The chronicle and institution of the Order of the seraphicall father S. Francis conteyning his life, his death, and his miracles, and of all his holie disciples and companions / set foorth first in the Portugall, next in the Spanish, then in the Italian, lastlie in the French, and now in the English tongue.

Of his laborious endeauours to separate himselfe from the vvorld.

THE III. CHAPTER.

FRancis being very carefull, and often consulting with himselfe how he might become more poore, to please IESVS CHRIST, renouncing the world, and forsaking whatsoeuer therof ap∣pertayned vnto him with distribution therof vnto the poore, there being no person to counsail him in this matter, but his Sauiour IE∣SVS CHRIST, his diuine goodnes omitted not to visitt him fur∣ther by his holy grace: For departing out of the citty of Assisium, with intention to seeke some solitary place, to mediate and performe his deuotion, he past by the side of a Church of S. Damian, which by reason of extreme antiquity was euen ready to fall. He being tou∣ched by the holy Ghost entred in, and falling on his knees before the image of the Crucifix, he felt his soule replenished with an admirable consolation of the holy Ghost; wherfore with an extreme feruour he thrice iterated this prayer vnto God: O high and glorious God, my* 1.1 Lord IESVS CHRIST, illuminate and lighten the obscurities of my hart, giue me, if it please thee, a right faith, an assured hope, a perfect charity, a knowledge of thee my God, in such sort that he may euer performe thy true and holy will, Amen. Beholding

afterwardes the Crucifix with a serious attention, his eyes filled and his face bathed with teares, he heard with his corporall eares a voice addressed vnto him from the Crucifix, which three seuerall times thus spake vnto him: Goe Francis, and repaire my house, that is ready to fall: This so merueillous voice did exceedingly terrifie him being* 1.2 alone in the Church: wherupon vtterly amazed, and feeling in him∣selfe the force and vertue of those wordes, he fell into a sound, but retourning att lenght to himselfe; he incontinently prepared to obey and to reestablish that materiall Church, wherin he had presented his said prayer, not as yet vnderstanding the sence of the wordes of God to be, that he should repaire that other Church, redeemed by his precious bloud. So that rising from the ground and signing him∣selfe with the holy Crosse, he retourned to the citty, where he as∣sembled all the marchandise that his Father had committed to his charge to traffike, and sent it to Foliginum, where he sold it all, and the horse also wheron he rode, then hastened to the said* 1.3 Church of S. Damian, there to accomplish that which he supposed God had commanded him. In which place hauing offered his deuo∣tion, he saw the Preist that serued there, to whome he presented all the mony he had, to rebuild and repaire that church, and to releiue the poore: besides, he humby besought him that he would for certaine dayes receiue him into his company. The preist answered that he would willingly entertaine his person; but would not accepte his mony, in regard of his Father and his kinred: and therfore the true mispriser of richesse castinto a windoe that there he saw against a wall, the pursse wherin his mony was, which he there left in contempt as base earth, regarding nothing but to vnite himself with God, in the company of that Preist. His Father vnderstanding all this, full of indignation and anger against him, laboured to find him out: but Francis getting ad∣uertisment therof, as yet a fresh soldier of IESVS CHRIT, fea∣ring the threates of his Father, and to giue way to his choller, hid himself in a caue, where he continued certaine dayes, with abondance of teares continually praying God to vouchsafe to deliuer his soule from the handes of those that persecuted him; and that his holy will would so much fauour him, as being to effect the pious desires which he had vouchsafed to inspire vnto him. After he had a certaine time continued his prayers, he began to condemne himselfe of litle courage, and therfore expelling all feare, he arose out of the caue, and went to Assisium, armed with the magnanimity and vertu of the most high, to tread vnder foot the serpentes of worldly persecution,

* 1.4 wherby the deuill thought to enforce his retire. His fellow cittizens seeing him vtterly disfigured, as if he had bin bereaued of his sences, said that he was mad, and the litle children fol∣lowed him, casting stones and dirt att him, and crying after him in the streetes, as if he had bin a foole. But the seruant of IESVS CHRIST in regard of all that, lost not his cou∣rage, nor altered his purpose for whatsoeuer he iniustly endu∣red, but went peaceably, as if he had bin deafe, blind and insen∣sible, respecting litle or nothing to be reputed a foole in the world, prouided that he might afterwardes proue wise with IESVS CHRIST in heauen. Now his Father hearing these cryes, and seeing his eldest sonne thus abused, he ran as a roaring* 1.5 lyon, not to deliuer him from those contemptible reproaches, but himselfe to treat him more disdainfully then all the rest, as if he had bin no longer his Father. In such sort that he conducted him to his owne house, where hauing extremely iniuried and beaten him, he caused him to be chayned, and so shutt into a chamber, vsing him himselfe as if he had bin a foole, thincking by these tormentes to reduce him vnto his former estate. But so far was the true seruant of IESVS CHRIST from being any way terrified, or withdrawen from his former pious resolution, that on the contrary he became therby more firme and constant, and more accustomed to support all; calling often to his minde that worthy saying of the Gospell: Blessed are they that suffer persecution for iustice, for theirs is the kingdome of heauen; and that which our redeemer himselfe said: If any man come to me and hateth* 1.6 not his Father and mother, and wife, and children, and bre∣thren, and sisters, yea and his owne life besides: he cannot be my disciple. The which speculation was then most exquisitely practi∣sed by God, in the person of his seruant Francis, who was not only derided of his freindes and kinred, but much more of his Father himselfe. It might doubtelesse be esteemed a hart of flint* 1.7 or steele, that was not moued to compassion to see him so tor∣mented by his owne Father; and that admired not the cruelty of the one, and the patience of the other. But glorious Francis who had his spiritt vnited with IESVS CHRIST, by whome he was comforted, did in the meane time thus encourage himselfe, that by these strokes of the hammer of affliction, God would forge of him a merueillous and admirable vessell, baked and purged in the fournace of most panifull crosses and labours, to dilate and amplifie his

glory and to renew his memory on earth. Certaine dayes then after yong Francis was committed to prison, his father vppon occasion of his affaires being gone out of Assisium, his mother who was not plea∣sed with that her husband had done, conceiuing a naturall compassion of her sonne, went to see him, and with the gentle and sweet speeches of a mother, endeauoured to persuade him to obey his father, accom∣panying her wordes that were of them selues sufficiently pregnant and effectuall, with abondance of teares. This certainly was no sclender assault and combatt to the new champion, whose mother could no∣thing preuaile in that she desired: for he lett her know that his obliga∣tion was more to God then to his father or mother, and besides, that he was resolued to follow the inspiration which he had receiued of the holy Ghost: Then he tourned his speech to his mother her selfe, ex∣horting her to acknoledge the great benefitt which she had receiued of God, in that he called her sonne to his seruice, and that therfore she ought to be thankfull vnto him. This woman att length ouer comme with the reasons of her child, and desperate of force euer to supplant his firme resolution and constantie, and with all touched with a mo∣therly* 1.8 compassion, loosed his chaines, and imparting vnto him her benediction she dismisses him. Francis finding himselfe att liberty, sa∣luted his mother, and prayed her to be no more afflicted in his regard, and then retourned to the fore said Church to giue thankes to the So∣ueraigne Redeemer for what soeuer had happened vnto him. But his father being retourned, and not finding his sonne in the place where he left him, hauing greiuously checked and iniuried his wife for dis∣missing him, he ran vtterly enraged into the said Church with resolu∣tion to procure his banishment out of his contry, as a dishonour vnto him, if he should persist in his former resolution. The victorious Fran∣cis presented himselfe before his Father, to intertaine him graciously, notwithstanding he preceiued him to be extreme furious, and with an assured and ioyfull countenance said vnto him: Father; I feare not att all your threates, your beatinges, your fetteringes, nor all you tormen∣tes: for I am ready to endure such persecution as you desire to inflict on me for the loue of my God. Which his father hauing heard, and kno∣wing well that he should neuer moue nor stagger his stable and cōstant resolution, he then thought att least to redeeme and recouer the mony which his sonne had receiued for his merchandise, and to that end sought information of the Preist how it was imployed: but in the mea∣ne* 1.9 while he seemed to perceiue a great purse vpon a window, whereto goeing neere, he found that it was his mony; which hauing seazed on, it much appeased his fury, the burning thirst of his auarice

being somewhat moderated by the application of this medicine.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A worthy prayer of the S.
• * 1.2

  A Cruci∣six spea∣keth a∣gaine vnto him.
• * 1.3

  He sel∣leth his fathers marchan∣dise to repaire a Church.
• * 1.4

  S. Fran∣cis repu∣ted a fool of his compa∣nions.
• * 1.5

  Ill en∣treated of his owne Father.
• * 1.6

  Luc. 14.
• * 1.7

  Treated as atheife
• * 1.8

  His mo∣ther set∣teth him att liber∣ty.
• * 1.9

  His fa∣ther ha∣uing his mony is appeased