164 ORIGIN OF mONACHlSM. 



not proceed fo far, but contented themfelves with afo* 

 juring only what flattered the fenfes, with abftaining 

 from marriage, from flelTi and wine and all nutritious 

 food, from whatever related to the body alone. But 

 all of them adopted the refolution of purifying their 

 fouls, and freeing them from the empire of appetite 

 and paffion. 



No fooner were the fuperftitions of the new platonic 

 philofophy blended with the fyftem of chriftianity* 

 than the limplicity of the afcetic life received a greater 

 commixture of aegyptian fooleries. Plato had already 

 taught, with fufficient plaufibility, that the life of 

 man mould be a conftant endeavour to die, or to free 

 the immortal mind from the meumberances of matter. 

 That the only path that led up to the deity, or the only 

 means that could give new pinions to the afpiring foul ? 

 which had been much impaired, was by the mortifi- 

 cation of the fenfes and the paffions, and unremitted 

 profecution and contemplation of .eternal truth. That 

 the genuine fage never once bellowed a thought, from 

 his earlieft infancy, on the way that conducted to fe-^ 

 nates or tribunals, or other places of public refort. 

 He heard and faw nothing of written or unwritten laws 

 or national decrees; and contefls or rivalihip about 

 -public offices and ports of honour, never entered his 

 head, any more than great banquets and convivial af- 

 • fembliea-. He knew nothing of the hiftory of his coun- 

 try, either antient or modern $ and had never once ob- 

 ferved, that he knew nothing of it. He renounced all 

 this, not out of vanity, not with a view to boaft of his 

 ignorance, but from the full perfuafion that they were 

 all emptinef$ and vanity, undeferving of a moment's 



attention. 



