tightly by the neck. Constrained by such a rider and having spurned the reins of obedience, the brother was being impelled to follow the devil's reins. Go, therefore, and tell the brother to submit to the yoke of obedience without delay because he, at whose earnestness in prayer this demon left in confusion, suggests that this be done." The brother, warned by the messenger, perceived the light of truth and conceived the spirit of compunction. He fell forward on his face ^{Mt 26:39} before the vicar of the holy man, recognized that he was culpable, sought pardon, accepted and bore the discipline, and from then on humbly obeyed in all things.

Sixth Lesson

While he was secluded in a cell on Mount La Verna, one of his companions was yearning with great desire to have something of the Lord's words commented on and written with his own hand. This companion was being plagued by a serious temptation, not of the flesh but of the spirit, and he believed that by this means he would be set free from, or at least could bear more easily, the temptation. Though growing weary with such a temptation, he was in a state of anxiety because he was humble, modest, and simple. He was overcome by embarrassment and did not dare to disclose it to the venerable father. But what man did not tell him, the Spirit revealed. He ordered the brother to bring him paper and ink. And, he wrote down with his own hand the Praises of the Lord according to the brother's desire. He graciously gave the brother what he had written, and the entire temptation vanished immediately. This little note, preserved for posterity, brought healing to a great number of people. This made it clear to all how much merit before God this writer had whose writing left such efficacious power in a small leaf of paper.

Seventh Lesson

At another time, a noble woman, devoted to God, went confidently to the holy man and implored him with all her strength to intercede with the Lord on behalf of her husband, so that his hard heart might be softened by a plentiful infusion of his grace. The husband was very cruel to her and opposed her service of Christ. After listening to her, the holy and pious man confirmed her in her good intention with holy words, assured her that consolation would shortly be hers, and finally ordered her to declare to her husband on the part of God and of himself that now is the time for clemency;

 Previous

Next 

collum eius tenentem adstrictum, qui tali sessore subactus, obedientiae freno spreto, instinctus illius sequebatur habenas. ³Vade igitur et dic fratri, ut obedientiae sanctae collum sine mora submittat, cum et ille hoc suggerat fieri, ad cuius precum instantiam daemon ille confusus abscessit ». ⁴Monitus per internuntium frater, compunctionis concepto spiritu ac veritatis luce pe reepta, coram viri sancti Vicario in faciem procidit, se ipsum culpabilem recognovit, veniam petiit, disciplinam suscepit et pertulit ac deinceps per omnia humiliter obedivit.

Lectio sexta.

6 ¹Cum autem in Monte maneret Alvernae cella reclusus, unus ex sociis magno desiderio cupiebat habere de verbis Domini aliquod scriptum manu ipsius breviter adnotatum. ²Gravem enim qua vexabatur tentationem non carnis, sed spiritus, ex hoc credebat evadere vel certe levius ferre. ³Tali desiderio languens, anxiabatur interius, quia, cum esset humilis, pudoratus et simplex, verecundia victus, reverendo Patri rem pandere non audebat. ⁴Sed cui homo non dixit, Spiritus revelavit. ⁵Portari namque sibi iussit a fratre praedicto atramentum et chartam laudesque Domini iuxta fratris desiderium cum ipsius benedictione propria manu conscribens, eidem quod scripserat liberaliter obtulit, et omnis illa tentatio prorsus abscessit. ⁶Ipsa quoque litterula reservata in posterum remedia sanitatis quam plurimis contulit, ut ex hoc claresceret omnibus, quanti meriti coram Deo scriptor ipsius exstiterit, qui tantae virtutis efficaciam in schedula conseripta reliquit.

Lectio septima.

7 ¹Alio quoque tempore mulier quaedam nobilis, Deo devota, virum sanctum fiducialiter adieus, postulabat obnixe, ut pro viro suo sibi valde crudeli, quem adversarium patiebatur in servitio Christi, apud Dominum intercedere vellet, quod ipsius cor durum larga suae gratiae infusione molliret. ²Quo audito, vir sacer et pius sacris eam in bono roboravit eloquiis, consolationem, quam optabat sibi de proximo affuturam asseruit ³finaliterque mandavit, quod viro illi ex parte Dei denuntiaret et sui, nunc tempus esse clementiae,