Chapter XVI Francis, the Saint — The Father of the Renaissance254
The Renaissance, so-called. Before the Renaissance. Gothic architecture and art. Francis the father of the real Renaissance. Matthew Arnold and “the poor little man of God.” St. Francis as a literary man. The canticle of the Sun. St. Francis’ career. The simple life. Ruskin on Francis’ poverty. St. Francis in the last ten years. The disciples who gathered around him. A century of Franciscans. The third order of St. Francis. Kings and queens, nobles and scholars hail St. Francis as father. What the religious orders accomplished. St. Clare and the second order.