142 ^f)c ILittlr JFIoUjers of 



Saint Francis once being with the faid 

 family in a certain place difcourfing of 

 God, Brother Rufus was not among them 

 to hearken unto this difcourfe, but was loft 

 in a mufe in the midft of the wood ; pro- 

 ceeding with their difcourfe of God, lo ! 

 Brother Rufus came forth from the wood 

 and paffed by fomewhat remote from them. 

 Then Saint Francis, feeing him, turned 

 again to his Companions and afked them, 

 faying : " Tell me, whofe think you is the 

 holieft foul which God hath fent into the 

 world ? " And they made anfwer, faying 

 that they believed it to be his own. And 

 Saint Francis faid to them : " Beloved 

 Brethren, I know myfelf to be the moft 

 unworthy and the vileft man whom God 

 hath fent into this world ; but fee ye not 

 that fame Brother Rufus, who even now 

 came forth from the wood ? God hath re- 

 vealed to me that his foul is one of the 

 three moft holy fouls in the world : and 

 verily I fay unto you that I fhould not 

 hefitate to call him Saint Rufus while he 

 yet lives, forafmuch as his foul is confirmed 

 in grace and fanftified and canonized in 

 Heaven of our Lord Jefus Chrift." And 

 thefe words Saint Francis uttered not be- 

 fore 



