who find it. ^{Mt 7:14} Be strengthened in the Lord and in the power of his virtue ^{Eph 6:10} for everything difficult will be easy for you. Cast off the burdens of your own will, get rid of the weight of your sins, and gird yourselves as powerful men. ^{1 Mc 3:58} Forgetting whatever is in the past, stretch yourselves as ^{Phil 3:13} much as you can for what lies ahead. I tell you that wherever you place your foot will be yours. ^{Dt 11:24} For the Spirit is before your face, Christ the Lord, ^{Lam 4:20} Who draws you to the heights of the mountain in bonds of love. ^{Hos 11:4a} The espousal of Poverty, brothers, is wonderful, yet we will be able to enjoy her embraces easily because the lady of the nations has been made as it were a widow, ^{Lam 1:1b} the queen of the virtues worthless and contemptible to all. There is no one of our region who would dare to cry out, no one who would oppose us, no one who would be able to prohibit by law this salvific exchange.^c All her friends have spurned her and have been made her enemies." ^{Lam 1:2}

After he said these things, they all began to follow the holy Francis.

Poverty Marvels at the Ease of Their Ascent

¹⁴While they were hastening to the summit at a very easy pace, Lady Poverty, standing at the top of the mountain, looked down its slopes. She was greatly astonished at seeing these men climbing so ably, almost flying. "Who are these men," she asked, "who fly like clouds and like doves to their windows? ^{Is 60:8} It has been a long time since I have seen such people or gazed upon those so unencumbered, all their burdens set aside. Therefore I will speak to them about what engages my heart so that, when staring down at the abyss that lies about them, they do not, like others, have second thoughts about such a climb. I know they cannot

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et pauci sunt qui inveniunt eam. ⁶Confortamini in Domino et in potentia virtutis eius, quoniam facile erit vobis omne difficile. ⁷Deponite sarcinas proprie voluntatis et onera peccatorum abicite et accingimini tamquam viri potentes. ⁸Posteriora obliti ad anteriora vos pro posse extendite. Dico vobis quod quemcumque locum calcaverit pes vester, vester erit. ⁹Etenim est spiritus ante faciem vestram, Christus Dominus, qui trahet vos ad montis cacumina in vinculis caritatis. ¹⁰Mirabilis est, fratres, desponsatio Paupertatis, sed facile poterimus ipsius frui amplexibus, quia facta est quasi vidua domina gentium, vilis et contemptibilis omnibus regina virtutum. ¹¹Nullus est qui e regione clamare audeat, nullus qui se nobis opponat, nullus est qui iure hoc salutare commercium prohibere valeat. ¹²Omnes amici eius spreverunt illam et facti sunt ei inimici."

¹³Et iis dictis, ceperunt omnes post sanctum Franciscum ambulare.

Capitulum 4 Paupertas miratur de facilitate ascendentium.

¹Cumque facillimo gressu properarent ad summa, ecce domina Paupertas, in ipsius montis vertice stans, respexit per montis devexa. ²Et videns hos viros tam potenter ascendentes, immo volantes, mirata est vehementer et dixit: "³Qui sunt isti qui ut nubes volant et quasi columbe ad fenestras suas? ⁴Diu enim est quod tales non vidi nec sic expeditos omnibus abiectis oneribus intuita sum. ⁵Loquar ergo ad eos que in corde meo versantur, ne sicut ceteri tante ascensionis peniteant, circumadiacentem non intuentes abyssum. ⁶Scio illos apprehendere me non posse absque meo consensu,