Brother Juniper and the Pig’s Foot

One of the most elect disciples and first companions of Saint Francis was Brother Juniper, a man of deep humility, of great fervour and charity; of whom Saint Francis, speaking on a time with his holy companions, said: “He would be a good Brother Minor who had conquered himself and the world like Brother Juniper.” On a time at Saint Mary of the Angels, when all afire with the love of God he was visiting a sick brother, he asked him with much compassion: “Can I do thee any service?” Replied the sick man: “Much comfort would it give me, if thou couldest get me a pig’s trotter to eat.” Straightway cried Brother Juniper: “Leave that to me, I’ll fetch you one at once”; so he went and took a knife, from the kitchen I believe, and in fervour of spirit ran through the wood where divers pigs were feeding, threw himself on one of them, cut off its foot and ran away, leaving the pig with feet so maimed; and returning, he washed and dressed and cooked the foot; … And the sick man ate it up right greedily, to the great comfort and delight of Brother Juniper; …

Meanwhile the man who kept the pigs and saw this brother cut off its foot, with bitter words told all the story in order to his lord. … And Saint Francis full of discretion, whileas all the other brothers were in much amazement, bethought him, and said within his heart: “Can Brother Juniper have done this thing in zeal too indiscreet?” And he let call Brother Juniper unto him secretly, and asked him, saying: “Didst thou cut off the foot of a pig in the wood?”

Whereat Brother Juniper, not as one that had made a fault, but as one that seemed to himself to have done a deed of great charity, all gladly answered and said: “Sweet my Father, it is true that I cut off a foot from the said pig; … I tell thee, that bearing in mind the consolation that this our brother felt, and the comfort that the said foot brought to him, if I had cut off the feet of a hundred pigs as I did of one, in very sooth, methinks God would have said, Well done.”

Whereat Saint Francis, with righteous zeal and great severity, said: “O Brother Juniper, why hast thou now given so great scandal? … Wherefore I command thee by holy obedience, that thou run after him till thou come up with him, and throw thyself upon the ground before him and confess thy fault, … for of a truth this has been too grievous an offence.”

Brother Juniper marvelled much at the words aforesaid: and was amazed, being surprised that any one should be angry at so charitable a deed; for it seemed to him that these temporal things were naught, save in so far as men of their charity shared them with their neighbours. And Brother Juniper answered: “… And why should he be so disquieted, seeing that this pig, whose foot I have cut off, was rather God’s than his, and great charity hath been done thereby?” So he set out at a run and overtook the man; … and threw himself upon his neck and embraced and kissed him: and told him how that it had been done wholly for charity’s sake, inviting and beseeching him to do likewise with the rest; with such charity and simplicity and humility, that this man coming to himself again threw himself upon the ground not without many tears; and acknowledging the wrong that he had done and said unto the brothers, went and caught the pig and killed it, and having cooked it brought it with great devotion and much weeping to Saint Mary of the Angels, and gave it to those holy brothers to eat, for pity of the wrong he had done to them. And Saint Francis, pondering on the simplicity and the patience of the said holy Brother Juniper in the hour of trial, said to his companions and the others standing round: “Would to God, my brothers, that I had a whole forest of such Junipers!”