_ xxviii. "... Questo dono, che era dato a frate Bernardo da
Quintevalle, cioe, che volando si pascesse come la rondine." _Fioretti_
xxii., Considerazioni i.]

Indeed, we can judge of what the Franciscan movement was to the world by
what its gospel, the divine _Fioretti_, are even to ourselves. This humble
collection of stories and sayings, sometimes foolish, always childlike,
becomes, to those who have read it with more than the eyes of the body,
a beloved and necessary companion, like the solemn serene books of antique
wisdom, the passionate bitter Book of Job, almost, in a way, like the
Gospels of Christ. But not for the same reason: the book of Francis
teaches neither heroism nor resignation, nor divine justice and mercy;
it teaches love and joyfulness. It keeps us for ever in the company of
creatures who are happy because they are loving: whether the creatures
be poor, crazy Brother Juniper (the comic person of the cycle) eating
his posset in brotherly happiness with the superior he had angered; or
Brother Masseo, unable from sheer joy in Christ to articulate anything
save "U-u-u," "like a pigeon;" or King Lewis of France falling into the
arms of Brother Egidio; or whether they be the Archangel Michael in
friendly converse with Brother Peter, or the Madonna handing the divine
child for Brother Conrad to kiss, or even the Wolf of Gubbio, converted,
and faithfully fulfilling his bargain. There are sentences in the
_Fioretti_ such as exist perhaps in no other book in the world, and
which teach something as important, after all, as wisdom even and perfect
charity--"And there answered Brother Egidio: Beloved brethren, know that
as soon as he and I embraced one another, the light of wisdom revealed
and manifested to me his heart, and to him mine; and thus by divine
operation, seeing one into the other's heart, that which I would have
said to him and he to me, each understood much better than had we spoken
with our tongue, and with greater joyfulness...." Again, Jesus appeared
to Brother Ruffino and said, "Well didst thou do, my son, inasmuch as
thou believedst the words of St. Francis; for he who saddened thee was
the demon, whereas I am Christ thy teacher; and for token thereof I will
give thee this sign: As long as thou live, thou shalt never feel
affliction of any sort nor sadness of heart."

St. Francis, we are told, being infirm of body, was comforted through
God's goodness by a vision of the joy of the blessed.