Chapter XXVI

How S. Francis converted three robbers that were murderers and made brothers of them; and of the most noble vision that was seen by one of them

It befell on a time that S. Francis was going through the desert of Borgo di San Sepolcro, and as he passed by a village called Monte Casale, there came unto him a youth, noble and tender, and said to him: '* Father, right willingly would I become one of your brothers." Replied S. Francis: ” My son, thou art a youth, tender and noble, it may well be that thou couldst not endure our hardships and our poverty” And quoth he: ” Father, are ye not men even as I? wherefore, as ye endure, even so shall I be able with the grace of Jesu Christ." Well pleased was S. Francis with this answer: so blessing him, he forthwith received him into the Order, and gave to him the name of Brother Angel; and this youth bore him so graciously that a short while thereafter S. Francis made him guardian in the aforesaid House of Monte Casale. Now at that time there dwelt in those parts three notorious robbers, who wrought much evil in that country; the which came on a day to the said House of the brothers, and besought the said Brother Angel, the guardian, to give them food to eat; and the guardian with harsh reproof, answered them after this fashion: " Ye thieves and cruel murderers, ye be not

S. FRAN'CfS After the painting on panel by Gerard David now in the Kaiser l,'riedrich Museum, lierltn) ashamed to rob others of the fruits of their labours: but likewise, as men insolent and bold, ye would devour the alms bestowed upon the servants of God; in sooth, ye are not worthy that the earth should hold you, since ye respect nor men nor God who created you: then go your ways and see ye come not here again; " whereby they went away disquieted and full of ire. And behold, S. Francis returned from abroad with a wallet of bread and a little flask of wine, that he and his companion had begged: and when the guardian recounted unto him how he had driven the men away, S. Francis reproved him sternly, saying that he had borne him cruelly therein: " Because sinners are brought back to God better by gentleness than by cruel reproofs; wherefore our master Jesu Christ, whose Gospel we have promised to observe, saith that they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick; and that He was not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance: wherefore He oftentimes ate with them. Seeing then, that thou hast done against charity and against the holy Gospel of Christ, I command thee by holy obedience, that incontinent thou take this wallet of bread that I have begged and this little flask of wine, and search diligently for them over mountains and valleys until thou find them, and give them all this bread and wine as from me; and then kneel thee down before them and humbly confess thy fault of cruelty; and then pray them on my behalf that they do no more ill, but fear God nor off,end Him any more: and if this they will do, 1 promise to provide for their needs and to give them food and drink abidingly: and when thou hast said this unto them, return hither again in all humility” While the said guardian was going for to do his bidding, S. Francis set himself to pray, beseeching God to soften the hearts of those robbers and convert them to penitence. So the obedient guardian came up with them and offered to them the bread and the wine, and did and said all that S. Francis had laid upon him. And sith it was the will of God, these robbers as they ate the alms of S. Francis began to say among themselves: ” Woe unto us, miserable wretches! how grievous are the pains of hell that await us, who go about not only robbing our neighbours, and beating and wounding, but likev/ise slaying them; yet none the less for such evil deeds and so great wickedness, as we commit, we feel no whit remorse of conscience, neither fear of God; and lo! this holy brother that hath come to us and humbly hath confessed his fault for diverse words he justly spake against our wickedness; and more than this, hath brought us bread and wine and so bounteous a promise from the holy Father; of a truth these be holy brothers of God, and merit the paradise of God; and we be sons of eternal perdition and merit the pains of hell, and every day increase our own damnation; and we know not whether we can turn us from the sins that we have cione up till now, unto the mercy of God." As one among them spake these and the like words, quoth the others: '* In very sooth thou dost speak true, but come, what is it that we needs must do?" "Let us go," said one, " unto S. Francis; and if he gives us hope that we may find mercy of God for our sins, let us do whatsoever he bids us, and so may we be able to deliver our souls from the pains of hell." This counsel was pleasing unto the others; and so they all three being agreed, gat them in haste to S. Francis, and bespake him thus: ” Father, for the multitude of the sins and wickednesses that we have committed, we deem it not possible to return to the mercy of God; but if thou hast any hope that God will receive us into His mercy, lo! we be ready to do whatsoever thou shalt tell us, and to do penance with thee." Thereat S. Francis, dealing lovingly with them and in kindly fashion, comforted them with many ensamples: and making them assured of the mercy of God, promised them of a surety to obtain it for them from God, and setting forth to them how that the mercy of God is infinite; and that if we had sins without number, yet the mercy of God is greater than our sins, according to the Gospel; and the Apostle S. Paul saith: ” Christ, the blessed One, came into the world to save sinners." Through the which words and the like admonishments, the said three robbers renounced the devil and all his works; and S. Francis received them into the Order and they began to do great penance: and two of them lived but a short while after their conversion, and went to Paradise. But the third surviving, and bethinking him of his sins, gave himself up to work out such penance that for fifteen years continually, save only in the common Lenten fast, the which he kept together with the other brothers.

he fasted three days in the week on bread and water, going always bare-foot, with one tunic only on his back, nor sleeping ever after matins. About this time S. Francis passed away out of this miserable life. Now when this man for many years had continued in such penances, behold! on a night, after matins, there came upon him so great a temptation to sleep, that in noway could he resist it and keep watch as he was wont. At the last not being able to resist sleep any longer, nor to pray, he went to his bed to sleep; and as soon as he had laid his head down, straightway was he rapt, and carried away in spirit to a very high mountain wherein was a precipice exceeding deep, and on this side and on that, rocks rugged and broken, and sharp-pointed stones jutting out of the rocks: such that it was a fearsome sight to look down this precipice. And the angel that was leading the brother pushed him and threw him down the precipice: and he falling down and rebounding from rock to rock, and from stone to stone, came at last to the bottom of this precipice, torn limb from limb, and dashed all to pieces, as it seemed to him. And as thus he lay in evil plight uponthe ground, he that led him said to him: “Get thee up, for thou needs must take a longer journey yet.” Replied the brother: " Methinks thou dost lack discerning, and art exceeding cruel, who seest me like to die from the fall that hath so broken me and yet doth bid me rise;” and the angel came near unto him, and touching him, made And after this he showed him a great plain full S. FR/VNCIS OF ASSISI 79 of sharp and cutting stones, and thorns and briars: and told him that he must needs run over all this plain, and go bare-footed till he reached the end; whereat he saw a burning furnace that he needs must enter in. And the brother having crossed over all that plain with grievous agony and pains, the angel said: ”Enter into yon furnace, for so thou needs must do." And he answered: " Ah me! how cruel a guide thou art! for thou seest that I be nigh unto death by reason of the torments of this plain, and now to rest me thou biddest me enter within this burning furnace." And as he looked, he saw within the furnace many devils with forks of iron in their hands, with the which, sith he was slow to enter, they thrust him in it suddenly. When that he was come into the furnace, looking round he beheld his godfather, all on fire: and he questioned him: ” O hapless replied: " Go on yet a little further and thou wilt find my wife, thy godmother, who will tell thee the reason of our damnation." The brother going on a little further, behold! there appeared unto him the godmother aforesaid, all in flames, shut up in a corn-measure all on fire: and he asked her: " O hapless and unhappy godmother, wherefore hast thou comeinto such cruel torment.f," And she replied: " Because at the time of the great famine that S. Francis predicted aforetime, my husband and I falsified the measures of the corn and grain that we sold; and therefore I burn fast bound within this measure." Having said these words, the angel that led the brother thrust 8o THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF him without, the furnace, and then bespake him: ” Make thyself ready for to take a fearful journey on the which thou needs must go." And he, lamenting, said: " O cruel guide, that hast no whit compassion on me! thou dost see that I have been well-nigh burnt up in this furnace, and still thou dost wish to lead me on a parlous journey and fearful; " thereat the angel touched him, and made him strong and whole. Anon he led him to a bridge, which might not be crossed without great peril; for it was exceeding narrow and slender, and very slippery, and had no rail withal; and below flowed a river terrible to see, full of serpents, and dragons, and scorpions, and it sent forth a stench exceeding great; and the angel said unto him: ” Pass over this bridge, for assuredly thou needs must cross.” He made answer: " And how can I cross it, that I fall not in this parlous stream? " Quoth the angel: " Walk thou behind me, and set thy foot where thou shalt see that I set mine, and so shalt thou safely cross over." So the brother crossed over behind the angel, as he had instructed him, until he came to the middle of the bridge; and as he was thus in the middle of the bridge, the angel flew away: and departing from him, went to the top of a very high mountain, far ofi” on the other side of the bridge; and the brother marked well the place whither the angel had flown; but left behind without a guide, and looking down below, he saw those beasts so terrible standing with their heads above the water and with open mouths, readv to devour him should he fall; and he was in such fear that he nowise knew what to do nor what to say; for neither could he turn back nor go forward. Wherefore seeing himself in so great tribulation, and that he had no refuge save in God, he bowed himself down, and clasped the bridge tight, and weeping committed himself to God with all his heart, that of His most holy mercy He would succour him. And done the prayer he seemed to begin to put forth wings; whereat with great joy he waited that they should grow, so that he might fly from off the bridge to the place where the angel had flown. But after some time, through the great desire he had to cross the bridge, he set himself to fly; but because the wings had not yet grown enough, he fell down on the bridge and the feathers dropped off: wherefore he clung again to the bridge, and, as at the first, committed himself to God; and done the prayer, again he seemed to put forth wings; but, as at the first, he did not wait till they were perfectly grown: so that, setting himself to fly before the time, he fell back again upon the bridge and the feathers dropped off. Wherefore seeing that he fell for the haste that he had to fly before the time, he began to say thus within himself: ” Of a surety, if I shall put forth wings yet the third time, I will wait until such time as they have grown so large that I may fly without falling down again." And while he pondered these thoughts, he saw that for the third time he was putting forth wings: and waiting a long time until they were well grown, it seemed to him that what with the first and the second and the third putting fortblpf wings, he had waited full a hundred and fifty years or more. At the last he rose up the third time, and with ail his force he took his flight and flew up, even to the place whither the angel had flown; and as he knocked at the door of the palace where the angel lay, the porter asked him: " Who art thou that comest here? " He answered: ” I am a brother minor." Ouoth the porter: '* Wait here a while, for I wish to bring S. Francis, for to see if he know thee." As he went in quest of S. Francis, the brother began to gaze on the marvellous walls of that palace: and lo! the walls appeared transparent and of such clearness that he plainly saw the choirs of saints and all that passed within. And as he gazed upon this sight in deep amaze, behold! S. Francis came, and Brother Bernard, and Brother Giles; and after them so great a multitude of saints and holy women that had followed his ensample, that they seemed well-nigh without number, and having won there, S. Francis said to the porter: " Let him enter in, for he is one of my brothers.” And as soon as he had entered, he felt such consolation and such sweetness, that straightway he forgot all the tribulations he had borne, as though they ne'er had been. And then S. Francis, leading him within, showed unto him many marvellous things, and thereafter said unto him: ”My son, thou must needs return unto the world again, and abide therein seven days, in the which do thou diligently make thee ready with great devotion; for, after these seven days, I shall come for thee, and then shalt thou come with me unto this place of the blessed.”

Now S. Francis was arrayed in a marvellous robe, adorned with stars most beautiful: and his five stigmata were like fiVQ stars, exceeding beautiful, and of so great splendour that they lit up all the palace with their rays. And Brother Bernard had on his head a crown of stars most beautiful; and Brother Giles was adorned with a marvellous light; and many other holy brothers did he recognise among them, whom in the world he had never seen. Then taking leave of S. Francis, he returned, albeit unwillingly, to the earth again. And when he awoke, returning to himself and coming to his senses again, the brothers were ringing for Prime: so that he had not continued in that vision save from Matins until Prime, albeit it seemed to him he had continued many years. And having recounted to his guardian all this vision in order, within the seven days he began to fall sick of a fever; and on the eighth day S. Francis came for him, according to his promise, with a great multitude of glorious saints, and conducted his soul unto the Kingdom of the Blessed, to life eternal.