fourth century they began to live together in communities, under certain rules. St. Basil, who perfected the monastic institute, drew up rules for his own monks, which almost all the Eastern Church afterwards followed, while most of the monks in the west used those of St. Benet. At first, monks were only laics, but their own necessities, and the good of the Church, calling for it, some of them afterwards were promoted to holy orders; and, except a few in each house, called lay brothers, they are now all clergymen. The ardent love of God and their neighbour, which made them sometimes leave their beloved solitude to succour the Church, and the angelical purity and perfection with which they continually served their Creator, made them be greatly esteemed by the people living in the world.

There are several orders of monks in Catholic countries in every quarter of the globe at this day. We have Basilians, Benedictines, Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans, Canon Regulars, and others. All these different orders take the solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and all firmly hold the Roman Catholic faith, and only differ in their rules of discipline, in their dress, in the particular privileges granted by the Pope to each order, in their names, which they generally take from that of their founder, and such like distinctions pertaining merely to discipline. In gene

1

See a Short History of Monastical Orders, in which the Primitive Institution of Monks, their tempers, habits, rules, and the condition they are in at present, are treated of. By Gab. D'Emillianne, 12mo, London, 1693.

ral, they are exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop, and are immediately under that of the Pope.

About the time that monks began to live together, females, retiring from the dangers of the world, dedicated themselves entirely to God, and binding themselves to observe certain rules intended for their advancement towards perfection, began to live in convents. Of these, as of the monks, there are different orders, each following their own rules, and wearing a peculiar habit. The solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, are taken by them also, and they are commonly under the government of the bishops, but sometimes are under the jurisdiction of regular clergymen of their own order. After their profession, they are never allowed to go without the enclosure of the convent, during life, without the leave of the bishop, or some cogent reason, such as a nunnery taking fire, &c. and no man is allowed to enter it without a similar permission, which may be granted for a necessary cause. Roman Catholics think, that the origin of nuns is to be found even in the primitive Church; for as there were ascetics1 from the beginning of Christianity, so in the earliest ages of the Church, we find instances of virgins who openly made a vow of chastity, of whom Tertullian, St. Cyprian, and Sozomen, make frequent mention. They lived at home, using much the same exercises of

2

1 Vid. Devot. Institut. can. t. 1. p. 396. n. 1. 2 Vid. Devot. Institut. can. t. 1. p. 419. § xxi. and n. 1. P. 420.

the greatest part of Europe continues to profess the Roman Catholic religion. In Italy, Spain, and Portugal, it is the established and only one.1 In France it was, and now again is, the established, though not the only, religion. In several of the German states, and in Poland, the far greatest number of the inhabitants are Catholics, intermixt in the former country with a few Protestants and Jews; and, in the latter, some Greek schismatics, as well as a few Protestants and Jews, are to be found. Even in those countries where the Protestant religion prevails, there are more or less Catholics to be found. A considerable portion of his majesty's subjects, in the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, are Catholics; very many

1 In all Roman Catholic countries, the clergy make a great proportion of the inhabitants; so great, indeed, that in Spain the regular clergy alone are reckoned at nearly 100,000.

2 From returns of the number of Roman Catholics in England and Wales, made to Parliament in 1767 and 1780, it appeared, that they were 67,916 in 1767, and 69,317 in 1780. They had therefore increased 1401 in thirteen years; and supposing the Roman Catholics in Scotland, at the last period, to have amounted to 15,000, those in Britain would now amount, at the same rate of increase, to about 88,062, i. e. to about the ninetieth part of the population, supposing it to be 8,000,000. But I have good authority for stating, that the members of the Church of Rome, within the precincts of the Northern Circuit, if not in the counties of York and Lancashire alone, do amount, at this day, nearly, if not fully, to that number.

Of the inhabitants of Ireland, the Roman Catholic may be supposed to be about two and a half to one, or to amount to from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000.

will be found in Holland; a few in Denmark and Sweden; and a great majority will be found in some, and a part in all, the Protestant states in Germany. In the southern part of America, the whole of the inhabitants, both natives and colonists, are, like those of the mother country, Catholics; which is likewise the case with the Spanish settlements in North America. In the United States there are some Catholics, intermixt with the Protestants, in every province: and one of them, viz. Maryland, was originally Catholic. This is also the case in Canada; for though there are many Protestants settled there since it became a British province, their number bears no proportion to that of the Roman Catholics, who there enjoy the privileges of an establishment. The Roman Catholic reli gion has likewise been preached in China, by apostolic missionaries commissioned by the See of Rome; and, notwithstanding the violent persecutions that have been raised against it, in that kingdom, where thousands of all ages and conditions have, like the primitive Christians, sealed their faith with their blood, the Catholic religion

"Maryland, like Pennsylvania, follows the religion of the ancient proprietor, Lord Baltimore; about onehalf of the people are therefore Roman Catholics." JANSON's Stranger in America, chap. xi.-Before the American revolution, Roman Catholics were not tolerated in any of the colonies, excepting in these two proprietory governments of Maryland and Pensylvania.

For the supposed number of Roman Catholics throughout the world, see below, p. 98.

continues to be professed by a considerable number of its natives.1

AUTHORS FOR AND AGAINST THE CHURCH OF ROME. As in every age there have been men who, both by word and writ, maintained opinions different from the doctrine of the Catholic church, so there have been always some of her children, eminent for piety and learning, who have employed their talents in expounding and defending those points of her faith, which happened to be controverted in their time. It would be in vain to pretend to give any satisfactory account of the authors, who have written for or against the Catholic tenets, in a work of this nature, as the narrow limits it prescribes would scarce contain a list of the names of all who have written on the subject of controversy: a theme which has employed many able pens, from the earliest ages of the Church to the present day. As all Christians, however, are nearly interested in those unhappy disputes, which have divided Europe since the beginning of the sixteenth century, it becomes in some respect necessary to mention some, at least, of the most eminent of those writers, who have distinguished themselves since that time on each side. Amongst Catholic controvertists, Cardinal Bellarmin holds the first rank; and the Protestants themselves do him the justice to acknowledge, that he, of all the

1

We have accounts of a severe imperial edict issued against the missionaries, and their converts, in China, so late as in 1805. And, indeed, such are frequently issued.