Page:Goldenlegendlive00jaco.djvu/249

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S. Francis
235

doubt, but he would obey and took the purse in his hands, and there sprang out anon a serpent venomous. And then S. Francis said to him: 'Money is none other thing to the servant of God but the devil, which is a serpent venomous.'

There was a friar grievously tempted, and he began to think that if he had anything written with the hand of their father S. Francis, that that temptation should be chased away anon, but he durst in no wise discover this thing. On a time S. Francis called him and said: 'Son, bring to me parchment and ink, for I will write something praising to God.' And when he had written he said: 'Take this charter and keep it unto the day of thy death diligently'; and anon all this temptation went away. And the same friar, when S. Francis lay sick, began to think: 'Our father approacheth the death, and if I might have, after his death, his coat I should be greatly comforted.' And after this the saint called him and said: 'I give to thee this my coat; if thou have thereto, after my death, plain right.' He would also that right great reverence should be done to the hands of priests, to whom was given power to sacre the blessed sacrament of our Lord. And then he said oft: 'If it happed me to meet any saint coming from heaven, and also a poor priest, I would first go kiss the priest's hands, and would say to the saint: Holy saint, abide a while, for the hands of this priest have handled the son of life, and hath performed a thing above humanity.'

He was ennobled in his life by many miracles, for the bread that was brought to him to bless gave health to many sick men. He converted the water