Life of St. Francis of Assisi by Paul Sabatier (best historical biographies txt) 📕

which had seemed to me bitter had become sweet and easy.

A little while after I quitted the world, and God gave me such a
faith in his churches that I would kneel down with simplicity
and I would say: "We adore thee, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in
all thy churches which are in the world, and we bless thee that
by thy holy cross thou hast ransomed the world."

Besides, the Lord gave me and still gives me so great a faith in
priests who live according to the form of the holy Roman Church,
because of their sacerdotal character, that even if they
persecuted me I would have recourse to them. And even though I
had all the wisdom of Solomon, if I should find poor secular
priests, I would not preach in their parishes without their
consent. I desire to respect them like all the others, to love
them and honor them as my lords. I will not consider their
sins, for in them I see the Son of God and they are my lords. I
do this because here below I see nothing, I perceive nothing
corporally of the most high Son of God, if not his most holy
Body and Blood, which they receive and they alone distribute to
others. I desire above all things to honor and venerate all
these most holy mysteries and to keep them precious. Whenever I
find the sacred names of Jesus or his words in indecent places,
I desire to take them away, and I pray that others take them
away and put them in some decent place. We ought to honor and
revere all the theologians and those who preach the most holy
word of God, as dispensing to us spirit and life.

When the Lord gave me some brothers no one showed me what I
ought to do, but the Most High himself revealed to me that I
ought to live according to the model of the holy gospel. I
caused a short and simple formula to be written, and the lord
pope confirmed it for me.

Those who presented themselves to observe this kind of life
distributed all that they might have to the poor. They contented
themselves with a tunic, patched within and without, with the
cord and breeches, and we desired to have nothing more.

The clerks said the office like other clerks, and the laymen
Pater noster .

We loved to live in poor and abandoned churches, and we were
ignorant and submissive to all. I worked with my hands and would
continue to do, and I will also that all other friars work at
some honorable trade. Let those who have none learn one, not for
the purpose of receiving the price of their toil, but for their
good example and to flee idleness. And when they do not give us
the price of the work, let us resort to the table of the Lord,
begging our bread from door to door. The Lord revealed to me the
salutation which we ought to give: "God give you peace!"

Let the Brothers take great care not to receive churches,
habitations, and all that men build for them, except as all is
in accordance with the holy poverty which we have vowed in the
Rule, and let them not receive hospitality in them except as
strangers and pilgrims.

I absolutely interdict all the brothers, in whatever place they
may be found, from asking any bull from the court of Rome,
whether directly or indirectly, under pretext of church or
convent or under pretext of preachings, nor even for their
personal protection. If they are not received anywhere let them
go elsewhere, thus doing penance with the benediction of God.

I desire to obey the minister-general of this fraternity, and
the guardian whom he may please to give me. I desire to put
myself entirely into his hands, to go nowhere and do nothing
against his will, for he is my lord.

Though I be simple and ill, I would, however, have always a
clerk who will perform the office, as it is said in the Rule;
let all the other brothers also be careful to obey their
guardians and to do the office according to the Rule. If it come
to pass that there are any who do not the office according to
the Rule, and who desire to make any other change, or if they
are not Catholics, let all the Brothers, wherever they may be,
be bound by obedience to present them to the nearest custode.
Let the custodes be bound by obedience to keep him well guarded
like a man who is in bonds night and day, so that he may not
escape from their hands until they personally place him in the
minister's hands. And let the minister be bound by obedience to
send him by brothers who will guard him as a prisoner day and
night until they shall have placed him in the hands of the Lord
Bishop of Ostia, who is the lord, the protector, and the
correcter of all the Fraternity.[13]

And let the Brothers not say: "This is a new Rule;" for this is
a reminder, a warning, an exhortation; it is my Will, that I,
little Brother Francis, make for you, my blessed Brothers, in
order that we may observe in a more catholic way the Rule which
we promised the Lord to keep.

Let the ministers-general, all the other ministers and the
custodes be held by obedience to add nothing to and take nothing
from these words. Let them always keep this writing near them,
beside the Rule; and in all the chapters which shall be held,
when the Rule is read let these words be read also.

I interdict absolutely, by obedience, all the Brothers, clerics
and layman, to introduce glosses in the Rule, or in this Will,
under pretext of explaining it. But since the Lord has given me
to speak and to write the Rule and these words in a clear and
simple manner, without commentary, understand them in the same
way, and put them in practice until the end.

And may whoever shall have observed these things be crowned in
heaven with the blessings of the heavenly Father, and on earth
with those of his well-beloved Son and of the Holy Spirit the
consoler, with the assistance of all the heavenly virtues and
all the saints.

And I, little Brother Francis, your servitor, confirm to you so
far as I am able this most holy benediction. Amen.

After thinking of his Brothers Francis thought of his dear Sisters at St. Damian and made a will for them.

It has not come down to us, and we need not wonder; the Spiritual Brothers might flee away, and protest from the depths of their retreats, but the Sisters were completely unarmed against the machinations of the Common Observance.[14]

In the last words that he addressed to the Clarisses, after calling upon them to persevere in poverty and union, he gave them his benediction.[15] Then he recommended them to the Brothers, supplicating the latter never to forget that they were members of one and the same religious family.[16] After having done all that he could for those whom he was about to leave, he thought for a moment of himself.

He had become acquainted in Rome with a pious lady named Giacomina di Settisoli. Though rich, she was simple and good, entirely devoted to the new ideas; even the somewhat singular characteristics of Francis pleased her. He had given her a lamb which had become her inseparable companion.[17]

Unfortunately all that concerns her has suffered much from later retouchings of the legend. The perfectly natural conduct of the Saint with women has much embarrassed his biographers; hence heavy and distorted commentaries tacked on to episodes of a delicious simplicity.

Before dying Francis desired to see again this friend, whom he smilingly called Brother Giacomina. He caused a letter to be written her to come to Portiuncula; we can imagine the dismay of the narrators at this far from monastic invitation.

But the good lady had anticipated his appeal: at the moment when the messenger with the letter was about to leave for Rome, she arrived at Portiuncula and remained there until the last sigh of the Saint.[18] For one moment she thought of sending away her suite; the invalid was so calm and joyful that she could not believe him dying, but he himself advised her to keep her people with her. This time he felt with no possible doubt that his captivity was about to be ended.

He was ready, he had finished his work.

Did he think then of the day when, cursed by his father, he had renounced all earthly goods and cried to God with an ineffable confidence, "Our Father who art in heaven!" We cannot say; but he desired to finish his life by a symbolic act which very closely recalls the scene in the bishop's palace.

He caused himself to be stripped of his clothing and laid upon the ground, for he wished to die in the arms of his Lady Poverty. With one glance he embraced the twenty years that had glided by since their union: "I have done my duty," he said to the Brothers, "may the Christ now teach you yours!"[19]

This was Thursday, October 1.[20]

They laid him back upon