resolutely pursued the way leading to salvation. Such was
the triumph of monasticism. Yet soon, wearied with the effort
which they had made, they returned upon themselves and
relinquished their dream. That was its disaster. During all
the Middle Ages the monastic state passed through alternating
prosperity and decadence. Degenerate monks took the place
of enthusiastic monks. Ruin followed advance.

At the end of the fifth century ¹ the monastic life needed
a legislator to substitute fixed rules for the caprice of
personal initiative. In the century which followed the fall
of the Roman empire, three men arose to remedy this defect,
and performed their task with an ardour which was rewarded
by unequal success. These were Cæsarius of Arles, Benedict
of Nursia, and Columban.

Cæsarius came first. Born at Châlon on the Saône, he
entered at an early age the monastery of Lerins, left it some
years later, and settled at Arles (about A.D. 496), where
shortly afterwards he occupied the episcopal see ( 503).
After becoming bishop, Cæsarius did not forget his former
companions in the ascetic life. He took pains to be of use
to them, to impart to them constancy, stability, regularity,
and especially that dignity of life of which they stood so
much in need. To this end he drew up two rules, one
addressed to the monks, comprising 26 chapters, the other
longer, for the nuns. These regulations were introduced
into several monasteries in the Rhone region, and even
beyond it. The rules for women especially, were adopted by
St. Radegonde in her monastery of St. Croix, Poitiers (about
565); later, she entered the monastery of Jussamoutiers ³

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