4. Fraternal hospitality 5. Abstinence 6. Poverty in clothing 7. Tribulations 8. Different opinions about the Capuchins

(4) When Friars on a journey arrived at a little friary, when the Friars there could see them in the distance, they all came out of the house and cried out in a loud voice and the others answered and they met with great happiness. They embraced and kissed one another happily. The arrival of those brothers of theirs produced so much joy in the heart of these servants of God that for three days they could not do enough to show them every charity. They spoke of nothing but the Congregation and reported on how God was making it prosper. Together they burned with an incredible desire to observe the Rule perfectly and to willingly suffer every evil for the sake of Christ. When their brothers departed they accompanied them some distance and they felt that their hearts would break. And when a Friar left the Congregation they were filled with sorrow and they prayed for him continuously for many days. When one of them fell ill the Guardian was the first to serve him. All those true servants of God served the sick brothers with such tenderness and charity that no one has ever seen a mother as affectionate and loving. Such was their joy on finding that simplicity and charity in each other that even though they suffered severely, they nonetheless loved one another so tenderly that they would have preferred death rather than to leave off that holy converse. If one left the Congregation because of a temptation from the devil, every time he remembered that affection of those servants of God, he was compelled to weep. He never settled until he returned. IN their harsh suffering, their loving converse delighted those servants of God more than the good food, shoes and comfortable clothing of the other Orders.

(5) Often, when they had little bread, they offered it to one another and said, “You are bigger and need more food. A crust is enough for me but not for you need more.” The other one answered, “I am young and can suffer better.” Often in this holy contest those crust were left because no one wanted them since each preferred that his neighbour ate them.

Often they all ate together out of joy from one big plate. Ordinarily they cooked some bread, legumes and some the vegetables. Sometimes that minestra lasted three or four days since most of them fasted on bread and water. When they were not fasting they might welcome some plain meat, either beef or something else. However they never received chicken or other birds. They never roasted or fried. Nor did they want frying pans in their friaries. A small jug of oil would have been enough to last eight Friars a fortnight, especially if they were using it in fresh salads. In some houses they never saw meat for three or four months. In some houses where they had it, no Friar wanted to be there if they had meat just once a week. They all took such delight in eating poorly that they always desired houses where there was nothing else but bread and fruit.

They put watered down wine on the table that tasted more like sweetened water than wine.

They rarely ate in the evening, and then only a few of them did that. They often remembered the Friars at Our Lady of the Angels who, after the death of Father Saint Francis, went more than one hundred days during which they usually never ate in the evening. They always ate on the floor. When they wanted to have a meal a basket of crusts was passed around. Who ever wanted some of it took some and drank. Many of those servants of God observed this rule.

(6) As for clothing almost all the Congregation dressed in a certain rough cloth made from natural wool. It is called arbascio. It is the poorest cloth there is. When they couldn’t find any of this arbascio they used the same cloth as the farmers. However since the wool is very fine in the Provinces of the Marches, Saint Francis and Tuscany no one wanted any of that cloth because they felt it was too fine. However, when they had no choice they covered the cloth with patches, especially of sackcloth.

Unless some one was weak or old they went barefoot in summer. However during winter they wore sandals usually made from pieces of leather that they found along the roads or begged from shops and then tied together. The majority went barefoot also during winter and with one habit patched inside and out as our Father says in the Testament. A few wore the mantle except on when travelling. Some wore one habit for twelve or fourteen years and always maintained it with patches.

(7) Meanwhile since those servants of God were unknown, they suffered many grave things in their travels since they often had to lodge under trees or in caves since the seculars, who did not know them, thought they were rascals and men up to no good.

Once the holy man Brother Peter of Pontremoli and Brother Louis of Capranica from the Province of the Marches were going to Rome. Near a castle called Colfiorito in the mountains of Foligno a wicked man drew his sword and hit these poor fellows from behind. He persecuted them for more than three miles hitting them now and again with the flat of his sword. When a woman said to him, “Why are you hurting these poor fellows?” he answered, “You won’t speak that way when they take your chickens and rob your house. They are scoundrels and thieves who do nothing but harm. However, allow me to purify them a little.” When the holy man told this story in the friary in Foligno he was so glad that God had made them worthy to suffer something for his love that every time he mentioned it he laughed.

Once the same Brother Louis of Capranica was at Terani with a lay companion of his, the lay friar Brother Benedict. At the entrance to the Valley Strettura they found a by on the road. Frightened, he began to cry. When they heard this many people came running and one of them hit them with a stick many times. He said, “Thieves! Thieves! They want to rob this boy.” Later when he came to friary in Narni where I was in the fraternity with them, they told what had happened and gave thanks to God who had given them grace to suffer for love of Him.

Another time the lay Friar Brother Benedict of Brescia was with his companion when they happened to be in the mountains of Cascia were they were captured as spies. Led into the palace they stripped them in order to whip them with rope after having kept them in prison for some days. However when they stripped them they found that they were wearing a harsh hair shirt against their skin. Struck with remorse they said, “These are not spies but real servants of God.” And so they let them go.

When women and children saw the Friars they used to run away frightened. Sometimes they threw stones or threw mud or filth on them. When they came together they would tell joyfully of the things that they had suffered for the love of Christ. When they entered the towns there was such a concourse of children who gave them trouble that the poor fellows could not appear anywhere. Now one would give them accommodation. So they were forced to stay in stables or wherever they could.

(8) They were always pale in the face. I often hear it said, “It is obvious that these do harsh penance because they are all pale and feeble.” They replied and said, “Who do you think these Friars are?! In the world they were all great men, soldiers and captains, assassins and murderers who have been reduced to this penance. May God give them perseverance? There was no more desperate life in the world in the world. They are all exhausted under their labours and they eat only a little bread and water, and then with effort. They are predestined for eternal life because God has converted them because he wants them to be saved.”

Popular opinions about these servants of God were vane. They caused such amazement that when they began to be seen more often, they all ran to see them. Stunned, they stood in silence.