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Of an ecstasy that came to Brother Bernard; whereby he abode from morning until Nones, so that of himself he was not ware
What great favour God oftentimes bestowed on the poor followers of the Gospel, who left the world for the love of Christ, is shown forth in
Brother Bernard of Quintavalle, who, after he had taken the habit of S. Francis, was ofttimes rapt in God through contemplation of heavenly things. Among others it befell that on a time, while he was in church for to hear the Mass, with his whole mind uplifted unto God, he became so rapt and so absorbed in God that, when the Body of Christ was elevated, he saw nothing at all, nor kneeled him down, nor drew back his hood, as the others did; but without movement of his eyes, with gaze fast fixed, he stood from morning until Nones, not heeding aught; and after Nones returning to himself again, he went through the House crying with a voice of glad surprise: " O brothers! O brothers! O brothers! there is no man in this land so great or so nobly born who, if there were promised to him a beauteous palace full of gold, would not gladly carry a sackful of dung for to gain so noble a treasure.” Unto this heavenly treasure, promised unto them that love God, the said Brother Bernard had his mind so uplifted, that for fifteen years continuously he went always with his mind and his face upraised to heaven; in the which time he never stayed his hunger at the table, though he ate of that which was set before him, a little: for he said that none could practise perfect abstinence from that whereof he did not taste, but true abstinence is the being temperate in those things that taste pleasant to the mouth; and thereby did he attain unto such brightness and light of intelligence, that even the great clerics had recourse unto him for the resolving of deep questions and interpreting of difficult passages of the Scripture; and he dissolved every doubt for them. And because his mind was wholly free and abstracted from the things of earth, he, like the swallows, flew high up through contemplation: wherefore at one time for twenty days, at another time for thirty days, he remained alone on the tops of the highest mountains, contemplating heavenly things. For the which cause Brother Giles said of him that unto no other men had been given this gift that was given to Brother Bernard of Quintavalle; to wit, that he fed flying like the swallows: and for this excellent grace that he received of God, S. Francis right willingly spake with him oftentimes by day and night: whereby were they sometimes found together rapt in God the whole night long in the wood, wherein they twain had met to speak of God together.