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GLORIFICAMUS TE

The Cardinal to whom the Pope had commended the office of Glorificamus Te said to the Pope that he desired to take the office whereby he should honour in this world the will of God againft those who do it dishonour. Wherefore the Cardinal related this Story: “ There was a king who had gone with a great company of his retainers into a fair foreft to take recreation. In this foreft he dallied and feafted and had great delight. It came to pass that there was evil weather in that place wherein the king dwelt, with cold and snow and rain, and the king remained in his tent and took many sauces and Strong wines and wore much clothing, so that neither the cold nor the evil weather in that place could harm his person; but among his people and his servants it caused death and deftruftion, for they i Y; “ impeded the office of Adoranius Te.

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could not defend themselves from the evil weather.” When the Cardinal had ended this Story, he expounded it in these words : “ The king is the Pope, and his barons and knights are the Cardinals and the prelates of Holy Mother Church, who send not to far countries friars, religious and worthy men to learn divers languages and to have converse with the people of these lands, that they may underhand them and preach to them without interpreters; and since such a cuStom would be agreeable to the will of God, all they that could and should follow it, that the will of God may be done in this world, and do not so, are opposed to the will of God. They that die are the Christians in these lands, for they dwell among the Saracens and the Tartars, to whom they are subjeft, and these are ignorant of the faith and the preachers thereof. And to the Christians in these lands, through the captivity wherein they have perforce to dwell, is done much wrong as to their persons, and as to their wives and daughters; wherefore they oftentimes have no more belief in the Holy Catholic Faith, but renounce it, and take the faith of those among whom they live in opposition to the will of God.”

2. When the Pope had heard these words, he made ordinance concerning those Orders that follow after learn¬ ing, that even as the prince who goes to war with another prince is accustomed to set armed outpoSts on the boun¬ daries of his domains, even so there should be established monasteries in the domains of those Christians who mingle with unbelievers, and that, whatsoever language these people speak, the monks shall learn that language, and mingle with them and preach to them. These things the Pope ordained, that with all his power he might cause the will of God to be done.

3. The Cardinal had great will to honour the will of God, that he might glorify God in honouring His will, and he appointed officers, who in their divers offices should aid him to honour the will of God. It came to pass one day 360

GLORIFICAMUS TE that the Cardinal went through the city of Rome, and passed through a square wherein were many people, and he enquired of the men who were going to and fro in the square why their will made them to go here and there thus diligently ; and each one answered that the will that caused them thus diligently to go was that which they had with respett to their temporal business. Wherefore the Cardinal ordered that a man should ftand in that square and cry aloud to the people that they should direft their intent to the service of God in their condutt of the business of this world, and that they should conduft this business with intent to serve God, that in all their works the will of God should be honoured rather than the will that loves temporal business. So that man ilood in the square and cried aloud according as the Cardinal had ordered him. Many were the men who, through that which they heard, direfted their will to the service of the will of God.

4. The Cardinal appointed another officer who should go through the Greets crying aloud how men ought to obey the will of God in believing the fourteen articles, and in performing that which they were commanded to perform by the ten commandments; and that they should glorify the will of God because He has been pleased to create the world, and to become incarnate and to give the world to men. And this officer was to say to every man that he ought to glorify the will of God Who had made him a man and a Christian ; for had He not so willed, God had not created the world, nor taken our nature, nor given the world to man, and those that He has made men He might rather have made beaits. When the Cardinal had instructed the officer who should perform this office aforementioned, that man enquired of the Cardinal on what he should live ; and the Cardinal said that if a jefter1 lived on that which was given to him, and knew not how to do more than tell the people where there is good wine, how much the morp 1 M1*’’-

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should he find a livelihood if he served the will of God by repeating the words aforesaid 1

5. Another office likewise was established by the Car¬ dinal, which is very needful to the end that the will of God may be honoured, to wit, that a man should go to all clerks and religious, and that in the Streets and the churches and in whatsoever place he might find them, he should call to their minds how they ought to obey the will of God, Who commanded them in the Gospels to go through all the world preaching to every creature. This officer was appointed by the Cardinal. It came to pass one day that this officer found two clerks in a certain Street, to whom he said that which the Cardinal had commanded him to say; and they answered him that if God desired that a man should go to preach to the unbelievers He would give him the will to go ; and the officer was greatly scandalised by that which the two clerks had said, and he answered that God had commanded them when He spake to the ApoStles in the person of Holy Church; and since God, in willing to become man, and to die for all those that are in Holy Church, had so Straitly charged each one to do this for love of Him, none should wait for God to compel his free will, without the which he would be unworthy to preach the will of God. So there was a great dispute between the two clerks, and they came for judgment to the Court of the Pope.

6. The Cardinal asked one of his squires, who had served him for a long time, if he desired to serve the will of God by going from door to door, begging for the love of God. When men gave to him for the love of God, he would glorify His will, and when he was refused that which he desired for the love of God, then would he have grief in his soul and weep, because those that give not for the will of God, and give for their own will, are not loved by the will of God. That squire took this office, and went with the poor, begging for the love of God, that he might 362

GRATIAS AGIMUS TIBI have knowledge of those that honour the will of God and of those that prize the will of God less than the alms which are asked of them by men, which they refuse to those that beg for the love of God. This squire performed his office ever very well, and when he had begged from door to door for the meat whereof he had need on that day, he went to the church and remained therein for the reft of the day contemplating the will of God.

7. A certain philosopher came to the Cardinal and spake to him these words : “ Lord 1 It is a cuftom among us to deny that which is contrary to the course of nature. But, though I have had this cuftom, I desire to change it and to take an office wherein I may go to philosophers and great mafters, saying that if a miraculous work is a thing illbeseeming to nature, how much the more ill-beseeming is it to the Lord of nature that He should not do that which pertains to His will and is superior to the work of nature 1 ” Right well pleasing was this office to the Cardinal, and the philosopher did much good therein, proving many things to be true which are contrary to the course of nature, that God may not be contrary to His own will in perfeftion, juftice, infinity, power, wisdom, mercy and humility. These officers and many more did the Cardinal appoint, to the end that in the honour which they did to the will of God He might be glorified by men, and that they likewise through the will of God might be glorified in the glory of God.