File:The spell of Italy (1909) (14761182366).jpg

Identifier: spellofitaly00maso (find matches)
Title: The spell of Italy
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Mason, Caroline Atwater, 1853-1939
Subjects: Italy -- Description and travel
Publisher: Boston : L. C. Page & company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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g in complete rupturewith the family. Then on his way back to St. Damianin the mountains he fell among thieves, who askedhim who he was, and he made the famous answer, I am the herald of the Great King, but what is thatto thee? They stripped him and threw him intoa ditch, saying, * There is thy place, poor herald ofGod. From that he arose and came singing throughthe forest to a monastery; he served in its kitchen,then made his way to St. Damians. But beforereaching the chapel he visited a leper-house where hehad once come, as Sir Launfal is shown in Lowellspoem, in all the brilHant splendour of a young, con-quering knight. Now he is a beggar, naked, hungry,and outcast. In ministrations to the lepers Francisseems to have entered yet more deeply than beforeinto the fcllowsliip and mind of Christ. His rebuilding of St. Damians with stonesbegged and brought by himself is certainly a pictur-esque and touching episode. Another small ruinedshrine was on this side of Assisi, Santa Maria degli
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The Little City Vowed to God 233 Angeli, This was also restored by Francis with hisown hands and called the Portiuncula or littleportion. Tliis now becomes the very heart of theFranciscan Cult, and here most of the legends centre.We shall come in sight of this church soon, I think,as Baedeker says it stands apart from the town,near the station, I imagine that we shall care com-paratively little for the church itself, which is largeand pretentious, but much for what it encloses, — theFranciscan Holy of Holies. It was in the Portiun-cula that Francis received what Catholics call thegrace of his vocation in 1208. He entered from thattime upon the work of an apostle and establishedhis new Order. The Order of the Penitents of Assisi, Godsjongleurs they loved to call themselves, because theymade such hght-hearted pilgrimage, grew with sur-prising rapidity. Their Rule was very simple, com-posed of passages from the Gospel enjoining Poverty,Purity, and Singlemindedness. Presently, the thing

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