2g6 PROGRESS OF MONACHISM. 



But then he fled again as much as he could from the 

 tumult of company. Once, on his expreffing his in- 

 tention to travel to iEgypt, and ten thoufand perfons 

 haying ftrove to detain him by their intreaties, he ate 

 nothing for feven days, till they would let him gQ. 

 Hilarion in this was more fortunate than Andefius die 

 heathen hermit, a difciple of Jamblichus. This man 

 took the refolution to make a total renunciation of the 

 world, to pafs his time in the country, and to end his 

 days in the profound e ft folitode. But the glory that 

 fur rounded him was fo fplendid, that, according to the 

 narrative of his biographer Eunapius, it betrayed him 

 even in his retirement. Numbers of young perfons 

 who were thirfting after wifdom, traced him out in 

 Cappadocia, ran roaring round his houfe, threatening 

 to tear him to pieces if he ftill periifted in the refo- 

 lution to bury fo much divine wifdom and knowledge 

 in that obfcure retreat. 



Ammonius, another difciple of Antonius, was the 

 father of the numerous colony of monks that fettled 

 among the mountains of Nitria, and afterwards fo 

 widely extended their fame. He too, as may ealily be 

 imagined, was a genius of no ordinary ftamp. His 

 relations prevailed upon him in his younger years to 

 take a wife. He married a beautiful virgin. On the 

 wedding-night he held her a long harangue againft the 

 marriage-ftate ; and the confequence of this harangue 

 was, that both man and wife leaped out of bed, and 

 fled to the wildernefs, where they lived in folitude 

 apart from each other. 



From ambition and the love of liberty many preferred 

 the life of the anchorite to that of the monk ; and 

 i there- 



