Francis cans

Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction, and the Drama · 1892 · p. 8

So called from St. Francis, of A isi, their founder, in 1208. Called “Min´orites” ( or Inferiors ), from their profe ed humility; “Gray Friars,” from the color of their coarse clothing; “Mendicants,” because they obtained their daily food by begging; “Observants,” because they observed the rule of poverty. Those who lived in convents were called “Conventual Friars.”