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

in that sickness had somewhat exceeded, albeit he had eaten but little; and rising up one day when as yet he was not free of his quartan fever, he made the people of the city of Assisi be called together in the Piazza for preaching. And when he had made an end of preaching, he bade the people that none should depart thence until such time as he should return unto them. Whereupon, entering into the church of the bishopric of S. Rufinus with many of the brethren and brother Peter of Catana, that was a canon of that Church and had been chosen first Minister General by the Blessed Francis, he told the same brother Peter, enjoining him on his obedience, without contradiction, to do that which he should tell him to do. Brother Peter made answer unto him: “Brother, I neither can nor ought to will or to do anything as concerning me and thee other than as it shall please thee.” Wherefore, putting off his habit, the Blessed Francis bade him tie a cord round his neck and hale him naked before the people as far as the place where he had been preaching. Another brother he bade take a dishful of ashes and go up to the place where he had preached, and when he was haled as far as that place, should cast the ashes over his face. But he did not obey him herein for the exceeding pity and compassion wherewith he was moved towards him.

And when he was thus led naked before the people as far as the place wherein he had preached, he said: “You and all that by mine example do leave the world behind and enter into the religion and life of the brethren, ye do all believe that I am a holy man, yet nevertheless do I confess unto God and unto you that in this sickness of mine I have eaten of flesh-meats and broths sodden of meat.” And all as it were did begin to weep over him for exceeding pity and compassion, specially as it was then winter-time and the cold was exceeding sore, and he was not yet free of the quartan fever.

And smiting their bosoms they did accuse themselves, saying: “If this saint, for just and manifest necessity, with so great shame of his body doth thus accuse himself whose life we know to be holy, and whom moreover by his exceeding abstinence and by the austerities that he hath done unto his body from the beginning of his conversion to Christ we do behold alive in the flesh that is as it were already dead before its time, what shall we wretched ones do, that all the days of our life have lived and continually do live according to the desire of the flesh?”