XXI
HOW THE BLESSED FRANCIS MADE ANSWER TO THE LADY POVERTY
And when my Lady had made an end of speaking, the Blessed Francis, with his Companions, fell upon his Face, giving Thanks to God, and said: Thy Sayings, O Lady, are well-pleasing unto us, nor in ought that thou hast said can we find any Fault. All that we have ♦3 Kings x. 6.♦ heard in our Land concerning thy Words and thy Wisdom, is most true; nay, far greater is thy Wisdom than the Fame thereof. Blessed are thy Servants and Disciples, who dwell forever with thee and hear thy Words of Wisdom. May the Lord thy God, to Whom thou wast pleasing from all Eternity, be forever blessed, Who loved thee and made thee Queen, that thou mightest execute Judgment and Mercy on thy Servants. O how good and how sweet is ♦Wisdom xii. 1.♦ thy Spirit, chastising the Erring, and admonishing Sinners. Behold, O Lady, by the Love wherewith the Eternal King did love thee, by the Love wherewith thou didst love Him, we beseech thee do not despise our petition, but deal with us according to thy Mercy ♦Wisdom xvii. 1.♦ and Loving-kindness. Great are thy Works, and beyond the Tongue of man to tell, wherefore undisciplined Souls fly from thee, for thou walkest alone in rocky Places, terrible ♦Cant. vi. 3.♦ as an Army set in Array,[26] and Fools cannot dwell with thee. But we are thy servants and ♦Ps. xcix. 2.♦ the Sheep of thy Pasture Forever, and Forever and Ever, have we sworn and ♦Ps. cxviii. 106.♦ determined to keep the Judgments of thy Justice.