s benediction appears to be well established,
since it was already jealously guarded during the life of Thomas
of Celano. No one has ever dreamed of requiring historical proof
of this writing. Is this perhaps a mistake? The middle of the
sheet is taken up with the benediction which was dictated to
Brother Leo: _Benedicat tibi Dominus et custodiat te, ostendat
faciem suam tibi et misereatur tui convertat vultum suum ad te
et det tibi pacem._ At the bottom, Francis added the letter
_tau_. ~[Greek: Tau]~, which was, so to speak, his signature
(Bon., 51; 308), and the words: _Frater Leo Dominus benedicat te_.

Then when this memorial became a part of the relics of the
Saint, Brother Leo, to authenticate it in a measure, added the
following notes: toward the middle: _Beatus Franciscus
scripsit manu sua istam benedictionem mihi fratri Leoni_;
toward the close: _Simili modo fecit istud signum thau cum
capite manu sua_. But the most valuable annotation is found at
the top of the sheet: _Beatus Franciscus duobus annis ante
mortem suam fecit quadragesimam in loco Alvernae ad honorem
Beatae Virginia Mariae matris Dei et beati Michael archangeli a
festo assumptionis sanctae Mariae Virginis usque ad festum
sancti Michael septembris et facta est super eum manus Domini
per visionem et allucotionem seraphym et impressionem
stigmatum in corpore suo. Fecit has laudes ex alio latere
catule scriptas et manu, sua scripsit gratias agens Domino de
beneficio sibi collato._ Vide 2 Cel., 2, 18.

[28] Wadding gives the text according to St. Bernardino da
Siena. _Opera_, t. iv., _sermo_ 16, _extraord. et sermo feriae
sextae Parasceves_. Amoni: _Legenda trium sociorum_, p. 166.

[29] Wadding has drawn the text from St. Bernardino, _loc.
cit._, _sermo_ iv., _extraord._ It was also reproduced by Amoni,
_loc. cit._, p. 165. Two very curious versions may be found in
the Miscellanea, 1888, pp. 96 and 190.

[30] 2 Cel., 3, 35. This took place under the vicariat of Pietro
di Catania; consequently between September 29, 1220, and March
10, 1221.

* * * * *

II

BIOGRAPHIES PROPERLY SO CALLED

I. PRELIMINARY NOTE

To form a somewhat exact notion of the documents which are to occupy us,
we