being then absent in France. A stranger presented himself as his
godfather, and he was accepted as such; whether it was that something
extraordinary was perceived in this person, or that they had been
struck with astonishment at the first event. The uniform tradition at
Assisi is, that this stranger disappeared after the ceremony, and that
he left the impression of his knees on a marble step of the altar,
which is shown in the cathedral church, with the baptismal font, on
which these words in Italian are engraved:--"This is the fountain in
which the Seraphic Father, St. Francis, was baptized."

At the return from the baptismal ceremony, a man, who seemed to have
been sent by God, as well as the other two, or rather an angel in human
form, came to beg that he might be allowed to see the child and hold
it. He took it in his arms, caressed it a good deal, and impressed
upon its right shoulder a well-formed cross, as a mark of his
consecration, recommending the nurse to take particular care of the
child, not to expose him to the snares of the devils, who had a
foresight that he would one day wage a severe war against them. One
of these evil spirits was obliged to confess by the mouth of one
possessed, whom they were exorcising, that the princes of darkness,
alarmed at the birth of Francis, had tried various ways to take away
his life; and it was the Saint himself who expelled this devil
afterwards. These portents, marvellous as they are, are less surprising,
when we consider the singular and marked favors which heaven destined
for him.

His parents brought him up with great care, and he was put to study
with the clergy of the Parish of St. George. After he had acquired
some knowledge of letters, he was initiated in commercial affairs, the
correspondence of which necessitated his learning the French language;