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CARTHUSIANS.—BEGUINES. 
of it Oil the body and eyes of tlie proselyte, whilst one of the best 
instructed repeats to him the chief canons of their faith, and exacts 
from him a solemn promise to abide by them the rest of his life. They 
oft’ered to admit Mr. Wilkins into their society ; but he declined the 
honour, contenting himself with the alphabet, which they told him to 
guard as the apple of his eye, as it was a sacred character. The 
language is a mixture of Persian, Arabic, and Shanscrit, grafted upon 
the provincial dialect of Pumjab, which is a kind of Hindoowe, or, as 
vve com-nioiily call it, Moorish. 
Carthusians. 
A RELIGIOUS order, founded A. D. 1080, by one Brudo ; so called 
from the desert of Chartreuse, the place pf their institution. Their 
rule is extremely severe ; they must not go out of their cells, except 
to church, without leave of their superior, nor speak to any person 
without leave. They must not keep any meat or drink till next day; 
their beds are of straw, covered with a felt ; their clothing, two hair- 
cloths, two cowls, two pair of hose, and a cloak — all coarse. In the 
refectory, they must keep their eyes on the dish, their hands on the 
table, their attention on the reader, and their hearts fixed on God. 
Women must not come into their churches. It is computed that there 
are one hundred and seventy-two houses of Carthusians, whereof five 
are of nuns, who practise the same austerities as the monks. They 
are divided into sixteen provinces, each of which has two visitors ; 
there have been several canonized saints of this order, four cardinals, 
seventy archbishops and bishops, and many learned authors. 
Beguines. 
These w'ere a congregation of nuns founded either by St. Begghe, 
or by Lambert le Begue. They were established first at Liege, and 
afterwards at Neville, in 1207 ; and from this last settlement sprang 
the great number of Beguines which were spread all over Flanders, 
and which have passed from Flanders into Germany. In the latter 
country, some of those religious fell into extravagant errors, persuad- 
ing themselves that it was impossible, in the present life, to arrive at 
the highest perfection, even to impeccability, and a clear view of God 
— in short, to so eminent a degree of contemplation, that there w as no 
necessity, after this, to submit to the law's of mortal men, civil or 
ecclesiastical. 
The council of Vienna, in 1113, condemned those errors, and 
abolished the order of Beguines, permitting, nevertheless, those among 
them who continued in the true faith, to live in chastity and penitence, 
either with or without vows. It was by favour of this latter clause 
that there still subsist, or at least subsisted till lately, so many com- 
munities of Beguines in Flanders; who, since the council of Vienna, 
have conducted themselves with so much wisdom and piety, that 
John XXII. by his decretal, which explains that of his predecessor 
made in the council of Vienna, took them under his protection ; and 
Boniface VIIL in another, exempted them from the secular tribunal, 
