I. In the name of the Lord, the life of the lesser brothers begins.
The rule and life of the lesser brothers is this: To observe the holy gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity.
Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to the Lord Pope Honorius and his
canonically elected successors, and to the Roman Church; and the rest of the brothers are
obliged to obey Francis and his successors.
II. Concerning those who wish to adopt this life.
If someone should wish to adopt this life and should come to our brothers, they must
send them to their provincial ministers to whom alone is granted the right to receive
brothers. The ministers should examine them carefully regarding the Catholic faith and
sacraments of the church. If they believe all these things, wishing to confess them
faithfully and observe them diligently until the end; and if they have no wives, or their
wives have entered a convent, or permission has been given to them by authority of their
bishop, a vow of chastity having been taken and their wives being of such an age as to
avoid suspicion; then let them go, sell all they have, and attempt to give it to the poor.
If they cannot do so, their good intention will suffice. Let the brothers and their
ministers beware of becoming concerned about the new brothers' temporal possessions, for
they should freely dispose of their belongings as God inspires them. If they ask advice,
the ministers may refer them to some God-fearing brothers through whose counsel their
possessions may be distributed to the poor.
Later, let them concede clothing of probation to the new brothers: Two tunics with
hoods, belt and trousers, and a chaperon reaching down to the belt, unless the minister
decides according to God that something else should be done. When the year of probation is
over, let them be received into obedience, promising to observe this life and rule always;
and, according to the command of the lord pope, it will be absolutely forbidden to them to
leave the order, for according the holy gospel "no one who puts his hand to the plow
and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
And let those who have promised obedience take one tunic with a hood, and let those who
wish it have another without a hood. And those who must may wear shoes. All the brothers
are to wear inexpensive clothing, and they can use sackcloth and other material to mend it
with God's blessing.
III. Concerning the divine office and fasting; and how the brothers ought to travel
through the world.
Clerics are to perform the divine office according to the rite of the Roman Church,
except for the Psalter, and they can have breviaries for that purpose. Laymen are to say
twenty-four "Our Fathers" at matins; five at lauds; seven each at prime, terce,
sext and none; twelve at vespers; and seven at compline. They should also pray for the
dead.
They should fast from the feast of all saints until Christmas. Those who voluntarily
fast at Quadragessima, those forty days after Epiphany which the Lord consecrated with his
own holy fasting, will themselves be blessed by the Lord; yet they are not required to do
so if they do not want to. They must fast during Lent, but they are not required to do so
at other times except on Fridays. In case of obvious necessity, however, they are excused
from bodily fasting.
I counsel, admonish and beg my brothers that, when they travel about the world, they
should not be quarrelsome, dispute with words, or criticize others, but rather should be
gentle, peaceful and unassuming, courteous and humble, speaking respectfully to all as is
fitting. They must not ride on horseback unless forced to so by obvious necessity or
illness. Whatever house they enter, they are first to say, "Peace to this house"
(Lk. 10:5). According to the holy gospel they can eat whatever food is set before them.
IV. That the brothers should not accept money.
I strictly forbid the brothers to receive money in any form either directly or through
an intermediary. Nevertheless, the ministers and custodians can work through spiritual
friends to care for the sick and clothe the brothers, according to place, season and
climate, as necessity may seem to demand. This must be done, however, in such a way that
they do not receive money.
V. On their manner of working.
Those brothers whom the Lord favors with the gift of working should do so faithfully
and devotedly, so that idleness, the enemy of the soul, is excluded yet the spirit of holy
prayer and devotion, which all other temporal things should serve, is not extinguished. As
payment for their labor let them receive that which is necessary for themselves and their
brothers, but not money. Let them receive it humbly as befits those who serve God and seek
after the holiest poverty.
VI. That the brothers should appropriate nothing for themselves; and on how alms should
be begged; and concerning sick brothers.
The brothers should appropriate neither house, nor place, nor anything for themselves;
and they should go confidently after alms, serving God in poverty and humility, as
pilgrims and strangers in this world. Nor should they feel ashamed, for God made himself
poor in this world for us. This is that peak of the highest poverty which has made you, my
dearest brothers, heirs and kings of the kingdom of heaven, poor in things but rich in
virtues. Let this be your portion. It leads into the land of the living and, adhering
totally to it, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ wish never to have anything else in
this world, beloved brothers.
And wherever brothers meet one another, let them act like members of a common family.
And let them securely make their needs known to one another, for if a mother loves and
cares for her carnal son, how much more should one love and care for his spiritual son?
And if one of them should become ill, let the other brothers serve him as they themselves
would like to be served.
VII. On the penances to be imposed on sinning brothers.
If any of the brothers should sin mortally at the instigation of the enemy, they should
recur to their provincial ministers without delay if the sin is one of those for which
such recourse is required. The ministers, if they are priests, should mercifully prescribe
a penance for them. If they are not priests, they should see that it is prescribed by
others in the order who are such, as seems best to them according to God. They should be
careful not to become angry and upset over someone's sin, for anger and perturbation in
oneself or others impedes love.
VIII. On the election of the general minister of this brotherhood; and on the chapter
at Pentecost.
The brothers are always bound to have a brother of the order as general minister and
servant of the entire brotherhood, and they are strictly bound to obey him. When he dies,
his successor is to be elected by the provincial ministers and custodians during the
Pentecost chapter, at which provincial ministers are always to assemble in the place
designated by the minister general. The general chapter should meet every three years, or
sooner or later if the minister general should so ordain. If at some point it should
appear to the provincial ministers and custodians that the minister general is incapable
of serving the brothers properly, the aforesaid brothers to whom election is entrusted
should, in the name of God, choose someone else.
After the Pentecost chapter, the ministers and custodians may call their brothers to a
chapter in their own custody's once in the same year, if they wish and it seems
worthwhile.
IX. On preachers.
The friars must not preach in the diocese of any bishop if they have been forbidden to
do so by him. And no brother should dare preach to the people unless he has been examined
and approved by the minister general of his brotherhood and the office of preaching has
been conceded to him. I also admonish and exhort the brothers that in their preaching
their words be studied and chaste, useful and edifying to the people, telling them about
vices and virtues, punishment and glory; and they ought to be brief, because the Lord kept
his words brief when he was on earth.
X. On the admonition and correction of brothers.
Brothers who are ministers and servants of other brothers must visit and admonish their
brothers, and they should correct them humbly and lovingly, prescribing nothing against
their soul or our rule. Brothers who are subject to authority must remember that they have
surrendered their own wills for the sake of God. Thus I strictly order them to obey their
ministers in all those things which they have promised the Lord to observe and which are
not contrary to the soul and to our rule. And wherever there are brothers who know they
cannot observe the rule spiritually, those brothers should and may recur to their
ministers. The ministers should receive them lovingly and generously and treat them so
intimately that the brothers can speak and act as lords do with their servants. For that
is the way it ought to be. The ministers should be servants of all the brothers.
I admonish and exhort the brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ to beware of all pride,
vainglory, envy, avarice, worldly care and concern, criticism and complaint. And I
admonish the illiterate not to worry about studying but to realize instead that above all
they should wish to have the spirit of the Lord working within them, and that they should
pray to him constantly with a pure heart, be humble, be patient in persecution and
infirmity, and love those who persecute, blame or accuse us, for the Lord says, "Love
your enemies, pray for those who persecute and accuse you" (Mtt. 5:44). "Blessed
are those who suffer persecution for justice's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven" (Mtt. 5:10). "He who has persevered until the end, however, will be
saved" (Mtt. 10:22).
XI. That the brothers should not enter the convents of nuns.
I strictly order all the brothers to avoid suspicious meetings or conversations with
women and to stay out of the convents of nuns except in cases where special permission has
been granted by the Holy See. Nor should they be godfathers of men or women, lest it lead
to scandal among or concerning the brothers.
XII. Concerning those who go among the Saracens and other infidels.
Whoever should, by divine inspiration, wish to go among the Saracens and other infidels
must ask permission from their provincial ministers. The ministers should grant permission
only to those whom they consider qualified to be sent.
I enjoin the ministers by obedience to ask the Lord Pope for a cardinal of the Holy
Roman Church to serve as governor, protector and corrector of their brotherhood so that we
servants and subjects at the feet of holy church, firm in faith, will always observe the
poverty, humility and holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which we firmly promised.
