I78 ORIGIN OF MONACHISM. 



table he went again with his guefts to prayer, repeated 

 the twelve pfalms once more, twelve prayers between 

 whiles again ; and then laid him down to reft. 



He flept on a mat of rufhes, and fometimes on the 

 bare earth. But his general cuftom was not to lie down 

 to fleep at all, but to watch and pray the whole night 

 through. At other times, after having ilept a little, he 

 rofe about midnight, and prayed with outftretched arms 

 till the riling of the fun, and often till three in the 

 afternoon. He was afhamed of being obliged to eat 

 and to Deep. This dependance on his body and on his 

 ftomach was fo repugnant to him, that though he at 

 times fat down with his brethren at table, he would 

 fuddenly get up, go away, and either faft, or eat by 

 himfelf. Though he could fcarcely endure to be feen 

 eating, yet he fometimes would eat with his brethren, 

 only in order to have an opportunity for giving them 

 good advice. 



Whenever the lick affailed him in too great numbers, 

 Antonius withdrew himfelf from them, and lived alone, 

 as long as he was able to bear it. But at fuch times he 

 was occasionally attacked by fits of irkfomenefs and 

 diflike, as we fee from the various antient and fainted 

 authors whom the pious and learned Tillemont quotes'. 

 Once, on being feized by this fpi ritual death in the 

 defart, he complained in his prayer to God, that, from 

 being fo plagued with ennui, he could no longer ad- 

 vance his falvation. Antonius had immediately a virion 

 to reprove him. He faw himfelf fitting at work, then 

 retiring from his work to devote himfelf to pray ; then 

 fitting again, and employed in weaving a mattrafs of 

 palm leaves, and then praying again. The interpreta- 

 tion 



