Honoratus

Augustine, who remained amongst them for nine years, thus describes them when writing to a friend.

"Thou knowest, Honoratus, that for this reason alone did we fall into the hands of these men, namely that they professed to free us from all errors and bring us to God by pure reason alone, without that terrible principle of authority.

For what else induced me to abandon the faith of my childhood and follow these men for almost nine years, but their assertion that we were terrified by superstition into a faith blindly imposed upon our reason, while they urged no one to believe until the truth was fully discussed and proved.

Who would not be seduced by such promises, especially if he were a proud, contentious young man thirsting for truth, such as they then found me?" That was what the Manichaeans promised.

About this time, Ulfrid, the son of King Oswy, whom we have above mentioned, likewise conceived a design of making a journey of devotion to the capital of the christian world full of this project the young prince had already engaged bennett to be the companion of his travels but oswy discountenanced his son's intention and prohibited his departure to foreign realms but benedict being a youth of noble soul persevered in accomplishing the projected journey and again hastened to the vatican in the time of the pontiff vitalian whose name occurs in the preceding work having in this as in his former visit to the seat of the apostles imbibed a strong relish for the science of salvation Our devout youth, after a few months' stay, withdrew to the Isle of Lorines or Lorines and was received into its celebrated monastery.

Footnote, a small island on the coast of Provence, now called St. Aurorae from St. Honoratus, who founded a monastery there towards the close of the 4th century.

Here he took the clerical tonsure, was admitted to his vows and practised, with becoming fervour, the rigid virtues and austere exercises of the cloister.

With the sequestered inhabitants of the island, he lived in residence two years during which he acquired a competent knowledge of the monastic institute.