The monastery; The abbot.

THE MONASTERY. 87
thoughts, and the desire of worldly delights. But, reverend brother, for.
those to fast who are dead and mortified to the world, as I and thou, is work
of supererogation, and is but the matter of spiritual pride. Wherefore, I
enjoin thee, most reverend brother, go to the buttery and drink two cups at
least of good wine, eating withal a comfortable morsel, such as may best
suit thy taste and stomach. And in respect that thine opinion of thy own
wisdom hath at times made thee less conformable to, and companionable
with, the weaker and less learned brethren, I enjoin thee, during the said
repast, to choose for thy companion, our reverend brother Nicolas, and without interruption or impatience, to listen for a stricken hour to his narration,
concerning those things which befel in the times of our venerable predecessor, Abbot Ingilram, on whose soul may Heaven have mercy! And for
such holy exercises as may farther advantage your soul, and expiate the
faults whereof you have contritely and humbly avowed yourself guilty, we
will ponder upon that matter, and announce our will unto you the next
morning.
It was remarkable, that after this memorable evening, the feelings of the
worthy Abbot towards his adviser were much more kindly and friendly than
when he deemed the Sub-Prior the impeccable and infallible person, in
whose garment of virtue and wisdom no flaw was to be discerned. It
seemed as if this avowal of his own imperfections had recommended Father
Eustace to the friendship of the Superior, although at the same time this
increase of benevolence was attended with some circumstances, which, to a
man of the Sub-Prior's natural elevation of mind and temper, were more
grievous than even undergoing the legends of the dull and verbose Father
Nicolas. For instance, the Abbot seldom mentioned him to the other monks,
without designing him our beloved Brother Eustace, poor man! -and now
and then he used to warn the younger brethren against the snares of vainglory and spiritual pride, which Satan sets for the more rigidly righteous,
with such looks and demonstrations as did all but expressly designate the
Sub-Prior as one who had fallen at one time under such delusions. Upon
these occasions, it required all the votive obedience of a monk, all the philosophical discipline of the schools, and all the patience of a Christian, to
enable Father Eustace to endure the pompous and patronizing parade of
his honest, but somewhat thick-headed Superior. He began himself to be
desirous of leaving the Monastery, or at least he manifestly declined to
interfere with its affairs, in that marked and authoritative manner, which
he had at first practised.
f0Shtr tat dlenenit.
You call this education, do you not?
Why'tis the forced march of a herd of bullocks
Before a shouting drover. The glad van
Move on at ease, and pause a while to snatch
A passing morsel from the dewy greensward,
While all the blows, the oaths, the indignation,
Fall on the croupe of the ill-fated laggard
That cripples in the rear.
OLD PLAY.
Two or three years glided on, during which the storm of the approaching alteration in church government became each day louder and more
perilous. Owing to the circumstances which we have intimated in the end
of the last chapter, the Sub-Prior Eustace appeared to have altered con