SERMON RECORDED BY SIR LORENZO VIOLI FROM THE LIVE VOICE OF THE REVEREND FATHER FRIAR IERONIMO OF FERRARA ON THE 11TH OF FEBRUARY 1497 (/8), ON WHICH DAY HE BEGAN TO PREACH AGAIN, AND THE PEOPLE, AS SOON AS THE FATHER ENTERED THE PULPIT, BEGAN TO SING, FOR THE JOY OF THE RETURNED WORD, TE DEUM LAUDAMUS; THE CHANT ENDED IN GREAT JOY; AND THEN THE FATHER BEGAN AS FOLLOWS:

Domine, quid multiplicati sunt qui tribulant me? multi insurgunt adversum me; multi dicunt animae meae: non est salus ipsi in Deo eius. Tu autem, Domine, susceptor meus es, gloria mea et exaltans caput meum. Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi, et exaudivit me de monte sancto suo. Ego dormivi et soporatus sum, et exsurrexi quia Dominus suscepit me. Non timebo milia populi circumdantis me. Exsurge, Domine, salvum me fac, Deus meus. Quoniam tu percussisti omnes adversantes mihi sine causa, dentes peccatorum contrivisti. Domini est salus, et super populum tuum benedictio tua (Ps. III).

My Lord, this morning I, dust and ashes, first wish to speak to your majesty. Were it not presumptuous, I would desire to speak with you face to face; but that is not possible because my eye cannot reach your light.

You, my Lord, have set limits to every creature, and my corporeal eye cannot extend beyond the limits you have set for it. It is finite and limited to seeing colors and material light, and cannot penetrate your infinite light.

My intellect and my natural light, while in this body, cannot penetrate your light and cannot see you, for there many things in the imagination that impede it.

Even when it is separated from this body, it will not be able to see or understand you by its nature, for you are infinite, and you have set limits to every intellect. Even then it will not be able to understand or see you except through creatures and according to its finite limits.

But still, Lord, I want to speak a little with you this morning. And so that it does not seem that I speak to many gods, I speak to you, my Lord, who, according to the philosophers, is the first cause, the first principle, the prime mover, the pure act, immutable God, and governor of the universe.

Item according to faith, I speak to you God triune and one, to you Holy Trinity, to you Jesus Christ, son of the eternal God, born of the Virgin in this age, and who died for our love.

Therefore, I speak to you, my Lord, and say that you have placed me in a great sea. I no longer see the port, and I cannot turn back, nor do I wish to even if I could. I cannot and do not want to.

I cannot turn back because you do not want me to; I do not want to turn back because you do not want me to; because I cannot and do not want to resist your will.

I am content to stay here where you have placed me, but I beg you, my Lord, to be with me. Our adversaries say that you are not with me: non est salus illi in Deo eius — that I have no salvation in my God.

If you are not with me, O my Lord, where am I? I beseech you, my Lord, to be with me. I do not ask you for gold or silver, nor for peace or tranquility, nor that you take me out of this sea where I find myself, but only that you give me light. Give me, Lord, grace that I may see.

I ask you what the blind man asked: Domine, fac ut videam—Lord, let me see, open the light of my intellect, enlighten me, comfort me with the light of natural reason so that I am not deceived by our adversaries.

Comfort me with the supernatural light of faith so that I may never feel anything against the sacred Scripture and the doctrine of the Church.

Comfort me with the supernatural light to know the future and hidden things so that I may see all things clearly, and avoid deceiving myself and the people, just as I have not deceived them so far.

And so I ask you now to begin a new time, and that this be the beginning of great things. Hear, Lord, our prayers, hear your servants, put your hand to new things, and to greater things than you have done so far: Exurge, Domine, et veni. O Mother of God, what will you do? O saints, O blessed of Paradise, what will you do? O angels, O archangels, O virtues, O thrones, O powers, O dominions, what will you do? Help the work of the Lord, pray to the Lord that the work may go forward, and that a new time may begin, that he may now put his hand to new things. What do you say, Lord? What do you answer? Here is the answer: nolite timere, pusillanimes, Dominus enim vobiscum est. That is, "do not fear, faint-hearted, for the Lord is with you." This was the response, these words we have from heaven this morning. Now let us see if this will be good news.

Good news has come from heaven: nolite timere, pusillanimes, Dominus vobiscum est. These are the exact words: I don't change a single one; that is: "do not be afraid, faint-hearted, the Lord is with you." Would you like to see? Where the Lord is, there is peace: see, He has given you peace and continues to to do so in every circumstance. I say to you, good people: you are united and have one heart. Remember the heart that was on the crown of the Virgin? That represents all of our hearts united together in peace. You, good people, have peace in tribulations, because, although tribulations surround us, we remain joyful and at peace. Even in death, the good are at peace, and many of the good have died and gone to rest in peace. We also have peace with riches, because we do not seek the riches of the world, indeed we despise them: this is a sign that we have greater riches that are not of this world. Therefore, do not be afraid of tribulations: it is enough for us to have peace within.

Do you not remember how many times I told you in the past that the life of man upon earth is a warfare? And although at times we rest a bit, we must return to war. The soldiers, after a skirmish, return; some have damaged a shin-guard, some a piece of armor, some a helmet, and they go about fixing all their armor and weapons, and then preparing for a new war, teaching one another; one says, 'Hold the lance like this, you the sword like this, and you do this thing, you that.' Then the drummers come forward, and the soldiers go shouting: — 'Marzocco! Marzocco!' — if they are your soldiers; and so, they make a show of arms, and are in order and ready for a new war.

We have done the same. After some previous skirmishes, the damaged arms of some have been repaired; one who did not have perfect knowledge has adjusted and learned; another did not have so much humility: now he has acquired it; another, not having perfect obedience, has become more obedient; and so each has acquired something. Then we made our show: we held processions, said many prayers, jubilees and chants and fervors, like ecce quam bonum et quam iocundum habitare fratres in unum. And after this we returned, and here we are in the field once again. Nolite ergo timere, pusillanimes. Moreover, have I not told you many times that we have to fight and win? I say that we must win by any means, and when this thing seems extinguished, it will rise more glorious than ever. Haven't I told you this many times? See, everyone was saying, 'he is finished: this thing is ruined' — and yet we are still here and will fight and win by any means. And I say that there has never been a more glorious time nor a happier one than this. We want to do glorious and great things, and God will be the one to do them for the consolation of the good.

— O frate, some of the good have died, it's true, but so have many of the wicked. — Don’t you know that I told you some of the good would die? But just wait a little, prepare yourself, because if these things seemed great to you, the ones to come will seem even greater. And many of those who died, have died two deaths: one in this life, the other in Hell. I could even name a few for you. But those good ones who seem dead to you, are not dead; they are alive in the next life, praying for and helping this work. — Now, what are you trying to say, frate? — We have to fight and win, and put our hand to new things. Not this morning, however, because I did not come to preach, but to reason with you. And this Lent we still don’t know which book we are to take up to explain: pray that the Lord helps us choose one according to your needs. And as I said, we have done so many shows of arms, and now we have come into the field to fight and win at all costs. The devil too has held his parades, and goes about inciting his soldiers, who seek to do nothing but harm, at times with excommunications, at times with murmuring. They will have their carnival full of vice, and we will make ours an Easter full of praises of God and prayers, and then we will see who wins. So, let us conclude then: The Lord God is with us; He gives us great consolation and we will win at any cost.

Nolite timere, pusillanimes, Dominus enim vobiscum est. Do not be afraid, faint-hearted, for the Lord is with you, and also with me, because I want to be with you and you with me. As I say these words, that human wisdom we have often driven away returned to meet me: she came back this morning, that wisdom that does not believe these things, that does not believe that God is with us, that does not believe that God speaks to men. She returned and presented many counter arguments and strong reasoning to compel me to confess my foolishness. I was so convinced that I conceded and confessed quod stultissimus sum virorum et quod sapientia hominum non est mecum. That is: I am the most foolish of all men, and the wisdom of men is not with me. Yet I said that I am having a finer time than all the others, because the fool not knowing his madness, and thinking himself the wisest, has the best time of anyone. But she went on to give me more reasons, saying: — come here, frate, I want to convince you. She put into question the veracity of the faith. If the faith is not true, having embraced so many troubles and the discomforts of religion, and consequently wasting so much time, behold you are indeed foolish and ruined. If the faith is true and God is not with you (always presupposing that God is not with me), then you are lost and foolish to have chosen so much trouble without God's presence because you will lose this life and the next. Praeterea, whoever possesses peace of the heart has beatitude, and therefore whoever seeks unrest is foolish because they do not seek their end. And if the faith is not true, and you seek unrest, having put yourself in such a great peril, then you cannot have beatitude in this world; ergo you are foolish. And if the faith is true and you do not have God with you, then you are foolish — once again always presupposing that God is not with me.

Praeterea, she said that he who contradicts all men is the most foolish of all: — you contradict the whole world and it seems to you that no one has spirit but you, and that no one has perfection but you, and therefore you are in the throes of supreme madness: this is the finest madness that can be found. — I can tell you that she had cornered me with these arguments and reasons. Item, she added: — he who puts himself in peril of soul and body is foolish; you, with these things of yours, have put yourself at this peril, therefore you are truly foolish, because if the faith is not true, you are in continual peril of the body, and if the faith is true, you also lose the soul because you do not have God with you; ergo you are foolish in any case.

Now see how this human wisdom seemed to have cornered and convinced me. She came to me, not long ago, in one of these sages of human wisdom, and said: — Frate, tell me the truth; I know it anyway. I know that you do these things to seek the glory of the world, and you know that the glory of the world in the end is nothing, ergo you are foolish. Praeterea, do you want to see, frate, the extent of your folly? Look at the foundation you have made; you are founded on the people, and you know that there is nothing more deceitful or changeable than the people. Just look at the Hebrew people, how they received Christ in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with so much celebration and joy, and within a few days they crucified him — thus you can see the extent of your madness. — Praeterea, this human wisdom said: — see, frate, if this other reason shows you that you are truly mad. He who sees manifest dangers and spends all day laughing and singing is truly mad, and you do exactly this. You spend all day with your brothers singing: Ecce quam bonum et quam iocundum habitare fratres in unum; ergo you can recognize the extent of your foolishness. Also, he who reprehends every man, and makes himself odious to the whole world is foolish: you reprehend everyone and have made yourself odious to the whole world; thus, you are mad. — To this human wisdom, I confess quod sum stultissimum omnium virorum et quod sapientia hominum non est mecum. That is, I am the most foolish of all, and the wisdom of men is not with me, for which it seemed to her that she had convinced me. Now listen to what I responded to her for your consolation.

She rejoiced and said: — He has confessed and spoken these words: *stultissimus sum omnium virorum etc.* — Oh human wisdom, you have achieved nothing by having me confess and say only those words. You have left out the rest, you have left out half of the text that you should have cited in full, and you have acted like someone who argues by citing only the part that benefits them and leaves out the rest. You have acted like the Scribes and Pharisees did, who said of our Savior: *non est hic homo a Deo qui sabbatum non custodit*, "this man cannot be from God because he does not keep the Sabbath"; but they made no mention of the miracle he had performed on the Sabbath. The words I have confessed to you are from a man enlightened by God, but you have mentioned only the words that follow and not those that are before, namely: *visio quam locutus est vir cum quo est Deus, et qui, Deo secum morante, confortatus ait*: "This is the vision that spoke the man, *stultissimus sum virorum, et sapientia hominum non est mecum*. And then he added: *non didici sapientiam et novi scientiam sanctorum* (we resist the temptation to add *non* before *novi scientiam* etc. as it is in the Vulgate, assuming rather that Savonarola intended the first *non* to apply to both clauses). 'I have not learned wisdom from men nor understood the science of the saints.' Therefore, human wisdom, you have not convinced me as you thought. Come here, you who contradict me and say that this is not the work of God: if I show you and you see that it is the work of God, where will you find yourself? How will you react, having contradicted God Himself? Then you will see that, if you do not change, you will be punished in this world and in the next. And to your earlier reasons, O human wisdom, I respond that the faith is in fact true and that enduring many hardships and tribulations in this world for the faith of Christ is supreme peace: and therefore we will remain joyful and happy in tribulations. Look at my brothers, the good women, the good children, who are in the way of God and live well, who are always joyful and happy — nothing can disturb us, and therefore we will have beatitude in this world if the faith is true, and then in the next, because it is in fact true, as I have repeatedly proven with many arguments.

I conceded that the wisdom of men is not with us, and you say, therefore, we are not with the wise but with the foolish. I reply that I and mine stand with the wise of heaven and the saints, and we do not value the wisdom of the world. My wise ones deem you all foolish, for you fail to understand your true end which is in the next life—that is, Christ himself. *Praeterea* when you accuse me of seeking worldly glory, I respond that the disgraces we receive far outnumber the glories we acquire as far as the world is concerned. And when you claim that our foundation lies in the people, I respond that this is false: our foundation is not in the people, but solely in God. *Item*, if I remain cheerful in tribulations, it signifies the presence of something greater — a hidden treasure that you do not see — which keeps our hearts ever joyful.

You see that our defense is prayer, singing and rejoicing with psalms and hymns, clearly illustrating that God alone is our foundation. Let the tribulations come as they may, we will remain joyful and lay our heads down to sleep in peace. Such joy and peace are not naturally found amidst great tribulations and afflictions; so you can understand that there is some other virtue at work, which you do not see. When you say that I contradict the whole world, I respond that we must fearlessly speak the truth for the love of Christ. Therefore, I do not want your human wisdom; I trust divine wisdom and that which I have learned from the saints. Now then, with your initial concerns resolved, let us turn our attention to the issue of the excommunication you mentioned and resolve your doubts.

Who here is scrupulous? Who among you has scruples? I will resolve this issue without the need for numerous canons and lengthy chapters. But first, I want to offer you reassurance. Take comfort, you who are faint of heart, *et nolite timere, quia Dominus vobiscum est*. The Lord is with you if you do not fear the spiritual or corporeal sword and if you live virtuously. This church is right now full of angels, and there has never been a more glorious or happier time than this, in which new and great things are to be done; so rejoice, for happy times are coming. We will resolve the issue, but first I want to tell you why God has brought this excommunication. I must remind you that I have been telling you for seven years that we must fight against a double power, a double wisdom, and a double malice. What is this double power, if not the spiritual and the temporal? Therefore, to verify what we have said, it was necessary for the spiritual sword, against which we must contend, to be unsheathed.

Note that natural works are directed to their end if guided by the hand of the agent above, and if the hand of the agent does not move, they would not be led to their end. God made man and desires him to reach perfection and his end. The end of man is beatitude, and Christ desires to introduce good living into the world to guide man by that means to blessed living.

Therefore, God introduces good works into the world so that these works may lead man to good and blessed living. Yet the devil, who is the enemy of good, does not want man to be led to beatitude and holds good living in hatred. He does not care about fasts, prayers, or alms in themselves, but hates them because they lead to good living; thus, he seeks to corrupt these good works. If these works did not lead man to good living, he would not care about them at all. Similarly, the devil does not care about prophecies in themselves — he himself has taught a few — but he does care about those prophecies that lead to good living. If the doctrine of the apostles had not led men to good living, the devil would not have persecuted it so fiercely.

Thus, in the time of the martyrs, he incited the tyrants against them solely because their doctrine led men to good living. Similarly, in the time of the heretics, the devil stirred up Arius and the other heretics against the preaching of the holy doctors solely because their doctrine led men to good living. Today, the same is true; this doctrine leads souls to good living, prompting the devil to incite so many persecutions against us. Tell me, were there not other prophecies in past times? Yet, they did not face this opposition because they did not lead to good living. See how powerful good living is: it has always triumphed despite every opposition. Look at the time of the apostles, who had before them the law of Moses, observed and approved for so many years. *Tamen* they, simple men, were able to achieve so much through good living and introduced the change that it should no longer be observed.

Oh, if someone were to come today to disrupt and abolish the law of Christ, you would find it strange. But it was good living that moved everything then in Judea. Similarly, here among the Gentiles, when they worshiped idols, they could say: "We worship idols of gold, silver, and stone, while you worship a crucified man" — using this as an excuse to not come to the faith. Yet it was good living that clarified everything and made them rush to the faith. Thus, I tell you, God has wanted in this time to gather men through good living, separating them from those who do not live well. It is necessary, I tell you, to separate the wheat from the chaff, and Christ took the winnowing fork, threw the wheat, and revealed it through testing. The first winnowing fork that the Lord took was the preaching, which partly exposed the flaws of the lukewarm; but because some of the lukewarm covered themselves with a guise of righteousness, appeared to walk the good path in the sight of others, and did not want to be exposed without some appearance of good, God took the other fork, that is, the excommunication, by which many who were not walking in the truth were revealed. Did I not tell you that many would be revealed who you would never have suspected? This is why God has allowed the excommunication to come: to separate the lukewarm from the good. Now let us see if it is valid or not.

Take comfort, faint-hearted, *nolite timere pusillanimes: Dominus vobiscum est*. Do you think I want to overwhelm you with canons, laws, and endless chapters? I do not want to burden you with so many chapters; I want everyone to understand me. Children and women, listen up, because I want everyone to understand: I will give you some reasons to be able to defend yourselves. First, as to natural reason; second, as to the light of faith; third, as to the supernatural light of prophecy. And on these three lights, I will give you some reasons that you can understand. First, as to the light of nature. Come here, philosopher, and see if I too am a philosopher. Tell me: is it true that there must be a first cause? — Yes. — And is this also true: *quod in omni re plus influit prima causa quam secunda* (that in everything the first cause influences more than the second)? — Yes. Now note that the first cause always precedes the second, because, if the first did not go before, none of the others would move.

Think of it this way: the first cause is like a hand that draws virtue from heaven, then reaches down to the elements and draws their virtue, then touches the seed and draws its virtue, and finally produces fruit. Similarly, this first cause, which is God, creates things in the universe through secondary causes. Indeed, if He wished, He could operate without these secondary causes. The Lord could, if He wanted, produce an apple instantly without any secondary causes because He created heaven and earth from nothing. Yet, He chooses to produce effects and natural causes through secondary causes to share more of His goodness and allow them to participate in His works, as if you saw a painter take the hand of a child and paint a figure: you would say the painter created the artwork, not the child.

We conclude, therefore, that God does everything, and He does not do what is nothing—that is, sin—because to sin is failure to act, and God, in his divine wisdom, never fails. So, secondary causes are instruments of God, and He is the primary agent. Now hold firm to this foundation and note this other point: God governs lower natural things through higher ones, and lower angels through higher ones, but all men are equal by nature. It is true that one may be greater in intellect than another, and thus men of great intellect are naturally lords over other men. Lords, I say, not in terms of wielding power, but to show the way to others and to teach them. Since man is naturally a social animal that lives in communities, it is necessary to appoint some as governors of the common good. Such governors are instruments of God, moved, as I have told you, as secondary causes by the first cause. And so the prince, ordained by men for better communal living, is an instrument of God, similar to how angels govern and guide men to the good. Now hold firm to this other point, and note that every instrument has three things. The first is the material; the second is the form; the third is the virtue which proceeds from the hand of the agent, that is, from the one who guides the instrument. Take, for example, the saw. It has the material of iron; second, it has the form, that is, the teeth and other parts, because it is a saw; third, to make it work, it requires the hand of the craftsman, for without that, the saw by itself can do nothing.

Therefore, note that, as to the material, it is equal to all other iron. Similarly, all men are equal by nature. And if a saw is brought to a blacksmith who buys it and throws it among the scrap iron, it is then equal to all the other iron without the superior agent to move it. Similarly, a prince: if he is not led as an instrument by the agent above—who is God—of whom he is an instrument, then he is equal to you. Without someone to move him, he is like the broken iron, equal to all other iron in nature, and you can then say to him: you do not act rightly, because you are not led by the principal agent; and if he says: — I hold the power —, you can tell him: — that is not true because there is no hand guiding you; you are broken iron.

But if you were to ask me: how will I know when the principal superior agent does not move him? — I answer: see if he acts against the wisdom of that principal agent who ought to move him. Since the wisdom of that principal agent introduces and loves good living and the common good, see if the command of the instrument opposes good living or the common good. If you find that they do, then you can say: you are not moved by the superior agent, and therefore, you are broken iron.

Saint Thomas Aquinas says that if the prince enacts a law against good living or the common good, the people are not bound to observe it. Whenever you see that the prince acts against the common good or good living, you can tell him: — you are not a saw guided by the hand of the superior agent, but you are broken iron. — Note that this error of the prince can occur in two ways. First, due to the wickedness of the prince.

Indeed, when emperors commanded their subjects to go war for the freedom of the homeland, they were obliged to obey, and in this case, the emperors were like a good saw. However, when they commanded their subjects to worship idols, they were not obliged to obey; in fact, they should not obey because such a command did not come from the saw but from broken iron. The second way this error can occur is through bad persuasion given to the prince. In this case, the saw is not guided by the hand of the superior agent, but by others, and therefore one should not obey. Now to the point. Tell me: what did they want with this excommunication? I can tell you that this time, they are not sawing well and will not make a clean cut. What were they trying to achieve? Everyone knows, even the children, that they wanted nothing other than to undermine good living, the common good, good governance, and to open the way to every vice. As a result of the excommunication, people turned to taverns, to lasciviousness, and to every manner of evil; and good living was trampled underfoot.

And so you see that the saw is not led by its principal agent. I am amazed at you, and that you doubt this matter. Why do you need so many laws and so many canons? The matter itself is clear: you see it all too well. No further proof is needed because the intention behind the action is clear. And I tell you that if we have been cursed below, we have been blessed above. This, I assure you.

*Nolite timere pusillanimes, Dominus vobiscum est*. See how God has comforted us and given us natural light, just as we have asked. We are clear, in regard to the natural light of reason, that such an excommunication does not hold. Now as to supernatural light. Behold: *Dei perfecta sunt opera*—all the works of God are perfect. A thing is said to be perfect when it has reached and come to its end. Angels are perfect because they see God, and are called perfect in their kind because they have reached their perfection and the end to which they are ordered. Our perfection, therefore, is not only faith because it is an imperfect knowledge of God; but the perfection of our faith and our law is charity, which makes us understand divine things with clarity. Therefore, whoever has charity understands the things pertaining to salvation. Thus, you see that today, because there is no charity, everything is misinterpreted, and so many new laws are created and enacted with such frequency that it has become a huge confusion. Furthermore, every new law created today is nothing more than a net for money. It seems that now we have become worse than Jews.

Things that could be resolved in an hour stay stagnant for ten or twenty years. It would be best to burn most writings and laws, removing first the few good ones; but all of this happens because there is no charity. The apostles did not have so many laws because they burned with the love of charity: *plenitudo legis est caritas*. What the law of God commands is solely for the sake of charity. All theology is ordered toward charity, all canonical laws toward charity, all civil laws toward charity, all the ceremonies of the Church are ordered toward charity, and the whole world was made by God for charity. The heavens and the earth are ordered toward man to nourish him and keep his body alive.

The body is ordered to the soul, and the soul to charity and superior grace; hence the entire world is ordered to charity. Therefore, whoever commands against charity, which is the fullness of our law, *anathema sit*—let him be excommunicated. He who commands against charity is excommunicated by God. Even if an angel were to say it, *anathema sit*; I say "if he were to say it" because he would not and in fact cannot; but I say "if he were to say it," *quia conditionalis non ponit inesse* (because a conditional statement does not imply existence), *anathema sit*—let him be excommunicated. And if it were all the saints, even the Virgin Mary (who cannot and would never command against charity, as I have said), *anathema sit*. One cannot, I tell you, command against charity because all creatures are subject to this law, and therefore, everyone should rather die than act against charity. Tell me then: he who sees the wolf coming to devour the sheep, sees the destruction of souls, and sees actions taken against charity, should he not lay down his life for his sheep? *Maiorem caritatem nemo habet quam ponere animam pro ovibus suis*—Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his sheep. Would such a man then be excommunicated? Do not believe it. It is he who acts against charity who is excommunicated.

Do you think I should flee? I have been strong until now, and I tell you again that I will stay. Do you want me to abandon my children, who are also yours, who have been drawn here by God to live well under my protection? The good shepherd does not abandon his sheep, *sed ponit animam suam pro ovibus suis*. I tell you that you would have to cut me into a thousand pieces before I abandon my sheep. You also say: "Make the union, join this congregation," I tell you I will never do it; and I do not want my children to loosen their way of life, because this is against good living and against charity. That is why I would rather die a thousand deaths. I will also say this so boldly, because you, Lord, have willed that I say it. These citizens who turned to good, these women and children who do good, are they not also my spiritual children? You keep saying I should go to Rome and leave them in the hands of gamblers, sodomites, and those given to lust and every other vice, to turn back from the good they have started. This is against all charity. Furthermore, you say that I have preached heretical things. Take a look at what I have written and sent out; see if those seem like heresies to you. I have given you something to chew on, as the poets say. You also say that I should stop preaching. I will never do so because it is against all charity. Didn't you see that when preaching ceased, good living diminished, vices grew and became emboldened, and everything was thrown into confusion. Thus, the faith of Christ was trampled, and the sheep remained in the hands of wolves. Take a good look, and see if you find any law, canon, or council that commands against charity. If it is against what I have said, let them be excommunicated and *anathema sit*. If any learned man or bishop speaks against this, let him be anathematized: — you have not studied enough. —

And if there were any pope or others who spoke against what I have said, let him be excommunicated. I am not saying that it was a pope who did so, but if there were anyone who did or said so, I tell you that it would not have been the craftsman or the principle agent who wielded the saw; but it would have been wielded by others, that is, by the bad persuasion of others. Regarding his intention, I will judge it favorably myself; if it was bad, I leave that judgment to God. You also say that I should observe this excommunication: I will not observe it because I do not want to act against charity. This is the reason the excommunication does not hold according to the supernatural light in which you see that a command against charity is not valid. Now for an even more manifest reason.

We are still at the beginning, and preaching is hard work. Pray for us that we may regain our strength, for the more we preach, the better we will be able to proceed. — Now then, you might say, come here, *frate*: does the excommunication seem valid to you? Clarify this point a little. — No, it is not valid. — Oh, who told you that? — God told me. God, I tell you, told me this. Look how I speak to you. — Oh *frate*, if your God has told you it is not valid, our God has told us it is valid and we say that Christ is with us. — Well then, let us see what this is about. I tell you that Christ is with us, and I will show you that He would rather be with those excommunicated in this way than with you who say you are blessed. There was a decree at the time of Christ that anyone who confessed the name of Christ was to be excommunicated and cast out of the Synagogue. I, for my part, want to be with Christ, confess Him, and be with such excommunicates. — But *frate*, be aware that many good people are against you. — And I answer you that not all those who seem good are good. I remember I once told you that there were three kinds of men. First, there are those devils, who do not have manifest vices outwardly and are not tainted by carnal sins, but only have the spiritual sin of pride like the devil. The devil does not gamble, indulge in gluttony, keep a concubine, or commit usury; he has only the sins of envy, pride, and hatred. And so there are certain men fixed in these spiritual sins who are just like devils. Second, there are those who indulge in vices, lusts, concubinage, usury, and all the other carnal vices; these are beasts. Third, there are those who indulge in both carnal and spiritual vices; these are half beasts and half devils. Now go, then, and look at those who oppose us: you will see that they are all vicious and immersed in sins, some devils, some half devils half beasts, and some beasts. Start from Rome up to here, and you will see what kind of people they are. Surely you see that almost all the bad and infamous men contradict this work. Then turn around, and look at those who believe in this work: you will see that they live well, they confess, they receive communion often, they live purified. If you then are good, to whom will you draw near? Certainly, you will draw near to the good and to those who live well, if you want to be good: *cum sancto sanctus eris, si cum perverso perverteris*. I see that you draw near to those who contradict, therefore you must be bad like them.

I, for one, want to be with these good people, and if doing good means being excommunicated, then I want to be with the excommunicated. You see clearly what this excommunication aims to accomplish, its intention and purpose, and how much destruction it would do to good living and the common good if obeyed. Therefore, if you are good, you will understand clearly what you must do, and you will not fear excommunication because every good person should support and favor the good. — Oh father, there are also good people who are scrupulous and do not make it seem as clear as you do. — I respond that they must not pray as much as is necessary to be enlightened by the truth, or they have some subtle pride which is an impediment preventing the divine light from penetrating. But if they were to pray with the right intention, they would be enlightened, *quia exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis*. — Oh father, if I have scruples and have hesitated, what wrong have I done? — Listen here: do you want me to tell you the truth? You have acted against God because if everyone had been like you, the city and good living would have been brought to ruin.

Therefore, draw near to the good, if you wish to be good, and do not wish to be among the number of the wicked, whom you see in opposition. I want share news that was relayed to me by a trustworthy person. He said that while speaking to a great master in Rome, perhaps the greatest there, and discussing these matters about the friar, this great master said to him: — I will tell you the truth. I have noticed that all those who have spoken to me against this matter and against the friar, whether Florentines or others, seem to me to be men of bad character, and those who have spoken in his favor seem to be good. — Now see how the matter stands!

I tell you that whoever contradicts this work contradicts Christ. I tell you again: whoever contradicts this work contradicts Christ. Understand me clearly, O Rome, whoever contradicts this work contradicts Christ. O Italy, whoever contradicts this work contradicts Christ. O Christian people, if you oppose, you fight against Christ and not against the friar. — Oh, you might say, but the priests of the Church are also gathered against this work. — I respond: When Saint Peter drew his sword, our Savior said to him: *quomodo implebuntur scripturae?*—how can the Scriptures and prophecies be verified if it did not happen this way? So I say to you: if this opposition had not come, how would the prophecy and what I had foretold be fulfilled? In due time you will be forced to call me a prophet; you know that I have foretold all this to you, about the contradiction of the priests and the tepid, so long ago and so many times. They are gathered against this work because some are troubled by concubines, others by ambition, and all are driven by their passions. When the tax was imposed on the priests, they wanted me to speak out and defend them; I refused because if I said that the tax should not be imposed, they would have said that I was against the public good; and if I had said that it should be imposed, they would have replied: 'you speak against the canons.' This was the trap they set for me.

And so you see how the matter stands; but let Christ guide His work: I do not care about contradiction, because, as I have told you, we must always win and the end will be victory. A new time begins, I tell you, great wars are coming, and even greater things are yet to be discovered. We will have greater wars than these. I do not ask for peace, my Lord, but I cry out “war, war!” War, I say, against the devil: the peace of Christ is enough for us. *Praeterea,* consider this: everyone confesses that this excommunication is not valid as far as God is concerned, but they have scruples regarding the Church. It is enough for me not to be bound by Christ and to have His blessing. O my Lord, I turn to You, and I say to You that if I ever seek absolution from this excommunication, send me to Hell. I would have scruples of mortal sin if I had myself absolved. These priests seek advice on whether someone who participates with the excommunicated *in crimine damnato* is excommunicated, and they miss the main point, which is whether the excommunication is valid. And on the other hand, they ask poorly due to their ignorance, questioning whether they were excommunicated for coming to the sermon. Tell me: is preaching a sin? Is preaching a damnable crime? Certainly, if the excommunicator said this, he would speak against the Gospel. This is not a *crimen damnatum*. — Oh, I meant the disobedience —; and I tell you that if the rule that only those who are sufficiently learned should be made doctors or canon lawyers was observed (although there are some learned one, of whom I do not speak here), there would not be so much ignorance and doubt. But to remove every scruple from you, I say to you, my priests (I mean those who want to live well; there are indeed some of mine who are children of Christ): *confortamini et nolite timere, pusillanimes, Dominus vobiscum est*. Be strong and do not fear, you who are faint-hearted, for the Lord is with you. And Thursday I invite you all (I mean my priests who want to live well): come Thursday, after Vespers, to San Marco, where we will have a nice lesson and I will explain to you what you must do and how to live well without scruples. — What more do you want to say, *frate*? — Listen: I will tell you.

— Oh father, there are others who also speak about this excommunication, and they are the friars who refuse absolution. Do you want me to teach you how they will absolve you? Well, it is better that I keep silent about it; I will just tell you this: do this... *Note here, you who read, that the preacher here said nothing, but he tapped his keys together, by which sound everyone understood that he meant that if you give them money, they will absolve you*. And then he continued and said: Do you want good advice to heal your city? Get rid of them. — Oh *frate*, you are touching a sensitive spot. — It is necessary to speak the truth here: I speak of the wicked friars, not the good ones. Do not doubt that we will have good confessors who will satisfy your needs; but go early to confess and thank God who has given you the grace to rid yourself of tepidity—that is, to free yourselves from the hands of bad confessors.

*Praeterea*, tell me a little, priests and clergy: in ’78 did you confess? Did you say mass and perform the offices? Why is it worse now than at that time? I have not hanged any archbishop nor any priest, nor killed anyone (Pazzi conspiracy, archb. of Pisa). — Oh, they defended the state —; and I defend the state of Christ and the faith and good Christian living. — Oh frate, was that excommunication to be feared or to be observed at that time? — I don't want to dispute this now; however, I don't think so, and that is enough. Do you believe that God wants these evils, and that excommunications are made to be able to commit every evil? You would be wrong. So, I say to you, priests and friars, and I also say to myself when I speak to the friars, I myself am a sinful friar, and it is not I who speak to you, understand me well; what I tell you, it is not I who speak to you, but Christ speaks to you through me. See how I speak to you. Open your ears. You go about searching for the key; if it opens, there are many of your secrets underneath, and all will be revealed; so be careful about what you are seeking. I want to teach you a good point against myself. — Oh *frate*, will it be against Christ? — It will not be against Christ, however, because the honor of Christ will go forward. I will tell you this, and our adversaries still will not act accordingly. Do you want to thwart the work of Christ? Do not wage war against it, because all the works of Christ have grown in contradictions. You have given more reputation to this work by waging war against it, than it would have had without. You see that with excommunication it grows, and you thought to bring it down, and it will grow all the more as you increase opposition to it. Now then, to the third reason: whether the excommunication is valid or not.

I have already given you two reasons why it is not valid. Now for the third: from the supernatural light of prophecy. Which first says these words; that is, it is worth nothing and it is not to be observed, and moreover, we are obligated not to observe it, because if it were observed, many evils would follow. — Oh *frate*, I do not believe you; you have not performed miracles to make me believe you against the Church. — Do as you will; for now, the Lord does not wish to act otherwise. — Oh *frate*, you told us to let the excommunication come, and that it should be carried aloft on the point of a lance: I thought that then you would open everything (reference to the chiavetta; cfr. Villari p. 602). — I tell you that it has not yet fully come, because if it had fully come, you would have seen everything. But if you have eyes, you have indeed seen many signs since then, and you have seen in Rome that someone has lost a son, and to someone else has happened something else, and you have also seen deaths here in Florence; and I could even tell you who is in Hell. You will also see their processes, so that you would have seen everything if everything had come. You have seen half, because half has come. — Oh *frate*, I thought you would have opened the key (*chiavetta*) then. — The time to do so has not yet come: a great treasure is not opened all at once. When a prince is at war, if he has a treasure in his fortress, he reserves it as much as he can until the end, and does not spend it so quickly, but first spends from the city's other revenues before he comes to draw out the treasure. We have not yet removed anything but a single jewel, one of those five of David, that is, the light of this doctrine. But I tell you that we are closer than ever to drawing forth the other ones.

You have not yet constrained me to a miracle: when it is necessary, God will extend His hand according to His honor. But if you reasoned well, you have seen so many signs that you do not need a miracle. First, you have the sign that God is with you, because He has miraculously preserved you. The emperor and his adversary came up to the gates, so much that you believed you were besieged, and yet in an instant, they retreated. And there have been many threats to wage war against you and destroy you, yet nothing has happened. And although you have lost Pisa, nonetheless, it was not by means of war. Florence, you are greatly afraid of war; I tell you: do not be afraid, let there be war as much as there will be, because the Lord is with you, and He will deliver you from everything. Italy, make as much war as you can, come all against Florence, for we fear nothing. We will stay in our rooms, and we will drive out the enemies, and the angels will fight for us, so do not worry, Florence, because the Lord is with you; and you have seen so many signs that you should believe it. Second: that this doctrine is true, you have this sign, because that which I have predicted has come true up to this point, although not yet completely, but you can see that soon the rest will come. Did I not predict the great famine? And so it has been. Did I not also tell you that the foxes would be caught by the hens? But it is not yet the end. I told you that the tepid and those who seemed good would be revealed; and so it has come to pass, and I tell you: *nisi conversi fueritis arcum suum vibrabit*. It is still not the end. Furthermore, a sign that this doctrine is true and from God is this: because you have seen that it has produced good Christian living.

Therefore, you must confess that it is from God. *Item:* the doctrine that is loved by the good must be true; this one is loved and desired by the good: therefore, it is true. *Item:* many prayers have been made to God for this doctrine, and they are continuously made so that God may advance the truth; and if God were to leave those who pray, and do so with a straight heart, in darkness, He would show that He has no providence over human affairs; therefore, it must be confessed in any case that this doctrine, which continues to advance, is true and from God, and not false and from the devil. *Item:* the doctrine that grows more in tribulations and continuously incites greater fervor in those who believe in it, is from God; this one has this effect (for I can say that I have never seen such fervor among the friars and lay people as there is now among ours); therefore, it must be said that it is from God. *Item:* the doctrine that unites all hearts in charity and a common will is from God; this one has had this effect and has united priests, laypeople, and foreigners; therefore, it must be confessed that it is from God. *Item:* the doctrine that makes all who believe in it joyful and happy in Christ is from God; this one that I have preached to you makes all who believe in it always happy in good living; therefore, it is necessary to confess that it is from God. *Item:* the doctrine to which all others agree must be true; all the canons, all philosophy, theology, divine light, and every other true doctrine agree with this one; therefore, we must say that this doctrine is also true.

So, on which side do you want to be, Christ? Ours or theirs? You see that ours has always told the truth, and we have always been steadfast, and this doctrine has introduced good living and so much fervor and so many prayers, and yet we have been excommunicated and they are blessed; and yet it is seen that their doctrine induces wrongdoing, and indulging in eating and drinking, in avarice, in concubines, in selling benefices, and in doing all kinds of evil. On which side do you, Christ, want to be then? On the side of truth or lies, of the excommunicated or the blessed? Christ answers: *ego sum via, veritas et vita*; Christ says: — I am the truth, and I want to be on the side that has the truth, and on the side that you say are excommunicated, because they pray and do all manner of good, they are united in charity, while these others constantly murmur, and say all manner of evil, and are disunited. On whose side do you want to be, Christ: the excommunicated or the blessed? He answers: — these always sing *ecce quam bonum et quam iocundum habitare fratres in unum*, and are always joyful; while these others are always discontented, they are restless in heart, they have no truth. Therefore, I want to be with the excommunicated. — The Lord then notes that He wants to be with the excommunicated and the devil will be with the blessed. O Lord, you have perverted your order; how is your wisdom? You usually want to be with the blessed and not with the excommunicated because excommunicated means precisely cut off from Christ and given into the hands of the devil, and who daily goes from bad to worse; and these excommunicated ones daily go from good to better and continuously become better. So, therefore, you see that the Lord is with us and that He sees that the excommunicated ones do better every day, and affirm themselves more in good living, and therefore wants to be with us. Therefore, my fellow citizens, you must give your life, your property, and everything for this truth, and be prepared as good Christians to die for the love of Christ. Women and children, you must be prepared when needed to die for the truth and for the love of God. My friars, I want us to also give our lives for this truth. My Lord, I turn to you: you died for the truth, and I am content to die for the truth: I offer myself to you as a sacrifice: here I am; I am content to die for you, and I pray that I never die of any other cause but to defend your truth, so that it may be the salvation of your elect and of this people. I pray to you, my Lord, my almighty God, who is blessed forever and ever. Amen.