be done which is pure and stable without his consent and approbation.
Let us then go and find our Mother, the Holy Roman Church. Let us make
known to our Holy Father the Pope, what God has deigned to begin through
our ministry, in order that we may pursue our course according to his
will, and under his orders."

A celebrated Bishop of France said, in an assembly of his clergy:
"Paul, having returned from the third heaven, came to see Peter, in
order to give a form to all future ages, and that it be established
forever, that, however learned or holy we may be, were any of us another
St. Paul, we must see Peter." These sentiments are in entire accordance
with those of St. Francis, and contain an important principle, from
which it is easy to deduce the consequence.

All the disciples applauded the proposal of their master, declaring
that they were ready to receive the rule that he would give them, and
to go to Rome to solicit its confirmation. Francis betook himself to
prayer, and composed, in a plain, unadorned style, in twenty-three
chapters, a rule of life, the immovable basis of which was the
observance of the Gospel; to which he added some exercises, which he
considered necessary for the sake of uniformity. Besides the three
vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, they renounced all possessions
whatsoever, and they bound themselves to live on charity without ever
receiving money. Clerics and laymen were alike admitted to embrace
this Institute, under the name of Friars Minor. There were also some
regulations relative to the Divine Office, prayer, the practice of
virtue, fasts, the bareness of the feet, preaching, and the missions,
which will be noticed when we come to speak of the second rule which
the Patriarch gave in the year 1223, which they keep in his Order, and
which is nothing more than an abridgment of the first. This first