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BUT further, as man's carelessness dropped out of sight the reason of
this, this season when, as was said, the tithes of the year are offered by
fasts for thirty-six days and a half, was called Quadragesima, a name
which perhaps they thought ought to be given to it for this reason; viz.,
that it is said that Moses and Elijah and our Lord Jesus Christ Himself
fasted for forty days. To the mystery of which number are not unsuitably
applied those forty years in which Israel dwelt in the wilderness, and in
like manner the forty stations which they are said to have passed through
with a mystic meaning. Or perhaps the tithe was properly given the name of
Quadragesima from the use of the custom-house. For so that state tax is
commonly called, from which the same proportion of the increment is
assigned for the king's use, as the legal tribute of Quadragesima, which is
required of us by the King of all the ages for the use of our life. At any
rate, although this has nothing to do with the question raised, yet I think
that I ought not to omit the fact that very often our elders used to
testify that especially on these days the whole body of monks was attacked
according to the ancient custom of the people opposed to them, and was more
vehemently urged to forsake their homes, for this reason, because in
accordance with this figure, whereby the Egyptians formerly oppressed the
children of Israel with grievous afflictions, so now also the spiritual
Egyptians try to bow down the true Israel, i.e., the monastic folk, with
hard and vile tasks, lest by means of that peace which is dear to God, we
should forsake the land of Egypt, and for our good cross to the desert of
virtues, so that Pharaoh rages against us and says: "They are idle and
therefore they cry saying: Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord our God. Let
them be oppressed with labours, and be harassed in their works, and they
shall not be harassed by vain words." For certainly their folly imagines
that the holy sacrifice of the Lord, which is only offered in the desert of
a pure heart, is the height of folly, for "religion is an abomination to a
sinner."
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