in lightening their lot, so far as
human fellow-feeling could do so.

Francis wished his followers to study humility in all ways. They were to
seek to be despised, and were told to be uneasy if they met with usage
of any other kind. They were not to let themselves be called _brethren_
but _little brethren_; they must try to be reckoned as less than any
other persons. They were especially to be on their guard against the
pride of learning; and, in order to preserve them from the danger of
this, Francis would hardly allow them even a book of the Psalms. But, in
truth, all these things might really be turned the opposite way, and in
making such studied shows of humility it was quite possible that the
Franciscans might fall under the temptations of pride.

Francis was very fond of animals, which he treated as reasonable
creatures, speaking to them by the names of brothers and sisters. He
used to call his own body _brother ass_, on account of the heavy burdens
and the hard usage which it had to bear. He kept a sheep in church, and
it is said that the creature, without any training, used to take part in
the services by kneeling and bleating at proper times. He preached to
flocks of birds on the duty of thanking their Maker for His goodness to
them; nay, he preached to fishes, to worms, and even to flowers.

Perhaps the oddest story of this kind is one about his dealing with a
wolf which infested the neighbourhood of Gubbio. Finding that every one
in the place was overcome by fear of this fierce beast, Francis went out
boldly to the forest where the wolf lived, and, meeting him, began to
talk to him about the wickedness of killing, not only brute animals,
but men; and he promised that, if the wolf would give up such evil ways,
the citizens of Gubbio would maintain him. He then held out his right
hand; whereupon the wolf put his paw into it as a sign of agreement, and
allowed the saint to lead him into the town. The people of Gubbio were
only too glad to fulfil the promise which Francis had made for them; and
they kept the wolf handsomely, giving him his meals by turns, until he
died of old age, and in such general respect that he was lamented by all
Gubbio.

There is a strange story that Francis, towards the end of his life,
received in his body what are called the _stigmata_ (that is to say, the
marks of the wounds which were made in our Lord's body at the
crucifixion). And a great number of other superstitious tales becam