252 We have a striking illustration of this in St. Arsenius. His eyelashes are said to have fallen off through continual weeping, and he had always, when at work, to put a cloth on his breast to receive his tears. As he felt his death approaching, his terror rose to the point of agony. The monks who were about him said, “ ‘Quid fles, pater? numquid et tu times?’ Ille respondit, ‘In veritate timeo et iste timor qui nunc mecum est, semper in me fuit, ex quo factus sum monachus.’ ”—_Verba Seniorum_, Prol. § 163. It was said of St. Abraham that no day passed after his conversion without his shedding tears. (_Vit. Patrum._) St. John the dwarf once saw a monk laughing immoderately at dinner, and was so horrified that he at once began to cry. (Tillemont, _Mém. de l’Hist. ecclés._ tome x. p. 430.) St. Basil (_Regulæ_, interrog. xvii.) gives a remarkable disquisition on the wickedness of laughing, and he observes that this was the one bodily affection which Christ does not seem to have known. Mr. Buckle has collected a series of passages to precisely the same effect from the writings of the Scotch divines. (_Hist. of Civilisation_, vol. ii. pp. 385-386.) 253 “Monachus autem non doctoris habet sed plangentis officium.”—_Contr. Vigilant._ xv. 254 As Tillemont puts it: “Il se trouva très-peu de saints en qui Dieu ait joint les talens extérieurs de l’éloquence et de la science avec la grâce de la prophétie et des miracles. Ce sont des dons que sa Providence a presque toujours séparés.”—_Mém. Hist. ecclés._ tome iv. p. 315. 255 St. Athanasius, _Vit. Anton._ _ 256 Ep._ xxii. He says his shoulders were bruised when he awoke. _ 257 Ep._ lxx.; _Adv. Rufinum_, lib. i. ch. xxx. He there speaks of his vision as a mere dream, not binding. He elsewhere (_Ep._ cxxv.) speaks very sensibly of the advantage of hermits occupying themselves, and says he learnt Hebrew to keep away unholy thoughts. 258 Sozomen, vi. 28; Rufinus, _Hist. Monach._ ch. vi. Socrates tells rather a touching story of one of these illiterate saints, named Pambos. Being unable to read, he came to some one to be taught a psalm. Having learnt the single verse, “I said I will take heed to my ways, that I offend not with my tongue,” he went away, saying that was enough if it were practically acquired. When asked, six months, and again many years, after, why he did not come to learn another verse, he answered that he had never been able truly to master this. (_H. E._ iv. 23.) 259 Tillemont, x. p. 61. 260 Ibid. viii. 490; Socrates, _H. E._ iv. 23.