The church-history of Britain from the birth of Jesus Christ until the year M.DC.XLVIII endeavoured by Thomas Fuller.

Primitive MONKS, with their Piety and Painfulnesse.

WHen the Fornace of Persecution in the Infancy of Christianity was grown so hot,* 1.1 that most Cities, Towns, and populous Places were visited with that Epidemical Disease, many pious men fled into Desarts, there to live with more safety, and serve God with lesse disturbance. No wilde humour to make themselves miserable, and to chuse and court their own calamity put them on this project, much lesse any Superstitious Opinion of transcendent Sanctity in a Solitary life, made them willingly to leave their former Habitations. For, whereas all men by their Birth are indebted to their Countrey, there to stay and discharge all civil relati∣ons, it had been dishonesty in them, like Bankrupts to run away into the Wil∣dernesse to defraud their Countrey their Creditor, except some violent Occa∣sion (such as Persecution was) forced them thereunto: and this was the first Ori∣ginall of Monks in the world so called from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because living alone by them∣selves.

2. Here they in the Desarts hoped to finde Rocks,* 1.2 and Stocks, yea, Beasts themselves more kinde than Men had been to them: What would Hide, and Heat, Cover, and keep Warm, served them for Cloathes, not placing (as their Successours in after-Ages) any Holinesse in their Habit, folded up in the affected Fashion thereof. As for their Food, the Grasse was their Cloath, the Ground their Table, Herbs and Roots their Diet, wilde Fruits and Berries their Dainties, Hunger their Sauce, their Nails their Knives, their Hands their Cups, the next Well their Wine-cellar; But what their Bill-of-fare wanted in Cheer, it had in Grace; their Life being constantly spent in Prayer, Reading, Musing, and such like pious Employments. They turned Solitarinesse it self into Society, and cleaving themselves asunder by the divine Art of Meditation, did make of one, two, or more, opposing answering, moderating in their own Bosomes, and busie in themselves with variety of Heavenly recreations. It would doe one Good, even but to think of their Goodnesse, and at the rebound and second hand to Me∣ditate on their Meditations. For if ever Poverty was to be envied it was here. And I appeal to the moderate men of these Times, whether in the heighth of these wofull Warres, they have not sometimes wisht, (not out of Passionate distem∣per, but serious recollection of themselves) some such Private Place to retire un∣to

where, out of the noise of this Clamorous World, they might have reposed themselves, and served GOD with more Quiet.

3. These Monks were of two sorts,* 1.3 either such as fled from actuall, or from imminent Persecution. For when a danger is not created by a timorous Fancie, but rationally represented as probable,* 1.4 in such a case, the Principles of Prudence, not out of Cowardise, but Caution, warrant men to provide for their Safety. Neither of these bound themselves with a wilfull Vow to observe Poverty, but Poverty rather vowed to observe them,* 1.5 waiting constantly upon them. Neither did they vow Chastity, though keeping it better than such as vowed it in after-Ages. As for the Vow of Obedience, it was both needlesse and impossible in their Condition, having none beneath or above them, living alone, and their whole Covent, as one may say, consisting of a single Person; And as they en∣tred on this Course of Life, rather by Impulsion than Election; so when Peace was restored, they returned to their former homes in Cities and Towns, resuming their Callings, which they had not left off, but for a time laid aside. The first British Monks that we meet with in this kinde, were immediately after the Mar∣ty••dome of Saint Alban; for then, saith Gildas, Qui superfuerant sylvis ac de∣sertis, abditisque speluncis se occultaverunt; Such as survived, hid themselves in woods and desarts, and secret dens of the earth. As long after on the like Occasion, when the Pagan Saxons, and Danes, invaded this Island, many religious Persons retired themselves to Solitary lives.

Notes

• * 1.1

  First Monks caused by per∣secution.
• * 1.2

  Their pious employment in a solitary life.
• * 1.3

  They vowed no Poverty, Chastity, or Obedience.
• * 1.4

  See 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Vir∣gil. le 〈…〉〈…〉, lib. 761.
• * 1.5

  In Sixt••s Se∣ne si lib 6. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 332.