four additional disciples: Constantius, or John of St. Constantius;
Barbarus; Bernard of Viridant, or Vigilantius; and Sylvester, who was
a priest He was the first in the order, and his vocation was marvellous,
of which the following are the circumstances.

He had sold some stones to St. Francis for the Church of St. Damian,
and had received the payment of their value. When he saw him preside
over the distribution of the property of Bernard de Quintavalle, he
complained of having been injured in the sale of the stones, and
demanded a compensation. The servant of God, who did not choose to
have any dispute with him on the subject, taking a bag full of money,
gave him handfuls, saying: "Take this for the payment you demand from
me, but which I do not owe you." He offered him some a second time,
but Sylvester would not take it, but left him well satisfied with what
he had got. At night the injustice of what he had done occurred to
him; he conceived a sincere sorrow for it, asked pardon of God, and
promised to restore what he had extorted to the prejudice of the poor.

Nevertheless, he formed his opinion of Francis according to the ideas
of the world, and he looked with disgust on his mode of life. God was
pleased to will that he should be cured of this prejudice, which was
dangerous for his salvation, and that he should surrender himself to
the saint as one of his disciples, which was effected by means of a
mysterious dream. During the night he saw a horrible dragon, which
surrounded the town of Assisi, as if about to destroy it, together
with the entire country. Francis immediately came forth, and from his
mouth there came forth a golden cross, which reached up to heaven, and
the arms of it extended to the extremities of the earth, and its
splendor put the dragon to flight. Having had this dream three
successive nights, he perceived in it something divine, and he went