FRA 
tomed toll ; or hinders me from feizing the waif or eftray, 
whereby it efcapes, or is carried out of my liberty : in 
all cafes of ihis kind, and which are of a variety too ex- 
tenfive to be here enumerated, an injury is done to the 
legal owner of the franchife; his property is damnified ; 
and the profits arifing from fuch his franchife are dimi- 
nifhed. To remedy which, as the law has given no other 
writ, he is therefore entitled to fue for damages by a (pe¬ 
dal adion on the cafe: or in cafe of toll, may take a 
difirefs, if he pfeafes. ^Comm. 216, 
FRA.N'CI, the Franks, the Germans who conquered 
France, 
FRAN'CI A, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, 
and province of Calabria Ultra : eight miles north-eaft of 
Nicotera. 
FRAN'CI A (Francefco), a celebrated Bolognefe paint¬ 
er, born in 1450. He was firft a jeweller, and afterwards 
a graver of coins and medals; but applying at lad to 
painting, obtained great reputation by Itis works. He 
pined to death by defpairing to equal Raphael; and paid 
the debt of nature in 1518. 
F'RANCIGE'NA,/. In old records, a Frenchman, a 
foreigner. 
FRAN'CIS [ppancipe. Sax. frank, Teut. free.] A 
proper name of men. 
FRAN'CIS I. the patron of arts and literature ; and 
Francis II. called “ the king without vice,” were two 
illuftrious monarchs of France. See the article France, 
p. 697, and 706, of vol. vii. 
FRAN'CIS I. emperor of Germany. See the article 
Germany. 
FRANCIS OF ASSI'SI, in Italy, a faint in the Romifh 
calendar, and founder of the celebrated order of Fran. 
ctscANS, or mendicant friars, was born at AlTifi, about 
the year 1181. The name given him at his baptifm was 
John; for which that of-Francis was afterwards fubfti- 
tuted, either becaufe of his father’s commercial connec¬ 
tions with France, or from his own facility in fpeaking 
the language of that country. As his father was a mer¬ 
chant, Francis was brought up to the fame profedion, 
which he followed till the year ijo6, leading for fome 
time a mod dillblute life. Upon his recovery from a fe- 
vere fit of ficknefs, the confequence of his licentious con- 
duft, he changed his mode of living, refolved to retire 
from the world, and to praftife the mod audere and rigid 
devotion. He fecluded himfelf fo much from fociety, 
and mortified himfelf to fuch a degree, that he contradted 
a ghadly countenance, which led the inhabitants of Affili 
to fufpeft him of being didraided. His father now enter¬ 
tained thoughts of obliging him to refume the bufinefs 
to which he had been educated ; and when perluafion and 
parental commands produced no effect, he adopted the 
fevere alternative of throwing him into prifon. When, 
however', he found that no means could produc-e any im- 
preflion on his fon’s mind, he cairied him before the 
bifhop of the place, to make him refign all claim to his 
paternal edate. Francis readily complied with his fatiier’s 
widies on this point, and dripped Idmfelf of all his 
clothing, even to his fhirt, that he riiight be better able 
to repeat, he faid, “ Our Father who art in heaven!” 
Sometime after this, in the year 1208, he hapjrened to be 
in a church, where he heard this pall'age read from the 
gofpel of St. Matthew : “ Provide ne'tlier gold, nor di¬ 
ver, nor brafs in your purfes, nor fcrip for your journey ; 
neither two coats, neither fhoes, nor yet itaves; for the 
workman is-worthy of his meat.” “That,” he exclaimed, 
“ is the life I wild for;” and he threw allde his flioes, his 
wallet, his daff, and the little money he had, keeping 
only one poor coat, with a cowl, fuch as the diepherds 
in Italy then wore, girded about with a knotted cord. 
He now confidered a voluntary poverty to be the elfence 
of the gofpel, and the foul of religion, and refolved hence- 
forwards driftly to follow it, and to employ himfelf in 
recommending it to others. Front this time he com¬ 
menced preacher, and, having foon attracted a number 
FRA 3 
of followers, he formed the defign of founding a new order 
of mendicant friars. 
He fird drew up an inditute, or colleclion of rules for 
the difcipline of the prcpofed fraternity, according to 
which the members were not only to t.tke the cudomary 
monadic vows of obedience, cliadity, and poverty, but 
were to remain entirely deditu.te of all fixed revenues and 
podedions ; to fupport themfelves by the free contribu- 
tions of the faithful ; and on no occafion to receive any 
money. Wlten he had obtained eleven difciples wh.o 
were willing to fubmit to thefe regulations, he went to 
Rome, and prefenting himfelf before pope Innocent Ill. 
entreated his confirmation of his new inditution. Tliat 
pontifi', after debating on the impraflicability of the 
fcheme, gave it his faniSlion in the year 1210, which was 
confirmed in the Lateran council held in 1215. After¬ 
wards it was folemnly confirmed by pope Honorius III. 
in 1223, when its progrefs had more than anfwered the 
rnod flattering expedfations of its founder. Francis, out 
of his great humility, would not fufi'er the monks of 
his order to be called fratres, i. e. brethren or friars, 
but fratriculi, i.e. little brethren, or friars minors, by 
which denomination they continued afterwards to be dif- 
tinguidied. The fame ol his fandfity, and theenthufiafm 
for entering into Ids order, foon produced a multitude of 
difciples, from whom colonies were Cent into the did'erent 
provinces of Italy, Spain, France, and other countries. 
So rapidly did his inftitutions increafe, that in a general 
chapter of the order held near Aflifi in 1219, more than 
five thoufand monks were prefent. In the year 1214, 
Francis had projedded a voyage into Syria, to convert the 
Mahometans to the Chriftian faith, and, after obtaining 
the pope’s permiflaon, had adhially embarked for that 
country; but was driven by a tempefl into fome port on 
the eatlern coafis of the Adriatic fea, whence he returned 
into Italy. Afterwards he (et out on a journey through 
F'rance and Spain, with the intention of palling over into 
Africa, to convert the Moors ; but was prevented by ill- 
nefs from undertaking the latter expedition. Having re¬ 
turned into Italy, after the meeting of jhe general chap¬ 
ter of his order already mentioned, he embarked on a 
voyage to the eaft, for the purpole of vifiting the holy 
fepulchre, and propagating the Chi iftian faith among the 
Saracens. In-this fcheme, as may be imagined, he met 
with no fuccefs, and was fortunate to efcape with his life, 
after attempting to perfuadethe fultan to embrace Chrif- 
tianity. He oft'ered, it is faid, to commit himfelf to the 
flames, in tefiimony of the truth of that religion for which 
he pleaded ; but the fultan would not permit him to give 
fucii a proof of tlie ardour of his zeal, though he refperted 
him for it, by fuffering him to be civilly difmiffed. 
After his return to his native country, lie employed 
himfelf in extending his inllitutions, and in forming re¬ 
gulations for new branches of his order, comprehending 
laymen, as well as female devotees. Wlien he had com¬ 
pleted his plans, he religned the gencralfliip of his order 
to one of his difciples, and withdrew to indulge in con¬ 
templation and religious aufterities, in a fulitude among 
the Appennine mountains. By the lewere dilcipliae which 
he adopted, of which repeated flagellation and faftings 
formed no inconliderable part, he brought on himfeii a 
complication of diforders, which put an end to his life at 
Aflili, in 1226, when only forty-five years of age. He was 
canonifed by pope Gregory IX. in 1230. His order rofe 
to great fplendor after the founder’s oeath, and materially 
contributed to fupport the power and influence of the 
Roman fee, by the zeal and activity w ith which the mem- 
bers employed themfelves in extirpating heretics; the va. 
rious negociaiions and embaflies undertaken by them for 
the interefts of the hierarchy ; and their inceirant labours 
to enforce an implicit obedience to the Roman pontifis. 
But the particulars relating to it belong to the province 
of the eccleliafiical hiftorian. St. Francis was the author 
of i.EpiJlol^e. 2. Oratio?ns. 'i. Rfguk: Monachh Prteferipta. 
4. ColUPliones, 5. Sennoncs, &c. which were collected to- 
1 gether 
