Another Florentine, Benozzo Gozzoli, painted this subject; there
across the Assisan valley at Montefalco we can see it. His birds are
certainly better drawn, there are more of them too, and we can even
amuse ourselves by distinguishing among them golden orioles,
blackbirds, doves and wood pigeons, but no one would hesitate to say
that real charm and poetry are missing. Giotto's fresco, painted 600
years ago, is somewhat faded and many of the birds are partly effaced,
but we do not feel it matters much what they are--we only love the
fact that St. Francis called the Umbrian birds around him and preached
them a sermon with the same care as if he had been in the presence of
a pope, and that Giotto believed the legend and took pains with his
work, intending that we also should believe and understand something
of the sweetness of this Umbrian scene.
16. _Death of the Knight of Celano._
"When the holy man came into the soldier's house all the family
rejoiced greatly to receive this poor one of the Lord. And before
he began to eat, according to his custom, the holy man offered
his usual prayers and praises to God, with his eyes raised to
heaven. When he had finished his prayer, he familiarly called his
kind host aside, and said to him: 'Behold, my host and brother,
in compliance with thy prayers I have come to eat in thy house.
But now attend to that which I say to thee, for thou shalt eat no
more here, but elsewhere. Therefore, confess thy sins with truly
penitent contrition; let nothing remain in thee unrevealed by
true confession, for the Lord will requite thee to-day for the
kindness with which thou hast received His poor servant.' The
good man believed these holy words, and disclosing all his sins
in confession to the companion of St. Francis, he set all his
house in order, making himself ready for death, and preparing
himself for it to the best of his power. They then sat down to
table, and the others began to eat, but the spirit of the host
immediately departed, according to the words of the man of God,
which foretold his sudden death."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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