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How Jesu Christ, the blessed One, at the prayer of S. Francis, let convert a rich and gentle knight and become a brother
How Jesu Christy the blessed One, at the prayer of S. Francis, let convert a rich and gentle knight and become a brother, the which had shown great honour and liberality unto S. Francis
S. Francis, the servant of Christ, coming late one evening to the house of a great gentleman and powerful, was received of him to lodge therein, both he and his companion, as if they were angels of God, with exceeding great courtesy and devotion: for the which cause S. Francis was greatly touched with love for him, bethinking him how at their coming into the house he had embraced and kissed them lovingly, and then had washed their feet and wiped and humbly kissed them, and had kindled a great fire and made ready the table with much good food, and whilst they ate, he served io6 THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF them always with a joyful countenance. Now, when that S. Francis and his companion had eaten, this gentleman said: " Behold, my father, I offer to thee myself and all my goods; so oft as ye have need of tunic or mantle or aught beside, buy them and I will pay for them; and behold, I am ready to provide your every need, since by the grace of God am I able, seeing that I abound in all temporal goods; and therefore, for the love of God, that hath given them me, I do good unto His poor right willingly." Whereby S. Francis, seeing in him such gentle courtesy and loving-kindness, and so liberal an offering, conceived in his heart such love towards him, that departing thence he said to his companion on the way: " Of a truth this courteous gentleman would be good for our order and our company, the which is so grateful and bounden unto God, and so loving and courteous to his neighbour and the poor. Know, dear brother, that courtesy is one of the qualities of God Himself, who, of His courtesy, giveth His sun and His rain to the just and the unjust: and courtesy is the sister of charity, the which quencheth hate and keepeth love alive. Because I have seen such divine virtue in this good man, fain would I have him as my companion; and therefore I desire that one day we return to him again, if perchance God may have touched his heart to desire to go about with us in the service of God; and in this mean time let us pray to God to put this desire within his heart, and give him grace to bring the same to good effect.” O wondrous thing! a few days after that S. Francis had made this prayer, God put this desire into the heart of that gentleman: and quoth S. Francis to his companion: ”Let us go, my brother, to the house of that courteous gentleman; for that I have sure hope in God that with the same courtesy as he hath in temporal things he will give himself up to us and will become our companion; " so they gat them on their way. And when they drew near unto his house, S. Francis said to his companion: " Wait here for me a little while, for I fain would first pray to God that He may prosper our journey; that Jesu Christ may be pleased to grant us, weak and poor though we be, the noble prey that we mind to snatch from the world, through the virtue of His most holy passion." And this said, he set himself to pray in a place where he could be seen by the said courteous gentleman; whereby, sith it was the will of God, as he was looking hither and thither, he beheld S. Francis praying most devoutly before Christ, who with a great brightness appeared to him in the aforesaid prayer and stood before him; and the while he saw S. Francis for some good space uplifted bodily from off the earth. For the which cause he was so touched and inspired of God to leave the world, that incontinent he came forth out of his palace and ran towards S. Francis! and coming up to him as he was at prayer, he kneeled down at his feet, and with exceeding great fervour and devotion besought him that it would please him to receive him and to do penance together with him. Then S. Francis, seeing his prayer was heard of God, and that that which he himself desired, this gentleman was begging for most earnestly.
io8 THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF lifted him up, and in fervour and gladness of spirit embraced and kissed him, devoutly giving thanks to God, who had added so worthy a knight unto his company. And quoth that gentleman to S. Francis: ” What dost thou bid me do, my Father? Lo! I am ready to do thy bidding and give to the poor whatsoever I possess, and thus disburthened of all temporal things, to follow Christ with thee” And even so he did, according to the counsel of S. Francis, distributing all that he had to the poor, and entered into the Order, and lived in great penitence and holiness of life and upright conversation.