The Rule of St. Pachomius

And so, because I had long been silent, and had devoured my grief in silence, but was urged by those sent to me for this very cause, the presbyter Leontius and the other brethren with him, I called a scribe, and dictated in our own tongue what had been translated from the Egyptian into the Greek language, both that I might obey such great men commanding, not to say entreating, and that with, as they say, a good omen I might break a long silence, restoring myself to former studies, and refreshing the soul of the holy woman, who always burned with love of monasteries, and meditated here on earth what she was to see in heaven.

Also that the venerable virgin, her daughter Eustochium, might have something to give her sisters to do, and that our brethren might follow the examples of the Egyptians, that is, of the Tabennesiot monks, who have in each monastery fathers, and stewards, and weekly officers, and ministers, and Superiors of each house, so that in one house there dwell forty brethren, more or less, who obey the Superior; and there are, according to the number of the brethren, thirty or forty houses in one monastery, and three or four houses are joined together into one tribe, so that they either go together to their works, or succeed one another in order in the service of the week.

Whoever first enters the monastery, sits first, walks first, says the psalm first, first extends his hand at table, communicates first in the Church; nor is age sought among them, but profession.

They have nothing in their cells except a mat and the things written below: two levitonaria (which is a kind of garment without sleeves worn by Egyptian monks), one already worn for sleeping or working; and a linen cloak, and two cowls; and a little goat-skin, which they call a Melotes; a linen belt, and sandals, and a staff, the companion of the journey.

The sick are sustained with wondrous attentions, and with foods prepared to every abundance: the healthy are strong in greater abstinence. Twice in the week, on the fourth and sixth day of the sabbath, all fast, except in the time of Easter and Pentecost. On other days those who wish eat after midday: and likewise at supper the table is set, on account of those laboring, the aged, the children, and the most severe heats. There are some who eat little at the second meal; others who are content with only one meal, whether of dinner or of supper. Some, having tasted a little bread, go forth. All eat together. Whoever is unwilling to go to table receives in his cell only bread and water and salt, whether he wishes it for one day, or for two.

Brethren of the same craft are gathered into one house under one Superior: for example, those who weave linen are together; those who make mats are reckoned into one family; tailors, carpenters, fullers, sandal-makers are governed separately by their own superiors: and each week they render account of their works to the Father of the monastery.

Of all the monasteries one head is held to be chief, who dwells in the monastery on the days of Easter: except for those who are necessary in their own monastery, all gather to him, so that nearly fifty thousand men celebrate together the feast of the Lord's Passion.

In the month called Mesore, that is, August, days of remission are kept after the manner of a Jubilee, and sins are forgiven to all, and those who had had any quarrel are reconciled to one another; and the heads of monasteries, the stewards, the superiors, the ministers are appointed, as necessity shall demand.

The Thebans say that to Pachomius, and to Cornelius and Syrus, who is said still today to have lived beyond a hundred and ten years, an angel gave the knowledge of a mystic tongue, so that they wrote to one another, and spoke by a special alphabet, wrapping up hidden meanings in certain signs and symbols: which letters we have translated into our own tongue just as they are read among the Egyptians and Greeks, setting down the same elements as we found them, and the fidelity of the interpretation is that we have imitated the simplicity of the Egyptian speech: lest a rhetorical style should alter men apostolic and wholly of spiritual grace. But the rest of what is contained in their treatises I have not wished to give a foretaste of, that they may be learned in their own authors; and that those who delight in the pursuits of holy living may drink rather from the springs than from the little streams.

Whoever, being untried, enters into the assembly of the saints, and whom the doorkeeper in due order has brought in from the gate of the monastery, and has made to sit in the gathering of the brethren, it shall not be lawful for him to change his seat or his order, until the Totibioc, that is, the superior of his house, transfer him to the place which is rightly due to him.

He shall sit with all decorum and gentleness; and he shall wear the little skin over his shoulder, placing it beneath his buttocks from the side and the lower part; and he shall carefully bind his garment, that is, the linen tunic without sleeves, which they call the Levitonarium, so that it covers his knees.

And when he has heard the voice of the trumpet calling to the assembly, let him immediately go forth from his cell, meditating on something from the Scriptures, up to the door of the little assembly-place.

And when he has begun to walk in the place of assembly, so that he may come to the place of sitting and standing, lest even a small harm come to the monastery through another's negligence.

But if the signal should sound by night, let him not stand at the fire, which by custom is kindled for warming the bodies and driving away the cold: nor shall he sit idle in the assembly, but shall prepare with swift hand cords for the stuffing of mats; unless indeed there be bodily infirmity, to which allowance for ceasing is granted.

And when the superior, or the one standing first in rank, shall strike with his hand, revolving in memory something from the Scriptures, so that the prayer may be finished, no one shall rise more slowly, but all shall rise together.

Let no one look at another twisting a cord, or praying; but let him be intent on his own work, with eyes fixed upon it.

For these vital precepts have been handed down by our elders. If it should happen that at the time of psalm-singing, or of prayer, or in the midst of a reading, someone speaks, or laughs, let him immediately loose his belt, and with bowed neck and hands pressed down to the lower parts, he shall stand before the altar, and shall be reproved by the head of the monastery. He shall do the same also in the gathering of the brethren, when they have come together likewise to eat.

When the blast of the trumpet has sounded for the assembly during the day, whoever comes too late for the one prayer shall be corrected in the same order of reproof, and shall stand in the place of the feast.

But at night, since something more is granted to the infirmity of the body, whoever comes after three prayers shall be corrected in the same order both in the assembly and at eating.

When the brethren are praying in the assembly, no one shall go out without the order of the superiors, unless he has asked, and it has been granted to him to go out for the necessity of nature.

No one shall split rushes for weaving cords except the one who is serving in the week; and if he is detained by rightful work, he shall await the order of the superior.

From among the weekly officers of one house there shall not be chosen those who stand in rank, and repeat before the whole gathering something from the Scriptures: but all, according to the order of sitting and standing, shall repeat from memory what has been enjoined upon them. And if any of them, having forgotten, should hesitate in the saying, he shall bear the correction for negligence and forgetfulness.

On the Lord's day, or at the time of the oblation, none of the weekly officers shall be absent, sitting in the place of the Ebiymius, and responding to the one singing, from that one house only which serves in the greater week. There is also another, lesser week, which is kept through each house by fewer men.

But if a greater number is necessary, others shall be called from the same tribe by the Superior of the house that is serving the week: and without his order no one from another house of the same tribe shall come to sing, and it shall by no means be permitted for one to come during another's week, and from another house, unless perhaps it be of the same tribe.

Now that is called one tribe which has three or four houses, according to the number and frequency of the monastery: which we might call families, or peoples of one nation.

On the Lord's day and at the assembly in which the oblation is to be offered, without the superior of the house, and the greater men of the monastery, who are of some renown, no one shall have the power of singing.

But while any of the elders is singing, that is, saying the responsory, if anyone is absent, he shall immediately bear the order of penance and reproof before the altar.

Whoever goes out from the assembly in which the oblation is to be offered, without the command of the superior, shall be immediately reproved.

In the morning, when the prayers are finished in each house, they shall not return immediately to their cells: but shall confer among themselves what they have heard the Superiors discussing, and so shall enter their chambers.

Now the discourse is given by the Superiors of the houses three times each week: and in that very discourse, whether sitting or standing, the brethren shall not change their order, according to the order of the houses and of each man.

If anyone, sitting, should fall asleep while the Superior of the house, or the head of the monastery, is discoursing, he shall immediately be compelled to rise: and he shall stand so long, until it be ordered him that he may sit.

When the signal has sounded, that they may gather and hear the precepts of the elders, no one shall remain behind: nor shall the fire be kindled before the discourse is completed. Whoever transgresses one of these things shall be subject to the aforesaid correction.

Whoever is a weekly officer shall not have the power, without the command of the head of the monastery, to give to anyone cords, or any other vessels; and unless he has commanded, he shall not be able to give the signal for gathering at the midday assembly, or at the evening one of the six prayers.

After the morning prayers, the minister of the week, to whom this task has been enjoined, shall ask the head of the monastery concerning each of the things which he thinks necessary; and how many ought to go out to work in the field. And according to his order he shall go round each house, and shall learn what each one has need of. If they have asked for a book to read, let them receive it; and when the week is finished, on account of those who succeed to the ministry, let them restore it to its place.

If they shall be working on mats, the minister is asked in the evening by the Superiors of each house, how many rushes may be necessary for each house; and so he will soak the rushes, and in the morning distribute them in order to each one. And if in the morning he shall see that more rushes are also needed, he will soak them, and carry them to each house until the signal for eating sounds.

The Superior of the house who completes his week, and the other who is to take up the coming one, together with the leaders of the monastery, shall take care to see what work has been omitted or neglected; and they shall have the mats shaken out, which are wont to be spread upon the pavement at the gathering: and they shall count the cords which they have twisted during each week, and shall record their total in the tablets, and keep them until the time of the yearly assembly, when an account must be rendered, and sins are forgiven to all.

When the gathering is dismissed, each one, going out to his own cell, or to the place of eating, shall meditate on something from the Scriptures; and no one shall have his head covered during the time of meditation.

But when they have come to eat, they shall sit in order in their appointed places, and shall cover their heads.

And as soon as it has been ordered you by the superior that you should pass from one table to another, you shall not contradict in anything at all. Nor shall you dare to stretch out your hand to the table before the Superior of your house: nor shall you look around at others eating.

Each of the Superiors shall teach in his own house how they ought to eat with discipline and gentleness. But if anyone shall have spoken, or laughed, while eating, he shall do penance, and shall at once be reproved in that same place: and he shall stand until another of those eating rises.

If anyone comes too late to eat, except by the superior's order, he shall likewise do penance, or return fasting to the house.

If anything is needed at table, no one shall dare to speak, but shall give a sign by a sound to those serving.

If you have gone out from the meal, you shall not speak on returning, until you reach your own place.

The ministers shall eat nothing else besides what has been prepared in common for the brothers, nor shall they dare to prepare for themselves altered foods.

He who strikes the signal for eating and gathers the brothers, shall meditate on something there while striking.

He who distributes sweetmeats before the doors of the dining-hall to the brothers as they go out, shall meditate on something from the Scriptures while distributing them.

He who receives what is given shall receive it not in the cowl, but in a skin; nor shall he taste beforehand of what he has received, until he reaches the house.

But he himself, who will divide to the rest, shall receive his own share from the Superior. Let the other ministers likewise do this, receiving from another, and claiming nothing for themselves by their own judgment. What they have received shall suffice them for three days: and if any remains to one, he shall bring it back to the Superior of the house, and he will store it in the storehouse, until it is mixed with other supplies, and offered to all the brothers.

No one shall give more to another than the other has received; but if infirmity is pleaded as excuse, the Superior of the house shall go to the ministers of the sick, and shall receive from them what is necessary.

If one of the ministers themselves falls ill, he shall not have permission to enter the kitchen or storehouse, and to take anything for himself: but the other ministers shall give him what they see is necessary for him: nor shall he be permitted to cook for himself what he desires, but the Superiors of the houses shall receive from the other ministers what they see necessary for him.

Let no one enter the place of the sick who is not sick. He who falls ill shall be led by the Superior of the house into the dining-hall of the sick: and if he needs a small cloak, or a tunic, or other things necessary for covering or for eating, the Superior himself shall receive them from the ministers, and give them to the sick. Nor shall the sick man be able to enter the cell of those who eat, and eat what he desires, unless he is led to eat by the minister who is appointed for this matter.

It shall not be permitted him to carry to his own cell anything of what he has received in the place of the sick, not even a piece of fruit.

Those who cook the dishes shall themselves in turn serve those serving and those eating.

Let no one touch wine and sauce except in the place of the sick.

If any of those who are sent abroad falls ill on the journey, or on ship, and has need or desire to eat sauce made of fish, or garlic-relish, or the things which they are accustomed to eat in the monastery, he shall not eat with the other brothers, but separately: and it shall be given to him by the ministers in full abundance, lest the sick brother be saddened in any respect.

Let no one dare to visit the sick without the permission of the superior; nor shall even a relative or a brother have the power of entering without the order of the Superior of the house.

If any one of these things is omitted and neglected by anyone, it shall be corrected by the usual reproof.

If anyone comes to the door of the monastery wishing to renounce the world, and to be joined to the number of the brothers, he shall not have freedom to enter, but it shall first be announced to the Father of the monastery, and he shall remain a few days outside before the gate, and shall be taught the Lord's Prayer and as many psalms as he can learn: and diligent trial of him shall be made, lest perhaps he has done some wrong, and, disturbed for a moment by fear, has departed, or is under some authority: and whether he can renounce his parents, and despise his own possessions.

For if they see him fit for prayer and for all things, then he shall be taught also the remaining discipline of the monastery, which he must keep and do, and to whom he must be of service, whether in the gathering of all the brothers, or in the house to which he is to be assigned, or in the order of eating; that, instructed and made perfect in every good work, he may be joined to the brothers. Then they shall strip him of his secular garments, and clothe him in the habit of monks, and hand him over to the doorkeeper, that at the time of prayer he may bring him into the presence of all the brothers; and he shall sit in the place appointed to him. But the garments which he had brought with him shall be taken by those appointed to this task, and carried into the storeroom, and shall be in the power of the head of the monastery.

No one remaining in the monastery shall have power to receive anyone to eat; but he shall send him to the door of the guesthouse, that he may be received by those appointed to this task.

When any come to the door of the monastery, if they are clerics or monks, they shall be received with greater honor: and they shall wash their feet, according to the precept of the Gospel, and shall lead them to the place of the guesthouse, and shall furnish all things suitable for the use of monks. But if at the time of prayer and of the gathering they wish to come to the assembly of the brothers, and are of the same faith, the doorkeeper or the minister of the guesthouse shall announce it to the Father of the monastery, and so they shall be led to prayer.

If secular men, or the weak, or the frailer vessels, that is, women, come to the door, and to pray, they shall receive each in separate places, according to the order of their state and sex; and they shall take special care of women with greater honor and diligence, with all fear of God, and shall give them a place separate from all proximity to men, so that there be no occasion of blasphemy. But if they come towards evening, it is unlawful to drive them away; but they shall receive, as we have said, a separate and enclosed place with all discipline and caution: so that the flock of brothers may freely serve its own office, and no occasion be given for detraction.

If anyone stands before the door of the monastery, saying that he wishes to see his brother or relative, the doorkeeper shall announce it to the Father of the monastery, and he, having summoned him, shall ask the Superior of the house whether he is under him; and with his permission, he shall take a companion for his going out, one whose faith is tested, and so he shall be sent to see the brother, or the relative. If perhaps he has brought him some food, of the kind lawful to eat in the monastery, he himself shall not be able to receive it, but shall call the doorkeeper, and he shall receive what has been brought; and if it be such as should be eaten with bread, he to whom it was brought shall receive none of it: but all shall be carried to the places of the sick. But if they be sweetmeats, or fruit, the doorkeeper shall give him some to eat as he is able; and shall carry the rest to the cell of the sick.

But he himself shall not be able to taste anything of what was brought, but shall give it back to him who brought it, whether it be lapsania, which is a kind of coarser herb, or loaves, or half-ripe vegetables. But those foods which we said are brought by parents or relatives, being such as ought to be eaten with bread, he to whom they were brought shall be led by the Superior of the house to the cell of the sick, and there he shall eat of them only once: but the rest shall remain in the hand of the minister of the sick. Nor shall the minister himself be able to eat of them.

If it is announced that some relative or kinsman of those dwelling in the monastery is ill, the doorkeeper shall first announce it to the Father of the monastery, and he, having summoned him, shall ask the Superior of the house. And they shall look for a man whose faith and discipline are tested, and shall send him with him, to visit the sick one, and he shall receive as much travel provision as the Superior of his house shall decide.

But if necessity compels him to remain outside, and to eat in the house of his father or relatives, let him by no means do this; but he shall remain either in the Lord's house, or in a monastery of the same faith. And if his relatives or kinsmen prepare foods for them, and set them out, they shall not receive them at all, nor shall they eat anything except what they are accustomed to eat in the monastery. They shall not taste sauce, nor drink wine, nor anything else which they are not accustomed to eat. If they receive anything from their parents, they shall eat only as much as suffices on the way; the rest that remains, they shall give to the Superior of their house, and he shall carry it to the cell of the sick.

If a relative or kinsman of anyone has died, he shall not have permission to follow the funeral, unless the Father of the monastery has ordered it.

Let no one be sent out alone for any business, unless another is joined to him.

But when they have returned to the monastery, if they see before the door someone seeking one of his kinsmen among those dwelling in the monastery, they shall not dare to go to him, and announce it, or call him. And altogether, whatever they have done and heard outside, they shall not be able to relate it in the monastery.

If a signal is given for them to go out to work, the Superior shall go before them; and no one shall remain in the monastery, except him whom the Father has ordered. And those who go shall not ask where they are going.

And when all the houses have been gathered together into one, the Superior of the first house shall go before all, and they shall proceed according to the order of the houses and of each individual person. Nor shall they speak to one another, but each shall meditate on something from the Scriptures. If perhaps someone meets them, and wishes to speak with one of them, the doorkeeper of the monastery, who is appointed to this duty, shall come forward, and shall answer him, and they shall use him as messenger. If the doorkeeper is not present, the Superior of the house, or another to whom this has been entrusted, shall answer those who meet them.

Those working shall say nothing worldly; but they shall either meditate on the things that are written, or else keep silence.

No one shall take a linen mantlet with him when going to work, unless perhaps by the permission of the superior; and no one shall use that same mantlet while walking about in the monastery after the assembly.

He who is working shall not sit down without the command of the superior.

The leaders of the brothers on a journey, if they have need to send someone, shall not be able to do so without the order of the Provost. But if the leader himself is compelled by necessity to go to some place, he shall delegate his office to the one who is next after him in rank.

Brothers who are sent, or stationed outside, if they shall eat away from the monastery, the weekly officer who accompanies them shall give them food, without the cooking of a pottage; and he himself shall carry around the water, close by the vessel; and no one shall have the power of rising, or of drawing, or of drinking on his own.

When they return to the monastery, no one shall remain out of order.

When they have come to their houses, they shall hand over the tools with which they did the work, and the sandals, to him who is second after the Provost of the house; and he shall carry them in the evening into a separate cell, and shall lock them up there. And all the tools, when the week is completed, shall be carried back into one house; and again those who succeed to the weekly duty shall know what to distribute to each house.

No one shall wash the levitonarium, and whatever else pertains to the monks' garment, on the Lord's day, except the boatmen and the millers.

Nor shall they go to wash unless a single signal has sounded for all; and they shall follow their Provost, and shall wash silently, with discipline.

No one shall wash with his garments drawn up higher than is prescribed; and when they have washed, they shall all return together. If anyone remains behind at the time when they go to wash, or is not present, he shall inform his Provost, and the latter shall send another brother with him, according to each one's rank; and when the garment has been washed, they shall return home.

In the evening they shall take up the dry levitonaria and give them to the second in rank, that is, the one after the Provost, and he shall put them back in the cell.

But if they are not dry, they shall be spread out in the sun the next day, until they are dried; nor shall they be left in the heat of the sun beyond the third hour; and when they have been gathered up, they shall be gently softened.

Nor shall they keep them individually with themselves, but shall hand them over, that they may be put back in the cell until the sabbath.

No one shall take vegetables from the garden, unless he has received them from the gardener.

No one shall take on his own authority the palm leaves from which baskets are woven, apart from him to whom the palms have been entrusted.

Let no one dare to eat grapes or ears of grain still unripe outside the order of discipline; and altogether, of all things that are in the field, or in the orchards, let no one eat separately, before they are set out for all the brothers together.

He who cooks shall not taste before the brothers eat.

He who is set over the palms shall not eat of their fruit, unless the brothers have first eaten.

If they are ordered to gather the fruit of the palms, the one in charge of the gatherers shall give a small portion to each in that same place for eating; and when they come to the monastery, they shall receive their shares among the rest of the brothers. But if they find fruit fallen beneath the trees, they shall not dare to eat it, but shall place what is found in passing near the roots of the trees. He too who distributes to the rest of the gatherers shall not be able to taste; but he shall carry it to the steward, who, when he has given to the rest of the brothers, shall also give him his own portion.

Let no one put away anything for eating in his own cell, apart from what he has received from the steward.

Now concerning the small loaves that are given to the Provosts of the houses, that they may distribute them to those who are unwilling to eat in common with the rest, and who devote themselves, as it were, to greater abstinence, they must observe this: that they give to no one out of favor, not even to one setting out on a journey. Nor shall they be set out in the midst; but when the men wish to eat, they shall be given out with discipline in the cells, and with these they shall eat nothing else, save salt only. And apart from the monastery kitchen, no one shall have the power to cook food. And if at any time they go out, that is, into the fields to work, let them take vegetables seasoned with salt and vinegar, and prepared for long use in the season of summer.

Let no one keep in his house and in his cell anything beyond what is prescribed by the common rule of the monastery: not a woolen tunic, not a cloak, not a fleece softer than the unshorn wool of rams; not a few coins, not even a pillow for the head, or any other item of varied furniture: except those things which shall be distributed by the Father of the monastery through the Provosts of the houses, that is, his equipment, two levitonaria, and one worn from use, a longer towel that goes about the neck and shoulders; a small fleece that hangs from the side, sandals and two cowls, a girdle and a staff. Whatever you find beyond these, you shall take away without contradiction.

Let no one have separately a small biting tool for pulling out thorns, in case he should tread on one, apart from the Provost of the house and the second; and it shall hang in the window in which the books are placed.

If anyone is transferred from one house to another, except for those things we have mentioned above, he shall be able to carry nothing with him.

Let no one have the liberty either of going out into the field, or of walking about in the monastery, or of going outside the monastery wall, unless he has asked the Provost, and the latter has granted it.

Care must be taken that no one carries words from one house to another house, nor from one monastery to another monastery, nor from the monastery into the field, nor from the field into the monastery.

If anyone has walked on the road, or sailed, or worked outside, he shall not speak in the monastery of what he saw done there.

Let no one lie down to sleep except reclining in his own cell, which has been assigned to him. Neither in the cell, nor in the housetops in which they rest at night to avoid the heat, nor in the fields when he has settled himself for sleep, shall anyone speak to another after he has fallen asleep. If he wakes at night after sleep, let him pray; if he begins to thirst, but the day of fasting presses on, he shall not dare to drink.

Apart from the psiathium, that is, the mat, he shall lay out nothing else at all in the place of the cell for sleeping.

It is unlawful to enter another's cell, unless one has first knocked at the door.

They shall not go to food unless they are called together by the general sound; nor shall they walk about in the monastery before the common signal has sounded.

Let no one walk about in the monastery without a cowl and a small fleece, nor go to the assembly, nor to the meal.

In the evening, for anointing and softening the hands with oil after work, he shall not be able to go without another.

But let no one anoint his whole body, except by reason of infirmity; nor shall he wash with water with his body bare, unless the sickness is manifest.

No one shall be able to wash another, or anoint him, unless he has been ordered to do so.

Let no one speak to another in the darkness; let no one sleep with another on the same psiathium; let no one hold another's hand; but whether he stands, or walks, or sits, let him be one cubit apart from the other.

Let no one dare to pull a thorn from another's foot, except the Provost of the house, and the second, and another to whom it has been commanded.

Let no one cut his head without the judgment of the superior.

He shall not dare to exchange with another anything he has received from the Provost; nor shall he receive a better one and give a worse; or on the contrary, give a better one and receive a worse. And in his garment and in his habit he shall find nothing new beyond the rest for the sake of adornment.

All the fleeces shall be tied, and shall hang from the shoulders.

The cowls of each shall have both the signs of the monastery and of the house.

Let no one going to the assembly or to the meal leave his book unbound. The books that are put in the window, that is, within the wall, in the evening, shall be under the hand of the second, who shall count them, and shall lock them up as is customary.

Let no one go to the assembly or to the meal wearing sandals on his feet, or wrapped in a linen mantlet, whether in the monastery, or in the fields.

He who allows his garment to remain in the sun beyond noon, when the brothers are called together for food, shall be rebuked for negligence.

And if he has passed over any one of the things mentioned above through contempt, he shall be corrected by a similar reproof.

Let no one dare to make sandals, or anything else that needs joining or fitting, apart from him to whom this ministry is assigned by the Provost of the house.

If any of the brothers has been hurt or struck, and yet does not lie down in bed, but walks about weak, and lacks something, namely a garment, or a mantlet, and other necessities, the Provost of his house shall go to those to whom the brothers' garments are entrusted, and shall receive it and give it. And when he is well, he shall return it without any delay.

Let no one receive anything from another, unless the Provost has ordered it.

Let no one sleep with his cell closed, nor have a bedchamber that can be shut, unless perhaps the Father of the monastery has granted it on account of someone's age or infirmity.

Let no one go into the village unless sent, except the herdsmen, and the ox-drivers, and the farmers.

Two shall not sit together on the bare back of a donkey, nor on the covering of a wagon.

If anyone comes seated on a donkey, except in the case of infirmity, he shall dismount before the gates of the monastery, and thus, going before the donkey, shall lead it by hand with a rope.

Only the Provosts shall go to the little shops of the various trades, to receive what is necessary.

They themselves also will not be able to go before noon, when the brothers are called to eat, unless perhaps some necessity presses, and by the counsel of the Father of the monastery the weekly officer will send someone to bring what is necessary. And absolutely no one will dare to enter another cell without the order of the superior.

No one will accept anything entrusted to him by his own brother.

No one will put away anything in his cell without the order of the Superior, not even the cheapest fruits, and other things of this kind.

If the Superior of another house shall have gone anywhere, another Superior will be the leader of that same tribe, and will bear the care of the one who has departed, and will use his powers, and will do all things carefully: and he will so divide the teaching of the two weekly fasts, that he holds one in his own house, the other in the house of the one departed.

When they sprinkle the flour with water, and knead the dough, let no one speak to another. In the morning also, when they carry the loaves on boards to the oven or to the ovens, they will keep the same silence, and will only sing something of the Psalms and the Scriptures, until the work is completed. If they need something necessary, they will not speak, but will give a sign to those who can bring what they need.

When they have been called to mix the flour, let no one sit in the place of those baking the bread; except those who suffice for the baking, and those who have been ordered, no one will sit there.

In the boats also there is a similar discipline. But no one will loose the rope from the shore without the order of the Father, not even the skiff.

In the place of the bilge and the inner part of the boat, while the other brothers rest upon the benches and the decking, let no one sleep, and no one will allow secular men to sleep with him in the boat. The weaker vessels will not sail with the others, unless perhaps the Father of the monastery has ordered it.

No one will dare to make a fire in his own house, unless it is kindled in common for all.

Whoever comes late to one of the six evening prayers, or who has murmured, and spoken to another or smiled during the remaining prayers, will do penance in the order established.

When they sit at home, it will not be lawful for them to speak anything secular; but if the Superior has taught something from the Scriptures, let them ruminate on it among themselves in turn, and relate what each has heard, or what they hold in memory.

No one will do any work, nor carry around cups full of water, nor twist any cord, unless the Superior has ordered it.

No one will take for himself rushes soaked in water for working, unless the master of the week has given them to him.

Whoever breaks an earthen vessel, and soaks rushes a third time, will do penance in the evening in the six prayers.

After the six prayers, when all are separated for sleeping, it will not be lawful for anyone, except for a reason of necessity, to leave his own cubicle.

If a brother falls asleep, let the whole fraternity follow him. Let no one persist without the command of the superior, nor sing psalms unless it has been ordered him: nor join one psalm after another without the will of the Superior.

Two together will not sing psalms at the time of mourning, nor be wrapped about with a linen pallium. Nor will there be anyone who does not answer the one singing, but he will be joined both in step and in matching voice.

He who is sick will have, at the funeral, an attendant to support him, and altogether, to whatever place the brothers shall have been sent, they will have from among the weekly officers those who serve the sick, in case perhaps sickness should creep in on the journey or in the field.

Let no one walk ahead of the Superior and his leader: let no one remain apart from his own rank.

If anyone has lost something, he will be publicly rebuked before the altar. But if what was lost was one of his own garments, he will not receive one for three weeks; and in the fourth, after penance has been done, what he lost will be given to him.

Whoever finds something will hang it up for three days before the gathering of the brothers, and let whoever recognizes it take it up.

For all the rebukes and teachings which have been written and established, the correction of the Superior will suffice; but whatever new thing has occurred in the way of offense, he will refer it to the head of the monastery.

Let no one do the washing in the house without him; and everything that is new will be arranged by his judgment.

Let every correction be done in such a way that those who are corrected are set apart; and let them stand in the greater gathering, and in the place of eating.

Whoever withdraws without warning of the brothers, and afterward, having done penance, comes back, will not be in his own rank without the command of the superior.

If the Superior of a house and the steward should sleep one night without the brothers, and afterward, having done penance, comes to the assembly of the brothers, he will not be permitted to enter the house, or to stand in his own rank, without the command of the superior.

Everything that they have heard discussed in the assembly of the brothers, they shall be compelled by necessity to repeat among themselves, especially at the time of the fasts, when they are taught by their own Superiors.

Whoever, being untrained, has entered the monastery, will first be taught what he must observe: and when, being instructed, he has consented to all things, they will give him twenty Psalms and two Epistles of the Apostle, or a portion of some other Scripture. And if he does not know letters, at the first hour, and the third, and the sixth he will go to the one who is able to teach, and who has been assigned to him, and he will stand before him, and learn most diligently, with all thanksgiving.

Then indeed the elements, syllables, words, and names will be written for him; and even unwilling he will be compelled to read, and there will be absolutely no one in the monastery who does not learn letters and hold something of the Scriptures: at the very least up to the New Testament and the Psalter.

For the assembly, and for singing psalms and praying, let no one find occupations for himself, by which he claims to be busy, as if he were unable to go.

And whether he be in a boat, or in the monastery, or in the field, or on a journey, or in any service whatsoever, let him not omit the times of prayer and psalm-singing.

This, then, is the ministry which the ministers of the Church ought to exercise.

Let them gather the brothers at the time of prayer, and do all things that must properly be completed, give no occasion for shirking, nor allow anyone to walk contrary to discipline.

If they ask for a book, let it be brought to them.

If someone comes from outside in the evening, and does not manage to receive the work he is to do the next day, let it be given to him in the morning.

If the work he had in hand runs out, let him refer it to the knowledge of the superior, and let him do what that one has ordered.

Let the one who is minister take care that no work be lost in the monastery, in any craft whatsoever that is practiced by the brothers. But if something has been lost, and has been wasted through negligence, the minister of the several works will be rebuked by the Father, and he in turn will rebuke the other who lost the work: yet only according to the will and judgment of the head, without whom no one will have the power to rebuke a brother.

If a garment spread out in the sun is found there on the third day, its owner will be rebuked for it, and will do public penance in the assembly. A little skin garment, and sandals, and a belt, and if anything else is lost, whoever lost it will be rebuked.

If anyone has taken something not his own, let him carry it upon his shoulders, and do public penance in the assembly, and stand in the place of eating.

If one of the brothers is found doing something out of contentiousness, or contradicting the command of the superior, he will be rebuked according to the measure of his sin.

Whoever lies, or is caught holding hatred against another, or is disobedient, or given more to jesting than is fitting, or idle, or answers harshly, or has the habit of speaking ill of the brothers, or of those who are outside, and altogether whatever is against the rule of the Scriptures and the discipline of the monastery, the Father of the monastery will hear, and will punish according to the measure and character of the offense.

The Superior of a house will be subject to blame and rebuke, if he has not reported to the Father within three days whatever has been lost, whether on the road, or in the field, or in the monastery: and he will do public penance according to the order established. And if a man has fled, and he has not reported to the Father within three hours, he will be guilty of his loss, unless however he finds him again.

This is the penalty for one who has lost a brother from the house: for three days he will do public penance; but if he has reported to the Father in the same hour in which the man fled, he will not be guilty.

If the Superior has seen a sin in his own house, and has not immediately rebuked the offender, nor reported it to the Father of the monastery, he himself will be subject to the order of rebuke.

In each house they will complete in the evening the six prayers and psalms, according to the order of the greater assembly, which is celebrated in common by all the brothers.

Each week two discourses, that is, catecheses, will be completed by the Superior.

Let no one do anything in the house, except what the Superior has ordered.

If all the brothers who are in one house see the Superior being too negligent, or rebuking the brothers too harshly, and exceeding the measure of the monastery, they will refer it to the Father, and he will be rebuked by him. The Superior himself, however, will do nothing except what the Father has ordered, especially in a new matter. For whatever follows from custom, he will keep to the rules of the monastery.

Let the Superior not be given to drunkenness: let him not sit in the lowlier places beside the vessels of the monastery, lest he break the bonds which God established in heaven, that they might be observed on earth. Let him not mourn on the festal day of the Lord Saviour. Let him rule over his own flesh according to the measure of the Saints. Let him not be found in lofty beds, imitating the custom of the gentiles. Let him not be of double faith. Let him not follow the thoughts of his own heart, but the law of God. Let him not resist the loftier powers with a swelling spirit. Let him not roar, nor snarl over the humbler ones. Let him not move boundary-marks. Let him not be fraudulent, nor turn over deceits in his thoughts. Let him not neglect the sin of his own soul. Let him not be conquered by the luxury of the flesh. Let him not walk carelessly. Let him not quickly speak an idle word.

Let him not place a stumbling-block before the feet of a blind man. Let him not teach his soul pleasure. Let him not be dissolved by the laughter of fools and jesting. Let his heart not be carried away by those who speak foolish and sweet things. Let him not be conquered by gifts. Let him not be led by the talk of little ones. Let him not be afflicted in tribulation. Let him not fear death, but God. Let him not be a betrayer on account of imminent fear. Let him not abandon the true light for the sake of small foods. Let him not waver or fluctuate in his works. Let him not change his sentence, but let it be of firm and solid decree, considering all things justly, judging in truth, without desire of glory, manifest to God and to men, and far from fraud. Let him not be ignorant of the conversation of the Saints, nor be blind to knowledge of them.

Let him harm no one through pride: nor follow the concupiscences of his own eyes. Let not the incentives of vices overcome him. Let him never pass over the truth. Let him hate injustice: let him never judge according to persons for the sake of gifts, nor condemn an innocent soul through pride. Let him not laugh among the boys. Let him not desert the truth, overcome by fear. Let him not eat bread from fraud. Let him not desire another's land. Let him not oppress a soul for the sake of others' spoils. Let him not despise those who need mercy. Let him not, seduced by gain, give false testimony. Let him not lie because of pride. Let him not contend against the truth out of swelling of spirit. Let him not desert justice because of weariness. Let him not lose his soul because of shame. Let him not look upon the dishes of a richer table. Let him not desire beautiful garments. Let him not neglect himself, so that he always judge his own thoughts.

Let him not be drunk with wine; but let him have humility joined to truth. When he judges, let him follow the precepts of the elders and the law of God, which has been proclaimed in the whole world. If he shall have passed over any of these things, the measure by which he measured shall be given back to him, and he shall receive according to his works, because he has committed adultery with his wood and stones: and for the gleam of gold, and the splendor of silver, he has forsaken judgment, and through desire of temporal gain has put on himself the snares of the heathen.

And there shall come upon him the ruin of Eli and of his sons; the curse of David, which Doeg called down: the mark with which Cain was given; the burial of an ass, of which Jeremiah speaks: the destruction by which the gaping earth swallowed up sinners, and the ruin of the Canaanites, and the shattering of a water-jar at the spring, and the grinding down of sands on the shores and rocks, which are beaten by the waves; and the breaking of the glorious rod spoken of in Isaiah, so that he be like a blind man groping the wall with his hand. All these things shall befall him who has not kept truth in judgment, and has acted unjustly in all things entrusted to him.

The fullness of the law is charity, knowing the time, because now the hour presses that we should rise from sleep, and salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is past, the day has drawn near: let us put off the works of darkness; which are contentions, detractions, hatreds, and swelling pride of spirit. He who is prone to detraction, and says what is not so, if he is caught in this sin, they shall admonish him a second time; and if he shall have disdained to listen, he shall be separated outside the assembly of the brothers for seven days, and shall receive only bread with water, until he promises and confirms that he will withdraw from this vice, and thus it shall be released to him.

If an irascible and furious man is frequently angered without cause and over an empty and vain matter, he shall be admonished six times, on the seventh they shall make him rise from his seated rank, and he shall be placed among the last: and they shall teach him to be cleansed from this disturbance of mind; and when he has brought forward three witnesses worthy of testimony, who shall pledge for him that he will by no means do anything similar, he shall recover his place. Otherwise, if he persists in the fault, let him remain among the last, having lost his former place.

He who desires to prove something false against another, so as to oppress an innocent man, shall be admonished three times; and afterward he shall be guilty of iniquity, whether he be of the first rank or of the lower.

He who has the very bad custom of soliciting his brothers with talk, and perverting the souls of the simpler ones, shall be admonished three times; if he disdains this, and perseveres in hardness with an obstinate mind, they shall separate him outside the monastery, and he shall be beaten before the doors: and they shall give him bread and water to eat outside, until he is cleansed from his filth.

He who has the custom of murmuring, and complains as if he were being oppressed by heavy work, they shall teach him five times that he murmurs without cause, and they shall show him the plain truth. If even after this he is disobedient, and is of full age, they shall treat him as one of the sick, and he shall be placed in the place of the infirm; and there he shall be fed idle, until he returns to the truth. But if his complaint is just, and he is unjustly oppressed by a superior, whoever has caused him offense shall be subject to the same sentence.

If anyone is disobedient, or contentious, or contradicting, or lying, and is of a shameless brow, he shall be admonished ten times, that he may desist from these vices: if he refuses to listen, he shall be rebuked by the laws of the monastery. But if he is drawn into these vices through another's fault, and this is proven: he who was the cause shall be guilty of the punishment.

If any of the brothers is caught gladly laughing and playing with boys, and having friendships with those of weak age, he shall be admonished three times, that he withdraw from familiarity with them, and be mindful of honesty and the fear of God; if he does not cease, he shall be corrected, as he deserves, with the most severe correction.

Those who despise the precepts of the elders and the rules of the monastery, which have been established by the command of God, and think little of the counsels of the seniors, shall be corrected according to the established order, until they are amended.

He who is judge of all sins, and through perversity of mind, or negligence, has abandoned the truth, twenty holy men, fearing God, or ten, or down to five, of whom all give testimony, shall sit and judge him, and shall degrade him to the last rank until he is corrected.

He who disturbs the minds of the brothers, and is quick to speak, sowing strife and quarrels, shall be admonished ten times. And if he is not amended, he shall be corrected by the order of the monastery, until he is corrected.

He who, among the elders and Superiors, sees his brother in tribulation, and is unwilling to inquire into the cause of the tribulation, and disdains him, let the cause be sought by the aforesaid judges between the brother and the Superior; and if it is found that the brother was oppressed by the negligence or pride of the Superior, and that he judged not according to truth, but according to persons, he shall be degraded from his seat, until he is corrected and cleansed from the filth of injustice: because he did not consider the truth, but persons, and served the depravity of his own mind, and not the judgment of God.

If anyone shall have promised to observe the rules of the monastery, and shall have begun to do so, and then abandoned them; but afterward, having returned, does penance, pleading the weakness of his poor body, by reason of which he could not fulfill what he had said, let them make him dwell among the ailing, and he shall be fed among the idle, until, penance having been done, he fulfills what he promised.

If boys in the house are given to games and idleness, and cannot be amended when corrected, the Superior himself ought to admonish and correct them for up to thirty days. If he sees them persisting in their depravity, and does not report it to the Father, and some sin is found in them, he himself shall be subject to the fault for them, according to what sin is found.

But all boys who are not afraid to be confounded for sin, and through imprudence do not consider the judgment of God, and, corrected by word, do not amend, shall be beaten as much as needed until they receive discipline and fear.

He who judges unjustly shall justly be condemned by others.

If one of the brothers, or two, or three, having been scandalized by someone, withdraw from the house, and afterward come back, the matter shall be examined between them and the one who caused offense before judgment; and if he is found guilty, he shall be amended by the rules of the monastery.

He who consents to those sinning, and defends another delinquent, shall be accursed before God and men, and shall be corrected with the most severe rebuke. But if he was deceived through ignorance, and did not think it was as it truly was, he shall be forgiven. And everyone who sins through ignorance shall easily receive pardon: but he who sins knowingly shall endure rebuke according to the measure of his deed.

The Superior of the house and the second in charge shall be obliged to weave twenty-five fathoms of palm leaves, so that the others too may labor after their example. But if they are not present, whoever presides in their place shall devote diligence to this work and measure.

After they have been summoned, let them come to the assembly; and before they are called, let no one leave his cell. If any disdain these commands, they shall be subject to the usual rebuke.

Let the brothers not be compelled to do more work: but let moderate labor call all to work. And let there be peace and concord among them, and let them willingly be subject to their elders, sitting, walking, and standing in their own order, and vying with one another in humility.

If anything has been sinned, the Fathers of the monasteries shall be able to correct it, and to establish what ought to be followed.

The Superior of the house, however, and he who is second to him, shall have only this right, that he may compel the brothers to submit to penance in the assembly of the house, or in the greater assembly, that is, of all the brothers.

But if the Superior is away, he who is second shall hold his place, both in receiving a brother's penance, and in whatever else is necessary in the house.

If anyone, without the knowledge of two, goes to another house, or asks a brother of another house to lend him a book to read, or anything else whatsoever, and is found in this, he shall be rebuked according to the order of the monastery.

He who wishes to be without stain and without contempt in the house to which he is assigned ought to observe all things that have been commanded, in the presence of God.

Whatever is necessary in the monastery, or in the field, if the Superior of the house is occupied, let the second fulfill it.

Let him who is asked fulfill with the greatest delight the six evening prayers, after the example of the greater assembly, in which all the brothers are gathered together equally.

If anyone comes from outside, and has been afflicted by the heat, the other brothers shall celebrate the prayer; if he cannot go, he shall not be compelled.

When the Superiors of the houses teach the brothers concerning the manner of holy living, no one shall be absent except for the most grave necessity.

The seniors who are sent out with the brethren, for as long as they are there, shall have the authority of Superiors, and all things shall be governed by their judgment, and they shall teach the brethren on the appointed days. And if perchance any dispute should arise among them, the seniors themselves shall hear it, and shall judge the case, and shall rebuke him who is worthy of blame, so that at their command they may at once with full heart be reconciled in peace.

If any of the brethren has a grievance against the Superior of his house, or the Superior himself has some complaint against a brother, brothers of proven conduct and faith ought to hear them, and shall judge between them. If, however, the Father of the monastery is absent, or has gone somewhere, they shall first indeed wait for him; but if they see that he is delaying abroad for a longer time, then they shall hear the matter between the Superior and the brother, lest, the judgment being long suspended, a greater grievance arise. And let him who is the Superior, and him who is subject, and those who hear the case, do all things according to the fear of God, and give occasion for discord in nothing.

Therefore let those who desire to be of one mind, and have resolved to live with a common purpose, be subject to the counsels of their seniors: whatever shall have proceeded from the counsels of the Fathers, that let them do.

Concerning small garments. If anyone has more than what is prescribed, without informing his senior, let him bring it to the keeper of the cell, and he shall not have power to go in or to ask for them; but they shall be at the disposal of the Superior and of him who is second.

Concerning the discipline of the maidens. Let no one go to visit them. [lacuna]

Whoever shall have transgressed any of these commands, without any doubt of negligence and contempt, shall do penance, that we may be able to possess the kingdoms of the heavens.

Honor God and you shall prosper. Be mindful of the groanings which the Saints have endured. Let us become of one mind, remaining in that to which we have been called; taking care for all, that we may be able to complete this life which we have taken up, and may deserve to complete the course of our discipline pleasing to God; that we may not be found like those who rejoice in vain and fleeting things; lest at any time our mind, forsaking the line of the right path, fall into sin, and be defrauded of eternal hope. For it is best of understanding to know the will of God. For that man is made superior to all who obeys the truth. For of all evils the worst is to resist the law of God, and to acquiesce in one's own will.

For he who fulfils his own will shall be defrauded of divine knowledge: nor shall he be able, by fulfilling his own will, to walk in the way of the Saints; and at the last he shall find destruction and lamentation. Now therefore is the time of pleasing the Lord: because salvation is acquired in the time of tribulation. Let us not, then, hold the confidence of faith only in the time of gladness, and withdraw from it in the time of tribulation. For it is written: If thou hast vowed a vow to the Lord, delay not to pay it, and in tribulation fail not; but be patient, and beseech the Lord. For the immovable fullness of faith shall be granted by God, which the prophets acquired through the Holy Spirit, in which the apostles also were confirmed, who, receiving various tribulations of persecutions for the sake of faith, arrived at the promised rewards.

Knowing this, therefore, let us not be carried about, deceived by the seduction of errors; but rather let us remain firm and immovable, so that we may restrain, by the constant remembrance of the divine law, the wanderings of thoughts, which surge like waters; through which, destroying the law of carnal concupiscence, we may be able to seek out all that is pleasing to God: and let us be kept unharmed from worldly cares, and from all elation, which is the worst madness, worse than all evils. Having the Lord always before our eyes, let us remember the passion of his cross and death, through which we have been redeemed and given life. Let us therefore hate the world and all things that are in it, let us also hate all bodily rest. Let us renounce this life, that we may be able to live for God. Let us therefore be mindful, dearest ones, of our profession, in what manner we have promised to serve God: for this very thing shall be required of us on the day of judgment.

Let us hunger, let us thirst, let us endure nakedness, let us watch, and, being set in psalms and prayers, groaning from the depths of our heart, let us pour out tears: proving ourselves by careful examination, whether we may deserve to be found worthy of God in some measure, on account of his immense clemency. Let us not shrink from the anguish of tribulation, that we may attain the rest of the Lord's consolation; and may deserve to receive the rest of immortal and everlasting life.