TO THE RULERS OF THE PEOPLE.
To all
podestàs, and consuls, judges and governors, in whatever part of the world, and
to all others to whom this letter may come, Brother Francis, your little and
contemptible servant, wishes health and peace to you.
Consider
and see that the day of death draws nigh. I
ask you, therefore, with such reverence as I can, not to forget the Lord on
account of the cares and solicitudes of this world and not to turn aside from
His commandments, for all those who forget Him and decline from His
commandments are cursed and they shall be
forgotten by Him. And when the day of death
comes, all that which they think they have shall be taken away from them. And the wiser and more powerful they may have been
in this world, so much the greater torments shall they endure in hell.
Wherefore,
I strongly advise you, my lords, to put aside all care and solicitude and to
receive readily the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in holy
commemoration of Him. And cause so great honor to be rendered the Lord by the
people committed to you, that every evening it may be announced by a crier or
by another sign to the end that praises and thanks shall resound to the Lord
God Almighty from all the people. And if you do not do this, know that you are
beholden to render an account before your Lord God Jesus Christ on the day of
Judgment. Let those who keep this writing with them and observe it know that
they are blessed by the Lord God.
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