THEIR APPARENT VICTORY. 59 cortese) da Bergamo. The former, while absorbed in devotion on Mont' Alverno, the scene of St. Francis's transfiguration, had been anointed by Christ and raised to a lofty degree of spiritual insight. His reputation is illustrated by the story that while laboring with much success in Tuscany he had been summoned to Rome by Benedict XL to answer some accusations brought against him. Soon afterwards the people of Perugia sent a solemn embassy to the pope with two requests — one that Ubertino be restored to them, the other that the pope and cardinals would reside in their city — whereat Benedict smiled and said, " I see you love us but a little, since you prefer Fra Ubertino to us." He was a Joachite, moreover, who did not hesitate to characterize the abdication of Celestin as a horrible innovation, and the accession of Boniface as a usurpation. Bonagrazia was perhaps superior to his opponent in learning and not his inferior in steadfast devotion to what he deemed the truth, though Ubertino characterized him as a lay novice, skilled in the cunning tricks of the law. We shall see hereafter his readiness to endure persecution in defence of his own ideal of poverty ; and the antagonism of two such men upon the points at issue between them is the most striking illustration of the impracticable nature of the questions which raised so heated a strife and cost so much blood. * The Spirituals failed in their efforts to obtain a decree of sepa- ration which should enable them, in peace, to live according to their interpretation of the Rule, but in other respects the decision of the commission was wholly in their favor, in spite of the persist- ent effort of the Conventuals to divert attention from the real questions at issue to the assumed errors of Olivi. Clement ac- cepted the decision, and in full consistory, in presence of both parties, ordered them to live in mutual love and charity, to bury the past in oblivion, and not to insult each other for past differ- ences. Ubertino replied, " Holy Father, they call us heretics and defenders of heresy ; there are whole books full of this in your ar- chives and those of the Order. They must either allege these things
- Archiv fur L. u. K. 1887, pp. 93 sqq.— Hist. Tribulat. (Ibid. 1886, pp. 130,
132-4).— Ehrle (Ibid. 1866, pp. 366, 380).— Wadding, ann. 1310, No. 1-5.— Chron. Glassberger ann. 1310. — Ubertini de Casali Tract, de septem Statibus Ecclesiae c. iv.
