Note 018 His original retreat was in a small village on the banks of the Iris, not far from Neo-Caesarea. The ten or twelve years of his monastic life were disturbed by long and frequent avocations. Some critics have disputed the authenticity of his ascetic rules; but the external evidence is weighty, and they can only prove that it is the work of a real or affected enthusiast. See Tillemont, Mem. Eccles. tom. ix. p. 636-644; Helyot, Hist. des Ordres Monastiques, tom. i. p. 175-181.

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The History Of The Decline and Fall Of The Roman Empire—Volume 1— Chapter 37