of food from the charitable, for his 

 maintenance. In this way, in the 

 courfe of two years he reftored three 

 churches and gained twelve difciples, 

 the iirft being Bernard of Quintavalle. 

 The ftory of their converlion and final 

 formation into the Order of Friars 

 Minor, Gray Friars, or Francifcan 

 Monks, is told in the " Little Flowers " 

 which follow. Within eleven years 

 thefe twelve grew to more than five 

 thoufand. They were vowed to ab- 

 je61: poverty, owning abfolutely noth- 

 ing, thus differing from the other 

 ecclefiaftical bodies then in exiHence. 

 Francis next founded the Order of 

 Poor Ladies, afterwards known as the 

 Poor Clares, in honor of their firft ab- 

 befs, Clara Sciffi, a beautiful heirefs, 

 who left her home at the age of fifteen 

 to enter upon a religious life. Later 

 flill the third Order was eflablifhed, 

 which was open to men and women 

 alike, and meant for thofe who lived 

 in the world. Thefe three Orders 

 fpread rapidly throughout the globe, 



