Now some twenty years after the conversion of Francis, it came to pass that he left the Valley of Spoleto, where he had dwelt of late, and journeyed with Brother Leo into Romagna. And on the way thither they passed by the foot of a great castle, where, at that time, a wedding festival was being held.
Amongst the nobles there present was one Orlando, a great and wealthy gentleman of Tuscany, who had heard of the fame of Francis, and was eager to see him and hear him preach.
Now Francis, when he saw that gay crowd, was well pleased, for he loved to see people merry and happy; and all the time he longed to turn their souls to God. So he entered into the courtyard and mingled for a time among the courtiers and gentlemen; but presently, moved by the spirit of God, and mindful of the custom of the travelling minstrels of that day, he mounted upon a parapet and began to sing these words, which forthwith became the text of his sermon:
"A joy to me is every pain,
For I await a greater gain."
And as he preached to them the people, one and all, listened as though to an angel of God.
Amongst these listeners was Orlando, who was so moved by his words that he came to Francis, and, taking him apart, said:
"O, Father, I would converse with thee about the salvation of my soul."
To which Francis answered:
"Most willingly, my son; but first go and do honour to thy friends who have invited thee to the feast, and dine with them; and after the banquet we will talk as much as thou wilt"
And this was done; and, because of the gratitude of Orlando for all that Francis did for the salvation of his soul, he gave to the saint a solitary place called Mount Alvemia, in Tuscany, where he and his companions might retire in perfect solitude, when they wished to be alone with God. The spot was very high and bare and lonely; and there they made cells for the brethren with branches of fir-trees from the slopes below.
Now when Lent was come, Francis and three of the Brothers set out on the long journey to Mount Alvernia; and since Francis was at that time very feeble of body, the brothers went to a poor peasant and begged him for the love of God to lend his ass for Brother Francis, who could not go on foot. So the man lent his ass and helped him to mount, and, as they went upon their journey, the peasant walked behind him.
Now when they had gone some way, the peasant said to Francis: "Tell me, art thou Brother Francis of Assisi?"
And Francis answered "Yes."
"Try then," said the peasant, "to be as good as all think thee to be, because many have great faith in thee; and, therefore, I would that thou be nothing less than people hope of thee."
Now there be some who would have been angry at those words, saying: "How coarse and ignorant is he who thus admonishes me!"
But Francis, when he heard him, quickly dismounted and threw himself on the ground and knelt before the man and kissed his feet, thanking him humbly for his warning.
Then the peasant and his companions replaced him on the ass, and they went on their way.
Now the sun was very hot, the dust of the wayside very plentiful, and the road very steep; and soon there came upon Francis such a terrible thirst that he cried out:
"Woe is me, how I pant for thirst! If I do not get some water I shall surely die."
Thus saying, he dismounted and knelt by the wayside in prayer, with his hands lifted up to Heaven. Then, turning to the peasant, he said: "Run quickly to yonder stone and thou shalt find there living water which Christ in His mercy hath made to flow forth for our necessity."
And it was as he had said.
Now when they approached the slopes of Mount Alvernia there came out of the trees hard by a multitude of little birds, which, with singing and beating of their wings, showed the greatest joy and gladness, and surrounded Francis in such a manner that some perched on his head, some on his shoulder, some on his arms and legs, and some round about his feet.
And Francis, seeing this, was very joyful in spirit, and said to his companions:
"I believe, most beloved Brothers, that it pleases Our Lord Jesus Christ that we should inhabit this solitary mountain, because so much joy is shown at our arrival by our little sisters and brothers the birds."
And so they came to the place that their brothers had chosen for them beforehand.
- text taken from A Little Book of Saint Francis and His Brethren, by Ethel Mary Wilmot-Buxton