The monks have to follow the advices contained in the rules established in their order. In this rule, the part that mentions <em>idleness</em> as being an enemy of the soul, continues with <em>guidelines</em> of what to do in order to avoid this situation: manual labour and sacred reading, and both are to be done at<em> fixed</em> time. This procedure will help a monk<em> to be busy in one way or another.</em>
Yes, I believe that he had more experiences to share that helped him form his arguments. Along with that, he was a primary source for what happened to slaves.
