Excerpt from Monks and Monasteries: Being an Account of English Monachism The monastic system having been intimately connected with the English Church until the rude arm of secular power effected its over throw, it not only affords abundant matter for the serious contemplation of the devout Church man, but is also a source from whence much valuable instruction may be derived by those who are labouring to ameliorate the condition, and raise the moral standard of that portion of the community which appears to be plunged in the lowest depths of sorrow and suffering. 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.