birds." And he went into the fields and began to preach to the birds
which sat on the ground; and straightway all the others flew down from
the trees and flocked round him, and did not fly away until he had
blessed them; and when he touched them, they did not move. And these
were the words which he spoke to them: "My brothers and sisters, little
birds, praise God and thank Him that He has given you wings with which
to fly and clothed you with a garment of feathers. That he admitted your
kind into Noah's ark so that your race should not disappear from the
earth. Be grateful to Him that He has given you the air for your
kingdom; you sow not, neither do you reap, but your Heavenly Father
gives you abundance of food. He gave you the rivers and fountains; He
gave you the mountains and valleys as a refuge, and the high trees so
that you may build your nests in safety. And because you can neither
spin nor cook, God clothed you and your little ones. Behold the
greatness of the love of your Creator! Beware of the sin of ingratitude
and diligently praise God all day!" And when he had thus spoken, the
birds opened their beaks, beat their wings and bowed to the ground.

More than a hundred years later (1300-1365), a man was living in Swabia
whose soul was kindred to the soul of St. Francis: Suso, who is, as a
rule, classed with the mystics. He had a profound, typically German love
of meadow and forest, and expressed it more exquisitely than the best
among the minnesingers. "Look above you and around you and behold the
vastness of heaven and the speed of its revolutions. The Lord has
emblazoned it with seven planets, each of which--not only the sun--is
far larger than the earth; he has adorned it with myriads of radiant
stars. See how serenely the glorious sun is riding in the cloudless sky,
giving to the earth abundance of fruit! Behold the verdure of the
meadow! The trees are bursting into leaf and the grass is springing up;
behold the smiling flowers and listen to glen and dale re-echoing with
the sweet song of the nightingales and little singing birds; the beasts
which the bitter winter drove into nooks and crannies, and into the dark
ground, are emerging from their hiding-places to rejoice in the sun and
seek a mate. Young and old are glad with an exceeding joy. Oh! Thou
gentle God, how fair art Thou in Thy creatures! Oh! fields and meadows,
how surpassing is your beauty!" Or: "My dear brethren, what more shall I
say to you tha