the soul; for the words of the saints have a secret unction which is
not found elsewhere.

These spiritual services, and others which Francis rendered to his
neighbor, with the continual instruction he gave to his brethren, were
his occupations during his sickness, and until such time as returning
health permitted him to do more. He was somewhat better in the spring,
as is usually the case with those who have the quartan ague; but his
extraordinary austerities had so weakened his constitution, that he
never wholly recovered his health, and the remainder of his life was
little else than a state of languor.

As soon as he could commence travelling, he committed the care of his
Order to Peter of Cantania, and set out with Bernard of Quintavalle
and some others, in order to go to Morocco, through Spain, to preach
the Gospel to the Miramolin and to his subjects, in the hopes of
attaining by this means the crown of martyrdom, which was the great
object of his wishes.

The servant of God did not reach Spain till near the end of the year,
because he had stopped in various places to preach, to visit the houses
of his Order, and to receive accounts of others. His whole route was
a succession of miracles, and other remarkable things, which contain
admirable instructions.

At Foligno, the sign of the cross which he made on the house of his
host, protected it from various accidents, and particularly from fire,
which did no damage to that dwelling, although the adjoining houses
were three or four times on fire: the flames were even seen to take
a contrary direction. At Spoleto, knowing that a rich man thought ill