82 WORKMEN AND HEROES the misspcm years of youth and to direct him in the right way. lieie he had a vision of Jesus Christ nailed to the cross. It is probably impossible to prove a vision ; but that this one was real to Francis, at least, we may judge by its effects. Thenceforth he devoted himself to a pious life of marvellous self-abnegation. See- ing the change that had come upon him, his former friends fell away ; but he, undisturbed, went on performing works of charity ; making gifts of money, food, and even his own clothes to the poor. Again a voice spoke to him, from the crucifix of the dilapidated old church of St. Damien : " Francis, go and repair my house, which you see falling into ruins ! " The y.oung ascetic obeyed literally, and, passing through the streets, begged from all whom he met a stone or two to help rebuild the old church. Bernardone had been absent several months on one of his business trips ; but his home-coming, this time, was not so pleasing to him as when his boy had been born. For, seeing the young man's complete transfor- mation, all his selfish love of him turned into rage. He imprisoned him for a while in his own house ; but Pica, recognizing that it was useless to oppose her son's religious vocation finally set him free, and Francis took refuge in St Damien's church. His father pursued him there, and brought before the Bishop of Assisi a complaint against him, demanding that he should give up all the money in his hands. Francis not only surrendered his money, but stripped off his clothing and gave it to his father, saying : " Until now I have called Peter Bernardone my father. Henceforth I can boldly say, ' Our Father, who art in heaven,' in whom I have placed all my treasures and my hopes. " The bishop covered him with his mantle and held him clasped in his arms^ until the by-standers brought Francis the cloak of a poor peasant. " Oh, what a grand bankrupt this merchant becomes to-day ! " Bossuet wrote of him, long afterward. " Oh man worthy of being written in the book of the evangelical poor, and henceforward living on the capital of Providence!" From that time Francis wore mendicant's garb and begged his food in the streets. What did he accomplish by all this? To begin with, he succeeded in rebuild- ing three churches. But his influence was destined to be much more far-reaching than that, and of a very different nature. One day, while he was supplicating in church, his brother Angelo passed near him, and said to a friend, scoffingly : "Go, ask him to sell you some drops of his sweat." " No," said Francis ; " I shall not sell my sweat to men. I shall sell it at a higher price, to God." He gave his sweat, his toil, his sufferings, and his renunciation to God, in exchange for the regeneration of men in a corrupt age. All Europe, at that time the whole civilized world, was suffering. The mass of the people were the poor, who were in deep distress, ground down by the pride and oppressions of the barons and the rich. The country was devastated by wars, large and small. The emperors of Germany were trying to establish their dominion over Italy and to control the Pope. The Church itself, after emerging from an heroic struggle with centuries of barbarism, had been obliged to accept and use the feudal system as a means of self-defence ; and now the wrongs, the injustices, the selfishness of feudal society were beginning to exer-
