FRANCIS OF ASSISI.*

THE gap between the medireval mind and the modern theory of life is not likely to be bridged by the present volume ; we cannot look upon it as a history, but as a polished narrative designed for a specific purpose. It is prefaced in English by

words from Cardinal Vaughan ; it is approved by Pope Leo XIII. ; it is sanctioned by the Minister-General of the Franciscans, and it is written by a distinguished Parisian Cure. These facts, as to its production, will explain that it is avowedly translated, as well as originally written, for the "conversion" of those without the Church of Rome, and for the deepening of the life of the faithful within her boundaries. Hence, on the one hand, its delicate treatment of legends, and, on the other, its indications of the real strength of the body of Friars known as the Franciscans, or the Minors, with their three orders, the first for men, the second for women only living for their Church, and the third for those who have accepted a strict rule, without forsaking their ordinary duties in the world. Francis of Assisi, founder of the First Order, was born in 1181; Santa Clara, the first Head of the Second Order, in 1194; and, as an offshoot from the two, in 1221 the Third Order was founded. For nearly seven hundred years, therefore, the force of St. Francis has been working in a great section of the Christian Communion, and to the Coming of the Friars, as we all know, England owed much progress and some retrogression.

Any serious study of such a durable foundation mast be received with respect, but it is perfectly certain that, from the point of view always occupied by this journal, the History, written by the Abbe le Monnier cannot be recom- mended without a reminder that it is purely and frankly Romanist ; and, moreover, that even within the Church of Rome in Franciscan circles—much more in rival orders, if such there be—there is scope for the exercise of the selective faculty. Some will smile at the deftness with which the able writer steers between his difficulties, or, again, one may marvel at the smoothness with which certain rough passages are recorded. But this being said, we may devote the rest of our time to the Saint himself, and to the merits of the new portrait, for in several aspects it is an original study.

Francis of Assisi has had a singular attraction for many and varied minds ; picturesque aspects of his character and their passage into literary and pictorial art keep him ever before the eye of the cultivated world, and from his costly shrine in the little grey town on the hill, the legends still float down the stream of time, which tell of him as one who loved in his own way both man and beast, and ruled them through this love

It is rare that a Saint has lived so thoroughly in the spirit of his age. He began by being an accomplished representative of it. His fellow-citizens named him the 'flower of their youth.' That signified he loved beyond all else the two things which were then held to be most beautiful,—poetry and chivalry."

He had a certain amount of education from the priests, but his soul was with the poets, as he grew up, and his first leadership was that of fashion and as a prince of local song; yet, like the young man of the Gospel story, he kept the

commandments, though in the case of the medireval man of

possessions, a bright and sunny youth was the prelude to literally forsaking all that he had :—

"We can easily imagine him as he appeared to his contem- poraries, young, active, full of eager emotions and capabilities of enjoyment, ardent and enterprising, and at the same time gracious and gentle in his manners, refined and agreeable to all men. His was a plastic nature, full of resources and contrasts that men loved as soon as they knew. It enabled him through all his different phases to retain the faculty of attracting hearts

to himself He was of middle height, and of rather small make ; want of strength in his appearance was compensated for by his air of refinement. His face was oval, with a smooth brow, dark eyes, a well-proportioned nose, and a beautiful mouth. Hi8 skin was white and delicate, his hair chesnut, his beard black and scanty. We have already mentioned his melodious voice. Historians add that his speech was agreeable, clear and animated."

The first idea of a serious life came to him after an illness at the age of five-and-twenty; and from this time he began to secretly occupy himself in the midst of his business not only with religions thoughts and aids to established good works, but with personal tests of strength, such as that of kissing the

lepers and disguising himself as a beggar. Meanwhile, the

• History of S. Francis of Assisi. By the Abbe Lion le Bonnier. Trinslatsd by a Fi &pelican 1 ertary. With Preface by H. B. Cardinal Vaughan. London : Began Paul, Trench, and Co. 1884. more spiritual side of his nature was coming to the front,

and, as he afterwards thought it, as a type of his mission, the idea came to him to restore a ruined church.

It is easy to understand the scene so often depicted when Francis forsook all that he had. He had at first thought he had a right to take for religious work what had always been

granted him for pleasure, which is a mistake that frequently occurs on smaller scales. Here it ended in the lasting separation of Francis from his home ties, and, by gradual steps, he found himself the unwitting exponent of the future Rule of Poverty, and at the head of three others, like him- self, possessed of but one desire,—to preach the Kingdom of God. It so happens—it is happening with some in our England to-day—that, in order to aim above it men teach the preachers of the moment to hit the mark. It may be that those who are working amongst the masses to-day, accused of forsaking their order, are giving the world precisely that help which the Friar Minors gave it. It is only a partial, tem- porary help, but no man can tilt against an established system with half his strength. To-day we can see the great- ness of the Feudal system in good as in evil, as those who

come after us may value and despise our present organised cultivation ; but it is needful after all that some of our friends should make us face our problems, as the first friars faced those of the Middle Ages, by one.sided eloquence and dramatic self-sacrifice for an ideal which never can be for all alike a principle of moral or religions life.

Onwards the medimval movement rolled, taking shape as

an Order with Rule, sanctioned by the Holy See, as naturally as a snowball grows as it rolls on. The social education

of never being anything but the leader of a local circle, gave Francis, like others, a self-possession which served a well-bred man as well as experience when he came to work in wider spheres. He was as audacious as a child who knows that it attracts, whether in gaining approval for his Rule, an indul- gence for his Festa, or liberty to preach :—

"At Imola, for instance, the Bishop at first answered the request he made very coldly : 'My brother, I preach in my own diocese ; that is enough.' Francis bent his head and went out. An hour later he presented himself again to the Bishop. What have you come for again ? What do you want ? ' said the latter sharply. 'My Lord,' replied Francis, When a father turns his son out by one door, the son has but one thing to do—to return by another."

The biographer and the Bishop called this humility, but

others might suppose it to be persistency, at least; however, Francis got his way.

Speaking of his influence, at the age of thirty, Abbe le Monnier also observes :—

" The truth is, though it has not been much noticed, that he had all the qualities that go to make an influential master, and, above all, the one perhaps most important, that of knowing how to speak in private. His warm, sincere heart did not need the

excitement of a large audience to draw it out Those who are initiated into the secrets of the religious life will understand how valuable this gift was to him."

With his audiences he seems to have behaved with the same simplicity as with his authorities ; and when in authority he said what he had to say, and, if nothing came into his mind, he said nothing. We can well understand, therefore, that there were different estimates of his preaching, and that at

times he failed to impress, and at others his personality inspired his hearers with exquisite visions and fervid resolu- tions, or even drew them into the strict life by force of enthusiasm. But the enthusiasm had to last to carry his friars through the terrible privations of the life to which they were called, and he exerted himself to prevent reaction and lassitude with deliberate and persevering care and love. His rules were based on his experience, and neither for himself nor others did he approve of any general relaxation, though in particular instances the exceptions to his strictness have the beauty of delicate flowers carved in stone.

As the Order grew, so his experience increased, and though he was only four.and-forty when he died, in 1226, he left behind him the completed rule and the organisation of the three Orders. He had secured his constitution, although the future history of the Order is one of struggle in which its influence waxed and waned from time to time. But its unique strength lay in the enrolment of the Tertiaries. To quote the words of the Abbe, as representing the accepted definition of the peculiar work of St. Francis :—

" An idea of that kind had never before been heard of in the Church. A certain number of monasteries had, it is true, given

here and there letters of affiliation to persons outside their

order Brit there was a wide difference between that and an Order having a distinct existence cf its own, and embracing the faithful of the whole world. The honour of having created this novelty is entirely due to the genius of S. Francis It was this spirit which collected the Tertiaries together, and then carried them on with a strong impulse to heights to which individuals left to themselves would never have attained They knew and helped and loved each other. Association is a deep-seated necessity in the heart of man."

It is, as usual, for the witness borne by such clusters of souls as are found round a great Saint that one would read the

details of beautiful lives, and this personal witness is un- touched by the legends with which the age and the Church have cumbered the story of St. Francis. Some of these legends are beautiful, other are far from having the effect designed by their pious inventors, or by those who have unwittingly worked upon the wonders always seen wherever a genius lives amongst those who love him. Indeed, the ebb and flow of the poetic imagination, of the eloquent speech, of the exuberances of the spiritual life, are all marvellous.

Through the glimpses of genuine history and in the ela- borately constructed legends, woven together in this volume with much skill, we catch sight of the saintly self-sacrifice, and the love of souls which, take what form they will- medimval or modern—must ever encourage those who read their records. And perhaps, though many may be the marvels with which the outer life of a saint is decorated by his followers, most inexplicable to the world is the perpetually recurring miracle of the birth of humility in the Christian soul. This miracle in the life of St. Francis none can deny, and through it, to him more than to many another saint, the

description of his Companion applies—Simplex in omnibus.