that is, of Christ crucified,
was imprinted on his body,
not by natural forces or human skill,
but by the wondrous power of the Spirit of the living God.

³ I feel that I am unworthy and unequal to the task of writing the life of a man so venerable and worthy of imitation.^a I would never have attempted it if the fervent desire of the brothers had not aroused me, the unanimous urging of the General Chapter had not induced me,^b and the devotion which I am obliged to have toward our holy father had not compelled me. For when I was a boy, as I still vividly remember, I was snatched from the jaws of death by his invocation and merits. So if I remained silent and did not sing his praises, I fear that I would be rightly accused of the crime of ingratitude. I recognize that God saved my life through him, and I realize that I have experienced his power in my very person. Although I cannot accomplish this fully, this is my principal reason for undertaking this task: that I may gather together ^{Jn 6:12} the accounts of his virtues, actions and words—like so many fragments, partly forgotten and partly scattered—that they may not be lost when those who lived with this servant of God die.

⁴ In order to have a clearer and more certain grasp of the authentic facts of his life, which I was to transmit to posterity, I visited the sites of the birth, life, and death of this holy man. I had careful interviews with his companions who were still alive, especially those who had intimate knowledge of his holiness and were his outstanding followers. Because of their acknowledged truth and proven virtue, they can be trusted beyond any doubt. In describing what God graciously accomplished through his servant, I decided that I should avoid a cultivated literary style, since the reader's devotion profits more from simple rather than ornate expression. To avoid confusion I did not always weave the story together in chronological order. Rather, I strove to maintain a more thematic order, relating to the same theme

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Christi videlicet crucfixi,
⁴quod in corpore ipsius fuit impressum,
non per naturae virtutem vel ingenium artis,
sed potius per admirandam potentiam Spiritus Dei vivi.

3 ¹Ad huius tam venerabilis viri vitam omni imitatione dignissimam deseribendam indignum et insufficientem me sentiens, id nullatenus attentassem, nisi me fratrum fervens incitasset affectus, ²generalis quoque Capituli concors induxisset instantia, et ea quam ad sanctum patrem habere teneor devotio compulisset, ³utpote qui per ipsius invocationem et merita in puerili aetate, sicut recenti memoria teneo, a mortis faucibus erutus, si praeconia laudis eius tacuero, timeo sceleris argui ut ingratus. ⁴Et haec penes me causa praecipua hunc assumendi laborem, ut ego, qui vitam corporis et animae a Deo mihi conservatam recognosco per ipsum et virtutem eius in me ipso expertus agnovi, ⁵vitae illius virtutes, actus et verba quasi fragmenta quaedam, partim neglecta partimque d1Spersa, quamquam plene non possem, utcumque colligerem, ne, morientibus his qui cum famulo Dei convixerant, deperirent.

4 ¹Ut igitur vitae ipsius veritas ad posteros transmittenda certius mihi constaret et clarius, adiens locum originis, conversationis et transitus viri sancti, cum familiaribus eius adhuc superviventibus collationem de his habui diligentem, ²et maxime cum quibusdam, qui sanctitatis eius et conscii tuerunt et sectatores praecipui, quibus propter agnitam veritatem probatamque virtutem fides est indubitabilis adhibenda. ³In descriptione autem eorum quae per servum suum Deus dignanter effecit, curiosum stili ornatum negligendum esse putavi, cum legentis devotio plus simplici sermone quam phalerato proficiat. ⁴Nec semper historiam secundum ordinem temporis texui, propter confusionem vitandam, sed potius ordinem servare studui magis aptae iuncturae, secundum quod eodem peracta tempore diversis materiis,