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Regardless of its defects, both chronologically and historically, The Deeds of Blessed Francis and His Companions and, more importantly, its Italian translation, The Little Flowers, have had an enormous impact of the shaping of the Franciscan tradition of spirituality. Part of the success of both works lies in Ugolino's ability to capture the spirit of Francis and his followers in vivid, colorful detail and the translator's genius in an Italian that is timeless. The saint emerges through stories that wonderfully capture his love for all creatures, even those that are the smallest and least attractive such as the birds of Bevagna, the doves of Siena, and the feared wolf of Gubbio. At the same time, the founder is portrayed as tough and, at times, unrelenting as he punishes disobedience, withstands the skillful attacks of the devil, and puts the Sultan to the test by walking through fire. As The Deeds unfold, Francis of Assisi appears as a man of unrelenting prayer, of humility incarnate, an untiring, passionate apostle of the Gospel, a loving brother not only of his followers, but of all humans, and of all creatures.
The Deeds is, however, a text of the fourteenth century, one in harmony with Thomas à Kempis's Imitation of Christ and so many writings of the Devotio Moderna. Its hallmark is undoubtedly a devotional attachment to the person of Francis and, in its light, The Deeds promote a moralistic spirituality that emphasizes the austerity, fuga mundi [flight from the world], and self-denigration that characterizes much of the spiritual literature of the period. Thus the saint and founder becomes a prophet of the disturbing currents of the fourteenth century and in his joyful simplicity an antidote for the pessimism that permeated it. For many, however, this fourteenth century vision originating in the Marches of Ancona is the only Francis of Assisi they have known.
The Little Flowers of Saint Francis
The Little Flowers of Saint Francis, undoubtedly one of the most popular classics of Christian spirituality, is an Italian translation of the Latin text of The Deeds of Blessed Francis and His Brothers by Ugolino Boniscambi of Montegiorio.31 Attempts have been made to identify the translator. He remains anonymous. Noting differences between these texts, scholars of the past argued about the precise nature of the text: was it a translation or an original work?32 They also turned their attention to questions of its date and the location of its origin, that is, Tuscany or the Marches of Ancona.33 Contemporary scholars generally accept the linguistic arguments that maintain that The Little Flowers is a translation, and they, therefore, look for linguistic or stylistic nuances that might shed light on historical issues.34
The earliest manuscript of The Little Flowers is dated 1396.35 This fact led some scholars to maintain that The Little Flowers was written in the last decade of the fourteenth century.36 In his thorough study of the manuscripts and texts of both works, Jacques Cambell proved that The Little Flowers was for the most part a translation of The Deeds. The Considerations of the Sacred Stigmata, the second part of a later edition of The Little Flowers, was a re-editing of certain sections undertaken at a later date since it shows the influence of
- In order to express the flavor of the Italian translation, the editors have chosen not to Angli- cize proper names and, when possible, to maintain "Italianisms."
- As early as the eighteenth century, Giovanni G. Sbaraglia (1687-1764) argued that Giovanni Marignolli (+1359) was the author of I Fioretti, cf. Supplementum et castigatio ad Scriptores Trium Ordinum S. Francisci a Waddingo aliisque descriptores, Part I (Rome, A. Nardecchis, 1906-36), 385. In 1883, Luigi Tassi argued that Ugolino Brunforte of Sarnano was the author, an argument that was later advanced by Luigi Marconi, cf. Luigi Tassi, Disquisizione istorica intorno all'autore dei Fioretti di S. Francesco (Fabriano: Tipografia Gentile, 1883), 7ff; Luigi Marconi, "Attorno agli autori dei 'Fioretti,' " Studii Francescani 23 (1926): 355-365.
- Armando Quaglia proposed that I Fioretti was composed originally by Ugolino of Montegiorgio and later served as the basis of a Latin translation undertaken by an anonymous friar of the Marches of Ancona, cf. Armando Quaglia, Studi su I Fioretti di S. Francesco (Ancona: Falconara M., 1977), 56-61, 65; Idem, "Origine volgare e marchigiana dei 'Fioretti' di San Francesco," Studii Francescani 78(1981): 149-58.
- Gianna Tosi, for example, maintains that "The Little Flowers are most faithful to the Latin text, even follow it in its tiniest details never introducing even less, a new tale . . ." Cf. Gianna Tossi, La Lingua dei Fioretti di S. Francesco (Messina-Milano: G. Principato, 1938), 184.
- Cf. I Fioretti di san Francesco. With a Historical-Critical Introduction by Giacinto Pagnani (Rome: Editrice Fides, 1959), 21.
- Benvenuto Bughetti argued from a linguistic perspective that I Fioretti was written by an anonymous Tuscan friar. Cf.Benvenuto Bughetti, "Alcune idee fontamentali sui 'Fioretti di San Francesco,'" AFH 19(1926): 324-7.