parent of superstition

This is nicely done:

“Egypt, the fruitful parent of superstition, afforded the first example of the monastic life. Antony, an illiterate youth of the lower parts of Thebais, distributed his patrimony, deserted his family and native home, and executed his monastic penance with original and intrepid fanaticism. After a long and painful novitiate among the tombs and in a ruined tower, he boldly advanced into the desert three days’ journey to the east of the Nile; discovered a lonely spot, which possessed the advantage of shade and water; and fixed his last residence on Mount Colzim near the Red Sea, where an ancient monastery still preserves the name and memory of the saint.”

I’ve not visited that monastery, though I’ve been to the one at the foot of Mt. Sinai, which oddly enough is Greek Orthodox in orientation.