PROGRESS OF MONACHtlSlSl. 



accofted Theodore with the vileft abufe, and then 

 went on with his praying. Theodore proceeding once 

 more to remonftrate againft this over-acled devotion, 

 the monk gave him a knock on the head with his ftaff^ 

 and went out of his wits. 



Towards heretics Pachomius difcovered no liberal 

 toleration in forbidding his monks to join with them 

 in prayer. For the orthodox and orthodoxy he had 

 a veneration which may admit of excufe. He pof-^ 

 feffed the miraculous power, of the apoflles, fay his 

 facred biographers ; and the faith in that power, 

 which often works real miracles, may at leafl have 

 been very ufeful to his monks, as they were frequently 

 lick. His miracles however did not always fucceed ; 

 and therefore, like Antonius, he v/as apt to refer his 

 patients to refignation. In general he was fonder of 

 curing the difeafes of the foul' by his wifdom, than 

 thofe of the body by his miraculous power ; and it was 

 obferved that he never once willingly fpoke of the lat- 

 ter. There are myfteries, he would frequently fay, 

 and I think very excellently, that, we ought entirely 

 to conceal from mankind, or only permit juft fa 

 much to be faid of them, as may tend to their edifi- 

 cation. 



Many charming particulars might I exhibit of his 

 conduct and character ; for though a faint he was by 

 no means a bigot. All of them would tefiify of the 

 reafonablenefs of his mind, and his zeal for truth. 

 All of them would evince, that Pachomius was, in hi* 

 way, a philofopher in a world of fools. 



The frequent illnefTes of Pachomius may be thought 

 extraordinary in a perfon of fo much temperance. It 



is 



