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S. Francis

place in heaven, wherein he saw, among other seats, a right noble seat, shining of more noble glory than all the others. And as he marvelled for whom this noble seat was kept, he heard that it was said that this seat belonged sometime to one of the princes that fell, and is now made ready to the meek and humble Francis. And when S. Francis issued from his prayers, that friar demanded him: 'Father, what weenest thou of thyself? ' And he said: 'I ween that I am greatest of all sinners.' And anon the spirit came into the heart of the friar and said: 'Behold what was the vision that thou sawest, for humility shall lift up the most meek man unto the seat lost by pride.'

This holy man S. Francis saw in a vision above him a seraphin crucified, the which emprinted in him the signs of his crucifying, that him seemed that he was crucified, and that in his hands, his feet and in his side him seemed were the sign of the wounds of the crucifying. But he did hide these tokens as much as he might, that no man should see them. And yet nevertheless some saw them in his life, and at his death they were seen of many, and were showed by many miracles that those signs were true. Of which miracles twain shall suffice for to be set here. There was a man named Rogier, and was in Apulia tofore the image of S. Francis, and began to think and say: 'May this be true that this man was so ennobled by such miracle, or was this an illusion or an invention dissimuled of his brethern the friars?' And as he thought this, he heard suddenly a sound like as a quarel had been shot out of an arbalaste or a crossbow, and he felt him grievously hurt in his left hand,