Chapter II. Of blessed Francis greatest desire; and how in the opening of a book he understood the Lord's will concerning him

91. At a certain time the blessed and venerable father Francis, forsaking the crowds of lay-folk who were daily flocking together with the utmost devotion to see and hear him, went to a secret place of rest and solitude, desiring there to wait on God, and to wipe off any dust that might have stuck to him in his intercourse with men. His custom was to apportion the time allotted to him for the earning of grace, and, as he saw fit, to devote one part of it to the profit of his neighbour, and to spend the other in the blessed retirement of contemplation. He took with him therefore a very few companions, to whom his holy conversation was better known than to the rest, that they might protect him from being disturbed by the incursions of men, and might in all things respect and guard his repose. And after he had re-¹ mained some while there and by continual prayer and frequent contemplation had in an unspeakable manner attained to intimacy with God, he longed to know what was or might be most acceptable to the Eternal King in and concerning himself. Most carefully did he search out and most tenderly did he long to know in what manner, by what way or by what desire he might most perfectly cleave to the Lord God, in accordance with the counsel and good pleasure of His will. This was ever his highest philosophy: with this supreme desire he ever burned so long as he lived: to seek out from simple and wise, from perfect and imperfect, how he might apprehend the way of truth and accomplish the highest purpose. 92. For whereas he was the most perfect of the perfect he disclaimed perfection and deemed himself altogether imperfect. For he had tasted and seen how sweet, how pleasing, how good the God of Israel is to those who are upright of heart and seek Him in pure simplicity and true purity; and the sweetness and delight instilled — such sweetness and delight as are most rarely vouchsafed to the rarest men — which he had felt wafted to him from on high, compelled him wholly to stand aloof from himself; and being filled with such rapture he longed by all means to pass over wholly thither where, leaving himself, he had already in part gone before. The man was ready (having the Spirit of God) to suffer every distress of mind and to endure every bodily suffering if his wish might at length be granted, namely, that his heavenly Father's will should mercifully be accomplished in him. One day therefore he came before the sacred aitar that had been erected in the hermitage where he abode, took a volume wherein the sacred Gospels were written and reverently placed it on the altar. Then prostrate in prayer to God (not less in heart than in body) he asked with humble supplication that the gracious God, "the father of mercies and God of all comfort," would be pleased to show him His will. And that he might have strength perfectly to accomplish that which in simplicity and devotion he had begun long before, he humbly prayed that on his first opening of the book it might be pointed out what would be fittest for him to do. (For he was being guided by the spirit of holy and most perfect men, of whom we read that they did something of the like nature with pious devotion in their longing for holiness.) (93) Then, rising from prayer, with contrite heart and in the spirit of humility, and fortifying himself with the sign of the holy cross, he took the book from the altar and opened it with reverence and awe. And it came to pass that when he had opened the book the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ first met his eye, and therein alone the passage announcing that He would suffer tribulation. But to avoid any suspicion that this might have happened by chance, he opened the book a second and a third time and found the same or a similar passage written. Then the man, full of the Spirit of God, understood that it behoved him through much anguish and much warfare to enter into the Kingdom of God. But the valiant knight is not dismayed at wars that are bursting upon him, nor is he shaken in mind who is about to fight the Lord's battles in the camp of this world. The man who had toiled long beyond the measure of human strength without yielding even to himself had no fear of falling before the foe. Truly he was most fervent, and if he had in the past ages a companion in purpose, no one was ever found superior to him in desire. It was even easier for him to work perfection than to talk about it, for he always applied himself with effectual zeal and effort not to words (which are not constituents of good, but evidences of it) but to holy deeds. And so he stood unshaken and glad and sang songs of gladness in his heart to himself and to God. Therefore he was held worthy of a greater revelation who thus rejoiced over a lesser; and "he that is faithful in little is set over many things".