Produced by Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Transcriber's Note: Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. The Story of Assisi "Between Tupino, and the wave that falls From blest Ubaldo's chosen hill, there hangs Rich slope of mountain high, whence heat and cold Are wafted through Perugia's eastern gate: And Nocera with Gualdo, in its rear, Mourn for their heavy yoke. Upon that side, Where it doth break its steepness most, arose A sun upon the world, as duly this From Ganges doth: therefore let none who speak Of that place, say Ascesi; for its name Were lamely so deliver'd; but the East, To call things rightly, be it henceforth styled." DANTE, _Paradiso_, xi. (Cary's translation). [Illustration: _P. Lunghi. Photo._ _Statue of St. Francis._ _by Andrea della Robbia in Sta. Maria degli Angeli._] The Story of Assisi by Lina Duff Gordon Illustrated by Nelly Erichsen and M. Helen James London: J. M. Dent & Co. Aldine House, 29 and 30 Bedford Street Covent Garden, W.C. 1901 _First Edition, December 1900_ _Second Edition, October 1901_ _All rights reserved_ _To Margaret Vaughan_ _this small book is affectionately dedicated in remembrance of days spent together in the Umbrian country_ NOTE My sincerest thanks are due to my aunt Mrs Ross, to Mrs Vaughan, Dr E. Percival Wright, M. Paul Sabatier, Mr Sidney Colvin, Sir William Markby and Mr Pearsall Smith, for the help rendered me in various ways during the writing of this book. I wish further to acknowledge the kindness of Mr Roger Fry who allowed me to quote from his lectures on Art delivered this year in London, before they were published in the _New Monthly Review_; and also the generous permission of Mr Anderson (Rome), and Signor Lunghi (Assisi), for allowing me to use their photographs. For the loan of old Italian books I am indebted to Cav. Bruschi, Librarian of the Marucelliana at Florence, to Professor Bellucci, Professor of the University of Perugia, and to Signor Rossi, proprietor of the Hotel Subasio at Assisi, whose intimate knowledge of his native town has been of great service to me. L. D. G. POGGIO GHERARDO, FLORENCE, _October 1900_. CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE _War and Strife_ 1 CHAPTER II _The Umbrian Prophet_ 39 CHAPTER III _The Carceri, Rivo-Torto and Life at the Portiuncula_ 81 CHAPTER IV