OE.IGIN OF MONACHISM. 187 



two of his monks, juft after his return from Alexan- 

 dria ; leaving to the archbifhop Athanalius * one of 

 his hair gowns, to St. Macarlus his ftafF, and to all re- 

 el ufes his example. 



The name of Antonius is come down in great luftre 

 to our times, as he is adored in all monafteries. As a 

 man who boafted of divine revelations, as a worker of 

 miracles, as a pattern to all monks, and principal faint 

 of all myftics, he was naturally a contemner of every 

 fpecies of learning. Learning Hands in the way of the 

 myfticai elements of monkery. By folitary meditations, 

 by prayer, by infpirations, a fertile imagination and 

 fevere abftinence, men thought to attain to the know- 

 ledge of religion in a far greater degree than by the ut- 

 moft efforts of the underftanding and reafon. But all 

 thefe fpecial advantages to the attainment of piety are 

 notorioufly repugnant to the genuine fpirit of chrif- 

 tianity. 



Such examples of the mo ft exalted devotion, as An- 

 tonius is pretended to have given, foon opened a door 

 to an incredible multitude of chriftian fanatics and ad- 

 venturers. yEgypt, Lybia, Syria, Arabia, and Pa- 



* Athanafius, patriarch and archbifhop of Alexandria, has 

 eternized his gratitude for this important legacy ; as he is uni- 

 verfally kno wn to be the biographer of the great Antonius. 

 Athanafius is likevvife flili revered in the romifh church as a faint 

 of the firft magnitude, li is neverthelefs true that the council of 

 Tyre, in the year 335 deprived him of the paftoral &aff. The 

 fc holy man was accufed of having violated a virgin, (lain a bimop, 

 and broke a chalice. He is faid indeed to have jiiftified himfelf 

 from thefe accufations ; but he remained depofed, and was ba- 

 il i ill cd from Alexandria to Triers. 



lseftine, 



