Page:The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages.djvu/180

 162 THE CLASSICAL HERITAGE [chap. show how true and spiritual must be the monk's renunciation.^ The author passes, at the beginning of the fifth book, to a discussion of the eight principal vices of monastic life which are the following : ^'primum gas- trimargiae (gluttony), quae interpretatur gulae concvr piscentia^ secundum fornicationis, tertium Jilargynae, quod intelligitur avaritia, vel ut proprius exprimaturj amor pecuniae, quartum irae, quintum tristitiae, sextum acediae, quod est anxietas sive taedium cordis, septimum cenodoxiae, quod sonat vana seu inanis gloria, octavum This series is given by two Greeks, Evagrius Pon- ticus (d. cir. 401) ^ and St. Nilus Abbas (d. cir. 430).* They describe these eight vices and speak of their ill effects upon the monk ; they also mention means by which he may overcome them. But Evagrius is too inexplicit to afford practical help in daily life; and Nilus is discursive and rhetorical in his comments on these vices and their remedies. He is also touched by the Eastern Hellenic apathy or absence of desire ; airaOeui, he says, is the strong defence of the monk against tristitia (Xvirrj) and other vices.^ It is uncertain whether Cassian was acquainted 1 On the three kinds of call (vocatio) to be a monk, and the three renunciations, see Conl., Ill, 4-6; and conapare Basil, "De renun- ciatione," Reg.fusius (A), 8. 2 Cassian, Inst., V, 1. tionibus), Gallandus, Biblioteca Veterum Patrum, VII, p. 575. Migne, Patr. Graec, 79, col. 1146. The Greek names are: yaiapyvpia, opyrj, Awtttj, aKifSia, Kevo&o^ia, V7rep<fiavia. 6 Nilus, ib., Cap. XII.
 * ripbs 'AvttToXiov Trepl Tutv oKTot XoyitTfiSyv (De octo vitiosis Cogita-
 * n«pl tS}v oKTto itv€VfLaroiv T»7s novi)pia<: (De octo spiritibus malitiae),