C48 MON 
Thofe of the fmaller monafteries difiolved by 27 
Hen. VIII. were reckoned at about - 10,000 
If we fuppofe the colleges and hofpitals to have 
contained a proportionable number, thefe will 
make about - ... 5,347 
If we reckon the number in the greater monafte¬ 
ries, according to the proportion of'their reve¬ 
nues, they will be about 35,000 ; but, as proba¬ 
bly they had larger allowances in proportion to 
their number than thofe of the fmaller monafte¬ 
ries, if we abate upon that account 5000, they 
will then be 30,000 
One for each chantry and free chapel 2,374 
Total, 47,721 
But, as there were probably more than one perfon to offi¬ 
ciate in feveral of the free chapels, and there were other 
houfes which are not included within this calculation, 
perhaps they may be computed in one general eftimate at 
about 50,000. As there were peniions paid to almoft all 
thole of the greater monafteries, the king did not imme¬ 
diately come into the full enjoyment of their whole reve¬ 
nues ; however, by means of what he did receive, he found¬ 
ed fix new bilhoprics, viz. thofe of Weftminiter (which 
was changed by queen Elizabeth into a deanery, with 
twelve prebends and a fchool), Peterborough, Chefter, 
•Gloucefter, Briftol, and Oxford. And in eight other fees 
he founded deaneries and chapters, by converting the 
priors and monks into deans and prebendaries, viz. Can¬ 
terbury, Winchefter, Durham, Worcefter, Rochefter, 
Norwich, Ely, and Carlille. He founded alfo the colleges 
cf Chrift-church in Oxford, and Trinity in Cambridge, 
and finilhed King’s College there. He likewife founded 
profefl'orlhips of divinity, law, phyfic, and of the Hebrew 
and Greek tongues, in both the faid univerfities. He 
gave the houfe of Grey Friars and St. Bartholomew’s 
Hofpital to the city of London, and a perpetual penlion 
to the poor knights of Windfor; and laid out great films 
In building and fortifying many ports in the channel. It 
is obfervable, upon the whole, that the diiTolution of thefe 
lioufes was an aft, not of the church, but of the ftate; in 
the period preceding the reformation, by a king and par¬ 
liament of the Roman-catholic communion in all points 
except the king’s fupremacy; and to which the pope liim- 
felf, by his bulls and licenles, had led the way. 
Although none, in this enlighted period, can approve 
■either the original eftablifhment or continued fubfiftence 
of monafteries ; yet the deltruftion of them was felt and 
lament, for a confiderable time, as a great evil; for all 
robbery is a great evil. One inconvenience that attended 
their diflolution was the lofs of many valuable books, 
which their feveral libraries contained ; for during the 
dark ages, religious houfes were the repofitories of litera¬ 
ture and fcience. Befides, they were fchools of educa¬ 
tion and learning; for every convent had one perfon or 
more appointed for this purpofe; and all the neighbours 
that defired it might have their children taught grammar 
and church-mufic there, without any expcnle. In the 
nunneries alfo young females were taught to work and 
read; and not only people of the lower rank, but moft of 
the noblemen’s and gentlemen’s daughters, were inftrufted 
in thole places. The monafteries were alfo in effeft great 
hofpitals ; and moft of them relieved many poor people 
every day : fome therefore date the necefiity and the ori¬ 
gin of the poor-laws from this time, but that is a difputed 
point. See Mendicity, in this volume, p. 92, 3. They 
were likewife houfes of entertainment for travellers ; and 
the nobility and gentry provided not only for their old 
fervants in thefe houles, by conodies, but for their younger 
children, and irnpoveriihed friends, by making them firll 
monks and nuns, and in time priors and prioreffes, ab¬ 
bots and abbelfes. On the other hand, they were very 
injurious to the fecular and parochial clergy, by taking 
<on themlelves many prebends and bemffices, by getting 
M O N 
many churches appropriated to them, and peniions out of 
many others ; and by the exemptions they got from the 
epifcopal jurifdiftion, and from the payment of tithes. 
Nor were they lefs injurious to the nation in general, by 
depriving the public of fo many hands, which might have 
been very ferviceable to it in trade and other employ¬ 
ments ; by greatly diminilhing the number of people, in 
confequence of the inftitution of celibacy; and by their 
houfes or churches being fanftuaries for almoft all forts 
of offenders. And, if the fuperftition had continued, and 
the zeal of eftablilhing religious inllitutions had exerted 
itfelf with equal vigour to the prefent age, we Ihould ere 
this have been a nation of monks and friars, or probably 
have become a prey to lome foreign invader. We fay no¬ 
thing now of the afts of moral turpitude, which were 
committed in thefe abodes of celibacy and indolence ; 
’which, however they might have been exaggerated, were 
without doubt flagrant and atrocious. Burn's Feel. Law, 
We have no good Monafticon of Scotland; and it is 
now impoffible to alcertain the exaft number of regular 
clergy, or even religious houfes, that were in that coun¬ 
try. The bell and moft particular account of the intro- 
duftion of the different monaftic orders from England and 
the continent, is contained in the lirft volume of Mr. Chal¬ 
mers’s Caledonia, 1811. Dr. Jamiefon in his Hillory of 
the ancient Culdees, alfo lately publilhed, has traced with 
much attention the meafures purfued for fuppreffing the 
ancient monks, to make way for the new orders which 
were immediately dependent upon Rome. In Spottif- 
wood’s Account, publilhed at the end of Keith’s Cata¬ 
logue of Bilhops, 170 religious houfes are enumerated ; 
but his account is defeftive. Mr. Dalyell, upon the au¬ 
thority of a manufeript, has Hated the number of monks 
and nuns in that country as amounting only to 1114 about 
the period of the Reformation. Cur fury 'Remarks prefixed 
to Scoltijh Poems of the 1 6 th Century, vol. i. p. 38, 39. 
F.din. 1801. Taking the number of monafteries accord¬ 
ing to Spottifwood’s account, this would allow' only feven 
perfons to each houfe on an. average, a number incredibly 
finall. It will be ftill fmaller, if we fuppofe that there were 
260 religious houfes, as Hated by the fame author in another 
publication. Dalyell's Fragments of Scottijh Hiftory, p. 11, 
28. In the year 1542, there were 200 monks in Melrofe 
alone. Ibid. The number in Dumfermline feems to have 
varied from 30 to 50. Dalycll's Trad on Monaftic Anti¬ 
quities, p. 13. Pailley, Eglin, and Arbroath, were not 
inferior to it in their endowauents. In general it may be 
obferved, that the paffion for the monaftic life appears not 
to have been on the increafe even in the early part of the 
16th century. But, if we would form an eftimate of 
the number of the monks, we mull allow for a great di¬ 
minution of them from the year 1538 to 1559. During 
that period, many of them, efpecially the younger ones, 
embraced the reformed opinions, and defected the con¬ 
vents. Cald. M S. W hen the monaliery of the Grey Friars 
at Perth was deftroyed in 1559, only eight monks be¬ 
longed to it. Knox's Hiforie, p. 12S. 
MONAS'TIC. f. A monk.—An art of great value with 
the ancients, and longell preferved amongli the monaJiiclt3, 
as we find upon figures and capital letters in old vellum 
manuferipts. Herbert's Travels. 
MONAS'TIC, or Monas'tical, adj. [ monafiique, Fr 
monaflicus, Lat.] Religioufly reel ufe; pertaining to a monk 
—The monaftic protection is a kind of civil death, which 
in all worldly matters has the lame effeft with the natural 
death. The council of Trent, &c. fix fixteen years for 
the age at which a perfon may be admitted into the mo~ 
naftical ftate. Chambers. 
When young, you led a life monaftic , 
And wore a veil eccleiiaftic. Denham. 
MONAS'TICALLY, adu. Reclufely; in the'manner 
of a monk.—I have a dozen years more to anfwer tor, all 
vionafically palled in this country of liberty and delight. 
Swift. 
M ON AS'TI CON; 
