Brother Juniper and the three leg pig.

HOW BROTHER JUNIPER CUT OFF THE FOOT OF

A  PIG TO GIVE IT TO A SICK BROTHER

     One of the most chosen disciples and first companions of

St Francis was Brother Juniper, a man of profound humility

and of great fervour and charity, of whom St Francis once said,

when speaking of him to some of his companions: "He would be a

good Friar Minor who had overcome the world as perfectly as

Brother Juniper."

   Once when he was visiting a sick brother at St Mary of the

Angels, he said to him, as if all on fire with the charity of

God: "Can I do thee any service?" 

   

   And the sick man answered: "Thou wouldst give me great

consolation if thou couldst get me a pig's foot to eat." 

   Brother Juniper answered immediately: "Leave it to me;

thou shalt have one at once." So he went and took a knife from

the kitchen, and in fervour of spirit went into the forest, 

where many swine were feeding, and having caught one, he cut

off one of its feet and ran off with it, leaving the swine with

its foot cut off; and coming back to the convent, he carefully

washed the foot, and diligently prepared and cooked it. Then he

brought it with great charity to the sick man, who ate it with

avidity; and Brother Juniper was filled with joy and

consolation, and related the history of his assault upon the

swine for his diversion. 

   Meanwhile, the swineherd who had seen the brother cut off

the foot, went and told the tale in order, and with great

bitterness, to his lord, who, being informed of the fact,

came to the convent and abused the friars, calling them

hypocrites, deceiver, robbers, and evil men. "Why," said he,

"have you cut off the foot of my swine?" 

   At the noise which he made, St Francis and all the friars

came together, and with all humility made excuses

for their brother, and, as ignorant of the fact, promised,

in order to appease the angry man, to make amends for the

wrong which had been done to him. 

   But he was not to be appeased, and left St Francis with many

threats and reproaches, repeating over and over again that they

had maliciously cut the foot off his swine, refusing to accept

any excuse or promise of repayment; and so departed in great

wrath. 

   And as all the other friars wondered: "Can Brother Juniper

indeed have done this through indiscreet zeal?" So he sent

for him, and asked him privately: "Hast thou cut off the foot

of a swine in the forest?"

  To which Father Juniper answered quite joyfully, not as one

who has committed a fault, but believing he had done a great

act of charity: "It is true, sweet Father, that I did cut off

that swine's foot; and if thou wilt listen compassionately,

I will tell thee the reason. I went out of charity to visit

the brother who is sick." And so he related the matter in

order, adding: "I tell thee, dear father, that this foot did

the sick brother so much good, that if I had cut off the feet

of a hundred swine instead of one, I verily believe that God

would have been pleased therewith."

   To whom St Francis, in great zeal for justice, and in much

bitterness of heart, made answer: "O Brother Juniper,

wherefore hast thou given this great scandal? Not without

reason doth this man complain, and thus rage against us;

perhaps even now he is going about the city spreading this evil

report of us, and with good cause.

   Therefore I command thee by holy obedience, that thou go after

him until thou find him, and cast thyself prostrate before him,

confessing thy fault, and promising to make such full

satisfaction that he shall have no more reason to complain of

us, for this is indeed a most grievous offence."

   At these words Brother Juniper was much amazed, wondering

that any one should have been angered at so charitable an

action, for all temporal things appeared to him of no value,

save in so far as they could be charitably applied to the

service of our neighbour.

   So he made answer: "Doubt not, Father, but that I shall

soon content and satisfy him. And why should there be all

this disturbance, seeing that the swine was rather God's than

his, and that it furnished the means for an act of charity?"

And so he went his way, and coming to the man, who was still

chafing and past all patience, he told him for what reason

he had cut off the pig's foot, and all with such fervour,

exultation and joy, as if he were telling him of some great

benefit he had done him which deserved to be highly rewarded.

  The man grew more and more furious at his discourse, and

loaded him with much abuse, calling him a fantastical fool

and a    wicked thief. 

  Brother Juniper, who delighted in insults, cared nothing

for all this abuse, but marvelling that any one should be

wrath at what seemed to him only a matter of rejoicing, he

thought he had not made himself well understood, and so

repeated the story all over again, and then flung himself

on the man's neck and embraced him, telling him that all

had been done out of charity, and inciting and begging him

for the same motive to give the rest of the swine also;

   And all this with so much charity, simplicity, and humility,

that the man's heart was changed within him, and he threw

himself at Brothers Juniper's feet, acknowledging with many

tears the injuries which by word and deed he had done to him

and his brethren. Then he went and killed the swine, and having

cut it up, he brought it, with many tears and great devotion,

to St Mary of the Angels, and gave it to those holy friars in

compensation for the injury he had done them.

  Then St Francis, considering the simplicity and patience

under adversity of this good Brother Juniper, said to his

companions and those who stood by: "Would to God, my brethren,

that I had a forest of such Junipers!"

     __________

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