The violence of his illness does not prevent him from exhorting his brethren--He is touched at the fatigue which his illness caused them-- Thanks God for the pains he suffered--Dictates a letter to Clare and her daughters--Rejoices and thanks God for his approaching death--Blesses his children--Has himself carried to S. Mary of the Angels--Blesses the town of Assisi--Informs a pious widow of his approaching death--Blesses his brethren a second time, and makes them eat a bit of bread, blessed by his hand--Gives a special blessing to Bernard, the eldest of his children--What we may presume were his dispositions in receiving the last sacraments--He stretches himself naked on the bare ground--Desires to be buried in the place of execution--Exhorts his brethren--He has the praises of God sung when at the point of death--He speaks to his children, and blesses them for the last time--Has the passion of Jesus Christ read to him--He recites the 141st psalm, and dies after the last verse--Miraculous proofs of his beatitude--State of his body after death--The Stigmata are seen and touched publicly--His obsequies--Clare and her daughters see and kiss the Stigmata--He is buried at Assisi, in the church of S. George--The circular written after his death--His canonization--The Church of S. Francis at Assisi--He is buried there--Researches are made to find the sacred body--The mission of St. Francis--The fruits of his labor. Devotion of S. Francis towards Jesus Christ crucified--To what a degree he loved poverty--How great was the austerity of his life--His humility--His obedience--His gift of prayer and contemplation--His love of God--His sentiments of filial love on the mystery of the Incarnation--On the fast of Jesus Christ in the desert--On the mystery of the Eucharist--S. Francis, in his humility, would not be made priest--His devotion towards the Mother of God--Towards the angels and saints--His charity towards his neighbor--His zeal for the salvation of souls--His affection for the poor--The affection of his heart for all creatures--The pains he took to lead his brethren to perfection--His tender charity towards his brethren--His discretion and wisdom in the government of the Order--His supernatural and acquired knowledge--The efficacy of his words--His supernatural and miraculous gifts--He drives away devils--Brings the dead to life--Heals the sick--Has the gift of prophecy and discernment of spirits--He commands animals, and is obeyed--He performs many other miraculous actions--The great honors which were paid to him--His character and appearance--In what sense he was simple THE LIFE AND LEGENDS OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI BOOK I We here offer, to the pious reflections of the faithful, the life of a man who proposed to himself to practise literally the precepts of the Gospel, to conform himself entirely to Jesus Christ crucified, and to inspire the whole world with God's love.