ORIGIN OF MONACHISM. 1 77 



it was ufual for liirri td afk the people who came to him 

 from Syria, for having their devils cafi out, why they 

 had not gone to Hilarion, who underwood the ejection 

 of devils as well as himfelf? 



Antonius was now not fo much a reclufe as rather a 

 preacher of folitude, and a far-famed ejector of devils. 

 The life he led was however ftill fufficiently auftere. 

 On his bare body he wore a fhirt of horfe-hair, over 

 this a fheep-fkin cloak, and a hood on his head. His 

 appearance might poffibly be fquallid enough, for to 

 warn and cleanfe himfelf was far from his thoughts ; 

 and the familiar reptiles that dwelt between his hide and 

 the horfe-hair were therefore always at liberty to beat 

 the campain. Sometimes he ate about three of the clock 

 in the afternoon, but commonly not till after fun-fet ; 

 frequently not till after two, three, or four, and even 

 not till after five days fafling. If he were then terribly 

 hungry, he neverthelefs contented himfelf with fix 

 ounces of flale dry bread, foaked in water, and a little 

 fait. At times he would eat a few dates on coming; no 

 " to a palm-tree. Not till he had reached an advanced 

 age did his difciples find it necefiary to treat him once 

 every month with olives, oil, and vegetables. 



Antonius kept a table for his patients, as Michael 

 Schuppach does at Langnau. But not fo good by far ; 

 for he gave his patients and guefbs nothing more to eat 

 than cabbages of his own planting, and probably thefe 

 not boiled. Neither was Antonius, at table, half fo 

 merry and amufing, and amufable, as Schuppach ; for 

 before meals he faid twelve pfalms by heart, he alio re- 

 peated the fame twelve pfalms twelve times, and be- 

 tween whiles twelve times prayed. On riling " from 



vol. 11. n tabic 



