Page:Great Men and Famous Women Volume 5.djvu/140

 84 WORKMEN AND HEROES of every human creature under whatsoever guise he might present himself. In this they succeeded. To a novice he said one day, " Brother, let us go out and preach." Taking him along, he went up into Assisi and they walked through the streets without saying a word ; then returned to the convent. " And our preaching, father ? " asked the novice. " It is done," replied the Saint ; implying that a modest, thought- ful exterior and the force of example are often the most eloquent kind of preach- ing. But in 1 209 it became clear to him by an inward vision in which the Christ came to him as a shepherd, that great numbers would flock to follow him ; and, though he had not thought of founding an Order, he now saw that it would be necessary. He therefore drew up a simple Rule in twenty-three chapters ; the gist of which was that they were to possess no money, no property whatever ; that they were neither to blame nor to judge any one ; were to hold themselves profoundly respectful toward all members of the clergy ; to say not a word against the rich or against luxury ; to preach, everywhere, concord and the love of God and one's neighbor ; to bind themselves to obedience and chastity, as well as poverty ; to do penance and persist in the perfect faith of Christ. Not until sixteen years later did the Lateran Council ordain that all religious orders must receive the approval of the Holy Father. But Francis did not wait for de- crees. His humility, obedience, and loyalty to the Vicar of Christ led him to re- pair to Rome with his companions and there ask the permission of Pope Inno- cent III., which he quickly obtained. The Rule was rewritten in 1619. Some of the brethren suggested that he take the advice of a cardinal in formulating his rules ; but the Saint declared that God had willed that he should " appear as a new sort of madman in the world," arresting the attention of the people and bringing them to reflect, without qualification, upon " the folly of the cross," and that he alone must direct the mannei in which this was to be done. His order multiplied rapidly, and convents were established in all parts of Europe ; although he was inclined to object to costly buildings, and was pre- vailed upon to let them stand on the plea that they were needed to shelter travel- lers and pilgrims. He established also the order of Poor Clares, so called from a noble maiden, Clare, who became its first superior. This was, for women, what his order of the Friars Minor was for men ; though the Clares remained strictly en- closed, while the Friars went abroad preaching, and established missions in various quarters of the globe. Finally, he formed his Third Order, which included laymen and laywomen living in the world, who bound themselves by simple vows of vir- tue and charity, while continuing in their accustomed phase of life. Thousands joined the Friars ; and probably millions were enrolled in the Third Order. It has been said that Francis first made known to the Middle Ages the power of as- sociation among the weak and humble, and that from the pages on which he in- scribed his institutes sprang modern democracy in Italy. Certain it is that the Emperor Frederick II. received a letter from some of his Italian feudal supporters, saying : " The Friars Minor . . . have raised themselves against us. They have publicly condemned both our mode of life and our principles ; they have