saint said to him: "I'm giving you this cloak for the love of the Son of God, but on the condition that you do not hand it over to anyone unless they pay well for it." The brothers immediately came running to take the mantle away and prevent this donation. But the poor man, taking courage from the father's look, clutched it with both hands and defended it as his own. In the end the brothers had to redeem the mantle, and the poor man left after getting his price].^a

[34]
[HE GIVES A MANTLE TO A POOR MAN,
ON THE CONDITION THAT HE PARDON HIS MASTER]

[Once when he was at Colle^b in the county of Perugia, Saint Francis met a poor man whom he had known before in the world. He asked him: "Brother, how are you doing?" The man] malevolently [began to heap curses on his lord, who had taken away everything he had. "Thanks to my lord, may the Almighty Lord curse him, I'm very bad off!"

Blessed Francis felt more pity for the man's soul, rooted in mortal hatred, than for his body. He said to him: "Brother, forgive your lord for the love of God, so you may set your soul free, and it may be that he will return to you what he has taken. Otherwise you will lose not only your property but also your soul." He replied: "I can't entirely forgive him unless he first gives back what he took." Blessed Francis had a mantle on his back, and said to him: "Here, I'll give you this cloak, and beg you to forgive your lord for the love of the Lord God." The man's mood sweetened, and, moved by this kindness, he took the gift and forgave the wrongs].

[35]
[HE EXPLAINS A PASSAGE FROM EZECHIEL TO A BROTHER PREACHER]

[While he was staying in Siena, someone from the Order of Preachers happened to arrive; he was a spiritual man and a Doctor of Sacred Theology. He visited blessed Francis, and he and the holy man enjoyed a long and sweet conversation about the words of the Lord].

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⁴Cui sanctus: « Hunc tibi amore Filii Dei trado mantellum, tali pacto ut nulli reddas nisi bene comparaverit ipsum ». ⁵Accurrerunt protinus fratres ut mantellum auferrent, et donationem hanc prepedirent. ⁶Sed pauper, in vultu sancti patris audaciam sumens, uncis manibusque defendebat ut proprium. ⁷Ad ultimum redemere mantellum fratres, et pauper, pretio sumpto, discessit.

[34]

¹Quodam tempore apud Collem comitatus Perusii repperit sanctus Franciscus pauperculum quendam, quem prius in seculo noverat. ²Dixitque ad eum: « Frater, qualiter te habes? ». ³At ine, irato animo, cepit in dominum suum maledicta congerere, qui abstulerat sibi omnia sua: ⁴« Gratia, inquit, domini mei cui omnipotens Dominus maledicat, nonnisi male me habeo ».

⁵Miseratus animam illius magis quam corpus, cum in odio mortali persisteret, dixit ei beatus Franciscus: « Frater, indulgeas domino tuo amore Dei, ut liberes animam tuam, et esse poterit quod ipse ablata tibi restituet. ⁶Sin autem res tuas perdidisti et animam perdes ». ⁷Et ille: « Non possum, ait, penitus indulgere, nisi prius reddat ille quod abstulit ». ⁸Beatus Franciscus cum haberet quemdam mantellum ad dorsum dixit ei: « Ecce do tibi mantellum istum; precorque ut indulgeas domino tuo amore Domini Dei ». ⁹Dulcoratus ille a beneficio provocatus, munere sumpto, remisit iniurias.

[35]

¹Manente ipso apud Senas, contigit illue venire quendam de Ordine Predicatorum, virum quidem spiritualem a et sacre theologie doctorem. ²Visitato igitur beato Francisco, ipse pariter et sanctus diu de verbis Domini dulcissima collatione fruuntur.