Came flocking for their dole of food.
One of the prettiest Franciscan stories is that of the saint and the nightingale as presented by Mrs. Jamieson;[[105]] and, by the way, antiphonal singing with birds is related of several holy men and women of old:
As he was sitting with his disciple Leo, he felt himself penetrated with joy and consolation by the song of the nightingale ... and Francis began to sing, and when he stopped the nightingale took up the strain; and thus they sang alternately until the night was far advanced and Francis was obliged to stop for his voice failed. Then he confessed that the little bird had vanquished him. He called it to him, thanked it for its song, and gave it the remainder of his bread; and having bestowed his blessing upon it the creature flew away.
Longfellow has preserved in melodious verse that legend of the Spanish Charles V and the swallow that chose his tent as a site for its nest at a time when the emperor—
I forget in what campaign,
Long besieged in mud and rain
Some old frontier town of Flanders.
Yes, it was a swallow’s nest,
Built of clay and hair of horse’s
Mane, or tail, or dragoon’s crest,