William Flete was born about 1320 in the village of
Fleet in southeast Lincolnshire, England. He was educated at
Cambridge and afterwards joined the
Austin Friars in England, presumably at
Boston, the nearest friary. Desiring a stricter observance to the rule than they were living, and hearing that there were two monasteries of his order which had returned to primitive discipline near Siena, he set out for Italy. On reaching the forest of
Lecceto, near
Siena, in which one of these monasteries stood, he found the place, which abounded in caves, suited to the contemplative life. With the consent of his superiors he joined this community. Henceforth he spent his days in study and contemplation in one of these caves, and returned to the monastery at night to sleep. He was called the "Bachelor of the Wood"; here he became acquainted with St. Catherine, who occasionally visited him at Lecceto and went to confession to him. He had so great a love for solitude, that he declined to leave it when invited by Pope
Urban VI to go to Rome, to assist him with his counsel at the time of the papal schisms then disturbing the Church. There is no mention of his death in the book of the dead at Lecceto. He was considered a saint by his contemporaries. == Works ==