Saint jfrancis of ^nninu 153 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



JIow Saint Francis fet foi'th to Brother Leo a 

 fair VifiOfi which he faw. 



UPON a time Saint Francis was fore 

 infirm, and Brother Leo ferved him ; 

 the faid Brother Leo, being at prayer be- 

 fide Saint Francis, was rapt in Ecftafy, and 

 borne in fpirit to an exceeding great ftream, 

 broad and brawling. And Handing there 

 to note who fhould pafs over, he faw cer- 

 tain heavily-laden Friars enter the Flood, 

 the which were ftraightway beaten down 

 by the rulhing waters and were drowned ; 

 certain others came a third of the way 

 over ; others reached the middle of the 

 Plood ; certain others came almofb over to 

 the other fliore ; who all, from the violence 

 of the Flood, and from the burdens which 

 they bare upon their backs, fell at laft and 

 periflied miferably. Seeing this. Brother 

 Leo was much moved to pity : and fud- 

 denly ftanding thus, behold there came a 

 great multitude of Monks, without burden 

 or weight or any other thing, whofe counte- 

 nances fhone with the light of Holy Pov- 

 erty; 



