PROGRESS OF MONACHISM. sBj 



wretched fellow works from morning till evening for 

 the devil, and merely for the honour of making two 

 mats a day inftcad of one. Having faid this, Pacho- 

 rnius caafed the rniferable tinner to be brought before 

 him, and commanded that he Ihould prefent himfelf 

 in the church and in the dining-hall, before all the 

 monks, with his two mats in his hand, and there afk 

 pardon of them all for afpiring out of vanity to be bet- 

 ter than they. This however was not enough. The 

 poor monk was fentenced to be flint up in his cell for 

 five months. Here he was not permitted to fpeak to 

 anyone; his only fupport was bread, water and fait; 

 and he was. obliged to weave every day two mats. 



So numerous however were the follies practifed in 

 the aegyptian monafreries, that this very reafonable pu- 

 nimment had no erTecl ; for what the rule did not en- 

 join, that the monks yet frequently did from pious 

 frenzy. A monk at Tabenna exceeded the bounds of 

 moderation in the aufterities he exercifed againft him- 

 felf to fuch a degree that father Pachomius was obliged 

 to reprove him.' This he did in perfect meeknefs. He 

 proved to him how a man may be too wife and too vir- 

 tuous merely from pride. The fureft means of con- 

 quering this pride, faid he, is for a while to do no more 

 than others ; therefore not more feverely to faft, and 

 not more to watch and to pray than they. This the 

 monk did for a while. But loon fell foul on himfelf 

 again as before, and murmured and grumbled at his 

 fuperior, for intreating him to have me^cy on his 

 body. Pachomius commifFioned his favourite difciple, 

 St. Theodore, to go to this zealot, who was everlast- 

 ingly praying, and make him give over. The monk 



accofled 



