Life of St. Francis of Assisi

1. The following is the list of monasteries which, according to Rodolfo di Tossignano, accepted the ideas of Angelo Clareno before the end of the thirteenth century: Fermo, Spoleto, Camerino, Ascoli, Rieti, Foligno, Nursia, Aquila, Amelia: Historiarum seraphicæ religionis, libri tres, Venice, 1586, 1 vol., fo, 155a.

2.Spec., 129b; Fior., 19. In some of the stories of this period the evidence is clear how certain facts have been, little by little, transformed into miracles. Compare, for example, the miracle of St. Urbano in Bon., 68, and 1 Cel., 61. See also 2 Cel., 2, 10; Bon., 158 and 159.

3. 1 Cel., 87; 2 Cel., 2, 11; Conform., 148a, 2; Bon., 99. Upon this visit see 2 Cel., 2, 10; Bon., 158 and 159; 2 Cel., 2, 11; 2 Cel., 3, 36.

4. The present Italian name of the monastery which has also been called Monte-Rainerio and Fonte-Palumbo.

5. 1 Cel., 101; 2 Cel., 3, 102; Bon., 67; Spec., 134a.

6. 2 Cel., 3, 66; Bon., 69.

7.Fior. ii. consid. Cf. Roger Bacon, Opus tertium (ap. Mon. Germ. hist., Script. t. 28, p. 577). B. Franciscus jussit fratri cythariste ut dulcius personaret, quatenus mens excitaretur ad harmonias cœlestes quas pluries andivit. Mira enim musicæ super omnes scientias et spectanda potestas.

8. Village three hours' walk northward from Rieti. Francis's cell still remains on the mountain, three-quarters of an hour from the place.

9. 2 Cel., 3, 71; cf. Spec., 43a.

10. Chapel still standing, a few minutes' walk from Rieti. 2 Cel., 3, 70; Spec., 15a, 43a.

11. 2 Cel., 2, 14; Bon., 167; 2 Cel., 3, 10; Bon., 58; Spec., 122b.

12. Wadding, ann. 1213, n. 14, rightly places St. Urbano in the county of Narni. L'Eremo di S. Urbano is about half an hour from the village of the same name, on Mount San Pancrazio (1026 m.), three leagues south of Narni. The panorama is one of the finest in Central Italy. The Bollandists allowed themselves to be led into error by an interested assertion when they placed San Urbano near to Jesi (pp. 623f and 624a). 1 Cel., 61; Bon., 68. (Vide Bull Cum aliqua of May 15, 1218, where mention is made of San Urbano.)

13. As much may be said of the apparition of the three virgins between Campilia and San Quirico. 2 Cel., 3, 37; Bon., 93.

14.Spec., 12b; Conform., 169a, 1.

15. 2 Cel., 3, 46; Bon., 153; Spec., 31b; Ezek., xxxiii., 9.

16. Two years after, the King of France and all his court kissed and revered the pillow which Francis had used during his illness. 1 Cel., 120.

17. Bagnara is near the sources of the Topino, about an hour east of Nocera. These two localities were then dependents of Assisi.

18. And not Sartiano. Balciano still exists, about half way between Nocera and Assisi.

19. 2 Cel., 3, 23; Bon., 98; Spec., 17b; Conform., 239a, 2f.

20. 2 Cel., 3, 33; 1 Cel., 105, is still more explicit: "The multitude hoped that he would die very soon, and that was the subject of their joy."

21. 1 Cel., 103 and 104.

22. 1 Cel., 102; Spec., 83b.

23. 2 Cel., 3, 116; Spec., 67a; Conform., 143b, 1, and 225b, 2; 2 Cel., 3, 117; Spec., 130a.

24. For the text vide Conform., 136b, 2; 138b, 2; 142 b, 1.

25.Tribul., Archiv., ii., pp. 285 ff.

26. 2 Cel., 3, 118.

27. These words are borrowed from a long fragment cited by Ubertini di Casali, as coming from Brother Leo: Arbor vit. cruc., lib. v., cap. 3. It is surely a bit of the Legend of the Three Companions; it may be found textually in the Tribulations, Laur., fo 16b, with a few more sentences at the end. Cf. Conform., 136a, 2; 143a, 2; Spec., 8b; 26b; 50a; 130b; 2 Cel., 3, 118.

28.Tribul., Laur., 17b.

29. See, for example, Brother Richer's question as to the books: Ubertini, Loc. cit. Cf. Archiv., iii., pp. 75 and 177; Spec., 8a; Conform., 71b, 2. See also: Ubertini, Archiv., iii., pp. 75 and 177; Tribul., 13a; Spec., 9a; Conform., 170a, 1. It is curious to compare the account as it found in the documents with the version of it given in 2 Cel., 3, 8.

30. Assisi MS., 338, fo 28a-31a, with the rubric: De lictera et ammonitione beatissimi patris nostri Francisci quam misit fratribus ad capitulum quando erat infirmus. This letter was wrongly divided into three by Rodolfo di Tossignano (fo 237), who was followed by Wadding (Epistolæ x., xi., xii.). The text is found without this senseless division in the manuscript cited and in Firmamentum, fo 21; Spec., Morin, iii., 217a; Ubertini, Arbor vit. cruc., v., 7.

31. This initial (given only by the Assisi MS.) has not failed to excite surprise. It appears that there ought to have been simply an N ... This letter then would have been replaced by the copyist, who would have used the initial of the minister general in charge at the time of his writing. If this hypothesis has any weight it will aid to fix the exact date of the manuscript. (Alberto of Pisa minister from 1239-1240; Aimon of Faversham, 1240-1244.)

32. This epistle also was unskilfully divided into two distinct letters by Rodolfo di Tossignano, fo 174a, who was followed by Wadding. See Assisi MS., 338, 23a-28a; Conform., 137a, 1 ff.

33. The letter to the clergy only repeats the thoughts already expressed upon the worship of the holy sacrament. We remember Francis sweeping out the churches and imploring the priests to keep them clean; this epistle has the same object: it is found in the Assisi MS., 338, fo 31b-32b, with the rubric: De reverentia Corporis Domini et de munditia altaris ad omnes clericos. Incipit: Attendamus omnes. Explicit: fecerint exemplari. This, therefore, is the letter given by Wadding xiii., but without address or salutation.

34. We need not despair of finding them. The archives of the monasteries of Clarisses are usually rudimentary enough, but they are preserved with pious care.

35.Spec., 117b; Conform., 185a 1; 135b, 1. Cf. Test. B. Claræ, A. SS., Aug., ii., p. 747.

36. This story is given in the Spec., 128b, as from eye-witnesses. Cf. Conform., 184b, 1; 203a, 1.

37. 1 Cel., 106. These recommendations as to Portiuncula were amplified by the Zelanti, when, under the generalship of Crescentius (Bull Is qui ecclesiam, March 6, 1245), the Basilica of Assisi was substituted for Santa Maria degli Angeli as mater et caput of the Order. Vide Spec., 32b, 69b-71a; Conform., 144a, 2; 218a, 1; 3 Soc., 56; 2 Cel., 1, 12 and 13; Bon., 24, 25; see the Appendix, the Study of the Indulgence of August 2.

38. 2 Cel., 108. As will be seen (below, p. 367) the remainder of Celano's narrative seems to require to be taken with some reserve. Cf. Spec., 115b; Conform., 225a, 2; Bon., 211.

39.Non sum cuculus, in Italian cuculo.

40.Spec., 136b; Fior. iv. consid. It is to be noted that Guido, instead of waiting at Assisi for the certainly impending death of Francis, went away to Mont Gargano. 2 Cel., 3, 142.