Chapter XXXIII. How he Sent a Mantle to a Poor Woman who Suffered from Her Eyes Like Himself

A CERTAIN poor woman of Machilone came to Rieti for a disease of the eyes; and when the doctor came to blessed Francis, he said to him, "Brother, a certain woman diseased in the eyes has come to me, who is so poor that I have had to pay her charges for her." And when he had heard this, he was forth with moved with pity for her, and calling one of the friars who was his Warden, he said to him, "Brother Warden, we must return what we borrowed." Who answered, "What is that loan, brother?". But he said, "This mantle which we have received as a loan from that poor sick woman, we should return to her." And his Warden said to him, "Brother, what seemeth best to thee to be done, so do." Then the holy Father called with glee a certain spiritual man familiar with him, and said to him, "Take this mantle, and twelve loaves with it, and go to the poor woman sick of her eyes whom the doctor shall show thee, and say to her, ' The poor man to whom you entrusted this mantle gives thanks to thee for the loan of the mantle, take that which is thine own.' "He went therefore and said to the woman all the things that blessed Francis had said to him. But she, thinking he was making game of her, said to him with fear and modesty, "Leave me in peace, for I know not what thou sayest." But he put the mantle and the twelve loaves in her hands. She then, considering that he must have spoken this in truth, accepted it with fear and reverence, rejoicing and 2 1 2 The Mirror of Perfection praising the Lord. And fearing lest it should be taken away from her, she rose secretly by night and returned to her home with gladness. But blessed Francis had arranged with the Warden to give her her charges every day while she abode there. Whence we who were with him bear testimony of him that he was of so much charity and pity to the sick and the whole, not only toward his brethren but also toward other poor folk, well or ill, that he used to give to the poor those necessaries of his body which the brethren used sometimes to acquire with great solicitude and labour, first soothing us lest we should be troubled by it, with great joy inward and outward, taking away those things from himself even which were very necessary to him. And on account of this thing the General Minister and his Warden had ordered him not to give his tunic to any friars without their leave. For the friars of their devotion used sometimes to beg a tunic of him, who immediately gave it to them, and sometimes he divided it and gave them a part, and kept a part for himself, because he only carried one tunic*