42 ^J0 ILittlc iFlototrs of 



herein lies not perfe6l blifs." And this dif- 

 courfe enduring for full two miles, Brother 

 Leo with amazement aiked him, faying, 

 " Father, I pray thee, for God's fake, that 

 thou wilt tell me where may perfe6l blifs 

 be found ? " And Saint Francis made 

 anfwer thus : " When we fhall have come 

 unto St. Mary of the Angels, dripping 

 with rain and frozen with cold and be- 

 fpattered with mud and tormented fore 

 with hunger, and fhall knock at the door 

 of that place, and the porter fliall look 

 forth in wrath, and fliall fay, ' Who are 

 ye ? ' and we fhall fay, * We be two of your 

 Brethren ; ' and he fhall fay, ' You fpeak 

 not truly ; forfooth you are two ribald 

 knaves who go about deceiving folk and 

 ftealing alms from the poor, get you gone!' 

 and he fhall not open unto us, and fhall 

 leave us ftanding without in the fnow and 

 the wet with cold and hunger even till 

 the fall of night ; then if we fhall patiently 

 endure fuch great injuftice and cruelty and 

 villanous rebuffs without peevifhnefs or 

 turbulence, murmuring not againft him, 

 and fhall think humbly and charitably that 

 verily that doorkeeper reads us aright, that 

 our Lord hath bade him revile us and 



fpeak 



