God, like Brother Drone that does not want to gather or work, yet eats the work and gain of the good bees."

So he went his way. And because he lived according to the flesh, he did not ask for mercy.

[98]
[HE GOES TO MEET A BROTHER RETURNING FROM BEGGING
AND KISSES HIS SHOULDER]

Another time a holy brother was coming back from Assisi with a bag of alms one day, while blessed Francis was at Saint Mary of the Portiuncula. When he came to the road near the church, he began to praise God in a loud voice with great joy.

Hearing him, blessed Francis immediately went out and met him on the road. He ran up to him and, with great joy, kissed the shoulder on which he was carrying the bag with the alms. Taking the bag from his shoulder, he put it on his own shoulder and carried it to the home of the brothers. He said to the brothers: "This is how I want a brother of mine to go for alms and to return happy and joyful."

[99]
[HE AWAITS DEATH AT THE BISHOP'S PALACE IN ASSISI;
HIS COMPANIONS SING THE CANTICLE FOR HIM]

When blessed Francis lay gravely ill in the palace of the bishop of Assisi, in the days after he returned from Bagnara, the people of Assisi, fearing that the saint would die during the night without them knowing about it, and that the brothers would secretly take his body away and place it in another city, placed a vigilant guard each night around the palace's walls.

Blessed Francis, although he was gravely ill, to comfort his soul and ward off discouragement in his severe and serious infirmities, often asked his companions during the day to sing the Praises of the Lord which he had composed a long time before in his illness. He likewise had the Praises sung during the night for the edification of their guards, who kept watch at night outside the palace because of him.

When Brother Elias reflected that blessed Francis was so comforting himself and rejoicing in the Lord in such illness, one day he said to him: "Dearest brother, I am greatly consoled and edified by all the joy which you show for yourself and your companions in such affliction and infirmity. Although the people of this city venerate you as a saint in life and in death, nevertheless, because they firmly believe

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et vis esse otiosus in opere Dei, sicut frater apun, qui non vult lucrari et laborare et comedit laborem et lucrum bonarum apum ».

³⁰Et sic ivit viam suam; et quia carnalis erat misericordiam non imploravit.

[98]

¹Alio tempore quidam spiritualis homo apud ecclesiam Sancte Marie de Portiuncula revertebatur de Assisio cum helemosina quadam die, cum esset ibi beatus Franciscus. ²Et cum veniret per viam prope ecclesiam, incepit alta voce laudare Deum, cum multa iucunditate.

³Audiens ipsum beatus Franciscus statim exivit foras ad eum in via et occurrit illi et cum magna letitia osculatus est humerum suum, ubi apportabat peram cum helemosinis; ⁴et tollens peram de humero illius, imposuit ipsam super humerum suum et apportavit ipsam in domum fratrum, et coram fratribus dixit: 5 « sic volo quod frater meus vadat et revertatur letus et gaudens a pro helemosina ».

[99]

¹Cum in palatio episcopatus Assisii beatus Franciscus iaceret valde infirmus illis diebus quando reversus est de loco Bagnarie, timens populus Assisii, si de nocte moreretur sanctus, [ipsis] nescientibus, ne fratres occulte tollerent sanctum corpus et in alia civitate collocarent, constituerunt ut in qualibet nocte extra murum palatii in circuitu ab hominibus diligenter custodiretur.

²Beatus Franciscus licet esset infirmus valde, ad consolandum tamen spiritum suum, ne deficeret aliquando ex magnis et diversis suis infirmitatibus, sepe de die suos socios Laudes Domini cantare faciebat, quas ipsemet longo tempore ante in sua infirmitate fecerat; ³similiter etiam de nocte, maxime ad hedificationem illorum custodum, qui de nocte extra palatium propter ipsum vigilabant.

⁴Cumque consideraret frater Helias, quod beatus Franciscus ita se confortaret et gauderet in Domino in tanta infirmitate positus, quadam die dixit ad ipsum: ⁵« Carissime frater, de omni letitia quam pro te et sociis tuis in tanta afflictione et infirmitate ostendis, sum plurimum consolatus et hedificatus; ⁶sed licet in vita et in morte homines istius civitatis te venerentur pro sancto, tamen quia credunt firmiter propter tuam magnam et incurabilem infirmitatem te in proximo moriturum,