he peace of the Eastern church was invaded by
a swarm of fanatics, incapable of fear, or reason, or humanity; and the
Imperial troops acknowledged, without shame, that they were much less
apprehensive of an encounter with the fiercest Barbarians. [39]

[Footnote 33: The monastic institutions, particularly those of Egypt,
about the year 400, are described by four curious and devout travellers;
Rufinus, (Vit. Patrum, l. ii. iii. p. 424-536,) Posthumian, (Sulp.
Sever. Dialog. i.) Palladius, (Hist. Lausiac. in Vit. Patrum, p.
709-863,) and Cassian, (see in tom. vii. Bibliothec. Max. Patrum,
his four first books of Institutes, and the twenty-four Collations or
Conferences.)]

[Footnote 34: The example of Malchus, (Jerom, tom. i. p. 256,) and
the design of Cassian and his friend, (Collation. xxiv. 1,) are
incontestable proofs of their freedom; which is elegantly described by
Erasmus in his Life of St. Jerom. See Chardon, Hist. des Sacremens, tom.
vi. p. 279-300.]

[Footnote 35: See the Laws of Justinian, (Novel. cxxiii. No. 42,) and of
Lewis the Pious, (in the Historians of France, tom vi. p. 427,) and the
actual jurisprudence of France, in Denissart, (Decisions, &c., tom. iv.
p. 855,) &c.]

[Footnote 36: The ancient Codex Regularum, collected by Benedict
Anianinus, the reformer of the monks in the beginning of the ninth
century, and published in the seventeenth, by Lucas Holstenius, contains
thirty different rules for men and women. Of these, seven were composed
in Egypt, one in the East, one in Cappadocia, one in Italy, one in
Africa, four in Spain, eight in Gaul, or France, and one in England.]

[Footnote 37: The rule of Columbanus, so prevalent in the West, inflicts
one hundred lashes for very slight offences, (Cod. Reg. part ii. p.
174.) Before the time of Charlemagne, the abbots indulged themselves
in mutilating their monks, or putting out their eyes; a punishment much
less cruel than the tremendous vade in pace (the subterraneous dungeon
or sepulchre) which was afterwards invented. See an admirable discourse
of the learned Mabillon, (Oeuvres Posthumes, tom. ii. p. 321-336,) who,
on this occasion, seems to be inspired by the genius of humanity. For
such an effort, I can forgive his defence of the holy tear of Vendeme
(p. 361-399.)]

[Footnote 38: Sulp. Sever. Dialog. i. 12, 13, p. 532, &c. Cassian.
Institut. l. iv. c. 26, 27. "Praecipua ibi virtus et prima est
obedientia." Among the Verba seniorum, (in Vit. Patru