A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

St. BENEDICT.

ALtho St. Benedict is more considerable among the Monks, then among Ecclesiastical Writers, yet he is rank'd among these also. He was born in the Province of Nursia, about the year 480. He was carried very young to Rome, from whence he retir'd to Sublacum, which is forty miles from Rome, where he shut himself up in a frightful Cave. There he continued for three years, without acquainting any body but St. Romanus, who let him down Bread by the help of a Rope: Being after∣wards known, the Monks of a neighbouring Monastery chose him for their Abbot. But he not a∣greeing with their way of Living, retir'd to his Desert, where many Persons came to him, and desir'd to put themselves under his Conduct; insomuch that in a short time, he built twelve Monasteries in

this place. From thence he pass'd in the Year 529, to the Mount Cassinus, where he laid down solid Foundations of an Order; which in a little time spread it self over all Europe. There is a diffe∣rence about the time of his Death, and his Disciples look upon this as a very important Question. As to us, it does not so nearly concern us as to insist upon it, and therefore we will suppose with Fa∣ther Mabillon, that he died in 543, or with the Author of the Treatise concerning the Hemina, in 547. St. Gregory in his Dialogues wrote the Life of this Saint, which is full of Miracles very ex∣traordinary. I shall not stay here to relate them, nor to enquire into the truth of them, this being no part of my Province.

The Rule of St. Benedict is the only Work that is truly his. St. Gregory thinks it better written and more prudent then all the rest, Sermone luculentam, Discretione praecipuam? 'Tis divided into 77 Chapters. St. Benedict there distinguishes four sorts of Monks; the Caenobites, who live in a Mo∣nastery, under the Government of an Abbot; the Anchorets, who having learn'd the Exercises of a Monastick Life in a Monastery, retire alone into the Deserts; the Sarabaites, who dwell two or three in the same Cell; and the Gyrovagi, who go from Monastery to Monastery, without staying in any place: He condemns these two kinds of Monks, and chiefly the last; and without insisting upon what concerns the Anchorets, he composes his Rule only for the Caenobites. There he speaks first of the Qualifications which an Abbot ought to have, after what manner he should serve for an Example to his Monks, and treat them all alike well, without showing more affection to one then another; how he should reprove, and even punish those who commit Faults. He proposes to them afterwards many Christian and Spiritual Maxims; he recommends to them Obedience, Silence and Humility; he notes the Hours for Divine Service by Day and Night, and the order and manner of repeating it. After this he speaks of the Punishments which should be inflicted on those who of∣fend: The first is Excommunication, or a Separation from the Fellowship of the Brethren, whe∣ther at Table, or at Prayers; the second is, the Chastisement of those with Rods, whom the Ex∣communication cannot reform; and the last is the Expulsion out of the Monastery. Nevertheless he permits a Brother to be received three times who is turn'd out for his Faults, provided he promise to amend. He orders, That the Monks have all things in common, and that every thing be at the disposal of the Abbot and under the care of the Steward; that in the distribution of things necessa∣ry for Maintenance, no respect is to be had to the Quality, but to the Weakness of the Brethren: He enjoyns the Brethren to serve in the Kitchin and Refectory by turns. He requires, that special care be taken of the Infirm, of Children, and Old Men; he appoints the Hours and the quantity of Meat and Drink; and Penances for lesser faults: He recommends to them Labour, and notes the hours for it; he provides for the Entertainment of Strangers; he forbids the Monks to receive Pre∣sents or Letters from their Kinsfolk: He leaves the Abbots at liberty to give Habits to their Religious proportion'd to the temper of the place where they are; yet he thinks that 'tis sufficient in temperate Places to give them a Cowle, a Tunique, and a Scapulary. He would not have the Monks com∣plain of the colour or coarsness of these Habits; but that they should take such as are given them, and such as are to be had in the Province where they are. The following manner wherein he would have one receiv'd who presents himself for admission into the Monastery, is very rude. He must patiently suffer for four or five days the Repulses and Rebuffs of a Porter; after this he must be put for some days into the Chamber of the Guests, where an ancient Man will come to speak to him, and to represent to him that which is the rudest thing in all the Rule: If he be obstinate the whole shall be read to him, but if he promise to observe it, he shall be admitted into the Chamber of the Novices, where he shall be try'd: At the end of six Months the Rule must be read over to him again, and if he be obstinate after this, it shall yet be read over to him at the end of four Months: But then if he promise to observe it, he shall be admitted, after he is given to understand that he can no more go out of the Monastery. 'Tis necessary also that he promise in the Oratory, before God and his Saints, and in the presence of all the World to change his Life, and continue stedfast in that Change; but first he must be requir'd to make this Promise, and to Subscribe this Demand with his Hand, or if he cannot write, another must write for him, and he must set his Mark to it. That if he has any Means, he must give them all away before he makes Profession, either to the Poor, or to the Monastery, with∣out reserving any thing to himself. If they be Parents who present a young Child, they must make the same Promise for him, and engage to give him nothing as his own proper Goods. As to the Priests which are presented, St. Benedict would not have them easily receiv'd; yet if they be importunate, they may be receiv'd upon condition that they will observe the Rule. Yet to them shall be granted the first places after the Abbot, the Power of giving Benedictions, and of Overseeing Divine Ser∣vice. As to Monks that are Strangers, they shall be receiv'd as Guests if they desire to tarry, and provided they be found to have liv'd well while they were among the Guests, they shall be admit∣ted, and the Abbot may also bestow upon them an honourable place: But if it be observ'd that they did not behave themselves well, they shall not only be deny'd Admission, but also be desir'd to with-draw. If the Abbot pleases, he may choose any one of his Monks to be Ordain'd Priest or Dea∣con, but this shall not exempt them from the Rule, nor from attending upon the Service of the Altar: He shall continue in the same station, unless the Abbot will bestow upon him a higher. The Degree among the Religious is reckon'd from the day that they enter into the Monastery. St. Benedict speaks here also of the Qualifications which the Abbot ought to have, and of those of the Prior, and of the Duty of the Porter. He forbids the Religious to go forth without the leave of the Abbot: Those

that go out, should at their going forth recommend themselves to his Prayers, and at their Return, they should lye prostrate on the Ground during the time of Divine Service: He recommends to the * 1.1 Monks to be respectful and meek to one another. Lastly, he declares that his Rule contains only the first Elements of a Religious and Spiritual Life and that the Books of the Fathers contain it in perfection.

There are several Disputes about the understanding of some places in this Rule, which I leave to the Disciples of St. Benedict, who take them for a matter of great moment: The Publick, which is much less concern'd about them, will eastly dispense with me for not relating them; for I do not think that the World will much trouble themselves to know, whether the Hemina mention'd by St. Benedict, be the half quart of Paris or St. Denis; whether the word Communion be always taken in the Rule of St. Benedict for the signs of Charity and Union, or if it be taken in some places for the Eucharist; whether the word Mess do signifie there in some places what we understand by it at pre∣sent, or whether it be always taken for the End or Duration of Divine Service, &c. There are not many besides the Disciples of St. Benedict, to whom these Questions can appear important. The common People are not concern'd in them, and the Learned who are not of the Order, will imploy their Curiosity and Learning upon other Subjects.

There are also attributed to St. Benedict a Letter to St. Remigius, a Sermon upon the Death of St. Placidai, a Discourse upon the Departure of St. Maurus, a Letter to the same Saint, an Order of the Monastick Life; but none of these Pieces is St. Benedicts.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Pope Sil∣verius.