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Mary of the Angels until the day of his death. And as the fame of his sanctity and of his miracles went forth more and more through the Order and throughout the whole world, so much the more out of the depth of his humility did he conceal the gifts and graces of God as far as he could, calling himself the greatest of sinners.

Francis finding that, by reason of the stigmata of [ 130 ] THE STIGMATA OF ST FRANCIS Christ, his bodily strength was gradually wasting away, and that he could no longer rule over the Order, hastened to assemble a general chapter; and the brethren being all met together, he humbly laid before them his incapacity, by reason of his infirmities, any longer to fill the office of general, although he might not resign the generalate, to which he had been appointed by the Pope, nor name a successor without his express sanction; but he nominated Brother Peter Cattani his vicar, affectionately and with all his heart recommending the Order to him and to the ministers provincial.

And having done this, St. Francis, being strengthened in spirit, raised his eyes and hands to heaven, saying thus: ‘ To Thee, O Lord my God—to Thee do 1 commend Thy family, which till now Thou hast committed to me, and of which, by reason of my infirmities, as Thou knowest, O my sweetest Lord, I can now no longer take care.

I commend it also to the ministers provincial, who shall render an account to thee at the day of judgment if any brother perish by their negligence, or evil example, or over-sharp correction.’ And by these words, as it pleased God, all the brethren understood that he spoke of the sacred stigmata—which he called his infirmities —and none of them could refrain from weeping for devotion.

And thenceforth he left all the care and government of the Order in the hands of the vicar and of the ministers provincial; and he said: ‘ Now that for my infirmities I have given over the care of the Order, I have nothing to do henceforth but to pray to God for this our Religion, and to give a good example to the brethren.

And 1 know moreover that, even were I freed from my infirmities, the greatest good which I could [ 131 ] THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF ST FRANCIS do to the Order would be to pray to God for it con¬ tinually, that He would be pleased to defend and rule and preserve it.’ Now, as we have said before, St.

Francis did all in his power to conceal the sacred, holy stigmata, for after he received them he kept always his hands and feet covered; yet could he not hinder that many times several of the brethren contrived to see and touch them, and especially the wound of the side, which with the greatest diligence he sought to conceal.

The Sovereign Pontiff also, Pope Alexander, when preaching to the people in the presence of the Cardinals, among whom was the holy Brother Bonaventure, himself a Cardinal, affirmed that with his own eyes he had seen the sacred, holy stigmata of St.

Francis during his lifetime. And the Lady Jacopa di Settesoli, who was the greatest lady in Rome of her time, and most devout to St. Francis, before and after his death saw and kissed them with great reverence; for she came from Rome to Assisi by divine revelation, at the death of St.

Francis; and thus it came to pass. A few days before his death, St. Francis lay sick in the bishop’s palace at Assisi with certain of his companions, and notwithstanding his infirmity he oftentimes sang canticles in honour of Jesus Christ.