nothing unavenged, to your greater punishment and disgrace, will cause you to rise up against each other. You will be torn apart by sedition and civil war, suffering by a far greater calamity than your neighbors could ever inflict on you."

In his preaching blessed Francis was not silent about people's vices, through which they publicly offended God and their neighbor. The Lord had given him such grace, that everyone who saw or heard him, small or great, feared and revered him because he had such an abundance of grace from God. As a result, no matter how much he reprimanded them, even to the point of shaming them, they were edified. Indeed, sometimes, for this reason, and so that he would pray to the Lord more intently for them, they would turn to the Lord.

A few days later, by divine consent, a scandal broke out between the knights and the people. The people drove the knights out of the city. The knights, supported by the Church, destroyed many of their fields, vineyards and trees, doing as much harm to them as they could. The people likewise destroyed the knights' fields, vineyards and trees. And thus, that people was afflicted with greater punishment than all of their neighbors whom they had offended.

In this way everything that blessed Francis predicted about them was fulfilled to the letter.

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[HE MEETS A DEVOUT ABBOT, WHO FEELS THE POWER OF HIS PRAYER]

When blessed Francis was going through one region, he met an abbot of a monastery who had a great love and veneration for him. Dismounting from his horse, the abbot spoke to him for over an hour about the salvation of his soul. When the time came for them to part, the abbot asked blessed Francis with great devotion to pray to the Lord for his soul. "I will gladly do that," blessed Francis told him.

The abbot had gone a short distance from blessed Francis when blessed Francis said to his companion: "Wait for me a little while, brother, for I want to pray for that abbot, as I promised." And he prayed for him.

It was customary for blessed Francis, whenever anyone out of devotion requested him to pray to the Lord for his soul, to offer a prayer as soon as possible, so that he would not forget afterwards.

The abbot was still on his way, not very far from blessed Francis, when suddenly the Lord visited him in his heart. A gentle warmth filled his face, and, for a brief moment, he was raised in ecstasy of spirit. When he came to himself, he immediately knew that blessed

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qui nichil relinquit inultum, ad maiorem vindictam faciendam et punitionem et improperium vestrum, faciet vos consurgere unum contra alium, ⁹et mota seditione et intestino bello, tantam tribulationem patiemini, quantam vicini vestri vobis inferre non possent ».

¹⁰Nam beatus Franciscus in sua predicatione non tacebat vitia populi, in quibus publice offendebant Deum et proximum. ¹¹Sed Dominus tantam. gratiam dederat ei, ut omnis qui videret vel audiret illum, parvus aut magnus, tantum timebat et venerabatur ipsum propter habundantem gratiam quam a Deo habuerat, ut quantumcumque reprehenderetur ab ipso, etiamsi inde verecundaretur, erat hedificatus, ¹²immo aliquando ex occasione illa et ut Dominum attentius rogaret pro ipso, ad Dominum convertebatur.

¹³Et factum est divina permissione, ut post paucos dies oriretur scandalum inter milites et populum ita, ut populus eiceret milites extra civitatem, ¹⁴et milites cum ecclesia, que iuvabat eos, devastaverunt multos agros et vineas et arbores eorum, et omnia alia mala que ipsis poterant facere faciebant illis; ¹⁵et populus similiter devastavit agros, vineas et arbores illorum, et ita punitus est populus ille maiori punitione quam omnes vicini eorum, quos offenderant.

¹⁶Unde ad litteram de ipsis impletum fuit, sicut predixerat de eis beatus Franciscus.

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¹Dum iret per quandam provinciam beatus Franciscus, obviavit illi quidam abbas cuiusdam monasterii, qui nimio amore venerabatur ipsum. ²Et descendit de equo abbas ille locutusque est cum ipso de salute anime sue per aliquam horam. ³Et dum vellent se separari ab invicem, abbas ille rogavit beatum Franciscum cum omnimoda devotione, ut rogaret Dominum pro anima sua. ⁴Respondit ei beatus Franciscus: « Libenter faciam ».

⁵Et parum discedente abbate [a] beato Francisco, dixit beatus Franciscus ad socium suum: « Frater, expectemus parum quia volo orare pro abbate illo, sicut promisi ». ⁶Et oravit pro illo.

⁷Nam mos erat beati Francisci, cum aliquis ex devotione rogabat ipsum ut Dominum oraret pro anima sua, quam citius poterat orationem pro eo fundebat, ut non traderet postea oblivioni.

⁸Et ambulante abbate per viam suam non multum longe a beato Francisco subito visitavit eum Dominus in corde suo, et quidam calor suavis circa faciem suam advenit, et elevatus est in excelsum mentis, sed parva morula. ⁹Et reversus in se a statim cognovit beatum Franciscum orasse pro eo.