How Brother John of Fano complained to the Duke of Camerino

179 John of Fano in conversation with the Duke of Camerino 180 Discussion with the Capuchins 181 Their triumph 182 John of Fano seeks the intervention of the Court Procurator

(179) When Padre Fra Giovanni heard that Fra Ludovico had obtained a Brief from His Beatitude to be able to receive Friars and build friaries he was very upset. He was even more disturbed when he heard that Fra Ludovico had received many of his Friars. For when it became known that Fra Ludovico had obtained that Brief, many Friars who desired Reform left the Order and he received them. Angry, Fra Giovanni then went personally to see the Duke of Camerino. His Excellency gave him the opportunity to tell him his story. Fra Giovanni said to him, “My Lord, you have always been like a father to our Order. You House has always been open to us and very ready and prepared to come to our aid in all our needs. As you know this was the happy tradition of your father and your mother. However I am not speaking about you because to this day you have not let them down. Rather, if anything, Your Lordship has surpassed everyone. But now it seems as though you have cooled. I am not talking about alms, for without fail we continue to receive from your House the usual and more. But there is just one thing which grieves us and all my Order sorrow very much. Your Lordship has taken to supporting certain ones who have put our whole Order into disarray. If we do not defend ourselves and if Your Lordship does not help us they will be a very powerful cause in ruining our Order. Your Lordship will be held to account before God if you do not help us or at least not continue to support these persons.

On hearing these words the Duke was dumbstruck. He did not know whom Fra Giovanni was taking about. This happened because His Lordship involved himself little in these matters but left it all to his consort, the Duchess, to do. Quite astonished about this therefore he replied, “Father, I don’t know whom you are talking about. May the Lord God watch over me so that I may never have to be the cause of the ruin of the Order. I would rather suffer every evil in person rather than willingly offend the Lord. Perhaps I did what you have said in my ignorance, and while thinking I was doing good, I was doing wrong.” Fra Giovanni answered, “I have never had any other opinion of Your Lordship than this.” Turning to his companion he said to him, “Haven’t I said to you many times that His Lordship does not know these persons and supports them thinking he is doing the right thing.” “Know, my Lord, that those Friars whom you have in your palace will be the cause of this evil.”

The Duke turned to certain personages whom he had around and said to them, “Who is this Father speaking about now? Does he mean the Anchorites whom we have in the palace?” Those noblemen answered him, “We think he can’t be speaking about anyone else.” The Duke said this because that is what he called the poor Capuchins, ‘the Anchorites.’ He kept them in the palace in good faith, knowing that they had a Brief from His Holiness to be able to live that way. And He liked to hear their Masses and Offices which they said so devoutly and slowly in a chapel which he had in the palace. Out of his devotion he heard the Masses of those poor fellows every morning.

Padre Fra Giovanni said that those Friars had left his Order and in their fancy wore the pointed cowl on their heads and had apostatised from the Order. The Duke replied, “Father, I know nothing of what you are speaking about. More than this I have not been informed of your differences. They shall be called. They can speak for themselves.” He sent a servant for them and had them come into the presence of the Duke and of Fra Giovanni and all those gentlemen. When four of them appeared they looked like exhumed corpses because the poor, barefoot fellows were dressed in their coarse habits, and the many hardships they suffered and their harsh fasts made their faces pale and wan.

(180) When these four poor fellows came before this court His Excellency the Duke inidcated to Padre Fra Giovanni to speak to them and say to them with every confidence whatever he wanted. With great fury he began to speak. “You wretches, you are outside the Order! You could have stayed in friaries to praise God. Now you are in the palaces of princes. I would like to learn from you what moved you to such madness! If you wanted to do penance and observe the Rule, who stopped you there? Now get up. I have come to carry out the office of a good father and implore you to come back with me and be at peace in our friaries and with our brothers. And I in the presence of His Excellency promise you every kindness. Nor am I seeking anything else for you than the salvation of your souls. Return then. You will not receive any penance and you will please His Lordship in doing so.”

When Padre Fra Giovanni had finished, the Duke turned to the Friars and said to them, “Answer, Fathers.” So then, one of them, the one who appeared to be the most wan palest of all spoke. “Illustrious Lord I will not speak at length.” He put his hands in his tunic and took out the Rule. In a flash he blushed brightly and spoke with the greatest fervour. “My very dear Father, because you asked what has moved us to leave you. Know that to us it seems that there is no better way to answer you than with this.” He began to read the Rule, not everything from the beginning, but just the precepts of the Rule. He said, “These have moved us to leave you because we have promised them to God. They are precepts of the Rule which oblige us under pain of mortal sin. In your midst we could not observe them. How much you observe them or how much they are observed in the Order I shall not say. I leave all that to your conscience, especially the precept of poverty in clothing, food, dwellings – with so many stores of grain and wine, etc., which are against poverty. As for recourse to money, I shall not speak about that. Therefore this has moved us, my dear Father. And we are prepared to die for the observance of our profession. If we are here in the palace of His Excellency, we are here in the observance of our profession.”

(181) The Duke then turned to him and said, “Forgive me Reverend Father. As a confirmation of what they say, and I am sure they will not take vainglory from this; I have never seen Religious adorned with such fine conduct, holiness and good practices as these poor fellows. Only under duress do they accept water from us and a little fire, and some times a small amount of bread. But generally they go begging through the city for what they need for the sustenance of their poor life. The poor fellows fast almost continuously and mostly on bread and water.”

At these words almost all the gentlemen present were moved to tears of compassion for those servants of God. It was amazing that Padre Fra Giovanni, such a prudent and wise man, fell silent and was so confused in his mind that he left them without a single word in reply. Pulling up his cowl he made reverence to His Lordship and took himself off straightaway. Those poor fellows all went back to the chapel. They said to each other, “Did you see how God confused him! The truth is so strong that no one can resist it. Falsehood is so weak that it is easily knocked down.” With many tears they knelt and thanked God who had spoken through their mouth and had defended them. The truth did not remain buried away in the presence of that prince and so many gentlemen. It was very important that they understand this truth and that it not be obscured by such a learned and prudent man who understood it thoroughly. Together they all said, “My Lord, now we see and are even more enlightened and clear in our minds that this is your work. May your Majesty not fail to help us. Again we promise you willingly, as much as our human frailty allows us, to never falter in the true observance of the Rule because of persecution nor any kind of suffering. If necessary we will even give our lives for love of you.”

So helped by the Holy Spirit their great desire to serve God in the new reform grew stronger. Such devotion towards them accrued in the Lord Duke. If he had helped them before, now he would have given his life and substance. This devotion spread throughout the city so that everyone was knew that the poor Capuchins were not moved to do this new thing out of indignation or impulse as some said. Rather, this was because of their zeal for the observance of their Rule. From that time, the murmuring and arguments of adversaries who said they were apostates no longer occurred.

(182) Returning to Fra Giovanni. Once he left Camerino he wrote to the Court Procurator that the Capuchin Congregation was making progress and that the Province of the Marches was all topsy-turvy. If not remedied this sect of madmen would quickly spread and grow in such numbers that it would be irreparable. The whole Order will be thrown into extreme confusion. For just as there are Friars in the Province of the Marches who want this novelty, there is no shortage in other Provinces of those who similarly pine for such a novelty. When it is understood that these have received a Brief and are supported by His Holiness they will all do the same. Therefore do not fail to do all you can to sever the head of this snake. I cannot help because Fra Ludovico da Fossombrone has obtained a Bull to establish friaries and receive Friars and it threatens excommunication to anyone who tries to stop him. If you want me to defend myself, make every effort to revoke that Brief. Otherwise we are finished. However, if you have their Brief revoked we need nothing else. That will be enough for me to bring them to an end, because (just as it is written) I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. When I have the authority to get my hands on Fra Ludovico nothing else will be necessary because the others are be like lost sheep. They will come home by themselves. But it is this hardhead who wars against us. Therefore have the Brief revoked as soon as possible. Otherwise some Friars will still jump at at the opportunity. If we do not check this hardhead it won’t be long before he obtains a Bull. So then, to do everything quickly, seek to obtain a Brief that negates the one of Fra Ludovico and forbids friars from joining him, and which gives me permission to compel the return of those who have left; and if they don’t want to, that I may use the secular arm to remove them and completely pull up this evil root.

When he heard this, the Father Procurator used all his skill to obtain a Brief. Amen.