The Little Flowers and the Life of St. Francis, with the...

Francis; and the Blessed Francis did question him, saying: “How seemeth thee, goodman leech, of this mine infirmity of hydropsy?” For he would not call him by his right name for that he would not name the name of any that was called “good”, out of reverence to the Lord which said: “None is good save God only.” In like manner he would not call any “father” nor “master”, nor so write in his letters, out of reverence to the Lord which said: “And call no man father upon earth, nor be ye called masters.”

And the leech saith unto him: “Brother, by the grace of God it shall be well with thee.” Again the Blessed Francis said unto him: “Tell me the truth. How seemeth it unto thee? Fear not to tell me, seeing that by the grace of God I am no craven that I should fear death, for by the grace of the Holy Ghost that worketh with me, I am so made one with my Lord that to live or die I am equally content.”

The leech therefore said unto him: “Manifestly, father, by all rules of our leech-craft thine infirmity is incurable, and I do believe that either at the end of September or on the fourth of the Nones of October thou wilt die.” Then the Blessed Francis, lying back in his bed with great devoutness and reverence, spread out his hands toward the Lord, and with much cheerfulness of mind and body said: “Welcome, my Sister Death!”