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.

How by humility he discouered his owne imperfections, and what a capitall ennemy he was to hipocrisie.

THE XC. CHAPTER.

TO the end that such as saw him labour vertuously, and perfor∣me holy and pious actes extraordinarily, might not imagine that what he did proceeded of any other then of God, that wrought in him, he publiquely discouered whatsoeuer defectes he thought to be in himselfe, though most commonly they were no defe∣ctes att all. Being one day very sicke, he by obedience rebated some litle of his abstinence: but beginning a litle to amend, the true mispriser of himselfe taking courage against his flesh, for greater confusion, he said in himfelfe: It is not requisite that the people repute me sobre and abstinēt, and I on the contrary secretly eat flesh. And so, moued by the holy* 1.1 Ghost, he commanded some of his Religious, to fasten a rope about his necke and to lead him to the marckett place of the Citty of Assisium. But his Religious refusing to obey him, he putt of his habitt, and with nothing on him but that with was vnder it, he went into the place, called the Berlina, where, notwithstanding he had a quartane aigue, and therefore was very feeble, he began to preach, and when he saw that there was a great concurse of people, he affirmed publikely that they ought not esteeme him otherwise spirituall, because in that his lent, wherin he had accustomed to fast in the honour of Alsainctes; he had eaten flesh, for which he prayed them to reprehend him. All the assistantes seeing so great a humilitie, conceaued a deep conpun∣ction in thēselues, and sighing sayd: Ah we miserable wretches, that liue continually in sinne, and entierlie apply our selues to the commo∣dities of this life, without doeing pennance, what will become of vs, sith this S. lamenteth to haue eaten flesh in time not pro∣hibited, and vpon a iust and manifest necessitie? he doth neuerthe∣les repent it, and with so much confusion accuseth himselfe, though he seeme neerer death then life: why learne we not of him, who leadeth a life rather to be admired then imitated, and who is a true pourtraiture of perfect humily, and as the imitatour of IESVS CHRIST, contemneth and treadeth vnder foot the world and the honour therof, reiecting the shadow of hypocrisy, wherein each one either more or lesse is intricated?

But all this was litle in comparison of what he did ordinarily for to mortifie the first motiues of the ambitions of the world and to batter them against the most firme rocke IESVS

CHRIST, he did as▪ followeth: As often as there assailed him any motion of pride or vaine glorie; being before the peo∣ple, he confessed it to the world, saying sometime to his compa∣nion: I endeauour to liue in the presence of God in an hermitage* 1.2 and other solitary places, no otherwise then if I were in the mid∣des of the worlde: for if I doe otherwise I am an hypocrite. Being one time sicke in the winter, by meanes of an extreme coldnes in his stomake, his companion prayed him to haue a peice of fox skin sowed within his habitt against the flesh and vpon his stoma∣ke. But he would neuer consent thereto without condition that there should be an other sowed without, that each one might know he woare a skinne on his flesh. Passing by Assisium, a poo∣re old man asked him an almose for the loue of God: which name hearing vttered, he tooke off his cloake from his shoulders, & gaue him: Now in performing this act of charity, he conceaued a litle vaineglo∣ry,* 1.3 he confessed it publique•••• and acknowledged his fault. What co∣gitation God had of this his most humble seruant, may be iudged by the example following.

Saint Francis being in Alexandria, a citty of Italy, he was enter∣tayned into the house of a gentleman, who being very deuout vn∣to him, said: you must resolue to obey the gospell, and eat what∣soeuer shalbe presented vnto you, and thus saying, he caused a Capon to be brought: wherof the holy Father with the benediction of God did eat; meane while a poore man asked an almose att the dore, to whome the S. sent a legge of the capon: the poore man too∣ke it and with a malicious and diabolicall eye beheld it, and kept it* 1.4 quietly till the next morning, when S. Francis preaching, he shewed it publiquely to the people, saying: Behold ye all, the flesh that this Frere Francis the preacher of abstinence doth eat; being last night full fed, he gaue me this legge of capon: But God, whose prouidence is admirable, and knoweth to dissolue the snares of the deuill, and to conuert them vnto his confusion, caused that when the poore man thought to shew to the people the said legge, he miraculously shewed a fish, wherefore being reputed senceles, he was expelled the church whither he came afterward to aske pardon of God and the S. which being obtayned, the fish retourned into a capons legge, and the holy Father publikely recounted the successe of the fact: for which they ge∣nerally gaue infinite thankes to God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  S. Franc. went na∣ked to the mar∣ket place of Assise to accuse himselfe of hauing eatē flesh in his sicknes.
• * 1.2

  ••e would not wear a foxe skinne on his stomake without being seene.
• * 1.3

  He pub∣likely accused his euill thoughts.
• * 1.4

  A legge of a capō changed into a fish in the bāds of a poore man that would scanda∣lize S. Francis.