Chapter LXII. How he Wished that Whatever of Comfort his Body Received should be Known

Likewise on a certain time when he had eaten in a certain hermitage in the Advent fast (St. Martin's Lent), cakes cooked with lard on account of his infirmities, for which oil was very unwholesome; Lent being finished, when he should preach to a great crowd, he said to them in the first word of his sermon, "You come to me with great devotion, believing me to be a holy man, but I confess to God and to you, that I have eaten in this Lent cakes cooked with lard." Nay, well-nigh always when he used to eat with any seculars, or when any bodily comfort was given him by the friars on account of his infirmities, immediately in the house and outside, before those friars who did not know of it, and the seculars, he was accustomed to say openly, "I have eaten such and such a food." For he was unwilling to hide from men what was laid open to God. Like wise also, wherever, in the presence of whatever Religious and laymen, his spirit was moved to pride or vainglory, or to any fault, he confessed it immediately in their presence openly, without any veil. Whence once he said to his companions, "Thus would I live in hermitages and in the other places where I abide, as if all men could see me. For if they think me to be a holy man, and I lead not the life which becomes a holy man, I should be a hypocrite." And thus, when on account of the weakness of the spleen and coldness of the stomach, one of his fellows who was his Warden wished to sew under his tunic a little foxskin opposite his spleen and stomach, especially as there was then a great cold, blessed Francis answered him, "If you would that I have foxskin under my tunic you must put a piece of that skin outside, so that every one may know by this that I have foxskin inside." And so he caused it to be done, but he wore it very little, though it would have been very necessary to him.