How Father John of Fano, with the local authority, attacked Padre Ludovico at night in the church of Cingoli

141 John of Fano gives chase to Padre Ludovico 142 Padre Ludovico commend himself fervently to the Lord 143 An inspired strategy by which he frees himself from the Minister 144 The truth of this account

(141) Obviously, to have to wait for something longed for can truly vex a person. This was the case with the Scribes and Pharisees. They wanted to rid the Son of God from the face of the earth and so thought of nothing else. When the time drew near for the Saviour of the world to die on the Cross, the high priest with the old scribes and Pharisees anxiously convened the whole council to discuss among themselves how they could get their hands him by deceitful means. Caiphas, who thirsted most for the Lord’s death, said that none of them understood. Therefore they did not decide to have the Messiah die and and did not understand how it was expedient for them that one should die and not everyone perish.

In the same way Father John was very anxious to get rid of the problem of Fra Ludovico. When he heard that they were still fugitives in the mountains and forests of Cingoli and that at night they retired to an abandoned church and slept there in a little hovel beside church. So the Minister decided to go there at night with the local authority. Once apprehended he would take them bound to the friary of Cingoli and imprison them there. He thought how the Scriptures say I will strike the shepherd and scatter the sheep, and that once Fra Ludovico was taken all the others would disband. He collected and gathered together many young and like-minded Friars of his Order as well as a company of guards, according to the provisions of the Brief. With these Friars and the company of guards he went in person to where Fra Ludovico was. It was about midnight. However the kind God did want to fail the poor Capuchins. Instead, He wanted to thwart the fury of the Minister. For truly just as Fra Giovanni wanted to act against charity, so the Lord God wanted Padre Fra Ludovico to pull a fast one over him. The Lord our God gave Fra Ludovico courage and nous to escape from their hands by means of holy cunning and prank.

(142) Like lions the armed guards and those Friars set out. Even the friars were armed with solid clubs. As it pleased the Lord God a good secular informed Fra Ludovico that there, not far from the church where Fra Ludovico was staying, he had seen many guards and Friars who were coming straight for them them to take them. The farmer said, “Run quickly because they are just over there, not far away!” When he heard this Fra Ludovico was very worried and didn’t know what to do. He was afraid to stay there because he had already experienced the fury of the Minister. To run away was also terrifying, for fear of falling down some precipice or of falling into an ambush with his adversaries. With many tears he commended himself to God who wanted in this moment and very difficult situation to free him from the jaws of the lion. He said, “You know, my Lord, that my prupose is nothing other than the true observance of the Rule and love for your Majesty.” That prayer was heard immediately and immediately reached the ears of God.

(143) In a flash God gave him the heart of a lion and the bright idea to play a trick on the adversaries. He believed they deserved it. In that extreme situation he thought that every other option to escape from the adversaries would be futile. So the first thing he did was to lock the entrance of the house and the windows. He lit a good fire and lit candles everywhere in the house so that from the outside it looked as though there were many lights inside. Then he took up a pruning saw and some pruning knives that were there. He gave other iron tools to his brother to hold. They remained silent and were listening carefully for the arrival of the commander of the guards with his company. From the loud noise they made with their feet Fra Ludovico knew that the crowd was there near his dwelling. Istantly Fra Ludovico and his brother began to make a din in the house. They scraped the iron tools along the floor and walls of the house to sound as though an army of well armed soldiers was there inside. They changed their voices to sound as though there were a large crowd. They banged the ironware as usually happens if many soldiers engage and their weapons strike each other. One moment Fra Ludovico spoke with his own voice. Then suddenly he would answer in a voice other than his own. He did other voices too. Sometimes he made himself heard at one of the windows to sound as though he was giving orders to three or four persons. He even gave them names. He said, “Stand your ground and guard this window and make sure no one enters.” He immediately replied sounding like someone else. He said, “Do not worry Father. I promise you that with this pruning saw I will lop the head of the first one who comes near.” Then it sounded as though someone else added, “And I promise that this sword I will run through whoever comes. Then in his own voice Fra Ludovico seemed to beg them not to do any harm. Then immediately from another part of the house another voice was heard to post the guards, saying, “You stay here.” At the door, however, was the loudest scuffle. He made enough tumult as if ten or twelve soldiers guarded the doorway. With his own voice Fra Ludovico begged them to guard the door well and not to open it for anyone. Then he answered himself with the loud voice of an angry man and sounded like the leader of all the others. He said, “Father, attend to your own matters. For I have brought here many friends who are determined to risk their own lives for you and for me. Now with this respect and piety of yours you want us to let ourselves be scorned by four miserable friars and as many good-for-nothing guards. I swear to you that we are all determined to cut them to pieces tonight. And they want the leader, who is the cause of all these evils, to be the first to die. Fra Ludovico replied with is own voice, “Marco, for the love of God don’t do it. Let no harm be done. It is enough just to defend ourselves.” Marco answered, “Father, attend to your own matters. I will not be shamed.” Then straightaway he went around different parts of the house scraping the iron tools along the walls in such a way that the Minister who was outside with the guards considered the words said inside very attentively and his heart shuddered. Nonetheless to show himself brave he encouraged the guards saying, “Let us advance and let us not worry.” He tried to urge the guards to advance. he said to them, “It is right that you go first because you are armed and that is your job.” The guards answered, “Go yourself. We don’t want to place ourselves in this danger.”

So such a great terror came upon those Friars who were with the Minister that the ground couldn’t hold them up. Therefore they began to beg the Minister to abandon the venture and go back. They said, “We will scandalise the whole world.” Then the barigello, who was a prudent man, turned to the Minister and said, “Father, if this were an something important so as to capture wrong-doers and result in the greater honour of God and public order, I would risk my life with these men, the moreso if it were a mission from my superiors. Then for the sake of justice we would have to carry it out. As I am a minister of justice and I would not let it be. However I am sure that if we go we will have to kill and that some of us will be killed. But because this is a petty thing, nothing but an argument between you Religious, there is no justification to spill blood. This is a undertaking worthy of you because you are Religious. Therefore it seems to me that we let the matter go. All the other Fathers, whom the ground couldn’t hold up for fear, replied, “That is true Father Minister. It is not right for us to spill blood. And you know that Fra Ludovico was a soldier and you know about his courage.”

When Fra Ludovico heard no one approach the house he knew they were frightened. He did one last thing to send them all away. He went to the door and with different voices showed that the Captain inside wanted to come out. Fra Ludovico begged ‘Marco’ not to go out, but Marco answered him, “No more words. We want to see an outcome. These guards are going too far.” Then with an angry voice he said, “You wretched friars have gone too far!” Then pretending to open the door Marco urged Fra Padre Ludovico to mind his own business. In an angry tone he said, “Father, stand back. We other brothers will rush out because a question of honour is at stake here.” When the guards and Friars heard those determined men finally resolve to come out, they decided to retreat and made off with great haste. And blessed the one who could be the first to escape.

So it pleased the Divine Majesty that this holy ruse throw their pride and cunning into confusion. When morning came Fra Ludovico left that house in case they returned. With great humility they were grateful to God for this good fortune. He had freed them with that ploy. They truly believed that had they fallen into the hands of their adversaries the poor little barque of Francis would have come to great harm. This was because Fra Ludovico, who helped the Congregation so much, could have expected not to see the sun again for many months. Though the Lord God didn’t lack other instruments with which to advance the Reform so that it would never be separated from His will, the adversaries were so vigorous that it would never possible to see an end to it. Therefore it pleased His Majesty even to use such ploys in the service of the poor Congregation of Capuchins.

(144) Hence let no one ever think this is just a fable for not long after this happened I heard the story with my own ears from the lips of the holy Fra Ludovico of Foligno though not in precise order. When Padre Fra Giovanni da Fano came to our Congregation Padre Fra Ludovico Fossombrone received him in the friary of Saint Euphemia. One day for a little recreation, with many Fathers present, he spoke about this trick he played on Padre Fra Giovanni. And that good Father testified that everything he said was true. He said that he really thought that there was an army in that house. To praise Fra Ludovico’s ingenuity he said of himself, “I was always certain that inside there were about fifty farmers, friends of Padre Fra Ludovico. He knew how to do the different voices so well that it wasn’t possible to tell.” Fra Ludovico answered, “Do you know that I never told this story until telling it to you now. I do so not so that you might see it soley as a ruse, but that it may have been God’s providence so that you would not have committed the grave sin of having me die in jail. This was not because of any merits on my part, but it was by the grace of God and because of the merits of the Congregation that God freed me miraculously from your hands.” Fra Giovanni humbly thanked God, and affirmed the truth of everything that Padre Ludovico was saying.