Here is a short extract from the wonderful Confessions of St Augustine, written around 400 AD. In the piece, young Augustine – who famously wrote “O lord, let me be chaste, but not yet” – relates the tale of how he and his friends started plotting their escape from everyday life. It’s the kind of pub conversation that many of us have had at some point: let us escape the bustle and live cheaply and in fellowship on some sort of commune, have all property in common, devote our lives to art and gardening, and give up work for ever. Coleridge and Southey dreamt of a similar scheme, which they called a Pantisocracy. Needless to say, rarely do these plans come to fruition.

AND many of us friends conferring about, and detesting the turbulent turmoils of human life, had debated and now almost resolved on living apart from business and the bustle of men; and this was to be thus obtained; we were to bring whatever we might severally procure, and make one household of all; so that through the truth of our friendship nothing should belong especially to any; but the whole thus derived from all, should as a whole belong to each, and to all. We thought there might be some ten persons in this society; some of whom were very rich, especially Romanianus our townsman, from childhood a very familiar friend of mine, whom the grievous perplexities of his affairs had brought up to court; who was the most earnest for this project; and therein was his voice of great weight, because his ample estate far exceeded any of the rest. We had settled also that two annual officers, as it were, should provide all things necessary, the rest being undisturbed. But when we began to consider whether the wives, which some of us already had, others hoped to have, would allow this, all that plan, which was so well moulded, fell to pieces in our hands, was utterly dashed and cast aside.