Injurieswereaggravatedbyinsults;thesenseofactualsufferingswasimbitteredbythefearofmoredreadfulevils;andasnewlandswereallottedtothenewswarmsofBarbarians,eachsenatorwasapprehensivelestthearbitrarysurveyorsshouldapproachhisfavoritevilla,orhismostprofitablefarm。Theleastunfortunatewerethosewhosubmittedwithoutamurmurtothepowerwhichitwasimpossibletoresist。Sincetheydesiredtolive,theyowedsomegratitudetothetyrantwhohadsparedtheirlives;andsincehewastheabsolutemasteroftheirfortunes,theportionwhichheleftmustbeacceptedashispureandvoluntarygift。^143ThedistressofItaly^!wasmitigatedbytheprudenceandhumanityofOdoacer,whohadboundhimself,asthepriceofhiselevation,tosatisfythedemandsofalicentiousandturbulentmultitude。ThekingsoftheBarbarianswerefrequentlyresisted,deposed,ormurdered,bytheirnativesubjects,andthevariousbandsofItalianmercenaries,whoassociatedunderthestandardofanelectivegeneral,claimedalargerprivilegeoffreedomandrapine。Amonarchydestituteofnationalunion,andhereditaryright,hastenedtoitsdissolution。Afterareignoffourteenyears,OdoacerwasoppressedbythesuperiorgeniusofTheodoric,kingoftheOstrogoths;aheroalikeexcellentintheartsofwarandofgovernment,whorestoredanageofpeaceandprosperity,andwhosenamestillexcitesanddeservestheattentionofmankind。
[Footnote138:Tacit。Annal。iii。53。TheRecherchessurl'AdministrationdesTerreschezlesRomainsp。351—361
clearlystatetheprogressofinternaldecay。]
[Footnote139:Afamine,whichafflictedItalyatthetimeoftheirruptionofOdoacer,kingoftheHeruli,iseloquentlydescribed,inproseandverse,byaFrenchpoet,LesMois,tom。
ii。p。174,205,edit。in12mo。Iamignorantfromwhencehederiveshisinformation;butIamwellassuredthatherelatessomefactsincompatiblewiththetruthofhistory]
[Footnote140:SeethexxxixthepistleofSt。Ambrose,asitisquotedbyMuratori,sopraleAntichitaItaliane,tom。i。Dissert。
xxi。p。354。]
[Footnote141:Aemilia,Tuscia,ceteraequeprovinciaeinquibushominumpropenullusexsistit。Gelasius,Epist。adAndromachum,ap。Baronium,Annal。Eccles。A。D。496,No。36。]
[Footnote*:DeninasupposesthattheBarbarianswerecompelledbynecessitytoturntheirattentiontoagriculture。Italy,eitherimperfectlycultivated,ornotatall,bytheindolentorruinedproprietors,notonlycouldnotfurnishtheimposts,onwhichthepayofthesoldierydepended,butnotevenacertainsupplyofthenecessariesoflife。Theneighboringcountrieswerenowoccupiedbywarlikenations;thesuppliesofcornfromAfricawerecutoff;foreigncommercenearlydestroyed;theycouldnotlookforsuppliesbeyondthelimitsofItaly,throughoutwhichtheagriculturehadbeenlonginastateofprogressivebutrapiddepression。Denina,Rev。d'Italiat。v。
c。i。—M。]
[Footnote142:Verumqueconfitentibus,latifundiaperdidereItaliam。Plin。Hist。Natur。xviii。7。]
[Footnote143:Sucharethetopicsofconsolation,orratherofpatience,whichCiceroadFamiliares,lib。ix。Epist。17
suggeststohisfriendPapiriusPaetus,underthemilitarydespotismofCaesar。Theargument,however,of"viverepulcherrimumduxi,"ismoreforciblyaddressedtoaRomanphilosopher,whopossessedthefreealternativeoflifeordeath]
[Footnote!:Compare,onthedesolationandchangeofpropertyinItaly,MannodesOst—GothischenReiches,Partii。p。73,etseq。
—M。]
ChapterXXXVII:ConversionOfTheBarbariansToChristianity。
PartI。
OriginProgress,AndEffectsOfTheMonasticLife。—
ConversionOfTheBarbariansToChristianityAndArianism。—
PersecutionOfTheVandalsInAfrica。—ExtinctionOfArianismAmongTheBarbarians。
Theindissolubleconnectionofcivilandecclesiasticalaffairshascompelled,andencouraged,metorelatetheprogress,thepersecutions,theestablishment,thedivisions,thefinaltriumph,andthegradualcorruption,ofChristianity。Ihavepurposelydelayedtheconsiderationoftworeligiousevents,interestinginthestudyofhumannature,andimportantinthedeclineandfalloftheRomanempire。I。Theinstitutionofthemonasticlife;^1and,II。TheconversionofthenorthernBarbarians。
[Footnote1:TheoriginofthemonasticinstitutionhasbeenlaboriouslydiscussedbyThomassinDisciplinedel'Eglise,tom。
i。p。1119—1426andHelyot,Hist。desOrdresMonastiques,tom。i。p。1—66。Theseauthorsareverylearned,andtolerablyhonest,andtheirdifferenceofopinionshowsthesubjectinitsfullextent。YetthecautiousProtestant,whodistrustsanypopishguides,mayconsulttheseventhbookofBingham'sChristianAntiquities。]
I。ProsperityandpeaceintroducedthedistinctionofthevulgarandtheAsceticChristians。^2Thelooseandimperfectpracticeofreligionsatisfiedtheconscienceofthemultitude。
Theprinceormagistrate,thesoldierormerchant,reconciledtheirferventzeal,andimplicitfaith,withtheexerciseoftheirprofession,thepursuitoftheirinterest,andtheindulgenceoftheirpassions:buttheAscetics,whoobeyedandabusedtherigidpreceptsofthegospel,wereinspiredbythesavageenthusiasmwhichrepresentsmanasacriminal,andGodasatyrant。Theyseriouslyrenouncedthebusiness,andthepleasures,oftheage;abjuredtheuseofwine,offlesh,andofmarriage;chastisedtheirbody,mortifiedtheiraffections,andembracedalifeofmisery,asthepriceofeternalhappiness。InthereignofConstantine,theAsceticsfledfromaprofaneanddegenerateworld,toperpetualsolitude,orreligioussociety。
LikethefirstChristiansofJerusalem,^3theyresignedtheuse,orthepropertyoftheirtemporalpossessions;establishedregularcommunitiesofthesamesex,andasimilardisposition;
andassumedthenamesofHermits,Monks,andAnachorets,expressiveoftheirlonelyretreatinanaturalorartificialdesert。Theysoonacquiredtherespectoftheworld,whichtheydespised;andtheloudestapplausewasbestowedonthisDivinePhilosophy,^4whichsurpassed,withouttheaidofscienceorreason,thelaboriousvirtuesoftheGrecianschools。ThemonksmightindeedcontendwiththeStoics,inthecontemptoffortune,ofpain,andofdeath:thePythagoreansilenceandsubmissionwererevivedintheirservilediscipline;andtheydisdained,asfirmlyastheCynicsthemselves,alltheformsanddecenciesofcivilsociety。ButthevotariesofthisDivinePhilosophyaspiredtoimitateapurerandmoreperfectmodel。Theytrodinthefootstepsoftheprophets,whohadretiredtothedesert;^5
andtheyrestoredthedevoutandcontemplativelife,whichhadbeeninstitutedbytheEssenians,inPalestineandEgypt。ThephilosophiceyeofPlinyhadsurveyedwithastonishmentasolitarypeople,whodweltamongthepalm—treesneartheDeadSea;whosubsistedwithoutmoney,whowerepropagatedwithoutwomen;andwhoderivedfromthedisgustandrepentanceofmankindaperpetualsupplyofvoluntaryassociates。^6
[Footnote2:SeeEuseb。Demonstrat。Evangel。,l。i。p。20,21,edit。Graec。Rob。Stephani,Paris,1545。InhisEcclesiasticalHistory,publishedtwelveyearsaftertheDemonstration,Eusebiusl。ii。c。17assertstheChristianityoftheTherapeutae;butheappearsignorantthatasimilarinstitutionwasactuallyrevivedinEgypt。]
[Footnote3:CassianCollat。xviii。5。claimsthisoriginfortheinstitutionoftheCoenobites,whichgraduallydecayedtillitwasrestoredbyAntonyandhisdisciples。]
[Footnote*:IthasbeforebeenshownthatthefirstChristiancommunitywasnotstrictlycoenobitic。Seevol。ii。—M。]
[Footnote4:ThesearetheexpressivewordsofSozomen,whocopiouslyandagreeablydescribesl。i。c。12,13,14theoriginandprogressofthismonkishphilosophy,seeSuicer。
Thesau,Eccles。,tom。ii。p。1441。Somemodernwriters,Lipsiustom。iv。p。448。Manuduct。adPhilosoph。Stoic。iii。13andLaMotheleVayer,tom。ix。delaVertudesPayens,p。228—262,
havecomparedtheCarmelitestothePythagoreans,andtheCynicstotheCapucins。]
[Footnote5:TheCarmelitesderivetheirpedigree,inregularsuccession,fromtheprophetElijah,seetheThesesofBeziers,A。D。1682,inBayle'sNouvellesdelaRepubliquedesLettres,Oeuvres,tom。i。p。82,&c。,andtheprolixironyoftheOrdresMonastiques,ananonymouswork,tom。i。p。1—433,Berlin,1751。Rome,andtheinquisitionofSpain,silencedtheprofanecriticismoftheJesuitsofFlanders,Helyot,Hist。desOrdresMonastiques,tom。i。p。282—300,andthestatueofElijah,theCarmelite,hasbeenerectedinthechurchofSt。Peter,VoyagesduP。Labattom。iii。p。87。]
[Footnote6:Plin。Hist。Natur。v。15。Genssola,etintotoorbepraeterceterasmira,sineullafemina,omnivenereabdicata,sinepecunia,sociapalmarum。Itaperseculorummilliaincredibiledictugensaeternaestinquanemonascitur。Tamfoecundaillisaliorumvitaepoenitentiaest。Heplacesthemjustbeyondthenoxiousinfluenceofthelake,andnamesEngaddiandMassadaasthenearesttowns。TheLaura,andmonasteryofSt。Sabas,couldnotbefardistantfromthisplace。SeeReland。
Palestin。,tom。i。p。295;tom。ii。p。763,874,880,890。]
Egypt,thefruitfulparentofsuperstition,affordedthefirstexampleofthemonasticlife。Antony,^7anilliterate^8
youthofthelowerpartsofThebais,distributedhispatrimony,^9desertedhisfamilyandnativehome,andexecutedhismonasticpenancewithoriginalandintrepidfanaticism。Afteralongandpainfulnovitiate,amongthetombs,andinaruinedtower,heboldlyadvancedintothedesertthreedays'journeytotheeastwardoftheNile;discoveredalonelyspot,whichpossessedtheadvantagesofshadeandwater,andfixedhislastresidenceonMountColzim,neartheRedSea;whereanancientmonasterystillpreservesthenameandmemoryofthesaint。^10ThecuriousdevotionoftheChristianspursuedhimtothedesert;andwhenhewasobligedtoappearatAlexandria,inthefaceofmankind,hesupportedhisfamewithdiscretionanddignity。HeenjoyedthefriendshipofAthanasius,whosedoctrineheapproved;andtheEgyptianpeasantrespectfullydeclinedarespectfulinvitationfromtheemperorConstantine。ThevenerablepatriarchforAntonyattainedtheageofonehundredandfiveyearsbeheldthenumerousprogenywhichhadbeenformedbyhisexampleandhislessons。TheprolificcoloniesofmonksmultipliedwithrapidincreaseonthesandsofLibya,upontherocksofThebais,andinthecitiesoftheNile。TothesouthofAlexandria,themountain,andadjacentdesert,ofNitria,werepeopledbyfivethousandanachorets;andthetravellermaystillinvestigatetheruinsoffiftymonasteries,whichwereplantedinthatbarrensoilbythedisciplesofAntony。^11IntheUpperThebais,thevacantislandofTabenne,^12wasoccupiedbyPachomiusandfourteenhundredofhisbrethren。Thatholyabbotsuccessivelyfoundedninemonasteriesofmen,andoneofwomen;andthefestivalofEastersometimescollectedfiftythousandreligiouspersons,whofollowedhisangelicruleofdiscipline。^13ThestatelyandpopulouscityofOxyrinchus,theseatofChristianorthodoxy,haddevotedthetemples,thepublicedifices,andeventheramparts,topiousandcharitableuses;andthebishop,whomightpreachintwelvechurches,computedtenthousandfemalesandtwentythousandmales,ofthemonasticprofession。^14TheEgyptians,whogloriedinthismarvellousrevolution,weredisposedtohope,andtobelieve,thatthenumberofthemonkswasequaltotheremainderofthepeople;^15andposteritymightrepeatthesaying,whichhadformerlybeenappliedtothesacredanimalsofthesamecountry,ThatinEgyptitwaslessdifficulttofindagodthanaman。
[Footnote7:SeeAthanas。Op。tom。ii。p。450—505,andtheVit。
Patrum,p。26—74,withRosweyde'sAnnotations。TheformeristheGreekoriginalthelatter,averyancientLatinversionbyEvagrius,thefriendofSt。Jerom。]
[Footnote8:Athanas。tom。ii。inVit。St。Anton。p。452;andtheassertionofhistotalignorancehasbeenreceivedbymanyoftheancientsandmoderns。ButTillemontMem。Eccles。tom。vii。p。
666shows,bysomeprobablearguments,thatAntonycouldreadandwriteintheCoptic,hisnativetongue;andthathewasonlyastrangertotheGreekletters。ThephilosopherSynesiusp。
51acknowledgesthatthenaturalgeniusofAntonydidnotrequiretheaidoflearning。]
[Footnote9:Aruroeautemeranteitrecentaeuberes,etvaldeoptimae,Vit。Patr。l。v。p。36。IftheArurabeasquaremeasure,ofahundredEgyptiancubits,Rosweyde,OnomasticonadVit。Patrum,p。1014,1015,andtheEgyptiancubitofallagesbeequaltotwenty—twoEnglishinches,Greaves,vol。i。p。233,
thearurawillconsistofaboutthreequartersofanEnglishacre。]
[Footnote10:ThedescriptionofthemonasteryisgivenbyJeromtom。i。p。248,249,inVit。HilarionandtheP。Sicard,MissionsduLevanttom。v。p。122—200。Theiraccountscannotalwaysbereconciledthefatherpaintedfromhisfancy,andtheJesuitfromhisexperience。]
[Footnote11:Jerom,tom。i。p。146,adEustochium。Hist。
Lausiac。c。7,inVit。Patrum,p。712。TheP。SicardMissionsduLevant,tom。ii。p。29—79visitedandhasdescribedthisdesert,whichnowcontainsfourmonasteries,andtwentyorthirtymonks。SeeD'Anville,Descriptiondel'Egypte,p。74。]
[Footnote12:TabenneisasmallislandintheNile,inthedioceseofTentyraorDendera,betweenthemoderntownofGirgeandtheruinsofancientThebes,D'Anville,p。194。M。deTillemontdoubtswhetheritwasanisle;butImayconclude,fromhisownfacts,thattheprimitivenamewasafterwardstransferredtothegreatmonasteryofBauorPabau,Mem。Eccles。tom。vii。
p。678,688。]
[Footnote13:SeeintheCodexRegularumpublishedbyLucasHolstenius,Rome,1661aprefaceofSt。JeromtohisLatinversionoftheRuleofPachomius,tom。i。p。61。]
[Footnote14:Rufin。c。5,inVit。Patrum,p。459。Hecallsitcivitasamplaraldeetpopulosa,andreckonstwelvechurches。
Strabol。xvii。p。1166andAmmianusxxii。16havemadehonorablementionofOxyrinchus,whoseinhabitantsadoredasmallfishinamagnificenttemple。]
[Footnote15:Quantipopulihabenturinurbibus,tantaepaenehabenturindesertismultitudinesmonachorum。Rufin。c。7,inVit。Patrum,p。461。Hecongratulatesthefortunatechange。]
AthanasiusintroducedintoRometheknowledgeandpracticeofthemonasticlife;andaschoolofthisnewphilosophywasopenedbythedisciplesofAntony,whoaccompaniedtheirprimatetotheholythresholdoftheVatican。ThestrangeandsavageappearanceoftheseEgyptiansexcited,atfirst,horrorandcontempt,and,atlength,applauseandzealousimitation。Thesenators,andmoreespeciallythematrons,transformedtheirpalacesandvillasintoreligioushouses;andthenarrowinstitutionofsixvestalswaseclipsedbythefrequentmonasteries,whichwereseatedontheruinsofancienttemples,andinthemidstoftheRomanforum。^16InflamedbytheexampleofAntony,aSyrianyouth,whosenamewasHilarion,^17fixedhisdrearyabodeonasandybeach,betweentheseaandamorass,aboutsevenmilesfromGaza。Theausterepenance,inwhichhepersistedforty—eightyears,diffusedasimilarenthusiasm;andtheholymanwasfollowedbyatrainoftwoorthreethousandanachorets,wheneverhevisitedtheinnumerablemonasteriesofPalestine。ThefameofBasil^18isimmortalinthemonastichistoryoftheEast。WithamindthathadtastedthelearningandeloquenceofAthens;withanambitionscarcelytobesatisfiedwiththearchbishopricofCaesarea,BasilretiredtoasavagesolitudeinPontus;anddeigned,forawhile,togivelawstothespiritualcolonieswhichheprofuselyscatteredalongthecoastoftheBlackSea。IntheWest,MartinofTours,^19asoldier,ahermit,abishop,andasaint,establishedthemonasteriesofGaul;twothousandofhisdisciplesfollowedhimtothegrave;andhiseloquenthistorianchallengesthedesertsofThebaistoproduce,inamorefavorableclimate,achampionofequalvirtue。Theprogressofthemonkswasnotlessrapid,oruniversal,thanthatofChristianityitself。Everyprovince,and,atlast,everycity,oftheempire,wasfilledwiththeirincreasingmultitudes;andthebleakandbarrenisles,fromLerinstoLipari,thataroseoutoftheTuscanSea,werechosenbytheanachoretsfortheplaceoftheirvoluntaryexile。AneasyandperpetualintercoursebyseaandlandconnectedtheprovincesoftheRomanworld;andthelifeofHilariondisplaysthefacilitywithwhichanindigenthermitofPalestinemighttraverseEgypt,embarkforSicily,escapetoEpirus,andfinallysettleintheIslandofCyprus。^20TheLatinChristiansembracedthereligiousinstitutionsofRome。Thepilgrims,whovisitedJerusalem,eagerlycopied,inthemostdistantclimatesoftheearth,thefaithfulmodelofthemonasticlife。ThedisciplesofAntonyspreadthemselvesbeyondthetropic,overtheChristianempireofAethiopia。^21ThemonasteryofBanchor,^22inFlintshire,whichcontainedabovetwothousandbrethren,dispersedanumerouscolonyamongtheBarbariansofIreland;^23
andIona,oneoftheHebrides,whichwasplantedbytheIrishmonks,diffusedoverthenorthernregionsadoubtfulrayofscienceandsuperstition。^24
[Footnote16:TheintroductionofthemonasticlifeintoRomeandItalyisoccasionallymentionedbyJerom,tom。i。p。119,120,199。]
[Footnote17:SeetheLifeofHilarion,bySt。Jerom,tom。i。p。
241,252。ThestoriesofPaul,Hilarion,andMalchus,bythesameauthor,areadmirablytold:andtheonlydefectofthesepleasingcompositionsisthewantoftruthandcommonsense。]
[Footnote18:HisoriginalretreatwasinasmallvillageonthebanksoftheIris,notfarfromNeo—Caesarea。Thetenortwelveyearsofhismonasticlifeweredisturbedbylongandfrequentavocations。SomecriticshavedisputedtheauthenticityofhisAsceticrules;buttheexternalevidenceisweighty,andtheycanonlyprovethatitistheworkofarealoraffectedenthusiast。
SeeTillemont,Mem。Ecclestom。ix。p。636—644。Helyot,Hist。
desOrdresMonastiquestom。i。p。175—181]
[Footnote19:SeehisLife,andthethreeDialoguesbySulpiciusSeverus,whoassertsDialog。i。16thatthebooksellersofRomeweredelightedwiththequickandreadysaleofhispopularwork。]
[Footnote20:WhenHilarionsailedfromParaetoniumtoCapePachynus,heofferedtopayhispassagewithabookoftheGospels。Posthumian,aGallicmonk,whohadvisitedEgypt,foundamerchantshipboundfromAlexandriatoMarseilles,andperformedthevoyageinthirtydays,Sulp。Sever。Dialog。i。1。