resolved to spend the rest of his days in penitence and prayer. Their habit is composed of a coarse grey stuff, with a leathern girdle, drawers, and a shirt of serge. No linen is allowed, or stockings, and they wear sandals on their feet. They are not permitted to possess anything, or to keep anything in their cells but a glazed earthen-
ware pot, a wooden plate, a pitcher, a lamp, and
instruments of penance and devotion. They keep
a perpetual fast on beans and lentils, only on
high days and holidays being allowed fish. They
are not allowed to write or receive letters, or to
go into one another's cells, or to go out of the
enclosure, except once a month, when they may
walk in the mountains round, which they gene-
rally do together, reciting litanies. Seven hours
of each day must be given to prayer, and they
take the discipline twice a week.[1] How strange a
- ↑ The Rev. Pere F^lix, the fianotis Paris preacher, in one of his Notre Dame conferences, speaking of asceticism of this sort, says : ’Les paiens avaient 6pnis6 la yoluptS : les Chretiens ont 6puis^ les sonfi&ances. De ce crenset de la donleur rhomme nonveau a sorti, et c'est nn homme plus grand que I'homme ancien. Ah ! je le sais, la penitence corporelle, le jetlne, Tabstinence, la discipline, la flagellation, pr^tent k rire a des penseors de ce temps, qni se croient trop sages ponr pratiqner de telles folies. Ls ont plus d'6gard pour la chair, plus de respect surtout^pour le corps, et ils disent en souriant k Taust^rit^ chr^tienne : " Asc^tisme ! Moyen Age ! Fanatisme ! Demence ! " La v^rit6 est, que chAtier volontairement son corps pour venger la dignity de Thomme outrage par les r^voltes, est une
