Chapter XVII

How a little boy-brother, while S. Francis was praying in the night, saw Christ and the Virgin Mary and many other saints hold converse with him

A LITTLE boy, very pure and innocent, was received into the Order, while S. Francis was yet alive; and he abode in a little House, wherein of necessity the brothers slept on mats. It befell on a time that S. Francis came to the said House, and in the evening, after Compline, lay down to sleep, to the intent that he might be able to rise up in the night to pray while the other brothers slept, as it was his wont to do. The aforesaid little boy set it in his heart diligently to keep watch upon the ways of S. Francis, that he might come to know of his sanctity, and chiefly that he might learn what he did by night when he arose. And to the end that sleep might not play him false, that little boy laid him down to sleep close to S. Francis, and tied his cord to the cord of S. Francis, for to be ware when he got up; and of this S. Francis perceived naught. But at night in his first sleep, when all the other brothers were sleeping, he arose and found his cord thus tied: and softly he loosed it, so that the little boy was not aware thereof, and S. Francis went out alone into the wood that was hard by the House, and entered into a little cell that was therein, and set himself to pray. After some short space the little boy awoke, and finding the cord unloosed, and S. Francis gone, arose and went in search of him: and finding the door open that led into the wood, he deemed that S. Francis had gone thither, and so entered into the wood. And coming close up to the place where S. Francis was praying, he began to hear much discourse; and drawing nigher for to see and learn what it was he heard, he beheld a marvellous light that shone round about S. Francis, and therein he saw Christ and the Virgin Mary and S. John the Baptist and the Evangelist, and a great multitude of angels, speaking with S. Francis. When this he saw and heard, the little boy fell on the ground in a deep swoon; so when the mystery of this holy vision was ended, S. Francis, returning to the House, stumbled upon the little co THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF boy lying as though dead upon the ground; and in pity lifted him up and bore him in his arms, as doth the good shepherd with his sheep. Learning thereafter from him how he had seen the vision set forth above, he bade him reveal it unto no man so long as he should be alive. And the little boy grew up in great favour with God and devotion to S. Francis, and became a man of worth in the Order, and after the death of S. Francis he revealed unto the brothers the vision set forth above.