is my body. Therefore, you will be avenging me on my opponent and enemy."

Those suggestions stopped immediately and, when he returned to the place where he had been lying, he rested and slept peacefully.

When morning came Brother Pacifico returned to him. Blessed Francis was standing in prayer in front of the altar inside the choir. Brother Pacifico stood and waited for him outside the choir, in front of the crucifix, praying to the Lord at the same time. As he began to pray, Brother Pacifico was taken up into an ecstasy, whether in the body or out of the body, God knows, and he saw many thrones in heaven, one of them higher than the others, glorious, resplendent adorned with every precious stone. As he admired its beauty, he began to wonder what kind of throne it was and whose it might be. All at once he heard a voice telling him: "This was Lucifer's throne and blessed Francis will sit on it in his place."

As he came back to himself, blessed Francis came out to him. He immediately prostrated himself in the form of a cross at the feet of blessed Francis. Because of the vision he saw about him, he considered blessed Francis as if he were already in heaven, and said to him: "Father, forgive me my sins, and ask the Lord to forgive me and have mercy on me." Extending his hand, blessed Francis lifted him up, and he realized that he had seen something in prayer.

He appeared almost totally changed and spoke to blessed Francis not as if he were living in the flesh, but as if he were already reigning in heaven. Afterwards, as if on another point, because he was unwilling to speak about the vision to blessed Francis, Brother Pacifico asked him: "What do you think of yourself, brother?"

Blessed Francis responded: "It seems to be that I am a greater sinner than anyone in this world."

And immediately Brother Pacifico was told this in his heart: "In this you can know that the vision you saw is true. For as Lucifer was cast down from that throne because of his pride, so blessed Francis will merit to be exalted and to sit on it because of his humility."

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[HE HEARS THE MUSIC OF A LUTE
IN THE HOUSE OF TEOBALDO SARACENO IN RIETI]

Once, when blessed Francis was in Rieti because of the disease of his eyes, he was staying for a few days in a room of Teobaldo Saraceno. One day he said to one of his companions, who while in the world knew how to play a lute: "Brother, the children of this

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est corpus meum: unde vindicabitis me de adversario et inimico meo ».

⁹Et statim cessaverunt ille suggestiones. ¹⁰Et reversus est ad locum ubi iacebat et quievit et dormivit in pace.

¹¹Mane autem facto reversus est ad ipsum frater Pacificus. ¹²Beatus Franciscus stabat in oratione coram altari intus in choro; frater Pacificus stabat et expectabat ipsum extra chorum coram crucifixo orans Dominum simul. ¹³Et cum cepisset orare frater Pacificus, elevatus est in extasi, sive in corpore sive extra corpus Deus scivit, et vidit multas sedes in celo, inter quas vidit unam eminentiorem ceteris, gloriosam et fulgentem, et ornatam omni lapide pretioso; ¹⁴et admirans pulchritudinem eius, cepit cogitare intra se cuiusmodi sedes esset et cuius. ¹⁵Et statim audivit vocem dicentem sibi: « Ista sedes fuit Luciferi, et loco eius sedebit in ea beatus Franciscus ».

¹⁶Et reversus in se, statim exivit foras ad eum beatus Franciscus. ¹⁷Qui statim procidit ad pedes beati Francisci in modum crucis, considerans quasi iam esset in celo, propter visionem quam de ipso viderat, dicens ei: « Pater, indulgeas michi peccata mea et roga Dominum ut michi indulgeat et misereatur mei ». ¹⁸Et extendem manum beatus Franciscus elevavit ipsum, et cognovit quod aliquid vidisset in oratione.

¹⁹Videbatur quasi totus immutatus, et loquebatur ad beatum Franciscum non quasi viventem in carnem, sed quasi iam in celo regnantem. ²⁰Postea quasi a longe, quia nolebat dicere visionem beato Francisco, interrogavit frater Pacificus beatum Franciscum dicens sibi: « Quid credis de te, frater? ».

²¹Respondit beatus Franciscus et dixit ei: « Michi videtur esse maior peccator homo quam aliquis qui sit in hoc mundo ».

²²Et statim dictum fuit fratri Pacifico in corde: « In hoc potes cognoscere quoniam vera est visio quam vidisti ; ²³quoniam sicut Lucifer per suam superbiam proiectus fuit ex illa sede, sic et beatus Franciscus per suam humilitatem merebitur exaltari et sedere in ea ».

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¹Quodam tempore cum esset apud Reate beatus Franciscus et maneret in camera Tebaldi Sarraceni per aliquot dies pro infirmitate oculorum, quadam die dixit uni de sociis suis, qui noverat in seculo cytharizare: ²« Frater, filii huius seculi a divina non intelligunt;