MORES CATHOLICI; OR, AGES OF FAITH. BY KENELM H. DIGBY. VOLUME THE FOURTH. CONTAINING BOOKS X AND XI NEW YORK: P. O'SHEA, PUBLISHER 19 BARCLAY STREET. 1894. SUMMARY BOOK X. CHAPTER I. Survey of the ages of faith in relation to the love of peace resumed-The monasteries-Their diffusion, proof of the pacific spirit-Some of the most eminent enumerated-The monks truly pacific men-Therefore a review of the monasteries essential to the completion of the history commenced in the ninth book p. 9 Journey to the monasteries-The site generally beautiful and favorable to peaceful impressions-Advantages from the locality-The monks loved mountains, islands, forests, and, in general, the beauties of nature around them, which they sought to sanctify CHAPTER V. p. 57 The journey continued, and beguiled by narratives relative to the origin of some monasteries-Arrival at the abbey p. 83 CHAPTER VI. The monastic buildings described-The gate-The exterior-The offices, gardens, enclosures for herbs-The fortifications of some abbeys explained-Architectural beauty of many-Simplicity and poverty of the ancient-The refectory-The halls for hospitality-The charity of the monks to strangers-The interior decorations, paintings, images, inscriptions M208010 p. 101 CHAPTER VII. The church-The monastic churches peculiarly impressive-Their characteristics-Splendor and regularity of their offices-Advantages resulting from them to the people-The tombs- Their prodigious number in the monastic churches accounted for The library-Remarks and narratives relative to the monastic collections-The scriptorium -The employment of the monks connected with it-The schools-Historical notices relating to them-Remarks on the universities, and the relation in which they stood to them. Discipline of the monastery-The rule, in what it essentially consisted-The exterior observ- ance-Obedience-The habit-The fasts and abstinence-The silence-The nocturnal vigils— Reforms sometimes required-Origin of abuses-Influence of the world-Interference of the State-The royal prisons within some monasteries-Testimonies from ancient writers to the great sanctity of the monasteries in the middle ages-General and special attestations The visitors to abbeys-What great scenes monasteries witnessed-Different classes of guests described-Some came to die, others to fly the desolations of war, others to seek peace of The community in general-The peculiar attributes of the monastic character-Its simplic- ity, cheerfulness, benignity, liberality, charity-Its opposition to the literary and social char- acter of secular authors, philosophers, and politicians-Remarks on memory and old age in the cloister-The unity and self-consistency of the monastic character-Its affectionate CHAPTER XV. The monastic occupations-Monks not idle men-Idleness distinguished from the ability and desire to enjoy sanctified leisure-The labors of the monks as missionaries, as redeemers of captives, as ministers to the public in times of calamity-The regular occupations-Agricultural and public works-The monks as poets, musicians, and painters p. 359 CHAPTER XVI. Conversation in the cloister-The ascetic wisdom of the monks-Mysticism in the cloister -Narratives of iraculous events-Visions-Familiar discourses and stories of the monks p. 379 CHAPTER XVII. The peace of cloistral life-Testimonies of monks-Their friendship within and without the monastery-Their attachment to their respective cells, houses, and orders-The monastic diaries indicate contentment-Monks of one order loved and revered those of another-The peace and affection which subsisted between monks and the secular clergy-Interruptions to this harmony-Cases of exception-The love evinced by bishops for religious orders-The monastic exemptions explained-Hostility to the monastic orders incompatible with faith. p. 408 CHAPTER XVIII. The influence of the religious orders-The monks were the friends of the poor-Their services to the great and to the whole community CHAPTER XIX, p. 451 A survey of the charters, to discover the sources of monastic wealth-The motives of founders and benefactors-Monasteries regarded as instruments of spiritual, social, and political peace-The men who founded and protected them were of the number of the pacific-Conclusion that in monasteries the world has seen a type of peace CHAPTER XX. p. 468 Return from the monastery-Visit hermits by the way-The eremitical a distinct branch of the pacific family-Hermits from earliest times-The sites which they generally inhabitedTheir lives-Employment and office in the Church-The peace which they enjoyed with all creatures-Descent from their mountain to the scenes to be presented in the next book, where the faithful suffer persecution for the sake of justice P. 497 |