456 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XlVi (Eccles. vii. 2.) By the latter the soul is in flamed. For if thou canst imitate the luxury, then thou art encouraged to self-indulgence, and if thou canst not, thou art grieved. In the house of mourning there is nothing of this kind. If thou canst not afford to be luxurious, thou art not pained ; and if thou canst, thou art re strained. Monasteries are indeed houses of mourning. There is sackcloth and ashes, there is solitude, there is no laughter, no pressure of worldly business. There is fasting, and lying upon the ground ; there is no impure savor of rich food, no blood shed, 1 no tumult, no dis turbance, or crowding. There is a serene har bor. They are as lights shining from a lofty place to mariners afar off. They are stationed at the port, drawing all men to their own calm, and preserving from shipwreck those who gaze on them, and not letting those walk in darkness who look thither. Go to them, and make friends with them, embrace their holy feet, more hon orable to touch than the heads of others. If some clasp the feet of statues, because they bear but a likeness of the king, wilt thou not clasp his feet who has Christ within him, and be saved? The Saints feet are holy, though they are poor men, but not even the head of the profane is honorable. Such efficacy is there in the feet of the Saints, that when they shake off the dust of their feet, they inflict punishment. When a saint is among us, let us not be ashamed of anything that belongs to him. 2 And all are saints, who unite a holy life with a right faith : and though they do not work miracles nor cast out devils, still they are saints. Go then to their tabernacles. To go to the monastery of a holy man 3 is to pass, as it were, from earth to heaven. Thou seest not there what is seen in a private house. That company is free from all impurity. There is silence and profound quiet. The words " mine and thine " are not in use among them. And if thou re- mainest there a whole day or even two, the more pleasure thou wilt enjoy. There, as soon as it is day, or rather before day, the cock crows, and you see it not as you may see it 4 in a house, the servants snoring, the doors shut, all sleeping like the dead, whilst the muleteer without is ringing his bells. There is nothing of all this. All, immediately shaking off sleep, reverently rise when their President calls them, and form ing themselves into a holy choir, they stand, and lifting up their hands all at once sing the sacred hymns. For they are not like us, who require many hours to shake off sleep from our heavy 1 They commonly abstained from all animal food ; see p. 457. 2 Sav. mar. riav O.VTOV. The other reading is scarcely intelli gible. 3 fioi aorrjpioi . The monasteries of that date were formed by those who gathered round some holy man. For instances, see The- odoret, Hist. Relig. 4 Some words added from Colb. heads. We indeed, as soon as we are waked, sit some time stretching our limbs, go as nature calls, then proceed to wash our face and our hands ; aftenvards we take our shoes and clothes, and a deal of time is spent. It is not so there. No one calls for his ser vant, for each waits upon himself : neither does he require many clothes, nor need to shake off sleep. For as soon as he opens his eyes, he is like one who has been long awake in collected- ness.5 For when the heart is not stifled within by excess of food, it soon recovers itself, and is immediately wakeful. The hands are always pure ; for his sleep is composed and regular. No one among them is found snoring or breath ing hard, or tossing about in sleep, or with his body exposed ; but they lie in sleep as decently as those who are awake, and all this is the effect of the orderly state of their souls. These are truly saints and angels among men. And marvel not when you hear these things. For their great fear of God suffers them not to go down into the depths of sleep, and to drown their minds, but it falls lightly upon them, merely affording them rest. And as their sleep is, such are their dreams,, not full of wild fancies and monstrous visions. But, as I said, at the crowing of the cock their President comes, and gently touching the e sleeper with his foot, rouses them all. For there are none sleeping naked. Then as soon as they have arisen they stand up, and sing the prophetic hymns with much harmony, and well composed tunes. And neither harp nor pipe nor other musical instrument utters such sweet melodies, as you hear from the singing of these saints in their deep and quiet solitudes. And the songs themselves too are suitable, and full of the love of God. " In the night," they say, " lift up your hands unto God. With my soul have I desired Thee in the night, yea with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early." (Isa. xxvi. 9.) And the Psalms of David, that cause fountains of tears to flow. For when he sings, " I am weary with my groaning, all the night make I my bed to swim ; I water my couch with my tears " (Ps. vi. 6) : and, again, " I have eaten ashes like bread." (Ps. cii. 9.) "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" (Ps. viii. 4.) " Man is like to vanity, his days are as a shadow that passeth away." (Ps. cxliv. 4.) " Be not afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased " (Pf. xlix. 16) ; and, " W T ho maketh men to be of one mind in a house" (Ps. Ixviii. 6) : and, "Seven times a day do I praise Thee, because of Thy righteous judgments " (Ps. cxix. 164) : and, " At midnight will I rise to give thanks unto Thee, vij\l/a<; tvetcfv. c al. each.