A Letter to the Custodes

To the custodes of the whole of the Friars Minor, to whom these letters will have come in the Lord God, your servant and little man, (sends) greetings with new signs in Heaven and on earth, which are great and most excellent before God and reputed least by many religious and other men. I beg you more than on my own account, in so far as when it is fitting and when you see that it is expedient, that you clerics should humbly request that the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the His Holy Names and written words, which sanctify the Body, should be venerated above all things. Chalices, corporals, the ornaments of the altar and all things which pertain to the sacrifice, should be held precious. And if in any place the Most Holy Body of the Lord will have been very poorly placed, according to the mandate of the Church let Him be put in a precious place by them and let Him be sealed up and with great veneration borne about and with discretion ministered unto others. Even the Names and written words of the Lord, wherever they be found in unclean places, let them be gathered, and they should be placed in a honourable place. And in every sermon, which you make, you should warn the people about punishment, and that no one can be saved, except him who receives the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord (cf. Jn 6:54), and, when He is sacrificed by a priest upon the Altar and borne about in any part, let all the nations upon bended knee render praise, glory and honour to the Lord God living and true. And on account of His praise in all (parts) of the countryside always by the whole people, let praise and thanks echo through all the earth to God Almighty. And, to whomsoever of my friar custodes this writing should come, both let them copy it and keep (a copy) for themselves and for the friars, who have the office of preaching and the custody of the friars, let them make copies and preach all the things, which are contained in this writing, even until the end; let them know that they have the blessing of the Lord God and of myself. And this is (to be) for them a true and holy (command) of obedience. Amen.