I

CD

BLESSED
GILES OF ASSISI

BV

WALTER

Qui

nescit orare

MANCHESTER

W.

SETON

non cognoscit Deum.

THE UNIVERSITY PRESS

1918

Republished in 1966 by
Gregg Press Limited
1

Westmead, Farnborough
Hants., England

Printed

in

Western Germany

CONTENTS.
Chapter

I.

the call
to

the

THE CALL TO POVERTY.

How

Giles

first

heard

His meeting with St. Francis His admission

band of Friars Minor His clothing by St.

page l
with
tour
The
MISSIONARY
THE
JOURNEYS.
Chapter II.
The
Ancona
of
March
the
in
St. Francis
pilgrimage to
and his
Francis
With
St.
at Compostella
St. James
Francis

Rome

disciples in

to

pilgrimage

Fabriano

The

for the confirmation of the

the
call

Holy Land

the

Mohammedan
stay in Rome

of the

journey to Tunis

In

Rule

The

hermitage of
world and the

Giles
page 7
LIFE
OF CONTEMPLATION. At the death
Chapter III. THE
bed of St. Francis The Lent of St. Martin at Cetona
and his vision of Our Lord Giles zeal for Poverty The
death of Bernard of Quintavalle The life and character

of Giles

His preaching before St. Clare at San Damiano

his meeting with St. Louis of France
page 14
THE LAST DAYS NEAR PERUGIA. In the

Giles and

Chapter IV.
His ecstasy in the presence of
convent of Monteripido
at Monteripido
death
His
IX.
Pope Gregory

page 21

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES.

Chapter V.
References to Giles in Franciscan MSS. and sources
The MSS. containing the Life of Giles The Short
Canonici Misc. 528 Which
Life and the Long Life
the nearer to the work of Brother Leo?
is
life
The inter
Life
Arguments in favour of the Short
relation of the various

TEXT OF CANONICI
APPENDIX.

Misc.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MSS.
528
.

INDEX
vii

page 24

AND TRANSLATION
page 52
page 91
P*S* 93

BLESSED GILES OF
CHAPTER

ASSISI.

I.

THE CALL TO POVERTY.

deberet nominari, quin homo prat
Ille homo, btatus Franciscus, nunquam
sua ; tantum modo stbi defuit unum, scilicet corpora
gaudio lamberet labia
habeo, scilicet via re
si enim habuisset tale corpus, quale ego

fortitude;

proculdubio

totusmundus eum sequi minime potuissct."

MOIDIVB.

for my
the Perugians that the bells shall never ring
me."
miracles
by
wrought
for
nor
any great
canonisation,
it
And yet, after the lapse of more than six centuries, appears
of the humble
words
recorded
last
the
probable that these,
he may be the first of
Giles of Assisi, may be disproved, and
of Assisi to receive the
the original disciples of Saint Francis
From among the little group
of canonisation.
"

TELL

full

honours

who at the dawn of

of simple-minded, single-hearted men
receive the message of
the thirteenth century were the first to
and to cluster around St. Francis, it is
evangelical perfection
the most fascinating
almost invidious to point to any one as
Round
his
Table, as the
of
those
of
Knights
and attractive
The "Little Flowers of St.
Saint himself called them.
to modern readers,
fortunately so well known
Francis," now
them one and all to us: and each of them, Leo,
has endeared

own place in our affections.

Bernard, Juniper, Giles, has his
not been the
But Blessed Giles of Assisi might, if he had
claimed a place
humblest and most retiring of men, have
the apostolic founders of the movement,
in the
which stirred the dry bones of Western Christendom

second to none

among

thirteenth century.

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

Blessed Giles of Assisi has hitherto been

country

in

two ways

editions of the

"

Little

known

in

this

by the chapters included in most

Flowers,"

which give episodes

in his

which are very beautiful, but not perhaps all of unquestion

able authenticity and by his
Golden Sayings," which have
life

"

been admirably translated into English and edited by Father

This work is a completely satis
Paschal Robinson, O.F.M.
edition
of
the
Golden
factory
Sayings," and those who are
"

primarily interested in Blessed Giles on account of his ascetic

philosophy and of the contribution which he made to the
religious philosophy

and to the

literature of the

Middle Ages

may not need to go further afield. But others, to whom the

human document is of even greater fascination, will want to
know Blessed

Giles himself.

aware, there

as yet

is

no

As

the present writer is

of the Life of Blessed

far as

critical version

Giles published in this country, nor any translation of his life

into English.
To combine as far as is practicable the critical

and the popular

never an easy task

is

the object of this

work.

The impulse to study and then to write about Blessed Giles

came from the chance consultation of the catalogue of the
Canonici Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, the finding of
a hitherto unknown copy of the life in Cod Misc. 528, and
the investigation of that MS., which has formed the basis of
It is impossible to make a careful study of the
sources
of the Life of Blessed Giles without be
manuscript

this edition.

coming immersed

in the

many complex problems which

interwoven with one another

To

a number of these

it

will

are

in early Franciscan literature.

be necessary to allude

but

it

would be going far beyond the scope of this work to attempt

to solve some of these problems, for the complete settlement
of which we still are and perhaps always shall be without suf
ficient material.
The primary aim will be to get at the most
primitive version of the Life, to discuss the position of Brother
Leo as its author, and to make the personality of Giles real
and living to British readers. Giles first appears in the

Franciscan story about two years after

St.

Francis himself had

THE CALL TO POVERTY

the great surrender, and, deliberately choosing a life of

was
poverty, had embarked upon that venture of faith which

made

to earn for

and

him

first

the ridicule and contempt of his relatives

and esteem

friends in Assisi, then the affectionate regard

of the dwellers in the towns and villages of the Umbrian plain,

and now the devotion of the Faithful throughout the world.
"

The day

bonds

in

pray to

will

come,"

said the

Perugia in 1202,
l

me."

young Francis when

the world will

"when

The words have come

true,

fall

in prison

down and

but nothing seemed

more unlikely at the time when Giles, hearing from his friends
and kinsmen of the eccentric and fanatical son of the merchant
Peter Bernardone, and of his two disciples, Bernard of Quintavalle and Peter Cathanius, resolved to throw in his lot with

The chronicles are silent concerning the earlier life

of Giles we do not know whether he was younger than
Francis or older, but we get some impression of him from
Thomas of Celano s description 2 a simple, upright, God
lived
fearing man, who for a long time, perfect in obedience,
them.

"

a holy and devout life, by the labour of his hands, giving us

an example of solitary life and of holy contemplation".
On 23rd April, the day of England s Patron Saint, St.
George, Giles took his resolve to leave the world and seek
It is not easy to
out St. Francis and his two disciples.
and that of Ber
conversion
his
determine the year in which

nard and Peter took place.

mine the year of his death
calculated, the

one

Some MSS.

It
:

equally difficult to deter

and the two events must be

in relation to

of the

is

the other.

contain no dates

life

The

version

primitive at present

known,

dates which cannot be taken without reserve.

which we believe to be the most

others contain

contains no date either of his conversion or of his death

longer version gives in most MSS.

conversion and 1262 for his death.
This, however,

is

clear

the date

1209

the

for his

from the early narratives of the

foundation of the Order, that the

llt

Adhuc sanctus adorabor

2 1

Cel. x. 25.

call

per seculum

of the

totum,"

first

II Cel.

i.

disciples
4.

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

was about a year before the journey of St Francis and his

Rome for the approval of their primitive Rule
the
There has been much
by
Pope.
controversy as to the
year to which the approval of the First Rule should be as
It was either 1209 or 1210: and if that is
signed.
the
followers to

so,

conversion of Giles took

place either in 1208 or 1209.

strong argument for the later date, 1209, is reached in a some
what indirect way. All the versions agree in
recording that
Giles died on the Vigil of the Feast of St
George, at the

hour of the early morning office in other words,

early on
23rd April. Now his death occurred either in 1261 or 1262.
The MSS. which contain a date say 1262. The
1261 is
:

year
extremely improbable, because in 1261 Easter Sunday fell on
24th April that being so, the 23rd April, being Easter Eve,
would certainly not have been observed that yeai as the Feast
of St George, and if Giles had died on 23rd
April, 1261, it
seems certain that reference would have been made to that
:

MSS.

On this basis, admittedly not very con

appears best to accept the statement of the best
of the Chronicle of XXIV Generals that Giles died

on

George s Day, 23rd

date as Easter Eve.

clusive,

St.

it

that he

died

while the

in the

MSS. of

The same MSS. say

from his conversion,
(including the one here

April, 1262.

fifty-second year

the Short Life

edited) speak of his death as occurring

had been

"

when

fifty-two years

would thus appear that the con

version of Giles could not have taken place earlier than in
completed".

It

1209.

confirmation of this date

is found in the fact that all

agree in referring to the death of St. Francis (4th
Oct., 1226) as having taken place in the eighteenth year of
Giles conversion, that is seventeen years before
April, 1226

MSS.

the

which again brings us to I2O9. 3

Rising early on the morning of

St.

George

Day, Giles

For explanation of the terms Short Life and Long Life, see
p. 28.
a It is
not very apparent on what authority Father Paschal Robinson

states

that Giles lived fifty-three years in the Order.

Golden Sayings," p. xl.
In the narrative which follows the conclusions reached on certain critical
"

questions discussed in detail in later chapters are assumed.

THE CALL TO POVERTY

betook himself first of all to the Church of St. George, now

part of Santa Chiara and, having heard Mass, he set out to
;

find

SL

Francis.

Leaving Assisi by the East Gate, now known as the Porta

Nuova, he made his way past San Damiano to the leper
settlement of Rivo Torto, which stood on the main road run
It was at the
ning from Perugia through Spello to Foligno.
cross-roads, where the track from San Damiano joined the

main road, that Giles prayed for guidance in his search for
the Portiuncula and for St. Francis. The Portiuncula, or as
it was then called Sancta Maria, lay surrounded by woods a
little

off the

highway

in the direction of Perugia.

found his prayer answered, for at that very

join

Francis

way to the wood for prayer, came to meet

making
Giles fell down at his feet and begged to be allowed to
The answer of Francis to his appeal
his company.
his

himself,

him.

Giles soon

moment

shows his burning conviction of the dignity of the life to

which he had himself been called and to which he was to call
A great gift it is, dearest brother, which the Lord
others.
If the Emperor were to come to Assisi and
hath given thee.
"

choose one from the city to be his knight or his chamberlain,

many would there be who would fain be chosen. How much
a gift oughtest thou to count it, that God hath chosen
greater
thee and called thee to His court

"

he raised Giles and took him to the

And

with these words

little

church hidden in

the woods, and, calling Brother Bernard, said, The Lord hath
Thus did Giles cast in his lot with
sent us a good brother".
"

the

little

of Assisi and join himself to a movement

destined to purge, even to save, the Church.

poor

man

which was
There was no delay

new
brown cloth which has
visible sign of his

giving Giles the outward and

vocation, the plain habit of coarse
in

as the
persisted for seven centuries

distinctive garb of those of the

Order who have most closely

Leaving their humble dwelling in

the woods at Sancta Maria, Francis and Giles set out for
road which still
Assisi, doubtless following the long dusty
followed their Founder.

leads

from the Portiuncula up to the gate now known as

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

Porta San Pietro, though it is likely that at that time the

lower part of the road was nothing but a track in the woods.
That afternoon walk was to be the first test of the new dis
ciple s resolve.

an alms

poor

woman

for the love of Christ,

could resist

who was

accosted Francis and begged

an appeal which Francis never
of course

still in his
worldly
Scarcely had his master bidden
divide his mantle and give the poor woman a share, than

Giles,

attire, rose to the occasion.

him

he hastily removed
whole.

his

garment and gave her not half but the

was filled with the keenest joy

Immediately Giles

by this outward act of renunciation he had won

a Knight of the Round Table.

his spurs as

CHAPTER

II.

THE MISSIONARY JOURNEYS.

Quis magis meretur vadens ad sanctum Jacobum vel ad sanctum

"

ostendens viam ?

THE

Jacobum

"

year of Giles life as a Friar was spent in close

It is difficult to know whether
association with St. Francis.
first

by the compiler of the Long Life

and based upon the Legend of the Three Companions," how
immediately after the reception of Giles, Francis and his new
The
follower set off on a tour in the March of Ancona.

to accept the account given

"

It seems
aspects of the matter are discussed later.
the
time
following the
probable that there were tours during

critical

reception of Giles and while the

number of

but four; not exactly

1
hand-to-hand work with individuals.

for public preaching,

have been the occasion

to the March of Ancona.
in that first year,

it

is

when

One

Friars

was

still

but for private

of these

may

well

Francis and Giles went on foot

But wherever the incident is placed

one of the most beautiful and char

Francis, who, as
French tongue
the
used
the
when carried away with the exuberance of his feelings, went
Turning to
along singing aloud in French and praising God.
Our Order will be like
his wondering companion he said

acteristic episodes of early Franciscan days.

"

Mirror of Perfection

"

tells us,

"

a fisherman, who casts his nets into the waters, catching a

the big ones he choses out, but the
great multitude of fishes
Such optimism was a test of
small he leaves in the water."
:

the

new
1

plene

disciple, seeing that at that

Anal. Franc.,

Tom.

"

iii.

p. 76.

time the Order numbered

Licet autem Sanctus adhuc populo non

praedicaret."

(7)

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

but four

but, recognising instinctively the spiritual genius

man whom he was

of the

following, he wondered but believed

and exhorted others to do the same. And so
they returned
to the Portiuncula and rejoined Bernard and Peter.
Months passed, during which the band of followers was

raised first to six by the

reception of Sabbatino, Morico, and
John of Capella, and a little later to seven when Philip the
Long joined them. It was then that the first regular preaching
mission of the whole band was undertaken.
St. Francis
called them together and exhorted them to
go out two and
two into the great world which
lay outside Umbria, bidding
them lead men to repentance by their lives rather than
by
His unconquerable spiritual optimism and his neverprecept.
failing confidence in his mission were infectious and irresistible.
And thus they went out, as he bade them; and whenever
they came to a Church or to a wayside Calvary, they bowed

We

themselves, devoutly saying

adore Thee,
Christ, and
bless Thy Name for all the churches which are in all the
world, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the
"

world

".

This time Bernard of Quintavalle was the

companion of
Giles, and their goal was the shrine of St. James at
Compostella, a renowned place of pilgrimage.
Probably it was the

autumn when they set out on their

journey and the year
was that of Giles conversion, either 1208 or
We learn

late

1209.

as to this journey in either of the lives of B. Giles

that
it was a time of intense
except
hardship, when

very

little

suffered hunger, cold, thirst, and

persecution.
fellow-men carried Giles through these

experiences

a poor

man he wanted

to give

him

they
But love of his

meeting
he had
the hood and give
:

his garment, but as

only his one tunic, he could merely take off

it to him
and this he did, going himself for
twenty-one days
without a hood.
:

The

"

Legend of the Three Companions helps to fill in the

For though the name of Giles is
"

details of this
pilgrimage.
not mentioned in those
relates to

Bernard

paragraphs,
tour with Giles.

it is

clear that the account

At any

rate they reached

THE MISSIONARY JOURNEYS

One
shelter.
Florence and could find no one to give them
the
of
the
for
lady
in the porch of a house,
night they spent
allow
not
would
house mistrusting them and their errand,
in
them to come inside. Next morning, after a night spent
Bernard and
the intense cold of a Northern Italian winter,
and the
Mass
hear
to
Giles betook themselves to Church
:

Church.
mistress of the house went to the same

While at

one Guido, but

Church the brothers were offered an alms by
that
they had given
Bernard refused to receive it, explaining
at their
The
God.
lady, wondering
up all for the love of

alms and discovering how she had

and Giles into her house and
misjudged them, took Bernard

refusal of the preferred

entertained them hospitably for

some

One

days.

At

this pilgrimage.

other

inci

Ficarollo, a

is recorded concerning
and Ferrara in the
small place on the Po between Mantua
who went to him
to
called
Giles,
man
a
plain of Lombardy,
the man mocked
but
him
from
alms
an
to receive

dent

expecting

him

instead,

by

placing dice in

his
"

to play.

"The

Lord forgive thee

humble, self-restraining Giles.

The records do not make

it

hand and inviting him

was the reply of the

clear

whether

it

was

at the

end of an agreed period or as a result of a divine interposition

at the same time, but
that the eight returned to Sancta Maria
the pilgrimage
1210:
in
been
have
early
would seem to
it

Robinson
had occupied the winter of 1209-1210. Fr. Paschal
Generals" assign
XXIV.
of
"Chronicle
of
the
and the Editors
the year 1212, i.e.
this visit to St. James at Compostella to
to Rome for the approbation of the Rule
after the

but this

journey

to maintain against the evidence of

is difficult

Thomas

especially the
The Three Companions
of Celano and of
with the conditions of that time defi
latter, which in dealing
1
band was not yet called an Order
nitely states that "their
"

"

".

to the next
Both versions of the Life of B. Giles are silent as
the visit along with Francis and the
great event in his career
that
to Rome but there can be no doubt
ten other
:

disciples

he was then with them.

1

"

Three

Comp."

x.

"

The consensus

nondum enim Ordo eorum

of critical opinion
dicebatur Religio

".

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

io

It is
assigns the visit to Rome to the summer of 1210.
to
it
in
describe
both
because
Giles
detail,
scarcely necessary

himself

is

the visit to

not even mentioned in the whole story and because

Rome is one of the episodes most familiar to all who

care for the narrative of the early days of the Franciscan Order.
It was the occasion of the meeting of two of the greatest but

most widely

different personalities of the thirteenth century

Innocent III and Francis.

Suffice

to say that the earnest

it

ness, piety, simplicity, and utter conviction of his calling shown

by Francis overcame the caution and statesmanship of one of
the greatest men who has ever occupied the Papal throne and
who, beneath his exalted rank as a spiritual and temporal
potentate, was a lover of true religion and ardently anxious
for the reform of the Church.
Innocent and Francis under
stood each other and Francis left Rome with the Papal ap
probation of his Primitive Rule and with the Papal authority
to preach repentance.
Before they left on their homeward
journey, Giles, along with St. Francis and the other ten,
:

received the small tonsure as authority to preach the word.

Leaving Rome, St. Francis with his little band, including
Giles,

made

his

way back by slow

stages to Assisi, where

he

appears to have taken up his abode at or close to the leper

settlement of Rivo Torto.

Some
in the

life

obscurity rests over the events of the next few years

of B. Giles.
It is difficult to fix the order in which

he undertook some more distant journeyings. The records

agree in telling us that he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land

and

also that he visited the well-known shrines of St. Michael

the Archangel at Gargano and St. Nicholas at Bari.

On the
whole it seems likely that it was either on his way to the

Holy Land

or

on

shrines in Apulia.

discussed later

his return journey that

The Short

may

Life,

he visited the two

for reasons to be

which

be regarded as the more primitive and

two shrines first and of

authoritative, speaks of his visit to the

Jerusalem second the order is reversed in

There can, however, be no doubt that Giles
the Holy Land and make his way to the Holy

his pilgrimage to

the

Long

did

visit

Life.

THE MISSIONARY JOURNEYS

veneration and he ap
Sepulchre and other spots of special
So far as the
a companion with him.
taken
have
to
pears
records of the Order go, Giles and his companion were the first
:

followers of St. Francis to carry the Gospel of Poverty to the

Land. They were delayed at Brindisi waiting for a

Holy

over seas and Giles with his usual humility

ship to carry them
So
did not hesitate to earn his daily bread by carrying water.
not
is
which
too on his way back he was delayed at a place
:

Achon to be identified
either
quite certain from the narrative,
with S. Jean d Acre in Syria, or Ancona here also Giles was
"

"

not ashamed to support himself by the sweat of his brow in

most menial ways, making baskets of rushes or bearing the
dead to the place of burial or carrying water for the towns

pilgrimage to Monte Gargano and Bari,

he carried his message of penitence to all whom he met,
both men and women. These events occupied some part
folk.

During

his

of the years from 1210 to 1214

but

unsafe to be more

it is

precise than to assign them

in all probability after his return from these

generally to that period.

was

It

wanderings

far

the seventh year of his conversion," that

afield, that Giles in
is either in 1214 or 1215, went to the hermitage of Fabriano
Francis had set him at liberty to go
in the March of Ancona.
"

wherever the Spirit led him, but Giles had no wish to be thus
loosed from authority and besought Francis to send him to
some place, because his spirit could find no rest in such free

dom.

And

so he

was sent

discover from the records

hermitage of Fabriano.

to Fabriano.

It

is

not easy to

how

The

long Giles remained in the

Long Life speaks of him as being

there many years, and it seems likely that the stay at Fabriano
when he
occupied most of the time between 1215 and 1219,
It was
Africa.
North
to
tour
set out on his last missionary
of
words
in
the
Fabriano
of
seclusion
in the
and
that,

quiet
over him the
biographer, the hand of the Lord was
character
of
Giles
bent
and
ascetic
began then to
strong mystical

his

manifest

itself

more and more clearly.

self to contemplation,

and

He

began to give him

under

in the ecstasy of his soul to

stand the secrets of the spiritual world.

It

was in the hermitage

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

12

of Fabriano,

too, that

he began to

feel

himself in a special

way

the butt of the assaults and persecutions of the Devil, and in

the distress of his spiritual conflict he sought the help of St.

him whether there were anything so

Francis, asking

terrible

could not be borne while one said a single Paternoster

to which St. Francis answered that so terrible was the Devil,
that

it

that one could not bear his assaults even for so long as it took
It may have been at some time
to say half a Paternoster.

during these years that he was in the Church of Saint Apollinaris at Spoleto, when one night as he prayed he felt the malig
nant Presence threatening him and was freed only by dragging
himself to the stoup of holy water and making the sign of the
Cross.

characteristic story

is

told of Giles during his sojourn

Burdened with the conviction of his own sinfulness, he went into a wood, and having called a boy brother to
him he stripped himself naked and bade the boy drag him by
Have
a rope round his neck to the abode of the Brothers.
pity on me, my Brothers, on me sinful as I am!" he exclaimed
to the astonished Brothers and as they implored him to

at Fabriano.

"

am not worthy to be a
ye desire to give me back my tunic out
of compassion and as an alms, I receive it though unworthy
Yet once again the call of the Mohammedan world was
to stir Giles out of his life of contemplation and send him
reclothe himself, he continued:

Brother Minor

but

"I

if

".

forth to preach.

According to Wadding

it

was

1219 at

in

the second General Chapter that St. Francis resolved to send

out Friars to the Saracens and other infidels. To the lot of

His mission
Giles it fell to go to Tunis in North Africa.
does not appear to have been a very successful one he and
his companions were met with fierce opposition on the part
:

and the Christian inhabitants, who

they were being endangered by the
Friars, who insisted on preaching to the Moors from the ship,
compelled them to abandon their mission and return to Italy.
It is difficult to know at what period in B. Giles* life to
of the fanatical Moors
evidently feared

place his stay in

that

Rome

described by the compiler of the

THE MISSIONARY JOURNEYS

13

It is noteworthy that
Chronicle of the XXIV Generals".
either in the Short
confirmation
find
not
does
the narrative
no special reason
is
there
but
sources
in
Life or
"

any early

for questioning

its

The most

authenticity.

which to assign this second visit to Rome is

are told that he lived while in
1214.

We
is

Rome

mon

in the

Sanctorum Quatuor Coronatorum," of which

known but if the Friars had then been established,

astery of the

nothing

likely period to

between 1210 and

"

as they were in 1212, in the building in Trastevere,

be supposed that Giles would have lived there.

it

might

On

this

might even be argued

assumption
Of his
that his visit to Rome was between 1210 and 1212.
that he lived en
life in the great city we know little, except
of his hands. At one time he would
tirely by the labour
at another he
himself
logs of wood
carrying
by
support
would lend a hand with getting in the harvest or gathering
For
or shaking down the nuts from the trees.
the
a rather slender one

it

vintage
these varied

would not receive payment in

to meet his bodily
money, but only in kind, just sufficient
A beautiful story is told, illustrating his sincerity and
needs.
He was
love of his fellow-men, which endeared him to all.
from
the fountain, and on
water for the monastery

all

services he

fetching
his way back with his water-pot well filled, was accosted by
a stranger who asked for a drink. Giles refused, saying:
can I give thee a drink and carry back what is left
"

How

over for the

monks?"

him with abuse

The

stranger,

much annoyed,

assailed

but the long-suffering Giles took his waterfetched another water-pot full of water

pot to the monastery,

from the fountain, and took

it

to the house of the

man,

bidding him drink.

The return of Giles from his missionary journey to Tunis
career: his
in 1219 or possibly 1220 closes a chapter in his
his
of
rest
the
for
end
long life
active ministry was at an
never
but
then
in
and
another,
we find him first in one
:

place

very

far

from

Assisi, the original

home

of the Order.

CHAPTER

III.

THE LIFE OF CONTEMPLATION.

"

Contemplatio

FOR

est ignis, vnctio, ecstasis, gustus, requits,

ten years Giles

sionary, with

had

gloria."

life of the mis

Fabriano and doubtless

lived the active

periods of retreat at

Before him lay forty-two years to be spent

mainly living the Religious life, generally in seclusion but
often too in close and inspiring contact with the early leaders

elsewhere.

Those years were not eventful so

of the Order.

was concerned

far as Giles

the actual incidents recorded about them are

comparatively few.

When

B. Giles

first

turned his back upon the world and

St. Francis, Bernard of Quintavalle

found a spiritual leader in

was the

first

brother

whom

he

met

Throughout the whole of

Francis career, these two Bernard and Giles were closely

linked together by the bond of a complete mutual under
St.

It is quite what
standing and of a community of experience.
might be expected to find them meeting once again beside
the death-bed of the master.
The "Speculum Perfectionis"

The dying Francis

who had had the
him when he was alone,

gives a touching account of this meeting.

bethinks him of his first follower Bernard,

courage to believe in him and to join

and he sends for him. Seating himself beside the couch on
which the Saint lay, Bernard appealed to him for a blessing
My father, I pray thee to bless me and show thy love for me,
:

"

if thou dost show thy fatherly love for me, I

God Himself and all the brothers will love me the

since

believe

that

more".

Blessed Francis could not see him, for many days before the
but stretching out his right
light had faded from his eyes
:

(14)

THE LIFE OF CONTEMPLATION

15

hand, he laid it on the head of Brother Giles, thinking to

place it on the head of Brother Bernard who was sitting next

Immediately the inspiration of the Holy Ghost re

to him.

vealed to him his mistake and Brother Bernard

came nearer

and received the much coveted blessing.

Thus did B. Giles watch by the death-bed of the man who
had called him from the world and directed his life into new
Broken-hearted, we may well believe, by the be
reavement which he had suffered, he left the Portiuncula with
one companion, Gratian, and betook himself to the wild
channels.

district of

Cetona

Tuscany, not

in

far

from Chiusi, to the

vent of Cibbotola, to spend the Lent of

St.

Martin.

Con

It

was

during his stay at Cetona that in his sleep he had a vision of

Blessed Francis himself.
This experience, followed by days
of prayer and fasting, was to lead up to an even greater crisis
in his spiritual life
for three days before Christmas he had
;

a vision of Jesus Christ manifest before his eyes. Just as

St. Francis himself at the end of his observance of the Lent
of

St.

Michael on Mount Alverna reached the climax of his

spiritual career in the vision of the crucified

receiving of the Sacred

Wounds,

Seraph and the

so B. Giles found in his ex

periences at Cetona an objective revelation of his Lord which

remained with him throughout the remainder of his life.

From

that time

shown

itself at

the contemplative bent which had already

Fabriano or even earlier, became the dominant

and character.
was
Giles
a more loyal follower of St. Francis
way
than in his zeal for the Lady Poverty it was for him and
for St. Clare and others of the earliest followers to hand on
the torch lighted by the Saint, and to resist by word and
deed the influences which Elias of Cortona and his followers
were ever seeking to introduce.
The story of Brother Leo
and the building of the great Church of San Francesco is well
known, and from its evident connection with Leo himself, is
one of the stories about Giles most clearly marked with authen

characteristic of his life

In no

ticity.

Elias,

who undoubtedly

possessed

a very

loyalty to the person of St. Francis, coupled with

genuine

much ambi-

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

and much disagreement with the Saint s ideals, set to

work almost immediately after his canonisation in 1228 to
collect funds for the erection of the great Church on the Colle
d Inferno and set up a marble urn to receive the alms of the
Leo went and told Giles of this wanton departure
Faithful.
from the life of Poverty, and Giles weeping replied
If the
tion

"

building were as long as from here to Assisi, one small corner

and turning to Leo he

were enough for me to sojourn
If thou art a dead man, go and break that marble
vase, which has been set up contrary to Holy Poverty to re
but if thou art alive, desist, for thou
ceive gifts of money
in,"

said

"

canst

bare the tribulations of that Elias

ill

"

Whereupon Leo

and a few other brothers as simple-hearted and courageous as

himself went and smashed the porphyry urn and were chastised

by the Minister-General, Elias.

Later on Giles out of devotion to St. Francis went to
revisit Assisi and was taken to see the great Convent which
nad been built up adjoining San Francesco. Turning to the
Friars

you,

who

my

lived there, he said with his caustic wit

"

tell

but one thing ye lack here, wives

well, that having thus discarded poverty,

brothers, there

"

is

Ye know
and added,
ye can easily discard chastity
Nearly twenty years had passed since Giles and Bernard
had met beside the death-bed of their much-loved master.
Once again they met at a death-bed, but this time it was
Bernard who was dying.
Entering the sick man s chamber,
Giles greeted his old friend and brother-in-arms with cheerful
Sursum corda, Brother Bernard, sursum corda
words,
And Bernard, whose thoughts doubtless travelled back to
that spring day in 1209 when St. Francis had brought to
him the new brother whom the Lord had sent, full of joy
bade the brothers prepare a place in which Giles could devote
After par
himself according to his wont to contemplation.
taking of a meal along with the brothers who stood around
his couch, after exhorting them to love one another, and after
have
telling them all that not for a thousand worlds would he
"

".

"

"

lost the privilege of serving Christ,

Order passed to his

rest.

this first disciple of

the

THE LIFE OF CONTEMPLATION

17

Giles will ever live in the affection of those who care for
the beginnings of the Franciscan Order rather by his life and
actual deeds.
Many stories are told
character than

by any

of him, mostly relating to the years of contemplative life.

Most of them help to show the essential simplicity of his
character and his deep religious nature his profound humility
:

and invariable submission to authority but many of them

also show how intensely human Giles was and remained in
:

spite of his spiritual experiences.

One of the best-known stories relates to his preaching

San Damiano, and an English

before the
Friar, a Master of Sacred Theology, was preaching
his
with
sermon, B.
Before he had got very far
Sisters.
before St. Clare.

It

was

at

Hold thy peace, Master, for

Giles interrupted him, saying
The Master in all humility ceased
I
desire to preach".
and Giles preached instead. When Giles had
"

preaching

he allowed the Master to complete his interrupted

sermon. St. Clare was greatly edified by the humility of
the Master of Theology, because he had thus allowed himself
finished

to be interrupted
B. Giles

the most

by a lay brother.

was never

sacred

destitute of a sense of

things.

brother

came

humour, even in
jubilant to him

him that he had had a vision of Hell and had seen

I believe thee, my son,"
not a single Friar Minor there.
answered Giles. The brother, evidently feeling some doubt,
How is it, thinkest thou, my Father, that there is no
said
Friar Minor in Hell; or how is it that I saw them not?"
to

tell

"

"

because thou
replied Giles,
that
to
didst not descend deep enough,
place where the
habit of Friars
the
worn
have
who
tormented
wretches are

Thou sawest

"

none,

my

"

son,"

Minor but have not done the works of such or observed the
Rule
One of the most beautiful stories, illustrating the simpli
one telling how he
city and directness of Giles faith, is the
removed from the mind of a Brother Preacher doubt con
"

Our Lady. It is true that the story

sometimes regarded as an interpolation in the

cerning the virginity of

is

one which

is

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

i8

but its beauty justifies the

quoting of it and the
whether
it can be
question
historically defended seems scarcely
A noted Brother Preacher had doubt as to the
relevant.
virgin
of
Our
ity
Lady and came for spiritual guidance to Giles.
Before he had made known his
doubt, Giles
it
narrative,

perceived

and

going to meet him, struck on the ground with the stick which
he carried, saying, "O Brother
Preacher, a Virgin before
birth
and where he struck the
ground, a most beautiful
And striking the ground again, he said, O
lily sprang up.
Brother Preacher, a
Virgin in birth!" and a second lily
And striking yet a third time he said: "O
sprang up.
Brother Preacher, a Virgin after birth!" and a
"

"

third lily

And Giles then ran away, but the Brother

sprang up.
Preacher was freed from his doubts.
No incident recorded concerning B. Giles has been more
criticised on historical
grounds than the one found in the
"

Chronicle of the

describing the
Perugia.

XXIV Generals," and in the

visit

It is told

of

"

Little

Flowers,"

St. Louis,

how

the

King of France, to B. Giles at

holy monarch went as an unknown

pilgrim with but few companions to the place where Giles

abode.
Giles immediately knew
by divine inspiration who
his visitor was, and the two met and embraced
each other and
remained for some time thus at last St. Louis
departed,
without either having addressed a
word to
:

the other!
single
brothers remonstrated with Giles for
allowed
St.
having
Louis to go, without
saying a word to him,
St. Louis

The

although

had come expressly to see him and hear him.

But Giles
answered them thus
Dearest brothers, marvel not, if he
spake nought to me nor I to him for as soon as we embraced
"

each other, the light of divine wisdom revealed his

heart to
me and mine to him, and whatsoever he had
thought to say

to me and I to him, we heard better without

the sound of
words or lips or tongue than if we had conversed with our
lips.
And had we desired to explain by means of the voice those

things which we felt within ourselves, our speech would have

tended rather to desolation than to consolation. Wherefore
be ye sure that the king went
away marvellously comforted."

THE LIFE OF CONTEMPLATION

19

one of the early disciples who had gone about

with the Founder of the Order and had close personal touch
B. Giles, as

with him, was, during his long years of contemplative retire

and
ment, visited by leading men among the Franciscans,

among others by
him

genuine self-depreciation and humility,

with his

Giles,

once said

"

To

Bonaventura, the Minister-General.

St.

of
Father, great grace has been given thee

My

But as for us, simple and ignorant folk, what can we

God hath
do to be saved?" The General answered:
that
love
he
can
that
save
Him,
no
grace
given to any man
God
love
asked
unlearned
an
Giles,
Can
man,"
is enough
God.

"If

"

"

".

An old woman
much as one instructed in letters ?
of
Master
Theology," answered
can love God more than a
"

"

just as

And

Bonaventura.

Giles, carried

away with fervour and

zeal

went to the garden wall, and seeing an old woman called out
Poor little old woman, simple and unlearned, thou
to her
"

canst love the

Bonaventura".

and rings

true.

Lord thy God and be greater than Brother

The story is characteristic of the two men
It is

Bonaventura of

how when the Papal envoy came

Hat and found him at his work
General merely answered,

And

was Giles

it

"

Hang

whom

to bring

the story

is

told

him the Cardinal

in the kitchen, the saintly

it

up

outside!"

who watching with no

small concern and

distrust the growing tendencies towards book-learning in the

Order and the departure from the primitive Franciscan simpli
city, uttered

heart:

"O

the words of warning

Paris,

Paris,

wrung from

his anxious

thou art ruining the Order of

St.

"

Francis

Reference has already been made to Cetona as the place

where B. Giles found the climax of his spiritual experience in
But it is in no way inconsistent with
a vision of his Lord.
all

that

is

known

of his

life

and

character,

to find

Cetona

likewise the scene of an incident simple, natural, mundane which

He had made
revealed how intensely human Giles could be.

Cetona a small garden where he had grown most excellent

in the garden with a
cabbages and while he was standing
brother came,
another
Our
the
Father,
stick in his hand saying
at

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

20

and began to cut down the cabbages with a

sword and destroy them. It was too much for the patience even
of Giles he rushed upon him and unceremoniously bundled
him out of the garden. The brother turned to him saying, O
And
brother Giles, where is thy patience and holiness ?

just to test him,

"

"

Forgive me, brother, for thou

unawares and I was unarmed and could not

Giles, with a sigh answered,

earnest

upon

me

arm myself thus suddenly

".

"

CHAPTER

IV.

THE LAST DAYS NEAR PERUGIA.

"

Ego

nolo mori meliori mart*

quam

d* contfmplationc."MQimva.

lack of chronological setting in both the standard Lives

of B. Giles makes it difficult to be sure when it was that
he settled down in the Convent of Monteripido, not far from

THE

that Convent
good many references to his life in
Perugia.
are found, especially in the Long Life, and it seems likely that
and failing powers Giles remained during
with increasing

age

possibly even from about 1234, very

He must have been a much
Monteripido.
revered figure in the Order, for he was one of the few remaining
links with (he old days, the days when the personality of
before
St. Francis had kept the Order together as one family
the lamentable strife between the Spiritual friars and the Com

the last years of his

much

life,

in seclusion at

in the
munity began. He had seen the leading personalities
Order pass away, Peter Cathanius in 1221, St. Francis himself
in
in 1226, Bernard of Quintavalle about 1242, St. Clare
to their
had
also
followers
the
other
of
gone
most
early
1253
and Giles was left one of the last of the apostolic band
rest
:

one may suppose, very much in the memory of past

with an unwavering hold upon the ideals which had
but
days,
He had yielded himself
taken possession of his life in 1209.
so completely to the life of contemplation and to the care of
that the affairs of earth had almost ceased to
living,

spiritual things,

to speak with him of the

divine glory and sweetness of Paradise for him to go into an
while unconscious
ecstasy immediately and remain for a long
and wrapped in the heavenly vision. So dominating a habit

concern him.

It

was

sufficient

(21)

BLESSED GILES OF ASSIST

22

did this become that at times mischievous boys would

call

out to him the words Paradise, Paradise, just to have the

satisfaction of seeing the saintly old man go into a trance.
But these spiritual experiences, which might easily have caused

a lesser man to swell with pride, only increased the native

humility of B. Giles.
Hearing of some who had risen to
exalted places in the world and had then fallen, he would say,
"

Let

me

able to

on the ground, for if I do not rise, I shall not be

On one occasion, between 1234 and 1236,

lie

fall!"

Pope Gregory IX while at Perugia summoned Giles to

presence and Giles went, not without fear lest he should
into an ecstasy in the presence of the Pope.
began to converse with the Pope, he fell into

the Pope, having seen for

by repute, said to him
:

expect no other sign of

catalogue of the Saints

As soon

his
fall

as

he

an ecstasy, and
himself what he had already heard
"

If thou diest before

thee, but will inscribe thy

me,

name

will

in the

".

The end came in 1 262 in the Convent of Monteripido, and

the desire which he had himself expressed to die not a death
of martyrdom but one of contemplation was to be fulfilled.
Enfeebled by old age and by the privations to which he had
up to the last exposed his body, he fell into an acute fever

and was tormented with cough and headache, so that he could

neither eat nor sleep.
The devoted brothers of the Convent
did all they could to relieve the sufferings of their dying

master.

Meanwhile, the news of his impending death had

and the Perugians knowing that he had

spread to Perugia,

himself expressed his longing that his bones should be laid at

rest in the Portiuncula at Saint Mary of the Angels, sent
bodies of armed men to keep guard, lest when the breath had
left his

body the precious remains should be

carried

away

elsewhere and Perugia robbed of a venerated relic.

News of
their somewhat aggressive devotion reached the dying man,

and he said

Tell the Perugians that the bells shall never

canonisation, nor for any great miracles wrought
"

ring for

my

by me

there shall be no sign given unto them save the sign

And the Perugians hearing this
prophet Jonas".

of the

THE LAST DAYS NEAR PERUGIA

Even though he be not canonised, we will have

The remains of B. Giles were carried to Perugia and

answered

him

".

23

"

buried in the Church of San Francesco.

His dying words

concerning the sign of the prophet Jonas found an unexpected

for the Perugians, looking for a suitable stone
fulfilment
from which to make his tomb, found a marble block upon
:

which the story of Jonah was sculptured. This they used for
the tomb of B Giles, believing it to be the fulfilment of his
prophetic words and conclusive proof of his holiness.

CHAPTER

V.

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES.

THE

sources for the Life of Blessed Giles

roughly into two main

him and

classes.

may

be divided

There are the accounts of

him in manuscripts dealing with other

and
are
the manuscripts containing more or
there
subjects
less complete and connected versions of his Life.
It will be
references to

simplest to deal

first

with the former

class,

and

to

do so

in the

generally accepted order of date of composition.

[i 230.] I. The LEGENDA PRIMA or First Life of St. Francis,
written by THOMAS OF CELANO at the direction of Pope Gregory

IX, at some date between the Saint s canonisation in 1228 and

25 May, 1230, contains the earliest account of the conversion

of Giles and of his joining himself to St. Francis.

a matter of a few lines and the reference

is I

It is

only

Cel. x. 25. l

Hunc vero, post non multum temporis, sequitur frater

j&gidius, vir simplex et rectus ac timens Deum, qui longo tempore durans sancte, iuste ac pie vivendo, perfectae obedientiae,
manuum,

laboris quoque
tionis nobis

One

exempla

vitae solitariae, sanctaeque contempla-

reliquit.

further brief reference to

him occurs

in I Cel. xii. 30,

where, speaking of the missionary journey undertaken by St.

Francis and his seven companions, he mentions how B. Giles

and Bernard made

Compostella

their

way

to the shrine of Saint

James

at

Tune frater Bernardus cumfratre ^Egidio versus Sanctum

lacobum

iter arripuit.

[1244.]

The LEGEND OF THE THREE COMPANIONS.

II.
1

P.

Eduard d Alen$on

s edition, 1906, p. 27.

(24)

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

25

and
This work, usually attributed to Brothers Leo, Angelo,
from
been composed by them
Ruffino, and believed to have
Saint as a result of a direc
the
of
recollections
their personal
1
in chapter ix. a
tion of the General Chapter of 1244, gives
followers
of
to the band
fuller account of B. Giles admission
it describes his first mis
and
of
Celano
of
Thomas
that
than
St. Francis to the March of
expedition along with
:

sionary

Ancona.
*
In chapter xii. a
Order of Friars Minor

[1263.]

III.

The

list

of the

first

twelve members of the

Giles stands fourth.

given, in which B.
LEGENDA MAJOR of ST. BONAVENTURE,
is

the Order
which was completed by the date of the Chapter of
of
Thomas
of
work
the
in 1263, and was based largely upon
in
refers
Bonaventure
Celano and other early documents.

chapter

iii.,

4, to

the conversion of Giles, as the third disciple

who was
he speaks of him as a simple and unlearned man
claims
Bonaventure
Moreover,
ecstasies.
frequently in divine
to have

known

[1282.]

Giles himself

IV.

PARMA, written
importance,
B. Giles
"

viz.

"

ego ipse oculata

The CHRONICA

of

fde conspexi

".

BROTHER SALIMBENE OF

1282-1287, contains one fact of prime

Life of
that Brother Leo was the author of a
circa

3
:

unus de tribus
Fratris sEgidii vitam frater Leo, qui fuit

specialibus sociis beati Francisci, sufficienter

[1290.]

V.

BERNARD OF BESSA S

"

descripsit."

DE LAUDIBUS SANCTI

Bernard was Secretary of St. Bonaventure and

FRANCISCI
He wrote
thus had access to early, even contemporary sources.
B. Giles
to
refers
He
1
again
his work between 1 270 and 290.
admirabilis
vir
tertius, frater &gidius,
as the third disciple
dicitur esse concessum a Domino, ut in
cui
".*

"

sanctitatis,

pro gratia

ad bonunt animae pertinent, efficaciter adiuvet invocatus

VI. SPECULUM PERFECTIONS, a compilation
".

his quae

[1318.]

which was certainly

But

in

existence in

its

present form in 1318,

Domenichelli, 1899, p. 56.

Edition of Marcellino da Civezza and Teofilo
work is
must be remembered that the authenticity of this fragmentary

it

open to much doubt.

*
4

Ibid., p. 78.

Analecta Franciscana, Tom.

Chronica, Parma, 1857,

iii.

p. 667.

p.

323-

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

26

that being the date stated

by the

earliest

known MS.

(the

Mazarine MS.) it is probably based to a large extent upon

the writings of the first companions, even though it would be
unsafe to assert that the work in its present form is their
It is, however, an early document of undoubted
writing.
;

authority.
"

Chapter 36

mentions the reception of B. Giles

apud Rigum Tortum? and describes the incident of his giving

his cloak, at St. Francis bidding, to a

2

related

how

poor man.

In Chapter

Francis, describing the qualities of

the ideal Friar Minor, said that he should possess mentem
elevatam in contemplatione quam frater jEgidius habuit usque

85

it is

St.

"

ad summam

3
perfectionem
Again, in Chapter lo? there is
the pathetic story, how the dying Francis, wishing to give a
last charge concerning the honour due to Brother Bernard,
".

stretched out his right hand to place it on the head of Bernard,

but being blind placed it instead on that of Giles, and im

mediately discovered his mistake through the Holy Spirit.

[1318-1328.] VII. The ACTUS BEATI FRANCISCI ET

SociORUM EjUS. This important compilation, which may be

dated between 1318-1328, and which contains a portion of the
hypothecated Floretum or source of the Little Flowers," has
"

preserved

the

four

chapters,

Nos.

44

(Qualiter

domina

Jacoba de Septem Soliis visitavitfratrem&gidium), 45 (Quomodo

dicente fratre &gidio virgo ante partum, virgo in partu, virgo
post partum, orta sunt tria lilia\ 46 (De mirabili revelatione

facia in cordibus sancti fratris ^Egtdit et sancti Ludovid regis

Franciae), and 47 (De quodant mirabili consilio quod dedit frater

jEgidius fratriJacobo habentigratiam raptus}, whichon account

of their questioned authenticity need special consideration, and
of which Chapter 46 passed on intact into the Little Flowers,"
"

where

it appears as Chapter 34.

In addition to these four chapters the

ACTUS

gives us also

minor references of value his being caught up to the

third heaven (Chap. I
his words of cheer to the dying
5)
Brother Bernard (Chap. 5 1 8) his presence when the angel
several

*
Sabatier s edition, Paris, 1898, p. 67.
Ibid., p. 168.
4
Ibid., p. 212.
Sabatier, Actus B. Franc., 1902, pp. 138-145.

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

27

his words con

appeared to Brother Bernard (Chap 3 6, 32):
the
was
all
to
that
not
gift given by
cerning Brother Bernard
a swallow
like
the
on
himself
feed
wing
God as to Bernard, to
;

(Chap. 30; 10).

[1369.] VIII.

The CHRONICA

XXIV

GENERALIUM, be

Arnold
lieved to have been composed before 1 369 by Brother
of B.
Life
the
from
complete
of Serrano, contains apart
the following incidental references
1
of St Francis
(a) In the life
Et post viii dies quidam vir de Assisto, ALgidius nomine,

Giles

"

sancti Georgii, cum omnia sua

provocatus, in die
Patri habitu et religione consancto
erogasset, fuit

horum exemplo
pauperibus
iunctus"

There

is

the vase in

also the incident of B. Giles advice to

which Elias collected subscriptions

Leo

as to

for building

San Francesco. 8
() In the
of the dying
3

life

of Bernard of Quintavalle, there

and
Bernard and encouraging him with
corda, Prater Bernarde, sursum corda
Giles:

the story

"

his

greeting,

Sursum

".*

of Juniper, there is the conversation as to

6
to fight the temptations of the flesh.
In the life of Haymo of England, we find B. Giles

(c)

how

is

saint placing his right hand on the head of B.

Giles visiting the dying
again the story of B.

In the

life

(d)

exclamation on hearing of the

quantum possum, quia

tile

fall

of Elias

"

Volo descendere

tantus cecidit propter saltum

".

of S. Bonaventure, reference is made to the

7
death of B. Giles as having taken place in I262.
In the life of Conrad of Offida, there occurs the story
(*)

In the

life

(f)

of Conrad

vision of B. Giles,

who breathed

into his

mouth

and conveyed to him the gift of ecstasy.

sources
Reference might be made to other manuscript
which mention Giles incidentally, such as Nicholas Glassberger,
but
Bartholomew of Pisa, Hubert of Casale, Alvarus Pelagius,
Anal. Franc.,

iii.

Ibid p. 44

Ibid., p. 42.
7

Ibid., p. 251.

Ibid., p. 44-

<*

"

Ibid., p. 328-

/w *.

P<

P-

34

6a

P- 4 28

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

28

such references are of quite minor importance and are mostly

mere reminiscences or extracts from older and more authorita

Those already enumerated are sufficient to show

that only very fragmentary accounts of B. Giles exist in the
chief Franciscan documents, apart from the various versions of
tive sources.

now be

which

will

large

number of MSS.

his life

considered in greater detail.

exist containing the

Life

They may be divided according to two different

of
classification.
One classification is those which
systems
contain the Short Life and those which contain the Long Life.
of B. Giles.

The

other classification is those which contain the Life by itself

and those which contain the Life as part of a cycle. The

former appears the more satisfactory classification, as it is

based upon the most essential critical question, viz. the author
ship of the Life.

Ever since the learned editors of the COLLEGIUM

VENTURAE
the

of

QuARACCHl
of the

published

XXIV

in

1897

S.

BONA-

their edition of

containing the Long

there
has
been
debate
the
relation between the
Life,
concerning
Life
the
Life.
There
has been general
and
Short
Long
"Chronicle

Generals,"

agreement based on traditional grounds, and especially upon

the testimony of Salimbene already quoted, that the author of
the original Life of B. Giles was Brother Leo, the disciple and
confessor of St. Francis and the intimate friend of B. Giles.
It is also

form

in

generally agreed that the original Life in the exact

It will
it
is not at present extant.

which Leo wrote

be referred to
in

OF

in these

The Short
seven MSS.
I. CODEX
S. ISIDORE,

Pro/.

Life,

pages as [L.].
will be referred to as

which

1/63 in the CONVENT OF THE

ROME. i2 mo XIV century.

Hie

&gidii magnae

is

found

FRIARS MINOR

incipit

vita

et

quaedam verba sancti fratris

contemplationis^ qui fuit quartus in ordine post

beatum Franciscum.
Incip.

Explic.

Ad excitandam

devotionem nostrum.

Usque modo scripsimus aliqua, (quae] notavit frater

sanctus socius beati Francisci.

Amodo

scribemus atiqua, quae

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

29

notaverunt socii et familiares ejusdem sancti fratris jEgidii, de

multis pauca valde notabilia.

This

the

is

MS. published by

O.F.M., in 1901 in
It
it

has not been published anywhere

will be referred to as A.

CODEX

2.

XIV

F.

Fr.

Leonardus Lemmens,

Documenta Antiqua

"

XI 9

else.

Following

I.

Lemmens

COMMUNAL LIBRARY OF SIENNA,

in the

century, formerly in the suppressed

vanza of Sienna.

Pars

Franciscana"

Convento

of St. Bonaventure

copy

dell

"

Osser-

Legenda

of St. Francis occupies fol. ir-i i6v. Then follows the

Life of B. Giles, fol. I i6v-i I9v.
minorum.
Ruhr.
Incipit vita fratris Egidii de ordinefratrum

Maior"

De

innitio (sic) penitentie,

Incip.

et fine.

devotionem nostram.

gratissimus deo

Explic.
collatis.

media

Ad exercendam

et

hominibus fuit de

et
Explicit vita sancti Egidii scripta
Leonem socium eius et sancti Francisci.

beneficiis stbi

compilata per

Amen.

fratrem
This MS. has been described by P. Henricus Bulletti,
Archivum Franciscanum Historicum" Ann. viii.,
O.F.M., in
Fasc. i.-ii.
12-22, in which he has collated it with A.
"

pp.

It will

be referred to as

S. (for Sienna).

at present
S., are the only ones
contain the Life of B. Giles in a separate form
and not as part of a cycle, complete or otherwise.
five MSS. containing the Short Life be
The

These two MSS., A. and

known which

remaining
is frequently described
long to the well-known cycle which
secundum exemplar" col
Fac
the
as
students
Franciscan
by
as
It is also known as the "Legenda Antiqua" or
lection.
"

That cycle, the origin and composi

Speculum Vitae
tion of which is still one of the most difficult and obscure
in Franciscan studies, is an amalgam of a number

the

"

".

questions
of older documents.

"

The

collection derives

from the

fact that

it

its

name

generally has a

Fac secundum exemplar

sermon upon those words

"

generally also contains

of chapters of the Speculum Perfectionis.
number
large
(a)
The bulk of the Actus B. Francisci et Sociorum Ejus.

at the beginning.

It

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

30

The Testamentum Sancti Francisd.

(d) The Admonitiones Sancti Francisd.
(i) The Aurea Verba Beati Egidii.
(f) The Short Life of B. Giles.
The following are then the principal MSS. of
(c)

containing the Short Life

3.

CODEX VATICANUS

found in

fol.

1433-1523.

this cycle,

The Short Life is to be

4354.
It contains the four additional

made as forming part of

This MS. has been very fully and
exactly described by M. Paul Sabatier in his Speculum Perfectionts" (Coll. de Documents, etc., Tome i., 1898), pp. clxxvichapters, to which reference has been

Actus B. Francisd

the

".

"

clxxxvi.
4.

early

Following Lemmens,

it

will

be referred to as B.

CODEX ROYAL LIBRARY, BERLIN, 196

XV century. The Short Life appears in
:

This MS.

late

XIV

or

fol.

66a-8$a.
also contains the four additional chapters.
It has

been described by M. Sabatier

in the

volume already quoted,

pp. clxxxvii-cxcvi.
5.

LIEGNITZ CODEX, ARCHIVES OF

The Short

(date circa 1480).

clii.

This MS.

is

described in

torn,

p.

31.

torique"

by

i.,

these sentences

The

Life
"

S.
is

PETER AND

S.

in chapters

cxxxix-

PAUL

Opuscules de Critique Hisis there followed

Life of B. Giles

11

Usque modo scripsimus aliqua quae notavitfr. Leo sodus

Amodo scribemus aliqua quae notaverunt sodi et
S. Frandsd.
familiares ejusdem sanctifratris ^Egidii de multis pauca

et

valde

notabilia"

CODEX CANONICI MISCELL. 525. OXFORD, BODLEIAN

The Short Life is found in fol.
(date circa 1384).
The four additional chapters are again present,
I39b-I45b.
but preceding the Life. The text of the Life ends with words
6.

LIBRARY

closely similar to those in Liegnitz

Usque modo scripsimus aliqua quae notavit beatus frater

Leo sodus sancti Frandsd. Amodo scribemus aliqua quae nota
"

verunt sodi etfamiliares ejusdem beati fratris &gidii de multis

pauca valde notabilia"
7.

CODEX CANONICI MISCELL.

528.

OXFORD, BODLEIAN

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

31

LIBRARY. Last of all we come to the MS. containing the

text of the Short Life which forms the basis of the present
As this MS. has not been hitherto used in connection
edition.
with the study of B. Giles, and has not been described except
many years ago in the catalogue of Canonici MSS., it appears
It will be referred to as C. (for
best to describe it here.
Canonici).

CANONICI Misc. 528.

quarto MS. measuring 146 mm.

x 105 mm., on paper

The
XV
leaves.
signature of the
century.
232
containing
Per manus
scribe, Fr. John de Viselbech, appears on fol. 46v.
et signanter de
Saxonie
de
Viselbech
provincia
fratris Johannis
"

conventu

Erffordensi"

and on

folios

l63r,

i83r,

I92r,

lQ9r,

2O4V.
Fol.

vita

Ruhr.

I57v.

In nomine domini Incipit Regula

et

minorum fratrum.
Honorius episcopus servus servorum dei.
follows is that of Honorius as contained

Incip.

The Rule which

in the Bull

Fol.

"

Solet

l63r.

quondam

minorum per fratrem

Viselbech de provincia Saxonie.

Johannem
Fol.

annuere".

Explicit regula fratrum

Rubr.

63v.

Incipit

doctrina fratris Egidii layci

beati Francisci socii vita eiusdem satis devota.

Verba quedam fratris egydii.

This section contains the Golden Sayings of Brother Giles.
breaks off at the foot of l6/v and resumes on 2O5r continu
It
to 2 1 ;r.
Explic. beneficia non possunt comprehendi.
Incip.

It

ing
is followed by

Fol. 2i;r.

Rubr.

Quomodo frater Egidius

venit

ad sanc

tum Franciscum.
Incip.

Ad excitandum

Fol. 226r.

(sic)

devotionem nostram.

Explic. de beneficiis sibi collatis.

Followed by the following rubricated note

Explicit
scripsit

vita

propria

manu

composuit frater leo et

deo laus semper anno m.ccccxxxviii in

beati Egidii

quam

vigilia Ascensionis.

The remaining

material
pages, 226v-23ir, contain religious

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

32

of no special interest and not connected with the Franciscan

Order.

The pages

intervening between the two sections of the

Golden Sayings of Brother

as follows

Giles,

i.e.

from

fol.

i6/v-2O5r, are

Fol. l68r-l69r.

"

Title.

Testamentum sancti patris

nostri

Francisci."

Dominus

Incip.

istarn

Explic.

Amen.
Fol.

ita dedit mihi.

sanctissimam benedictionem.

Explicit testamentum sancti patris nostri francisci.

In nomine domini nostri Jhesu

Title.

i69v-i7or.

Christi.

Fac secundum exemplar.

Incip.

Explic. et gloria in secula seculorum.

Fol. i/ov-i/ir.

Amen.

De perfectione paupertatis.

Title.

scilicet

primo qualiter beatus Franciscus declaravit voluntatem super

observantiam regulae.
Beatus Franciscus tres fecit regulas.
Incip.
Explic.

Et

Fol. I7ir.

intentionem

et

territi decesserunt
(sic).

Title.
Qualiter beatus f \rancis cus] declarauit
voluntatem quam habuit a principio vsque ad

finem super obseruantiam paupertatis.

Then

De

follows a rubricated heading

milite volente intrare religionem.

Legitur de quodam

Incip.

Explic.

milite.

devotius obseruaret.

7 1 v.

Ruhr.

Exemplum

Fol. I72r.

Incip.

Fol. i83r.

Explic.

Videte quomodo caute ambuletis.

in secula seculorum.
Amen.

Fol.

contra osiositates.

At

the foot of this page the signature of Johannes Viselbech again appears.

The remaining pages up

to 205 r, where the Golden Sayings

resume, contain sundry miscellaneous devotional material of
little interest, except for the
following points
:

Fol.
"

Hab

i84r.

This

folio

ends with the rubricated sentence

got lyp vor alle ding

1 86r.
The concessions granted to the Brothers Minor

Fol.

".

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

by Eugenius IV

at Florence in the year

33

1435 at the supplica

tion of Nicolas de Ausimo.

"

in Italian

Fol. I96r contains a version of the Paternoster

Padre nostro che sey in cielo," etc.
Fol.

Italian

in
ig6v contains a version of the Apostles Creed
in dio padre omnipotent^," etc., ending with

"Credo

The same page contains

the rubricated word "Welchz".
some moral maxims, also in Italian, but apparently in a
different but

much

later hand.

determine with certainty the question

whether Johann von Viselbech can be regarded as the scribe
It

is

to

difficult

It is true
of the sections containing the ^Egidius material.
that the lines at the foot of fol. 226r do not give his name,
while they do give a date which is not far distant from the
date on fol. 1 86r which is apparently Johann Viselbech s work.

close examination of the

MS.

leads to the conclusion that

handwriting varied a good deal that some

are
characteristics, which are found throughout some sections,
absent in others that for some sections he used a different

Johann Viselbech

asserted
and, generally, that while it cannot be positively
that he was the scribe who wrote the ^Egidius pages, there is in
sufficient evidence for assigning those pages to a different hand.

ink

of Canonici Misc. 528 with the other MSS.

mentioned, viz. 3, 4, 5, 6 above, will show that this MS. is un
doubtedly a member, though decidedly a somewhat disjointed

A comparison

member, of the

"

Fac secundum exemplar

"

cycle.

It is inter

possesses this point of differ

esting to note, however, that it

ence from them, that it does not contain the four additional
It might even be conjectured that in Can. Misc. 528
chapters.
we have to deal with the Fac secundum exemplar" cycle in the
"

making, but not yet in the form which it assumed later.

The Long Life of B. Giles has not been discovered up to
It exists solely as
the present in any MS. in a separate form.
of the
the
Chronicle
as
known
of
the
a portion
cycle
reference has
which
to
XIV
a
Generals,"
century compilation
"

XXIV

This Chronicle, admirably edited

already been made (p. 27).
and forming Vol. III.
S.
BONAVENTURAE
the
COLLEGIUM
by

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

34

of Analecta Franciscana, contains the

Giles

in

74-115.

pp.

Quaracchi Editors,

Codex

misc. 329,

is

Life of Blessed

Long

The

Chronicle, according to the

found in the following thirteen MSS.
:

Mun.

XIV cent.)
(XV cent);

Lib., Assisi (late

Leopold., Med. Laurent. Lib., Florence

Riccard. Lib., Florence (late XIV or
early

XV

cent.)

Cod. 53,
Cod. 279,

Cod.

Maria Angel., Hall (Tyrol) (late XV

Cod.
I.
G.
Univ.
Lib. Lemberg, Austria
cent);
17,
(late XV
Cod.
C.
Nat.
cent)
VIII,
7,
Lib., Naples (XV cent.)
Cod. in
Lib. of Conv. S. Annunciat
O.F.M., Parma (A.D.
F., Lib.

37

of Conv.

S.

1453):

another ditto (XV. cent)

Rezzato

Cod. 9

XIV

or early

(late

XIV

in Lib. of

Conv.

S. Peter,

XV

cent): Cod. lat 1756, Lib.

or early XV) Cod in Lib. of
Conv. S. Bernardino, Sienna (A.D.
1451): Cod. G. XIV 21,
Lib. of Conv. S. Bernardino, Trient
(XVII cent); Cod. 3417,

Angel.,

(late

Rome

cent,

Vienna (A.D. 1470).

These MSS. do not differ among themselves

Pal. Lib.,

make

sufficiently to

necessary to describe them individually, more especi

ally as a full description is given in the Introduction to Anal.
Nor will it be necessary for the present
Franc., III.
purpose
to refer to them
separately the Long Life of B. Giles con
tained in all of them can be
quoted generically as L2.
it

then to this point, there are extant seven MSS.

the
Short
containing
Life, Li (two of them by itself in separate
and
thirteen
MSS.
form),
containing the Long Life, L2.
The main question to be solved is
Which of these two Lives is the nearer to the

Summing up

hypothecated

original Life written

Or
Is

by Brother Leo

to state the problem in another form

the

Long

Life

an expansion of the Short

Short Life a precis or abstract of the

Long

Life

Life, or is the

The

present

writer, after

prolonged examination of the two versions, and

after subjecting them to tests of
higher and of lower criti
cism, has come to the conclusion
in agreement with P.
Leonardus Lemmens and P. Henricus
Bulletti, and in disagree1

Not necessarily in the exact form in which it

perhaps in an earlier form from which the present

is

found

La

is

in

"

XXIV

derived.

Gen.,"

but

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

ment with

P.

35

van Ortroy and to a lesser extent M. Paul Saba-

more authentic version,

work of Leo, and that the Long
Life is an expansion based upon it or upon some cognate form.
The whole trend of the growth of Franciscan documents
or materials is on the lines of accretion rather than of abstrac
that the Short Life

tier,

and the

Many

tion.

the earlier,

is

closer to the original

instances could be given of the simple original

document finding its way into the more elaborate and complex
later document, e.g. I Celano and II Celano expand with
additions from other sources into Bonaventura s Legend l
the Speculum Perfectionis passes into the Actus B. Francisci,
and the Actus in its turn gets absorbed into the Speculum Vitae
in its
Fac secundum exemplar" form, which later on evolves
:

"

printed form.

Nor

cess one peculiar to Franciscan documents.

It is

into the Speculum Vitae in

its

is this pro
the charac

mediaeval method.
The mediaeval author especially
was generally a compiler he
the chronicler or hagiographer
and
used
the
scissors
paste method.
habitually
of
B. Giles exist, one a short
if
two
Lives
Consequently,
teristic

one and the other a much longer one, containing the greater
part of the Short Life,

it

is

antecedently probable that the

prove on examination to be the original and

It would of course be going
the Long Life the compilation.
Short Life

will

deny the possibility of the opposite process that of

Such a position would be manifestly untenable,
for Cod 1/73 m St. Isidore s, Rome, is clearly a mere com
pendium of Li. It remains, however, true that the whole

too

far to

contraction.

problem might not unreasonably be approached with the pre

supposition that the Long Life is likely to be a compilation,
of which the Short Life
It

MSS.

is

found as a separate entity.

1

one element.

has already been pointed out that Li is found in two

in a separate, self-contained form, whereas L2 is nowhere

From

these facts the deduction

the matter of individual incident* St. Bonaventura

expands his sources, as Goetz points out in his Quellen zur
Franz von Assis," p. 98, but that does not affect his general

It is quite true that in

curtails rather than

Geschichte des

hi.

is

method of absorbing a number of sources

"

into one.

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

36

Li was originally composed as a separate document, before

came to be incorporated in the "Fac secundum exemplar"
cycle but that L2 never existed separately, and first assumed
that

it

Chronicle
present form from the pen of the compiler of the
of the XXIV Generals
Now it is generally admitted that the
its

".

of the

"Chronicle

XXIV

Generals"

was not completed much

Fac secundum exemplar" cycle was in

374, whereas the
existence by I328. 1
This points to Li as much the earlier
before

"

document
These arguments may perhaps be discounted as vague
When the actual documents are handled, striking

generalities.

results are obtained.

L2 soon

reveals itself as a

largest elements are (a)

Giles

but

in addition

Li and

mere compilation the two

the Golden Sayings of B.
:

(b)

the author or compiler can be

shown

to

have drawn upon (c) the Legend of the Three Companions.

(cT) The Legend of Andrew of Spello.
(e) Either I Celano or
the Liber de Laudibus of Bernard of Bessa. 2 (/) The Vita f.
Leonis in Speculum Vitae.
(g) The Testamentum S. Francisci.
(h) Other unknown sources not at present identified.

The

presence of (a) and

(b)

can be easily demonstrated by

going through L2, underlining the portions which agree verbally

or substantially with the two documents in question.

The use

of the

found on pp. 75-76

Legend of the Three Companions

will

be

in the narrative of the reception of B. Giles

this episode raises several critical

problems of special

interest.

The dependence of L2 upon the Three^Companions will be seen

8
setting out the parallel passages
the points of verbal similarity

by

and indicating

in capitals

XXIV Gen.

(L2).

Eodem vero tempore

Franciscus, ut
1

beatus

novus praeco

Three Companions.
4
Coeperunt POST DUOS ANNOS

A SUA CONVERSIONE

viri qui-

For evidence in support of this date see J. Joergensen, St. Francis of Assisi,"
*Anal. Franc., III. p. 666.
1912, p. 393.
9 In these
quotations it appears best to copy the extracts from the printed
versions without alterations of spelling, e.g. use of u and v.
4
Marcellino da Civezza s edition (1899), p. 50.
"

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

et

humilitatis

Regis

tentiae vias

dam exemplo

poeni-

exemplo mirabili
DUOS ANNOS

ipsius

37

ad poeni-

tentiam animari.

praeparans, POST

ASUA CONVERSIONE quendam

virum

mirabilem,

prudentia

decoratum, multis

re-

divitiis

itaque dominus Bernardus, qui erat dives valde,

Abiit

dundantem, Bernardum nomi

ne, et quendam alium, Petrum
Cathanii nominatum, traxit ad

habebat,

cultumevangelicae paupertatis.

tatis DISTRIBUIT universa.

DlSTRACTIS autem OMNIBUS,

Nam

sancti Francisci consilio

OMNIBUS

DlSTRACTIS

suis

PAUPERIBUS

et

DISTRIBUTE,
et

poenitentiae

et

venditis

omnibus,

quae

multaque pecunia
congregata, PAUPERIBUS civi.

HABITUM

ambo

pariter

susceperunt.

evangelicae

regulam,assumpto
Minorum HABITU,

perfectionis

fratrum

cum

fervore

maximo

servare

statuerunt.

The next passage

XXIV Gen.

is

more

striking

Three Companions.

(2.)

Quern videns

frater

ad

prostratus

dius,

terram

et

cum magna

venit ad eos,

reverentia et

QUEM

FLEXIS GENIBUS,
virum
Dei, ut eum IN
rogavit
SUA SOCIETATE RECIPERET.
QUEM CUM vir Dei VIDERET

SanctUS VIDERET FIDEL-

FIDELISSIMUM ET DEVOTUM,

coram

HUMILITER

Sancto,

se ab ipso IN

GENUFLECTENS
SOCIETATEM SUAM RECIPI
fectuosissime suplicavit

CUM

^Egidius

jEgi-

ISSIMUM ET DKVOTUM

af-

dixit

devotione,

etc.

sibi, etc.

It

L2

is

worth notice perhaps, that the compiler of

Three Companions that Giles on meeting St.

trifle,

finding in

reproduces even
does not
this detail (huntiliter genuflectens), which, however,
incident.
the
of
account
in Li or in any other
Francis

falls

down

before

him

(flexis genibus)

appear

Of more

significance
1

is

the following passage, relating to

3

L.c. 54-

L.c. 56.

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

the giving of the mantle to a poor

woman

in position the

given by both Li and L2 immediately after the

The Three Companions give an en
reception of B. Giles.
their
tirely different account of the incident in Chapter XI
incident

is

Legend does not

attribute the act to B. Giles

by name, but

"

the whole setting is different,

and yet there are certain remarkable similarities of diction
between L2 and Three Companions, which do not exist as
between Li and L2.
to

"a

certain secular brother

XXIV Gen. (2.)

Et STATIM VISUM fuit sibi
QUOD ILLA COELUM ASCENDERAT, ET SENSIT PROTINUS
NOVO GAUDIO SE PERFUNDL

Three Companions.
l

STATIM

VISUM

est

QUOD eleemosyna ILLA

in COELUM ASCENDISSET, ET
SENSIT NOVO GAUDIO SE PER-

ei

FUNDI.

The handiwork

of the copyist and compiler is quite mani

The authors of the Three Companions

fest in this sentence.

have the figurative idea that the alms ascends into heaven

the compiler of L2 fails to grasp the figure, and says instead

that the woman ascended into heaven
!

We

have next the incident of the journey of

and B. Giles to the March of Ancona.

XXIV Gen.

RELIGIO PISCATORI, QUI MITTIT RETIA SUA IN AQUAM,

CAPIENS MULTITUDINEM PIS1

L.e. 76.

Francis

Three Companions.

(L.2.)

BEATUS autem FRANCISCUS

statim cum FRATRE ./EGIDIO
versus MARCHIAM ANCONITONAM perrexit Et SANCTUS
VOCE ALTA ET CLARA DECANTANS GALLICE per viam Dominum magnifice collaudabat.
Tandem DIXIT FRATRI ^EciDIO: "SlMILIS ERIT NOSTRA

St.

BEATUS 2 FRANCISCUS, assumens FRATREM

secum,

ivit in

MARCHIAM AN-

CONITANAM
vir SANC
TUS, ALTA ET CLARA VOCE
laudes Domino GALLICE CAN;

DIXIT autem
TANS,
Sanctus Franciscus ad FRA
.

TREM

^GIDIUM

"

NOSTRA

RELIGIO SIMILIS ERIT PISCA

TORI, QUI MITTIT RETIA SUA
IN AQUAM, CAPIENS PISCIUM
2

L.c. 5 8.

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

CIUM COPIOSAM, ET MAGNOS
ELICIT, PARVOS IN AQUA REEt miratus est
LINQUENS".

39

MULTITUDINEM COPIOSAM, ET
PARVOS IN AQUA RELINQUENS,
MAGNOS ELICIT invasasua".

^Egidius de huiusmodi
prophetia videns, parvum adCrater

huc numerum

esse

fratrum.

LICET AUTEM Sanctus adhuc

POPULO non PLENE PRAEDI-

LlCET AUTEM vir Dei nondlim PLENE POPULO PRAEDI-

HORTABATUR
ac
viros
loca
mulieres, UT
per
DEUM diligerent ET TIMERENT et POENITENTIAM faEt FRACerent DE PECCATIS.
TER ^EGIDIUS, UT sibi CREDERENT, cum OPTIME diceret,
ADMONEBAT.

CARET,

CARET, TAMEN

TAMEN

HORTABATUR omnes, UT amaET TIMERENT DEUM atque POENITENTIAM agerent

DE PECCATIS.
rent

FRATER autem yEGIDIUS

ADMONEBAT audientes, UT El
CREDERENT, quia

eis

OPTIME

consulebat.

The

historical accuracy of the

Three Companions and of

matter of this incident has been

Three Companions alone gives
the
For
criticised.
severely
this account of a missionary journey undertaken when St.
the compiler of

L2

in the

"

"

Both Thomas of Celano

Francis had three disciples only.
St. Bonaventura are silent as to such a journey, and both

and

two and two,

speak of the occasion when the eight set forth,
fisher has the genuine
as the first
Still, the simile as to the
Franciscan ring about

and doubtless both the Three

it,

panions in recording it and L2 in copying

1
to an authentic tradition.

it

Com

are going back

use of the Legend of Andrew of Spello is found on

to the life of
pp. 100-101, where an incident is attributed
The Quaracchi Editors say in a
B. Andreas of

The

Burgundy.
Idem refertur de B. Andrea ex Hyspello (f 1254) de
quo vide Breviarium Rom. Seraph, et A eta Sanctorum 3 /".

footnote

"

The Acta

Sanct.

Andreas of Spello.

3 Junii, p. 357, give an account of

They quote a statement copied in 1689
1

See also

p. 46.

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

40
from an

document by John de Targurinis, dated 1368,

purporting to be a compendium pf an earlier work by Thomas
The passage is as
Hispellas, Ord. Min., written in 1270.
follows

earlier

A.D. MCCXLIX. Andreas in conventu Carceris fuit a

Bambino fesu sua praesentia consolatus sed a sonando vespertine
"

perturbatus quoniam

Et

Vesperas.

postea,
si

Andreas,

fecisti,

Potes aliquando

eum

relinquere opus fuit, eundi gratia

rediens

aliter

ad

subito Jesus ei dixit :

Bene
hie me non invenisses.
*

fecisses,

relinquere Creatorem pro creatura.

Sequere,

"

sequere, ego

semper

tibi propitius ero!

It would appear that the compiler of L2 has confused

Andreas of Burgundy with Andreas of Spello and has quoted
this story about him, probably from the original work of
Thomas of Spello (1270), which is now known only in the
Compendium of John de Targurinis.
At least one passage in L2 appears to be a quotation or a

reminiscence either from the First Life of

Thomas

of Celano

or from the Liber de Laudibus of Bernard of Bessa.

This

is

the passage on p. 79, of the distress of B. Giles at being called

a hypocrite by a priest.
Both Celano and Bernard tell the
certain brother" without specifying B. Giles.
story of
On the whole it is more likely that Bernard of Bessa was the
"a

source from which the compiler of L2 drew.

if any, that he had ever seen the

evidence,

Celano, which

There

is little

of
had of course been suppressed as much as
First

Life

possible before his time.

determine from what source the compiler

derived his story, used in three places in the XXIV
Leo consulted B. Giles as to the
Generals," how Brother
It is difficult to

of

L2

"

breaking of the vase in which Elias of Cortona was collect

The story is
ing gifts for the erection of San Francesco.
a form possessing marked similarities to that of L2
Vita f. Leonis in the Speculum Vitae printed in 1509.
would of course be questionable to assert that L2 drew

found

in

in the
It

upon the Speculum

Vitae,

when

in

view of the

the opposite process might have been the case.

relative dates

But there

is

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

41

that the Speculum Vitae printed in 1 509

good reason to suppose
documents, probably
is based upon very much more primitive
of L2 s sources.
one
be
well
it
and
may quite
anterior to L2,
Anal.
of
Franc., III., use
viz.
one
77,
least
p.
In at
place,
where it is recorded
has been made of the Will of St. Francis,

how

B. Giles,

"recurrebat

unable to earn a bare living by his labours

if

AD MENSAM DOMINI PETENDO ELEEMOSYNAM

OSTIATIM
But when
".

there

still

all

these sources have been taken into account,

remains in

L2

a considerable residuum which

it

has
It

any particular source.

source will be discovered
fresh
some
some
that
is possible
day
derived but on
from which this unknown material will be
constitutes part
the whole it is more likely that this residuum
down in
handed
was
which
oral
tradition,
the
been impossible so

far to trace to

of

floating

Francis.
connection with the early disciples of St.
to demonstrate that
been
however,
has
Sufficient
said,
is

mere

and drops

L2

to literary solvents
compilation which yields readily
The important point
into its constituent elements.

one element in it, and that the backbone

and also
document which appears in a separate form
it, is the
has
which
Fac secundum exemplar" cycle, the document
in the
cannot
Li
Li does not drop to bits:
been quoted as Li.
from earlier sources: and why?
derived
be
to
be shown
of one man whc
Because it is a whole, because it is the work
not Brother I
was an author, not a compiler and if so, why
For this position, other evidence will be produced.
himself?

to notice

is

that

"

reference
Before leaving this aspect of the matter,
is not found
which
of
L2,
one
made to
peculiarity

may

in Li.

There are seven vernacular passages in L2 :fo.

Bo, bo, molto dico e poco
(1) P. 36.
(2)

Faite, faite e

(3)

Non

(4) P. 92.
(5)

101.

O
O

non

dicis la, la,

parlate.

sed dicis

becone, che tu sei.

mi fratello, o bel

ca, ca.

fratello,

o amor

fami un castello, che no abia pietra e ferro.

fami una cittade, che no abia pietra e ligname.

fratello,

bel fratello,

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

42

Lasciami

(6) P. 102.

iacere, se io

non

salisco in alto,

non

posso cadere.

no. Chi

(7) P.

che

It is

in
in

sei

addimando

tu, cui io

et chi

sono io

adomando.

noteworthy that
which have

all

sections

these vernacular
passages

nothing

corresponding

to

come
them

Li.

From
of B.

somewhat

this

Giles

Generals/

detailed examination of the version

the "Chronicle of the

Life found in

XXIV

necessary to revert once again to the Short Life

Li and consider its claims to be the work of Brother
Leo, or
at any rate to be nearer to his work than
other
known
any
version.
In doing this, it will be
to
use
some
at any
necessary
rate of the admirable
arguments used by Fr. Lemmens in his
it is

controversy with Fr. van Ortroy, SJ. 1

It is first of all to be observed that the
Short Life Li in
each MS. claims to be the work of Brother Leo in the

most

categorical terms.

Codex

1/63 (St. Isidore

words as to
"

its

authorship

s,

Rome) ends

with the following

Usque modo scripsimus aliqua quae notavit frater sanctus

socius beati Francisci.

"

Codex F XI, 9 (Sienna)

is

more

definite:

"

Explicit vita sancti Egidii scripta et compilata per fratrem

Leonem socium eius et sancti Francisci"

The
"

s.

Liegnitz Codex ends thus

Usque modo scripsimus aliqua quae notavit fr. Leo socius
:

Francisci."

Codex Canonici
"

Misc. 525 (Oxford) says:

Usque modo scripsimus aliqua quae notavit beatus frater

Leo, socius sancti

Codex Can.
"

Francisci."

Misc. 528 (Oxford) goes even further:

Explicit vita beati Egidii

scripsit propria

manu.

Lemmens, Documenta

composuit frater Leo et

Antiqua Franciscana, i. (1901), pp. 9-36, answered

Analecta Bollandiana, torn. xxi.
e t seq.
to which
pp.
replies most effectively in Doc. Antiq. Franc., iii.
8-12.

by van Ortroy

Lemmens

quam

"

in

(1902), pp.

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

43

It is scarcely necessary even to point out with what re

serve and caution any such ascription to a mediaeval author
must be taken. But it is fair to comment that Li claims

Leonine authorship

in a way
we
do not
Unfortunately

that

L2 does

not.

possess a single document which

can be unhesitatingly accepted as the work of Brother Leo
and of him alone. There may be a good deal of his handi

work, probably in a derived form, in the Speculum Perfectionis :

one of the traditional
it is generally admitted that he was
"

Three

Companions,"

work

original

but to what extent

either in the

we

possess their

document now known as

"

Legenda

Trium Sociorum or in any other form is a problem of great

Nor can Fr. Lemmens attribution to Leo of the
complexity.
Verba S.P.
"Liber de intentione sancti Francisci" and of the
"

"

be accepted without reserve, though he has made

out a good case.
Consequently there is not at present any
fixed standard of comparison by which the Leonine authorship
1

Francisci"

Li or L2 can be tested.
The most generally satisfactory

of either

test

which can be applied

that of historical accuracy, provided that it is not carried too

For example, the criticism
far, or used in too pedantic a spirit.

is

which has centred around the chapter in L2, describing the

visit of St. Louis of France to B. Giles at Perugia, has not
always distinguished between historical accuracy and genuine
ness of tradition.
Granted that evidence cannot be produced
to show that St. Louis ever was in Italy or ever visited B. Giles

does not of itself prove that the story is not a

genuine and integral part of the Legend of B. Giles.
That particular story is full of the unmistakable Franciscan

at Perugia, that

spirit

not

is

but the question whether

on quite a

different plane

it

is

historically accurate or

from the question whether

it

can be accepted as part of the original tradition or not.

It is, however, both fair and profitable to apply to the two
versions

Li and L2 the

test,

as to which in matters of fact

approaches the more closely to the ascertained results of his

torical study.
The result will be found to be in favour of Li

Lemmens,

Doc. Antiq. Franc., Part

1.

pp. 75-106, Part III. pp. 12-15.

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

44

an additional reason for regarding Li as the nearer to Brother

Leo s work. Here are some examples
The first relates to the exact place whither B. Giles went
to meet St. Francis and join himself to him.
The account in
Li is quite clear
dirigit gressus sues ad ecclesiam Sanctae Mariae de
:

"

Portiuncula, ubi beatus Frcnciscus

morabatur,

cum

dictis

duobus fratribus

Cum

quern locum frater sEgidius ignorabat-

autem

esset in triviojuxta hospitale leprosorum, devote orationi se dedit,

ut illuc sine impedimenta aliquo Dominus eum dirigere dignaretur.

This states definitely three facts (i) that St. Francis was
:

then living with his

first

two followers

at Sancta

Maria de

Portiuncula, (2) that B. Giles did not know that spot, (3) that
he arrived first at the cross-roads near the Lepers Hospital.

L2
"

gives quite a different account

versus hospitale leprosorum se transtulit, ubi tune beatus
:

quodam tugurio derelicto cum fratre Bernardo de

Quintavalle et fratre Petro Cathanii morabatur"
Here the statement is that St. Francis with his two followers

Franciscus in

was

not at Sancta Maria

living

tumble-down

in a

Ingenious

hut,

i.e.

at

but near the Lepers Hospital

RivoTorto.

attempts have been

made

to reconcile these

divergent statements, which correspond to divergencies in the

other early narratives.
The most authoritative narrative is
that of

Thomas of Celano

in his First Life

he states clearly
that
those
were
)
early days
spent at Sancta Maria
ibidem
assiduus
and
that it was after the
(coepit
commorari],

(Chapter 2
visit

of St. Francis and his eleven followers to

Rome

for the

approval of the Rule, that they took up their abode at Rivo

Torto in the abandoned hut.
The testimony of St. Bonaventura
with
this
So also
agrees exactly
(Chapters II, 8 and IV, 3).

does the Legend of the Three Companions, which, if it can be

taken as accurate, explains the whole matter most clearly.
The first home of the Founder and his disciples was Sancta
Maria de Portiuncula.
Thus in Chapter IX, 1 just before the

coming of
"

B. Giles, that

Legend says

Vir autem Dei Franciscus, duobus ut dictum

>

Marcell. da Civ. edn., p. 56.

est,

fratribus

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

45

cum non haberet hospitium, ubi cum eis maneret, simul

se transipsis ad quamdam pauperculam ecclesiam derelictam
Et
dicebatur.
de
Portiuncula
Maria
Sancta
fecerunt
tulit, quae

sociatus,

cum
ibi

unam domunculam,

A
in

in

qua aliquando pariter

further on, in Chapter XI,

little

number, return to Sancta Maria

morarentur."

now

the brothers,

six

ad Sanctam Mariam de Portiuncula

Statuto termino, omnes

"

sunt rever

si."

in the

Again
cula

same chapter they

are

still

at the Portiun

2
:

"

Quadam autem

die,

venit

quidam pauper ad

Sanctae Mariae de Portiuncula, apud

quam

ecclesiam

fratres aliquando

morabantur"

though
its

doubtful whether the incident here recorded

it is

is in

right chronological setting.

Then
from
"

in

Rome

Chapter XIV they are found, after the return

*
Rivo Torto

at

Conversabatur adhuc Pater cum

aliis in

quodam

loco iuxta

Assisium, qui dicitur Rivus-tortus, ubi erat quoddam tugurium

ab hominibus derelictum, qui locus ita erat arctus,quod ibi sedere
vel quiescere vix

They

valebant"

quit this

had formerly been

"

and go again to Sancta Maria, where they

4
:

leprosorum, transferentes se

iuxta

ad usum pauperum
ad Sanctam Mariam de Portiuncula,

Reliquerunt igitur dictum tugurium

in

quam

una domuncula fuerant aliquando commorati,

priusquam ipsam ecclesiam

All this
either with

is

obtinerent."

perfectly self-consistent

Thomas

and

not in conflict

is

of Celano or with St. Bonaventura or with

the Li version of the Life of B. Giles.

Against this the only early evidence

is

that of the Speculum

Perfectionis, a much inferior authority, and even that evidence

is none too clear
Chapter 24 says
:

"

In primordio religionis quum fratres manerent apudRigum

Tortum."

The

period after the return from

1

Rome

Marcell. da Civ. cdn., p. 72.

4

Ibid., p. 90.

could be quite

/W<f.

p. 76.

Ibid., p. 92.

BLESSED GILES OF ASSIST

46

correctly described as

"

in primordio
religionist for the

was not recognised and did not

officially come
the visit to Rome.
Be that as it may, L2

Order

into being until

in placing the
reception of B. Giles at Rivo Torto is almost certainly inac
curate and has little or no
support.
Further, assuming that
Rivo Torto and the deserted hut can be identified with the

Lepers Hospital outside Assisi, the Li version becomes even

B. Giles directs his
steps to Sancta Maria "which
he passes Rivo Torto and it is there
place he did not know
that he seeks divine
He assuredly
guidance as to the way.
would not have prayed for guidance where to find the
Lepers
Hospital any child in Assisi would have known that but he
might quite well not know where Sancta Maria was.
clearer.

":

Another example of the superior

historical authority of Li
the incident of the
missionary journey with St. Francis
to the March of Ancona.
The argument from silence is ad
is in

mittedly a dangerous one.

Li says nothing about any such

journey either immediately after the conversion of B. Giles or

indeed at all.
Here again Li is
the best and
supported by
most authoritative sources, Thomas of Celano and

ventura.

The journey

to the

March of Ancona

St.

Bona-

rests

upon

the evidence of L2,

supported only by the Legend of the
Three Companions. It is not impossible that the
story has
a basis of truth the fact that Thomas of Celano does
not
mention it is not conclusive against it still less the fact that
:

St.

no

Bonaventura does not mention

historical statements outside

of Celano.

But

in the

he makes practically
what he borrows from Thomas
it,

for

absence of further positive evidence,

Li must on this matter be regarded as

superior to L2.
To sum up the whole case for Li as nearer to the
original
work of Brother Leo than L2
:

1.

It is

antecedently unlikely that Li

is

compendium of

L2.
2. L2 can be shown to be a
complex work, a compilation
from six or seven different sources.

3- Li is in practically every known MS. attributed to

Brother Leo, generally by name.
4- Li is more accurate in its statement of facts than L2.

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

Having thus reached the position that the Short
described generically as

Li,

is

superior to the

Long

47
Life,
Life,

described as L2, because it is nearer to the original work of

Brother Leo, already described as [L], it remains to attempt
to represent in diagrammatic or genealogical form the inter
texts or groups of
relationship between the various extant
texts.

becomes certain from an examination of C.

XI 9, Sienna) that these two
(Cod. Canonici 528) and S. (F.
have a common progenitor.
and
related
are
MSS.
very closely
as
this
of
best
The
is,
frequently occurs in the compari
example
First of

all, it

son of MSS., an obvious mistake or blunder

common

to both.

ad diuerOn page 56 C. reads

quos beatus franciscus direxit
In
both it is
the
same.
reads
S.
vt
monerent
sas
populum
{l
after
word
the
A.
from
to
prouincias"
supply
necessary
"

".

"

Another mistake is on page 58:

to make sense.
ad sanctum Jacobum & ad sanctum Angelum & ad sanctum

diuersas"
"

iuit

Both C. and S. have the words "ad

which are probably a mistaken repetition
A. and B. omit those words.
from the previous paragraph.
Another example is one where it is uncertain whether A.

Nycolaum de

Bart".

sanctum Jacobum

is

On page 60 "tune septimo anno sue

right or C. and S.
nomine
misit eum ad quoddam heremitorium
:

conuersionis

C. and S. agree in stating that it was in the

But in addition to
A. says "sexto anno".
seventh year.
these more striking cases there are scores of minor variants

Fabrione".

in

which C. and S. agree as against

One remarkable general feature shared

and

S. is

chapters.

in

common by

C.

the omission of the rubricated headings to the several

On the whole this points to an early date, or

dependence upon an early source.

are probably

The

rubricated headings

late.

As might be expected

there are a

number of

cases in which

is shared also by
agreement betwen C. and S. which
et
Thus on page 54
as exemplified by Cod. Vat. 4354-

there

is

"

B.,

1
The present editor has not been able to work this out in detail, as he has
He has worked upon the B. variants given by
not had access to Vat. 4354.

Lemmens

in his footnotes.

BLESSED GILES OF ASSISI

*mm

moment
[ac] acMtfrmter firrmkulmm
Pftrmm, fafmermmt pramfrmtres ~. So read
When B. Giles joined St Frat
q-its correctly.
oaly two brothers. Bernard and Peter. A. oadb

&

me-.: between B ., C
drtfon of the cLaose ~

On
that
=

the other har.d there are naine

.-\.

ar.d

--h ^.iy be

L2

art

ner.r.-.r.-r

who!e chipt-r begir.ning

of the

sentence

**

.\~arn

or"

and

3..

b:t

that the

which

is

A~<*t

the clause

Farther there are a

somewhat

r*m

omission of the sentence

82, o.TL5sioa

D-^cit s

egs

"

fe-ar

at

txxtafestxm vnfti

&au&ci *

L2 ^ coor.ectec wrth
example is DO. "*8-o1
--:-.
-_-:
fmdens

si^ni iha:

slightly.

The

best

whole section
Moram
C and 5. and also in T-?

in

act in A. or

This
be interpreted to show that the
compiler of L2 K^4 ac
cess to the common
original of C. and S, as well as to A.
is

may

Finally there

are certain features

p"-fHar to A. and
betweer those two.
The interrelation of the M35. may be
tentatively repre

which indicate a connection

in source

sented as follows in
diagrammatic form, bat it mast be
observed that the diagram does not take into account
die
extraneous sources of L2
:

SOURCES FOR THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES

For convenience of reference the MSS. indicated by
] being hypothetical
are repeated here, those in [
Leo.
of
=
work
Original
[L]
= Common source of C. and S.

[X]
[Y]

C =

Canonici Misc. 528.

B =

A =

F.

letters

source of B. and (more remotely) of A.

= Common

S - Sienna

49

XI

9.

Collectively

Ll

Vatican 4354.
S. Isidore s,

Rome,

L2 = Chronicle of
The author wishes,

1/63.

XXIV

Generals.

in conclusion, to

thank the authorities

of the University
of the Bodleian Library and Congregation
the Canonici MS. to
of Oxford for their courtesy in sending

months

for several
the Library of University College, London,
advice and help
his
Professor Robert Priebsch for
for his use
Mr. Laurence
the interrelation of the MSS.
;

in

determining

Solomon
in the

difficult readings
for his assistance in settling certain
his kindness in
for
text and Mr. A. G. Little

Latin

and making
reading the proofs
them.
upon

most valuable suggestions

TEXT OF CANONICI

MISC. 528

AND

TRANSLATION.
[In editing
been followed

have
the Latin text the following principles

are not indicate

Contractions universally recognised

indicate that the editor is

are reserved in order to
of the MS. Canonic! Misc
departing from the reading
a letter or word is changed, that
which is the basis. Where
a
italics and the MS. reading given
letter or word is put in
is sup
sentence
a
even
or
or word
footnote: where a letter
brack.
italics between square

&

"SSta

it is placed in
In order to render the text

plied,

more

the capital
easily legible,

names
not been followed: all proper
isation of the MS. has
not: and
or
so
does
MS.
the
whether
are spelt with capitals,
the
for proper names or for
not
required
capitals
1

of sentences are not kept.

v has been used throughc
For the sake of uniformity,
and u in all other positions.
initially,

The

Latinity of the text

is

often peculiar

and somehow

been corrected, but peculiarities

bad- obvious mistakes have
and siU, where the correspond
of usage, such as the use of
I
Me or ipse would be expected, have
ing forms of is,
the num
numbered
been
have
The sections of the text
as tho
of reference the same
bers used are for convenience
Lemmens in his edition in Document** AnUqua

used by

ctscana.]

(50

TEXT OF CANONICI

52

MISC. 528

QUOMODO FRATER EGIDIUS VENIT AD SANCTUM FRANciscuM.

Ad

[Fol. 217 v.]

feruentius laboremus

magna opera

eius,

excitandtfm
in opere

que

deuotionem nostram vt

aliqua verba domini &

spiritus sanctus est operatus in beadei,

tissimo patre nostro

Egidio sancto, sicut a sociis suis intellexi
ab eodem patre nostro 3 multoties
audiui, ad laudem dei

&

&

ad edificationem animarum
nostrarum, licet indignus
curaui\.
Ipse enim met dicebat:
Quanto

\scribere

"

aliquis plus dili-

bonum alterius, quod dominus operatur in

ipso, tanto
magis illud bonum efficeretur suum bonum, dum modo sciret

geret

illud exfructare

hominis, sed dei

deberem,

&

&

lucrari et custodire,
quia

Item dicebat

".

non multum

contristor

neque
ideo de bono

&

&

diligo

"

&

&

malo vnde deberem

alterius,

tribulatione alterius,

lucrari

bonum &

est

spiritualis, sicut

gaudeo de bono

conpatior de malo

offendo caritatem, minuitur*

bonum non

Non sum

non

incido in

lucror,

vnde

peccatum"

I.
Vt autem ab ipso primordio conuersionis sue dominus
nobis ostenderet? quod nouum &
magnum edificium superedi6
ficaret in seruo suo,
et
magnam
prerogatiuam gratiam infudit
super eum, etiam cum adhuc esset in habitu seculari.
Nam
cum audisset a quibusdam consanguineis suis & ab
vide

aliis,

duobus annis post conuersionem bead

Francisci, qualiter Bernhardus sanctus de
Quintavalle exemplo et consilio
ipsius sancti secundum perfectionem sancti ewangelii vendiderat omnia bona & de consilio beati Francisci distribuerat
in
licet

^emmens

version (A.) has an introductory sentence :

Hie incipit vita et
sancti fratris ^Egidii magnae
contemplationis, qui fuit quartus
in ordine post beatum Franciscum
S. reads instead :
Incipit vita fratris
Egidii de ordine fratrum minorum.
De innitio penitentie, medio et fine." The
introductory sentence is probably a later addition to the original text ; for a dis
cussion of the phrase "quartus in
ordine," see
Doc. Ant.

quaedam verba

"

".

Lemmens,

Franc.,

PP- 34-35a
4

MS.
MS.

"

excitandum".

reads

A. reads

"

"

mittam

magnam

".

A. adds

MS.

auribus meis

"

reads

praerogativam et gratiam

"

".

".

vnde diceret

".

I.

AND TRANSLATION
How BROTHER

53

GILES CAME TO SAINT FRANCIS.

To the end that our devotion may be stirred up and that

we may labour more zealously in the work of God, I have
I am, to write down to the praise
sought, unworthy though
God and for the edification of our souls, some words of

of

the Lord and

some of His great works, which the Holy Ghost

most blessed father, Saint 1 Giles, according

in our

wrought
as I have learned from his companions and have ofttimes
For he himself was
heard from the lips of our father himself.
the good, which
for
cares
The more any man
wont to
"

say

is

wrought by the Lord

blessing to

bring

in another, the

himself,

if

husband and increase and tend

man

but of

God

".

Also he

in

another

it,

for the

used to say

and so I
where
profit

of another

into

not of
not of

compassion for the hurt and suffering

or ill from which I should
profit not from good
fore

is

am

good
"

should be, nor do I love much

feel
good, nor do I sorrow over and

as
spiritual understanding,

nor rejoice

more does that good

knows how to

so be that he

sin against chanty,

my good

is

diminished and

fall

sin."

In order that from the very beginning of his conversion

the Lord might reveal to us His purpose to build a building
I.

person of His servant, He outpoured

while he was still in the garb of the world a
For when he had heard
double measure of His divine grace.

new and great

upon him even

in the

from certain his kinsfolk and others, to wit two years after
the conversion of Blessed Francis, how that the holy Bernard
2
of the
of
following the example and counsel

Quintavalle,
of God according to the perfection of the holy Gospel,
had sold all his goods and by the counsel of Blessed Francis

man

had made distribution thereof in the presence of the Saint

himself to many poor folk assembled in the square of Saint
1

the

It will

title

"

be observed that the Canonici text generally refers to Giles with

and although his
although he has not yet been canonized

Saint,"

cultus as Blessed was not confirmed until 1777.

3 The full
of Bernard of Quintavelle is found in
story of the conversion
Chronicle of the XXIV Generals," Anal. Franc.,
I Celano, x. 24, 25, and in the
"

III. pp. 35, 3 6 -

TEXT OF CANONICI

54

MISC. 528

presentia sua pauperibus multis coadunatis in platea sancti

Georgii, vbi nunc est monasterium sancte Clare, statim con-

cum

cepit, qualiter loqueretur

beato Francisco, vt reciperet

J
sicut fratrem Bernhardum
ipsum [Fol.
r.]
2
& sanctum fratrem Petrum, qui fuerunt primi fratres post
beatum Franciscum. Et quia velociter currit sermo [diumus]

218

indueret

et

& spirat sicut placet, sequenti [mane] surgens velociter iuit ad

ecclesiam sancti Georgii, cuius solempnitas eo die celebra&z3
tur, orans deuote & oblatione facta, apud ecclesiam sancte
Marie de Portiuncula
ciscus

cum duobus

gressos suos, vbi beatus Fran-

dirigit

suis fratribus

cum

frater

Egidius ignorabat,
*
leprosorum deuote orationi

morabatur

quern locum quia

esset in triuio iuxta hospitale

se dedit, vt illuc dominus sine

impedimento aliquo ipsum dirigere dignaretur quern dominus

conduxit ad triuium iuxta locum desideratum, qui ibi sistens
;

iam concepto. Et quia est domi

nus prope omnibus inuocantibus eum in veritate & desiderium
pauperum suorum exaudire consueuit, statim venit beatus

cepit cogitare in desiderio

ad orationem ad siluam, 5 que ibidem

accedens

Franciscus

Quern videns frater Egidius gauisus est valde,*

ad
procidens
pedes eius a quo querit sanctus Franciscus quid
vellet.
Volo esse vobisRespondit frater Egidius dicens
prope

erat.

"

Cui dixit sanctus Franciscus

cum".

donum

tibi

Esto, inquit, quod Imperator venisset

[dominus].

&

"Magnum, inquit, fecit

aliquem de ciuitate ilia eligere in suum

militem vel camerarium, multi essent, qui hoc affectarent
Qu^nto magis debes reputare maius donum, quod de tribu-

Assisium

lationibus

vellet

dominus

Quern manu
memoratam
1

MS. adds

A. adds

MS.

de

"

"

"

secum

"

is

vocauit ad

curiam

suam."

superfluous.

"redens

"

B. and S. agree with C. in omitting.

*
MS. devoti
".

ab oratione a silva

ad orandum

&

".

"

".

"

thus agreeing with La,

"reverten*

".

"

superfluous.

A. B. and S. read

C.i here

which

et fratrem Silvestrum

silva, ubi iverat

6 MS. adds
7

&

propria erigens sanctus Franciscus ad ecclesiam

duxit, vocauitque sanctum fratrem Bernhardum

celebretur

A. reads

te elegit

appears the best

"

tribus

text.

".

Lemmens

corrects this to

"

his

omnibus

".

AND TRANSLATION

55

of Saint Clare *), he

George (where now stands the convent
hold converse with
he
would
that
forthwith
him
bethought
him and clothe
receive
to
him
beseech
and
Blessed Francis,
to the holy
and
Bernard
Brother
done
to
he
had
as
him,
after Blessed
brothers
first
the
were
who
Peter
Brother
And since the word of God runneth swiftly and
Francis.
it listeth, he rose betimes on the next day
haste
to the Church of Saint George, whose
in
went
and
2
there he prayed devoutly,
feast was that day being observed
and having been present at the great Sacrifice, he turned his
of Saint Mary of the Portiuncula
steps towards the Church
8
where Blessed Francis then abode with his two brothers.
But since Brother Giles knew not this place, when he was at

bloweth where

the cross-roads hard by the Lepers Hospital, he gave himself

be pleased to direct
devoutly to prayer, that the Lord would

him

thither without

any hindrance.

Then

the Lord led

him

And
beside the spot which he sought.
desire which he
the
reflect
to
he
there
upon
began
standing
had conceived. And because the Lord is nigh at hand to

to the cross-roads

who

those

call

Him

upon

in

sincerity

and truth and

is

attentive unto the longing desires of His poor ones, forthwith

4
Blessed Francis drew
coming for prayer to the wood

nigh

When

he saw him, Brother Giles rejoiced

by.
Saint
with great joy and cast himself down at his feet.
Giles
Brother
Francis asked of him what he sought, and
whom
To
I desire to be with you
answered him saying,

which was near

"

".

which the Lord

It is a great gift
to Assisi
hath given thee.
Suppose that the Emperor came
his
chamber
or
and sought from the city one to be his knight

answered Saint Francis

lain,

many

"

there would be

who would

earnestly desire this

1
The Clares were moved in 1260 from San Damiano to the present convent
attached to the Church of Saint George.
8
The Feast of St. George, April 23rd, is now likewise observed as that of
B. Giles.
8
For a discussion of the critical questions arising from this passage, see

pp. 44-46.
4

The

coming

various

MS.

for prayer to the

it uncertain whether St. Francis

or returning from prayer in the wood.

versions leave

wood

was

TEXT OF CANON ICI

56
dicens

nobis

"Vnum

[Fol.

218

v.]

bonum

MISC. 528
fratrem dominus misit

Qui simul in domino gauisi comederunt.

".

QUOMODO FUIT INDUTUS PRATER EGIDIUS A BEATO

FRANCISCO.
2.

cessit

Et assumens sanctus Franciscus fratrem Egidium

ad ciuitatem

Et 1 cum

eum.

Assisii, vt

sic

ac-

tunicam acquireret, vt indueret

incederent ambo, ecce

quedam mulier

paupercula valde humiliter et reuerenter petiit elemosinam a

beato Francisco amore Christi repetens illud idem qui cum
nichil haberet vnde posset illius inopie implere defectum, non
;

3
2
illud idem.
qu[#r]e ilia tertio repetV
frater
erat
cum
audiens
sancto, adhuc
Egidius, qui
Quo[W]
in habitu seculari, non modicum anxius exspectabat vt sibi

dabat responsum

diceretur

quod eleemosinam daret

eo quod timore reuer-

illi,

audebat respondere.
Ad
vultu
conuersus
sic
ait
Diuide, inquern sanctus angelico
5
in
domino
tuum"; qui gauisus
plurimum
quit, mantellum
sancto constrictus nichil

entiali

"

de sancto mandato [quod} exspectabat

&

xit

Et statim dato mantello, 5

tus consolatione
valeret.

sollicite,

elargitur, libentissime dedit

illud

Et

in

statim extra-

paupercule mulieri.

vt ipse dixit, tanta fuit sancti spiri-

quod lingua carnea exprimi non

die induit eum beatus Franciscus:

repletus,

eodem

postquam indutus fuit, tanto exhilaratus est gaudio, quod

indumento pauperculo tegeretur, quod lingua & cor exprimere non valebant.

tarn

Procedente autem tempore completus est septenarius

numerus fratrum, quos beatus Franciscus direxit ad diuersas
3.

MS.
MS.
6
MS.

"vt".

"

repetens
"

".

mantallum

"

",

mantallo

".

MS.
MS.

"que".
"

quo

".

AND TRANSLATION
How much

honour.

57

to count
greater a gift oughtest thou

it,

that the Lord hath chosen thee and called thee unto His
Then taking him by the hand and lifting him up
court."
led him to the aforesaid Church and calling the
Francis
Saint
The Lord hath sent us a good
said
Bernard
holy Brother
to
And
brother".
they rejoiced in the Lord and did eat
"

gether.

How BROTHER
2.

And

GILES WAS CLOTHED BY BLESSED FRANCIS.

Saint

taking with him Brother Giles,

Assisi, to get a tunic in order that

Francis,

went unto the town of

he might clothe him. And as they thus went their way

woman very humbly and
together, behold a certain poor
Francis for the love
Blessed
from
alms
an
reverently sought
And
words.
same
those
he, inasmuch as
of Christ,
repeating

he had nought wherewith he could supply her need, answered

Wherefore she repeated those same words
her not a word.
a third time.
Hearing this Brother Giles, who was with the
in the garb of the world, waited with no
still
Saint, being
bidden to give her an alms, but overcome
be
to
small concern
fear he durst not answer a word.
reverent
with holy and
him with angelic countenance
towards
the
Then
Saint, turning
spake thus:

"Part

thy mantle in

twain".

And

he rejoicing

the Lord at the holy command which he thus

exceedingly
his mantle and most
earnestly awaited, forthwith drew off
in

And immediately,
to the poor woman.
it
he was filled with
himself
he
as
the
said,
mantle,
having given
so great comfort of the Holy Spirit, that human tongue fails
And that same day Blessed Francis clothed
to express it.
him and after that he was clothed, he was filled with so
willingly

gave

a garb, that neither heart

great joy at being clad in so poor
nor tongue could utter it.

came to pass in process of time that the number of

became seven. Then Blessed Francis sent them
forth to sundry provinces, bidding them exhort the people to
and to do
give praise to our Creator, Redeemer and Saviour,
wholesome penance. Wherefore Saint Giles went out of de3.

It

the brothers

TEXT OF CANONICI

58

MISC. 528

\prouincias\ vt monerent populum, qualiter redderent laudes

creator! [vef] redemptori
saluatori nostro
vt facerent

&

sanctum

ad

Jacobum

deuotionis, in

sanctus Egidius [Fol. 219 r.] 2

peregrinationem accessit causa

in

itinere

quo

&

Vnde

fructuosam penitentiam.

penuriam, famem,

frigus,

sitim et

Sed dominus, qui ab initio sue

conuersionis ceperat ipsum consolari, semper in omnibus conFuit autem tunica vna 3 contentus nam in eodem
solabatur.
itinere, cum obuiaret cuidam pauperculo homini, pietate motus
tribulationes perpessus est.

caputium exuit de tunica

& dedit

illi

& sic ambulauit xxj

diebus

sine caputio.

Reuersus

4.

homo

erat et

[est]

indent

&

[Assistum]

et quia

deuotissimus

ad sanctum Jacobum 5 & ad

ad sanctum Nycolaum de Bari. Vadens
iuit

catholicus,

sanctum Angelum

mundum

docebat 6 hominibus et mulieribus, vt timerent

per
et .amarent creatorem celi & terre et facerent penitentiam de
sic

Quadam autem

peccatis suis.

famem
a

pateretur ^i^vit

et

cum

die,

valde fessus de itinere

dormiuit iuxtaviam; excitatusque

beneficio dei qui non derelinquit sperantes in se,

dimidium panem ad caput suum et gratias agens deo,

sompno de

inuenit

cum manducasset,
5.

etiam vltra

Iuit

Tune cum

confortatus

fecisset

mare

est.

et

terram

visitauit

sanctam.

moram apud ciuitatem Anchonitanam, vt non

comederet panem suum otiose, apportabat aquam de fonte a

8
longe, portans magnum vas in humero suo & ibat per ciuitatem
dicens hominibus et mulieribus, vt acciperent

panem amore

sibi

dei.

extra de longe fontes. 9

1

S. likewise omits

aquam

et darent

Habent enim cisternas in ciuitate et

Non enim verecundabatur seruus dei

"

prouincias,"

a point which indicates almost conclusively

some connection between C. and S.

2
MS. adds iuit which is redundant.
"

3
5

"

A. reads
prima tunica".
A. and B. omit "ad sanctum

"

MS.

Jacobum" (S.

reads

James

"

tamen

".

at Compostella)

which

C. and S. insert probably by mistaken repetition from the previous paragraph.

6
A. and B. "hortabatur homines," etc.
7

So read A. and B. and apparently

A. omits

"

magnum

S.

But C. reads

"

iuit

".

".

9
The sentence
Habent .
.
fontes
omitted in A. It agrees exactly with S.
"

"

corresponds closely to B. but

is

AND TRANSLATION

59

and
of Saint James
votion on a pilgrimage to the shrine
and
thirst,
cold,
suffered
poverty, hunger,
on this journey he
But the Lord, who from the very beginning of his
tribulations.
him consolation
conversion had comforted him, ever granted
for meeting
tunic
one
with
content
was
He
in all things.
with love
moved
certain
a
poor man,
on that same journey
it to him, and so
and
tunic
his
off
from
hood
gave
he took the
without hood.
for one and twenty days he went on foot
l

He

4.

devout
returned to Assisi and, being a man truly
Arch
the
he went to the shrine of Saint Michael

and Catholic,
3
And going
2
and to that of Saint Nicholas at Bari.
angel
fear and
to
and women
thus about the world, he taught men
do
to
penance for
love the Creator of heaven and earth and
Now one day when he was exceeding weary from
their sins.
and an hungred, he rested and fell asleep by the
his
journey

by the merci
forsakes those whose trust is in
ful favour of God who never
and when he had given
Him, half a loaf beside his head
thanks to God and had eaten it, he was strengthened.
He went also beyond the sea and visited the Holy4
5.
of Ancona,
Land. At that time he was delayed in the city

wayside

and awaking from

his sleep he found,

eat the bread of

and while there, in order that he might not
water from the fountain which was a
idleness, he would carry
and bearing a large vessel on his shoulder
great distance away,
men and women receive the
go throughout the city bidding
For they
water and give him bread for the love of God.
outdistance
a
great
had cisterns in the city and fountains
1

The

shrine in question

is

that of St.

James

at Compostella.

called on account of tl
famous shrine on Mount Gargano in Apulia, so
to St. Laurence about A.D. 492.
appearance of St Michael the Archangel
the body of St.
Another famous shrine in Apulia, celebrated for possessing
and was the cause of many
Nicholas which was transported thither in A.D. 1087
*

notable miracles.
4 The MSS. leave it uncertain whether Ancona is tt
read
Action,"
MSS., especially those of the L2 group,
d Acre in Syria.
"

referring to S.

Jean

TEXT OF CANONICI

60

MISC. 528

& inclinare sead omneopus seruile & honestum

bonum
propter
exemplum, vt de labore manuum suarum panein
comederet.
Nam cum quodam tempore ipse visitaret [FoL 219
v.] dominum Nycolaum cardinalem & episcopum tusculanensem,
excels! humiliare

iuuandum

et ibat ad

&

ipse

homines ad colligendum oliuas

&

panem pro labore suo & sic apEt cum diceret sibi cardinalis
portabat ad domum cardinalis.
vt tamquam pauper manducaret de pane suo, ipse ei dicebat *
verbum propheticum
Labores manuum tuarum manducabis
alia

seruitia,

accipiebat

"

etc".

Sicut et beatus Franciscus docuit primo fratres suos

&

testamento suo prope mortem confirmauit.

Quantum laborem, famem, sitim, frigus, inopiam, &
tribulationes et verecundias sustinuit cum gratiarum actione,
in regula fecit scribi et in

sicut ipsemet retulit,

longum

esset enarrare.

Reuertente 2 autem eo tempore de peregrinationibus suis,

considerans beatus Franciscus per spiritual sanctum quod
6.

homo

Egidius esset
dixitque

ei,

et boni

dei

vt pergeret

quo

vellet.

exempli, gauisus valde est

Cui sanctus Egidius re-

quod in tarn libera obedientia ire et viuere nolebat.

Tune septimo * anno sue conuersionis misit eum ad quoddam
heremitorium nomine Fabrione in planitie Perusii.
Et cum respiceret dominus ad ipsum et ad multa opera eius,
facta est super eum manus domini.
Vbi 4 inter alia, que sibi

spondit,

dominus

contulit beneficia sua,

cum quadam nocte

esset

in

oratione, tanta fuit diuina consolatione repletus, quod visum

fuit ei vt dominus vellet educere animam extra corpus, vt lucide
videret de secretis suis et vt magis animaret ipsum ad bene
6
in seruitio dei.
Et sic incepit sentire a pedibus,

operandum
1

A.

A. reads

"

et ipse ei dicebat

"

S.

"

ipse dixit ei

"

MS.

"

ipse

enim dicebat

".

Revertente autem eo de peregrinationibus suis ad sanctum

Franciscum considerans idem sanctus, quod esset homo dei," etc. S. agrees
"

withC.
*

A.

A. adds

"

sexto
"

"

et

S.

"

septimo

roborandum

".

".

A.

"

Et

"

S.

"

Ut

".

AND TRANSLATION

61

For this servant of the Most High was not ashamed to

humble himself and lower himself to every menial but honest
work as a good example, so that he might eat bread by the

side.

labour of his

Now

own

came

it

hands.
to pass once that he

was visiting the Lord

and he used to go

Cardinal Nicholas, 1 Bishop of Tusculum

and help men collecting olives and doing other menial tasks,
and thus he earned bread by his labours and brought it back
to the Cardinal s house.

And when

the Cardinal told

him

that as a poor man he should eat of his bread, he answered

him in the words of the Prophet: "Thou shalt eat of the

For even thus did Blessed Francis

labours of thy hands". 2
in the beginning teach the brothers and caused it to be written
3

and confirmed it in his Testament 4 shortly before

Time would fail to tell all things concerning the
his death.
great toil and hunger and thirst and cold and want and tribu
lation and shame which he endured with giving of thanks, as
in the rule

he himself recorded.
6.

Now when

he returned

at that time

from his journey-

by the Holy Spirit that Giles

was a man of God and a good ensample to others, rejoiced
exceedingly arid bade him go wheresoever he desired. But
ings, Blessed Francis, perceiving

Saint Giles answered that he sought not to go or to live in

So in the seventh year from his con
version Saint Francis sent him to a certain hermitage named

such free obedience.

Fabrione in the plain of Perugia.

Lord had regard unto him and to the

There
multitude of his good works, His hand was upon him.
it was that
among other signal favours which the Lord
when he was one night at prayer, he was
conferred upon him

And when

lfrhe

the

Quaracchi Fathers identify this Cardinal as Nicholas of Clairvaux,

It
the Monk" who died in 1227 or 1228.
generally known as
the Pap 1 Court was at Rieti in 1225, to which date this incident
"

is

known

may

that

probably

be assigned.
a

reference to Psalm cxxviii. verse

2.

De modo laborandi
In the Rule, Chapter V.
4 In his
Et ego manibus meis laborabam
Testament, St. Franc s says
volo laborare ; et omnes alii fratres fl, rmittr volo quod laborent de laboritio
"

".

"

".

ft

TEXT OF CANONICI

62

MISC. 528

moriebatur corpus, donee anima exiret.

qualiter

anima extra corpus,

sicut

Et stans

placuit creatori nostro, qui

ipsam

misit in corpore, pre nimia [Fol. 220 r.] pulchritudine sua, qua
decorauerat earn spiritus, delectabatur respicere semetipsam.
Erat enim subtilissima
lucidissima super existimationam, 1

&

sicut retulit

prope mortem suam.

anima contemplando secreta

dixit:

homo

"Beatus

qui

Tune rapta est ilia sanctissima

celestia, que nulli reuelauit, vnde

scit

conseruare secreta dei, quia

8
[nihil\ occultum, quod non reueletur, sicut dominus volu^rit
& quando ei placuerit. Timeo enim de me metipso, et ideo,
inquit, si sint reuelanda, magis volo, quod reuelentur per alium

quam

per

me."

Et quia inimicus humani generis semper nititur molestare

& perfectos viros 4 ex permissione \dei\, non multo
post dictam consolationem in eodem heremitorio suo accidit
7.

sanctos

suas deuote

orationes

post

sensit post se

non valens

factas,

cum

intrasset

cellam,

angelum Sathane, cuius timorem horribilefw]

& corde supplicans,

statim extitit liberatus.
Post

sustinere, procidit in oratione

quia loqui non poterat, deo,

autem paucos interrogauit beatum Franciscum dicens:

quod non possit sustineri donee dicatur vnum PATER NOSTER
Respondit beatus
dies

Pater, inquit, est aliquid ita terribile,

".

Franciscus

donee

dicens

diceretur

Dyabolum non posset quis sustinere,

dimidium PATER NOSTER, quin statim
"

moreretur, nisi diuinum adiutorium succurreret

Egydiz/j*, sicut
1

A.

"

aestimationem

Quo

".

a
".

A. adds

"

custodire et

".

MS. "voluit"; A. "voluerit".

4
MS. adds et which is better omitted.
"

A.

MS.

"

de nocte
"

"

"

B. and S. agree with C. in reading

A.
beatus frater Egidius

sancto Egydio

audito

expertus fuerat, credidit verum esse.

"

"

"

".

deuote

".

AND TRANSLATION
filled

to

63

with so great and heavenly a consolation that

him

as if the

Lord sought to draw

his soul

it

seemed

from out of his

body, to the end that he might perceive clearly the Divine

secrets and might be inspired to labour more zealously in the

And so he began to feel from his feet upwards

were
dying, until his soul passed out of his body.
body
as it pleased our Creator Who placed the soul in the body,

service of God.

as

if

And

his

the soul standing outside the body gazed with delight upon
itself by reason of the exceeding great beauty with which
the Spirit had adorned

it.

time of his death.

For the soul was most subtle

conception, as he did tell at the

was that most holy soul caught away

and resplendent beyond

all

Then

by reason of contemplation of the heavenly secrets, which he

Blessed is the man
never revealed to any man, for he said
"

who knows how

to

keep the secrets of God,

for

there

is

Lord Himself
But I fear for

nothing hid which shall not be revealed, as the

and whensoever it pleaseth Him.

and
thus, if things are to be revealed,
myself,
willeth

I desire that they

than
rather
another
be
revealed
through me."
through
may
7. And because the enemy of the human race ever strives

by the permission of God to trouble those who are holy and

the aforesaid con
perfect, it came to pass that not long after
solation in the same hermitage, when having devoutly said
his prayers he had entered his cell, he felt behind him the
And being unable to bear the fear and
angel of darkness.
horror thereof, he
heart, since he
free.
"

My

fell

to prayer, and, beseeching

was unable

to utter a word,

God

in his

was immediately

set

A few days afterwards he asked Blessed Francis, saying

father,

is

time

it

there aught so terrible that it cannot be borne

Blessed
would take to say one Paternoster ?
"

for the

Francis answered saying "One could not endure the Devil

even while one said half a Paternoster, but one would die forth
with, except one were succoured by divine aid
Having heard
:

".

this Saint Giles believed

experienced

it.

it

to be true, since he

Another time

in the year

had himself

when he was

at

Spoleto in a certain church of Saint Apollinaris where at

that time the brothers dwelt, he rose in the night and went

TEXT OF CANONICI

64

MISC. 528

cum

Alio autem tempore, anno hoc

esset

apud Spoletum

in

ecclesia sancti Apollinaris, [vbi tune temporis hospila-

quadam

cum 3

banturfratres *] de nocte 2 surgens

dum

pestiue,

intrasset ecclesiam

tem-

inclinatus staret in oratione, sensit super se de-

monem ipsum nimium opprimentem & molestantem ipse

autem vehementius orans non poterat [Fol. 220 v.] surgere, sed
subtraxit se sicut potuit vsque ad vas aque benedicte, qua
fide aspersus statim a molestia demonis fuit deliberatus.
Anno decimo octauo sue conversionis, quo scilicet
8.
4
beatus Franciscus de hoc mundo
migrauit ad celum, cum
5
socio
ad heremum de Scetona 6
accederet sanctus Egidius cum
quod est in episcopatu Clusino, peruenit ad locum fratrum de
;

Cibostulo, vbi nocte sequenti vidit

in

sompnis imperatorem

nimiafw] familiaritate[w]ostendebat eidem, quod,

7
Tune surrexerunt 8
dixit, venture
glorie signum fuit.
qui

ipse

&

ad

predictum locum accesserunt, ibique quadragesirnam sancti

Vbi sanctus Egidius
Martini feruenter & deuote fecerunt.

sompnis beatum Franciscum, dicens

vidit in

inquit, loqui inter te et

"

ait:

Stude

&

oratione

tibi, inquit, si vis

deuotione

Ad quem

me".

ei

Cum

maxima laboraret,
cum deuote oraret,

natiuitatem domini in nocte

visibiliter

oculis

apparuit

sibi

In

corporeis.

nimio

frater

ibidem

diebus ante

tribus

dominus Jesus Christus

Vellem,

sanctus Franciscus

mecum".

loqui

"

odore

voces

Egidius pre
qua apparitione
emittebat immensas eique 10 videbatur humanitate deficere,
quia talia non poterat sustinere, magnumque fratribus de
loco immittebat timorem suis vocibus subitoque repletus est
odore ineffabili & dulcedine cordis immensa & sic quasi in ex
:

tremis positus videbatur laborare.

Quod autem audiens non
et accedens ad socium
timere
frater
modicum incepit quidam
1

2 So A
C. reads
deuote
Supplied from A. and S.
A. "cum intrasset ecclesiam et inclinatus staret," etc.
"

A.

C. and S. read throughout

"

saeculo".
"

sanctus

E.,"

"

septone
8
A. adds ipse et socius
".

A.

where A. gives
"

futurae

"

A. adds

10

A.

".

"

"

eum

et quasi

uidens,"
"

for

".

which spoils the sense.

"

eique

".

".

"

beatus frater

".

AND TRANSLATION

65

he stood
the fitting season into the church: and while
him
bowed in prayer, he felt the devil over him, oppressing

at

and attacking him sore. But though he prayed more earnestly,

to the
he could not rise, but dragged himself as best he could
therewith
and having sprinkled himself
stoup of holy water
he was at once set free from the assaults of the Evil One.
;

the year
In the eighteenth year of his conversion, being
to
world
heaven,
this
in which Blessed Francis departed from
the
to
hermitage of
Saint Giles went with a companion
house of the
a
l
to
came
Cetona in the diocese of Chiusi, and
8.

brethren at Cibottola.
dreams he beheld the

And

there the following night in his

Emperor who showed exceeding

great
was a symbol
favour to him, which thing, as he himself said,
to the
of coming glory. Then they arose and made their way
there
Martin
of
Saint
Lent
aforesaid house and spent the
Giles
Saint
there
And
of fervour and devotion.
in a
spirit

I
him
saw in his sleep Blessed Francis and said unto
him
answered
Francis
Saint
would speak with thee". And
"

"

saying
with me
:

Have

regard

to

if

thyself,

thou wouldest

speak

When he had laboured there in prayer and most

as he
s
earnest devotion, three days before Our Lord Nativity
Christ
Lord
Our
the
Jesus
night,
was
devoutly in
".

praying
him visible to his mortal eyes,
appeared manifestly before
of the inexpressible sweetness
and
and by reason of this vision
himself to
of odour Brother Giles uttered great cries thinking
bear such
not
could
he
for
be verily at the point of death,
in
brothers
the
came
fear
and
upon

wondrous things
great
and suddenly he was
the house by reason of his cries
an exceeding great
and
odour
filled with an unspeakable
be indeed at death s
to
seemed
he
inward sweetness, and thus
this
began to be greatly
A certain brother hearing
door.
;

afraid,

said to
and going to the companion of Brother Giles
his
And
is
he
for
dying
Come to Brother Giles,
"

him

"

The MSS. vary

of this name.
greatly in their rendering

Tuscany, near Chiusi.

It is

Cetona

in

TEXT OF CANONICI

(56

fratris Egidii dixtt ei

tur

"

MISC. 528

Veni ad fratrem Egidium, quia moril

& dixit sancto Egidio Quid

Qui continue surrexit

".

Et

"

babes

modo

221

[Fol.

"

Veni, fili, quia desiderabam te

diligebat enim eum valde et de

"

ille

respondit

r.] videre";

confidebat, quia nutriebat eum ab adolescentia

et actibus spiritualibus.
Ipse vero qualiter
2
3
hoc audiens
sibi acciderat enarrauit per ordinem socius eius

multum

ipso

moribus

in sanctis

visionem diuinam esse cognouit & ad cellam suam reuersus est.

4
die iuit ad cellam sancti Egidii socius ipsius
9. Sequenti
et inueniehs

se

tantum

eum

flentem et lamentantem monebat eum, 5 ne

affligeret,

quia possit exinde corpus deficere.

Cui

Quomodo, inquit, non possum flere, cum

respondit
inimicum dei me esse cognoscam, et ipse fecit tantam misericordiam mihi & dedit mihi tale donum, quare dubito ne
secundum voluntatem suam in eo 6 operer".
Hoc autem
dicebat \sentiens 7 ] specialem gratiam sibi datam a deo, in qua
gratia mirabiliter inmutatum et [mjnouatum se sentiens dixit
socio suo
Vsque modo ibam quo volebam, & que volebam
laborans manibus meis nunc & deinceps non
faciebam
facere,
"

ille

"

sicut

ita,

possum, sed

consueui, facere

sicut sentio in

me,

Super quo valde timeo, ne aliqui

opportet me facere.
8
de
non possum." Cui socius eius
me
eis
dare
quod
querant
ita

dixit

Dominus, qui dat seruo suo gratiam, ipse gratie

tamen bonum est esse timorem dei apud
Que responsio placuit ei. Fuit autem in tanta ac tali
"

largietur custodiam
te".

dulcedine indicibili

& iubilo tarn suaui & odore

dei tribus diebus

ante natiuitatem domini vsque ad Epyphaniam, non tamen

continue sed interpellatim 9 die et nocte non enim poterat
;

A.

MS.

"

surgens venit ad
"

eum

dicens
*

acciderit

".

A.

Quid, pater, habes

"

ipse

autem

"

for

"

"

socius eius

".

Cf. the
sequent! vero die reversus ad cellam ejusdem fratris Egidii
version of this paragraph in Lz (p. 97), which begins
Sequenti vero die ivit ad

A.

"

".

"

cellam

fratris /Egidii

MS. adds
*MS. adds
6

ut

"

idem socius, etc.

which is superfluous.

"non"

superfluously.

Supplied from S. ; A gives propter

A. adds
a me," with which L.2 agrees.
"

".

"

So C. and S.
late

".

but A.

"

"

interpolate

B.

"

interpellate in

"

La

"

interpau-

AND TRANSLATION
companion arose forthwith and
aileth thee
I

was

"

And

said to Saint Giles

he answered
to see

verily longing

Come

"

thee

"

up from

his

man

of

youth

God

in

told

"

my

hither,

What

son, for

he loved him ex
he had brought him

for

ceedingly and had great trust in him, for

the

67

holy ways and in spiritual deeds. Then

him in order what things had befallen

him, and his companion hearing this perceived that he had

had a heavenly vision and returned to his own cell.
9. On the following day Saint Giles companion went to
his cell and found him weeping and lamenting and bade him
not afflict himself so sore, since he would thereby do hurt
to his body.

when

But he answered

know myself

to be an

"

How

enemy

of

should

not weep,

God and when He

Himself has had such mercy upon me and granted me so

great a gift, wherefore 1 doubt lest what I do is contrary unto
His will ?
This he said, perceiving that special grace had
"

been given to him of God, by which grace he felt himself

marvellously changed and renewed, and he said to his com
Until now I walked whither I would and did what
panion
"

would, labouring with

I cannot do as

forth

me

to

do as the

greatly,

spirit

my

hands

but

now and from hence

have been wont, but it behoves

Wherefore I fear
within moves me.
I

some should seek of me what I cannot give

The
And his companion answered him saying

lest

"

them."

Lord, who giveth grace to His servant, will Himself watch

over that grace; nevertheless it is good that the fear of
God is with thee". And this answer pleased him. He con
tinued

for the three

days before Our Lord

Nativity and

Epiphany in this unspeakable sweetness

and in this exquisite joy and divine odour, yet not continu
ously but at intervals by day and by night for his mortal
from then

until the

nature could not bear

peared

He

when

the dazzling brightness ap

prayed instantly to the Lord, that He should
him so great a burden, pleading earnestly that
it,

not lay upon

he was not fitted therefor, since he was an unlearned and
ignorant man, and a simple peasant but the more he made
:

himself out to be unworthy, so

much

the

more did the Lord

TEXT OF CANONICI

68

MISC. 528

cum apparebat immensa claritas. Orabatque ad dominum instanter, vt sibi non imponeret tantum
onus 1 & allegabat multum, quod non erat ad hoc
aptus, pro
eo quod erat homo ydeota et sine litteris
[Fol. 221 v.] et rusticus
simplex quanto autem plus reputabat se indignum, tanto
sustinere humanitas,

plus

dominus suam gratiam

fine

sicut

Quadam

insufflauit

augmentabat

Dixitque

quod

in

apostolos, ita insufflauit

stante sancto Egidio

vero nocte

& dum

cellam

in

eum.

in

[cum socio] ante

de verbis domini loquerentur suauiter &
deuote,

venit splendor quidam transiens

plane inter ambos ; cumque
socius eius ab eo, quid esset,
quereret, respondit
Dimitte ire
Erat ibi vnus quidam -religiosus, cui dominus
reuelauerat de
"

".

Nam

secretis

suis.
paulo antequam hoc eueniret sancto
viderat
in sompnis quod vbi cella sancti
Egidio,
Egidii constructa erat, ibi sol oriebatur
ad occasum

&

uergebat;

qui

videns

sanctum Egidium mutatione dextre excels!

mirabiliter immutatum nouo 4
spiritu gratie dixit ei
Porta

postea

"

suauiter filium

virginis."

Postmodum

10.

sanctus Egidius studuit omni

qua poterat
5
gratiam a domino datam sibi dicebat
enim
super omnes {gratias} & virtutes 6 hec summa virtus est,
virtutes
& custodire gratiam sibi datam". Item dixit:
sequi
sollicitudine custodire

"

postquam receperunt donum

"Apostoli

spiritus sancti, centies

plus portauerunt maius pondus ad sustinendas
tribulationes et ad custodiendam
gratiam sibi datam
Ex
et

millies

tune

&

fuit

semper in cella solitarius, vigilans, orans,

ab omni opere & sermone malo se custodire solli-

ieiunans et

Et

citus.
1

A.

erat

si

quando

aliquis vellet ei referre

de

alio

quz^piam

et tale onus odoris et

S. "tantum bonus
dulcedinis":
tantum onus
2
A. and La add
in eo
3
A. "In fine tamen
hujus odoris et dulcedinis, dixit: Sicut Deus

odoris

"tantum

"

L.%

"

".

"

".

insuf-

navit in Apostolos, insufflavit et in

4
B

MS. adds
A. reads

me

".

"que".

"super

Domino sibi datam

A.

"

servare

".

omnem

gratiam et virtutem esse scire custodire gratiam

B. agrees
S. lis practically identical
substantially with C.

".

Wltll

Ly.

A. omits
Item dixit
8
A.
Si quando autem

datam

"

B. and S. agree with C.

"

MS.

"

quempiam

".

aliquis voluit beato fratri ^Egidio referre

".

AND TRANSLATION

69

He said that in the end,

multiply His grace given unto him.
the
He
breathed
as
upon
apostles, so also He breathed
just

Now

upon him.

it

came

to pass

on a

certain night, as Saint

companion before his cell and as they held

together devoutly on things of God, that a

Giles stood with his

sweet

commune

seemed to pass right between them and

companion asked him the meaning thereof, he
There was a certain Religious
Let it be
answered
For a
there, to whom the Lord had revealed of His secrets.
short while before this befell Saint Giles, he had seen in his
dreams that where the cell of Saint Giles was builded, there
and afterwards,
the sun rose and there went also to rest
seeing Saint Giles marvellously transfigured by the hand of
certain bright light

when

his

"

"

the Most

unto him,

10.

High and
"

filled

with a

new

Carry tenderly the Virgin

spirit
s

After this Saint Giles strove with

Son

of grace, he said
".*

all his

might to guard

for he would say that this

the grace given unto him of the Lord
was the greatest virtue above all other graces and virtues, to
He said
follow virtue and to guard the grace given unto him.
:

that the Apostles received the gift of the Holy

Ghost, they had a hundred, yea a thousand times weightier
burden to bear, to endure tribulations and to guard the grace

also:

"After

From that time he was wont to be always

given to them
alone in his cell, watching unto prayer with fasting and carefully
keeping himself from every evil work or word. And if anyone
".

anytime sought to tell him aught ill concerning another, he

I seek not to know of the sin of another".
would say thus
he
would
And
Beware,
say to him who would tell him
lest
thou see anything which is not for thy good".
brother,
at

"

"

1
It probably means that the
The meaning of this passage is obscure.
Religious beheld Blessed Giles with the Infant Christ in his arms.

TEXT OF CANONICI

70
mali,

MISC. 528

verbum
"Nolo, inquit, scire
peccatum
Et dicebat referenti:
Caue, fratcr, ne videas

dicebat hoc

"

alterius".

aliquid contrarium,
vsque ad bonum tuum". 1
u. Hunc igitur [Fol. 222 r.] seruum bonum et in modico
8
sibi re/mens 2 dominus fidelem
dign* sibi maiora commisit
cui sibi in tantam sibi gratiam datam
augmentauit, [quad
hominibus non poterat amplius occultart^ Nam si
qjiis cum
eo tractaret de gloria domini eiusque dulcedine siue de
nisi

paradiso,
statim rapiebatur nee etiam se mouebat de loco.
Proinde
subtraxit se non solum a familiaritate
secularium, sed etiam a
fratribus suis et aliis religiosis.

Dicebat enim

"

Securius est

animam suam cum

homini, saluare

paucis quam cum multis

hoc est esse solitarius, videlicet vacate deo et anime sue.
Quia
solus deus, qui creauit animam, est amicus eius & non alius." 8
"

O quam
9

donum et prerogatiua gratia, cui datum

animam. 8 Solus deus agnoscit 7 & cui voluerit
ideo de se ipso dicebat: "Si sanctus Petrus &

spirituale
7

est agnoscere
reuelare;"

&

& dicerent mihi vt satisfacerem personis volentibus mihi

loqui, non crederem eis
Item dicebat
Qui melius facit factum 10 anime sue, melius
facit factum 10 animarum amicorum suorurr
Et iterum
beatus

Paulus descenderent de celo

".

"

".

"Multas

consolationes

&

uisitationes

domini potest

amittere culpa sua, quod in

perpetuum

homo

11
non rehaberet
illis, qui ludunt ad
taxiHofj],
pro vno puncto taxillorum, quod est ita paruum, amittit
homo quandoque multa 12 sic pro leui peccato, si nexferit"
custodire, perdit homo magnum lucrum anime sue.
Item
dicebat beatus Franciscus.
Vide, scriptum est
Caue ne
eas".

Vnde exemplum ponebat de

qui[>]

"

A.

"

MS.

non ad utilitatem tuam

".

"dignum".

MS.

Supplied from A.

"

recipiens

".

In this passage
securius . . . alius
C. agrees almost
identically with A. ;
but S. reads
Securius est esse solitarius videlicet vacare domino et
anime sue
quia deus qui creauit . . . alius
"

"

"

".

6
7

MS^ prerogatiuam gratiam

A.

"

cognosce/e, cognoscit
C. and S. while A.
sanctus

(sic

!)

A. omits.

MS.

".

So

Petrus et beatus Paulus

10
11

".

The fact

"

anime M .

that C. and S. both read uautus

shows close connection.

So_G., with which Lz agrees : but A. reads
A.
quas in perpetuum non recuperabit
"

"

faciem

".

"

".

12

MS.

corrupt here.

u MS.

nesciret

".

AND TRANSLATION

him a good and faithful

servant unto Himself in a very little, committed greater things
and He multiplied
to him, for which he was counted worthy
so greatly the grace given unto him, that he could no longer
For if any man conversed with him con
hide it from men.
II.

The Lord

therefore, finding

and His sweetness or concerning

cerning the glory of the Lord
an ecstasy and moved not
Paradise, immediately he fell into
not
from the spot And for this cause he withdrew himself
from
also
but
those in the world,
only from converse with
For he used to say
his own brethren and other religious.
than
for a man to save his soul with few rather
:

It is safer

with

many

this is to

yield oneself to God

who created the soul,

O
to

be a true hermit, to be at leisure to

and one
is

own

the soul

soul.

friend

For God alone,

and not another.

a gift and what surpassing grace is his,

It is God alone
is given to know his own soul
is
God
pleased to reveal
the soul and he to whom

how heavenly

whom

it

who knows
it."

And

thus he would say concerning himself:

"If

Saint

and bid
Peter and Saint Paul were to descend from Heaven
me
to
wish
talk, I would
me satisfy the desire of those who
who does
He
would
say
not believe them". And also he
souls of
the
unto
likewise
good unto his own soul, does good
"

his

friends".

And

again,

"A

man may

of his

own

fault lose

such wise that he

many divine consolations and

He would draw an ensample
may never recover them for ever
dice
from those who play at dice, for through one point of the
reason
so
much:
lose
times
by
which is so small, a man may at
a man
of a small sin, if he knows not how to guard himself,
Francis
Blessed
soul.
own
his
may lose the great treasure of
visitations, in
"

also used to say

"

Behold,

it is

written,

Beware

lest

thou lose by

And

therefore
laughing what thou hast gained by mourning
conversion
his
of
gave himself
Saint Giles from the beginning
and his own
Lord
the
for
no rest from being ever at liberty
was counted
and
Lord
the
before
and he found favour
soul
".

TEXT OF CANONICI

72

MISC. 528

ridendo amittas, quod plangendo lucratus

Et ideo sanctus
Egydius a principio conuersionis sue requiem non dedit
temporibus suis vacare semper domino x & anime sue
es."

&

inuenit gratiam coram domino

ab ipso meruit honorari, vt
videtur de secretis celestibus, que a
tempore beati Francisci

paucis [Fol. 222 v.] fuisse data putamus.

fratribus retulit, vnde dicebat

busdam
ore

&

cautela oportet custodire secreta dei

13.

beatus Egidius

Ccmmenda[&z]t

enim

qui-

Cum magno
& thesaurum

tim-

Sicut
"

".

locum de Ceptone

propter misericordiam dei & gratiam prerogatiuam, 4 quam

ostendit ei in predicto loco super omnia citramarina loca &
vltramarina, sex locis vltramarinis exceptis, quibus etiam

hunc
locum comparabat, & dicebat, quod ad hunc locum deberent
homines accedere cum maiore reuerentia & deuotione
quam
ad sanctum Angelum vel ad sanctum Petrum vel ad sanctum
vel ad aliquem locum
citramarinum, sicut maior
dominus quam seruus, et sic est Christus maior
quam
alii sancti
dicebatque quod similis huic esse poterat, maior
esse non poterat
cumque talia diceret, respondit socius suus

Nycolaum

est

dicens

sibi

"

Pater,

inquit,

magnum

fuit,

quod

accidit

Aluerne beato Francisco de Seraphim nobilis etiam

virgo
sancta Christina, nobilis etiam sancta Katherina 7 & multe alie
:

A.

The passage

"

sed vacabat
"

Deo

Sicut

"

B. agrees with C.
.

thesaurum

"

is

contained in C.,

S.,

and

BM

but

not in A.
3

C.

and

S. agree in
continuing at this point
A. inserts

with the paragraph beginning

immediately after the words
"fuisse data
putamus a chapter (Lemmens No. 12) beginning
Dixit semel
frater ^Egidius" and
This chapter
ending
qui est benedictus in saecula
corresponds in the main to the chapter
De quodam raptu mirabili coram
domina Jacoba de Septemsoliis," in L2, Anal. Franc. III.
B. after the
102-104.
words
et thesaurum suum
proceeds,
Explicit de S. fratre yEgidio," and
then inserts the four chapters which are also
given in L2
(i) Quomodo
domina Jacoba de Septemsoliis visitavit fratrem
^Egidium. (2) qualiter frater
extraxit
dubium a quodam magistro Praedicatore. (3) quomodo fr.
Egidius
Jacobus de Massa petivit a fratre ^Egidio, qualiter se haberet in
raptu.
(4) de
revelatione facta in cordibus sancti
Mgidii et sancti Ludovici regis."
4
A.
In three places C. and S. vary
gratiam et magnam praerogativam
from A. in using praerogatiuam as an
adjective.
5
A. curn sit maior
6 A. adds
in monte
7
B. "nobilis etiam fuit
virgo bcata Christina et sancta Catharina," with
"

Commendabat sanctus Egidius

".

"

"

"

".

"

"

"

"

"

"

".

"

"

"

"

".

".

which L2 agrees, but A.

is corrupt at this
point and reads
virgo fuit sancta Christiana Katharina
".

"

Nobilis etiam

AND TRANSLATION

73

worthy to be honoured by God, so that he perceived heavenly

secrets such as we believe to have been revealed to but few
For this he told to certain
since the days of Blessed Francis.

With great fear and care should a

and the treasure of God

of the brethren saying

man guard

3.

the secrets

"

".

Blessed Giles used to praise the place of Cetona because

of the mercy and surpassing grace which God showed unto him
in the said place, above all other places on this side of the seas

and beyond the seas, save only six places beyond the seas
which also he was wont to compare this place for he said

to

that

men

should

come unto

and devotion than

this place with greater reverence,

to the shrine of Saint Michael the

Archangel

or the shrine of Saint Nicholas at Bari or any

other place on this side of the sea, since as the lord is greater
And
than the servant, so Christ is greater than the Saints.

or Saint Peter

he used to say that like unto this a place might be, but greater
And when he spake thus, his companion
it could not be.
answered saying unto him
Father, twas a great thing which
"

Blessed Francis on Alverna concerning the Seraphim a

noble virgin also was Saint Christina, noble also were Saint
Katherine and many other virgins and saints throughout the
world
To which Saint Giles answered
My son, the
befell

"

".

creature

is

nought beside the Creator

".

TEXT OF CANONICI

74

&

MISC. 528

sancti per prouincias

Ad hoc sanctus Egidius
virgines
dixit
Fili, inquit, non est aliqua creatura in
comparatione
creatoris
".

"

".

Alia vice [erat] frater Gratianus, eius

socius, & frater
Jacobus & frater Andreas de Burgundia cum sancto Egidio.
Dixit frater Gratianus fratri Andree predicto
Inuenitur in
14.

"

sacra scriptura, quod dominus noster l

apparuerit alicui citra
mare post resurrectionem suam ?
Hoc autem dixit volens
"

scire veritatem,

si aliquid ad hoc
responderet Frater Egidius.
sanctus
Respondit
Egidius cum exclamatione 2 dicens: Dicis tu,
"

inquit,
apparuerit dominus citra mare ? ymmoapparuit minus
3
duodecim
a loco
Vbi
[Dixit frater Andreas :
si

die//>

"

".

fuit

Respondit sanctus Egidius:

Quod vides vides
4
6
Dicit ei frater [Fol. 22 3
audis, audis" ]
r.] Andreas
hoc?"

"

inuenitur apparuisse dominus beato Petro

prope
loco vbi dicitur Domine,
quo vadis

"

quod
Bene

Romam,

in

Respondit Frater
Egidius: "Non dico de hoc, quia multum maius fuit hoc
[quod} dico quam illud.
Scio, inquit, talem locum citra mare 6
".

vbi fecit dominus maiora,

quam vsquam fecerit citra mare alicui

que ego audiui. PossejV] dominus fecisse aliqua, que non
audiui, sed de hiis que ego audiui, hoc fuit maius, quam fecerit
humanitati."
Dixit ei frater Andreas:
Magna fecit deus
de

hiis

"

beato Petro Rome, beato Francisco

Assisii, magna valde sunt
hec que tu dicis, si sunt maiora illis
Respondit frater Egidius
Verum est, quod ilia magna fuerunt, sed alia sunt
opera dei
& aliud est ipse" 7 & statim subiunxit Oculi tui, domine,
".

"

"

ammirabiles

&

aures tue inenarrabiles.

Dixit

magna."

ei

Frater Andreas

"Et

Alia tua sunt nimis

vbi est locus

iste".

Respondit sanctus Egidius

Quod vides, vides & quod audis,
audis
Postea dixit
Fuisti tu adhuc Clusii ?
dixit frater
"

"

"

".

A. adds

A.

MS.

"Jesus

"Tune
"

Christus

".

statim respondit

diebus

cum exclamatione magna

".

".

Supplied from A., taken in conjunction with S. and with

obvious accidental blank.
5

So also S. and La, but A.

Dixit etiam idem frater
A. omits citra mare
7
A.
aliud sunt opera Domini, aliud
ipse Dominus
8 A.
amabiles
"

"

".

"

".

"

".

A.".

L,2,

to

fill

an

AND TRANSLATION

75

Another time Brother Gratian his companion, and

with
Brother James and Brother Andrew of Burgundy were
14.

Brother Gratian said to the aforesaid Brother

Saint Giles.

Andrew

"

found written

It is

in

Holy Scripture

that

should appear to one after

This he said, wishing to
the sea
".

Brother Giles would answer ought

know
thereto.

Our Lord

this side of

His Resurrection on

of a truth whether

Saint Giles an

should
swered with earnestness
Sayest thou that the Lord
He
Yea
appeared less
verily,
appear on this side of the sea?
Andrew
Brother
this
from
spot."
than twelve days journey
thou
What
answered
Giles
Saint
Where was that ?
"

"

"

said,

Brother
thou seest what thou hearest, thou nearest".
Lord
the
that
truth
a
of
is
written
It
Andrew said unto him
is
which
the
at
near
place
Rome,
appeared to Blessed Peter
I
answered:
Giles
Brother
vadis
called
seest,

"

Domine, quo

".

of which I speak was much greater

speak not of that, for that
the sea, where
a
of
I know
than that.
place on this side of
which I have
of
than
any
the Lord wrought greater things
ever wrought upon anyone on this side
It may be that the Lord has wrought some
of the sea.
not heard, but of those which I have
things of Which I have
He has ever before wrought among
than
heard, this was greater
God wrought great
unto him
said
Andrew
Brother
men."
at Rome and upon Blessed Francis
Peter
Blessed
things upon
of which thou
at Assisi
exceeding great must be the things
Giles an
Brother
those".
than
are
greater
speakest, if they
works
the
but
were
those
that
true
is
things,
It
great

heard,

which

He

"

swered

"

and God Himself another," and immedi

are Thine eyes, O Lord, and
Wondrous
ately he added
too great
other
the
parts of Thee are
Thine ears
telling

of

God

are one thing

"

"

past

Brother

Andrew

said unto

Saint Giles answered:

him

"

And where

"

that place

is

thou seest, thou seest, and what

Wast thou
Afterwards he said
but I have
said Brother Andrew,

"What

"

thou hearest, thou hearest

".

"

"

ever at Chiusi

"

Nay,"

TEXT OF CANONICI

76

Andreas

"

Non, sed

Egidius dicens
sunt hec magna

contratam illam

vidi

"

MISC. 528

et subiunxit

Bene,"

"

"

respondit sanctus

Scis tu

quando

facta

"

Et quando ?
Respondit Frater Andreas
Dixit sanctus Egidius
Eo anno quo migrauit beatus Fran?

"

"

"

ciscus et duraverunt

a tertia die ante natiuitatem domini

vsque

ad vigiliam Epiphanie

quod

factum,

Dixit frater Andreas

".

"

Durauit hoc

tu dicis tanto

tempore continue vel interpellate ?

Respondit sanctus Egidius
Non dico continue, sed per vices
"

"

tantum

fuit

multum

in hiis verbis

de die

de

et

Postea dixit

nocte".

Dixit frater Andreas

"Processi

"

Credo, quod
dominus vult, quod aliquando dicant serui sui
aliqua secreta
ad ztfilitatem 3 aliorum
Non
Respondit sanctus Egidius
fuit in illo facto mea
culpa multum enim rogaui tune dominum
& dixi ei quod non decebant [Fol. 223 v.] me ita
magna.
Sed ipse est dominus facit quod
placet
".

"

".

sibi."

Alia vice dixit Andreas sancto

Egidio
Magna fecit
in monte Aluerne beato Francisco
Respondit
sanctus Egidius
Nescio talem montem citra mare,
est
1 5.

"

dominus

".

"

mons Pesulus

qualis

Dixit

".

ei

frater

Andreas

magnum valde, si angelus apparet alicui ?

tibi

"

"

Nonne

videtur

Dixit

sanctus

ei

Miror te, frater Andrea, quia

[si] non esset celum
neque angeli neque archangeli neque aliqua creatura,
non esset minor magnitude dei
Vnde hoc est
propter hoc.
"

Egidius

et terra

magnum

factum, quando apparet

Andreas:

dominus."

Dixit

ei

frater

vna valde pulcra ecclesia, \vbi

quod
fecit dominus ita magna 5 ]
Respondit sanctus Egidius:
Dixit ei frater Andreas "Quodvoc"Quam bene dicis!"
fieret

"Vellem,

):

abulum deberet 6 imponi

Egidius:

"Vocabulum

Andreas

"

illi

festi

ecclesie

Respondens sanctus

Penthecostes

"

Credis,

quod spiritus sanctus

".

Dixit

venmV 7

in

ei

frater

aliquem

postea, sicut venit in apostolis in die Penthecostes, hoc est in

"

igne

Respondit sanctus Egidius

MS. adds "ante

a
MS. processit
1

"

which

is

A.

".

Pesulanus
L2
6
A. adds
habere vel
"

"

"

".

Si

ego glorifico meipsum

superfluous.

"

"

"

Pessulus".

MS.

Supplied irom A., S. and Lz.

MS.

"

"

humilitatem
veniret

".

".

>

AND TRANSLATION
seen that

Saint Giles answered,

land."

77

"

Good,"

were

thou when these great things

"Knowest

and added

wrought?"

In the year, answered

Brother Andrew answered, When ?
which Blessed Francis was translated, and
Saint Giles,
"

"

"

"

"in

they lasted from the third day before Our Lord s Nativity until
Did that
Brother Andrew said
the Eve of the Epiphany."
"

which was done of which thou speakest last continually for so

Saint Giles answered
long a time or was it at intervals ?
I say not continually, but now by day and now by night
I have gone far in saying these words
Afterwards he said
"

"

".

"

".

Brother

Andrew said

"

believe that

that His servants should at times

the edification of His

tell

it is

the will of the Lord

some of His

secrets for

Saint Giles answered:

people".

"It

was no fault of mine that that deed was done for I besought
the Lord much at that time and said unto Him, that so great
became me not. But He is the Lord He doeth what
:

things

Him

seemeth to

good."

Another time Andrew said to Saint Giles: "The

Lord wrought great things on Mount Alverna upon Blessed
know of no mountain
Francis".
Saint Giles answered:
15.

"I

which is so great as Mount Pesulus

on
Seemeth it not to thee an
him
unto
said
Andrew
Brother
an
that
angel should appear to any
exceeding great thing,
I am astonished at thee,
Saint Giles said unto him:
man?"
this side of the sea,

".

"

"

brother Andrew, since if there were neither Heaven nor earth,

nor angels, nor archangels, nor any created thing at all, the
less on that account.
greatness of God would not be any the
Wherefore it is a great thing indeed, when the Lord appears."

Andrew

Brother

said to

would that an exceeding

him:
where the Lord wrought so great
"I

beautiful church were built,

Saint

things".

Brother

Andrew

be called

feast of
1

It

"

Giles
said:

answered:
"By

Saint Giles answering said

Pentecost

".

Brother

was upon Mount Alverna

received the Stigmata.

2
Mount Pesulus

experience.

"Thou

is

hast well

said!"

what name should that church

"

Andrew said

in

near Cetona,

By

to

name

the

him

"

of the

Believest

the Casentino that St. Francis in 1224

the

scene of B. Giles

great spiritual

TEXT OF CANONICI

78

mea

gloria

materia

nichil

est,"

et addit

"

MISC. 528

Non dicamus

O sancte Egydie et reuera sanctissime,

".

tantam gratiam 2 conferre dignatus est

de se ipso loquebatur dicens 3

alterius

plus de ista
cui \dominus\

Ipse enim in persona

Beatus Paulus, inquit,

"

\dicitur\^ bis fuisse raptus, siue in corpore siue extra corpus,

adiungens nescio, deus

certum redderet

scit

sed [quid]

aliquem dominus

si

".

Moram 5

faciens aliquando sanctus Egidius apud

locum fratrum de Agello, 6 et [caw] hora consueta ad vesperas
vt cibum sumeret reuert<?r^tur, 7 ad fratres, post cenam fratribus,
8
qui aderant ibi, verba domini plena dulcedine & deuotione non
modica incepit eructare & talia sic proponens [Fol. 224 r.]
1

5a.

sancto ardens feruore fratrum audientium ardentia corda

Et

in tarn

sancto silentio et raptu

coram

stetit

Et

vsque ad primum gallorum cantufw]

lumen

Cumque

lune.

a fratribus \discederef\

facit.

fratribus quasi

\erat\ clarissimum
10

et versus eel lam

dirigeretgressussuos,subitotantussplendoraduenitquod lumen
lune ab illo totaliter est absor[/)]tum. Quern fratres videntes sunt

non modicum stupefacti. Ad quos rediens ipse sanctus Egidius,

11
discesserat, dixit fratribus: "Quid fecissetis, si
quia parum
Et adiecit
vidissetis maiora ?
Qui magna non videt, modica
"

"

Et hiis dictis ad cellam vbi se celarej/] accessit.

magna credit
Et quia demones sanctos viros et perfectos 12 non possunt
".

[/Jerroribus nocere & molestare, ad aliam artem et temptationes confugiunt, videlicet superbie[>/] vaneglorie.
Quodam
1

C. and S.

A.

4
8

It is

sanctissimus

2 A.

".

"

gloriam

".

"

"

in S.
8

"

de te ipso loquebaris". B. agrees with C.

Etenim
.
Supplied from S.
The passage from this point to reprehenderet is not in A. or B. but
"

MS.
MS.

10
12

found also in
Agnello

7
".

"

quibus".

is

pp. 106 107.

"

Supplied Irom S.
MS. here inserts

necessary.

L,2,

9 S.

"

MS.

"

revertitur

n MS.
wrongly
"quibus,"

".

Itaque, iacto silentio, et

while S. inserts

"

raptus".

patrum

"quos,"

".

but neither appears

AND TRANSLATION

79

thou that the Holy Spirit hath ever since come upon any one,
as He came upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, that is
If
Saint Giles answered
form of tongues as of fire
Let
I honour myself, my honour is nothing," and added
O holy, yea indeed most
us speak no more of that matter
Lord
was
the
whom
pleased to bestow so
Giles,
upon
holy
"

in the

?"

"

".

He himself spoke thus concerning himself, as if

great grace
Blessed Paul is said to have
of
another,
saying
speaking
been twice caught up to heaven, either in the body or out
!

"

but what,
of the body, adding I know not, God knoweth
if God caused any man to know of a truth concerning this ?
:

"

I5a.

When

at

one time Saint Giles was sojourning

in the

1
house of the Brethren at Agello and when at the accustomed
hour at vespers he returned to the brothers to partake of food,
he began after supper to utter unto the brothers who were there

full of sweetness and of exceeding great devotion

and as he thus poured forth these words, himself consumed
with fervent zeal, he caused the hearts of the brothers who
And he remained in that
heard him to burn within them.

divine words

holy silence and rapture before the brothers until the cock
And the light of the moon was ex
crew for the first time.

And when he departed from the brothers and

ceeding bright.
made his way towards his cell, suddenly so great a light shone
round about that the light of the moon was wholly eclipsed
The brothers seeing this were exceeding astonied.
But Saint Giles returning unto them, since he had gone but
What would ye have done if
a little way, said unto them
He who sees not
and added
ye had seen greater things ?
thereby.

"

"

"

great things, believes

said,

common

he betook him to his

things to be great
hide himself.

cell to

".

And this
And since

the evil spirits are not able to hurt and trouble with their terrors
holy men and perfect, they have recourse to other wiles and

At one time when

temptations, to wit pride and vainglory.
he was in the place of Puppio and was standing praying in
his cell one night, he heard the foul spirits standing beside
him saying
A

"

Why doth this man labour so hard

Already he

place near Lake Trasimene in the district of Perugia.

TEXT OF CANONICI

8o

dum

tempore

vbi orabat

dicentes

lam

est.

exstaticus

in cella

sua

stantes iuxta se

lam

iste ?

sanctus

Ipse vero ques-

est."

quodam socio suo, de quo multum confidebat,

maxime de verbo exstatico," quod non in-

postea a

iuit

demones

nocte, audiuit

Quid tantum laborat homo

"

lam vnctus 2

est.

de [Puppio]^ stans

staret in loco

quadam

MISC. 528

quid hoc esset,

Cui
telligebat

"

"

ille

bolica temptatio fuit

respondit

Ne

cures, frater, quia dya-

".

Quodam tempore cum humilitate & caritate reprehenderet

quemdam fratrem sanctus Egydius reprehensione dignum,
frater ille dedignatus est.
[quidam\ in visione dicens

Cui

nocte sequenti

in

ei

prehensione sancti Egidii, quia beatus

Mane autem

facto [Fol.

erit,

credit

qui

v.] accessit frater ille

224

astitit

indigneris, frater, in re

"Ne

ei

".

ad sanctum

eum ut secure eum reprehenderet.

Cumque iam ad diem appropinquaret sanctus

Egidium, rogans
1

6.

obitur

su?,

&

requiem

more

solito

tur.

Nam cum quadam

Cumque

corporis,

demon

cepit et in [loco]
se mouere.

non posset aliquatenus 6

vt

locauit,
sic

nocte post longas orationes quietem

laborem

vellet facere post

tarn arto

Egidius

dominus post laborem nimium & certamen

coronam post victoriam 6 sibi daret, adhuc plus
cepit impugnari, vt probatus per omnia ostendavt

existens anxietate

maxima

laboraret, vt surgeret,

frater Gratianus sibi seruiens cepit

vero

Cumque

anxiantem

aliquantulum hoc audire.

celle appropinquaret, audiens clarius

magis

cum

fortiter,

&

intra

sic audiret,

semetipsum cepit

dicere
"Si
accedis propius et erit in oratione,
cogitare
Et
ipsum orare permittas sin autem aliter, videbis quid est
:

hiis dictis
sic

audiret
7

frater?"

".

celle iuit

&

cepit auscultare.
"

"

non valens

Supplied from S.

dixit:

"Quid

But La reads

quod ego non

est,

"Prepo".

See note

6,

unctus
victor," but La
MS. adds Mane autem facto accessit frater
deleted.
4
s
MS. obi turn suum".
A. omits "post victoriam
6 A. and La
7
A.
aliquantulum
pater
S. reads

"

"

".

"

ille,"

"

"

"

".

".

pos-

Anal. Franc.,

III. p. 106.
2

Cumque

eum laborantem, alloquitur ipsum "Quid habes,

At ipse
Veni, fili, veni
Qui videns hostium
:

et aperire
1

ad hostium

".

AND TRANSLATION
is

Already he

Already he hath an unction.

holy.

81

But afterwards he asked a certain companion

is ecstatic."

whom he

greatly

meant and chiefly concerning the word

trusted,
His companion
did not understand.
he
which
ecstatic,"
Heed it not, brother, for it was a
answered him saying

what

this

41

"

temptation of the devil

It befell once that Saint Giles was with humility and love
a brother who was worthy of reproof, and the
".

admonishing
brother was wrath.

following night there came unto

not angry, brother, at the
"Be

The

him one saying unto him:

who believes him will be happy

And when morning was come, the brother went to Saint Giles

reproof of Saint Giles, for he

".

and asked him to admonish him soundly.

Now when

6.

Saint Giles drew near to the day of his

Lord might give him rest after his

crown after victory, he began to be
great toil and strife and a
assailed yet more than was his wont, so that he might be
For when one night after long prayers
proved in all things.
he sought rest from his bodily toil, the devil seized him and
him in so narrow a place, that he could in no wise
death, in order that the

placed

move

And

himself.

as he

was

striving with all his

might to

himself up, Brother Gratian who was serving him, began

But approaching nearer to the cell,
to hear sounds thereof.
lift

labouring hard, and

within himself:
thus
when he heard this he began to reflect
wilt leave him
thou
If thou goest near and he is at prayer,
is amiss
what
see
wilt
but if he be not so, thou
to pray
and
cell
of
the
door
began
Having said which, he went to the

more

he heard

distinctly

how he was

"

".

And

to listen.

"What

saying:
"

Come

hither,

to him
hearing him striving hard, he spoke
answered:
he
And
ails thee, brother?"

my

son,

come

and being unable to open

open the
hard,

my

door?"

And

it,

"

hither

he said

And

seeing the door

that I cannot

it
"Why is

Saint Giles answered

"Press,

door!
son, and thou shalt open the

forced against the door

by

my

foes

and cannot

For
rise."

press
I

am
And

TEXT OF CANONICI

82

sum

Et sanctus Egidius

"

aperire

&

MISC. 528
"

Firma, firma, inquit,

Nam

ego sum
ab hostibus ostio ap[/]odiatus nee surgere possum
qui et dum
[fortitudine adiutus\* impellens fortiter ostium aperuit viofortiter,

fili,

hostium aperias

\yelociter.~].

"

lenter; intransque celte porticum, vbi sanctus Egidius iacenon valet erigere.
ipsum totis viribus erigere nitebatur

&

bat,

Dixit sanctus Egidius

licet inuitus

ille,

lum
/am

"

\annuif\ sancto Egidio,

ipsum et extraxit de loco illo

Et postquam aliquantulum quieuisset [Fol. 225
6
socio suo
"Quare nititur tantum
dyabolus diuina
:

&

impedire?"

quod ad

me

vocabas?

Dominus,

"

Quare

suo:

ait socio

venisti.

dixit ei socius suus

si

manu domini
quod
& cum sic aliquantu-

in

arto.

beneficia
fili,

Dimittamus

dimisisset, viriliter cepit

4

dixit

r.]

"

"Bene

fecisti,

inquit, retribuat

fecisti

hoc, pater

cur

inquit,

Et

tibi."

me non

inquit, conscientiam

Qualem,

nam

tu mortuus fuisses,

tibi et

potuissemus habere,
nobis reprehensibile valde

Cui sanctus Egidius respondit "Quid tibi obest, 6

7
si fit vindicta de inimicis meis ? quare sic
insidiatur dyabolus
Et si semel hoc esset, portabile esset, et si
beneficiis dei?
fuisset"

bis vel ter vel

quanto plus
resistit

quia

iiij

vel quinquies. 8

Sed

scito pro firmo,

nititur molestare, tanto plus

deo.

servire deo] sed dei

[Non

quod

inferius descendit,

meum principium
modo propter miseri
demon tantum persequitur

inquit^

enim>

fuit

et finis erit simili

Non 9

est mirum si
cum sciat ipsum de peccato natum et conceptual,
eum ascendere ad locum ilium vnde ipse cecidit

cord iaim[suam].

peccatorem,
quia videt

Nam
vllo

sepius tribulauit et tribulat me, nee sinit

me

quiescere

modo."

17.
dicti

10

Item, cum quadam nocte iuxta festum sancti Benesanctus Egidius orationem faceret ad dominum, demon

MS.

A. omits from

3
6
7

MS.
MS.
A.

"

violenter

corrupt

"

reads

"

repeats

".

So

Nam
"

also
.

but

violenter

"

velociter

fortissime adiunctus

dixit socio

suo

*
".

".

But B. agrees with C.

".

4
".

So also

S.

MS.

"

A. omits

S.
tantum".
quare inquid
quare igitur inquit
8
A. and La omit vel iiij vel quinquies
9 A. omits whole sentence
Non . . modo," but S. has it.
10
iuxta Benedict!
S. agrees ; A. and L.2 omit
"

"

":

"

".

"

"

".

substantially.

quam
"

".

obest

".

AND TRANSLATION
summon ing all

his strength

the door and burst

open

it

83

he pushed with great force against

and crossing the threshold of the

where Saint Giles lay, he strove with all his might to

him up, but could not do so. Then said Saint Giles
And his
Let us leave ourselves in the hand of the Lord
companion, though unwillingly, consented unto Saint Giles,

cell,

raise

"

".

him thus for a space, he seized him

and drew him out of that narrow place.
he had rested awhile, he said to his companion

and when he had

all

And

after

"

doth the devil strive so hard to hinder the blessing of

Thou didst well, my son, that thou earnest to me.

Why

God?
The Lord reward

What

And

thee."

didst thou thus,

"Why

me?

left

his strength

with

my

his

father?

companion said

Why

him

to

didst thou not

call

we have had, if thou hadst

much blame would have fallen both upon thee

conscience could

been dead, for

and upon

And

us."

Saint Giles answered

What

"

thee, if my enemies revenge themselves upon me?

the devil plot thus against the grace of God ?

is

it

Why
And

if

to

doth
this

happened but once, it would be tolerable, or even if twice or

But know of a truth, that
thrice or four times or five times.
the lower doth he fall,
much
so
the more he strives to hurt,
because he resisteth God.

For

it

was not of

my own

will in

served God, but through the will of God

the beginning that
and so will the end be likewise through the mercy of God.
I

no wonder that the devil thus persecutes a sinner when

he knows that he is conceived and born in sin, for he sees the
sinner rise to the very same place from which he himself fell.
It

is

For often he troubled me and

me

not any wise to

still

troubleth

me and

suffereth

rest."

of the
Again upon a certain night about the time
while Saint Giles was praying unto
the Lord, the devil sought to hinder the grace which was be
17.

Feast of Saint Benedict,

Being exceeding affrighted

ing ministered unto him of God.
at the terror which the devil inspired, he began to cry aloud
in his

was

fear:

"Help,

in a cell
1

brothers,

help!"

Brother Gratian

near by, being aroused by his

March

aist.

i.e.

about a month

cries,
1

before B. Giles death.

who

rose

up

TEXT OF CANONICI

84

voluit se impedire beneficium a

l

domino ministratum

eum in quadam
eum clamans fortiter et

Gratianus excitatus, qui erat prope

cella,

velociter surrexit et iuit ad

dicens

Ne

"

&

"

timeas,

ne timeas

pater,

accedens ad cellam dixit

dixit ei

Qui

ad cuius

"

"

frater

tibi

valde perterritus, cepit terribilibus vocibus acclaAd quam vocera

Succurrite, fratres, succurrite

terrorem

mare

MISC. 528

"

Ne

cures,

me

fili,

"

ego enim succurro

"

Quid

ne cures,

fili

habuisti, pater

Et

".

frater patri

te, ex quo tantum te

respondit
inimicus
Cui
dixit
Dominus, inquit,
pater
persequitur
nam bene fecisti, quia ad me venisti.
retribuat tibi, fili
Ymmo 2 cum sero
Vade, inquit, et reuertere ad locum tuum
"

Dimitte

hie esse iuxta

"

".

".

post comestionem

dicebat

225

[Fol.

v.]

In nocte exspecto martyrium

"

cum quodam

vice loqueretur

ad cellam,

redire

vellet

Item cum quadam

".

socio suo dixit

"

mundi vsque nunc melior religio nee expeditior

fratrum minorum infra non apparuit

principio
religione

".

Cum

8.

sanctus Egidius maxime appropinquaret ad dies

reuerteretur a ceAla 4 gaudio indicibili cuidam

cum

extremes,
socio suo dixit:
inueni

"

Fili,

quid

tibi videtur,

quid

thesaurum tarn lucidissimum

magnum

hoc?

sit

Ego

et splendidissi-

5
lingua carnea exprimi non valeret.
Ego deuasto,
6
deuasto.
si
a deo,
benedicaris
[S^] dicas, fili,

mum, quod
ego

fili,

Et sepius hoc

quid tibi videtur."

ardore 7 erat eriim

cum hoc

iterabat

diceret

tanto gaudio et

repletus, quasi

Cui cum quidam

sancto ebrius videbatur.

spiritu

frater diceret, vt

cibum sumeret, respondit Hie est optimus cibus,

In talibus
temptans eum respondit
non est curandum, pater, veni, veni ut comedas
Et sanctus
non leuiter ferens responsum 8 dixit
Non bene dixisti
veniret et
"

fili

"

et frater quasi

"

".

"

frater

potius

A.

So

voluissem quod

"

clamare et dicere

tarn

gravem alapam mihi

".

A. "cum autem vellet de sero post comes

tionem redire ad cellam, dicebat Exspecto martyrium
3
A. and B.
Cum esset prope obitum suum
S. agrees with C.
4
a cella ; C. reads
ad cellam
A., B., S., L2
5
8 MS.
So also S. ; but A. exprimere non possum".
Si .
also S. to

"apparuit";
:

".

"

".

"

"

"

".

"

So B. and

S.

but A.

"

"

odore

8
".

MS. adds

"

et

".

AND TRANSLATION
out aloud
quickly and went to him, crying
fear not, for I am coming to thy help".

85
"

Fear not,

father,

And coming to his

And he replied:
cell he said: "What aileth thee, father?"
the brother
And
heed".
no
no
son,
pay
my
heed,
"Pay
answered: "Suffer me to stay here beside thee, since the
But the father said to him
enemy persecutes thee so sore
The Lord reward thee, my son for thou didst well in that
thou earnest to me.
Go, return to thine own place." And
:

".

"

when

at night

after supper to his

he would return

cell,

he

Again when

would say, I await my martyrdom this night".

once he was speaking with a certain companion he said
From the foundation of the world until now no better Order
"

"

nor more efficient hath been seen on earth than that of the
Friars

Minor".

When

Saint Giles was drawing close to his last days,

as he was returning from his cell he was filled with joy unspeak
1

8.

and said to a certain companion

My son, how seemeth
a
unto thee? I have found
great treasure so glorious
"

able,
this

I
tell.
passeth mortal tongue to
1
if
But
son,
troubled.
am troubled, my son, I am
say, my
And this
thou art blessed of God, how it seemeth to thee."
with
filled
was
he
he
for
when
he repeated oft
spake thus,
with
drunk
it
were
be
as
to
seemed
that
he
such joy and zeal,

and magnificent, that

it

the

Holy

Spirit

When

a certain brother bade

partake of food, he answered

"

This

is

him come and

the best food of

all,

my

For
And
son".
tempt him, answered
and
come
care
not
father,
shouldest
thou
come,
such things
And the man of God, taking his answer in no spirit of
eat".
not well, brother; I would
said: "Thou
"

the brother, as

if

to

spakest

lightness,

rather thou hadst smitten

cause

blood to

The
"

Devastor

flow".

me hard enough upon the

may verily be believed

It

text is probably corrupt here.

"

is

not

much

better, but

See Thes. Ling. Lat. under

"

Devasto

might mean,
"

"devastor

(=

"

am

cheek to
that

his

gives no good sense.

plagued or troubled".

vexare, concidere, conterere).

TEXT OF CANONICI

86

MISC. 528

dedisses, quod sanguis exiuisset

Credendum est quod ilia
sanctissima anima iam sentiret, quod dilectus 1
[suus], s\c[uf\
locutus est sibi, 2 vellet extrahere
[earn] de tabernaculo suo ad
".

fruendum ilium gloriosissimum

[tkesaurum]
sue

initio

conuersionis

Nam

custodire.

meruit

invenire,

mortem quam

itlam

in celis, quern

multo

tempore desiderauit, ex
desiderium suum.

hoc

supererogare

predixit

ex

\ef\

dominus

ab
et
illo

adimpleuit

19. Quadam enim vice cum quidam frater diceret eidem

quod beatus Franciscus dixisset, quod seruus dei semper

desiderare

debet mori et

morte martyrii, respondit

finire

sanctus

nolo mori meliori

Egidius dicens
"Ego, inquit,
morte quam de contemplatione
226
Ymmo
[Fol.
:

".

quodam

r.]

tempore cum ex desiderio martyrii pro Christi amore iuit 6 ad

Saracenos, postquam reuersus fuit et meruit ascendere ad
culmen contemplationis, 6 ait
Noluissem, inquit, tune mori
morte martyrii
"

".

20.

Prope obitum suum cepit

et ex
non poterat

fortiter febricitare

nimia anxietate tussis et dolore capitis

comedere & dormire nee quiescere.

et pectoris

Sed super lectum

noctuque portabant ipsum, vt quietem inveniret.
[/] vigilia vero sancti Georgii martyris nocte ilia hora matutinali cum fratres sic
ipsum super lectum portarent, posuerunt
fratres die

caput eius super lectum, et sic quasi videbatur quiescere sine

tractu clausis oculis et ore tune
rapta est ilia sanctissima
anirna ad

supernam patriam transmissa.

sancte Egidie et reuera sanctissime,

qui

dominus

eodem

die,

quo

te inspirauit et

adduxit ad beatum Franciscum, vt

imitare[>7]s eum, & ipse illo die te induit vestimento
religionis,
reuolutis quinquaginta duobus
annis, illo eodem die dominus
te perduxit ad ciuitatem ciuium
supernorum
!

Quedam persona sancta vidit per visionem, quod dominus

cum militia angelorum et animarum sanctarum obuiauit et
1

MS.

A. omits

frater

"

instead of

"sicut

So S. A. omits
MS. "dixit";S.
;

4
6

A.

"

iverat

"

S.

"

suus

".

sibi".

"

supererogare

".

"dicens".

and B.

"

iverit

".

MS.

"

et

".

AND TRANSLATION

87

most holy soul already perceived that his Beloved, as he him

tabernacle
self said, sought to draw it forth from its earthly
in
the
treasure
heavens, which
that most glorious
to
enjoy

from the beginning of his conversion he was counted worthy

to find and guard for the Lord fulfilled his longing by grant
unto him that very death which he foretold and which he
:

ing
so long desired.

When

19.

once a certain brother said to him that Blessed

to
Francis had said that the servant of God ought always
answered
Giles
Saint
s
a
meet
martyr death,
desire to die and to
than that of con
I desire to die no better death
saying
out of a desire to
time
certain
a
at
when
And
templation
to the Saracens
went
he
Christ
of
love
the
for
suffer
"

".

martyrdom

and having returned thence was counted worthy

to ascend to

I am glad that I
the very height of contemplation, he said
death
s
a
did not then die
martyr
and
20. As his death drew near, he fell into a high fever,
he
chest
and
head
in
and
of
pain
"

".

wracking cough

by reason

could neither eat nor sleep nor

him

rest.

But the brothers bore

arms day and night upon

in their

his bed, to help

him

the eve of the Feast of Saint George the

to find rest.
of the night office while the brothers were
hour
Martyr, at the
on his couch and so he
thus bearing him, they laid his head
closed and without
mouth
and
with
to be
eyes

On

seemed
resting
his most holy soul was caught up
drawing of breath and then
above.
heaven
to its home in
O most holy Giles, who on the self same day upon which
:

the

Lord

led thee to Blessed Francis to

inspired thee and
and on which he himself clothed thee with the

follow after

him

garb of religion,

by the Lord

fifty

and two years afterwards, wast brought

of Heaven
into the fellowship of the Citizens
when he was translated to Heaven a certain

In the year
man beheld in a vision

Lord with a great com

souls went to meet him and received
pany of angels and holy
and with angeli
him in the air and caught him up with honour

holy

songs.

how

the

TEXT OF CANONICI

88
occurrit

in acre anno
quo celum ascenderet 2
angelorum assumpsit eum.

illi

et cantico

MISC. 528

et

cum honore

21.
Septem valde laudabilia et salutaria et perfecta 3
habuit in se sanctus
Egydius: a primordio 4 conuersionis sue
& cottidie vsquead diem mortis
magis ac magis perfect^*
6

propter que creditur quod dominus larga sue bene7

graciam suam multiplicasset in eo et donis
potioribus ampliasset 8
Primum quod fidelissimus

\extitif\

manu

dictionis

eum

&

catholicus fuit

secundum, deuotus tertio, reuerens quarto,

pius & compatiens: quinto, sollicitus
sexto, obediens :
septimo gratissimus deo et hominibus fuit de beneficiis sibi
:

collatis.

EXPLICIT VITA BEATI EGIDII

QUAM COMPOSUIT FRATER
LEO ET SCRIPSIT PROPRIA MANU. DEO LAUS
SEMPER.
ANNO M CCCC XXXVIIJ IN VIGILIA ASCENSIONIS.
MS.

aera.

So

also A, B, and

S.-a very

peculiar form

ie close connection
2

So

S.

<

between these MSS.

A. and B. omit
anno
ascenderet"

and a good example

"

perfects
largam

manum

Supplied from A.
".

Ms

amplicasset

".

AND TRANSLATION

whole
Saint Giles possessed seven exceeding laudable,
his conver
of
the
from
beginning
and
qualities

21.

some,
sion

and

perfect

daily until his

and more
dying day he became more

believed that the Lord multiplied His

perfect, wherefore
a
bounteous hand and caused him to
with
grace upon him
was most
abound with even mightier gifts. First, that he
devout
Faith
second,
the
Catholic
to
believing and most loyal
zealous
fifth,
and
compassionate
third, reverent fourth, pious
reason
seventh, beloved of God and men by
sixth, obedient
it is

of the virtues which joined themselves

in

him.

HERE ENDETH THE LIFE OF BLESSED GILES WHICH

OWN
BROTHER LEO COMPOSED AND WROTE WITH HIS
YEAR
THE
IN
1438
ALWAYS.
HAND. PRAISE BE TO GOD
ON THE EVE OF THE ASCENSION.

APPENDIX.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.

THE

list

following

aims merely at indicating the principal

It would have to
works bearing upon Blessed Giles of Assisi.
works bearing
the
all
be largely extended if it were to include
Introduction.
the
in
discussed
the critical

problems

upon

Acta Sanctorum, April, torn, iii., pp. 222-249.

Ed. by
Actus Beati Francisci et Sociorum Ejus.
1902.
Collection d Etudes, vol. iv.

1866.
P. Sabatier.

Francisa

Bartholomew of Pisa: De Conformitate Vitae B.

torn,
ad Vitam Domini Jesu. Analecta Franciscana,
1906.
Quaracchi.
205-233 and passim.

iv.,

pp.

Assisiensis auctore

De Vita B. ^.gidii
Henry.
Historicum,
Franciscanum
Fr. Leone. Archivum
Bulletti, Fr.

Thomas

S.

of.

fasc.

191 5Vita et

i-ii.

Francisci Assisiensis

Celano,
Rome, 1906.
Ed. by P. Ed. d Alenson.
Miracula.
Analecta Franascana,
Generalium.
Chronica
1897.
torn, ii., pp. 74-1 1 5.
Quaracchi.
1905.
Quaracchi.
Dicta Beati &gidii Assisiensis.
Ed. by L. Lemmens.
Franciscana.
Documenta

XXIV

Antiqua

1901.
Quaracchi.
Scripta Fratris Leonis.
Qua
de
Antiqua.
Extractiones
Legenda
Pars III.

Pars

Fratini,

I.

racchi.

1902.

Fr.

Giuseppe.

Assisi, 1898.
Goetz, Prof. Walter.

Franz von
Ed.

Egidio

D Assist.

Die Quellen zur Geschichte des M.

di

San Francesco scritta da

Marcellino da Civezza

by
Rome, 1899.

del B.

Gotha, 1904.

Assisi.

La Leggenda

Vita

tre suoi

Compagni.

and Teofilo Domenichelh.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

92

Lives of the Saints

Francis, vol.

ii.,

and Blessed of

pp. 89-100.

Macdonell, Anne.

the Three Orders

of

St.

Taunton.

Sons of Francis, pp. 51-79.

London

1902.
Gisbert.
Der Selige ^Egidius von Assist.
Menge,
Sein Leben und Seine
Spriiche.
Paderborn, 1906.
The Golden Sayings of Brother
Robinson, Fr. Paschal.
Giles of Assist.
Phi ladel phia, 1 907.
Fr.

INDEX.
ACHON," Giles at, n.
Actus Beati Francisci et Sociorum ejus,

rancis, Saint, passim.

"

BOROB, St., Church of, 5.

Feast of, 3, 4.
ILBS OF Assist, BLBSSBD: his con

26, 29, 30, 35-

Admonitiones Sancti Francisci, 30.

Alvarus Pelagius, 27.
Alverna, Mount, Stigmatisation of St.
Francis on, 15.
Analecta Franciscana, 25.
Ancona, Giles at, n.
Andrew of Burgundy, 39.
of Spello, 36, 39.
Archiwm Pranciscanum Historicwn, 29.
16.
Assisi, Church of San Francesco, 15,

BARTHOLOMEW

version (April 23, 1209), 3-5, 52-56;

his clothing by St. Francis, 5-6, 56,
57 ; his tour with St. Francis in the
March of Ancona, 7, 8 ; his visit to

of Pisa, 27.

Bernard of Bessa,
Francisci,"

"

De Laudibus

Sattcti

25, 36, 40.

of Quintavalle,

i, 3, 5, 8, 9,

14, 15,

16, 21, 24, 26, 27.

Bibliography, 91-92.

Bonaventure,

St., 19, 25, 27.

Legend

of, 25, 29, 35, 39,

Brindisi, Giles at, n.
Bulletti, P. Henricus, 29, 35.

CANONICI Misc. 525 30,

528 2, 30-33, 42.
:

46

43.

Cetona, Giles at, 15, 19.

Chronicle of XXIV Generals, 4, 9, 13
18, 27, 28, 33, 36, 40.
Clare, St, 15, 17, at.
Conrad of Offida, 27.

St. James at Compostella, 8, 58, 59 ;

at Florence, 9; his visit to Rome, 9,
10 ; return to Rivo Torto, 10 ; pil
grimage to the Holy Land, 10, n,
58, 59 ; in the hermitage of Fabriano,
n, 12, 60, 61 ; in the house of Car
dinal Nicholas, 60, 61 ; his mission
to North Africa, 12; his stay in

at the death-bed of SL
13
Francis, 14, 15 ; at Cetona in Tus
cany, 15, 64, 65, 72, 73 ; his vision of
Our Lord, 15, 64, 65 ; at the death
bed of B. Bernard, 16 ; preaches be
fore St. Clare, 17; his saying con
cerning the Friars in Hell, 17 ; how
he removed the doubts of the Brother

Rome,

Preacher on Our Lady s virginity,

17, 18; his meeting with St. Louis
of France, 18 ; his conversation with
St. Bonaventure, 19 ; his distrust of
book-learning, 19 : his defence of his
cabbages, 20 ; his discourse with

Brother Gratian and Brother Andrew,

74-79 ; at Agello, 78, 79 his last days
at Monteripido, 21-23 ; his ecstasy in
the Pope s presence, 22 ; his death
;

P.

Eduard, his edition o

Thomas

of Celano, 24,
Damiano, San, Giles at, 17.
Documenta Antiqua Franciscana, 29, 42

Goetz, Dr. W., Quellen,

ELIAS, Brother, of Cortona, 15, 16, 40.

Eugenius IV, 33.

Gratian, Brother, 15.

Gregory IX his interview with Giles,

FABRIANO, Hermitage of, 11, 12, 60, 61

secundum exemplar" cycle, 29
"Fac

HAYMO

and

burial, 22, 23.

Golden

Sayings," 2,

22.

of England, 27.

Hell, Friars

32, 33, 35, 36, 41-

etc., 35.
30, 32, 36.

Minor

in, 17.

Ficarollo, Giles at, 9.

Fisher, St. Francis simile of, 39.

Holy Land, Giles visit

Hubert of Casale, 27.

Florence, Giles and Bernard at, 9.

Flowers, Little [also Fioretti or Flore

INNOCENT
10.

turn], i, 26.

(93)

III

to, 10,

n, 58,

59.

his approval of the Rule,

INDEX

94

JACOBA DE SEPTEMSOLIIS, 26.

James, St., at Compostella, 8, g, 24.
John de Targurinis, Compendium of
40.

John de Viselbech, 31-33.

Jonah, Giles prophecy concerning, 23.
Juniper, Brother, r, 27.

Legenda Antiqua,
Pritna oi

29.

Thomas

of Celano, 24.

Legend of Three Companions,

34-47-

Liber de Intentions Sancti Francisci,

43.
Life and

Lile, 28, 33-47.

of France, his visit to

->hort

Louis, St., King

Giles, 18, 26, 43.

MANUSCRIPTS
Berlin, Royal Library, 196 : 30.
Canonici. Misc. 525 : 30, 42.
528 : 2, 30-33, 42.
Chronicle of XXIV Generals, vari
ous, 34.
Liegnitz, S. Peter and S. Paul, 30,
42.
Mazarine, 26.
S. Isidore, Rome, 1/63 :
28, 42.
i/73 35Sienna, F XI, 9 : 29, 42.
Vaticanus 4354 : 30.
relationship of, 47.
Marcellino da Civezza, 25.
March of Ancona, 7, 11, 25, 38, 46.
Michael, St., Shrine at Gargano, 10, n.
Mirror of Perfection, 7, 25, 29,
35, 43, 45.
Monteripido, Convent of, Giles at, 21-23.
:

St.,

27.

Shrine at Bari, 10, u.

PARIS, Giles lament concerning, 19.

Perugia, Giles at, 21-23.
Perugians and the body of B. Giles,

I,

22, 23.

Peter Cathanius, 3, 21.

Preacher, Brother, and his doubt. 17
18, 26.

7, 8, 9,

25, 36-39, 46.

Lemmens, Fr. L., 29, 30, 35, 42, 43.
Leo, Brother, i, 2, 15, 16, 25, 27.
his authorship of Life,
25, 28

Long

NICHOLAS GLASSBBRGER,

QUARACCHI,

Collegium

S.

Bonaven-

turae, 28.

Rivo TORTO, 5

10, 26, 44, 45, 46.

Robinson. Fr. Paschal,

2, 9.

Rome, Giles visit to, 9, 12, 13.

Rule, Primitive, approval of, 4, 9.
Sabatier, M. Paul, works mentioned,
26, 30, 35.

Sahmbene, Brother, Chronicle of, 25,28.

Sancta Maria de Portiuncula, 5,
9, 22,
44. 45-

Sanctorum

Rome,

Quatuor

in

Coronatorum,

13.

Speculum

Perfectionis, 7, 25, 29, 35, 43,

45.

- Vitae

29, 35, 36, 40.

Testamentum Sancti Francisci, 30,

3,

32,

41.

Text of Canonici Misc. 528

Thomas

of Celano,

52 89.

3, 24, 35, 36, 39,

40

44,45.
Trastevere, Friars house in, 13.
Tunis, missionary journey to, 12, 13.

VAN ORTROY,

Pere, 35, 42.

Serba S.P. Francisci, 43.

Vernacular Passages in L2, 41.

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