him, and thirty Friars Minor attended to it without having been asked;
none knew from whence they came, nor whither they afterwards went,
which made it thought that the assistance was miraculous; and as it
was known what the holy man Francis had said to the deceased, it was
understood that he had, by this means, procured the reward of the just
for him whose hospitality he had received.

Gonzagues, Bishop of Mantua, who had been General of the Order of St.
Francis, says, that it is held as certain that St. Francis commenced
the establishments of Gasta, Arevalo, Avila, Madrid, Tudela, and caused
several other convents to be built. It is easily understood that in
the eight or nine months in which he remained in Spain after his
illness, he arranged much by himself and by his companions; the old
inscriptions which are still seen on the tombs of many Minors are an
additional proof. Moreover, it is certain that his holy life and his
preaching were of the greatest benefit to souls, and that his Order
was received in Spain with an affection which has passed from age to
age, from fathers to sons; so that Spain is one of the countries of
the world in which we find the greatest veneration for St. Francis,
and the greatest consideration for the Order of Friars Minor.

The same bishop tells us, on the testimony of universal and unvaried
tradition, of many miracles performed by the Almighty, through the
ministry of the holy man. We shall satisfy ourselves by relating one
of them, which is warranted by manuscripts and documents.

Francis was lodged at Compostella, at the house of a poor dealer in
charcoal, whose name was Cotolai, and he often went to pass the night
in contemplation on a neighboring mountain. God made known to him,
that it was His will that he should build a convent between two valleys,