any tendency to hypocrisy, repress the slightest approaches of vanity,
and have a sovereign contempt for praise. The humble Francis, who
strenuously labored for his interior sanctification, did many things
with a view of rendering himself contemptible, endeavoring, above all,
to prevent men from being deceived in the idea they might have formed
of his sanctity. This is the characteristic of true devotion; it has
no borrowed exterior; it is, or it endeavors to be, all that it seems.

The religious whom Francis had sent into Lombardy, fulfilled the mission
in an admirable manner. They acquired so much esteem at Milan by their
preaching and by their good example, that the archbishop of that city,
Henry Satalas, gave them an establishment there, which became
considerable later, by the liberality of the Milanese.

One of the fruits of their apostolic labors was the vocation of a young
man of rank, who was rich and talented, and who solicited the habit
of the Order. Upon their acquainting him that, to become a Friar Minor,
it was requisite to renounce all temporal goods, he immediately disposed
of all of which he was then master, and distributed the greater part
to the poor, reserving the remainder to pay the expenses of his journey
to Assisi, where he was told that it was necessary to present himself
to the founder, who alone had the power of receiving novices.

He induced some of his relations and friends to accompany him, and
took with him a considerable number of servants; one of the religious
was also requested to go with them, in order to introduce the postulant,
and favor his reception. When they arrived at St. Mary of the Angels,
Francis, seeing such a number of persons, and such an appearance of
vanity, asked the religious who was with them, who these lords were,
and what they wanted? He answered: "My Father, this is a young man,