The House of Walderne

  Chapter 11: The Early Franciscans.

  We are afraid that some of our youthful readers will wonder whatcause Martin had for such extreme self reproach, and why he shouldmake such a serious matter of a little dissipation--such as wedescribed in our former chapter.

  But Martin had received a higher call, and although the old Adamwithin him would have its way, at times, yet his whole heart wasset on serving God. To Hubert this dissipation would have seemed asmall thing; to Martin such drinking, dicing, and brawling wassimply selling his birthright for a mess of pottage.

  So, with the early dawn, he went to mass at the Franciscan house,and wept all through the service, devoutly offering at the sametime the renewed oblation of his heart to God, and praying thatthrough the great sacrifice there commemorated and mysticallyrenewed, the oblation of self might be sanctified.

  Then he sought the good prior, Adam de Maresco, and obtaining anaudience after the dejeuner or breakfast, poured out all hissorrows and sin.

  The good prior almost smiled at the earnestness of the self rebuke.He was not at all shocked. It was just what he had expected; he wasonly too delighted to find that the young prodigal loathed sospeedily the husks which the swine do eat.

  "Ah, my son, did I not bid thee not to trust too much to thyself?and now my words have been verified by thy own experience, as itwas perhaps well they should be."

  "Well! that I should become a drunkard, dicer, and brawler."

  "Well that thou shouldst so early hate drinking, dicing, andbrawling. To many such hatred only comes after years have broughtsatiety; to thee, my dear child, one night seems to have broughtit."

  "Yes, now I am clothed, and in my right mind, like the lunatic whohad been cutting himself with stones. But, my father, take me in, Icannot trust myself out of the shelter of the priory."

  "Then thou art not fit to enter it, for we want men whom we maysend out into the world without fear. No! the first vacant cellshall be thine, but I will not hasten the time by a day. Thou mustprove thy vocation, and then thou mayst join the brotherhood ofsweet Saint Francis."

  "Tell me, my father, how old was the saint when he renounced theworld? Did Francis ever love it?"

  "He did, indeed. He was called 'Le debonair Francois.' He loved theProvencal songs, and indeed learned to sing his sweet melodies toChrist after the mode of those songs of earthly love. His eyesdanced with life, he went singing about all day long, and throughthe glorious Italian night. But even then he loved his neighbour.No beggar asked of him in vain. Liberalis et hilaris was Francis."

  "And did he ever fight?"

  "Yes. When a mere lad, he lay a year in prison at Perugia, havingbeen taken captive in fighting for his own city Assisi. But eventhen he was the joy of his fellow captives, from his brightdisposition."

  "When did he give up all this?"

  "Not till he was ten years older than thou art. One night he wasmade king of the feast, at a drinking bout, and went forth, at thehead of his companions, to pour forth their songs into the sweetItalian moonlight. A sudden hush fell upon him.

  "'What ails thee, Francis?' cried the rest. 'Art thinking of awife?'

  "'Yes,' he said. 'Of one more noble, more pure, than you canconceive, any of you.'"

  "What did he mean?"

  "The yearning for the life which is hid with Christ in God hadseized him. It was the last of his revels.

  "'Love set my heart on fire,'

  "He used afterwards to sing. It was at that moment the firekindled."

  "I wish it would set mine on fire."

  "Perhaps the fire is already kindled."

  "Nay, think of last night."

  "And what makes thee loathe last night? Other young men do notloathe such follies."

  "Shame, I suppose."

  "And what gives thee that divine shame? It is not thine own sinfulnature. There is something in thee which is not of self."

  "You think so? Oh, you think so?"

  "Indeed I do."

  "Then you give me fresh hope."

  "Since you ask it of a fellow worm."

  "But what can I do? I want to be up and doing."

  "Keep out of temptation. Avoid the causeway after vespers.Meanwhile I will enrol thy name as an associate of the Order, andthou shalt go forth as Francis did, while not yet quite separatedfrom the world. Do you know the story of the leper?"

  "Tell it me."

  "One day the saint, not yet a saint, only trying to be one, met oneof these wretched beings. At first he shuddered. Then, rememberingthat he who would serve Christ must conquer self, he dismountedfrom his horse, kissed the leper's hand, and filled it with money.Then he went on his road, but looked back to see what had become ofthe leper, and lo! he had disappeared, although the country wasquite plain, without any means of concealment."

  "What had become of him?"

  "That I cannot tell thee. Francis thought afterwards it was anangel, if not the Blessed Lord Himself."

  "May I visit the lepers tomorrow?"

  "The disease is infectious."

  "What of that?" said Martin, unconsciously imitating his friendHubert.

  "Well, we will see. Again Francis once gave way to pride. How doyou think he conquered it?"

  "Tell me, for that is my great sin."

  "He exchanged his gay clothes with a wretched beggar, and beggedall day on the steps of Saint Peter's at Rome."

  "May I do that on the steps of Oseney?"

  "It would not be a bad way to subdue the pride of the flesh! Butthen there are other things to subdue. Dost thou love to eat thefat and drink the sweet?"

  "All too well!"

  "So did Francis. He had a very sweet tooth, so he lived for a weekon such scraps as he could beg in beggar's plight from door todoor; all this in the first flush of his devotion."

  "And what else?"

  "Ah! that without which all else is nought, the root from which itall sprang: he lived as one who felt the words, 'I live, yet not I,but Christ which liveth in me.' He would spend hours in raptdevotion before the crucifix, with no mortal near, until his veryface was transformed, and the love of the Crucified set his hearton fire."

  "And when did he go forth to found his mighty Order?"

  "Not until the eighth year of this century, and the twenty-sixth ofhis age. One feast of bright Saint Barnaby, he was at mass, andheard the words of the Gospel wherein is described how our Lordsent forth His apostles to preach two by two; without purse,without change of raiment, without staff or shoes {19}. Out hewent, threw off his ordinary clothing, donned a gray robe, likethis we wear, tied a rope round for a girdle, and went forthcrying:

  "'Repent of your sins, and believe the Gospel!'

  "I was travelling in Italy then, and once met him on his road.Methinks I see him now--his oval face, his full forehead, hisclear, bright, limpid eyes, his flowing hair, his long hands andthin delicate fingers, and his commanding presence.

  "'Brother!' he said. 'Hast thou met with Him of Nazareth? He isseeking for thee.'

  "You will hardly believe that I did not understand him at first, sounfamiliar in my giddy youth were the simplest facts of the Gospel.But the words sank as if by miraculous force into my heart, andfrom that hour I knew no rest till I found Him, or He found me."

  "Was Francis long alone?"

  "No. Brother after brother joined him. First Bernard, then Peter,then Giles; they went singing sweet carols along the road, whichFrancis had composed out of his ready mind. They were the firsthymns in the vernacular, and the people stopped to hear about God'sdear Son. Then, collecting a crowd, they preached in themarketplace. Such preaching! Francis' first sermon in his nativetown set every one crying. They said the Passion of Jesus had neverbeen so wept over in the memory of man.

  "The brotherhood increased rapidly, and they went on pilgrimage toRome, to gain the approbation of the Pope. They went on foot,carrying neither purses nor food, but He who careth for the ravenscared for them, and soon they reached the Holy City. The Pope,Innocent the Third, was
walking in the Lateran, when up came a poorman in a gray shepherd's smock, and addressed him. The Pope,indignant at being disturbed in his meditations by this intrusion,bade the intruder leave the palace, and turned away. But the samenight he had two dreams: he thought a palm tree grew out of theground by his side, and rose till it filled the sky.

  "'Lo,' said a voice, 'the poor man whom thou hast driven away.'

  "Then he thought he saw the church falling, and a figure in a grayrobe rushed forth and propped it up--

  "'Lo, the poor man whom thou hast driven away.'

  "He sent for the stranger, and Francis opened his heart to themighty Pontiff.

  "'Go,' said the Pope, 'in the name of the Lord, and preachrepentance to all; and when God has multiplied you in numbers andgrace, I will give you yet greater privileges.'

  "Then he commanded that they should receive the tonsure, and,although not ordained, be considered clerks.

  "Imagine their joy! They visited the tombs of the Holy Apostles;and, bare footed, penniless as they came, went home, singing andpreaching all the way. And thus they sang:"

  Love sets my heart on fire,Love of my Bridegroom new,The Slain: the Crucified!To Him my heart He drewWhen hanging on the Tree,From whence He said to meI am the Shepherd true;Love sets my heart on fire.

  I die of sweetest love,Nor wonder at my fate,The sword which deals the blowIs love immaculate.Love sets my heart on fire (etc).

  "So singing, and now and then discoursing on heavenly joys, thelittle band reached home. And from thence it has grown, until ithas attained vast numbers. We are all over Europe. The sweet songsof Francis have set Italy on fire. And now wherever there aresinners to be saved, or sick in body or soul to be tended, you findthe Franciscan.

  "Now I hear the bell for terce--go forth, my son, and prove yourvocation."