he pondered what this vision meant to tell him. A few days later, blessed Francis came to him, made known his proposal, as we have said, and asked him to confirm the rule he had written in simple words, using the words of the holy Gospel, for whose perfection he fully longed. As he was reflecting on how enthusiastic blessed Fran- cis was in God's service, and comparing his vision with that shown to the man of God, he began to say to himself: "This is indeed that holy and religious man through whom the church of God will be sus- tained and supported."

So he embraced him and approved the rule he had written. He also gave him and his brothers permission to preach penance every- where, with the stipulation that the brothers who preach obtain permission from blessed Francis. Afterwards he approved this in a consistory.^a

⁵²Therefore, after obtaining these favors, blessed Francis thanked God, and on bended knees, promised obedience and reverence to the Lord Pope humbly and devoutly. The other brothers, in accordance with the precept of the Lord Pope, promised obedience and reverence to blessed Francis in a similar way.

After receiving a blessing from the Supreme Pontiff and visiting the tombs of the Apostles, blessed Francis and the other eleven brothers were given the tonsure, as the lord cardinal had arranged, wanting all twelve of them to be clerics.^b

⁵³As he was leaving the City, the man of God, with his brothers, set out into the world, greatly surprised at how easily his desire had been granted. He was growing each day in the hope and trust of the Savior, who had earlier shown him by holy revelations what was to happen.

For before he had obtained these things, one night when he had gone to sleep, it seemed to him that he was making his way down a road beside which there was a lovely, strong and thick tree that was exceedingly high. As he approached and stood under it, marveling at its height and beauty, the holy man suddenly rose to so great a height, that he touched the top of the tree and very easily bent it even to the ground.

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ut discretus et sapiens considerabat quid sibi vellet haec visio. ⁷Sed post paucos dies, cum venisset ad eum beatus Franciscus et ei suum propositum revelasset, ut dictum est, petissetque ab eo confirmari sibi regulam quam scripserat verbis simplicibus, utens sermonibus sancti evangelii ad cuius perfectionem totaliter inhiabat, ⁸respiciens eum dominus papa ita ferventem in Dei servitio, atque conferens de visione sua et de praedicto exemplo ostenso viro Dei, coepit intra se dicere: « Vere hic est ille vir religiosus et sanctus per quem sublevabitur et sustentabitur ecclesia Dei ».

⁹Et sic amplexatus est eum et regulam quam scripserat approbavit. ¹⁰Dedit etiam sibi licentiam praedicandi ubique poenitentiam ac fratribus suis, ita tamen quod qui praedicaturi erant a beato Francisco licentiam obtinerent. ¹¹Et hoc idem postea in consistorio approbavit.

52 ¹His ergo concessis, beatus Franciscus gratias egit Deo, et genibus flexis promisit domino papae obedientiam et reverentiam humiliter et devote. ²Alii autem fratres, secundum praeceptum domini papae, beato Francisco similiter oboedientiam et reverentiam promiserunt.

³Suscepta itaque benedictione a summo pontifice et visitatis apostolorum liminibus, datisque tonsuris beato Francisco et aliis undecim fratribus sicut dictus cardinalis procuraverat, voleris omnes illos duodecim esse clericos.

53 ¹Reliquens Urbem, vir Dei cum dictis fratribus in orbem profectus est, mirans valde de suo desiderio sic facile adimpleto, crescensque quotidie in spe et fiducia salvatoris qui sanctis revelationibus suis quae gesta fuerant ei primitus demonstraverat.

²Nam antequam obtineret praedicta, quadam nocte cum se sopori dedisset, videbatur sibi quod per quamdam viam incederet iuxta quam erat arbor magnae proceritatis, pulchra, fortis et grossa. ³Cumque appropinquaret ad eam et stans sub ipsa, eius celsitudinem et pulchritudinem miraretur, subito ad tantam altitudinem devenit ipse sanctus quod cacumen arboris tangebat, eamque usque ad terram facillime inclinabat.