Chapter XXXV. Sharp correction of a brother who touched it with his hand

65. Now that great friend of God, despising all things that are of the world, beyond everything else execrated money. Hence even from the beginning of his conversion he held it in special contempt, and always intimated to his followers that they must fly from it as from the Devil himself. This was the motto he gave them: "Let dung and money be loved and valued alike". One day accordingly a certain layman came into the church of S. Maria de Portiuncula to pray, and put down near the cross some money for an offering. When he withdrew, one of the brethren simply touched it with his hand and threw it on the window-sill. The Saint heard of what the brother had done: and the brother, seeing that he was found out, ran to beg for pardon, and, falling on the ground, offered to submit to stripes. The Saint rebuked him, and after chiding him most severely for having touched the money bade him remove it in his mouth from the window-sill, and with his mouth lay it on asses' dung outside the precincts: and while that brother gladly obeyed this command, the hearts of all that heard of it were filled with fear. Thenceforth the contempt of all for what had thus been put on the same footing as dung was increased, and they were daily encouraged by fresh examples to despise it.