Page:Goldenlegendlive00jaco.djvu/246

 sang, and anon by his commandment they were still. There was also, on a time, a bird on a fig-tree beside his cell which sang oft full sweetly. And S. Francis puts forth his hand and called that bird, and anon the bird obeyed and came upon his hand. And he said to her: 'Sing, my sister, and praise thy Lord,' and then anon she sang, and departed not till she had licence.

He spared to touch lights, lamps, and candles, because he would not defile them with his hands. He went honourably upon the stones for the worship of him that was called Stone. He gathered the small worms out of the way because they should not be trodden with the feet of them that passed by. He commanded in winter to give honey unto bees, that they should not perish for hunger. He called all beasts his brethern. He was replenished of marvellous joy for the love of his Creator. He beheld the sun, the moon, and the stars, and summoned them to the love of their Maker.

On a time, as S. Francis was sick on his eyen for continual weeping, his brethern said to him that he should refrain him from weeping, and he answered: 'The visitation of the light perdurable is not to be put away for the light that we have here with the flies.' And when his brethern constrained him to take a medicine for his eyen, and the surgeon held a burning iron in his hand, the blessed Francis said: 'My brother fire, be thou to me in this hour debonair and curable: I pray to our Lord that made thee, that thou attemper my heat.' And then he made the sign of the cross against the fire, and the fiery iron was