PROGRESS OF MONAC-HISM. 3#§ 



tions condemned by a wrinkled domina ; all thefe poor 

 and pious lambs lead this life of conitant martyrdom 

 only for a whim of the great Pachomius. lie founded 

 the firft nunnery, at Tabenna. With women indeed 

 he never fpoke ; and therefore he was like to know no- 

 thing of what women feel. But he acquainted hm 

 lifter of his intention to found this convent. It was 

 therefore by his order that the firft nunnery was built 

 at Tabenna. It prefently contained four hundred vir- 

 gins. He caufed them to cut off their hair, and to 

 cover their faces with the facred veil, this great affift- 

 ant to introverlion of foul. But female bickerings and 

 rancour foon entered this firft abode of fecluded vir- 

 gins. It is related by Pall ad i us, that one of thefe 

 nuns in anger accufed another of fome heinous crime* 

 and that fhortly afterwards the accufed leaped into the 

 water and was drowned, and the flanderefs fufp ended 

 herfelf to a beam and died. 



Pachomius frequently vifited the monafteries of h& 

 order in perfon ; and on his becoming field y at an 

 early period of life, he made over this office to his 

 confidents. He likewife often wrote to the fupenors. 

 But before all things he enjoined his difciples to dii- 

 dole their temptations and trials to the moft experi- 

 enced and enlightened of their brethren ; that they 

 might learn the true method of practice In dtfeafcs of 

 the mind. Pachomius himfelf had but too early ex- 

 perienced, what melancholy can sfiecl in monafteries ; 

 and he folemnly affirms, that many monks had thrown 

 themfelves headlong from the furnmit of rocks, many 



had 



