History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne Volume II Part 40

244 Heraclidis Paradisus (Rosweyde), c. xlii.

245 "Nulla earum pedes suos abluebat; aliquantae vero audientes de balneo loqui, irridentes, confusionem et magnam abominationem se audire judicabant, quae neque audi tum suum hoc audire patiebantur."-_Vit.

S. Euphrax._ c. vi. (Rosweyde.)

246 See her acts, Bollandists, April 2, and in the _Vitae Patrum_.

247 "Patres nostri nunquam facies suas lavabant, nos autem lavacra publica balneaque frequentamus."-Moschus, _Pratum Spirituale_, clxviii.

_ 248 Pratum Spirituale_, lx.x.x.

An Irish saint, named Coemgenus, is said to have shown his devotion in a way which was directly opposite to that of the other saints I have mentioned-by his special use of cold water-but the principle in each case was the same-to mortify nature. St. Coemgenus was accustomed to pray for an hour every night in a pool of cold water, while the devil sent a horrible beast to swim round him. An angel, however, was sent to him for three purposes. "Tribus de causis a Domino missus est angelus ibi ad S. Coemgenum. Prima ut a diversis suis gravibus laboribus levius viveret paulisper; secunda ut horridam bestiam sancto infestam repelleret; tertia _ut frigiditatem aquae calefaceret_."-Bollandists, June 3. The editors say these acts are of doubtful authenticity.

249 See his Life by his disciple Antony, in the _Vitae Patrum_, Evagrius, i. 13, 14. Theodoret, _Philotheos_, cap. xxvi.

250 Palladius, _Hist. Laus._ lxxvi.

251 Rufinus, Hist. _Monach._ x.x.xiii.

252 We have a striking ill.u.s.tration of this in St. a.r.s.enius. His eyelashes are said to have fallen off through continual weeping, and he had always, when at work, to put a cloth on his breast to receive his tears. As he felt his death approaching, his terror rose to the point of agony. The monks who were about him said, " 'Quid fles, pater? numquid et tu times?' Ille respondit, 'In veritate timeo et iste timor qui nunc mec.u.m est, semper in me fuit, ex quo factus sum monachus.' "-_Verba Seniorum_, Prol. -- 163. It was said of St.

Abraham that no day pa.s.sed after his conversion without his shedding tears. (_Vit. Patrum._) St. John the dwarf once saw a monk laughing immoderately at dinner, and was so horrified that he at once began to cry. (Tillemont, _Mem. de l'Hist. eccles._ tome x. p. 430.) St.

Basil (_Regulae_, interrog. xvii.) gives a remarkable disquisition on the wickedness of laughing, and he observes that this was the one bodily affection which Christ does not seem to have known. Mr.

Buckle has collected a series of pa.s.sages to precisely the same effect from the writings of the Scotch divines. (_Hist. of Civilisation_, vol. ii. pp. 385-386.)

253 "Monachus autem non doctoris habet sed plangentis officium."-_Contr.

Vigilant._ xv.

254 As Tillemont puts it: "Il se trouva tres-peu de saints en qui Dieu ait joint les talens exterieurs de l'eloquence et de la science avec la grace de la prophetie et des miracles. Ce sont des dons que sa Providence a presque toujours separes."-_Mem. Hist. eccles._ tome iv. p. 315.

255 St. Athanasius, _Vit. Anton._

_ 256 Ep._ xxii. He says his shoulders were bruised when he awoke.

_ 257 Ep._ lxx.; _Adv. Rufinum_, lib. i. ch. x.x.x. He there speaks of his vision as a mere dream, not binding. He elsewhere (_Ep._ cxxv.) speaks very sensibly of the advantage of hermits occupying themselves, and says he learnt Hebrew to keep away unholy thoughts.

258 Sozomen, vi. 28; Rufinus, _Hist. Monach._ ch. vi. Socrates tells rather a touching story of one of these illiterate saints, named Pambos. Being unable to read, he came to some one to be taught a psalm. Having learnt the single verse, "I said I will take heed to my ways, that I offend not with my tongue," he went away, saying that was enough if it were practically acquired. When asked, six months, and again many years, after, why he did not come to learn another verse, he answered that he had never been able truly to master this. (_H. E._ iv. 23.)

259 Tillemont, x. p. 61.

260 Ibid. viii. 490; Socrates, _H. E._ iv. 23.

261 I have combined in this pa.s.sage incidents from three distinct lives.

St. Jerome, in a very famous and very beautiful pa.s.sage of his letter to Eustochium (_Ep._ xxii.) describes the manner in which the forms of dancing-girls appeared to surround him as he knelt upon the desert sands. St. Mary of Egypt (_Vitae Patrum_, ch. xix.) was especially tortured by the recollection of the songs she had sung when young, which continually haunted her mind. St. Hilarion (see his _Life_ by St. Jerome) thought he saw a gladiatorial show while he was repeating the psalms. The manner in which the different visions faded into one another like dissolving views is repeatedly described in the biographies.

262 Rufinus, _Hist. Monach._, ch. xi. This saint was St. Helenus.

263 Life of St. Pachomius (_Vit. Patrum_), cap. ix.

264 Rufinus, _Hist. Monach._ cap. i. This story was told to Rufinus by St. John the hermit. The same saint described his own visions very graphically. "Denique etiam me frequenter daemones noctibus seduxerunt, et neque orare neque requiescere permiserunt, phantasias quasdam per noctem totam sensibus meis et cogitationes suggerentes.

Mane vero velut c.u.m quadam illusione prosternebant se ante me dicentes, Indulge n.o.bis, abbas, quia laborem tibi incussimus tota nocte."-Ibid. St. Benedict in the desert is said to have been tortured by the recollection of a beautiful girl he had once seen, and only regained his composure by rolling in thorns. (St. Greg.

_Dial._ ii. 2.)

265 She lived also for some time in a convent at Jerusalem, which she had founded. Melania (who was one of St. Jerome's friends) was a lady of rank and fortune, who devoted her property to the monks. See her journey in Rosweyde, lib. ii.

266 See his _Life_ in Tillemont.

267 Ibid. x. p. 14. A certain Didymus lived entirely alone till his death, which took place when he was ninety. (Socrates, _H. E._ iv.

23.)

268 Rufinus, _Hist. Monachorum_, cap. i.

_ 269 Verba Seniorum_, -- 65.

270 Pelagia was very pretty, and, according to her own account, "her sins were heavier than the sand." The people of Antioch, who were very fond of her, called her Margarita, or the pearl. "Il arriva un jour que divers evesques, appelez par celui d'Antioche pour quelques affaires, estant ensemble a la porte de l'eglise de S.-Julien, Pelagie pa.s.sa devant eux dans tout l'eclat des pompes du diable, n'ayant pas seulement une coeffe sur sa teste ni un mouchoir sur ses epaules, ce qu'on remarqua comme le comble de son impudence. Tous les evesques baisserent les yeux en gemissant pour ne pas voir ce dangereux objet de peche, hors Nonne, tres-saint evesque d'Heliople, qui la regarda avec une attention qui fit peine aux autres."

However, this bishop immediately began crying a great deal, and rea.s.sured his brethren, and a sermon which he preached led to the conversion of the actress. (Tillemont, _Mem. d'Hist. eccles._ tome xii. pp. 378-380. See, too, on women, "under pretence of religion, attiring themselves as men," Sozomen, iii. 14.)

271 Tillemont, tome x. pp. 376, 377. Apart from family affections, there are some curious instances recorded of the anxiety of the saints to avoid distractions. One monk used to cover his face when he went into his garden, lest the sight of the trees should disturb his mind. (_Verb. Seniorum._) St. a.r.s.enius could not bear the rustling of the reeds (ibid.); and a saint named Boniface struck dead a man who went about with an ape and a cymbal, because he had (apparently quite unintentionally) disturbed him at his prayers. (St. Greg.

_Dial._ i. 9.)

272 "Quemadmodum se jam divitem non esse sciebat, ita etiam patrem se esse nesciret."-Ca.s.sian, _De Cn.o.biorum Inst.i.tutis_, iv. 27.

273 "c.u.mque taliter infans sub oculis ejus per dies singulos ageretur, pro amore nihilominus Christi et obedientiae virtute, rigida semper atque immobilia patris viscera permanserunt ... parum cogitans de lacrymis ejus, sed de propria humilitate ac perfectione sollicitus."-Ibid.

274 Ibid.

275 Bollandists, July 6; _Verba Seniorum_, xiv.

_ 276 Verba Seniorum_, xiv.

277 TARTUFFE (_tirant un mouchoir_ _ de sa poche_).

"Ah, mon Dieu, je vous prie, Avant que de parler, prenez-moi ce mouchoir.

DORINE.

Comment!

TARTUFFE.

Couvrez ce sein que je ne saurois voir; Par de pareils objets des ames sont blessees, Et cela fait venir de coupables pensees."

_Tartuffe_, Acte iii. scene 2.

278 Bollandists, July 6.

_ 279 Verba Seniorum_, iv. The poor woman, being startled and perplexed at the proceedings of her son, said, "Quid sic operuisti ma.n.u.s tuas, fili? Ille autem dixit: Quia corpus mulieris ignis est, et ex eo ipso quo te contingebam veniebat mihi commemoratio aliarum feminarum in animo."

280 Tillemont, _Mem. de l'Hist. eccles._ tome x. pp. 444, 445.

_ 281 Vit. S. Pachomius_, ch. x.x.xi.; _Verba Seniorum_.