Arnald of Villanova on Saint Francis

In the period between 1304 until his accidental death by shipwreck in 1311 Arnald of Villanova offered spiritual guidance for communities of lay people known as Beguins. The ideal of these communities was to live in poverty, a goal ultimately inspired by the teachings and model of Saint Francis. But in the terms of the day their stalwart commitment to the “highest poverty” distanced them from the majority of the Franciscan Order, the Conventuals, who favored greater moderation. Given that Arnald of Villanova himself propounded Beguin ideals what was his own his estimation of St Francis ?’