neighbors' fields, but did not touch their fields that were next to them. And for sixteen to twenty years they began to increase and abound in spiritual and temporal things.

Afterwards, however, they began to grow fat and proud, to hate each other, to strike one another with swords even to the point of death, to kill animals secretly, stealing and pillaging at night, and to commit many other evils. When the Lord saw that their works were evil and that they did not observe what was told them by His servant, blessed Francis, His anger flared up and He withdrew the hand of His mercy from them. The scourge of wolves and hail returned, as the holy father had said, and many other even worse calamities befell them. The town was entirely burned and, after losing everything they had, they escaped only with their lives. Then the brothers and others who had heard what blessed Francis said, how he predicted prosperity and adversity for them, were amazed at his holiness, seeing all his words fulfilled to the letter.

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[HE PREACHES IN THE PIAZZA OF PERUGIA AND FORETELLS A CIVIL WAR]

Once blessed Francis was preaching in the piazza at Perugia to a large crowd gathered there. All of a sudden some knights of Perugia began racing their horses around the piazza, jousting with their weapons, and thus disturbing the preaching. Although the men and women, who were intent on listening to the sermon, reprimanded them, they did not stop. Blessed Francis turned to them and, with a fiery spirit, said: "Listen and understand what the Lord is telling you through me, His servant, and don't say, 'This one is from Assisi!'" Blessed Francis said this because of a long-standing enmity between the people of Assisi and those of Perugia.^a

"The Lord has exalted and elevated you above all your neighbors," he said. "Because of this, you must acknowledge your Creator all the more, and humble yourselves not only before almighty God but also before your neighbors. But your heart is puffed up by arrogance in your pride and might. You attack your neighbors and kill many of them. Because of this I tell you, unless you quickly turn to Him and compensate those whom you have injured, the Lord, who leaves

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quando grando veniebat et devastabat agros vicinorum suorum, illorum agros non tangebat [qui erant] iuxta illos. ³⁹Et exinde ceperunt multiplicari et habundare in spiritualibus et temporalibus usque ad sexdecim vel. .XX. annos.

⁴⁰Postea ceperunt ex adipe superbire, et habere se odio ad invicem et percutere se gladiis usque ad mortem, occidere animalia occulte, de nocte rapere et furari, et multa alia mala perpetrare. ⁴¹Cumque Dominus consideraret quod eorum opera mala erant et quod non observarent que per servum suum annuntiata sunt eis [indignatus est zelus eius super eos et avertit manum misericordie sue ab eis, ⁴²et reversa est plaga grandinis et luporum] super eos, sicut eis dixerat sanctus pater, et multe alie tribulationes peiores prioribus supervenerunt eis; ⁴³quoniam totum castrum igne crematum fuit et, omnibus perditis que habebant, ipsi soli evaserunt. ⁴⁴Unde fratres et alii qui audierunt verbum sancti patris, quomodo predixerat eis prospera et adversa, mirati sunt in sanctitate eius, videntes ad litteram omnia impleta.

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¹Quodam tempore beatus Franciscus predicabat in platea Perusii, magno populo ibi congregato. ²Et ecce milites Perusii ceperunt currere in equis per plateam ludendo, tenentes arma, ita quod impediebant predicationem. ³Et licet ab hominibus et mulieribus, qui erant intenti audire predicationem, reprehenderentur, ipsi propter hoc non dimittebant. ⁴Et conversus ad illos beatus Franciscus, cum fervore spiritus dixit: « Audite et intelligite que Dominus per me servum suum vobis annuntiat, et non dicatis quoniam iste est Assisinatus ». ⁵Hoc autem dixit beatus Franciscus quia antiquum odium fuit inter homines Assisinatos et Perusinos.

⁶Ideo hoc dixit: « Dominus exaltavit vos et magnificavit super omnes vicinos vestros; propter quod debetis inde magis recognoscere Creatorem vestrum, et non solum ipsi Deo omnipotenti, sed etiam vicinis ipsis deberetis magis humiliari. ⁷Sed elevatum est cor vestrum in elatione et in superbia, vestra et fortitudine, et devastatis vicinos vestros et multos interficitis. ⁸Propter quod dico vobis, nisi cito ad eum conversi fueritis, et illis quos offendistis satisfeceritis, Dominus, qui nichil relinquit inultum,