to take notice of some principal of the orders she made in those feminine academies; because Paula's practice herein was a leading case, though those that came after her went beyond her. For, in the rules of monastical life, Paula stood at the head game; and the Papists in after-ages, desirous to better her hand, drew themselves quite out. Each monastery had a chief matron, whilst Paula was principal over all. These societies were severed at their meat and work, but met together at their prayers: they were carefully kept apart from men; not like those epicene monasteries, not long since invented by Joan queen of Sweden, wherein men and women lived under one roof,-not to speak of worse libertines. Well were nuns called "recluses;" which, according to the true meaning of the word, signify "those who are set wide open, or left at liberty;" though that barbarous age mistook the sense of the word for "such as were shut up," and might not stir out of their cloister.* They used to sing "Hallelujah," which served them both for a psalm, and a bell to call them all together. In the morning, at nine o'clock, at noon, at three o'clock in the afternoon, and at night, they had prayers, and sang the Psalms in order.† This, I believe, gave original to "canonical hours." The apostle's precept is the plain song, "Pray continually:" and thus men's inventions ran their descants upon it, and confined it to certain hours: a practice in itself not so bad for those who have leisure to observe it, save that when devotion is thus artificially plaited into hours, it may take up men's minds in formalities to neglect the substance. They rose also at midnight to sing Psalms: a custom begun before in the time of persecution, when the Christians were forced to be antipodes to other men; so that when it was night with others, it was day with them, and they then began their devotions. These night-prayers, begun in necessity, were continued, in Paula's time, in grateful remembrance, and since corrupted with superstition: the best is, their rising at midnight breaks none of our sleep. These virgins did every day learn some part of the holy Scriptures; whereas those nuns who pretend to succeed them learn only with post-horses to run over the stage of their beads, (so many Ave Marias, and Paternosters,) and are ignorant in • LITTLETON, fol. 92. + Manè, horâ tertiâ, sextâ, nonâ, vesperi.— HIERONYMUS, in Præfat. Epist., p. 180. Surely, living in Palestine, he meaneth the Jewish computation of hours. all the Scripture besides. Such as were faulty she caused to take their meat apart from others, at the entrance of the diningroom; with which mild severity she reclaimed many shame in ingenuous natures making a deeper impression than pain. Mean time, I find amongst them no vow of virginity, no tyrannical penance, no whipping themselves; as if, not content to inter their sins in Christ's grave, they had rather bury them in furrows digged in their own backs. They wrought hard to get their living; and on the Lord's day alone went out of their monastery, to hear God's word. Yet was she more rigid and severe towards herself than to any of them; macerating her body with fasting, and refusing to drink any wine, when advised thereto by physicians for her health. So that (as a holy man complained of himself, whilst he went about to subdue an enemy, he killed a subject*) she overturned the state of her body, and, whilst she thought to snuff the candle, put it quite out. Yea, St. Jerome himself,what his eloquence herein doth commend in her, his charity doth excuse, and his judgment doth condemn.† But we must charitably believe, that these her fastings proceeded out of true humiliation and sorrow for her sins; otherwise, where opinion of merit is annexed to them, they are good only to fill the body with wind, and the soul with pride. Certainly, prodigious Popish self-penance is will-worship, and the purest Epicurism, wherein pain is pleasant: for as long as people impose it on themselves, they do not deny their own will, but fulfil it; and whilst they beat down the body, they may puff up the flesh. Nor can her immoderate bounty be excused, who gave all and more than all away; taking up money at interest to give to the poor, and leaving Eustochium her daughter deep in debt,a great charge, and nothing to maintain it. Sure, none need be more bountiful in giving than the sun is in shining; which, though freely bestowing his beams on the world, keeps, notwithstanding, the body of light to himself. Yea, it is necessary that liberality should as well have banks as a stream. She was an excellent text-woman; yea, could say the holy Scriptures by heart, and attained to understand and speak the Hebrew tongue; a language which Jerome himself got with great difficulty, and kept with constant use. Skill in Hebrew will quickly go out, and burn no longer than it is blown; yet she, in her old age, did quickly learn it. She diligently heard + Hæc refero, non quòd inconsideranter et ultra • BERNARD, De Votis. vires sumta onera probem, &c. p. 181. Jerome expounding the Old and New Testament, asking him many doubts and queries in difficult places, (such constant scouring makes our knowledge brighter!) and would not suffer his judgment to stand neuter in hard points, but made him express the probable opinion. Most naturally fly from death; God's saints stand still till death comes to them; Paula went out to meet it, not to say, called death unto her, by consuming herself in fasting. She died in the fifty-sixth year of her age, and was solemnly buried in Bethlehem. People of all countries flocked to her funeral. Bishops carried her corpse to the grave: others carried torches and lamps before it; which, though some may condemn to be but burning of day, was no more than needed, she being buried in a grave or grot, as an eye-witness doth testify.* Psalms were sung at her burial, in the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Syriac tongue; it being fit there should be a key for every lock, and languages to be understood by all the miscellany company there present. Eustochium her daughter had little comfort to be executrix or administratrix unto her, leaving her not a penny of money, great debts, and many brothers and sisters to provide for; quos sustentare arduum, abjicere impium.† I like not this charity reversed, when it begins far off, and neglects those at home. To conclude: I can do her memory no better right, than to confess she was wrong in some things. Yet, surely, God's glory was the mark she shot at, though herein the hand of her practice did sometimes shake, and oftener the eye of her judgment did take wrong aim. • GEORGE SANDYS's "Travels," p. 179. "To procure due suste nance for them, was no easy task; and if she had abandoned them, it would have been an act of impiety."-EDIT. CHAPTER XII. THE CONSTANT VIRGIN. THE Constant virgin is one who hath made a resolution with herself to live chaste, and unmarried. Now there is a grand difference betwixt a resolution and a vow. The former is a covenant drawn up betwixt the party and herself; and commonly runs with this clause, durante nostro beneplacito, " as long as we shall think fitting;" and therefore, on just occasion, she may give a release to herself. But in a vow God is interested as the creditor; so that except He be pleased to give up the bond, none can give an acquittance to themselves. Being now to describe the virgin, let the reader know that virginity belongs to both sexes; and though, in courtesy, we make our maid a female, let not my pen be challenged of impropriety, if casually sometimes it light on the masculine gender. MAXIM I. She chooseth not a single life solely for itself, but in reference to the better serving of God.-I know none but beggars that desire the church-porch to lie in, which others only use as a passage into the church. Virginity is none of those things to be desired in and for itself, but because it leads a more convenient way to the worshipping of God, especially in time of persecution. For, then, if Christians be forced to run races for their lives, the unmarried have the advantage,-lighter by many ounces, and freed from much incumbrance, which the married are subject to; who, though private persons, herein are like princes, they must have their train follow them. II. She improveth her single life, therewith to serve God the more constantly.-Housekeepers cannot so exactly mark all their family affairs, but that sometimes their ranks will be broken; which disorder, by necessary consequence, will disturb their duties of piety, to make them contracted, omitted, or unseasonably performed. The apostle saith, "Such shall have troubles in the flesh;" and grant them sanctified troubles, yet even holythistle and sweetbrier have their prickles. But the virgin is freed from these incumbrances. No lording husband shall at the same time command her presence and distance,-to be always near in constant attendance, and always to stand aloof off in an awful observance; so that providing his breakfast hazards her soul to fast a meal of morning prayer. No crying children shall drown her singing of Psalms, and put her devotion out of tune. No unfaithful servants shall force her to divide her eyes betwixt lifting them up to God, and casting them down to oversee their work. But, making her closet her chapel, she freely enjoyeth God and good thoughts at what time she pleaseth. III. Yet in all her discourse she maketh an honourable mention of marriage.-And good reason that virginity should pay a chief rent of honour unto it, as acknowledging herself to be a colonia deducta from it. Unworthy is the practice of those who in their discourse plant all their arguments point-blank to batter down the married estate, bitterly inveighing against it; yea, base is the behaviour of some young men, who can speak nothing but satires against God's ordinance of matrimony, and the whole sex of women. This they do, either out of deep dissimulation, to divert suspicion, that they may prey the farthest from their holes or else they do it out of revenge; having themselves formerly lighted on bad women, (yet no worse than they deserved,) they curse all adventures, because of their own shipwreck: or, lastly, they do it out of mere spite to nature and God himself: and pity it is but that their fathers had been of the same opinion! Yet it may be tolerable, if only in harmless mirth they chance to bestow a jest upon the follies of married people. Thus when a gentlewoman told an ancient bachelor who looked very young, that she thought he had eaten a snake; "No, mistress," saith he, "it is because I never meddled with any snakes; which maketh me look so young." : IV. She counts herself better lost in a modest silence, than found in a bold discourse.-Divinity permits not women to speak in the church; morality forbids maids to talk in the house, where their betters are present. She is far from the humours of those who (more bridling-in their chins than their tongues) love, in their constant prating, to make sweet music to their own ears, and harsh jarring to all the rest of the company. Yea, as some report of sheep, that when they run they are afraid of the noise of their |