That he admitted your kind into Noah’s ark so that your race should not disappear from the earth.  Be grateful to Him that He has given you the air for your kingdom; you sow not, neither do you reap, but your Heavenly Father gives you abundance of food.  He gave you the rivers and fountains; He gave you the mountains and valleys as a refuge, and the high trees so that you may build your nests in safety.  And because you can neither spin nor cook, God clothed you and your little ones.  Behold the greatness of the love of your Creator!  Beware of the sin of ingratitude and diligently praise God all day!” And when he had thus spoken, the birds opened their beaks, beat their wings and bowed to the ground.

More than a hundred years later (1300-1365), a man was living in Swabia whose soul was kindred to the soul of St. Francis:  Suso, who is, as a rule, classed with the mystics.  He had a profound, typically German love of meadow and forest, and expressed it more exquisitely than the best among the minnesingers.  “Look above you and around you and behold the vastness of heaven and the speed of its revolutions.  The Lord has emblazoned it with seven planets, each of which—­not only the sun—­is far larger than the earth; he has adorned it with myriads of radiant stars.  See how serenely the glorious sun is riding in the cloudless sky, giving to the earth abundance of fruit!  Behold the verdure of the meadow!  The trees are bursting into leaf and the grass is springing up; behold the smiling flowers and listen to glen and dale re-echoing with the sweet song of the nightingales and little singing birds; the beasts which the bitter winter drove into nooks and crannies, and into the dark ground, are emerging from their hiding-places to rejoice in the sun and seek a mate.  Young and old are glad with an exceeding joy.  Oh!  Thou gentle God, how fair art Thou in Thy creatures!  Oh! fields and meadows, how surpassing is your beauty!” Or:  “My dear brethren, what more shall I say to you than that my eyes have seen many gladsome sights.  I walked across the flowering meadows and listened to the heavenly harps of the little birds praising their gentle and loving Creator so that the woods echoed with their songs.”  And, more compassionate even than St. Francis:  “I will say nothing of the children of man; but the misery and sorrow of all the beasts and little birds, and all created things, is well-nigh breaking my heart; and having no power to help them, I sighed, and prayed to the Most High, Most Merciful Lord, that He would deliver them.”  His description of a paradisean meadow sounds like the description of a picture by Fra Angelico:  “Now behold with your own eyes the heavenly meadow!  Lo!  What summer joy!  Behold the kingdom of sweet May, the valley of all true joy!  Glad eyes are gazing into glad eyes!  Hark to the harps and fiddles, the singing and laughter!  Young men and maidens are leading the dance!  Love without sorrow shall reign for ever....”