670, MON 
MON'ISHMENT, f. Admonition ; counfel given-. 
Sherwood. 
MONIS'TIC, a river of America, which runs into Lake 
Michigan in lat. 44. 14. N. Ion. 85. 31. W. 
MONISTRO'L, a town of France, and principal place 
of a diftrift, in the department of the Upper Loire: nine¬ 
teen miles north-eaft of Le Puy, and thirteen fouth-weft 
of St. Etienne. Lat. 45. 17. N. Ion. 4. 13. E. 
MONI'TION, f. [Fr. from monitio, Lat.] Information; 
hint.—We have no vifible monition of the returns of any 
other periods, fuch as we have of the day, by fucceffive 
light and darknefs. Holder on Time. —Inftruction ; docu¬ 
ment.—Unruly ambition is deaf, not only to the advice of 
friends, but to the counfels and monitions of reafon itfelf. 
L'Eftrange. 
Then, after fage monitions from his friends, 
His talents to employ for nobler ends, 
He turns to politicks his dangerous wit. Swift. 
MON'ITIVE, qdj, [monilus , Lat.] Admonitory; con¬ 
veying ufeful inftruftion.—Thefe evils are exemplary and 
monitive. Harrow. 
MON'ITOR, f. [Lat.] One who warns of faults, or in¬ 
forms of duty; one who gives ufeful hints. It is ufed 
of an upper fcholar in a fchool, cornmiflioned by the 
naafter to look to the boys in his abfence.—It was the 
privilege of Adam innocent to have thefe notions alfo 
firm and untainted, to carry his monitor in his bofom, his 
law in his heart, and to have fuch a.confidence as might 
be its own cafuift. South's Sermons. —The pains that come 
from the neceffities of nature, are monitors to us to beware 
of greater mifchiefs. Locke. 
MON'ITORY, adj. Conveying ufeful inftruftion ; giv¬ 
ing admonition.—Loffes, milcarriages, and difappoint- 
tnents, are monitory and inftruftive.— L'Eftrange. 
MON'ITORY, f. Admonition; warning.—A king of 
Hungary took a bilhop in battle, and kept him prifoner; 
whereupon the pope writ a monitory to him, for that he 
had broken the privilege of holy church. Bacon. 
MONITOU', two iflands of America, in Lake Michi¬ 
gan. Lat. 44. 55. N. Ion. 85. 35. W. 
MON'ITRESS, f. A female monitor; an inftru£lrefs. 
—Thus far our pretty and ingenious monitrcfs.; were I to 
fay any thing after her, my cafe would be that of the tire- 
fome actor. Student. 
MONJU'ICH, a mountain of Spain, fituated on the 
fouth-weft part of the city of Barcelona, with a fortrefs 
on it. The name feems a corruption of Mons Jovis, or 
Mons Judaicus. The face of the mountain towards the 
fea is acceflible; and the road is very fteep; about half 
way up is the ancient burial-place of the Jews. The for¬ 
trefs has been repaired, but in the opinion of many is too 
large to be well garrifoned. 
MONJUR', a town of Afiatic Turkey, in Caramania: 
twenty miles fouth of Kirlhehr. 
MONI'Y, a river of Brafil, which runs into the Bay of 
Maranhao in lat. 2. 40. S. Ion. 45. 29. W. 
MONK, f . [monec, Sax. monachus, Lat. p.oi/a^oc, Gr. 
lolitary, from i^ovoc, alone.] One of a religious community 
bound by vows to certain obfervances.—Abdemeleck, as 
one weary of the world, gave over all, and betook himfelf 
to a folitary life, and became a melancholy Mahometan 
monk. Rnollcs's Hiji. of the Turks. 
The dronifli monks, the fcorn and lhame of manhood, 
Roufeand prepare once more to take poffeflion, 
And neftle in their ancient hives again. Rowe. 
The diforder and confufion which were occafioned by 
the civil diifenfions that took place foon after the efta- 
blifhment of Chriftianity, and the perfecutions infli&ed 
on fuch as adhered to this religion, were the firlt caules 
that gave rife to the monaftic llate of the Eaft ; and, in 
the Weft, the hoftile incurlions of the northern nations, 
together with yarious prejudices, perfuaded thofe who 
loved tranquillity, or afpired to the fancied fummit of per¬ 
fection, to take refuge in the cloifter. Thus Anthony 
M O N 
retired into the defert under the perfecution of Decius, 
Paul under that of Aurelian ; and the difciples of thefe 
two renowned hermits multiplied apace during thofe 
of Dioclefian, Galerius, Maximinus, and Licinius. We 
muft, however, obferve, that this inftitution was chiefly 
introduced by the Egyptians, men of ardent genius, in¬ 
habiting a country diftinguifhed both by the heats of its 
climate, and the foreits with which it abounded, and 
which were well calculated to afford a- fhelter to thefe 
folitaries. We may moreover remark, that their chief 
aufterities nonfilled only in a conftant perfeverance in one 
regular and uniform way of life ; and that they were un¬ 
acquainted with the extravagant practices of piety which 
were obferved by the Syrian monks. To whatever mo¬ 
tives we aferibe this infatuation of the firft anchorets,. 
whether political or religious ; certain it is that their 
numbers were great beyond conception. In Egypt alone, 
before the end of the fourth century, there were above- 
feventy-fix thoufand of thefe folitaries : and Caftian 
Ipeaks of a city called Oxyrincus, in which there were 
ten thoufand virgins, and twenty thoufand monks, liv¬ 
ing together under the fame rules, and obferving the 
fame difeipline. 
The lives of thefe ancient reclufes were fo auftere, 
that Benedict, who wrote his monaftic rule in 530, pre¬ 
tends by no means to give it as a model of perfection, 
but only as a mere introduction to a perfeCt life, inferior 
by far to what was praCtifed in former ages. The idea 
which now' began to be formed of a virtuous Chriftian, 
reprefented him as a mere paffive being, whole thoughts 
were folely to be employed on Heaven, and whofe duty 
it was not only to renounce this world with all its vices 
and its follies, but even its molt rational comforts and 
enjoyments. This evidently appears from the writings 
of all who have treated on a religious life. W lien once 
a perfon has impreffed his mind with.an idea that the life, 
of a Chriftian Ihould be a life of rigour and felf-denial, in 
this literal fenfe, he is eafily induced to abandon a world 
which can afford him no enjoyment; and buries himfelf 
in the gloomy receffes of a convent, to praCtife thofe vir¬ 
tues which elfewhere would inevitably expofe him to 
ridicule and contempt. 
A Latin poet of the 5th century (Rutilius) thus de- 
feribes the monks of the illand of Capraria. “ The whole 
illand,” fays he, “ is filled, or rather defiled, by men who 
fly from the light. They call themfelves monks, or foli¬ 
taries, becaufe they choofe to live without any witneffes 
of their aCtions. They fear the gifts of fortune, from the 
apprehenfion of lofing them ; and, left they Ihould be 
miferable, they embrace a life of voluntary wretchednefs. 
How ablurd is their choice; how perverfe their under- 
ftandings, to dread the evils, without being able to fup • 
port the bleflings, of the human condition ! Either this 
melancholy madnefs is the efteCl of difeafe, or elfe the 
confcioufnefs of guilt urges thefe unhappy men to exer- 
cjfe on their bodies the tortures which are inflicted on 
fugitive flaves by the hand of juftice.” 
The fermentation which was occafioned in weak minds, 
prone to novelty and enthufiafm, by the recital of the 
virtues of thefe folitaries, was of great afliftance to thofe 
lavage colonies, and added daily to their numbers whole 
crowds of infatuated votaries. Silence, fubmiflion, and 
contemplation, were the occupation of their lives. The 
moft innocent propenfities of nature were efteemed highly 
criminal; and it was imagined a duty to enervate the 
body, in order to invigorate the faculties of the foul. 
Their days were devoted to tears, and the ingenious art 
of torturing their bodies in various manners : and they 
forgot that, if the apoftle taught that we Ihould mourn 
with thofe who are in grief, he alfo advifes us to rejoice 
with thofe who rejoice. Rom. xii. 15. This however 
could not be praflifed by men whofe bodies were ema¬ 
ciated by conftant falling, and want of fleep ; who, from 
a defire of pleafing Heaven, were bound in iron chains, 
or tortured by the points of needles, which from the 
fame 
