AUGUSTINIANS. The name of about 60 different monastic bodies in the Roman Catholic Church, all of which deduce their community rules from the sermons or writings of Saint Augustine, bishop of Hippo. The chief of these were the "Hermits of Saint Au gustine," or Begging Hermits; the "Friars Preachers," or Dominicans; the "Knight Tern plars," the Premonstratensians and the "Canons Regular." Hermits of Saint Augustine (calced), brotherhood of churchmen, devoted to the spread throughout Christendom of the prin ciples of the higher life, of religion as well as earthly science, and searchers, too, after peace of the spirit, established in the 4th cen tury at Tagaste in Africa. Up to the 13th cen tury Augustinians were engaged mainly in the practices of ascetic life, a course of seclu sion, or retirement, from the bustle and troubles of worldly affairs in trade, politics, commerce. As hermits, at first they lived, some alone in their cells in out-of-the-way places in forest and mountain, others in community groups outside of towns. Here their life was passed in quiet, in contemplation, study, prayer, copying manuscripts and manual toil, as farm and garden work, reclaiming waste lands, dig ging canals for irrigation and drainage. Emi nent among them in this peaceful era were two reformers of their brotherhood, famed in hagi ography, who by centralizing the energies of their followers on set lines of work sought to render their societies more potent factors for the common good, as adepts in intellectual, ar tistic and more industrial spheres. William of Aquitaine, a dweller in a monastery of the Tuscan hills, and John Bonus, The Good, of Mantua, a one-time strolling player by profes sion, now penitent, who by their wonderful powers of nature and grace employed in the service of their respective communities, reached high rank in the world of saintly heroism in southern Europe, in France and Italy, then in the north, in Germany and Eng land, wherein were founded congregations under their rule. Spreading thence throughout the various quarters of Christendom, especially in western Europe, their followers settled in Spain, Portugal; Belgium and Ireland, where they established houses of their brotherhood in the principal cities and towns of the then civilized world. In 1256, in pursuance of the designs of his predecessors in the papal chair, Alexander IV moved to ensure the complete union of all the different congregations of Augustinians in Europe, succeeded finally in merging their several branch orders into one body politic and social under the leadership of Lanfranc Septala, of noble Milanese birth, the first superior-general of the Augustinian Her mits, chosen thereto in the first general chapter of the brethren at Rome in the above year. Nor were the successors of Alexander slow in their recognition of the powers of this new association. To them were entrusted several places of honor in the pontifical court, among them the offices of apostolic confessor, of li brarian, papal sacristan, the latter subsequently declared by Sixtus IV as of perpetual right of the Augustinians. Not long after they were entrusted with the collection of papal revenues in many countries, and even charged by some of the republics of Italy with the handling of state funds.
In the Middle Ages as in later days many of this brotherhood won fame in the higher realms of life, by their gifts of spirit in science and art, as saints, writers, masters in theology, Scripture-study, philosophy, history, law, an tiquities, letters and poetry. Celebrated as teachers in schools of their order as well as outside were such masters as Egidius Colonna of Rome, known as the Doctor)); then Augustine of Ancona, who won renown in scholastic theology; John Capgrave in history; Onuphrius Panvinio in antiquities; Luis de Leon in theology and poetry; John Laurence Berti in history; John Baptist Cotta in poetry; John Michael Cavalieri in liturgy, and lately Augustine Ciasca in Oriental languages. Em
inent for their supernatural gifts, many of the most singular character, were Nicholas of Toll: entine, awonder-worker of the Church," so styled by Pope Eugene IV; Clare of Monte falco, the stigmatized, in whose heart were dis covered the insignia of Christ's passion; Rita of Cascia, ecstatic, known as athe saint of the impossible)); Thomas of Villanova, almsgiver of Spain, and John de Schagun, reformer of the clergy of that country. The Augustinians are of prominence from the 16th century especially in various mission fields in Mahometan and heathen countries; in Asia, in China, India, Persia, Japan and the Philippines; in Africa, in Zanzibar, Mozambique and the Guineas; then in America, both North and South, and Australia. In later times during the closing years of the 18th century, was established the first English-speaking branch of the Augustin ians in the United States, where, in 1796, a house of that brotherhood was opened in Phil adelphia by two members of Irish blood—Dr. Matthew Carr and John Rosseter— the latter said to have been formerly an officer under Rochambeau. Such was the genesis of the calved communities. In the United States their aim chiefly has been mission work among the faithful in pulpit and school. Offshoots from Philadelphia, now thriving in the United States as well as in Cuba and the Philippines, are some 23 convents and houses of the order, as mission-centres, with more than 100 members in residence or in study-houses in Europe. Furthermore attached to every central establish ment the Augustinians have charge of various guilds, or societies, devoted to such aims as religion, social improvement, beneficence in the promotion of good works in the several fields of charity, patriotism, letters and science.
The Canons Regular or Austin Canons trace their descent as an order from the 11th century. Their rules were scarcely more rigid than that of the secular clergy and were far less severe than that of monks. They were all in sacred orders (ordained clergy) and thus differed from the monks who included in their number many lay brothers. The canons lived together and had a common refectory. From their long black hoods they were popularly called Black Canons. They established themselves in Eng land about the beginning of the 12th century and had over 160 monasteries there at the time of the dissolution of the latter by Henry VIII. Ireland had over 200 establishments of this order and several nunneries, while Scotland had about 25 monasteries of which the earliest was at Scone. The abuses which crept into the various orders in the 14th and 15th centuries led to several new or reformed Augustinian bodies, among which was the Saxon congrega tion to which Luther belonged. Shortly after the revolution of 1789 the order was entirely suppressed in France, Spain and Portugal, and in parts of Italy and Germany. It is at present strongest in the two Americas. For the other divisions — Dominicans, Knight Templars and Premonstratensians see special articles under those heads and consult Allin, The Augustin ian Revolution in Theology' (London 1911); Clark, 'Customs of the Augustinian Canons' (Cambridge 1897); (Observances at the Augus tinian Priories of Saint Giles and Saint An drews at Barnwell, Cambridge' (London 1897).