Saint ifrancis o£ ^nninu 43 



Ipcak againft us, then, O Brother Leo, mayft 

 thou write, herein Hcs perfe6t bhfs. And 

 if we fliall perfevere our knocking, and he 

 Ihall come forth in his wrath and drive us 

 thence as rafcals, with ftripes and reviUngs, 

 faying, * Get you hence, vileft thieves, get 

 you to the hofpital, for here you fliall not 

 abide, neither fhall you eat, — if we fhall 

 endure the fame meekly and with rejoic- 

 ing and love, O Brother Leo, then mayft 

 thou write that herein lies perfedl blifs. 

 And if we, urged by hunger and cold and 

 by the darknefs, fliall ftill perfifh our knock- 

 ing and fliall cry aloud and entreat him for 

 the love of God with much weeping and 

 wailing that he will open and let us in, 

 and he, fcandalized yet more, fliall fay, 

 * Thefe are importunate knaves, I will 

 chaftife them as is meet ; and fhall come 

 forth with a knotty ftaff, and fliall feize us 

 by the hair of the head and caft us to the 

 ground, and roll us in the fnow, and beat 

 us knot by knot with that fame ftaff, — if 

 all thefe things patiently and cheerfully we 

 do endure, thinking upon the fufferings of 

 the bleffed Chrift, which greatly are we 

 bounden to fuffer for His fake, O Brother 

 Leo, then mayft thou write that herein and 



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