⁵⁵"At first everything will seem very sweet for you to bear, but after a little while, once you have accepted security, you will tolerate negligence of the blessings you have received. At that hour you will think you want to return to that state and to rediscover the first consolation, but negligence once allowed is not easily uprooted. Your heart will then turn to other things, but reason will call you back to the first.^a Thus turned in spirit to laziness and sloth, you will offer thoughtless words of excuse. 'We cannot be as strong as we were in the beginning,' you say, 'times are now different.' And so you do not know what is said: When a man has ended, he is only just beginning. ^{Sir 18:6} There will always be an inner voice, however, which will say: 'Tomorrow, tomorrow we will return to that first husband for it was better then than now.' ^{Hos 2:7}

"Behold I have predicted ^{Mt 24:25} many things to you, brothers, and I have many things to say to you which you cannot bear now. ^{Jn 16:12} The hour will come when I will explain to you clearly ^{Jn 16:25} everything mentioned above."

Blessed Francis Together with His Brothers Responds to Poverty

⁵⁶At these words the blessed Francis and his brothers fell flat on the ground and gave thanks to God. "What you say pleases us, our Lady," they said. " There can be no fault in anything you have said. What we heard in our land about your words and your wisdom is true. Your wisdom is so much greater than the rumor we had heard. Your men and your servants are blessed, those who are always before you and listen to your wisdom. May the Lord God be blessed forever whom you have pleased and who has loved you forever and placed you as queen to show mercy and judgment upon His servants. O how good and sweet is your spirit, correcting the erring and admonishing sinners!

⁵⁷"Lady, by the eternal King's love with which he loved you and by the love with which you love him, we beg you not to cheat us of our desire. Deal with us, instead, according to your kindness and mercy. For your deeds are great and ineffable. For this reason those who lack discipline have strayed from you! Because you march over rocky ground, like an army of soldiers set in array, the foolish cannot stay with you. But we are your servants and the sheep of your pasture. For all eternity and age upon age we promise and resolve to keep the judgments of your justice."

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¹¹"Primum quidem ad portandum omnia dulcissima vobis existunt, sed paulo post, securitate accepta, de collatis beneficiis incuriam admittetis. ¹²Putabitis qua hora vultis in id ipsum redire et primam reinvenire consolationem, sed negligentia semel admissa non de facili extirpatur. ¹³Declinabit deinde cor vestrum ad alia, sed ratio reclamabit ut redeatis ad prima. ¹⁴Sic conversi in torporem et acidiam spiritus volatilia excusationum verba pretendetis, dicentes: ¹⁵"Non possumus esse, sicut in principio fuimus, fortes et nunc alia tempora currunt;" nescientes quod dicitur quia, cum consummatus fuerit homo, tunc incipiet. ¹⁶Erit tamen in animo vestro semper vox sic dicens: "Cras, cras revertemur ad virum priorem, quia melius erat nobis tunc quam nunc."

¹⁷Ecce predixi vobis plura, fratres, et multa habeo vobis dicere, que non potestis portare modo. ¹⁸Veniet hora, cum palam vobis exponam omnia supra dicta."

Capitulum 28 Beatus Franciscus cum fratribus respondet Paupertati.

¹Ad hec beatus Franciscus cum fratribus suis pronus in terram cecidit, gratias agens Deo et dixit: ²"Placet, domina nostra, quod dicis, nec in omnibus que locuta es aliqua reprehensio esse potest. ³Verus est sermo quem audivimus in terra nostra super sermonibus tuis et super sapientia tua; et :multo maior est sapientia tua quam rumor quem audivimus. ⁴Beati viri tui et beati servi tui, ii qui sunt coram te semper et audiunt sapientiam tuam. ⁵Sit Dominus Deus tuus benedictus in secula cui complacuisti et dilexit te in sempiternum et constituit te reginam ut faceres misericordiam et iudicium in servis eius. ⁶O quam bonus et suavis est spiritus tuus corripiens errantes et peccantes admonens!

⁷"Ecce, domina, per caritatem Regis eterni qua dilexit te et per illam qua tu diligis eum, te obsecramus ut non fraudes nos a desiderio nostro, sed facias nobiscum iuxta mansuetudinem et misericordiam tuam. ⁸Magna enim sunt opera tua et inenarrabilia; propter hoc indisciplinate anime errant a te. ⁹Et quia sola incedis undique scopulosa, ut castrorum acies ordinata, non possunt tecum morari insipientes. ¹⁰Sed ecce nos servi tui sumus et oves pascue tue. In eternum et in seculum seculi iuramus et statuimus custodire iudicia iustitie tue."