martin of Compostella.

The Prince of Spain, Philip the Second, saw it in the year 1554, when

he was about to embark at Corunna, to espouse the Queen of England.

However, the marvel has nothing in it which should be the cause of

much surprise: our Saviour, who made St. Peter find in the mouth of

a fish wherewithal to pay the tribute for his Master and himself, could

easily cause a treasure of money to be found sufficient to build a

house for his faithful Servant Francis.

When the Apostolical man had terminated his mission in Spain, he went

to rejoin Bernard de Quintavalle, whom he had left on entering it, in

charge of the poor sick man, who was perfectly cured. Francis came

through Aragon into Catalonia. The magistrates of Barcelona, where he

stopped for a short time, were so pleased with his poverty, his

humility, and his other virtues, that, for the sake of having some

religious of his Order, they converted the hospital where he was lodged

into a convent, the church and cloister of which are still extant, and

are venerable from the remembrance of the Saint.

At San Saloni, a small town between Barcelona and Gerona, an adventure

occurred to him which seemed purely accidental, but which God turned

to good. As he walked by the side of a vineyard, his companion gathered

a bunch or two of grapes to refresh himself. He who had charge of the

vineyard, perceiving it, came violently upon the religious, beat him

and abused him in no measured terms, and took from him his poor cloak.

Francis asked to have the cloak back, alleging mildly, that what had

been taken had done no injury to the vineyard; and that good feeling

required that this assistance should be given to a passer-by who needed

it. But, not having succeeded in procuring its restoration, he went

to the proprietor of the vineyard, from whom he had no difficulty in

getting it back, after having told him what had happened. He then

conversed with him on heavenly things with such effect, that the man,

devoting himself from that moment to his service, promised to receive

hospitably all the Friars Minor who should pass through San Saloni,

and furnish them with whatsoever they might require, as far as his

means would allow; which he never failed to do as long as he lived.

Francis, in return, granted him participation in all the spiritual

merits of his Order, and gave him the name of Father of the Friars

Minor.

It is from this precedent that the superiors of the Order give letters

of filiation, as they are called, in virtue of which the holders

participate in the merits of all the practices of the community. This

is grounded on the communion of saints, one of the articles of the

apostolic symbol by which each member of the faithful who is not

excommunicated, and principally if he be in a state of grace,

participates in the good works of others. Besides this general

communication, the faithful may assist each other by their prayers,

and their own merits, as is done in confraternities and all pious

associations. This is the way in which the Order of St. Francis, and

all other religious orders, manifest their gratitude to their

benefactors; in this they do that which St. Augustine says of the

ministers of Jesus Christ in regard to the faithful who support them;

"They give spiritual things, and only receive temporal ones; they give

gold, and only receive brass." Those who know what the communion of

saints is, and who neglect nothing which can contribute to their

salvation, have great esteem (as, indeed, they ought) for letters of

filiation, and strive to live in a Christian-like manner in order to

profit by them.

From Catalonia, Francis continued his route through Roussillon, and

it is believed that he placed some of his religious at Perpignan, the

capital. He then entered Languedoc, which the errors and arms of the

Albigenses had alike tended to desolate. The Catholics at that time

enjoyed some calm by the valor of the illustrious Simon, Count of

Montfort, who had just overthrown the heretics, principally by the

celebrated victory obtained, at Muret, over Peter, King of Aragon,

whom ill-understood interests had made protector of the Albigenses,

to the detriment of religion, and who was killed in that battle. The

saintly traveller did not make any stay in Languedoc; perhaps because

it was the field destined by Providence to be cultivated by St. Dominic,

whose preaching and miracles had made an infinity of conversions, and

who was then at Carcassonne, where he gave the nuptial benediction to

the marriage of Amaury de Montfort, the son of Simon, with the Princess

Beatrice, the daughter of the Dauphin, Count of Viennois. Francis

arrived at Montpellier at the time when they were about to open the

council, at which Simon of Montfort was loaded with praises, and chosen

to be possessor of the City of Toulouse, and the other conquests of

the Crusaders; he preached there, and foretold that a convent would

be built soon for his brethren at the hospital where he lodged; a

prophecy which was fulfilled in the year 1220.

His bad health, the fatigues of his journey, and the rigor of the

season, had brought him into a state of great languor, and compelled

him to stop one day. His malady gave him a disgust for all sorts of

food, and he thought that he could only relish some wild fowl. As he

was speaking of it to his companion Bernard, a well-appointed cavalier

brought him one ready dressed, saying, "Servant of God, take what the

Lord sends thee," after which he disappeared. Francis, admiring the

goodness of God, who fulfils the desires of those who fear Him, ate

willingly of this celestial food, and was so strengthened by it, that

he rose up immediately and continued his journey through Dauphiny and

Piedmont; from whence he went to St. Mary of the Angels, continuing

to perform the functions of an Apostle and Patriarch of the Order on

his way, but not without having to endure the honors which his miracles

and the reputation of his sanctity procured him from all parts.

His return was the subject of great rejoicing to his children, to Clare

in particular, and to a number of young men, among whom were many

nobles and many learned persons who were waiting to be received into

the Order.

He was surprised to find a building which Peter of Catania, his own

vicar had constructed during his absence; he inquired the reason of

it, and Peter having replied, "that it was for the accommodation of

their guests, where they might say the divine office more commodiously,"

He said:--"Brother Peter, this place is the rule and the model of the

Order; I choose that those who come to it shall suffer the

inconveniences of poverty as well as those who live in it, in order

that they may tell others how poorly we live at St. Mary's of the

Portiuncula; for if the guests see that they are provided with

everything they can wish for, they will expect the same thing in their

provinces, and will say, that they only do as they do at Portiuncula,

which is the original place of the Institution." He was desirous that

the building should be pulled down, and he even directed it to be done;

but, upon the representations of the need they had of it, he consented

to let it stand. They could not do without room to lodge the number

of people who were drawn thither by the rumor of his great virtues,

and the multitudes of his religious who came from various parts to

consult him.

Those whom he had destined for Mount Alvernia, having come with several

others to congratulate him on his return, informed him that Count

Orlando had loaded them with favors; that they were settled on the

mountain, and that it was the place, of all others, proper for

contemplation. This gave him a wish to go thither, and he set out with

three companions, Leo, Masse, and Angelo of Rieti. It was his custom

in travelling to name one of those who accompanied him as guardian and

leader, and he obeyed him humbly in all things. On this occasion, he

gave this commission to Masse, desiring him not to disquiet himself

about their food, and giving no other instructions, except that the

divine office should be punctually and piously recited, that silence

should be rigidly observed, and that their deportment should be

reserved. He preached, as usual, wherever he went, and performed many

miracles.

One night he went into a church which was deserted, in order to pass

the night in prayer, knowing from experience that the Spirit of God

was communicated more freely to the soul in quiet solitary places. At

the beginning of the night, the devils used every sort of artifice to

interrupt his prayers and to disturb him. Then they attacked him in

person, as St. Athanasius relates that they did St. Anthony, so that

they seemed to come to blows with him. The more they annoyed him, the

more fervently he prayed, and the more strenuously he invoked Jesus

Christ with confidence, in the words of the prophet:--"Protect me under

the shadow of thy wings from these wicked ones who pursue me;" and he

said to the devils:--"Spiteful and deceitful spirits, do all you can

against me, for you can do nothing but what God permits, and here I

am, ready to suffer with pleasure all the afflictions it is His pleasure

to send me." Then the devils cast themselves upon him with still greater

violence; they pushed him about on all sides, they dragged him along

the ground and beat him severely. In the midst of his sufferings, he

exclaimed:--"My Lord Jesus Christ, I give Thee thanks for all Thy

benefits; this is not one of the least; it is an assured mark of the

goodness Thou hast for me. Thou punishest my sins in this world to

spare me in the next. My heart is ready, O my God, my heart is ready

to suffer still more if such be Thy holy will." St. Bonaventure says,

that he was often tormented in this manner by demons; but that these

proud spirits, not being able either to overcome him, or to bear his

constancy, retired in confusion. Such a resistance would repress all

the efforts of the tempter when he attacks us invisibly.

In the morning, he could not disguise from his companions what had

happened to him, and the extreme weakness which it had brought on

obliged him to desire his companions to go to the neighboring village,

to procure for him, in God's name, some means of riding on with them.

The farmer to whom they applied, having learnt that it was for Francis

of Assisi, of whom he had heard so much good spoken, went to fetch his

own ass to carry him on, during the journey.

On the way, Francis bethought himself of stopping for a short time at

this farmer's to recruit his strength by some poultry and other

delicacies of the country; but, wishing to punish himself for having

merely listened to such a suggestion, he took up a half-rotten fowl

from a dunghill, and smelt at it, saying to himself:--"Here, glutton!

here is the flesh of the poultry that you so anxiously wished for;

satisfy your longing, and eat as much as you like." To support himself,

he ate nothing but bread, on which he sprinkled ashes, and he drank

nothing but water. He blessed the house of his host, and promised him

very long lineage, who should be neither poor nor very rich. The

remembrance of this prediction has been carefully preserved in this

place, and the house still exists, bearing the name of St. Francis,

where the religious of his Order are always charitably received. This

lesson is taught by the apostle:--"That God, by His blessing, gives

to charitable persons the means of continuing and multiplying their

good works."

The invalid was replaced on the ass, and they took the road to Chiusi

which they reached by noon. Count Orlando was greatly pleased to see

them, and would have been but too glad to detain them, if only for

that day; but Francis would go as soon as dinner was done to Mount

Alvernia, whither the count accompanied him.

"The Mountain Alvernia is on the confines of Tuscany, not far from

Camaldoli and Val Ombrosa; it is part of the Apennines, and it rises

higher than the adjacent mountains from which it is separated: two

rivers flow at its foot, the Tiber and the Arno. On their sides it has

rocks so perpendicular and so smooth that they might be mistaken for

walls; and on the side on which the top may be reached, no one would

dare to attempt the ascent but for the number of beech trees and

underwood which hide the precipices. These trees, which are very lofty,

hide some extensive and beautiful pasturages. There also an abundance

of plants is found called carline or Caroline which is a cure for the

plague."

The farmer, who was their guide, made bold to address Francis thus:

"Brother, I hear much good spoken of you, and I understand that God

has shown you great favors, for which you are greatly indebted to Him;

strive, then, to be what it is said you are, and never to change in

order that those who have confidence in you may not be deceived; this

is a piece of advice I give you." Francis, delighted at what he had

heard, dismounted, kissed the man's feet, thanked him, acknowledging

the great mercy of God, who had been pleased to cast His eyes on the

lowliness of His servant. Although this advice came from a poor

countryman, it was nevertheless the very best that could be given to

a saint. So true it is that no one should be despised, and that the

most simple-minded persons often say more sensible and more spiritual

things than men of the greatest genius.

The same man being very thirsty at the steepest part of the mountain,

exclaimed loudly: "I shall die, if I cannot get something to drink."

Francis immediately alighted, threw himself on his knees, raised his

hands to heaven, and prayed until he knew that he had been heard. Then,

pointing out a large stone to the man, he said, "Go there quickly, and

you will find some living water: it is Jesus Christ who, out of His

great mercy, makes it spring from this rock that you may drink." The

man ran directly, found water, and drank as much as he required.

No spring had ever been known to be in that place, and no water was

ever found there afterwards. Wonderful goodness of the Almighty,

exclaims St. Bonaventure, who thus with so much benevolence grants the

prayers of His servants. The birds seeing St. Francis and his companions

approaching came in great numbers to welcome him to their home.

At length they reached the top of Mount Alvernia, where the religious

resided. The father was well pleased with their dwelling, because

everything was on a small scale and poor.

Count Orlando returned in the evening and came back next day, bringing

something for their dinner. After they had finished their meal, he

gave orders for the construction of a small chapel under a very tall

beech tree, and a cell, which Francis had asked him for, and, calling

the others aside, he said: "Since your founder has given his consent

to the donation I made you two years ago of this mountain, you may

consider it as yours, and hence both myself and mine will be always

devoted to your service whenever you shall need it. You will not be

able to please me more than by addressing yourselves to me, looking

upon me as your servant; and even, if you will do me that favor,

considering me as one of your brethren." After the departure of the

count, the holy Patriarch made them the following discourse, relative

to the count's kindness, which they took care to commit to writing:

"My dear children, it is God who thus turns the hearts of the faithful

towards His little and useless servants, in which He does us a very

great favor. On what we have hitherto received let us place our hopes

for what is to come; if that seems but little, the Lord, who is

infinitely liberal, will add to it by His goodness still greater

benefits, provided we are faithful to Him. Let us, then, leave to Him

the care of all that relates to you, and He Himself will feed you, as

He fed Elias, Paul, and Anthony in the desert. The birds of the air

neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father

nourishes them; how much more will He do this for His servants? If He

tries you, it will be only for a time, for it is written, that He will

not suffer the just to waver forever; the eyes of the Lord are on them

that fear Him, and on them that hope in His mercy to deliver their

souls from death and feed them in famine. Trust not to the princes of

the earth, nor to the charitable offers made you by our benefactor,

Count Orlando, for cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh

flesh his arm. This lord has acted nobly by us, and according to his

piety; let us do on our parts what depends on us, and fail not therein;

that is to say, let us not have recourse to his generosity, as to a

treasure of which we are the masters, and in that regard let us have

the greatest reserve that we may not in any respect trench upon holy

poverty. Be sure, my dear children, that our best resource for providing

for our wants, is to have none to provide for. If we are truly

evangelical poor, the world will have compassion upon us, and will

generously give us all that is necessary for our subsistence; but if

we swerve from holy poverty, the world will shun us; the illicit means

which we might take for avoiding indigence, would only make us feel

it the more." Is not such a discourse sufficient to show us, that St.

Francis had great talents and judgment, joined to great knowledge of

the practice of virtue?

Count Orlando had a church built on Mount Alvernia, according to the

plan which the Saint had given him, which, it was confidently said,

had been given to Francis by the Blessed Virgin, who appeared

accompanied by St. John the Baptist, and St. John the Evangelist.

While they were at work at this building and at the cells for the

brethren, Francis explored the mountain on all its sides, to discover

the sites best adapted for contemplation. He found one, where there

were some large openings in the rock, great masses overhanging them,

deep caverns, and frightful pits; and what seemed to him to be most

curious, there was a rock so split that the interior formed a room

with a smooth flooring, and a sort of ceiling which had a small opening

which admitted the light. He was anxious to know whether this was the

natural formation of the rock, or whether it was not the effect of an

earthquake; and, after having recited the seven penitential psalms,

he begged God to grant him information on this head. An angel acquainted

him, in an apparition, that this had happened at the death of Jesus

Christ, when the earth shook and the rocks were rent asunder. This

circumstance gave Mount Alvernia additional value in the eyes of the

servant of Jesus Christ crucified. He never afterwards saw these

openings without thinking of the sufferings his Divine Master endured

on the cross, and without wishing that his feelings of compassion might

break his heart. In the opinion of the holy Fathers, the rocks which

were rent when Jesus Christ expired were reproaches to the Jews for

the hardness of their hearts, and this reproach falls equally on

Christians who are insensible to His sufferings.

We can have no difficulty in thinking, with Cardinal Baronius, that

the rocks on Mount Alvernia were split at the death of our Saviour,

since the earthquake was universal, according to the opinions of

Eusebius, St. Jerome, and many others, and even according to the

testimony of pagan authors.

It is also very credible that the Son of God has manifested to His

special servants, some of the effects of this motion of the earth, in

order to impress more vividly on their minds the remembrance of His

Passion; and may we not think that the Lord, who is the beholder of

all ages, as the wise man says, and who had selected Mount Alvernia

as the place in which He would do His Servant Francis the favor of

imprinting the stigmata on him, as we shall see further on, was pleased

to give this mountain some resemblance to that of Calvary, where St.

Cyril of Jerusalem assures us, that in his time the rents caused by

the earthquake were seen?

Among the masses of rock on Mount Alvernia, there is one much more

elevated and much larger than the rest, and which is separated from

them by precipices, to which there is no access but by throwing a

bridge across. There, as in an insulated citadel, a celebrated brigand

had his stronghold, who was called the Wolf, on account of the plunder

and murders he committed in the surrounding country, either by himself,

or by the gang of which he was the chief. He often, also, by means of

a flying bridge, confined travellers in this place, whom he had

surprised on the high-roads, and whom he detained till their ransom

was paid. The establishment of Francis and his brethren displeased him

greatly: people of that sort do not like having neighbors. He gave

them several times notice to begone, and he threatened them should

they not obey. Their great poverty gave them nothing to fear from

thieves, but there was just cause for apprehending that the murderer

might massacre them all. Divine Providence, however, saved them by a

change which might well be called the work of the Most High. The villain

came one day determined upon expelling them, and used the most atrocious

language to them. Francis received him with so much mildness, listened

to him with so much patience, and induced him by degrees to hear reason,

so that his anger entirely fell, and he not only consented to their

remaining, but he begged that they would admit him into their poor

dwelling. He witnessed during several days their angelic mode of life,

and he became so changed, that he determined upon adopting a similar

plan. The Saint perceiving that from a ravenous wolf he was become a

gentle lamb, gave him the habit of the Order, and the name of Brother

Agnello, under which he expiated his crimes by religious penance, of

which he rigidly fulfilled all the duties. This fact was of such

notoriety, that the rock to which he used to retire has always been

called since, and is still known, by the name of Brother Wolf's prison.

All things being put in order at Mount Alvernia, he left it to go to

Rome. He passed through Monte Casale, Fabriano, Osimo, Ancona, Macerata,

Ascoli, Camerino, and many other places, preaching in all the truths

of salvation, gaining disciples, founding houses for his Order,

prophesying and working miracles; we shall only put on record here the

most remarkable, and those that are most edifying.

God favored him, as He had done St. Ambrose, with power of discovering

relics which were hidden. He knew by revelation that there were some

in a certain church in which he had prayed, and some business calling

him away from thence, he communicated the circumstance to his brethren,

desiring them to take them from thence and place them in a more suitable

situation; but they either through forgetfulness or neglect did not

do so. One day as they were preparing the altar for Mass, they found

under the altar-cloth some beautiful bones, from which a sweet perfumed

smell issued, and they immediately recollected that these were the

relics of which their Father had spoken. At his return he inquired

whether they had been disinterred, and the religious, having told him

exactly what had occurred, he said: "Blessed be the Lord, my God, who,

of His goodness, has done what you ought to have done out of obedience;"

but he imposed a penance upon them in expiation of their fault. At the

Monastery of Monte Maggiore, a joy and interior consolation which he

felt on entering the church, made him sensible that the high altar

contained something which had been used by the Blessed Virgin. He spoke

of it to the religious, who searched closely, and found that it was

true. In ecclesiastical history we find that God had often caused the

relics of His saints to be discovered, in order to do them honor, and

the Holy Fathers have taught the faithful to venerate them and to

preserve them with great care.

While he was preaching at Fabriano in the middle of the market-place,

some workmen who were employed at a palace made so much noise, that

it prevented his being heard. Having entreated them to be quiet for

a short time, to which they paid no attention, he said that the work

of those who were building the house would be of no use, because the

Lord did not build it, but that it would soon fall; however, that

neither man nor beast would be injured by it; and this happened but

a few days after it had been finished, as he had foretold. He assured

the people at the same town, that at a place called the Poor Valley,

his brethren, who were poor, would some day have a habitation. And,

in fact, in the year 1292, the town of Fabriano placed Friars Minor

there.

Among the most considerable establishments which he placed on his

route, was that of St. Mary of the Stony Valley, so called from its

being situated in a very rocky valley, between two mountains, four

miles distant from Fabriano. It was a church dedicated to the Blessed

Virgin, with a monastery, which the Religious of St. Benedict had

abandoned in order to take refuge in the town, on account of the wars,

and it is one of the most beautiful solitudes of all Italy. Devotion

to the Mother of God, and the love of retreat, had induced Francis to

ask for this place; and it was given him by those who were its

proprietors. The first time he went there, he lost his way, with his

companion, and asked a ploughman to take him to the valley. "What,"

says the man, "shall I leave my plough and lose my time, to serve you?"

However, he took him to the place, mollified by Francis' mildness, and

by his promising him that he should be no loser by so doing: on

returning, after receiving the Father's blessing, he found his field

quite ploughed.

Some workmen who were employed repairing a house which had been given

him, at a place called Trabe Bonata, being very tired, asked him to

give them some wine. He sent two of his brethren to procure some in

a neighboring village, from some charitable benefactor; but the workmen

being very urgent, out of compassion for them he went to a spring,

made the sign of the cross over it, and in an instant, instead of

water, wine issued from it, which flowed for a whole hour. Those who

drank of it published in all places the miraculous effect of the Saint's

charity.

In a parish called La Citta, he was very well received by the curate,

whose name was Raniero, with whom he became very intimate, so that he

was in the habit of visiting him, and going to confession to him. One

day after confession he gave him, in a very humble manner, notice,

that he, the curate, would become one of his brethren, because they

had become too closely united to live different kinds of lives: "But,"

he said, "this will not happen till after my death." The event verified

the prediction: as soon as the curate learnt that his friend Francis

shone by an infinity of miracles, and was just canonized, he entered

the Order of Friars Minor, and adhered to the rules with great

regularity.

The holy man coming to Osimo, was greeted, notwithstanding his great

humility, and brought into the town, with great honors. The next day

he preached on the vanity of the world, in so persuasive a strain,

that all his hearers, penetrated with compunction, turned their thoughts

seriously to their reformation, and thirty young men entered his

Institute.

On the same journey, he and his companions lodged at the house of a

gentleman, the greatness of whose soul equalled the antiquity of his

nobility, and whose politeness was joined to piety. The welcome he

received there was followed by this open-hearted proffer: "Man of God,"

he said, "I place my person at your disposal, and all that I possess,

all is yours, do as you please with it; if you want clothing, or a

cloak, or books, or whatever it may be, take it, and I will pay for

it. Be assured that I am wholly at your service. God has given me

wealth; I have wherewithal to assist the poor, and it is but just that

I do not fail in so doing."

Francis merely at the time contented himself with making those grateful

acknowledgments which so handsome and obliging an offer required; but

when he left him, he could not refrain from admiring the generosity

of this gentleman, and he said to his companion: "Indeed, brother, he

would be an excellent subject for our Order; he is humbly thankful for

what he has received from God; he loves his neighbor very sincerely;

he gives willingly to the poor; and he exercises hospitality from his

heart; he is extremely affable and polite; and politeness is sister

to charity; it puts down contention and promotes concord; he is

naturally benevolent; and this feeling is highly pleasing to our Father

who is in Heaven, who causes the sun to rise on the good and on the

wicked. So many excellent qualities which I see in this young man,

make me wish to have him to be one of us, and I should admit him with

pleasure. We must pay him another visit, and exhort him to devote

himself to the service of God; perhaps the Holy Ghost may incline him

to do so; meanwhile let us implore the Lord to grant our wish, if He

judges it right." In fact, they did pray for this purpose.

Some days afterwards they returned to this person's house, who had the

curiosity to watch what Francis did in the night; he saw him in prayer,

and in an ecstasy raised from the ground, and surrounded by a splendid

light, and he felt interiorly a certain celestial fire, which inspired

him with an ardent desire to imitate his mode of life. In the morning,

he communicated his feelings to the Saint, who was already made aware

of them by revelation, and who thanked the Giver of all good gifts for

them. The postulant gave all he had to the poor, took the habit of a

Friar Minor, and lived holily; preserving always the same affable and

polite manners, with which he received the guests of the convents in

which he resided. This endeared him still more to the Patriarch, who

was very zealous in the exercise of hospitality. The duties of

hospitality, lauded by the pagans, taught by the Gospel, enforced by

the Apostles, and all the Holy Fathers, are exercised in the Order of

St. Francis with so much the more care as, being totally dependent on

charity, they consider themselves bound to give all in the same manner,

and they apply to themselves these words of the Son of God to the

Apostles, on the gift of miracles: "Freely you have received, freely

give." This is what draws down the blessing of God, and which makes

so many houses subsist, without any revenue, by the charity of the

faithful.

The holy Patriarch of the Friars Minor arrived at Rome when everything

was preparing for the opening of the Twelfth Ecumenical Council, the

4th of Lateran, one of the most numerous ever held in the Church.

Innocent III had convoked it for the extinction of heresies, for the

reformation of morals, for regulating the discipline of the Church,

and for the recovery of the Holy Land by the union of the Christian

princes.

Francis came to Rome to induce the Sovereign Pontiff to give a public

approval to the Rule of his Order, which was of the highest importance

in order that the prelates might have it in their power to distinguish

the poor of Jesus Christ, true children of the Church, from certain

sectaries of those times who affected, as has been already said, to

bear the marks of Apostolic poverty.

What the Servant of God required was put in force; the Pope declared

before all the Fathers of the Council, that he approved the Order and

the Rule of St. Francis, although he had hitherto issued no bull. This

is a fact which is related by the companions of the Saint who wrote

his life, and by two authors of the Order of St. Dominic, Jordan of

Saxony, a disciple of that blessed Patriarch, and St. Antoninus.

Moreover, in order to avoid too great a variety of religious orders,

the council prohibited the formation of any new ones, and directed

that the existing ones should be considered sufficient. Yet it is clear

that the Pope could not, in this instance, avoid making known the

approbation he had given to an Order so new and peculiar as was that

of the Friars Minor, which in the last five years, had spread over

Italy, and was established in Rome.

The holy friendship which was subsequently formed between St. Dominic

and St. Francis, renders it proper that we should here record that St.

Dominic came also to this Lateran Council, together with Fulke, Bishop

of Toulouse, in order to propose to the pope an intention he had of

instituting an order of preachers, and that the Pope had seen in a

dream St. Dominic supporting the Lateran Church, which was falling,

in the same way as he had seen Francis supporting it five years before.

He praised his undertaking, but told him, according to the decree of

the council, to return with his brethren, and prepare a rule for the

guidance of the order, and then come back to have the order confirmed,

which the holy patriarch complied with.

The Council of Lateran having terminated its labors, Francis left Rome

at the beginning of December to return to St. Mary of the Angels.

When he had reached his convent, Clare, who, being very humble, had

accepted only through obedience the quality of Abbess of St. Damian,

wished to lay it down into his hands, to which he would by no means

assent, because he knew that by the disposition of Divine Providence,

she was to form the disciples who were to establish his Order in various

places, from whence it was to spread throughout the Church.

Clare had admitted many virgins during the three years she had presided

over St. Damian, among whom were some of her own relatives. Beatrice,

the youngest of her sisters, came a short time afterwards; and

Hortolona, her mother, as soon as she became a widow, decided upon

consecrating herself to God, with her three daughters, in the same

monastery, where miracles testified to the holiness of her life.

Finally, the virtues of Clare were so resplendent, and the miracles

which it pleased the Almighty to work by her means, threw so much

splendor around her, that, according to the remark of Pope Alexander

IV, in the bull of her canonization, the truth of the prediction which

was made to her mother, was clearly seen:--"That she would give to the

world a light which would even enlighten the world." The sequel of the

life of the Father will afford further opportunity for speaking of the

daughter.

The Benedictines of Mount Soubazo, in this year, gave the holy Patriarch

a convent on this very mountain, two miles from Assisi. It has been

called the prison of St. Francis, because he often shut himself up

there in contemplation after his Apostolical labors. His oratory is

still there, also: his cell, the stone and the wood which served him

for bed and pillow, and a copious spring which, by his intercession,

he obtained from God.

From the beginning of the following year, 1216, to the 30th of May,

the Festival of Whitsuntide, the day on which the general chapter was

held, which was the first of the Order, he had as much leisure as he

could desire for conversing with God, for giving instruction to his

brethren at St. Mary of the Angels, and to the Town of Assisi and its

environs. In the assembly, provincial ministers were appointed, to

whom power was given for admitting postulants into the Order; which

the Founder had previously reserved to himself. One whose name does

not appear, was sent into Apulia, and John de Strachia was sent into

Lombardy; Benedict of Arezzo, into the Marches of Ancona; Daniel the

Tuscan, into Calabria; Augustin of Assisi, into the Terra di Lavoro;

Elias of Cortona, into Tuscany. Evangelical laborers were chosen for

different nations. Bernard de Quintavalle, for Spain; John Bonella,

a Florentine, with thirty companions, for Provence; John de Penna, and

sixty of his brethren, for Upper and Lower Germany; Francis took for

his share Paris and what is properly called France and the Low

Countries.

The Apostolic laborers being all assembled at the feet of their Father,

to receive his orders, he addressed them with paternal tenderness, in

the following discourse:--

"In the name of the Lord, go forth modestly, two and two, observing

strict silence from the morning till after the hour of Tierce, praying

to God from your hearts. Let no idle or useless words be heard among

you; although you are travelling, your deportment should be as humble

and as decorous as if you were in a hermitage, or in your cells. For

wherever we are, and, whithersoever we may be going, we have always

our vocation with us; our brother, the body, is our cell, and the soul

is the hermit, who dwells in it to think of God and to pray to Him.

If a religious soul does not dwell quietly in the cell of the body,

the external cells will be of little use to him. Behave, then, in such

manner in the world, that whosoever may see or hear you, may be moved

to devotion, and praise our Heavenly Father to whom alone all glory

belongs. Proclaim peace to all men, but have it in your hearts, as

well as in your mouths. Give to no one cause for anger, nor for scandal;

on the contrary, by your own mildness, induce every one to feel

benignly, and draw them to union and to concord. We are called to heal

the wounded, console the afflicted, and to bring back those who err;

many may seem to you to be members of the devil, who will one day be

disciples of Jesus Christ." What Francis said of the inutility of

exterior cells, where the soul is not at ease in the cell of the body,

is in conformity to these words of St. Bernard:--"You may be alone

when you are in the midst of the world, as it may so happen that you

may be in the midst of the world when you are alone."

The children of the holy Patriarch received his blessing; and having

recommended themselves to the prayers of their companions, they set

out for those places to which obedience sent them. The success of the

several labors will be adverted to further on. The missionaries for

Provence remained some days after the breaking up of the chapter, to

receive further instructions relative to their mission. The day of

their departure, there were only three loaves of bread in the convent,

two of which had been sent there by Clare; these were found sufficient

for more than thirty who were present, and there was a great deal to

spare, a circumstance which was considered to be a good omen.

Francis, having animated all the others by his zeal, prepared himself

for setting out for Paris. Besides the natural affection he had for

France, of which he liked the language, as it was familiar to him, he

chose this city preferably to many others, because he knew that their

devotion was great towards the blessed sacrament, and this was a great

attraction for his piety.

May the Parisians ever entertain and transmit to their posterity this

fervent devotion of their ancestors, which Pope Urban IV., who was a

native of France, stirred up in the hearts of the faithful forty-six

years afterwards, by the institution of the Feast of the Most Holy

Sacrament, which is celebrated throughout the Church, with so much

solemnity. The bull which he issued on this occasion, enters into the

strongest and most moving arguments calculated to inspire veneration,

love, and the zeal which the precious memorial of the goodness of the

Son of God calls for, and to invite to a frequent and worthy

participation in the divine mystery, which the Council of Trent has

since expressed its anxiety to see reestablished.

Before his departure, Francis undertook to reconcile the members of

the illustrious family of the Baselennesi, a long time disunited by

unhappy family dissensions, and he succeeded to the satisfaction of

all parties. Out of gratitude they had built for him, on one of their

estates on a spot near the Tiber, surrounded with very beautiful trees,

a convent called St. Angel of Pantanellis.

He chose to go once more to Rome to recommend to the holy Apostles his

journey to France. On the road, having seated himself close to a spring

to take his meal, he put some pieces of bread, which had been given

to him on his quest, and which were very hard and mouldy, on a stone

near him; he expressed much satisfaction, and he pressed his companion

Masse to give thanks to God for so great a treasure; and he repeated

several times the same thing, elevating his voice more and more. "But

of what treasure are you talking" said Masse, "at a time when we are

in want of many things?" "The great treasure is," replied Francis,

"that, being in want of so much, God has had the goodness to furnish

us by His providence with that bread and this spring, and to find us

this stone to serve as a table."

He went shortly after into a church, where he prayed to God to give

him and his children the love of holy poverty; and his prayer was so

fervent that fire seemed to issue from his countenance. Full of this

celestial ardor, he went towards Masse with open arms, calling him by

name with a loud voice; Masse, in great astonishment, going to throw

himself into the arms of his Father, was raised into the air several

cubits high, and felt such sweetness in his soul, that he frequently

afterwards declared that he had never experienced anything like it.

After this ecstasy, Francis spoke to him on the subject of poverty in

an admirable strain.

When at Rome, in a chapel of the Church of St. Peter, while he was

praying with tears that the holy Apostles would give him instructions

on the subject of holy poverty and of an Apostolic life, they appeared

to him surrounded by lights, and, after tenderly embracing him, said:

"Brother Francis, our Lord Jesus Christ has sent us to tell you that

He has favorably heard your prayers and tears on the subject of holy

poverty, which He Himself had followed, as well as His Blessed Mother,

and we, who are His Apostles, after his example. This treasure is

granted to you for yourself and for your children; those who shall

carefully adhere to it, will have the kingdom of heaven for their

reward." The Servant of God, filled with consolation, went to his

companion Masse, to whom he communicated what had passed, and they

went together to give thanks at the place which is called the Confession

of St. Peter, which is his tomb.

While Francis was at Rome, Pope Innocent III died at Perugia. He was

of the illustrious house of the Counts of Segni, which has given five

popes to the Church, the last of whom was Innocent XIII, of blessed

memory. It was at the University of Paris that his merit was first

noticed; he shone there above the many who were its honor and its

ornament. It was his rare and transcendent qualities which induced the

cardinals unanimously to elect him to the pontificate; and these

qualities shone with additional splendor when his humility urged his

resistance to the election, from which he prayed with unaffected tears

to be released. His government and the works he has left to posterity,

show, that he had great genius, great science, prudence, and probity,

with solid piety, and ardent zeal. "He was," says a French contemporary

writer "a man of great courage and great wisdom, who had no equal in

his day, and who did marvellous things." He was indeed one of the most

eminent men who have filled the chair of St. Peter. The affection he

bore to Francis, and the favors he conferred on his Order, have

compelled us to do this justice here to his memory.

On the 18th of July, they elected for his successor Cardinal Savelli,

who took the name of Honorius III. He was a learned and worthy man.

He generally followed the designs of his predecessor, and had a similar

affection for the religious orders, of which he gave substantial proofs

in the favors he bestowed on that of St. Francis.

Some months after his election, he gave his approval of the Order of

St. Dominic. This holy patriarch having returned to his companions to

fix upon a rule, as had been recommended to him by Pope Innocent at

the Lateran Council, and having adopted the rule of St. Augustine, to

which he had added some more austere regulations, came back to Rome

to procure the approval of the Holy See. While he solicited it from

Honorius, who had arrived from Perugia, he made acquaintance and

contracted an intimacy with Francis, in consequence of a miraculous

vision which he had in the Church of St. Peter, where he prayed

unceasingly with great fervor for the success of his enterprise.

He saw the Son of God seated on the right hand of His Father, who rose

up greatly irritated against sinners, holding three darts in His hand,

for the extirpation of the proud, the avaricious, and the voluptuous.

His holy Mother threw herself at His feet, and prayed for mercy, saying

that she had persons who would remedy the evil; and she at the same

time introduced to Him Dominic and Francis, as being proper persons

for reforming the world, and reestablishing piety; this pacified Jesus

Christ.

Dominic, who had never seen Francis, met him next day, recognized him,

ran to him and embraced him, saying: "You are my companion; we will

work in concert with each other; let us be strictly united, and no one

will be able to master us." Francis himself communicated this favor

of Heaven to the children of Dominic: and St. Vincent Ferrer, and some

other authors quoted by Wading, say that Francis had received a similar

favor from Heaven. The event proved the truth of the Vision. Dominic

alone, without any human aid, having nothing to command success but

poverty, humility, and prayer, obtained the approbation of his order,

which was an affair of great difficulty, particularly at the

commencement of a Pontificate, when the Pope is occupied by most

important affairs.

We may here notice the groundwork of the ardent zeal of the Friars

Preachers and the Friars Minor for the glory of the Mother of God.

Persuaded that their orders were established under her protection, and

that she is especially the mother of their holy patriarchs, they strive

by every means in their power to restore the devout veneration due to

her. It is the common interest of all the faithful who see that she

is, according to the expression of the Holy Fathers, their advocate

and their mediatrix; that she prays and solicits for them; that she

interposes between them and the wrath of her Son, and appeases Him:

this affords great room for confidence in her, and should induce them

to invoke her for their conversion and sanctification.

Dominic and Francis, confident of the protection of the Blessed Virgin,

entered into a strict friendship and resolved to spare no pains in

their exertions for the glory of God, and concerted together as to the

best means for attaining their object. Upon which an author quoted by

Wading, makes a most appropriate reflection: "It was," he says,

"something admirable to see two men, who were poor, badly clad, without

power or interest despicable in the eyes of the world, divide between

them the world itself, and undertake to conquer it. Who would not have

turned their plans into ridicule hearing them seriously consult together

on such an undertaking, since they seemed to have so little means of

carrying them into execution? Nevertheless, they succeeded; because

God selected by their means to confound what is strong." They resembled

St. Peter and St. Paul, proposing to themselves, in the same City of

Rome, to convert the universe by the preaching of the Gospel; this

shows that God made use of means for reanimating the faith, similar

to those which He had employed to establish it.

It is reported, that while Dominic and Francis were still at Rome,

Angelus, of the Order of the Carmelites, who was afterwards martyred

in Sicily, was also there; that, preaching in the Church of St. John

Lateran, where the two others were among the hearers, he foretold that

they would become two great pillars of the Church; that when the sermon

was finished, they foretold to one another what would happen to each

of them, and even that Francis would receive the stigmata; then the

three together cured a man afflicted with leprosy, and passed a day

and a night together in prayer and conversing on holy subjects.

Francis left Rome at the end of the year, intending to continue his

journey into France. He passed through Sienna and by Mount Alvernia

and arrived at Florence in the month of January, 1217, to pay his

dutiful respects to Cardinal Ugolino, who was Papal Legate there. This

cardinal, who had declared himself his protector and his friend, when

he went to request the approbation of his rule from Pope Innocent III.,

in 1210, received him with great kindness, detained him some days,

inquired into the affairs of his Order, and said to him on the subject

of his journey: "Francis, your Order is still in its infancy. You know

the opposition it met with in Rome, and you have still there some

secret enemies; if there is not some one there to watch over your

interests, it will be an easy matter to cause all you have obtained

to be revoked. Your presence will go a great way in upholding your

work, and those who are attached to you will have a greater stimulus

for giving you their support. As to myself, I am from this moment

wholly yours."

The holy man, after having thanked the cardinal, replied: "I have sent

many of my brethren into far distant countries. If I remain quietly

in our convent, without taking any share in their labors, it will be

a great shame for me; and these poor religious, who are suffering

hunger and thirst, will have great reason to murmur and complain; but

instead of that, if they find that I work as much as they do, they

will bear their fatigues more willingly, and I shall more easily

persuade them to undertake similar missions."

The cardinal, feeling for the sufferings of these missionaries, said:

"But why, brother, have you the harshness to expose your disciples to

such arduous journeying and to so much suffering?" "My Lord," replied

Francis, who was urged by a prophetic spirit, "you think that God has

sanctioned the Institute for this country only; but I tell you that

He has formed it for the good of the universe, and for the salvation

of all men, without excluding the infidels: for religious of this Order

will go into their territories; and provided they live in conformity

to the Gospel, God will provide amply for all their wants, even among

the enemies of His name."

These words made a great impression on the cardinal, who was a very

holy man, and increased his affection for Francis, whom he again

exhorted in stronger language than before, to remain in Italy to

consolidate an Institute which was to have such beneficial results.

The Saint having yielded to the reasoning of the cardinal, entreated

him to be the protector of the Friars Minor, according to his promise,

and to be so good as to be present at the next general chapter; after

which he took the road to the Valley of Spoleto.

There he learnt that some of his brethren had been seriously ill-treated

by several prelates, and that at the court of Rome there were persons

who spoke against his Order. This news confirmed him in the resolution

he had taken to remain in Italy; and he named three of his disciples

for the French mission, to wit: Pacificus of the Marches of Ancona,

the celebrated poet, whose conversion we have related; Angelus, and

Albert, both of Pisa.

He likewise intended to request the Pope to nominate a cardinal of the

Holy Roman Church, to protect his Order against all who should attack

it. Three of his companions, the writers of his life, say, that he was

induced to this by a celestial vision in his sleep. He saw a hen

endeavoring to gather all her chickens under her wings, to protect

them from a hawk; she could not cover them all, and many were about

to become its prey; but another large bird appeared, spread its wings

over them, and preserved them from the danger. On awaking, Francis

prayed our Lord to explain to him the meaning of this, and he learnt

that the hen represented himself, and the chickens were his disciples,

that the bird with the large wings represented the cardinal, whom they

were to solicit for their protector. He told all this to his brethren,

and addressed them as follows:--

"The Roman Church is the mother of all the churches, and the sovereign

of all religious orders. It is to her that I shall address myself to

recommend to her my brethren, in order that her authority may silence

those who are hostile to them, and that she may procure for the children

of God full and perfect liberty to advance quietly in the way of eternal

salvation; for when they shall be under her protection, there will be

no more enemies to oppose them, nor disturb them; there will not be

seen among them any son of Belial to ravage with impunity the vineyard

of the Lord. The holy Church will be zealous for the glory of our

poverty; she will not suffer that the humility which is so honorable

to her, shall be obscured by the clouds of pride. It is she who will

render indissoluble among us, the bonds of charity and peace, rigorously

punishing the authors of dissensions. Under her eyes, the holy

evangelical observance will ever flourish in its pristine purity; she

will never permit these holy practices to flag even momentarily, those

practices which shed around them a vivifying light. May the children,

then, of that holy Church be very grateful for the great favors which

they receive from their mother; let them kiss her feet with profound

veneration, and remain forever inviolably attached to her."

The first words of this discourse show that St. Francis was perfectly

cognizant of the prerogatives of the Church of Rome, and of the extent

of the authority of the Holy See. It was not in vain that he sought

her protection, since his Order was established, extended, supported,

and sometimes even renovated under this powerful authority; and the

attachment to the Holy See, which he so strongly recommended to his

brethren, has been so visibly manifested during five centuries, that

it has procured for them the esteem and love of all Catholics, as well

as the hatred of the heretics, so that they have the honor of having

some share in the eulogiums which St. Jerome passed on St. Augustine:

"The Catholics esteem and respect you, and, what enhances your glory,

all the heretics detest you. They hold me in equal hatred; and if they

durst not put both the one and the other of us to death, they have at

least the wish to do so." This wish of the heretics has not been without

effect as regards the children of St. Francis, for of a thousand martyrs

which they reckon in his Order, a very great number of them were put

to death with greater cruelty in this and latter times by the sectarians

than by idolatrous tyrants. Heresy will be ever so, the daughter of

a parent, who, according to the words of Jesus Christ, was a murderer

from the beginning.

The holy Patriarch went then to Rome, where he found Cardinal Ugolino,

who was returned from Tuscany, to whom he communicated the intention

he had of soliciting the pope for a protector. The cardinal at the

same time expressed his wish to hear him preach before the pope and

the sacred college. Francis excused himself from this as much as he

could, assigning for reasons, his ignorance, his simplicity, and his

uncultivated mind, which unfitted him for speaking in the most august

assembly in the world. But he was obliged to yield to the pressing

instances of the cardinal, who entreated him as a friend to comply,

and even ordered him to prepare himself for the task, recommending him

to compose carefully a sermon wherein there should be as much erudition

and reasoning as such an audience required.

Up to that time, the Servant of God had never prepared himself for

preaching; he only spoke from the pulpit what the Holy Ghost inspired.

Nevertheless, he, in this instance, obeyed the cardinal; he prepared

a sermon as carefully as he could, and learned it by heart. When he

came into the presence of the Pope, he forgot every part of the

discourse, and could not utter a syllable of it. But after having

humbly explained the circumstance, and implored the aid of the Holy

Ghost, words flowed copiously from his mouth, and he spoke with so

much eloquence and animation, that the Pope and cardinal were deeply

affected.

Having been admitted to an audience of the Pope in presence of Cardinal

Ugolino, he said: "Most Holy Father, I am not in fear of becoming

importunate for the interests of your lowly servants, the Friars Minor,

while you are occupied with so many important affairs which regard the

whole Church. I entreat you to give us this cardinal, to whom we may

have recourse in our wants, always under your sanction, since it is

from you, the Head of the mystical Body, that all power emanates." The

Pope granted his request with alacrity, and recommended the cardinal

to take great care of the Order. From that time, the Orders of Friars

Minor have always had a cardinal protector, whose powers are extended

as the Pope shall see fit; the terms of the Rule, which oblige the

Order by obedience to apply for one, show, that it was the intention

of Francis, that his powers should be most ample.

Cardinal Ugolino was one of the most accomplished men of the City of

Rome; his person well made, his countenance mild and majestic, his

genius quick, with great memory and eloquence, possessing in perfection

all human sciences, civil and canon-law, and particularly the Holy

Scriptures; he was very expert in all public business; a lover of

virtue and order, and of a pure and exemplary life.

His first care in undertaking the office of protector, which he did

willingly, was, to defend the Friars against all those who attacked

them, to conciliate the prelates in their favor and to spread them

into all parts for the salvation of souls; his great authority silenced

their enemies. As often as his affairs admitted of it, he assisted at

their general chapters; then he officiated pontifically. Francis acted

as his deacon, and preached. He conformed to the rule of the Institute

as much as was in his power, and was, when with them, as one of

themselves, and even endeavored to appear as the lowest among them.

A contemporary author, who was an ocular witness, expresses himself

thus: "O how often has he been seen humbly to divest himself of the

marks of his high dignity; put on the poor habit, and, with bare feet,

join the religious in the regular exercises, in order to imitate their

evangelical life!" A lively and enlightened faith, a solid and fervent

piety, and a superior mind, convinced him that since the time of the

abasement of the Son of God, humiliation is honorable, and adds to the

splendor of the highest dignities; a truth which is not understood by

persons of little faith, by the proud, the indevout, and those of

little mind.

This great cardinal respected Francis as much as he loved him; looking

upon him as a man sent down from heaven. His presence was a source of

pleasure to him, and he often admitted, as the above-quoted author

states, that from the time he had made acquaintance with this holy

man, as soon as he saw him and heard him speak, all that caused in him

uneasiness of mind, or grief at heart was dispelled; his countenance

became serene, and his soul was filled with fervor.

Francis, on his side, had great veneration for the cardinal. He insisted

on his brethren considering him as the Pastor of the Flock, and, with

an attachment as tender as that of an infant for its mother's breast,

he gave him in all things marks of the profoundest deference. One day,

hearing that he was about to receive a visit from him he ran away and

hid himself in the thickest part of the wood. The cardinal had him

sought for, and went himself in search for him. Having found him he

asked Francis as his friend to tell why he avoided him. "My Lord and

my Father," answered the humble Francis, "as soon as I knew that your

Grandeur intended to honor me with your presence, me who am the poorest

and the most despicable of men, I was covered with confusion, and I

blushed at the thought of my baseness, finding myself wholly unworthy

to receive so distinguished an honor, for I truly revere you as my

Lord and my Father." These feelings were partly owing to a vision he

had, which revealed to him that this cardinal would be Pope; he foretold

it to him,--this is recorded by St. Bonaventure; and in the private

letters which he wrote to him, he put on the heading: To my Reverend

Father and Lord Ugolino, who is one day to be the Bishop of the whole

world, and the Father of all nations.

The respectful gratitude of the Friars Minor required that we should

insert all these anecdotes in memory of Cardinal Ugolino, who honored

the holy Patriarch of his Order, as well as that of St. Clare, with

his affection, his protection, and his liberality, and who surpassed

all his former favors ten years afterwards, when he was Pope under the

name of Gregory IX.

When Francis had obtained from the Pope so powerful a protector, and

had put his various affairs in order, he set out on his return to St.

Mary of the Angels, but he spent the remainder of the year in the

Valley of Rieti, where he performed many wonderful things, of which

one of his companions has given a very ample account.

At Grecio, or Grecchia, a very dissolute town in which he first

preached, no one frequented the Sacraments; no one listened to the

Word of God, and marriages within the prohibited degrees were of

ordinary occurrence.--By word and example he urged them to repentance

and made such an impression that they entreated him to make some

brothers stay among them. He willingly agreed to do so, in the hope

of their conversion, which took place in a short time; meanwhile he

retired to a mountain, from whence he came to Grecio and other places

to preach.

On returning one day from Cotanello, a neighboring town, and not being

able to find the way to the mountain, he asked a farmer to be his

guide. This man excusing himself, saying that there were wolves in

that direction that committed great havoc, Francis promised him, and

pledged himself as his surety, that he should not be attacked by any

wolf either in going or coming back; he found that the Saint was

correct, for, in returning, two wolves which were in the way, played

with him as dogs do, and followed him to his house without doing him

any harm. The farmer reported this over all his neighborhood, and said

that, assuredly, the man to whom he had served as guide, must be a

great favorite with God, who gave him such absolute command over the

wolves. Upon this they assembled in great numbers, and came to the Man

of God, entreating him to deliver them from their calamities.

"Two sorts of calamities bore hard upon them," says St. Bonaventure,

"wolves and hail." The wolves were so ravenous in the environs of

Grecio, that they devoured both cattle and men; and the hail fell every

year in such quantity and of such large size, that their crops of corn

were destroyed, and their vineyards sorely damaged. Francis preached

on this subject, and pointed out to them that scourges of this nature

were the punishment of sin; and he ended by saying: "For the honor and

for the glory of God, I pledge my word to you, that if you choose to

give credit to what I say, and have pity on your own souls, by making

a good confession, and showing worthy fruits of repentance, God will

look upon you with a favorable eye; will deliver you from your

calamities, and render your country abundant in all sorts of good

things. But I also declare to you that if you are ungrateful for these

benefits, if, like the dog, you return to the vomit, God will be still

more irritated against you, and you will feel the effects thereof

twofold by the fresh afflictions He will then send." They believed the

preacher, and did penance; from that moment the scourges ceased; nothing

more was heard of wolves, and there was no more hail; and, what seemed

most remarkable, continues St. Bonaventure, was, that when it hailed

in the vicinity, the cloud, on nearing their lands, either stopped or

went off in another direction. This lasted as long as those people

remained faithful to God.

Four authors, in different centuries, who have written the history of

the Valley of Rieti, assure us, that when dissoluteness recommenced

in that country, the wolves returned and made great havoc. Wading, who

wrote in Italy in the 17th century, says, that the inhabitants of the

valley admitted this to be the case. It is certain by the testimony

of the Holy Scriptures, that the sins of the people call down not

unfrequently the scourges of the wrath of God, which may be averted

by repentance, or be rendered useful to salvation. But how many

afflicted sinners are there, of whom it may be said with the prophet:

"O Lord, Thou hast struck them, and they have not grieved; Thou hast

bruised them, and they have refused to receive correction; they have

made their faces harder than the rock, and they have refused to return."

A knight, whose name was John Velita, who was converted by the preaching

of Francis, became his intimate friend, and used often to go to see

him and consult him in his hut, which was made of the branches of two

large hornbeams intertwined. As he was an elderly man, and very

corpulent, whom the steepness of the road greatly fatigued, he begged

Francis to come nearer to the town: this would be agreeable to all,

and he offered to build him a convent on any spot he should select.

The Servant of God assented to the proposal, and, smiling, promised

the knight not to settle farther from the town than the distance to

which a child could throw a lighted brand. Upon this they went together

down the mountain, and when they reached the gates of Grecio, the

knight sent the first child he met to fetch a lighted brand, and desired

him to throw it as far as he could, not thinking he could throw it

very far. But the child, with a strength surpassing that of men, threw

the brand to a distance of more than a mile, and it fell on a hill

belonging to the knight, and set fire to the wood which covered it,

and lit at length on a very stony spot. This prodigy made it clear

that God desired that a convent should be built there, and it was cut

out of the rock. The oratory, the dormitory, and the refectory, which

are still extant, on the ground floor, are only thirty feet long by

six broad; precious remains, which show us the love of poverty which

planned them.

The Saint founded three other establishments in the Valley of Rieti,

at St. Mary of the Woods, at Monte Raniero, or Monte Columba, and at

Pui Buscone. These four houses, which are situated on eminences on the

four sides of the valley, formed together a cross. In each of them,

as in the Town of Rieti, and all around the lake which surrounds it,

traces are shown of several miracles which were performed by the man

of God.

He returned to St. Mary of the Angels in the Month of January, 1218,

and he determined upon convoking a general chapter, which he proclaimed

by circular letters, to be held on Whitsuntide of the year 1219, in

order that he might be made acquainted with the state of the missions

intrusted to his disciples, and that he might send missionaries into

parts where there had hitherto been none.

While he was thus occupied by his important projects for the salvation

of souls, God, in order to prevent any emotions of pride stealing into

his heart, and to maintain in him a profound humility, was pleased to

permit that he should be attacked by a violent temptation; it was an

extraordinary depression of spirits, which lasted several days. He

made every effort to surmount it by his prayers and his tears; and one

day when he was praying with more than ordinary fervor, a celestial

voice said to him: "Francis, if thou hadst the faith of a grain of

mustard-seed, and thou wert to say to this mountain, go thither from

hence, it would go." Not understanding the meaning of these words, he

asked "what is the mountain"; and he was answered: "The mountain is

the temptation." He immediately replied, weeping and humbling himself:

"Lord, Thy will be done." And from that moment the temptation ceased,

and his mind became perfectly at ease.

The year 1218 was divided between the stay he made at St. Mary of the

Angels, for the instruction of his brethren, and some excursions he

made to Mount Alvernia and to some other places, where new dwellings

were made over to him. His route was always marked by the fruits of

his preaching, and by the splendor of his miracles. Passing by Montaigu,

above the Valley of Caprese, before a Church of St. Paul, which was

being repaired, and seeing that two of the masons could not succeed

in lifting a stone, which was to be placed as a jamb for the door, his

compassion and zeal induced him to lift it and place it as required,

which he did alone, and with a strength which was not that of a mortal.

The Abbot of the Monastery of St. Justin, in the Diocese of Perugia,

met him, and alighted from his horse to compliment him, and to speak

to him on some matters of conscience. After a conversation replete

with unction, the abbot, recommended himself humbly to his prayers.

Francis replied: "I will pray with all my heart;" and they parted. At

a little distance from thence, the Saint said to his companion: "Wait

a little, brother, I will here perform my promise." He knelt to pray;

and while he was so doing, the abbot, who was riding on, felt his mind

inflamed with a suavity of devotion, such as he had never before

experienced. He stopped, and the vivid impressions with which God

favored him, threw him into an ecstasy. But when he came to himself

again, he became aware that it was entirely owing to the prayers of

Francis.

On his return from his last journey in 1218, which was much longer

than any of the others had been, Francis found that another building,

large and commodious, had been erected in his absence, close to the

Portiuncula convent. Displeased at seeing this infringement of the

rules of holy poverty, he took some of his brethren with him, and went

on the roof, to begin to break it down, which he certainly would have

carried through, had not some of the people from Assisi, who were

there, informed him that the building belonged to the town; that it

had been built by them for the foreign religious, who daily arrived

there, it being dishonorable to the town to see them compelled, in

consequence of the want of room in the convent, to sleep outside, and

even in the fields; that the town had destined this building for their

accommodation, and that they would be received there in its name. On

hearing this he came down, and said:--"If that, then, is your house,

I leave it, and shall not meddle with it; we shall have nothing to do

with it, neither myself nor my brethren; take care of it yourselves."

It was decided in consequence by a deliberation of the municipality,

that the magistrates should provide for the repairs.