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

of Besse: De Laudibus ,
f^o 113b. It appears that Giacomina settled for the rest of her
life at Assisi, that she might gain edification from the first
companions of Francis. Spec. , 107b. (What a lovely scene, and
with what a Franciscan fragrance!) The exact date of her death
is not known. She was buried in the lower church of the basilica
of Assisi, and on her tomb was engraved: Hic jacit Jacoba
sancta nobilisque romana . Vide Fratini: Storia della
basilica , p. 48. Cf. Jacobilli: Vite dei Santi e Beati dell'
Umbria , Foligno, 3 vols., 4to, 1647; i., p. 214.

[19] 2 Cel., 3, 139; Bon., 209, 210; Conform. , 171b, 2.

[20] 2 Cel., 3, 139: Cum me videritis ... sicut me nudius
tertius nudum vidistis.

[21] 1 Cel., 109; 2 Cel., 3, 139.

[22] 1 Cel., 109; Bon., 212.

[23] 1 Cel., 109. Cf. Epist. Eliæ.

[24] Tribul. Laur., 22b. Nothing better shows the historic
value of the chronicle of the Tribulations than to compare its
story of these moments with that of the following documents:
Conform. , 48b, 1; 185a, 2; Fior. , 6.; Spec. , 86a.

[25] 2 Cel., 3, 139; Spec. , 116b; Conform. , 224b, 1.

[26] 2 Cel., 3, 139. A simple comparison between this story in
the Speculum (116b) and that in the Conformities (224b, 1)
is enough to show how in certain of its parts the Speculum
represents a state of the legend anterior to 1385.

[27] Bon., 214. This cell has been transformed into a chapel and
may be found a few yards from the little church of Portiuncula.
Church and chapel are now sheltered under the great Basilica of
Santa Maria degli Angeli. See the picture and plan, A. SS., p.
814, or better still in P. Barnabas aus dem Elsass, Portiuncula
oder Geschichte U. L. F. v. den Engeln . Rixheim, 1884, 1 vol.,
8vo, pp. 311 and 312.

[28] 1 Cel., 116 and 117; Bon., 219; Conform. 185a, 1.

[29] To-day in the clôture of the convent St. Clara. Vide
Miscellanea 1, pp. 44-48, a very interesting study by Prof.
Carattoli upon the coffin of St. Francis.

* * * * *


CRITICAL STUDY OF THE SOURCES


* * * * *


SUMMARY


I. ST. FRANCIS'S WORKS.


II. BIOGRAPHIES PROPERLY SO CALLED.

1. Preliminary Note.

2. First Life by Thomas of Celano.

3. Review of the History of the Order 1230-1244.

4. Legend of the Three Companions.

5. Fragments of the Suppressed Portion of the Legend.

6. Second Life by Thomas of Celano. First Part.

7. Second Life by Thomas of Celano. Second Part.

8. Documents of Secondary Importance:

Biography for Use of the Choir.
Life in Verse.
Biography by Giovanni di Ceperano.
Life by Brother Julian.

9. Legend of St. Bonaventura.

10. De Laudibus of Bernard of Besse.


III. DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS.

1. Donation of the Verna.

2. Registers of Cardinal Ugolini.

3. Bulls.


IV. CHRONICLERS OF THE ORDER.

1. Chronicle of Brother Giordano di Giano.

2. Eccleston: Arrival of the Friars in England.

3. Chronicle of Fra Salimbeni.

4. Chronicle of the Tribulations.

5. The Fioretti and their Appendices.

6. Chronicle of the XXIV. Generals.

7. The Conformities of Bartolommeo di Pisa.

8. Glassberger's Chronicle.

9. Chronicle of Mark of Lisbon.


V. CHRONICLERS NOT OF THE ORDER.

1. Jacques de Vitry.

2. Thomas of Spalato.

3. Divers Chroniclers.

* * * * *


CRITICAL STUDY OF THE SOURCES


There are few lives in history so abundantly provided with documents as that of St. Francis. This will perhaps surprise the reader, but to convince himself he has only to run over the preceding list, which, however, has been made as succinct as possible.

It is admitted in learned circles that the essential elements of this biography have disappeared or have been entirely altered. The exaggeration of certain religious writers, who accept everything, and among several accounts of the same fact always choose the longest and most marvellous, has led to a like exaggeration in the contrary sense.

If it were necessary to point out the results of these two excesses as they affect each event, this volume would need to be twice and even four times as large as it is. Those who are interested in these questions will find in the notes brief indications of the original documents on which each narrative is based.[1]

To close the subject of the errors which are current in the Franciscan documents, and to show in a few lines their extreme importance, I shall take two examples. Among our own contemporaries no one has so well spoken on the subject of St. Francis as M. Renan; he comes back to him with affecting piety, and he was in a better condition than any one to know the sources of this history. And yet he does not hesitate to say in his study of the Canticle of the Sun, Francis's best known work: "The authenticity of this piece appears certain, but we must observe that we have not the Italian original. The Italian text which we possess is a translation of a Portuguese version, which was itself translated from the Spanish."[2]

And yet the primitive Italian exists[3] not only in numerous manuscripts in Italy and France, particularly in the Mazarine Library,[4] but also in the well-known book of the Conformities .[5]

An error, grave from quite another point of view, is made by the same author when he denies the authenticity of St. Francis's Will; this piece is not only the noblest expression of its author's religious feeling, it constitutes also a sort of autobiography, and contains the solemn and scarcely disguised revocation of all the concessions which had been wrung from him. We have already seen that its authenticity is not to be challenged.[6] This double example will, I hope, suffice to show the necessity of beginning this study by a conscientious examination of the sources.

If the eminent historian to whom I have alluded were still living, he would have for this page his large and benevolent smile, that simple,
Oui, oui , which once made his pupils in the little hall of the Collège de France to tremble with emotion.

I do not know what he would think of this book, but I well know that he would love the spirit in which it was undertaken, and would easily pardon me for having chosen him for scape-goat of my wrath against the learned men and biographers.

The documents to be examined have been divided into five categories.

The first includes St. Francis's works .

The second, biographies properly so called .

The third, diplomatic documents .

The fourth, chronicles of the Order .

The fifth, chronicles of authors not of the Order .


FOOTNOTES:

[1] If any student finds himself embarrassed by the extreme
rarity of certain works cited, I shall make it my duty and
pleasure to send them to him, as well as a copy of the Italian
manuscripts.

[2] E. Renan: Nouvelles études d'histoire religieuse , Paris,
1884, 8vo, p. 331.

[3] See above, pp. 304 ff.

[4] Mazarine Library, MS. 8531: Speculum perfectionis S.
Francisci ; the Canticle is found at fo. 51. Cf. MS., 1350 (date
of 1459). That text was published by Boehmer in the Romanische
Studien , Halle, 1871. pp. 118-122. Der Sonnengesang v. Fr.
d'A.

[5] Conform. (Milan, 1510), 202b, 2s. For that matter it is
correct that Diola, in the Croniche degli ordini instituti da
S. Francisco (Venice, 1606, 3 vols. 4to), translated after the
Castilian version of the work composed in Portuguese by Mark of
Lisbon, was foolish enough to render into Italian this
translation of a translation.

[6] See pages 333 ff.

* * * * *


I

ST. FRANCIS'S WORKS


The writings of St. Francis[1] are assuredly the best source of acquaintance with him; we can only be surprised to find them so neglected by most of his