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ryland, on Patuxeiit river ; oppofite Mackall's ferry ; 30 

 miks fouth-eall from the Federal city. 



BENEDICTINS, orBENEDicriN Order^ in Ecchfiqfti- 

 €al Hi/lory, is an order of monks, who profefs to follow 

 the rule of St. Beiicdift, whieh he formed only for the Ce- 

 nobites, or for thofe who live in a monallery under the di- 

 reftioii of an abbot. 



Having giren indruftions as to the qualifications and duty 

 of the abbot, he proceeds to recommend to the monks obe- 

 dience, filencc, and humility ; to note the hours for divine 

 fervice by day and night, as well as the order and manner of 

 _pcvforming it ; and to fp«eify the pnnifhments that were to 

 tc infliAcd on offenders. Tlicfe punilhments were to be ex- 

 cnmnuiniration, or a leparation from the fellowfliip of the 

 brethren, at table or at prayers ; the challifemciit ol the 

 friore diforderly with rods ; and cxpnlfion from the monaf-* 

 tery. He further Hates the mode of their admilfion, the 

 drefs they were to wear, and the labour in which they were 

 to be employed. From his rule, which is Hill extant, wc 

 learn that it was not his intention to impofe it upon all the 

 monadic focieties ; for he exprefsly excludes the anachorcts, 

 who, having learned the exercifes of a nionaftic life in a 

 convent, retired feparately into deferts, the Sarabaites, who 

 live two or three together in a cell, and the Gyrovagi, who 

 removed from one monallery to another without fixing any- 

 where. It was his puvpufe to form an order, whole dif- 

 cipline (hould be milder, their cftablifliment more folid, and 

 their maimers more regular, than thofe of other monallic bo- 

 dies ; and whofe members, during the courfe of a holy and 

 peaceful life, were to divide their time between prayer, 

 reading, the education of youth, and other pious and learned 

 labours. However, in procefs of time, the followers of this 

 celebrated ecclefiallic degenerated very lamentably from the 

 pietv of their founder, and lofl fight of the duties of their 

 ilation, and the great end of their ellablifliment. Having 

 acquired immenfe riches from the devout liberality of the 

 benevolent, they funk into luxury, intemperance, and floth, 

 abandoned themfclves to all forts of vices, extended their 

 zeal and attention to worldly affairs, took part in political 

 eabals and court faftions, made a vail augmentation of fuper- 

 fluous rites and ceremonies in their order, to bhiid the 

 multitude, and fupply the place of their expiring virtue ; 

 and among other meritorious enterpriies, laboured moft ar- 

 dently to fwell the arrogance, by enlarging the power and 

 authority of the Roman pontiff. 



This new order made a very rapid progrefs in the vvctl, 

 snd, in a (hort interval of time, arrived at the mod flonrifliing 

 Hate. In Gaul, its intereft's wtre promoted by Maurus ; 

 in Sicily and Sardinia, by Plaeidus ; in England, by Au- 

 gullin and Mellitus ; in Italy, and other countries, by Gre- 

 gory- the Great, who liiinfelf is reported to have been for 

 fonie time a member of this fociety ; and in Germany it was 

 afterwards received by the inflrnmentality of Boniface. 

 Tliis fudden and amazing progrefs of the new order was 

 aferibed by the Benediclins to the wifdom and fandlity 

 of their difc'pline, and to the miracles wrought by tlieir 

 founder and his followers. But upon a more attentive view, 

 the impartial ohferver will be convinced, that the proteftion 

 of the lloman pontiffs, to tlie advancement of whofe gran- 

 diur and authority the Benediclins were mod fcrvilely de- 

 voted, contributed much more to the ludre and influence of 

 their order than any circumllanccs, nay, than all other con- 

 fidcrations united together. 



Tile Benediilins are thofe properly called monachl, monh; 

 the other orders are better denominated friers, or rdipoiis. 

 In the canon law, the Benedidins are called Blach Monks; 

 brin^ diilinguiihcd from the other orders by the colour of 



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their habit, and not by the name of their patriarcli St. Bene- 

 dic^t. Among us they were formerly alfo denominated 

 Black Friers. The Benediftins wear a loofe black gown, 

 with large wide (leeves, and a capuche on their heads, end- 

 ing in a point behind. The lid of laints of the Bcnedidlin 

 order is very ample ; but they are accufed by B:ironiu3, 

 and many other writers, of putting many in the lift who 

 were never of the order. For fix hundred years after the 

 erection of the Benedidtin order, mod of the European 

 monks were followers of this rule : whatever other nanres 

 they went by, Carthufians, Ciilercians, Grandimontenfes, 

 Premonftr;itenlcs, Chiniaes, &c. they were but different 

 brandies of the Benedictins, till about the year 1220, when 

 the Dominicans and Francifcaiis took new rules. Hofpinian 

 reckons no Icfsthan twenty-three religious orders that fprang 

 from this one. According to the Benediclin computation, 

 there have been o* this order 24 popes, 200 cardinals, 7000 

 archbifhops, ij,ooo bifliops, 15,700 abbots, 4000 faints, 

 40,000 confeffors, above 3000 msrtyrs and apollles, who have 

 converted 30 provinces to the Chridian faith, befides em- 

 perors, kings, &c. This order has produced a great num- 

 ber of eminent writers and learned men. 



The Benedidins, though but one order, ar» divided into 

 feveral congregations, whieh have their peculiar cudoms and 

 obfervanccs different from the red. Each of tliefe is fub- 

 divided into provinces, which have their general chapters. 

 This order is faid to have been brought into England about 

 the year 596. The Engliih congregation, which had fub- 

 fided from the time of the miffion of St. Audio, was de- 

 droyed under Henry VTII. and by degrees reduced to one 

 fingle man, father Buckley ; who, in 1607, procured a re- 

 eftablifhment of tlie congregation, at Doway, in the Ne- 

 therlands, where it dill fublills in a kind of dependency on 

 that of St.Valladohd in Spain. At the genei'al chapters they 

 chufe provincials, witli their affidants, for each of the pro- 

 vinces of Canterbuiy and York, who have jurifdiftion over 

 the miffionaries employed tliercin. They are governed by a 

 prefident-geiieral, and tliree defitiitors, chofen eveiy three 

 years. At their admiflion they make a fourth vow, vi/. 

 that they will go to the miffion in England, and return when 

 their fuperiors think fit. 



BiiNF-DicTiN Nuns, are religious women, who embrace the 

 lule of St. Benedict. 



BENEDICTION, in a general fenf?, the aft of bleffing^ 

 or giving pialfc to God, or returning thanks for his favours. 

 Hence alfo benedidlion is dill applied to the aft of faying 

 grace before or after meals. Neither the ancient Jews, nor 

 Ciiriftians, ever eat without a diort prayer. 'ilie Jews 

 are obliged to rehearfe a hundred benedidtions per day; of 

 whieh, eighty are to be fpoken in the morning. Vitring. 

 de Synag. Vet. lib. iii. Rabbi Neheniiah Barueli, in 168^!, 

 puljlidud a difeourfe on the manner wherein the facerdotal 

 bcnediition is to be pronounced. In the fynagogue of Fcr- 

 rara, it is rattier fung than fpoken. Among the ancient 

 Jews, as well as Chrlftians, benidiftions were attended with- 

 the inipofition of liands ; and Chridians, in procefs of time,, 

 addtd the fign of the crofs, wliich was made with the fame 

 hand, elevated or extended. Hence, in the Romldi church, 

 bcnedlftion was ufed to denote the fign of the crofs,. 

 made by a bidiop or prelate, from an idea that it con- 

 ferred fome grace on the people. The cullom of receiv- 

 ing bcnediftion by bowing the head before tlie bidiops, is 

 very ancient, and was fo univerfal, tliat emperors tlicm-- 

 felves did not decline tjiis mark of fubmiflion. Under thpv 

 name bcnedidlion the Hebrews alfo frequently underdand, 

 the prefents which friends make to one another, in all pro- 

 bability becaufe tliey are generally attended with bleffings 



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