Excerpt from Triumphalia Chronologica Monasterii Sanctae Crucis in Hibernia: De Cisterciensium Hibernorum Viris Illustribus Yet as time went on and experience grew, even this rule was proved to be in many respects defective. The Order spread with amazingrapidity. The Benedictines have been called by one who had little sympathy with them 'les defricheurs de l'europe.'2 Many a plain once waste and barren has been rendered rich and luxuriant by their toil many a proud city where the name Of monk is now unknown has had its beginning in the humble cells raised by their hands. And as it Spread, men Of different nations and habits Of life were gathered within its fold, the hardy northman and the. Effeminate southerner, the nobleman and the serf, the aged warrior who had fought many a fierce fight and the youth who, when little more than a child, had been given over by his mother to the service Of God and St. Benedict. TO bring all these under one rule, to blend them into one homogeneous body was not an easy task, and it was one which perhaps the founder of the Order had not before his eyes. His rule was brief and simple. It was admirably suited for the management of a single monastery and its immediate dependencies. But when a new' house was established it was practically independent. There was no common bond between the different monasteries Of the Order beyond the vague one of uniformity Of Observance. There was no central authority, no head to direct and control the distant members. Besides, the weakness or excessive severity of an. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.