established himself near the Shannon, at a place called Tulach Brendain; but when he found that he was within hearing of the bell of St. Ruadhan of Lorrha, he removed further to the north and established himself at Clonfert, whereupon St. Ruadhan prophesied that Brendan's 'parrochia' would be blessed by God, and in after years become greater than his own. And so it came to pass. The monastic "Family" included priests, deacons, minor clerics, and lay brethren, who all yielded implicit obedience to the Abbot as to the representative of God in their regard. The life of the community was a 'warfare;' they were soldiers of Christ, and hence were to be trained and armed for this spiritual combat. Therefore they stripped themselves of the encumbrance of worldly goods, and entered the 'arena' quite 'naked.' They were obedient to the voice of the general, and always ready to sacrifice their lives for Christ. Their obedience was like that of Christ--an obedience unto death. St. Brendan once told one of his monks to go to save another who was sinking, and die in his stead. The monk did so without a murmur--the brother was saved but the rescuer perished.[113] The Rule of St. Columba prescribes absolute _nakedness_ from worldly goods in imitation of Christ. No brother could possess anything of his own--everything was in common. The community itself was poor; the inmates were to be content with the bare necessaries of life--anything beyond that was for the poor and the stranger. Of course chastity was deemed essential, so much so that no woman was permitted to enter the monastic enclosure; in certain cases they were even excluded from the island on which the monastery was built. The members of the community were to be "virgins in mind and in body;" it was not mere celibacy, but perfect chastity--in thought, and word, and work--that was required from all true monks. In all this, however, there is nothing peculiar to Irish monasteries--these virtues have been always considered essential to the monastic state, although not always professed by solemn vow. "Silence, which is the practice of justice," says the Rule of St. Columbanus,[114] "must, at every task and in every place, be carefully observed." The tongue is the source of many sins, and hence the monks are strictly forbidden to speak except when there is need, and even then with caution. Of course when abroad it would be difficult to observe silence, but still the spirit of the Rule was to be followed. Even the Abbot, in his necessary communication with his subordinates, was to be brief and to the point. The monks frequently communicated their more usual wants by silent signals, especially in the refectory, lest speaking would interfere with the reading, which always took place at meal time.