84 ^f^t mttlt jFlotarrs oC 



commands ; and going before him, he 

 knelt down and humbly confeffed his guilt, 

 and added: "Verily God hath an efpecial 

 care for thefe poor faints, and I knew it 

 not ; and from this time forth T promife to 

 obferve the Holy Poverty of the Gofpels, 

 and I curfe in the name of God all thofe 

 Brethren of my Order who fhall within 

 that fame Order prefume to hold property." 

 Thus Saint Dominic was much edified by 

 the faith of the moft holy Francis, and by 

 the obedience to their vow of poverty dif- 

 played by fo vaft and orderly a community, 

 and by the Divine Providence and the copi- 

 ous abundance of every good thing. At 

 that fame Chapter fome faid to Saint Fran- 

 cis that many of the Friars wore inftru- 

 ments of torture next their fkin, for the 

 which thing many fell ill, and hence died, 

 and many were thus prevented from prayer. 

 At which Saint Francis, like a moft pru- 

 dent Father, by his vow of Holy Obedi- 

 ence charged every man who might wear 

 fuch inftruments of torture, to ftrip them 

 off and lay them before him, and fo it was 

 done ; and they reckoned at leaft five hun- 

 dred of one kind ; and fo many were there 

 of iron rings taken from arms and breaft, 



that 



