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 sainct Francis instituted the second rule, and of the Apostolicall Bulle of pope Honorius, against the professed that leaue the Order.

THE VII. CHAPTER.

THe Religion of the Frere Minors daily augmenting and manie entring therinto without well measuring their forces before, by their weaknes of spiritt, their first feruours incontinently decayed, wherfore being vnable to continue firme vnder the hammer of Euangelicall life, leauing the habitt, they went out of the Order, worse, by reason of their apostasie committed, then they entred in. O∣thers without leauing the habitt, went wandring ouer the world, o∣thers, the rigour being not then so seuere, liued att libetty; affir∣ming that they were not bound to obserue a rule that was not confirmed, nor approued by the holy Apostostolike sea, but only vi∣ua vocis ••racul••, by the mouth and voice of Pope Innocent the third, and approned, but not priuiledged by Pope Honorious his successour.

The yeare of grace 1221. which was the fist of his Papacie, his holines, for the reasons aforesaid made his breuet following, two yeares before the second rule was confirmed.

This following it the said Breuet, extracted out of the 32. chapter of the tenth booke, and transferred hither as its proper place.

HOnorious bishop and seruant of the seruantes of God, to our be∣loued sonne, Brother Francis, and to other Superiours of the Frere Minours, health and Apostolicall benediction. Because according to the opinion of the wise, one ought to doe nothing with∣out counsaile, that being done no repentance ensue▪ It is therefore ne∣cessary to him that will orderly and duely dispose a spirituall life and one more excellent then ordinary, that he sett his eyes before his feet: that is, that he precedently make good triall of his proper forces, with the rule of discretion, that he happen not (which God for bidd) to loo∣ke backe and be conuerted into a piller of lost salt, for not hauing sea∣soned his sacrifice with the salt of prudence, remayning as he that is vn wise without sauour and salt, if he be not seruent: and so he that is seruent, shalbe foolish and vnsauoury, if he be not wise: ther∣fore it is most prudently ordayned in all Religious, that they who are to promise reguler obseruance, doe formerly make good triall therof, for a certaine time, to auoyed occasion of repentance: for so he cannot lay any excuse on his temeritie or ignorance. For this cause, we by the tenour of these presentes, forbid you to ad∣mitt any personne to the profession of your Order, if he haue not first made an entier yeare of probation, and also we ordaine that after the the said profession none presume, to forsake the Order, and that no other receaue him, hauing left the same. We also make prohibi∣tion, that none goe out of his obedience, with the habitt of the Order, nor doe corrupt the puritie of true pouertie. And if any presume to doe it, we authorise you his superiours to execute a∣gainst such, the ecclesiasticall censures, till he retourne to obedience. Lett none whosoeuer attempt to infringe these present letters of prohi∣tion and benefitt, or to oppose against them: for if any one presume so to doe, lett him be assured to incurre the indignation of God, and of his blessed Apostles S, Peter and S. Paul. Giuen att Viterbium, the 22. of September the fift yeare of our Papacie.

This is the prohibition which sainct Francis alleadged in the second chapter of his rule.

The prasecution of the s••auenth chapter which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••••itted

Besides all this, it was thought necessary, Ad perpetuam rei memoriam, for a perpetuall memorie therof, and for the asseurance and stabilitie of the order, to confirme the said rule by Apostolicall authoritie. Ther∣fore the Cardinall Vgolino, Protectour of the Order, prayed the holie Father S. Francis to abridge it, for it had bin much augmented by rea∣son of manie new accidentes that happened from hand to hand. He prayed him, I say, to moderate it in certaine thinges, that it might be more easy, to execute and to learne by hart, and that he would procure it to be for euer confirmed by an Apostolicall bulle. S. Francis vnder∣standing this, would know if such were the will of God, as in all mat∣ters of importance that he enterprised, he accustomed to doe: and ther∣fore taking leaue of the Cardinall, telling him that he would shortlie giue him answeare, he had recourse to prayer, where he made suppli∣cation to God, that he would reueale vnto him what he should doe, who was rauished in spiritt, and had this vision: It seemed vnto him that he heaped together a quantitie of crummes of bread, which he was to share amongst many Religious, who together with himselfe were as it were hunger-staruen, and because the crummes were too small, he was carefull how to deuide them that they might not fall through his fingers: but he heard a voice that said; Francis make one entier hoste of those crummes, and then giue it to them that will eat it. Which hauing done, it seemed vnto him that all they who receaued it not with deuotion, or misprised it, were entierlie couered with le∣prosie, which vision, he not so plainelie vnderstanding as he desired, praying againe the day following, and perseuering in demaunding co∣unsaile of God, he heard the same voice that said: Francis the crummes of bread of the last night, are the Euangelicall counlailes, the hoste the Rule, and the leaprosie malice, The holy Father then knew, that he should vnite his rule, and compose it of the Euangelicall counsailes, compendious and mysticall.

Hauing therfore giuen answeare to the said Cardinall, that he would confine his rule, conformably to the will of the diuine Maiesty, and ta∣king with him Brother Leo, and Brother Bonisius of Bolognia, he wēt vp to the mount Carnerio, neere Rieta, otherwise called Fonte-Colō∣bo, where fasting with bread and water forty dayes and forty nightes, and persisting in continuall prayer, he wrote and composed his rule, as God reuealed vnto him, then came downe with it from the moun∣taine, as an other Moyses, with the tables of the law, and committed it to the keeping of Brother Helias, who was his Vicar Generall, who

perceauing it to consist of a greater contempt of the world, and of a more strict pouerty of life, then was gratefull vnto him, so delt that the rule was lost and perished, that it might not be approued and con∣firmed by the Pope, with intention to make an other according to his fansie. But the holy Father that would rather follow the diuine then humane will, making no esteeme of the wise of the world, and kno∣wing in spiritt the fayned cogitations of that Religious, resolued to retourne to the said mountaine, by fasting and prayer more copiously to obtaine the will and rule of God, for his seruantes the Frere Minors.

Now Brother Helias to interrupt this his second attempt, called an assemblie of many learned superiours of the Order, where ••e began to discouer his peruerse intention, alleadging vnto them that Brother Francis intended to constitute a rule so strict and austere, that was impossible to be obserued, and that he would procure it to be confirmed by the Pope for euer. Which they hauing heard, they with one accord answeared: that they yelded all authoritie vnto him: and that sith he was his Vicar Generall, he should go to him, and tell him that they in∣tended not to keepe the rule he made, but that it should be for him∣selfe alone if he would. But Brother Helias fearing to be reprehended of S. Francis, incouraged them, and perswaded them to goe with him: and so they wentin companie to the said mountaine, and being called by Brother Helias, he knew his voice, and came out of his celle, and seeing so many Religious, he asked Brother Helias what they would, who answeared: they are superiours of the Order, who vn∣derstanding that you institute a new rule, they and I fearing we shall not be able obserue it, doe protest vnto you, that we will not oblige our selues therevnto. S. Francis made no other answeare to this protestation, but falling on his knees, and casting his eyes to heauen, said; My God, did I not tell thee, that these people would not beleeue me? and att the instant a voice was heard that sayd. Francis, as in this rule there is nothing of thine, but all commeth, and is of me, so also I will that it be obserued. Ad literam, ad literam, ad literam, without glosse, without glosse, without glosse, I know the infirmitie of man, I know also my will to assist him. Therfore, they that will not obserue it, lett them depart the Order, and permitt others to keep it: S. Francis then tourning to the superiours, said: haue ye heard, haue ye heard, haue ye heard? would ye know more? hereatt they were so confounded, that trembling as besides themselues, they departed acknowledgeing their errour and not replying one word, the holy father then retourned to accomplish the rule, en∣tierlie conformable to that which God had precedentlie reuealed

vnto him. This was in the yeare 1223. fifteene yeares after the Or∣der confirmed by Pope Innocentius.

The S. did afterward carry this rule to Roome, and deliuered it to Cardinal Vgolino his Protectour, who presented it to Pope Honorius, together with the holy Father, who reading it vnto him, and the Pope considering the seuerity and rigour therof, sayd: that it seemed to him very difficult to be obserued▪ The S. answeared: I beseech your Ho∣linesse to beleeue, that there is not in it, so much as one word of myne inuention, but that our Lord IESVS CHRIST, hath com∣posed it, who well knoweth what is necessary and behoufull to the saluation of soules, to the profitt of Religious, and to the conserua∣tion of this Order. Therefore I neither can, nor ought, to alter any point therof. The Pope then, inspired of God, and for the zeale he had to Euangelicall perfection, which by this rule, S. Francis planted in the church, said to himselfe: Blessed is he that, being inspired by diuine grace, shall with fidelitie and deuotion obserue this rule: sith what is contayned in it is Catholicke, holy, and per∣fect: and so in perpetuall memory, by the insuyng Apostolicall Breuy, he confirmed the same.